The male Trandoshan studied the female before him. She looked a bit scrawny and her clothing ragged, looking like a T’Doshok that had run into very hard times. Indeed she had suffered hard times, some could say she suffered all her life. This in mind it was hard to believe she was of noble standing, the daughter of a prominent merchant and relative to a renown weapon smith. Those very things seemed to be root of her problems however.

She lost her mother at a very young age and her father never really bothered to bond with her, as she wasn’t the son he wanted. Try as she might she could never gain her father’s approval, the proud male only seeing her faults, never her talents. Her only comfort, the only one that cared about her, was an Aunt on her mother’s side. Often she would visit her and her Aunt’s wisdom would give her confidence. That source of strength and confidence though was recently stripped from her, her beloved Aunt killed when pirates attacked the ship they were on.

The girl had lost everything dear to her and was on her last ropes. The desperation to give her life meaning was evident on her fine face and in her red-orange eyes. A desperation that this male could use for his own purposes and he smiled, pleasant thoughts on his mind.

“Natira Iciss you said your name was?” He asked her.

“Yes.” Came the response, a bit stiff and forced.

“You are aware of the seriousness of your offer, yes?” He prompted. “Only fools would give someone permission to utilize them however they see fit.”

“I don’t care.” Natira said. “There is nothing left for me. Only pain and scorn from the only parent I have left. I might as well be dead.”

“Now don’t go saying that my dear.” He said with a slight smile. “If you do your job well you could have a new life, a new beginning.” He leaned forward in his chair. “The job is not easy though and you’ll have to be focused.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.” Natira said sternly. “You still haven’t told me what you want me to do however.”

Another smile on his lips. “Ah yes, that would make things easier now wouldn’t it? First off, you are trained in some combat skills I take it?”

“Of course. I trained when my father wasn’t looking.” Came the quick response.

“Good, you will need them. The task I want you to complete is one of assassination.”

Her eyes widened a bit. “Assassination? Who did you want killed?”

“This man.” He activated the holo device in front of her and again her eyes widened.

“That’s the….” She started.

“Yes. The Vice Admiral.” He grinned. “Who is currently grounded from Fleet duty due to suspected cooperation with a dangerous faction that operates in our system. A faction that means to destroy our proud heritage. Eliminating him will prevent this faction from gaining an even stronger hold over our people.”

The longer she stared at the image, the more doubt entered her eyes. “Wasn’t he trained as a K’Satikur though?” She asked. “It would be impossible to take him out by myself.”

“In direct combat yes, it would be.” The male conceded. “However assassination can be accomplished in many ways. You’re only limited by your imagination. Never the less, the best time to strike will be when he’s drunk.”

“Drunk….”

“Yes, he has a drinking habit, drinks himself senseless often.”

“I see….where is he at now?”

At this he grinned. “Despite the Admiral’s orders he somehow got in command of a hidden station that’s currently in orbit over Trandosha, according to our sources that is. This station is part of this faction I mentioned earlier. Removing him, will enable a more friendly faction to take over the station and secure our peoples future.”

Natira stared at the holo image a bit more, debate evident in her eyes. The target looked like a handsome, well trained man, capable of holding his own against almost any adversary despite his age. She knew she could very well meet her doom attempting to kill him, but what else was there to lose?

“I’ll do it.” She said finally.

The male’s grin broadened. “Good. You will be given clearance to board a supply ship that regularly docks at the station. The only condition I must impose is that while it is a good idea to observe him a while before striking, you must not be seen by him!”

“Understood.” Natira said, rising to her feet. “I will not fail.”

He watched her leave and the moment she was out of ear shot he chuckled darkly.

“Do you honestly think she will succeed?” An attendant asked. “A professional would have a much better chance at success.”

The male simply smiled and said. “It doesn’t matter if she succeeds or fails, her life is forfeit either way. What matters is that his line ends.”

The attendant blinked a couple times before it clicked. “You suspect she’s….”

He nodded, the smile still on his face. He and his attendant shared a good laugh.

Slaskia posts:

The organization she took this job from must have had a lot of contacts in high places, for not only did they get her transport to the station, but arranged things so that she was actually going to be working there.
This would give her plenty of opportunity to watch her intended target and plan accordingly. Word was he had sent away all the ‘elite’ guards that were also on the station, leaving only himself and some officers of his crew as the only non members of this ‘rogue’ organization she was told about on the station. This will make things easier, but only slightly: she still had Tiosk himself to worry about.

Watching space roll by through a port window she let out a sigh. The confidence she had when she accepted this task had by now started to ebb away during the trip to the station: gravity of her situation setting in now. She was expected to kill a man that was not only well respected but well trained as a warrior. Whether she succeeded or failed, her death was
certain: by his hand or his associates.

If I succeed though… She thought numbly. I will go down with some fame to my name. The thought brightened her spirits a bit. She wouldn’t be known as ‘Natira the failure’, ‘Natira the disappointing’, or any other demeaning title. It was unknown whether or not her father knew of this man she was sent to kill: with this reputation he had no doubt at least heard of Vice Admiral Tiosk, but no doubt Lord Nakoran would be horrified to learn his daughter was doing something decidedly ‘unlady-like’.
Natira didn’t care any more what that fat merchant of a father thought of her anymore: he had always held her back, kept her from doing what she wanted to do. What she had accomplished she had to do in secrecy, but that was for not as well.

