Risen from the Ashes

[Orion Csalestes]

“Revolution,” a voice resounded from the shadows, “the light shall suffer no more.”

“R-Revolution? Wha-…I d-don’t understand,” another remarked with a shrill rasping his lips.

Two figures garnished in a brunette fashion of formal wear drifted to the fore of an intermittent flame isolated to a cavity of brimstone. Each flaunting senatorial crests on inset necklaces of a foreign metal incidentally allowing both to dangle sluggishly upon the neck, they – too – were obvious to an esteemed social structure. Exposing layered beards of black rooting to similar, broad jawbones, there was little to physically distinguish the two from one another. In fact, for decades beforehand the duo had been inseparable at the waist, having fought through the rigorous trials of Jungend as a pair since the age of four and ceasing only at that of thirty. For those knowing no better, they were one in the same for seemingly identical qualities both physically and psychologically --

<CENTER>~ ~ ~</CENTER>

Yelping from beneath the imposing overhang of a Sartoga Maple, a young boy yelped, “Come-on! We’ll miss it!”

A trio of proud stars – two crimson, one blue – smiled frivolously upon floppy golden locks bushing from worn trees and stalks of blue-green grass rupturing the domain’s bosom. Harmonious, dandelion songbirds graced every presence, no matter how minute, with stories embossed in life and love. Set against a sky of wondrous cobalt yielding to white gashes of scarred perfection, the scene had been extracted from a utopia of only a temporary completion.

Puffs of auburn spores erupting in their paths, two boys began to depart rapidly from a central trunk of blossoming appendages. Laughing excitedly as they sprinted, those pastimes had long departed in the current stasis of somber life.

Presently, the heavens were no longer marked with this broad azure, but rather a grave gray. With ignorance had come an unreceptive, simplistic existence. No more did it reign.

“Hold on! Look what I found,” the second enthusiastically exclaimed in a soft huff of exhilaration once slowed to a stop.

“A~ah, alright Orion. It better be good! You know how much we want to see that new Winapeg Cannon at the showing. Five quantum power reactors, remember! Commandant Naeiva says that it nears the metaphysical break,” the first responded dead in his tracks.

Brushing curious fingertips against a protruding chest of yellows and whites, the young Orion tilted his head in distinction to the songbird so vividly trapping his attention. At first, the songbird extended its meager wings in reluctance, but soon it succumbed to the child’s innocence. It nearly began to purr in the sensation of the boy’s inquiring gestures. The other youngster soon approached towards his side.

“Look at it,” Orion said in awe, “its sound had been so beautiful. But…it stopped when I came. Why is that, Cavin?”

“Maybe it’s ‘fraid of you,” Cavin laughed tauntingly. “Let’s go, it’s nothing,” he continued in impatience.

Feeling that he desired to stay, Orion neglected the differentiating notion, and reverted to his previous path. Snatching a final glance partially through his pivot, the young boy sighed as though disappointed, although eventually hurried onwards.

<CENTER>~ ~ ~</CENTER>

Bleating even more fervently as laden in an ominous hue, the roaring flames continued their ascend; Cavin earnestly staring onto the upright back of his dear friend simultaneous to the fire’s visible contortion. Nevertheless it raged forward – the silence – all except for the inaudible moans of the flare afore.

“At one point,” Orion broke with still a disdained direction, “you told me that you wished to make a difference in Kyranus’ future; that we, the bureaucrats, had a mission far greater than the sheer upkeep of the citizens’ survival. You told me that our technology was superior due to the centuries of peace that granted us unlimited time to research freely: that we had an opportunity to spread our jovial hand across the galaxy to cleanse it of the encroaching evil which now binds it. What happened…my friend?”

Sighing-off the years of testimony to which he thought had shrouded his mindless professions of change, he urged himself to defend once more, “I wasn’t thinking clearly. The people are mostly happy…government is smooth…what more can we ask? We have too much on the line for your idealistic purges…”

“Idealistic purges,” he mimicked, derision engulfing his every word, “idealistic escapades. Is this truly what you believe? Well tell me…what if you had not a choice in the matter? That you, nor your conservative fiends, would amount to nothing in the end?”

“O-Orion?”

“A new age has dawned! Servants to the tyrannical dreams, both of the light and dark, we will remain no more! It is our time to reign…our time to rise.”

With that, a swift turn rotated Csalestes’ heel in the end of his miniscule rebuttal, allowing his dark pupils to careen through those of Cavin. His lips murmuring softly unspoken words, stolid eyes fell upon a metallic pistol brandished with either hand and brushing lightly against loose garments. Revolving gradually to a perpendicular degree, Orion’s lips lastly parted.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

[Quel Fenix]

"If you're trying to appeal to my sense of right and wrong, you have." The man smiled, an eery expression of self-satisfaction and pure, raw hatred. The shadowy figure in moved forward, his face coming into view on the hologram of the man he was contacting for the first time. "But not in the way you'd hoped."

'How can you do this? You, a man of principle...'

