Fear's Womb: On the Run [completed]

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The woman laid on her bed on board her ship, letting hyperspace streak by while she rubbed lotion on her growing abdomen. She lifted her left hand, and looked at the gold circle on her ring finger, using her thumb to wipe off some stray lotion that was on the ring. She sighed, and relaxed against the bunk, her linen pants untied and pushed down so that her belly was open to the air.

De'Ville mentally went over the star charts, plotting out her route to Vjun. After leaving Ithor and her new husband, she was heading back to the planet she had left. She had no where else to go. Pierce was either still on Ithor, or on his way some where else, on the trail of the person he was trying to find. She still didn't know who it was -he wasn't very forthcoming about it, and frankly, she didn't really want to press for information.

It was perfectly understandable that he would keep secrets from her, just as she kept things from him. There were some things he might never know about her. And many things she would never know about him. But they were husband and wife, joined forever by a ten minute ceremony. She sighed again. It was bittersweet, their departure from each other. They had only had one night together as a married couple, and then they had separated.

She didn't know when she would see him again. But she had other things on her mind. Like the saftey of their child.

De'Ville was planning on going to Vjun, and sequestering herself behind the walls of Bast until the baby was born. There was at least one being she knew from TSO who resided there, and Jeseth could be persuaded to give her shelter. Besides Jeseth and his strange apprentice, only she and Pierce knew of the pregnancy. And only she and the apprentice knew that there had been twins.

Twins from a Force sensitive parent were common. Usually both would be strong in the Force...but only one had survived her banishment from the Sith Order. Lilaena reached out with a tendril of the Force, caressing the child inside her womb. He was tiny, still only a few months old, but he had great potential already. For his protection, she would hide him.

There was one stop she had to make on the way, however. She was passing through the Lavazza Sector, and she had some business on Vorzyd with an old friend.
_______________________________________________

She stepped off of the ramp of the Infiltrator, My Vengance, and paid the spaceport employee to watch her berth. After her escape from the Imperial Navy, she had spent a few months on Vorzyd...brushing up on her Sabacc skills, and keeping a low profile. Funny, the gaudy casino world was covertly operated by the Empire, who used the casinos, including the one she was visiting, the Casino Royale, to fund some of the Empire's projects. The Royale was the biggest resort on the planet, and every bit as imfamous as Cloud City was on Bespin.

Hiding in plain sight was dangerous, but it had worked for her those many years ago. As it would now. Besides, no one was looking for her. Before locking herself willingly behind a wall on Vjun, she might as well wreak some havok at a sabacc table or two. Lilaena walked into the Royale, where a bellhop took her bags, and helped her to the front desk.

She leaned on the counter and smiled at the pimple faced clerk. "I'd like a room for three nights please."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Some hours later, she walked through the double doors into the Royale's main bar. It was large and overdone, like everything else on Zorzyd was. Cigarra smoke tickled her nostrils, reminding her of Tondry. Lilaena pushed him from her mind, and took a seat in a corner booth, where she could watch the door and the bar. It was an old habit from her days as a courier on Coruscant.

De'Ville ordered a light meal with a virgin margarita, and studied the faces of those around her. She had made contact with her aquaintance, and he would be joining her soon. It wasn't often that he left Coruscant, and Vorzyd was the only other planet he tolerated. She smiled. Some would call it lucky that he was on the planet the same time as she. De'Ville did not call it that. She made her own luck.

A tall, dark man entered the bar, and immediately turned to face her corner. He strode towards De'Ville, and slid in on the opposite side from her. "Its been a long time, Lilaena."

She winked at him, "It certainly has, Darven."

[Darven Calmoarn]

I am sitting here, in the dark, watching water drip from a faucet. Well, I'm not really watching, more like listening. Drip... drip... drip... I just got a disturbing message from a friend from the past. I'm not sure what she is now... last time I saw her she was in pretty bad shape, and it seems that things haven't really gotten better for her yet. Here, in the dark, it's easier to think. The light brings things into focus, distracting things that carry my thoughts away into different directions.

Lilaena called me, said something about her needing help. Apparently she's on Vorzyd, at the Casino Royale, and wants me to meet her there. Exactly why, I don't know. Our past is strange. At one point I thought that we'd be together forever. She was fourteen, and I was eighteen the first time we'd met. She'd been an orphan, fresh out of the sewers when I'd stumbled across her.

She was shivering, soaked through and smelling like refuse as I dragged her out of the sewers. How she'd gotten in, I didn't know, but she was obviously stuck there. When I'd come along she was hoarse from calling for help, and had collapsed in a heap at my feet, too cold and tired to move. Half an hour later, after warming at my fire, she had come around, long hair damp and stringy around her face.

I had wrapped a blanket around her slim shoulders, and she clutched it to herself, shying away from me as I sat next to her. "Who are you?"

"Lilaena." That had been it, just the one name. And that was enough. In the underworld, one doesn't question the information that they're given. Too much curiosity could get you vaped. She had peered up at me with scared green eyes, large in her skinny face. After a few days she had gotten her strength back, and I was told that she had escaped from an orphan refuge of some sort. I didn't ask which one, or why she had run. It wasn't any of my business.

Just like who I was was none of hers. She never really asked what I was doing , living underneath Coruscant, and I never told her. Not straight out. It became obvious that I was running spice for some of spice lords, a mediocre courier for those who needed help with their low profile drops. Black Sun controlled most of the spice industry, but there were a few, small time bosses. And I worked for them.

Worked, past tense. I don't do that sort of thing anymore. I have people who trust me, people who depend on me now. After Lilaena had been taken away, I had fallen in with a group of feral people who lived in the underbelly of society...literally. Clerks, techs, and others small time pencil pushers who had escaped the wrath of the Empire prior to the resurgence of the Republic by running underground. After a few years I sort of became their leader, and I can't risk my people's safety by being involved in spice.