Natira remembered a particularly hurtful experience when she disguised herself as a male and joined the Coming-of-Age hunt. She had gained the most points during the hunt and earned the badge of honor for that feat.
However in her naivety she revealed her true self during the awards ceremony, thinking her act would help break some of the old tradition that females were not meant to be hunters. However she found herself getting shouted and cursed at, painful words of disapproval and disgust thrown at her. What really hurt wasn’t the words themselves, but the fact her own father, who was on the judging panel, shouted those words at her with everyone else. She was stripped of the title and badge and sent home in disgrace, her father unapologetic.

It was then she realized there was little hope for her to gain approval from her father, yet she kept trying, only to fail every time. The death of her Aunt proved to be the final straw, for her father, in his grief as he had secretly loved her Aunt, blamed Natira for her death. With no hope of acceptance in her own family she ran away, wanting to make a name for herself in big way before her end came. Killing the Vice Admiral would do just that and she had the perfect weapon to do it.

She opened her bag and took out a long box that was over a foot long.
Carefully she lifted the lid to gaze once again upon it’s contents: a H’skzi’ Zur. She had found it among her Aunt’s possessions after she had died and she had learned the Vice Admiral used daggers just like this as weapons. What a perfect way to kill him then by using the same kind of dagger against him. It had taken some time to get used to throwing the thing, but she found herself quite accurate regardless. There was an odd inscription on it in a dialect of Dosh she didn’t understand, but she felt that unimportant: it was likely some ‘catch phrase’ the weapons maker put on it.

Not wanting to draw unwanted attention she closed the lid and put the box back into her bag. She didn’t know why she kept wanting to look at it and figured it was to remind herself why she was doing this.

“Mam.” Natira yelped at the sudden voice and looked up at the crew member with a slight glare. “Sorry mam.” The man said apologetically. “We will be docking at the station in a few minutes.”

“Oh. Thank you.” She replied, letting out a deep sigh.

“Nervous?” He asked.

“A bit.”

The man gave a short laugh. “Don’t be. The current boss of the station I hear is a very cool, laid back guy. Just don’t do anything stupid and you’ll be fine.”

I guess the ‘stupid’ part is the trying to kill him thing… She thought with another sigh as she watched the man leave to inform the other crew on the ship of their arrival. No choice now though: her path was set.

Slaskia Posts:

“Sir.”

Tiosk looked up from the pile of paperwork he was so enjoying working on to see his second-in-command Konik standing before his desk. He had been so unpleasantly engrossed at the task at hand that he hadn’t heard him come in. “Yes Konik?” He replied, a slight sigh slipping out, but grateful for the distraction.

“A new worker is just about to arrive in dock 4 and I was wondering if you planned to greet her personally.” Konik said.

An eager fire lit up in Tiosk’s eyes, but it quickly dimmed again when he saw the time. “As much as I would like to get away from this I can’t.” He said with another, deeper, sigh. “Admiral Angela wants a report on the status here by noon and I’m behind as is. She’s to be one of the replacement supply officials correct?”

“Yes sir.” Konik replied with a nod. Recently they had to incarcerate a few workers due to treason: seems their enemies were trying to slip in new agents.

“And her background clean?”

“Yes sir, nothing suspicious according to the background checks and I looked at the reports personally.”

“Excellent. See her around for me will you Konik? I will have to meet her later after my ‘workload’ has been lessened.”

“Of course sir, I’ll send her your regrets.” Konik bowed his head and left his office, leaving Tiosk alone with the accursed paperwork once again.

****

It was now her confidence in doing this task started to flatline, the moment the shuttle docked. All of a sudden she got the bad case of butterflies in her stomach and nausea. She found herself with little strength to stand and it took herself a moment to calm her nerves enough to will herself to her feet. After securing her bag over her shoulder she slowly made her way off the shuttle, a part of her wondering if there will be a squad of enforcers waiting to arrest her. That worry proved to be for naught however, as she finally stepped onto the exit ramp and was greeted by the vastness of the docking bay before her.

There wasn’t any enforcer squads, just a bunch of workers running about doing their jobs and a rather official looking Trandoshan standing just off to one side. For a moment Natira’s heart froze: was that the Vice Admiral?
No, she quickly realized, he looked too young and wore the red and black uniform of a Captain rather then a Vice Admiral: Tiosk’s would have been dark red if she remembered correctly. Plus this male had green scales and yellow eyes instead of the yellow ochre and orange eyes she saw in the holo image she was shown. Mentally she sighed with relief: it would have been very bad if she was seen by the Vice Admiral the moment she got off the ship. Granted, it was curious as too ‘why’ they didn’t want him to see her, but that wasn’t important she decided.

“Natira I presume?” The Captain said as she approached, to which she simply nodded. “Captain Konik at your service.” He made a curt bow. “Welcome to the Tissuss Shipyard.”

“Tissuss? Isn’t it a bit far from that planet to be called that?” Natira asked.