"I guide myself by different principles than you, Admiral. Perhaps, if you seek to know how I can perform such actions as these, you should look to your own- you are not god, Admiral. You abandon the teachings of your elders in the name of diplomacy. Simply because the majority of people are appeased, you believe that the greater good has been served, when it has not.

"The light will suffer no more."

The Admiral's eyes widened in anger, pure shock and rage radiating from him. 'What happened to the time when you called me by my name, Quel? When you trusted my judgement?'

"I learned." He replied, simply.

The Admiral barked a short, sharp, malice-filled laugh. He shook his head, eyes narrowing at Quel Fenix. 'This is doomed to failure. You are doomed to failure- how can you hope to succeed?'

"Revolution."

As if that last word was a trigger, the transmission ended. The great metal beast which fed the oppressive machine of their world detonated in orbit, raining shards of molten metal and transparisteel down onto the atmosphere of Kyranus. With it, it took the forewarned Admiral Kire, one of the great military minds of their time destroyed. Peace- such a blind lie. Peace without freedom was only oppression.
<center>* * * *</center>
Quel sat in conference, once again- yet this time, it was one face-to-face with two men of far greater importance than the petty Admiral Kire. One, who held the key to the freedom of Kyranus- the other, who would help Quel turn it.

'Mr. Fenix, you must understand our position- we cannot help but suspect you. Our intelligence operatives have identified you as a known malcontent and rebel-' Began Inspector Y'til, but was cut off as Quel grunted and got to his feet.

Those words had set him off for the worst- a mistaken phrase, the worst to use around him. As the other man, Fenix's assisstant Terin, sat back in his chair and sighed, Y'til attempted to make up for his mistake with more words.

'Certainly, I don't mean to accuse-'

"Just stop, now, Y'til. You come here, to my place of business, accusing me of antagonizing your 'perfect society'. Do you always persecute those with views different from your own? Those who believe that working for the side of good exclusively will produce contentment among the people which your beaurocratic attempts at pleasing all never could?"

'But, Mr. Fenix-'

"And then, you presume to investigate me for it. Because you refuse to see the truth, to stand up and fight for your beliefs instead of cowering from confrontation!"

'You haven't answered my question!'

"Smooth workings in your senate does not mean you are accomplishing your goals! It does not mean you are doing the right thing, following the right path- it just means you've kissed more ass than all of your competition! Is that how you want to be remembered? As the government who appeased people at the expense of the greater good?"

'Did you destroy the Krytil Shipyard!?'

"And yet you still have the audacity to question the methods of those with the gall to stand up for what they believe-"

' Did you destroy the Krytil Shipyard!!??' Roared the inspector, standing as well.

"You're god damn right I did!" Quel shouted back, viciously glaring at Y'til.

Terin stood, calmly pulling his blaster pistol from it's holdster, training it on the head of the government inspector. He had come to investigate the destruction of the orbittal shipyard, believing- correctly- that Quel Fenix and his small, underground faction had been responsible. Officially, they had no proof that Quel's faction even existed- but the higher rungs of the law enforcement all knew that Fenix was up to something.

And so, Terin pulled the trigger, flash-frying Y'til's brain and dropping him to the ground. Quel watched him fall, then turned away, shaking his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Terin... I lost my temper."

'No apology necessary, sir- you only said out loud what I've been thinking.'

"We can hide the body..."

'...but they know we're coming, now.'

Quel turned, nodding, smiling a grim smile of a man who knew what was to come. "It is time for Revolution."

[HaeLari Draevyn]

She stood there with her head bowed, listening to his screaming in her ear, feeling his hot breath against her neck. Could he not understand? What was so hard to understand. Maybe it was the fact that her feelings were a weakening aspect Or possibly that she didn't appear to be the loving type, as per a rumor that she couldn't keep to one bed, which was totally untrue. She shut her eyes as he yelled into her ear the words that would pierce into the darkness before her eyes, and allow her to see him for who he really was.

"You're nothing more than a woman with too much heart and too little honor to a superior's orders."

************************************************** **

Footsteps of dozens of men trudged sloppily through the mud, sloshing noisly amongst the silence between each ally. In front of them stood HaeLari, just fresh from her training and eagar to do some good. She had potential to be a great leader of men amongst the ranks, yet she was the youngest and one of the few women who dared to go through with that sort of thing.

She held her hand up in the air, frowning as she heard something ahead of them. She narrowed her eyes as the footsteps behind her ceased into silence. As she lowered her hand, she studied the noise, her ears perking. Something wasn't right, yet they were on a time limit and had to keep moving. She looked behind her and gave the men behind her a signal with her hand to keep moving quietly.

No sooner had she gave the signal did blaster fire begin. Someone knocked into her, shoving her into the ankle deep mud. Sputtering and coughing, she brought her face up out of the mud and looked at the man on top of her, one of the generals. She shook him a bit, looking around frantically as the men scattered, returning fire. She screamed as some blaster fire splashed up mud into her face. Her first real battle, and she was pinned between mud and.... She gasped as she saw the burnt hole in the side of the man's head, one that would have been in her own if he had not of knocked her down. She shoved him off of her and crawled towards a tree, grabbing her blaster.

