Master Anna Craft sat silently in the assault shuttle, seemingly in her own little world as she watched an old analog tape containing the information on Alexandra De’nabre. The monocular shined a slight blue hue in her one eye as she stared at the images. Her desire to learn all she could before being called upon to do her duty. It was a duty she took reluctantly, but one she was sworn to. Hand-picked by the Grandmaster to lead the group of Jedi assassin’s, they were the most fanatical of the Order. Sworn to the code, sworn to the Grandmaster. Used to do the duties that no one else could dare to be asked. They were above the code, in Anna’s own words; ‘They were the code’. The parchment it was written on and the holo-type that formed the words; they were all of that and more.

General Stone sat down next to her. Anna held her annoyance in check. It was only a year since she became the Jedi liaison to ‘Project Alpha’ and she did not appreciate her Republic counterpart; ‘General Stone’. He was the Republic equivalent of what she and her assassins were in the Order. Only not as subtle. His repeated attempts to engage her in conversation, the most annoying part of the General. It was clear he was not keen on Jedi or the Force, but he was clearly keen on her. Anna glanced out of the corner of her eye. The blue field projecting itself on her iris moving with it as she glanced at him.

“General, I have not finished reviewing the data on our target. If you wish me to be prepared I must—“

"I understand ‘Master’”, he smiled devilishly, “I just wanted to let you know, we have entered the Hoth system. I am already sending forward scouts to locate the camp Czerka identified and keep an eye on them…”

Anna frowned and went back to the holo-field; her eye lighting up blue again as she spoke softly, “Thank you for informing me. I would appreciate however if you remember my advice on that…you will want to have a few of my Shadows on your reconnaissance teams.”, Sitting back, the General rocked the seat slightly which added to Anna’s annoyance at him. She said nothing as he adjusted himself only to find that the General was now trying to peer into the oculus with her. Anna leaned further away and fully turned her head. “General, please…I would prefer to view this and meditate on it in my own way. You have the same holo I do.”

Stone backed off and sat up straight, “I know…I am just wondering how you plan to deal with this.” He looked around at the collection of troopers and Jedi in the shuttle, “This seems like overkill for one Jedi and a band of pirates. I mean, I had her on Corellia.” He looked away slightly, “I wasn’t prepared for her to jump from a sixty story window, but otherwise…”

“You just stated it.” Anna gazed at him with the eye not covered by her oculus. “You were not prepared.” The monotone of her voice continued, “Alexandra De’nabre has shown extreme resilience throughout her life, from the earliest stages of her training at the Jedi Temple. She was identified early on for survival training within extreme environments due to her predilection toward ‘opposite’ thinking. She is not the norm as far as Jedi Sentinels are concerned. It led her to be chosen for the colonization program and we allowed her to be married to temper some of her more ‘extreme’ ideals.” Anna turned the eye away and seemed to be staring off into space, as her other eye continued to watch the holo-field. “General, you are a veteran of conflict as am I. You know the value of combat experience and Alexandra De’nabre has more than both of us combined, in many different scenarios. She has faced the Sith not just in war, but in multiple scenarios.” Taking off the oculus, Anna seemed to stretch her eyes a moment as she placed her hand on her forehead before looking up again, “We wish to bring her in, unharmed for debriefing and reassimilation into the Jedi Order. There is no other way to do this. She is an asset and the Grandmaster wishes—“

Standing abruptly, the General scowled at his counterpart, “The Grandmaster ‘ain’t’ out here. We are. And you know as well as I do that she is far too dangerous to the project that you and I are sworn to, to be left—“

“--The Project YOU are sworn to General, I am sworn to my duty to the Jedi Council and the Grandmaster. I am merely the Project’s overseer for Jedi concerns.”

“And this isn’t one of them?!?!” The General sat back down and leaned in close, “Do you have any idea what she could do to us with the information she carries, not to mention the millions and near billions of credits that will be lost should she go public about the ‘twins’. Let’s not forget, the others in Alpha pod.” He sat back up shaking his head, “No Master, she dies…there is only ONE way to do this.”

