Chapter 1: Shadow Run

It was a dark, rainy night on Yustiir VIII. During the monsoon season, this tropical planet received rain for nearly three months straight. It really was beginning to wreak havoc on the local trade, at least for the Imperial interest therein. Yustiir was one of the Empire's most recent additions to its supply of plasteel and duralex shielding, a favored commodity especially now that its supply of Star Destroyers was severely lacking.

Standing guard outside the office building for the imperial supply personnel, Private Jural Tymeen shifted tiredly from one foot to another. Although his issued slicker was better than nothing, the young imperial trooper was very wet and very miserable. He could have at least done with some stormtrooper armor, but those were reserved for the elite. Jural didn't see anything elite about them, just mindless morons.

Pushing his hands deeper into his dark gray pants, he thought about the blaster pistol on his belt. How useless was that? It was probably waterlogged and jammed by now… they couldn't simply give him some water proofing material could they? No that would cost them too much money, wouldn't it?

Jural raised his left wrist to his eyes and checked the time: 0300 hours. Thinking of how unfair this was and how much he hated his job, Jural decided his career couldn't get any worse. Then a large shot of thunder rang out.

It's wor—

Something slammed into his back and Jural fell to his knees. Cringing in pain, the young imperial guard reached behind him and brushed his hand across his lower back. It stung like fire to the touch and when he brought his hand around, it was covered in something dark, wet and warm. In his dazed state, Jural didn't know what that meant and tried to stand back up to walk to the door.

He found standing up to be entirely too difficult and began to crawl, using his elbows to pull himself along the wet grass. With every motion his back rang out with pain. Not being about to figure out what was going on, Jural reached the door and banged on it.

"Hello? Please, is someone there? I-I think I need a doctor! Please, hello?"

No answer came from the door. Suddenly, Jural remembered no one was in there that's why he was guarding it. He emitted a small sobbing sigh and collapsed to the ground full, feeling very tired. Clutching at the wet grass as the torrential rain poured down, Jural Tymeen began to wonder what it was like to die, because he was surely about to do just that.

Ever so slowly, but then more quickly as time went on, blackness began to engulf his vision. Soon he could no longer see, but was still breathing and that was the first thing that gave him some solacing that he wasn't dead. The second was the voices that he heard over top of him.

"You didn't have to shoot him like that, two."

"What I'm disappointed in was the fact that you didn't kill him right out."

"Two's losing his touch."

"Whatever, he's dead now so let's just get what we came here for. Grab his keycard."

Jural felt hands at his waist and his keycards disconnect from their magcon lock. He lay very still, hardly breathing. He just wanted these people to go away, if they knew he was still alive, though paralyzed, they'd surely kill him. There were at least four of them, judging by their voices and Jural was thankful none of them were watching him closely.

"Got it, okay here. Don't take all day with this, I want to get back for dinner."

"Five, just chill okay? We'll be back in plenty of time for you to eat that crap you call food."

That was another, five different voices, Jural was positive of that.

"Hey, that's my cooking you're slamming, One."

The door hissed open and he heard no more voices. The rain continued to pour down but eventually that sensation faded. He no longer even heard the rain as it pour down. All of Jural's senses had wilted and soon the darkness that took his vision engulfed his entire consciousness.

"I see. One moment, Commander."

"Yes, sir."

"Commander, I need you to take this encrypted datadisk to Captain Dave Ru'kaart aboard the Mon Calamari Cruiser Morning Star, he's the closest to your position and most able at this time. Disclose what you have disclosed to me to Ru'kaart only. You are to operate at level five for this task, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The sunshine was a welcome sight after being stuck in a warship for over four months. The upper hemisphere of Mon Calamari was in its spring solstice, and the battle weary pilots of Red Squadron were enjoying an entire month of leave while the Morning Star underwent repairs and modifications. Her pilots could still see her, floating in the upper orbit, surrounded by an enormous repair yard.

One of those pilots, Second Lieutenant Jeni "Angel" Courtner, smiled as she walked across a rather beautiful shoreline. The water was bright blue and the white coral that cropped up everywhere gave the illusion that she was a giant standing atop a world with white continents separated by huge expanses of water.

Lifting her light dress up to her knees, Angel sat down and put her legs in the water. The light wardrobe she was wearing was a relief from the heavy issued uniforms and flightsuits she usually wore. Leaning back to rest on her elbows, she squinted and turned her face to the bright Mon Calamari sun. Oh that sun felt so good, as did the fresh air that she breathed in now as a gentle breeze passed by. Angel began to wonder how the squadron would ever leave this place once their R&R was up.

Now she lay all the way down, her arms folded on top of her and her eyes closed. It would be so easy to just fall asleep here, but someone would probably interrupt it. Deciding it was worth just a little nap, Angel forced herself to relax even more and was soon drifting far away from the war and the death that surrounded her and her friends constantly.

And just as soon she felt a shadow fall across her face. Opening her eyes, Angel saw Major Neill "Ranger" Magill standing above her. Still squinting from the sun, she offered a weak salute from her prone position and smiled. Ranger looked a little goofy dressed in civilian clothing, the bright colored shirt he wore practically painful to the eye. He wore shorts and Angel suddenly realized what being exposed to glowpanels for so long could do for your skin's color.

"What can I do for you, Major?"

"Couple of others and I are heading back towards the hotel. We're getting a game of sabacc going once we get there, interested in joining in?"

Angel moaned, she really wanted to make a few extra credits but… this was so nice just laying here…

"I think I'll pass, sir. Thanks for the offer though."

"It's all the better more than likely, now I'll just have to lose to Vape."

"You do that, sir."

Ranger walked off, seemingly counting the credits he could afford to lose and Angel closed her eyes once more. No sooner had she begun to doze again that she was awakened by a low hum that steadily rose to a quiet whine. Groaning in frustration, Angel opened her eyes—

Just in time to witness five starfighters blow by her, just a mere thirty meters above her head. Snapping her head around, she watched them skim the surface of the water and then looped around to disappear behind tall buildings. The craft were so strange in appearance and had passed so quickly that Angel wasn't quite sure what they were. There was something strange about them, however, Angel was sure about that.