-This can't be happening. I'm only seventeen! Why did they put me on something like this? I can't lead men into battle, I haven't the faintest clue how to yet!- She thought.

She blinked as she heard rustling within the plantlife at her side. Without even thinking, she aimed her blaster into the bushes and fired, everything seeming to slow as soon as she shot at whoever or whatever had made the noise.

A small cry emerged from the bushes, a tiny pain stricken weep that could only mean one thing. HaeLari watched in horror as a little girl fell forward, holding her chest. The sounds of battle around her seemed to die into a dull hum as she sank to her knees, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl shed fresh tears as she gazed up at HaeLari, although she could not see anything at all through the pain. Through barely parted lips, she whispered to her... Strangely, she could hear only the whisper, and nothing else, no matter how loud or how shocking.

"Why?...."

The girl squeezed her eyes shut then feel quiet, taking something of HaeLari along with her into the next life.

The enemy had supposedly been a poor community who had not been paying taxes, and was mostly full of "criminals" against society. To her, the supposed crimes that those people had commited were small compaired to the crimes that the government had commited by sending herself and others to attack these people. Not only was it meant to be a one way trip for the weaker soldiers, it was also meant to damage the defenses of this strangely and fairly large group of people. HaeLari knew this as soon as the slaughtering had ended and the clean up team arrived to assess the damage. They were shocked to find that HaeLari was still alive.

"Miss Draevyn?"

HaeLari looked up, her eyes blank as she was still hovered over the girl that she had murdered. Why did they send her? Why? Miss.... That was why, because she was a woman, with extreme potential to steal their higher ranks.

************************************************** **

Being older now, and definately wiser at the age of twenty-four, HaeLari stood before another set of troops on Tatooine. The sun beat down on them mercilessly as she stepped back away from them. She shook her head, growling as the orders she was given rang through her mind. Train them on Tatooine during a severe sandstorm. Maybe that will root out the ones that aren't cut out for being a warrior.

Each of the young men before her were about her age or younger, all mouthing off to eachother and poking fun. She smiled lightly, sighing as she watched. Such innocence. Did they know just what happened behind the scenes? Did they know what atrocities that they would be forced to commit? No, they were just as naive as she was, thinking that they would be able to play hero and save beautiful woman(but in her case, handsome princes, which never did happen).

She held two fingers between her lips and whistled, a sharp sound shrieking forth and causing them to stand at attention. Here it was, she had to send them out to run laps, then go back inside of the barracks and lock them out. She could feel it in her bones, the storm was approaching.

She opened her mouth, but suddenly stopped. Could she do this? She had killed many men before, just as unhonorably as she was required to do. She could do this... Right?

She looked amongst the waiting masses and spotted one girl. Blinking slightly, in a daze, she watched the girl's face. She was about seventeen years old, with a hint of intelligence in her eyes. HaeLari held a hand to her head, suddenly hearing the same question: Why?

She lowered her hand and looked up to see the concerned looks on her cadets' faces. Finally she waved them back into the barracks.

"Go back inside, there's a sandstorm coming soon that I had completely forgotten about."

************************************************** **

HaeLari raised her head and glared at him, snarling as she tried to figure out his reasons for trying to root out "bad seeds" within the cadets in this manner. She knew she loved this guy, but he was such a scumbag at times, she just wanted to...

"And just what are you looking at, Miss Draevyn?" Rafe said, his voice still demanding.

She didn't answer him, as she grinned inwardly at the thought that had just passed her mind. She'd done things worse before, so this would probably cleanse her hands of it, right? She winced as Rafe brought the back of his hand across her face.

"You answer me, now!"

HaeLari narrowed her eyes, gripping the blaster at her side. No more... As she looked back to him, she got the same cold and dead look that she had that one night when she had killed that little girl. Quickly, she raised the blaster to his forehead and fired, closing her eyes and trying to imagine that the universe would be a better place now that Rafe Martina was gone... But that wasn't completely true. There were more like him, praying on the weak, rooting out the ones who weren't able to help his so called "better society".

As his body sank and slumped to the floor, she spit on him and turned, walking out. No one would have heard the commotion, they were on the very top floor of a hotel. Rafe was always stupid like that, get her alone so they could... well, "talk", then yell at her like she were a dog that just did it's business of the expensive carpet.

She knew what she had to do now. She had to root out the others like Rafe, as they had rooted out the weak and less fortunate. Of course, she brought something along with her, the personality of the men she trained: Hard, determined, ready to joke around no matter how low and how stupid, as well as ready to fight...

[Michael Paine]

*As the well placed explosives in the workers houses went off, Paine rushed to the scene.*

" do you see what your government has done for you? They lower your wages, raise your work hours, raise your working conditions to intolerable levels, and now, when you strike to get fairness, they attack you at your home. Now is that fair?"

