Waters of Life

[Q. Samus Dage]

The tunnel of hyperspace was always a sight to behold. It was a swirling mass of lines, pinwheeling in a kaleidascope of white and yellow, with the occasional bit of blue zipping past. It was peaceful, it was soothing, and it was a calming vision of tranquility. But, sometimes it was a terrible quiet before the storm. It could so often be the silent harbinger of chaos once a ship dropped back into subspace.

Samus Dage had been present for far too many of those times.

He had seen many things during his time with the Alliance, from their beginning years as simple planet hoppers, on into their ascendance into something more; something resembling a government that had been drawn together in the unifying cause of freedom from the yoke of Imperial rule. They'd all sacrificed, all lost something. And yet, each of them soldiered on. They kept moving ahead, without looking back. They mourned, but they did not falter from their path.

Sitting in the seat that was normally occupied by his captain, the rangy commander leaned back casually, his eye staring ahead at the forward viewport in an unfocussed gaze. So beautiful, so potentially deadly. He breathed out a long sigh as Mr. Rahgus, the Farghul navigator, turned to look over his shoulder.


"Coming up on the drop point, Commander."


"Good."

He let his hand fall away from where it'd been resting beneath his chin, and his features set into a stern mask. Leaning back, he addressed the constant sentinal that stood just behind him.

"I want our comms on point the moment we leave hypserspace."

"Yes Sir."

KHER, as always, stood ready. His hawkish head angled only slightly as he prepared his larger self, pinging through his comm arrays with checks and rechecks. Readiness was paramount.

Another few minutes passed before Rahgus spoke, this time with a slightly louder, and commanding tone.

"Terminus in five... four... three... two... one... "

The Khera'Va'ss'io dashed his way into realspace with a silent, thunderous crack, heralded only by a split second of blinding light. His matte green hull slid through space like a hot knife cutting through shaak butter, and his bulk listed only slightly starboard in a trajectory that would bring him closer to the floating blue orb that hung so peacefully in space.

Except...

Commander, I am detecting a single Star Destroyer in orbit- "

Dage rocked forward, his back suddenly straight as he kept his hands on the armrests of the chair. It was a controlled reaction to keep him from rising fully to his feet.

"Mind our distance, Mr. Rahgus."

"Aye, Sir."

Rahgus, his clawed hands firmly on the control handles, pulled up only slightly, and the ship responded in kind, slowing even further.

With a decidedly sour countenance, Dage released one hand, a single finger depressing the callbutton in the armrest.

"Captain, I think you should see this."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

In her office, s'Il found herself inundated with a plethora of busywork. Orders to go over, duty rosters to approve, and other minute transactions that - while mundane - still required the eye of any captain. It was certainly not to the level of what she had tended to during her time on the Dauntless, but it was unavoidable nonetheless. And frustrating. And yet... satisfying. It made her feel purpose in a strange sort of way.

Sitting at the desk in her office, the Lupine was halfway through one of the many reports that she'd been given by KHER when Dage's voice cut through her concentrations. The tone with which he spoke was enough to give her pause, and she let the datapad shift in her hand, the top coming down just a small bit as her head tilted up.

"Yes?"

"Star Destroyer, Ma'am."

Even before the words left his mouth, she was on her feet. A star destroyer? The 'pad and its' contents were immediately forgotten as she skirted her desk.

"I'm on my way."

[Rolth Wygraant]

"Is that the Alliance cruiser, then?"

"They're broadcasting an Alliance code, sir."

"Lovely thing."

Captain Rolth Wygraant watched the organic lines of the unknown ship ply the far edge of Manaan's orbit, tracing along the blue curvature with plenty of distance to separate them. His gloved hands clasped behind his back as he watched the singular ship that heralded the new masters of Manaan.

"It matches the description of one of the cruisers our spies spotted during the Battle of Ossus."

Commander Belgen paced the observation deck from stern to bow, coming to a stop adjacent to his superior. Both men looked on at the rare breed peering at them halfway across Manaan.

"I've never seen anything remotely like it. Certainly not a Mon Calamari design."

"Nor Corellian."

Wygraant snorted dismissively. "Hardly."

It was all well and good to window gawk, but Belgen knew they had other business to attend to.

"Shall I put us on condition yellow?"

The Captain held up a gloved hand, shaking his head.

"No, no. I don't believe this changes our calculus here. We didn't come here to pick a fight, after all."

Pausing, Wygraant raised a thoughtful eyebrow.

"The Knights may wish to know of this, however."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The gorg struggled in her grasp as Vissica's fanged mouth closed over it's head. It's thrashing ceased to be that of concerted struggle and became the arrhythmic spasm of a destroyed nervous system, impulses firing in a release of last unrequited signal as snapping jaws crushed the amphibian's skull, then in a rending pull, wrenched the head from the animal's body in stringy visceral release. The Selonian's black eyes narrowed thin as she torqued down in crushing bites to break bone and cleave the head into two swallow-sized parcels. Red stained her chin fur, mingling with a string of saliva that ran down her mouth, connected like a ribbon to the still-twitching corpse in her hands.

Vissica opened her eyes with a growl at the sealed doors of her chambers. She was not to be disturbed during the brief time that was required to feed, but someone moved with intent at this moment to do just that. Dropping her food to the ground, the Selonian rose to her feet as she dispensed with her mouthful in two more punctuated chomps, and a forceful swallow.

[Palara Iscandar]

The door slid open, and in view was a twi'lek female. She was dwarfed by the larger Selonian, but there was no fear in her. In fact, there was a note of condescension.

"Must you eat so much like a barbarian?" Imperial Knight Iscandar grimaced. "It is disturbing, to say ze least. Do clean up. We 'ave sighted a previously unrecorded Alliance vessel class. And our presence has requested."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica's pink tongue flurrped across her muzzle, then removed the last offending traces from her left paw as she regarded her Twi'lek comrade with a look of strained patience. She spoke of matters short of battle, and in the Selonian's fixated state, summoning her for less than that purpose seemed to be trivium.

"This mission already leaves a bad taste in my mouth. An Alliance warship within sight, and we do not bring battle to them."

The giantess moved along the Decimator's corridors with Palara in lockstep. If her normal expression were dour, it would seem particularly stormy at present.

"I am unaccustomed to sipping tea with my enemy, comrade."

[Palara Iscandar]

"'Oo said we shall be speaking to zem?" Palara asked shortly, stepping into the turbolift that would take them to the bridge, and pressing the command button. "Zis may well turn out to be just what you were 'oping for."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The reassurance was met with a spring in Vissica's array of whiskers. If the Twi'lek knew more to this assignment than she did, it would be a welcome addition to the dreaded drudgery of watching rebels feast from the Empire's rightful bounty. Still, Palara spoke no more plainly than Baastian did, chewing on her words in that annoyingly glib way that frustrated her more direct sensibility.

"I will learn to read your tails one day, Palara. Perhaps they speak more plainly than your words."

Annoyed yet hungry by her cryptic promise for more, Vissica crossed her arms high over her chest as the lift began to slow at the termination of ascent.

"If there is a battle, I will be pleased. There is no dignity in giving the Rebels un-earned spoils."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

As she stepped through the threshold onto the bridge, s'Il felt a bit of the old familiar descend upon her. So many old memories, and yet they were new all the same. Fresh experience that warranted a fresh approach.

Striding ahead, she moved to the front of the comm platform that held her chair and the compact dashboard rail of KHER'S and Dage's posts. It was a flowing arrangement, the bridge of the Khera'Va'ss'io. The single solitary captain's chair, occupied still by Samus, rested toward the back on a level above all else. The pilot's nesting plug was settled organically in the center of it all, yet so seemingly inconspicuous. Before them all was the ever-so-slightly raised walkway that traversed the length of the curved viewport, affording them all with a magnificent view of Manaan.

Of course, the sight of the star destroyer hanging in space above the planet sullied that visual; like a krayt dragon on a bed of corusca gems it stood out, the unmistakable angular knife's edge of the Imperial ship a sharp and very stark contrast to the peacefulness of an otherwise picturesque scene.

She slowed, coming to a stop beside the pilot's 'cockpit'. Another few moments of contemplative observation passed before she turned to Dage.

"I was under the distinct impression that Imperial presence was a non-factor, Commander."

"So were we, Ma'am."

Turning back, s'Il gave a hrmph. She watched a moment longer, then moved. Decisive strides took the blonde up the single stepway that led to the horseshoe catwalk. It wasn't much higher that the main level, but it was enough to put her a head higher than all else on the bridge.

Another few second of contemplative silence followed.

"Keep us at a constant distance, Mr. Rahgus. I don't want that thing getting any closer than it is."

"Yes Ma'am."

The Farghul obliged with ease, pulling back on the control levers in both of his hands. Khera'Va'ss'io obeyed, coming to almost a full stop.

She half-turned to look at her ship's physical manifestation, still standing rigid behind the rear control dash. "Give me a channel."

KHER, his unblinking black orbs trained forward, let his hands fall to his sides.

Channel open, Captain.

Turning back, s'Il squared her shoulders, her chin angling up ever-so-slightly as her features remained a stoic mask of intent for the holo-imager that she knew was now focused on her, and the image that she knew it would be sending to the Imperial warship.

"This is Captain s'Ilancy of the Alliance ship Khera'Va'ss'io." A pause, as she let her frown deepen into a scowl of knowledge that, despite her next words, was an obvious farce of forced politics.

"It seems our timetables have overlapped."

[Rolth Wygraant]

"Captain, we're receiving open channel from the Rebel cruiser."

A comms officer in the crew deck put Wygraant on notice, and the Captain nodded on the observation deck, squaring his stance on the catwalk. The holoprojector delivered the reconstituted image of a blonde-haired humanoid in 1:1 ratio to stand next to the Imperial skipper.

Khera'Va'ss'io. Wygraant winced slightly at the unlikely mongrel name. Typical rebels. No doubt named after some manner of ghastly creature with nictitating membranes and scales.

"Well met, Captain. I am Captain Wygraant of the Imperial Star Destroyer Decimator. And yes, it would seem we are somewhat behind schedule."

Lips pressed thin in a polite smile, Captain Wygraant played his part in the farce.

"We shan't be long, I assure you."

From the periphery of his vision, Wygraant noticed the double doors of the bridge part as the Imperial Knights stepped onto the bridge. Carefully, Wygraant centered his attention on Captain s'Ilancy once more.

"Our garrisons have nearly completed embarkation. If it pleases you, I can instruct your landing craft to coordinates for an unhindered journey."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Unhindered. Quaint.

With a mask of sudden geniality, s'Il let her body move of its' own accord, a slight motion that resulted in a genteel bow; an acknowledgement of kindness made under duress. Or a stall. In this moment in time the two were the same. Her features returned to their previous stony mask, casting to the side that brief moment of understanding. In its' place was a knowing glint in her broken gaze.

"Captain Wygraant."

She stopped short of calling into question the abilities of the 'all great and powerful might of the Imperial machine', favoring instead a softer, yet equally damning line of questioning.

"Your garrisons should be off planet by now."

A half turn as Dage approached, ascending the shallow step that marked the entrance to the walkway she now stood upon. He handed her a datapad that she briefly glanced at. A rather pointed look, sent over the tops of unimpressed eyes - one blue and one stark white - was given to the blue-hued projection of Wygraant standing before her.

"Unless... "

The rest did not need to be said and yet she pressed further. A strange sort of prodding that was further helped along by her mismatched stare.

"Do your men need help, then, Captain... ?"

[Rolth Wygraant]

This Captain s'Ilancy was no fool. Wygraant's smile broadened by a degree, understanding that he'd certainly be pressing in a similar fashion should their roles be reversed.

"In an ideal galaxy, Captain. You'll appreciate the logistics of Manaan soon enough, I assure you. Embarking an entire legionary garrison from an ocean world has it's...unique demands."

The Decimator's Captain accentuated his point with an open-handed gesture.

"An hour should be enough to suffice, Captain. You've waited this long for victory, let's keep the matter gentlemanly. In the meantime, I'm sure the First Minister would have a raft of matters to discuss with his new masters?"

The crows feet tightened slightly around Wygraant's eyes.

"Regime change is messy business, even when it's bloodless."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There was a moment that passed between the two; a shared understanding that transcended the simple confines of an equally simple holo transmission. And in that moment, s'Il leaned forward ever-so-slight, a predatory grin creeping onto her features like the smallest of toothy Nexu grins.

"I'm no 'gentleman', Captain Wygraant."

A flick of her fingers was sent to KHER, and the droid complied with the silent order to cut the line.

Captain Wygraant's projected form blinked out of existence. Turning to look at Rahgus, s'Il let her eye travel to KHER as she turned on her heel. Dage was mindful to beat a hasty retreat, only stopping beside the nested pilot's plug as his captain stormed past him, the datapad shoved back into his hands as she passed him.

"I want all telemetry data on the Imperial shuttles coming up from the planet cross-referenced with what an ISD can reasonably hold, and a running tally of what they currently have on the surface."

As you wish, Captain. I might add that-

"I'd rather not indulge your additions, KHER. And KHER..."

Captain?

"Make yourself as obvious as you can."

If that is what you wish.

"It is."

Spoken with a degree of impatience, s'Il paused to turn back to the deceptive display of the swirling blue planet they now orbited. A world that was otherwise so serene and untouched, if not for the single star destroyer on her periphery.

Rahgus was the first to venture a word.

"Nav orders, "Ma'am?"

"Keep us stationary," she gestured to the far-off, bone-white star destroyer that sullied an otherwise pristine view. "... and distanced from that."

"Yes Ma'am."

[Palara Iscandar]

"We are out of time."

Iscandar's voice cut through the momentary silence following the abrupt disappearance of the blonde captain. The red skinned Twi'lek spun on her heel to face Wygraant.

"Vissica and I shall go to ze planet surface and finish ze demolition preparation. Stall as much as possible, Capitain. Position yourself aggressively if you must."

[Rolth Wygraant]

Attention fixed to the Knights now that matters were fully on simmer with his Alliance opposite, Captain Wygraant coolly clasped his hands behind him as he returned the length of the observation deck catwalk to where the two alien women stood.

"I hardly think the Alliance is in any mood to sweep aside rapprochement, Lady Iscandar. But should it come to that, I'll make sure to keep a stiff upper lip about things."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

At last, the nature of their presence on Manaan was revealed. Vissica rumbled a throaty approval of Palara's intended gambit, pleased that there was no intention of giving up the planet without a good last parting shot. The Selonian Knight kept silent on her musings for now. It wouldn't do for the men under their command to think they were anything less than of one mind on this matter. Vissica scratched a clawed thumb against her chin fur as she considered the coming storm about to sweep the planet below.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Lowering herself to sit in her chair, s'Il leaned back only slightly, angling a small bit to one side as an elbow resting on the formed armrest. Fingers one by one pressed into the pad of her thumb as she stared ahead at the view before them all. Her face was a mask of stern disapproval, and as Dage moved to stand beside KHER, she let out a hefh. Not a word was spoken as each one of the small crew watched in unison. Rahgus turned around, but a shake of Dage's head silenced any possible questions that might've been asked.

The Lupine sat, her body still as she stared ahead, gaze fixated on the Imperial warship. And then her eyes narrowed, her thoughts and senses spreading out over the gulf between them in an attempt to divine what was happening that her eye was not seeing. Ethereal fingers reached out to bridge the gap, and to take hold for her own whatever intentions that she could glean from those aboard Decimator.

[Palara Iscandar]

"We will not 'ave much time, Knight Vissica," Iscandar said as they entered the turbolift to take them to the hangar bay. "If zis Alliance captain 'as 'alf a brain, she will not linger zere in 'er ship. She will land as soon as possible. We must 'ave ze charges primed and ready."

Icandar did not check her lightsaber or light whip hilts. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes, centring herself and immersing in the Force. A sharp note of danger emanated from the Alliance vessel, but the twi'lek Imperial was not interested or curious about that vessel or its captain. She bent her mind to the planet, and the ancient Ahto City structure, where Imperial troops were slowly gearing up to be shipped aboard, and a team of engineers was busy placing explosive charges on the kolto facilities, both underwater and in the City itself. If things went badly, there was at least a good chance that the underwater facility would be destroyed.

