Star Wars 1. Target Practice

"Sabacc!" said Kryystann in a triumphant voice. "Well gentle beings looks like I win again."   
  
As Kryystann reached for her winnings, an Aqualish stood up angrily, sending his chair flying while making threatening tones toward Kryystann. As Kryystann raised her eyes up to him, her hand still over the pile of credits she had just won, the Aqualish's human partner positioned himself face to face with her. And a more repulsive face on a human Kryystann could not imagine, this guy called himself Dr. 'something or other', he should really see about fixing his mangled face.   
  
"That's ten hands in a row you've won, my friend thinks that nobody's that lucky" the man said to her, his breath nearly making her gag.   
  
"And this is my problem how exactly?" Krystann asked the man while staring at the orange jacketed Aqualish with her piercing blue eyes.   
  
The Aqualish grunted. "Ponda doesn't like you" the man sneered.   
  
"And this is my problem how exactly?" Krystann asked again, bringing her cold stare to fall on the good doctor.   
  
"I don't like you either!" the man yelled as he turned the gaming table over and reached out for Kryystann.   
  
Instead of retreating, Kryystann met his advance with her own and ducked under his outstretched arm and used her limited momentum to drive her shoulder into the Aqualish's stomach or where the Aqualish's stomach should be, she wasn't really sure what the internal organ arrangement was on an Aqualish. In any case it had the desired effect of catching the Aqualish off guard and knocked him off his feet. Dropping to one knee as she turned back to face the human, she drew her blaster and fired off a shot at the Aqualish's partner. However luck was on his side as he slipped and the blaster bolt rocketed past him and shot the glass out of the hand of a very big, very mean looking Trandoshan. As the Trandoshan brought his rifle up, Krysstann noticed that the Aqualish and the human had also gotten to their feet and were grabbing for blasters. Deciding that now would be a good time to cut her losses, she sprinted for the door and collided with a group of smugglers coming in for a drink. As she tried to untangle herself from the men, she felt a definite, intentional grope of her backside. Well she may not be sure of where everything was on an Aqualish, but she knew for sure where everything was on a human. Turning and grabbing the man by his shirt she brought her knee up and crumpled the man to a fetal position on the ground. She turned just in time to see the punch being aimed at her head by one of the groper's two companions and ducked while pushing the man toward the third member of the party. Taking advantage of their disorientation, she took off across the breezeway toward the docking bay where the Shooting Star and Matara were waiting. She took once glance behind and saw that she was now being pursued by the three smugglers, the ugly human, the Aqualish, and the Trandoshan. She laughed with glee as she fled her pursuers.   
  
Meanwhile, back at the docking bay Matara Healbo was receiving her instruction from one of Jabba the Hutt's lieutenants on where exactly she was to smuggle her cargo.   
  
"…and so you get 10% up front and the rest when Jabba has verification of delivery, agreed?" said Vir Ralsk. A bony human with a nose that was way to big and broad for his skinny face. He smiled at Matara in what he must have considered to be his most winning smile.   
  
"Agreed, we should have Jabba's cargo at its destination in ten standard days." Matara replied as she wondered just why everyone who worked for Jabba smelled so bad. She noticed that the Ralsk was still standing there…smiling at her.   
  
"Agreed, you may go now" Matara said again, waving him away with the back of her hand.   
  
His smile went away to be replaced by a scowl as he abruptly turned on his heel and stomped off.   
  
"Good riddance, now all I have to do is collect Kryys, hope she hasn't gotten into trouble……" Matara's sentence trailed off as she saw Kryys 500 meters aways coming at her at a dead run. "Oh, no"   
  
"We've got to go Matara!" Kryys yelled as she neared Matara and the Shooting Star.   
  
"Kryys, I told you to stay out of trouble" Matara groaned.   
  
"You can punish me later, right now we've got to fly" Kryys yelled as she grabbed Matara by the arm and half dragged her up the entry ramp to the ship.   
  
