Space can be a very, very cold place. The endless void filled with stars, moons, planets, rock, and many other things can be very quiet as well.

And as of right now, all is very quiet within a small province within the New Coalition.

The Onyxian Commonwealth had relatively stayed out of most galactic events, preferring the quiet to anything else. Founded by, and led by the famous soldier Joren Logan, the Commonwealth had enjoyed relative peace and prosperity during the last few years.

Under Logan's direction, along with several advisors and generals from all parts of the Coalition, Logan had created a strong, innovative military peacekeeping force to safeguard the Commonwealth and it's interests. He recruited some of the most promising young officers, soldiers, and leaders from across the Coalition into the ranks of this force, making it one of the most powerful in all of the Coalition.

Logan also created a ruling council to govern the Commonwealth, made up of representatives from each member world. This Council was small, but it ensured there was little corruption within. It was strong, efficient, and effective, bringing law, order, and peace to all worlds under its authority.

After establishing a strong military and government, as well as helping to bring many worlds into the Commonwealth, Logan then stayed back, allowing each component to do it's job.

He focused more and more on other things, more personal projects that his status allowed him to. Those projects have remained a closely guarded secret to this day.

But now, years after helping to create the Commonwealth, the great soldier of the lightside, Joren Logan, is gone.

Some believe he is dead, others simply missing.

But the heart of the matter is, Logan is gone.


***


Ord Mantell




The young officer smoothed the front of his freshly pressed uniform down unconsciously. It was a habit he had developed long ago as a cadet in the Coalition Military Academy on Azgaurd. There, daily inspections required your uniform to be flawless at all times, even when running military weapons drills, or practicing marching drills as a squad.

Now the young officer, a new graduate from that same Academy, surveyed the barren, and lifeless landscape of the planet with a keen, military eye.

According to his research, the planet had, at one point, been a wealthy and beautiful world. But long ago the old Republic had sought a world to become a depository for weapons, equipment, ships, and other material. "Ord" actually stands for 'Ordinance Regional Depot', and the Republic changed the world in many, many ways.

Once lush with jungles, forests, and clean oceans, Ord Mantell has become a desolate, filthy hell hole home to millions of what the Galaxy called "undesirables". Since the fall of the old Republic, the old depots that gave the planet it's name had vanished, replaced by broken down and derelict cities.

There never had been any form of government on Ord Mantell. There really had never been any law either, with made it so attractive for those who were trying to hide from the regional forces of whatever government that occupied Coruscant.

But recently, mysteriously, a group of people had actually formed a working government. The main city, Mantell City, was the seat of this new government.

And Lieutenant Caleb Logan, son of Joren Logan, along with civilian diplomats, was on his way to meet the new leader of Ord Mantell.




***



The Past




"Keira... he's beautiful..."

"Thanks mom..."


Keira Logan looked up into the eyes of her mother, Corine, and smiled sadly, "I only wish Joren were here to see him at birth."

"Where is that deadbeat husband of yours anyway?" Corine asked in a tone that Keira knew all to well.

She shrank back from her mother's harsh tone, clutching baby Caleb to her body closely, almost as if to protect him from the ire her mother directed at her husband, "On a mission."

Her mother made a derisive noise, "What mission could be more important than seeing his baby born?"

"Mom... Joren left eight months ago. I know he is with some sort of task force, who's location has to be kept secret... he doesn't call much.... you know...radio silence and all."

"Wait..." Corine said slowly, "Are you telling me he..."

"Yes, mom. He doesn't know yet. I mean, didn't know I was pregnant." Keira answered sheepishly, still clutching the baby to her breast.

"You didn't see fit to tell him?"

"He was supposed to be back months ago. I wanted to tell him in person..."

Corine sighed long and hard. Keira could tell her mother was regretting her earlier words.

Corine turned to her daughter, "Maybe if you had told him, he would have been here."

"Yeah..."