I miss the money, and the danger too, I suppose. Markoth, my "lieutenant," is more than capable of taking care of the group. And I guess that leaves me with time on my hands.

Which is why I am on Vorzyd in the first place. I'd taken Lilaena here a few times to meet one of my bosses, back when I had been running spice. She had been a courier for me, taking packages from sellers to buyers when I asked her to. I still feel responsible for her being taken by the Imps... it had been me who had sent her out that day, and the drop had gone sour.

She is here too, and wants to see me. I put on my shoes, and walk to the door, leaving the lights off as I lock my room behind me. Time to find out what Lilaena is up to these days.

* * * * * *

Entering the bar, I look to the back left corner. I am not mistaken, she is sitting there in the smoke swirled room right where I thought she would be. Approaching her, I slide in across from her. "Its been a long time, Lilaena."

She winks at me, "It certainly has, Darven." A server arrived with food and a drink for her, and asks me if I require anything. An explaination from this woman? I shake my head, and the scantily-clad waitress retreats.

"So, you wanted to talk to me about something? You made it sound urgent." I place my large hands on the table top as she picks up her fork.

Between mouthfuls, she speaks. "I just wanted to see you. Again." Lilaena frowned, and sipped her margarita. "I know you probably aren't too happy with me, after what happened last time we met on Coruscant. (http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8649) "

I shake my head, "On the contrary, I-"

She interrupts me, "Don't deny it. I dropped out of the sky into your lap again, and I landed you in a lot of trouble. So....I apologize. A lot has happened to me since I was shanghaied by the Imperials, and it would take too long to go into it all. You know that I...I can use the Force." Her voice drops to a whisper at the words.

Nodding, I venture a grin. "Couldn't help but notice."

"And I'm not a Jedi." Hazel eyes flash at the mention of the peacekeepers of the galaxy, and I manage to keep myself from flinching backward.

"Again, I believe we covered that last time." I tried to keep my revulsion from showing on my face, but I'm pretty sure that she could sense it. This was dangerous territory, and I know it. As does she.

Lilaena smiles slowly, looking down at her plate as the lights from the bar threw strange shadows on us both. "Its freeing, really. To know that I alone master my destiny." She looks up at me, a light in her eyes that I saw before, but still do not completely understand. "I do not worry about sleeping anymore. And I am no longer scared of the darkness. I do not know when I am going to see you again. But I wanted to talk to you, at least this one last time."

I frown, trying to ignore the thrill of fear her words send up my spine. "What do you mean, 'one last time?' Surely we will meet again." I manage a smile, "The galaxy is a big place, after all."

"And you stay in your one little corner, Darven." She smiles, the strange light in her eyes fading. "I wanted to let you know..." She pauses, and looks away, as if wrestling with a decision.

"What is it?"

She turns back to me. "Sometimes I miss how it was before. You know."

I nod slowly, Yes, I do know. But I cannot understand you anymore, Lilaena. I look at my chrono unconsciously. She sees me do it.

"Pressing engagement elsewhere?" Her eyebrow raises in that familiar fashion. She is so very beautiful...just like I rememeber.

But now, instead of love, she stirs up anxiety inside me. "I, ah...I have a sabacc game in a few minutes. In the Starlight room." She nods slowly.

"Do not let me keep you from your winnings, Darven. I'll be here a few days. I still have something I think I want to tell you." There is a glimpse of vunerability behind her hardness of her eyes, and then it flits away, leaving only the woman I do not know.

I excuse myself, and head for the door. I can't play sabacc with my head spinning like this. Might as well get room service upstairs and get drunk. It seems like the thing to do, under the circumstances.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She stirred her margarita with her pinky and licked the icy drink off her fingertip, frowning after Darven's back. Its only for our old friendship I let you live, Darven. His disgust of her was evident, if not on his face, but in his sense. She couldn't afford to let someone like that stick around...it was dangerous.

Friendship or no, it would only be a matter of time before he weasled on her. And to think I was about to tell him about Tondry...that would have been a mistake. How foolish she had allowed herself to become. Foolish and sentimental.

De'Ville checked a chrono, and polished off the last of her breadsticks. It was after eight, about the time things started to get interesting on Vorzyd. Getting to her feet, she left a credit chit on the table, and walked out of the bar.

Entering the Starlight room, Lilaena straightened her tunic, and headed for the farthest table. She sensed Darven in the room, but didn't bother trying to locate him exactly. In her mood, and for her own saftey, it was better that she didn't. She took a seat, waylaid a serving droid for a pack of cards, and laid out a game of solitaire. It was always best to get a sense of the room before approaching a sabacc table.

The Starlight room's bar was along the nearest wall, and there were several human males sitting there. Some were drowning their sorrows already, and others were leering at the serving girls. One looked over at her. She ignored him, and flipped over three more cards.

[ReaperFett]

Sitting alone at the bar, Ash took a drink of the Lomin ale in his hand. After completing his last mission, New Republic Intelegence had given him some much appreciated time off. He was going to spend the time on Corellia, to catch up on old times with old friends. However, he had decided to stop off here on Vorzyd first. He liked the busy atmosphere of the planet, and nowhere was better for that than Casino Royale. He'd decided to spend a weekend here, before heading off again.

Scratching his leg, he brushed over the spot where a pistol would normally be holstered/ He had decided to leave them on-ship in the in-casino hangar, it wasn't as if there'd be any trouble. And besides, just because he was weaponless, doesn't mean he was defenceless.

