Kelly Antilles readjusted the bags in her arms as she approached the door. She
was going to make a special dinner for Pash. Things had been rather stressful
as of late. They had been making plans for their wedding and kept running into
problems at every turn. She stopped in front of the door as she heard raised
voices.
"Why can’t you just accept her? I love her, she loves me. That should be enough."
"Love isn’t everything. She will leave you, that I can guarantee."
She backed away from the door. Pash and his father were arguing yet again over the wedding. Airen didn’t trust her. She had no idea why he was so adamant in his ire. Moving back down the hall and around the corner, she used the Force to enhance her hearing and listened to the conversation.
Pash Cracken paced from one end of the couch to the other. His father sat in the chair that faced the balcony. "Dad, she will not leave me. Why do you keep saying that?"
Airen was calm in his approach, while his son showed the temper associated with his hair color. "She is a Jedi. Jedi cannot be trusted."
"Damnit!" Pash slammed his hand down on the back of the couch. "How can you say that? A Jedi saved the Alliance. A Jedi helped gain Coruscant. What more proof do you need?"
"She’s also a Corellian."
"So are Corran Horn and Han Solo! Cut the crap. Tell me straight. What do you have against Kelly?"
Airen stood up and stiffly moved towards the door. "I have told you how I feel. If you still intend on marrying that... woman, I will not be there."
"Fine! I no longer have a father!"
"And I have no son." The door swished open and closed quickly behind the stout man.
Tears fell from Kelly’s eyes as she watched the elder Cracken leave. There was
no way she was going to let Pash have such a huge falling out with his father.
She had done that with her parents. They had been killed before she could come
back and apologize. That had always haunted her. The grocery bags fell from
her hands as she turned and ran.
Another TIE exploded into a million atoms. Pash felt better after vaping a few Imps. His stomach growled as he extracted himself from the simulator. Kelly should be home. He went into the kitchen and found it empty. "Kelly?" He searched the apartment high and low, but she was nowhere to be found.
Picking up his comlink, he tried to call her. No answer. He tried calling Wedge next.
"Antilles here."
"Wedge, it’s Pash. Have you seen Kelly recently?" His voice betrayed his worry.
"Not since training earlier. Shouldn’t she be home? I thought she was cooking dinner for you tonight."
"I thought so too." The redhaired pilot sighed. "If you see her, have her call me."
"I will."
Pash put his comlink back in his pocket. He opened the door to the apartment and looked out, hoping to see her walk in. The hallway was quiet and devoid of life. As he was about to turn and go back in, something caught his eye. He went down the hall to find several grocery bags laying in the floor. A bottle of wine had broken from the impact and was draining over everything. He stooped down to look at the contents. "Where are you," he asked the dark hallway.
Kelly quietly entered the Council chambers. She knew Leia Organa-Solo was here
alone, or as alone as the President could get. Slipping past all the guards
and assistants, she made her way to Leia’s office. The President sat looking
thoughtfully out the window. "Hello, Kelly," she said as the other Jedi entered.
She turned around to look at her friend. The tears could not be hidden. "Are
you alright?"
"Pash and Airen had a fight."
Leia moved over to hug her. "Oh no. What about?"
"Me. Airen refuses to accept me. I can’t let it come between them. It’s not fair to either of them. So many of our friends have lost their parents and loved ones. I don’t want to be the one blamed if either one of them is hurt."
She led the woman over to the couch and sat beside her. "I understand what you are feeling."
"I don’t know what to do. I love Pash so much." She wiped tears from her eyes, only to have them filled with more.
"This is something you will have to work out on your own. I suggest you talk to Pash and Airen. Perhaps you can find out what it is that Airen is having a problem with."
Kelly sniffed. "Yeah, I suppose so." She looked up to see a group of guards in the doorway.
"Madame President, someone has..." The lead guard looked at Kelly in shock.
"It’s quite alright, gentlemen. This is Kelly Antilles, General Antilles’ sister. Go about your business."
Reluctantly, the guards turned and left the office. Leia smiled as she looked at her friend. "I take it you snuck in."
A smirk crossed her face. "Wouldn’t you sneak if you looked like this?" Her face was red from crying. Tears stained her cheeks and her shirt was wet.
"Point. Why don’t you go clean up a bit. I need to make a quick call anyway."
Kelly nodded and moved into the refresher. Leia pulled out her comlink and called Pash.
"Kelly?"
"No Pash, it’s Leia. I know where Kelly is."
"Oh Leia. Thank the Force. Is she ok?" Relief poured from him.
"She’s fine. I think you and she need to have a long talk. I’ll send her home soon."
"Thanks, Leia. I owe you one."
Kelly splashed cold water on her face. She hurt so much. Pash and Airen’s relationship
was already strained from the death of Pash’s mother. She knew very little of
what happened, only that she had died during a raid on his homeworld. Perhaps
one day she would ask. Now, however, she had to make a very important decision.
Stay or go.
She looked at the tired image in the mirror. "I have to do what is best for everyone." She stared into the mirror, looking through it. She came to a decision and nodded. "Leia," she called as she walked back into the office.
The petit woman smiled. "There, you look much better."
"I feel better. Thank you for talking with me. I better go."
"You’re welcome. If you ever need anything."
"I will," she said responding to the unsaid. She walked out of the office.
Pash was wearing a hole in the carpet. He paced again in the same spot where he had been when his father was there. Now, while waiting for Kelly, he paced again. It had been an hour since he had spoken with Leia. He was about to call her again when the door opened.
