Jedi Princess

STAR WARS - ROTJ Infinities: Jedi Princess
By The Great Shaggy


Chapter Ten: 'There is another!'

Leia walked casually down the crowded streets of the Metroplex of Lacusa on the world of Vindalian until she reached the bar she was searching for. The lithe young Alderaani woman entered the loud establishment slowly, scanning the room's rowdy clientele until she found a man matching the description she'd been given. She made her way gracefully past small fistfights and groping hands until she stood before the man's table and placed her hands on her shapely hips. The man looked up at her and smiled crookedly.

"My contact didn't tell me how beautiful you are," said the man appreciatively.

"And my source didn't say how ugly you are," replied Leia acidly as she sat down opposite the man and glared at him.

"A woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind, I like that. Banu Hydiam at your service," said the scruffy man as he reached out with an open right hand. Leia ignored his token courtesy and folded her hands on top of the soiled table.

"I heard you might know of some lucrative cargo to ship," hinted Leia.

"Indeed I do, fair lady. A very wealthy man named Tamas Ploro is a high end collector of fine antiques of Pre-Imperial Period and runs an auction house in the Xorth system. I hear that he's looking for a freight hauler to deliver some merchandise to his auction house from a neighboring system. Do you have a fast ship?"

"Faster than anything this side of the Inner Rims," replied the girl smugly.

"Good! I'll give you a letter of recommendation so Ploro will know that you're trustworthy. Now comes the enjoyable part called payment," gushed Banu as he licked his cracked his cracked lips eagerly.

Reaching into her vest pocket she tossed a credit disc towards the repugnant man. Judging from his expression that wasn't what he had in mind. "I'll tell you right now if you think that I'm going to allow you to fuck me for payment, I'll take your fat ass to nearest Sarlacc and feed you to it."

"Too bad, I might have paid you instead," he clamored but Leia knew that he was disappointed from the sound of his voice.

He produced a datapad a few moments later and Leia snatched it out of his hands before he could even offer it to her. Slipping it into her vest pocket, she stood up and made her way out of the establishment and started to make her way back to the spaceport. Seeing her leave, a robed form broke from its window gazing and made off towards her. Drawing up besides the smaller woman, two hands appeared from the loose folds of the robe to remove the hood and pull down the tinted googles and respirator that was fixated to the form's face.

"So how did it go," asked Juno as she casually tossed her disguise into a waste disposal unit that she passed.

Leia tapped her vest pocket with her hand while saying, "Wasn't too much trouble. Lazy Nerf was expecting me to fuck him for payment."

Juno snorted after hearing Leia's comment. "Probably would've cum just seeing your naked form in front of him before he could do anything."

That got a laugh from Leia and playful gave her companion a shove that she kindly return in favor. A few months had passed since their horrific ordeal on Javin and although the physical scars had healed for both of them, mentally they were still struggling. Both Leia and Juno had formed a deep misgiving towards males of any species and rarely did they venture away from the Lady's Phoenix by themselves. They'd become almost inseparable that they stopped looking at each other as friends and more as sisters, bind by their shared horrific experience. With Artoo at their side they reworked the former Lady's Lust from just a mere modified freighter into one of the fastest starships, able to outrun almost any Imperial ship outside of a starfighter and could run circles around system patrol ships. And if they couldn't run, she could pack a punch with a military grade offensive and defensive capabilities as well as a full onboard armory supporting a wide variety of personal weapon systems. With the Lady stocked and ready to go, Leia figured it was time to get back into the game and make some credits so she placed a Holonet call to her friend Talia, who managed to pull some strings to get them this score.

"So where are we headed too?" asked Juno.

"The Xorth system. Some antique collector that runs a auction house needs a fast ship for a shipment," answered Leia. "Sounds easy enough."

That got a snort from Juno. "Yeah, they all sound easy at first until the unknown catch rears its ugly unforgiving head."

"Ain't that the truth," said Leia. "But if this guy is as rich as that tub of lard says he is then this will be a profitable first run for us. Know anything about this Xorth system?"

"All I know it's in the Core right on the Corellian Run."

"Even better," griped Leia.

**********

Hyperspace was the alternate state of existence used by starships to achieve faster-than-light travel. It was a phenomenon not completely understood by scientists; it was alternately described as a parallel universe, an extra dimension of space, an alternate mode of physical existence, or simply the universe traveling faster than the speed of light. The principle was first discovered by the ancient Rakata sometime twenty-five thousand years before the formation of the Galactic Republic and since then had become a wonderment to astronavigation that had bridge the long gap in space faring from decades to days. Consequently, despite common usage, relatively little is known about the tree nature of hyperspace. Early theories stated that hyperspace utilizes another dimension to 'sidestep', as it were, the light 'speed limit'. Others have theorized that it phases matter directly into another universe, similar to otherspace or subspace, san thus gain superlight speeds. Whatever the case, there were many complex scientific principles known to modern hyperdrive engineers which allowed for a myriad different used of this faster-than-light phenomenon.

For the first twenty-one thousand years of the Old Republic, hyperspace coordinates were plotted with the aid of hyperspace beacons, space stations placed in open space, distant from gravity wells, were ships would download data provided by the Republic Spacelanes Bureau. Around the time of the Mandalorian Wars, sophisticated navicomputers replaced the beacons, making hyperspace navigation much more autonomous. A starship utilizing a hyperdrive had to go through a fixed, routine process. After the course was plotted in the navigation computer, the ship moved to the bearing matching that course and activated the hyperdrive. The ship then accelerated so rapidly that the passengers within the vessel seemed to see the stars stretched into parallel lines when they made the 'jump' to hyperspace. The fact of the acceleration was also observable from outside the vessel, where a ship jumping to hyperspace would appear to undergo a sudden, massive burst of speed and disappear from the physical universe. When entering hyperspace, the starship left conventional existence, or realspace. This phenomenon, known as pseudomotion, occurred as the massive acceleration results in a motion which rendered conventional notions of velocity irrelevant. At hyperspeed, the entire universe is compacted into a blue-shaded 'tunnel' of high-speed blur, effectively cutting off the ship from the normal methods of scanning and detection.

Because hyperspatial navigation was difficult, routes often traveled were close to inhabited systems. In the event of a problem, the possibility of communicating with a nearby planet could be a great help in a difficult situation. Such problems were usually mistakes in calculating the coordinates or either not having very new data, such as of dead or newly-formed stars, included in old databases. Trying to find a ship that had re-entered realspace at the wrong location was a nearly impossible task, as the many who sought the legendary Katana Fleet learned. While generally determined by the distance between two planets, hyperspace travel times between two locations seemingly close to one another could be drastically extended by the need to navigate around stellar hazards, such as asteroid fields and nubulea. An example of this is the journey from Imperial Center and Alderaan. In terms of distance, Alderaan was very near to Imperial Center. However, it required sixteen hours of travel to reach Alderaan due to a section of the route crossing through a part of the largely-uncharted Deep Core which is star-choked and therefore more difficult to navigate in due to its many gravity wells. Ironically, then, it was actually faster to get from Tatooine to Alderaan on the other side of the galaxy. Even though in cases it takes days to travel these distances.

When moving at speeds many times the speed of light, there were many dangers. While any collision or interference at this state can be potentially fatal, the effects of gravitational pull on a starship could be particularly devastating, thus a course had to be plotted outside the 'mass shadow' or gravity well of large celestial bodies. This was exploited in many ways through the ages. Hyperspace courses were often plotted using a planet's mass as a backstop, with the hyperdrive's safety systems automatically stopping the ship as it reached the farthest point of possible travel. Gravity generators could be used to create an artificial interdiction field which stopped hyperspace travel in a particular area by mimicking the outer fringes of a celestial body's gravity, useful for both pulling ships out of hyperspace en route and preventing enemies from escaping to lightspeed during engagement. Less affluent groups, such as pirates, dragged large planetoids, as referred to as asteroids, into trade routes in lieu of the generator or starship method, providing them with both a means to stop shipping and a temporary base or shield against hostile fire. Black holes were a constant menace. At least a few vessels each year were destroyed by the several 'wandering' black holes in real space. Their near infinite gravity wells could be catastrophic to craft that passed too close. Outside the bounds of a vessel's shielding, hyperspace itself was a lethal environment to any realspace species. Being blown out of the airlock of a vessel while in hyperspace was a more effective way to kill an individual than exposing that individual to the vacuum of realspace. Even staring at hyperspace from the observation deck of a starship for a prolonged amount of time could produce 'hyper-rapture', a form of madness, in a being, or so the legends stated.

