Tondatha

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

Anya Katarina Tomanek saw strange things in her dreams. There were mighty starships that plowed the heavens, monks who battled one another with tongues of fire, and alien worlds the likes of which she'd never seen or imagined. Strangest of all, she saw herself among them, a outcast and refugee learning to wield a power that could never exist in the waking world. It was enthralling, confusing, and terrifying. She didn't know if she wanted to wake up.

But the red morning light of Mirgoshir had other ideas, leaping across the fertile Agamarian plains to spill into the village of Tondatha and beat against her bedroom window. Anya ground her cheek into her pillow, unwilling to surrender to the day.

And then she opened her bleary eyes and saw the light creeping over the steeple of the ancient temple downtown. Gods, she'd overslept!

Anya burst out of bed in an explosion of bedclothes and tumbled with a crash to the wooden floor of the attic bedroom. She fumbled with her nightshirt, which caught itself aggravatingly on her tail, and hastily replaced it with the dress she'd laid out the night before. No time for a proper wash - she rushed to the sink and splashed some water in her face, then quickly combed her fur into some semblance of order.

And then she stared at her dripping face in the mirror, suddenly overcome with the feeling that there was something she should be remembering, something hanging back at the edge of her perception.

No time for it now. She wiped away the excess moisture with her paw and rushed into the next room to wake her brother.

"Leos, wake up!" she said, slapping his foot under the covers. "We've overslept, mum's going to kill us!"

[Leos Tomanek]

Beneath a mass of ravaged bedsheets something stirred with a long feeble groan. Sunlight breached the parted drapes, the sluggish shape recoiled and folded into a fetal position to weather Anya's renewed onslaught of attacks. She shook the bed violently, so much so that its contents juddered sideways, sheets creeping back to reveal a boy with a pillow wrapped around his head. One final jolt and he was sent off the edge crashing to the ground.

"I'm up! I'm up!" came the hoarse surrender.

Slowly he rose, shedding bedsheets and kneading sleep from his eyes. A pair of scruffy long johns hung from a scrawny waist and his thick hair was pressed into wild angles from a night of unrest. He woke in his own time, stretching out a thick yawn while his sister buzzed around him like a zinging woodnat.

"Have you gone cosmic on me, Squish?" he said, amused by the way she managed to work herself into a frenzy. Leos, on the other hand, looked rather buoyant for someone who'd just been shook out of bed, despite his bulging black eye. He read the change in her expression and his smile dropped.

"What's the damage?"

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

Anya's ears flattened against her skull, and she reached to grip her brother's chin so she could inspect his face.

"Holy gods, what did you do to your eye, Leos Antonovic Tomanek? You were out with those stupid Kopasek boys again last night, weren't you?"

[Leos Tomanek]

"Ach! Leave it, will you?"

He broke from her grip and stomped across the room to inspect himself in the mirror. The sight of his swollen eye elicited a sharp hiss of disbelief and he leaned in close, prodding the bruise gingerly.

"Svolok..." he muttered, "Mama will have me shot, I swear. She cannot see me like this."

A burst of inspiration, and he wheeled around to face his sister, deadly serious.

"Oh, Anya, I cannot go to work today. I'm sick..."

On cue he gave a slight cough and thumped his chest, and fighting off a smirk from the corners of his mouth, he coughed again.

"See?"

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

She seized a fistful of his shirt and didn't bother sparing her claws. "You are not leaving me to run the whole dining room by myself again."

There was a noise of movement from downstairs, and Anya sent a fearful glance toward the door.

"If mama asks, you're going to tell her what happened. I'm not covering for you anymore. Honestly, when are you going to grow up?"

[Leos Tomanek]

"Mama warned you for bullying me about my height!" he snapped, and with a little difficulty tore himself free.

He skulked over to a pile of crumpled clothes and scooped up the first things that came to hand - brown trousers and a faded dropball shirt - he tugged on the shirt with an indignant scoff. There was no wriggling out of this one... he only had himself to blame but he wasn't the only one with sin. One leg plunged into his trousers, he sought out Anya and shook his head, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Since we're now in the habit of telling mama things: where were you last night?"

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

Anya had faced the door to give her brother some privacy while he dressed, but there was no way he could have missed her ears flipping up to the top of her head and almost meeting. She bit down on something that would have gotten her mouth washed out if mother heard and whirled around to face him again.

"It doesn't matter what I do at night if it doesn't interfere with work in the morning," she protested. "Leos, this is serious. Those boys and their friends are troublemakers, and they're going to give you more than a black eye one of these days. You know what papa would say."

[Leos Tomanek]

"Give as good as you get," he fired back triumphantly, "That's what he'd say!"

"Besides, they're my greebos: we stick together in troubled times."

Confident that his explanation sounded righteous enough, he closed the distance between them, sensing victory. His voice lowered.

"Loyalty, Squish. I wouldn't expect you to understand."

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

"I'm loyal to mama," Anya retorted. "It's family before friends, squirt. Now come on, or mama's going to have us both shot."

She chewed her lower lip and took another look at her little brother's black eye.

"You shouldn't play dropball so late at night," she said. "You can't hardly see where you're going. Come on, I'll lead the way so she talks to me first."

She turned and hurried lightly down the narrow stairs, her brother clattering down after her like a herd of reeks.

