"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Stop whineing. For the love of the Maker, is that all you sentients do?"

"Oh shut up...your just as annoying as a real woman."

"Why thank you."

Terex Blair Datoo III scoffed at the extremily perfected human replica droid at his side: Cassandra Corellia by name. Cass was just as fond of him. She crossed her arms and shot a glare at him from the corners of her narrowed blue eyes.

The two were on a mission, a very special misson at that. They were currently in disguise as refugees...tattered, stained clothes, dirty faces, and painful drawls. They had been sent by Dakkon Darksword, of the Hapans, to go to the farming planet of Ukio. However, dieing in combat was the least of thier troubles...killing each other might come first.

"I can't believe Dakkon sent me on this mission with you. Your such a big baby."

"Well, these disguises itch."

"I wouldn't know."

"You little droid...smart a-"

"Tsk tsk...we're suppose to be partners. Remember, Datoo?"

Terex rolled his eyes. He would have rather knocked out that driods optic sensors than give it a second look...even if it did have the perfect female form. "Are you comming or not, Droid?"

Cass quickened her pace as they walked to the transport bound for Ukio, "I'm comming, I'm comming...and I have a name."

"Your a droid. It's probably some sort of number/letter combination, right?"

"No...It's Cass."

"I thought it was Angel."

"Angel is the name of my pleasure droid program."

"Excuse me?!"

Cass smirked over at him, "Your a big boy...figure it out."

Terex stopped in his tracks, a little dumb-struck, "They sent me on a intelligence mission with a sex toy?!"

"A little louder, Datoo...I don't think people in the Outer Rim quite caught that."

Cass strode back to him and grasped him by the collar, "Look, tone it down a bit or your going to give us away. Just pick up your bag and get your butt onboard before that transport leaves without us."

Terex and Cass exchanged glares for a moment before the firey Datooinian reached down and grabbed his suitcase.

She let go of him, shoveing him backwards a bit as she did, "Good. Lets go."

A little while later, the two 'refugees' stood in line to board the transport.

Terex narrowed his eyes and looked ahead on the boarding platform, "Don't look now, Kid, but there's a scanner station up there. They'll know your a droid for sure."

"Stay calm, Datoo. They won't have a clue."

Terex raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "Alright...but don't say I didn't warn you."

When they reached the platform, thier luggage was checked.

"<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Good...luggage checks out ok. Step through the scanners please.<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->"

Terex went through first, and then looked back at Cass leery. When she stepped through, Terex winced slightly...but nothing happened. He looked at her a bit wide-eyed as thier luggage was handed back to them. "How did you do that?!"

"I'm a replica droid. I have organs, flesh, blood...all the parts and such that you have as a sentient. Scanner's don't know the difference. What metal they do find, reads off as a bio-mechanical implant."

"Oh.", he replied simply.

Later, Terex and Cass stood in front of a viewport on the Ukio transport. They whispered back and forth to each other in low tones, makeing thier plans on what to do once on Ukio...

"This is what we do, Droid...I mean, Cass. " Tex said, in a whisper. "Once this crate of a ship sets down on Ukio...that is...if we ever board. We still must maintain our low profile."

"This means when we get there we wander around like the travelers that we are. From what I have heard about this planet, we should have no trouble at all on this mission. As you know this entire planet consist of nothing but space hicks. Thier military consist of nothing more then a few blasters. Which means this mission should be easy even for a tin can like you."

"Just remember you have free rein to cause trouble except for the farms all over the planet; they must be taken intact.", Terex visible calmed as the line started to move.

Zak stared out the vieport at the swirl of stars in front of him. It was hypnotizing. He flowed the swirling lines until he felt his stomach begin to churn. He blinked quickly.

He glanced down at his panel. They were still several hours away from the planet. Zak sighed. This was the worst part of space travel... the wait.

Zak stood up and made his way to the lounge of his YT-1300. Nothing to do... it was horrible. He plopped down in his "spot" and began watching the holonews.

He hears the clank of feet.

"Excuse me sir?" says ZK-67, Zak's personal labor droid.

"What ya need Zeke?" he replied.

"Master Sterik has been alseep for quite a while now. I'm beginning to worry."

Zak thought for a moment. Sterik tended to sleep for quite a long time, it really was nothing to worry about.

"Don't worry Zeke, he'll be fine. Wake him an hour before we exit hyper."

"Yes sir," came the reply.

Zak shook his head. This was going to be a long mission....

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> The starstreaks disappeared suddenly as the modified YT-2000 reverted to realspace. On board was a mottly assortment of men from all aspects of Hapan Society.