Now - Commonwealth Star Destroyer Keerow - Ord Mantell orbit


Caleb woke with a start, sitting up straight in his bunk. He cast a look around the darkened room, letting his gaze linger on each shadow, each crevice in the small cabin. With a practiced eye he surveyed his surroundings, and when it met with his approval, he fell back into bed, allowing himself to stare at the ceiling.

What were those dreams he had kept having? They had started months ago, just after his graduation from the Praetorian Academy on Sanctuary.

They started out with him falling, then him laying on a white sand shore, with a green ocean spread out before him.

He stands up, and looks down to see he his dressed in a strange uniform. It is white, with blue trim, and an archaic-looking star-in-circle emblem emblazoned on his chest. The emblem looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.

He looks out at the ocean and a shape emerges... it is that of on elderly man...


And then he wakes up. Before he can make out the features of the man, he always wakes up.

This had been going on for months now, and he was beginning to be disturbed by it. What did it mean? Did it even have a meaning? If so, why?

He shook off any disturbing feeling he had and threw his legs over the side of the bed, letting his bare feet hit the cold, solid steel deck. He stayed like that for a moment, trying to place that dream-emblem, but soon gave up, as he had a thousand times before.

It continued to haunt him as he got dressed in his Praetorian/Commonwealth uniform. It haunted his steps as he walked through the busy corridors of the Star Destroyer.

The Keerow was brand new, in a sense. The core of the ship, and some of the hulk of it was more than thirty years old. It was one of the original Star Destroyers, or so Caleb was told. Given by some famous Imperial Moff to some backwater world as a defense vessel. Supposedly the people of that world were in cahoots with the Imperials and were to use it only when called for by the Empire. Or so the story went. It was taught in the Academy, but Caleb had always slept in that class.

It was destroyed over Bakura by the Black Dragons, and recovered recently. Rebuilt and modernized, the vessel was absolutely state of the art. The newest addition to the Commonwealth fleet.

"One of the reasons for the rebuilding of the Keerow from the hulk of it's former self, is a new money-saving measure by the Commonwealth. Many new vessels are actually rebuilt versions of their former selves." Or so the holo-PR campaign went. It was true enough, Caleb reasoned, many of the revamped fighter forces were revamped and modernized X-1 X-wings used by the Rebels in the time of the first Imperial era. Many ships in the ever-growing fleet were older ships that were being modernized.

The door to the bridge hissed open as Caleb walked up to it. He strode in with all the poise and confidence he could muster and took his position at the command console, where Captain Joffre was sitting and talking to one of the chief diplomats on the ship, Ambassador Biffin.

"We shall see about an escort for your shuttle, Ambassador..." Joffre was saying.

Old, seasoned, Joffre was a human in his mid-sixties. A veteran of the Clone Wars, Joffre served as a warrant officer onboard an old Imperator-class Destroyer during the battle of Coruscant, when General Grevious (or at least the first version of him) attacked the world, kidnapping the Chancellor, prompting a daring rescue by a pair of Jedi Knights. Joffre bragged every now and then about the holo he has of himself and a young General Obi-Wan Kenobi on the bridge of one of the old Imperators, smiling.

Caleb saluted smartly as he came up to the old Captain, who returned it and smiled at him, "Ah, here he is now, Ambassador."

Biffin turned and regarded him carefully, "The young officer who accompanied me on my first visit to the planet?"

Caleb nodded, "Yes, Ambassador. I would be honored to accompany you on your return visit."

Biffin nodded distractedly, "Yes, yes. Good. Now when can we be leaving? I promised Prime Minister Gent that I would be returning with Onyx's reply."

Joffre nodded, "As soon as Lieutenant Logan is satisfied with security arrangements, you may leave."

Biffin leveled an intense stare at Caleb, "Logan?"

Caleb had been preparing himself for this, "Yes sir."

"As in, Joren Logan's son?"

"Yes sir."

Biffin's features clouded over, "I'm sorry, young one. About your father..."

Caleb nodded gravely, "Thank you sir."

