Bonadan

VC-HQ


"Natalya!...you can't possibly ask that of me!"

Kaneda watched on in a look of utter disbelief and incredulity as Natalya hurriedly packed a knapsack with her, (very few) , belongings. She replied instantly...

"...I can, and I am...and you have to swear to me that you won't tell my father"

The section agent was in danger of losing his usual calm exterior, as he struggled to understand...

"..I don't think you comprehend just what it is you are asking of me!... I have a duty, not just to your father , but to Vinda-Corp..."

Natalya, picked up a few pieces of clothing and rammed them into her knapsack, before responding. Barely even looking towards the man before her...

"...Vinda-Corp, has survived this long without me in the past, yes?"

"..well...yes...but..." Kaneda barely managed to stammer a reply, before she interjected...

"...so then, you have to agree that there is no reason why it will not continue to do so without me in the future, correct?..."

Kaneda refused to concede...

"...Thats not the point!... you can't just ...leave!... he's your father damn it!.."

Kaneda's arms flayed randomly as he spoke as if to reinforce his words, but it was also from out of sheer exasperation.

Natalya spun around wildly as her patience failed her, and shouted back her response...

"...I know that!...do you think that I haven't thought about this?...do you have any idea what I feel right at this moment?...do you have any comprehension, what it feels like to find out what I have done?...do you?..."

Kaneda froze for a moment, not expecting her outburst...she clearly had a great deal of anger inside her... and when he spoke next, his voice had become quieter...

"...no I do not..." He reluctantly acknowledged, defeated...

"..then do as I ask!"... She snapped, as she struggled to fasten up the knapsack.
Natalya was finding out that once you lose your temper, even the smallest of things seem to become insurmountably difficult.
Letting out a huge gasp of frustration she flung it across the room, and leant against the table which dominated the small chamber.
Breathing deeply in an attempt to regain her self-control, she watched, as Kaneda walked over to her bag and picked it up.

He stood there for a moment holding it in his right hand, and for the first time since she had met him, he seemed out of his depth...

"...you almost hit me!..." He stated , indignantly...

...and she struggled to contain a small laugh...

"...what?..." The agent asked, with his indigantion becoming increasingly more evident...

"...nothing.." Walking up to the Vinda-Corp agent Natalya took her bag off him, and smiled in appreciation..

"..thanks...I just need to go away to clear my head...this is all too much, I need to get away, somewhere, quiet, to sort myself out...not forever, just, for a while..."

Kaneda frowned...

"..where?..and for how long?..."

Natalya shook her head as she spoke...

"...I don't know, right now, anywhere, anywhere but here..."

Kaneda sighed digesting her words, and watched as she started to put on her jacket...

"...what if something happens?...what would you do?..."

"nothing will happen..." She stated matter of factly...

"...You and Richter are the only ones who know I exist, all I ask is that you keep it that way, for now, just until I get my head clear...I won't be stupid enough to tell people who I am....besides..."

(she turned to face Kaneda with a wry grin...)

"...I can take care of myself..."

"I noticed..." Kaneda quipped , remembering the first time their 'paths' had crossed.

Natalya smiled at his remark, and slipped the knapsack's strap onto her right shoulder...

"...I have some money, but , ahh....um...do you think I could borrow a ship?..."

Kaneda , raised an eyebrow at her request...

"I'll bring it back!" Natalya followed up quickly, smiling innocently, and Kaneda laughed...

"...hanger 18, you'll need this..."

Reaching into his pocket, Kaneda threw a small security card in her direction...

"..theres a YT-1300 in storage, fully supplied and fuelled, ready to go, Vinda has a whole fleet of them, he won't miss one...if he does, I'll tell him I lost it...theres an astromech onboard too, you'll need one for navigation..."

Natalya nodded quickly as she listened to the agent speak, and studied the card carefully before stuffing it into one of her jacket pockets...

"...thank you Kaneda... I promise I'll return everything, I'll be back..."

As she started to turn away, Kaneda spoke once more causing her to turn back around to face him...

"...take this..." As Natalya cupped her hands, the Section agent placed a small black data-disk sized device into her hands...

"..its a dedicated transponder, if you are ever in trouble, or need me, activate it, Its a VC-only encrypted signal..."

Placing it carefully into her other pocket, Natalya nodded, and thanked him once more, and her eyes met with his...

"...take care of yourself, Natalya Severina Vinda..."

Still smiling , she leant forward and kissed him on the cheek, and whispered softly in his ear...

"...Thank you Kaneda...for all you've done

As she turned to leave she froze as if just remembering something, and she threw Kaneda a worried look...

"...what about Richter?..."


The agent's brow furrowed as he shook his head slightly...

"...leave Richter to me..."

Nodding slowly, she took one last glance over her shoulder then walked out of the room.

Kaneda, watched her leave with a heavy heart, and a rather hefty burden of guilt...

..how could he not tell Vinda about his own daughter!...

Picking up his cane from on-top of the table the Section agent, leant against it as he contemplated this dilemma for a moment , before leaving the room himself...

...I wonder how Richter is going to take this...

Bonadan

VC-HQ




"YOU DID WHAT!?"

Richter's face was incandescent with anger and disbelief...

"...are you out of your mind!?"...

The outburst did not surprise the section agent, and he had obviously expected Richter's response...

"...you mean to tell me, that you just let Vinda's only, and previously unknown, daughter simply walk out, without any kind of protection? or without knowing where in the hell she is going!?"

Richter was astonished, and he glared at Kaneda as he paced up and down the room, his brain was still trying to take it all in...

"...what was I supposed to do!?... arrest her?....lock her up?...she is a free citizen , she has the right to leave when she likes...besides..."

Kaneda tried to soften the blow a little...

"...she can take care of herself?..."

Richter's pacing stopped abruptly as he yelled back his response...

"...what , like last time you mean?... you seem to be forgetting how, and more to the point where you found her to start with!..."

Kaneda grimaced slightly at Richter's point...

"...Couldn't you have at least gotten her to take a security entourage, some droids..."

Kaneda interjected quickly...

"...she wants to be alone..."

Richter , rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to relieve some of the stress, and muttered under his breath...

"...great, now I've got to figure out how I'm going to break this to Vinda..."

The moment Richter finished his sentence, he caught sight of the look that Kaneda had in his eyes, and the Section agent shifted slightly...

"...actually , I wanted to talk to you about that..."

"..what?"

"she asked that we do not tell Vinda about her..."

