Survival, Dark Times 3

[hk47fan]

Trika

Nack, my nephew, and Selas came over to mingle with everyone else, who were all chatting and trying to catch their breath at the moment. I smirked after his comment. "Unfortunately, Selas, no...though I could think of a few that I may want to," I told him slowly.

Nack blinked.

I snorted, keeping my gaze on Selas. "Like you, if you don't tell me where the hell my husband ran off to."

Diment

I pushed the cart along casually, as not to raise suspicions, but then I saw a very familiar man: Kurt Jervada.

Oh yes, I can feel him on you, Kurt...even after all of this time, I can feel what was once the presence of the Dark Lord inside of you...you can never get rid of something like this.

I stared at him for a moment, as he stared at me.

However, I snapped out of it, and began walking again.

"Kurt Jervada," I simply said, trying to make a cover story. "The man who wiped Tina Von Amberg off the map...thanks for that. She was connected to...some people I despise."

[Revan Jast]

Kurt frowned as the strange man passed him. He was about to just let him go when he spoke about Tina, and more importantly at the moment, Kurt himself.

"Is that so, stranger?" Kurt said, beginning to walk after him. "And who would these people be, little man?"

-----------

Selas shook his head. "I wish I knew, Trika. As much as you may think its my place to, I cannot babysit my brother. I think he's old enough to deal with things on his own," he said, winking. "Last I heard, however, he was off on some last minute mission that was pretty damn important."

[hk47fan]

Diment

I smiled, though Kurt couldn't see it. "Oh, my family has always, for centuries, had a...rival family. That rival family has done horrible things to us...Tina was heavily involved with them, so once the news broke that that bounty had been taken on her, it was all too hard of a blow for them." I explained simply.

Trika

"I know he's old enough to deal with things on his own, but he's all of a sudden vanished...in fact, alot of people have. My old friend Serra, Daron, Alsia...hell, where did they all go?!" I asked as I thought of the countless people missing.

"They went after Mona...we got a tip about her location, and she had captured two young Jedi Padawans," Miss H replied calmly, approaching us. "A fairly large team was sent after her...we hadn't heard back from them by the time Sora tried to arrest us."

"What?!" I yelled in shock. "My husband....could be in the presence of that...psychopath?!"

[Revan Jast]

Selas raised his hands in a warding off gesture. "Trika, calm down. He was my brother before he was your husband, so if anyone ought to be freaking out, it should be me. Yet I remain relatively calm. Why? Because Caleb will be fine. Besides, I seriously doubt Mona would let all of them get that close to her. She's too smart for that."

Selas touched Trika on the shoulder, sending calming waves through the Force. "Caleb will be fine, trust me."

-----------

Kurt shifted his eyes to the left and the right. "I see," he said, slowing down. "Well, I'll be off. Things to attend to. Goodbye, stranger."

Kurt whirled around and headed outside. The hotel he'd been staying at wasn't too far away. Time to take a quick shower and come back for the dinner.

[hk47fan]

Trika

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine just like Sonas and Padme," I snapped, though as Selas's calming waves came in, I did begin to calm down. I sighed.

"They're skilled people, Trika...some of the best were on that mission. However, right now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go speak to the others," Miss Haltzilakas said, turning to walk back over to everyone else.

I nodded, and just shook my head. "Sorry, Selas...this is just all getting to me, you know? Olee's frozen in carbonite, my brother's gone mad, friends and my husband are missing. Aside from that, I feel like I'm the last sane Trok of the first generation left...me. Can you believe that? Sonas went insane and got killed, Leihi's been absent and strange for years, Sora's gone all evil on us...and here Trika Trok Taban is, the one known for being rash and crazy, the most stable one left."

I snorted, in spite of the circumstances. "Normally, I'd take pride in that...but now, I just can't. Not when so much is on the line."

Diment

I cackled as I walked through the bustling streets of Coruscant. Oh, yes...everything was going absolutely superb. Trok had fallen fast and hard...the delusion in him was so evident. It'd just get stronger and stronger.

Its for the good of the Galaxy, Sora! Do it for the people!

I laughed again.

