Here comes the sun.

[Rayna Eclipse]

"It is the brightest star." A young girl standing alongside Rayna said.

"It is very bright." She replied while momentarily considering the star. All the warmth it gave, all of the lands it warmed and all of the life it nourished. It was curious how she could feel the life it supplied more vibrantly than the burning mass of hydrogen. It was curious how the brightness invoked such little sensation within her.

"I have not seen a star in two months and twelve days." The girl replied.

"Have we been in hyperspace for that long?" Rayna asked, although she believed could reduce the time to the seconds she had been counting.

"Yep." The young girl replied. "I'm glad its over."

"Me too." Rayna said as the two gazed amongst a crowd of refugees.

"Alyadara! I told you to stay close to me!" An older woman, motherly in every motion, said. "I'm sorry miss if she bothered you."

Rayna broke sight of the star and smiled at the woman. "Not at all."

---

The process of refugee registration must have been contrived by an asylum inmate. No process was direct and no form comprehensible. The lines and checkpoints could rival the serpents of a Gorgon's scalp. She silently thanked the Force for its completion, despite the tedious path. Certainty that a call would inform her of further complications hung deep within her gut. She would cope with it as it came.

While the Corellian government welcomed the refugees from the Corporate Sector it never abandoned its frosty petina. How typical. The government offered no food, no clothing and little shelter. Each refugee recieved a handful of credits to make due. For as much gold the Imperial treasury held it should seem surprising that such little assisstance was available. Not to her. The decrepit body of the Old Republic, hijacked by Palpatine, required gargantuan amounts of money to keep the thin blood flowing through the Empire's clogged arteries.

She stopped at a stall along the sidwalk and traded a few credits for some noodles and off-brand flavoring. As the alien stuffed the food into a square paper box, the holovid gave her a clue.

-*- workers continued their strike today, leaving Corellia's industry at a dead halt. Corellian durasteel infurited the strikers as it announced today that it would accept outside workers to resume production.*-

Rayna handed the alien the credits, very conscious that the government of Corellia had given them to her.

-*The same day Corellian Durasteel executive Carown Brl announced a plan to aid refugees in finding temporary work. A gesture which has drawn the vociferous approval of Senators on Coruscant. Senator Ura Kinn Hooruntardt called it "a fine example of generocity for suffering families and common men.*-

One would think Coruscant's lapdog could be more subtle. She thought to herself as she walked away.

---

The bright star set over the Corellian Ocean and Rayna watched her first sunset in over two months. Three months ago she had a dream in the bed of a hospital at the heart of the Corporate Sector. It warned of strife and of war. It provided a good omen as well. The Force told her she would return to Corellia and that a new chapter would begin as the star hid behind the horizon. Patiently she waited.

[Rayna Eclipse]

--*"Madness continues to wreck its path outside Corellian Durasteel factories as strikes turned riotous this morning. The apparent cause: refugees filling in for workers."*--

--*"Corellian Durasteel's generous offer to help suffering families from the Corperate Sector has been met with severe hostility. The governor of Corellia has stated that if the disenfranchised workers do not settle by dusk, marshal law will be declared."*--

With a newspaper tucked beneath her arm, Rayna listened to the broadcast from the noodle stand she had visited the day before. She handed the credits over to the alien worker and commented.

"You'd think marshal law was already in place. Last night two Stromtroopers threatened to throw me in jail for sitting on a park bench."

"Tell me about it." The alien said with a thick accent. "They come mosying down here at about noon looking for a free lunch. Not a day goes by where I don't get threatened for price gouging. Price gouging on noodles. Would you believe that?"

"Only in the Empire." She said quietly and thanked the man for the food.

Stormtroopers? Since they'd shown up to harass her their appearance had perplexed her since. She didn't expect that her dream would use them as life changing event. Perhaps she missed something.

She unfolded the newspaper she kept under her arm and read while she ate along the side of the road. Too bad, it was a day old. What could she expect, it was just sitting by the bench the previous night. New editions didn't exactly lie around to be picked up.

"Lady, I'd get rid of that if I were you." A man said and stopped in front of her. "If the police sees paper they get suspicious. The only groups that print their news on paper are illegal. Get a datapad or something."

"You're kidding." She said as the man walked away. She folded the paper up and slid it inside her pocket.

