Signs and Portents: Mirror On the Wall

[Adia Issoris]

It was a long haul from Vortex to Doldur, and hyperspace was the dull lull before the terror of action. Adia set an alarm on her wrist chrono. She'd sleep for ten hours, two thirds of the trip. There wasn't very much that could be a threat in hyperspace, but they'd need need to be wide awake to sneak onto Druckenwell in a Y-Wing. The industrial planet would be well defended, but it wouldn't be the first time Adia had dropped a craft unpowered to sneak under a defense network. She'd flown the Y-Wing in a simulator, and was aware of most of it's quirks and capabilities.

Adia's sleep was dreamless, and not entirely refreshing. She wanted a shower. Adia always wanted a shower before a mission. Periodically, she ran a systems check, which always came out green.

There will be plenty of time for things to go wrong later. She reassured herself. The ten minute proximity alarm sounded and roused Lianna and Daria. Adia waited for the pair to come around completely.

"We're nearly to Druckenwell. I didn't think it wise to try and get near Miranda in a Y-Wing. We'll find another means of transport here." Adia said.

"Something with at least three seats." She added.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

The Jedi had programmed herself to come out of the trance at the sound of the proximity alarm. It took a moment to familiarize herself with the surroundings as her senses returned to normal. Her eyes were hazy and cloudy, the sounds of the engine seemed like they were immersed in water, her body felt listless - Except for the arm wrapped around Daria. She didn't remember doing that ...

Becoming more alert now, Lianna nodded in agreement and couldn't wait for her feet to hit solid ground. Her mind was rejuvenated through the dreamless hibernation trance, but the effects of sitting in one position for hours on end managed some strain. Stretching her legs was a most welcomed thought since they felt like jello.

She rolled her shoulders and outstretched her arms as much as possible to wake her muscles. Flexing her shoulders, arms and neck pumped new blood to such tired areas and aroused her completely. "How are we going to sneak our weapons in this time, Adia? We're going to need them."

When they infiltrated Imperial Center, weapons weren't an issue to visit Lianna's mother. With Miranda's life in danger, they had to bring them if they were going to fight another Force Adept.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Years on the run had prepared Daria for such sudden awakenings. Minutes after the alarm sounded, her mind was lucid and with this clarity came the awareness of stiffness and aching all through her body. She flexed and stretched her limbs as best she could, working away some of the numbness.

Although Daria was a stranger to Druckenwell, she knew of the metropolis world due to its association with BlasTech Industries – infamous for their development of the E-11 blaster rifle, the weapon of choice for the Empire's Stormtroopers. On such a world, acquiring a weapon would have been easy, but laying hands on a weapon that would prove useful against a Force user was another matter entirely. If they were going to succeed, they needed their lightsabers.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia immediately pulled most of the power from the craft, giving it a hard shove with the sublight engines. Druckenwell was not the most heavily defended planet in Imperial space, but it wasn't without defenses. Fortunately, Adia had dropped the Y-Wing as close to the planet as possible into the main shipping lane. It had been a risky move, but it had paid off. They were only a few kilometers from a massive bulk freighter. Concentration washed over Adia as the small craft began to tremble in the freighter's engine wash. There wasn't too much that could get a reading through the massive energy output. Adia thumbed the button to fire the tow cable. She held her breath, steadying her movements and rhythms against the wash, and fired. If her shot was off, the magnetic grapple would be fried by the freighter's engines. The cable pulled taught. Adia's shot had found good purchase. They were a scant hundred meters behind the massive craft. The former Hand fed more power to the shields, as they were nearing the atmosphere.

"It's going to get bumpier." She warned the two Jedi.

Daria paled a little. Air flared up against the small craft's shielding, and began to tremble violently as the combination of brick-like aerodynamics and massive thrusters threw the small, unpowered craft around. Daria's hands grabbed the back of Adia's headrest to steady herself. Halfway down, Adia released the tow cable. The Y-Wing tumbled in freefall. Adia gradually fed the engines more power as the craft flopped toward the surface of Druckenwell.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna wasn't too sure what the plan was until the tow cable was fired. Up until this point, she figured Adia was going to use the freighter for cover and with its mass, the power of the Y-wing would be well hidden from sensors. But no. Adia had to go that extra step and cut all power ... just to be on the safe side.

Even belted in, the Jedi was being tossed from side to side as they hit the atmosphere. Poor Daria had nothing. With great strength, Lianna hugged Daria close to her as the full force of the planet's gravitational force slammed against the Y-wing. Soon as Adia released the fighter, the Jedi released her friend and breathed a sigh of relief. "Is everyone ok?"

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria was shaken. Whether or not her trembling had been from anxiety or the rocking of the ship was unclear. Though the sky still flashed past the Y-Wings view-ports at an alarming speed, both Lianna and Adia seemed surprisingly calm, and their apparent lack of panic set the blind Jedi a little more at ease.

“I will be, as soon as we're on solid ground.”

[Adia Issoris]

The craft had long ago hit terminal velocity. Five thousand meters above the surface, the repulsors began to whine loudly. The craft kicked against gravity, squishing the trio into their seats. The craft began to stabilize, and, 500 meters above the a rundown warehousing district, was under full control. She pulled up a map as they set down in an abandoned cargo yard. Rusting hulks that used to be shipping containers littered the terrain. Some still stood intact, others had collapsed into rusty ramps.

It smelled dusty outside, Adia noted as the canopy rose.

"Lianna, wipe the navicomputer." She instructed.

"We can hide the Y-Wing beneath container scraps.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Daria removed herself from the bomber seat and Lianna quickly got to work, her fingers dancing along the console. It was simple enough to delete the information stored. Anyone that wanted to steal this ship better have an astromech droid at their disposal. Otherwise, they would be flying blind without any starcharts listed in the ships database.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria crouched amongst the rubble as Lianna went to work. Her head was lifted, a look of concentration spreading over her features.

“Where are we? I can't feel any signs of life...”

[Adia Issoris]

"This part of Druckenwell is mostly warehouses. This specific container yard is more of a scrap heap now." Adia explained to Daria while removing her small bit of luggage from the empty bays. She removed Daria and Lianna's cargo, too. "I doubt there is anyone within a kilometer." She added.

Daria looked a little vexed.

"It will probably be razed soon. Land is in short supply and high demand." Lianna said as she dropped to the ground. Adia had already found a suitable piece of corrugated metal scrap to start covering the Y-Wing with. She grunted loudly and tossed the hundred kilos of degraded container siding onto the back of the craft. The scrap landed with a crunch, a clang, and a screech as it superficially scratched the Y-Wing's thick armor. With Lianna and Daria's help, the bomber was hidden in ten minutes, looking little more than a series on containers collapsed onto another container.

"It might be several kilometers before we reach some sort of public transport." She warned. Lianna nodded, and Daria simply wanted to be more in her element, which was nearly anywhere else.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"First things first, though." Lianna set Daria's cargo next to her. "We need to get into civilian clothes. We were in too much of a hurry to change before."

And too busy arguing with Daria, trying to convince her to not come. The Jedi still held concern for her friend's safety, but she still remained comforted by her presence.

Lianna stripped off her outer and inner robes and folded them on top of crate, not caring about modesty. They were several kilometers away from anyone walking in on them, proven by Daria's extraordinary senses. She opened her suitcase and put on a pair of loose fitting black slacks and patterned blouse that fanned at the elbows. She tried to get her hair tied up in some fashionable sense and was thankful that Adia interceded. The former Hand actually did a nice job pulling her thick hair into a barrette with a few strands out of place, making it look as if she were disheveled on purpose.

With a small tap on the side of the suitcase, a hidden panel slid open that was big enough for two lightsabers to be stowed. "I can keep our lightsabers out of sight in here."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Once done with helping Lianna, Adia was kind enough to assist Daria in dressing. The crowning piece of the disguise was a pair of contact lenses, which gave the illusion that the red-head was an average human citizen. With her own robes stowed away, the Jedi Knight produced her lightsaber. The hilt seemed a little too large for Daria's grasp and was scored all across its surface. For a simple cylinder of metal and wires, it contained so much history and importance, all of which was unspoken yet surely understood by Lianna.

[Adia Issoris]

"I had been thinking about the lightsaber problem and modified mine." Adia said. Her saber still rested in her thigh holster, which she had strapped to a more modest pair of pants. She had added a new line from the power cells, and another switch. However, the boots changed, and her top was augmented with her long jacket, which she wore open. It's ablative weave could repel most hand blaster fire from five meters or more, but it weighed nearly 15 kilos. Adia placed a blaster on her left side, in a shoulder holster and one slung over her right hip. She looked like a shrouded hourglass of doom.

Satisfied with everyone's dress, she grabbed her suitcases. Daria and Lianna did the same. Adia led them to the nearest transport station. While the buildings were decrepit in the immediate area, the situation improved quickly as soon as they cleared the cargo yard's perimeter.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

They had to walk a kilometer before any signs of life were spotted. It was mostly construction crews milling about on their lunch break. The air hung with the smell of coffee and micro cooked meals. Lianna's stomach growled in protest. They had walked a lengthy distance in an hour, hauling their luggage with no break for food and water. Soon as they entered the area, all eyes were set upon them with confusion and curiosity. Two women in suits and the other dressed for war were easily out of their element in this hardhat area.

The trio ignore them like the rodents they were, their air of Imperial superiority oozing from the way the carried themselves. Adia was looking around for someone in charge to cut down on interactions and people who would remember them besides 'those uptight bitches that came through'.

A stocky man came waddling towards them. He was pudgy in face and had these beady eyes with iris for slits. By his cheap suit and well polished hardhat, it had to be the head 'rat'; the foreman for the workers.

He squatted into a wave, which caused his oversized belly to poke through his untucked shirt. "Hello laides. You guys are out of place. Guessing, you're all a bit lost?" His voice was a tad higher then his bodyweight should have been and his breath reeked of onions. Lianna curled her nose at him and looked to Adia as if this man wasn't worth her time.

The foreman looked at the luggage they were carrying and frowned as understanding finally synapsed in his brain. "Bit of car trouble?"

[Adia Issoris]

Adia moved forward before he could get too near to Lianna and Daria. She looked down, a half-head taller than the foreman, who's figure seemed to be her opposite. Adia crossed her arms and her jacket fell open a little, which exposed the ranking plate, signifying that she was a Captain in the Imperial Navy.

Instead of answering the foreman's question, she pulled out her identification. Her Imperial Navy identification was side by side with her Imperial Security Bureau identification that granted her the full resources of the Empire. It was not completely uncommon for ISB agents to have dual commissions. He paled under Adia's stony gaze as she flipped the identification case shut and put it back in her coat.

"We need transport to the nearest speeder rental." Adia said with absolute authority in her voice, an oppressive monotone with a touch of Coruscanti accent. He looked at her dumbfounded.

"Now." She quietly added, with a little menace.

"R...r... right. Right this way." He said, huffing a little as he turned and waddled off toward a company speeder. It was a common SoroSuub used as a general transport for companies, cabs and goverment agencies. They were simple, reliable and cheap to operate.

"Open the cargo hold." Fumbling, the foreman did so. There wasn't much in the back, just a suitcase and some emergency gear. Adia placed her suitcases and then Daria's and Lianna's neatly inside before shutting it.

"Keys." Adia said, extending her open hand. The rotund foreman was so nervous that he dropped them as he reached forward. She deftly snapped them out of the air. She let Daria and Lianna into the empty back seat before opening the passenger door for the foreman. Adia opened the driver's side, and promptly slid the seat back a good ten centimeters. She pulled the speeder back onto the road they had been walking on.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria sat silently for a while, her eyes turned towards the view beyond the speeder windows. The tension in the cab was thick. She could feel the foreman's anxiety, rolling over her in waves of fear. After a time, she sighed and looked back towards Lianna.

“We're going to be late,” she breathed. The accent she spoke with was remarkably similar to Adia's well-spoken Coruscanti. Though she had only spent a brief time on Imperial Center herself, Daria had grown accustomed to adopting false identities in her time traveling the Galaxy. The nondescript tone of the Coruscanti upperclass had, on many an occasion, allowed her to slip by local security unnoticed.

