The Akurian Queen

25 years ago

There were some times in life that never quite ended in the conclusion that you expected. There are also times when you have a longer go at life than you thought, and so when death finally did come it was certainly not an upsetting surprise, but a surprise none-the-less. Sometimes life was cut off too short. Sometimes it lasted forever. Sometimes it just dealt cruel hands all around with no thought to the poor soul trapped within the living body. Sometimes it was simply one of those things that was never meant to be understood.

When you held congress with death for so many years, yet was never granted that long sleep, you somewhat became used to the presence of risk and 'one-way-ticket' missions. You didn't really question why you came back from those types of sorties when you weren't supposed to; you just went on about your life, waiting for the next set of sealed transmissions saying where you were to go next.

It was an existence, and one that had become almost normal.

It stood to reason however, that when you found yourself staring at the wrong end of a line of blasters, you had to surmise that your number was up, and the Force was ready to take you back.

Of course, when your partner continually felt the need to natter on about certain issues instead of the one glaring problem of a stormtrooper firing squad, life and the act of living was quick to become annoying.

Not many people could say that they wished each finger would pull those triggers right now, but Loklorien s'Ilancy was ready. She glared straight ahead, her face set in a stony scowl, her breath visible as she exhaled, ignoring the incessant badgering that Dan kept on with.

Why couldn't the blaster bolts be fired yet? Why did Imperial procedure need to be followed? It was cold, she was tired, and she was moments away from yelling at each stormtrooper for this inconvenience. Instead, the Lupine settled for giving a snarl to Dan.

"Stop asking me. This is not something I wish to discuss right now. And frankly, I would think that you wouldn't want to discuss it right now, either."

Her jaw set, and she shifted her wrists in the binders she now so grumpily wore.

"Considering the circumstances and all of that."

"Some other time you'd rather talk about it?"

Dan laughed a bit, the stim in his mouth shaking from the act of doing so. Stubborn heiffer to the end, she was. And worst of all, he loved that. The stormtroopers waited for the order, like aloof statues bearing only passing witness to this very personal moment.

"This is the part in the sabacc round where you lay all your cards on the table, so that's what I'm doing."

He glanced back at s'Il, as they both stood ready to die.

"Marry me."

Another smile and a shrug.

"You'd deny a dying man's last wish?"

She brought her glare from the stormtroopers to Dan, giving him a venomous sideways look. He seemed so nonchalant about it all - so uncaring in the face of their execution, and she made a face.

"You've gone mad in the head."

24 hours earlier

For the fourth night in a row, her duties had been nothing but procedure. Or at the very least, as procedural as the Rebellion chose to make things. She read over reports filed, requests made, and contacted those that could possibly help to get the supplies Novgorod needed. With any amount of luck, those supplies would be waiting for them when they next pulled into safe harbor. That in and of itself was always give or take, so she had found herself repeating the now-familiar mantra of 'I will see what I can get'.

So four days of quiet. Four days to rest. It was a welcome change, and one that the crew most assuredly deserved.

It was nothing that would last however, and as she made her way back to the quarters that she shared with Dan, s'Il idly scratched at the upper tip of her scar, a new set of orders in her other hand. They'd come from General Brecklin, and she had yet to open. She'd allow Dan that courtesy.

A quick few motions to enter the locking code of their door, and the Lupine waited until the door had opened fully before stepping inside. It closed behind her, and she gave a light groan of exhaustion.

Dan was in the small kitchenette, and she gave him a tired smile.

There was a small box on the raised countertop that separated them, but she ignored it for the moment.

"New orders," she mumbled, holding the dataslip out for him to take.

"And so the blissful calm comes to an end."

Dan turned to face her fully, leaning against the counter as he took the dataslip.

"I was beginning to think they'd let us run of to a sunny and secluded wherever. Guess someone remembered there's a war on."

The Rebel leader tossed the dataslip onto the counter, unread.

"The General can wait, at least a few minutes. Hungry?"

She watched him cautiously, unsure if it was a trick question that he was asking, and after a few seconds of careful pondering, the Lupine finally nodded.

"I am, yes."

Though, being hungry often depended upon the galley stocks they'd been able to acquire, and while she was indeed rather starved, s'Il knew better than to expect any sort of culinary fare that would be to her liking. She had grudgingly become used to ration packs and vita-suppliments. It was the nature of their continued survival, though it was certainly nowhere near appetizing even in the best of times.

Her eye fell to the dataslip that he'd dropped to the counter.

"What sort of brick-like substance are we having for dinner tonight, then?"

Dan cast a proud expression her way.

"For you? Only the best brick will do!"

He passed her a utilitarian plate, decked out with something vaguely amorphous piled on top of it. Surprisingly, it didn't smell as bad as it looked.

"Now...with flavor!"

They were living hand-to-mouth, but sometimes you didn't want to feel like an animal. Dan could certainly understand that. Serving himself, he sat at the table and waited for her to sit opposite.

"So, let's enjoy our last moments of reprieve, no?"

With a hrmph that could have been a sign of resignation at her sustenance situation, s'Il sat opposite him, staring down at her plate with a healthy amount of skepticism. It was sweet of him to try, but they both knew that the food Novgorod usually pulled in was barely tolerable in the best of times.

She almost cringed, even, as she poked the mass with a fork.

"It looks... delightful."

Of course, any chance to ignore their food woes was taken with no small amount of hurried desperation, and s'Il leaned back in her seat. She turned to look at the small box that was still resting on the counter, and lifting a hand, called to it through the Force. It slid from the fabricated surface, sliding through the air before smacking into her palm.

Without opening the lid, the Lupine turned it over in her fingers, curious at its' velvet texturing.

"What is this?"

As soon as it was in her hand, it was out, as Dan took it back from her.

