"So you help Republic Intelligence from time to time?" Joshua asked as he sat on the floor of Kinna's cabin. "Yes. In fact, they've got a job for us now. They'll fill us in on the details when they get here for you and the fighter. But I wouldn't worry too much about them arresting you. Not after destroying the Durga. They're also bringing back the other three members of the crew, Kinna, Metla, and Ony Hee. But watch out for Kinna. She's rather insatiable when it comes to men." "Ah," Joshua said as he glanced about the cabin. "This cabin's normal occupant, right? Peenk has warned me about her and how she's been waiting for me. Waiting thirty years. She's a patient lady." "Yes, she is," The Mazuran said as he sat on the fold down desk. "She was also my Padawan at one time." "Padawan?" "An apprentice Jedi," Mulk smiled when the boy gave him a questioning look. "As I told you, Jedi are people who can control the Force. And for thousands of years, they tried to keep the peace in the galaxy. For the most part we were successful. But there have been a number of wars with our enemy, the Sith." "Peenk told me a little of the Jedi and Sith," Kirk shook his head in disbelief. "We have nothing like this Force where I'm from." "Can I ask you something?" Mulk asked as he stared at the Human. "And I need you to answer truthfully." Mulk reached into the bag he'd brought with him and pulled out the lightsaber. "Where did you get this?" "That plasma blade is wonderful," Joshua stared at the wepon. "That is an impressive bit of technology there. And I figured you guys would go through my stuff. It's what I would have done in your place." "Please answer the question," Mulk asked politely. "Where did you get my lightsaber?" "That's not your weapon," Kirk said, defensively. "I was talking with two gentlemen I'd met on Khatta when I was attacked by two of my people. In the tussle, one of the men lost that. For some reason, I grabbed it as I escaped. "No," The old Mazuran said as he leaned forward. "This is indeed, my lightsaber. It was taken from me more than a thousand years ago after I'd been captured by the Jedi at the end of one of the battle fought on the world Ruusan." "You mean you were a Sith?" Joshua leaned forward and pondered Mulk curiously. "Peenk made it sound like the Jedi And Sith generally killed each other." "Did she?" Mulk chuckled a bit before continuing. "And did that rather lovely blonde tell you that her father was a Sith at one time?" "He was a Sith?" "Yes, and he was captured by the Corellian Jedi," He explained. "In fact, Master Matini, one of those who'd captured him, took him on as a Padawan after several weeks of detention." "How long did it take for you to begin training to become a Jedi?" Joshua was quickly overcoming his discomfort with the Force. "They felt I was ready after a year of indoctrination into the ways of the Coruscant Order," Mulk then shrugged. "Three years later I was knighted. I eventually earned a seat on the Jedi Council the same year Yoda did. But after more than six hundred years, I left." "Why did you leave?" "I was bringing Pehn back after her final test so she could be Knighted," The Mazuran paused for a few moments, then resumed his story. "We stopped off at Rendili to refuel. While we were there, I felt the presence of a Sith. When we found them, they attacked. The Apprentice was new, so he fell to Pehn easily. The boy's Mistress on the other hand was a fully trained Sith. She was able to hold us at bay. In the end, though, she still managed to escape us. When we returned to the Temple, only Yoda belived I fought a Sith. The others felt she was just a Sith cultist." "It seems to me that would make you want to stay," Kirk said. "Why leave?" "I felt it was what needed to happen," Mulk then stood and stepped around Kinna's accumulated 'stuff' as he went to the hatch. "And it turned out to be true. Several years after leaving, I became a Mandalorian. And there a secret group that operates among them. They work for Corellian Intelligence. Some of them recognized me, and brought me on board. You see, the Corellians never believed the Sith died out. I know for a fact that there were more than fifty who were off Ruusan at the time the end came around." "They hunt Sith down, don't they?" Joshua asked. "Papa?" Melee voice chimed in over the com speaker in the wall by the hatch. "Merrik has contacted us, said they'll be dropping out of hyperspace in a couple minutes." "I'm on my way to the hangerbay, then." "All righty then!" The girl said as she ended the call. "Yes," Mulk said as he turned back to Joshua for a moment. "We hunt down Sith. And we have become good at it. Especially since Friend joined us." "Friend?" Kirk asked, not sure what Mulk meant. "He's called Friend by those who know him," The old Mazuran said as the hatch opened. "Everyone else calls him the Faceless One. We've never seen his face. But I do know that he is a powerful Jedi. Very powerful." "I guess I'll get ready then," Joshua said as he stood. "My ride is here." "Don't count on it!" Mulk said with a laugh. "The Republic would face a massive uprising among the Furrene and Wookiees if they arrested you. And even if they gave the order, Merrik Doon would refuse to follow it. He's a Furrene. And besides, he's seen Peenk angry, and he does not want to face an angry Montal