"I’m sorry I’m late," Kelly called to him. "I decided to go ahead and pick up dinner." She sat a box on the table from their favorite restaurant. "Ferren didn’t mind fixing it up for us."
He wasn’t paying attention to anything but her. Pulling her into his arms, he held her tight. "I was afraid...," his voice cracked as the tears finally came.
She stiffened slightly when he grabbed her. Yet, when he began to cry, she melted. Wrapping her own arms around him, she held him close. "I’m sorry. I should have called. Something came up suddenly."
"You heard dad and me, didn’t you," he asked into her shoulder.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the Force. She connected to his mind. He had found the bags. "Yes," she said softly, not able to lie. "Yes I did."
"I don’t care. I love you and want you to be my wife. Nothing else matters."
"I know dear, I know." She held him close as tears returned to her own eyes.
Kelly looked up at the ceiling. Pash lay asleep beside her in the bed. She looked
at him and almost cried. This is for the best, she told herself. Quiet
as a mouse, she got up and dressed, throwing some things in a duffel bag.
She looked down at him. "I love you with all my heart, my dearest. I will never forget you." She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the forehead. He groaned slightly and rolled over. She smiled and moved from the room. One last thing before I go.
She went over to the holorecorder and turned it on. "Hi. By the time you watch this, I’ll be gone from Coruscant space. First, I want to say I’m sorry. I never meant to come between you and your father. That is the last thing in this galaxy I would want to do. I don’t want you to go through what I did. When I left home, it was after a long and loud argument with my parents. I was so angry with them.
"It was over two years before I returned home. Everything was gone." Tears filled her eyes. "I had realized I was wrong and I wanted to apologize, but I couldn’t. They were dead and it was my fault. I wasn’t there to help protect them.
"Your father is all the family you have. Don’t loose it. I was an empty shell until I found Wedge. My life was complete once again." She paused to take a deep breath.
"Don’t think that I don’t love you. I love you with all my heart. And that is why I must leave. Family is the most important thing in the galaxy. If you have no family, you have nothing. Take care, my love. I will see you again sometime. Perhaps by then..." She stopped. Reaching over, she turned the recorder off. Best to leave it like that.
Taking out the disk, she put it on the table with a written note that simply said, "I love you."
Airen Cracken sat at his desk looking over the latest reports from his operatives. He looked up briefly as his son burst into the office.
"You got your wish," Pash said as he slammed a holodisk on the desk.
The elder Cracken raised an eyebrow while still looking over the reports. "What are you talking about?"
Pash’s mouth fell open. "You mean you don’t know? I figured you of all people would know that Kelly left Coruscant last night."
"Oh really. I did not know that." Cracken hated lying to his son, but he had to learn. Of course he knew she was gone. He had people watching her at all times. However, she had been able to elude them once she hit space.
"It’s all your fault she left." Pash was getting frustrated. His father would not listen to reason.
"I did nothing. She didn’t disappoint me, though she did leave a bit sooner than I expected." He kept his head down trying to concentrate on his work.
Pash threw his arms into the air. "By the Emperor’s Hand! I can’t believe you. She heard us yesterday. That’s why she left. She didn’t want us to hate each other."
"She eavesdropped on our conversation. That does not surprise me."
"It’s her apartment too!" Pash’s face was red from anger. "She was probably on her way in the door when she heard."
Airen had yet to look up at his son. He knew he couldn’t. "I told you not to move in with her. See the problem she has caused?"
"Damnit! There is no talking logically with you, is there? Fine. I’m going after her."
This caught him off guard. He never expected his son to desert his squadron to run off after some tramp. "You cannot do that. You have a squadron to look after."
"Forget the squadron. I quit!" Pash grabbed the disk and stormed out of the room.
Airen watched him leave, a deep frown on his face. This was not good.
"I should have all the latest test scores from the new Rogues by this afternoon," Tycho Celchu added.
Wedge nodded. "Good. I’m interested to see how they’re holding out." He looked up as Pash Cracken walked in the door.
"Wedge, I really need to talk to you," the Ace Squadron leader said.
Wedge looked at his future brother-in-law. Something was definitely wrong. "We’re finished here anyway. Ok, everyone dismissed. I expect those test scores by this evening."
The commanders of the squadrons all nodded, stood and left. Tycho put a hand on Pash’s shoulder as he passed. "Are you ok?"
Pash nodded. "I will be."
"Well, if you need anything..." The commander of Rogue Squadron took his leave, closing the door behind him.
Wedge motioned for the tall man to sit. "So, what’s the problem?" He leaned back in his chair, prepared for a long explanation
"It’s Kelly. She left."
He sat up quickly. "What? When? Where? Why?"
Pash sighed and put his head in his hands. "Last night. She had heard Dad and me fighting over the wedding again. Sithspawn, why can’t he just accept her?"
"Did she leave a note or anything?"
Pash nodded and handed Wedge the holodisk. The General slipped it into his player and watched the image of his sister appear before him. He listened to her reasoning and had to admire her strength. "She’s right, you know?"
"What do you mean?"
"Family is important."
"Yeah, but so is she. Doesn’t she know that she’s my reason for living? It used to be I would go out and try and get myself killed. I knew I wasn’t invincible, but that was going to be the only way to prove to everyone I was human. Now, I know I can come home to her. Her smile keeps me going." He was hurting inside. He hurt worse than he had when his mother died.
The General rose from his desk and moved around to place a hand on his friend’s shoulder. "Let me put in some calls to some friends. I’m sure we can find her."
