CHAPTER SEVEN

 She woke up in a cold sweat.

She woke up knowing instantly that something was wrong. At first she had no idea what it was that had brought such ill feeling when she slept, knowing only that it had crept into the sheets with her and wrapped its cold tendrils about her slumbering psyche. Mary felt the disorientation leave her while she panted hard, trying to catch her breath, wondering why it felt as if she had run a mile. Sweat glistened off her limbs and her blue eyes searched wildly through the room she had been occupying for the night trying to ferret out what exactly her mind had found so disconcerting, even in sleep. Then it hit her with the force of charging rancor.

They had not come back yet.

She jumped out of her bed, her silk nightdress clinging to her skin. It was one of the luxuries she allowed herself as a woman even though most people naturally assumed for one as military minded as she was beyond the lure of most things feminine. How much of a woman Mary was would surprise them if they knew but she kept such secrets to herself and allowed those around her to see what they needed to see the persona they could believe in no matter what.

With her hair flowing behind her in a long wave of white gold, Mary stepped out of the bedroom offered to her by Inez, the proprietress of this establishment and the person whom Buck Wilmington assured her, he could trust above all else while she was in Cordoba. As she walked down the hall, she heard the drunken mutterings of the other resident in the tavern and supposed that he was in quite a stupor for those he was loud enough to hear, his words were slurred with incoherence. Mary walked to the room at the end of the hall, feeling the warm air assault her as she moved through the darkened passage. Growing up on Alderaan, she was accustomed to cool breezes and temperate climates when she planet bound, not this dry desert heat that seem to scrape against her lungs each time she took a breath.

She only had to knock once or twice before she heard the muffled sounds of footsteps approaching from the other side. The speed of which her knock was answered indicated to Mary that Inez who occupied the room, was not much in the mood for sleep either. She wondered if Inez was similarly worried about the friends who had yet to return. The Four Corners Tavern was the quiet center of Alliance activity in Cordoba. Here, its members were provided with shelter, intelligence and anything other use that the Alliance could think of. Its hostess, Inez was an Alliance collaborator that risked unspeakable harm should the Empire ever know her involvement.

When the door swung open and Mary saw the redness in the woman's eyes, she knew immediately that Inez had not slept a wink and was just as concerned at the lack of appearance by Buck and the others as she.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked softly, trying not to appear foolishly emotional, Mary guessed.

"You know as well as I do that something is wrong." Mary replied gently, not wishing Inez to feel like she was the only fool. "They're not back yet."

Inez raised her eyes and seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "They should have been back hours ago." The tavern owner responded, her voice a soft hush. Stepping back, she opened the door wider and offered Mary entry. Mary did not refuse the offer and slipped quietly into the room.

The room that Inez Recillos called home was much larger than the one Mary had occupied during her stay here. Judging by the layout, Mary suspected that these had been two rooms and that Inez had removed the wall to give herself more space. The room which had been an ensuite, still kept the bedroom furniture within it but the other was occupied by a divan, some chairs, various pieces of antique furniture, including a rather impressive writing desk that Mary was certain had its origins in Coruscant.

"I've been waiting up and monitoring all docking reports available on the Info-Net." Inez explained as she returned to the table before the divan and wing chair that held a hot pot of cider. "There's no sign of the Rogue."

Mary glanced at the chronometer and noted the time. They were seriously overdue, too much for it to be assumed that the mission went according to plan. Josiah knew how dangerous it was for her to remain on Cordoba. If he had not returned yet then it was most likely that he could not. "They should have been back by now or at least confirmed that they have Nathan. If they had done neither, then it was most likely that they've been captured."

"I see." Inez swallowed heavily, trying to come to grips with that information even though the possibility had been with her all through the night. "Then they are lost?"

Mary took a deep breath and hated how it felt thinking that the Empire had won yet again. Two important members of the Alliance were now in their hands and worse yet, Buck and JD who held no importance as far as information was concerned and would most likely be killed outright. It left a sour taste in her mouth and she despised it, despised sacrificing yet another life just as her husband's had to be sacrificed for the greater good. "No," she said firmly, unaware of from what reservoir this determination not to yield was coming. "I'm not going to let them die."

"What do you mean?" Inez asked fearfully, thinking that perhaps Mary was intending on doing something foolish. Inez was just as aware of Mary's role in the Alliance and as much as he ached for those lost tonight, she would sit by and allow Mary to put her life before the cause they were fighting for.

"I'm sick of letting people die." Mary retorted. "We have to get them back. Somehow, we have to get them back. I need to contact the Alliance, have them send some people over here and we'll think this out." She said quickly as she sat down heavily on the divan. Inez did not follow her immediately choosing to retrieve another cup from a nearby cupboard first.

When Inez returned to join Mary at the table, she poured the rebel leader a cup of warm cider. Mary thanked her politely before noting that it appeared as if Inez was trying to tell her something important.

"What is it?" Mary asked.

"There may be someone here who could help you get the others back." Inez suggested although her tone seemed reluctant.

"Who?" Mary's eyes widened in hope. At this point, she was just desperate enough to accept any suggestion, no matter how outlandish it might be.

"When you were first brought into the tavern, remember Buck's friend?" Inez asked.

Mary recalled the dark figure sitting in the corner of the booth who seemed surly and uninterested in their business. Even though Buck assured her that he could be trusted, Mary had wondered who or what he was. Of course, the plan to rescue Nathan had superseded such thoughts, now that Inez had brought it up again, her curiosity was piqued once more. "I remember him." She nodded. "His name was Chris... something?"

"Chris Larabee." Inez answered with even more hesitation wondering if she had not made a terrible mistake. "I think he could be of use to you in rescuing the others."

"Why?" Mary asked suspiciously, observing the reluctance in Inez's manner to bring up this man's name. She was aware that he was the other occupant of the tavern and remembered his drunken stupor when she had first awoken. "Why could he be of more help to us than member of the Rebel Alliance?"

"Because," Inez volunteered slowly, hoping Chris would understand the reasons for her betrayal. "He used to be a Jedi Knight."

Mary blinked. "That...that drunk was a Jedi Knight?" She exclaimed almost astonished.

"Yes," Inez nodded somberly, not blaming her for her disbelief. "He was one of the strongest Jedi there were. He was going to be elevated to master when Palpatine began slaughtering all the Jedi with his servant Darth Vader."

Mary felt a cold shudder remembering the man known as Darth Vader. She had seen him once, a monstrosity kept alive by machinery and evil. His soul, she was certain was not unlike the black armor in which he encased his body as he did the Emperor's bidding. "I remember." Mary nodded slowly. "It was just before Palpatine declared himself Emperor. The Jedi purges were the beginning of all this."

"Chris lost his wife and son in the purges. Palpatine was not satisfied with just killing the Jedi, the entire race had to be wiped out as far as he was concerned. Even the children of Jedi were killed. He heard about the purges and rushed home to find them already dead, they were burned alive in their house."

"Oh god," Mary gasped softly, more emotion in her soul emerging than she would have liked for those needless deaths. It was not that she was usually unsympathetic to such news but stories like this were so many now that their power to move her was slight and yet something inside her felt a deep sense of empathy for the man. "And he's been this way ever since?" She asked, referring to the drinking without having to use the word.

"He lost his faith." Inez answered, her voice as she shared the same sorrow for Chris. "It was bad enough that his entire way of life was being destroyed but the loss of his family. It destroyed him."

"How old was his son?" Mary asked softly for no particular reason.

"He was five I think."

"Five." The number escaped Mary as a gasp. She thought of her own son, hidden away with what family remained after Palpatine's purges and wondered how she would go on if she were to learn that he too were gone, murdered like Chris Larabee's son.

"Nothing has reached him Mary," Inez explained. "Buck is his oldest friend and nothing Buck has said made any difference to Chris."

"You expect me to try?" Mary looked at her astonished. "If his best friend can't talk to him, what good will I do? He doesn't even know me."

She was right but Inez was also out of options and she was desperate to try anything, even something as unlikely as convincing Chris Larabee that it was time to help his friend or he'd lose another person in his life.

"Mary," Inez summed up the words from inside of her and hope that they would be enough to convince the rebel leader to tray. "I saw you talk to a boy today about freedom and justice. I saw you reach him Mary, even though he had never had a reason in his life to question any of those beliefs. All he had was your words telling him how good it was in the days of the Republic, you made him care enough to risk everything when he had no reason to. You did that Mary, you made him feel something inside that no one else could. After you spoke to him, he was ready to go off with Buck even though he knew he could die. You have the power to make freedom felt Mary, just by speaking about it. We know you believe and so we believe too."

Mary buried her face in her hands unable to deny anything that Inez had said even though she was not very proud of thinking that it was her words that made JD Dunne go with Buck Wilmington. However, if she wanted to save that young boy's life then she was going to have to believe Inez's word that she was capable of reaching the Jedi.

"Alright," Mary let out a held breath, unable until she felt herself conceding that she had held it at all. "I will talk to him but you make a very big pot of cider and if he kills me, I'm considering this entirely your fault."

*********

Someone was pounding at his door.

The noise exploded into Chris Larabee's sensitive head with such force that it had the effect of physical pain and the former Jedi groaned out loud and uttered some vulgar obscenity at whomever was making that din to go away. The action resulted in a slight pause before the noise resumed again and for the first time in too long, Chris felt the need to grab his lightsaber just so that he could put an end to the ruckus permanently. He considered ignoring and thought perhaps he could place himself a Jedi meditative state where such annoyances would disappear.

Of course one could not reach a meditative state when one was suffering the worse hangover in creation.

Burrowing under his pillows did nothing to drive away that incessant noise, not even when he chose to further verbalize his displeasure, although he was uncertain whether or not the words had come out in any coherent order. Finally, the only thing that Chris could do to make it stop was to push himself off the bed and face the intruder who had better have a damned good explanation for this intrusion on a perfectly good hangover.

"What is it?" He demanded as he pulled open the door, unconcern that he was clad in nothing but his pants.

"Really Mr Larabee," Mary Travis declared as she let herself into the room, bringing the alien scent of hot cider into a room where the smell of alcohol had seeped into the paint. "I thought Jedis were supposed to be erudite and in possession of inner calm. Please get dressed, I don't wish to conduct our business while you're half-naked."

Chris stood there stupefied for a second as his hung over mind attempt to process what had just happened as the lovely blond strode into the room, still wearing her nightgown.

"Excuse me?" He blinked and stuttered. "Business?"

"Yes," she responded as she set down the cup of hot cider on a near by table. "We have business to conduct and I would prefer to speak to you while you're somewhat sober."

Chris recovered a little but only enough to be even more annoyed by her intrusion. His state of mind was such that at this moment, he was relatively unconcerned by the fact that she was the woman had made his heart skip a beat some hours earlier. All he cared about right now was that she had invaded his space and he had no intention of tolerating it, no matter how beautiful or silky her skin might appear against the sheer satin elegance of her night gown. Where did that come from? He asked himself as the thought streaked past and he stared at her.

"We don't have any business to conduct lady," he retorted, his voice a hoarse whisper from too much drink and lack of sleep.

"Yes we do I'm afraid," Mary steeled herself for a frosty reception and remembered Inez's words. "Buck Wilmington has been captured by the Empire. Unless we rescue him, they'll execute him for high treason."

Chris swore inwardly. Damn that stupid flyboy! Why did he go and get involved in that mess? "He knew what the was getting into." Chris muttered and turned back towards his bed.

"That's all you have to say?" Mary demanded, not about to let him slink back into the covers so easily. She suddenly felt this previously unfamiliar need to salvage this wreck of a man. For what purpose, she had no idea but something about seeing this Jedi who wore the face of a god (a somewhat hung over one at the moment) give up on himself. "I was under the impression he was your best friend."

"Get out." Chris retorted sharply. "If he's in the hands of the Empire, its over. He's as good as dead."

"It's not over." She said fiercely. "Not while there's a chance to save him. Now I know where he's been taken and with your help we could get him out but only with your help."

"Where has he been taken?" Chris asked as he dropped onto his bed and stared at her with indifference.

"To the Imperial installation on Doldur. Once there, they'll discover he's just a courier and they will execute him and the boy." Mary explained holding out the cup of cider for him to take.

"Doldur." Chris nodded, knowing the place well. The Doldur star system, rich in a multitude of ore deposits were well guarded by the fully manned and armored station on one the small moons of its planets. The arsenal there was formidable, just as formidable as the surface troops. "Let it go." He said coldly. "They're dead. You'll never get to them."

Mary braced herself and suppress the well of anger that emerged inside of her as he casually dismissed the life of his friend and those with him. "I'll never get to them but I believed a Jedi might fare better."

Chris ignored the cider she was obviously offering him and retorted. "A Jedi would, if there were one available but as you can see, no such person of that description happens to be in this room so I say you got a bit of a problem."

"You're pathetic." She whispered, her disgust clearly showing.

"Get out." Chris stood up and said firmly.

"Or what?" She challenged him, her blue-grey eyes blazing. "You'll throw me out?"

"I might." He said finding her word and manner annoying enough to consider it.

"That would require the existence of a man and from where I'm sitting, you're barely that." Mary declared, unhappy that her temper had been stoked so prolifically but she did not care.

"That's it," Chris took a step towards. "You get out or I'll throw you out."

"Do it!" She swore. "I should have not have expected anything more. I wouldn't even have wasted my time with a drunk like you if it wasn't for some strange notion Inez had that you might still be a human being underneath all that liquor!"

"You don't know anything about me!" He shouted and strode towards her, striking the cup out of her hand when he reached Mary. The cup and its contents went flying through the air, spilling across the floor and shattering into large fragments when it hit the floor. She jumped at the sound it made when it shattered but when it was all said and done, she turned on him with those eyes and showed him without doubt, that he was going to have to do better if he thought he was going to frighten her into retreat.

"I know that you lost your wife and son." Mary replied and saw his eyes flared in fury at their name being brought up.

"Don't you say anything about my family!" Chris shouted and his hand was around her throat, slamming her against the wall as he held her in place by the neck.

"I don't have to!" She shouted back, not afraid and not fighting him. "You think you're the only one in the galaxy that has lost everything? How can you be a Jedi Knight and be so goddamn arrogant as to believe that!"

" Shut up!" He hissed in warning and menace.

"No I won't shut up!" Mary returned loudly. "Because I need you. I don't have any choice but to need you. If this is what it takes to make you wake up to yourself then so be it! You think you are the only one who has a monopoly on pain? Life is pain! Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool! You think that your hurt gives you the right to make a mockery of everything that your wife and son died for? They died because of injustice and what do you do? Do you avenge them? Do you try to honor their memory by living? No, you pathetic bastard! You climbed in a bottle and let yourself rot!"

" SHUT UP!" He screamed and Mary found herself flying.

The power of his rage sent her in the air and she slammed hard into the nearby wall. Mary felt her head flare in pain as it connected with the stone surface and she uttered a small cry of pain before the abrupt stop dropped her to the ground.

Chris watched her fall and suddenly felt something not unlike a bucket of cold water flung into his face, washed all over him. He was trembling when he realised what he had done and there were no adequate words to describe the horror of his actions. He heard Inez's footsteps running up the corridor, feeling her fear and shock as she approached and realised that she had been listening closely, trying not to interfere until she heard the sound of Mary being flung against the wall like some child's toy. Her fear forced him into movement and Chris hurried forward towards Mary, who was pushing herself onto her knees from her prone position.

"Mary." He dropped next to her as Inez reached the door. The sound of his voice made her pause and she lingered at the door allowing them both the freedom to speak.

Mary turned to him while still on her hands and knees and wiped the smear of blood running across her face. A slight bruise was forming under her cheek where she had hit the wall and as Chris saw her in that state, he closed his eyes unable to look. For the first time in too long, he felt an emotion coursing through him other than grief and sorrow. He felt shame. He extended his hand towards her and half expected her to reject it. Instead, she ran her fingers through her hair, brushing those golden strands, some stained with blood from her face before raising those dove like eyes to him.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked, her voice perfectly calm with no trace of the venom that had provoked into his shameful behavior.

"Not much," Chris answered and paused a moment as he composed his next words. "Are you always this pushy?"

She sat upright on the floor and met his gaze. "When I need to get things done."

Chris nodded slowly as he thought about what she had said. "I've been away for a long time." He whispered, "I don't know whether I can be of any use to you."

"I don't know whether you can either," she said honestly, watching the man and seeing the sadness in his eyes. They mirrored her own and despite his assault of her, she found she could not be angry because once, she had felt his sorrow and that empathy allowed forgiveness to come easily. "But I don't have a choice. I'm done allowing people to die."

Chris could understand that and in truth, he did not want Buck to die. The people in his life were fast dwindling into the mists, there was no need to hurry their departure along. Buck had been there through the worst of his grief when he had been faced with Sarah and Adam's death. Buck had made sure that he continued living even though in those first few days he wanted to die desperately. Until tonight, he had been still wanting to die, to join his family in the after life. It was not until tonight he understood how much he had made their sacrifice worthless by allowing the Emperor to defeat him. Buck was right, Sarah would never have tolerated his and Mary was right, he should have been honoring them by living, not hiding here like some coward. His behavior was shameful.

"What do you need me to do?" He asked, raising his eyes to hers.

"I don't know." Mary said honestly. "I have something of a plan but I need you to carry it out. I won't lie to you, it's risky but a Jedi Knight is the only person I know who can make it past the Imperial defences."

"Jedi or not," Chris answered realistically. "I think you're over estimating my abilities."

"I don't think so," she shook her head. "When you're mad, you're pretty dangerous."

"Anger is not the path I can to take." Chris declared. "The temptation to take the way to the dark side is too much."

"Really?" Her lips started to curl with a smile. "That's sound like a Jedi talking. Are you telling me there's one in the room after all?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she asked the question.

Chris reached for the bruise on her face and caressed the tender flesh. She was surprised by his touch and for the first time, the confidence mask of self-assurance wavered and Chris saw something of the woman beneath the persona.

"Maybe just one." He replied, feeling a slight tug at the corner of his lips as well and withdrew his hand.

"You'll need help." She pointed out.

"Yes I will," Chris nodded in agreement and knew just the person who could provide it.

CHAPTER EIGHT

He should have left by now.

If he could not bring himself to claim Chris Larabee's bounty then he ought to start giving serious thought about disappearing. He did not doubt that the Imperial agents who had given him this assignment would make good on their threat. Vin Tanner sat in the bar at the spaceport, imbibing in one two many drinks because he had no idea what to do. For a man who had prided himself in always having a plan, this state of affairs was wholly unacceptable to him. The flux of uncertainty left his thoughts disjointed and confused even though the contributing factor had most of all to do with the truth he had recently learned about himself.

He had spent time following his meeting with Chris Larabee trying to decide what to do and finding no answer throughout his ruminations. Vin had buried himself in his sleeping quarters on board the Tracker with a good bottle of Gungan whiskey and permitted himself to get blind stinking drunk in the hopes that the intoxication would help him to reach some type of epiphany. It did not and when the bottle was empty, Vin could only force himself out of his ship and into the bar where JD Dunne and Buck Wilmington had made their first meeting. It was in the small hours of dawn and the bar that apparently did not close, was similarly numbered for customers. A few barflies remained at the counter while some sat around tables, muttering with slurred speech to one another while drinking in the atmosphere of hopelessness that seemed to emerge after a party had ended.