Richter couldn't help but let slip a kind of incredulous snort, as if dismissing the fact that he'd even heard the agent suggest the very idea...

"...you have got to be joking!..."

"...no...I gave her my word..."

Richter couldn't believe his ears, and he tried to stop his mouth from gaping from disbelief...

"...you can't seriously expect me not to tell Vinda about this!?...about her!?...In the name of Vader, Soom! she's his bloody daughter!...He doesn't even know she exists!"

"exactly" Kaneda's response was calmly delivered...

"...you cannot expect me to do this Soom, you've gone too far, I mean, can you imagine what he would do if he found out?...I for one, value my head...though I'm starting to worry about yours...he deserves to know he has a daughter!"

Kaneda, rested both his hands upon his cane and leant forward...

"...look, its just for a while..she said she would be back..."

"and you believe her?..."

"yes"

Richter was struck dumb for a moment, and after a while started to shake his head...

"...no, this is wrong , I won't be a party to it...."

"you already are" Stated Kaneda simply...

Richter threw the Section agent a look which could cut through solid durasteel as the comment hit home, and he spoke, his voice deadly serious...

"...do you realise how much danger she is in?... . Vinda is popular yes, but you don't get to a position where he is without making enemies, and we damn well know he has some...or have you forgotten the carnage we've all witnessed in the past twenty four hours alone!..."

"...I understand that..." Kaneda was trying his best to calm Richter's fears...

"...I don't think you do Kaneda!... ...by the force man!, she's a multi-billion credit heiress!, to a multi-billion galaxy famous Corporation!...all it takes is for the wrong person to find out who she , and that'll be it! ...any two-bit-pirate or terrorist could hold her to ransom, she'll be their damned lottery ticket!...Who'll be the one to explain that to Vinda , because I can tell you one thing...it sure as hell won't be me!..."

Kaneda fell silent, he knew what Richter was saying was true, it was his first worry too...

"...we must respect her wishes...and this , is it..."

Richter cursed loudly as he sighed in resignation...

"...well... seeing as there is nothing I can do about it now, I'm not going to be the one to say a thing...but I want you to know Kaneda I strongly oppose this, I think its wrong...I can't believe you put me in this position...I am not accepting responsibilty for this...as far as I know, I know nothing..."

Kaneda nodded solemnly...

"..and, Mr Soom, if this all goes wrong....this is on your shoulders.... not mine..."

Kaneda's response was quick...

"...nothing will go wrong..."

With a grunt, Richter stormed out of the private office, and steamed down the hall, leaving the Section agent alone...right now, there were more important, more immediate things that needed his attention...

Vinda-Corp needed to repair , and rebuild....there was much to do...

But Kaneda's last words seemed to reverb inside his head, and he found his concentration distracted by one nagging thought...



...for your sake, Mr Soom, you'd better pray, that is indeed the case...

Last Charge...



The ancient past, the brutal present and the uncertain future all came crashing into Tyscio's mind as his blow connected.


What was he but a relic of a bygone era? An era lost forever to the linear passage of time. The world, the galaxy he had grown up in, his family, the entire reality that shaped his rise to manhood,...


...his fiance..


..everything was lost to him for all time.




All he held were his memories.... distant winds at that.


The reality of his situation was a blow to his mind as he realized that there was nothing he could do about it.


But the past did hold something for him, and that was.. hope.


He had seen the glories.

He had seen the might of civilization, the triumph of peace on a galactic scale and he knew that if it had been reached once, it could... NO! it would be reached again.


He found himself running with his people, though many millenia removed from his perceptions and yet... they somehow felt familiar.


The Capricians of now held onto a history that was a mass jumble of legend mixed with myth, part fabrication of ancient leaders hoping to consolidate their power (as in the case of the man that claimed the unearthed title of Clannus Prime a thousand years ago), part the slow steady stream of age weaving a system of belief that held the planet together for hundreds of thousands of years.


And while its government and society might not have been perfect by his standards of old, it was the best they could come up with as they etched out a life for themselves in this galaxy larger than Capricia's current vision.


Many would shrink and hide from such revelations.


But not Capricia.


They stepped up and met the challenges head on; one after another as the revolutions of a spinning blaster rifle chamber brought forth more charge to fight back at what it was aimed.

And that gave them a flame of optimism burning strong...


..the flame that kept their will strong.


Not a mysterious power that was less than a myth to Capricia though real to Tyscio Korban. Not an ability to use their minds to the fullest as it had once existed in a time before the Force.


It might as well have been at the beginning of the universe for all Tyscio Korban's era meant now.


The irony of something so ancient saving Capricia during the First Invasion and yet dooming it to endure a Second not totally lost to him.


And as he rushed alongside his blood he found for himself no elevation of status. He being just another soldier. Just another Caprician, another body upon the field of battle when Hespante chided his mind.


For, who was he to be leading the people in this charge?


Who was he to lead men now?


Who was he to be leading the charge?


He'd seen the Caprician Clan leaders staring at him from afar.... He'd heard the murmurings of Leantre Vio, the old leader of Clan Leantire..

The Clans are finished with this war... What will emerge if Capricia lives will be something different... and you, Tyscio Korban will be it's future..





Who you are is not important as much as what you do with the time given to you now.


Who you are will be reflected in your actions of Now, not on the titles of yesterday. Not on the blood of a failed kingdom, on blood infested with the Nephys... with the force!





Hespante, I am afraid..... What if I become like Bane? What if I triumph here only to decay in mind, body and spirit tearing apart everything I cherish as he did?



You wouldn't be human if you weren't afraid. But these aliens think to deceive you into despair. They seek to trick you into giving up..

Your blood does not command you, Tyscio Korban. Your mind and heart are what drives you to action. They will be what drives you to control that part of you that would spin out of control.

Look to the examples NOW!

Look at the answers they have found..



Tyscio's mind thought of Leia, the Jedi Master fighting along side with his people.



As long as you draw breath... as long as you are alive, you will have the power to effect change....




The future of Capricia hung in the balance, the scale's fateful decision waiting on what Tyscio would do next.







If life's challenges cannot be met head on, what's the use in facing them....

..you have the power to command your life.

...Because I alone control my fate....

...It's the Caprician way...



Despite the horrendous losses to their people... Despite the destruction of their cities, the murder of their fathers, mothers, daughters, sons to an overwhelming power..


Capricia turned to face it's enemy and strike a blow that would decide their futures...


A gamble..


But then, nothing was gained from hiding in life.