Kelly looked out the viewport of the Zena’s Revenge. It had been a while since she had flown the TL-1800. It felt good to be back in the pilots seat. She felt guilty about asking for emergency leave from the squad, but the senate wasn’t meeting, so they weren’t needed. Ahead in the distance, she saw the familiar image of Gus Treta hanging in the sky. It would be nice to be home again.
Her comm beeped. "Gus Treta to unknown freighter. Please identify yourself."
"Gus Treta, this is the Zena’s Revenge requesting clearance to land for personal business."
A few moments of silence passed. "Request granted Revenge. You may land at docking port 37."
"Thank you, control." Kelly steered the ship towards the familiar landing port. It happened to be the one that was beside where her parent’s fueling station had been. She landed the Revenge softly. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself as she exited the ship.
Not much had changed since her last visit. She walked over to the window that used to be the doorway into the refueling station. She placed her hand on the glass and gazed out.
The children ran through the hall laughing. "You can’t catch me," yelled a boy
with dark hair.
"Yes I can," giggled the little girl who was following. Closing her eyes, the girl gritted her teeth and ran as fast as she could. Unfortunately, her father stepped out into the hallway at the wrong moment. She ran headlong into the man’s legs.
"Hold on there, princess," her father said. "You know you shouldn’t be running through here."
The little girl thrust her lower lip out and pouted. "I sowwy daddy. It’s Veggie’s fault. He started it."
"I did not," her brother said in his defense.
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Now stop, both of you." He stooped down to look his children in the eye. "What have your mother and I taught you?"
The young boy sighed and rolled his eyes. "We should not fight unless it is a last resort, especially with each other."
The little girl sniffed and nodded in agreement. "Always defend and protect each other. Respect life."
The man smiled and touched her on the nose. "Exactly. Now, you two go home to play."
"Yes, sir," the children said in unison. The boy took the girl’s hand and began to lead her away. "Come on, Kel. Let’s go play fighter pilot."
"Can I help you," a voice said from behind her.
She brought herself back to the present and wiped the tears from her eyes. It was if she had actually been there watching herself with Wedge and her father. "Um, no I’m fine," she said as she turned.
She came face to face with someone very familiar. "Cortan!" Immediately, she jumped in the older man’s arms. "I’m so glad to see you!"
"Nice to see you too, young lady." Cortan hugged her tightly. "What are you doing here?"
"I had to get away for a while. I thought I would come here and see if I could track down some old friends."
"You mean your sister."
She grinned. "Still can’t get away with anything with you, huh? Right now is a time in my life that I really need my sister." She gazed back out the window again, loosing herself in the past.
"She isn’t here," Cortan said softly. "Fel came and took her a few years back. I’m sorry."
"I knew. I was just hoping I was wrong." She sighed.
"Deep sigh for such a little lady."
"She didn’t leave a way to keep in touch, did she?"
He shook his head. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I need a place to stay."
A grin cracked his lips. "Easy enough. Come on and we’ll get you settled."
Several days later, Airen Cracken looked over a report from one of his best operatives. Just as he expected, she went to Corellia, probably to look for her sister. A side note the operative had mentioned was that there was a conflict on the main planet, Corellia. The operative was a Corellian and wished to check it out. He shook his head.
The message had been sent three days ago and he had no other communications from this operative since then. That was strange. She usually sent reports at least every other day. He decided to give her one more day. If nothing came in tomorrow, he would take matters into his own hands.
Wedge walked up to the door. Pash had not emerged from his apartment since Kelly
had left. He was afraid of what he might find once he got inside. The bell rang
as he pushed the button.
No response.
He tried again with the same result. Just out of curiosity, he tried the door. It swished open to his touch. "Figures," he mumbled as he walked through the door.
The first thing he noticed was the stench. Boxes of half eaten food were strewn everywhere. Dishes were piled in the sink. He found Pash laying on the couch asleep. He was still wearing the same clothes he had three days ago. A half a bottle of Corellian whiskey lay on the floor beside him.
Wedge sighed. He hated seeing his friend in such a state and it hurt him even more that his sister was the cause of it. He reached down and shook Pash’s shoulder. "Hey, wake up."
The red haired man groaned and mumbled something under his breath before rolling over. Wedge tried again. "Go ‘way," he finally said, waiving an arm limply in the air.
"Pash, get up."
"Don’ wanna." He buried his head in the pillows on the couch.
Wedge winced as he thought of the only thing that might get the man on his feet. "’Ten hut!"
At the sound, Pash snapped up into a rigid standing position which lasted for only a moment. The sudden movement startled his body. He doubled over and released the alcohol and what dinner he had eaten the night before on the coffee table.
Wedge was barely able to jump out of the way to avoid being in the "line of fire." "I’m sorry I had to do that."
Pash wiped his mouth as he sat back down on the couch. "Kelly’s gonna kill me for that." He winced and put his head in his heads. "I wish she would just come home."
"So do I," Wedge said quietly. "We have a possible lead. It’s a few days old, but I really don’t think she has left from there."
"Where is she," he asked with excitement.
"Corellia."
Five hours later, Pash was ready to leave. He went to meet Wedge at the Rogue
Squadron headquarters. The pilots were busy getting their ships into condition
before their next mission. Pash envied the young men and women. They had no
worries. He sighed as he went into Tycho’s office.
"Wow, perfect timing," Tycho said as he entered. "Wedge just got here."
"You look much better," said Wedge.
"I feel better. Two pots of caf and a shower really help. Only problem is, I’m wired."
Tycho and Wedge chuckled. "How many times have we seen that," asked Tycho.