[Tatiana Tomanek]

A few moments before sunrise, Tatiana woke up. Her hand instinctively slid across the sheets to the other side of the bed, tapping as if searching for something. Upon finding nothing but an empty pillow, a muffled sigh was let out. In her dreams, Anton had returned home from service and sneaked into bed at night, waking her with a kiss on the shoulder; and then they made love in that same bed he carved out of wood for her, as gently as he did on their first wedding night. Somehow, Tatiana’s consciousness managed to trick her into believing she would find him curled up next to her, watching her sleep as he usually did when struck by insomnia.

But there was nobody there, only a cool spot atop the sheets that awaited Anton’s return from a distant war fought for the Republic. Pushing herself up to sit in bed, Mrs. Tomanek rubbed her eyes and reached for a drink of water from the cupboard, throat dry from intensive dreaming. She glanced to the other side of the bed where Anton’s glass stood; it had been empty for nearly three years. Her gaze then drifted to the window and light shimmering behind Athela mountains encircling the sleepy valley where their village was nested. Tatiana had never crossed the mountains, let alone left the planet – why should she? She was born and raised in Tondatha, had all she needed here. Well, almost all. Rising to her feet, the redhead pushed the glass door opened and stepped onto the terrace. Upon approaching the wooden railing, she placed her hands atop and leaned over slightly, gaze growing distant as she watched the dawning sky.

“If I don’t come home…’’ Anton said, holding his wife’s hands together just below his chin –
“But you will…” Tatiana interrupted with a headshake, dismissing the option of him not returning from war.
“If I don’t come home…’’ he repeated calmly “I want you to find a man, a good and honest man to take care of you and the kids. I don’t want you to be alone. Ever.’’
“But I’ll never be alone! I have you.’’ his wife chirped, with almost teenage affection.
“That you have. Remember, every time you miss me, just look up at the stars. Wherever I may be, I’ll do the same. And that way, we will be look at each other and starlight can carry our love.’’ he said, sealing Tatiana’s lips with a kiss that needed to last a lifetime. And then he put on a helmet and boarded a Republic cargo-ship to fight a war that was not his. Or at least Tatiana thought so.

Reminiscences were interrupted by intense light surging from the horizon, as the luminous disc rose from the horizon; Tatiana looked westwards where night sky vanished before light of another day, catching the last of starlight with the corner of her eye. Her hand took hold of a wooden pendant hanging amidst her bosom on a leather chain. Carved out of solid wood, it resembled an Agamarian beast. Anton made it for his future wife when he was only eight years old, as a token of friendship that would later become blossom into unconditional love, pure and unbreakable like the granite of the Athela mountains surrounding their valley. Tatiana brought the pendant to her mouth and kissed it when warm wind blew over the basin. Her white nightgown fluttered behind her, like a flag of unquestionable devotion. Over a year ago, Anton’s letters stopped arriving. Nevertheless, she would wait. As he would have.


***

Clad in her ascetic dark brown dress, Tatiana dispensed breakfast between the occupants of the inn.
“Would you like another cup of stimcaf?” she asked, hovering a mug over the cup of one of the guests. Just as she was about to pour it in, a familiar tumble sounded from the stairs. Both Anya and Leos were late, very late. However, Tatiana did not frown. Her husband never liked when she frowned. He believed children could be reasoned with. However, he yet had to witness his offspring enter puberty.
Also, it was Saturday, so she decided to let go of the scolding.
"Good morning.” she greeted them, finally pouring stimcaf into the cup, then motioned to the kitchen – “Waffles and milk are on the table. Eat up and come to help me when you’re done with breakfast.”

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

Anya hit the floor running, pausing only to rise on her tip-toes to kiss her mother on the cheek. "Good morning, mama - sorry we're late!"

She dropped into her seat by the tiny kitchen table and hurriedly dug into a pair of waffles. There was no butter - there hadn't been for a long time. The Sith Army thought it generous to leave the villagers some of the milk.

When Tatiana came their way again to refill the stimcaf, Anya looked up from her hasty meal and said, "I think Leos should work in the kitchen this morning. He hurt himself playing dropball last night."

[Leos Tomanek]

Fearing the worst, Leos bounded through the bustling tavern and into the kitchen where he would be at least temporarily safe from his mother's watchful eye. Ravenous, he kicked the chair aside and went immediately to work on his waffles, wolfing them down with ceaseless vigor. His head dipped at the sound of his mother's distinctive footsteps, black eye out of sight, and he kept low until Anya had broached the delicate subject. Mouth full, he gave a loud mmph in confirmation of his sister's tale and turned to face the music.

"The game... it just went on and on and on... there had to be a winner and by then it was very dark and I couldn't see the post until it was too late," he confessed, and his expression suddenly bright, added: "We won, mama!"

[Tatiana Tomanek]

Placing a now full mug on the table, Tatiana leaned over her son. A long-winded sigh escaped her lips upon seeing the boy's blackened eye, her hand gently lifting his chin.
''You're just like your father... Always having a need to win. You know, sometimes its better not to win, because we lose less that way.'' the redhead preached, her finger tracing along his jawline. She simply could not scold him, when there was so much Anton in his eyes.

Her attention then turned to her daughter, pride of a doting mother. Anya had grown so much in the last three years, slowly but surely transforming into a young, beautiful woman. It felt like only yesterday her father read her bedtime stories when Tatiana was busy breastfeeding her little brother.

"You will both work in the kitchen today. I stayed up till midnight waiting for you. Remember, I have nothing against you going out into the village, but you have to come back till midnight. And stop climbing my rose ladder, okay? One of these days it will break and you will end up with a broken spine. That goes for both of you.'' Tatiana lectured, yet had a feeling none of her words were reaching her kids. With a headshake and a smile she turned, lifting the mug into her hands and exited the kitchen. A few new arrivals needed their stimcaf.

