Chapter 2

Yang stood at the entrance to the temple. She could see only darkness through the towering open doorway. She would never admit it, but she was afraid. Not only would the Sith want her dead if she entered, but she could feel the power of the place. It was at once dark and light, constantly churning. Even nature stayed away. Only short grass grew near the temple and animals never approached past the tree line. Still, Yang had to know who was inside. She took a deep breath and prepared to enter.

"Hey Yang!" Ruby shouted, just a few feet away. Startled, Yang jumped and turned to face her sister. "What are you up to?" Ruby asked.

"You shouldn't be here." Yang said. "It's too dangerous."

"You shouldn't be here either." Ruby countered. "You're planning to go inside, aren't you?"

"Someone's in there." Yang sighed. "I'm told it's an unknown woman. I've got to know if it's my mother."

"Let me help." Ruby offered.

"I don't want you to get in trouble." Yang said. "You know what the Sith will do if they find out you went inside."

"I don't want you to bear the burden alone." Ruby said. "Please, let me help."

The ground rumbled ominously and the sound of a great explosion came from the temple. A wave of overpressure blasted out the entrance, peppering the sisters with dust and dirt from inside before it sucked back in to equalize the pressure. "I need to know!" Yang shouted. She raced ahead and disappeared into the temple.

"Yang, wait!" Ruby called after her before following.

Weiss regained consciousness. She had a pounding headache. As her senses slowly sharpened she realized that she was lying in a bed. The last thing she remembered was the fight in the temple. If she was in a bed, it meant someone had come to her aid. If it was the Empire, she may have succeeded in her mission. It might all work out after all. Her vision was blurry, but she was vaguely aware of others in the same room. It did not have the feel of an Empire facility, even a field hospital. That was bad news. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Weiss looked across the room. Lying unconscious or asleep in another bed was her opponent from the temple. She was helpless. Now was her chance to complete her mission and save herself. She reached for her blaster. Nothing. She reached for her lightsaber. Nothing. She would have to do this the hard way. She reached out her hand toward the unidentified female in an attempt to use the force to electrocute her. Nothing. She could feel a strange burning sensation around her neck. She reached for it and found she was wearing a bulky metal collar. She began feeling around for a way to remove it.

"I wouldn't do that." A woman's voice said from behind her. Weiss turned to find a yellow lightsaber pointed at her face.

"I am Agent Weiss Schnee of the Imperial Intelligence Service." Weiss said with a firmness that disguised her internal dread. "In the name of the Emperor, I demand to know who you are and what your intentions are!"

"I'm Yang." The woman said. "I found you half-dead in the temple along with her." Yang pointed to Weiss' opponent. "My sister and I nursed you back to health."

"What's the collar for?" Weiss asked. "Am I to be your slave?"

"My slave?" Yang laughed. "It's always straight to the dark side with you Empire-types. It's a force suppressor. My sister and I were worried that you might be cranky when you woke up, so we slapped it on you as a precaution. Judging by how things have played out, I'm guessing we called it right."

"I demand you release me immediately so I can execute this criminal!" Weiss shouted, pointing to her opponent. "If you fail to do so I will call down the entire might of the Empire to kill you and your entire family. We will lay waste to this planet…"

"Enough already." Yang cut her off. "Look, no one's getting executed. I found your secret orders. It seems you and the Empire aren't exactly on friendly terms these days. Why don't we wait for your friend to wake up, and then we'll talk this whole thing over?"

Weiss was enraged but knew Yang was right. Weiss had no power at the moment. She should have destroyed her secret orders. What a fool she had been! She would have to change tack. "I have access to substantial financial reserves." Weiss said. "If you let me do as I wish, not only will the Empire leave you alone, but you'll be handsomely compensated."

"I already said we're going to wait." Yang said. "You can both have your say, then we'll decide what to do next."

"Fine." Weiss gave up for the moment. "Who are you anyway? A Jedi? Are you with the Republic? The Remnant militia?"

"I'm not with anyone." Yang said. "I'm definitely not a Jedi, dad saw to that."

"So why take an interest in the temple?" Weiss asked. "Surely you know the dangers."

"It's personal." Yang replied.

"Yang, I brought more medicine." Another girl said as she entered the room, carrying a tray with two cups of liquid on it. "Oh, she's awake."

"Yes, and very grouchy." Yang said.

"I would be too if I was threatened with execution." The girl said. Apparently she knew Weiss' secret too. "How's the other one?"

"She's still out cold." Yang answered.

"Oh, that's unfortunate." The girl sighed. She handed Weiss a cup before carefully pouring the other into the other woman's mouth. "I'm Ruby by the way. We've been taking care of you for a while now."

"How long is a while?" Weiss asked with growing concern.

"Oh, a week or so I guess." Ruby said. "You guys were in pretty bad shape."

"No!" Weiss shouted. "I have to report in now! If I don't I'm dead!"