He knew it was polite to at least feign appreciation for the Ambassador's concern. But the truth of the matter was, Caleb could care less that his father was dead. It didn't bother him at all.

Not even a little bit.

The Past


Mon Calamari


"...after months and months of some of the most difficult and rigorous training of all military forces in the entire Coalition, these men and women now stand before you, and it is my distinct honor to present these courageous soldiers with the emblem of the Onyxian Commonwealth, to wear proudly on their uniforms for the rest of their careers."

Applause filled Caleb Logan's ears as he stood on a raised dias surrounded by his classmates and peers. He was dressed immaculately in the uniform of the Onyxian Commonwealth Defense Force, in front of a large audience.

He had been in training at the OCDF Naval Academy on Onyx for almost a full year now, learning basic ship combat, fleet movements and other combat techniques as well as basic navigating, ship systems, and other things taught to the cadets. But all that was in the past as he stood among his peers at the OCDF Naval Academy Graduation Ceremony. They had just finished the pass-and-review parade and were now receiving the coveted emblem, which signified their status as an officer in the Onyxian Commonwealth navy.

He glanced out into the crowd of parents, relatives, spouses, and supporters, scanning the endless sea of faces, discovering nothing familiar. His other classmates all had their supporters and family here, but Caleb, without any real family, was alone. With an effort he repressed the feeling of emptiness in his gut and locked it away. The loss of his mother years and years ago was still fresh, as if it would never go away.

His father... well his father might as well have been dead as well.

"... and it is my distinct pleasure to introduce the Emblem Presenter for this Ceremony..."

The Presenter was always some high-ranking general or so. This time it was rumored Admiral Dondonna himself was to be on hand to do the ceremony. Caleb had never met someone of such stature.

Well except for...

"Joren Logan!"

Applause erupted from the crowd as a figure strode up the central aisle to the dias. He was wearing the white-gold dress uniform of an Onyxian admiral. And he was wearing big smile on his face as he reached the steps up to the dias. Logan was one of the most famous of all Coalition military officers, and was well liked by everybody.

Well most everybody.

Caleb stared at his father, feeling the old anger inside him resurfacing. Joren Logan did not look at him as he moved toward the podium and everyone took their seats. General Buffooni, the Vice Commandant of the Academy saluted Logan, who returned it as he took the podium.

"Thank you, thank you everybody." Logan said to the hushed crowd, "I want first say, that this kind of thing is what makes my job so worthwhile..."

Logan went into his prewritten speech about 'how safe it makes him feel when he thinks of these fine young officers manning the turbolasers and commanding the ships of Onyx'.

Caleb silently seethed. His hatred for everything that had to do with Joren Logan was at the boiling point. He had hated him since childhood, taught to hate him by his grandmother, who blamed him for the loss of her daughter, Keira. Corine never got over Keira's death in a fire in their home on Almania, when Caleb was just two months old. Caleb knew it was Corine's burning hate for Logan that had ultimately killed her.

"...and I am proud to present to all of you, young officers, the emblem of the Onyxian Commonwealth..."

Joren Logan stepped forward to the first cadet, handing him the small, round pin and shaking his hand. Logan then moved down the line, shaking hands, presenting the pins, and congradulating the officers.

Logan stepped in front of Caleb, and the younger Logan steeled himself.

"Congradulations, Lieutenant Logan." Joren said before leaning in and saying, "I am proud of you, son."

Caleb saluted like he was supposed to do, "Thank you, Sir." He said, keeping his face stone-cold.

A hint of sadness passed over Joren's face as he moved on to the next cadet. Caleb breathed a small sigh of relief, and tried to calm himself down.


To no avail.



Later


"You performed well in the parade. I understand your class came in first in the pass-and-review." Joren Logan said.

Caleb, standing statue-straight next to his father, did not look at the older Logan, "Yes sir. Thank you sir."

Logan smiled and nodded to General Buffooni as he pased by, "I also understand you have been accepted into the Praetorian Guard School on Sanctuary."

"That would be correct, sir."