''Good morning, doctor.'' the redhead greeted, placing a cup before the village's resident physician and filled it with his favourite blend.
''Leos hurt his eye last night. In a fight, I assume. If you could check it out...'' she pleaded, her voice turning into a whisper - ''I'll pay when I get the money, next week...''

[Branislav Handzus]

“Kava first, medicine later.”

The doctor smiled and sipped his stimcaf. Since the Sith occupation, it had become a rationed quantity but the Tomanek family inn always seemed to have a cup ready for him in the morning. A slow trickle of morning-shift workers was shuffling into Anton's Rest, in search of something to line their bellies and sharpen their minds. Branislav was no different; he was barely himself, at such an hour of the morning.

“Breakfast too, da? A plate of smashed mugreube eggs and we will forget about the money next week.”

[Tatiana Tomanek]

"Spasiba.'' Tatiana thanked the doctor, meekly smiling. He was always kind enough to postpone payment until she had more cash. War was not too convenient for enterprise, at least not for the kind she and Anton had established. More and more bills were cramming up, prices of food were soaring and the Sith took whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. The winner got it all, an old saying said.

''One smashed mugreube eggs coming up, just the way you like them!'' she announced cheerfully; just before she was about to turn and head for the kitchen, the door of the inn slammed open. It was them, clad in black armour, the stench of blood staining their hands never really washing away. Mrs. Tomanek cringed instantly, but managed to hide her loathing before it surfaced.

"Officers." she greeted politely upon approaching, hands neatly folding over her stained apron - ''Welcome. Your table awaits you.''
Tatiana had given them the best table, one with the view of the garden she nourished herself. If she was kind, there were smaller chances of them harming her children, the peasant woman thought. Flawed logical really, when it came to the Sith.
''What would you like for breakfast?'' the redhead asked upon seeing them take a seat, ready to jot it down.

[Ikaros Amnell]

Ikaros didn't regard the woman at first; his eyes of ice instead swept the surroundings, briefly scanning faces, his mind matching them with names. It was early; quiet; and that was good. The presence of locals was scattered and spartan, and that vastly reduced the threat to him and his men.

It was hard to enjoy a good breakfast and watch your back at the same time.

It was true that Ikaros and the two formidable warriors who flanked him - trusted guards, loyal beyond reproach - could have taken their morning meal elsewhere. The Sith took what they needed from the village; in truth, the scraps they left for Tondatha were far from the finest. They could easily have returned to the barracks, and left the locals in peace.

Peace is a lie. There is only passion.

The opening words of the Code of the Sith rang in his mind. Passion, and emotion - whatever the kind - should be nurtured, and in days and times such as this, fear was by far the easiest to spread; and the easiest to enforce. The passion that they instilled in others - and in turn in themselves - would grant the Sith strength; grant power; and with that they would achieve their victory, and break the chains of ignorance that had kept the galaxy under lock and key for so long.

The Force shall set me - set them - free.

Finally, Ikaros turned his eyes to the woman who had welcomed him, his lips shifting ever so slightly into a smile that conveyed not a hint of warmth. "Tatiana, you are two kind, as always."

He took an emphasised breath, drawing the scents wafting from the kitchen through his nose. "Whatever is easiest will suffice: you have never placed a plate in front of me that I have not enjoyed immensely."

[Leos Tomanek]

"Oy Squish," he said, turning back to the table once their mother was gone, his sister looked up, "Spasiba."

He gave her a nod, hints of a smile creeping back onto his face, and he settled this time into a seat to finish his breakfast. The sense of relief came in spades, he was off the hook and once again he had his sister to thank for it. And she was right. It wasn't loyalty towards his greebos that kept him out late every night, and his thoughts drifted, drifted far away from Agamar... then there was a loud clang - the unmistakable sound of the front door.

"Korot!" he hissed, after catching a glimpse of the armoured men, "The scum! In our home! Soiling our home!"

He started to pace the room, and pounded his chest, and turned to Anya, his voice tempered with outrage.

"They will not have our food! I will spit in their food! I piss in their kava! I... Korot!"

He cried out, furious, and kicked his chair sending it crashing to the floor.

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

"Leos!"

Anya was on her feet, aghast at what her brother had just done.

"Gods, shut up! Do you want them to hear you?" She stooped down to pick up his chair and found a mark on the wood where it had struck the tile floor. She looked up to chide him, but the fire in his eyes stopped her cold.

[Leos Tomanek]

"Do I want them to hear me?" he asked, putting no space between them, then suddenly he barked, "Yes, I want them to hear me!"

Wild eyes searched his sister's face and he continued in a deathly whisper:

"Our father fights these... these monsters, and we do nothing. We invite them into our home, and they take our food, they take our money, they murder our people... they... they look... at mama!"

It was as if the last words inflicted upon him a deep physical pain. He clasped his head in his hands, raking fingers through his hair, and stumbled away from Anya to find support on the table. There he stood, silent, heaving through clenched teeth.

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

It was frightening to see her little brother so angry, in such pain. Especially when she knew where such anger could lead him. Tears stung Anya's eyes as she gently lifted the chair upright. She stepped beside Leos and held his shoulders.

"Lee," she said, "we can't fight them. All we can do is look out for each other and make sure papa has a home to come back to when they're gone."

She looked out the kitchen door to see who it was - she couldn't read the ranks of Sith uniforms yet, but she recognized the officer and knew he was important. "We've got to help mama," she said. "They're just another plate of eggs, that's all."

