'The Republic ship is hailing us Commander, what are our orders?'

The Nautolan handed over the datapad to Lexa, who only needed a quick glance at the radar reading to determine that this ship was not going anywhere. It was at least twice the size of the Helldiver and it clearly meant business.

'We could jump to light speed and lose them?' the Cathar suggested, but Lexa knew that it was not even a possibility and shook her head.

'They would only project a tractor beam to prevent the jump and we would be under even more pressure to explain our attempt to escape their advance if we have nothing to hide.'

'Incoming holo-message Commander,' Nova cut in.

The holotransmitter on Lexa's belt flashed not a moment later, and the Jedi detached the object and thumbed the button to accept the transmission.

When the glimmering hologram waved into existence, the Jedi was displeased to see a familiar figure staring back at her. A trim man in a neat uniform stood with hands clasped behind his back in an authoritative manner, his lips twitching into a smirk as he looked down at the ships captain.

'Sergeant Quill,' the Jedi said through clenched teeth, maintaining professional behaviour even when she wanted nothing more than to cut communications on the unpleasant man.

'It's Lieutenant now,' he corrected, his expression growing even more distasteful if possible. 'I hear you are no longer of any rank at all? It was certainly a shame to hear of your fall from grace.'

There was no sincerity in his words and Lexa could imagine that it had been quite the opposite when learning of the Jedi's fate.

Carl Quill had been a sergeant under the Republic command when Lexa had been similarly climbing the ranks during the Alderaanian war. Tension between the two had been present from their very first meeting, Carl never having possessed a very tolerant view of force users which did not bode well for any future relations between them.

The Jedi was almost tempted to make a dig about the potential bribery involved in the status increase but thought better of it. After previously holding the position of Battalion Commander, she was not about to bow to the underhand remarks of the current Lieutenant.

'I'm sure it was a well deserved promotion,' she settled for, knowing for a fact that Quill had never been the courageous type which made it very unlikely that he had earnt the position.

'I can confirm that I am indeed worthy of the role. Some people just aren't cut out for leadership.'

Lexa just stared at his hologram with a growing sense of disgust. This was one of the reasons why she no longer affiliated herself with the Republic forces. They only ever seemed to be filled with corrupt and power hungry individuals, with truly remarkable leaders far and few between.

'I have business of my own to attend to Quill,' she said in a sharp tone, not about to bolster his ego further. 'Is there any reason that you are tailing my ship other than to inform me of your new post?'

The man scowled when his proper title was not used but sensibly decided not to dwell on the instance.

'We have been observing the enemy activities on Hoth and of course your appearance just happened to coincide with the outbreak of a battle. I believe you are aware of the signal that was emanating from the civilian base? Or would you have us believe that it just a coincidence that, rather than leave the planet after your meeting with the Cathar, the base was your next destination?'

The Jedi was getting tired of this mans unnecessarily extended sentences.

'I saw the signal and went to investigate the base,' she confirmed rather more concisely. 'I was not able to determine the source due to the outbreak of the battle which you were so heroically observing from the safety of your ship.'

Quill's scowl deepened further at the comment as the Jedi remained placid in the face of his displeasure.

'Your insolence will get you nowhere,' he warned, clearly disgruntled by the lack of respect that he was now used to from those below his rank. 'Prepare to merge with our ship, we have the authority to inspect any starship that we conceive to be suspicious and yours, Jedi, ticks all of the boxes.'

His face blinked out of existence as he cut the comms channel and Lexa returned the holotransmitter to her belt.

'Are we really going to let them onboard?' the Nautolan, Rakal, asked uncertainly. With the cargo on board it was not the best time to have disgruntled soldiers searching throughout the ship.

'We have no choice if we want to avoid suspicion,' the Jedi replied. It was not an ideal situation but it was where they had ended up nonetheless and would just have to work with what they had.

She pressed lightly against her ear piece and instructed Sharr to prep the ship for merging with the larger vessel, allowing an airlocked corridor to form between the two so that boarding was possible.

