The time is upon us...

[Ateth]

I'd never been in this system before or encountered these creatures until now but I had heard about them and while I didn't exactly know their language and wasn't sure if they even knew Basic, it wouldn't exactly be difficult to get my point across if they didn't know my language..with a little help from the force, of course. It might be a little imprecise but through the force I could use mental imagery and emotion to make myself clear and vice versa I could read their intentions.

But it seems with this pair at least that they'd picked up a bit of Basic, more than likely from the imperials and miners garrisoned here. The first to respond motions to things of value, claiming for help we must trade. I really expected no less from the creatures but there would have to be severe circumstances for me to part with my armband. I look over at Jadec and raise a brow at the expression of disdain upon his face

"At the very least maybe they know the area and can give us a hint where the Imperials are so we don't accidentally run into them" at best, perhaps they know where we can find some much needed spare parts so we can repair our ship. I turn my head back to the creatures and nod "We'll trade," I say while removing my bone gauntlet and slipping an electrum band set with a corusca gem from my left hand ring finger. The way the gem catches the light spilling out from the entry ramp makes the gem glitter like a smoldering forge. Next I pull out a few ration packs from the pouch attached to my belt and offer them both to the creatures.

[Maverick2002]

The creatures dart towards Tiionas outstretched hands and grab at the goodies on offer – the look of elation on their faces is obvious. “I hope you’re right about this, that gem could have gone towards the pa….oh forget it” I pause mid-sentence realising that the chances of us finding an actual trader who has the parts we need and near enough impossible.

Still clutching and rummaging through their new items, they suddenly run off towards a small opening in the bushes, it looks as though they are making a run for it until they pause, look back then gesture for us to follow.

We head deeper into the dense trees as the air and humidity becomes even thicker than at the clearing the ship had created. Each breathe is like breathing in the heat discharge on a speeder engine, that combined with moving through the entanglement of leaves and branches means It doesn’t take long before the sweat is dripping off my forehead and my clothes are stuck to my back. Our two guides however move through the growth like fish in a river, its clear they know every inch of the area and keeping up with them is a challenge until…. out of nowhere, they stop.

“Why are we stopping?” I asked them, not knowing whether they will understand me or not. The ground around us started to rumble with the leaves on the trees rustling violently "Wandrella” one of them grunts in a low tone, pointing toward an area ahead of us. It wasn’t initially apparent what he was pointing at but then I saw it, a massive mound of earth was shifting on the surface, it looked almost like a stream heading in the opposite direction to us – whatever was below that was big, really big.

After a brief moment, the rumbling lessened until it subsided completed, whatever it was had gone and our guides knew that – the chase through the jungle resumed.

It felt like we’d been going through the jungle for what seemed like forever until finally the pace slowed. We were at the edge of another clearing, still camouflaged by the thick foliage we were finally able to see what they had been leading us towards, an imperial camp, complete with the 4 of TIE fighters that we’d encountered earlier. “Well how about that” the sound of surprise in my voice was unmissable….

[Ateth]

I glanced from the aliens over towards Jadec with an eyebrow arched up "And who do you suppose we'd get the parts from...an Imperial gone rogue?" I say in a more neutral tone, I seem to have calmed down some since being shot down. He seems to realize though that the chances of us bartering for parts was pretty much nil on this world..no, we'd have to get the parts for ourselves.

"Come on.." I murmur as the aliens dart off before stopping to gesture back at us to follow them.

My training at the Carida Academy shows itself as I follow our pair of guides through the dense folliage. I may not know the way as our guides do, but my movements through the undergrowth isn't as hindered as my companion who its obvious to me hasn't had to go through this kind of experience before. The training regimen was some of the harshest ordeals that a storm trooper could undergo due to the high gravity of the planet as well as the variety of terrain such as high rocky mountain ranges, deserts, rain forests and ice fields.

I stop a bit before our guides raise their hands to halt, I'd felt the vibration through the soles of my boots, and I'm only slightly out of breath with a thin sheen of sweat glistening upon my forehead. It had been a few years since I'd had this level of activity "Giant worm..native to this planet, omnivorous, not too bright either" I clarify "They can sometimes reach up to fifteen meters or more in length." The rumbling subsides as the creature goes on its way and us with it.

