Miya stared at the gore in front of her. Bodies lay every where she looked, all looking at her with huge glassy eyes. Piercing her, accusing her, killing her with their stares. She could have saved at least one of them if she hadn't just passed them on by just a few minutes ago. But whimpering caught her ears before they could scream anymore at her and she looked up off the ground. A crested Kaminoan had a girl backed up to the wall with a small syringe in it's hand barley filled with black liquid. All three Kaminiis in the room were looking at her, but the girl's scared eyes were planted on the lethal concoction. Miya saw white, whiter than anything that the whole station was made up of, then red. Bright blood red when she realized that she wasn't breathing, couldn't breathe at the scene before her. All the bodies in different positions and not a drop of blood in the pristine place. Just pale white bodies littered like trash all over the floor...

Miya woke up screaming.

She scratched at her face trying to get those unwanted, unwelcome, but true images out. Oh, she wished she just take a hammer and bash them out. She tried calming herself down as she nails scratched down from her eyes slowly to her collar bone

"Aaaah," a low groan came after she had stopped and the images were gone. Her silver eyes snapped open, and she looked around. No one was there. Miya stopped looking and crawled to the edge of her bed. Vision, her pod sister, sat on the floor with her head in her hands moaning.

"Vision? Vision? Vod'ika," Miya asked jumping out of bed to pry her hand away," Are ya alright? Come on, tell your schwester." The girl looked at her with a look that was somehow both pained and amused.

"You greeted me with a Keldabe kiss, schwester," she said dryly. Miya realized that her head was hurting and that Vision had a red mark across most of her forehead.

"Sorry, schwester! I didn' mean ta," she said.

"I know, I know," she said and grabbed the hand Miya offered, climbed her to her feet, and gave her a concerned look," You dreamed your accident again...didn't you." Miya sighed and put her hand to her forehead.

"Not much...only liddle," she mumbled, looking for her clothes and chains. Vision sighed.

"It's done," she said, opening her deep blue eyes, watching her sympathetically," There was nothing more you could do."

"I walked by that room,"Miya said pulling on her shirt and pants," as I heard the thuds. I didn't think it was anything and continued on."

"Because you thought we were playing rough again," Vision said firmly," I would have thought the same if I were in your clothes."

"But I should've stopped ya like I always did," Miya argued clipping one of her chains on harshly as she looked for the others, painfully obvious that she was avoiding looking into Vision's eyes.

"If I hadn't stopped by that second time...," she trailed off her eyes growing cold like silver coins in her head

"I would be dead," Vision finished, coming up behind her and placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder," I am here and not ashes like my other, schwesters. Does that count for something?" The last part was said with a twinge of humor. Miya smiled and and clipped her last chain across her chest. She turned to Vision and grasped her hand the Mandalorian way.

"Every single day your here it counts, vode," she said warmly," Vode An

Vision smiled," Vode An."

Note from author:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars belong to LucasFilms Ltd and company

Miya, Vision, Dove, and Marishka are mine.

(Hallway of the warship Justice)

"MIIIYAAAAA"

Vision and Miya turned at the sing-song voice, and their faces lit up with smiles. A tiny girl was skipping happily towards them, dodging the troopers carefully at her speed and adeptly. She was dressed in a puffy black skirt, a tight but flattering black corset over a black keyhole shirt, and...no shoes. She waved at them happily, only a few skips away now.

"Dove! Darling, su'cuy! When did you get back," Vision asked. Dove stopped in front of both girls bare feet in a pirouette, and her arms little ways from her sides, hands arching up. Though her feet were at a complete stop, her body continued to move in slow, graceful movements giving her the look of someone in need of therapy to most. To the two females in front of her though, it was the look of her need to keep moving. She grinned crookedly at them, only one side of her mouth curling very far back in it. Putting her hands behind her back, she stooped low, still watching them through a short curtain of black green hair.

"An hour ago. I heard screaming in the back and knew it was mon capitan," she said. Her matching eyes flickered to Miya," Are you...alright, mon capitan?"

"Bonjour et su'cuy mi amor. Oui, I'm fine...how was yo missi'n," she asked. A shrug. She was letting her slid.

"As good as any of our missions," she replied grinning.

"Who went as your...partner distraction," Miya asked. Slowly, Dove's grin went away as she shifted from side to side not looking at them but behind her at the wall.

"Dove," Miya questioned again. Dove still wouldn't look at her. But she did look to Vision. Vision closed her eyes very slowly pulling in a deep breathe, before opening them just as slowly. Her eyes had turned into dark glass orbs in her sockets. She looked back deeply into Dove's eyes, head lowering so they would be eye level. Dove straightened and stiffened in her posture, her movements stopping altogether. Deep blue, slender streaks swirled out of the glass eyes, slipping into Dove's. They swirled around in there for a while, gathering up memories of what was seen through Dove's eyes on her mission. When the streaks exited out of Dove they came out green and entered the glass orbs of Vision's skull. Her eyes shut tightly for a while as the memories shifted through her mind. When they finally snapped open, they were back to their normal dark blue hue. Vision's arms opened and she pulled the smaller girl into her arms, cradling her head into her neck.

"I'm sorry, m'love," she mumbled against her hair," I won't tell." Dove nodded gratefully, her small mouth trembling violently and eyes troubled when she pulled away.

"Luckily, I wasn't with him long," she said. Vision nodded and smiled. Miya's brows were raised as she watched the two. She wouldn't bother trying to get Vision to tell. She'd never get her mouth open to talk about it again.

"Come, come. Marishka is probably in the training room. She's missed her pod sister being away for so long," she said, trying to get back into the conversation. The smile reentered Dove's face as she took both Vision's and Miya's arms and started charging through the troopers towards the training room harboring her only living pod sister.

(Training Room)

A figure in the training room sat silently in the dark as it concentrated on sounds in and out of the room.

Heartbeats.

Three of them

Coming this way

Fast

It's head snapped to the door as the heartbeats were practically pounding against it. It lunged to a metal beam and silently crawled up it to nestle safely and out of sight up above the doorway.

(Outside Training Room)

When the trio entered the training room, however...it was empty. And dark. Dove peaked in and tried to look around. She broke away from the other two to take a few huge steps into the room.

"MIIIIISSHHKaaaaaa," she called loudly. A small echo answered her back.

"It Doooooove," she called again. Still the room remained silent not wanting to give up its hostage trapped in the dark. Dove took a few more steps in and looked around again. Metal clumps lay around at her feet, proving that someone was in here recently. She looked up and around at the rafters, overlooking the slight bump at the top of the doorway though looking at it for a very long while.

(Above Doorway)

Adrenaline pumped through the figures chest, making it ache and her body go cold. It lay low to the metal beams harboring it from the female. The intruders heart was beating faster and faster, and the figure could hear the rushing blood in those fragile glass veins in the bag of flesh.

Sharp white fangs glinted briefly in the dark as the figure prepared to attack.

(Below Doorway)

"Ish'ika?...This isn't funny," Dove said meekly. She did NOT like the dark like her sister did. She tolerated it...but didn't revel in it. She turned to look in the corners of the room, where Marishka was more than likely hiding.

(Above Doorway)

Finally, the figure stood and lunged as the female dropped her guard.

Dove screamed as a huge weight tackled her and started scratching at her from behind. She wrestled around with the burden before throwing it to the ground and straddled its waist, fists raised for a fight.

"Don't do anything, Dove," Vision said, smirking in amusement," Lights on." Bright white lights turned on blinding all for a moment. When they could see, they saw who it was pinned beneath Dove. Two fangs gleamed in up at Dove as Marishka grinned up at her vod'ika. Deep chuckles spilled from her throat as she saw the look in her sister's eyes as her hands went limp. Marishka felt her fangs retract as her body realized there was no threat. She held up her arms and made clawing motions at Dove with her hands. Dove realized that the scratching was Marishka trying to tickle her and she huffed in indignation. Marishka's laughter, though, made her turn her eyes back to her. Her dusty red hair fell in ringlets over her face and down her stomach as she laughed, making her such a sight that Dove started laughing as well. They got up, brushed themselves down, then clasped hands Mandalorian style.

"Su'cuy, vode," Marishka said, waving to her other two sisters leaning in the doorway. Both smiled at her...and her choice of clothing for her of type training. A long white almost see through dress thats color built as it went lower, with a plunging neckline. It was very thin as well. Pearls twisted around her arms, making up for the lack of sleeves. Six eyebrows rose as they all looked at the red head. She just grinned back unabashed. Miya finally shook her head and chuckled.

"Mishka...dawg...you're terrible."

[b]Hey There Delilah by Plain White Ts

[b][b]Irene by Toby Mac[/b]

Barbie Girl by Aqua[/b][/b]

[b]Commander Ponds, the Zeltron race, & Star Wars: Clone Wars belong to LucasFilms Ltd and company

All the girls are mine[/b]


"So, baby gal, where'd yo boots go," Miya asked, nudging Dove's feet from underneath the table. Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth as she found herself once again under the scrutiny of her sisters.

"Uhhhh...I kind of...sort of...lost them," she said, grinning crookedly again.

"Kinda sort of lost dem...how," Miya dug.

"My last mission got a little sticky aaaand it involved my boots taking off some clanker heads as I escaped," she said, then frowned," Those were my favorite boots as well." The table fell silent at her words before Miya grinned, reached across the table, and tussled her hair.

"Dat's my gal! Use everythin' ya got," she said proudly. Dove grinned at the praise and continued eating.

"And you," Vision said turning to Marishka," What's with the fancy getup."

"Its from my last mission as well. I had to go undercover and have a man take me as his mistress. He did , unfortunately," she explained. Marishka had, in Miya's opinion, a voice that made her mind thinking of rivers. Light, breathy but not...overly so. It was just nice on the ears, a gentle trickle. She could listen to her talk for days. Like that'd ever happen. A lot of her sisters, Marishka included, didn't talk much. Said girl rolled her eyes.

"Didn't want me going around without any sparklies...tried to lather me with them to show me off when we went out. But I just took the simplest thing he had," she continued, rolling her eyes. She didn't like jewels. Well, too many at least. Give her a ring or just a necklace and she was satisfied,"Also gave me this dress. I'm hoping that if I wear it in training, it'll fall apart very quickly."

"Why not just burn it," Dove asked, waving to a few troopers behind them. Marishka's look darkened.

"None of the mongrels will give me any other clothes to wear...said they liked this one too much,"she growled," Chakaare."

"I'm sure Buir will 'ave a nice long talk with dem when she 'ears about it," Miya grumbled, scooping her food into her mouth," I'll tell 'er when I go to 'er room."

"Buir," this time Vision's fork stopped halfway up,"Buir's here?"

"Uh HUH. Arrived last night. Brought Persephone with her," Dove added.

"Oh...so we'll have a mission soon," Vision said, resuming her eating.

"Just 'cause Seph's wid 'er don' mean we gonna get a missi'n," Miya said. All three girls stared at their Captain with raised brows. Miya shrugged again and went back to eating.

"IO-216, 531, 351, 878, and 111 report to hanger 32," a voice echoed through the ship some time later as they finished up their meals. All four stared at the ceiling dumbly for a while before three sets transferred to Miya's face.

"Alright...so I'm wrong sometimes," she said, throwing back her drink and leaving with Marishka.

(Hanger 32)

"Boombox! Vod," Miya yelled when they entered. Marishka migrated toward the stage where their buir was. The moon faced girl wheeled around wildly and caught her eye. A grin split her face and a click issued from her throat.

"Hey there Delilah,

What's it like in New York city?

I'm a thousand miles away

But girl tonight you look so pretty

Yes you do!"