Wrapping the noodles around her plastic utencil she watched as police speeders roared by. In the distance and between the buildings she could see the Corellian Durasteel building and likely destination of the speeders. She fished in her pocket for the remaining credits in her name.

She flagged down a taxi and climbed in.

She asked and held out her hand, "Is this enough to get me to the Corellian Durasteel building?"

"No amount of creds will get you there. I'll do two blocks away but I'm not braving none of them crowds." He said and took the money.

---

"Here." Said a battered woman as she shoved a paper at Rayna. "Because we deserve it!"

Rayna glanced at it and smiled at her fortune, it was today's edition of illegal paper. She slid it into her pocket alongside the previous day's paper and decided to read them later. If they were being passed out by disgruntled workers they had to be serious contraband. Slowly, she was beginning to understand the depth of the situation.

She grabbed a young man by the shoulder and said, "What is this all about?"

"Where have you been?" He said with shock. "Corellian Durasteel tried to cut our pay, we've been on strike since. The only way to show 'em we mean business is to take it to their home."

She grimaced and passed on through the crowd. Could it really be two blocks deep? She glanced at the faces of the screaming workers and amidst the chants and signs she wondered what Corellian Durasteel could be thinking. Why in the Galaxy would anyone want to provoke this?

She pushed further into the crowd until she found herself against the barricade and staring at the helmets of the stormtroopers. The tall building that displayed Corellian Durasteel's name was half a block away. Through the confusion she stared at the distance and studied two black speeders. She was certain they were of the Imperial design, used to transport major officials from Coruscant. It seemed a larger hand was at play here.

Had she seen it sooner she might have done something to stop the round object from sailing through the air and into the chest plate of a Stormtrooper.

"It's a thermal detonator!" One white faced trooper cried as others scattered.

The explosion rocked the street and sent the crowds reeling. In the aftermath Rayna could see it had taken out several troopers and left a few more disfigured. In the chaos and confusion she could not hear what the officer said but she knew what was going to happen. The white armored men leveled their blasters at the crowd and opened fire.

[Rayna Eclipse]

A blue stun blast roared past her ear and collided with the face of a young woman next to her. Rayna frowned and tried to steady her steps in the midst of the panicing crowd. All hell was breaking loose and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

A powerful sensation of anticipation gripped her mind as the Force warned her of a stormtrooper leveling his blaster at her. Instinctively she bore the palm of her hand towards the blaster and the Force swept in, defelecting the stun into the air. If only she could do that on a large scale. If only she could protect all of these people.

She clenched her jaw and reminded herself that it was out of her hands. So goes the will of the Force. She can't direct the galaxy and force it to abide her will, no, it was the will of the Force.

Another stun blaster soared past her and stopped a fleeing alien in his tracks. What kind of will is this? She wondered. With grace and strength she stepped down and picked up the alien and carried him off through the crowd. The collapsed body of a human man lay before her,but she could only do so much. Her legs arched over him, calling on the Force to aid her strained body.

An alleyway beckoned through the corner of her eye. Perhaps she could loose the slowly advancing stormtroopers there. She jetted past more fleeing strikers as her path crossed theirs. In the distance the alleyway looked like a dead end as a masonary wall stood ten feet in opposition. She committed herself to jumping it, even with a hundred and eighty pounds of dead weight.

The Force nearly created a vision in her mind of two stormtroopers chasing them in earnest down the alleyway. Their intentions became readily available in her mind as they turned the corner. Silently she mocked them, You didn't think you would encounter a Jedi today, did you?

It seemed to the surprised stormtroopers that a hurricane had manifested in the alleyway as garbage and dirt blasted them. Save for their helmets, they may have been blinded by its intensity. Their approach may have been slowed, but the pursued regardless. As quickly as the wind came, it was gone. Rayna devoted her mental and physical energy towards mastering the wall.

Surprise and shock echoed across the Force as Rayna smiled at the stormtroopers reaction. Open alleyway and safety stretched on ahead and silently she thanked the Force that its will did not include her capture. However, now she faced another difficult problem. She switched the weight ofthe collapsed alien to her other shoulder. What am I going to do with you?

---

Carbonation bubbles fizzeled to the top of her mug and she stared through the pale yellow liquid at her unconscious friend. With a little creativity and pursuasion she managed to find refuge in a local bar. She found that with some telekinetic ability she could make the alien seem conscious, albeit drunk.