I keep our guides in view while staying rather close to jadec in case the pace became too much for him "Are you okay?" I ask when the pace starts to slow "Breath in through your nose, out through your mouth, slow deep breaths." unhooking a canteen of water from my belt and offering it to him. Looking out through the foliage to the camp our guides had led us to "Thank you" I say with a nod to the aliens and then back to Jadec "Perhaps we can scavenge the parts we need from them"

[Maverick2002]

I wasn’t unfit by any stretch but the lack of sleep and extreme conditions were effecting my pace through the foliage, the canteen was welcome “Thanks, don’t worry though, you won’t lose me that easily”

As we both study the camp before us, our guides dart off deeper into the undergrowth behind us, traded goods in hand. To ensure we aren’t detected, I move in closer to Tiiona, just off her left shoulder and lower my voice to just above a whisper “so whats the plan then T, got any more in your bag of force tricks?” I continue in a tone which is part serious, part suggestive “If only we knew someone who used to be an imperial, the knowledge of someone like that would really come in useful right about now….” It was a somewhat tongue in cheek comment that I knew would illicit some kind of response, whether or not that was a smart move remained to be seen but it seemed like a fitting time to mention it and my timing has never been great anyway.

Despite having found all I had in her quarters and my thoughts immediately after doing so, it was at that moment that I realised that I trusted her – I didn’t know why exactly, maybe it was because we were about to do something stupid, or because she’d had chance to stab me in the back already, whatever it was, it was just a feeling deep down in my gut and I always trust my instincts - if taking advantage of her past was something that could help us now, then I wanted her to know that I already knew and it wouldn’t change anything just yet…. Hell, if people were judged on their past, no one would trust me….

[Ateth]

When he says that I'm not going to lose him that easily, I click my tongue against my teeth disappointingly and heave an exaggerated sigh "Dammit..." green eyes twinkle slightly. Was that a joke? Could be....possibly...

"Plenty..though not all of them are suited for this kind of situation" drawing my lower lip between my teeth, my face grows contemplative as I consider the options. But then he drops that little bombshell in my lap..my head turns slowly, vivid green gold eyes level a stare at him..one that stays locked upon his eyes without breaking for a full five minutes. One that the staunchest storm trooper has wilted away from, a stare that is most decidedly -not- pleased. When I -do- speak it's not to scream or yell at him although I very well could. Doing so would give away our position to those in the camp, and I wasn't about to invite capture.

"You know.." comes the low purr of my voice "...if I'd wanted my life open to scrutiny, I'd display my medals for the whole galaxy to see." I stare at him awhile longer, before tearing my gaze away and fixate back on the camp

"Stay here.." I murmur. I had an idea. A heat shimmer seems to rise up around me and it's as if I disappear from view. The only evidence of my presence is the shifting of the foliage as I pass through and the imprint of my boots in the ground as I make my way to the Imperial encampment. Finding a couple of lockers, I pop the locks with a wave of my hand. Inside, I find a couple of spare uniforms, which I grab. A few moments later, I return and the heat shimmer fades and I toss him a uniform "Put those on"

[Maverick2002]

Well, she wasn’t pleased, far from it in fact but that was to be expected – I knew she wouldn’t make a scene as it wouldn’t be worth a risk but that stare, wow…. for most it would be intimidating, demeaning and even a little scary but it wasn’t the first time someone has been pissed at me and it wouldn’t be the last. During her intense gaze I tilt my head ever so slightly towards my chest and look back her. I raise one of my eyebrows just a little and the familiar charming smirk appears on my face “You’re eyes look great when you’re angry” I remark in a smooth tone, attempting to diffuse the situation “Look, your past is just that, yours, and I can respect that – you can’t blame me for wanting to know who I was dealing with and beside, you practically invited me to go in there anyway…”I knew that was a slight exaggeration on the truth….

"Stay here.." Tiiona disappears before my eyes “oh well that’s just great” I say to myself “she can turn invisible” Normally seeing that would have shocked me to my core but I’d seen a lot of crazy stuff over the last few days, so much so it was becoming normal.

“So what do I have to do for you to teach me how to do that!?” I ask while taking the uniform off her. I quickly pull the pants over my own and attempt to do the zip “I didn’t know kids could be officers these days, couldn’t you have picked a bigger size!?” The clothes weren’t for a kid but they were definitely made for an officer of a smaller frame than me – both the pants and the jacket were a tight squeeze but I manage to force them on, brushing my hair to one side to finish of the officer look…..

