Meanwhile, across the galaxy...

The lone figure sat cross-legged in the center of the circle of burning candles, breathing evenly in the otherwise unlit room. The candle-light flickered over his features, showing the slightly grey areas on each temple, and the few grey hairs in an otherwise dark beard. His face contorted slightly as he used the Force, peering through the mists of seclusion as he glimpsed what he could. The emperor was dead. The Galactic Empire was shattered--all semblance of unity gone. Chaos reigned through the stars, and yet, a bright point of light arose from the darkness, growing brighter as it rose from the shadowy depths. From the ashes, a new phoenix would arise, and a time of peace and prosperity would once again take hold. This point of light would unify the galaxy once more, and show the countless races tolerance and prosperity. He opened his eyes as the vision was revealed to him, the last image imprinted in his mind.

The light had worn his face.

He breathed deeply, then looked at a candle, watching as he extended the Force to extinguish the tiny flame. He snuffed the remaining flames in the same manner, each in turn, until the room was plunged into darkness.

"Lights," he said, standing up. As the lights flickered on, the cargo hold where he took his meditations came into view, and he surveyed the familiar Jedi tapestry hanging on one wall. Just a short time ago, that tapestry alone would have cost him his life, but now, since the collapse of the empire, the Jedi were reinstated as the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. Master Skywalker had begun training a new caste of Jedi, searching far and wide for any with Force potential. But the boy knew little of how to train Jedi.

As the man walked toward the cockpit of the small freighter, he remembered the last time he had met young Skywalker. It had been over ten years ago, while the fledgeling rebellion had been fleeing their base at Yavin-4. He remembered how the bout of jealousy and hatred had overtaken him, and he had nearly beaten the boy to death with his bare hands. No, he was no stranger to the Dark Side, but he was also no ally with it. He had walked the path of Darkness before, and had seen his mistakes firsthand. No, the Dark Side had not won him over--but the battle it waged with his soul had been costly. Friends, loved ones, apprentices, colleagues, all lost because of his actions...

But he had beaten it, and now it was time to set things right. He set course for Coruscant, knowing the information stores he had searched the galaxy for would prove his birthright--that he truly was the grandson of former Emperor Palpatine. There would be no dispute, and Julian Starchaser would ascend the throne, once again unifying the galaxy in an unsurpassed era of peace and prosperity...

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Corbusii wasn't much to write home about. It was a rim world with little access to, well, anything really. But the third rate starport did boast one thing; Vitas Gariganas formerly of the Correlian Institute of Starship Technology, and the reason Haran had set a course there in the first place.

She set the Terrapin down on the apron and put in an immediate call to Vitas - it would take him afew hours/days to sober up enough to notice he had a message.

"Everyone who wants to continue with me, I'll take you. You paid for it after all," she told her passengers with ill grace, "but it's gonna be days, possibly a couple of weeks before we can lift off again."

She eyed Trinj whose hands were bound and was theoretically in Rogan's custody. The Gran stood passively listening, no discernable expression on his face. She had no idea where Danse had disappeared to.

"I'll leave a message on the public boards here at the space port and I'll try and call you 40 hours before I leave here. That should give you all pleanty of notice. If you find other passage before the ship is ready -- well than, fare you well."

She turned her back on the others and headed down the gangway.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Rogan looked at Trinj's bound hands, then scanned the starport. True, it was dark out, but there weren't many places to run. Rogan sighed, then removed the binders from Trinj's hands and looked him straight in the eye.

"You owe me, Imp. Run if you want, but you'll have to find another way off this rock if you do," Rogan said before turning to look for Haran, who was halfway to the main building by now.

Rogan trotted after her, still carrying all of his worldly possessions on his person. When he finally caught up with her, he slowed to match her pace.

"Do you need a first mate, Captain?" Rogan said quietly, purposely keeping his eyes straight ahead as he spoke. Several moments of silence followed before Haran said anything at all...

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

She shot a glance at Rogan from the corner of her eye. She walked a few more paces then stopped to regard him.

"I thought you were a hot to trot rebel fly boy. I mean, a first mate that knows his way around the galaxy, not to metion the cockpit would be handy. That goes without saying. And I admit your no slouch, but why the application? This is still a fly by night operation I got going here. It'll be a while before I can give the Hutts a run for their money," she finished with a reluctant and lopsided smile.

One hundred meters away Vees and Trinj also debarked and stood looking about the seedy starport.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

"Well, all I have to do is tell that Starchaser guy not to mention me in his report, right? The Republic already thinks I'm dead--why not keep it that way?" Rogan answered with a smile. "Besides," he added, "I kinda like your regulations more than Republic regulations, anyway." Rogan extended his hand to Haran. "Have we got a deal?"

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

"Master Julian," the mechanical voice stated through the cockpit of The Legacy, "I'm reading a severe power leak in the Hyperdrive sub-unit. We'll need to revert soon and make repairs."

