Survival, Dark Times 3

[Rain]

Takk

Wow. This seemed to make the whole drama teacher thing seem kind of redundant. The kids had spotted us, and I wasn't on board with taking them hostage. In my eyes that left only one option - tell them the truth. Of course finding out that their own father is an evil dictator might traumatise them right into a psych ward but hey, psych wards always served awesome food, so that would make up for it!

As Mara left, I stopped the kids from following her. "Theres a few things we need to talk about." I told them. "Oh and before we start, I'd just like to note that I'm not pointing. And what does that mean Jaden?"

"I... huh?" He stared in confusion. "Oh, uh... it means you're not acting?"

"Got it in one! Yeah, so basically this is all for real." I continued. "The thing is... your dad... well he's kind of evil. I mean the guy demolished a monument dedicated to me."

"Alright Takk, I know you mean well but you are just confusing them more." Winter told me, as she walked forward and crouched down in fromt of the kids, "Emma, Demlan... I know this is a lot to take in, and I assure you that no one here will hurt you, but I'm afraid that what the others have said is true. Your father, he is not a good man. He used to be, but not any more. You were right about me working for him, or at least I used to. I have been helping the Resistance, a group thats aim is to save the people from the dictatorship that your father is placing upon them. When he found out, he gave orders to have me hunted down, and if I am captured I will be tortured for information, and will more than likely be executed after he has got all the intel he can from me. I know this may sound very strange for you, and I don't expect you to believe me. But it is the truth, and I am truly sorry you had to find out like this."

[hk47fan]

Emma

"Evil?! My dad wouldn't do all of that!" Demlan protested, the sadness and anguish visible in his voice. "I mean....Mr. Whiteraven, why would you have a monument dedicated to you anyway?! You're not that good of a teacher! And yeah, okay he's not the best guy, but he wouldn't do that to any of you! He's trying to protect the Galaxy from that bad group...he doesn't do any of that without a good reason! At least I don't think so...come on, Em, tell 'em!"

I stared at the woman that had just explained all of this to us in shock. This was very hard to hear, and I didn't even know what to make of it. Was I that close to my dad? No. Neither of us were; he was busy all of the time, focusing on his job, but...it was like Demlan said, right? He was just trying to protect the Galaxy for people like me and Demlan? That's what he always told us.

Right?

"You're lying," I stammered. "You have to be lying..."

Yeah, my dad was a little strict sometimes, and I didn't think he and Mom got along well, but he couldn't be like this, could he? He wouldn't torture anyone, at least I didn't think so. He was grumpy a lot and not really happy, but he just wanted the best for us. All those complaints about him, anyone against him just didn't understand...they didn't want the best for anyone but themselves.

Then again, he was so strict....he could be so stern sometimes...I mean, almost ridiculous! And all the buildings that he was ever at for business always looked like some prison. And he was never around, and when he was, he always seemed so unhappy.

"Emma, Demlan, there you are..." I heard a voice say, and I turned around to see Aunt Vania and Mrs. Foxx entering the room.

"Aunt Vania!" I exclaimed, almost on the border of tears. "Is it true, is what they're saying true? They're telling me that Dad is an evil dictator...he wants to capture this girl and torture her, before he executes her! That can't be true, can it? Can it?"

"Yeah, Aunt Vania, they're just liars, right?!" Demlan worriedly yelled.

Aunt Vania looked at Mrs. Foxx, before sighing. She was silent for a long, very tense moment. My eyes went wide, and my worst fears were confirmed. "It's true, isn't it? Dad really is like this, isn't he?" I asked in shock.

"Emma..." Vania said slowly. "Come on, kids, we need to go home. Your father is extremely worried about you, and he was very mad when he found out that you all were missin-"

"Mad? Mad?" I repeated. "Was he going to torture us, too? Or you?"

"It's not like that. Your father cares, it's just..." Vania again began.

"What they're saying is true. He is like this..." I choked up. Did I even know my own dad?! "I should've known. All this time, I should've known!"

"No, Dad's not like that! Come on, Aunt Vania, tell her!" Demlan again insisted.

"It's very complicated, and I don't even know that much about his business, but-" Aunt Vania again started.

