Part II

Seduction

Chapter IX - Nightmares & Dark Lords

DAY TWO

The morning mist of the jungle obstructed Colonel Veers' vision as he made his way through the vegetation and closer to the heart of Rebel occupied territory. Something slimy slithered across his hand as he used a tree trunk for support. Veers pulled his hand away in disgust and rubbed at it unconsciously as if it will get rid of the feeling.

He yawned tiredly. Veers had not slept much through the night. Things kept disturbing him in his sleep. One thing turned out to be some kind of avian hooting the night away. Another thing happened to slither across his body without him knowing until its forked tongue began flicking in his ear. The night creatures he didn’t mind so much at all. It was the nightmares that haunted him that had kept him awake most of the night.

Nightmares of the Death Star exploding in various forms were one of the things that taunted him. Sometimes the dreams portrayed the station as Tarkin’s grayed head, smirking in triumph as the last moments of the Rebellion were within his grasp when it would suddenly explode at the final seconds of the count down. Sometimes it was his body or those of other people he knew.

The remains of his colleagues also taunted and danced in his dreams. Those were the worse nightmares he had throughout the night. He would wake up in a cold sweat, despite the cold temperature of the jungle, after either the skull of the pilot laughing at him or a skeleton in stormtrooper armor accusing him of leaving them behind during the piranha attack, woke him up.

One time he tried to reason with his subconscious, he tried to explain there was nothing he could do for the fallen Imperials. But it would not listen to his logic. It was as if the dead blamed him for everything that had happened. In a way, they were right. If it hadn’t discovered the Rebels’ intentions, all of them, including he, would have died on the Death Star. Then the only persons to be blamed were the damned Rebels.

Veers sighed sadly. The Rebel terrorists were the cause of his insomnia. He had lain awake underneath the dead tree and vines for hours, unable to sleep until the final hours of the night creped its way into the sky. Too tired to dream of nightmares, his mind and body slept restlessly, the remnants of the dreams too vivid in his mind to let him fall back into a deep sleep.

All because of one pilot’s torpedo had gone down the exhaust port.

Now he was walking through the jungles of Yavin IV toward the ancient temples and the Rebel base, trying to avoid capture and staying alive in the meantime and to stave off boredom and hunger.

Colonel Veers’ stomach grumbled in protest of not being fed properly. He hadn’t eaten anything since the morning of yesterday, just before the battle that became costly to the Empire.

“How many soldiers and brilliant young minds were lost?” He asked the jungle and an animal in the distance squawked in reply. “Too many.” He answered his question, his voice full of melancholy.

His stomach protested about the void that filled its cavity again. Colonel Veers decided to take a rest and sit at the base of one of the jungle trees, remembering also he had some food to silence his noisy stomach. He opened up his jacket and pulled out a tin foiled ration bar he had filched off of one of the dead Rebels.

It tasted bland and he wished he had some seasoning or something to sweeten the awful food. “How the hell can the Rebels eat this stuff?” He complained and forced himself to swallow the portions he chewed. Veers had eaten better rations then the ones he had now. He chuckled at the irony of how much he preferred Imperial rations to the Rebel rations.

Veers took out a canteen from his utility belt and unscrewed the top to take a swig of the river water he had collected yesterday. The lukewarm water helped wash away the bland taste of the ration bar and quench the thirst that he had no clue was there.

“He’s over here.” Whispered a voice in the fog suddenly. Colonel Veers dropped his meal and the canteen and sat up to one knee; his stolen blaster ready as his alert blue eyes scanned the misty jungle for the source. He couldn’t see anyone but that didn’t mean no one was out there.

A quiet maniacal laughter echoed throughout the jungle and the humid air suddenly felt frigid. Veers shivered and pulled the Rebel jacket closer around his torso as he collected the ration and canteen from the ground before continuing on his journey.

"Fear. Fear attracts the fearful, the strong, the weak...” The same voice whispered, followed by another round of raving laughter.

“I can see you, but can you see me?” A rustle behind him coerced Veers to spin around and fire a shot into the mist. Whoever was watching and stalking him found his efforts humorous. Again the voice laughed at him.

“Show yourself!” Veers hollered. The mist seemed to swirl in front of and all around him. He didn’t like the eeriness of the jungle adding to the stalker’s bizarre game. Someone cackled directly into his left ear and the Colonel took a swing with a balled up fist in response, but he only went through air.

“Pathetic.” The bodiless voice echoed at him.

“I demand that you show yourself!” Veers ordered sternly, his eyes warily watching his surroundings for any sign of the stalker. As soon as he saw him, Veers vowed he’d shoot first and than ask questions later. No one taunts him at all and gets away with it, much less live to tell about it.

“Yes.” Hissed the voice with twisted pleasure. “Your temper is wild when provoked.”

And as if someone had shocked him with 10,000 volts of electricity, Maximilian Veers caught his temper and wrestled it under control. He gripped his blaster tighter and narrowed his eyes with a cold deadliness. Through clenched teeth Veers managed to speak in a strained calm tone. “Whoare you?”

“I amtheDark Lord of the Sith!” Boomed the voice and several avians and furry creatures scattered in fright from their hiding places, no longer finding them secure from the looming and unseen entity.

Not another one. Veers groaned gloomily.

Chapter X - An Offer You Can’t Refuse

Maximilian Veers could not see the person who claimed to be a Dark Lord of the Sith. The only Dark Lord he knew was Lord Darth Vader and at the moment he had no idea whether Vader survived the battle or died when the space station exploded. From what Veers knew about the Sith and the Jedi, there was only suppose to be one Dark Lord of the Sith.

So how can there be two? He asked silently to himself, although he might as well have said it out loud for the entire universe to hear because theDark Lord chose to answer his question.

“There can only be one!” Replied the disembodied voice; an annoyed rage seemed to radiate out of the middle of nowhere when it talked. Colonel Veers could feel the emotions in the air and could have sworn that the rage was more than what it felt to be.

Longing.

He didn’t understand what that meant and wasn’t exactly sure whether he wanted to find out the meaning to the puzzle. A part of him told him to not have anything to do with the bodiless voice. That part wanted him to flee, to get away from the voice. The rest of him knew that would be pointless since the voice could follow him. Furthermore, Veers was torn between curiosity and the urge to avoid getting involved in whatever thething wanted.

"Who are you?" Veers asked again, wanting to find out the name of this interloper, posing as a Sith Lord.

“I am the embodiment of darkness. I am the soul of this moon. I am the master of the Massassi!” The voice declared in response. The fog swirled and twisted before Colonel Veers' vision and he thought he saw a vague image of a young man full of fire and anger approach him. The stranded Imperial raised his blaster pistol in a threatening gesture.

Thefigure laughed at his puny attempts in self-defense. The foggy image of the young man faded and disappeared. The hair on the back of Veers’ neck stood on ends as his eyes wildly searched the surroundings for any sign of the entity. He found no evidence indicating that the entity was here or there.

The only thing that told him that the specter was still with him was the luminous feeling of something dark and evil hanging in the air, permeating from the trees and the earth. It was enough to nearly suffocate the Colonel.

“The Force is strong with you.” The dark entity spoke in a quiet voice, almost a whisper, in Veers’ right ear. “You could become powerful.”

“I don’t want anything to do with that old religion.” Veers replied and moved on, wanting to get away from the voice. From the darkness that surrounded him like a cold blanket.

“It can even help you escape this planet.”

Colonel Veers stopped in his tracks at the mentioning of a way to escape and get back to his own people. Slowly Veers turned around to face the re-emerging image of the young man in the fog. Veers lips moved to form words but no breath escaped from them. The very thought of freedom was enough to leave him speechless. The very thought of being able to see his son again was enough to let him listen to the Dark Lord’s proposal.

“How?” He managed to say at last.

“I can train you in the ways of the Force. You would be able to stand up to the intruders at the stone step-pyramid temple. They would bow down to you and provide safe passage off planet." The entity replied, a sinister smile spreading across his lips as he explained to the Colonel what he could be capable of with the Force at his command.

All the things the Dark Lord listed did not impress Veers. Some of the abilities he had seen Lord Vader put to use on the prisoner workers aboard the Death Star to encourage them to work harder and faster. Some he had no idea a Jedi or a Sith could actually do. Still he was cautious to not agree to the entity’s offer. Veers had a feeling that there was more to the bargain then what the Dark Lord let on.

“What do I do in exchange for this training?” He asked carefully. The facsimile figure paced around the Imperial, smiling sinisterly, a smile that made Veers involuntarily shiver.

“Only my apprentice.” The entity answered half-truthfully. Veers narrowed his eyes at the ghostly apparition. He didn’t trust this specter one bit. Why would a Dark Lord of the Sith help him escape this planet? Last he checked, the Sith didn’t have much of a heart to help stranded people unless they knew they would get something back in return.

“I’ll have to think about it.” Veers said at last, hiding his thoughts from seeping into his tone.

“Don’t think too long.” It said. “The intruders are in a hurry to leave this place.” The specter smiled at him again before its image swirled and faded back into the misty fog of the jungle morning. “I hear Yavin IV can be a very unpleasant place to live on your own.”

The voice cackled and faded into the distance, leaving Colonel Veers alone in the fog.

Veers trudged through the jungle, continuing on his journey toward the temples he had seen yesterday. The brief exchange of words with the Dark Lord continued to invade his consciousness as if it had a life of its own. He wanted to leave the jungle moon as soon as possible, but was he that willing to sell his soul to the equivalent of a demonic being? And what would happen to him once he did escape Yavin?

He knew the policy of the Emperor concerning people who are capable of exploiting their force sensitivity. Once he learned how to manipulate the Force, how long would it take for one of the Inquisitors to take his life?

Not very bloody long. Veers concluded as he stepped over a pile of some creature’s feces and waved at the air before him, trying to get rid of the foul stench and bring fresh air to his nostrils to no avail. The pile of dung symbolically reminded him of how much the Dark Lord’s offer sounded too good to be true, that it stank of deceit and a price far more expensive than being a mere apprentice.

Veers just wish he knew what that extravagant price tag cost. Were whatever the true intentions of the Dark Lord worth his freedom of this wretched and humid jungle planet? He wished he could find the answer easily.

The paradox continued to eat at him until he decided to take a break from his hike. He pulled out the canteen and took another swig of the lukewarm liquid of life. The Colonel wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and tugged at the collar of his jacket and olive-gray shirt.

A new thought picked at his brain concerning his force sensitivity. How does he know for certain that the Dark Lord wasn’t lying to him about his sensitivity in the Force? There was only one way to find out, he had to ask the Dark Lord much to his sorrow.

“Uh...” He hesitated. The dark entity never did give him his name and Veers wasn’t sure how to address the being.Well, he is a Dark Lord; I could always address him as Lord. “...My Lord?”

The fog in front of him swirled and twisted until a gray image of the young man reappeared again. Veers never understood why he just now noticed the entity’s attire. He was dressed in loose robes, trousers, leather boots, and a tunic that gave no color due to the grayness of the fog, but Veers could tell that they were dark colored just like its wearer. A long cylindrical device hung at his right waist. The Colonel had seen something similar to the device, but it was much shorter than the entity’s.

“You can call me Lord Exar Kun.” The entity said, obviously understanding the hesitation in the Colonel’s call. “Have you come to a decision?” He asked, immediately getting down to business. His arms were folded across his chest impatiently.

“Uh...no, not yet.” Veers replied as he watched the specter. The image turned to leave disgusted at having his time wasted, why a ghost would think his time would be wasted when he had all eternity to spend was beyond Veers. “Wait, I just wanted to ask you a couple questions.”

Kun turned his head to regard the Imperial and nodded solemnly. “Ask.”

“How do you know that I am Force sensitive?”