In the silent cockpit of the Lady's Phoenix, Leia stared at the swirling blue mass as she finished recalling the lengthy explanation that Talia had given her when explaining hyperspace to her. While traveling through hyperspace, most would retreat from the cockpit, leaving the handling of the starship to the vessel's autonomous computer to control and monitor the ship while they spent the time in passage in other ways. The crew of the Lady were no exception but Leia, from time to time, would remain in the cockpit to monitor the systems while trying to remember past memories. Such as this being one of those times as stretched her arms high over her head an yawned loudly. Glancing at her chronometer, she was astonished to see that so much had at past, wondering if she had fallen asleep at some point. With arrival in the Xorth system a mere few hours away she figured it would be pointless to head back to her bunk to catch a few more hours of rest so she decided instead to get herself ready for the new day. Rising from the pilot's chair, she made her way back to her small living berth and selected a clean outfit from the small selection that she maintain before heading to the refresher. Entering the main hold she saw Artoo situated by the recharging part and gave him a quick wave as he whistle a greeting towards her.

I haven't seen one act like that unless its known a person for a long time.

Juno's words echoed in her conscious thought as she made her way into the ship's refresher. She never gave it much thought to the way the small blue and white astromech droid had acted around her when she first got him, chalking it up to a developed personality caused by not having routine memory wipes. However since the droid took it upon itself to flee Javin after seeing the state that both her and Juno were in had actually made her start to wonder if by some small slim chance did this droid know her before she was enslaved to Jabba the Hutt. As strange as it sounded Leia gave some thought to purchasing a protocol droid for her to be able to ask Artoo, but decided against it since she didn't want to have her slim hope of finally learning who she was crushed. Pulling off her clothes, she paused for a moment to stare at her nude form in a small mirror and let out a sigh as she gazed at the beautiful splendor reflected through the smooth surface. 'Beauty can be a gift as well as a curse' she had once heard Talia saying to her and she couldn't agree more as she went to the small shower stall and walked inside. Turning on the powerful stream of recycled water, Leia sighed in bliss as the warm liquid wash over her beautiful body.

The naked girl washed her brown mane, which she had decided to grow out again and was already shoulder length, and lathered soap on her round, full breasts and tight stomach. After rinsing, Leia scrubbed her back with a brush and then lathered her right hand before rubbing it across her pussy. The effect was a electrifying as her whole body shudder as she felt her internal heat raising. Leaning against the shower wall, she vigorously cleaned her sweet cunt and then, without thinking, inserted a finger into her throbbing pussy and probed deeply inside. The Alderaani girl thrust her crotch onto her finger earnestly, then plunged a second digit into her tight love hole and explored her womanhood. She finger-fucked herself for several minutes as warm water washed over her heaving breast and slim body. She orgasm with a shuddering moan and spurted cum on her questing digits. Removing her fingers slowly from her cunt, she licked the sweet honey eagerly with her mouth and sigh in satisfaction.

"Enjoying yourself?" a voice suddenly asked.

Leia's eyes snapped open to see Juno standing in the refresher, arms folded across her chest, and smiling towards the embarrassed younger woman. "How long have you've been standing there?" inquired Leia.

Juno giggled as she started to remove her own clothing. "Long enough," she answered. "Mind if I get in there with you? I want some hot water as well before you use it all up."

"Be a guest," answered Leia, unsure of what else to say since she'd never been caught masturbating before. "I thought you were asleep?"

"I was," Juno replied as she stepped underneath the hot spray and swept back her wet blond locks away from her face, "but you probably never noticed on how loud you can be." She giggled again at seeing the startled expression on the younger woman's face. "Mind washing my back for me?"

Leia caught the older woman's wink and couldn't help but shake her head as she spread some soap on her hands and lathered them up before placing them on Juno's shoulders and began to move her hands in small circles, soaping up Juno’s shoulders, and around towards her back, all the way up near her neck. Leia smiled to herself as her hands ran over the blonde hair woman's shoulder blades and around the smooth skin of her neck. Juno stayed just as she was, perfectly content as the younger Alderaani girl soaped up her neck and shoulders, just adding to the already relaxing sensations. Leia gradually let her hands inch downwards, satisfied that there was nothing more to be done at Juno’s neck and shoulders. Keeping her hands centered at Juno’s back, Leia massaged the soap in more circles, bigger ones at first so she gave herself the opportunity to touch more of Juno’s smooth skin. Leia let her index finger run downwards, very slowly, along Juno's spine and then back up.

"Now the front," exclaimed Juno as she turned around with a smile.

"I thought you said you didn't like women?"

The older woman shrugged her shoulders. "I changed my mind," she said as Leia's fingertips were tracing under the swell of her breasts, touching her so suddenly and so gently that it actually made her gasp.

"So tell me, how good are you at making another woman feel fulfilled?" whispered Leia as she cupped Juno's form breast in her palms, feeling the weight of those two magnificent globes.

Juno’s toes and buttocks clenched as Leia’s soapy hands began to squeeze and caress her sensitive breasts. "Probably not as good as you are," she whispered back.

Leia could wait no longer, her lust for the other woman was so overwhelming that it spur her into further action. Rinsing her hands in the falling water, she cupped them together, to collect water and pour water on Juno’s lathered breasts, washing the soap away from them. Juno watched her friend bend her head, and then moan as she felt her wet tongue run over her stiff nipple, causing her head to spin. Leia closed her lips around Juno’s erect nipple and began to suck very gently as the older woman's eyes fluttered closed as she sucked breath into her lungs while her electric sensations shot up through her body, by way of her nipple, each time Leia sucked at her harden buds. Leia too had her eyes closed while she suckled at her companion's breast, running her tongue slowly across its very tip.

“Oh Leia!” Juno cried out.

Leia straightened back up and pressed her lips firmly against Juno’s, kissing her passionately within the steamy confines of the shower. Pushed back against the shower wall, Juno opened her mouth so that she could take in breath, but was immediately invaded by Leia’s probing tongue. Desperately Leia’s tongue sought out Juno’s, while the horny girl pressed her body hard against the older woman's. A jolt of delicious pleasure went straight to the core of Leia’s dripping vagina when Juno’s tongue made contact with hers and began a fight for domination against each other. They kissed passionately, wet body pressed against wet body as their tongues rolled over each other, teasing and exploring. Leia allowed a hand to roam freely over Juno’s body as their tongues mated, caressing the blonde's side, her breasts, running down her stomach and against her thighs, before darting between her legs. Juno jerked up against the Alderaani girl when she felt the hand make contact with her sex. Leia pressed back just further against the older woman while her hand cupped her mound, allowing one finger to run along her wet slit and finding the signs of Juno’s arousal there.

Leia’s small finger slid into Juno’s cunt with ease, for it was quite literally dripping with her juices. While Leia started to finger her, Juno maneuvered her left leg between the younger girl's leg and raised it up just slightly until her thigh rubbed against Leia's cunt, making her body jump with the sudden contact. Sliding her finger free, it rubbed against the small button of Juno’s clit, making the older woman’s hips jerk forward, seeking out more contact to her sensitive nub. With the thigh pressed firmly between her legs, Leia began to slide herself back and forth against Juno’s leg, moaning deep inside of her chest as she fucked her cunt against her companion's thigh, coating it with her slippery juices. Juno started to participate and take a bit of initiative herself, sliding her arm around her friend, pulling Leia's leg between her thighs and into contact with her needy pussy. She began, with Leia’s finger rubbing against her clit, to fuck herself against the girl's leg, just as Leia too rubbed herself against Juno’s leg. Throughout this, the two never broke their lustful kiss, their tongues just beginning to tire from non-stop movement against each other. Juno grinded herself down fast and hard against Leia’s thigh, so excited to be doing this that when Leia’s hand ran along her dripping slit, and just barely grazed her clit, her body seized up in the explosive throes of orgasm. Leia instinctively held on to Juno while her friend rode her thigh wildly and smiled as she felt the older woman's spurting nectar washing over her thighs.

Juno’s orgasm was by far one of the most powerful she had ever experienced, and when it finally ended her body rested limply against Leia. She held onto the blonde hair woman while she recovered, even as she bucked against her leg, trying to get the same release that Juno just had. Juno felt this and, as she started to regain her strength, worked her way out of her friend’s arms. Leia blinked, her mind clouded with lust as she thought she would be deprived of her orgasm. But Juno had no intention of that, as she put her hands on Leia’s thighs, pushing them apart. Leia spread her legs even further apart, not knowing what she was planning, even though the darkest part of her mind hoped that she knew. Juno dropped down to her knees and wasted no time with teasing or tormenting the younger woman, dipping her tongue into the moist folds of Leia’s pussy, licking at her young slit with an intensity that had Leia moaning constantly. Repeatedly Juno let her tongue trace over the entire length of Leia’s puffy slit, poking the tip out to tease at penetration, but never quite doing it.

