"25"^^ . . "21"^^ . "19"^^ . "17"^^ . "15"^^ . "13"^^ . . "10"^^ . "Selu stumbled through the foul-smelling sewers as he tried to concentrate on hiding the Force-users from the dark side user. His head was aching from the crash-landing, but he kept going through the dimly-lit labyrinth. He wasn\u2019t sure how much longer he could keep going, but finally, Xlora called a halt. \u201CThis way,\u201D she said, pointing to a ladder. One by one, the group of bedraggled survivors made their way up the ladder, through a trapdoor, and into a storage room in a rundown residence. The structure seemed quite ramshackle\u2014but it was also empty and the walls seemed quite thick. Daara scowled."@en . . "7"^^ . "Selu stumbled through the foul-smelling sewers as he tried to concentrate on hiding the Force-users from the dark side user. His head was aching from the crash-landing, but he kept going through the dimly-lit labyrinth. He wasn\u2019t sure how much longer he could keep going, but finally, Xlora called a halt. \u201CThis way,\u201D she said, pointing to a ladder. One by one, the group of bedraggled survivors made their way up the ladder, through a trapdoor, and into a storage room in a rundown residence. The structure seemed quite ramshackle\u2014but it was also empty and the walls seemed quite thick. \u201CWhat is this place?\u201D Hasla asked as Xlora turned on some glowpanels which flickered and popped noisily as they came to life. \u201CA . . . friend\u2019s house,\u201D Xlora answered. Daara scowled. \u201CPlease tell me you did not bring us to your boyfriend\u2019s house,\u201D she said. \u201COf course not,\u201D Xlora replied indignantly. \u201CThe Matukai would frown on such a relationship, so I don\u2019t have a boyfriend.\u201D \u201CGood.\u201D \u201CHowever, I might have . . . a fling,\u201D she conceded. Daara rolled her eyes. \u201CEnough,\u201D Spectre said. \u201CAre we safe here?\u201D \u201CFor now,\u201D she replied. \u201CHe\u2019s pretty well-connected and this house is one of the more secure properties in Darlyn Boda. Also, he\u2019s away on business. It\u2019s just us\u2014and I\u2019m the only other person who knows about the secret trapdoor.\u201D \u201CGood,\u201D Spectre replied, having taken charge while Selu was indisposed. \u201CTry and get some rest. I\u2019ll take first watch with Daara. We\u2019ll take turns except for Selu\u2014we need him to keep us hidden from . . . whoever that was. I know it\u2019s been a long day, but we\u2019re not out of this yet. There\u2019ll be time to grieve and reflect once we\u2019re somewhere safer. Until then, we have to stay focused on survival.\u201D They all muttered acknowledgement and dispersed, trying to find somewhere to rest and sort out the torrent of emotions and loss they had just been hurled through. Selu found a place to hunker down, sliding down gratefully to sit on the floor with his back against a dilapidated couch. His head was still pounding and he didn\u2019t know how much longer he could up his mental block\u2014it wasn\u2019t that exhausting when he used it on himself, but trying to hide over a dozen other people, many of whom were freely pouring out emotions through the Force, for a prolonged period of time was extremely taxing. A few minutes later, Milya came over with two bottles of water and a pair of pills. Selu cocked an eyebrow at the offered bottle and pills. \u201CAre those what I think they are?\u201D he asked. \u201CYes,\u201D she said. \u201CEnough symoxin to take the edge off that headache, but not enough to put you out.\u201D Selu accepted them gratefully, swallowing them with a swig from the water bottle. \u201CSpectre\u2019s on watch . . . want some company?\u201D she asked him. Selu looked up at her for a moment, weighing the request. He recalled he had promised to be there for her when she wanted to talk, so he nodded. \u201CSure.\u201D She sat down beside him, initially saying nothing. \u201CHow did you know to come after me?