Julian looked at the display panel, tearing his attention away from the book he'd been reading. He keyed some buttons on the nav-comp and checked nearby systems. "Let's go to Corbusii, Oliver. There's a starport there, and it's only 4 hours away. Can we make it?" Julian reset the coordinates, even before the droid-brain replied.

"Yes, we have enough in reserve to make that," Oliver replied. The Legacy re-adjusted its hyperspace bearing, and just inside of 2 hours arrived at the Corbusii space-port.

"Oliver, arrange for whatever repairs you need, and have Marvin pick up some more supplies. I'm going to see if I can raise some money for us," Julian stated, tucking his lightsaber into the inside pocket of his grey vest.

"Why don't we just use your New Republic credit line? Or perhaps your Happan Cluster savings account," Oliver asked. Julian just shook his head.

"Yes, use those accounts for the repairs and supplies--I was actually going to look for some cargo or a charter or something. Oh, and Oliver--scan the starport logs for the past 2 days. Let me know if anything looks odd," Julian said as he walked off the ship and onto the small slab of ferrocrete which served as a landing pad. It was dark out, and Julian headed toward the main building of the starport, looking for a bar or other common area to check spacer's messages.

"As if I won't be busy enough taking care of myself, you find it necesarry to make me watch over Marvin AND have the gall to give me busy-work while you frolic about, doing what you will," Oliver began on a fifteen-minute diatribe as he relegated a portion of his brain to scanning the starport logs, as well as having Olivia, the actual ship's computer, contact Marvin and give him a shopping list. Hopefully, the manically-depressed protocol droid wouldn't try to commit suicide this time around...

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

The spacer's pub on Corbusii was less than a dive. It was simply a large room adorned with a bar in the center, stools crowded about it, and cargo crates scattered around the remaining space, serving as tables/chairs/furniture. It reeked of stale vomit and alcohol, the faint aroma of various types of smoke barely hiding this fact to the untrained nose. Julian perched on a stool near the corner of the bar, after moving a drink out of the way, and ordered a Correllian Whiskey. It wasn't long before Julian felt a hand grasp him firmly on the shoulder.

"Can I help you?" Julian asked, as he turned to face the offender.

"Skrixx Ma'atazz--Yorlo Fumbo!" a scaly, brown alien said, nodding its head from side to side. Julian concentrated on the alien for a moment, and through the Force, its words became clear.

"You weren't here at the time--so I sat down," Julian said calmly. Then, he added, "No need to make a scene over it," while drawing his hand slowly across his own form. The alien blinked its 5 eyes twice, then slowly nodded.

"Esta chupah nix frotha'lor," the alien said slowly. Julian nodded, then stood, placing 20 credits on the bar.

"I apologize for the trouble, and bid you good night," Julian said, moving across to a crate near the opposite corner. He didn't want to draw any undue attention to his presence. As he sat, he reached out with the Force, sensing the lives of those around him, and began surveying the room. Several of the beings here had strong Force potential, but none of them appeared to be very well-trained. Then, at the fringes of his awareness, outside in another section of the starport, he sensed a very familiar presence. He smiled as he sipped his whiskey, and immediately masked his own presence, hoping he himself had not been discovered.

The presence he felt was his Nephew, Danse...

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Julian decided to finish his drink, and then go out and speak with Danse. As he left the pub, a young man and woman wearing ship suits entered and looked around briefly, conversing with one another. Julian sensed great selfishness and greed from the woman, and an adventure-seeking spirit from the man. He shrugged and continued his pursuit of Danse. Oddly, as he started approaching the pad where The Legacy was, he felt Danse's presence getting further away, as well as higher up. As Julian reached the pad, his heart sank, and he let out an exhasperated sigh...

The Legacy was gone, and Marvin was slumped against a power generator, a bag of groceries under each arm. His power supply was plugged into the generator, and he was slowly draining his own power into it. Where the ship should have been, carved into the ferrocrete slab, was a brief note:

'Took the ship. Had somewhere to be. I'll leave it at Gramma's. ~Danse
PS: Ghtroc on pad 9, if you can put up with the crew.'

Julian sighed again, then reached down and reversed the power flow to Marvin, then sat on a nearby crate and started sorting through the groceries. Marvin slowly flickered back to life, his eyes beginning to glow once again.

"Oh, Sir... I thought you had left me. I decided since I wasn't important enough to take along with you, I may as well donate my power to this landing field, that someone may benefit from my pitiful, useless existence," Marvin droned in a low-pitched monotone. Julian suppressed a laugh, then pulled out a can of food from the bag.

"At least you picked up the groceries before attempting suicide, Marvin. That was good," Julian said.

"I was still bound by my duty to fulfill your orders, Sir," Marvin said, his voice now beginning to return to normal. "I only did this when I discovered the ship was gone. Was it stolen?"