Taking another sip of his drink, he slowly turned to survey the room. He didn't see anything of much intrest, until he saw a dark haired woman enter the room. He watched her adjust her clothing, before taking a seat and talking to a serving droid. It was only when she looked at him that he realised he was staring. Looking away, she began to deal the cards the droid had given her. Even then, Ash couldn't keep his eyes off her. There was something about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Well, here goes nothing he thought to himself as he picked up his drink and walked over to her.

"You know, they say Solitairre is a lonely persons game" he said

Wincing on the inside from possibly the worst way to introduce yourself he could have tried, He slowly pulled out a seat, and sat next to her.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena looked up at the man from under her lashes before looking back at her cards. "Whoever said that has never been truly lonely." She sat back, flipping another card over and placing it on the table. "Lonely people tend to stay away from games entirely. Perhaps you meant bored, not lonely."

She looked at him, feeling a wave of frustration coming off him. There was also a slight feeling of Force ability, but it came and went. Just another barhopper trying to get laid. She returned her attention to her cards, waiting to see if he's give up or persist. If he persisted, she would give him credit for courage. Of course, he didn't know what she was.

If he did, he'd probably leave. Just like Darven had. Anger rose in her again at her former friend's smallmindedness, and she crumpled a card in her hand.

[ReaperFett]

Seeing the lady take out her frustration on a card, Ash forced a smile.

"You know, I think they charge you for damages" he said, but got no reply

looking at her, he tried to work out what he could sense about her. Realising he couldn't work it out, he gave up.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, sounding slightly concerned, before realising he hadn't told her his name yet.

"Oh, sorry, the name's Ash"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"My name is Lily." De'Ville looked at the man strangely, and ignored his question. She straightened out the card, smoothing the wrinkles with the Force without thinking.

The man stared, a familiar look coming over his face, and she got to her feet, knocking her chair over in her haste. De'Ville tossed a chit on the table to pay for her drink, and walked briskly out of the Starlight Room, and into a turbolift which whisked her upstairs.

Frell it all! She threw the door to her room open, and slammed it shut behind her. De'Ville smashed the mirror in her 'fresher, and then curled up around the pillows in her bed. She fell into a dark sleep, tormented by nightmares from her past.

[ReaperFett]

As the woman stormed out what the room, Ash at first got up to follow, but stopped. You don't know what the matter was, don't make it any worse he thought, as he bent down to pick her chair up. Retaking his seat, he looked round to see noone looking. The jedi took another drink of his drink, before beginning to knock a small bar snack around the table.

[Sanis Prent]

"Mister Prent"

(I cracked an eyelid open at the voice. Tanni, one of my executive assistants , was standing over me, handing me a datapad of some sort. Her blonde hair was pinned back professionally, hourglass figure held snugly by a burgundy business dress. A good sight to wake up to, even if I'd rather have another hour to my nap. I sat up in my thick leather chair, rubbing my hair until it felt in place.)

Thanks, Tanni.

(Wait a minute...

I stood up as she was about to leave my office)

Tanni...this isn't for me, its one of my employees. How did it get forwarded here?

(She looked at me blankly. Obviously I was snooping around in the wrong place)

"I don't know, Mister Prent. It was encrypted, and its secondary protocol sent it here. Should I delete it from the mail nexus?"

(I shook my head, glancing down)

No, no...don't do that. Better page Moranda though, and fix me some amber brandy on the rocks.

(I slumped down into my seat, taking my attention off Tanni, and putting it back on the datapad. The fact that it was sent to me, and had enough encryption on it to rival any Imperial communique...it piqued my interest, and frustrated me at the same time.)

Dammit, I'm a businessman, not post office. Tanni, get Moranda, and get her now. We're gonna get to the bottom of this.

[Moranda Savich]

What the heck does he want from me? I only got here - no way he's sending me off on business already...

Moranda was a shrewd business woman and well versed in the to-do's and don't's of her trade. For a new employer to send her on a high-profile job - he would have to be real special for that; new people were usually the ones to land the lowest, most menial and annoying jobs the boss would be able to think of. And Sanis Prent hadn't struck her as something all too special - no more than the other million or more of people just like him who seemed to make up the trade these days.

So she of course wondered what was in store for her now - she hadn't even had time to unpack her personal belongings yet.

On the way to whatever hole Prent called his office, Moranda was sizing up the girl that had come for her; apparently, she was Prent's very own P.A. - just the sort of dim-witted look on the blonde's face that one would expect.

If she had to take a guess, then the girl was probably smarter than her own boss and a trained expert in some obscure skill somewhere...


The look on Sanis' face when they finally reached the "hole" (a lavishly furnished office with a magnificent view over the cityscape of the planet, and not at all fitting into her picture of Mr Sanis Prent, small-time entrepreneur) was dubious, to say the least. It didn't speak of anything she might have guessed at, at all - he seemed to be genuinely puzzled about something.

As he looked up, he stretched out his hand and tossed a datapad at her. He almost knocked over a glass of amber-colored liquid as he did - brandy, by the smell. Moranda had a good nose for that.

Looking down at the read-out on the card, she almost lost her calm.

LAVAZZA, VORZYD. DE'VILLE, LILAENA. FETCH.

Damn the woman! Has she gone mad? This must've come in over a public channel - what in space does she think she is doing???

Despite her anger, Moranda felt a certain admiration welling up in her for her other "employer" - the woman had guts, that was clear. No one else would be brash enough to send a communication like this over an unsafe channel, and expect her to deal with all the unpleasantries that could lead to on her end herself.

Well, well... fine mess I am in now... no wonder the guy is freaked out by this. Hell, but that she had to...

The thought was left unfinished; instead, she was beginning to calculate what would happen next. Judging by the expression on Sanis' face, it had better be something fast and something logical to explain why she was getting messages from an Imperial source.