"Aw, thank ya darlin'. Nothin' much...few missi'ns 'ere and der," Miya said and looked around with a frown," Where's Irene." Boombox shrugged and turned around. :CLICK: A new song came on, louder and echoed through the base:

"Hush little baby,

Don't you cry,

Daddies going to sing you a lullaby,

Everything's going to be alright

:CLICK:

Blessed she,

Irene,

Who seeks my faith"

"M' OVER HERE, BOOMBOX," a voice yelled behind them. Irene ran over bouncing around to avoid objects and vod. Her pink hair followed her movements, but her eyes were roving around she stopped quickly. Both girls stared when she slowed down in front of them.

"I'm a barbie girl,

In the barbie wooorld,

Life in plastic,

It's fantastic!"

Miya howled as Irene eyed Boombox who was grinnin' like a cat who just got a mouthful of cream.

"Zeltron? Really, vod," Miya asked when she calmed. Irene just blew a piece of hair out of her face and grinned. Miya's shoulder were still shaking when she turned...only to stop when she came face to face with another sister right up in her face.

Speaking of cats. She was a head taller than the rest of her sisters even without standing on the balls of her feet. Long white hair, zig zagging with tiger stripes from the end of her hair all the way up to the bangs that shadowed her eyes, hung to her waist. Dark purple eyes regarded them with mischievous intent and she suddenly slapped both hands on Miya's shoulders. Short fur shot out of her skin and flattened down like it, giving her new quickly changing body a slender look. Hands and feet turned to paws, nails into short deadly claws, and teeth grew. Once fully turned, a large pink tongue rolled out and licked Miya's from neck to the top of her head. She stepped back quickly after the third lick, away from both paws and tongue.

"Ugh, Kit-Kat! I missed ya as well but...uuuugh," she groaned and tried to wipe the spit off. Chuffs of laughter came from the beast before it transformed again into Kit-Kat's humanoid form who continued the laughter. She pulled Miya into a one armed hug before letting go, flashing a grin, then taking off. Probably to find Marishka. Their buir was leaning against a fighter, surveying them and letting them have some time to greet the sisters they haven't seen in a while. Buir was a cream furred Devaronian female who wore heavy combat boots where her green camouflage pants were tucked into, and black one shoulder tank top covered her torso. She had taken on the Mandalorian role quite proudly, and tried to pass it on to her girls who she adopted. Kept her first name, though changing her last to they-didn't-know-what. So they called her buir or General Ru'more.. She was shoulder with the part and smiling fondly as she watched over these few kitlings, her ad'ike, as they relaxed for a bit and caught up with each other. But their sisters weren't the only ones they wanted to see. Miya slid up behind her and gripped her shoulder. Ru'more reached back and ruffled her hair. Irene darted up to the stage exuberantly, kissed her on her nose, and quickly nestled back into the group. She grinned at her when she turned back around to face her. Ru'more smiled and gave her a wink in return. After a few moments had passed, she pushed herself away from the fighter and strode forward.

"Su'cuy, ad'ike," she said for them to hear.

"Su'cuy, Buir," chorused through the hanger.

"Mat," Miya said cheekily when it was quiet. Ru'more glanced back at her, eyebrows raised and mouth twisted in amusement. She walked backwards to Miya and pulled her into a playful headlock, making the girls laugh at their struggling sister. When they got quiet, besides Miya's grunts, she began to brief them.

"We have received word, that there will be a meeting between Separatist's forces. No one except the heads of the forces is allowed inside the meeting, however,"she said with a ferocious grin,"The aruetyce made one vital mistake that gives us a pretty big opening...where you few will come in is that there's a ball to cover this meeting up. After the meeting they are sure to talk amongst themselves about the info as any di'kut with a boastful mind would," She looked around at the faces who were bored, exasperated, and some just looked like they wanted to hurl. She started walking back and forth between them, making Miya walk with her.

"Udesii ad'ike," she said sympathetically," It's not for another two months or so. So you can relax." A lot did.

"I'm just giving you a heads up and to give you some info on who might be there." Five holos were behind her and she handed them out first. The picture that came up had Nute Gunray's large mug on it.

(45 minutes later, outside the hanger)

Marishka and Miya left together, but didn't have to go far when they found Vision and Dove leaning on the wall beside the door. Both were talking quietly to each other, but their heads popped up when they heard them coming towards them.

"Have fun," Vision asked.

"Oh yeah," Miya said shaking her head," We get to go to a ball with seppie aruetiise and, as whipping on the cake, most will be eyeing us as if we're meat for the barbeque!"

"Well, a nice long round of bashing clankers for practice should make you feel better," Vision said amused," Come on Dove. Marishka."

"Nope," Dove said, popping out the P," I needs ta go see someone." She took off skipping down the hall towards the Bridge leaving two confused sisters behind.

(Bridge of Justice)

"Ponds," Dove called as she poked her head into the bridge. Commander Ponds turned to face her as soon as he heard her and smiled tiredly.

"Hello, Dove," he said. She walked into the room and stood beside him looking over his shoulder.

"Wacha doin',"she asked. A few clones glanced their way and smiled, used to the girl being around their Commander a lot. She'd get annoying sometimes, but a quick firm word would make her generally back done. Most of the time though she was great source of entertainment after a long day to them all, Commander included.

"Checking out the world below us in case it becomes our next battlefield," he said, distracted. Dove stared at him, then looked to the table, then slowly brought her eyes back up to him. She studied his face hard, her eyes narrowing as she looked for any signs of for his behavior. It betrayed the telltale signs of rings underneath his eyes and the slight redness in them that told her he'd been awake for quite a while and needed sleep. Dove's lids lowered and her eyes flickered to the other troopers, but none were looking their way anymore. So, she ducked under Ponds legs, pushed him away from the table gently with her hip when she came up, and got between him and the table. He raised his eyebrow at her as she sat on the edge and stared at him pointedly.

"Something on your mind," he asked. Placing her arms on her legs, her look melted to hurt puppy eyes and lowered her head to her arms.

"Yes," she said quietly," You never came to say hello to me when you got back." His brow raised higher and he gestured to the door. She hopped off the ledge and followed him as he went through the door. As soon as the it closed, all clones on the bridge exchanged glances.

(Outside of Bridge)

Ponds smiled at her fully and stepped close to her when the door shut.

"I'm sorry," he said as he leaned down and kissed her. Dove's face warmed as they touched. Her hands ran over his smooth shaven cheeks to pull him a little closer, but Ponds released her a second later, not letting her have time to savor it.

"Will that satisfy you until I'm done," Ponds said mock formal. Dove played along by sighing.

"I guess it'll be," she took a breath and looked at him with sparkling eyes, still able to taste him on her tongue," ...adequate." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close. His arms came around her automatically and he rested his head on hers. His eyes fluttered as he tried to keep his eyes opened but he just felt that now was the perfect time to fall asleep.

"I missed you," Dove murmured. Ponds placed a hand on her head and grasped at some of her locks.

"I've missed you, too," he said kissing her hair.

"You need to sleep," she stated, feeling the drop in his breathing and hearing his words start to slur.

"I'll come join you later," he mumbled, still fighting himself not to fall asleep on her. She looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"If you're not with me, in bed, in an hour...I'll drag you out of there myself," she said seriously. Ponds chuckled and kissed her temple.

"I don't doubt it...one hour," he agreed. Dove relinquished her hold on him, smiled sweetly, and started walking away.

"See ya 'round, soldier boy."

Ponds's lips twitched as he watched her until she disappeared around the corner. When the he went back and opened the door to the bridge, four of his men fell through the door at his feet while all the others scrambled back into their seats. He stared down at all four until they got the hint and they, too, ran to their seats. But no one went back to work. They all just stared silently at their Commander...their brother. The silence that dominated the room spoke what was unspoken:

We won't tell[strike]

Blues in the Night by

Star Wars: Clone Wars universe belongs to LucasFilms Ltd

Everyone's mine
XXXXX

Miya sighed in agitation. Two months had passed quicker than she thought and before she knew it, she was stuffed into a showy dress and whisked away with a Separatist aruetii to the ball on the planet Cato Neimoidia. Of course it wasn't done just like that. There had been weeks of preparation: getting on the aruetii's good side (aka bed), shown proper graces, tutored to perfect her accent, and told how to hold the right conversations with the aruetii, ect, ect, blah, blah, blah. She didn't care. It was all the same with all her missions. Get in the person's bed, get info or prove he's guilty of his war crime etc, try not to get found out and killed by them, and get out. Not much of a life.

The ball was well done. The place was beautiful and set for comfort. The singer was about to arrive to entertain, so people were sort of huddled around the stage. All talking stopped when she finally did and Miya looked up. It was Boombox.

She stepped on the stage in total confidence. Her starlight dress clung to her like a second skin and showed off her very well developed curves. Wolf whistles rang out immediately from the single men there. Boombox smiled and winked, not at them, but at her sisters. The joke with them was that none of their targets, when they went on missions, knew about Boombox not being able to actually talk. They all laughed later at all the complements she got about whatever artist she decided to synch to. Miya returned her wink and Boombox grinned knowingly. Her throat clicked, and she started to "sing" to a slow sensuous old song:

"My momma done tol' me,

When I was in pigtails,

My momma once tol' me,

Oooohwoooo!"

She started to act shy here:

"A man's gonna sweet-talk and,

Give you the big eye

But when the sweet-talkin's done

A man is a two face...!"

Her hand went to her forehead, then down to her cheek, and finally over her heart for the next lines:

"[b]A worrisome thing"

Who'll leave ya to sing

The bluuuues in the night!"

Her hands went above her head, her hips swung slowly, and she slid downwards for the next line

"Now the rains a-fallin!

He-ear the traiiin a-callin "Whooeee"

My momma once told me...[/b]"

Men crowded the stage to get closer and started calling out remarks, almost drowning her voice out. Miya shook her head at the display and looked away. She needed to keep her mind on the mission. But she couldn't do that when seeing her sister being harassed by a bunch of drunks! She knew that was harsh and that they couldn't be drunk this early in the ball, but dances like these always put her on edge made her grumpy, and not really think straight. Luckily she was a wonderful actress and no one was the wiser to her moods, not even to her vode. Those who were in the briefing were dispersed amongst the guest, picking up different info here and there, and charming them as they went. Vision came along as well, seeing as she her powers would come in handy. Miya hated taking her on missions like this but even she admitted to the fact she's be invaluable. But that wasn;t on her mind right now. What was really setting Miya on edge and worrying her was that there was no sigh of Marishka. She hadn't arrived yet and almost everyone was here.

A warm weight on her arm had her look around. But instead of seeing a vod's familiar face, her "date" started steering her towards a knot of people and, her heart sunk when she realized that it was an all men group.

"This is the young woman I told you about, Vera Wella," he said gesturing to her. Miya bowed respectfully and turned into the woman that had been introduced.

"Wonderful to meet you, sers," she said, smiling. All the men eyed her hungrily. She felt very naked right then with her dress. Then again, she'd feel naked with the dress anywhere. It had no back and barley any torso. It covered her perfectly from the waist down but it diamond her belly with two thick ropes of material, covered her breasts as it diamond up to her neck, and tied in the back. She was introduced to each member of the group who all took turns kissing her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you darling," a familiar smooth voice said to her and kissed her hand last. Miya's jaw tightened as his lips brushed her hand. He was a Republic officer under cover. HE was the reason why she and her vode were too scared to get away from the Republic and one of the main reasons why they wanted to LEAVE. She refused to look at him, even for this mission.

"The pleasure is all mine...ser," she said, taking her hand away rather quickly," If you'll excuse me, I need to freshen up."