An emphatic and angry mob scream the word "No" and some are heard to say "F$%^ THE GOVERNMENT!" and "Let's Bomb THEIR houses and see how theyF^&$^$& like it!"


"I call for a revolt of the common people, the valiant working class people. It is time to stick it to the government which has now begun to unfairly strike at the homes of the very workes it hsas greedily forced to strike, becasue they wanted faireer workking conditions! Now who's with me?"





*Half the crowd cheers, and the other half of the crowd looks at michael baffled, trying to figure out if he is for real or not.More deragotorty remakrs against the government are heard from the half that side with him.*



"I will call upon you when it is time to strike, but be wary, mny friends, beisdes the people you will meet later, and the people you see iwth you today, you msut trust no one."

*Michael grinned at teh devastation he would bring to Kai's government

[Orion Csalestes]

“A pity,” the words twisted into the remnants of the being’s limp, pasty face, “you once had the potential that amounted so. Your eyes will never be able to caress life ever again…your ignorance slapped you in the back of the head after being discarded like garbage. No more will you make that mistake, hm?”

Orion steadily gleamed upon the outstretched body with indignation and fury, even when the figure lain as lifeless as a lamp or piece of furniture. The eyes, he felt, persisted to exhibit false premonitions of the truth: still clueless to the torn pages of time he clutched in times of depression. He had dealt everything he could have onto himself, simply to evade the reality churning before those very eyes…yet another fool.

“Cavin Harkins,” Orion reminisced in an effigy above the torn shell, “dead as a result of his own, hesitant ploys. Corruption coursing in the veins to the replacement of blood, he had marked demise long ago…in resisting me.”

Claps emitting sharp razorblades of light thundered amongst various commerce structures, searing the sought pinnacles of revolution. Beads of this lightning weaved into intricate sketches, almost forming a labyrinth amid the intimidating obelisks of planetary business affair. Csalestes observed as of the towering estate once belonging to his old friend, now slouched insensibly at his boots in a fetal tuck.

A grimace of agitation, negating an insidious smile also clinging to his lips, curved his cheeks into an indefinable arch of emotional temperance. Both within the gloomy manor and outwards, only Orion and the sapphire blemishes marking the blackness before him stood adamant. Aside from faint whispers of deception whisking across lifeless corridors, all silence subdued to the ironical pair of existences. Animistic loons at heart, both Orion and the claps of lightning rearing before him raged in an unbridled zealous, although for surprisingly sane causes. Quite commonly, however, those causes became enveloped in the momentum of ferocity.

Eccentric fools rapt in a world of conservatives and pious beasts.

<CENTER>* * *</CENTER>

“Of course, the International Assembly has endured substantial losses, but our recent attacks bring them closer to unveiling our identities by the day. Revolution is a beautiful thing, don’t get me wrong, however there’s only so much we can put on the line.”

Stricken beneath the downtown slums of Tevelris (capital city of Kyranus) and situated around knarred pipes spouting sludge of yellow-green discharge, a small bureau of would-be politicians squandered the inklings of opulent fortunes left to waste. Sewage rats suckled upon numerous fangs in the hopes that these incompetents would scatter from the reddish flame they had not retreated from for months; nonetheless one-by-one the rodents once ardent to a meal began to merely relinquish all hopes and retreat into the shadows.

Frequently, these fanatics became the self-proclaimed Committee of Public Safety, dispatching militia amounting to virtually nothing in numbers to complete deeds either irrelevant or utterly impossible. Seeming to be executed or incarcerated swifter than they had been deployed, more semi-idealists were assembled by the next day with additional promises of fame and fortune.

Typically, the deplorable faction knelt to those encompassing any idea proposing an air of the slightest efficiency. This clientele, no matter if they sought a new tier of ideals or austere bloodshed, normally held little contempt for the committee’s superiority complex if supplied with their assured deposits of resources. And so, although shameful, the operation was smooth and unsurprising.

“Those obsessive field workers,” one planted adjacent to the first boomed, “are compromising our tact with their brash strikes. Like that senator; Cavin Harkins, I believe. Did you not hear of his murder? His slayer was unknown, yes, but we all know that it was one of them…probably that other deranged senator.”

“What are you suggesting, Cain,” the first responded with a scorn as though already acknowledging the response, “that we silence everyone but ourselves? It’s a nice idea…although not logical. If something as that was to be released publicly, we’d be in even more trouble.”

Following a stiff silence, a third clanged his own rant, “Wait! Would we truly be convicted if their affiliation were so blatant that the government is clued inwards? Would the government not wish to set an example for renegades?”

Silence.

“Go ahead Cain…make your strikes…and take responsibility solely if it becomes necessary.”

[HaeLari Draevyn]

The rain outside was freezing cold, but she had never minded it until it got as cold as her heart. HaeLari stepped inside of the Cantina, her hair dripping wet along with her clothes. She shook her head, pulling her jacket around her as a few drunken bar pigs whistled at the wet tunic underneath. She muttered as she walked to the back, where she was supposed to meet someone. But it appeared that he was a bit late, as men that she knew usually were. As she contemplated why she always associated herself with complete jack@^^es, she turned and sat herself in a booth, close to the wall. The booth was one of the ones in the corner, curved around in a semi circle, something for either large parties or a couple.