Clarr Maknor, Greatest Con Artist in the Galaxy. Arrested while trying to steal the Crown Jewels of Hapes, he has pledged by his peoples honour code to continue to steal and cause mayhem in the name of Hapes.

Darius Zzylar, Privateer descended from the founders of Hapes. One of the Greatest pirates ever, his contacts spanning several systems, almost as in a private empire.

Ki Adi Mundi, Surviving Jedi Master from the council of Jedi in the old republic. He now heads the Council of Ephors, the Hapan Academy of Jedi.

Jamno Dmaklao, expert theif and criminal. Rivaled Maknor for the greatest criminal in the galaxy, he has been attributed to many of the most heinous robberies in the galaxy. He serves Hapes for one thing.... Money.

Grak Delmonai, one man army. Head of the Krypteria, also known as the Hapan Guild of Assassins. He single handedly defeated a platoon of Democlean rebels who assaulted a farm where he was staying while making his way back to Democles Prime after assassinating one of the 3 warlords that sprung up after Democles joined the Hapan Consortium. He serves here as both a duty to the Consortium and as the one who will make sure this group succedes.

These men, and their comrades in adjacent shuttles, were all heading to Danoz on a mission of destruction and, to some of them, fun...

The shuttle crews acknowledge ground controls queries and the ships were planet bound. And that would herald the end of the relative serenity of Ukio....<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Rossk landed on the planet, and caught up with his 'contacts'. He stared at the other groups. "Remember, this is just going to be an infiltrating mission, job, whatever you wish to call it," he says with a snarl,"so no 'im going to be a hero' business, we just need to go in, and get out, maybe more then once by going into different places, or only once in one place." Many of the others thought it terrible to be working with a Trandoshan, but did argue, at least yet.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> As the Trandoshan bounty hunter, Rossk was his name, turned to head off and link up with his Bounty Hunter Contacts, Colonel Delmonai looked on with disgust.

He had served the Cluster for 10 years now, plus another 1 for the year he had been in the fledgling Hapan Colonies. In both areas he had served with distinction, earning him promotion after promotion. Some he accepted and others he turned down. After Colonel, you could no longer battle in the field was his reasoning. But in the whole duration of his loving service to the only family he knew, Delmonai had never had to work with scum. But now, although they weren't with him specifically, he was forced to cooperate with a number of individuals not worthy of the title. That bounty hunter was one of them.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Lets move it out."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> The group of individuals that followed him as he turned to leave his Landing Zone were the cream of the men sent down. They were seen as the command group in this band of organised Chaos, something that although Colonel Delmonai was used to, it was for the first time something he was unhappy with.

Meanwhile, Ki Adi Mundi followed the angry Hapan Colonel with a spring in his step and laughter in his eyes. Of all the men in this group Ki Adi thought, Colonel Delmonai was the only one who was unhappy to be here. The two theives knew exactly what they were doing, and both were planning on making a profit, over and above the one offered by Hapes and its Royal Family, from the chaos that was to ensue. The Pirate, Zzylar was his name, was happy to be accepted, at least partially, back into Hapan society. So much so that now his mind lingered on his ships, a number of Hapan Fleet ships, that had been assigned to him after his capture by Hapes and his original ships destruction, and how he would be able to best implement them if this mission required an immediate evac or fighting withdrawl.

This dedication was surpassed by the angry Colonel, but unlike the Colonel, it was wholey in their interests for this to be a success. Zzylar would recieve recognision and be welcomed back into Hapan Society, Dmaklao and Maknor would be able to make a number of profits for both payment in kind for services rendered as well as from the gifts they would purloin from the soon to be former government officials of Ukio. But Delmonai would, if this mission was successful, find himself to be in a worse predicament than before the mission. He would be stuck with these criminals, as he viewed them, for an indefinite, and most likely long, period of time, time he should be spending training the Hapan Youth in assassination techniques as was his job as head of the Krypteia.

Walking a little faster, not noticably so, Ki Adi Mundi closed the gap between himself and Delmonai. As he approached, Ki Adi reached out and found the inner desires of Delmonai. Love of the Cluster, its success, fear of failure, hate of defeat and redemption in victory.

Leaning forward, the old Cerean Jedi Master whispered almost inaudably to Delmonai.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Failure is impossible without unification."

"Huh?"<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Delmonai replied startled at the mans silent approach.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> "What are you on about?"

