Life Of My Own (Finished)

[Jyener Celchu]

Life was full of questions, the future full of answers. Questions would constantly branch off of other ones. Simple curiosities such as wondering which way to go when coming to the fork in the road, could grow into something as complicated as 'What are the consequences?', 'How do I get there?', or 'What will I run into along the way?'. It didn't surprise him that some had the skills to reveal these answers of the future, or that they could use the information to help shape their lives. Aware of it, yes. Inclined to use those powers, no. He felt that it was up to him to unfold his life, to patch up the past and and stitch the future. There wasn't a day that went by without confusion playing out its discordant tunes in his mind. Questions remained unanswered. Rewards left unpaid. Responsibilities not carried out. This was the life of a shadowy loner figure. It was his life, and no matter how many questions he wanted answered, there was only one that was stuck in his head permantly. Was it worth it all?

Knock Knock

..........

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The thunderous raps on the steel door of his quarters shook Jyener from his sleep. Dreams faded away along with the darkness of night...well, almost. Early in the morning - the glow panels of his room programmed to automatically adjust to the environment - the light was too dim to break up the shadows. Usually a crowbar was needed just to lift his eyelids and pry him from his bunk in the morning, but he had been waiting for this day all too long. Already sitting on the side of his bed, Jyener was bent foward pulling up the pants of his casual outfit. Standing up he leaned over to his desk and reached out with his arms to pluck a white tee shirt from the misused edges on the chair. No more than a few seconds later he was at the door to interrupt the patiently waiting man from his third round of knocks.

"What is it now? Blast, it's not even four o'clock! Might as well sound an alarm in the entire fleet and wake millions of more grumpy men and women." Jyener ranted at whoever was at the door. In the back of his mind he hoped it was no one of importance. The lights in the corridor were twenty times brighter than the ones in his room and temporarily blinded his sleepy eyes.

"I am sorry to disturb you Admiral, however I was ordered to-"

Jyener grimaced, this better not be another day of fire drills or lockdown procedures. A horde of hungry mynocks shredding the systems of his starships would be more appealing right now. His vision clearing up, he noticed the officer was no happier than him, and decided to lighten the mood. "Ordered to wake me up right in the middle of one of my fantasies, making me nice and irritable? Good work, never seen orders carried out so well in my life. I'll remember to promote you."

The young fleet officer clad in normal uniform apparel chuckled and shook his head, handing Jyener the datapad he carried with him. Eyes glancing down at the screen colored in different shades of green, Jyener read the notice and grinned to himself.

"So both task forces will be conducting these tests?"

"Affirmative sir. All day long, starting in approximately an hour."

"And the guys up there wanted me awake and suited just to see a bunch of guys in white suits talk about a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo?"

"Err...Yessir."

"How I love my job. Anyone ever tell you to keep away from the admiral business?"

"No..."

"Well they just did."

[Drill Sarge Fox]

Most days he was an instructor, he pushed people around for the heck of it. Today, he was something entirely different. Drill Sargeant John Fox had a special assignment today, one that was to be dealt with carefully.

To the crowd he was just another lackey in the army. Only few in the same field as John got to know him as a person. Those were the people that had a chance to see why he wasn't such a bad guy. Of course that should've been looked at as a good thing, recruits weren't supposed to like their drill instructors. Not a single soul had the slightest reason to believe he was an associate of the fleet's commanding officer. A friend with an admiral, who would believe it? Even he found it hard to swallow at times, and still had no recolection of how it came to happen.

Rumors said they were childhood friends, others supported the fact that they were somehow related. Fox knew none of that was true, and suspected it must've been something about him - his potential. People would laugh at that. If only they knew. The two would rarely see eachother face to face and if they did, it was never in front of anybody else. The man would sometimes wonder if there was something the Admiral knew that he didn't. Only time would tell.

* * *

"O'brien, how are those security passes coming along?"

"Just dandy Fox. I've put together some keycards that'll let ya through some of the highest levels of security anywhere in the fleet."

A smooth, almost seducing female voice buzzed from the wrist comlink on Fox. He had just gotten out of the refresher and was putting on his combat gear. While tucking his black muscle shirt into his baggy camoflauge pants, he responded.

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. Oh and from now on, your name is Jay Sierra. I threw a little something together incase you run into any nosey guards."

John smirked at the name while he buckled his belt and threw on a thick navy blue vest which supposedly could absorb the impact of a blaster bolt.

"You sure are good at this stuff. I'll be over there in a minute to pick up the cards."

"That's not the only thing I'm good at, Sargeant."

[Jyener Celchu]

Two hours into his day and Jyener felt like going back to sleep. There was nothing more tedious than listening to several dozen mechanics talk about the status of the fleet's jamming systems. Of course it was nessecary to keep the fleet in top shape, but a few of the scientists were starting to get on his nerves.

"Some of your jamming beacons are incorrectly installed."

"I've detected a few malfunctioning beams that target friendly ships rather than enemies."

"Where's the nearest bathroom facility?"

The thirty-three year old held his head straight to give them the idea he was paying attention. His eyes gradually lifted to stare at the ceiling lights, his thoughts concentrated on other matters. Several minutes later he fell back into reality and glanced at the chronometer built in to his command chair. When would this end?

[Jyener Celchu]

The Hell's Guardian was a massive Super Star Destroyer Mark III. Originally an eight kilometer SSD, the command ship had been upgraded with the resources compiled from the wrekage of Death Fleet's first command ship, the Diablo. An Eclipse-class Star Destroyer, the vessel was one of the first in the fleet found after months of scavenging the galaxy. The class of warships were less common these days, and the might of fleets resided in numbers rather than strength. Like a military space station, the Hell's Guardian orbited Dayark - the planet's gravity towing it along with the rest of Death Fleet's forces.

Almost reaching mid-day, the fleet's orbit was at its closest to Dayark. People could be found in corridors with wide viewpanels, looking down on the blue-green planet. Indeed it was a sight, and once in a while a good eye could make out general landmarks on the surface.