The drips of water slid down the bridge of her nose, tickling her skin with a chill close to that of her thoughts. So far, she had managed to dig up quite a bit of information, and had come to the conclusion that she had her work cut out for her. There was a lot more than just the high ranking officers behind the meaningless killing of innocents, it was something that seeped in through to the government. But who exactly? She'd soon find out, or so she was told by a contact of hers. This man that she was meeting, he was supposedly in on sending orders from the government to the army's ground forces. From there, the commanding officers, who had no heart themselves, either sent people to die or sent them to kill their own morals.

HaeLari narrowed her eyes as she looked up, seeing that the old men around the bar were still staring at her. There were few humanoids that weren't human present, but that wasn't surprising since she found that more of the older soldiers within the human race were more likely to drink more often than the alien races. Was it because humans were so carefree? No it's because humans would rather drown their feelings and numb their thoughts in a good tall glass of alcohol.

"Miss Draevyn, I presume?" a voice said.

HaeLari cringed, frowning as she looked back at her own table. She hadn't heard him step up, let alone saw him come up to her table. She smirked, seeing the exact same description before her that she had heard from her friend, who would forever remain named as "the contact". She stood and nodded to General Byron Tysis, lowering her eyes to his hand as he reached out to her. Reluctantly, she took it, expecting it to be a handshake since this was nothing more than a business call. Yet instead, she frowned as he leaned over and kissed her hand.

-Pig...-She thought.

She yanked her hand away and gave one of the fakest pleasant smiles she had ever put on.

"Hello, General."

"Please, call me Byron..." He said, smiling suddenly.

HaeLari scowled somewhat, but quickly recovered her fake visage of pleasantry and chirpiness that men usually would open up to. Usually, she always got what she wanted by acting like a complete doof, which she was not. A quick bat of her eyelashes and a giggle later, she'd know what she wanted to know.

Byron beamed as he looked her over, chuckling as her jacket opened somewhat. She quickly buttoned up her jacket and smirked at him, appearing to be innocent.

"My my, Miss Draevyn, what have you gotten yourself into?" He asked.

"Unlike, you, Byron, us lower rankers have to walk here from the barracks."

-Or rather, you're spoiled rotten because your money is dirty...- She thought.

He motioned for her to sit back down, but her nerves were wearing short. She wanted to get this over with, since this guy obviously fit everything that her contact had told her. Big perv, balding, and formal. And since her contact had never failed her before, then what he told her about Byron should have been true as well.

General Byron Tysis, a man of many words who never knew when to shut up, and never knew how to keep his hands to himself. Not too long ago, he had sent troops into a small desolate town to rid the town of a few "trouble makers", but in reality, the area was supposed to be cleared of residents in order to make room for a Diplomatic Building. The farmers there had refused a countless number of times to hand over the deeds to their fields and homes. As a result, some bigger hand behind the previous wrongs done to the people had decided to send the rats to chew up the cheese at the end of the maze.

Someone up on top within the government has definately been sending orders secretly to the army to terrorize the people and "maintain peace" although it was not peace at all. It was their idea of peace amongst their plans, no bumps in the road, and no prices to pay. That was their peace. It didn't matter what the people's idea of peace was. And as a result of that, that town was burnt to the ground. No one survived.

HaeLari felt disgusted as she sat down, having this filth sit beside her. He was a pawn, as well as she had been. A blind sheep amongst the flock. Well, she'd just have to sheer his wool out of the picture... Without the officials within the military, how could that mystery "hand of fate" possibly carry out anymore wrongdoings?

-All those children... Playing in the fields in broad daylight one moment, then herded into their homes the next to burn alive..._ HaeLari thought.

She shut her eyes as she felt ill to the thought. She knew well what burnt flesh smelled like, and the memory nearly knocked her for a loop.

Byron put his arm around her shoulders, whispering to her. "Are you alright?"

"Just a bit of a stomach ache."

"Maybe you'd feel better back at my place." Byron said, trying to sound soothing, but she could see through him.

-Why is it that men in the military chase every skirt that comes along as if it's the last they will see?- She thought.

She nodded nonetheless, knowing this would be the perfect chance to carry out her plan. She'd get him alone and resolve the problem at hand in tha manner that she resolved many. Death.

**************************************************

A messenger knocked on General Byron Tysis' door, shifting the holovid in his hands to under his arm. He stood and waited, looking around at the empty area in his part of the building. It was early morning, and not everyone had arrived to go on with the normal day to day business quite yet. But he knew that Byron was always in his office at this time. The man was a hard worker, and worked alone. He never knew why Byron worked secretly though.