"Too many to remember," replied Wedge.
Pash’s comlink beeped. "Cracken here." He listened and grew pale. "I’ll be right there."
"What’s wrong?"
"That was Admiral Ackbar. It seems my father never made it to a meeting he had with the Admiral this morning."
"Is he ok?"
"I don’t know. Ackbar wants me to come to his office." Pash really wanted to go find Kelly. But, he was also worried about his father. What to do?
"I’ll call Mirax and tell her..."
Family is the most important thing in the galaxy. If you have no family, you have nothing. Her voice echoed in his mind. He cut Wedge off. "No. You go on. Maybe if you find her, she can help if anything has happened. Tell her that I love her and want her home soon."
"Are you sure?" Wedge did not want to leave his friend in a time of need.
"I need her. Please, find her for me."
Wedge nodded. "I will. Good luck."
"May the Force be with us." Pash turned and left quickly.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Tycho mumbled.
Ackbar was not happy. His whiskers twitched in agitation as he told Airen Cracken’s
son why his father was missing. He honestly was not sure where Airen had gone,
just that he had left abruptly. "His aid said that he left suddenly last night."
Pash’s brow was creased deeply. "That is very unlike him. Had he said anything before hand, like he intended to go somewhere?"
"It was not mentioned. Had he said anything to you?"
He shook his head. "We haven’t talked in days. We had another argument about the wedding."
The Admiral nodded. "Yes. He is still having problems with the arrangement?"
"I wish I knew what it was that makes him distrust her so much."
Ackbar wished he knew that as well. All his dealings with the youngest Antilles had been encouraging. She was intelligent and wise, yet could be very insubordinate. But, she is a pilot and that is the nature of that beast. "His office has not been disturbed since he left. Perhaps you can find a clue as to where he has gone."
The tall pilot nodded. "Yes sir. I will let you know if I find anything."
"Good luck, Pash. And may the Force be with you."
Pash entered his father’s office. Several days before, he had yelled at him
in this very room. He wandered through looking for clues.
The office was rather simple. There were bookshelves full of books on all types of espionage and weapons. He looked over them, trying to see if any were missing. He came across a photo of his mother. She was standing in front of a Z95 Headhunter. Her red hair spilled down onto her shoulders. A helmet was tucked under her arm and she wore a flightsuit. Her smile was as bright as the suns of Tatooine. Family is important.
A beep from the computer terminal behind him shook him from his reverie. He moved to the desk and checked the screen. A single message was on it. Pash sat down and opened the message.
Admiral,
Things have gone from bad to worse. I don’t think I am going to be able to continue to concentrate on my current mission. You know where she is, and I don’t think she’s going anywhere. The situation on planet is much more important. Will send more information when I have it.
IW
The message date was only hours ago. This would not be the reason Airen left.
He looked for other messages from IW. He found one dated four days ago saying
that IW’s mission objective had been found on Corellia.
That clinched it. IW was looking for Kelly. Perhaps his father had gone to see Kelly and beg her to come back. No, that was inconceivable. Airen cared nothing for Kelly. But perhaps this IW was important to him. Pash knew that most NRI operatives reported in every other day. Four days was highly unusual.
And the initials, IW, seemed very familiar. He skimmed through some of Airen’s files until he found it. "Iella Wesseri." She was a Corellian and would be highly interested in any unrest on the planet. Being a former CorSec didn’t help matters much either. "He’s gone after her."
He pushed back the chair after copying the messages. "First, I need to tell Ackbar. Then... then..." He paused. What would he do next? He wanted to find Kelly, but he also wanted to find his father. "I guess I’ll figure it out when I get to that point." With that, he left the office.
Kelly sat in her sister’s room and meditated. She could feel the residuals of Syal and Soontir. Her sister truly loved the man. Honestly, she had respect for him that nobody could ever understand.
She had been on Gus Treta for about five days now. Most of her time had been spent in meditation. It had yielded no results as of yet. That would soon change. She sensed a familiar presence nearby.
Opening her eyes, she stood and moved into the living room. "We’re about to have guests," she said to Cortan. "But, you know that already."
He merely shrugged in response as the front bell rang.
She sighed and went to the door. "Hello, brother," she said as the door opened.
Wedge stood dressed in typical Corellian wear. "Do you realize what you’ve caused?"
She lowered her head. Tears readily sprung to her eyes. "I’m sorry, but..."
"Airen is missing."
"What," she asked in shock. "Where’s Pash? Does he know?" This wasn’t happening. There was no way Airen Cracken was gone. She led Wedge into the living room. Cortan had mysteriously disappeared.
"He’s still on Coruscant. At least he was when I left." Wedge sighed. "He really should be telling you this, not me."
"I sense you didn’t come here originally to tell me Airen was missing."
"Am I that transparent or have you learned to read me finally?"
"Oh, ha-ha. No, it’s just what you said. Come on, spill the beans."
"The original plans had been to bring Pash here to you. He hasn’t been himself since you left. He started drinking and wouldn’t leave the apartment."
"But, I don’t want to come between him and his father."
"I know," Wedge said as he took her hands in his. "And I agree. But, I really think you need to be with him right now."
Kelly looked deep into her brother’s eyes. She could see the concern for both herself and Pash in them. Wedge was a very caring man, sometimes to the extreme. Perhaps if she helped Pash to find Airen, then the older Cracken would have to accept her. "Ok. Let me get my things."
Wedge’s comlink suddenly beeped. "Yes?"
"You’ve got a message marked urgent from Ackbar coming through. You better come check it out."