"Just tell us if it's true or not: Is he trying to hunt this girl down?" I asked, gesturing to the woman that told us all this.

Again, my aunt was silent, and once again, she sighed. She rubbed her forehead. "Yes...yes he is. What she's saying is true."

Both Demlan and I didn't say another word; both of us were shocked and mortified. My entire image of my father had just been shattered.

[Rain]

Jaden

I was stunned. My friends looked like their whole world had falled apart, and I was still on in shock from them finding out about all this in the first place. This had been the strangest night of my entire life. and not in a good way.

"I... I'm sorry." I told them, "A-are you OK?" It was a stupid question, but I didn't know what else to say.

[hk47fan]

Emma

I looked at Jaden, and I didn't really know what to say. Did he know about all of this and never tell us? He'd always seemed like an honest friend, our only friend, but...I didn't even know what to think about him. "No," I truthfully replied. "I'm not."

"How can this be true?! Dad never said anything about this!" Demlan commented, but I knew my brother, and I knew that he knew that this was true.

"Your father never would want you, or any of the people that he serves, to think ill of him. He puts on a big public show. He wants them to think he is a good, family man..." Aunt Vania said, starting to choke up herself, as she put a hand on both of our shoulders. "I never wanted you two to find out like this."

"Did you not think we would?" I asked her, tears in my eyes. "And a good, family man?! Does he even care about his family?"

Aunt Vania was once again silent. "Deep down, I think he does...I hope he does....but I don't even know that," she said, starting to choke up herself.

"Wha...are you saying he doesn't even care about us?!" Demlan exclaimed. "This is crazy. Why...I..."

"Listen, I need to get you two home. Your parents, both of them, are worried about you. We need to go," Aunt Vania told us, starting to motion for the door.

"No." I simply stated. "I'm not going."

My aunt looked at me, surprised. "Emma, I know you're upset, but you really do need-"

"No!" I repeated, interrupting her for what seemed like the millionth time. "I'm not going. How can you expect me to hear that my father is some evil dictator, wanting to torture people, not even caring about us, and then just go home and go back to that place?"

"Both your mother and your father do care about you, it is just v-" Aunt Vania again started, but this time, Demlan interrupted her.

"Come on, Emma! You can't buy into all this...you know this...." he started, but he stopped talking on his own, his head drooping.

"Demlan, you know as well as I do that it's true! How can it not be?!" I shouted. I looked at Aunt Vania. "That house is so unhappy, anyways! Why would I want to go back? They're never there; neither of them! You are always taking care of us! They never let us go anywhere, he never lets us go anywhere! The whole reason we're 'missing' is because you had to let us out of the house behind his back! He is a dictator, and why would I want to go back after finding all of this out?"

Aunt Vania just stared at me, sad and almost emotional.

"Aunt Vania, you know that the reason you even let us go out and do things like this is to get us away from there!" I exclaimed. "You know it! You can't make me go back there!"

"W-where would you go, then? Where? You can't come stay with me, your father is infuriated at me as it is," Vania said, choking up herself.

"I'll stay with you," I said, looking at Jaden. "I'll go with you, and all of your friends, wherever you're going."

[RobbyL9]

Blades

The mercenary raised his weapon when he heard the fighting. However, he curiously lowered it when he noticed the R7 droid wobbling towards him. "Get the fuck outta here." he said standing up "YOU guys are the ones who did this?"

Blades pushed off of the seat he had been sitting against and approached Percy one last time. If he really was going to be leaving and going underground a while, might as well make it count.

"Hey Percy, I'm gonna be heading off for a while." he told the guard "Hope your court martial for letting us all go turns out all right. Before I go, however, here's a little gift to remember me by." Without so much as a syllable more, Blades hunched forward and checked the restrained guard in the crotch. Percy fell forward grunting and choking, doing his best to keep on his feet.

"Ready to go. " Blades told R7, raising his rifle in preparation for any desperadoes. "These clowns better not give us trouble." he grumbled "Tell your team that I'm coming with you back for their position and I'm armed."

[hk47fan]

R7-43

Turning around and preparing to return to the position that the Resistance team was currently located at, I activated my built in comlink and contacted the commander of the team. "Commander," I beeped. "I have found our objective: The prisoner, Blades, is returning to your position with me. He is armed and seems to be unhurt from my readings."

