No rest for the wicked, Admiral. We dropped out of hyperspace to meet up with Dev and found him in a dog fight with three TIE fighters. We quickly helped him dispatched them but not before the TIE fighter tugboat saw us. And, unfortunately, since Dev had not seen the Star Chaser before, we had to yell a hello to him over an unencrypted channel. Still, we got out of there without a scratch....

Well, actually, I fried the communications board, but Yahnna says that Ok because something -had- to break. That's just the way it goes with new ships and she'd rather it be the commo-board than something like the engines.

We've jumped back into hyperspace headed towards the Praek System. It should take about a week to get there.

And yes, I'm still hung over. Thanks for asking.

End Log: 78135.229.22:26

Open Log: 78135.230.17:05

Guess what Admiral! I decoded a word! I did it. Finally. I’d like to say that it was my incredible intelligence or my quick wit, but there was nothing quick about it. And the only incredible thing was my incredible dumb luck. Or... perhaps, a bit of help by the Force.

I’ve been staring at those incomprehensive figures for days and days and days. Then… I don’t know. Suddenly, this one word that I had been staring at... suddenly, I realized that it had to be the word "Force." Nothing else made any sense. I know I’m right. And, now that I have two vowels - E and O, the two most common vowels in common language and three consonants, I should have only a little trouble figuring out the rest.

Only.... I have to do this by hand, one letter at a time, for the next hundred or so pages of this journal. Then, I have to figure out the second of the three codes and then, finally, the third. It’s going to be a lot of hard, patient work.

Well, by the time I’m done, I’ll have an electronic copy for myself and something to show Val. Now. Back to work.

End Log: 78135.230.17:07

Open Log: 78135.237.06:03

Hiya Admiral. We're at Praek VII. We've been here for just under twenty four hours. The Praek System is on the fringes and is an industrial center. It does pay lip service to the Empire and there is a Star Destroyer sitting just off of Praek VII called the Swift Wind. All I can say it thank the Force it isn't the Relentless.

We came in under one of our alternate names - Smooth Sailing. It checked out, thank goodness. While Yahnna and Matthew contacted her 'business associate', Garolath, a Sulustien, I stayed on the ship learning about the engines. You know what... way too complex for me. Better hope the droids can fix it if anything goes wrong.

Jela'han took off for parts unknown and returned with enough equipment to set up his own forging facility on board. I'm not kidding! That man... er... Twi'lek... is a walking Con waiting to happen. I'm glad he's on our side... that is... if he is on our side. I can't say I trust him very much.

Yahnna and Matthew came back unharmed and then had to leave again to actually make some sort of money drop. I know Yahnna used to owe a lot of money to someone. I don't know who. Still, this being the XO is a strange position. I wanted to go with Yahnna to protect her but Decker was doing that and Yahnna told me my duty was to my ship first.

I made a quip about if she died I got the ship and would take off like my tail was on fire. She smiled and responded that I was finally learning. So did Decker. I decided not to tell her that I was just joking.

While they were gone, I discovered Dev hanging upside down from one of the main support beams. He had been taking a cellular sample of it. Turns out, apparently, there had been a top mounted weapon on this ship at one point. Neither Dev nor I could figure out what kind of weapon it could have been.

Also, he pointed out to me that those guns we have, are actually the forward starboard anti-ship guns from a Star Destroyer. He did some research and found out that they were from the Star Destroyer Victorious. Just what we need. I'm glad they're hidden in the pods.

Oh, yeah. We're going to play a joke on Jela'han. He and Decker when out carousing last night. I know Decker called in around midnight, saying he wouldn't be back. Jela'han didn't call until 4am. Yahnna was not happy. And unhappy Yahnna is not a good thing. So, she's going to change all the access codes to the ship, let him sweat for a little bit and then have a chat with him about not calling in when he's supposed to.

Well, off to work.