Julian smiled again. "No, it wasn't stolen. Danse borrowed it," he said, looking listlessly up into the night sky. "Marvin, come with me to pad 9. I think there's a ship there we could use."

"Yes, Sir," Marvin said, slowly standing up--still not yet at full power. "Sir, it's possible this planet is not entirely stable," Marvin commented, his legs wobbling under his own weight.

"Alright, we'll wait until you're at full power, and then we'll go," Julian said, digging through the groceries once more and finding a chocolate bar. "Wow. My favorite," he said, peeling the wrapper away to enjoy the snack...

By Naughty God (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Trinj looked around straining his eyes to see everything in the starlit darkness. He'd seen worse, the starport was mostly a large open field with slabs of permacrete acting as landing pads for the ships.

Trinj began to walk towards the main building when he felt a strong twinge in the force. There was another force user on the planet nearby--a powerful one. However the feeling from it was unlike anything Trinj had encountered before, and then it was gone.

Blinking to clear his thoughts he briefly noticed what looked like a YT-1300 several pads down, what made it interesting was the fact that it was nearly black. Trinj squinted again and noticed a form walk up the ramp and enter the ship as if he owned it. Shortly thereafter the ship took off, Trinj just sighed and looked for a bar.

He looked at Haran and Rogan, who were already halfway to the main building and then to the Gran that stood next to him. He sighed, he could easily put up with Rogan since he was human, Haran seemed human enough but the Gran was a problem. It would be difficult to over come the hatred for anything not huaman that he had been raised with.

Trinj thought for a moment and then looked up to the top of the freighter. His fighter was gone, Haran probably jetisoned it before nearing the planet. Like it or not he was stuck here.

Shrugging he went into the bar and ordered a drink. He'd worry about things later right now he just wanted to relax.

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Vitas was not in the saloon. Haran was disappointed but not surprised. She and Rogan bought a couple of bottles then walked back to the Terrapin while Haran mulled over the possible locations of what was sure to be an incredibly drunk and pathetically randy old fart of an engineer. She smiled to herself, Vitas was the only person she knew who had both her respect and affection, and he was, thus far, the sole recipient of the latter.

She glanced at Rogan. She had taken him on as first mate on spec - for both sides. Neither was sure if they had the makings for good crewmates. If they made any profit he was in for 40%. She had a feeling things were about to change for her, and as far as she could tell, things could only get better from here.

By Naughty God (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Trinj looked around the bar carefully so as not to draw too much attention. In the corner he notice a game of Sabacc being played by three men. Slowly he rose from the stool and walked towards the table.

The three sprang to their feet as soon as they noticed he was coming. Their hands were no doubt on the butts of their weapons.

Trinj held up his hands, "Easy, I just wanted know if I could sit in." Trinj said with a bit of naitivity in his voice.

The three men seemed to think about it for a minute before they relaxed. "When the next game starts." One responded gruffly. He looked Trinj over trying to make out who or what he was.

Trinj took a seat and watched as the man to his right, a tall dark haired man with a scar that ran down the length of his face, won the hand.

The winner collected the cards and began to shuffle them. "What's your name?" He asked looking at Trinj.

"The names Farley Glick." Trinj said. Glick had been his cover name on a mission to raid a rebel outpost. "What's yours?"

"I'm Remor, to your left is Darpit, and this ones Karn." Refering to the others at the table. "You do know the game? Right?"

"A little. I know enough to get myself by." Trinj said.

"Alright, we open at 10 credits to start and as high as 100 credits a bet." Remor said as he began to pass out the cards.

Trinj looked at his cards, he forced a grin. He had the master of Sabers, the 2 of Coins, and the 5 of flasks, 21. Trinj put the master and the five onto the table betting 50 credits. He then waited for the dealer to change the cards. The others all matched his bet.

Remor pushed the trigger and the image on his card changed. He looked at it a frowned, the 5 of staves, he now was too high with 24. Remor bet 100 credits as he watched Trinjs face. Trinj met his bet and held onto his card. Darpit removed his cards and quit the hand. Karn looked between Trinj and Remor and matched their bet and added another 50.

Remor matched it and both watched Trinj, Looking at his card he nervously matched the bet. Remor then anounced that this would be the last switch and pressed the trigger.

Karn swore and removed his cards. Trinj watch Remor, who for his part showed no emotion. Trinj looked at his card and saw the four of coins, 23 and pure Sabacc. He let out a whoop of joy and bet 100 credits. Remor looked at Trinj and decided to press on matching Trinj's bet and adding another 100 credits. Trinj eyed the man and then matched his bet.

"Show'em." Remor said. He flipped over his cards to reveal a master of coins, a one of flasks and a three of staves, 18.

Trinj excitedly turned over his cards to reveal his hand. Remor, Karn and Darpit all looked shocked.

And so it went on into the night with Trinj winning and purposly losing to keep them around until the final game. Darpit was out of monfey and had quit altogether. Karn had cut his loses and had followed Darpit a little later. This left Trinj and Remor going at it together.

