Chapter 3

During the Event of Truce at Bakura 

	Some one was in the room. Someone besides Zillah. Their presence was spine-tinggling to the very soul. The Dark One! Thought Zillah. She had been tempted once, but never again would she turn; she would not stoop that low.
	   "Come now, Zillah, you know what the Dark Side has to offer. Why not come back to us?" came the voice of death as she knew it.
	   "NO! I will never join you. NEVER!" she screamed. Tears formed at he corners of her eyes. Her lips were trembling; it was obvious to the Dark One that she was afraid.
	   "I don't want to destroy you, Zillah Vasheek." a powerful wind swept through the office, blowing furniture across the room and breaking the glass in a far window.
	   "Go ahead," she whispered," kill me," she stared the Dark One in face with her glass color eyes, as if to say, "I dare you to". She lifted her head up; looking at the ceiling she closed her eyes and spread her arms out to the sides of her body. A funnel formed six feet in front of her. As it grew closer, her red and black hair blew left and right. Just before the funnel picked her up, she heard the voice of an old Jedi teacher, she had when she was little, call her name and tell her she was doing the right thing. The funnel threw her across the room, head first in to a wall.
	   "Still want to die?" ask the Dark One. The shadow around him fell off his face, and Zillah could see the snarled look about his lips as he held out his hand in front of him. He had gathered a great deal of Force power in his hand, and now he threatened her with it.
	Zillah said nothing. She looked him the face and pin pointed pressure in his brain. She squeezed hard with the Force. He grabbed her around the neck. "That was a mistake," he growled. He gripped harder on to her throat. Zillah gasped for air, pulling at his hand. He placed his right hand on her head, letting the ball of Force power seep into her brain, slowly killing her.
	   "Week child." he dropped her to the floor. Zillah stood, letting the Dark One believe she wanted on his side. She turned away from him as he came closer, she ran toward the window, jumped out to the rocky waters of Laktuu bay. 

	Xenf pulled back on the controls, sending the ship down toward the moon. He could hear the ion engines of T.I.E fighters closing in on him. Dee Five Zee was busily at the weapons controls.
	   "Come on Dee Five! Blast those fighters to space dust!" Xenf shouted, but before his say anymore the fighter broke off and flew the other direction.
"Sir, the fighters have retreated." 
	   "I can see that, Dee Five. C'mon, let's land so we can meet with Ambassador Vasheek, and get this mission over with." Xenf said.
	   "I do appreciate what you're doing for me Xenf Gallandro." whispered a voice all around him. "But do not rush your mission. I know of your family on Ylix. You want to see your niece and your dead brother's wife. If you wish to see them, we'll start our journey on Ylix."
	He narrows his eyes on the rose he held in his left hand, "No, we'll start where ever you want. My Family won't even care if I came to visit."
	   "That's where your wrong, Xenf. Your family will rejoice at you returning. Ylix is the place we'll start my search."
Xenf landed his ship, "Ylix it is the place we'll start your search." he repeated trance-like. 

	Carimen walked off the shuttle with her small duffel bag thrown over one shoulder. Danteen's hand reached out for her arm. She turned around and smiled. General Calrissian walked off after them
	   "I'm leaving you in the Alliance's hands. It's been a pleasure but I have to be getting back to Bespin now." the General smiled, he was charming and gentlemen-like 
	   "Like-wise I'm sure." Carimen said. She watched him leave, there was something about him that made her feel too comfortable. "General Calrissian, Mon Mothma was suppose to meet us. Where would we find her?"
	A big grin spread across the dark mans face. "I have a few minutes, if you and your husband would like, I could walk you to the council chambers." he held his hand in front of him, gesturing toward the hallway.
	Danteen nodded slowly, "That'd be great. Thanks." he grabbed his wife's hand and followed behind Calrissian.