Standing up, Angel put a hand over her eyes to try and spot them but they hadn't appeared to come out the other side. They were headed over to the Harlesh Building… where the Morning Star's command staff was staying. Her interest perked, Angel raised her skirt to her knees and ran towards the Hotel.

He awoke to the awful smell of disinfectants and cleansing materials. As his eyes opened the first thing he saw was a bright shot of white. He closed them quickly and then opened them again, slower this time. Everything in this room was white. From the instruments to the floor to the scrubs the people around him wore. If he didn't know any better he figured he was in hospital room.

He was, in fact, correct.

"Ah, you're awake." Someone smiled at him from behind his transparisteel visor and checked a sensor that was attached to his left arm. "You've had quite a rough time, Mister Tymeen. You're lucky to be alive, that slug passed right through your spine and crushed a few vertebrae. However, it only scratched your spinal chord so that's good news."

Jural was quite confused. The last thing he remembered was passing out on the ground of the compound on Yustiir VIII. He felt like he was going die, but he didn't really know what happened to him. Oh yes, the voices. Now he was remembering. Five of them was it?

"I-I was shot?"

"Yes, quite expertly I might add. The shooter went straight for the silent kill. If you hadn't fallen on your comlink, I don't know how you would have survived."

"M-my comlink?"

"Yes, apparently when you fell it switched on and someone heard what was going on. They found you just in time. Now, I believe some officers wish to speak with you."

With that, the man in the white scrub left and three gray-suited imperial officers entered. Their expressions were icy and devoid of emotion. They obviously didn't care about Jural's state of health at all. They moved all around him, the one to his right had a datapad in hand.

"Good evening Mr. Tymeen. I am Commander Kilran and this," he indicated the woman to his left, "is Ysanne Isard, Director of Imperial Intelligence." Jural had to try hard to keep from gasping. These were some people he'd heard of in stories. These were high ranking people… these were important people. What did they want from him?

"It has come to our attention that you came under an attack some weeks ago…"

Some weeks ago!

"…We deeply feel for your pain…"

Hah!

"…But we regret that we must ask you some questions and get your account on what happened that night. What time was your shift?"

Jural had to think a few moments.

"2400 hours to 0600 hours."

"What time did the attack occur? Please think carefully."

"0300 hours, I remember checking my chronometer."

Isard scowled as she and Kilran looked at each other, as if that meant something to both of them. The one to Jural's right wrote all that down and looked up at Kilran expectantly. Isard looked at the man with the datapad and motioned him to leave. Jural was not at all happy about this.

Kilran leaned close.

"Now, this is very, very important Mister Tymeen. Did you see your attackers, did you see how many there were?"

"No, sir. I did not see them…"

Isard swore and turned to leave.

"… But there were five of them. I counted five voices, I'm sure about that."

"Five," Isard spat, "Are you positive?"

"Yes, ma'am. Quite sure."

Isard and Kilran looked once again at each other, scowls upon their faces. The madam director's face was that of a completely icy hatred, as if the very word "Five" pained her deeply. She turned back and nodded to Kilran then left the room. Now alone, Kilran sighed deeply and reached behind his back. Jural sucked in a deep breath… what was he reaching for? His right arm came around and, in his hand, he was holding a… a… what was that?

"Private Tymeen, for your services to the Empire, the Imperial Security Bureau hereby bestows upon you the Ribbon of Suffering. You've taken a near mortal wound and still managed to provide the ISB with sufficient information to confirm the possible identity of the infiltrators that penetrated the medium security bunker on Yustiir VIII."

Kilran leaned over and showed him the black case that held the red and white ribbon. As Jural was not yet able to move his arms in order to hold it, Kilran placed it on the table next to him. Then he saluted and smiled.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir… um, Lieutenant?"

Kilran withdrew a datacard from an inner pocket and placed it beside the ribbon case. "That's my personal contact information. When you're better, let me know. I may have work for you in the ISB."

"Thank you, sir!"

"You're welcome, Lieutenant."

Kilran turned and headed out. Before he opened the door, Jural asked him one more thing.

"Uh, sir? May I ask just who attacked me?"

"I could tell you," Kilran smiled and then chuckled as he left, the door closing slowly behind him. "But then I'd have to kill you."

Chapter 2: A Phantom Affair

"Hold still," Jeni "Angel" Courtner told Chelsey "Vape" Maxfield as she wove the last piece of lace into her former bunkmate's hair. The white of the decoration contrasted only slightly with Vape's light brown hair, making its style just that much more complete. Tucking a strand of hair under one nimble finger, Angel slid the lace in and then secured it down. Finished, she stood back to let Vape have a better look.

Vape bit her lower lip and looked at Angel with uncertainty.

"I feel really odd."

"You look beautiful."

Vape blushed and brushed her hands down the front of the floor-length gown she now wore. Sighing, the red squadron pilot closed her eyes and titled her head back in an attempt to relieve some pressure.

"I miss my pockets. How did you learn to do this anyway?"

Angel, who was dressed in a very similar fashion with a floor-length flowing white gown and her hair long on the right side and styled to be pulled back on the left, smiled. "You learn a few things when you deal with high ranking officials in your spare time."

Vape smiled at her and chewed at the inside of her cheek. She wasn't really used to looking this way… all dressed up and… and… girl-like. Well it could be worse, her date could have been an Ewok. Turning to her roommate, Vape reached down and picked up a packet of skin-tone and beckoned Angel to come closer.

Tapping the tissue against the cosmetic, she brushed it against Angel's right cheek where her tell-tale scar resided. "Let's see if I can't make that a little less obvious." One thing was for sure, Vape maybe hadn't had a lot of experience in the formal dress area but her ability to mask Angel's deformity was fantastic.

"Just a little something you pick up when you are used to trying to make yourself not look like yourself," she said as she caught Angel's surprise. With that done, the two Red Squadron pilots gave themselves a once over and looked towards the door of their hotel room. Smirking, Vape nodded towards the door.

"Think we should greet them now?"

"They've only been waiting half-an-hour."

Second Lieutenant Steve "Schmitty" Michadick tugged at the tight dress-uniform collar that threatened to itch him all night. Standing outside the in descript hotel room, Schmitty waited with fellow Red Squadron pilot 1st Lieutenant Sazril "Yale" Murshid. Both pilots seemed rather uncomfortable in their current get-up as they watched Lt. Colonel Kelly "Zoom" St. Clair walk by, a tall blonde woman on his arm. Both men saluted as he walked by but Zoom just chuckled and threw them a half-hearted salute.