[Leos Tomanek]

She made it sound so simple. It was not a waiting game but perhaps that was what she believed. Leos knew better and the sweetness in his sister's words tormented him. His body turned to stone under her hands. That was until she referred to the entire Sith Empire as just another plate of eggs. He shook with laughter and the tension was gone.

"You," he muttered, standing upright, and turned to give her the grin she deserved, "Just another plate of eggs, uh?"

Drunk from his exertions, he planted heavy hands on her shoulders and gazed straight into her warm, loving eyes.

"I will still spit in them!"

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

She giggled and mussed his hair. "Just fold it over so it doesn't show. Finish your waffles. Time's wasting, Squirt."

Anya padded over to the counter to run inventory on the morning necessities. Everything was in place - the eggs, oil, salt and pepper, the precious links of mugruebe sausage - until she checked the tin of caf. Her ears dropped.

"Leos, we've got a problem. There's just about enough caf for one more pot. I'll go tell mama, one of us will have to make a run to the market and hope they're not sold out."

Anya hurried out into the dining room only to find Tatiana speaking with the Sith officer who'd just come in. She waited off to one side, paws folded behind her back and tail wrapped demurely around one leg, rather hoping she wouldn't be noticed.

[Tatiana Tomanek]

Ikaros Amnell was a cultured man, unlike many other Sith; he had never bashed the inventory, never tried to take something forcefully, always thanked when served with a good meal. It was almost as if... he was just a regular customer, not the occupator. Gracing him with a kind smile, Tatiana bowed her head in deference and smiled warmly, pearly white teeth showing. Humble clothing hardly diminished her natural, albeit rustic beauty.

"You seemed to enjoy Anton's plate. Only with sausages roasted and eggs fried.'' the redhead announced, jotting the order down.
''I remember.'' she added softly, then placed cups in front of each officer, pouring sizzling hot stimcaf in.

''Your food will be here soon, gentlemen. Until then, enjoy your coffee.'' said Mrs. Tomanek, seeing her daughter wait in her own distinctive way. Usually, it meant she had something to report, either some sort of shortage or her brother being naughty again.

''Yes, Anya? You wanted something?'' her mother inquired upon taking a few steps away from the officer's table, ready to go back to the kitchen and prepare them breakfast.

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

Normally very poised and responsible for a girl of her age, Anya couldn't help but feel nervous around the Sith officers. The soldiers would be punished if they started trouble in the town, but the officers could act with savage impunity if they were offended by the wrong tone of voice, too much eye contact or too little, or a plate of food a few degrees too cold. Entirely beyond her control, her eyes kept darting to the Sith lieutenant as if he might do something terrible if she looked away from him for too long.

"The caf powder is almost out," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I forgot to check last night. One of us can run out and get another tin."

[Ikaros Amnell]

Ikaros watched as the hostess departed, and with greater interest as her daughter arrived, an insistant message of the utmost importance offered in hushed tones. The words that passed between them were of little interest, and he brushed them aside from his consciousness without consideration.

Of more concern - or at least, of more intregue - was the dynamic between them. There was nothing uncommon of course about such an exchange between a mother and a daughter. Ikaros had travelled to many worlds, and on every one that he could recall - aside from those few uninhabited ones, of course - he had encountered bonds such as these.

What intregued him was the specific individuals involved. The dissonance in hair colour and general appearence aside, one of them was human, and the other was decidedly not. To him, that seemed an odd juxtaposition, and raised questions to which no one had provided a satisfactory answer, as yet.

Of course, adoption was always a possibility, but in this instance that did not seem to be the case; further, when he had in passing made an inquiry on the subject, the man to whom he had spoken had reacted with confusion, as if the question he'd been asked was somehow incomprehensible to him.

That, Ikaros found very interesting.

[Tatiana Tomanek]

Tatiana listened to her daughter, but looked right through her, noticing the Lieutenant scrutinizing Anya in a way that worried her. Purely consisting of men, the Sith garrison was a time-bomb; it was only a matter of days before officers would make forced advances to honest women of Tondatha.

''V poradike.'' her mother whispered back, one hand placed on her shoulder while the other rummaged the pockets of her apron in search of a few credits. Upon finding her last money, she tugged it into Anya's paw, then turned her towards the door. - ''Off you go. Hurry up.''
Seeing her daughter to the door, Tatiana scurried to the kitchen to make breakfast. In less than 10 minutes, she was back with three plates filled with delicacies.

''Enjoy your meal.'' said Mrs.Tomanek upon placing the plates on the officer's table, then wiped her hands against her apron, ready to refill their stimcaf if needed.

[Arcturus Hyrax]

"Execution."

Arcturus passed the dataslip off to a nearby Sith soldier, sealing the fate of yet another accused partisan. Another slip was passed to him, and after a cursory glance of a few seconds, he rendered another judgment.

"Execution."

A third slip,

"Gulag.

Flogging.

Torture."

By the time they walked to the tavern, Arcturus had dispensed with the fate of a dozen men, all collected over the sum of the previous evening. Seemingly disinterested by the condemnation he passed around, he dismissed the soldier with a wave of his hand, then just as quickly, bade him to return for a last order.

"Pick one of those condemned to death, and spare them the moment before commuting sentence. There's some value in an ounce of mercy. It seasons the whole pot."

"At once, Lord Hyrax."

"Where is Ikaros?"

"The tavern, my Lord."

