# Star Wars - A New Power  Ch. 24 - Departure



## Angcuru (Apr 6, 2005)

Coruscant, several years before the Clone Wars…​

“Master Tabano, does his mean we won’t see you again?” The padawan asked the question that had been nagging his mind ever since they had landed on Coruscant.

“It may, Arias. I’ll be taking a new padawan learner, but we may see each other more often than you expect. You and Miera are more than ready for this and you know it. If not for the strain of preventing a full scale war, the council would have summoned you both for the trials long ago.” The togruta replied.

“I hope that is the real reason why we weren’t called earlier…” Arias looked down past his feet, through the clear shell of the turbolift at the early morning sun shining past the countless buldings.

“I hope so too, Arias.” Miera spoke up.

“Now now, Miera. If the council disapproved of my taking two padawans when I did, they won’t have the same sentiment now. Not only is the need for Jedi greater than ever in these strained times, but you two are the most gifted padawans I have ever had the privilege to train.”

“Ha. We’re the only padawans you’ve trained, master.” Arias said with a grin on his face.

This brought an amused grin to Tabano's multi-colored face as. "True enough. Even so, I have never heard of anyone completing the training as rapidly and thoroughly as you two have."

"You give us too much credit, master." Miera smiled. "It was due more to your persistance than anything else."

Tabano smiled at his two human padawans. "Now you give me too much credit."

The turbolift slowed to a halt, and the doors opened to the lobby, with the Jedi Council just past a set of doors on the other side of the room. The receptionist indicated that they should be seated until the Council called for them.

After several minutes of waiting, the doors opened and shut as a familiar figure walked out, rubbing the sides of his head.

"I take it the council is becoming more thorough in its debriefings, Obi-Wan?" Tobano asked.

"Hmm?" Obi-Wan Kenobi looked up, surprised. "Torm Tabano? With Arias Falm and Miera Pannar too? Of course its you, you're the only rainbow with two padawans in the order!" He stepped forward with a grin and clasped hands with the togruta. "It's been a long time, old friend."

"It most definitely has been, Obi-Wan."

"Ah, Miera, Arias. You're looking well."

"So are you, Master Kenobi." Miera and Arias replied in unison.

"Ah, don't be so modest. You don't think I've forgotten how you came to aid Anakin and I last year, have you?."

"Well, they're only droids, sir. It wasn't anything extraordinary." Arias said.

"Wasn't it?" He patted Tabano on the back. "Ah, I wish I could stay and chat, but I'm running on a tight schedule."

"Yes, that seems to be the case with so many in these times. Be safe, Obi-Wan." Tabano returned the gesture.

As Obi-Wan entered the turbolift, the receptionist gestured for Arias and Miera to enter to council room.

Miera took a deep breath as they stood up. "Wish me luck."

"You won't need it." Arias smiled at her.

***

Several years later on the Ice Planet of Hoth...​
"I REPEAT: Our entire battalion has been pinned down by at least 2, no three dozen droidekas!" The clone trooper yelled into his comms reciever. "Casualties are at 27 percent and piling up fast! We need support NOW!"

"Any response, trooper?" His commanding officer queried, crouching behind a wall of dead troopers piled on the rim of the crater they were holed up in long enough to replace the power pack on his blaster rifle.

"None yet, sir. There's too much chatter on the com network to get a clear signal." The comms trooper slapped the side of his wide-spectrum communications transmitter in frustration.

"Keep trying, then."

After several minutes of repeating the same message into the transmitter, he barely heard the response over the hellish blaster fire. "Message recieved, trooper. Put your commanding officer on the comm."

The trooper tapped his commanding officer on the thigh, and handed him the comms reciever as he crouched down.

"Yes sir. Casualties are currently at...35%. If this keeps up we'll be slaughtered within the hour. Firing coordinates, sir? Hold for a moment." The trooper commander stuck his head up over the barricade or corpses to point a guidance laser at the nearest cluster of droidekas, and nearly had a fix when a blast hit him square in the neck, decapitating him in a shower of blood combined with scorced flesh and armmor.

The comms officer went to retrieve the transmitter, only to find that it had been disintegrated. The trooper discarded the comm unit and took up his blaster, trying to get a bead on the droidekas, but he could only see the blinding white snow of the raging blizzard. No use trying to sense them with infrared either. The cold cooled the droids' frames to the point where they were indescernable from their surroundings, but at the same time lit up the clone troopers like a cluster of stars gone nova.

There was simply no way that they could survive this, and the trooper knew it. It's a good thing that clone troopers are incapable of fear. He aimed his blaster toward the nearest source of droid baster fire and hoped to hit something other than snowflakes. Out of nowhere, a blue light suddenly shone from behind the group of droids. Two blue lights extending from a single point, actually, and that could mean only one thing.

The dual blades spun in a rapid, continuous arc as they rushed the cluster of droidekas so fast that the trooper could barely follow them. The tight cluster of half a dozen droidekas fell apart almost simultaneously, as if their joints had suddenly decided to separate.

A crashing noise from the opposite side of the barricade caught the trooper's attention. A pair of droids lay in a smoking ruin, as another was suspended in the air at least ten meters above a fourth droid, and suddenly fell to collapse onto another two, destroying all three.

"All troopers cease fire! Grendades concentraded on points 6.0 and 12.0!" The remaining troopers hurled their last grenades, alltogether taking out at least fifteen droids. The comms trooper, now the commanding officer, then hurled their last thermal detonater, but unluckily the winds changed precicely as it left his hand, blowing the explosive directly towards the exact center of the troop formation. It was a VERY good thing that clone troopers were incapable of fear.

Just before the detonater was about to hit the ground, it halted and shot off in a completely different direction. In fact, it was headed towards a group of droidekas. The grenade detonated in a flash, showing that at least five droids had been melted down in that blast.

With that last flash, all was silent. The blue light disappeared, and two figures strode out of the snow toward the trooper.

"Generals Falm and Pannar, thank you for your assistance!" The comms trooper stood stock straight and saluted. Not that they could likely see him in the snow, what with his white armor and all.

"Report, trooper!" Arias demanded.

"Casualties at 45%, ammunition-"

"Noted, gather your troops for evac. A transport is on the way. All resistance has been eliminated, prepare to return to your ship." Miera said.

As the trooper gathered the remaining troops and equipment, Meira and Arias headed back towards their airspeeder.

"Well, that's another planet conquered for the glory of the Republic." Arias grumbled.

"Arias, it's not like we set out to take it. The seperatists tried to set up a staging area here, and we stopped them."

"Obviously. And now to prevent them from setting up another, we set up a permanent defense station in orbit and utilize the planet for "The Republic"'s purposes."

"You've been more and more critical of the Republic lately, Arais. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, especially." Miera help up a datapad indicating their fighters' position.

"You would be too if you didn't blindly follow your orders like you do."

"What? You follow them just as I do."