The driver seemed, if possible, to stiffen even more at Daria's complaint. He began to mumble an apology but cut himself off at the sight of his passengers emotionless faces.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna lazily looked at her chronometer and sighed deeply with a frown. "She's right. Is there a quicker route to our destination?"

Her voice was sharp and cold. The foreman sank deeper into his chair, trying to hide his scowl. This side trip into town was going to put his own men behind schedule, and he knew that Captain Harker would be by tomorrow to check on progress. Maybe if he had his crew work double time tonight, that would catch them up, but he would still have to account for the overtime ...

"Well?"

The dark haired woman's voice snapped him to the present. There was no mistaken the annoyance. "Yes. Yes, Ma'am. Take the next right and I'll lead ya through the neighborhood. We'll miss a lot of traffic this way."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia obeyed the directions.

"Tell me two blocks in advance." She instructed and began to drive faster. She did not want to be in this car with this man any longer than neccessary. Her guise, even less so. The repulsors whined loudly as Adia belted the government vehichle. Daria braced a hand against the door arm rest. In a surprising display of coordination, Lianna merely crossed her arms and looked a bit more sour than before. The car seemed to float around her. She did not seem annoyed at Adia, but that they needed to be in a hurry. Their unwilling passenger gasped as someone blew a stop sign. Adia tucked around the rear of the speeder with scarcely an inch of error.

"Next turn?" Adia asked, unphased.
"Uh... uhm... right, two, uh one block."

Sure enough, There was a rental agency. Adia pulled in normally. As soon as she felt the speeder was safely out of the way, she stopped. She got the door for Lianna and Daria. Both seemed rather focused and grim as Adia retrieved the luggage. By now the foreman had waddled out of the speeder, and stood next to it, like a confused puppy.

"Your Service to the Empire is appreciated. Go about your business." Adia said with finality.

"Oh, uhm, thank you." He replied. Adia said nothing, but narrowed her eyes a little.

He scrambled into the speeder again. Adia could see him take a deep breath before even touching the controls. She adjusted her jacket. The trio went inside. Adia was more tactful this time. It was the middle of the day, so there weren't any other people there, aside from the staff. Very fortuitous, she thought. Adia walked up to the counter.

“Ahh...” the clerk behind the counter said, her brain adjusting to the uniform and what it might mean, “...yes, how can I help you?” she added nervously.

“I need to rent a midsized speeder. It's for personal purposes.” Adia replied, and smiled softly.

“We have an SoroSuub V36 or OP-5C.” The clerk said, relaxing a little. "The OP is twenty five credits per day and the 35 is twenty two."

“The OP-5C will be fine.”

“Oh. Ah, I'll need an ID and either a banking chit or a credit chit.” Adia provided a civilian ID, and her credit chit. It would more than cover any casual costs. The clerk came back in a minute, both items in hand, and a key for a speeder.

“Everything is fine, Miss Sulay. It's the grey OP, right out front. You can drop the speeder at any local branch, but please let us know if you're going off-of continent. Have a pleasant day.”

“I don't think that will be a problem, but thank you.” Adia smiled pleasantly. She picked the luggage back up and headed out, Daria and Lianna in tow.

"Well then." Adia said, bemused.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria felt more at ease now. She could see – sense – other lifeforms around her. However, that didn't mean that she felt calm, by any means. She was not so confident as to assume that their guise was impervious. Their deception could be uncovered at any moment. Frowning faintly, she looked towards Lianna, taking some comfort in the warm aura around the Jedi Knight.

“Which way now?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

She had felt Daria's presence focused on her and looked at her friend with a minute smile. "Soon as we board our speeder, we'll probably take up residence in a hotel to discuss our itinerary."

Lianna looked towards the tall redhead leading the way with luggage in tow. "If that is all right with our guard?"

In other words, Adia please lead us and not get us into trouble.

[Adia Issoris]

"As it pleases you." Adia intoned, placing everyone's luggage into the cargo hold.

Since they were closer to the city proper, it was easier to spot amenities. They stopped at an up-scale hotel that usually housed visiting investors. It was not flagged on Intelligence's list, but given Miranda's presence in the sector, they would need to be careful. She did have a small near-field jammer that would scramble any listening device with low level white noise. In fact, it might be likely the more business oriented suites came equipped with them already, but Adia preferred to trust her own tried and true equipment.

Adia walked up to the counter, her face even and somewhat distant, as if she had a great many things on her mind. The Twi'Lek male concierge behind the counter was dressed in a modern suit with a badge that stated his name and the hotel's.

"How may I be of assistance?" He said, although there were undercurrents in his voice that indicated he was less than happy to be hosting Miranda Tarkin.

"My friends and I need a room for the night." Adia said.

"Of course." The Twi-Lek tapped a few keys.

"We have a grand suite on the third floor."

"Perfect." Adia said, and presented a credit chit. She didn't want to be higher than the third floor. Anything higher would complicate any emergency exit.

The bellhop appeared with a small cart for their bags. After a little hesitance, Daria complied.

The hotel room was well furnished. It wasn't opulent, but rather extremely functional. There were two beds. Adia already committed herself to sleeping on the couch.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Through the walls of their room, Daria could see some traces of life above and beneath them, however it seemed that the hotel was not heavily booked at present. She sat down on one of the beds and took a moment to relax, though the privacy and security that the room afforded them was hardly complete.

Although her body felt tired, fatigued from travel, her mind was working overtime. Her thoughts drifted back to Miranda Tarkin, as they had on more than one occasion. It felt as if a dark cloud was looming ahead, just on the horizon.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

As soon as the doors closed to their room, Lianna felt a huge weight life off of her shoulders. The veil of secrecy could be lifted for now and allow the Jedi to be herself.

She unbutton the suit jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair. Out of the corner of her eye, Lianna watched as Adia set up the jamming equipment in case this room was bugged. After sweeping the entire room twice with a scanner, she nodded the all clear.

"I take it you'll be calling today to set up an appointment with Miranda?" she asked. Lianna wasn't sure about this plan. They were going to go see her sister under the pretense as a body double and then kidnap her ... so to speak. They really hadn't discuss the plan in full detail.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia laughed. After having such an intense two days it felt good. Lianna looked a little confused.

"I'm the Hand of the Emperor." She said as she finished her laugh. "I go where I please. The last thing I do is make reservations, especially when it invovles saving the life of an important person in the Empire."

"They'll have maybe four or five minutes of warning when I transmit my personal code." Adia added.

"Surprise will work to our advantage. I suspect this might be the last time I get to use it."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Let's hope we get this right, then,” Daria said, in a hushed tone. Although they had Adia to guide and assist them, the situation was no less dangerous for it. Her deception was not remain undetected for long, not once they were closer to Moff Tarkin.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna had to agree with both of them. "Yes we must, and I get that feeling too Adia."

Both of them were willing to help her and take such great personal risks in doing so. Daria and Adia could die trying to help save Miranda. Lianna still didn't take much comfort in this knowledge but understood what they were doing was right. It was the will of the Force.

"It won't take long for Miranda to realize something is amiss with me. Perhaps that can be our advantage?" she said, thinking out loud. "If I can reason with her quickly enough, maybe she'll just come along. She doesn't need to know the whole truth."

[Adia Issoris]

"I'm not sure." Adia said after considering Lianna's supposition.

"Your sister is shrewd. She's not going to turn away from her position in the Empire. She's tied to it, just like Wilhuff." She added. Lianna's face hardened a little, the change subtle, but Adia picked up on it immediately.

"She hates Jedi. So don't mention it."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna mustered a smile, "I hadn't planned on it."

Adia wouldn't admit it, but she was exhausted. Make-up hid the circles under her eyes, but Lianna could feel just how weary her friend's body was. Adia had piloted the Y-Wing to Drunkenwell with little rest and trekked through the woods with the same few breaks as she and Daria. "Now you need some rest, my friend. We're all going to need our strength for what comes tomorrow."

The former Hand smiled gratefully and yawned deeply before settling into the couch for a must deserved rest. Lianna would find none today. Tomorrow was a big day and it was not the fear of death that troubled the Jedi's thoughts. It was the outcome with Miranda that caused her lack of focus.

[Daria Nytherciria]

As Adia settled down to sleep, Daria sat down on her bed. She watched her for a while in silence, then lifted her head and turned towards Lianna. She looked deep in thought, her usually placid aura threaded with murky tendrils of uncertainty. Silently, Daria wished she could offer some kind of support, but it was difficult to know what to say. She wouldn't lie; tomorrow was going to be difficult, for them all.

“You should get some sleep too,” she whispered.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"It's still early, Daria." Lianna had moved to the double sliding doors that gave her a fantastic view of the sunset outside. The darkened sky was slowly swallowing the rays of orange and red, turning them white and grey. If it were not for the trade building in front of her, the Jedi could have watched the fiery ball itself disappear under the horizon. "I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway even if it were late."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“...Of course.”

She rose from the bed and padded quietly over towards Lianna, looking out into the world with her. The sun was dazzlingly bright to Daria, yet she saw none of its rich hues, only a monochromatic scale. There was a slight chill in the evening; she held herself, arms crossed over her body. After a long moment in silence, she spoke.

“I'm glad I could be here, to help.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"You didn't give me much choice," said Lianna, finding amusement now in what brought them together.

Daria was insistent on coming, saying it was the will of the Force that she join Lianna. Even though she tried to convince the Jedi otherwise, in the end, Lianna could not deny Daria. She walked where she was meant to walk, and Lianna was happy with the company. For so long it had been Lianna and Adia on the run together. True there had been Ridwan, a Padawan they had met along the way and then parted from their company, but the bond that the former Hand and Jedi Knight shared ran deep. Adia was like a mother to her.

She looked towards Daria and felt a great comfort in her presence. It was just as much the same as it was different then being in Adia's presence. "But I'm glad you came too."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria kept her eyes on the outside world, but smiled nonetheless. She didn't need to look at Lianna to see her, to feel her. Since they had begun to share meditation sessions with one another, Daria found herself growing – quite surprisingly – attached to her fellow Knight. It was a long time since she had had a real friend, one who she could trust. Of course, there was Wyl, but he was a child. There was only so much they could share, and she didn't want to burden him with any more than he already had to deal with.

“I... didn't want to risk losing you.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Daria's honestly humbled Lianna and she closed her eyes, sensing the warmth that the connection with her fellow Knight afforded her. It was not surprising to Lianna that Daria was doing much the same. The Knight could feel the Force surrounding Daria, bathing her in its incandescent light as small tendrils twisted out from her form and merged with those that had come off of Lianna. Such a union offered such peace between them. Perhaps even more ...

"Which is why I didn't want you to come," she said, the words just came without any thought behind them. "I didn't want to put you at risk."

Lianna opened her eyes and finally looked at Daria, noticing that the beauty she had within mirrored that which was physical.

[Daria Nytherciria]

The burgeoning connection between them had only begun to develop, but the thought of it being severed - either by distance or something far more permanent – was unbearable. She had been alone for so long that now, when she had finally let her guard down, Lianna had gotten to the very core of her, though she concealed the truth as best she could. Feeling that she was being watched, she turned her head towards Lianna for a moment.

“We're so much stronger together than we are apart, surely you can see that.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna felt herself tremble with that gaze and the feelings surrounding it. They ran deep within Daria and reflected back upon Lianna, forcing the Knight to search her own feelings. The connection between them was fiercely held together by the compassion they felt for one another. And the Knight had to admit, when Daria was not at her side, she did long for her presence.

"Yes," she admitted softly. "I do."

[Daria Nytherciria]

As if she could feel Lianna trembling under her gaze, Daria looked away. There had only ever been one other person who looked at her like that - bearing hopes and fears alike - and where was he now? She had almost killed him, and he her (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12596). When it came to Lianna, she felt none of the uncertainty and unease that surrounded Severen.

“This is all... new to me.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's mouth grew dreadfully dry and it was difficult to swallow. When Daria turned away, the Knight exhaled a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

There was a brief moment where Daria had drifted far away from the present, searching within for insight as to what was happening now. There had been a conflict, Lianna gathered, one that had affected her Jedi companion deeply. But there was a change in her mood that was felt and Daria had returned to her.

