Thunder, Jace, Skate and Jen wandered the streets of Coruscant aimlessly for a couple hours. They oohed and ahhhd at the variety of bars the city offered, and Jace kept a tight hand on Thunder's arm after she mindlessly wandered after some hot men a couple times. Finally, they decided to pair up. Jace and Skate went east, and Jen and Thunder went west.

"Why do we always get stuck together?" Thunder asked. "You are a blastsword in my side."

"Uh, thanks. I think. Let's check out this place," Jen said. She nudged Thunder into a large open-air market. Thunder handed her a copy of the holo disk, and instructed her to meet back at the entrance in fifteen.

Jen stopped at the first vendor's covered stand. "Have you seen this woman?" she asked the man behind the table.

He studied the holo for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope, let me ask my stocker. Hey Raynor, c'mere!"

She froze momentarily, then recovered quickly. It couldn't be, could it? Raynor Sileas, her ex-partner? Calm down, she thought to herself. It's a big city.

No such luck. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around quickly.

"Little sister ran away again, huh?" he grinned.

No matter what happened between them personally, she knew she could always count on him to keep her real identity covered.

"You two know each other?" The old vendor asked. "Take fifteen, Raynor."

"I don't have fifteen to talk to you," she said quietly and coldly as he led her away.

"C'mon, you're not still holding that old grudge are you?" he asked.

She looked up at him. The years since she had last seen him showed, and quite frankly, looked good on him. His dark hair showed a few flecks of gray despite his age. Ruggedly handsome, taller and lankier than Tyros, and as much as she hated to admit it, he still knew how to get under her skin.

"Well, I don't know about you, but fifty thousand is way beyond the grudge category. Why are you here?"

"I never left."

Her heart stopped for a moment. "You that was a long time ago, Sileas. Don't tell me you've been stuck here waiting for me to come back all this time."

"Don't flatter yourself. Fact is, I rather like our old place and just didn't want to leave. My uncle needs help with his cart once in a while, so here I am. Where have you been?"

She shrugged. "Around. The girl," she changed subject sternly, holding the holo up. "Have you seen her or not?"

"Yes," he said quietly while nodding no.

She raised an eyebrow while reaching out through the Force. "You are full of poodoo. And I'm leaving now." She turned to leave, but he reached for her.

"I just want you to know that I miss you. And I'm sorry."

"Good," she remarked, and walked away.

She was three carts away when her comm beeped. "Eleven," she said into the comm.

"This is Two. What's his story? Is he single?"

Jen laughed. "Never you mind. Why are you watching me instead of looking for the girl?"

"I was looking for the girl. Then I saw him. Yum, over."

"Over." Jen cut off the comm, and resumed her search.

****

Jace and Skate had taken a different approach: the large campus of the various Academies located near the palace.

"This isn't gonna be easy," Skate muttered. "Too much shiny white in here. Someone's gonna get suspicious."

Jace surveyed the situation, then looked over at Skate. She was almost tall enough

He turned to face her and grabbed both of her arms. "Play along," he whispered. "Get angry, cause a scene, run for the alley." He leaned in and kissed her roughly.

She pushed him away. "No! I told you to leave me alone, Sid! We're through!" She yelled at him. Heads turned, including two stormtroopers.

Jace grabbed one of her arms this time. "I won't let you get away this easily, Meena! You're mine." He started to pull her along, then slightly loosened his grip on her arm. Skate took off for the alley, with Jace in pursuit.

And two stormtroopers in pursuit of him.

Skate had to remind herself not to run so fast. The average Academy student wasn't as fast as a Sith. Behind her, Jace was doing the same thing, following her into the alley. The stormtroopers were a little ways behind, giving Jace enough time to grin at Skate while she ripped a sleeve off her shirt. He felt the presence of the stormtroopers approaching, and moved in on Skate. She struggled appropriately until the two Stormtroopers pulled Jace/Sid off of her.

Then they turned the tables.

Within twenty seconds, Jace and Skate had two unconscious stormtroopers they were dragging behind large trash dumpsters. And after several modifications to make Skate appear less curvy, they were both concealed in shiny white stormtrooper armor.

They hit the streets.

****

"Wait...those aren't the rest of the Siths," Seven said as they walked carefully into the bar.

"Gee, no shit Olie," Palin shot back.

"Wait, I can't see from back here," Rick said from behind everyone. "I'm too short to see over y'all! Who is it? Who is it?"