"True, but you never question them. You never even try to figure out why the war is turning out the way it is." Arias spotted their craft.

"Just what are you getting at?" Miera tapped in the entry code to her starcraft.

"I'm not entirely sure, but there's something suspicious about the whole war. There's something rotten at the core of it." Arias sighed as he entered his starfighter. "I need more time to think on it."

"Then you can think on it on our way to Coruscant."

The two Jedi took off with not another word between them.



Once they landed their fighters in the docking bay of the RCS Interdictor, they headed for the command deck.

Arias could never get over the fact that every damned officer, deckhand, technician, and soldier on these things looked exactly the same. It was just downright....creepy. Sometimes he even thought that the droids looked like them.

As they entered the command deck of the cruiser, it was of course the officer in charge of plotting the ship's course that recognized them, instead of vice versa.

"Generals, do you have orders?"

"The planet has been taken, officer. As soon as the occupation force has arrived, we depart for Coruscant." Miera said.

The CP officer did a few quick calculations before replying. "Sir, we are too low on provisions to head directly to Coruscant. We will have to make a brief resupply stop at Alderaan first. ETA once occupation forces arrive, approximately two weeks, plus or minus three days."

Arias smiled. "Perfect..."

"Sir?" The CP officer said.

"Nothing, good work. Carry on, officer." Miera said, hiding a smile.

Arias poked Miera in her shoulder. "What're you smiling about?"

"The same thing you are." She grinned knowingly.

Arias noticed the CP officer looking curiously at them. "Ah yes, sparring time. Shall we?" He held out a hand down the corridor that eventually (after eight or ten thousand turns it seemed) lead to a sparring room they had had installed on the ship.

"Yes, lets." Miera said after looking at him quizically for a second.

Fifteen minutes later, they were facing each other, wearing their simple Jedi garments, sans cloaks in a room that looked more like an ancient... dojo they were called on some worlds than it did the inside of a starship.

"So what shall we practice with today, Arias Falm?" Meira said mockingly. "Lightsabers or Force Techniques?"

Arias gave her a mock scowl. "I suggest lightsabers. You haven't been using yours enough lately. I must admit though, I did like the idea of using droids to bludgeon other droids into submission."

"You liked that, did you? But you're right, I do need to practice my swordplay." Miera flicked her wrist, bringing her blade to her hand from a shelf on the wall.

Arias did the same. They ignited their lightsabers with the always-familiar snap-hiss. Arias' being a blue double-blade, Miera's a green single blade.

"Would you prefer defense or offense first?" Arias said.

"I'll take defense." She said, just before he dashed forward with a swing to her side. She blocked it easily. He always went easy on her, though.

Arias preferred to go on the offense more than the defense, mostly because Miera needed the most work in that department, but also because it was so easy with her that he had time to think about whatever vexed him.

Today it was a culmination of what he had been pondering for the past few years.

High overhead swing, blocked.
This is the third system this month that had come under the direct control of the republic.
Low slash to the side, blocked.
That wouldn't be so vexing if it wasn't for the fact that the republic in this case was the Grand Army of the Republic, commanded by the Jedi, who were more or less commanded by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, whether the Council openly accepted this or not.
Quick jab to the abdomen, dodged.
Wasn't it Master Windu who said that Jedi are keepers of the peace, not soldiers? Weren't soldiers exactly what the Jedi had become?
Slice from below to the knees, blocked.
It started just after Obi-Wan had discovered the oh-so-convenient clone army that was just waiting to be used. Obi-Wan had told me that Jango Fett, the original, had been recruited by a man named Tyrannus, in some moon or whatever, but it was outside of Republic space.
Spin around, chop to the neck, dodged. She's getting better at this.
But the Camino had said that Saipher Dias had comissioned the army on behalf of the Republic. Saipher Dias was a Jedi from Naboo, always a great supporter of Palpatine, helped him to become a Senator, even. Saipher dias later turned to the Dark Side and was killed.
Another spin with another attack the the neck, a stab this time. Blocked.
Palpatine became Supreme Chancellor more or less because the Trade Federation attacked Naboo while in an alliance with a Sith Lord.
Whip around, stab to the hip. Dodged.
A Naboo senator who opposed the formation of a republic army was the near-victim of several assassination attempts. Palpatine himself had suggested that Obi-Wan and Anakin investigate this, which lead to the discovery of the clone army, and that the bounty hunter who had attacked the senator was the same who was contracted to be the original for the clones.
Now she's going on the attack. A swing to the waist, dodged.
Obi-Wan tracks the bounty hunter to Geonosis, a seperatist world where he is captured and put up for execution. An attack on a Jedi by a near-hostile world is considered an act of war. Mace Windu heads a rescue operation, while Yoda gathers up the clones to provide backup. The war is begun. Supreme Chancellor is voted Emergency Powers, becoming something of a temporary dictator voted into office.
Slice to the wrist, blocked.
The seperatist leader is revealed as a Sith, who suggests the the Senate is under the control of a Sith Lord...WHAT THE?!?
Thrust to the shoulder...connects.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Arias cursed aloud, not even noticing the wound, and that he has dropped is blade and fallen onto his rear..

Miera dropped her lightsaber to the floor and hurriedly inspected the wound. "I'm sorry I thought you were going to block it you could have blocked it why didn't you block it are you alright does it hurt a lot-"

"I'm fine!" Arias growled. Actually, now it's starting to hurt. "Ooh....maybe not." He began to feel dizzy, and lay back on the floor.

Miera placed a hand on the wound, and the new hole in Arias' body began to regenerate itself. "I'm sorry, I was too serious about it. I hope this doesn't hurt too much."

Arias noticed that she was crying. He reach up with his non-wounded side hand and stroked her cheek. "I know you would never purposely do anything to hurt me, Miera."

She smiled weakly and held his hand against her face. "So you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive. It was a lapse in concentration on my part."

"That's some lapse. I almost killed you."

"Well, I'm not dead and there won't be a scar, so lets imagine that it never happened in the first place." Arias smiled.

"Sounds like a good idea. So what broke your concentration?"

Arias stopped smiling.

"What? Is it something I did?" Miera looked concerned.

"No, nothing you did."

"What then?"

"You know how I've been thinking about what we've been doing all these years? This whole war, what it's all about?"

"Yes, we're fighting to protect the Republic."

"No, no we're not. I've been thinking it all over for years now, and it just hit me."

"What did?" Miera prodded the spot where the wound had been, to make sure it was fully healed.

"This...everything. The whole war, the army, the seperatists, the Jedi...everything's part of a impossibly elaborate coup."

"What are you talking about?"

So he explained to her what he had been considering as they had been sparriing, every little coincidence that he had found. When you put it all together, they weren't coincidences. It was a conspiracy, a plot. A plot to slowly eat away at the Republic and remake it as Palpatine's personal Empire. Little by little, just so that noone would notice unless they were unjustly paranoid and had access to all the information and resources that Jedi had. And Jedi weren't supposed to be paranoid. Arias just happened to be that lucky exception.