“The Force will have its way concerning this, General. I am not concerned with credits or publicity.” Anna closed her eyes and sat back a moment before speaking again, “There is much that surrounds the three of them. All of them have a destiny that lies elsewhere…and it is not time for Alexandra to join with the Force.”

Craft kept her eyes closed. There was much she learned from watching the file on Alexandra, but the majority of her insight was coming directly from the Force. And whether the General realized it or not, both her and his destiny were now tied to the Alphas. Alexandra included, though she was not going to tell him. A man like General Stone would never understand something as intricate as the Will of the Force.

The loudspeaker got everyone moving as the ship began its decent into Hoth’s atmosphere.

--

48 hours prior…Coruscant, Outer Orbital Marker....

They were half asleep. The old model Hutt frigate made outer marker range. It popped up on the scanner and no one noticed amid all of the other traffic that seemed to frequent the hyperlane. It was large enough to cause one of the technicians to drop his feet off the console and sit up, pointing at the screen for one of his co-workers to look at.

“Hey, Doug…got another one. This one is Hutt...running without a transponder.”

The other technician approached sleepily, stretching off the last of his twelve hour shift. He peered bleary eyed at the screen, reaching for the comm button to send out a blast to the Frigate. “Probably malfunctioned or something else. Those things are like decades old…” Thumbing the switch, the technician cleared his voice to sound more official, "Approaching Frigate, you are running without your transponder. Please key in your transponder code or transmit the decommission code for your vessel.”

He looked at his companion after speaking, shrugging slightly. “Hey, I’ll take either…it’s not the first time a decommissioned warship has approached Coruscant. I would rather ask than cause a planetary incident.” The one who was monitoring the screen nodded in approval before stifling a yawn.

--

Drogan steeped down off the Command terrace and approached his slicer terminal nervously. He paced back and forth slowly, watching the team of slicers work. Looking at his chrono, “Now?”

One of the slicers glanced at him from behind. His fingers working the spike that was placed in the ancient Hutt console.

“One moment…we're working on it.”

“I don’t have to remind you…a ship of this size is hard to stop. We are already approaching the inner marker.” The slicer glanced up at the wall chrono with Drogan’s words; Drogan following his eyes, “I need it done, NOW!!” It was too late to turn back, it would look suspicious; besides the fact that Republic protocol gave him only another minute before the entire planetary defense force was alerted to an enemy capital ship. Drogan tapped his foot in time with his finger on the glass of his chrono, “Thirty seconds…”

--

Both technicians looked at one another. The ship had not yet responded and it was approaching the inner marker; in range of the planetary defense platforms. As the one who spoke prepared to speak again; reaching for the alert panel that would activate the planetary defense, everything went black. Power whined down as emergency lights popped on. The skyhook losing power as it shook from the generators popping on in response, “What the hell?!?!”

--

Drogan smiled brightly as he watched the far side of the planet go dark and then pop back to life slightly; the flicker of emergency back-up power bringing some aspects of the surface aglow. “Good…full power to the engines.” He looked down at his own command console and thumbed the switch to the launch bay, “Ok, you guys are up. I am on my way down…but don’t wait on me. I will be right behind you.”

--

- Ministry of Defense, Government Sector....

“…and in conclusion, let me say that I not only speak for the prosecution but for ALL of the citizens of the Republic when I say NO MORE. No more will we allow the barbarity of piracy and the disorder that comes with it to pollute our serene society! We have seen the face of that barbarity here today.” The prosecutor who began going on for over an hour pointed at Alexandra who sat opposite in a corner of the small room, “…and that is the face of it. It is the symbol of that chaos. On a personal note and just to add to my personal request that this be handled immediately following your decision; there is nothing more heinous than a Jedi gone rogue. A Jedi who not only went off the rails and turned against all the ideals the Order holds dear, but attacked the very existence that this ‘pirate’ once defended.” Bowing his head slightly, the prosecutor looked back up at the three person tribunal. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have but one answer for all that this pirate has done. It is an answer that the people of the Republic call for, it is what I call for and it is what the victims this ‘Jedi’ is responsible for committing crimes against, calls for…Death. In accordance with our most sacred traditions of ‘law and order’. Death is the only punishment suitable for her crimes.” He glanced over at Alexandra with a sneer before sitting back down.