"At ease, gentlemen."

"Thank you, sir," they both said at once.

"No, I mean it. At ease, gentlemen. You two look like a couple of sting-fish flopping around on shore."

"Well," Yale stammered, "With all due respect, sir, I believe we are a little out of place… sir."

"What? No," Zoom said as he entered the turbolift with the young woman. "Your mothers would be proud to see you all cleaned up."

Yale eyed Schmitty with a resigned, but sarcastic smile on his face. This entire setup had seemed like a whole lot of fun at the start. A formal ball with most of the on-station New Republic Personnel attending was, in Schmitty's opinion, a great idea even if most of the attendees didn't know how to dress accordingly… or even knew how to dance.

"Oh, sithspawn!" Schmitty cursed.

"What?" Yale asked as he leaned against the wall outside the room.

"I forgot, I don't even remember how to ballroom waltz!"

Yale, his eyes wide, slapped him on the chest.

"You, what?"

"I don't remember how to waltz… you know they're gonna make us waltz."

Yale scoffed and turned to face the wall, laughing slightly to himself.

"Oh yeah, real funny. Laugh it up."

Yale held one hand out, dismissing Schmitty's comment as he continued to chuckle quietly until he finally turned around, a playful smile on his face and his left hand wiping his eyes clear again. Yale beckoned his friend to move closer and held out his hand. Schmitty, stepping back, closed his eyes to slits and set himself in a defensive position.

Yale rolled his eyes and beckoned him again.

"No, no. Here, I'll show you. It's very simple."

Grabbing Schmitty's right hand in his left and the other in his right, Yale positioned him to the appropriate stance. "Now," Yale told him, "The steps are very simple… just a simple count. Okay? Ready? One—"

The pair moved back one step, Yale moving gracefully back to the right and Schmitty following a bit more clumsily behind. The first step completed, Yale smiled. "See? Now, two—"

Moving the other foot back, Yale nodded.

"Now up," a simple hop to their toes and then Yale pushed him back another direction, "And turn and three and four—"

Yale caught something out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Major Neill "Ranger" Magill staring at him with the most peculiar look on his face. Yale smiled and saluted crisply. "Well, sir, you always commented that we needed more bonding between the men."

Ranger, rolling his eyes, didn't even bother to salute and kept walking. The small, brown-haired woman that followed him turned and smiled at Yale, waving sweetly. Yale smiled back and turned to face Schmitty again. Once Ranger was out of ear shot and in the turbolift, he thrust a thumb towards the departed Training Officer.

"That's gotta suck, being stuck with that guy? You're lucky you got your date drunk enough to say yes before that happened to you," Yale snickered and smiled broadly.

"Yeah," Schmitty smiled. "I've got a date with an angel. And she wasn't that drunk."

Suddenly, the door behind them opened and both men turned. They stood rock still, their mouths open and eyes refusing to blink. The two young women standing in front of them looked absolutely spectacular. Schmitty couldn't believe he was looking at the same two pilots he'd flown with into the heat of battle. Yale, obviously, didn't either.

"So… where's Vape?"

Vape, her mouth gaping in an insulted frown, reached out and grabbed his hand, dragging him away towards the turbolift. As he was being pulled away, Yale only managed to utter: "Vape? Stang…!"

Angel, who was at the doorway giggling, turned to face Schmitty. Smiling, she looped her arm around his, fixed into escorting position, and closed the door to her room. Slapping his forearm, she nodded towards the turbolifts.

"C'mon, I want to see the expression on Yale's face when he realizes his shirt is on backwards."

Isard, Madame Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, paced the enormous stateroom-styled office she had aboard the Space Station Gorn. Stopping in front of one of the floor-to-ceiling viewports, Isard watched the progress of her latest project.

Although it was only slightly larger than the station she was currently on, the ship before her was a true sight. Ugly as sin, and bristling with strange appendages extending from all kinds of angles, the vessel was something to behold.

"Madame Director?"

"Yes?"

"The equipment from Yustiir VIII has arrived."

"Was the shipment traced?"

"Yes, Madame Director, it was."

"Good."

Captain Dave Ru'kaart stared at the young man with incredulous eyes as they peered over a portable map holovid. On the map was the outline of a star system based deep in the core worlds, and, within that system, a single point that was designated as a Golan III Space Installation.

"No," Ru'kaart announced, shaking his head, "It's not possible."

"Technically, it is," the young man, Commander Mike "Wolf" Kern, though commonly only known as "Phantom One" or just "One" by high command, explained. "According to my tech people, this kind of technology is possible with these designs…"

"But…?" Ru'kaart said, turning his head to face Wolf, sensing a pause.

"But, financially, I don't understand it. The Empire's liquid finances just don't have these kinds of pockets. There's no way to fund a project like this, even if it is totally possible."

"Well," Ru'kaart said, tapping his finger on the map, "According to your intelligence, it is ‘totally possible' and they are funding a ‘project like this'." Ru'kaart didn't really like these people, they were worse than Alliance Intel Agents. They come out of nowhere; interrupt everything, present material that could possibly spell certain doom for the New Republic… and all without any kind of proof. Yet, according to Mon Mothma, they were to be treated as to have total authentication and viable sources. They were their own sources, according to her, and they were to be trusted totally.

Of course, that didn't mean that he had to like it.

Wolf merely nodded, the slight word slapping not even fazing him. "Yes, sir. I don't know how they're doing it and," he seemed to have a hard time admitting that last bit, "We need to send the Morning Star on recon duty to collect information regarding outlying intelligence, listening posts and fleet movements. That way my people can penetrate the building site and destroy it. We will, of course, have the Morning Star, Blue and Red Squadron on back up should we need it." Wolf smiled and turned to leave. "But we never have."

With that, the young man left, leaving as silently and mysteriously as he'd come. Around him Dave felt the air begin to thaw. Those people just offset him, which Ackbar had warned would happen. This was his first meeting with them and, until just now, Dave had believed what the rest of the Alliance had. They were a myth, something to spook the pilots and make them believe in reliable intel.

Sighing, he packed up his things and tossed his cape around his shoulders, finishing off his dress uniform before entering the ball.

