Re: All In The Game

[LadyRaven]

Amelia laughed again, but this time, it was more angry. Her fleet was being eaten alive, but at least she was ok. Sadly though, so were the two other ships. A short silence followed and she could see Krell talking with someone at his side. Her feelings told her it was Serenity. And then, hells bells, Luke arrived. Amelia scowled at his image and when he spoke, she scowled further. "I am no lowly Sith." She hissed, "They are merely my tools. To do with as I please. You however, are another matter Master Skywalker." She moved closer to the screen, "And you underestimate my power. Do not think for a moment that your actions have made any difference. I have seen the future and I shall enjoy watching your demise." She turned her eyes back to Krell and her hidden niece. "Show yourself, Serenity." She cooed, "I know you are there. Come and say hello to your beloved Aunt."

At Krell's side, Serenity weighed up her options. she thought carefully for what she could do now to get rid of Amelia and get to the Vera Prime. When the woman cooed at her, Serenity instinctively took a step to the side and showed her face on the screen. "You are no family of mine." She replied coldly, "And I'm about to prove it."
"Oh come now." Amelia cooed again, "Is that any way to greet your father's long lost sister?"
Serenity smiled, "You should see what I did to his brother." She replied, then focused her eyes directly on the image. "When I grab your arm." She whispered to Krell, "Lock down the engines and rotate the shields." She then began to concentrate. Harder and harder. The air colled dramatically around them and even a few ice crystals began to form on the tips of her hair.

The image of Amelia began to shudder and fluctuate and the woman herself began to look unsteady. "What is happening?!" The Empress demanded. The crew seemed in panic.
The shadow moved forward unsteadily, "She is throwing us." He said, "It;s the creature. She's speaking to it and it's throwing us back!"

Suddenly, Serenity gripped Krell's arm tightly, "Now!"...

[Guest]

Krell looked over at Jenkins after Serenity had spoken, giving him a look to do as Serenity said. He moved quickly whispering the insturctions to the bridge crew and then watched Krell and Serenity. Krell turned his attention back to what was happening on the Imperial ship and he smiled as he saw the emperess being knocked about a bit. Then he saw the shodowy figure move ford to the Emperess and he peared at it intently but could not make out who it could be.

On the Phoenix Luke saw the figure and frowned. His Jedi sences were whelling now at the sight of the figure. This one was strong, as strong as the old emperor had been. Then things started happening. The void sourrounded both the ships like a protective shield and the imperial ship was suddenly flung away. Luke could feel the disturbance in the force. He felt Serenity and her voice talking to the void, and it doing as she told it.

Back on the Raven Krell nodded and the bridge crew flew into action doing what Serenity had said. The engines came to a full stop and shielding was rotated. Krell watched as the image on the screen changed and he saw the imperial ship being flung away. He chuckled and put his arms around Serenity holding her as she worked her skill with the force.

Jenkins looked about and murmered "What the hell just happened? How did that Imperial ship get flung away like that?" his eyes were wide and amazed.

[LadyRaven]

Serenity felt her mind come back to reality again when Krell took hold of her and hugged her. She smiled back, but then felt something rise in her stomach. She coughed it down and smiled up at her lover. She felt Luke touching her mind again and put up an imaginary finger to tell him she didn't want to share right now. She also felt Jenny wonderng what the hell just happened. Of course, someone had to say something and it came down to Jenkins. Serenity looked past Krell's shoulder and smiled at the commander. "Don't panic." She told him, "I just made Baby throw up is all." She winked at him and then looked up at Krell. "Easy really." She said, "I used my ice thing to give it a tummy ache and it threw up. That's why I asked you to rotate the shields and stop the engines. If you hadn't, it would have thrown us up too." She gave him a sly grin.

The Imperial ship steadied again after a few seconds as the dampeners kicked back in and Amelia screamed in fury. "How did she do that?!" She demanded of the shadow, "How did she throw us out of there?!"
"I do not know." The shadow replied. "But I believe you have underestimated your niece's power this time."
Amelia scowled and stormed past her shadow, pushing him aside almost as she left the bridge.
"The anomoly is moving away." A commander shouted out.
"Track it and follow." The shadow ordered...

[Guest]

As the void moved away, back to its original position between the two sectors of space, it took the Raven and Phoenix with it. The entity darkened hiding the two ships completely from the imperial ship and blocking out any sensor readings. As it finally settled down into its original position the ships sensors picked up another ship, but not an ordinary ship, one that was completely diferent then any thing anyone had ever seen or had known about.

Jenkins put it up on the main screen. It was huge but it was not metalic like the Raven, it looked as if it was made up of living matter. Smooth with large vein like conduets runing the length and breath of it. Moving a hand over the consol he was at, Jenkins anounced. "Captain, it is a living entity!"

Krell turned and looked at it and smilled. The Ioans had outdid themselves on this one. The Vera Prime was not just a ship but a living ship. "Bring us along side it." he told Jenkins. "Baby?" he turned to Serenity.

Aboard the Phoenix Luke and Jenny looked at the Vera Prime. Jenny's eyes were big, drinking in the sight. "Have you ever heard of a Living Ship, Master Luke?" she asked.

Luke shook his head. "That I have not. But there are so many things out there that we still do not under stand. Especiall what lies beyond our galaxcy. It is said that many Jedi went forth to explore the emptyness beyond our galaxcy and never returned. The universe is vast and probably filled with strange and wonderful lifeforms and things." he put a hand on Jenny's shoulder as the Phoenix followed the Raven in to the Vera Prime.

[LadyRaven]

Serenity stood with Krell and smiled as the Vera Prime came into view. And boy, what a view! At this point, Serenity moved forward to stand closer to the screen. When Krell turned to her and asked Baby, she half turned her head and smiled at him. "Yes." She replied smoothly, "The void is her baby." She pointed at the Vera Prime. "Not sure how it works yet, but I bet you somewhere inside her there's gonna be an egg or amneotic sac where the body is. What's out here is the mind, hunting and feeding so it can grow. By the way." She leaned back to see Jenkins. "It's called a Leviathon and it's a she and being a pregnant she, I'd advise that you don't upset her." Serenity grinned and moved back from the screen again.

The Vera Prime was huge compared to the Raven and Pheonix, bigger than any star destroyer, even the death star itself possibly. The vera Prime could possibly be the size of the Corrasant interior! An entire citadel in space! The two ships pulled up at what could possibly be a hanger door of some kind, but then something amazing happened. The massive Leviathon moved! Four elongated legs appeared from within and took hold of the ships. It was graceful and Serenity barely felt the bulkhead move as the Leviathon moved the ships around into a more orderly fashion and then peeled back a huge flap of skin. The two ships were engulfed and then laid down carefully on something uniquely firm, but maliable. The feet of the ships sank into the skin and then the floor firmed up again as though acting like docking clamps. What happened next was even better. All the consols lit up and flickered at the crews until finally, the most angelic voice seeped through the metal ships. "Do not be frightened." The voice said softly, "We welcome you."...