And what is worth having if you've nothing worth to sacrifice for it?


For everything worthwhile is worth some amount of effort.


And within Tyscio's heart something took root. Something that he'd never thought he would find again after he'd lost so much.



Resolve.

The Last Charge...



Matthias grunted as he hauled his thick body across the uneven terrain, forcing himself to continue on despite the few minutes of sleep he could scrap together here and there.

"damn sumbitches couldn't even give us that.." he muttered under his breath as the dusty fog was inhaled causing him to cough something fierce.

An inhuman shout nearby told him that his coughing fit gave his position away and some of those damned bug weapons of the enemy flew across his path nearby.

A shadow burst from the dust and Mathias reached behind his back and whipped out a short snubnosed looking weapon.

The larger invader was upon him when the gruffy old soldier pulled the trigger spreading a great deal of pain throughout the body of his enemy.

"Projectile weapon, you alien-@#%$.." Mathias spat and reloaded more shells into the weapon that had been in his family since the Providence Colony was settled.

The roaring blast of the weapon's discharge drew more invaders but that was alright with Mathias as he lit a Cigarra handed to him by some high falootin blonde Caprician woman named Arien.

Slowing to take a few drags he sighed contently as he gripped his gun and changed directions towards the oncoming shouts.


The roars from his weapon were heard throughout the battlefield..



*


Scipio's eyes snapped open two seconds later as she felt the weight against her back lifted.

He's raising his arms for another strike... at my head?


Her mind raced as she struggled to find her saber's hilt near her fingers, dropped as she fell.

The use of the force caused a great pain within her as she nearly screamed out.

But command it she did as the saber lept into her calling hands and she turned around thrusting the lightsaber's blade into the face of her enemy before he could bring his weapon down on her.

The reptilian creature did not have time to cry out as the blade went into it's mouth and through his skull.

The pain became unbearable and she fainted letting go of the saber, the blade switching off.

The creature fell on top of her.



*


"The reinforcements are not getting to the Invader forces in Jak'Tol!" A scanning officer shouted as Tyscio Zier gave a satisfied grunt.

The fighter corps that had been held back had been the saving grace for Leantre and Vinda Corp forces locked in Jak'Tol. They were what was keeping the recall of invader forces from reaching their armies.

The winged creatures that were hatched a bit early had taken a dear toll on the Caprician fighters but they were just too "newborn" to be quite as effective as the Yuuzhan Vong hoped.

Some grew tired and fell from the sky while multiple groups of them assaulted a fighter where only one was needed.

Still, by engaging the Caprician fighters, it allowed for smaller support/transport ships and corralskippers move to hit his fleet and move to Jak'Tol.


The Vinda Corporation's fleet had been instrumental in keeping the masses of Corralskippers at bay and with no capital ships to support the living ships, their numbers soon dwindled.

Concentrated weapons fire by the remaining damaged capital ships of Capricia as well as the Imperial Syndicate's Super Star Destroyer began systematically taking apart the support ship and troop/transport ship appartus the invaders had set up to maintain multiple strikes against the planet's major cities.


But the crux of it all would be decided by Leantre's forces in Jak'Tol. The fleet in orbit dare not strike there lest they destroy their own. The two forces had completely merged and Tyscio now felt helpless as his flickering sensor sweeps of the area showed the drama unfolding.


"Come on! Break them!" he barked harshly at the flickering consols.




*



Tyscio Korban thrust his lightsaber forward, giving a yell as he put his entire body into the movement, his feet firmly planted into the ground.


The weight of the large Yuuzhan Vong came crashing down upon him his large amphistaff down upon his left shoulder breaking the Caprician's armor completely, a chunk of it flying off.


The infidel cried out in pain and fell to one knee.

Tslah, though, felt no satisfaction in the infidel's cry for his mind was directed elsewhere.

Tyscio felt he weight of the staff lift off his shoulder and then tumbled to the ground. The numbness of his left arm could not halt the creature as he grasped Tyscio's neck, anger in the invader's tatooed eyes blazing.

The grip of Tyscio's right hand on his saber tightened as he noticed the blade buried deep into the chest of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Tslah's grip tried to tighten as the puny human's right arm pushed the lightsaber into him farther severing nerve endings.

The Yuuzhan Vong tried to move his feet forward and throw the Caprician defender back but the Caprcian's feet were firmly dug in as he tried to push uphill.


Tslah's sight began to fade slowly as he felt victory slipping from his grasp, the reality of his situation dawning upon him as the dusty fog was lifting..

His army was only a shadow of it's former self and his war creatures were no longer being directed.


His God's were not behind him.

Were they ever?

He recalled the early days of the expanse as those domains, along with the military castes supported Supreme Overlord Shimrra's coup against the former leader Quoreal.

Was Quoreal correct after all in steering us away from this galaxy? Did the Warmaster know?


They were questions that would no longer concern Tlsah as the War Coordinator felt his legs weaken and his eyes dim further.


The large invader's body fell against Tyscio as he struggled to remain up ..

always up..

always forward..


Throwing his shoulder against the Yuuzhan Vong's body he pushed it aside, his blade slipping out of the invader's chest as it fell down the rise into the crater Tyscio was moving out of.


Half staggering to the crest of the rise he brought his good arm up holding the saber to ward against any more invaders coming along and the wind cleared the land before him..


..what he saw were what remained of the large artillery creatures in the distance, their orifices glowing brightly as the charges they were building within their membranes grew. And between him and the creatures were thousands of approaching enemy warriors.


Several had thrown more of their plasma discharges into the ranks of charging Capricians and allies as the invaders sought to halt the advance once and for all.


Two of their creatures had lowered their arcs enough to send several plasma charges directly at him once they'd finished growing in power.


Of all the bloody!.. , Hespante's voice raged within, mirroring his own thoughts. This is our lot for throwing in with your Jedi Master's blind faith in her force... The Nephys gets us in the end it seems!


A moment of despair welled up as he knew he would not last against the enemy's final line as they were charging...


Battling somewhere off to his left, lost in the confusion came Leia's voice inside.

Have faith in the force...


Bullshit! Hespante sounded back. That religious fodder does us in! I would be the laughing stock off all simulacrums of the Union!


A slam against Tyscio's left should by something hard sent shards of pain up and down.

Pain!


He flexed the fingers of his left arm seeing that he could feel them once more.


"Saw your arm limp by your side.. " came the gruff voice of Mathias as he steadied his footing on the crest of the crater looking out at the masses.