"You're always welcome if you've got creds to spend." the bouncer had said. She was grateful, but the cost of waiting for her alien friend to wake up was great.

"Uuugghhnnn." The alien moaned and its eyes flickered open. "Who are you? Where am I?" he asked more confused than surprised.

"Ahem." She met his eyes. "My name is Rayna, I spared you the mercy of the Emperor's lackies whenthe demonstration went wrong."

He said, "Oh." But it sounded more like a declaration of pain than acknowledgement of what Rayna had said.

"Are you alright? You've got a bit of blaster hangover." She said and whinced as the alien hung his head.

"I'll make it, I guess. My name is Alrondo." He said as finally the world seemed to come into focus. "What'd they march on us for?"

"Thermal detonator." She said and took a hefty drink of the ale. "Some brainless one from our side of the crowd thought it might help matters."

"Yeah." He replied. "Some of the students can get kind of militant."

She nodded her head and ow understood that it wasn't simply workers going on strike, but rather students as well.

"Are you a student?" She asked.

"Kind of. I'm on probation for the semester because I got caught at an anti-Imperial rally." He said quietly. "Are you a student as well?"

"In a manner of speaking." She replied. "I'm not from around here."

"Where from then?" He asked.

"Ah, originally the inner core but I did some volunteer work out in the Corperate Sector."

"Oh, how about that. I wouldn't have expected a refugee to be at a rally." He said and seemed to be getting better.

"Hmm." She acknowledged, but before she could continue all of the holovids featured the governor as he called for citizens attention.

--*"We regret to inform the citizens of Coronet that Martial Law is being imposed for an undisclosed period of time. We recommend all citizens return to their homes and wait while security and stability is restored."*--

The alien swore and rubbed his head. "It never lets up, does it?"

Rayna didn't answer the question. Her worsened situation now preoccupied her mind. She had to either get ouside the grips of the military rule or face days of imperial aggression.

"You said you were a refugee, right?" The alien asked.

"Yeah." She said grimly as hypothetical situations played out in her mind.

"Are you going to go back to the refugee camp?" He asked.

"I doubt it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do." She said.

"I think they're going to close it down." He said quietly. "And I bet Corellian Durasteel is going to pick up the cheap labor. House them and kick the native workers to the curb."

"You're a conspiracy theorist?" She asked lightly.

"It's the Empire. They're always conspiring." He replied and half smiled.

Sadly, she realized it to be mostly true.

"But since you're not a refugee-worker, you've got no place to go. I have an extra room in my apartment, if you're interested."

She nodded. "If only for a short time." She said and smiled. "That's kind of you, thank you."

---

"Well," Alrondo said as he lead the way into a reletively decent building. "My apartment is above this theater which is owned by my uncle. I'm its usual caretaker during the week. It's not too bad, I can watch all the movies I want. It'd be better if the holovid industry wasn't singing to the Empire's tune, though. There's no good movies that are also legal."

He showed her into the main room. It was clean, up to date and everything a factory worker's life didn't include. It never failed to surprise her that the most vociferous revolutionaries lived so differently from the workers they usually claimed to protect.

"Does your uncle provide you with this apartment?" She inquired.

"Yeah, in exchange for my watching over the theater." He replied. "The extra room is over there." He said and pointed at a closed door. "There's a bed with sheets and a pillow, we've got to share the bathroom though."

"That's alrght." She assured him. "Thanks again for your hospitality."

"Anything for someone who spared me the boot of those stormtroopers." He replied. "I can't imagine where I'd be right now had you not picked me up."

She smiled but held remorse for all of those she couldn't help. "Anyway, if you don't mind I'd like to catch some sleep. The last few days have been rough for me."

"That's fine. I think I'm going lock up the theater as I doubt anyone will be in while the Imperial hounds are out. Sleep well."

"Thank you." She said and smiled. Turning to the room she entered it and discarded her ratty cloak, belt and took off her boots. She locked the door behid her and placed her lightsaber hilt on the dresser, paused and decided it best to hide it. She did so and then dimmed the glass. She sat on the bed and undressed, eager for some peaceful sleep. She lied down, closed her eyes and fell into sleep.

[Rayna Eclipse]

Moments after her eyes opened they displayed confusion at the sound of weeping. While she was not skilled at the particular language that her host was native to, she could identify the sound as not belonging to him. As she rose from her bed she realized that she wasn't completely sure that the language was even Alrondo's native tongue. She quickly slid into her clothes, days unwashed and pressed an ear to the door. As the weeping continued she fought the urge to simply locate the cause of grief by means of the Force.