<Then again, why bother explaining at all... not like he owns me or anything...>

"Ahhh... sorry I can't stay longer, but I have to go somewhere. Mind if I take one of your ships? No? Didn't think so - I'll be taking mine - expect me back in five days..."

Without giving him enough time to get out of his all to comfortable chair, let alone enough time to open his mouth, she delivered her little speech already on her way out; and before Tanni could make any move to stop her, Moranda was on her way out.

The Lavazza sector had never been one of her favorites due to the high amount of warrants out on her head in one particular system, but she might as well try out that fabulous immunity Isard had granted her in all parts of the galaxy...

Not too long after - and surprisingly without having to shoot down any trigger-happy security people - her ship left the hangar she had landed it in at her arrival, and she set a course for her new destination.

"Vorzyd, here I come...." she mumbled to herself as her hand pushed forward the hyperspace lever.

<center><img src=http://delirion.clanpages.com/siglab/Moranda.jpg></center>

[Lilaena De'Ville]

After sleeping fitfully for a few hours, De'Ville was awoken by the sound of a small cleaning droid in the 'fresher. It was clucking to itself as it cleaned up the broken glass from the mirror. Lilaena turned over, and groaned loudly at the nausea that washed over her.

Morning sickness they called. In truth, it was morning, evening and afternoon sickness. De'Ville stumbled to the refresher in time to vomit, and then tiredly brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth out. I hope Pierce appreciates this baby. Lilaena stepped into the sonic shower to clean up in the barrage of ions. Exiting the shower, she rubbed her tummy momentarily, and then pulled on some clean clothes.

She was barely showing, and could still fit into most of her clothes, yet some were getting too tight around the middle. Lilaena was preferring the unfashionable drawstring pants, which hid her tummy and were as comfortable as anything else she could wear. She pulled a longer tunic over her head, the hemline reaching her knees. The tunic was slashed up the side to her waist, allowing her freedom of movement. The material was fine, but not clingy, leaving enough of her figure to the imagination so the pregnancy would not be an issue.

De'Ville walked out of her room, sandals laced tightly on her feet, and headed to another of the Casino Royale's vast gaming rooms. If nothing else, the company there at five am in the morning would be interesting.

[Moranda Savich]

It was too frelling late by the time she got shown to her room, to do anything in the way of searching for the woman Isard wanted.

The entire trip to Lavazza had been annoyingly quiet, followed by a few hours worth of nerve-racking tension as she had approached the planet itself - always with the constant fear that someone had not heard of that decree of Isard's and was about to give her a very hard time indeed.

But nothing had happened. The twelve hours of tense crawl towards the planet had gone by with the seconds ticking away as Vorzyd had taken up more and more space on her front viewscreen. The landing had come and gone by, without there being a special team lying in wait to "receive" her. And no one had frowned - or even as much as raised an eyebrow - at hearing her name when she had checked into the Royale. Still, one could never be sure if there wasn't some unseen danger lurking behind a corner somewhere.

There always was - if not in the way one though, then in another.

As it was too late to go looking around --- after all, wasn't she entitled to a little bit of rest and relaxation after so exhausting a trip? She wasn't getting any younger, either --- Moranda decided for a few hours of rack-time before hitting the casinso and bars where her prey might be hiding. Shuffling around in the small room she had been alotted, she soon settled in and not much later was well on her way to dreamland.


It didn't last too long. Sometime in the morning hours - not any time she usually wished to see the world around her - she was rudely awakened by what sounded like a gang of Gamorreans returning in half-drunken stupor to their own cells, passing by her door. It wasn't so much the noise that woke her, but rather the smell. It wafted and oozed through the little slit under her door, and filled her entire room with an unendurable stench.

Shortly after, a severely gagging Moranda almost fell out of her room, and tottered gaspingly down the corridor in direction of the exit, almost bumping into one huge set of glazed glass doors. At least, she hoped it was the direction of the exit she was going towards.

It wasn't. Five glazed double doors down, she came to a lift. And the only button it had inside, apart from floor after floor of sleep-cells, said BAR & CASINO - FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR. Mumbling curses - which prompted another fit of coughing - she pressed it, and told herself that maybe a stiff drink might help get the cloying stench out of her nose and mouth, and a game or two might help her get rid of any other lasting after effects.

So it was that not much after, Mornda sat down at one of the sabbacc tables with a thin glass filled with her favorite: Gralish liqueur. Next to her was a woman who looked about as sleepy as she did, and pale and sickly enough to have suffered from that same gang of Gamorreans invading her room instead of just passing it. With uncharacteristic sympathy, Moranda grunted at her under her breath,

"Rough night, isn't it?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville twirled her finger in the glass of warm milk she'd managed to get out of the bartender. She was sitting at an empty sabacc table, a deck of cards in front of her, but untouched and still in the thin plastic packaging.

She didn't know why warm milk was supposed to calm upset stomachs. It seemed to be having the opposite affect and making her feel more ill. Lilaena licked her finger, and then drummed her fingers on the table, willing the hours to pass.

A woman sat next to her, looking as sick as De'Ville felt. There was a residual scent about her that the Dark Jedi picked up using the Force. Gammorrean. That explained the look on the older woman's face. The pig-like aliens were not known for their grooming habits. Having spent quite a few months serving in a Hutt's palace on Nal Hutta had taught De'Ville how to block out scents using the Force. Normal people didn't have that priviledge, however.

"Rough night, isn't it?"

The woman turned to her, and De'Ville shrugged non-committedly. "Could be worse." Across the room she could see the man she had talked to in the Starlight Room. And he was walking towards her.

