Project Boussh: For The Cause
by Alison Sky and Scifantasy

"Anyone else? Better yet, any objections?"
Sci looked at each person standing in the room. Mike, who had stated
his position, stared back. Becki had also put in her two cents. Alison
was determined enough to join Sci and his team with a broken hand; she
wasn't going to walk away. Besides, she wanted her sword back. As Sci
looked at the other Terrans, he realized that they all agreed with
Mike on one point: Atner was evil. Their job was to fight evil. Sci
looked over to the various NR personnel. Corran, as a Jedi Knight, had
a responsibility to fight evil. The others: Ooryl, Shalla, Face...all
of them had dedicated their lives to fighting the Empire, another
manifestation of the evil they were facing here.
All that remained was Sci. Could he, in good conscience, lead a
mission to radically change the future of another country? Was it his
place to rewrite the future of Mendellia?
*Too late,* Sci thought. They'd already interfered. But why didn't he
feel any better about it? Normally, when Sci made a decision that he
knew was right, he didn't have any regrets. Suddenly the piece he'd
been missing fell into place. *It's not just about Mendellia anymore.*
Sci was doing what he was doing for his world. As much as Sci
complained about Terra, as much as he wanted to travel among the
stars, Terra was home. And he would do anything in his power to defend
his home.
Sci smiled. All the doubt in his mind had just been vaporized. "Seeing
none, the decision has been made. We go after Atner."
Alison nodded slowly. "The sooner we go, the better."
Mike frowned in confusion. "I thought we had to heal up before we
left?"
"Not all of us have been injured. Ooryl, Shalla and I can go whenever
we're ready," answered Corran, idly lounging in a chair nearby.
"So can I," added Sci. "And Alison is coming, whether any of
us--myself included--likes it or not."
Mike nodded, barely concealing a grin. "Let's go, then."
Sci made no attempt to move. "You're not going anywhere."
"What?"
Sci sighed. "If Atner so much as sees you, he'll want you dead.
Besides, the feeling's probably mutual, and even if we're getting
ourselves involved in this revolution, I don't want any of us to be
the ones to kill Atner. Also, you're still weak from the bacta dip.
Stay out of this one."
Mike shook his head, but he sat down.
"That goes for the rest of you. Stay in here, make use of all the
resources in here, try to heal up. If we need backup, we'll call."

Sci led his team down the corridor towards Atner's command room. He,
Corran, and Shalla were leading in a triangle. Shalla was at point,
Sci flanking her to the left, Corran on the right. Following them were
Alison and Ooryl, side by side.
Sci had serious reservations about allowing Alison to come along.
She'd been seriously injured in the fighting--her hand was healed
somewhat, but far from completely. Besides, she'd had a difficult
experience because of what Atner did. Sci wasn't concerned with Atner
per se, and wouldn't shed any tears at the man's death, but justice
was better than revenge. If Atner was to die, trial and execution were
better than a blaster bolt.
Sci whispered to Shalla and Corran. "That T-junction up ahead...either
way leads to Atner's private sanctum. Corran, Alison and I will go
left. Shalla, take Ooryl and go right. Don't move in until you have
to. We'll signal you when we're in position. Corran, you and Alison
are with me." Corran and Shalla nodded. Corran reached the edge of the
wall, pressed up against it, and snuck a look around. No one. He
nodded to Sci.