"And Vissica," Iscandar said, a thought coming to her, "do try to keep from killing any of our soldiers while zere, yes? It would make us look weak to our enemies if we were to resort to such measures."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"I do not like this deception."

Vissica's growled protest was as likely to dissuade Palara as a rebel plea for clemency, but the Selonian felt it important for such a protest to be vocal and forthcoming nonetheless.

"We oppose the rebels here. We should do so openly, so they know they have been beaten honestly."

Her thoughts wandered back to the flickering hologram of the Rebel commander, and for a moment, Vissica swore she had a moment of clarity in the fog of lies and half truths Wygraant and Palara summoned so freely. A note of conflict in the force, and something more. The Selonian closed her eyes, shaking her head to dispel the uncertain feeling that could not manifest itself any clearer at the moment.

The turbolift doors shifted open to the left, allowing the Knights to negotiate the distance across the hangar bay to their waiting shuttlecraft. Palara's last warning was met only with a slight showing of teeth.

"Weak soldiers make us look weak, comrade."

The Selonian snorted an exhaled huff from her wet nose.

"But they will not die by my hand for their incompetence today."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

What had been a vague notion, hollow yet slowly filling with intent, now became a feeling so certain that there was no denying the immediate need for action. There was nothing so defined as a sure answer, but the whispers and eddies of the Force did not lie in the impressions that they gave. Certainly no Darkness; no, she would be able to sense such a thing so easily within the ever-moving currents that surrounded them all. No, this was something else. Not explicitly evil in the true sense of the word, but certainly there was no tinge of the Light. Instead, it seemed much more murky, like an obfuscating cloud of deception.

And then, a fleeting glimpse of determination burst into view so plainly in front of her before being swept away once more.

Yet, in that brief glimpse she could feel the need to move. To act. To make right the wrongness of this situation. But as all things tended to be these days, it was not so simple. She could certainly not fire upon an Imperial destroyer without terrible reprisal, and while she had full faith in her ship and crew, there were things that remained a universal constant, and things that came into being that created necessary workarounds for the straightforward ways of so many years ago.

She stood, her hands going to the hem of her tunic, tugging at the edge of the stiff fabric.

"Have my shuttle prepped."

[Q. Samus Dage]

When you spent most of your life with a person, you generally knew when they were about to do something questionable. You developed a form of telepathy that, even if you didn't have the Force, you could implicitly trust. Now was one of those times.

"Captain, I'd respectfully advise against going down there just now."

He watched her turn to look at him, a level gaze that held no malice, only a silent order for clarification if he so wished. He certainly did.

"Last thing we need is to bull into something that might end up with our heads on the proverbial chopping block," he crossed his arms, feet shoulder width apart.

"Again."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She watched him, knowing that his caution was well-founded. But, the Force had sung to her, a siren's song of danger that could not be ignored. Undeterred, s'Il moved to step from the raised platform along the back of the bridge.

"Noted."

Rahgus bared his teeth as he looked back, silently agreeing with the Commander, but wisely keeping his words to himself.

Stopping at the door that led into the rest of her ship, s'Il looked back to Dage, who'd followed her with a distinct scowl etched onto his features.

"Stall as best as you can, yes?"

Now the Farghul did speak up.

"Captain, this is a bad idea."

"Many things in this galaxy are."

"And if we must go on the defensive?"

Captain s'Ilancy stepped through the threshold, pausing only to deliver her parting words before the doors hissed shut.

"Then be sneaky."

[Palara Iscandar]

Stepping out of the turbolift and stepping into the tram to take them to the hangar, Iscandar suddenly missed the Fearless. At least there several different types of transportation weren't required in the ship itself.

"Neverzeless," Iscandar said. "Refrain from it. Zey are no longer Rebels. Zey are Alliance, and zey have ze strength to make any won battle 'ere useless later on. We will fight zem, but only when we are so ordered, understood?"

The tram ride was short at least, making no stops in between the bridge turbo lift station and the hangar bay station. It only took them five minutes.

As they entered the hangar bay, they were approached by the hangar commander.

"Knight Iscandar, Knight Vissica, this way please."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Of course she understood, she had already said as much. Vissica droned out a dull growl at Palara's accented reprimands and their useless redundancy.

"A Selonian always keeps her promises." She drew her words out low, long, and dangerously in case the cunning Twi'lek forgot them a second time.

Before the Twi'lek could doubt her further, the hangar commander diverted their attention to an awaiting shuttle. Vissica's tail thumped impatiently as Knight Iscandar walked on ahead, and she followed after.

Minutes later, the shuttle cleared the expansive hangar bay, dropping below the recess to peer upon the cerulean world of Manaan as they made good their descent.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

One of the two matte black Nu-class shuttles that rested in the hangar bay was currently spooling up, its' engines being brought through their initial start-up sequences by the meticulous hands of Lieutenant Varin. A deep, heavy whine seemed to rumble all throughout as the captain crossed the expansive flight deck. A small contingent of Eta-2's, X-Wings, and A-Wings sat nestled in their berths, with only the maintenance crews littering the space around them as they went about their ever-constant tasks. The deck chief, a clean-shaven bull of a man with thinning hair jogged across to meet her.

"Got the word from Commander Dage, Captain."

"Oh?"

"Yes Ma'am. Varin's got the checks just about done."

"Good."

She took nothing with her, save for the gauntlet held loosely in her left hand. An old weapon that she had been reluctant at first to bring, but one that she had felt compelled to, regardless.

Captain s'Ilancy stopped at the lowered edge of the boarding ramp that would lead the rest of the way into her shuttle, looking to the deck chief.

"Keep your pilots on standby, Mister Kreskin. I don't want an outright fight, but caution is necessary."

"Yes Ma'am."

A nod, and Master Chief Kreskin gave her a crisp salute that she returned in kind before wheeling about, her stride carrying her up the ramp and into the darkened interior of the shuttle. In the cockpit, Varin monitored the captain's position, and reached out to push the button that would retract the ramp as the Nu-class shuttle settled her engines into a stable thrum of readiness. As she settled into the co-pilot's seat - a gesture more than any show of willingness to help fly the craft, s'Il rested her saber gauntlet in her lap while securing her crashwebbing.

Varin, without thinking, handed over a small container which she accepted gratefully. The top was flipped up, and a small slip of doramine was pulled out.

"Thank you," she handed the container back to him, and he dutifully tucked it away.

"Never leave home without it, Captain."

One of the flight crew stood in front of the shuttle, the two glowing sticks he held raised high as Varin slowly lifted up on the control yoke, pulling them up off the deck. One wand moved in a circular motion then, and with a smooth angle, the shuttle rotated toward the open, arching entryway of the hangar. With a slight nudge of the thrusters, the craft slid from the belly of the Khera'Va'ss'io and into the open space beyond. Another moment to allow themselves space, and he banked low, sending them on a firm, decisive course towards Manaan.

[Rolth Wygraant]

"And there they go, Commander."

Captain Wygraant traced the speck-small shape just visible across Manaan's curvature, watching it accelerate in miniscule away from the graceful contours of the Alliance warship. Commander Belgen stood next to his superior, hands clasped behind his back as he followed the shuttle's trajectory.

"I don't suppose they were entirely buoyed by your words of good will, then?"

"I can't imagine why." Wygraant replied with staid deadpan. Certainly he knew that Captain s'Ilancy wasn't going to let him breathe without watching over his shoulder like a hawkbat.

"Nevertheless, send word to the Knights. Let them know the Alliance has decided to visit, just as expected."

Wygraant squinted against the distance, wringing his gloved hands.

"And as a precaution, Commander, set condition yellow. But do be quiet about it. It wouldn't do to spook our guests."

[Palara Iscandar]

Ahtar City, as the only above water place of habitation on Manaan, was naturally artificial. Despite that, great care had gone into the resort city to make it lovely, and there were all manner of parks and waterside establishments with greenery and vegetation, all ordered and non intrusive, of course. Iscandar stepped into the sunlight and frowned.

"Knight Iscandar," her commlink buzzed. "We've sighted an Alliance shuttle heading for the City."

"Very good," Iscandar said, and closed the connection, only to immediately make contact with the demolition teams. "Zis is Knight Iscandar. 'Ow close are we to finishing ze emplacement of explosives? Ze Alliance is come, and will be entering ze city en force soon. All must be ready before zen."

There were two demolition teams, one set for the underwater facility some kilometers away near the highest concentration of kolto on the planet, and the other was in the city itself, rigging the refinery and distribution plant for destruction as well. The refinery team reported back at once, listing their completion of the refinery's charges and beginning the distribution plant's own, while the underwater team could not transmit back due to interference, and the ship over them instead sent word that they needed some twenty more minutes to complete their task.

"We must keep zem away for at least thirty minutes, Knight Vissica," she said. "Let us go."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Unfurling her flexible frame from the shuttle, Knight Vissica made a point to still stoop at the threshold of the gangplank to give her head clearance. Righting herself to full height, the Selonian's whiskers bounced on her muzzle as her nose winded the air. Fish. Suddenly sullen at Palara's brusque interruption of her feeding, Vissica's tongue flicked across her muzzle in annoyance. A few of the native Selkath gawked at the landing site's periphery beyond the Imperial cordon - no doubt contributing to the distracting aroma.

Palara's lilting words further stymied the taller knight. She spoke in vague terms. Keep the Alliance away, but don't kill them. No doubt an education in these subtleties would be forthcoming from the Twi'lek, as she lead on toward the landing zone in which the Alliance shuttle was scheduled to touch down. As the Knights headed down the concourse from the landing platform, Vissica paused suddenly, her tail slapping at the ground audibly as she looked to the sky.

"I sense something."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

As they fell through the outer atmosphere in a controlled descent, s'Il closed her eyes. She heard Varin give a low chuckle, as by now he was used to his Captain's peculiar problems with small-craft space travel. It was amusing in its' own right, yet diligent to the last, the Lieutenant was conscientious, making sure to keep the ride as smooth as possible. And while the buffeting of Manaan's upper atmospheric layers still rocked the shuttle, he kept his hold firm, correcting where he could and smoothing over the largest of each jostling shake. They broke through the cloudcover, Ahtar City appearing first as a bare speck, then growing steadily as they neared.

It was a glittering jewel set in the blue waters of Manaan, a solitary point of surface life that boasted wonderful vistas of the pristine ocean surrounding it, with many tourists flocking to it regularly.

But it was the reason that they had come here; not the magnificent views or gorgeous surroundings, no. It was the kolto. While not as thorough as bacta, kolto was still a precious commodity, and the Alliance had decided it was high time to capitalize on that little nugget of truth. With bacta supplies having to be run through Imperial space, and through less than legitimate channels, the option that Manaan offered was one that could not be passed up. A veteran of more trips to the infirmary than he cared to admit, Varin was well aware of the necessity for this mission. He reached forward, flicking a thumb over the comm toggle switch.

"Alliance shuttle Aereth to Landing Zone Gamma T-A24. Request landing vectors."

There was a pause, and a rather stiff voice answered.

"Landing Zone Gamma T-A24, we have you on our visuals. Proceed to pad Z-88."

"Copy, Gamma T-A24. Z-88 inbound."

And through it all Captain s'Ilancy watched with half-lidded eyes, her gaze going over the expanse of blue below them until the mass of Ahtar City filled her view, and soon enough a landing pad on the outer periphery.

Varin made short work of his landing procedures, setting the shuttle down as gently as possible.

As he began the post-flight ritual he always performed, s'Il let out a sigh while unlocking the center locking clamp of her crashwebbing.

"Smooth as ever, Lieutenant."

"I bet you say that to all your shuttle pilots, Captain."

A strange look, and she rose to her feet, the gauntlet held in a tight grasp. "You're my only shuttle pilot, Jeremy."

He showered her with a wide grin, then went back to the control console.

"That I am, Captain."

She moved away from her seat, but sent one last look to him and gave a look that he could not see. Humans sometimes.

As always, he was ever attentive to her needs, and as she made her way from the cockpit, Aereth's boarding ramp engaged with a whine of hydraulics, lowering to the sun-baked tarmac below. There was no break in her step as she traversed the downward length, and as her boots hit the durracrete surface of the landing pad, s'Il pulled in a long breath of fresh, salty sea air. It was invigorating, and had she not arrived under such worrisome auspices, the Lupine might have allowed herself to enjoy the sensation. As it was, the nagging feeling at the periphery of her senses only intensified.

Stepping away from the shuttle, the Lupine moved to the edge of the elevated pad, looking down at a glorious vista while idly sliding the gauntlet over her right hand, feeling as the inner compressors engaged to lock it firmly over the fabric of her uniform tunic and secure to her forearm.

Her broken gaze swept the bustling, constructed metropolis below her, and her senses spread out in search of... something. Anything. That nagging feeling only felt more acute here, on the surface. There was danger here, and she could feel it in her very bones.

Her broken gaze came to rest at another landing pad, this one more integrated into the body of Ahtar, and the two individuals standing outside of the unmistakable Imperial shuttle.

There. It was coming from there. Them. The fingers of her left hand traced over the contours of her gauntlet as they fell away, her eye firmly set to the two - a Twi'Lek and Selonian - below her.

[Palara Iscandar]

"Avoid killing if you can, Vissica," the Twi'lek said. "But I would not be surprised if only death will keep zem from prying any furzer. But zere is no opposition I can anticipate zat will require us both. Unless zey 'ave a Jedi."

Iscandar frowned, and looked around for a moment. A feeling as if she were being watched stole over her, but she once more focused on the mission. She brought up a map of Ahtar City plotted out the quickest route to the refinery and distribution plant.

"I will go to ze plant and make sure everyzing zere is proceeding wizzout 'indrance. I will leave you to 'old off 'oever wishes to pry in ze manner of your choosing."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica's whiskers twitched as if electrified, and her tail slapped the ground in full display of the Selonian's unsettled state. She turned suddenly, black eyes narrowing as she looked for what could be felt and not seen.

"Go then."

Vissica spoke to Palara with her back to the Twi'lek. She had last minute business to attend to, and the Selonian knew that she would be put to better use keeping the encroaching rebel or rebels away from Iscandar and the demo teams.

"If I kill the interlopers, it will be as a last resort."

It was the best assurance she could give to her haughty comrade.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

From the vantage afforded her by the elevated position of Aereth's landing pad, s'Il watched in contemplative silence at the two beings far below. Her eyes remained as narrow slits, her senses sharp and cautious even as they continued to spread outward. There was determination and resolve, both resting in tandem over an underlying an undercurrent of danger and destructive intent that had not become clear to her just yet. Her frown deepened as she watched, and as the smaller Twi'Lek moved away, leaving the Selonian behind her, s'Il huffed out a short, frustrated breath. Still she sought what could not be seen with her eyes, and still she could only feel the urgent need for action. For intervention.

She took a half step back from the edge of the landing pad's edge, and turned on her heel, a swift stride taking her toward the long ramp that would lead her down to the open-air entry-gate. It was a sweeping path, the smooth architecture meshing completely with the aesthetic of Ahtar.

A Selkath attendant dressed in brilliant blues and yellows waved at her, but the Lupine merely gave him a cursory glance as her left hand cam up, fingers splaying out for a brief moment before gesturing to the air. She had no time for the trivial matter of official visiting niceties, and certainly no time for customs inspections. Her hand movement elicited a puzzled look as her attentions focused on diverting his questions. He blinked in confusion as whatever he'd been about to ask of her evaporated into nothingness. Instead he simply stared, his waving hand falling to his side as he watched her pass him by.

With sure steps, s'Il kept on. Meandering groups of sight-seers and tourists milled about in the main welcoming plaza of Ahtar's spaceport. Snippets of conversation floated all around her, of what families had planned for the day, when cruises were scheduled to depart, and even a few hushed muttering about the Imperial shuttle that'd landed.

