Okay, I am just going to publish these and not change the pov because I want to get to book two which is much better written.

Chap 6. - Alex pov

Delta team and Maxwell took the first available LAAT back to our ground base on Ryloth. During the half hour flight, they stayed in silence. This was only the first flight of many. Every single ship with engines and storage space would be heading back and forth between the Pride and the camp to get our hardware back to the ship. As he got closer to the camp he spotted a larger Twi'lek village. The village hadn't had any problems since our arrival because of its proximity to the camp. Just then he had an idea, a crazy, morally objectionable idea but an Idea. It would definitely cut all our remaining ties to the Republic but it would also open up a lot of new possibilities. Most important of all it was one last insult to the Republic.

He knew that my brother would definitely object at first until he got used to the idea and truly considered its merits but if he played this right he would have to accept my choice for now. Of course, he would be forced accept the cold logic in his plan because that was who he was. He would also probably learn to enjoy the perks of what his plan brought with it after a short while. He would find the idea slightly disturbing in the beginning. But still, despite his flawless appearance, he knew how ruthless Maxwell could be. What were a few slaves compared to the burning of entire worlds?

"Hey Boss. I have an idea."

Marxwell pov.

Yela, Nina, and Maxwell were currently sitting in the Commanding Office staring at a holographic star chart." He was sitting behind my deck, the two women had taken seats on the opposite side. Steven was currently busy packing together his belongings. He had told me in private that he would appreciate it if we dropped him off at some Republic outpost when we left the Republic.

He had agreed. Steven had always been a good officer and he had no interest in forcing him to stay. He had given me his word not to tell anybody where they planned to go.

That was another reason why Nina was here instead of him. She would be the new executing officer. She was respected, especially after the last battle and she was a loyal officer. Together with Yela she was also one of the brightest officers at my disposal. Yela had also expressed her interest to play a more important part in my crew now that she didn't have a spy agency to work for so he would see how she handled herself and if it worked out she would become the second mate.

They were currently looking for ways to get deep into the Republic without being noticed. Of course, no one was going to ask any questions but the element of surprise was crucial for the success of his brother's crazy plan. How he planned to convince the crew to follow him at such short notice was beyond him but he knew him well enough to know that there was no stopping him. Their work was tiresome and slow but we continued.

The ship's repairs were practically finished. All damaged systems had been fixed, all weapons were online but the Pride still had scars. They didn't cause any trouble but still.....I preferred a nice flawless ships hull. "We could fly past the Sagely system and do a gravity turn around its star. Then we can use to nebula X374-JK-904 as cover. There we can stop and let the General debark. With a diplomatic Cruiser, he could get to Kuat within four days. It isn't perfect but it will have to do for now. From there we could do a nonstop jump to Hoth."

"Yeah, I guess that could work," Yela, admitted. She didn't sound too pleased with herself. "We will present the General with this course of action. Nina, you've been a great help. Get some sleep, you look ready to pass out. That is an order."

"Yes, sir." Nina got up, saluted and left the office. I turned off the holoprojector and turned on the main light.

Then I stared at Yela who fidgeted uncomfortably. The force was definitely strong around Yela, how strong was too early to tell. "Max, what do you think will happen next?" Yela asked. I shrugged: "Good question. I guess we will find our way. There is a good chance it will be a lot different from what we imagine now." Yela nodded. "Beep! Beep!" My doorbell came to life. "It's open, we are in the office." Heavy footsteps came from the living room and a few seconds later my office door slid opened with a hiss. Sparkles stepped into my room.

"Good evening Captain. How may I help you?" The Comando pulled off his helmet. "Sir, I think you should get down to the port Hangarbay." Both Yela and I got to our feet.

"What's the problem?" I asked. "Well, General Alex....just go and look for yourself." I sighed: "What has your husband done this time?" Yela shrugged. "No idea. He doesn't exactly keep me updated but considering everything that has happened he probably pulled of something on the drastic side." "Captain, lead the way please." We followed the Komando out of my cabin and down in the direction of the main hangar bay.

When we reached it I stopped dead in my tracks. A flock of LAATs and a ferry had just arrived and were unloading their cargo. What surprised me was the cargo being unloaded from the ferry. One of Alex's commandos was pushing an antigravity pad stacked with a dozen black crates with holes in them. Behind them, a group of a dozen young Twi'leks were being escorted out of the ferry. Their hands were tied behind their back.