"I’m on my way."
Kelly’s brow furrowed. "What is it?" She sensed that something was terribly wrong.
Wedge stood and pulled her arm. "I think you better come with me."
Brother and sister climbed the boarding ramp into the Pulsar Skate. Kelly
ran a hand along the bulkhead as they passed through. Not long ago she had been
aboard this same ship taking a journey to become a full-fledged Jedi Knight.
They moved into the cockpit where Mirax Horn was decoding the message.
"This does not look good," Mirax mumbled under her breath.
Wedge stepped up beside her. "What’s going on?"
She shook her head. "See for yourself," she said as she turned around. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Kelly standing there. "Hi."
"Hi Mirax. How’s Corran?"
"He’s fine. What about you?"
Kelly was unable to respond as Wedge cursed. "Ackbar is calling me back. Pash left out on his own to find Airen. He says Airen is on Corellia." He paused and thought. "Why would Cracken come to Corellia?"
"Maybe he was looking for me so he could thank me."
Wedge and Mirax frowned. "Look, I don’t know what Airen has against you," Mirax began. "But, he’s wrong to accuse you of anything."
She smiled at her longtime friend. "I appreciate your support, Mir."
Wedge turned to face her. "I wish I didn’t have to leave, but duty calls."
"The fate of the many outweighs that of the few. I understand. Knowing that Airen is nearby, maybe I should try and track him down." And perhaps gain his confidence, she thought.
He nodded. "Good idea." He pulled her into a tight hug. "Good luck."
"Thanks." She turned and left the ship. On the way back to the warehouse, she had plenty of time to think. What was going on down on Corellia that would bring Airen Cracken out of his office?
She looked up as she realized she was standing in front of The Scruffy Nerfherder. A perfect place to try and get information. Walking in, she took a seat at the bar. There actually were a few patrons. A whole lot more than the last time I was here. Her mind shifted back to when she had last been in The Nerf. She and Pash had really gotten to know each other on that trip.
"What can I get for you," asked the bartender.
"Whyren’s Reserve, please." She placed several credits on the bar.
The man raised an eyebrow. "You don’t look old enough for that, young lady."
She looked the man in the eyes and sighed. "You don’t need to see my identification. I am of age."
He blinked. "I will bring your drink right away."
She winced. It had worked, but she still didn’t like doing it. Altering a person’s thoughts was for her one of the hardest disciplines of the Force to do.
He brought her drink and sat it before her. "So, what brings you here?"
"I’m looking for someone." She took a sip of the whisky. It burned as it trailed down her throat. "Perhaps you can help me."
"Perhaps," he said as he absently polished the bar with a rag.
Kelly slid a few credits into his path.
He quickly counted up the two hundred creds before sweeping them off the top. "Must be someone important."
"Only to some people." She took another swallow as she pulled a datapad from her pocket. She pulled up a picture Pash had given her of him with Airen. "Have you ever seen either of these men?"
He looked at the photo closely. "Hm, the younger one looks familiar. But I’ve never seen that other one."
She took the datapad back and put it in her pocket. "Thanks." She swallowed down the rest of the whisky as she thought. "Is there anything going on down on Corellia?"
"What, you think your friend might be down there?"
She shrugged. "He likes to get his fingers into other people’s problems."
The man looked from left to right, checking for anyone listening in on their conversation. "There have been a few travelers through here lately talking about a gang down on the surface. So far they’ve only been harassing offworlders."
"Really," she asked interested. Gangs on Corellia. What will they think of next. "How tough is security getting on planet?"
"A bit harsher than normal, but a few creds always helps."
"Yes, it always does." She stood and placed a couple of creds on the bar. "Thanks for your help."
"Not a problem, Antilles."
She looked at the man hard.
"I’ve been around a long time, young one. You resemble your mother quite a bit. Be careful."
She smiled softly. "Thanks."
Kelly sat in the pilot’s seat of the Revenge looking over several ident
cards. "I haven’t used this one in a while," she muttered as she chose the one
with the name Karyn Allstone. Karyn was a pilot and a mechanic. Perhaps she
could charm her way down saying she was looking for a job.
Now was her chance. "This is Corellian Space Force. Please identify yourself and your destination."
She keyed the comm. "This is the Jagged Edge. I’m looking for work, so I’ll go just about anywhere." She watched the computer as her ident files were being transferred. They were perfect, but she always got nervous at this part.
"Jagged Edge, you have permission to land. A homing beacon will guide you. Enjoy your stay."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, CSF." She turned to take a languid path towards the surface.
3...2...1...**BOOM**
The explosion rocked nearby stores. Tira and Kam watched the people run in fear. Dar laughed beside them. "Look at ‘em. They’re like frightened nerf."
Tira frowned and closed her eyes. "We better run before CorSec gets here."
Kam nodded and headed for the swoops. The three young people took off away from the crime scene. They sped through the city and out into the forest. Tira kept looking behind them, thinking they were being followed. No one was there.
The forest thickened at the base of the mountain. The three weaved expertly through the trees, slowing when they reached a cave entrance in the side of the mountain. "Man, that was sweet," Dar exclaimed as he jumped off his swoop.
Kam nodded in agreement. "Something wrong," he asked Tira as he noticed her watching back through the woods. When she didn’t respond, he walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tira?"
She jumped and turned towards him. "What?"
"Is there something wrong? You seem very intense."
She glanced back at the woods. "It’s nothing," she replied as she walked towards the cave entrance.