Jyener was one of those sightseers, standing tall among the crowd and casting a gaze at the place he liked to call home. Leaning up against the wall opposite the glass, he pressed the back of his head to the cold metal and cuffed his hands behind his back. People would frequently walk by, whispering to eachother and pointing to Jyener as if he didn't notice. Others would stop and give a quick salute to the Admiral, and they were usually officers that knew who he was. Like a child reading his first book, Celchu studied those who passed by with stalking eyes.

It wasn't unusual for Jyener to think of him as leading a bunch of screw ups. There were times when he longed to go back to the days where people led him, and the screw ups were the people he fought. But now he understood. There were no questions, there was no confusion. Jyener Celchu had been a screw up his whole life. His parents could be commended however. As he saw it, they were smart and tried to kill him off as an infant. Fate got involved and somehow he survived. Now he realized that he was just a pawn in a game of chess. He didn't matter, and his role was only to take orders to help those better than him advance towards their goal. His people weren't screw ups, he was. It made sense now. Born a screw up, live a screw up, die a screw up. However he was going to shatter that theory. There was one thing he couldn't screw up. And that was to put an end to this chaos.

[Drill Sarge Fox]

hisssss....CLICK

Private O'Brien's door locked behind him as he walked out. A false ID pass clipped to his shirt and valid keycards tucked away in his pocket, Sargeant Fox walked on carrying access to anywhere in Death Fleet. His first objective was accomplished, yet many more challenges lay ahead. Reaching the end of the hallway, John swirved right as he patted the blaster rifle strapped to his belt double checking that it was secure.

Feeling like he was in a hurry, Fox took long strides to get to the end of the hallway about twenty meters up ahead. As he neared the door with the words 'LEVEL C' on it printed in red, he reached into his pocket and fumbled around until he felt the required card. Halting before the thick steel door, John inserted the card into the slit in the wall and pulled it out after hearing the hydrolics unlocking.

[DF Security Force]

A well figured woman dressed in navy blue uniform stood in the doorway before the loosely dressed soldier. Shoulder length red hair tied back in a tail, Imperial-issue blaster pistol in hand, she stared down the nearly bald man not blinking at all, guessing he held an officer rank.

"What are you doing?"

Sweat from her fingers rubbed up against the trigger. He had better have a good explanation otherwise there was no getting past her.

[Drill Sarge Fox]

That was unexpected. By the looks of it the security officer blocking his path was quick thinking, and was ready to pull the trigger without a second thought. John would just have to play along and buy some time for himself.

"The name's Sierra. Major in the 92nd Regiment. My commanding officer has strict orders for me to retrieve a--a lost rookie in this sector."

The firm officer raised an eyebrow and let a small smirk show up on her lips, indicating she just wasn't buying it. Nothing good for Fox when she had a gun to him at point blank range.

"Heh heh, you know how newbies are. Can't really blame them though, ya know. Huge ships, millions of identical doors and hallways..."

Fox's eyes drifted down barely but just enough for him to catch a glimpse her finger tightening around the trigger. A thought coming to his mind, he reacted on an instant.

"Hey, what's that noise?"

Craning his head around to the left, he eventually turned his whole body away from her pretending to look behind him. By the time he spun back around a blaster rifle was in his right hand and below his waist where she had to look down to see it. When she did he held the trigger down for half a second letting out a pair of shots into her left knee. Buckling down to the floor, her fingers slipped and pulled the trigger sending a single crimson red bolt to the ceiling, sending Fox ducking while smashing the butt of the rifle over her head. Crumpling up into a bloody mess on the once stainless floor, she still remained an obstical to "Major Jay".

After finding a closeby closet in the hallway, Fox lifted up the limp body so to keep it from leaving a bloody trail had he dragged it. The closet door sliding open from motion sensors, Fox tossed it in and moved on, leaving behind only a few blood stains on the floor.

[Jyener Celchu]

Several hours before mid day. Fleet activity was at its peak, and crowds could be found in the most abandoned areas. Those were the areas that Jyener needed today. They were of great importance, and meant a lot to the completion of his tasks. More importantly was the safety of his accomplice. By now he most likely was just getting into his objectives, and those objectives were numerous. Anything or anyone that could be of harm to the success of this mission was to be eliminated. With Jyener's assailant working in some of the most secure parts of the fleet, people were bound to an obstacle. Not anymore. The operative was smart, but Jyener had a plan to test how bright he really was.

Brushing a hand through his growing brown hair, Jyener spun on his heels and made his way towards one of the dozens of comm. stations in the main command center. When he arrived he looked at the Lieutenant standing there and gave him the suggestion to leave. He nodded and did so, sliding off the earphones and setting them back on their hook on the side of the slanted panel. The Admiral picked up a chrome cylinder with black grating on one tip, a wire connected the device to the panel on the opposite end.

"Civilians and officers of Death Fleet and Dayark, good morning. This is your Admiral speaking, wishing to bring to your attention a threat..."

[Drill Sarge Fox]

"...There have been breaches in several of our reactor cores. Tech teams are rushing to solve the problem as we speak, so I ask all citizens to please remain calm. To ensure the safety of millions, I am asking that all personnel aboard the vessels in Task Force One evacute to Dayark. People of Dayark, we request that you do everything you can to set up refugee camps for arriving shuttles, and soon. Again, not all starships are affected by this problem. This evacuation is just a precaution in case similar faults have spread to the rest of the fleet. Good day."

The loudspeakers placed along the hallway blared with this message or warning from the Admiral. Fox halted when he first heard it come up, but went back to jogging towards the freight elevator around the corner. This was his chance. He couldn't tell for sure whether it was a hoax pulled by Jyener himself to empty out the task force, or if it was true. Either way he couldn't waste time finding out.

As his boots came in contact with the steel grating of the freight elevator, spinning red sirens began to flash in the rectangular passage that the elevator started to go down. Klaxons sounded almost everywhere until there was no escape from the mix of high pitched whirls and deafening pulses. Fox stood in the middle of the elevator and noticed it was started to pick up speed as it went further down. Suddenly the floor grating touched down on a surface and the slide doors opened up, revealing an immensely huge room. Nearly empty except for the pipelines and various large objects in the middle of the room, the klaxons carried an echo, multiplying the sound. The red light of the sirens kept a dim light glowing in the dark room, dropping shadows here and there.