Exar Kun’s mouth twisted into a wicked smile that failed to be friendly. The ghostly apparition stepped closer to the Colonel who was backing away involuntarily. “You already have that answer, Colonel Veers.” He replied.

“I don’t understand.” Veers blinked in confusion.

“You have already used it.”

Veers shook his head, not understanding what the Dark Lord was talking about. From what he knew, he had never used the Force in his entire life. So how could this entity claim that he already had? Exar Kun extended a hand, palm downward, and the fog hugging the ground shifted to reveal a three dimensional scene of the jungle under story. The scene looked familiar and it took a moment for Veers to realize that it was the area near the river where he had faced the first three Rebel soldiers.

“I didn’t use the Force there.” Veers argued.

“Can you be so certain?” Kun replied. “Watch.”

Veers watched as he was commanded. The scene played out, from his own point of view he realized, the young Rebel pilot walked into view talking out loud. A voice, barely audible, spoke that sounded very much like the Colonels. Though Veers could not recall ever talking out loud.

“Keep it up, foolish Rebel.”His voice said and the Rebel continued to talk. His voice then added,“Turn your back.” Only then did Veers begin to understand what the Dark Lord was trying to convey to him.

“You mean...that...” He trailed off and looked at Exar Kun, bewildered. He had only thought it a bit of good luck that the Rebel pilot had done what he silently commanded. He hadn’t figured that some all-powerful energy had influenced the young man at the whim of his thoughts.

“Yes.” Kun confirmed. “You will find that the weak minded are easily influenced by the Force.” The image of the miniature battle ceased abruptly as soon as Kun dropped his hand back at his side. “You are Force sensitive and strong. You can also become a powerful Sith. Perhaps to even someday rival your Emperor and his pet apprentice.”

Veers eyes snapped up from the spot where the facsimile image once appeared to gaze at Exar Kun angrily. “No.” He forcefully said. “I will not betray the Emperor and Lord Vader.” He stood rigid, proud and defiant. His gaze burrowing defiantly into Exar Kun, full of fire and malice at this creature that would dare suggest him to commit treason against his Sovereign.

“Think about it.” Kun insisted. “You could become unstoppable. You could become Emperor of the Galaxy. All you have to do is agree to be my apprentice and everything could become yours.”

“No!” Veers repeated, half shouting the words. “You can take your offer and shove it!” He spun on his heel and began walking away at a brisk pace. He did not want power and he certainly did not want to be Emperor of the Galactic Empire. He enjoyed the position he had now in the Imperial Armed Forces and if he wanted more power, he would earn it just like every other officer in the Empire. Through hard won work and hard fought battles against the Rebellion. Not through some hokey religion that died some twenty years ago along with the Old Republic.

“You are walking in the wrong direction.” The voice of Kun said and Veers stopped his retreat to get his bearings. He cursed at being mocked and corrected by the Dark Lord and clenched his fists before resuming on the correct course.

Chapter XI - “It’s Contaminated”

The midday sun beat down on Colonel Veers; he had shed his jacket hours earlier after the humidity and searing heat of the jungle forest left him hot and drenched in sweat. Sweat drenched his shirt under the armpits and down his back. It even beaded across his face and down his neck that left him wiping it away constantly.

He pulled out the canteen for a drink but found it nearly empty of water. Veers dug into the utility belt for a ration bar and nibbled on the foul tasting food, thinking about his encounter with Exar Kun for the hundredth time that day.

His offer was very tempting. Even the promise of power was beginning to grow on Veers. He wondered if Kun was influencing him with the Force so that he’ll eventually accept. Veers shook his head of the thought and finished off the water from the canteen and tucked the ration bar back into his utility belt.

He flipped the bottle upside down over his mouth to get the last drops of water and wiped away a drop that missed from the corner of his lips. He re-slung his jacket over his shoulder and continued to walk.

The slight trickling sound of running water caught his attention after thirty minutes of traveling. Veers smiled upon his fortune to find a small creek to fill his canteen. Once the bottle was filled to the rim, Veers followed the creek for several hundred yards to see where it went before branching away to resume his course toward the general direction of the temples.

He coughed slightly and cleared his throat; the water from his canteen tasted differently when he took a sip. He didn’t pay much attention to it like he should have. His mind was concentrating more on the annoying heat from the sun that kept beating down on him.

Maximilian Veers covered his eyes and stared up at the sun, blinking away the spots that formed in his vision from gazing at the orb. Off to the west, part of the gas giant skimmed the horizon and gave the sky an orange tint. He wiped the salty liquid from his neck with a hand and massaged the muscles.

The temperature of the jungle felt like it had jumped several degrees since midday to the point where he felt like he was in the middle of a frying plate. His mouth was parched dry for the fifth time since he refilled his canteen. He found it unusual for a humid jungle to do that to a person. There was enough moisture in the air to at least keep the inside of his mouth slightly moist, but it felt like he was walking through a desert instead of jungle.

His muscles also ached. Not just in his legs and feet from walking for the past two days, but his arms, his neck and back hurt. His feet even felt like they weighed a ton. Veers hadn’t paid much attention to his aches, believing that they came from his previous fights and flight since the crash.

Until an insistent pressure in his chest came to his notice. At first he had thought it was just another ache, but as time went by he discovered that it was becoming difficult to breathe. It felt like someone was pushing against his breastbone, trying to cave it in.

It became a problem along with several more over the hours. His vision played tricks on him; the jungle seemed to warp in front of him. Imploding and exploding, twisting and churning until he couldn’t even keep his own balance anymore.

Veers became afraid of what was happening to him. He didn’t understand what was happening or how it could happen. He thought Exar Kun might have something to do with his condition.

“Kun!” He croaked. “You bastard, is this what you do to people when you don’t get your way!” The Dark Lord did not answer him.

Veers grabbed a hold of a thin tree as the jungle spun around him. The stranded Imperial groaned as he slid down to the jungle floor, his nails digging into the trunk uselessly as he clawed for support. He gave up and just rested against the trunk. The Colonel pulled at his shirt in hopes of relieving the pressure against his chest but to no avail.

He glanced up one more time at the sun and tried to stand back on his feet. But he couldn’t find the strength and when he thought he was ready to pass out from what he thought was heat exhaustion, he felt the dark presence of the Dark Lord.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” The bodiless voice chastised in his ear after an hour of resting at the base of the tree. Veers eyes flickered in the direction of the voice, his head remaining still, but he couldn’t see any ghostly image of Kun. “Look at you...”

“Is this your doing?” Veers asked. Speaking made him cringe. It felt like someone was using sandpaper to scrape the inside of his throat each time he spoke. How he wished he could bring the canteen to his lips and quench his thirst.

“I would love to take the credit, Colonel, but alas it is not my doing.” Kun replied, a soft breeze momentarily cooled the Colonel. Kun’s image appeared kneeling in front of Veers and the man picked up the canteen that Veers’ hands had fumbled with a few seconds ago. “You want this don’t you?”

“You are a real bastard...” Veers coughed sharply. He stared at the canteen, glanced up at Exar Kun and back at the bottle. Understanding dawned on him with the next coughing fit.

He was ill and Kun had told him the truth. What did the survival manual from the Academy warned him about the essentials needed to survive? Something about“Don’t drink the water.”

“I can make it go away.” Kun offered, breaking into his thoughts. “All you have to do is agree to be my apprentice.”

“No.” Veers shook his head defiantly and fought his way to his feet, he used the tree for support. “I don’t want anything to do with your hokey religion. This...this illness will pass in due time.”

“So you continue to refuse my offer?” Exar Kun asked in an eerily calm voice that made the hairs on Veers neck and arms stand up involuntarily. He understood that the Dark Lord would be angry with him for refusing to do what he wanted. Lord Vader would also have been angry with him as well. But Veers was confused at how the Dark Lord was taking it. He expected him to lash out at him with some force ability, like choking him to death, not show calmness expected from a Jedi.

“I told you once and I’ll tell you again.” Veers began, folding his arms across his chest as if the motion would give him more courage to face the entity. “I wish to have nothing to do with the Force.”

“So be it. Do not expect me to help you survive on Yavin IV from now on.” Kun saluted sharply, mockingly before his specter disappeared from sight.

Colonel Veers just stared at the spot where the ghostly figure had stood moments ago. He wondered if he had made the right choice in refusing the Sith again.

Chapter XII - Rescued At Last?

Maximilian Veers covered his mouth by habit as he coughed. He sat in front of a small fire beneath a huge tree, his canteen hanging above the flames by some low hanging branches and emitting silvery steam from its opening. He had chastised his-self several times in the past two hours for his stupidity and neglect in boiling the river water.

“I deserved this.” He muttered in a low voice, staring at the flickering flames. He felt slightly better since he began boiling the water. The dizzy spells had subsided for the moment and he was able to walk again but he noticed whenever he spun around too fast, the world would spin and topple him off balance. He still had the muscle aches, tightness of the chest and the coughing fits, but he was glad that so far no new symptoms of whatever bacteria he consumed were showing up.

But that didn’t mean more would come in the near future.

Veers didn’t have a medical kit with the proper medication to cure him of his illness. All he knew he could do was wait it out and hopefully find a familiar herb in the jungle that would help. So far it hadn’t passed and he hadn’t found anything to help him. What was worse was he came close twice to calling Exar Kun for help. But his own pride and stubbornness kept him from having to owe that dark entity any debts or having to actually accept his offer of apprenticeship.

The Colonel pulled his stolen jacket around his torso tighter as the daylight of his second day began to fade away. He poked at the embers of the fire, trying to keep them glowing red-hot and bring warmth to his exposed form. When he felt that the water in the canteen boiled long enough he took it down and capped it. It would be an hour before the water was cold enough to drink.

“Humph, I have no where to go so I’m in no hurry.” He laughed hoarsely as he realized he was talking to himself.At least it’s better than not talking. He thought, his makeshift fire poker absently drawing into the earth at his feet. He wished he had someone to talk to besides the Dark Lord and the jungle around him.

Like his late-wife.

Veers sighed miserably as the memories of his wife came back at him in a rush. He missed her deeply and wished he had been there when whatever supernatural entity existed had taken her away from him. He was a Major at the time currently busy in quelling an uprising on some backwater world he wished to forget, when the call had come in from Corulag.

The memories were so vivid that Veers temper flared in a brief burst of anger. He tossed the fire poker into the flames and watched as the life-less blazes’ dance crescendos temporarily before settling down at a soothing flicker. It was another reason why he disliked the Rebellion and wanted to smash their forces in each encounter with them.

They had denied him of visiting his wife in her last dying days, because they wanted to stir up trouble in the Outer Rim and forcing him to stay behind to stop them. His life had never been the same after his wife’s death, even his relationship with his son, Zevulon, was walked on a thin wire. No matter what he tried to do, his son kept creeping further and further away from him.

“I wish you were here.” He said out loud, mournfully.

To get rid of the aches Veers stood from his spot next to the campfire and stretched, listening to the pops and crunches as bone and muscle were pulled and twisted. Uncontrollably a yawn escaped his lips, although it was twilight he was becoming dreadfully tired. He knew this to be the result of the illness he had foolishly infected himself with by drinking contaminated water. But there was nothing he could do about it so he had stopped complaining, for the moment anyway.

He grabbed another long stick and poked at the flames before resettling himself on the ground. He would stay up for a couple more hours before letting the sandman snatch him away for the night. There wasn’t much to do except think and stare at the fire.

Involuntarily he found himself staring up at the sky in hopes of spotting the Death Star or perhaps an orbiting Imperial Star Destroyer. But all he saw were the twinkling stars and the crescent of the gas giant Yavin and the occasional after-thrust of a departing Rebel ship.

