Callsign: Mynock

[Nichos Marr]

"Captain Marr, Sir..." The droid's metallic voice trailed off for a few moments as it's processors displayed the data in its micro-mind, "...I am to tell you that there is a message waiting for you in Communications Tower A-E." The droid's voice was bland, but Nichos felt some meaning to it. With that bit of meaning, he was able to guage the importance as not being painfully urgent. Then again, he did not receive messages often.

Nichos tipped his head to the side and caught full view of the droid. It had been made to work and serve humans, not a pleasant way to live a life. Nichos knew that droids where programmed to feel the electronic equivalent of happiness when they completed their jobs correctly. It didn't seem right to some folks that droids were programmed with personalities and emotions, but Nichos had really no objections to it. His own astromech droid had developed somewhat of a personality, but not as much as the infamous "Artoo Deetoo" in the Skywalker holovids. Nichos had enjoyed watching the sarcastic droid on the recreations of the adventures that the young heroes of the Alliance.

This droid in front of him resembled a protocol droid, except its head looked more like an insect's. The silver droid's optical sensors were wide and filled half of its metallic head. Nichos had the pleasure of seeing these types of droids at New Republic High Command. He knew their attitudes were formal and somewhat prissy. Good manners and sharp basic accents were the first things programmed into these droid types. Nichos noted that this one had a certain stance that some assassin droids possessed.

"It is my duty to escort you there, Captain." The droid told him. Nichos rose from the chair he had been sitting on. He thought it'd be a good time to catch up on some light reading, although there would be no such luck. It did not really matter, there would be other times to read. Nichos followed the droid out of his quarters and through the military-like halls. New Republic soldiers passed by, usually carrying something heavy or scoping the areas for unusual sights.

"So, what's your name?" Nichos asked the insectoid shaped droid. The silver machine was rather surprised at being asked this question. Nichos wondered if it had ever attempted small chats on its free time...if droids had any free time.

"I am G-MDP, or as some of the other offices call me, 'Mudpit'." Nichos turned to stare at the droid, forgetting it's face was designed emotionless. He detected a small note of annoyance in the droid's voice. Mudpit was a name that did not seem too appealing for a droid. He felt a little sorry for the droid, who obviously did not enjoy this nickname that had been bestowed upon him. "Right this way, Captain."

Nichos entered the turbolift that would lead straight up to Communications Tower A-E. The Jedi didn't doubt he would have to show identification, and readied his card. He had never been to Communications Tower A-E before, but it probably didn't differ from Communications Tower B-C or A-A. The tower that he was ascending too was usually used to intercept long range messages from the outer rim. He wondered who would be calling him from that far into the rim.

The turbolift stopped. Nichos Marr did not waste any time to step out of the lift. He was quite eager to hear what this illustrious message contained, but the past year and a half of Jedi training had taught him patience. His face bore no emotion and looked like that of a statue, blank and uninspiring. Although he felt mildly excited inside. Perhaps the Jedi would have some sort of new mission for him to do. He hadn't gone on any missions in a long time, and now would be a great time to start again.

Finally, he had reached the computer console that held his message. The guards near the turbolifts had set him back a couple of minutes, but that did not matter now that he was here. He studied the transmission receiving system, and recognized it to be an older model. He'd seen similar models in office buildings on Rodia. Naturally, Nichos knew how to access his message. A Gamorrean with learning deficiencies could access a message on this module. Nichos bent over and opened the message file. The droid, Mudpit that had escorted him stood at his side, probably awaiting an order. Nichos didn't mind if he was around, he cared more about the scrolling binary symbols that had filled the console.

Nichos watched as the particles of light on the holopad beside the console took definate shape. They illuminated a person he knew, but only five inches his regular size. This man was Jensi Rik, a smuggler that had befriended Nichos during his last days on Rodia. The smuggler had been one of those to convince Nichos that the Jedi Order could offer him so much more. The last time Nichos saw Jensi was during his trip to Ryloth with Da'Kara Ven. Jensi claimed he was hauling supplies to a wealthy business Twi'lek there, Nichos knew it was probably some intoxicating substance. He even suspected Jensi was picking up some ryll, a strong and expensive spice which was illegal to ferry without a permit.

"Nichos," The holographic smuggler began. Nichos deduced this message had been pre-recorded, probably days ago, "Might got one more of 'em Jedi initiates for you guys at Arcan IV. I dunno, he works with the NR. Heard about him a while back when I was shipping some weapons to Commander Chyn. Seems to be a hot pilot. Didn't know if it'd help you or not but I attached the coordinates of the planet to this message. Your nav computer should have a whole write up on it."

The holograph went silent for a moment.

"Anyway, how you doing? Last I heard you were being shot at on Tatooine. Watch your back and be weary of everyone. I'm sure you already know that already, being a Jedi magician and all. Anyway, check out that pilot. Heard he's a pretty hot hand behind the X-wing cockpit. His callsign is Mynock. You should be able to find him near Kowak on a fighter transport called the, Heroic. Good to talk to you again, Nichos. Uh...May the Force be with you. Rik out."

The holographic smuggler disappeared into nothingness as the holopad's internal projector shut down. Nichos pondered on the message he had just received. Why did Jensi send it to him, and not the Jedi Order? Nichos absently ran a hand through his messy hair, scruffing it up more. He rubbed the short beard on his chin and turned to face Mudpit.

"Hey, can you get me a copy of this whole message, and a second copy of the attachment files?" Nichos asked.

"Oh of course, Captain. My main function is to help others and insure that everything runs smoothly. You will have your data-discs within the next hour." The droid replied, fondly.

"Good, ready my X-wing." Nichos announced, feelings of nostalgia flooding his emotions at saying that historic line.

"But Captain Marr, this datapad says your X-wing was destroyed months ago." The droid countered.

Nichos' grin turned into a frown as he remembered that for the past few months he had been shipping out supplies for the New Republic on Cargo Ferries and Bulk Cruisers. The Jedi let out a sigh and made a second request, "If you could find me a ship willing to allow passage to a planet named Kowak, I would be greatful."

"Yes Captain, I'll do that." The droid replied, bowing its head slightly at Nichos.

Nichos smiled at Mudpit and headed for the turbolift. It seemed he would be going on yet another "wild mynock chase".

[Ash Longbaugh]

Executing a roll to avoid the incoming laser fire, Ash Longbaugh brought his XJ3 X-Wing to the side of his wingmate, and checked damage report to confirm he wasn't hit.

"You okay Mynock?" came the voice from his comm

"Nebula, please tell me any time I haven't been" he replied, smiling

Pulling their snubs round, they saw that their opponents had done the same. They were flying A-Wings. Although weaker than an X-Wing, they had speed on their side.

"Hey Nebula, Think Mynock's suprise will work?" He asked, diverting his shield strength slightly to the front.

"Think it's worth a try. Me cut, you suprise?"

"Roger that. Setting lasers and shields to seventy five percent"

"Throttle at maximum"

"Let's do it"

Speeding forward at maximum speed, Ash saw his opponents turn to face them head on. Knowing they wre out of range, Ash slowly stroked the trigger, not yet firing.

"Okay Mynock, cut throttle to seventy percent"

"Copy"

The two slowed slightly, although not enough for the opposition to notice. Looking down at the computer, he saw that they were nearly in range. Almost there...

"Now!" He shouted into the comm, and immediately cut the throttle to below fifty. He looked to his side in time to see his wing set it to full, and cut straght across him. Falling for the bluff, the A-Wings began to turn to follow Nebula, thinking it was evasive maneuvers. It was too late that they realised Ash hadn't followed. Pressing the trigger, he fired a series of dual burst shots into the front opponent's exposed side. Hitting the engine, he watched as the snub exploded, narrowly missing his friend. Returning throttle to full, Ash got onto the tail of the final opponent. Switching to Photon Torpedoes, he watched as the sight on his HUD went from red to yellow, and finally green. Smiling, he released a single torpedo, and watching with satisfaction as it crashed into the rear of the A-Wing, turning it into nothing more but debris.

"You okay Nebula?" He asked, quite unconcerned

"Yeah, they didn't get the chance to fire" came the reply, causing Ash to smile

"Well, I think that's mission succesfull. Let's get back" he said, and pressed a button on the top of his cockpit, and watched as the stars dissapeared into blackness.