\u201D she asked him abruptly. \u201CThe Force showed me in a vision,\u201D he said. \u201CWe got here as fast as we could.\u201D A sorrowful expression crossed Milya\u2019s face. \u201CI wish it had been sooner,\u201D she said, her head bowed reflectively as she remembered the battle. \u201CWhat happened?\u201D he asked gently. \u201CI persuaded the Matukai to join the refuge,\u201D she said. \u201CI dueled their leader\u2014lost the duel, but won the argument.\u201D \u201CSounds painful,\u201D Selu replied sympathetically. She grunted. \u201CJust bruises,\u201D Milya responded. \u201CHard to believe that was just this morning. I rested for several hours while they prepared to evacuated, but when I awoke, the Empire was about to attack.\u201D She shook her head. \u201CWe fought as hard we could, to buy time for the others to escape, but there were just too many . . . and him.\u201D She shuddered, her voice cracking. Selu had only rarely seen Milya exhibit real fear and despair, and knew that whatever had happened before he arrived must have been horrifyingly traumatic to reduce her to this. \u201CIt\u2019s okay,\u201D Selu told her, putting an arm around her comfortingly. \u201CYou\u2019re safe now.\u201D \u201CHe took down Bolfw\u00E9 Grysloth, the Matukai leader, almost effortlessly,\u201D she said. \u201CI tried to fight him, but he was too strong. And hateful.\u201D Selu knew what she was talking about, having sensed the power of the dark side emanating from the man, even from a distance. \u201CHe\u2019s a dark side Force-user,\u201D he told her. \u201CA powerful one.\u201D She closed her eyes, mustering up the mental fortitude to ask a question whose answer she had been dreading. \u201CHow many made it?\u201D Selu winced. \u201CWe saved fourteen,\u201D he told her. \u201CSome of the others likely escaped into the swamps before we arrived.\u201D \u201CFourteen . . .\u201D Milya whispered, stricken by the news. \u201CThere were sixty-odd this morning.\u201D \u201CHey, it\u2019s not your fault,\u201D Selu assured her. \u201CYou saved as many as you could.\u201D \u201CNot Jahlel,\u201D she said, recalling the Arkanian\u2019s sacrifice on her behalf. \u201CHe saved me.\u201D \u201CWho was he?\u201D Selu asked. \u201CHe died for me, Selu,\u201D she said at last. \u201CPushed me out of the way and took the blaster bolt, right in the head.\u201D \u201CThe Arkanian?\u201D Milya nodded. \u201CJahlel. He met me in the city, saved from a group of thugs. He became sort of my trainer while I was there\u2014Grysloth made me learn from the Matukai. He was always was helping me or saving me from something I couldn\u2019t handle.\u201D \u201CSounds like a great person.\u201D \u201CHe was. You would have liked him.\u201D \u201CI\u2019m sorry,\u201D Selu told her. \u201CHe must have known what he was doing.\u201D Milya wiped away a tear that was sliding down her cheek. \u201COf course he did,\u201D she said. \u201CI don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to say to his sister.\u201D \u201CThe other Arkanian is his sister?\u201D Selu asked. Milya nodded. \u201CHasla.\u201D \u201CIf she knew her brother well, then she\u2019ll honor his selflessness,\u201D Selu said. \u201CAnd so should I,\u201D Milya observed. \u201CBy surviving.\u201D She turned to Selu with a hardened expression on her face. \u201CAnd taking the fight to the Empire.\u201D \u201CNow, now,\u201D Selu soothed, sensing her anger rising. \u201CJedi do not take revenge.\u201D \u201CI don\u2019t care,\u201D she said hotly. Selu took her hand in his. \u201CAnger leads to hate, and hate leads to the dark side,\u201D he told her. \u201CWhat happened today was horrible, but we can\u2019t let that tragedy warp our thinking.\u201D \u201CWhy not?\u201D she asked. \u201CWe stop them, we make sure they never hurt anyone else again.\u201D \u201CThere\u2019s an old saying about revenge,\u201D Selu told her. \u201CIf you\u2019re out for revenge, make sure you dig two graves.