Arcturus nodded without another word, and continued onward to the Tomanek family establishment, opening the door to let himself in without half of his lieutenant's bravado.

[Leos Tomanek]

The kitchen was alive with the sounds of clattering pans and chiming cutlery. Leos navigated the familiar gauntlet of fried eggs, steaming stimcaf, crispy sizzlestrips, and grilled vegetables with a practiced, if somewhat chaotic, pace. Gradually, a mountain of unwashed dishes formed next him but, expecting Anya's imminent return, it went largely unnoticed. Then with one order of smashed mugruebe eggs in hand, he escaped to the front of the tavern.

"Doctor... doctor... doctor... ah, Doctor Handzus, you're eggs!"

While serving the doctor's breakfast and making the effort to refill his stimcaf, Leos noticed the congregation of soldiers sat at the best table in the house, and his eyes bored holes into each of them. His mother busied herself with keeping the guests pleased but it was obvious from a first glimpse that the Sith's presence was having a profound effect on their general mood. He shook his head and muttered to Doctos Handzus in a venomous undertone.

"Try not to let our rat infestation put you off your breakfast, good doctor."

And with a nod, he departed for the kitchen, hearing the large door creak behind him.

[Tatiana Tomanek]

Mrs. Tomanek smiled upon seeing her son bring the doctor breakfast, only for the smile to fade away once her eyes trailed to the door. A dark presence loomed over them, like an ominous statue of some ill-fated god - the imposing figure entering the tavern was Arcturus Hyrax, fear and loathing of their valley. Tatiana's gut twisted into a knot, the tray trembling in her hand for a moment for he had returned. Full lips stretched into a thin line when her gaze grazed against his.

"You mustn't be afraid. It's what they feed on." she mused and rid herself of fear upon turning to set the tray aside. Gathering all courage at her disposal, the redhead made her way across the inn and stood before Hyrax, visibly unphased by his presence.

''Good morning, Commander.'' she greeted gingerly, motioning to the table where his deputy sat - ''Your table awaits. I'll be with you shortly.''

[Ikaros Amnell]

Lord Hyrax did nothing to draw attention to his arrival.

He hardly needed to. His merest presence radiated an aura of power and intimidation that made even the strongest wills stutter and stumble; weaker minds cowered, or fled in fear. He had more than mere armies at his command: his instruction could bring about life or death; and likely had already today, if the order of business was as per usual.

Someone who did draw attention to his arrival however was the young boy who emerged from the kitchen. As if the cacophany of sound that accompanied his culinary preparations not been sufficient herald to his presence, Ikaros could feel the anger and venom radiating across the room towards him as the boy's gaze landed upon him. Ikaros didn't turn, instead charting his movements with his mind.

You would be wise to learn to mask your emotions better, boy.

Gaze shifting towards Lord Hyrax, he saw his opportune moment arise as the Sith Commander was distracted by Tatiana; or rather, while the hostess was distracted by Arcturus. Slipping from his seat, he strode across the dining hall as if he belonged, pushed open the door to the kitchen, and slipped inside.

[Arcturus Hyrax]

The Sith Commander dipped his head in the barest of acknowledgments to the hospitality given by his hostess, finding a seat at the table at about the same time as Ikaros excused himself. He wasn't offended by the sudden departure. Ikaros was known to have sharp instincts. Hyrax would rather have him follow those than some vain military protocol. He was very good at uprooting insurgents.

Sure to her word, Mrs. Tomanek returned to the table to see to him, bringing the customary glass of water, which he drank from promptly. She presented an amicable front, but he could feel her trembling like an autumn leaf inside. The way she managed to swallow her fear was no small feat.

"What would you have for breakfast?"

It was a casual question, on the surface.

[Leos Tomanek]

"Mama, will you stop putting the syrup on the top shelf? You know I cannot reach it!"

Stood on top of a chair, Leos turned at the sound of the opened door, a large silver tin cradled in his hands. In place of his mother there stood the Sith army's infamous lieutenant, and the sight him of him so close turned him rigid. The chair shuddered beneath his feet. He promptly righted himself and climbed down. All the while he maintained eye contact, vigilant for signs of any sudden movement. He was cornered and they were alone, and were it not for the fact that he stood practically hugging the syrup tin to his chest, Leos would've appeared quite fearless.

"Something wrong with your sizzlestrips?"

[Tatiana Tomanek]

"If I could spare the time, I'd have an Agmarian spicy omelette and some flatbread. It was my husband's favourite.'' the redhead retorted simply, stressing the second part of her statement. In all truth, the omelette was so spicy only Anton ate it; he liked his food seasoned and his drinks strong. If the Commander so wanted to be replacement for her husband, he would have to perform like Anton Tomanek did.
With a nod, the order was confirmed and Tatiana smiled to herself at the mere thought of Hyrax coughing his lungs out after trying the omelette.

"Right away, sir." she reassured with a court bow, then made another detour on her way to the kitchen.
''The eggs are satisfactory, doctor?'' the redhead inquired, leaning in - ''Is there something else I can get you? Vafl? Anya went to the marketplace to buy kava, apparently we are all out of it. Once she is back, I will make a fresh pot and have a cup for you to take to your office.''

[Branislav Handzus]

“You are too kind.”

The doctor smiled, and Tatiana mirrored him, though neither of their hearts were in it. Just at the edge of his vision, Branislav could see the Sith Commander. Not more than a week ago, one of the Sith officers had brought him a patient whose eye sockets had been balled like melons, a miscreant who had made a misstep in the eyes of their Comander. The officers had not been hysterical; the brutality was too commonplace to them, too casual. Their soldiers laughed as they ate their breakfast, like any other worker having a good-nature moan before the days toil began. Fields to plow, ore to mine, innocents to slaughter.

