"...so I regret to report that Rogue Squadron is still alive," ThunderingSilence said from her snubfighter. The comm distorted some of the speech but Lord Baron Reno heard enough of it. They were just floating out in the middle of nowhere, their chosen rendezvous point for it's isolation. Reno checked the scanners on his Defender. There were six snubfighters in the system, the six remaining pilots of Sith Squadron. Himself, Jace Sidrona, ThunderingSilence, Seven, Palin, and JeniViolet.

"And how is that possible?" he asked. "Was or was not your mission to eliminate Rogue Squadron?"

"Well, it was, Lord Baron."

"Then why, might I ask, are they still alive? Can you give me one reason not to vape you right now?"

"Well sir......Where are Three, Five and Six?" she asked, shutting Reno up. She was using Reno's own failure to save her life. She knew that he had failed too. It was, in a way, the ultimate humiliation having a subordinate remind you of your failures.

"Point taken," he muttered. "All right Siths, we're going to back to the SSD for now and regroup. We can't take the Rogues out this way, we're just going to have to think of another way...wait, incoming message. Ah stang. I'm gonna put this on speaker for you all to hear...it's our employer.

"This is Ysanne Isard to Lord Baron Reno and Sith Squadron. Report."

Reno grimaced. This wasn't going to sound good. "The Rogues are not dead yet, they've proved to be more difficult to kill than originally thought. We're going to lay low for now and wait for the right time to hit them."

"Unacceptable," Isard coldly said. "I want them dead, and I want them dead now."

"We can't do that right now, Director, we're under strength. The Rogues are too strong."

There was a slight hesitation on the other side of the line. "Are backing out, Lord Baron? I wouldn't have thought you scared so easily."

"I am not scared, Director, but I am realistic. If I couldn't kill Rogue Squadron with a full squad I sure as hell can't do it with half. I will kill them, but not now."

"If you're going to be realistic, Lord Baron, I'm afraid I must also. And the reality is that I was paying you to kill Rogue Squadron. If you're out hiding then you're not doing what you're being paid to do. And if you're not doing what you're being paid to do, then there is no reason to keep you alive." Then the transmission abruptly ended.

"Siths, keep alive! We're about to have incoming."

Then out of nowhere a small transport popped out of hyperspace in front of the Siths. A squadron of Interceptors dropped out of it's belly and sped towards the Siths.

"Okay, we've got a squad of squints coming at us. Not as bad as it could've been but most likely they're Isard's best. Wings go like this, Lead and Four, Two and Eleven, Seven and Eight. All right, if you've got S-foils lock them in position and blow up anything that isn't us!"

Reno powered up his lasers and plotted a course that would take them right into the middle of the enemy squints formation. No, not lasers. Torps would be much more fun. He toggled over to proton torpedoes and got a target lock on the first fighter he saw. Bet you aren't expecting a torp to come out of a TIE, are you? He pressed his finger on the firing stud and two proton torpedoes shot out of the missile launchers under his cockpit. They tore through the cockpit of the unsuspecting squint and reduced it to a burning pile of scrap floating free in space.

Seconds after that was just chaos. The two squadrons converged on each other, lasers shooting wildly. Reno immediately picked his next target, the wing mate of the pilot he had already killed. Switching back to lasers he quickly lined up a shot and fired. Four green laser blasts shot out of his fighter and incinerated the squint.

As he looked around the battlefield he sensed something wrong, something not right. The Siths were winning, that much was obvious, but he felt that that was what was wrong.

"Lead, this is Two," ThunderingSilence said. "There's something wrong here. I don't know what, but there's something wrong."

Reno nodded, even though he knew that she couldn't see him. "I sense it too." Reno watched as three more squints fell victim to Sith Squadron....that was it! "Siths, break off! These guys are just a diversion!. Get out while you...."