Spinning his head left and right Fox gave a quick scan of the area, checking his surroundings and looking for his objective.

[Jyener Celchu]

Jyener felt the stares pointed at him, coming from all directions. Faces filled with astonishment and disbelief were looking at him, yet Jyener wasn't surprised.

"Admiral, what is the meaning of this??"

Jyener shot a glare at the source of the voice - his personal advisor, his second-in-command, the ship's captain. Tapping through to his thoughts, Jyener sensed the level of fear rising in the plump man. Soon the same would be felt in all officers onboard the Super Star Destroyer's command deck.

"Captain, have you ever had any regrets? Anything that you hoped would never happen to you? Fears of what your fate would be like?"

The veteran officer shivered and stuttered in his reply.

"N-no...no sir.."

Jyener's stern face grew a smirk.

"Good. I hope you won't mind this then."

Out of nowhere, a slim cylinder was grasped by Jyener's fingers. His fingertips applied pressure to an invisible button, igniting a spark inside the container. A flash errupted, followed by a soft hiss and out of the object grew a silver blade of light. Jyener's lightsaber grew to be four feet long, and with no hesitation he lept foward at the Captain. The victim of evil had sheer fright in his eyes up until the point when he was beheaded by the superheated sabre. His bald head - besides the short beard he had started to grow - turned ghostly white and fell to the cold floor, slowly leaking a puddle a blood around it.

"Who's next in line?"

Officers and enlistees alike huddled together, some breaking to tears. They were never prepared for this. The man they trusted the most, the one person they showed most loyalty to was now about to kill them off, for all they knew.

[Nayala Palain]

Athena was normally on the Task force three. But she had duties that she needed to get done and turned into the Admiral reguarding her Army. She had landed upon the ship not but a day before. She didnt even bother to let the Admiral know. She had made her way to the quest quarters and taken one on her own. She slept then awoke the next morning.

Athena left her room and smiled. She made her way down the halls and upon the level the Admiral was on. The sliver door of the room where she (Athena) heard the classic Snap hiss of a lightsabers blade slid open just as the Captains head fell to the floor.

Athena walked past the body and she took a step over the head. Her eyes lifted up and over at the Admiral.

" Bad night i see sir. "

The General of the Death Fleet Army just stood there and looked at the Admiral for his reply.

[Jyener Celchu]

Jyener spun around as he heard the bridge's blast doors slide open, his face expression changing from surprised to confused. Standing there in the doorway with one hand on her waist was Athena, who was supposed to be millions of lightyears away. Casting her usual sarcastic look, she nodded towards the bleeding corpse on the floor.

"Bad day, you could call it that... Question is, what in the heck are you doing here?"

Jyener trained his eyes on her belt, keeping a watch on her weapons. Something wasn't right for her to be here, and his thoughts were only filled with uncertainty. It was a bad enough day already.

[Nayala Palain]

Athena smiled at the Admiral who was watching her weapons.

" Im not going to hurt you. And yes i know you are lost and confused on why I am here. "


>D


Athena moved and watched the Admiral as he watched her.


" I left the Task Force about a day ago and I arrived her not to long ago. I need to be heading out soon to get back. Before the Captian notice me gone. The reports that i still needed to get back to you are now in your office. Ohh and Sir dont try anything silly with me!:smokin "


Athena turned her back and headed back to the door she had just came threw.

[Jyener Celchu]

Interesting, to say the least. Jyener wasn't expecting anyone to be around for a while, and was hoping it would stay that way. His facial expression stayed the same, but it was clear he was no longer tense. A finger rubbed a spot on the lightsaber casing and the blade disengaged. Placing the hilt back to his side by hanging the loop on a hook on his belt, Jyener tilted his head to the left where the ex-Captain lay.

"So good at reading minds are you? I'm getting better too, it's a shame you weren't here to feel the fear and agony he had."

Athena grinned, giving her explanation of things, noticing Jyener had his eyes on her.

"Papers? Thanks, more work for me."

Jyener replied sarcastically, and watched as the General left as quickly as she had come in.

[Jyener Celchu]

Admiral Jyener followed Brigadier General Athena to the wide open blast doors and saluted her as she departed. Once waiting till she was a good distance away, he looked down the other end of the hall, into the bridge, approving that no one was in close proximity to the area. Like a guilty youth, he stalked towards the door's control panel in the hallway. Punching in his private code, he waited for the thick steel doors to slam shut before he ignited his lightsaber and sliced the cover off. During the process several wires were cut in half, the rest burnt to a crisp, rendering the opening mechanism useless.

Turning the opposite way Athena had left, Jyener flicked off his lightsaber and started in a sprint down the corridor. His second-in-command's blood on his own hands. His entire crew - which had gone through as much as him - prison in their own ship. Jyener's emotions were overwhelming him, his heart pounding, and his sanity ticking away in his head. As he raced down the narrow hallways, he flew by and knocked down passengers trying to reach the evacuation shuttles.

Jyener's options were slim, and his decisions supported poorly. Blend in with the thousands evacuating, leaving his entire history to be shattered to pieces. Or try and reach his comrade, to stop the mass destruction which was about to occur.

[Drill Sarge Fox]

Fox crept out of the freight elevator and worked his way over to the center of the room. As he approached a steep staircase at the other end of the room, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Pretending to ignore it, he placed his hands on the cold metal railing on both sides of the stairs and continued up several steps. Suddenly spinning around, he gripped the railing and pushed himself up. Swinging himself back and forth, he let go and spun over the person below, landing behind them.

"Ahhh!"

The sirens providing just enough light in the room, John was able to make out the dull wrinkly skin on the old man. Dressed in a white labcoat and black boots, it was clear he was a scientist of some sort. His long loose and gray hair had fallen over his eyes from the wind Fox created by flying over him. Obviously stunned, confused, and frightened, John dropped his weapon and in his mind washed him of any suspicions.

"What do you want old man?"

"First, who-o are you?"

"Jay.."

"Whattaya think yer doing in these parts?"

"I'm catching up with a techinician team that's heading for the reactor. I have orders to protect them."

"Ohh, I see. Good luck then, guess I should get going too, hmm?"

"Yes, it's not safe this close to the core."

"You got that right. Pretty smart for your age."

