All In The Game

All Serenity could think about was the absolute pure pleasure his tongue brought her and within minutes she had climaxed not once, but twice! As the second washed into a third, she couldn't handle it anymore and forced herself up and over, pushing him back to the bed. Her usual kind of retort wasn't able to make it beyond her throat as she pushed him down and went about giving him the same pleasure as he'd just given her.

Her lips moved deftly around the top of his cock, licking and flicking with her tongue before she took a small breath and wrapped her loving lips right around the shaft. He was far too big to take in her throat fully, but she made a damned good try of it. For nearly ten minutes, she did this and alternated between that and flicking her tongue. She knew he wouldn't last much longer, but she also knew that he understood she didn't like his seed in her mouth. Besides, she wanted him deep inside her when that happened; the deeper, the better as far as she was concerned.......

Krell smiled broadly as she pushed him down and began moving her tongue and lips over his hard cock. One hand was on her head in her hair while the other continued to squeeze her lovely tits. After about ten minutes of her taking his cock in her mouth, he pulled her up on him and guided his cock up into her wet pussy. He liked her on top. That way he could enjoy her sweet tits as she rocked back and forth on his cock, driving it as deep as she could up inside her.

"MMMMMMM so nice and warm and tight." he growled, and brought both hands to her tits and pulling her down to hims so he could kiss and suckle on the magnificent orbs. He grinned up at her as he brough her face down to him and kissed her deeply, his tongue dueling with hers.

Serenity was in absolute bliss when he finally had enough of her teasing. As his cock thrust deep into her, she let out a small, but desperate cry for more and eagerly started moving back and forth with her hips. Not long after, she felt his lips and teeth on her nipples and then she was pulled right down and he kissed her deeply. Whatever he'd said, she hadn't noticed and she hadn't cared. She kissed him back with all the passion she had missed this last half a year, letting out small cries as her movements brought her to climax yet again.

As the next wave of passion rushed over her, she began pleading silently for him to hold out a bit longer. It wasn't that she wasn't satisfied, oh, far from it! It was simply that she wanted to enjoy this for as long as possible. On-ship, as she called it now, it was a case of as and when you could sneak a quick moment in peace and with their past history of adventures, those moments were very few and very far between.

Deeper and deeper, she took him in until her core was fit to burst and she began to move with real need. She was ready for him now and she wanted every last ounce of pleasure he could give her...........

As she rocked back and forth on him, he moved his hips to thrust up inside her harder and deeper. Her moans of pleasure made him smile and he could see she was wanting to enjoy the moment as long as she could. He continued to squeeze her tits a bit harder now as he suckled on them and pinched their hard nipples.

Six months had built up a great need in her it seemed and he was more then willing to satisfy it. As she began to move faster on him he moved his hips more to ram his hard cock up into her deeper and harder to help her attain the pleasure she was seeking. He was almost there himself and he knew at the rate they were going he would not last much longer.

She knew she was ready now. Serenity moved her hips down and hard and then thrust forward. That did it for her and she cried out as she felt the rush of pleasure crash down on her. Her body, already rosy coloured from before, flushed with colour all over again and she trembled. Her fingers gripped tight in his hair, forcing him to bite down on her already sensitive nipples and she threw her head back as she held him to her. Sweat ran down her body in thick rivulets making her slick and hard to keep a hold of. She knew though, there was no way in the verse he was about to let that happen!......

Krell felt the change in her movements and knew she was real close. Finally he lifted his hips up to meet her and his hands down to her hips to hold her in place as he filled her with his seed and he felt her body find its pleasure. She was now sweaty but that did not matter. He to was covered in sweat which seemed to make everything even better. He moved his hands up to her back and held her to him kissing her neck.

Gently rolling both of them to their side he kissed her lips gently. "I love you babe." he told her in a whisper. So strange, the two of them. One had been a pirate the other a former imperial officer turned pirate/privateer. Who would have thought that two such people would have gotten together. But he was sure damn glad that they had.

After six months of nothing, Serenity now felt everything. His climax with hers was as painful as it was pleasurable. She cried out in both and held him tight. She then felt him twitch slightly as the last of his seed pushed up and into her and then he finally relaxed again. As he did, so she did and she sighed lightly as he kissed her neck. Next thing she knew, they were lying together on their sides and he was still deep inside her. And he was still hard. So many more opportunities, she thought as he kissed her and told her he loved her.

"I love you too." She whispered back as she traced her fingers down his cheek and along his jaw. "I've missed you so much." She kissed him again and lifted her leg a little higher to rest more comfortably over his hip. Her ankle swung softly against his backside and she nestled into him.

