The partial moon that hung in the Reecee night sky was the only light that illuminated the office situated on the top floor of the high-rise. She stood at the large window, silver eyes able to see to the main building of IDT headquarters and a crystal glass filled with a golden liquid held in hand. The scotch warmed her lips as she took a sip, that same warmth quickly spreading through her body. She looked down at the rapidly emptying glass, the liquor swirling around inside.

How long had it been now? Thirty standard years? Or was it more? It was hard to remember exactly when---

" God I’m getting old," Terolyn muttered as she took another drink. The incident with the Solo’s had brought it all back, the memories she had blocked out for so many years.

So many years---

So many lifetimes ago---





The freighter was not a large ship, but to a child of four years it was an enormous playground. Most days she was kept inside the small quarters assigned to her and her mother, spending the time playing quietly with Wook her stuffed Wookie doll. Yet some days she managed to slip away from her mother’s watchful eye, and with Wook clutched tightly in hand, she would explore as much of the ship as she could.

She never got far.

Her father, who was also the captain of the freighter, always seemed to find her within a matter of minutes. He would take her back to their cabin and discipline her. " The ship outside this room is not for the eyes of my little gem!" His voice was always harsh, and he would reinforce his statement more often than not with the back of his hand.

For days after, she would make no attempt to leave the confines of the cabin, but when the bruises and pain of her father’s discipline faded she was always once again thinking of ways to escape, and new places to explore.

It was on one such occasion, the bruise beneath her silver eyes almost completely gone, that she found herself standing at the end of a new corridor looking up at a door she had never seen before. She stood there a moment, trying to think of a way inside, when the door suddenly hissed and started to slide open. Eyes wide with fear at the thought of getting caught so soon, she flattened herself and Wook against the wall next to the door. The two men didn’t seem to notice her and, suppressing a giggle, she rushed through the open door before it slid shut again.

She jumped at the noise the door made as it slammed shut and locked behind her. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light and with turquoise pig-tails bobbing she slowly walked down the narrow corridor. On either side of the hall were many doors, each with a tiny viewport too high for her to look into.

As she got to the end of the hall she noticed a control panel next to the last door. Looking around to make sure no one was there, she place Wook on the floor next to her and tried to reach the lowest button on the pad. Her fingers brushed against the side of the panel, but she could not reach the button.

The child looked around once more, satisfied that no one had sneaked into the hall when she hadn’t been looking. Bending her knees she began to swing her arms at her side. " One. Two. Three!!" At the count of three she leapt into the air, her hand slamming against the panel hard enough to make her palm sting.

She was rewarded as the door next to the panel slid open.

Sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, she attempted to stealthily peer into the room. Her head peeked around the door, her eyes going wide as she looked at the older human laying on a small cot. He was staring right back at her, and smiled as he sat up.

" Well you were not who I was expecting!"

With a squeal of fright she ran from the door and back down the hall. She could hear him step out into the corridor as she reached the door she had entered through.

" Hey! I didn’t mean to scare you!"

Whimpering, she tried to ignore him and looked up at the door that she could not get to open no matter how hard she pounded on it.

" I think you’re forgetting someone."

She turned around. " Wook!!" She took a step toward the man, then decided against it. Tears of anger welled up in her eyes. The strange man was holding her Wook! " He’s mine!" She reached out toward him with both hands, and for an instant nothing happened. Then the stuffed toy was yanked from the man’s hands and sailed into hers. With a defiant scowl she held Wook tightly to her chest.

The man’s jaw dropped, and slowly approached her. " I’m not going to hurt you." His voice was soft, calming, and when he was within a few feet of her he stooped to one knee to look her in the face. " What’s your name."

She pursed her lips. " I’m not suppose to talk to strangers."

" Well if we introduce ourselves, then we won’t be strangers." He smiled warmly at her and held his hand out to her. " My name’s Arhul."

It made perfect sense to a four year old, and she gave him a shy smile. " I’m Terolyn." She took his hand, shaking it in greeting.

His smile widened. " It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Terolyn. Now, can you tell me why you’re all the way down here? This is no place for a young woman like yourself to be wandering around by herself."

" I’m exploring!" She puffed up her chest proudly at being called a young woman. " I’m going to be an explorer and see the entire uniberse!"

Arhul chuckled softly. " Wow, the universe you say!"

" No, the uniberse silly! It’s where all the galaxnese live! My daddy is taking me to see Mister Darff Vapor so I can be an explorer in his Pire!"

He frowned a little. " Darff Vapor?"

"Uh huh! I heard my Mommy and Daddy talking about Mister Darff Vapor and now I’ll get to be an explorer in his Pire and explore the uniberse and get to fly my own ship and boss people around and-"

" Where are your Mommy and Daddy?"

Terolyn giggled. " Mommy was in the shower and I sneaked out. Daddy’s is prolly still bossing people around since he is the boss and he runs everything even though it makes him cranky and I think he just needs to take a nap because he’s always so tired and-"

"You’re Daddy is the captain?"