"Ah, yes. Always need to keep your face pretty," he said cooly. Miya's fist clenched. She knew him good enough to know the ending to those words. But still she didn't look at him. She turned and walked away from the group.

"Beautiful little jewel, Kanvas," a Chandrillian senator.

"Yes, isn't she? HaHA! I'll be the talk when the others see that little darling on my arm," Kanvas said.

"I cannot say that I agree. She is like a jewel. Men fight over her to brag that they have her on their arm. But when they're around her long enough," that hated voice said,"...they find that she's wasn't worth it." Miya felt her face turn red at his words both with humiliation and anger. Was he TRYING to blow her mission? Just so that he can tell her she wasn't worth anything? It's not like he didn't try or have enough time to do it anywhere else! The warm weight settled on her arm again and she turned with a very stretched grin, thinking her Senator had come to reel her back to the group. However, it was Irene who had her in a grip this time. She smiled knowingly and laughed when Miya let out a sigh of relief and traded her fake smile for a genuine one.

"Hello, Miss Vella," she said grinning even wider," How are you this evening."

"I am very well, Miss Neilra. A pleasure to see you again, darling," Miya said squeezing her arm. Irene smiled at her smugly. She had changed her look into a light purple twi'lek with a dress of bright yellow silk. But what caught Miya's eye was that it was made out of Shell Spider silk. She glanced up at Irene and frowned.

"My...sweetheart...is very cautious. He wanted me and the others to wear this to be safe just in case something happens. Stays very close to us as well," she answered. She had come with a man who was known to bring more than one girl to balls. It was very easy for her to get on his good side.

"That's actually...nice of him," Miya blinked. Irene look at her in amusement.

"Isn't it? What I find amusing is that he loves to always be in the middle of our circle," she said. Now Miya's eyebrows plummeted and her frown turned to a dark scowl. Any coward who used others as shields were as low as dirt in her opinion. But he'd reach up and he still wouldn't be able touch dirt if he used one of HER sisters as part of his shield. She opened her mouth, ready to go on a quiet full rant, but was cut off when something caught her eye. Irene saw her change and followed her eye. Nute Gunray had finally arrived.

On his arm, was their missing vod

Her hair was done up in a high ponytail, but low enough that the end of her long coils lightly brushed between her shoulder blades. A flavescent colored dress stitched with gold and made of Killik silk graced her figure. It came into a choke hold around her neck, was backless behind her, and left her arms bare. Standing at her normal height, she gave off an aura of nobility and had more than one person glancing her way. She was clutching Gunray's arm as he walked around and introduced her to many of the guests. Both girls had halted in their walk and stared opened mouthed at their gutsy vod.

"No...way," Miya breathed. Irene seemed to have stopped breathing altogether.

"Well, good evening ladies," a smarmy voice said, tearing their eyes away from their sister. A Neimoidian was eyeing both of them like sweet treats. They both recognized him as one of Gunray's close attendants who usually trailed after him very closely.

"Good evening, ser," Irene said flirtatiously, adopting a high pitched breathless voice.

"What are such...exquisite ladies such as yourselves doing by yourself," he inquired, his eyes not staying on their faces, but darting around their chests. Miya thought she saw his tongue dart out for a second.

"We are not alone, ser," she answered, pleasantly, " My friend came with Senator Seer'aska. I came with Senator Kanvas."

"Well, where are they now," he asked looking around, hopefully,"It's not nice to leave such precious gems all alone."

"They went to get us some drinks," she said," They'll be back in a few minutes."

"Ah,"he said, and bowed to them but still held that lecherous smirk on his face,"So sorry. I shall leave you fine ladies to your companions when they come back." He walked off, but kept in a corner where he could keep watching them.

"This is why," Miya said, turning her back to him to face Irene with hard eyes, smile still in place," I hate our lives! I feel like a piece of meat being offered to...to a bunch of STRILLS!" Irene shuddered at the image of a strill eating, and didn't want to imagine a who bunch of them eating. With a huff, Miya turned to do what she originally said she would do. However, some one holy didn't like her. She was stopped and pushed into a corner. It was a different Neimoidian this time...but not any prettier than the last.

"I," he slured," Didn have mush couraehge for zis fore. You'z zooo prety...I didn stand a chance but nooow..." He got closer to her, his breathe sickly sweet of wine. She was stuck. If she tried to break away he might go on a drunken yelling spree and make the ball end early, and they wouldn't be able to get any more info. She couldn't kill him and get it over with, that'd just put attention on her. And if she let him do what he wanted, she shuddered at the thought, she would lose favor with Kanvas.

But she was saved from making any decision when someone went with her option B. Once second, his mouth was about to descent to hers and then... a sharp metal object sliced through his neck like butter and his head left his shoulders. His body stood there for a few seconds still holding her before the legs lost their strength and collapsed in a heap on top of the head. Blood started to gush and pool around the body, and Miya stepped quickly to avoid it. She followed the moving blade and watched as it turned into a hand, and her rescuer stepped into the light.

"Hannah," Miya breathed with relief. Hannah didn't react to her. Instead, she frowned as she stepped up to the Neimoidian's head and nudged it with her foot. Miya was surprised she didn't see her as she was coming down the hall. It was hard for Hannah to hide with her very platinum colored hair.

"Hmph, hu'tuune," she murmured. Her pupil less orange eyes flicked over to Miya

"Are you alright, vod," she asked in a cultured voice. Miya nodded numbly and Hannah grinned at her.

"I just love it when there's a di'kut who's di'kulta enough to try and touch any of you," she said staring at the blood dripping down her fingers," It gives ME something fun to do." She flicked the blood off with a grunt of disgust. She glanced back at Miya, who had lost every thought in her head about how to move her body. Finally, enough sense came back to her for her to hold out her arm to her.

"Not here...not now," Hannah scolded," Someone could come around the corner and see."

"I don't care," Miya said stubbornly," I haven't seen you in two years. TWO YEARS! "M in a dress walkin' around like a piece of steak at a dog show to keep a shabla government from tankin' without a whisper of thanks! I think I've earned the right to properly greet my vod when I want." Hannah gazed at her for long while, blinking and unreadable.

"Yes," she finally said, clasping their hands together," I suppose you are...su'cuy vod'ika."

"Su'cuy vod," Miya said with a grin. Hannah wasn't a pod sister...but she was as close to one as Miya had. She loved all her vode very much...there was just something special with Hannah.

"Go back to the party...we need all the info we can get and our sisters can't be in the same place twice," Hannah joked, making a shooing motion. Miya complied, knowing that the body and the blood stains would be gone before anyone went over that way. She walked back over to Kanvas, but Marishka grabbed her arm before she could touch him.

"Time to report to buir," she said quietly then said in a louder voice to Kanvas," Me and Miss Wella will be outside for a walk. I think I drank too much and I need some air. She promised me we'd catch up before the night ended." Kanvas nodded his consent...but it looked more like a bob of his head since his eyes were glued to Marishka's very ample bosom. When they reached outside Miya rolled her eyes.

"You'd think they'd be at least a little suspicious when so many of the women know each other," she said.

"We're only five people, Miya...out of hundreds. It's not that unusual," Marishka said, patting her hand.

"Well, kitlings," Ru'more asked as Miya, Vision, and Marishka trooped in," Anybody we need to worry about?" They were in a building just across the street from the ballroom, that way they could return to the party quickly and slip back in seamlessly. Everyone turned to look at the one girl who could show her. She walked up to her buir and leaned in close. Vision's eyes closed and opened just as before but instead of streaks shooting out, HER memories played out in her glass eyes, coming right up to the surface for her buir to see. Ru'more peered closely at all the people. Faces appeared close up so she didn't have to look to closely, though some were murkier than others. She suddenly stood up straight and nodded satisfied.

"Well, now we have at least some of our senators who support the seppies. Good work, ad'ike," she said fondly messing up Vision's hair, tickling Marishka underneath her chin, and slapping Miya on her back.

"You will have to de-brief me when this is over. Now, however,...go get some rest while I go save your other vode. That's an order and it's part of your mission. You kitlings deserve it," she said as she walked away. They obeyed and left immediately, thoughts on some good long rest. However one sister stayed way longer when everyone else, even the party guests, were gone.

Marishka stood up straight, staring up at the high ceiling. It was actually a huge window to show the sky. She had never been so high up in the sky, and she was only in it to fight a battle. It looked so beautiful, now that she was actually getting a good look at it. Her eyes shuddered shut as the sunset sunlight broke through the clouds and crept across her face, warming her a little, like a veil. Her hair gleamed, like every tress was made of dark amber and her skin glowed attractively in its light. What would it be like to fly with it always on her back? To always feel beautiful underneath it? To fly in gentle breezes whenever she pleased? Whenever SHE wanted not when someone told her to. Her wings unfolded, depending on the silks of her dress to form their structures, slowly and unconsciously as the thoughts flooded her. They flapped in a soft pounding beat and slowly lifted her off of the ground. She hovered there for a little while, still simply staring up at the sky. Could she really do it? Could it be so easy to just break the glass and fly? Hope gleamed in her eyes as her wings held her up and suddenly, she started shooting up towards the ceiling. Higher and higher and higher until she could smell the wind swirling around outside. Her hands reached for the glass, intending to shoot through it if possible, when she heard the two most horrible words in her own language.

"Shairn kreek," a male voice echoed out into the room, engulfed her with it so it pounded in her head and snuffed out her candle of hope. Marishka felt her body freeze in mid-flight, her fingertips just centimeters away from freedom. Her heart beat slowly overtook the echo in the room.

Thump...Thump...Thump

A cold feeling came over her heart. A small twinge in the middle like a pinprick at first, before growing to go over her whole heart like a hand had clenched around it. She gasped and grasped her chest. Burning, acid pain shot through her body, building up quickly, locking it up. She was falling now, farther from that beautiful freedom that called to her so sweetly. Her wings turned back to silks and swirled around her obscuring her vision and brought her back to the pain eating in her body. A loud voice was was weighing heavily in her head, screaming to surrender, building in pressure as if boulders were being added onto her head one after another. Surrender to him and what he wanted, then all the pain will go away. She landed on her side with a solid THWAP! That brief pain was nothing compared to the monster twisting in her now. Scratching and destroying her inside out, tearing at her insides with violent flames. Her heart was growing cold, cold as the flames were hot, soon burning her heart as well. The voice in her head was at work as too, trying to pry its fingers into her mind, that felt more like merciless volts, and rip it open to make her more vulnerable to surrender. She curled into a ball and screamed, trying to reach anyone to help her. Her scream bounced off the walls and down the halls of the building, passing by many but reached one ear. Ru'more's head whipped around and she flew off to follow the scream.

"No one will help you," a male's voice said as he sat next to Marishka's curled form,"To everyone here besides those other projects...your nothing. Nothing but a monster...who has no reason to live...but to do...whatever...its master...wants." A hand reached out and brushed her curls away from her face, ignoring her crying sobs and her arches as she literally was destroyed from the inside out.

"Once your of no more use, I will take you away from your sisters and toss you into a small room on Kamino. There I, and I alone, will press a button that will light the room on fire. And you. Will. Die," he said, not caring that it was adding to her pain," Alone. With no one to help you or rescue you. I will deal with your sisters to make them stay as far away from you and your room as they can." Her hands went to her head and she arched, screaming for her dear life as she begged for the pain to stop. The man stood up...and kicked her head with his booted heel.

"Never do it again, little demon," he snarled as he kicked her over again," If you do, I will know and I will make your fate come faster...DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He seized her ponytail and yanked her head up to him. She could barley get a whimper past her lips, the pain unbearable and all that was consuming her mind. He shook her violently, until something of an affirmative left her. He let her ponytail go and she landed hard on her cheek, unable to move. Her eyes rolled up into their sockets as her body went into spasms and she slowly lost consciousness.