[Guest]

When the huge living ship took hold of the Raven, it shocked Krell. He had no idea that the ship would do that. The two ships were placed within what looked to be some sort of docking bay, that solified for them and the insturments registered an atmospeher that was breathable for them. Then the most astounding theing happened. The ship spoke to them through the communications system on the ships. Everyone was amazed and a bit unsettled at the same time.

On the Phoenix, Luke chuckled and smiled. This was even better then he could have imagined. Jenny was in awe and seemed itching to leave the Phoenix and explore this new wonder. "Is it safe to go aboard her?" she asked.

A sweet chuckle came over the comms, "More then safe young one. I have waited so long for such as you and the other aboard the other ship to come. Please come, I will guide you to my central being." the voice came to both ships.

Krell looked around the bridge and shugged his shoulders and looked at Serenity. "I guess we can check things out. After all we were sent to find her and bring her back." he pulled out what he had been given by the Ioans "This is to help us activate her systems so we can take her back." he told Serenity. "Jenkins, you are with me. Assemble a team and follow." turning back to Serenity, "You want some of your crew to come along?" He was sure the professor would be adament about going aboard and he would imagine Jenny and Luke would be wanting to go as well.

[LadyRaven]

Serenity barely moved a muscle as the Leviathon spoke, welcoming them. She had been waiting for them. When Krell spoke to her, she did finally move. She nodded and then smiled. "we can all go." she replied, "Vera Prime won't hurt us, I can feel it."

The crews left their ships and Vera Prime seemed happy to take them straight to her central systems. It looked like a massive honey coloured brain with veins coming and going all over the place. serenity made sure to step carefully here, not wanting to trip or damage any of the nerve endings. Up front there were two huge domes, at least as big as a bulkhead and they glowed orange when the crews entered. Serenity looked up at them and smiled. "You have beautiful eyes Vera Prime." She offered.
"Thank you." Vera replied. "My last pilot found them to be unnerving and rarely looked me in the eye. If you would all remain still for a moment please. I wish to scan you for parasites and diseases and an account of your genetic make-up will allow me to create nutrient rich food for you."
Serenity turned around and nodded to both crews, "Do as she says guys."

The scan was quick as Vera Prime's eyes moved over the entire complex. Sadly, one person was suddenly surrounded by tentacles. "I am sorry." She said to avert panic, "But this male is carrying a parasite. It is nothing serious, but it must be removed if he is to remain. I cannot risk an infection."
The poor man trapped looked petrified, but nodded, "Uh, you're not gonna cut me open are you?" He asked.
Vera Prime almost laughed, "No." she replied, "You will be taken to my stomach where a nutrient will digest it for you."
"Uh, thanks, I guess." The man said as he was picked up and taken away.

Vera Prime scanned once more and then rested her eyes on Serenity and Rahma. "Welcome home." She said to them both, "It has been a long time." Her eyes then moved onto Jenny, "And it is wonderful to meet you, young one. I have waited a long time for your family to return to me."...

[Guest]

Krell and his crew were amazed at the make up of the ship. There were corridors that appeared and off of them rooms with bed like forms. It seemed that Vera Prime was providing lodging should they decide to stay aboard her. The tecture of the walls were smooth yet one could feel that they had a skin like texture to them. Also one could feel something akin to a low current flowing through them. Not unpleasent and not dangerous. What was more amazzing was the central chamber where the brain of the ship was. Not only were there what looked to be veins and eyes but consols that had actual metal wires running to sections of the walls around them.

Reese, the young boy that was now apart of the Phoenix crew was moving from one consol to the other examining them, his eyes wide with excitement and flickering with it. He stopped at one and looked at it intently. Suddenly a chair like thing formed on the floor and rose under him. He laughed and said. "This is fantastic."

It looked as if the Ioans had integrated their technology with the living tissue around them. Krell listened to Vera Prime welcome them and especially Jenny and Serenity. What threw him was when she said she had waited along time for them to return to her. Now that was something very strange. "We have been sent to bring you back to the Ioans. They fear that some one will come and use you to take control of the galaxcy." Krell stepped forward and spoke. "What do you mean for her family to return to you?" his curiosity had been peaked.

Luke also moved forward to stand with Serenity, Rahma, Krell, and Jenny. He had a feeling that there was more here then meet the eye and he was eager to learn more.

[LadyRaven]

Serenity wasn't the only one curious by Vera Prime's welcome. Krell spoke it out loud for her, but she knew they two weren't the only ones. The ship now had Rahma's complete attention too. The giant eyes flickered between each of the family members and seemed to smile, though there was a slight distortion from near the floor of the giant honeycombe brain. Yes, Vera Prime could actually smile! "Please," She said as more seats appeared from the floor, "Allow me to elaborate while your crew make themselves comfortable. I have created nutrients in my stomach for them and some private places they can rest." She then fell silent for a moment while the other filed out. It seemed this was something a little more private.

With Luke's, Serenity's, Jenny's, Krell's, Rahma's and now Reece's full attention, the Leviathon began her story. "Your family has a long and rather infamous history with the Ioians and myself, Serenity, and I have come to watch many of your generations pass. When I was still a juvenile, the Ioians found me drifting through their territory. I had been seperated from my parents and they adopted me, in a manner. In return for food, shelter and their kindness, I provided the means and knowledge to advance their technology and help them live better lives. They integrated many of my nerve endings into their hardwired systems so I could become an interactive organic system for them. It was with them that I learned of your history. When Alma Thur coherced me into leaving with him, I wanted to find your ancestors to learn more, but he only seemed intent on destroying what his people had created. On scanning your ships, I found your artifacts so I know that you have been looking for me too. Many of your logs contain schematics for a weapon. I can tell you now that the weapon you seek no longer exists. It was destroyed when Thur disconnected me from Sila on the planet. She and I were the twin systems that were needed for the weapon to work and sadly, I can no longer be linked with her as needed. However, I have created something far better and it has protected me for the last six hundred years. Speaking of which, Serenity, you have upset my baby and must apologize."
Serenity blushed and nodded her head, "Yes." She offered.
"But to return to my original train of thought." Vera continued, "Alma Thur's betrayal ensured that one day, I would find your family and I would know more about what happened and why I was demanded to destroy you all. He finally confessed upon his death and I understood then that I must do all I could to protect you. Originally, I found your great grandmother. It was not long after the first wars between the Jedi and the Sith and I spirited her and her young away to safety in the outer rims. There, I stayed for many years. She asked that I take her offspring with me, but I could not. The energy I required at the time would have killed them, so instead, I placed myself just out of sight and reach until such time I could return to them, or they could be strong enough to return to me. That did not happen. And then, in your grandmother's young, I sensed a great evil. The evil made me very ill and I could not be near her. She has since learned to hide it very well so I should thank you for exposing her to me again. Now that I know who she is and where she is, I can avoid her better. The following generation; your father and mother; were something quite strange to me. Though I was aware that there were other branches of your family line, I was not aware that two of them had converged. Like your father Marcus, your mother Andrienne was a descendant. They were related, but several times removed. I believed that this convergance within your line was what caused the upheaval within the Force. Fortunately for them both, they were able to withstand the energy drain my baby had created and you and your brother were born."