---

Getting out of the Simulator, Ash undid the chinstrap on his helmet, scratching where the rest had been. Helmets and flightsuits weren't needed for Simulators, but most pilots wore them anyway, so that the feel was all there.

Looking across to the simulator next to his, he saw his wingmate getting out. Dropping to the floor, he began to walk over, as Miro Ton took her helmet off, shaking her head to bring her dark, shoulder length hair out from under. Seeing him approach, she smiled over at him.

"Another run without a casualty. Keep this up, and Rogue Squadron will be begging us to join" She said

"Rogue who? We don't need them, we're Monkey Lizards" Ash replied, laughing. He glanced to his side to see their two defeated oponents, from Remenent Squadron, looking at them.

"Monkey Lizards?" One asked

"Yeah, because we're from Kowak" Miro replied, as Ash began laughing in immitiation of one of the small creatures. Looking even more confused, the pair left the pilots alone.

Taking his helmet off, Ash headed to a viewport. Looking down, he saw the small planet of Kowak, the planet he'd spent most of his pilot life in orbit of. Sighing, he sat down on a stoarage box, still looking out.

"What's the matter?" Miro asked, coming up behind him

"Just thinking about my wasted career"

"aw, come on..."

"Let's be honest here. I'm the best pilot stationed here. I've seen the reports. Lead says I'm good enough for a frontline squadron, so does Admiral Paak. Am I on the frontline though? No. Instead, I'm stationed near a planet in the middle of nowhere. Fought a few Vong scouting forces, the odd Imperial or pirate, defended the nearby scientists from attacks. Any squadron could do this. The entire squadron deserves more. But you've seen, noone can get transferred from here. It's as if they don't want us from the rim in their squadrons. So, that is my job hopes. Fly the simple missions, occasionally get a challenge, wait for lead to retire to see if I can make lead." he interrupted

Sitting down nect to him, Miro rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it. He smiled, and rested his hand on hers, turning to face her.

"One day, I am going to do something with my skills. Something that will make people proud to have known me. I am not going to live my life a failure" he said, a detirmined look in his eyes.

[Ash Longbaugh]

Ash had barely had chance to sit down after the Simulator before being called to the briefing room. He entered to see the rest of the Squadron assembled, sitting on a set of chairs facing a holoprojecter. In front was lead, a man called Tork Allem. With his short blonde hair and clean shaven face, he looked the type for would see on a New Republic recruitment poster. Nodding to him, Ash slowly sat on a seat, and watched as Tork pressed a button, causing the Holoprojecter to display a small starchart.

"Okay Squadron, we have a job to do. Not long ago, we got a distress message from the Science Outpost on Grada VII. It appears that a series of ships have exited hyperspace, with markings identical to those of the Krayt Dragons, who I'm sure you are familar with" Tork said, looking out at each Squadron member. Pressing the button again, the projecter zoomed in to Grada VII and the surrounding area. A red blip could be seen in the top corner.

"Their raiding force isn't much, just a Parnial-class cruiser"

"The original slug in space" said a pilot at the back of the room, a Bothan named Krant.

"So what's the plan? Rustle up all the salt we can find in the kitchen and fire it at them?" Ash retorted, causing most of the pilots to laugh at the pair. Tork smiled, before quietning the room down.

"As Krant so expertly pointed out, this class of ship is very slow and sluggish, and has very little weaponary. However, they are heavily armoured, so can't be underestimated. So, the most of us will head straight for the ship, and try to drive it off" he said, as the projecter showed eight green blips head towards the enemy, as four stayed back. "Ash, Miro, Krant Branil, you're to hang back to take out any enemy snubs that try to break for the planet"

"We get to kill the parasites when you knock them off" Branil said smiling, as he brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Any questions?" Lead asked. Seeing noone comment, he turned off the projecter.

"Okay then Monkey Lizards, lets get to work"


---


Sitting in his cockpit, Ash watched the eight XJ3s fly towards the Parnial cruiser in near perfect formation. The pilot felt a twinge of dissapointment that he wasn't with them. THat would be where the action would be, not back here. Sighing to himself, he turned on his comm-link.

"Hey Krant, you there?" He asked

"Yeah, what?" Came the Bothan's reply

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you. You're a Bothan, right?"

"You noticed! What gave me away? The fur? The ears? Nah, must have been the accent, yeah?" Came the sarcastic reply, obviously meant for humour

"Well, Bothans are hardly a common sighting round these parts. What brought you here?"

Ash heard him sigh deeply before speaking again.

"I was born on Bothawai. Pretty normal life, until I met a female called Penda. She was a politition. Nothing major, but had hopes. Anyway, we ended up together, and everything as going perfectly, until my uncle was locked away for murder on several counts. It disgraced the entire family. I couldn't stay. Had I, I would have ruined Penda's chances in life as well. I couldn't do it. So I got help from her to get enlisted, and was shipped out here"

Ash felt himself nodding as Krant spoke. Bothan society was notorious for such occurences as this.

"Was that the last time you saw her?" Miro spoke up

"Yes. I couldn't just appear there for a visit. I wouldnt know what to do, what to say"

"Well, what if I came with?" Ash asked

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you forget. You are a pilot for the New Republic these days. You're a hero. That should take presedence over your Uncle's affairs. Give it a few weeks, and then we'll go. Trust me, they wont see you how you were. You're a credit to Bothawai"

"Hey, I'm coming too. No way I'm missing out on a free holiday" Branil interrupted

"Don't count me out either. No way I'm letting you three loose on a planet alone" Miro replied. Ash was sure he heard the Bothan laugh.

"I want to do it. Thanks Ash, all of you. Don't know what I'd do without you"

"Probably have lots of credits" Miro joked, as Ash's radar lit up

"Multiple blips coming our way" Branil said

"Want to be more specific?" Ash asked

"Multiple red blips coming our way"

"I've got twelve, two groups of six" Krant said, positioning his snub next to Branil's.

"Okay, callsigns only. Nebula, you take a group with me. Sithspit, Flyboy, you take the others" Ash directed.

"Copy Mynock" the three said in unison. Looking at his Targeting computer, Ash saw the snubs were Uglies, with the local designation X-Cargos. These mixed an X-Wing with an enlargened cargo hold. Perfect for Pirates that favoured hit and run, but just as good for opponents, as these craft were sluggish at best. Switching to dual-burst, he slowly glided away from Miro, before cutting in sharply, sending the Uglies into a corridor of laser fire. The lead X-Cargo didn't stand a chance, and exploded in a hail of debris. Seeing the pirates begin to evade, both pilots picked a target and dove in after it. Matching his speed with his target, Ash took his time to line up his shot. Two lasers hit his opponents engine, causing the entire craft to explode.

"Ash, Miro has just been hit" Came a robotic voice from his Astromech droid, R2-NCH0, also know as 'Nacho'

Spinning his snub round, Ash saw three enemy making a break for the planet. Miro's X-Wing was limping away not far away.

"I got one, but his debris hit my engine" She said regretfully

"Dont worry, just get back to base. I'm going in after" Ash replied, following the craft

"Ash, don't! Wait for the others to finish, and we'll all head down!" Krant shouted. Putting his hand to his comm, he began rubbing it, to give the effect of static.

"Can't......comm malfunction.....going in" was all the others heard before he turned it off completely, and proceeded into the atmosphere of Grada VII.


---


Ash pulled up sharply on his stick, lightly skimming his snub over the treetops of the planet. Looking out, he saw the three X-Cargos speeding towards a tall building, which he recognised as the main labratory on this planet. Knowing he couldn't get in laser range before they did whatever they were here for, he switched to torpedoes and lined his craft up with the closest of the enemy. He watched the crosshair slowly turn from red to green, and pressed the trigger, sending a single torpedo arcing towards the pirate. It slammed into the rear of his ship, sending it spiralling down into the treetops.

It was then Ash realised. If they think I'm following, they might open fire on the labs. Looking at what they fly, I doubt that's what they want to do..

"Nacho, set the next Photon on a thirty second delay" He said, and waiting until the droid gave an affirmative. Aiming down, he fired the shot, before rolling his craft down. Seeing a gap in the treeline, the pilot straghtened up and landed, in time to see the explosion from the torpedo. Hopefully they'll assume that was me crashing he thought, before jumping out of the cockpit, and running in the direction of the main lab.