“This is all... new to me," she said so honestly once again. Lianna could tell it had been hard for her to admit this, especially with what had been weighing heavily on her mind previously.

"It, ah, ... is for me too." Lianna stepped closer to the sliding doors and pressed a hand against it to lean comfortably. "Being on the run ... there wasn't much time to grow close to anyone."

With Adia, they had been thrown together in the heat of battle and learned to respect and trust each other along the way as they found their true calling. Being connected with Daria so deeply had opened the pathway to new feelings that Master Drin had spoke of which were forbidden by the Jedi before the clone wars. He had taught her that it was possible that such strict adherence to such a code was part of the downfall of the old Jedi Order.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Bringing one hand to her forehead, Daria breathed a quiet sigh.

“I don't suppose this is the time or place for any of this.”

Then again, there was no going back now. Once the morning came, they would be at the whims of fate. Nothing was certain, even life itself.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

She felt herself frowning in disagreement. "You know as well as I do that what tomorrow brings is uncertain. The situation with my sister is clouded by the Dark Side. I cannot gain any insight as to what will happen."

Lianna turned around to look at Daria, who's uncertainty mirrored her own. "But the Force has given us this night. Who's to say this isn't the right time or place for this?"

[Daria Nytherciria]

“This,” Daria repeated, to herself. She didn't even know what this was, but there was one thing she knew for certain, and that was that when she was around Lianna the Force spoke to her more clearly than it had ever done before. Even now, it willed Daria towards her.

She turned to face Lianna head-on. What was she supposed to do? She felt vulnerable and it showed in the trepidation pattered across her features; eyes softened, lips parted only a moment away from speaking but not knowing what to say.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's demeanor brightened as Daria grew closer. She waited with breathless anticipation as their conversation continued, but her companion fell short of words. The Knight had thought she had lost her again, but it was only the apprehension that had silenced her. They both knew that the Force had bestowed a gift upon them for surviving all the lonely years behind them. They shared a common bond as students of the old Jedi ways, as fugitives from Imperial rule, and on a calculated whim, allowed the other the chance to listened to the Force within them.

With the last rays of sunlight being swallowed by the incoming night, Lianna could see the traces of hesitation in her face. In truth, Lianna really didn't know what to do. Her movements were involuntary reactions to the needs of Daria. She brought up a hand to smooth out those fears and pressed her lips against her companion's; an action that spoke louder then any words could convey.

The world around Lianna was drowned out by Daria's presence. Inside her mind were her thoughts and all she could sense around her was the Jedi's life force. The act was a pure amalgamation of thought and emotion that was so moving that it broke down the last wall of Lianna's own mental defenses...

[Daria Nytherciria]

It felt like a flood gate had opened inside of Daria, her soul swelling as their energies met. It made her legs weak beneath her and so she steadied herself, her hands resting easy against Lianna's chest.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna brought her free arm underneath Daria's to give the demure Jedi more support, while she herself was fighting the lightheaded sensation that had overcome her. The intimacy shared between the them rippled throughout the Knight's body and she unwillingly broke away from the kiss.

Her heart pounded inside her ears while she breathlessly tried to regain her conscious thoughts. She had not been prepared for a reaction like that, and Lianna's mind was swimming in a mixture of their combined memories and emotions. It was an exhilarating sensation as their souls joined for that brief moment ...

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria's head dipped a little, looking down at some indistinct point. She took a shallow breath and her fingers curled a little into the fabric of Lianna's shirt, tensing for only a moment before releasing. With Lianna holding her, she felt all at once empowered and weakened, speechless at how profoundly affecting a single moment could be. She lifted one timid hand to Lianna's cheek, their eyes meeting once more. Another shallow breath and she spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

“You make me feel so... completely... dismantled, like every part of me has been stripped away and laid bare. ”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna was still finding it difficult to gather her thoughts, but some semblance of control was mustered so she could gain some understanding of her feelings. The seemingly impossible had happened: her mental defenses were gone. This had never happened before ... to either of them

Daria was a bundle of fear, an emotion almost foreign to the Jedi. It was the that fear that gripped her shirt and brought her face around so Daria could find understanding.

She didn't know what to say. The Jedi prided themselves on their sense of control and Lianna had taken that away from Daria. The part of her that was a Jedi wanted to apologize for causing her such confusion, yet it wouldn't be true. Her soul longed for that intimacy once more and wouldn't apologize for following her heart. Master Drin had always taught her to do that. A Jedi's heart could be just as invaluable as their instinct and control.

She leaned into Daria's hand and even if the Jedi could not see the smile, she could easily sense the new found devotion emanating from Lianna. "As you have done to me. But through my fears, I know you complete me Daria."

Lianna knew this to be true and it was a profound realization. It finally made sense, why they had been drawn together since her arrival on Vortex.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Complete? Force, that was a lot of responsibility! To become so dependent on someone, it went against everything that the Jedi had stood for. The great austerity they had shown, and how quickly they had fallen when they had allowed themselves to succumb to their emotions.

And yet...

How they had failed, all of them, the passionate and stoic alike. Both sides had fallen just as easily, but only one had known love, and was that not what they fought so hard to defend and uphold? Truth, beauty, freedom, justice. There was no right or wrong, there was only the Force and the road of destiny which it laid for each of them. If two paths entwined into one, surely it was all the better, that they should both be striving for a common goal.

Whatever the case, Daria felt overwhelmed. She turned towards the balcony and edged a little forwards.

“Can we... sit?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna realized her mistake in speaking so open. Her words had shaken Daria further and the Jedi was still trying to make sense of it all. If what they were doing, what they felt, were right. It was easy to forget that Daria had been trained formally for a time by the old Jedi Order and their beliefs still struck a cord with her.

"Of course. Here." She pressed a button on the panel and opened the sliding doors. The rush of air was cool against her cheeks. The balcony was walled off by black metal bars that were held together by designer columns between. Two chairs of similar craft surrounded a table and there were two lounge chairs to the other side. It was night now and the sky was full of stars.

She remained silent as Daria collected herself, silently hoping that the distress she had cause would be abated.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria sunk down into one of the lounge chairs, drawing Lianna to sit beside her. After taking a few minutes to gather together her thoughts, in which her hand did not leave her companions, she looked up.

“...I must seem like such a fool,” said said, squeezing Lianna's hand.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna smiled with relief and leaned forward. "Not at all. I am the brazen fool that said too much."

She placed her free hand over Daria's and sighed. "I'm sorry."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“You've nothing to be sorry for, Lianna. You've done nothing wrong.”

She shook her head, smiling somewhat ruefully. It was her instinct, which had been years in development, to simply push away anything that could potentially penetrate the outer walls of her defenses. They had been so thick, so deep, that even a moments lapse had been incredibly powerful. It was almost like regaining a sense, once lost. In that respect, the mental contact she had shared with Lianna was near over-stimulation. It was too much, too soon.

“I've spent my whole life hiding and suppressing everything human in me. I can't just... turn that off in an instant, it's too intense.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna shook her head. "I understand. These things take time..."

Time that we might not have ... Her thoughts turned sad. Tomorrow could bring that time to a halt if one of them did not survive. "... Even I was overwhelmed with what happened."

She reminded herself that things happened for a reason. The feelings they shared was no coincidence. Even if the future resulted with a short time together, at least they had this one moment. No one could ever take that away.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Closing her eyes, Daria rested her head down on Lianna's shoulder. Her mind felt awake, yet her body felt tired and drained still. She needed to rest, otherwise it would be impossible to work at her best on their mission in the morning. At the same time, she desperately wanted to right things with Lianna... but that would have to wait.

With tiredness quickly overcoming her, she laid out on the lounge chair. She didn't want to move, or for that matter to be left alone. During the trip from Vortex, Lianna's presence had been a comfort. Now, she wanted it to feel as it had then. Lacing their fingers together, she opened her eyes and looked up.

“Stay with me...?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna was starting to take her leave of Daria's chair and move to the other, but the soft, needful, grip of her companion froze her still.

“Stay with me...?”

It was a request her heart could not deny.

"Of course," The Jedi whispered. Daria scooted over and freed up half of the lounge chair. With their small statures, it was ample space - far more then half a cockpit.

She slowly lowered herself next to Daria, keeping her companions hand close to her heart. Her fellow Knight rested her head in the nap of Lianna's neck and quickly fell asleep.

Lianna nuzzled the side of her cheek against Daria's hair as she gazed out into the night sky. She had said that she would find no rest tonight because of what lay ahead tomorrow. But it was only a few minutes after Daria had drifted off to sleep that Lianna would soon follow ...

[Miranda Tarkin]

The Next Morning - Moff Tarkin's Office
Doldur City - Doldur

Moff Miranda Tarkin had unwillingly found herself drowning in paperwork. Her appointments on Coruscant had delayed her return to Doldur by almost one standard week. The meeting (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=17390) on Imperial Center with all available Moffs had been delayed due to Inquisitor Valten's interference. He had wished a secret audience with Moff Tarkin to discuss her future as Empress of the Galactic Empire. She knew he was unsure of such a possibility until their meeting, but Miranda had won him over with her ruthlessness and undying loyalty to the people and principles of the Empire. Now with Chancellor Anar at her side, their plan to remove the weak Imperials from places of power had begun.

Unfortunately, until they went public, Miranda had to remain dutiful of her current assignment and that required her to catch up on issues that had fallen by the wayside because of her delayed return. She had ordered Amanda Sinclair, her aide, to cancel all of her appointment today and take messages that would be returned tomorrow.

Madame Governor?

The voice belong to Amanda and Miranda was perplexed as she looked over at her chronometer. It was two standard hours until noon. "Amanda. I told you and Wren to not disturb me until it was time for lunch."

I know and apologize for the intrusion, but I received a coded transmission that an Adia Issoris and her entourage are to meet with you in less then ten minutes. Here. I will patch it through to you and you'll see why I couldn't send her away.

Knowing that Amanda was a capable woman, Miranda held her tongue and would withhold judgment until she saw the information. What flashed before the screen made her narrow her eyes.

...////coded frequency alpha-3573-gamma///...

Request meeting with Moff Miranda Tarkin. Highest priority. My staff will be arriving in 10 standard minutes

Agent Issoris

Security level Zeta-90

...///end transmission///...

"Damn!" She slammed a fist against the reflective black desk. "Just what I need."

It was a coded ultraviolet priority transmission that belong to the highest members of Imperial Security. She would have had warning if another Inquisitor was coming, so this made her mystery guests Imptel more then likely.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she set aside the mountain of datapads and attempted to make her desk look presentable. "All right Amanda. As soon as they arrive, don't keep them waiting. Send them in right away."

As you wish.

The cynical part of her wondered is this were a ruse. With Anar smoothing things over on Imperial Center, others might want to get an audience with her, and if they are able to pull strings, this was one way to get her attention. The other possibility was an assassination attempt, but Sorsha said that front was quiet thus far. It just seemed too coincidental that someone with this level of security wanted a meeting with her.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Guards."

The two guards behind her desk snapped to attention. They were dressed in regular Inquisitor uniforms that displayed no rank. "Make yourself scarce. Just in case."

The bowed deeply and slipped into the hidden compartments found in the walls on either side of the room. The silver mirrored walls were actually a one way mirror. Those that were present inside her office had no idea that two Imperial Crimson Guards would be able to watch everything and interfere at a moments notice ...

[Adia Issoris]

The transport Adia had secured was much larger than the Y-Wing. With Miranda's presence, Druckenwell and Doldur had greatly increased Imperial activity. Although Druckenwell had no official garrison, one of the larger commercial ports was requisitioned for the use of the Empire. As such, requisitioning a well armed and shielded Delta Class shuttle was not too difficult, especially given her rank and her COMPNOR/Intel ID. She figured she may as well get milage out of it. Audible gasps sounded as Lianna passed by the Commander in charge of port operations. His tone changed from annoyed to nearly reverent as he called in the pilot of the shuttle.

Adia merely held a finger to her lips and smiled slightly. The playful look in her eyes was more terrifying than anything else. Her identification confirmation was bad, but those green eyes would haunt him for the week. We have a secret.