"Trouble, that's who it is. Like I said. Keep your head down and try and keep yourself cloaked."

Palin took a table close to the exit and looked at the four people sitting at the bar. Seconds after she they had sat down, a man walked up to them.

"Hi, my name is McCloud, I'll be your waiter. What can I get for you?"

"Nothing, leave." Palin ordered. The man did so and nodded. She really wasn't in here for drinks, believe it or not. She had sensed someone Force strong when she had walked by the bar, which is why she had come in. She had assumed it had been the one of the Siths, Jace precisely. But she had read the Force signature wrong. It wasn't Jace she had sensed, just someone who was linked to him through the Force...

Xanthis.

Well stang it all to hell. Probably looking for the girl, just like us. Xanthis was at the bar with three other people, all of them decked in black clothing, but none of them were drinking. She couldn't get a reading on any of the men he was with, though. What that meant she had no clue. It looked like they were just talking to the bartender. Getting information, no doubt. They had to get in there somehow and listen in on that conversation.

"Rick, you want to do something useful?" she asked as he sat down. "Go over there and listen in on that man's conversation."

"Ha! Whatever. You think I'm stupid?" he responded. "You do it."

"Look, I'm in charge here," Palin said. "You do as you are ordered."

"Ya know, not to take sides here," Seven interrupted. "But technically no one is in charge here. We're not even supposed to be here...this isn't an actual operation. In fact..."

With a blur of movement, Palin reached over and grabbed Seven by the hair. She yanked downwards and slammed his face into the table. When she let his head go he snapped it back up and grabbed his nose.

"What did you say, Seven?" she asked.

"Uh, I said Palin is in charge."

"Damn right you did. Now one of you go over there and listen in on that conversation." She looked around for volunteers. Rick looked away when she tried to meet his glance, Star stared down at the table and Seven damn near fell out of his seat when she looked over at him. "I can't believe this. You people whine, you moan, you complain, you bitch about coming, and then when you do finally get to go, none of you want to do crap! What is wrong with you people?"

"Well..." Seven tried.

"Oh it doesn't matter what's wrong with you people!" she burst in. Palin got up from the table and look disgustingly at them. "I'll go and do it myself! Stang. Just stay here and try not to get into any trouble."

She left before any of them could answer. She pulled the Force around her and tried to keep her presence from Xanthis hidden. She casually sat down at a table and listened in.

"Look, I haven't seen the girl," the bartender defensively said.

"You lie," Xanthis told the man. "I know it. You have seen her. She was around here recently. Where. Is. She?"

"Look, I..." Suddenly his voice caught in his throat. Palin knew Xanthis was using a Force-choke. Next he would probably just break into the 'tender's mind and extract the information the hard way. That wouldn't do her any good. She already had to contend with the Siths (though they didn't know it) she didn't want to have to fight the eyeless wonder as well.

"You tell me where the girl is right now, or else I snap your neck right now. I don't have time to play these kind of games. Where is she?"

"Fine, she's..."

A loud crashing sound from at the front door of the bar caught everyone's attention, including Xanthis and the bartender. And Palin's. She turned around sharply and her eyes widened in horror and anger. Near the door Seven and Rick had overturned the table and were getting in each others faces.

"What do you mean, "I don't have a chance in hell with her!?"" Seven yelled at Rick. "I do too have a chance in hell!"

"Boys..." Star warned.

"Whatever!" Rick yelled back. "You do nothing but screw up! All the time! Can you think of a time when you did something right?"

"How about the time I kicked your ass!?"

"When was that!?" Rick yelled back.

"Right now!" With that the young Sith stretched out his hands and grabbed the younger Sith by his throat and pushed him into the back wall. Rick pushed him back then gave him a sharp right hook that caught him in the jaw. Seven stumbled backwards into Star, who put herself between the two.

"You guys, Palin said not to cause any..."

Rick suddenly reached down, ignited his lightsaber and beckoned for Seven to bring it. Never one to turn down a pointless challenge, he grabbed his saber and ignited the green blade.

"SITH!" she heard someone yell. She turned her head. She turned around just in time to see Xanthis jump up and ignite his dark purple blade. Likewise, the three men in black ignited red lightsabers. Palin swore. Those worthless fools...maybe THIS was why they never got invited anywhere...

Then Xanthis and the three men charged.