"KAINEN," a voice roared. His looked over to the doorway, not concerned. Ru'more had arrived finally.

And she was pissed.

Her face was murderous as she took in the scene of her ad'ike laying on the floor, obviously in pain, and Kainen Costul stooping over her. Her eyes widened, her pupils almost gone, when she realized what was happening.

The Leash

The demagolka had her under the Leash

She rushed over to her and turned Marishka over so that she was facing upwards. But Marishka couldn't see or hear her. All she could see was black and all she could hear was screams for her surrender. But she did feel when a cool hand glided over her sweat soaked forehead and spoke the Release.

"Teska," a mere murmur, but instant blessed results. Tears poured down past baby features as the pain left her body. The world around Marishka and came into sharp focus and a beloved face that hovered above her was watching her with sympathy.

"Buir," she whimpered, her arms wrapping around her neck to pull her up into her neck," Buir."

"You need to teach your little monster that its life is chained to its work," the man said, cold voiced,"It does not need to be let loose in the streets where it'll wreck havoc on innocents." Rumor'e tossed her head up to glare at the retreating back of the demagolka that filled all her children with fear.

"One day, ad'ike," she promised the unconscious girl, eyes narrowing and flashing while her voice lowered to a hiss," One day I will take my knife and separate his head from his body."

This is where my wonderfully talented co author comes in with her guys. The men and General Lunar belong to her while all the girls are mine.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars belongs to LucasFilms Ltd.

FEEDBACK VERY APPRECIATED


Ben had never seen anything quite like this

Ok, he had seen a lot of weird stuff in his life; you couldn't be the medic of the 666th and not see some weird stuff. But this was beyond anything he'd experienced medically. Other than the bruises slowly forming on her left cheek, there wasn't a scratch on her.

And yet he'd never seen anyone with so much damage done.

Of course the circumstances that had brought the girl to his medical ward were almost as bizarre as the injuries (or lack there of) themselves.

General Lunar, and a Devaronian woman he did not recognize, had brought the girl to the medical ward. Aurora had said nothing about who she was or what had happened. She had merely asked him to do what he could and that she and General Ru'more, the woman with her he presumed, would be on the bridge if he needed them. Ben had nodded saying nothing of the fact that this was the first time he had not been given a name, or pre-diagnosis on a patient. And he said nothing of the fact that Aurora seemed to be holding something back. She always told them everything about a mission. What made this any different?

Aurora had said to do what he could for her. But what could he do if there was nothing wrong with her? Surly she couldn't mean-

Ben shook his head. Not to a complete stranger, not with the way he felt about it.

Ben had discovered at an early age that he himself was highly talented in what the general described as 'force healing'. But ever since that discovery he had only used said talents in the most dire emergencies. It felt strange, almost invasive to enter someone else body with ones mind and to alter what was already there. He hated doing it, even to his closest brothers. The general knew that and she respected it. She would never ask him to do something like that to a complete stranger.

The medic sighed and continued his examination of the woman before him.

He was in the middle of removing blood to test for any kind of poison or sedative when he heard the slow beeping of her heart monitor spike quickly.

His eyes shot up and he found himself staring into a wide set of shining green irises.

Within seconds he found himself pined to the ground by ghostly white hands, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and Ben forced himself to focus in on the source of pain. His eyes widened.

The girl had sunk a set of sharp upper canines into his shoulder.

How did she get through the zillo skin? The thought, however, was not as important as the ones running around screaming in the front of his brain. The ones telling him he was loosing blood fast, he could feel it rushing through his veins leaving his body at an alarmingly high rate, his heart beat faster trying to accommodate for the loss but it was no good.

He raised his right arm slightly, he knew fighting back would be useless, she had a good hold on him and he needed to conserve all the energy he could. He raised his hand just enough to smack the COM unit on his wrist against the ground, activating the emergency beacon. Black spots began clouding his vision and Ben had to force himself to breath evenly.

He must have blacked out because when he came to someone was screaming bloody murder in his ear.

Ben forced himself to sit up, immediately recognizing the feeling of fatigue that accompanied blood loss. He felt someone grip his shoulder tightly and looked up to see Barricade, gun in hand staring down at him with a look of genuine concern in his eyes, though the rest of his face was set in a dead scowl. Ben glanced forward and saw the woman who had attacked him lying on the floor, a welt the shape of a pistol butt on her forehead. Ben managed to pull himself to his feat staggering slightly from weakness.

"Breath", He thought, forcing himself to tack a long deep breath and let it out slowly. He staggered over to the woman, and with sloppy hands checked her vital signs.

Ignoring Barricades rather audible protests to the contrary Ben mustered his strength and lifted the woman (with great difficulty) back onto the bed. He was aware his Lieutenant was yelling at him, but it was as if the world had been put on mute. He slowly reattached the IV cord that had been pulled from the woman's arm. Carefully hooking her back up to the heart monitor and checking her heart rate. Normal.

Only then did the medic let himself collapse back against the countertop of his medical station.

"Deep breathes," he reminded himself taking air in and letting it out slowly. Sound had faded back in by now.

"-What in the 7 frozen hells of Hoth are you thinking?"

Ben winced slightly at the lieutenant's lack of volume control. The medic turned around so he was facing the counter reaching up to one of the compartments with shacking hands and pulling out a liquid rations bag and a bottle of pills. He swallowed two of the blue capsules before tarring open the rations bag with his teeth and gulping down the liquid nutrients greedily.

Barricade grabbed his shoulder in anger causing the medic to wince slightly at the force of the grab.

"You did hear me right? I'm not just talking to myself?" The anger was evident in his voice, but Ben knew him well enough to know that the anger was not directed at him.

"She is injured and she should not be left on the floor." His voice was quite, calm and emotionless as ever. He gently removed Barricades hand from his shoulder and walked, with only a slight stumble, over to the sink. He carefully removed his medical vest and then the long sleeve zillo leather shirt beneath it. He examined his bare shoulder carefully.

"Odd." He mumbled softly. "No puncture wound to speak off."

Barricade was staring at him face tinted red from anger.

"Ben, she kriffin attacked you! She drank your blood for Jango's sakes!" Ben became painstakingly aware of the gun still in Barricades hand, when he gestured to the woman lying on the bed with it.

"Lieutenant... I'm going to have to respectfully request you place your blaster on the table."

Barricade gave him a low growl, but slammed the blaster down on the counter, hard.

"She phwoarin' bit you!" With the blaster gone the lieutenant's scarred knuckles curled themselves into angry fists.

"As have half of 'forest' squad." Barricade must have missed the medic's attempt at humor.

"Just keep her kriffin sedated!" the lieutenant threw his hands into the air in exasperation. "Or better yet let me take her to the brig!"

Ben shook his head slowly, calmly; the smallest frown set on his lips. "Removing her from the medical ward without an accurate diagnosis could be potentially hazardous." His voice was quite, respectful, as always.

Barricade growled quietly, grabbed his blaster, and took up a guard's stance at the door. His reasoning was layered with anger. "The last thing I need is to loose the best medic in the GAR to some blood sucker."

Ben blinked slightly blind-sided by the compliment. He sighed and turned his attention back to the woman in the bed. He slowly set to tending the new lump on her foreheadly.

XXXXX

General Aurora Lunar was many things, and fiercely protective of her men was most certainly one of them. General Ru'more eyed the woman attentively

She was quite clearly Mandalorian by birth. Light blond hair, pale skin, and high cheek bones were a signature to what was today known as 'the Mandalorian natives'.

One good mark in her book

However, she thought darkly, it was yet to be seen if the girl deserved to be called a true Mandalorian. She was a jetii after all, and many of the their teachings contradicted with those of the Mandalorians. Especially of their way to fight.

Two bad marks

Ru'more watched Lunar converse with her second in command, a tattoo covered clone trooper with long green hair. She didn't even flinch at his coloring. She had a lot weirder children than him. It hurt her to even think it...but it was true. Aurora stiffened suddenly. Ru'more could literally feel the icy glare sent her way and immediately knew that Marishka had woken up. Lunar was in front of her in seconds. Typical Jetii.

However, when she felt a blaster jab her temple, she shifted her thinking. Maybe not so typical…

"That girl of yours attacked Ben." Aurora growled, a deep guttural sound from the back of her throat that reminded Ru'more of some feral animal.

Certainly not typical. The woman had getts'e. But still not enough to be told of her kitlings...yet. Rum'more's eyes narrowed dangerously but she said nothing. The soft click of a blaster safety being removed registered in her ear. She lifted her chin, very slowly...very imperiously, meeting Aurora's piecing gaze with a look that said 'go ahead and try it'.

"You wanna explain that?" Lunar didn't waver.

Neither did Ru'more

The women stood there, staring one and other down, for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Aurora gave in and with a scowl she lowered her blaster clicking the safety back on and holstering it in one smooth practiced motion. She turned on her heals quickly and headed for the bridge blast door.

"Come on Paint." Aurora called over her shoulder the captain immediately followed her. "Were going to the medical bay."

XXXXX

Marishka woke up and noticed one thing.

She was hungry, and needed to feed.

She pulled herself into a sitting position and immediately held her hands up, hissing. The light was bright and confusing her, hurting her eyes, making them water. She stopped and lowered them, however, when she heard a familiar pounding in her ears.

Heartbeats

A very fast beating one, almost angry as it pounded against the owner's ribs, and a slow calm one. She shut her eyes and focused on the calm one. Fast heartbeats were difficult to feed from, the vibrations made her teeth ache. Calmly beating ones were perfect. Her eyes flashed open; unconsciously reaching her clawed hand out to pull the prey towards her...

"Hold it, blood sucker," a voice growled in her ear. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. She was so intent on the calmly beating heart, she hadn't noticed that angry heart had started to get closer and beat faster. Now she saw that it was a trooper. He had pulled out his gun and was holding it with sturdy, experienced hands to her temple. A kill shot. She froze for a second. All her mind recognized was the gun in his hand...

Pointed at her.

She snarled at him, her fangs coming out and her claws unsheathing, as she tried to make herself bigger. His gun clicked, making her get ready to pounce...

"Stop," the voice was calm, quite, but still seemed to hold concern. The gun didn't waver from its position, but Marishka whipped her head around. A trooper was watching her. He had beautiful white, hair that looked good with his tan skin, with a single red streak amongst the locks. But what caught Marishka's eye were the blue eyes staring at her.

Everything in his expression was passive but there was something unmistakable in those eyes. He was nervous, maybe even scared... but more than anything he was curious.

"Lieutenant, I must ask you to please lower your gun," the white haired trooper said softly, not taking his eyes away from her. She stared back, just as curiously. The armed trooper, however, wasn't curious, at all.

"Ben," The man's hard brown eyes did leave her for a second," She was going to attack you AGAIN!"

Again? Marishka stiffened slightly. Her head dipped a little at the thought that she attacked him in a frenzy.

"A misunderstanding, I'm sure." The man, who had been identified as Ben, gave a small smile. His voice was calm, kind yet not cloying like some.

The trooper with the gun snorted. "You don't DRINK SOMEONES BLOOD because of a kriffin misunderstanding!"

Ben winced slightly one hand going unconsciously to his shoulder before he caught himself. He forced another one of those ghosting, almost none existent smiles.

"I need to feed…" Marishka growled slightly at the still unnamed trooper, her eyes flickering over to him. She watched his face harden once again, fresh anger boiling to the surface. How could one man be so angry?

Ben's eyes sparked slightly with realization and he turned on his heals, entering on of his medical compartments above the counter and grabbing something off the shelf.

"Would this be a sufficient substitute?" he offered her a clear plastic bag filled with thick scarlet red liquid.