Vin paid no attention to the other patrons, drinking steadily in order to make this feeling inside of him go away. After his mother had died, Vin had become accustomed to being alone. Oh, there were people around him as a child but they were all prisoners in the same cage and though they ensured he was nourished and protected to serve his place as one of them, they did not really consider him as such. In truth, neither did he. Even he befriended the nomadic Sand People who roamed the deserts of Tatooine; he was taught their secrets but still regarded as different. Vin's adult life saw him embark on a similar pattern of isolation, only this time it was of his own making.

He had never realised how much he had wanted to belong, not until he had met Chris Larabee who told him things about himself he had never imagined could be true. His instincts were his ally. He relied upon them and assumed other people were similarly gifted but never chose to trust it as completely as he did. He saw things in his head that he had always considered to be flashes of insight or intuition, the way an enemy was going to turn or what path a bounty might have taken in order to elude him. Vin did know one thing which disturbed him greatly and which he revealed to no one; once he got the scent of the prey, not even space or time could make him lose it. Vin was considered the best because he was relentless in his pursuit even if the trail was cold like the dead ashes of a fire. Somehow he had always brought in his quarry.

Now he knew that it was not because he was attuned to his instincts. It was nothing like that at all. He was and had always been a part of something greater than he knew. He knew the religion that surrounded the Force, the energy field generated by all living creatures, interconnecting them in some way and fostering cosmic harmony if only those same beings could see past their differences. The Jedi Knights and Masters were the priesthood of this religion and until he stood face to face with Chris, had never imagined that the Force could burn so strongly in him.

But it was the Force.

No matter how much he hated to admit it, he could not deny that fact. Chris Larabee had opened up a door inside his mind and suddenly, Vin knew with utter certainty what he should have been. He should have been Jedi. Of course that could never happen now. Due to events beyond his control, the Emperor and Lord Vader were systematically exterminating the entire order down to the genetic level. Vin sat at the bar lamenting the fact that he finally found his place in the galaxy only to discover that it no longer existed.

"It doesn't help you know." A voice said next to him.

Vin almost jumped out of his seat. Normally he could sense when someone was approaching him even though they might have stepped into a crowded room and had not even started walking towards him. He glanced sideways and saw Chris Larabee standing before him. The Jedi was dressed in his dark robes, sheathed in black and imposing as ever. Those who saw the Jedi, could feel the presence of him and seemed to shrink further into the background as if sensing the danger even if they could not understand why.

Vin looked back at his glass and downed its contents in one gulp. "It helps me."

"I thought it helped me too," Chris sat down next to the younger man. "All it did was made me disappear altogether."

"That's what I'm aiming for." Vin remarked and ordered another.

Chris sat down on the stool next to him. In truth, the Jedi did not know why he was here. Perhaps it was because he felt a sense of kinship with Vin Tanner despite the fact the man had been sent here to hunt him down. Chris could sense that Vin felt lost and adrift at the realization that he was Force adept. He could not blame the bounty hunter of course. Most Jedi had years to accustom themselves to being what they were, not to mention the training and apprenticeship that went into preparation before actually being Jedi. Vin had been dropped into this cold and Chris could hardly expect his reaction to be any different than what it was.

"I need your help." Chris said finally, deciding that there would be no easy way to ask this and it was pointless trying to bandy about words so that the point could be arrived at smoothly. There was no way to do this except with sincerity and while his instincts were not as sharp as they should be considering that his senses had been dulled the past year with drink, the Force gave him reason to hope nonetheless.

Vin turned to him slowly and with astonishment. "You want my help?" The bounty hunter regarded him with incredulity. "The man sent to deliver you to the Empire?"

"Yes," Chris nodded; meeting those cobalt colored eyes directly. "I need you to help me rescue some friends of mine at an Imperial installation."

Vin's jaw almost dropped open from disbelief but somehow he managed to keep himself from doing that and resorted instead to uttering a short burst of laughter. "Either you're insane or I'm a hell of a lot drunker than what I think I am." The bounty hunter retorted as he picked up the fresh glass of liquor placed in front of him.

"You're all I've got." Chris said without hesitation. "I need someone I can trust."

"And you picked me?" Vin balked, still unable to believe that of all the people the Jedi could have come to for this, he had chosen Vin Tanner, the very person who only hours ago had threatened to deliver his head to the Emperor. The logic of it was too much for Vin to wrap his mind around.

"I picked you." Chris nodded.

"Why?" Vin demanded. "What makes you think that I won't still turn you over to the Empire?"

Chris let a smile cross his lips, a faint smile that indicated he knew something that Vin did not know. "Because I know you won't. You've searched all your life to belong somewhere, to not feel so outcast. I chose you because the Jedi are fast becoming extinct; soon there will be only a handful of us, if there aren't already. This is your only chance to ever know what you could have been, to know from tradition you come from. I did not know your father but I suspect he might have been one of us. Do you have any memory of him?"

"No." Vin shook his head; unable to meet Chris' eyes when he answered. "I never knew him. I barely remember my mother as it is."

"I need your help Vin," Chris reiterated, aware that he had no reason to trust this bounty hunter however, every fiber of his being and every thing that made him a Jedi told Chris that he could. Vin Tanner was looking for something and Chris was not certain what game fate was playing with both of them, but he sensed he was that something for which the younger man had been searching perhaps all his life. "I can't do this alone."

Vin stared into the bottom of his glass and wondered if he was going insane. He wondered because he was actually considering going with this crazy Jedi on this suicidal mission and there was no mistaking it, it was suicidal, to rescue his friends. However, what did he have to lose? He was not going to bring Chris Larabee in; he had decided that much prior to the man's arrival at the bar. The Empire was most likely going to put a price on his head so his chances of coming near a civilized star system for a while would be negligible. If he was going to be a marked man, wasn't it better for him to choose the manner in which he became one?

"I must be insane." Vin mused as he swirled the contents of his glass and decided that he had done enough drinking. If he was going to die on some foolish quest, he might as well do it sober. "I must be absolutely insane."

"The insane go to the after life absolved." Chris pointed out.

"Don't start that cryptic Jedi stuff with me." Vin retorted as he started to stand up. "I'm way confused as it is."

Chris could only smile as he lifted himself from his stool. "I know the feeling."

*********

After copious amounts of hot cider and more self-debate as to how he had gone from respected bounty hunter to possible rebel collaborator in a matter of hours, Vin Tanner accompanied Chris Larabee back to the Four Corners Tavern. A part of him still did not know why he was willing to risk everything on such a foolish venture but the bounty hunter could not deny that there was something inordinately pleasing about having someone willing to trust you on faith alone. There was also something else that Vin did not want to admit because he was too jaded and felt sentimentally foolish about feeling and it was the fact that not only did he have this secret yearning to belong; but he also wished to belong to something worth fighting for. An Empire that was willing to condemn him for not carrying out their desires was not worth his loyalty and since they would turn him into a fugitive for his disobedience anyway, Vin felt that it might have been for something worthwhile.

"Are you sure about this?" Mary asked eyeing Vin critically when Chris had presented him to the rebel leader. They were inside Inez's room above the Four Corners tavern, about to map out their plan for rescuing Nathan and the others.

"I'm sure." Chris replied, refusing to give her doubts any more attention then that. Chris trusted Vin Tanner. It had been a long time since he could be so certain about anyone but Chris had been that about Vin ever since they had met, even when he had not pulled himself out of the self pitying phase he had been wallowing of late.

"Alright," Mary nodded and got down to the business at hand. "I've contacted the Alliance and it is confirmed. They have been taken to Doldur all of them. At this time, we know that they're still alive, the Empire will want to conduct a proper interrogation to squeeze every iota of information about the Alliance that they can manage."

"Doldur's maximum security." Vin remarked, knowing something about the installation they were meant to penetrate. "If we're talking about breaking in there, I can tell you now, it's impossible."

"There are problems," Chris said easily, seeming unconcerned. "But it's not impossible."

Mary suppressed a smile finding the Jedi very different from the drunken man whom she had confronted some hours ago. There was something akin to peace about him and though she suspected that his sorrow had not disappeared entirely, nor would his brooding manner, she was pleased that he had pulled himself together enough to realise that life did go on. "I'm afraid your friend is correct." Mary agreed with Vin's assessment of the situation. "The station is located on the small moon orbiting Doldur 3, a gas giant. Aside from the tremendous gravitational forces that have turned the moon into one large violent vortex of high winds, an energy shield protects the installation. No ship may pass through it without the shield being dropped from inside the complex."

"What if we landed a small ship right next to the field perimeter?" Chris asked after a moment's consideration. "These things are made to keep out larger objects like a fighter but a person could just walk through the shield."

"Still impossible," Vin added automatically. "That's why they have a tight monitoring system throughout that entire area. We so much as breathe next to that thing and there'll be enough alarms screaming to wake the dead."

"We cannot disable the sensors." Mary mused starting to think away out of their present solution. "Neither can we avoid them, perhaps what we need to do is make them less important." She blinked suddenly and sat up. 

Chris could feel the inspiration coming from her and could not deny that it was infections indeed when she felt this way. Despite himself, he could not help admiring her as she continued to speak, unaware of his observation. She was the strongest spirited woman he had ever met and yet he suspected at the core of her was someone soft and very unlike the military persona she wore around herself like a shield. He just wished she did not look so sad.

"You have an idea?" Vin asked, seeing the same spark in Mary's eyes as Chris did, even though the bounty hunter felt none of the affection the Jedi did towards the lovely blond woman who seemed clearly to be in charge of things.

"What you need gentlemen," Mary eased back into her seat and remarked thoughtfully. "Is a distraction."

"There is no distraction big enough to make their ignore a perimeter alert." Vin pointed out. He was well aware of the efficiency of Imperial security, especially around their military bases.

"How about a rebel attack from space?" Mary asked with a hint of a smile.

"You’ll never get past their deflector shield." Chris pointed out.

"No," she agreed. "But the capture of two important Alliance members is reason enough us to try in their opinion. It has just enough desperation about it to be real."

It was a good gamble but still a risky one. Chris could feel her own reservations, none of which translated on her face because a good commander never showed weakness to the enemy or to those under their command. "You know that you won’t be able to do them any damage." He reminded. 

"Yes I do," Mary nodded, having thought it through before she even suggested it to them. "However, the purpose here is not to engage or destroy the enemy, mainly keep their attention away from the two of you while you penetrate the perimeter. Perimeter sensors have a tendency to trip when the deflector shield is under bombardment. Once activated, the sensors will transmit an alert for approximately three minutes, you have that long to get through the shield and get out of range. Any longer than that and the alarm will repeat itself, at which point the Imperials will know that it is not a glitch but a genuine breach in security."

"Understood." Chris nodded, absorbing all that information.

"Once we get in there, how do we find these friends of yours? I know they will be in a cell block but do we have any idea about the layout of the place?" Vin asked no one in particular.

Chris could tell that the bounty hunter was still dubious about their chances of success since his scepticism reflected in his speech. However, Chris was not offended or perturbed by Vin’s behaviour mostly because he knew the man was set in his mind to follow Chris whatever his reservations might be. Vin had reached a crossroads in his life and was understandably somewhat resentful of that path that he had been forced to take. Still Chris did not doubt him or believe that Vin would go back on his word to help him in this mission. For a bounty hunter, Vin Tanner had a strange sense of honour and his word was not given lightly nor broken for the sake of convenience.

"He has a point." Chris pointed out. "I can have someone take us there but it will complicate things."

"Agreed," Mary nodded, trying to think a way out of this particular problem. "I suppose the only thing you can do is plug into a computer terminal and produce a layout of the installation."

"It will have to do," Chris sighed wishing there was an alternative but then this entire rescue effort was never meant to be easy. "Let’s hope your distraction is enough to keep them busy while we go roaming about the place."

"Unfortunately, we have little else choice in the matter but do exactly that," Mary sighed wishing she could be of more assistance to them considering the nature of what they were attempting to do. "In the meantime, I’ll contact our field agents and see if we have anyone placed in that facility that could be in a position to help you when you arrive at the Doldur installation."

"A prayer would be more help than field agents." Vin muttered under his breath. It was hard to get terribly encouraged by a plan that hinged on so many probabilities and all of which had a thousand to one chance of failing at every turn.

As much as Chris might hate to admit it, he had a feeling that Vin was probably right.

*******

"So this is what the Alliance sent to rescue Captain Jackson?" Colonel Nabb circled his prisoners like a carrion hawk about to pick at a particularly tasty morsel from a dead carcass.

Ezra Standish found himself leaning with his back to the wall, feeling the need to put some distance between himself and his superior officer as the man began assessing the prisoners who had been taken into custody hours ago. The collection was hardly impressive indeed and it added to the Colonel’s venom when Mary Travis was not to be found in their number. The rebels had wisely kept her from embarking on this rescue mission and though they had taken the bait, it was no victory for the Empire either.  

In truth, Ezra wondered how Nabb had thought things could go any other way. Commander Mary Travis was no fool and she certainly was aware of the risks should the Empire capture her. Not only would her life be forfeit but also the wealth of information she could provide regarding the Rebel Alliance indicated that risking her on such a mission was completely unacceptable. If the tables were turned, Ezra knew that no Imperial officer would compromise the Empire by taking foolish risk. 

The trio being interrogated had yet to speak even though it would not be long before that happened. The failure to lure Mary Travis here had more or less ensured abandoning of any further attempts to retrieve her but to salvage the situation, Nabb would have to get something valuable from the prisoners before him. Nathan had no doubt much to provide them with as well as the captain of the captured ship, the older man who was obviously a rebel and the stripling who should have been in school or anywhere else except the unfortunate place he was at now.  

Ezra wished he could get back to Coruscant instead of languishing here on Doldur ever since Nabb had discovered his relationship to Nathan Jackson and had transferred him here in the hopes of using him against the rebel Captain. As it was, Nabb took some delight in watching his discomfiture as the Colonel openly discussed the benefits of putting his oldest friend under torture, wanting to see if Ezra would react. It did not take any feat of genius to discern what Nabb’s intentions were in this regard of course. It would be coup enough to secure the secrets of the Rebel Alliance but to finish off that splendid achievement by uncovering another traitor in their midst would mean promotions and all sorts of accolades for the ambitious Colonel who was lusting after a governorship or better.  

"Look," the one named Buck Wilmington spoke up. "The boy is just a passenger. He didn’t know anything about what we were intending to do." 

Big mistake, Ezra thought silently.  

Nabb immediately focussed on the youth, a boy no more than eighteen Ezra estimated. The Colonel’s eyes narrowed and just as surely as he had broadcasted the thought, Ezra knew exactly what the man was about to do.  

"We’ll start the interrogation with this one." Nabb paused in front of the young man and declared with an almost triumphant smile.

 The young man’s eyes widened in fear and the reaction that Nabb wanted from his older companions came easily after that. Ezra swore inwardly because it was obvious the boy knew nothing about the Rebellion. Ezra could read people better than anyone alive; save a Jedi and he knew that unless the Rebellion had been reduced to recruiting its members straight from the farm, he doubted this child was a member. The torture he would suffer at the hands of Nabb’s interrogation was pointless but then, it was not the purpose of the exercise for the young man to produce information, just a reaction from his older companions. 

"You bastard!" The pilot shouted with unbridled venom. "He doesn’t know anything!"  

"We’ll find that out soon enough." Nabb said icily and gestured the storm troopers forward. "Take him." 

"No!" The pilot started to rise out of his seat when guns raised hastily in his direction.

 Ezra could not take much more of this and he was not about to let this child suffer for no reason. He may be an Imperial officer but the uniform had not burned away his conscience too. "Calm yourself," Ezra ordered the Captain of the ship called the Rogue. "Your friend will be taken unless you cooperate." Ezra stared directly at the man and hoped he was right about how intuitive star pilots could be. "We want answers and if we cannot get any from you, we will get them from him. Our purpose here is not to brutalise but to acquire information, any information. Do you understand?"

 Buck Wilmington stared at the Imperial captain’s eyes and paused for a moment in his bluster to consider the man’s words. There was something in the way he had said that which seemed to have more meaning than it ought and Buck had a feeling that unless he wanted to watch JD being dragged out of here to suffer Force only knew what, then he had better comprehend what it was. The only way to save JD was to provide the Empire with information, any information. Suddenly, it flared in his mind and he understood quickly that it was not much of a solution as it was a staging measure but at least it would take this Colonel’s attention away from JD. 

"Okay." Buck acquiesced and sat down. "I’ll tell you whatever I know. Just don’t hurt him." 

"Buck!" JD exclaimed in protest. "I can handle it! You can’t talk!"  

"Sit down!" Nabb shoved him back into his seat and then turned to Buck. "You are prepared to cooperate." 

Buck turned towards Josiah and JD and swallowed thickly. He hoped they understood and guessed from Josiah’s expression that the Senator did. "Yeah," he said reluctantly. "I’ll cooperate." The words escaped him with a soft and hollow whisper. 

"Good," Nabb said with a smile and turned to Ezra. "It appears you have quite the knack for this, Captain."

 Ezra kept a neutral expression on his face and answered. "I am learning the rules of the game."

CHAPTER NINE

The warship had seen better days in Chris’ opinion but as the Tracker flew towards the coordinates for the rendezvous with the Rebel Alliance; the evidence of extensive refit was visible across the hull of the large vessel. The cruiser, which appeared to be Nubian in origin, had probably done most of its service during the Clone Wars and had recently been subjected to the engineering wizards at the Sluis Van shipyards who had probably ensured that the ship was a match for any Destroyer. Circling it like the spawn of some ocean leviathan, were at least a dozen X-Wings, fast becoming known as the fighter of choice for the Rebel Alliance. Designed specifically to be a highly manoeuvrable craft for close quarters aerial combat, the X Wing had proven itself in several encounters to be far superior and more serviceable than Imperial TIE fighters.  

The minute the Tracker landed in the hanger of the warship, which Mary told them, was called Purgatory; it was clear to both Jedi and bounty hunter just how much authority Mary wielded in the Rebel Alliance. There was not a person on board who did not recognise her or move to salute her as she walked past. A young ensign had been despatched to escort her to the bridge where she would be expected to take command as master of the vessel. As she walked with them through the innards of the ship upon leaving behind the landing bay, her departure was observed by most of the technicians on deck and the impression that Chris got from them was one of silent awe. Vin noticed it too and was staring at the blond woman in a new light, wondering what she had done to earn such respect from those around her.  

Mary seemed uncomfortable by the attention however, even when the ensign rabbited on endlessly about how they had all been looking forward to her arrival and despite the loss of Josiah Sanchez and Nathan Jackson, were glad that her safety had not been compromised. Chris could tell that she was very nearing the end of her patience with the ensign because it did not comfort her to know that Nathan and Josiah had been placed in their unfortunate situation because of her.  

"Those are the new X wings?" Vin inquired, still staring at the docked vessels as they exited the hangar where the rest of the X Wing squadrons for the Purgatory was berthed.  

"Yes," Mary answered; glad for the change in subject that would not require listening how thrilled everyone was to have her here. Command was something she had to live with it; she by no means enjoyed it to warrant such fanfare." They were designed by Corellian engineers for the Naboo but since the upheaval there, the manufacturing funding ran dry and production stopped midway. The Alliance was able to step in and purchase the prototypes and complete the design with a few modifications." 

"Like what?" Chris inquired, admiring the sleek snubbed nose vessel. He liked their expedient and compact design and wondered how they handled. 