Annoyed at getting interrupted again she put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Well duh! I just said that! Weren’t you listening?"

It was then that the door behind her chose to open, showing her very angry father and another man. " I thought I told you to stay with your mother!" Her father grabbed her roughly by the arm and threw her behind him. She fell to the floor, scraping her knee. Through the tears streaming down her face she saw the other man shoot Arhul and she screamed as the kind man she had been talking to also fell onto the floor.

The door closed again, leaving Arhul with the other man.

Her father turned to her, seizing her arm and pulled her along as she wailed. He didn’t say a single word as they hurried through the passages, and he would not stop when she accidently dropped Wook. She was still screaming for her Wook when they reached their cabin.

The door opened and he shoved her inside. She stumbled over her own feet, once again falling to her hands knees. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to stop crying and looked up at him. He raised his hand to strike her and she winced, waiting for the blow.

It never came.

At that instant, the comm trilled and with a growl he moved to answer it. " What?!"

" Sir, sensors are picking up a ship broadcasting Imperial codes. They’re heading straight for us."

He looked back to her then responded. " I’m on my way."

She never moved, not one twitch of a muscle as he stared down at her. To do so would just make him madder and she didn’t want that. After a moment he just snarled and exited the cabin.

Trembling like a leaf she got to her feet. She wanted Wook, but he was lost somewhere and she dared not leave to find him. Looking around the general area of the cabin, she realized she could not see her mother.

" Mommy?" She wiped her tears from her face with the sleeve of her shirt and started for the sleeping area. " Mommy? Are you in there?"

As she neared the door, it opened and she stepped inside. The Twi'Lek woman lay on the bed, her legs dangling off the edge and her arms spread wide. Her clothing was torn in places, revealing the blue of her skin, her metallic gray eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling.

" Mommy?" Terolyn approached the bed, her tiny hands shaking her mother lightly at first. " Mommy?" She shook her harder. " I’m sorry I sneaked out Mommy. Please don’t be mad at me. Please wake up." The shaking continued, the child not noticing the dark bruising around the woman’s throat or the blood that pooled around her lekku.

Tears starting to fall anew, she climbed onto the bed and laid next to the unmoving woman. Snuggling up close to her mother, Terolyn pulled a limp arm around herself. "I’ll be good Mommy. I’ll stay right here until you wake up, so you’ll know where I am."




The crystal glass slid from her trembling hand and shattered against the marbled floor, jarring Terolyn from the past. How long had she been standing there? Long enough, the sun had already risen.

Turning away from the window she grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair behind her desk and exitted her office.

Her surprised secretary quickly stood. " Ms. Lethan! I hadn’t realized you were in yet this morning!"

" Lora, cancel all my appointments, and reassign any jobs I was suppose to take care of, for the next few weeks. And please inform Heir Raktus that I will be unavailable and unreachable indefinitely. I will contact him as soon as I can. "

Lora scrambled around her desk as Terolyn stepped into the elevator. " Is everything alright Ms. Lethan."

" Take a vacation, Lora. You’ve earned it."

The doors slid shut and the car started its descent. Terolyn reached beneath her blouse, lifting a chain from around her neck. On it dangled a simple gold ring and she slid it over the ring finger on her left hand. It still fit.

How long had it been? Five years, maybe more, but it was time to go home.

The civilian transport dropped into normal space, the blur of the stars outside her viewport reverting to stationary points of light once more. The transport altered course, preparing to enter the planet’s atmosphere. She closed her eyes to the erratic course change, a faint nausea rising in her throat. She hated space travel, had avoided it when possible for as long as possible. If she had her way, she’d never leave the planet - any planet for that matter - again.

Her eyes opened again as a disconnected feeling washed over her, as though she was no longer a part of her surroundings, and with a sigh of relief she knew she was home. The planet Myrkr came into view.

It looks different---

Terolyn chuckled to herself, knowing full well that a planet could not change in a matter of a few years. Yet even so, as she looked at it now she couldn’t help but see that things had changed, that times had changed.

She had changed.




" Tery!" The loud whisper echoed through the deserted alley. A boy of no more than sixteen years stared up at the homestead, his head always turning to see if anyone was coming from either end of the alley. " Come on Tery, hurry up!"

The young woman stuck her head out the second story window, her metallic gray eyes sparking mischievously in the early dawn’s light. " I’m coming Lix, keep your pants on!"

Lix growled in annoyance as the girl’s bright blue locks disappeared back inside the house. " Let’s get moving! You know Styven ha - Hey!" The air rushed out of his lungs as a rather heavy bag suddenly flew out of the window and into him. He coughed a few times, scowling as Tery leapt from the window and landed silently next to him. " A little warning next time Tery."

She grinned wolfishly, taking the bag from him and shouldering it. " Well, what are we waiting for? You know Styven hates to be kept waiting." She took off down the alley, leaving Lix to roll his eyes and hurry after her.

