He steped through the airlock, the deep space station completely sealed off from the outside by all means possible. If they ever escaped it could mean galactic biogeddon. Doning a thick radioactive containment suit he walked through yet another airlock. The staff in the ajoining rooms were sparce, many knew the dangers involved in this project, and only a few were willing to risk.

He steped before the final airlock, behind which there would be no last line of protection. as the hiss of the doors ebbed by him he passed through to be greated with a wounderous site. In front of him stood shimmering force feilds, at least 25 feet high, inside the chambers was plant life, pods vines flowers, like a garden.

"Good day Mr. Raktus sir"

One of the white suited scientists approached him, hands behind his back

"Good day to you sir, how far have you progressed since my last visit?"

"We're in the final phases of development sir, perhaps youd like to see a test run of Space Seed?"

"Sure, lets see this"

"Ok, first, to illustrate the speed and killing capacity of space seed please focus your attentions on the chamber just ahead..."

With that he waled to a control panel on the adjacent wall. throwing a switch the entire force feilded section filled with a blazing red aura, he was burning everything. Turning back he walked back up next to Raktus.

"You see that one burnt crisp of a leaf sitting in there sir?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Just watch sir"

Did it just twitch? No, it couldnt have... yes, yes it did! Amazing within seconds a small vine had formed from the dead leaf, it was already rooting itself to the floor and spreading like fire

"But how.."

"We combined the growth effects of Utricularia pubescens and the advanced growth processes used in the cloning systems of the sparrati cylinders of old giving our new creation a 1000% growth rate increase."

As he watched the entire floor was covered in a matter of minutes, small grass like projections coming off the vine as it wrapped around the floor

"What is that? Grass?"

"No sir, that was taken from the Drosera capensis plant, highly adhesive it will stick you in place then disolve you with its acids."

"Nniiccee"

"Yes sir, and better yet, its not only passive, but its tricky too, we taken pieces of Cephalotus follicularis and the well known venus trap to form plant "traps" as well as active killer plants, as the end of the vine will always be active."

"Have you tested it on a real basis yet?"

"No sir, weve developed it and testedit in all lab situations, were just waiting for the go ahead from you to unleash it on any given world"

"What kind of delivery vehicle we talking about here?"

"Thats the beauty sir, it has its own, in its pre plant stage, its shell is strong enough to survive the vigors of deep space and planetary entry. All we need to do is release the seed into planetary orbit and let it do its work"

"Good work, lets do it"

Aingael listened as his colleague gave the demonstration and rolled his eyes at the man's total incompetence.


What he failed to mention was that I was brought in to do research from the medical stand point. I tested the effects of various acids to produce the most highly corrosive acid in existance. It can eat through the scales of a Ssi-Ruuk in a matter of two minutes. I've also done extensive research on the effects of various venoms on the neural system. The plant secretes a paralytic venom that, once captured by the adhesive quality of the Drosera capensis plant, the venom seeps into the skin of any species, instantly paralyzing them. While the adhesive is good for holding them in place, the acid takes longer to work on a struggling victim than it does on a parayzed victim. And a victim that can feel no pain can not sense immenant death.


He smiled and pushed the glasses up on his nose as he looked at Raktus.

He turned to see the next help in the long line of techs, botanists and scientists in the faculty. The white coat before him fidgeted slightly

"Yes, well, I was simply showing him the overall picture. If Mr. Raktus here had wanted an in depth explination of each biome Im sure he would have asked."

Noding his head towards Raktus he turned slightly towards Raoghalt before looking back again

"For now I leave you in his capable hands sir, he has more knowledge of the final process's than I. I hope you do enjoy sir."

With a grin he steped aside as the suit ran off to another panel across the complex to monitor other statistical readouts and some such thing.

"Well, quite an interesting Idea youve posed. If the victim doesnt know hes hurt, he wont react to the stimuli. If you dont mind me asking though, what defense does the vine have from ariel attack?"

Aingael smirked as the other scientist ran off, then looked back at Raktus


Well, as you have already seen, it's got defenses against being burned. It's also got complete reproductive ability from even the tiniest piece so it can not be blown up. And it's got a natural immunity to any type of plant killers, organic or inorganic. In short, it can't be killed, no matter what. Even if blown into cinders it would still survive and reproduce. And, with it's given growth rate, you'd be able to kill a planet the size of Corellia in the span of only three weeks. The acid that is secreted also effects plant life.

He gained a puzzled look for his last remark

"How does that work, if our subject is plant life itself, then wouldnt it enter into an endless cycle of buringitself down?"

Aingael rolled his eyes and sighed


No. The fact that the plant itself secrets the acid means that it has a natural defense against it.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant....


Someone was following her. A sixth sense, the result of years of hard Sith/Jedi training, warned Jade that she was being watched. And tracked. Again.

