Author's Note: If you have any tips writing tips, please feel free to comment.

As always, I continue to hope that I am doing justice to the spirit of Star Wars as well the respective authors and characters from which I borrow. Again, I gratefully accept constructive criticism as a means to help me develop my skills further as a writer.

Mandalorian (Mando'a) words

Buy'ce (BOO-chay, BOO-shay): helmet; Colloquially: pint, bucket

Ge'tal (ge-TAHL): red

Ika (EE-kah): diminutive suffix written as 'ika - also added to a name as a very familiar or childhood form, e.g, Ord'ika - Little Ordo

Ner vod (nair-vohd): "my brother/sister"; colloquially also "my friend"

Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum (Nee soo-COO-yee, gar keer-AH-deesh, nee par-TIE-lee, gar dah-rah-SOOM): "I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal"—Daily remembrance of those passed on, followed by the names of those being remembered

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Chapter 59

The responsibility of the palace guardian is solely for the preservation of the royal bloodline. Many before you have sacrificed everything, including their own lives in order to ensure harm does not befall the royal family. Before taking the same oath that our ancestors had, you must be certain that the time for questions and hesitation is long past. Provided that you are willing to accept the potential that your life may be sacrificed for your leaders, please step forward and recite the oath to your sovereign that will finalize your commencement to a palace guardian.

Excerpt from the palace guardian inauguration ceremony

Tochin Moon III, 87 Days after Order 66

Arlesse kept her hands folded before her and her head down as the speeder moved along through the wide streets of Tochin's main town. In the past, she had always looked eagerly out the windows, watching the life of the people on her world as she sped past. She used to enjoy watching the families out on their shopping sprees, and she often stared with wonder at the bustle of the crowds as they moved about the busy town. 

There was a time that the people used to stop and gaze at the hovercar as though trying to see which of the nobles had ventured into their humble realm. Even now, after the Empire had invaded her world and brought with it a new way of life, she could see from the corner of her eye that the citizens continued to remain curious about who in the Empire was willing to venture out into their ordinary town.

Arlesse also got the sense that the journey into town seemed even longer than she could remember, but she didn't dare lift her eyes. Sitting directly before her on the cushioned bench was Moff Harkin, and his attempts to make verbal and physical contact with her continued to turn her stomach. 

She had seen yesterday that a decent man was somewhere beneath the politician's exterior, and she was more frightened of him than she was of the politician. She feared that this decent man would finally succeed in earning her affections, and she had already betrayed Jas once. She refused to allow that to happen again. 

Jas had fought as a soldier for freedom in the galaxy, fighting to keep her world safe, even though he was light-years away from Tochin. And while Jas fought and probably suffered from injuries he didn't tell her about, Arlesse was certain that Harkin had done nothing but sit in a cushioned office during that horrible war. Jas had earned so much more than her heart, and she still regretted that in one moment, she had nearly lost him to her juvenile curiosity.

Tarj sat beside Arlesse on the wide seat but he had remained entirely professional in his role as a bodyguard. He wore his helmet, speaking occasionally whenever he felt that Harkin was pushing too hard on the princess. Keeping his words to a minimum, Tarj never offered anything more than relaying distance markers or particular landmarks on their journey, but it was enough of a hint that Harkin halted in his occasional pursuits of trying to touch the princess' hand.

Gillard was aware of the blockade that Arlesse and her bodyguard had orchestrated against him. Yesterday, he had seen that the princess could be gently persuaded and his time with her had carefully reminded her that she had a chance to continue her life despite all that had been lost. Gillard was certain that if Tarj wasn't present in the close confines of the speeder, Arlesse would at least talk to him. 

However, Gillard knew that Tarj had a duty to her safety, and to remove him from her protection would endanger her for now. Soon, though, Gillard would have no choice but to find a suitable replacement. Tarj's altered genetics were only going to last for a few years longer, and besides that, there was always the concern that Tarj might actually have to give his life to protect her.

Gillard breathed silently now and decided that he would relent his efforts to make any further advances on Arlesse until they were back at the palace. While amongst the public, however, if it became required that they show some kind of effort to be united, he would just have to make certain she had no choice but to give her people the hope that their two worlds were gradually merging.

The speeder had finally slowed down to a stop, and Gillard glanced out the windows taking note that their destination had been reached. Eight stormtroopers filed out of the vehicle that was before them and another vehicle behind them had another small contingent of stormtroopers. The sixteen men that comprised of Gillard's personal garrison all took their places around the shop, some studying the crowd that had developed and some facing the direction of Gillard's hover car.