"Don't these damned buggers ever die?" he said, taking the final drafts of his cigarra, holding his antiquated weapon, it's barrel warm from constant discharges.

He caught the artillery creatures and the wind went out of him. "Ahh. .damn..."


"When you said you'd follow me into hell, you didn't think I'd take you up on that did you?" Tyscio wearily quipped.

"Actually, I thought you'd get there before me being in the front line of the charge and all.." Mathias shot back and Korban chuckled.


The plasma orifice had reached it's maximum limit and the creature convulsed to discharge ....


...when a huge explosion skewered a hole straight into the rear of the Invaders, taking out its intended target, and many Vong warriors...Bodies, dust and burning red-hot debris were sent flying in all directions, as well as a small shockwave which would have knocked many more troops off their feet...

The largest of the creatures exploded creating a crater that caused the second creature to lose it's footing. The creatures began to panic and discharged their plasma volleys too early causing them to fall upon the rear masses of the invader lines...


"Look! That's a Vinda Corp shuttle!" Mathais shouted and Tyscio began to grin...

"Faith.." he whispered.


Your Jedi Master will never let me live this down.. muttered Hespante's voice within his mind.


The charging Capricians reached them and passed them intent on the invaders.

"Shall we ladies?" Mathias grunted as he began to run forward again just as the remaining marines from the Judicator caught up.

"Doesn't that old fornicator ever tire?" one panted.

Tyscio sighed, then grinned and moved on..



*



The distraction behind the Invader lines was what the Capricians needed and the center charge burst through the lines reaching the greatly injured lumbering creatures.

"Bring them down!" shouted Mathias to nearby soldiers, pointing to the creatures that had no chance of escape.

To others Tyscio shouted, "Fold up the flanks! Fold up the Flanks!"

With a straight line through the Yuuzhan Vong established the forward Capricians suddenly found themselves in the rear of both right and left flanks of the warriors.

Their jaws snapping shut on the taste of victory pushed their adrenaline to new levels as the losses to the enemy warriors began to grow exponentially as more Caprician soldiers found themselves behind the Yuuzhan Vong and Chazrach warriors.


"FOR CAPRICIA!"




*











Shuttles littered the sky of Jak'Tol as everything (hell anything) Zier could muster from the damaged Caprician fleet was sent to the battlezone.

He noted that the Vinda Corp warships in orbit were doing the same.


Probably worried about their leader...


He remembered Jak'Tol as a bright, grassy province with crystal ponds and clear skies.

But what he saw as the shuttles drew closer was the dirt cloud that hung over the entire area.


"Entering sector.." came the pilot..


And as the fog began to drift against the plexiglass windows Tyscio braced himself.


The shuttles emerged from the clouds and the province revealed itself..


"Great Clannus Prime.." someone behind him whispered and Zier couldn't have agreed more.


There was no grass. Only dirt, trenches, blood, bodies, and mud all slushed together strewn around an area of several miles all around a damaged Construction Yard.



There were crowds..



But there was no fighting...



"Ground coming up," warned the pilot.


And those from the shuttles stepped into a scene of almost anarchy.


Capricians and Vinda Corp personnel were hugging each other, shouting out trying to locate comrades fallen or lost, shouting at the simple joy of finding themselves alive, laughing, crying, and working to bring the wounded into the yard from the field.


Tyscio Zier stared open mouthed at the carnage everywhere and wrinkled his nose at the incredible stench. There had been no time to clear the bodies as the fighting had gone on for more than a day.

"Hope you brought doctors.." came a grizzled old soldier sitting up against a small rock wall. Taking an unimpressed look at the Vinda billionaire seated next to him he added, "Hope you brought some smokes too.."

"Herridian's working on the medical needs," Zier said, still looking around in shock.

Tyscio Korban seated nearby waved Mathias quiet. "I take it the system is secure?" he asked and Zier nodded absently.

"The Judicator?" Leia asked, seated next to him and Zier had to report the bad news. "Lost with all hands, unfortunately."

The marines from the warship seated around them looked down sadly. "She was a good ship.."

"Zier, Leantre's had a stroke. He's in intensive care inside the facility," Scipio Arien's voice interrupted his thoughts. Tyscio turned in surprise at not recognizing the blonde fellow Clan Leader. She was leaning up against a large Vinda Corp man who seemed unfazed.

Seeing that everyone had two inches of grime, blood and mud on their person it was a wonder he recognized anyone at all. He envied the Vinda Corp employee.

"I should see him.. Gomorran?"

Scipio wearily shook her head and whatever hope Zier held out for his friend suddenly died.


"At least it's over.." he said, unable to come up with anything more to say to such monumental sacrifices these men and women made.


"I'll drink to that.." Mathias commented pulling out a flask. He took a swig and handed it to Mr. Vinda. "It's not the fancy fare you're used too but it'll rot your guts out and shorten your life much easier than what the buggers had in mind for you."



*

"If the great God or gods were to look down on all of this, an atheistic people watching their views pulled down before their eyes even as they set out to tear heaven asunder and throw the God's well meaning purposes back into their faces, I would hope they would look upon us with pity."

The soldier started to walk.


"For we will surely have earned it."


The sniper Scipio Marik trudged his way back to the yard when he'd heard that the Regent had suffered a heartattack.

Rifle slung over his shoulder he scant paid attention to anything else when he bumped into the Vinda Corp man known as "Omar". His eyes held a certain amount of pleasure at seeing his philosophical partner alive and seemingly well.

Putting a hand on the other's shoulder, the sniper simply said, "I am glad your prayers were answered. May your faith keep you strong always."





Already the signals were going out on anything that would carry them.


That the war was won.


That the war was over.

R'alla

"That, I suppose," said Admiral Katta with an air of finality, "concludes it." He set his pen down, and pushed the sheet of paper toward Ferguson, the governor of R'alla.

"Yes," he replied, as he folded the sheet of flimsy, "it does indeed. Many thanks to you, Mr. Katta."

Both men stood away from the table they had been seated at for the last hour. An aid opened one of the many dorrs leading into the room, allowing both to exit. Outside the small, slightly constricting room, rows upon rows of windows allowed anyone passing down the corridor to see outside the ship.

"It's a beautiful planet, Ferguson," said Admiral Katta, in honest admiration.

"None more so, Admiral, none more so."

They stood in silence, admiring the blue haze of R'alla's atmosphere, and the soft glow of its oceans. Off to the side, a brilliant star illuminated space, giving light to the planet below them. Then, seeming to awake from a slumber, both once again began to walk.