Softly, the Shadow Jedi Knight cursed. She leaned against building and casually fixed one of the laces on her thigh high black leather boots. At the same time, Jade swept the street around and behind her with relaxed gaze. It was late, nearly midnight, but in Coruscant's "adult" entertainment strip, things were just starting to happen.

Dozens of people crowded the sidewalk. Men and women, tanned and pale skinned, they were all part of the usual weeknight crowd. Wanna-be Sith Mistresses dressed in black leather outfits that exhibited all of their darkness mixed with high-ranked Jedi dressed in silks. In a tough economy, both were anxious for apprentices. Teenagers and older students hunted for spice, bargaining with street dealers for the best price. Red-faced drunks begged for credits. Young kids, dressed in rags, looking to grow up fast.

Young and old, they shared one trait in common. None of them expressed the least bit of interest in the motionless figure of Dark Emerald Jade Raktus.

With a sigh of annoyance, the attractive woman shook her head. Friends didn't track you. Just enemies. Mentally, she reviewed anyone she might have insulted or annoyed lately. The list wasn't very long. She hadn't been actively involved with the Coruscant underworld recently. Instead, she had been traveling around the galaxy for much of the past six months tying up loose ends of her dying smuggling company. What little she had accomplished while in the city had been in the employ of her own homeworld, The Black Dragon Empire, which was built on the planet Dameo. And those jobs hadn't crossed paths with any gang chieftains or Hutt bosses who directed the majority of Coruscant's thriving criminal community.

Jade couldn't believe that her missions for BDE had anything to do with her tail tonight. Nobody with any intelligence, even major crooks, hassled the secretive industrialist or interfered with her plans. Besides being incredibly wealthy, with connections in both the security and the senator's office, BDE was the most powerful Empire in the galaxy. In the argot of the Dameonians, she was the Taja of the Empire.. And, like the medieval Tajas of old, from whom the term had been taken, BDE was ruled with an iron grip. Any person foolish enough to cross with her ended up dead. The permanent end to a fitting situation.

Mysteries annoyed Jade. Especially when they revolved around her. Though she possessed exrtaordinary patience, the woman never delayed the inevitable. As she repeatedly told acquaintances, she liked to face the devil straight up. Oftentimes, that policy led to bloodshed. But Jade, though she deemed herself the quiet type, was no stranger to violence. When necessary, she was quite deadly.

The blackhole of an alleyway loomed up to her left. Smoothly, without breaking stride, Jade swiveled into the narrow corridor. An unbroken wall of brick twenty feet lined both sides of the passage. Just as she had remembered. It was the perfect location for a trap.

An attractive woman, standing at 5 feet 9 inches and weighing nearly 130, the Knight moved with astonishing swiftness. Jade raced along the walkway, eyes quickly adjusting to the gloom. Thirty feet from the street, the alley made a right turn into near absolute darkness. The only illumination came from a bare hint of moonlight peeking out from between the rooftops. Rats burrowing in stacks of days-old garbage scurried out of the Knight's path.

Jade stifled a snort of disgust. So much for keeping the city clean. The main streets looked fine, but out of sight, just beyond the bend, urban decay ruled. Decades of graft and corruption had taken their toll on basic city services. Coruscant was no differnt than any other big city, even BDE. The rich and famous received all the benefits of modern life, while the poor and middle class suffered with the crumbs. Things never really changed, Jade decided, her gaze searching the walls. At least, not in her lifetime.

Finally, the Knight spotted the boarded-up doorway recessed behind a thigh-high pile of trash. She nodded in satisfaction and headed toward it. A dozen steps further, the alley ended in a twelve-foot high steel privacy fence. Soundlessly, Jade slipped into the alcove. It effectively made her invisible from anyone trailing behind. Then, she waited.

From underneath her trademark ankle length black leather jacket, the Knight pulled out her blaster pistol from one of her thigh holsters.

Nearly a minute passed before Jade's shadow made the turn and came into sight. Hugging the shadows, the newcomer was a short, stocky man in his mid-thirties, with swarthy, cruel features. Dressed in a dark pullover and faded jeans, he appeared unarmed. Appearences, Jade knew full well, gripping her blaster tighter, could be deceiving.

Spotting the steel fence in the dim moonlight, the stranger muttered a curse. Angrily, he moved forward, head moving from side to side as he looked for a break in the barrier. Intent on the bars blocking his way, the man walked right past Jade.

"Lose something, brother?" asked the Knight, stepping out of the alcove. The stranger stopped moving, then slowly turned. Less than six feet seperated the stalker from his quarry. The man's eyes widened in sudden shock as he spotted the blaster pistol in the Knight's left hand. Its muzzle, gaping wider that the entrance to Hell itself, was pointed in a direct line with his stomach.