Exar Kun was right about the Rebels’ hastiness in leaving the moon. Ever since Kun had abandoned him hours ago, Veers had noticed the activity in the sky had increased somewhat. But it wasn’t quite heavy yet like it would be in a few days. Veers was also slightly thankful that the Rebels were lifting off often, the departing ships had suddenly become from something he loathed to something he looked forward to seeing and hearing.

The ships had become the equivalent of a North Star for him. He knew that, as so long as the Rebels had ships that needed to depart he wouldn’t get lost on his way to the temples, which was the location of the hidden Rebel base. As to what he would do once he arrived and the Rebels were still there, he hadn’t quite gotten that far in his plans to escape the planet.

He supposed he could try and steal a ship and pray that his people wouldn’t blast it out of the sky. That is if he survived the Rebels’ attempts first. Veers knew he was no pilot, he could fly vessels but when it came to dogfighting he usually left that to the actual starfighter pilots.

“I’ll have a plan...I always have a plan.’ He told himself more to reassure than actual confidence. “And if I don’t have one...well, I could always do what Rorishan Dorf did inRaiders’ Crusade of Doom.” Veers laughed at the idea of him sneaking up to a young Rebel and knocking the daylights out of him. Then stealing his uniform that doesn’t fit properly only to have another Rebel officer approach and demand why he was out of uniform and a mess. And once he had enough of the obnoxious officer he’d end up punching him in the jaw just to shut him up.

“Though its not that bad of an idea.” Veers considered and rubbed at the two-day-old stubble on his chin. He laughed at the thought of him using battle tactics from holofilms. “Colonel Veers, the Imperial commander of holofilm tactics!”

“Colonel!” Veers jumped at the sudden sound of a voice calling his rank. In doing so he knocked over a burning log that sent smaller pieces of ember beyond the fire ring. Quickly Veers stamped out the fugitive embers and dowsed the campfire with the water from his canteen, smoke and steam rising up into the night sky and past the jungle canopy above.

The Imperial hurriedly moved away from the campsite and unholstered his blaster pistol. Cautiously and carefully he pressed himself up against a tree and peered around to view the campsite. He had a very good view of the fire ring and where he had sat moments ago.

Insects sang and avians and critters chattered, the voice had not upset the song of life in the jungle but it made Veers strain to listen for footsteps of humanoids approaching. He couldn’t make out anything that indicated a party was approaching. He did though hear occasionally the rustling of foliage and immediately assumed it to be some animal or predator near by. Though it still didn’t stop him from glancing in the direction of the disturbance to make sure.

“Colonel Maximilian Veers!” A second voice called, this one sounded mechanical like the owner was wearing a breather or speaking through a comlink. It kind of reminded him how stormtroopers sounded when they spoke through their internal comlinks embedded inside their helmets.

Could the Rebels actually be smart enough to devise up such a plan to capture me? He worried and shifted his position to glance on the other side of the tree trunk, his blaster held tightly before his chest.

“Colonel Veers!” A third voice called and the stranded officer decided that there was no way the Rebels could have learned who he was in his brief encounter with them, much less his rank.

Slowly and cautiously he stepped around the tree and called out in reply, “Who goes there!” Silence followed his reply and Veers began to worry whether he had made the right choice.What if the Rebels’ had somehow found out who I was? What if the passenger manifest of the Imperial shuttle had survived the crash and they decoded and read it? Veers shook his head in disagreement. Even if they had found the manifest there was no way they could have identified the lone survivor as Colonel Maximilian Veers.

“It has to be an Imperial search party.” Veers concluded softly to himself.

“Imperial Search & Rescue Team Chimera!” Came the reply in a mechanical voice that was now much closer than it was minutes earlier. “Where are you, sir?”

“Over here!” He replied and seconds later a group of stormtroopers wearing the shoulder neck collar colors of Search & Rescue and a couple disgruntled officers that looked like they wished to be anywhere but here, stepped out of the forest and into the small camp site.

Veers began to relax and re-holstered his blaster and stepped out into the camp. “By the Emperor, am I glad to see you guys.” Maximilian said cheerfully, pleased that he would be getting off this rock without having to finish his journey to the hidden Rebel base or having to face Exar Kun again.

“Uh...” Stammered the lead stormtrooper as Colonel Veers approached. The man shifted his blaster rifle in his hands and glanced back at one of the officers. Veers gaze flickered to the officer and blinked twice in surprise.

“Pliskin?” He said in disbelief. The officer did resemble Lieutenant Andrew Pliskin a lot but there was no way it could be the dead officer he had buried yesterday by the river. Yet, the young man stood before him now with the rank insignia of a Major.

“Huh?”Major Pliskin said as soon as he realized that Colonel Veers was talking to him. “You alright, buddy?” Veers noted the lack of ‘sir’ at the end of the question. Something in the back of Veers mind told him that there was something wrong with the picture but he couldn’t quite figure it out yet.

“It looks like he may have a concussion, sir.” Said the other officer who was pointing at Veers. The Colonel’s hand felt around the makeshift bandages and furrowed his eyebrows between his eyes in confusion.

“It doesn’t matter. Jaxon, stun him.” Pliskin ordered.

“What the...?” Veers stared at the group of Imperials slack jawed and when he noticed the rifle of the lead trooper and the pistols of the two officers rise he began to back away rapidly and grab for his own blaster.

It snagged.

Colonel Veers glanced down at his blaster and noticed that the barrel sight had caught onto the holster. He yanked at the weapon desperately as he continued to back away. He glanced up to check on the progress of the Imperials and lost his footing as the back of one foot rammed into a small fallen tree trunk.

He fell over backwards a stun bolt whizzing past him, his blaster finally coming free as he landed on his back. He crawled away backwards from the group and protested. “What’s going on? What do you think you’re doing!” He said angrily. “I’m a friendly you idiots!”

He raised his blaster pistol and fired at one of the stormtroopers. The sizzling ruby bolt went through the trooper and burned a hole in a distant tree. The stormtrooper himself suddenly began to shimmer and fade away as if he was never there before. The other stormtroopers but one also began to disappear. The remaining trooper himself melted away to reveal a female in a tan uniform welding an Imperial issued blaster rifle.

Veers glanced at the two officers and their attire had changed from the crisp olive and black uniforms of the Empire to blue, black and white clothing of Alderaanian uniforms. He stared in disbelief and horror as he inched his way away from the three humans.

“Rebels.” He whispered and blacked out as a cerulean energy bolt filled his vision.

Chapter XIII - In Rebel Hands

“In trouble are we?” Exar Kun’s voice broke through the void in his mind. There was nothing. Nor was there an up or down, left or right. A person could easily contract vertigo where he was.Wherever here is. Maximilian Veers thought as his mind drifted in the vastness of nothingness. He could sense that he was somewhere but he could not see or hear where here was. Nor could he feel his own body. It was a strange feeling to experience when you’re semi-unconscious.

“This is your fault.” Veers answered nastily. “You are the one who created that illusion, tricking me into believing I was rescued by my own people!”

“This is as much as your fault as it is my own.” Kun replied in a casual tone. If he was still angry about Veers refusing to become his apprentice, he certainly did not allow it to show in his voice as he talked. “All you had to do was accept my offer and become my apprentice. Is it too much for a man to have an apprentice one last time?”

“You want me for more reasons than just to be your kriffing apprentice!” Veers snapped.

“Perhaps I do have other intentions for wanting you.” Kun partially admitted, never rising to the flaring temper of the stunned Imperial. “All masters have intentions for their apprentices. Does not a blacksmith wish for his apprentice to surpass him and carry on the tradition? Does not a soldier such as yourself wish for a son to follow in his footsteps?”

“Your plans for me are different than following the path of one’s elders!”

“No different.” Kun replied. “I want to train you in the ways of the Force and show you the Sith teachings. I am already dead, what could I possibly do with you other than pass on my knowledge and continue my legacy as the last Dark Lord of the Sith?”

“Obviously you can do something if you can trick me.” Veers said.

“Minor things compared to what I could do when I was alive. But should I leave this planet, I will walk into oblivion.” The entity said in an almost mournful and angry tone. “The Jedi feared me long ago. The Jedi, if any are left today, could fear the apprentice of Exar Kun!”

“The last Jedi died a week ago.” Veers stated. “Lord Darth Vader had killed him. I believe the Jedi feared him and his Master more than they would ever fear you or any apprentice of yours. Besides...if I wanted to be feared, I’ll get it through my military career in the Armed Forces.”

Veers felt the anger of the Sith simmer and intensify as he told the ghost that he was practically nothing compared to the current existing Sith Lords. Moments what felt like years passed as Veers waited for the Dark Lord’s outburst or reply. But none came and Veers wondered what trickery Exar Kun would do against him the next time.

He hoped he wouldn’t be on the planet for much longer to find out.

“He has a fever.” A female’s voice nearly yelled, or at least it seemed that she was yelling since his head throbbed in pain, to someone beyond Veers’ senses. “It might explain why he so foolishly walked right up to us.”

No, that Sithspawn named Exar Kun is the reason. Veers wanted to tell her but he knew that she would never understand nor believe that their was a Sith ghost floating around on the moon.

“Who cares?” A young male’s voice replied. “I say we kill him.”

“No.” A third familiar voice snapped. It was the same voice that had belonged to the facsimile Lieutenant Pliskin, Veers remembered. “He’s more valuable to us alive than dead.”

“A good Imperial is a dead Imperial.” Malice dripped off the voice of the young male. “He destroyed my homeworld, remember!”

“How do you know he was the one who pulled the trigger?” The female countered.

“He’s an Imperial!” The young male replied irrationally.

“And a Colonel to boot.” The fake Pliskin added then continued. “And therefore he may have useful information which we can use to bring the Empire and its Emperor to its knees.”

“He’ll pay for his crimes later, but not right now Jaxon.” The female said. “Right now, he has a fever and we need to get back to the shuttle.”

“Fine.” Jaxon replied, irritably and Veers could hear the Rebel walk away.

He chose that time to groan in misery and shift his body as feeling began to return to him. His hands and arms felt like he had two tons of weight on top and it took a moment to realize he was the one that was on top of them. Sometime after he had fallen unconscious from the stun bolt the Rebels must have bound his hands behind his back.

“He’s waking up.” The female exclaimed to the others.

Veers groaned again and tried to sit up but a pair of hands forced him back down. He opened his cerulean eyes to gaze up into the face of a mildly handsome female. She had dark hair with blonde highlights that helped her amber eyes stand out more. Her face was soft but Veers could see war hardened lines around her eyes and mouth.

This woman has seen a lot. He concluded and then said out loud. “Where am I?”

“We’re still at your campsite.” She replied. There was no trace of malice or anger in her voice as she spoke to him. But her eyes spoke otherwise. They shined with coldness that told Veers she wanted him dead as much as the Rebel named Jaxon did.

Veers sat up abruptly and tried to move away from the woman. The realization that he was in danger finally had seeped into his addled brain despite the fact that he knew who these people were. The female grabbed Veers by the shoulder and placed the barrel of her blaster rifle underneath his jaw.

“Don’t give me a reason to grant Jaxon’s wish.” She warned him. “You are now a prisoner of the Rebel Alliance, if you refuse to cooperate your life will be terminated without a moments hesitation. Should you cooperate with us, you will live longer and perhaps a fruitful life on some backwater world.”

“Then shoot me.” Veers growled between gritted teeth. He could see the young Rebel named Jaxon smile deviously as he pulled his blaster out to grant the Imperial’s request.

“Put that away!” Snapped the third member of the Rebel party. He was much older than the two that accompanied him. He had gray streaks already stretching through his dirty blonde hair. His mustache was peppered with white and was thick. The Rebel wore the usual colors and style of Alliance troopers; the only thing he lacked was the white helmet and a force pike.