"Nothing."

Punctuating his terse comment, he gestured with his fork at her plate.

"Eat."

He quickly tucked the box away into a pants pocket, ready to bury it away from her attention.

Food had suddenly become a thing of the past, and the Lupine settled an inquisitive look to him. This new behavior was very different, and s'Il narrowed her gaze at him as she watched him take up a mess of ration slop onto his fork.

Whatever it was, it was certainly not 'nothing'. That much she had instantly determined by his actions.

She blinked.

Her fork was daintily set upon her plate.

"I can always just go brain-dipping, you know."

The threat of using the Force to probe his thoughts always yielded the desired results, and with a look that told him she was poised to slip ethereal fingers into his mind, s'Il crossed her arms.

He grimaced at her threat. Normally, he'd play along, but the stakes here were a bit higher.

"You're being a bully."

To punish her, he took a bite from her plate. Of course, he had to give her something, or else she wouldn't just drop it.

"It's a surprise. It's just not ready yet."

A frown, and the young Lupine scrunched her face up into a look of dissatisfaction. That it was a 'surprise' meant nothing. She wanted to know what it was, not that it was simply something to be shown to her at a later time.

Changing tactics then, s'Il let her shoulders sag slightly as her features fell into a softer expression of curiosity.

"How can it not be ready? It's just a little box."

Her hands came down, fingers resting over the edge of the table as she leaned forward and looked at him from over the tops of her eyes.

"Please?"

Dan shifted in his seat, uneasy at the needling.

"It's something I wanted to give you, but the circumstances are all wrong. We're eating a plate of gussied up rations here. I'd hoped to wait for a better moment."

Of course, it didn't look like he'd get the chance now. The box came out of his pocket, and he slid it across the table without saying anything.

She took the box, but kept her eye on him.

"Well, we're both alive and still breathing, so I'd say those are fairly good circumstances, wouldn't you?"

Turning it over one last time, the Lupine furrowed her brow as her gaze pulled away from Dan and focused on the box. Carefully she opened the lid.

Now her confusion was genuine.

"It's a... ring... ?"

Dan pushed his plate away, clasping both hands before him on the table.

"An engagement ring."

He let the gravity of what he said take time to have the proper impact, then followed up.

"You're right. We're still alive and breathing. Maybe tomorrow we won't be. Doesn't change the way I feel about you and about me."

Going on one knee was kitsch and he knew she wouldn't be for that. Still, the question begged asking.

"Loklorien s'Ilancy, will you marry me?"

The word 'engagement' meant nothing to her; it was a foreign concept that she'd never been aware of.

Marriage, however, was not such an unknown, and the Lupine slowly set the box back on the table, the ring still safely tucked inside. She stared at it, blinked, then looked up at him. Her hands folded together in her lap, and her face held a strange mix of emotions that were unreadable even in the best of circumstances.

She pursed her lips, drew in a long breath, and let it out through her nose.

"No."

No.

There was a long silence that followed. He didn't look at her. Eventually he reached forward, took the box, and slowly slid it back to his side of the table. Closing it up, Dan rose from his seat, and left the room.

For the very first time that she had known him, there was no further questioning. It was enough make the Lupine stare after him in disbelief. There was no argument, no question as to why she'd given the answer that she had. He had always had further words to speak, but now there was nothing.

Turning to give one last look to her plate of food, s'Il pushed back from the table while rising to her feet in one smooth motion. She followed after Dan, and stopped in the doorway to their small bedroom.

When she spoke, her voice was partially stilted, as conflicting interests battled within her mind - was she supposed to console him... ? Or was she supposed to explain her answer... ?

"I don't understand what is wrong with our current arrangement."

"Our current arrangement."

He played with her turn of phrase, and it sounded so laughably artificial to him. His back still facing her, he stood in the common room, looking out the viewport.

"You make it sound like we've been working on a business deal."

Dan turned the box over in his hands, out of sight from her.

"Of course we haven't."

She could at least tell that her choice of words had not been the best, but still she pressed on.

"What you and I are is not what you and Nena were."

A look to the dataslip that still rested on the counter, and s'Il found herself somewhat angry at this new situation.

"It is nowhere near the same, and I'll not be her replacement."

"No, you're not a replacement for Nena. She was her own kind of special, and that'll always be with me."

Dan turned to face her, as he weighed his words carefully.

"But what we have, this arrangement you call it, what else do you think that is? You can try all you want to call it another name, but that cheapens it, and it insults us both."

There was little sense that she could make of all of this, and s'Il's mind was unable to comprehend exactly what it was he was speaking of. What was wrong with the way things were right now?! Why did he have to go and try to place some manner of official sealing to their shared existence?

"I don't know what is wrong with things now, as they stand. We share everything already as is."

She gestured to the box he still held.

"That right there isn't needed. Pair-bonding is... "

She stopped, closing her mouth abruptly at the look on his face, and she held a finger in the air, partially pointed at him.

"... I don't want to talk about this right now."

She crossed the room, calling the dataslip to her waiting hand, and moving to stand in front of him, deftly took the small box and replaced it with their new orders.

"We have other matters to focus our attentions to."

The box was gently set on a small sidetable.

"Do not ask me this again."

Dan took the orders from her hand, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You know I can't agree to that. If I do, I'm lying to myself about who we are and what we're doing. You don't want to talk about that right now? Fine. I told you, it's not ready. We're at loggerheads on this, you and I. Sooner or later, we've got to figure out exactly what us actually means."

And with that, he stepped past her, only then looking at his orders.

* * *

The starcharts said it was in the Unknown Regions, and The Akuria System was a prime example of how even a star system could look desolate. Even the blackness of space seemed to give off an air of loneliness, and the blinking stars dotting that inky darkness pulsed a lonesome beat.