Oh, Mesiros...you are a smart one. You've made the final push that sent Sora Trok over the edge, just as Mona and I had hoped...but could this perhaps be your biggest mistake? Lets hope you are as sly as you are with your tainting, because the Dark Lord could never find out about this.

[Revan Jast]

Selas nodded. "I wouldn't say you're crazy, Trika. You've got a few quirks, but you've always been relatively fine. Well, for the most part anyways," he said, smiling. "But I do agree... it's a shame and very shocking that the Troks have gone so... well, I guess off-track is the word I'm looking for."

---------

Kurt quickly dried off after he got out of the shower and dressed in a pair of black pants with a loose fitting white shirt. He kept his weapon belt on, though, with his pistol in the holster. Satisfied, he headed out the door for the Coruscant Hall. Winter would surely be there shortly.

His thoughts returned to that weird man from earlier. What had he been doing there, and what were those subtle hints about his family being against Tina? It made no damn sense.

Shrugging it off, he entered the Hall and nearly ran into Solon himself.

"Oh damn! Wasn't paying attention," he said, backing away. "Congratz on your new position, however."

[hk47fan]

Trika

I nodded. "Its way too weird, thats for sure...I don't know. We all had a tough life, but it looked like we came out of it so strong. Sonas got married and had a family, so did Leihi...Sora had two failed marriages, but he still found a great crew and a son in the end. I...well, hell, I just ran around doing random things like chasing Mandalorians."

I smirked at him for a moment. "But I guess we can't spend too much time dwelling on stuff...don't want to get too bogged down with this, but I think this is something new for everyone. I guess the Taban men have had weird lives, too, though...you have a habit of dying only to come back over ten years later. I don't want that curse to hit Caleb," I told him.

Sora

I made my way to the Coruscant Hall after finishing up some things in my office. There was alot of work to be done, but I had to ease things over with the citizens, and especially the Senate...my recent course of actions had alarmed many, but now it was time to put their fears to rest. To show that we could still have peace, that this new regime would be best for the NR.

I was heading to see Solon, and as I finally spotted him, I saw Kurt run right into him.

I scowled.

"You again!" Solon yelled. "I won't have you disrupting this...guards, get him out of here!"

"Calm down, Mr. Solon," I told him firmly, approaching. "Mr. Jervada has taken up a contract with me...he is working for the New Republic and reporting directly to me...he is allowed to be here. I am sure it was just an accident."

My eyes darted to Kurt, giving him a stern look. "Right, Kurt?"

[Revan Jast]

"It won't, Trika," Selas said. "There were... other things involved that both killed me and brought me back. Those things have nothing to do with Caleb. He's an average Mandalorian, so you're fine there. Me... I don't know what the hell I am anymore."

Selas wandered off after that last comment, towards the edge of the platform. He looked over the side, realizing just how high up they were. I wonder if a fall like that would kill me, he thought to himself.

"Snap out of it," he said quietly. He had too much on his hands to even be... considering thoughts like that.

----------

Kurt glared right back, not giving Sora any ground. "Right, boss." he said, one hand casually (was it really?) resting on his pistol. "Just an accident."

The three of them stayed in that strange locked gaze triangle for another few seconds, but it seemed much longer. Finally, WInter arrived in a casual but pretty party dress and broke the ice.

"Well, well, Kurt. I didn't know you wore anything besides armor." she said, nearly grinning. "I thought it was your second skin!"

Kurt snorted. "It ought to be. Come on. Let's go find the drinks. Once again, Solon, I congratulate you on your new position."

"As do I," Winter added, following Kurt across the room. When they were as alone as they were going to get, she drew closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. "What was that about?"

"I don't know what you mean?" Kurt replied, acting innocent.

"Oh, wipe that look off your face!" she said, almost frowning. "I saw you three staring daggers at each other."

"I ran into Solon by accident. Not my fault of course. The man is so full of himself he can't see where he's going."

[Rain]

Winter

"That's true." I muttered as I glanced over to Sora and Hunter. "I heard many bad things about him from Miss H, but I had never met him in person, until today. Meeting him almost makes me regret my decision to stay. Almost, but not quite."

I took a drink from one of the platters and took a sip. "Thank the Force he isn't CorSec." I said as I gave Kurt a soft punch on the arm, "Guess you'll be seeing a lot more of him than I will. Can't say I envy you there..."