"Well they have a greater fuel capacity than most fighters which means they are capable of making long range flights without having to stop and refuel. Considering what activity we engage in, our biggest weakness is that we have to stop at outposts and stations to refuel when flying missions where there is no warship accompaniment. We have a better chance of survival if our pilots do not have to stray into populated areas for refuelling." 

"Good point." Vin agreed. "I noticed your engines are different too. You have additional boosters don’t you?"  

"Two." Mary confirmed. "Mostly to give us just a little more speed than your standard TIE fighter." 

"Who pays for all this?" The bounty hunter inquired. Compared to the Empire, the Rebel Alliance was fledgling but there could be no doubt that the organisation was well equipped. It took millions of credits to achieve half of what Vin was seeing here and this was meant to be only one ship out of hundreds the Alliance was purported to have in its arsenal. 

"Most of it comes from our supporters who used to be in the Senate. When Palpatine turned it into the Imperial Senate, he made no secret of whom he considered unwanted elements to the body. His method of ensuring they stayed out of politics was extreme to say the least. Most of them went into hiding and prior to doing so dissolved all their assets and donated it to the cause. There’s a slush fund on Alderaan, Mon Calamari, Sluis Van, Corellia, Sollust and some smaller star systems, not to mention they divert their supply surplus to us when they can and then there’s the private sector. More and more governments are joining us, we estimate once the segregation policy comes into effect, there will be a lot more." 

"You expect to win against the Imperial war machine?" Vin could not help but be dubious despite the impressive show of coordination being displayed. As he walked down the corridors, he had to admit that this was no group of rabble. The men and women he saw, both human and alien were in every strict sense of the word, soldiers. They conducted themselves like officers of the Republic and inwardly, Vin could not deny that he would like to see them prevail in the face of their conviction and obvious dedication. 

"Not immediately." Mary responded, not perturbed by the question because it was a valid point. "We are a long way from being able to stand up to Palpatine. We estimate that it might be a decade perhaps even two before we are really ready to challenge him. He’s been preparing for a very long time to become Emperor and his people were placed well in advance before the Senate voted him as Chancellor. All we can hope to do is circumvent him where we can." 

Chris said nothing because she was right. It would take twenty years, perhaps even more before the Empire was toppled. He knew this without doubt because prescience was a Jedi gift and while it was not always clear, some things impressed themselves more than others. Once again, he thought about Tatooine and what waited there for Palpatine and Vader, the secret that had to be protected at all costs from both men. If either knew about Tatooine, then there would be no future and the Rebel Alliance would be doomed.  

"I have a request." Chris said suddenly. Mary was in a position to convey this point to the higher echelons of the Rebel Alliance. He was sure Obi-Wan would have taken precautions but he could not be certain absolutely since Ben had ensured that no one would be able to reach him on Tatooine.

 Mary looked over her shoulder at him. "Name it." 

"Tatooine." He stated firmly.

"Tatooine?" Vin looked at the Jedi wondering why his home world had suddenly been mentioned. "What about it?" 

There was something in Chris’ voice that made her pause and stare at him. His expression became stone, not unlike the tough mask he had presented to her when they had first met and he had considered her a stranger. "As far as I know Tatooine is under the purview of the Hutts, isn’t that right?" She glanced at Vin for confirmation. 

"Its considered part of Imperial space but they know who is in charge," Vin answered.  

"The Rebel Alliance cannot go to Tatooine." Chris stated firmly.  

"What’s on Tatooine?" Mary asked, her curiosity piqued. 

"Nothing that need concern the Alliance at this point. All you need to know is that you do not go there, you do not give the Empire any reason to take a closer look at it." Chris gazed across the corridor and the rebel officers walking past them on their way to other places in the ship. "If the cause you fight for means anything to you, you must not go to Tatooine. Trust me, there is more to Palpatine and Vader than you know. It won’t be the Alliance that will stop them, it will be the Force." 

"You’re serious aren’t you?" She saw the penetrating look in his eyes and knew that he was not telling her a lie. The rumours about the Emperor and Lord Vader were thick and rife. Mary had tried not to listen to them but it was hard not to believe that both were Sith Lords, a master and an apprentice, when they had taken so much exception to the Jedi and were determined to wipe them out of existence. 

"Vader cannot go to Tatooine." Chris said coolly but his voice felt like slivers of ice and the two with him felt it most acutely. They did not know why Darth Vader could not go to Tatooine but every fibre of their being told them that it was vital that he did not nonetheless and if push comes to shove, they would be willing to prevent it at all costs. "If Darth Vader arrives on Tatooine, then its over. Your Alliance will die and you will never be rid of the Empire." 

"What’s there that’s important enough to do that?" Mary could not help but ask. 

Chris did not answer and kept walking. However, Vin sensed something from the Jedi and though it was vague, it had enough form for Vin to recognise the words if not the meaning.

Skywalker.

********

Ezra Standish did not wish to be at the interrogation of Buck Wilmington but considering his complicity in the matter, he found that it was impossible to stay away. Nabb had been with the freighter captain for hours now and although he was being treated to a veritable fountain of information, Ezra had serious doubts as to its validity. Once Ezra had imparted to the man how to save his youthful friend, Ezra had been morbidly curious to remain to see how the captain would take his advice. In truth, he was rather relieved that Captain Wilmington had opted to step into the place of his young companion because while it appear that he might hold up against a lengthy interrogation, it did not look like his friend could do the same.

Ezra remained in the background as always, preferring to allow Nabb to revel in the delight of centre stage because the man was ambitious and would no doubt credit the achievement of convincing Wilmington into talking upon himself instead of Ezra when he wrote his report. Ezra hardly cared. He had long passed the point where he actively sought recognition for his efforts. The way things were in the service of late; Ezra had come to the conclusion that the safest place for him to be was where no one noticed. On Coruscant, he had been allowed that anonymity. At the central hub of the Empire, he was just one uniform in an ocean of uniforms. He went about his duties and retired to the club circuit at night where he would lament the loss of friends and the way things used to be by taking helpless victims for everything they had in what usually started out as a ‘friendly’ sabaac game. 

"You’ve been very helpful Captain Wilmington," Nabb’s voice broke into Ezra’s thoughts with that statement.

Ezra looked up in time to see Nabb preparing to ask his final question, perhaps the most important one that he had so far been holding back from Wilmington. The captain, who was strapped to a steel chair, appeared calm even though Ezra could tell that he was battling his own worries. This was not a man who felt fear often; Ezra realised after studying Buck Wilmington closely. Pilots rarely flinched when looking down the barrel of a gun. Corellians were even worse. Possibly one of the oldest space faring race in the galaxy, Corellia’s main export were its pilots. There were none finer and they all came with the uncanny knack of being able to force a ship to do things that it would do for no other being in the galaxy. Wilmington glanced once or twice in his direction trying to ascertain Ezra suspected what he was in all this.  

"Now," Nabb circled the prisoner again. "You will tell me where we find Mary Travis." 

"I left her on Cordoba." Buck responded, perfectly aware that the minute he and the others had failed to return with Nathan, Mary would have contacted the Alliance to be taken off world. Besides, the Empire already knew that she was there. He would be telling them nothing new. 

"Where on Cordoba?" Nabb inquired. The Colonel dropped his hand on Buck’s shoulder and stared at the interrogation technicians who were standing by at the corner of the room with their mind probes and fire knives, ready to take over at his first order. The gesture was meant to remind Buck that Nabb had more persuasive methods at his disposal as if the sight of them was not already enough to do that.  

Buck thought quickly, deciding there and then that the name they would not get from them regarding Mary’s whereabouts was the Four Corners Tavern. He would rather die than lead this bastard to Inez. He was not afraid of torture if it meant protecting her but if he could avoid it, he would prefer to do so. Besides, he needed to be one hundred per cent if he was going to survive this and help the others, especially JD. Suddenly a flash of inspiration came to him that would have almost produced a smile of glee if the act would not have given him away.  

"Do you promise to let the boy go?" Buck asked softly, meeting Nabb’s gaze.  

Nabb straightened up and glanced in Ezra’s direction with another proud expression on his face before facing his prisoner again. "I might be persuaded to do so if you can deliver her to me." 

"I don’t know whether I can deliver her to you as such," Buck let out a sigh as if volunteering the information was making him visibly ill. His expression darkened and his voice became a hoarse whisper. "I can tell you to whom I entrusted her to get her off world if we didn’t come back."  

"That is a start." Nabb retorted. "Continue." He prompted with dwindling patience apparent in his manner.  

"The Rebels have a courier on Cordoba they use to smuggle out important members. Most of the time they use my ship but when the heat is on like it has been since Nathan has been captured, my ship is considered a security risk and we transfer courier duties to another." Buck explained, hoping what he was telling this colonel sounded authentic. 

"Go on." Nabb ordered, listening closely and appearing as if he did believe.  

"The courier runs a freighter business out of the bar at the Cordoba space port. Most of his trade is legitimate passenger trips off world and his is a corvette which means he takes a lot of them at once. That’s how he smuggles Alliance members through the customs officials, he make them all look like part of a tour group. Before I left Cordoba, Travis instructed me to take her to him. She claimed that she was not intending to leave until we got back but with us being overdue, it’s a good bet she’s skipped town. You can still track the corvette easily enough though. To keep up appearances, he has to do the full tour you know, so he won’t be hitting light speed too much." 

Nabb understood what Buck was attempting to say but he still did not have what he wanted. "The name of this person." The Colonel asked and the iciness in his voice indicated that he would not ask again. 

"Nardo." Buck answered after a moment of hesitation, not wanting to appear too helpful. "He’s a Rodian. Not many of them own a Corvette so you’ll find him easily. I’m pretty sure he has leased a permanent bay in the station."

Nabb started to smile. "Well that was very helpful of you Mr Wilmington," the Colonel replied. "Now, the name of your companion?" 

"The kid?" Buck swallowed, realising that the Colonel had started to guess that Josiah might be more important than he looked. All this time, Buck had been providing the man with all sorts of information he knew would be made worthless, the moment the Alliance knew that he had been captured. The efficiency of the organization in that respect had no peer. The Alliance knew how to protect its own and one of the first things Mary would have done upon learning of his capture was minimise the danger he posed should he be coerced into this very same position. Operatives would be told to disappear, contact points would be abandoned and the Imperial advantage of having this information would very quickly disappear. However, Josiah was another thing entirely. Josiah had access to everything, including the names of higher echelon Alliance members.  

"You know perfectly well I am not referring to the boy." Nabb retorted, his lips thinning with menace. 

"All I know is that he’s a member of the local rebel cell of which Travis was supposed to assume command. He was meant to escort her back to their secret location." Buck responded. "I don’t have that information because I never went there. It was considered too risky because I might get captured."  

Ezra found his voice at that point. "That would be logical." Ezra said to Nabb. "If he’s just a courier, there would be no reason to tell him and as we know by now, the Alliance does not like to risk its members unnecessarily." 

"Did Jackson tell you that?" The Colonel asked with a hint of accusation. 

Ezra straightened up, pretending to take more offence at that remark than he really felt. "What are you implying?" He demanded coldly. 

"Nothing." Nabb retorted. Ezra may have been his junior officer but if the captain chose to push the point, he could. Since Nabb had made such an obvious slur at his loyalty, Ezra was perfectly entitled to bring it to attention of Coruscant to address the allegations. If Nabb did not have any proof to substantiate his claim then he would be censured, even if he was a Colonel. "I was merely noticing that you seem to be supporting this rebel and his statements." 

"I am not supporting his statements," Ezra said hotly. "I am merely pointing out that this is the proven standard from the other rebels we have captured. If you are slandering me simply because I did the research and you did not, I would like to know it Sir. I will file my report next to yours regarding my insubordination." 

Nabb took a deep breath and considered the inconvenience of such an action from the captain and realised that it was not worth the trouble. As it was, he had no intention of letting his superiors know how manageable Ezra had made the prisoners, since he had been intending to take the credit himself. Should Ezra submit a report of his own, it might look contradictory to the one he would submit and would raise embarrassing questions. "No need for such drastic action." Nabb replied calmly hoping that would soothe his ruffled feathers. "Just making sure you were on the ride side." 

"The only side I am on Sir, with all due respect, is mine." Ezra glared at him with unmasked hostility to ensure that Nabb knew just how seriously he took the insult.  

"A wise choice." Nabb remarked. "Since you harbour no personal feelings in this matter, you’ll return this prisoner to his cell and give instructions to bring his older companion here." The colonel tried not to mind the fact that a subordinate had backed him into a corner and told himself inwardly to keep watch on the man. Anyone that fiercely protective of his skin had something to hide.

 "Yes Sir," Ezra said sweetly and with exaggerated care, aware of the danger he had now placed himself by his response and wondered whether he should have taken it as personally as he had. However, the more Ezra started to think about it, the more repulsive this entire situation was becoming and in particular, his part in it. Ever since Nathan had been captured and Ezra summoned here, he had been giving his situation a great deal of thought and kept returning to the one answer he did not at want.

 Because for the first time, Ezra was starting to believe that Nathan might be right.

********

Although her crew expected her to take command, Mary had chosen not to for the moment. She had appeared on the bridge long enough to make the obligatory speeches and introduce her two companions. Vin, as expected raised an eyebrow because he was clearly identifiable as a bounty hunter, not merely by the weapons he carried on his person but the faded emblem on the collar of his jacket that indicated he was apart of the Bounty Hunters Guild. She strongly suspected that had it not been for her endorsement of him, the man would have found himself languishing inside the brig at first opportunity. Fortunately however, their attention on Vin was fleeting once they saw the faint outline of a lightsabre hanging from within the folds of Chris Larabee’s robe. The Jedi had always inspired awe and Chris Larabee was no different. His persona was such that he captured the room anyway but when coupled with the mystery of the Jedi, no one could turn their eyes away.

Once the formalities were taken care of however, Mary, Chris and Vin retired to her new private office where the requests she had made of her crew prior to boarding were already laid out waiting for her perusal. This included the best the Alliance could manage in producing a layout of the Doldur Imperial base where Nathan, Josiah, Buck and JD were being kept at the moment. In this case the layout was the original construction blue prints which thought technically perfect were not as accurate as they would have liked. However, it was better than nothing and at least, they had some idea of where the terminal ports were located and what was the best place to penetrate the energy shield. 

"Your best chance is through this sewer hatchway." Mary noted as the studied the plans on the viewing table below them. Her finger traced the line of passage on the luminescent screen so they could see to what she was referring. "I know it’s hardly the best way to tour the facility but if you can avoid their sensors, you’ll get a considerable distance into the installation without being detected."

"It comes out short before the brig though." Vin pointed out as he made the examination for himself. "But we wouldn’t have far to go." He paused a moment and considered an idea that suddenly formed in his head. Looking up a second later he met Mary’s gaze. "Do you think you could get me a storm trooper uniform?" 

Mary allowed her gaze to sweep past him and remarked with a wry smile. "You’re a little short to be a storm trooper."

"Hey." Vin remarked, giving her a look as she and Chris chuckled softly.  

"I think we can manage." She nodded sobering up after the moment of levity, which in retrospect, she decided they sorely needed. "What do you have in mind?" 

"I’m thinking that if we have to come out in the open to reach the brig, we could use it as a way to be less noticeable. After all, we’re marching into a detention block, it won’t seem out of the ordinary if I look like a storm trooper escorting a prisoner." 

"Makes sense." Chris agreed. "We might use to the same tactic when we try to get back out again."  

"Which brings us to the next problem." Mary sighed. "If we’re going to do this, we’ve established you can’t use the Tracker to reach the surface. However, if we use anything larger than a fighter, its going to get attention and this entire operation will be for nothing." 

"You mean we’ll have to make our way to the landing bay and steal a ship?" Vin exclaimed. 

"More or less." Mary retorted. "Hence the problem." 

"We don’t have a choice," Chris retorted, aware that if Buck was still alive and at the moment, Chris could feel that he was, the captain would not at all be impressed that his ship would have to be left behind. "Do we have any intelligence that the Rogue was brought to the station as well?"

"The Rogue," she mused, having considered that before. "I had forgotten about Buck’s ship. She’s a Corsair isn’t she?" 

"A Corsair." Vin rose a brow. "That’s a nice ship. Especially an Incom Corsair." He knew the reputation of such vessels and as a freighter, she was fast and well armoured. With multiple gunnery turrets and extra shielding, she could take several direct shots from a large warship and still maintain deflector strength.  

"This is an Incom Corsair." Chris informed Vin automatically, recalling with a little smile how proud Buck had been when he first presented the vessel to Chris. It was just after Buck had walked away from the service of the Republic but then the military life always seemed ill suited for his friend. Buck was a wild spirit and he was never more so when behind the controls of that particular ship. Chris supposed it made all the difference when it was his own.  

"Well if they followed standard Imperial procedure, they’ll want to examine the ship from top to bottom to see if there is anything on board that can lead them to us. I would seriously doubt they would do this search on a Destroyer so I believe there is a good chance that the Rogue will be in the Doldur installation. You can confirm this when you interface with a terminal port. The docking manifest should have that information." Mary explained and then added after a moment’s thought. 

"A full scan would require the facilities on an Imperial base. They’ll want to get into the main computer and review all the data in its memory banks. Since they’re after us, I’ll almost guarantee they’ll pay extremely close attention to all port of calls and passenger manifests, in order to correlate the names and places with the whereabouts of known Alliance operatives." 

"So it would be a good idea to get the ship back too." Vin concluded, secretly coming to the conclusion that if he got out of this with his skin intact, that in itself would be a miracle. 

"Add that to the shopping list." She flashed them both a smile of mischief. 

"Shopping list." Vin frowned and added with a devilish grin of his own. "Women."

Chris remained silent though he was well aware that their attempt at humour was an effort to hide just how dangerous this mission ahead truly was, not just for himself and Vin but for Mary and the Alliance. He would have liked to have joined in himself but his emergence from his self-imposed exile was still too new. Although he trusted Vin Tanner explicitly and his feelings for Mary Travis were undefinable by any standards, he just could not bring himself to get too attached to either of them just yet.

CHAPTER TEN

Ezra had been relegated to command duty after his confrontation with Nabb over the questioning of prisoners. In truth, he found this a more palatable a task than being present at an interrogation. He had not seen Nathan in almost a day, not since he informed his former best friend about the Colonel’s plans for him and the friends they had captured trying to rescue him. A part of Ezra was ashamed to face his friend, perhaps feeling more than ever, the truth about the rebel's words. However, acknowledging that truth would led Ezra to a course of action he was not yet prepared to take. Thus, he was more than happy to be spared the need to make any uncomfortable decisions by being assigned to the command deck of the Doldur station.

The chronometer indicated that it was late evening and so far Nabb’s interrogation of the three prisoners had yielded nothing further than what Buck Wilmington had already provided. The older of the three had been subjected to heavy questioning and Ezra’s stomach hollowed realising that the interrogation would have most likely moved into the torture stage by now because the man was as adamant at revealing nothing to Nabb who was just as adamant about extracting it. The impasse could not last long, Ezra decided. The prisoner’s endurance would not last indefinitely and if he did not die first, he would soon be happily telling all his secrets just to make the pain stop.  