"Uh, yeah..."

Nodding to the aging scientist, John made his way up the metal staircase and through a glass door. Further down the path was a lifttube waiting to ferry people to other sections of the lower levels. Sargeant Fox stepped on, and entered the sequence to take him to the core.

[Jyener Celchu]

The main hanger bay was packed to every corner. Rows and rows of people filed into whatever starship they could find. The TIE Mark III Daggers screamed out of the launch bay in the center, leaving the launch racks almost deserted. Though he couldn't tell if the fighters were being controlled by their designated pilots or desperate crew members, he was just thankful that they could get out quickly.

To the port side of the hanger were bulkier freighters by the dozen. Captains waved for any strays to get on board, while others had to give the bad news of no more space aboard their craft. Several freighters were already lifting off and departing. From the small patch of space that the hanger bay opened up to, new and empty ships arrived to load up with crew and take them away.

Jyener then sighed and looked over to his right, where a few floors of landing bays opened up into the larger hanger. Although to him they were just a few specks of light in the distance, he knew that was where the private shuttles and military transports stayed. That was where he needed to get to. Unfortunately there were only a few left and by the time he made it there, the possibility of him finding a craft with room on it was close to nothing. Yet it was his best chance for finding a ticket off this bomb waiting to go off.

[Drill Sarge Fox]

A hum surrounded the cylinder-shaped chamber as it sped through the network of tunnels inside the Super Star Destroyer. The lifttube Fox was in was only one of the many that transported people throughout the lower levels of the ship. However by following the codes he had entered in, it's route was one rarely travelled.

As he waited for the lifttube to stop and the doors slide open, Fox crossed his arms across his chest. A blaster in his right hand covered by his upper left arm, he tapped his left fingers on his side. Meanwhile he let his plans play throughout his mind. Going over what he was to do step-by-step, he made sure he could do it fast and effeciently. Fox had to accomplish it, interference or not. The time had finally come, and he was only moments away from causing the destruction of a massive warship. Looking up from the floor, the lifttube doors slid open with a swish. The Sargeant grinned.

[Jyener Celchu]

Lights turned to streaks, the walls and floor a colorful blur. Jyener raced down the catwalk inside the hanger drawing closer and closer to the landing bays. His lightsaber handle rattled at his side, swinging back and forth with each stride. Careful that it didn't slip loose, Celchu gripped his right hand around it while he ran. Another hundred meters stood between him and his escape route. The next few minutes would decide his fate.

Rotating his neck slightly to the left, he glanced around with his eyes when he saw a specially marked military transport dive down and out of the launch bay. In its wake was a bulky but formidable troop transport most likely carrying top ranking army officials. Jyener cursed and spun his eyes over to the last landing bay where starships were left. Seeing the landing ramps still down on the last few shuttles, his spirit was raised and his speed increased.

[Drill Sarge Fox]

Black steel-toe boots stomped the floor. Fox marched towards the immensely huge machine controlling the reactor core powering all seventeen kilometers of the Super Star Destroyer. He had finally reached it, and easier than expected. Not anymore. Besides the physical challenges, he had now come to face the mental ones. One swipe of his arm and he'd destroy something important, something that meant many different things to many different people. To some - a home, to others - a workplace. Who knows how many people he might kill who got left behind.

Yet he was trained to push away this thoughts. As a soldier of the army, he was prepared to make these desicions regulary, and to handle them properly. He admitted this was could not be compared to missions he normally dealt with, however for now he needed to save those thoughts for later. Right now he had to eliminate his threats.

Standing several meters in front of him, a team of repairmen and technicians huddled around the controls to the reactor. Delicately involved in their work, they hardly noticed his arrival. An alien, one Fox had not recognized in the dark, turned around and smiled at him.

"Ah, more help I see. Welc.."

Not giving him a chance to finish his words, John had the barrel of his blaster in the alien's face. Within an instant his fingers were holding down the trigger.

PzzzZZTTT

The weapon heated up and charged the bolt right into its face, sizzling a deep crater where his nose would have been. The body turned lump and fell to the floor with a thud. The other four people - three men and one woman - turned away from their work startled by the sound of a weapon going off, and gasped at the sight of their dead friend. They were about to meet up with him once again. Four more crimson shots lit up the area and burned into the bodies of the others one at a time. Fox was showing off his marksmenship skills once again. No time to show off though, he had once last objective to accomplish.


* * *


The ping rang in his ears. His sweaty fingers tapped the buttons on the device. He watched the blocky red numbers change in accordinance to his programming - the four digits showing a time in minutes and seconds.

Seven minutes..eight minutes..nine minutes..ten minutes and forty-five seconds.

The 10:45 illuminated the screen and added a red glow to Fox's hands as he placed it on the control board of the central computer. The grip of the explosive container locked onto the metal wall with a click. Once in place, he pressed a square yellow button to activate the timer. In the process, his wrist rubbed up against the timer and pushed in one of the buttons. In his haste, Fox had reset the ten to a zero without even noticing it. The timer started the countdown, and he ran away with only forty-five seconds to escape.

[Jyener Celchu]

Jyener slid down the railing of the small staircase leading to a lower level in the hanger bay. Landing with his knees bent, he pushed up and sprung forward into a jog. The narrow hallway curved off to the left, forming an elongated half circle. As Jyener came to the end of it, he slid to a halt. He was now in the landing deck he saw earlier, but no ships. Various color coded cargo containers stacked up in random spots of the room, but surely not high enough to conceal a shuttle from his sight.

Then he heard something. Not a solid sound, but an echo. Something in the distance, disapated from layers after layers of walls. First was the mixed sound of a crack and pop, then an eerie moan after seconds silence. Something went off in Jyener's head, telling him the source. He had an instinct of what it was but wasn't sure when it was, now he knew. Stepping further into the spacious area to get a better idea of where he was, he craned his neck left and right until he finally came upon an open walkway off to the right. Sprinting towards it, he saw that it led to a parallel landing deck - and his only means of escape.

A rough estimate said the black Lambda-class Shuttle was a mere fifteen meters away. However its landing ramp was already closing, and Jyener did not have to be told twice that this was his only chance, and his last. He got off on a spring and, with every last drop of hope, he leaped towards the narrow opening between the ramp and shuttle.

