Max pov.
"So, when will we continue my training?" Yela asked trying not to sound too eager. We had just eaten dinner. "Tomorrow. However, you can go down to Jim and work out. You could also work on your balance a bit. Try to practice your meditation before you go to bed."

"Okay, well see you, tomorrow Master." Yela hurried off whistling some tune I didn't recognize. Two minutes later I reached my cabin, typed in the door code, and entered. Jallia and Shenna were kneeling on the couch staring out of the window. Both girls turned around when they heard me enter. Shenna gave me a nervous look but Jallia looked quite at ease.

"Max, where are we?" Jallia asked. "We've put down on the ice planet Hoth." Jallia smiled and I realized this was likely the first time she visited another planet. "So, how are you, girls?" "I'm well," Jallia informed me. Shenna only shrugged and didn't meet her eyes. I walked over to them and sat down on the couch next to Shenna.

------Line breaker--------

Yela looked like she wanted to rip my throat out. She had spent a good portion of the day bugging me to show her how to use the force. In public, Yela was controlled and professional but in private she seemed to have no problem in bringing things to a personal level. So after being pestered for three hours to show her the basics I had broken, the best thing that could have happened to me.

She could by now drop into a deep enough meditation to access her abilities without my help which wasn't very deep by my standards. Now she was attempting to let a pen hover in front of her, a task she was so far failing epically at. The show was so amusing that Jallia and even Shenna had taken seats on the armchair and were watching.

I grimaced when I remembered last night. I had let the two sisters have my bed while I myself had taken the couch. That meant I hadn't slept very well.

Yela's face screwed over as she concentrated. "Yela, relaxed. It can't be forced. Did you forget what you learned about Meditation?" Yela's facial muscles relaxed but her body was still rigged. "Stop thinking about doing it. Just let it happen." I offered. Yela's dark blue eyes snapped open and she glared up at me. "You do realize that that makes no sense."

I sighed. "It does. You just refuse to accept it."

Yela closed her eyes again and I could sense the confusion and also determination inside her. "This is hopeless," I said quietly. Anger flashed through Yela and suddenly the pen shot through the air and would have smacked me in the face if I hadn't ducked. Yela's eyes snapped open and she looked at me surprised and Jallia and Shenna clapped a few times.

"Obviously it is possible." I calmly informed her. Yela started grinning and I gave her a smile. Then I let the pen fly back to my hand and put it down infront of her. "Do you understand what I mean?" Yela nodded. "Good try again." I ordered her. Yela closed her eyes and sure enough a few seconds later the pen lifted of from the ground and slowly moved up and hovered perfectly still at eyelevel.

When she opened her eyes again the pen dropped to the floor. "This is only the beginning. Now, I want you to continue practising on your own later on. Now, I want you to change into something more practical and meet me down at the hangar bay in thirty minutes."

"Okay, see you later." Yela got up and left the cabin. I got up and settled down in the armchair. "That was entertaining." Jallia announced. "It was tiresome." I informed her.

Yela pov

As much as I was in a high spirits due to my earlier accomplishments Max had no problems bringing me down to reality. First he had taught me a number of new attacks and blocks before he had told me to put aside his lightsaber and show him what I had to offer in hand to hand combat.

I was no stranger to hand to hand combat and I'de gotten quite an extensive amount of training from the SID when I worked there. Of course I knew that Max was both bigger and heavier then I was but it was obvious that even so he was a much more skilled and experienced fighter. Still, this time I stayed calm and Max had also shown me a few new tricks so I was able to keep my dignity during training.

That and Max was a good teacher. He mannaged to show me my weaknesses in combat with out hurting me.

"Do you need a break?" Max asked. For sparing he had pulled of his shirt, showing off his hard, muscular torso and his skin gleamed with sweat. He wasn't out of breath though which was quite impressive seeing as I was panting like a overweight Hutt who had just slugged up the tallest mountains of Alderaan on top speed.

"No, I'm fine." I gasped holding my ribs. I was just moving back into a fighting stance when the ships intercom came to life. "Admiral, please report to the bridge."

Max sighed and lowered his arms. "We need to take a break." He went over to his spare cloths, grabbed a towel, dried himself off as good as possible and pulled on a shirt. "What are you waiting for? I'll see you on the bridge."

-------Line breaker-------
After I had freshened up somewhat I also hurried to the bridge were I found Max and Nina. Max for once wasn't wearing his uniform. Since we got here the storms had lightened somewhat and through the windows I make out swirling snow. The entire upper Hull of the Pride was now covered in four feet of snow so our upper hangar bay was currently out of commission.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Your husband is back and he somehow mannaged to steal the Grace and get a good portion his side. They are asking us to head back into orbit, General Bay wants to talk, he sais he has a plan?" "That doesn't sound good." Max muttered.