He frowned as he didn't hear an answer and knocked once more. Something was wrong. After not recieving an answer the second time, he opened the door. If Byron wasn't there, he'd just leave the holovid on his desk. He blinked and dropped the holovid upon seeing the slumped over figure on the opposite side of the room, directly in front of the door.

Leaning against the wall with several blaster shots in his chest and head was Byron Tysis. The man was slouched over with one knee bent towards him, the other leg sprawled straight out. Blade spattered against the wall, smeared down to show that he had fallen into the wall.

The messenger sped off down the hallway, calling out for secrurity, hoping that someone had arrived. Whatever freakshow did this was probably still around...

And she was. She chuckled as she stepped out from the walkin closet within the office, where Byron put his jacket and kept files of holovids. She had bagged a couple that looked promising, and picked up the new one that the messenger had dropped. She looked down the hall, smirking as she watched his shadow disappear. With a shrug, she turned and headed down the opposite hallway, towards the elevator and then out into the wet morning.

[Quel Fenix]

Quel Fenix had long ago made a decision- one which had changed his life. In reflection, whenever that thought crossed his mind, he cringed. God, he thought, It sounds cliched as all hell. So, he merely glared out the transparisteel viewport of the Phoenix-held building very quietly, silently cursing his own mind for it's damned similarity. The last thing in the world he wanted to be, was a copy of someone else; he wasn't a commoner on the streets of Coruscant.

When the government labelled him as a rebel, when they boiled his complex and varying motives and beliefs down to a simple, common word, it caused him to question the subtle path he took.

Perhaps, that was why he had ordered the destruction of one of Kyranus' orbittal shipyards. The Phoenix Group was not one prone to such outright displays of violence towards those in power- similar to his actions involving Investigator Y'til, the destruction of that berthing had been him losing his temper. He was so much more than a rebel; Quel Fenix was not a criminal, not a foot-soldier. He wasn't a killer: or so he wished to believe. His quest was not one of vengeance or greed, hatred or lust. None of those human emotions held sway with him, not in such important matters as the ones at hand. The fact that he was breaking the law had barely occured to him, when he'd begun his crusade... it wasn't about law or order, crime or chaos. It transcended the petty rules laid down by a government more bent on staying in office, than it was on accomplishing good by it's stay there.

The government had infuriated him, driven him to this.

Fenix had not always been the revolutionary spearhead he'd become. Once, he'd been an instrument of the very thing he saught to destroy- the Kyranus Navy. It was such a falsely contrived notion, the Kyranus Armed Forces- for a world who claimed peace because of it's unity, why have a navy? An army?

Simple.

Oppression. Without firing a shot, the great Tesla ships floating majestically through space above quelled malcontents, quieted the anger of the people through great fear. The march of the armies through peaceful streets made those who despised the government hide their hate.

Carefully guised oppression.

With a smile, Quel turned in his chair, opening the drawer of his desk and pulling from it a slip of paper, reading a passage he had written down while attending the military academy of Kyranus. Something he'd come across in his studies.

<center>One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.
Revelation 13: 3-5</center>

A recovered passge. Funny- even ancient human scripture from times so far past that none even knew the book from which it had come knew of the danger of a single world government.

And the government was a corrupt one, one which catered to those with power- right or wrong, good or evil. And who could stop them- for who was like the Beast? None, for they all followed him, and were a part thereof.

No more.

Quel turned to his Teslacomm unit, pressing a button and hearing the crackle of static energy through the air, manipulating gravity and energy fields to create a hologram.

"Terin... order the strike. We will wait no longer- we will not wait for them to attack us."

'Sir?'

"Destroy the Academy."

[HaeLari Draevyn]

The man behind the desk frowned as he watched the holo-vid in front of him, regarding the recent murders of generals and captains from within the army. The shadows crawled across his face, creating an almost demon-like look as his expression became as dark as the room around him. Byron Tysis was the man reporting from within the holo-vid, the last holo-vid the man had made before he too succumbed to an unlawful death.

"It began with the murder of Rafe Martina within this area of the army, and then moved on through the higher ranking officers. This far, we've seen about twenty men die at the hands of some mysterious person." Byron's image reported, pausing as the image became a bit fuzzy then came back in clear. "There has been no evidence yet as to who is behind it, but I have my suspects, and I am beginning an investigation of my own. The next message I sent to you will be a report of my findings. As for now... The only evidence that we do have is a note left at every homicide."

Xirus groaned, putting his hand to his head as he recalled that bit of evidence. Whoever was behind the murders was a preacher of "Revolution", a do-gooder so to speak. He looked up at the holo-vid, keeping his thin aching fingers sprawled out across his forehead. Byron went through everything there was to know about the murders, which wasn't much else from what he had already told him. Poor bastard, he never saw it coming that he too would be next.

He shut off the holo-vid and passed a gaze towards the messenger that had delivered it to him without removing his hand from his head. With his other hand, he shooed the man off and turned in his seat, narrowing his eyes. He scoffed as he smirked lightly, whispering one word, as though it were the most pathetic thing he had ever heard.

"Revolution."