Then total darkness. Pain entered his body where ever it could find an opening. Places that already hurt now hurt even more. Noise which he had drowned out before now played out in his head like a full orchestra. Sounds of crashes, impacts, explosions, and screams. It was all he remembered.

[Alec Lafeyette]

Hello? Mister! Wake up.

Stop yelling!

WhhhAAA!!

Now look what you've done!

What?


He opened his eyes, slowly lifting the dark cover of his eyelids. What he saw made him want to go right back to what he came from. A family supposedly, arguing over his head. He saw several lights in front of him, and along with the feeling of the cold surface on his back, realized he was laying down. But where was he? Confused, he lifted his back to get some of view from the cockpit window. Nothing but space, and hundreds of small craft going in the same direction. What was going on?

[Drill Sarge Fox]

The heat around him drew closer, as he was just getting off the staircase where he had encountered the old man. Explosions erupted behind him along with the whistling of a fierce wind of thick smoke. The core was erupting, and in his mind he pictured a ball of gas and molten fire growing outward in all directions, engulfing anything and everything in its path. The thick metals around it would not contain it, but fuel it.

Sergeant John Fox was also in its furious path. His mind - scared to death - knew it, his soul - diminished and dampered - knew it, however his body did not want to accept it. Dashing through a maze of corridors, he ran faster and faster until he came upon another large storage room. Out of breath, his pace slowed. The increasing heat suddenly intensified drastically as the fire's speed had picked up. The black, toxic smoke surrounded him, swirling in random patterns. Fox lost all sight, hearing, and sense of direction. Thick gases lifted him up and threw him a dozen meters through the air until he slammed up against a wall. The ball of fire engulfed him. His body was charcoaled to a solid black then crisped to a billion little pieces of ash left to float in space. Little pain was felt, it all happened in a flash. Only mental pain filled him in the last few seconds of his life - regret. He was a soldier, dying a fool.

[Alec Lafeyette]

Luckily the family hadn't noticed him lifting his head, which allowed him several more hours of sleep. When he woke later on, the three voices he had heard earlier gave him a warm welcome. They showered him in aide, every now and then wiping his forehead with a cold cloth, and soaking up blood from injuries with a thick towel. He eventually regained enough strength to sit up on the table where he lay.

Then the questions began. He used the time he spent resting to think back to what happened, and to try and recover his memory. He remembered some things, but they were faint, and without answers he was all the more confused. It really troubled him, however, that he couldn't even remember his name or who he was. He kept those questions to himself, knowing the three couldn't answer them and to hide his embarrassment. A man and woman stepped into the room, looking to be in their early forties. He would saved his energy and let them do the talking first. Maybe their explanation of things would clear the fog in his mind.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, you all right kid?"

"I'm, getting there.....What? How?"

He coughed, clogs of blood spat out. The lady put her hand on his back and stopped him.

"Shh.. Don't worry, we'll explain what we know."

So he sat up against the wall which had been warming for his comfort, and listened intently. She started off by saying he had been severely hurt by falling debris, explaining his condition. Then her partner jumped in and went into more depth with his reasoning. The man was owner of the shuttle, modified for his family's personal needs. In his words, "We heard about the trouble and decided to pitch in with the evac. We took off in this shuttle and loaded it up with people from the ship." His wording was lacking details and wasn't helping much, but it was something. Then he explained that they were just taking off when their daughter, Kristen, noticed someone from her seat at the shuttle's entrance, and started crying.

"You were more wreaked than our first ship when my wife took it for a ride."

The woman nudged him with her elbow and let out a low growl. All three chuckled and then the husband continued with his story. He learned that the cause for his blackout was 'a beam so big we almost gave up hope on you'. A metal girder had fell from the ceiling and hit his back, weighing him down on the floor. With the warning from the girl, the man said he and the pilot landed and struggled to get it off him. Then he went on with little details after, ones that wouldn't answer his main questions. He was feeling a little better now after the fifteen minute explanation, and spoke with less pain.

"Let me get this straight. I was crushed by a falling beam and went unconscious. Why?"

"Wow it really got you good, you don't remember a thing huh? The place was going out in a bang. The ship's reactor core exploded. You would've been floating space slug food."

His eyes widened, shock took over his face. He looked down at his arms, moving them around. Except for dark red blood stains and a few rips in his shirt and pants, his clothes looked familiar. This was too strange, yet made things more understandable. It couldn't be, could it?

"And with the help of your pilot you came back and rescued me, because of your daughter, which is why I'm here and alive?"

"You got it."

Then a young, cheerful voice full of curiosity was heard, and in came their daughter. Though she looked to be only six years old, she had saved his life.

"Heey mister, you woke up! What's your naaame?"

"Krysten, don't be rude. You know he isn't feeling well."

Looking at her mother he smirked, "No, really, it's fine. My name..."

Before he didn't know who he was, now he was sure of it. The question now was 'what do I say?'. Everyone was in this condition because of him, and that was the only reason. He chose to end his life of confusion, misery, pain, and loneliness. Yet here was his chance. Instead of getting rid of his life, he could start a new one just by giving a false name. It was a new opportunity, and he was grabbing it.

"...My name is Alec, Alec Lafeyette."

[Alec Lafeyette]

"You have a wierd name Alex La-fat," Krysten declared as she jumped into her mother's arms. That's when the man stood up and went into the cockpit. Getting on his feet, Alec followed with his right hand holding his bruised left elbow. He stood at the entrance as he watched the man sit in the co-pilot's seat, putting on a headset similar to that of the pilot's. They exchanged looks and banter, conversing about how the Clesella's Prize - the shuttle's designation according to the plaque over the viewscreen - was doing. Knowing he had to get used to having no authority, Alec tried his best not to be rude when he jumped into the chat.

"Where are we going?"

The pilot turned his head first, startled by the unfamiliar voice, then turned back to look at the navigational displays.

"Somewhere in the Yavin system, at least that's what these hyperspace coordinates say. Should be arriving in a half hour."

"..Yavin? What, what about Dayark?"

The pilot kept his head straight while he talked, the owner turned around in his chair to face him, and answered this time.