"Calm down, no need to shout." Yang said. She reached into a bag beside the bed and pulled out Weiss' holo-projector. She tossed it to Weiss. "Go ahead and make the call. No funny business or there won't be enough left to execute." Ruby looked at Yang disapprovingly, apparently unhappy with the threat.

Weiss tapped the keys of the holo-projector until a holographic image appeared. It showed a man in an Imperial Officer's uniform. "This is Agent Schnee reporting in." Weiss said. "There have been…complications."

"Ah, Agent Schnee, I was just about to call you." The officer said. "We feared you had been killed. I've just arrived in orbit and I have some special orders I'm not to access until I'm in your presence. I'll meet you at the temple." The image disappeared and the holo-projector fell silent. Weiss looked at it in horror.

"I need her head now." Weiss said.

"Please calm down, you're not healed." Ruby said, grabbing Weiss by the shoulder. "You'll hurt yourself if you get worked up."

In a flash Weiss spun Ruby around and wrapped her arm around the girl's neck. She only applied enough pressure to hold her. "Take the collar off or I snap her neck." Weiss threatened. Ruby hastily reached into her pocket and produced a key. She handed it to Weiss who now squeezed tighter. She felt around the collar and found the keyhole. With a twist the collar slid off. "Now give me my weapons." Yang hesitated. Weiss squeezed tighter still.

"Yang…can't…" Ruby struggled. "Help…"

Weiss' foe stirred. The mysterious woman from the temple sat up slowly. She leapt at Weiss but Weiss saw her out of the corner of her eye. With her free hand she used the force to push her opponent back. Her concentration slipped and her grip loosened. Ruby wriggled free and was on the other side of the room in a flash. She and Yang drew their lightsabers and faced down Weiss, now alone and unarmed.

"Perfect, now if you'll sit back down, we can all have that little chat." Yang said, not taking her eyes off Weiss for a moment.

Weiss cursed under her breath. She had screwed up again. Her last chance was gone. She sat down. "Go ahead, talk." Weiss sighed.

"Alright mysterious lady, who are you?" Yang asked.

The woman pulled herself off the floor and onto her own bed. She looked very angry. "My name is Blake." She said.

"Who are you working for?" Weiss demanded. "The Republic? The Jedi?"

"Why would I work for them?" Blake asked. "They're scum, just like the Empire and the Sith."

"So what were you doing in the temple that has our Imperial friend so worked up?" Yang asked.

"There's a secret contained within." Blake said. "I've been protecting it. I must stop the Empire and the Republic from getting their hands on it. It's too powerful. It must remain buried, or it would be used to kill millions. The Empire were here trying to decipher it, but they didn't have the key. It's in a language they don't speak."

"I don't care about your reasons." Weiss said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's you or me. Either you die or I do."

"Imperial Intelligence will kill her if she fails her mission." Ruby said.

"When I go back I'll be executed as a traitor." Weiss said. "So if you don't let me kill her, you may as well do it. I trust you'll make it less painful…and less humiliating."

"Give my weapons and I'd gladly do it." Blake said. "There's no need for innocents such as yourselves to get blood on your hands."

"Nobody's killing anyone." Yang said.

Blake saw her opening. She ripped off her collar, a rusted old piece that should have been junked, and used the force to pull her lightsaber out of the bag at Yang's feet. She would kill the Imperial before anyone could stop her. In a flash of red Ruby was upon her. Blake found a silver lightsaber blade at her throat.

"No killing." Ruby said.

"Have you ever considered the third option?" Yang asked. "Weiss, I've read your orders. It doesn't look good for you even if you succeed. Why not just run away? The Empire won't waste its time on you, not when they're occupied with the temple." She turned to Blake. "And Blake, if the Empire can't decipher the secret there, why bother? Just let them waste their time."

"I have no particular love for the Empire…but…it's my home." Weiss said. Yang made a lot of sense, but she was not sure she could go through with it.

"What if the Empire finds someone who does?" Blake asked. "Then the galaxy will be laid waste."

"What if we found it first?" Ruby asked. "We could destroy it or use its power for good."

"What exactly are we dealing with anyway?" Yang asked.

"I don't know the exact nature of the power." Blake admitted. "It was created by the Infinite Empire and is said to have the power to enslave the galaxy as they did. Surely such a power must remain hidden."

"I bet we could destroy it." Yang said. "We don't really have better options. The Empire isn't going to stop until they figure it out, and even if we all worked together we wouldn't be able to hold them off. If we got there first we could make sure there was nothing left to find."

"That could work." Blake admitted. "I guess it's up to the Imperial."

"Please let me go to my meeting." Weiss requested. "If things go as badly as I expect, I'll be forced to join you anyway."

Ruby and Yang glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. "Go ahead and arm her." Blake said. "Just give me my other lightsaber. If you keep the balance of power there's no point in us fighting." That was as good a suggestion as they were likely to get. Keeping their weapons pointed at their guests, Yang and Ruby used the force to simultaneously return their weapons.

