"Not gonna like what?" Atton's sharp thoughts ran through her head even while her past lover's arms held her close.

"Atton, hush" she pushed across their bond, "I'll explain in a minute," though how she was going to explain this to him, she had no idea.

"Screw that," Atton cut in impatiently, "I'm coming down there." She took a deep breath and tried to extricate herself from the large man's arms.

"Rhyke," she said warmly as she stepped backwards out of his grasp and took his hands in hers, "it's been so long."

"I never thought I'd see you again." He said with bewilderment, "You look exactly the same."

She smiled at him brightly, "I do not," she argued playfully, "it's been 12 years and believe me, my age shows."

He studied her for a minute, "Nope, you look exactly the same. Same hair, same face, the only difference is there is a light in your eyes that wasn't there before."

Her face really lit up then, "It's the force," she whispered joyfully as if sharing some long forgotten secret, "I can feel it again." He gazed into her eyes, entranced by her stunning glow. Her eyes met his and while she prodded his mind gently for something to make sense of their bond, his left hand broke free from her grasp and he ran his fingertips over her cheek lightly as his right hand ran up her arm and paused over the armband he could feel even though it was not visible.

"You still wear it," he said quietly, as Vashti tensed slightly only breaking the trance when a dark shadow of barely controlled rage pummeled them from the direction of the door. She stepped back quickly then, out of his reach and turned toward the door, trying to give Atton a reassuring smile. He crossed the room menacingly, willing a wall between the pair.

Wear what? His sharp voice echoed her in head as he stopped just inches from Vashti and looked at her expectantly for some kind of explanation.

My Armband, she answered him quickly without explanation. "Atton," she began audibly with a nervous chuckle, "this is Rhyke," she paused, trying to figure out how to describe their past relationship, "a… friend… from my exile." She finally spit out. "Rhyke," she continued with the formal introduction, "this is Atton, my…," she paused a moment, suddenly unsure how to describe their relationship, "partner." She finally concluded unable to find a better word. Atton shot her a look of irritation and broke in.

"Nice to meet you," he said as he shook the man's hand firmly, letting a tiny amount of force energy trickle uncomfortably through the handshake. "Vashti and I are always glad to meet old friends, aren't we babe?"

Rhyke wiggled his fingers in discomfort after Atton released his grip. "Atton, what in the force are you doing?" Vashti hissed at him through their bond. "You're acting like a child." Atton ignored her and continued, "You know, just last night in bed she was telling me just how nice it was to be able to resolve all these things from her past…" Vashti lowered her face into her palm and just waited for him to finish, "and then here you show up. Isn't that something?"

"Atton," she finally said audibly shoving her half empty glass of juma into his hand, "why don't you have a drink and a seat. I'll go get us more." She turned her attention to the larger man and commanded, "Sit, I'll be back in a second."

He sat dutifully as he scanned the younger man appraisingly. "I should have known she wouldn't be single even as a Jedi," he said after a moment, "she's too much of a Cathar in the sack to be alone long."

Atton nearly choked on his Juma at the other man's words. "You know you're right about that," he replied, "the other night, she put me into stasis and…"

"Atton!" Vashti's voice cut into the conversation. "I'm sure Rhyke has no interest in hearing about our sex life."

"He brought it up," Atton mumbled quietly.

She shook her head and handed him a full glass of Juma, "Drink and hush," she ordered him, "or if you can't do that, head on back to the Runner and I'll be along after a while."

Atton frowned grumpily and started in on his drink, glowering at the older man.

"You'll have to excuse Atton," Vashti said cheerfully as she handed a drink to Rhyke and sat back in her chair, "he's very used to having to fend off unwanted attentions towards me from the men… and sometimes women… we recruit." She smiled warmly, "It is a hazard of using the force to bond to people, they tend to misconstrue that connection as something more… intimate."

Rhyke considered her a moment, "Mmmm, I remember that connection quite well," he said matter of fact.

"So!" She cut him off before he could say anything else that might rile her partner up, "What have you been up to the last 12 years?"

