Port of Call

[Ela]

((OOC: Need to kind of explain the reactions of Meagan and Medley to tonight's event, so I thought I'd take a crack at doing it all writing-ly :) Such an amazing event, but I had to stay true to character and unfortunately leave early...more backstory on the following is in Medley's Holonet entry (http://begerencolony.org/holonet/Medley_Elariel). And apologies for paraphrasing the dialogue...))

"Lot #1249. Just ‘cuz we’ve got a few lots today with these amazing weapons in them doesn’t make them any less rare or remarkable, folks! This lot of three Jedi lightsabers are still an amazing catch. How do we know they’re JEDI lightsabers? Well, these three come with helmet cam footage shot by the team that risked sneaking past a CSF patrol to pick through the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant itself! Cracked right out of the memorial vaults! We’re looking at three lightsabers in pristine conditions, folks. Bidding starts at 40,000 credits." The Auctioneer bellowed.

As she listened to the words echo throughout the market of the ship, Meagan, standing amidst a crowd of thieves, smugglers, scoundrels and general outcasts, knew she had been anticipating her first visit to Phalanx Station to be eventful. She knew the auction would perhaps be quirky, unique, and on the border of legality.

But not like that. Not like that.

Upon hearing of the auctioning of lightsabers from those who had died protecting the Temple during the Sacking of Coruscant, she heard a voice echo in her mind, a voice she had struggled to silence:

My love will forever sing through your souls.

Meagan's hands closed around the grips of her blasters, her thumbs flipping the safeties to a position far from safe.

How could they... She thought. Meagan struggled to focus on the Auctioneer and the crowd, as her eyes began to moisten, then flow, with tears. As the first trickle drained down her cheeks, she relaxed her grip on the blasters and ran from the room, into the lift that led to the hangar bay.

The lift doors opened, and Meagan saw her younger sister sitting on the floor of the hangar, underneath her damaged Pike, staring upwards at the engine compartment. A Free Spacers Fleet repair tug was positioned just outside on the force-field, while an intership shuttle was parked nearby.

"Medley?" Meagan forced the two syllables from her throat through matching sobs. She collapsed to her knees.

In the blink of an eye, Medley leaped across the twenty-yard gap between her and Meagan, and cupped both sides of Meagan's head in her hands. Meagan leaned against her, sobbing heavily, and Medley could feel the source of the pain consuming her sister.

"They have lightsabers. From those who fell." Medley whispered. She lifted Meagan to her feet, and pointed her towards the Free Spacers shuttle. "Go."

Meagan wiped her cheeks with the sleeves of her coat, and looked up as Medley began walking towards the lift. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Medley said nothing, but stalked towards the lift and rode it up to the market level. Upon emerging, she studied the crowd, her eyes fixed on the Auctioneer.

She drew her lightsabers, their blades reflecting violet light off of the polished metal of the ship's floor and walls, and advanced on the crowd...

[Ela]

“Small, turn around now.” Alexandra’s voice, sharp and uncompromising, boomed through the ship’s comm.

“Going to report me to the Council or the Fleet, Large?” Medley responded. “What they’re doing isn’t right.”

The Rampart shuddered out of hyperspace, and Phalanx Station loomed into view. Medley primed the first wave of seismic and seeker mines, and tapped a few console keys to divert engine power to the bomber’s blasters. Her hands trembled as she gripped the yoke.

“You need to listen to me: there will be nothing to report. Do you not realize how fortified that Station is? How they have several squadrons’ worth of starfighters, freighters and corvettes docked?”

“I have faced worse.” Medley said. She studied the sensor schematics of the Phalanx, her face twisting in frustration. Her elder sister wasn’t wrong, and if anything was underestimating how fortified the Station was. “I just need to chunk ‘em. Send a warning.”

“You have never faced worse!” Alexandra said. Her voice, much like Medley’s hands, were trembling.

“I have. In my mind.”

“You are out of your mind!”

Medley could feel Alexandra reaching out to her through the Force, probing her thoughts. She could feel her eldest sister’s distress, her concern, her fear. But she could also feel Meagan’s pain, which made her tighten her grip on the yoke.

“Small? Medley!” Alexandra’s voice was becoming more frustrated. “Please. Think about this. There are civilians on that Station. And not all of the guests are guilty. Even if you survive this assault, you will take lives that are not yours for the taking.”

Medley relaxed her grip, and glanced back at the sensor readings. There were hundreds of souls registering on the life-sign scans. Animals, too. Even a Wingmaw was caged in one of the cargo holds. And Grophets. She eased the Rampart’s throttle back, just outside of weapons range, and leaned back in her chair.

What would you do, mom? She thought.

“Mom wouldn’t do what you’re doing.” Alexandra said. “You need to come back to Tython. Even though it’s late, someone here will notice your bomber missing. And you know what the consequences of that will be.”

“Is Medium okay?” Medley asked.

“No. But she’ll be even worse if you don’t come home.”

Medley let out a huff, her fingers hovering over the mine release levers. “We’ll do something about this, won’t we?”

“We’ll find a way. I promise.”

Medley released the priming fuses on the mines, and closed the deployment hatches. She banked the Rampart away from the Phalanx, and after a series of keystrokes, the bomber jumped to hyperspace, on a return course for Tython.

[Ela]

Even with her eyes clamped shut, the sunlight piercing Meagan’s eyelids sent bolts of pain through her skull. She reached down and pulled the nanosilk blanket over her head, but the thin material did little to dampen the light. Blades of grass tickled the skin of her cheek, and the air was heavy with humidity. She could hear the characteristic cry of a Wingmaw soar overhead and into the distance, as well as the crackle of a nearby campfire.

Where… Meagan struggled with the thought as her eyes fluttered open. She pulled back the blanket, and through blurred vision surveyed the area within her field of view.

She was on Tython. And worse, on top of the western edge of the Temple. The northern and western circular spires still towered twenty feet above the ground that she was laying on, but Meagan could see the top of the stone wall that framed the Temple’s main hangar, as well as the tip of the vertical stabilizing fin of a Fortitude-class shuttle jutting above.

Laid out between her and the campfire was a glass jug of water, a basket of what appeared to be Alderaanian Nectar Fruit, as well as an intricate arrangement of Tythonian wildflowers, that looked freshly-picked. Beside her, seven bottles of Corellian Ale were geometrically arranged into a single word: |\| O.

And while immediately not knowing the ‘how’, in terms of how she ended up on top of the Jedi Temple, she immediately knew the ‘who’.

Meagan rubbed her temples, but breathed deeply of the still, calm air. It was at least peaceful, she thought. Judging by the angle of the shadows, it seemed to be late afternoon. The Younglings and Padawans had most likely returned to their classrooms, and Republic shuttle traffic, both inbound and outbound, would be at its nadir.

Amidst the serenity of the natural surroundings, Meagan heard the soft chiming of a comm. Though it was barely audible, she knew it was close. Within ten feet, at most. She forced herself into a seated position, her eyes struggling to focus and cooperate with where her ears were indicating.

Meagan took a deep breath to steady herself. Just to her left, beside the campfire, she saw the smudge. It was like a deity had smeared a thumbprint on the world In front of her, one no larger than a human form. Except, she knew, it wasn’t human. The two points at which the smear ended at the top of the outline gave that away. Most would’ve missed the shadow, but Meagan had seen it dozens of times.

“Alright, come on out.” Meagan said. She rubbed the heels of her hands on her eyes.

The shadow solidified from the smudge, to a humanoid translucence, to a fully-formed Togruta. She was on one knee staring into the fire, with an ornate, three-foot-long lightsaber strapped to her back.

“Where is she, Sariyah?” Meagan asked.

Sariyah stood, and Meagan had to strain her neck to look upwards and follow her eyes. The Togruta, from heel to the tips of her montrals, towered close to six feet above ground. Sariyah tilted her head slightly, then pointed to the north.

Medley, in a plain, white and grey dress that was hemmed just above her sandled feet, was skipping towards them.

She held a silver canteen in one hand, and what looked like a small medical kit in the other. And two Wingmaws, both larger than her, hopped along behind her.

“Good afternoon, Medium!” Medley said. She was grinning, and sat down cross-legged in front of Meagan. She handed Meagan the canteen, the sweet aroma of caf wafting through its open cap, and laid the medkit in front of her on the ground. “You sleep so long.”

“How long was I out?” Meagan asked. She took a swill of the caf and bristled with pleasure. “And how did you carry me here?”

“I didn’t.” Medley said. She pointed at the wreck of the droid twenty feet away. It was in pieces; the seams of its parts marked by the burns of what could only have been a lightsaber blade. “That did. I commandeered it.”

“How did it end up like that?” Meagan asked, then shook her head. “Actually, don’t answer that.”

“Leave no trail of berries, lest the Uxibeasts follow you home.”

Meagan couldn’t help but chuckle, and took another swig of caf.

From the medkit, Medley produced a large syringe and a vial filled with cloudy fluid. She inserted the syringe carefully into the vial, and slowly drew several units.

“Where…did you learn to do that?” Meagan asked.