Novgorod splashed into realspace with a noiseless crack, banking around as she skirted the edge of the system.

Their destination was Akuria II, but exiting hyperspace in Imperial space - no matter how small the foothold - was tricky business. By now it was second nature for the crew to begin their passive sensor sweeps without the need for Dan to call the order.

Standing beside the chair he inevitably occupied when on the bridge, s'Il clasped her hands in front of her.

"Gods but it even feels forgotten."

"That's the idea. Out this far off the shipping lanes, and away from prying eyes."

Dan sat back in his seat and watched the approach. Commscan was silent, which was a blessing. The orb before them certainly looked chilly, awash in whites and cool blues, with sparse brown earth peeking through from cloud cover, ocean, and glacier alike.

"Now, we've got to make good and sure it's as forgotten as we'd like. Command needs a staging area to strike in this quadrant of the outer rim, and this is about as far out as we can get and stay in the fight."

"It is far from anything civilized, no doubt. Far from anything warmer than a cooler-pack, too."

She idly agreed, watching the frigid ball of a planet before them. There was a moment of familiar feelings welling up, and the Lupine gave the barest of scowls as she lifted her arms to cross them over her chest.

"Like Hoth."

A planet full of bad memories, s'Il couldn't help the fleeting moment of forced deja vu that passed over her as she stared ahead.

"Any sign of our supplies contact?"

Their orders had included a rendezvous with one of the more questionable fringe contractors that the fledgling Rebellion often employed; a Captain Torik Beirhannon of the Akurian Queen. Certainly not out of the norm for a mission such as this, but the risks were always there, and s'Il knew that there was a reason that Novgorod was more often than not chosen for these types of missions. When loyalties were uncertain, it helped to have a Jedi in your ranks. It made determining the truth an easier task.

"We're picking up a mass on the dark side of the planet. Appears to be in polar orbit."

The crewer on commscan waited for orders as he reported his findings. Dan sat up a little in his seat.

"Move us in slow. Passives sensors only. We'll go for a visual. Doubt they want to be seen any more than we do."

Novgorod crept ahead at a slow cruise, banking to align herself with the planet's gravity well, and used the inertia from it to coast into an orbital trajectory that would take them close. The planet's horizon flattened out as they closed distance, and all eyes were fixed to the terminus.

"There."

Dan quickly magnified the view, and a nondescript civilian transport came into view. With line of sight established, they could break the ice in relative confidence.

"Get a tightbeam line to that ship, comm."

He looked to Lok, knowing this was her time to shine.

"Well now. It's about bloody time, eh?"

The whistling of an irate R2 unit was the only answer that was given.

"No doubt."

"I suppose then that we should get this little bit of galactic intrigue started, then; don't you?"

Another few twitters in the affirmative, and Torik Beirhannon brought the Akurian Queen about in a gradual shift that would pivot her to face the new arrival. His commlight blinked, and watching it for only a few moments, the fringe captain tapped at the transmission button.

"Captain Beirhannon, at your service."

"This is Dan."

He preferred to keep it terse, even if the line was secure. It kept him alive in the unsure early days.

"Glad to see you made it. We're off the lanes by a good margin. Is the cargo secure?"

Novgorod moved alongside, and began a synchronous orbit action with the transport. The Akurian Queen was now his charge, and had to be protected at all costs.

"So you're Dan, eh?"

In the cockpit of his own ship, Torik leaned back in his seat.

"Lots of talk about you going on in the contracting circles. Seems you're a sort of popular man. They say you travel with a one-eyed Jedi, too. She with you now?"

There was silence from the Rebel ship, and Torik gave a snort before returning to business.

"Your goods are as secure as they need to be, Dan. And, as always, my hatches are open should you want to inspect them."

"We'll send a shuttle. Want to make sure everything up here is in the green before we start actively poking around down there. If for whatever reason we have to pull up stakes, well, let's just keep our engines warm."

They both knew the risks. The Empire's reach was vast, even potentially in a place as forgotten as this.

"Expect us in five. Dan out."

He cut the line as he stood, looking at Lok with the unspoken request to follow.

"Prep a shuttle, full squad. Not expecting a fight, but we don't exactly have the luxury of being choosy about friends, do we?"

She was quick to nod, and even quicker to keep pace. They left the bridge without so much as a word, and s'Il found herself reaching up to straighten the sleeveless tunic she wore.

"He sounds funny... "

A worried sideways look from Dan, and she elaborated.

"His accent. I've never heard any like it before... " she looked away, an awkward feeling coming over her.

"... just sounds strange, is all."

Still though, the man's words had struck her, and in an involuntary move she reached up to rub along the lower portion of her scar.

"Yeah."

It was a confirmation of intangibles. Dan only had his gut to go by, and she had the force. Still, he wasn't a fan of dealing so openly in the familiar at the first go. Trust was a precious commodity, and this wasn't the best way to earn it.

"Brecklin vetted this guy? I mean, we're scouting for a new base, it's not like they kicked the spacer with the least fleas in Tattooine up to his feet for this assignment."

His own assessment didn't seem to help.

"Be ready for anything."

The lift doors parted, and the pair headed towards the waiting shuttle, already getting its loadout situated.

"Well no, from what I understand the General had no hand in who was chosen to meet with us; that was someone else. A Commander Higgs, I believe."

Keeping pace, the Lupine was mindful to not fall behind, and only when they started up the shuttle's boarding ramp did she slow her gait, falling in behind him as they crested the top of the ramp and ducked into the craft's interior.

With her saber secured on her belt, s'Il knew that if it came to blows she would be ready.

"What did he mean, about you being 'popular' in contracting circles?"