Leia dropped both hands to the back of Juno’s head, running through her long brown hair, making sure that she didn’t even think of stopping. Maybe it was from accident, or maybe it was just inexperienced luck, but Juno’s tongue always licked at just the place Leia wished it would, almost immediately after she thought it, which worked Leia up to a frenzied state. Juno was like the perfect lover as her tongue poked her and caressed just the right place on her swollen pussy to drive Leia insane. It took Juno just one long, firm lick of Leia’s clit to send her friend spiraling into orgasm. Leia’s passionate scream of explosive climax echoed in the shower and the entire ship. Her young body convulsed and her hands pulled Juno’s head hard against her trembling body. As Leia’s pussy spasmed, inner muscles clenched then released and with it a complete torrent of hot, sweet girl cum in a steady flow of creamy pussy nectar. Juno opened her mouth wide and sucked at the girl's spasming cunt, drinking deeply from the river of pussy cream that flowed from her as she would a favorite drink. And from this moment, Leia’s cunt cream might just be her favorite drink of all, Juno thought.

The Alderaani's seemed to draw out her orgasm, much to Juno’s delight, who greedily and nosily sucked up as much of Leia’s juices as she could, swallowing it down eagerly. At last, Leia’s convulsions calmed, and her trembling subsided. Slowly regaining her senses, Leia stood there in the shower with her legs still spread while Juno took her time licking her cunt clean of all of its climatic release. When her companion finally stood up, Leia drew Juno to her, and kissed her passionately once more. Leia’s heart fluttered as she pushed her tongue into Juno’s mouth and tasted herself there under the cascading water of the shower.

Finally the moment past and Leia broke the embrace, much to Juno's regret. "You didn't do too bad for a beginner," comment Leia.

Juno grin as she pulled away from the younger woman. "This wasn't my first time, but I'm no pro as you are."

"Practice makes perfect," said Leia with a wink.

"So, maybe I should get a bit more practice in since we got time," stated Juno as she reached over and pulled the wet naked body of Leia back against hers. "What do you say?"

The younger woman didn't say a word before both of their attentions were drawn to a source of excited whistles and beeps. Just inside the refresher unit was Artoo with his special appendage arm extended rocking back on his support legs. Both women giggled to each other before moving wantonly from the shower towards the waiting droid.

**********

The Lady's Phoenix emerged from hyperspace and glided smoothly towards the major inhabited planet, Xorth III. Fulfilled and refreshed from exploring each other's inner most desires with the help of Artoo, both Leia and Juno sat relaxed in the cockpit as the Lady neared the lush blue and green orb hanging in the shrew of darkness before them. The console beep for attention as it registered three ancient Z-95 Headhunters coming from the world's surface on a intercept course with the approaching YT-1300 freighter.

"Incoming freighter, this is Xorth Defense Command, we have you on our scopes now, please identify yourself," chimed a mechanical voice through the cockpit's internal speakers.

"Freelance Freighter Lady's Phoenix, requesting permission to land. No manifested cargo," replied Leia calmly.

There was a moment of pause as the Z-95s flashed passed the Lady in a diamond formation. "Lady's Phoenix you are cleared to land on platform A-13. Welcome to Xorth," replied the mechanical voice just as the flight of starfighters flash passed the freighter to re-entered the planet's atmosphere.

"Damn fighter jocks," muttered Leia as she nosed the ship towards the planet's surface.

"Their formation was sloppy and not as clean and precise as it should be. Second raters that probably couldn't cut it or make it into the Academy," comment Juno.

Leia glance at the blonde co-pilot and asked, "I take it you were a fighter jock once?"

"A different life ago," replied Juno.

"I would've never had thought."

"Yay, well just like I never would've thought of getting private lessons on how to love another woman from a former Hutt sex slave either."

"I didn't hear you complaining," added Leia as she playfully smacked Juno's shoulder. "It was more like 'Oh, oh Leia, don't stop. Oh that's it, lick my pussy'."

"Shut the frack up and pay attention to flying this crate," said Juno but couldn't help the smile that form on her face from the not so distant memory.

Leia added her own laughter as she slowed the Lady's forward velocity as the spaceport appeared below them. The young Alderaani pilot landed her vessel without incident, and then inhaled the sweet air of the planet as she and Juno stepped off the boarding ramp of the freighter. Artoo bleeped at her from the top of the ramp and she quickly turned to address him.

"No. You stay here, Artoo, and guard the ship. If we get into any trouble, haul jets to get us. Okay?"

Artoo didn't seem to like that as he moaned whiningly before disappearing into the ship and the ramp screeched loudly back into the hull. After looking over the exterior of the ship quickly, the two human females walked resolutely off the landing pad and into the brightly lit capital of Xorth III. They found Tamas Ploro's auction house fairly easily enough since it was one of largest buildings in the city's business center district. Having to surrender their weapons at a security checkpoint that was established just inside the main entrance, they were then escorted to Ploro's private office by four guards. Entering the private chamber, Juno whistled as their eyes befell on the full scope of the office's grandeur.

"Well this is a surprise for sure," announced a pink skinned Devaronian as he stood up from an equally lavished desk and made his way around towards Leia and Juno. "Never would I thought that two smugglers would appreciate the fine artistic items that wealth can buy besides a fast ship and a good blaster. Then again, beautiful women always have an eye for art." Nearing them, he held out his hand and Leia deposited the datapad that she'd gotten from Banu into his waiting palm. A quick glance was enough for the Devish to wave his hand towards the guards. "Thank you, gentlemen. You my wait outside."

When the guards had departed, he spread his arms wide and announced, "First and foremost, welcome to Ploro's House of Ancient Antiques. As you might've already concluded, I am Tamas Ploro. And to whom might I be speaking too?"

"Leia and this is my partner, Juno," replied Leia.

"A pleasure to meet both of you," he said as he took and kiss both of their outstretched hands. "Please, accept my pristine apology for having to endure that nauseating embarrassment that gave you that letter of recommendation."

"Just a suggestion but I think you would be much better off by un-associating yourself with him," comment Leia.

Ploro nodded his head in agreement. "I've thought that many times as well, but one can only work with the assets at his disposal. But enough of small talk, on to business. As you know I'm in need of a fast ship to pick up a shipment of mine and delivery it to my auction house."

"The Lady is fast, but I'm a bit perplexed on why you need to hire us when, judging from this room, you could buy a whole interstellar shipping company without a second glance to the price?"

Leia's question seemed to have stunned the Devaronian for a moment before she flashed a razor-sharp toothy smile at them. "Now I found myself most...intrigued by you. So much that I'll answer your question. The merchandise that I need you to get is extremely valuable, it's artifacts are almost priceless these days. However they were highly illegal to own or even to possess."

"Jedi artifacts," said Juno.

Now Ploro was even more surprised as his grin grew even more. "Now I'm impressed. Smugglers who know a thing or two about history and Imperial Special Decrees. Yes, the artifacts in questions are from the now extinct Jedi Order."

"I'm surprised your even willing to take a risk. Just being caught with them is enough to warrant a visit by an Imperial Inquisitor," stated Juno. "Also auctioning them off isn't the smartest thing to do either."

"That is why the House of Ancient Antiques is a high-end, membership only. We take great pride in offering high end items to only the most serious of collectors. And Jedi Order artifacts tops their want lists. But, as you stated, I can't just have them shipped normally, it would be foolhardy, not to mention a unwise mortal decision on my part. That is why I need a cunning crew and a fast ship to operate outside the legal framework."

Both Leia and Juno looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and looked back at Ploro. "Well that adds risk to our part of the venture. How much?"

"Forty Thousand, please an extra fifteen if you can get them back here by the end of the week."

Now it was Leia's turn to be surprised. "Fifty-five, huh?" The Devaronian nodded which sealed the deal. "Okay you got yourself a ship. Where's the cargo?"

An hour later and full of details, Leia and Juno rode back to the Platform A-13 in one of Ploro's personal landspeeders. Leia was giddy with excitement as she bounced up the boarding ramp to the cockpit to get the Lady ready for departure while Juno, on the other hand, stalk back up into the ship and didn't utter a word as the Lady lifted off and shot into the sky above. Once cleared of the planet's gravity well and with the coordinates programmed in, she pulled back on the levels and the Lady accelerated back into hyperspace.