“Large taught me.” Medley said. With an almost unnatural speed, she jabbed the syringe into Meagan’s thigh, and depressed the plunger.

Meagan tried to jerk herself back, but found she was immobilized. Stupid friggin’ Force! She thought. “Dammit, Small!” she said.

Sariyah giggled quietly, and poured water on the campfire, stirring it with a lengthy stick of wood.

“Hydration. And elec-to-ro-lights. I think that’s what they’re called.” Medley withdrew the syringe and gently placed it back in the medkit, with a smile on her face. “I found you by the Ruins of Kaleth, curled up against the ruins of one of the walls. With those things.” Medley pointed at the empty-bottle arrangement.

“It was a rough night. Still a bit of a blur, from when we landed here after Phalanx. I just remember hitting the Cantina, and then wandering around.”

“You heard mom.”

Meagan was silent, and struggled to her feet. Her head was still swimming, though the effects of the caf, and the injection, were slowly taking hold. “After we landed here, where did you go? I went looking for you.”

“Oh!” Medley grinned, and slapped her hands three times staccato on her knees. “Guess what I did?”

“Get imprisoned for the night by the Council?” Meagan said, a slight smirk crossing her face.

“Better!” Medley stood, and picked up the basket of fruit, looping it through her arm and holding it in the crook of her elbow. She led Meagan to the edge of the stone wall, and stopped her a foot from the ledge. Sariyah followed close behind. “I took my Rampart to the Phalanx.”

“You WHAT?!” Meagan spun to face Medley, her eyes wide in alarm. She grasped both of her sister’s shoulders. “Small, what---“

“Large made me come home.”

Meagan let out a sigh of relief. “For the love of Alderaan, Small…”

Sariyah nodded at Medley, then leapt from the top of the stone wall, landed softly on the shuttle thirty feet below.

Medley tossed the basket of fruit down to her.

“I know, I know. Bad idea. But I didn’t chunk ‘em. And no one knows.”

“Where is Large?”

“Coruscant General. She’s doing her on-call rotation in the E.R. Apparently there was some kinda skirmish on Iokath and they have lotsa wounded.”

“Alright. I should probably go and talk to her. Is my Pike patched up?” Meagan asked. She looked over the ledge, and saw Sariyah patiently waiting below. The Togruta set the basket down at her feet, and looked up.

“The Boat is ready to float.” Medley smiled, and giggled to herself. “But I have something to show you first.”

“Oh? What’s tha---“ Meagan’s question was abruptly cut off, as Medley seized her by the shoulders, spun her around, and threw her off the ledge. Meagan plummeted the thirty feet, but before she could crash into the hangar floor, Sariyah’s outstretched arms caught her.

Medley hopped down shortly after, a smile brightening her face. “Thank you, Padawan.”

Sariyah nodded, set Meagan down, and walked away.

“If…you…EVER…” Meagan advanced towards Medley with heated anger reddening her cheeks and a flare in her eyes, but Medley simply wrapped her arms around Meagan, hugging her tightly.

“You need to see this.”

Medley took Meagan’s hand and walked her from the hangar and into the Temple proper. The halls were relatively empty, aside from a few Masters middling about. The Council chamber doors were closed, but muffled voices echoing from within indicated a heated debate underway.

They walked into the Temple Archives, and Medley led Meagan to the back of the room. Master Wettle, a short, stout Twi’lek with lemon skin and a tanned robe, looked up from a desk and smiled at the approaching women. He stepped away from the table, and Meagan gasped.

“Lookit.” Medley said, sweeping her hand across the desk. On it was an opened case, with two lightsabers nestled within. Meagan recognized them immediately, as the lightsabers from the Phalanx auction.

Meagan felt her eyes dampen, and flung her arms around Medley. “I-I don’t know how you did it but…”

“A very nice Jedi brought them to me.” Medley giggled. “He said he was a Guardian. And that we're on the same team.”

Meagan giggled in return, then pulled away and wiped her sleeve across her eyes. “I guess I should get to Coruscant.”

Medley grinned at Meagan, and nodded.

As Meagan walked away, she stopped, and looked over her shoulder at Medley. “Hey, Small? Please stay out of trouble.”

“No promises!” Medley said. She grinned at Meagan, and skipped past her.

((Dedicated to @Maryck - because I thought you should see the aftermath :) ))

[Ela]

The needle slid through Alexandra's skin, into the basilic vein proximal to her left elbow, and with a soft hiss the stim flowed into her circulatory system. She felt the effects immediately: the slight burning sensation rushing up her arm leading to a subtle full-budy shiver, followed by an embracing sensation of calm. The hyposyringe slipped through her fingers, landing on the tiled floor with a soft 'ping'.

Seated on the floor of a service hallway at Coruscant General, Alexandra could feel the cold from the tile and the cinder block wall seeping into her. She leaned her head back, and embraced it. She closed her eyes, and also embraced the quiet; they had finally cleared the ER of the latest round of patients who had arrived on an almost-hourly stream of medical shuttles from Iokath. Most had been GOMERs - 'Get Out of My ER' - those presenting with minor fractures, field-treated blaster wounds, and minor radiation sickness. Patch, medicate, send home. Or turf to another ward.

But there were others. Alexandra could still see the terror in the young trooper's eyes, feel the vice-grip that he held her hand in, as his life slipped away. Ori was his name. Age 19. Presenting with a severed left leg distal of the pelvic bone. A Sith lightsaber, that failed  to completely cauterize the femoral artery.

Alexandra felt herself begin to tremble, and drew a deep breath, remembering the holocall to the boy's parents. One of many, that evening.

"Really, Alex?"

Alexandra startled, her head whirling around in the direction of the voice. Meagan stood rigid beside her, pointing down at the empty hyposyringe on the floor. Alexandra said nothing in response. She simply closed her eyes, and leaned back.

"What in the kriff is that?" Meagan said.

"Something I can help you with?" Alexandra responded. "Perhaps a psych consult?"

Meagan advanced swiftly on Alexandra, seizing her with both hands by the shawl wrapped around her neck, and hauling her to her feet. Alexandra raised her hand, palm forward, and sent a telekinetic bolt from her hand that sent Meagan flailing away. While mid-air, Meagan drew her blaster and fired a shock bolt at Alexandra, which hit her squarely in the hip. Alexandra dropped to one knee and drew her lightsaber, its violet blade extending in the blink of an eye.

"We gonna do this again?" Meagan said. She drew her second blaster and dropped into a crouch.

Alexandra shook her head, and sheathed her lightsaber. "If you must know, it's nothing more than a muscle relaxant. My back..."

"Yeah, yeah." Meagan walked towards Alexandra and extended her hand. Alexandra took it, and Meagan hauled her back to her feet. "Rough night?"

"You have no idea."

The hospital intercomm sounded with three short beeps, and two nurses burst through a door at the end of the hallway with a medical droid in tow. They rushed past Alexandra and Meagan, and through the door leading into the trauma bay.

"I get it." Meagan tried to meet Alexandra's eyes, but cast them down to the floor instead.

"Now that we've established that this isn't a social call, I take it you're here to talk about Medley."

"Thanks for...convincing her to come back."

"It should have been you. I'm in enough trouble with the Council over my constant defenses of her irrational actions." Alexandra said. She turned her back on Meagan, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Poor you and your crystal-swinging pals. Just had a battle briefing at Fleet HQ. The Imps hit Kuat again, and guess who the only Jedi was in the reponse? Small. A whole hangar of starfighters in the Temple, only Small."

"You have no understanding of the workings of the Jedi. You never have, and never will." Alexandra said. She turned to face Meagan, here eyes narrowed.

"And never want to, Alex. They've upped their demands on medical supplies. And I'm sick and tired of them holding leverage against us - yes us, our family - just for the privilege of being able to have lunch with my sister."

Alexandra's eyes softened, as she heard the quiver in Meagan's voice. She felt a wave of sympathy flood her thoughts, feeling the pain that Meagan was desperately trying to conceal. It was so much easier for Alexandra; while she deeply loved Medley, she had been taught to trust in the Force, to forego attachment knowing that her youngest sister would be protected and cared for. Thoughts and feelings Meagan was alien to.

"Anyway." Meagan continued, still unable to meet Alexandra's eyes. "I can't meet the increase that the Council is asking for. The war on Iokath is diverting almost all medical-grade supplies to the orbiting medical freighters."

Alexandra felt a sudden sense of alarm, and nodded at Meagan to continue.

"I got a holomail - an offical one - from Tython Hangar Ops. They're threatening to revoke Song Squadron's port-of-call privileges."

"They would not dare."

"See for yourself."

Meagan produced a datapad from its belt holster, and handed it to Alexandra. The holo was indeed official, and serious. Yet Alexandra could read its undertones, the words behind the words. The Council was strained to near-breaking because of the orphan surge, and younglings, padawans, knights and masters all needed medical care. And food; the supply list on Meagan's datapad also contained a grocery list of produce, dairy, and grains.

"How can I help?" Alexandra said. She handed the datapad back to Meagan, and placed a finger under her chin, tilting her face upwards until their eyes met.

"We need to get her off Tython."