Lilaena leaned her face on her hand, and hoped he would walk right by. You don't see me. Keep on walking, nerf herder. She sipped the milk as the man walked by. He didn't see her or even acknowledge her presence. De'Ville was not surprised. She had learned a trick with the Force, sort of a way to make ones self invisible. You didn't have to actually bend light around you, or cast yourself into shadows. It was really the only "mind altering" Force ability she had, causing people's attention to slide off of her by attaching herself to another person in their mind.

Tondry had fallen for it the first time he'd seen her, in the bar on Coruscant. However, he'd also been able to concentrate though her almost unconscious use of the Force, and picked her out. I wonder... There was a test she could do, to see if he was Force sensitive in any way. The Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, son of the Dark Lord Darth Vader, had found the place in a person's mind that, when touched with the Force, gave a clear signal as to Force abilities.

De'Ville flicked her eyes over to the other woman, who was draining her drink and breaking the seal on the deck of cards. Over her shoulder Lilaena could see Darven, sitting at a table about twenty feet away. He hadn't seen her either. The man's head turned, and their eyes met. Frell. She didn't want to deal with him right now. Couldn't deal with him right now.

To make matters worse, the other man...Ash, was walking back to his table, carrying a drink, and had also seen her. He made a beeline for her table and the seat next to her.

[Moranda Savich]

The drink was gone fast enough - Gralish always went down her throat like syrup. Too fast, really.

As her sickly neighbor seemed about as interested in striking up a conversation as she was, Moranda used the somewhat awkward silence to grab for the cards and open their seal. With fingers nimbe from too many hours spent in places just like this, she spread them out before her and looked at them, rather vacantly. It wasn't that she felt any particular interest in playing a game right now - it just seemed rather a bad idea to go and order another drink after just having gulped down her first.

Then again, it didn't really matter. With much noise, she shoved her chair back and got up, grunting something half-way audible about the chair being reserved into the empty space between herself and the other woman, and shambled off back to the bar.

Somewhere at the back of her mind, the rest of her thinking processes woke up, and as she ordered another Gralish, the question began to bug her:

How the hell could she find one woman amongst a few millions on Vorzyd, of whom she knew no more than the name?

[ReaperFett]

Ash sat with a straght face, as he carefully stuidied the four Sabacc cards in his hand. He stared across the table, and met the gaze of the Weequay sitting across from him. He grunted a noise, before calmly opening his mouth to speak.

"Five thousand" He slowly said.

The amount suprised Ash. That was almost as much as the rest of the amount in the pot! Hopefully, he is trying to scare me, so he doesnt have to play his hand. He could be bluffing though... he thought, as he looked back down at his cards. Four of Staves, Three of coins, Ace of Staves and the smuggler. Under the Corellian rules they are playing, this gave Ash twenty six. If the Weequay, Pranta if Ash remembered right, called the hand, he'd bomb out.

"Seven thousand" Ash replied, trying to not let his emotions show.

"Pranta, do you wish to call?" said a metallic voice, as the dealer droid followed it's procedure. To Ash's relief, he shook his head.

"Next round. Please select any discards" the droid continued. Looking down, the Jedi instantly pressed a small button on the Ace of Staves card, selecting it. Under Corellian rules, you must discard two, three or four cards. Slowly, he thumbed the four of Staves, and waited.

A short ping came from the droid, indicating both players had chosen, looking down, Ash watched the faces of his chosen cards slowly disapear to reveal his new cards. The nine of coins and the six of Staves. Twenty two. Time to act he thought to himself, as he slowly stretched his neck.

"Ten thousand" he said

"Fifteen" Pranta replied immediately. He looks confident Ash thought, and smiled to his opponent.

"Shifting occurs!" the droid said, giving Ash a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. To his horror, he looked down to see the shifting light on the six of Staves. He held his breath as the image disapeared, and was replaced by...

The smuggler.

Relief washed over the Jedi. Two smugglers and a coin card. A smuggler's array.

"Does either player wish to c.." the droid said, before being cut off.

"Yes" Ash said, and immediately put his cards into the suspension field, and gave a lopsided grin to Pranta, as he laid down his twenty two.

"Ash wins" the droid said, as a small series of lights danced on his head. The Weequay growled in disgust and stormed away from the table, knocking his drink onto the floor. Ash, still smiling, leant across the table, and picked up the large stack of credit chits Pranta had lost to him.

"Another game sir" the droid asked, which Ash responded to with a no. Pocketing the chits in his jacket, the Jedi picked up his drink and left the table, thirty five thousand credits richer. He didnt know where it would end up. Maybe a fund for the New Republic. Maybe the Alderaan Refugee appeal. Who knows?

As he headed back to a booth to finish his drink before leaving for the night. As he went, someone caught his attention. It was Lily, the woman who had left in such a rush the last time they had met. Ash changed direction and headed over to her, before taking the seat next to her.

"Hello Lily, I hope I didn't upset you last time we met" He said, smiling.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

[Jared Thule]

The Savich woman appeared to be uncommonly fit for someone at her age. She didn't seem to need much sleep at all.

Jared was bored and tired, and only barely hanging on to consciousness at this stage by attempting to remember if he had ever seen or heard anything to confirm Isard's true age. Because if he was right, then she couldn't be much younger than this one here - only she seemed a little better preserved.

Well, maybe that was the wrong word for it, too. This one seemed a little more animate - maybe Isard hiding in that box of a room all day long and plotting her brains out had kind of mummified her alive. Or something like that. It had to be something like that - Isard was like a kind of marble statue, all cold and icy; maybe there was more to her nickname than just a joke. Still, he'd have taken Isard over this one anytime - at least his boss still had a few curves.

