"What just happened?" Lala asked her sister. "He's having another episode!" #3 said as he jumped up and went to the comm station and began fiddling with the controls. "But he hasn't had one since the day we picked him up." He replayed the final thirty seconds of the call. The group stood and watched as Joshua's eyes widened as the girls ran into the apartment. Tears quickly began to well up in his eyes, soon followed by the woman behind him. "I'm erasing everything after this," #3 said as he paused it. "Is he a Force Sensitive?" Lala asked her sister. "Yes," Lele said in a low voice. "Mulk and Kinna say he's strong, too. Especially when it comes to Emotional Projection. Mulk thinks he has great potential when it comes to Battle Meditation." "A-and he's alone with my b-boss?" Lala stammered. "Is she safe?" "She's safer in his company than if Stefan were there with his team, the Unbeatables, as well as Kaleena's team as back-up!" Her sister said as she shook her head. "I wonder why he was crying?" "Lele, my dear," Marty softly spoke, his arm around her shoulder. "Now what is it about seeing those two angels that would make a man like Joshua cry?" "He has children," Dassa muttered, half to herself. "At least one," Marty replied, sadly. "And probably a girl. Because only a daughter can do that to a man." "You should know all about that, huh?" Lele said as she patted the man gently on the cheek. "Father!" Youngest Son spoke up, angrily. "The damned prison is in orbit! It's only about a ten minute flight there!" "They don't allow visitors today," Marty muttered. "I know the Commandant!" Dassa spoke up quickly. "He lives next door to my parents. I've gone out drinking with his daughters a few times, so I got to meet him. He's a nice guy, so I'll call him." Marty stood in silence as the others waited for his answer. Eventually, he nodded. "Before we go," Lala said as she turned to #3. "I need to erase all of that call," The woman then called out to her children. "Reeta and Alina! Get cleaned up! We're going to see your cousin, Layla!" "Can we buy her some of that candy that she likes?" Reeta asked as her sister ran past her. "You bet!" Lala replied. "And we'll get her plenty to share with her friends, too." "Friends?" Marty muttered under his breath. "They're Imperial prisoners of war." "So what!" #3 said quickly. "None of the prisoners here were involved in attrocities. They're mostly Intelligence agents like Layla." "Both of you, shut up!" Lele said firmly. Mary watched as Joshua took a deep breath and closed his eyes. In seconds, the sorrow that had swept over her was gone, replaced by a sense of calm. No, not calm, but emotionlessness. He was not only supressing his emotions, but her's as well! "You can do Battle Meditation," She said in disbelief. "That's a Force power very few can master." "I know," Kirk replied in a voice devoid of feelings. "Mulk and Kinna want to train me as a Jedi." "Why don't you?" She asked eagerly, her emotions returning. "Because all I want is to get home to my daughter," Kirk said in a low voice as his emotions slowly returned. "Nothing else matters. I have to get home to her." "This must be a nightmare for you," Mary said as she stroked his cheek gently. "I hope you never have to go through this," Kirk said as he opened his eyes. To the woman's surprise, Joshua stared at her hair for a few moments before laughing. "Do you have a problem with red hair?" She asked defensively as her hand went to her scalp. "I have a problem with any woman who would hide her red hair under a wig!" He then leaned forward and smiled. "Why?" "Because I like being able to change my look any time I wish," She told him as she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms about his neck. "And your reaction tells me you have a thing for redheads." "I come by it honestly!" Kirk replied as he continued to smile at her. "My father has a thing for reds. As far as I know, every woman he's been with has been a redhead. His father was the same with a single exception. But she could be, though. I've never seen Janith Solana with hair." "What about your famous great grandfather?" "James T?" Again he laughed. "James Tiberious Kirk had an obsession with women, end of story! It didn't matter what color their hair, if they had any! Just as long as they weren't Klingon!" "Why didn't he like Klingons?" Mary asked. "They're your allies, correct?" "They are now," He said as he shut off the computer. "But at that time, the Klingon Empire and the Federation were constantly fighting. Same for the Romulan Empire. There was even a short lived three way war. One where the three fought each other. Only lasted five days. It was just the leaders wanting to flex their muscles." "And, of course, it was people like you who died so the leaders could feel tough." "Of course," Kirk said. "Though few were actually killed. And President Anra was removed from office by the Federation Senate. The doctors said he'd snapped under the pressures of office. So they say. I think it was just because he'd angered too many people in the Senate and Starfleet. And Klingon Chancellor Bashut was removed and sent to a monastary." "What about their Romulan counterpart?" "Oh, he was given the full Senate treatment," Joshua said with a smirk. "Which means he was stabbed to death by his subordinates." "Sounds interesting," Mary muttered as she stared into Joshua's eyes. Bending down, she kissed him. After several seconds, she pulled back and smiled at the stunned man. "Now for something far more interesting than a history lesson. How about that full blown love making session we were talking about earlier. I'm ready," She then grinned. "And I feel that