Passing by a fountain ringed by brilliant green shrubs and climbing lily vines, she veered to the right, and toward the way that her senses told her that the Twi'Lek had gone.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica's senses hadn't betrayed her. They were as true as the whole of her. And yet the feeling she'd felt before now shrank into the ether of the force, clandestine and indistinct. The Selonian's black eyes remained narrow and careful as her wet nose winded the air. She cursed the Selkath and their particular aroma that filled this place, searching for something that didn't belong.

There.

The Selonian Knight's head flicked to the right and up, a feeling of unlikely confusion hanging like a loose thread somewhere above. It did not belong to whatever she'd felt before, but she was certain the two sensations were linked. Someone had seen something amiss, but now the feeling subsided sharply. It was as if something natural and causal had been removed.

In a bound, Vissica leapt halfway up the superstructure that would lead her to the overview. Where she reached the zenith of the Force's influence in her leap, the Selonian raked four sets of claws into pliant facade, finding purchase as she climbed the rest of the way. Vissica slinked over the railing, carrying forth on all fours until her flexible spine rolled her tall frame back onto two legs, and in front of a particularly confused-looking Selkath. The Pescaloid blinked and gawked, but before he could turn away from the imposing Knight, she drew him towards her with the force. Webbed paws reached out, cradling the Selkath eyewitness's head.

"What troubles you?"

Vissica's drawn and deliberate enunciation resonated in oily timbre, echoing and seeping into the Selkath's mind as she held him fast. The Selonian's unblinking black eyes peered into the aquatic alien's soul, seizing the truth in his heart to be wrested out through his lips.

"Tell me what you've seen."

[Palara Iscandar]

Quick, purposeful strides brought her down one of the main thoroughfares of the city; there were many Selkath about, perhaps taking the chance given with the absence of rich off-worlders to enjoy large parts of the city they were usually discouraged from visiting. There, at an intersection, an Imperial squad had set up a road block. They remained silent as she strode forward, and produced a small flimsy which the lead trooper read.

"Knight," the trooper said, standing at attention. Iscandar stepped past the blockade and straddled a speeder bike.

"Zere may be Alliance following. Do not start a war, but obstruct zeir passage through 'ere as best you can. 'Ide ze rest of ze speeder bikes," she said, activating the bike and shooting off down the smaller road. With her vehicle, she reached the Refinery plant in under five minutes. A group of Stormtroopers saluted as she entered the facility, forewarned by the troopers on the roadblock, and inside was an industrial complex of great size and complexity, if aged and in need of modernization badly. Three Imperial engineers were standing on a suspended catwalk above her, and one, sighting her, rushed to a lift and took it down to meet her.

"Lady Iscandar," the human said, bowing slightly. His voice carried a distinct Core accent. "We are proceeding, if a bit slowly. The design of the facility is such that it is taking more time than we thought to plot out where the charges will cause the most damage and completely destroy the most essential equipment needed in refining kolto into a usable, concentrated, substance. If you look here—"

"Zere is no time. Z'Alliance is 'ere, and zey are not to be dissuaded from taking control for long. Instead of forcing zem to reconstruct from scratch, we will 'ave to settle for delaying zeir kolto operations to months while zey rebuild ze facilities."

The engineer frowned.

"But Lady," he began, only to be cut off once more.

"I said zere is no time for zis. Go, place ze charges where ze collapse will crush ze most equipment. You 'ave five minutes."

He swallowed his irritated response, and only said: "As you will, milady."

"'And me some charges. I will bring down ze distribution plant myself."

The engineer stopped, and bowed once more, and engaged the lift, coming down with a satchel of explosive charges.

"As soon as you finish, take ze Stormtroopers and go to ze extraction point. Do not wait for me."

The engineer nodded, and Iscandar left to finish the mission.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"I saw a woman. Human. Blonde fur on her head. A scar."

The Selkath droned in monotone as his bulbous aquatic eyes stared back glassily at his interrogator. Vissica traced a webbed paw over his slick head, nose wrinkling at the stink of it. The Selkath continued his confession.

"I went to greet her, but I didn't."

The pescaloid's eyes flicked nictitating membranes in confusion.

"I greet all visitors. I don't know why, but I decided not to speak to her. She must have been in a hurry."

Still with the Selkath in her clutches, Vissica's dark eyes moved beyond the alien, in the direction of his feelings' intentions. With a growl, the Selonian Knight pushed the Selkath away, who suddenly returned to his senses in a shaky state, clutching his head as if to shake loose his foggy thoughts. He turned to the right in time to see a large quadruped bounding away on all fours in a burst of speed.

Vissica raced on, her instincts guiding her along a path confirmed by the Selkath. The Selonian's long figure cut a lean, low center of gravity as webbed paws beat rapidly across the concourse. Her flexible spine undulated in flight, a cascade that ran from the base of her strong neck down the length of her powerful tail. The few Selkath occupying the walkway parted hurriedly, some exclaiming in alarm at the sight of the strange beast. Arriving at the walkway's landing that abutted against a fountain and greenery, Vissica moved with certainty, her broad paws scratching visible traces as she angled the trajectory of her torpedo-like body to the right, and toward a presence that was becoming more and more clear to her.

As she rounded the turn, the Selonian Knight caught sight of her quarry. A human female with a mane of blonde headfur. Her black eyes fixated on familiar form. It was one she'd seen in passing via hologram.

"Captain s'Ilancy!"

The Selonian skittered to a stop, not bothering yet to rise to two legs.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

One of the dangers that had been so underlying in Ahtar City manifested itself in a primal, throaty call. Her name rang out like some angry mewling; sharp and biting, and s'Il ground to an immediate halt, wheeling about to look upon the one that had cried her name. The Selonian. The Lupine blinked slowly, feeling as her ears ticked back, her right shoulder angling away. Her gaze narrowed, and a disgusted expression followed almost immediately as she felt the angry, pulsing thrum of the Force fill the space between them.

Stalwart resolution reaffirmed itself then. This one had stayed behind to distract her, to keep her from whatever the Twi'Lek was tending to. Of that she was certain.

Her left arm came up then, a smooth, sure motion as she pulled from the Force, called it to her. She beckoned to it; it answered as it always did. It curled invisible tendril around each finger, winding up her arm and through her body. It knew what she wished, and obeyed with a quickness.

And as though her paws had been cemented to the ground, the Selonian found herself rooted. Held fast to the decorative stone walkway.

"I have no time for you, Selonian," came the answer as s'Il turned back, her gait quickening to a jog as she wove her way further into the scattered crowd and toward the intersection that she could now see populated by an Imperial roadblock.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Instinct drove her on the moment Vissica saw s'Ilancy's back, but coiled muscles did not reply, moving like cold treacle against the urgency of her demand. Suddenly, the Selonian knew why her senses had screamed at her so. The force was with Captain s'Ilancy, now acting to hold her fast as the rebel beat her retreat. Straining against the ethereal quicksand, the Imperial Knight fixed her dark eyes on a load-bearing pillar supporting a causeway that banked over the concourse. Vissica canted her head, drawing her full rage against the physical world. Ahead, durasteel crimped and buckled with screaming dissonance, as electrical cables within gave up the ghost of their conduits with hissing sparks. As the pylon withered and died under her command, the causeway began to pitch and succumb to gravity, sending a half dozen screaming Selkath crashing down two stories to earth along with it.

The ground quaked as duracrete shattered, spitting a cloud of dust into the air. No longer caged by Captain s'Ilancy's stalling, Vissica's sinewy back rolled up, drawing the Knight onto her hind paws.

"You have time now, Captain."

The whiskers stood at electric attention on Vissica's muzzle. She could feel the force flowing through her enemy.

"I feared this mission would be a waste of my time. I am pleased to find I am mistaken..."

Fanged teeth bared in a slight smile.

"...Jedi."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Sliding to a halt, the Lupine let her eye dart over each contour and jagged break that had once been a single piece of walkway. Torn to pieces in a terrible display of power, the twisted conduits and bent inner structures lay strewn alongside bloodied bodies; some moaning in pain, and others so singularly still and quiet. In some places, limbs dotted the area before her, mixed with shattered durracrete stone. She could smell the earthy, raw aftermath of destruction so thoroughly carried out. It made her scowl, and turning back to the Selonian, the Alliance Captain angled her head down.

She watched, not wholly unsurprised as her enemy rose to stand. Her little trick had been, after all, meant to only give her enough time to disappear. Of course, that had not come to pass, and her lips formed a thin line.

The Selonian stalked forward, closing the distance. In response, s'Il backed away, mindful to keep her eye forward, never letting the lithe form of the musteloid from her field of vision. Her right arm shifted as she stepped back again, moving to partially obstruct the gauntlet behind her.

The dust around her feet swept about each backward step she took, trickling forth as if called. Small rivers of sand and crumbled durracrete that seemed to pool in each space that her booted feet once occupied.

A finger went up as if in stern lecture, her voice level.

"I think that you should reconsider your position, friend."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

A rumbled growl shook in Vissica's throat as her black eyes widened slightly.

"With all due respect, Captain, perhaps you should heed your own words. This is still a restricted Imperial zone of influence. Until it is not, we do not suffer trespassers lightly."

The Selonian Knight reached beyond her shoulder in a fluid motion, pulling the hilt of her greatsaber free from it's composite holster on her back. She pointed the unlit emitter at s'Ilancy as her muscular tail slid over the ground behind her.

"By the authority of the Knights of the Imperial Throne, I place you under arrest. Come peaceably..."

The air between Vissica and s'Ilancy split in a peel of energetic dissonance, a great column of white plasma closing nearly two meters between the two combatants with a low, throaty KWOMM.

"...or don't."

Vissica arched a fleshy eyebrow, perfectly at ease with either outcome.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Under arrest... "

It was a strange notion; so bizarre to her that she couldn't help but repeat the words.

"... authority of the Knights... of the Imperial Throne... ?"

It seemed that so many things had risen up during her time so caught up with Decepis' singular vision of dominating the Alliance. She had been so focused on bringing to fruition his desires and wants, and allowed the larger happenings of the galaxy to slip her by. A cross expression blanketed her features then, though not in any sort of displeasure for the information being fed to her now, but more turned inwards, at herself. She was woefully unprepared for the words that the Selonian was speaking to her, and in a way it was plain to see on her face.

But, it was a moment in time, a moment that was quickly smoothed over with a tsk and a shake of her head.

The white bladed greatsabre was - in its' own way - an impressive weapon. She had to admit that it put her own to a heavy degree of shame.

But there was something else to the air around them. Something that was unchecked and undisciplined. It was brute strength. She knew the tinge and taste of it. She sighed.

"You're wasting my time, Selonian."

And in the next moment her right arm swept out, the tiny pools of dust and detritus that had collected in her backward footsteps billowing into the air between them, joined by a swarm of debris and sand to obscure the line of sight that the Imperial Knight had on her. It was like a great plague of locusts, and wheeling about, s'Il fled. She could see the Imperial roadblock clearly enough, and in a burst of speed she veered to the side, pulling inward of the Force before pushing it back out and leaping up into the air. Her boots hit the roof of the nearest building as she level up, and not even looking back, the Lupine sprinted along the slightly sloped edge, her pace measured and aided by the Force.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Like a great Geonosian haboob, the dust and debris left behind in the wake of destruction returned to a state of chaos, cast upon Vissica in a rolling wave. Black eyes widened as she extended her off paw outward in a splaying of webbed fingers, peeling aside s'Ilancy's obfuscation in a physical manifestation of truth. By the time the spall parted, all Vissica could see of the Jedi were the bottoms of her boots as she fled in a leap.

Rattling a growl past bared teeth, the Selonian extinguished her greatsaber as her powerful lithe frame fell to the ground, bounding forward once more on all fours. Blasting forward in a burst of speed, the mustaloid's sprinting lines bunched and coiled at the foot of the destroyed causeway, springing into a skyward bound that brought her to the top of the ascent in a skittering of angry claws. Still, the Jedi gained - if not in distance then in height, taking to an adjacent building's escarpment with the assuredness of a Wookiee in old growth. Rather than let the Jedi gain distance as she battled up the sheer ascent, Vissica took a more pragmatic pursuit angle, leaping across the shorn causeway through a window two stories below. The glass smashed apart in a raining din as office-bound Selkath within startled fitfully. Bowling over one cubicle-bound alien in violent tumult, Vissica pounced upon his desk, her pumping paws scattering flimsis and smashing monitors as she changed the direction of her pursuit in the direction s'Ilancy was also following. The Selonian smashed through cubicle dividers, bowled over Selkath, and trashed everything in her wake as she headed for the nearest stairwell ascent.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The Imperial stormtroopers that had been posted to the roadblock were diligent enough, though their blaster shots seemed two steps too late regardless. Shingles exploded into jagged shards in her wake, late-comers to her pounding footfalls. They aimed high and ahead, yet still she outpaced their constant trigger pulling, and as a chasm between buildings loomed ahead, s'Il steeled herself. Her body reacted on instinct, her senses so attuned to the Force around her. She could feel the panic that emanated from the destructive path her pursuer was taking below her, but remained undaunted. And as the edge of the building approached, the Lupine gauged her steps, letting her body meld with the Living Force, clinging to it as she sailed over the expanse of nothingness below.

She landed a floor below, her boots sliding for a split second on the slightly graveled rooftop before her body tucked into a roll...

A keening crash heralded the arrival of the Selonian, that lithe, smooth-furred body smashing through a stairwell window, folding out across the same expanse only to curl inwards in expectation to land a hair's breadth behind her.

Using her momentum to roll up to her feet, sliding as she did so, the snap-hiss of her dual-bladed saber gauntlet sheered the air around them, double orange blades springing into life as s'Il readied herself for the onslaught she knew was to come.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica felt the intention of resistance change the timbre of the force around s'Ilancy as her nearest boot heel pivoted. Splayed mid-air as she was, the Selonian plied the moment fluidly, again reaching for her saber as her three remaining paws splashed landing. Two hundred and sixty pounds of full momentum closed on Loklorien s'Ilancy as the deep droning greatsaber again growled to life. As the Selonian's paws gathered in her first stride across the chasm, she leapt again, blade-forward to meet double blades. Loklorien's guard held...

...at the expense of the Jedi being knocked from her feet and thrown through the nearest wall from force of impact alone.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was enough to rattle her bones, the blow that sent her back. And then through a wall. A wall...

By the Bloodline she'd not been staggered so thoroughly for so long! And in a way it was invigorating. The Lupine felt each crumbling bit of destroyed edifice crunch beneath her. Each crackling and crunching of drywall and framework that raised up in protest as she righted herself. She had held her stance, but the sheer power she'd withstood had sent her reeling. It was... it was wondrous.

It was also dangerous.

There was a strange light to her eye then, and s'Il seemed to effortlessly shrug off each particle of dust that clung to her. Insulation sizzled and vanished on contact with her orange blades.

"Fire... you've got moxy, girl."

And not a little bit of muscle to back it up.

The Lupine squared herself, her body re-centering as she stepped back through the jagged hole her previous trajectory had made.

"These 'Knights' of yours," her shoulders rolled, her blades coming around as she seemed to relish the moment. It was an odd appearance that she cut, the crisp lines of an Alliance uniform, yet the brilliant blades of a weapon associated with a Jedi.

""I'm afraid you've caught me at a disadvantage."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"I intend to keep you there."

Banter as poor substitute for bloodsport. Vissica was far more interested in the Jedi as a bauble with which to test her mettle in combat. Her off paw flicked out, and the skin around Loklorien's throat began to unnaturally compress as the Lupine was lifted off her feet. Held in marionette's repose for but a moment, the Jedi cleared the room's distance with a wrist flick, pancaking against the wall. The screeching din of metal against tile assaulted the ears as Vissica raised a finger off her gripped saber to command a filing cabinet to follow the Jedi's trajectory with violence.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a familiar song, a familiar tenor that s'Il had heard and felt so many times before. She had weathered the same storm that this Knight brought to bear so often, and yet she allowed the Selonian to flex the power that she believed so firmly in.