They lay slumped against the wall. Arias worked his shoulder to make sure that it was in working order. Miera stared into space, a picture of disbelief.

"It's just....it's....too much to take in."

"Now do you still think I was wrong in questioning what we're doing here?"

"No, I believe you. You've never lied to me about anything. You have every reason not to lie about this. It just seems so...impossible."

"And there's not a damned thing we can do about it."

"Why not? We could take this news to the Jedi Council and-"

"You know that they're suspicious of us already. They think that we're in danger of falling to the Dark Side, just because we broke one little tenant of the Jedi code."

"Hmph. 'There is no passion; there is serenity.'"

"And what is love but the ultimate passion?"

Miera smiled weakly and rested her head against Arias' shoulder. The non-stabbed shoulder, she knew better than that. "Well, we haven't fallen to the Dark Side, have we?"

"To think that the Jedi Order has become the tool that brings the Sith to power. That's irony for you."

"Makes you question your faith, doesn't it?"

"I was just thinking the same thing." Arias stood up and retrieved his lightsaber.

Miera did the same. "So what do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do." Arias said. "We leave."

Miera just nodded in agreement.



Several hours later, they lay abed. Arias held Miera close, abentmindedly stroking her hand.

"We'll have to leave it all behind, you know. Everything." Miera said.

"Yeah. There's no way to avoid it. We'll have to leave Republic Space. Maybe not for good, but for a long time."

"Arias, once I knew the truth, everything became clear. Not just my thoughts, but my visions, the future."

"What do you see?" This is the way it always was for them. The was the fighter, the action, he did the planning and got things done. She was the more mystical one, seeing what would happen, where, and what might be done to stop it.

"I see the Galaxy like a disc of light, with little blue spots wherever the Jedi are. There's a darkness creeping in. The light is growing dimmer, and the blue spots are slowly disappearing, one by one. The light turns to black, and the blue spots soon follow the light into oblivion. Now, in the black, there are two spots that are perfectly red. But there is light still. So little, but still there. Two dots, neither red nor blue, but white, at the edge of the black, barely detectable, so very dim, but undeniably there."

"Those two white dots. Those are us, aren't they?"

"There's more. There are more white dots eventually, around the two. It looks like there is another blue dot showing up far, far later, but I can't be sure."

"So the Republic will fall, and Palpatine will have his Empire."

"It can't last forever though. No matter how long he reigns, he will fall in time. That's his one huge flaw, but he doesn't see it that way, I think. When he is gone, the black will fade away and be again replaced by the light. But no matter to him. If he's gone, he doesn't care what happens. It could burn for all he cares. And he will fall. Tyrants always do." She snuggled closer to him.

After a few minutes, Arias asked the inevitable question. "Tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow."


----------



## Angcuru (Apr 7, 2005)

*Prologue, Part 2*

_Figher Hangar Bay of the RCS Interdictor..._​
"Generals, what should we tell the occupation forces regarding your absence?"  The hangar officer asked.

"We have detected a disurbance that requires our immediate and personal attention.  We won't be gone for more than a few hours at most."  Miera told him  as she did a final systems check on her ship.  Weapons systems, engines, life support, hyperdrive, check.  New cloaking field that the Jedi Order fortunately doesn't know about, check.

"Are you sure this will work?"  Arias asked once the officer had left.

"Of course it will.  I planned it, didn't I?"  Miera hit the switch to close her cockpit.

"The last time you said that we had to fight our way out of a Trade Federation Control Ship."  Arias closed his cockpit and started up the engines.

"No, you forget.  You took out half the droids on the ship before I cracked the system and fried the entire network."

"Same thing."

A short while later, they were in hyperspace en route to a Seperatist staging point orbiting Bespin.

"You remember the plan, Arias?"

"Yeah.  Now you're SURE that these cloaking devices will hide us in hyperspace, too?" Arais said over the comm.

"If they don't it'll be just like any other engagement, and we'll have to come up with another plan.  No worries."

"If you say so.  Hold on, we're at the dropout point."  Arias watched the hyperspace countdown reach zero, and pulled they out into realspace not ten meters from each other.  Right in front of a fleet of Trade Federation Dropships surrounding Bespin.  Within seconds of their arrival, several wings of drone fighters scrambled to intercept them.  "Ladies first." Arias blew her a kiss.

"Bah."  Miera returned the kiss and set her engines to ramming speed.  Arias followed soon after, the two Jedi Starfighters speeding toward what looked like at least sixty drone fighters.  The drones split up into two groups, one heading for each of them.

Arias sped straight towards one group, Miera at the other.  As the shooting started, Arias started into a maneuver that was both offensive and defensive, highly effective, and deceptively simple.  He set shields to full forward, sent his ship into a speedy spin, and pulled back and to the right ever so slightly on the yoke, firing his ship's blasters all the way.  The result was a spinning corkscrew blazing blaster fire that went ramming straight towards the center of the drone fighter formation.  This forced the drones to pack into a tight group to improve the likelyhood that their concentrated fire would hit the Jedi Fighter.  What few blasts that managed to hit his fighter were deflected harmlessly by the ship's shields, while his weapons took out four or five drones before he purposely collided slightly with the centermost drone, destroying it and jolting him around 180 degrees just in time to see the rest of the drones continue forward and trigger the sonic mine which he had dropped off seconds before.  There was a soundless moment as the mine detonated in the middle of the tightly packed drones, taking out at least half of the formation as they scrambled to turn around.

Arias balanced out his shields and set to work taking out the remaining drones with good old blaster fire, risking a quick glance at his wind monitor screen to see how Miera was faring.  Apparently, she had decided to do the exact same thing as him.  Figures.  She taught him how to do that, after all.

Half a minute later, they finished off the remaining drones and drifted towards each other to form back up.  "Ready?"  Miera asked.  Their scanners indicated two incoming Mark 6 Concusion Missiles.

"That's our cue.  They sure aren't fooling around with us."

Though they could keep a steady distance from the missiles by putting their engines on maxiumum, the missiles could keep up as long as their target's engines were firing, as they were powered by the stray ions picked up in their target's wake.  The missiles could theoretically track a moving target until their molecular structures completely degenerated.

The two Jedi spread apart and headed directly away from the Federation Ship cluster, purposely letting the missiles almost catch up to them.

"I'm transmitting the hyperspace coordinates to you now"

"On my count.  Three..." Miera said.

Arais stared at the scanner screen, watching the missiles getting closer and closer.

"Two."

Four seconds until impact.

"One."

Three seconds to impact.

'"HIT IT!"  Miera yelled over the comm.

Four things happened at once, eight if you're picky.  Arias and Miera simultaneously initiated their cloaking devices, started up their hyperdrives, and jettisoned their spare parts canisters.  Just as they entered Hyperspace undetected, both missiles impacted the canisters in dual explosions, giving the illusion that two Jedi had just been destroyed.