"Good work, R7! Way to take the inititive," the commander replied. "We've got quite a mess in here, as you can see. Get over here quickly so we can get out of here. I have a feeling that most of these prisoners won't want to join us."

"Yes, Commander, proceeding now," I replied, leading the way through the battle once again. The organic called Blades, the one that had been the entire focus of this mission, followed behind me and took care of any hostiles that threatened our short journey.

Soon enough, we arrived at the location on the other side of the room, where the Resistance team was present. They seemed to be eager to fight, judging from the amount of energy emerging from their rifles every second.

"Blades!" one of the leading men, the commander, shouted. "Welcome back. Now, it's time to blow this place. Is there anything you need from here before we go?"

[RobbyL9]

Blades

"Just my arsenal from the belly." Blades said, taking a sigh of relief to see some familiar faces. "Let's blast it open and find it, there's some stuff in there I don't want to miss."

The mercenary squeezed off a few hip shots into the prisoner line to pin them. This gave the Resistance members and himself a chance to jump ship. Not a moment too soon. For those who had the nerve to stay, this whole shuttle was about to become a testing facility for survival of the fittest.

Making a quick stop at the belly, Blades blasted it open with an overcharge and tossed the rifle aside caring nothing for it anymore. In no time he found his beloved pistols Lefty and Shorty and his carbine, tucked away together with his mask. His trinkets secured, Blades hauled jets with the rest of them.

This is going to be an interesting debriefing. he thought on the way back.

[hk47fan]

Caitlin

Some time passed, and I continued to focus on my job: Healing the wounded, and trying not to think about Blades. I only hoped that the rescue mission had worked. Admittedly, I had been a little concerned about the same team going back after him, considering what they had just returned from, but it seemed that they wanted to do it because of what he did for them. And I couldn't blame them.

However, soon enough, I heard that Blades had been safely rescued and the team was on their way back. The mission was a success! That brought me a lot of joy and relieved me; I still felt somewhat guilty, but Blades was safe and returning to the base. All that I did for him didn't go to waste.

It wasn't long before they arrived. I stood in the docking bay with Captain Ailim as their transport docked, and soon, all of them came out of the ship, looking fairly happy at their success. I walked up to Blades, smiling. "Good to see that you're still alive," I told him with a chuckle. "You had me worried when I heard that you got captured."

[Mandalorian]

OOC: Very very long post coming up guys only the first paragraph is pertinent to any characters

presently. Rain i had to bot Olee for a bit couldn't figure out another way to make what needed to

happen happen.

Joint post Wey Sol/Artimis

Wey was walking around the cantina chatting idly with the other party goers. His holotrancieverbuzzed in his pocket and he glanced at the message and sighed heavily. He was about to have to come clean about something he had been keeping secret for the past fourteen years. He walked over to Olee and told her that he had to leave and that he would explain when he got back later tonight then left the cantina.

He walked outside and hailed a cab, it drifted down to the ground and he got into the backseat. He told the driver to head to the space port and as the air car lifted off of the ground Wey relaxed into the seat and his mind drifted off to when he had first met the young man who he was now going to meet, Artimis.

OOC: And let the flashback sequence begin!

----- 14 years before present-----

Wey was walking through the lower levels of curscant drifting through the back alleys lazily after having come to the region to try a diner known for it's house brewed Correllian Style Ale. As he walked down the dark streets he heard a boy cry out in pain and the sounds of a scuffle from a side street. He dashed down the street ways until he came into the side street where he saw three teenagers holding a boy pinned against a wall and a fourth punching the boy in the stomach. Wey dashed over and caught the teen mid punch then slid his foot behind the teens ankle and slammed his palm into his ribcage as he threw him by the wrist.

With out pausing he snapped a side kick into one of the teens holding the boy knocking him back into the wall where he slid down winded from the blow. One of the other teens let go of the boy and charged Wey. Wey side stepped him and spun around slamming his elbow into the teens temple knocking him out instantly. The teen continued falling forward and then slid along the ground carried by his momentum. Wey turned to deal with the final teen but saw that Artimis was straddled over him raining blows into the teens face. Wey walked over and grabbed him by the back of the shirt lifting him to his feet

"He's already down you won" the boy turned around quickly and shot a fiery glare at Wey "But they attacked me!"

