Star Wars 3.5 (closed to Jadeknight)

Jaden raised an eyebrow for a moment as he watched Aima open the top of her bodysuit, enjoying the view. However he just smiled as she transferred the credits to his account.

"I think that sounds like a good plan for now. I hadn't had a chance to to get a room for myself anyways."

He watched her move about the room for a few moments before she laid down on the couch. He shook his head for a moment, hoping things would go well for them. If not, he would do his best to make sure the job got done as he always did. He continued to watch the pod racing for a short time before heading to bed himself.

The next morning, when he saw her outfit, he wondered exactly what she was trying to do. He chuckled for a moment at her words of encouragement. He gave another shake of his head for a moment.

"Just be careful, that outfit might get the wrong type of attention."

After she left, he decided on what weapons he would take. Picking up a small black leather cylinder pouch, he dropped his light saber into it before hooking it on his belt. Wearing his typical smuggler attire of black leather pants, boots, white shirt, and pistol pouch on his right hip, he made sure his blaster was fully charged. He made sure his image didn't portray his ability to use the Force whenever he met his contacts.

He met his contact inside the Holonet at a small food vendor across the street from the Holonet, a young human engineer. He had used the system network to give Jaden a hand on a few of his jobs, and they had developed a code system for speaking in plain view.

"Hey John. I need you to make things so that mother will get sick for a little bit."

The young man raised an eyebrow for a moment as he glanced over at Jaden for a moment before ordering a hot dog from the vendor.

"Any reason mother needs to get sick, instead of making others sick?"

Jaden smirked and gave a little flash of his credit stick for a moment.

"You know the deal John. Few questions. Don't worry, mother just needs to be sick so that some doctors can come in to try and fix her up. I know it sounds counter-productive, but I have reasons. Usual amount for the job?"

The young man chewed his hotdog for a few moments and swallowed before grinning.

"Yes, and I can get things setup in a little bit. Gotta work a little to make it look like an outsider, some random patsy. Transfer the credits in a couple of days, same account."

The programmer finished his meal before heading to the Holonet facility. Jaden stayed at the vendor, watching the crowd pass as he ate his breakfast.

Aima and toothpicks

Aima was close to the main entrance to the Network Access building when she caught sight of a pair of force sensitive warriors in the distance. She could sense they were from the dark side. They seemed to notice her also and started to race toward her. Two darkly clad figures, one with a cape billowing behind, sprinted towards her. Aima decided to move back into the alleyway, if she was going to fight them she did not want too many people watching.

“Oh Druk” she whispered to herself, pulling out her lightsabre. She could not tell who the two were, they were too far away and their clothing obscued their faces, but Amia could at least tell that they were humanoid. She had not wanted to expose herself yet, but it looked like she would have little choice. She hoped Jaden would not find out she was working for the jedi, it might complicate things.

The two Sith lords turned into the alleyway. One was dressed in a grey and red cloak the other wore red and black armor and a traditional Kaleesh mask. Aima knew what race he was. The two darklords both slowed down.

“Well, well … what have we here?” A female voice asked and Aima caught the smell of brine. She figured out the other fighter was Quarren. She knew who they were now, so she decided it was time to reveal herself. She pulled back her hood.

“My name is Aima Edo and I afraid you pick the wrong person to pick on. I would suggest you just move along and pretend you did not see me.” Aima said as she got into a fighting crouch and activated her lightsabre. The brilliant light beam sprang out, but the color of the beam shifted through spectrum. A multitude of colors passed through the blade to include orange, silver, cyan, viridian, gold, bronze, and even black.

Dultash and Saqol were surprised, a multicolored lightsabre. They had never seen or even heard of one before. Saqol pulled back her hood.

“You have a pretty weapon, but pretty does not win battles.” She said.

“Not introducing yourselves, how rude! Don’t worry I know, you two, Saqol and Dultash.” The busty Echani with the white hair said “And when you say “pretty weapon” I take it you are talking about my big chest” She answered taking a deep breath to make her chest seem even bigger.

“You stupid top heavy Echani, prepare to die!” Saqol countered.


Aima ignored the insult “I have been taught to maintain the balance in the force. So if you want to kill me ... I guess I want to kill you!” Aima said with a smile on her face.

Both sith lords light sabres activated, both blades glowed blood-red. Dultash yelled and attacked with a big swing to cut Aima in half. She simply ducked and then rolled out of the way, the move was so quick and smooth that Aima Edo ended up behind Dultash and tapped him on the shoulder ... then jumped back. The big man spun around but Aima was gone.

“So sloppy” Aima said with a throaty purr of laughter, Dultash was shocked and seething, unsure how she had gotten behind him.

“What you fail to realize … is that I’m a Sublime Warrior of the Eshan Monasteries” Aima stated. “I could defeat both of you with a toothpick”

Aima thought “that actually might be a good idea … but where would I find a toothpick in this alleyway?” She had very little time to ponder that question, though, for Dultash leapt towards her. Aima parried the blow, than launched herself sideways and into a spin. By now, though, Saqol swooped in and started to trade blows with her as well.

Both warriors engaged Aima in unison, one swinging for her head, the other for her midsection. Aima ducked the higher blow and parried the second, then tried to go on the offensive herself. But the two continued to attack not allowing her a chance. Soon Aima found herself moving backwards as they traded blows with her. They attacked with similar fighting styles, sacrificing speed for power.

Aima felt confident she could have taken either one in one-on-one combat, the two together however forced her to use another tactic.

The two dark lords again struck simultaneously, and Aima had to contort herself in order to block both blades. Then she lowered herself into a defensive crouch, she steadied herself as she would only get one shot at this...

Saqol's blade buzzed close to her arm, Aima waited just the right amount of time and then brought her foot down on Saqol’s exposed arm. Aima smashed Saqol’s arm into the ground, knocking the lightsabre out of Saqol’s hand. Aima turned and was forced to lock blades with Dultash, but her move had given her a few second to deal with Dultash alone. As their blades skidded against each other … the Kaleesh learned about another feature of Aima’s unique weapon. Their blades against each other and their faces inches away, Aima closed her eyes. Her blade turned orange as Aima pressed a button on the hilt. Her blade was super hot and very bright orange … Dultash screamed in pain. Kaleesh have small pits near their eyes that allow them to sense heat. Aima knew this and the sudden heat and bright light from her lightsabre had blinded Dultash.

Aima sprang backwards in a massive backflip away from Dultash. The Kaleesh leapt into the air after her even though his eye sight was still impaired.