Ezra tried not to think about what the prisoners were enduring and how he would face Nathan when they were dead or broken. Instead, he allowed his sea coloured eyes to sweep past the command centre, watching a handful of officers behind their consoles, lost in their work which though important had the stale aroma of routine. Voices were spoken in hushed tones for it was unseemly to be loud in a place that ran on discipline as much as this. As he stood at the large window that stared across the landscape of the small moon where the base was situated, he saw an amber maelstrom brewing beyond the protective glass. Thanks to the gas giant that was Doldur 3, the intense gravitational forces emanating from the world turned the small moon in a swirling mass of sand blown storms. Survival outside the station was negligible which was why it served so well as a military base. 

He could see the faint outline of Doldur 3 in the sky because the storms beyond the glass had more or less blacked out the sky with its high winds. Ezra sighed and turned away, suddenly feeling an intense feeling of homesickness for Coruscant, the centre of the galaxy as far as the Empire was concerned. Ezra loved it for more than just its political titles, for Coruscant was a place of marvels. The city that had encompassed the entire world was almost ten thousand years old and Ezra had spent much time exploring all the streets in Coruscant Centre, following the layers upon layers of streets and buildings that had been built over the centuries. There was always something to find, something to occupy one’s time and everyone went to Coruscant.  

Ezra had a strange premonition that he would not be seeing it soon. 

"Captain," a young ensign called out to him from her station. 

Ezra raised his eyes and returned his concentration to where he was and what he was meant to be doing. The young lady waited for him in expectation as he strode over and her gaze returned to her console when he finally arrived. 

"Ensign Lumiya, is it not?" Ezra inquired politely. He knew the name and remembered that she was the sensor officer.  

"Yes Sir." She responded. "I’ve detected something on our long range sensors, it just came out of hyperspace at Vector 23.2." Her eyes shifted to the screen before her, prompting Ezra to do the same. 

Ezra leaned forward studied the readings and noted that whatever the signal approaching them, it was much too large and fast to be the normal commercial traffic that frequented the area. The only thing that moved like this was a warship and as far as Ezra knew the one that had deposited their prisoners to the base had since left the area and was on its way to Cordoba in order to investigate the information about the Rodian courier. Standing upright again, he turned toward the direction of the lieutenant manning the communications section of the command centre. 

"Lieutenant." Ezra spoke up across the floor. "Are there any vessels due here today?"  

The lieutenant conferred with his screen and then faced the captain once more with an answer. "Not that I am aware of Sir."

Ezra ignored the tightening in his stomach and considered what to do. "There is a ship approaching at Vector 23.2. Open a communication channel and ask them to state their business. Inform them that they are in danger of violating restricted Imperial space." 

"Yes Captain Standish." The lieutenant returned automatically and faced his workstation to accomplish just that.

Ezra however, was not preparing to wait. There was something else at foot here, he could feel it with every fibre of his being. Not waiting for the lieutenant to provide him with a response, Ezra faced Ensign Lumiya once more. "Has it entered scanning range?" He asked. 

"It will in approximately two minutes." She informed him and immediately noted the slight grimace that stole across his handsome features, indicating that two minutes was much too long for his liking.

"How long until they reach the perimeter of the deflector shield?" Ezra inquired after a second’s pause trying to determine what to do. If there was one thing that Ezra knew how to do with flawless accuracy, it was the ability to judge a situation when the pressure was on. At this moment, his senses were warning him of danger and he could feel time pressing up against his spine, demanding that he acted before it was too late.

 "One minute." She answered, realising now that he had good reasons for his suspicions. 

"Captain," the lieutenant called out. "The vessel is not answering our requests for identification. I’m also detecting a number of localised short ranged signals. They are not very dissimilar from the kind of signals that are exchanged between fighters during combat."

 "That is what I was afraid of." Ezra nodded and realised that he had enough information. "Put the base on red alert." He ordered no one in particular but heard the klaxons which indicated that his demand was nonetheless obeyed. "Lieutenant Tank, contact Colonel Nabb at the detention block, inform him we may be under attack and activate the deflector shield immediately."

"Yes Sir." Came a return response through the howling of klaxons throughout the command centre. The lethargic pace had disappeared entirely and as the red glow of alert flared throughout the area, everyone was mobilised for trouble.

"Deflector shield activated!" Someone announced and Ezra could see the evidence of it on the screen before him as the image projected the invisible grid around the base that could not been seen through the naked eye but was definitely there.

"I’ve identified the ships Sir," Ensign Lumiya finally replied once the data had come up on the screen. "The lead ship is definitely a warship. Its Nubian." She recited the data to him. "Heavy combat cruiser with reinforced armour and multiple gun batteries. The smaller ships with it, I count at least a dozen at this point, are X-wing class fighters."

Ezra let out a deep sigh and responded. "In other words, rebels. " 

********

 "The deflector shield is up." Mary’s executive officer stated as she sat in her command chair on the bridge of the Purgatory, as the vessel closed in on the Imperial base. In the view screen before her, the sky was filled with the gas giant that was Doldur 3 and almost insignificant in comparison, was the small moon on which their target was waiting. The activation of the installation’s deflector shield ensured that the installation could endure orbital bombardment for quite some time and while the structure itself would take a beating, the Alliance would not be able to completely topple its defences before the Empire was able to send reinforcements. No doubt even as she sat here, the Imperials would already be calling for help. 

"Alright," Mary answered, expecting nothing less. "Tell our fighters to make their run at the shield. The purpose is to make a lot of noise, not to take the base." 

"Aye Sir." She heard the Lieutenant Commander Chano respond in the background. As he went to carry out her orders, Mary flipped a switch on the armrest of her command chair. While she waited for the customary cackle of electronically depicted air, Mary glanced at the screen and saw the X-wings accelerate ahead of the warship, the flare of blue igniting in their thrusters as they pulled further ahead. It was a breathtaking sight despite the circumstances and she could not help but become lost in its beauty for a few seconds. 

"Mary." Chris’ voice escaped the in built speakers in her chair. She blinked away the reverie she had indulged herself and returned to the grim reality of the day.  

"The X-wings are moving to engage now." She informed him coolly. "Are you and Vin ready to launch?" The inquiry was made with a completely dispassionate tone but inwardly, she worried a little about him and felt guilty that she had forced him out of his cocoon into this deadly situation.  

"Yeah." His soft voice responded and left tingles on her skin after the speaking. She wondered if his Jedi senses picked up her concern but supposed he would have to be in the room to do that. "We’re on the launch pad." 

"You have a go then." She answered, sounding a little mercurial but that was the best way to be around him. "Good luck." She added finally. Once again, Mary hid all evidence of her personal feelings in the matter, sounding as if he were just another soldier under her command whom she was sending out on a mission that could kill him. 

"Thanks." He responded just as neutrally. "I’ll see you when we get back." With that, the line between them was severed and for a few seconds after his voice faded into the memory of her mind, a sense of awkwardness gripped her. She chided herself for not saying more but then on closer thought could not imagine what more might be. 

A small voice in the back of her mind whispered it to her and Mary baulked immediately at the notion. Her husband had been gone almost as long as Chris’ wife and child had been dead. Unlike he, she had not disappeared into a bottle from grief but then men dealt with pain a lot differently than women. They liked to think that they were stronger but in actual fact, their tolerance for such things was remarkably lacking. It made no difference who they were and what station in life they occupied, it effected them all the same way but with a Jedi Knight it had to be more profound. It was one thing to know that your loved ones were gone but Mary could not imagine what it must have been like for Chris to feel it.  

She did know one thing with absolute clarity, if anything happened to him out there and he died because she forced him into helping her then it would be Mary who would certainly feel it too.  

***********

The small snubbed nose fighter escaped the launch bay of the Purgatory looking like the dozens others that were already in space, heading towards the base where they would soon be confronted by the deflector shield. Although there was almost no chance of penetrating it, the ships would nonetheless fire their torpedoes, creating enough of a distraction so that the Empire would be too busy trying to survive the attack, to give serious considerations as to why the rebels had suddenly become so bold. Prior to this, the rebels had made one thing clear; they did not believe in open engagements or attacking on the offensive. Mary had hoped the distraction would not only give Chris the window of opening they needed but also keep the Empire off balance about the Alliance’s tactics. 

The last X-wing to emerge from the Purgatory did not join the rest of the squadron, choosing instead to pull away from the small fleet. Losing itself in the wilderness, it plotted a wide course towards the moon, careful to remain out of sensor range of Imperial scanners who by now ought to be more interested in the squadron firing torpedoes at their deflector shield in an attempt to breach it. The lone X-wing would circumnavigate the satellite, flying close to the ground beneath scanner range until they were on top of the station. A ship of this size had no cloak and so they had to rely on the atmospheric disturbances of the small moon to mask the rest of their approach.  

"How she handle?" Vin asked as they closed in on the moon. The battle taking place on the other side of the satellite was hardly noticeable and all they could see was the glow of Doldur 3 bouncing off the horizon.  

"Pretty good." Chris responded and could not deny that he enjoyed piloting again. It had been too long since he had done it and quickly discontinued the memory because the last time he had flown anywhere was during his return home to Corellia, fighting time and hope to reach Sarah and Adam before it was too late. And of course it had been. However, he knew the danger of allowing such thoughts to filter into his mind and thus crushed them under the weight of his perfect control, now well and truly surfaced in his personality once more.

"Can you tell me something?" Vin asked once again, his voice somewhat ginger because he was not certain how Chris would take this particular question. "When you were talking about Tatooine, I felt something from you."

Chris tensed and told himself that he would have to shield himself better. In fact, should he survive this mission, he was certainly going to reacquaint himself with some Jedi exercises to return him to his former level of mastery over the Force. There was a time when such lapses were impossible from him which only proved what a year of drinking and not giving a damn could do to a person. Chris was somewhat surprised he was still alive to be incensed by his behavior.

"What was that?" He asked calmly, trying not to show that he was uncomfortable with the topic at present. However, it was just the two of them and Chris knew that whatever he told Vin would not leave the confines of this ship or make it through the vacuum to reach someone else.

"It's not so much as a feeling as it was a word." Vin tried to explain and hoped in the future, such discussions would become easier because at the moment, it felt like hell. He was not a vocal person to begin with and feelings were something he kept close to himself so discussing them felt extremely alien to the lone bounty hunter.

"And that word was?" Chris prompted, having a bad feeling that he knew what it was going to be even before Vin spoke it out loud. 

"Skywalker." 

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Chris swore repeatedly in silence, unable to believe that he had let that of all things slip out of his mind. He trusted Vin Tanner but that kind of information could conceivably get the bounty hunter killed should those who cared were made aware of his knowledge. However, Vin was strong in the Force and Chris wondered whether telling him might cement the young man's understanding of Chris' trust in him. Besides, the truth was, he needed to tell someone. If anything should happen to him and it was possible because as a Jedi he was far from anonymous as Obi-Wan was, someone had to warn the Jedi Master on Tatooine should danger come his way or the very least, safe guard his interests from offworld.

"What I about to tell you stays here. Do you understand?" Chris answered finally. "Make no mistake on this, if the Emperor finds out what I am about to tell you then it will make a bounty on your head seem incidental by comparison. They'll hunt you down and find you, no matter how far you run." 

Vin shuddered because he could actually feel the intensity of Chris' words through the compartments in the cockpit where the Jedi was seated. The cold darkness that filtered into his self was like ice water running through his veins and he wondered what other surprises Chris had in store for him. "Okay, okay, I got it. Turn it off, whatever it is you're doing." 

Chris allowed his faint smile but did not 'turn' it off as Vin asked, feeling the bounty hunter needed to feel it to truly appreciate what Chris was about to tell him. "Skywalker is Darth Vader's real name." Chris spoke after a lengthy pause. The nose of the X-wing had started to dip towards the lunar surface and Chris could see the storms of its tempestuous ecosystem as he directed the ship into the atmosphere. 

"Skywalker, I know that name." Vin mused. "Why?" 

"He was one of the greatest pilots of the Clone Wars, he was also a Jedi." Chris continued. "There was a prophecy in Jedi lore that there would come one who would bring balance to the Force. We believed that Anakin Skywalker was the one, his midiclorion count was unlike anything we had ever seen. Even more potent then some of the Jedi Masters of the time, including the oldest of us, Yoda. Skywalker was trained as Jedi but felt under the influence of Palpatine who as rumors suggest is a Sith Lord, an order of dark Jedi who draw their power from the dark side of the Force."

"The dark side?" Vin remarked, finding it somewhat silly. How many sides could there be?

"The Force gives us strength but how we accept that strength is what defines us. If we used our powers through anger, we are unleashing its dark side and once down that path, it is often hard to stop. The Sith Lords and there only ever two, a master and an apprentice, use aggression and hatred to feed that dark side." Chris was no Jedi Master, for that matter, not even a teacher. He hoped he explained it clearly enough for Vin to understand. "Skywalker became Palpatine's apprentice and changed his name to Darth Vader. With Vader at his side, the most powerful of the Jedi, Palpatine began the slaughter."

"So what's this got to do with Tatooine?" Vin inquired, appreciating the effort Chris was making to fill the gaps but it did not answer his original question.

"Before Anakin became Darth Vader, he was married." Chris resumed his narration after he sent the X-wing plunging into the atmosphere of the moon. The velvet darkness of space was soon replaced by swirling cloud of amber gas, making visibility almost non existent. However, Chris did not require scanners to lead him, the Force was a far better guide to that end. Fortunately both Vin and Chris were experience space travelers and the turbulence had little effect on either man. "His wife was pregnant when he joined Palpatine. Vader knows about the child but he doesn't know where it is. The mother has also gone into hiding, keeping herself as far away from the baby who was entrusted into the care of Jedi Master named Obi-Wan Kenobi." Chris saw no need to tell Vin about the other child whose best protection at the moment was the fact that Vader had no idea of her existence at all. 

"I don't get it," Vin retorted. "What's the big deal if he knows?" 

"The son of Skywalker cannot become a Jedi." He responded almost automatically. "A son of Skywalker would be just as powerful, perhaps even more than his father. We don't for sure but if anyone can stop Vader, it will be that child. He is our last hope." 

Vin began to understand and realised now what he had let himself in for by pursuing the question with Chris. It shocked him that Chris trusted him with something that important but it also angered him because knowing had changed his life forever. He could never return to what he knew with this secret imbedded in his mind because if anyone ever suspected, Chris was right, he'd be hunted until they found him, no matter where he ran. "He's on Tatooine, isn't he?" Vin whispered softly, finally appreciating the intricate tapestry that Chris Larabee had crafted for him. "The child is on Tatooine, that's why you can't have Vader going there. He'll know. The minute he steps on the planet, he'll know." 

"That's right." The Jedi nodded begrudgingly. "I told you because I trust you Vin and I've trusted you with the most important secret I have because I know you can keep it." 

"You have my word Chris," Vin found himself saying, a sense of pride at having engendered such faith. "I know it doesn't mean much coming from a bounty hunter but I'll die before I tell anyone what I know." 

"I need more than that from you." Chris countered, not preparing to settle for just that. 

Fortunately, Vin understood that too. "I'll die before I let harm Vader harm the child."

 It surprised the bounty hunter to make that admission. However through all this, Vin had realised one thing; he was the last of a proud tradition and until he accepted what he was and embraced it, he would spend his entire life wondering what kind of man he might have been instead of the one he could be. He was not Jedi and Vin suspected that he would never be but that did not mean the Force did not exist inside of him. All his life, he had searched to belong and suddenly, out of nowhere, he had found his place and strangely enough; it appeared to be at the side of this Jedi who counted Vin as one of his own.

 It was a good feeling.

***********

Ezra Standish had a bad feeling.

It was rare for him to experience such waves of foreboding. Normally whenever he sensed caution, he was able to read the situation and eventually disarm whatever threat was coming at him. It was unusual for the situation to escalate to the point where he felt such concern that it evolved into a physical sensation and yet, here it was, gnawing at his insides like a pair of womp rats feasting ravenously. The view outside the window of the command center yielded the same picture he had seen before all this had begun, a swirling tempest of radiation and gas. There were no signs of the danger that could be felt all around them at this moment.

"Get our fighters out there!" Nabb was screaming at Lieutenant Tank. "Kill those rebel bastards!" 

"Sir, there's no reason to deploy our TIE fighters." The lieutenant declared helplessly, seeking Ezra's voice to support his statement. "The deflector shield is holding. They can shake us up but they can't penetrate the shield."

Unfortunately, he timed the end of that statement with another blast from the rebel ships firing torpedoes at them. The entire base shuddered at the impact of the energy burst. The ground trembled violently and the signs of apprehension became thicker and more palpable. It did not help that the commander on deck was screaming orders like a frightened child. Nabb was not a battlefield commander. He had gained his rank because he was the kind of sadistic operative that Palpatine's regime seemed to thrive on these days. He spent most of his time catching traitors and very little time facing combat situations like these. 

"He's right." Ezra spoke up. "This entire escapade of theirs is foolish. They cannot penetrate the deflector shield and we are capable of withstanding their attack far longer than they are able to wage it." 

"I don't care!" The man roared furiously. "I want those ships in the air now." 

"Nabb!" Ezra retaliated, not even bothering with military codes of behavior or protocol any longer. "For our fighters to engage the rebels, we have to drop the deflector shield! They have a Nubian warship up there! All they have to do is target our shield generator and we will be defenseless. Panicking will not resolve anything! We can wait them out. We've dispatched a distress signal to the Destroyer Necromancer, it will be here and then we can round them up!"  

"How dare you!" Nabb glared at him when he realised that the entire command staff had viewed the exchange between Captain and Colonel and were waiting in anticipation to see how things unfolded. Nabb's face turned a shade of crimson and continued his voice a growl as he spoke. "I will have you up on charges of insubordination! You will spend the next ten years in a cell next to your rebel friends! Lieutenant Tank," Nabb turned to the lieutenant. "Carry out my orders! Get our fighters into the air immediately!"

Ezra swore under his breath and stepped away, realizing that in this contest he would have to accept defeat because Nabb was in command. Once again that bad feeling washed over him because he could not understand this entire situation or the rebels' plan of attack. Surely they had to know they could not penetrate the deflector shield to begin with? They could not have anticipated Nabb's behavior to know that he would panic and send fighters after them. Only a fool would gamble on that but then if they were not expecting that, why attack at all? If it had been any commander other than Nabb, the shield would remain up and their attack would have failed completely. All they would have succeeded in doing was creating something of a commotion but the base itself would remain unaffected. Surely, they knew that?

And then it hit him like a splash of cold water. They did know that!  

Nabb was giving them more of an opening than he realised and Ezra spun around towards the Colonel, ready to explain what he had uncovered when suddenly another thought entered his mind. The only reason the rebels could have for distracting them was to carry out another rescue. Ezra looked about to ensure no one was watching him which was easy enough to do because between Nabb and the pounding the base was taking, pandemonium seemed to be the order of the day. Ezra went to an unoccupied console and let his fingers flutter over the control pad in order to have his suspicions confirmed.

In a matter of seconds, they were. The lone X wing appeared on the screen, making good time through the atmosphere. It would remain on the scanner for just a few more seconds before it disappeared out of range, most likely because it was keeping close to the surface where the atmospheric conditions would allow its approach to continue unseen. They were coming for Nathan. This entire attack was because of Nathan! 

