The Akurian Queen

[s'Il]

25 years ago

There were some times in life that never quite ended in the conclusion that you expected. There are also times when you have a longer go at life than you thought, and so when death finally did come it was certainly not an upsetting surprise, but a surprise none-the-less. Sometimes life was cut off too short. Sometimes it lasted forever. Sometimes it just dealt cruel hands all around with no thought to the poor soul trapped within the living body. Sometimes it was simply one of those things that was never meant to be understood.

When you held congress with death for so many years, yet was never granted that long sleep, you somewhat became used to the presence of risk and 'one-way-ticket' missions. You didn't really question why you came back from those types of sorties when you weren't supposed to; you just went on about your life, waiting for the next set of sealed transmissions saying where you were to go next.

It was an existence, and one that had become almost normal.

It stood to reason however, that when you found yourself staring at the wrong end of a line of blasters, you had to surmise that your number was up, and the Force was ready to take you back.

Of course, when your partner continually felt the need to natter on about certain issues instead of the one glaring problem of a stormtrooper firing squad, life and the act of living was quick to become annoying.

Not many people could say that they wished each finger would pull those triggers right now, but Loklorien s'Ilancy was ready. She glared straight ahead, her face set in a stony scowl, her breath visible as she exhaled, ignoring the incessant badgering that Dan kept on with.

Why couldn't the blaster bolts be fired yet? Why did Imperial procedure need to be followed? It was cold, she was tired, and she was moments away from yelling at each stormtrooper for this inconvenience. Instead, the Lupine settled for giving a snarl to Dan.

"Stop asking me. This is not something I wish to discuss right now. And frankly, I would think that you wouldn't want to discuss it right now, either."

Her jaw set, and she shifted her wrists in the binders she now so grumpily wore.

"Considering the circumstances and all of that."

[General Dan]

"Some other time you'd rather talk about it?"

Dan laughed a bit, the stim in his mouth shaking from the act of doing so. Stubborn heiffer to the end, she was. And worst of all, he loved that. The stormtroopers waited for the order, like aloof statues bearing only passing witness to this very personal moment.

"This is the part in the sabacc round where you lay all your cards on the table, so that's what I'm doing."

He glanced back at s'Il, as they both stood ready to die.

"Marry me."

Another smile and a shrug.

"You'd deny a dying man's last wish?"

[s'Il]

She brought her glare from the stormtroopers to Dan, giving him a venomous sideways look. He seemed so nonchalant about it all - so uncaring in the face of their execution, and she made a face.

"You've gone mad in the head."




24 hours earlier


For the fourth night in a row, her duties had been nothing but procedure. Or at the very least, as procedural as the Rebellion chose to make things. She read over reports filed, requests made, and contacted those that could possibly help to get the supplies Novgorod needed. With any amount of luck, those supplies would be waiting for them when they next pulled into safe harbor. That in and of itself was always give or take, so she had found herself repeating the now-familiar mantra of 'I will see what I can get'.

So four days of quiet. Four days to rest. It was a welcome change, and one that the crew most assuredly deserved.

It was nothing that would last however, and as she made her way back to the quarters that she shared with Dan, s'Il idly scratched at the upper tip of her scar, a new set of orders in her other hand. They'd come from General Brecklin, and she had yet to open. She'd allow Dan that courtesy.

A quick few motions to enter the locking code of their door, and the Lupine waited until the door had opened fully before stepping inside. It closed behind her, and she gave a light groan of exhaustion.

Dan was in the small kitchenette, and she gave him a tired smile.

There was a small box on the raised countertop that separated them, but she ignored it for the moment.

"New orders," she mumbled, holding the dataslip out for him to take.

[General Dan]

"And so the blissful calm comes to an end."

Dan turned to face her fully, leaning against the counter as he took the dataslip.

"I was beginning to think they'd let us run of to a sunny and secluded wherever. Guess someone remembered there's a war on."

The Rebel leader tossed the dataslip onto the counter, unread.

"The General can wait, at least a few minutes. Hungry?"

[s'Il]

She watched him cautiously, unsure if it was a trick question that he was asking, and after a few seconds of careful pondering, the Lupine finally nodded.

"I am, yes."

Though, being hungry often depended upon the galley stocks they'd been able to acquire, and while she was indeed rather starved, s'Il knew better than to expect any sort of culinary fare that would be to her liking. She had grudgingly become used to ration packs and vita-suppliments. It was the nature of their continued survival, though it was certainly nowhere near appetizing even in the best of times.

Her eye fell to the dataslip that he'd dropped to the counter.

"What sort of brick-like substance are we having for dinner tonight, then?"

[General Dan]

Dan cast a proud expression her way.

"For you? Only the best brick will do!"

He passed her a utilitarian plate, decked out with something vaguely amorphous piled on top of it. Surprisingly, it didn't smell as bad as it looked.

"Now...with flavor!"

They were living hand-to-mouth, but sometimes you didn't want to feel like an animal. Dan could certainly understand that. Serving himself, he sat at the table and waited for her to sit opposite.

"So, let's enjoy our last moments of reprieve, no?"

[s'Il]

With a hrmph that could have been a sign of resignation at her sustenance situation, s'Il sat opposite him, staring down at her plate with a healthy amount of skepticism. It was sweet of him to try, but they both knew that the food Novgorod usually pulled in was barely tolerable in the best of times.

She almost cringed, even, as she poked the mass with a fork.

"It looks... delightful."

Of course, any chance to ignore their food woes was taken with no small amount of hurried desperation, and s'Il leaned back in her seat. She turned to look at the small box that was still resting on the counter, and lifting a hand, called to it through the Force. It slid from the fabricated surface, sliding through the air before smacking into her palm.

Without opening the lid, the Lupine turned it over in her fingers, curious at its' velvet texturing.

"What is this?"

[General Dan]

As soon as it was in her hand, it was out, as Dan took it back from her.

"Nothing."

Punctuating his terse comment, he gestured with his fork at her plate.

"Eat."

He quickly tucked the box away into a pants pocket, ready to bury it away from her attention.

[s'Il]

Food had suddenly become a thing of the past, and the Lupine settled an inquisitive look to him. This new behavior was very different, and s'Il narrowed her gaze at him as she watched him take up a mess of ration slop onto his fork.

Whatever it was, it was certainly not 'nothing'. That much she had instantly determined by his actions.

She blinked.

Her fork was daintily set upon her plate.

"I can always just go brain-dipping, you know."

The threat of using the Force to probe his thoughts always yielded the desired results, and with a look that told him she was poised to slip ethereal fingers into his mind, s'Il crossed her arms.

[General Dan]

He grimaced at her threat. Normally, he'd play along, but the stakes here were a bit higher.

"You're being a bully."

To punish her, he took a bite from her plate. Of course, he had to give her something, or else she wouldn't just drop it.

"It's a surprise. It's just not ready yet."

[s'Il]

A frown, and the young Lupine scrunched her face up into a look of dissatisfaction. That it was a 'surprise' meant nothing. She wanted to know what it was, not that it was simply something to be shown to her at a later time.

Changing tactics then, s'Il let her shoulders sag slightly as her features fell into a softer expression of curiosity.

"How can it not be ready? It's just a little box."

Her hands came down, fingers resting over the edge of the table as she leaned forward and looked at him from over the tops of her eyes.

"Please?"

[General Dan]

Dan shifted in his seat, uneasy at the needling.

"It's something I wanted to give you, but the circumstances are all wrong. We're eating a plate of gussied up rations here. I'd hoped to wait for a better moment."

Of course, it didn't look like he'd get the chance now. The box came out of his pocket, and he slid it across the table without saying anything.

[s'Il]

She took the box, but kept her eye on him.

"Well, we're both alive and still breathing, so I'd say those are fairly good circumstances, wouldn't you?"

Turning it over one last time, the Lupine furrowed her brow as her gaze pulled away from Dan and focused on the box. Carefully she opened the lid.

Now her confusion was genuine.

"It's a... ring... ?"

[General Dan]

Dan pushed his plate away, clasping both hands before him on the table.

"An engagement ring."

He let the gravity of what he said take time to have the proper impact, then followed up.

"You're right. We're still alive and breathing. Maybe tomorrow we won't be. Doesn't change the way I feel about you and about me."

Going on one knee was kitsch and he knew she wouldn't be for that. Still, the question begged asking.

"Loklorien s'Ilancy, will you marry me?"

[s'Il]

The word 'engagement' meant nothing to her; it was a foreign concept that she'd never been aware of.

Marriage, however, was not such an unknown, and the Lupine slowly set the box back on the table, the ring still safely tucked inside. She stared at it, blinked, then looked up at him. Her hands folded together in her lap, and her face held a strange mix of emotions that were unreadable even in the best of circumstances.

She pursed her lips, drew in a long breath, and let it out through her nose.

"No."

[General Dan]

No.

There was a long silence that followed. He didn't look at her. Eventually he reached forward, took the box, and slowly slid it back to his side of the table. Closing it up, Dan rose from his seat, and left the room.

[s'Il]

For the very first time that she had known him, there was no further questioning. It was enough make the Lupine stare after him in disbelief. There was no argument, no question as to why she'd given the answer that she had. He had always had further words to speak, but now there was nothing.

Turning to give one last look to her plate of food, s'Il pushed back from the table while rising to her feet in one smooth motion. She followed after Dan, and stopped in the doorway to their small bedroom.

When she spoke, her voice was partially stilted, as conflicting interests battled within her mind - was she supposed to console him... ? Or was she supposed to explain her answer... ?

"I don't understand what is wrong with our current arrangement."

[General Dan]

"Our current arrangement."

He played with her turn of phrase, and it sounded so laughably artificial to him. His back still facing her, he stood in the common room, looking out the viewport.

"You make it sound like we've been working on a business deal."

Dan turned the box over in his hands, out of sight from her.

[s'Il]

"Of course we haven't."

She could at least tell that her choice of words had not been the best, but still she pressed on.

"What you and I are is not what you and Nena were."

A look to the dataslip that still rested on the counter, and s'Il found herself somewhat angry at this new situation.

"It is nowhere near the same, and I'll not be her replacement."

[General Dan]

"No, you're not a replacement for Nena. She was her own kind of special, and that'll always be with me."

Dan turned to face her, as he weighed his words carefully.

"But what we have, this arrangement you call it, what else do you think that is? You can try all you want to call it another name, but that cheapens it, and it insults us both."

[s'Il]

There was little sense that she could make of all of this, and s'Il's mind was unable to comprehend exactly what it was he was speaking of. What was wrong with the way things were right now?! Why did he have to go and try to place some manner of official sealing to their shared existence?

"I don't know what is wrong with things now, as they stand. We share everything already as is."

She gestured to the box he still held.

"That right there isn't needed. Pair-bonding is... "

She stopped, closing her mouth abruptly at the look on his face, and she held a finger in the air, partially pointed at him.

"... I don't want to talk about this right now."

She crossed the room, calling the dataslip to her waiting hand, and moving to stand in front of him, deftly took the small box and replaced it with their new orders.

"We have other matters to focus our attentions to."

The box was gently set on a small sidetable.

"Do not ask me this again."

[General Dan]

Dan took the orders from her hand, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You know I can't agree to that. If I do, I'm lying to myself about who we are and what we're doing. You don't want to talk about that right now? Fine. I told you, it's not ready. We're at loggerheads on this, you and I. Sooner or later, we've got to figure out exactly what us actually means."

And with that, he stepped past her, only then looking at his orders.

[s'Il]

* * *

The starcharts said it was in the Unknown Regions, and The Akuria System was a prime example of how even a star system could look desolate. Even the blackness of space seemed to give off an air of loneliness, and the blinking stars dotting that inky darkness pulsed a lonesome beat.