Reaching the large courtyard in front of the lab, Ash saw that the two X-Cargos had landed in front of the main doors, cargo bays open. They must be here for something. But what? he thought, as he took his DL-44 blaster out of its holster, and slowly crept up to one of the ships, peering in, he saw that the cockpit was empty. Ash fired a shot at the controls to destory them, before doing the same in the other. Checking the coast was clear, he began to jog into the lab itself.

As he moved quickly through the corridors, Ash could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body, speeding his movement. Hearing a noise, he sped up to a run, turning the corner to be greeted with a blow to the midsection. Focusing up, he saw one of the pirates standing over him, and another racing up. The approaching one kicked him in the ribs, making a loud cracking noise. Ash didn't know if he had broken any, but it sure hurt enough. Seeing his foot approaching again, the pilot grabbed his foot as in closed in and gave it a sharp twist. This caught the assailant of balance, knocking him to the ground. Ash rolled away, and slowly got up, remembering to pick up his pistol. Seeing the other man unholstering his sidearm, he quickly snapped up his weapon and fired, hitting him in the leg. Quickly flicking the setting to 'STUN', he then sent another shot into his chest, knocking him down. Walking up to the other man, he saw him slowly start to get up. A quick blow to the side of his head courtesy of Ash's blaster soon put him back. Taking a deep breath, Ash slumped down against the wall, and awaited support to come.

[Nichos Marr]

There was severly limited information on the planet of Kowak. Nichos thought this was odd, having no trouble pulling up planetary data in the past. Several scouting missions had been there, before any kind of base was established, but Nichos did not have the proper access codes to the mission history mainframe. If he even attempted to access it, he would be tracked down and arrested in mere moments. The information he did have, confirmed of a base, unfortunately the occupants of that certain base were unconfirmed, and thus had not been catolouged.

Nichos studied the information on the computer console carefully, saving it to a datadisc. Kowak was an Outer Rim planet, home to the Kowakian Monkey Lizards. Kowakian Monkey Lizards were chittery little creatures that could get under one's skin quite easily. Nichos had the pleasure of meeting one during an infrequent visit to the local zoo on Arcan IV. The Monkey-Lizard had laughed at him for five minutes straight with a high pitched voice that sent shivers down one's spine.

I hope that those agents don't have any of those things on board. It's going to take a lot of Force restraint and calm to endure this trip, if that's the case. Nichos grimaced at the thought. Hopefully I'll just be in and out.

"Excuse me, sir." A droid had emerged from the turbolift walking toward Nichos at a quick pace.

Nichos turned his head to regard the droid, only to recognize him as Mudpit. The same droid who had tended to Nichos' needs just half an hour ago. Nichos gave the droid a pleasant smile and nodded to him, beckoning him forward. "Yes MDP?"

The droid seemed glad he didn't call him Mudpit. Nichos could feel it, like how he felt the Force flow through him when he became one with it. This event did not occur often, but he could perform well when he did. Nichos waited to hear what the droid had to say.

"Your transport is ready sir. It is berthed in Docking Bay 1342. Two X-wing squadrons will be there to escort the ship to Kowak, in case you should run to any trouble along the way. I am told that the Night Hawk belongs to Captain Nurl. He is known to be quite a verbose Sullustan." MDP finished, quite proud of his good news.

That many squadrons? Hmm. "Thank you Mudp--MDP. Does Captain Nurl speak basic?" Nichos asked. The answer would not really matter. He could understand many languages, but Sullustan was not one of them.

"No sir. That is why I have been assigned to you as your translator droid." The droid sounded happy, as far as emotions went in mechanical beings with artificial intelligence. Nichos nodded to the droid, while collecting the rest of his belongings. Mudpit noticed this and tipped his head to the side in curiousity. "Are you not going to pack, sir?"

"All I need is this stuff." Nichos replied.

"Oh, then shall we dock immediately?" The droid inquired further.

"Sure, whatever gets your servos spinning." Nichos collected the last of his things, the datadisc and pocketed it. "Well old tin can, lead the way."

<center>***</center>

"MDP, you never told me we were travelling in a Republic class Star Destroyer." Nichos gazed at the ship hanging in orbit. The docking bay had only carried a shuttle that would transport them to the Star Destroyer.

"I'm sorry sir. The Outer Rim is dangerous these days. What with Pirates, Yuuzhan Vong and Imperials. These supplies are essential for continued survival at the Kowakian base." The droid replied in a matter of factly tone.

The Republic class Star Destroyer Night Hawk resembled a Victory Star Destroyer in many ways. Both were nine hundred meters and held the same amount of troops and fighters. It did not take a Verpine to guess that the Republic class Star Destroyer was just another war machine that the New Republic could call their own. It was basically a Victory Star Destroyer, save for minor improvements. It had started when SoroSuub was contracted to match Imperial capital ship might without "being Imperial." The result is a new class of Star Destroyer that focuses on speed, defense, and starfighter capacity over raw firepower. While still ending up with a similar arrowhead silhouette, the frame is less intimidating, with a more rounded edge design. The first model was measured up against the agile Victory II.

This being said, the ship was still one impressive piece of metal. Nichos had always longed to be on a Star Destroyer himself on friendly terms. It was a nice coincidence that this would no longer be a dream in exactly a few minutes. The pilot flying the shuttle was green and had trouble docking the ship. Nichos gave him a few tips that would help better his skill in the future. The pilot's main problem was that he was a bit nervous. Using the Force, Nichos implied waves of calm over this young man.

"Well, here we are." Mudpit stated. "And it seems that Captain Nurl has come out to meet you Nichos."

This droid seems to be getting comfortable. He's already addressing me by my first name. Nichos chuckled a bit at the thoughts.

"Well that was nice of him. I don't expect he's like the other "hard as bantha hide" generals that run the New Republic's military." Nichos laughed.

The droid tipped its head, probably trying very hard to understand sapient humor.

"Lets go and meet him. Then maybe we can get this bucket of bolts to move." Nichos unclipped his seatbelt and stood up, stretching his limbs.

"Bucket of bolts?" The droid seemed a bit offended. "Sir, according to this ship's history it has never had any serious maintenance problems. I ---"

He was cut off by the Jedi.

"Hey hey, don't blow a circuit. It's a figure of speech, MDP." Nichos beckoned for the droid to follow. Unsteadily, MDP stood up and hobbled after Nichos. He followed the human down the ramp, observing the large docking bay that housed twenty four X-wings and supported enough room for one more Lambda shuttle. It was quite impressive, more impressive then anything Nichos or MDP had ever seen in a ship. A small Sullustan waited for them outside. His jowls quivered with excitement as he first caught sight of Marr.

He began speaking to the Jedi rapidly. Nichos waited until he was finished, politely, and then turned to G-MDP for the translation. The droid registered the Sullustan's speech, translating each and every word.

"He says that it is a pleasure to have you aboard his ship. He has prepared quarters for the both of us. He says if you need anything, to not hesitate." The droid replied.

"Well tell him I said thank you and I appreciate being admitted on this illustrious...ship." Nichos finished, allowing the droid some time to translate. Nichos was glad that the beginning of this little trip was going well. He hoped that it would keep up. Maybe the Force would be on his side today.

[Ash Longbaugh]

"Does that still hurt?" Miro asked, lying back on her bed.

"Yeah, the medic droid said it will for at least the night. Apparently I was lucky it didn't knock me out" Ash replied, while putting pressure on the Bacta patch covering a head wound he got when he hit the floor in the fight earlier. Reaching to his side, he picked up a small holopad, and began to write his report on the chase. In his normal style, there was one or two slight exaggerations.

"So, we not doing anything tonight?"

"I doubt that Krant will let me stay in. Deck three's cantina sound good?"

"It sounds like I need to clean myself off" She said, getting off her bunk. Opening a side door, she began to take her top off, causing Ash to adjust himself so he was looking away.

"Ash, it's not as if it's anything you haven't seen before" She said smiling as she left the room

"Hey, you're lucky you room with someone with such perfect manners" He shouted to her in reply.