They ran through the streets of Hyllyard City, away from the residential sections and toward the ship bays. This early in the morning there would not be too many ships readying for departure, but the crews were still bustling around when the two teens reached the bays.

" Finally getting off this rock, huh Tery?"

The girl turned to the voice, the approaching mechanic smiling playfully. She smiled back, motioning for Lix to keep going. " Yea, Targ. I’m finally out of here."

Targ watched as the boy slowed his run to a speedy walk, glancing over his shoulder to look at the mechanic every so often. The burly man chuckle. " Your mother know about this?

Tery rolled her eyes. " Of course. You think I would leave my home without saying good-bye to Kiai?"

He pulled her into a hug, " Sweety, I’ve seen you watching the ships leave for near onto thirteen years now, waiting for your chance to be leaving with then. I know you better than that."

She snickered. " Give me a head start at least will you Targ?"

" I never saw ya," he kissed her cheek. " But I will miss ya. Take care Tery."

" You too Targ," She waved to him as she ran off again, catching up with Lix a moment later.

" We in trouble?"

Tery just smiled at him. " So where is your brother?"

" Right there," Lix pointed to a freighter that was ready for launch and to the young man pacing in front of it.

Tery’s eyes lit up as she raced toward him and his lips spread into a smile when he saw her. " I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to get away."

She slowed to a walk a few meters from him, then stopped beside him and dropped the duffel bag on the duracreat by her feet. . " Give me some credit, Styven. I’ve been sneaking out to see you for a year now."

He growled playfully, wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her in the air. She squealing in surprise, her arms going around his neck as they slowed their spinning and kissed each other deeply. The moment passed, and slowly he set her feet back on the ground. " Marry me Tery."

Her eyes widened in shocked. "Wh- what?!"

He chuckled at her expression. " Marry me! When we get to Vorzyd, I want you to marry me. Will you be my wife Tery?"

" We barely have enough creds to pay for the transport, Styven! You still haven’t even explained to me what we’ll do when we get there!"

" We’ll get jobs!" He laughed excitedly. " My second cousin is a bouncer at the Casino Royale! He can get me a job as a bartender and you as a waitress." He looked her up and down. " Tery, with the way you look you could rake in the creds!"

She shook her head in utter amazement. " You’re crazy, you know that!"

He grinned impishly and kissed her again. " Only about you. What do you say?"

" Alright," she heard herself say. With a giggle she said it again. " Alright! I’ll marry you Styven!"

Styven’s bear like embrace lifted her feet once again from the ground and it was only Lix’s impatient clearing of his throat that brought them out of their euphoria. Both looked at him and Lix motioned to the waiting transport.

" You guys better get going before you get caught."

Tery separated herself from Styven and gave the younger boy a hug and kiss on the cheek. " Thank you Lix, for everything."

He blushed profusely and watched as Styven took her by the hand and lifted her bag onto his shoulder. " Yea, well --- I’m only giving you guys enough time to get out of the system, then I’m ratting you out to Dad. Selling his speeder bike for the creds? No way I’m taking the fall for that one Styven."

" Its more than I could ask for Bro." Styven grasped Lix’s hand in a tight grip, and smiled. " Take care of yourself, and come see us when you get the nerve to leave this place."

Lix returned the handshake and nodded. " Just keep in touch, alright? Now get going before someone sees you."





"Styven? Styven?! STYVEN!!" Blood, so much blood--- " Styven, hang in there baby. Oh gods… Somebody help him!!"

" Move Tery, what happened!"

" Lix? Oh god Lix! They - they just started shooting! He was protecting me! Help him please!!"

" Tery--"

" I’m here Styven, I’m here baby. Just hold on."

" I love you Tery."

" I love you too Styven. Styven? NO!!!!"





Terolyn clenched her eyes shut as the landing struts jarred against the ground. She forced the tears back and waited until the announcement from the captain came to disembark. Rising from her seat she moved to the airlock with the rest of the passengers and entered the docking bay.

Things had changed.

Hyllyard City had always been a somewhat quiet town, only the occasional incident with the old Empire’s stormtroopers that patrolled the city. But now, the Rogue Empire had moved in and had turned the city into a secure military post. Only those with the proper identifications could even gain access to the planet. Something the people in IDT Intelligence had been able to forge to get her there. She passed through security with ease, and was soon making her way out of the bay.

" Tery?"

Her heart froze in her chest at the sound of his voice, and it took her a moment to turn. He was older, more gray hair around his temples. But the boyish radiance in his eyes and the impish grin on his face was all it took to melt the years of ice around her heart. She smiled softly, sheepishly.

" What are you doing here?"

He came to stand just before her, his hand reaching out to touch her arm. " Your communiqué never said when you were coming, just that you were. I’ve come every day for the last two weeks to see the transports dock, waiting for you to come home. I’ve missed you Tery."

She had forgotten how much she needed him, needed to be near him. She stepped into his arms, closing her eyes as he held her tight. " And I’ve missed you Lix."