The Edge of the Galaxy

[Zem-El Vymes]

It's such an obvious observation, but the first thing you notice when you land on Tatooine is that it's hot.

I paused on the gangplank, stifling a cough as my lungs breathed in the warm, bone-dry air. Too long we'd been accustomed to our temperate 'home', and this was a real system shock.

Squinting in the sun, I took my partner by the hand, and led her from the ship. We'd taken the liberty of dressing out in garb fitting a couple of wayfaring travelers, so as to not raise eyebrows at the sight of traditional brown & tans in a Jedi's robe and tunic.

[s'Il]

So unlike what she'd grown used to, s'Il took in the air and its' dry overtones. Arid heat; she wasn't sure that she could get used to such a thing, and the Lupine was isntantly grateful for the far more moderate atmosphere of the planet that they'd taken up residence upon.

Glad for Zem's hand in her own, she obediently stayed at his side as they made their way down the boarding ramp. She could almost already feel the sand on her tongue.

"It's... different," she started quietly while fidgeting momentarily with her overshirt.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"You can be honest. This place is a sordid, filthy, and smelly hole."

We left the ship's ramp, and I hit the switch to ease it up as we left the landing pad.

"There's no real law here. The closest thing to it involves the Hutt clans and some local power brokers. Good news is that it makes it hard for centralized authority to take root. Bad news is that just about anything else goes."

[s'Il]

"It reeks of chaos, then."

Now that she was not worried about a soft rebuke at her masked distaste, the Lupine felt herself relax; if only a small bit.

"And unwashed bodies." She let her eyes travel around to the drab, sandy brown surroundings. "Where do you think we'll find whatever it is you're looking for?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

I paused at that.

"In a place like this? Sometimes it's as easy as finding a couple of seats in a pub, and being a fly on the wall for spacer gossip."

[s'Il]

"Yes well, I've never been to 'a place like this'."

And it was obvious that she hadn't. The Lupine stayed close to her master's side as they struck out into the milling crowds, and she found herself pushing up against him to avoid touching those around her.

"If we're to find a place to sit and observe, can we do it soon?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

That elicited a chuckle from me. Was I honestly that much more worldly?

"There is so much more to life than what a we can be accustomed to. In time, you would have to do your duty among people, perhaps as sordid as these. That is life."

I was careful to not mention the ways of the Jedi, since you couldn't be sure who was still listening. There might not be any law here, but there were bound to be unscrupulous profiteers.

"But for your sake, we'll find a good watering hole. It's not a hard thing to do here."

And surely, we didn't have to go far, before I found a familiar sign in Aurabesh.

"Ah, here we go."

[s'Il]

She gave only a wordless acknowledgement. She might have to some day be ready to work with and around people like this, but that day was not today. Today was a 'stroll out', as he'd called it the day before. They were here only to see what might be seen. Hear what might be heard.

The Lupine followed dutifully, staying close to Zem's side as he navigated the streets. She looked up at the sign of the establishment he'd chosen, keeping her face neutral as they started for the door.

It wasn't until they'd stepped inside though, that her eyes very nearly bugged out and she clapped a hand over her nose and mouth. The stench; oh gods the stench.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I squeezed her hand hard enough to tell her not to raise a fuss, as I led her inside. There were nearly as many races nearby as there were beings in the establishment, and not all of them shared the same standards of hygeine. Or if they did, days and weeks aboard starships may have removed themselves from regular decencies.

We found an empty table for two at a far corner, and took our seats. Within a moment, we were greeted by a four-armed waittress, who hovered attentively for our orders.

"Any Dantooine beer on tap? I'll take that, or barring, maybe something Ithorian?"

[s'Il]

The waitress only gave a grunt and a nod, not really answering his question. She rounded on s'Il then, who sat stiffly, eyes wide. The Lupine stared unabashedly at their server, blinked, then coughed.

Her voice was very small as she nodded toward Zem. "I'll have what he's having."

Another grunt and nod, and their server was gone. s'Il let out a slight groan then, cursing the Bloodline for dropping her into such a place as this.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I gave my student a very amused look as I settled in my seat.

"You look stiff as a board. Maybe you should have a few drinks before we get to our task."

[s'Il]

"It's... I'm just not used to this."

She layed her hands on the table's surface, palms down.

[Zem-El Vymes]

The waitress wasn't long in returning with our drinks. I didn't recognize the label, but the taste was passingly familiar as a Dantooine brew.

"It's been two years since I've had one of these."

It wasn't very cold, but it didn't much matter to me. I tipped it up with a nostalgic enthusiasm.

"A pub such as this has a sort of heartbeat, if you're able to listen to it. The dozens of conversations you can all hear as a sort of pulse. The trick is to not just listen, but also to hear."

[s'Il]

The Lupine nodded, watching him as he drank. Her own was given a cautionary sniff. It smelled so wholly unlike what she was expecting, and s'Il made a face before reaching out to gently pick it up After a year of nothing but tea and water, she'd gotten used to nothing else.

Her first taste only caused her to pull her features into a mildly disgusted look. But, she persisted, taking another small drink. How Zem could enjoy such a thing as this was something she simply couldn't fathom.

She chose to ignore the taste though, venturing a look around at their immediate surroundings. The patrons themselves were varied enough; species that she recognized and others that she'd never seen before in her life. The din of conversation was heavy in the air.

Biting her lip, s'Il propped her chin up with a hand, staring at the far wall and remaining silent as she let the words of over a dozen discussions descend upon her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I made quick work of my first drink, and it wasn't long before I was flagging down the waitress for another. I paused, and asked her to bring a pitcher instead. Let the good times roll and so forth.

"We're currently in a town called Mos Eisley, which is one of the larger hubs that's settled here. Mos Espa is some distance from here, and after that it's apparantly tribals and a few settlement areas."

I returned my attention back to her, and smiled.

"If I recall, this is where Anakin Skywalker was originally from."

[s'Il]

"I can see why he left," was her only answer.

Still staring at some unseen object out over the rest of the crowded bar's interior, s'Il idly lifted her glass to her lips, tentatively taking another sip. Setting it back down on a much-used and cruddy coaster, she finally turned her eyes to Zem.

"How can you drink this," she asked incredulously, waving her hand at first her nearly full glass, and then his own empty one.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"It's liquid bread. Full of body and flavor. I spent some time on Dantooine before and during the war, and the locals took whatever grain they couldn't sell at the market and made it into this."

I shrugged, and took a drink.

"It's a connection to the past, I guess."

[s'Il]

"If you say so."

While her voice was low and almost grumbled, there was still a touch of growing mirth in her tone. "I'm afraid that I didn't get out as much as you did, so my connections to the past really only include old books and old clothes... and you."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Well that is usually the case for young students, I guess. Part of growing up is learning how to climb over fences."

I heard some grumbling at a nearby table that caught my attention. Some Sulustan was talking about Imperial tariffs nearly ruining his business. Something about an enforced merchant inspection along major space lanes.

[s'Il]

Choosing to not answer, the Lupine busied herself with taking another sip and doing her best to listen in on the chatter around her. She caught the same snippet from the Sullustan that Zem had, and remained quiet as his comrades grumbled their own responses.

She caught a few names here and there, recognizing only a one; Palpatine. There were others that she'd never heard of before though, Tarkin, Ozzel, and one other - though he was only whispered of in hushed tones, and even those were vague at best.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"This is strange. The clone armies had names for officers, but they were usually designations. It sounds like the Emperor is appointing non-clones into key positions in the army and navy."

[s'Il]

s'Il had never properly met any of the clone officers, or at least had any sort of dealings with them. Master Windu would often allow her to be present whenever he had discussions with some of them, but she'd always been instructed to simply listen. And so, her knowledge of the genetically engineered soldiers was taken only from observation.

"I only met a few of the officers," she thought aloud, "but never really talked to them. I just listened while they discussed the war with Master Windu."

That it seemed, from what her master had said, that the Emperor wasn't promoting clones into certain places within his military meant to her that he wanted people in his order that would rise above the need for a simple soldier bred only for combat.

"Maybe he wants a little originality in his ranks," she mumbled into her glass.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I don't know."

I stared blankly at my drink.

"The clones were quite efficient, and took orders without question. I wonder if it has more to do with installing a regime, and to infect the rest of the citizens with his ideology."

[s'Il]

"I'll leave you to suss that out; I'm no politician so why he does what he does with his government goes beyond my limited understanding."