Krell had been more than she could ever have dreamt of in a husband. That alone was shock enough for this once confirmed bachelorette. And yet ten years later, here she was; settled down and happy with him and a smart, handsome son she could be proud of. She had a home most would be jealous of, friends that she would give her life for and vice-versa and a life she could be happy with. To think, she had once called this handsome, kind, loving and strong man an ass; a rich boy pretending to play pirate. She smiled as she remembered the first time she really had looked at him. Yes, he had come from a rich family, and yes, he had been a big asshole more than once, but when she had looked into those eyes, she had known then she would love him for the rest of her life.

The secret to her was that this had happened on Haven just before their first adventure together. Krell never knew it, but she had fallen for him the night they had first danced together at Marianne's cantina. Had he not kissed her and shown that he felt the same way, she would have died inside that night. She had never told him this because oddly enough, it had nothing to do with him. For her, it was the moment she could let go of the past and finally believe she could connect with someone. Of course, the entire thing had been a disaster from the start and she had gone out of her way to make things as difficult for him as possible, but when she looked back now, his perseverance and determination had been what made them.

As she looked into his eyes now, she felt exactly the same way she had done that night and she smiled lovingly as she pulled him over her. The sexual need had gone, so it wasn't that which made her press her knees into his hips and bring him back to her. No, this was what she considered love-making and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him with that tenderness she reserved only for those truly special moments between them.....

He loved these moments like this. Wrapped up in each other's arms, holding each other and just cuddling. These were the times that meant alot to him. Holding her, feeling her soft, warm skin on his body, smelling her scent and just being with her was worth more then all the universes treasure. He was going to make the time they had on Haven the best he could. Serenity and him and then with their son as well.

Kai was something else. Bright, inovative, curious, and adventurous as well. He was a son he was proud of and loved. Never in his early life had he ever thought he would find a woman like Serenity or have a son like Kai. The two of them had changed his life considerably and he was not going to complain about it.

On the hidden planet, the Ioans watched as the new Jedi/Sith academy, the new Jedi and Sith Masters watched the padawans practice. Balance of the two ways to keep them from ever becoming like the old emperor or Darth Vader had been. Among them was a young Sith girl that was doing quite well. She was a good looking little girl with raven black hair and piercing green eyes. She was human, one of those that had been born in the Sith territory. Her name was Marla and the two Gray Masters were commenting on her. "She will one day be a very powerful Gray Master. She is surpassing everyone else in everything and has already constructed her own light saber." one said.

"Yes I agree. Soon I feel, she will be an apprentice under one of the Jedi or Sith Protectors. Probably surpass them before they know it." the other chuckled. "What of Kai?" he asked.

"Skywalker has taken it upon himself to train the boy. He has shown remarkable skills as well as an uncanny knack for engineering. Much like his mother, he will probably be one of the strongest, just like Marla. "

"The Raven has returned to Haven. It has been reported that it will be leaving again for the unexplored space and Krell will be taking Kai and Serenity with him." he looked down at Marla. "You think we should send Marla and a Protector along. I beleive she is ready.

"We will contact Skywalker and seek his advice. If he agrees we will sent Selika and Marla. Selika has no padawan to train and it would be good for her." with that the two continued to watch the training in silence.

For the rest of the night, Serenity kept her husband more than satisfied. Most of their time was spent tenderly making love, with a few more intense moments in between. She wanted to make up for the six months they had been deprived of each other's touch. By the time the alarm went off the next morning, Serenity had only just fallen asleep and growled at the annoying beep next to the bed with a scowl enough to sour milk.

6am. Kai was wide awake, having heard his own alarm and went about getting himself washed and dressed and ready for school. While getting some cereal, he spotted his mother stumbling from her bedroom and grinned. Of course, he would keep as quiet and out of her way as possible, she wasn't a morning person anyways, but with his father home again, this was a good sight to see. "Morning Mom." He offered quietly, getting a grunt and half a smile back. "Is dad up yet?" Serenity shook her head. Kai simply smiled and nodded and then went about collecting up his books and datapads. Ten minutes later, he gave his mother a kiss and left. Serenity could only sit with a mug of coffee and try and wake up.......

It had been a very grand night, but a very tiring one for both of them. But he would not have changed it if he could. He felt her get out of bed, after the alarm went off and heard her growl. He only laid there a few moments more then he to got up, his eyes not wanting to stay open. He threw on a robe and tied it about the waist and shuffled out of the bedroom and to the kitchen and poured himself a large mug of coffee. He then came over and kissed Serenity on the cheek as he sat down next to her. "Morning sexy." he whispered and grinned.