The morning had been without adventure until then. Well, finding Daria and Lianna on the balcony together had been unexpected. She woke them when the sun began to rise, and instructed them to keep their heads down. Adia had not slept overlong, and found time to greet the pair with tea. The only real wait was for the Daria and Lianna to use the fresher. She was only a little surprised at the turn of events. She had caught Lianna eyeing Daria in a rather un-Jedi fashion once. Adia still found Daria and Serena a little uncomfortable. Their manners were so stiff and seemingly emotionless, a far cry from Lianna, Morgan and Rhianna, who were vibrant and full of life, and seemed to radiate energy. Adia had met a Jedi like that once, who had the same radiance, but tempered with patience and calm. Adia was glad it had not been her hand that felled him.

The jump from Vortex to Druckenwell had felt like a journey, the jump from Druckenwell to Doldur felt abrupt, and only really served to build tension. It lasted a mere 45 minutes. With no announced flight path filed, and Miranda Tarkin on planet, the defense force was higher strung than a Dreadan during negotiations, and the comm was accosted with identification demands in roughly 30 seconds. The comm grew very quiet after Adia had submitted her clearance. A landing pad had been suggested. Adia noted the tractor beam emitters on the outer corners of the triangular pad, and one on a slight cant off the connecting bridge. The former Hand was very glad she had selected the more heavily armed Delta class instead of a run-of-the mill Lambda.

Dressed in the dark grey uniform of the Imperial Marines, her rank of Captain exposed. It was rare that a Marine be awarded the rank of Captain, but doubly so that a woman succeed that far. According to service records, Adia was one of eight, although much of her service record was Top Secret.

She strode forward to Miranda's office with Lianna and Daria in tow, her steps more smooth than the typical Captain seeing a Moff. Amanda rose from her desk.

"Identification, please." She stated firmly. Some of these military types had an overinflated sense of self-importance. Adia produced her ID and merely raised an eyebrow.

"The Moff will see you right away." Amanda said, and buzzed the trio in.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Amanda had to take a moments pause because she swore her eyes were playing tricks upon her. She had personally met some of the Moff's body doubles, most recently during Tarkin's visit to Coruscant, yet this one looked like the Moff exactly. She was a perfect replication right down to Miranda's height, bone structure, and hair. The only piece missing was the grey uniformed suit depicting a Moffs status. But the air of superiority surrounding her told Amanda that she definitely knew how to behave like one.

This made little sense to her and while she buzzed the trio in, Amanda cautiously typed in a message to Miranda when the inhuman looking redhead was facing away. Hopefully the Moff hadn't moved from her desk yet and would receive the message before seeing that woman...

* * *

Lianna decided that the less she spoke, the better. Her mere presence was enough for the Imperials around her to fall in line. Minus the uniform, the people thought she was Miranda Tarkin - Their Governor. Adia did the rest of the talking, her cold eyes twinkled with unshared knowledge that kept everyone on edge, which made the trip to the capitol building occur without any incidence.

Since leaving the hotel, Lianna kept her interactions with Daria minimal in order to remain focused. But there were times when she let her guard down briefly to sense for her presence through the Force. It continued to lend her strength and settle her fears of what lay behind those double doors before her.

"The Moff will see you right away." Amanda said, and buzzed the trio in.

Lianna sensed a sharp twinge of confusion surrounding the secretary, an emotion that wasn't uncommon from most in the building here who knew Miranda was in her office. It was probably just more pronounced from her because she worked directly with her sister.

The Jedi felt her heart jump as the doors slid open, but her exterior visage remained cool and collected. She didn't realize it, but Lianna remained behind Adia as much as she could to allow the chance to see her sister for the first time outside of the vids and to stave off the inevitable recognition that would occur.

I am doing what is right. I am here because of the Force. I need to put my feelings aside and protect Miranda. She reached out with her senses to get a feel for this office and to remain watchful for the ghastly Dark Sider that had invaded her dreams. As much as talking with Miranda was a desire, saving her sister from her dark fate was the priority ...

[Daria Nytherciria]

They were stood inside Miranda Tarkin's office. Even with Adia's help, Daria had not fully believed that they would get this far, but there they were. Daria stood to the left of the Emperor's Hand, looking like a slightly less menacing version of Issoris herself.

To the casual eye, nothing seemed particularly unusual about Miranda's office – but with Daria's unique perception of the world, secrets otherwise hidden were revealed. She saw beyond the walls that concealed Governor Tarkin's private guards, though made sure she maintained the appearance that she had no knowledge of them by focusing her attention on the Moff herself.

With Adia naturally taking the lead, the trio stepped forwards, to begin their meeting with Miranda Tarkin.

[Miranda Tarkin]

Miranda had made certain that her collar was impeccably perfect and tugged the bottom of the suit jacket as the doors began to open. Any indication that she had been taken aback by this unscheduled meeting had dissipated, leaving a cool and collective presence.

A momentary flash of blue from her desk caught her attention, and indicator of a 'read only' message. Hitting to accept, her brow raised at the brief message Amanda had sent her.

Body double looks exactly like you.

Was that so?

She had been using body doubles since her rise to fame within COMPNOR. As a highly public private citizen now working for the Ministry of Propaganda, the Empire grew cautious that Miranda would be kidnapped or killed by the Rebellion. So this wasn't unheard of, but this is the first time that someone had warned her that the body double was too good.

Miranda deleted the message and remained standing behind her desk. Her stance was stiff, but polite, as she offered a smile in greeting. While the trio approached, Miranda recognized Adia instantly. She was pleasantly surprised at this turn of events since Adia and her mother, Lise Tarkin, were good friends. Her features softened as Adia was addressed. "Captain Issoris!"

While she spoke, the Moff took notice of the smaller redhead next to Issoris. She wore a well-fitted suit that designated her status as a member of COMPNOR, part of the ISB (Imperial Security Branch). "I would like to say it's good to see you, but since this is official business ..."

But then her attention drifted to an uncanny pair of eyes that copied her own. There was a lengthy, uncharacteristic, pause by the Moff as the figure behind Adia finally stepped into full view. If you took away their suits and this woman let down their hair, they would have been perfect reflections of one other.

Her tone turned from pleasantly accommodating to suspicion. "... perhaps we should cut right to the chase ..."

Amanda was right. This body double did look exactly like her. To such a frightening degree that it demanded an explanation. Miranda felt a strange sense of vulnerability under this woman's scrutinizing gaze. She abhorred such weakness, but Miranda also couldn't tear herself away.

"What is this?!" She snapped, directing the question towards Adia.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia's mouth tightened a little. Miranda had been mentally quick her entire life, and she'd become even more suspecting and intense the higher she had risen in the ranks of the Empire. Miranda's wit and intellect had been honed to a razor's edge. Adia sincerely doubted the young woman even knew what face value was. Miranda had never been much of an innocent, though. She had thrown herself into the political arena, eager to follow in her grandfather's footsteps. The former Hand wondered what Miranda would have been like with Lianna's moderating influence.

"Rather uncanny, isn't it?" Adia asked rhetorically. Miranda's face twisted a little. Being hit with the blindingly obvious was offensive.

"It's not important. Someone is going to try to kill you today."

[Miranda Tarkin]

The woman shrank away, appearing to look distressed that the Moff was not pleased by her appearance. In truth, Lianna had felt a transitory ache of sadness and needed a moment to refocus.

Quickly the Jedi's sister recovered from the affront and regarded her family friend coldly. "Hence your priority transmission and bringing her..."

Though she faced the tall redhead, Miranda kept a close eye on her double. The Moff still couldn't shake how anxious she was around the other woman. Something was out of place, and it was not because of the uncanny likeness that Issoris had mentioned. More was at work here, but Miranda was finding it exceedingly difficult to read the double, or the other Agent for that matter. She always prided herself on sizing up those around her with little effort. Sure they displayed the right body language, but there was something about them that Miranda found unsettlingly and familiar.

"The Inquisitors and my spies in the Assassins Guild have heard nothing about an assassination attempt, but this doesn't come as much of a surprise. You can brief me more of this plot as I make a call."

Inquisitor Valten would want to be informed of this immediately, and the Moff was disappointed that the Inquisitors knew nothing of this. Since there weren't any perceived threats, it would have been premature for the Crimson Guards to be revealed. They remained on high alert, allowing surprise to remain on their side ...

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna was nothing more then some paltry annoyance to her sister. She could feel Miranda being curious towards her, using the Force unconsciously to try and gain insight into the two women that had yet to speak. But that became overshadowed by the threat of her own demise. It was interesting to note how quickly the Moff could gain control of herself and return to being a professional. Her sister was quite in charge of her emotions ...

"... You can brief me more of this plot as I make a call." Lianna's heart was stricken with panic. She sensed no good would come from that call and it would only complicate matters greatly for them.

"I must advise against that," Lianna said without thinking. Miranda initially looked stunned that some low ranking meat shield would talk out of turn with the Captain present. "There isn't much time," the Jedi couldn't hide the urgency in her voice any longer. "The perpetrator is more then likely here!"

Miranda placed a shaky hand upon her desk, paralyzed with realization that it was her voice that she heard. Her back stiffened and slowly she turned her head around to gape at her 'double'. "Who are you?"

Her body shivered as she took a few very guarded steps forward towards Miranda, against Adia's protests. The Moff did not retreat, but she did turn around to face her as if taken under a spell. Their concurrent gaze locked them in position, but neither of them wanted to back away.

Lianna had to tell her! Miranda had to know!

"I'm ..." The Jedi stood proud, controlling the emotional turmoil within her to remain calm as she spoke. "... I'm your sister."

[Daria Nytherciria]

The reunion between the sisters' Tarkin was a monumental moment, one that would change all of their futures forever – but Daria could not focus upon it. It felt as if something was pulling at the back of her mind, trying to pull her way from the present and into some other state. At first, she couldn't understand what it meant, why it felt like the Force was trying to divide her attention between this potentially volatile situation and something else. A frown began to deepen on her brow, as one hand reached out to touch Adia's shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.

“Something's coming...”

[Vega Van-Derveld]

At that moment, the communicator that linked Miranda to her secretary beeped, and a message was relayed through.

“Moff Tarkin, my apologies for the interuption, you have another- guhh-ah-ah-*thump*”

Without warning, the doors to the governors office hissed open. There, in the threshold, stood the grim avatar of fate.

His skin was as pale as the snow-fields of Hoth, and his eyes just as empty. Thin blue veins patterned all across his pallid flesh, reaching from the back of his skull to grasp his head like greedy talons. His colourless lips were twisted into a voracious sneer, jagged teeth visible where they parted. To many within the Galactic Empire, this man – this husk of a man – was known as the savage hand of Khendon Sevon, a thing more machine than man. To those who knew him, he answered to the name Van-Derveld.

“Miranda Tarkin...”

He spoke with a voice wholly unnatural, fitting of his appearance. The vocodor which generated his speech gave the words no hint of emotion, yet it was clear from his expression that he said them with loathing. There was a fleeting moment in which he savoured the look of confusion patterned across the Governor's face, the dawning realization that nigh all of her defenses had been overcome, but it was short lived. There would be time to celebrate when she was dead.

As the automatic door behind him closed, Vega threw one hand forward – a pulse of energy bursting from his fingertips, strong enough to knock down anyone unprepared. Simultaneously, he palmed the metallic cylinder hung at his hip, taking a firm grasp on the hilt.

KRSH-HSSSSSS!

It snarled to life, and with his face contorting into a grimace of rage, he vaulted through the air towards his target, lightsaber poised and ready to strike.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Without ever hearing that voice before, Lianna knew that it belong to the man that had come to kill her sister. The Dark Side had come with him, the hatred and anger dripping off his aura and infecting this office like a disease. There wasn't much time. Everything happened so quickly, but the Force had showed her what was to come next.

* * *

Miranda stood behind her desk utterly confused and unable to process that her secretary was dead. She was still reeling from the fact that this woman had announced herself as her sister! Her highly skilled Crimson Guards, however, were already on the move. The concealed doors slid open and they ran out towards their Empress with a mixture of determination, anger, and fear because they were not sure they would reach her in time. The Dark Sider was just too fast ...

* * *

Lianna calmed her mind and embraced the light of the Force to lend her strength to stand her ground. She felt the build up of dark energy lashing out towards the three of them and in the next breath, it happened.