"The place is a graveyard now, buddy. Rumors started spreading around saying the Admiral was on that SSD when it blew. Orders are that if he's ever missing or dead we were to go to these coordinates, and that's exactly what we're doing."

Alec looked down, with the same feeling of surprise he felt before when hearing about what had happened to him. He remembered issuing the order a while back, but he couldn't remember why.

"Everyone?"

This time the pilot answered. "Everyone and everything. It was a mass evacuation. The remainder of the fleet stocked up with supplies from the planet, then we all made the jump."

"So, what do we do at Yavin?"

"I'd like to know myself."

[Hector Lien]

Agent Lien, sat aboard the Interictor Cruiser Yank, with its bubble activated. He was not the Captain of the ship, but was there on a military steak-out, to collect information. Along side them were three Durk pickets with it.


Nineteen hours had gone by since the ship had come out from Hyperspace and set up. The crew was on its third shift, into one hour, the agent though, had been sitting there four about 12 hours already. Gosh, something had better happen now!, thought Lien.

[Alec Lafeyette]

Fifteen minutes had gone by, in which he had helped himself to the shuttle's refresher unit that - by the looks of it - had been recently added on. Alec felt clean, except for the scars here and there that wouldn't go away anytime soon, but not relaxed. With new clothes generously supplied by the family he was in suitable condition for whatever awaited them at Yavin. He was physically ready for this new life, yet he still had obstacles to overcome mentally - and they seemed more difficult than any physical handicap.

Suddenly the entire shuttle jerked, and Alec nearly lost his balance. Travelling in hyperspace, he deemed it impossible for an enemy craft to be firing on them. Though the facts that a large amount of ships had entered hyperspace in fret and in close proximity supported the idea of a collision, he figured they would have instantly died. Only one cause remained, and that was of being snagged back into realspace by an interdiction field. A surprise it was, yet Alec almost...accepted it. Some sort of strange premonition told him this would happen. Sure there was always a good risk of being caught by pirates or a patrol fleet, but this was different. Comfortable with the situation and patient to see the outcome, he entered the cockpit to get a view of space, as well as a slim arrowhead ship off to the left. As the pilots of the shuttle veered off course to try and escape, the predatory craft moved closer to intercept.

"No. Stay.."

Both the pilot and the father figure spun their heads around bewildered, as if he was a ghost. "You sure got banged up pretty hard back there. Whatta ya nuts?"

"They're friendly. I. . .can tell. See what they have to say."

Astonish took over the father's face while the pilot turned back around to steer the craft away from collision. "How can you tell? Are you sure you're feelin' okay?"

"Markings. The design of the ship. I recognize them both," Alec lied, knowing his 'gut feelings' wasn't going to help. Meanwhile the rest of the fleet and transport craft slowed out of hyperspace behind them.

[Hector Lien]

"Tactical, lock on turbolasers, fire a shot across their nose. Launch fighters and have the durks take out them bigger ships." The captain was screaming to his crew. Although the crew didn't really take his emotion, just the orders; Lien observed from his nook.

"Captain, open a communique' to the transporter fleet. I want them to all prepare to be borded and identified." The Agent ordered.

"Yes sir." He responded to the man, "You heard him." He spoke to his command crew. With in minutes, the Durk trio encompassed the first ship out of hyperspace. Two taking aim on the defensless ship as the third began to latch onto it. It was time to say hello.

[Alec Lafeyette]

Ship after ship poured out of the hyperspace lane, all managing to fall within the trap. A crisp green laser streaked past the view screen of the shuttle as it swirved to port and turned its back on the Interdictor-like craft. Finally a Super Star Destroyer blurred out of hyperspace, making all ships accountable. Acting swiftly, the other Imperial Star Destroyers formed up on its wings and moved into a defensive position around the smaller warships and shuttles. Though the heavier ships were just out of firing range on the enemy, laser fire errupted between both sides and the shuttle Alec was on got caught in the middle.

"Friendly huh? Real nice friends you got there."

"They don't know it's us," Alec shot back at the father.

"For someone who went unconscious, you sure seem to know a lot." The pilot jumped in with his witty remark.

"I knew him.. I worked under the Admiral. I know these people, they can help. .I hope."

"Okay, fine. What do you expect to do then? Better act fast 'cause once those Star Destroyers are in range you're friends'll be vaped faster than water on Tatooine."

Alec narrowed his eyes at the man who had rescued him. Mistrust was starting to grow inside him, but he was right. He had few ideas, and only one chance to try them.

"Patch an open signal to all of the fleet. Say exactly as I say, no more, no less."

The father in the co-pilot seat hit a few switches and turned a knob clockwise, while meanwhile the pilot was vigorously dodging laser shots and fighters.

"Done."

"All right. You have Admiral Jyener Celchu onboard your shuttle."

The father repeated the statement replacing the 'you's with a 'we' and 'our', and giving the shuttle's ID number. Not a second went by when a reply came through, the person obviously in shock after hearing that the man had died.

"Say that the Admiral wishes for all craft to hold fire, and to request the captain of the pickets to contact him onboard this shuttle."

Once again, the orders were forwarded to the officer on the other line and sixty seconds went by before another voice was heard through the speakers.

"Shuttle #52609-F, this is..."

[Hector Lien]

The Agent smiled. He was surely to get a promotion now, as he had hit jackpot with the capturing of Admiral Jyener Celchu, commander of Death Fleet. Such a prize this was. He finally ordered helm to send a response.

"Shuttle #52609-F, this is Imperial Agent Hector Lien, of the Bastion Sector. Surrender the Admiral and we shall spare the rest of your convoy. The Star Destroyers groups will arrive in less then two minutes. If you value your life, surrender him and all will go well. You have thirty-five seconds to respond." The transmittion ended.

[Alec Lafeyette]

"If you value your life..."

If only the man knew the irony of it. No time to think though. Alec reached forward and flicked the blinking switch used to open a channel with the Imperial.

"Agent Lien, this is Jyener Celchu, the person you seek. You will end hostilities toward my fleet or they will retaliate with little mercy. I have a proposal, one that I know will be of great interest to you. Let me board your ship and I will tell you all you want to know."