\u201D \u201CWhen I was sold as a slave, that didn\u2019t stop me,\u201D Milya told him. \u201CI killed every single one of them, and then I took out the people who murdered my parents.\u201D \u201CAnd then you were alone, on the run, unable to trust anyone until you met us,\u201D Selu replied. \u201CHow did your anger help you then?\u201D \u201CIt kept me alive,\u201D Milya said. \u201CIt gave me focus.\u201D \u201CYou have the Force for that now,\u201D Selu told her. \u201CYou can let go of your anger. I did.\u201D She looked up at him with a searching expression. \u201CHow?\u201D Selu took a deep breath. \u201CBecause being a Jedi isn\u2019t just about Force powers or lightsabers. It\u2019s about mastering your own emotions. It\u2019s about serving ideals that surpass anyone person\u2014peace, justice, and truth.\u201D \u201CIt sounds nice,\u201D Milya answered bitterly. \u201CBut in my experience, ideals don\u2019t last long in the real galaxy.\u201D \u201CThey do if we fight for them,\u201D Selu replied. \u201CYou make it sound so easy.\u201D Selu snorted gently. \u201CI wish,\u201D he said. \u201CWhen the Jedi Temple was destroyed and I was left with barely the clothes on my back, I felt the same way you do.\u201D \u201CWhat got you through it?\u201D she asked. Selu considered the question, then smiled slightly. \u201CSarth,\u201D he said. \u201CWhen I was at the brink of despair, Sarth brought me hope to keep going.\u201D \u201CSo what hope do we have?\u201D Milya asked him. \u201CMost of the Matukai were slaughtered. We were shot down and now we\u2019re stuck on this planet with an Imperial army hunting us.\u201D \u201CWe\u2019re still alive,\u201D Selu told her. \u201CThey haven\u2019t caught us yet. And when we get off this planet, we have a world for our refuge, and the Zeison Sha and Jal Shey will help us build it.\u201D \u201CYou\u2019re asking a lot,\u201D she said. \u201CAnger and a sense of vengeance kept me going for many lonely years.\u201D \u201CAnd now you don\u2019t need them,\u201D Selu answered simply. \u201CYou can choose to let them go, if you want to.\u201D \u201CHow do you know that?\u201D Selu hugged her a little closer. \u201CBecause I trust that you\u2019ll make the right decision,\u201D he said. \u201CAlways have.\u201D She looked up at him, startled by his calm statement of confidence in her. Selu met her gaze as she searched his eyes, testing the veracity of his words. \u201CThanks,\u201D she said at last. She settled in a little closer to him and there was a moment\u2019s silence. \u201CIs it okay if I stay?\u201D she asked drowsily. \u201CI won\u2019t disturb you.\u201D \u201CUh . . . sure,\u201D he said, withdrawing his arm so it didn\u2019t fall asleep behind her head. She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Selu envied her that\u2014while the symoxin had certainly helped, he couldn\u2019t rest. He had to stay awake and keep projecting that mental shield to hide the group of Force-users. He looked down at Milya, resting securely in the knowledge that he would protect her, and that sight gave him the mental willpower to keep going. She, along with every other person in the building, was counting on him. Griffin Detention Block Trip stirred and slowly awoke from an uneasy daze to feel a weight lying against him as he took in his surroundings. Glancing downward, he saw that Taskien had rolled over and ended up lying alongside him as he had napped. She still seemed to be sleeping and Trip thought it best not to wake her. Most of the other soldiers were still asleep as well, trying to get as much rest as possible. Only Doctor Rothery was awake, standing near the edge of the shock field and looking out through its translucent blueness. \u201CYou should rest as well,\u201D she told him in a soft whisper, without even turning around. \u201CI was,\u201D he said in the same soft tunes. The aged doctor turned around and walked over to squat beside him. \u201CWe need to get out of here,\u201D she told him. Trip nodded. \u201CIf the Imperial forces received our message, they\u2019ll do something. Until then, I\u2019ll keep looking for opportunities.