Adia slid back against the attack, her mass far denser then a normal human and did not fall. It was enough to put distance between her and the Moff. Daria wasn't as fortunate. Unable to brace herself quickly enough, the Miraluka was knocked off her feet. Lianna braced herself before the attack came. She held up a hand and summoned a pulse to meet this monster's power head on, which canceled each others out.

The Jedi quickly jumped into the air as Vega sailed overhead. Reaching into the back of her suit jacket, Lianna felt the familiar grip of the lightsaber hilt and pulled it out of the make shift holster that Adia cobbled together. The saber erupted into life! Purple and red crossed against one another mid-air, crackling on impact. Lianna had forced the Dark Sider's blade to miss its intended mark as they landed on top of Miranda's desk simultaneously.

Wide eyed Miranda, remained standing between the pair of Force Users as their lighsabers highlighted the astonishment and outrage that contorted her face. She was mesmerized by the one claiming to be her sister and refused to believe that a blood relative of hers could wield the Force!

[Karl Valten]

Guardsmen Angron had served the Inquisitoriate for years, first as a squad soldier and quickly advancing to a position among an Inquisitors retinue before being chosen by Inquisitor Karl Valten himself as a possible candidate for Project Nightmare. Though he had ultimately washed out of the program along with several dozen other candidates, he and the others were not simply passed up. Upon Valten’s rise in power, they had all been called to form a new group of soldiers second only to the Nightmare’s and Inquisitors in skill.

Now Angron had been entrusted with the absolute safety of Miranda Tarkin at any cost. He had watch as the Emperor’s Hand made her appearance, watched as the false Tarkin made her claim. But his eyes had recognized the abomination of Van-Derveld, servant to the traitor and heretic Sevon.

Angron and the other guardsmen, Corax, tore from their concealed positions as if possessed by daemons. If the Jedi filth and the treasonous wretch were prepared for their appearance, they were not prepared for the surge of hatred that coursed through the two Crimson Guards.

Corax thrust a hand forward channeling the deadly emotion into a tangible force that sent the imposter and Van-Derveld hurling through the air.

Angron himself snarled in rage and focused on the Moff’s desk. The bolts holding the heavy object to the floor snapped and it hurtled across the room to crush anything in its path.

Both Crimson Guard pulled Moff Tarkin back from the fight and ignited lightsabers. Their strengths no longer concealed by the force and each willing to give their lives to protect their charge.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Everything moved so quickly. Daria was knocked to the ground but within moments she was back to her feet, a red blade of her own crackling to life. The energy filling the room was unlike anything she had experienced in years – light and dark, both warring for supremacy. The pale spectre of Lianna's vision had arrived, thrusting Moff Tarkin's office into a state of chaos. Within such a confined space, things could have easily taken a turn for the worst.

Lianna was locked in close combat with the assassin, and seeing no way that she could aid in this fight, Daria turned her eyes onto the Moff's protectors.

“We aren't your enemies!” she called out to the guardsmen.

“Focus upon the true threat at hand!”

[Adia Issoris]

Miranda's desk was a large, sturdy, stately affair befitting her position as a Sector Moff. It was made of local dark woods from her sector. Miranda always knew how to play on the heart strings of her constituence. Right now one hundred fifty kilos of desk were going to crash into Adia. As durable as she was, it was far easier to avoid it. She planted her hands on the nearest edge and flipped her legs over. The desk sailed harmlessly beneath her. The only casualty was her hat.

These were not members of the original Crimson Guard. They had all been hand picked men by the Imperial Army, and then hand picked from that lot by the Emperor himself. Adia knew each of those men. None would carry a lightsaber, although they had all been rudimentarrily trained in their use. The traditional armament of the Guard was a Force Pike. The only group that would get away with such training would be the Inquisoriate. Adia had regarded them as a curiosity at best, but since the death of the Emperor, it was obvious that they had been busy. They were fanatical, and had apparently started to recruit more agressively. The also answered only to the Emperor, and it was the only place outside of their facility Adia had ever seen them. If they were here, either Miranada was favored by whomever the new Emperor was or...

"Miranda!" Adia yelled. She was half in shock at the facts laid before her.

[Elias Akasha]

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the complex...

Elias' feet hammered against the ferrasteel plating as he sprinted along the corridor, pulling off his flight gloves and abandoning them along the way. His jumpsuit hung half-open to the waist, and the t-shirt underneath was already welded to his chest. Today had started so well: one of the Squadron Commanders had kindly agreed to loan him one of their training fighters so that he could keep his flying hours up. The security alarm had gone off half-way through suiting up, and his comlink not long after that. So much for my day off.

Taking the stairs to the control center two at a time, he shoved aside a technician who was moving at a leisurely pace by comparison, and burst into the hive of operation. A mix of Stormtrooper, Starfighter, Security Bureau and Navy uniforms swarmed about, everyone seeming far too flustered to be entirely professional. No one was expecting this, he observed, fighting his way through the crowd. His attention shifted to himself, and how utterly unprepared he was - out of uniform, out of breath, and not even armed. Especially not today.

"Lieutenant," he called, attention immediately snapping to the grey-uniformed Navy Officer who seemed to be the only one with any semblance of calm surrounding him.

The officer's eyes rose from his console briefly, and he acknowledged Elias' arrival with a curt nod. "Agent," he greeted, snatching the datapad brandished towards him from an unsuspecting aide. "Some time ago, a trio of representatives from the ISB arrived in the compound on unspecified business. About fifteen minutes ago one of our security patrols reported a disturbance, and not long after that the security perimeter was breached by an unidentified black-clad figure, apparently wielding a lightsaber."

"Presumably not one of ours," Elias observed, suddenly grabbing a passing Imperial by the arm. "Gun."

The Lieutenant shook his head as Elias checked his appropriated weapon, and slid it into a holster already strapped to his thigh. "The Inquisitoriate has mounted a response, but I doubt they'll get there much faster than you can."

Snatching an earpiece comlink from the communications desk, Elias' attention shifted away for a moment as he tapped the device, checking the audio feed. "Get me in touch with the Ink in charge as soon as you can." His eyes met the Lieutenant's for a moment. "You got a squad ready?"

"Bravo is good to go," the Lieutenant replied, gesturing with a nod of his head towards the exit that would lead Elias to the waiting dozen Stormtroopers. He paused for a moment, shooting the Agent a meaningful look. "Watch your back, sir."

Elias was already half-way to the door before he shot back a response. "Lets worry about Tarkin's back first."

[Karl Valten]

“Breach is confirmed by control, they do not know how the intruder was able to enter…”

Amid the impromptu chaos so unpleasantly gracing such an otherwise fine day on Doldur marched core of perfectly calm individuals. Rushing crisis responders caught in their path quickly scrambled out of their path at the sight of the blood red insignia adorning their uniforms. Those that did not manage to move fast enough were shoved aside by soldiers clad in modified stormtrooper armor the color of darkest obsidian.

But it was the three figures at the center of the formation that drew startled looks. The first; a female carrying herself with a deadly grace despite the bulk of the archaic armor covering her body. “…they have a security detail en route to the moff’s chambers.”

A deriding snort came from the second one. Wearing a plain black uniform devoid of any rank plate or decorations, the man would simply have been written off as another security officer….were it not for the Inquisitorial crest on his left breast………or the fact that fully half of his face had been replaced by prosthetics.

“They will only get in the way.” His cybernetic eye flashed a sinister crimson. “Observation camera’s confirm that the intruder is Vega Van-Derveld, but I cannot interface with the Moff’s office from here.”

The Inquisitorial squad entered the atrium before the governmental offices. Already the soldiers at the rear of the formation heaved heavy cases onto office counters and began unloading equipment as the three looked up through the decorative transparisteel ceiling at the tall building.

After several moments a serene voice spoke. “I have not this in a long while.” The third figure, elegant robes of midnight and crimson flowed around his frame, closed his eyes. The Inquisitor, apparent as it was, stretched his mind to Moff Tarkin’s office. The forced lashed against his mind in chaos. A frenzy of dark and light that so violently assault that he could not discern individual presences. His chest rose calmly as he focused further, picking out the distinct signature of the neural implants used by the Crimson Guard. He could feel their hatred and rage as they drew on their most powerful and destructive emotions.

“Inquisitor Kalidous?”

Eyes snapped open and a frown marred the Inquisitor’s face as he shook the impression of dark power from his mind. Fools!. Kalidous turned to face the cybernetic human. “An Agent Elias is requesting to speak with you.”

Using the force and a deep breath to purge his mind of any distracting thoughts, Kalidous motioned to his two subordinates. “I will meet him inside. Agent Garner, go to the control center and take over operations…” The machine-man bowed and promptly took his leave.

“…Agent Idalka, standard containment procedures from omega-class adepts.” Kaldious looked up at the building one more time before continuing forward by himself.

Behind him he could hear Idalka begin shouting orders to both the Inquisitorial soldiers and the stormtroopers.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?! Projectiles and disruptors only you idiots….”

[Miranda Tarkin]

Fighting broke out so fast that Miranda had little time to process the events that had unfolded. Her sister had willingly stopped Van-Derveld's attack and remained locked in combat. The Moff continued to vehemently deny any notion of having a twin - and a Force Adept at that! Her parents wouldn't have hid such a truth from her ...

"Would they?" She whispered in wonder as her Crimson Guards pull her away and stood in front of their Empress. The small redhead was attempting to reason with them. Regardless of her personal distrust of the impostor, Van-Derveld was the Hand of Sevon. If word had reached the Executor's ears of Miranda's betrayal, this was the sort of response expected. When the dust settled and Miranda was still alive, this incident will only add more credibility to her position against him.

"Miranda!" Adia yelled.

The taller redhead was startled, quite visibly shaken by the Guards presence. Miranda could see it those green orbs. The understanding of unspoken knowledge that couldn't leave this room.

Her arm rose and was then thrust violently down at Corax's feet. "Kill them!!!" she commanded, "Kill them all but my so called sister. I want her alive for questioning."

She wanted her alive to confirm this nonsense, and Miranda would not be denied those answers.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

First, hurled from the desk – and then, the desk hurled at them. Vega rolled as he hit the ground, crashing into one of the office walls. The impact was a minor annoyance at best and Van-Derveld was scrambling back to his feet in no time. Voices were calling out from every direction. The chaos was a thrill, the room full of confusion and panic.

“You aren't like her,” he levelled his saber towards Lianna.

“Are you so eager to die for her tyranny?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna hit the ground shoulder first and then rolled to her feet, only having to hug the floor once more as the desk flew over her body harmlessly. The room had lit up in a wave of Force energy on both sides of the spectrum. The last time she had felt such power was when Vader had come for her Master ...

Her presence had caused quite a stir and the element of surprise they had achieved was slowly dwindling. The Jedi could figuratively hear the reinforcements coming their way.

And suddenly Lianna had the strangest sensation that something profound had happened, but she would have to dwell on that later.

She quickly got to her feet and resumed a defensive posture as the ghastly figure addressed her.

"Yes," she said with stoic resolve. "I will use all my power to protect her."

Miranda was not meant to die. As her sister and as a servant of the Force, Lianna would protect her.

[Karl Valten]

Angron and Corax watched Van-Derveld with hate filled eyes. To them such treason as his was unforgivable. The heretic could be made to see the truth, but the traitor rejected truth and looked to disrupt the order the Imperium stood for. Both the Crimson Guard would like nothing better see his head mounted at the gates of the Citadel. It was their duty to do so, to do anything else would be a violation of doctrine in itself.

But to follow duty or the orders of Moff Tarkin? Reluctantly Angron broke his focus from the fight between Van-Derveld and Tarkin’s so-called sister. The Grand Inquisitor had told the Guardsmen that they were to follow Miranda’s orders without question and obey they would.

Guardsmen Corax raised his saber and advanced on Daria, shifting his malice on a new target. “Nostrum mos vadum nostra arma…”

Angron chose instead the Hand Issoris, trading one traitor for an apparent other. “…nostrum fides vadum nostra loricatus!

[Daria Nytherciria]

The guardsmen came at them, in spite of Daria's protest. Whilst the Jedi had no designs on harming the Moff, her protectors could not see past the propaganda of the Empire. To them, the Jedi were a threat at all times and their desire to destroy them was blinding the guardsmen to the true enemy.