The caves were a honeycomb of tunnels and rooms. The central most and largest
room is where they had set up their base of operations. Morbius strutted around
like a Lord watching over his domain. He saw Dar and Kam enter and walked up
to them. "How did it go?"
"Absolutely awesome," Dar replied earnestly. "Man, you should have been there. *BOOM*" He threw his hands up to mimic the explosion.
"And it was contained to the one shop?"
Kam nodded. "Of course. That is exactly how I planted the explosives."
"Good, good." Morbius rubbed his hands together. Things were going as planned. It was time to show CorSec that they were a force to be reckoned with. "Excellent work. We will plan another in a few days. We must allow the enemy to become lax again before we strike."
He sat upon his "throne". Yes, his time was about to come. He would humiliate CorSec, especially since he had captured the evil one, Officer Wesseri. His crew had captured another man who was trying to rescue the evil one. They told him he was someone important to the New Republic. He knew nothing of this, but kept him anyway. No one could stop him now.
Kelly steered her rented swoop down through Treasure Row. She slowed as she passed the store that had been bombed the day she had arrived. It was still a mess. CorSec had ideas, but no clear leads as to who had done it. Sighing, she continued to an Ithorian restaurant that had always been her favorite.
As she slipped off the swoop, she noticed a couple of young people intently watching the building directly across from where she was. A third quickly came up with them with a huge smile on his face. She followed their gaze and had a sudden flash of the future. "Get down," she screamed as she ran towards the building.
She threw up a Force shield just outside the building in hopes to protect those walking by. The entire area shook from the explosion as the building imploded. It knocked her from her feet. She rolled over and saw that everyone looked safe, then turned to where she had see the three young people. Just as she had suspected, they were readily taking off away from the crime scene.
Kelly ran and leaped on her swoop and turned quickly to follow. They exited the city and headed into the woods. She cloaked herself with the Force and continued to tail them. She could tell the female kept looking back as if she sensed something. There is nothing to sense here, she projected towards the three accomplices.
Tira was staring into the woods again. Kam shook his head, "Hey, are you going loopy on us?"
She turned and glared at him. "I swear someone was following us this time. Didn’t you feel it?"
Dar slapped her on the back. "Yeah right. All I could feel was our victory!" He pushed her towards the cave entrance. "We have to tell Morbius." The three moved inside.
Kelly waited until they were well out of sight before emerging from the woods.
She stood at the cave entrance. This place looks awful familiar. Slipping
into the shadows, she walked deep into the caves.
As she walked along, she reached out with her senses. There were many people in these tunnels. So many thoughts and sounds assaulted her senses that she didn’t detect someone behind her. A hand slipped around her mouth and the other around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides.
Startled, she lashed out with the Force. Her assailant was thrown from her into the wall. She turned to face the enemy and was shocked. "Pash," she asked in a whisper.
He groaned and held his head. "Kelly? What are you doing here?"
She immediately dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes. "Oh gods, are you ok? I didn’t know it was you."
"Yeah, I’ll be fine. You didn’t answer my question?" He looked up and reached out to wipe the tears from her cheek. He had missed her so.
"I saw those kids blow up a store on Treasure Row. I followed them here." She wiped tears from his face, then traced his jaw. A slight stubble covered it and felt rough against her fingers. "I.. I missed you."
His hand slid to the back of her neck and he pulled her to him. Gently, he placed his lips on hers and they kissed. He felt it through his entire body. Finally, he was whole again. Reluctantly, he pulled away. "We have to go. They will find us if we stay here too long."
She nodded. "Ok. So, who are they and what are they doing?"
Pash allowed her to help him to his feet. "Just some swoop gang," he said as he led her down the hall. "Seems their leader has something against CorSec. They have dad and Iella."
"Wesseri? How?"
"Dad had Iella following you. Don’t ask me why. I just want to get both of them out of here."
"We will, love. We will."
Iella Wesseri looked over at the older man sleeping in the corner. "Damnit Cracken," she whispered. "Why the hell did you come here." She tried to stretch, but felt the sting of the stun cuffs around her wrists and ankles.
She remembered Morbius when they had taken her to him. She still couldn’t believe he was the head of the gang. He had always been a follower. What had suddenly made him a leader? It did not matter. Somehow she had to figure out how to escape.
A light tap could be heard at the door. Iella stood and moved to look out. "Jedi Antilles?"
Kelly winked and put a finger against her lips. An audible click and the door opened. She walked in and began to remove Iella’s cuffs. "Here is where you’re supposed to say, ‘Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?’"
Pash moved to awaken his father. Airen rolled over groggily. "Dad, time to go home."
"Son? What are you doing here?" He sat up slowly and focused on Pash’s face. He felt the stun cuffs fall to the floor. No one had touched them. He looked up to see Kelly standing above him with Iella.
"Admiral, are you alright?" She held out a hand to help him up.
"You?"
"Sir, we need to get out of here as quickly as we can." She didn’t move her arm.
After a moment, he reached up and grabbed her forearm. He was surprised when she was able to pull him to his feet. "How did you find us?"
"We don’t have time for that, Dad." Pash began to help him out the door. "We have to get you out of here."
The foursome moved down the tunnel towards the exit. Kelly was in the lead,
followed by Pash and Airen. Iella brought up the rear. Kelly had given Iella
her blaster. She moved down the hall with her lightsaber in her hand. The weight
of the metal was reassuring.
"Damnit," she muttered as they approached a corner. She looked every direction. They all looked the same. "Which way," she asked Pash.
He shrugged, so she turned right. Moments later, the emerged into the central chamber. "Whoops, wrong turn," she said as she noticed several of the gang standing around.