"And you will send protection?"

"As soon as I can allot the forces, a defense fleet will be stationed here," promised the Admiral. He truly hoped he would be able to allot such forces. There had been no news for some time from the main VC fleet, and with his own task force gone he felt vulnerable.

"If the CSA is not, as you say, broken, their wrath will be terrible. Understand that if they arrive here, we will not fight. We have no desire to fight. Understand, we have no loyalty to you and yours -- loyalty must be earned."

"I understand perfectly, Ferguson."

They had arrived at the shuttle bay now, and Ferguson began to board his craft. Halfway up the ramp, he turned and called out, "I hope they are broken."



"Admiral on deck," said the captain of this craft, a female named Allia.

"As you were," said Katta. Turning to Allia, he continued, his voice lower. "Send an encoded message to Bonadan, priority 1. Mission success is all it need say. Then, plot a course to meet up with the rest of our task force. We will be leaving a squadron of fighters here."

Bonadan Orbit





The R2 unit chirped out its question , and after not recieving an immediate answer , twisted its head to face the direction of the recipient, and beeped its request once more, but louder...

Natalya smiled, turned at the astromech droid before her, and glanced down at the translator panel, reading the droid's request...

"...yes we are leaving, Kobi, just... give me minute..."

The droids desigantion was KO - B3, but Natalya had taken it upon herself to nickname it with something more human sounding.
She turned back around to look through the plexi-glass window looking out over Bonadan. The orange hue of the atmosphere cast harsh angular shadows within the inside of the borrowed YT-1300 transport, and across her face.
Natalya narrowed her eyes a little in reaction to the light, and sighed heavily...

"...I wonder if I'm doing the right thing ..."

Her voice trailed off slightly, and her eyes dropped down to the transponder Kaneda had given her...

...I wonder how Bayern took the news...

(a small smile crept across her lips)

...actually ...I think I could guess...


Tucking the transponder back into her pocket, Natalya absently brushed a sliver of dark hair away from her face, as she pondered where Andersan was, and what he was doing...

...wherever you are...I hope you are safe...forgive my hasty departure

Her thoughts finally came to her father, and a small feeling of guilt gnawed at her...

...I'll return....I promise...

With that last thought in mind, she turned back to face the control console and started to type in the co-ordinates into the navi-comp. The R2 unit chirped out a surprise as it calculated her destination...

She laughed a little at the droid's query...

"..yes, they're the right co-ordinates Kobi...make the jump on my mark..."

A flurry of thoughts flashed through her mind , past events, the CSA, Vinda-Corp, Kaneda , Andersan, and a slight twinge of trepidation about the future.

Biting down upon her lip , she voiced her command softly...


"...mark..."


..and in an instant, the transport was gone, leaving no trace that it was ever there to begin with...

Capricia

Jak'tol



"It's not the fancy fare you're used too but it'll rot your guts out and shorten your life much easier than what the buggers had in mind for you."

Raising an eyebrow at Mathias, Vinda glanced down at the flask and promptly took a swig. Coughing a little , Vinda grimaced, then grinned as he thanked the Caprician...

"...on the contary....its the best I've ever tasted..."

...and with that, let loose a rather hoarse sounding chuckle as he turned his attention to the old soldier...

"...I'd been saving this..."

Grunted the Vinda-Corp figurehead, and leant forward, handing his last Cigarra towards the old soldier...

"... but you look like you need it more than I..."

Vinda's comment was accompanied with a tired but warm smile. The businessman's suit was all but ruined , and the Vinda-Corp figurehead's age showed through, by the weary lines across his face...

As the others listened to Zier talk, Vinda's thoughts drifted to other matters, and although it was not visible, Vinda was anxious to get home...

...home...


For someone like Vinda, that word held a special significance, he had promised himself he would not die away from home, and, (thusfar) he hadn't. Vinda smiled inwardly to himself...

...Its not like I don't tempt fate...

What had become of Bonadan in his absence?

Miles?

Richter?

The CSA?

...and what of Mattimus?...

Vinda would have liked to have known his fate...

His thoughts darkened as pondered what waited for him back home, and his eyes scanned across the war-torn battlefield. Before finally focusing on one of the bodies littered across it...

...and the Vinda-Corp uniform still visible upon the unlucky individual, despite the dirt and mud...

One of many Bonadan's children...

Had he done the right thing?

...how had it come to this?...

His face stiffened, these men had given up their lives to protect this planet and the lives of those who dwelled upon it...
...and for this principle alone...

...they had not died for nothing...

Vinda's eyes narrowed as he observed the survivors, Caprician and Vinda-Corp alike were helping each other, tending to wounds, talking, crying, there was even some laughter...

It was this moment where Vinda realised , this would be a day long remembered.

A day where a new era for both their peoples had been forged in the heat of battle...

Vinda-Corp , rarely made alliances, and the same went for the Capricians...but in a twist of fate, it seemed the only right course of action for both to take. It would take both on their own a long time to rebuild, but together...

Together they had shown what they could do...

A warm feeling of pride seemed to swell up inside the businessman as this thought lingered in his mind...

...we shall not forget this day, nor those who sacrificied themselves for it...

Vinda's eyes fell upon Achinta, and the Caprician woman next to him, and he observed the two had seemed to have developed a bond...

...is it me... or are they?....

Frowning slightly, Vinda dismissed the thought before it surfaced, opting instead to moan at his bodyguard, and as he spoke, he stood up, and dusted himself down...

"...when we get back, I want a word with you...Mr Vega..."

Vinda was about to give Achinta his best ominous gaze, but then his eyes fell upon Scipio again, and seemed to think better of it. Deciding to Shake his head and mutter to himself instead ...

"...ahh... forget it..."

Turning to face the others, Vinda raised the flask aloft , and took a final swig...

"....to the future..."

...and handed it back to Mathias.

"...looks like, we've got a lot to do..." He anounced, in his usual ominous, but pragmatic way, and before Mathias could answer , Vinda had started to walk back to his shuttle.

Even if Mathias had spoken, the Vinda-corp CEO would not have heard, for he had suddenly become oblivious to nothing but the wheels and cogs of his own mind. Already whirling and turning to the costs and economics of what may lay ahead...


...After all...



...no time like the present...