The bets were now above 3000 credits each. Trinj knew he was at the limit of his cash supply. Even though he had changed into a pair of spacers cloths he carried in a duffel he hadn't much room for large amounts of money.

He looked at his hand, he had not kept any given cards so as to keep this hand interesting and Remor had done the same.

"Well, what do you say we make this more interesting shall we? I'll wager my ship against yours." Remor said. He pulled out the ownership papers for a YV-666 light Freighter.

"Well unfortunettly my ship is in orbit but here are the papers." Trinj said he pulled out the forged papers he had made up for his fighter in case he had to sell it.

Remor eyed him, "Your an Imperial pilot aren't you?"

"Not anymore. My squadron mates and I jumped ship and left. I'm the only one that made it out." Trinj said. "Is that okay."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's see what you got." Remor said nervously.

Remor flipped his cards to reveal the mistress of flasks, the five of sabers, and two of coins, 22. Trinj let the disapointment show on his face as he looked at his cards. Remor smiled as his hands moved toward the winnings.

"Not so fast." Trinj said holding up his hands. He flipped over his cards. He had the two of sabers, the three of flasks, and an idiots face card, a literal 23. Remor looked on as Trinj took his earnings .

Snapping out of his disbelief Remor drew his gun and aimed it at Trinj. "You dirty, no good, cheating Ipm."

That was all he got out as Trinj drew his blaster and shot him in one quick motion. Trinj continued to collect his winnings when a hand came down on his shoulder.

"Turn around." Said the voice. Trinj did as he was told and came face to face with a large Trandoshan. "How do we know you didn't cheat?"

Trinj sighed. "Because I say I didn't."

"Not good enough pally." The Trandoshan said getting a tighter grip.

"Let go of me now, you filthy lizard." Trinj said shaking of the aliens hand.

"What did you call me?"

"Lizard." Trinj said.

"Why you..." The Trandoshan pulled back to hit Trinj when his eyes went wide and he slumped to the floor. Everyone in the bar was looking at him and then went back to their drinks.

Trinj collected the rest of his winnings, paid for a round for everyone and walked back to the Terrapin.

Trinj carefully approached Haran and made her an offer.

"I am giving you the ownership of this ship, the Hawks Talon. You can keep the Terrapin and sell the Talon or vice versa. Either way I would ask that you consider taking me on as part of your crew. All I require is room and board." Trinj said.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Once Marvin was fully recharged, Julian helped him up and handed him the grocery bags. The duo walked toward the main building again, and Julian made his way over to a public access terminal. He called up the ship registry and docking information section, and selected the information on pad #9. The ship registered there was called the Terrapin, captained/owned by one Haran Xenosha. It was listed as a charter craft awaiting repairs, length of duration pending repair completion. Julian nodded.

"Marvin, download this information, please. And see if you can find a decent inn somewhere nearby," Julian told the protocol droid, who idly shuffled up and plugged a data-transfer jack into the terminal. "And see if you can get us a cab or something," Julian added as he wandered over to the spacer's shop--which was nothing more than a counter with several essential items hanging behind it, with a droid clerk lurking behind it.

"Can I help you, sir?" the droid asked politely.

"Yes. I'll need that utility kit, that emergency pack, and that mini-generator. Also, let me have that pack of emergency rations, and that large rucksack," Julian said, pointing out the items as he named them. The droid collected everything, placing it on the counter, and Julian inspected each as it was laid before him, finally loading the generator, rations, and utility kit into the rucksack, checked for space, then managed to fit the emergency pack on top, with what looked like enough room for 2 sets of clothing.

"That will be 250 galactic credits," the droid said, causing Julian to pull out a plastic card and slide it across the counter. The droid scanned it, had Julian perform a thumb-print, then performed the transaction, finally handing the card back. "Thank you sir. Have a pleasant stay on Corbusii."

Julian simply nodded, collected Marvin, and walked away. Once outside, he turned to Marvin and spoke. "You get a taxi and a hotel?" he asked the droid.

"Yes, sir. The cab is on the way currently, and will take us to the Corbus Star. I selected it because it has full droid facilities, as well as a collection of shops and boutiques catering to the discriminating spacer," Marvin said. Julian just smiled, and waited in silence for the cab to show up...

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Admiral Lansky walked across the bridge of her ship to the forward windows. Before her floated the rest of her fleet. They were in orbit around the planet Kuat.

During the assault on Obliric a rebel fleet had appeared. Apparently the Moff had been in contact with the rebels intent on making a deal. She had lost one of her Lancers al of the Dreadnaughts and her Escort Carrier. The rest of her fleet had suffered minor damage. They were now putting in for repairs that would have the remaining Lancer and her two Star Destroyers in drydock for a while. Dernstin had taken his ships and jumped on his own and the Immobilizer had been captured by the Rebels.