Novgorod splashed into realspace with a noiseless crack, banking around as she skirted the edge of the system.

Their destination was Akuria II, but exiting hyperspace in Imperial space - no matter how small the foothold - was tricky business. By now it was second nature for the crew to begin their passive sensor sweeps without the need for Dan to call the order.

Standing beside the chair he inevitably occupied when on the bridge, s'Il clasped her hands in front of her.

"Gods but it even feels forgotten."

[General Dan]

"That's the idea. Out this far off the shipping lanes, and away from prying eyes."

Dan sat back in his seat and watched the approach. Commscan was silent, which was a blessing. The orb before them certainly looked chilly, awash in whites and cool blues, with sparse brown earth peeking through from cloud cover, ocean, and glacier alike.

"Now, we've got to make good and sure it's as forgotten as we'd like. Command needs a staging area to strike in this quadrant of the outer rim, and this is about as far out as we can get and stay in the fight."

[s'Il]

"It is far from anything civilized, no doubt. Far from anything warmer than a cooler-pack, too."

She idly agreed, watching the frigid ball of a planet before them. There was a moment of familiar feelings welling up, and the Lupine gave the barest of scowls as she lifted her arms to cross them over her chest.

"Like Hoth."

A planet full of bad memories, s'Il couldn't help the fleeting moment of forced deja vu that passed over her as she stared ahead.

"Any sign of our supplies contact?"

Their orders had included a rendezvous with one of the more questionable fringe contractors that the fledgling Rebellion often employed; a Captain Torik Beirhannon of the Akurian Queen. Certainly not out of the norm for a mission such as this, but the risks were always there, and s'Il knew that there was a reason that Novgorod was more often than not chosen for these types of missions. When loyalties were uncertain, it helped to have a Jedi in your ranks. It made determining the truth an easier task.

[General Dan]

"We're picking up a mass on the dark side of the planet. Appears to be in polar orbit."

The crewer on commscan waited for orders as he reported his findings. Dan sat up a little in his seat.

"Move us in slow. Passives sensors only. We'll go for a visual. Doubt they want to be seen any more than we do."

Novgorod crept ahead at a slow cruise, banking to align herself with the planet's gravity well, and used the inertia from it to coast into an orbital trajectory that would take them close. The planet's horizon flattened out as they closed distance, and all eyes were fixed to the terminus.

"There."

Dan quickly magnified the view, and a nondescript civilian transport came into view. With line of sight established, they could break the ice in relative confidence.

"Get a tightbeam line to that ship, comm."

He looked to Lok, knowing this was her time to shine.

[Torik Beirhannon]

"Well now. It's about bloody time, eh?"

The whistling of an irate R2 unit was the only answer that was given.

"No doubt."

"I suppose then that we should get this little bit of galactic intrigue started, then; don't you?"

Another few twitters in the affirmative, and Torik Beirhannon brought the Akurian Queen about in a gradual shift that would pivot her to face the new arrival. His commlight blinked, and watching it for only a few moments, the fringe captain tapped at the transmission button.

"Captain Beirhannon, at your service."

[General Dan]

"This is Dan."

He preferred to keep it terse, even if the line was secure. It kept him alive in the unsure early days.

"Glad to see you made it. We're off the lanes by a good margin. Is the cargo secure?"

Novgorod moved alongside, and began a synchronous orbit action with the transport. The Akurian Queen was now his charge, and had to be protected at all costs.

[Torik Beirhannon]

"So you're Dan, eh?"

In the cockpit of his own ship, Torik leaned back in his seat.

"Lots of talk about you going on in the contracting circles. Seems you're a sort of popular man. They say you travel with a one-eyed Jedi, too. She with you now?"

There was silence from the Rebel ship, and Torik gave a snort before returning to business.

"Your goods are as secure as they need to be, Dan. And, as always, my hatches are open should you want to inspect them."

[General Dan]

"We'll send a shuttle. Want to make sure everything up here is in the green before we start actively poking around down there. If for whatever reason we have to pull up stakes, well, let's just keep our engines warm."

They both knew the risks. The Empire's reach was vast, even potentially in a place as forgotten as this.

"Expect us in five. Dan out."

He cut the line as he stood, looking at Lok with the unspoken request to follow.

"Prep a shuttle, full squad. Not expecting a fight, but we don't exactly have the luxury of being choosy about friends, do we?"

[s'Il]

She was quick to nod, and even quicker to keep pace. They left the bridge without so much as a word, and s'Il found herself reaching up to straighten the sleeveless tunic she wore.

"He sounds funny... "

A worried sideways look from Dan, and she elaborated.

"His accent. I've never heard any like it before... " she looked away, an awkward feeling coming over her.

"... just sounds strange, is all."

Still though, the man's words had struck her, and in an involuntary move she reached up to rub along the lower portion of her scar.

[General Dan]

"Yeah."

It was a confirmation of intangibles. Dan only had his gut to go by, and she had the force. Still, he wasn't a fan of dealing so openly in the familiar at the first go. Trust was a precious commodity, and this wasn't the best way to earn it.

"Brecklin vetted this guy? I mean, we're scouting for a new base, it's not like they kicked the spacer with the least fleas in Tattooine up to his feet for this assignment."

His own assessment didn't seem to help.

"Be ready for anything."

The lift doors parted, and the pair headed towards the waiting shuttle, already getting its loadout situated.

[s'Il]

"Well no, from what I understand the General had no hand in who was chosen to meet with us; that was someone else. A Commander Higgs, I believe."

Keeping pace, the Lupine was mindful to not fall behind, and only when they started up the shuttle's boarding ramp did she slow her gait, falling in behind him as they crested the top of the ramp and ducked into the craft's interior.

With her saber secured on her belt, s'Il knew that if it came to blows she would be ready.

"What did he mean, about you being 'popular' in contracting circles?"

[General Dan]

"Well, this isn't my first rodeo, after all. The early days, everyone was their own chief, cook, and bottle washer. So I've moved my share of guns to hotspots here and there."

He tucked in, securing crash webbing as he sat across from Lok.

"This having our own warship bit is the fairly new part. Back before we even knew there was a larger Rebellion, it was guys knowing guys and being in the right place with what was needed. No ranks, no structure. Old fashioned hand-to-mouth insurgency."

[s'Il]

She mouthed an 'Oh', blinking a few times before instinctively reaching a hand out to him, palm up and waiting. It was a familiar ritual whenever she was forced to fly in the smaller ships, and one that he had graciously taken charge of in the form of a motion-sickness pill dispensary.

It was the only rationed supply that they had been given guarantees on, and she knew that he always had a small cache of them on his person for times just like this.

[General Dan]

"It's a trip through open vacuum, Lok, not an orbital insert."

He scoffed, but the hand remained there. Sometimes, he wondered if he could get away with a sugar pill. This thing of hers was so arbitrary and silly, especially for a Jedi. How she ever got from point A to B without him, he'd never know.

After a second of resisting, a pill was pressed into her palm.

"Can't you take up drinking like any other cosmophobe?"

[s'Il]

The pill was swallowed as she felt the shuttle begin to lift upwards.

"I drink enough; perhaps not as much as you, but we all cannot be so gifted with a high tolerance for alcohol."

Another small bit of jostling as the ship passed through the artificial atmospheric shield and into open space.

"Sometimes I have to wonder if the amount you've consumed over the entirety of your life has finally gone to your head and turned you mad," she mused, her efforts at distracting herself resulting in the fresh memory of a scant twelve hours ago.

[General Dan]

"Nah. I was born this way."

They were, of course, dancing around the bantha in the room. He wasn't about to bring it up. Not now. Too soon.

"I'm not the one claiming to commune with forces beyond, remember?"

The trip was short, and the shuttle soon clanged against the transport's umbilical as a hard seal was established at the egress hatch.

[s'Il]

"Those 'forces beyond' have saved your life more times than I can count'," came the grumbled answer as she swiftly undid the crash-harness. Rising to stand, the Lupine blew a short breath from her nostrils in a feigned snarl.

She had a healthy notion of what was on his mind, and with a cautionary look sent his way, s'Il shook her head in warning.

She waited for the final checks to be made, and as the two joined hatchways hissed open, she squared her shoulders back and stepped through.

[Torik Beirhannon]

Waiting on the other side, of course, was the lanky frame of Captain Beirhannon, leaning casually against the bulkhead a short distance away; far enough to give his guests room to disembark.

When the woman came through first, he straightened up just a little, a widening smile on his face as his arms uncrossed from over his chest.

"How about that; you do exist," he chuckled mostly to himself.

[General Dan]

"Yeah, well, let's not downplay being mad, as you call it. I just prefer chalking it up to intangibles."

There was a lot of tension suddenly, and Dan backed off. They had a job to do after all. Debarking, the ship's skipper immediately greeted them. Or, specifically, Lok. Dan frowned a little.

"She's not a museum piece, Captain. She's here to make sure that we both come away from this with our skin intact."

[Torik Beirhannon]

Torik gave a light-hearted hmph, pushed away from the bulkhead, and shrugged as he turned around.

"Just curious, Dan."

He led the way deeper into his ship, a lazy sort of walk that was almost a swagger. Making sure to allow enough time for the Rebel group to observe their surroundings, he set a measured pace that soon enough brought them into the cargo hold. Not large, but large enough for the supplies he'd been tasked with delivering.

"Everything is here, from weapons to your basic ration packs and small colony supply kits. Nothing large, since your superiors didn't want anything that would bring unwanted attention, but it should be enough."

Torik stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

"From what I've been told, this isn't your first time establishing outposts, so you should find it all in order."

[General Dan]

He stepped forward, giving the cargo pallets and shipping containers a cursory glance. Upon request, the manifest was pressed into his hand, and Dan scanned through it.

"Good, they have the pre-fab shelters and the insulation packs. Not exactly going to be the balmiest stay for whoever's planetside."

Dan returned the manifest to Torik, and gave a nod of approval.

"This'll do. Right now, we've just got to take a look around below, make sure the grid is safe, and find a spot to touch down. Should be a few day's work from there."

[s'Il]

The Captain was largely ignored as she let her gaze sweep over the loaded skids. They were familiar sights, and s'Il bit her lip as she tested the air. It smelled of metal, wood, and plastic; a smell that was strange when mingled together with recycled air.

For the most part, it was a woven strand of scents that had become almost commonplace for her, and though she occasionally wished for fresh air, the Lupine knew that such a luxury was not common.

She turned to one of the commandos that'd come aboard with her and Dan.

"Stay with the Captain on the way down."

"Sure 'nough."

He knew the drill.

[Torik Beirhannon]

Torik hid a ruefall smile, and looking to the side at the Jedi woman, gave her strange look.

"Leaving a soldier with me on the way planetside?"

His voice gave off no indication of offense. Instead, his eyes traveled from her face down to the soles of her boots before rising back up to meet her eyes.

"I'm sure you'd be much better company than anyone else here."

[General Dan]

Typical spacer bravado. Dan didn't feel any particular impetus to defend Lok's honor, since the Jedi was more than capable of holding her own in that regard. Still, his stock wasn't improving by putting on like some lech.

"Just make sure to stick to the waypoints, Captain."

With that, they parted, heading back to the shuttle. Once the airlock doors sealed, Dan's frown deepened, and he looked to his Jedi companion.

"I don't like this guy."

[s'Il]

She shared Dan's assessment, and gave only an agreeing nod. Trust was a commodity that was in increasingly short supply, and her careful habits had only increased over time.

"That does not surprise me," she mumbled, making her way back to her seat.