“I don’t need eyes to fight you!” Dultash yelled using the force to guide his blade towards Aima. Aima grinned as she landed back on the ground and threw her lightsabre like a spear at him, the blade first. The weapon embedded itself in Dultash’s chest, and killed the evil dark lord instantly. His crashing to the ground in the alleyway.

“Too bad, the force told you where I was … not my weapon!” Aima said as she tried to retrieve her own blade, before Saqol came at her. Unfortunately, Saqol drove her lightsaber in a downward slash that nearly separated Aima's head from her neck. Aima had just gotten away from that blow and then she rolled forward and grabbed the hilt of her lightsabre. But as she brought it around to defend herself … the weapon deactivated.

“OH DRUK!” Aima gasped.

“You may have killed Dultash … but you broke you weapon doing it” Saqol gloated. “Too bad you don’t have a toothpick to defend yourself with!” The evil sith sneered.

The dark warrior sprang at Aima ready to slice Aima in half. Aima multicolored lightsabre leapt on at the last possible moment to parry the strike then Aima used her free hand to drive another lightsabre, a blood red one, into Saqol's shoulder. Where the other lightsabre came from Saqol had no idea. The blade slice through her shoulder as Saqol screamed in pain, the wounded shoulder was her sword arm. And thus Saqol dropped her weapon as blood sprayed out of her shoulder. Aima buried her multicolored lightsaber in the dark warrior's gut and with a gurgle, Saqol fell to the ground, dead.

Out of breath, Aima sank into a crouch, and turned off her lightsabre and clipped it back onto her belt. The other lightsabre, Dultash’s lightsabre, she turned off and kept. She rested a moment and then she stood up and walked over to Saqol dead body.

“You should have been watching … I pick up Dultash's weapon as I was retrieving mine own.” Aima explained to the dead sith lord. She grabbed Saqol weapon too. Dusted off her cloak, pulled the hood back on and headed for the main entrance to Network Access building. But she did not go in. Instead she went to the back and placed both Sith lightsabre in the building trash collection bin.

Then she went back to the main entrance and entered the building.

Jaden was just finishing his meal at the food vendor when he saw a familiar robed figure approaching down the road. As much as the robe hid her face, it didn't do much to hide Aima's large chest. After all, most women didn't try to hide themselves like she had this morning. He just chuckled for a moment as she ducked down the alleyway, followed by two hooded figures.

He felt a strong presence of the Force from the two new hooded figures, but he waited to see if she could handle herself. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but he wasn't going to interfere. Though the trio had went down the alleyway a ways, he caught glimpses of the light play from the lightsabers. It wasn't long before he felt the sudden loss of the Force, like a plug had been pulled.

He straightened up as he saw the hooded figure of Aima emerge from the alleyway and chuckled. After watching her enter the building, he checked the time on the vendor's timepiece. It wouldn't be much longer till the Holonet was going to have problems, if his contact did things like he was paid to.

Once inside Aima needed to go through several security check points and at the first one she placed her lightsabre into a safe holding area. The building was confusing; as she went down several corridors, through a few stairwells and down more passageways, but eventually she arrived at a meeting place just off the main computer floor, where Kabbura spent most of his time. There was a chair and small desk in the room. Aima sat down and waited.

Kabbura Hutt entered the room just like a giant slug. He was brown in color and wore a computer interface eye piece over his right eye. His bulbous head faced Aima and other eye watched her carefully. His small hands rubbed together nervously.

“So … what does a rebel want with me?” Kabbura asked.

“Am I free to talk? No recording or other records being made?” Aima asked.

“That is a foolish question, but you are free to talk” Kabbura stated. Aima took that to mean she was being recorded but only Kubbura had access to the recording. She pulled out the chip that held the passcode for Kabbura missing credits. She pushed it across the table to Kabbura.

“Here are the credits from the Foo Wu problem. That should clear that little problem up” Aima said with a smile on her pretty face. Kabbura had a very good poker face, and did not react to her statement. But he seemed pleased as he picked up the chip with the passcode.

“Secondly … I have intelligence that the empire is going to try and take over the holonet. They are going to “remove” you … permanently in the process. So you might want to be careful. I think the assassins will be posing as high level investigators. Thought that information might be useful to you.” Aima stated matter of factly.

“Why would …” Kabbura started to say. He was going to ask “why would a rebel want to share this information with me?” but Aima cut him off before he could finish asking the question.

“You helped me … I help you ... that is what a team does. Consider it a thank you gift.” Aima said smiling. She stood up and stuck out her hand wanting Kabbura to shake it. Saying at the same time “I’d best be going … don’t want anyone to see us talking. That would be best for our health.”

“Yes … it is time for you to leave.” Kabbura said as he shook her hand. Aima turned around and walked out. Her escort met her and lead her out of the maze of corridors and back out the main entrance. Her lightsabre was returned to her. But what Aima did not know was ... a tracking bug had been placed on the weapon. Kabbura was tracking where she was headed.

As Aima looked across the street, she saw Jaden. She hurried over to him.

"Mission complete" She told him "let's get out of here"

Jaden smiled a little when Aima came out and greeted him. He held up a hand for a moment and shook his head.

"Your mission is complete, but mine isn't completely. I have the package to deliver, remember?"

He chuckled for a moment at Aima's puzzle before placing a finger to his lips before she could speak. He wasn't one to trust Hutts, not by a long shot, and he didn't put it past Kabbura to set them up in some way.

"Don't say anything. Why don't you find us a nice resturant to hang out, preferrable someplace high with a view of the area? I'll meet you in a little bit after I pick up the tools the invesigators will need."

He winked to her for a moment before walking away down the street. He saw her shake her head for a moment before he was out of sight. He foundt his black market dealer, haggling a bit for the EMP, a remore detonator, a tracking system, and a duffal bag. Once the dealer left, he made sure no one was around before switching on the EMP to passive mode. He attached the tracker ontp the EMP and put it in the duffel, zipping it closed before shovig the tracking reciever and remote into a small brown bag he foundt nearby.

He made his way back to the HoloNet and inside the front lobby. The guard stopped him for a moment, but a little use of the Force let him pass without being searched. He sat the duffel bag on the counter in front of a surprised secretary. It took a little bit of sweet talk and Force to convinve the young women to hold the bag until the inspectors from the Empire got there. Once they arrived, she was to give them the bag and tell them not to open it until they were further inside the building.

With that done, Jaden whistled softly as he left the building, searching for Aima.

------------------------------------------

Deeper into the Holonet, the programmer Jaden had hired was busy at work. In order for the inside job to not look like an inside job, he decided to make several viruses and make them go off at the same time. Since Jaden hadn't given him a timeline, he set everything up to happen in two hours.

The first virus was designed to escape the building and strike two of the main power plants in the city, causing power surges on the power grids. This would cause most of the city to go down, including the Holonet, for several hours to a day or more.