"Well, this isn't my first rodeo, after all. The early days, everyone was their own chief, cook, and bottle washer. So I've moved my share of guns to hotspots here and there."

He tucked in, securing crash webbing as he sat across from Lok.

"This having our own warship bit is the fairly new part. Back before we even knew there was a larger Rebellion, it was guys knowing guys and being in the right place with what was needed. No ranks, no structure. Old fashioned hand-to-mouth insurgency."

She mouthed an 'Oh', blinking a few times before instinctively reaching a hand out to him, palm up and waiting. It was a familiar ritual whenever she was forced to fly in the smaller ships, and one that he had graciously taken charge of in the form of a motion-sickness pill dispensary.

It was the only rationed supply that they had been given guarantees on, and she knew that he always had a small cache of them on his person for times just like this.

"It's a trip through open vacuum, Lok, not an orbital insert."

He scoffed, but the hand remained there. Sometimes, he wondered if he could get away with a sugar pill. This thing of hers was so arbitrary and silly, especially for a Jedi. How she ever got from point A to B without him, he'd never know.

After a second of resisting, a pill was pressed into her palm.

"Can't you take up drinking like any other cosmophobe?"

The pill was swallowed as she felt the shuttle begin to lift upwards.

"I drink enough; perhaps not as much as you, but we all cannot be so gifted with a high tolerance for alcohol."

Another small bit of jostling as the ship passed through the artificial atmospheric shield and into open space.

"Sometimes I have to wonder if the amount you've consumed over the entirety of your life has finally gone to your head and turned you mad," she mused, her efforts at distracting herself resulting in the fresh memory of a scant twelve hours ago.

"Nah. I was born this way."

They were, of course, dancing around the bantha in the room. He wasn't about to bring it up. Not now. Too soon.

"I'm not the one claiming to commune with forces beyond, remember?"

The trip was short, and the shuttle soon clanged against the transport's umbilical as a hard seal was established at the egress hatch.

"Those 'forces beyond' have saved your life more times than I can count'," came the grumbled answer as she swiftly undid the crash-harness. Rising to stand, the Lupine blew a short breath from her nostrils in a feigned snarl.

She had a healthy notion of what was on his mind, and with a cautionary look sent his way, s'Il shook her head in warning.

She waited for the final checks to be made, and as the two joined hatchways hissed open, she squared her shoulders back and stepped through.

Waiting on the other side, of course, was the lanky frame of Captain Beirhannon, leaning casually against the bulkhead a short distance away; far enough to give his guests room to disembark.

When the woman came through first, he straightened up just a little, a widening smile on his face as his arms uncrossed from over his chest.

"How about that; you do exist," he chuckled mostly to himself.

"Yeah, well, let's not downplay being mad, as you call it. I just prefer chalking it up to intangibles."

There was a lot of tension suddenly, and Dan backed off. They had a job to do after all. Debarking, the ship's skipper immediately greeted them. Or, specifically, Lok. Dan frowned a little.

"She's not a museum piece, Captain. She's here to make sure that we both come away from this with our skin intact."

Torik gave a light-hearted hmph, pushed away from the bulkhead, and shrugged as he turned around.

"Just curious, Dan."

He led the way deeper into his ship, a lazy sort of walk that was almost a swagger. Making sure to allow enough time for the Rebel group to observe their surroundings, he set a measured pace that soon enough brought them into the cargo hold. Not large, but large enough for the supplies he'd been tasked with delivering.

"Everything is here, from weapons to your basic ration packs and small colony supply kits. Nothing large, since your superiors didn't want anything that would bring unwanted attention, but it should be enough."

Torik stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

"From what I've been told, this isn't your first time establishing outposts, so you should find it all in order."

He stepped forward, giving the cargo pallets and shipping containers a cursory glance. Upon request, the manifest was pressed into his hand, and Dan scanned through it.

"Good, they have the pre-fab shelters and the insulation packs. Not exactly going to be the balmiest stay for whoever's planetside."

Dan returned the manifest to Torik, and gave a nod of approval.

"This'll do. Right now, we've just got to take a look around below, make sure the grid is safe, and find a spot to touch down. Should be a few day's work from there."

The Captain was largely ignored as she let her gaze sweep over the loaded skids. They were familiar sights, and s'Il bit her lip as she tested the air. It smelled of metal, wood, and plastic; a smell that was strange when mingled together with recycled air.

For the most part, it was a woven strand of scents that had become almost commonplace for her, and though she occasionally wished for fresh air, the Lupine knew that such a luxury was not common.

She turned to one of the commandos that'd come aboard with her and Dan.

"Stay with the Captain on the way down."

"Sure 'nough."

He knew the drill.

Torik hid a ruefall smile, and looking to the side at the Jedi woman, gave her strange look.

"Leaving a soldier with me on the way planetside?"

His voice gave off no indication of offense. Instead, his eyes traveled from her face down to the soles of her boots before rising back up to meet her eyes.

"I'm sure you'd be much better company than anyone else here."

Typical spacer bravado. Dan didn't feel any particular impetus to defend Lok's honor, since the Jedi was more than capable of holding her own in that regard. Still, his stock wasn't improving by putting on like some lech.

"Just make sure to stick to the waypoints, Captain."

With that, they parted, heading back to the shuttle. Once the airlock doors sealed, Dan's frown deepened, and he looked to his Jedi companion.

"I don't like this guy."

She shared Dan's assessment, and gave only an agreeing nod. Trust was a commodity that was in increasingly short supply, and her careful habits had only increased over time.

"That does not surprise me," she mumbled, making her way back to her seat.

Of course, his verbal admission only dealt credence to the uneasy feeling that had begun to tickle at the outer edges of her senses.

"He is hiding something, yes."

Dan gave her an expecting look, as if to say care to elaborate on that.