"When do you leave?" Joren asked.

"Tommorow morning, sir." Caleb replied, keeping his voice military and precise.

Logan stepped in front of his son and looked at him in the eyes, "I am supposed to be attending a gala benefit for the Disabled Veterans Association, but what do you say I blow that off and you and I can get something to eat... maybe I could take you on a shuttle tour of the new Bird of Prey Squadron being completed in the Mon Cal shipyards..."

"With respect sir, I am supposed to be attending an afterparty with my classmates. So I must decline." Caleb said, not looking at Joren.

Joren nodded, a hint of sadness in his face, "I understand. I must be going, I have a gala to get to. Good luck, Lieutenant."

"Thank you sir." Caleb said, saluting.

Logan returned it and started to walk away, but turned back after a minute, "I tried, Caleb." He said.

Caleb looked at his father for the first time, "It doesn't matter. You can never make amends for what you did."

Joren walked away.




Now



"In exchange for you and your government accepting membership into the Commonwealth, you will receive all benefits entitled to a member state. Including a share of Commonwealth trade profits, including extra for any Ord Mantell exports."

Caleb glaced around the spartan meeting hall deep within the government complex in Mantell City. Usually, governments would make halls such as these as elaborate as possible, to impress visiting dignitaries. But here, no such decorations were visible. Probably because the government of the planet had taken power only recently, and directed spending into other venues.

Prime Minister Gant, the current leader of the Ord Mantell government, was a freakishly tall human man, dressed in simple, but regal robes of office. He barely fit his 7 ft tall frame into his chair, and Caleb had to look up in order to see his face.

Not much was known about him, only that he was a shrewd politician, and leader of the Clean Party, a movement which had spent decades as a fringe organization on Ord Mantell dedicated to forming a stable government and cleaning the rifraff out of the underworld of the planet. It was dedicated to making the world fresh and profitible again.

But it had seized power by force, in a small, but bloodless coup. The previous government had been in place since Palpatine, and was established by the Empire. But it was weak and fragile, and was easily purged by Gant's revolution.

Gant sat up a little straighter in his chair before he spoke, "Ambassador Biffin, my chief concern right now is that if we join your Commonwealth, we will be pushed aside. We have plenty of quantities of ryll spice, but no ways of getting to it right now. The ryll mines are operated by criminals and gangsters in the northern plains. They illegally ply the mines and keep the profit for themselves, selling it to other illegal organizations, who then turn it into a narcotic and resell it."

Caleb stepped forward, "Why don't you get rid of the illegal miners?"

Gant turned to look at him, "Because all my police forces are tied up keeping order in the capital and outlying cities. We barely keep the corruption and criminal gangs in check. I simply have nobody to send to the plains."

Biffin spoke up, "As a member of the Commonwealth, you can call on the Onyxian Defense Force when needed. They could help you with your problem."

"But I fear that once we are accepted, we will be ignored. There are larger issues for your Commonwealth. Will their forces really help us if they think we are not really in need?"

Caleb nodded, "Absolutely. They are devoted to assisting member states."

Gant stared at him, "Really."

"Yes."

The deck of the Bird of Prey Steadfast hummed and vibrated with the tensions of moving through the atmosphere. Caleb Logan didn't so much as flinch as turbulence rocked the ship back and forth. He stood stock still, hands lightly gripping the bridge railing in front of him as he stared at the forward veiwports, watching the terrain of Ord Mantell as it flew by underneath.

"Lieutenant."

Caleb turned around and put on a fake smile for the older man in an unfamiliar uniform that stood behind him, "Yes Captain Strether?"

The Mantellian Police Captain stepped to the railing next to him, his hand gripping the rail a litttle too tightly, "I hope you know what you're up against. These miners don't take too lightly to their operations to be threatened. We've tried to move against them once before... and... well the outcome wasn't so pretty."

Caleb frowned. The Prime Minister hadn't told them about that, "What happened?"

"The fired on us before we got into position. They knew we were coming. I lost six men, and several were captured."

