To Every Captive Soul: Cold Eyes and a Hard Master

[Taylor Millard]

Grand Admiral Taylor Millard, servant of the Empire, commander of the Guild Sector, walked out onto the stone balcony of Castle Millard- the Imperial Base on Balmorra, formerly the Castle in which his grandfather lived. He was honored to be able to serve the Empire in this fashion, and honored the people of Balmorra (and the Guild Sector in general) were willing to serve the Empire as well.

He lifted the china tea cup up to his mouth, taking a sip of the espresso and let the full flavor coat his inner mouth, awakening him even more.

Such a lovely site, he thought as he gazed off the balcony at the rising Balmorran sun. The light cast a glare upon the garden below, the statues of his family below him, particulary the gleam on his brother's sword as it stood raised towards the sun. Taylor smiled, then returned to his study.

Although he was happy there was still a part of him that gnawed at him, like a nerf to a bit of grass. It was different from his relationship with the smuggler Loklorien s'Ilancy...it was something else. Something unsettling he could not place a hand on.

It was almost as if the Force was calling to him. Motioning and beckoning him. Millard bit his inner lip, suprised at this feeling. As a Dark Jedi he rarely felt this way, plus he attempted to separete his Force Using from his duties with the Empire.

The Force might be my ally, he thought, But it is also a tool for me to use. This want within me...is something different.

The Black Hand member paused, then took another sip of his cafe. He was dresed in his normal Grand Admiral uniform, the finely pressed white matching with the gold trim on the shoulders and the ranking symbols on the lapel on his chest.

What is it that bothers me?

Mulling on this, he began his days work.

[Quellin Vos]

After months of searching, Quellin had tracked his target to the Guild Sector. It had been ages since Quellin had spoken to his master, Jeseth Cloak. "Find the Dark Jedi Taylor Millard and continue your training with him." Jeseth had declared. The order itself was so direct and sounded almost comical, but why was it given? Had he (Quellin) done something wrong? These were the questions that Quellin pondered while he had sat idle in his hijacked YT-2400, the Antediluvian, for so long.

"I've found it! Finally, the aggravating hum will end and I can further myself in the Dark Side." It was indeed true, Quellin had found Balmorra... the supposed home of Taylor Millard. But what of this Taylor Millard, could he be trusted? Jeseth had seemed to think so when he "handed over" his apprentice. But Quellin's pesky gleefulness was soon cut short when a sharp blast rattled through the rusty transport...

An hour later...

"Ahhhhh, what... what tha helllll haaappenedd?" he groaned, slowly opening his eyes. It had been a warning shot from a cluster of ISDs unseen by the aging Antediluvian. Quellin felt around his body checking to see if all was intact. Warm crimson blood oozed atop his skull as he fingered a deep laceration. Quellin grabbed for his chair, tenderly pulling himself up. He had fell a meter or two, but it seemed like a few hundred meters. Still groaning from pain Quellin searched through the Force in hopes to alleviate his suffering. With that pushed aside he focused on the question at hand, what had happened? After flipping a few switches a visual of the ship's surroundings appeared. It seemed as though the ship was lost in a sea of grey. Quellin gasped in shock, "Where am I?" Though unknown to Quellin, his ship had been seized by the company of ISDs, specifically the ISD Davidoff. His fear now turned to anger as he reached for his saber. He quickly headed for the access ramp to answer his burning question.

He carefully pressed a few symbols on a panel adjacent to the door. With his saber engaged Quellin mentally prepared himself for what lay beyond. The door zipped up revealing a platoon of Stormtroopers ready to fire. It was indeed a trap, Quellin quickly put that together, and he carefully disengaged his saber while throwing his hands up. Most would call this a coward's way out, but he wasn't a big fan of suicide...

[Taylor Millard]

On Balmorra, Millard began his day with breakfast- choosing two eggs, as well as a bagel with strawberry creme of cheese on it. He bit into the bagel, then took another sip of cafe.

"Sir..." his comm blinked as the Captain of The Davidoff radioed him, I think we have a situation.

A brown eyebrow raised, "You think? Captain Mikar, explain."

"We've captured someone who is claiming to know you sir."

Millard's other eyebrow raised, then he asked the Captain to go on.

On the Davidoff

"Who sent you?" the mechanized voice demanded, as a white armored fist slammed into the younger man's face.