"We can't just scrub this on a bad feeling, Lok. Too much time, effort, and resources are in play, and a lot of them are aboard that ship."

He sighed, taking his seat again opposite her.

"I need something. Anything. Hell, I'll light a fire under Brecklin to see if anything falls out of the tree. If this guy is south of good, we need to know how bad that gets."

The answer came in the words of the shuttle's pilot, his grim voice cutting through any other conversation.

"Docking clamps not responding, General."

For her part, s'Il snapped her head in the direction of the cockpit, abandoning the thought of a quiet passage back to Novgorod in the span of a microsecond. The nagging at the periphery of her sense pulsed stronger now, and her eyes narrowed.

The pilot went on, knowing it would be a waste of time to wait for the obvious question, and his tone held the hard edges of a man who knew something was about to happen. Even has his fingers scrambled over the flight console, he was shaking his head.

"We're locked up; nothing is working."

The light tapping that came from the other side of the closed hatch sounded like a clapping bell, almost deafening in the silence that followed the pilot's words. It was a soft rapping at first, only getting louder with each repetition before a familiar voice came over the comm unit.

"Knock knock."

Well, at least they weren't going to have to wait for the doublecross. Dan drew a blaster from his holster. Giving s'Il a glance, he tapped the comm controls.

"Seems you're having some trouble with your umbilical clamp freezing up, Captain."

So it was playing coy, then. He wasn't going to give this weasel the satisfaction of hearing him rage and vent about the predicament.

"No trouble, just making sure my cargo doesn't float away."

On his side of the closed hatch, Torik smirked at the commando who'd been assigned to accompany him; the man only glared back angrily, arms pinned behind him by a pair of stormtroopers. Another group of white-clad soldiers stood behind, waiting for the word to advance. They'd been briefed, having hid in the cargo crates and shipping containers until the Rebel General had finished his inspection. Now however, they had moved on to the next phase of this particular plan.

Beirhannon spoke once more into the comm.

"I've got some friends with me that would very much like to make your acquaintance, General. Surely you wouldn't deny them the opportunity to meet them face to face?"

He gave a self-serving chuckle.

"Of course, I suppose it's not necessarily up to you, is it."

A few keystrokes on the locking pad, and both hatchways began to roll open. Torik stood to the side as the Imperial soldiers came forward, roughly pushing the commando through first, sending him to the deck of the shuttle as they lifted their own blaster carbines in greeting.

They were at a standoff. Dan with his blaster, Lok with her saber, against troopers with weapons to bear.

And there was one more trick Dan had.

"Dan to Novgorod. Lock weapons onto the Akurian Queen."

He knew how a Tatooine standoff worked. He was just making it interesting.

Safe within the numbers of stormtroopers, Torik gave a snorted laugh.

"You do that, and the base down planetside is going to slag your precious ship. They'll take her offline with ions, then kill her with a thousand cuts of turbolaser fire."

His own blaster came from its' holster then, and he leveled it at the Jedi even as his eyes stayed on Dan.

"So how about you do what I say, and drop your weapons."

"You're bluffing. There's no Imperial base this far out in the ether."

He raised his wristcomm to his mouth.

"Target their engines. Wait for my order."

"No wait - "

Her free hand came out to grasp his wrist, pulling it down.

"He's not bluffing... "

Torik gave a serpentine grin at the Jedi's words.

"You should listen to the woman, General. She can see the truth now."

He gave a last gloating look to Dan before the fingers of his free hand snapped together, and the stormtroopers surged ahead like a menacing, armored tidal wave.

Without Lok committed to the resistance, the odds were not in his favor.

"Novgorod, belay the last command. Withdraw to the rally point."

"Sir?"

His teeth ground at the inevitable fate approaching.

"Do it."

The advancing stormtroopers were met with stern-faced stoicism, and the Lupine ignited the amethyst blade she held even as she began to move, a hand going out and to the side to push Dan back towards the cockpit; to push him behind her.

The troopers paused, but only briefly before their gunbarrels raised up once more, threatening to open fire.

At the sight, Torik lofted a brow.

"It's no wonder the Jedi died away, if they're so quick to step in front of blasters."

It was spoken as a taunt, though a half-hearted one at that.

With enough clearance behind the shorter Jedi, Dan trained his gun on Torik.

"So what's your excuse, then?"

Again, an impasse. Hopefully Novgorod heeded his demands. Right now they were very, very alone.

Dan waited for that moment. The moment where someone blinked, or something changed almost imperceptibly.

"I have numbers," came the smug retort.

"Numbers that you simply do not have. A woman with a light sword won't do you much good in the grand scheme of things, my friend. Blasters however, will."

The stormtroopers were close enough now that one could almost reach out and touch the Jedi barring their path.

"Of course, the key is to make sure you have more guns than the other guy... "

Torik gave the Jedi a wink.

"... or gal."

But, they could not be here for the rest of the day, and the bounty that he stood to collect on these two was enough to make him hurry things along.

"It's time to give up, General. Lay down your weapons and come peacefully; you may be given fair leniency in whatever the Empire has planned for you." He of course didn't care one way or the other what the Empire did to these two; the credits were enough for him to forget entirely about them on his way out of the system.

And as if to punctuate the privateer's words, the stormtroopers rushed the three rebels.

She could've reached out and touched the Imperial soldiers had she so wished; instead, s'Il stood poised, unwilling to be distracted. Even as they lunged forward she was prepared, her saber coming around in a smooth arc to take the arm off the trooper closest to her. He went down, but not before knocking her off-balance as he fell, and before she could right herself, star exploded into her vision.

She stumbled to the side, shaking her head as she felt gloved hands close around both arms, pushing and pulling her down to the deck.