“You have a Sith in your midst,” Daria shouted, over the sound of her saber-blade meeting with her opponents.

“Why waste your time with this petty conflict?! Your lack of judgment will be the death of your mistress!”

[Adia Issoris]

“Take them down!” Adia yelled. She pulled her blaster, as she knew full well that neither of these guards would listen to reason. Rapid blasts spat from her weapon, each carefully placed. Well trained, the guards were able to deflect what wouldn't superficially damage their armor. It bought Adia enough time to draw her own saber before Angron's blade crashed at hers.

She was not surprised at his aggression. He was indoctrinated by the cult of the Inquisoriate. His blows fell with practiced precision, as he searched for a weakness in Adia's defense, but each blow was met with speed. Adia let each blow give a little to build overconfidence that Angron outmatched her. An overhead blow came after he “beat” her arms aside, but she was quick enough to glance it away, and landed a kick, which knocked Angron off balance.

[Miranda Tarkin]

"And it is Adia's insight that will be the death of you!" Miranda countered. Her old family friend had betrayed the Empire by bringing Force users to her front door. Couple that with the knowledge she was able to piece together, they had to die - save the twin. She was the only puzzle here that deserved to be scrutinized.

Information had to move at a certain pace, alerting certain key figures that would be swayed to her side. If word leaked that Miranda had been chosen by the Inquisitorate and had backing of the Chancellor, those that were plotting against her would move faster then they were prepared. Vega's presence only heightened this urgency.

She glanced over at her 'sister' and Van-Derveld. It seemed that the petite redhead didn't seem to have much faith in her companion. The woman was quite capable at holding her own against the Sith.

Turning quickly on her heels, Miranda walked over to the bar set into the wall. Hitting a secret side panel, the reflective black surface turn inward and disappeared as another solid durasteel cabinet rolled into view. It slid opened and Miranda selected a heavy blaster pistol out of the set three ranged weapons to choose from.

Where the hell are my reinforcements? she thought as the safety was flipped off. The Moff had no qualms about getting her hands dirty to defend herself or the ideals of the Empire. She then leveled her weapon at the closest target in front of her.

Daria was locked in combat with her Crimson Guard as two well placed shots were fired upon her.

[Elias Akasha]

Elias grunted as his squad was forced to join the back of the queue, the bulk of the entranceway blocked by the presence of Inquisitorial troops. Someone self-important seemed to be barking orders at anyone who would listen, but Elias had neither the patience nor the time to tolerate such things. A voice had been sounding in his ear intermittantly, bringing him up to date with information as is slowly tumbled in to the Security control room, but precious little of that was actually helpful.

Scanning the crowd, no one leapt out as "in-charge"; unfortunately, that meant that meant that his quarry - at least, his immediate quarry - had managed to make it through the door. Taking a breath and bracing himself, he grabbed the nearest Inquisitor soldier, and pushed him roughly aside. Initially they considered some kind of retalliation, but after their eyes settled on his drawn blaster and unmarked Imperial uniform, he thought better of it. Whoever Elias might be, rankless Imperial Officers tended to be far less annoying when ignored: best to leave him to someone paid to put up with such things.

The bulk of the crowd seemed to get the idea, and Akasha managed to weave his way through as far as the source of the booming instructions that had assaulted him upon arrival. Unlike the soldiers however, this apparent superior was far less willing to simply step aside and pay him no heed. "Where do you think your going?"

"Agent Elias Akasha," he introduced, attention focussed more on what lay beyond the next set of walls than on the Inquisitor Agent who had already asked too many questions. "Security attaché to this complex..." His voice faltered, eyes narrowing as he finally devoted his attention to Idalka. "The person you should have spoken to before you even landed."

Idalka decided to ignore Elias' comments, instead shifting his focus to the pistol he was busily returning to the holster on his leg. "Blaster won't do you much good in there," he observed, his voice making it clear that Akasha's lack of understanding of this situation was hardly a surprise.

Elias grabbed and held Idalka's gaze for a moment longer. "Then I suggest you find me something more appropriate," he countered calmly, abandoning his attempts to holder the blaster and instead pressing it flat into the Inquisitor's chest. He nodded a head briefly towards the door. "Your superior is inside?"

[Karl Valten]

Who in the nine circles of hell did this fool think he was? Idalka held her patience well enough at the gall presented by this so-called security attaché. Akasha, whatever his name was, possessed enough arrogance that he could well be mistaken a naval officer or governmental type that thought they command any shred of power.
But now Agent Idalka was well ready to crush the man’s throat in her power-gauntlets. Nobody of sane mind would dare speak with such manner to an Inquisitorial subject. It seemed that one such as Akasha was far from sane in the company of the Imperium’s most feared. Bravery and foolhardiness become one in the same and Idalka would not tolerate it.

“Stay your hand, Agent.”!

The voice of Inquisitor Kalidous’s disembodied voice echoed through her head, causing the Agent to grudgingly loosen her tensed fingers. Why her lord permitted such disrespect was unfathomable, but unlike the fool before her, she would not dare cross a superior.

“Yes, Inquisitor Kalidous is expecting you.” Idalka gestured towards one of her troopers setting up their mobile command and control center. The faceless soldier paused for a moment, as if an unheard command exchanged between the two, and tossed a weapon to the Agent. It wasn’t much to look at, far a simple auto-carbine fit with a basic stock and reflex sight, hardly a sophisticated weapon compared to the pulse rifles carried by the Inquisitorial troopers.

“I suggest that you don’t keep him waiting.”

[Adia Issoris]

"Miranda!" Adia yelled. She ducked beneath a decapitating blow. The saber took off an inch of her pony tail.

"Damn it!" The former Hand growled. She'd had enough. Inquisition trained or not, Angron was not her equal. He brought down another fierce, overhead strike. Adia met it with unyielding strength. The blow landed dead against Adia's saber. She growled and turned the weapon away with such violence that it nearly ripped Angron's shoulder free from it's socket. Although she was off balance from the counter, Adia flicked her wrists. Her saber plunged through her enemy's armor, clean through the spine.

"We're not your enemies in this!" She doubted Miranda would listen.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Guardsman Corax was deaf to all protests. Whatever dogma compelled him, it drove him on with zealous ferocity. As they duelled, she felt the force of his hatred bearing down upon her, trying to eat away at her resolve – but she would not be broken. They had not come so far only to be dispatched by pawns.

With a flash of light, Daria twisted her saber and performed the cho sun technique – the blade moving with unexpected speed and accuracy to remove Corax's weapon arm. He howled in pain, as the severed limb tumbled to the ground. Astoundingly, it only took a moment before he was groping at the ground to grab his saber – but Daria called it into her grasp with the Force.

“Stand down!”

The words had barely left her lips when two blaster bolts can screaming towards Daria, straight from the gun of Miranda Tarkin. The first caught her in the side and a burst of pain exploded through her body, though she managed to twist just in time to deflect the second, sending it bouncing off to Force knew where. Corax seized upon the moment and lunged at her, grasping for his stolen saber, but Daria's reaction was instantaneous. Both beams came together, like scissor blades, then crossed over one another – catching the Guardsman's remaining arm between them, so that it too fell to the ground, burnt flesh hissing.

[Miranda Tarkin]

Corax fell to the ground, limbless and beaten. His counterpart faired no better against Issoris. Best Guardsmen indeed! They barely lasted a minute against them, which means they would have faired no better against Sevon's lackey!

Miranda did not lower her weapon, knowing full well that she was no match for either of the Force Users. Her nose curled as she caught the smell of burnt flesh and ozone. Where were her reinforcements?!?!

"The Jedi are an enemy to the Empire and you've aligned yourself with them Issoris. Regardless of your intentions, I have to act accordingly for the good of my people!" She was passionate and secure in her beliefs. It gave Tarkin the strength to face these criminals with a solid confidence, masking her fear of the unknown quantity facing Van-Derveld on the other side of her office.

[Elias Akasha]

"I suggest that you don't keep him waiting."

There was an old addage about not infuriating sleeping Rancors, and the approach to Inquisitorial troops was apparently much the same. Unfortunately, Elias had little patience for the Empire's gang of jumped-up Jedi wannabes. Back in the days of the Emperor, the Inquisitors had known their place - barely - but had often pushed their luck, and the boundaries of their jurisdiction. While he had no doubt that their presence here was necessary - his men wouldn't have the slightest clue of how to tackle a Force user such as the one that had breached the compound - their typical arrogant approach to everything had sent them charging in without any consideration for any protocol beyond their own. He'd seen Acklay act with more respect to their supposed allies before.

Raising the carbine to his shoulder, Elias sighted briefly along the barrel. Trust the Inquisitor to give him the most low-tech piece of equipment he could set his hands upon. Still, Elias was hardly a poor shot, and was competant with most forms of personal arms: he'd take on the intruder with a slingshot if that was what was on hand, and would probably manage to land a few headshots as well. However, as he drew closer and heard the tell-tale sounds of a lightsaber duel - something he hadn't heard outside of a holodrama, mind - he decided he should probably retract that last claim.

The sounds of battle grew louder as he forced his way through the crowd; bolts of blaster fire punctuated the melee, and Elias' stomach tightened. The Guardsmen were obviously the ones holding the Force User at bay - after all, they were stationed in Tarkin's office for exactly this eventuality. But no one else should have been in there: no guards survived the Force User's entrance according to the results, and no one else was scheduled to even be in this part of the building. That left Akasha to draw the conclusion that Tarkin herself must be behind the trigger of that blaster. And if she felt that she needed to contribute to the fight that her Guardsmen were waging for her, things must be very bad indeed.

Drawing up beside Kalidous, Elias' hands tightened on the grip of his carbine, knuckles slowly turning white. "What is going on in there?"

[Karl Valten]

Elias found Kalidous standing silently among the fallen on the path towards the sounds of hell. The Inquisitor held his eyes shut, face completely at ease in the depth of meditation. Dark and Light clashed in front of him, the energy buffeting his mind like a gale. Yet in the chaos he found balance, the gray line that danced between the clashing resolute patience of the Jedi and the raw energy of Van-Derveld and the abruptly faded hatred of the guardsmen. He let it wash over him, empowering him, letting both spectrums of the force fill his soul.

He had respect for both the Jedi and the Sith, but with their single minded focus on their so called codes, they blinded themselves. Peace and passion, knowledge and strength, serenity and power, harmony and victory the two sides ever at war, deluding and corrupting themselves. Kalidous embraced the force for what it truly was, subjecting his mind to neither the temptation of dark nor the beckoning of the light……and simply existed.

The Inquisitor’s eyes snapped open brimming with a strange energy.
“The guardsmen have failed.” Kalidous turned towards Elias, his gaze drifting to the weapon he held to the determination in the man’s eyes. “And yet the Governor still lives. There is something else here, something I would very much like to understand.”

Raising his hands, Kalidous shook the cloak from his shoulders and revealed the molded armor plates beneath along with a seemingly archaic sheathed sword at his side. He nodded towards the weapon in the Agent’s hands, he could feel the aggravation of being hand such a simple device.

“Idalka did you a favor giving you that weapon.” Despite the obsolete design, auto-rifles had a much higher rate of fire than any blaster could achieve….and slugs could not be deflected. More than enough adepts had fallen to such weapons during the purge.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

She quickly got to her feet and resumed a defensive posture as the ghastly figure addressed her.

"Yes," she said with stoic resolve. "I will use all my power to protect her."

Miranda was not meant to die. As her sister and as a servant of the Force, Lianna would protect her.

“And you will fail.”

With a snarl, Van-Derveld lashed out once more, delivering a flurry of powerful overhead strikes meant to overwhelm the Jedi's defences. The Dark Side coursed through him now, guiding each stroke with brutal efficiency. It was only a matter of time before he had Lianna forced into a corner, and then there would be escape.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Vega had unleashed a flood gate of pain and hatred into the Dark Side. His blows fell like the mightiest redwoods found on Kashyyyk and it forced her to back up, trying to gain some distance between him and regroup. Unfortunately his attacks were so fast that she had little time to do anything except block his assault. She had to out think him. With his mind clouded by the Dark Side, it shouldn't be too hard.