Of course, his verbal admission only dealt credence to the uneasy feeling that had begun to tickle at the outer edges of her senses.

"He is hiding something, yes."

[General Dan]

Dan gave her an expecting look, as if to say care to elaborate on that.

"We can't just scrub this on a bad feeling, Lok. Too much time, effort, and resources are in play, and a lot of them are aboard that ship."

He sighed, taking his seat again opposite her.

"I need something. Anything. Hell, I'll light a fire under Brecklin to see if anything falls out of the tree. If this guy is south of good, we need to know how bad that gets."

[s'Il]

The answer came in the words of the shuttle's pilot, his grim voice cutting through any other conversation.

"Docking clamps not responding, General."

For her part, s'Il snapped her head in the direction of the cockpit, abandoning the thought of a quiet passage back to Novgorod in the span of a microsecond. The nagging at the periphery of her sense pulsed stronger now, and her eyes narrowed.

The pilot went on, knowing it would be a waste of time to wait for the obvious question, and his tone held the hard edges of a man who knew something was about to happen. Even has his fingers scrambled over the flight console, he was shaking his head.

"We're locked up; nothing is working."

[Torik Beirhannon]

The light tapping that came from the other side of the closed hatch sounded like a clapping bell, almost deafening in the silence that followed the pilot's words. It was a soft rapping at first, only getting louder with each repetition before a familiar voice came over the comm unit.

"Knock knock."

[General Dan]

Well, at least they weren't going to have to wait for the doublecross. Dan drew a blaster from his holster. Giving s'Il a glance, he tapped the comm controls.

"Seems you're having some trouble with your umbilical clamp freezing up, Captain."

So it was playing coy, then. He wasn't going to give this weasel the satisfaction of hearing him rage and vent about the predicament.

[Torik Beirhannon]

"No trouble, just making sure my cargo doesn't float away."

On his side of the closed hatch, Torik smirked at the commando who'd been assigned to accompany him; the man only glared back angrily, arms pinned behind him by a pair of stormtroopers. Another group of white-clad soldiers stood behind, waiting for the word to advance. They'd been briefed, having hid in the cargo crates and shipping containers until the Rebel General had finished his inspection. Now however, they had moved on to the next phase of this particular plan.

Beirhannon spoke once more into the comm.

"I've got some friends with me that would very much like to make your acquaintance, General. Surely you wouldn't deny them the opportunity to meet them face to face?"

He gave a self-serving chuckle.

"Of course, I suppose it's not necessarily up to you, is it."

A few keystrokes on the locking pad, and both hatchways began to roll open. Torik stood to the side as the Imperial soldiers came forward, roughly pushing the commando through first, sending him to the deck of the shuttle as they lifted their own blaster carbines in greeting.

[General Dan]

They were at a standoff. Dan with his blaster, Lok with her saber, against troopers with weapons to bear.

And there was one more trick Dan had.

"Dan to Novgorod. Lock weapons onto the Akurian Queen."

He knew how a Tatooine standoff worked. He was just making it interesting.

[Torik Beirhannon]

Safe within the numbers of stormtroopers, Torik gave a snorted laugh.

"You do that, and the base down planetside is going to slag your precious ship. They'll take her offline with ions, then kill her with a thousand cuts of turbolaser fire."

His own blaster came from its' holster then, and he leveled it at the Jedi even as his eyes stayed on Dan.

"So how about you do what I say, and drop your weapons."

[General Dan]

"You're bluffing. There's no Imperial base this far out in the ether."

He raised his wristcomm to his mouth.

"Target their engines. Wait for my order."

[s'Il]

"No wait - "

Her free hand came out to grasp his wrist, pulling it down.

"He's not bluffing... "

[Torik Beirhannon]

Torik gave a serpentine grin at the Jedi's words.

"You should listen to the woman, General. She can see the truth now."

He gave a last gloating look to Dan before the fingers of his free hand snapped together, and the stormtroopers surged ahead like a menacing, armored tidal wave.

[General Dan]

Without Lok committed to the resistance, the odds were not in his favor.

"Novgorod, belay the last command. Withdraw to the rally point."

"Sir?"

His teeth ground at the inevitable fate approaching.

"Do it."

[s'Il]

The advancing stormtroopers were met with stern-faced stoicism, and the Lupine ignited the amethyst blade she held even as she began to move, a hand going out and to the side to push Dan back towards the cockpit; to push him behind her.

The troopers paused, but only briefly before their gunbarrels raised up once more, threatening to open fire.

[Torik Beirhannon]

At the sight, Torik lofted a brow.

"It's no wonder the Jedi died away, if they're so quick to step in front of blasters."

It was spoken as a taunt, though a half-hearted one at that.

[General Dan]

With enough clearance behind the shorter Jedi, Dan trained his gun on Torik.

"So what's your excuse, then?"

Again, an impasse. Hopefully Novgorod heeded his demands. Right now they were very, very alone.

Dan waited for that moment. The moment where someone blinked, or something changed almost imperceptibly.

[Torik Beirhannon]

"I have numbers," came the smug retort.

"Numbers that you simply do not have. A woman with a light sword won't do you much good in the grand scheme of things, my friend. Blasters however, will."

The stormtroopers were close enough now that one could almost reach out and touch the Jedi barring their path.

"Of course, the key is to make sure you have more guns than the other guy... "

Torik gave the Jedi a wink.

"... or gal."

But, they could not be here for the rest of the day, and the bounty that he stood to collect on these two was enough to make him hurry things along.

"It's time to give up, General. Lay down your weapons and come peacefully; you may be given fair leniency in whatever the Empire has planned for you." He of course didn't care one way or the other what the Empire did to these two; the credits were enough for him to forget entirely about them on his way out of the system.

And as if to punctuate the privateer's words, the stormtroopers rushed the three rebels.

[s'Il]

She could've reached out and touched the Imperial soldiers had she so wished; instead, s'Il stood poised, unwilling to be distracted. Even as they lunged forward she was prepared, her saber coming around in a smooth arc to take the arm off the trooper closest to her. He went down, but not before knocking her off-balance as he fell, and before she could right herself, star exploded into her vision.

She stumbled to the side, shaking her head as she felt gloved hands close around both arms, pushing and pulling her down to the deck.

[General Dan]

In the scrum, Dan fired, missing wide right of Torik's face. He adjusted for a shot on one of the advancing stormtroopers, but he was on him faster than anticipated, with a stun rod jammed hard into his side.

He collapsed into a heap alongside Lok, suddenly lamenting the intangibles being against him for once.

[Torik Beirhannon]

The pilot had been taken to the main hold, left to sit bound with the other commando who'd initially been left behind, and it wasn't long before the shuttle itself was released, left in space to eventually fall through Akuria II's atmosphere. With Novgorod having slipped back to the outer edges of the system, he was free to do as he wished, and Torik took a certain delight in the temporary power he held over the stormtroopers on his ship. He directed them to place the Jedi and the General separately, in the two extra bunks that the Akurian Queen had. Each had of course been secured with binders, and their weapons confiscated. Beirhannon had seen to it to inspect whatever personal items they'd had, and it was something he'd found in the jacket of the general that piqued his curiosity enough to step inside the room holding Dan.

Torik held up a small box as he leaned back against the far wall.

"Don't see one of these in the hands of people like you very often," he sneered.

[General Dan]

"People like me?"

Dan leaned against the wall of the bunk, keeping an inscrutable face in the midst of his captor. His eyes went to the box, and then back to Torik's face. Who was this man? He was taking an unhealthy amount of interest in his life.

[Torik Beirhannon]

"Yes, people like you. Right now, friend, Rebels are seen in lower standing than even smugglers, which is what allows men like me to make money off men like you."

He opened the lid, giving the ring inside an appraising look.

"How much did you spend on this thing... if you spent any credits on it at all, even."

He snapped the box shut once more, stuffing it into his own jacket pocket.

"No matter; it'll net a decent amount of credits regardless, on top of what I'm getting for you two."

[General Dan]

"What's your game?"

This was becoming irritating. Dan just wanted to know why this asshole even took the time to twist the knife. If there wasn't more to this, it was dirty and unprofessional.

"I'm caught. Money in hand. End of story. You keep taking a shine to these little projects, and someone's going to take it personally one day."

[Torik Beirhannon]

Another smirk, and Torik pushed away from the wall.

"Hardly."

He keyed the door open, stepping backwards through the doorway while giving a mock salute to Dan.

"It's been fun, Dan."

And with that, the door closed.

[s'Il]

She was only aware of as much as her captors allowed her to be, which considering the inhibiting drugs that she'd been pumped full of, was not much. She was conscious, but everything had become dulled. Lying on the cot in the bunk she'd been non-too-gently stored within, the Jedi gave a light groan as she felt the ship shudder gently. They were descending into Akuria II's atmosphere, and it wouldn't be long until they landed.

[Torik Beirhannon]

His clearance codes had been given, and Torik spent a few lingering minutes watching as the autopilot took them down into Akuria II's atmosphere. He scratched at an itch on his arm, and blew out a long breath from between his lips.

Finally he leaned forward, switching the controls to manual and bringing his ship the rest of the way down. Cruising low, he brought the Akurian Queen over a mountainous, snow-capped ridge before dipping down into the valley below and the unmistakeable base that was nestled along the snowy foothills.

A landing pad became visible, and the privateer brought his craft down gently, wasting no time the moment the landing struts touched the ground. He knew that the Jedi woman would be in no position to use the Force, as the drugs he'd been provided to keep her docile and inhibited had done a wondrous job. It was a wonder she even had the wherewithal to breath, even.

Stepping from the small bridge, Beirhannon grinned to himself, one had stuffed into the pocket of his jacket and turning the small box he'd taken from the General over in his fingers.

It was time to earn his pay.

[General Dan]

The subtle shift in engine noise, the inertia change from a gravity well and atmospheric resistance, much less the commotion made by the landing struts gave Dan all the information he needed. They were landing. It seemed that Torik was at least straight with him in one thing - the Empire had a presence here.

Isolated and alone, he could only hope that Lok was in a better state than he was.

[s'Il]

She heard the door open, and the tromp of booted feet as they crossed the short distance to the cot she lay on. Her muted awareness allowed her only the ability to acknowledge what was happening, and as the Lupine was grabbed roughly by each arm, she felt her body being dragged up, propped between two stormtroopers like a lifeless marionette.

She felt her feet drag across the deck, and her head fell forward, hair falling into her face as she wrestled with her inner self. She ordered it to respond, to move, to offer resistance. And each command was ignored as her metabolism fought the aggressive drugs that'd been injected.

The Lupine hung limp from between the two stormtroopers, and as they pulled her from the room out into the small corridor, s'Il could only get out a weak groan.

[General Dan]

The doors opened at last, and a pair of stormtroopers entered. Dan didn't pay them any mind or look at them. Hard to size a man up who wears a mask, after all.

"On your feet."

Of course, he wasn't going to make it any easier on them than they deserved, and he remained sitting, forcing the two troopers to heft him up and frog-march him out of the makeshift prison. It was there that he saw Lok, on the ground and clearly not herself.

"What have you done to her?"

[Torik Beirhannon]

With an aloof smirk, Torik rounded a corner, coming into view as his two charges were brought out of their rooms. The Jedi had been summarily muzzled, and her limp form helped to give him a sense of assured bravado.

"A precaution, General," was his cheerful answer.

"I can't have a Jedi mentally aware enough to pull mindtricks now, can I?"

He watched with half-lidded eyes as a pair of binders was once more fitted to Dan's wrists.

The sound of the boarding ramp lowering met his ears, and his grin became thin-lipped and determined.

"Time to meet the Maker, Dan."