In the scrum, Dan fired, missing wide right of Torik's face. He adjusted for a shot on one of the advancing stormtroopers, but he was on him faster than anticipated, with a stun rod jammed hard into his side.

He collapsed into a heap alongside Lok, suddenly lamenting the intangibles being against him for once.

The pilot had been taken to the main hold, left to sit bound with the other commando who'd initially been left behind, and it wasn't long before the shuttle itself was released, left in space to eventually fall through Akuria II's atmosphere. With Novgorod having slipped back to the outer edges of the system, he was free to do as he wished, and Torik took a certain delight in the temporary power he held over the stormtroopers on his ship. He directed them to place the Jedi and the General separately, in the two extra bunks that the Akurian Queen had. Each had of course been secured with binders, and their weapons confiscated. Beirhannon had seen to it to inspect whatever personal items they'd had, and it was something he'd found in the jacket of the general that piqued his curiosity enough to step inside the room holding Dan.

Torik held up a small box as he leaned back against the far wall.

"Don't see one of these in the hands of people like you very often," he sneered.

"People like me?"

Dan leaned against the wall of the bunk, keeping an inscrutable face in the midst of his captor. His eyes went to the box, and then back to Torik's face. Who was this man? He was taking an unhealthy amount of interest in his life.

"Yes, people like you. Right now, friend, Rebels are seen in lower standing than even smugglers, which is what allows men like me to make money off men like you."

He opened the lid, giving the ring inside an appraising look.

"How much did you spend on this thing... if you spent any credits on it at all, even."

He snapped the box shut once more, stuffing it into his own jacket pocket.

"No matter; it'll net a decent amount of credits regardless, on top of what I'm getting for you two."

"What's your game?"

This was becoming irritating. Dan just wanted to know why this asshole even took the time to twist the knife. If there wasn't more to this, it was dirty and unprofessional.

"I'm caught. Money in hand. End of story. You keep taking a shine to these little projects, and someone's going to take it personally one day."

Another smirk, and Torik pushed away from the wall.

"Hardly."

He keyed the door open, stepping backwards through the doorway while giving a mock salute to Dan.

"It's been fun, Dan."

And with that, the door closed.

She was only aware of as much as her captors allowed her to be, which considering the inhibiting drugs that she'd been pumped full of, was not much. She was conscious, but everything had become dulled. Lying on the cot in the bunk she'd been non-too-gently stored within, the Jedi gave a light groan as she felt the ship shudder gently. They were descending into Akuria II's atmosphere, and it wouldn't be long until they landed.

His clearance codes had been given, and Torik spent a few lingering minutes watching as the autopilot took them down into Akuria II's atmosphere. He scratched at an itch on his arm, and blew out a long breath from between his lips.

Finally he leaned forward, switching the controls to manual and bringing his ship the rest of the way down. Cruising low, he brought the Akurian Queen over a mountainous, snow-capped ridge before dipping down into the valley below and the unmistakeable base that was nestled along the snowy foothills.

A landing pad became visible, and the privateer brought his craft down gently, wasting no time the moment the landing struts touched the ground. He knew that the Jedi woman would be in no position to use the Force, as the drugs he'd been provided to keep her docile and inhibited had done a wondrous job. It was a wonder she even had the wherewithal to breath, even.

Stepping from the small bridge, Beirhannon grinned to himself, one had stuffed into the pocket of his jacket and turning the small box he'd taken from the General over in his fingers.

It was time to earn his pay.

The subtle shift in engine noise, the inertia change from a gravity well and atmospheric resistance, much less the commotion made by the landing struts gave Dan all the information he needed. They were landing. It seemed that Torik was at least straight with him in one thing - the Empire had a presence here.

Isolated and alone, he could only hope that Lok was in a better state than he was.

She heard the door open, and the tromp of booted feet as they crossed the short distance to the cot she lay on. Her muted awareness allowed her only the ability to acknowledge what was happening, and as the Lupine was grabbed roughly by each arm, she felt her body being dragged up, propped between two stormtroopers like a lifeless marionette.

She felt her feet drag across the deck, and her head fell forward, hair falling into her face as she wrestled with her inner self. She ordered it to respond, to move, to offer resistance. And each command was ignored as her metabolism fought the aggressive drugs that'd been injected.

The Lupine hung limp from between the two stormtroopers, and as they pulled her from the room out into the small corridor, s'Il could only get out a weak groan.

The doors opened at last, and a pair of stormtroopers entered. Dan didn't pay them any mind or look at them. Hard to size a man up who wears a mask, after all.

"On your feet."

Of course, he wasn't going to make it any easier on them than they deserved, and he remained sitting, forcing the two troopers to heft him up and frog-march him out of the makeshift prison. It was there that he saw Lok, on the ground and clearly not herself.

"What have you done to her?"

With an aloof smirk, Torik rounded a corner, coming into view as his two charges were brought out of their rooms. The Jedi had been summarily muzzled, and her limp form helped to give him a sense of assured bravado.

"A precaution, General," was his cheerful answer.

"I can't have a Jedi mentally aware enough to pull mindtricks now, can I?"

He watched with half-lidded eyes as a pair of binders was once more fitted to Dan's wrists.

The sound of the boarding ramp lowering met his ears, and his grin became thin-lipped and determined.

"Time to meet the Maker, Dan."

She was in a muddled and cloudy haze, her world a swirling mass of unresponsive motor functions. All that she could do was force herself to remain conscious enough of her surroundings, and watch as the powers that be had their way with her.

She heard Dan's voice, and then Beirhannon's, but it seemed as though each spoke through a filter that muffled their voices and made them seem so distant. Firm hands hauled her up from the deck by each lifeless arm, and once more she was hefted up between two stormtroopers.