Matara looked over her shoulder in time to see several angry figures waving their blasters and running toward the ship. Hitting the button to close the ramp Matara followed Kryys to the cockpit.   
  
Sitting in the captain's chair looked over at Kryys. "What did you do this time?"   
  
"I cheated at Sabacc" Kryys said, her face beaming. Matara shook her head as the ship lifted off and headed for deep space. She glanced over at Kryss again. Kryys was absolutely giddy.   
  
  
"What am I going to do with you Kryys?" Matara asked as she punched in the their nav course. "Every   
spaceport we go to, we have to leave in a hurry because you've decided to play one too many games."  
  
"We can discuss this later. I think right now we need to worry about what's on our tail." Kryys answered   
as she looked at the rear display.  
  
Glancing at the display readout Matara swore under her breath as she saw a squadron of TIE fighters   
coming upon them. "Now look what you've done. You've got the spaceport's defenses coming after us."  
  
Kryysttan's smile just got bigger at Matara's comment. "Oh wipe that smirk off your face and man the   
guns. We can't jump to lightspeed until the Nav computer finishes plotting our course."  
  
With that Kryys grabbed the firing helmet from it's resting place between the two of them. The view   
screen inside the helmet allowed Kryys the ability to see all angles of trajectory of the 'Shooting Stars'   
guns.  
  
"Get ready, here they come." Matara said as she took the Surronian Conqueror Assault ship into a dive to   
escape the on coming assault.   
  
"Come on little TIE Fighters...come to Kryystann." Kryystann said to herself as she watched the TIE's split formation and begin trying to flank the Shooting Star.   
  
As Matara continued evasive maneuvers, Kryss shifted power to the starboard guns and readied herself for the task at hand.   
  
"Stupid little Imps" she thought to herself "They wouldn't even begin to know how to think for themselves, they're doing everything just as they were taught to do."   
  
"Oh well, more fun for me" Kryss said aloud as the smile on her face broadened. "Matara, on my mark turn the Star 60 degrees to port and then bank hard right."   
  
"But that will put us right in their line of fire, I'd really rather not do their jobs for them."   
  
"Trust me"   
  
"Sure trust you, why don't I just engage the auto destruct code and save them the trouble" Matara mumbled under her breath.   
  
"The trouble with you Matara is you just don't know how to have fun."   
  
"NOW" Kryys yelled before Matara could reply.   
  
Executing the moves as Kryys had instructed brought the Shooting Star directly in range of the TIE's flanking them on their port side. At the same instant Kryys fired the Star's starboard lasers, and with the power she shifted to them, vaped two of the TIE's who had no doubt considered themselves out of range. The remaining fighters on the starboard flank readjusted their flight path up to avoid the same mistake of their comarades.   
  
"Matara, Maneuver Delta now!" Kryys yelled.   
  
Without hesitation Matara executed Maneuver Delta which took the Star straight up 90 degrees and pulled their pursuers straight up with them intent on crippling the freighter. Just as the lead fighter was going to pull the trigger he realized the trap he and his squad had flown into as he watched the freighter  
do a hard reverse and plummet downward. A crazy move that could tear a ships engines completely out of their frame, but he had no time to think about the mental capacity of the Shooting Star's crew as the two parts of the squadron were now on a collision course with each other. Amid the confusion and quest for self-preservation his squadron scrambled every which way to avoid each other. He banked his TIE hard to port in an effort to avoid another but it wasn't enough and the two small fighter clipped each other and spun out of control toward Nar Shadda.   
  
Kryystann removed her helmet and looked over at Matara and let out a triumphant yell. "Oh that was fantastic."   
  
"We're lucky the ship held together at all with that crazy maneuver" Matara retorted to her friend. "You will be the death of me yet you crazy blue haired Lasthunian"   
  
With a huge smile Kryss said "Very possible, but not today...ready for lightspeed?"   
  
"Punch it" Matara said as she herself began to smile. 


	2. A Strange Boy

The Stars turned into starlines and the 'Shooting Star' shot into hyperspace.  
  