A rather unimpressed stare was given to those around them. "As for infecting others with his ideoligies, something tells me that it's not going over so well here."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"It didn't go over so well back in the Republic days, either." I mused.

"When you live so far from the core, it's no surprise that you tend to do things to a different beat than the others. It's difficult for a galactic government to rule on the fringes."

[s'Il]

"Then I suppose that makes us fortunate."

Nothing else was said for a few moments as she finished off the last of her beer. Their waitress trundled by, and s'Il kept her eyes on the other's broad back, watching her tend to her other customers. It was an odd thing to see, so many beings in such a confined space.

Extending her mind outwards, the Lupine allowed herself to pick apart voices and the tables that they came from. The words she heard varied greatly; from harsh to whispered, to raucous and boisterous, to a few more low cajoling tones. It was easy to see that Zem was right; there was a pulse here that was largely undefinable yet present.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Are we fortunate? Sure these people don't benefit from the niceties of the Republic's rule, but they also seem to have avoided the harshest of the Imperial yoke. Theirs may simply be a different existence."

I paused, taking a drink, and quirking an eyebrow.

"Then again, the Hutt lords are here, which is a beast of another sort I suppose."

[s'Il]

Oh, she'd heard enough about the Hutts to know that they were of the sort that she had no desire whatsoever to encounter. Even his use of the word was enough to ellicit a deep scowl; their mention bringing her attentions away from those around her and back to him.

"I've no wish to meet any of those things."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"The Hutts may have a troublesome nature to them, but they were also responsible for deposing Xim the Despot, in ancient times. It's wise to be wary, but you shouldn't be quick to discount someone so early."

[s'Il]

Biting her lip, s'Il only nodded. She refrained from pouring herself another glass from the pitcher he'd ordered; one cup was more than enough for her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I poured her glass for her.

"It isn't going to drink itself!"

With a laugh, I topped my own off, and continued to listen to the goings-on. Something caught my attention. A mention of rebellion.

[s'Il]

Making a face at him, she offered no resistance; but that didn't mean she had plans to drink any of it. Perhaps she might be able to offer it to him after he'd finished his?

Her ears caught wind of the same thing he'd heard though, and the Lupine blinked, forcing herself to stare at the amber liquid and simply listen. A rebellion? Not surprising really; history was rife with tyrannical governments breeding dissident groups. To hear this was no real surprise, but it was still interesting.

Her eyes went to Zem's face, curious as to his own reaction and assessment.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I held up my glass, and caught sight of the people talking in it's reflection. One was a scar-faced man in flight fatigues. The other was a blue Twi'leki female.

I strained to listen. This obviously wasn't an idle reference. They spoke with serious voices. Something about meeting a 'leader'. Another reference to picking up supplies outside of town.

"We should follow these two." I whispered to s'Il.

[s'Il]

Anything to escape having to take in anymore of the drink before her. She nodded discreetely.

Content to keep listening until the pair decided to leave, s'Il idly found herself drumming her nails on the tabletop. It was only a short while though that she had to wait, as the two flagged the waitress down, paid their tab, and stood.

[Zem-El Vymes]

We followed suit, paying for our beers and headed out. I allowed a generous distance between us, since it was a bit easier to shadow somebody through the force. We followed with the most discretion possible, until they hopped into a tandem speeder and headed off.

Fortunately, there was a taxi service.

[s'Il]

If it was possible, the smell inside of the taxi was far worse than what she'd encountered in the bar, but s'Il followed Zem dutifully into the back seat. She held her breath for as long as she could, screwing her eyes shut as if to further filter out any of the stench.

Her hand reached out to her side, grabbing a hold of the sleeve of his shirt and holding tight.

The driver pulled away from the curb, following Zem's directions, and soon enough they were headed down thoroughfares, sidestreets, and avenues in no particular order.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Keep your distance, okay?"

The cab droid whirtled at me, and the speeder followed dutifully, taking us past the small commercial district of Mos Eisley and back into the warehousing and star docks areas. At last, we could see the other speeder coming up on a particular warehouse, and the cabbie passed it by, going down a couple of blocks so that we didn't alarm our quarry.

"That's good, thanks." I exited the vehicle, and tossed a credit into the recepticle for payment. With a beep, the droid was gone again.

[s'Il]

Back out into the fresh - ha! - air, s'Il inhaled deeply. Her eyes went to either side, taking in the area they stood in; it certainly wasn't a high-rise Coruscant district, that was for sure. She sniffed, testing the atmosphere.

It made her scowl, but the Lupine was determined to follow Zem wherever he chose to go. If he wished to know about this rebellion, than she would obediently stay at his side. Her eyes traveled down the stretch of sidewalk that led back to the warehouse they'd seen the two enter, and taking a step forward, she took his hand in her own, pulling him with her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I need a favor of you."

I paused at the corner of a building, looking around it and down the way. I could see a group of people milling conspicuously at the entrance, and at least two of them were openly armed.

"I'd rather not just stroll up and ask questions, because we're dealing with edgy people. Can you get closer? Get a good listen to what they're saying?"

[s'Il]

She knew what he was asking, and after only a moment of inner deliberation, nodded.

Pulling back a short distance, the Lupine backed herself into a small alcove. From her spot, she handed Zem different articles of clothing as she took them off. Soon enough she was hunched over, her body obeying her command to change.

It was a short process, and at the end of it the white vornskr emerged; far less shaggy than she was normally, thanks to the day before. She hurffed, sneezed, and shook out the last feelings of the change in a shake that began at her nose and ended at the tip of her barbed tail.

And then she trotted away from him, making her way out into the street and heading for a dumpster that sat across from the milling group.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I folded up her clothes dutifully and set them aside. As I returned to my corner vantage, I got the distinct feeling that I'd been discovered. I turned around in time to see the end of a blaster pointing in my face.

"Let's go." He said in a low tone; all business.

[s'Il]

Barely able to hide her disgust, the vornskr pawed away at the refuse, doing her best to appear as one of the citie's wild animals out for a scrounged snack. It was a particularly difficult task.

Pausing, she looked up with tawny eyes at the small group that stood a short distance away from her. Her ears swiveled forward then, and the Lupine turned to look back the way she'd come.

What was he - had her master gone mad... ?

Zem was coming around the corner of the building, and suddenly her ears drooped at the sight of the one behind him.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"We got enough problems without having some over-interested tourists following us around. Where's your friend? That blonde woman?"

Scar-face whirled me around, and planted my hands against the wall as he frisked me. Of course I wasn't stupid enough to be carrying my lightsaber on me at the time, so they wouldn't be finding that on my person.

I heard s'Il whurfle nearby, didn't bother to glance. She was doing her best to remain aloof, pattering about the general area without fixing too much notice on us. Hopefully she was reading my intentions and realized that there was no cause for alarm just yet.

[s'Il]

From her spot in the scattered remnants of garbage, s'Il kept an errant eye on the man who'd gotten the drop on Zem.

She could make quick work of the man, but remained where she was. Even in this form, she let her thoughts spread beyond physical borders. There was no acute danger just yet, and so she waited.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Search the area. You know what she looks like."

Scar-face spoke to Blue, who nodded and strode off with a blaster carbine. He returned his attention to me, and spun me around so that my back was now against the wall.

"The last Imperial spy we made got buried in the Dune Sea. Care to tell me what you were doing following us?"

I took that to be a fair enough affirmation that these were the people I was looking to find.

"So you are with the Rebellion then?"

Scar-face glanced sternly at the others, who opened up the door of the warehouse.

"A comedian. Well, we've got a special room for comedians. Come on."

[s'Il]

They aimed to take him inside; away from her line of sight. It was cause enough for her to worry, and without thinking s'Il let out a sharp series of barks from where she sat, surrounded by the strewn-about remnants of the dumpster.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Blue turned in the direction of the barks, spotted the vornskyr, and went back to her search without a second thought.

I was led into the warehouse, which was wide open and cavernous, with a few doors lining the far end. Scar-face wasn't intent on a sightseeing tour, and he obviously had something planned for me that was probably unpleasant. He prodded me along toward what looked like a corrugated metal shed at the corner of the building. Inside, there was a thick layer of foam insulation, two chairs, and a table.

"Oh, torture then?"

Scar-face sneered, and shoved me into a seat, slapping a set of binders on me.

"That depends on you. Somebody is gonna ask you a few questions, so you can guess where that'll lead."