[s'Il]

She was in a muddled and cloudy haze, her world a swirling mass of unresponsive motor functions. All that she could do was force herself to remain conscious enough of her surroundings, and watch as the powers that be had their way with her.

She heard Dan's voice, and then Beirhannon's, but it seemed as though each spoke through a filter that muffled their voices and made them seem so distant. Firm hands hauled her up from the deck by each lifeless arm, and once more she was hefted up between two stormtroopers.

She tried to speak, to interject, to offer some sort of verbal defiance; but even her voice failed her. She felt her handlers move forward, leading the way through the Akurian Queen and down the boarding ramp.

[General Dan]

"And yet you're still gloating over me as if you have a personal stake in all this."

Still denying them the satisfaction, Dan didn't cooperate, making them frog-march his body weight along the way to the boarding ramp.

"You're a whore, Captain. If the Empire sees you enjoying it too much, they might start asking why they bother paying for the service."

The bitter wind of Akuria finally could be felt from the opening in the hull, and Dan responded with a grimace.

[Torik Beirhannon]

Following after his two unwilling passengers, Torik let out a laugh as he made his way down the ramp.

"I was only answering your question. This has nothing to do with me enjoying what I do, and more with me making sure that you as... comfortable and informed as can be. Before the Empire sinks their claws into you, that is."

The cold breeze carried with it the sounds of military precision, and he allowed himself a bit of an extra swagger.

The group stopped at the end of the ramp, and he gave a pointed look to the delerious Jedi before turning his attention one last time to Dan.

"You're in luck; by Akurian II's standards, this is a very good day."

[General Dan]

The Rebel commander squinted his eyes against the bracing blast with its stinging flakes.

"I'll make sure to mention it on the postcards I send."

Dan again looked to Lok, still a thrall to whatever sedatives coursed through her veins.

"Still, not quite sure I follow why you'd care. Trying your hand at playing soldier?"

[Torik Beirhannon]

"Your safety and health means I get paid in full. It's far more for selfish reasons than me actually caring about your state of mind."

The group stopped long enough for the rest of the stormtroopers to disembark with the captured Rebel commandos, and in no time at all they were moving once more.

The base itself was not large, as it had been given outpost status at best; but there were still facilities enough to house those that had gone crossways from the Empire. A smattering of snowtroopers stood at the entrance to one of the small bunkers that dotted the small area, and when a black-clad officer emerged, they snapped to attention.

Torik gave a nod to the Imperial as they drew close.

"Fine day, Commander Durrin, wouldn't you say?"

[General Dan]

Dan didn't bother retorting, they'd moved on. He stood alongside Lok as Torik looked like the nexxu that swallowed the canary, presenting his prizes to the local Imperial capo. About time, really. He was getting tired of the bounty hunter's smart mouth, and would rather get on with things.

As they entered, Dan got a good look at their surroundings. The base wasn't much to look at, but established enough that it would take a concerted effort to dislodge. Akuria II wasn't the catch they'd hoped for after all.

[s'Il]

Still held up by the two stormtroopers, s'Il felt the barest hint of control coming back. It was minimal and at best nothing grand, but at least it was still something. Her awareness gained firmer hold upon her own body, and the Lupine stirred. She groaned, and her head angled up to stare at the face of the Imperial who now himself stood looking disdainfully down at her.

Her legs shifted, feet gaining blessed purchase on the packed snow, and she lurched forward to strain against her captors. And in a glorious moment of release, they let her free. It was fleeting however, as the full weight of her own body was too much, and the Jedi tumbled to the ground in a struggling heap, her body writhing as she wrestled for control. It was fruitless, and she grew still.

The Imperial's voice cut through the haze to her ears, and she clenched her eyes shut. He addressed Dan, despite it being mroe than obvious that his eyes were still on her.

"I'll not waste your time. You are more than aware of the charges included in your bounty I am sure. As such, it stands to reason that you are more than aware of the punishment. Yes?"

[General Dan]

Dan widened his stance a little, settling into a more casual posture. He wasn't going to give this career buffoon the luxury of aggrandizing his shitty posting with the importance he craved.

"As a matter of fact, I don't think your spineless lackey bothered to mention such charges, not that I'd put it behind you to make them up as you go."

The officer stiffened, looking at a datapad before him.

"You're Rebels, don't be coy. You're operating openly in treasonous action against the sovereignty of the Galactic Empire. A charge, I will remind you, that carries with it the pain of death."

Dan frowned a bit.

"I was hoping you'd regale me in specifics. Or do you get that kind of information way out here, at the end of the galaxy? Not exactly the best posting, is it? You'd skin a womp rat with a spoon to get closer to the core, I bet."

[Torik Beirhannon]

Torik smirked, but said nothing as Durrin scowled at Dan.

"Save your breath; I'll not be baited so easily."

The officer looked to the squad commander, giving a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Take them both to a cell."

At this, Torik gave a slightly confused look.

"Both? In the same one?"

"I don't have the space to allow each their own, Mr. Beirhannon. This outpost is not large enough so early in its' establishment, so we make do with what is available. Besides... "

The Imperial nudged the delirious Jedi with the toe of his boot, shifting her to the side a small bit.

"... this one is drugged enough that she won't know she's dead until the Maker meets her at the gates."

Torik, for his part at least, suppressed his tongue enough to offer a nod, and as the stormtroopers began to pull Dan away, he gave a careless shrug to the Rebel.

"Been nice knowin' you," he offered in parting, the tone of his voice nowhere near sincere.

[General Dan]

"I think you're gonna find the galaxy's a smaller place than you'd like it to be."

Dan allowed himself to be led on, and gave the turncoat a parting shot.

"Better find a rock more out of the way than this one when that happens, friend."

And with that, they were herded off to a cell. Hopefully Imperial due process was longer than he feared it would be, but he doubted it.

[s'Il]

She was aware of being hefted about once more, like a helpless and paralyzed whisperkit pup, and it wasn't long before she was deposited onto the ground once more; this time into a cell. The stormtroopers hadn't bothered to put her on the single cot - rather they simply let her drop to the floor before vacating the small room.

She could smell Dan at least, and groggily the Lupine opened her eyes, trying to focus on the ceiling above her.

Alone for however short amount of time they were allowed, s'Il pulled in as deep a breath as she could.

"... can't move,.. " she managed to croak out with her exhale.

[General Dan]

"Save your strength."

He dropped into a crouch next to her, righting her in such a way as to ease her toward the cot.

"You've been pumped full of something, and it's got you out of sorts."

There was an implied "can you make it", but she was barely aware of her surroundings. He knew the answer.

[s'Il]

She could at least still read the true intents of his words, and the Lupine let her body lean into his.

"... can make it... "

Questionable though her resolve sounded, there was at least a small bit of steel behind her words, and she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Need time," another deep breath, "... to heal. Can't feel legs."

There was a pause before she spoke again, though this time her voice wavered considerably more, as her worry and fear creeped into play.

"... can't feel Force... "

[General Dan]

"I know."

If she had, she would've capitalized. You use what's available to you. They were both the same in this place. Unarmed and vulnerable.

Easing her up slightly, Dan helped the Lupine to the cot, so that she could at least attempt to recover there. For now, they had time to consider everything, until that door opened again.

"Didn't think it would end like this."

[s'Il]

Blissfully, the cot was a welcome change to the ground, and s'Il felt her body fall back as her addled mind parsed his words.

"Not dead yet," she whispered, the words coming out in a sigh as her eyes screwed shut in concentration. A shaking hand moved, taking his own in a weak grip.

"Not dead yet."

[General Dan]

"Yeah" came the quick, breathed response. Less an affirmation and more a world-weary analysis of their situation.

Dan sat against the wall adjacent to her, watching her rest.

"Still, guess we'd better get ready for that distinct possibility."

And even now, they couldn't talk about it. That was the tragedy, wasn't it?

[s'Il]

She was quiet, her body running through the unseen gauntlet of trying to correct its' inner processes. It was maddening, and with only limited movement slowly returning, s'Il allowed a bit of frustration to show on her features. Whatever she'd been given had done a thorough enough job of laying her low.

Her thoughts took her back only a short time ago, replaying the one-sided 'conversation' that Beirhannon had had with her before landing. He'd shown her that cursed ring, and made some sort of small talk about sentimentality being wasted on Jedi. It grew more surreal the more she mulled it over.

But the fact of the matter still remained - for some bizarre reason Dan had kept a death hold on that engagement ring, and now it'd been taken from him. She at least felt a small amount of sorrow for him.

"... he took your ring."

[General Dan]

"I know."

The silence that lasted after that acknowledgment was a long one. Dan rested his head against the cool of the cell wall, staring at the ceiling.

"I suppose when you fight against a limitless tyrannical oppressor, these things are bound to happen. I guess you're right."

[s'Il]

"Always am."

It was said with the smallest returning hint of her old self, and the Lupine let out a long breath to follow. Her head lolled to the side as her single eye searched him out.

"... how much longer... ?"

[General Dan]

A shrug out of her sight.

"Wouldn't count on seeing the sun going down, if that's what you're asking. Even if they Empire believed in due process, they would bend the rules in a place like this."

Dan looked to the ground.

"Of course, there's the off chance they want to parade us through Imperial Center. Don't know. Which do you prefer?"

[s'Il]

"Do not want to see the black giant again," was her whispered answer.

She could still see in her mind's eye so clearly, the towering black monolith that had appeared on Rumigaar so long ago, laying waste to the small group of Jedi that Zem and Tam and herself had met.

The Lupine swallowed forcefully, and with a heaving breath, struggled to sit up. Of course it was a lost cause, but she doggedly pressed on, pushing her muscles to the brink of what she could control. There was a scent in the air that invaded her nostrils with crystal clear clarity.

"Help... have to get up... someone coming... "

[General Dan]

"Yeah."

He grimaced. Their situation was bleak, perhaps more bleak than they'd been up against since this war began. He thought about all the choices that had brought him to this point. The sacrifices made. He thought of Nena. There was nothing Dan would like more to say that he wasn't scared and to face what seemed a certain thing with stoic pose. Maybe he could manage that on the outside. But you didn't stare death in the face like this and not contemplate blinking.

Dan worked to get her upright, taking care to make sure she was steady on the cot before standing to face whoever might be coming to their cell to confront them. Was it to happen so soon?

[s'Il]

The blurry vision before her was a welcome one, but the urgency she'd scented rolling through the small detention hut was palpable.

As steady as she could be in her current situation, the Lupine allowed a slight frown.

"... is Dage," she whispered gently.

And sure enough, the first of the small group of commandos to be interrogated and wrestled into the small cell was none-other. Sporting a bloody nose and a split lip, the rangy blonde put up as much of a fight as he was able, though it was clear that the small battle he fought was a losing one, and he was wrangled inside without a word from their captors.

Of course their silence was made up by his own cursing, and when the door closed once more, Dage turned to look at his cellmates.

s'Il offered as much of a smile as she was able.

"You look like shit," came the expected response at the sight of the young Jedi propped up on the cot. His eyes went to Dan as he wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"And you look like someone kicked a pup."

[General Dan]

He had to smile at that.

"I got the memo late that the Empire was enrolling us in a beauty pageant."

From the looks of things, the Imperials were at least going to try to squeeze on 'em pretty hard, and see if any actionable intel came out before the were just gunned down or done away with.

"Kori?"

Dage spit a bit of bloody spittle on the floor away from his companions.

"Just gettin' his turn now, I guess."

The rebel soldier gave a cocky grin.

"Didn't give 'em shit. Not even my name."

[s'Il]

s'Il offered as much of a smile as she could, her head lolling to the side as Dage moved to sit beside her on the cot.

"Brave soul," she breathed out.