**************************************************

HaeLari was sitting on her knees on her bed within her quarters in the barracks. It was way past lights out, yet she sat in the dark and watched the holo-vids she had retrieved from Byron. She started with the old ones and moved on up to the newer ones. She groaned as in each holo-vid, the men droned on and on and on, never getting to the point until you were partially asleep and probably didn't catch it when they did get there. She fell forward, laying on her belly, causing the holo-vid on the end of her bed to bounce slightly, as well as causing the image to waver a bit. She folded her forearms over eachother and sighed as she rested her chin on her forearms.

Well, so far, she had figured out that there were a lot more atrocities that the army she had been diligently working for than she had originally thought. It was as if Satan had created his own little militia within these simple troops and men and very few women.

The first holo-vid spoke of them terrorizing a town of people to obey curfew rules. That may have sounded too small to even gripe about, but as she listened to what the consequences were, they were sick and totally unfair. Even if you were heading home and were outside just one minute past curfew, they'd either lock them up for months, or even worse, death. This was supposed to make it easier for them to bring illegal goods through the town, without any witnesses being outside. In the dead of night, and without anyone to know what was going on. They not only were killers, but they were also criminals and hypocrites.

She watched the last holo, the one that she had picked up before leaving, the newest of them all. It was really too dark to see who the man was this time, yet his voice sent a chill down her spine. She could see the outline of a chair, and the outline of a man sitting within the chair, yet all features were null to her eyes, even while squinting and looking really hard. This guy knew what he was doing, and HaeLari knew that she had her work cut out for her in order to get him as well. From the other holos at least, she had gained a hit list.

"Hell there, Byron. So good to speak with you again... Well, at least in any form at all." The man chuckled. "This message is to inform you about the mission we spoke of face to face about last month. It's official now that it will be happening. So, take all of the suspects that you have in these terrible crimes and move on with the plans. Try to be as discreet as possible when you dispose of them. Play it off as a rebel attack, seeing as how there have been many of those as of late." The man paused and stood, still hidden in shadow. "Good day, and good luck to you, Tysis."

The holo ended, causing HaeLari to frown. She'd definately have to find out about this little mission to get rid of the suspects. She knew about the investigations, and they had about fifteen men in custody. The names of these men were kept top secret, along with all of the murders. They couldn't have propoganda running amock in the streets they terrorized after all. She grinned as she thought about that.

-And that would start a revolution...- She thought.

[Michael Paine]

*Michael looked Around. Carnage had befallen the city. PArt of the people had come over to the revolution, and were causing mass hysteria, and blaming it on the corrupt government. The other half would need a little more... convincing.*

"People of Kai. I hold in my hand s a letter from the Leader of this planet. Ythis letter states that all those unwilling to follow the laws of this planet, no matter how strict or hypocritical they mifght be, will be taken out of their homes, and shot. I am passing copies out, so that you all may havbe aiece of this atrocicity, with the leader's signature and name at teh bottom. This is not a fake. We cannot let this occur to your poulation. If the government cannot lead this planet fairly, then....to take the words out of Queen of naboo, Amidala's mouth, " I suggest new leadership is needed." "


*Michael grinned as the outraged crowd seethed over those who were teetering on the fence , and enveloped them, causing them to either be viewed as a traitor to teh common people, or be one of us.*

[HaeLari Draevyn]

HaeLari yawned, frowning as she passed by whispering men in the hallway, their eyes practically glued to her until they had totally passed her by. She rolled her eyes and turned down another hallway, keeping her hand within the right pocket of her jacket. She ran her fingers along the fine edges of a signed paper by Tysis that she had also collected on her last outing, one that seemed to link to someone else she knew rather well, a so-called "friend". He knew about the small little uprising from the murders, and knew of HaeLari's rather odd actions during the past few years since they began. Somehow, she began to wonder, what was trust for?

**************************************************

-Years ago-

Steven sighed as he kneeled down, looking at HaeLari with a serious look in his eyes. She winced, throwing her fist into the pavement underneath her. Why was she so clumbsy all the time when she was around him? Something was odd about the two of them whenever they were around eachother, but HaeLari was far too young still to understand it. She had just been fresh out of training, and now was fresh out of one of the worst things that had happened in her life. Steven was the only one she could tell about it, but she still felt too uncomfortable to even cry on his shoulder about it.

"Hae, I know something's wrong, so tell me. You know you can trust me with anything, right?" Steven said.

HaeLari looked up at him from where she had tripped, wondering how her falling off her own two feet was related to how well she was acting. She shook her head slowly, looking down gradually.

"You'd laugh at me.."

Steven scooted closer to her, putting both of his hands firmly on each of her shoulders. He waited for a moment, hoping that she would look up, yet she didnt. With a sigh, he cupped his hand under her chin and brought her face up to gaze into his.

"Hae, since when have I ever laughed at something you've said that wasn't meant to be a joke? I don't laugh at your pain, I try to help it." Steven whispered.