There was a bright flash and suddenly they weren't alone. The Siths now shared the open space with an Imperial Star Destroyer Mark II. The Destroyer, which his computer identified as the Aggravator, immediately launched it's full compliment of fighters, six squadrons in all. Seventy two against six...those were odds that any Corellian would cringe at. Plus the Destroyer itself. Reno sighed. This was it, they weren't going to live through this, they couldn't. But at least he could have the satisfaction of going down fighting.

"Well Siths, this is it. I'd just like to say that it has been an honor both flying and drinking together. Or in most cases drinking and then flying. All right, no sense in wasting any more time. Lets do it to it!"

The Siths plowed forward through he screen of TIE fighters in front of them. Dropping into a tight roll Reno soon found himself behind a pair of squints. As he took aim they juked, making a quick starboard turn and escaping certain death. These pilots were definitely better than the last squad. But they weren't better than him. Not many were.

Reno and Sidrona put their TIE's in the enemy squints wake and both triggered their quad-blasts at the same time. Eight green laser bolts lanced out and pierced the hull of the fighters. They both exploded at more or less the same time, showering debris into the open space.

"Nice shot, Four," he said as he picked the next pair of squints to victimize.

"You too, Lead."

"Eight, this is Seven. Get that squint off my back!"

"No can do, Seven," Palin responded. "I've got one on my own tail! I can't shake'em!"

Reno smiled. "All right, next targets are five clicks away and look to be zeroing in on Seven and Eight. Let's give our comrades a little help. Get your torps ready so when can hit the from a distance."

Reno switched his weapons back to torpedoes and set his targeting cross hairs on the lead Interceptor. Several clicks away the HUD on his fighter went green and he fired. His apprentice likewise fired. The torpedoes sped through space and impacted against the back of the unsuspecting squints.

"Seven, Eight, your tails are clean."

"Thanks lead."

"Four," Reno said. "You take lead and pick our next targets. I'll cover you."

"Roger, Lead," Sidrona said as he increased his speed and put his modified Interceptor in front of Reno's Defender.

It occurred to Reno that if he had wanted he could eliminate the Sidrona problem right here and now, but that probably wouldn't be the best way to end it. He'd rather do it out of the view of the rest of the Siths. Sure he had killed Artoo, but that was because the man had defied a direct order from the Lord Baron. Sidrona obeyed every word that came out of Reno's mouth. Reno couldn't justify killing the man outright....not that he needed any justification. Reno could do whatever he wanted when he wanted and for whatever reason he wanted, and no one could question his order.

At least no one that wanted to live.

Sidrona picked the two Interceptors that were closest and vectored in on them. As they put the pair of squints in their cross hairs the fighters split, each going a different way.

"Lead?"

"You take the right, Four, I'll take left. Meet up afterwards."

"Copy, Lead."

Both of the Sith TIE's vectored off, each following their own target. An argument over the comm, though, distracted Reno as he got a lock on the squint.

"That was my kill, Two!" he heard Jen yell. "I told you, I lead you follow."

"S'cuse me, I'm the squadron Second-in-Command, I don't take orders from you. Now tuck in close behind me and try not to get burned."

"Burned? By you? You couldn't out fly an Ewok on a four day bender. Now why don't you get behind me and then we'll see who get burned."

"I don't think having you between me and the enemy is a good idea, Eleven, just because I aim for something else doesn't exactly mean I'll hit it."

JeniViolet's voice was outraged. "Are you threatening me!?" she yelled. "All right, that's it! We both fly in opposite directions for ten clicks, after that we turn around and we'll see who gets burned..."

"Two, Eleven!" Reno yelled. "Stop it this instant! We have more important problems to deal with right now, more immediate threats. Save the threats for sim time." If there is a sim time, the thought to himself.

"Roger, Lead."

"Understood, Lead."

Fools, he thought, stupid fools. No wonder they failed at Rudrig. They probably fought the entire trip. Now where's that squint?

The squint that he had been zeroing in on had actually gotten behind him. Reno had been so preoccupied with Jen and Thunders argument that he had completely lost track of him. Another thing to blame those two idiots for. Reno jammed his stick down and dropped his Defender in a quick drop. The squint stayed on his tail, however. Green laser blasts shot past his cockpit, dangerously close. Several of the blasts hit dead on, the only thing saving his life being the pair of Novaldex shield generators. Whoever is in the cockpit of that fighter is good, Reno thought, very good.