Jaxon shifted gazes between the old Rebel and the prisoner. He also wore similar garbs like the old man except he had a set of blood-stripes down the sides of his pant legs. He had a boyish face that easily said he was from Alderaanian upper-class descent that was topped with a mop of red-brown hair cut short to a crewcut and gray eyes that spoke of intelligence despite his current irrational behavior.

After a moments thought the Rebel re-holstered the blaster, most likely believing that defying the old man’s order wasn’t worth satisfying his thirst for revenge. “I am going to put in a request to be his executioner when it comes to killing him.” He finally said, settling with the idea that he would be able to still get revenge against another Imperial assigned to the late-Death Star.

Veers sighed in relief against his will. He was semi-glad that he would get to live a little longer and perhaps to take advantage of a future opportunity to escape from his captors. It also meant he would be susceptible to interrogation should they make it back to the base. Inwardly he cringed at the very idea.

The old man approached Veers and the female Rebel. “How is he, Lana?” He asked her, ignoring Veers for the moment.

“His head is fine and nothing which a Two-One Bee can’t stitch up when we get back to the base.” Lana answered, then returned her gaze to the Colonel and pointed at his side. “He might have a couple fractured ribs or just severely bruised, I couldn’t really tell with him unconscious and I am no medical doctor myself.”

“You said he has a fever, from what?”

“I don’t...” Lana began but was interrupted by Colonel Veers.

“Whatever is in the river water here.” He answered for the Rebel, coughing a couple times. The old Rebel’s eyes cast down to glance at Colonel Veers inquisitively. Maximilian Veers could have sworn he saw ill will flicker in his gray eyes when he had interrupted the Rebel female. Veers hoped that wasn’t the case, he was already in a bad enough shape that he did not need to be abused on the way to their base.

Much to the survivor’s relief, the old man reclined from punishing the Imperial for talking out of line. Instead he resumed talking to Lana, “Make sure he can not go anywhere we will be setting up camp here for the rest of the night before we head back to the shuttle.”

“Yes, Sid.” Lana acknowledge. She stood and towered over Colonel Veers who tried to resist the urge to look up. “Come on.” She commanded and when Veers did not stand she yanked him to his feet with a strength that she should not have had. Grabbing his restrained arm, she directed him over to one of the trees nearest to the small fire the Rebels had re-lit.

Veers remained silent and obeyed his captor’s commands to sit at the base of the thin tree. There was no point in trying to escape them now, not while he was cuffed and an eager young Alderaanian wanted him dead. Plus, he couldn’t survive on his own restrained and would only be slowed down. He winced visibly when the female un-cuffed him and pulled his arms further back and around so that his wrists were extended far enough on the other side of the trunk to be re-cuffed. “That hurts.” He said between gritted teeth.

“Good.” She came around to crouch in front of him and pulled up his olive shirt, ignoring his protests. Gently she pressed her fingers against the tender flesh of his blue and black ribs. He grunted when she pressed too hard and she eased the pressure of her probe. He could see her intently studying his injury and wondered why she was trying to show that she hated him and yet make sure he wouldn’t drop dead on them.

Her fingertips brushed across the large bruises along his side, he squirmed as she passed a ticklish spot that miraculously survived the battering which his side had sustained during the flight from the Death Star and later the X-wings. Her attention moved away from his side to the bandaged gash on his skull. Obviously satisfied with the condition of his injuries, she stood on her feet and stared down at the Colonel.

“You know, you are not that bad looking.” She whispered and leaned forward and stretched out a hand. Her fingers stroked the side of his face and across his lips. The last time he had ever felt the touch of a woman were several years ago when he was still a married man instead of a widowed husband. He still remembered his wife as if it were yesterday when he last saw her, wrapped in his arms and the bed sheets inside their Corulag estate master bedroom. They had spent the night in each other’s warm embrace, taking great pleasure in each other’s company and the love they created and shared together.

He remembered gently brushing his fingers through her wavy hair, dirty blonde a few shades darker than his own-almost a light brown, and her sweet smile as she stared up back at him with her amber brown eyes. The way the corners of her mouth curled upward in a smile always found a way to crack a smile on his normally stony expressions. He had loved her and knew he would have died for her if given the chance.

Then fate took her away from him when he was away on tour with the Armed Forces. Denying him the chance to sacrifice his life for hers. He had lost his faith in whatever supernatural beings existed when a disease that should have been easily eradicated by today’s medical sciences claimed her.

Cancer.

Of all things that could kill a person, cancer, a nearly eradicated disease, had taken her away from him and his young son. The doctors had said it was too late for her, which she had kept the symptoms of the disease hidden from everyone. By the time she had decided to see a doctor about the pains, the cancer was in its final stages and treatment could only make her hold onto the threads of life for a little while longer before she passed away.

He had wanted to inflict his rage at the doctors that failed to save her. He had wanted to pursue death to run away from the grief that hammered into his heart but instead had chosen for the first few weeks to call Taanab fruitbeer and Corellian whiskey as friends. After he had gotten past the first stages of grief he had buried himself in the military and tried to raise his son, which proved to be quite difficult to do as a single parent.

He still grieved for his wife. He had found it difficult to let her go. He had tried to move on but something would always remind him of her. So he had vowed to her grave that he would never pursue another woman so long as he lived. That she would always be the one. The single woman who had won his heart and would always fill it.

His only regret was that the words were easier said than done.

“Too bad you are an Imperial, I might have liked to get to know you a little more.” With that, Lana straightened and turned away from him to join her two companions. Veers staring after her departing back, memories of his wife still swimming through his thoughts.

He clamped his jaw tightly and tried to fight back the emotions that assaulted him, his cheek muscles rippling from the effort. Sorrow for the loss of his wife, anger at himself for not being there, hatred for the Rebels, and an emptiness that once housed his soul mate all at once intertwined together.

Veers closed his eyes and tried to make the memories go away, he did not want to appear weak in front of the Rebels. He did not want to give them a reason to taunt him and pry information from him by using his emotions for his wife against him. Internally he cried, externally he was hard as a shell, a ripple in his cheek the only sign of the conflict of emotions warring inside him.

Veers opened his blue eyes again.

Lana was staring at him intently; Veers thought she saw what was happening with him. But she gave no further sign if she knew or not, she watched him for a moment longer before turning to answer something the young Rebel had said.

Chapter XIV - The Lecturer Lectures

DAY THREE

“Wake up stinking bantha feces.” Someone yelled into his ear and when he did not wake up fast enough, stars swirled across his vision as he desperately tried to suck in air after a booted foot found its way into his bruised side. Colonel Veers coughed and gasped, keeling over in pain, as far as the cuffs would allow, as he tried to regain the natural rhythm of his lungs.

“Jenos! You idiot!” Chastised the woman and Veers heard a fist impact the face of the Rebel, Jenos Jaxon. The two Rebels started to argue until their leader had silenced them both with his booming and commanding voice.

“Enough!” Said Sid Arrid, scowling at the two bickering Rebels. “Lana, check to see if he will be alright.”

Veers continued to gasp as Lana pushed him back to lean against the trunk of the tree. She checked his side, which had darkened around the area that Jaxon’s boot had left an imprint. Veers by now had pretty much regained control of his own lungs, occasionally inhaling sharply when the pain became too great.

“Idiot.” Lana muttered under her breath. “I think this time a couple ribs broke if not fractured.”

“Is this--” Veers coughed and gritted his teeth as she probed his side for the third time since his capture, it was also difficult to talk when your side was on fire, “--how you treat prisoners?” Lana uncuffed him from the tree and tied his hands in the front.

“Normally, no.” She replied unconsciously as she pulled out a medkit from a backpack and began applying a bandage around his ribs to stabilize any fractured or broken bones. Maximilian Veers stared at her in confusion as he held his arms up and out of Lana’s way. One moment she hated him for his loyalties to the Galactic Empire, the next she was talking to him as if he was a Rebel separatist himself.

Women...man’s greatest paradox of the human species. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. Nor can you try to understand them.

“The Empire would not treat its prisoners this way.” Veers stated as if he believed it, which was the case and he should know from experience. He had to deal with prisoners before, both Rebels and criminals. Not once did the Empire mistreat its prisoners and if a soldier had abused a prisoner without a legitimate reason that soldier was reprimanded later. All this he explained to her and she abruptly and purposely tightened the bandage so that he grunted and winced in pain. “What did I say?”

“Tell that to my brother.” She spat at him. “Who was beaten and then shot into his own grave he was forced to dig while being ridiculed and beaten. And do you know what? The soldiers that committed this crime got away with it scot-free!” She stood and yanked Veers to his feet.

“You can not judge the Empire based on the actions of a few!” He argued as Lana lead him over to the others. “All forms of government have corrupt individuals, it is unavoidable and inevitable.”

“Then your government is completely corrupt for turning a blind eye at the men who devised and constructed the Death Star and allowed a defenseless and innocent world be destroyed.” Jenos Jaxon put in angrily.

“Alderaan was a military target.” Veers said defensively then stepped back when Jaxon started to rush him but was stopped by the strong handgrip from Sid. The young Rebel glowered maliciously at the old leader before turning away and marching in the direction that Veers had come from yesterday before he became their prisoner.

“If I were you, Imperial, I would refrain from mentioning Alderaan.” Sid warned and then motioned for Lana to escort Veers after the fuming Jaxon.

The Rebels and their Imperial prisoner walked through the jungle forest of Yavin IV at a slow place, mainly to remain with Colonel Veers as his own pace gradually slowed forcing the entire group to slow down with him. Jenos Jaxon showed his displeasure at the speed that they walked by throwing curses into the air or back at the Imperial behind him. Every now and then he would turn around and try and bait Colonel Veers with retorts and insults.

But Veers merely shrugged them off or returned with an equal or greater sardonic reply. Lana or Sid stopped the two from their verbal duel, they found it amusing and it helped pass the time. Occasionally the two Rebels had to get involved to prevent each other from going for the other's throat.

“This is going to take forever.” Jaxon complained as Veers’ pace slowed to a casual walk. The Imperial prisoner was sweating profusely, his olive uniform shirt was mostly soaked from the pouring sweat and compared to the others he looked like he had recently walked through a downpour. “What is wrong with him?”

“He’s ill, Jaxon.” Lana said, defending the Imperial involuntarily and too Maximilian Veers’ surprise. “I gave him a dose of the antibiotic from the medkit, but apparently it has no effect on whatever he contracted and if he has a virus, I have no vaccination to counter it.” She explained to the young Alderaanian.

“And we’re keeping him around?” Jaxon said unhappily, scowling over his shoulder at Veers and from the front of the group. “What if we contract what he has?”

“Then we contract it.” Sid answered. “Once we return to the base, a nice swim in the bacta tank and some needles poked into us and we’ll be fine. So quit your complaining.”

“I’ll be happy to spread whatever disease I have to you.” Veers stated coldly in Jaxon’s direction. “If I’m lucky enough, you’ll die from it.”

“If we’re lucky enough, you’ll die first.” Jaxon retorted, sneering before returning his attention to what was in front of him.

“I am assuming he was never like this before Alderaan?” Veers quietly asked Lana who walked at his side and slightly behind him and occasionally prodded him with her blaster to urge him onward. It wasn’t as though he was going to do anything, anyway.

Veers didn’t even believe he could run very far, what with the way his chest felt whenever he took a breath. The burning pain in his ribs was not helping his situation very much, either. He knewhis situation was deteriorating with each passing day. Veers could tell just by the way the jungle suddenly felt cold one moment or searing hot the next that his body was injured and in shock. He was also sweating heavily even for the environment he was currently in.

“I wouldn’t know.” Lana replied, trying to keep her emotions from seeping into her tone.