Serra Keto

You won't get away with this Skywalker. Though I have failed, someone will stop you. They have to!

I glanced up to see the pillar falling. Time slowed down. This was the end...

"NO!" I screamed, as I shot up. This place was a mess. It was pure rubble. Above me was a ceiling of contorted metal. I could feel heat, I could smell smoke in the air, I could feel pain. I glanced at my arm.

"Sithspit..." I said through clenched teeth as I reached over and pulled a sharp piece of shrapnel out of my flesh. Luckily it hadn't hit an artery, but a lot of blood still poured. In front of me I spyed some ripped fabric. This probably came from one of the brave souls that died trying to protect this place. I lamented before a moment, before grabbing it and tying it tightly around the wound, stemming the bleeding.

That traitor of a Sith really trashed this place up. It brought tears to my eyes, seeing the Temple in such a state...

Then there was faint coughing.

I slowly sat up and made my way through the rubble to the source of the noise. Aftera few minutes searching I came across a young woman in a security outfit, beneath some of the rubble.

Then it hit me. This wasn't the Jedi Temple! That was all in the past. I was still on this ship, the one Mona had blasted out of the sky! And I was alive...

"Alsia!" I exclaimed as I helped her sit up. She didn't seem to have any mortal wounds. "Are you alright?"

Bria

I extended my hand. "Welcome to Cloud City Miss H. It's an honor to have you." I said as I shook her hand. I peered, behind her, noticing most of the Killer crew were out on the platform, and very few of the people from the Falcon were out of the ship yet.

"What's keeping Han?" I asked, "Is he ever going to leave that bucket of bolts?"

[hk47fan]

Alsia Fel

Everything was very blurry and distorted as I came to...I could see things being pulled off of me, it looked like rubble...I wasn't sure where I was. I could see some light...it was so bright that it nearly blinded me.

I heard someone talking to me, and my head was pounding so much that it felt like someone was babbling on and on.

"Takk, if you don't shut up already..." I growled out of frusteration.

However, as my vision cleared, I saw Serra Keto helping me up.

Oh, yeah...Takk's dead. Has been for awhile...what the hell happened? Last thing I remember, we were on that ship, trying to escape...

"Uh, sorry," I told Serra. Everything was clearing up and coming back now. "What the hell happened?"

Sora

"With all due respect, Supreme Admiral, how could you hire someone like that? He looks like a complete idiot," Solon growled to me, giving a hard glare Kurt's way.

"Just because he may not know how to properly enter a meeting, or just because he bumped into someone, doesn't mean that he isn't useful. He's a strong merc...and right now, we need to use all the allies we can get. You should know that," I explained to Solon. "And please, Mr. Solon, do keep your temper in check...its not going to look good if the new Chief is going off on every person that approaches."

Solon just growled, and I could tell that he was irritated.

I didn't have the time to care these days. He just needed to do his job right.

"Just mingle, Solon, this is your party after all...make good relations with everyone," I instructed. Everyone needed reassurance that this was the right path for the NR.

Solon just nodded, heading off. I sighed, grabbing a small drink off of a table.

You better not screw anything up.

No, no...he just needed to ease into the position. In the end, it would all be fine.

I looked to the front of the very large room, where the band was playing. They had just finished their last song, and a man came up to the microphone.

"Now, to introduce someone else that will help us welcome Mr. Hunter Solon to the NR....a new and uprising singer and artist thats quickly rising to fame: Deena Yitek." the man announced.

Some kept on talking, some turned their heads as a fairly young woman came up to the microphone. She had long, blonde hair and looked very elegant. She began to sing.

I decided to get back to watching over the party.

Miss Haltzilakas

"Its an honor to be here, Mrs. Calrissian, I assure you," I told Bria with a smile. I looked back to the Falcon after she did. "Well, actually...in the midst of all this chaos, we had a happy event, you could say...Leia has given birth to twin children. Han's a father."

[Rain]

Serra

"Looks like we survived the crash." I replied as I looked around, "And good to know I'm not the only one going crazy.."

"Hello?!" A familiar voice called out. "Is anyone else there."