"Ahh, but you cannot succede without them. If I die, we could continue and succede in the mission, but then again, i'm not one of the rifraf you hate. If Zzylar dies, we lose any chance of reinforcement and or escape. Without Dmaklao and Maknor we cannot hope to come even close to acheiving our objectives. You can tolerate them dieing, but can you tolerate defeat for the Cluster??"

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Ki Adi let that hang in the air before he fell back into his previous position leaving Delmonai with some thinking to do...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"Three, two, one!"

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> The explosion rocked the town as the gang of thugs blew up the local Sherifs building, and the local sheriff with it. After a political incident in which almost the entire executive branch of the Ukioean government was killed, Ukio was leaderless. And its less desirable citizens were listless.

This gang of punks was taking over the town for it to become their own little playground. And sadly for the majority of the people of Ukio, the government could do nothing to stop them. Only a few areas were holding out. Mostly the major cities where there was more than just a sheriff. This seemingly random violence was ruining the lives of the people of Ukio. And now it would stop.

When the assassination begun, thousands of Hapans were already on planet, all ready to do their duty to the Cluster, but chaffing at the bit to do their duty to humanity. As news of the assassination was recieved, the takeover as put into stassis. If they moved now it would look like they orchestrated the attack on the executive branch. And so the Hapans were told to 'sit tight'.

Thank god they didn't listen.

As the violence escalated, the Hapans were dragged more and more into the fray. They became the accidental heroes of the people of Ukio, their training forcing them to intervene, stopping murders, rapes, kidnappings and becoming the champions of the peace. Soon they were approached by Ukioeans angry at the devestation and, seeing the Hapans as public protectors, asked to join them in their crusade. After a number of denials, the local area commanders conversed, their decision to send the information back to Hapes.

Prince Darksword recieved these messages, and seeing instantly the value of popular support, demanded the men assist. And take the lead wherever possible. Small arms smuggling stepped up, the Ukio lacking any navy except small customs ships, all of which were sitting dormant in their launch bays.

The relief that went through the Hapans on Ukio was profound. Now not only were they allowed to do their duty by Hapes, but also had the blessing of the monarchy and most importantly the champion of the Hapan Military in all its forms Crown Prince Dakkon Darksword rooting for them. Not only that, but they also were given the right to do something they had been hoping to do since the troubles started.

Take out the trash...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

With all the chaos and disruption on Ukio, it was a simple thing to land the shuttle without notice. The night sky was alight with the glow from various fires and explosions, the air echoed with the sounds of shouts, screams, and blaster fire. Inside the shuttle, its two occupants rose from their seats and exitted the ship. One woman secured the ship while the other took a few paces away and took in the situation

" So this is what he does," the blond shook her head.

The redhead stepped away from the ship to stand beside the other, a datapad held in her hand. " From the transmissions we have intercepted, this was happening before they arrived. According to some of the preliminary reports, they are trying to stop those responsible for this carnage."

" None the less, what was to be a peaceful situation has escalated into all out war."

" This is not your husbands doing, Highness."

" Sorsha!" Vessana glowered at her assistant. " I thought I made it clear that while on this planet you will not address me as ‘Highness’. By the gods, if Dakkon ever found out I was here…"

" Of course, Ana" The name felt odd on her tongue after so long, yet Sorsha knew better than to disobey the Queen Mother a second time. " But will he not know you are here? After all, the two of you are bonded with more than just your vows of matrimony."

Vessana chuckled. " I’ve been married long enough to know how to hide myself from my husband." The chuckle silenced itself in her throat as an explosion shattered the night only a few blocks from them. " I had to see for myself what he faces when he runs off on these kind of missions, Sorsha."

" You worry about him, I know." Sorsha slipped the datapad into the inside pocket of her jacket. " But was it necessary to come on this mission? There are dangerous things here that we cannot predict-"

" Are you saying that we cannot protect ourselves?" Vessana looked to her assistant and smirk. " I haven’t always been the Queen, my friend, or have you forgotten the parts I played during the rebellions?"

Sorsha had to smile at the look in her long time friends eyes. " No Ana, I could never forget."

" Alright then," Vessana checked to make sure her lightsaber and blaster were secure on her belt and hidden beneath her coat. " Let’s see what we can learn."

Both women slid the hoods of the jackets over their heads and moved out into the night.

Rossk didnt expect for the current events to happen. But, with the rise of violence, he was overjoyed. He seemed like a human kid who always wanted to ride a landspeeder and finally got to. His reptillian face had a Trandoshan smile on it, though none could tell. With the bolts of blaster fire singing through the air, burning into flesh as dying screams ripped out of the throats of those being attacked. All the signs of a 'happy' day.