Getting off his bunk, the pilot went to small viewport on the wall, and gazed out into space. In the distance, he could see a pair of X-Wings patrolling an otherwise empty area. Sighing, he looked down, and saw his flight helmet on the floor. A simple purple and yellow checked pattern decorated it. Ash picked it up and sat back down, spinning it in his hands.

[Nichos Marr]

"Well now Nichos, there is no sense in getting mad at me. After all, I have been playing Sabacc for a long time."

Nichos Marr, G-MDP and two deck officers were situated around a table playing the galaxy-wide card game Sabacc. It was an activity that would help pass the time while the Republic class Star Destroyer made its way through the hyperspace lanes to the set destination. Currently, Nichos was down two thousand credits. The female to his left Tana Kerr, had already lost three thousand. Across the table from Tana, deck officer Hokk had only lost one thousand three hundred and twenty three credits. The fourth player of the game was none other than "Mudpit", a multi-task protocol droid. Mudpit was currently up seven thousand three hundred and fifty four credits.

Mudpit had surprised everyone at the gaming table with his skills for Sabacc. It was hard to tell if the droid was bluffing or serious. Nichos never used the Force to aid him in ,Sabacc, he relied on studying facial expressions. Droids didn't have any facial expressions, a minor advantage on Mudpit's part. After a series of games with rising stakes, Mudpit had gained his small fortune. It wasn't a big amount of credits, but Nichos barely had any left for spending money. He was tempted to fold, but decided it wouldn't make a difference if he played one more game.

"Jedi don't get mad, but irritation was never against the rules." Nichos smiled slightly at the droid. "Let's start a new game."

"As you wish." Mudpit took all of the electronic cards and began to shuffle each of them vigorously. The droid didn't wear clothing so no one had to worry if he had a skifter or not. A skifter was the term used for cheat cards in the game of Sabacc. One would slip a skifter into their hand to assist them in the game. The game was quite simple anyway. The object of the game was to have cards that added up to twenty three or the closest numbers to twenty three.

The cards were dealt a few moments after the initial shuffling, and after the deck had been cut in half. Nichos stared at his two cards, using a calming technique to hide his emotions from the others. He didn't doubt that the droid could measure his level of body heat. Another advantage that the other players at the table didn't possess. The Jedi held the two of staves and the idiot card, quite a fortunate pair. If he could obtain the three of any suit, he would have an idiot's array. An idiot's array would give him an immediate 23.

"I raise the pot one thousand credits." G-MDP stated.

"I fold." Tana Kerr pushed her cards forward in disgust, angry at herself for having to fold.

"As do I..." Hokk the non-human's bulky hands put his cards down. Both simultaneously crossed their arms and watched the others play. If Nichos folded, G-MDP would win the Sabacc pot that had accumulated two thousand over the past games.

"Will you fold, Nichos?" Mudpit asked.

"Whatever happened to calling me sir? Perhaps I should send you to maintenance." Nichos grinned full-toothed at the droid. He reached into his dwindling pouch and pulled out ten credit chips worth one hundred each. He put them down on the table. Mudpit's mechanical neck nodded slowly, and the game commenced.

"I'll draw..." Nichos said, as it became his turn to choose what he was going to do. The Jedi's slippery hands picked up a card. He brought it close, making sure the droid didn't see and looked at the card. His spirits sunk, he had obtained the nine of flasks. It was the droid's turn. He declined to draw and discarded his third card. Obviously, he was waiting for the card values to change. Another bonus to the game of Sabacc was that the card values could change at any time.

Nichos waited in utter silence. Perspiration drizzled down his face, his heart was beating faster than normal. Nichos watched closely as the pictures on his cards dissolved and reformed into new pictures. He almost felt an anxiety attack coming on, but feigned it away. In his hands he held a Dark Jedi (worth 12), a Rancor (worth 8) and finally a Jedi Master which was worth 3. The Jedi didn't hesitate another second.

"Sabacc!" He shouted and placed his cards down, face up. The game was played with New Republic rules that gave him a value of twenty three. The Jedi wore a grin that spread across his face like a sandstorm. Mudpit shook his heads and put down his cards that equaled to twenty two. A close call on Nichos Marr's part. He scooped in his winnings, which totalled at four thousand and eighty three credits. Mudpit wasn't mad at losing the sabacc pot. He still had a considerable amount of credits in his upper body storage compartment, more then Nichos.

"Congratulations Nichos." The droid offered his metallic hand. Nichos took it and patted Mudpit on the back.

"Where did you learn to play Sabacc like that?" Nichos asked.

"Truth be told, this was my first game."

<center>***</center>

Nichos was dressed in a full New Republic flight suit. His helmet hung wedged in between his two arms as if he were posing for a holopicture. Although he wasn't posing for anything. Nichos Marr was on the bridge, waiting for the ship to emerge from Hyperspace. He was dressed in a flight suit because he was to test out one of the New Republic's new A-wing fighters. Not a personal favorite, but Nichos was to rendezvous with the Heroic in orbit above Kowak with Rapid Squadron. No doubt the A-wing jockeys would give the X-wing pilots a hassle about their "superior" fighters.

"So have you picked up anything through the Force yet?" Captain Nurl asked in Sullustan.

Over the past few days, Nichos had used the Force to adapt to Sullustan. Now he understanded it wild mild ease. His ability to understand the Sullustan Captain came from the emotions in his voice. He used the Force to group those emotions with words. It was quite a valuable technique when dealing with different races.

"Not really..." Nichos said in basic. The Sullustan could understand it supposedly. "I haven't had time to meditate."

Captain Nurl chuckled a bit. "That's because you've been playing Sabacc for this whole time."

The Jedi Knight smiled and returned his attention to the viewports. He took a moment to admire the hyperspace view that projected through the transparisteel. This was one of the only times he'd seen Hyperspace through a huge viewport, rather through a starfighter cockpit. It was rather rewarding, and probably breathtaking for some who rarely saw the luxury of Hyperspace.

"Do you think this starpilot is a Jedi?" Nurl asked quietly, slower than usual.

"There's a possibility. I'll have to meet him." Nichos replied.

The Sullustan simply nodded, understanding what Nichos was saying. For someone who did not possess enough Force potential he knew an awful lot about the Jedi. Nichos wondered if Nurl had ever worked directly for the Jedi, on assignments or deliveries. This ship's databanks said that Captain Nurl had been transported here only a month ago from the Bulk Freighter Tielos. It was the most probable answer for Nurl's understanding and intelligence about the Light Side of the Force.

"Captain Nurl and everyone else, hold on tight!" The communications officer's voice droned through the ship. "We're arriving at Kowak in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two aaaand one."

Nichos held on to the railbar on the bridge in anticipation. He was slightly jerked into the metal railbar as a result of leaving Hyperspace. The Jedi coughed slightly and looked up at the viewport. The slarlines thinned out into distant stars that were light years away. Before he could catch view of the planet, Mudpit appeared beside him. He knew the droid had seen him fall into the railbar.

"Nichos...Are you alright?" Mudpit asked. If the droid had a human face, he would be smiling.

Nichos waved his hand to the side, dismissing the comment. "Bah, yeah I'm fine."

"My body heat sensors show that your ange--err irritation level is rising." Mudpit stated.

"That'll be enough out of you." Nichos countered.

"But sir, I was just trying to help." MDP's astonishment rose.

"Well I suppose we could make that extra stop to Kashyyyk to pick up supplies." Nichos grinned at the droid, who suddenly became very quiet. The Jedi had found Mudpit's fear, which seemed to be most droids' fear. The thought of dealing with Wookiees.

[Ash Longbaugh]

"Okay, I got one. A Bothan walks into a cantina. Bartender asks, why the long face?"

Miro faked deafness. Krant shook his head. Branil pretended to cry into his arm.

"Ash, please, before you tell us a joke, tell it to A Wookiee first" Krant said.

"Why's that?" came Ash's reply.

"Because that way, he can decide wether to listen by how many arms you have left" Branil finished, laughing.

"oh come on, they're not that bad" he protested.

"Ash, was it not for the fact you occasionally tell us a classic, the only thing that would keep you from a holiday swimming in Vacuum would be your credits" Miro said.

"You couldn't live without me. You'd die of boredom"

"Yes, we need you!" Miro said sarcastically, as she flung her arms round him.

"Anyway, I'm drying out. You three want the same?" Krant asked, getting up from the table

"Not for me Krant. I need to stratch my legs" Ash replied.