Veers could tell she was angry either at him or something that the Empire had done.

She continued, “He joined the Rebellion shortly after he heard of Alderaan’s destruction.”

“I see,” Veers said, the answer to her present malice dawning on him at last. He was about to say something else regarding Alderaan, but refrained from commenting. He did not want the Rebels to react negatively toward him while he was at their mercy.

“Would it be possibleto rest for a moment?” Veers requested and stopped anyway, regardless of whether he had permission to do so or not. He knelt down to the leaf and dirt covered ground and carefully sat down, wincing only once as a jab of pain shot up his side. Lana glowered down at the Colonel but did nothing to stop him.

Jaxon on the other hand looked once over his shoulder and demanded, “Why is he sitting? Drag him back to his feet, Lana!”

“Jaxon, enough.” Sid interfered and took a seat on a dead log. “We have been walking for hours and it is time we take a break. My feet are killing me anyway.”

“Fine,” the arrogant Rebel sat as far away from Veers as possible; Lana sat across from him, her blaster and eyes watching his every move.

“Is your brother’s death the reason you joined the Rebels?” The Colonel questioned curiously.

He wanted to know the real reasons why this woman was running around the galaxy with a bunch of traitors and criminals. Upon first glance she did not look like the type to commit treason or kill innocents. She did not even look like a soldier! She looked more like she belonged on some backwater world farming, or at least that’s what the impression Veers got.

“No.” She answered after hesitating for a minute, thinking about whether she should tell an Imperial her reasons.

“Why?” He asked.

“Because the Empire is evil.” She replied and sounded like she believed it completely.

“What has the Empire,as a government,” he added quickly before Jaxon could say anything, “done to be consideredevil?”

“I guess the stories are true. The Empire’s officers are indeed ignorant of what goes on.” Lana said. Veers looked at her perplexed.

“What are you talking about?” He asked quietly.

“The evils of the Empire!” she began, “the slavery, the prejudice, the oppression of freedom and rights.”

Veers incredulouslaughter cut off her explanation. A coughing fit finally silenced him.

“What slavery? The only forced laborthe Empire uses are creatures classed as non-sentient by xenologists, and, of course, the criminal class as part of theirpunishment,” Veers countered, expressing skepticism.

“Prejudice? This is inherent in nearly everyspecies: Humans, Bothans, Falleen, and so on. And don’t give me that look. When was the last time you looked upon a non-Human and did not in some way or to some degree think to yourself,disgusting?”

“I...” Lana cut off, unsure how to answer the Imperial properly. Veers did have a point about the issue, however. Her face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to think of a counter or change the subject, and after a moment she spoke again.

“It is indeed normal for a species to have bigots amongst their numbers, but it is abnormal when theentire race is prejudiced toward every other species aside from non-mainline Humans, or for a government to encourage its people to be prejudiced toward all others.”

“That is incorrect.” Veers argued. “The Yevetha are prejudiced toward everyone who is not a Yevethan. It is part of their culture dating back thousands of years. Will you call themevil for something that is natural for them? Besides, the majority of the Empire is certainly not racist. There perhaps are some officers and stormtroopers who were reared and educated to be prejudiced toward other beings, but again that is normal for any race.”

“Your Emperor is prejudiced.” Jaxon insisted.

“What proof do you have?” Veers asked, glancing in the Rebel’s direction.

“He’s decreed that only Humans can serve in the Empire.” Jaxon provided.

“Again that is incorrect. Non-mainline Humans...aliens, if you will,do serve in the Empire, both within the military and government.” Veers said.

“Then how comewe never see any aliens in the military?” Lana asked him.

“Can you fit a Wookiee into a standard stormtrooper’s armor?” he retorted and rendered the Rebels silent. “Or how about this instead: can you ensure that a Trandoshan Ensign, for example, will follow the orders of a Wookiee captain without allowing his own prejudice toward the Wookiee race get in the way? You well know there exists old animosities between the two.”

“No.” Lana quietly acknowledged, looking away.

“A single race military ensures order and swiftness.” Veers continued. “Very little conflicting and chaotic factors are encountered. Humans are also the most numerous species in the Galaxy, and therefore, they will always be the majority everywhere except on the homeworlds of other species. Besides, the majority of the Galactic Military has always consisted of Humans.This dates back thousands of years into the Galactic Republic. A government that was corrupt and dying...”

“This is ridiculous.” Jaxon exclaimed and stood abruptly. “If you want hard proof that the Empire is evil, look what they did to my homeworld!”

“The Alderaans suffered that fate by allowing one misguided person to hold their fate in her hands. Your princess condemned the entire planet to death by refusing to reveal the location of an insurgent Rebel base. She chose the lives of a few thousand criminals and outlaws, over millions and a planet. If anyone has shown a capacity for abuse and evilness, it is she.”

“Princess Leia is not evil!” Jaxon shouted at the restrained Imperial, taking several steps toward him and un-holstering his pistol. Colonel Veers attempted to scramble to his feet, but Lana and Sid’s blasters changed his mind for him. “She is not the one who built the Death Star and she is not the one who pushed the button that destroyed my world. She is not the one who gave the command for Alderaan to be destroyed.”

“She chose to destroy a facility which had civilian workers, and which was designed to defend this galaxy. She is as much responsible for the consequences as the Grand Moff was for making such a threat, and then following throughwith the command or the Lieutenant who was stationed at the firing control.”

“Enough!” Sid Arrid shouted and pointed his blaster at Jaxon warningly. “There will be no fighting amongst ourselves.”

Chapter XV - A Bought Soul

They traveled for a couple more miles; the tension between the Imperial and the Rebel soldiers was high. Colonel Veers, through his growing wariness, kept an eye on Jenos Jaxon. He knew he had touched a nerve when he tried to justify the actions of the Empire against thepeaceful planet of Alderaan. Veers main worry was not a matter of if, but a matter of when the hot-tempered Rebel would attempt to take his captive’s life.

To the Rebel, Veers realized, one more Imperial’s execution was just one more Alderaanian’s death avenged. He also kept an eye on Lana. She had much the same reason to hate the Empire and all those who served it because of the death of her brother. That was the real reason Veers believed she opposed the Empire for.

Maximilian Veers bent forward as another coughing fit racked at his lungs and side. He heard rather than saw the group pausing to look back at him and felt the presence of Lana at his side. He didn’t know if she was there in concern for his health or whether she was going to have to help carry him should he pass out.

“It is getting worse?” She questioned in a low whisper and Veers nodded in confirmation.

“Apparently so.” He replied. “It feels like someone is taking sandpaper and scrapping away at my lungs.”

Lana pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and shook her head lightly, almost sadly. The Colonel narrowed his eyes slightly at her, studying her features. Despite all her hatred toward what he stood for, she still showed a caring concern for his well-being. It baffled him, making him wonder whether she truly believed in her reason for hating the Empire.

Colonel Veers regained as much of his composure as a sickly man could before following his captors again.

“Why was your brother executed?” He asked Lana.

“Does it matter?” She replied stiffly.

“Yes.” Veers’ gaze met Lana’s. “There is always a reason why one does something.”

“Why do you serve the Empire?” She threw back at him, catching him off guard momentarily.

“I serve the current ruling and legitimate government,” Veers replied, “like my fathers before me have done.” Pride spoke with his words as he stared at the Rebel.

“Even when the Alliance wins the war and re-establishes the Republic?” She asked him and Veers raised an eyebrow at her.

“The Empire is the Republic.” He reminded her. “Or at least what the Republic has become. You are too young to have experienced the turmoil and corruption that dominated the Republic...the dark times before Palpatine.”

“And like you aren’t.” She retorted and Veers lightly scowled at her.

“I was just becoming a teenager when the Clone Wars broke out. I remember it well since it had come to my homeworld and my father was involved in the defense of the Republic against the Mandalorian Clones.” Veers replied in a scornful tone. The very same tone he used during his lectures back at the Academy whenever one of his students spoke out of turn or did something wrong that both disappointed and angered him.

“You still did not answer my question.” Veers continued before Lana could come up with a reply to his last statement. “Why was your brother executed?”

“He...” She began. “He was at a protest rally a few days before. He was executed because he had attended that rally. An innocent rally that did no harm to anyone and they executed him for it!” Her eyes swelled red from holding back tears. She turned away from the Colonel, not wanting any weakness on her part to be seen.

“Which rally was this?” Veers inquired carefully.

“It was a Pro-Non-Human Rights Rally on Chandrilla, six years ago in the capital city.” She answered after a moment.

Colonel Veers stopped and stared at the back of the female Rebel as she continued to walk forward before she noticed he was no longer at her side. Lana glanced back at him both curiously and furiously for stopping. The others kept walking, paying no attention to the two that they were unknowingly leaving behind.

“You do not refer to the Chandrillian Massacre?” He softly asked.

“That is what it is commonly called, yes.” She answered. Lana narrowed her eyes more in curiosity than in malice, or at least that is what Veers thought he read. Then they widened in both surprise and horror. “You...you weren’t involved in that were you?”

“I...” He hesitated. Six years ago he was stationed at Chandrilla for his tour of duty. He was a Major then and he had been involved in an investigation into rumors of Rebel terrorists working in the capital city when the riot had broken out. “I was part of an investigative team that was looking into several rumors of Rebels seen in the capital when the riot broke out.”

Lana studied the Colonel’s features carefully. “You were the one on the LAV Chariot giving orders to the stormtroopers.”

“I wasn’t giving the orders.” Veers denied. “I was overseeing the coordination of the troopers. My superior was the one who gave the orders for the men to open fire on the crowd.”

“You are still responsible.” Lana shouted at him. Her shout attracted the attention of the other two Rebels and they began to walk back. “Next you are going to tell me you did not give the order to execute my brother.”

“Your last name would not be Corbel, would it?”

“You...MURDERER!” She lunged at him.

Colonel Veers could not react fast enough to get out of her way as her body slammed into his, knocking them both to the ground. He fought against her as best he could. Lana’s hands were wrapped around his throat doing their best to choke the life out of him.

“S...Stop!” He sputtered between breaths as he fought her grip around his neck. “I...didn’t...order.” He tried to tell her. Black spots were beginning to form in his vision from the lack of oxygen.

“Lana.” Veers heard faintly to the side. Was it Jaxon or Sid that called her name? He couldn’t tell.

“You killed my brother!” She yelled into the Imperial’s face even as his grip loosened on her wrists. Sid Arrid had to pull Lana Corbel off of the man before she succeeded in killing him, but too late to prevent him from passing out.

I tried to stop it.Veers last thought before disappearing into the realms of darkness one more time.

“Where is that group we captured in Hanna City a week ago?” Major Maximilian Veers inquired from one of the officers in the command center of the local garrison. Activity in the room was minimal as enlistees and officers went about their business.

“I believe they are being prepped for execution, Major.” The officer replied then returned to the datapad in his hand. Veers frowned at this news. He stopped the officer from walking away from him before he was finished questioning the man.

“Already? The investigation into their activities has not been completed yet.”

“I’m sorry, sir. But that is what I know.” The officer said defensively. “You will have to talk to the liaison from Intel to find out more.”

“I will.” He turned away leaving the officer to go about his business once again. He walked down the corridor of the command level in the direction of the Imperial Intelligence’s offices. He could not understand why they were already preparing the prisoners for an execution when the investigation was not finished.

“Major Veers!” Called out someone from behind him. He stopped and half turned to face the young woman who approached him at a brisk pace. She was carrying a datapad and looked like she was in a hurry to get a hold of him. When he turned his attention to her, her gait slowed slightly and she appeared to look relieved that she had finally caught up to him.

“Yes, what is it, Captain?”