I sighed and decided to push that problem up for later: "Nina, I want a diagnostic run on the engines. Stand bye cold firing protocol. Double check the superconductors and charge the fuses. Let's not keep the good general waiting. I'll escort you to the hangar, there is something important I need to tell you."

Alex pov.
I stood on the bridge staring down at the Ice planet. "Sir, sensors are reporting a powerspike in the Pride. They are bringing their reactors online. They should be with us in less than an hour." I looked around the bridge and finally realized what the difference was between the crew of this ship and the crew of the Pride and that was the Pride.

I had noticed it when I first stepped foot on the Pride but hadn't thought much off it because there had been so much to do. Before her crew had defected the Pride had been the pride of the Republican fleet. She was the most highly decorated ship in the fleet with over one hundred battle crosses two hundred enemy kills.

Two hundred separatists ships, the number was nearly unimaginable. After she had been commissioned Max had gotten her, right after he had left the order. Unlike many others he had insisted on a armature officer staff, clones, and normal men and women who went to the military accadamy. People who had never seen a battle in their life. Then they bringing victories home and the rest was history. No crew in the Republic fleet had seen more combat and more victories so far. They had taken part in every major battle of the war and even when the malevolence had been spreading death and destruction they had been the first ship to volunteer to hunt her down. Of course they hadn't been allowed to. That job had been left to Skywalker, Plo, Tano, and Kenobi. In the mean time the Pride and her fleet of five other Venators, twelve dreadnoughts and nine frigets had been tasked with sealing the breaches in the defensive line the Malevolence had made and other separatist ships were now exploiting. In the end that task had proved to be more challenging than killing the Malevolence itself.

The crew was the best in the fleet and they knew it, down from the lowest cooks assistant up to my brother him self. They knew they were the best out there. The problem was they let you know it, not that I didn't understand it. I worked for the commandos so I had lots of experience in letting others know I was better than them. Still.....anyway I planned on bringing my crew up to scratch and training them along side the Pride's crew.

"Sir, are you really sure about this. If we make any more contact with the Pride there is no turning back. Right now we can still turn around and spin a story of you testing Kuat's security or something."

I sighed. "No we can't. They tried to kill us. They betrayed my wife, Admiral Bay, the Pride and her entire crew. Men and women who thought with more valor and determination to defend the Republic than anyone else and the Republic still sold us out." My XO nodded slowly. Truth be told the crew nearly arrested me for treason when I told then what I intended. It had taken lots of convincing and playing the Max card to get them to play along but all that did matter in the end was that they played long.

Of course I had been honest with them about everything, down to the slaves we had taken. Some of the crew had refused to go along and we had left then in Kuat.

----------Line breaker--------

I pursed my lips as I looked at the Pride. The Pride was sporting battlescars and the once gleaming hull was blackened from a good old fashioned deadly reentry.

Boss stepped next to me. "Honestly, I like her new look. Maybe we should bang the Grace up a bit. You know, let the Pride shoot our paintjob way." I raised an eyebrow. Of course I knew what he was on about. Among clones the more scratches your armor had the better so it made sense that in Boss's universe a banged and scratched space ship was better than one with gleaming, brand new armor plating like the Grace had.

"I'de rather not. I can't see us making any pitstops in the next few days. The Capitan walked up to me. "Capitan, the Pride is holding position three miles off to port and she is now hailing us." "Open a channel. I'm in the holo room."

I hurried to the back of the ship and took the hail. A holographic image of Foster came into view. "Greetings General. This is Commander Foster from the Pride. On behalf of my Commanding officer I would like to arrange for Yela Bay to be received on the Grace. There is much to talk about." I rolled my eyes. "Of course Commander. Congratulations on your promotion." The dark skinned women bowed her head. "Thanks you General. Would you mind also taking your equipment, hardware and men back on board your ship along with half the slaves. We are pretty much bursting and need some freespace."

I grinned at the women. "Sure, I'll just order all hangarbays to make some space. I suggest you do the same and before you know it we are ready to roll. Is my brother, the Admiral coming over too." Nina shook her head. "Negative sir. He says Mrs Bay is more than capable to complete the task at hand."

"I know she is. I habe big plans and not to mich time. Have a nice day Commander." The seasoned veteran straightened her uniform and bowed her head in greeting. "Good day to you too sir. Pride out." The holo figure dissipated. A smile spread on my face, Yela was coming over.

Winter Wolf & Lengendary95 over and out.