Serenity was quickly on her feet, "Wait a minute!" She almost shouted, "Are you saying that me and Rahma were born here?"
"Yes." Vera replied, "Right next to my own baby."
"Mum and Dad never told us any of this." Serenity said quickly, "We were born on the space port orbiting Naboo. I remember going to school and stuff while we were there. Mum died there!"
The huge orange eyes shifted downward and a large blob of pink goo appeared. "For the first five years of your life, you lived inside me Serenity. Your mother named you both after the star formations around us at the time. Serenity for peace and Rahma for courage. You left when the energy drain became too much for your mother to tolerate. She feared that you and your brother would be damaged if you stayed any longer. It hurt me to leave you behind, but I had little choice."
"So why did they never tell us?" Rahma asked.
"I do not know why. Perhaps they felt you would come searching for me and become ill like your mother did. But it is thankfully clear it is not the case as I can see that you are both doing very well. The effects on the others have been muted down somewhat because you are within my interior, but they will not be able to stay too long or my baby may begin to feed on them. As for you, it is clear that is not an issue."

Serenity sat dumbfounded for a minute and looked around. Had she and her brother really been born inside this Leviathon? Searching her feelings, she knew it had to be true, but she couldn't understand why she couldn't remember it, or why her parents had lied.

"I can see that I have upset you, Serenity." Vera offered, "I am deeply sorry. I meant not to abandon your family, or hurt them. My memories of you are good ones. I have much footage if you wish to learn more."
Serenity shook her head, "Not right now." She replied, but then looked up at the huge orange eyes, tainted with that pink goo. "Are you crying, Vera Prime?"
"I am sorry." She replied, "My emotions are getting the better of me recently. My hormonal energy fields are off balance due to my gestation, but yes, I am crying. I am happy to see you and to welcome you home, but I am sad that I have upset you and that you do not remember your time here. And I am sad that your life has not been what it was planned to be. It is good though that you are here now and safe and I am very happy to see that we share the imbalance of hormonal energies. While you are here, I would like to provide the special nutrients to help your gestation along."
Serenity nodded and turned to Krell, trying to gauge his reaction on all this. And Rahma too. he must have been turning over in himself!
"As for the young one, Jenny, I am more than happy to have you here and I will be more than happy to provide all I can to help you; all of you."....

[Guest]

Krell listened to the ship talk to Serenity. He raised a brow at what she said about Serenity and her parents. It was all interesting and he wondered why Vallis had never mentioned that part of the family history. Or did he even know about it. If he had he would have surely had tried to get to the Vera Prime and use her to get rid of the Empire. It was interesting also that the ship was pregnant and the child was needing lots of energy.

"Why have you not returned to the Ioan world?" Krell asked

"It was manually imputed by Alma Thur that I remain in this area of space. It is something that I could not overcome and there fore have been here ever since he died, or that is what I think happened to him. He has not been here for such a long time. I think he feared my child would consume him."

If that was the case she had been with child quite a long time. It seemed that she senced his question before he even asked it. "In the outer reaches, between the galaxcies is a powerful energy that my kind use when birthing. It speeds the process. Here my child has had to go far and wide to feed on energies to gain strength. He is almost ready to come forth. Had i stayed with the Ioans the energy source there would have also made it possible for my child to be born."

"Well i think we can help with that." Krell said as he held up what had been given to him. "This might help countermand those orders and you can leave here."

If the ship could smile it seemed to do so. Reese had heard Krell and came over and took the pad from him and returned to the consol. His hands flew over the controls as if he knew every aspect of the language and workings of the alien technology. "My thanks." an almost audioble sigh could be heard as Resse imputed the data.

Mean while on board the Command Ship, Darth Varlios paced the quarters he had been given. They had been taken aboard the command ship just in time to be saved by what ever the thing was that had consumed the other destroyers. Also on board was the Shadowy figure. He could feel his power and hated him with a passion. From what he could sence, the two ships had once again disapeared and he could not feel the presence of any of them. The only ones he could sence was the emperess and the Shadow figure. Things were not going well, and definately not as planned or anything.

[LadyRaven]

((Alma Thur died on board sweetie))

From the moment the new orders were input into Vera Prime's cortex, there was movement. Inside such a massive creature, the movement was barely noticeable, but it was there. The gargantuan Leviathon was moving away and soon enough, on a computer panel, a star chart appeared. It was a few hundred parsecs from their current location and was suffering a supernova. It would provide enough energy to replenish her and her baby for a long time. When this happened, Serenity decided to leave the cortex and explore Vera Prime a little more. What she had been told had disturbed her much more than what she had learned from her Uncle and the Ioians.

As she walked, she saw other members of the crews wandering around and taking in the sights of Vera Prime. Serenity had to admit that she was seriously impressed. After more wandering, she found herself in what appeared to be some kind of medical area. The walls and floor were still the same honey colour of the rest of Vera Prime, but different at the same time. The walls here were a mass of large nodules that seemed to emullate a soft white light into the room. There were items of what looked like organic furniture dotted about the room; a bed, two or three chairs; a desk and what she assumed to be spotlights on tentacles coming from a nodule about half way around the room. What was most prominent though, was a huge dome with a translucent skin in the centre of the room. It was easily 6ft in height and easily the same in diametre. Serenity took a good while walking around and trying to peer through the surface. Above the dome, there was another eye-type dome on the ceiling.

"Vera Prime?" Serenity asked, staring at the 'eye'.
"Yes Serenity?"
"Are you watching me?"
"Not intentionally, but I can see you."
Serenity snorted a small laugh, "Just how many eyes do you have?"
The eye moved slightly as though focusing on Serenity, "I have 3,402 eyes currently." Vera Prime replied, "But it is subject to change according to how many spaces I create within my being."
"If you closed all the spaces, how many would you have?" Serenity asked.
"Nine." Vera Prime said. "They are my primary vision cortex. They provide a 360 degree view around me and the last one, you are looking at."
Movement in the dome on the floor distracted Serenity's eyes and she cocked her head to one side."Is this your baby?"
"Yes." Vera Prime said.
"How big is it?"
"38.4 cubic metres at present." Vera Prime said, "Another 2 metres and he shall be born."
"2 metres huh?" Serenity said, "That's rather specific isn't it?"
"That is how much space he has left within the cacoon."
"What does that equate to in time?" Serenity asked, moving around it now to get a better look inside. "By which I mean, how much longer until he's born?"
"7 years, 41 days and 16 hours." Vera Prime said.
"Wow!" Serenity said, "That's a long time. How long does your kind carry a baby?"
"Gestation is 200 years."
Serenity lifted her head and her eyebrows, "And I thought ten months was a long time to be pregnant!"