"Par for the course, Ol' Girl."

He gave a comforting pat to her leg. "None of us signed up thinking we'd be treated like Miss Universe."

The Lupine shifted her arm so that her hand rested limply atop his, a single finger twitching in lieu of being able to actually squeeze. Her strength was returning, though still at a painstakingly slow pace.

"If you... say so."

Dage gave a carefree grin at that, a low chuckle escaping from his lips.

"Yeah well, we ain't been slack," he looked at Dan, a knowing expression on his features as his voice dropped to the barest of whispers.

"Got ourselves a plan."

[General Dan]

That was what he needed to hear. None of this stoic for-want-of-sympathy nonsense while they waited like fattened nunas before the slaughter.

He slid to his haunches, testing the filthy floor with a finger to see if they could write on it. Not really.

"I'm all ears, soldier."

It could be stupid and impossible, but they were taking all suggestions. Whatever they picked, they probably only had one shot.

[s'Il]

It was comforting in a way, that Dage and Kori had started in on a plan. It was also rather expected. Expected as well was Dan's reaction. She knew that the man was not one to sit about waiting on death to come calling, and she watched out of her peripheral vision as he ran a finger across the floor.

Dage as well moved from the cot, crouching beside the General.

"It ain't nothin' fancy, but we are gonna need s'Il in better shape than she is now," Dage gave a look over his shoulder to the Jedi, offering her a conspiratorial wink.

"It'll make it easier to fool them into thinking she ain't the only one with powers."

[General Dan]

Dan started getting a notion of Dage's plan.

"Put up a front, make them divide their attention. I like that."

He looked to s'Il, frowning.

"Of course, there's getting to that point. Even if I knew what they shot her full of, I'd have to know how to break through it."

Dan approached his Jedi companion, kneeling over her. Suddenly he slapped her face lightly.

"Lok. Lok!"

[s'Il]

There was only a brief moment of inactivity as her mind registered the fact that Dan had given her face a gentle slap. It was such a shock that even if she'd not been drugged her reaction would've been the same. Of course in the next fraction of a second she surged forward clumsily, her limbs still functioning sluggishly.

"Here," she intoned, as if back at the Temple.

Her perch, now a precarious one, was dependent solely on Dan, and as if suddenly aware that she was indeed not back on Coruscant, the Lupine gave a shiver.

"I'm cold," she whispered.

[General Dan]

His jacket was off in an instant, and with Dage's help, they eased the Lupine up and helped to work her into it. Hopefully feeling warm would break the hold of whatever was in her. Still, they didn't have much time.

Holding her firmly by the shoulders, the rebel leader spoke with urgency.

"I need you. Eyes on me. Talk to me about something."

[s'Il]

"You don't need me," was her only reply.

The immediate warmth provided by Dan's uniform jacket was welcome, though fleeting all the same due to their surroundings.

"Is your survival so dependent upon some stretched-thin Jedi padawan... "

It was the first time - and in the presence of anyone but herself even - that she relegated herself to anything but a student.

"The transmundane in this situation is immaterial."

Her hands came up, each going to frame her companion's face in an initially fierce grip that melted into the contours of his craggy features.

Her single eye locked hazily with his as she conveyed through visual stimuli what her voice could not.

And yet through it all; through the drugs that she'd been given, the thought still remained and raged in her mind.

"...he took your ring... "

[General Dan]

Why does it matter was on the tip of his tongue, but quickly banished. His hold on her never wavered.

"I know."

It was a symbol to him, obviously, but he wondered why she brought it up. Was it something she was now giving thought to?

"I'll get it back, but I need you, Lok. We're all in this. You're gonna have to fight this thing inside you. I need you to reach out and feel. Reach out and see."

[s'Il]

With her hands still on his face, s'Il locked eyes with him as she registered his words.

Reach out and see.

"Reach out and see," she echoed with a whisper as her eye shifted, her line of sight moving past Dan and to the far wall. She inhaled, drawing deep from the cold air and letting it seep in and throughout her being. Her overtaxed metabolism settled a small bit, allowing her thoughts to reorder themselves into more coherence.

An even voice, though quiet, finally emerged.

"I am here."

She exhaled.

"I am here."

[General Dan]

Dan couldn't know for sure, save for the implicit trust he had in her and that look in her eye that possibly only he could see.

He smiled, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"There you are."

Glancing back to Dage, he gave a nod. Lok was back with them.

"Alright, let's hear it out."

He tossed his attention back to the door fleetingly, to make sure no trouble was headed their way.

[s'Il]

"Nothing grand," Dage began, sidling in close and keeping his voice low.

"Just something to get 'em wond'ring and catch 'em off guard."

The Lupine angled her head, blinking slowly as she halfway looked at Dage. Years of fighting alongside him and Kori gave her a keen understanding of the way he thought, and s'Il had a healthy notion of what was on his mind.

"Rhen Var."

Dage grinned wolfishly.

"Exactly," he gave a conspiratorial look to Dan, "You up to playing the part of an undercover Jedi again?"

[General Dan]

Dan gave his best mocking 'mind trick' finger wave, trying it on for the audience.

"A little something like that, isn't it?"

A flash of a confident grin, and he looked to Lok.

"Can you follow my cues?"

It had been a while since they'd done something this stupid, but back then the odds were pretty awful as well.

[s'Il]

A hint of her old unimpressed smile returned, barely visible but still there all the same.

"I am able."

Her hands moved to pull the edges of his jacket closed in the hopes of preserving body heat.

"Please... do not act like some... " she paused, using the moment to not only search for the correct words but to inwardly settle a small bit more.

"... some side-show act," she gave him a warning glance, "As you did last time."

[General Dan]

"That's the trick to every good magic trick and every good con though, isn't it? Make them look where you want them to look."

Dan laughed, which was a punctuated huff in light of the otherwise seriousness around them. Dage likewise enjoyed the moment.

"Alright, I won't be such a ham. Just make sure it's convincing. You ready to get on your feet?"

[s'Il]

"No."

It was said with conviction, and the Jedi resituated herself on the small cot, leaning back against the wall once more as her gaze went to the sound of approaching footsteps coming closer. Through half-lidded eyes she watched as a stormtrooper appeared.

Without a word three small wrapped packages were tossed through the bars in the general direction of Dan.

For his part, Dage managed to snatch one from the air before it hit the ground.

"Much obliged, friend," he grinned, hefting the small package in a mock salute.

The stormtrooper gave no reaction save for turning on his heal and disappearing back down the narrow corridor.

"I know a last meal when I see one. Force knows I've seen plenty since I started running with you two."

[General Dan]

Dan unwrapped the first one he picked up, spent a moment to inspect it, and passed it on to Lok. Maybe after a bite to eat she'd have her strength.

"Last meal? Nah. They haven't yet pulled out all the stops yet. When you get ice cream, that's when you know your number's been pulled."

Dan unwrapped his own parcel and frowned.

"I'd actually kinda like some ice cream."

[s'Il]

Holding the ration bar, s'Il made a pained face. Apparently the Empire ordered their rations from the same supplier that the rebels did; or, more likely the rebels just stole the Imperial stocks. Either way she found herself staring at the same meal that she'd stared at when they'd first been sent off into this mess.

"I'm not hungry," came the quick reply as the 'food' was dropped into her lap. She even dusted her fingers to remove any leftovers that might've stuck to her skin.

She caught the look that Dan sent her way, but chose to ignore it in favor of staring through the bars of their cell.

Ten minutes later found her still staring, the ration bar untouched in her lap.

Twenty minutes later the unmistakeable sound of a body being dragged across the ground reached her ears, and the Lupine tested the air as two stormtroopers hefted Kori's frame through the cell door, neatly dropping him in a pile.

"Hospitality a dyin' art, ain't it boys," Dage slid over to his battered friend as the door was shut.

For his part, Kori gave a grunt as he rolled to his side, spitting a small stream of blood through split lips. With one eye already swollen, an ugly cut along his cheeck, and a bruise at his temple, it was apparent that he'd gotten the short straw. He winked at Dan, gave a cough, and spit again.

"H'llo Sweet'art. Didja miss me?"

[General Dan]

"Looks like they improved your looks."

With a sympathetic look, Dan passed the ration Lok had refused over to the man. He likewise didn't feel much like eating.

"We're in a jam here, but we've got a plan. We're gonna put the old con on again, and try to give our captors something to think about in terms of their Jedi problems."

They eased Kori up to a sitting position.

"I'm not expecting you to run a marathon, but we need you sooner than later."

[s'Il]

"Good news, that."

Kori picked at his bar, not entirely sure he truly wanted to eat. He gave a lazy look to s'Il, waving it at her.

"Ain't hungry then, ya crazy witchlady?"

For her part, s'Il hmphed a silent chuckle.

"I am not hungry for that."

Kori snorted. Like Dage, he was lean and hardened from years on the run and many meals that often consisted of less than what he now held up in his hand. His black, disheveled hair fell into his face, and he swept a hand up to push his wild mane behind one ear.

"Y'got problems, then. This right 'ere issa king's meal."

"I am sorry that I missed your coronation."

With a cheeky, albeit bloody grin, the rebel took a bite.

"Your loss then," he got out between mouthfulls.

"We ain't goin' nowheres till mornin', so make yerselves comfy."

Half-scooting towards a wall that he could relax against, Kori settled himself beside Dage while giving the other man a pat to the knee.

"It's you'n me tonight, Sugar," and with a casual, offhand look to Dan and s'Il, he went on.

"You two jus' keep it down, eh? T'morrow's a big day an' we all need our beauty sleep."

[General Dan]

"You the most of us, so you'd better pack it in toot sweet."

Dan turned to Lok and tended to her, making sure she eased down and was comfortable in his jacket. Finding a spot that wasn't so drafty, Dan led Lok to it and they both bedded down, ever-wary of the door and what trouble may come from it.

Reluctantly, he went to sleep.

[s'Il]

* * *


The first thing she was aware of was the biting cold. It seeped into ever pore of her being, chilling to the bone. Even through the jacket that she'd been bundled in, s'Il felt her body shiver despite all efforts to control her movements. Even Dan's closeness did not help, and as her awareness grew, she could tell that he too was not immune to the temperature of their cell.

The second thing that the Lupine was aware of was clarity. Her restless sleep had replenished most of her lost functions, and with relief the young Jedi stretched out with her mind as if being set free.

Of course in the following seconds she had precious little time to gather any sort of mental bearing as the cell door banged open.

A river of white flooded through the doorway, descending upon the four with steadfast intent. Kori and Dage offered as much resistance as they were able, though it was a shortlived battle as both were pulled roughly to their feet and strongarmed against the wall. For her part, she at least had the presence of mind enough to feign her drug-induced haze from the day before, and she felt gloved hands grab both her arms. In desperation s'Il grasped a handful of Dan's shirt, frantic to keep from being separated.

[General Dan]

He'd slept fitfully along with her, struggling keep exposure to the cold at minimum. His joints ached with the exhaustion of sleep that was mostly denied, and numbed still by the bite in the air. Still, when the shock of activity roused him awake, adrenaline warmed him the rest of the way and he shoved at the guard nearest him, which prompted a baton to be rammed into his midsection.

Doubled over in a heap, Dan heaved, providing little further resistance as a pair of hands horse-collared him to his feet and shoved him roughly onward.

He didn't say a word to Lok or his other companions. There wasn't anything that needed to be said yet.

[s'Il]

She was dead weight, making her 'escorts' drag her from the cell and down the corridor. With her head hung low and her disheveled hair spilling into her face, the Lupine kept her eyes closed. It was for the best.