you're ready, too." Without saying a word, Joshua took the woman in his arms and jumped from the chair and strode towards the hatch leading to the Rat's Nest. Layla Arner grinned once more as she stared at her brother as he stood proudly before her, his cane on the deck where he'd dropped it. Tears began welling up in the blond's eyes as she laughed. "You changed your mind about getting mech legs?" The woman asked in disbelief. "Absolutely not, my dear sister," #3 replied with a tone of mock indignation. "They've been fixed." "Well, not completely," Their mother spoke up, cutting her son short. "He can't return home. But he can now get around in one gee with no problem." "Then does that mean you'll earn a name soon?" Layla asked as she glanced at Dassa. "I'm very sure Dassa here is tired of waiting." "Oh, I have all the patience in the world," Morsen said as she smiled at Layla. "But of course, that world is Descrum, and we are on Doroub. Here I'm all out of it. So, yes, your brother needs to get a name, fast." "I swear that by the time the Boss Lady gets back to Coruscant, I will have earned a name," #3 proclaimed to all. He then turned to Dassa and took her hands in his. "That's good to hear," Layla said as she popped another piece of candy into her mouth. "Now where are our big brothers?" "In the next room," Lala said as she jerked her head in the direction of the bulkhead. "They heard that one of the prisoners had a scheduled visitor who didn't show up, so they went in to have a chat with her. You know, to comfort her." "We told her the he wasn't going to show up!" Layla growled, angrily. "It's her husband. She married him to provide a cover for her mission. Unfortunately, she fell in love with the guy. And now the Republic is using him to get her to turn." "Great!" #1 said as he and his brother entered the room. "Of all the bad luck! Her husband showed up!" "And she's tall, too," #2 said with a smile. "What is she, two meters tall?" "A little more," Layla replied with a smirk. "And that's the way you like your women, huh #2?" "You know how I love to climb!" Her brother said before turning to his niece, Alina. "I think it's time for you and your sister to bring in that other surprise you brought for Layla." The girls swiftly ran from the room, past the guards who stood outside. Lele then placed her hands over her daughters eyes. "Those two brought you something I think you'll really like." "Hey there, Baby Girl," Marty Arner said in a shaky voice. "What?" Layla said excitedly as she quickly pushed her mother's hands aside. In the doorway stood her father, shifting about, nervously. Tears began to fall from her grey eyes as she threw her arms around her fathers neck. "You finally came to see me? Why?" "Because of the newest member of Peenk's crew," He said as he fought back his own tears. "This poor kid has children he's been separated from. And the sad part is, he may never see them again. So my refusal to visit you seemed rather petty." "Why?" Layla asked as she wiped a tear from her father's cheek. "Why can't he see them? Are they in the Empire?" "Well, actually," Lele said in a low voice as she stepped to Layla's side. "He's from a galaxy more than seventy million lightyears away." "What?" The young blond asked as she stepped back to stare at her mother. "Is he off a ship called Excalibur?" "How would you know about that?" #3 demanded. "We have a new prisoner who was brought in three days ago!" Layla said as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "And she's been telling us a story about a race of genetically engineered super soldiers from another galaxy. We've been treating her like she's crazy." "Well, she's not crazy," Lele said. "Because this Joshua Kirk is the most powerful of them all." "Ambassador Kirk?" Layla asked as she turned from one parent, to the other. "The war criminal?" "Josh is not a war criminal!" Marty blurted out quickly. "But Lt Hassen says he's responsible for the deaths of fifty thousand people!" "They were not civilians, they were enemy troops," #3 said, indignantly. "Joshua and about a dozen other commandos were being held prisoner at an enemy base. They escaped, and set about destroying the place. Unfortunately, he was the only one who got out alive." "Oh," Layla muttered, then smiled. "Then it's safe for my brothers to be around him. That's good." "What's wrong, Layla?" Lele asked her daughter, sensing something was upsetting her. "Well," Layla began, fidgeting about for a second. "It's being cooped up here! My life is wasting away!" She then nodded her head in the direction of the cell next door. "Edison there has her husband. Every woman in my cell block is married, and half have children. I have no one!" "Oh, Layla!" Her mother sadly as she took her daughter in her arms. "This war will not last much longer." "Well, ya know," #3 cut in quietly. "Dassa and I were talking to a man about you just a few hours ago. He seemed very interested." "Did you tell him I'm a prisoner of war?" Layla asked cautiously. "Yes," #3 said as he smiled. "He didn't care. You see he knows you, and thus his interest in you." "Yeah, but do I know him?" Layla ask, now very curious about this man. "It's Alyn Cooma," Dassa told Layla. "Janda Alyn Cooma?" The blonde asked excitedly. "Well it's not his father Jozo Alyn!" Dassa said, smiling. "That's good, because I hate that man," Layla muttered. "How such a good family could produce such trash as Jozo, his father Sean, and grandfather Merril, is beyond me." "Well, ya know," Lele said as she chuckled. "It is gratifying to see how much Jozo's own sons hate him." "Given how he treated their mother," Marty said in disgust. "Who can blame them."