\u201D Rothery gestured at Taskien. \u201CShe\u2019s not going to survive much more,\u201D the doctor said. \u201CShe wasn\u2019t fully recovered, and if that butcher Romierr gets his hands on her again . . . it won\u2019t be pretty.\u201D \u201CI understand,\u201D Trip replied firmly. \u201CWe\u2019ll do our best\u2014so will she.\u201D Rothery rolled her eyes. \u201CSpare me the trooper credo,\u201D she said. \u201COh, I know you believe it, but you could at least be honest with yourself.\u201D Trip gave her a confused look. Rothery replied with a knowing smile. \u201CIt\u2019s clear to everyone who\u2019s not a clone that you\u2019re quite taken with the agent,\u201D Rothery said. \u201CThe way you look at her. The way you subconsciously protect her.\u201D \u201CIt\u2019s tactical,\u201D Trip replied. \u201CI can take more punishment\u2014but we need her ingenuity.\u201D Rothery snorted gently. \u201CKeep telling yourself that, soldier,\u201D she said. \u201CAnd she\u2019s young, attractive, highly intelligent, and understands your career. You could do a lot worse.\u201D Trip stiffened defensively. \u201CI live to serve the Empire,\u201D he replied reflexively. \u201CNot my own interests.\u201D Rothery chuckled. \u201CShe told me the same thing,\u201D she said. \u201CBelieve it or not, she\u2019s not that good at hiding her feelings either.\u201D Trip recalled the arrogance and superiority that Taskien had showed him on Zeru Neimodia, to the point of subverting his authority. She had constantly ordered him around, and while he had seen brief flashes of empathy, the agent had made it very clear who was in charge. \u201CI doubt that,\u201D Trip said, glancing down at the sleeping agent again. \u201CI saw nothing of the kind.\u201D Rothery rolled her eyes. \u201CYes, with your tremendous insight into human emotions,\u201D she said sarcastically. \u201CCommander, you need to let yourself live a little.\u201D \u201CI\u2019m a soldier,\u201D he said. \u201CI live for the Empire.\u201D \u201CSure you do,\u201D Rothery replied. \u201CBut that\u2019s not the name you were whispering in your sleep.\u201D She rose and walked off, leaving Trip mystified and feeling slightly guilty. He glanced down at Taskien, wondering if Rothery was completely off-base, or if there was truth in her words. He had always been one to follow rules and regulations verbatim, a cog in the giant wheel of the Imperial military. Now the doctor and Agent Taskien were challenging those self-imposed strictures, and he wasn\u2019t sure how to handle that. Nevertheless, he allowed one arm to drift downward and rest on her arm. Griffin Bridge Ardo Romierr swore. Imperial fighters were circling overhead, rotating in shifts of eight at a time, shadowing his ship, and the acting engineer had reported they weren\u2019t ready to lift off yet. Curse that Star Destroyer for arriving on some secret mission, and curse those prisoners for alerting it to their presence. His planned auction was completely out of the question now\u2014his highest priority was getting off this world. Unfortunately, with the fighters shadowing him, he couldn\u2019t expect to escape without being tracked, and the Griffin lacked the trained crew to shoot them all down. No doubt the Imperials were already planning some kind of operation to recapture the stolen ship and retrieve their prisoners. He considered bargaining with the prisoners\u2019 lives, but knew that was pointless\u2014the Empire would not negotiate with someone with his record, not even for the life of an Imperial advisor. Also, Ardo Romierr had not gotten this far by bargaining his way out of difficult situations. He paced up and down the bridge of the ship, ignoring the handful of intelligence agents and loyal crewers manning the stations. The Griffin was running on a skeleton crew, and while