Suddenly, the tentacle on the wall moved towards Serenity. A soft white light eminated from within it and scanned her. "What are you doing?" She asked cautiously.
"I am curious." Vera Prime replied, scanning Serenity's entire body.
"About what exactly?"
The scan finished and the wall on the far side flattened. The image of Serenity's baby appeared on it, magnified greatly. "Human gestation occurs in exactly the same place and I am curious as to how and why. Leviathon females gestate in varying places so as to balance the nutrient and hormone levels throughout the main body."
Serenity laughed, "It's a matter of anatomy, Vera Prime." She replied, "I can't change my structure like you can. Some think females evolved that way so we didn't topple over during pregnancy."
Vera Prime seemed to find this somewhat amusing as the screen changed around and statistics appeared. The image was barely more than a shaped blob, but the cells were beginning to arrange themselves accordingly. Serenity moved around the dome and sat in one of the chairs to look at it for a while. "Vera Prime?" She asked, "Could you find Krell and bring him here? He might like to see this?"
"Certainly."

Imperial Amelia Loun -

While Amelia paced the floor of her apartment, Shadow entered Varlios' room. The droid guards parted company as the door oprned and then returned to their post once he had entered. "I could feel your hate all the way from the bridge." He said to the Sith quietly. "Had you the strength and the opportunity, I am sure you would kill me." He lifted his head just enough to look at the Sith directly, but continued to hide his face in shadow. Behind him, he felt the apprentice move to his back and he smiled lightly. "One more step and I fear you may be cast into space in pieces. Now, if you would both kindly take a seat, we have some things to discuss before the Empress arrives. I feel she may wish to speak to you personally. And you will behave, won't you."

[Guest]

Serenity wandered off wanting to look about. Krell sighed and let her go. He stayed at the cortex and examined the Ioan consols. Reese was happily running through programs and data. When the star charts appeared and showed where they were going, "How long before we arrive at the super nova Vera Prime?"

"Not Long Captain." Vera's voice sourrounded him. "Then we will head back to the Ioan planet where my child will be born.

There was a moment of silence and then Vera Prime spoke again. "I have a request from Serenity that I guide you to where she is. She wants you to take a look at something that might be of intrest to you."

Krell shugged his shoulders and followed the directions of Vera Prime to where Serenity was. It didn't take him long to get there. He moved up to Serenity and placed his arms around her. "What is it that you wish me to see?" he asked.

Various scowled at the figure. "These dealings you have with those in the Dead Space is really no concern of mine. If you are as powerful as you say you are, why have you not delt with them already. I am sure that one of your ability and strength should be able to take care of an aging Jedi and a couple apprentices." He had had enough of this. He had seen what the slip of a woman had been able to do with the command ship and if he had her on his side, he could extend his own domain within Sith Space. Things were begining to swim through is mind, as well as now blocking his thoughts so Shadow could not read them.

He motioned for his apprentice to come stand beside him. "Why did you come to me seeking help in this matter. What is this woman to you?"

[LadyRaven]

Serenity smiled as Krell joined her. "This." She said, pointing to the screen. "It's grown a little since the last scans and Vera Prime has shown a lot more detail. What do you think?" She then half turned in the chair and pointed to the dome in the middle. "And that gorgeous huge thing there is Vera Prime's baby." She smiled again and turned her head to Krell to see his reaction.

The shadow remained stoic as Varlios blocked his mind and cocked off his mouth. "My dealings in this matter are in service to my Empress." He replied smoothly. "The pirate is nothing to me, but she is important to her. I sought you out because you were considered the best hunters in this quadrant and you have now served your purpose." He then took a step forward and lifted his head just enough to shed some light on his lower face. The skin was grey, the lips blue, but his teeth were a perfect white. One would make no mistake that they could easily slice flesh from bone should they chose to do so. This man was like no other. Shadow smiled coldly, showing deep wrinkles around his mouth. "And I would ask kindly that you refrain from questioning my ability. The Jedi and I will meet soon, but not yet. Unlike some, I do not interfere in the hands of destiny."

Just behind him, the door opened again and two droids marched in, followed closely by Amelia. The power that came with her was intoxicating and she held nothing back. The sith would know that she could destroy them with nothing more than a wave of her hand. "You are the sith hunters my shadow sent?" she asked coldly, "You will give your report to me in detail, do you understand?"..

[Guest]

Krell looked up at the screen and smiled. One could not tell what sex it was yet but their child was growing and seemed healthy. His arms tightened around Serenity and then turned his head to look at Vera Prime's child. Hers was huge and he wondered what that one was going to be like. "Hmmmm an interesting friend for our little one to play with eh?" he grinned and chuckled.

Darth Varlios wondered about the figures answer. The man could have done things alot different. He would not have had to have a Sith Lord hunt down some one. He had not even known that the woman, Serenity, had the ability to use the force until recently. Simply hiring bounty hunters would have been the simplest thing to have been done. They were alot more adapt at finding people then he was. The best hunter for the job. He was no bounty hunter. He had a feeling that the dark clad figure may have been even over his head in this, and there seemed something in his voice when he spoke of the emperess, as if he was smitten with her. Could it be that this one was in love with her?

When the emperess entered with her two watchdog droids he raised a brow. "I am the Sith Lord that was sent yes. The one that sent you the information about the abandoned ship yard and Star Destroyer." he spoke up. He emphiszed the Sith Lord part instead of Sith Hunter. "There is not much to report. We picked up the trail of the woman called Serenity on a jungle moon where the Jedi Master was either hiding, or doing something after several months of looking for leads as where to find her. From there we followed them to the two ships that now are hiding in the Dark Space. These two ships went to a sector in space where they seemed to just vanish. Ship's sensors could not track them and my ability with the force could not even detect them. It was as if they had vanished from existance. A few hours later they reapeared and headed here." His report was as coldly spoken as had her demand for the report. He was not use to taking orders from anyone. He was after all a Sith Lord.

He had his arms folded across his chest, his right hand pressing a button on a device under his clothing. It immediately activated something that his crew had removed from his ship and hid on the Command Ship. He was no fool to think that once he was done with his so called task that they would let him go. Should they try to kill him, their ship would be vaporized and them with it.

[LadyRaven]

"Yeh." Serenity replied, "In about 7 years." She hugged him back lovingly and then took a deep breath. "Krell." she said, "Try not to fall over yourself for a minute and I can't really believe I'm actually considering this, but I'm gonna take a back seat for a while." She shook her head. "Everything that's been happening to us, to me, it's knocked me off my game. Mac and Slyder can pick up the slack from my end. Use Jenny where you need her, but don't get in the way of her training. She's good, but she's still unbalanced with the light sabre. I think I'm gonna train a little with the old man and catch up on a few lost memories with Vera Prime. I promise I'll be home for dinner." She looked up at him and smiled again, waiting for his reaction..