"And we're on our way to getting an easy fifty-five thousand," stated Leia as she leaned back in her chair. "What's the matter, Juno, thought you'd be excited to be finally making some credits?"

"Yeah, I guess," Juno said softly.

"What's wrong?" asked Leia, suddenly growing concerned. "You haven't said more than a few sentences since leaving Ploro's place."

Juno let out a sigh as she turned to face the younger woman. "You know anything about the Jedi?" Leia shook her head and Juno explained, "It was noble and great order, servants and sworn protectors of the Old Republic. Official history states that at the end of the Clone Wars they attempted to usurp then Chancellor Palpatine and take over the Republic but were defeated by Grand Army of the Republic and Darth Vader, who was a member of the order who saw the errors of their ways and sided with Palpatine to bring the Jedi to justice. The thing is it was nothing more than a lie, a farce to turn the people against the Jedi."

"What happened?" asked Leia, finding herself intrigued by the story.

"Those that survived the purge were hunted down and killed by agents of Emperor Palpatine. I knew one of them and he was very good at what he did until he was betrayed by those that oversaw him and learned the errors of his ways. He turned against those that controlled him and in the end he died bringing a glimmer of hope to the galaxy. He was a Jedi and it was then that I learned the truth of everything."

"So what has that got to do with this job?"

"These items once belonged to Jedi, living breathing beings, that were murdered by the Empire. I guess to me it feels like I'm robbing them from their grave. How would you feel knowing that people were taking items from the Alderaan Debris Field and selling them as collector items?"

Since I don't remember anything of that planet I don't care, Leia wanted to say but choke back on her reply and instead said, "Yeah, I guess it would upset me a bit."

"Now do you see where I'm coming from? I'm not saying let's forget this whole job and find something else, we can't, but I don't have to like it anymore than you do."

"Fair enough," answered Leia. "Okay, I'll make a deal with yea. We do this run and on future ones if one of us don't like the details or the circumstances surrounding it we walk away. Deal?

Juno nodded her head and said, "Deal."

**********

The Lady's Phoenix hurdled out of lightspeed, its ion engine banks flaring to their distinctive bluish white hue as the ship lurched towards the brownish tone colored orb that hung amongst the dark folds of space. Iseno, nestled between the Corellian Run and Hydian Way hyperspace routes in the Denon Sector of the Inner Rim Territories, had a strong military tradition and maintained a large army mostly used for ornamental honor guard purposes. Its senator, Ronet Coorr, was a strong supporter of the Military Creation Act before the onset of the Clone Wars and was spared from some of the heaviest fighting due to its sizable navy. When the Empire was established, most of Iseno's military was annexed into the growing Imperial Navy and Army. Firmly in control of loyalist forces, it was now a staging point of Imperial units and ships moving towards Rim ward from the Core worlds.

The heavily modified freighter cut a gently path through the planet’s atmosphere, ducking between the various snow capped mountains before landing at Khalis Spaceport. Shutting down the Lady’s various systems, Juno noticed Leia was gazing out the cockpit’s viewports at the blowing sands that covered the landing pad and towards the sprawling snow cap mountains that rose amongst the horizon line behind the urban center that lay just beyond the port’s perimeter fence line.

Feeling the older woman’s eyes on her, she turned sheepishly around. “Can you believe this? Beautiful snow-capped mountains there and crappy desert here. I never told you but I hate the desert.”

Juno smirked as she flicked the last switch on the instrument panel. “You can play in it later if you want, too.”

“Funny as a pet rancor,” replied Leia as she rose from her chair.

Leaving Artoo in care of the ship, Leia and Juno made their way through the sand swept urban sprawl. Border World was about a good ten kilometer walk from the spaceport on the south side of Khalis. It could’ve been mistaken for a planetarium on any other world if it wasn’t nestled next to a stack of warehouses that lined either side of it. Very convenient, Leia thought as the pair made their way to the entrance. As Leia and Juno entered the establishment, the jaw of the Alderanni’s mouth dropped slightly opened as she marveled at the sight that greeted them. The doorway opened on a tall and wide set of stairs leading down into a round pit floor. A circular bar dominated the center, with concentric rings of round and curved tables spreading out around it. All around the walls and hanging from the ceiling were platforms and cages in which scantily-clad dancers undulated to the music. The band played on a stage directly opposite the stairs, and the area in front of their stage had been cleared for patrons to dance.

Leia led the way down to the floor and halfway around the left, getting curious stares from various patrons as they went. In the centermost of the table rings they found a small space where they could stand. Juno moved around so she faced away from the bar, and Leia stood facing her, allowing them to cover the entire cantina. They punched in their drink orders on a small data pad brought to them by a Theelin dancer. Seeing the woman suddenly remained Leia of someone that she once knew but the name escape her at the moment. She closed her eyes, putting the thought to the side for the moment. Soon, the Theelin dancer returned to them with two tumblers of Elba Beer, which they left untouched on the table.

“There he is,” exclaimed Juno.

Following her outstretched finger, Leia fixated her gaze on a pudgy Toydarian. With leathery slap of his wings, the long-snot winged creature crossed the distance between the two of them, landing on the edge of their table. “I was beginning to wonder if Ploro would ever find someone. I've been sitting on those damn crates for the better half of a planetary month. And do you know how long a damn month is here?”

“I take it your Kobbu,” replied Leia.

The Toydarian laughed. “Well, someone buy the Holovid model a drink for showing off some fracking common sense. Jeez girlie, you might be beauty but you aren't too bright aren't yea?”

He let out a gasp as Leia's hand shot out across the table and grabbed the Toydarian's floppy trunk and gave it a sharp yank downwards. “I might be beauty but I sure ain't stupid. Keep the sarcastic comments to yourself or we're going to have issues, Hose Nose!”

She gave the trunk one finally yank before releasing her grip. The Toydarian fluttered his wings angrily as he rubbed his sore appendage. "Jeez, make a comment and get butchered for it."

"You're lucky she didn't fry you instead," said Juno. "Now what's the cargo?"

“Standard cargo plasicrates, a dozen of them,” he replied, sliding a data pad across the table. "Here. Fake manifest that'll put well to almost all scrutiny."

Leia took the data pad and made it disappear into her vest. “Where’s the pick-up?”

“The warehouse next door. We’ve already got them loaded onto a cargo skiff. All you’ve got to do is verify the contents and transport them back to the spaceport,” said Kobbu.

Juno motioned towards the entranceway. “After you.”

They followed the fluttering Toydarian to the warehouse that flanked the right side of the Border World. Keying the door opened, he waved for them to enter. The interior was dusty with the scent of mildew in the air as Leia took in the surroundings. No visible guards or security droids, the lights were dim to their lowest illumination settings, and the widows were covered up.

Juno shifted uncomfortable as Leia felt a slight tingle on her neck. Something wasn’t quite right here. She glanced at Kobbu, only to see him fluttering only a few feet away and looking totally perplexed by their hesitation.

"What?" he asked. The he raised his hands. "Hey, it wasn't me that you're smelling."

Juno gave the Toydarian a repugnant look and shook her head in disgust. Making their way to the middle of the warehouse, Leia saw a cargo skiff loaded down with plasicrates just as Kobbu had described. With Juno watching her back and keeping an eye on Kobbu, Leia boarded the skiff and popped off one of the crate's lids to reveal that it was filled with plush animals. She couldn't help but smile as she turned one of the toys around and sliced a small opening with a vibro-knife. Pulling the soft corner apart through the white stuffing she could make out a metallic cylinder shape object. Nodding in approval, she buried the damaged toy towards the bottom before securing the lid.

"Okay, we'll take it from here," Leia said as all of a sudden the tingling sensation grew in intensity. "Juno, get down!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the doors on two sides of the warehouse suddenly blew inward as Leia found herself being hurdled off her feet and then slammed violently onto the deck. Stars exploded in her vision as her head slammed to the metal deck plating of the skiff, causing her to grimace in pain as she rolled over onto her side. Darkness threaten to overtake her as it crept into the edges of her vision as she felt nausea as she came up onto her wobbling knees, shaking her head to clear her vision. Where a wall had been a moment before was nothing more than a gaping hole to the outside that allowed entrance to a stream of white-clad armored figures that poured into the interior of the warehouse.

It took her a brief moment to recognize them as Imperial stormtroopers.