"So where is that slug sending up now?" Kryystann said as she propped her feet up on the consul infront of her.  
  
"We first have to pick up the spice from Kessel and from there we are to go on to Ord Mantell. There we drop the cargo and collect the payment." Matara responded leaning back in the pilots chair. "It's supposed to be a quiet run, but with you along I'm sure we'll make a little noise."  
  
Kryystann only smiled back at her, letting her completely blue eyes flash with excitement. "So how long is this supposed to take?"  
  
"It shouldn't take us long to reach Kessel, but Ord Mantell will take a few days to reach." Matara answered as she fingered the scar which ran from her left earlobe to her chin. "Let's try and hurry our visit on Kessel. The prisoners give me the creeps, I hate wearing a breath mask and I don't want you to start another game of Sabacc with the guards. Those blaster burns are hard to get off the paint job." She finished as she shot her friend a look of warning.  
  
Kryys threw her hands up in disgust. "I'm only trying to make your life more interesting. What would you do with out me?" she smiled.   
  
Later on Kryystann left Matara in the cockpit and went back to her small living quarters aboard the Shooting Star to get some rest. After changing her clothes and putting on the old long shirt she wore for sleeping, Kryys sat on her bunk cross-legged and closed her eyes. She thought about the fun she had had  
antagonizing those idiots back at Nar Shaada and the subsequent fight with the TIE Fighters. But that had been several hours ago and now she was getting bored again. She hated boredom. Boredom meant nothing was happening. If nothing was happening then there was no thrill. Since she had left Lasthunia at the age of 17 she had lived life on the edge and had nearly died at the age of 18 in a cantina fight, that she had started. To most nearly being killed was a situation they avoided, but for Kryystann it was a situation she sought. But then it wasn't really up to her, it was her Lasthunian physiology and culture that caused her to seek the trouble she never had trouble finding. Lasthunians are perhaps one of the most unique races in the galaxy. The planet Lasthunia is a small planet and there are no male Lasthunians. Only females and a finite number at that. At the age of 17 Lasthunian's go off into the galaxy in search of adventure and whatever wealth they can acquire. If they make it to the age of 40 they return to Lasthunia where they go through the ritual of Noctra in which there bodies literally disappear and they are reborn to start the process again. One would think that given the small and finite number of Lasthunians that they would not actively seek out the danger they do. But that was the paradox of the Lasthunian nature, a species incapable of reproducing that actively sought out dangers that could lead to death. And death for a Lasthunian was final, the ritual of Noctra can only be performed on Lasthunia and only at the age of 40. If  
a Lasthunian dies before then, she can not be reborn and the species as a whole is that much closer to extinction.   
  
Kryys knew exactly how long she had and she knew that she could not deny her nature so she simply accepted her destiny. However she was not blind to the realization that human lifespans were hard to determine and even though the smuggling lifestyle did not often lead to retirement, Matara's plan was to live a long as she could. Several times Kryys had tried to convince Matara that should she wish to break their partnership she would understand. But Matara wasn't like most of the humans she had encountered, she was loyal and a true friend. Matara understood Kryystann's nature and still chose to stick with her despite all the trouble she caused. Kryys also knew that despite her comments Matara loved the action nearly as much as she did. Finishing her meditation Kryys stretched out on the cot.   
  
She thought to herself that this boredom could not continue, if tomorrow provided no action....well then, she would just have to take matters into her own hands once they reached Kessel.   
  
With thoughts of havoc and mayhem dancing through her head Kryystann drifted off to sleep.  
  
Kryystann opened her eyes...something was not right. She sat up in bed and looked around the dimly lit cubicle. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As she reached for the light there was movement out of the corner of her eye. Kryystann turned quickly and sprang to her feet, assuming a defensive stance for whatever trouble lay ahead. She saw nothing. With all of her senses on alert she got dressed and strapped on her gunbelt. Still feeling the awareness that she wasn't alone she started toward the door when all the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She slowly turned around and there sitting on her bunk was a....boy. A young boy by the looks of him and he was grinning up at her and taking her in with captivating eyes.   
  