The curious crowd now took notice to the royal entourage, and they slowly and carefully began assembling themselves around the stormtroopers who were guarding Moff Harkin.

Tarj decided to take advantage of the moff's distraction while the townspeople gradually surrounded Harkin and his stormtroopers. He slipped out of the hovercar and gently pulled Arlesse with him, snaking her behind the back of the vehicle. He made certain that he stayed like a close shadow on Arlesse as they moved from the hovercar towards the shop.

In the mere moments that it took them to exit the vehicle, Tarj had seen that the large crowd of townspeople now easily outnumbered the stormtrooper garrison. Just from a quick visual survey, Tarj estimated about eighty people had flocked to the moff, surrounding both Harkin and his stormtroopers as the soldiers attempted to shield Harkin from the crowd. 

Tarj heard a multitude of questions being shouted out all at once by the citizens. He didn't put much thought into their inquiries, but he heard that some of those questions were political in nature while others were seeking details about his upcoming nuptials to Arlesse.

Strangely, the crowd wasn't argumentative, but curious as though wanting to know what would happen to them now that everything they had taken for granted for centuries was gone.

Tarj continued to keep Arlesse away from the townspeople, doing his part to keep her separated from Harkin before the moff decided that he wanted her by his side while addressing the multitude of Tochinites. Silently, Tarj hoped that if Jas was going to make any kind of rescue attempt, he would do so long before Harkin finalized the plans for his marriage to Arlesse. 

Tarj wasn't entirely certain how much longer he would be able to keep Harkin separated from the princess, and it was just a matter of time before Harkin had enough of her detachment before he sought her closeness in more cunning ways.

Pushing behind the crowd and noting that they were more awed by Moff Harkin than Princess Arlesse, Tarj quickly led her into the shop. He felt her pause to look at the scene behind her, but Tarj placed a hand on her back and urged her to continue. He knew that the faster they moved, the less likely it was that Harkin would stop them and force her into the discussion.

Stepping inside the shop, Tarj saw that there was another small crowd of people, most of whom he quickly inventoried as being patrons and workers. He instantly noted, however, that none of them appeared younger than their mid-twenties and none of them were older than their early forties. He thought it curious that the people were aged so tightly, despite the different clothing they all wore to signify their wide range of ranks in the society.

A man and woman who appeared of noble bearing moved about the far corner of the shop while a couple of younger men in farmers' clothing passed by chatting idly. Tarj's eyes caught sight of a man that looked oddly out of place with red his hair and sophisticated clothes. Tarj quickly identified him as an off-worlder, as his clothing was not typical of the styles that the Tochinite people were known for wearing. 

However, Tarj paused in his observation as though this man's mannerisms seemed strangely familiar. Then, Tarj shifted his attention knowing that he still had a roomful of people to assess.

A wandering older man was dressed in a haphazard array of farmers' clothing, and the outfit looked out of place on him, almost as though his clothing was as lost as he was. After a moment, this man brought his attention to the princess, and despite the flash of pity crossed his stern features, Tarj instantly felt himself go on edge. 

Only a fraction of a second later did Tarj understand his concerns as he recognized that this man was Davi Saun. Quickly remembering all too well their arguments in regards to Arlesse's safety, Tarj reflexively clenched a fist and forced himself to avoid giving Saun the broken nose he felt the man deserved.

Distracting Tarj from his want of revenge, a woman stepped towards him, and her clothing was above the standards of the farmers but not quite enough to signify nobility. Her dull orange, shin-length skirt brushed loosely against her dark brown, knee-high boots. 

Her off-white shirt was long-sleeved, and absent from it were decorations and adornments. The dull-orange vest that matched her skirt was also without embellishments as the clothing was more for work than socializing.

The woman's long, dark hair was loosely pulled from her face and held in place with a couple of brown strings, the style more practical than ornate. Tarj noticed that the locks of her hair were straight, and it took him a few seconds before he recognized Chora Wsau without the severe bun that she always wore behind her head.

Her smile was self-deprecating, and she shrugged her shoulders loosely. "Didn't ever expect to see me like this, did you?"

Tarj felt his words strangely stumble while in Chora's presence. It was the first time he ever saw her – not as a soldier anymore – but instead as a...woman. He had grown accustomed to her as an equal, a trained warrior much like himself. Civilian clothes somehow made her seem...different. 

He could see that she was far from helpless, though, as her dark eyes were strong and cunning. He wondered why he never noticed that her irises could also be kind and gentle. Tarj felt his eyes lingering over the way her loose hair changed the shape of her face, making her appealing on some level he had never experienced before.