The entire time, Alexandra kept a wicked smile on her face. The smile meant as a show of defiance, though she couldn’t help herself. In the room, the three hand picked persons who stood in judgment of her as well as the hand-picked prosecutor and the first-year defender she was given. Alexandra fired him after opening arguments. She didn’t bother to tell him why, she knew he was in over his head and it wasn’t his fault. The cards were stacked against her, but the show the trial put on; it made the smile get deeper and more sinister as the time went on.

"The record will show, Prosecution has finished their closing remarks. As Alexandra De'nabre IS a citizen of the Republic and considered a threat to National Security, the record will also show she will continue to be judged as a priavte citizen and not a Jedi. As such, all of the prosecutions remarks about her former affiliation with the Jedi will be striken from the record."

Here was the Galactic Republic, calling out all the guns on her. Taking out all the stops. The very argument they made against her; words they used like ‘law and order’, ‘justice’…she had to laugh and in fact had done so several times outloud during the course of the trial. She didn’t know if any of them were in on the conspiracy that brought her to Coruscant, if any of them knew about Project Alpha or the people associated with it. She didn’t know if they all were told to set her up for the kill. She didn’t know if any of them knew just how sinister and corrupt the underbelly of the Republic had become. What she did know was that the entire affair was a farce and she was not going to give them the courtesy of hearing her beg for her life or fight for it. This was all an elaborate game. And she lost. She knew she did.

“Will the defendant please rise….” The tribunal looked toward Alexandra, who hesitated at first then slowly rose to look at the three of them. “Alexandra De’nabre, this tribunal finds you guilty of treason and high piracy against the Galactic Republic. Do you have anything to say on your behalf?” She was tempted, even opening her mouth slightly before shaking her head. The wicked smile softening slightly as she waited. This was how it was going to end, but she could go knowing she had done her best and done right by her children. After all, they were what all of it was about anyway. “Then in accordance with Republic Law, you will be summarily executed for your crimes. Sentence to be carried out immedi—“

The power flicked briefly before going out completely to the pop of emergency generators and lights coming on. The small room in the Ministry of Defense having an eerie glow as the low light came on to the surprise of all those present. Alex looked up quickly, but then slowly sat back down. The Force calling out to her as she sensed it. No other Force users in the room, she was the only one who did. The Republic purposefully keeping the Jedi out of her ‘trial’, even going as far as to conduct it in the wee hours of the morning. As she sat, the smile grew wicked again, the people in the room starting to scramble and ask questions. No one had any idea what was coming.

--

Eighteen assault ships and twenty seven Mandalorian type fighters streaked a bee-line for the Ministry of Defense. They moved fast and deliberate, no need to hide their approach as the power outage caused by the White Maw had the sensors and defense systems on full reset. Drogan looked at his chrono again, tapping his ear to listen in on the slicers back on the capital ship.

The slicer let it trail off as Drogan swallowed, a bright smile coming to his face.

“Hey, I got no complaints. You done good, kids…real good. Just get me on tha surface. If we get resistance, everyone back to the ship and hyper out as soon as possible. I will make my own way out…”

Drogan opened the frequency so everyone in the White Maw could hear, “No ‘buts’…get out. I mean it. She is more important to me than anyone else. And—“ Voices started replying, almost too many to hear everything. The one coming through loud and clear was Alexandra’s old crew. ‘The Karolin’ was flying with the Capital ship in escort, it’s new captain chiming in; the low bass of his voice drowning out all of the others.