"Third Death Star, my hide."

The lights were shining, the music was playing, and she felt like a small child at play. With fluid, practiced steps of a lifetime, Jeni "Angel" Courtner, guided Steve "Schmitty" Michadick through the roughest of dances without so much as a single stumble. He was very complying and Angel found him an easy student.

All around them the other couples were dancing, but it all seemed in slow motion for her. She hardly even noticed any of them. Angel simply forgot about everything that was happening at the present time and enjoyed this brief synapse in time where nothing bad could happen. This was a time where pain and suffering did not exist.

Passed Schmitty's left shoulder she saw Vape with Yale. Angel hadn't doubted the graceful abilities of her roommate for a moment. The younger girl looked like a natural, perhaps she just forgot to concentrate. Perhaps she just forgot to worry about it.

To Angel's left were Zoom and his date. She was obviously a townie, a term used to describe anyone non-military that lived nearby. Tall and very pretty, Angel was decently impressed with her commander. Of course, the number of stars on his collar probably helped some, but one never knows these things.

Closing her eyes, Angel relinquished the lead to Schmitty and he took it with relative ease now. She allowed herself to be moved backward, forward, side to side and around. Nothing was more perfect than this, it was brilliant and she wished she could keep this moment frozen in time. There was no death, no fighting and no sadness… only the happiness of friends among friends, letting go of all that hurt them. Angel had always felt that was her job here, but right now in this moment it was being taken care of for her.

Eventually the song ended and Angel looked up at the taller pilot and smiled. She was having an absolutely wonderful time, and Angel could tell Schmitty was too. The younger girl stepped back and patted his chest, giggling.

"Well, Lieutenant Michadick, that was absolutely charming," she giggled again and nodded towards the refreshments table. "However, this young lady needs something to drink, feel up to accompanying me?"

"I'd be honored, m'lady," Schmitty held out his elbow and she looped her arm through it, feeling utterly giddy with her own excitement. This was so much fun, she hadn't enjoyed herself like this in so long. On the way they passed Shadow and his date, a small little thing whom Angel had come to hear being called ‘N'jalla' or something. She was a humanoid, though what was alien about her, Angel could not tell.

Angel tapped him on the shoulder and shot him a very unladylike face and giggled as she caught back up to Schmitty who was already at the stand. He looked at her with the most odd expression on his face, as if she'd just grown another head or something. Frowning, Angel inquired about his look.

"Nothing, Angel… didn't think you were capable of such weirdness."

"You really don't know me at all, do you Schmitty?"

"No, can't say that I do."

Angel smiled and picked up a glass and began filling it with some punch. That done, she moved on into the fruit. As she moved forward she had to immediately stop to avoid bumping into Schmitty who had suddenly stopped.

"Um, Schmitty, move it or lose it."

He just stayed there, no response at all coming from the older man.

"C'mon, I mean it."

She tugged on his dress uniform coat, trying to get his attention, but Schmitty kept staring straight ahead. Leaning up onto her toes, she peered out over his shoulder in a vain attempt to see what was going on. Finally, she poked him in the side several times.

"Schmitty, what's going on?"

"Look at her, she's beautiful…"

"What?" But Angel followed his gaze into the crowd until he spotted a rather striking young woman in a white gown. Even Angel had to admit she was pretty, but so what? There were plenty of pretty girls here. In fact one of them was trying to get him to move it so she could get her fruit.

"Well then," Angel prodded. "Go talk to her."

"I can't…"

"Why not? Don't tell me you're afraid?"

"I just can't…"

"All right, that's it," Angel said and set her glass down, putting both hands in the small of his back. "If you don't get over there right now I'm going to push you right on over there and how would that look?" Schmitty didn't budge, just stayed there like he was rooted. Angel sighed and came around to his side, grabbing his hand.

"Let's go pretty boy."

With that, she pulled on his hand and made him move, stumbling out of the line and towards her. At first, Schmitty objected profusely, begging her to stop this stupid little show, but eventually he learned that once Angel had her mind set on something, he didn't dare stop her. Finally, after several long moments, they reached the young woman who was standing by herself, smiling at the crowd.

"Excuse me," Angel said smiling at her. The young woman turned towards her and smiled. She was taller than Angel was and her smile was warm and inviting. After introducing herself, Angel turned to Schmitty.

"And this is…"

She slapped his arm.

"Uh… Steve… Lieutenant, Steve…"

Angel rolled her eyes.

"I am Sooli Kytz, it is nice to meet you both," the woman said and curtsied to them. Angel followed suit and punched Schmitty in the knee to get him to bow. When she got back to her standing position, Angel smiled and glanced to her left. Something she saw caused her to frown and her heart leaped into her throat. Holding up one small hand, she indicated Schmitty and Sooli.

"Excuse me, but I must see to something. It was nice to meet you Sooli," she winked to Schmitty. "Steve, carry on."

With that she strode off the left, leaving a stammering Schmitty with Sooli. He'd be all right as soon as he got his words. Angel knew this for a fact. He was a nice guy and was sure she'd love him as soon as she talked to him…

Blah, blah, blah, blah, Angel thought, her frown deepening as she moved through the crowd. She knew she'd seen him, she just knew it! Just as she reached the doors and was about to give up, she frantically gave one last look around. There, she spotted him. He was talking to Colonel Kelly "Zoom" St. Clair and they looked as though they were engaged in some sort of conversation that was not meant for other's ears. Angel didn't care, she moved toward him.

"You!" She stood at the edge of the dance floor with so many couples behind her, seeming oblivious to the actions around them. In front of them was Zoom and him. He was dressed in a black formal suit, the only spot of color on it was gray striping down the pant legs and on the shoulders. His rank insignias were silver and placed on his collar.

He turned toward her, as if expecting her and raised his eyebrows at her. Zoom turned as well and had a confused look on his face. She walked up to the man and punched him hard in the side of the face. He stumbled backward but caught himself, a smile on his face the entire time. Zoom moved to grab her arms but she wiggled free, moving to strike him again. By now a few of the other pilots had noticed the little fiasco going on and had moved in to see what was going on.

She threw another gloved fist at his face but he caught it, and her other hand as she tried with that one as well. With precise and deadly quickness, he twisted her arms and restrained her. He never stopped smiling as Zoom pulled her away, one arm under her throat and one around her upper body.