Konik chuckled. “This is a mobile shipyard madam, so it can be anywhere.”
He explained as he waved over one of the personnel. “Would you be so kind as to take her belongings to her room please.” He handed the man a slip of paper that had her room number on it.

Natira was hesitant to let a stranger take her bag: what if they search through it? “If you don’t mind sir, I would like to keep my belongings with me.” She said softly.

She noticed the Captain’s eyes narrow slightly when she said this and feared she said the wrong thing. “A paranoid type I see.” He said. “Nothing wrong with that, in fact we could use more of those types these days. If it’s more acceptable, we can drop off your belongings first then show you around.
Unless that is you are not up to a brief tour right at this time.”

Natira thought this over. “I would like to know where the shower and cafeteria is before I hit the sack tonight.” She said.

Another chuckle. “It’s settled then, please follow me.”

The Captain turned and headed off toward one of the doorways that lead out of the docking bay. After a moments hesitation Natira followed, needing to jog a bit to catch up with the man. After they exited the docking bay the Captain looked over his shoulder at her and said. “The Vice Admiral, by the way, sends his regrets for not greeting you personally. He unfortunately had a hot suspense to take care of.”

“No problem.” Natira said quickly. “I imagine he’s a busy man.” After brief moment’s silence she said. “Forgive me if I sound disrespectful Captain, but I’m surprised I was greeted by you and not someone…lower ranking.”

Konik flashed her smile. “No offence taken madam.” He said. “I’m his second in command, so what he can’t take care of personally he tasks me with. Vice Admiral Tiosk is big on getting to know the ‘little people’ and seeing that their needs are met. He’s a bit of a father to everyone.”

A father… Thoughts of her own father came back to her head, reminding her of what she never really had: a father that actually gave a damn about her. “Does he have any kids?” She asked without thinking.

“Three sons.” Konik replied without a blink, apparently not bothered by what should have been a rather personal question about the Vice Admiral.
The answer was more surprising to her however, then the willingness of the Captain to give it.

“Three? That’s a bit unusual…”

“It’s a long story.” Konik said with a sigh. “One I am not privileged to tell and it’s painful for him to tell himself. He might give you some details but don’t count on it.”

“I won’t bother him with it.” Natira said quietly. “I probably poked too much into his personal business already.”

“Don’t worry about it. He’s a private man, but not so private that he wouldn’t be willing to share his life stories. In fact, it be best to avoid discussing battles, unless you enjoying listening to him bragging about the stunts he’s pulled during them.” Konik had a slight sly grin.

“I have heard he was a bit…crazy…when it comes to battles.”

“Crazy, but successful. That’s why the Serendivus respect him so much: at least the members that are still on our side.”

This got Natira’s interest. “Why have some turned against them?” She asked.

“Their minds have been poisoned by faction that wants to destroy the Serens.” Konik said bitterly. “And end the current peace between our people and the Wookiees.”

“Why are we at peace with those furballs?” Natira asked with a faint growl.
“After what they had done to us?”

It was then Konik stopped short and turned abruptly toward her, making her gasp with surprise. “’What they had done to us?’” He echoed, a bit of sternness in his voice. “I think you got your history a bit mixed up: it was us that fired the first shot by raiding their homeworld, all because of greed. This organization takes pride in it’s ability to have species of all kinds work peacefully together and you will have Wookiee co-workers. So I suggest you work on that attitude, or else you won’t be here very long.”

As he turned around and continued on, Natira thought: Oh don’t worry Captain, I’ll likely be dead before I get the urge to skin a Wookiee anyway.

Slaskia posts:

Natira was shown her room first, allowing her to secure her belongings before the tour started. Captain Konik then took her around the shipyard, showing her the various different areas. Thankfully he focused on the more ‘relaxing’ areas for the most part, only showing her where she was going to work and introducing her to her boss when it came to the work areas.
Otherwise he just showed her where the recreation, meal, and fresheners where. After that he took her back to her room.

“We’ll give you a day or so to settle in and get to know where everything is.” Konik told her. “Someone will be by to show you around the work areas when it’s time to get to work. I hope you enjoy your time here Natira.
Sleep well.”

“Thank you Captain.” Natira said respectfully. “I’m sure I will.”

After he had left Natira set about putting away the few belongings she brought with her. She wasn’t sure why she bothered, considering she would be either dead or making a quick escape (if she was lucky enough) soon after the assassination. The latter of course she wasn’t counting on happening at all, considering what she was up against.

Besides wondering why she was bothering putting away her things, she found herself hating the task itself for another reason. Every piece of jewelry, every scrap of clothing reminded her of what she had lost and what she never had. Oh how she wished her life had been different, wished her mother had never been killed in that horrible attack: if she was still alive her father would have treated her differently, she was sure of that.

Finally she pulled out the box that held her chosen weapon for her task and again she found herself opening it to gaze upon the dagger within. This time though she even took it out of it’s velvet lined box to remind herself of it’s weight, the indecipherable words engraved on it’s blade clearly shown in the rooms light.

What a wasted short life I’ve led. She thought as she studied how the light reflected off the daggers blade. But maybe this will give my life some worth before I join the ancestors. She put the dagger back into it’s box and put the box into the personal safe that was in every room.
Once that was done she left to see about grabbing a bite to eat before calling it the night….