Perhaps a year ago she might have invaded the mind of the weeping woman using her advantage as a Jedi, but she had resolved that privacy was a right she ought to observe. Otherwise she was no better than the Imperial military with their methods of intelligence gathering.

Might as well go out, she supposed as she retrieved her lightsaber hilt from its hiding place. The door creaked open slowly as she searched quickly for Alrondo. The less she seemed like an uninvited guest to the foreigner, the better. Fortunately, Alrondo sat on the sofa next to the weeping young woman who was of a different race than him.

"What is wrong?" She asked quietly.

The Twi'lek looked up through teary eyes at her but then hung her head back into her hands in sadness.

"Rayna." He seemed a little surprised. "There was an accident involving her father..."

He didn't need to continue as his grim demeanor suggested it was fatal.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said to the grief stricken woman but understandably recieved no reply. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Ah, I don't think so." Alrondo said. "I'm sorry about all of-"

"It's alright. These things happen." She cut his unneccessary apology off.

Sitting across fromt he weeping Twi'lek she introduced herself calmly. The Force resonated peaceful waves through her as she sought to comfort the unfortunate woman.

"I'm a guest of Alrondo's. My name is Rayna. What is yours?" She asked.

Like an oasis in the a desert of grief, Rayna's presence was soothing. The woman's tears seemed to slow as she struggled to regain composure. "I'm Maalona Gaine." She said through a face contorted by sadness.

The last name immediately struck a chord with Rayna. For an unknown reason it sounded familiar.

"What happened?" She asked calmly.

"My dad... He was at the office and..." The words seemed to stumble out of her mouth. "The police said it was a suicide and-"

Rayna cursed herself for reviving the source of sadness within the girl. While the Force was her aid, it did not prevent her from making foolish decisions.

"I'm so sorry." Rayna replied and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Alrondo, do you have any tea or..."

"I do, Rayna, but I don't think there is much time. Curfew starts in less than a half hour." He replied.

Rayna glanced at the open window and questioned how she had slept so long. The sun was already setting and the day was forfieted to military.

"Alright then." She said. "Do you need any help taking her back to her home?"

"I think I will manage." He said and stood up, holding Maalona up by the arm. "I'll be back soon."

The two slowly headed towards the door and out, leaving Rayna to herself. The notion of tea still sounded good to her. While her nerves were not as shattered as Maalona's, they still needed settling. As she searched the cupboards she wished she never had come to Corellia. The planet had never been kind to her and it continued the trend. Finally she found some imported tea and supposed it would do the trick. While the water was heating she searched around for something to read while she waited.

"Oh." She said and reached for her pocket.

The two printed papers that she had picked up the night before. She had yet to read them and in the light of her recent encounter with the workers of Corellia she supposed they would prove to be exceedingly interesting. She sat down ater the tea had been warmed and waited for the flavor of the leaves to filled the cup. Scanning over the paper she stopped but a few sentences in.

Mikhaal Gaine

She scanned further.

President of the Union of Corellian Durasteel Workers

Curiosity and suspicion immediately arose from her bones. How she could wait for Alrondo to return.

As her cup reached its end the door opened and her friend returned.

"The stormtroopers are out in full force tonight." He exclaimed. "Just the sight of them gives me the eeby jeebies."

Rayna stared, questions eagerly waiting release.

"What?" He asked.

"Is that girl related to one Mikhaal Gaine?" She asked impatiently.

"Yeah." He replied knowing full well where this was going. "He is her father."

"That wasn't an accident." She stated and stood up ripe with fury.

"Well there isn't much we can do about it." He said. "We're here and legions are out there. Welcome to life under the Empire. We can't do much without looking down the barrel of a blaster."

"Yeah, well I intend to do something about all of this." She said and headed to the borrowed room. She came out an fastened it into place.

"You're not going out there are you?" Alrondo cried. "You won't get a block farther than this building. Coronet is swarming with white like maggots on a dead beast. You've got no chance."

"I'm not going out the door, Alrondo." She said. "I'll take the window and I bet I can get to the factory yards by roof."

"By roof?" He said in disbelief. "Well, maybe from your window you can get two buildings down the block. But after that it's a suicidal jump. Rayna please."