Lansky gritted her teeth, all of her plans were falling apart and the loss of the Black angels and Dernstin's group had hindered her farther.

She slammed her fist against the railing, she would take the Galaxy or die trying.

----
Meanwhile across the galaxy.

"This is Black Angel Two requesting landing instructions."

"Black Angel Two you are cleared to land in hanger three. Prepare to explain yourself upon landing."

Hol smiled as he brought the fighter into the hanger of the Avenger. Dernstin would defenetly like to know of Lansky's plans and he had them stored in the computer of the fighter, lucky for him Major Trinj had done so in case he died.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

"Admiral," a communications officer called to Lansky from his post. "An encoded message is coming in through your private, secure line." Lansky turned and regarded the Lieutenant, then nodded and pointed to her private office. Once there, she accepted the message. It was a voice-only message, with the voice obviously masked.

"Admiral Lansky, I have information of the utmost importance to the survival of the Empire. This is why I ordered Dernstin on that mission to Tatooine. I am disappointed to hear you recalled him for your own, petty reasons. Cooperate fully with all future endeavors, or I shall have you removed. I shall be arriving at your ship in one hour from the time you receive this message to discuss a new course of action--one which will better use the resources at your disposal. Long live the Empire." After the message played, an image appeared on the screen of the terminal, displaying the personal seal of Emperor Palpatine, with a black hand imprinted over it.

Lansky slammed her fist on the bulkhead. An Emperor's Hand was coming to oversee her fleet. This was never good news for any commander...

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

The indicator light on the console of the shuttle began blinking repeatedly, and the black-clad figure reached a gloved hand up to it and switched it off. Lansky had received his transmission. He flipped another switch on his console, sending the bounty information for both Danse and Julian Starchaser. Instructions included "capture alive" as well as contingency bounties for anyone who was in contact with them. The man crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, punching in the final coordinates for the Kuat Shipyards where Lansky currently was.

The Emperor had not been a foolish man. He had ordered special tracking subroutines embedded in the core systems of every Imperial Star Destroyer produced, in the slim chance that any would fall into enemy hands or go rogue. The most elusive and concurrently dangerous subroutines were located on the Super Star Destroyers... Lansky had unwittingly set one off when she attacked the Imperial base over Obliric--and it was her unfortunate luck that the particular subroutine she had activated had 'awakened' this sleeping Emperor's Hand, spurring him into action. His mind had been programmed by the Emperor himself with all the knowledge necessary to re-take a rogue SSD, as well as set up a successor to the Emperor in case of his demise.

Both plans were beginning to unfold rather nicely...

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Haran stared at Trinj, her expression glacial. Her glance flicked briefly to Rogan who shrugged almost imperceptibly. Her mind worked through all the angles, but foremost in her thoughts was that this man was an Imp. The papers for the other ship were still out there, like bait. Trinj couldn’t read her at all, not even through the Force right now, it was like a big duracrete wall had been thrown up around her. It seemed she had some sort of unconscious natural barriers.

Finaly she snatched the papers, “You will not have a weapon, the ship controls are encoded and you will not be allowed near them. If you try to break the code, try to arm yourself, or try to pork me in any way, I will space you quicker that scat through a nerf. Got it?”

Trinj’s jaw tightened but he nodded shortly. Haran stood staring at him for a minute longer, then turned on her heel and marched away stiff backed.

Rogan grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets, “Not in command anymore, Imp,” he said jovially, “Think you’re gonna be able to fly with a new captain without getting yourself killed?” he chuckled and followed Haran.

Trinj was wondering the same thing.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Trinj decided to get a breath of fresh air. He walked down the boarding ramp and saw that the sun was rising. Looking at his watch he saw that it was around 8 o'clock.

Looking around he noticed a bit of commotion going on around the pad that the YT had had been on. Trinj walked over to see what was going on. When he reached the pad he saw a number of Techs milling about but some were staring at the ground.

"What the hell did that?"

"I'd rather know who."

"Yeah, now we have to close this pad while we effect repairs."

"Anybody hear of a 'Danse'?"

"Sounds like a really bad codename to me."

Trinj got a glace at the ground and saw the message that seemed to have been left by Danse. Trinj turned and headed back to the ship.

"Wonder what that was all about and who he left the message for." He thought. He figured he'd mention it once he got back to the ship. "Haran might not like me, but she may like this new person even less."

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Rogan lay in his bunk, restless as the night wore on. He was still plagued by the images of his entire squadron dying around him. He managed to drift off to sleep several times, each time waking in a cold sweat with a start, sitting bolt upright and breathing heavily. As the dawn drew closer, he decided it was pointless to sleep, and started wandering around the aging Ghtroc, learning her ins and outs. Around 8am, he noticed Trinj wander out onto the pad, walking around outside for a while. Rogan decided to head up to the lounge and wait for Trinj to return. Soon, the imperial pilot came in, and Rogan decided to start a conversation.