Amelia lifted an eyebrow and stared the Sith direct in the eye as he gave his report. There was nothing in it that she didn't already know and she wondered briefly what her shadow's point had been in sending them. That in mind, she glanced at the shadow briefly and then back to Varlios. Though he had blocked his mind from her, his body language told plenty. "You resent being here, don't you." She told him, "You need not hide your hatred from me, I can read it all over your body." She moved gracefully to one side of the room. "And no doubt you have as much trust for folk as I do, so I hold no assumtion that you think to go free without a fight. So what would your choice of escape be, hmmm?" She glanced at him again and moved to the other side of the room. "Magnetic pulse to disable the systems?" She then laughed, "No, that would be too simple. Looking at you, I'd say something rather more spectacular and deadly." This time, as she moved, she gave the other man a warm smile. "You needn't bother. You have done me no wrong so far, so I have no quarms about letting you go. You have done the job I set for you and thus, I have no more need of you. That is.. unless you can give me reason to keep you around?"

To her back, she could feel her shadow tensing up. Putting her hands neatly behind her back, she gave the man a small signal that everything was fine and he should trust her judgement, but her eyes never left Varlios. "I'm waiting."

[Guest]

What Serenity told him, he could hard believe his ears. She was stepping down, going to take it easy. That was something he did not think she would ever do, though he was kind of glad about it. Being pregnant was a tough enough on her let alone the burden of command. He chuckled and pulled her up out of her seat and held her close to him. "I want to be there when you tell Mac and Slyder and the others. I want to see their faces." He knew that it was going to be a complete shock to them and the dumbfounded looks they would have would be priceless. "Come on, lets go find them and tell them."

"Well then if my services are no longer needed here......" he nodded his head to the emperess and then slowly made his way around her and the dark clad man. He motioned for his apprentice to follow him and once they were out of the room, "Go and tell the captain to make the ship ready to depart. He then placed a small listening device on the door frame, down where it could not be seen. He wanted to hear what the two would talk about after he had left. It might come in handy in the near future. As he walked down the corridor towards the hold that held his ship, he began to think.

The Dark Space as he called it or what ever it was had moved around the two rebel ships and had engulfed the fleet of destroyers, except the command ship. Then it wen back to the two rebel ships and surrounded it like a protective shell and again left the command ship alone. He had senced the force in the Emperoress and from her appearance and the hollo image of the woman Serenity, he had guessed they were related and since the thing out there had not touched either, it somehow was connected to them. If Serenity had indeed controlled it then she controlled a powerful weapon. If it could suck the energy from ships and life forces of creatures, then if he could control Serenity, he would control it and could use it to conquer all of Sith Space and more.

But he had to be extremely careful here. He could not let the emperess or her shadow have any inkling of what he was about to do. As he walked he also listened to see what the two were talking about.

[LadyRaven]

Serenity gave a groan at Krell, hoping that he might have done that for her, but she got up anyways and followed him out of the medical room. She knew where her dogs would be and she found Vera Prime's propulsion room without much fuss. Just head for the very back end of the Leviathon. The two men were there going over the various systems and nerve endings that made up Vera Prime's tail and wer happy to see their Captain.

"Hey Boss!" Mac said happily, "You really need to see this. It's nothing like I could ever imagine down here."
Serenity smiled and nodded, "I don't doubt it." She replied, "Listen guys, there's something I need you both to do for me."
"Already done." Slyder chimed in.
Serenity gave a short laugh, "Yeh." She said, "You might wanna sit down."
Both men looked at each other and then leaned against a conduit.
Serenity chewed her tongue, wondering how to word it, but in the end, she just spat it out. "I'm putting Krell in charge for a while." She told them. "I need a time out for a while; get things right in my head."
Mac's face was a picture, "You're...." She stammered, "You're handing over control?"
Serenity shrugged and nodded her head, "Pretty much."
"Wow!" Slyder said, "That's ..... well... that's deep. You sure?"
Serenity nodded again, "Yeh, I'm sure." She said, "All this has knocked me back and I need to get my head straight. I can't be clear with all this hanging on me right now. I need you guys to pick up the slack for Krell until I'm right again, ok?"
A few minutes of silence, then both men nodded. "You got it, Boss." Mac said.
"Thanks guys." Serenity said gratefully. "Just one more thing."
"Anything." Slyder said quickly.
"Keep an eye on Jenny and Reece for me and whenever Jenny needs to train, don't interrupt."
Slyder nodded again, "Done and done." He said.
Serenity nodded again in thanks and turned to leave......

The Sith gone, Amelia began pacing the floor. Her shadow remained still, but his eyes followed her movements closely. "Why did you hire them?" She asked, "Hunters are ten a penny. Why hire Sith? You know they are unpredictable and not to be trusted."
"They had the skills you needed to find your niece." The shadow replied calmly. "It would have taken a bounty hunter months to figure out she was on Yaven. Varlios was able to sense her much sooner and interrupt her training. Anything less would have been a failure on my part."
Amelia half turned to him, "Your failure may still be." She told him coldly, "Not only do we know what he does, but he now knows what we do. Who's to say that he won't simply find her and play the same story? You should never have let them so close."
The shadow moved closer and placed a cold white hand on Amelia's shoulder, "There is much they do not know, Amelia. And you need not worry about it. Should the need arise, I will deal with them."
"Make sure that you do." She said, then walked out of the room.....

[Guest]

Varlios listened to the two talk. So Serenity was the emperess' niece. That was interesting, and possibly useful information. He grinned when the shadow figure tried to explain why he had Sith look for Serenity and his apoligetic attitude towards the Emperess. He was right to be cautious with these two. One wrong move and they would destroy his ship and him. He would set a course away from the area and the Dark Space, as if he was moving around the thing and heading home. But when the time was right he would change course and send a message on a tight beam into the Dark Space and hope that the rebels would pick it up and respond.

He entered his ship and the bridge and nodded to the captain. The doors to the bay opened and the ship exited. He had the captain set a course that lead away from the Command Ship and smiled. Should they attempt to attack him he would detonate the explosive device aboard the Emperess' ship. If he would be killed it would automaticly go off.

Krell loved the look on their faces and had to grin. He was glad that she was going to take it easy and concentrate on training to use her abilities with the force. From what he understood of it, it would be very benificial to her. "Don't let the crews stay aboard the Vera Prime to long. The ship is concerned that her unborned baby might need to feed and draw on their life forces. At least until we reach our next desination. There Vera Prime will take in enough energy to sustain her and her baby.

Both men looked at him. "Baby?" He remembered that they had not been there when Vera Prime told them about her child.

"Yes. She is a living ship and is with child." he grinned. That void out there is its mind reaching out to find energy for him and his mother. She was stuck here because of what Alma Thur command her to do. So get the crews back to the ships for now."