Arias and Miera breathed a sigh of relief as the blue tunned of hyperspace greeted them.

"Well, it worked."  Miera said.

"Thankfully.  So what now?"

"You tell me, you picked out the destination."

"Well, we only have enough supplies each for a short trip, and for what we have planned, Varonet was the best bet."

"Good choice.  Recently 'liberated' from the seperatists, largely decimated, lots of fleeing refugees, plentiful automated meltdown reclamation plants.  Perfect.  Well, not really but you know what I mean."

"We should be arriving in about six hours or so.  Best get some rest."  Arias said.



_Outer Rim world of Varonet, several hours later..._​


They emerged from hyperspace right on schedule, a short distance from the world of Varonet.  Miera was thankful that they had set their ships to drop out automatically, since it was the sudden absence of the pleasant hum of hyperspace that awakened her.  The apparent absence of her fighter hull was slightly unnerving, but that was also reassuring in that the cloaking device was still doing its job.  A shame that they wouldn't be around for much longer, really.  She pressed the comm button to contact Arias, and was greeted by an image of him slumped against the canopy, along with his soft snoring.  Really, how often did you hear of a Jedi who snores?  Miera grinned, upping the comm transfer volume to its maximum.

"WAKE UP, HUBBY!" She practically screamed into the comm.

"WHOWHATWHERE?!"  Arias woke with a start and a jump, bumping his head on the canopy.  He reoriented himself.  "So we've arrived then, good."

"Ha, you should have seen the look on your face."  Miera giggled.  "Anyway, I've scanned the surface and found a suitable location to ditch.  A reclamation plant about thirty clicks from a refugee departation station."

"Our luck is holding out, good.  How long till we can get there?"  Arias said, rubbing his head.

"Fifteen minutes or so.  Flight schedules say there's a refugee ship departing for Endor."

"Why would they send refugees to Endor?  There's nothing there but forest."

"The Holonet is advertising that the Republic desperately needs cheap labor for a mining camp there.  Apparently since most refugees don't have any credits, they can pay off their trip by doing some work there, then they can earn enough to afford a trip to wherever they're going."  Miera observed.

"A good opportunity to lay low for a while,  then.  Good.  We'll take that one."  Arias said.

They piloted their ships through the upper atmosphere, having waited for one of the regular meteor showers to provide cover for their entry.  Even if their ships were invisible, two parallel lines of fire in the sky would be a dead giveaway.  They set their ships down on the flat plains surrounding the reclamation plant, not far from the main smelter.  

Miera opened the canopy on her fighter and checked out the smelter with her electrobinoculars.  Two small chutes too small, but two open vats that would be just right.

"Looks like the only way is in that big vat in the center of the thing.  Why it's open to the air I have _no_ idea, but it'll do."  She looked across to Arias, who was sitting on the wing of his fighter, getting some much-needed fresh air.  "We're really going through with this, aren't we?"

"Of course we are."  Arias said.  "If we didn't we'd only be helping the Jedi Order to destroy itself.  It's sad really.  The Order may have lost its path, but it doesn't deserve to be destroyed altogether."

"Like you said, there's nothing we can do about that now.  Mine first, then?"

"If you want, they're both going in there, anyway."

Miera nodded, and gathered her posessions from the ship's hold before hopping to the ground.  She concentrated on the ship, and after a moment it rose into the air and was quickly drifting towards the smelting vat.  It hovered for a moment, and after a short look of longing, Miera relased the Starfighter, allowing it to fall into the molten mix.  Arias follows suit, with the same look of longing on his face.  After several minutes, both craft are gone.

"No turning back now."  Arias takes Miera's hand and squeezes it gently.

"I still can't believe it's turned out this way."  She let out a shuddering sigh.

"It'll be alright, Miera."



Three hours later they were on a medium-sized transport cramped in amongst a mix of sentients.  Primairly humans and some twil'leks, but with a small minority of bothans as well.  Fairly representative of the planet's populace, even the ratio of children to adults.  

"A twelve-hour trip to Endor, or so the pilot said..."  Arias told Miera.  They sat on one of the few cushioned ledges on the largely empty ship.  All of the major comforts had been removed, along with many of the walls to maximize passenger space.  So much so that there wasn't even a divider between the passenger hold and the cockpit.  Just one big shell.

"It may seem strange, but I can't help but notice that some of these refugees are Force Sensitive.  Lucky for them the Order didn't find and recruit them, otherwise they wouldn't survive what's coming."  Miera sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.  They had rid themselves of their Jedi Robes before getting onto the transport, now clothed in meager disaster relief donation clothing.  Not very comfortable, but it helped them blend in.  Miera were soon asleep, but Arias stayed awake for the duration of the trip, watching her sleep with a little smile on his face.



Twelve hours later, they pulled out of hyperspace just as predicted.

"Wait a minute...this isn't right." The pilor said.  "This isn't Endor at all, it's not even NEAR Endor! The navicomputer must have screwed up bigtime!"  That got Arias' attention _very_ fast.  The Seperatists had developed technology that let them pull craft out of hyperspace, and the Republic had taken it from them.  Did they know that he and Miera had deserted?!

Arias rushed to the 'cockpit', expecting to see a Republic or Seperatist fleet waiting out there, gloating at him.  Instead he saw that the ship had come out of hyperspace in the middle of an asteroid belt in a system he did not even remotely recognize.  In fact, one thing he didn't recognize in particular was the asteroid headed right for them at what seemed to be a VERY high speed.  Arias pointed it out to the pilot.

"There, it's coming right for us!"

"I see it!"  The pilot seemingly didn't mind getting orders from who was to him just another nameless refugee when his life was in danger.  "I don't think we can get out of the way in time!"  Panic looked to be setting in on the pilot.  It was clear that the transport didn't have the capacity to maneuver out of the rock's path in time.  The ships sensors started blaring a warning that the asteroid was on a collision course with the transport.  

_Looks like I have no choice._  Arias held his palm against the duraglass of the cockpit, reaching out to the asteroid.

"What the heck are you doing! I can't see-..."  The pilot saw the asteroid...slowing down?  he looked up at Arias, seeing his face a mask of concentration.

Arias clutched the rock in his mind, pushing against it to slow it down and guide it away from  the ship.  It glided past the cockpit, but grated against the ship's hull with a resounding groan from the superstructure.

Miera (along with everyone else) woke with a jolt. She saw Arais standing next to the pilot and rushed over to him.  "What's going on?!"

"We came out of hyperspace in the wrong place.  It's no system I recognize, and what's more, we came out into an asteroid belt!"

More sensors blared warnings.  

"Another asteroid!?"  Arias demanded of the pilot.

"No, it's something else."  The pilot called up a diagnostics list.  "Oh hell..."

"What?!"  Miera demanded

"We're leaking oxygen and fuel."  The pilot went pale.  "That collision must have ruptured the life support and engine systems."  He checked advanced diagnostics. "We have two hours before life support fails!"