With that, Scar-face stepped out of the shed, locking it as he did.

[s'Il]

Zem disappeared inside, followed by the one who held him at gunpoint. It was not a situation that the Lupine particularly wanted to be in, but nonetheless she was.

She looked to the Twi'lek, her eyes locking with the woman's for a few brief moments before standing. Trotting away from the dumpster, the vonrskr headed for Blue. The woman seemed to ignore her, but s'Il pressed on, taking her cues from the Twi'lek and lowered her nose to the ground in a show of curiosity-fueled 'help'.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Time seemed to drag on, and there was nothing for me to do but sit still. The insulation foam in the room served to keep noises out as well as in, so I couldn't hear a thing out there. After what seemed like forever, the door opened, and I got a look at my interrogator.

"Dan?"

[General Dan]

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Dan immediately approached Vymes and opened up his binders.

"Is Lok with you?"

[s'Il]

At an easy walk, s'Il followed Blue. Her leisurely pace hopefully belied her own sentience. As the two approached the pile of clothing that she had been wearing not long before, the vornskr put her nose down once more, rooting through the cloth and spreading it about.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"She is, but we got separated by your welcoming party."

I stood up, relieved to be in the company of friends.

"So it's true then? You've organized resistance?"

[General Dan]

"I've merely started a franchise."

Dan led Zem from the interrogation room into the warehouse again. Now he could see an arrangement of cargo, many weapons crates, and other combat gear.

"The real push came from Alderaan and Corellia, but even then, I don't know who it leads back to. We've got perhaps two dozen groups working on twice as many worlds."

[s'Il]

The barrel of Blue's carbine nudged into her side, and s'Il lifted her head.

"Git on, mut. Go find food somewhere else."

With a hurff of discontent, the vornskr stared up at the Twi'lek. The carbine bumped into her ribs once more, and the Lupine sidled away, lowering her head and letting her ears lay flat against the back of her head. Blue shooed at her a final time, kneeling to pick up the nosed-through pile of clothes.

And quicker than lightning the beast lunged forward, her jaws open to reveal a toothy maw that clamped down on the muzzle of the blaster rifle. With a wrench of her neck, she yanked the firearm from Blue's hand before turning her attack on the woman herself.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I had a feeling you would be doing something like this. I hope it is going well."

It was by no means a large outfit here, but this was an encouraging sign.

"Lets go outside and get s'Il. We ran into less than ideal company on the way in."

[General Dan]

Dan nodded, and motioned for the guards to open the door. Both men headed out to regroup with s'Ilancy.

[s'Il]

Blue's only saving grace was that the Lupine could feel Zem through the Force; he'd not been killed, nor did he seem to be hurt from what she could tell. Still though, the beast pushed the woman further to the ground, using her bulk to pin the Twi'lek to the dusty ground.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I immediately saw s'Il straddling the Twi'lek, and shooed her off, with the understanding that she may still want to keep her unique skills a secret.

[General Dan]

Dan helped Jayeena to her feet.

"Not even a bite or a scratch. How's that for luck?"

The Rebel leader looked off in the distance. Whatever it was, it was long gone.

"I don't suppose you've found that blonde woman yet?"

[s'Il]

More than a little shaken, the Twi'lek shook her head sullenly.

Around the corner though, the vornskr stood, at a loss for what to do. Blue still held her clothes, and s'Il was loath to simply revert and waltz naked into view. With an exhasperated huff, the Lupine sat roughly on her haunches and lifted her nose to the air.

She could smell Zem; his was a scent that was so warm and pleasant that she almost didn't recognize the other man's. A year was a long time to remember a small exposure to the smell of any one man, but remember it she did. Oddly enough, it was an unmistakable aroma; Dan.

Ears forward to catch any snippets of conversation that she could, s'Il took in his voice. He sounded the same as he had back on Schwartzweld.

But, her prediciment remained the same, and reaching out to her master, she sent him a plea for help, a desire for her clothing to be returned. Nothing so direct, but it was certainly a feeling that couldn't be very easily misunderstood.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I could feel my student plain as day, and I understood her predicament.

"Hmm, she isn't here. She might have gotten separated at another warehouse."

I looked at Dan and Jayeena.

"Maybe fan out for a few blocks? She's not the best with directions."

[General Dan]

The look Dan gave Jayeena told her that this was a man she could trust. With reluctance, she nodded, and tossed the clothes aside.

"A quick once-around I suppose. The warehouse district can get a little confusing."

[s'Il]

Hidden behind the very same dumpster she'd first gone to before Zem had been pulled into the warehouse, s'Il waited, listening as the sounds of footsteps receded into the distance.

She hesitated for a few more seconds before poking her head out.

Zem was leaning casually against the wall of a warehouse further up the street waiting for her, and with a toothy grin the white vornskr bounded from behind her cover.

She was quick to duck behind him, her paws scratching at the hard-packed dirt street.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I wordlessly gestured to the clothes strewn casually at my feet, and walked around the other corner once she reached them.

[s'Il]

Pulling the clothing unceremoniously with her into an alcove, s'Il wasted little time reverting back to her human form. Though, she did gasp as the last joint popped back into place; the speed with which she'd changed was faster than she was accustomed to, and a few protesting bones here and there let that fact be known.

Her clothes were quick to follow though, and she hurriedly pulled her boots on before gather her hair back, tying it with the thin leather strap she'd stuffed into a pocket before leaving their ship.

Stepping out from her covering, the Lupine cast a cursory glance to either side of her, then started off in the opposite direction that Zem had gone.

[General Dan]

Dan rounded a corner, and spotted a familiar figure.

"Lok? Is that you?"

[s'Il]

The Lupine had stuffed her hands into her pockets and settled for staring at the ground as she walked. It was Dan's voice that caught her attention though, and she lifted her eyes to look upon him.

He looked so much healthier than the last time she'd seen him. There was life to him now; that much she could see from the small distance seperating them. She'd not said much of anything to him when he'd left Schwartzweld, and strangely enough it seemed that she could think of nothing adequate to say to him now, even after a year.

And so she simply allowed a gentle smile to curl at the corners of her lips as she approached.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Jayeena and I reached them at about the same time. The Twi'Lek looked at s'Il with a strange expression, recognizing the clothes that she had found.

"There you are. I said right at the corner, not left."

I approached s'Il and Dan, and we shared a moment of silence. Eventually, I spoke again.

"Hard to believe it's been a year."

[s'Il]

An apologetic shrug was given, but beyond that nothing.

Taking her master's cue though, s'Il locked eyes with Dan, her slight smile still present. "You look well."

[General Dan]

"Relatively," Dan allowed. "I imagine anything looks better than starvation."

The group walked back to the warehouse.

"Having a sense of hope will do wonders for you. We're finally in a position to give people that hope."

[s'Il]

"You should be proud of that then. It's a start, if nothing else.

From an initial observation, it appeared that she had been wrong in what she'd said to him a year ago; or at least she hoped that was the case. Only time would tell.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Most of what you've got looks like small arms and the like. I take it you're sponsoring insurgent groups planetside in different places?"

It seemed that destiny was now pulling me inexorably closer to this galactic conflict.

[s'Il]

She'd not seen the interior of the warehouse as Zem had, but his words were enough to give her a good enough idea about what was being stored. Thoughtful, s'Il quietly trailed behind her master and Dan, Jayeena at her side.

A sidelong look at the Twi'lek showed an unabashed stare being given to her, and the Lupine turned her head to regard the other woman. For the moment, she let her attentions stray from the two men in front of her.

"You didn't happen to lose your clothes back there, did you?" Jayeena's voice was low with a touch of suspicious confusion.

[General Dan]

"That, and more. We've got several large contributors who have allowed us to fit up privateers and even buy a few second generation ships on the black market. The Outer Rim is loaded with special arms contractors for that. Hell, some crazier soul than I even managed to organize a hijacking of an Imperial cruiser at Rendetha."

Dan paused, grimacing.

"It's still so many baby steps. We're incredibly fragile, and desperate for good fighters, more than anything."

[s'Il]

Ignoring the discussion ahead of her for the moment, s'Il blinked at Jayeena.

"Lose my clothes?"

"Yeah; as in left them in a pile on the sidewalk."

[Zem-El Vymes]

So there it was. The sales pitch.

"And you believe that a pair of Jedi would turn the tide for your rebellion?"

[s'Il]

"I don't believe I did. Why?"