Grimacing in pain as she rose to her unsteady feet, shaking her head as the world around her seemed to spin, she withdraw her blaster from her holster and took aim at the nearest exposed white trooper. The blue plasma beam slammed into the trooper's upper blaster damping cocoon armor chest plate, sending him spiraling backwards into a stack of shipping crates. By dispatching one Imperial soldier her reward was a barrage of angry scarlet hue beams of coherent light. Ducking behind a crate as blaster bolts whizzed up, she saw Juno running across the warehouse floor and flung herself up onto the skiff.

"Easy run, you said," said Juno as she fired off a few shots from her blaster.

"Well how would I have known the Imps have been tipped off about? Where is that no good, lousy Toydarian?"

"It wasn't me," cried Kobbu who had taken cover between two of the crates.

"I can't hold them off forever," cried Juno as she ducked back behind the crate. "Now what?"

"Can you fly this thing?" asked Leia.

Juno glanced towards the exposed control pedestal and then back to Leia. "As long as I don't get my ass blasted off then yeah."

"Give me your spare blaster," said Leia. Juno forked over her smaller blaster and Leia tossed it to the cowering Kobbu. "You better know how to use one of these."

Catching the weapon, the Toydarian snorted. "What, do you think I was born yesterday?"

"Go on three."

Counting down, when she reached one all three of them exposed themselves and fired at the nearest stormtroopers, hitting a few but it was enough to allow Juno to reach the skiff's control pedestal. Flinching as blaster bolts flew passed her, some a bit too close for comfort, Juno's hands flew across the control panel, activating the skiff's repulsor coils. She didn't wait for the craft to raise high enough for its steering vanes to clear the top of various stacks of crates before she activated the main thrusters. Leia let out a yelp as the sudden acceleration caused her to lose her balance as the skiff rocked forward, the meter long steering vanes smashing into everything below as the craft raced across the warehouse and out through one of the gaping holes.

Coming back to her feet, Leia had to hold onto the safety railing as she glanced back and couldn't believe her eyes at seeing the amount of Imperials that had encircled the warehouse. It easily had to be a full company strength of stormtroopers and various planetary enforcement personnel. Then she caught three repulsorcars dropping down from overhead. She cried out a warning and Juno juke the skiff as Leia and Kobbu fired wildly at the descending patrol cars but their weapons had little to no effect on their armored hulls. They both came to a hover above and the doors opened to reveal more stormtroopers. Seeing what was about to happen, Juno activated the emergency override system that deactivated the main thrusters and used the craft repulsor coils to redirect their energy forward thus putting the craft into a sudden deceleration. Leia cried out as she was pitched forward by the sudden maneuver, knocking over one of the few plasicrates that remain on the skiff. But it also caused a majority of the stormtroopers jumping down from the overhead patrol crafts to miss landing on the skiff minus one. Seeing the new threat, Leia jumped to her feet and tackled the armor clad Imperial trooper as he took aim at Juno with his blaster.

Without thinking she threw a punch to the trooper's helmet and cried out in pain as her fist connected with the plastoid-composite armor. The trooper was quick to respond with his own, catching Leia squarely across her jaw that caused her to be thrown off the trooper. Recovering quickly, Leia jumped to her feet and blocked a follow up blow and landed a knee to his midsection with the same results as her ill advised punch. She was just throwing up her arms to block a follow up melee attack when she went flying backwards as the skiff suddenly accelerated forward and jerked violently to the right propelling Leia up against the railing. Once against the railing she glanced around the deck to find the stormtrooper but he'd vanished. Figuring that he'd been thrown overboard by the sudden evasive maneuver, Leia turned her attention towards the skylanes for another more patrol craft. Spotting three, she pointed in their direction in warning when she felt something grab her ankle and then the whole world was blur of turning upside down as went over the side of the skiff's railing. Her hands flung about wildly trying to grasp anything when they impacted against something solid and she clung to it for dare life.

Finding that she managed to grab the edge of the skiff's decking with her fingertips, she readjusted her hold to one of the metal safety railing supports and was about to heave herself up when she cried out in pain as something hard slammed up against her coiled hands. Glancing up she saw the same stormtrooper she was fighting on the other side of the railing trying to kick her grasp free to plunge her to her death. Leia cried out in aguish when his armored boot slammed down onto her hands again but was unable to deliver another blow as Kobbu flung himself onto his back. It was enough of a distraction for Leia to pull herself back onto the skiff and threw herself back into the fight. She ignored the pain as her fist connected underneath the trooper's chin, propelling the trooper backwards but not down. Grabbing Kobbu, he pulled the Toydarian over his shoulder and thinking that he was going to toss him over the side Leia rushed towards him to prevent it. But instead the trooper threw the flapping Toydarian at Leia, knocking her backwards and back over the spilled crate.

Crying out in pain, Leia started to get up when her vision exploded again as the trooper's boot connected against the her head, laying her flat on the deck. Then her hand came up against something metal and thinking it was her blaster as last time rolled to her back and aimed upwards towards the trooper with a snap hissing sound. She didn't know who was more shocked at the sight that she saw, her or the trooper, as she started at the weapon that was in her hand. It wasn't a blaster as she thought, but one of those cylinder-shaped metal tubes she saw concealed in the plush toys. And emitting from the end was a beam of aqua plasma. She didn't hesitate as the trooper did at seeing the spectacle and swung the blade of light at him. She didn't know if she hit him, but she heard a muffled scream and the Imperial stormtrooper went down to the deck and remain there. Breathing heavily, she stared at the strange device in her hands and jerked when the blade suddenly retreated and disappeared back into the tube or hilt.

"Are you alright?" cried Juno.

"I'm hurting like hell," answered Kobbu.

"I wasn't asking you, Foghorn," chided Juno.

Leia waved her hand as she dropped the cylinder device into one of her trouser's packets. "Just got the wind knocked out of me."

"Hang on, we're almost there," Juno called out.

Raising to her feet, she saw the spaceport in the far distance approaching as the skiff sped towards it. Taking a moment, she glanced around the deck of the skiff and sigh at seeing only a few of the plush toys remaining on the deck of the skiff. Sighing, she yelled at Kobbu to grab them hoping that the trip wouldn't be an entire waste as the skiff slew to halt next to the Lady. Running up the boarding ramp, Leia tossed her armful of toys onto the deck as she raced with Juno up to the cockpit. Artoo beeped urgently as Leia threw herself into the co-pilot seat since Juno had already beat her to the pilot's chair.

"I know, I know," shouted Leia as her hands danced over the controls as she angled the deflector shields and began charging the quad turrets. "Fighters coming in."

"Oh this day is complete," answered Juno as she piloted the Lady skyward. "Looks like we're out of fifty-five thousand."

"Screw the money, I'll be happy just to make it away from this planet in one piece. Kobbu, get your flapping ass to a gun turret," Leia shouted as she jumped out her seat and raced for the gun wells.

**********

The cockpit was silent except for the occasional beep from a instrument panel or the dull thrumming sound of the engine banks. Sitting in the navigator chair, Leia stared down at a set of metal cylinders on her lap. Out of all the remaining plush toys they managed to retrieve only three more contain metal cylinders making their haul a whopping four Jedi artifacts. Picking the one up that she'd used to kill the stubborn Imperial Stormtrooper on the skiff, she gazed down at it as she rotated it in her hands. Finding the switch that she thought was the trigger, she kept her finger clear of it since she didn't want any unfortunate accidents in the cramp confines of the ship's cockpit. She couldn't help but admire the smooth rounded edges and the sleek craftsmanship of the elegant weapon. Hearing boot falls behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Juno coming up the connecting corridor.

"Well our lovely passenger is all comfortable for the time being," muttered Juno as she slid into the chair opposite Leia. "What a day, huh?"

Leia nodded. "Yeah. Not what I had exactly in mind when I woke up from this same exact spot early."

"Hey at least we made it," added Juno.

Made it they did having to fly through a gauntlet of fighters and a few frigates to clear enough from the planet's gravity well to make the jump to lightspeed. At least damage was minimal and nothing that they couldn't repair or spend a fortune to replace. Well almost everything since they were out fifty-five thousand credits.

Juno eyed the cylinders in Leia's lap and hands and asked, "So what are you going to do with those?"

"Honestly, I don't know," replied Leia. "Weird things these are. What did you say they were again?"

"Lightsabers," replied Juno. "Each Jedi had to construct one themselves from what I was told. None were identical." Leia nodded but said nothing as she turned the one in her hands over, playing with it almost. "Be careful. The blades on those are pure energy and will cut through almost anything."

