A dark form crept out from behind the shadows and spoke in a low and menacing voice. “Back away from her now, old man. She isn’t going to Brion with you and she isn’t going to become a Jedi.” The figure continued to creep out into the light to show it was indeed a female who was approaching. She wore dark and tattered clothing which barely covered her body. Within her hand was the hilt of a lightsaber which was at the ready. “Ishara’s destiny was never to become a Jedi. She is far too special for such a meaningless direction.”

Several other women appeared to encircle the vicinity. All of them were similar in appearance and activated their purple lightsabers which glowed off of their shining skin. They were ready to strike and were prepared to cut down the small security detail at the slightest indication of hostility.
The woman approached Ishara and smiled at her. “Do you know who I am, Ishara?”

Ishara shook her head. She had no idea who this strange woman was, but she felt strangely drawn to her as if she had known her all her life. “Who are you?”

“I am Allysha, my sister. I am from an order known as the Nightsisters. I am here to take you home.”

Ishara was visibly confused. “Home?”

Allysha reached up and ran her hand along Ishara’s hair. “It will all become clear very soon, my sister.” The expression on Allysha’s face became colder than that of death itself as she glared back toward Salazar. “We just need to tie up some loose ends before we leave.” Allysha handed Ishara the lightsaber she was holding. “Cut him down where this slave stands, my sister. He was the reason you were forced to live the hard life you have endured. He is the reason you and your blood sister were torn apart at birth.”

Ishara felt the anger and hate fill her very soul. Allysha seemed to be fueling it, not trying to suppress it as Salazar was. She activated the lightsaber which illuminated the dark expression on her face as she looked up at Salazar through her barrowed eyes and angled the blade in his direction.

Allysha grinned before she leaned in to whisper into Ishara’s ear. “He killed your mother, Ishara. This impudent slave killed an unarmed woman in cold blood and took her two children away from her dead arms. He would have killed you and Kyra had the rest of his so called order not stopped him.”

Salazar jumped. “That is a lie!”

Allysha grinned once again. “Is it now?” She turned and began running her hands along Ishara’s hair. “I think it is Ishara who can make the determination of who is lying, slave.” Allysha turned and whispered to Ishara. “I offer you a home where all are equal. We are all a sisterhood who cares for each other above all else. We want you among us and I want to take you home, my sister.” She glared toward Salazar with a smile as she looked over Ishara’s shoulder and smiled. “I even offer you vengeance against the one who wronged you.”

Ishara felt the rage inside her as it surfaced. Her grip upon the lightsaber in her hand tightened as she took a step toward Salazar. Any chance of Ishara not following the dark path presented to her was gone. She took the bait which Allysha had given her and let go the chains that controlled her darker side. It consumed her and could be felt by Salazar whose expression had turned to one of fear as he held his hands up and made one last futile attempt to get Ishara back.

Allysha watched with interest and cut off Salazar. “Cut him down, my sister! He gave your mother no mercy…” Allysha’s eyes narrowed. “…show him none either!”

As Leia lounged in a recliner browsing through a pamphlet detailing the many luxuries the spa had to offer, an arm reached around her from behind and placed a box in her lap.


"What is this...?" Leia glanced up to find Tyscio leaning over the back of her chair, smiling down at her.


The Caprician shrugged, and reguarded her with an innocent expression. "I found a little shop on the first floor, it's nothing much."


Curious, Leia removed the top of the box and pulled away the paper wrapping to reveal... a skimpy gold colored bikini.


"This place has a huge indoor pool, and we get it all to ourselves!" Tyscio cheerfully informed her. "There's even a slide..."


Leia put the lid back on the box, and brusquely set it aside. She didn't know what sort of fantasies the man entertained, but if there was one where she ran along a beach in a skimpy gold bikini... Well, it was not going to become reality.


"I am not wearing that. Take it back!"




***



Several hours later...


Leia lounged on a beach chair next to the pool, eating fruit and sipping a cold drink from a fancy looking glass with an umbrella. Tyscio hadn't been able to help himself, he'd gone off to play on the water slide.