'Don't allow that fool to talk you into doing anything you might regret, he'll be on the lookout for any excuse to detain our ship and take us all in for official questioning.'

Everyone was ready and waiting when the main door slid open and the Lieutenant stepped on board, flanked on either side by a Republic soldier. He appeared to be the only confident one out of the trio. The two men at his side were wisely nervous about boarding a Jedi ship.

'Each of you take a deck, I'll speak to the Jedi.'

The two men reluctant split away from Quill, who straightened his back to take full advantage of the extra few inches of height he had over the Commander. Lexa was not impressed by the show and was already counting down the minutes until he would be departing.

'I can assure you that there is nothing to find aboard my ship,' she stated, wishing to save him some time and hopefully get rid of the unwanted visitors as soon as possible.

'Well that is for me to decide,' he bit back, casting his gaze around the interior with disdain. 'I expected something more grand to be honest.'

Of course he had expected as much, Lexa thought to herself. He was a man who enjoyed the finer aspects of life, from a luxuriously decorated ship to the most recent advances of technology at his fingertips. The Helldiver was perfect for the Jedi's needs, anything more would just be unnecessary and excessive.

Quill retrieved a data pad from his jacket lining and began to tap purposefully on the screen, no doubt attempting to look important as his minions continued to scour the ship.

'All life forms are accounted for except one. Oh, and this peculiar droid,' one of the soldiers called out as he descended the stairs.

Lexa saw Nova twitch at the use of the adjective and could just imagine the torrent of words that were ready to be exchanged with the oblivious soldier about how droids were not merely parts without any feelings.

To prevent even more time being wasted she sent a meaningful stare his way and thankfully the subtle hint was registered, somewhat reluctantly if anything as he retreated to the engine room to remove himself from the situation.

'Scans indicate that there are seven life forms aboard this ship, ignoring the droid of course. So who is this seventh individual?'

Lexa was thankful that Nova was out of earshot. If he had been tempted to lecture the previous soldier that had spoken out against him, then he would surely have ripped into Quill for being so dismissive.

'That would be the prisoner in holding, she's currently dwelling on how actions actually do have consequences.'

'Then I am sure you wouldn't mind me saying hello?' Quill challenged, narrowing his eyes as if expecting resistance at the suggestion.

'Of course not. Though be warned, she's not the chatty type.'

Lexa maintained a nonchalant air about the whole situation but was not feeling particularly confident that the blonde wouldn't take this as an opportunity to cause even more trouble.

She stepped into the artificially lit corridor with the Lieutenant close on her heels.

Clarke was seated on the bench and glanced up at her visitors, a momentary flash of confusion crossing her face at the strangers presence that soon resolved into a chilling stare.

'I'm not some captive animal to be paraded in front of your guests,' she said in a clipped tone, quickly taking in the man's professional appearance with the fitted uniform and perfectly positioned cap.

'She has yet to learn the benefits of being a pleasant prisoner,' Lexa said to the Lieutenant as he took a step closer to the force field.

'Hmm, and you say you picked her up on Hoth?'

'Whilst I was somewhat distracted by the battle, she unwisely attempted to apprehend my ship. Little did she know who she was dealing with.'

Lexa looked pointedly at the other woman who had flashed her the briefest of glances at the misguiding information. This would be the moment in which the lie could make or break, she only hoped the woman had more trust in a Jedi than this slime ball. It would be far less pleasant being held captive on his ship, and Lexa waited with baited breath for her to speak.

'Regardless of who the ship belongs to, if you leave it unattended on an ice ball, hell planet then someone's going to take an interest. I guessed the captain was dead anyway. No point leaving a good ship go to waste,' the blonde explained with a shrug, lounging back against the wall as she regarded the two figures with disdain.

'I see what you mean,' Quill commented after a long pause, not impressed with the woman's attitude. 'I could take her on my ship and give her a more firm lesson on how the Republic responds to thieves?'

