<font color=lime>"I'll be right outside if you need me."


<font color=white>Though you wont.


His arms remained folded behind his cloak, even if he wanted to pat a reasurring hand on Vess' shoulder he knew he couldn't.

Following Kas from the apartment, the two stood waiting in the hallway.

<font color=lime>"Kas, I think it's time we had some words of our own don't you think?"

<font color=white> Ren's eyes narrowed as he stared into Kas' face.

<font color=lime>"What's going on?"

"Tramp!? Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, Mi'Lady?", Jai retorted sarcasticly. She was now just as upset as Vess. How dare she?! Who did she think she was?! Tossing her around like they were...

"Children? ....what children?"

Had this woman lost her mind? This was the single most confuseing day of her life. Tramps...children...interrogations...Had everyone gone mad?!

As soon as the two men had left the room, Jai spoke.

"Look, I didn't even know you had kids, Lady. And therefore, I don't know where your snot-nosed brats are...and, personally, it was downright idiotic of you to have Lupercus as your babysitter. He's horrid with children, and---obviously---can't keep track of them if they're lost."

<font color=CC3333>Vess growled. An honest, animalistic growl emitted from her throat as she reached down and once again grabbed Jaina by her upper arms. Hauling the young woman to her feet she held her in place, her hands painfully tightenning around Jaina's arms.

" No one knew I had children, and you want to know why?"

Vess forcefully took Jaina's chin in her hand, keeping her head from moving as she locked gazes with the girl. Only the purest hatred she felt for Lupercus and what he had done enabled her to open her mind to Solo and pulled her into her.

Everything that Vessana had seen and been through, every second of every memory remembered, was now being seen - and experienced - by Jaina.

The months spent isolated in the cell, every day the children inside her growing. The hours spent shackled to a table as her children were born, unable to hold them their first moments in the world. The looks on Tevarii and Lupercus' faces as they relished in her pain and suffering.

And then the day, a year after the triplets were born, to wake in the same cell she had spent the past two year only to find her captors gone, her children taken with them.

Only seconds had passed, and breaking the connection Vess pushed Jaina away from her. " And that was just what he did to me." She wiped at the salty tears that had started to fall as the memories had played through her mind.

Vess reached over to the coffee table and picked up the datapad with all the information on Lupercus that they had collected from Hapes. "Countless hundresds of thousands of people of suffered because of your boy toy, Ms. Solo." She thew the datapad to Jaina, none to gently either.

" Those that follow him are the darkest hearts of Hapes, and his is the blackest. I wonder if he felt anything as he and his followers ravaged and eliminated all life on Sol III? Do you understand that? Not just one, or two lives, but the entire planet was wiped out. Millions. Every last woman, man and child did not just die, but they were mutilated, and if you don't believe me, those files have images."

All the enrgy seemed to have been sapped from her and Vess slumped into a nearby chair. The tears trickled down her cheeks unchecked now, and she just stared ahead at nothingness as it all came back to her.

" That monster has my children..."

Jai still stood at the same place Vess had yanked her to, still in the same position she had been in as when their gazes locked. All those images....all those thoughts and feelings went into her. It was so painful; all of it forcing itself into her, tearing into her brain and ripping at her heart. And the datapad...

When Vess tossed it at her, Jai and caught the pad and accidentally hit the 'play' button on the device, sending torrents of horrid information flood onto the screen before her. All Jai could see was death, and all she could hear was Vess' pain. And then...

" That monster has my children."

Jai snapped.

Solo let out a blood-chilling scream and threw the datapad across the room. They both watched as it made contact with the wall and bounced back off with a thud, finally landing near Vess' feet. Jai looked at it and then up at Vessana.

Jai was trembling, and Solo's didn't tremble...

"It...it's not true.", she said softly, denial setting in. "You're lying! Lupercus isn't like that! Lupercus wouldn't do that! He....he........he's a sweet guy. He buys me flowers and candy and gives me presents and kisses my cheek and takes me on trips and loves me deeply. And...and.....he doesn't kill people..he doesn't hurt people!"

By this time, Jai was screaming, tears welling up in her eyes. She was flailing her arms around wildly, overdramatizing her usual habit of talking with her hands. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wild, her motions liked a caged animal. The fingers of her trigger hand brushed against the hilt of her blaster and the other hand was curled up into a fist. She was ready for anything, and willing to do more than anything to get out of there as fast as she could.

"I'm going. This is crazy talk, Vessana...and I won't stay here and listen to it. I'm going to my room, putting on my swimsuit, and going back out to sunbathe. I can't believe I thought that Kas invited me over here to see him..."

Jai trailed off, realizing she almost gave herself away. She gathered herself quickly and scoffed to cover her arse. She glanced at the door, and then back to Vess. Without asking, and without careing what Vess wanted or not, Jai walked right past her and to the door. She slammed the door open and stepped out, then stopped short, for she'd almost ran over Kas and Ren. She looked at Kas for a moment and shook her head, her expression sad and troubled. The movement allowed a single tear slip down her cheek slowly, sadly. Her brown-eyed gaze spoke volumes, and therefore nothing had to be said.

She backed a step away and then turned, running down the hallway. When she reached the end of the hall, she stopped long enough to choose the door to the stairs, and then she was gone...

Dakkon shook his head.

"No, i think you're right to pick Bonaden. Its actually an obvious choice..."

Kamon looked a little perplexed.

"Why is that? There are a ton of planets in line with his jump. Why would he go to Bonaden and not one of them?"

He began to pace the length of the bridge as he thought.

"Its obvious, Vinda Corp and Kas.