Morbius stood up from his "throne". "How DARE you!"
"I dare very well." Kelly strode through the throng of people that suddenly had appeared, heading for the exit. She motioned Pash to follow.
Morbius stomped over to block her path. "You may not take my prisoners."
"And who’s going to stop me? You?"
"Careful," she heard Iella whisper behind her.
He puffed out his chest. "I am the Lord of this domain and those are my prisoners. SHE must stay." He pointed to Iella. "SHE has caused me much pain. I cannot let her leave alive."
"Well, you will have to go through me to get to her." Kelly stepped up to look eye-to-eye with the man.
His eyes suddenly changed from an ice blue to a steel, cold gray. The change startled her and she took a step back. His laughter rumbled deep within his chest. "You really think I cannot handle you, child?"
Even his voice had changed. Kelly knew what was going on. It was similar to what had happened to Marcus, her apprentice, yet this Sith had complete control. "I don’t think that body you have assumed can handle me."
"He is much stronger than you think, child. Prepare to become One with the Force." He threw a hand forward.
Kelly flew backwards. The Force push startled her, but she quickly regained her senses. She stopped her momentum and landed on her feet. "Not bad," she said in mock appraisal. She threw her arms wide in front of her.
Morbius was thrown from his feet and into his throne. Everyone scattered. Pash decided this was a good time to leave. "Come on Dad." They began to move towards an exit.
"I don’t think so," Morbius said as he rose to his feet. Several of the gang had surrounded Pash, Airen and Iella. "Have a seat and enjoy the show." He moved three chairs behind them and forced the three to sit.
Kelly cursed under her breath. She had hoped Pash would have gotten them out before the real fireworks began. Unfortunately, that was not the case. She heard the distinct snap-hiss of a lightsaber. Turning, she saw Morbius with a long, royal blue blade. She hefted hers into her hand and flicked it on. The purple blade sprung into life and hummed contentedly. "Why are you doing this? What do you have against Iella?"
"Ah yes, that is the name he calls her. I have nothing against your Iella. This young man does." He approached her like a stalking cat. "It seems he hates her so badly that I was able to take him easily."
She mirrored his moves. "That’s because he’s just a hoodlum." He struck first, a light swing to the left. She blocked it easily.
"But the fire of his hate was enough." He went in again to the left. She was quicker with her block this time. He was impressed by her ability. "You are not bad."
She snorted, "You are not a challenge."
He narrowed his eyes and began his attack anew. His lightsaber slashed through the air with amazing quickness. She blocked most, but allowed her Force shield to take some of the blows. He was not allowing her to counter attack at all.
Pash winced as he saw another attack get through to her right shoulder. She
was weak on that side and he was exploiting it for all it was worth.
"Why is she doing this," asked Airen.
He looked at his father with his mouth agape "She wants to save our lives. Sithspit, Dad. Why can't you just accept the fact that she wants to help you?"
Father looked at son. Son looked at Father.
Airen looked back at the woman his son loved fighting her heart out to save his life. She reminded him so much of his wife. Her enthusiasm and fire was as much, if not more than the woman he had loved. He turned to Iella for support
She looked back steadily. "Well, are you going to answer his question?"
A scream from Kelly cut short his reply. They turned and saw her grasping her right shoulder. Morbius had gotten through her shield. She backed away from her opponent until she regained the feeling in her right arm. She threw her left arm out in front of her.
He was expecting the push this time and steadied himself. She did move him backwards a few feet before he stopped. Then something happened he was not expecting. A table crashed into him. He stumbled from the weight before crushing it with the Force. He looked towards where she had been to find her missing.
She tapped his shoulder and he turned. A fist flew into his face, breaking his jaw. She switched her lightsaber to her left hand as she shook out her right. Before he could retaliate, she kneed him in the groin, doubling him over. She then took the hilt of her saber and cuffed him under the chin, sending him flying backwards. He landed with a crack against the wall.
Morbius tried to stand, but his body was broken and bruised. He was not going to be finished by this weakling child. Setting his hands flat on the floor, he pushed himself up, and promptly fell back, hitting his head rendering himself unconscious.
Pash jumped to his feet and ran to her. He picked her up in his arms, swinging her around. "Beautiful. Where did you learn a move like that?"
She grinned like a child. "From Shalla. Can we go home now?" She looked over to Iella and Airen.
Iella stood and helped Airen to his feet. "Yes, I believe it is time to go. I will contact CorSec to come clean up this mess."
The group that formerly had been led by Morbius stood in shock. "If I were you," Kelly said to them. "I would leave quickly." The group scattered in different directions. One young girl stayed behind.
Kelly looked at her. She had been the one with the other two in town. "That means you too."
Tira sighed. "I know what I did was wrong, and I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt anyone. We always tried to make sure nobody was in the places when they blew."
She nodded. "I know."
"You followed us, didn’t you?"
"Yes, and I know that you have a gift." Kelly walked over to the young woman. "I think you should learn about it from some friends of mine."
Tira looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"You can use the Force. That is how you knew I was following you." She took a flimsy from her pocket. "This person can help you. Give him a call sometime."
The girl looked at the flimsy and saw a name and address on Gus Treta. "Is he a Jedi?"
"He’s a teacher. I will let him know you will be contacting him." Kelly smiled and wrapped an arm around Pash as they left.
Epilogue:
It had been a month since the incident on Corellia. Kelly looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a long off-white gown. I can’t believe it’s finally here. Behind her, she heard Mirax directing Dia, Shalla and Inyri.