This brought a generous bout of panic and screaming from the tightly-packed refugees.

"SILENCE!"  Arias commanded.   Surprisingly, it worked.  "If we panic, we die."

"Quickly, do a scan of the nearby planets.  There may be some that can support life."  Miera said.

"Right."  The pilot shook his head and went to work scanning.  He asked to noone in particular, "You're Jedi, aren't you."

"What makes you say that?"  Arias asked.

"The asteroid, you kept it from destroying us, somehow."

"Maybe, but I'm not a Jedi." Arais said.

Miera looked at him, shocked for a moment.  Then her expression softened, and she nodded.

"Hey, you could be a Wookie Go-Go Dancing Sith for all I care, you saved our lives."

"That's an...interesting observation."  Arias said.

"Forget about that, what does the scan show?" Miera asked.

"One planet in the entire system that can support life.  Forest/Jungle type."

"Which one is it?"

"That one right in front of us."  The pilot pointed at a blue-greed sphere surrounded by asteroids.  "We can reach it before life support runs out, but then theres's those asteroids the contend with.  Doesn't look like we have much choice, though."

Arias rubbed the sides of his head in frustration.  Then he noticed that all of the refugees were silent, and looking at him expectantly, pleadingly, even.  _Again, no choice._  "Just get the ship to that planet, let us worry about the asteroids."

The pilot looked at Miera and Arias.  "Right."  He put the engines on full speed.

For a tense hour, there was silence in the ship as it moved steadily towards the unknown planet.  An hour which the two now ex-Jedi spent constanly warding off incoming asteroids as the planet grew larger in their vision.

"We'll be intering the atmosphere in one minute." The pilot finally announced, bringing a strange mixture of relief and panic to all aboard.

The threat of the asteroids was now past, but there was still the question of whether the damaged transport could make a successful landing.  Everyone who could held fast to the nearest solid object, and a few people _were_ that nearest solid object. Arias and Miera held onto each other. The entry through the atmosphere rocked the ship violently, but passed quickly.  They came out into thick clouds, then into an open, blue sky, which would have been a pleasant site in any other situation.  Especially considering that the pilot reported having lost control of the ship, and they were heading for an outcropping of rock on the edges of a thick forest.  Arias and Miera tried to take hold of the ship through the force to slow their approach, but the ship was moving too fast and they were far too tired to have any noticable effect.  Inevitably, they impacted.

How much time had passed before she awoke, Miera had no idea.  The inside of the ship was total black.  An occasional moan could be heard, but other than that, there was silence.  There was no way to find out how many had survived and how many...didn't.  Miera fumbled around, not knowing which way was up.  She felt the around until she found the exit hatch, and tried to open it.  No luck, it must have been damaged in the crash.

Miera took the lightsaber which she had hidden in her clothes, held it against the hatch, and ignited it.  After a few seconds, she pulled it back. Daylight shone through the hole she had made.  She quickly stuck her blade back into the door, this time at the edge, slowly working it around until she had completely cut out the door.  With a kick, the hatch fell out and hit ground.  Light poured into the ship.  Miera saw Arias slumped against a wall, and hurriedly dragged him out of the ship.  She shook him gently and pleaded with him to wake up.  After several minutes, his eyes opened.  

"Oh, thank the force you're alright."  She held him close.

Arias reached up and stroked her cheek.  "That's the second time in two days you've said something like that.  Lets try not to make a habit out of it."

Miera smiled.  "_You_ try to stay out of trouble."

The refugees had begun to come out of the crashed ship.  Some lay on the ground, some kissed it in thanks, while others helped carry the dead and wounded out of the ship.  All told, surprisingly few had died.  Aside from seven or eight of the sick and elderly who had died, there were a few broken limbs, but nothing more serious than that, although everyone had their share of bruises.

Arias looked over them for some time, and then at their ship, which lay imbeded nose-first in rock at a crazy angle.  "I think we're going to be here for a while."


----------



## Angcuru (Apr 12, 2005)

*3 - Every Story Has A Beginning*

_29 Standard Years Later_​
The gangster who was known on Ord Mirrit only as "The Boss" had a look in his eyes that, even though she wasn't accustomed to reading quarren facial expressions, she could tell he was fuming to the point that one just might be able to melt durasteel on his face. Kia Obscura glanced down at her pair of red dice. Twelve. Then to The Boss's blue dice. Eleven. 

Kia smirked as she reached for the pile of credits that had been in the pot, sliding them into her pouch, she looked up at the Boss, "I guess today is just not your day," she quipped after beating him for almost the entire game. "I'll just use these to buy some upgrades and I'll be..." the teenager broke off at the sound of blaster pistols being drawn.  Not good. The Boss's face was twitching so violently that it was difficult to determine if he was extremely put off, or having a small seizure. He couldn't know that she had used her rudimentary skill with the Force to nudge one of his dice from a six to a five, could he? Probably not.  "Aww, come on, no need to get so serious." she admonishes, looking down at the table for an instant. One of the more twitchy guards fired a blaster shot past her skull. Time to get moving!  She connects with the table through the force, and darts away from the table, using the force as runs to fling the table at the boss and the guards. She may not know everything about the force, but tables throwing themselves at people would certainly be a distraction.


Aasan Tom the Kel Dor found himself wishing once again that his breather mask allowed for even a small tube for him do drink out of. The selection of beverages at the bar looked so tempting. No time for that, though. He had received his payment for bringing in that smuggler, and now it was time to go find another job. Well, he may have been paid for bringing in a smuggler who had betrayed The Boss, but it was one smuggler down nonetheless. Score one point for Justice. And a good amount of credits for Aasan. 

The Kel Dor headed for the landing pad, looking to find passage to nowhere in particular. Whatever was convenient would be whatever he would take. Aasan had just recognized the flight office when a young small-framed human girl bowled him over. He quickly got to his feet, and was just about to tell her off when a blaster shot went right in front of his eyes. Oh, what now? Another blaster shot went by right past his head. Was whoever was chasing that human after him now? A streak of red light singed his cloak. Yep, they were after him! He didn't know where to run, but the stirring of spacecraft thrusters close by provided him a direction. Aasan found himself running at breakneck speed towards a YT-1300 Corellian Transport, and noticed that girl running up the entrance ramp.

A few seconds later, he got up the ramp just as it closed. Heck, she got him into this mess, whoever she was. She would get him out of it. Aasan strangely found himself smiling. It was a bit unexpected, but he had found his transportation.