"What's up?" Rogan asked innocently as Trinj came in. Trinj just shrugged, then pointed back outside.

"That Danse kid carved a message over on pad 23 telling somebody that he took the ship and will leave it at gramma's house--whatever that means. He also mentioned us being on pad 9," Trinj explained.

Rogan just shrugged, "So?"

"So, we may be getting another passenger here. Is Haran going to be happy with that?" Trinj pressed. Rogan just smiled.

"If this new passenger has enough money, I'm sure Haran will take him anywhere he wants to go," Rogan replied, folding his hands on the small table in front of him. "We're listed as a charter ship currently, not a cargo freighter. Chances are, this person will come to us with money in mind, and we make our first real profits from taking this person someplace."

"Unless he has no money," Trinj countered.

"Then we have no additional passenger. What's there to worry about?" Rogan said matter-of-factly. Feeling his last statement had proved his point, he got up from the table and strode into the cockpit. He closed the door, locked it, and sat in the pilot's seat, just re-memorizing the controls. Without even realizing it, Rogan drifted off to sleep in the only place he truly felt comfortable...

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Julian soaked in his hot-tub, while Marvin sat in the corner, switched off. Julian had rented a luxury room for the night, deciding to treat himself to a bit of relaxation before approaching the Ghtroc on pad 9. He had slept quite peacefully on the large waterbed after eating a gourmet meal. He woke up at 8:30, then decided to have a bath. Julian sat there, contemplating as he trimmed his beard using the new personal hygeine kit he had bought from the hotel boutiques last night. He glanced over at his 2 new suits, and decided to wear the black and grey one rather than the blue one.

It was 11am before Julian emerged from the Corbus Star, well-rested, well-fed, and looking sharp in his new suit. He wore his grey vest and utility belt underneath the 3/4 length suit jacket, with a simple white shirt underneath. As was his style, the collars on the shirt and jacket were both high, with no tabs under which to place a tie. He unconsciously put his hand on his lightsaber, concealed inside his vest, then walked over to the speeder-rental booth just outside the hotel. Perhaps he'd do some sightseeing before arranging charter, as well...

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Silently, Maee Vees climbs into the ship. He looks around for Haran and the others, then settles himself into a corner. On his huge head, his smile seems wide. He brings two of his eyes to bear on a part he has apparently just recovered. Sitting with legs crossed, the gran settles a mechanical orb into his lap - in his fingerless hand he holds his lightsabre, now recovered. The tiny cylinder that is the light-blade has been opened up, and gingerly Maee Vees works, removing components and implanting them into the orb. He works very very slowly - without the long skinny fingers possessed by other human-like races, the gran relies almost entirely on specialized tools to do the same job, but watching him work is almost a meditation in itself considering his unwavering patience...

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

The call from Vitas came in three hours before planet dawn, waking Haran from a fitfull sleep. He was as she assumed he would be, falling down drunk, and happy as a galudart gnawing on entrails. He insisted she come and join the party - she knew the other attendees would be Vitas, and several bottles of liquor, mostly empty. Any females he had hit on would have turned the ugly little man down flat, or been long gone after a dissatisfying liason. Vitas talked a good game, but that was about it.

Haran scratched an old burn scar on her thigh and said she'd be along as soon as she pulled herself together. Any negotiations would be far easier the more lubricated Vitas was. She pulled on her ship suit and boots and slipped off the ship. No one saw her leave, or that she took the large sack of cash she'd gotten from the absent Forp. She grinned maliciously, the little toad would see her into a fine ship indeed, if his credits were combined with what the Hawk's Talon would bring. She began calculating her profit happily and daydreaming about the goodies she could install on the Terrapin with it. Hmmm, perhaps a new name, too. She walked perposfully into the Corbusii night.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Trinj gripped the controles of his Tie and waited for clearence to launch. The light flashed green and the Tie was released from it's rack. Trinj throttled up and headed for the hanger entrance. Trinj saw the flight controler salute as he flew by. To his horrer Trinj saw that the man had no face. All that was there was a grinning skull.

Trinj awoke in his bunk in a cold sweat. He stiffled the scream that tore at his throat to be released and sat there shakeing.

Trinj got up and walked between the bunks toward the refresher and washed his face. He took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves.

"It was just a dream damit, let it go." Trinj scolded himself.

"Sir are you alright?"

Trinj looked up at the mirror to see who had spoken. This time he did scream as he saw his old squadron standing behind him in different states of decay. There were even some that had died at the Battle of Endor.

They all started to walk towards him arms reaching out to grab him. Each was calling to him in gutteral voices that could not be distinguished. One word was clear: TRAITOR.

As they grew closer a sudden burst of light emmenated from him and he found his lightsaber in his hands. Ignighting the lightsaber he began to swing wildly in desperation. Slowly the swings became more precise as Trinj let the Force flow into his body.