At this the Twi'lek let out a string of half-garbled grumblings. "No reason." She reached out to flick a finger at s'Il's sleeve. "Only that I picked them up from the ground not ten minutes ago."

She had no real answer, and instead offered a sigh coupled with a befuddled shrug, her blue eyes tracking away.

[General Dan]

"You, s'Il, and I know better than most the enemy we're fighting. We've seen what they are truly capable of, and survived it. That's not only practical experience, it's also inspiration."

Dan stopped short of an overt plea.

"Would you at least think about it?"

[s'Il]

"Well?"

The Lupine was becoming exhasperated. "Well what," she hissed.

"Your clothes were on the ground. I saw them and picked them up."

"Are you sure it isn't stress from having to look over your shoulder that's making you see things?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

I knew Dan was right. This was the cassus belli I'd been looking for all this time. I knew that we'd be guided by destiny to put things right. The trouble was to convince s'Il. This was, after all, just a weekend stroll, so to speak.

"I'll think about it."

[s'Il]

"I'll think about it."

Having grown tired of Jayeena's suspicious needling, s'Il lent her ears to the conversation ahead of her. Zem would 'think about it'? What was there for him to think about? She silently cursed the Twi'lek for diverting her attention away before speaking up, her voice louder than its' previous hushed tones.

"Think about what."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I turned to my student.

"Dan was just asking for our involvement in his movement."

[s'Il]

Oh. Well. So much for a simple stroll out. Still though, Zem had said he'd think about such a thing before deciding, and the Lupine took comfort in that. Her brow furrowed; she wasn't against the idea, but to her it was a sudden departure from their currently quiet existence.

But, she also knew her master. To be a part of something like this was what he had been hoping for. Even if he'd not told her for a long while, it was easy enough to see in his eyes almost every day. She let out a long breath. "It's a noble cause."

[General Dan]

"I know you probably weren't expecting to be propositioned for some galactic crusade today, so I'll understand if it takes time to reach a decision. We'll be pulling up stakes and heading for Oord Trasi tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll know by then."

[s'Il]

Biting her lip, s'Il opted to leave the decision in Zem's hands. As they walked though, she allowed her thoughts to extend beyond the limits of her own constant, mental barriers.

The feeling that she would follow him to whatever planet he set foot upon settled itself around him.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"If we decided to, we'd need some time to get our personal effects. We've been living off planet for some time."

I looked back to s'Il, to visually confirm that she was okay with this possibility.

[s'Il]

Arching an eyebrow, she stared at him, her head canting to the side.

[General Dan]

Dan nodded empathetically.

"Take your time. Here."

He reached into a pocket, and handed s'Il a comm unit.

"This is hard-coded onto a floating band that we use. You'll be able to reach us this way. I don't do this lightly. I really think you two can do some good here."

[s'Il]

Surprised that Dan would hand the unit to her and not to Zem, s'Il accepted it graciously. She stared at it for a moment before finally turning it over to her master.

Jayeena muttered something unintelligable under her breath, and the Lupine shot her a venomous glare.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Do the Hutt lords know about your setup? I can't imagine that they'd allow you to operate without paying a hefty fee, or that they wouldn't sell you out if they thought they could."

[s'Il]

More mention of the Hutts. Despite what he'd said earlier about them, s'Il still couldn't help pulling a face.

Zem hadn't taken the comm unit, and so the Lupine half-heartedly stuffed it into her own pocket.

"Is there a way to make oneself indespensible to them?" she offered, "... so that they wouldn't dare turn on you?"

[General Dan]

"The Hutts' bottom line hasn't been negatively impacted by the Empire. In fact, they may even be doing more business than usual. At best, we can't trust them. At worst, I'd suspect them of actually being complicit with an Imperial agenda if asked."

Jayeena got noticably upset at the talk of the hutts, but Dan continued.

"We've taken the pains of organizing a legitimate front, to keep them from interfering in our work. We actually have a couple of mechanical specialists who do vaporator maintenance and repair on the outskirts."

[s'Il]

Which did well enough to answer both hers and Zem's question.

She stayed quiet then, her mind on the fact that the time spent alone with her master was fast approaching an end. s'Il knew such a day would come, but dreaded it nonetheless.

And it was then that she felt the beginnings of resentment, with Dan at the heart of it. She knew why he wished for their presence, but to her it still remained that he was pulling her and Zem away from their peaceful existance.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"This is the first bit of encouraging news we've had in a while. I'll let you know of our intentions soon. For now, we're going to head back to our enclave."

I looked back to s'Il.

[s'Il]

The Lupine gave only a nod. Lost in her own thoughts, she found herself stepping up and pulling closer to Zem. It was an involuntary reaction, as if to assert that he was hers and not Dan's.

[General Dan]

"Good luck on your travels. May the force be with you."

Dan shook both of their hands, and watched as they were escorted out.

"I don't trust them." Jayeena was quick to mention as they left.

Dan locked eyes with her.

"I trust them more than anyone. We have enough history to see to that."

[s'Il]

Stepping out into the sunlight once more, s'Il blinked, allowing her eyes to make the short adjustment.

"So," she started once they'd walked a few blocks, "That is that."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"What do you think about it?"

We walked sidelong together back to the ship dock.

[s'Il]

There was a pause before she answered.

"It was bound to happen at some point."

[Zem-El Vymes]

We continued on our way back to the ship. I knew this would be hard for her.

"We don't have to go."

[s'Il]

"Duty and desire don't always go hand in hand."

Stepping around a small pocket of Dugs, s'Il moved to once more walk at his side.

Her next words were chosen carefully, "We adhere to duty and selflessness."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I know those words." They were ones I'd spoken to her before.

"Are you ready to believe them?"

[s'Il]

As she walked, the Lupine mulled over his words. Unlike the crosswalk they had begun to pass through, the one in her mind was far harder to overcome.

"Yes- "

She bit her lip, waited, then went on. This time in a whisper. "He's taking you away from me."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"That isn't true at all. We go, or we stay. Either way, together."

We reached the stardock where our ship was berthed.

[s'Il]

This brought her up short, though not in any confusion. The Lupine wrestled with herself, her lips turned down in a frustrated scowl. "That's not- "

Their ship was in sight, a corner of the smooth hull just visible through the doorway ahead, and she started off once more. Shoving roughly past him, s'Il stared at the ground as she stalked towards the yacht.

"Nevermind. I want to go home."

[Zem-El Vymes]

Rounding the corner of the doorway, we entered the stardock, only to be met by a dozen aliens of various species, all with heavy weapons aimed at us.

"Don't move!" A burly Trandoshan leveled a flechette gun at us, as a pair of Gamorreans shuffled at our flanks.

Reluctantly, I put my hands up. Suddenly I was thinking that I could have used my lightsaber.

"Did we illegally park?"

[s'Il]

Brought up short and taken completely by surprise, s'Il stared wide-eyed at the group that met them. So wound up in her thoughts, the Lupine had ignored the scents milling around her.

Unlike Zem who'd already lifted his hands up, s'Il kept hers at her sides, fingers balling into white-knuckled fists. She could move them, sweep them to the side with a singe flick of her wrist. It was so very tempting.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I wasn't nearly as optimistic as s'Il. With this many heavy weapons on us, the odds just didn't add up for unarmed resistance. Perhaps the force would reveal another path in the future.

So when the nearest Gammorrean slipped the binders on me, I did not resist.

[s'Il]

Her temper boiled over then. Zem was quick to allow himself to be taken, but s'Il was most certainly not. The look in her eyes bordered on fury, and without warning the Lupine took a hard step forward, her boot hitting the ground solidly.

Her whole body lowered, and she allowed the Force to swirl around her. Dust swirled up around her feet, then higher as it grew in circumference. And then she pushed both arms out stiffly, a powerful Force push sending sand and those in front of her flying back.

[Zem-El Vymes]

There was confusion amidst the initial resistance, and the Trandoshan was thrown on his back. For a moment, it seemed as if she would be able to create enough of a disturbance to successfully escape, but a ring of blue energy cut through the dust, hitting both myself and s'Il. The stun bolt turned everything instantly white, and I fell to the ground, unconcious, as well as the two Gamorreans behind me.

[s'Il]

Blue light washed over her field of vision, and the Lupine stumbled to her knees. Her body fought at the effects of the blast, but it was a lost battle, and she pitched forward to the ground. One hand tried to weakly push against the dirt in an effort to rise, but that too was a lost cause as her body began to fade. In desperating her hand found its' way into the inner pocket of her coat to grasp at the Comm that Dan had given her. She fumbled for the activator switch, but any success she might have had was unknown as everything went dark.