	Stepping off the ship walkway, Xenf starting thinking. What if his family really didn't want to see him, what if they were happy with out him? He shook his head, and thought better about thinking those things; Alessandra might hear him. He hurried over to the building in front of him. He had to find some personal to help him. Unfortunately no one was to be found. The place was dead silent, no sign of anyone anywhere. Xenf turned and started back toward his ship, but a powerful force turned him back around and started him off toward a building. 
	In the building was an Imperial Officer, who was just standing there looking at the wall thoughtfully. Xenf went and tapped him on the shoulder, "Excuse me." he said. the officer turned around. He snickered at Xenf and went back to looking at the wall.
	   "Excuse me!" Xenf said pulling the officer around and looking him in the eye. "I need some information. Can you help me, or can I be on my way and forget about the treaty between the Imperials and the Rebel Alliance?"
	The officer grinned, "Yes, Mr.Gallandro. I was told you were coming. Ambassador's Vasheek's Office is right over there. Have a good day." he pointed and started off in the other direction.
	Xenf snickered. He pulled his jacket tight around him, nervously. He didn't know this Imperial Ambassador, what if she tried to kill him? What if she was a viscouse alien? Stop thinking such things, Xenf. Came Alessandra's voice in his head. "I wish you wouldn't do that!" he exclaimed.
	   "I'm sorry, I shall only speak. The Force disturbs you. Forgive Me." she whispered. "Now, let's go and find Ambassador Vasheek."
	Xenf couldn't disagree there. He started off toward the door on the far right, where the officer had directed him to go. The pressed his figure into the chime. No answer. He rang the chime again. Still nothing. He knocked on the metal door, hoping this would help. Nothing. He keyed the lock with his hand. The door slid open revealing a room with broken windows, furniture thrown around in every-which-way. 
	   "A battle was fought here!" Alessandra exclaimed, calmly.
	   "So I gathered." Xenf replied. "I can't discuss any peace treaty if there is no to one discuss it with."
	   "Don't sound so discouraged. Call General Madine and ask what you should do." Alessandra spoke softly, like a breeze on a summer's day.
	   "I have no other choice." Xenf left the room and went for his ship. He ran as fast as humanly possible. He ran up the railway of the ship, shouted "Dee Five, get the comm unit working. I need to place a call to General Madine." he heard the droid come to life, and then the press of buttons.
	   "Xenf, if he doesn't need you anymore, could we start the search?" Alessandra asked quietly. She seemed hopeful.
	   "I don't see why not. I'll ask for some time off to explore my only region of space," he said. He went to the view screen and waited. General Madine's face appeared.
	   "Captain Gallandro, how did the treaty talk go?" asked the red, bearded man.
	   "That's what I'm calling about. See when I arrived, Ambassador Vasheek was gone. Not here. Dead."
	   "Dead?" asked the general.
	   "A fight I had been fought in her office, and there was no sign of her anywhere. There were a few broken windows, including one that lead out to some very rocky waters." Xenf sat there waiting for an answer.
	After some dead silence, Madine spoke, "Gallandro, I'll send Admiral Oconner out to investigate. Until then you're free to do as you wish. Have a good vacation." he was about to turn away but then he turned his head back, "Mon Mothma wants you to report into to Bakura right away. Princess Leia and the rest of them want a progress report."
	   "Yes sir." Xenf switched the comm off.
	   "We have to head to Bakura?" Alessandra asked.
	   "Yes, I have to report in before I can take my 'vacation'." Xenf turned to the controls, and set a course for Bakura.

	Carimen and Danteen walked into Mon Mothma's Council Chamber after Calrissian. He nodded to both of them and then walked off with out another word. Mon Mothma stood up when seeing them. She gestured for them to sit down, but both refused.
	   "I'm glad you made it here safely. Hopefully General Calrissian wasn't too bothersome. I do hope you'll stay with us until we can find you a safe place." she said. "Captain Gallandro shouldn't have placed that call from your home. The Imperials have various ways of tracking comm calls."
	   "Oh, but General Madine is the one to called us, looking for Xenf Gallandro." Carimen said.
	   "Well, I'll have to talk to him about that." Mon Mothma seemed a bit fluttered. "Captain Antilles here said he'd walk you to your chambers." she looked behind her at where Captain Antilles was standing.
	He walked to the couple, "If you'd follow me?" he walked out of the door and Carimen and Danteen followed.
	Danteen frowned, "Captain Antilles…"
	   "Wedge, please."
	   "…Wedge, do you know of anyone named Xenf Gallandro?"
	   "Yeah, I don't see him very often though. He's a good guy. He doesn't go on adventures with the rest of us." Wedge said.
	   "The 'rest of us'?" Carimen asked.
	   "Sure, Luke, Han, Leia, and I. Lando has just gotten into tagging along on our adventures." Wedge turned a sharp corner.
	   Danteen followed with Carimen close behind. "As in Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and Lando Calrissian?" asked Danteen.
	   "I don't know any others like them. We're on our way to pick them up from Bakura. We have to wait for Gallandro to meet with them first." Wedge stopped at a door. "Your room. It was nice meeting both of you, hope to see your around." he left down the hallway. 