"Out of the question. The Council will not allow it."

"So she's a slave then? Or some animal that needs to be caged?" Meagan turned her head, freeing her chin from Alexandra'stouch.

"Even if you were to smuggle her off-planet, where do you propose taking her? Senator Picus would have her arrested if you were to return to Coruscant and the Naval Academy. The Alderaanian nobles know of her instability, and are far too loyal to the Senate to accept Song Squadron nesting there. Ord Mantel and Balmorra are warzones, and---"

"Thanks for the current events lesson." Meagan said, cutting Alexandra off. "We can't go to ground, I know."

"So. Your plan is to just float around in space?"

"Of course. Worked for dad and I while you and Small were being indoctrinated." Meagan smirked at Alexandra, but a slight malice coloured her eyes. "I've learned a thing or seven since those days."

Alexandra closed her eyes and subtly shook her head, but said nothing in response.

"I have a lead on a Valor-class cruiser. Needs some work - a lot of work - but I can have it space-worthy in less than a month. More than enough room for Song Squadron, a full crew, and private quarters for everyone. Even you."

"You'll never get her off Tython."

"She's already off Tython. Kuat, remember?"

Alexandra froze, and calculated in her mind the time between Meagan's battle briefing and the moment in which they now stood. "Have you received an update on the battle?"

Meagan cocked her head back, then pulled out her datapad again. Her fingers nattered away, the screen flipping through the dozens of flight battle reports until she found Medley's flight. It had ended 45 minutes prior. "The Imps and Medley's flight mutually retreated almost an hour ago."

"And her Rampart?" Alexandra said. She felt her heartbeat quicken, simultaneously knowing and dreading what was about to be reported.

"Secondary mine release hatch destroyed...starboard sensor array damaged...long-range communications array destroyed..."

"But engines, shields, and life support systems running at full." Alexandra leaned back against the wall and sunk to a crouch.

"Kriff." Meagan said. She cupped her forehand with the palm of her hand, and sighed.

"Where is she?"

"Belsavis."

[Ela]

((The prelude to this chapter is here...set to a song.

The central plaza of the thoroughfare was silent, aside from the soft footfalls of the lone Jedi who walked casually through the shadows towards the statues of the Rakata. They soared above her; one of many final monuments to the beasts who corrupted the beauty of Belsavis. Medley restrained the urge to cut through them with her lightsabers, to mutilate the visages of their glory.

But resist it she did. Such acts led down the Dark Path, and while that path longed for her, lusted after her, pursued her every thought and dream, it was simple for her to keep at bay. Unlike her eldest sister, Alexandra, Medley had been confronting the shadows that twisted the Force since she was three years old.

The servants of the Dread Masters had fallen silent, muted by the energies of the Ancient Prison. While she was vulnerable to their screams throughout the wilds of Belsavis, once she was beyond the gates of the Maximum Security Section, they couldn't reach her. Medley smiled, and turned her thoughts to more immediate concerns.

Chiefly among them was the Flashfire squadron. Medley didn't recognize the markings, nor had she even seen the ships in the Belsavis system before. The Republic preferred Pikes for close air support on the planet. They were slower, with heavier armaments and shields that could withstand most of the surface-to-air weaponry that the Empire had managed to smuggle onto the planet.

Recon formation... Medley closed her eyes and pictured them circling overhead. Were they looking for me? Does the Council want me dead? Does the Senate? For why?

Medley puzzled over the question. She had no enemies that she knew of. Not within the Republic. She had certainly irked some people, but she felt herself beloved. Even Master Satele had stood in her defense, both at her Master's coronation and after the Coruscant incident.

The Coruscant incident though...Senator Picus? He only held a tourism portfolio, and had no affiliations with the Republic Fleet. Certainly he wouldn't have the power to order a strike against her.

Despite the conundrum, Medley knew that no possibility could be discounted in the post-Eternal Empire world. Betrayals hid amongst and within even the most trusted friends and groups.

Except her sisters. They would've come after her themselves.

Medley walked to the center of the plaza and activated the sensor beacon that was hidden under the lip of an ancient stone chest. It hummed softly, and Medley sat down. She drew her lightsabers but left them un-ignited, and twirled them in the air in front of her. It was the familiar game she played. A game of deterrence. There were seventeen Esh-Kha near her. She could feel them. Hiding in the shadows of doorways; crouched on the balcony above the plaza; and one was even lying down on top of a Rakata statue, watching her.

But they knew better than to confront her. Medley had taught them many lessons over the past year.

She then felt another presence approaching. A human male. Elderly. She could hear the strained purr of his speeder's repulsorlift, and feel the subtle vibration trembling the stone floor. Medley could also sense his worry, though it was being suppressed by a fatherly care.

The speeder glided through the plaza with a large hypercrate towing behind it, stopping several yards away from her. The elderly man dismounted, and took off a starfighter captain's flight helmet and matching flight goggles.

"Once a Spacer, always a spacer." Medley said. She pulled her hood back and grinned at the man, then flung her arms around him. "I missed you, Uncle!"

"And I, you, dearest Medley Qu'or." Vash Qu'or said. He returned the embrace and lifted her off the ground. Medley giggled and wrapped her arms tighter around Vash's neck. "Though it seems others missed you as well. I was watching as those Flashfires opened fire."

Even though she could feel Vash tense, Medley only held him tighter. "Who were they, Uncle? I didn't recognize their flight markings."

"A riddle, from my perspective." Vash said. He set Medley down, and turned back to his speeder. He removed a datapad from one of the side holsters, and handed it to Medley. "I ran their transponder codes through the Free Spacers' database. No hits."

"And they're not Republic Navy, either..." Medley flipped through the transponder records. "...or Imperial. They were coded to impersonate an SiS recon squadron? But how?"

"A mighty riddle, to be sure."

Medley's face twisted in thought as she handed the datapad back to Vash.

"Regardless, I think it not safe for you to return to Tython. An operative of mine on the hangar repair crew found a locator beacon hidden in your Rampart - which is fully repaired, by the way - and it was recently placed."

"Like...how recently? Tython recently?"

"That I cannot say. But it is possible." Vash gripped a lever and depressed it, releasing the hypercrate. It remained hovering on its own repulsorlift, a foot above ground. He glided it towards Medley. "Do you have an alternate port-of-call? I have hesitated contacting your sisters. I wanted to see you first."

"Thank you Uncle but..." Medley pawed at the seams of her robe. "I-I don't know where to go."

Vash kneeled in front of her, and took her hands in his. "My operative has stripped your Rampart of its Republic bearings, scrubbed the hangar logs, and has recoded your transponder to Free Spacers Fleet channels."

"I get to join the Fleet?" Medley brightened, a wide smile gracing her lips.

Vash sighed, hesitating momentarily. "Not quite yet, Lady Qu'or. The Republic Navy still shadows us, and without Hylo leading us---"

"I get it." Medley's arms flapped in graceful, slow waves. "I needa stay inna air."

"For now." Vash stood. "I will contact you when you are away from this accursed world. Head for the Distant Outer Rim. The Rishi system."

Medley nodded, and embraced Vash. "Thank you, Uncle. For everything." She kissed him on both cheeks, and turned to the hypercrate. She began pushing it towards the far exit.

"Your father would not approve of what you do, you know." Vash called out.

"Yes he wooooooouuuuld." Medley called back, singing the last word.

It makes me happy. She thought.

[Ela]

"Belsavis orbital control, this is Song Squadron." Meagan throttled down the sub-light engines of her Pike as it approached the station. "Requesting planetary hangar clearance."

"Denied." The man's voice was short and swift.

"Pardon me?" Alexandra said. She eased her Flashfire into formation beside Meagan's Pike, matching her approach speed and vector. "This is Master Alexandra Elariel, of the Jedi Order. We have urgent business to attend to on the surface."

"Not according to the Council, Song Two." The same voice. Gruff, and drowned in annoyance. "And before you say anything, Song One, not according to the Fleet, either."

Meagan tapped a key on the flight console, switching the comm from broadcast to ship-to-ship. "When did this get so farkled?"

"Language. But I don't know." Alexandra said. She glanced at her sensor screen, and sighed. "And the squadron of Pikes approaching makes me think it's only begun."

"They're locking onto us!" Meagan's console flashed red, and she yanked hard on the yoke. The starfighter pivoted 180 degrees, its nose facing the incoming squadron.

Alexandra tapped at her control console, and the Flashfire's engines burst into full reverse. Before the opposing Pikes realized, her and Meagan had their ships trapped between the two of them. They broke formation and scattered.

"Gents, this is not going to work out very well for you." Meagan flipped the comm to broadcast, and spoke with a smirk on her face. "If you were Imps, you'd be limping back to Dromund Kaas with the druk dripping out of your flightsuits."

"Language!" Alexandra said. "Orbital control, tell your squadron to stand down. Now."

Seconds dragged into what felt like minutes, as Alexandra and Meagan reformed and simultaneously brought their starships to a halt, facing the Belsavis orbital station. The Pike squadron, still evidently spooked by the maneouver, took up defensive position behind the satellite.