The second virus was designed to hack into several different accounts on the planet, randomly transferring different credit amounts to random accounts, hitting the Holonet's main accounts as well as various other high profile companies.

Since the Holonet had a major backup supply of power incase of a black out, the third virus was designed to attack the defense systems including the automated security, lockdown system and the force fields around the mainframe.

The code took him an hour to create and debug and he made it seem as generic as possible so it wouldn't be traced back to him. Once it was completed, he attached the viruses to an outgoing email to one of the banks on Nar Shaa, knowing it would be opened within five minutes, starting the chain reaction. He scrubbed his station of any traces and went on break.

Nuho and Idemo

Descending into the smoky atmosphere of Nar-Shaddaa, A Rattatakian, named Nuho navigated his ship through the complex airways of the vertical city. He arrived at the secure space dock without incident. He landed at one of the many private hangers at the complex known only as “The Port”. Nuho exited his ship, the lighting making his chalk-white skin and bald head look even whiter. He surveyed the surroundings. The Port was owned by a shady Devaronian by the name of Roos Setanu, The Port was the facility high level personnel from the Empire used when visiting Nar-Shaddaa. He could see a large squad of Imperial troopers guarding various ships at the facility.

The design of The Port is a testament to the ingenuity of a truly paranoid mind. Each private docking bay connects directly to a security check point monitored by Imperial forces. Some of them are force sensitive guards. Additionally there were the ubiquitous security droids which roam the hallways. After passing through security, there were laser turrets mounted in the ceiling to cut down any intruders.

Nuho watched as another ship landed in the docking bay next to his. A female Rattatakian stepped off the small craft, nodded to him and headed for the security check point. Nuho made his way to the same check point. Once through the two joined up but said nothing to each other. Silently they made their way to a secure meeting room. Once inside Nuho closed the door and spoke.

“Dultash and Saqol are dead. The emperor wants this matter investigated and whoever did it needs to die.” Nuho stated bluntly.

“Yes Master I felt the disturbance in the force.” Idemo, the female Rattatakian replied “both seemed surprised by what attacked them … surprised by its skill and power. Should we take extra precautions?” She asked.

Nuho looked strangely at her “Dultash and Saqol were inexperienced padawans compared to our fighting skills. No extra precautions are needed.” Nuho answered confidently. “We are Sith Inquisitors … no one can stop us. Now let’s go” Nuho ordered and they left the secure room heading straight to the holonet facility.

Aima and Jaden

Aima had a huge smile on her face as Jaden walked over and joined her at the table. She had picked the prefect restaurant it was high up and looked over the street below. She handed him a cocktail with a strange mixture in it. She had an identical one on her side of the table … only it was already half empty.

“It is called “a meltdown” … a more "sophisticated" version of a “Reactor Core”. I was told it is a popular mixed drink among smugglers. It gives you partial immunity to certain toxins and dangerous gases.” Aima explained.

Jaden took the glass but did not drink out of it “Why the big smile?” he asked

“Oh … let’s just say … the Empire is certain to be sending investigators. Two of their Sith assholes are going to show up missing and their lightsabres are in Kabbura’s trash can.” Aima explained.

“You took out two sith?” Jaden whispered in surprise

“No silly … they kind of took each other out … I was just in the right place at the right time. Picked up the lightsabres and framed Kabbura with them. I also gave him a ton of credits, the whole transaction was recorded on his computer eye-piece.” Aima giggled, the Meltdown starting to affect her “Once the investigators get a hold of that … he’ll look REALLY guilty.”

“Did you scrub the lightsabres of your finger prints? DNA?” Jaden asked.

Aima got a worried look on her face “Druk … I did not” Aima gasped “what do we do now?” She asked worried.

At this moment from their viewpoint Aima and Jaden could also see two Rattatakian Siths, walking towards the Netaccess building entrance. “Nuho and Idemo” Aima giggled “We must have really pissed off the Empire … those two are real bad asses!”

Jaden did not think any of this was very funny ...yet Aima was laughing like a teen-aged girl!

After staring at Aima a few more moments, the only thing further Jaden had to add to the conversation was a shake of the head. One simple mistake and their plans could have gone awry. The only thing that would cover her tracks was for a well-timed accident to happen.

He was about to take a sip of the drink when exactly that happened for them. Whoever recieved the virus-laced email had open the email earlier than expected, setting the cascade off fairly quickly. The credits were quickly siphoned away from the HoloNet's accounts, spread off to the far reaches of the galaxy, but it ended up being more than the program was equiped to do. The next virus invaded the electrical grid, overloading several power regulators and several generators at the main power station.

The resturant went into darkness, but the windows gave the pair front row seats to the chaos. Three of the power regulators along the street blew, sending sparks everywhere. People scrambled for cover from the sparks, even trying to force their way ito the Holonet building. However the security guards did their best to hold the doors close after the two Sith went inside.

The holonet looked like it was down, as the neon lights and widescreens went black for several moments. However the backup generators went online after a few moments, the signs and screens back up and running. It was a few more seconds before the final virus blew out the backup security systems, but this was unseen from the outside.

Inside the lobby, the Sith Lords questioned the receptionist about the package, using the Force to compell her to tell them who left it. Jaden had been a step ahead, leaving only the notion that the tools had been left by a messenger from the Empire for them. Since everything seemed to check out, they took the bag with them. He made sure the EMP was hidden inside one of the insturments used for repairing the network, along with an assortment of other tools.

Jaden whistled and grinned to Aima.

"Now the fireworks start. It's time to add to them, and hope your story last night will work. Oh, and just to be safe, since I've never exactly trusted Hutts, I might suggest you breakdown anything you let out of your sight sweetie."

He reached into his backpocket and pulled out the remote detonator and tracking device. He tapped the montior of the tracking device for a moment at Aima's frown before focusing on the moving dot. He wasn't sure when exactly to set off the device, but knew it had enough power to wipe out a block of electronics when it went off.

"Ah, fuck it. Here's hoping sweetheart."

He smiled and pressed the button on the detonator. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment and then the tracking device went dead. Along the that, the neon signs and widescreens on the outside of the building exploded into pieces. Two unlucky hovercabs that were cominginto for pickup were caught in the blast as well, crashing into the street.

Aima started giggling like crazy after Jaden said "Ah, fuck it. Here's hoping sweetheart." She had no idea what was so funny about that statement, but she could not stop laughing.

The Main control of the Netaccess Building

Nuho, Idemo and Kabbura stood in a circle looking at each other just as the lights went out.