Even as the cabinet of files slid, skating across hard-packed carpet on a pathway to intercept, s'Il let the play act out.

It was at the last moment that her struggles against the hold at her throat grew still, a hand going up to splay deceptively tense fingers against the oncoming bit of office furniture. There was a split second of mirth, as she caught the etched brand name marked into the metal tag affixed to the top edge. It was a name that she recalled seeing on Dac, in one of the many offices she'd visited. It was so mundane, and yet stood out to remarkably. Hesamir Inc.

Her single functioning eye shifted then, to her attacker. To the 'Knight' that held her aloft.

A rather baleful glance, as her lips peeled back, her grasp of the Force pooling and building. That dread grasp around her neck was one that she had learned to resist, and the Lupine clenched her fingers into a fist.

The cabinet was flown away, derailed from its' original intent to crash back and clatter to the floor.

An exhaled breath, and the Selonian's grasp was lessened. Such focused power, yet wild. It reminded her of herself so many years ago.

As her boots touched the ground once more, s'Il pushed outward, a terrible wave of energy pulsing out that was meant to stagger her opponent. And in that moment she surged ahead, the double blades of her sabre coming around in a wide arc, intent on meeting her opponent half-way.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica's bewhiskered face shifted from grim confidence to bewilderment as the Jedi slipped her ethereal binding, then threw free the more tangible obstacle in turn. Her instincts sang to attack, and the Knight sprang from her footing, only to be met in that instance by an equally unrelenting force. Legs that stretched in the beginnings of a pounce were once again compressed as the Selonian shouldered tremendous invisible weight. Her flexible spine hunched inwards as shoulders rolled. The claws of her footpaws dug etchings into tile as they gave ground despite planting, and all around Vissica, every loose item between Loklorien s'Ilancy and herself was blown past as if in a hurricane.

Pressed as she was against the tumult, Vissica's trouble now magnified as the now-liberated Jedi charged in turn, bringing her strange double sabers into a sweeping rake. The Selonian torqued both handpaws against knurled durasteel grip, and for want of leverage caught the orange blades at the threshold. A union of white and orange screamed in two points of energetic conflict between the combatants faces. Severe one-eyed intensity on one side of the chasm looked across to narrowed black eyes which reflected back every color sent to them. Vissica's fetid breath puffed hot in exerted exhalation as she sought to balance the terms.

"You are my first Jedi to fight. I am pleased you do not lose too quickly."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For now, s'Il held fast against the pressing weight that the Selonian Knight brought to bear.

An otherworldly surge of natural power met her opponent strength for strength.

And in that moment, the Lupine's eyes flashed a tawny, feral yellow. Her huffed grin was an exercise in exertion as she slid the length of her blades up along the stretch of white energy that was the Knight's own saber. A flurry of motion, and their blades were locked once more before coming apart. She eased back, her body fluid and attuned.

"I'm not a Jedi."

It was a mantra that she was becoming accustomed to repeating.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

And now Captain s'Ilancy insulted her. Lady Vissica drew out a growl past bared teeth as Loklorien withdrew from her temporary advantage for no discernible reason. Further, she now lied outright, denying what must be true. There was no dark influence to her energies. It was useless to deny her nature!

"So you say." Vissica countered dangerously, raising back to her full height to tower over the diminuitive humanoid. Not human, as changing eyes had betrayed to the Selonian Knight. Whoever she was - whatever she was, she would have little time to regret her folly of leniency.

Vissica chewed the gap between them in a single bound - just enough space to allow a winding chop to rain down into Captain s'Ilancy's waiting block. She held but was rebuffed in doing so, losing ground as Lady Vissica suffocated her opponent in raining blows. The floor below and ceiling above flared in bright wounds of lightsaber slashes as the Knight's greatsaber took collateral damage through it's impressive reach.

Passing through a doorway that lead to a hallway, Vissica pursued her enemy doggedly. The nearby wall was raked in a gout of sparks. A bar lamp above exploded in a shower of raining glass shards and ozone stink. The Selonian caught her opponent's blades in lock once more, and torqued against her deep-set grip to wrench Loklorien's gauntlet away from her center. Pressing fully into the rebuff, Lady Vissica rolled into her own momentum, her lithe spine curling into a slinking tumble that disguised the clubbing smash from her muscular tail that aimed to bludgeon the Lupine dead in the face.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There was a deep swell of indignace that swept outward from the Selonian, as though she had been dealt a blasphemous blow. It was curious, but not enough to dwell on as still the Lupine allowed herself to be pushed back. She met each blow with grim determination, knowing that this Knight held strength over hers. Other avenues would need to be taken, other routes. As the greatsaber's massive white blade strained against her own, s'Il dropped a half-step back. White and orange screamed in protest as they remained locked together, one pushing against the other in a bid for the upper hand.

The Selonian rolled forward to close the already short distance between them, and s'Il backpedaled as she saw the inevitable outcome. She gave a snarl, seeing as the muscled tail flipped up and over on a trajectory meant to land it directly in her face.

In that moment all went silent, and in the distance she could hear the faint sounds of yelling, followed by a familiar clomping of booted feet coming from below.

Time was quickly running out.

The orange of her blades vanished then, as the gauntlet was pulled back, extinguished and yet thrust upward all the same to meet the Selonian's striking tail.

The angled blade shrouds that extended beyond the main emitters plunged into flesh as far as they could go, burying their knife-like edges through skin and into muscle. Not allowing any reaction, s'Il drew inwards, pulling on the Force before directing it back out. Her off hand came around, palm open and facing the Knight as a violent push sent the Selonian through the air and back through the doorway that they'd come through.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

A sharp whistled yip of pain escaped Vissica's lips. Before she could bring her greatsaber around in another pass to behead Captain s'Ilancy for the crime of lowering her defenses, the Selonian was blasted off her feet in another concussive display of raw force energy. Already committed to her swing, the Knight flew backwards, shearing a broad smiling arc across the door frame as she fell through it. From the Lupine's perspective, a great crash and unseen din issued from the room beyond, followed by the sound of heavy, hollow thumping from above. Following the sound, a series of dimples and bulges began to deform the air vent above. In a screeching instant, metal peeled away along a glowing incision, then blew outward in a release of telekinetic rage as Vissica fell from the air duct above, tackling Captain s'Ilancy mid-leap and sending both combatants crashing through the guard rail adjacent to the stairwell, where they plummeted several stories below.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A pained exhalation was forcibly pushed from her lungs, and s'Il let out a loud hurff as she felt her body impact with the rail. It held for a scant few moments, and she felt her body crushed between it and the massive Selonian before it gave way. Plunging over the edge, the Lupine instinctively grasped at her attacker, fingers clamping firmly into short fur, nails hooking into flesh as the fell. Up close, the scents of the Knight mingled together in strange mix, and certainly not pleasant in any way as the olfactory assault worked in tandem with the much more physical altercation. She felt air rushing past her, clinging doggedly to the lithe frame that'd sent them both out into the open, and as they hurdled downward, s'Il ground her teeth together as she felt powerful arms wrap around her, seeking to further crush the life from her body.

And then the jarring, bone-shattering jolt as they landed in a tangled heap, denting in the thin metal lid of a massive rubbish bin. It held, but only barely, and screeched in protest as both bodies rolled off, landing roughly after another short drop to the ground.

The force of their impact had jostled both into relenting each other's hold, but it was a small saving grace as the Lupine felt herself rolled away, the Selonian's tail beneath her and slapping angrily to the side to shove her off. She felt a strong, webbed paw grasp at the back neckline of her uniform with intentions of dragging her back into a crushing embrace. Twisting her upper body around, she reached a hand out, fingers closing into a strong fist around a majority of the whiskers on the right side of the Knight's muzzle. A vicious jerk, and she pulled with every last fiber of screaming muscles.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Another keening yip issued from the Selonian as three deep whisker roots wrenched free from the right side of her muzzle. A paw intent on turning inward to strike the Captain was instead diverted to the sharp pain as Vissica rolled from the ruined rubbish receptacle in a dazed stupor. She shook the fog from her head with a bullish snort, calling her greatsaber back to her hand from where it had rolled free from her grasp some meters away.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A cough as she stumbled up to stand, and with a staggered gait, the Lupine limped away from the Selonian. Through an open doorway and down a small flight of steps she jogged, though her pace was halting at first. Her body protested, but still she pushed onward with a grunt. A door loomed ahead, a crashbar cutting through its' middle and large red aurebesh lettering marking it as an exit. For now, it was her best hope. Behind her she could hear the scraping of the greatsaber as it skittered across the floor, and the ominous silence that only meant the weapon had found its' owners grasp. Redoubling her efforts and steeling herself, s'Il bulled into the door, depressing the bar with her side and bursting out into the brilliant Manaan sunlight.

A blaring horn caused her to pull up sharply as a hoverlorry barreled past, the driver flinging his arm from the window in disgust at the blonde who'd so very nearly found herself crushed beneath his vehicle.

Another half-second to catch her breath, and s'Il surged ahead, an arm lancing out to grab hold of the rear side rail as it accelerated. Pulled from her feet as the craft angled up and into the sky, the Lupine reached up so that both hands gripped tightly to her object of salvation. She groaned, her lower half swinging up with the momentum of the lorry, and her boots scrabbled for purchase as she heaved upward, slowly moving her way to the top and pulling herself onto the long trailer's roof. The wind whipped her hair into a frenzy despite the tight band holding her blonde locks back, and crouching, she screwed her eyes shut as she felt her body's metabolism fire at a higher rate, beginning to right the wrongs that she'd sustained.

Another few moments passed as she forced her breathing to slow, and opening her eyes, she kept her gaze forward, letting her transportation take her wherever it would. Which thankfully, was further into the more industrial looking area of the city.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Following by means of unmistakeable force presence and scent, Vissica barreled out the same exit s'Ilancy had taken scarcely ten seconds prior. Trailing the ponderous white blade of her greatsaber behind as it burned a tracing path in the floor, the Selonian could only watch as the lorry accelerated away with her prize lying prone on it's roof. Vissica rubbed the sore right side of her muzzle gingerly, extinguishing her saber with the other hand before tucking it away on her back harness. For seconds, she watched the frenetic flow of traffic breezing past before dropping onto all fours, coiling, and springing into flight. The Selonian skittered onto the roof of a sedan, claws screeching in trails of peeling paint across the top as the speeder bucked in mid-air, trying to maintain it's lane. Vissica coiled again, launching her lithe figure into the air towards a speeder bike. A webbed paw splayed out and formed a fist as the Selkath biker was suddenly wrenched off his ride with a scream (http://www.wilhelmscream.net). The seat remained bare for but a moment as the Selonian fell gracefully into the saddle. Gunning the accelerator to full over the flow of traffic, Vissica leaned forward against the frame as her tail trailed over the saddle crest.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Still crouched, the Lupine let her senses expand, settling over everything around her. She could feel as the Force hummed and pulsed, feel as it wound through everything. It sustained and gave a strange sort of comfort as she closed her eyes once more, head bowing. Seconds later she rose to her feet, balancing easily on the jostling trailer. She could feel the Selonian. There was no mistaking the angry thrum of the stormy waves that the Force showed to her. Her eyes cracked open, head turning so that she could look behind her as her body slowly followed the deliberate motion. It was difficult to miss the approaching hurricane now closing the distance between them. s'Il let out a hrmph, her features falling somewhat further into a dissatisfied look. A quick breath huffed through her nostrils, and wheeling about, bolted for the front of the lorry. Her legs churned as she drew inward, drinking of the ever-full cup of vitality that the Force offered to her.

Her mad dash culminated in a nimble hop as she tucked one leg under her, sliding on her hip down the length of the cab's sloped front end and along it's extended engine cowl to disappear abruptly. The driver slammed on his brakes, bringing the vehicle to a rough stop, his eyes wide as he watched the person-shaped blur of motion dip below the top edge of his hood.

And again she was falling, though now it was a calculated drop that saw her landing on the roof of a small coupe. The speeder dipped low with the sudden application of weight, and as she fell to one knee, s'Il scanned her immediate vicinity. Now traveling along a half-finished building teeming with construction workers, it only took a split second of thought before she coiled, and sprung out once more. She sailed over the divide, booted feet landing with surety on a jutting support beam that ran crosswise along the skeleton frame slowly being built up. Wasting no time, the Lupine swiftly surged ahead, running across the narrow bridge before leaping up another level, arms outstretched to catch the taut cables of a crane as it swung across.

Her body was swung across the expanse of the build site, over the heads of gawking onlookers. The crane's operator reacted in surprise, jerking the controls to a stop, and while the massive arm shuddered to a halt, the cables still swung. At the zenith, s'Il released her hold, her body flung through the air and over the edge of the other side of the half-built structure.

Salvation came in the form of another lorry.

The soles of her boots hit the roof of the trailer, and she let her legs buckle so that she could cushion her landing with a roll that ended with her momentum bringing her up to her feet once more, eye scanning in every direction for her pursuer.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica's quarry bolted like a frightened rabbit, and the Selonian gave chase without delay, banking her speeder bike sharply down in a dive that bisected traffic flow in a dangerous crossing. Black eyes narrowed as the Knight strained her senses against the fast-moving river of vehicles, searching for the clearance that would let her pass clean through the tumult. She'd nearly done so when a speeder taxi clipped the back end of her bike. The sudden downward fishtailing proved terminal for the bike's maneuvering, and rather than attempt to ride it out against more oncoming traffic, Vissica threw herself free as the bike exploded against a fuel hauler, cooking off a tremendous explosion that threw Vissica's freefall in another direction. Desperate paws screeched against metal of another passing speeder as the Knight attempted to arrest her fall, her lithe frame twisting in the wind as another speeder rose rapidly from beneath as gravity carried her down. She hit the roof hard enough to cause the windows and wind screen to blow out with violence, the thin metal above crumpling down upon the driver as he now veered into oncoming traffic. A quick coiling of footpaws and tail beneath the Selonian bunched, and she sprang upwards at the last minute to avoid the destruction of head-on collision that occurred a heartbeat later.

Twisting in the wind, Vissica's second effort to escape death arrived in the form of skeletal girders of new construction to her left. The Knight threw both handpaws open to arrest her descent with a powerful blast of force energy that caused another crash below her, and slowed her fall just enough that her slinking frame crashed across an I beam with enough impact to knock the breath from her. Coughing and wheezing, Vissica clutched the railing for dear life as she drew on the Force's influence to return her to homeostasis, and then began to climb once more only to see Captain s'Ilancy getting away again under the power of yet another lorry. Teeth bared in defiance, the Selonian reached greedy paws to the air, wrenching the lorry off it's trajectory and into a terminal roll that would hopefully throw the lupine to her doom.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There was no time to think. No time to search for an alternative. There was only a reaction spurred on by the Force.

Her body dropped low, hands going to the edge of the trailer to grasp the curled lip of bent metal to keep her from being thrown clear. She could feel the angry twist of gravity as it pulled at her, but her hold remained, and s'Il watched the world around her spin wildly. Building. Air. Traffic. Building. Blue sky. Traffic. Building.

Her muscles tensed, bunching together as she reached into the Force, grabbing a tendril of the ethereal presence and feeling it take hold of her. It told her to wait, to trust, and to be calm. Each she did with such completeness, and despite the manic roll of the lorry, she obeyed wholly. The Force sang to her, soothing her nerves, settling her mind. It whispered sweet, wordless reassurances, and she listened. It nudged at her then, whipping around her as the moment of action arrived.

The spinning lorry came around, the force of its' uncontrolled spin whipping her back upwards, and the Lupine used the momentum to burst from her desperate perch like a wild, flying animal. The Force aided her leap, and she sailed high. Her trajectory saw her ascend to the roof of a factory, and she landed roughly, rolling along the pebbled surface before coming to a stop. She was quick to her feet, moving back to the roof's edge to stare across the expanse between herself and the Knight. Farther down, the lorry smashed through a line of speeders, flipping them up and over in a surreal display of dancing and rolling machinery. Still the lorry plowed on, leaving behind it a mangled wake of speeders that sputtered and died, dropping from the skylane like swatted flies. An explosion rocked the air, sending concussive waves outward as the spinning truck finally found the end of its' ill-fated journey, slamming into a bleed-off tower that ignited with a quickness. Flames and debris rose high into the air as the booming echo rattled windows and shook through the chests of those below.