"Song Squadron, we will grant you clearance to dock at the station." There was a brief pause from the man, and Alexandra felt him exhale a heavy sigh. "We'll go from there, ladies."

[Ela]

The Jedi Temple Archives were beginning to fill for the evening's studies. Masters were gathered around the conference tables in quiet debate with lesser Jedi, while Padawans stared lazily at terminals or flipped through the holos on the shelves that surrounded the circular room. And, of course, as most were returning from the evening's meal of roast Uxibeast, several were face-down on desks, with their heads cradled in crossed arms.

Sariyah's eyes found a desk furthest from any of them, and she sat down. She tapped at the holoterminal in front of her, and her Master's lesson plan flashed across the screen.

Master... she thought, picturing the tiny, sandy-blonde girl in her mind. Medley Elariel. The youngest of three sisters, and more unstable than both before her. Combined. And multiplied by ten. Medley was compassionate, brash, naiive and dangerous. Often at the same time. But as Sariyah had learned, it was warranted. Her and her Master were both orphans, after all.

Sariyah closed her eyes and struggled to conjure an image of her parents, but all she could see was the one holo that Medley had managed to smuggle onto her datapad, to which she had applied three levels of encryption to make sure the Council didn't discover it. They were Imperials, after all, though only in name. From the stories their neighbours told, they just wanted to tend their fields, and just happened to secure a plot on the lands of House Thul shortly after they were married.

It was on Alderaan that Sariyah had been born, on the family farm that her parents had bought. And it was on Alderaan that, after being caught by a House Thul guard sneaking into the palace's art gallery, that she had murdered him with nothing more than a rage-driven thought.

Sariyah shook the memory from her mind, and returned to the holoterminal, and reviewed the evening's lessons.

Form II stance and balance exercises.

Where are you, Master? Sariyah thought, losing focus on the text on the screen.

Did you survive the Kuat attack? She saw Medley's Rampart lift off from the Temple auxiliary hangar after the Fleet call sounded.

Or did you go to... With a few nimble keystrokes, the Galaxy map flashed onscreen. Sariyah zoomed in on Imperial Space, but scrolled slightly beyond the known borders. She tapped at the console until the map narrowed on one planet: Oricon.

"You know, staring at those holos for hours at a time can destroy your eyes." A green-skinned Twi'lek tapped her finger on the desk. "Or...can Togruta even hurt their eyes? Maybe if you do, it will like, make your montrals so much more sensitive."

Sariyah rolled her eyes and swatted the Twi'lek's hand away.

"Do not!" Consonance said. "Come on Sariyah, I was just trying to have a little fun."

Sariyah rolled her eyes at Consonance, and glanced back down at the holoterminal. The orbital schematics of Oricon flashed before her.

"Whassat?" Consonace said. She placed her hand's on Sariyah's shoulders and leaned forward. "Eww."

Sariyah grasped Consonance's face with an open hand and shoved the girl back.

"Do not!"

"You do not." Sariyah said.

"You're not s'posed to see that place. It's a bad place."

"You have no idea, child."

"Child?!" Consonance squeeled. Everyone in the Archives looked in her direction, and a Jedi Master narrowed his eyes at her, holding his index finger to his lips. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You are only two years older than me."

"I wasn't speaking of a numerical representation." Sariyah said.

"Whatever." Consonance rolled her eyes, and sat down in the chair beside Sariyah. "Wanna tell me why you're looking at that place?"

"No."

"Wanna stop looking at that place and go to the Forge?"

"No."

"Come on! Why not? Our Masters are away! We could---"

Sariyah grabbed Consonance's hand and yanked her towards her. In a lowered voice, she said, "Where is Master Alexandra?"

"I...dunno? She was s'posed to come back after her on-call rotation, but sent me a holomail saying she had some sorta business to attend to."

Sariyah released the girl's hand and returned her attention to the holoterminal. Her hands danced across the console, until the flight records of Song Squadron appeared before her. Only her Master had been called to the Fleet; both Alexandra and Meagan were apparently still on ground. She drilled down to the hyperspace logs of Song One and Song Two, and saw that Meagan and Alexandra had both jumped from Coruscant. To Belsavis.

"Oh no..." Sariyah buried her face in her hands.

"Whassa---"

"Padawans."

Both Sariyah and Consonace jumped and, with eyes wide with surprise, stared at the man who had addressed them. It was Master Nattara, an attache to the Council.

"Sariyah, is it?" Nattara said. His eyes were narrowed at her. "And Consonance?"

"Yes Master." The two said in unison.

"The Council wishes to speak to you both."

"For why?" Sariyah asked. She quickly closed the holoterminal.

"That is for them to explain. Please, follow me."

[Ela]

Medley felt them before she saw them; heard their boots pounding the ground before they emerged in front of her, with their rifles drawn. A squad of a dozen Imperial soldiers dropped into a defensive position, crouched behind boulders that were strategically placed at the exit of the promenade. She was hidden behind the hypercrate, which glided slowly along the pathway leading towards the troops.

"Halloo, Impsies!" Medley said, peaking out from behind the crate. One of the troopers - a captain, by the looks of his uniform markings - lowered his head and shook it slowly. "How are you today?"

With a quick hand signal from the captain, the troopers lowered their rifles. "You almost got shot." The captain said.

"You like me too much to shoot me." Medley said. She smiled at the captain, and tapped at the lightsabers hooked to her belt. "And those."

"Been awhile since you've been here, Jedi."

Medley shrugged and nudged the hypercrate forward, through the arched stone exit of the promenade, past the Imperial trooper squad, and into the chilly open air of the Ancient Prison. Curved ice-shelves towered above her while a soft snow fell, yet the grass under her feet was as green as the blades on Tython, and warm to the touch.

With each step taken deeper along the stone pathway, Medley's heart fluttered increasingly faster. She hadn't seen Kamren  for well over a month; would he still remember her? Would he smile when their eyes met? Would he still open his arms so that she could run into them?

The hypercrate ground to a stop and began to shudder. So lost in her thoughts of the Zabrak, Medley hadn't seen the boulder directly along her path. The crate's repulsorlift struggled to gain the necessary elevation to climb over the rock, but the weight of the crate's contents rendered it insurmountable.

Clear your mind. Medley told herself as she eased the crate backwards. Trust in the Force.

Medley closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, focusing on her center. She felt the Force flowing through her, through the grass, and the falling snow. But as she tried to attune her mind to the characteristic song that all things - living and inanimate - echoed through the Force, they were silent.

In their place was the growing chorus of the screams of the Dread.

Medley's eyes snapped open and she spun around, her hands instinctively grasping the hilts of her lightsabers. She found herself alone.

Just a shadowthought... She told herself. She focused on the present, on the crate, on the pathway, on her goal. Medley eased the hypercrate forwards, and continued along the path.

[Ela]

The first sign that something was amiss was that Master Nattara led Sariyah and Consonance past the Council chambers. Down the half-circle stairs, through the lobby, and into the Jedi Temple hangar.

"The Council is never in the hangar!" Consonance said in a whisper, grabbing Sariyah's arm and pulling her close enough to hear.

The second sign loomed large: beside Song Four - Sariyah's Pike - in Song Squadron's section of the dock, a bulky, flat-winged Warcarrier bomber nested in the stall astride, where Medley's Rampart normally docked.

Consonance ran a few yards away from Nattara and Sariyah, and stared at the ship. Ordinance droids were using the hangar's cranes to lift repair drones and railgun sentries into the port and starboard release compartments, carefully manouevering the lifts away from the female human who was covering the bow with spray paint. She was delicate, and meticulous, her paint of choice coloured violet.

Without thought, Consonance leaped up onto the port wing, and upon seeing the design of the paint, gasped and dropped to her knees.

Sariyah, her eyes wide with surprise, shoved Master Nattara forward.

"Please come down from there, Consonance." Nattara said. "Leave the artist to her work, so that we may discuss yours."

"But Master! It's---"

"Song Five." Nattara smiled up at the Twi'lek, and with his hand beckoned her down. "Welcome to the Fleet, Consonance. We have much to discuss."

Sariyah watched Consonance hop from the wing of the bomber and sprint towards them, before skidding to a stop. The smile on the Twi'lek's face was almost as large as the two lekku that framed her face.

"I get my own ship!" Consonance exclaimed. "I GET MY OWN SHIP!"

Consonance hopped up and down, spinning in place. Sariyah turned away from the girl, and noticed that Master Nattara had a strained look shadwoing his face.

"Master?" Sariyah said.

Nattara tried to force a smile. "This way."

He led the two of them to the flight ops briefing room, behind where the two starfighters were parked. The room was small, cold, and dark. The only light came from the galaxy holomap in the center, which was focused on the Belsavis sector of Republic Space.

"What do you see, Padawans?" Nattara asked.

"Belsavis." Consonance said, pointing at the holo.

"What else do you do see?"

Sariyah took one last look at the holo, and then closed her eyes. She could still see the system in her mind's eye. Could see the transluscent blue orb that marked the prison planet, the dots and dashes that laid out the hyperspace route, and the approach lines that led to the orbital station.