It was now Clarke's turn to rest her hopes on the Jedi's response. After playing along with the lie against this man, she was confident that her captor would not abandon her to the mercy of this Republic officer. She had a feeling that it would be a much different style of treatment on board his ship.

'I'd rather deal with her myself. The troublemaker will regret her actions, you can be sure of that.'

Quill nodded in acceptance, if anything having respect for how the Jedi wished to treat those that crossed her path.

With the Lieutenant satisfied, he returned to the main deck to receive reports from the two soldiers under his command.

Lexa followed close behind, sending a subtle nod in the blondes direction as she did, conveying her thanks for playing the part. Clarke only hoped that it would earn her some much needed trust points before she was subject to any questioning.

The soldier was motioning at the lockbox as Lexa sealed the door behind her.

'It has a passcode sir, I was unable to gain access.'

Quill almost seemed to smile at the news, unaware that the Jedi was watching. His expression smoothed out once more as he turned to address her.

'I'm assuming you're not hiding anything unlawful inside? Mind if I take a look?'

The Jedi was becoming tired of this unnecessary invasion of her space and did not take kindly to the constant pushing of boundaries that didn't appear to be coming to an end any time soon.

'Have you not spent enough time on this fruitless search already?'

Suspicion instantly flared when his demands weren't complied with straight away and Quill narrowed his eyes as if willing the Jedi's secrets to be revealed.

'Are you refusing to open the locker?'

The soldier at his side glanced nervously between the two who were in something close to a standoff, relieved when the Jedi broke into a barely perceivable smile.

'Of course not, that would suggest I have something to hide.'

Lexa crossed the deck and entered the code into the keypad, gesturing for the Lieutenant to approach. He did so and, with some level of anticipation, pulled back the concealing doors.

Disappointment soon crept into his expression as he took stock of the jumble of items inside. From a confiscated ion blaster to an exquisite gift of a cloth incorporated with Visgura thread, there was a large array of different objects being contained that held a high value of credits between them. It was a far cry from what the Lieutenant had been hoping for.

Quill's attention was instantly caught by the light green crystal that held its own place on the highest shelf, no other objects being positioned near it. He reached up a hand, as if to grab it without thought.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' the Jedi warned at his side, an air of real danger in her voice causing the man to wisely halt the motion. He looked questioningly over at her, his hand still hovering as if he might change his mind at any second.

'That's a Nova crystal. A raw Nova crystal to be precise,' she explained, noting the Lieutenant's confusion. Apparently he was ill mannered and uncultured. 'Meaning that it is in fact highly unstable, especially to any jostling, so handling it is not recommended. I'd rather we didn't get blown into bits before you have a chance to clear my crew and ship.'

Any temptation that Quill may have harboured to ignore the Jedi's warning and examine the alluring crystal quickly faded and his hand dropped as if weighed down by an invisible force.

'If it is so highly explosive then how did you transfer it into the locker?' he asked, watching the crystal warily as if it might explode even without any help.

'Very carefully.'

The Lieutenant stepped away from the lock box and gestured for it to be closed once more, his search finally over.

'Well it seems that there is no reason for me to hold you up any longer, though be warned that I will be keeping an eye out for any future misdemeanours.'

The two soldiers accompanying the Lieutenant appeared relieved to finally be departing from the starship, they certainly hadn't received a warm welcome from the crew and were quick to retreat back through the sealed corridor to their own ship.

'It's been a pleasure as always Quill,' the Jedi said, willing the man to disappear so that she could get on with more important matters.

The Lieutenant merely maintained his cold stare and for once had no comeback, casting one last searching glance around as if some obvious unlawful activity might make itself known and give him a reason to apprehend the ship. When it did not, he swiftly spun on his heels and marched back to the much larger ship that he would be able to control without any such opposition.

'I hope you told those disrespectful fools exactly what we thought of them,' Nova chimed, returning from the engine room as the larger ship detached and allowed the Helldiver to go its own way.