Marishka shook her head. "Has to be fresh."

Ben nodded thoughtfully, returning the blood sack to its place in the cabinet and when he closed the cabinet door Marishka noticed it was labeled 'transfusions'.

"Lieutenant Barricade." Ben glanced at the other man passively. "Would you please find the general for me? I wish to speak with her and would rather not leave the med bay unattended."

The man identified as Barricade glanced at Ben, before returning his steady glare to Marishka. She returned the glare

"If she makes one false move-"

"You'll be the first to hear about it." Ben's voice was quieter but not so much so he was incoherent.

Barricade nodded to Ben before turning his attention to Marishka.

"Watch your step blood sucker, you're lucky." Barricade sneered and holstered his weapon," If it'd have been ME...I would have shot you." Marishka's shoulder's flexed at the threat and growled loudly.

"Ne shab'run'ii," she snarled. Barricade continued to glare at her before turning and exiting the med bay.

The minute he was gone, Ben was moving. He shrugged off his medical vest and quickly pulled his zillo skin shirt up and over his head. Hands trembling slightly, the medic took a seat on the bed next to Marishka.

"Quick, before he gets back."

Marishka tilted her head at him in question, but she still didn't relax. "Why-"

"I took the hippocratic oath to heal people. And from what I've seen this is the only way you'll recover fully." He swallowed and closed his eyes. "Hurry. Barricade will be back soon and he'll kick my shebs if he finds out I let you do this."

Marishka eyed him warily, thinking that maybe it was some kind of a joke or a trap to have a reason to shoot her. Maybe the other one hadn't gone. Maybe he was standing right outside. But when she listened, there was only the one heartbeat that was right in front of her that was close to the med bay. The trooper's voice was also as soft and emotionless as before. Her look softened and she reached out. She took his face in one of her hands, turned it towards her, and nuzzled it gently with her own.

"Thank you," she murmured. Her other hand took his shoulder and made it so the curve in his collarbone dipped.

Her fangs lengthened and she gently sunk them into his offered shoulder.

XXXXX

Not true

Not true

Not true

NOT TRUE

It can't be

Everything passed by in a blur for Dove. Ponds was always aware of what happened to her and her sisters. She knew he knew something bad when he had kissed her. He was hesitant and distracted. He wouldn't answer when she first asked. He just brushed a piece of her hair out of her face and kissed her again. She had to ask a few more times before he sighed and told her.

Not Marishka

Not her pod sister

"Tell me it isn't true," Dove gasped as she burst through the door. It was a room just for her and her sister's either when the mongrels didn't want them around or when they didn't want to be around the mongrels. All eyes turned to her and the room froze. Dove looked around to all of her sister, but none of them met her eyes. She spotted Miya, who didn't turn when she met hers. Her legs shook as she stepped closer to her her hands opened in a pleading gesture.

"Miya...vod...please," she begged. But Miya's look told her before she took a breath.

"I wish I could, Dove," she said sympathetically," But I even saw 'im...almost blew my missi'n telling the men I was nothin' special." Dove's eyes squeezed shut as tears threatened to fall. Marishka always got the worst of Kainen.

"Don't cry!...(click)...so don't cry..(click) It's ok. It's alright," Boombox sang. She was surprised when Dove whirled around to her, eyes flaring mad.

"No, its NOT," she screamed,"He always abuses her when he sees her! ALWAYS! Physically, mentally, or with that shabla Leash! Just so people will see the worst of her that she can't control after his abuse! I'm SICK of it! That's my pod sister he's hurting!"

"Dove, calm DOWN," a thickly accented voice said sternly. Dove whirled around to face the sister. Her hair was deep purple and gelled into spike's on top of her head, deep blue eyes were staring at her like hard rocks.

"I have to agree with Soul, Dove," Miya said crossing her arms,"Marishka may not be our pod sister, but we don't love her any less than you. We're worried as well."

"Annabelle will have her up and scaring you soon," Soul softened and smiled at Dove. She knew what it was like to worry about her pod siblings. She was lucky she had any to worry ABOUT.

"She's not with Annabelle," Vision informed them," Our ship couldn't get there in time."

"Then where the kriff is she," Miya asked surprised.

"She's on the Requiem...General Lunar's ship. Their medic is taking care of Marishka."

Dove gasped, making her sister's stare at her. Her eyes were wide with realization and fear. She met their eyes while single shaking finger pointed out the door.

"Guys," she asked with a trembling voice," If...if HE used the Leash on her...won't she... wake up...in a frenzy?" All movement stopped for a single heartbeat...

And seconds later, the room emptied as all the girls stampeded out of the room.

XXXXX

In the 7, almost 8, months he'd been serving with her, Captain Paint had become quite adept at telling when General Lunar was upset.

She was down right pissed at the moment.

Of course he was pretty pissed himself. They had both made promises to protect their men from any and all threats to their lives.

And this most certainly qualified as a threat.

For one, they knew almost nothing about the mission they were currently assigned to. For another, their medic had just been attacked by a woman he was trying to help. A woman they would most likely be working with on this 'mystery mission'.

The sight of Lieutenant Barricade walking purposefully in their direction only served to piss both himself and the general off even more.

"Barricade...where's Ben?" Paint glared intensely at the Lieutenant who returned the look with equal strength. Ben was actually one of the few people in the unit who acknowledged rank. Rank really only served to present the chain of command in a battlefield or other hostile situation, it was useless anywhere else, at least in Paint opinion.

"Med bay." Barricade growled out, he seemed just as mad at himself as he was with the current situation.

"Osik, you left him alone with her?"

Aurora was unusually silent and Paint glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Her eyes were closed, brow scrunched together in concentration. Suddenly her eyes shot open a deep scowl set on her face.

"Ben! I'm going to kill you!" and with that she took off down the hall, light saber blazing.

"Head to the bridge Barricade!" Paint shouted over his shoulder as he took off after her. Stupid Jedi powers, no consideration for anyone else. He drew a thick metal cylinder from his belt and with the press of a button it extended a full sized quarterstaff. The Captain always had preferred close combat.

XXXXX

The med bay was silent as Marishka fed. Warm, sweet blood pooled into her mouth cushioned by soft muscle. She slowly swallowed the liquid strength, despite her wanting to just start feeding at high speed. But she didn't want to go into a frenzy and scare him. She was surprised that he was letting her feed from him at all. The medic had only shifted a few times to get comfortable. She was grateful since most people who let her feed would wiggle around. They said it felt weird to feel her fangs inside of them.

Marishka looked up with a start when a fierce looking Mandalorian woman charged into the med bay with a blazing aqua colored light saber. A clone trooper with tattoo's covering his face and hands followed directly behind her, a metal quarterstaff in hand.

Marishka jumped away from the medic, her back arching and teeth bearing automatically in reaction. Blood dribbled down off of her fangs and down her chin. Her mind screamed that she was right that the medic's kindness was a trap.

"General!" Ben's voice, though still calm was startled, he quickly began pulling his zillo skin shirt back on. "Our guest was just helping me apply antibiotics to some injuries I received on our mission to-"

"Save the story for Ryloth Ben." The Mandalorian woman glared at him steadily. "You and I are going to have a 'chat'." She glanced at the tattoo-covered clone. "Paint, you watch her." She jabbed her chin in Marishka's direction.

"Sure 'rora." Paint nodded quickly and sent a wary glance in Marishka's direction. Marishka watched Ben follow the Jedi out of the med bay, an unreadable expression on his face. She glanced at the clone left in the room with her. He glared at her and spun his quarterstaff on his fingers absently. She shifted to bring her knees up under her arms and lower her head. She hated this ship. It was just like all the others. People glaring at her because of how she was made, how she needed to survive. But what hurt worst was that these were clones...just like her and her vode. She sighed and thought of some other questions to get her mind off of that little fact. What was this ship?

And where were her vode and buir?

XXXXX

"Do I even want to know Ben?" General Lunar folded her arms over her chest, giving the medic a look that would have stopped the entire droid army in its tracks.

"Ma'am, I was instructed to do what I could and-"

"Osik, Ben! That doesn't mean let her bite you!" the Jedi threw her hand in the air in exasperation, "Kriff, did it even occur to you that she might be DANGEROUS?"

The medic was silent.

"You had another reason didn't you." Aurora seemed to have just come to the realization. She glared at him. "Talk."

"Ma'am." Ben glanced at his boots. "The first time she bit me...I could FEEL my heart beating. I was aware of EVERY individual blood cell in my veins I KNEW blood was leaving my body fast." His voice dropped to a whisper, shame. "I wanted to help her yes but… I also wanted to see if it would happen again." He looked her in the eyes, his soft voice sure. " You said my abilities could only work on others, but in that moment I could look inside MYSELF." He shook his head. "I except any punishment you give me."

Aurora stared at him for a long time. Finally a smirk set on her face. " I knew it." she grinned wider.

"Knew what, ma'am?" Ben looked at her in surprise.

"I knew no one could be THAT perfect." She smirked again.

"Ma'am?"

Aurora shook her head again face once again becoming stern, "2 weeks on KP duty Ben." She eyed him evenly. "I don't want you taking risks like that from now on understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." Ben nodded quickly.

"And don't call me ma'am." Lunar's eyes held an almost playful glint now and Ben couldn't help but wonder how anyone could change emotions so quickly. Maybe it was a girl thing, "I work for a living."

Ru'more stared after the woman as she and her captain walked away. As soon as they was out of sight and hearing, she whipped out her comlink and contacted her captain.

"Miya? Mi'ika," Ru'more said quietly. Static answered her for a bit. She waited.

"Buir," Miya finally answered," Where are ya? Are ya with Mishka? What happened?"

"Udesii, ad'ike," Ru'more said,"Marishka is fine."

"Buir, you need ta check on 'er! She could wake...," Miya grunted and Dove's voice overtook hers.

"Marishka could wake up in a frenzy," she wailed. Ru'more sighed.

"It's too late for that, kitling," she said. Dove sucked in a breath and dead silence took over their end...

Then all dar'yam broke loose.

"Let us come aboard," Dove yelled.

"Check on de person she got ta," Miya yelled over her.

"She's not in the brig, is she," Vision asked.

"Did you EXPLAIN to the general about Marishka," a new voice said.

"Su'cuy, Soul," Ru'more said, effectively ending the chaos with her nonchalant attitude.

"Su'cuy, mat," she said back.

"No to everything. No I won't attempt to check on the guy because I believe the jetii won't let me," she said. Miya snorted at that.

"No, Mar'ike is NOT in the brig," a combined relieved sigh met that statement.

"No, you are not coming on board," she said.

"BUIR," they all groaned. Ru'more chuckled.

"And no...I'm not telling the jetii about….that," she growled out. A tense silence met this.

"You're going to have to tell her sometime, buir," Vision warned. Ru'more grunted.

"Well, I'd like to put that off for as long as possible...I don't trust easy," she said and her tone softened," Especially when it comes to all of you."

Aurora came back onto the bridge to see that Ru'more was speaking in low tones into her comlink. However, when she saw that Lunar was back, she put it up before she could hear a word.

"Another of my girls is going to take on the mission," was all she told her, not turning to face her.

"This one had better not be a blood sucker as well," Lunar growled at Ru'more. That made the Devaronian immediately whirl around to Lunar, teeth bared, back arched, and her face fierce.

"SHE IS NOT A BLOOD SUCKER, ARUETII," she snarled back. Blood sucker. That's always what her poor kitling was called when people found out about...this," HER NAME IS MARISHKA!"

"Oh?" Lunar stood firm not even wincing at the older woman's anger, her blue/gray eyes hard. "I suppose that would have been good to know, wouldn't it?" her eyes narrowed on Ru'more anger dripping from her words. "You KNEW this would happen...didn't you?"