Wey shook his head slightly "Yes but you already won, you never hit an opponent when they're down" The boy just huffed in response to that and started to walk away. Wey watched him for a bit wondering why the kid worried him. Then it clicked that the boy was very strong in the force and that with his tempermant now he could turn into a problem in the future. "Hey kid, i have a few creds in my pocket i may be willing to spend it on a stranger if said stranger where to go to a diner"

The kid stopped walking and turned around hesitantly then walked back over to Wey "hey i don't know who you think i am but i don't do that" Wey looked at him for a second and then when it clicked he shook his head and sighed "My name is Wey Sol, although most around these parts know me as Jinek, and i didn't mean that you seem like your having hard times and I'm offering you a free meal" the kid paused and stared at him for awhile then said "My name is Artimis" Wey smiled and nodded then turned around "i know a good diner near here Artimis"

----- ten minutes later -----

Wey and Artimis sat across from each other at a near bye diner Artimis was fidgeting impatiently waiting for his food. Wey watched the boy closely trying to decide what he was going to do. He didn't want to leave this boy on the streets especially sense he was so strong in the force but he doubted that the ghosts would want to accept him in but he would have to at least try. Soon their food came to the table and Artimis started to grab at it with his hands but Wey grabbed the plate away and motioned at the silver ware and set the plate back down Artimis grumbled something under his breathe but then started to eat with the utensils.

"So Artimis have you ever heard of the Jedi before?" Artimis looked up with a gleam in his eye "They're those warriors who use the lightsabers!" Wey chuckled slightly "Yes they are and they also use the force" Artimis cocked his head slightly sideways "What is the force?" Wey sat his fork down "The force is within everything, it makes up our galaxy and it is within us as well. In some people the force is stronger then others those people can see and influence the force. These people are Jedi... you have the potential to be one as well" Artimis's eyes shot up at that "Really?" he said through a mouthful of food. Wey nodded "Yes and if you want I'll take you to the Jedi Ghosts and see if they will train you."

----- two days later -----

Wey and Artimis stood outside of Olee's office waiting to be let in. Wey had message Olee asking for the meeting so she could meet Artimis. Artimis paced impatiently around the room"how long are we going to be waiting here?" Wey sighed "Be patient it'll be just a little bit longer Olee is a busy woman and this is rather last minute" as he finished speaking the door opened and Olee came out and motioned for them to come inside.

"So you must be Artimis?" artimis nodded awkwardly she glanced over at Wey "And you think we should bring him on as an apprentice?" Wey nodded "Yes, the boy has a lot of potential and with him on the streets that potential may find applications in ways we wouldn't want." Olee nodded and looked Artimis over "Yes i see where you are coming from Wey but there is alot of anger in this boy and if we taught him to use the force it would be a risk to everyone you're asking alot of us." Artimis glanced back and forth at both of them as they talked "Hey! I'm right here, don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Olee turned to face him "I'm sorry for that Artimis, and I'm also sorry but i don't think we can take you on as an apprentice. The ghosts are strained to their limit and we lost one of our teachers for the apprentices recently, lain. we just don't have the resources I'm sorry. Artimis would you mind leaving the room for a moment while i talk to Wey?" Artimis shot a glance at Wey and he nodded to the door so Artimis walked out angrily.

Once he had left Olee turned to face Wey "I'm usually all for helping people who have an inclination to the dark side but Wey that kid has an honest blood lust in him, i can sense it. If we where to teach him the force he could do alot of damage and i have to think about the repercussions of possibly training the next sith lord." Wey nodded "I understand Olee, i just had to come and at least see" She nodded as she lead him to the door "I understand that and Wey i don't have any actually authority over you but i strongly advise you as a friend that training that boy could be dangerous" Wey smiled at her as he walked out the door "thank you for the advice" He motioned to Artimis as he walked down the hallway and Artimis followed along besides him.