But the violent, destructive release was ignore as s'Il stared at the Selonian.

This was getting tiresome, and her patience was swiftly depleting.

One hand reaching out, the Lupine felt every inch of space around her opponent. Every smooth surface of the structural supports, every rivet, everything. And then her hand closed into a white knuckled fist. At first the girder that the Knight stood on only let out a deep metallic groan. It was the only warning given before it buckled, crumbling together like a piece of flimsiplast and splitting apart with the sheer force of an angry, invisible hand.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The beams and girders tensed under Vissica's paws, then began to sigh under stress they were not designed to endure. Eyes widening, the Selonian scrambled along the perilous walkway, leaping up to the next level even as that level bent down to her original position in sisyphian futility. Under shuddering chaos of a collapsing durasteel prison, Vissica pushed her agility to the limit in a bid to escape the failing superstructure. Her flexible spine arched and angled as she acrobatically maneuvered through screaming metal slipknots in the nick of time. As the skeletal building above began to sway and scream from the mortal destruction inflicted below, Vissica saw a chance, leaping across distance as webbed paws caught a taut durasteel cable. Shimmying up towards a vertical support as it increasingly swayed diagonal, Vissica clutched it for safety, then climbed, then sprinted along it outright as the half-build structure began to fall into a neighbor across the street.

[Q. Samus Dage]

* * *




High up on the platform that he'd landed his shuttle, Lieutenant Jeremy Varin had left the confines of his craft for the fresh Manaan air. He had brought with him a pair of macrobinoculars, and ambling up to the pad's edge, leaned over only slightly to give a look down. It wasn't a height that he would've wanted to fall from, that was for certain. Stepping back a few paces, the black haired Alliance officer ran a hand through the short stubble of shadow that he'd not had a chance to trim. Thankfully, while she was particular about many things, Captain s'Ilancy had never really raised much of a fuss over the state of his facial hair, and it was rarely that it ever came into question. He wasn't one to look a gift bantha in the mouth though, and made efforts to keep it well-manicured.

He brought the macros up to his eyes then, scanning the far-below landscape of life that went on about their daily tasks. Those on vacation were easy enough to pick apart from those who made their living here, and as he swept his gaze around, he tried to pick apart each cluster of bodies, searching for one in particular. No sight of the Captain, but that often didn't mean much. He'd not served with her for very long, all things told, but he'd heard more than a few stories from Commander Dage. Enough in fact, to take it upon himself to play the partial role of a watchful babysitter.

Still no sign of her. A sigh, and the macros came back down as he made a face.

It was then that the first muffled explosion sounded from far away, towards the congested skylanes of the city proper. The macros were back to his eyes in a second, and he only barely managed to catch sight of a lingering flash, and the blackened shell of a tanker as it disappeared behind a building. He frowned, again remembering the many words of caution from Dage. Joking as he might've been during each telling, the kernels of truth were real enough to detect.

His enhanced gaze passed over faraway building, searching hurriedly. And then he saw movement. The macros zoomed in further, and with a sinking feeling he watched as Captain s'Ilancy sprinted across a thick I-beam before launching herself into the air and grabbing hold of a crane cable only to swing herself out into open air and vanish over the edge. More movement, and he looked back just in time to see a... Selonian? Yes, it was definitely a Selonian that was giving chase.

Again the macros came down, and Varin pulled his comm from the pocket of his uniform trousers.



* * *


Aboard Khera'Va'ss'io, Commander Dage stood almost sullenly on the catwalk, his eyes going back and forth between the Star Destroyer before them to the glittering cerulean jewel that hung below. His brow knit in thought, and he crossed his arms over his chest. He'd seen plenty of Imperial destroyers before, and at one point had even had the courtesy of being a 'guest' aboard one. Even now, despite his long service, the sight of that bone-white hull was enough to place him in a foul mood. Normally ready with a smile, Samus held nothing but a stern expression.

The comm pinged behind him, and half-turning, the lanky blonde looked across the bridge to KHER.

Word from Lieutenant Varin, Sir.

"Put him through."

KHER gave a single nod, and Varin's voice cut through the quiet tension of the bridge.

"So, Commander."

"This had better be good news, Lieutenant."

A pause. In that moment Samus screwed his eyes shut.

"Commander, you ever watch those old cartoons on Zhellday mornings... the ones with that little nuna hawk?"

The Commander let out a groan, running a hand through his hair before pulling it down over his face.

[Rolth Wygraant]

Waiting and waiting and waiting.

Captain Wygraant had plenty of time on his hands to appreciate Khera'Va'ss'io's graceful keel from afar. So far it had been a rather polite staring contest. Still, he understood the timetable. The pleasant feelings would soon be ending.

As if on cue, Colonel Stragg approached along the observation deck to join the Captain at the decent view. From Stragg's no-nonsense expression, Wygraant had a feeling that the appreciation was lost on the Army man.

"Captain Orgern has signaled from below. Lady Iscandar has...accelerated our schedule."

Wygraant pressed his lips taut as his eyes narrowed somewhat.

"No doubt in response to our Alliance friends taking an early look."

"Yes, quite."

The two senior officers headed back across the observation deck towards the war table. Stragg apparently wasn't finished.

"We're getting reports in of some fighting happening in the city. Significant collateral damage."

The second-hand telling of the account made it apparent to Wygraant that it wasn't Stragg's troopers on the trigger. And this wasn't Lady Iscandar's style.

"Lady Vissica?" he queried wearily.

"She has a panache for violence when it suits her." Stragg's mustache seemed to bristle in his appraisal. He seemed to be a fan of her handiwork.

"Yes, well unfortunately it doesn't suit us particularly well, Colonel." Wygraant replied with a pinched expression. Noticing the Khera'Va'ss'ioout of peripheral vision again, the captain wrung his gloved hands.

"No doubt they know something is amiss by now. Very well. Commander Karnel, are our fighter squadrons ready?"

"They are, Captain."

Wygraant nodded, looking away from his wing commander with a contemplative expression.

"What we need, gentlemen, is casus belli. We shan't move without it."

Once more parting from the war table, Wygraant returned to the panorama at fore decks.

"Raise their Captain. Let's appeal to her good senses while she still has them."

[Q. Samus Dage]

His marginally decent day had gone from 'decent enough' to 'not great' at the sight of a Star Destroyer upon their initial drop from hyperspace, and now with Varin's report, it went from 'not great' to 'really not great'. There was no lack of faith in his superior's abilities, but there was certainly a nagging wonder if such prolonged connections to the Force made one go slightly addled in the head. It would certainly explain Dan... the memory was brushed away with a scowl as he listened to the Lieutenant continue to give a somewhat running account of what he was watching. It was as another loud explosion sounded faintly from over the comm line that KHER interrupted.

Comm request from the Imperial ship, Commander.

'Really not great' to... 'really, very not great'.

Cutting Varin off, Dage placed his hands on the polished front rail, leaning into it.

"Get into the air, Jeremy. see how close you can get in, and make sure you're there in case she needs an exit."

"Yes Sir."

The comm clicked off, and Dage stood in silence for a moment, staring out across the black, star-pocked expanse at their unexpected company. Little fires. Little fires to put out. Pushing away from the rail, he stood up to his full six foot three height. A nod was sent to KHER.

"Put 'im through, then."

The sour mood and the stern touch to his features disappeared instantly into a genial, easy smile as the holographic image of Captain Wygraant once more graced Khera'Va'ss'io's bridge.

"This is Commander Dage. Something we can help you with, Captain?"

[Rolth Wygraant]

A new figure appeared before Captain Wygraant. He paused, the mild surprise he felt registering as simply a blanking of his expression.

"Yes, I was rather hoping to speak with your Captain."

Wygraant resisted the urge to divert his eyes to Commander Belgen just beyond the periphery. If Captain s'Ilancy wasn't present, then...

[Q. Samus Dage]

With a shake of his head, the smile remained.

"'Fraid she's busy at the moment, Captain."

He briefly wondered if he'd get a medal for delivering the understatement of the year. Dage angled his head down slightly to afford the shorter blue spectre an even look.

"I'm here though."

[Rolth Wygraant]

Busy.

It could mean any manner of things. A Captain trusted their gut instinct, and Wygraant's was giving him a clear indication of what Commander Dage really meant. He smiled a small polite expression back to Captain s'Ilancy's subordinate.

"It's good to see the chain of command works on your ship as well, then."

The smile dissipated, but Wygraant's disposition never chilled below one of calculated politeness.

"Commander, the remnants of my ground teams are reporting some instances of what may be an unstable situation on Ahtar city, possibly in the vicinity of where your scouting shuttle touched down. Have you...been in contact with your scout?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

Dage pulled a thoughtful expression, his eyes fixed to Captain Wygraant.

"We've heard the same. Captain s'Ilancy is following the situation closely, though, and is keeping herself abreast- " hah, "-of things."

The tiniest hint of a self-satisfied smirk tugged at the corners of his lips before he fell back into a look of concern. Again he was all business, and just as s'Il had at the start of this whole thing, he pressed the issue further.

"Your men on the ground... do they need help?"

[Rolth Wygraant]

So he'd volunteered that bit of information. It only confirmed what Wygraant already suspected. A damned peculiar sense of priorities seemed to pervade Alliance naval culture, where captains of starships lead from the front of ground parties into dangerous situations. It was commendable, in that naively-envious way that makes for war stories and unneeded casualties. That manner of cart-before-eopie command style would never fly on a ship of Her Majesty's Navy.

"We have the situation well in hand. I'm certain it's the work of local agitators. Likely impatient at the changing of the guard and looking for an opportunity to loot. I'm deploying a squadron to the planet now to monitor the situation from afar. In the spirit of mutual cooperation, I will share their telemetry with you."

Captain Wygraant's gloved hands moved in front of him, clasping together in a loose meeting below his waist.

"For the moment, I think the transition will go more smoothly if the indigenous population sees only one group of ships showing the flag above their city, as it were. It might paint the wrong picture if their sky is filled with both Imperial and Alliance ships. Caution is the order of the day, and I doubt inciting panic is what either of us wishes to do, Commander."

[Q. Samus Dage]

He let a single eyebrow raise, but said nothing for the moment. He simply looked down at the Imperial. The stressed words, 'local agitators', was easy enough to decipher. But, unlike the old days, he couldn't well just send a shot across the bow of Wygraant's ship. There were new limitations in place, and Commander Samus Dage knew well enough that it would be best to adhere to those limitations. Still though, he couldn't help but needle away at the Captain's intentions just a little bit.

"If one flag is to be shown, I'd say it should be ours, and not the party that's making their exit, don't you think?"

[Rolth Wygraant]

He wasn't about to bargain away potential leverage. Wygraant pursed his lips slightly and shook his head.

"I'm afraid it just won't do. With our boots on the ground as it were, we'd still be sending mixed signals to the Selkath. At present, I'd like to find Captain s'Ilancy and make sure she's safe. Adding the potential of an exchange of fire to the search would complicate our own exit, and endanger your commanding officer."

A head nod was pitched at Commander Karnel, and the order given to Aurek with that small gesture alone.

"I'm also sending word to the remaining ground teams. What were Captain s'Ilancy's last known coordinates again? I would think starting there would be most prudent. I'm sure she's fine, of course."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Head angling to the side, Dage fixed the Imperial with an incredulous look as his shoulders hitched back and his arms crossed over his chest.

"I said that she was busy, Captain. Not that she was on the planet."

He gave a shake of his head then, stopping just short of rolling his eyes.

"Maybe Imperial Captains don't ever have to use the 'fresher, but us over here in the Alliance periodically do."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

* * *


It had not taken a large effort to begin the chain reaction of destruction that'd brought down a greater portion of the construction site. Once it had begun, she'd pulled away to let the skeletal building collapse down upon itself under the power of its' own gravity. A great cloud of dust and debris was sent up, beams flipping upward as they crashed down, cables snapping under unexpected weight. It was regrettable, but there had been no other choice. No other alternative. Her objective still remained, framed in the haze of the Force which still called warnings to her. It pulled at her as if in some hurried tugging - like her daughter grasping her sleeve and pulling her along to show her something so wondrous and innocent.

And yet, what she now felt from the Force was no innocence. It insisted, pleaded, begged. It cried in wrongness.

And so she had left. She'd simply turned about, ears ticking back as they took in the sound of destruction behind her. Dusting dirt from the sleeves of her uniform, the Captain frowned in mild distaste at the sight of scuffs and minor tears that now pocked her uniform. Unacceptable. But, in the moment, unavoidable.

The trip to the far end of the factory's roof was made in grumbled silence, and stopping at the edge the Lupine ventured a critical gaze down, then up and across to the next building.

The call was still tugging, and narrowing her eyes, s'Il let herself drop easily over the edge to land on a metal fire escape platform. It jostled slightly, but she paid it no mind as her gaze remained set ahead. Her body coiled, and she drank deeply of the Force before pushing upward in a leap that took her across the alleyway. She landed on the other side easily enough.

In the distance, she could hear the faint beginnings of emergency sirens, their wailing cries unmistakable.

Again the Force insisted. Features set, the Lupine fell into a jog as she traversed the rooftops. On any other day she would've enjoyed the view that she ran alongside. Despite it all however, she could not help but chance a look to her left, admiring the perfect stillness of the blue oceans of Manaan.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

From Captain s'Ilancy's view of Ahtar's seaside vista, the natural state of serenity the artificial city floated upon could be fully appreciated. The sky above was but shades of blue away from the sea below, framed by rich white clouds hung in even measure across the sky. The bright sun above cast warmth to every hue in sight. Even at the din beyond, one could lose their worries in a view of the sea. The trade winds carried a not unpleasant bouquet of salt and life, even this far above the city. A seabird cried above, her shadow tracing the rooftops as it eclipsed the Lupine's face for a moment.

CRSSSH!!!

Behind Captain s'Ilancy, an elongated angled sunroof exploded into a spray of prismatic shards. In the violence of the moment, she could not mistake the menace that closed upon her with relentless focus. Matatek Sel Vissica's war blade hung between the two opponents, the heavy blade searing a smoking trace on the rooftop as the tapered tip dragged on the ground. The Selonian wasted barely a moment for a breath as she slung her greatsaber with brutal force, heaving full bodied chops down upon the Lupine that carried her full strength down with them, causing the rooftop to belch gouts of sparks as she drove her enemy to the building's edge with murderous intent.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She had turned at the first jarring crash of exploding glass, eye taking in the grim visage of the Selonian who now bared down upon her with vicious intent. There was no mistaking the malice in her opponent's eyes, and as her gauntlet came up, the twin orange blades springing forth from their emitters to block each powerful strike, the Lupine allowed herself to give ground. It was a tactical retreat however, as she watched. Each block opened up a new vision and understanding of her attacker's style, and each passing moment illuminated more and more of the way the Knight chose to approach her quarry. It was a strange form that she now encountered, a style of brute force and sheer will that demanded capitulation.

And yet, capitulation was not something that s'Il was willing to give. She watched, parried, waited, and measured her pace even in the face of the onslaught that pushed her back.

There.

An opening.

It was brief, but there all the same.

In a flurry of movement the Lupine rushed forward. She had no wish to engage the Selonian in too tight of quarters, but the chance to regain her stance was grasped without hesitation. Like an old hand she seemed to float past the Knight's defenses, dancing in to rain a series of quick strikes and sharp jabs at her foe. Where she had once held back, now she allowed the force to sing through her. It was a song of grace and beauty, of deadly intent and sure movements. She pressed inward, driving as close as she dares as her blades rained a storm of fluid blows upon the white blades of the greatsaber. She became almost lost in the call of the Force, and while it still tugged at the periphery of her senses, it at least knew the danger presented in the immediate now.

Her orange blades came around as she twisted, her body a blur of motion that left little room to return any attack.