[Ateth]

What was it with this guy? Most people would be quaking in their boots when I stared at them like that..but Jadec just gives a little quirk of his eyebrows and flashes that charming smirk at me that makes my own stomach give a little twinge, and that remark throws me off balance just enough that I blink slightly bewildered. What is it about this guy that he can knock me for a loop around the Maw? Maybe I'm losing it? "If you respect it as you say, you wouldn't have gone poking around my privacy. There are other ways, like -asking- me." of course I very well might not have answered him if he had "I did no such thing" but that was neither here nor there.

It wasn't -true- invisibility so much as it was just a manipulation of light, and it also took a hell of a lot of energy to do. I couldn't keep it up for long moments and so when I do get back with the spare uniforms and release the effect rendering me visible once more, there's a beading of sweat upon my brow and I slump slightly against a tree for a few moments to catch my breath after tossing him the uniform and when I answer him, it's with a slightly breathy voice "Something like -that- takes years of practice. And that's not even considering whether or not you're even sensitive to the Force to begin with."

"There's not a whole lot of difference in sizes for Imperials" there is a bit of a range but not much of one "There's a minimum height and weight requirement to serve. Guess it's so they can make uniforms that are primarily 'one size fits all'" comes my snarky reply when he asks if I could have picked a bigger size as I watch him struggle with putting on the clothes for a few moments before I start putting on my own uniform. Off comes the bone armor bicep and bracer, carefully placed on the ground, along with the belt slung around my waist and the boots get set next to them. A little shimmy and the pants are on overtop my bodysuit, followed by the jacket. My own uniform by contrast to his, is a bit loose on me.

Sweeping the long red hair from under the collar of the jacket, fingers combing through it and weaving it into an intricate braid, cap plunked down, boots on and the transformation is complete. With my high head, squared shoulders bearing, one can see almost a glimpse of the past of me as an Imperial recruit

[Maverick2002]

"If you respect it as you say, you wouldn't have gone poking around my privacy. There are other ways, like -asking- me." This response took me a little by surprise which was evident by expression at the time it was said but I wait before bringing it up again.

“One size fits all hey…its just gives me one more reason to dislike imps – no wonder they are all so stiff” realising that I may offend Tiiona by continuing my statement I quickly clarify “present company excluded of course, you look ok in uniform I guess” which was a slight understatement. She definitely had an air of importance and order about her in that uniform, which was quite the contrast to the mystery and more expressive attire that she was wearing previously.

As we’re both making the final adjustments to our disguises, I address that comment that had been playing on my mind “ Just for the record T, you’re right, i shouldn’t have gone looking through your things but I asked you about your past, the girl in the holo, and you closed up, so I doubt you’d have opened up about being a highly decorated imperial officer, what would you have done in my position? You can’t tell me you didn’t have your doubts about me, you probably still do” I turn to her and for once have a serious, honest look on my face “Look, right now, your past can help us but other than that, it makes no difference to me – you could have got rid of me at anytime and you didn’t…anyone who doesn’t want to kill me, hand me in to the imps, Hutts or Nym is OK in my book, so lets just get on with this cunning plan of yours so we can get back to the ship”

[Ateth]

Perhaps I would have been..offended by that statement...as long as a year or two ago. But I'm not an Imperial anymore, even if I currently look like one. But despite that, there are still a few things that I'd taken away from my time in the Imperial Navy..my stance and bearing. My fastidiousness and tendencies toward order especially in my daily life and in the way I kept my room spotless are things that aren't quite so easily tossed aside as it was drilled into us relentlessly as recruits.

I may surprise him by my reaction to his comment. Instead of taking offense as he may be expecting......I laugh. It's probably the first time that I'd ever shown real unfettered emotion since he'd met me, hearkening back to the girl in the holo he'd seen in the ship.

The laugh tapers off when he goes all serious. He says that he'd asked about the girl in the holo and I'd closed up..that was true. There's a few other thoughts that go through my head as he continues but I leave that for later, when we aren't about to go into a potentially risky, stupid situation. "All right..let's go then. Just follow my lead and if we happen across an Imperial in there, let me do the talking. Just salute, and say 'yes sir' a lot" I hoped we wouldn't come across any Imperials in there but at least in these uniforms we may be able to talk our way out of the situation.

"I'm not particularly familiar with this installation but they usually have a garage for spare star-fighter parts that should have what we need." squaring my shoulders, I push out from the foliage and make my way directly towards the camp with a sure stride and an air of being exactly where I belonged. Image was everything in these kinds of situations, especially for one such as me. Jadec had an advantage in being a male. They wouldn't likely look twice at him, but me..well there weren't a whole lot of woman officers in a predominantly male organization, so the more I acted the part the better off we'd be and I had an advantage in that area as I really HAD attended Imperial academy.