"Same old stuff, flying from colony to colony making deliveries," he spoke as though bored with his own fate in life, "sounds like you've had some adventures, though."

She nodded, "Well, the ten years I spent outside republic space went about the same as when you knew me." She said, "Fly to a new place, ramble around town for a while sometimes working sometimes not, eventually leave when I got restless again."

"Two years ago, though, I received a message from the Republic asking me to return and help them. And that began the whirlwind adventures."

"Yeah," Atton broke in, "That's when she came into my life in her underwear."

"Ah, yes," Rhyke said with a gleam in his eye, "the first time I ever saw her was in her dancing costume." He smiled appreciatively at the memory.

"Dancing costume?" Atton questioned her sharply, "What dancing costume?"

She exhaled with exasperation, "the one I wore when I danced during my exile, dear. What did you think I wore? Jedi robes?"

"Huh," he said in bewilderment, "I guess I always assumed the stories of you dancing in your exile weren't really true. You never really talked about it."

"Nope, I can verify she did indeed dance, and she was amazing." He grinned, "Luckiest day of my life. When she got that determined look in her eye and came at me all seductively and stole my pike."

"Your pike…" Atton said flatly, his jaw tense.

The man chuckled, "Yep, snatched it right off my back."

"I just did some combat training exercises," Vashti broke in, "I didn't know what else to do. It wasn't anything you haven't seen a thousand times."

"Except you were in a dancer's outfit," Atton interjected.

"Also something you've seen," she added. Atton gave her one of those "well I guess you got me there" looks and she continued, "Anyhow, some crazy droid tried to kidnap me and drugged the crap out of me, and when I woke up, I could feel the force again."

"I spent the next year and a half or so chasing around the galaxy with this nerf herder," she said affectionately as she rubbed Atton's knee, "and a shipful of other miscreants… most of whom are my students now. For the last seven months we've been trying to recruit force sensitives to our academy for training."

"Why?" he asked her bluntly.

"Most of the Jedi Order was destroyed in the Jedi Civil War," she said quietly, "Those that did survive scattered in all directions. Unfortunately, we believe that there is a war looming on the horizon, one that will be fought through the force. So, we are building an army to fight it."

"Huh," he said contemplatively, "So is that why you're all the way out here?"

"Well, sorta," she hesitated, "We're currently looking for a droid production facility we believe to be out here somewhere… we received reports of large shipments of plasteel being shipped out of this port, but so far we've not gotten anyone to talk to us about it."

"That's my shipment," he said gruffly, "what do you want to know about it?"

Vashti's pulse quickened at his admission, "Well, we just need to know where it's going… and a way to get inside once we get there."

"Why's that?"

Vashti shifted uncomfortably, not sure how much she should share, "We just need information, honestly." She tried to explain, "We have a certain "acquaintance" that we believe runs that factory and we need to try to find out more about him."

"G0-T0?" He asked.

Her eyes lit up, "Yep, that's the one."

"I hate that droid," Rhyke mumbled, "but the money's good, so I keep making the deliveries."

"Yes, unfortunately, though, G0-T0 chooses to wield undue influence over us by the use of threats. Last month he was able to kidnap three of my students only letting them go when I promised that I would take another one of his droids with me to spy on us."

"Kidnap three Jedi?" Rhyke asked in amusement, "that's quite a feat for a droid."

"Mmm, yes, he had the services of a force sensitive Mandalorian bounty hunter who has a talent for sneaking up on Jedi undetected."

Rhyke looked confused, "Force sensitive Mandalorian? That's a new one."

"Aye, Drex is a unique young man. We look forward to him joining our ranks."

"He's joining you?" He pondered it a moment. "You know, you get older and you think you have the galaxy figured out, and then something like this happens and turns everything you know upside down."

She chuckled with a nod, "Yes, the force surprises me regularly. It brought us here to this dead end, and then we found you." Her face became bright with the joy of finding a long lost friend. "You will help us get into the factory, won't you?" She asked him hopefully. He nodded in agreement, glad to have her nearby him again.