Alec flicked the switch off and leaned back against the rear wall of the cockpit. This had better work, for everyone's sake.

[Hector Lien]

Hector thought of his proposol. The convoy was no match for the Destroyer groups on its way. But, they could hurt the ships there. Possibly. "Fine, Admiral, I shall hear you out. Prepare to be boarded by the Durk picket closest to you."

[Alec Lafeyette]

"Affirmitive. Thank you for your acceptance."

Lafeyette walked out of the shuttle's cockpit with no more said, leaving the other two surprised at how good he was at this. He found both mother and daughter sleeping in the main cabin, which he was thankful for. They need not be disturbed by the situation at hand, especially the young one who had probably never witnessed a space battle before. They had rescued him, but now their lives were in his hands. No room was left for error. It was a wierd feeling, one he had not felt before. Never had he held concern for individual lives. It was always his life and his ships. Who died in the process mattered little to him. The thoughts were slowly but surely slipping away and into the past.

Turning away from them, he walked to a rectangular metal chest and lifted it open. Inside was a small handheld blaster, easily concealable, and a lightsaber. Alec reached for the latter, but pulled his hand away and closed the box. Standing back up he made his way to an airlock and waited.

The sounds of a tractor beam locking on to the shuttle was heard outside, and soon later the mechanical sounds usually heard inside a hanger. A few seconds passed and the shuttle landed with a bang on one of the floors reserved for craft with landing gear only. The door broke apart into four sections - all sliding away into their own spots - and the ramp ahead slowly fell to reveal a spotless hanger floor.

[Hector Lien]

Nine Imperial Stormtroopers kept their E-11's tamed on the sole man that had come from the shuttle. They watched him, observing for any blaster-type weapons. Hector Lien, an Agent of the Imperial Intellegence Branch, stood about eight feet from the man. He exchanged gazes with the man, figuring him for Alec Lafeyette.

"Alec Lafeyette?" He asked in taught military voice. Hector Lien showed no signs of any emotion. Just like the Stormtroopers.

[Alec Lafeyette]

Alec nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the agent and not distracted by the stormtroopers. Striding down the line from the shuttle's ramp to his host, he cleared his thoughts and turned his mind neutral, in case the man was a force adept.

"I am. . .was Admiral Jyener, leader of Death Fleet, allied with The Sith Empire. I suspect you are of The Galactic Empire?"

[Hector Lien]

"Ahh... well..I am Hector Lien, Agent from Bastion sector, under Admiral Lebron. You wish to talk in a more .. private place?" The agent waved his hand, signalling the troopers to drop their blaster aims.

[Alec Lafeyette]

Alec grinned as the man notioned for his guards to drop their weapons. Everything was smooth so far, he just needed to get the agent to trust him, and believe the information.

"Privacy is required, Mr. Lien. I do not believe that you'll want my words slipping into the wrong ears."

Hector nodded and the two walked off to a more secure location, the agent's office, where Alec took a seat and sat back with his arms placed on the arm rest. His host broke the silence. "So Admiral, you claim to have delicate information. Why do you offer this information so easily, and why do you wish to help me?"

"Hector, I'll tell you flat out, I don't like my job. Helping you will help me."

"I don't follow you Celchu..."

"I hear tensions are growing between the various factions in the galaxy. People are starting to fear that their hold on the galaxy will slip from their grasp. Militaries are building protection, mercenaries are drooling for money and weapons, Sith are training ruthlessly, the Jedi are trying to find resolutions."

"I understand all of this. Are you trying to say that this information will help?"

"In a sense, yes. You tell me. How would you like the opportunity of a lifetime?"

[Hector Lien]

"Yes I would. I would love it very much so." Hector still kept his hand on a blaster under his desk, as he nodded barely noticable to the men monitering this conversation and the Admirals bodily functions through scanners imbedded in the walls and floors. "Go on, Admiral."

[Alec Lafeyette]

". . . . . And that's all I know about them."

"So let me get this straight. You are a, a Sith? Now you're turning on them just like that?"

"Was. It's more complicated than that, but yes. Unfortunately my stay with them was, interrupted. Keep those stats safe, and bring them directly to your superior as soon as you can. That's all I ask."

Alec slid the papers on the desk towards Hector, and leaned back in his chair relaxed. A smirk crossed his lips, thinking of the consequences of this trade - both good and bad. It seemed greedy of him, but his reasons extended beyond personal goals.

[Alec Lafeyette]

A new shuttle awaited Alec in the hanger bay, rather than the sleek black one belonging to the family he had befriended. He stepped up the ramp and before it could shut behind him, a pair of uniformed men greeted him.

"Admiral, a pleasure to see you alive sir!"

"Yes, it's great to see that you weren't killed."

Everyone thought he was Jyener, so he'd have to make everyone believe he was Jyener. Coincidentally, it didn't seem that hard of a task. "I'm fine, thanks. Just get us out of here and back to the HellFire."

"Already done sir. We should be docking within three minutes."

"So how did the talks go?"

Alec looked at the man's rank bars and determined him a lieutenant commander. "As planned. What I offered should keep them off our backs until we make the jump to hyperspace."

The other man, a second lieutenant, spoke with inquiry, "Ah, yes. Back to Dayark I assume?"

"Don't assume, it makes a-"

"Forgive me Admiral. Where do you intend on going then?"

A screen illuminated the dim shuttle cabin, sitting in the corner displaying telecasts of all sorts. Suddenly breaking news from GNN interrupted the programs, and the reporter spoke with dire emergency about trouble in a place called Arcan IV; uprisings, assaults, military buildup. Alec looked past the men to watch the news, and they turned around to see what was so interesting. He continued to watch until he learned more about what was going on.

"Tap into the shuttle's galactic map and search for Arcan IV. Download the location and transfer them to the command ship. I want the entire fleet to jump to those coordinates, and that's an order!"

And they did so. Both officers rushed to the cockpit. One brought up a map - where he soon found the planet, while the other slid on a headset and contacted the SSD HellFire. A connection was made and the precise coordinates were transfered to the starship's hyperdrive computers. From there, the crew on the command ship sent out the coordinates to every other hyperspace capable ship in the fleet.