'I think they got the message,' Cal growled, having used his large physique to every advantage to appear as threatening as possible when the soldiers had gone in search of unlawful items.

'The holocron is safe in the vault Commander, they never even got close,' the Nautolan confirmed, casting a wary gaze at the lockbox that was still open. 'Do we really have an unrefined Nova crystal on board?'

The Cathar revealed a rare grin at the question and retrieved the bright green crystal for inspection.

'You mean the highly explosive, life threatening object that is sensitive to even the slightest motion?'

With a flick of his wrist, Cal sent the crystal in an arc through the air. The Nautolan had no problem catching the crystal with his well practised reflexes, but the note of worry on his expression had yet to fade.

'No chance, though it was a good bluff to get rid of that damn Republic fool,' Cal concluded, nodding approvingly at the tactic.

Rakal returned the crystal to the lockbox before firmly shutting the doors.

'Now we can finally deal with the holocron in peace,' Lexa confirmed, an idea already forming in her mind as she assessed the possibilities.

'What's our destination Commander?' Sharr inquired through the ear piece, the rest of the crew waiting expectantly to hear what their next move would be.

'Take us back to Coruscant. I know exactly what to do.'

----

The prisoner lifestyle was quickly growing old for Clarke who wondered how much longer she could stare at the same four walls without going insane. She had unintentionally slept through the entire journey from Hoth to Coruscant, so there was no escape from the unrelenting boredom as she remained wide awake.

Clarke was beginning to get restless and sat up on the bench with a sigh to observe the energy field keeping her trapped. She doubted that it was a shock field, though if touched there was a possibility that it would cause minor electrical burns. Either way she did not want to find out.

Rather than waste the time, she made use of her confinement by mentally taking check of everything she knew about these people. If she could understand who she was dealing with then her words could be picked carefully to have the greatest impact.

The crew was something of an odd bunch, a group of varied aliens that at first glance had no ties between them. There were five crew members, not including the droid, on board the ship.

There was the Cathar, Cal, who had made it clear that his loyalty lay with the Jedi and an enemy of hers was also at odds with him. Who was she kidding, Clarke thought to herself, that was the mentality of the whole crew. For some reason they had an overwhelming sense of loyalty and trust in Lexa and that was the glue that held the group together.

The Sarkaii, Sharr, had been warm and welcoming on meeting the stranger, though she had quickly changed that attitude to one more fitting when Clarke had been revealed to be in possession of the Holocron.

Clarke had not yet had much contact with the rest of the crew but had soon become familiar with the names as the Jedi had relayed instructions. The Zabrak, Bekk, and the Nautolan Rakal had only shown open hostility to her due to unfortunate circumstances. This left the human male, Toril, and the talkative Droid that been introduced as a G3P unit yet oddly nicknamed Nova.

Finally there was the Jedi herself. There were so many things that could be said about her character yet none of it made sense. Clarke had met only a handful of Jedi on her recent journeys and, even with such limited knowledge, was well versed in their chivalrous and peaceful nature that was bestowed upon them from a young age.

She certainly was a mystery, and one that seemed to complicate further with every encounter.

With uncanny timing, the door hissed open and the Jedi stepped into the narrow corridor. Clarke was relieved to see that she was alone, no Republic officers present to escort the prisoner onto their ship.

Lexa didn't pause to make any small talk. Instead, reaching out with a precise touch to press a button on the wall panel. In an instant the forcefield snapped out of existence and there was nothing standing between the two women.

Confusion was the only feeling that Clarke could comprehend in that moment. It had been an ever changing ride with the Jedi so far, from a pleasant host to captor and now for such an unexpected strategy, it was hard to tell what the motivation was to make such a move.

'What are you doing?' she finally asked, wary that this was some kind of ploy by the Jedi.

'I admit that this was the wrong way to go about solving this situation,' Lexa stated sincerely, 'and I apologise for that.'

Clarke just stared back in silence, for once at a lost for words. After