[LadyRaven]

Her job done and her announcement made, Serenity gave a small nod to Mac and Slyder and made a quiet exit. She touched Krell's shoulder to let him know that she was leaving. Once out of Vera Prime's engine room, she made her way to the docking hanger. The crews were making their way back to the ships and would be leaving soon. Everything was going to plan. She left the hanger and made her way back up to Vera Prime's command centre; her brain. Reece and the others had already left and she was alone there... well, sort of.
"Something is troubling you, Serenity?" Vera Prime asked as her giant eyes turned to view Serenity.
Serenity took a seat and looked back at the eyes. "No." She said eventually, "Not really."
"The why do you look so lost?" Vera Prime asked curiously.
Serenity tilted her head to one side. "I'm not lost, Vera Prime." She replied, "If anything, it would seem that I am home... and well and truly found." She stared down at the consol before her and then back up again.
"And yet you look so sad." Vera Prime said.
"Home is somewhere you know, Vera Prime." Serenity answered, "Home is where you feel safe and secure. Where your memoies come from and where you've built your life. You have told me that you are my home, but I don't remember anything of you. I don't know you at all. And to be found has never been a good thing for me. I've spent my life in hiding, Vera." She shook her head, "I'm just so confused about everything."
Vera fell silent for a moment, but then a slight shift in her eyes happened and they became independant screens. "Your memories are right here, Serenity." She said as she accessed her memory banks. Every minute of Serenity's childhood aboard bgan to play.

One in particular caught Serenity's attention. A mother and two children in a room filled with toys and trinkets. The mother was laughing and clapping as one of the children pulled herself up on a tentacle. She clung to it for a moment, but as the tentacle retreated, she began to follow; taking her first steps on her own as she chased the strange light and giggled. Serenity watched with tearful eyes and a distant smile. The tiny toddler was her. The child moved a few more steps and then fell over in a heap, but she didn't give up. She pulled herself up again and started over.
"You never gave up." Vera Prime said warmly, "Even then. You never stopped trying."
"Mum used to say that all the time." Serenity said as she watched more images, more memories. Then she saw her mother take out a bookand sit her and her brother down to read it. She spoke the words that Serenity remembered so well and she couldn't help but let more tears free. "Do you know the sadest thing, Vera Prime?" She asked, "I barely miss her anymore. It's like I've left her behind."
Vera Prime turned her eyes, "No Serenity." The ship replied, "She has always been with you. You just couldn't see her. She still lives, Serenity. She's you, who you are, how you love and what you hold dear to your heart. And your brother. As long as you can remember her, she'll be with you."
Serenity smiled mournfully, "Thank you Vera Prime." She said as she got up. She turned to leave, but stopped and turned back. "My mother's book." She said, "That first line. I never knew what it meant."
The corner of the room seemed to lift again as Vera smiled. "It comes from the first passage of Desiderata."
"Desiderata?" Serenity asked, "What is that? What does it mean?"
"It is a prayer." Vera Prime said. "The first line reads -Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence- Would you like me to recite the whole prayer?"
Serenity returned to her seat, "Please." She aked.
And so, Vera Prime recited the Desiderata.

"Go placidl amid the noise and haste ad remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possibl without surrende be in good terms with all people. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they to have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become bitter or vain, for there will always be persons better or lesser than yourself. Enjoy your achievements aswell as your plans. Kepp interested inyour own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the stars are filled with trickery. But let this not blind you to wha virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals nd everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune, but never distress yourself with imaginings. Any fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself. You are a chld of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have the right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it was meant to be. Therefore, be at peace with the Gods,whatever you conceive them to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham and drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful universe. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

"Wow." Serenity said, "That's some prayer."
Vera nodded her eyes, "And one that many people have stood by for a long, long time. And if it would be so, may it live on long after we are dust. Do you feel better now Serenity?"
Serenity looked up at Vera Prime's eyes and nodded, "You know what?" She said, "I do. I actually feel really good now. Maybe seeing my memories like that hs brought me some peace. Or maybe that realy weird and amazing prayer. Either way, I feel much better.".......

[Guest]

Once the crews were back aboard thier ships, Krell himself went exploring a bit. This had been the ship that been taken by Thur and used to instigate quite a bit of problems. The living ship that was not even born yet was devistating ships to feed. That in itself was a powerful weapon and something that would be feared by any government, be it the empire, new republic, sith or what ever. He wondered if Thur ever knew about it, though he doubted he had, or he would have caused Vera Prime to have a child earlier on and used the destructive force on the Old Republic.

Krell was thinking of asking Vera Prime if they could use that power to help free the enslaved Planets of the Empire and rid itself of the Emperor, his wife, and those that were loyal to the emperor. But again he had a feeling that Vera Prime would not want to do that, so he began searching for other weapons that could be used by the two ships he had. Vera Prime was a massive ship, possibly as large as one of the old Imperial Super Star Destroyers.

As he walked he noticed the eyes of Vera Prime watching him. "What are you looking for Captain?" came her voice.

Krell was not one to lie to a friend, and he came to think of the ship as a friend of his and Serenity, perhaps more for Serenity. "Anything and everything I can to fight the Empire. You have records of what the Old Republic was like, but not what happened to it in the last couple hundred years. " He stopped and shook his head, "A Sith Lord was able to hide who and what he was from the Jedi and the governing body of the Republic. He was able to instigate a war that put him into power and then he took complete control and made the republic an Empire and destroyed the Jedi. After many years, the so called Rebels prevaliled and defeated him and his forces. The New Republic now has a stable government and flourishes. But the empire was not totally defeated. It still survived on the outer rimmed planets and is as evil as it had been under the Sith Lord. Again a small rebel force is trying to free the people of the empire, but we lack ships and powerful enough weapons to do it."

He continued on his way, "I was made into a war ship by the Ioan's during their brief civil war." with a few changes in her interior, she guided Krell to a section of her where some more consols were. "Here you will find the plans for a multitude of weapons that the Ioan's had developed. Most were originally made for peaceful endevors but if need be could be converted into weapons of war. The Ioans knew that there was a multitude of life forms in this galaxcy, and therorized that there were others in the closer galaxcies as well. They were basicly a peaceful race but did not presume that others would be."

Krell moved a hand over a consol and images of the Walkers, Star Destroyers, and even the Death Star apeared. How he wished he had one of the Death Stars. That would make the Emperor surrender in a heart beat, but it would take years to complete and the resources it involved was atronomical. They needed something else. He kept looking, finding various weapons that were already in use at the time. Then he found a couple things that were very interesting. One was a small fighter looking craft that had a small shield generator, that would protect it from a sun's heat as it passed through the corona and scooped up energy from the sun. It then could release that energy at ships or a planet. Ships would be bombarded with such intense energy particals that all systems would be fried and everyone on board would be incinerated. Planet's eco systems would be severely damaged by such blasts if delivered at close range. The magnitc fields of the planet would not be able to deflect the particals as they normally did during solar flars.

That was a very potent weapon indeed. The second was a biological weapon that was not deadly but would incapacitate. If delivered at key points around a world it would cause the life forms to become immoble, unable to move and those with the proper equipment could move in and do what ever they wanted. Of cource there were the defences against such weapons in the memory banks. Krell realized that back on Ioa he could have had Tal San access the computers there for this information. It seemed Tal San was not wanting it to fall into the hands of those that might wish to use it for conquest.