woman." "She doesn't seem that threatening to me," Joshua said as he stood. "You don't know her yet!" Mulk said as he laughed at him. "I've seen that girl face down Admiral Gial Ackbar himself, when the Alliance came to take Ano and Baby off the ship so they could be kept with the other girls of their kind. Even I find her and her mother Magenta scary. You've won the heart of a rather dangerous creature, kid." "Don't call me kid!" "Joshua!" Mulk again laughed. "I am more than fourteen hundred years old, soeveryone is a kid to me!" Mulk had just left Kinna's cabin when Seesha trotted up the passage. "Buir Mulk, Peenk says that the Defiant Spirit will be dropping out of hyper space any second," Seesha then smiled. "Colonel Doon will be flying over then." "Colonel?" Mulk said. "When did that happen? They must be having some serious turn over in Intelligence because he only made Major eight months ago." "When I asked him about that he said he uncovered a traitor in his division. One that's been operating since before Yavin." "May the Force protect us from traitors," Mulk said, staring off into nothingness. Turning to the ladder to go down to the hanger deck, Mulk added "They're here, and only Kinna is with them." Minutes later Mulk watched as Merrik Doon landed the tiny single seat runabout, a dead expression on his face. The former Jedi now knew that his feeling the day before was right, something bad had befallen his friends. Merrik Doon greeted the crew of the Runner by telling Joshua that the Republic was not going to press charges against him for the theft of the fighter. "And we are not going to hand you over to Excalibur!" Doon said emphatically. "One of your people told us in secret that what Captain Mackie told us was a lie. He also told us what really happened. Do you have a problem keeping it in your pants?" "There is one thing people where I'm from learn quick," Kirk said with a laugh. "And that is the fact that if a Klingon woman wants to have sex with you, she will have sex with you. Your cooperation is not required," Joshua smiled at Doon. "Can you tell me who it was that told you the truth?" "A Commander Gavin Mitchell." Kirk smiled. "I'm going to have to thank Gav when I see him." "He also told us about a certain problem you both have. Which saved that naval officer you seduced from a court martial. And saved her marriage." "Sorry." Joshua winced at this news. "He also gave us a very interesting demonstration of how powerful your pheromones are. You all remember my chief of security, Veexa?" "Veexa, the man hater?" Seesha asked. "She doesn't hate men," Doon told the Furrene. Then one side of his mouth curled up in a half smile. "She's just repulsed by the thought of being touched by any male." "And pity the male that tries to touch her," Melee said as she grinned at Joshua. "I know, I've seen what happens. Very bad and painful things." "Yeah!" Merrik laughed. "You do not touch a Nord woman without her consent." "And you are in for a lot of fun when you do have their consent," Joshua told the others. "Yes," Doon said as he stared at Kirk. "Those two Nord girls you spent the night with are talking to everyone about the night they spent with you. They've made a small fortune selling their story." "Just get on with your why you are here," Seesha said. "We can talk about Joshua's sexcapades later." "Well," Merrik said as he nodded to Seesha. "This guy took off his shirt and stood in an office talking with her. And within five minutes, she was running out of there. She told us that she was ready to rip his clothes off and have him mount her there on the desk." "Oh, we believe you," Mulk said with a deep laugh, jerking his head in Kirk's direction. "We saw how Peenk reacted to him." "To business then," Merrik held up a data pad for all to see. "The information on this is all we know about the lab on Ziphine, which isn't much. But we do know this, the girls have been moved. In fact we think the Empire knows we're onto them and have moved all the girls to one location," Merrik told the assembled group. "But the fact that this lab is still in the process of being moved gives us hope that a quick raid could come up with a location of the new facility." "What kind of personel do they have there?" Seesha asked. "What kind of security will we face?" "The security detail are all that's left. It consists of about twenty clones from the 115th Legion. Evidently the Empire has been having trouble with the naturally born Stormtroopers over this breeding program. I'd love to get a probe droid into the place to find out more, but those things are much too big." "Don't you people have micro probes? Joshua asked. "No. We would love to get our hands on the miniaturization tech that your people possess, but that captain of your's refuses to help. She's always going on about some damned Prime Directive or some such nonsense. And we really want one of those replicators. It would make our war end much more quickly if we had the ability to make those. But Captain Mackie is adamant." Joshua smirked and rubbed the top of his head. "I have one. In fact Ano and Lele are setting it up right now." "What? You have one?" "Oh you bet," Kirk told him. "I'd love to give you one, but if they were to get out there in criminal hands, all manner of trouble can, and will, ensue. Not to mention