“Sir, the information you requested on Erik Corbel.” The Captain handed him the datapad and he glanced over the information. His once annoyed expression about the quickened execution of the captives turned to a deep and troubled frown.

“Come with me, Captain.” He said, abruptly turning on his heel and nearly jogging down the corridor in a hurry.

“Sir?” She exclaimed from behind him, surprised at the turn of events.

“We have an execution to stop!” He replied over his shoulder as he turned a corner.

Major Veers ran at full speed down the corridor until he skidded to a halt in front of the Intelligence liaison’s office. He did not stop to knock or let the computer announce his presence; he slapped his palm into the lockpad on the side and entered the office, startling the Colonel who was busily looking through datacards at the time.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Colonel demanded, standing up and looking very flustered at the intrusion.

“My apologizes for the intrusion, Colonel, but you need to call off the execution of Erik Corbel.” Major Veers quickly stated, the Captain stood in the door right behind him giving the Intelligence Officer an ‘I’m not with him’ look.

“Why should I call his execution off, Major?” The Colonel demanded once again, eyes narrowed. Veers handed the Colonel the datapad with the information on Erik Corbel and he could see the man’s blood run from his face as he read that information. “Are you absolutely certain?”

“The name sounded familiar, hence why I had his family background checked.” Veers replied. “He’s the Governor’s nephew, sir.”

“Frell!” The Colonel dropped the datapad on his desk and slapped the comm unit near his datacomp and barked orders at the man on the receiving end for the execution to be stopped. “What do you mean they are out of contact?”

“I have tried to comm them but they are not answering, sir.” Came the reply over the comm unit.

“If Mr. Corbel dies, the Governor will have someone’s head on a platter.” Maximilian Veers said in a deadpan voice.

The Colonel stared at him knowing that it would be he whose head is lost. “Stop that execution, Major, or you can find yourself on some backwater world for the rest of your life.”

He failed.

He and the Captain were driving up to the location where the Rebel dissidents were to be executed and buried to only arrive too late to do something. They had arrived just in time to watch a black uniformed Intelligence officer put a blaster to the young man’s skull as Corbel dug his grave and heard the familiar whiney sound of a blaster going off.

Veers watched in dismay as the bruised and beaten body of the Governor’s nephew fell forward into the muddy grave with a smoking burn on the back of his skull. He had been standing in the speeder, shouting orders at the stormtroopers to stop the execution, knowing full well that they were futile as he watched the scene unfold too quickly for anyone to do anything.

He had failed to save the young man and his career.

“Just like you have failed to keep yourself from the clutches of the Rebellion.” A very familiar voice said next to him and everything around him seemed to have suddenly been placed on pause. “And healthy...”

“What do you want now?” Veers said exasperatedly. A gray fog began to creep along the ground and appeared to consume the Imperials, speeders and the forest nearby. The fog then began to swirl rapidly in the center before the Colonel until the whirlpool rose into a gray funnel.

Maximilian Veers stood his ground even as the towering funnel approached him, tearing at his cloths, trying to unbalance him. But he refused to let the manifestation in his mind to overpower him. He almost took a step back in retreat when he thought the funnel was going to consume him just like the gray fog had done to the memory.

But at the last second it halted a mere foot away from him and began to shrink. Veers could make out a humanoid figure start to take shape within the ever-shrinking tornado. When the last wisp of the gray mist faded to his feet he knew who stood before him now.

Exar Kun.

“What do I want?” The Dark Lord apparition began. “Why nothing.”

“I find that difficult to believe.” Veers replied dubiously.

“Believe what you want, it is the truth.” Kun continued, unfolding his arms from underneath his cloak and turning away from the Imperial Colonel. “I offer you power. Power that can help you get away from those Rebels and that justice seeking blockhead.”

“I’ve told you countless times before, I don’t want your power. I know it will come with a price too much for me to willingly pay.” He countered.

“Do you know what is happening to you in the real realm?” Kun switched tactics in to luring the stubborn human to accept his offer. Preventing the Colonel a chance to reply, the Sith spun around on Veers.

“You are dying, Colonel.”

“You lie.” Veers defiantly said in a tight voice. “A trick to get me to accept your dark offer.”

“No trick.” Kun said and motioned with a hand off to the side. Some of the gray mist along the ground parted, giving way to an ‘out of body experience’ view of the three Rebels and the sickly Imperial. Colonel Veers stepped forward and gazed down at his prone and pale form next to the burning campfire.

The older male, Sid Arrid, stabbed him in the right shoulder with a syringe from the medical kit that lay open next to him. “His condition is getting worse.”

“Who cares.” Veers heard Jenos Jaxon say in a mirthful tone, he was busy stroking the fire and watching the prisoner with a look, matching his tone of voice, that disgusted Veers. “He is only going to continue to get worse and die on us before we reach the base. So what is the point in helping him? Let him die. He deserves it.”

The man cares not whether I live or die. He concluded. He would see me suffer as justice for the death of his world, rather than help me survive to be tried by justice.

“I agree.” Lana Corbel concurred with Jaxon for the first time since his capture. It did not surprise Veers that she would agree with him; after all she does believe that he had murdered her brother.

“You see?” Kun’s voice broke Veers’ reflection and the Colonel turned his attention toward the dead man. “I do not lie.”

“I do not feel like I am dying.” Veers countered. He did not want to believe the Dark Lord but something in his voice nagged at the back of his mind. Something he did not want to admit.

“Of course not, you are unconscious.” He replied derisively and then smiled one of those smiles that sent a chill down Veers spine. “Why don’t you wake up and find out for yourself, Colonel?”

“What?” He asked, puzzled.

“WAKE UP!” He roared and Veers jumped.

“Wake up!” Sid exclaimed and shook the unconscious Imperial by the shoulder. Veers looked very pale and sick. The Rebel could not understand why the antibiotics were failing to bring the man back to health.

A groan and blinking eyelids paused Sid from violently shaking the man back to the living. “This is all his fault.” Veers mumbled in a hoarse voice as he opened his eyes.

The fault is yours. Came the ever-intruding voice of the Dark Lord.

“Mine?” Veers replied aloud and the older Rebel stared at him incredulously.

Do not tell me you have forgotten about drinking the river water.

“I have not forgotten nor will I forget you forcing me back to consciousness.” He scolded the Sith Lord and heard the man’s laughter in return.

You wish to be unconscious now that you know how your body feels. Kun said and Veers could imagine that annoying smirk on the dead man’s face. The Sith was right, he wanted to be unconscious so that he could avoid the sickly and pained feelings he felt now.

His entire body felt exhausted and it hurt to exert energy, to speak and even think. He felt voraciously thirsty and hungry, but he could have sworn he had drank and eaten hours ago. Then again, half a bar of rations and a few gulps of water would probably leave even a healthy person famished.

He did not know what it felt like to die from a disease, but he had heard stories that they were sometimes very painful and slow deaths. What confused him about this particular disease is that it worked incredibly fast.

Veers swore that he had only begun drinking the local water two days ago.

“I had to wake you.” Sid replied, unaware of the conversation that was taking place in the Colonel’s mind. “If I had let you remain asleep, you may never have awoken ever again.”

Veers brown eyes moved to look at the Rebel sitting next to him with a canteen in his lap. “What?”

“You would not have awakened if I had let you continued to sleep.” Sid repeated and helped the Imperial into an upright position so he could drink from the canteen. “Drink, you need it.”

Veers refused the canteen and lowered himself back to the ground. He grimaced at the effort. “I do not want any.”

“You’ll die without water.” Sid warned.

“And remain a prisoner of the Rebel Alliance?” Veers said defiantly, lowering his eyes to the fire and to the two Rebels who sat on the other side watching him with malicious stares. Lana’s did not look so baneful compared to Jaxon’s. “I’d rather die first than to continue to remain in Rebel hands.”

Foolish prattle.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“No one said anything.” Sid said in confusion.

“He’s delusional.” Jaxon said and motioned with a hand that the Imperial had finally lost his mind.

They think you are crazy.

“No thanks to you.” Veers reproached.

“Me?” Jaxon misunderstood.

I can end this.

And I am the galactic Emperor. He replied, falling silent and hoping that the Rebels would not question his sanity any further then necessary.

I can make you healthy again; I can even help you get rid of these Rebels. Especially that annoying blockhead named Jenos Jaxon. Kun said and then added as bait. Without using the Force.

How? He was curious and tired of fighting the Dark Lord. He wanted to be cured and he wanted the Rebels gone. But he did not want to do it by having Exar Kun teach him how to through the Force. Therefore having to accept his offer.

Accept my offer and become my apprentice.

Veers groaned and closed his eyes. He should have known that the Sith Lord was going to have a price for his help.You know my answer.

You are willing to die?Kun said, disbelieving.Do you not want to see your son again?

Zevulon.

Of course I do. Veers sneered.

You cannot do that if you are dead. Kun pointed out to the Colonel and he was quiet for several moments. In the meantime, Kun continued to press Veers into accepting his offer of apprenticeship.Accept my offer and I will help you with whatever you need. Including getting back to Corellia and your child.

Whatever I need?

That is what I said, did I not?

Maximilian Veers fell silent as he thought about it. What harm was there really in accepting the ghost’s offer? He was dying as they spoke and he saw no way of getting away from his captors. He also did not have a way off the planet and he realized it would only be a miracle of the Force if he succeeded in stealing a starship without getting shot by fleeing Rebels.

And he wanted to see his son again. He wanted to see the boy grow into a man and make him proud as a leading officer in the Imperial military. He wanted to see the boy follow in his footsteps, but he could not do that as a dead man or stranded on this Force forsaken planet.

Well?

Help me first and then I’ll decide.Veers replied. He could not believe that he was even considering accepting the Dark Lord’s offer. He shuddered as an icy chill ran down the base of his spine at the thought of Death wrapping it’s bony hands around his throat and choking the life out of him if he did not make a decision soon.

As a show of good faith, I’ll cure you of Creek Fever.He heard Kun reply and thought he also heard a warning in the ghostly voice. Maximilian Veers knew what it meant, if he did not make a decision that Kun liked the man would make him wish he had died.

Creek Fever. So that is what he had contracted on this Force forsaken world. He had heard of it and only knew that it was fatal if not treated immediately. Unfortunately he did not know how to cure himself of the disease.

“Hey, wake up.” Sid said, interrupting his train of thought and lightly smacking Veers across the cheek. The Colonel opened his eyes to stare up at the Rebel, and then scowled.

“Can no one get any peace around here?” He said sourly, his voice hoarse.

“Not for...”

“Shut up, Jaxon. I do not want to hear it right now.” Sid snapped, glowering at the young Alderaanian Rebel. He returned his attention back to the Colonel and sighed. “Still want to die?”

“No.”

“I thought...so...What the hell is that?” Sid exclaimed as he stared slack jawed at a small lizard like rodent that crawled out from under the brush nearby. It skittered over to where Colonel Veers lay resting and climbed onto his chest. In its mouth was a Massassi tree flower.

Veers attempted to sit up in order to get away from the creature, but the noise it made-a small squeak-and that it placed the flower on his chest kept him still. The tiny creature squeaked again before skittering away over to one of the Massassi trees. Both the Imperial and the rebels stared in astonishment as the animal clawed at the purplish bark, shredding the bark into large pieces that were just small enough for the creature to still carry.

“I do believe that this is the strangest thing I ever saw.” Sid said, breaking the silence as the rodent returned with pieces of the bark and two others came over to deposit some more Massassi tree flowers before finally disappearing into the forest jungle once again.

“Uh...” Was all Veers could say.

Crush them into a powder and mix it into boiled water to create a fever-reducing tea. Colonel Veers heard in his mind.