She tried to speak, to interject, to offer some sort of verbal defiance; but even her voice failed her. She felt her handlers move forward, leading the way through the Akurian Queen and down the boarding ramp.

"And yet you're still gloating over me as if you have a personal stake in all this."

Still denying them the satisfaction, Dan didn't cooperate, making them frog-march his body weight along the way to the boarding ramp.

"You're a whore, Captain. If the Empire sees you enjoying it too much, they might start asking why they bother paying for the service."

The bitter wind of Akuria finally could be felt from the opening in the hull, and Dan responded with a grimace.

Following after his two unwilling passengers, Torik let out a laugh as he made his way down the ramp.

"I was only answering your question. This has nothing to do with me enjoying what I do, and more with me making sure that you as... comfortable and informed as can be. Before the Empire sinks their claws into you, that is."

The cold breeze carried with it the sounds of military precision, and he allowed himself a bit of an extra swagger.

The group stopped at the end of the ramp, and he gave a pointed look to the delerious Jedi before turning his attention one last time to Dan.

"You're in luck; by Akurian II's standards, this is a very good day."

The Rebel commander squinted his eyes against the bracing blast with its stinging flakes.

"I'll make sure to mention it on the postcards I send."

Dan again looked to Lok, still a thrall to whatever sedatives coursed through her veins.

"Still, not quite sure I follow why you'd care. Trying your hand at playing soldier?"

"Your safety and health means I get paid in full. It's far more for selfish reasons than me actually caring about your state of mind."

The group stopped long enough for the rest of the stormtroopers to disembark with the captured Rebel commandos, and in no time at all they were moving once more.

The base itself was not large, as it had been given outpost status at best; but there were still facilities enough to house those that had gone crossways from the Empire. A smattering of snowtroopers stood at the entrance to one of the small bunkers that dotted the small area, and when a black-clad officer emerged, they snapped to attention.

Torik gave a nod to the Imperial as they drew close.

"Fine day, Commander Durrin, wouldn't you say?"

Dan didn't bother retorting, they'd moved on. He stood alongside Lok as Torik looked like the nexxu that swallowed the canary, presenting his prizes to the local Imperial capo. About time, really. He was getting tired of the bounty hunter's smart mouth, and would rather get on with things.

As they entered, Dan got a good look at their surroundings. The base wasn't much to look at, but established enough that it would take a concerted effort to dislodge. Akuria II wasn't the catch they'd hoped for after all.

Still held up by the two stormtroopers, s'Il felt the barest hint of control coming back. It was minimal and at best nothing grand, but at least it was still something. Her awareness gained firmer hold upon her own body, and the Lupine stirred. She groaned, and her head angled up to stare at the face of the Imperial who now himself stood looking disdainfully down at her.

Her legs shifted, feet gaining blessed purchase on the packed snow, and she lurched forward to strain against her captors. And in a glorious moment of release, they let her free. It was fleeting however, as the full weight of her own body was too much, and the Jedi tumbled to the ground in a struggling heap, her body writhing as she wrestled for control. It was fruitless, and she grew still.

The Imperial's voice cut through the haze to her ears, and she clenched her eyes shut. He addressed Dan, despite it being mroe than obvious that his eyes were still on her.

"I'll not waste your time. You are more than aware of the charges included in your bounty I am sure. As such, it stands to reason that you are more than aware of the punishment. Yes?"

Dan widened his stance a little, settling into a more casual posture. He wasn't going to give this career buffoon the luxury of aggrandizing his shitty posting with the importance he craved.

"As a matter of fact, I don't think your spineless lackey bothered to mention such charges, not that I'd put it behind you to make them up as you go."

The officer stiffened, looking at a datapad before him.

"You're Rebels, don't be coy. You're operating openly in treasonous action against the sovereignty of the Galactic Empire. A charge, I will remind you, that carries with it the pain of death."

Dan frowned a bit.

"I was hoping you'd regale me in specifics. Or do you get that kind of information way out here, at the end of the galaxy? Not exactly the best posting, is it? You'd skin a womp rat with a spoon to get closer to the core, I bet."

Torik smirked, but said nothing as Durrin scowled at Dan.

"Save your breath; I'll not be baited so easily."

The officer looked to the squad commander, giving a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Take them both to a cell."

At this, Torik gave a slightly confused look.

"Both? In the same one?"

"I don't have the space to allow each their own, Mr. Beirhannon. This outpost is not large enough so early in its' establishment, so we make do with what is available. Besides... "

The Imperial nudged the delirious Jedi with the toe of his boot, shifting her to the side a small bit.

"... this one is drugged enough that she won't know she's dead until the Maker meets her at the gates."

Torik, for his part at least, suppressed his tongue enough to offer a nod, and as the stormtroopers began to pull Dan away, he gave a careless shrug to the Rebel.

"Been nice knowin' you," he offered in parting, the tone of his voice nowhere near sincere.

"I think you're gonna find the galaxy's a smaller place than you'd like it to be."

Dan allowed himself to be led on, and gave the turncoat a parting shot.

"Better find a rock more out of the way than this one when that happens, friend."

And with that, they were herded off to a cell. Hopefully Imperial due process was longer than he feared it would be, but he doubted it.

She was aware of being hefted about once more, like a helpless and paralyzed whisperkit pup, and it wasn't long before she was deposited onto the ground once more; this time into a cell. The stormtroopers hadn't bothered to put her on the single cot - rather they simply let her drop to the floor before vacating the small room.

She could smell Dan at least, and groggily the Lupine opened her eyes, trying to focus on the ceiling above her.

Alone for however short amount of time they were allowed, s'Il pulled in as deep a breath as she could.

"... can't move,.. " she managed to croak out with her exhale.

"Save your strength."

He dropped into a crouch next to her, righting her in such a way as to ease her toward the cot.