"Why did Thur not use these weapons?" he asked Vera prime.

"Most of this data was locked out with the programing that was put into effect to allow only the decendents of a Sith and Jedi to access. He could not over ride that programing. Only now with the proper reprogramming key is it possible for it to be obtained now by you and Serenity. No one else can access it unless one of you so orders it. " So it seemed that Tal San was granting Krell's wish for the means to defeat the empire.

Krell smiled sightly. "Thank you Vera Prime." he said and downloaded the two designs to a data pad. As he turned to leave he noticed a crystal like cylinder that stood upright. He approached it and saw with in the form of an Ioaian. It was a shriveled up form but he could see that it had once been an Ioaian. "What happened to him?" he asked Vera Prime. Ever since finding out about Thur, he wondered what had happened to him.

"The unit malfunctioned. I could not save him." was all she said. Krell nodded and then continued on his way back to find Serenity and see what she was now wanting to do. He found her in the main control room of Vera Prime. Moving up behind her he put his arms around her and pulled her back against him.

[LadyRaven]

Mac had been lost in thought when Krell entered the bridge and when he put his arms about her from behind, it jolted her back to reality. She didn't jump though, she knew it was him. No-one else would touch her like that. Leaning back against him, she smiled and relaxed completely. Her entire demeanour looked to be at peace. It was like a huge weight had been lifted and it was what she had needed. On the surface of Vera Prime's eyes, more of her memories were being played of Serenity and Rahma's time on board. Every detail had been recorded. Mealtimes, bedtime stories, even the hours they had slept.

Against Krell, Serenity remained still for a few minutes longer and then finally opened her eyes. "I'm ready." She said quietly....

[Guest]

Serenity seemed so peaceful and relaxed now. It seemed that a huge burden had been lifted from her. She had given up command of the Phoenix for the time being, it was as if she was wanting to live a normal life. That was not really going to be possible, not for a while. Not until they could deal with the Emperor and Serenity's aunt. First he needed to get Vera Prime back to Ioa and the Ioains. Then he would have to find and probably steal the materials needed to construct the two weapons he had the designs for and then use them if necessary.

When she said she was ready, he put an arm about her shoulders and lead her back to the Raven. They would be safe aboard the ship. Vera Prime reached the sun that she had steared a course to. Her baby assorbed enough energy and then they were on their way back to Ioa. Once they had returned the Raven and Phoenix emerged from the Vera Prime and orbited the planet. Tal San greeted them and welcomed Vera Prime back home. However as some of the newly awakened Ioains exaimined her they could not find the body in the crystal chamber Krell told them about. When questioned, Vera Prime said that a small ship had departed shortly after they had reached the sun for her child to feed upon. Everyone was accounted for among the crew of the two ships, and Krell had a bad feeling that Thur had not been dead but some how managed to remain alive even after the unit he was in failed. The consumption of the sun's energy may have been what brought him back and he escaped in a small ship that had been in yet another section of Vera Prime. He did not think they had heard the last of him.

Once all was over and done with, the crews and ships left Ioa and headed back towards the empire. The things they needed for the one weapon system took time to gather. Krell did not want the emperor knowing about it nor anyone else. The fewer that knew what he was up to the less chance of that information getting back to the Emperor. Several months later in the astorid belt where haven was the small ship was being built and the the biological one was being created.

[LadyRaven]

In the months that passed, Krell had been busy gathering what he needed for the new weapons and Serenity hadn't been idle either. Beween her training with Luke and Jenny, her ever increasing check-ups with her doctor and being constantly reminded to take things easy, she had been gathering a few of her own things together. When the crews had left Vera Prime on Ioa, she had made a point to upload a copy of the Desiderata Book to a data pad along with a complete copy of the linguistics archive so she could learn the language in her spare time. After gathering all the relevant information and a few cultural exchanges, Serenity ended up leaving Ioa with another item of interest.

The strange feline creature that had taken such a liking to her had returned to her side from the moment she put feet on the planet. It had literally cambered its way out of the complex though the atrium to meet her on the landing pad. With both tails in the air and two of its six legs almost permenantly attached to her boot, the thing had refused to let her alone. In the end, she adopted the creature and named it Twinkie as it seemed to respond to the word. After that, Serenity had gained another few dozen kilos in her baggage for food and housing for the creature in the form of a few native trees and bushes. A few days later, they were heading back to Haven.

By the time the ships arrived, Serenity had changed quite a bit. Her greasy jeans and tees had become light coloured leggings and more comfortable flowing shirts. Her own clothes no longer fit her. And it wasn't just her wardrobe that had changed. Her demeanour had changed too, but not to the point she was a different person. She still had a vicious temper and she never backed down from an argument. She just chose when to let it loose with a little more care. Generally though, Serenity seemed to have calmed and was enjoying the blossom of her pregnancy. Her training with Luke had advanced quickly and she was now able to focus and act with a greater precision than she had ever imagined. She had become a Master.

On Haven itself, Serenity had made a few additional changes. She and Krell now shared a large comfortable apartment with a hydroponically grown garden with the Ioan flora for Twinkie on a private balcony that overlooked the Promenade. Serenity had found herself spending a lot of time there with her pet while not training or helping Krell with the new weapons ships. Mac visited often to keep her updated on her crew and ship and Slyder's wife and daughter were regular visitors as Serenity learned all she could about younglings' needs and habits. Beyond that, it was her usual checks in the medical center and watching her baby grow. She had chosen not to know the gender and had surpressed her own feelings to know on the matter. She wanted a surprise. And now nearly eight months had passed and she was only a few weeks away from her due date.

****

With Twinkie on her leash - Haven's animal control had insisted upon such a measure - Serenity waddled her way down the promenade with Marianne. Claire seemed happy chewing on a fruit bar in her buggy as they walked. Jenny was with them also, chatting quietly with Anna, Rat's new girlfriend. The women were out shopping. Jenny and Calire were desperate for new clothes, they were both gowing so fast and Serenity was stocking up on clothes and bedding for the new baby. Luke had been kind enough to let them have R2 for the trip and the droid whistled and chirped behind them as he carried several bags already.

All of a sudden, Anna stopped dead in her tracks and grinned brightly. "Handbags ready girls!" She squealed, "Shayla's is having a sale!" Well, that was it. Jenny and Anna literally made a run for it and so they should. Shayla's Boutique was a cavern of high quality fine clothing and accessories. Most women could not afford to shop there unless there was a sale happening and having Anna with them was like an all access pass to the place. She spent more credits in there than anyone and there was no doubt she would be spendng an obsecene amount in there today. R2 chirped behind Serenity and the woman gave a small sigh of pity for the droi. "Awww, poor R2." She offered, "I bet you wish Luke had said no now, don't you." The droid whistled back in agreement and then extended a small prop to hold Twinkie's leash. Pets were not allowed in the store.