Capricia

Jak'tol



Achinta tilted his head to one side a little as he watched the Vinda-Corp figurehead walk away, and let loose the sliver of a smile. Despite his age and being a biological lifeform , he was tough as old bantha leather...even Achinta had to give him that...

The Android looked down at the woman propped up against him, Scipio Arien had earned his respect, for she had been a pillar of strength for her people...

Whether they knew it or not.

Her strength and tenacity seemed at odds with her small frame and build, her inner strength, her refusal to give up and give in , he found...

...fascinating...

As she looked up and caught him looking down at her, she smiled, and leant up against him more. Achinta responded by putting his arm around her. The bodyguard had observed it was something that most humans seemed to like.
Affection was a new concept to the HRD , and as he held the Caprician woman close to him and sensed the warmth coming from her, it was something, he found he liked...

The HRD smiled inwardly to himself...

...definately worth further study...


"...Mr Vega. everyone..."

A calm, mild-mannered, yet tired voice gained his attention, and Achinta looked up to see Captain Omar standing before him...

"...I have been told to inform you, we have contacted VC-HQ, and Mr Bayern has already dispatched emergency aid, as well as food and medical supplies...(he turned to face the Caprician soldiers)...for our friends.
Apparently , he's commandeered the whole Freighter fleet..."

"...The first batch of ships should start arriving within the next eighteen hours, there's space for many men to go home along with them...and I will be one of them ...
I'm told he'll be bringing the rest of the core fleet and himself in a couple of days, as well as extra relief staff..."

Despite the fatigue , Omar was obviously pleased at going home, and seemed to take great pleasure in delivering the news...

"The men have been ordered to prepare....and Mr Vinda has asked whether you will be accompanying me and the first batch home...."

Nodding in response to the Captain's words, Achinta glanced back down towards Scipio beside him...

"...actually...I think... I shall stay a while..."

Omar raised his eyebrow , nodding slowly

"...I see..."

The HRD turned back to face him...

"...someone needs to stay behind and help oversee the relief staff..."

Letting loose a sly grin, Omar nodded once more...

"...Vinda told me you'd say that..."

As Achinta watched Omar turn to walk away, he frowned after catching sight of a large, unusual sniper rifle strapped to the Captain's back, (not exactly a standard piece of equipment for a Vinda-Corp ships Captain)...

"...Captain?...where did you aquire that?..." (He asked out of curiousity)...

Stopping in his tracks, Omar turned back around to face Achinta and the others, and patted the butt of the rifle affectionately...


"...a friend gave it to me..." (he quipped enigmaticly)


Leaving the others to digest his rather vague response. Omar turned and walked back to the shuttle, and despite being thoroughly worn out, he couldn't help but smile broadly to himself...


His prayers had been answered.


He was going to see his family...


..he was going home.

Aftermaths






Leantre Vio listened to Tyscio Zier, the leader of Tyscio Clan, as he recounted the events of the fleet. From his medical bed, Leantre had already began to form the military engineers into a Reconstruction Corps, their surveys of the damage to the major cities near at hand even though the aging man was supposed to sleep.

When Zier was finished, Leantre looked at his fellow leader. "Mr. Seth Vinda was in here this morning and we had a long chat."

"We could not have succeeded without his help," Tyscio commented.

"Which flies in the face of Caprician self reliance.." Leantre added.

"To the crows with Caprician self reliance!" Zier answered quickly and Leantre chuckled. "Then you realize the power of the Clans has been broken."

The younger white haired Clan Leader nodded. "Yes. There's no way we can return to the old ways... not after this."

"Tell me, Tyscio, what do you think about Capricia entering a Commonwealth with Bonadan?"


Zier thought a moment and sat down.


"I can think of worse ideas." he finally commented.


"Herridian agrees."


And the two began to talk about the details that would usher in a new dawn for Capricia.




*


The Vinda Corporation Fleet under the command of Richter Bayern entered the Caprician System several days later as the damaged Vinda Corp ships were readying to leave.


Scipio was shocked to learn that while they were fighting for their lives, Vinda's Company had succeeded in breaking the backs of the Corporate Sector Authority.


"I guess this means you are going back to Bonadan?" she asked Achinta as she lay in her medical bed. The doctor's had seen through her front of wellbeing when she kept allowing other injured people ahead of her onto the operating tables.

It took her collapse to bring her around. And now she lay there looking at the only person who seemed the same after everything that had happened. It was something she held dear.

Of course, she knew Achtina would eventually leave, he was Vinda's Handyman but she didn't realize it would be this soon.


"I would like to come with you..." she started tentatively, as if sticking her foot into water to check if it's cold.


"..if you want." she added lamely.


Clannus Prime's mother on a stick, Scipio! Get a hold of yourself!


And her eyes seemed to struggle between fire and fear.



*


Herridian Wye looked at the construction crews swarming over Natabb City as temporary shelters were erected for those inhabitants still alive to reside while the rebuilding was going on.


His son and daugher were each at his side, his son hardly commenting about his capture.


Until the boy talked, he would remain in the dark about the experience which, truth be told, caused him extreme worry.


But perhaps in time... he thought.


He seemed to breath a little easier, Yes, time was a great healer.


The information gathered by the Avatar had been valuable to the medical community on Capricia to determine that the worst of the Leveller of Empires was behind them.


"What had triggered the mutation?" a doctor asked of Herridian not too long ago.


"What is the one thing in our solar system that remains in a somewhat predictable and constant state of flux?"


When the doctor signaled his confusion, Wye continued, "Our sun. The Yuuzhan Vong set their virus' mutation to be triggered by changes within our sun. Exactly what, such as radiation, ultraviolet spectrums, we do not yet know. The Medical Facilities on Tirus were much more advanced and they reached that same conclusion though they did not know what kind of mutation would occur. Just that certain changes within sun were the cause of the particular virulent strain of the Leveller that afflicted them."


"Why?" the other doctor suddenly blurted out, "If the buggers wanted us all dead..?"


"They were buggers. But they were honest buggers." Herridian answered. "If they incorporated the mutation into the virus and it had not changed to affect their soldiers then they would have interpreted that as a sure sign of their deity's approval of their actions. Who knows what other planets they would have razed after Capricia."


"But the fact that it did mutate to affect them in the end.."


"Told them that their deities may not have approved of our conquest. It took the edge away from their final attacks."


"Thank the makers they were damned religious!" the doctor said in obvious relief.


"Yes, ironic isn't it? The same beliefs that drove them to kill us are what eventually what helped to save us?"


Herridian soon drew his thoughts to the present.