"Sariyah?" Consonance asked, her voice undertoned by a subtle tremble of concern.

Sariyah opened her mind - the way her Master had taught her - and looked beyond the holo. She saw Song 1 and Song 2, docked at the orbital station. She saw the Free Spacers Fleet, dozens upon dozens of starfighters, cruisers, and freighters at the edge of the system. And she saw three Flashfires jump from the sector into hyperspace.

And then she heard the screams, and fainted.

[Ela]

Cradled in Kamren's arms, Medley reached back and gently caressed the burns on the side of the Zabrak's face. To her touch, they felt like small, smooth craters, akin to the surface of an asteroid-ravaged moon.

"It can't be a coincidence that I saw it happen." Medley said. "Or felt it."

Kamren wrapped his arms tighter around Medley's waist. "It was just in your mind, Med." He said. "And no matter what, it makes me look a little distinguished, don't ya think?"

Medley pulled away from Kamren, and turned to face him. Their eyes met, and she marvelled at the green of his irises, ringed with red. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed the burns. She traced her fingers along the prisoner restraint collar that was locked to his neck. "Oh how I'm fond of you, silly Zabrak."

Kamren laughed, and looked towards the group of Imperial prisoners who were unloading the contents of the hypercrate. Two months' worth of rations. Medical supplies. Blankets and Republic military camping gear. And even several baskets of Alderaanian nectar fruit.

"You're not coming back any time soon, are you?" He asked.

"No..." Medley said, averting Kamren's eyes. "...we need to talk."

Kamren tensed, but nodded at Medley to continue.

"It's getting worse, Kamren. I've never felt them here in the Ancient Prison, but I do now. They're getting louder. It's like feeling the night beginning." Medley tapped a finger on her temple. "And I can't trust the safety of Tython any more."

Medley recounted the attacking Flashfire squadron, and the locator beacon that had been placed on her Rampart. And tried to describe the screams, but while the words escaped her lips they felt hollow; imperfect. She struggled to find adequate descriptors.

"Oh Fondness, it's been six years since the Dread Masters were killed. You're beyond their reach now." Kamren said. He leaned towards Medley and kissed her. "You don't have to worry about anything except me."

As their lips met, Medley felt the screams grow louder.

"You don't know them like I do. You can't know them." She curled up against Kamren's chest. "You don't feel the Force. Don't know it."

"You taking a shot at me?"

"No! Please no. Their servants are still around. I can feel them gaining strength. Kinda like regrouping. I don't know if they've found the Phobis Devices, but all..." Medley felt tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. "...all I feel is their evil reaching out to me. That's what I felt on the Phalanx after seeing Meagan cry. I almost..."

Kamren squeezed Medley tighter. "Do you remember what I told you? The last time you were here?"

"That I should go to Oricon and find out for myself."

"Exactly. Look, Med..." Kamren pulled away from Medley and took her hands in his. "The Jedi are no help to you. The Republic is no help to you. And your sisters are only holding you back. You need to break those chains and be your own woman."

Medley cringed at the mentioning of 'sisters'. Where were they? Were they trying to reach her? She felt a deep regret for destroying her comm, and longed to hear something - anything - from Alexandra or Meagan. But while they might know she had landed her damaged bomber on Belsavis after the Kuat battle, now that Vash had scrubbed the hangar logs and recoded her ship, the Convoree would be indistinguishable from the dozens of other Ramparts docked on the planet. She was a ghost.

But a terrible pang of guilt also flooded Medley's heart. "I need my sisters, Kamren. They're all I have."

"You have me."

"Which is why we need to talk." Medley drew one of her lightsabers, and the moment the blade ignited the Imperial prisoners drew their blasters on her. Kamren raised a hand, palm forward.

"Hold your fire." He said. Kamren stared wide-eyed at Medley, and began to tremble slightly. "Med, what are you---"

With one swift motion, Medley's lightsaber arched through the air between them, slicing Kamren's prisoner restraint collar at the nape of his neck, mere milimeters away from his throat. Two of the prisoners opened fire, but Medley deflected the blaster bolts into the ground. As the explosive timer on the collar was set to detonate, she wrapped her arms around Kamren and channeled the Force through both of them. A transluscent blue bubble surrounded them, and while the collar exploded, they remained unharmed.

"Medley, what the Kriff?!" Kamren exclaimed, pushing Medley back. She grinned at him, then leapt into his arms and kissed him deeply.

"I need you." Medley said. She kissed Kamren again. "I'm alone, Kamren. Can't go to Tython. Can't go to my sisters. I needa find a way outta this..."

"So you're kidnapping me." Kamren smirked at Medley.

"I'm just borrowing you. For a little while." Medley tucked her hair back behind her ears, and smiled sheepishly at Kamren. "Or maybe a longer while."

"You idiots going to be okay without me?" Kamren yelled. His fellow prisoners lowered their blasters and, almost in unison, shooed him away. "So where are you kidnapping me to?"

"The Rishi system." Medley said. She took Kamren's hand and started leading him towards the promenade. "I'll explain when we're in the air.

[Ela]

No Republic troopers awaited them. No heated words. No blasters drawn. Nothing but a silver protocol droid, staring lifelessly across the dinly-lit corridor at the two as they emerged from the Belsavis orbital station hangar's turbolift.

"Masters Alexandra and Meagan, I am C2-G7. This way, please." It said in a tinny, monotonous voice.

Meagan giggled and leaned towards Alexandra. "It thinks I'm a crystal-swinger!"

Alexandra shoved Meagan away.

The Belsavis orbital station was empty. Emptier than usual. Aside from a few Republic soldiers miling about with their eyes cast down, and several astromech droids wheeling around, there were no Jedi. No smugglers. No diplomats. The emptiness unsettled Alexandra, and her hand caressed the hilt of the lightsaber clipped to her belt. Meagan's palms flattened against the grips of her blasters.

"Would you like a refreshment? A snack? Perhaps a---"

"We're fine, servominion." Meagan said, cutting the droid off.

"Gee-Seven, where is everyone?" Alexandra asked. Her hand tightened around her lightsaber.

"Awfully quiet around here..." Meagan's hands wrapped around her blasters, her index fingers slipping through the trigger  guards.

"This way, please." C2-G7 said. It turned away from them, and began walking towards a pair of durasteel doors at the opposite end of the station. "All will be explained."

Meagan studied their surroundings. Crates for cover. An open hatch that, if memory served her, led to the station's escape pods. A bounty holoterminal with the image of a human male, with a deep scar etched into his skin from the edge of his forehead, across his eye, to his cheek. Ke'rii Ogasawara, it said. Meagan shrugged and walked on.

Alexandra closed her eyes as she walked, drawing in deep, slow breaths. Reaching out. Feeling not only her surroundings, but stretching herself deeper into the Force. Past the orbital station. Through the void of space and the atmosphere of Belsavis and onto the planet itself. Looking for something. Someone. The brightest of lights among a galaxy of darkened stars.

But she felt nothing. Nothing aside from the taint left on the planet's surface from the corruption of the Dread Masters.

Alexandra and Meagan exchanged worried glances as the doors slid open with a swoosh. The sight their eyes fell upon caused them both to gasp.

At the edge of the room, their uncle, Vash Qu'or, on his knees with his hands shackled behind his back with cuffs, and a prison guard standing behind him at attention.

Facing them, a squad of Republic troopers, with their blasters drawn.

Behind the troopers, four figures: a woman and man donned in SiS uniforms, with their hands clasped behind their backs; a Jedi in a flowing brown robe, with his hands folded in front; and a stocky, elderly man with a thick white beard and a matching u-shaped shred of hair wrapped around his head, dressed in a station captain's uniform.

Alexandra drew her lightsaber, and Meagan drew her blasters.

"Open the channels." The station captain said.

Behind the ground of officials, two holoprojectors flared to life, casting a blue glow around the room. They stuttered to life, flickering until the images solidified into facial forms.

"Master Natarra!" Alexandra said. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Admiral Parnett?" Meagan said. She motioned with a blaster at Alexandra. "And the second part of what she said."

"I am afraid none of this is good news." Vash said. "Though I do prefer the comfort of your company." He turned his body away from Alexandra and Meagan, extending his arms so that his bound hands jutted away from his body.

Meagan fired. The blaster bolt cut clean through Vash's restraints. He spun around with his elbow extended, and caught the prison guard square in the jaw. The man crumpled, and as he did, Vash seized the blaster from his holster.

"Thank you, my dearests." Vash said. "Once a Spacer, always a Spacer."

"I will only ask one..." Alexandra advanced on the troopers. "...more..." Her eyes narrowed on them, and the metal tiles beneath began to tremble. "...time."

"Enough!" The station captain yelled. His voice boomed through room. "Leave us."

The troopers exchanged nervous glances, but holstered their blasters and walked calmly from the room, taking a wide bearth around Alexandra and Meagan as they did so. The SiS agents lingered for a moment, but the station captain glared at them, and they followed. The Jedi bowed towards Alexandra, paying no attention to Meagan, and also took his leave.