Jared's mind was rambling, and he knew it. He lacked the energy to stop and do something more sophisticated than thinking about women and their charms. Vader's bones, he even lacked the energy to stop thinking about what he would like to do to one of them if he just as much as got a chance...

The one at the table was a definite maybe. Just enough exotic looks to get him feeling all warm and tingly - the forbidding look in her eye kinda froze that again.

Oh well, it wasn't a good thing anyway, to lust after something that was soon to be taken in for questioning. Maybe after that....


This Moranda Savich woman was hard work, though. Tough as dried nerf hide, and rancor-ugly. Well, at least she looked like she was up for the job. Although he had started wondering just how much she knew about her assignment - she was either a professional at these sort of things, or the way she had so casually wormed her way into the other one's vicinity had been pure luck.

Whatever it was, she had better get to it soon - Isard wasn't one for being patient about the missions she sent people on. Probably something that had happened to the Oludh guy, too.... one mission fouled up, and the guy had been less one head... probably....

Jared turned around on his chair at the bar, and lazily ordered another caf. He overheard Moranda asking for some more of that green stuff she was knocking down habitually, and threw her a lazy smile down the bar. She raised her eyebrow questioningly and "tssk"ed once, then took up her new drink and lurched back to the table she had come from.

Jared went on watching her. The night was still long....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena looked at Ash, and then motioned to her glass of milk. "I already paid for mine. And I have a lot going on, so I wouldn't completely blame you for my exit earlier."

Although if this barfly didn't leave her alone, he was the one that would be making an abrupt exit. Lilaena looked over towards Darven, and saw that he was still embroiled in his sabacc game. It didn't look like he was winning, the emotions coming off him were decidedly negative.

The older woman was returning to the table with another drink, and De'Ville turned to Ash. "You know, I'd really rather just -" She paused, and looked at him again.

There was something there that she hadn't picked up on before. Fool! He was Force sensitive, if only a little. Jedi. De'Ville almost hissed in anger, yet concealed her feelings. His strength was not enough to worry her, but she did not want the Jedi finding out about the child. Or about her, for that matter.

She slipped her arm around his shoulder, and smiled at him. "You know, I could use some fresh air. Care to escort me outside?"

[ReaperFett]

Pure Sabacc Ash thought to himself as Lily smiled at him. He finished his drink, and gave her a lopsided smile.

"I'd be honoured to" he said, and slid off his seat, before moving her seat as she got up. As they walked to the exit, he slowly draped a hand round her waist, letting his hand hang at her side.

It was then that Ash began to think. Wasn't that a little...brief? he thought to himself. Letting the doubt leave his head, he continued out of the exit.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena also put her arm around his waist, casually making sure that he was obeying the casino's "No Weapons" policy. He was. "By the way, my name is De'Ville." He didn't appear to have heard her, or if he had, he didn't recognize the name.

Once they reached a side door and exited the building, she pulled him off to the side, and giggled, pressing him against a wall and leaning against him. She whispered in his ear as he grinned, "My name is Lilaena De'Ville, and I am going to kill you, Jedi."

Ash's eyes widened as his air supply was cut off, leaving him breathless. De'Ville's eyes bored into his wide open ones, and she pinned him with her body and the Force against the wall. The feel of his life draining was...invigorating.

[ReaperFett]

Bringing his hand up to his throat, Ash began to gasp, as he felt the air leave his body. He tried to squirm free, but found his body held against the wall.

Struggling, the Jedi brought up a knee, slightly seperating the pair. He then used all the strength he could muster to push her away. His assailant only stumbled slightly, but it would be enough. He grabbed her arms, and brought her up against the wall, breaking her concentration. Pinning her hands above her ahead and putting a leg across hers, Ash looked directly into her eyes.

"Listen to me, you don't have to do this. I am not here for you. Just g..." He began, before trailing off as he felt something through the force. Although faint, he still knew what it was. She's pregnant?

[Moranda Savich]

As she got back to the table, there was some guy sitting in her chair. Moranda frowned at that. She'd hoped that the other woman would at least have had the courtesy to keep that chair for her, but it seemed she wasn't one of the nice ones.

She was about to raise a stink about it, when both of them got up just as she reached them. Maybe they belonged together, the two of them - not that she really cared anyway; but the woman putting her arm around the guy in such an inviting and friendly way certainly seemed to suggest it. Moranda took it as a blessing, and sat down in the vacated chair.

Once she was sitting and had taken one small sip, the whole thing took on a different angle. There was something funny in the air, suddenly - she could have sworn to that. And the woman really hadn't looked like one waiting for her man - or any man, really. There had been an underlying tone to their conversation that Moranda, in hindsight, didn't quite like all that much.

She didn't know why she bothered, but she slowly got up anyway, and began to follow them. It wasn't her usual thing to get involved in other people's business, but maybe it was the few words she had exchanged with the other woman - some kind of solidarity seemed to have been struck then. Whatever that guy was up to, Moranda was going to make sure that nothing bad was going to come to the girl. It wasn't really lie she had anything better to do anyway, right now.

She caught up with them half-way through the casino, but had the good grace to stay back a bit - just in case she was wrong after all. It was close enough for her to hear the girl mumble her name at him; but instead of catching on to that, she felt confirmed in her idea that the guy was planning some mischief - probably dragging her outside so he could have his fun with a total stranger.

Having concentrated too much on them, and not on her other surroudnings, Moranda suddenly found herself caught in the middle of a gaggle of what looked like Agamarian farmers on a pleasure cruise. By the time she managed to untangle herself from them, the two she was after had vanished out of the door.

She began to run.

Almost knocking down the door as she went through it, she had no thought for it - all she now saw was confirmation of her worst suspicions: the guy had managed to pin the girl to the wall, and was obviously harassing her in some way. And Moranda wasn't going to allow that to happen.