Ru'more was silent, but continued to stare back, eyes hard.

"You KNEW and you chose not to warn us. You CHOSE to leave us in darkness and because of that one of MY MEN suffered!" Lunar shock her head. "And you call ME the traitor." Aurora's eyes scanned the other woman as if trying to decide if she could get away with attaching her. They where about the same size it would be a fare fight. Her men certainly wouldn't stop her.

"Of course I knew! I also knew what you would do to her if I told you! You jetii always say you're different from the mongrels but you're NOT," she snarled," As soon as you heard what she needed to do to survive, you would isolate her! You would call her a demon blood sucker! My kitling doesn't need anymore shame about what she is than what she has!" Ru'more seem to grow taller and her eyes glowered at Lunar.

"My ad'ike have had enough prodding and torture about what they are! Just so you can all see their bad sides to judge on how useful they'll be in this kriffin war! Everyone thinks THEY'RE monsters? The REAL monsters are you jetii," she jabbed a finger at Lunar," You keep my ad'ike enslaved. You, aruetii, can walk away whenever you please. Not my kitlings. They have to stay, and be treated like sluts because that's what you jetii wanted them to be to gather intel!"

"You think you're SO right don't you?" Aurora's eyes had narrowed to the point of them being little more than slit. Her fists clenched hard and the two clones working the bridge computers looked up when several metal chairs near the woman began shacking.

"You think my life's been all sun and rain and Jedi SHACK OSIK?" The Mandalorian looked as if she would implode on the spot.

"You can go ahead thinking I'm a bitch, I probably am! You can say the Jedi are wrong. WE ARE!"

The chairs shook more violently and one of the deck officers had to duck when a data disk went flying across the room. Her volume rose even higher.

"I don't give a dar'yam what kind of osik she's been through! That is not a good excuse for her to tack advantage of Ben like that!"

"Marishka doesn't take advantage," Ru'more shouted," You try asking to feed after slowly being killed!"

"That's no excuse! You have no kriffin IDEA how mentally vulnerable Ben is? He'll do anything to please! You know he probably wouldn't even have a kriffin NAME if his brothers hadn't given him one!"

Another data disk flew across the room.

"If she needed to feed she should have feed off of YOU! I would have even volunteered!"

A small spider web of cracks began forming on one of the monitors.

"But no, not only does she attack him but she took complete and utter advantage of the man who's already been through who knows what kind of dar'yam at the hands of the Kaminii and that HU'TUUNE training sergeant Darbo!"

"YOU THINK HE WAS BAD?" Ru'more screamed," YOU TRY TALKING TO KAINEN! SEE HOW THAT DEMEAGOKLA HAS TREATED MY KITLINGS SINCE THEY WERE BORN!"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

The monitor screen caved in with the screeching cry of bending metal and breaking glass.

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU, HUH? BIG TOUGH GENRAL PROBABLY JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY!"

Aurora felt a stinging pain in her head as sharp clawed hands clamped around her head and she was thrown to the wall. She glared up at Ru'more. The Devaronian's fur was puffed up, the skin that poked through was ashen, and daggers pierced through her eyes.

"DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT I'D TAKE MONEY FOR MY KITLINGS LIVES, YOU ARUETII JETII! I WILL NEVER TAKE THE FILTHY BLOOD MONEY YOU KRIFFIN JETIISE OFFER!"

There was a near silent click as two different blaster safety's were removed. Ru'more turned to see that the clone deck officers had moved in, both with weapons trailing on her.

"You all right Aurora?" one of the clones, a trooper with steal gray hair and eyes to match, asked.

"I'm fine Info." Lunar stood glaring all the harder at Ru'more. "You look me in the eye." She growled out at the Devaronian. "And you tell me you NEVER took money in exchange for your services."

Ru'more straightened to her full height and glared down at the woman, hard and unwavering, as a deep growl rumbled in her chest and tore slowly through her throat:

"I. Never. Took. Your. Blood. Money."

"I find that hard to believe." it was the other clone speaking now, the one with tussled half blond half red hair.

"Quite, Shambles." The clone who had been identified as Info hissed at his brother.

"Mutter?" a new female voice asked shakily. Ru'more's eyes un-slitted with a gasp and she whirled around to look past the two clones. The image of certain death melted instantly into the look of a scared mother. A deep blue twi'lek standing stock still with a very confused look splashed across her face, had entered the room.

"Irene," she breathed and moved past the clones with her arms held wide," Meine liebling." Irene took her hug and looked at the scene over her mother's shoulder with wide eye.

"Who's the beauty?" the red and blond haired clone smirked.

"Shut up Shambles." Info growled lowly, catching the deadly glare Ru'more was sending in his younger brothers direction. "I think there's enough tension in the room."

"Yes sir." Shambles grumbled under his breath.

Irene pulled back and asked," I-is everything...alright, buir." Ru'more smiled and ruffled her headtails.

"Ja, ad'ike," she replied," Just a slight disagreement." Irene's brow raised as she looked to the broken computers, cracks all in the floors, the slight blood on one wall, and both General's flushed faces. Ru'more turned towards Aurora and held out her arm to her, her eyes cold.

"Irene, this is General Lunar...some of her men will be helping with our assignment," she said. Irene smiled sweetly and walked halfway to the trio and held out her arm.

"Su'cuy gar," she said.

"Su'cuy." Shambles clasped her arm the mando'an way before tacking a step back and giving a VERY extravagant bow. "If I may say you are perhaps one of the most beaut- ow!" Shambles rubbed the back of his now sore head, glaring at Info who had smacked him. "You ruin all my fun."

"That's my job." Info made a bow of his own, mocking his younger brothers antics. "My young pupil."

Shambles scowled. "Just because-"

"No fighting boys." Aurora stood, wincing only slightly and reaching around to the back of her now throbbing head, she brought her hand back in front of her face, blood, it didn't mater. "That's mine and Ru'more's job remember? If your doing it to we're all gonna die."

Irene giggled quietly," Sorry to disappoint you, meine Herr." She herself did her own bow with one hand up in the air behind her bent back, the other a C shape in front of her, and one foot forward. Large bumps appeared on her and started to shift underneath her skin. Her headtails slicked back into her head and her features began to change. When she came up from her bow, a girl with short hair that curled around her cheeks and flared out, green eyes, and a rounded face was staring back at them shyly," Not my real self." Both Info and Aurora exchanged looks of slight surprise. Shambles only smirked.

"By the stars I have seen god and she is a woman- ow!" Shambles once again set to glaring at Info who now had his hand behind his back fawning innocence. Ru'more rolled her eyes, but a slight twitch in the lower corner of her mouth betrayed her to her kitling.

"Alright, enough flirting...we need to go about our mission," she said. She turned to Lunar, not with cold eyes as before but tolerant.

"Since Marishka is indisposed, Irene here is going to take over her position with Gunray," she said," She's the best one for obvious reasons." Irene smiled again and the goosebumps returned, leaving a copy of Marishka in their wake this time. Aurora nodded.

"And you need my boys for back up." she smiled smugly, clearly proud of her men. "What did you have in mind?"

The Devaronian turned a stern eye to her,"Two men, this is a LOW KEY mission. Just enough to cover Irene but not to many. We can't risk detection."

Aurora nodded a small smile appearing on her face as she pulled out her COM and activated it.

"I think I know just the men for the job."

Ne shab'run'ii = Don't mess with me
Mutter (German) = Mother

Hunter didn't like this idea. Never before had he been assigned to a mission without Blood. And even together they had never done anything quite like this.

The tracker took a deep breath, taking in all of the scents of the city, learning them, memorizing them.

'A b5 and a b6 speeder… a zeltron couple around the corner… a female twilek walking a nexu pup around the corner.'

Hunter took another deep breath closing his eyes, he could, just faintly, pick up on Shadow's sent. But the masked trooper had disappeared easily, blending into the dark corners of the street and vanishing completely. 'Lucky chaakar didn't even need a disguise.' Hunter, on the other hand, found himself dressed up in one of Pick's suits and his long brown ponytail had been died black to give him a more sophisticated air. His rare yellow/green eyes remained hidden behind a set of black shades.

His hand went to his unconsciously patted his pocket where the transmitter Irene was wearing had been stuffed. Ru'more had tried to get him to put it in his ear, but Hunter had explained that he could here it just fine from his pocket.

'And still it's to loud.' Hunter had to remind himself that not everyone could hear as well as he could. Just like not everyone could understand how he identified people by smell, rather than by face.

Hunter forced him to focus on the voices transmitting through the small devise.

XXXXX

"Where have you been," was the first thing that Gunray shouted to Irene when she walked through the door.

"I'm sorry, ser," Irene said nervously, trying her hardest not to trip over her words and swallow her fear," My friend had invited me over to catch up on old times..."

"BAH," Gunray interupted," More like you went over to have a overnight fling with him."

"Ser," Irene cried, shocked," I did no..."

"I KNEW that you would be a little whore when I saw you! You are so beautiful, how can you NOT be," he said advancing to her. Irene trembled and stepped back away from him. Oh, boy. She had just walked through the door and already she had messed up the mission

"DO NOT TRY TO HIDE FROM YOUR PUNISHMENT," he roared and his hand slapped her across the face. Irene's eyes shut as she turned her head away as Gunray's hand slapped her again. And again. And again. Finally he stepped away and eyed her on the floor.

"I love you too much to hurt you anymore," he said quietly," Get up." Irene rose up as ordered.

"More like he doesn't want to ruin my pretty face," she thought vehemently as her eyes met his.

"I didn't say you could look at me," he hissed. She quickly lowered her eyes and bit her lip to keep from crying. Marishka wold never let him do this to her. She was strong and would show Gunray who was in charge. He was probably only doing this because he thought she was weak. She had heard about him from the Generals. He was a slimy hu'tuune who ran from any battle and would sacrifice his allies to save his own worthless skin.

"I'm sorry, ser," she mumbled. Gunray sniffed.

"Sorry will not make up for this humiliation," he said, and a nasty gleam came into his eyes as he leered at her," To start, you can show me all that you and your "friend talked" about while you were over there." Irene stiffened.

"M-maybe another time," she said. This was NOT good. She didn't know HALF the things that Marishka did! She was higher up than her in those things. If she did go with Gunray...she would mark it as the shortest mission ever...if she lived past it. Either he'd be disappointed and throw her out of his sights and end the mission or else Mishka had already slept with him and he'd know she was a fake and have her killed as a spy," I want to have a bath first!" Gunray stopped and stared at her.

"Yes...maybe so," Gunray said, obviously disappointed," Go get cleaned. I don't want to smell him on you for my turn." He turned away from her and Irene edged slowly into the bathroom and shut the door. Her heart was beating against her ribcage so hard, it was hurting. She wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to will the goosebumps on her away...

Again, this was bad.

XXXXX

Hunter's arms were folded across his chest, his fingernails digging hard into his own arm.

"I'd like to put an arrow through that worthless SOB's head…' Hunter's thoughts were cut off when a distinct odder hit his nostrils.

The human body gave off different chemical reactions in the brain to accompany each emotion. What most people didn't know was that these chemicals each had a distinctive SCENT. And Hunter had just picked up on a very drastic change in Shadow's brain chemistry.

He was pissed off.

Then Hunter realized something even worse. Not only was Shadow angry he was moving farther AWAY. Hunter froze, letting his nose tell him where Shadow was going. A distinct feeling of dread settled into his stomach when he lost the scent behind a closed door…

INSIDE the apartment.

"Kriff." Hunter swore and pulled his COM unit out of his pocket. "General's we have a problem."