"Trust me." She said. "I appreciate your hospitality for the day, Alrondo. It's been wonderful meeting you. I'm sure we'll meet again."

"You're seriously leaving?" He said as she returned to the room which provided rest, albeit short.

"I am." She said and lifted the window open. "If anyone asks I wasn't here." She said and smiled.

"The same applies to you." He replied. She could detect anger in his voice.

"Until later then." She said and jumped half a story down to the roof of the theater.

"Until then." Alrondo replied as he watched her leap the short gap to the next rooftop. He struggled to reconcile the woman's actions before him with logic. As soon as Rayna came into his life she was gone. How she intended to deal with the masses of stormtroopers and overflying military vehicles was beyond him. She barely gave him a second to protest. He watched as the woman continued to run across the adjacent roof until she leapt onto the last building within close proximity to another. The third building down was a small restaurant which Alrondo had frequented for a cheap meal. Between that and the next building was a four lane road and a story up.

From his view at the window he could see the smallest amount of reflected light on Rayna's cloak. It moved as a blur to the floating traffic light in the middle of the road to the building on the other block. Alrondo's jaw dropped in amazement. Suddenly, it seemed he had encountered more than he ever expected. In the middle of fast times of Coronet under Martial Law was Rayna Eclipse and she had leapt out of his window to challange the military might of the Empire. Alrondo rubbed his jaw and felt the need for some relaxing tea.

[Tipp Gray]

Why am I here? There was no reason for me to be there. It was just another strike, though on a much larger scale then normal, but still, just another strike. The workers would protest and the storm troopers would hold them off with nothing but intimidation. Well, that's what I had counted on, at least.

Whoever threw the thermal detonator was gone as soon as it left his hand, leaving others to take the coward's punishment. Stun blasts sent the mob running for cover, several protesters suddenly dropping to the ground in their flight. I had my hand on my blaster the instant I realized what had happened, but opening fire in public would be suicide. Any disgruntled worker waving a DL-22 around would convince those Imps to turn the stun setting off of their standard issue E-11s and take down half the crowd.

So, I ran. I blended in and ran, just like any other undercover agent spying on his enemy in the middle of a firefight. An empty alleyway seemed to be the best option, so I ducked into it, catching my breath behind an ancient, abandoned speeder. I thought I would wait things out, but that option was shunned as a young lady came sprinting down the urban shortcut. She was carrying a seemingly unconscious body and trailed by two storm troopers. I didn't want to blow my cover, but I like to consider myself a nice guy. I unholstered my blaster and prepared to take out the Imps, hoping I could do it quickly and quietly.

Is she going to stop? There was a huge wall blocking the girl's path...did she see it or was she just planning to ignore it? I trained my blaster on the approaching soldiers, but my eyes wondered into the air as the fugitive leaped over the barricade, keeping the alien with her the whole time. The troopers stopped in confusion, radioed in their report, then quickly ran off.

I sat there for a second, amazed at what had just happened. No human could make that jump, yet she had. Could she be a Jedi? It was possible, as several cases of surviving members of the Order had been documented, though they were very rare. Still, I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I was due offworld if the Corellian Durasteel problems cleared, but seeing their recent escelation, perhaps I should stick around and investigate. I got my thoughts together and headed back out of the alley, contemplating my next move.

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

The curfew was closing in as the sun began to set over Coronet. I had opted for civilian clothes, like always, keeping my blaster concealed in the back of my pants. Hopefully, if all went well, I would be able to hijack a set of storm trooper armor and navigate the city freely. After hearing about the claimed suicide of Mikhaal Gaine, my superiors changed my orders. I was now supposed to break into the Corellian Durasteel headquaters and figure out what really happened. Much easier said than done.

The reaction as I walked out the front door of the hotel was expected. Immediate yells of the impending curfew filled my ears, but I pleaded ignorant. This was met with a less than reasonable reception, but hell, I've always considered myself a good actor. The troopers lining the street outide let me pass, telling me I had seven minutes to get to where I was going or I would be prosecuted and charged with things I had no interest in. I walked briskly down the sidewalk, trying to make it as far as I could before time without looking conspicuous.