----- three weeks later -----

Wey and Artimis sat cross legged on mats in the central room of a condo that Wey had rented out for him to live in. He was leading Artimis through a meditation exercise. He had taken the boy on as his
apprentice against the advice Olee had given him. He had been teaching the boy about the force and having him practice meditation as well as sparring with him. He had also purchased a protocol droid to serve as Artimis's nanny of a sort. After leading Artimis through one more exercise Wey called to the protocol droid "C8-D8 bring us something to eat and drink please "Yes sir, i will do so immediately" the droid turned around and moved off into the kitchen. "So Artimis, while C8 gets that ready lets practice through some sparring"

Artimis smiled widely and instantly kicked his mat back against the wall clearing the floor.Wey raised his hands and dropped into a fighting stance. Artimis charged him and Wey side stepped blocking his attack. Artimis kept up the attack and Wey kept blocking and dodging not letting Artimis land a hit but not fighting offensively. Artimis kept growing angrier as they continued getting mad that he couldn't land a hit. eventually he got truly mad and threw a hard side kick at Wey lashing out in anger. Wey caught it and immediately snapped a up a round house kick knocking artimis back "Never attack in anger" he lowered his hands "But C8-D8 should be just about done lets go eat"

----- thirteen years before present -----

Wey rushed into Artimis's apartment. Artimis glanced up at him as he ran in "what's with the rush" Wey glanced over at him "Somethings have gone down in the New Republic and long story short the Jedi have
been branded criminals an..." "Wait what!? How can the jedi be criminals?" Artimis yelled interrupting Wey "They aren't criminals, Sora has just gone power crazy, but this does mean that I'm going to have to go off planet, I'll be back to keep training you but it will only be when I'm able to safely get here." Artimis shook his head harshly "No! Don't leave me alone on this godforsaken planet. Take me with you." Wey sighed softly then looked at Artimis "I'm sorry but it's to risky for you to come along. The Galaxy is going to be going through turbulent times and you'll be safe here. and i promise you i will be back as often as i can be to continue your training" Artimis nodded his head hesitantly not happy about having to accept. Wey smiled at him "I'm having holo-vids brought over here. I've been gathering up anything i came across on the force or Jedi training for a few years and this is my collection. Also I've left instructions with C8-D8 about your training. I have to leave now Artimis I'll be back as soon as i can" with that he walked out the door and rushed to leave the planet.

---- nine years before present ----

Wey sat cross legged on one of the mats in Artimis's condo waiting for him to return. He had spent the past four years training him as frequently as possible but never able to stay for long. Artimis walked into the door and smiled when he saw Wey. "So are we going to work on lightsaber combat more this time?" Wey stood up and stretched "Actually no, i think it's about time to move your training to the next level" Artimis looked at Wey questioningly "And what exactly will that be?" Wey smiled "I've gotten my hands on an older freighter you're going to take it to Dagobah, and from their to another world to train" "Wait, what? I'm going to leave curascant?" Wey nodded "Yes, it's getting risky to keep renting this apartment out under my alias and Dagobah i think will do you some good. Also I've included a few more vids on the ship and the components to make yourself your shoto sabers. I walked you through making the training ones and now it's up to you to make your actual sabers" Artimis smiled widely at the prospect "So what am i supposed to do on dagobah other then make my sabers?" Wey smirked knowingly "Oh you know just wander around, also though I've left instructions with C8-D8 as to your training their. Just try to stay open to the force. Dagobah is a world immersed in the force and keep any lessons it happens to teach you close to your heart."

----- three months later ----


Wey's ship touched down lightly on a plateau with steep enough sides that it wouldn't be possible to get down to ground level on foot. There was already a ship on the plateau and next to it stood Artimis. Wey walked down the landing ramp of his ship and took a deep breathe and exhaled loudly and said sarcastically "Well the air on Korriban sure is refreshing huh?" Artimis shook his head and spat on the ground "I'm hoping that was sarcasm, so what am i supposed to do on this godforsaken planet?""I'm not going to lie to you Artimis what you're going to do on this planet is going to push you to your limit. This world is the home of the Pure-blooded Sith and also the seat of power for multiple different Sith Empires. This world is immersed and filled by the dark side of the force... and that is why I've had you come here. You will continue your training here surrounded by the dark side so you Can learn how to resist it's pull on you. I will stay here for a few weeks with you to help you through it at first. I'm hoping you learned something of use on Dagobah."Artimis nodded "Okay, so what is edible on this world? cause I'm sure I'll run out of food before to long" Wey laughed "I'll show you what game you can hunt and I'll come by with dried and preserved food when i come to train you as well." Artimis smirked slightly "Well then why don't we hunt? I didn't trust to eat anything on Dagobah so I haven't eaten meat in months"