The gold bikini fit her perfectly, showing off her sleek curves. The Jedi Master was in her fourties, and years of unforgiving galactic politics and harsh battles such as the recent Caprician war had taken their toll. There was a permanent weariness in her gaze, and several scars on her body where wounds had been inflicted so grievously that not even bacta could fully heal them.


But damn, she could still pull off wearing a bikini!


"Just for the record, this does not count as our honeymoon!" she called out to her fiancee as he bobbed around the pool.


This bikini isn't coming on our honeymoon, either...

By the time Amalia's troop, namely Leia and Tyscio, had come to a halt in front of a man babbling incoherently, the Jedi Master that was not a Jedi Master (Leia was pretty ambiguous about her friend) was speaking to them:

"So, there you are - I'm sure the man would welcome you properly, but he cannot seem to, so.. if you hadn't guessed by now, it's a private resort and spa. You owe nothing, courtesy of me and that babbling fool over there, whose name happens to be Luca. I was going to tell you that he could probably answer any questions that you might have, but the pamphlet has a frequently asked questions menu on it, along with a map, it'll tell you just about everything you need to know about the resort. Have a good time.."


Tyscio's stomach began to gurgle.


He was about to open his mouth when the woman continued...


".. and yes, they have food and beverage - just go all the way through the lobby, and to the left, you'll find the eatery."


And then, just as quickly as she had entered their evening, she disappeared.



Leia, being the ever practical woman that she was, went directly to a recliner to review the brochure. Perhaps it was the "Chief-of-State" in her that made her seem to scrutinize the document possibly looking for any legal surprises in fine print.


Tyscio let her be walking into a gift shop with the little inanities that held no useful purpose but were flashy enough to grab one's attention and make them feel an unyielding desire to purchase said items.


As he was looking among the many colorful, fuzzy covers for a datapads of all sizes (he knew Leia liked her datapads), he saw he had walked into the fuzzy garment section of lady's wear. Not wanting to question what would possess a woman to wear fuzzy garments, he moved on into the swimwear and saw a glittering object that he could not arrest his attention from.

He wanted comm Luke Skywalker then and there to see if he thought Leia might like it but thought better of it.


That would just be awkward!


But the words that steadied his stance and gave him the courage to purchase the gold, glittering item was, in fact, Amalia's words.

Words that would move any man to action.


"You owe nothing, courtesy of me.."


He pointed to what he wanted and pointed to the card that indicated his room and grinned at his next words..


"Charge it to the room!"




*



"I am not wearing that. Take it back!"



Things were obviously not playing out the way Tyscio had thought they were. He pursed his lips wondering if he should point out that the pool had a slide once more. Perhaps she missed that part.


The his mind went back to the Marine Detachment he and Leia had eaten with aboard the Judicator during the Conquest. The woman soldier and Leia squaring off (of sorts) over him... or so his memory liked to remember.


One of the guys there had put his arm around Tyscio and told him how women liked to squawk quite loudly, almost like a gundark laying eggs, when presented with something risque. But if women like to know they look good as the object of their man's affection.


Of course, the man was talking about lying to women in order to sleep with them but that did not necessarily invalidate the premise.


With Tyscio, it was simply natural honesty that was evoked where Leia was concerned.



*


Nothing seemed to invigorate a man as much as sliding down a slide and ending the ride in a large body of water.


He let out a "whoop" as he hit the water.


"Just for the record, this does not count as our honeymoon!"


Tyscio bobbed up from the surface near where she was seated and stared wickedly at her, his mouth (and grin) still under water.


A stray thought passed through his mind...


This bikini isn't coming on our honeymoon, either...



His eyes brightened.



Of course not....it's coming off on our honeymoon.



Before his thought could register he sent a wave of splashing water her way.

Allysha watched with interest and cut off Salazar. “Cut him down, my sister! He gave your mother no mercy…” Allysha’s eyes narrowed. “…show him none either!”



"That would not be wise"


The deep voice was calm , grave , and unmistakably Vinda's....


As it was spoken, the corridor was flooded by security, not the standard affair, all were wearing quite plain non-descript black uniforms, but they moved with a grace and ease which belied their high level of physical training...

Section.

Standing to the right of the businessman like a shadow, as if ready to pounce stood the figure of Mr Soom, one of Section's most gifted men...

With his hand already upon the hilt of his Katana.

