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

Di'kut (DEE-koot): idiot, useless individual, waste of space (lit. someone who forgets to put their pants on)

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

Kyorar (KIE-ohr-ar): rot, decay (verb)

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

Shabla (SHAH-bla): screwed up - impolite

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Chapter 61

My men and I are soldiers assigned to Moff Harkin. Politics and civilian troubles aren't our concern, just doing what we're ordered. The clones before us got personal and involved with civilians, and everyone around them had allowed it. We were bred not to make that kind of error, and to ensure that we don't, we keep our distance from anyone who is not authorized to give us orders. If any of my men don't follow this simple instruction, I have no reservations about sending him to be reconditioned.

TK-2857, Moff Harkin's Stormtrooper Captain

Tochin Moon III, 87 Days after Order 66

Tarj followed Dusty towards the back of the shop, walking past shelves of flimsies. Having a moment to look at the interior of the building through curious eyes rather than the speculative studying of a bodyguard, Tarj was extremely impressed by the expansive variety of sizes and colors that each of the flimsi-novels represented. 

Skimming briefly at the titles above the sections of shelves throughout the building, he saw everything imaginable from food preparation references to artistically bound stories of romance and futuristic fiction. And, for a brief second, Tarj remembered a few times when Arlesse had offered him some of her novels to read because she was concerned he was bored with being stuck having to guard her.

Tarj realized suddenly that he never did take the princess up on her offers because he wasn't sure what kinds of stories he'd even like to read. He was never given that kind of choice before, and as his eyes moved away from the mystery section, he wondered if he'd be able to solve the authors' fictional crimes before he got to the end of their novels.

Quickly shifting his glance above him, he saw that they were passing through a set of shelves dedicated to artistic references. Not certain why Tarj paused briefly as he saw an opening on one of the shelves that was near the height of his shoulder. Taking the helmet from beneath his arm, Tarj slipped it into the gap and felt no loss for the Imperial equipment. It would never hold any sentimental value for him or be considered a buy'ce by any standards. 

Tarj was aware of the way the empty goggles stared back at him, the plasteel eye orbs dark and empty. Even the breathing apparatus below the cheeks was more cumbersome and bulky than practical, and it never filtered out the air with the same quality as his previous Mandalorian-inspired buy'ce. Sadly, the HUD within the stormtrooper design was also drastically inferior to his Republic buy'ce, and the Imperial equipment lacked the sophistication he had been so accustomed to his entire but shortened life during the days up to and during the Clone Wars.

"Piece of kyorar," Tarj grumbled softly, referring to the helmet as a piece of decay, as he realized that he had never seen anything good while wearing the helmet. He had witnessed nothing but heartache on the princess' face and had watched his brothers executed while wearing it. He even watched a man who was a caring father and a decent king lose his life trying to plot a battle for his people's rights and his daughter's safety. Tarj knew now that if never saw or wore the cheaply made piece of plasteel armor again, it would be far too soon.

Feeling his eyes shift quickly, Tarj realized that he had embedded the helmet onto a shelf that contained a series of reference materials that were written to analyze the history and artwork of the ancient Tochin tapestries. Sliding one of the flimsies out of the shelf a little, Tarj recognized the illustration on the cover. It was the same image as the tapestry of the equinine beast that had held Arlesse's attention yesterday in the tapestry chamber.

Knowing that time was short, Tarj decided to delay his escape for just a moment longer, as he needed to know the significance of this particular piece of artwork. He knew he could have asked anyone in the palace about the history behind the tapestry, but he didn't want that kind of speculation and biased opinion about it. He wasn't even certain that Arlesse could provide an explanation without putting her own innocent manipulations into it, especially after Tarj had seen how she studied the tapestry so intently just the day before.

Opening the flimsi pages of the reference volume, Tarj quickly perused through the illustrations until he found the one he sought. The tapestry was entitled, "Defiance," and it was an ancient artist's rendition of the equinine beast that stood in the midst of a battlefield on what was supposed to be the eve of major combat in Tochin's early history. The equinine had always been a revered beast throughout time for the people of Tochin, and the battle had been delayed for three days while a pack of the equinines made their home in the field between the two sides. 

Rumors had begun in each camp that the equinines had heard of the impending battle and that the equinines were there to enact a truce. The night before the alleged battle was to take place, a storm ripped through the countryside. The lone male equinine had removed himself from the pack of babies and females and stood in defiance of the wicked storm.

When the storm had finally passed, the equinine remained standing where he was, free from harm. The leaders on each side of their conflict were awed by the power of the steed and came to the conclusion that their deities above had given them a warning through the equinine. No battle was ever fought, and the leaders penned a truce at first light of the morning, fearing that if they didn't heed the equinine's example, none of them would survive any battles, and the soldiers feared even more that none of them would live through another of Tochin's vicious storms. It was then believed that peace needed to start with them in order to cease the monarchy's disagreement, and weeks later, the conflicts were put to rest as the leaders on Tochin compromised solutions to their feuds.

Closing the research volume and feeling a taunting smirk on his face, Tarj returned the flimsi to its resting place, but pulled it out enough on the shelf so that it leaned against his helmet. He hoped Harkin would be the one to discover this little setup and realize that defiance wasn't just for the brave and trained like he was, but for the ones who followed their emotions and refused to give up, regardless of the Empire that had more power and influence than any humble princess dared. 