Caleb's frown deepened even more, "Do you think... they were tipped off?"

Strether looked around pensively, "I've always suspected..."

A horrible feeling cut through Caleb's gut as he spun on his heel and shouted at the helmsman, "Take evasive action!"

Before anyone could react, the Steadfast shuddered violently, and several explosions were heard in the rear of the vessel. Several consoles exploded as another thunderous explosion hit the ship.

"Report!" Caleb screamed.

"Anti-aircraft batteries of some sort sir. I'm also detecting starfighters... maybe Z-ninety-fives!"

"Return fire!" Caleb shouted as another explosion sounded, forcing him to grasp the rail or be thrown backwards from the shockwave.

"Turbolaser control is not responding to orders!"

Caleb nodded, "I'm going down there. Continue evasive."



He turned toward the rear exit and struggled toward it.




*




"I'm so glad to see you sir..."

Caleb bent down and helped the young gunner to his feet. The man was young, far too young. Maybe only twenty. A few years younger than Caleb. The man was probably fresh out of Basic.

"Can you stand..." He looked at the insignia, "Spaceman First Class?"

"I think so, sir."

Caleb moved away and checked the pulse of a nearby gunner, who lay sprawled on his back partially covered in rubble. He got nothing. The young man was dead. Caleb looked into his face and for an insane moment, tried to think if he had ever met him.

He couldn't recall.


He turned back toward the Spaceman, "How are the weapons?"

"The controls are fried sir. We'd have to aim and fire manually..."

"Lets do it." Caleb said as he pulled his comlink, "Lieutenant Marsulo, do you copy?"

Marsulo, the only other ranking officer on the bridge, responded instantly, "I'm here Caleb. Whats the situation?"

"Bad. We have to fire manually. It won't be pretty but we can do it. What do we have shooting at us?"

"Ground fire took out our shields, then some Z-ninety fives hit us hard. They were waiting for us, Caleb. They knew we were coming. The first thing they hit was communications, then the engines. We are using emergency repulsors, but they won't last long. And sensors are down too."


"Alright. We'll get 'em off our tail."

He closed the comlink and turned to the spaceman, who was readying the laser cannon, "Ready?"

"Yes sir!"

Caleb stood next to the cannon and donned the headset that gave general targeting information. It wouldn't give a precise lock, but Caleb could deduce where to fire, but it wouldn't be accurate, "Give a volley... sector...two-three-seven...fire!"

The cannon discharged it's shells, "No hit sir." Reported the Spaceman.

"Sector... five-nine-oh. Fire!"

Discharge. Again nothing. This time the Bird rocked, with another hit.

"That was close Caleb!" Came Marsulo's voice, "Hurry!"

He continued to read off coordinates, but still nothing.

He removed the headset and stood to the side, "Marsulo, I think we need to consider-"

"Got it sir!" The Spaceman shouted, his voice sounding hoarse, "One to go!"

Another discharge, and then a distant explosion.

Then a deep silence, other than that of the whining of durasteel on durasteel. The Bird had taken severe damage.

Caleb grinned at the Spaceman and turned away, putting the comlink to his lips, "How are we doing?"

Nothing.

He turned back to the gunner, "I have to get to the bridge. Are you going to be okay?"

The Spaceman didn't look at him. He simply continued to lean against the gunners chair on the laser cannon.

"Spaceman."

Nothing.

Caleb stepped forward, and only then did he see the jagged piece of durasteel barely visible in the Spaceman's side. Dark red blood was oozing out of the wound, staining the already soiled uniform.

Caleb just stared for a very long minute.

Maybe the longest minute of his entire life.

One Hour Later



"Uhhhnnn...."

"Sleeping late, eh Caleb?" A voice said out of the dark haze that surrounded Caleb's mind. He tried to open his eyes, but when he did, the haze seemed to get even worse. He did manage to figure out that he was lying down, on a hard surface of some sort.