"Talk about a handy door opener," Leia comment with a giggle. She then sighed as she pick the lightsabers up and placed them on the pilot's chair in front of her. "We're already screwed out of the credits from Ploro so no point in worrying about trying to cash in on those now."

That seemed to brighten up Juno. "So I take it we're not headed Core ward?"

"Nope. Back to the Mid and Outer Rims where the credits are."

"I'm sure that won't sit well with Kobbu."

"He should be thankful that we're not charging his laser beak ass for passage." That got a chuckle from Juno. "We'll drop him off the next time we go planetside."

"The sooner the better, it's going to take a few weeks to air out the Lady from his stench." The blonde woman then became serious as she eyed the various lightsabers. "You know you're doing the right thing by not selling them."

Leia sighed as she leaned back into her chair. "After everything we went through to get those damn things it'd be a shame to just let them go."

Juno nodded in agreement before grinning towards Leia. "So are you a bit too sore to get in a little bit of practice."

"You're the one who is going to be practicing. All I'm going to do is lay there and enjoy myself," stated Leia with a smile.

"Well," Juno said, rising from her seat and taking Leia by a hand, "we can't do anything up here."

"Lead the way," Leia replied as she allowed herself to be back down the corridor towards the crew quarters.

**********

Wincing back from the sudden pain that assaulted the tender iris in her eyes, Mara closed her eyes, bringing her shackled arms to block the reddish glare. The smell of her last bacta treatment still reek from her flesh. Having been delivered to the Dlirit Family by the Mandalorian bounty hunters, the Thyferrian bacta cartel family took great pleasure in torturing her mercilessly everyday for the last four months. They would bring her to the brink of death, stop and allow her to heal before beginning the procedure all over again. Her life had become nothing but pain and recovery.

But after the last session, she woke up and found herself alone on a prisoner transport. Now, having arrived at the destination, Mara wondered where in the galaxy was she. Hearing footsteps, she risked a glance to see a pair of Weequays dressed in guard uniforms and brandishing force pikes entering the hold. Behind them came a human male. He smirked at her as he look down at the datapad he was carrying.

“Prisoner THX-411/A213. Name: Mara, no known last name and too many alias to mention. Welcome to Deling City,” he announced.

Mara felt a twinge of disbelief at hearing the name of the location she was at as the Weequays grabbed her and removed the stun cuff from her wrist. Deling City, also known throughout the galaxy simply as ‘The Black Hole’ was a penal colony established below the surface of the dead world of Agon Nine that housed the galaxy’s worst and most notorious criminals as well as enemies of the Empire. The entrance was the deepest the guards went unless they had to retrieve a prisoner or to have some fun below, leaving the prison to be ruled over by the inmates themselves.

It had been said that no one had ever escaped from Deling City.

But even from all the stories that she heard nothing could prepare her for the reality of the prison. Within the first few hours she found herself fighting for her life, not to mention her own body. The supply of female inmates appeared to vary in species but were used as a form of currency amongst the general population, thus whenever a new female detainee came in the rival gangs attempted to lay claim on them before the other could. Of course Mara had no intention of becoming a sex slave again for the enjoyment of others. Some fights she won and drove her attackers away. Others she lost and suffered at the hands of the victors. If it wasn’t for her skills in Force Manipulation she would’ve ended up in the service of some gang’s brothels by now.

And so it went for weeks on end.

Then one day, two guards appeared by her cell. “Come with us,” the burly human guard announced.

Mara glared at them, dropping into a ready stance. “You’ll get more than you want if you require from me what I think you want.”

“We don’t touch sluts that have been violated by these filth. Now,” he said motioning with his force pike, “you want to do this the hard way or the easy way?”

Sighing, Mara followed the guards as they escorted into a section of the prison that not even the prisoners ventured. She heard inmates talking that some sort of creature that killed all those who entered that section of the prison resided within the dark depths. The guards halted and pointed for Mara to enter.

“What’s in there?” she asked.

The guard looked a bit nervous as he said, “Go find out for yourself.”

Mara glanced down the darken, stone corridor. She could feel the presence of the dark side radiating from within. She held out her hand, “Give me one of those.”

“The warden just said to take you here and make sure you went in. He didn’t say anything about giving you a weapon.” He leveled his force pike at her back. “Now git.”

She took one last look at the guards, wondering if she could overpower both of them but decided against it. She didn’t need the guards’ fury to be directed at her for she had enough of enemies to worry about. Taking a deep, she started down the corridor. She went about a klick before she turned a bend and saw a light at the end of a giant cavern that appeared to be the origin of the dark presence she'd felt. Walking across the darkness, she entered the dimly light cave. In the corner sat a hunched over figure wearing a black outfit. Stepping closer, Mara could feel the power radiating off the sitting form. Suddenly, the figure formed slowly lifted its head and Mara felt her blood go cold. The form was a humanoid woman, her skin was almost bleach white and the top of her head was devoid of any hair. Black circles covered the area around her eyes, tattooed or natural she couldn’t be sure of. Twelve marks were etched into her skin; six on either side with four beginning just above either eyebrow and running in a wave pattern that ended on the top of the crown of the skull while two others ran down her jawbone.

Even after all this time, Asajj Ventress still appeared the way she did when last seen during the last few months of the Clone Wars. Mara had been told about her in great detail from her master during her studies while training to become his Hand. A very skilled dark side adept that served her master and Count Dooku, she was a lower echelon Sith compared to the other fallen Jedi that had joined the ranks of the dark side during the war that was always anxious to climb higher. She even tried unsuccessfully to seduce Lord Tyranus and even had her way with the likes of the Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. She had disappeared into the Outer Rims after learning she and Dooku were nothing more than expandable pawns to be use and discarded in the grand scheme of her master.

How long had she been on this forsaken hell hole was anyone’s guess, probably a long time Mara figured to have lasted as long from the eyes of Imperial Inquisitors and agents. Asajj’s dark eyes fixated themselves upon Mara, who shifted uncomfortable. The dark side was pouring off of the woman that it stifled her own Force senses.

Finally, the former dark side assassin spoke, her voice making a hissing sound as words came out of her orifice. “The Force I sense in this one. Skilled and powerful, yet her potential has been untapped. A deep, burning hatred I can see in your emerald eyes.” Then her eyes narrowed. “But the stench of Sidious flows off of you like the decay of a Sarlacc.”

Mara felt her hatred raising as her palms clenched together. “My master was a great Sith Lord that ruled over the galaxy.”

Asajj laughed in a horse whisper. “Great, you say? Treacherous and deceitful, he was as a true Sith should be, yet unable to solidify loyalty from his apprentices that he should have. And in the end, it cost him his life.”

“Vader! How could you have possible-”

“Known?” finished Asajj. She smiled at Mara. “I see a great deal that Sidious could never have foresaw. When I fled Sidious, I tried to bring Dooku with me. But he was too corrupted and blinded to Sidious’ lies to listen, so I left him to his fate. I spent many of years traveling known and unknown space, searching for the power which I could use against Sidious and seek my revenge. It was in unknown space by a forgotten system that I found what I was seeking.”

From the folds of her tattered clothing she withdrew a crimson color pyramid device. Mara felt her jaw drop and her excitement rising at the sight of the Sith Holocron.

“This is the holocron of the famous Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan.”

“My master scoured the galaxy for that holocron.”

“As any Sith Lord should have. The secrets contain within were lost when Malak betrayed Revan and when he was destroyed aboard the Star Forge.” Again she smiled at the redhead before her. “Found it was by me and not Sidious. After five long years of studying the knowledge within I was ready to exact my revenge.” Then she shook her head. “But it was not to be. I was prepared to fight Sidious, but not his apprentice.

“Sidious watched me and Vader duel, laughing the entire time. I tried to warn Vader during our bout that he would be betrayed by his master when he tired of him or found a more powerful Force user to take on as his apprentice. And that mechanical monstrosity that served Sidious said ‘he knew’. Even with the power I learned from Darth Revan’s holocron I couldn’t defeat both Vader and Sidious together, so once again I fled and hid in the shadows of the galaxy's darkness corner where I could bid my time and await for one to be worthy of becoming my apprentice.”

She eyed Mara then. “Are you worthy of being my apprentice, young one?”

Mara felt her heart hammering in her chest. The Force, through its mystical currents, had brought her here to gain the knowledge and power that she needed to fulfill the Emperor’s last command. And how ironic would it be to learn the power from someone who both hated and despise both of them.

“I am!”