[Zem-El Vymes]

After an unknown period of time, I awoke to water being splashed on me unceremoniously. Shocked into conciousness, I coughed, fidgeting against the chair I was bound into. Adding insult to injury, the water-tosser, again a Gammorrean, belted me across the face with a heavy cross, nearly tumbling my chair over, and causing a fair amount of bleeding.

"Fine way to say hello!" I grumbled, and spit a mouthful of bloody saliva to the ground.

It was then that I looked over to see s'Il, roughly sharing my fate, in a room with a half dozen humanoids keeping watch.

And a Hutt.

[s'Il]

It was just after the water had hit her face; after that very first sucked in breath, that the Lupine coughed uncontrollably. The smell! It assaulted her, surrounded her, and did not fade away. Rotten to a degree that she'd only experienced once, s'Il retched.

Her whole body rocked forward, but the motion was wasted as she remained bound fast. She was thrown back by an unexpected fist; it caught her temple and sent her head to the side, a small gash opening to leak a small trickle of blood. Another followed, and she let a yelp escape her throat.

But the stench! The blows stopped momentarily, long enough for the Lupine to crane her neck back and look up, mouth open to bring in a lungful of the fowl air around her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

The Hutt lounged on a pillow-piled litter that was no-doubt carried by a team of droids. He guffawed in an obnoxious peel of laughter at our misfortune, and spoke in a booming voice. I could understand him, being versed in Huttese. I wasn't sure that Lok could.

"They traced our ship as stolen property of the Cizerack, and are considering delivering it and ourselves to their authorities."

[s'Il]

Her master's translation was largely ignored as her head dipped forward, chin resting on her chest. Any anger at her rough treatment was now overshadowed by utter misery.

"It smells so bad," she whimpered.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I don't know what to say. Breathe out of your mouth?"

I mumbled to her, until prodded roughly by one of the guards.

"I didn't figure there to be any vested business interests between the Hutts and the Cizerack." Which made sense, considering the disdain the felinoids had for piracy and generally illicit operations, or at least those they didn't run.

The Hutt was amused by my speculation, and put forth the obvious assertion that by serving the Cizerack this gratitude, it could be offered as a credit to some future misdeed. That was logical enough.

"All of this fuss over a simple interstellar yacht?"

At this, the Hutt looked at me with an incredulous expression. Did I honestly take him for that much of a fool, when we both knew that the yacht I'd stolen contained software for the deflector shield modulators the Cizerack had built for the newest Victory class Star Destroyers?

Well, now we both knew. Like I ever got around to translating enough Cizeri to uncover anything in the databanks.

Apparently we were bigger fugitives than I thought.

[s'Il]

The Lupine let out a snorted breath from her nose to try and gain a small reprieve. It did little good.

Her next words were a pleading cough.

"What did he say?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Seems we stole a bit more from the Cizerack than just a shuttle." I spoke low, out of His Exaltedness's earshot.

Speaking back to the Hutt, I played the game.

"I admit it. You got me. But she didn't have anything to do with that. Let her go. I'll own up to my crime."

The Hutt laughed even more, causing ripples of fat to cascade down his mountainous body. He then offered a counter-proposal.

[s'Il]

Breathing in through clenched teeth, s'Il groaned as she lifted her head up. They stole more than the yacht? What more was there to steal? It was just a ship!

One of the Hutt's lackey's reached out then, jamming his dirt-encrusted fingers into her mouth to pry it open. s'Il bucked against her restraints, throwing her head to the side. To no avail, she was briefly aware of a presence behind her only moments before two hands gripped both sides of her face and held it still. She felt a pressure on the flesh over the hinge of her jaw. Now completely immobile, she could do nothing but taste dirt as the fingers ran over her teeth.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I spoke to her again.

"They'll send me to the Cizerack, and in exchange keep you safe here, as an esteemed advisor to His Mercifulness."

[s'Il]

The fingers withdrew, and s'Il felt her head released. She spat, trying to rid her mouth of the offending taste.

"Absolutely not."

[Zem-El Vymes]

The Hutt laughed at s'Il's vigorous refusal, and watched his cronies continue to inspect her.

It appeared that no matter their response, the negotiation was a farce. He'd already made up his mind.

The Hutt gestured at me dismissively, and then a pair of Gammorreans flanked my chair, hefting it up, presumably to take me away. I struggled against them, but there was little I could do other than rock the chair about.

"I'll be back for you!" I yelled back to s'Il as I was led off.

[s'Il]

Desperation gripped her then. Out of her peripheral vision she could see Zem being carried away, chair and all. And still they poked at her, prodding her and examining her.

She struggled, but was held down by rough, calloused hands. What little give her bonds had allowed was taken away.

Panic. Helplessness. And then determination. So afraid of losing her mental bond with Zem she'd become, that this threat of being removed from him physically began a terrible change.

Her eye rolled back for only a moment before coming into focus; although now their normal blue hues had been changed into a fierce tawny yellow. A growl began then, deep in the back of her throat, and her whole body jerked violently. Even bound and held, her muscles regained their mobility.

It was enough to startle her handlers, in the moment that they drew back in surprise she hunched forward as far as she was able. Muscles shifted beneath skin then, as bones and joints transformed. Wrists narrowed enough to the point that she slipped them easily out of their restraints, and her midsection and ankles soon followed suit.

It was a decidedly horrendous metamorphosis; far more wild than those that Zem had seen before.

And in the aftermath of it all, the great white vornskr stood tall, her whiplike, barbed tail lashing dangerously behind her. In less than a second it snapped to the side and caught one of the unsuspecting Gamorreans across his belly.

The alien squealed, and that's when she threw herself at those around her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Two more lackeys were pounced and mauled brutally, before the Hutt threw his enormous tail at s'Il, smashing her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her. Seizing on the opening the Hutt threw two coils around her midsection, squeezing gradually but with unquestionable force. Threatening to squeeze the breath from her lungs, the Hutt hoisted her upwards, facing her fully.

[s'Il]

Lifted into the air like a child's toy, The beast howled madly, gnashing her teeth. Flecks of foamy saliva dropped from her jaws, and her tail raked against hairless flesh. Whether it penetrated the Lupine could only guess.

The strength of the Hutt's tail was unexpected, the muscles beneath that horrid skin far more powerful than she had originally thought. He constricted a fraction of an inch more, continuing on in this haltingingly manner until, before long, the vornskr's growls changed into painful yelps.

It was then that she felt him stop. She could barely breath, and her body slowed as oxygen grew evermore scarce.

[Zem-El Vymes]

The huge Hutt's orange eyes narrowed, the irises constricted to slits as he regarded his hostage. A thick putrid tongue slapped out of his mouth to reign in a ribbon of saliva as he considered whether or not to spare her life. He could feel her heart rate slowing through his tail, and held his pressure like a vice. He spoke in that guttural, vulgar Huttese tongue that she could not understand. Only when an interpreter droid interceded did she understand that he was giving her one last chance to save her life.

[s'Il]

The Hutt's words barely registered. Even if they had they would have gone unheeded; everyone she'd ever known and loved she had lost, and now the same was happening to Zem. He was being taken away with her only able to watch.

Another howl, though it was clear that sorrow was seeping in. It was the beginnings of a deep hurt, her heart heavy. Her tawny eyes rolled about and she struggled in the Hutt's grip, searching for any glimpse possible of her master.

[Zem-El Vymes]

The Hutt wasn't moved by her desperation. He continued to squeeze. One rib cracked. Then two. Then three. Just as she fell into unconciousness, the Hutt discarded her like a ragdoll, violently flinging her across the room. He had half a mind to devour her on the spot, since he had a penchant for stress eating. Well, eating whenever, it seemed.

Instead, he had his majordomo summoned, and with a guard escort, ordered him to have this new 'pet' fitted with a gravity shackle. Pretty humanoid girl and a beast metamorph? This would most certainly provide the best sort of gossip. Perhaps with enough of his style of training, he could even control her beast side as a creative execution spectacle. She looked quite vicious.

Still fuming, the Hutt was distracted by a Chadra Fan slave, bringing his master dainty delights to sate his appetite. The Hutt snatched a platter of braised fork tarts from the slave, shoveled two into his mouth, then discarded the dish in favor of the slave, snatching him up with his tail and taking out his vexations caused by s'Ilancy by eating him whole with a series of slobbery chomps.