“What kind of communication center do you run here? Kabbura” Nuho asked in the dark as he pulled out his light sabre for illmunation. Then he added “I could do better”

“This is just some kind of power grid issue. The backup generators will kick in a second.” Kabbura stated as the lights came back on. The Hutt added “See … and you could never run this kind of operation!”

“I would not be so certain” Nuho answered Kabbura. It was a very unfortunate set of words. As the power stabilized Nuho, who was carrying the bag full of tools placed them on the floor. He then asked Kabbura “You had called Dultash and Saqol back to this building and then they got ambushed and killed. Almost like you set them up! Explain”

A big smile appeared on Kabbura face. “I called them back here … because a jedi had set up a meeting with me and … I thought they should know.”

“Do you have an image of this jedi?” Idemo asked.

Kabbura nodded and from his eye piece computer interface there was a holo image of a hooded female figure with a big chest.

“That is definitely not Obi-wan Kenobi!” Nuho stated

“Do you have any images that show her face?” Idemo pressed.

Kabbura cycled the images until it showed Aima in the conference room handing him the credits.

“I have never seen her before.” Nuho said puzzled.

“Can you pay the audio that goes with these images?” Idemo asked.

Kubbura refused “No”

Nuho light sabre which was still on, pointed at the Hutt’s really fat throat.

“Play it” The investigator demanded. The audio came on in mid scene.

“… I have intelligence that the empire is going to try and take over the holonet. They are going to “remove” you … permanently in the process. So you might want to be careful. I think the assassins will be posing as high level investigators. Thought that information might be useful to you.” The Jedi woman said calmly

Kabbura could be heard asking “Why would … “

The woman answered quickly “You helped me … so now I’m helping you. Consider it a thank you gift.” She could be seen standing up and shaking Kubbura hand and ending the scene by saying “I’d best be going … don’t let anyone see us talking. That would be best for our health.”

Nuho, Idemo both looked at Kubbura. The Hutt realized how bad he looked in the video. It showed him receiving the credits and the woman implied he had helped her remove the Sith lords Dultash and Saqol. That of course was not true, but there was so much double speak in the video … he could not prove his innocence.

The video reminded him about her warning as well. She might not have set him up on propose … but she was right about the two investigators.

“Kubbura … you are a traitor to the empire.” Nuho stated

“That video looks bad, but if you question the Jedi woman it will clear me … she is located here.” Kabbura displayed Aima location at the restaurant overlooking the street.

“We’ll get her in moment … first we need to kill you” Nuho said.

“So this is how you are going to play it … false charges against me … kill me and then you take over the Holonet. Well, I have most of the network password protected. You kill me and it will be years until the network is back up. So don’t threat me” Kubbura stated.

“The empire is willing to shut down the network, to get rid of a traitor!” Nuho said. It was just at this moment the tool bag glowed and went “POP” as the EMP device went off. All the holonet widescreens went black and stayed that way as all the computers were fried. It was completely black in the control room except for the glow of the light sabre

“I have been loyal to the empire and the thanks I get is a knife in my back!” Kabbura screamed realizing how much money his was losing at this moment. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!” He screamed.

Nuho wasted no time as he drove the light sabre right through Kabbura throat killing him. The Hutt triggered a defensive poison cloud release in the control room just as he died.

“Now let’s get the Jedi with the big tits!” Nuho barked. As they both used their force abilities to get out of main control and race towards the restaurant.

Outside at the restaurant

Aima had finally stopped giggling. “Jaden … look it’s those two assholes … Idemo and Nuho and they are headed this way!”

Jaden shook his head for a moment before grabbing Aima by the hand. He lead her over to the bar area for a moment. The young man looked surprised for a moment, as did Aima.

"The smuggler's tunnel, now Kid."

The smuggler's tunnel was a system of tunnels that had been built beneath the city, leading to every part of the city. It was regularly used to get anything considered contraband through the city without the Empire or authorities knowing. Actually it had been so long for them to be used, since the law was so lax at trying to stop smuggling through Nar Shaa. Jaden knew of them due to his constant exploring as a kid, stumbling on them by accident.

He had actually used them in this restaurant before, trying to run from an assassin a few years back. It took the young man a minute to realize what Jaden was talking about before pointing to a long rug behind the bar. Jaden threw the rug aside, pulling open the trapdoor that was well blended in with the floor. Letting Aima go ahead of him, Jaden looked back at the young man, using a little Force persuasion on him.

"They went out the back."

He looked blank for a moment before coming to his senses. Blinking a couple of times, the bartender shut the trapdoor and recovered it with the rug, making sure no signs of being disturbed were seen.

The tunnels were dark in the area due to the power outage, and would be for several blocks. Jaden quietly felt around for Aima with one hand while trying to find the wall with the other. He did find Aima with his hand as he stumbled a moment, ending up squeezing her ass for a moment.

Looking back on it … Aima realized how stupid she was to have ordered that powerful drink before the mission was really complete. But things seemed to be working out. "Smuggler’s tunnels on Nar-Shaddaa!" she thought in outraged. Insert mocking grin here. Of course, the lawless world was riddled with them, like a worm filled apple!

That was about when Jaden’s hand found Aima’s shapely back end in the darkness of the tunnel.

“MMM that feels nice … but I thought you were a tit man” Aima commented and giggled.

“Butt” Jaden said as a play on words trying to correct her comment and state what his hand was touching. He took his hand away “Ass --- ets you certainly have” Jaden joked but got serious quickly. “Turn left up ahead … we’ll be able to stand up in that passage.” Jaden suggested.

Aima did as requested and got to the place where they could stand. She flipped on her light sabre, the multi-color glow lite up the tunnel.

“Where to now?” She asked.

“Keep going straight” Jaden said. It was a quick trip through this part of the tunnel. There were several opening to the left and right, but Aima continued straight. The tunnel started to smell bad and then they came to a small access door. Aima opened it and they stepped into the garbage collection area for the Netaccess building.

“You take your dates to the best places …” Aima commented with cynicism. Then she gasped “Oh Druk … look” She pointed to the main garbage bin for the building and there on top of the garbage was Kabbura Hutt’s dead body. The big evil slug had a light sabre hole right through his neck and out the back of his head.

“He was an asshole …” Jaden said and stepped over to one of the bids from the outside of the building collection points. He found the two Sith light sabres in it.

“Bring the hand sterilizer over … please … and use the gloves to hold it” he asked Aima. She pulled some gloves on and grabbed the sterilizer off the wall. She was impressed, Jaden had realized that a garbage collection point would have a sterilizer to kill all organic material on any garbage thus reducing the odors and make the garbage safer to handle. The Sterilizer would also wipe out all traces off her DNA. She switched it on and passed it over the weapons. Then she sterilized the hidden door she had opened. She put the device back on the wall.