"Hello pretty lady" said the boy.   
  
"Hello yourself" replied Kryystann.  
  
The boy got up and walked over to Kryys and took her hand and pulled her down to eye level with him.   
  
"I need your help pretty lady...will you help me" the boy asked her. There was a pleading in his eyes that caused Kryys's heart to reach out to him. There was something about this boy....   
  
"Of course I'll help you, let's go see my partner and we'll...."   
  
"I'm sorry pretty lady, there's no time." the boy interrupted her. The boy closed his eyes and he and Kryystann were no longer aboard the Shooting Star.   
  
Kryystann awoke with a start and was instantly on her feet. The boy was gone and if it weren't for the fact that she was standing amongst a stand of trees rich with vegetation she may have doubted his existence. However as it stood she knew two things for sure...she didn't know where she was and she wasn't on the Shooting Star. She knew the boy wasn't around, she could feel it. She checked her blaster and headed off walking toward what appeared to be some sort of settlement far off in the distance. After walking for a time she noticed a transport headed in her direction so she stopped, awaited its arrival, and prepared herself for trouble...at least she hoped there would be trouble. The transport was a low to the ground vehicle with twin blaster cannons sitting atop on a swivel giving it 360 degree firing range. Two drivers sat inside the machine while six others rode rode in the open in compartments on the side of the machine, three on each side. Krysstann could see that they were armed and as the vehicle pulled within twenty feet of her the compartments opened and the six troops took flanking positions and raised their guns at her. Krysstann heard a whirring sound and saw the twin cannon turn and train itself on her.   
  
"Hands up" yelled the closest trooper.   
  
Kryystan smiled...at least she wasn't bored anymore.   
  
Kryystann placed her hands on top of her head and dropped to her knees. "Well boys it looks like you've got me...now come and get me" she said a sly smile playing across her lips.   
  
The head trooper nodded to two of the others and they holsterd their weapons and made their way to Kryystann. As they approached Kryystann sized them up, They wore standard gray uniforms with black knee-high boots and black gloves, on their sleeve was an insignia for whatever planetary government they served. As far as weapons went Kryys only saw the Imperial issue blaster's at their side and given the Imperial Troop Transport they rode in they either were in allegiance with the Empire or bold enough to flaunt Imperial contraband in the open. Either way they didn't seem none to friendly. Kryystann looked up at the troopers as they stopped directly in front of her.   
  
"Get up" ordered the trooper on the left.   
  
Instead of complying with his order Kryystann took both off guard by lowering her head to the ground. Exchanging confused glances the guards bent down and each grabbed one of Kryystann's arms. As they started to bring her up Kryystann' right leg shot up behind her back and caught the bent over trooper on the right square on the nose driving it back into the man's cranium, killing him instantly. She took advantage of the other's guard surprise by jumping to her feet and planting a kiss squarely on the man's lips. Her free hand was a blur as it grabbed the man's gun out of its holster and planted it in the man's midsection and fired. The man's dead hand released her arm and Kryys pushed him forward as she dived sideways to the left snapping off four shots at the troopers still covering her from a distance. Two shots found their mark and two more troopers dropped to the ground. Rolling as she hit the ground she drew her own blaster and begin running back the way she had just jumped, keeping low to the ground and firing off quick shots to cover herself. The remaining two troops had recovered from the initial shock of seeing four of their comrades felled in under 5 seconds by this seemingly harmless female and they had started returning fire. Knowing she was running out of options and seeing the cannon atop the transport start turning toward her she stopped her sideways progress and charged the troops and the transport. Again taken by surprise by the blue haired woman's actions the troops readjusted their aim and began firing again. However in the time it took for them to readjust their aim Kryys leapt into the air, and due to the lighter bone structure of Lasthunians was able to leap much higher than most humanoid creatures, and fired both weapons at the red panel located at the back of the transport which housed the charging unit for the cannon. Her first two shots cracked the casing and the following shots caused the reaction she was looking for as the unit exploded and given its proximity to the engine caused a chain reaction that tore the transport apart, killing the 4 remaining troops in the process. Landing on her feet Kryystann viewed the carnage she had caused.   
  