She heard a door whisk open, and in the next instant a blast of cold air assaulted her. Unconsciously her body jerked in defense against the sting of the morning breeze, and in retaliation she was given a none-too-gentle shake.

They were out in the open now. For as little protection from the elements that their prison had offered, it was still better than the raw cold that came from direct exposure. In the distance she could hear marching boots over hard-packed snow. It was not a comforting sound, and the Jedi gave a furtive glance upward through tawny strands of hair.

She spied the base's commanding officer, Durrin, and another squad of stormtroopers in formation behind him.

The chill of the morning air was instantly forgotten as she recognized their manner of execution rising up behind the Imperial and his soldiers in the form of four single posts, and she felt her stomach sink into a tangle of knots.

[General Dan]

"Well at least they're pragmatic."

Dan groused as he was being frog-marched to his death.

"A good old fashioned firing squad. Iconic, and economical. All we need now are a few stims for the condemned."

A few shared glances between Kori and Dage, and he narrowed his eyes against the blinding snow at the silhouettes beyond the gunmen.

[s'Il]

"Least we're gonna see it comin'," Kori was as honest as ever in the face of his impending execution.

For her part s'Il only let out a tired groan.

"Y'know Dan," Dage made it a point to be as uncooperative as he possibly could be, which yielded only rougher treatment as a baton was jabbed into his side. The blonde winced, his body instinctively shying away from the blow.

"Now might be a good time t'ask your mule-stubborn girl again."

[Torik Beirhannon]

A ways off, he watched. State executions - even this far from the Core, were still enjoyable in their own way if one knew how best to deal with the realities of what was about to happen. Torik had no dog in this fight. Beholden to the credits that now populated his accounts, he enjoyed the comfort of an early morning Corellian whiskey coupled with a fine-cut Mimban. From behind the heady, spice-scented haze, he grinned in self-satisfaction as his eyes never strayed from the group of four being brought out into the courtyard.

[General Dan]

Dan winced. Then again, it was now or eternity. She probably wasn't gonna get any less stubborn as a ghost.

"Lok, ring or not, I don't give a damn. Marry me."

It was low enough to be out of earshot of Beirhannon and any of the Imperial goons, but Dage and Kori no doubt heard. Might as well have friends to witness.

[s'Il]

Inwardly she grimaced, giving a rough shake of her head as she was pulled up the shallow steps onto the low platform. Through the cold, she at least managed to add a croaked voice to her displeasure.

"No."

Kori and Dage however felt likewise, and their voices rose in chorus to call out to the Imperial commander.

"Oi! You with the black uniform!"

"Needin' some officiatin' over here!"

As the two rebels were themselves wrested upward, they craned their necks in the direction of Commander Durrin who - with a somewhat tired expression - stared back.

As Kori was manhandled toward one of the posts, Dage took over.

"Got us a happy couple what needs marryin'-"

"I'm th'best man!" Kori was able to chime in, which left Dage with only one other option. It was one he happily embraced with a care-free grin.

"... an' I'm th'maid o' honor!"

[General Dan]

The comic relief was, for once, a distraction. Dan looked fully at the love of his life.

"You mean to tell me there isn't an ounce of regret in you? You're willing to take that to your grave? With the way we feel about each other?"

There wasn't much time left. If he died, that was one thing. Not hearing a yes before that was another.

[s'Il]

Propped against one of the posts, she remained motionless as binders were fitted to her wrists. Stubbornly the Lupine stared ahead, a pained scowl marring her features. Kori and Dage continued their heckling even as they too were fitted with binders.

"Stop asking me. This is not something I wish to discuss right now. And frankly, I would think that you wouldn't want to discuss it right now, either."

Her jaw set, and she shifted her wrists in the binders she now so grumpily wore.

"Considering the circumstances and all of that."

Commander Durrin moved up to stand on the platform, and pulling out a box of stims, removed one for himself before offering Kori and Dage the same. Cheerily they accepted.

The Imperial moved on to Dan, holding the box out with one of the stims extended.

[General Dan]

The Rebel commander took the stim offered, and waited for it to be lit. The Imperial moved on, again giving them a little breathing room.

"Some other time you'd rather talk about it?"

Dan laughed a bit, the stim in his mouth shaking from the act of doing so. Stubborn heiffer to the end, she was. And worst of all, he loved that. The stormtroopers waited for the order, like aloof statues bearing only passing witness to this very personal moment.

"This is the part in the sabacc round where you lay all your cards on the table, so that's what I'm doing."

He glanced back at s'Il, as they both stood ready to die.

"Marry me."

Another smile and a shrug.

"You'd deny a dying man's last wish?"

[s'Il]

"I... "

"Answer the man, girl." Durrin's voice was impatient. This entire encounter was turning into nothing but a farce, and he was already unhappy about the paperwork he would have to draft.

Screwing her face into an angry scowl, the Lupine turned a very nearly venomous glare to Dan.

"Fine. Yes, I'll marry you."

[Torik Beirhannon]

From the moment the two rebels had begun shouting at Durrin, Torik stepped out to make his way toward the platform, and he reached the periphery just as the Jedi gave her answer. He smiled at the grudging acceptance she'd allowed.

He lifted his glass to Dan in a congratulatory, yet mocking salute.

[General Dan]

The smile on Dan's face might otherwise be permanent if not for the wrinkles that tried to betray it. He caught the mocking salute from Beirhannon out of his periphery, but paid it no mind. He'd take a mocking salutation at face value, because not even a blaster bolt would undo this.

"I'll be yours forever, Loklorien s'Ilancy."

All that remained was for Dan and Lok to write that forever.

[s'Il]

Durrin drew from his stim, gave a hmph, and turned to regard the Jedi woman for a moment. She appeared docile enough despite her vocalizations, and the Imperial gave it no more thought as his eyes went to Dan.

"I'd ask if you had a ring, but something tells me not to expect that much from you."

Another pull from the stim.

"Nevertheless. Ignoring the fact that I've never done this before, I'll foregoe the normal flowery language and feel-good beginnings.

"Do you like her."

[General Dan]

"Most days, sure."

Dan watched the changeable pout on Lok's lips warm somewhat, and looked back at the Imperial officer.

"But I love her every day, and love trumps whatever hand gets dealt."

It was a surprising amount of exposed honesty to an enemy at death's door, that was for sure. Maybe the threat of imminent demise made it easier to put into words.

[s'Il]

Durrin gave a mild snort.

"Truer words never've been spoken," he grunted before quickly going on.

"Alright then, you love her. Will you take her as yours, and keep her for all time through sickness and health and until death do you part?"

The irony was at least not lost on the Imperial, as the slight grin on his features showed.

[General Dan]

The bleak humor in the ad-hoc oath at least tugged at the corners of his mouth. Dan simply nodded.

"I do."

Durrin then shifted his attention to the Lupine.

"And you? Do you like him? Love? And whatever you want to say of him before witnesses."

This was at least a curious bit of last request before an execution. Despite any practical notion to simply get on with it, he felt strangely compelled to see this meager request through. They weren't barbarians, after all.

[s'Il]

"I like him when he's not pestering me," the Jedi grumbled out, though at least her expression was a shade warmer than the weather.

Angling her head to afford Dan a look, she went on.

"He's always been with me through everything... "

One last pang of memory, a glimpse of Zem standing in the lift at the Temple during their escape from the Purge and reaching a hand out to her. And then he was gone, swept away on the biting Akurian wind to be replaced by Dan. He'd not left, and had stayed at her side through all they'd gone through. Dan, who'd given her shelter and comfort, warmth and closeness.

The Lupine gave a ghostly smile.

"I love him."

It was enough for Durrin, and the Imperial nodded.

"Very well. You both love each other. You've declared that love before witnesses, and I am confident that the both of you will find happiness in the short time you have left. Does anyone object to these two coming together?"

A look to Kori and Dage only returned wide, carefree smiles, and a mocking look back to the firing squad yielded not a word. He turned back.

"Then on my authority, I declare you to be man and wife," his eyes went to Dan.

"You may kiss your bride in the afterlife."

And without another word, Commander Durrin turned on his heel and made his way down off the platform.

[Torik Beirhannon]

Another salute - this time with the Mimban - and Torik finished off the dregs of his morning drink. He gave a smug grin to the four rebels as they stood, waiting for the sound of blaster rifles.

Another puff of his cigar, and he took a few steps back as Durrin stepped from the platform.

It seemed that both he and the rebel commander would get what they wanted; Dan his yes, and Torik the prospect of credits for the ring still safely tucked away in its' box, nestled safely within the inner pocket of his overcoat.

[General Dan]

It was time.

Dan looked ahead, staring down the line of troopers who would be their executioners.

"No regrets."

It was as much a testamonial statement as it was an imperative to his comrades. His left arm reached out, finding the right hand of the woman adjacent to him. Their hands clasped.

"Ready..."

In that embrace at the edge of oblivion, his index finger tapped against her hand three times.

"...aim...."

[s'Il]

His sign was acted upon without hesitation, and s'Il closed her eyes, her head bowed as her awareness stretched out with invisible fingers. So many bodies, and only one chance... only one option presented itself and her mind focused with singular precision.

Drawing inward, the Lupine channeled the Force through her body, pulling like a galeforce wind. With ethereal hands she reached out to feel each contour and edge of the blasters pointed their way, and tightening her hold, s'Il wrenched each weapon from the grips that held them.

The carbines skittered across the platform with the sound of clattering metal, and before they could come to a rest she pushed out once more, and Durrin was slung back with enough force to lift him from his feet. His only saving grace was Beirhannon, who only managed to move a fraction of a step before the Imperial crashed into him, sending both men to the ground.

[General Dan]

It happened all at once, in such a fluid demonstration of the force that defied every attempt the Imperials had made to nullify Lok. Her determination was indefatigable.

Still, they didn't have time to rest on their laurels. Still bound to their posts, if they weren't freed in the next moments this would be a short act of defiance. Just as this crossed Dan's minds, their bindings fell free to the snow below them.

Nobody needed to be told what to do from that moment. They all went for the blasters at their feet.

"Follow my lead, Lok..."

Dage made eye contact with the Jedi, then turned to a rising stormtrooper and extended a hand. He had no idea what would come of it, but he'd act the part to make them all question exactly how many Jedi they'd actually caught.

[s'Il]

She knew well enough what he expected, and the young Jedi returned in kind. Though she'd dropped to her knees, s'Il rared back up with a blaster in her hands while at the same time lashing out with the Force.

The stormtrooper that Dage had lifted his hand to was sent tumbling back in spectacular fashion to crash some distance away into a small snow drift.

Eye scanning the Imperials, s'Il hefted her weapon up to her shoulder, sighted down the barrel, and let off a burst of blasterfire meant to keep the white tide at bay.

[General Dan]

He didn't miss a beat, and moved in unison with Kori advance under cover of Lok's staccato gunshots. Diving behind a snow berm, the Rebel leader and his comrade quickly recovered, opening up with a heavy volley from another angle. Kori winged one of the troopers, giving them further incentive to abandon their out-in-the-open positions as executioners and get in the fight. Even that was plenty of time to give to Lok and Dage.

Still firing, Dan turned to his newlywed wife, making a sharp gesture for the two of them to follow under their covering fire.

[Torik Beirhannon]

He had a healthy notion that something would go down. Durrin's insistence on caging the lot together for the night only allowed them to put their heads together, and now the Imperials were getting their reward for such a folly.

A rough shove sent Durrin's body away, and both men scrambled up before heading quickly for the cover they both knew they'd need.

"I ain't gonna say I told y'so," he growled out, sending a quick look to his ruined cigar, "... but I sure damn well think you'd better start rethinkin' your policy of cagin' prisoners together b'fore you plan on executin' them."