About that time came a knock on the door and Krell groaned. It was way to early for business. He got up and again shuffled to the door and opened it. There stood Jenney, a ffull grown woman now and a full fleged Jedi. Behind her was a young girl of perhaps twelve or fourteen. Jenney's padawan. Jenney threw her arms about Krell and hugged him, saying "Welcome back." Krell grinned and nodded sleepily. Then she pushed past him and ran to Serenity and hugged her. It seemed that she and her padawan had been gone for a while as well. Her padawan looked up a Krell and smiled. "Good to see you again sir." she said respectfully.

Krell chuckled and stepped aside and let her in. He then went back to his seat and sipped his hot coffee.

Jenny let Serenity out of her tight hug and sat down. "Thought I would come see you guys while I could. I have to make my report to the council tommorow, but thought you might like to hear what I.......we," she looked over at her padawan and smiled, "found out." Krell's eyes opened now. Why would she be wanting to tell us of her mission before the council of Jedi and Sith. "There has been several thefts of technology in the New Republic that deals with the power supply and conductivity of the weapon that was used on the Death Star. A ship of strange design without any ship ID and with a cloaking device had been seen on at least three of the thefts. The ship appeared and then disappeared again and then the thefts were made." she looked at Serenity and then at Krell.

This made Krell wake up instantly. He looked over at Serenity and only one name came to mind, Montrose.

No sooner had Kai left for school, there was a knock on the door. Serenity groaned and held her coffee mug up to her face. A female voice entered the room and Serenity half groaned, half smiled. She hadn't been expecting to see Jenny for some time, so it was a nice surprise. The sudden and rather tight hug was a bit much for so early, but it was nice all the same. She hugged the girl back and within minutes, she was bombarding them both with information. Serenity, though still looking half asleep, was suddenly quite alert and aware and she listened intently to the young woman.

Krell looked over at her and she looked back with only one word on her tongue. "Montrose." She said in time with his thought. The information he had given her the previous day and this now fell into place very quickly, especially the power supply thefts. Montrose had also taken cloning equipment from Kimono. While still looking as though she could sleep for a week, she slowly got up and moved back to the coffee pot. "Is the technology the only thing stolen from the New Republic?" She asked.
"I don't know, why?" Jenny asked back curiously.
Serenity looked to Krell briefly before speaking again, "Krell brought back some interesting information for me yesterday." She said, "The New Republic hasn't been the only hit recently. Kimono was robbed of a number of cloning devices and other equipment. What was interesting was that they didn't take the corresponding power supplies for the machines. Now, if you're telling us that power generators or supply units have been taken from the New Republic, it seems logical to me that he's rebuilding the cloners. I know for a fact he thinks himself far too important to make copies of his own, so it's likely he would take the DNA from another source. If we find out the source, we get closer to finding out what he's up to. Have there been any thefts from the medical sectors?"

"I did receive a report that there had been an explosion at the Medical Research Center on Naboo. Blood and skin tissue from thousands of people of Naboo and a few others from other worlds that were in cryogeinic storage were destroyed."

"Naboo?" Krell asked his eyes going wide. "Who not from Naboo had their blood or skin tissue frozen there?"

Jenny took out a data pad and began skimming through the records. "Mostly important government officials from before the Empire days, and......... Anakin Skywalker." Jenny looked up at both of them a dread look on her face. Then back to the data pad...... "Oh no, his to." she again looked up at them. "Palapitine's."

Krell brought his fist down on the counter top hard making things jump up in the air, to include his coffee. "That son of a bitch." He moved over to the COM console and hit a button. "Get every one working on the Raven 24/7 extra work details. I want her ready to go in two days!

A simple "Yes Sir." cam back and Krell turned to Serenity. "We have alot to do in a very short time." The fatigue was gone, the adrenalin was pumping and he almost ran back into the bedroom and began getting dressed.

"Jenny's eyes were wide, "I had best let Master Luke know about this." she turned quickly and made for the door, her young padawan following.

Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine. Those names were enough to drive fear into even the coldest heart, well Palpatine's did at least. Anakin had seen the light in the end. With the vibration of Krell's fist still rattling up and down the table and her elbows, Serenity stared into her coffee cup emptily. Jenny ran off to let Luke know and Krell ran off to get dressed. Both were deeply perturbed and panicked by this. Serenity seemed the only one calm at the moment. She appeared so calm in fact that she casually finished her coffee and then sauntered into the bedroom to get dressed. Nothing about her gave away the sheer gravity of the trauma inside. Not even the air around her cooled, such was her self control right then.

Remaining silent, she got dressed and then took Twinkie for a walk on the promenade. Well, one could hardly call it a walk as the creature seemed happy only to languish on Serenity's shoulder with his long tail curled around her neck. She was the one doing the walking.......