<center>Meanwhile...</center>

I had been brought back to the Cizerack yacht, courtesy of our Hutt host's entourage. They shackled me in the galley with binders, and it was obvious that they intended to deliver me in person, along with the starship, to the powers-that-be in the Pride.

With the Weequay and Ishi Tib distracted and confounded by the controls, it gave me time away from their attention. I eased myself to the floor, still held fast to the table, and closed my eyes, diverting all of my energies to the Force.

We were still close. The ship had just taken off. I could...feel her. She was so radiant, it was hard not to. Could she hear me?

"Listen to me..."

[s'Il]

Her mind reeled and her body screamed at her. And yet, all of it seemed as though from a distance. She'd felt the lancing pain of each cracked bone, and then she'd shut down.

Lost in her own subconscious, the Lupine heard his voice then. A dream! Had this whole thing been a dream, and her master was trying to rouse her? The thought was short-lived; there was no way that what was happening was not real.

She latched onto Zem through the Force, an intangible yet vice-like grip despite the distance between them.

Don't leave me!

[Zem-El Vymes]

My distant physical self was still, save for a movement of my brow.

"I haven't, and I won't. Have faith. I will return for you soon. Be strong, Loklorien."

[s'Il]

The finality of their situation crashed down upon her as he uttered her name through the Force, and s'Il let out a slight groan.

She felt a disconnect from her own body; conscious of tactile sensations yet unable to see or do anything about her predicament. It was almost infuriating. She could feel her system begin its' mending process, feel the floor beneath her as she was dragged across it... the weight was the last thing the Lupine could remember before fully giving in to the blissful, waiting dark.



* * *


With a sharp intake of breath, s'Il came awake fully. She kept her eyes closed, not wishing to see where she'd ultimately been deposited, and pulling in a ragged breath, the Lupine let it out slowly. The heaviness was still there, and rolling from her back to her side proved difficult as her movements were sluggish.

But her metabolism had completed its' task; her body now fully mended. Hunger bit angrily at her stomach, but she ignored it for the time being as her mind opened up to spread out around her. It blanketed everything in the immediate vicinity and allowed her a better estimate of where she was.

Gone now was her previous fear, in its' place now a steel resolve. The Lupine poured her thoughts outward, drawing the Force into her and letting it flow out in unseen waves.

[Zem-El Vymes]

The guards still remained distracted at the controls. It was all too easy to disengage the locking mechanism of the binders through the force. I carefully deposited them on the floor after I was freed, and crawled to my quarters without a sound. Once inside, I instantly retrieved my lightsaber, stood up, ignited the blade, and strode out of the room again.

Caught unawares, my captors had less than a chance.

[s'Il]

Her jaw clenched, s'Il slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position; it was an odd task, given the added weight that she still felt upon her. She was dirty, and opening her eyes the Lupine took stock of herself and where she'd been placed.

The floor was nothing but hardpacked dirt, muddy spots scattered about; she had a good enough guess about what those spots were, and slid back to rest against the rough-hewn wall. Light filtered in from overhead to sparsely illuminate her prison.As she'd sensed before, there were others in her shared cell, and she tested the stale air. Their body odors mingled together into an olfactory nightmare, making her exhale a long drawn out breath.

A few of them were even visible, but most it seemed were doing their best to stay out of the light. It was easy enough to sense them without the Force; their body odors gave them away, but the Lupine still allowed her awareness to seep further. This place was a cesspit of misery and hopelessness.

[Zem-El Vymes]

After quickly desposing of my captors' bodies, I took the helm again and did a roundabout, heading directly back to Tatooine. Fortunately I was still very near the planet. I could only hope that Dan was still at the warehouse.


<center> Meanwhile </center>


The Majordomo and two Gamorreans approached the door of the dungeon with a hovering spheroid droid. Immediately, s'Il felt the weight on her intensify, making it difficult for her to do anything but continue to sit upright. The grav shackle droid drew a tractor field around her, and drug her along the ground to the dungeon opening, and onto a repulsor sled. The two guards and the majordomo moved with the grav droid and s'Il to another nearby room, where she was stripped of her clothes and 'bathed' with a high pressure water hose.

[s'Il]

The force of the water as it hit here was a bit of a shock, and the Lupine strained against the weight she felt pressing her down. Her muscles moved slowly, as if she was struggling through mud, and s'Il growled out a string of curses.

But, at least she was getting clean. More than a bit disgruntled at the method being used, the Lupine managed the best she could. Her resolution had begun to twist in on itself however, growing into a tight-knit ball of retribution. Just the thought of her seperation from Zem was enough to make her lash out through the Force, and she pushed an intangible wall out from her, knocking her captors to the ground.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I raced through the atmosphere, entering my landing request to the orbitmaster as an afterthought, and diverting to the nearest stardock that I could manage in Mos Eisley. As soon as the power was down and the gangplank hit the deck, I was running, barely slapping the controls to retract the gangplank as I did so. I had to get to Dan.


<center> Meanwhile </center>

The Majordomo fell to his knees, and the gravity shackle intensified its pressure on s'Il. To reflect the point, the Rodian second-in-command removed a pain amplifier, and pointed it at the lupine.

"You will cooperate or the Master will simply have you killed."

He produced a box, and slid it to the naked, soaked woman.

"Clean clothes. Compliments of his Excellency. You have the choice of wearing that, or nothing at all."

[s'Il]

On her hands and knees, s'Il growled as the weight threatened to drive her further downward. Wet hair in her eyes, th Lupine stared at the box through a veil of dripping bangs.

A groan, and she slowly lifted an arm out to pull the parcel closer. Sitting heavily she clawed at the top, pulling it off to reveal the clothing she'd been given. If these were clothes, than she was an Ithorian princess. She scowled at the majordomo who was doing his best to look unfazed by her push.

"Her Lupine pride made her open her mouth, intent on arguing, but her Jedi teachings told her that it would be for the better to do as ordered. Patience, Zem had drilled into her. Her opening would come, and when it did she would attack.

Despite the gravity pulling her down, s'Il complied as best as she could and after a short amount of struggling she stood looking down at herself. Surprisingly, in any other situation she would have admired the scant clothing she now wore. It was accented with gold-brushed metal, and the dark green cloth itself felt soft against her skin. But, her current situation cast a far different light on the ensemble.

The Lupine turned murderous eyes to the majordomo.

[Zem-El Vymes]

It took no time at all for me to make it to the Warehouse. The guards, already used to my presence, opened up immediately, and I rushed inside, my lungs stressed and strained. Dan was immediately there, and I did my best to catch my breath.

"The Hutts have captured s'Il. We need to move."


<center>Meanwhile</center>


s'Il, having complied somewhat, was given a bit of a longer leash, and taken to the slave girls' quarters, where dancers, singers, artisans, and other toothsome servants were kept. Far from being dingy, this was a padded prison, with relative amounts of comfort. She was received by the servile matron, and instructed to give her guidance upon being presentable for the Master, whenver she may be summoned.

[s'Il]

A cold shoulder was given to her keeper, and s'Il glared at those around her. A few stared back with disinterest; new faces were a regular thing for these women, and a few of the longer-lived dancers had even started a pool to see how long newcomers lasted.

Blue eyes took everything in; women from a dozen species in just as revealing clothing as she lounged about. Some even looked happy to be where they were, a sight that only deepened her resentment.

An Apex Lupine, of the first House, had no place here. It chipped away at her pride. It was beyond demeaning. A Lupine was no slave.

She heard the matron speaking but only half-listened, her mind working feverishly. Zem's teaching at least seemed to have a strong foothold in her, as s'Il thought through as many scenarios as she could think of and what she would be able to do in each.

Of course, it would be just as easy to act now...

One of the guards outside carried a vibro-spear, and the Lupine felt a growing desire to abandon those around her. She only needed to get her hands on that weapon; instead of waiting for the Force to show her an opening, she very well could make one herself.

[General Dan]

At Zem's words, Dan was quick to spring into action.

"Let's go. Form up three teams on me in ten minutes. We've got one of ours to go rescue."

He clasped a hand on Zem's shoulder, giving him a resolute expression.

"Never did much like this planet anyway. Time to send off our exit with a bang. Do you need a rifle?"