When all of the bodies were gone Trinj looked at the lightsaber and took a deep breath.

Trinj awoke in the middle of the lounge on the Terepin. In his hands he held his lightsaber, he quickly deactivated it. He moved to the fresher and washed his face. Looking in the mirror he no longer saw a fallen Imperial, or a disgrace. Instead he saw a man with the rest of his life in front of him, he saw a Jedi. For the first time in his life he no longer hated who he was or what he could become.

For the first time in his life Gren Trinj, former Imperial Major, leader of the Black Angel Squadron, had found peace within himself.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Close to a month went by on the planet Corbusii, and the Terrapin had been almost entirely refitted. Every morning, Julian would check the starport logs to be sure the Terrapin hadn't left yet. In the interim, he was enjoying quite a lovely vacation. He had found the main library for the small planet, and had perused the history section for any information he could find concerning Jedi lore. Not surprisingly, he only found the most general references--knowledge he had already gathered years ago. Julian had also been studying the ragtag crew of the Ghtroc, noting the militant attitude of the captain and the youthful zeal of apparently the first mate. The other two were a bit of a mystery, especially since both were attuned to the Force. The gran was mostly quiet and introspective--at least the few times Julian had seen him from this distance--and the other human seemed to be wrestling with some inner turmoil. Julian was curious about both, of course, but did not intrude with any further investigation.

One morning, as Julian was riding Corbusii's equivalent to a horse, he spotted a parked speeder in the middle of the wilderness. Thinking nothing of it, he slowly rode on, enjoying the natural setting. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he knew he was in danger. He dove to the left, off his steed, as the blaster bolt burned through the air where his head had been. He reached out with the Force, and sensed 3 individuals, hidden in the trees surrounding the wooded glen. He reached into the minds of all three and clouded their senses. Smiling, Julian then gathered a blanket of Force around him, pulling it close and allowing it to absorb him. He simply vanished from sight, soon followed by his steed. Safely invisible, he rode to the edge of the clearing, then allowed the three gunmen to regain their senses. Julian simply rode away, leaving his unknown assailants cursing themselves and wondering how their target could have disappeared from plain sight so easily...

Julian decided it would soon be time to leave Corbusii...

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Haran levered herself out of the maintenance hatch and took a swig from Vitas's bottle. She and the little man had been working like beings possessed for the last month, repairing and improving every system they could on the freighter. They bought, begged, borrowed, and stole parts and equipment from every supplier on the planet and once or twice from other ships in dock. Vitas turned the favors he owed Haran into favors owed him planetwide and as a result the Terrapin was now probably one of the toughest and one of the quickest Ghtrocs in the known universe. It still did not have the armament that Haran had hoped for, but such was just not available on Corbusii. She set down the bottle and wiped a smear of hydraulic fluid off the back of her hand by the simple expediency of dragging the limb across her thigh. It had just made her week when she sold the Talon for not only as much red as she had promised Vitas but some dandy parts as well. That ship had given her a bad feeling and she couldn't sell it fast enough, she was just as glad to keep the terrapin and juice it far beyond what most folk expected wen encountering a freighter of its kind. Another three or four days and it'd be almost perfect.

"How's it going?"

She swiveled around and regarded her new first mate, "Almost there. I'd say we can kiss Corbusii goodbye within the week for sure, " she grinned, a hard edged thing but she was beginning to relax around Rogan a little, "You gonna want to pilot her out of here?"

Rogan had helped as much as he was able but he had neither Vitas' innate genius with repair, nor Haran's bulldog tenacity and had become increasingly bored over the last few days with little to do, "Oh yeah, I'm dying to fly."

"Make sure we're capacity on consumables then, and maybe I'll let ya," she turned to drop back into the open hatch, "Oh, and see if you can think of a better name for this ship. She's not much of a Terrapin anymore," she said with another steel reinforced smile before she slid out of sight through the access hatch.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

The dream had left Trinj shaken up a bit. And any peace he'd felt within himself was now gone and in it's place he felt a lingering anger. He looked back towards the ship and thought back on the events that had occured in the last few weeks.

Trinj had offered his help at every moment he could but got only a stare that could cause a Krayt Dragon to shudder. Every task he'd been given had been from Rogan and even then they were menial.The kid was right, he was no longer in control.

Trinj felt a growing frustration build up within him. The anger he felt began to grow as well. He was an Imperial damn it. He was a pilot, not some damn walking mat, the Gran got better treatment then Trinj. A pilot, leader of one of the most feared squadrons in the galaxy.

The anger with in himself grew greater and threatened to take control. He heard a sinister voice calling out to him.

"Kill them all."

"Rid the galaxy of their filthy exsistence."

"Call on your anger, feed on it, it will make you far stronger than you ever thought possible."

"Who are you?" Trinj asked.

"Everything and anything you want. I am your only friend."