Mira paced up and down the entrance hallway to the hangar bay. He was finally arriving. She had expected him to arrive two weeks ago, shortly after she had returned from their fateful trip to Nar Shaddaa., but he hadn't shown. He hadn't sent any word on his expected arrival either, so Mira had begun to fear that he had changed his mind about joining them. But he had just comm'd them requesting permission to land.

She pressed her robes to her body and suddenly wished she'd taken the time to run by her quarters and change. He had only ever seen her in her hunting gear… which was designed especially to highlight her assets. The robes she wore while in the academy were loose, comfortable and less distracting for the recruits, but they did nothing to flatter her figure. Ah, well, there wasn't time to change now anyhow.

She stared into the distant sky through the force field of the hangar bay and remembered how he'd looked when she'd seen him last. The first thing she remembered was his infuriating smirk. It wasn't the slight smile itself that was so infuriating, but rather the gleam in his stormy grey eyes.

3 Weeks Ago, Nar Shaddaa Red Light District

His lips tasted of brandy and cigars. His kiss was gentle and firm and she loved the way his muscular arms curled around her waist. Someone in the crowd jostled them trying to get to the bar breaking their kiss.

"So what is it about your group that makes you so different from regular Jedi?" he asked.

"Well," she started slowly, trying to figure out how best to put it. "Vashti and a few others were raised as regular Jedi at the temple on Coruscant, but the rest of us… well… Vashti found us, drew us to her, taught us to use the force… consciously at least." She paused a moment. "Like you, most of us had used the force to some degree without realizing we were, but Vash put a name on it, opened up our connections to it and taught us to wield it."

"So, you're not typical Jedi because you weren't raised in the temple," He pondered. "What's Vashti's excuse then?" he asked gruffly.

"Well, the easiest way to explain it would be to make you understand that Vashti, herself, is not a Jedi anymore."

"Mmmm," he mumbled, "A Sith then?"

"No," Mira answered, "It's more complicated than that, actually." She took a long swig of her brandy and tried to find another way to express it. "Vashti is not force sensitive anymore," she finally stated, firmly, simply.

"How can that be?" Drex contradicted, "She showed me the force today."

Mira nodded, "Yeah, that's where it gets to the "not typical" part." She took another drink, "Malachor V damaged her," she said softly. "She could no longer feel the force after dealing with all the deaths there. She spent the next ten years without the force. When she returned from her exile, she found she could use the force again, but it was different than it had been. Vashti can't feel the force herself, but what she does is forms bonds with others, that allow her to manipulate the force through them."

"Bonds?"

"Mmmm," Mira mumbled unsure how to answer that question, "force, I'm starting to sound like you now!" She grinned at him. "I really can't explain the bonds… You'll have to have Vash do that herself. It's just that she somehow manages to connect to the force through these bonds. She has one with all of her students to some degree and if she spoke to you today she's probably begun to form one with you as well."

His face became stony, "I'm not sure I like the idea of that," he mumbled.

"It's not so bad, really." Mira tried to explain, "It's not really a conscious thing, but the important thing to remember, what makes us not typical Jedi, is that our leader isn't a celibate old man. She needs people around her to fuel her connection and those connections make her vulnerable to all sorts of emotions."

"So why isn't she celibate?" He asked bluntly.

Mira cackled, "She tried to be for a while, but it didn't end well. We were practically begging her to jump Atton at the end. It is very difficult to be bonded to someone who's swimming in that many hormones. She might have had better luck if she hadn't given it up in her exile, but she did."

"So then," he said slowly, "She doesn't expect others to do what she won't." Mira nodded. "That's a great idea," he continued, "but you can't run an army that way." The surprise was visible on her face as he added, "Giving people the all clear to screw like gizka only creates dissention within the units. Someone is going to get hurt."

Mira pondered that a moment, "Yes," she finally answered, "it can have a very negative impact at times. The hardest part is usually when the new recruits start to fall in love with her."

He choked on his drink, "Love?" he questioned with a chuckle.

"Aye," Mira confirmed with a grin, "They almost all do." She drank, "in some way or another."

"So you've got an army full of men you're teaching to be powerful Jedi that are all going to wind up in a fight for her attention. That sounds like a bomb about to go off" He chuckled.