Her hair flapping in the wind as she runs, Kia makes it up the landing ramp of the _Dawnsprinter_ just in time. She slaps the close ramp button behind her and moves on to the cockpit without slowing. "No time for a full boot up, have to hot load." she muttered as she did exactly that, draining power from her Laser Cannon to feed into her engines. Kia, not caring that she was still on the ground, thrust the throttle of the _Dawnsprinter_ straight from stall to full speed. Of course, this would be hell on the engines, but with the credits she had just won, that wouldn't be too hard to undo. Once free from Ord Mirrit's atmosphere, she flew straight for the nearest hyperspace jump point. Home free. A series of tremors rocked the ship, accompanied by a drop in shield power. Or not. Kia set the shields to full aft and checked the radar. A wing of Z-95 Headhunters was right on the _Dawnsprinter_'s tail. The shields kept dropping, no matter what maneuvers she tried. The navicomputer beeped, indicating that the transport was out of the gravity well and could enter hyperspace, reminding her with big, bold, obvious letters to plot a course beforehand. Kia was about to plot a course when she was jolted forward by further hits, this time on the hull from the creaking sounds and the dozens of flashing red lights in the cockpit. 90...80...70 percent hull strength. With a mental note to give herself a beating if she survived this, Kia Obscura pushed the lever that sent the _Dawnsprinter_ into hyperspace.


Jorran Kaarai woke up in the pilot's seat to the beeping of the navicomputer. The transport was so old and beat up that he was surprised that it could still stand up to the rigors of hyperspace travel. Even so, he couldn't even remember its original name so he could wish it good luck. He just called it The Old Battleaxe, a phrase used on some primitive planets to refer to old women who just wouldn't die no matter how old they got.

Jorran didn't know exactly why, but this particular area in the galaxy called to him. The Force? Definitely. He had enough Jedi training to recognize the pull he felt. Why? No clue.

He exited hyperspace to the sight of a blue-green planet ringed by an asteroid field. Actually, the planet filled up most of his view. That is, it did the until the YT-1300 Corellian Transport that exited out of hyperspace right next to his ship crashed into the Battleaxe, sending the ship spinning towards a VERY large asteroid. The big red light that should never ever ever EVER be lit up....was lit up. HULL FAILURE IMMINENT! Well...damn. Being sure to grab his lightsaber, Jorran sprinted into the escape pod and hit the ejection switch, seeing his ship explode into a brief ball of flames seconds after the pod shot away.

"Sithspit" she cursed as she saw the planet approaching much to fast, "this is sooo gonna hurt."

Although logic told him that he should be panicking and soiling himself, Jorran was calm. In over thirty years, his senses had rarely been wrong about this sort of thing, though he was technically still a Padawan. Or would be if the Jedi Order still existed. Trusting to the force, Jorran sat back and waited for the inevitable impact with the planet which had been calling to him. Strangely enough, that Corellian ship which had collided with him was headed in the same direction. At a much higher speed.

"Sithspit" Kia cursed as she saw the planet approaching much to fast, "this is sooo gonna hurt."

***​
Rubbing her head, and the sore spot on her right temple, Kia groans herself to wakefulness. She had no clue how long it was since the crash, the cockpit lights were out and she was in total darkness. She knew the ship like the back of her hand, so it shouldn't be that hard to get out and start looking around. "First things first, get outside, see what I have to work with...this could be Naboo, or Malistaire for all I know, hopefully it’s inhabited. She shakily makes her way to the boarding ramp, and manually lowers it as much as she can. The gears were out of alignment, or something, so she had to slide out on her belly, unable to get it full open.

Kia's first observation upon looking out of the exit ramp is one word. Jungle. Steamy, hot, humid, with plants everywhere. When Kia lowers herself to the ground, she hears a small splash and feels moisture around her ankles. Looking around, she sees that the _Dawnsprinter_ has bisected a good-sized stream. Not too deep, but almost as wide as the transport itself. The stream has diverted to go around her ship, effectively surrounding it with water.

"Great, just great, I bet this place isn't inhabited at all, just my luck... I hope I can repair her, otherwise its going to be a real long wait for someone to show up." Kia complains, looking out into the jungle, and then down into the river. "At least my boots are keeping me feet dry, it could be worse, not sure how, but it could."


Aasan awakes to a headache, a neck ache, and a backache. Really, nothing new these days. He was getting was getting to old for this kind of excitement. Of course, he only vaguely knew of where he was and how he'd gotten there. Again, nothing new. As events slowly came back to him, he took in the surroundings of the ship.

It looked as bad as he felt. With a sigh from within his breath mask, he sat up and allowed his head to stop spinning. Through his goggles, the world was slowly beginning to clear up. He saw some movement, and nearly reacted by drawing his blaster and firing. Quickly, though, he realized it was the same girl who's nearly run him over back on wherever that was. He lost track of planet names these days, too.

Or maybe it was someone different. Humans all had a similar look to them. After he'd watched her climb out of the ship, Aasan got to his feet and made sure he still had everything. His two reddish, claw-like hands patted himself down. Everything was still there, including the large blaster carbine slung in an old stormtrooper's holster. He still didn't remember exactly how he pulled that one off...

Another sigh, and Aasan decided that staying inside a ship that had gone down wasn't going to do him any good. Rubbing his forehead and trying to ignore the pain there, he walked over to the access ramp and saw the shape it was in. Yes, that girl could get through that...but him? Definitely getting too old for this. Standing on top of the access ramp and holding on to the wall, he kicked down on it hard a few times until there was finally enough room, he slipped out to see himself in water next to the human.

Calmly, so as not to startle her anymore that she might already be, the Kel Dor said softly through his breath mask, "I am assuming you didn't plan to bring your ship down into a river..."

At the sound of thumping on the ramp followed by the splash, Kia turns swiftly away from the jungle, and back towards her ship, her hand flashing to her hip, bringing her lightsaber around and up, calling the Violet blade to life. She dropped into a guard position, or what she hoped looked like a guard position, she didn't really know how to fight with the weapon, but most people thought lightsaber meant Jedi and no one ever wanted to take the chance. "What in the name of the Sith were you doing on my ship? Not that it matters, but no, it wasn't planned to crash at all, let alone here, wherever here is."

Aasan was surprised to see the lightsaber, but both that and his smile were hidden by the goggles and breath mask. He eyed Kia carefully for a moment, allowing the hum of the lightsaber to bring back old memories. So the question then became an important one...was she just carrying a lightsaber as so many others he'd found in the past years did?

Calmly, though, he raised a hand, though the Kel Dor's other was resting calmly on his belt...close enough to his blaster is necessary, "Calm yourself. I simply needed a ride and this ship was closest. I can pay for the ride if you'd like, though crashing isn't usually something worth paying for."

Aasan paused a moment, almost getting lost in watching the lightsaber blade, "Where did you get that weapon?"

Kia's eyes narrowed as she looked over the Kel Dor, she was not very good at reading non-humans, and the Kel Dor's breath mask made it particularly difficult. She doubted he was one of the Quarren's gangsters, one of those would have just killed her while she was distracted by the void-brawl with the star fighters.