Sarwas had done an excellent job in assigning as many of the agents and naval officers in Romierr\u2019s network as possible to the ship, they hadn\u2019t expected to need them to be able to take the ship into battle. Even with only minor casualties incurred when they had sprung Romierr and the others from their cells and seized the ship, there weren\u2019t nearly enough personnel. He glanced at the large master sensor board as he passed by it, noting the small blips of the fighter contacts on the screen. If they could shake those fighters, they could take off and possibly outrun the Star Destroyer to get into hyperspace. Sarwas approached him. \u201CWe can be ready to lift off in twenty minutes,\u201D he said. \u201CThat\u2019ll give the Empire more than enough time to get here,\u201D Romierr answered darkly. \u201CAnd the fighters will slow us down long enough for that Star Destroyer to catch up.\u201D Sarwas nodded. \u201CI know,\u201D he said. \u201CI wish we had my ship here. It\u2019s no starfighter, but it could at least give us a fighting chance.\u201D \u201CWhere is it?\u201D Romierr asked. \u201CAt the spaceport,\u201D Sarwas said. \u201CI moved it there so we could have a quick getaway vehicle in case the auction went sideways.\u201D Romierr shook his head. Sarwas\u2019s ship was an AIAT/i gunship, an armed troop carrier designed to ferry small units between systems. It was a reliable and widespread, if older, military platform, and also was popular among smugglers for the same reasons that planetary defense forces used it. The ship had fit well into Sarwas\u2019s cover identity on Darlyn Boda on his Imperial Intelligence assignment, and could have been useful. Then Romierr looked at the sensor board. There were always eight fighters on patrol at a time, rotating through the hours. A gunship like that could take on one or two, but not that many. \u201COne gunship can\u2019t stop eight fighters,\u201D Romierr said dismissively. \u201CNot even if a Jedi was flying it.\u201D \u201CA helpful Jedi? Might as well wish for a Lucrehulk battleship to take down that destroyer,\u201D Sarwas replied scornfully. The small datapad clipped to the double agent\u2019s belt beeped. He picked it up and activated it, frowning as he did so. \u201CWhat is it?\u201D Romierr asked. \u201CA little surveillance system alert I put up in my house here,\u201D Sarwas informed him. \u201CSomebody\u2019s there.\u201D \u201CWho? Imperials?\u201D Romierr asked. Sarwas shook his head, looking at the grainy imagery from the tiny cams. \u201CIt looks like . . . my g\u2014uh . . . this local woman I\u2019m on good terms with,\u201D he said, then added with a certain measure of confusion. \u201CAnd a lot of other people.\u201D \u201CDo you recognize them?\u201D Romierr inquired. \u201CNot at all,\u201D he said. \u201CBut they seem to know her.\u201D \u201CWell, you didn\u2019t leave anything there that could harm us, did you?\u201D Sarwas chuckled. \u201COf course not.\u201D \u201CThen it\u2019s not a priority.\u201D Another intelligence agent walked up to the two men. \u201CHey boss, I found out why that Star Destroyer is here,\u201D he said. \u201CSliced into the Imperials\u2019 comm traffic. You\u2019re not going to believe this.\u201D \u201CGo ahead,\u201D Romierr told him. \u201CThe Imperials were here to hit what they\u2019re saying was a Jedi enclave. Looks like they put up quite a fight too.\u201D \u201CJedi? On Darlyn Boda?\u201D Romierr said derisively. \u201CDoubtful.\u201D \u201CNot Jedi,\u201D Sarwas corrected him. \u201CThey\u2019re called Matukai.\u201D Romierr looked at him suspiciously. \u201CAnd what do you know about them?\u201D he asked. Sarwas shrugged. \u201CAnother monastic order, kind of like the Jedi, but they don\u2019t use lightsabers. Big on physical fitness.\u201D \u201CAnd they just told you about their presence?\u201D Romierr asked skeptically. Sarwas grinned. \u201CYou can learn all sorts of interesting things when you have the ear of a beautiful woman.