The Rebel Faction

"Owen..." Cairo looked worried. This was the first smuggling run she had been on in a long time, and already there was 'big trouble'? Well, that wasn't a good sign...

The <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Big Boss<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> jerked and bucked from the shots the other ships fired. Cairo slapped the button that activated the shields' high power. Once the invaders noticed this they ceased fire and tried to open communications with the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Big Boss<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->...

"<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> OWEN!!!!!<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> No!!!"

Cairo watched helplessly as the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Big Boss<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> exploded into millions of peices, all of them going in a million directions...

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Togorian ships cease fire and then cruise off as if nothing had happened, but she couldn't take her eyes off the debris that tumbled and swirled in space. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Owen....my dear Owen...No...no no no...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Tears fell from her eyes as she searched the debris with a scanner. The readout came back and Cairo gasped, dropping the scanner and bursting into tears...
<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> "No lifeforms found." <!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

The tears wouldn't stop comming and the sobs came even harder...

"Cairo...kid...please..."

Cairo and Jai sat in Cairo's apartment on Delph. They were sitting on the couch in the living room. Cairo was leaned over on her older sister, sniffleing and boo-hooing, telling her all about everything.

"No no no! Don't you understand Jai!? I loved him..."
Cairo gasped and corrected herself.
"Wait! No no...I <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> love<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> him!"
She sighed sadly and rested her head on her sister's shoulder.
"Oh Jaya, I'm already talking about him in the past tense!"

"Cairo, you've got to calm down, kiddo...your going to make yourself sick."

"Jai, what am I going to do?"

Jaina sighed and pulled Cairo away from her a bit and looked into her baby sister's eyes, "Cairo...don't worry about anything. Ok, kid? I'll take care of it all."

Cairo looked at her questioningly, " 'It all'? What do you mean?"

"Oh, ya know..." Jai hesitated, but saw that Cairo didn't follow.
"The funeral, babygirl."

"<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> What<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->?! NO! He's not dead! He's not!"

"Cairo! Stop this! You of all people should know he is...you saw it happen. Stop acting like a child. He's gone, kid! He's gone."

------------------------------------------------

The conversation continued...Cairo became more and more hysterical as it drew on, till finally Jai walked out. Cairo slammed the door behind her big sister and made a lewd gesture.
"Frelling Jaya."
Then the hopelessness hit her...Owen wasn't alive. Not after that explosion...there was no way.
She bit her lip in thought and sniffled. She put a hand on the door and opened it. She was going to call Jai back...but she was already gone.
Cairo shut the door and turned around, leaning agianst it. she started crying agian and slid down the door into a sitting position. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her around around them, resting her chin in between her knees.
She whispered tearily, "Owen...if there is such a thing as the Force, then you should be able to hear me...and if there isn't then i'm talking to thin air...but...but..."
She broke down and started sobbing agian, "Come back, Owen...come back..."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Ding...dong.....ding.......dong....<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

It was a sad day on Delph. The chapel bells toll's said it all...it was a funeral.

"Ladies...Gentalmen...Friends and Loved Ones...we have gathered here, on the mournful day, to lay to rest Owen Aiden. A fearless warrior, a loyal friend, and a great man...if you will turn in your hymnal's to page...."

The preacher trailed off as Jai took the hymn book from Cairo and turned to the correct page, holding it out where they both could read it. Cairo didn't sing however. How could she?

Here they all were...in the middle of Tantis...in the back of a church...in the middle of a graveyard....standing over the empty grave of her true love...lowering an empty coffin. The very idea sickened her.

It was depressing in the truest sence of the word...everyone was in black, even her. Her usual brilliantly colored, Bormean-styled clothing was now replaced by black, drab, mourning robes. Her hair was down and plain; her makeup was modest...it was the traditional Bormean way of women to do such things when they lost thier mates. Although Cairo and Owen were merely dateing, Cairo stilled followed tradition...out of love and respect for her dear departed love.

"Katrina Cairo Solo?"

Cairo snapped out of her museings as the preacher said her name, "Hm...um...Sir?" She cringed at calling the pastor 'sir', but he had caught her off guard.

"Would you...if you please?" He held out a handfull of dirt towards her.

Cairo leaned over slightly and the parson dropped it into her palm. She looked at the dirt and then at the coffin in the grave...it was so far down...so cold...forebodeing...dark...Cairo bit her lip and tossed it the dirt. Then she turned and walked away quickly as tears streamed from her cheeks.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Knock, knock, kncok<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

The woman opened the door to her house and was greeted with an interesting surprise, A young man stood there.

His clothes were torn and he had a bad cut on his forehead.

"Hello, my name is Owen Aiden...."

He trailed off and suddenly slumped to the floor, out cold.

The woman's eyes went wide and she threw out her arms to catch him.

"Oh my!.... Trinna? come quick!"

A young woman came running.And together they managed to get the man into a cot in the back room.

His eyes opened he he stared in shock at the woman.

"Cairo!."

Trinna frowned.

"Excuse me? my name is Trinna Gleno....not Cairo.Mother? who is he?"

"He said his name is Owen Aiden.He fainted and I couldn't just leave him.He needs rest,clothes, and medical treatment.We must help him."

"Mother....."

"No Trinna, we will help him."

Trinna's frown got deeper but she said nothing else.