"Yeah, you'd think so. But it seems to be working out ok so far. But that's probably because she is very clear on what the relationship will be. Keeping Atton close by helps too. Helps them not get their hopes up, anyhow."

"Atton was the one she was dueling in that vid you have?" He questioned her.

"Yep, that's him! I honestly have no idea what she sees in him, but from the second I joined the crew you could practically smell the attraction between them."

He chuckled while shaking his head. "I've dealt with my share of Jedi. Can't say I ever cared for them, though. Arrogant bastards, the lot of them."

Mira nodded gravely, "Yeah, I never cared for them either. Of course, not many of those Jedi survived. There are a few, but they're being overrun now by us and I'm not sure Vashti will let them take over again. Force, I hope not," she finished with a laugh.

"Well," he said with a gleam in his eye, "if we get too tired of them, we can always join Mandalore's army and make strong Mandalorian babies."

Mira choked on her drink. "Babies!?" she exclaimed flabbergasted, "Babies??"

"Why else would I take a wife, but to have strong babies?" he responded in amusement.

"WIFE!?" She practically yelled.

"You did accept my proposal," he teased, "you are bound by clan law now!"

She laughed, "Yeah, but who's gonna enforce it? You? I'd like to see you try."

He grinned widely now, "I think I have shown my ability to enforce it if I need to, but I still think you'll come around."

"Delusional," She shook her head as she mumbled something into her glass.

"Mmmm, we'll see." He turned toward her and considered her for a moment then pulled her off her barstool and pulled her closer to him. He placed his hands on her hips and gazed into her eyes.

"His eyes are so stormy," she thought to herself as her eyes became lost in his Her pulse raced and her whole body began to tingle warmly. She leaned forward to kiss him as he pulled her tight to him. She kissed him hungrily and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to have his babies.

It was when she began thinking of names for their possible future rugrats that her mind became clear again and she almost violently broke the kiss.

"Would you cut that out!" she bellowed at him as she snatched her drink off the bar.

The sparkle in his eyes was almost intolerable, "Cut what out, miss?" he drawled with a self assured smirk.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!" she exclaimed. "How the frack you manage it is beyond me, but those were NOT my thoughts!"

"Mmmm," he mumbled his disagreement with a smirk.

"Force, there you go again…" She rested her head in her hands, still trying to calm the pounding in her chest and the tingling of every nerve end.

"How the hell do you do that?" She finally asked after her body had returned closer to it's natural state.

"Do what, miss?" He asked again with a chuckle as she reached out and slugged his shoulder.

"So, have you always seduced your lovers this way?" She finally asked, not looking up from her drink for fear of meeting his gaze again.

He laughed, "Not all of them, no, but a few, yes. It's all part of the hunt."

"Well, stop it!" She exclaimed. "I'd rather be able to have my own thoughts, not yours!"

"Mmmm, it's been my experience, miss, that I cannot place any thoughts into my quarry's head. I can only intensify the emotions and instincts that are already there.

"Oh force," she glanced up at him now then quickly looked back at her glass when her eyes met his. "You're a pain in the ass."

He laughed boisterously then and lay his hand on her knee as he spoke, "You don't have to hide from me, miss. I just wanted you to get a taste of the possibilities of following through on your vow. I'll be good now."

She glanced up at him again and the storms had been replaced with mirth. She smiled up at him tentatively and his smirk broke into a full grin just as her com buzzed and Dustil's tinny voice informed her that they were ready for departure.

Now Mira couldn't keep from grinning as Drex's small ship entered the hangar. After he landed she waited in anticipation for the ramp to lower and for him to appear. When the ramp did finally lower, though, he did not emerge. She stood and waited wondering if he was waiting for her to come inside the ship or if he was just taking his time.

She shifted impatiently wondering if she should enter the ship to look for him. Finally she reached out to the force to see if she could sense him, but he wasn't there. He was hiding… The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she waited, knowing he could be anywhere. She knew almost instinctively that he had to be nearby and he was playing a game with her. She tried to listen to the empty air around her for some sign of him. Breathing, footsteps, anything.