Somewhere at the back of her mind a missing piece of the puzzle had detached itself from the rest of the chaos in there, and was slowly drifting towards the rest, but she shook it off for now. Now wasn't the time to be concerned about her other business - that could come later. After all, she still hadn't found this Lilaena De'Ville person...

She ran up behind the guy, and threw her arms around his head to choke him.

"Stop, you damned bastard! If you think you can do this to one woman, you're stupid enough, but you've got no chance against two of us!"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

As he paused in his sentance, a woman grabbed him from behind. Surprised, Ash relaxed his hold on Lilaena as he attempted to get the older woman off his back. Using the distraction, De'Ville summoned the Force and pushed him hard enough to send him across the alley. The woman went sprawling, landing halfway between the Dark Jedi and the man. De'Ville ignored her and walked towards the Jedi who was scrambling to his feet.

Speaking softly, Lilaena approached him. "Why don't you fight for your life, Jedi? Is it not worth protecting?" She had things to protect as well, but like as not no Jedi would ever understand her reasoning. They were mostly a thickheaded lot, thinking only about peace and keeping it. There was more than one way to keep peace in the galaxy, and sometimes it had to be bought with blood.

Blood, such as that of this miserable Jedi, Ash. De'Ville reached for her lightsaber, which was hidden in her clothes.

[ReaperFett]

Rushing to his feet, Ash saw the woman slowly reach into her clothing for something, probably a weapon of some sort. Looking around, he looked for something to use. Seeing a piece of wood leaning up against the wall, he grabbed it and got to his feet, making sure the other assailant was still a distance away. The wood wouldn't be much use if she had a blaster, but he might be able to do something. Holding it as he would his lightsabre, the Jedi slowly stepped towards her.

"You don't have to do this. Think of your other one" He said calmly.

[Moranda Savich]

Getting knocked backwards into a wall with your head hitting hard stone isn't the most healthy thing to happen to someone. Moranda witnessed that first-hand when something suddenly propelled her backwards and into a wall, even though by rights she should have been choking the life out of that guy. Under the circumstances, she did the only thing possible.

She lost consciousness.

It didn't last all that long. The impact with the wall had been enough of a shock to her system to make her pass out for a few moments, but it was one that soon wore off. And so Moranda found herself blinking her way out of darkness, trying to take in what was happening around her. Not that she could do anything else besides that - something seemed to have damaged her central nervous system during that crash; she wasn't able to do more than bring her limbs to twitch if she tried to move, and even just that brought a nauseating queasy feeling to her stomach.

But as she was lying there, looking on at what was happening, it was as if some kind of curtain had finally parted in her mind. It all became very clear just how the parts fitted together.

That woman... that woman was the one Isard wanted. She had mentioned her name, hadn't she? And it had been Lilaena De'Ville, just like the name Isard had given her.

What Isard seemed to have overlooked telling her was that the woman was a Force User of some kind. And by what she could see of her in action, it didn't look like she was one of the good guys - or girls, rather.

If this Lilaena woman was a Sith, and the guy wasn't, then things were about to get very nasty around here, very soon. Especially for people who lacked anything in the way of their own mumbo-jumbo powers - even if she herself had possessed any, about the only thing she would have used them for was to make herself invisible right now, or something similar life-saving.

To hell with whatever Isard wants from this one - she ain't gonna get her from me. Not this time, anyway...

With that thought fixed in her mind, Moranda did the only thing left to her: she tried to look as passed out as it could be.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The woman who had been clinging to Ash's neck slumped to the ground and into unconsciousness. De'Ville sensed that she had regained her consciousness again, yet did not move from the ground. Good idea.

Her hand paused, gripping the smooth bone pommel of her lightsaber under her long tunic. He knows. De'Ville's eyes flashed as he finished his sentance, and then she withdrew the lightsaber, keeping it in the off position, but ready to ignite. "I am thinking of my other."

She took one step back as Ash took another one towards her, holding a piece of wood in his hands as though it were a lightsaber.

[ReaperFett]

As he stepped forward, Ash saw her remove something from her clothing. A Lightsabre? he thought to himself, his pace slowing dramatically. I should have tried to get away when I had the chance. Stupid, very stupid. He glanced down at the wood in his hands, before looking back, thinking about his situation. He spun the wood round in his hand and deftly repositioned himself into another stance, hoping to make her think twice about attacking.

"Why'd you try to kill me?" He asked, not taking his eyes off her.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Why? Because I did not want word of this little one to get out. And the less the Jedi know about me, the better." She feinted with her saber, and Ash moved to block. De'Ville laughed as she returned to her previous position, but there was no mirth in her voice.

"Any last words, Jedi?" She moved in a little closer, lightsaber held ready.

[ReaperFett]

Keeping his eyes set on her, which wasn't a hard thing to do at any time, Ash slowly stepped backwards, trying to keep out of range.

"Well, I suppose asking you out for dinner is a bit late now" He replied, trying not to sound nervous, his eyes darting round.

[Darven Calmoarn]

I saw Lilaena leave with a man a few minutes ago, but it isn't sitting well with me. I throw down my cards and buy out of the game I'm in. The other players are upset that I'm leaving, but my winning streak allowed them to be a little more understanding. The little Chadra-Fan sitting next to me looks relieved, its cards dwarfing its hands.

Getting to my feet, I head for the door through which Lilaena has disappeared. She's a big girl, Darven. Remember that. You know what she is now. What she does. Stay out of it! But try as it can, my conscience cannot talk me out of going outside. Just for a breath of fresher air.