----- Five years before present -----

Wey and Artimis sat in Wey's ship eating a meal that he had personally. It was in honor of the day they had first met and that they had come to consider Artimis's birthday sense he couldn't remember
what day it was actually on. "So Artimis i was thinking about it and by my factoring you're eighteen now and sense that's a pretty momentous occasion and in celebration i got something special for you" he stood up and grabbed a box from a cargo space on his ship "Here you go" artemis opened the box and immediately pulled out the SE-14S And sighted it down the barrel "Oh hell yeah, thank you" Wey laughed "That pistol can be semi-automatic or fully automatic and is extremely accurate" Artimis sighted down the barrel again and then shot up from his seat and out the ship "I have to try this out right now"

----- Three years before present -----

Artimis and Wey faced off from each other on a cleared spot of ground near their ships. Wey flicked his saber on and Artimis responded by activating his own shoto lightsabers. There was a slight pause and then Artimis shot across the open space striking at Wey. Wey parried and responded with a jab of his saber. Artemis side stepped and lashed back out. They kept exchanging blows rapidly with one another as they flickered back and forth along the cleared out ring of ground. eventually they both stopped attacking and just panted heavily "Artimis you've improved greatly over the last few years. I Can feel that not only are you stronger now but you are also more in tune with the force and have reached at least a measure of distance from being corrupted by the darkside. Just the fact that you have been able to stay on this world with out falling into the dark side is proof enough of your resolve. I think you are just about ready to talk to the ghosts again and try to join with the other jedi but before that you need to find a measure of peace and determine when you are ready to go. We will keep training as we have been but as soon as you think you are ready to be a Jedi and not an apprentice you come to Bespin, the coordinates are in your ships nav-computer and I'll let this cat out of the bag so to speak."

----- present time -----

Wey's cloud car landed gently at the spaceport and Wey stepped out handing the driver a few cred chips. he walked into the space port and smiled when he saw Artimis he was leaning against a support beam dressed in a open fronted brown blazer a tight fitting black shirt and dark snug pants. his lightsabers hung openly on his belt "You know i was expecting to get alot of comments from people about the sabers but no one has mentioned anything they just keep calling me sir" Wey laughed "They're used to seeing us here this planet is one of the few safe places for us in the galaxy in fact" Artimis nodded "Yeah i get that, so when am i going to get to meet with Olee again? I'll try to present myself a bit better then i did last time" Wey motioned back to the pick up/drop off area "we'll hail a taxi and fly over they're at a party at the moment so will grab a bite to eat first then meet up" he walked over and hailed the cab and sent a message to Olee "let me know when the part is over. I have some one to introduce to you. oh and the other ghosts might want to meet this man as well so if any are free have them come as well."

[RobbyL9]

Blades

Walking back into the resistance base, Blades didn't exactly feel like talking. Right now he was just feeling like a long, long day at work was ending and he really wanted to collapse onto something at least resembling a bed. But who else should come up on him but Taris' most beach-worthy lifesaver? And she actually looked happy to see he had survived.

The mercenary cracked a smile at one corner of his mouth. "Well, hello yourself there, Head Nurse Feelgood." Blades responded with an eyebrow raised, crossing his arms "You worried I'd have left forever without giving you a goodbye hug?"

[Dark Angel]

Artimis

Artimis sat with Wey at a near-by restaurant waiting to hear back from Olee. The food they had ordered had come not to long ago and Artimis, having eaten nothing but shyrack and the dehydrated food stock that Wey had left for the last few years, was devouring the spice-loaf that Wey had bought for him. "I don't know why you hate this stuff it's SOOO GOOD!!!" Artimis said loudly.

Wey shook his head and sighed " That's because you have the taste buds of a mentally challenged akk dog, and don't be so loud we're in a restaurant"

"Sorry" Artimis said hanging his head in the slight shame of being chastise publicly he was still not used to being in the presence of public society.