****

“What did you think of her?” Tiosk asked as he studied a report that just came in on the battle over and on Korribon.

“A bit timid, if not paranoid.” Konik replied honestly. “She was very reluctant to let someone else handle her baggage.”

“Not too surprising.” Tiosk said softly. “First day can be nerve wracking.
Anything else?”

“She didn’t seem very interested in where she was going to be working.”
Konik commented. “Though that could be related to her dislike of Wookiees.”

“A dislike she’ll have to get over quick if she’s to stick around here.”
Tiosk muttered. “In this new day and age we can’t let old grudges be at the forefront of our thoughts.”

“Too be honest sir, something’s off about her.” Konik said, a slight frown on his face.

“Off?” Tiosk glanced up at his second-in-command, a brow raised curiously.

“I can’t put my claw on it for sure sir, but I am not certain she’s here for ‘honest’ reasons.”

“You said you checked her background reports yourself Konik.” Tiosk said with out malice or accusation.

“I did indeed, but even someone with a clean record can mean ill toward our cause.”

“Too true.” Tiosk said with a slow nod. He paused a moment in thought, his head leaning against one hand. “Keep an eye on her.” He said finally.
“Take note of any suspicious actions she does. You only took her to her work center, fresheners, recreation center and cafeteria correct?”

“Aye sir.”

“Then make sure she doesn’t go poking her snout in the more vital areas without good reason. Should be common sense but why take the chance.” Tiosk said calmly. “Considering how difficult it’s been for Miknak to get operatives back on this station I wouldn’t be surprised if he adopted a ‘if I can’t have it, no one will’ stance on this place.”

“Understood sir. I will ensure her immediate supervisor acknowledges the restrictions.” Konik bowed and excused himself, leaving Tiosk alone with the report once again.

If the Scorekeeper wills it. Tiosk thought as he read the document again. Admiral Lavality, Lord Trazu and Lady Asri will dispose of that scumbag once and for all. Then we can all breathe a bit easier….

Slaskia posts:

It had been a week since Natira first arrived at the station and she was finding her job rather fulfilling. Working in supply reminded her a bit of her smuggler days and she used those skills to good effect here. She became so engrossed in her job that she nearly forgot her true purpose, that is until she spotted the Vice Admiral while passing through one of the dry docks.


If it hadn’t been for the hologram her employers had shown her, she wouldn’t have known he was the Vice Admiral at all. This man wasn’t wearing the dark red uniform that Vice Admiral’s wore, but the same style vest and pants she saw in the hologram. Easily seen though was all the throwing daggers he had on his person and she believed she saw a couple of fighting knives as well.

This reminded her that he was a very dangerous man to cross, yet his pose and the way he talked to the workers suggested he was he was very laid back and easy to get along with. Thankfully he had his back to her mostly, so he didn’t see her as she quickly exited the dry dock area.

Her first visual of the Vice Admiral not only reminded her of her mission, but brought to light to her mind that something was off. There was no propaganda going about, no blatant brainwashing, just a bunch of people going about their daily lives on the station with no sign of how ‘evil’ this organization was supposed to be. Must be under strict orders not to talk about it for fear of visitors finding out their ‘true colors. She surmised. At least during the work shifts. Wanting comfort that she wasn’t sent here to kill an innocent man, she made a note to spend some time in the recreation areas after work for now on: if any one was to bad mouth or talk smack anywhere it would be there.

That night she discovered that she was right. Workers relaxing from a days work were talkative, especially after they got a few in them. She heard remarks about The New Order, the recent alliance with the Galactic Coalition, and some person named ‘Miknak’. Natira shook her head at the negative comments about TNO, remembering how the Old Empire helped them build their moon ship yard and gave them free reign to hunt Wookiees. It bothered her that Trandoshans today preferred the GC over TNO, considering their history with the latter. It was tempting to rebuke the workers accounts of the Old Empire, but didn’t risk it for fear of drawing unwanted attention to herself.

This Miknak person they were talking about sounded interesting. It seems he was the one that was the Seren’s biggest opponent and she assumed this was the ‘faction’ her employers were allied with. Apparently there was a recent offensive on Miknak’s base on Korribon, with the outcome unknown to them at this time and a part of her worried her employers might have lost their ally. But the more she listened to the workers talk about Miknak, the more she understood ‘why’ this man was despised by so many. Unethical experiments, terrorist attacks, kidnapping and brainwashing of innocents: all those things started to bring doubt to the reasoning behind her mission. Could it be she should be really thinking of her employers as her enemy?

Propaganda…has to be. She told herself. After all, it sounded like this Miknak was a Trandoshan, so what was wrong with him doing such things on lesser beings like humans? She shut out the propaganda talk and instead focused on finding out tidbits about her target: the Vice Admiral.

****

“How is she doing?” Tiosk asked Konik, whom was sitting beside him in a different rec room having a drink.

“She took to her job very well sir.” Konik replied. “A natural I say.”

“No suspicious actions?”

“None noted, though she could be purposely acting normally for a while to keep us from suspecting her if anything goes wrong.”