Lianna was no in serious trouble. She felt the back of a the window against the heel of her shoe. The Sith afforded her little room to retreat to either side by anticipating her strategy. She was boxed in like prey and the Jedi could see it in his eyes that he was looking for the right moment to cut her down.

As his next blow came overhead, Lianna used an old trick that Master Drin loved to do. It was called the Tràkata, turning off your lightsaber during combat. The maneuver was simple on the surface, but the application could prove deadly if done at the wrong time since a Jedi could be potentially left open for retaliation. For hours, she and Drin would duel and practice using the Tràkata as a distraction or allowing her the ability to use both hands for combat. It was also a very delicate move. A Jedi needed to be very aware of the lightsaber's blade length and position at all times. One slight miscalculation and the Jedi could end up loosing a finger, a limb, or even worse ... their life.

Vega's blade cut through the window behind Lianna as she ducked for safety. She turned off her weapon and stuffed the hilt into her jacket sleeve, allowing her hands to dig into the Sith's tunic. Rolling onto her back, she flipped him into the weakened window and it shattered under the strain of his weight, vaulting him outside.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

The window exploded outwards, raining a glittering hail of glass down into the streets below. The cry of pain and frustration that escaped Vega's lips was barely heard beneath the almighty crash, but he was not done for yet! As he had been thrown, the Sith had latched tight ahold onto Lianna's suit and pulled the Jedi Knight along with him, so that both fighters went tumbling out of the office and hurtling down into the empitness below, towards certain death...

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Lianna!!”

In an instant, Daria was running towards the gaping hole where the window had once been. Stumbling over upturned furniture, she tripped and fell to her knees – one hand steadying herself on the jagged remains of the windows edge, heedless of the pain the broken glass caused, whilst the other reached desperately out into the air beyond, where she felt Lianna's life-force plummeting away from her.

[Adia Issoris]

The crash turned Adia's head.

Adia stared as Lianna was ripped through the window, yet stood seemingly paralyzed. She fixed her gaze to Miranda.

"She just died to save your life and all you can you can do is condemn her because she used the Force." Adia snarled. She strode towards Miranda. Miranda fired the blaster, but Adia deflected the shot. Adia now shook with rage. A low growl grew in her throat. Miranda shot again, with the same result. Adia stripped the blaster from Miranda, like she was taking a toy from a small child. She deactivated her saber. With one hand, she picked Miranda up by her blouse and held her even with her eyes.

"You! Your hatred made you so blind and stupid that you could not even listen to me. And you would have me killed because I'm a little bit clever. Well, Miranda, I'm so glad your hatred and overconfidence didn't kill you just like it did your Grandfather."

[Miranda Tarkin]

Miranda heard the crash and twisted around just in time to see her double share the same fate as Van-Derveld.

“Lianna!!”

She was no longer some Force User to her. Now there was a name that made her a person full of life. In that small cry of fear, Miranda learned that her sister was named Lianna.

There was a lump in her throat as a feeling of despair washed over her, making the Moff shiver with an unnatural sense of loss. All of the what ifs just fell out of the window.

"She just died to save your life and all you can you can do is condemn her because she used the Force."

Adia's spat poison at her, enraged that Miranda's own hatred of Jedi had cost Lianna her life. But what was she to do? Act weak and look as if she were conspiring with Jedi traitors? Pride made her pull the trigger of her blaster, which the former Hand easily batted away ... twice.

The Hand was far superior in strength and ripped away her blaster and forced Miranda to look at her eye level. "You! Your hatred made you so blind and stupid that you could not even listen to me. And you would have me killed because I'm a little bit clever. Well, Miranda, I'm so glad your hatred and overconfidence didn't kill you just like it did your Grandfather."

Miranda would not be intimidated, but she was not stupid. She couldn't break Adia's hold on her. All she needed to do was buy some time. "Once you've aligned yourself with their kind, I cannot trust you. You know our laws better then anyone. You were his hand. His will! I'm not so egotistical to think I could ever replace him, but I would have welcomed your knowledge and wisdom into stabilizing the Empire! But now you've left me no choice but to label you a traitor!"

[Elias Akasha]

The problem with slugthrowers was one of simple physics. For starters, the magazine of projectiles weighed a lot more than the power pack of a blaster, and all the extra mechanisms, barrel length and so on needed to provide accuracy, cooling, and everything else associated with the design just added to the bulk.

Then there was the recoil: as metal was hurled from the barrel, the entire weapon kicked like a bantha, throwing off the aim and balance. Experience soldiers were prepared for it, and could counteract the motion, and while Elias had undergone the same basic training as any Stormtrooper, that had been a very long time ago. This weapon was hardly standard issue, either: not for the regular forces at any rate. Unless the Jedi in Tarkin's office were the size of Star Destroyers, he'd be nothing more than a statistic to raise everyone's odds of survival.

Those thoughts drained from his mind in the instant that he heard the crash of the window. Swept along half by instinct and half by the crowd of Inquisitor soldiers surrounding him, Elias burst into the room. His eyes drank in his surroundings: the pale Jedi who had fought his way through security was nowhere to be seen, but a jagged hole stood where the window had once been, cold air rushing through it and the open door into the corridor beyond. Beside it a figure kneeled, staring out at the streets below.

More surprising were the fallen guards, and the Security Bureau Officer standing with Tarkin gripped by the throat, half hoisted off the ground. Yet more alarm bells rang as his eyes settled on the metal cylinder gripped in her hand. The Lightsaber might be inactive, but it was only a thumb-press away from life, and its mere presence implied a whole slew of complications.

The Inquisitors were busy focusing on the grander problem of the missing Jedi, the remainder of their attention split between the two apparent Force users in the room. Elias however only had one thing on his mind. He seated his slugthrower on his shoulder a little better, and levelled it towards Adia. "Step away from Moff Tarkin," he growled in as commanding a voice as he could muster, sighting down the barrel towards the center of Adia's back - no need to get fancy: just a need to hit. "And drop the weapon."

[Karl Valten]

“ENOUGH”

Theatrics were of little use to Inquisitor Kalidous. Unlike many of his brothers he simply did not see the purpose in toying around. And this useless standoff was just one of those theatrics wasting everyone’s precious time.

Kalidous batted the weapons of the Inquisitors off target as he shouldered his way through the line. On sight of the rogue Hand Issoris gripping Tarkin by the blouse, the Inquisitor threw his hand forward. Drawing on the force, Kalidous drove an unseen wedge between the two tearing the fabric keeping the Moff hoisted and knocking both away from the other.

Beneath their helmets the Inquisitorial soldiers expressions laced with confusion as the Inquisitor simply strode into the room, his eyes trailing from Miranda; to Adia; to the mangled guardsmen; to the heavy desk imbedding itself in the far wall; finally resting on the shattered remains of window and the distraught Jedi kneeling by the windy opening in despair.

“Idiots.” Not a soul could tell if Kalidous was speaking to the Jedi, the traitor Hand, his own soldiers, or even Moff Tarkin. “I hate to break up your little talk, but there are more important matters at hand. Anger and rage aren’t going to lead you anywhere.” His eyes locked with Adia’s for a moment. “They should have taught you that by now, Issoris of the Hand.”

He turned to the Inquisitorial soldiers. “Go after Van-Derveld. I don’t care if you find him dead or alive; I want that treasonous wretch vaporized.”

“Oh and if you find the woman, flood her with enough chems to keep her body working.” The troopers hesitated for a moment, glancing at the two jedi, almost in shock that Kalidous had not even made a move for his weapon, before vanishing the way they had come and leaving Elias and Valten in the room.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Outside, amidst the rain of broken glass, Vega Van-Derveld and Lianna Mal Pannis plummeted towards the ground. Even in mid-fall, Van-Derveld was tenacious; his hold on Lianna was unyielding. As they turned over one another in the air, the gleaming outside of the Imperial tower flashing a mirror image of their descent, small figures down below pointed up into the air and cry out in fear at what they saw. There was only one resolution to a fall like that, and it would be a bloody mess-

THUNK!





Van-Derveld howled (an utterly bestial wail) as, abruptly, something rose up to meet him: an iron girder. His spine cracked against it, one arm almost torn out of its socket, and for a split second the pain was too much and he was about to fall again – but then clarity returned, and his fingertips found purchase on a bevel in the girder. In his other hand, his knuckles were white with gripping his lightsabers hilt. His eyes were wide, pupils like pin-pricks, as he looked down to the drop beneath, and then back up to the shattered window, countless feet above.

Again he snarled, this time from effort as he tried to pull himself upwards onto the thin beam of metal that was standing between himself and the drop below. Some five feet away, Lianna Mal Pannis hung in the same precarious position, the scaffolding her saviour too.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna fell into the iron beam abdomen first as her head slammed against the girder. She cried out in pain as three ribs cracked under the force of impact. Almost blinded by the burst of pain and the inability to breathe, the Jedi almost lost her grip as the beam wobbled under the strain of the added weight. She hugged the beam tighter with one precarious arm, gripping the hilt of her lightsaber tightly so it would not fall. Her eyes fluttered opened and stole a seconds gaze at her enemy.

The Dark Jedi specter was in a similar position, hanging on the other end of the girder with a vice like grip. He was moving again. She had to act quickly before he gained the advantage over her.

With one sharp cleansing breath after another, Lianna's breathing slowed remarkably to the point where the pain at her ribs tingled like pin pricks instead of the sharp stabbing sensation that made her cough raggedly.

She swung her other arm over the beam and pulled herself up into a crouching position on the beam, safe from falling for now with unnatural balance gifted from the Force, and stood erect. Her eyes were focused and narrowed. The pain was still there, but with a calm mind, the Light of the Force bathed her body in a soothing caress that numbed the pain into a dull ache as if she had done nothing more then bruised her body.

"Why?" she asked, her lightsaber at the ready for the inevitable attack that would come. "What reason did you have for wanting Miranda dead?"

[Daria Nytherciria]

Lianna was gone, but not lost. The fall had not killed her, not yet at least.

Daria snapped to her feet and whirled around to face those remaining in the room, her lightsaber snarling to life in the same instant. Breathless and wide-eyed, she looked like an animal caged, anxious of the coming time when she would be given the chance to break for freedom. Both hands gripped tight a hold of her saber, dark blood smeared against the hilt. The Jedi Knight felt the Force flowing through her like never before, in powerful and exhilarating waves. Her eyes darted between the Inquistorial soldiers and their commander and for a moment she saw herself surging forwards, cutting them down with the same skill that had allowed her to disarm their allies.

Adia... we need to go. Now.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Laboured struggle eventually brought the pale figure up onto the girder, where he trembled for an unsteady moment – his aching back making it difficult to stand upright. The Jedi stood opposite him, armed and ready, yet unwilling to make the first move. Nonetheless, her eyes watched him warily. Rolling his shoulders backwards, Van-Derveld sneered as his vertebrae popped and cracked back into some semblance of order. His shoulders sagging forward again, then, he glowered at Lianna from beneath his brow. She wanted answers, but she deserved none, and Vega was in no mood to debate. Suddenly, he thrust one hand forward, a burst of energy exploding from inside his palm. It was time to finish what he had started.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

She felt it. A sharp acceleration of the Dark Side emanating from him. In that second, Lianna's muscles tensed and then she jumped in the next moment to avoid the energy attack.

The lightsaber ignited back into life as she flipped across the distance between them to land a powerful downward strike against the Dark Sider. But the attack she had deftly escaped had impacted against the safety lock of the platform, jostling the entire structure unsteadily. She had to divide her attention and return to a defensive Form III stance in order to maintain her balance on the narrow walkway.

[Adia Issoris]

The would need insurance to get out of this mess alive. While Miranda's torn blouse was still in Adia's hand, Miranda had only gotten a few paces away. Adia pounced and scooped up the Empress-to-be. Miranda thrashed.

"Put me down!" She yelled. Adia had wrapped around Miranda with one arm, which pinned her arms against her sides.

"No." Adia said, and tightened her arm a little. Miranda oofed as some air was forced from her lungs. Miranda growled and kicked against Adia's legs, but it wasn't helpful. Adia was in a foul mood.

"Traitor!" Miranda spat.
"Fool." Adia sneered, and contemplated breaking Miranda's jaw to keep her quiet.