I made my way through more rubble to find Uli, crouched over Jenn. "Uli!" I said happily as I wiped my brow. I then looked at the woman. "Is she alive?" I asked.

"Good to see you Serra, and you Alsia. I was beginning to think no one else had survived..." He said before addressing my question, "And yes, thankfully, she is alive. The wound isn't as deep as I originally thought, but in all this chaos, it has gotten fairly dirty. It could very well get infected, and in this environment she could easily die. I only have enough meds to last two or three days. If the infection spreads, then she could very well be dead within a matter of weeks..."

I nodded. "Well, look on the bright side. She is alive for now. That is miraculous in itself."

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted someone lying face down in the scrap. I couldn't tell if they were dead or alive. I steadily made my way towards them. "Alsia! It's Caleb!" I shouted as I turned him over, "And he's alive!"

I hoisted his head up and slapped his cheeks. "Come on big guy, wake up! We're stuck in the middle of a completely trashed ship, and damn do we need your strength to get out of it..."

Bria

Woah! I wasn't expecting that!

"Han Solo... a father?!" I said in shock. "I never thought I would here that! Guess he finally grew up, eh? Serioulsy though, that's great news! I guess life is never all bad, is it?"

[Revan Jast]

Caleb opened his eyes, looked groggily at Serra, then pushed her away. "Sleep," he said, dropping his head back down to the floor. He felt extremely woozy and out of it. However, another slap quickly fixed that.

"Ok, ok! he said, groaning and picking himself up off the floor. "Jesus, you're worse than my wife!"

Opening his eyes again, he glanced left and right at the mess in the room. "Oh, we crashed. Right... I remember now."

-----------

Kurt sighed. "Not if I can help it, darlin'. The closest I'm getting to that man and his precious Senate platform is Sora's office. Still," he said, glancing at her, "I do envy you your position over at CorSec. I was actually thinking that's where he'd put me, with my skills and all. I guess not..."

Kurt grabbed his own drink and took a sip. "Not bad, but what I wouldn't give for some old fashioned Tarisian Ale."

[hk47fan]

Alsia

I glanced around...the ship was a complete mess, and was torn apart. There were various holes in the ceiling with sunlight peeking through, which was probably what was so bright when I woke up.

The headache was beginning to die down...I probably got it the easiest out of everybody here. No bad injuries.

"Okay, so Serra's okay, Caleb's okay, Uli's okay, that random woman is okay," I said, trying to make sure everyone was accounted for. "Lets find the others."

I walked around, and I could see some small rubble above someone...nothing compared to what the rest of us had been under. This person's body was almost entirely visible.

Damn, I'm starting to sound like Kossk.

I picked the small rubble off of her, and it turned out to be Jan Corcer, the loon that was obsessed with Naos.

She was on top of something....

"No, wait, thats someone!" I gasped.

I gently pulled her up, and saw Naos beneath her. She had been on top of him.

Of course.

"Come on, Jan, wake up," I said, tending to her first.

Her eyes slowly opened. "Ow...ow...where are we?" she asked.

"The ship's crashed...we're on Tattooine," I replied.

Miss Haltzilakas

I nodded, my smile wide, despite the other issues. "Yes, this is just the type of miracle I think that everyone needed to keep their spirits up. I know that Han's overjoyed, and so is Leia. I'm so happy for them."

"However, the fact is, we still have alot to attend to," I continued, my mind going back to all of the other troubles that we had. "Sora isn't the only issue right now. Olee Starstone, a Jedi that we sent off on a mission, has been captured by Jabba the Hutt, and we need to get her back."

[Rain]

Bria

"Well you can count me in for that." I said, my smile fading somewhat, "First Lumiya, now Jabba, that girl got a raw deal. Then again I suppose you lot did too. I can't give you your jobs back, but I hope we can accomodate for your needs here on Cloud City."

"It has resources, it's out of the way and under the radar, and most importantly I'm the Baron Adminastrator!" My husband said as he came out onto the platform. "In all seriousness however, Bria and I will do whatever we can to help you out."

"You got that right." I added, glancing around at the Falcon again. "Come on Han! I want to see these kids!"

"Kids?" Lando asked.