With his smile now down-turned, the doctor glanced quickly back at Tatiana..

“You're tired. Sit with me a while, have some of this wonderful food you make?”

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

The fastest route from Anton’s Rest to the grocer’s took Anya through a tortured path through narrow back alleys and along sad-looking gardens. Where two gardens met, she was nimble enough to run on top of the stone wall separating them. Mother would scold her for trespassing, but, to the inn, kava was life.

Finally she leapt down to the cobblestones of the Round at the center of town, a great circle paved in rings of red, yellow, and white stones around a tall granite obelisk whose meaning had long been forgotten. Father Suchomel at the temple said it was a relic from the old pagan rites the people of Agamar practiced during the time of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, and that the discoloration at the bottom was from the blood of sacrificial victims who had been bound to it and slaughtered like animals. It was a monument to dark and unholy times. Anya had asked him why, now that Tondatha was a gods-fearing town, the ugly thing had not yet been torn down; he had replied that the past should always be remembered, especially the dark and ugly parts of it, or its lessons would be lost to the shadows of time and forgotten.

The obelisk was flanked by a pair of Sith soldiers with rifles and swords. They guarded it in case the Resistance chose to strike the center of town; the Resistance had targeted the obelisk twice because they now considered it Sith property. The dark and ugly times had returned.

Anya hurried across the Round, giving the helmeted soldiers a wide berth, hobbled slightly by the pain of the cobblestones on her bare feet until she came to Nabukov’s grocery. The bell over the door rang loudly as she stumbled inside, sweating and panting from the morning heat.

There were few enough customers in the store, but the shelves and bins were half-empty, which was all the fuller they’d ever been since the Sith arrived. She marched straight to the dry supplies – flour, baking soda, sugar, tea leaves, nuts – her heart sank at the sight of empty shelves where the kava powder should be.

Anya stood patiently in line at the counter as Mr. Nabukov added up his customers’ purchases on his ancient mechanical register which rattled and creaked like an old man’s bones until at last she stood before his suspicious stare.

“Blue skies, Hod. Nabukov,” Anya said brightly. “Have you gotten the kava in yet today? We’re on our last tin at the Rest, and we just need one more to get us through the day.”

“All my kava’s spoken for,” the grocer replied in a gruff voice. “If you want my advice, water it down or serve tea instead.”

Anya’s ears fell, but she wouldn’t give up so easily. “We just need one tin, hodári, and we’d really be grateful. I’ve got the money right here.”

Mr. Nabukov planted his meaty hands on the countertop and towered over her. “Your mother still hasn’t paid me for the side of nerf she ordered last week.”

Anya made a noise of frustration. “The Commander ordered us to make dinner for him and his superiors, and he hasn’t paid us yet. We’ll pay you for it as soon as we’ve made the money back.”

Nabukov scowled. “No money, no kava.”

“But I have the money right here!” Anya said, holding up her fist full of coins.

“Is there a problem here?” The voice would have been velvety smooth if not for the rasp of the helmet vocoder. A Sith soldier, tall and lithe in his chromium-plated armor, stood behind Anya with his gauntleted hands folded neatly behind his back and his face hidden behind an inscrutable black visor.

Nabukov straightened up but was still shorter than the interloper. “No problem, sir, this girl was just leaving.”

Anya froze with her mouth partway open, knowing just what a risk she was taking by speaking, but she also knew how much her mother was depending on her. She kept her eyes on the floor, plaintive and submissive. “I’ve come to buy kava for my family’s inn, sir, but he says he’s sold out.”

“I’m sure he can’t be completely sold out?” the soldier said, and even the vocoder could not obliterate the smile in his voice. “Bring out a tin for the young lady, grocer. I will pay for it.”

Anya could not see the look that Mr. Nabukov gave her, but she felt as if a cold wind had blown through her fur. “Right away, sir,” the grocer said.

The soldier followed Anya out the front door with the ten-pound tin of kava under his arm. “You should have let me pay, Kuzon,” Anya said. “Mother gave me the money for it.”

“Buy yourself something pretty, then,” the soldier replied, handing her the tin. “Consider it a gift from me.” He reached up to slide aside his visor, revealing a pale, smooth face as if carved from marble, not browned and weathered by the sun like the young men of Agamar, his smile full of perfect teeth, his eyes the most beautiful shade of cerulean blue. He tousled her ears affectionately and leaned in to kiss the crown of her head.

But she pulled back, giddy and frightened. “Stop, people will see!” she said.

“Are you still ashamed of me, then?” Kuzon asked.

“No, I…” Feeling young and coltish, Anya clutched the kava tin to her chest like an infant. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“The last thing you are to me, Anya Katarina, is trouble,” Kuzon replied, folding his hands back once more. “I only wish you would let me help you more.”

Anya blushed fiercely, and she brushed back some of the fur he’d mussed, but she smiled, and her tail lashed uncontrollably behind her. “I really need to go,” she said. “I’ll see you later?”

“Tonight?” Kuzon said, hopeful.

“Under the Arkady Street bridge,” she replied, backing away from him. “I’ll bring a basket of bittersweets.”

“They will taste as sweet as honey if I share them with you,” Kuzon said, and he lowered his visor and resumed his patrol.

Anya turned again to run back home, but her heartrate was faster now than when she’d arrived.