Behind him the large contingent of roughly sixty men organised themselves accordingly...each with a variety of weapons, some conventional , and many more exotic, with their uses as of yet unrevealed..

As all concerned turned to face the voice which had interrupted the proceedings, Vinda's penetrating gaze settled upon the new faces which looked back at him...

The Commonwealth , and before it both Vinda-Corp and Mr Vinda himself had a long history of dealing with aggressive force-users and non-force users alike, and did not take either lightly.

Vinda-Corp HQ in particular was one of the Commonwealth's most secure buildings, with nearly every security device money could buy, and many more money could not...

One did not just simply walk into one of the most secure buildings on the face of the galaxy, without being noticed.

It was no small feat that these strangers had made it this far...

...security would have to be reviewed...

This thought caused a brief wave of annoyance through the Corporate Mogul's mind as he reached out with the force towards his uninvited guests. Sensing as he did so, the tidal-like pull of the force emanating from them all like a coiled spring, tensed and ready to be released.

For a moment his eyes held the cold stare of the woman he had interrupted...

...the leader, evidently...

He did not like what he read within them...

Slowly his eyes drifted to his daughter... "Natalya?" It was a question in itself..

"I'm fine..." She replied calmly..as she instinctively moved to be at his side...

They returned to Allysha as he began to speak again, his voice low and deadly serious.

"I do not know who you are, but trust that I shall now make it a point to do so. Whatever business you have had here is concluded, and I suggest you leave... while you still can"

His gaze did not shift, but seemed to increase in its intensity...









As the alarm was sounded, the Commonwealth's security forces (already prepared in part thanks to the Empire's presence previously) moved into readiness, drilled to face such actions, the movement was sweeping...

On the surface Section teams mobilized. Having monitored it upon entry, the ship which had brought the visitors was now 'quarantined'
Above the surface, a security contingent of patrol ships had already started to manouvre itself into position, interdiction generators charging themselves in anticipation of the orders...

If this group of uninvited guests decided to cause trouble, and somehow make it out of the building alive, they would not leave Bonadan in one piece.

The women whirled around as the soldiers moved in around them, their lightsabers drawn and active waiting patiently for their leader to give the word, and the one who had revealed herself as Allysha , wheeled around to face the Vinda-Corp figurehead with a look of pure malice. Her eyes burning with hatred, and found her gaze met calmly by the man before her. He nodded slightly, barely perceptible, not in greeting, but as if in communication.

Instantly, she realised he was speaking to her direct, through the force...


Leave now, Salazar is no friend of mine, you'll get your chance, with my damned blessing, but not here, not like this...

The message was clear on many levels, it was a purposeful warning to Allysha , that she was dealing with an accomplished force-user, it was unexpected, and it was enough to throw her, albeitly briefly. Her eyes widened at the implications and then narrowed as she studied him further. Slowly she began to feel the surge of the force flowing through the businessman standing before her, and rather abruptly she began to laugh....

To all watching, she simply seemed off her trolley, and the tension in the hall increased significantly...

I do not care or need your blessing...businessman...

Allysha spat her reply back, via the same way...


...but you have amused me...


Natalya however, had sensed the exchange, and as she threw a furtive glance towards her father and then followed his gaze to Allysha, she became uncomfortably aware there was communication she was not privy to....

Natalya could feel the force around them all, enhanced, almost tangible...

Allysha did not break her gaze from Vinda as she spoke again, as if mentally storing his image for future reference...

...The next time we meet, will be the last...Vinda man


With what seemed like one sudden swift flowing movement, the woman known as Allysha gave an enigmatic smile and the room was suddenly engulfed in thick acrid smoke...and utter chaos ensued.




When the smoke finally cleared, five soldiers were dead, their heads cleaved clean from their bodies, it had not been necessary for the women to have killed them, but evidently, the woman known simply as Allysha had wanted to send a message of her own. It was a practical demonstration of what they could have done, had they been inclined, both Salazar and Vinda himself knew it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

There was no trace of the women, and as Bonadan's security apparatus went into overdrive, it appeared, for the time being at least , they were gone.











As security teams rushed around them all in an effort to track the intruders down, and to assess the damage, Vinda turned to face Ishara...