XXXXX

"Osik," Lunar hissed. Ru'more glanced at her sharply.

"What's wrong? Is Irene alright," she asked.

"Yes…" Aurora sighed. "How important did you say this mission was again?"

"Information on the Separatist's new weapon could give us a small advantage in the war but if Irene needs help-"

"Oh believe me she's not the one who's going to need help." The Jedi shook her head before activating her COM unit once again. "Paint? The missions slagged. We got a code blue."

The COM link crackled before the captain's voice answered her. "Shadow?"

"Ya." Aurora nodded, despite the fact that he couldn't see her.

XXXXX

Irene looked to the ceiling as she took in silent, deep, slow breaths as she mentally prepared herself to face Gunray again. But it was useless. She was shaking in her own skin.

"K-kriff," she thought to herself, giving a hollowed laugh," I'm scared." She froze at the sound of something being slammed into the wall outside of the bathroom. She listened closely to hear any more movements or noises to indicate another body going somewhere. But there was nothing else. Nervously, she pushed open the bathroom door, and peered out into the living room. She gasped.

Gunray was lying on the floor, blood leaking from a wound on his head, his chest was moving up and down in shallow breaths. He was alive, but clearly unconscious.

"H-hello?" Irene tried to steal her voice but everything was so confusing, as far as she could see there was no one here but herself, the now unconscious Gunray, and the furniture. Her eyes fixed on one of the chairs when she could have sworn she saw the shadow move. "Hello?" she gasped when the chairs shadow shot forward, heading directly towards her. Years of training kicked in and all her fear of Gunray vanished. Immediately, she whipped out the small blaster from her sleeve and shot at the oncoming thing. She flipped backwards back into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, quickly to not let it in. She couldn't hold onto her concentration anymore with all this going on and she slowly lost her sister's face. She then kicked her wet towel to block the bottom of the doorway, got on one knee aiming at the door...and waited.

XXXXX

"What's going on," Ru'more said as she eyed both woman and man in front of her. She knew the mission was slagged, but she didn't know if Aurora's man had slagged it, Irene slagged it, or if something just unexpected happened. She had a bad feeling it was Irene. Marishka had way more experience than Irene in this field. Irene was more of a recon girl and wasn't use to...Marishka's field.

The Jedi and her Captain exchanged a look that seemed to speak volumes.

Finally Paint nodded. "Shadow's gone rouge."

Ru'more's eyes narrowed. "Explain. NOW."

Aurora glanced at her second giving him a silent nod of approval. The Captain sighed.

"Some stuff happened back on Kamino when Shadow was 8." He hesitated.

"What kind of STUFF." Ru'more asked. She had a bad feeling in her gut about what was going to be said. She knew that kind of look they were giving.

It was one she used when she thought about a certain kitling of hers.

"The kind of stuff that Gunray thought he was gonna get." Lunar snarled a look that was mirrored by her Captain.

"It's the reason he was moved to extended conditioning with the rest of us." Paint nodded somberly.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Ru'more glanced between the two, heart pounding as she glanced between the two of them.

"Isn't it obvious? He's trying to do what no one ever did for him." There was a strange look on Aurora's face; anger directed not at any of them but at someone light-years away on Kamino. "He's trying to help her."

XXXXX

Irene's breath was coming rapidly now and she watched intensely as the handle on the door slowly began to turn.

She opened fire on the black inhuman shadow that slide into the room, but the blaster shots past through it harmlessly, instead leaving holes in the bathroom wall. The shadow lunged at her and she dodged. She continued to fire on the thing, but she might as well have been trying to hit air.

Irene backed up to the window, trying to figure out if she could survive the jump to the ground from this floor.

The choice was taken out of her hands when the thing lunged at her sending them both flying out the window and down to the ally way bellow.

Through the adrenalin coursing in her veins and nearly blinding her judgment, Irene became aware of the fact that her body seemed to be disappearing into blackness and before she knew it she was completely consumed by a darkness the likes of which she had never known. Through the fear that had now set itself into her mind Irene realized something.

'I'm not dead… I didn't hit the ground.'

XXXXX

Both captain and general stared hard at the woman in front of them as her eyes glazed over and most of her emotions were once again hidden behind a mask. However, before her mask slammed shut, one emotion stood out clearly on her face...

Agonizing recognition.

XXXXX

Irene twisted violently in the darkness, trying to find anything to help her get out. Whenever she tried to reach out to touch something, her hand would just find more darkness and nothing to hold onto. She couldn't shoot since she had dropped her gun when the thing knocked her out the window.

"Well," she thought wryly," This is better than Gunray..." But she didn't know WHERE she was going and that was what was frightening.

"Is...someone here," she finally called out timidly

And just like that the darkness surrounding her melted away.

She was now standing in an empty apartment room, much lower class than Gunray's, and very clearly abandoned, long shadows crept from the corners of the room and a quick glance out the window told her the sun would go down soon.

Her eyes focused on the man standing in front of her.

Decked head to toe in black, literally none of him could be seen. Even his eyes were covered by a set of thick black goggles. He athletic looking, clone height, and clone width. He held out his hand to her. A gesture of piece.

XXXXX

Hunter's eyes scanned the apartment with clinical precision. Lingering only for a moment on Gunray's still unconscious body.

"Shadow really did a number on him…"

"Any sign of them Hunter?"- The general's voice crackled over his COM system.

"Nothing visual." He replied calmly taking another good sniff of the air. "But Shadows sent is all over this place, there's also signs of a struggle in the bathroom. It looks like they went out the window."

"Can you track him?"- Her voice was business like but still concerned.

"Is Yoda a Jedi?" Hunter's ears perked up slightly when a car alarm went off across town, but he relaxed instantly when he realized it was nothing.

"Keep us posted. Aurora out."-

Hunter tucked away his COM unit and took another long whiff of the air. Shadow was hard to track, his ability to morph his form into his own namesake would have made him impossible to follow had Hunter not known him so well. But the Tracker knew all of his brother scents like most people knew their parents faces. He could follow any of them anywhere.

The tracker left the apartment following his nose eastward on the quite boulevard.

XXXXX

Irene pressed herself up against the wall, away from the outstretched hand. She might not have a lot of experience in the field, but she heard enough stories about "Wolves in sheep clothing". She didn't know if it applied here

"You should be grateful to people who save your worthless skin."

Mechanically she walked past the outstretched hand and with trembling arms, wrapped herself around the man's neck.

He stiffened in surprised taking a step back and cocking his head to the side in question. The fabric of his mask crinkled in what could only have been a smile. His gloved hand reached up and rapt himself on the chest.

"Shadow." His voice was gravely and barley a whisper making it painfully obvious that this was the first time in a long time that he'd used it. He gestured to the room around them.

"Safe." He then set himself up at the door in guards stance hands placed professionally behind his back.

"Protect." The fabric crinkle of a smile remained set in place.

XXXXX

Ru'more felt a little more relaxed that he'd protect her kitling... but not much," SHOULD be able? What happens if he DOESN'T?"

The Captain laughed humorlessly. "I'd be more worried about Hunter than anyone else." Paint shook his head. "But I'm sure it'll be fine this… isn't the first time it's happened... Hunter knows how to handle the situation."

Then, the Devaronian mentally chuckled at the thought of Irene with a mystery man...and knew that the inevitable would happen.

XXXXX

Irene stared at the man in confusion. He said protect her. Why would he protect her? What had SHE done to need protection? No, scratch that. Why would anyone waste their time TO protect her?

The man in question was standing at a perfectly still parade rest. Nothing on him showed: no skin, no hair poking out, no little twitches...

She had always been curious, even as a baby...the Kaminii had never been able to get it out of her system.

She respected his privacy and didn't even try to take his mask. Her hands reached cautiously to gently trace his face. As they traced, an image of his face appeared in her mind. His jaw was strong and squared, as was his chin. But his skin was uneven in places, and not naturally either. Scars…

Her hands went upwards to trace both of his cheeks, feeling to see the scars and soft spots of skin. They came back down to trace his lips even gentler than the rest.

A face appeared in her mind clearly before she finished.

A face she had seen on the bridge of the Requiem. And in many other places before that. A face that made a slow smile appear on her face and her body start to relax.

A trooper.

XXXXX

Shadow steeled himself not to flinch away from her touch. The initial fear of being seen reverberated deep in his consciousness. There was a reason he wore a mask.

'Your mine trooper… women don't like scars…' He shook his head quietly, causing the girl to pull her hand back, a look of concern on her delicate features. 'Women don't like scars…'

As always he was grateful for his mask.

Irene stared at the man concerned. His figure was radiating discomfort and she felt herself shrink. She felt shy. She wasn't thinking that he would not like her to know anything about him. She bit her lip as guilt spread through her. Maybe her curiosity wasn't a good thing. Maybe...she could fix his discomfort? Her concern melted away like winter snow as a summer smile took up her face. Once again, her hands reached out slowly, this time to go behind his head and bring their foreheads together. She nuzzled them together and whispered softly:

"I'm sorry...thank you...for saving me."

Shadow felt as if someone had shoved cotton down his throat. He didn't talk much; he considered it a fairly useless practice. But even he had to admit there were times when words should be spoken. Now was one of those times, yet they wouldn't form for him.

"Women don't like scars…' he closed his eyes behind the safety of his goggles, swallowing in an attempt to regain control of his throat. In the end he simply nodded.

XXXXX

The scent was getting stronger.

Hunter inhaled deeply, taking in the much fresher scent of his brother's being. He looked up at the abandon's apartment in front of him, shrouded in shade by the setting sun.

Shadow's paradise.

The tracker re-activated his COM. "General I think I got something."

XXXXX

Irene didn't have super incredible hearing like a superhero, but she had good enough hearing to hear the words "got something" from outside the apartment. Without letting go, she turned her head to the window and listened intently. Soft footsteps but no more words. She grabbed onto the man's clothing and instinctively blended into them. Shadow started, grabbing on to where he knew she was, and shoved her behind his back. He took a fighting stance in front of the door. A few seconds passed.

"Shadow, it's Hunter." A clones voice spoke through the closed door. "Open up brother. I'm here to help you."

'Help?' Shadow's eyes narrowed behind his goggles.

"I'll help you feel good trooper…" Help was not a good thing.

The door inched open slowly and Shadow took several steps back keeping the girl behind him.

"Come on Shadow we're brothers." It WAS Hunter, not a lie, not a trick. Shadow didn't relax. "I'm not going to hurt you, brother." His eyes were earnest.

'This wont hurt a bit son…' Shadow's eyes narrowed further and the shade, which had grown in the corners of the room with the setting of the sun, began to twist dangerously to his will.

"Where is she, brother?" Hunter's yellow /green eyes stared at him intensely. Shadow took another step back. "Brother if you want to help her, come back to the ship with us. You can't stay here forever."

Shadow shook his head firmly; the shade crept closer to Hunter. The tracker seemed to either not notice or was choosing to ignore it. Both where dangerous moves.

XXXXX

Ru'more was nervous: pacing, tapping her fingers against her temple, staring intensely at the wall while her fingers drummed wildly on whatever she had a death grip on were very good indicators of this. On the inside, her mind was in chaos. That was her kitling that was most likely scared and/or curious with a stranger she didn't know. And that was soon to double when the other one found them. She didn't really know how Irene would act to the scenario seeing as she had never been in it and it was making Ru'more more and more antsy.

Fianlly she snapped.

She walked over, grabbed a hold of Lunar's wrist and punched her COM.

"Lemme talk to my kitling...NOW," she growled.

XXXXX

Irene jumped when she heard her buir's voice come from the new man's COM.

"Buir," she asked so surprised she lost her camouflage," Mutter?"