\u201D Romierr rolled his eyes. \u201CYou should know better than to consort with a Force-user,\u201D he said. \u201CThey are nothing but trouble.\u201D \u201CI didn\u2019t know at first,\u201D Sarwas replied lightly. \u201CYou don\u2019t seem very concerned for her welfare,\u201D Romierr pointed out. Sarwas arched an eyebrow. \u201CAre you saying you don\u2019t have a bevy of women in every spaceport you frequent?\u201D he asked. \u201CIf she and her Matukai friends take some heat of us so we can escape, I\u2019ll have a moment of silence for her later.\u201D \u201CPerhaps that can be arranged,\u201D the other agent suggested. \u201CThose people she\u2019s brought to your house are mostly likely the Matukai survivors. Maybe we can trade them to the Empire.\u201D \u201CWon\u2019t work,\u201D Romierr said. \u201CThey\u2019re never going to bargain with us. This is useful information, but it doesn\u2019t help us. Whoever these Matukai are, they aren\u2019t going to shoot down twenty starfighters, unless your girlfriend has other talents besides the ones you chased her for.\u201D Sarwas grinned again. \u201CI don\u2019t think she can fly,\u201D he said. \u201CAnd I doubt that Delta-7 starfighter they impounded in the spaceport belongs to any of them either. But hey, take a look\u2014I clearly have good taste.\u201D He passed around the datapad with the surveillance footage. Romierr scowled, glancing at the datapad in passing. The information as to the Imperials\u2019 original reasoning for coming to Darlyn Boda was interesting, but ultimately not helpful. The Matukai wouldn\u2019t even make a useful diversion\u2014the Empire would send stormtroopers, not fighters, after them. Unless they had a ship to escape on . . . A sudden idea struck him. \u201CSarwas,\u201D he said. \u201CI think it\u2019s time you showed some concern for this woman of yours.\u201D \u201CBoss?\u201D \u201CThe Empire is not known for its good treatment of civilians on worlds such as this,\u201D Romierr said. \u201CPerhaps you should offer her a way to escape the impending occupation\u2014say, with a gunship?\u201D Sarwas nodded as he caught on. \u201CThey\u2019ll have to send the fighters if they want to catch the Matukai\u2014and we\u2019ll have a chance to get away while they\u2019re distracted.\u201D \u201CIf this works, I\u2019ll join you in that moment of silence for her,\u201D Romierr quipped. \u201CCall her.\u201D Sarwas retrieved his comlink and activated it. \u201CXlora?\u201D he said. \u201CIt\u2019s me.\u201D \u201CSarli!\u201D came the reply after a brief delay. \u201CWhere are you? Are you okay?\u201D \u201CI\u2019m outside the city with some business associates. We just got back,\u201D he said. \u201CI saw the Imperial ships landing\u2014are you okay?\u201D \u201CMostly,\u201D her voice said after a second. \u201CI went to your place\u2014I was scared.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s fine,\u201D he told her. \u201CYou should probably get out of the city.\u201D \u201CWhat about you?\u201D she asked him. \u201CI\u2019m fine,\u201D he said. \u201CMy associates have a ship\u2014you should take mine and get out of there.\u201D There was another brief delay. Romierr\u2019s eyes narrowed. The pauses in the conversation were too long to be natural. \u201CGive me that datapad,\u201D he said to Sarwas, who handed it to him. Romierr flipped through the various cam views until he found the one in the kitchen where a Falleen woman was standing with a comlink held up to her ear. She was talking with three humans, two men and one woman. One of the men was wearing combat armor, but the other had his back turned to the cam. \u201CYou\u2019re just going to give me your ship?\u201D Xlora asked. Sarwas chuckled, maintaining his good-boyfriend-and-easygoing-spacer shtick. \u201CI\u2019ll want it back, but right now you need it more than I do. Consider it a loan to make sure the Empire doesn\u2019t bother the prettiest thing on Darlyn Boda,\u201D he said. \u201CMeet me on Abregado-rae in two weeks or I\u2019ll call in the bounty hunters.