"Ladies. I am General Aviyard Fei. In charge of this station." He nodded at the pair, while his eyes followed Vash as he walked towards them. "Didn't mean to startle you that way, but...a man like me takes precautions."

"Can't blame you for that." Meagan said.

"So. We have you..." Alexandra pointed her lightsaber at Aviyard. "...and you..." Then to the holo of Master Natarra. "...and you..." And finally to Admiral Parnett, before she sheathed the lightsaber.

"I'll translate." Meagan said, holstering her blasters. "A nerf-herder in charge of a space station, a crystal-swinger who licks the crystals of other crystal-swingers, and..." She paused, and smiled at the holo of Admiral Parnett. "My boss." Meagan clasped her hands behind her back and swept her foot across the ground in front of her.  "Am I fired?"

Parnett chuckled under his breath and shook his head. "That depends on how the three of you answer our questions."

"Gee-Seven, I'll take that drink now. Alderaanian red. Pre-Zakuul age." Alexandra said. She pressed a hand to the small of her back, which was suddenly throbbing.

"My apologies, Master. But this station is not stocked with such fineries." The droid responded.

"Then get me the strongest thing you have."

"Make it three." Meagan said. She took Vash by the hand and leaned against his shoulder. "I missed you, Uncle. But it's not like you to get captured."

Vash wrapped an arm around Meagan's shoulders. "Dearest Vivace," Vash began, pronouncing the word, vee-vah-chi, "I am no prey, in this regard."

"Then what are you?" Aviyard said. He pointed a knobby, gloved finger at Vash. "You gonna finally answer why you were smuggling supplies onto Belsavis?"

"He's no criminal!" Meagan said.

"One of many questions" The holo of Master Natarra said.

"Leading to many more." The holo of Admiral Parnett added.

The protocol droid ambled back into the room, carrying a tray with three glasses of an amber liquid, and a canteen full of caf. Aviyard snatched the canteen and took two long gulps from it. Alexandra seized three glasses and handed one each to Meagan and Vash, keeping one for herself. All three of them tipped the glasses each other, then at Aviyard and the holos, and downed the contents.

"You shouldn't drink and fly, Captain." The holo of Admiral Parnett said.

"Am I fired yet?" Meagan responded.

"Get on with your questions." Alexandra said. She walked towards Aviyard and stood in front of him. "I suppose you know why we're here."

"Oh we know why you're here..." Aviyard said. He turned his back on Alexandra and tapped at a third console behind him.

The first image that appeared was of a small, humanoid figure, wearing a plain white robe with a hood obscuring its head and shadowing its face, standing beside a speeder. The cam narrowed in on the individual seconds before bolts of red and green blaster fire erupted around it. The figure dove out of the cam's view.

The image stuttered and blinked out, reforming aerial, and tracing the path of three Flashfires as they gained altitude, piercing the clouds above Belsavis, and disappearing from sight.

"I don't recognize their flight markings." Meagan said. "But why show us a holo of 'Pub ships firing on a prisoner?"

"Because she's not a prisoner." Master Natarra said. "Next holo."

The blue light reformed, and Alexandra instantly recognized the location. It was within the thoroughfare that led from the maximum security wing to the ancient prison. The cam zoomed in on the hooded female, who sat on one of the stone benches in front of a Rakata statue. Two lightsabers twirled in the air in front of her, as a man in a flightsuit approached on a speeder, with a hypercrate towing behind it.

Alexandra sighed and cupped an opened hand to her forehead. Meagan glared at Vash. But all in the room returned their attention to the holo, as the girl pulled her hood back.

"Small..." Alexandra and Meagan said in unison.

"Indeed." The holo of Admiral Parnett said. "Medley Elariel. Or shall I say, Qu'or? That was your birth surname, was it not? Born to a traitor of---"

In the blink of an eye, Meagan drew one of her blasters and fired a bolt through the holo terminal. Instantly the image of Admiral Parnett blinked out. She felt herself trembling, then shaking, and spun around as if looking for another target. As she did, she saw the lightsaber in Alexandra's hand, fully extended. Her elder sister seemed ready, as well.

"Well that just happened." Aviyard said. "Gonna let your nieces destroy anything else?"

"I am forever proud of them." Vash said in response. "But I think it time to hear these men out. And the two ladies that have been listening but not seen. Master Nattara?"

Master Nattara sighed and nodded. At his side appeared two additional figures, framed in the blue light of the holo until  they solidified. One, a tall Togruta, her montrals and lekku base-white, with blue, horizontal stripes. And the second, a short, skinny Twi'lek, with green skin and violet eyes.

Meagan straightened to attention. "Song Four and..." She eyed the Twi'lek and had to suppress a smirk. "Song Five. Report."

"You don't gotta be so stuffy, Captain." Consonance said.

"My Master is in danger." Sariyah said.

Aviyard tapped away at a datapad, and a green and white astromech droid wheeled into the room. From a small projector mounted onto its head, it cast another image in front of the group. A red-skinned Zabrak, with three horns jutting from the middle of his head, and black, angular tattoos framing his jaw and orbital bones.

"I assume you recognize this man?"

Alexandra nodded.

Meagan clenched her fists, and said, "Kamren."

Aviyard nodded. "Led the humanitarian relief effort for min-sec prisoners before the war with Zakuul. Seemed like a good guy, and kept a whack of people safe from the Dread Masters before they were sprung. Even convinced your sister to fall for him."

"Your point?" Vash said through gritted teeth.

"Our point is that we know your sister has been sneaking here under the guise of repairs to see him. And our point is that we know that you, Vash Qu'or, have been aiding her. And aiding the individuals allied with Kamren."

"So that is what this is. A pre-trial for an old Free Spacer's pilot, for providing aid to Imperials?" Vash said.

"No, Vash." Master Nattara said. There was a softness in his eyes as he spoke. "They are not Imperials."

"Then what are they?" Meagan asked.

"They are...they are..." Sariyah struggled with her words, and gripped both of her montrals in her hands. Her eyes snapped shut, and she bent slightly towards the holocam. "The...the screams..."

Alexandra watched as Consonance rushed to Sariyah's side, and wrapped an arm around the Togruta to steady her. She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes, and could faintly hear them - feel them. Calling out from shadows, from moments long-passed. She felt the fear they were projecting, that he was projecting. Overwhelmed, Alexandra cupped her hands on her knees and leaned forward.

And much as Consonance had done with Sariyah, Meagan was immediately at her side, with an arm wrapped around her shoulders, steadying her. "What in the krick is going on?" Meagan said.

"This Kamren that we speak of was never a prisoner. Not according to official records." Aviyard said. "His restraint collar belonged to a Gomorrean slaver who was under the employ of a Sith, based out of---"

"Oricon." Alexandra said, through panted breaths.

"Precisely." Master Nattara said.

"They are calling to her again. And they are louder, and stronger, and closer, and..." Sariyah's knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground, her hands the only struts that kept her upright.

"So why in the sphincter of Hoth did you deny us landing clearance?!" Meagan yelled, advancing on Aviyard. "Let's end this!"

Aviyard didn't so much as flinch at her approach. "Not that simple, Captain." He tapped at the datapad in his hand, and handed it to Meagan. "Care to explain what exactly you did, Spacer?"

Meagan studied the sensor data. At approximately 21:38 Belsavis time, Song Three - Medley's Rampart - had landed in the Belsavis spaceport repair bay. At 22:01, after the last fire - on the starboard wing - had been extinguished - repairs had begun. At 23:47, the bomber was certified space-worthy. And at 23:49, it was gone.

"Where did she go? Did you trace hyperspace jumps from the surface?" Meagan asked, handing the datapad back to Aviyard.

"Tried. The only jumps from the system was the three Flashfires that attacked your sister, bound for the core worlds."

"They're not ours." Alexandra said.

"They were herding her..." Meagan said. "...replay the holo."

The astromech complied, and the image of Medley and then the three Flashfires played in front of them.

"They wanted her to go into the ancient prison..." Alexandra said, studying the same images.

"So if she's didn't jump, and she's not on Belsavis, where is she?" Consonance asked.

"She is---"

Just as Vash began to speak, red sirens erupted around them, accompanied by a whirring bell. Aviyard ran to a console at the edge of the room, and screamed into the microphone. "Report!"

"Sir, we have a Rampart exiting at-mo, transponder coded to known Free Spacers channels." A tinny, frantic, female voice responded. "A smuggler craft."

"Smugglers don't fly Ramparts!" Aviyard slammed his fist on the terminal. "Disable it!"

"No!" Meagan ran to Aviyard's side and shoved him away. "Life signs! Give me a life sign scan NOW!"

"I'm reading...I'm reading two." The tinny voice responded.

"Do not - I repeat - DO NOT engage." Meagan yelled into the microphone.

"Ma'am...that's no longer an option."

"Why in the krick not?"

"It just jumped to hyperspace."

Meagan kicked the base of the terminal. Then kicked it again. And once more. "Krick!"

"Lang---" Alexandra began, but stopped mid-word as Meagan turned and glared at her. She turned to Vash. "Free Spacers, huh?"

"I believe I know where she is headed." Vash said.