[s'Il]

s'Il sat silent, alone and as far away from the rest as she could manage. She wondered how far out Zem was by now, but the thought only made her scowl angrily. She waited, glaring up at the ceiling with an unflinching, steel blue gaze. This was not right; her life would not be lived out on this backwater planet of dirt.

It was something she would not allow. She blinked then, the muscles of her jaw set. What if her master would be unable to return for her? What if the Cizerack killed him? She would be alone again; simple as that. There would be no one left for her.

It was that last thought that stirred a terrible wave within her. She stood and began to head for the door, hands balling into fists as she drew the Force into her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Do you know which Hutt was behind this?"

I thought hard about it. He never mentioned his name. I seem to recall one of the underlings speaking of him in passing though.

"Urga, I think."

Dan gave a hrmph, and slung a heavy blaster over his shoulder.

"I know him. He's been losing influence to Jabba for the past fifty years, and he'd probably be desperate enough to risk open dealings with the Cizerack. He's got a compound to the north of Mos Espa. Get us on the yacht, and we can be there in fifteen minutes."

I nodded, paused, and hoisted a duffel of various weapons. Dan, and about eighteen others stood ready, armed to the teeth and grim-faced.

"Let's do this."

We all set out at once.

[s'Il]

Bare feet pattered lightly across the carpetted floor, and s'Il wove between groups of standing women with ease, her body fluid. If nothing else, at least the Hutt had given her garments that provided unhindered movement.

Ten feet from the door, the Lupine allowed one hand to ball into a fist as the other swept up and out, palm facing forward. She drank eagerly of the Force, pulling it into her very being.

Her fist came up then, as if delivering a jab straight ahead, and the door bent outwards. An indentation could clearly be seen, and with another jab at the air in front of her, the door blew off its' hinges.

[General Dan]

Dan's troops moved into the yacht with a well-disciplined nature that suggested they were adept at hard fighting. Each found a spot to stand aboard the ship, spending their time readying weapons that would no-doubt be used to storm Urga's compound.

Dan took the copilot's seat as Zem powered the ship up, blasting off with a sudden jolt.

[s'Il]

Whatever shocked reactions from the other women there were, s'Il did not stop to dwell on it. Her left hand shot out to the side as she stepped through the doorway, and the startled guard was thrown against the far wall without thought. Her right arm came out, hand latching onto the vibro-spear that the other sentry held before he too was tossed to the side.

She was alone now; Zem gone from her. Taken from her. The fear at losing him had now changed into something bent and twisted; and whatever it was, the Lupine felt herself accept it. If she was to be by herself, than she would exact a terrible price upon those that stole from her.

Starting with the Hutt.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I used a low orbit parabolic approach to cut down on the time it would take us to traverse to Mos Espa and the compound. Following Dan's directions, I dumped the throttle as fast as light atmospheric travel would permit, and made good time on the approach. At last, we began to descend, and I could see the compound clearly through the upper atmosphere's light and wispy clouds. It was a dark blight on a rust-colored landscape.

[s'Il]

Bodies littered the Jedi's wake.

Her motions guided by the Force, s'Il bulled her way through hallways and corridors. The spear was a blur of motion and cut down many who rushed in to stop her. There seemed to be no distinction between her barbarism; a lopped off limb or head meant little to nothing to her. And so it was no real surprise that some of whom she left behind had lost an arm or a leg, their cries and squeals joining in the tumult of those sent to reinforce.

A Gamorrean's vibro-axe swept in to cut an ugly gash across her leg, and with a snarl the Lupine retaliated with a strike that cleanly removed his hands.

And that was when the weight hit her. A motion in her peripheral vision told her that the grav shackle droid was back, and reaching out violently through the Force, she sent it careening to the side where it smashed into the wall.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I dropped the gangplank, and they hit the ground running. I was close behind, but quickly ran to the forefront with my force-aided speed. The compound was high-walled, and the door of an arched gate type. Forgoing formality, I ignited my lightsaber and plunged it into the metal doorway, slowly cutting our way inside. The rebels formed up on Dan behind me, fanning around the flanks for cover.

[s'Il]

Wherever it was that the Hutt had taken her was fairly easy to navigate. Pressing onward, s'Il turned in a tight circle, the spear sweeping around to disembowel an attacker approaching from behind.

Her back was turned to the main group in that instant though, and just before she could bring her weapon back around a Weequay barreled into her. The two crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs, and eyes flashing a dangerous yellow, the Lupine gripped the side of his face. Her thumb dug into his eye, and he growled out a painful grunt as they grappled.

Hands grabbed at her then, pulling upward from seemingly every direction in an attempt to disengage the two combatents. She still clung doggedly to the Weequay, crying out as the butt of a rifle struck her forearm. Another strike, and the bone snapped in two.

[General Dan]

A red-hot circle of molten metal traced the outline of the hole that Vymes punched into the door. Once cleared, Dan led his troops inside, and fanned out to cover the main plaza. The first waves of guards to meet their threat were cut down in a furious rain of blaster fire.

[s'Il]

She was dragged from her victim before being roughly tossed a small distance away. Booted feet kicked at her, and the Lupine curled in on herself. She called out once more to the Force, and the Hutt's guardsmen went flying in all directions.

She had to get to the Hutt. Struggling to her knees, s'Il held her broken arm to her chest while reaching out to grab her dropped spear with the other.

[General Dan]

The group rounded a corner and met the first serious resistance. A group of guards set up a fixed gun and peppered the area with rapid blaster fire. One of the Rebels got clipped in the shoulder by a shot and spun to the ground. Dan reached out and pulled him behind some cover, as others offered covering fire.

[s'Il]

Much to her surprise, the next group of guards that came at her only shoved her to the side. She exhaled sharply, watching as they paid her no mind.

Something was happening elsewhere, and glad for whatever that diversion was, the Lupine set off once more. Another corridor down was the main audience chamber, and s'Il tensed her muscles. She could smell the Hutt easily enough. He was in there to be sure.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I rounded the corner, braving the blaster fire to buy Dan's group better protection. There was little else I could do against the auto blaster, other than hold off the onslaught of rapid fire.

"Go! I can't keep this up for long!"

The volume of fire was testing my reflexes to their limits. In the distance, I saw a familiar head of tawny hair limping towards the audience chamber.

"s'Il!"

She turned at the sound of my familiar voice, but just then a green tail whipped about from out of view, clubbing her across her head as the blast door to the audience chamber closed behind her.

"Dan! She's in there, with Urga!"

[s'Il]

The blow sent her to the ground, and the Lupine landed roughly on her side. Utter shock and intense pain caused her to cry out. She rolled across the floor, away from the Hutt; she could tell where he was by his smell alone.

But, was that really Zem's voice she'd heard? Did she imagine that briefest of glimpses she gotten of him? No, surely not. Her master was being taken to the Cizerack. He was gone. The thought made her grip her weapon in a tighter hold, and she struggled to a knee. The Hutt was glaring at her, his tail lazily sweeping to and fro.

He said something she couldn't understand; whatever it was though it sounded far from pleasant.

The spear came around then, and she pointed it at him. Her arm was cradled against her chest once more as madness shone in her yellow, bloodshot eyes.

It was as formal an announcement of her intent that her Lupine pride could allow.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Dan used my distraction to flank the autoblaster, and rolled a concussion grenade toward the gunners, who were destroyed in an explosion a few seconds later. The rest of the rebels covered the approaches, giving Dan and myself time to breach the door to the inner sanctum.

[s'Il]

She charged then, teeth bared in grim silence as she rushed headlong at the Hutt. The was a commotion behing the blast doors, but she disregarded it without thought. There was no telling what was happenning outside; nor did she care. Her mind focused forward only - as if it had blinders in the Force.

The tail whipped about, and as it took her feet from under her, the Lupine drove her weapon down to pin it to the ground.

A gritty, determined smile crossed her features as she heard the Hutt's raging, painful roar.

[General Dan]

Dan turned to blast a pair of Gammorreans that were approaching the door, as Vymes plunged his lightsaber into the door.

"Hurry up! She's not going to last long against a Hutt by herself."

Dan knew from experience. He'd seen a Hutt once survive an assassination attempt by a dozen people. They were immune to poison, and their hides were incredibly difficult to pierce by blades and blasters alike. That, and they could even survive massive organ failures and regenerate the most severe injuries.

[s'Il]

The Lupine's smile vanished from her face at the sight before her. The spear had glanced to the side, and instead of pinning it to the ground, she'd merely opened a slight cut in the creature's skin.