Adia, she will slow us down. We must go. Now.

"We're leaving." Adia announced, Miranda still in her arm, held between her body and that of Elias and Valten.

"My Emperor died over a year ago. You can have Miranda once we're passed the door."

[Miranda Tarkin]

In all her life, Miranda Tarkin had never been made a fool until this very day. The appearance of her would be executioner and so called Sister had caused nothing but mass confusion and panic that allowed the potential escape of these criminals ...

And traitors, thought Miranda. That fact stung almost as hard as Lianna's identity. There would be much her mother would much explaining to do and with those answers, she vowed to find this Lianna, this Jedi at all costs! Between her appearance and Adia's betrayal, they managed to melt Miranda's cold exterior into one of doubt.

Could she have handled the situation differently, she wondered. But she wasn't sure how exactly. Van-Derveld's appearance had shifted her emotions into pure hatred when it was revealed that Lianna and the third woman present were Force users. They instantly became a threat to the Empire, and regardless of how her life was saved by her Sister, as future Empress, Miranda could show no leniency.

"Tell me something, Adia," she asked, still struggling against Adia's tight grip to no avail, as the tall redhead inched closer to the exit. "How much of this did my mother know?"

[Elias Akasha]

Elias was torn. Though the command from Kalidous had technically not encompassed him, his desire to exact vengeance on Moff Tarkin's behalf against the intruder who had threatened her life had nearly propelled him from the room into the corridor beyond. Logic told him that there was no way the deathly intruder could have survived the fall that awaited him beyond the window, and yet he knew that he was still alive. It wasn't the Force: perhaps it was his instincts, or merely hope that justice would be served.

Duty rooted his feet to the floor, however. The threat to Moff Tarkin was not removed; despite Kalidous' apparently Force-assisted efforts, the two women were still at large, and the one they all called Adia was using the Moff as a shield. Elias weighed up his options. Were he to charge he could be on Adia in moments, wrestling her weapon from her hands before she had the opportunity to strike at him. Unfortunately, the energy blade of her lightsaber would likely slice through Moff Tarkin in the process, making his efforts to save her life somewhat redundant. The alternative was to use his weapon, but with Tarkin used as a shield his odds of hitting only the intended target were slim: unfamiliar with the use of these antiquated projectile weapons, he had no idea to risk her life that way either. Perhaps if he were to aim through the Moff - shoot through her body and into her assailant...

He mentally shook that thought aside. If that were even possible, the Inquisitor would no doubt have done so already. If their reputation was to be believed, the cold and calculating Force wielders would go to any lengths to achieve their goal; to eliminate threats the Empire, no matter what the personal cost. It didn't take much of a stretch to believe that Kalidous was more interested in safely apprehending the two Jedi: protection of Tarkin was likely a convenient side-effect, and an easy way to avoid excess paperwork and scrutiny.

That thought needed to be cleared from his mind as well. All that mattered was fulfilling his duty and protecting Miranda Tarkin. He shot a brief, sidelong glance towards the Inquisitor, searching for some sign of his intentions, willing for some kind of action, whatever it was.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

The beam shook beneath them, as Lianna and Vega matched blades once again. Whilst the Jedi employed a clearly practiced technique, there was nothing rote about Van-Dervelds approach to combat. Each swing was wild and fast, backed up by the power that only pure hatred can produce. His lips curled into a snarled as he struggled against his opponents blade, trying to overwhelm her guard – but to no avail. There was no need to play fair.

“You'll die here today for her, having achieved nothing, and no one will mourn your passing – no one.”

Though the voice that spoke the words lacked emotion (being electronically generated), malice could be read plainly in Van-Derveld's features, and his aura. His very presence was like a fog upon the senses, dark and chaotic. With a mighty shove, he forced Lianna backwards, giving himself space enough to rise his sabers hilt high and then – moments later – hammered it downwards, aiming to crack the bottom of the metal cylinder against the Jedi's face.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

His words were meant to strike at her heart, at the fears that should shake the foundation of her own identity. Perhaps there were some truth to what the Dark One had said. If she were to die. But that would only occur if she succumb to his wicked tongue.

The Lianna Mal Pannis of six months prior would have.

She fell purposefully off the side, grabbing hold of the beam and used her momentum to swing back around, safely three meters away from her opponent. Lianna landed gracefully upon one foot and knee, holding onto the safety wire that connected the beam to the crane down below. With one strike, her lightsaber cut the beam in two.

Clearly the Navaria Tarkin of present day knew how to control her emotions and watched her sister's would be killer fall to his doom, safely from her vantage point with feet and hand holding tightly to the wire.

[Karl Valten]

Kalidous, ever the picture of calm patience, stood fast before the rogue. A form Emperor’s Hand, she would understand the Inquisitors infinitely better than the other adept; and in turn he was well aware of her capabilities as well.

The Inquisitor raised his hand, almost as if pleading for understanding from Adia. She may have fallen far from the light of the Empire since that passing of Palpatine. However Kalidous always preferred reason to fruitless conflict.

“Have you so easily forsaken you oath, Adia?” That the Inquisitor actually used her name surprised those within earshot. “Palpatine may have been murdered, but there is always hope for change.”

Kalidous locked eyes with Governor Tarkin, forming words in her mind. Trust me, m’lady

Shaking his head with a sigh, the Inquisitor held Adia with a forlorn gaze. “This is treason, by law I cannot forgive that. You will not make it from this building alive if you try to fight, not all of you.”

“I beg of you to see to reason. Even if your ally is truly Jedi, she will not win against that abomination” He nodded towards the shattered window, voice flowing serene and smooth. “As one we can end him and his evil….find where his master hides. If you help us do this I can secure a pardon, we can meet and discuss on civilized turns.”

Agent Akasha, if they try to leave this room with the Moff…..shoot the Jedi.

[Daria Nytherciria]

That they could be bargained with, or bought, was unthinkable. The mention of a 'pardon' brought a slight twist to Daria's lips, as she wondered what arrogance made this made think he had the right to pardon or condemn anyone. Reaffirming the two-handed grip on her lightsaber, Daria took a step closer towards Adia, her blade's beam hovering precariously close to Moff Tarkin.

“We've lingered here for too long already,” the Knight intoned, a hint of breathlessness to her voice, the surge of adrenaline – or something more – still burning through her limbs, beating a stacatto rhythm in her chest. “Our work here is done, Adia. We must go, now.”

[Adia Issoris]

Adia had seen that look before. Daria was skating the razor fine edge of aggression and control, of life and death. A handful of the Jedi she had tracked gained that glint when they realized that she was, in fact, bent on killing them and was capable of it.

"Lise knew that if you stayed together, you would both be found with the gift. She knows your sister is alive. You should thank her." She whispered into Miranda's ear. It was a kind whisper, like an aunt explaining something to a niece. There was also a threat that if Lise was harmed, there would be consequences.

Adia looked up and smiled mischievously. She knew.

"Lianna has already won." A look of confusion graced Kalidous and Akasha's faces. Miranda flew into the air. The Moff sucked in a deep breath automatically as she collided with Kalidous and Akasha. Adia and Daria were a step past the door when Miranda landed.

[Miranda Tarkin]

Her jaw stiffened visibly, cheeks growing taut with the Jedi's insolence. The audacity of being threatened with a lightsaber ... The smaller redhead didn't have the nerve to kill her. Miranda sister, Lianna, had come to save her did she not? And there was no mistaking how distraught this woman had become when her fellow Jedi had crashed through the window. If they were close allies, then killing her would only mean that Lianna had died in vain.

But she wasn't dead. For some inexplicable reason, Miranda knew it to be true. She could feel it.

"Lise knew that if you stayed together, you would both be found with the gift. She knows your sister is alive. You should thank her."

Miranda's arms fell away from Adia's powerful ones once her suspicions had been proven. Her mother did know and she was cursed as a Force Sensitive as well ...

"Lianna has already won," said Adia, smiling mischievously.

The strange sense of relief that came over Miranda was brief. Adia had tossed the Moff as if she weighed no more then a shockball. She bowled over Kalidous and Akasha and rolled over twice until she stopped, belly first against the cold black floor.

[Elias Akasha]

Under normal circumstances, Elias would have been over the moons to have such a striking and beautiful woman as Miranda Tarkin landing in his arms, even if it was just for an instant before she bowled him over and tumbled free. Today however was far from normal circumstances; Jedi, Inquisitors, and Moffs tended to complicate such matters.

The wind rocketted from his lungs as he tumbled to the floor, reflexes not fast enough to evade the jarring impact of his lower back against the stone floor. Pain radiated up his spine; quick thinking was all that stopped his head slamming against the same surface. Stunned and dazed, it took a few seconds for him to spring to his knees, slugthrower carbine aimed at the doorway where the Jedi had just departed.

A low growl formed in his throat, and his muscles willed him to leap into action, but the Imperator had been quicker to recover. He would hunt down the traitor and her ally; Elias' duty was to protect the Moff.

Setting his weapon down beside him, he edged cautiously towards where Miranda lay. Her body moved, almost imperceptably; still breathing then. A quick visual appraisal of the position into which she had fallen suggested that her collision with Kalidous and himself had slowed her sufficiently to prevent any serious injury, but Elias was no doctor, and one could never be sure.

Placing a hand gently on the small of her back - firm enough to attract her attention, and prevent her from moving too much, but not so sudden as to provoke a potentially damaging recoil - Elias brushed aside the hair that had fallen over her face to better observe her eyes. "Moff Tarkin: can you hear me?"

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Lianna landed gracefully upon one foot and knee, holding onto the safety wire that connected the beam to the crane down below. With one strike, her lightsaber cut the beam in two.

Clearly the Navaria Tarkin of present day knew how to control her emotions and watched her sister's would be killer fall to his doom, safely from her vantage point with feet and hand holding tightly to the wire.

<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } --> </style> The girder, part of the on-going reconstruction of a nearby building, was suspended in mid-air by thick durasteel cables. Navaria Tarkin had grabbed hold of one such cable, whilst the other whipped at the air, the severed end of the beam dangling vertical beneath it. Gravity sucked Van-Derveld downwards, air rushing around him, until at the last moment the swinging beam collided with his body. The impact shook him to the core, but it was a blessing in disguise and his arms clung to the girder in a vice grip, looping through the cross-angled truss supports which gave the beam its integrity.

Some fifteen feet above Tarkin looked down upon her opponent. She had almost been rid of him – but he was not defeated yet. A creature with nothing to fear, Van-Derveld scaled the criss-crossing supports with slow, unrelenting steps, hauling himself higher and higher as the beam swung its pendulous course back and forth.

[Karl Valten]

Inquisitor Kalidous quickly untangled himself from the mass of Imperial limbs before Agent Akasha or Moff Tarkin could scramble to their feet. He just caught a glimpse of Adia and Daria vanishing around a corner down the hall. But the Inquisitor did not even attempt to give chase. Instead, he calmly dusted himself free of the dust marring his robes as Elias scurried to check on the Moff.

“Well this was successful.” Kalidous sighed with a shake of the head. For the first time in twenty years not one, but two, individuals trained in the Jedi fashion appear…..and both the Guardsmen and Tarkin had tried to have them exterminated? Unacceptable.

Teeth clenched, the Inquisitor ambled over a nigh destroyed floor towards the one living Crimson Guard. The days when Jedi and adepts would be outright slaughtered were far past, Order 66 came to an end long ago. No…no, one couldn’t just kill the Jedi, there was simply too much to learn: Did the code truly still exist or had they changed? What were their intentions, could they be allies? Why was a former Hand in their company?
And the Guardsmen simply lashed out with anger and rage, as did Moff Tarkin even? Miranda could be forgiven, she simply couldn’t understand.

“Fo…forgiv….me….my…l..lord.” Kalidous crouched next to the collapsed guardsmen, barely clinging to consciousness. The Inquisitoriate would have no trouble fixing the man with prosthetics, far more grievous wounds had been ‘repaired’. “..we cou..n’t…s.st…..stop…them…”

“Stop them from doing what?” All semblance of calm and soothing disappeared from the Inquisitor’s voice. Then he raised his hand, calling deeply on the force, and crushed Crimson Guard’s head beneath his palm. “From saving the Moff?”