"What are you looking at?" Nabb asked from the center of the command deck 

Ezra glanced at the ship on the screen and suddenly found himself faced with a most difficult decision, the one he had been trying so hard not to make for fear of the consequences to his life. The pilot of that ship was embarking on what should have been a suicide mission in a vain effort to rescue the only person whom Ezra trusted with his life. Now Ezra himself was faced with the choice of staying true to the Empire or allowing that pilot to succeed. It should have been hard when Ezra found it staring him in the face but strangely enough, a sense of clarity reached epiphany inside of him at that moment and worked his fingers almost unconsciously. The X-wing disappeared with the deactivated screen and Ezra turned to Nabb.

"Nothing." He answered coolly. "Nothing at all."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"What are they doing?" Mary heard Chano telling her that the deflector shield had been deactivated.

"It appears as if they are preparing to launch fighters at us." The Lieutenant Commander informed Mary as he stood by her side while she studied the holographic image that depicted the Imperial base and the energy field surrounding it, before her.

Mary’s brow knotted in confusion, a state of mind that matched his own. "Why?" She asked out loud, not expecting an answer. "We can’t penetrate the deflector shield. There’s no reason for them to engage us directly."

"Well their deflector shield is lowering nonetheless," he reminded her. The opportunity that had presented itself with this strange and somewhat foolish occurrence more than spoke for itself. Any commander worth their salt knew that. It was a once in a life time chance that had to be exploited, if for no other reason than to teach the Empire to never let down their guard.  

From the onset of their engagement with the Imperial base, they had been watching the proceedings through the viewer on the bridge. The battle, such as it was, had progressed just as they had expected, without any clear results. The purpose of the entire skirmish was to keep the station’s personnel oblivious to the covert infiltration being attempted by Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner, who at last report had landed safely on the surface without being discovered. Mary had maintained the bombardment of the deflector shield, anticipating that eventually, the Purgatory and her fighters would have to withdraw without doing any really significant damage whatsoever but satisfied that their primary objective had been fulfilled, especially if Chris and Vin were able to rescue Nathan and the others. A military victory was simply out of the question. 

Until now.

The shield continued its slow deactivation, slow in that it would take 14.5 seconds to lower comply and allow TIE fighters exit their launch hangar bays and confront the X-wings that were bombarding the shield so pointlessly. Once lowered, it would only take a further minute for the TIE fighters to escape the perimeter of the shield and then it would take another 14.5 minutes for the shield to be reactivated to full strength. It was a minute and a half that could change everything Mary decided and though this was not what she had planned, the opportunity to act was one she could not resist. Without even pausing to consider what she was doing, Mary turned to the gunnery officer on deck.  

"Lieutenant J'yd." Mary swung around in her chair and faced the Bothan gunner, who was on the other side of the bridge but who was well aware of the situation like every other officer present. "Fire our ion cannon at their primary shield generator." 

"Yes Sir," the young man grinned widely, baring his canine teeth though lightly furred lips.  

"You have one minute and thirty seconds to destroy it." She added. 

It would not take that long and they both knew it. The amount of energy it took to maintain a shield of that size was easily detected by scanners of the Purgatory and the time it took for the targeting computer of the ion cannon to find that power source was infinitesimal. The Purgatory heaved slightly as the main guns were fired. A beam of energy powerful enough to slice through space escaped the massive gun ports and began its speedy descent towards the base. The explosion when it finally reached its target could be seen from space.

"Direct hit!" Chano exclaimed.

"Again!" Mary ordered, leaving nothing to chance but Lieutenant J'yd was already taking his second shot and then his third. Mary did not know how long he maintained the relentless assault but very soon, their time was up and the shield remained deactivated.

"We got it!" Her executive officer cried out and a small ripple of cheering moved through the deck as other rebel officers shared in his euphoria.  

Mary however, was by no means complacent. This had been luck. She had no idea what fool sat in command at that base but his stupidity had allowed them this added boon. It did nothing to change the fact that Chris and the others were still down there although now, she was able to make the task of freeing the prisoners a little less daunting. "Get all our pilots in the air!" Mary barked at Chano and then flicked the controls on her chair that would allow her to speak to the other pilots already in space. "All fighters, disengage from bombardment and proceed to the Imperial station. The deflector shield is down. Repeat the deflector shield is down!"

 As the words faded from her lips, she stood up in her chair and thought silently to herself.

Now this is what I call a distraction.

*******

"What was that?" Josiah Sanchez inquired from inside the confines of the cell he was presently sharing with Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne.  

The explosion that roared in their ears could be felt as profoundly as the eruption of sound. The walls quaked in reaction to the source of it and the shudder moved from the ground into their bones with startling efficiency. When the bombardment had first started, the trio of prisoners had thought that this might be their opportunity to escape. However, the efficiency of an Imperial detention cell was not a reputation given lightly and as of yet, the means still eluded them. In truth, Josiah was not in any shape for a complex plan. The Senator had managed to keep his secrets even though he was tortured with the use of a mind probe, a particularly insidious device that caused pain each time it detected a lie in the victim’s brainwave patterns. Josiah had not broken but his mind had felt every lie and every omission as if it were set alight on fire, each time Josiah refused to submit to Nabb's question. 

"Another blast." JD retorted, wondering why Josiah was asking when it was like all the others before it.  

"No its not," Buck shook his head in response, detecting the same thing in the resonance of that last explosion that was different from the ones that proceeded it. Another roar of sound filled the room and this time the effects of it on the structure were starting to show, fragments of ceiling filler began to shake loose from cracks and drift to the floor. Unlike the maximum security cells that Nathan Jackson was presently being incarcerated in at the moment, their cell had been more of a holding area while Nabb pick and chose which one he would subject to torture. It was nowhere as impregnable as the cell Nathan was being held.  

They could see the other Imperial prisoners in other cages not unlike their own, further down the corridor. Buck's stomach hollowed when he realised that a large percentage of the captives did not appear to be smugglers or pirates, in fact none of them looked like criminals. Most appeared frightened and huddled together, terrified of what their end might be. He could not blame them because most were non-human and if even half of what the Rebellion believed about Palpatine's segregation policy was true, then they were all headed for very uncertain fates.  

"Their deflector shield is down." Buck estimated. 

"How?" Josiah asked. "The bombardment earlier was not enough to do that." The senator sat up in his bunk, his head still aching from that one gesture.  

"I don’t know," Buck admitted. "But their shield is down. We’re starting to see structural damage. Before, it was mostly concussion shockwaves but this is different. This is impact." 

"You think the Alliance is attacking them?" JD inquired, trying not to hope that there could be a rescue on the way, lest he be disappointed.  

Buck exchanged glances with Josiah who was more equipped to answer that question than he. "Its possible," the man volunteered after a moment’s thought. "But unlikely. You and I both know that unless the shield can be deactivated, there was not a chance of any attack succeeding."  

"I know," Buck agreed but his confusion did not clear with more and more eruptions, each more violent than the last, thundered through the air. The energy field keeping them sealed inside the cells flickered for an instant, which indicated the ferocity of the bombardment the base was being subjected to, for there were usually all kinds of backup system to ensure this type of failure did not happen. "But their deflector shield is down and it only takes a minute or two to get it back up. If they haven’t yet, its because they can’t." 

*********

 Chris and Vin were making good time. 

When they had first landed on the surface of the moon, they had been hindered by the thick environmental suits they were forced to wear in order to traverse the hostile terrain before finally penetrating the deflector shield as planned. The alarms and signals that they had assumed would be sounded, did activate but the duo were able to get past the sensors in time for it to right itself a short time later. They entered the perimeter of the base and quickly found their way to the sewerage hatch in question, glad to remain in their environment suits for this particular leg of the journey. The sewerage hatch which was mostly for the purpose of maintenance had very little security attached to it, mostly because the Empire believed that interlopers inside the complex would have been detected, long before they reached this point. 

Lowering themselves into the stygian darkness, the suits protected them from the wafting scent of refuse and dank water. They dropped into the depth, feeling murky fluid swirl around their legs among other materials that neither chose to pay very close attention to. The sewerage compartment was a two metre high corridor that ran throughout the length of the base. Filled with almost waist deep water, it was here that the recycling systems and filtration processes took place. Most of the time it was unmanned, requiring a technician to occasionally monitor and maintain the system. As they waded through the water towards the exit hatch that would bring them as close to the detention block as possible, they saw vermin scampering along the narrow ledges that paused long enough to wonder what Chris and Vin were before continuing on their way. Fortunately, that was all the attention they so far garnered from the base’s occupants until the bombing captured their attention.

At first, it did not bother either Chris or Vin about the erupting noises above their heads. It was all apart of Mary’s plan to provide a distraction. It was loud but not very threatening. It warranted little more that a few extra ripples in the water to their surroundings and was allowing them to continue onward unimpeded. However when the blast increased in intensity, becoming so loud that the vermin were actually scattering and suddenly the ripples stopped being far and few. The pieces of garbage on the surface of the water started to toss and turn on bursts of choppy water and pipes began to burst while elsewhere, other signs of weakening began to show. 

"I thought they couldn’t get through the deflector shield." Vin looked at Chris as they hastened their pace. The exit hatch was not far now and they were making good time with the added motivation that the ceiling might come down on them if they did not escape this place soon. 

"They shouldn’t be able to." Chris answered automatically but there was no doubt that the base itself was being assaulted, not the space above it. "Somehow the deflector shield has been lowered." 

"Hope Mary remembers we’re down here." Vin remarked. "It’s going to be hard taking off if the hangar gets blown up." 

"True." Chris agreed and was about to add something further when he noted rungs leading to the exit hatch on the nearby wall. "There it is." He pointed at the series of runs that led upward to a hatch on the ceiling. A lever under glass was fixed next to the ladder, most likely the door panel Chris decided. They were upon it in mere seconds and Chris could not deny that he was glad to leave these grimy surroundings behind him and shed himself of the environmental suit that was so cumbersome despite its usefulness in the earlier leg of their rescue mission. 

As Vin quickly climbed up the ladder, eager to escape the sewerage conduit, Chris sensed something that gave him pause. There was a tremor in things that was more than just the heavy shelling the base was being subjected to. It came from the mirrored reflection of reality where the Force was it its strongest and for a moment, Chris searched through the mists to see what his mind was trying to tell him. Above head, Vin had already forced down the lever of the maintenance hatch. Hydraulic systems kicked into being as the hiss of gases preceded the hatch lifting open. 

"Vin, wait." Chris opened his mouth to warn but it was too late, the bounty hunter was already moving. 

Vin heard Chris’ call to stop and then his own senses kicked in and the first thing he did when he emerged from the newly opened well was to go for his gun. He swung into firing position in one swift movement, capturing the person waiting there by surprise despite the fact that he was expected. For a second, neither man said a word as Vin found himself facing an Imperial captain. Both were locked in a stalemate and they knew it for neither could fire without killing each other.  

"We’ve got trouble." Vin remarked redundantly as Chris emerged from the hatchway himself.  

"No kidding." Chris said dourly as he took stock of their surroundings.  

They had emerged into a maintenance room and were surrounded by machinery that owed its existence to the sewerage system they had just used to penetrate the base. The room was in a shambles, with tools scattering the floor and the evidence of structural ruptures throughout the walls and ceiling. Support beams and open conduits wires were dangling precariously in the air, having broken free under the barrage of fire from the enemy warship.  

The captain was alone which struck Vin as somewhat odd when he finally took time to notice. He would have expected that an entire complement of storm troopers would be the wisest course of action to deal with two rebel infiltrators. 

"You’re not going to shoot us." Chris said casually as the Jedi began to remove his environmental suit.  

"You gonna help me?" Vin asked, somewhat surprised by the nonchalance of the Chris' behaviour. He was not at all acting like someone who had a gun pointed at him by an enemy. 

"You don’t need it." Chris replied turning to the captain. "Does he?" 

Ezra stared at this man with the dark clothes, feeling somewhat taken back because he could usually judge a person from a glance and this stranger with the sombre expression unlike his excitable companion was damn near unreadable. He stared into those penetrating eyes and could not for the life of him, understand this feeling of caution that overcame him. It was alien and yet strangely familiar and reassuring because when he looked back at Ezra, he knew exactly what Ezra was thinking.  

"No." Ezra shook his head and lowered his gun. "He does not."  

"You knew we were coming." Vin stated sliding his gun back into its holster and began gingerly removing his suit, prepared at a second’s notice to fire if this détente between themselves and the captain should suddenly crumble. 

"It was not difficult to ascertain that the effort of bombarding our deflector shield could only be a divisionary tactic." Ezra responded. "If not for the fact that my commanding officer is a moron who chose to send our fighters to engage yours, necessitating the need to lower our deflector shield and give your warship license to disable it permanently, I would not be standing here alone." 

"So what do you want?" Vin asked, wondering how the man had managed to talk so much without drawing breath. 

"He wants to help his friend." Chris answered before he could. "He want to help Nathan get out." 

Ezra tried not to show that he was shaken by the stranger’s revelation of his intention but he was. "Pray tell Sir, how you knew that before I had a chance to verbalise it?" Ezra asked in a soft voice that was somehow heard over the sound of enemy fire.  

"He’s a Jedi." Vin retorted. "You want to help us get to Nathan? Then we’d better get moving." The bounty hunter said abruptly. "We don’t have much time." 

"A Jedi Knight?" Ezra’s eyes widened and then realised that the man named Chris could be nothing else. The dark robes, the faint outline of what he had thought to be a torch or something hanging from his belt had now evolved into a light sabre and his ability to see into Ezra’s mind and know what his heart was intending, confirmed that fact. "I did not think that there were any of you left." 

"There are a few," Chris said quietly. "You care for Nathan a great deal." It was not a question but rather a statement. 

Ezra swallowed. "I do not have many friends and even less that I trust my life with. When Nathan lost his wife, I thought his hatred of the Empire would pass and in truth I supposed I was deluding myself. I knew that Palpatine had ordered the killings but I could not admit to myself or to him which only drove him further away. Perhaps if I had understood then, he would not be in this position now." 

Chris was surprised. He never knew that about Nathan even though he had met the soldier once or twice during his time on Cordoba. The man seemed at peace and Chris felt immediately ashamed that Nathan had chosen to salve his wounded soul by taking up a cause worth fighting for instead of disintegrating into a bottle as Chris had allowed his to do. "We can trust him." Chris stated.  

"Chris, I don’t know….." Vin started to say in protest. 

"I trusted you Vin," Chris met his gaze. "And I trust him." 

Ezra did not know what to say which was rather surprising for him because he could not recollect a time when he had found himself in a situation where he had no glib remarks to make. He chose instead to get moving and immediately gestured for the duo to follow him. The Jedi was content to remain in his own clothes but the other had opened his pack and revealed what appeared to be the armour of a storm trooper. It was a good precaution, Ezra had decided and assumed as he began to slip the armour plating over his body that it was also how they had planned to infiltrate the detention block.  

"You got a name Captain?" Vin asked when he finally slipped the helmet over his face.  

"Ezra Standish." He replied as they stepped out of the maintenance room into the rest of the base.  

Outside it was every bit as chaotic as one would expect from a military installation being heavily bombarded by artillery fire, even if the source of it was orbittal. The debris on the smooth black floor and more and more of the structure was starting to break free from the pummelling it was enduring. Personnel were running about frantically, carrying out their individual orders to fight off the threat they were facing while at the same time avoid being hit by the structure that was breaking apart under the heavy barrage. 

"Vin Tanner." Vin introduced himself. "That’s Chris Larabee." He added, knowing Chris would not. Although Vin still felt a little unsure about this captain and his desire to help them, he did know that Chris trusted him and Chris was almost certainly right about such things. Chris had been correct about trusting him so who was Vin to say that he might be wrong about Ezra? Besides, the fact that Ezra had not allowed the rest of his Imperial cohorts to know that they were here was an act of sedition that could land the captain in front of a firing squad.  

"Please to meet you." Ezra remarked as they made their way through the corridor. With Ezra walking ahead and Vin taking position behind Chris with his rifle drawn, it appeared as if the two Imperial soldiers were taking charge of a prisoner and hardly raised a brow of suspicion as they made their advance towards the detention block. "Are you both members of the Alliance as well?" He asked quietly. He could believe that of the Jedi but the younger man did not appear the type. In fact, he looked a lot like a mercenary. 

"No." Chris said coolly, unaffected by the disarray taking place around him. "A friend of mine was captured trying to get to Nathan." 

"It was a trap." Ezra informed them. "We were trying to capture Mary Travis." 

"She guessed." Vin admitted, remembering what Mary had said about the failed rescue attempt in retrospect. Part of the reason she had sanctioned this latest rescue was mostly because she felt responsible for placing the men in custody at present in danger in the first place. If not for her, none of them would be in the circumstances that they now found themselves. 

"She is a smarter commander than the one I am presently under the misfortune of serving." Ezra retorted. He had told Nabb that if he could not deter the Colonel from his foolish actions in lowering the deflector shield then he would prefer to join the TIE fighter squadrons instead. Ezra had logged enough flight time to be proficient enough for that ruse to work. Nabb who did not want Ezra to be present when it became clear that he had made a grievous error about the deflector shield and had been more than happy to see him go. Considering what Ezra had planned to do, he had decided than an alibi was required. 

However, how this would affect him when it was all said and done was another thing entirely. Ezra had chosen sides for better or for worse, he had rolled the dice on his future. Even though he was sacrificing his career and possibly his life to save Nathan Jackson, Ezra Standish did not know yet that he had what it took to be a rebel.  

********

The battle was going well. With the lowering of the deflector shield, the worst case scenario that Ezra Standish had envisioned when he attempted to convince Nabb of otherwise, unfolded with shocking accuracy. Once the shield generator was located and destroyed, the deflector shield disappeared and gave the X-wings in the air a new target to focus their firepower. The Purgatory also took advantage of the situation as Mary ordered the warship closer towards the lunar companion of Doldur 3. The Imperials had made a valiant effort to retaliate, having launched as many of their TIE fighters as possible. However Mary had expected that as well and caused those ships to be met with a phalanx of X-wing fighters.

 \However as she remained on the bridge of her ship, directing her fighters to what could possibly be the first military victory gained by the Rebel Alliance against the Empire, it was not of the battle that preoccupied her most. She found herself instinctively drifting towards the base where the rescue mission that had precipitated this entire attack in the first place, was currently being undertaken. Despite herself, Mary knew what it was that seemed to draw her to that operation involuntarily and knew without doubt, though she may detest admitting it, that it was Chris Larabee. The man touched something inside of her, something that perhaps recognised the sadness she saw in his eyes all too well. 

They both lost their loved ones at almost the same time. Her beloved Stephen had died the not long before his family had been marked for destruction by Palpatine in his war against the Jedi. She still grieved for Stephen and everything that had brought her to this place at this moment, had been guided by it. It was worse for him though, she empathised, for not only had he lost a wife but also a child and the only thing that kept hope alive for Mary was the belief that what she was doing would some day provide Billy with a better future. Chris Larabee did not even have that to comfort him. Even though she had no reason to feel it, Mary felt guilty for forcing him to take up her cause especially if it got him killed but there was also a part of her that was certain that he could begin healing if he had something to believe in. She did not know if freedom was a good enough reason but she was determined not to let him give up on himself.  

"Commander." Chano suddenly called out; there was a measure of anxiety in his voice that did not match the victory they were gleaning slowly throughout the course of this battle. It immediately forced away her personal predilections and returned her mind swiftly to the moment.  