Durrin only glared, and Torik gave him a pat on the back that turned into an unexpected push, sending the Imperial sprawling out from behind the cover they shared.

"Remember next time to use your brain."

A sneer, and Beirhannon shuffled back, dodging his way piece-meal across the base's landscape on a trajectory that would take him as far away from this fight as possible.

[s'Il]

Not one to rest on the heels of hisslight of hand and its' victory, was quick to make his way to where Dan and Kori were. He knew the safest bet when he saw it, and with his two fellow rebels laying cover fire, the blonde knew his chances weren't any better.

s'Il on the other hand.

The young Lupine caught the sudden expulsion of the Imperial commander from his cover, and her eye tracked away from Dan to watch as Beirhannon slunk away, moving from shield to shield. It caused a determined scowl to creep across her face, and without thought she moved quickly.

Her trajectory took her on a distinct path away from Dan, and s'Il ducked behind a supplies crate as the first volleys of return fire found their way to her position.

[General Dan]

"What are you doing?!"

Dan shouted though he was sure she couldn't hear him over the din. He swept fire across the approach she was taking, keeping heads down to hopefully buy her some time.

"Dage, Kori, cover me!"

"We're not sticking around to take holos, sir!"

He was already over the berm in a sprint.

"I just married the damn woman I'm not gonna let her do something stupid and get herself killed!"

[s'Il]

Her focus was on a singular body, now ducking behind cover on a path to essential freedom and the safety offered by a ship. With precious little time to make any sort of lengthy decisions, s'Il darted outward once more. She was mindful enough at least to be aware of the cover fire sent her direction, and for that she was thankful.

Beirhannon, so intent on his escape, either did not see her or chose to ignore her stuttering advance. Either way he used his time wisely and continued to dodge his way to safety.

The Lupine doggedly kept on however, even in the face of the growing return fire being spread in both her direction and that of her companions.

A furtive look back showed a grave sight, and the Lupine scowled.

"What are you doing??!"

The same words he'd yelled at her - though unheard - were sent back his way. Whether he heard her own mirrored question or not was not anything she chose to dwell on, and darting forward once more to slide behind the protection of a generator s'Il waited for a few moments before moving on.

Beirhannon was nearing the small area of the encampment that sheltered his ship, and the Lupine knew that her time was exponentially short.

On last look to make sure her intended path was largely blastershot free, and the Jedi burst from her cover to sprint across the open ground on a direct line to the smuggler.

[Torik Beirhannon]

His ruined Mimban was tossed aside as he ran, and Torik gave an angry growl as he muscled his way past a gaggle of stormtroopers hurrying to the action. He didn't bother looking behind him at what may or may not've been happening... his own hide was at stake, and the smuggler was keen to keep it in one piece.

Keeping low, Beirhannon ventured a quick look behind him, and his scowl deepened at the sight of the Jedi woman doggedly tailing him. And of course, some distance behind her, was Dan.

[General Dan]

No way he was beating that woman in a foot race. That just wasn't happening. Still, he could be of some help. Kori and Dage were dutifully covering the advance, peppering the regrouping stormtrooper positions as he hopped from cover to cover. A lucky bounce outside and he caught one of the troopers in the flank, stitching him with a blaster shot that blew through the trooper's armor in a shower of sparks. That got a bit too much attention and he had to duck behind a supply crate that was suddenly raked with return fire. Still, it was heat that was now off Lok, allowing her to go exactly where Dan figured she'd be headed.

Of course now, he was stuck, with Kori and Dage still keeping pressure on the troopers to prevent them from moving, but without a real opening to follow the Jedi. Hunkered down, Dan glanced at the aurrebesh stenciling on one of the crates, which was labeled "grenades"...

...and a few seconds later, one such appropriated party favor was rolling through the snow beneath two troopers on the far berm.

[s'Il]

The sound of an explosion rocked her senses, but aside from a slight skip in her step, s'Il persisted in her chase. She dodged behind and past a tarp-covered mountain of cargo crates, her feet digging into the hard-packed snow as she propelled herself into a manic sprint. She drew from the Force with steadfast determination, and as Beirhannon took his first step onto the boarding ramp, the Lupine shifted her grip on the rifle she still carried. One hand grabbed at the barrel, and swinging it back, she launched herself into the air.

[Torik Beirhannon]

He had only enough to wheel about on his heel as the sight of the Jedi woman filled his view, her rifle cocked back like a club intent on connecting with his face.

Torik allowed his body to fall backwards, one hand lifting quickly into the inside of his overcoat to pull out the small holdout he kept in a shoulder holster. He knew it wouldn't stop her, but he hoped that it would at least slow her down.

Even as her weapon came around in a vicious swing, he lifted his firearm and sighted quickly down its' short barrel.

He fired in the same moment that the stock made contact with his shoulder.

[General Dan]

The explosion gave Dan enough time to close the distance. Kori and Dage were also quick to notice the change in momentum, quickly moving to close the distance so they could continue to cover the assault. They paused momentarily at the same cache Dan had previously ducked behind so they could replenish the depleted tibanna cartridges in their rifles. Dan, in the meantime had picked up a full head of steam, and was nearly upon Lok and Beirhannon when he heard the shot. He drew up for a shot, but Lok's back was to him, covering anything decent he had on the mercenary.

[s'Il]

Fueled by adrenaline, s'Il barely felt the searing sting of the bolt that clipped her side, and in a near-rage she slung the rifle from her white-knuckled grip on the backswing, opting to reach down with both hands to grasp Beirhannon by the collars of his heavy coat. She heaved up and out, sending the smuggler the rest of the way up the ramp and into the ship to crash against an inner bulkhead.

Shoulders heaving, the Lupine hunched low for only a moment before bounding up after her prey.

[Torik Beirhannon]

He hit the bulkhead square, and with a sharp exhalation, Torik slid to the decking. His blaster was raised once more, but with only one shot left he had to make it count.

There was no real fear in him, but stalwart resolve.

Even as the Jedi advanced, he gave a hurried yell to the faithful little R2 unit that never strayed from the ship.

"Ell-ee! Get us off the ground!"

A frantic chirping was his only answer, and steadying his aim, Beirhannon watched the woman as she ate up the distance between them. With a hiss of whining hydraulics, the ramp began to pull up even as she loped onward, and grimly the smuggler steeled himself.

At the last moment, he flipped the blaster around, and cocking his arm back in a quick motion, brought the handle around on a path that would send it into her temple.

Or would have, if her own hand hadn't lashed out to catch his wrist in a vice-like grip and bringing his intended action to a sudden halt.

And for the first time in a very long while, Torik Beirhannon found himself rather nervous at his immediate prospects.

[General Dan]

Fight or flight is a helluva thing. When you see a ramp raising up and your options are to dig your heels in or to...

"Whoooooaaah..."

Dan caught the ramp on his ribs, hugging a hydraulic pylon awkwardly as he pushed his rifle onto the plating. His legs dangled feebly as he tried to worm his way up from his ungainly purchase, forgetting what was probably a cracked rib thanks to the adrenaline rush pushing him on.

Dage and Kori skidded to a halt, finding the best cover they could, and dishing out fire to the stormtroopers who were now being reinforced. It wasn't exactly the best places for any of them to be.

[s'Il]

Pressing into him, s'Il kept his gun arm held to the side for as long as her own muscles would allow. Which, even she knew would not be very long. Despite her own advantages, the distinct possibility still existed that pound for pound Beirhannon would have the greater strength. Drawing on the Force, the Lupine gave a snarl as her free hand lanced out to grasp at his throat. It was a worthwhile yet lost effort, as his own free arm came out to deflect her away.

Even as she pulled back for another strike, she felt the flat of his boot plant solidly upon her chest. Nanoseconds later she was skittering across the deck, propelled by his kick.

[Torik Beirhannon]

Having bought himself at least a small amount of time, Torik heaved himself up to his feet even as he felt the Akurian Queen's repulsors firing up. Ell-ee was at least quick.

Sensing that it would be in his best interests to put as much distance between himself and the two rebels, he broke into a staggered run that sent him around a corner and out of sight.

"Leave that ramp down, Ell-ee! I want to dump this dead weight soon as we're in the air!"

His only answer was a concerned whistle followed by a scattered menagerie of chirps and twirls.

"Aw hells-"

It was all he could get out before the deafening sound of a capital ship's engines roared close overhead.

[General Dan]

"Dead weight my a-whoa...!!!"

The sudden yaw of the ship caused Dan to nearly pitch from the gangplank, losing a foot as his hand slipped to the nearest strut on the hydraulics. Nothing like the fear of a freefalling death to propel you. He gritted his teeth and dug in, swinging himself so that his legs cradled the strut opposite and allowed him to make his next move. By then the ship was pitching in the opposite direction, which sent Dan tumbling into the craft and crashing hard into the wal opposite. From his awkward vantage, he managed to see a pair of fresh contrails in the sky that didn't belong to the ship he was on.

No, he knew the scream of those engines.

"It's the Novgorod!"

[s'Il]

Thrown angrily into a bulkhead as the ship tipped to one side, s'Il latched onto the most available handhold and held on tightly. Even as the Akurian Queen leveled out she didn't let go, and when it angled to the opposite side, the Lupine felt her body angrily respond to the ship's compensating gravity generators.

Dan crashed into her view, hitting the bulkhead across from her with a force that made even her cringe. His landing looked equal parts painful and utterly graceless, and as the Queen righted herself once more, the Jedi relinquished her death-hold on the strut she'd grasped. Hitting the deck in a crouch, she made quick work of the short amount of time she knew she'd have and surged after Beirhannon.

The steadily increasing reverberation of the engines were enough of a sign that they were picking up speed, and even as she felt the first stages of another bank, she leaned to the side, hands going out to grab a hold of a strut and using it to lever herself forward and around the same corner that the smuggler had disappeared behind.

[Torik Beirhannon]

He was at the small doorway to the bridge when the sound of the Jedi came around the small bend, and bracing himself, he threw up an arm as she lunged at him.

"Ell-ee you get us away from that ship as fast as this crate can manage," he ducked inside, bracing himself as the R2 unit sent the Queen on another tilt, firing the sublights at the same time so that the ship jumped forward like a hungry wampa after a straggling tauntaun. The force of the acceleration sent both Beirhannon and the Jedi tumbling back and to the decking, and for once he didn't feel bad about using a woman to break his fall.

[General Dan]

The inertia brought the pair right back to Dan's resting place, only this time he wasn't resting. He'd managed to at least right himself to where he was standing, if only by the graces of the g-forces pressing him against the aft bulkhead. Still, he had leverage, Beirhannon more or less right beneath him, and a rifle in his hands. Not stupid enough to discharge the full battle weapon in a moving ship, he instead slapped the cartridge out, and choked up on the gun barrel like he was about to tee off.

"So about that ring?"

[s'Il]

From beneath the smuggler, a slender hand reached up, a small box clutched tightly in its' palm.

Almost completely engulfed by the bulk of Beirhannon, s'Il settled for simply laying still, and despite her wandering hand that'd retrieved the box from the inside pocket of his coat, she knew it'd be best if she stayed put.

[General Dan]

"That's my girl."

The smile that parted his face threatened credulity, but it was there nevertheless. He almost forgot they were in a life or death struggle. A moment later the shifting weight brought him back to reality, and he promptly swung for the fences, as it were, sending Beirhannon sprawling across the deck.

Dan tossed the rifle aside, and dropped down to his haunches. Taking the box from s'Il, he opened it, carefully placing the ring on an expecting finger.

"A perfect fit."

So it wasn't any sort of sane wedding at all. Still, if you'd told him it would be this way, Dan would have no cause to say otherwise.