"Friends of yours?" he asked her curtly...


Shocked, and somewhat bewildered, Ishara remained poised, her anger subsided for now...but her hands were still tightly grasping the still active lightsaber she had been given, trembling slightly...

Unable to put words to her thoughts, could only shake her head dumbly...

Slowly realising what she had just been about to do.

Ishara had felt the first true taste of the darkside, and its touch had taken root deep inside her , and she knew it. The power that had flowed through her had been like the rushing swell of a river bursting its banks, exhilarating, and for the first time in her life she had tasted what true power felt like.

...and she craved more...


Natalya stepped forward and placed her hands upon Ishara's, and as if breaking the spell Ishara awoke from her reverie...

The Lightsaber deactivated with its distinctive crack and sizzle, but as Natalya went to remove the weapon from her hands, Ishara pulled it away from her friend and held it to herself instinctively, and as their eyes met, Natalya caught sight of something held deep within her eyes...

Ishara glanced over towards Vinda , then back at her friend and when she spoke her voice was distant...

"I have to go"

The events that had unfolded ever since she had first met Nat in the cafe, seemed like an age away now, so much had happened between then and now, it felt like ancient history. Ishara had learned so much and gone through so much she needed time to process it all...

As she started to walk away, Natalya spoke after her...

"Go where? Ishara! wait!"

As if sensing this, Vinda gripped Natalya's arm and stopped her from following...

"Let her leave" He said quietly

"But.." She started, but Vinda shook his head...

"I think its best she be left on her own for now, let her go...I want you here"

Nat stared at her father, then looked back towards the solitary figure of Ishara walking down the hall amongst the chaos, and sighed deeply...

It was at this moment, all concerned realised Salazar had disappeared also, and as Nat expressed her concern at this Vinda's response was predictable...

"With any luck, the angry women got him" and with that he walked away, beckoning her to follow him...


"Now perhaps you can tell me just what the hell happened?" he demanded...

Bonadan - SouthEast II Spaceport.




Salazar had watched from a distance as Ishara walked purposefully through the throngs of people going about their daily business, blissfully unaware of the danger all around them. He had taken the opportunity during the chaos and confusion only moments earlier to make his own quiet departure. But instead of leaving altogether, his focus had been to watch the young woman.

Slowly and stealthily he followed her into a quieter , less populated area of the spaceport, He masked his presence with the force and watched as Ishara entered the private Hanger holding her own ship.

The old Jedi kept close to the walls of the spaceport, conscious of the fact that as he got closer the less people there were around.

Confident he had not been seen, he slipped through the hanger entrance...

As he crept closer, Ishara's Firespray-class ship came into view, and as his eyes settled upon the figures in front of it, his heart sunk...

Although Salazar already knew what would be waiting for him, there had still been a small foolish part of him that had hoped this day would never come...

On the other side of the hanger, Ishara had her back to him, kneeling in front of one of the women who had attacked earlier, the leader, Allysha...

Her eyes burned bright like red hot coals, and from across the large hanger, stared straight at him... but it wasn't her gaze that cut into him, it was the wicked, gloating smile of victory stretched broadly across her face...

Salazar had always held out the hope he could somehow change the outcome, but he had foreseen this event many times...

The Nightsister's smile wounded him deeply, for he knew in his heart of hearts, he had failed.

Ishara had fallen to the dark side.


He activated his lightsaber and the familiar buzz and hiss of it filled the hanger...

For Salazar had foreseen his own destiny also...


As he rushed towards the woman in a last desperate attempt to reach Ishara, he knew it was nothing more than a futile gesture of defiance.

He was only halfway across the hanger when he finally sensed the other Nightsisters emerge from the shadows, and the whirr of their lightsabers in swift movement...

The only consolation he felt as their blades pierced and burned his body, was that while he had lost one to the darkness, there was still hope, all was not lost...

There was still one who hadn't.

And in spite of the agonising pain that now began to fill his entire being, he managed to let slip a small enigmatic smile of his own.

Elsewhere...




Home...



Too exhausted to explain or argue with her father anymore, Natalya , with an escort of section personnel had slowly made her way back to the private apartment her father had provided her at Bonadan tower...