When the older being raised his hand to calm her, Kia, wasn't fooled, she was paying more attention to his blaster pistol hand then the other. "I'd be more friendly if you hadn't snuck aboard my ship, I doubt you work for he Boss, but I can't be too sure." she says, still watching him warily. "I think we might have bigger problems though, help me fix the _Dawnsprinter_ and I'll get you as far as you want to go, with in reason."

The CorSec Academy candidate doesn't lower her guard, while waiting for an answer, not being entirely willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, he had stowed away after all, but if they could get the ship repaired, well, it would be worth putting up with a lot.

As the human and Kel Dor stood there talking, or arguing, depending on how one looked at the situation, they both barely noticed the two dog-like creatures that burst out of the foliage and rushed them without a sound.

"I would think I have earned this Saber, I 'liberated' it from an Imperial sympathizer on Tattooine..." she breaks off sharply, turning to face away from the stowaway and towards the creatures that were charging the pair of them. Kia’s right hand shoots out towards the animals, leaving the lightsaber in her offhand. The move looked rather foolish until the Blaster that was cradled on her shapely hip jumped from its holster into the outstretched hand that was already pointing at the dog-things. She drew a quick bead on the closer of the pair, and caressed the firing stud with her finger.

"Yes, we can talk later, just don't turn that thing on me," Aasan commented more off hand than anything, though his breath mask didn't portray his change in tone very well. Either way, it didn't really matter at this point.

Turning to the creatures, Aasan was at least slightly surprised at their lack of sounds. Passing it off, he quickly drew his carbine and trained it on the nearest before squeezing off a single shot at the nearest of the two creatures. The shot would have hit it right in the eyes, but the thing stopped in its tracks and ducked with obvious effort, the beam skimming over the top of its body by mere centimeters.

Kia fired off a shot towards the other of the pair which was now less than 10 meters from her, carefully aiming for what she hoped was a weak spot. The blaster shot actually went into the creature's gaping mouth and down its throat. It made an odd sound halfway between a startled yelp and a roar of pain, then collapsed to the ground, shaking for a moment before going still.

The first of the pair reeled back, scuffing the ground as it wheeled around and retreated.

"Do you have any idea of where we are or what those things are?" Kia asks the Kel-dor as she double taps the saber's power stud to turn it off. She clicks the blade back to her belt, and lets it bounce on her thigh. Kia looked at her handiwork for a moment before turning back to the Kel-dor, her pistol still in hand, though not pointed. With her right hand, she sweeps the hair that had come out of her pony tail back in under the binder.

"So, can I trust you to play nice until we're back to civilization?" she asks, smirking.

Aasan watched the creature disappear before sliding the carbine back into its holster on his thigh. After a short moment, he looked back to the young human, "If I can trust you with that weapon..." he trailed off a moment and then looked around to take in their surroundings, idly commented, "You should not carry that weapon if you are not Jedi..."

Kia rolled her eyes at the admonishment about carrying a Jedi weapon. "I put it to better use then the Collector that possessed it, and unlike most people that carry them now, I can actually use the force. That makes me the next best thing to a Jedi." she says confidently, returning the blaster to its spot on her thigh. The smuggler, sighs and turns back to the ship.

"First things first, we need to see what we can salvage in the way of supplies from the _Dawnsprinter_. Then we need to figure out what it'll take to get her running again. We can sleep onboard her at night to avoid the predators, and there should at least be rations in her galley, not Luxury class, but they should do, if they survived. You get started on the Inventory, I'll do what I can to get a diagnostic going." Kia says, taking charge. She slides back into the Darkened ship, and then ignites her Saber for light. The girl heads back up to the cockpit, intending to get working whatever systems she can.

The first thing she does is secure her lightsaber into a holder so tat she can have both hands free. After that she works on getting power back, with lights being her main goal at first, figuring if she can get the lights back, it would at least allow the two of them to see and work more efficiently.

"If anything needs fixing, I've got some experience in holding hunks of junk together..." Aasan called down towards the cockpit before deciding that inventory was a good idea anyway. He had no idea how many supplies were on this thing in the first place, and couldn't help but wonder if she did.

So, he had a look over everything, trying to find anything useful, be it food, supplies, or simple spare parts. He'd have to speak with her later when things weren't moving too quickly as they seemed to be now. A Force user...this wasn't luck, and he doubted it was also coincidence that she happened to wield a lightsaber. Perhaps the Force did have something in mind for him, after all.

Upon diagnosing the diagnostic computer for damage, Kia comes to the realization that whoever designed this ship didn't have planetary crash-landings in mind when he designed the shock buffer. As she has considerable experience with making repairs, she can tell that nothing is where it should be. If she were to try and attempt a repair on the diagnostic systems, she would need more reliable, and less dangerous light than that of her lightsaber.

Kia notices that the part of the control switch that feeds power to the lights on the ship has been damaged. A few quick wire splices have the switch up and running as it should, but the lights still do not turn on. A quick examination of nearby light panels and fixtures confirms her suspicions that the lights themselves have been damage. Repairable, but it would take quite a while to get all of the lights on the ship working. Kia surmises that it would likely take about ten minutes or so an average to fix each light...if she can find the proper materials.

Aasan's ventures prove a bit more fruitful. He finds that the ship has enough food stored away in various compartments and suchlike to feed a single person for four months, given proper rationing.

Kia groans when the lights fail to come back on after her efforts. Sighing, she starts the process of cannibalizing every other light panel for the parts needed to fix the other glow panels. From her years of experience repairing things, especially the ship, she figured she could make things work with half-light, or even only a third. Worst comes to worst, and she would strip all but one light out of everywhere that wasn't essential. A single light in the galley, a single light in her cabin and the crew quarters, etc, to get the amount of light she needed elsewhere. She wondered if the Cockpit was the only place without light at the moment, if any of the lights had survived intact, if they had, she could just switch them in immediately and save time.

"I have the power back up, but it looks like a lot of the glow panels themselves are broken, I'm gonna see if I can cannibalize some to get the rest running. Are any actually working back where you are?" she calls out to her 'guest'.

After calling out to the Kel-Dor, she gets down to the repairing of the lights, wondering f she should close the hatch in case more of those dog things showed up, she decided against it, the ramp only opened so much, if she closed and opened it too much it might get stuck.


After an hour or so of moving about the ship and trying to repair what light sources she can, Kia hears a series of odd sounds when she passes by the landing ramp. She hears what sounds like the ripping and tearing of flesh accompanied by frequent growling, barking, and yelping.

"Hey...uh...whoever you are, I think we have more of those dog things outside the ship. I don't think they'll be able to get on the ship, but I'd like you to cover me with that Carbine of yours while I check it out." Kia calls out to the Kel-Dor wanderer. She heads over to the ramp, and kneels down, to look out towards where she had killed the one animal, expecting to see it get torn to pieces by others. She doesn't get too close to the edge, and she has her blaster pistol in hand pointing down the ramp.