There was no quarter given to her opponent now.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The Selonian Knight snarled as Captain s'Ilancy resumed the offensive, aggressively chewing the distance between them to give her shorter reach a chance in dealing damage to Vissica. The nimble Selonian rolled her back, bracing along her tail as she swatted away a precise jab with a rough upwards chop, only to find herself uselessly having to repeat the same defense in a downward sweep. In close, there weren't as many options for her to bring the Jedi to account. Dark eyes fixated on the Lupine's saber gauntlet, the orange glow cast back against her black orbs in rapt focus. Her next incoming jab seared in dangerously, tracing a scant line of burned fur from Vissica's upper arm, which elicited a sharp pained keen and a reflexive snapping of the Selonian's jaws that nearly took Captain s'Ilancy's ear. Nearly bowed back by the Lupine's press, Vissica at last had enough of close quarters, and in a spring from her powerful bunched tail beneath her, the Selonian pushed off to drive both fully-clenched footpaws into her gut. As the shorter fighter repulsed, the footpaws splayed to try and claw their way down as Vissica fell from her short leap to her feet.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Each claw pushed effortlessly through the fabric of her uniform, and s'Il hissed as she felt furrows dug down her side, and along her hip before pefore the Selonian's claws pulled out. It was a quick, powerful attack, and the Lupine grit her teeth together despite the pain. She drew of the Force, sucking in whatever it deemed her worthy to have. Like gasping for breath, she pulled inward with her senses. The pain was sharp and sudden, tearing through her nerves just as each sharpened claw tore through her skin to draw out angry wellings of deep, red blood. And as she fell back, her advance halted in the face of such savagery, she reached out with her off hand to grab at the skin on the side of the Selonian's neck in a vice-like grip that gave no mercy. In a tightly controlled Change, the Lupine allowed her hand to partially shift, tendons stretching beyond normal human means, muscles bunching together. Her grip became like iron then, fingertips digging into flesh. She pulled, bringing the Knight with her as she felt her body teeter on the edge of the building.

It was a mere instant in time that they both seemed to inhabit. An instant where their faces remained inches apart. Murky eyes narrowed in hate at the broken white and golden gaze that met them in such deceptive calm. As s'Il rolled her body further, another near-agonized grunt escaped her lips.

And in the next split-second, she pitched them both over the side and into the open air with only the serene, peaceful waters below.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Tethered to the Jedi by a suddenly steely grip, Vissica grrrked in choking protest, unable to right herself to full height in the face of the sudden display of strength from the Lupine. The musteloid's black eyes narrowed as her jaws parted with pink tongue lolling slightly to afford her any mercy. The Knight reached a webbed paw up to pull Captain s'Ilancy's grip free, pausing in the action at the resistance given by sharp digging of nails at her throat. Blood began to trickle into the Selonian's oily sheen of fur as she was corralled further toward the edge of the building. Vissica's thick tail thrashed left and right to find some way in which to renegotiate her hijacked center of gravity, while her left paw kept a bruising grip on the great saber whose blade now threaded through the gap in the Jedi's parallel gauntlet blades to fix the weapons into perpetual lock.

Another shaky, involuntary step forward. The saliva thickened and frothed at her lips as escape seemed to deny her every attempt. However, the moment Vissica inhabited the edge of the building with her enemy, an unfettered view of the sea below met her fleeting glance.

The fool

The panic in Vissica's eyes evaporated. Captain s'Ilancy was making a mistake that may cost her life in payment. No longer resisting, the Selonian in fact sprang a leap of encouragement off the edge. The sudden change of her direction freed the knight from Lok's fierce grasp. It was a long way down to the sea. Vissica extinguished her blade, shouldering the hefty weapon as her sleek Selonian features prepared to knife the water. Lady Vissica took a deep breath, and parted her flews in a tooth-filled smile.

"I have you now."

Hitting the water in a perfect dive, Vissica disappeared with only a slight splash given in her wake.

[Palara Iscandar]

"Lady Iscandar, we have finished planting charges."

Palara frowned, sitting up from her kneeling position while she placed the fifth charge deep within a systems access panel. Behind the wiring and up against the duracrete pillar, it would be just another blinking light amongst many, and the system was not Alliance friendly either; any discrepancy would be passed off as a different system.

"'Ave the shuttles arrived?" She asked.

"They are preparing to land and take up the remaining troopers and engineers. However, we have received reports from Decimator that Lady Vissica has engaged an enemy attempting to gain access beyond the roadblocks."

"Z'alliance is closer be'ind us zan we 'ad 'oped," the Twi'lek murmured. "Belay lift off orders. 'Ave troopers and engineers begin loading what kolto remains zat we can fit in ze shuttles as well as ze troopers and you."

Frustration seemed to permeate the undertones of the engineer's response.

"Milady. That will take some time."

"'Ave ze troopers do it," the Knight continued, ignoring the plaintive note in his voice. "You and your team shall go back over ze charges you 'ave placed. Once you can no longer detect zem on your sensors, go and finishing loading ze kolto with ze troopers. I will do ze same and go to aid Knight Vissica."

"Yes, milady. It will be done as you say."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her own entry into the water was far less graceful, and s'Il hit the surface waves with an ungainly crash, sending up a wild splash of water. The ocean brought her downwards her as she sank below, her momentum being arrested in a swift yet smooth halt. A moment to gather herself, and the Lupine kicked, sending herself upward. She broke the surface with a hungry breath.

Eyes opening, she scanned the horizon for any sign of the Selonian. There was none, but she knew well enough that that meant little.

A distance away she spotted an access ladder that led upwards to an underside hatch, and she gave another kick as she began to swim.

The water was cool, and letting her senses settle into the gentle roll of each wave, she let her thoughts explore the minuscule particles that seemed to be present in every molecule of water. It was not a high concentration, but the kolto was here, all around her. She felt as her body began to regroup, bolstered by the natural healing tendencies of the medical liquid; and while it was small, it was still better than nothing. Her own physiology was starting its' own damage assessment of the ugly gashes that ran along her side as she felt her skin tingle. It was always such a curious feeling, and one that she had experienced many times. The sting of saltwater made her grimace, but she pressed on.

A feeling tugged at her, like a nagging whisper that couldn't be pinpointed. Not exactly maddening, it was distracting enough, and she paused mid-stroke, treading water to give another glance around even as the far-away sound of an engine reached her ears. Another few moments later, the whine of a shuttle could be distinctly heard, and looking up, s'Il made out the unmistakable outline of the shuttle that Lieutenant Varin had ferried her down in. It was - to say the least - a welcome sight.

The access ladder was forgotten, and she remained where she was as the shuttle approached.


- -

From his view, Jeremy Varin only frowned at the sight of his Captain in the drink. It wasn't exactly what he'd expected to see, even despite the stories he'd been told. And there had been oh so many. What was it with Force-users? Angling the shuttle in a graceful curve, he slowed his vectors so as not to kick up too much of a spray the closer he got.


- -

The nagging feeling nibbling away at her outer senses still annoyed her, but s'Il focused the bulk of her attentions on the shuttle as it closed the last leg of distance, visibly slowing. She did however reach out, letting her mind explore down and beyond, into the deep waters. It was beautiful in its' own right, and as she kept her gaze upward, she let her inner self seemingly fall into the gentle arms of the dark depths, sensing each small bit of kolto as pinpricks of the most pure light, drifting about in the undercurrents. But, there was malevolence down in those waters, and it traced ugly, jagged lines of malice through the serene picture in her thoughts.

She lifted an arm up and out of the water, waving in a gesture to Varin that he hurry.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Beneath the waves, danger awaited Loklorien s'Ilancy.

Lady Vissica was undaunted by the sea she found herself within. Much like on her native Selonia, she plied the water with acrobatic elegance and speed. Her musteline figure knifed unseen below the Jedi, propelled forward with strong concerted strokes from webbed paws followed by rhythmic undulations of her tail. She seemed leaner here, a result of her coat of fur sleeked against the hydrodynamic contours of her lithe body. Her nictating membranes over her eyes gave her easy clarity of vision, clear to the glittering blue surface and the stark silhouette of s'Ilancy's treading limbs.

Righting herself for a final pass around the Jedi, Vissica could sense the approach of a shuttlecraft above. Her black eyes peered up to glimpse the larger and less distinct form coalescing beyond the water's surface.

No...you can't get away from me.

The Selonian Knight's pliant form twisted against her trajectory, contorting into a dive that would carry her down a dozen more meters still. The displaced water from her powerful strokes brushed against Loklorien's legs as she awaited her way out.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The knife edge of danger brushed close, and time was quickly running out.

Her grimace deepened, and s'Il gave another wave before letting her arm fall back to the water. Varin was being overcautious, and it was understandable, but in this moment caution was not desired. She watched as the nose of the shuttle angled up, the front hatch unsealing itself to begin the slow downward pivot.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The great vulture-like shadow of the shuttlecraft was growing more opaque as the distance lessened. The distortions of the water breaking its shadow now did so only at the periphery. From the deeper depths, Vissica reached out a handpaw, drawing it into a fist as she pulled towards her body.

On the water's surface, the calm of Lok s'Ilancy's treading water was broken as she suddenly slipped beneath the waves, disappearing from sight of the hovering shuttle. A second effort sent her back to the surface in desperate chopping strokes to stay afloat. Lady Vissica drew a second paw out, and redoubled her efforts.

Consumed by the inexorable draw to sink, Captain s'Ilancy again disappeared from sight, consumed by the water above as she was drawn to the deep and the peril of near certain death.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She had a calm, determined set to her features as she was pulled under, and s'Il twisted her body around as she felt the invisible hand drag her further into the murky waters. The whine of the shuttle's engines were dulled, muffled through the undercurrents as her eyes did their best to search out the Selonian. Visibility was nearly impossible, and so she let her eyes close, shutting out the water as her thoughts and senses radiated outward. The Force painted a vivid picture in her mind's eye, clear as a cloudless day. She could feel the specks of life that dotted all around them, and feel the Selonian who's hold was undeniable.

Grim resolve filled her, and as if in return, the Lupine reached out to pull the Knight to her with just as much power as was being exerted on herself.

She would have to act swiftly however; unlike her opponent, her lungs were not ready for any prolonged amount of submergence.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica felt the draw of s'Ilancy's influence countermanding her own downward pull, and could feel the water moving past as she was drawn up in the invisible tether. Baring her teeth, the Selonian contorted in the deep, keeping her hold on the Jedi as she pumped webbed paws in a furious second effort to deny the Jedi a chance at life-saving oxygen.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her expression became pinched, and s'Il drew inward as she steeled herself. The Force sustained her, fed her strength to allow her to continue on. Her hold on the Selonian doubled, and with a powerful wrench, the Lupine let her invisible hold tighten. Even as she was pulled upward, something burrowed into the twin wounds in the Knight's tail, boring down deep with unseen harshness and little care to the pain it caused. Once more, blood began to flow from the two puncture holes outward in thin ribbons to dance along the undercurrents of the ocean.

s'Il allowed herself to sink, opening herself to the Force and letting it course through her body before channeling it back outward at her bidding.

And far below, invisible to all, something stirred.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

A renewed pain bit into the Selonian as she fought to hold fast her snare on Captain s'Ilancy, and a few bubbles slipped through her muzzle in reflexive pained protest. Vissica felt the renewed pain of opened wounds, even in spite of the healing embrace of the diluted kolto in the water. Again changing course, the Imperial Knight surged towards s'Ilancy, barreling into the humanoid as she attempted to fight for the surface. The Selonian wrapped her up in a clawed embrace, and again changed course for deeper water. There was no margin to underestimate her dangerous enemy, and Vissica afforded no mercy, biting down onto s'Ilancy's head, neck, and shoulders in an attempt to gouge her open in mortal fashion.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She weathered the storm of tooth and claw as best as she could, but there was no denying the viciousness of the attack, and s'Il threw her head back as jaws clamped down on her shoulder. A stream of air escaped her lips, a trail of bubbles that lifted up to the surface like so many happy, bobbing pearls bent on freedom. With one hand the Lupine pushed against the side of the Selonian's head, fingers balling into a fist as she pounded mercilessly at small, tender ears.

And again she sought out that which could not be seen.

She kicked in the grasp of her larger foe even as she was taken deeper, and in a sudden reversal clung to the sleek body. Managing to get her offhand up under the powerful lower jaw, her hand seized around each side, thumb and fingers burrowing into the corners of the Selonian's mouth and applying a terrible amount of torque to the softer gum tissue. And then, another controlled Change as her fingers thickened, muscle shifting and layering back down upon strained bone structures. Without missing a beat, the sudden extension of claws pushed deep into tender gums. The muscles of her 'paw' tensed then, effectively locking her hold on the Knight's lower jaw, her claws unrelenting.

Below, the creature in the dark circled. It had heard the ethereal call, intrigued by the sudden visions planted in its' head. Above it, there was a flurry of movement and... something else. Something sweet. Something that was unable to be resisted.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

More bubbles escaped from Vissica's strained muzzle as the Lupine torqued her jaw into a fixed open state. Unable to savage Captain s'Ilancy in such a fashion with her head held so painfully, the Selonian's next tactic was to wrap arms and legs around her enemy at once, squeezing the Lupine with the intent to force the remaining air from her lungs. So intent was she on the task, that the Selonian was absentminded to the growing danger beneath until it was nearly upon her. Breaking her hold of the Jedi, Vissica scarcely had time to notice Captain s'Ilancy desperately moving away as a ferocious Firaxan shark knifed towards the two bleeding combatants. Contorting her frame in blind panic, Vissica barely had time to somersault out of the reach of snapping jaws as her tail thumped against a high finned nose.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Pushing away in the face of her sudden freedom, s'Il kicked violently to put distance between herself and the Selonian. Another nudge was sent to the Firaxan shark, and the monster gave a violent shake of its' wide head before returning its' attention to the sleek, fleshy form of what it now knew would be the most delicious and wondrous thing it'd ever crushed between its' powerful jaws. Knifing through the underwater currents with ease, the shark headed once more for the Selonian, massive jaws opening to expose rows of razor teeth.

For her part, the Lupine held no desire to remain, and frantically she pulled herself up, legs kicking as her lungs screamed for air. Spots were forming at the outer edges of her senses, and slowly beginning to coalesce into a single brilliant light. She could sense the shuttle above, and as she broke the surface of the water, she sucked in gasping breaths. A strong hand caught her upper arm, and coughing, s'Il opened her eyes to look up at Varin who stooped precariously at the edge of the boarding ramp, one hand firmly holding on to the edge of a hydraulic cowling.

"C'mon then, Captain," his features were a mask of impatience and concern as he hauled her up. "Time we got out of here, you know."

Still coughing, s'Il slumped on the ramp, waving off the Lieutenant as she slowly stumbled up to her feet. A last look was sent over the edge and to the waters below. A hand went out to grasp the inside lip of the shuttle's frame, and she gestured to the cockpit.

"Go then."

Still though, the danger still lapped at her senses, and the Force still called to her.

Varin was halfway up the pilot's tube when she called to him once more.

"We need to go to the kolto refinery plant."

He didn't pause, only nodding. "Just to let you know, the Imperials are sending a squadron down here... "

A last look to the water, and s'Il limped her way back further into the shuttle while gingerly testing the tender flesh around the gashes running down her side and hip.

"Do you see the concern on my face, Jeremy?"

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Danger screamed at every sensation around her, and Vissica righted herself as the immense Firaxan shark came about for a killing pass. The Selonian's greatsaber released from her shoulder mount, drawing into her hands as it's brilliant blade boiled the sea in an energetic conflagration. Through a screen of steamy bubbles, Vissica fell into the Firaxan's hungry jaws, splitting through lower and upper jaw bones in a single swipe, before hooking a rebound that severed the top of the beast's head nearly clean off the massive cartilage ligature of it's dorsal fin. The mortally-stricken fish seized and flinched, biting down with jaws no longer connected to exert their force as Vissica pushed herself clear of the monster's gullet. Above, the shuttle's shadow was distant but distinct against the sun, with no sign of a second shadow to be seen.