Smiling at that, Drogan didn’t reply nodding to himself with a kind smile as he flicked off the comm. Letting the cheering from everyone in channel be the last thing he heard. Again, glancing at his chrono. Drogan opened the cargo door and watched the ground approach fast. Grabbing the handle on the inside he let the shuttle almost set down as he stepped off into the early morning light. Blaster fire was already coming from the other side of the building and the other shuttles. His was alone and exactly where he told them to drop him. Looking up at the west side of the Ministry, Drogan clenched his fist as he drew the blaster in his other hand looking down at the building schematic on the opposite wrist.

“I’m coming baby….”

--

Sounds of armored boots echoed in the hall as the others in the room all looked at one another. There were few professional Soldiers in the room. Two guards stationed next to Alexandra and General Stone who sat in the audience area. Stone was the only one in the small room’s audience area. He immediately stood and went for the door, but didn’t open it, listening at first. It was utter chaos outside as the klaxon began to blare outloud.

Alex looked down but kept the smile on her face. Even in the darkened room, General Stone could see it. “Watch her!” He pointed toward the guards. "And don’t leave this room until the facility is locked down” Drawing his blaster, Stone reached for the door access control. It opened even before he pressed it. A face full of pistol was the last thing he saw as the butt of Drogan’s blaster smacked him square in the face. The guards drew their rifles, but having to unsling them from their backs they were a moment too late as Drogan crouched and fired twice, hitting each one of the guards. Alex stood immediately, looking at him with a smirk.

“Took you long enough…I thought I was going to get fried before—“, Drogan’s blaster was already moving around the room, settling on the other administrators which were holding the tribunal for Alex. She approached, raising her cuffed hands and pushing down on the barrel of his blaster, “The're harmless.” She looked down at Stone, who lay unconscious at their feet. “You got the one who counted, though I kinda wish you would have killed him.” Drogan scooped her up and kissed her as she looped the arms, still in shackles, around his neck squeezing him tightly.

“Can we go home now? Have you had your fill of ‘King and Country’?”, She nodded excitedly as the two of them left the room and took off the way Drogan came in. Already doors were shutting, the echo of large blast doors coming down in all areas echoed throughout the facility. A protocol designed to limit movement by assailants throughout the Ministry. Before turning around, he snatched Alex’s wrist up in one hand stretching the shackles and placing the muzzle of his barrel against the connecting rod, “Turn your head…”

There was a blinding flash as the shackles came apart, Alex turning back to look at Drogan as he thrust a blaster into her hand. They turned back to go the opposite way, their previous route now cut off with the sound of armored troopers heading their way. “Ok so what’s the plan? That way is no good, are we going to—“

“Shut up….let me think.”

Alex frowned but reached up and kissed him again anyway, “Bless your heart. You came in here blind with no way to get out, how cute…” He frowned sarchastically at Alex as she pulled him against the wall in time to avoid incoming blaster fire. “Sorry, I sensed it coming.” Looking around behind her, she looked up at the maintenance conduit and the other passages that were still in the process of closing. The conduit was big enough for her, but not for Drogan who stood almost two head lengths taller than she did. Moving out and into the hallway, Alex drew the blaster firing in the direction of the incoming troopers; gesturing to Drogan. “C’mon! Someone has got to rescue you!”

He smiled running across and firing in the same direction as the two of them landed hard against the opposite wall. He gave the words back to her as he again gave his trademark smirk, “Ok, so what’s the plan?”

“The plan…is this…” Alex twisted around the wall extending her hand toward one of the lowering bulkheads. She grabbed the heavy door in the Force and held it open, the mechanisms groaning as she struggled to keep it up, “G-GO!!! Drogan….now…” He hesitated and looked at Alex for a moment, not sure if she was planning to follow. The fierce tone of her voice got him moving as he rolled under the door and immediately extended his hand toward her.

“Alex!”

Releasing the door it quickly tried to catch up with itself from being held, the door lowering much faster than before as she rolled under grasping his hand to get pulled in the rest of the way. It lowered on a corner of her dress and tore it off as she came to a stop in his arms, the two lying on the floor looking at one another.