Suddenly pushing the insanity of such thoughts aside, Tarj knew his priority was to Arlesse, and he forced his eyes to catch sight of Saun again, this time noting that the man had moved about the room and seemed to be keeping track of the scene outside.

Bringing his attention again around the room, Tarj slowly began recognizing the faces as those who were once palace guardians. It appeared now that everyone in the shop was once a palace guardian in some capacity. 

The young farmers were the last of the new recruits and the man and woman who made up the noble couple were the weapons instructors. The others were guards in various competencies, who Tarj had seen in passing throughout the palace, and now he was certain that the guards had somehow used the crowd outside to intentionally orchestrate a separation between Arlesse and Harkin.

Tarj looked towards Chora wanting to question what kind of plan had been established when she gently took Arlesse's elbow in her hand and led her towards a side door. "Come with me, Highness, I have something that I know you've been waiting for."

Tarj tried to step forward as he saw the princess turn back towards him, uncertainty and concern in her blue eyes. However, before Tarj could continue, the red-headed off-worlder stepped into his path.

"I'm hoping you can help me," he stated. "This reference material states that there are supposed to be four ge'tal roses in bloom, but in my experience, only two had survived the harvest."

Tarj wanted to push this strange man out of his path so that he could continue in his pursuit of Arlesse's safety. However, the one single Mando'a word struck him oddly, and it forced him to pause. He found himself taking a moment to absorb the remainder of the sentence around that one word, and as he mentally studied the off-worlder's statement, he began to clearly understand that there was a hidden meaning.

"Fierfek," Tarj whispered as he slowly decoded the sentence, realizing that each word had been purposefully and carefully chosen. Whoever this off-worlder was had just told him something significant about four red roses... or rather four crimson soldiers. Tarj didn't need some Republic Army decoding manual to figure out the rest of the message. 

It was abundantly clear now that the off-worlder was trying to tell him that two of Crimson Squad had perished at some point during the regrouping efforts at the end of the war. Piecing together the events that were quickly unfolding before him in this shop, Tarj knew he was in the midst the remaining two former Crimson Squad brothers.

Switching his helmet mic to mute so that none of the other Imperials would hear his conversation, Tarj suddenly removed the helmet from his head and brought his eyes to this off-worlder. 

He tucked the helmet under his arm so that his hand covered the goggles, and it was not entirely unlike the many ways he kept the goggles of buy'ce from watching his conversations with Arlesse. It was his way to hide what was being seen or heard, just in case the Imperials had some way to use his helmet for spying on Arlesse or him.

"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Gath and Mouse," Tarj said softly, as his eyes bore into the red-headed man, knowing that if this truly was Dusty he would understand without question the vow that Tarj had just made to remember his fallen brothers.

"Let's mourn later," Dusty replied as he pushed aside that guilt and emptiness yet again. He knew he needed time eventually to allow his anger and resentment to explode so that he could stop feeling so much grief, but while he was in the midst of a mission, this was not the time for that. He decided instead to swallow down the pain and allow his disarming but annoying grin to light up his face.

Tarj saw the smile that the off-worlder offered, and despite the contacts and the dyed hair, Tarj clearly saw the humble arrogance that Dusty was so skilled at portraying. Knowing he was in the company of someone he trusted, Tarj shifted his eyes towards Arlesse and Chora again, watching the former guardian open the side door. When Chora didn't follow the princess into the room, Tarj moved to step forward again.

Dusty caught him by the arm gauntlet and stopped him. "You guarded her well, ner vod, but now she needs her knight."

Tarj felt himself suddenly relax for the first time in nearly a year, his shoulders finally falling loose. "She didn't want to give up on him, but Jas needs to know that Harkin is slowly breaking her."

Dusty closed his eyes for a brief moment and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, hoping suddenly that they were able to get here in time. If Jas lost Les'ika, it would devastate him in ways Dusty didn't want to think about. Just the thought of being with her again one day had motivated Jas in ways many of their fallen and lost brothers had never understood.

Opening his eyes, Dusty sighed quietly and glanced towards the door where Jas was waiting for his girl. He thought back to the day they left Tochin and the way Jas and Les'ika looked at each other before they were separated. Feeling a new sense of purpose, Dusty's voice was certain and determined. "Harkin won't enjoy the opportunity to break her. You and I have work to do, and the people will only be able to keep Harkin busy outside for just a little while longer so we must move quickly."

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