She was escaping.

In a fury, Vissica again torpedoed into motion, a tremendous upwards surge pushing her to break the plane of water with the last reserves of air in her lungs.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Varin lifted the shuttle, ever mindful to retract the boarding ramp as he no longer cared whether or not the displacement from the shuttle's repulsors disturbed the water.

Inside, the Lupine eased herself down to sit on one of the benches that lined the sides of the small craft. Her body protested, muscles aching in the after-effects of battle. Eyes screwing shut, she let out a long breath as her shoulders rolled to one side, hands once more moving down to afford her side a better inspection. The gashes through her uniform were painful, the blood having congealed and already beginning to scab as her body began the healing process. Helped by her time in the water, the gamble she'd played to submerge herself in kolto had been only partially successful. A groan, and her attention went to the bite on her shoulder. Carefully she reached up, unclasping the top button of her tunic, as well as the two below it before sliding her hand slowly in under the fabric to press against the puncture wounds caused by the Selonian's teeth.

Her features screwed into a mask of pain as she pulled her hand away, and slowly, she leaned back, feeling as the shuttle gained altitude.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The surface was close enough now to divine precise details on the shuttle. Details that were now fleeting as the water disturbed and the ship began to gain height. Captain s'Ilancy had escaped. Lady Vissica broke the plane of the choppy waters in time to see the Alliance ship picking up speed, no-doubt heading towards Palara's location unhindered. The Knight deactivated her boiling saber, sliding it back into back harness as she rolled onto her back, taking stock of her enemy's escape. The water had given her musteline features a sleek sheen, which the Selonian dispelled in a frustrated shake of her head, volumizing her water-friendly coat into a bedraggled poof.

[Palara Iscandar]

"Lady Iscandar, we have completed hiding the charges. We can no longer detect them reliably on our scanners."

Iscandar sat up from where she was masking the signals of the last of her charges on the main support columns of the distribution plant. She activated her commlink and went back to work.

"Very good," she answered. "'Elp ze troopers load ze kolto onto ze shuttle."

"Lady Iscandar," another voice, this one unmistakeably a trooper's vocabulated tones echoed tinnily from the tiny speaker. "An Alliance shuttle has been sighted heading towards the refinery."

"'Ave ze fighters zat are over'ead push ze shuttle to a landing pad. Do not allow zem to land on or near ze refinery. Zey must zink we are trying to 'ide our taking of ze kolto, and nozzing else."

Iscandar quickly finished hiding the charge, and stood.

"I will be waiting for zem. Zey must not be allowed to land anywhere else."

"Affirmative. Sending orders to TIE support."

[Rolth Wygraant]

The droning buzz of twin ion engines over the skies of Ahtar signaled the arrival of Decimator's Aurek squadron. The dozen interceptors peeled away into individual patrol sorties, biding the time between when they'd be called to more substantive action. That call did not take long.

"Roger that, we'll make sure they get the hint."

Aurek Leader switched his tighbeam comms to Aurek 2 and Aurek 3, both traveling within line of sight at Ahtar's north shore.

"New orders from Lady Iscandar. The Alliance shuttle needs landing pad escort. Do not let them deviate from course."

It was casting down an ultimatum and they all knew it. Aurek 2 asked about the bantha in the room.

"And if they deviate from course?"

Grim-faced, Aurek leader replied.

"Then they might have an accident."

With their orders understood, the advance fighters of Aurek Squadron began to come about. They'd caught sight of the Alliance shuttle hovering over the sea a minute ago. Likely it was still meandering nearby.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Varin frowned as his sensors gave the bad news. As he pulled the shuttle further up and back toward the city, his frown deepened into a scowled.

"Captain, seems we've got an escort."

From where she sat, s'Il let out a hissed breath as she slowly spread a bacta pad over the slashes in her side, a medkit sitting open beside her. Her jacket had been pulled off, set aside so that she could further inspect her wounds. Varin's called warning was enough to make her sigh, and carefully she rose to her feet.

"What is it."

By the tone of his voice, she knew well enough that it was not the sort of escort that she would've liked to hear of.

"Got a dozen squints coming up."

Holding the patch against her side, the Lupine moved to stand beside the pilot's ascension track, one hand gripping at a crossrail.

"Looks like they would rather us not approach the refinery."

"Of course not," came the grumbled acknowledgement as she felt Varin bank. Being herded as they now were rankled her. Being pulled from where she intended to go was infuriating. It only furthered her ill mood. Still standing, her grip tightened as she sent a look upwards to the bottom of Varin's chair.

"You used to fly fighters, yes?"

"Well, Cygnus assault gunboats, but yeah."

"Close enough."

There was a pause before the Lieutenant ventured a worried querry.

"Close enough for what, Captain."

She didn't answer as her thoughts spread outward. Like tendrils of intent she let her senses navigate the aether that separated herself from the closest Interceptor pilot. Gentle hands cupped his awareness, inspecting each facet of his determination. It was commendable, and idly she felt his talents were wasted aboard a ship such as Decimator. But it was a fleeting thought, and brushed away as a feather in a gale.

She kissed his consciousness, whispering words of caution to his instincts, and overriding his perceptions.

Your squadmates...

Eyes clamping shut, the Lupine pushed further in.

... those are not your squadmates...

Her knuckles strained white with the locked grip she held on the crossrail. There was a flicker of confusion blossoming in the Imperial pilot, and she twisted further.

... they are Rebels...

In his cockpit, the Imperial blinked, and in that span of time the Interceptors of his wingmates became the unmistakable shapes of attack-ready X-Wings...

[Rolth Wygraant]

"Aurek Leader to Actual...something's wrong."

The lead interceptor in Aurek Squadron began to float and bob off his vector, looking down at his scope in confusion. Commander Karnel was quick to address his lead fighter pilot in play.

"What do you have, Aurek Leader?"

The TIE pilot frantically looked left and right.

"Our squad hasn't formed up. Looks like the Rebels brought in their own air superiority and they're on my six!"

Preposterous Karnel thought. He had clear view of the war table and made sure of every asset in play.

"The board is blue, Aurek Leader. Aurek is at full strength." Karnel glanced up at Commander Belgen in passing. Something highly irregular was happening.

Back on Manaan, Aurek leader tore himself out of formation, causing a wavering in his own line.

"Actual, they're jamming your feed. I've got visual on enemy x-wings! I'm moving to engage!"

And with that, Aurek Leader turned into an attack dive against his own formation, lancing apart Aurek two and Aurek four before the ranks broke apart in the chaos. Back on Decimator, Commander Karnel slammed his earpiece on the table in fury.

"What in blazes is going on down there?!"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She continued to push, continued to drive the deception. But, her attentions divided a small bit as her head angled up.

"Refinery, now."

Varin, from his vantage of the scene outside, blinked in a bit of surprise as the TIE Interceptors broke their formation in chaos, each fighter veering off in quick thrusts to escape the lancing bolts that peppered their ranks. It was only for a moment however, as the firm order from the Captain spurred him into action. Pulling up on the controls, he sent the shuttle into a banking climb, moving away from the scrum of maddened TIE's. Once more he angled for the refinery, and cresting a highrise, took the shuttle into a dive that ended with an expert merge into the skylane traffic some distance below. The shuttle wove in and out, at times dipping beneath slower speeders and other small craft. A left, a right, another right, and a final climb as the refinery came into view.

Below, s'Il felt the unsettling motions in terrible detail via the protestations of her stomach. A frown as she set her jaw, teeth pressed firmly together. She could tell the change in pitch and acceleration as Varin slowed, leveling the shuttle out as he brought them up to an empty landing pad. Landing gear touched down, and as she moved back, s'Il called her uniform jacket to her, carefully putting it on.

As the shuttle settled, the Lupine moved to a side locker, making quick work of the slip-latch, pulled it open before pulling out a service pistol. A quick check to the power pack, and she stuffed the firearm into the back of her trousers. Another two power packs were taken as well.

Varin's voice called down to her over the sound of the boarding ramp lowering.

"Quick-like, yeah?"

She stormed the short trek down the ramp, not even bothering to answer.

[Palara Iscandar]

Awaiting her on the landing pad was a Twi'lek, standing at attention, wearing faded and dirty armour, much like a Stormtrooper.

"I am afraid you can go no farzer," the Twi'lek said. "Zis is still Imperial territory until ze last boot leaves ze ground. And what you 'ave done to zat pilot was not acceptable. 'E will likely die, if 'e is not dead yet. If 'e survives, 'e will probably never fly again."

The red skinned female frowned.

"But furzer, you 'ave caused zem to fire on each other, in an ozzerwise peaceful situation. I am surprised zat you would test z'Empire so."

The Twi'lek gestured to the shuttle.

"I ask you now. Return to your shuttle. Leave zis area. Or I may 'ave to force you to do so. Neizer of us want zat."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Slowing to a stop, s'Il narrowed her eyes at the Twi'lek. A broken gaze that carried nothing but the sense that she was tired of this runaround. First the Selonian, and now this Twi'lek woman. Her shoulders squared back as her lips grew thin in a tight, downward arcing line. She ignored the words spoken about the TIE pilot. Though it was concerning that the woman standing before her knew of her involvement, there was little surprise. Apparently she was one of these 'Imperial Knights' as well.

"Actually, according to the charter of planetary cessation that your government signed concerning Manaan, you were supposed to have vacated the planet three days ago. Article 12 clearly lays out the stipulations that were agreed upon."

Her voice and tone were level, the authority tangible in each word she spoke.

"And that includes the date and time of your departure. If you have men still here, then that is not our concern. Our presence here is lawful."

[Palara Iscandar]

"Article twelve? If I remember correctly, it states zat Z'Empire will 'vacate ze planet, removing all Imperial possessions, paraphernalia, soldiers, and military equipment', starting no later zan four days ago, with ze goal of complete evacuation in one day. In addition, 'z'Empire will notify z'Alliance when ze above stipulations 'ave been completed.'"

Iscandar grimaced slightly. "So clear, political language is, no? We 'ave not completed ze evacuation, nor 'ave we notified you, as far as I'm aware. But zat means nozzing, I suppose. Bureaucrats enjoy nozzing so much as making life 'arder for everyone else. It is almost as if it were meant to cause problems and conflict."

Iscandar shook her head twice.

"In any event, your lawful presence 'as been tarnished by open conflict with an Imperial Knight, and instigating friendly fire among Imperial military elements. You may not pass. I 'ave been allowed to keep you from entering by force, if necessary," the Twi'lek said, thinking perhaps Solomon would have a few things to say to her right now about what she was doing.

"At least you would not judge me for zis, Solomon," she murmured to herself before speaking up so that she could be heard. "Zere 'as been enough violence today, no? Stand down."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She blinked in a small amount of surprise as the Twi'lek rattled off a few of the more fine points of the charter, but the clarification only served to cause a smile to slowly form on her lips, her head shaking as she let out a small laugh.

"Then, friend, I suggest that you have a small aside with your superiors. We received the notification that you were finished with your evacuation. Otherwise, and I promise you - I'd not have come to this system if I had reason to believe that you all were still here."

But, the other woman had made a certainly heavy point, in that it seemed the bureaucracies only existed to make the day to day tasks of the people a much more frustrating affair. It was an existence that she was more than familiar with, but also one that she had, over so many years, learned to work through. It sill did not make situations such as this one any less of a headache.

The Lupine continued forward, closing the distance between herself and the Twi'lek woman.

"Your 'Knight' began the conflict, and I simply took measures to extricate myself. As for your pilots, if they are so undisciplined as to break their formations then that is not my problem."

A wave of her hand seemed to wipe away the accusations like so much dust in the wind.

But, at the last, there was a small pause in her gait as a small glimmer of recognition flickered through her subconscious. It shined brightly for a split second before fading away. It was enough to make her frown; not in confusion, but certainly in a new state of wariness.

"I will agree that there has been enough violence this day, but I'll not stand down. I will, however, accept a tour of the refinery."

[Palara Iscandar]

"Discipline does not mean much when one is trained in certain arts ésotériques, hm?" Palara said wryly, standing quite firmly where she was. Incidentally, that was blocking the Alliance woman's path into the refinery.

"Zat cannot be done at zis moment," the Imperial Knight said, squaring her shoulders. Even as armoured as she was, the slender and shorter Twi'lek woman did not cut an imposing figure. "So it seems we are at an impasse, no?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"We?" She shook her head. "No friend, we are not at at impasse."

Still, that brief flutter of recognition tugged at her peripheral senses, but s'Il ignored it for the time being. There would be time later for such musings. Her still-damp uniform was an odd contrast to the appearance of the woman now blocking her way forward; the tunic unbuttoned, one side of it ripped in four distinct, ragged lines as her trousers bore the scuffed markings of a previous altercation. What had once been so clean and crisp now looked anything but.

"I am perfectly happy to show myself about. As it is," her gait brought her ever closer, "I've no time for entertaining another obvious distraction."

The fingers of her left hand hooked, curling inward as her arm lifted across her chest. A moment later it swept outward, fingers splaying as her call to the Force was so willingly answered. As though a great wave reared up in invisible might, it rolled and crashed its' way on an unseen path that slammed sideways into the Twi'lek.

[Palara Iscandar]

She could feel the build up of power, and instinctively her hand thrust downward. Out of the wrist of her armour, a grappling hook shot with unlikely force into the landing pad's surface; on contact, a small piston drove a spike into the platform, anchoring her to her spot even as the wave of invisible power lifted her off her feet. With a twist of her wrist, the cable stopped spooling, and her flight was arrested.

With a graceful flip, she landed back onto her feet and fell to a kneeling position to bleed her momentum. She stood, and the hook's piston retracted, and a chunk of the platform flying out and away as the cable spooled back into her armour.

"Zis is no distraction," Iscandar said severely. Her lightsaber hilt was pulled from her belt, and a blade of searing white light blazed into being from it. "You are not allowed entry until we 'ave left zis planet. Since you 'ave started using force, I am permitted to respond in kind. 'Owever, I shall ask again: Stand down."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A shake of her head.

"I know stalling when I see it."

The brilliant flash of the other woman's saber coming to life was like a natural progression, and s'Il responded in kind, her own orange twin blades flaring into existence. Her pace did not slow, and the distance between them now was close enough that each was bathed in the light of the other's weapons.

"You may continue to hide behind some false pretense, but we both know the truth."

The firmness in her tone left little room to argue.

"Those who bend the rules of the treaty have no footing to stand and throw empty accusations."

The orange blades came up then, in a smooth, outward side swipe, intending to push the white blade out of her path.

[Palara Iscandar]

Iscandar responded quickly. Instead of blocking or parrying s'Ilancy's blades, Iscandar fell backwards onto her hands and bunched her legs in towards her torso, and then, like a sprung spring, launched herself in a double kick straight at the blonde just at the moment where her arms were not in an optimal position to block.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her body was like a conduit, a part of the Force as she brought it in and channeled it back out in a sweeping motion, her body twisting. In a tight pivot the Lupine turned about to remove herself from the path of the other woman's thrusting booted feet. He motion took her past the Twi'lek, and s'Il used her momentum to send her further along. A burst of action then, as she surged forward. There was no real interest in engaging in another drawn-out battle, and she surged ahead with powerful stride, her legs churning as she sprinted down the length of the landing pad's entryway and towards one of the refinery's many rooftop access doors.

Crashing through, s'Il hurtled herself down the first flight of metal stairs.

[Palara Iscandar]

The metal grated stairs shook while Loklorien sprinted down the first flight. The sounds of activity and machinery were loud and echoing, but nothing yet could be seen, due to the enclosed space of the stairwell. The first sign that the shaking was not due to the Lupine's heavy steps was when, with a screech that shrieked almost painfully, the metal stairwell just before the Alliance woman was torn from its place in the duracrete, pulled up to the ceiling, blocking any further descent into the building. It came rolling back towards her, sparks flying from where metal met metal with more loud shrieks from where the stairs were torn from their duracrete moorings.