"You mean vomit?" Miro asked.

"No, just a walk"

"Positive?"

"Positive. See you in a minute" Ash finished, before heading for the door of the Red Nebula Cantina.


As we walked down the corridor, Ash looked out of one of the viewports. A large Star Destroyer filled the view. Looking to his side, he saw a deck officer walking by, whos name he did not know. Judging by the speed of his walk, he was off duty.

"Hey, what is that Star Destroyer doing?" He asked him

"That is...delivering supplies. Spare Parts, torpedoes, food" He answered, checking his holopad for the answer. Turning back, he watched as the huge craft came closer.

[Nichos Marr]

As soon as the ship reverted back into realspace, Nichos reached out with the Force. His senses stretched across space as he widened them as far as he could manage. The Jedi had quite a unique ability to sense and communicate with sentient lifeforms through the Force. During his time at Yavin IV, he had spent countless hours on a rock meditating and feeling the Force around him. This had proved to be a great asset to his fight against the Dark Side of the Force. He'd used nature to assist him in many situations, especially battles with the Sith. The Dark Siders were never a particularly happy bunch after Nichos demonstrated his bond with insects. For a split second, the Jedi remembered Zasz Grimm and the bites he had to endure for a while. Had that not been a deadly moment for Nichos Marr, he would have enjoyed smiling at the fact.

All around him the world became oblivious to the point where it was a blurry backdrop. In front of him the deck officers and Sullustan captain were no longer visible. The viewports began to swirl too, until Nichos closed his eyes. It was an exhilirating feeling when one allowed the Force to flow through them. During his meditation he was usually able to reach high points of enlightenment. It was difficult to do this without hours of silence and preparation. There were just too many things happening around him that would prevent him from attaining total concentration. Yet, he still felt that it was his duty to try. He felt curious about this mysterious potential Jedi that he'd come here for.

He could feel nothing through the Force.

Nichos focused even harder, pushing his thoughts to the limit. If he kept this up for more than a minute, it would take toll on him. Although the Force was a neverending ally, it did cause it's wielder to tire out after a period of time. Nichos had never experienced extreme exhaustion from using the Force, but he was not a Master. This was a time though, that he wish a Master had accompanied him. Perhaps they would be able to sense the beings on the other ship that they were about to rendezvous with.

The ship came closer, and suddenly Nichos began to feel the other lifeforms. He could feel the emotions of wonder running through some of the pilots. This must have been their first sight of a Republic Star Destroyer, which was still a fairly new model. Nichos allowed his mind to let these emotions flow through him. As the ship neared closer his senses became sharper, and things were detected easily. Suddenly, he felt something rather strong that almost knocked him off of his feet...

...The feeling was only Mudpit nudging him on the shoulder. Nichos' connection had been broken by the sudden loss of all concentration on the task. He turned to face Mudpit, unsure whether he should frown or save his emotion for another time and place. Nichos resolved that the droid nudging him was not too bad after all. He felt a bit of fatigue, but not as much as he would have felt if he'd kept contact with the Force. Slightly, the Jedi Knight coughed, wondering when Mudpit was going to speak.

"Nichos, the Captain is in the main docking bay. He asked me to direct you there when you were finished meditating. There is a shuttle there waiting for you. It will take you and I to the ship that we are to rendezvous with." Mudpit did not have the capability to change the expression in his metallic face. Nichos wasn't even sure if he felt any major emotions, other then originally programmed ones. Though, Marr could swear that sometimes this droid seemed more human then anyone he had ever met before.

"Thanks MDP...Why are you coming along on this short trip? I won't be gone for more than a few hours probably." Nichos replied, walking toward the exit of the bridge. The droid followed him slowly, matching his every step.

"Well sir, far be it from me to predict the future. I'm only an interpreter. But...You will probably need a droid that can handle a variety of tasks, translate more languages than you can count up to and...." Mudpit seemed to go silent, unprepared to finish his sentence.

"And...?" Nichos imitated, urging the droid to go on.

"...and I was hoping to play some Sabacc with the occupants of the Heroic." Mudpit sighed as the real truth came out.

Nichos chuckled slightly, unsurprised as the droids intentions unmasked themself. He could not blame the droid for wanting to play the card game Sabacc with other people. Obviously, Mudpit wanted to see how skilled he was against a new batch of players, rather than the select few that he had played already. Inside of his storage compartments, along with a good amount of credits, Mudpit had two decks of Sabacc cards. One would question his reason for bringing two decks. Mudpit, like most other droids, was programmed to think of alternatives should something happen. If one of the cards in the deck short circuited, or didn't work right, he would replace it with a card in the second deck. This way, there would be no hassle, should something happen to the playing deck.

"After you, Nichos." The droid replied calmly.

Marr was surprised to see they had already reached the shuttle. He'd been so enthralled in his own thoughts, that the Jedi failed to notice his subconscious journey. Without even thinking straight, he'd walked here as if he travelled this path many times before. It was an interesting notion, one that most likely was related to his connection with the Force.

"Sure thing." Nichos walked up the ramp and into the shuttle. If there was a Jedi initiate on the Heroic, he would find out soon enough.

[Ash Longbaugh]

As Ash began to walk away, he nearly walked into Officer Tranat. A tall, well built man with short black hair, he was not the sort you would wish to pick a fight with. Unfortunately, wishes don't come true.

"Going somewhere Longbaugh?" He said as he looked down at the pilot

"Yeah, I was planning on ship jacking a freighter and escaping to Endor. Yourself?" He replied

"Don't get smart with me. There are visitors for the Admiral. You are going to escort them"

"Oh, you chose me? Was it my sense of humour? Good looks? Or maybe it is because of that time I stopped you from flirting with Miro"

"I am more professi..." Tranat began to say, looking increasingly angry

"Well, less stopped you, more set off a small incendary device on your trousers, causing you to run out of a bar screaming like a girl, wasn't it?"

"MOVE!" He shouted down to him, giving a full smell of his bad breath

"Aye Aye Skip" Ash mockingly replied, before heading down to the landing bay.

[Nichos Marr]

"Well, how very nice of them. They didn't even wait for us Nichos..." The droid's voice seemed as if someone had stolen his mechanical limbs and crushed them before his eyes. Mudpit's voice was enough to tell someone what mood he was in. A droid could speak with emotion in their voice. Nichos thought he could see a scowl form on G-MDP's metallic face, but it turned out to be his own vivid imagination.

Nichos grinned at the droid, as if he were a Bothan predator about to call for a 'vote of no confidence' in the senate. Thus far, Mudpit had proven to be an interesting companion and far more human than any droid Nichos had ever encountered in his life. There were many droids he dealt with on Rodia, not to mention at the New Republic's many command centers. None of them seemed to possess the genuine feel to them. If the Force hadn't confirmed Mudpit was a droid, he would have suspected to find a man inside of the metallic casing.

"I fail to see your reason for smiling. They've deserted us to go play their Sabacc and enjoy their Lomin-ale!" Mudpit was beginning to attract the docking bay guards attention. Two stout men standing side by side and holding silver blaster rifles had subdued grins on their faces.

"Oh stop being so melodramatic, Mudpit. An escort will be around to pick us up shortly." Nichos waved away Mudpit's outrageous comments with a shrug and a smug look. This caused the droid to go silent, if only for a few minutes. Nichos felt at peace when the familiar docking bay sounds filled his ears. The shuttle they arrived on was parked neatly behind them. Through the viewport, Nichos noticed the pilot of the shuttle was running some sort of navigational check. The Jedi Knight turned his head to the side and inhaled some air. He wondered how long it had been since he felt real air on his skin. Artificial air was a great way of sustaining life in space, but Nichos preferred the real thing. When he inhaled real air, he could feel the Force and the life around him. It was most unfortunate that most of the planets he visited regularly were industrialized and somewhat polluted.

His thoughts shifted to the corridor in front of him and Mudpit. It led directly into the ship through a series of hallways. Nichos could not recognize this design of cruiser at all. He wondered how old the Heroic was. It didn't look that old, but then Nichos had seen some Rebellion era starfighters that still looked very new.

"What on Hoth is taking this escort so long?" Mudpit commented a minute later.