As Krell finished getting dressed he noted how calm Serenity was. She had the training of a Jedi to help her keep calm, he had no such training or ability. The thought that Montrose was trying to clone the old emperor and Luke's father was enough for him to be very agitated. What made things worse was the fact that the blood and skin samples had to have been taken before their fights with the Jedi that changed them in to disfigured men.

Though that would not have diminished their powers, they could now go among the various races of the galaxcy and not be noticed. They would just look like two humans. The havoc they could create, let alone gather forces to them to once again take on the New Republic and the Federation. "Montrose seeks to reestablish the old Empire. Of this I am certain now. He must have found some powerful allies."

When Jenny found Luke and informed him of the findings, he stiffened and his eyes narrowed. "He had watched his father die and he cremated him. He had been able to bring him back from the Dark Side and saved his soul. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had did it once, perhaps he could do it again, but this time while he was still alive. But the emperor, Palipitine or Darth Sidos, that was bad. He had almost killed Luke and he knew that if he was brought back it would take more then him to kill the emperor this time.

Back on Io. "Do you feel it?" the Gray Sith Master asked the Grey Jedi Master.

"Yes! Such a tremmor in the force. The Grand Master is very worried. Send Selika to me and Marla. They must leave immediately for Haven. Master Skywalker and Serenity will need all the help they can get on this. I believe these two will be the ones to do that."

A bit later Selika and Marla were heading to Haven in a small scout craft. Selika was at the controls. Though she seemed calm and at ease, she was excited inside. Her first real mission. She had completed the trials and tests to become a Grey Jedi. Just as clam yet excited was Marla. She was now a Jedi's apprentice, even though she had come from Sith territory. To be a Sith or Jedi padawan was a great honor and part of the steps towards becoming one herself. She would not disappoint the Masters. She would strive to do everything possible to help Selika in the mission and prove that she was worth of becomeing a Gray Sith.

Serenity spent a good hour walking up and down the promenade with Twinkie. She traded the usual pleasantries with passing friends and acquaintances and nothing let on to the terrifying news she had received earlier that morning. If anything, she looked happy and content and most put that down to Krell being home again. Deep down however, that was an entirely different story. Her guts were turning over and her mind was screaming to do something. But what? What could she possibly do from here and at this precise moment? What was the point in panicking? Over a coffee at Marianne's cantina, she began going over exactly what had been said and how it related.

Montrose, though generally believed dead by now was still a wanted fugitive and the bounty on his head was substantial. Knowing how far the reach of the New Republic was, there was no way in the verse that Montrose could go to old friends for help. Jenny had said that a strange ship had been seen de-cloaking and then cloaking again and the rumoured trajectory would have put that ship somewhere far from the outer rims and most known systems. In her years, Serenity had been to many systems that hadn't been fully mapped and recorded, hence her reputation for disappearing when chased. If anything, her dogs had mapped more the verse than the Empire could ever have hoped for. However, Jenny had not given her any of the rumoured coordinates so she couldn't be sure yet if he was indeed hiding there and it was such a vast expanse, it would be impossible to follow a direction without at least a few points to start from.

The next thought on her list was the items stolen and the planets raided for such items. Montrose had been a perfectionist from the beginning, much like her, so he wouldn't have just gone in half cocked like most and grabbed what he could. He would have planned this meticulously and he wouldn't leave any room for error. Everything would have to be flawless. SO why then, would he steal the DNA samples of Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker? Of the rulers and dealers of the old Empire, they had to be the two most flawed characters ever to have lived! By her book at least anyways. And it wasn't just their's taken either. There were several dozen that would have been kept in the same containers. In fact, to Serenity's knowledge, Palpatine being a royal and all, it would be likely that his DNA would have been placed with the rest of the royals down the line and Anakin would have been put there as his next in line. That line was long and distinguished and very dangerous. It even included the last emperor and Amelia and as protocol demanded, her shadow would have been included. But didn't Montrose hate her aunt as much as he did her? He wanted her supplanted and rid of so he could move in and take over. Or so it had been assumed. Amelia had been a descendant of the original royal family which had made the last emperor so powerful and her shadow had made her the most powerful empress to live. Now there was a conundrum and a nightmare all rolled into one. Such was the dread at the possibility that Serenity gripped her coffee cup tighter and broke the handle clean off. The ceramic hit the floor, spilling its contents around her boots and she quickly got up again. In that instant, she needed to speak with Jenny and find out exactly who's DNA had been stolen, not just some included in the batch.

Minutes later, she arrived in the control room of Haven and put out a call for Jenny, Luke and krell to meet her in the conference room.......