"What is it?" Mary swung around in her chair and found him staring over the shoulder of the Ithorian sensor officer, their faces a glow from the reflection of the screen they were observing closely. 

"We’re detecting a massive power surge, localised off our starboard bow." He answered. 

Mary’s eyes immediately shifted to the viewer to see what it was they were talking about when suddenly, the stars seemed to contract around that area of space and the all too familiar form began taking shape around it. The Star Destroyer that soon occupied that space was almost twice as large as the warship Purgatory. Its ability to block out the stars was almost prophetic and when it soared into motion again after its unexpected arrival, Mary guessed it course immediately. It was coming straight at them. 

"I think we’re in trouble." Mary whispered. 

CHAPTER TWELVE

While their journey to the detention block had gone progressed without incident, Chris held no such illusions about how it would be when they finally reached the central control where security systems and sentries were stationed to safe guards the prisoners incarcerated. Fortunately, with Ezra Standish in their party, there were very little questions raised by the personnel they encountered as they made their way through the corridors of the base. However, Chris could not deny that he and Vin were more than concerned when the bombardment by the X-wings halted suddenly. Unfortunately, they were in no position to investigate, nor did they have any way of communicating with the Purgatory to find what had changed.  

Still, the damage done to the installation was significant as evidenced by the debris and rubble they happened by. Maintenance crews were working in almost every corridor, repairing everything from structural damage to internal wiring. Fire crews were extinguishing flames that had erupted as a result of such damage while clean up crews worked to remove the debris that covered the dark floors. The station was still on alert as periodic announcements from the powers that be informed them routinely that they were without going into the progress of the battle itself. Chris tended to believe that the silence regarding them status was mostly because the Imperials had no good news to report.  

"Let me do the talking." Ezra instructed as they approached the doors that led to the detention block.

Chris noticed that there was very little damage in this sector of the base and attributed it to the fact that the detention block area was meant to be well fortified with reinforcements everywhere in order to keep its charges secured from any attempts at escape.  

"Be my guest," Chris said coolly. "I don’t think its going to matter much though. Once you try to get Buck and the others out, they’re gonna know."

 Ezra knew this too but he preferred to be a little optimistic about things, even if it there was no chance of his complicity being hidden once the deed was done. He questioned his choices yet again but then told himself that Nathan was his friend and that there were some bonds that transcended duty and this was one of them. "Allow me my delusions." Ezra retorted after a moment. 

"How long have you and Jackson been friends?" Vin asked, sympathising with Ezra more than the captain knew. Vin himself had been placed in an odd situation of late, where he had been forced to make a choice and he still did not know what he was doing was right. All he had to guide him was a feeling and while it had been overwhelming enough at the time to broke no explanation, in the cold light of day, Vin too questioned the rationale that had led him to this moment.

"Since our Academy days." Ezra answered automatically. "He was the first person I met there and we shared a billet for four years." 

"That long," Vin nodded in understanding. 

"Yes," Ezra answered quietly, not wishing to discuss this with strangers but for some reason, he found he could trust these men, even if he did not know why. Was it perhaps some hereto unknown Jedi mind trick? Ezra supposed he would not know for certain until it was all said and done and decided not to debate the question too deeply until then. "I had not seen him since his wife’s funeral." Ezra continued speaking. "I had heard he joined the Rebels but I did not want to believe it."

"What happened to his wife?" Vin inquired from behind his stormtrooper’s helmet, which he abhorred because the thing was hot and restrictive and made him, swelter under it.  

"Her father was a Jedi." Ezra explained as the large doors appeared at the end of the corridor. "She was killed in the purges."

Chris said nothing but felt a wave of sorrow for Nathan and shame for himself. Once again, he was reminded how pathetic he had been since Sarah died and knew that all the recrimination would not change the fact that for a year, he had dishonoured her memory by being exactly what she would not have wanted. Nathan had endured the same horror for the same reasons and though the man did not lose a child as Chris had, there was no comparison when it came to mourning a hurt. One life against two did not matter; it all felt just as terrible. 

"Quiet." He ordered as they approached the doors, their feet making an echoing sound against the steel floor. 

Ezra took a deep breath and Vin went very silent next to him. Chris noted the bounty hunter’s hand tightening around the rifle as they came up to the large doorway. Ezra glanced at them briefly and then faced front again. "Remember," he instructed one final time. "Let me do the talking."  

"The floor is yours." Vin whispered, feeling his stomach knot into a tight ball as the play set into motion.  

Ezra did not react, merely reaching for the access panel and activating the doors. The inches thick steel doors slid open immediately upon touch, their movement swift but clumsy, making a soft grating noise as they parted. The room it gave them entry to was large, flanked on either side by what looked like a preliminary holding area for prisoners as they were waiting to be processed. It tapered into a narrow length of passageway, which housed the maximum-security cells. At the moment the holding cells were full and Chris immediately caught sight of Buck and the others languishing in one at the far end of the room. The pilot’s astonishment was apparent but Buck showed no signs that he recognised Chris after that initial sighting. 

The lieutenant was in charge of three storm troopers in the room stood up from his workstation when Ezra arrived. 

"Captain." He immediately offered the proper salute and then cast his eyes towards Chris. "What’s going on?"  

"We have captured one of the rebels," Ezra responded glancing in Chris’ direction. "He is to remained incarcerated until the crisis has passed and he can be properly interrogated by Colonel Nabb." 

"We weren’t notified of anything," the young man countered. His eyes started to narrow and Ezra could tell immediately that he was one of those ambitious types that needed everything in triplicate and would not hesitate to bring anything odd to the proper authorities if it meant he could be seen in a complimentary light. "I’ll need to authorise this with command." 

"You don’t need to authorise anything." Chris spoke suddenly. His voice was unusually calm, with something on an ethereal quality to it. Vin glanced at his hands and saw that same flutter of movement in his fingers that Chris had displayed when they had first encountered each other in the Four Corners Tavern where he had nearly been strangled to death.  

The lieutenant merely stared back at Chris for an instant, their gazes locked and his face draining into a decidedly vacant look. "I don’t need to authorise anything." He droned. 

The trio of storm troopers in the room witnessed the exchange and knew something was wrong if not what. They reacted predictably, going for their guns. Vin saw the first one raising the rifle and immediately swung into action, firing with more speed than his opponent was capable. He dropped to his knees as the bolt of energy flew at his direction but the one he fired struck its target first, hitting the storm trooper with enough force to sweep him off his feet and against the floor. A bolt of energy flew past the bounty hunter that saw the other storm trooper firing in his direction. The bounty hunter dove behind the control station for cover and saw the beam of energy strike the ground. The heat of it melted the floor leaving a charred mess on the surface. Vin did not give him a second chance to fire and took aim once more.  

Ezra had hoped it would not come to this but supposed from the moment he had chosen to aid Nathan’s escape, there was no avoiding this eventuality. He pulled his own blaster out of its holster as the firing began and shot the trooper nearest to him just as Vin killed the last storm trooper in the room. When Ezra fired his weapon and saw the storm trooper, a man previously under his command, spasm in pain as a bolt of energy tore through his armour and fried his heart from within, he knew that there was no turning back. For a few seconds, he merely stood there with the blaster hanging limply from his hand, thoughts racing with all kinds of confusion and anger at the choice he had been force to make.

The shooting had returned the lieutenant to his senses and his reaction was almost immediate. With speed that impressed even a Jedi, his hand flew towards a red button on the console and slammed his palm hard against it. The alert klaxons screamed throughout the complex and immediately brought any end to this being a covert operation. He turned to Chris almost triumphantly and could not understand why the man was not making any move towards him until he felt fingers around his throat. Chris did not intend to waste time with any slow process of strangulation and snapped the man’s neck without having to lay a finger on him. He tumbled to the floor wordlessly. 

"Damn!" Ezra swore loudly as the alert screamed throughout the base and was sure to bring every storm trooper available in this direction.

"You don’t have much time." Chris turned to Ezra, "go get Nathan."  

Ezra nodded and noted that Vin was already making tracks to the end of the corridor where Buck, JD and Josiah were presently being held. The trio had already got to their feet, having witnessed the impossible events unfolding before them. The other prisoners were also focussed on Chris at this point. They had seen what he had done and were quickly equating the evidence to a Jedi being in their midst’s. Chris turned to the control panel and studied it quickly, finding the controls to the door so that he could seal it from the inside. Upon doing so, he noticed the monitoring camera’s attached to strategic areas of the room and decided that they had to go. Their advantage was gone; they need not give the enemy any more help than they already had. Requiring very little control, Chris glanced at the devices and yanked all them from the walls at the same time. It surprised him how easily the Force flowed through him now that he was ready to use it again. The devices ripped themselves from the metal framework, trailing wires and sparks as they slammed onto the floor with a resounding crash. 

The prisoners were starting to chant; Jedi, Jedi, Jedi.

And for the first time in too long, Chris knew to believe they were right. He was a Jedi.

********

Ezra hurried up the smaller passageway. Maximum-security prisoners were kept here, far away from the holding cells where the lesser prisoners were kept. Nabb had somewhat forgotten about the rebel captain since the arrival of the three new prisoners and Ezra was grateful he supposed that Nabb had not elevated Nathan’s treatment to interrogation. Upon reaching the door, he keyed in his security code, aware that this was conclusive proof of his treason but deciding he had come too far to worry about that now. The door slid open and Ezra descended down the steps to find Nathan on his bunk, looking worried and confused about all the noise.

 "Ezra?" Nathan exclaimed genuinely surprised by the appearance of his old friend, what’s going on? It sounds like all hell is breaking loose out there? Are you under attack?" He had heard the bombardment even through the thick walls of his cell and wondered who would be bold enough to attack an Imperial base.  

"Just a little diversionary tactic provided by your rebel comrades." Ezra replied. "We have to go, now." He gestured Nathan to follow and handed him a blaster he had relieved from one of the dead storm troopers prior to his arrival here.  

"A rebel attack?" Nathan muttered, still somewhat shocked but having enough presence of mind to follow his friend. "Ezra, are you helping me break out?" 

"Either that or this is an extremely elaborate effort of gaining attention." Ezra dead panned before hurrying out of the cell with Nathan following closely.  

********

Vin Tanner was also encountering similar incredulity from Buck Wilmington when he pulled off his helmet and tossed it aside upon reaching the cell occupied by the pilot and the rest of his companions.

"You’re the bounty hunter!" JD declared as he revealed himself to them.  

"No kidding." Vin muttered and faced the control panel that maintained the energy field which kept them trapped in their cells. "Stand back, all of you!" He ordered, uncertain of how the device was going to act when he did what he was about to. 

"Change of heart?" Buck asked sceptically as he took a step back from the energy field.  

"Something like that," Vin answered as he raised the rifle and prepared to fire. "You know how Jedis can be." He met Buck’s gaze for a brief instance before pulling the trigger.

So that was it, Buck thought to himself as the bolt of blue energy struck the control panel and disintegrated it into a mess of twisted and burning metal. The energy field keeping them prisoners, shimmered slightly before deactivating completely. When it was completely evaporated, Buck and the others were more than eager to hurry out. JD was helping Josiah who was still a little weak after suffering the tortures he had at Nabb’s hands.  

"We have to free them too." Buck gestured to the other prisoners in their cells.  

"One thing at a time." Vin retorted and turned to move when suddenly, they heard a low whine throughout the room. It took him but an instant to register what it was before he was shouting at Chris who was still at the centre of the room.  

"CHRIS!" He shouted on top of his lung. "They’re trying to blow the door!"  

No sooner, than he said those words, the main door exploded outward. A ball of fire threw everyone to the floor with Chris taking shelter behind the control panel where the lieutenant’s body still lay. Vin saw the bodies pushing through the gaping hole of shredded metal created by the explosion and was the first to notice the movement through the smoke. He scrambled to his feet and prepared to shoot when he felt an arm yanking him back into the cell as the first bolts of energy from multiple laser rifles began firing violently.

"Hey!" Vin shouted in protest as he was forced back into the cell he had just liberated Buck Wilmington and company from.  

"Get some cover you stupid bastard!" Buck ordered holding him by the arm firmly. "You’re right in the open, they’ll cut you down in a second!"  

"But Chris…." Vin started to say when Buck cut him off abruptly. 

"Oh, don’t worry about Chris," Buck replied glancing in the direction of the Jedi. "He’ll be just fine." 

*********

Jedi. Jedi. Jedi.

Even through the explosion and the shooting, the prisoners were still chanting that word as if it were a mantra that would give them strength. Chris lay crouched beneath the control panel and saw Vin and Buck pinned in the cell at the rear of his peripheral vision. Ezra and Nathan had yet to make their appearance but unless the main doors were clear, none of them were getting out of this alive. He took a deep breath and let his thoughts settle, remembering old lessons that were more than happy to be surface once again and suddenly, the anger and rage bled away from him. There was only peace and there was control, absolute and perfect control. 

For that was the way of the Jedi. 

Chris started to rise, releasing his cloak from his shoulder and allowing the soft material to fall from his shoulders to pile at his feet. He unclasped the hook that kept the light sabre latched to his belt and felt the weapon in his hand. The metal was cool to touch and felt infinitely right in his hand. There was no switch to activate the weapon for only novices who were not entirely certain of their power needed those. If not for Palpatine’s purge, he would have been a Jedi Master by now, elevated to the Jedi Council even though he hated the idea of being one. He had preferred to remain just a Jedi and grateful for that but then it was also the way of the Jedi to not crave such things. Using a minute fraction of his power, Chris activated the mechanism inside the weapon and brought the light sabre to life.  

The storm troopers shooting only saw a blur as Chris leapt out from behind the control panel and landed before them. They immediately trained their guns on him and were more than astonished to watch him deflect every shot with his light sabre. The stray shots slammed into walls and into the floor, everywhere except where it was meant to go. As they reeled in shock from what they were seeing, Chris flung his light sabre towards them in a neat arch. The blade swung forward, a kaleidoscope of colour as it spun, Catherine wheel like, cutting down anything unfortunate to be in its path. Screams pierced the air as limbs and flesh was sliced apart through armour and bone. When it finished its destructive path, it clattered to the ground for a fraction of a section before Chris retrieved it. 

The light sabre flew into the air and landed neatly in the palm of the Jedi’s hand as Chris turned his attention to the doors. Concentrating deeply, he ripped apart what remained of the massive doors, forcing them to open with the power of his mind. The metal grated smoothly apart, revealing a handful of astonished storm troopers who had seen the destruction and could only react by raising their guns to fire. Chris outstretched his hand and three of them were swept off their feet and thrown backwards like rag dolls. They slammed hard against the floor, the squelching sound of bone snapping as they landed while the others started firing.  

Chris made a running start towards them and jumped, sailing clear across their heads and landing behind them in the corridor. The beam of his light sabre ignited in mid flight and when he landed he swung in a neat arch and eviscerated the storm trooper closest to him. The other two began firing mindlessly now, their fear becoming so apparent that Chris allowed it to soak into his senses and nourish him. He deflected their shots easily and closed the distance between them. Swinging his light sabre once more, he completely destroyed the rifle being aimed in his direction after sending the bolt meant for him harmlessly into the opposite wall. Unarmed, the storm trooper staggered back as Chris lowered his light sabre and sent him flying. His companion prepared to shoot but Chris looked at him sharply and said with a little smile. 

"You can’t shoot me because you can’t see me." 

The trooper paused a moment, trying to understand what that meant until the power of the suggestion completed its journey through his synapses and delivered that instruction to his optic nerves. When the veil of black fell over him, he understood and started screaming. All thoughts about the Jedi he was trying to kill evaporated from his mind as the panic set in. Chris walked past the man and re-entered the detention block to be greeted by open cheering by those the prisoner who had watched the Jedi vanquishing his enemies.

Jedi. Jedi. Jedi.

It had been a long time since Chris Larabee felt that and as he looked around at the floor covered in bodies, he felt saddened at the lives he had taken but was pleased that the Force was still with him.  

Buck stepped out of the cell, a broad grin on his face as he stared at Chris and the both men met in a warm embrace.  

"Its good to have you back Chris." Buck smiled as he surveyed the evidence of Chris’ handiwork. "You haven’t lost your touch." 

Chris gazed at his friend for a few seconds and responded. "I didn't want them to hurt you Buck." 

Buck opened his mouth to speak but the words never came when JD's voice erupted. "Did you see that!" JD said exuberantly to Josiah behind them. "He took them all down on his own!"  

Vin joined the old friends and the awe on the bounty hunter’s face was unmistakable. "Not bad." He said with the barest hint of a smile. "Scary but not bad at all." 

"What in the hell happened here?" Nathan exclaimed as he emerged from the detention block with Ezra who was staring at the carnage with a similar degree of shock. 

"Look," Josiah spoke up suddenly. "I am certain that we are all somewhat astonished by what our esteemed Jedi has done but I think we ought to save the questions until we get out of here." 

"He’s right." Vin agreed and faced Chris. "When they see this, they’re going to bring the entire base down on us. We have to get out of here now." 

Chris nodded and turned to Ezra. "Is Buck’s ship here?" 

The image of the freighter entered his mind immediately and he answered. "Yes, it is presently in landing bay 12."  

"Good," Buck retorted as the group started moving. "No way in hell am I leaving my ship." 

**********

 "All fighters, stay close to the Destroyer!" Mary ordered as the Purgatory shuddered from another blast from the Imperial war machine.

 They had been openly engaging the Star Destroyer since it emerged from hyperspace and though Mary had struggled valiantly to give the vessel the fight it deserved, she had to be realistic. With the added complement of TIE fighters from the base and the destroyer bearing down on the handful of X-wing, Mary knew that the Purgatory was outclassed. The Star Destroyer was a more recent model which had come equipped with all the features that the Purgatory had undergone refit to possess and its fire power was double that of the Nubian warship. In a protracted conflict, it had more than enough strength and endurance to wipe out her ship. 

"Commander," Chano exclaimed. "We must withdraw!"  

"We can’t withdraw!" Mary snapped, having heard this plea once already. "Chris and the others are still on the surface. We have to wait!" 

"We’ll be destroyed if we wait!" Chano retaliated. He did not want to abandon the rescue team any more than she did but he had to be sensible about this because their lives were few compared to the number on board this vessel, not to mention piloting the X-wings.  

"I know that!" Mary nearly shouted at him and then calmed herself. There had to be a way to even the odds. She looked at that massive ship that was now positioned directly over the base and considered what she could do. She could not let them die and a small voice inside her head laughed in derision and uttered with a cynicism. 

You mean let him die. 

Mary blinked and it came to her. It was a gamble but it was the only chance she had, the only trick she knew that could save them all. "All fighters, I want you take out the command deck deflector shield. I want their bridge completely defenceless!" 

Chano blinked in confusion and came to her side. "Commander, I don’t understand. Fighters won’t do much damage by taking out that shield."  

"You don’t think so?" Mary challenged and faced front when she saw a group of X-wings converging upon the desired location. The sky before them was a symphony of amber and blue light as ships exploded in space, their eruption extinguished almost immediately in the vacuum filled void. Each time those lights flared in amber, Mary felt her soul weep for that was a life that was ended when the explosion faded away.  

"Commander," J’yd announced. "The deflector shield on the command deck has been destroyed." 

"Good," Mary answered tautly and then further ordered. "Get me ship to ship communications with squadron leader King." 