"It's fine" said Wey " just pay more attention."

"OK, so when is Olee suppose to be here it's taking forever."

"Just be patient I'm sure the party will be over soon" said Wey.

Artimis shoveling the last bit of food into his mouth said " I've been patient, I've waited 13 years now." said Artimis slamming his fist down on the table in frustration " Can't we just go to the party."

[Rain]

Jaden

"But..." I was about to say that I wasn't going anywhere. And then it hit me. There was no way we could stay here after everything that had happened. "Do we have to leave? Dad?"

My father sighed. "I think we might. I'm sorry Jaden."

I stared at the ground. "It's OK. I... I guess it won't be that bad." As I thought about it, I realised it wasn't. I still didn't want to leave my home, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I would still have my parents with me, not to mention my two best friends.

"Mara, Xandyr... I am so sorry." Winter stated, her face frief stricken. "We should never have come here. We should never have gotten you involved."

My parents exchanged a glance. "It's alright." My dad told her, "We were bound to run into trouble at some point, given our past. It's better that it happens this way, with friends."

"Wait a second, doesn't anyone see the bantha in the room here?" Nines asked, "If we bring these kids with us then it will be seen as a kidnapping."

"Not if Sora doesn't find out whose involved." Takk responded. He glanced over at Emma and Demlan. "Plus if you think about it, it would be more dangerous to leave them here, since they more or less know everything now. No offence kids."

"Yeah... I guess you have a point." Nines conceded.

"What are we waiting for? Nines and I have a ship on the far outskirts of the region. Let's go!" Mayko insisted.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Said Li.

"He's right." My dad agreed, "The area is pretty quiet this time of night. Those patrols out there will be suspicious of anyone they see wandering about. It will be much safer in the morning. Rush hour, when the streets are packed."

"Hiding in plain sight. Hmm." Winter thought about it for a moment. "Its a risky move, but I think its the best move there is in a situation like this."

"We can stay here tonight." Dad continued, "It will give us time to pack our things and work out the safest route to the ship. Sora and his troops have no indication that we are here, so we should be safe."

[hk47fan]

Caitlin

"Well, I wouldn't have wanted all of my work in the operating room to go to waste, and I did feel guilty since I was the one that got you on this mission in the first place," I told him, chuckling slightly. He was an interesting man, with a smart mouth and quick wit, but he also seemed like a good man. I was relieved that my instincts were right. "But you did well. You sacrificed yourself just so the mission could be a success, and you barely know any of us; you had no reason to do that, and you did. I appreciate that."

"We all do. Admittedly, I was uncertain at letting a mercenary that worked for the New Republic into our ranks, but you proved yourself rather quickly," Captain Ailim said, walking up behind me. "And we never leave one of our own behind, especially not a soldier that did what you did."

Emma

"Em, are you sure you want to do this?! I mean, yeah Dad may have his problems, but this is our home! We've always been here, he's always protected us....I mean, okay, maybe he is doing some bad things to these people, but can we really just leave?" Demlan asked, still looking a bit sad and lost.

"And instead, go back to him and all these things that he's doing? No," I told my brother. "You don't have to go, Demlan, but I am."

Demlan paused for a moment, looking down at the floor. "I'll....I'll go. It's you and me together, Emma....and I don't think I'd want to go back after what Dad did, either..."

"I can't believe this. I....I don't know if I should even let you do this...I mean, leaving Coruscant? How would you live? No offense, I just don't even know half of the people in this room," Aunt Vania said, still slightly emotional.

"Vania, Takk does have a point: If we leave them here, it may be more dangerous...and from how they're talking, I doubt their lives would improve after this. We'll take care of them, wherever we go. Xandyrr, Jaden, and I all like Emma and Demlan; we care about them, they're Jaden's best friends. You have my word that they'll be fine," Mrs. Foxx said, walking over and putting a comforting hand on Aunt Vania's shoulder.

"Thank you," Aunt Vania replied, sniffing slightly. "I suppose that I always wanted something better for you guys; something away from your father, off of this Sarlaac pit of a planet. I don't think I thought this day would come."

She walked over to us, and pulled us both into a big hug. I could feel her squeeze us, and I knew that Aunt Vania did care about us. She'd been there more than either of our parents had been.