“Back in the tunnels” Jaden said once all evidence was removed. Aima opened the door with the gloves still on and went back into the tunnels. They traveled through a maze of different passageways. Once they were in a place with light, Aima put her light sabre away. A little while later, they were back at the sex club in front of Fat Wu. His body guards, Pleasure and Pain, each had a blaster pointed at their heads.

“You see Mr. Wu … Kabbura Hutt in dead.” Aima said. Fat Wu face filled with surprise.

“What?” Fat Wu asked not understanding what had happened.

“Kabbura Hutt appears to have been double crossing the empire … two Sith lords just killed him and brought down the Holonet. The whole situation sounds pretty ugly to me. My recommendation is to drop the revenge for your son idea … and leave the planet for a while. You do not want to be around if the empire or the Hutts thinks you had anything to do with all this.” Aima explained.

Fat Wu shook his head in agreement. “Yes … that is wise advice.” He nodded to one of his assistance nearby to make preparations to leave the planet.

“Ahhh two more things … Mr. Wu … the antidote for the shot you gave me and my arms shipment?” Aima asked.

Fat Wu smiled and got off the couch and walked over to her. He whispered in her ear “The shot was a bluff … just water ... but don’t tell anyone”

He backed away from her and said louder “If you eat some of that … you will not die. As for your shipment … it is ready for pick up at docking port 3536 south side. The drums are labeled with the word “Milk”

“It has been a pleasure doing business with you” Aima said with the fakeness of a used space ship salesman. She and Jaden walked back to their sex room to pack up and get ready to leave.

“Too bad we never got a chance to use this place …” Aima said as she zipped her travel bag closed. "I was looking forward to seeing Debbie does the planet Rodia again!"

Jaden shook his head for a moment at Aima's mention of not seeing the sex movie again. So far he just wanted to get out of dodge from what had just happened, and the best way he knew was for them to get off planet. There was a time to play around, and now wasn't it in his mind. He took a look at her for a moment, still dressed in the robe before going to the door, but stopping.

"You might want to change out of that thing. Those two Sith are probably scouring the area looking for a robed Jedi and you fit the bill perfectly. And hide your weapon."

Aima gave a playful pout for a moment.

"But I thought you liked the way I looked."

His frown told otherwise. He stepped out of the room and went to the front desk, checking them out while he waited on her to get changed. He nodded in approval for a moment at her outfit, putting up a hand when she was going to speak.

"I'll get you and your cargo off-planet, but you need to do one more thing. Take the tunnels to the port and I should have everything loaded up for you by the time we meet up."

He spent a few moments telling her how to get through the tunnels, giving her the most direct route. He gave her directions to a hatch that was within the bay his ship was stationed, but he knew there was a risk the ship was going to be watched.

He showed her the tunnel behind the sex club before parting ways with her. The trip to the port was a long one for him, trying to stay to the back alleys of the darkened city. Several times he had caught sight of the two Sith as they hunted for Aima, but they never caught wind of him. He hoped the tunnels where deep enough she wasn't going to be detected by them.

A side trip to a communicator booth was enough to get the cargo they needed on board his ship and secured by a couple of the dock workers he trusted to keep quiet about it. Upon reaching the port, he was waved through without incident. Once in his bay, he sat down on some crates that had been left, whistling softly as he watched the dock activity while waiting on Aima to come up.

Aima made it through the tunnels with no problems and popped up in the dock bay just as Jaden had told her she would. During her trip she had time to think about all that had happened. Jaden and her had been a powerful team. She had gotten the arms she needed, uncovered a plot to kill billions of people and caused the Sith and Hutts to fight each other. The whole trip would be a big victory for the rebels.

The question that had nagged her was should she tell Jaden that she worked with the Jedi? He might take that news badly. But if she continued to keep that information a secret he might react even worse. What to do … what to do.

She walked to the ship in her white storm trooper like outfit. Jaden pointed for her to board. One minute later, she could hear the roar of the engines as the ship left the docking bay and headed out to deep space.

Aima walked up to the cockpit and watched as Jaden piloted the ship.

“Take the supplies to the ice planet of Edan II in the Edan system. There is a Base there. We’ll be drop them off there.” Aima told Jaden. Jaden put coordinates into the navigation computer.

“Jaden, we were a really good team back there” She commented. “It is not easy to fool the Sith or the Hutts. But I need to tell you something” Aima said plowing forward regardless of the consequences “I need to be honest with you … I’m kind of working with the rebels. I just wanted you to know. Sorry for not tell you earlier.” Aima said and waited for his reaction.

Jaden was quiet for a few moments after she decided to tell him what she thought was a ground-breaking secret. Actually he wasn't surprised by the news at all, considering he did runs for both the rebels and the Empire since he started. He figured she was either an independent contractor or with the Rebels since the Sith had chased after them earlier.

"Actually there is no need to apologize for that Aima. I figured you were either with the Rebels or an separate contractor, considering how things turned out. You really aren't the first to hide their affiliation of who they represent. No need to be worried about that."

He chuckled for a moment at Aima's suddenly bright smile. He continued to speak as he pressed a few more buttons before turning to face her.

"And it was a good team-up on this job. If the opportunity comes up, I wouldn't mind the possibility of doing another job. However before congratulating on a job well-done, let's check the cargo. I don't want any surprises waiting for when we off-load the cargo."

He made his way down to the cargo area, looking back to see her following happily.

Aima spills her guts

Aima followed Jaden to the cargo bay. The bay was bigger than Aima had thought based upon her knowledge of the overall ship size. But spacecraft designers were known to use every nook and cranny to maximize living space inside vessels. The bay was filled with “milk” containers. They both conducted a quick inspection of the containers. It revealed that all the weapons she had procured were aboard.

“Fat Wu may be an asshole … but he is an honest one. It looks like everything is in order.” Aima said stating the obvious.

Jaden nodded in agreement as he resealed the last container. “Always good to check” He coached Aima.

“It was the “checking part” that got Foo killed” Aima said.

Jaden smiled at her “Not checking gets you killed faster. Trust me, I have been doing this for a while.” He informed her.

Aima leaned up against a container a smile on her face “You just told me a small piece of personal information … you are slipping up!” She teased him.

“I have a reputation … so you already knew that I have been doing this for a while” Jaden teased back. “Anyhow, there is nothing to tell … I’m a simple entrepreneur involved in trade.” Jaden explained using his standard cover story. “What about you?” He asked to divert attention from her line of questioning.

“There is nothing “simple” about you, Jaden. So that is pure Druk. But I can go first and tell you some of my history.” Aima proposed. Jaden nodded and Aima took that as agreement.