Quicker than she could react, the Hutt's tail pounded to the ground, her leg caught beneath it. With a scream that faded into a whimpered growl, the Lupine did her best to scrabble away, but was unsuccessful. She was held fast to the ground.

[General Dan]

Slag and sparks sloughed off of the cut Vymes was making, and eventually the metal fell away. Urga had s'Il bound up by the coils of his tail, this time intent on crushing the life out of her. Dan raised up his rifle out of instinct, only to have Urga hold her between himself and Dan's gun.

[s'Il]

Unaware of what was happening around her, s'Il let out a gutteral cry as the Hutt continued to squeeze.

And in desperation she let herself go. Still wrapped in the creature's coils, she began the change despite the pressure on her body. It was a horrendous feeling, and it seemed the grip on her took advantage of her shifting structure. Her entire body shuddered, and her face narrowed, ears flattening against an elongating head as a sheen of white fur sprouted. What had begun as an excrutiating cry ended as a stricken howl.

Her jaws opened then to reveal a row of vicious teeth, and in mindless fury the vornskr threw her head down, the muscles in her neck bunching up as she did her best to pierce the Hutt's thick hide.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Realizing that he was now facing a Jedi Knight, Urga acted in desperation, hurling the changing Lupine at me. With my lightsaber facing the Hutt, I was at risk of accidentally cleaving her in two, so I threw it aside as she collided into me.

Urga then lashed out at Dan, snatching him up with the tail and drawing him toward his waiting mouth. There was apparently a simpler way to deal with these interlopers.

[s'Il]

And then she was cut loose, sent through the air to crash into another body. A sudden envelope of warmth surrounded her then, and she breathed in deeply. It was a well-known scent, which filled her with elation. How was he here?!

Through the pain she floundered to the side. Two of her legs were limp, leaving the beast to simply struggle off of Zem. Lancing pain shot through her, and she yowled.

But, another smell made its' presence known; Dan. s'Il's confusion increased two-fold, yet through her muddled state of mind she could sense that he'd taken her place within the Hutt's tail coils.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Dan disappeared down to his waist inside Urga's maw. The Hutt chomped down, causing the Rebel to drop his blaster, which hit the floor with a clatter and discharged, sending a bolt exploding into the wall a few inches from my head. Fortunately for me, I'd used my reflexes to avoid that calamity. I made a move for my lightsaber, only to get caught up myself in the clutches of Urga's tail. I tried to call my lightsaber to me with the force, but my arms were pinned to my side and I had no leverage. The pressure increased exponentially, and every breath in me escaped with a wheeze. I looked to s'Il, who looked like she'd been through hell, and then to the hole in the blast door, hoping one of the Rebels found an opening to make their way inside.

This was a really embarassing way to die.

[General Dan]

"Aaaagh!"

Dan found himself staring up at a cavern of slime, before it rushed forward and caved in on him. And then darkness. Oh, and also a smell so bad it seemed to stain his insides.

Gross was the only thing he could think, face down against Urga's writhing tongue as the jaws closed against him again and again. He didn't even really contemplate his own imminent mortality. Just that this was the most disgusting moment in his entire life, and that he would need an intravenous perfume drip to wash this out of his memory. He drove his knees into the corner of the Hutt's mouth, but knew that it was just a stalling tactic. If his Jedi friends didn't get their act together toot-sweet, he would be boldly going where no man wanted to go.

[s'Il]

Scrabbling almost helplessly across the ground, s'Il was intent on reaching her master. She was galvanized by Zem's sudden apprearance. She allowed herself to crevert as she moved; a process that ellicited another wave of biting pain as her broken bones ground against eachother as they transformed.

A new light was shining in her eyes, now blue once again, and she continued on despite the agony. She felt muscles catch on the edges of snapped bone, tearing themselves during the change back. It was enough to cause a cry of agony. Yet still she pressed onward.

Her functioning arm shot out then as she called Zem's sabre to her. It clattered across the ground toward her outstretched fingers before slapping into her palm. The familiar grip of such a weapon was soothing in its' own way, and she thumbed the actuator switch, bringing the blade to life.

She was close enough now that she could reach out and touch Zem, but a hurried look to the Hutt's head showed Dan suffering a fate decidedly worse. She moved as quickly as her body would allow, bringing the sabre up, over, and down on the Hutt's tail to sever it from the rest of his body.

[General Dan]

A sound thundered from the Hutt's belly to shatter Dan's bones, as Urga howled at his injury. Unbeknownst to Dan, Urga's tail was severed at the beginning of the coil that was crushing Zem to death, and the segment of tail loosened its grasp, thrashing on the floor and clobbering the gasping Jedi with its twitches.

Urga spat the Rebel from his mouth, and Dan skidded across the floor in a drool-slicked slide, himself coughing away the foul saliva he'd been marinading in.

Grievously wounded and desperate, the Hutt turned on s'Il, doing the only thing he thought that would save him. He fell upon her with open, hungry jaws, hoping to forcefully bite her head off her neck.

[s'Il]

The Lupine gladly met the Hutt, and she steeled herself against the stench coming from his jaws. She made no move to run, or even meet him at the halfway point between the two. Instead she waited, watching that cavernous mouth descend upon her.

At the last moment s'Il brought up the sabre, stabbing inward as she was taken into the Hutt's jaws head-first; one shoulder in and the other out. The brilliant blade plunged ahead of her, causing his insides to explode in a whole cascade of new smells. Burning fat, skin, and muscle mingled with each other as internal organs were cut then instantly cauterized. A reflexive bite on his part cause her to jerk the blade upwards and through his head.

[Zem-El Vymes]

The Hutt chomped once more, his eyes rolled up into his head, and then he fell limp, releasing his grasp on s'Il and falling to the side, dead.

I was the first to rise to my feet, still heaving from my loss of breath. I was the fortunate one.

[s'Il]

s'Il was not given the courtesy of being spit out as Dan had, but it was for the better. She wouldn't be able to handle a throw across the room. Instead she'd simply slid from the Hutt's jaws and managed toavoid being taken with the thing as he fell dead.

The Lupine slumped, leaning against the dias and switching of Zem's sabre before setting it on the ground at her side. Zem...

Blinking slowly, the Lupine looked up at him. She made no move to wipe the Hutt's saliva from her. There were sounds of a firefight in the distance, but it seemed that those too were fading.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Relieved to see my padawan alive, I rushed over to her, and gave her a gentle embrace, only then remembering that she was coated in thick. liquid tragedy.

"Are you okay?"

[s'Il]

Despite his careful handling, the Lupine winced, letting out a hissed breath beteen her teeth. But, the sight of him was enough to make a relieved smile break her pained features.

"I'll heal," she answered quietly, reaching her hand up to touch his face. It was a tactile affirmation that he was indeed there.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I shied away noticably from her drool-slicked hand before it touched my face.

"We need to get you to a 'fresher before we celebrate more."

[s'Il]

The thought of cleaning the dirt and slime from her body was more than welcome, and s'Il did her best to balance herself as Zem helped her up. Her metabolism was quick to begin its' work, but s'Il knew that it would at least be a few days before she was fully mended.

She looked to Dan and coughed, remembering the sight of the rebel very nearly swallowed whole. His hair was soaked with thick saliva, as was the rest of him.

"I want to go home," was all she whispered.

[General Dan]

Dan sat up slowly, careful to pull the slime-drenched hair away from his face.

"Just so we're clear, we're never to mention this day again, got it?"

With half a mind to set fire to his clothes immediately upon changing, he stood, only now realizing that the Hutt's chewing had cracked two ribs. He sucked in a gasp, and vomited.

[s'Il]

The sight was enough to turn her own stomach, and the Lupine clenched her jaw shut, feeling as bile began to rise.

His words caused a memory to stir within her though; she'd changed in his presence. Yes; it would be best if none mentioned what happened this day.

[General Dan]

Not even bothering to clean himself, Dan took a moment to stand up. He looked back at his companions, and sighed with effort.

"I need a shower. Let's go."

By now, the sounds of combat had died down. Looking through the hole in the blast door, it was clear that the Rebels had the situation in hand. With the exception of a few injured, there were no other casualties. It was a testament to their growing skills. The rebels were already quite battle hardened.

[s'Il]

The going was slow for the Lupine. Broken bones and torn muscles in each arm and leg proved more than a hindrance, but she ground her teeth in determination, hobbling after Dan while using her master as support.