Luke went to find Krell. He already felt the unsettled feelings of Serenety and knew she was dealing with it in her own way. Jenny and her apprentice Fa wa, was sent back out by Luke to gather more information. The design of the ship that had been seen, the size, and any lingering presence in the force of it and it's occupants. He found Krell aboard the Raven. He was going over possible trajectories of the ship that had stolen the power units for the weapon used on the death stars.

He eliminated all those that lead to known space. He drummed his fingers on the consol and then slapped his forehead. Turning he called out to his Communications officer. "Open the coded channel to IO." The Ioians were a lot older then the other races in the galaxcy. Perhaps they had charts or knowledge of where the ship had come from. Luke watched and listened. He smiled a bit as he watched Krell. The man reminded him so much of his old friend Hans Solo.

On the screen was the face of one of the Ioians. "Yes we have charts for the region you call unexplored. But it is a region of space that we know has no life. That is where the Salarions once called home. But they were destroyed before we went into our long sleep. "

Jenny had down loaded all she had and that included a image of the ship that had been seen. He sent that image to the Ioian. The Ioian staggered back as he saw it and placed a hand over his heart. "It can not be. They were all exterminated."

"Evidently not." Krell commented. "This was but a few days ago."

"I must confer with my breathern. Use extreme caution in this my friend. These beings are evil down to their bones. If they are mixed up with the one you seek, the galaxcy is indeed in danger."

Luke took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Looks like this will be the first real test of the strength of the new Grey Jedi/Sith Order." He moved to the Com Center and opened a second channel to the Jedi/Sith Academy. He gave his orders and Every Grey Jedi and Sith was alerted and sent out to see if there were any other sightings of the strange ship.

Luke and Krell got Serenity's call and went immediately to met with her. The information they had for her was not good.

Serenity was waiting for the others to arrive in the conference room and by the time they did, her paranoid thoughts were deepening and gnawing away at her badly. By the look on Krell's face, the information he had for her was just as bad and she felt a shudder of ice go up and then back down her spine. It made her fidget visibly. She kept her silence until everyone had arrived and then stood up. Poor Twinkie was then evicted from her shoulders and placed on the table. He wandered over to Krell and started pawing at him for some attention.

Serenity paced the floor for a minute while everyone got settled and then came back to the table. "Jenny." She began, looking at the young woman with cautious pride. "You said that a number of DNA samples were taken including those of Skywalker and Palpatine?" Jenny nodded back. "That means the royal archive was breeched. We all know from experience that Montrose doesn't grab and run. He plans everything down to the very last detail. He wouldn't just take the entire archive if he was only looking for Palpatine and his side-kick....." She looked to Luke, "No offense." She moved away from the table and looked at the centre briefly. "Computer!" She called, "Give me a detailed map of the royal archive."
"From what date please?" The computer asked.
"The reign of Palpatine to present." She replied. The information was brought up instantly and Serenity's fears began to deepen further. "Computer. Remove all entries that do not have a direct line to the original family." From the hundred or so names that first appeared, only four were left. Palpatine, Skywalker, Amelia and Serenity's grandmother Lu'Sen. Serenity's gut hit ground level and she put both hands on the table to support her sudden dizzy spell. To her, the paranoia had won, but it was up to the others what they thought too.......

Krell stood up and paced back and forth a bit. "I contacted IO and the sector of space where we think Montrose is hiding, seems to have belonged to an enemy of the Ioions. From the information I received they were on the same level as those of IO. They were thought to have been wiped out probably in a war with them. But evidently there were those that survived and have allied themselves with Montrose. This race is warlike and evil according to IO. The ship was of their design. Why we have not heard or seen them before is unknown. But with their technology, Montrose may have already built a fleet of ships and may be ready to attack."

Luke was looking over a data pad. He closed his eyes and shook his head, "Worse then that I am afraid. The ship was seen in the Hoth system. The planet used by the rebels back then as a base, had the plans of the Deathstar in their mainframe. When we had to evacuate the base, it was never wiped. The plans were still there and it looks as if the power had been restored there and the mainframe accessed."

Above the home world of the Salarions the metalic like moon of the new Deathstar loomed. It was almost finished, smaller then the originals but just as powerful. Ten years it had taken but Montrose was a patient man when it came to something like revenge. About the moon the huge structure of the ship yard had another three of the Salarion ships being built, and in various degrees of completion. It had taken time for the Salarions to regain the knowledge that had been lost to them, but they were fast learners and now were making their own ships again.