But Reno knew he was better.

Using the wotan weave, a maneuver designed to avoid incoming turbolaser fire from a Star Destroyer, Reno weaved in and out of the path of the blasts behind him.

"This is Lead, I've got one one on me. I could use a little help here." Reno could almost hear the stunned silence on the other ends of the line. Reno hardly ever asked for help when he was flying, part out of honor and part just out of stubbornness.

"No can do, Lead," Four said. "I'm in pretty much the same predicament as you."

"Sorry, Lord Baron," he heard Seven report. "Eight and I were cut off by that Destroyer. There's no way we can get there in time."

"Don't worry, Lead," he heard Thunder say. "Eleven, get over there and help out Lead."

"Excuse me! I don't take orders from you anymore, Captain. Why don't you help out Lead."

"Hey, if you don't take orders from me I sure as hell don't take orders from you!"

Reno sighed as the argument continued, and as the barrage of laser bolts that kept hitting his weakening shields continued. He was getting so tired of those two. Why couldn't they just get along, if only for the remainder of the fight?

"All right, new plan," Reno said. "First one to reach me gets a free case of Whyren's. But if I vape this guy first then I take one from each of you."

"Be right there, Lead."

"On my way, Lead."

"Star Destroyers aren't that hard to get around. We'll be there in a sec."

Reno shook his head. If there was ever a way to motivate these guys......

Then something caught his attention. What looked like an entire squadron of X-wings were heading straight for him. No, not an entire squad. They were one pilot short it seemed. Who the blazes... it didn't matter. They were dead. There were still over forty TIE fighters out there, plus twelve X-wings. Reno sighed as he realized that this was going to be the end of him. Still, as wonderful as it would be to go out in a blaze of glory inside of his beloved Defender, he always saw himself being killed in a lightsaber fight. Well, death wasn't exactly something that you could choose. If it was his choice he would just choose not to die.

Then in a blur of white and red the X-wing squadron shot past him and started firing at the Interceptor on his tail. The squint exploded in a brilliant ball of orange.

"Does that offer apply to people outside your squadron, Lord Baron," a voice said. A very familiar voice.....

"What do you think you are doing, Antilles?" he yelled.

"Saving your life, Lord Baron," the Corellian responded. "I'll explain everything afterwards, just assign two of your pilots to each of my wings and we'll clear out these squints. If after you hear my explanation you still want to fight I'd be glad to. But for now let's just focus on a mutual enemy. Are you with us or are we gonna have a three way dance here?"

Reno grimaced. The Rogues were supposed to be his targets, not his allies. These were the people responsible for the deaths of half his squadron. He sighed. But in all fairness they were trying to kill the Rogues first, and what had happened in the past was done in the line of duty. For a while, just a while, he supposed they could team up.

Finally he grumbled, "Two, Eleven, you guys stay with two flight. Seven, Eight, you guys follow three flight. Four, you and I will go with one flight."

"You made the right choice, Lord Baron," Antilles said.

Reno only softly replied, "We'll see."

JeniViolet and ThunderingSilence dropped their X-wings next to the four pointers of Rogue Squadrons two flight. Jen found the right frequency for the Rogues comm and flipped the switch.

"This is Sith Eleven to two flight. Who am I talking to?"

"That voice..." someone said back, Rogue Five if her comm check was right. "I know that voice..."

"Janson!" Jen yelled happily. The excitement was bubbling in her.

"Janson, is that you!?" Thunder also yelled.

"Oh no......." Janson muttered pitifully. "Not you two."

"Janson, dear, it's been too long," Thunder said. Jen frowned.

"Just back off, Thunder," Jen yelled. "I saw Janson way before you. Just stay away from him."

"Well I'm older and I'm in charge, so I say I get him."

"Oh yeah," Jen challenged, knowing she was holding the ultimate sabacc card. "Well Janson kissed me."