"Then please, enlighten us. Because I'm certain we know who she stows away on her ship." The holo of Master Nattara said.

"I told her to hide in the Rishi system. That is her destination." Vash said.

"No..." Sariyah struggled to focus, but lifted her head to face the holocam. "That is simply a step towards..."

Meagan realized immediately what Sariyah was leading to. "Song Four, you okay to fly?"

"Yes, Captain." Sariyah responded. She struggled to straighten herself, but stood stiff as she spoke.

"And Song Five, you ready for your first flight?" Meagan asked, turning her attention to Consonance.

"Really Captain? Like, for really?" Consonance responded. The smile on her face was brighter than a hundred suns.

"For really." Meagan shook her head, and struggled to suppress the insult that was begging to be let loose on the young Twi'lek. "So Nattara, can I borrow them for a little while?"

"They are yours, Captain."

"Do we have the support of the Council?" Alexandra asked. "This doesn't exactly seem...in line with protocol."

"You have my support. Let that be all that matters at this juncture." Master Nattara bowed.

"Right then. Song Four and Five, head for the Rishi system. I want a full sensor sweep of anything that's not an asteroid." Meagan said.

"Yes Captain!" Consonance hooked her arm through Sariyah's, and practically dragged the Togruta out of the holo.

"Uncle, you're coming with us." Meagan said. "Thanks for the farkled hospitality, Aviyard."

"Taking my prisoner, eh?" Aviyard said, watching Meagan and Alexandra lead Vash from the room.

"We're all prisoners of something." Alexandra said, turning back to Aviyard. "And our family is done with it."

The three of them walked briskly through the main lobby of the orbital station, towards the starfighter hangar. While the few guards who patrolled the area watched them, none made a move to stop them. They boarded the turbolift down to the launch bay, and Alexandra reached forward to embrace Meagan.

"Get away from me, Large." Meagan said, pawing at Alexandra's shouders as she leaned towards her.

"Not in a thousand lifetimes, Medium." Alexandra said. She wrapped her arms around Meagan.

"So, Uncle, where's the Fleet?" Meagan said, patting Alexandra on the back but not trying to break her embrace.

"At the edge of the system, dearest Vivace." Vash said. He grinned at the two girls, a wide, warm smile. "Shall I signal them to meet us at Rishi?"

'No." Meagan said, as Alexandra pulled away from her. "You may know where she's stopping, but---"

"I think we know were she's going." Alexandra finished Meagan's sentence.

((With a subtle nod to @Mei, @Kremon, @Karmic and @Noth, and my favourite bc.org story :) ))

[Ela]

Medley startled awake with a gasp, and sat bolt upright in her bed. Sweat poured down her forehead, and she blinked several times in staccato to focus on her surroundings. It was a tiny room, half the size of a shipping crate, with dull metal plating, a small locker that stretched from floor to ceiling, and a tactical holomap mounted to the wall in front of the bed. It displayed a map of the distant Outer Rim, with a small violet dot slowly making its way across the expanse of space.

The Wingmaw... Medley thought, and instantly her heart rate slowed and she felt a wave of calm embrace her. ...I'm on my Rampart.

Medley's gaze drifted from the holomap and to the crumpled piles of clothes on the floor. Her robe, cast haphazardly aside. Her boots, with a lightsaber sticking out from the tops of each. And a Belsavis prisoner uniform almost ripped in half from collar to waist.

She smiled and pulled the nanosilk blanket up to her chin to cover herself, and then turned to the Zabrak who was snoring softly in the bed beside her. Medley smiled again, and kissed Kamren on his temple before climbing out of bed and walking to the locker. It opened with nothing more than a thought, and within Medley saw her flight suit, that doubled as combat armour. Jet black, form-fitting, with subtle hues of green and brown. And a protective spike stitched onto the right shoulder-plate.

And on the inside of the open locker door, a single, physical picture. Five people. A family. On the left in the back, a man with a glowing smile, black hair that was slicked back in a wave, and tanned skin. Beside him, a fair-skinned woman with flowing blonde hair that spilled across her shoulders, her thin lips curled into a wide grin. They each had an arm around the other; and they each had their other arm forward, cradling the three little girls in front of them.

Medley traced her index finger across the picture. The last time they were all together, mere weeks before the Galaxy changed forever. She remembered the day as clearly as the twin suns of Tatooine. It was Medley's third birthday. The day she was accepted as a Youngling by the Jedi Council on Coruscant. Meagan, ever the mischievous schemer, had roused her from sleep, dressed her in her favourite shadowsilk dress, and led her from the apartment that the family shared to the Senate Plaza. Up the steps. Past the stairs that led down to the Commercial District, to the park beside the Senate Tower.

And straight into the open arms of her family.

Medley closed her eyes and imagined herself back at that time, a tiny three-year-old running as fast as she could towards them. Uncle Vash, shuffling a Pazak deck with one hand while sipping a bottle of Corellian ale with the other. Alexandra, sitting cross-legged on the grass, looking up and grinning at her approach. Her father, Cado, doned in a comical apron imprinted with cartoon images of Wingmaws, hunched over an infrared BBQ, turning Bantha hotdogs over the invisible flame.

And...and...

Medley felt the screams seize her mind. The fear. The anger. The dread...

...and struggled to focus back into the past. To grasp at a song sung at her bedside, while she fell asleep, and when she awoke. To hear the melody, the soprano pitch of the voice, and focus on the woman seated beside her, holding her hand...

The screams grew louder, and the locker began to tremble. But the song was stronger, its notes seizing the throats of the dread and forcing them from her mind. Medley's thoughts cleared, and she focused back on the moment in time...

...and saw her mother, Ela. Draped in a violet shadowsilk dress that was inlaid with a diagonal pattern of small, sparkling Lorrdian gemstones. Kneeling with her arms open the moment she saw Medley running towards her. A smile warmer than all the stars in the Galaxy combined enveloping the sharp angles of her face. And saying...

"Give in to me, Medley..."

A red lightsaber blade pierced her mother's chest. The screams errupted in Medley's mind as she skidded to a stop, and watched Ela crumple forward. Her lightsabers rocketed into her outstretched hands, their violet blades extending in a fury, and Medley spun around to the figure behind her.

Kamren. The blades of Medley's lightsabers were criss-crossed at his throat.

"Rough night?" Kamren said. He glanced quickly at the holomap, then returned his eyes to Medley. "We're almost at Rishi. We should get some food into you."

The lightsaber blades retracted, and Medley collapsed into Kamren's chest, weeping.

[Ela]

"How far gone is she, Alexandra?" The holo of Master Nattara asked.

Alexandra sat cross-legged on the floor of the guest bunk aboard the Hydian Breaker, a Thranta-class corvette and one of many command ships that led the Free Spacers Fleet. While her eyes were directed at the holo in front of her, her gaze was distant. Un-focused.

"It is..." Alexandra shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts. "...different this time, compared to when we faced Master Dulius, when the Dread Masters still haunted the Galaxy."

Her thoughts drifted back to that time, long before the war with the Eternal Empire. When she and her sisters had unraveled the plot by her Master and close family confidante, Korwin Dulius. A plot seeded by his jealously at their mother's love for Cado. Fertilized with the ambitions of the Dread Masters to subjugate every world with the fear they projected. And sprouted by their burning desire to have Medley under their command.

"I feel the change as well." The holo of Master Nattara said. "The Dread Masters may have been dispatched from the mortal coils of the worlds, but their spirits still live on through the Force. Perverting it. Twisting it. The Council sent a pair of Jedi to investigate the ancient fortress on Oricon but they---"

"Didn't come back." Alexandra said.

"Indeed. We sent a probe droid to the planet, and it captured this image before being destroyed."

The holo of Master Nattara flickered out, replaced by a picture of what appeared to be two Jedi, on their knees amongst a group of soldiers, civilians, Sith...all bowing towards a black monolith in front of them. The image blinked out, and the holo of Master Nattara returned.

"We cannot allow your sister to suffer the same fate as them."

"Master?"

"She is too dangerous to fall into their hands." Master Nattara said, crossing his arms across his chest. "If you fail to stop her from landing on Oricon, the Council and the Republic Navy have their orders. And I regrettably appear before you to give you yours."

Alexandra tensed, and felt her heart beating so quickly that she thought it might leap from her chest and through her robe. She nodded at Master Natarra to continue.

"You must save her from them, one way or another."

The holo went dark. Alexandra took a moment to steady herself, and then bolted from the room.

[Ela]

Standing on the bridge of the Hydian Breaker, Meagan stared out at the bright streaks streaming past the ship. Stars, hundreds upon hundreds of them, blurred into sharp lines as the capital ship zipped through hyperspace.

"Status." She said, not turning away.

"Third jump almost complete, captain." The ship's navigation officer, a young Bothan lieutenant named Garea, said. "We should be in the Yavin system shortly."

"Hold position at the fourth moon. We need to be certain the Imperial Fleet isn't between us and our destination." Meagan said.

"Yes ma'am."