\u201D Another delay and Romierr watched the four consult via the cam feed. \u201CSarli, that\u2019s very sweet of you, but I can\u2019t fly a ship,\u201D she said, then her voice dropped in register. \u201CAnd you don\u2019t need bounty hunters to chase me. Just do it yourself\u2014I promise I won\u2019t be too hard to catch.\u201D Interesting, Romierr noted. They didn\u2019t immediately accept the offer, probably suspicious of something that sounded too good to be true. No doubt the possibility that \u201CSarli\u201D was working for the Empire had occurred to them. He was dealing with suspicious, cagey people\u2014understandable given that the Empire had just attacked their compound and was actively hunting them. However, if Sarwas pointed out that she had other people with them who might be able to fly it, he would reveal that she was under surveillance, and possibly even give away the plan to have the Matukai serve as a distraction. \u201CDo you know anyone who could fly the ship for you?\u201D Sarwas asked her. \u201CIt\u2019s big enough to accommodate several people.\u201D Another hesitation, another hurried conference. \u201CI might know someone, but they\u2019ll want to bring their family,\u201D she said. \u201CDon\u2019t worry, that ship can hold over twenty people,\u201D Sarwas assured her. Relief sounded through her voice. \u201CThat\u2019s very kind of you, Sarli,\u201D she said. \u201CHow will we access it?\u201D \u201CI\u2019ll give you the codes for the docking bay and the ship\u2019s locks,\u201D Sarwas told her. \u201CIt\u2019s pretty easy to fly\u2014your pilot friend should have no problems with it.\u201D \u201CWhat about the Imperials?\u201D she asked. \u201CThey have the spaceport locked down.\u201D Sarwas snorted. \u201CListen, honey, I outfly Imperials all the time in that ship. Once you take off, they can\u2019t catch you if you play your cards right.\u201D \u201CI saw starfighters in the sky,\u201D she said. \u201CThose could catch us. I don\u2019t know about this, Sarli.\u201D \u201CThere aren\u2019t that many,\u201D he answered confidently. Romierr watched another round of animated discussion between the four in the kitchen of Sarwas\u2019s apartment. The man whose back had previously been to the camera shifted, giving Romierr a good view of his face for the first time. It took him a second to confirm it through the grainy resolution, but when he did, Romierr\u2019s eyes widened in recognition. He laughed aloud at sheer irony of the situation, drawing strange looks from his two subordinates. \u201CBoss?\u201D Sarwas asked. \u201COf all the people to meet,\u201D Romierr said, still laughing heartily. \u201CAnd of all the times. It had to be him.\u201D Sarwas and the other agent exchanged quizzical looks. Romierr saw their confusion and pointed at the man he had just recognized. At second glance, he was sure of it. \u201CThat man,\u201D he said, pointing at the screen. \u201CIs no Matukai.\u201D \u201CWho is he?\u201D Sarwas asked. \u201CThat,\u201D Romierr informed them, \u201Cis a Jedi Knight, or at least he\u2019s probably a Knight by now. His name is Selu Kraen. I ran afoul of him and some of his friends on Ando before the Clone Wars. They tried to catch me and made a decent try of it\u2014didn\u2019t work, of course.\u201D \u201CAre you sure?\u201D Sarwas asked. \u201CTrust me,\u201D Romierr said. \u201CI never forget a face. That\u2019s him.\u201D Sarwas peered in closer at the image. \u201CHe is wearing a lightsaber,\u201D he observed. \u201CAll three of the others are as well . . . even the one that looks like a Fett clone.\u201D Romierr shook his head in amusement. \u201CAnd you were saying a helpful Jedi was impossible to wish for,\u201D he said. \u201CHe hasn\u2019t agreed to help us,\u201D Sarwas pointed out. \u201CDidn\u2019t you say there was a Delta-7 starfighter impounded in the spaceport?