"No! Let me go! You fragging little black op leech!" She lost control, it was obvious. It was becoming something more and more common as of late. The MPs arrived and quickly brought her into submission, holding back her arms and pulling her away from the man in black. She gritted her teeth and fought back against them but they were just too strong. Angel felt a sharp pinch in her back and then she began to waver. The last thing she saw before she passed out was the young man turn and walk away; that smile unfading.

Well that was stupid, she thought as she sat in the detention area that night. She sat still in her ball gown, curled up into a ball on her cot, her knees drawn up to her chin. Sighing, she unlaced her heels and kicked them off, having no idea why she had kept them on so long. Her feet had been killing her.

The shoes made a slight clatter as they hit the duracrete floor, but no one seemed to notice. She was the only one here; even the guards were back at the party. She sighed to herself, wishing she'd been able to control her anger more than she did. I always manage to lose it at the most inappropriate times.

Leaning her head back against the wall behind her, Angel closed her eyes, remembering her pathetic show of aggression for the fiftieth time since she'd gotten here two hours ago. She wanted to slap herself, kick her own butt or something. It was such a stupid thing to do. It was a formal party for the force's sake! And she was having so much fun…

Angel stood up and walked to the little window that overlooked the bay outside. The floor was very cold on her bare feet now, but she paid it little mind as she watched the moonlight reflect off the shimmering water. Angel hated being caged like this, it was against her whole nature, but she had brought it on herself in the first place. Smirking to herself, Angel reached behind her and pulled out the pins that kept her hair styled in the back and removed the glitter and lace decorations from it. Bringing them around to look at them, Angel frowned.

I looked so pretty too…

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her and Angel swung around, staring at the shape of a man mostly hidden by the darkness of the place. She stayed back by the window, more than just a little afraid. The man moved into the moonlight and her anger grew again.

"Get out, I don't have anything to say to you," Angel said forcefully.

"Oh, I think you do."

"Fine," she said and walked up to the bars that caged her in. She stared directly into his unreadable face and clenched her fists. She had removed her gloves long ago and just wanted to nail him right then and there. "What are you doing here? Why don't you just disappear and go conjure up terrible feelings in someone else, you are really good at it."

The spite in her voice was terribly apparent. The man, a young man of about 25, only smiled and moved to sit down in front of her. He sat with his back to her, though he looked over his shoulder. Angel, feeling suddenly compelled, knelt down so their eyes met. She balanced herself on her toes and her hands, looking into his eyes, trying to find some trace of humanity in them at all.

"Why are you here?"

"Intelligence."

"I knew you were a spook."

"No," he said, slightly scolding. "I'm intelligence… your intelligence."

Angel frowned, why is it that this guy never made any sense at all?

"Whatever, get the frag out."

This made him laugh. It was the strangest sound she'd ever heard. It was the sound of a man who had not laughed in a very long time and meant it. She didn't know whether to be offended or overjoyed. Here she was, talking to some stranger who came to her months ago telling her vague stories about her father and now he was laughing at her. She so wanted to slap him upside the head.

"No, no. I'm just intelligence, information… merely that and nothing else."

"So what are you informing Zoom about?"

"That's classified."

"So is the information you gave me about my father."

"That was different."

"How?"

He sighed. "It was a dying man's request. I could not turn away from something like that."

"So…" Angel began. "You'll divulge information from beyond the grave but you won't tell me why you're here and why I'm sitting in the brig now."

He laughed again.

"You put yourself in the brig. It's not my fault you decided to try and strike a commander." His words brought a small smirk to her face as she rocked back onto her heels and then sat down, crossing her legs under her.

"You haven't changed at all."

"Neither have you…" she made a slight growling noise in frustration. "I know what you are, you know. I heard stories, little fairy tails they'd tell us. You should have just stayed dead."

"Nothing ever changes."

He shrugged and offered her a cigarette, which she took graciously, lit and dragged with a relieved sense of release. "So why did you come back here, Phantom." She smirked again, feeling superior in the little bit of information she had.

"He was always fond of chocolate," he said in a voice that sounded slightly prophetic. "Sven loved to take your mother to this little floating station in Talfei when they had enough leave to do so. They never had another child after you were taken, your mother was apparently barren. Sven never forgave himself for your disappearance. He always felt it was his fault. He asked me if I felt you were alive."

"And?"

"By the time I found you, your mother was already dead. Your friend Avaro tipped me off about a girl aboard this ship that matched your computer-generated features. We couldn't know for sure. All we had of you was DNA and new-born pictures. Do you remember Avaro pinching your finger?"

Angel nodded.

"He sent a partial sample of your skin to me and we discovered that you were, indeed, Sven's daughter. Once we tipped Avaro about who you were, CorSec moved in to take out Noral Hilton."

A feeling of intense disgust moved her stomach. She hated that man. She hated him with her entire being and purpose. Angel hoped that one day they would find him and kill him for certain. His personal crimes against her were so great that Angel was sure she'd personally kill him should she ever see him again. But those were all childish dreams and this was reality. Angel would probably never see the man again and he'd get away with what he did to her. She couldn't do anything about it, so she might as well not worry about it… at least for now.

"Well…" he said, "your father also said to tell you he loved you very much, and that he was extremely proud of you."

Angel bit her lower lip and tears sprung to her eyes. She had wanted to hear that for so long… but she wished it could have been in person. Angel was not going to be able to hold it back much longer and slumped against the bars, her eyes closed. She loved her father even if she only knew him for a short time.

Suddenly, she felt strong arms around her and warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. She turned her face towards his chest and just, for the first time in so long, allowed herself to be held and comforted. They stayed like that for some time until she calmed down, the whole time he was telling her it was all right and that he knew she'd be fine. For some reason, she believed him.

Then, something quirky struck her. Looking up at him, she looked backwards and saw that he was inside the cell with her. How was that possible? She pulled back and saw that the cell door was opened and looked back up at him with a questioning glance.

He smiled at her and pulled her to her feet, nodding towards the open door.

"Get back to the party, you have friends waiting."

"But…"

"I've already cleared it, just go and have a good time."

She looked up at him, a new, softer look in her eyes.