“A smart move on her part, if she is truly here for conflicting reasons.”
Tiosk said as he took a sip from his glass. “I still need to meet her personally, but the aftermath of the battle on Korribon has been keeping me busy.”

“You’ll have your chance soon sir, I’m certain.”

****

Meanwhile, at an unknown location on Trandosha.

“She should be settled in by now I take it?”

“Yes sir, according to our contacts on the station she’s started the intelligence gathering on her target.”

“Good, make sure she ‘overhears’ about Tiosk’s drinking habit. Once that happens, we can move on to the next step.”

“Even drunk I doubt she would be able to kill him sir.”

“I do as well, but what is important is that he kills her in retaliation for her attempt. After that we will kill his last son, the technology Miknak provided for us will ensure his death.”

“Then we ‘educate’ Tiosk of what he’s done sir?”

A cruel smile formed on the Trandoshan’s lips. “Yes, his own broken, guilty heart will be his ultimate undoing.”

Slaskia posts:

Thus far Natira hadn’t had much luck learning more about the Vice Admiral, beyond him being a good guy that everyone seemed to like, if not adore. She was about to give up on the spying part when a male Trandoshan sat beside her, giving her a look that suggested that he knew what she was up to. For a moment her heart jumped into her throat, fearing she was about to be arrested.

“New girl here eh?” He asked her, almost absently.

“I am.” Natira replied, slightly hesitantly.

“Couldn’t have come at a better time if you ask me.” The man commented. “Tiosk is the best commander we’ve had in my opinion: the previous leaders of this place were greedy and less then sympathetic to the ‘little man’ if you get my drift.”

“I have heard he acts like a father to everyone.” Natira commented quietly.

“Indeed, a near perfect father figure some say, now if only he didn’t drink…”

Natira tilted her head in slight confusion. “A lot of people drink.”

“True, true, and normally he’s good about it. When he’s depressed though…he goes over board.”

This was getting interesting, this man was telling her exactly what she needed to know: a weakness that would give her a chance to kill Tiosk. “He seems to be a pretty upbeat guy…” She said, choosing her words carefully. “What would depress him?”

“Well I can’t confirm it but…” He leaned closer to her. “They say anything that reminds him of a love interest he once had really hits him hard. Usually ends up drinking the rest of the day until he passes out.”

“I see…this person must have meant a lot to him to react like that.”

“It’s why he doesn’t actually go to the homeworld very often.” The male said with a shrug. “Too many memories there. It does happen sometimes off the homeworld though, just not as often.” The man then made a show of looking at his watch. “Ah, I must go miss, got night shift.”

Natira watched as the male got up and walked out, a look of suspicion on her face. Night shift doesn’t start for another three hours…. She thought. It seemed this guy was connected to that organization that hired her for the kill job. If so, why not ask one of them to kill this guy and not rely on someone like her? She started to wonder if there was an ulterior motive behind their hiring her for this task. I’m in too deep now. She thought with a frown. If I back out now that guy or some other contact will likely kill me for my failure, so I have to go through with this anyway.

Regardless of the reasons for the man’s presence here, he gave her exactly the kind of information she needed. Now all she needed to do is wait for the right chance.

***

“Sir I just go the confirmation that our contact had passed on the information as requested.”

“Excellent. Are the two targets in sight?”

“Yes sir, the strike units have been keeping them in sight for the last couple of days.”

A sly grin formed on his lips. “Give the order.”

“Sir….”

Tiosk could tell by the tone in Konik’s voice that something grave had happened. Had their suspicions about the new girl finally been proven? When he read the datapad Konik handed him, he found it to be much worse.

Tiosk’s jaw dropped in disbelief as he read the bulletin about the sudden deaths of his two youngest sons. He barely heard Konik’s comment. “Details are still coming out sir, but it reeks of a coordinated assassination.”

He looked up at him, shock still on his face. “Who…who would want to kill them.” He blurted out. “They are in minor noble families…hardly targets of such an attack…”

“I…do not know sir…they are still investigating.”

“It’s a strike against me…” Tiosk muttered as he rose from his seat and started wandering the office.

“Pardon me sir?” Konik asked, having not quite caught what he said.

“The incurable virus in Silliss…now my other two sons. Someone is after my line….but…why?” He suddenly threw one of his daggers in howl of rage and grief, the dagger smashing through one of the decorative vases in the office: Konik jumped in surprise and ducked behind a couch. “Why!?” Tiosk screamed. “I have no family history to my name! I am a no body! An orphaned commoner!” He put both hands on his desk, his head low as his body began to shake with grief. “What have I done…to deserve this?”

“Sir…I….”

“Leave me Konik…”

“But sir…”

“I wish to be alone Captain.” Tiosk growled.

“Yes sir…”

After Konik had left Tiosk sat at his desk again, his head in his hands. It didn’t make any sense to him. The hit against Silliss he could see as he always felt his mother’s family was behind it, but his brothers were of a different mother. Did this mean that Tiryanna’s family wasn’t to blame for Silliss and that there was another party in all this?