Chano still did not know what she was planning but complied with the order nonetheless. "Channel open." The executive officer announced. 

Mary took a deep breath and nodded. "Audrey," Mary spoke up. "I need you to angle your ship at coordinates 23 degrees starboard and go in hot. I want thrusters on maximum burn." 

"Sir?" Squadron leader Audrey King asked with obvious confusion in her voice.  

"Do as I say." Mary ordered. "Go in hot and eject before collision. Do you understand me? Eject." 

There was a slight pause through the bursts of static in the transmission before she understood what it was that was being asked. "I got you Commander."  

Chano too understood and looked at Mary with something akin to horror and plain astonishment. The manoeuvre was brilliant if not utterly desperate so very keeping in the tradition of the Alliance. "All fighters," the executive officer added upon realizing the plan his commander was attempting to carry out. "Ensure that Squadron Leader King’s ship reaches its destination. Give her a wide berth." 

"Deploy an emergency pod as soon as she ejects," Mary said softly after the orders were handed out. "There’s way too much shooting for her to be left floating around out there." 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Get back, get back!" Vin Tanner shouted at the top of his lungs.

Behind him, a dozen storm troopers ran up the corridor in pursuit with their guns blazing. The corridors erupted with the sound of blasters being fired and stray bolts of energy flying about in all directions, ricocheting and impacting against walls. Farther along the corridor, the newly rescued Nathan Jackson was covering Vin's retreat, firing into the thickest part of the approaching group. Vin did not need to look behind him to know Nathan had killed several of the enemy troops. He could smell the scent of burning flesh and synthetics carried through the smoke of blaster discharges. Once he rounded the corner, he spun around and fired again, giving Nathan the chance to make a similar retreat. However, his one weapon was not enough to completely prevent all six or seven of them from shooting.

Chris was up ahead, keeping the way clear while Vin and Nathan took the rear guard. JD was still helping Josiah who had regained something of his strength. However he was a big man and despite the youth's determination, helping him to move quickly was hard. Buck who had managed to retrieve a weapon from one of the dead storm troopers alternated between shooting and was helping JD where possible. Ezra and Chris led the group, mostly because no one knew their way around the meandering corridors that led to the landing bay better than the Imperial captain. Chris on the meantime, ensured that any opposition encountered ahead did not remain there for very long.

At the moment, there were prisoner alerts screaming throughout the entire station because Chris had released all the captives in the cell and directed them to the landing bay. With Nathan and Josiah in their company, Chris was certain that the retrieval efforts would focus mostly on the rebel prisoners and allow the non-human escapees to make it to the hangar unaccosted by Imperial security. However, the reality of the situation was that they simply could not save everyone no matter how much Chris might abhor the idea.

As Vin ran to safety around the corner the others had already disappeared behind with Nathan following, he could feel the heat of stray bolts impacting into every possible surface along the narrow corridor. Intense energy hit the steel plating and sent sparks and fiery embers skittering across the floor and onto his storm trooper's armor as he hurried past. The corridor was starting to fill with the smoke from the laser discharges and it was becoming increasingly harder to see. Meanwhile, Nathan was dusting away the hot embers on his sleeve before finally jumping to safety just as he heard another discharge behind him. He landed in a roll and got to his feet quickly as Vin kept firing to keep them away at least for a while.

The others had paused long enough around the corner for them to catch up. Ezra and Chris had gone ahead in order to find an alternate route to the landing bay where the Rogue was being kept. Once Nathan was on his feet, he hurried to Vin's side and added his blaster to the firefight. Surprisingly enough, the former Imperial Captain was doing quite well in cutting down the latest group of storm troopers attempting to recapture him. Their numbers had dwindled from six to two. Vin had thought an Imperial officer who spent most of the time on the bridge would not be so adept a marksman but Nathan had surprised him.

"You do much target practice on the bridge of a warship?" Vin inquired.

"Enough to show you a thing or two, bounty hunter." Nathan retorted with a little smile. He was still apprehensive about Vin Tanner being among them but a Jedi's endorsement was nothing to take lightly. Suddenly, he saw something at the corner of his eye and realised that more soldiers were behind them.

"Let's go!" He said pulling Vin's arm.

"Wait a minute!" Vin returned and took careful aim. There were two troopers left standing. While the logical thing for the remaining duo to do was wait until reinforcements came, it was conceivable that they might ignore good sense and follow the prisoners. Vin was not about to let any one of his companions get shot in the back.

Vin fired twice. His aim was deadly accurate and they collapsed on the deck among the dead bodies of their former comrades. The corridor was littered with corpses and Vin tried not to remember that he had caused all this carnage. He disliked killing because even when it was necessary. When he was a bounty hunter, he tried not to kill unnecessarily but the nature of the profession made it impossible. However, this though in self-defense, still left a bad taste in his mouth.

"You're good." Buck who had dropped back to aid them remarked, staring at the bodies.

Vin swallowed and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Its what I do." He shrugged.

"And well." Buck replied impressed by the marksmanship he had witnessed from the bounty hunter and for the first time, understood why Chris had trusted him so much with their lives.

"Which way next?" Nathan asked when Ezra returned to them.

"That way." Ezra gestured to the intersection of corridors up ahead. "We make a left turn at the junction and continue down the corridor until we arrive at the maintenance deck. It travels directly under the flight deck. At the end of the deck, there should to be a stairway leading us directly to the landing bays."

"You know where my ship is kept?" Buck asked, not at all prepared to leave the Rogue in this place. That ship was his pride and joy. It was as much a part of himself as a limb and he would not leave it if there was the slightest chance of retrieving it.

"I would be leading on a fool's errand if I had not." Ezra deadpanned.

"You alright Josiah?" Nathan turned to the former statesman in concern.

"I was a science officer for the Republic when you were in diapers Nate." Josiah said with dignity. "I'll manage."

"Something is happening above." Chris returned to the group and announced. "They're terrified."

"What do you mean?" Buck asked. "Terrified of what?"

"I don't know," the Jedi shook his head unable to grasp that much, only aware that the emotions he sensed was one of fear. "They've forgotten about us. I think they're trying to evacuate."

"Evacuate?" Ezra asked confused. "Why would they evacuate...." Suddenly, the answer dawned upon him and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "We have to get out of here now. They only evacuate if there is a danger of the entire base being destroyed."

"How?" JD exclaimed.

"I do not know," Ezra retorted as he pushed past Chris and gestured for the others to start moving. "Perhaps you may ask the hero of Jofa the next time you meet her, if we leave this place alive to put the question to her."

"The hero of what?" Vin said blankly.

"Mary." Nathan declared as he tugged at Vin's arm to follow. "He means Mary."

*********

Ten minutes earlier, Mary found herself standing at the viewer, watching the progress of Colonel King's ship across the sky. The X-wing flanking her fighter was firing relentlessly at the surrounding TIE fighters as it burned through space on a direct heading for the Star Destroyer. The Destroyer was attempting to maneuver out of the way, having sensed the danger that was coming at it. However, Mary ensured that the Purgatory kept the large vessel from veering too far from of the course she needed it to go. The offensive action was taking its toll on her ship however; the Star Destroyer was making every effort to shake off the interference from the Purgatory, firing all guns at the Nubian warship.

Even as she stood on the deck of her bridge, Mary could feel the heaving and protest of the vessel's superstructure as it was bombarded by enemy fire. She could hear the chatter of her officers on the deck, battling to keep the Purgatory together as they dealt with the numerous systems alerts that was flashing across their console screens while at the same time performing the miracles the ship needed to let Mary's plan succeed. Mary knew the ship could not take much more pounding and glanced at the viewer once more and felt a surge of relief realizing that its punishment was at an end.

"Now, Colonel." Mary barked out loud because Colonel King was listening for the order. "Eject!"

"Yes Sir." Came the cackling reply of static before a loud roar filled the air. It ripped through the stillness of the bridge, like a gust of wind escaping and Mary knew immediately that it was the sound of the canopy being discarded and the pilot ejecting from inside the cockpit. She could not see the Colonel's body in the viewer but hoped that the emergency pod was on its way toward retrieving the woman.

"What about her ship?" Mary demanded of her executive officer.

"On its way to the target," Chano answered as he kept his eyes trained on the scanner, watching the progress of the X-wing as it continued its trajectory towards the Star Destroyer. The great ship was attempting to veer out of the way but Mary had timed the maneuver in this way in order to take that chance away from the enemy. Forcing the X-wing to use maximum burn to close in on the Imperial war machine prevented any TIE fighters from shooting her down before she reached her destination. Chano had been correct when he claimed that no fighter would be able to inflict much damage on the bridge of the Destroyer, even if its deflector shield in that area was disabled.

However, crashing into the bridge without any protection was another matter entirely.

The X wing fighter, abandoned and pilotless sailed forward in a neat line through the zig zag of blasts from enemy sips that were trying to halt is advance, carried to its destiny by auto-pilot and forward inertia, could now be seen by the bridge crew of the Star Destroyer. The officers on the deck started running for safety even though in their frantic minds, they knew that once the impact was made, there would be no safe place to hide. A few held their ground, choosing to meet the end with dignity and there were the screams as the X- wing loomed large in the wide window of the command deck.

"Evasive action!" Some one who still had presence of mind screamed loudly but it was too late.

From the bridge of her ship, Mary saw the explosion as the X-wing collided with the Star Destroyer. The explosion was not large in comparison to those, which might signal the destruction of such a massive ship, but it was more than enough for her purposes. Mary saw the spidery webs of energy crackling through the main deck of the Destroyer as the amber heat dispersed throughout the command deck and sent debris, some of which were bodies floating out into space. The effect of the action was almost immediate on the vessel's trajectory. The Star Destroyer began to dip at the nose, the gravitational field of the moon capturing it almost immediately and forced it to begin drifting aimlessly towards the lunar surface.

Cheers erupted throughout the bridge of the Purgatory as the gamble Mary had taken came to fruition. It was clear that the Destroyer had been rendered effective and was spiralling out of control towards the moon. No one noticed Mary's expression as she saw the trajectory the Destroyer was headed and knew where it would crash, when it arrived on the moon.

"Oh no," she uttered with a strangled whisper. "Chris."

**********

The landing bay was in pandemonium when they arrived at the hangar where the Rogue was berthed. The evacuation process was well on the way with personnel running back and forth across the deck, trying to reach ships in order to make their escape from the calamity that was coming. Technicians were hastily preparing fighters for launch, while transport vehicles and shuttles began soaring out of the hangar at rapid pace. The Rogue was relatively untouched when the seven arrived inside the berth. Buck in particular, was euphoric to see his ship in one piece.

"Oh baby, am I glad to see you again!" He gushed as he ran towards the hatch and activated the ramp. Buck had never been so happy to see the Corsair in all his life and was eternally grateful that they had left his prized possession in one piece.

"Enough with the reunion!" Chris barked more than accustomed to Buck's passionate reunion with his ships and frankly was in little mood to endure another bout of affection at this time. "Something's coming at us and its coming at us fast!"

"Can you tell what it is?" Vin asked, he did not know what the possible danger was but judging the way emergency klaxons were screaming and electronic voices over the speakers were telling everyone to evacuate, Vin supposed it was urgent indeed. The pandemonium of running feet and terrified expressions confirmed that if nothing else.

"No," Chris shook his head, unable to sort out through the noise of panic and fear that war running rife through his senses. He had to shield himself from it because the volume of terror was so palpable it nearly choked him with its intensity.

"Nathan," Ezra said suddenly. "This is where we go our separate ways."

Nathan, who was taking strides towards the Rogue, stopped dead in his tracks and turned around slowly. "What do you mean?" He stared at his old friend who was holding position and did not appear to have any intention of boarding the freighter with them. "You can't go back, they'll kill you." Nathan exclaimed with genuine fear. When Ezra had helped him escape, Nathan had been euphoric at the notion that at last his friend understood what it was he was fighting for. The disappointment of learning other wise stung him intensely.

"I am not ready to be a rebel yet, Nathan." Ezra confessed with utter sincerity. "My life is the way I like it and while I did not wish to see you harmed, I am not prepared to join you either."

"Ezra don't be a fool." Vin found himself adding. If Chris trusted this man, then his life could not simply be wasted by such a foolish act. Besides, Ezra had led them here despite of the danger to himself and had been instrumental in their escape, he was someone Vin would trust in any fight. "Your access code got us into that detention block, they'll know you were responsible for us getting away."

"Maybe," Ezra retorted, not about to deny that but not about to give up everything he had worked for either. "But I am willing to chance that I may explain my way out of this."

By the time, Buck had activated the ramp of the Rogue which extended outwards at the same time the hatch slid open and waited for them to board. Buck took a step onto the walkway and glanced over his shoulder at his friends. "Look, I don't mean to be rude but we need to move our asses if we're gonna get out of here."

"You heard Mr Wilmington." Ezra replied turning to Nathan with the most genuine expression of affection the man was capable of displaying on that usually mercurial face. "You need to go, now."

"What about you?" Chris asked quietly. He did not like the idea of Ezra leaving them, especially when the man had helped them so invaluably to retrieve their friends and his. However, Chris also understood that there was a line inside of him that he had yet to cross and until that day, Ezra would not be ready for what the Rebel Alliance required of him.

"You tell me." Ezra's lips curled into a smile. "You're the Jedi."

"It's a hard life," Josiah Sanchez suddenly spoke up. "You must choose your own way Captain," the former senator said looking at Ezra with those old and wise eyes. "We will be here if you wish to join us but we understand that you must make the choice yourself, we cannot help you to make it." With that Josiah, allowed JD to help him up the ramp, deciding that there was nothing more to say.

Ezra swallowed, wondering if Josiah knew how true those words were. "Thank you," he said quietly to the back of the departing senator before remembering himself. "Nathan, get going." He ordered and started turning away.

"No," Nathan protested. "I'm not going to let you do this Ezra."

However, Vin had locked a hand around the former captain's arm and was starting to pull him up the ramp. "Come on Nathan." Vin said casting a glance in Ezra's direction. "He's made his choice."

"Its crazy!" Nathan shouted angrily. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Nathan," Chris asked gently. "We have to go, now."

Nathan stared at the Jedi and Chris could feel the anguish in his soul as Nathan realised that Chris was right. They did have to go and Ezra had made his choice. "Alright," he nodded. "Goddamn it. Alright."

Nathan looked to Ezra, preparing to say some kind of goodbye, though he did not know what would have been appropriate for the moment but never had a chance to do.

Ezra was gone already.

**********

It took Buck Wilmington a matter of minutes to prepare his ship for launch and blast out of the base. The Rogue became lost in the convoy of ships departing the moon hastily, attempting to put as much distance between themselves and the coming destruction, one of them being a TIE fighter that broke out of its launch bay at roughly the same time. It was only when the Rogue finally ascended into the air, did they finally realise what crisis had sent the base into complete pandemonium that the only way of escape it was a mass exodus. The Star Destroyer entered the atmosphere and immediately ignited. The sight was almost breathtaking in a horrifying way as the large ship streaked through the sky like a leviathan on fire. It trailed cloud of smoke as it continued on it collision course towards the surface.

The Rogue broke orbit just as the great ship impacted against the earth not far from the base. The ensuing fireball ensured the complete disintegration of the former Imperial installation, not to mention any unfortunates who were still trapped there. A mushroom cloud rose into the air with the catastrophic impact and even as the freighter soared into the darkness of space, the evidence of destruction could be seen in the fiery surfaces of the moon, that was quickly burning out of control by the radiated winds. It was a conflagration that would not stop until the entire surface was consumed.

In space, the TIE fighters had chosen to retreat to Doldur 3, now that the battle was more or less over with the morale crushing destruction of the Star Destroyer. The fighter were returning to the safer territory on Doldur itself while X-wings returned to the Purgatory that kept a vigil for all its returning heroes.

**********

Ezra Standish saw the freighter in the distance and allowed himself a little smile knowing that his friend was safe. He did not know why he had not chosen to follow Nathan Jackson when the rebel had made his escape, even though Ezra knew that the Empire he served was evil. Perhaps it was a last desperate effort to cling to a life he knew was slipping fast through his fingers, giving way for one that was uncertain at best. Inside the confines of the TIE fighter he had commandeered to make his escape from what was the fiery wreck of the Doldur 3 Imperial base, Ezra suddenly felt time catching up on him and demanding that he make choices.

As he watched the freighter returning to the safety of the Nubian warship, he had until now only seen in the scanner, Ezra wondered when would come the time when he bridged that space to join it as well. Mary Travis had proved that she was an able commander in the field. She had proved that the Empire had a valid reason for wishing the return of the Hero of Jofa to their ranks. He wondered if Nabb had any idea of how he had been beaten by a mind that knew more about military tactics and battlefield ingenuity than he could ever dream of possessing. He would have liked to have met the lady Ezra thought but then supposed like everything else; he was not ready for that either.

Casting a final gaze at what might have been and what still could, Ezra Standish turned his attention to the controls of his ship and joined the other TIE fighters on their way to Doldur.

EPILOGUE

Chris should not have been here.

It was dangerous and after what had happened on Doldur 3, perhaps even a little foolhardy but he had forced himself to journey here because it was something he had to do. After rescuing Nathan Jackson and Josiah Sanchez from Doldur 3, Mary was more than accommodating when he asked to borrow a ship. Buck had offered to take him wherever he needed to go but this was a trip that he had to make alone. She had presented him with an X-wing fighter and Chris had the sneaking suspicion she had done so because she remembered how he had admired it. A Jedi needs his own ship, she had said to him and embraced him warmly as he prepared to leave and asked him to return soon because they needed him.

He looked into those blue grey eyes and knew that was not the reason.

Nevertheless, he accepted the ship and left the rebel base bound for Tatooine because he had a quest to make. In the last year, he had allowed himself to descend into a wilderness of the soul, forgetting all that he was and all that he had ever been. He had sullied the memory of Sarah and Adam with his self-pity and he had forgotten the most important aspect of his life; that he was a Jedi and that the Force was there to strengthen him, to heal the wounds within with inner peace. Chris had abandoned all that for a descent into a kind of Purgatory where he had drowned himself in drink. He was mortified with his behavior but hoped his actions of late went some way to making amends.

The Dune Sea was an unforgiving place and those who came out here ill prepared usually died for their mistake. It was a barren wasteland of endless dunes and craggy rock faces where dangers waited behind every crest of sand that could kill as surely as the desert itself. Chris moved his eyes away from the image magnifier in his hands before squinting when he felt the terrible heat of the twin sun blazing down on him. The dwelling that made up the central nucleus of the moisture farm that Chris had chosen to observe was constructed partially beneath ground level to take advantage of the shade such a construct would provide from the heat. Most of the dwellings in Tatooine were built this way and the residence that Chris found himself looking at from a distance was no different.

The boy ran out of his home, no more than two years of age, giggling and laughing as children often do when they had no idea that the world was a place with teeth. He ran out into the flat plain and paused a moment, looking very serious indeed for a child his age when something of particular interest captured his interest. He was staring into the cloud, pointing at a formation that shaped itself as more than cumulous in his youthful imagination and smiled at it. Blond hair framed his small face and the blue eyes studying that cloud sparkled with hope, bringing a smile to Chris' face.

"He is his father's son." Ben Kenobi remarked as he pictured what Chris was seeing without the aid of the magnifier.