"What!?" Thunder erupted. "He did not!"

"Did too! Didn't you, honey?"

When Janson responded his voice was nervous and jittery. "I'm just....gonna go and blow up some eyeballs now."

"Fine, I got your back Janson," Jen said, flying her snubfighter behind Janson and to starboard.

"Oh no you don't," Thunder muttered, bringing her fighter behind Janson and to port. "If anyone is gonna watch Janson's back it's gonna be me!"

"Hobbie, you wanna help me out here?" Wes asked, his voice strained and pleading. "....please?"

"Stop the chatter, Rogues and Siths," she heard Antilles admonish them. "Normal wing assignments apply. Rogues Five and Six, Rogues Seven and Eight, and Siths Two and Eleven. Don't make me tell you again."

"Now wait just a second," Thunder muttered. "We don't take orders from you, Antilles, do we Lord Baron?"

"Do what the man says, Two, and stop complaining. This is going to be hard enough without us fighting with each other. The next person to make a comment that isn't military related is going to be personally vaped by me. Now find some enemies and kill them. Sith Lead out."

JeniViolet let out a short bark of laughter. Fine, she could stop fighting with Thunder for a second and concentrate on fighting. "Two, go ahead and take lead, I'll follow," she finally conceded.

"No, that's okay, Eleven, you go ahead and take lead," Thunder responded.

Oh no, she wasn't going to let Thunder be nicer than her! "That's quite all right, Two. You are the Captain here. I obey your orders."

"No, no," Thunder protested. "I insist."

It was just getting annoying now. "Now look, I'm trying to be nice here, Two. Just get in front of me and pick some TIE's for us to vape."

"No, I insist, Eleven. I'm being generous, it doesn't happen often."

"No kidding..." Jen muttered.

"What was that..."

"Siths!" a voice thundered. The Lord Baron's voice.

"I'll take lead, Eleven. Targets at point-oh-five, tuck in behind me and keep your lasers powered up."

"Copy, Eleven."

Reno decided to be Antilles wingman, seeing as how the Corellian was the only Rogue without a wing mate. It was odd to fly with a squadron other than his own Siths. Especially since the squad he was flying with now was still technically his targets. No, when Isard had attacked him that ended their contract. Now they were just.....he didn't exactly know what they were.

"All right, we've got four pairs of eyeballs coming in from the aft. They'll be our first targets. Sith Lead, you're on me. Sith Four, you fly with Rogues Three and Four. Use torps for the initial contact, then switch to lasers on the second pass."

Reno acknowledged, but if felt weird as he did. He wasn't used to taking orders from anyone, anyone, but because the Rogues did outnumber him and because he didn't sense any duplicity on their part he decided to trust them for the time being. Had the Rogues wanted them dead then they would be dead. It was a saddening thought, especially for a Sith Lord, to know that he was only alive because a fighter pilot wanted him that way. And a rebel pilot, at that. And one that wasn't even Force-sensitive.

Or was he? Reno wondered. Had anyone ever actually tested him? Maybe Antilles survival rate was do to latent Force potential. As Reno piloted his fighter behind Antilles he stretched out with the Force and tried to get some type of reading. He couldn't sense anything from Antilles, but he did sense something from one of the Rogues. Or was that just Sidrona he was picking up? With his apprentice this close to the Rogues he couldn't actually differentiate.

"Stay on target Rogues...and Siths," Antilles said. "Everyone pick a target and get your torps ready. We'll cut them in half on this pass and finish them on the next."

Reno chose an eyeball at random and clicked his torps to single fire. He had already used too many torps as it was. They might need a few for the Aggravator.

When the targeting cross hairs lit up Reno pressed the firing stud and shot out a single torp. Just as he fired so did his apprentice and the rest of the Rogues in one flight. Five torpedoes shot out in all, one from each of the fighters. Each of the five fighters that were targeted fell victim to the assault.