"Eight on one...they did have a fully armed transport though...still I guess I should've let them fire first"   
  
Shrugging her shoulder and giggling a little, Kryystann continued on toward the settlement.   
  
Amidst all the chaos she failed to notice the little spy droid off to the distance that viewed the battle and transmitted its data back to its master.   
  
On his throne Warlord Srak watched the strange girl who had just cost him 8 troops and one very expensive transport. He admired her skill and even more he admired her beauty. Stroking his beard he waved his hand and a Togorian emerged from the shadows and stood in front of Srak.   
  
"Rauggh bring her to me....alive"   
  
Without a word the Togorian turned and exited the room to complete his mission.   
  
"Soon my dear, we will see just how talented you really are." With a slight laugh Warlord Srak turned his attention to other duties. 


	3. Being Watched

Turning in his chair to face the aide who had just disturbed his thoughts, Srak directed a cold stare at the man.   
  
"What is it?"   
  
Nervously the aide replied, "A message from Coruscant...The Emperor commands you to make contact with him"   
  
Srak's eyes narrowed in anger, being 'commanded' was not something he was use to. "Very well....leave".   
  
Srak pulled up to his desk and punched the appropriate code and an instant later Emperor Palpatine's holographic image appeared on his desktop.   
  
"You wished to speak with me my lord." Srak said, forcing the subservience into his voice.   
  
"Ah yes....Warlord Srak" the Emperor replied "I await your decision"   
  
"My lord a decision of this magnatude requires much deliberation and..."   
  
"I will have your decision now or I will make it for you" interrupted the Emperor, the venom in his voice and the piercing glare of those yellow eyes sent a shiver down Srak's spine.   
  
"Y-yes my lord, I turn my world over to you and in turn I am made Regional Governor of the System and am allocated a Star Destroyer complete with staff and crew. The deal is acceptable. Sodenar is yours my Emperor" Srak said with a bow of his head.   
  
"Excellent, any other decision would have been....unacceptable" The last word said as a taunt and a reminder just who was in power.   
  
Srak's lips tightend as he watched the holographic image of the Emperor fade out.   
  
Still he had his own contingency plans and one day he would take no orders from anyone.   
  
Meanwhile aboard the Shooting Star, Matara sat slumped in the pilots chair asleep. Her eyes shot open and she was fully awake, wondering what it was that had woken her. As she got to her feet she caught the faint sound of voices coming from the living quarters. Puzzled she headed towards Kryys's bunk. As she reached the door hatch she stood silently outside straining to hear anything behind the door.  
  
Muffled sounds could be heard coming from the other side. Knowing that she and Kryys were the only being aboard hearing the other voice brought her to full alert. Unholstering her blaster with her left hand Matara slapped at the door release with the other. The door slid open noiselessly. Inside she expected to find her friend and an intruder locked in combat, what she found surprised her more.  
  
Kryystann was gone!  
  
Ordering herself not to panic, Matara reholstered her blaster and went back to the cockpit. She moved quickly to the ships sensors and called up the life readings, what they read puzzled her more. All the readings were correct, correct that is for one person aboard the ship.  
  
"You can't possibly vanish off a ship in hyperspace." Matara to the emptiness around her.  
  
"I could tell you where she has gone." a voice said from behind her.  
  
She turned on the heel of her knee high boots and faced the speaker with her blaster drawn.  
  
There, in the doorway stood a boy around eight or nine standard years old. "What did you say?" she asked still aiming the blaster at him.  
  
"I know where your friend has gone." He said again.  
  
"But how? How could she have disappeared off the ship?"  
  
"That I can not say." He said flatly.  
  
"Alright then, where is she? Is she hurt in anyway?"  
  
"Your friend is strong, she can handle herself. She is on Sodenar. I must warn you though, there is great danger in going there." The boy responded. "She may need your help."  
  