End Log: 78135.237.06:13

Open Log: 78135.237.20:30

Admiral, I'm beginning to think the Universe hates us. Or, maybe it's just the Empire. While Yahnna and Jela'han were out doing... something... I don't know what. Jela'han was shopping, I'm sure. He had a repulsor lift full of stuff when we pulled the joke on him, which went over fairly well. I think. Hard to tell.

In any case, while they were gone, I got this BAD feeling. Yeah. You know the type. Something was definitely wrong. I hurried up to the bridge and asked Dev to find out what ships had just entered the system in the last couple of minutes.

Turns out, it wasn't what I thought. A2, the smart little droid that he is, noted the Imperial surveillance droid that had made a circuit of our ship. We played it back on the monitor while A2 broke into the Station's security files and we got to see the droid's full path. Seems the droid always makes a sweep of the docks. Still, the Force was telling me that this was dangerous. Eventually, someone would look at those feeds.

As soon as Yahnna and Jela'han were back on board, I told Yahnna about the droid and my feeling. We immediately left the station as soon as we could. Just after we left, there was a huge explosion that took out about eighteen levels, over a hundred ships and killed over thirty thousand people.

Admiral... I felt them die.

There was this horrible nauseating wave that rushed over me. At first, I thought the Marquis had suddenly arrived and was chewing his way through the hull. But... it wasn't. It was the death of all those thousands of people. I still feel sick from this... rip? hole? loss in the Force.

I'm glad we have the next two weeks in hyperspace. Hopefully, I can get myself settled.

End Log: 78135.237.20:38

Open Log: 78135.238.12:00

We've been listening to the news casts. Ord Montavi has been completely decimated. No land exists on it any more. The Dyrra system is under Imperial siege and blockade. Dyrra itself is being bombarded and losing ground daily.

The news casts are also blaming the bombing of Praek VII's space station on us. Me, Yahnna, Dev, Jela'han, Geehan, Meric and Maire. They are calling it 'Rebellion Terrorism'. They're offering fifty thousand credits in bounty for each of us. Dead or Alive. One million if someone can bring us all in. They even listed all of the charges against us.

I think we're going to have to start worrying about bounty hunters now.

We all sat down and had a long talk over this. The "smuggler's net" is saying it's definitely not the Rebellion. That much is good. I know -we- didn't do it. We figure that the Empire did the bombing to cover something else up and then used the opportunity to show our faces to the public. To make us 'public enemy number one.'

This whole thing is striking me as obsessive and just plain crazy. The Relentless is way, way out of their normal patrol route. Over a full quadrant away from where it should be. It has followed us since Paranoth. They have been destroying the planets we've been to. Why?

We did some digging and discovered why Admiral Zaraiath was pulled out of retirement. It was about two years ago when I was just a page for Bruce. The Imperial Senate called for it. Why? Officially, the records are sealed but, we figured it out.

He was to prosecute someone for the Empire. Zaraiath was well known as an excellent prosecutor and for policing the Outer Rim. He was pulled out of retirement to find and recapture a stolen ship... a prototype unlike any other. The Iridium Rose. Stolen by his grandson, Meric Faerivin. Designed by Meric's wife, Maire.

Still, that doesn't explain them coming after us in such a determined and destructive manner. Maybe they think we'll lead them to the Iridium Rose. I don't know. I just think that something... something much bigger... is going on.

You know... I was going to quip something about being heartbroken that they don't even want me alive anymore but right not, that's not very funny.

End Log: 78135.237.12:09

Open Log: 78135.238.10:12

Admiral! I found it! First, I found the word, "Force." Then, I figured out "May the Force be with you." The words are coming easier and easier. Now, I've figured out that in this first part of the journal, the author is calling the lightsaber a "Force saber".

I've found the section on lightsabers. All about them. Now, I have to just decode it, study it and hopefully understand it. When I see Val again, I'll be able to not only replace his lightsaber but have my own, too!

End Log: 78135.238.10:14

(c) 2000 - Eden Blackthorn