"Oh, yeah. It's nothing really. Leia just had twins. Han's the father." I said casually.

"Han!?" Lando exclaimed, his usual swagger leaving him for a brief moment, "Han is a father?"

I punched him in the arm, hard. "Have some confidence in your pal, would you?" I scolded him, despite the fact I had thought the same thing. I turned back to Miss H, "Is Winter here?"

Winter

I smirked and glanced up at Kurt. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" I hooked onto his arm and pulled him away from the table. "We need to blend in. Mingle a little. We are celebrating after... all..."

My speech slowly faded as I saw a man enter. An all too familiar man. I had only encountered him once or twice, but he was scum. So I was stuck under the same roof as Hunter Solon and Ardol Vent. Great!

"Follow me..." I said as I unhooked from Kurt, and made my way towards the reporter. "Ardol Vent." I adressed him as we got closer.

He turned to see who was calling him, and was surprised to see me. No doubt he thought I would have left with the others. I slowly walked towards him, keeping eye contact. He looked annoyed, as if he was preparing for a verbal attack. Or perhaps even a physical one...

I slowly raised my hand. "I believe I owe you an apology."

He cautiously shook my hand. No doubt the mercenary standing behind me had put him on edge.

"Oh?" He enquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." I said, clearly fairly unhappy about the encounter also, "I hate to say it, but I guess you were right about Solo. You were right about a lot of things."

"Well..." He began as he let go of my hand, his anxiousness slowly fading, "I live to serve the people, just like you it seems. I'm glad you came to your senses."

What a scumbag! I didn't show my emotion however. "Me too."

Daron Aethel

I sat up slowly. It hurt more than I thought it would. "Ow..." I muttered grimly to myself. I was alive. Despite the fact that this entire situation sucked, still breathing was a small consolation.

I pulled myself to my feet and looked about. I could hear various people talking, though the sound was slightly muffled. Perhaps there were other survivors close by. The amount of scrap around could have easily seperated us. But they were definately close.

I turned to make my way towards them, but tripped over something. "This is not my day..." I said with a scowl as I looked at what I had fallen over. It wans't something, but rather it was someone.

"Marlena!" I gasped as I gently shook her. She began to wake. "Guess what, you're not dead!"

[hk47fan]

Marlena Gash

There was a man, fighting an entire army...he swung his weapon with skill and grace. He was a master at it...it looked like a lightsaber. He was good, almost too good...but the army was good, as well. There were too many of them.

He looked right at me, wherever I was at the moment...

"I love you, too,"

He then got blasted down. Constant bolts hit him, and he fell to the ground, dead.

My eyes snapped open, and I felt someone shaking me. I saw Daron, and it all came back to me quickly. I had fought Mona, I had defeated her...we were here to rescue Li and Sem. But then she blasted on the ship before we could leave, and it had crashed.

Yes, I recalled it all.

"Declan..." I whispered.

I felt like something was missing...not physically, but it felt like...something was gone.

Declan.

However, my mind was everywhere right now. I had been unconscious for who knows how long, and could have hit my head. This probably meant nothing.

I stood slowly, Daron assisting. "Yes, thankfully, I am alive," I told him, exhaling a deep breath. "Did everyone make it?"

Hunter Solon

I had been trying to mingle, as Sora instructed, but then I spotted a well known reporter: Ardol Vent. Vent had been the source of some controversy, but he was a prime newsman here on Coruscant.

Here's the perfect way to ease myself in, like Sora says. Speak to a reporter.

He was speaking to Winter, who I didn't like, but I'd go over there nonetheless.

Once there, I simply smiled at her and that mercenary. "You were right all along," I told Ardol, extending my hand. "Hunter Solon, Chief-of-State...its a pity that people didn't recognize the threat of Han Solo sooner. Its people like you that we need to inform the people of the NR of the truth. You helped open some people's eyes around here. You represent the citizens in more way than you know."

Miss Haltzilakas

"Thank you, both of you. Your generosity is beyond anything we could hope for," I said, then lowering my tone before I answered the other question. "Winter is...staying on Coruscant. She's not supporting Sora's actions, but she wanted to stay on the inside. She can keep tabs on things if she remains in Coruscant Security."