What hurt more though was that he never really bonded with his two youngest. He viewed them at the time as a ‘payment’ for his first born’s care during his Fleet training and was disappointed in how they chose to live their lives, becoming the fat merchants many Trandoshan warriors despised. Their real worth to him now was becoming clear to him: of his children they were the only ones that were fertile and thus capable of carrying on his line. Now that had been taken away. Whatever legacy he was building with his line would end with him and Silliss.

The grief and guilt overwhelming, he got up and left the office: he needed a drink….

***

Natira had just gotten off her shift when she saw a group of workers hanging out in the hallway, concerned looks on their faces.

“The Vice Admiral just kicked everyone out of Rec room B.” One man said, answering another’s query.

“Really? Any idea why?” Another one asked.

“Not sure, he looked really distressed though.”

That was all she needed to hear. If he is distressed and that informant’s info is correct, the Vice Admiral will be drinking himself into a stupor right now: Rec room B was one of the two that had a bar in it. Quickly, but not so quick it would draw suspicion, she made her way back to her room. It took her a moment to remember the combo to the safe, but once she did she took out the box with the dagger, removed the dagger from the box and carefully concealed it inside her work jacket.

As she made her way to Rec room B, she felt a mix of excitement and dread. Whatever happened, this would be the day her long suffering life ended.

He was sure he had given everyone quite a shock by his outburst, but he didn’t really care right now and he could always apologize later. Tiosk had a bottle of some heavy liquor in front of him on the table, but he had drunk little of it so far, his mind, while full of grief, was also buzzing with confusion over ‘why’ this had happened.

Konik’s assessment seemed to hit the mark in his mind: the deaths of his youngest sons had to be assassination. Who ordered it though and why? He knew he couldn’t blame Tiyranna’s family on this one. Tiyranna…. He thought, feeling the pain of her sudden death all over again. This prompted him to take a long swig from his bottle. No…stop that. He told himself, forcing himself to put the bottle down. I need to keep my head clear…try to figure out who is doing this and why. The big question that came to his mind was this: was he next?

As if on cue, he saw suspicious movement in the reflection on the surface of the bottle. With a faint snarl, he got one of his daggers ready….

***

There he was, sitting at a table near the bar and well within range of her practiced throws. Natira remained out of the room at the moment, watching him as he took a long drink from a bottle of liquor. Yes, the informant’s info was definitely correct. Looking down the hall both in front and behind her once again, she slid the dagger from it’s hiding place and quietly slipped into the room.

For a moment she hesitated, feeling a moment of guilt that she would strike at a man so down and helpless. This is for you girl. She told herself. This is your chance for glory you never had before! Strike before he notices you!

The moment she raised her hand to throw the dagger something happened, for a moment she thought the man had fallen over drunk in his seat, but the truth was realized a split second later when a piercing pain hit her throwing hand. With a cry of pain she dropped her dagger and grasped her injured hand with her good one: there was a cut on the side of her wrist that was now seeping blood, staining her jacket. She knew what had to have happened. You idiot… She scolded herself. He wasn’t drunk enough! Somehow he had noticed her there and thrown one of his own daggers at her: it happened so fast she hadn’t even comprehended it happening.

Knowing it was over for her, she fell to her knees, hot tears streaming from her eyes as she kept them focused on the floor and not at the man she just failed to kill, whom had just started to rise to his feet. “I hate it when I’m right.” She heard him say bitterly. “That attack on my sons was to get me to make myself vulnerable wasn’t it?” She didn’t answer and started trembling as she heard him approach. Too quickly, he could hear his breaths and smell the alcohol on it. “Who sent you?” Came the demand.

“I…I don’t know who they are.” Natira confessed, wondering why he just didn’t kill her already. “I just know they wanted you dead.”

“They certainly sent a piss poor assassin for the job.” She heard him growl. “A pro wouldn’t have been so sloppy. I feel almost insulted they put such a lack of effort into it. You must be Natira I take it?”

“Y…yes…” She whimpered.

“Figures. You were the only one I hadn’t had a chance to greet personally and Konik said you felt ‘off’.” She heard him stoop down to pick up her dagger. “How amusing, they wanted you to use the same kind of weapon I….” There was a sudden silence.

***

Tiosk couldn’t believe his eyes. In fact he had to glance to make sure where the dagger he had thrown was still where it had landed before looking at his wanna-be’s assassin’s dagger again. It was the one, the one that he had given….

“Where did you get this!?” He demanded, watching as the female cringed and covered her head with her hands in a vain attempt to protect herself. “Answer me!”

“It…it was among my Aunt’s possessions.” He heard her reply softly.

“Oh really…and what was your Aunt’s name?”

“Xilessa…”

That name sounded familiar to him. Wait, wasn’t that a favorite relative of Tiyranna’s? He asked himself. “And how did your Aunt get it?” He asked curiously.

“I don’t know…I found it after she died.”

He started piecing things together. Xilessa was the wife of the brother of Tiyranna and she had a sister as well if he remembered correctly. He studied this female a bit more closely and started seeing…similarities. However he couldn’t judge just by the back of her head. “Look at me.” He commanded, a bit afraid as to what he would see.

As the female slowly complied his eyes grew wider and wider. “It can’t be….” He muttered.