Tarj thought that Harkin finding this particular explanation on the equinine tapestry would be a fitting and figurative spit in the moff's face, considering that the tapestry room of the palace was where Harkin had learned that Arlesse would not give up on Jas.

"Are you coming or have you decided to become a scholar in your retirement?" Dusty asked, sharing his infamous crooked grin with his brother.

Tarj looked at Dusty and wanted to slap that grin off his face while grasping him in a hug at the same time. He truly missed his brothers, and even if he couldn't be with all of them again, he never grew tired of verbally bantering with Dusty. The two of them were always good at maintaining a decent volley of insults. "Damn it, you're a di'kut."

Dusty glanced sideways at Tarj, noting the serious look on his brother's face while a flash of mischief twinkled in his eyes. As they stepped through one last row of flimsies and towards the back entrance that was used solely for deliveries and trash removal, Dusty smiled in response. "That's sweet, ner vod. I missed you, too."

Tarj sighed as though frustrated with Dusty's lack of comprehension to his insult while they continued moving. "No, I meant you're a di'kut because this whole shabla plan is never going to work."

Dusty laughed now. "That's because you didn't think of it, right?"

"Exactly," Tarj grumbled, squeezing past a tight set of shelves. Then, the light-hearted moment was gone, and Tarj grew serious again. His tone was strict, his eyes no longer playful. "I don't believe that Harkin is just going to ignore Arlesse's absence. Yes, it's great that you're going to slip her out under his nose like that, but in his strange, political manner, he's grown to care about her. It's not likely that he will simply walk away at her disappearance."

"You mean to tell me that the man who mass executed her family and several of your squad brothers actually has a shred of decency for her?" Dusty questioned, his tone mocking the moff's actions.

"Apparently," Tarj breathed, trying to envision his brothers' insane plan in action while mentally preparing alternative pathways in their escape. He didn't like the idea of having just one exit path, even though there really was no other way that Tarj could think of to do this. He had his mind running for the last few weeks of an escape, and this crazy scheme that his brothers had devised was the best solution he had seen so far. "I think Harkin means well with his intentions for Arlesse, and she had softened him, at least for now."

Dusty turned towards Tarj for a brief second and paused to get his point across with seriousness. "And, that's what worries me. What would happen to her if Harkin changes his affections?"

Tarj grabbed Dusty's shoulder and pressed his fingers in warning. "You can't fail with getting her safe. We can't trust these Imperials. Words are not honor-bound with them like they are with us."

"Believe me, failing is not an option," Dusty replied somberly. "And, if you've got some sadistic idea that you're going to be punished by that Imperial scum for losing her, then get you're head out of the past, ner vod. The galaxy changed drastically since the war, and there's no way we're leaving you behind to fend for yourself. You bang out of here with us, and we're going to find somewhere to lay low. We're all going to live the lives nobody ever wanted us to have."

Tarj nodded once in silence, understanding that his brothers' arrival was more than just to bring Jas back to Arlesse. They had a mission that was fully planned out, even if the plan seemed sketchy and not entirely thought out on the surface.

Following Dusty out the back door of the shop, Tarj saw nothing but an overflowing dumpster full of empty crates with a number of them strewn across the ground. Dusty had begun shifting the dumpster aside from the wall where it was stationed. Without waiting for some sarcastic comment from Dusty, Tarj moved into place beside his brother and quietly helped him move aside the strategically placed items so that the hidden storm drain in the ground was now revealed.

"You're really not kidding about this idea, are you?" Tarj asked as he realized that the width of the entrance was just slightly larger than he was.

Dusty shook his head. "I guess you haven't heard anyone in Harkin's circle talk about the underground tunnel system, so now you'll get to experience it first-hand." Moving the grate aside with a quiet grunt, Dusty continued, "Saun had explained to us that it was abandoned about a century ago, after the Mining Rebellion. So, I did some research and it turns out not every king was as humane as Vollan Psach. During that rebellious time in Tochin's history, someone named King Tudane had taken over the monarchy with similar intentions to the Empire. The miners were trying to fight for their basic rights, things like a safer way to do their jobs and enough pay to support their families, but Tudane just wanted a profit. The miners planned to take their fight to the king so they tunneled out all these passageways beneath the town. I decided to see if it was just a legend or if there was any hope to the somewhat-ancient history, and I took an excursion through the passageways. Let me tell you, miners know how to tunnel, and the stability of their architecture shows. The only reason they lost the rebellion was because of a spy in their midst who forewarned the monarchy. Tudane flooded the tunnels, killing a number of the rebellion's leaders, and it killed the morale amongst the miners. They were left with no choice but to bide their time and wait. Lucky for them, Tudane's bad heart took him out a few months later, and there's been speculation about murder on that, but no real investigation was ever undertaken."

"Well, look at you, the Tochin history buff. I had no idea you were one who liked living in the past so much," Tarj responded as he watched Dusty pull out a small communications device from his tunic. "I just thought you were a trigger-happy psycho."

"I am a trigger-happy psycho," Dusty defended, "Who happens to find sadistic joy by reading up on the mistakes of others." He then smiled and spoke into the comlink. "Delivery chute open for business."

A few seconds later, Jas' voice came through the comlink. He almost sounded like he was trying to catch his breath, and for as much as Dusty wanted to say something devious in jest, he decided instead to just be happy that there was finally an honest smile that came across in Jas' two-word reply. "Package secured."

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