"Don't try to open your eyes... not yet. Vision dampener. It sends electrical signals to your brain to prevent you from using your sight to it's full capacity. It is very high tech, and very expensive I must say..."

That Voice... Caleb had heard it before. He just couldn't place it, at least not in his current state of awareness.

"My head hurts..." He said, and was surprised at how strong his voice sounded, because he could barely think because of a splitting headache.

"I do apologize about that, my old friend. A side affect of the dampener I'm afraid." The Voice said, his a genuine hint of sorrow.

Old friend.

"Have we met?" Caleb asked.

"Oh yes we have, as a matter of fact. Only a few hours ago, too."

"Who are you?"

There was a sharp, familiar laugh, "Oh we haven't got there yet. Soon enough, Lieutenant."

"What happened to... the ....ship..." Caleb asked, trying in vain to quench the pain in his head.

"Crashed. About an hour ago. You probably don't remember much, as we wiped some of your memory. Do you remember what happened?" The Voice asked, with great interest.

"We were in a Bird of Prey... on a mission somewhere..." Caleb said, trying to piece together his seemingly fragmented memory. He knew he knew what had happened, but it was like something was preventing him from remembering.

"You were coming here with your Onyxian Commonwealth friends... to destroy this base. You were told illegal miners had set up camp here and were making a profit off the Mantellian ryll mines. Another short, loud laugh, You were completely and utterly lied to, by the way. "

Caleb tried to make sense of what was being told to him, but with the visual dampener at full power, he could only process what was being said, without actually being able to work it out in his mind.

The Voice was speaking again, seemingly picking up on his mental state, "Don't try to do any mental investigating. I know how your Praetorian people work. Everything that is going on will be revealed in due time."

Caleb now felt a surge of anger, "Praetorian? I doubt you know anything about that. You have no idea what you are getting in to."

This time the laugh was longer, and seemed to fill his entire skull, his whole existance, "Don't be silly. I know everything there is to know about them."

Caleb now made a concerted effort to sit up, but felt something around his arms, preventing him from moving, probably stun rope, "How?"


"Because I am Praetorian."


One Hour Later


"I've removed the visual dampener. Your pain should go away and your vision should return soon." The Voice said.

"And then what?" Caleb asked, still laying prone on the ground, bound by stun rope.

"We'll see. In case you're wondering, we're not going to hurt you... unless you make me."

"And why is that?"

"I'll get to that...."

A deep sigh was just audible. Caleb heard footsteps, it seemed as if the Voice was pacing, "You know of the regular Praetorian Guard. The one that the Galaxy sees, the ones in the recruitment holos, and so forth...."

"Yeah. I'm one of them."

"Well what nobody really knows, is that there are certain...factions within the Guard. There are even serious divisons forming." The Voice said, and as far as Caleb could tell, he was still pacing.


"Why divisions? Why factions?" He asked, not really believing it. He had a very hard time believing a member of his own organization had kidnapped him, and killed members of his crew.

"Over policy, of course. Your father ran the Commonwealth a certain way."

Caleb felt that age-old fury surfacing again at the mention of his estranged family, but he shut it away and said nothing. He was starting to see spots on his vision as his sight slowly return. He could vaguely see shapes moving in the darkness.

"But now that he has dissapeared-"

"You mean died." Caleb said.

"No one can prove that. Not even the best intelligence the Empire or anyone else can muster." The Voice said, with a bit of anger, "Anyway, as I was saying, now that he has dissapeared, there is no one to keep the Ruling Council in check. Nobody but someone of your father's stature, can really ever keep them in check. They have begun to get bolder, make... disturbing decisons. Even the rest of the Coalition has begun to take notice."

"So, you are what?"

"I am a part of a faction within the Guard. Thats all you need to know for now. But we can see a crisis unfolding. If the Ruling Council continues to get more and more bold..."

Caleb waited for a moment, "What?"

"There are already whispers of the Onyxian Commonwealth breaking away from the rest of the Coalition..."

Caleb couldn't find the right words to put in his mouth, much less answer.