***

His questions were starting to get personal and getting on her nerves, but fear for her life kept her from snapping a complaint his way. When she finally faced him, his response was not what she had expected: the man looked like he had seen a ghost as he staggered back a few paces in shock. Could this be why they told me not to let him see me? She wondered. But why? This would have been the perfect opportunity…

“Your mother….” He asked, sounding a bit weak. “Who was she?”

“Why should I tell you?” She demanded, finding a bit of her courage.

“Please…your answer could change both our lives in ways you can’t possibly know.” He begged her.

She really didn’t understand why he would be so insistent, but she relented. “Tiyranna.” She replied, looking away. “But she died when I was a little girl, so I didn’t get to know her well.”

When she looked back at him she found the man that was so respected and deadly looked about to faint.

Tiosk felt around behind him until he found a chair and carefully guided himself into it. “Natira….” He said after he got some of his wits about him again. “Your father, Nakoran, did he ever marry again?”

She looked stunned that he would know her father’s name, but shook her head. “No, he didn’t.” She replied.

There was no question, it had to be, but why did she hide this from him? “Natira…this may be hard for you to swallow…but.” He took a deep breath. “But there’s a very good chance that Nakoran is not your father…but I am…”

***

She felt like she was punched in the gut. No…no….this can’t be…I can’t have been living a lie all this time… “What makes you say this?” She asked stiffly.

“Tiyranna and I were lovers.” He said simply. “Long ago, before I became a fleet officer.” He sniffed. “She was forced to stop seeing me due to ‘family’ issues, but not before I gave her one of my daggers to remember me by. Some time later though she reappeared one night and gave me our son, Silliss. That was the last time I saw her alive.” He stood up, only to lean on the bar counter instead. “There was no way for her to have another clutch before she died.” He said. “That means you have to be from the same clutch as my son.”

“I ‘still’ could have different father.” Natira protested. “My mother was married to Nakoran when I was born after all.” She was in a state of denial; she didn’t want to know the world she had known all her life was wrong. Yet, a part of her really wanted this to be true. If it was, it meant she had a real father, not a fat merchant but a warrior, and thus in her eyes a father to truly be proud of having.

“There’s only one way to find out for sure now is there?” Tiosk said. “Why don’t we take a trip to the clinic and have our DNA cross checked? You should have that cut taken care of anyway….”

Beside herself, Natira nodded in agreement.

***

Later in the medical room…

The doctor onboard obviously thought it strange for the Vice Admiral to request a DNA test between himself and Natira, going by the perplexed expression his face, but did as he was asked. The wait though was painful, Natira wondering what would happen to her if the test proved Tiosk’s claims. Tiosk certainly seemed willing to take her in if she ended up being his daughter, but Natira herself wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle it. It would be so different then the life she had known and it was clear his views on certain things will conflict with her own. This could be what I need to get back on my feet…. She thought, absently rubbing her now bandaged wrist. But…those guys…will they come after me for my failure? If so…will he be able to protect me? One thing was for certain, there was a lot of questions Tiosk would no doubt ask if the results proved her relation.

Across from her Tiosk acted like he was full of bees wanting to get out. That man couldn’t seem to sit still for a moment and was constantly fidgeting or pacing. Finally the wait over, the doctor appeared with the results and Natira found herself leaning forward with anticipation.

“Well sir, this young lady shares 50% of your genes, which would be a strong indication of relation. The only way to be 100% certain though is if we had her mother’s DNA.” The doctor said.

“50% is good enough.” Tiosk said. “She looks just like her mother and her mother’s face is not one I would forget. Thank you doctor.”

“So it is true…” Natira said, feeling a big sense of relief. “But why didn’t she tell me the truth?”

“If she had lived, she no doubt would have told you once you were old enough.” Tiosk said sadly. “And not so native to blurt the truth to your ‘father’ without thinking.”

Natira cringed. While Nakoran wasn’t a warrior, there was a good chance he could have had her killed or, worse, have her thrown out of the house to live a life of permanent exile. “So what do we do now?” She asked.

“Depends on what you want to do.” Tiosk replied. “This is a big change for you and I’m not the type of person to force someone to jump head first into something if they are not comfortable with it. I do want to know everything about you, to find out what I’ve missed out on.”

“Nothing ‘pleasant….” Natira admitted, a pained look on her face. “My life hasn’t exactly been a ‘good’ one.”

A worried frown creased Tiosk’s face. “Tell me.”

So she did.

***

Tiosk listened attentively to Natira’s life story. How she was never ‘good’ enough for her father and the verbal abuse she had suffered, especially after her Aunt’s death. The more he listened the angrier he got.

“He was a fool.” He said with a faint growl after she was finished. “And I’m being extremely lenient here. Far too many T’Doshok these days still hold on to some of the very ancient views of women, views that need to hurry up and disappear. You deserved better Natira, far better. If only I had known….I would have taken you out of that place.”

“Why didn’t you think mother wouldn’t have kept a hatchling for herself?” Natira asked.

Tiosk had to think about that one a moment. “When she gave me your brother, I didn’t know she was married, so I assumed your brother had, by tradition, killed the rest of the hatchlings. I found out about her marriage to Nakoran the same day of her death, and I was so overwhelmed that…I just didn’t think of it then. It never occurred to me later on mainly due to a bunch of, well quite simply, crap that happened. On top that list is that someone purposely infected your brother with an incurable auto-immune virus.”