No matter what Ren is looking for, he will find it there chances are. And Ren and Kas have been close friends for as long as i've known him.

Bonaden is right. I feel it in my bones."

Ren’s abrupt question, which carried an unveiled accusation of shady dealings, jolted Kas. He hadn’t expected something so… crass… or blunt. Going on? What does he mean by that… Reviewing in his mind the past couple of hours, Kas realized that he had been acting strange, in a cautious way of course. “How would you expect me to act Ren. A Jedi Master arrives, and not only wishes to be kept secret, but wishes to speak personal with one of the top three men of Vinda Corp; the largest corporation in the galaxy. Ren, I’m no longer a captain in the fleet. Taking only one guard with me down to the spaceport was… foolish on my part, to say the least. And you, not wanting to be seen coming in. This isn’t chicken scratch here Ren; something big is going down. Now that I know what has happened” Kas pointed to the door they had left, “I can understand your caution. But… I still like to keep my rear covered. The men you evaded… or thought you evaded, they were sent by me to cover up anything that might happen. Think about it… a Jedi Master, not exactly a commodity frequently seen, gets in a fight. Questions begin to be asked… how did he get here? Who is he? What’s he doing? Your face has been published a few times, evidence would be found tracing you to me soon enough. If you were here “honestly” there would be no problem. But… under cloak and dagger… scandal for me. And I don’t like scandal.”

Kas stopped for breath, and looked at his friend. Ren was nodding slightly, as if it made sense. I almost believe you Kas. But it’s too perfect an explanation. Too pre-rehearsed. Ren’s expression continued to hold the slightly expectant look it had held since he had formed the initial accusation. He was waiting for the real thing.

Footsteps. The duo turned, and saw Jaina came out of the other room in a huff, almost bowling into Kas. She stopped, and walked around the two, then looked at Kas. what have I done? What did she do to you Jai? There were tears in Jaina’s eyes, and her face was red. Her whole body language spoke of a caged animal, and her eyes said betrayal. What did I do? I allowed those two to be alone… Kas’ mind raced through the possible sinarios, and came up with one. Desperate mother… and one link to her children. Jaina doesn’t give up information easily, I doubt she knew much anyhow…

Kas could hear Jai’s footsteps on the stairs, heading down. The jovial attitude that he had strived to keep the whole day cracked. Those eyes… that utter look of betrayal… Turning to the door, Kas’ forced his feet to move. One step, two steps, three steps. Inside. Vessana was standing like a pillar, looking expressionlessly at the door Jaina had just used to flee. Her face looked like it was about to melt, as if all hope was gone. Kas didn’t even notice it. Walking toward her, until he was nose to nose, he glared. “Vessana, I hope you found your information. It was stupid of me to allow someone in your condition to be left alone with your only hope. How I could have been so blind is beyond me. I just pray, that for your sake, Jaina does not do anything foolish.”

With those words squeezed out, Kas turned and exited the room. The door was getting used a lot today. He walked straight toward the balcony on the north side, until his feet hit the railing. Looking down, he saw Jaina exit the building, and head toward the monolithic VC headquarters. Doing something he rarely did, for fear of once again loosing control, Kas reached out for Jaina. Implanting a though without being detected was a trick that took much practice, but he had had centuries of practice.


I should go to the fiftieth floor at VC headquarters. Jaina thought. Yes, that’s what I should do. They won’t be able to follow me there.


His speeder rose vertical for a few meters, clearing the balcony. The driver hit the accelerator, and the luxury vehicle swept away, heading for VC Headquarters.


“….Mr Katta? Secretary Katta? Are you there sir? Sorry to disturbed you sir. I hope your recorder is on. We ran all the checks you asked, cross-referenced them, and cross-indexed them. The com frequency calls and Miss Solo’s trips do line up sir, beyond coincidence. Tracing Jaina’s jump vectors, as well as her reentry ports, as well as the signal blips we get from the transponder on her ship every time she enters hyperspace, we feel it is a safe assumption that her “other” trips have led her to the Perave System. That’s all the information we were able to glean Sir. Please, remember much is speculation, and we here wouldn’t bet our lives on the information.” The com shut off, and Ren looked at Vessana. The smell of drumsticks hung heavy in the air, the fruity aroma gone.

Kamon stopped pacing and looked at Dakkon.

"If you felt it that strongly, why didn't you just tell me? If its that strong to you then let go. At least we'll be able to work our way back to Hapes if he isn't at Bonaden."

In the moments talking with Kas in the hallway, Ren payed attention to everything that went on between Vessana and Jaina.

The memories, the pain and anger of the past, all running through his mind as they had many times since thier meeting on Ossus.

Now they had been rehashed, all the memories dusted off and freshened. The pair were connected in more ways than she could know. The sharing of their experiences was just one aspect.



Stepping back into the room, Ren shared a frown with Kas as the pair's eyes met, just when Kas was leaving. They walked past each other, neither man exchanging a word.

Then his eyes crossed to Vess who stood shivering in the centre of the room. Her arms crossed, her lips quivering and her eyes locked to a distant part of the room.

Those eyes had seen pain, the likes of which noone should have had to endure. For the second he stared into her eyes, time stopped. A tear festered in the corner of Ren's eye, and trickled slowly down settling on his lip.

Vessana looked up, trying to mask her uneasy breaths. Then her eyes closed and the tears began to run.

Her legs gave way and she slumped back onto the couch, huddling up into a protective ball, trying to shut out the terrors that plagued her fragile mind.

He rushed to catch her as she fell into the soft leather of the couch. All he could do was hold her.


The constant pain had to end, if it meant he had to risk it all, the pain would end.