I made it half way before the city-wide announcement for everyone to return indoors immediately. Heeding the warning, I stepped behind a dumpster in an alley, waiting on a brainwashed man in white armor to come strolling by. Only then did I notice this one was just like the one before, offering no quick way to escape. After what seemed like forever, but in actuality was only a few minutes, I caught a glimpse of two soldiers walking by. Thinking fast, I kicked the trashcan, catching their attention. When they rounded the corner, both were met with an old, rusty pipe I found lying on the ground. Both were knocked out, but both still alive. I stripped their signature armor and managed to tie them together with materials I found littering the ground. Convenient.

I hated the bulky suit of the trooper, but I wore it nonetheless, as it was my only means of defense again the tyrannical laws placed on the Corellian citizens. I hated seeing this planet in such a condition. I was forced to leave the grimy civilian clothes behind, but I held on to my personal firearm, keeping it concealed while weilding the E-11. The last few blocks in the armor proved to be a burden, taking longer than I had hoped. Still, so far everything had gone well, and that was a lot to be able to say in a profession such as mine.

[Rayna Eclipse]

"Grab her by the cloak, grab the cloak! Just hold her still for one second!" One stormtrooper screamed through the white plastic that guarded his face.

Rayna placed her hands on the shoulders of another trooper, leap frogged him and planted her feet square in the belly of another grimacing white man.

The same trooper shouted again while trying to keep his blaster aimed on her. "You buffoons! She's just a woman!"

"Cram it, sleemo." The hilt of her lightsaber flew with the tenacity of a speeding bullet and cracked into the white plastic shattering the two black eyes. Like a trained bird the hilt spun to her hand, it was not time to unleash her blade yet.

She kicked another trooper in the jaw and unleashed a fury of fists against the last one until he passed out. Like instinct the Force told her all but one of the stormtroopers were out for the count.

She approached him, "Ah, the rude one." Strength filled her body as she lifted him off the rooftop. "What were you doing up here?"

"We- We just wanted a drink." His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets and through the broken eye holes of the helmet.

"Who sent you?" She yelled.

"No one!" He cried.

She chucked him to the ground and sighed while he squirmed. The halo of a moon glowed ominously behind Corellian Durasteel's headquarters and Rayna weighed her options. The weasel in white wasn't lying, she'd know it if he was. The military forces that overran Coronet was blind to her still. But not for much longer, sooner or later someone of consequence in the tangled vines of Imperial hierarchy would notice that four of their stooges were missing.

"Sleep." She waved a hand in his direction and fled the scene. Her time was now limited.

----

She stood on the roof of a shabby apartment complex and looked on to the Corellian Durasteel building. Police blockades and stormtroopers marked the spot where Mikaal Gaine ended up, the windows made a trail up to a blocked out window from which he fell. She sized the building up. There were eagles jutting out every so many floors, too far apart to make jumping up the building worthwhile. The windows looked like they had at most half a foot of ledge.

Nothing for that poor Gaine to grab onto, or me for that matter.

She didn't have to go all of the way to the top, just to that blockaded window. Which was swarming with military personnel. All she wanted to do was look around but without Imperial clearance she already knew that she couldn't. The simple answer was disguise, but the casual process of knocking out a stormtrooper for his very secretive armor wasn't going to cut it this time. She needed an officers uniform and that brand of Imperial slime was hard to find.

I wonder...

The speeders that she saw during the protest carried officials from both the Empire and Corellian Durasteel. If the vehicles are still there she might have a fighting chance at getting into the scene of the crime. She glanced towards the parking garage, uarded only by a toll droid. Easy.

She crept down the emergency stairwell against the wall of the apartment building and hid against bags of trash. The stormrtroopers in front of he building marched in their patrol formations, she could distract them and... no, she would risk it instead. With their white backs facing her she ran with the lightness of a feather until the safety of the garage hovered over here.

"Miss, if you intend to retrieve your car at this hour I should warn you that military curfew is in full effect." the droid said.

"Shut up." She said and flicked the power switch on his back. She listened carefully, it didn't sound like anyone was coming. She entered the garage and thanked the Force for the garage's wealth of hiding places. So far so good.

---

She walked briskly with the scowl of an officer. Her hair was pulled back so tight and tucked under a cap that it was no wonder the imperial women were such witches. Silently she contemplated leaving the naked officer tied up and sleeping in the back of a speeder. If the owner of the speeder came back, she was up poodoo creek without a paddle. Not likely, she reminded herself. Curfew. Assuming the owner wasn't an officer... nevermind. She'd take her chances. She boarded the lift with two stormtroopers and probed their minds to see if anything was suspicious about her. Apparently not, but this uniform made her butt look big.