"Is that a good thing?" Chris asked as he reveled in the sight of the child and was reminded of Adam, who had looked at life in just the same way once upon a time. Seeing the boy in front of him brought those memories back with a surge and he had to swallow hard to compose himself.

"Probably not but there is no denying that Luke is Anakin's son." Ben sighed, remembering the things he had lived through and feeling an inordinate sense of guilt that so much would be pinned on this child when he grew to manhood. Ben could feel the sadness pouring out from his old friend who was staring across the stretch of land that separated them from the Lars moisture farm. "Its good to see you Chris." He admitted readily.

Chris turned to Ben and smiled, conceding that point as well in his expression. "Likewise Ben. It's been awhile."

"There are not many of us left." Ben said grimly, his voice soft. "I felt some of us die."

"So did I." Chris nodded somberly, having experienced that same sensation of extinguishing life himself. "We are dying out Ben. Perhaps the balance that the prophecy spoke of is this. That we need to die so that things can even themselves out."

"A question for philosophers Chris," Ben answered. "Although Master Yoda would most likely be able to answer that with ease." He added with a look of mischief.

"How is he?" Chris asked after uttering a soft chuckle. "Is he still taking sanctuary in Dagobah?"

"Yes," Ben nodded. "I know there are others who have gone the same way, who are trying to wait out the storm until the boy needs us."

"That may be difficult." Chris informed the Jedi Master even though he was certain Ben was well aware of these facts, if from his own experiences then by examining Chris' thoughts. Ben Kenobi was a Jedi Master and though Chris had the strength to keep him out, the Jedi was not so on guard in the presence of his old friend. "The Emperor is hunting us down with a vengeance and killing all those who could be Jedi."

Ben glanced at Chris and saw the open wound inside his friend's soul. "Chris, I am terribly sorry about Sarah and Adam."

Chris swallowed thickly, because Jedi or not, grief affected him the same way as it did any ordinary man. Being a Jedi did not give him any concession from that pain even if it should have prepared him to handle it better. "I let myself wallow in self pity because I could not stand going on alone and I've realised lately, that I'm only dishonoring them by living that way. Sarah would not have wanted me to give up and Adam was proud his father was a Jedi, I have to remember that."

Ben placed a gentle hand on Chris' shoulder and squeezed it warmly. "Did it help coming here to see him?" The Jedi Master glanced briefly in the direction of the child who was now retreating into the house.

"Yes," Chris nodded truthfully. "I needed to remind myself that there are things left that I need to do. The Rebel Alliance is young and it needs guidance and from there, I can help you in some small way. At least keep trouble from coming here or warn you if it does."

"It is appreciated." Ben replied gratefully, needing that advantage. He had accustomed himself to the hermit life he had chosen as Luke Skywalker's guardian but it was a lonely existence. "I've been keeping watch on him since the day he was born. My brother prefers it that I remain at a distance to not confuse the child with uncomfortable questions as to who I might be to him."

"And his sister?" Chris turned to Ben pointedly. "Are they never to know each other?"

"For her safety, its necessary." Ben replied automatically, having discussed this issue already with the twin's mother and then felt a wave of sadness almost as profound as the one Chris felt for the loss of his wife when he thought of Queen Amidala, or she would who always be known to him as Padme. "Amidala is no longer with us" Ben revealed after a moment.

Chris turned sharply to Ben aware that there were some deep emotions between the two that went unspoken for a long time. He saw the sorrow in Ben's eyes and for once found himself on the other end of the situation where he searched for something to say. "I'm sorry Ben."

Ben shrugged off the attempt because he had reconciled himself with her loss during his solitude here and continued speaking. "She cannot protect her daughter any more so I charge you to watch over House Organa, to ensure that the little girl is safe. Her anonymity is her greatest protection at this time but there are always unknown factors."

"Yes," Chris agreed and then turned to Ben and said with more conviction than he had felt in years. "I promise you she will be safe."

"Thank you my friend." Ben patted him on the shoulder. "Now you must go."

Chris nodded in understanding. It was dangerous for him to be here as it was and Ben Kenobi, formerly General Obi-Wan Kenobi who fought in the Clone Wars, had been extremely tolerant in indulging Chris' need to feel some measure of hope because the Jedi Master had sensed that he sorely needed it. However, by the same token, Chris also sensed that Ben wanted to see him once more.

"We're not going to see each other again are we Ben?" Chris asked softly realizing the truth and the sadness that seemed to fill Ben Kenobi's soul with a kind of remorse that even he, grieving for Sara and Adam, could not possibly imagine.

Ben took a deep breath and replied softly. "No, we are not. Your destiny lies upon a different path from mine Chris. You need to fulfil it and by no means is your time over, it merely evolving into something else."

"I miss what we were," Chris whispered softly, allowing that vulnerability to show to the one person who would understand. "We're fading into the mists Ben, we're becoming intangible." Chris thought of the Jedi who for thousands of years had brought peace and justice to the galaxy and it saddened him that people were already starting to forget.

"This one you call Vin," Ben said suddenly. "You intend to make him Jedi?"

"No," Chris shook his head automatically without even having to consider the question. "I have no wish to train Jedi and it safer for him if he does not learn our ways. I'll tell him what we were and what we tried to accomplish and maybe that will give him some kind of peace."

"And I will do the same for Luke and maybe," Ben remarked with a bittersweet smile. "We'll exist somewhere after all."

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

Ezra Standish found himself staring at Commander Colonel Tarkin and wondered if the man expected him to flinch. He did not. Ever the consummate actor, Ezra sat in front of the sprawling desk of the Colonel in charge of sifting through the mess that had taken place on Doldur 3 as far as the Empire was concerned, relatively unconcerned. An inquiry and an investigation had followed; Colonel Nabb was presently occupying a cell not unlike the one that he had placed Buck Wilmington while the powers that be considered his fate. There was a time when the worst punishment meted out to officers who acted questionably was merely discharge but the Empire had a more extreme reaction to such behavior and Ezra did not envy Nabb's position. Unfortunately, Ezra did not know for certain that he would not be placed in a cell himself after what he had done to aid Nathan's escape.

Tarkin's office was situated in one of the loftier parts of the large complex that acted as the military center of the Imperial fleet. The large picture window gave him a spectacular view of Coruscant Centre and Ezra soaked up the picturesque imagery in order to calm himself for the play he had to perform for Colonel Tarkin. Hawk like, the man watched him with dark eyes, trying to ferret out weakness. Ezra knew of Tarkin by reputation of course, anyone who kept abreast of things did. Tarkin was being fast tracked to becoming a Grand Moff because he was one of the Emperor's favored. While some may think that this had more to do with luck than it did skill and ambition, they would be wrong. Tarkin had reached the place of power he had because he was shrewd and as his eyes studied Ezra Standish like a puzzle that had to be dismantled to be understood, Ezra knew that he had to extremely careful during this interview between them.

"What do you think of Colonel Nabb?" Tarkin asked coolly.

"Is this a candid discussion?" Ezra returned his gaze and knew that he had to hold it. Tarkin's manner told him that maintaining eye contact was a method in which the Colonel gauged weakness.

"Of course." Tarkin replied with a little smile. "Perfectly candid."

"The man is a fool." Ezra said with enough vitriol in his voice to indicate how personally he felt in the manner. "He is ambitious but has none of the ability. He is a brutaliser and more at use as a thug instead of command."

"Yes," the colonel nodded, his own assessment of Nabb no too dissimilar. "I tend to agree with you."

Ezra did not show that he was relieved. "That is gratifying to know."

"The reports of several officers on the deck claim that you openly stood up to the Colonel, attempting to keep him from lowering the deflector shield."

"In my opinion, it was a foolish act." Ezra answered truthfully in this instance. "The rebel bombardment, though annoying at the time, did not offer us any real threat. Our deflector shield was more than capable of protecting us. We could have simply waited for help to arrive and take care of the Nubian warship. Lowering the shield left us wide open. It was tactically irresponsible."

"Yes," Tarkin answered. "It would appear that most of the bridge staff who escaped the station seemed to agree with you but that did not prevent Nabb from attempting to charge you with insurbordination."

"I had to speak my mind." Ezra replied, unashamed. "He compromised the station because he panicked."

"You are correct of course." Tarkin agreed and then picked up some data pads and studied it. "Well I find your actions were remiss of any misconduct, Captain Standish. You did attempt to prevent this fiasco from taking place and since the station was vaporised, we must rely on the word of the officers present to gauge what happened down there. I have taken statements from your comrades who assured me that you are to be exonerated in any complicity in the destruction of our base. The rebel's plan to free their prisoners would not have succeeded if the deflector shield had been maintained. As it is, we not only lost a ship of the line but our base and some very important prisoners, I understand."

"Yes Sir," Ezra nodded automatically. "Nathan Jackson was a member of the Rebel Alliance."

"You know him." Tarkin declared, with a hint of something in his voice that could be innuendo, if not out right accusation.

"I knew him." Ezra served back with just as much iciness, emphasizing the word 'knew'.

"I see," Tarkin nodded, accepting Ezra's demeanour as his true feelings on the matter and picked up another data pad and studied it a moment. "Now I see here you have requested transfer to Cordoba. May I ask why?"

Ezra paused a moment, rehearsing the speech he had concocted long before this meeting. "I want to find Nathan Jackson." He began. "I want to find him and bring him in. He has complicated my existence because he chose to become a traitor. Unless I bring him in, our friendship will be a blight on my military record that I shall never be able to expunge while he is still at large. For as long as I try to rise through the ranks, the stigma of always being associated with someone like that will accompany me. I wish to bring him in to settle all doubts."

"An admirable desire." Tarkin said with a little smile. "What makes you certain that he is in Cordoba."

"I am told that he may be with a rebel cell that exists in the Territory." Ezra responded. "As you know, the Territory is largely uncharted and sits on the border of the galactic rim, there are many enclaves where the rebels may chose to hide. If I take command of the Cordoba base, I may be able to make a detailed search, as well as giving us some valuable information about the area in the process."

"Do not underestimate Mary Travis," Tarkin warned, approving of Ezra's decision and of the transfer as well. "She destroyed our base and our Star Destroyer, through no mean feat. That kind of ingenuity is formidable."

"I'm aware of that Sir." Ezra replied. "But these thing hinge largely on luck and I have been told on occasion that Lady Luck and I are on intimate terms."

**********

The tavern was quiet tonight but it was just as well. Even though the search for the rebel fugitives had been called off since the destruction of the Doldur base, it was not wise for them to be on Cordoba for too long. However, a private celebration of some sort seemed the order of the day and Inez was more than happy to host it. Those who frequented the establishment knew that it was not a place paid close attention and truth be known, those who would be a danger to them preferred more lively taverns than this, were the opportunity to spy was better accommodated by a large volume of patrons. In truth, the group seated around the table in the center of the room had no intention of spending the entire evening here. They had come for their celebration and once the time for that had passed would return to the safety of the rebel base.

Chris Larabee had returned mostly to collect some of his belongings left in the room he had occupied upstairs for the past year. Inez had been sad to see him go but he could tell when he told her why that she was inordinately pleased. He had kissed her on the brow and thanked her for everything and for taking care of him when most would have left him to rot. Inez and Chris went back a long way and it was good to know that not all his friends were gone, just waiting for him to remember them again. As he sat around the table, watching the sudden influx of new additions to his life, he felt a sense of peace that he had not felt in a long time. The pain of Sarah and Adam's death was still with him, he felt it rubbing raw against his heart each time the memory surfaced and the memory surfaced a great deal. However, for the first time in too long, Chris understood that was how it was meant to be and with the Force as his ally, he could perhaps weather it a little better.

"Damn it." Nathan swore at Buck as he dropped his cards onto the table where they were engaging in a game of sabbacc. "I'm sure you cheat. No way you could win all those games on skill alone."

"Hey," Buck protested in mock hurt as he reached over the table and collected the pot. "I learned to get good. You have to when you're used to playing with a Jedi." He gave Chris a conspiratory wink.

"Trust me," Chris drawled over his mug of beer. "I don't need the Force to beat you at sabbaac, right Inez?" Chris looked over his shoulder at the shapely bartender who was approaching with another round of drinks for the group.

"That's right," she arrived at the table and gave Buck a little wink. "If you want to know that whether Buck is bluffing, just watch his upper lip twitching his moustache."

"Inez!" Buck exclaimed as the table exploded into a roar of laughter. "That's confidential! You're giving me away!"

"And pray tell how do you know this so well?" Mary asked giving the lady a look as she posed the question. Mary and Inez had become fast friends since their meeting and when the men had chosen to make this trip, Mary had accompanied them so that she could share the woman's company. After all, Mary had very few female friends and it felt good to be around someone who did not regard her as any more than just another woman, instead of a military commander.

"Well....."Inez started to flinch uncomfortably and suddenly everyone at the table noticed that neither Buck or Inez could meet each other's gaze.

"Don't tell me that you and Buck....." JD exclaimed in astonishment.

"Well that's it," Vin sighed in with a little disappointment. He had been mildly attracted to the beautiful, sultry woman and would not have mind entertaining the notion of a brief dalliance. "I'm crushed."

Chris chuckled and remained silent, knowing the truth but not making any moves to disclose it.

"Inez," Josiah shook his head, unable to believe some one as level headed as Inez would fall for such a rascally womanizer. She seemed to be the last woman who would fall to such charms. "Are you telling me that you have managed to curb the rampant impulses of this connoisseur of women?"

"Oh please!" Inez exclaimed with a frown. "I'm just a bartender you know, not a miracle worker. Short of gelding, nothing could do that." She gave Buck a sarcastic look as more laughter ensued.

"Now wait a minute," Buck stood up, rising to meet the challenge. "I never cheated on you, not once!"

"Inez," Chris came to his friend's defense. "I'll have to side with him on this one. He was always faithful to you."

It was Mary who guessed it first by the reluctant body language being displayed by the duo as evidence of their affiliation became more and more pronounced. "I'll be Kesselled, were you two married?" Mary asked, with her mouth open from surprise.

"Yes." Both of them answered in unison.

"You were married to him!" Nathan laughed harder unable to imagine Buck Wilmington being married, let alone to some one like Inez who was no nonsense at the best of time and was one of the most level headed women he knew while Buck was the other extreme, a perennial Rogue, just like his ship.

"We were young." Inez answered chagrined. "I liked the uniform."

"Well it was a little more than that." Buck gave her a devilish grin and earned an elbow in his stomach for his trouble. "Hey, you're not allowed to hit me any more. See why I left her?"

"You left me?" Inez whirled around and jabbed a finger in his chest. "I left you."

"Oh great," Chris rolled his eyes and faced his companions at the table. "You got them started."

"Yeah but they're not married any more right?" Vin wanted clarification on this while Buck and Inez continued on their 'discussion' on who left who.

"Subtle Vin," Josiah retorted with a grin. "Real subtle."

"Well she is a beautiful woman," the bounty hunter said out of earshot from the battling ex-spouses. "I'm just a marked man, not a dead one."

"Well the galaxy is full of surprises," the senator remarked raising his glass to his lips.

Chris was about to respond when suddenly, he saw a new arrival into the tavern and said instead. "Well brace yourself, there's another coming our way tonight."

The tavern went silent as the Imperial captain walked into the premises. Mary's eyes widened but Chris reached for her hand and told her with a look that there was no danger. Its all right, he said wordlessly in her mind and she knew that he was sincere. She felt the emotion of trust past through his finger tips into her skin like a warm glow washing over her and it was not an invasion but a feeling of enlightenment as it was explained to her through the Force, just why this captain ought to be trusted. In a second, her trepidation dissipated and she met his gaze again, feeling a hot flush in her cheeks that made her remove her hand because his touch had affected her more than she liked. Chris turned away quickly as well, feeling some thing in that exchange that was unexpected and was too raw inside for him to cope with at the moment. Judging by the expression on her face, the feeling was mutual.

Fortunately, their little interplay went unnoticed since most of the table was more preoccupied by the new arrival into the tavern. Buck and Inez immediately fell silent. Vin's lips curled into a little smile of pleasure seeing the captain, feeling trust already because of what they had been through together. Josiah and JD merely revealed their surprise but said nothing. The most animated reaction came from Nathan who looked over his shoulder at the entrance to see what had brought the room to a dead quiet so rapidly and found a pleasant surprise.

"Ezra!" Nathan rose to his feet in a matter of seconds and crossed the floor to his friend. They met in a warm embrace and Nathan never thought it could be so good to see his old friend in one piece, especially after how they had left each other at Imperial base. Nathan had spent a lot of time wondering whether or not Ezra had made it off the base alive.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan managed to ask once they had pulled away from their embrace.

"I am the new commander of the base here." Ezra announced as he walked towards the table.

"They promoted you?" Vin exclaimed with surprise, expecting the man to be placed in front of a firing squad after what he had done.

"Well posting to Cordoba is not exactly considered a promotion." Ezra remarked as he surveyed what was taking place at the table. "With the destruction of the base, any record of my involvement has been more or less wiped clean. All they seemed to recall is that I opposed the lowering of the deflector shield in the initial attack."

"And Nabb?" Josiah asked, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice for the officer who had tortured him mercilessly.

"Is no longer among the living." Ezra replied softly. "The Empire has begun executing its officers for gross incompetence."

"By space." Mary whispered in horror. "He was killed?"

Ezra turned to her and realised whom he was talking to. "Yes, he was." He was rather taken back by how young and beautiful the Hero of Jofa looked. He had expected an older person, certainly it would not be an unfair statement considering how she had resounding defeated Imperial forces on Doldur by taking out a Star Destroyer with one lone fighter. "I take it you are Commander Travis?" He asked bowing slightly.

"I am." Mary nodded, trusting in Chris' faith that this man was no danger to her. "Thank you for assistance in freeing my people," Mary said genuinely grateful.

Ezra cast a glance over the men and women at the table before resting his gaze on Nathan. "I told you at the base that I was not ready to become a rebel. I still do not know if I am but I will help if you I can, if that is enough until I am ready to make that final journey."

"Its good to have you back Ezra," Nathan smiled, speaking on behalf of all of them and not caring even if he did not. If Ezra gave Nathan his word that he would not harm them, then Nathan believed it because he had risked everything once before already to save their lives. "I missed you."

"I have missed you too Nathan," Ezra grinned and a general feeling of ease swept through the faces at the table before he added. "May I join you?"

Chris Larabee smiled at the Imperial officer and pulled a chair from the nearest empty table with his mind for Ezra to sit. "I don't see why not, it looks like we're all here now." And it was true, it did feel that way. Chris could sense it in the Force.

"Yeah, you might as well sit down and let Buck take your money too," Vin spoke up, finding it easier to invite this man into the circle and marveled at how suddenly, his world had become crammed with friends when he had been alone for so long. Perhaps, the reason he felt such a kinship with this Imperial Captain was because he sensed that Ezra had been in the same position himself until now.

Nathan uttered a short laugh as Vin made that remark being perfectly aware just how gifted a sabbaac player Ezra really was and almost felt sorry for Buck. "Yeah right."

"What's so funny?" Buck looked at Nathan. "You're just mad you lost all your money." He gloated.

Ezra looked at Nathan. who was trying to suppress his grin, and asked with a perfectly neutral expression. "The game I take it is sabbaac?"

"You play Ezra?" JD asked, noticing something in the way the two old friend were regarding each other about this particular subject.

"Oh," Ezra remarked with a grin as he sat down on the chair that Chris had provided for him. "Just a little."

THE END

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