Meagan smiled to herself. Captain. Ma'am. It had been awhile since she had been in command of a capital ship. And even though it was only temporary, while Vash took one of the many naps he characteristically took during long periods of hyperspace travel, it felt wonderful all the same. Even though her and her sisters no longer used the Qu'or surname, the legacy and weight it carried with the Free Spacers Fleet was renowned. Particularly on the Hydian Breaker, so named because it was one of the starships directly responsible for breaking the Hydian Way blockade, before the Sacking of Coruscant. The ship her father, Cado Qu'or, had commanded. A command that transferred to her uncle Vash after Cado's death. And a ship now under Meagan's command.

Bloodlines are powerful things, Meagan thought. While the riddles of the Force had transferred from the blood of their mother, Ela, to Alexandra and Medley, the ability to pilot and command, to see beyond hyperspace to the minutae of flight, had transferred to her.

"Thought you could use this." Arin Xaan, Song Squadron's administrative assistant, said. He handed Meagan a cup of caf.

"Any news on that Valor-class cruiser?" Meagan asked. She craddled the cup of caf in her hands.

"Nothing good."

"What do you mean?"

"Krik, two of the four sub-light engines are farkled, the gravity generator on the lower decks can't decide if it wants to be Coruscant or a Tatooine sun, and the force shield in the primary hangar randomly rolls over and dies." Arin said. He handed Meagan a datapad with the schematic readings of the cruiser. "Not worth the fifty-mil to make 'er spaceworthy, Captain."

Meagan took a sip of her caf, and studied the readings. Arin's assessment was only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The cruiser was docked at a neutral Corellian shipyard, hidden away from the Republic Fleet. It had once been a Republic warship, but was practically destroyed during a battle with the Eternal Fleet over Alderaan. Its former crew abandoned ship, and set it adrift, until the Free Spacers Fleet came across it close to Balmorra. It was technically illegal salvage.

"It's all we have right now, Arin. We need a port of call, and no planet in the Galaxy will have us." Meagan sighed and handed the datapad back to him. "Though I guess it won't matter, if we don't have Small to Christen it."

Arin laid a hand on Meagan's shoulder. "We'll get 'er back, Captain. And rip the farkled guts out of that sleemo Kamren."

"I don't intend to be so kind to that filthy Zabrak." Meagan said. She had only met Kamren once, as he and his prisoner buddies, with Medley at their side, had saved her and Alexandra on Belsavis after they were ambushed by acolytes of the Dread Masters. One of several attempts on their lives, both physical and emotional. The physical intended to eliminate Meagan and Alexandra. The emotional designed to either drive a wedge between them and Medley, or outright turn her against them.

All failed.

"Officer on deck!" An ensign at the back of the bridge, standing at attention beside the turbolift, called out.

Meagan turned and saw Alexandra running towards her, and could see the panic on her face. "Alex?"

"Meagan, we have a big problem." Alexandra skidded to a stop, panting.

"What now?"

"I can't say for sure, but I think Master Nattara just made a veiled threat against us. Saying, 'the Council and the Fleet have their orders' or some such." Alexandra said. "We need to get to Medley before anyone else does."

"Awww krik." Meagan folded her arms across her chest. "Lieutenant Garea."

"Yes Ma'am?"

"As soon as we're out of hyperspace, I want a squadron of Clarions deployed for a full sensor sweep of the system. If the Republic Fleet is out there, I want to know where it is."

"Yes Ma'am."

Meagan paused, turning over the possibilities in her mind. "And open a channel to Song 4 and 5. If we're being threatened, chances are they're in danger as well."

[Ela]

"Hyperspace is so weird." Consonance said. She tugged at the collar of her flightsuit, watching the stars stream past her Warcarrier, until the blurred lines dragged to solid points. The Rishi system loomed before her as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. She glanced through the cockpit window to her left, and saw Sariyah's Pike in formation beside her. "And it's boring. Like, what do you do out here? Watch holos? Listen to music? Oooo! I saw this holo once, of this band on Nar Shaddaa, and it was, like, the craziest composition I've ever---"

Sariyah edged her Pike towards the Warcarrier and eased the starboard wing underneath the port wing of the adjacent ship. She twisted the yoke to the left, barrel-rolling her Pike and sending Consonace into an uncontrolled spin.

"Do not!" Consonance yelled into the comm. She quickly recovered from the spin, the Warcarrier groaning to right itself. Consonace reformed with Sariyah, but put considerably more distance between the two ships.

Sariyah smirked. While she never enjoyed teasing new pilots, teasing Consonance was quickly becoming a hobby of hers. She turned her attention to the sensor console, and tapped a few keys that initiated a sensor sweep that she had coded during their hyperspace jump. Narrowed to a specific signature, a scrambled Free Spacers transponder. Once the sequence began, she looked to her right at Consonance's ship, and nudged the yoke, banking the ship slowly towards her.

"Do not! Do not do not do not DO NOT!" Consonance screamed into the comm, banking her ship away from Sariyah.

"I am your commanding officer on this flight." Sariyah said. "I shall do as I please."

"Killing me on my first flight is a big no please." Consonace said. She pawed at her sensor console, keying in on Rishi's hangar logs. Her eyes scanned the readouts as the white text scrolled across the screen, until it abruptly halted. One particular ship was fixated, highlighted in a bright red. "Found her!"

Sariyah switched her own sensor console to bring up the feed from Consonance's ship. There it was. A Rampart Mark-Four, on the East Docks of Raider's Cove. She turned her attention to her ship's comm station, and keyed in a sequence to open a channel to the Free Spacers Fleet.

Nothing happened.

She tried again, and was met again with nothing but static. "Song Five, open a channel to the Free Spacers Fleet and inform them of our discovery."

"What's wrong with your comm, bossyface?" Consonance said. "Do I have to do every---"

Both cockpits erupted in warning sirens.

"Cluster missiles! Break formation! Evasive action!" Sariyah screamed. She guided the Pike's controls into a barrel roll, and watched two of the missiles veer off into space behind her and explode.

"Whaddo-I-do-whaddo-I-do-whaddo-I-do!"

"Shield power converter! Yellow button on your right!" Sariyah commanded. She banked her ship around in a quick arc, just in time to see the characteristic energy wave on the Warcarrier's shields being boosted. A cluster missile detonated on the stern of Consonance's ship, but the added power absorbed the blast.

"Our comms are jammed!" Consonace yelled.

Then Sariyah saw their attackers: three Flashfires. Converging on Consonace from her three, six, and nine o'clock positions. She primed a volley of proton torpedoes and locked onto the ship on Consonance's six. "When I say roll, roll!"

Consonance screamed as she saw Sariyah's proton torpedo launch, darting through space and directly at her.

"Now!" Sariyah yelled. She squeezed the trigger on her flight stick, and violet blaster fire erupted into the void of space from the Pike's four canons.

Consonance ripped at the yoke, and the Warcarrier responded, rolling on its axis. The proton torpedo rocketed past her, barely skimming the belly of her ship, while blaster fire rippled the void around her. Focus focus focus... she commanded herself, remembering the lessons from Alexandra on Warcarrier combat dynamics.

The Flashfire on Consonance's nine turned its attention to Sariyah, just as she watched the torpedo, and blaster fire, obliterate the ship behind the Warcarrier. Sariyah narrowed her eyes as the small ship's hull began to shimmer ever-so-slightly. Evasionary shielding. It danced towards her, banking in quick, jerky motions, and opened fire with its blasters. Red bolts riddled Sariyah's hull.

Consonance reacted quickly, tapping at the offensive drone and mine releases leavers on her console. Just as the third Flashfire opened fire on her, while the missile warning lock sensor screamed through her ship's speakers, the railgun drone opened fire on its own, slicing the starboard wing from the Flashfire's hull. The damage sent the ship spinning.

Right into Consonance's seeker mine. It vanished in a blaze of sparks.

The remaining Flashfire had closed on Sariyah, and with a series of quick, agile maneuvers had positioned itself behind the Pike, it's blasters raining fire on the stern of Sariyah's ship.

"When I say dive, you dive!" Consonance yelled. Sariyah's Pike was taking heavy damage, and she watched the port engine flare and then burst into flames. My turn... she thought, gripping the trigger on her yoke.

Sariyah panicked as her starboard engine began to sputter, leaving her ship close to lifeless, and watched wide-eyed as blaster fire erupted from Consonance's ship.

"Dive! Dive! Dive!"

Sariyah did as instructed. And stared open-mouthed as Consonace landed bolt after bolt on the hull of the Flashfire. It banked sharply, but not quickly enough to avoid the slug from the railgun sentry drone. Consonace roared past the damaged ship, and, when she was mere meters away from it, deployed a seeker mine. The Flashfire vanished.

"I see our Captain's trust in your combat skills was not misplaced." Sariyah said, just as her remaining engine flared  out, leaving her adrift.

"You could say thanks, y'know." Consonance replied. "Especially considering you're...like...stuck right now."

Sariyah grumbled under her breath. "We need to land."

"Gotcha gotcha." Consonace approached Sariyah's ship and released a repair drone. The large orb immediately hovered to Sariyah's ship and anchored itself to the port engine. "Time to find the Lady."