Pigs.

She thought as she exited the elevator. As she walked she realized how difficult it would be to find a lone office in a massive building. She had an idea of where it might be, but no real clue. From the apartment building it looked like halfway up and closer to the left side. Perhaps if she could just find a window and look up or down she might be...

Perfect

A balcony jutted out from the building at the end of the hall. It was a mid building lobby and other officers were taking full advantage of the expensive furniture and apparently open bar. She looked inside the restaurant, a few stormtroopers and officers as well as Corellian Durasteel employees just enjoying themselves like nothing was wrong. She casually walked past the few people in the lobby and no one noticed she was there. She congratulated herself silently; she didn't even need to use the Force.

The wind hit her face as she walked out onto the balcony and the cityscape, albeit devoid of life, greeted her eyes. Bu it was not the eye candy she wanted to see. She looked around casually at the architecture.

"Nice view, eh." Another officer said to her.

"Yes, it is." She responded coldly and took account of everyone on the balcony. Just her, an officer and a lone stormtrooper. She could handle herself in a fight for sure.

"Eh, this whole Durasteel detail could be worse. There's more hostile places than Coronet in the Empire." He continued on, glass in hand. "I mean, there has been one fatality all day and that was just the Union guy."

She nodded and minded the stormtrooper who took notice of what the man was saying.

"Easy, peasy. Nothing to it. It's just- oh damn."

Rayna had used the Force to knock the glass out of his hand.

"Now I gotta get another." He said as he walked inside. "S'ok it free. benefits of-"

The door cut him off and now all Rayna had to do was ditch the lone stormtrooper.

"Where is your partner, trooper?" She asked acidly. "Aren't we working on the buddy system here? This is exactly how accidents happen and no one knows why. What's your name?"

[Rayna Eclipse]

"Dakar, ma'am." He replied.

"Well, Dakar, get it together and get out of my sight!"

"Yes, ma'am." He said and headed through the door.

She looked up at her destination, then she looked ahead. Now was the time. She darted to the left and made several leaps up. She landed gracefully next to the balcony she need to be at. She exhaled, paused, and jumped across.

Broken window. Blood. An office thrown in disarray like hurricane passed through. Suicide my rear.

She stepped over the broken window pane and into the office. There wasn't even a paper strip warning intruders away. It was like the Empire wasn't even trying to cover this up.

She closed her eyes. Fear, anger and hatred coursed through this place. The fingerprints left in the Force were stained blood red. She exhaled again.

"Murdered." A female's voice, not her own said.

Rayna sneered at the thought that she had been careless enough to focus on the past and not enough on the present.

"I'm sorry, Maalona." Rayna said as the young, teary eyed girl stepped from the shadows.

"And as if killing him wasn't enough, they've got to ruin his name as well." She blurted through more tears.

"What are you talking about?" Rayna said, apprehension rising in her voice. The girl was emotional and now she sounded crazy.

Maalona threw a notebook at Rayna. She could barely hold herself together, trembling and holding in the sobs.

Rayna opened it and scanned through the pages. Looking up, she closed the pad and said, "They're going to cut all the workers off and employ the refugees from the Corporate Sector at half the cost. And your father agreed." Rayna began to fear it truly was a suicide.

"No. He was forced to sign it. The Empire and Corellian Durasteel made him do it." Maalona protested.

Rayna tried to focus back on the fingerprints of the room. Everything was too vague now that she needed explicit details.

"We need to leave Maalona. How'd you get in?" Rayna asked.

"Same as you." She said and held up an officers hat.

Rayna hadn't noticed through the shadows of the room that Maalona was wearing a uniform.

"The elevators are locked from this floor though." Rayna countered.

"I have my Dad's building pass." Maalona said somberly though Rayna found it quite resourceful of her.

"Then lets get out of here and somewhere safe. We need a new plan and a base of operations." She said as they sneaked through the door. While these things were true, Rayna had no intention of including the grieving Maalona in any more of this.

[Rayna Eclipse]

"So this is somewhere safe?" Alrondo exclaimed, turned around and looked out the window. A patrol vehicle slowly passed by, its searchlights gazing the sides of Coronet's ancient buildings.

"It's the only place we have." Rayna said, wishing he would cease in his complaining. "I'm homeless, remember?"