When all the fighters blew by each other the combined fighters of the Rogues and Siths banked hard and headed back for the three surviving eyeballs. After several quad burst from a Defender and a couple dual shots from an X-wing they joined the rest of their squadron in oblivion.

"Sith Two, report," Reno said into the private comm setting, the decrypted one that the Rogues could not listen in on.

ThunderingSilence's voice sounded normal for a battle. Tired and weary, but at the same time tense and excited. "No losses so far, Lead. The Aggravator seems to be falling back a little, but I don't think that running is their intention. Mark II's like that can hold more than six squads of fighters. They might just be giving their other fighters a good entrance vector into the battle."

"How about their fighter cover?"

"They've got about thirty fighters left, give or take a few. Our flight has taken out the majority, followed by you guys, then three flight."

"All right, keep it up, Two. Lead out." He flipped back to the open channel just in time to catch the last of a comment by Antilles.

"...hit them topside on the port. With the shields gone they might run." Antilles didn't miss a beat. "What was that encrypted communique about, Sith Lead?"

"Merely a status report, Rogue Leader," he responded, a bit surprised that he told the truth. "You have nothing to fear from us." The unspoken "Yet" hung in the air.

"Did you hear the target?"

"I'm assuming you were talking about taking out the Aggravator's shields. Rouges hit the starboard, Siths hit the port. We're in. Do you want the rest of my squad here?"

"No," Antilles said. "Let them deal with the fighter cover."

It was definitely odd taking orders from someone else, but he figured if he was going to take orders from anyone it would probably be Wedge Antilles. The man was a great leader, even if he did fight for the wrong side.

"Sith Four, form up on me. We've got the port side deflector-shield tower. How many torps do you have left?"

"Only two, Lead."

Damn. That was the problem with the Interceptor, it didn't come with any torpedo bays, and if you did install one it had to be small. Sidrona's TIE Interceptor could only carry six missiles. Hardly enough for a dogfight. Reno still didn't see how the Imperial Navy could produce a fighter that didn't have torps or missiles. Or shields or a hyperdrive for that matter.

"That's okay, that should be all you'll need. Switch over to duel fire and target the deflector tower. If the tower is still there after the first pass just break off and let me finish it."

"But after four torps the tower will be weakened enough for my lasers to hurt it. I can..."

"No heroics, Four. If the first pass doesn't do the job let me finish it. Understood?" he sternly asked.

There was a slight hesitation from Sidrona, but he finally said, "Roger that, Lead. No heroics."

Shaking his head Reno put his fighter on a heading for the port deflector-shield generator that sat on top of the Star Destroyer's central command structure, his apprentice tucked in tightly behind him. Off to his right were the three X-wings left in Rogues Squadron's one flight. Sensing danger Reno focused back on the Aggravator. The mighty Destroyer's sixty turbolasers were alive and firing, spitting deadly laser bolts at the small snubfighters.

"Watch that turbolaser fire, Rogues," he heard Antilles warn. Lord Baron Reno concentrated on the port tower, making that his focal point. He shut out everything else..the fighters, the laser fire, even the rest of the Destroyer...all he saw was that tower. The shields were indeed strong around the deflector tower, but they had to have a weakness. Problem was it was hard to sense weaknesses in machinery. The living Force was much easier to sense.

But he found a weakness, nevertheless. It was a small area just below the tower where the shields were supposed to overlap, but for some reason didn't. Four torps should be enough to destroy that tower.

Four, follow me, Reno said through the Force, there is a weak spot in the shields just under the tower. If we fire through the hole we'll hit the tower unprotected. It'll go down quicker.

Yes, Master.

Reno smiled as he got a target lock on the tower. When they were talking on the open channel he addressed Reno as Lead, or Sith Leader, but when it was just them he always called him Master.

Reno's fingers hovered nervously over the firing stud. Just a few more seconds.....just a few more seconds.....the turbolaser fire increased as the got closer, but that made it even harder for the gunners to target them. Star Destroyers weren't built for small fighter defense. They were very vulnerable to TRD, or Trench Run Defense, a term the rebels had come up with after Yavin. The Aggravator was about to be hit with a little TRD.