Alison kept in pace with the others, her mind caught up in personal
thoughts.  Her fists clenched as she imagined herself driving her
sword into Atner, up to the hilt, and smiling into his face while he
looked down and realized that she was the one who had killed him.
"Ooryl has heard many stories about you from when we last talked."
Alison jumped at the Gand's words.  "Ooryl, has anyone ever told you
that sneaking up on people is not looked highly upon in Terran
society?"
A thoughtful look came to Ooryl's face.  "I believe Josh said
something similar to Ooryl about that back in the outback."
A twinkle came to Alison's eyes.  "Then I believe Ooryl should listen
to advice, even if it comes from a Crispy Fried Aussie."
"He wasn't fried back then," Ooryl stated.  "In fact... he was
concerned about turning into a lobster, if Ooryl recalls correctly."
Alison knitted her eyebrows in confusion, then shrugged off the
comment as one that she wasn't sure she wanted an answer to.  She
looked ahead at Sci whispering to Corran and Shalla.  The young man
seemed to be in such control.
"Do not be jealous of your leader," Ooryl stated.
"I'm not jealous," Alison quickly replied, and she realized that the
snap in her voice revealed a guilty conscious.  She looked up at
Ooryl, who was trying not to smile.  "Ok, maybe I'm a little jealous.
I mean, he's younger than me, and he has this ability to command
authority and control over people double his age."
"And you wish you held this ability."
"Yeah."  Alison stared at the floor.
"This is the second time we converse on this subject, Alison.  Does
having a leadership ability mean so much to you?"
"Yes... I mean no... I mean..." Alison sighed, biting her lip.
"Ooryl, have you ever had so many emotions, so many thoughts swim
through your head at one time that you don't know what to think half
the time, and how to think the other?"
Ooryl closed his eyes.  "I believe Runt would be a better person to
ask that to."
Alison stifled a laugh.  "Perhaps he would, but to which mind would I
ask the question?"
A deep chuckle came from Ooryl's throat.  "That would present a
problem."  Ooryl placed a hand on her shoulder.  "You are still young
yourself, Alison," Ooryl stated.  "Let not your mind worry about the
abilities you lack.  You have a future, and in time it will come."
"I thought Rogues were taught not to look into the future."
"Wedge allows us to after we have survived five battles," Ooryl
commented.
"Let's see... the mall, Retsim, the cloning facility, and that fight
with Atner... I've only had four battles."
"Must we not forget the fight to med bay, or that underwater fight
with the scuba diver," Ooryl reminded her.  "That is six. You're
allowed to have a future now."
Alison had to laugh aloud.  "Having a future is a good thing.  Having
someone to share that future with is a lot different."
"You have your friends," Ooryl stated.  "And from there, all else will
follow.  Give it time."
Nodding, Alison looked ahead at Sci, Corran and Shalla.  They had
arrived to a hallway and the Corellian Jedi was pressed against the
wall, looking around the corner.  Alison placed her semi-healed right
hand on the hilt of the borrowed sword while she could feel the blade
of the knife against her leg in her boot.  "Looks like I get to add
one more battle to my list," she stated, preparing herself for Sci's
orders.  *Let him lead,* Alison thought to herself.  *Maybe being a
follower isn't as bad after all.*

Sci led Corran and Alison to the door. Clicking his comlink twice, Sci
blasted the door. Amid the smoke, he stepped into the room, blaster at
the ready. Atner was standing in front of his desk, with a guard on
either side. Both were carrying blaster rifles. "Eugor Atner, by
orders of the rightful Government of Mendellia, you are under arrest.
The charges include the murder of Enad Atner and illegally assuming
rule of Mendellia. Come peacefully and you will be given a fair
trial."
Atner smiled, a smile that was equal parts arrogance, superiority, and
downright malice. "A fair trial? I don't believe there is such a
thing. Why not just pull the trigger yourself? You'll save everybody a
substantial bit of effort. Or do you loathe the thought of killing?"
Sci barely kept from laughing, realizing what Atner was trying to
accomplish. "Your mind games won't work on me, Atner."
His smile vanished, but his face was calm, untroubled. "No? I know all
of your weaknesses. Didn't Lady Sky tell you?"
Sci nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off of Atner. "She did, and
we found your computer setup. So. I finally meet Darth Brooks."
He smiled again, this time reminding Sci of a line he'd once read. *A
tight little smile which Zaphod wanted to hit with a brick.* "Are you
surprised?"
Sci shook his head just as slowly as before, but this time his eyes
shifted for a moment. As he'd hoped, Shalla and Ooryl had managed to
sneak around back and were waiting for the right moment. "Only at all
the mistakes you made. For a self-stated perfectionist, you botched it
up pretty bad. You even violated Godwin's Law."
Atner's face contorted in anger a little before he regained control.
"Then you know that I know your weaknesses. You know that..."
Sci cut him off. "I know that you have no idea who I am and you're
trying to trick me into revealing something. It's not going to work.
You're going to lose this war, and most likely die, without satisfying
your most basic desire: information. I'm a closed book to you, Atner."
Atner glared at Sci, the anger evident this time, then reached behind
him. He grabbed something off his desk and began to bring in front of
him. Sci, seeing the flash of metal, fired twice.