the economic damage it could cause." "So doing so would get you in trouble with your superiors?" "It's an automatic death sentence. It's a violation of the Federation's Prime Directive." Colonel Doon looked at Joshua in horror. "What kind of government do you have in this Federation?" "It's a gentle socialist democracy for the most part. The Prime Directive is there to prevent an outside force like the Federation from interfering in a worlds natural development. There have actually been examples of races going extinct because of something that an outside group had done." "But we are not a primitive civilization!" Merrik said indignantly. "The Prime Directive was amended fifteen years ago." Kirk said as he held a hand up. "It now forbids us from becoming involved in wars outside the Federation," A concerned look crossed Kirk's face. "Have any of Excalibur's crew jumped ship?" "Yeah, but they quickly leave for other parts of the Galaxy. You people would make great spies, because we've never seen them leave at any spaceport." "That's because they are not leaving. They are being kidnapped by their captain," Joshua filled Merrik in on the transporter system. "My superiors must be informed of this. It's got to stop. Especially if it's possible they're being punished. But how are they finding them?" "They are tracking them," Kirk told them. "Every member of Star Fleet has a tracking device implanted in them when they enter. It makes it easier to find them if they become lost, or jump ship. Mine was altered when I became a commando. I can turn it off. And I did." "I've got to leave," Merrik said. With that, he headed up the passage. "I have a new mission." "Oh come on!" Seesha said angrily. "You have no time for me?" "I'm sorry!" Doon said, as frustrated as Seesha. "But my duty calls!" Seesha turned and stormed down the ships central passage and entered he cabin. "I don't like this," Mulk muttered angrily. "It's like someone is trying to keep the two of you from consumating your marriage." "Let me find out that someone is doing that," Merrik said as he turned to leave, Mulk following him. "And they'll disappear." "And I'll help you," Mulk told him. "Hey Merrik!" Melee shouted, "Where's Kinna, Mety, and Ony?" Merrik stopped and just said that Kinna will be aboard as soon as she finished her conversation with Skywalker. She wanted to be the one tell the others what had happened. Mulk closed the hanger bay doors and waited as Kinna landed and climbed out. "How bad is it with the girls?" Kinna looked her old Master in the eye and shook her head. "Onyhee is in the hospital. Metla shot her," she said, a look of despair on her face. "What?" Mulk asked in disbelief before getting his emotions under control. "She's fallen to the dark side?" "No, she didn't," The Blue furred Cerinian replied. "At first I thought that, but all I sensed from her was fear and confusion. So I disarmed her and finished the mission. which was a failure. The lab was shut down, and all the equipment was gone. The only things there were several old battle droids." "Ysanne Isard!" Mulk said, his voice dripping with hate. "That's what the Republic Navy medics say. They also say that they can deprogram her quickly. Evidently they've had a lot of practice with Imperial Intelligence's brain washed spies and assassins." Mulk shook his head violently. "But she was a Jedi! Can you imagine what they put her through to break her?" Kinna put her hand on the massive shoulder of her old Master. "Mulk, she'll be fine. But they say Ony is going to need extensive care and rehabilitation for the next few months." "So she'll be okay?" "Yeah, and, by the way," Kinna added, glancing at the open hatch. "Who was that kid you were talking to as I pulled in? Was that our little thief?" "Yeah. He's a good kid. He's just got some troubles that are beyond his control," Mulk briefly explained his situation. "So he knows to stay away from the girls?" "Oh yeah. Especially from Melee. It seems she's very sensitive to his pheromones. He has some special body suits he wears under his clothing that keep his pheromones under control." "Yes," Kinna said, her sensitive nose twitching. "I can smell them," Kinna said with a funny look in her eyes. Mulk sighed and tossed up his hands. "May the Force protect me from horny females." "It does Mulk. Except from your wife, Zanna. And I think you need to go home to Mazur for a visit. You need to mate my old Master," Kinna joked, poking him in the ribs. Mulk laughed at that. "Yeah, I am starting to feel the Call again," He said laughing. "Oh, before I forget! Go see Lele. She has all the information on this boy. You'll need to see it. It is unbelievable." "I know what I'd rather be doing," She said as she stared at the hatch. "Thirty years is a long time to wait for this guy, huh?" Mulk asked his friend. "And you have been getting pretty antsy the last couple of months." "That's because he represents everything I've ever wanted," She said as the hatch opened, and the pair stepped through. "A man to love, and children to hold." "You have Peenk." "Yes," She said with a smile on her face. "And she has my heart as well. But being females, it's kind of hard to get each other pregnant. And that's going to be his first duty to us. Well, for me anyway. I get the distinct impression Peenk wants to wait a while."