Only a moment was given to process this change, as a hand seemed to grip the Lupine and pull her back to the rooftop, along with the entire set of metal stairs. If the Lupine turned around, she would see Iscandar, her eyes closed tightly and frowning in concentration with both hands extended. One hand clenched into a fist and simultaneously, the pull on Loklorien grew stronger suddenly, while the stairs became lodged into place, a rolled barrier to any further descent.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Twisting in the hold, s'Il exerted a heavy hand herself, pushing into the ether and grinding against the will that sought to bring her back outside. She leaned ponderously into the awareness of the other woman, pressing in with undeniable weight. Even as her feet touched the ground once more she continued, twisting about to face the Twi'lek with a focused gaze that was unrelenting. With her preferred way into the refinery blocked, the Lupine steeled herself to deal with a matter that refused to be ignored. It was not the path that she had wanted to take, but as her hand had been forced, she knew that it was her only recourse now.

A deep inhalation, and she redoubled her efforts, raking against the other woman's mind with intent. One step forward, then another as she began to close the distance between them. If it was confrontation that was desired, then so be it. If the Empire wished to violate the words of their own 'lawmakers', then so be it. But she would not be sent tumbling about in the gale of their silver-tongued falsehoods. She had had her fill of such manner of talk, and had come to recognize it well.

One of her own hands came up then, fingers stretched open for only a moment before closing into a fist. In the same motion her arm pulled back with a quick motion, and an invisible hand took hold of one of the Twi'lek's legs and pulled it out from under her.

[Palara Iscandar]

Iscandar fell back, wrenched from her deep concentration with a huff of alarm. Her training took hold, and she gracefully bent over backwards, planted one hand on the ground and resettled herself on her feet, and brandished her saber, once more placing herself between the Alliance woman and her path to into the refinery proper.

With a looked of discipline and determination, Iscandar settled herself as deeply into the light as she could.

"As trained as you are, techniques and postures will not help you as much as mindset," Solomon's voice hummed in memory. "That, more than anything else, is what it is to be in the light."

Even after meeting him face to face after thinking him dead on Dantooine, her first thought of the large human would always be his spirit, looking at her serenely. With a deep breath in, she exhaled out all her thoughts, preconceptions, anxiety, and left herself only the mission, and how to succeed. There wasn't much time left, and that was her biggest advantage. The emptying of herself was filled in with a quiet strength and increased awareness. More than anything else though, she rejoiced in the feeling of peace that settled over her in this state.

She knew what Solomon would have her do in this situation.

"We are almost finished," she said. "If you will wait zat long, I will escort you into ze refinery myself. We do not need to continue fighting."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She had heard somewhere that the smallest of pebbles created the greatest of ripples, and thusly, the smallest of thoughts made the greatest of impressions. So it was now, as s'Il drew back. As if she was stung by some unseen force, the Lupine gave sudden ground to an attack that did not come; rather, that which spanned the space between the two - other than the words spoken - was the impression of a common thread. A notion of familiarity that passed between the two women. It was a stark feeling, and while there was nothing specific, the feeling was there. The Force showed many people many things, and it always left such imprints. So it had now.

Her brow knit as she studied the woman, a newfound degree of interest glinting in her eye as let her gaze travel from the tip of her lekku to the toes of her boots. It was faint, as though carried on the lightest of breezes, but it was there regardless. And it carried with it a single name.

Solomon.

Her guard remained, but now there was a tentative opening. Her chest rose and fell as she inhaled deeply, letting it out in a long hiss from between her teeth. As if in answer to the words that had been spoken, s'Il allowed a whisper of a voice to carry over the eddies of the Force. A memory of a voice that had not so long ago spoken such powerful words to her.

'Do you know what forgiveness is, Loklorien s'Ilancy?'

[Palara Iscandar]

Solomon's voice rang out in her head again.

"Knight Iscandar, we are almost finished." The voice of a Stormtrooper echoed in her ear, bringing her out of her internal focus.

"You must be a Jedi, non?" Iscandar said. "Do you know of a Solomon?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A frown, but her guard remained up even as she gave the slightest shake of her head.

"I'm no Jedi, but I know Solomon, yes."

And while her words contradicted the weapon she carried, they were honest. She brought in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I suppose that it would be silly of me to ask you the same."

[Palara Iscandar]

"As I 'ave asked for 'im by name, it would seem so," Iscandar answered, seemingly lowering her guard. Her arms relaxed down to her side, lightsaber held in her right hand. Despite the loose stance, her feet were still firmly planted beneath her.

A breeze drifted by, carrying salt and a warm wet humidity with it.

"'Ow is — is 'e well?" she asked, her guarded tone dropping, replaced by a genuine, if wary, curiosity and concern.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"He is alive."

A clipped and succinct answer that spoke volumes of the caution she still exercised. How this woman knew Solomon would be a mystery to solve on another day. Now though? There was still a job that needed to be done, and s'Il was loathe to let any more time than necessary pass without her presence in the refinery. This stalemate of sorts needed to end. Now.

"But, mutual friends aside, neither of us can ignore the breach of contract that you and yours are guilty of. We both know this."

[Palara Iscandar]

"Did we not already discuss zis?" the Twi'lek arched a brow. "I cannot allow you entry. I 'ave been given my orders."

Iscandar drew another hilt from her belt, but left it inactivated.

"Of course, you may attempt to force your way past me once again," she said, placing only a slight emphasis on the word attempt.

"Only a few more minutes, Knight," the Lieutenant's voice hissed into her ear. "We are close to completion."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A hrmph pressed her lips together in a knowing smirk, and s'Il steeled herself just a small bit more before lifting her arm up, the comm unit built into her gauntlet coming to life with the tap of a finger.

"Jeremy?"




* * *

Still nestled somewhat comfortably in the cockpit of the nu-class shuttle Shira, Jeremy Varin had occupied himself with watching from a distance, knowing that his captain was more than capable for now in taking care of her own business. Only, the rub of it was that it was somewhat more than her business, and so he was sure to exercise caution and a sort of hair-trigger with what was playing out a distance from where he sat so semmingly safely. He'd keyed into a local comm station, listening as music feeds were interrupted by news announcements of trouble on the latest construction projects. He knew the cause of those. Licking his lips, the middle-aged pilot gave a ruefal frown as he busied himself with once more checking the status of his craft. As each time b efore, it was just the same... ready to fly.

And then the Captain's voice cut into his idle, rambling thoughts.

"Jeremy?"

Immediately he snapped to attention in his seat, leaning forward, eyes set dead ahead.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"I'd much appreciate a door into the refinery."

He knew what that meant well enough, and thanked his lucky stars that he'd kept his baby on stand-by. Seconds later found the shuttle lifting from the landing pad like some massive flight-bird. A pull of the yoke brought him above the refinery roof. A quick prayer to whatever gods were about, and he fired the wing-mounted canons.




* * *

She had prepared herself. Readied herself for the salvo that was to come, and as the Lupine shielded her body, a salvo of lancing energy crashed into the roof of the refinery between herself and the Twi-Lek, opening a gaping hole than yawned wide in a shower of sparks and twisted durracrete and metal.

Even before the dust had settled, she was moving. With a deceptive quickness s'Il shot forward, letting her momentum bring her over the edge and down into the refinery.

[Palara Iscandar]

Iscandar hissed and followed her adversary into the refinery without hesitation. Down below, a shuttle was being loaded with kolto crates, and the refinery itself was empty of nearly everything else. The stormtroopers loading up the kolto stopped to look and see what was happening, but Iscandar dropped down only a moment after s'Ilancy.

"Knight Iscandar," the officer in charge of this group said with a calm that was to be envied, given the the roof had been blasted in and two women had fallen through it to land safely on their feet, stepping up to them. "We are only moments from finishing."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She was marching forward the moment her feet his the ground below, and with an extended hand, s'Il pressed.

The officer seemed to stumble, his body weight suddenly much heavier than he was used to as a force of pressure pushed against him. Certainly not enough to crush him, but there was an obvious weight to his shoulders. He gasped.

"Finishing what... ?"

Her voice held a level of command that was only present when laced with the Force. It was an order that could not be denied. It was a voice that peeled away any weak falsehoods that the man might've wished to fill her ears with. She pulled back the layers to get at the truth of this loathsome matter. The Twi'Lek woman would not give her an answer, and so the Lupine pulled it from elsewhere.

"S...sabo.... explosives... "

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

At that moment, across the far end of the refinery, a pair of heavy doors began to slide open, revealing the open sky of Manaan, and a single figure in silhouette. Matatek Sel Vissica stepped through the threshold, each footstep padding wetly on the deck as she tracked in the seawater that still inundated her fur.

"Captain s'Ilancy,"

Black eyes narrowed to slits as the Selonian's teeth bared. She sparked her greatsaber once again, dragging it's immense blade across the ground as she walked, leaving a ragged scar in the durasteel behind her.

"we aren't finished."

[Palara Iscandar]

She froze.

It was almost unfathomable; how easily the man had let slip their plan — even if it was petty and distasteful and deserved to fail. He hadn't even been looking at s'Ilancy! The anger coursed through her, almost against her will. She was powerless against the blank fury of someone so incompetent, so weak-willed that they folded before even breathing, that she simply acted, drums and chanting Dark in her mind and soul.

The man lifted into the and grabbed for his throat as he started to choke.

"You weren't even looking at 'er. Lives depend on you and you give zem up wizzout a zought. Incompetent."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her shoulders hitched back, hands curling into white-knuckled fists at the display of frustration made manifest by the Twi'Lek. A few quick breath, and the Lupine steeled herself. She ignored the Selonian, instead sending most of her attentions to the unfortunate man who now found himself in an invisible, life-stealing grip. It was a sight that resonated, pounding against a mind that had once been so intimate with the very same sort of treatment. Being on the receiving end of that unseen terrible, choking hand gave her a different drive. A split-second passed before she acted.

The Force pulsed around her as she drew inward, drinking deeply of the ethereal nature of that singular binding power that held things together. She felt it well up like a new spring, begging to be released.

Her hand shot out, fingers splaying wide as the Force left her control, sending a galeforce blast of air at the Twi'Lek.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"You are unwise to turn your attention from me!!

Vissica fell upon the Jedi, whipping her blade around as it raked upwards in a shower of sparks from the floor. Throwing her full weight into the cleave, the Selonian aimed to separate the Jedi from herself mid-chest.

[Palara Iscandar]

Iscandar's eyes, sharp and piercing turned from the officer to s'Ilancy, and somehow seemed to cut straight through the blast of air, pushing it to either side of her.

And then Vissica moved to strike.

"Stop."

Her voice was quiet, but clearly audible. A touch of the Force sent Vissica's strike a hair too wide. Other than the hums of lightsabers, the refinery was quiet.

"Zere was never any point to zis," she sighed to herself, staring at the coughing and choking Lieutenant. She looked over at two Stormtroopers. "Take 'im. Do not worry about being careful. 'E will live."

She turned to Vissica and s'Ilancy.

"Ze refinery is yours," Iscandar said to the former Jedi with a short bow. Her weapons were deactivated and placed on her belt. "Knight Vissica. We should leave."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Fury over her deflected strike was quickly diverted to Palara's words. Even as Lady Vissica deactivated her weapon, she snarled "NO!" The giantess pushed the Jedi out of her way to stand toe to toe with the shorter Twi'lek knight.

"That is not acceptable, comrade! I have given my word that this Jedi will be placed under arrest!"

It was no small matter of procedure to the Selonian. Her spoken word was a binding promise. Any ending that did not involve Loklorien s'Ilancy in chains would be poison to her honor. Vissica's chest heaved against her composite armor in angry growled breaths.

[Palara Iscandar]

Knight Iscandar was not impressed. In fact, she seemed angry.

"Under 'ose authority? What part of our mandate covers arrest, hm?" she hissed back. "Arrest of ze commanding officer of ze Alliance force come to take control of zeir planet?"

She looked up at Vissica past her flumes and straight into her eyes.

"Under zese circumstances ze arrest would 'ave been zrown out," she stopped her comrade's blustering denial with a shake of her head, "It would 'ave been dismissed, Vissica. We do not 'ave proper justification. Ze entire zing would 'ave been dismissed, and per'aps, to keep a war from breaking out due to ze death of one of zeir officers at our 'ands, zey would 'ave given you to zem, or more likely, ze Empire would 'ave killed you. Per'aps zey would 'ave ordered me to commit ze deed. Do you understand? It would 'ave accomplished nozzing."

She took a step forward.

"Per'aps at a later date we shall 'ave ze fortune to arrest 'er. But you will stand down, Knight Vissica, or I will 'ave you arrested for threatening ze Empress's peace!"

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica endured Palara's upbraiding, but her anger built upon anger. The Selonian's taut frame tensed. The broad-knuckled paw holding her greatsaber gripped the knurled metal so tightly to turn the skin at her knuckles an ashen shade. The warning signs of contents under pressure came as her muscular tail stopped sliding along the floor, becoming dead still. The warning of a growl disappeared as well. It was the kind of calm that only happened at the heart of a storm.

And then, Matatek Sel Vissica exploded.

The Selonian flared her heavy white blade, raising it high over s'Ilancy and Palara alike. But rather than sinking a killing blow, Lady Vissica hurled her weapon with force into a bank of computers near the refining equipment. Nearly two meters of white-hot plasma buried itself into machinery to the hilt, creating a ring of molten glass where it punched through a monitor.

Vissica howled with rage, pouncing after her thrown weapon as she slapped a dawdling stormtrooper to the floor. The Selonian clamored on top of the computers, pulling her lightsaber free from the wreckage, only to bring it down upon the banks of equipment again, again, again, and again. The air filled with sparks, smoke, and the stink of ozone as Vissica poured her frustrations out on an inanimate foe, unceasing until the entire apparatus had fallen into a heap at her feet.

For moments, Vissica said nothing. Only the sputtering of sparks, the throaty pulse of her weapon, and her heavy breathing broke the dead silence. Her shoulders rose and fell, burning with misplaced exertions and honor deferred. At last, the Selonian Knight restored a semblance of the calm as she deactivated her blade.

Head bowed slightly, Vissica closed her eyes in shame. When she spoke again, her voice was low - almost hoarse with restraint. Her will restored, she spoke in an even and deliberate manner, pivoting her flexible frame slightly to allow a sidelong glimpse at her denied quarry.

"I hope for both of our sakes that we meet again soon, Captain s'Ilancy."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il afforded the Selonian a direct, level look that gave no quarter. She had watched the Knight's tantrum with muted yet keen interest, noting each and every heave that destroyed the terminal further. She had watched each muscle in the Selonian's back ripple and contort, remaining silent through the entire tirade. And then the return. Anger spent had given way to a palpable, roiling storm once more held carefully in check. It was a dangerous dance that the Lupine was well acquainted with. It was concerning, but not so worrisome that she act.

Blinking owlishly in response to the Knight's words, s'Il let her direct gaze linger for a moment more before turning to the Twi'Lek.

The matter of whatever sabotage the Empire had seen fit to saddle the partners of their treaty with was for the time being ignored. It was a nebulous threat, and one that she had sloppily divined in the heat of the moment. There would be time at a later date to suss out whatever awaited them.

She had not forgotten the moment shared, that single voice that'd fired through each of their minds like some bizarre clarion call. The voice of Sol Iman. Solomon. For her, his voice brought forth raw memories and emotions, but it also brought with it peace and calm.

It was this calm that she now looked at the Twi'Lek with. Her shoulders squared on instinct, hands moving to find each other at the small of her back.

"When I next see him," she knew that the other woman would know who she spoke of, "... what do you wish for me to tell him?"

[Palara Iscandar]

The Twi'lek shook her head, her expression taut. Still, a smile drifted on the corners of her mouth.

"It 'as been too long," the Knight said. "Per'aps anozzer time, Captain. Under less trying circumstances, where our allegiances do not compel us to fight, I 'ope."

She turned to Vissica, the knightly blue of her cape swaying behind her in the salty breeze and sun of Manaan. She stopped.

"Do give 'im my regards. 'E is a good man, and zat is a zing to treasure in zis galaxy."