[Tatiana Tomanek]

''I can't eat lately. There's so much on my mind...'' the redhead admitted, pinching just above her snub nose. Making sure the Commander had her out of sight, Mrs.Tomanek allowed herself the luxury of sitting down next to the good doctor. With fingers intertwining atop the table, Tatiana looked down, visibly disheartened.

"If only they left us alone... Of what significance is our little village? We grow crops and herd nerfs. What do they want?'' she inquired desperately, then glanced at Branislav, asking him a question to which her heart knew the answer - "Why don't they leave?''

[Branislav Handzus]

“Who can say?”

Branislav shrugged. It was a useless answer, about as useless as he felt at that moment. There wasn't much he could do to help the village. Extraordinary times demanded an extraordinary physician, capable of tending to more than just the usual brakes and bruises. The Sith brought with them ailments that he could not prevent or cure, spawned from their Force. Yet, there was no rhyme or reason to what they did. No apparent purpose to the destruction.

“Do you ever feel... something is not right here, Tatiana?”

[Tatiana Tomanek]

"Something's not right?" the redhead repeated his words, genuinely surprised by his question. There were all kinds of wrongs around them - the Sith acting as if they owned the place, greedy, back-stabbing merchants down the lane from her inn, mail from her beloved husband taking months to arrive. But somehow, Tatiana had a feeling the doctor meant of something else, apart from the obvious.

"Like what?" Mrs. Tomanek asked, curious of what Branislav was going to tell her. After all, he wasn't locked up in a kitchen all day; perchance he heard a new, interesting rumour. With ears perched, Tatiana intently listened in.

[Branislav Handzus]

“I don't know.. exactly. It is difficult to put a finger on.”

Branislav scanned the tavern as casually as he could. Everyone was sitting exactly where they usually sat, eating what they usually ate and muttering the same conversations they usually muttered. He sat forward.

“Do you ever... dream of strange things?”

[Tatiana Tomanek]

"Stranyi..." the redhead murmured, pondering over Handzus's question. Why would the good doctor want to know anything about her dreams? Tatiana thought of what she dreamt last night and snickered inwardly; surely, Branislav did not inquire about those kind of dreams. Chasing indecent thoughts of Anton out of her head, Mrs.Tomanek reminisced of reveries that woke her up in the middle of the night from time to time.

"Sometimes I dream about... the Jedi. But the Jedi are a myth, aren't they? I mean... if the Jedi were real, they would come and help our village, da?" Tatiana asked, lifting a curious ginger brow. The Jedi were nothing more but protagonists in children's bedtime stories, stories she told both of her children. Sometimes Tatiana wondered how she knew so much of them and their customs, not remembering where she learned all this information. But did it matter? The kids loved to hear tales of heroism.

[Branislav Handzus]

A part of him had known, somehow, what her answer would be – but all the same, it surprised the doctor to hear that Mrs. Tomanek's dreams were of the very same thing that he dreamt of. In a way, it made perfect sense that the inhabitants of a town under the oppression of the Sith should fantasize about the mythical, noble Jedi.

“Whenever I dream of them... they are far from here, yet, strangely, they all seem.. familiar. Their faces are the faces I see every day.”

[Tatiana Tomanek]

Tatiana scratched her chin, not to sure of the direction this conversation was heading. There was much truth in the doctor's words, familiarity that both puzzled and frightened her at the same time. Perhaps Handzus had been affected by Sith witchery, or even worse - had become their ally? In either case, words were to be weighted carefully.

"Well, in our dreams, we roam free, da? It is only natural for us to dream of familiar faces in the most awkward of places and roles. After all, nightmares end when we open our eyes." the redhead said, extending a hand to pat Branislav on the shoulder in reassurance, gracing Handzus with a kind smile before heading back to the kitchen -
"Now, you have to excuse me, doctor. The Commander wants his breakfast."

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

The morning heat had risen by the time Anya turned onto the street where Anton's Rest stood. By now Tondatha was fully awake, and the streets were busy with people running errands, making deliveries, or paying visits; the chimneys of the metalworkers, bakers, and potters smoked freely; the first of the farmers' carts were rattling their way over the paving stones toward open market. Only when the streets were busy was it possible to forget the looming specter of the Sith army, who roved the town in packs of three and four like wolves assigned to watch the sheep.

The thickness of the traffic had forced Anya to slow her pace, but at last she was walking down the side-alley along the inn toward the kitchen entrance. Through the windowpanes she could see her mother sitting with Dr. Handzus, and, close by the window, the hateful Sith commander taking his breakfast with his minions in stoic silence. A dark look passed over her face, and she almost blundered into a young man wearing a long, dark coat far too heavy for the heat of the day.

"Oh! I'm so sorry--"

She stumbled backwards and looked up into the craggy face of Radek Kopasek.

"Blue skies, Anya," Radek said. His fraternal twin brother, Vaclav, flanked her from the other side, also shrouded in a long winter coat. Though they were a year younger than her, both brothers towered over her. Anya's ears fell flat against her skull.

"Blue skies, Radek," she said. "E-excuse me, I need to take this kava inside."

"Get your mother and brother into the kitchen," Vaclav said. "Do it quickly."

Anya felt a cold sort of sickness in her stomach. "What? Why? What are you going to--"

"Just do it," Radek said with a predatory edge to his voice.

Anya looked at both boys, and then back over her shoulder at the window, where Commander Hyrax sat elegantly sipping his kava. She turned back, her face a mask of horror.