The agents only leaving once she had entered, Nat locked the door, and breathed a huge sigh..

As she had walked, Nat had not ben able to keep her mind from racing through all that she had learned and experienced, but now the tiredness seemed to tug at her from all directions...

Flopping wearily onto the bed, Nat stretched out and felt her eyelids grow heavy, and as her body gradually gave in to weariness, she fell asleep where she lay...


Her dreams became vivid, with the sounds of shouting , and the flashes and whirls of brilliantly coloured lights...




A tremor in the Force swept over her...disturbing her sleep...



Natalya stirred, and mumbled indistinctly as she slipped in and out of consciousness...




A glowing figure looked down upon her, his gaze kindly...


The hooded figure gently gestured with a subtle sweeping motion of his right hand, and the young woman's fitful breathing perceptibly slowed and calmed...



"Rest now Natalya... you've a lot of training ahead" His familiar voice soothing...



"Okay Sal..." Nat murmured lucidly in reply, before falling soundly back into a deep sleep.

Bonadan - Hanger 125

The Morning After...




Vinda looked down impassively at the severed head of Salazar, and glanced back up at the Espo who was holding the makeshift shroud aside so the man could identify the remains, the entire spaceport had been locked down at the gruesome discovery...

"Thats him alright", and gave the Espo a short sharp nod, indicating the body could be covered back up.

"Looks like he bit off more than he could chew" The voice came from behind him, and Vinda turned to face Kaneda, standing back a bit.

"Quite" The corporate mogul returned, as he delved into his pocket for his cigarra pouch. Kaneda watched him carefully make his selection and remove the end with his cutter, before placing it into his mouth...

"Do we know who did it for sure?" Vinda asked eventually...

Kaneda smiled wryly "Your guess is as good as mine, camera's were taken out of action, but in light of yesterday's episode, I don't think we have to stretch our list of suspects too far"

The corporate man took a hefty drag on his cigarra and smiled faintly in response to the agent's words...

"What do we know for sure?" He asked directly...

"The prime suspects did not return to their own vessel, we still have that locked down and they've clearly abandoned it" Kaneda took a step forward and nodded towards the empty interior space of the hanger as he continued...

"The ship that was docked here appears to have belonged to the girl Natalya brought to Vinda-Corp earlier, Ishara. Traffic logs confirm it left the atmosphere about six , seven hours ago. The body was discovered in the tech's lock-up, about twenty minutes ago. We can only assume , the same persons either abucted Ishara and stole her ship...or.." His voice trailed off a little...

Vinda nodded slowly in acknowledgment, and exhaled a plume of circling cigarra smoke that momentarily obscured his face..."or?" He pushed...

"She went willingly"

Vinda said nothing, causing the section agent to continue...

"We still have its last hyperspacial tragectory, we can send a unit after it" Kaneda ventured...

"No" Vinda's response was abrupt.

"I'm not wasting time, men, money and resources on a wild goose chase, besides" He paused for a moment to take another toke...

"If indeed she did do it, I think she may have done us all a favour"

Kaneda glanced back down at the body now hidden under its shroud, then turned his attention back to the old man...

"What are you going to tell Natalya?" He asked flatly...

Vinda's eyes narrowed, and dropped his cigarra onto the floor, crushing it under his heel...

"For now....nothing" He replied, and then stopped abruptly fixing the Section agent with a penetrating gaze... "do I make myself absolutely clear?"

Kaneda, understanding perfectly, smiled slightly as he gave his response...

"Crystal"

"Good, now if there's nothing else, I have a meeting to attend to"

And with that, Kaneda watched the old man take his leave, noticing for the first time since he had known him, he had started to look his age.

Bonadan.

Natalya Vinda's private apartment...





Natalya awoke slowly , blinking groggily at the sunlight filtering through the blinds of her huge apartment windows. The constant rays streaming through were broken only by the intermittent passing of high level air-traffic.

Leaning forward Nat wiped her eyes and sat up, and gathered her thoughts in relative silence, only half-listening to the distant sounds of shuttles and other craft either arriving or leaving Bonadan.

For that brief lucid moment before sitting upright, she had almost forgotten the events of the last few days, but then it had hit her, all at once, along with something else.