Luckily there wasn't anyone in the halls, perhaps they were all in their duty shifts down in the mines. I'd been to plenty of back water planet installations, and while I wasn't familiar with this particular camp, Imperial layouts were all generally similar. They thrived on duty and standards, this place was no different, so it didn't take me long to locate the hangar garage where they worked on their ships.

The place has an acrid tang smell to the air, ozone and metal mingling with the smell of various products used to keep the ships in working order. Across the room was a cage enclosure used to store various spare parts and it's in that direction I head, grabbing a black duffle off of a bench as I go, replacing the tools inside with spare parts out of their bins and boxes.

[Maverick2002]

Following Tiionas lead, I walk with a confident and strong frame -  imps were  so I tried to reflect that in my motion, it was considerably different from my usual swagger but my confidence levels were always the same. Despite the  ill-fitting costume, I definitely  looked the part and I was optimistic that we wouldn’t get stopped.

As we arrived in the hangar, the smell was potent but very familiar to me – I’d always been one for tinkering whether it be with droids, swoops, star ships or even weapons,  as was apparent from the heavily customised blaster that I recently retrieved.  Glancing round the area, it was surprisingly quiet, in fact we’d hardly seen any imperials at all – As Tiiona is loading the bag, I stand close beside her as to not risk anyone over hearing “ I have a bad feeling about this….”

As if those iconic words had triggered something, the sounds of loud, high and low tones suddenly resonate around the base “erm…what did you do?” I flippantly ask, knowing that neither of them had caused the alarm.

"Grab what we need ans let's get out of here!" Frantically grabbing at the rest of the parts in the area, I shove them into a bag similar that that tiiona was carrying and head for the entrance.

Waiting for us at the only door to the hanger was a garrison of imperial troops, ttiona may have sensed them but there was little we could have done - perhaps they had found the ship? Maybe our guides had sold us out? Whatever it was, we were heading for trouble...

[Ateth]

Just about the same time as he whispers those words in my ear, my eyes flick over to him and the words are uttered from my lips "I feel it too..." and then that alarm sounded and I cursed under my breath in Huttese, stuffing a folded down rectena into the bag before zipping it up and throwing the bag strap over my head to cross my chest.

"Stay calm" I murmur to him under my breath. Perhaps they were here for us, perhaps they weren't. Perhaps..it was an alarm that wasn't in the slightest related to us and the fact that they were outside the door to the hanger just happened to be coincidence? If we remained calm and went out, we'd discover it was something un-related to our presence here.

....and if not, my mind was racing formulating something to get us out of this situation we found ourselves in. I had a plan that might squeak us by. Pretty similar to the one I'd used on the stormtroopers in the city, but admittedly I'd be dealing with more than a handful of troopers.

Bag slung over my shoulder I reached for the door handle and stepped out. Cool, calm Imperial mask in place once more "What's going on here?" I bark in my best authoritative voice.

[Maverick2002]

Eight imperial troops stood before us in a slight arrowhead formation, each armed with e11 carbine blasters, trained on our position.

In response to Tiionas statement one of the troops stepped forward "we have been ordered by Captain-Supervisor Grammel to lock down this section of the base" even through the distorted tone of the voice modulator in his helmet, if was obvious he was not expecting for us to be the ones demanding answers - he continued "drop the bags, any weapons you may have and kneel with you hands on the ground" his confidence was growing with each word.

While he was addressing us, one the the troops one the outer edge of the formation had dropped back to use a comm-link "Captain-Supervisor Grammel, as you had suspected, there were two contacts within the hanger, however, they appear to be imperial, officers no less, how should we proceed" the comm-link crackled then a deep gruff voice responded "hmm, bring them to me. If they are indeed officers of the imperial navy then they have nothing to fear. Our primitive informants were right about the ship and I have no reason to doubt them now" the communication ended "affermative captain" the troop placed his comm-link back on his belt and joined his squad mate at the front of the formation "You are both to come with us immediately" the troop commanded - it was apparent from the authoritive tone in his voice, he was more experienced than his colleague and wouldn't not be easily tricked.

This exchange had so for been pretty brief and we were still stood standing at the entrance of the hanger, yet to respond to any of the demands.

Reluctant to do anything too rash, I decide to give T a chance to continue her plan, it was apparent it wasnt going as well as it could have but she may have a few suprises left in her bag of tricks .... if not, i had a couple of my own but both were very high risk and best avoided.