“I was born on Eshan, the homeworld of the Echani. As you may know the Echani Race have been part of the Republic for many thousands of years. I was born to a big Echani clan. I was Force sensitive and most clans mistrust the Great Dragon's power, Echanin name for The Force. So I was sent to the monks, this is what is typically done among the Echani. It would be a great turning point in my life. I decided my mission in life was to out fight all my siblings and my clan. I quickly became the toughest kid at the monastery. In Echani culture it is believed that to know someone fully, you must fight them. Echani fighting is not only in self-defense, but as a form of self-expression, a means of communication similar to art. Everyone learns to fight and for me to beat the other kids meant something.

By the age of 25 I had mastered almost all the fighting skills available at the monasteries (The Sublime Arts of the Seven). The ruling council (The six sisters) recognized my skills and assigned me to a special elite assault team.

On my first mission I was sent to Chazwa (a cold world) to stop a ring of slavers. I helped the team stop the slavers and prevented them from poisoning all the slaves. But my new teammates didn't know what to make of me, a big breasted fighter that fought with such reckless abandon. You see, what I lacked in finesse, I make up with luck. I guess I had gained their respect after proving my toughness, and bravery. However they said I was just a bit too crazy for them as a fighter. I was kicked out.

This allowed me to wander the galaxy to learn new and better fighting techniques. I ran into a Jedi and was co-opted into their cause. I have been a special assignment person for them. That landed me on Nar Shadaa. The rest you know … Ok now it’s your turn” She said as she finished her story.

Jaden leaned against one of the barrels, listening to Aima's story. She did have an interesting history, which seemed to fit her perfectly. He sighed softly for a moment when she finished, asking for his story. He wondered how much he should tell her, deciding to keep it pretty basic for now.

"Well, there's not much to my history. I pretty much grew up on Nar Shaadar, son to a pair of traders like myself. I got my start in the busy with my parents at the age of ten, and went out on my own when I was eighteen. My parents got killed in a minor mishap one one of their trading runs, leaving me on my own. As I told you earlier, I haven't taken sides, just doing trips for those who pay me well."

He shifted a little from his leaning position to pull out his lightsaber, but didn't turn it on.

"I discovered my ability to use the Force very early, but I try not to show it off like most of the Jedi or Sith. I've pretty much tried to steer clear of the war as well. Bad for business to get too involved."

He shrugged softly for a moment, not too bothered by everything so far.

"Is there anything I will need to know when we arrive in-system? Ident codes, that sort of thing? This ship is going to be a bit of surprise, since it is typically used by the Empire investigators when they go chasing after the Jedi. However I do know that such sighting are rare."

Aima listen to Jaden story. After he told her the part about his parents dying she said “Jaden, sorry to hear about your parents. That must have been rough”

Jaden just nodded but said nothing and continued with his story. At the end, he asked about ident codes.

“Yes, the Ident codes are on this chip” She said as she pulled a small slip of metal from her pocket and handed him the chip. They headed back up to the cockpit to enter in the codes. As they walked Aima wanted to ask about two things Jaden had said. But she could not decide which of the two to start with. She finally picked her force question.

“I can also use the force, but I use it in a different way than most force users. I have never been able to do “Jedi mind tricks” or that telekinesis stuff” She explained “What abilities do you have with the force?” She asked.

He was silent for a few moments as they walked, thinking about her question. He shrugged softly for a moment.

"I really hadn't sat down and taken a tally of what I could and couldn't do. I did do a bit of practice when I was younger after discovering I could use the Force, but most of the time it just came naturally to me on what I could do. As I am sure you've noticed, I can do the Jedi mind trick."

As they got into the cockpit, he took the pilot's seat while Aima took the co-pilot's seat. He checked their course for a moment, nodding.

"It shouldn't be much longer till we are in-system, so I programmed the computer to send the ident codes as soon as we leave hyperjump. If I get down right to it, I would say I've used powers from both sides of what would the light and dark sides of the Force. I'm not sure what that would make me, but I am also been pretty good at keeping below the radar, so to speak."

The next mission

“Hey Jaden … you haven’t used that Jedi mind trick on me … have you?” Aima asked, not sure how that force power worked.

Jaden gave her a small sly smile, but did not answer her.

“You better not have” Aima said with a certain amount of firmness. “I have been told it only works on weaker minds. My teachers told me it would not work on someone like me.” Aima explained with some confidence.

Jaden just continued to smile “You would never know if I did use it or not” he explained continuing to tease her. Before Aima could get even more upset, the out of hyperspace light came on and the ship slowed down. The ice planet of Edan II appeared on the video screen. It looked pretty much like all ice planets … a big frozen ice ball with very few features, just a few mountain ranges and some craters.

“The ident code seems to be working. No fighters are approaching our position.” Jaden informed Aima as he looked at the scanning monitor.

“Just drop off the supplies in the center of that crater over there.” Aima said pointing at a prominent crater. “I’ll check in with my contact and see what he wants me to do next” Aima said as she turn on her commlink and put in the secret code. Meanwhile Jaden flew the ship closer to the drop point. He could see droids waiting in the center of the carter.

Jaden landed the ship and pushed a button to open the cargo hold door. Watching on a video feed, Jaden saw the droids unload the supplies. By the time, the droids finished removing the supplies; Aima had completed her communications with her point of contact.

“Well that was interesting” She said as she turned her head to faced Jaden. Jaden said nothing, but was listening.

“The empire is pretty pissed about the Holonet going down. People have been forced to use old fashion “texted” communications.” Aima explained. “Anyhow, as a result I have been asked to take a few weeks off.”

Jaden nodded and then asked “so what is interesting about that?”

She smiled “Nothing … but they would like you to perform a mission for them. Seems a fighter piloted by a Jedi was crippled during a battle about 10 light years away from Alderaan. The Jedi is still alive and hiding in some asteroid debris field. They know he is still alive via the force. Your job is to go in there and rescue his ass.”

“Why me?” Jaden asked.

“The asteroids are a known smugglers hide out and there are a few imperial ships looking for the Jedi as well. Your ship and status would provide a good cover story if we run into any smugglers or imperial ships. I’m cleared to negotiate with you for a fair price.” Aima said and then added “And you can bet I’m going on this mission too ... and I'm going to insist that you giving me two passionate kisses before its completion!” Aima giggled.

He chuckled for a moment at the terms she presented at first, smirking a little. He had planned on taken on the mission, but her own terms made the rewards interesting. Though this was the first time he had been told the price would include non-montary rewards.

"Since I've been asked to rescue a downed pilot, this is going to be a quick mission. We can take about the price on the way there and lay out the plans on exactly how this rescue is suppose to go. Now to get started."