Unsettled, a feeling of disquiet nagged at her.

Nat began to look around her apartment, and a slight look of confusion crept over her face, she couldn't quite place why, but the universe felt different today. As if something or someone had changed something on a level almost imperceptible to human senses, and yet something so fundamental, it was sensed by pure instinct alone.

It was akin to waking up, only to find someone had sneaked in during the night and rearranged the furniture while you were asleep, but then at the last minute had decided to put it all back again just as it had been before.

Everything seemed the same, but, you knew something had been changed.

Seeing everything was indeed in its place, Nat cast this feeling of unease to the back of her mind, and swung her legs across the bed, and then with a gentle push, got up and made her way to the refresher.










Emerging feeling rejuvenated and alert, Natalya stepped out from the refresher and got dressed into her robe, drying her hair with a towel as she walked back into her bedroom, her bare feet making soft padding sounds upon the plush carpet...


And then she froze.

The towel slipped absently from her grasp onto the floor as her eyes settled on the small table by her apartment door, and the source of her scrutiny; an innocuous looking object placed innocently upon it.

Natalya knew at once, she had not been the one to put it there.


Her mind flashed back to the previous night, and then further to the events on Brion...

...and Salazar's voice echoed through her mind...


"A gift from your Mother..."




Standing over the wrapped object, Nat picked it up with her right hand and felt its weight, and with it still in her hand carried it over to her bed, carefully placing it upon the cover in front of her.

Cautiously she began to unwrap the cloth surrounding it, revealing a strange crystal-like cube, its intricate surface latticed and highly decorated, shimmering as it caught the sunlight.

Natalya instinctively reached out to trace the the contours of its surface, and the moment her fingertips made contact, the cube began to glow in reaction. Nat withdrew her hand quickly, conscious she had triggered some kind of activation mechanism, and watched in intense curiousity as a bright light flooded her chamber.

The young woman slid back as a wave of the Force burst from the cube, and she felt an odd sensation, like pins and needles wash over her body, and a moment of feeling oddly light headed, as if someone or something had opened her head to peer inside.

Nat realised she had closed her eyes in reaction, and then all at once sensed the bright light had ceased, but also that it had been replaced by something else, Nat felt a...presence...

The young woman opened her eyes to find another, albeit slighter older, and more translucent, looking back at her...


As their gaze met, Natalya's mouth gaped open , realisation sinking in...

The woman smiled , folded her arms and let her eyes drift over Natalya, examining her before being first to break the silence, and Nat knew she had heard the voice somehow before, in her dreams...



"Well, aren't you going to say hello?" Came the voice , playfully...


"I...I..." Nat found she could only stammer back in reply...


The glowing woman laughed, it was warm and filled with affection. Natalya found herself unable to find the words..

All at once, she felt the surge of emotions rush through her, and swallowing hard Nat fought them back, at this point, no mean feat...

"You're, you're my Mother!" She managed to blurt out...

The woman smiled gently.

"Yes Natalya..." She answered softly...


"...and we have much to talk about"

Capricia



Her eyes squinted as the sliver of light made her feel like she was staring at the sun. The bright haze cleared as her eyes adjusted and nearby was Achinta Vega's intense gaze as if willing her to be fully functional. Despite his staring, she saw softening of the edges around his eyes, imperceptible to most except those who truly new the man.


Her eyes began to water seeing him.


She wanted to rise to hug the man but felt very weak.


Suddenly, her ears began to work and she picked up other noises in the room and as her gaze moved from Achtina, she found the staring joyous faces of ...well.. the rest of her family.


She gave a cry of involuntary panic.


"Get back, Tena. Get off the bed. You're scaring Aunt Arien."


The child turned to her Grandfather and pouted, "I want hair like that!"


Arien's bed hair may have been the envy of the Scipio household children but to her, she felt...


Well, honestly, she felt like she had been sucked into a trash-compactor and spit out the wrong end of a disposal chute.


I must look a mess..


Then her nose began to work.


I smell..


"Aunt Scip, you stink!" and Scipio's memory began to work. She remembered why she disliked her sister's a-little-too-honest boy.


A tired grin pierced through her lips as she turned back to Achinta.


Her heart began to work as he took her hand.



I am back!