"Su'cuy, Irene," her mother purred," How are things on you end, ad'ika?" Irene's eyes went back and forth between both men, then back down to the COM before chuckling dryly.

"New," was all she said.

"Irene," she said," This is Hunter...he's here to get you home. I'm guessing Shadow is near you?"

"Ja," she said, glancing up at said man.

"Shadow, this is General Ru'more speaking...please let me have my kitling back. Her vode will miss her if you keep her there forever. You can follow her around if you want to make sure she'll be fine...but please let her come back," her mother's voice begged. Irene stared, herself starting to get scared. Her mother never begged.

Never.

Shadow stiffened slightly. 'Buir? Vode?' his eyes darted black and fourth between Hunter and the girl. Her pretty eyes where looking at him now, afraid… of him?

Shadow let his hands drop to his sides. He hung his head in surrender.

Hunter stepped forward, his hands a safe distance from his body to show he had no intention of grabbing a weapon. He reached out slowly and put a hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"You ok, brother" he asked, his eyes looking at him concerned. He knew Shadow better than most, but even he knew very little about the man. Shadow nodded quietly.

The tracker lifted his COM to his lips", We're coming out general."

"Hawk is on his way." it was Aurora's voice that answered this time, "He should touch down right outside the building."

Irene hesitantly stepped away from Shadow, but still kept a firm hand on his front. She reached out with her free one to pull Hunter's arm up and bring his COM up with it.

"Mutter? Is everything alright," she asked," Why are you scared."

"Scared," Ru'more asked.

"You're begging, buir," Irene replied her voice starting to tremble," You never beg."

"Kitling...ad'ika," she said softly," I was scared for YOU. I didn't know where you were and I didn't know if you were alright!" Irene stared at the COM and felt her eyes sting and her lips tremble. She was scared for her. Her. She had begged for her.

"Mutter...why," she whimpered to her embarrassment," I...know this isn't the best time to ask but...why for me? I made this mission go bust because I couldn't face Gunray like Marishka, I always get you and my sisters into trouble with my curiosity...I'm not as strong as them..." She trailed off as her voice started to crack.

Ru'more's grip on the COM made her knuckles turn white. Damn him. Damn that evil man for doing this. Irene always had the "flight" part installed into her because of him. Him and his sick ways to have fun. Her paternal instincts were struggling with her to not snap at poor Irene. To scream at her that she wasn't worthless like she was thinking, even though she didn't say it it was clear in her words where her thoughts were. She was just as precious to her as everyone of her kitlings were. But Ru'more felt her anger deflate from her as she thought of Irene in an apartment with two strangers, a mission that just went bust, and who knew what else had gone on.

"Oh, kitling," she said, her shoulders shaking and her voice mimicking Irene's," This was your first time in Marishka's field...don't beat yourself up. You're not used to people like Gunray...though I hope you never will. I want to keep even Marishka away from them. You know I love you just as much as your vode. "

Irene's shoulders shook violently and tears started pouring down her face, no matter how much she tried to hold them in check. Both her hands lost their grips as she sunk to the floor and let the tears flow. She felt someone's arms wrap around her protectively and she looked up through blurry eyes at Shadow.

"Safe." His gravely voice was flat and bottom lining. And his gloved hand moved to rub small circles on her back. Irene wasn't sure what he meant, but she laid her head on his shoulder and continued to cry.

Hunter stood near by, shocked not only by Irene's tears but by his brothers actions as well. Shadow never said a word to strangers… he barley even talked to his closest of brothers. The trackers ears perked up at the distinct sound of there transport drawing near.

5 minutes later the single pilot carrier ship touched down on the wide streets outside the building.

XXXXX

"Irene," Ru'more said, breathing easing as soon as her ad'ike walked in," Meine liebling."

She ran up to the group and immediately embraced her. She looked terrible. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying, her face was pale, but she had a familiar look in her eyes that made Ru'more know that she was overall alright.

"Buir," Irene mumbled and wiggled in her grip. Irene liked hugs from her buir, but she didn't like them to be too long. In front of her sister's it was fine...people she didn't really know, not so much.

"Where's Shadow?" Ru'more asked, looking around with a frown after releasing her.

Irene chuckled dryly and glanced down at her own shadow. It shifted going from flat to a 3 dimensional cloud of shade and then solidifying into the form of a black clad man. He looked at her for a second, head tilted to the side before offering her his hand. Ru'more immediately clasped hands with the man and pulled him in close and tight.

"Thank you for helping my little kit," she said gruffly. But there was true thanks in her words. Shadow tilted his head to the side for a moment before the fabric of his mask crinkled up into what could only have been a broad grin. He nodded. Before tilting his head nervously in his own General's direction.

Aurora sighed. "I'll let it go this time but-" she took a deep breath. "Try not to pull anything else for at least a week ok?"

Shadow nodded vigorously, the hidden smile broadening.

A low grumble sounding from the doorway made everyone turn and stare.

A large white tiger was standing in the open doorway, its tail slowly swishing from side to side. Its eye went from Lunar, to Paint, to Ru'more...and finally settled on Irene. It lowered itself to the ground and wiggled its hindquarters. Irene turned to run, but the cat lunged at her as she got away about three paces.

"AAAH," Irene yelled as it got her. It grabbed her head in between its teeth gently and pulled her into a corner where Irene found herself, once again, trapped in someone's arms. Well...paws this time.

"KIT-KAT," she yelped as she tried to struggle away," HOW?" Kit-Kat didn't answer. Instead, to Irene's embarrassment, she began to diligently lick her clean. Her rough warm tongue dragged across her face as the huge cat washed away all her tear trails and dirt on her from the apartment, while calming deep purrs erupted from the cat's throat. It was a soothing after all the mess that had gone on, and it soon had Irene almost purring herself.

"Kit-Kat," she said, growing embarrassed when she remembered all the attention it was getting," Stooop. There are people here who don't KNOW you." The cat stopped in mid lick and turned her head to eye all the strangers. At their looks, the cat chuffed loudly and got up from her position. It stood up on its back paws and was soon morphing, shifting to leave an amused Kit-Kat in its wake.

"Kit-Kat," Ru'more said, eyebrow raised up high. Kit-Kat shook her head and flipped most of her hair out of her eyes while rolling her shoulders back.

"Su'cuy buir," she said as her shoulders popped. She clasped hands with her and turned her attention back to all the strangers on deck and grinned.

"Hi, how ya doin'," she said casually.

"How many of them are there…" Captain Paint grumbled under his breath, earning him an elbow in the ribs from his general.

Kit-Kat turned her eyes to Paint and pointed at her own face," How many in MY category oooor how many vode of ours in all?"

Paint shook his head, "Just forget it," He lowered his voice to a grumble. "like I didn't get a big enough head ache from forest squad running around and pulling that..."

He was once again elbowed in the ribs by his general.

"Me thinks the captain duth talk to much." Aurora growled in his ear. Kit-Kat ignored the exchange between the two and her eye wondered over to Shadow.

"Ireeeeene," she sang, a devilish look coming into her eyes," You got yourself a cyar'ika," she exclaimed and clapped her hands together and laughed in delight,"Wait till Miya hears, chiki sita!"

"No no no, Kit-Kat," Irene said smiling and shaking her head," This is my friend, Shadow." She turned and smiled up at Shadow and held up a hand to Kit-Kat.

"Shadow, this is one of my sisters...Kit-Kat," she said

"Pleasure to meet ya," Kit-Kat purred, her grin widening at the masked man, not at all uncomfortable at not being able to see his face.

Shadow's shoulders rolled back and a gravely laugh ran from his throat, clearly more practiced than his actual words but obviously underused. He reached out and griped Kit-kat's arm the Mando'an way his mask pulled up so far by his grin that a small flash of pale skin because visible on his neck. He reached up instinctively and pulled the mask back down but he continued to smile.

"Aaah," Kit-Kat said with a wide grin of her own," Very pretty laugh, mi amore." She glanced at Irene.

"You sure he's not your cyar'ika, mi amore," she asked and winked at Shadow," it would be such a waste to let him go." She then turned her full attention back to him with a curious look.

"Was that a scar, mi amore," she asked,"I've got some too! But there all small. This one's my biggest." And with that, she unabashedly lifted up her shirt and turned her side to him. Just underneath her breast was a scar that looked no bigger than a wallet. At first glance it was just a scar...but on closer inspection they saw that it was actually a crudely shaped crossed out heart. Ru'more glared at the scar while Irene stared at it uncomfortably.

The fabric trace of a smile vanished from Shadow's face. He took a startled step back one hand going to his neck as if by covering the now hidden area he could some how erase the memory of it from her mind. Irene looked at him with big eyes and took a step towards him.

"Shadow? Mein freund? What's wrong," she asked concerned," It...its nothing to worry about...it's just a scar." He shook his head back and forth vigorously. Kit-Kat lowered her shirt and stared at him with a glazed look in her eyes. She turned raised eyebrows to Ru'more who kept her eyes on Shadow. All eyes where on Shadow now, General Lunar looking at him with concern and Captain Paint showed weary recognition.

Shadow turned and ran, disappearing underneath the wing's of a star fighter and his entire being fading into the shade below. Irene stared after him.

"He...doesn't like his scars...does he," she asked Lunar, not turning around.

"No." Aurora shook her head, eyes sad,"He doesn't."

She clenched her jaw hard. "Damn those chakaars wherever they are."

Suddenly, Irene lowered her eyes and her cheeks puffed out. Her buir and vod's eyes burned into the back of her neck, but she paid them no mind. She ran out after him and proceeded to call his name and look at every shadow she passed.

Everyone stared after HER for a long while before Ru'more murmured to Kit-Kat," Ad'ika...make sure she doesn't get into trouble." Kit nodded.

"Oui, buir," she said and walked briskly out after her little sister leaving the two Generals and captain to watch her until she went farther than they could see.

XXXXX

They'd seen it. Kriff they'd seen it!

It wasn't so much the Captain he was worried about. He and the other clones of the 666th had seen his ugly face many times on Kamino. The general also had once glimpsed his face and had simply stated with a shrug that she'd seen worse.

It was Irene and her family he was worried about.

Irene had seemed nice. She deserved better than the hand life had dealt her. He would have like to have been friends with her. But Shadow was sure any chance of that was out the window now.

'Woman don't like scars…'

But there was her sister. Kit-kat confused him. She had showed them that mark, almost as if she were proud of it…. the very concept made his head spin.

'Ugly trooper, be grateful I didn't kill you…' Shadow sighed sadly cradling his now spinning head in his hands. He let himself relax slightly in the safety of darkness.

"Night is safe, blackness meant no one could see you."

XXXXX

"Shadow," Irene asked as she peered underneath the last table in the mess hall. She sighed when no flicker of movement happened. She had searched anywhere she could think of that he could be: dark corners, under table, dark rooms, hallways ANYWHERE to try and find the trooper. Her eyes harden as thoughts entered her mind. No one would be THAT ashamed of scars unless they were drilled into their brain by someone. She shuddered to think that there might be another Kainen...or if it was Kainen himself that inflicted the damage. If he did...well she'll have to help him overcome Kainen's brainwashing.

"Shadow," she called out again," Mein freund? Please come out! Nothings wrong with having a few scars!"

A trooper sitting a few tables away from her looked up from his food, chewing his lower lip in thought for a moment before he opened his mouth.

"Lowest level of the ship, storage room B3, don't turn the lights on he'll hide and you'll probably never find him." His eyes shot down focusing back on his food as if he hadn't said anything at all.

Irene blinked in surprise. "Thank you…?"

"Names Ledge." The trooper kept his eyes on his food. "And you didn't here it from me."

Irene nodded and ran from the room.