“I recognize this position. We have been here before haven’t we?” She smiled.

“Like this? Many times, but I didn’t know you were so kinky…the Ministry? You should be ashamed…”

Alex pushed off of Drogan smartly and stood, the smile fading as she looked across the building chasm that once had a bridge connecting the Ministry to the skyway. The bridge was retracted and now only a very large chasm stood in the way of their flight to freedom. She looked down and grimaced trying to figure it out. Outside the door, the troopers were already trying to sever the mechanisms control over the door to open it. It was long shot, but Alex was willing to try as she turned to give Drogan her idea on getting across. She was too late, Drogan already twirling a grappler attached to a large lanyard in his hand.

Slinging the grappler out it latched on the far side with a loud ‘clang’. Drogan pulled on the cord and then gestured for Alex to come to him and hold on. She shook her head, “I was going to float you across…”

“Not today sweetie….maybe later.”

Taking a step back, placing his hand on Alexandra’s back to hold her he launched the two of them across the chasm, the line pulling tight. Doors opened on the over look which sat above and in the middle; as well as the door they came through. Blaster bolts cascading and ricocheting around them. Alex fired at the overlook, the speed at which they sailed through the air and then landed on the far side prevented the troopers behind them from hitting them at all.

They landed softly, Drogan hugging her slightly before letting her go. The two of them joked throughout, it provided levity to a very dangerous situation. But the hug from Drogan, the touch and warmth of his hand put it all in perspective for her. She got serious as Drogan turned, still holding her hand to lead her out of the building and to safety. She pulled him back slightly. As he turned, Alex’s eyes were watery, but she didn’t cry. Merely smiling and looking down.

“I was stupid. I should have never left…and you risked everything to come and get me. I –“ Drogan almost laughed, instead smiling joyously.

“You were never alone. Never far from my thoughts.”, he put a finger under her chin to lift her red eyes toward his face, “I would die for you…” The humorous smile came back, “…just don’t tell the other guys.”

--

Rubbing his head, Stone watched the last launch leap up an into the sky streaking straight for the upper atmosphere from the ceiling window of the courtroom. He heard the chatter in his earpiece as he rubbed the knot on his head. Gritting his teeth he thumbed the control and answered the multitude of voices.

“Quiet, they're gone…but, I know where they're headed.” Stone turned to walk back into the courtroom, glancing at his Aide-de-camp as he passed. “Get me the Grandmaster…it’s time we brought the Jedi into this…”

--

Hoth…48 hours later…

They deployed in a fan formation, the few scouts and the near invisible Shadows. The team leader fighting with his face scarf to bring the macrobinoculars up to his face. The camp looked near deserted. He wasn’t fooled as he lowered the binos and squatted to activate the holo-comm.

“General…we are in position. The camp looks deserted, my estimation is that they are ready to repel borders…”

--

“Good Commander, stay on top of it and signal me if anything changes…” Stone looked down at Master Craft and smiled viciously. “They know we are coming, this will be a glorious victory.”

Anna was still leaning back on the bulkhead, her eyes closed. The oculus deactivated and off of her face as she slowly opened her eyes to look at her counterpart. She didn’t smile, didn’t say a word at first. Almost as if she was just realizing he was there or where she was. Steeped deeply in the Force, she almost seemed to ‘come to’ from a long sleep. Sighing at the tone of his voice, for the first time she stood and moved to the starboard window of the ship to look out at the armada they brought against Alex. This would truly be the end of whatever was down there. But, The Force was telling her otherwise. Looking from the outside in and without the benefit of the Force, it was hard to see anyone surviving the assault to come.

Turning, she looked through General Stone. He lost the smile once he saw the intense gaze Master Craft was giving him.

“No, General…my intuition says otherwise. This is going to be a slaughter and when we leave, we will have set Alexandra De’nabre on a path that will have ramifications for all of us, for years to come….”