“It is used as a fever-reducing remedy for Creek Fever.” Veers told them and explained how to prepare the cure. Lana stood from her spot to prepare the boiling water while stealing glances at the dying Imperial. He had relaxed back to the ground and appeared to be lightly sleeping, but he would open his eyes again to watch Sid grind the plants by using the butt of his blaster and a tin cup. He would also glance at Lana to only end up catching her staring at him curiously.

“I tried to stop his execution.” He said out of the blue. Lana glanced up from staring at the crackling flames of the fire to scowl at the sickly Imperial. “I thought I had recognized his name, when I confirmed who he was, I tried to get Colonel Salves to recall the prisoners.” Veers paused to take a deep breath, cringe and let it out before continuing. “There was a problem with the communication dish that prevented us from contacting the stormtroopers and Agent Trell.”

“And you are going to tell me you tried to race against time to stop the execution personally.” She spat and almost gave in to the temptation to turn over the boiling water and let the Imperial die from Creek Fever.

“Yes.”

“What?” She blinked at him.

“I did try that, but I was too late.” He explained and sighed glumly. She stared at him, shock on her face.

“Is the water ready?” Sid interrupted and Lana was happy for the distraction.

“Yeah.” She replied and brought the boiling hot water over to Sid. The older Rebel poured the hot water into the tin cup and stirred the ingredients together until the water turned a purplish color.

“Help hold him up.” Sid said and Lana obeyed by kneeling behind the Colonel and letting him use her as support to rest against as he sat up. Veers tried to take the tin up from Sid but the Rebel kept a hand on it as the Colonel took a measured sip of the hot tea.

Veers made an expression that resembled nausea, as he drank the tea. “I do not suppose you have any sugar to cover the sour taste.” He was already starting to feel slightly better then he had a few minutes ago before he began to drink the tea.

“You’ll just have to live with it.” Lana told him, no hint of any animosity in her voice.

And the fact that Kun pulled through on his word.He thought and wondered if he was going to learn to regret the next words coming out of his thoughts to the Sith Lord.

You have yourself an apprentice.

Chapter XVI - Déjà Vu

DAY FOUR

By morning Colonel Maximilian Veers felt a whole lot better then he had hours ago on his deathbed. Lana had said his fever had gone down severely but he was still a little hot. His appetite had also returned and so for breakfast he had another cup of the Massassi tree tea and two bars of rations that suddenly tasted sweet to the tongue. He was uncertain as to whether the tea actually tasted bitter which made him think the rations tasted sweeter or that it actuallydidmake the rations taste sweeter. Either way, he really did not care so long as it was something to eat.

He ate his breakfast in silence while listening to Exar Kun instruct him on a couple calming techniques. Veers was surprised to learn that the Sith could actually be calm and had techniques to calm themselves. All the stories he had heard when he was young had told him the Sith were a volatile race of Force-users that practiced the arts of the Darkside of the Force.

That is what the Jedi want you to know.Exar Kun broke his lesson to correct his newly won pupil on the history of the Sith.Our teachings are very similar to the Jedi’s. We still use a lot of their methods to strengthen ourselves in the Force. The only difference between them and us is that we encourage our apprentices’ to never suppress their emotions like the Jedi do. If anger is an emotion that allows us to unleash the raw power of the Force to further our goals and understand the Force, then so be it. It was because of this philosophy that the first of the Dark Jedi were expelled from the Jedi Order and banished to the Outer Rim.

Maybe because they had a good reason. Did not the Dark Jedi abuse their power?Veers pointed out and cringed at the hissed reply.

Their reason was fear!Kun hissed angrily.They were afraid to take the next step in the evolution of the Jedi! And because of that fear, it had paralyzed and allowed them to be slaughtered by the Sith. You did say a Sith was able to destroy the Jedi, correct?

Yes. Lord Vader just slew the last one a week ago.Veers confirmed and took a measured sip of his tea. His brown eyes lifted toward the younger Rebel returning from wherever he went and for some reason Veers did not want to know about.

The evidence that proves that the Sith are superior...

“I see you’re feeling a lot better.” Jaxon jeered as he walked past their prisoner, interrupting Exar Kun. Veers did not like the tone of voice Jaxon used.

“Are you not satisfied with the death of thousands of Imperials when the Death Star was destroyed?” Veers asked. “Especially when among those thousands were the men who gave the order and acted out those orders?”

“No,” was the young Rebel’s reply.

“I see.” Veers said, picking up a sardonic tone. “How could I forget that you want every Imperial to pay for each Alderaanian that was killed? Even if they were not responsible and do not deserve...”

“My people did not deserve to be slaughtered!” Jaxon shouted, rearing around to face the Colonel with a flustered face. “So do not go preaching to me about serving justice to those who deserve it! As I see it, the entire Empire owes my people a lot and they will pay for it with their own blood!”

Veers stared up at the Alderaanian, the tin cup with the tea half way to his lips.I finally found the nerve that makes him explode. This could prove useful in the future.

“Like I said before, if I had my way your blood would be added to the thousands that already died over Yavin!” Jaxon took a deep breath to calm himself. His face was still red with anger as he exhaled.

“Are you done?”

“You are either the dumbest Imperial I ever met, or you have a death wish.” Jaxon said, fingering the butt of his blaster pistol at his side. Veers could see the eagerness in the young man's eyes as he contemplated whether he should kill the Imperial then and there.

“You two bicker far worse then Erik and I ever did.” Lana interjected before Jaxon could come to a decision.

Veers smirked behind his cup of tea as the three Rebels picked up their gear for the remaining trek to their waiting shuttlecraft. “Come on. Finish your breakfast. I want to get to the crash site before noon.” Sid commanded and gave the Colonel a look that he won’t tolerate anymore bickering or any stalling on the Imperial’s part.

“Of course.” Veers replied and drank the last of the bitter tea. He handed the cup back to Sid and slowly stood with the help of the old Rebel. He groaned from the aches in his body and took a couple seconds to straighten. Despite that the tea helped him fight the sickness, his body still felt like it had been tossed around like a rag doll.

I don’t suppose you have a lesson to relieve pain?He asked the Dark Lord.

A soft chuckle was his answer.Just practice the calming techniques and you won’t notice the aches.

You are a lot of help.

You complain too much.

Veers sneered at that comment which then attracted a curious look from Lana. He gave her his best charming smile and Lana turned her gaze away from him. He hoped she wouldn’t question him about his behavior. Because he had no way of making her understand that he was talking to a ghost without coming off as a deranged officer.

They were making good progress now that Colonel Veers was feeling better than he ever had since crashing on the jungle moon. Every now and then Veers would recognize a familiar landmark where he had passed in retreat from the crash site. In a matter of hours they had reached his first campsite, the dead toppled tree with the hanging vines.

Maximilian suppressed an involuntary shudder as he recalled what had happened that night. He could still see the vivid images of Grand Moff Tarkin’s head exploding into a ball of fire just like the colossal space station had when the Rebellion succeeded shoving a proton torpedo down its throat. It unsettled him knowing that a million good men and women had died in an instant.

He wondered if the Rebel responsible for the fatal shot regretted killing all those people. People, who served their Empire and Emperor on board a space station--meant to keep the peace and order in the galaxy--whom never gave a second thought that they would die today, tomorrow, or sometime in the near future.

People who were just as innocent as the Alderaans. He thought remorsefully.

“May I ask you something?” Veers turned his head to the older Rebel who now was escorting him. Lana still refused to stand near him or even acknowledge him with anything other than a glance. He understood why though. She still probably believed he was her brother’s killer even though he had not pulled the trigger or gave the order.

“What?” Sid answered.

“Who was the pilot that destroyed the Death Star?”

The group stopped to stare back at the Imperial. Sid had a look on his face that told Veers the old man was considering whether he should give that information or not. Veers figured the reason why he was so hesitant was in fear of the possibility that the Imperial might somehow escape and leak that information to his superiors, thus endangering the life of the pilot ten-fold.

After a moment Sid continued walking, prodding his grimy prisoner with a blaster to continue ahead of him.

“I only ask out of curiosity.” Veers continued over his shoulder. “I mean, he would be just as equal of a murderer as Governor Tarkin was.”

“That is a hero you are slandering.” Sid warned and pressed his blaster into Veers back hard enough for the Imperial to wince from the pressure.

“Hero or no, he still murdered a million men and women who were only doing their job.” Veers pointed out.

“Job?” Jaxon said from ahead. “You call destroying worlds and instilling fear into the galaxy a job?”

“I lost good friends and colleagues.” Veers snapped back. “Men and women who were Academic lecturers, whose job was to train the troops on board the space station. Soldiers and pilots trained to protect the Death Star from the likes of your kind. Technicians and engineers assigned to maintain and man the station. Those were their jobs and mine!

“If anyone around here that is destroying worlds and terrorizing the galaxy it is you three and your Rebel insurgents! How many families have lost their loved ones because you killed them? How many families have lost their jobs and economies devastated because someone had the bright idea to blow up a building? You can combine all the things your little Rebellion has done and it would total greater then what Grand Moff Tarkin had committed.”

“Tarkin’s crime will always be greater than what we can do in a lifetime.” Jaxon argued.

“Have you ever considered that you are responsible for Alderaan’s destruction from the very beginning?” Veers pointed out and shoved a finger into Jaxon’s chest. The Rebel looked appalled at the accusation for a second before glaring maliciously at the Imperial. Jaxon shoves Veers away from him. “You hadn’t! If you had not started your insurrection, there would be a very good chance Alderaan would still exist!”

“Tarkin destroyed my world! Not the Rebellion!” Jaxon shouted back. He was now being pulled away by Lana to prevent a fight from instituting.

“No! The Rebellion is just as much responsible as the Governor is! You started the chain of events that resulted in the destruction of your world! You started it, Tarkin finished it!”

“Shut up!” Sid shouted and slammed the butt of his pistol in the back of Veers skull to silence him. The Colonel fell to his knees and cuffed hands. He groaned and shook his head of the pain at the base of his skull. The older Rebel grabbed the Imperial by the arm and began half dragging him along as the group pressed forward for the crash site.

“One more word out of you about Alderaan and I will let Jenos have his way with you.” Sid warned as the Colonel regained his senses and began walking on his own again. Sid shoved Veers forward, pressing for him to walk faster.

The rest of the journey to the crash site was in silence. Neither Jaxon nor Veers spoke again about Alderaan or any other subject concerning the morality of the Empire and the Rebellion. It was apparent to Veers that it was not wise to anger the elder Rebel. As he concluded from observations of Jaxon and Sid. Jaxon gave Sid the occasional glance, almost like a boy trying to say ‘it was not my fault he started the argument’. Sid would return that glance with his own irritated glare.

Or maybe he was putting too much into a small thing? Whatever it was, Sid was going to be as much of a problem as Jaxon was. The Rebel was the only thing between him and Jaxon and should he suddenly lose the meager protection he got from Sid because he had ticked the man off...

Well the future would look pretty grim for him that is for certain.

After a day and a half of travel since his capture, they finally arrived at the Imperial shuttle crash site. “I just can’t seem to get away from this place.” He comments upon arriving at the site.

It had not changed one bit since he was last there four days ago.Has it been that long? He thought as he took a glance around the place. There was the tree trunk he had hid behind; the scorch marks were still there from the blaster shots that had been meant for him. The shuttle-made gorge still looked as it did except in the area where blaster bolts had dug into the dirt and he had climbed out from to make his escape.

The shuttle still looked as it did when he had ran from it in fright for his life and later out of pure fear from the grisly sight inside. The only thing that was different was that this time there was no identical Imperial shuttle with the Rebel insignia on its dorsal fin. In its place was a troop transport and an alien with a human, or what looked to be a human, standing next to the transport. The alien was the same Wookiee he had encountered the last time he had been here. Thehuman, Veers concluded, apparently was the Wookiee’s companion and was the same one he had shot while making his escape.