"Thank you…"

"Here," he said, reaching into his inner-pocket and withdrawing a datadisk. "This has every piece of information on your father. It has his personal records, trophies, family holos and projections… everything you could ever want."

She took the disk and looked up at him again, this time embracing the dark-suited stranger warmly, thanking him profusely. He told her it was nothing and pulled back slightly to look down at her. He smiled and nodded again at the door.

"Go on. Get out, before I change my mind."

"Okay…" She bit her lower lip and went to pick up her shoes. Slipping back into them, she straightened herself and brushed by him, exiting the cell and heading towards the exit when she stopped and looked back at him. She was afraid he'd be gone, but this time… he was still there.

"Will I ever see you again?"

He shrugged.

"Does it matter?"

She turned again and put out her cigarette before leaving the brig. As the last bit of smoke exhaled through the corner of her lips, she looked back. He was gone, like she knew he would be.

"Nothing ever changes."

Chapter 3: Playing in the Witch's Backyard

The shuttle ride back to the Morning Star had seemed instantaneous. No one wanted to leave their vacation spot, it had all been so entirely perfect and calm… peaceful. For an entire month the men and women of Red Squadron had enjoyed a period of rest and relaxation. With no war, no fighting, no threats… it was simply bliss and good times with friends.

Now it was back to business as usual. Soon the pilots would go back to patrols and back to missions that would endanger their lives and their friends' lives. It'd be back to grind of the every day lives of pilots. They wouldn't see a shore leave again for a long time and none of them wanted to see this one end. And so it was that the trip seemed last only a moment as the shuttle settled down into the Morning Star hangar.

Reaching above her head, Jeni "Angel" Courtner grabbed her duffel bag and hefted it over her right shoulder. Dressed back in her normal fatigues and her hair cut short, back in its military style, she felt totally back at work. It was a pleasant distraction, especially after what had happened on Mon Calamari. Not only did she have to deal with the enigma who had visited her, but a woman died in her hotel room after curing her of some strange, quick-moving disease.

As the boarding ramp lowered, she followed Chelsey "Vape" Maxfield off the shuttle and into the hangar bay. The artificial light of the hangar seemed so dull compared to the beautiful sun of Mon Calamari, and the smell of coolant and the sounds of sparks from welding tools welcomed them all home.

The pilots all formed a quick line as Lt. Colonel Kelly "Zoom" St. Clair and Major Neill "Ranger" Magill took a quick roll and inspection. After determining that no one had jumped ship and joined the Hotel staff back on planet, the two officers dismissed them to their quarters. Angel, walking back with Vape, said very little. Her mind was still back on Mon Calamari… still on the dark stranger that had fed her all she knew of her real past. .

Vape looked at her ex-roommate from time to time, wondering what would cause Angel to be so quiet. This wasn't a normal thing for her.

"Hey," Vape started, poking Angel in the side. "You all right?"

Angel blinked a few times as if Vape had just spoken some foreign language.

"Oh… yeah… just a little not here is all."

"That's for sure. Anything wrong?"

Angel shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"No, not really. Just, thinking."

"All right, if you're sure?"

"Let's just get back?" Angel's smile was all the convincing Vape needed.

They reached their destination and Vape keyed in their passcode to unlock the door to her room. Jen continued down the hall to her own cabin, which was recently made vacant with Vape's promotion to Captain. It slid aside with a swift hiss and she entered, throwing her duffel bags on her beds. Working quickly, she unpacked and got things situated back the way they were before she'd left.

Angel flopped down onto her cot, hands linked behind her head with her eyes closed. In her mind she was still back there, sitting on the beach with the warm water lapping at her legs and the sunshine tanning her typically pale complexion. It had been a wonderful leave… all the way down to losing 50 credits to Schmitty in a sabacc game. She sighed and opened her eyes.

Just then her comlink beeped and then Captain Ru'kaart's voice came over asking all pilots to report to the briefing room. Angel frowned, a mission this early? They just got back! Sighing heavily, she opened the door and walked down towards the briefing room. Then she checked her chronometer… she'd fallen asleep! Ah well, not that it mattered now.

Wiping out her eyes, she rounded a corner and then another before a long corridor swept its way forward into another door which slid aside to allow her entrance into the briefing room. It was already full and she realized how late she really was. Luckily, Zoom hadn't arrived yet and so she wouldn't penalized. Fluttering down the short flight of stairs that led the amphitheatre-type room, Angel took a seat in the front next to Flight Officer Jamie "Shadow" Wetherill. She offered a brief smile before turning her attention to the door as it swung open, allowing Zoom, Leo, Dobber, and Ranger to enter.

The normally loud room piped down immediately as they saw Zoom and Ranger both wore stern, solemn expressions. This was not going to be good… usually it was just Ranger with the bad attitude. They walked deliberately to the holo projector but it remained dark, unused. The lighting did not dim and Ranger did not retrieve his usual datapad with mission information in it. Their information consoles did not light up with assignments. This was not normal.

So not normal, in fact, that Zoom and Ranger continued right past the projector and took seats themselves. Angel glanced their way, trying to gauge their emotions. She got nothing, just… blank. They didn't know what was going on either. She glanced over at Shadow again, getting the same look back: confusion. Something was very different about this. That's about when Captain Ru'kaart himself walked in, carrying a datapad and a stern expression.

"Ladies… gentlemen," he looked at all of them, his face concerned… worried almost. "I give this briefing myself because the Morning Star its squadrons are about to embark on a mission where intelligence is on a Need-to-Know basis. As of now, I know what I need to know and I am telling you what you need to know.

"We'll be jumping into the Deneb System in just under an hour," Ru'kaart went on to say, looking down at his datapad. "There we will refuel and re-supply… double re-supply before jumping into the," here he paused, as if contemplating his next words. "Before jumping into the Koornacht Cluster near Galantos."

The small crowd began to murmur. Angel frowned, the Koornacht Cluster was right smack dab in the middle of Imperial held territory… not only that, it was rumored to be controlled by a mad alien with an entire armada at his disposal. She swallowed hard and understood why Zoom and Ranger had looked the way they did.

"There we will begin reconnaissance of Imperial operations and tactical fleet movements in and around the planet of Byss. I dare not remind you of the immense danger facing all of you in the upcoming," He paused again as if this next thing pained him. "In the upcoming month tour in this area."