Suddenly she heard his deep voice drawl, "Gotcha," as his arms wrapped around her stomach from behind and his mimicker deactivated. She shrieked loudly in spite of her anticipation, or maybe because of it, as he picked her up off the ground and spun around quickly, her legs kicking in the air.

"Put me down!" She ordered him loudly.

"Mmmm, now what would be the fun in that?" He said in a low voice in her ear. She giggled in spite of herself but stopped it abruptly as he set her lightly on the floor and spun her so that she was facing him. Their eyes met and her face lit up even more than it had been. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him lowering his mouth to hers in a hungry passionate kiss.

"Ahem," Mical cleared his throat audibly after a moment, trying to alert the two liplocked bounty hunters turned jedi to his presence. Mira broke the kiss and stepped out of Drex's arms, trying to fight off a blush as she ran her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry," Mical broke in tentatively, "I heard that Drex had arrived and Vashti asked me to help you get him settled in and see about getting a training regimen started for him since she couldn't be here. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Mira smiled patronizingly at Mical, "Wonderful," she said sarcastically before turning back to Drex, "This is Mical," she said in a dry introduction, "he's Vashti's right hand man, and is gifted in all things administrative."

Mical shot her an irritated look as he stepped forward and held out his hand to the large man in front of him. "Someone has to make sure the schedules are set," he said tiredly as if weary of his role.

"Don't let him fool you," Mira half whispered with a grin, "He loves ordering us all around."

Mical's smile broadened considerably. "Ah, now that is true," he said with a brighter tone.

Drex shook the blond man's hand firmly, "I think I saw you on one of Mira's vid's," He said in a pondering tone, "I didn't quite expect you to be this tall."

Mical smiled as he turned toward hangar exit, "Ah yes, Mira's always got that camera running… She especially likes to hide it in the 'freshers, so watch out." Mira blushed a beet red as Mical grinned sadistically, "Well, let's show you to your quarters, shall we?"

Vashti stood at the workbench in the Shadow Runner, her lightsaber in pieces.

"So why didn't you ever tell me about this guy?" Atton asked her almost accusatorily.

"I've told you many times about my physical relationships in my exile," she said flatly.

"Oh, sure. You told me about those, but I think I'd have remembered if you'd mentioned half the things he told us about it."

"Atton," she sighed, "It was a long time ago. I never expected to see him again. Honestly, I haven't even thought about him in months."

"Except that every day you put on that armband he gave you!"

She was silent for a moment, "Atton, what is it you want me to tell you?" She paused, "That I had stashed away this memory to keep it from you? Twelve years ago I did fall in love with him, but I also chose to turn my back on him."

"And you've regretted it ever since," he sneered.

"No," she said quietly, "I miss what might have been at times, if I had agreed to go with him. But I didn't go for a reason. I was broken and nothing he could do would have made me happy. I had to grieve."

Atton stewed for a moment and then blurted out, "And why the hell did you introuduce me as your "partner"? It makes it sound like we're in business together or something."

"What would you have preferred I use?" She asked with a sigh. "Boyfriend sounds like we're 12. I wanted to imply that it was a permanent and important relationship…"

"Marry me," he interrupted forcefully.

"What??" she shrieked in surprise.

"You heard me."

"Why?" She questioned him incredulously, "for eight months we've been living like this and never once have you even mentioned the idea!"

"Yeah, well, it's different now," he grumbled.

"Force, Atton," she said with a sigh, "I'd say yes if it had been important to you yesterday, but you don't want to get married… you just want to put your mark on me somehow."

"That's not true," he argued, but she cut him off.

"Hell, I have no doubt that if you were a kath hound you'd have pee'd on me in the cantina today to try to warn him off."

Atton couldn't help but break a smile at the thought. "I could pee on you now if you'd prefer that to marriage," he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes at him as she turned and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you," she said quietly, "if you ever need reassurance, my thoughts are always wide open to you, you know that."

He nodded and wrapped his arms around her as well. "Sometimes I just want other people to know it as well as I do," he said quietly as he kissed the top of her head.