"Please, stay safe," she told us.

"I love you, Aunt Vania," Demlan said, a little teary himself.

"We will....and I love you too. Thanks...for everything," I told her slowly. "I wouldn't even know Jaden and his family if it wasn't for you."

Aunt Vania nodded and stood up. "If you can ever contact me somehow....please do. I want to know that you guys are okay," she said. "But for now...I think I need to go. I'll...see you later."

"I'll walk you out," Mrs. Foxx said, before she and Aunt Vania left the room.

When Aunt Vania walked out of the room, it felt final. Demlan and I really were in it with these guys now.

Sora

I sat in my office, still enraged. I had calmed down from the state I was in earlier, when I yelled at Deena's idiotic sister, but I was still angry. Winter and her cohorts were still on the loose, and CoruSec wasn't doing much to catch up with her. There were patrols spread out all over the planet, with almost every officer on duty, but that wasn't enough. I could only hope that Kurt would be able to catch up to her and bring her back here. He hadn't let me down before, so he couldn't now.

And my children, my own children were on the loose on this planet somewhere. CoruSec was on the alert to look out for them, which divided their priorities; I wanted them found and brought back safely to their home. I had always tried to keep them safe, ever since they were born...and now, I couldn't do that. They were running around on Coruscant, probably terrified and wishing they could find me. I was tempted to send Kurt after them instead, but I couldn't forget about Winter at a time like this. She'd use it to her advantage and I wouldn't allow it. Finding her was still just as crucial, children or no children.

Glancing to the left side of my desk, I noticed that my console was blinking; there was a transmission. Perhaps in all of my anger and thoughts, I had not seen it before now, although I knew it had to arrive sometime this evening, because I had checked earlier.

I began to listen to the transmission, and a man by the name of Alek Thar was speaking to me. Yes, I knew that name; he was a part of the Imperial Remnant. If I remembered correctly from the intel that we had gathered on important Imperial figures, he had been around since before the Empire was dissolved. He fought to save the Empire in its last days, after the Emperor was killed.

Now, though, he seemed to be commending my efforts and what I had done with the Galaxy. I was a bit hesitant to believe it; a man that served the Empire for years was suddenly turning to me, saying that he liked what he saw. It could be a ruse by the Remnant, no doubt. However, on the other hand, in recent years I had made far more of an effort to clean up the Galaxy than before. I could almost understand the Remnant's original uncertainty, when the likes of Renee Haltzilakas and Han Solo were in charge.

I despised the Imperials; they were still enemies of the New Republic and I refused to work with them. I had originally set out to stop them many, many years ago and to this day I did not regret that. I only wished that the Remnant could have been eradicated sooner.

However, if this man was telling the truth and was turning away from the Remnant, then perhaps he could be of some use. I always welcomed people who had realized their previous wrongdoings. He also, along with the transmission, sent schematics of the TIE Defender. That could be useful, and seemed to incline more towards his changed ways.

Though, it could still be a trick...but even if it was, working with him could further the New Republic's goals and help to destroy the Imperial Remnant, a goal that I still was determined to achieve. My attention had just been drawn elsewhere, thanks to the Resistance and other various organizations.

After the transmission ended, I decided that I would take a chance and contact Alek Thar. I was hesitant, especially after Winter had decieved me for so long, but I could be more on guard this time, and whether or not he was truthful, I could use him, and all of this information he had given me, to the NR's advantage. I then contacted the ship that the transmission had come from, hoping that Thar would answer me, and perhaps we could discuss this opportunity more.

[Revan Jast]

OOC: Spot reserved for future post. Someone IM me on MSN and get me up to speed

[RobbyL9]

Blades

"Yeah, well. The both of you better not got your hopes too far up." Blades sighed, slumping against a nearby wall.

Even though he was free from prison, he still considered his situation far less than ideal. He still had some things he had left in his hotel room across the city, including Rose. And seeing as there was NO way he was going to lose a rifle like that on account of not paying his hotel rent on time, he had to go get it.

Still, the problem remained, however. "By this moment, I'm probably... no I AM a wanted man. And I still have some things I need to take care of myself. SO, I guess if it means me getting my gear back and eventually getting me off world, I'll help you out how I can."