The air shifted around Asajj as the white skin Sith assassin rose from her chair without physical effort. A slab of rock from one corner of the cave shook and moved to the side as two cylindrical objects flashed through the new opening. A twitch of the Force brought one of the objects to her hand with invisible speed, its brilliant scarlet blade angled downward at her side as the other landed by Mara’s feet.

Calling the weapon her hand, Mara regarded Asajj with impregnable calm. Asajj lifted her blade in the Makashi salute that Dooku had taught her so long ago before sweeping it again to a low guard. Mara launched herself over her opponent and landed at her back to strike, but Asajj half turned, gesturing casually with a hand. The chair that she had been sitting on a moment prior leapt up and whirled toward Mara’s head. She slashed it in half contemptuously, but a second that she didn’t see caught her across her knees and a third battered her shoulder and knocked her down.

She cursed silently to herself and reached through the Force to pick up some of the cave’s furniture of her own when the bunk itself slammed into her and drove her back to crush her against the rock wall of the cave. Her lightsaber came loose from her slackening finger and clattered across the mattress to drop to the floor on the far side.

And Asajj barely even seemed to be paying attention to her. “How pathetic,” she hissed. “Sidious would be ashamed of your performance.”

“Don’t think to presume to know what my master might’ve said,” growled Mara.

Asajj felt the Force whirl around the redhead woman and the bunk flew away from the wall and sent it hurtling toward the white skin Sith with astonishing speed. She barely managed to leap to the side and roll to avoid the missile as it slammed into the wall. Calling her weapon to her hand, she lunged at Asajj, who brought her own blade up to parry. She leaned into a thrust at Mara’s gut that the former Emperor’s Hand deflected with a rising parry, bringing them chest-to-chest, blades flaring, locked together a handbreadth from each other’s throats.

The Sith assassin broke the embrace, slipping aside from a follow-up overhead chop and sprang backward. “I sense great fear in you. You are consumed by your failures to appease your former master.”

She pointed her lightsaber at the young woman like an accusing finger. “Sidious would have betrayed you as he betrayed all others like us. We are sisters, you and I, bound by his treachery.”

Mara leapt for her again, and this time Asajj met the woman’s charge easily. They stood nearly toe-to-to, blades flashing faster than the eye could see, but Mara couldn’t seem to focus: a simple taunt was all that had been required to shift the focus of her attention from winning the fight to defending the name of her former master. Time to end this.

Asajj raised her left arm negligently and an invisible force smashed into Mara, hurling her against the far wall. Mara grunted where she lay pinned to the wall, the lightsaber she held falling from her fingers. Calling the other weapon to her other hand, Asajj lowered her arm and Mara slid to the floor, her body twitching with pain. Walking over, she used the Force to bring the defeated woman back onto her feet.

She smiled coldly as she stroke her face with her cool, graceful fingers. “Such a futile attempt, so naive,” murmured Asajj, her fingertips caressing Mara's lips, her throat.
“So kill me and be done with it if I’m not worthy,” growled Mara, her heart thumping, her breasts rising and falling quickly.

Her nostrils twitched as she took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the Mara’s fear that reek off of her. “I can feel your anger. It gives you power and focus.” She moved closer to Mara and wrapped her left arm around Mara’s waist. “Let me show you the true power of the Sith.”

A weak moan of protest escaped Mara’s lips when Asajj kissed her, hard and full of lust. She reached up and jerked back on Mara’s raven mane, making the woman grimace while the Sith assassin grasped her ass and squeezed sharply.

“Release yourself to me; body, mind, and spirit.”

Mara listened, relaxing her body and mind’s state as Asajj lowered her onto the thick mattress of the bunk that she summoned over to them, straddling the raven mane woman with her own lithe body. Asajj opened Mara’s blue prisoner tunic, slid her cool hands beneath the fabric to fondle Mara’s tits. She gasped softly, Aasjj’s touch pleasant against her skin as agile fingers stroked her nipples to stiffness. She kissed Mara, licked the woman’s lips, then nibbled on her slender neck. Mara panted, her lips shivering, her skin flushing with excitement.

Asajj tugged down Mara’s black trousers and left them around the redhead woman’s
knees while she pressed her right hand between her thighs, caressing the smooth, white flesh
before advancing to Mara’s warming pussy.

“I can smell your lust, it excites me,” purred Asajj into Mara’s left ear before she sucked
lightly on the tender lobe.

Mara bit her lower lip to stifle her groan of pleasure. She felt Asajj’s fingers massaging her cunt, gently caressing her swelling labia. When the Sith kissed Mara again, she succumbed to her body, opening her mouth and slipping her tongue past Asajj’s lips, flicking it against the Sith’s. Asajj rubbed her crotch over Mara’s, using both hands to open her black outfit.. Hands quivering, Mara reached up to cup Asajj’s full tits, the flesh silky and hot. The Sith woman lowered her left breast onto Mara’s small mouth, moaning in bliss when Mara placed the woman’s nipple between her lips and sucked sharply.

The former Emperor’s hand caressed Asajj’s dark nipple with her tongue, moistening it with her saliva. Asajj’s tit pressed over Mara’s lovely face, warming the woman’s flushed cheeks. Lowering her right breast onto redhead’s open mouth, Asajj stroked the woman’s pussy faster, slender fingers massaging the opening of Mara’s cunt. She moaned against the Sith woman’s tit, sucking deeply, drool sliding down her chin as her crotch burned with ecstasy, her legs trembling while honey slipped down between her firm buttocks.

Asajj took her weight off of Mara to roll her onto her belly. The Sith slid down to Mara’s tight ass, running her hands over the woman’s creamy buttocks. Mara bit her lip as Asajj shoved her face between her ass cheeks, her tongue brushing up and down her wet cunt. She moaned loudly, her fingernails digging into the fabric of the mattress while her hips jerked, her ass bobbing up and down as Asajj slurped upon her pussy, drinking the stream of juices flowing from Mara’ clenching vagina.

The Sith licked around Mara’s asshole as she thrust two long fingers into the redhead’s glistening slit. Mara groaned, opening her legs wider for her new master, honey sliding over Asajj’s digits while she pumped them deep into her apprentice’s warm cunt as the raven mane woman’s vagina sucking hungrily upon them. She probed Mara’s sphincter with a long tongue, writhed it inside the warm hole of Mara’s rectum. Mara shivered with delight as the pale skin Sith pushed deeper into her anus, her tongue slick and writhing. Asajj’s fingers continued to work, slipping in and out of Mara’s pussy, spraying musky vaginal juices onto the mattress and over Mara’s bare thighs. Asajj removed her tongue from younger woman’s asshole and placed it inside the her pussy. Mara groaned weakly, her body gleaming with sweat, her red hair plastered to her alluring face as her master devoured her cunt, licking her clit until she thought her pussy would melt.

Asajj rolled her limp apprenticed onto her back, squatted, and moved her crotch to present it over Mara’s panting face. She sat on younger woman’s face, grinding her cunt over the her mouth and nose. Mara began licking her master’s pussy, running her wet tongue over the woman’s engorged labia folds. Asajj moaned, fondling her own bare breasts as she pressed her cunt over Mara’s soft lips. Her tongue worked faster, flicking against Asajj’s sex, caressing her clitoris while the Sith shuddered in ecstasy. Mara raised her hands to stroke her master’s slim thighs, fondling the powerful woman’s feverish flesh. She thrust her tongue into Asajj’s pussy, driving it up and deeper into the woman’s vagina.

The Sith groaned, closing her eyes in bliss, thick dollops of cunt juice dripping onto
Mara’s young face. Mara pressed her tongue over the Sith woman’s throbbing clit, caressed her master’s sleek, inner thighs, leaving trails of saliva to drip across her ivory skin. Asajj sat heavily upon Mara’s face, her legs weakening as her orgasm grew within her. Mara continued to work on Asajj’s pussy, her lips tugging on petals of wet cunt flesh until she climaxed, gasping with her head thrown back and body arched while jolts of pure ecstasy raged within her body.

Rising slowly, Asajj closed her black outfit and smoothed it with quick swipes of her pale hands. Mara lay on the floor, weak and panting, her bare breasts and legs glistening with moisture. “Rise, my apprentice,” she commanded

Mara did so, completely fulfilled and longing for more.