Now her worst fears really had been confirmed and Serenity felt more than dizzy now, she felt sick to her core. "The damage would be catastrophic for everyone." She offered up, "And totally irreversible. With Montrose in charge and either Amelia and her shadow or Palpatine and Skywalker, or even all of them, nowhere will be safe from his wrath." She looked up at Krell. "We need to get to IO." She told him quietly, "And they need to get ready to get back in the game or else they won't last much longer than us."

Just then, a huge stabbing pain shot through the back of her brain and she gripped the table tightly. The black sands that she had carried since her rebirth to the force began to scatter from the small silk purse around her neck and filtered across the space between her hands until they were covered in two small but perfect circles. Then, just as quickly as the pain hit her mind, she felt her entire stomach turn over and without warning, she vomited over the table. Serenity then hit the deck with a loud thud as the side of her head collided with the edge of the table and she landed in a heap on the floor.

*****

As Montrose sat in his throne-like chair on the new Death-Star, a slender figure appeared behind him, followed closely by a much taller, and much darker other figure. With small hands clasped lightly over each other and a swish of silken skirts, Amelia moved up behind Montrose and offered an icy smile. "I believe I have underestimated you, Admiral." Her voice was like a siren tempting her prey into the deep waters. This version of the former empress looked a little younger than her previous form. She was much stronger now and ready to face her once foe. "As did my beloved Shadow. I offer you our thanks." That icy smile deepened as she bowed her head slightly. Her Shadow followed suit and then backed off a few steps to allow his empress to speak privately with Montrose......

Luke had felt the same thing as Serenity, but he was more use to it then she was. The powerful tremor in the force indicated something evil had occured. He knew that every Jedi or Sith had felt the same tremor and had felt the evil behind it. From what Serenity had discovered and what Krell had, it could only be that somewhere those strong with the force and evil had emerged, more then likely from the clone units that had been stolen.

Krell was at Serenity's side picking her up off the floor the second she had hit it. He looked at her head and knew she would have a nice size lump on it from hitting the table. What ever had happened he had no idea but he knew she needed to be seen by the doctor immediately, so he took her there immediately to have her scanned and make sure she was alright. The doctor wanted her to stay there for observation for a day. Krell nodded and gently kissed her forehead before he left and went to try and speed up the upgrades and repairs that needed to be done on the Raven.

On IO the levathan ship and her now fully grown child left the planet and headed for Haven. On board was a lone Ioian. The Ioian spoke in his language to the ship explaining what was happening and that she might be needed to help defend the new republics and federation. Her size and her weapon capibility would surely be needed, as would those of her child.

A clone chamber opened and two slaves helped the figure out of it. He was a handsome young man. The slaves laid him on a table and cleaned off all the slimy stuff that had surrounded him in the chamber. Slowly Anakin began to wake up and look about him. His mind was confused. Where was he? What had happened? Where was Obi Wan? Where was Patamine? He looked at the clone machines and had a very uneasy feeling. He had fought in the Clone Wars and knew what the machines looked like and there was four of them. Three were now empty and one still had an occupant. "He is aware." one of the strange looking creatures said. "We must inform the masters." it said.

Before it could move Anakin held up his hand and concentrated on the pair. They immediately stopped and looked at him. "You will tell me everything. What is going on here?"

Serenity gave a deep groan as she began to come round and for a split second, she wasn't quite sure where she was. "Easy now." Came a soft voice and she turned her head slightly to see a medic smiling down at her.
"What happened?" She asked.
"You hit your head." He told her quietly, "You're in the medical unit. Just take it easy. You've hit your head pretty bad."
Serenity shut her eyes tight again, feeling the growing bump on her head and took a few deep breaths. "I need to get back to the conference room." She said, "He's brought them back, all of them. I need to speak to Krell and Luke."
"It can wait." The medic told her firmly. "You're staying here until I'm satisfied you haven't done any permanent damage."
Serenity groaned again and relaxed. She knew she was going nowhere.

On the ship, Amelia felt the tremble of Anakin's waking and nodded her to shadow who was already turning to leave and deal with it. He nodded back and left. Amelia turned back to Montrose and moved forward to face him. "You and I have much to discuss." she offered quietly, "And some scores to settle."

In the medical bay, Shadow arrived and moved into Anakin's view. "Calm yourself Master Vader." He offered in his strange quiet tone. "You need not fear, you are safe. Please." He came closer and offered his hands out as a friend, "Allow the droids to finish their work and I will explain what is happening." He nodded, but kept his hood low.

"You have been awoken from cryostasis." He began, "When you died, your DNA was recorded into the royal archive with your emperor, Lord Palpatine. He lies in the chamber to your left. You have been woken because you have knowledge and skills that my empress and I need. You see, things have changed greatly since your untimely death, Lord Vader and we need your help to restore what has been lost. When you are ready, my empress will come to you. We are friends, my lord." He bowed his head slightly and offered his pale hand to Anakin as proof............