An entire month?

"Ladies and gentlemen, pilots and crewmen…" Angel had noticed that not only were there pilots now, but many of the crew had joined them. Some of them were looking quite worried, their hands clasped together. "Friends. This next part pains me most of all to tell you, for you have all served your ship and your Alliance well." He looked over everyone, his face long and sad. Angel held what he said next in fear. She had good reason.

"We go into this mission without support. We have no way of contacting the main Alliance fleet should we need assistance. We're… well enough of that. Get your rest, you're going to need it." With that, Captain Ru'kaart turned and left the room. The rest of them stayed, too stunned or worried to move. This was not normal at all. This was downright suicide…

Frag… we're expendable. I can't believe it.

That's what Ru'kaart hadn't said. It had pained him. To go in without support and to have no way of contacting the main fleet… gathering information? Wait, if we're gathering intelligence then why are we cut off from communication… why are we expendable if we're there to track something… Another realization hit her like a brick wall. Unless this isn't our real mission.

Slowly, everyone rose to leave. Angel was one of the last besides Vape, Zoom and Ranger. She waited for her roommate to pass her before she got up to follow her. On their way to the door, Zoom called their names. Turning, both women looked at their commanding officer with concern. He strode up to them, looking at the floor. When he reached the two he sighed, his hands on his hips.

"I don't understand these orders but… Vape you're to brush up on your sniping skills with a man they've sent with us named Carnie Jenx. I hear he's one of the NRI's best and should help you improve your skill dramatically. He informs me that you are to report to the range in two hours.

"Angel," he turned to the shorter woman and sighed. "Your skill with lock picking is called for by Intel. I don't know why but I'm supposed to tell you to make sure you're up to speed with most modern systems. They've sent a woman to help you too. I believe his name was Neven… Juli Neven or something. She said she'll catch up with you later. Well, I'll see you both at the briefing once we've arrived at Deneb. Good luck."

And with that, Zoom and Ranger left the two alone. They looked at each other for a moment without speaking. Sniping? Lock picking? What was going on? Finally, Angel broke the silence.

"I can't believe we're going this far in."

"We're going to play in the witch's backyard."

Outside the platform's main viewdome, two young men stood looking into the nebula that hid the installation from prying eyes. They stood in silence, neither making a sound. They simply watched as the universe continued on even though those who lived within it raged bloody war amongst each other. It was simply… serene.

It had been almost a year since a small portion of that bloody war raged just outside this viewport. Almost a year since so many of their remaining friends had perished to see their home free once again. To see the swirling mass of purple, blue and green below them free of the Empire had been their dream and now that it was here… how many had lived to see it?

Not enough.

"One?"

"Vega, we're home."

"I'm sorry, Wolf."

"What is it?"

"This entire thing could wipe them out if we're wrong."

"That's not our concern, Vega."

"I know it's not my place to question it but—"

"You're right; it's not your place."

Vega opened his mouth to respond but just nodded instead. He looked out the viewport and into the nebula beyond. He didn't like this much, something didn't seem to add up in his mind.

Wolf's voice broke his quiet reverie.

"And Mav and Inyri?"

"Both en route."

"Tell me when we have confirmation."

Vega nodded and took a step back, turning on his heel to go. This all seemed like a terribly bad idea.

The jump to Deneb was uneventful and quick. The CRS Morning Star reverted to realspace just a few hours travel from the main hub of the system. Deneb itself was fairly barren, except for three sparkling planets with a few asteroid belts here and there. Two small stars illuminated the place from opposite angles, casting twin shadows over the cruiser's hull as it slid through space towards its destination: the Deneb service station 33-28.

Meanwhile, in the lounge, a group of pilots sat around a table, sabacc cards in hand and watching on another intently. One pilot in particular, a small woman with short black hair, was grinning rather threateningly across that table to another pilot. Everyone else had folded by this point, leaving just the two of them in a heated battle for supremacy.

"Well, Sir," Angel said as she looked over her cards, leaning forward mockingly. "Are you ready to fold like the rest of these fools or are we ready to play with the big leaguers?"

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Neill "Ranger" Magill, Red Squadron's XO, considered for a long moment. There were quite a few credits at stake here should he lose, and he knew that if he folded, he'd never hear the end of it. His hand was not all that strong, and with the way Angel was grinning, it couldn't beat hers. Of course, Angel was a superior liar. It was a trait that the command staff was having slight… issues with lately. Ever since this trip, Ranger had begun to notice just how much she lied, and how often she lost her temper.

"Funny," he said, looking over the table at her. "I didn't think it was me who had a problem with the big leaguers."

That got her attention. Her eyes narrowed, and suddenly their staring contest wasn't about cards anymore. He knew he'd just crossed a line, but for some reason, he felt he had to.

Finally, she spoke and when she did, Ranger saw red.

"How's the family?"

The table had gone silent and tense, as if there was a live cobra on the table and at any moment, it might bite one of them. Time dwindled to seconds and tenths of a second.

"I knew them."

Another moment passed.

"You fragging son of a…"

"Careful Lieutenant," he said as she stood up. He saw the fire in her eyes and was quite certain that if a table wasn't between them, she'd have struck him by now. "I don't think you want another visit to the brig, do you?"

Angel wavered a moment, like she had just remembered something and her skin flushed somewhat. She threw her cards down and left, deciding that a quick escape would be better in the long run.

Sitting back in his chair, Ranger tosses his down as well. He'd lost the match, just as he knew he would, but Zoom was right… she was losing her edge. The game ended, as he knew it would and he got up to go. There was a report he had to make.

Rage was one word, but Angel preferred to think of it as annoyance. She slapped the release for her cabin hard, hoping she could just lay down and forget all about this ridiculous past few weeks so things would go back to normal. She was looking forward to her nice, empty room to just be by herself in. Ever since Vape's promotion, she'd found herself enjoying solitude more and more. It was blissfully quiet…

Only, she wasn't alone.

"Who the frag are you?" she bit out, looking at the young woman sitting on the cot Vape had once occupied. She was young, younger than Angel was from the look of her. She had dark hair that was cut to military codes and pulled back into a small ponytail. Her features were peculiar, telling her that she was not from any of the Corellian planets. Human, still, she imagined, but different somehow.