While the first troop is addressing us, I glance across at Tiiona and say softly and surprisingly calmly, just loud enough for only her to hear "I don't think me saying 'yes sir' a lot is going to help with this one...."

[Ateth]

In my opinion, it was always better to have your opponents thrown off balance, whether literally or figuratively. The trooper addressing me, even though I couldn't see the man's face, I could tell through his voice that he'd been thrown for a bit of a loop when I'd come out with that authoritative demanding answers.

An uptilt of my chin, green eyes flashing "Do you know to whom you are speaking? I will do no such thing" I say when ordered to drop the bags, weapons and kneel with my hands on the ground. My eyes flick from Jadec and his comment, to which I had to stop myself from laughing, over to his companion who had just gotten off the comm with his superior "Yes..take me to your superior. I want to see the face of the man who is responsible for jeopardizing my mission"

Without even waiting for the Imperial Troopers to lead the way, I start a swift no-nonsense stride towards Grammel's office and I knew I was heading in the right direction because while the Trooper was asking for directions on how to proceed of the Captain-Supervisor, I'd been zeroing in on his mind's 'flavor' so to speak..his had a very curious tint to his thoughts.

Stopping outside of the Captain's door, I don't even knock "You had better pray to the Emperor that I haven't lost my target because of your bumbling incompetance, Captain-Supervisor Grammel, otherwise your day is only going to go from bad to nightmare very quickly"

[Maverick2002]

At this point, I was happy to be a passenger, Tiiona was playing her part to perfection. I found it almost amusing how she was belittling the troopers with the same venom that she had initially shown me – the body language of all the troopers had turned from confident to unsure in just a few words and it was obvious that she must have been quite a force during her time within the Empire. ‘so that’s how she was expecting me to react’ I think to myself, reflecting back on one of her more pointed snaps towards me.

As she strides ahead of the troopers, I follow, as we pass by I drop my shoulder slightly and push into the grunt who was on the end, with a quick flick of the wrist I remove the comm link from his belt and slip it into my jacket pocket.

We arrive at the door to Grammel’s office and Tiiona bursts in “"You had better pray to the Emperor that I haven't lost my target because of your bumbling incompetance, Captain-Supervisor Grammel, otherwise your day is only going to go from bad to nightmare very quickly" demands in that tone only she has.

The man standing across the room to us looks back, unshaken and undeterred. Grammel is a tall man, around 6’4 with black hair and handlebar mustache, his square jaw and dark deep set eyes, gave him a very intimidating and commanding look, accentuated by the immaculate uniform covered in accolades - On the desk in front of him was small cut crystal, initially glowing red, then blue before settling on a faint violet colour and behind was a branch with a long lizard like creature perched on top of it.

There was a long pause before any of us spoke as if we were all studying the situation before finally Grammel broke the silence “ Well Well…… its not every day I’m visited by a ghost” he croaked in a low calculated patient tone before moving from behind the desk and towards Tiiona “You’re looking surprisingly well for someone who apparently perished a year ago Inquisitor Fittale…..quite curious as to why you would now appear here on my planet, in such circumstances no less”

Hearing Grammel refer to Tiiona by this name sent my mind racing, that must have been her name when she was an imperial, i shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d lied to me about it but I couldn’t help but wonder why it was so important – Keeping up with high ranking officials and force users wasn’t high on my priority list.

Grammel continued to walk toward us and circled in a slow manner, looking both of us up and down “So tell me Ateth, why are you here….. but before you answer that, let me explain why your day could go from bad to nightmare very quickly” He circled around and sat on the chair behind his desk.

“The lifeforms on this planet are very simple beings, for the right amount of credits or food, they will be loyal to anyone including the empire. These creatures led my men to a ship that shot its way to the planet surface then identified you two as its passengers so you see, you and your …..companion….are not in a good position” a smug smile appeared on his face “oh and I’m sure you’ve noticed my pet here” as he motions to the lizard on the back wall ”its what they call a Ysalamir and it has the impressive talent of supressing force powers, so unfortunately you see, I have the upper hand. Please, enlighten me with the details of your ‘mission’……”

[Ateth]

Okay...so maybe, just maybe I had a little bit of a problem with...how shall we say it..oh fuck it, let's just come out and say it. I had a problem with men in positions of power. Perhaps that had a bit to do with going through the imperial academy as a woman. There was a great deal of male chauvinism within the Imperial regime. Woman were looked down upon as not as intelligent, reliable or capable as their male officer counterparts. I knew what men like Captain-Supervisor Grammel thought of me and so my whole manner had changed while in Academy. Strong, head high no matter the slurs thrown at me, my tongue had come to be the sharp cutting steel it is now.