"I'll lend you my home, but I didn't think it'd become a forward base for dissent." He said. "Anyway, what can I do."

"Exactly." Rayna said, hoping to end the discussion. "The galaxy thrusts on you its events and you must retaliate accordingly."

"Hrmph. Are you sure you never worked for the Underground?" He semi-joked. "So what's your plan then?"

She said, "My first objective is to..." She looked at Maalona. "... bring justice to a murder." Though she truly had her doubts whether it was a murder or suicide. The Empire's hands were dirty regardless.

She paused, they could publish the information they stole from the Corellian Durasteel HQ and bring some resolution to the strike. But it would also give evidence to Maalona's father having killed himself. Perhaps he did, though Maalona would never believe it.

"Our second objective is to get the Empire out of Corellian Durasteel."

"Ha!" Alrondo said. "That's a tall order. How do you plan to do that?"

"In due time, Alrondo." She said though had no idea herself.

They stared at each other for a brief moment. Each contemplating the growing actions around them.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Alrondo said. "Now I need some rest."

"Good night then." She said and also left for her room as Alrondo adjourned or his.

She sat down and silently contemplated her next move. Helping the striking workers now seemed more incompatible with proving the murder than ever before. To help the grieving Maalona find justice, or to be a proponent of mass justice itself?

While she felt for Maalona, and grieved with her. Death, she realized, was a part of life; no matter how unjust. In her mind, she drew a line. Passion and duty on either side. Maalona's will for justice was no duty, it was a passion created at the loss of her father. The light dictated to Rayna its will. She would publish the information to the masses and Force Corellian Durasteel to address it, as the corporation would have to. No matter how evil the Empire was, it would not stand another night of violence. Unrest was the Empire's mortal enemy. She would force Corellian Durasteel to heed.

---

The city under martial law crept beneath her. It's lackey was cursing her and yelling at her from across the room. The editor of the Coronet Times did not like her suggestion at all. She'd influenced everyone in the office to see the man and was hoping she could make the case for publishing the information without the Force. Unfortunately, that did not seem a viable option anymore.

"You will give the order to publish the information, Mr. Catack." She said and waved her hand. "It is a positive action for the benefit of the Empire. It will prove that the chief of the union committed suicide. That the Empire's hands are clean, that no foul play was involved."

She watched as the words were repeated from the editor in chief's mouth.

"You know nothing of me. This information came to you through the mail with an Imperial stamp. You believe the Empire wanted this."

She nodded as the Editor in chief continued and began to process the papers.

Sorry Maalona. She thought as she exited the room.

---

"The striking workers are returning to the factories today as a landmark decision was made within Corellian Durasteel Headquarters today. In light of evidence made public through the newspaper Coronet Times, the Empire has brought the workers union and the corporation heads together to resolve the issue. Moff Gadaran had this to say:

"Corellian Durasteel's actions to force a permanent termination of their workers using Imperial resources and the tragedy in the Corporate Sector has failed. No business within our great Empire shall manipulate the government as Corellian Durasteel has tried. Imperial might belongs the the Emperor himself, not to a few businessmen with an agenda of their own."

"Looks like you made the Empire actually come out better from this situation." Alrondo said.

"I see that." She said. "However, I suppose the link between Corellian Durasteel and the Empire has been severed. Corellian workers are returning to work."

"At the expense of Maalona's father." He interjected sharply. "You never believed he was murdered did you?"

"He was, in a sense. But the choice to end his own life was his and his alone." She said.

"Maalona will never forgive you, you know."

Rayna made no reply to the statement. Instead she asked, "Do you think I did the right thing?"

"Yes." He said after a moment. "While everyone knew Corellian Durasteel was the villain in all this, the Empire needed hard evidence to force them to wash their hands of it. The Empire, as evil as it is, needs a quiet subservience to survive. If they would have expressed their favor for the business, the city would have revolted again. Suppressing revolts costs money, loosing money is not something the Empire likes."

"What do you think will happen with the refugees?" He asked?

"I suppose I'll be the first to find out." She replied. "But I think the Empire will keep them here and try to integrate them with the population. Or rather, simply forget about them."

"Are you here for good then?" Alrondo asked.

"No. I think I'll be heading out to Coruscant." She said.

"Mission accomplished then?" He asked.

"There was no mission. I did what I thought was right."

As the holonet played on they sat in silence.