For now, they would rebuild their lives.


And his family... his children were alive and, most importantly, they were safe.





*



"I am Tyscio Korban. I was born on Capricia many thousands of years ago." he started with little preamble to the group seated around the table comprised of Herridian Wye, Tyscio Zier, Leia Organa Solo, Seth Vinda, Hespante and others.

Herridian had revealed the excavation under the ruins of the Jedi Temple and the relics discovered, one of which held visuals of Korban himself.

Or at the very least, someone who looked like him.


It was time for his story to be told.


"The galaxy I lived in was united under a single government called the Commonwealth Union of Worlds. It was a galaxy that had no knowledge of the force."

"What?" Leia asked surprised. "Life creates the force."

"Now." Korban ammended. "Then, there was no such thing. We had our own abilities that were naturally, biologically, and evolutionary inherent. The Caprician's ability had to do with telekinesis whereas other people's gifts were something totally different."


"How?" Seth Vinda asked, interested inspite of himself.


"Nowadays, it is commonly known that most intelligent creatures use a small percentage of their brain. In my time, the percentage was much higher. It allowed for more specialized abilities."


"So what happened?" Herridian asked.


"The Force happened."


"But you just said.."


"We had no knowledge of the force. It did not exist for us. And yet, there were growing reports of individuals causing problems in outlying star systems. Defying local institutions, seizing power for themselves..and having abilities not common for people of their races. Abilities that your force users in this era posses.


At first, we thought them isolated events, but the more they cropped up the more we began to take notice. It seemed that the existence of midichlorians were found within the blood of those problem people. And yet, we began finding them in more and more inhabitants, those that were not causing problems. Our scientists began to really worry then."

"You found it in life." Leia commented.

"In almost everything at the time, where it was not there before.

Our scientists called it the Nephys. They formed a hypothesis that the midichlorians were symbiotic creatures from another galaxy and we tried to erradicate them from living tissue."


"Only you couldn't."


"No. Not without killing the living tissue. The midichlorians were here to stay and we had to deal with them but it was not until our leading General, a General Bane decided to conquer the Union did we really begin to fall apart.


It was as if self ambition were let loose upon Bane and his followers and they sowed destruction everywhere they went. He murdered my family and he tried to turn my fiance to what you call the darkside. She fought the influence but only at the cost of her life. He captured me and injected my body with midichlorians in hopes of, in time, influencing me to serve him.

Hespante, my retainer, spirited me away and put me into stasis on a world you now call Almania. I was not supposed to be out this long though but when I awoke, I that is where I met Recon Klain and a woman named Iriana who could heal with a touch. Perhaps a holdover from the biological abilites of her race."


"What is Hespante? A droid?" Leia suddenly asked. "He seems to be human one minute and then he..." her voice trailed off.


"He is what we called a simulacrum. In your terms, a holographic projection given solid form."


"That's impossible." Seth Vinda said quickly, though the marketing possibilies began to race through his mind.


"Given that this is what I am, I contend that it is not impossible. Only impossible for you to duplicate now." Hespante commented, vanishing before them and then reappearing. He continued, "Korban is the heir to the Union leadership and as such, he had a biological processor implanted into his brain. Given that the brain has enough power to run 200 million supercomputers, powering me is no imposition. I can manifest myself inside his mind as independent thoughts or physically. Though the manner of my manifestation physically depends alot on the state of Korban's mind."



"Why?" Leia asked out of curiosity.


"Hespante served as my own private teacher in many things. Most governmental families used them. They were common."


"And now I am the last." Hespante said a little mournfully.


"And he is damaged. For with the midichlorians within me, my mind is also being closed off to my natural abilities. Sometimes they can break through, as was manifest in the Capricians during the First Invasion but using the force directly affects it. They also conflict with many of Hespante's higher functions."


"That's why Scipio hurts when she uses the force." Tyscio Zier told Herridian. "She broke barriers when she was tortured in the First Invasion and her inherent ability was revived from it's dormant state. However, she was also strong in the force and since the midichlorians do not just go away but remain, the two abilities conflict within her."


"But the relics on Elrood were dated much later than the era you speak of, Korban," Herridan commented.


Now, Tyscio Korban looked at the portly man, "That is indeed me in the recording and it is Union technology but I do not remember making them. I don't remember being on Elroodia.. I mean Elrood. As far as I know, I was asleep from Bane to Almania."


"General Bane would not be also Darth Bane would he?" Leia suddenly asked.


"I've heard of this Darth Bane, a Sith was he? I do not think they were one and the same given that I thought I had killed him in trying to rescue my fiance. Their name must be a coincidence.."


"I wonder.." Hespante murmured to himself.


"In any event, I would like you to come with me to Elrood, Korban. I would like to see if anything seems familiar to you.."


"I am at your service."




*






Antioch



Mathias hated being dressed up in uniform even though he did look like a Caprician General. At least according to Tyscio Korban when the young man remarked on the older one's outfit and even though his stripes showed him to be a formal Seargent.


With pay and benefits, which was something concrete Mathias could really appreciate.


Still, walking amid the growing crowds with those both familiar and unfamiliar who had shared in the defense of Capricia down the capital lane to the waiting dignitaries and the governmental courtyard, it was an impressive sight.


Rows of polished weapons and clean clothes did much to bolster the spirits of the victorious even amid great loss. Vinda Corp's employees and leaders were also on hand to be saluted and given a special place in the hearts of the Caprician people.

Even Adalric Cronus delayed his departure to accept the awards bestowed upon them making a grand entrance giving the population something to marvel at. The hyperdrive on his warship having been completed, it was poised to leave the system for Onderon as soon as the ceremonies were over.


Richter Bayern and his crew were also on hand to witness the accomplishements of Vinda Corporation honored with much pomp and ceremony.


The remaining Clan leaders and representatives of the Noble and Minor Houses unvieled the "Commonwealth", which they would enter into with Bonadan and Vinda Corp.

Drawing the ties to their peoples official though perhaps not as close as the bond already forged with the blood they both spilled on the field.


The fighters steaked overhead launching an impressive array of fireworks and the first celebration of the Jubilee began.



The victory over Death.


A Victory of Life.




*



"Leaving already?" came a voice behind Leia as she was packing.


"I have to get back to the Republic. Lord only knows how much paperwork I'll have to deal with back on Corellia not to mention Coruscant. Besides, my students need me as Master Amalia Braska reminded me in the last transmission she sent. I think she is growing tired of handling them all herself so I must first go to Naboo," Leia remarked with some amusement.