And perhaps I gleaned a slight pleasure out of belittling those troopers, pay back for all those times it had happened to me. Of course, it was easier cowing those stormtroopers and lower ranking officers. I don't suppose I'd get the same reaction out of Captain-Supervisor Grammel as I had out of his officers. Just by the look of the man I could tell he wasn't one to react to threats..at least not from me. I wondered, idly, how he'd do if he were face to face with the Emperor himself?

"Why thank you, Captain-Supervisor Grammel..I do say that a little death is good for one's complexion" I say with a slight quirk of my eyebrow in risqué snark. Even as he's circling us, with that gloating smug expression on his face..so very sure of himself that he has the upper hand, my face is cool calm and collected, icy even..he thinks he's so smart throwing my threat back at me like that. I kind of figured that those little fuzzy green aliens had given us away, but it was a risk that had to be taken.

He motions to the lizard on the back wall and I eye it. I'd heard about the creatures before, but had never had the misfortune of seeing one up close. There was a sinking feeling of dread inside the pit of my stomach despite my outward calm appearance. Okay..so, no force powers...I could deal with that..yeah. At least that is what I was trying to convince myself of. Take the greatest Jedi Knight, strip away the Force, and what remains? They rely on it, depend on it, more than they know. Watch as one tries to hold a blaster, as they try to hold a lightsaber, and you will see nothing more than a woman – or a man. A child.

Just as he had circled us for those moments, My eyes scrutinize him for a few moments after he's finished blathering and gloating "For such a..decorated...officer. Captain-Supervisor Grammel, I would think you'd be in a more...prestigious post, than on this backwater planet digging in the dirt.." comes the slow purr of my voice. Probably not quite the response he'd expected out of me.

"As you so eloquently put it..it's not every day one gets a visit by a ghost. That, Captain-Supervisor Grammel, was on purpose" there's a tone to my voice that says very blatantly that I think he's an idiot. "I faked my death" and by the tone and sincere expression upon my face he would know without a doubt that I was telling the truth, because I WAS, just not quite for the reason I say.

"I've been on the trail of a particularly canny and difficult target for quite some time. By faking my death, I was hoping to get him to drop his guard, come out of the shadows. I have reason to believe that he is on this planet and I was tracking him when your pilots intercepted us up there and shot us down and forced us to find spare parts to repair my ship with. I do not report to them or you, I have authorization from the Emperor himself to do what needs to be done in pursuit of my target and if that means destroying a few flyboys and raiding your ship supplies then so be it. It will not bother my sleep one bit" Also parts of it true..I had blew those TIE's to smithereens, and I HAD been on a mission tracking a target, just that I had no intention of killing him NOW.

"I play the long game, Captain-Supervisor Grammel..maybe you're not the kind of man that can appreciate such tactics but it has worked for me in the past and it will continue to work so long as inept, underdeserving, incompetant officers such as yourself do not get in my way. The Emperor would be very displeased to hear word from me that you have kept me from doing MY job"

[Maverick2002]

“You force your way on to MY planet, into MY base and think you can undermine MY command” Grammel scoffs in response to Ateth “I don’t take orders from deceased officers but….” He tilts his head slightly shoots a cold stare at Ateth from under his eyebrows “Just in case there is some truth in what you say, I’ll allow you a courtesy – tell me the details of your mission, who your target is and if they are indeed on my planet, I will find them and deliver you both back to the emperor.”

Not allowing any chance for Ateth to respond, the captain continues “This is not a request!” his hand moves below the desk and presses and concealed button, a trooper stationed outside the room enters, E11 rifle in hand wearing light armor and an open face helmet. “Before you give me a full briefing, we have to deal with ….him” his gaze turns to me. I had a slight smirk on my face following Ateths address to the captain, I was growing quite fond of watching her belittle people and found it amusing how she wasn’t deterred by the position of the person in front of her.

“You, so far have failed to say a word and nowhere in Ms Fittales description did it mention you. One can only assume that you’re not needed or am I to believe you are also a long dead imperial officer?” the tone in Grammels voice was a mix somewhere between sarcastic and demeaning.