"Rogues, Siths, fire!" Antilles commanded, and ten proton torpedoes shot out of the five fighters. The small ball shaped shield generators could not stand the barrage of torps. The port side generator, the one the Siths had targeted, exploded after only four torps, while the Rogues starboard tower took six hits.

Shields are down!" Rogue Three hissed over the comm. "Now we take it out!"

"Hold tight, Rogue Three," Antilles admonished as the Aggravator started a port side ditch. The large ship rolled out of the way and started a retreat. The Destroyer could still put up a fight, Reno knew, but it was more risky than useful. A real kick the rancor situation. As the mighty ship withdrew so did the ship's fighter screen, not wanting to be left behind. "Okay Rogues, Siths, the Aggravator is withdrawing. Everyone form up on your squad leader but don't provoke any more hostilities. Let them run."

"Sith Lead?" he heard Two ask.

"Let them go, Two," he responded, agreeing with Antilles. "All Siths form up on me and report in." By the time the Siths started forming up on him the Aggravator had loaded up her TIE's and had already jumped out. Reno shuddered. He would hate to be at the end of that journey. Ysanne Isard would not be happy that the Aggravator's captain had not only failed to kill the Siths, but had actually ran. Reno glanced out of his cockpit as starfighters started flying in formation with him.

"Sith Two, everything good," ThunderingSilence said.

"Sith Four," his apprentice piped up, "Shields weakened but otherwise okay."

"Sith Seven, operation....barely," Seven reported.

"Sith Eight," Palin said, his deep voice betraying his age. "Pretty much the same as Seven, though my engines are a bit worse. Hyperdrive still works, though. I'm good to go."

"Sith Eleven," JeniViolet reported in happily. Too happily, Reno thought. "Don't got a scratch on me. I'm ready to go again, when can we go again?"

Reno shook his head and sighed, but he didn't admonish or yell at Jen for her enthusiasm. He was just glad that no one else had died. Lord Baron Reno checked his sensors for Rogue Squadron. He saw ten X-wings in system, one short from the amount that had entered.

"You lose one, Antilles?" he asked, no sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes," the Corellian responded. "Rarkaas Nel, a Rodian from three flight. Only his second mission."

"I'm sorry for his loss, but you'll forgive me if I don't cry too much. In the last two days two of your pilots have died, six of mine have. Now you said you have an explanation to give me. Give it."

From the stunned silence Reno was hearing it seemed everyone was surprised at him. They shouldn't be, though. After all they were still enemies. Just because the Rogues had helped them out here didn't end that. And besides, Reno had let Antilles have command during the battle. That battle was over, and now Reno was in charge again.

"Several days ago you were sent a message from Ysanne Isard telling you where to find us, correct?"

"You're so brilliant, Antilles, such a contrast to all the other Corellians I know."

"Well what I bet you didn't know was that we were sent a message telling us where to find you. Care to make any wagers on who sent that?"

The hatred was swelling inside Reno's black heart. "Isard," he finally muttered, his voice so husky and whispered that it almost wasn't recognizable.

"You're so brilliant, Reno, such a contrast to all the other Sith Lords I know," Antilles said, mocking Reno's words. "Isard used you, Lord Baron. She used both us. She knew that we were both threats to her so she played us against each other to see which one would come out on top. And then whichever one did she would focus her attention on and destroy. This was a game to her, Lord Baron, and we were just pawns. That is why I decided to help you. I don't like Ysanne Isard, and I like being her pawn even less. You have anything to say, Lord Baron."

Reno almost didn't hear him, he was so concentrated on Ysanne Isard. No word in any language could properly describe what he was feeling towards Iceheart. No word could properly express his rage and hatred. The only thing he was thinking of was vengeance. No one...NO ONE sets up Sith Squadron!

"I said, do you have anything to say, Lord Baron?" Antilles asked again, this time bringing Reno out of his daze. But even thought he knew Antilles wasn't the enemy right now he might as well be.