"No! You can't--"

Vaclav stepped into her and shoved her to the ground, sending the kava powder spilling into the street. "You had your chance," he said.

"Now we must take ours," Radek said. Both boys reached into their heavy coats.

Anya screamed. The Kopasek boys had blaster pistols in their hands, which they leveled at the back of Hyrax's head, and both of them opened fire into the side of Anton's Rest.

[Arcturus Hyrax]

SNAP-HISS!!!

Mid-sip, Hyrax's lightsaber sprung to life, swinging behind him and deflecting the killing shots intended for his head safely to the floor. He finished sipping from his cup, setting it to the table in a controlled movement. With his hand now free, it clenched into a fist.

Vaclav and Radek lifted off the ground by six inches, dropping their blasters as they clawed at their throats, desperate to find purchase against whatever now denied them air.

Deactivating his lightsaber, Arcturus calmly rose from his seat, his hand still clenched, and left the establishment to face his two would-be assassins. No need to kill them so quickly. He wanted to see their faces.

[Leos Tomanek]

From the kitchen appeared a pale-faced Leos who, after throwing a wary glance over his shoulder, raced to his mother's side. She looked as startled as the rest of her customers, including Doctor Handzus, who had risen from his seat to get a better look of the commotion outside. His eyes tracked the doctor's gaze, across the room, and found the Sith commander just as he was leaving the inn. And before the heavy door swung shut behind him, Leos caught a glimpse of a black-furred girl sprawled upon the road. He caught his breath and called out.

"Anya!"

Something stirred in him, born of fear but changing, swiftly morphing into something else: something strong. He barrelled through the tavern; knocking tables, overturning a chair; desperate to be outside. An armoured soldier found himself shoulder-barged on his way to the door. Leos was clear, and he stepped into the street to find his frightened sister scrabbling at the kava powder dashed across the floor. He dropped to a knee, and with one hand in hers and the other on her shoulder, he helped her upright. She seemed relatively unscathed.

"Anya, are you alright? What happened? Why-"

His voice faded as he became aware of the horror transpiring beside them. There was the commander; and there was Radek and Vaclav, who flailed helplessly in air with red swollen faces. He relinquished the vice grip on his sister and stood. Impossibly, he stood in defiance of Arcturus Hyrax, dizzy with adrenaline, and froze, barely able to make out the smothered gasps of his friends.

"Stop it!" he cried, "Leave them be!"

[Ikaros Amnell]

Ikaros' appearence came at a more measured pace; the insight granted to him by the Force stole away the need for urgent curiosity. Instead, his expression was grim. More dissenters; more of the local inhabitants determined to throw their lives away on some foolish and futile attempt to fight back. Their persistance was certainly admirable, but their grasp of logic was far from.

He remained silent as he stepped into formation beside Hyrax: at his right hand, as always. His expression was passive, detatched as he watched the macabre puppetry that Hyrax's will produced. The telepathic abilities that Sith posessed were capable of so much more; it would take but a mere thought to snap the necks of those children, and give them instant relief from death. It was a necessary show of force - of the Force - to remind the local populace of just how lost their cause was.

With luck, this would be the last time such actions were necessary; with luck, they would resign to their fate, and embrace the benefits that protection under the rule of the Sith could offer them.

His eyes didn't stray from the scene before him when he finally spoke; Ikaros' voice was low and offhand, as if making a casual observation about something of little interest or consequence. "It might be helpful to question them," he said simply, "If only to determine the source of their weapons. If we can uncover the root of the dissent, then perhaps we will not have to contend with as many of these tiresome incidents."

[Anya Katarina Tomanek]

"Leos!"

Ears flat and eyes wide with terror, Anya pulled at Leos, trying to drag him out of the Commander's sight. The sight of Radek and Vaclav twisting in the air like some unholy marionette display was terrifying enough, but they had brought their doom upon themselves with their foolishness. Anya could not bear the thought of Leos sharing in their fate, but he was big enough now she couldn't shift him if he didn't want to move.

"Gods, Leos, please, don't get involved! Lord Commander, I beg you, have mercy!"

[Branislav Handzus]

“After all, nightmares end when we open our eyes.”

Branislav began to open his mouth to speak, but before he could Mrs. Tomanek had laid a hand on his shoulder and was excusing herself, drawn away to tend to the demands of the Commander. His eyes followed her for a moment, feeling as if some thought or idea that was on the tip of his tongue was slipping away into the kitchen with her.

With it, too, went any sense of calm and security. In a matter of instants, the windows of Anton's Rest were exploding inward with the screech of blaster fire. Commander Hyrax flashed into action, barely looking up from his cup as he deflected their shots with his blood-red lightsaber.

The doctor, who had initially ducked to avoid the rain of glass, was quickly on his feet. A quick glance around the room told him that although many were shaking with fear, few were injured. The target of the attack was clear, from the scorch marks surrounding the Commander's table.

Without thinking, his feet carried him out of the Rest and into view of the Tomanek's children. His hand went instinctively to his hip, but there was no blaster there. No weapon at all – just the absence of something that he could not explain, a ghost-limb.

[Arcturus Hyrax]

Lord Hyrax regarded the native youngster as he demanded he show clemency to the assassins.

"Leave them be? They've made attempts on my life, and you say I should show mercy?"

There was such a pitifully small chance that this fire-eyed young man was ignorant of what he would normally do in this situation. That he still spoke out, openly and without any hint of self preservation intrigued the Commander. Casually lowering his hand to his side, the two assassins collapsed, weak and gasping raggedly.

"What's your name, boy?"