Matara turned to look at the life readings. They read the same as before. When she turned back to question the boy, he was gone.  
  
She raced out into the corridor to see if he had disappeared into another part of the ship. The search didn't last long. She came to the cargo hold of the Star and still found no trace of him.  
  
Confused she turned around and headed back to the cockpit. Once there she sat at the navigation console and brought up all the data she could find on the planet Sodenar.  
  
There wasn't much there. So far the planet was unaligned with either the Empire or the Rebels. It was also ruled by a warlord. "Well you know he's not going to join the Rebels anytime soon." She said just to hear something other than the continual hum of the ships drive.  
  
After making a few course corrections the 'Shooting Star' dropped back into real space just outside the Sodenar system. Matara could have brought the ship in closer but knowing very little about why her friend was there she didn't want to take any chances. Checking her long range scanners she caught sight of the triangular shape of an Imperial Star Destroyer cresting the curve of the planet.  
  
"That's just what I need right now. If ever there was a time I needed one of Kryss' crazy ideas, this would be it." Matara spoke aloud to the empty cockpit.  
  
She sat there pondering what to do next when a smile slowly spread across her face as an idea came to mind. Grabbing her tools from the corner she headed off towards the hyperdrive compartment to do some 'adjusting'.  
  
Reaching the compartment Matara took several slow deep breaths and hating what it was she was about to do. "I hope you appreciate what it is I am about to do to my ship to save your adventurous ass Kryss." She said as she slapped the door release and stepped into the compartment.  
  
With fusion cutter and hydrospanner in hand Matara got to work on 'adjusting' the hyperdrive. not long after entering the compartment she emerged once more, this time covered up to her elbows in grease and other dark fluids from the engine and hyperdrive units.  
  
"That should work for now. At least it will give me an excuse to jump into the system. I just hope it works." She said as she headed towards the cockpit to finish off her plan.  
  
Reaching the cockpit Matara sat at the navigation console and punched in the coordinates for a short jump insystem.   
  
Sitting once more in the pilots chair Matara engaged the hyperdrive. Praying quietly to herself she watched the chrono tick down the seconds it would take for her entry into real space. Once the starlines shrank back into stars and the now familiar view of Sodenar was centered in the viewport, Matara let out the breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding.  
  
It didn't take long after her entrance from hyperspace for the Imperials to hail her. "Unidentified ship, this is the Imperial Star Destroyer 'Decevier'. Please transmit your identification codes and your purpose for being in this system."  
  
"Deciever.' This is Matara Healbo, captain of the 'Shooting Star'. I'm afraid to say that my ship has taken on some damage and I was hoping for some assistance on repairs."  
  
"What seems to be the problem 'Star'? The crisp voice asked.  
  
"It seems as though my hyperdrive has been damaged. If I can get to ground I'm sure I can patch it up until I can get to a shipyard for some repairs." She answered back innocently.  
  
"One moment please." Was all that came back over the comm.  
  
The minutes seemed to stand still as she sat there waiting for their response. When the comm unit finally came back to life Matara nearly jumped out of her seat at the sound of the anticipated beep.  
  
"You have been given permission to land and to dock at the spaceport. Technicians will be around to assist you if it is needed." Then the comm clicked off.  
  
"Now comes the hard part." She said as she gripped the control levers and headed towards the planet below. 


	4. An Unlikely Character

Rauggh stood before the wreckage of the troop transport and the bodies of the dead troopers. This female was formidable indeed, he thought to himself, so often that fool Srak sent him on missions unworthy of his skills. But this little one was different. She appeared human, but her scent was unlike any other that Rauggh had encountered during his long life. No doubt about it here was a being worthy of hunting. With that Rauggh set off in search of Kryystann.   
  
Meanwhile….   
  