By the time Shadow arrived, Luke had already questioned the two slaves and had erased the memory of it from their minds. He was a clone. What had happened to his original body? That the creatures did not know, nor the whereabouts of Patamine or what had happened to him. He knew of the the race that made clones. He already knew that there were three others cloned. A woman that they called the Emperoress, one that was called Shadow, and Senator Palapitine. But the name they gave him besides Palapitine was a Sith Name, Lord Sidious. His mind was a bit confused with all of this information. But when Shadow appeared, his mental defences when up and he put on a look of calm.

What had happened? Did he die? He remembered no such memory of a battle that he was about to die in. Nor did he remember anything about Senator Palapitane being a Sith Lord, nor of anyone named Admiral Montrose, nor the Emperess. He did learn from the slaves that the Admiral had been there around ten years and from talk of those that had come with him that there had been a take over of the Republic and it had become the Empire. That there had been a rebellion and the Empire had lost and a new republic had been created. The remains of the Empire had held on for awhile but it appeared that it was soon brought down.

Things were not as they had been. He looked over at the clone machine that held Palapitine. A Sith Lord? Then back to the one before him. He could feel the evil about the creature. Master Vader the figure had called him. Another Sith name. "Yes I would like to see her, take me to her." he said and made for the door. Anakin held a straight face and kept his emotions and his thoughts in check. Where was the Jedi? he wondered. What had happened? As he made his way out of the room he could feel the Emperoress in the force. So she to was strong with the force and he got the feeling she knew how to use it.

At Haven the work on the Raven was proceeding well. The Jezzeabel was put into the hold on the Raven and the entire crew was informed of what was going on. The Raven would be heading out with two cruisers. Each cruiser had a number of fighters. Krell made his rounds and then went to check on Serenity. He saw she was awake and after giving her a gentle kiss on the lips he looked at her. "What did you feel?" he asked.

Shadow nodded his head, but kept it low as always as he stepped aside and let Anakin leave the room first.  He followed behind for a moment to study the man, but there was little he could glean from him.  He was very strong with the force, there was no doubt of that and he could feel the mental block Anakin had put up to stop anyone reading him.  Clever boy, he thought, though kept it well guarded. 

After a time, he came level with Anakin and walked with him as though a friend.  "You keep yourself well guarded, Lord Vader."  He said with some respect, "In one as young as you, that is no small feat.  He wasn't trying to make conversation; that was Amelia's talent, but more a compliment of what he was assured to be a likeminded man.

Eventually, they arrived on the bridge and Shadow bowed as he entered. "Empress."  He said warmly to Amelia and then gave a slightly less bow to Montrose, "Admiral."  He stepped aside as Amelia turned from her conversation and came face to face with Anakin.

To say the woman was impressed would be an overstatement, but she could see the potential in him and if history would be willing to repeat itself, she hoped to be in the presence of a great Sith Lord one day.  "Lord Vader."  She offered as she came closer.  "You are much more handsome than your picture portray you as.  It is a pleasure to finally meet you."  She held her hand out in the customary female nature and gave him a slight bow of her head.  She exuded the grace and skill she had done in her previous life and made no secret of her connection with the force.  She made a small sidestep and then gracefully turned to a side door on the bridge.  "If you would care, my lord."  She said, offering him to go into the private room, "There is much for you and I to discuss."  She then gave a quick nod to her shadow, "My dearest."  She said to him, "Keep watch and make sure we are not interrupted."
"Yes beloved."  He said back softly and then stood guard.

***

Still laying on the medical bed, Serenity moved her arm away from her head as she heard Krell enter and she gave him a light smile as he kissed her gently.  He asked what she had felt and she felt her stomach turn again.  "It's Amelia and her shadow."  She said, "Montrose has woken them along with Vader and Palpatine."  She felt a tear come to her eye and quickly wiped it away, "We're in deep shit, aren't we.".....

Anakin listened to the creature beside him.  A compliment?  He had seen such actions before with the Senators of the various worlds, in the Senate.  People would say almost anything to make the egos of the Senators rise, in hopes of gaining favor.  "Yes I had a good teacher on this."  he told the Shadow.  He wondered what had happened to Obi Wan.  He had been having doubts about his mentor, but yet he was a good friend and had faith in him, even though he had given Obi Wan so much trouble and headaches.  

