Katha's shuttle arrived back at the SSD Dark Veil and headed straight for her quarters. After hanging up the dress, she pulled out her datapad and checked for any messages. A hologram message Varden, her CO waited.
"Katha, I have to go away for a few days and I can't find Cauley anywhere. So you are going to have to cover the meetings this week. I have to go, good luck." Then the figure disappeared abruptly. Katha sighed and looked at the time. She had less than five minutes to get ready. She went into the refresher and quickly washed off. Then she put on her uniform and pulled her dark hair back. She grabbed her datapad as she headed out the door. Katha got to the meeting room and settled right before the first people arrived.
They sat down quickly and one of them asked, "Where is Varden?"
"He had to go away for a few days" Katha said looking around the room, "Do either of you know where everyone else is?"
"Not here" one said laughing, then he stopped smiling, "really, everyone is busy doing something. A few people just don't show up for these things."
"Oh well, I guess we'll have to go on without them." Katha told them the weekly announcements, and discussed some issues. Then she sent them to the training room to practice some tactics. She went back to her quarters to think before she had to join her group in the training room. While she was there her brief encounter with Xanin came back into her thoughts. He was just as she remembered him, yet he seemed so different. He seemed so much colder, almost hateful. Could I have hurt him that much? She pushed the thoughts from her mind when she felt a presence at the door. Katha reached out with the Force to see who was there.
"Come in, Bandit." she called. The door slid open and the young man stepped in. He was clad in a crisp gray uniform. Bandit nodded a small bow to her.
"Katha, ma'am, I apologize for missing the meeting."
"Don't worry about it this time. Just make certain you get here on time next time. Varden will not be so lenient and neither will I from now on; understand?"
Bandit nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am. It won't happen again."
"Good, now let's get to the training room before the others decide no one is coming." Katha went out the door with Bandit close behind.
After training, Katha returned to her quarters for the night. As she looked through her files, she began to think about how her life was going. When she had left Balmorra it had been to get away from the stiff life her family was pushing her towards. Being on her own at such a young one had been exiting, but also lonely. Then when she joined the Empire she had belonged to something and it had felt right. Now she wasn't so sure anymore. She had spoken to several of her superiors, and a few of them had suggested taking recreation off ship for a little while. Katha had thought this a good suggestion, and had scheduled leave for three weeks time. She was to start as she left the SSD Dark Veil for a small Imperial Ball at Governor Ansant's home on Coruscant. This was a small bit of business she was to attend to before officially relaxing, and she didn't mind too much since it was at a party. Still even with this vacation, Katha wasn't sure if she would fell the same way about her job anymore. She thought back to the time, before she had come to Coruscant, when she was traveling with some mercenaries and smugglers. They had been very willing to let her tag along after she warned them against going to a certain planet that turned out to be more than just heavily guarded. That time in her life had been very thrilling and she couldn't recall a time when she had been happier. Katha fished out a datacard from her drawer and began to make a letter of resignation. Then she stored it for safekeeping. I hope I don't feel I need to send this after my vacation, but it never hurts to have it handy, she thought. Then she resumed looking through her mail and other files.
Xanin dropped back into his chair, clutching his throat. Then suddenly the man stopped. Xanin let out air with a whoosh and immediately gasped for more air. "You could've killed me!" Xanin yelped, still gasping for air.
"Be glad I didn't." the man replied, glaring back at him. "Now as for your information. The man you seek is in the Outer Rim."
"The Outer Rim?" Zevon spoke up.
"Yes the Outer Rim." The man acknowledged with a grin. " I will give you the co-ordinates of where to meet his ship. It's up to him whether you get further than that." Xanin and Zevon glanced at each other, each wondering what the man meant. The man laughed, amused at their confusion. Then an assistant entered the room with a datacard. The man took it from her, and then waved her away. She nodded a slight bow and left the room. Then man slid the datacard down the table to Xanin, "Here are the co-ordinates to where Eagle's ship will meet you. You can pay him the rest of my money; he will get it to me. I trust you have a ship to get you there?"
"Well ac -"
"We can get one." Zevon cut in, jabbing Xanin in the ribs.
"Uh - right" agreed Xanin, "Well thanks, we can find our own way out." They both left the room and bolted for the lift while trying to look casual.
Xanin was relieved that Zevon found a decent ship on such short notice, without paying a fortune. They had some men load their equipment for a small fee. Both Xanin and Zevon decided piloting the ship themselves would be more secure and eliminate witnesses. As soon as they were loaded up and had an exit vector, they sped into space. Zevon put in the co-ordinates from the datacard and calculated a hyperspace route.
"How does it look?" Xanin asked.
"All clear… Here we go." Zevon replied. He pulled back the hyperdrive levers and they watched as the stars lengthened into bright lines.
Katha awoke very early to finish preparing for her trip to Coruscant. She made sure to put all of her data files in her bag. After packing her clothes and supplies, she went to check the shuttle departure time.
"You leaving us already, Katha?" Katha turned away from the time charts.
"Oh…just for a few weeks," she replied "Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering how long we were going to be without our princess." said Stryker sweetly.
"I'm no princess," Katha said, blushing, "besides, since when did you become such a softy?"
"HAH! Look sweetie I ain't no softy." He said, raising his voice slightly, but Katha could tell he was still joking around. " I just know what the ladies want to hear." he announced with a smirk. A few snickers could be heard throughout the room. Katha tried not to laugh.
"Right," she said sarcastically, "you keep telling yourself that, Stryker." She patted him on the shoulder and headed for one of the ship's cantinas.
Katha had planned on slipping into the cantina without anyone noticing her, but several people yelled a hey and tried to talk to her, all at once. After finally figuring out what each person was trying to tell her, Katha sat down at the bar and ordered Corellian Ale.
"Here you go, Katha." the bartender said, sliding the glass in front of her. He watched as she played with the glass. "Something wrong?" Katha sipped at the ale then set it back down and looked up at the bartender.
"No, nothing's wrong . . . why?"
"Well, you only that kind of ale when something is wrong." Katha smiled slightly as she took another gulp.
"Nothing wrong . . . I guess it's just a bon voyage treat."
"If you say so . . .", the bartender replied quietly. Katha fished out a few credits and laid them on the bar.
"I'm fine, really! Give me a spice water to go." The bartender set a small bottle down and picked up the money, then walked off. Katha finished her ale and left the cantina.
She grabbed her luggage and went to the docking bay. Some of the pilots that Katha knew waved at her. One said, " Hey Katha, I heard you were going planetside. You gonna take a TIE down?" He grinned broadly.
"Yeah right. You know I couldn't fly anything if my life depended on it."
"Yeah, well, you better learn sometime 'cause sooner or later your life may depend on it."
"Well then maybe you can teach me when I come back, eh?" Katha said, winking. As she walked off she saw the pilot's buddies nudge him, and jest. When she got to the shuttle she noticed that it wasn't very full this time, which made her happier. She hated having lots of stormtroopers around her, jesting at each other the whole trip. She put her carry-on bag in the overhead compartment of a seat that was near a window and a corner.
This will be enough privacy, she thought. Katha pulled out her datapad, and checked her agenda just before the attendant announced they were now leaving the docking bay. Katha decided to take a short nap during the trip, so she reclined her seat a little and soon drifted off.