"Like what?" he shot back. Reno mustered up all the sarcasm he could manage. "I'm sorry, maybe? Siths don't apologize to anyone for anything! What we did, we did in the line of duty, just as you would've done. Or maybe you were looking for a thank you. Thank you for helping us out. Thank you for saving our lives back there. You'll be waiting a long time for that, Antilles. Sith Squadron, we're out of here. Take one last look at Rogue Squadron because the next time you see them they'll be in your cross hairs."

"I know you're angry at being fooled, Lord Baron, but..."

"But what, Antilles!?" he yelled. "The way I see it you are just as responsible for the deaths of half my squadron as Ysanne Isard is! The only reason you're not sucking vacuum right now is because whether I like it or not you did save us back there. But don't worry, you and Isard will get yours soon. That I promise." Feeding the coordinates for Korriban into his computer Reno pulled back the lever and sent his Defender shooting through hyperspace, his other five remaining pilots following.

Wedge Antilles sat in the cockpit of his fighter and stared at Sith Squadron as the last of them entered hyperspace. Now they were a mystery. A squadron of fighter pilots that seemed to be made entirely of Force sensitive individuals. And the Dark Side at that. Truth be told Wedge was surprised that his pilots had killed any of them. Killing off a Dark Jedi was no easy task. Killing six of them was even harder.

"Anybody have any takes on what just happened here?" he finally asked.

"None whatsoever," Tycho responded.

"I'm as baffled as you, Wedge," Hobbie muttered. "What about you, Wes?"

"I don't care," Wes said, his voice full of relief. "I'm just glad those two psychopaths are gone. I don't care where they went, I don't care why they went. In fact, I'm just going to forget that Rudrig ever happened."

That sparked a smiled in Wedge, something that both Hobbie and Avan had told him.

"Speaking of Rudrig, Wes, you have some things to answer for."

He could almost see Wes crunching in face, deep in thought and worry. "Such as?" he asked.

"A few words, actually." Wedge allowed himself a big grin as he said this. "'Cause Wedge will never find out. Those sound familiar to you?"

"Uhhhh........."

"Keep in mind, Janson," he said only half angry. "Wedge always finds out."

It was not so cheery aboard Reno's Super Star Destroyer. The six remaining pilots solemnly climbed out of their fighters and took off their flight helmets, nobody really wanting to look at anyone else.

Six pilots had been lost in the last few days. EternalFlame in a dogfight above Taloraan. RS Schone had been annoyed to death by Jar Jar Binks, Sir SL Mck had been killed in an explosion, Artoo had died by Reno's own lightsaber, LifeFlame was killed by an exploding speeder, and Sharpedges was shot in the back by a civilian.

It occurred to Reno that all of those deaths could have been avoided if only the victim had been stronger in the Force. Because they spent so much time in fighters they sometimes forgot they were also Siths, powerful Masters of the Dark Side. They should always be in control of their destiny.

And that was really the problem with the last mission. The Siths had never been in control, not from square one. Right away the Siths had allowed themselves to be pulled by the noses, always following never leading. They followed Isard's orders, they followed the Rogues to Rudrig and Endor, always following. And the Siths weren't followers, they were leaders. Rulers.

"Siths, listen up," he bellowed, catching everyones attention. "It's obvious that we're going to have to make some changes. We're going to need new recruits, and we're going to need new policies."

"We're not going to change the Liquor Consumption policy, are we?" Jen asked. Reno laughed and shook his head.

"No, you're still forced to drink at least half a case of Whyren's a day, but today I'm going to up it and make it a full case. I think we all need it. And we have many friends to drink to.

"Which brings me to my next point. Ysanne Isard was responsible for cutting our squadron in half. She lied to us, she cheated us, she targeted us for death and tried to have us killed. And for that she will die....but not now. We're too weak right now. This is a time of mourning and rebuilding."

Reno's mind raced as a stray thought popped in his head. A saying that was once told to him a long time ago.

"Until we are ready to strike again we will hide in the shadows. But you must beware of shadows, they move when you're not looking."

The End