"You know we're going to follow you right?" Yang asked.

"And that we'll kill you if you try anything?" Blake added.

"The same goes for you." Ruby warned. "Can't we all just be friends?"

"No." Weiss and Blake said in unison.

Weiss approached the temple. The Imperial Intelligence officer she had spoken to was waiting at the doorway. She glanced back, taking one last look at the trio that hid at the edge of the forest. There was nowhere to run. She walked up to the officer, doing her best to hide her unease. "Sorry I'm late." Weiss said. "The wildlife here is dangerous."

"A blaster still kills them." The officer said. "Now that you're here I can finally read my orders." Weiss stepped up beside him, trying to read over his shoulder. She had to know if this was her end. "Very interesting." The officer said after he finished reading. Weiss could tell what the content had been. He already had his hand on his blaster. "So, have you made any progress?" He asked, not betraying his intentions.

"Actually, I have." Weiss said. She motioned him into the temple. She knew what she was about to do and did not want the others to see.

The officer shrugged and walked in, as far as a small altar in the entrance room. "What do you have for me?" He asked, getting impatient.

"There's an inscription." Weiss said. "I think it might be important." She pointed to a series of worn imprints on the surface of the altar.

The officer bent down to examine the inscription. He looked carefully, wiped away some dust with his hand and strained to read it. "I don't speak this language." He said. "Are you stalling?" He stood and turned around, only to find Weiss' blaster pointed at his forehead. He put his hands up. "Whoa, can't we talk this over." He beseeched. "I think we can come to some agreement."

"I'm afraid not." Weiss said. "Long live the Emperor." She said tauntingly. She pulled the trigger and a searing bolt of energy cut a steaming channel through the officer's head. His lifeless body tumbled to the ground. Weiss abandoned her holo-projector and all the rest of her equipment. She could not afford to be tracked. The die was cast, she was now a proper traitor to the Empire.

The other three came running at the sound of the shot. They found Weiss standing over the officer's corpse. "You killed him?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"He was going to kill me." Weiss said. "I guess this is it. There's no going back for me."

"Welcome aboard." Yang said. "Now, Blake, do you know where this secret is hidden?"

"I know where the map in the temple tells me to go." Blake replied.

"Let's go then." Yang said.

"It won't be that simple." Weiss said. "There's an Imperial cruiser in orbit. If we try to leave on my ship we'll be shot down. His death will keep them distracted for a while, but his orders make it pretty clear that they're not letting me off then planet alive."

"So we buy a new ship." Yang suggested. "We could sell yours and use the cash from that."

"Do you have a buyer in mind?" Weiss asked. "Most people won't touch stolen Imperial merchandise."

"I know just the guy." Yang said.

Yang walked into Junior's cantina. She was met at the door by a group of his thugs pointing their blasters at her face. She smiled widely. With a wave of her arm they were all thrown back. "Just leave her alone." Junior sighed from behind the bar. "I don't want this place wrecked again."

"Junior, just the man I wanted to see." Yang said as she walked up.

"Yeah, same." Junior said with less enthusiasm.

"I have a business proposition." Yang said. "I think it'll be right up your alley."

"What is it?" Junior asked. He felt like it was a shakedown, and it probably was.

"I hear you've got a great ship." Yang said. "I've got a great ship too. I'd like to trade. Mine's state-of-the-art, ex-Imperial."

"I don't touch Imperial stuff." Junior said.

"But you will for me." Yang smiled. She gestured down.

Junior looked down to see Yang's blaster aimed at his most sensitive area. He looked back up to meet her gaze. She retained her smile and tilted her head a bit. "Fine." Junior gave in. He handed her a datapad. "The codes are on here."

"It'll be prepped and ready to fly when I get there right?" Yang said.

"Of course." Junior agreed, desperate to end the nightmare.

"See, that was easy." Yang said. She tossed her own datapad to Junior. "Here's my ship's info. As always, a pleasure doing business with you."

Yang walked out of Junior's cantina and was met just outside the door by the Chiss that had told her about the woman in the temple. "So, do you have any information for me?" The Chiss asked.

"Sorry, the place was empty when I got there." Yang lied. "I guess your intel was wrong."

"How unfortunate." The Chiss sighed. "I will have to have a discussion with my source about feeding me rumors disguised as facts."

For some reason Yang was unnerved by the encounter. She walked off as quickly as she felt she could without arousing suspicion. She met up with the others at the spaceport. "I just got us the fastest ship on Remnant." She said, waving the datapad.

"I called dad and told him to get off the planet." Ruby said. "He already booked a ticket off-world. He's really worried about us."

"You always said how much you wanted to be a hero." Yang said. "How you want to protect people and make the galaxy a better place. This is our chance."

"Yeah, I guess." Ruby said. "It's hard leaving home like this though."

"Don't worry." Yang said. "As long as we can keep these two from killing each other we're in for a great adventure. This'll be fun."