Kryystann was approaching the edge of the settlement just as the last traces of daylight left the horizon and darkness surrounded her. Her elation over the battle with the troopers was wearing off and she was getting bored again. As she looked around the areas for signs of danger she wondered what Matara was doing. No doubt she was shocked to find that she was no longer aboard. Knowing Matara she was mad at her, but she knew that Matara loved her and could never stay mad at her for long. She also wondered about that strange little boy that had gotten her into this situation. There was something about him that she felt she should know, some piece of knowledge that revealed what he was, but her mind could not access it. It was like something just beyond the edge of your vision, you know its there but you can't tell what it is.   
  
"I hope Matara's all right." Kryys said outloud.   
  
"Oh, she's fine." Came a voice behind her.   
  
"Oh really." Said Kryys as she turned around to face the little boy. "And just where have you been?"   
  
"Here, there, back again." Replied the boy, suddenly enthralled by a small lizard-like creature sitting on a rock. Picking the creature up by the tail the boy lifted it in front of his face to get a better look at it. "Looks like a baby dewback" he said to himself.   
  
"Baby dewbacks are never that small." Kryys corrected him, smiling.   
  
"They were at one time…..long ago" the last trailing off as the boy returned the creature to his rock and looked back to Kryys. "Your friend is on her way to the planet's surface, you'll find her at the city of Reca about fifty miles that way" he indicated pointing to the west of the settlement. "You can find a transport in this settlement to get you there quicker if you like" and with that the boy turned and started walking away.   
  
Kryystann knew the conversation was over and started to turn and head into the settlement when the boy called to her over his shoulder "One more thing, you're being trailed by a Togorian……a mean one" and then he was gone again.   
  
She stood patiently waiting for the Emperor to turn his throne and acknowledge her presence. He could be deep in meditation or he could just be making her wait because he could. Either way it didn't matter, her master had summoned her and she would await his order for however long it took.   
  
Slowly the Emperor's throne turned until his hooded gaze rested on the person before him. Even then he did not immediately speak, another of his tests she thought to herself. She stood in silence, unmoving, and unflinching.   
  
"You will go to Sodenar and infiltrate Warlord Srak's palace. He seeks to wrest power from me and while his task is impossible I wish to know exactly how far his influence spreads. Give me this information and then kill him….I don't care how."   
  
"Yes my master." She said, bowing her head and dropping to one knee.   
  
"You have been well trained my loyal servant, the idiot Srak and his forces will be no match for you." Said Palpatine "Now go Mara Jade, and prove that you are still worthy of being the 'Emperor's Hand'."   
  
Mara rose from her feet and exited past the two Royal Guards on her way to prepare for her mission.   
  
  
Warlord Srak sat back on his throne and contemplated his plans. They were bold to say the least, but he was a great man and destined to lead. After all, Palpatine was just a shriveled up old man and not fit to lead the galaxy. Sure he was a shrewd tactician, but he was physically weak and if Srak could he would enjoy choking the life out of the Emperor. He contemplated letting the Emperor live, maybe he could be his court jester and dance around for his amusement. Yes that would be a fitting punishment for Palpatine's arrogance toward him. There was always the matter of Darth Vader, but if he was truly as strong as everyone claimed then he would have seized power long ago. He would give Vader a choice of serving him as his henchman or he would let Rauugh kill him, it mattered little to Srak. Srak thought he might just have Rauugh kill him anyway, Vader's mask and helmet would make a fine trophy for his case. No one in the Empire was the equal of himself and his utter domination of the galaxy was imminent.   
  
"The fool Palpatine is giving me a Star Destroyer. The man has delivered his own destruction. I will soon have all the power….yes, yes…all the power. I deserve it. I am destined to rule. The galaxy will tremble at my name." Srak was ranting now, a depraved look in his eyes.   
  
Many suspected the truth, and those closest to him knew the truth, and Srak himself was oblivious to the truth. And the truth is that Srak is quite insane. In his madness was just enough control to maintain rule of Sodenar through a ruthless and iron fist. More than once he had killed a servant who he deemed to be a spy or a military advisor whom was attempting to take over his throne. Srak truly believes he is destined to rule the galaxy for a condition of his insanity is delusions of grandeur. 


End file.