The young woman stood up and gave her a salute, which Angel waved off half-heartedly.

"Flight Officer Hashi, ma'am. Just recently assigned to Blue Squadron."

Angel groaned slightly. This just wasn't what she needed, a newbie to take care of. Stripping off her jacket and tossing it onto her bed, she tucked her dogtags back into her shirt and dug around in her footlocker.

"So, what, you just walked on board and they stuck you in my room?"

"…y-yes ma'am, you were the only female room open … so they said…"

She turned back around, sliding an energy clip into her sidearm. The action probably gave the rookie a heart attack. For some reason, Angel liked the thought of that.

"Oh, really? What, can't you stay with one of the guys, officer?"

"Ma'am?"

"Forget it, rookie," she said, brushing past her as she tucked the pistol into her holster and headed for the door. "Lounge is down the hall to your right, don't forget to salute the superior vapeheads when you go in."

Then, she was gone. She needed to vent from frustration, and the firearms range seemed like an appropriate place to do so. As Angel crossed the distance towards the turbolift, she pushed the green pilot's memory completely out of her mind. Why did Vape have to go and get promoted, leaving her with this bumbling rookie? Somehow, she figured this was Ranger's fault.

Fex Panaar knelt in a barren, circular room. It was cold, chilled to the point where one could see their own breath, but Fex felt nothing of this cold. Her body had tuned it out, ignored it. It might be thought that Fex herself had chilled the room, pulling its warming energy inward, fueling the kata she now practiced. With her hands on her thighs, she closed her eyes to the world, and opened them to another.

Her mind's eye felt its way along the torrents of the galaxy, riding its waves of feeling, pain, anguish, and loss until she felt the recognizable sensation of the one she'd sought. It had been suppressed for a short time, she discovered… someone had cut Fex off, but now she could re-establish the connection. Her target must have released herself to her tainted soul.

Perfect.

"My lady?" The soft, female voice came from the door. Fex took a moment to compose herself as the anger welled up, urging her to utterly destroy the intruder on her privacy.

"Yes."

"Madame Director wishes an update."

"Tell her I shall respond presently."

"Yes, my lady."

And with that, the disturbance was gone. Her anger flared again as she felt her connection had been lost during the break in meditation. That fool, Isard, thinking she could demand time from Fex Panaar? She should kill the poor excuse for an ISB director, at least it would help put the Hand back into their rightful place. But no, she had to play the politics for now. She needed Isard and her cat-game with the Alliance. If she wasn't able to keep them distracted long enough with her far-fetched plans, then Fex's destiny would never be fulfilled.

Standing, she drew her long, black hair into a decorative knot and secured it with sharp pins. Then, drawing her black over-robe across her shoulders and letting it fall down her side, concealing her sacred weaponry. Fex walked out of her meditation chamber, intending to give the Madame Director all the assurance she needed.

Time seemed to pass quickly as Angel stood in the firing range, squeezing off shot after shot of low-powered blaster energy. The accuracy of her shots was getting worse, and all she wanted to do was damage something, destroy something, hurt something. It felt right to do so, like it was a salve to spread over her anger. What did they know about her anyway? Who was he to push her? Who were any of them to treat her like a ball of string some cur-cat could bat around?

She squeezed off another two shots, both missed the target.

Her anger grew until it was a raging scream inside her head and she growled out loud, another shot exhaling from the muzzle of the pistol.

It, too, missed.

Tossing the practice pistol down in frustration, she placed both her hands on her hips and looked down at the floor. She felt a stirring in her gut, a sort of gnawing hunger that made her want to suddenly vomit. Just as quickly as it came, however, it passed. Then she caught the scent of something familiar and she turned her head just in time to see Vape put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," she said. "Rough night?"

Angel nodded. "Something like that."

"I heard you got a new roommate."

Scoffing, Angel rolled her eyes.

"Don't like her?"

"Since when did I become a babysitter?"

"Well, I'm sure you'll like her once you get to kn—"

"She's not you," Angel said and instantly regretted it. Shrugging off Vape's hand, she ducked slightly and moved past her. "I mean, I'm not a people person Chelsey, I don't like newbies. I'll bet she hasn't even seen action yet."

Vape studied her for a long moment, her brow furrowed in thought.

"She served at Endor."

Turning around, Angel blinked slightly.

"Under whose command?"

"Well… she was a tech, not a pilot."

Now she rolled her eyes again and trudged off towards where she had left her jacket. "Frag that. She's a grease-monkey, not a pilot then. Why isn't she down picking the gundark-crap out of my engines then."

"What's up with you anyway?" Vape snapped.

"What do you mean, what's ‘up' with me?"

"You've been a real bitch lately."

"Oh yeah?"

Angel turned around again and walked right up to her former roommate, eyeing her squarely. It was an almost accusing stare, right from her gut straight into her dark eyes. It almost made Vape take a step back, but she was not going to be intimidated.

"That's right," she challenged, turning her head a little and daring a step closer, so they were within inches of one another. She could see Angel's face flush red with emotion; one which she could guess was hot-red anger. Exhaling squarely through her nose, she readied for some kind of sucker-punch, but it never came. Instead, Angel just looked back, as if she wanted to find something on Vape's face but couldn't discern it. Then, she just turned and walked away, towards and out the door without a single word more.

Vape stood there, confused and slightly heart-broken. Not in the past two years since they'd been roommates did they ever once fight. Angel had never once even looked at her the wrong way. Something must have happened on Mon Calamari that she didn't know about. Perhaps it would just blow over. Perhaps it was just Angel's… well, her way of dealing with the death of the stranger in her room. Though, Vape had to be honest, she didn't think that was it at all. Something else was wrong, and just because Angel had said she didn't know Irisi Hyli, that didn't mean she had told them the truth.

The idea that her friend had lied to her suddenly pained her in the worst way. Honesty, integrity… these were honorable goals. She didn't understand how the humans could so easily forget that. It was one thing to appear mostly human, to pass as one of them when she'd needed to, but it was another to truly understand and think like them. It was something Vape couldn't understand, wouldn't understand. That idea itself made her frustrated to the point that she drew one of her swords from the weapons locker and brought it to bear on a practice dummy. When she left, after just a single swing, the dummy was irreparable.

To Be Continued...