"Yes. These rumors have just started circulating, but my faction has reason to take them very seriously. We need some sort of backup plan. We need to be ready... in case the Council gets a real mind of their own."

Caleb shook his head, "Why would they want to break away? It doesn't make any sense at all."

"The Commonwealth has some of the best and brightest in the entire Coalition. If it were to break away, it would be a fairly powerful and influential faction in it's own right. Also.. some of the Council Members disagree strongly with the policies of the government on Azguard." The Voice said, getting agitated.

Caleb frowned, "What?"

"Don't be blind, Caleb Logan. No one around here trusts those Azgaurds. Your father certainly didn't. He never did?"

Caleb, feeling stronger, struggled to his knees, "How do you know my father!?"

A sound, like the shuffling of feet, came closer, and a dark shape took up all of Caleb's limited vision. He heard the Voice very close to him, to his right, "Your father and I... served together. Long ago. I know much better than almost anyone. Much better than you."

Caleb felt a heat go to his face, then the Voice moved away. The dark shaped hovered on the edge of his vision.

"We need your help." The Voice said at last, after a long silence.

Now it was Caleb's turn to laugh, "Please."

The Voice was silent again, as if considering it's options. The dark shape was starting to materialize into that of a real person. Caleb squinted, trying to make out a face.

"No. I am serious." The Voice said.

"You capture me, hold me prisoner, feed me all kinds of mindless bullshit! and then expect me to help you when you ask? You're out of your fucking mind!" Caleb screamed, then continued to laugh, feeling strange at how bold he felt.

The person-shape continued to come into focus.

"Yes..." The Voice said, "You recognize me, don't you?"

Caleb squinted again. Facial features were coming into focus...


Another minute...


"Prime Minister Gant... is it?" Caleb asked as his vision finally started clearing. He looked to the left of Gant, and nodded to Captain Strether, who stood with a stone-cold look on his face.

Gant, the Ord Mantell Prime Minister, smiled down at him, "Please don't call me that. My real name is Ferus."

"Ferus Neychev."

Caleb frowned, "I know that name."

"I was the Captain of the original Keerow, then later the Archammer."

Caleb searched his memory, "The Archammer was the New Alliance Eclipse-class Star Destroyer."

Gant - or rather Neychev - smiled, "They teach good history at the OCDF Naval Academy."

"I was taught you had joined the Sovereignty." Caleb said, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"I did. For a while, but Xander Griff is no..." Neychev smiled wanly at Caleb "... Joren Logan."

"How long have you been with the Guard?"

"Since it's founding. I was asked to join it by your father. he wanted someone on the inside, to keep an eye on things. The world of a shadowy, elite guard can be... troublesome at times. Joren wanted someone he could trust inside."

"So he had you di it, an old friend from the New Alliance?"

"Exactly. Once inside, I started forming alliances, making contacts, such as on Ord Mantell. The previous government, placed here by the Dragons, was faltering. I made many friends here... it was child's play to assume the title of Gant and Prime Minister."

"So Ord Mantell has been under Praetorian control this entire time?"

"Correct."

"Why?"

"To get to..."

"You." Neychev said with another smile.

"You could have just called me." Caleb said angrily.

"You still have much to learn. We needed everyone to think you were dead. This was the only way." Neychev said, clasping his hands behind his back and walking toward Caleb.

"Why?" Came the inevitable question from the young Logan.

"I want you to go and find out what happened to Joren Logan." Neychev whispered.

"I told you, he's dead."

Neychev stood up and turned around, "And if he is, don't you think he has the right to a military funeral? The people of Onyx and the rest of the galaxy have the right to find out what happened to him."

"No."

"Logan..." Neychev sighed, "People already think you are dead. It would not take much to make that a reality."

"Don't threaten me. I am hardly afraid of death."

"I do not believe you are, young Logan."

Neychev turned to walk out the door of the spartan room, and then turned back with that same fucking smile on his face, "You remind me so much of your father."