There came no reply, although Nichos heard the question in the back of his mind. He put up a hand and signalled for Mudpit to be quiet for a moment or two. As he had diverted his attention to the hallway, Nichos felt something nudge his mind. It was not a message, more of a sixth sense he had acquired through training. Nichos opened himself fully to the Force and began to expand his thoughts.

I wonder... Nichos pushed forward with his thoughts, wondering if he'd find anything. His eyes jerked up toward the doorway of the docking bay. He'd felt the Force energy again, but this time it was closer. Obviously he wasn't feeling some potted plant or caged mynock. The sensations seemed to be coming from a sentient being.

"Oh, someone is coming. I can hear them now." The tone of the droid's voice was relieved.

"It would seem." Nichos broke his concentration and turned to the droid. "I have felt him."

"Through the Force? How can you be certain?" The droid asked.

"Mudpit, you asking me that is like asking a hawkbat if they can really fly." The Jedi pointed out.

Both of their faces turned back to the doorway as it began to open. The whole world around Nichos began to slow down and everything became quiet. Mudpit even stopped talking in deep anticipation to see what this supposed "adept" would look like. A young man emerged from the other side of the door as it opened with a whoosh. His garb suggested he was a fighter pilot on break or some sort of pilot. Then Nichos looked directly into his face, very surprised at what he saw.

"Master ReaperFett, what in the Force are you doing here?" He asked, staring back at the man he knew to be Jedi Master Fett. Except, this man was younger than the ReaperFett he remembered. He looked much more youthful, but other than that he was Fett according to Nichos' eyes.

"You know this man?" Mudpit inquired.

[Ash Longbaugh]

Ash looked blankly at the man in front of him.

"Master Fe..?" He began, before stopping I could have fun with this... he thought, giving a lopsided smile

"Erm, yeah, that's me. I'm, erm, checking the condition of the Monkey Lizards. What are you doing here?" He said, enjoying every minute of this.

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos could feel something through the Force, as this man spoke to him. An emotion that he recognized quite well, since he was experiencing it himself. The emotion was slight confusion, and Fett had experienced it for a moment but Nichos had still caught it. He stared back at ReaperFett who suddenly spoke. Surely this is Fett, Nichos told himself after hearing the familiar voice. He did not understand why something at the back of his mind kept on nagging him though. It was probably the mere thought of ReaperFett being here. He had not expected to see a Jedi Master here, let alone a Jedi. Yet, here was ReaperFett right in front of him, asking him what he was doing here.

Nichos smiled cautiously while he chose the correct words in his head. He wondered if ReaperFett had already found and located the Force adept. Perhaps they were training already and Nichos had interrupted a session. Fett mentioned the Monkey Lizards, a squadron of spacejockeys that protected this station. But then he had to wonder how Fett knew there was an adept here. A Jedi Master could see and feel many things through meditation, but Kowak was extremely far from Yavin IV. Every question led to another, and Nichos Marr wanted some answers.

"I'm here to accompany Captain Nurl of the Night Hawk. We're delivering supplies to this base." Nichos finally said, failing to mention his search for the new adept. He took a moment to wonder why he followed this ridiculous lead. It wasn't like one adept would matter much, assuming that this mysterious adept was a real person. Perhaps he felt a debt to the Greater Jedi Order, one that could not be payed off so easily. He'd lived there for the past two years of his life, quite a time. Since then, he never went back to his homeplanet of Rodia. After this trip, I think I'll go back.

"Hey, you sir. We're also looking for someone or something." Mudpit ventured, finally adding himself to the conversation. Nichos glared at the droid, signalling for him to shut up. It was a look that read "I'll handle this" and Nichos planned too. He didn't want to reveal his true intentions yet, but Mudpit had done half the job for him.

"Excuse my tin can associate." Nichos smiled. "Let me level with you Fett, we really came here to--"

The Force began to act up again, and it was definately trying to tell him something this time. Nichos could not ignore the blaring call. He allowed it to flow through him and fill his brain with its infinite wisdom. It was a feeling that used to leave him enlightened and whole, but now he was used to it. He began to probe the edges of Fett's mind but found mental barriers. Ones that could be easily bypassed, should Nichos try to break in. But that would be of the Dark Side.

Another smile crept across his face, "If you're really Fett, than what is the name of your droid?" Nichos had met Fett's droid a few times, and he knew its name. "Oh, and what color is your lightsaber?" Nichos grinned, this would confirm his beliefs. Either this man was not Fett and some acting imposter, or Fett had received youth rejuvination surgery.

[Ash Longbaugh]

"Oh come on now, erm, friend, I did not come here to be unsulted!" Ash said, trying to avoid the question. The man in front of him didn't say anything, still smiling.

"Okay, okay, my droids name is.." He said, trying to think of one of Nacho's Astromech compatriots name "..Yub Yub, and my sabre? Oh, that has many colours. I change it all the time" He said, smiling back at the man.

"Okay, care to explain why you just called me Fect?"

"Fett" The man corrected him

"That too" Ash finished.

[Nichos Marr]

Even a blind man could tell this kind of fib when he heard it, and he didn't even need vision to see the liar's face. Nichos felt uncertainty and slight confusion coming from this man who claimed to be ReaperFett, though he did not say anything at first. He allowed the Fett lookalike to finish whatever he had to say before he would make more accusations. Nichos pushed back the urge to smile at the man. It was amusing to watch him answer the questions, which confirmed that he was not ReaperFett. As much as Nichos would have liked to confirm this man as Fett, such was not the will of the Force.

Still, he looks exactly like ReaperFett. I wonder if they're holding some kind of lookalike contest here. Nichos could remember attending a Garik Loran lookalike contest in his later years on Rodia. It was being held by a mining company that was owned by humans. Not many were present, he could remember that much. But such made sense when one thought about it logically. Not only was Rodia quite out of the way, but many humans did not like the hot climate. Nichos had only been a spectator that day, looking nothing like Laran himself. Yet, he did have a good time at the festivities that partook afterward.

"Okay, care to explain why you just called me Fect?" The man asked him.

"Fett." Nichos replied, correcting his error. The lookalike quickly repeated the correct name, but his expression stayed the same. He was confused and wanted answers, furthermore he somehow knew that Nichos had them. The Jedi was tempted to call on the Force for answers, but he restrained himself. This lookalike was in fact a bit younger then the Fett he knew, yet he was surely not ReaperFett. Or else he would have known the name of his droid Nacho or the fact that his lightsaber was purple. Identical twins...possibly. Nichos couldn't discount that fact and it seemed most logical at this point, even though this lookalike seemed younger.

"ReaperFett is a well-known Jedi Master who belongs to the Jedi Order." Nichos said quietly, glancing off to the side. He realized that Mudpit was still with them, but had kept quiet all this time. Odd, since the droid could never stop talking about this or that. Yet here he was, silent and powered up. Perhaps he was recording the conversation for further use. That would probably be help.

"Do you know him? He looks just like you, save for a few added years on his part." Nichos focused his thoughts on a mental picture of ReaperFett at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. He projected it through his thoughts and toward this person. Nichos could feel him through the Force, so he knew that the lookalike would receive the mental picture. "You'll see him in your head. I just relayed a mental picture of him to you through a telekinetic Force bond."

At this point, Nichos Marr was confused at what road he would be travelling down. If it was determined that this man had no relation to Fett and was simply a huge coincidence, then where would that lead him? Obviously with a face like Fett's he would be a prime target for a few of the Jedi Master's enemies. I hope the Force guides me on this one, Nichos frowned as the thought echoed through his head.

[Ash Longbaugh]

As he saw the image, a wave of confusion came over Ash.

"He....he looks just like me" He said slowly, thinking.

"And you say he is a Jedi?" he then asked the man

"Yes, a Master" came his response

A Jedi Master? he thought to himself.

"So, are you a spoonbender as well?" Ash asked, trying to think who this man might be.

[Nichos Marr]

This man did not seem very convinced at what Nichos was saying about his identical being a Jedi. Nichos shifted uneasily as he tried to convey the mental picture of ReaperFett, just for good measure. He couldn't think of another way to show this person a picture of Master Fett other then a telekinetic link forged by the living Force. That would have to do for the time being, Nichos observed silently. He wasn't going to go out of his way to prove to this man that there was an identical of him roaming around the Galaxy. Though if he had a good computer terminal he could probably access some information on the infamous Jedi Master that had become the recent topic of discussion.