Someone knocked on the door and Mirax went to answer. "Oh, it’s you," she said to the man standing in the doorway. "Can I help you?"
"I’d like to speak to Kelly alone, if I could."
"Just a moment. I’ll ask." Mirax came into where she still stood looking in the mirror. "It’s Airen. He wants to talk to you alone."
She turned to Mirax. "I know. Let him in and leave us."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Mirax shrugged and gathered the other three women. "Let’s go ladies. It’s going to be a father-in-law, daughter-in-law talk." She ushered them out and Airen in. "She’s in the other room," she told him as she closed the door.
Airen cleared his throat. She turned around and he caught his breath. She looked stunning. "Hello Airen," she said softly.
"You look beautiful." It was the truth. He could not lie, especially to her, especially now. "I wanted to give you something."
She motioned to a chair. "Have a seat. I’d sit as well, but I’m afraid of this dress." She grinned for the first time that day. Her nerves were finally settling.
He sat down and pulled something from his pocket. "I would appreciate it if you would wear this today. It was Pash’s mother’s." He held up the necklace by the chain. A locket dangled below. On the front was an etching of the Contruum Security Force symbol.
She took the locket into her hand. Opening it, she looked at the picture of the woman inside. She looked just like Pash, red hair, green eyes and dazzling smile. "Is this her?"
Airen nodded. "She was a wonderful wife, mother and an even better pilot." He felt tears coming to his eyes.
Kelly turned the locket over to read the inscription. With all my love, Airen. "She meant a lot to you."
"Yes. More than you could ever imagine." He thought of all the times he had spent with his wife. "She was quite a woman. Has Pash ever told you..."
"No," she interrupted. "I thought that when he felt he could, he would tell me."
"It was my fault," he said looking her in the eyes. "I allowed her to do it."
Kelly waited patiently for him to continue.
"We were under attack by the Trade Federation. They were trying to forcibly take Contruum. I was head of the Security Forces at the time. When they appeared, I ordered all fighters to launch. I couldn’t tell her no, since she was our best pilot." His mind flashed images of the Contruum Headhunters flying against the droid fighters. "She ran the battle well.
"It wasn’t long before there were fewer of our forces than of theirs. There was only one way to even the odds." He closed his eyes as he remembered what she had done. "She radioed me. Her shields were gone and she only had one torpedo left. She wanted to make one last run on the control ship.
"I knew what she wanted to do and tried to talk her out of it. She told me that she loved me and for me to take care of the children. I watched as she flew her Headhunter down the Federation's throat." He clinched his eyes shut as he saw her ship explode.
"Did it work," she asked quietly.
"Without the command ship, the other ships just stopped. They surrendered and we won our freedom. They never came back while I was there. The funny thing is, Pash has never once blamed me."
"He has a reason not to. It wasn’t your fault."
Airen shook his head. "I could have called her off. I could have ordered her to stay on planet. I could have..."
She held up a hand. "You could have done nothing. I see now why you have been so against my relationship with Pash. You don’t want him to be hurt again."
He nodded solemnly.
"I swear to you, Airen Cracken, that I will never intentionally hurt your son. If I were to do that, I would be hurting myself even more." She held the necklace out to him. "Would you please help me put this on?"
He stood and took the necklace in his hand. She pulled up her hair as he slid it around her neck. It fit perfectly. She turned to face him. "Thanks, Airen. I will cherish it always." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
He blushed profusely. "I think I had better get back to my seat." He hurriedly left.
Kelly turned to admire the locket in the mirror when she heard the door open
again. "Is that you, Mir?" She turned and nearly fainted.
A woman with long blonde hair stood before her dressed like the bridesmaids. "Hello, little princess."
"You came," she shouted as she pulled her sister into her arms. "I knew you would."
Syal Fel smiled broadly. "Of course I would. I could never miss my only sister’s wedding day. Now stop crying before you get makeup all over that beautiful dress."
"Are you by yourself or..." Kelly paused as she really looked her sister over. "Oh, by the Force, you’re pregnant! Congratulations!"
Syal laughed, "This will be my third, dear. And no, Soontir is here along with little Wedge and Zena."
"Does Wedge know?"
"Yes, I know," Wedge said from the doorway. "It’s time."
Syal hugged her one last time. "Good luck. I’ll be right there beside you if you need any support."
"Thanks sis." Syal walked out and Kelly took Wedge’s hand. "This has turned out to be a wonderful day."
"I would have to agree." Wedge smiled broadly as he slipped her hand onto his left arm. "So, are you ready?"
She nodded and the music began. Inyri was first down, followed by Dia and Shalla. Mirax and Syal walked side by side. They had the largest smiles on their faces as they looked over at Soontir and the children.
The music changed. Kelly and Wedge stepped out from the wings. She looked up and caught Pash’s eye. His jaw had dropped when he saw her. Corran nudged him and he quickly shut is and replaced it with a huge smile. Opening her senses, Kelly could hear everyone’s comments. There were many low whistles from the male guests and lots of appraising comments from the females. Her eyes were focused on her future husband. Finally, after so long, they were going to get to spend the rest of their lives together.
Tears began to fill her eyes as she stepped up beside him with Wedge in-between. Admiral Ackbar winked at her and she smiled. When she and Pash were finally looking at each other, he spoke to her quietly as Ackbar continued the initial part of the ceremony. "Where did you get that locket?"
"Your father," she said smiling. "We have an understanding now. Don’t worry. You and I will be together for a very long time."
He smiled. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