\u201D Romierr asked. \u201CSure,\u201D Sarwas replied. \u201CJedi flew those during the wars, remember?\u201D Romierr told him. \u201CA gunship flown by a Jedi might not be able to take down eight fighters, but a starfighter could.\u201D \u201CSo why would he help us?\u201D Sarwas asked. \u201CIt doesn\u2019t sound like you were on best of terms.\u201D \u201CBecause we\u2019ll give him the gunship to help his friends if he does,\u201D Romierr said. \u201CI\u2019d give him safe passage on this ship if it gets us away from the Empire.\u201D \u201CEnemy of my enemy,\u201D Sarwas agreed. \u201CYou both have that in common.\u201D \u201CYou know what they say,\u201D the other officer said, with a wink at Sarwas. \u201CWar makes strange bedfellows.\u201D Sarwas groaned while Romierr rolled his eyes, taking over the comlink. Time for a more straightforward approach to their negotiations. \u201CTime to lay our cards on the table,\u201D he said. \u201CI\u2019d like to speak with Selu Kraen, please.\u201D Romierr took significant pleasure in watching the shocked expressions develop on the faces of the people he was watching. Their astonishment was quite delicious and he could see them struggling to come up with a reply. \u201CExcuse me?\u201D Xlora\u2019s voice asked, injected with just the right amount of confusion. \u201CWho is this?\u201D She was buying time, and it was a good effort, but Romierr already knew better. \u201CSpare me the act,\u201D Romierr replied. \u201CIt\u2019s quite good, but I have a cam feed of you and your friends. Tell Jedi Kraen that it\u2019s been a long time since Ando, but I hope he hasn\u2019t forgotten me.\u201D He watched as Selu finally took the comlink while the other scanned the room for the cam. It didn\u2019t take long for them to find it and Selu faced it while holding the comlink. \u201CArdo Romierr,\u201D Selu said, the words rolling off his tongue like a curse. \u201CSmall galaxy, isn\u2019t it?\u201D Romierr asked cheerfully. \u201CWhat do you want?\u201D Selu asked. \u201CI\u2019ll cut right to it,\u201D Romierr said. \u201CYou and your friends are being hunted by the Empire. They\u2019re after us too. We help each other get off this miserable planet and away from the Imperials, then we go our separate ways.\u201D \u201CWhat are you proposing?\u201D Selu asked skeptically. \u201CSimilar to what my man was pitching to your friend a minute ago,\u201D Romierr said. \u201CExcept you take that Delta-7 in the spaceport and take out the Imperial starfighters while we make our escape in our ship. In return, you get the gunship.\u201D Selu frowned. \u201CYou do realize there\u2019s a still a Star Destroyer overhead?\u201D he pointed out. \u201CA Jedi such as yourself should have no problems outflying it,\u201D Romierr countered. \u201CDo we have a deal?\u201D \u201CSo I fly cover for you and your ship, and in return you give us the gunship to make our escape?\u201D Selu asked cautiously. \u201CNothing else.\u201D \u201CNothing else,\u201D Romierr said. \u201CThis is your best chance to get off Darlyn Boda, and we both know it.\u201D \u201CYours too,\u201D Selu countered. \u201COr else you wouldn\u2019t be calling me.\u201D \u201CThen it\u2019s in our best interests to cooperate,\u201D Romierr pointed out. \u201CI gain nothing by deceiving you. We\u2019ll transmit those codes shortly.\u201D \u201CThis time,\u201D Selu muttered, considering the offer for a minute longer. \u201CAll right. We have a deal.\u201D The Jedi sounded distinctly unhappy about it, not that Romierr felt much better about the arrangement himself, aside from a pragmatic satisfaction that they needed each other, and the Jedi would need to take the fighters out anyway to escape through the air. \u201CBelieve me, Selu,\u201D Romierr told him. \u201CThe irony is killing me too.\u201D \u201CLet\u2019s just hope we survive long enough to appreciate it.\u201D"@en . "5"^^ . "Force Exile III: Liberator/Part 10"@en . "3"^^ . "1"^^ .