"Call upon me and I'll make you strong enough to take on the galaxy. I'll make you strong enough to return order to the chaos. I'll make you strong enough to subjegate the weak and destroy the strong. I'll make you strong enought to do what ever you want."

Trinj felt the anger grow, he didn't like this voice or what it promised. Yet a part of him longed to do what the voice said. A part of him wanted to strike out and destoy the rebelion. A part of him wanted to undo all the chaos the rebels had caused.

Trinj took a deep breath and reached for his lightsaber. He'd never told the damned woman about it, nor of what he truely was. Maybe now was as good a time for her to know. maybe it was time for her to know fear. Maybe it was time for her to know who was really in control.

Trinj took a step towards the ship about to draw his lightsaber when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"The Dark Side is not an ally you want to enbrace. It promises much but demands even more."

Trinj turned and stood looking at a cloaked figure with a droid just off to it's right.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Trinj stared at the man and shook his head clearing all the anger away. The stranger seemed to exscude a calming effect. He looked back to the ship then back at the stranger, but the man was gone.

Shaking his head again he looked back at the ship and began to walk towards it. He walked up the ramp and quickly made his way to where he kept his belongings. Taking a moment to scrible a message he walked out again.

Trinj passed the Gran, who was still intent on some piece of junk it had picked up.

"When you see the captain give her this." Trinj said handing the note over. He then turned on his heels and walked of the ship. He knew his fighter was somewhere and he meant to find it. He still had some credits and if he didn't have enough he could always win some.

He looked back at the ship, if Haran ever bothered to read the note it would read- "I've left to find my own way. I realized that we are two different people and that those differences would always be there. You see only an Imperial, and I doubt I could ever change that. In you all I see is a criminal, and I doubt you could ever change that. I'm sure this want help in any way but I still need to reach the Rebelion and warn them of Lansky's plans before it's too late. I just don't see that happening quickly or easily if I stay with the group. Good-bye and best of luck; Gren Trinj."

Turning around he walked towards the city in hopes of finding something. He'd always been told that the statistics were against him. Every time he strapped into a fighter he faced death. So far he had been lucky, lucky enough to see deaths face and walk away from her. He'd always known where his future would lead him. Now as he looked at the sunset he realized he had no idea what was to come, and he liked it like that.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Julian decided that today would be the day he approached the captain of the Terrapin--Haran, her name was--and hoped he had enough money to charter a flight off Corbusii. As he approached the ship, he noticed the force-sensitive fellow standing, staring intently at the ship. Julian sensed waves of darkness coming from his very being, and decided to impart a vision of calmness to him. Lightly touching his shoulder, Julian made Trinj view him as a cloaked figure, and then clouded his senses just enough to slip away in search of Haran...

He found her, eventually, sitting in the main pub where Julian had gone his first night here. She seemed to be regarding a bottle of some sort, three-quarters full of a golden-brown liquid. Julian decided to take the subtle approach, and simply stood across the small table from her, waiting to be noticed.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, flashing his best 'charming gentleman' smile...

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Lansky lay on the deck of her cabin and looked up at the dark figure before her. The blood that ran into her eyes made this difficult and her breathing became labored. She knew her legs were broken in several places and now she realized that one of her broken ribs had punctured a lung.

“Now you fully understand, don’t you ‘Admiral’?” The Emperor’s hand said. He put as much contempt into his voice when he spoke her rank as was possible. “Had you been a true Imperial officer I might have just let you live and then used you like a puppet. But since you were never a true officer nor truly a servant of the Emperor you shall die.”

Lansky tried to speak but the blood from her lung made it impossible and she could merely look on in fear as the man drew a blade and walked to where she lay.

--

Trinj found that his fighter had already been salvaged and torn apart for parts. Anything else in the city was already gone; with his options so limited he turned to the only resource he knew was still available.

Trinj walked onto the ship dealers lot and strode calmly and quickly to the ship he was looking for. Boarding it was not a problem, nor was getting to the bridge. Minutes later Trinj was in space and headed for a known rebel location. For its credit the Hawks Talon was a fast ship and he should get there quickly.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Trinj's blood went cold as he saw the pair of Dreadnaughts come out of hyperspace and make their way towards the planet of Corbusii. Four Tie Fighters launched from each ship and assumed a standard patrol pattern. The Dreadnaughts slowed as they reached the planet and took up an orbit over the planet.

He knew he owed her nothing but he signaled the Terrapin and left a message to Haran about the systems newest visitors.

---

"Captain we've achevied orbit and are near the coordinates given." Said a tech looking up from his display.

"Good, instruct our pilots to look for any sign of the fighter. Have a detachment sent down to the planet to search for it as well. Have them search the starports and the surrounding dealers and junkyards, I want that ship found." Captain Feld said.

"Yes sir. What of the pilot?"

"There's little chance of finding him on the planet but if we can find the fighter we may find a clue to where he went."