**********

Awaken with a start, Leia lifted her head and glance around the darken interior of the crew berth. Nothing move that she could see except the rising and lower of Juno's swaying breast as she breath rhythmically in deep slumber. Leia could still smell the sour spank that lingered in the quarters having coated each other wantonly with their hot dripping juices for the majority of the evening until exhaustion finally took its toll causing them to drift into sleep in each other's arms. She thought she could've slept for a week as she drifted off to slumber, but now here she was, suddenly wide awake for no apparent reason. Lowering her head back down on Juno's heaving chest, she closed her eyes to attempt to go back to sleep but it seem sleep was fleeting and after a few minutes she gave up and carefully rose to her feet as to not to wake her friend. Covering her nude form with a robe, she pulled the material close to her as she quietly slipped out into the main passageway.

Not wanting to alert Artoo, she took the long way around, bypassing the main hold as she made her way up to the cockpit. Entering she allowed the atmospheric pressure door to slid shut behind her as she collapsed back into the navigator's chair and let out a long sigh. Why couldn't she sleep, she began to wonder as she let out a long yawn realizing that in the past forty-eight hours she only managed a handful of hours of rest. She felt drain with little energy, her body was battered and sore, her forehead was throbbing, and she could feel that one of her eyes was beginning to swell. So why couldn't she rest like everyone else? What was on her mind that was keeping her awake? When she couldn't think of a reason, she let out another long sigh as her eyes went to the smooth hilts of the lightsabers on the pilot's chair where she had left them earlier. Reaching down she picked up one and looked at it, her hands running over the smooth metal and suddenly jerked when she heard a click, fearing that she'd accidently hit the activation stud. But unlike the other one this one didn't emit a beam of colored energy. Curious she hit the stud again and it clicked once more but no blade appeared.

It then dawn on her that the hilt was just the right size and the circumference wasn't that big but just about right. A small smile spread across her face as an idea formed in her mind. Spreading her legs apart, she moved the material of her robe to expose her crotch area. Eyeing the end of the hilt, Leia slowly brought the end of the saber’s hilt to her mouth and let her lips slide over its tip before lowering the saber hilt to her juicy entrance, spreading her legs wide in preparation. In her mind, Leia saw someone, a tall handsome man with a cocky smile positioning himself at her entrance, letting the tip of his prick rub against her slit, teasing her. Arching her hips, desperately seeking penetration, Leia moaned from her fantasy, all the while letting the cold, silver shaft of the lightsaber tease the folds of her dripping vagina.

No longer able to withstand her self-inflicted teasing, Leia pierced the lips of her cunt with the slender shaft of the saber hilt, gasping as she was filled her moist void. Pulling the tip back out, she plunged it back in almost immediately, this time a little further into herself. Again she repeated this, pulling the shaft back out from her desperate hole, its tip coated with a transparent film of her pussy cream. She thrust the makeshift phallus in and out of her stretched vagina, each time a little faster and a bit more urgent.

“Yesssss!” she hissed from clenched teeth as she thrust harder and harder into herself, working her body up towards orgasm.

Keeping one hand on the saber hilt to hold it still inside of her, she thrust her hips to drive the saber into her dripping pussy, fucking her imaginary lover as hard as she could. With one of her hands now free, she moved it down to the hard button of her clit, rubbing it frantically as she tried to get herself off. Squeezing the hilt tighter, Leia accidently pressed the activator button and immediately the shaft started vibrating against the squeezing walls of her cunt. Letting out a sharp scream, Leia immediately came, the muscles in her vagina squeezing at the vibrating shaft as if trying to milk the seed from a thrusting cock. Thrashing wildly against the chair, Leia rode out her mind-blowing orgasm. When it finally subsided, she pulled the shaft from her pussy, shutting it down as she panted for breath, her body once again coated with sweat and the cockpit was permeated with the scent of sex. Looking wide-eyed at her saber, Leia tentatively brought it back to her mouth, licking gently at it, tasting her own sweet nectar. Moaning deep in her throat, she took her time licking the shaft clean of her pussy cream until satisfied that it was clean.

"Why do you do that do yourself?"

Leia jumped at the sound of the voice, the lightsaber dropping from her hands as she covered herself only to realize that the pressure door behind her was still closed and that she was alone in the cockpit.

"Must you always give into the temptation and primal cravings of your body?"

Perplexed, she rose to her feet and keyed for the pressure door to slid open to reveal an empty corridor beyond. Sure that she heard a voice she step back and allowed the door to close again. Then out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the engineer acceleration chair started to glow a faint bluish hue. Taking a deep breath to steady her breathing, Leia slowly turned around and watched in awe and disbelief as a shimmering blue form of a young man dressed in white robes with a shabby brown cloak materialized out of thin air. She caught the gasp that escaped her mouth as she recognized him from her dreams, but most startling of all was that she could see right through him. Without taking her eyes off the appreciation, she pinch the back of her hand and winced in pain. I’m not asleep. This isn’t the dream again, she thought.

The blond hair man smiled warmly towards her. “Hello there, Leia.”

Leia opened her mouth to reply but no words from it.

The appreciation must’ve expected her response, for he nodded his head. “Don’t be afraid, Leia.”

Finally she was able to find her voice, even although it was meek and shaking, “You...you're the one....the one from my dreams. And the voice in my head.”

"Forgive me, but at that time it was the only way I was able to attempt to communicate with you. Although, I'm afraid, that I traumatize you more than I meant too."

"Who...who are you. What are you?"

A painful expression appeared on the man’s face. “I was human, like you once and I was......your friend, Leia.”

Leia felt her knees weakening at realization that the person she was talking to was once a friend of hers that Mara had informed her had died at the hands of her former Hutt master. She tried to fight back the tears that threaten to spill from her eyes, but a few drops managed to run down her cheeks.

“Do not cry for us, Leia. Your pain has been by far more greater than our deaths could ever have been.”

“I can’t.....I can’t even remember your names.”

The specter nodded solemnly. “Your cerebral cortex has been damaged greatly from the use of the elixir that kept you enslaved to the Hutts for so many long years. The Force has been slowly healing your shattered mind throughout these long years.”

“Is that why I can’t remember much of my past?” The specter nodded again. "Will I ever be able to remember?”

"That I don't know, Leia. The Force moves in mysterious ways. Perhaps it meant for you to lose your past so as able to face your uncertain future."

"But why? I want to remember. Why won't it let me?"

"It doesn't work that way, Leia. The Force is an energy field created by all living things throughout the entire galaxy, Leia. It surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. The Order of the Jedi Knights were the first to became aware of the Force and its mystical powers that it can give a being sensitive enough to feel it and to serve the living Force. But it also brings a terrible plenty if misused.”

“What happened to this Order that Juno was telling me about? She said it was destroyed by the Empire that it perceived to be a threat."

The specter paused and looked off to his right, as if listening to someone whom was standing next to him. He sighed and looked back at Leia. “A Jedi named Darth Vader who allied himself with the Emperor and betrayed those who he once called friends. He helped the Emperor haunt down and destroy the Knights of the Jedi Order.”

"And you were a member of this Order as well?"

The specter nodded but said nothing.

Leia shook her head. “I don’t understand. What does this have to do with me? I’m not a Jedi or anyone important enough to do anything.”

“You're wrong, Leia. You’re more important then you realize for you’re the only one who can save the galaxy from a thousand years of darkness.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Leia. “How can I be the galaxy’s only hope? I'm just a former Hutt sex slave turned smuggler that can't remember her own past. I have no powers.”

"Think, Leia. What has been happening to you the last two years? You’ve been feeling things you can’t explain. The emotions and thoughts of beings around you, able to see future events in advance. You’ve moved or found things just by picturing them in your subconscious or by thinking of them. These are traits that manifest within beings strong in the Force."

Astonished, Leia felt her jaw drop open slightly at the revelation of her mysterious ‘sixth sense’. “Are you saying that every strange occurrence and feeling that has been happening to me is because of this mystical Force?”

"You can choose to believe it or not, but the Force is strong within you. And those powers will only continue to grow as you use the Force, whether consciously or not. Others who wish to control and manipulate will sense it and come for you, it is inevitable."

"But I don't want this magical gift," cried Leia as she came to feet. "I just want to be left alone, to live my new life free and without restraints."

The specter sighed as he shook his head as his form started to dissolve. "That will be impossible for you, Leia. Events are already in motion that they will come to know of your existence. And when that happens, they'll comb the entire galaxy looking for you."

"Who then. Whose coming for me?"

But the question was barely out of her mouth when she realized she was once again alone in the cockpit.

Seek out the Jedi named Ahsoka, Leia. Only then will you be able to find the answers to all your questions. For she is your only hope now.

"Only hope from what?" she cried out but received no reply.


TO BE CONTINUED......