The Lambda Shuttle docked in the secondary hanger bay of the Super Star Destroyer, and the three trekked up to the bridge taking a variety of paths and turbolifts on the way. It took a little over twenty minutes for them to arrive however the ship, along with the rest, was well on its way to Arcan IV.

[Yun Tilgraze]

Arcan IV

Agent Yun Tilgraze took a drink from his steaming caf, dividing his attention between the attractive woman across the table and the bustling crowd of the market square.

It had been an interesting few months on the newest member world of the New Republic. It was as if the free trader world filled some kind of void for every opportunist in the galaxy. Perhaps it was why Special Forces was so determined to establish a new stronghold here, to be in the middle of it all.

That feeling of being the Rebellion again could be felt everywhere he went. He considered a mixed blessing. It gave them a new sense of purpose, but made them look like a target.

That combination made the job of Intel unique. Somewhere in orbit, the NR's latest fleet commander was trying to impress the upper brass and justify her promotion. That meant lots of space traffic, civillian and military. And tighter security.

They had been following a suspected bit-runner since the Port Authority flagged his ship's arrival. There was no crime against being an infochant, but this one was less than selective with his clientelle.

The brown haired Thyferian turned back to the table and his associate for the mission. "He finished lunch close to a half hour ago. This has got to be a drop. See anybody?"

[Winter]

Winter casually turned to the next page of her paper.

"I've been watching everyone that has been coming and going from outside this area for over an hour now."

She picked up her cup of java and took a sip before looking at Tilgraze.

"Twelve people have managed to mill about here but only one person has decided to linger."

Her eyes lead her partner to a human sitting three tables to his right. The guy was obviously a spacer, smuggler perhaps. He looked like he needed a shower and the guy was so shaken up his jittery leg was going to knock over the briefcase next to him.

"Every now and then he glances over to our target. Surprised you missed him."

She smiled and returned to reading her paper.

[Alec Lafeyette]

Lafeyette stood by the main viewport of the bridge, arms crossed across his chest and his eyes watching the illuminating tunnel of hyperspace fade out to real space. Straight ahead was a flourishing blue planet decorated by dirt brown continents and islands. A nearby star lit up three quarters of the planet, the other quarter draped by space's darkness. Alec turned his attention away from the planet and twisted his neck back to make sure the crew was attending to their orders. At the same time the rest of the fleet dropped out of hyperspace and formed up on all sides of the command ship.

"Admiral, no sign of hostile forces!"

Alec called out to another crew member, "Thosson?"

"I'm not picking up any signs of life either, sir."

He turned back around to watch the planet. Where was everyone? Were they too late, or was it just a come-and-go pirate raid? He gave them a few more seconds and then decided on a course of action.

"Lieutenant Amiitz, engine sublight engines and get us closer to th. . ."

Alec's mouth fell while he cursed under his breath.

"Unknown fleet coming in at sector one-seven-point-zero-five! Repeat, unknown fleet coming from behind the planet!"

"I see 'em Thosson. Amiitz, I want the fleet to form a wall so they can see every one of us nice and clear. Then get us closer to those ships."

The Lieutenant went right to work as well as almost everyone else onboard the Super Star Destroyer's command deck. Every craft in the unorganized fleet - from Bulk Freighters to Imperial Star Destroyers - rose their shields and shut down all weapon systems. Comm stations aboard the flagship repeatedly sent out signals to the entire planetary system, informing of a surrender and no wish to fight. They could only wait to see if they accepted, before the two fleets came in firing range where it would be too late to retreat.

[Yun Tilgraze]

"Coy is not a word I would have associated with --"

The remainder of Agent Tilgraze's comment was drowned out by warning claxons. A voice boomed over loudspeakers in every building, advising people to move in an orderly fashion for designated blast shelters. The planetary shield has been activated.

The announcement cycled through several languages as choas erupted in the streets. Yun stood up, trying to keep track of the suspects they were following. He saw them both, going different directions in the mad flow of pedestrian traffic.

On cue, his comlink chirped. Yun regarded Winter as he answered. "Yes. ... Yes. Oh really. ... Yes. No. ... On our way."

He flipped the comlink panel closed and nodded toward the NR command complex. "Come on let's go. We have a walk-in."

[Winter]

She watched Yun intently, trying to figure out what would be so important to contact them while in the middle of a sting. Winter watched as her partner's expression turned from being slightly annoyed to one of surprise.

"Come on let's go. We have a walk-in."

Winter stood up and left a few credits for the coffee.

"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events."

She folded the paper in half and rested in under an arm as Yun led the way to the complex.

A walk-in didn't happen a lot in these days... During the reign of the Empire, walk-ins were as common as there were Sith today. Disgruntled beings that were sick of the overbearing rule of the Emperor would find a way to communicate to the Rebellion, wishing to work with them. They would either join their ranks or possibly even serve as a double agent.

This was a major development unlike keeping tabs on a small time infochant. Winter was quite curious in finding out who finally had the strength to see through the veil of promised lies ...

[Alec Lafeyette]

The fleets had closed the gap between them, and ships began hailing eachother as assistance was provided and meetings were taking place. One shuttle, designated Chance II, left the hanger bay of the Super Star Destroyer HellFire and made its way towards the planet with one flight of TIE Advanced Mk IV and another flight of A-Wings escorting it with extreme delicacy.

"Arcan IV Delta Base, this is the shuttle Chance II bringing in the "Pink Ant"; requesting clearance, over."

"Shuttle 201750, access permitted. Lowering deflector shields. Mark your entry at vector three-one-one-point-oh-six-five, and you're clear to land."

"Roger that base. Better have a good welcoming committee down there, you're gonna like this one."

The pilot of the shuttle had managed to get a good look at the guy behind the defection, and he looked pretty decent - not to mention . . interesting. Yet the man wasn't kidding, Alec meant business. The Chance II burned through Arcan IV's atmosphere layers until it finally leveled out near the surface and smootly descended towards the appointed landing area. Alec, seated in the shuttle's guest room, straightened out his clothes and thought to himself. This was it, he finally made it. From here on it would be a new life and a new him. The landing ramp finally touched the ground and he walked out, to the end of the duracreet sidewalk, and into the complex.