Since Aima wanted two kisses, he decided to split them apart. He reached out and cupped her chin for a moment, pulling her closer to him, ellicting a gasp of surprise from her. He didn't quite close the space, but he planted his lips against hers softly. His tongue slide over her lips for a moment before slipping gently into her warm mouth. Their tongues entwined for a few moments in a deep kiss, pulling a moan from Aima. However he broke it after only a few moments before pulling away.

"Well, there's your first kiss Aima. And you taste rather sweet."

He gave a grin and wink for a moment before he left her in the hallway, moving up to the cockpit to prepare them for take off.

Aima

Aima was surprised by how exciting and powerful Jaden’s kisses were. She had felt two of them now and both had made her mind spin out of control. Her toes actually curled during the kisses. It was a reaction no other man had ever caused in her. It was not natural. Her only thought, as she regained her breath, was that the great dragon, the force, in her and in Jaden was somehow interacting.

The great dragon was a mystery to her. She thought back to many years ago and to a place half a galaxy away. Aima was sitting in a restaurant at a table with Roshi Alit, her training master. He had been lecturing her on her emotions, and no Jedi should have attached or become entangles with another. She had heard it all before.

“Roshi Alit … what you are telling me is from love … strong emotions flow. If something were to happen to someone I love … then there is a risk of me turning to the darkside. But that is false logic. Love is not the emotion that causes those with the great dragon inside them to turn to the darkside. It is anger … or maybe misplaced anger. Love is an emotion of goodness and light” Aima told her master.

“Aima … you are still young. You don’t fully understand. Love is a good emotion, but those truly in love are under its spell. People in love have been known to do crazy things. That is why users of the great dragon must avoid attachments. It is the wisest path” Roshi Alit explained.

“It is a low risk path … but what if someone were to be able to love and not stray to the darkside? The darkside harnesses anger and negative emotions to great effect. What if someone could harness the positive emotions … like love? They would be as powerful or maybe even more powerful than any Sith!” She had argued

“An interesting notion … probably something every Sith thought before being swallowed by the Darkside. Now go to bed … and sleep on what I told you” Roshi Alit ordered her.

Aima mind returned to the present. She had not followed her master’s advice. She had explored using the emotion of love to master her control of the force. It had made her powerful. Her feelings toward Jaden at first had been lust … but they were evolving … could the lust be changing into love? Could that be why his kisses were so powerful? She did not know.

She head up to the cockpit to join him as the spaceship jumped into hyperspace.

Jaden looked over at her for a moment as she sat down, giving a nod and smile. He looked back at the controls and screens for a moment, pressing a few buttons.

"I've never had to rescue a pilot before, but I think we should have no problems. I've been told the x-wing pilots have a small supply of air to breathe with their combat suits in case of ejection, but it doesn't last long."

He ran through a couple of screens before bringing up an oxygen supply control system.

"I will suit up in a pressure suit and exit through the cargo bay. Be sure the rest of the ship is sealed before you lower the ramp. After the pilot leaves his craft, I'll grab him and pull him in. While you monitor that system, I'll have the computer transfer over any information the pilot's collected as well. You shouldn't have any problems."

He chuckled as Aima pressed herself closer for a moment.

"Not if you show me."

He smirked for a moment and shook his head, walking her through everything she would have to do.

The Stellar Storm dropped back out of hyperspace near the asteroids debris field. The view screen filled up with the sight on an enormous imperial cruiser and numerous TIE fighters. Their long range sensors also showed a series of other imperial ships patrolling around the field.

“DRUK” Aima gasped as she saw how many ships there were, however Jaden appeared completely calm. The comlink lite up and a voice spoke over it.

"This is the Imperial Cruiser Black Adder. Slow your vessel, prepare to be boarded."

"DRUK!" Aima gasped louder. “What do we do now?" She asked Jaden. He smiled and quietly said “just watch”

"Slow your vessel!" The comlink instructed again "I'm not asking again!" the voice added.

With that, Jaden gave Aima a little smirk as he pushed the engine “booster” button. Stellar Storm speed increased rapidly and they shot past the imperial cruiser. The TIE fighters were turn around and getting ready to pursue.

“Oh great … we are going to die in space …” Aima mumble as she turned on the aft shields.

"You really need to learn to trust me” Jaden stated as his hands clasped on to the ship's controls. 4 TIE fighters were racing after them.

“Such as nice welcoming party.” Aima said as laser fire from the Imperial ship was streaking around them.

"Looks like they've tightened security around this asteroid field," Jaden commented “don’t want just anyone running off with an asteroid!" He joked as he added "Hold on!" and he jerked the controls to the right.

The Stellar Storm zigged to right then Jaden yanked at the controls again. The ship launched upwards, and then down as it avoided TIE fighter laser fire. The Stellar Storm entered the debris field having broken through the imperial blockade.

Jaden swerved the ship from left to right almost clipping a large asteroid. He flipped off the comm system which was about to be filled with explanations of the laws they were breaking and a series of threats. The good news was the imperial cruiser could not follow them into the field.

The TIE fighters, however kept right behind them, never deserting their tail. No matter how many maneuvers Jaden did, there was no losing them.

A blaster bolt jostled the ship, but the aft shielding held. Aima grunted and asked “Shall I fire back?”

Jaden shook his head “no" and clenched the controls in his hands tighter.

Another few laser hits and Aima shouted to him "Aft shields just went dead!" and tossed a look to Jaden.

Aima asked again “Are you sure we are not going to die?"

"Just keep the optimism flowing!" Jaden joked. He flipped on the comlinks again. "We don't want to fight you! But get off my tail or I’ll turn my guns on you." He warned the TIE fights.

Static engulfed the comm, and then, "You are dead, rebel scum!" a voice snapped back.

The comlink was silent as the Stellar Storm abruptly soared upwards. Jaden drawing the controls back to his chest, Aima groaned. The ship rumbled with the piercing roll. Clenching his teeth, Jaden snapped the controls to the left. the ship darting sideways

Aima was able to watch the TIE fighters as they attempted to pull off the same maneuver. They all veered too far to the left—

The fighters collided with the asteroid Jaden had just missed. The 4 explosions were like meteor impacts only with fireballs and then nothing.

Aima winced. After another second, she found her composure again. “Nice flying” She said to Jaden.

He nodded and then suggested “look for an encoded distress beacon …”

Aima turned on the receiver and set the computer up for scanning. It was not long before she found the “rebel” encode distress signal.

“it’s coming from quadrant 5-3” Aima told him and the stellar storm headed in that direction.

"I've been flying since I was a kid, and I've learned a few tricks during my time."