HaeLari opened her mouth to speak, yet sighed and closed her eyes. She was thinking far too much into this moment, and was severely getting her hopes up. She squeezed her eyes for a moment, telling herself this wasn't real, that it was just some silly dream she came up with to comfort herself. As she opened her eyes, she realized that she was only lying to herself. Finally, with a deep contemplating breath, she spoke softly.

"That mission they sent me on... I..."

She stopped herself for a moment, wondering which way to go with this. "I think it was a trap" or...

"I... killed someone..." She said after a small pause, looking up at him. "A little girl..."

Steven frowned, wondering why in the world a little girl would be somewhere so dangerous.. but then he looked into the eyes of the girl before him, and there was his answer. Innocence was easily taken and easily manipulated these days.

"You do know that there's that risk, right? You put a weapon into your hands and someone's going to get hurt." He said.

HaeLari nodded, sighing as she looked away. He brought her face back to look at him.

"You think too much, Hae. For once in your life, don't think, just act. It's your job not to think. If you think too much, you won't be able to handle it. We all kill, and that's what we do. We do it to protect people from others and even from themselves."

HaeLari smiled faintly, wondering how someone with such passion could be so ignorant to what he was saying. Just another sheep in the flock. He smiled at her and stood, reaching a hand out to her.

"Are you alright, or did you hurt your ankle when you tripped?" Steven asked.

-I think it's more than a sprain from such a fall...- HaeLari thought, taking his hand.

"It'll be fine."

"Don't lie." Steven said, chuckling as he picked her up.

"Hey!"

Steven laughed, avoiding HaeLari's swipes at his face by backing his head away and to the sides. Once she was done trying to bat at him like a cat would a mouse, he smiled softly at her.

"I'd do anything for you, Hae. Just name it, and I'll be there for you. Trust me."

**************************************************

"Trust me" was a phrase that was beginning to wear thin on HaeLari's nerves. It was something that was only said to get people to turn their backs so that you could stab them more efficiently, and Steven's treachory had taken the cake. She had confided in him once about how corrupt she thought some of their missions were, yet didn't go too far into detail. A good thing she did, or else she'd be the one being disposed of instead of the other fifteen suspects in the crimes that were her own.

HaeLari growled under her breath as she finally reached the men's bathroom where Steven would most likely be. It was like clockwork, he'd go to the bathroom each day at the same time, do his business, have a smoke, and what not. For the many years she had known him, he had never broke the habit. She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

"Someone's in here." Steven's voice muffled through the door.

HaeLari rolled her eyes and looked around the halls. No one was around, and it was around lunchtime, so no one would be around for a while. She looked back to the door, managing to unlock it and swing the door open. Steven yelped in suprise, snarling as if ready to kill, yet he blinked as he saw HaeLari standing there.

"Hae? What the hell are you doing?"

HaeLari shut the door behind her and leaned her back against it, grinning slightly. If it was one thing she prided herself in, it was acting.. As she approached Steven, she acted cool and collected, batting her eyes at him as she made her circled path around him. She stopped behind him, while he frantically still tried to pull up his trousers since he -was- in the bathroom.

"Hae?..." He said, rather confused, and flustered.

HaeLari smiled brightly, massaging his shoulders, feeling how tense he was...

"Yes?"

"What do you think you're doing? You're acting rather odd.."

HaeLari put one arm around his neck, resting a cheek on one of his shoulders as she spoke.

"I'm not acting odd, I'm just acting the way I have felt about you for years, Steven."

As she spoke, she slowly brought her hand down to the holster at the small of her back, lifting his jacket enough to take hold of the blaster within. Steven cleared his throat, blinking as he tensed more.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

HaeLari slowly and silently brought the blaster out, looking at Steven as she brought her lips close to his ear. She narrowed her eyes as she pointed the blaster into his back, not allowing for him to feel the barrel just yet.

"That you are just another liar."

With that, she shoved the blaster into his back and fired off two shots immediatly, moving the barrel up into a slight angle to get in another shot. Steven staggered forward then turned as he fell backwards into the wall. He held his hands to his stomach and chest where the blaster had made exit wounds, looking up at HaeLari as if he'd been betrayed thoroughly. HaeLari then removed the signed paper and read off the last two lines.

"'Steven Matockin has confirmed that HaeLari Draevyn may be one of the suspects in the recent homicides. As soon as this message is recieved by her superiors, she is to be destroyed immediatly.'"

She looked at him with disgust, seeing a look of shock in his eyes. That shock grew as she lifted her blaster to point into his face.

"This won't hurt... -Trust me-."

She pulled the trigger, hearing the sizzle of the fresh wound being created through Steven's skull. She closed her eyes for a moment and stood there... How could she ever trust another soul again after this? Would she ever be able to talk to anyone about how she felt, or what she was thinking? No... She'd have to be a loner, stand on her own during these times. There was no one she could trust... No one outside of the Revolution.

As she stepped forward, she kicked the corpse to the side and opened the door, heading back to where she came from to take a shower. After touching a traitor, she felt filthy...