What bothered Nichos the most was the weird feeling that he got from this man through the Force. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it would have been hard to explain had someone asked him to. It had slight familiarity to it, the kind a force adept would feel when a familiar person was nearby. Nichos shook his head and tried to wash the thought away. Like many people he used the philosophy, 'If it does not make sense in any perspective, then it isn't true.' Some would frown upon this method of dealing with things, but Nichos hadn't found much fault in it yet. Once again, he shifted the reason of this weird feeling to being fatigue.

"Why, hello sir." The droid broke the silence and stepped forward. He extended a metal hand without caution and opened it. "I am G-MDP, Sabacc player extroadinare! On my free time, I am able to complete multi-task functions such as the following: Programming NavComputers, Translating over six point two million languages, recordi--"

Nichos brushed the droid back with a hand, "That'll be enough Mudpit. We don't want to bore this man to death without even learning his name."

"I don't even know why I bother." The droid took on the form of a mother figure and shook his head at Nichos. Mudpit hated it when others ripped the spotlight from him like Nichos had just done. He loved publicity of any form, part of the reason why he came on this trip. If people saw him with a Jedi, then he would get much attention. They would probably view him as the next C-3PO.

"I wouldn't exactly call myself a spoonbender." Nichos smiled at the comment, having heard it hundreds of times from other Non-Jedi. "But to answer your question, I am a Jedi Knight. My name is Nichos Marr from the planet of Rodia." Nichos shook the man's hand and caught his confused look. It wasn't every day that a human claimed to be born on Rodia. After all, the dominant species of that planet was the Rodians, which explained the name of the planet. Perhaps this Fett lookalike knew that anything in this Galaxy was possible. "You've already met Mudpit." He waved a hand back at the silent droid.

"Yes, until I was rudely interrupted by an anonymous human. You sentients always have that attitude towards us droids. Why, I should start a revolution one of these days."

Nichos shook his head, trying to contain the smile on his face. It wasn't every day that you heard about a droid capable of defying humans. He wondered if Mudpit could use a blaster or any weapon, let alone start a revolution. The words were meant as a joke but the thought sent shivers down Nichos' spine. Assassin droids were capable of Jedi-like abilities and were very dangerous. He imagined a few of them had been used to kill some Jedi in the great purge. Palpatine was the kind of man to send forty bounty hunters after the same person, to ensure the job was done.

"But you still haven't told me who you are." The Jedi shifted his gaze to the lookalike. He decided not to tell this man that he had Force potential, yet. Formalities would ensue, followed up by a tour and then Nichos would tell him. The Jedi reflected on the past few minutes. Perhaps he would recruit a new Jedi after all. One that could be mistakened for Master Fett.

[Ash Longbaugh]

"Longbaugh, Ash Longbaugh" The pilot replied, slowly studying the mans accompanying droid. He hadn't seen a droid like that before in his life.

"<font size=1>GREETINGS MASTER ASH<font size=2>" said a metallic voice behind them, and Ash turned round to see a familiar astromech droid behind him. A fresh coat of red paint had been applied judging by how scratchless it looked. Slowly, he shook his head as he looked down at it.

"Nacho, I've told you before. Cut the master part"

"<font size=1>YES ASH<font size=2>"

"Anyway, what is it?"

"<font size=1>MAINTENANCE TOLD ME TO REPORT THAT ALL REPAIRS ON YOUR X-WING HAVE BEEN COMPLETED<font size=2>"

"Okay, thanks"

"<font size=1>WILL THERE BE ANYTHING ELSE?<font size=2>"

"Well, I could do with a bigger room and a pay increase..."

"<font size=1>WAS THAT COMMENT SERIOUS OR FOR HUMOUR?<font size=2>"

"Whatever works"

"<font size=1>SOMETIMES, I WONDER WHY I BOTHER TO ASK<font size=2>"

"Me too. Anyway, that will be all"

"<font size=1>AS YOU WISH MASTER ASH<font size=2>"

Clenching his teeth at the droids inability to just call him Ash, the pilot turned to face the person with him.

"My droid. Basically a R2 unit, but with a few additions, including an upgrade from the Q9 series. Don't know any official name, I just call him Nacho" He told the man, wondering if tere was a way to make Nacho remember to drop the master word.

[Nichos Marr]

Longbaugh, Ash...That name sounds excrutiatingly familiar. I can't quite remember where I last heard it. Nichos used the Force to calm his curious thought. Ash Longbaugh was obviously not the Fett he knew playing some sort of joke on him. This was a different person, yet so alike. Nichos found it difficult to grasp the fact that this person was a twin or anything of that sort. There was a different sort of foul play afoot, and he vowed to get to the bottom of it. Detective Marr, that sounds kind of stupid. Wouldn't be the first time I've had to play detective. Nichos shrugged off his thoughts and returned his attention to Ash.

"Well, he does look very impressive for an astromech droid. I have one myself, but he's back at the Academy on Yavin IV. Not as advanced as your droid, mind you." Nichos crouched down on his knees to examine the droid. The Jedi was quite impressed by the additions this droid had. It could speak perfect basic and quite fleuntly too. Similar to ReaperFett's Nacho. I'm beginning to wonder if I've slipped into an alternate universe. Mudpit stood beside Nichos examining the droid with his photoreceptors and sensory scanners. He also seemed to be interested in these unusual additions. Nichos couldn't help but fathom what other little secrets this droid held.

"Oh I might as well warn you, sir!" Mudpit caught the attention of Ash Longbaugh and Nichos. Both turned to meet him, even the droid seemed interested in what he had to say. "It is not widely known, but polite speaking ettiquete is embedded within the primary functions of a service droid. This is why your astromech may have difficulties calling you anything but Master." The multi-task droid seemed to glow at this new attention he was getting. Mudpit was probably used to being ignored by the New Republic militia men he was usually exposed to.

Nichos stood up and rapped his knuckles on Mudpit's shoulders. "Excluding you, right G-MDP?" He allowed a grin to blossom on his face.

"Why, sir! I'll have you know I am only polite to those who deserve it." The droid stated in a matter of factly tone. He crossed his arms to add to the affect, but it only made him look more foolish then he already did. Realizing this, Mudpit put his metallic arms down and shook his head sadly. He began to curse at Nichos in a strict alien dialect.

"Mudpit, I understand and speak Rodian."

The droid went silent almost immediately after, probably feeling some electronic equivalent of shame. Nichos just shrugged it off and turned to face Ash. He could still not allow himself to get over how much this man resembled ReaperFett. The Force told him that he wasn't a brother of ReaperFett. There were a few logical explanations that could explain this, but none of them seemed to make any sense at all.

"Ash, I've been receiving premonitions through the Force." Nichos said. "I still haven't thought of a logical explanation to explain this phenomena with you and that Jedi Master ReaperFett. Although I do know one thing that may come as a shock at first." Nichos allowed silence to pass through for a few moments.

Finally he spoke again, "You have the potential to be a Jedi Knight."

[Ash Longbaugh]

Ash opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he stood there looking like some slack jawed local from Agamar. Me? A Jedi? he though to himself, as he leant against the wall, remembering to shut his mouth.

".........Me? Wow" was all he could utter

[Nichos Marr]

Just as Nichos had initially interpreted, the news came at somewhat of a shock to Ash Longbaugh. His mouth hung open a little bit, resembling that of a slack jawed Agamarian in a hyperspace convention. The Jedi knew that these thoughts would take a bit of time to register in Ash's head. It was best that he was left alone for the time being to flesh out and consider everything. Unlike Ash Longbaugh, Nichos had pretty much always known that he possessed the potential to be a Jedi Knight. It was something that was a part of his life, but he didn't have any time to explore it further. He used to think about it a lot alone inside of his quarters back home. When one thought about being a Jedi, they immediately thought about flashing sabers around and stopping evil, but Nichos knew there was a lot more to it than that.