"I need you too.." Tyscio commented as well which brought Leia up short.


"Now what would the Heir-Apparent to the galaxy need with a simple Jedi Master?"


Korban grinned crookedly, "I've seen your wardrobe princess, there's nothing simple about you."


And Leia laughed slightly.


"I know you've many responsibilies now. But think about it."


"I doubt you'll let me forget." Leia's eyes held a certain mischief and Tyscio Korban's voice suddenly turned gruff as if he were Mathias.

"Damn straight Mistress." then he cleared his throat and chuckled. "I've got the entire trip back to Naboo with you to help make sure I stay in your mind."

"Oh?" an eyebrow rose. "And how will you do that?"

Korban walked closer to her and slipped his arms around her waist. "I'm sure I'll think of something." he grinned that boyish smile of his and their lips met.




*




A Distant Future




The children fell silent as Hepsante ended his tale.

"But what happened to Mr. Vinda? Mr. Korban? Leia? Mathias?"

And Hespante held up a hand silencing them. "Those are stories for another time. Now, children, it's getting time to leave."


Selene grinned, "Teacher, how did they make droids in that old building?" he pointed to the ancient Construction Yard.


"I ask myself that everytime I see it." Hespante quipped back and Selene laughed, helping him gather the children together.


"Are you going to see him?" she asked when they were on the transport heading back to the school.


"I've seen him at every Jubilee." the simulacrum commented. "This time will be no different."


"I wish I had known him. What would he say to everything that was happening now? What would he think of me?"


Hespante thought a moment and suddenly turned to the young woman. "I think he would say that you remind him of his wife."


"The road since the first Jubilee hasn't been a easy one for Capricia as well as Bonadan."


"And yet the more things change the more they stay the same. One thing I had to learn was that you need faith that things will turn out well in the end. Even if it does take a bit of time."


Selene suddenly turned serious.


"You realize that there is a referendum regarding the construction of more simulacrums?"


"Of course. I keep up with the Commonwealth's latest advances in technology. I also understand Executor Johnson is going to speak in favor of the project in the Hall of Voices."


"They claim that, though small, the processor could be an instrument of manipulation."


Hespante snorted. "The person who called the referendum is a woman. Therefore her arguement is flawed."


"Now's not the time to take a sexist view Hespante." Selene warned.


"It's not sexist. The arguement is flawed because women have already proved that (at least) they can be controlled by small instruments?"


"Oh?" Selene asked intrigued. "Someone should tell my fiance."


"Oh, he knows." Hespante said, pointing to her engagement ring.


Selene laughed. "He'll need more diamonds than this to keep me under total control." she joked.


"I've no doubt about that, the poor fool. But you get my point." He smiled at a future prospect, "I'll run rings around the referendum lady."


And both the ageless simulacrum and Leia Selene Korban made their way to the celebration.



And, in the far distance, back on the Plains of Jak'Tol, echoes of the past roamed...



Yes, the stories of those past legends would be for another time.






For now, the Conquest of Capricia was over.







"...and at the end of the day, when it's all over?"


"If, in this great galaxy of chance, you find yourself alive for one more day... do not think that it is without purpose.


Finding it out..

...now that's the trick."




*

EPILOGUE

Corporate Sector Space


Just within Orron III's orbit




An unnoticed, medium sized, battered and tired old looking freighter emerged from hyperspace, its model and markings of some unknown alien origin.

Slowly the ship chugged closer to something else floating , seemingly blindly , slowly rotating from the effects of Orron III's gravity. The Alien freighter seemed to slow , and with a hefty 'clunk' activated a set of large floodlights which bathed the floating 'object' in its harsh light.

The light reflected from the object indicating it was mettalic, and on closer inspection was found to be small shuttle, dead in space, just one of many wrecks leftover from the fierce battle fought above Orron III, nothing remarkable.

As the alien ship moved its lights across the shuttle's scorched and pitted surface , the shuttle's orgins were starting to be revealed...
A galaxy known isignia could just about be seen across its blackened hull.....Vinda-Corporation...and eventually the light glinted across its namesake...

VCS - Starry Night - III Fleet

Whether or not its markings could be recognised by the aliens observing it was not clear, but one thing was ... It had interested its salvagers...

The alien ship activated its tractor beam , and started to reel in its catch, these aliens were of the breed seen after every major fleet battle, those who seek to profit from others misfortune...

Scavengers...








"...Black bones!...what a piece of junk!... look at it! its fried, what can we possibly salvage from this piece of Kriff!.....what a waste of time!....I told you we should have taken a closer look at that Vengeance-class cruiser we passed back earlier..."

"shut up a minute!"

The rather greasy looking alien , scowled towards its travelling compariot, whose clothes seemed to be remarkably cleaner...he didn't like being told to shut up, especially by someone smaller than him...His eyes fell upon his fellow crewman's overalls, noticing the lack of any dirt or grime...

...how in the name of Vader did he always manage that!?...

Charg , watched patiently as his clean crewmember fiddled with the wires of the salvaged onboard shuttle's computer console, its innards having being strewn across the entire docking bay of the freighter...

"its computer is still intact...if I can just patch in a feed from our power supply I might just be able to boot it up..."

The cleanly dressed figure's voice was interrupted abruptly as the shuttle's onboard systems suddenly came online, and the smaller of the two alien's raised his arm triumphantly...

"...aha!..I knew it , y'see Charg!, told you it was worth ..."

"..what the..."

The Aliens voice slowly trailed off as his eyes studied the computer monitor in front of him. Charg having noticed his fellow crewmate's face, sqeezed past a part of the shuttle's hull to try to see what his clean compatriot was looking at...

"..what is it Zandell?...Zandell?..."

Charg's face joined his partner's in studying the unusual data-burst that had just been bought up on the computer's monitors...

Zandell's eyes glazed over as he scrolled through the information that had been stored within the computer's memory banks...

They had stumbled onto some kind of military intelligence , everything from CSA military statisics to defense reports...

Most of it, (he reasoned), was too out of date to be useful , or could not be understood, apart from one file, which stood out, it was a profile, a young woman...


Zandell's eyes widened as he read the profile further, and he could hardly stop his jaw from dropping as he realised what they had disovered...

His lips mouthed the woman's name , but only her last name, her surname, audibly escaped his lips as the importance of what he had found dawned upon him...



"...Vinda..."




...somebody, somewhere, would pay handsomely for this...