Nothing like being put on the spot! So the situation is pretty bad, Ateth/Tiiona (or whatever her actual name is) with her extensive imperial knowledge has had a tough time getting this jumped up officer to believe her story and even then its not 100% clear whether he does or not and I’m standing here, with no imperial background what-so-ever in a uniform that’s borderline cutting off my circulation. Chances of convincing him I’m on some sort of mission are non existant, and that googly eyed lizard things is apparently stopping any force tricks that could have helped us….guess I’ll have to do something unexpected and stupid.

“Ok, ok, Cap you got me” a bemused look takes over his expression as I continue “I’m not an imperial officer, personally, I cant stand them but what I am is worth more to you than that…” my comment seems to raise his suspicions slightly “ I can give you Ateth, I can tell you where she has really been and what she’s been planning. Sure you could interrogate her but lets be realistic here, you don’t have much chance of cracking an inquisitor. All I ask is that you hand me over to Nym once I’ve given you the information, hell you’d even get the bounty on my head as a bonus” I put my hands behind my head to show my compliance “see easy, no fuss and think of how pleased your precious emperor would be with you”

Grammel presses the concealed button once more and stands “I grow tired of this, arrest them both” he demands.

As the first guard approaches me from behind I prepare myself for the ‘something stupid’ as he nears, with one swift movement I force my head backwards into the guards face, the force of the blow so powerful that his nose explodes in a mask of crimson and the momentum drive him into the second guard entering the room. I spin round over my left shoulder and with my left hand grab the rifle from the guard – in the same movement, my right hand grabs at the blaster from within my jacket and i put it at the chest of the disorientated guard - I pull the trigger, the shot from the blast is so powerful that it burns its way through the first guard and into the second, both drop to the floor - at the same time as pulling the trigger, i point the E11 with my free hand, directly at a shocked Grammel...

I let out a loud sign "oh man i've been waiting to do that..." a slight re-adjustment of my aim and i fire a shot clean over the captains shoulder, close enough that he would have felt the heat from it *THUD* the lizard dropped off its perch. "feeling better 'Tiiona?'" while flashing my over confident grin...

[Ateth]

"Yup, that pretty much sums it up" I chirp with a smug grin. Perhaps I'd hit a bit of a nerve with that comment about digging in the dirt and he was trying to validate that this was HIS planet and HIS base and that he was allowing me such courtesy when really he's a sad excuse of a man who feels the need to overcompensate for something he lacks. But before I can retort to Grammel's extension of courtesy, he's pushed that button to summon in the officer from outside and turned his attention to Jadec.

Even without the use of the Force, I had the sinking suspicion that Grammel wasn't buying my story, it doesn't take a genius to see that Jadec's uniform was slightly illfitting. He was just covering his own ass just in case. Because he knows that if I AM telling the truth, and word of it gets back to the Emperor, it would be his ass on the line. And everyone knows what happens to officers who dissapoint the Emperor and Vader.

My eyes flick over to Jadec as he's put on the spot and I have to think to myself..what in the hell is he doing?? Without the ability to sense his intentions because of that lizard back there, his words send a little ripple of nervousness through me. I can't express how disorienting that Ysalamir was making me. It was like there was something missing. I could only guess that this is how someone who'd been struck deaf and blind to the world after having seen it's brilliance, would feel because that's exactly what I am feeling now. Having been connected to the Force since I was born, having it disconnected now, it's like I've lost a part of myself...and it wasn't a nice feeling.

Grammel presses the button again and demands we both be arrested, The next thing I know, there's a crimson flood coming from one of the guards' noses as Jadec's head collided with it. A few moments later and both guards are dead, shot through with a single blast from the blaster and the E11 he'd taken from one of the guards pointed at Grammel who was most definitely shocked by these turn of events. With the death of the lizard, the Force floods back into me, causing me to waver slightly on my feet with the influx of sensation. 'Feeling better Tiiona?', I let out a little relieved sigh and nod "Yes, thanks"

"So who has the upper hand now, Grammel?" an eyebrow arches as I turned to the bewildered Captain-Supervisor, unclipping a cylindrical object from my belt and with the press of my thumb against the button, a brilliant energy blade of orange hue extends with a snap-hiss. A flick of my wrist and the tip lops off first one side of the Captain's handlebar mustache and then the other, the smell of ozone mingling with that of burnt hair.