"You've been pumped full of something, and it's got you out of sorts."

There was an implied "can you make it", but she was barely aware of her surroundings. He knew the answer.

She could at least still read the true intents of his words, and the Lupine let her body lean into his.

"... can make it... "

Questionable though her resolve sounded, there was at least a small bit of steel behind her words, and she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Need time," another deep breath, "... to heal. Can't feel legs."

There was a pause before she spoke again, though this time her voice wavered considerably more, as her worry and fear creeped into play.

"... can't feel Force... "

"I know."

If she had, she would've capitalized. You use what's available to you. They were both the same in this place. Unarmed and vulnerable.

Easing her up slightly, Dan helped the Lupine to the cot, so that she could at least attempt to recover there. For now, they had time to consider everything, until that door opened again.

"Didn't think it would end like this."

Blissfully, the cot was a welcome change to the ground, and s'Il felt her body fall back as her addled mind parsed his words.

"Not dead yet," she whispered, the words coming out in a sigh as her eyes screwed shut in concentration. A shaking hand moved, taking his own in a weak grip.

"Not dead yet."

"Yeah" came the quick, breathed response. Less an affirmation and more a world-weary analysis of their situation.

Dan sat against the wall adjacent to her, watching her rest.

"Still, guess we'd better get ready for that distinct possibility."

And even now, they couldn't talk about it. That was the tragedy, wasn't it?

She was quiet, her body running through the unseen gauntlet of trying to correct its' inner processes. It was maddening, and with only limited movement slowly returning, s'Il allowed a bit of frustration to show on her features. Whatever she'd been given had done a thorough enough job of laying her low.

Her thoughts took her back only a short time ago, replaying the one-sided 'conversation' that Beirhannon had had with her before landing. He'd shown her that cursed ring, and made some sort of small talk about sentimentality being wasted on Jedi. It grew more surreal the more she mulled it over.

But the fact of the matter still remained - for some bizarre reason Dan had kept a death hold on that engagement ring, and now it'd been taken from him. She at least felt a small amount of sorrow for him.

"... he took your ring."

"I know."

The silence that lasted after that acknowledgment was a long one. Dan rested his head against the cool of the cell wall, staring at the ceiling.

"I suppose when you fight against a limitless tyrannical oppressor, these things are bound to happen. I guess you're right."

"Always am."

It was said with the smallest returning hint of her old self, and the Lupine let out a long breath to follow. Her head lolled to the side as her single eye searched him out.

"... how much longer... ?"

A shrug out of her sight.

"Wouldn't count on seeing the sun going down, if that's what you're asking. Even if they Empire believed in due process, they would bend the rules in a place like this."

Dan looked to the ground.

"Of course, there's the off chance they want to parade us through Imperial Center. Don't know. Which do you prefer?"

"Do not want to see the black giant again," was her whispered answer.

She could still see in her mind's eye so clearly, the towering black monolith that had appeared on Rumigaar so long ago, laying waste to the small group of Jedi that Zem and Tam and herself had met.

The Lupine swallowed forcefully, and with a heaving breath, struggled to sit up. Of course it was a lost cause, but she doggedly pressed on, pushing her muscles to the brink of what she could control. There was a scent in the air that invaded her nostrils with crystal clear clarity.

"Help... have to get up... someone coming... "

"Yeah."

He grimaced. Their situation was bleak, perhaps more bleak than they'd been up against since this war began. He thought about all the choices that had brought him to this point. The sacrifices made. He thought of Nena. There was nothing Dan would like more to say that he wasn't scared and to face what seemed a certain thing with stoic pose. Maybe he could manage that on the outside. But you didn't stare death in the face like this and not contemplate blinking.

Dan worked to get her upright, taking care to make sure she was steady on the cot before standing to face whoever might be coming to their cell to confront them. Was it to happen so soon?

The blurry vision before her was a welcome one, but the urgency she'd scented rolling through the small detention hut was palpable.

As steady as she could be in her current situation, the Lupine allowed a slight frown.

"... is Dage," she whispered gently.

And sure enough, the first of the small group of commandos to be interrogated and wrestled into the small cell was none-other. Sporting a bloody nose and a split lip, the rangy blonde put up as much of a fight as he was able, though it was clear that the small battle he fought was a losing one, and he was wrangled inside without a word from their captors.

Of course their silence was made up by his own cursing, and when the door closed once more, Dage turned to look at his cellmates.

s'Il offered as much of a smile as she was able.

"You look like shit," came the expected response at the sight of the young Jedi propped up on the cot. His eyes went to Dan as he wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"And you look like someone kicked a pup."

He had to smile at that.

"I got the memo late that the Empire was enrolling us in a beauty pageant."

From the looks of things, the Imperials were at least going to try to squeeze on 'em pretty hard, and see if any actionable intel came out before the were just gunned down or done away with.

"Kori?"

Dage spit a bit of bloody spittle on the floor away from his companions.

"Just gettin' his turn now, I guess."

The rebel soldier gave a cocky grin.

"Didn't give 'em shit. Not even my name."

s'Il offered as much of a smile as she could, her head lolling to the side as Dage moved to sit beside her on the cot.

"Brave soul," she breathed out.

"Par for the course, Ol' Girl."

He gave a comforting pat to her leg. "None of us signed up thinking we'd be treated like Miss Universe."

The Lupine shifted her arm so that her hand rested limply atop his, a single finger twitching in lieu of being able to actually squeeze. Her strength was returning, though still at a painstakingly slow pace.

"If you... say so."

Dage gave a carefree grin at that, a low chuckle escaping from his lips.

"Yeah well, we ain't been slack," he looked at Dan, a knowing expression on his features as his voice dropped to the barest of whispers.

"Got ourselves a plan."