"What is the meaning of this?" Maxwell asked.

"Brother." Alexander greeted as he came over from one of the gunships that were unloading ammunition. "Alex, what exactly is happening here?"

Alex crossed his arms. "Well seeing as we are going rogue I thought I would bring along our labor force and servants." I glanced at Yela who looked just as surprised as he felt. "You enslaved Twi'leks?" She asked.

Alex scratched the back of his head. "That just about sums it up yeah. Brother, do you trust me?" I glanced at Twi'leks that were being led over to a corner of the hangar were they were forced to kneel.

"Okay, I still expect an explanation." Alex gave me a grin. "Ohh you will get one. Just get this ship ready for departure and we will talk once we are underway"

  Maxwell sighed but then decided to go along with it. "Okay, it's time I head up to the bridge. Yela, would you mind staying down here and make sure some sanity is maintained."

She nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good. Alexander, how long do you need to pack up?"

"An hour, maybe one hand a half." I nodded. "Okay, that's good. I'll take my leave. See you later."

With that, he turned around and headed up to the bridge. The moment he stepped in all heads turned to me. "Okay people. Tell engineering to warm up the reactors. We are airborne in one and a half hours."

He got a collective. "Yes, sir!" Then everyone started preparing the ship for departure.

"I want a full system diagnostic before we fire the thrusters." I breathly considered waking up Nina but decided to let her sleep. She had slept even less than I did and I was working on a mixture of caffeine and stubbornness. When this was all over I'd also need a good night's sleep.

Then he pushed aside my doubts concerning his brother's plans and concentrated on my work. Amelia Storn, one of his officers junior walked up to me. "Lieutenant?"

"Admiral, I know a lot is happening right now. I just wanted to tell you on my behalf and that of the crew that we are with you, where ever this goes. It has been the greatest honor or my life to serve under you this past year." Then she saluted. I smiled at the blond and saluted back. "That is good and the honor is all mine."

Yela pov.
"This is a lot to take in." He told Alex. "Yep but you will get used to it. Listen, we aren't in the Republic military anymore and we need to keep our people in a good mood. Also, if we have dozens of hostages on board the Republic will be hesitant to blast us to dust."

I sighed. Although Yela had first hance experienced with slavery she was still able to follow the logic behind this. Still, this was kind of drastic. "Relax, they will be treated better then most slaves are."

Alex led him over to a crate with holes in it. This one had a large X sprayed on it. These kinds of crates were usually used to transport larger animals on short juries but Alex had adapted then to hold the Twi'lek.

"In the village, I decided to pick out the best looking Twi'leks," he reached the crate, unlocked the lid and opened it. Inside were two unconscious Twi'lek females. The younger one was maybe fifteen and had dark blue skin. The other was perhaps seventeen or eighteen and had green skin. Both girls were exceptionally beautiful. "I originally chose the blue one but the green one refused to let her go. I think they are sisters. Anyway seeing as they wanted to stay together I decided to grant them that whish. They even speak basic."

"So, you are giving your brother two private slaves. How long do you think it will take for him to airlock you? What do you think he'll do with them? Maxwell has no use for slaves!"

Alexander broke a grin. I was just about to answer when the ships internal speakers came to life. "Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, crew of the Pride and guests. This is the Admiral speaking. As you all know we have a slight change in leadership. We are no longer serving in the Republic fleet and have gone rogue. That puts me in charge of day to day operations. XO Steven has retired his duties and will remain here on Ryloth. I will announce his replacement later today. We will be breaking orbit within the hour. Updates will be provided as new information came in. Admiral Maxwell Bay out."

Max pov.
Nina entered the bridge looking as if she had lost a battle against a, particularly aggressive pillow. "I'm sorry for waking you up. You're off the hook the moment we are in Hyperspace."

Then I turned to the hole bridge, "Attention everybody."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared up at me. "I am promoting Foster to XO. The official announcement will be made later. Continue working."

There was some clapping and a few seconds later everyone was lost in their work.

"Are you joking?" Nina asked.

"Ohh yeah. Congratulations, you are the most qualified. Now get to work XO!"  After saluting and headed over to the navigational controls.

"Reactors are running and all hands are accounted for including additions," Nina called over.

"Good, ignite thrusters let's get the hell out of here."..

Sorry for the drop in quality. I want to post these chapters as quickly as possible and get to book two which is where the actual story starts.

Winter Wolf and help over and out.