The inside of me was warring with itself..to let him live or to kill him. One side of me was saying to kill him..leave no witnesses, the other side of me was saying that it wasn't the Jedi way to kill indiscriminately. I'd probably live to regret this... "Get in my way again, Grammel and you'll lose more than your mustache" shouldering the bag of spare parts, my free hand gives a wave and Grammel falls unconscious half on his desk "He'll be out for awhile, but no doubt we'll have to fight our way out..your blaster fire has attracted attention"

[Maverick2002]

“Well, overwhelming odds do make things much more interesting” I push the scorched troopers bodies to the side of the door and contemplate how we’re going to get out of the room. Grammels office was a stand-alone building within the base, its door opened up directly onto the main area – there was very little cover but to our advantage it was near to a small personnel entrance at the rear of the compound that lead directly into the planets dense overgrowth. The downside was that, that door was adjacent to the barracks…

The other option was to head back through the base the way we came, it was much further and would mean running through the main area, with little cover, past the hanger, stores and mess room….neither option was ideal and both came with risks.

“When we open that door, we’ll be easy targets so we need to make them hesitate….” I walk over the Grammels slumped body, hook my arms under his and drag him towards the door. From there I grab a handful of the material on the back of his uniform and hoist him up infront of me, almost as a human shield, I turn to Ateth over my shoulder, for once, a serious tone to my voice, almost militant “When the door opens and they see him, we need to take advantage of the pause before they open fire – you might be OK with your saber but I’ll need to get into cover straight away as I kind of have this thing about not getting shot. Once we’re out, we have two choices, the way we came in or the back entrance past the barracks” I shrug my shoulder, crick my neck and rest the barrel of my blaster over the unconscious Grammels right shoulder “Ready…..”

[Ateth]

I crack a cocky grin at his comment "Overwhelming odds are my specialty" I say moving towards the door and looking back as he grabbed up the Captain-Supervisor as if he were a human shaped shield. It would probably be easier if he didn't have to lug around Grammel as we made our escape but it was a good idea to make those outside the door give pause. It would be unlikely that they'd want to risk hitting their supervisor.....I hope...

"Maybe I should go first..give you a bit of cover" I suggest "The back entrance seems like it might be the best way..even with the barracks so close, they'll have to all get out of the door first and that might give us the advantage that they're not all shooting at us at once" I could cut them down before they all got out of the door, creating a kind of funneling effect, they'd have to get over their fallen companions to get to us.

"Ready" I say, resting my free hand upon the door handle and then jerking it open, leading first through the door saber at the ready. There were about fifteen troopers outside the door waiting for us, they give a slight hesitation upon seeing their Captain-Supervisor being held upright by Jadec like a shield before unleashing their fire on me..the one NOT holding their superior.

A few of the shots miss, scorching the door and wall behind us, my lightsaber flicks up and to the side catching a few more of the stray bolts in an attempt to keep them from hitting Jadec, directing them back to their points of origin..two troopers fall as their own blaster bolts melt right through their armor

[Maverick2002]

As we exit the building, the almost deafening sounds of the alarm resonates around the area, mixing with the fizz of blaster bolts heading towards us. My make-shift human shield seemed to be doing its job, but the fact that all the shots were heading towards Ateth was far from ideal. A couple of steps out of the door, I notice a parts crate positioned between our intended exit and the rushing troops “OVER THERE” I bark towards her, motioning towards the cover.

Moving while carrying this lump around was near impossible, he had to go – with careful aim I squeeze the trigger, the bolt shoots from my position and connects with the troopers chest closest to the cover, I pull the trigger again, this shot hits one clean in the head, both fall to a heap. As the troopers drop, I let go of Grammel and make a dash for the crate - head down and moving as fast as I can while returning fire somewhat blindly to give myself some cover, all I can see is the crate and the flash of blaster bolts around me, then it happened. The immense burning pain attacked my senses as one of the shots grazed my side, just above my hip – my hand instantly covers the wound and for a few seconds I’m able to put it to the back of my mind as I take the last few lumbered strides towards the crate before diving for the cover.

I drag myself up the crate and prop my back up against it while sitting. I slowly move my hand away and try and determine how bad it is – as I relieve pressure the pain seems to intensify before subsiding slightly - the skin and flesh is charred but nothing important has been hit, it’s not bleeding but could get nasty quickly without medical treatment. As Ateth arrives to the sound of another flurry of bolts and the hum of her saber, I’ve already decided I’m not going to let her know how bad it is “So much for my not getting shot plan” I grunt while forcing myself into an uncomfortable ready position, hand still covering the wound “come on, we need to keep moving”

11 left outside and more coming out of the barracks between us as the exit….