Quellin had been unceremoniously ushered into the brig of the ISD Davidoff without opportunity to plea his reasoning for being in Guild Sector space. When he wouldn't answer any of the questions from the stormtroopers, they began to get rough.

"I say again...'Who sent you!!'

"Tell me now!" The Imperial Commander roared, "Or I shall have your head on a silver platter and serve it to the Grand Admiral himself for dinner!"

Through cracked lips, Quellin gazed up at the commander, his eyes tightening.

"Officer Tucker!" the Imperial Commander yelled, "Kill this man!"

The trooper readied his blaster, then began to take aim.

[Quellin Vos]

Tightening his grip on the butt of his blaster the apprehensive officer took aim. The officer was in a position he did not like; he had never taken a man's life. But he remembered his oath as an officer of the Galactic Empire and wrapped his slender finger around the trigger, his breath steadying as he prepared to pull, but it seemed Quellin would not go out so easily.

"Officer! Kill him or it'll be you at the end of that barrel!"

"Sir, I'm trying, but... but... I can't!"

"What do you mean you can't? Kill him already or I'll have you for treason!"

"S-sir...my arm...it's not letting me pull the trigg.." he was unable to finish when his arm began to shift directions turning towards the commander.

"What are you doinggg..." the sound of blaster fire went off as the commander went limp. His cold dead body fell silent to the floor; his emotionless eyes stared towards his murder, Officer Tucker.

"Looks like I should call you Commander Tucker now." Quellin chuckled as he broke free from his restraints. Tucker's head lifted up, the shock had settled in. How ironic that he, well, Quellin really, ended up taking the life of an Imperial commander, a friend, not a foe. Quellin, though severely battered, shuffled towards the ghost-like officer. "You do not have to worry, I will not take your life. You're not even worth the energy" When in fact Quellin couldn't even muster the strength to call for his saber. It was all a bluff, one he was unsure anyone was foolish enough to buy. "Though, now that that annoyance is gone, I will talk... but with you only." The ploy had worked and Tucker had taken the bait.

"W-what do you want me t-to do?"

"I would like you to give Taylor Millard this..." Quellin dug around in his robe revealing a small datapad. "...to Taylor Millard for me. Once he sees it, he'll know who I am."

"Th-the Grand Admiral? I-I-I can't do t-that. He's a Grand Admiral, I-I'm just an o-fficer." Tucker spouted hoping to elude the Dark Jedi. But the attempt was futile, and Quellin only responded with a stern face. "Yes, sir" Tucker sighed as he left the room.

[Taylor Millard]

"The situation is becoming a bit grave sir," The Davidoff's captain reported back to Millard, glancing over his shoulder.

"How so?" Millard kept a look of intrigue on his face as he watched the captain. Captain Mikar was still a bit green, but had proven himself worthy at the Battle of Kvit, when he fought off four VSDs with his single ISD, until Millard's fleet arrived. He was smart and also willing to take chances. Still, something had spooked him, and Millard wanted to know what.

"Sir...He killed Commander Umatta. And Lt. Tucker is babbling about how he killed Umatta. The security cam shows he indeed kill Umatta, but...but...he looks-looks..."

Millard's cold, blue eyes darkened, A Force User.

"Is he under supervision now?"

"Yessir, he was subdubed on Deck 4. He went out with a fight, and sir...he had a lightsaber..."

The Dark Jedi and Imperial Grand Admiral took a sip of his cafe, mulling his choices. It could be the krasst Nathanial Nore, attempting to prove he was a Dark Jedi by attacking one of Millard's other ships. Taylor chewed on his inner lip, thinking.

"There is...one other thing sir."

"What is it, Captain? Tell me calmly."

"Well he has something for you. Says it will tell you who he is."

Millard thought, Wonderful, if it is Nore, I will know who it is.

"Very well, encrypt it heavily and send it to me, to this desk."

"Transmitting now sir."

When Taylor saw what was sent to him, he almost had to visibly control himself.

Staring on the viewscreen was something Nore would not have in his possession, nor any of his other enemies and non-allies. There on the screen was:

http://bmat.clanhappy.com/tbhavatar.gif

"Captain Mikar, release the prisoner and escort him down to Balmorra. I will meet with him myself."

"Sir...is there anything we should know?"

"Yes...he is an ally of mine. Let him go and escort him here."

"Aye, aye sir."

Millard signed off, then quickly finished his cafe. The day had gotten a whole lot interesting.