[s'Il]

Free of Beirhannon's weight, s'Il wrangled herself upwards even as Dan slid the ring onto her finger. She took only a parting glance at it before rolling to her side, using the movement to help lever herself up to her knees, then feet.

A look was cast to Beirhannon, but it was obvious that the man was down and out for the count. Apparently Dan's batting swing (or whatever it was that he kept calling it) was still effective enough.

She let out a light cough, one hand going to her side as she began to feel the first stinging pangs of the blastershot.

"Time to go," was all she intoned, her free hand catching Dan's - her husband's - in a vice-like grip and pulling him along toward the still open boarding ramp. She didn't trust Beirhannon's little R2, and with a sigh of minor relief the sight of the ground below looked no more than twenty meters. No easy feat she knew, but she also hoped that the snow would help at least somewhat to cushion the fall.

[General Dan]

"You've got to be kidding..."

Maybe twenty meters was just a hop-skip for a Jedi, but snow or not, for normal folks that was the kind of jump that would turn you into a stain on the ground. He very understandably hesitated.

[s'Il]

A hand reached out to steady herself in the yawning mouth of the open boarding ramp, and watching the white ground speed by, she shifted her weight as the Queen banked in a turn. Letting go of Dan's hand, she lowered herself into a crouch as her gaze swept past the ramp's hydraulic pylons and as far ahead as an unobstructed view would allow.

Time was short, and the longer they waited, the further from the Imperial camp they were being taken. Not to mention the fact that at any moment Beirhannon's droid may well take them higher.

A windswepted snowdune rose up to cut at least five meters from her initial estimation, and she raised her voice over the sound of the rushing wind.

"Fifteen meters is the best I can get you!"

And without waiting for any objections from Dan, the Lupine grabbed a hold of the front neckline of his shirt. She was moving, almost literally dragging him with her, and with little thought but to get off the Akurian Queen, the Jedi slung him out before her before throwing herself out into the air after him.

[General Dan]

"I still don't thiiiiiii....."

The Rebel commander was caught mid statement by the brusque tossing, sent careening out of the ship at breakneck speed. For the relatively small clearance, the fall seemed to take forever. At least that meant he had time to mentally and physically brace for impact, being mindful to tuck so that he could roll with as much grace as he could muster...which wasn't much.

He slammed into the snow, tumbling in a maelstrom of powder as his body exploded in pain. It's still fifteen meters, damn it! With the wind knocked out of him, Dan was a pawn of inertia and gravity, pinweeling down the berm as all he could see around him was a white puff and a spinning world.

[s'Il]

Her own tumbling descent down the side of the dune was just as ungainly as his. With just enough time to prepare herself for the impact, the Jedi called out to the Force, drawing it around herself and Dan to at least provide a small amount of cushion upon contact. The powder was at least fresh, and unlike the hard-packed snow in the camp, provided for a softer landing.

Which, to be rather honest, was still a rough and jarring affair.

At least they were free of the Queen, but now their problems were up, down, and all around as each tumbled down the snowbank.

The ground thankfully leveled out however, and as both rebels rolled to a stop, s'Il came to rest on her back. She stared up at the clear blue sky for only so long as her body allowed before bringing the harsh reality of her battered state to painful light.

She winced, feeling the sting of her blastershot acutely, and pressing a hand into the scorchmark, the Lupine turned her head only slightly, a searching gaze sweeping over the snow for any sight of Dan's body.

[General Dan]

Half-buried in a drift, it took a significant effort for Dan to break free, which he did with a flailing of limbs and growling of curses. Once un-buried, he lay prone for a moment.

"I think I broke something."

After three tries, he finally succeeded in sitting up, the relief at seeing Lok more or less within walking distance buoying his spirits. Confirming that she was alive, he again fell on his back.

"Kori? Dage?"

[s'Il]

"Still alive I imagine," she managed to croak out.

Which, if Novgorod had made her appearance over the camp as the telltale roar of her engines had foretold, both Kori and Dage would've been sitting rather prettily.

Of course that was back at the Imperial camp and not wherever Dan and s'Il had made their inglorious exit from the Akurian Queen. Which could be anywhere.

Rolling to her side, the Lupine lifted herself up to her hands and knees to crawl closer to where Dan sat.

[General Dan]

The sensory-dulling narcotic adrenaline ebbed away, and it was clear that the source of Dan's discomfort was a clearly broken left arm, which he now cradled to prevent the shooting pains of cracked bone against flesh. He gave Lok a funny look.

"Not quite the honeymoon I was looking for, kiddo."

He was now unarmed, figuratively and nearly literally. Relying on her for saving their hides if trouble did blow their way, Dan tried to find a creative way to his feet without feeling like dying.

[s'Il]

Shuffle-crawling her way to his side, the Lupine settled herself as comfortably as possible beside him. She had no idea what he was talking of in terms of a 'honeymoon', and the look on her face said as much.

Still though, they'd escaped relatively in one piece; though those pieces were in places broken. His cradled arm didn't escape her notice, and the Lupine made a regretful face.

"I'm not a healer," her voice was low, and the apologetic tone unmistakeable.

[General Dan]

"I never asked you to be."

Weighed down again, Dan dropped to the ground adjacent to his new bride.

"If that was Novgorod, rescue can't be too far off. I'm tired."

Suddenly a feeling of contentedness fell amongst them. They'd survived, after all. Survived and were married. They'd take all the dings and dents suffered through this day, and they'd have many more to come.

Dan eased onto his back, a strong sense of sleep coming over him. No-doubt Lok had to feel some of that too.

[s'Il]

It was as if his words triggered her own exhaustion. Brought about by a fitful night of rest on a cold cell floor, her body seemed to sag beneath its' own weight, and the Lupine kept herself propped upright only long enough to look down at Dan.

The strain of his injury was easy enough to see through the deep fatigue lines in his face, and it troubled the one part of her mind that still fought the urge to simply lay beside him. Of course that part grew more quiet as each second ticked by, and it wasn't long before she too burrowed into the snow close to his side. His arm she was mindful of, but still. If they were to survive for any amount of time, they would require the added body heat that one another could provide.

Eyes closing, s'Il felt herself fall away from the world almost instantly.

[Darth Decepis]

But sleep didn't seem to come to Loklorien s'Iancy. The cold only seemed to deepen, and a dark fleck in her mind's eye dimmed the blinding snow, bringing her restlessness to a waking dream.

Beside her, Dan still rested. But he seemed somehow beyond reach. Even the previous comfort of Novgorod seemed like an angel that had long-since passed. She felt so alone.

[s'Il]

Denied the welcoming embrace of rest, s'Il inwardly winced. She fought the inevitable despite the knowledge that her mind was being invaded so ruthlessly, and raged against the steadily rising presence that permeated her own subconscious.

No.

Her body seemed to curl inward into itself, and the Lupine silently cried out in desperation. Her resistance only allowed the phantasm to manifest with more strength, and unknowingly she burrowed deeper into the percieved protection offered by Dan's body and the snow that surrounded them.

No...

[Darth Decepis]

The wind picked up, driving flecks of snow in a blinding screen beyond her grasp. Within that gale, she could almost make out a figure standing just beyond, their silhouette barely distinguishable among the shades of grey.

"Why do you still resist? Hunted, doggedly pursued to the ends of the galaxy as you are?"

The gale seemed to die down. Could she see eyes within that silhouette?

"All you have to do is take what you need to survive."

[s'Il]

The stench of the Dark Side assailed her senses, reaching out to her with invisible tendrils of hate and rage. They raked unseen across her mind, clawing and scratching as if trying to find purchase within any minute crack they might find. Stubbornly she refused them, holding each searching talon at bay... but only just barely.

"You are not welcome here," she gasped out. Her own voice seemed so small in comparison to the looming monster. As if her conviction had all but fled.

With little option left to her, the Lupine redoubled her own defenses.

"Leave me."

[Darth Decepis]

The response to her demand was the lonely wind. And then the voice spoke.

"If that is what you want. Is it, though?

To be chased down like vermin for the rest of your days, looking over your shoulder and powerless to deal justice to those who have killed everyone you cherish?"

The wind shifted, and the silhouette disappeared, only to reappear closer to her.

"The man you love will die. You know there is only one way to save him."

[s'Il]

"Lies."

She had never felt so near yet so far from Dan than she did now, and the reality of it began to erode her already paper-thin resolve. She grimaced, screwing her eyes shut as if willing the apparition to dissolve into the air.

"A Sith lies and knows no other way to speak," she fired back, reluctant to open her eyes for the ever-growing fear that perhaps this time, her tormentor would not leave.

[Darth Decepis]

"And a Jedi clings to a hope that inevitably betrays them. A lie is based in truth. It only waits for the truly powerful to transform it."

And at that, the storm lifted, leaving the terrible visage she knew all too well to close the distance between. She could neither move nor retaliate. Her choices were to gaze upon or look away.

"Who have betrayed you, Loklorien s'Ilancy? Who no longer remains by your side? Tell me their names, if you can remember them all."

[s'Il]

Her eyes snapped open at his last words, though any rebuttal she had was effectively silenced by the sight of him. Unable to take her broken gaze from his, the Lupine could do nothing but stare. She was transfixed. Those horrid, yellow diseased eyes bored holes into her, and s'Il could do nothing to protect herself.

He drew closer, and still she could not look away.

At least however, her voice found purchase once more, though it was small at best.

"Those who are no longer by my side are gone not for their own wishing," she gasped out.

"They are torn away by the treachery of the Sith."

And yet, his words had found the smallest of cracks within her defenses.

Zem left me...

Every emotion that she had borne in months following his abrupt absence threatened to boil over and spill out.

[Darth Decepis]

He laughed, mocking her flimsy defenses.

"Treachery? You think so little of the fallen and departed. Those poor gullible rubes, if only they discovered the Sith!"

He waved his hand dismissively.

"They faced this same choice that you now face. They chose poorly. They paid the price for their lack of vision. Now tell me who else you are content to simply hope for the best over?"

[s'Il]

Tears began to form, and yet still she could not look away as he stood over her.

"It is no concern of yours."

An exhaled breath rattled up from her chest to escape her lips, and s'Il finally tore her eye away from the tall figure over her. She looked to Dan's sleeping form, desperate for any measure of shelter from the Dark.

So close, yet so far away...

She had lost Zem. She couldn't lose Dan as well. Looking back up to the Sith, she felt as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Her resolve seemed to harden however, and the Jedi cast as stern an expression as she could muster upwards.

"Leave. Now."

And as if to punctuate her words, the unmistakeable rumble of a capital ship's engines burning atmosphere grew in volume. Novgorod had found them.

[Darth Decepis]

The spectre laughed at her demand, fading through the snowy mist as the rest of the world returned to Lok's senses. He was gone. Or was he?

[s'Il]

He was gone by the time the Novgorod passed by overhead, and s'Il folded in on herself as she leaned into Dan's body. Her eyes closed, blinking away her tears as she drove the sight of her tormentor from her mind's eye. She focused on warmth, and on keeping Dan from growing too cold.

"Wake up," she whispered, her ears registering the sound of the Novgorod banking for another pass. A quick look up to the ship in the distance, and she made out a small shuttle detaching itself from the larger body of the corvette.

"Wake up," a hand came out to lay against the side of his face as her words were repeated.

[General Dan]

Dan's snow-flecked eyelids reluctantly fluttered open, and he grimaced, trying to shift his weight to get comfortable, to no real avail.

His eyes focused on her, though, and he smiled. The shadow that passed over them both also reinforced that smile.

"Good morning."

He was hers and she was his. It certainly was the strangest wedding he'd ever heard of, but he wouldn't change a thing about it.