	Alessandra stood in the middle of her own Force-like dream state, wishing there were some way to contact her daughter. Xenf has told of an encounter he had with Vaneesi in a dream, but Alessandra wanted so much to be able to see her daughter. To see what she grew up to be. How wonderful that would be, she thought. The room turned dark and cold and Alessandra felt the presence of the Dark One.
	   "What do you want?" she asked, wondering if it knew of her place in the Force.
	   "Oh nothing really, Alessandra. Just to have you join me on the Dark Side or be destroyed just like Zillah Vasheek." Came the voice, booming all around her, taunting her very existence.
	   "That's kind of hard to do. Since I'm already dead." She said. She felt the Dark One pull away from the room.
	   "So that's why you're still young as ever. Didn't Lord Vader teach you to use the Dark Side? You would've made a great Dark Lady of the Sith. Vader should've married you. If he didn't I would've. You could have been Mrs. Anakin Skywalker." the voice was getting further and further away, and laughing non-stop. " Who's you conjure into to helping you 'find someone to take your talent in the Force'?"
	   "That is none of your business!" she exclaimed.
	Silence came from the other end. The dark shadow had been lifted from the room and all light restored. She heaved a sigh of relief. She would not be tempted to the Dark Side; she would not give her powers over to anyone if she had the Dark powers.
   "Anakin," she sighed, "Why?" she questioned expecting nothing but silence.
	   "Aless," whispered a voice, "I'm sorry."
	Alessandra turned around. Before her was a man, the man she knew to be Anakin Skywalker, the good man. His pale blue eyes sparkling in the light of room, and his light brownish-blond hair cut so neatly like the day they met. She stood there for what felt like the longest time. She didn't know what to say. She felt hatred and love swirling around in one emotion. She never loved her husband, he loved Anakin Skywalker, but Anakin Skywalker never loved her, he only loved his wife.
	   "I feel like such a fool standing here looking at you the same way I use to when I was alive. How I loved you, Anakin." She cried.
	   "I loved you too, but as Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker loved Queen Amidala, of Naboo. I loved her. I don't know if she is alive now, or if she's dead. She gave birth to my two children, whom I never got to love. Luke, my Jedi knight. Leia, my Princess." Anakin said. He was coming toward her; He touched her long, soft hair. "Forgive me, I never meant to cause you pain."
	If spirits could cry Alessandra would have.
	She closed her eyes, "Luke and Leia? My friend Xenf Gallandro knows them. He loves your daughter, Leia. He doesn't seem to mind your young Jedi Knight. It's Leia's lover he doesn't care for. I forgive you, Darth Vader." She tilted her head to the side and smiled softly.

	   "Alessandra?" Xenf asked hoping for an answer.
	   "Yes?"
	   "We're almost to Bakura, and I just wanted to make sure it's alright with you that I report in." he said.
	   "Xenf Gallandro, I wouldn't want you to loose you place in the Alliance over me, so go and report in. I'm not going anywhere." She whispered.
	   "Alright."  He said. "What are you doing anyway? You've been awfully quiet, you usually more chatty then this."
	   "Oh, I'm just catching up with someone." She replied.
	   "What?"
	   "Another dead person, Gallandro."
	   "Oh, another Jedi like yourself. That's cool. Okay, I'll leave you alone."
	   "Thank-you, Xenf. You're very sweet." Alessandra said, and Xenf felt a cool breeze touch his cheek softly, and there was a smell of exotic flowers.

	He looked about in every which looking for the Jedi that gave off the foul feeling around him. Hr had not felt anything like this before. Many things had he felt, coming close to such a feeling, but nothing life this trembled the Force as much as it did now.
	   "Aahhhh, young Skywalker. I suppose Ben never told you about me." The man, who owned the voice stepped away from the shadows, the hood of a cloak hid his face. He looked up slightly, and Luke could see the eyes of evil staring him back in the face. "You've heard of Devils, haven't you young Skywalker?"
	Luke didn't answer at first, but then he said, "Only devil I've ever known was Emperor Palpatine."
	   "Palpatine? You've got to be kidding me? That man thought he was ruler of all things. I heard what you did to him. How you threw him over into the Central core of the Second Death Star. That's guts." A lizard like tongue escaped from the mans mouth and slid back in.
	   "I didn't kill Palpatine." Answered the blue eyed boy.
	   "Don't be so modesssst."  He said slipping his tongue back in his mouth again.
	   "I didn't. My father did."
	   "Father?"
	   "Anakin Skywalker."
	   "Oh, Darth Vader. He betrayed his master? I must congratulate him." The man stepped closer to Luke.
	   "He's dead."
	   "You killed him?"
	   "No, he died from the shock of lightening Palpatine was tagging me with." Luke said, backing away.
	   "Well, you didn't turn out at all the way I thought you'd be. Well I'll give you the choice anyway." The man paused, stopping the think. "Yessss, a choice."
	   
	   "What are you talking about?" Luke asked.
	   "You've heard of Devils, haven't you?" he asked again.
	Luke nodded.
	   "And you believe in them, right?"
	 Luke shook his head.
	   "Well, then I guess you do now. You've just met the Devil of the Force." The man smiled under his hood, and then began laughing.