Almost an hour and a half later, the toupe left the shop with another droid laden with bags. Everyone had a complete new outfit, including Serenity's youngling nd even a new collar for Twinkie. From there, the women made their way down to the lower deck to their favourite cafe for a break. The bags and boxes were dumped and Jenny took R2 a few blocks down to the metal shop for an oil top-up and a good polishing. Over their coffee, Marianne was the first to say something.
"Have you thought o some names yet, Serenity?" She asked with a smile.
Serenity sipped her tea and then shrugged her shoulders. "We haven't had much chance to discuss it." She replied. "I was thinking that it's a boy, I might call him Kai. For a girl, I have no idea."
Marianne smiled again, "Kai is a good name." She said, "I think Kai would have been honoured."
Serenity looked into her tea cup and gave a mournful smile. "Yes, I think he would."
"You miss him badly, don't you." Marianne said quietly. She got a nod in return. Placing a comforting hand on her friend's arm, she smiled, "He's watching over you, I know it. Probably butting heads with your father about how much more of this girly stuff you'e willing to tolerate."
Serenity finally laughed again. "That's true." She replied, "I almost miss the grease and smell of blaster fire and I bet Slyder has already been eyeing up my Captaincy."
"He wouldn't dare." Marianne laughed, "I'd kick his ass all the way home just for thinking it."
Serenity laughed again and looked up to see Jenny sitting down again opposite. "Is R2 ok?"
Jenny smiled, "Enjoying having a good greasing and polish." She grabbed her coffee and sat back to enjoy it.
Serenity nodded and then sat back slightly as Twinkie hopped up on er lap and purred for affection. The woman was happy to give it.
"Still don't know why you insist keeping that thing." Jenny said wrinkling her nose. "It's freaky."
Serenity laughed as Twinkie opened his mandable and hissed at the girl. "Freaky yes." She admitted, "But oddly cute and very affectionate towards me and Krell. Plus, it can climb trees, land on its feet no matter the distance and it doesn't leave a mess on the floor. Unlike some people."
Jenny blushed, "I couldn't help it!" She objected, "How was I supposed to know the grease hadn't been brushed off?"
All the women laughed and shook their heads as they carried on with their drinks.

The day would not be over for another few hours and when Serenity arrived back in the apartment with her shopping, she was exhausted. After kicking off her soft shoes andletting Twinkie back to his garden, she flopped down on the long sofa an sighed deeply as she put her feet up on a footstool and rubbed a sore spot on the bump......

[Guest]

Krell oversaw the building of the new weapons that they would use against the Empire when they could. He knew Serenity was almost due now and he could not wait until the little one was born. She had been taking it easy and that was good. The Raven and the Phoenix went out and kept giving the Empire trouble. Together they were unstopable. He was also able to keep in contact with Ioa and with Vera Prime. Her baby laviason was finally born and being taken care of by the Ioans. They still hid behind their planetary cloaking device. They did not want to interfer with what was going on. They had learned their lesson.

Luke kept Jenny training and soon she was confered the title of Jedi Knight. Luke had in the time he was at Haven had gone off here and there and had the Raven or Phoenix go pick up someone here and there. When Jenny was confered the title of Jedi Knight, he brought forth a young girl, perhaps three or four years younger then her. "This is Cloe. She is to be your padawan, your apprentice. You have all the skills and knowledge to train her." he grinned.

[LadyRaven]

Serenity enjoyed a few more days of peace before something began niggling at her mind. She decided not to share the emtion for now, passing it off as pre-birth jitters at first, but something was happening and it wasn't about to be a good thing either. Twinkie seemed to pick up on something too, but animals of his calibre were often attuned to their master's emotions and would resinate them. Still, she put it to the back of her mind and carried on with her usual routine. The nursery was now finished and ready for the baby, the kitchen adapted to the new gadgets and gizmos needed to sterilize, sanitise and pasturize everything the baby would need and the bathroom equipped with an intergrated bath-tub and seat. Nothing had been left to chance. All Serenity could do now was wait for the fireworks to begin.

The day Jenny was handed Chloe, the poor girl panicked, but with a little support from Luke as to what to do, Jenny was soon showing the youngling everything she could understand and learn. After a few days, the two girls were inseperable and spent a large amount of time in the gymnasium training. At the end of another day, Jenny sent Chloe back to her parents with a droid and went to visit Serenity. She sensed that something was bothering the woman. On entering, she found her friend in the kitchen, figuring out some new gadgets.

"Hey Ren, hows it going?" She asked with a smile.
Serenity turned and forced a smile, "Getting there." She said, "I think I've figured out this sterilizing unit. Mac would have a field day with these things. How's things with Chloe? I hear you two are best of friends now."
Jenny laughed and moved further into the kitchen, "She's nine, Ren. She's a kid." She chortled, "And still believes in fairies."
Serenity cracked a real smile this time, "I remember another kid with the same thoughts once upon a time."
Jenny blushed lightly and squared her shoulders, "That was a long time ago." She said smartly, "And a lot has happened since then."
Serenity nodded and moved to the kitchen table. She sat down and groaned as the weight was lifted from her back. "You're not kidding." She sighed.

After a moment of silence, Jenny moved to the table and sat down opposite. "Ren." She said quietly, "Is everything ok? Something's bothering you, I can feel it."
Caught out a little, Serenity went on the defensive. "Sure something's bothering me." She said back, "I'm carrying 20lbs of baby and whatever else, I haven't seen my feet in months and I've not laid eyes on my lover in just as long thereabouts. Otherwise, I'm shiny."
Jenny chewed her lip, "Cut the crap Ren." She said, "You never complain about Krell, or the baby and you hate your feet. What's wrong?"
Serenity blew out a long breath and then stared at the small window over the kitchen sink and the promenade splayed out beyond it. "I couldn't tell you exactly what's eatin' me, just that it ain't summats good is all. It's like..... Can't you feel it?"
Jenny shook her head, "No. Just that something is wrong with you. Luke's made mention of it in passing too and he doesn't understand either. You were fine last week."
Serenity closed her eyes and focused on that feeling, but it was far off and not quite lucid to be clear. She shook her head, "I can't describe it." She said eventually, "It's like someone is watching me, but I can't see them yet."
Jenny lifted an eyebrow, "Do you want me to let Luke know? He can help you dig in there."
Serenity shook her head, "Nah, you're ok." She said, "I'll figure it out soon enough. Besides, from what I hear, he has enough of his own business to deal with." She then looked up at the clock above the door and heaved her body out of the chair, "And so have I. Havers from comms told me he was sending Krell home tonight and I've promised myself a bath and a decent meal before I have to deal with his shit piles."
Jenny laughed and got up also. "Ok." She chortled, "I'll see you in the gym tomorrow. I'll show you what Chloe has learned. She's pretty smart for a kid, ya know. And you could probably do with blowing off some steam."

Serenity nodded and waved her friend farewell before moving to the bathroom for that hot soak.......

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