Natira looked shocked. “Why?” Was the only word she could get out.

“I’m still trying to figure it out.” Tiosk said with a snarl. “One thing is for certain, someone wants my line to end before it really even starts, if the recent assassination of my two other son’s is any indication.”

“Before it really starts?” Natira echoed. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m an orphan Natira.” Tiosk replied. “With no clues to who my family was. I suspect these people behind the attacks on my sons may also be the reason I was orphaned and erased my family history.” A terrible thought came to his mind, a realization as to why Natira was sent after him. “Your life is in danger….” He said suddenly, standing up and started to walk briskly out of the clinic, Natira having to jog to catch up to him.

“What?” He heard her asked, sounding a bit confused.

“Why do you think they would send an untrained assassin after me, knowing my reputation and skill?” Tiosk asked her, but continued before she could reply. “They knew who your father really was and they were expecting me to kill you myself. No doubt, they wanted to ‘reveal’ that fact when they finally came after me.”

***

When this sunk in Natira sank into her seat, looking very fearful. “What can we do?” She asked.

For a moment Tiosk was silent, looking a bit lost for words. “No doubt this ‘organization’ has contacts on this station specifically to keep track of me.” He growled softly. “Do you know of any possible ones?”

Natira started to shake her head, but then she remembered the male in the bar. “Yes…one approached me and told me about your drinking habit. I thought it odd he used the excuse of needing to go work on nightshift when it was still three hours away at the time.” She gave Tiosk a description of the man.

“I’ll have Konik pick him up personally….” Tiosk snarled. “Don’t want to risk someone on security detail being a fellow conspirator. In the meantime we need to make sure you are safe. By now they would likely know that not only had you failed, but that I didn’t kill you and know the connection between us. If what I suspect is true, they may send a ‘real’ assassin after you.”

“But where can I go?” Natira said. “You can’t expect me to remain confined to one place for who knows how long….”

Tiosk sighed. “I know. The last thing I want to do is confine you. I didn’t do it with Silliss when he caught that virus and I won’t do it to you either. You ‘may’ be safe enough with me here on the station, but eventually I will be cleared to return to my ship and fly again, where unless I take you aboard, I won’t be able to keep watch over you. The best option may be to have my old friend Rissonik take you in for a while.”

“Rissonik? Where have I heard that name before…”

Tiosk smiled. “Sha’tor Rissonik of the K’Satikur Clan. His father was the one that took me in and virtually adopted me. The Clan grounds is built like a fortress and was built outside the city limits of Hsshkor, so it is rare anyone gets in or out without someone knowing. Plus his son from what I hear is trained as a Jedi, so you couldn’t ask for better protection then that.”

“I…I didn’t know our people could become Jedi…” Natira said.

“Well, as far as I know he is the first.” Tiosk said. “You’ll find that the K’Satikur Clan has some…interesting…members. Just be sure to keep an open mind.”

Just then Konik spotted them from down the hall and ran up to them. “Sir! Thank goodness. When I couldn’t find you in one of the bars I got worried.” He said, when he recognized Natira he added. “I see you finally got to met up with her sir.”

“Yes indeed, not under ‘ideal’ conditions, but it turned out to be for the best.” Tiosk said. He was tempted to tell his second-in-command that Natira was a child of his, but he thought better of it. The less people that knew right now, the better, even if he did trust Konik with his life. “So what’s the emergency?”

“Not ‘really’ an emergency sir, but your friend, Rissonik, wants to meet with Admiral Balik. Something about getting to the bottom of that grounding order the Admiral put us under.”

“Interesting…” Tiosk said, a bit surprised. “I honestly don’t know how much good Riss can be in getting the order lifted….”

“He mentioned he was going to bring Trazu with him.”

“Oooohhhh.” Tiosk’s face lit up. “Dear Balik doesn’t know what that boy is capable of…should be interesting.”

“Wouldn’t ‘forcing’ the Admiral to lift the order bring repercussions later? I wouldn’t want you to be permanently grounded….” Natira asked.

Tiosk was moved by his daughters concern. “I know Rissonik my dear, he wouldn’t use his son in such a way, unless he decided to do it on his own. No Natira, this will be simply a ‘fact gathering’ inquiry. For your own safety though, you’ll be coming with me on this.”

“Huh? Why bring her sir?” Konik looked a bit confused.

“Forgive me my friend, but I can’t tell you, not until certain matters are resolved.” Tiosk said apologetically.

“Understood…sir.” Konik replied. “Shall I inform Rissonik of your acceptance?”

“Yes please….oh and Konik, there’s someone I need to have you ‘pick up’ on the station if you get my meaning. Someone that has conspired to have me harmed.” He bent over and gave Konik the description Natira gave him earlier in a whisper.

“I know who that is sir, I will ensure he doesn’t cause you any more trouble.” Konik said with a slight growl.

After Konik left Tiosk smiled. “Well my dear, looks like we will have our first adventure together shortly.” He said.

Natira wasn’t sure if she should be thrilled or frightened, knowing her father’s reputation….