The multi-task droid also kept silent, allowing the dramatic air to float past everyone. Despite what most beings thought, droids did have thought processors too, and they were almost as real as humans' and non-humans' minds. Unfortunately the mind was not something that could mapped, studied, and placed in a shell casing. G-MDP's thought processors were working at maximum capacity, as he recorded this whole scene. Nichos hadn't really asked him to do so, but he felt it was his duty as a helper droid to keep a watchful eye on everything. This business about that Longbaugh fellow being a Jedi had surprised him a bit, if it was possible to surprise droids. He could only wonder what Nichos Marr's next course of action would be.

The Jedi Knight was asking himself the same question and he could still not arrive at an answer. It came as a shock to himself that this man had force potential after all. He needed some time to think about the connection between Ash Longbaugh and ReaperFett, and why they both had Force potential. He only came here to find out if there was a potential Jedi that could help in the battle against evil. He didn't expect to find a copy of a Jedi Master he already knew. The word copy ran through his mind endlessly, until he dispelled it with the simply wave of his left hand.

"How does that make you feel?" He asked Ash, obviously inquiring about the news he'd just bestowed on him. Some didn't take it very well when they heard about being a Jedi, but Ash seemed to be okay. He wasn't shouting at Nichos yet or lunging for his throat, so that was a good sign. The Jedi glanced nervously at Mudpit, wondering what he was thinking about this whole situation. It seemed as though they'd both stepped into an alternate universe. The Jedi found himself expecting an exact copy of himself to enter the hangar in any moment.

Mudpit had busied himself with repairing his internal coolant systems that had automatically shut down for no reason. Without his coolant systems, his various processors and limbs could heat up and catch on fire. The thought of running around with flailing arms and legs while fire chewed away at his metal innards did not please him.

Before Ash could answer, Nichos threw another question out in the open for good measure, "Perhaps you could come to train at Yavin IV one day?"

[Ash Longbaugh]

Still in shock, Ash stepped to his side, and sat down on a stack of boxes.

"How do I feel? It's like being told that the man who tried to kill you is your father. You feel unsure how you feel"

He paused, before answering his second question.

"Yavin? Where is that?"

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos Marr picked up one of the boxes with his bare hands and put it on the floor beside of him. As he sat down on it he reflected how much better it was than relying on the Force for everything. He was told that made one weak, when they relied on the Force to deal with all of their problems and even the smallest things, such as flicking off a light switch. It wasn't necessarily his master who taught him that lesson, or much of anything else other than the basics. Nichos was forced to learn it himself from whatever little experience he had. He'd been a Jedi Knight for quite a while now, well over a year and a half. During his Padawan stages he almost never got the chance to regret viewing the Force as a pleasant conveniance rather than something much more. Luckily, most of his teeth were still attached to his gums, and his head was still attached to his neck.

The hangar was silent for at least a minute in duration, except for the usual sounds that the mechanics made. The occasional cuss here and there or the shouting of orders, it was all the same to Nichos. He knew a bit about what Ash felt, but couldn't really offer any words of wisdom. The Jedi wasn't a seasoned master who had experienced it all and could make everything seem better with good words. All he could offer was a few answers to the many questions that were circulating through Ash Longbaugh's head.

"Yavin IV," Nichos began, "is located in the Outer Galactic Rim near the planet Dathomir...If you've ever heard of it. It's one of the many moons orbiting the gas giant Yavin and has quite a historical background. I don't think it would take us that long to get there, but the choice is yours and yours alone. I can only act as a guide really. Once you arrive on Yavin IV, it'll be up to you to find the answers to the questions that you have."

Nichos took out his lightsaber and began to alternate it between his two hands. He held it in his left hand and spun it around really fast, careful not to even graze the ignition button with his hand. Surprisingly the hilt of his lightsaber was gold plated, which one did not normally see on a Jedi Knight. Nichos had owned traditional blades in the past, and still did own his father's lightsaber. This one had the most meaning to him though, and few would ever know why.

"The planet is a training center for all those who aspire to be Jedi. The defenses are basically impossible to pass through unless you have real business. Don't ask me why, because I really wouldn't know." Nichos flashed a bit of a grin, his eyes staring off into space. "It's a very beautiful place though, filled with a lot of jungles and ancient temples."

Mudpit surprised both of them by moving his head for the first time in at least ten minutes. His eyes were once again flashing red, which meant his internal repair mode was completed.

"Oh, I would love to Yavin IV one day. It would certainly do my optical sensors no harm!" Mudpit exclaimed. "Did you know that my original model G-31P was the predecessor of..."

Nichos held up his hand and stopped the droid from rambling on. He pointed the hand at Fett and made a friendly gesture. "If you need some time to yourself or anything like that to think about things, just tell me."

"Oh that would be most ideal, sir." Mudpit replied.

"I was talking to Ash, Mudpit." Nichos said.

"I see." The droid lowered its head somewhat.

[Ash Longbaugh]

"Yeah, I need time" Ash replied to Nichos. Seeing a man approach them, the pilot got up, to get his attention.

"Hey, these two need somewhere to stay for the night. Can you fix them up with something?" He asked. The man nodded, and led the two away, leaving Ash with his thoughts. Slowly, he walked back to his quarters and, finding it empty, lay down on his bed, deep in thought.

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos felt like a small schoolboy in the large Galactic Museum in Imperial City. He'd seen a lot of ships before and flown in many of them himself, but this station was a bit of a different design to him. He studied the facilities and the general set up of the whole place, impressed to find that it was kept in good care. He surmised they had a crew of cleaning droids which were in charge of keeping the ship this white, but he had yet to say any of them as he walked through the halls. His head turned this way and that, trying to peek into every room as though it were some sort of contest. He wondered how many meters this place was in length and width. Perhaps he would be able to view a full schematics program of the station before he was sent back to the New Republic Central Command.

Their new escort stopped a few times to explain the significance of a room or tell them of a funny story that occured in the past. Even Mudpit seemed to enjoy the tour somewhat, for his voice box didn't make that humming sound that annoyed everyone around him. Nichos felt himself get irritated whenever Mudpit did that at the Sabacc games. He found that it was necessary to put himself through a few calming techniques and focus himself on the game. Even the other players had complained about that to Mudpit, who barely acknowledged his own actions. The droid occasionaly asked their guide a question here and there, but only when he was really interested by something.

Nichos felt his mind wander for a split second to the back of the ship and Ash Longbaugh. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly the man was feeling, and if these feelings were anywhere near positive. The first time he really thought about himself being a Jedi, Nichos was full of negativity, most of it inspired by Imperial hate for the Jedi. The Imperial Inquizitors and Dark Jedi initiates viewed the Jedi and their continued existence as a thorn that needed plucking. Nichos knew that to devote himself to a Jedi life would be to put it in immediate danger. It was by the grace of the Force that he chose this path in the end.

"Now here we are at your quarters. I trust the droid will not need any extra quarters?" Their guide asked momentarily. He looked as though he were hoping that the droid didn't need extra quarters. Nichos laughed slightly and declined with the shake of his head. Mudpit made the equivalent of a droid scowl, but the Jedi paid no attention to it.

"That'll be all, thanks." Nichos said and slightly bowed like most Jedi did when they wanted to show their thanks.

"Oh dear, I suppose that I will have to adjust my aural capacitators ever so slightly so that I won't..." Mudpit was cut off in mid-sentence by Nichos' rising hand. The Jedi passed the droid and fully entered the dark room. With a few commands, the lights flashed on fully, giving him a clear view of what the room looked like. Off to the side there were two cots attached to the wall, but only one was needed really. Droids did not sleep on any form of beds, or sleep at all for that matter. They usually powered down, an act which would help to reserve all of their energy.

Nichos allowed himself a test of the bottom level cot, feeling somewhat comforted by the fact that it wasn't comprised of stone. His back still hurt nonetheless, but not as much as it would hurt if he were in some sort of prison cell. After all, the cots on the Republic Star Destroyer just outside of this station were barely any better. They were cheaply built due to all the credits poured into the artillery and shields. It was a shame really, considering that ships as large as Star Destroyers could make a fortune as some sort of casino or resort.

"Mudpit, what are your plans after this trip is done?" Nichos asked.

"Well I don't know really. I suppose I'll go back to the New Republic Central Command and await more orders. The Galaxy is a big place, and I still have a lot to see." Mudpit replied.

"Sometimes your answers surprise the Force out of me." The Jedi grinned.

"I hear that a lot." The droid seemed confused.

[Ash Longbaugh]

.