"The newly Alicia Doment Raktus, right? Or is it Taja Emerald Jade Raktus?" the swarty man asked, his voice low and guttural. Slowly, very slowly, he spread his hands apart, as if demonstrating he was unarmed.

"That's me. But Alicia Doment died the minute I became Emerald Jade." admitted the Knight. "Which hardly matters. What's more important, is who . . . "

The Knight never completed the sentence. The stranger's right hand twisted unexpectedly. As if by magic, a thin cord flashed out from beneath the man's arm and wrapped whip-like around the blaster pistol. Jade was caught completely by surprise. Before she could squeeze down on the trigger, the pistol went flying from the Knight's hands. Pistol and strangler's rope disappeared into the trash, leaving the Knight unarmed. And once again in a fight for her life.

Free of the threat of the blaster pistol, the swarthy man attacked with a ferocity that had Jade reeling. A series of savage karate kicks to her chest sent the Knight stumbling backwards. Steel-tipped boots felt like hammers striking Jade's body. Growling deep in his throat, the assassin leapt into the air, aiming a sideways thrust for the Knight's head. Enough force propelled the blow to crush Jade's skull like an eggshell. But it never connected.

Moving with blinding speed, the Knight dropped beneath the kick, thrusting both of her arms upward as she did so. Catching the outstreched assassin's leg between her hands, Jade twisted hard. The attacker screamed as cartilage and muscle in his knee exploded. Howling in pain, he collapsed to the pavement.

Cautious of another surprise, Jade circled the injured man until she stood behind his head. A swift, brutal blow from a wooden pole knocked the assassin unconscious. Shaking off the pain of bruised ribs, the Knight searched the alleyway for her pistol. In minutes, she had retrieved both her weapon and the strangler's cord. A long thin strand of black fiberglass, it was knotted in three places to crush a man's windpipe on impact. The weapon successfully melded modern technology with ancient sacrificial ritual.

It also served as an effective rope to tie the assassin's hands tightly together behind his back. By the time the swarthy man regained his senses, brought back to reality by a series of sharp slaps, he was securely trussed up in a sitting position, his back resting against one wall of the alley. He whimpered in pain as Jade, squatting nearby, tapped his damaged kneecap with the barrel of the blaster pistol.

"Time for us to have a little chat." said the Knight pleasantly. "I dislike being followed. More so, I really hate it when somebody tries to murder me. I want to know why, and I want to know why . . . quick."

"I won't talk." declared the swarthy man angrily. "I demand you turn me over to the security."

Jade smiled. "Funny thing about this part of town. Security don't come around here very often. They figure anyone crazy enough to wander about desreves what they get." Jade rapped the muzzle of the pistol against her prisoner's undamaged knee. "You're on your own, my firend. Back here, we're isolated from view. Nobody can see or hear a thing. Just you and me. And my pistol."

Small beads of sweat dribbled down the assassin's face as his gaze flickered to Jade's eyes, then to the blaster pistol, then back to Jade's eyes. Mentally, the Knight shrugged in disgust. She was wasting her time threatening this clown. It took a lot more than a veiled threat to worry a true professional. The swarthy man was cheap talent, hired merely as a diversion.

A decoy! The thought slammed through Jade as the sensation of being observed suddenly flared. Instantly, the attractive Knight flung herself flat to the ground in the darkness. Twenty feet distant, at the corner in the alley, a heavy blaster rifle bellowed. A dozen laser shots exploded in the swarthy man's chest, jerking his body about in a grisly dance of death. They were laser shots meant for Jade, baited by the hapless assassin's life.

Squeezing the trigger of her blaster pistol, Jade fired a useless burst in reply. She felt sure her unseen opponent had already fled the scene. Strike quickly, then move. That was the operational procedure of a true professional. Never waste time on meaningless chatter or second tries. Mistakes like that were for amateurs like the dead man sprawled up against the wall. The real assassin was gone.

A short, muffled gasp and a flash of black and gray fur indicated that Jade had jumped to the wromg conclusion. Her pets---a rare female Corellian Sand Panther Sumohn and a female wolf Fawn---had taken care of him. The Knight shook her head in disbelief. The night held more surprises than she liked.

Just then, her comlink beeped, and she angrily answered it.

"Not now." Jade said. "I just took care of 2 more assassins after me. This can wait."

"Actually, Taja Jade, it cannot. Taj Raktus left us a message. You are expected at the meeting place at once."

Snarling loudly, Jade answers her advisor. "Send him a message saying I am on my way. Thank you, Roal."

Severing the connection, Jade gathers her pets and boards her ship. Once the co-ordinates are set in, her YT-1300 Jade's Dragon heads deep into space at hyperspeed.

It will take an hour for her to get there.