Now that he had the time, the Colonel studied the human carefully. She was tall and slender. She wore cloths that did not identify her as part of the Rebellion. Her hair was braided in several strands and decorated with some kind of bead. She had the strangest pair of boots that did not follow the shape of her feet like his own did. At the heels of these boots were two claw like protrusions. The purpose of these, Veers could only guess.

The Wookiee roared something in his language as the group approached the transport. The female human next to him laid a hand on his furry arm, as if she understood what the Wookiee had said and was trying to mediate the problem before it began. Maximilian Veers did not like the snarl on the furball’s face and wondered if the threat he had received earlier had anything to do with the female.

Sid escorted the Imperial Colonel toward the Rebel transport and the Wookiee woofed a comment at the approaching group. “No, Raanarraaka, his time will come later.” The elder Rebel replied.

“You understand him?” Veers asked the obvious. “What did he say?”

“Yes, I understand him.” Sid replied and pushed Veers up the boarding ramp of the transport. “You had harmed his ward, Leilonia,” he gestures toward the female standing next to the Wookiee, “and feels that it is his right to pull your arms out.”

“So that is why he broke off the chase.” Veers muttered under his breath. Raan sniffed and growled an incoherent phrase in Shyriiwook at the Colonel. To Veers it sounded almost like the Wookiee wanted to eat him.I wouldn’t be surprised. He thought and sniffed indignantly in reply.

“I am so glad this dang mission is over with.” Jaxon said as he entered the ship and helped escort the Colonel into the passenger compartment. He took great pleasure in securing the Imperial to one of the seats.

“I’ll be glad to be rid of you.” Veers sneered; trying not to grimace as the young Rebel purposely tightened his restraints.

“Oh no. You won’t have gotten rid of me that easily, Imperial.” Jaxon replied with a sinister smile. “I’ll be there to execute you after High Command finds you guilty for your crimes against the galaxy.”

“Fat chance that will happen.” Veers said defiantly.

“Jaxon.” Sid called warningly and motioned for the Alderaanian to sit down. “Just watch him.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jaxon sat down on the side bench and held a blaster ready in a lazy manner. Veers noted the overconfidence in the young man. He knew Jaxon probably believed that he had restrained the Colonel just enough that he would not be a threat.

I shall enjoy proving him wrong.

Use him to escape before they reach the Great Temple.He heard Exar Kun whisper to him. Maximilian lifted his gaze slightly and concentrated on listening to hisMaster. He has yet to get use to calling someone, especially a dead Sith, Master.

Even if I could influence him, what about the Wookiee and that girl?

Trust me. Exar replied.Use the only advantage you have over the blockhead.

Ah. I see.Veers understood where Kun was going when he meant to influence Jaxon. He heard the engines of the transport start up. The whine of the engines' crescendos to its peak and the Imperial could feel the transport lift off the ground. He did not have much time left before he was finally in the Rebellion’s hands completely.

He could feel Leilonia’s eyes on him as she studied him. Something about her told him to tread carefully when making his escape. The Wookiee was silent and also watched him. Veers had never felt so much malice and suspicion on him all at once before. For once in his life, he wished he were not an officer of the Empire. He did not enjoy having so many people hate him because he served a government they believed was evil and corrupt.

He let out a soft sigh as he prepared to play on Jaxon’s emotions. “You know. Now that I think about it, I praise Grand Moff Tarkin for destroying Alderaan. The people are nothing but a bunch of stuck-up snobs anyway.”

“Shut the frell up, sithspawn.” Jaxon snapped and lifted his blaster a little less lazily.

Must keep him from using that thing.

Leave that to me. Exar said and Veers wondered how the ghost was going to accomplish that.

“See what I mean?” Veers continued. “They think the entire galaxy owes them everything. Well I say the galaxy is better off without their lot.” The Wookiee roared a warning at the Colonel, but he ignored it. He noticed Leilonia tilting her head to the side lightly as she still studied him.

“You should not be talking, Corellian.” She finally said and Veers now understood why he felt so uneasy with her watching him. She apparently had a talent for figuring out whom you are and where you are from by just watching and listening to you.

“I beg your pardon?” Veers said. “I am not a Corellian.”

“You’re accent says otherwise.” She replied. “Corellians were always a bunch of reckless fools.”

“I live there, but by birth I am not a Corellian.” Veers corrected in annoyance. He was not supposed to be receiving the insults and end up angry. “What are you? You are obviously not human.”

“I am as human as you are.” She replied, offended at being implied she was an alien. “I am a Lorrdian.”

Uh oh, this could be a problem. He had heard of the Lorrdians back at the Academy during a psychology class. The instructor was teaching his class at the time about reading facial expressions and gestures and how you could use it to understand a person or their intentions. It was where he learned about the Lorrdians and their uncanny ability to read expressions and gestures. And how they used that ability to Rebel against their slave masters, the Argazdans.

He would have to really tread carefully around her. If he so much as twitched or smirked the wrong way that reveals his intentions to her, he was doomed.But I can’t give up now. I am not a quitter.

“So you know where I have been living these past years.” He shrugs in his crash webbing. Veers returned his attention back to Jaxon. He needed to anger the Rebel to do what he wanted. “As I said, Alderaanians are nothing but stuck up, rich snobs with nothing better to do then complain and Rebel when they don’t get their way.”

“Imperials are a bunch of arrogant reeks.” Jaxon snapped back pathetically.

“The one that is arrogant around here is you, Alderaanian!” Veers replied back calmly. He added an annoying smirk to his passive expression to egg Jaxon on. “A pity you did not die along with the rest of them.”

“Pity you didn’t die with the rest of your evil kind.” Jaxon retorted as he stood up. He waved the blaster in Veers’ direction dangerously and the Colonel thought that the Rebel might use it.

“Then why don’t you finish the job where your pilot friends failed.”

“Gladly.” Jaxon lifted his blaster and the Wookiee roared at him. The Rebels exchanged glances and words. “Fine. I won’t use the blaster then! I’ll just choke the life out of him.”

“Another trait of the Alderaanians.” Veers quickly put in before Jaxon could move to throttle him. “Cowardice and lack of honor!”

“Like you know anything about that.” Jaxon snapped.

“You want to kill me! Then kill me like a man!” Veers shouted back and pulled against his crash webbing for added affect. “Release me and kill me in a honorable fight!”

“Jaxon don’t.” Warned Leilonia. She began to slowly stand up, as she finally understood what the Colonel was trying to do.

And it was working too.

Jaxon ignored the Lorrdian as he shoved his blaster into Veers jaw and undid the webbing’s clasps. “I’m tired of hearing your crap.” The Rebel hissed at Veers as the last clasp came undone. “I’m gonna beat some respect into you and when I’m done you won’t ever slander the name of my people ever...”

He was cut off as Veers shoulder slammed into his stomach.

Jaxon yelped in surprise as both he and the Colonel fell away from the seats and into the compartment bulkhead. Before Jaxon could respond to the surprise attack, Veers uppercut the young Rebel in the chin with both cuffed fists, sending him crumbling to the floor with a pained groan. An enraged Wookiee battle cry howl was the Imperial’s only warning before he found himself slammed against the adjacent wall.

The world exploded in a flash of bright white light and quickly followed by a searing pain in the back of his skull. It felt like someone had taken a sonic-sledge hammer and smashed it against the base of his skull. The compartment tilted and sagged as he tried to regain some footing underneath him. Raan approached with a deadly purpose and a shouted warning in Veers mind from Exar Kun saved his life from a huge, clawed swipe from the furred alien.

Veers rolled out of the way and climbed back to his feet. He saw, out of the corner of his perceptual vision, Jaxon stand back up with a look of pure rage on his face. The young Rebel charged, climbing over the set of seats in his path and leapt at the Colonel. But Veers denied the Rebel a successful leap and tackle. Jaxon flew through the air and was propelled into the bulkhead as his target side stepped out of the way and grabbed him by the shirt, flinging him forward in the process.

Jaxon once again crumbled to the floor, but this time unconscious and with a nasty cut on his forehead. Veers had no time to gloat over his small triumph. The Lorrdian came at him with a sidekick that connected with his chest; an audible crack was heard as Veers already fractured ribs finally snapped under the pressure. Unable to breathe, he found himself assaulted by a determined Leilonia. She came at him with a semi-roundhouse kick that he tried to block with his forearm, but the protrusions on her boot ankles sliced cleanly through his jacket and flesh.

Now I know what those things are for. He thought grimly as he fought for air and clutching his injured arm to his stomach as best as he could for someone who is restrained. Leilonia did not stop; she attacked him with a front kick that sent him stumbling backwards into the cockpit door. Dazed and hurting, Veers straightened his posture just as the door behind him hissed open.

“WHAT is going on in here!” He heard Lana demand in a very irritated voice behind him. A Wookiee roar cut off Leilonia’s reply as the big alien pushed her aside and slammed into Veers. Raanarraaka, Veers, and Lana fell back into the cockpit.

“What the frell!” Sid exclaimed from the pilot’s seat, staring flabbergasted at the tangle mess between him and the co-pilots seat. Veers struggled with the Wookiee, the impact had done something inside his chest and he could breathe once again.

Kun! Help me, kriffit! Maximilian Veers yelled at the dead Sith Lord. Raan had wrapped his hands around the Colonel’s throat and was choking him with strength that if it did not relent soon; Veers’ windpipe would be crushed.

“Raan!” Sid shouted and received an irritated roar in response. “Stop!”

The Wookiee continued to throttle the Colonel with determination. Veers was just as determined to free himself of the alien’s grasp. As Lana had moved out from under Veers, he had stopped struggling in trying to loosen the Wookiee’s grip. Instead he reached for Lana’s sidearm and grabbed onto the leather holster.

“Hey!” She shouted when she felt her blaster slip free of its holster. A blaster whine and a deafening pained roar were heard. The Wookiee let go of Veers and sat up in pain, a smoking wound stained its fur-covered body. A second shot impacted the alien in the face and Raan fell over backwards, two scorching wounds marking its death.

“NOOOoooo!” Shouted the Lorrdian.

Veers coughed as he stood. He pointed the blaster at Leilonia but she paid no heed to the weapon and kicked at him. Her foot impacted against his hand holding the blaster and a ruby blaster bolt ricocheted through the cockpit before it finally smashed into Sid’s controls. Veers felt the ship take a sudden plunge after sparks danced and flew across the flying controls.

“You fool!” Sid shouted and turned in his seat to grab for the weapon. “You destroyed the controls!”

“Good!” Veers replied. He pushed against the console as gravity tried to press him against it. The ship began to shake and the familiar whine of a ship free falling through the sky is heard. Lana attempted to get into the co-pilots controls but Veers stopped her short with a blaster bolt to the arm.

"I am not going to become a prisoner of the Rebellion!” He shouted over the noise. “I would rather die and take you with me than rot in some slime hole you call a cell!”

The ship shook hard as it clipped a tree, everyone not restrained were tossed aside. Veers blaster went clattering and settled underneath a seat. He moved to grab for it but found himself floating in mid-air as if he were out in space without artificial gravity. The view outside the window was a spinning mass of swirling sky, earth, and trees as the transport plunged to earth.

“You are going to get your wish, Imperial!” Leilonia hissed at him, grabbing onto Veers injured arm and pulling him to her. “But you can go first! At least then I will have the pleasure knowing you are dead before me.”

“Quit wasting my time.” He replied just before impact. Both he and Leilonia were thrown through the cockpit door and back into the passenger compartment. The transport screeched and snapped through trees as it skidded across the earth in a mad dash. When it was over with, a lengthy trail of upturned ground and snapped trees traced its fatal trajectory.