He grinned to her for a moment as he guided the ship towards the beacon. They were soon in sight of the craft, though it didn't look too badly damaged. The astromech was a blackened hunk, looking like it had taken a direct hit. There were a few scorch marks along the aft section and along the wings. Jaden punched in the comm frequency before attempting to contact the pilot.

"This is Jaden Kido, captain of the Stellar Storm. I was sent to rescue you. What's your name pilot?"

There was silence for a few moments before a female voice answer.

"My name is Laura Khiles and you came in time. I only have a few minutes of air left."

Jaden was quiet for a moment before speaking again.

"Alright Laura, can you open your canopy? And do you have any data you need to get base to your commander?"

"Yes to both questions, but my astromech took a direct hit and most of the systems are out."

Jaden frowned for a moment, looking at Aima.

"Alright, I'll have my co-pilot pull what she can while I come and get you. Just be prepared to move quickly when I say."

"Yes sir."

Jaden gave a nod to Aima and smiled.

"Don't let me down."

Aima

Aima smiled back “No problem … this is going to be a piece of cake! As easy as shooting womp rats on tatooine!” She replied as Jaden just shook his head and got up out of the pilot seat. He headed back to the cargo hold and put on his space suit. Aima waited for his signal and then opened the cargo hold door. Jaden floated across the empty space towards the damaged x-wing fighter.

Meanwhile, Aima was busy downloading with data files. It had been a bit tricky as her first attempt to communicate with the damage ship failed. However, she knew there was a backup maintenance data port/frequency on x-wing fighters, so she switched over to that frequency. She established a solid communication link and started to download the data.

Unfortunately, she was so busy reconfiguring the commslinks that she failed to notice the proximity warning sensor lite up. Not that it would have made much of a difference; there was little she could have done with Jaden and the Jedi Knight floating between both ships. But it would have given her a few more seconds to think of another course of action.

Instead when she finally noticed the sensor, she had thought of only one option. She pressed the button to release a small jamming pod and flipped on the commlink.

“Sit tight … I’ll be back for you!” She told Jaden and Laura as she fired the ship’s thrusters. The Stellar Storm flew away, leaving Jaden and Laura floating among the asteroids and a damaged x-wing fighter.

At first Aima thought the approaching ship was another imperial fighter. But she soon realized it was not. It was a mercenary ship. Azkul’s mercenary in particular based upon its marking. From what she could remember about the Azkul's mercenaries, they were bad asses. Their leader was Azkul, a former Sith trooper who served directly under Darth Malak. Her quick actions, she hoped had hidden the x-wing fighter and the two people floating nearby. She placed the Stellar Storm behind a large asteroid so the mercenary ship would not be able to locate her either. She hoped the jamming beacon had done its job and hidden her rapid departure and the low energy signal of a dead ship and two space suits.

The only problem with her actions was she had no idea what was happening. She could no longer see Jaden and the Jedi Knight. And she could not “peek” around the asteroid until she knew the mercenary ship had cleared the area. She watched all the sensors but for 10 mins she saw nothing. Then she noticed a propulsion trail leading away from quadrant 5-3. It was a faint signal, only a trace, but that was good enough for her. She slowly maneuvered the ship around the blocking asteroid and seeing that the coast was clear. She headed back to the x-wing fighter, jammer and Jaden’s and Laura’s last known position.

Jaden and Laura Khiles

Laura blew the canopy as Jaden approached. The canopy floated away in what looked like slow motion. Zero gravity motion had always been interesting to her. But right now was not the time to stare at the canopy. She had very little air left and she needed to get to the rescue ship. She unbuckled and pushed out of the x-wing fighter. She floated towards the man, who had come out of the rescue ship.

“You are right on coarse … I’ll catch you” The man said as she got closer and closer.

Then he reached out and grabbed her. The two, now together, continued to float back to the rescue ship. They were face to face and she could see his face in his helmet. He was a handsome man, a human, like herself. But his face was not familiar. She had worked with so many people in the rebel force, she figured she would recognize her rescuer, but that was not the case.

“Thanks for the rescue” She told the strange man named Jaden.

“No problem” He replied.

Then a small pod was launched from the rescue ship and her commlink was filled with an excited voice “Sit tight … I’ll be back for you!” The rescue ship blasted away from them at high speed.

Jaden looked just as surprised as her from the sudden series of events. But he placed one finger up to his helmet making the silence gesture. She nodded in agreement. Then she pointed to her air gage. Jaden nodded back and disconnected a hose on the side of his suit. He plugged it into her suit and opened the connecting valve. They were both sharing his full air tank. He also connected a comm wire to her suit.

They could talk again, without being detected via the wire.

“I think we have unexpected company” Jaden said pointing to the small pod “that is a jamming pod; I think Aima needed to leave before we were discovered.” Jaden explained.

“Aima … that would not happen to be Aima Edo would it? Laura asked.

“Why yes it is” Jaden answered.

“OH FARKLE … she is DRUKLOAD of problems … more dangerous than a whole imperial strike force!” Laura gasped in distress.

Jaden laughed “She can be a handful” he added but then he saw the engines of a ship far in the distance. The ship was not heading at them but appeared to be on a straight path towards some other location. The ship was not searching for the lost x-wing fighter or anything else. It was going slowly … like it was following a faint signal. It soon left the area, leaving Jaden and Laura alone again.

Laura's little description of Aima didn't surprise him, as he figured that out from the little time he had spent with her. His attention was focused on the second ship as well, watching it till it was out of sight. Something was tugging at the back of his mind, the little feeling he often got when things were quite right with a situation. He lifted his wrist gauge for a moment, checking the air supply. The monitor read their oxygen supply at just above half way. He calculated that the two of them had about fifteen minutes left, as his suit's tank wasn't designed for long periods of time.

"Are you sure she's coming back?"

Jaden looked from his wrist to Laura for a moment, giving a slight nod.

"I really doubt she is going to leave out here. And speak of the devil..."

He smirked for a moment as he saw his ship peeking back over the edge of the asteroid. He pressed a button on his other wrist, a panel opening up and sliding backwards. His fingers pressed several buttons, shutting off the jamming pod. Next he hit a few more buttons, lowering the boarding ramp.

"Ok Aima, just scoop us up into the cargo bay. The re-pressurizing cycle should only take about five minutes, so keep an eye on things from the cockpit. And pick up the pod. Those things cost money."

He smirked as he heard a laugh for a moment before shutting the commlink off. The two of them had a bit of a bounce as they were scooped up into the belly of the ship, the landing platform closing silently before sealing. Hissing could be heard through their helmets as the large area was slowly re-pressurized.