Its no use, I can't lie to myself. I grin lopsidedly as I go through the door, and look to my left. And then I look again. "No..." Her lightsaber is drawn, and she is menacing the man she left the casino with. There is a woman down on the ground behind them, dead or alive I can't tell.

My voice finds itself, and I shout, "No!" while walking towards the pair. No, more like running. Lilaena turns her head to look at me, her hand stayed for the moment.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She heard Darven calling, and turned, sparing Ash's life for the moment. "Go away!" De'Ville glared at the approaching man.

[ReaperFett]

Seeing the woman's glare, Ash spun round to see who she was shouting to. A tall man with dark skin was approaching quickly. From the look she had given him, Ash suspected they knew each other. Seeing his eyes follow something moving fast. Following his view, the Jedi turned to see...nothing.


Sithspit, where did she go?


Breaking into a sprint, Ash ran down the alley, in pursuit of the now departed female.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville ran through the alleyway as Darven shouted once more, using the Force to speed her steps. One hand on her stomach, she dashed into a crowded courtyard. Threading her way through a group of dark haired tourists, De'Ville looked back to see the Jedi coming around the corner.

He stopped at the edge of the crowd, looking for her. She ducked around the large, ornate fountain in the middle of the courtyard, and kept making her way through the crowd.

[ReaperFett]

Blast! Lost her! Thought Ash, as he started wading into the sea of people, resisting the temptation to try and scare the people out of the way.

Almost knocking over a short overweight woman, the Jedi staggered into something hard. Looking round, he saw he was standing next to a large fountain. Hopping onto the edge, Ash began staring out into the crowd. He had almost given up, when he saw someone dark haired moving away from him at a fast pace. Hoping he was guessing right, he jumped off the fountain, and gave chase once again.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Her feet pounded on the pavement, and she dashed across a bridge, her heart in her throat. If Darven got in the way...

I'd of killed him. Lilaena turned to face the Jedi, burning with hate against his meddling, and his ideals. As Ash picked up his pace, and cleared the crowd, she backed slowly away, walking backwards on the high bridge. Underneath them the artificial river flowed, planted there for the pleasure of the gamblers and pleasure seekers.

Today it would serve a different purpose. One hand on her barely swollen belly, De'Ville felt her feet touch the other side of the bridge, even as Ash advanced. "Come no further!" She held out her hand towards him, as if to hold him back, yet made no malignant move towards him.

Behind him, in the growing crowd of spectators, she could see Darven's face, concern written all over it. De'Ville's eyes narrowed, and she reached for her saber.

[ReaperFett]

As the woman extended her handout, Ash stopped on the bridge, openinging his hands to show he was unarmed. Try to look like you aren't a threat. That way, she might not try to lighten the load on my shoulders the Jedi Master thought to himself. Let's see if I can get her to come with me without any trouble

"I'm not going to hurt you. Just come with me." He said, slowly walking further onto the bridge. Looking down, he could see her hand hovering over something, most likely her Lightsabre.

"You don't need that, come on, leave it be" He said, a hand held slightly out, a smile he hoped was calming on his face.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville took another step backward, almost skittish, and then stopped, and straightened, leaving her saber at her side. She looked directly at the Knight, and then at the bridge beneath his feet.

The Dark one smiled thinly. "Goodbye, Ash." She tightened her fists and made a ripping motion with her hands, as if she was yanking something apart in front of her. Ash stopped stock still, and felt the supports giving way underneath him...

...felt the bridge start to collapse. De'Ville stood silently and watched the entire structure, weakened by the removal of the supports and cracked by the Force, plummet down towards the rushing waters.

She didn't see Darven watching in horror.

[ReaperFett]

As he felt the ground below him breaking apart, Fett tried todive out of the way, but to no avail. With nothing nearby available to grab onto, all Ash could do was fall into the waters below.


The Jedi felt his breath leave him as the cold water hit him. Grabbing onto a piece of the bridge rushing past him, Ash pulled his upper body ontop, in order to keep his head above water. He instinctively reached down to where he would keep his grapnel on his utility belt, before remembering he wasn't wearing it. Realising there was nothing he could do, he slowly let out a sigh of resignation, before a jolt nearly knocked him off the debris. Looking back, he saw that his makeshift raft had become wedged onto something in the water. This wont hold for long, but it may give me a chance to jump he thought, before bringing all his body onto the remains. Slowly getting onto his knees, he began to test for stability. Although it isn't strong, it should be able to hold me he thought, as he carefully got into a standing position. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself to jump...


..And was nearly sent sprawling as another piece of debris smashed into his. Falling onto his back, Ash grabbed hold of the rock, his lower torso fully underwater. Looking up, he could see that any second now his ride would be free again. He didn't have the time to try again. It was then his eyes widened in realisation.

Hold on, I've got an id..... He began thinking, before he was swept off downstream once again.

[Darven Calmoarn]

I sit in front of the holo, not really watching, but letting the newsanchor's words wash over me, as it if will make my heart feel any better.

She has changed too much. I watched her kill a man in cold blood today. It hurts. More that I thought it could. I close my eyes again, my back to the window that over looked the space port. A ship is taking off, but I don't care.

"...in other news today, a faulty bridge system near the Casino Royale resulted in the death of at least one human male, as yet unidentified. Searchers have yet to recover the body, and another human female is wanted for questioning regarding what experts call 'suspicious circumstances.' Later today, in what is considered a bid for votes, the govenor is expected to -"

I switch off the holonews, and stretch back on my bed. I had always thought there was something in Lilaena that could be saved. Now....now I'm not so sure. Out of the corner of my eye I see another ship taking off from the spaceport, and then I close them, and go to sleep.

My last conscious thought is about Lilaena. I wonder what she was going to tell me last night... Perhaps one day we will meet again.