When he reached the room that the Emperess was in, Anakin moved forward, still guarding his thoughts and feelings.  Her complement made him smile a bit.  Patimine had said that often.  But the smile faded quickly and he took her hand and raised it to his lips. Again he was called Lord Vader.  Had he crossed over to the Darkside in his previous life?  He had been warned time and again about the Darkside.  That did not set well with him.  Why would he have done that.  The killing of those that had tortured his mother may have been a contributing factor.  Then he remembered that they called Palapitine Lord as well.  That meant that he was a Sith Lord and he had been in control of the Senate.  Things began to become clearer in his mind about the Clone Wars.

When she motioned to the room off the one they were in he looked around.  He heard the words of enderement between the Empress and Shadow.  His eyes then landed on Montrose.  He could sense the mans feelings and ambitions.  His mind was like an open book to him.  

"Why in private Emporess.  I am sure that what is said can be said here in this room.  After all our host here is the one that has revived us is he not.  Why keep secrets from him?"

Montrose smiled at Anakin's comment.  He thought the young Sith Lord was very inteligent and knew how to respect those in charge.  Just like he had been with Thoth.  He liked that.

Inside Anakin smiled to himself.  He had made the Admiral's ego inflate even more which would put him in good stead with him.  "Besides."  he told the Empress, "Are we not all on the same side here." He looked again at the Admiral and gave him a slight nod of his head.

Luke came into the medical facility of Haven and went to Serenity's room.  He heard what she said and nodded.  "Yes they have been brought back to life, but search the force Serenity.  Look at it good and hard.  Anakin, he is not like he was when he was Lord Vader.  He was the strongest of the Jedi, more powerful then any of the Jedi Council at the time.  Even at this distance, I can feel the conflict within him."

"As you wish."  Amelia said with a smile.  She offered him a comfortable seat and then gracefully perched on the one next to him.  "You were once a direct man, so I will not bore you with semantics."  She began, "It has been more than a hundred years since your untimely death and there has been a great deal of change in the galaxy.  It took some time, but according to the wishes of Emperor Palpatine, order was restored and the Empire prospered.  A few years after your deaths, a change in the force led to a new royal bloodline, of which I am descended.  A coming together of the Sith and the Jedi that created a stronger and more pure power within the force itself.  Perhaps it was not so unlike your coming, my lord, a pure creation that for a time, brought peace and order to the Empire and enabled it to conquer much of the galaxy."  She regarded Anakin carefully, wondering if any of this made sense to him.

"And then, about sixty years ago, something happened that would leave the Empire and my people in ruin.  It was discovered that I had a sister.  She had two children, twins with a man that had descended from an ancient race known as Ioan.  Those children were to be not only my downfall, but the end of the Empire and the death of so many of my companions in the Senate.  The son, a man named Rhama wasn't strong in the force and didn't pose that much of a problem at first, but it was his twin sister, Serenity, that I had to remove.  The disgusting creature was a pirate.  I tried offering bounties for her head, but nothing came of it.  Her strength in the force kept her one step ahead.  My only other option was to bring her into the fold and use her bloodline to give me the children the Emperor could not.  My plans came too late.  She laid with a former Lieutenant of the Empire and gave him a son.  Her growing strength in the force ended both my life and that of my shadow."  She got to her feet and moved to Montrose, "And in turn, ruined the Admiral's career, made him an exile to this desolate part of space.  She turned to face him.

"I want revenge, Lord Vader."  She said plainly, "Serenity Diamond and her traitorous lover destroyed my Empire and I want my pound of flesh, as does the Admiral.  He has brought us back to restore the Empire to its former glory and regain what was stolen from us.  Yourself and Lord Palpatine are key to helping us do that.  You and he made the Empire and before your murders, you brought peace and prosperity to the galaxy.  We want that back."

***

Serenity looked across at Luke and nodded in understanding.  "It's been a while, old man."  She told him, "But I will try."  Time or not, Serenity was shocked when she was able to tap in without any effort at all.  She took a deep breath as she let the tremors wash over her and went with the flow.  "I can feel it."  She said quietly, "I can feel him.  He's guarding himself, but I can feel the conflict.  Amelia is with him, the shadow too.  Montrose is there.  They are on a ship in the dark space.  I can see them.  He is as the young man before his battle with Obi Wan."  In her mind, she walked the bridge between them, listening in to their thoughts and feelings.

"Amelia wants revenge for what we did.  My son.  The Emperor's plan.  She hasn't given up on it.  Traitors.  She calls Krell traitor."  Things were getting difficult for Serenity as she tried to keep grounded and it showed in her broken speech.  What was left of her black sands began to move around on her clothes and the medics backed off.  They knew about her sands and what they could do.  "Stronger."  She whispered, "we.. must...."  The sand lifted and spread to cover her form, "Ri... hals... foruk."  She was speaking the ancient IO tongue and it seemed to have a reaction in the sands, but her words were still broken.....