Kia looks out over the edge of the ramp and sees what has to be at least a dozen of those dog-things devouring the corpse of the one she had killed earlier. They can't have been at it for long, but the remains were near skeletal now. Now having a chance to look at them without worrying about her immediate survival, Kia sees that they are all gaunt, with barely any meat on them at all. She is shocked to see that they have already finished off the meat on the recently dead corpse, and now appeared to be attacking each other. The pack circled around the smallest of their number, slavering and growling, and then they all pounced at once. Within seconds it was torn apart, limb from limb, the pack feasting on it before it was even properly dead.

Kia watches in horror as the dog things tear ravenously into the dead, and then into their weaker members, it was horrific. The Force Sensitive girl could almost feel the teeth and claws of the dog things digging into her, though it was most likely only empathizing and no force gift. She knew they would attack her given the chance, and she didn't want to give them that chance. Lying on her belly, Kia lines up a shot on the largest of the animals, taking the time to be sure of a hit. Just like her father had taught her, she pulled the blaster stud softly, sending out a glowing red line. Although her shot was well placed, the targeted dog-creature's constant movement from fighting over the scraps of meat on the corpse caused the shot to merely graze its shoulder, doing little more than singing some hair...and getting its attention. 

Although the others take no notice, the one she had shot at ran from the cannibalistic feast to the landing ramp of the _Dawnsprinter_, trying to leap up and get at her, but it can do no more than claw harmlessly at the edge of the ramp.

Kia growls in frustration at the glancing shot, she had hoped to do more. She flinches at the creatures darting attack, even if she was safe, it still was startling to say the least. She lines up on it again, this time, not bothering to aim as much, the entire pack was behind it, still feeding, so a miss might not miss entirely. She strokes the firing stud, again. Kia's next shot has similar results, but this time she notices that her target is growing shaky and tired from trying to avoid her attacks. Another shot just might do the trick.

"We have a whole pack of those dog things out here, eating the dead one from earlier, and they just killed another of their own, I think we are going to have to deal with them if we ever want to go outside the ship to do external repairs and stuff." Kia calls out.

Kia refuses to give into frustration, she knew that these creatures had to be dealt with and that patience is a virtue. She also knew that it would take her guest a good bit of time to do a full inventory to be able to tell her what she had to work with to repair the rest of the ship. Idly she wished that the ships laser cannon were operational and that the pack was in its arc. It seemed over-kill, it would probably be wasteful, and until she knew just how much power she had, didn't want to waste any of it. The CorSec hopeful, carefully, lines up a shot and then fires at the winded dog thing again.

Another shot from her blaster strikes the creature square in the chest as it tries to get at her again, bringing a yelp of pain as it falls to the ground and lays motionless.

Half of the pack leaps upon the fallen creature, tearing into the flesh with complete disregard to the fact this it was one of their own.

Horrified, Kia fires shot after shot into the mass of creatures, bringing two more of them down before the rest realize the danger and begin to back off. Another few blasts send them scurrying into the foliage, but Kia has a nagging suspicion that they aren't gone for good.

"Any way we can close this boarding ramp?" Aasan suggests, finally catching up to the sounds. Inwardly, he wishes he hadn't kicked the thing down, but it was too late for regrets like that. Having at least caught a glance at the actions of the creatures, he wasn't at all phased by their eating of their own. It was ironic, really...no, not ironic, more nostalgic.

It reminded him far too much of the old days. The old days when he was young. After a moment, the Kel Dor brought himself back into the moment and said calmly, "We have food, at least, and there area a good amount of supplies. I assume the ship isn't in great shape, though, and there's only so long we're going to be able to stay cooped up in this thing hiding from those animals."

Kia sighs at the question and then rises from her belly, holstering the blaster once again on her hip. She shakes her head, "I don't know how difficult it'll be, I for one don't want to go out there at the moment, and they don't appear to be able to get in, the fit is too tight. I think its okay for now, but before nightfall we should definitely do it." Kia explains.

"Since it looks like we are going to be spending a good deal of time together for the immediate future, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. You can call me Kia, I'm a trader, I work the outer-rim, among other things, and since I'm the only crew on this bucket, I've had to be pretty good at repairing her. Do you have any experience with repair work...?" 

"Our first priority should be to get as much of the lighting working as possible so we can see to work on the rest of the stuff, I've gotten about half of it, if you can get the rest going, I can start on the ship's computer, and figure out how bad off we are and where exactly we are. After that, its just going to be going through system by system, seeing what we can get working. I'd like to wait for tomorrow morning before going outside to work on exterior repairs to the ship."

At the mention of repair work, Aasan smiled under the breath mask, though it didn't show, he did his best to show a nod, saying calmly once she was finished, "I am Aasan. And yes, I have much experience with repair work. When you have been around as long as I have, you pick up a few things and learn how to keep things together. However the lights are a...ah...minor concern."

He paused for a moment, curious as to why Kia wanted the lights fixed first. He then remembered, and silently scolded himself for forgetting. It had been so long since he'd been around a human in the dark, "Ah...I apologize, it has been many years since I have been in the lower light with a human. I can see well enough and I truly am sorry, but it slips my mind much of the time that you cannot. If you would like, I can attempt to check on any of the more critical systems first, as I can see without trouble."

Another pause, and this time it lasted long enough that it was obvious the Kel Dor was slightly nervous, "I must...speak with you of something once we have the important systems back online. I have some questions I must ask...they are ah...important."

"Feel free to ask while we work, its not like we have anything we need to talk about." Kia says, before nodding. Of course, Ked-Dor could see in the dark better then humans, then again I didn't know if he was any good with repairs either. "I need the lighting to see to make repairs. The other thing it fixing them lets me do is got an eye for the rest of the ship and how it fared in the crash, sort of a visual diagnostic. If you'd care to work on the fixing the landing ramp and getting it closed up nice and tight, now, we'll both be ready to move onto the ships main systems together. I have modified her a bit so I could pilot her more easily, so it would be best if I was in on whatever we do."

"I don't think the things out there can get in here, but there might be other stuff to worry about, so get the ship shut up tight if you don't need more light to do so. By the time I'm done. I should know what wrong with the ship, physically at least, and we can go from there."

Aasan nodded and moved carefully to the boarding ramp, pulling out a few tools from various pockets and trying to do what he can to get the thing working enough to close and open completely.

As he works, he calls back to Kia, though the breath mask makes it sound more echoed than it normally would be through the ship, "Skilled in the Force or not, you should not carry a lightsaber in this day. It is very dangerous, even with the Empire in decline. It is especially...especially not suggested if you are not a Jedi. Those weapons are not toys for every Force sensitive in the galaxy to play with."

Though his words are a bit harsh, Aasan is doing his best to convey a sense of understanding of the situation...asking questions through simple statements. It had worked in the past, so he had no reason to believe it wasn't the best tactic at the moment.

Kia continues her work on the lighting as she converses with Aasan, removing the components from a pair of lights to get the parts for the glow panel between the two. "I'm not worried about it, its been less dangerous to carry them ever since the Emperor died, and now even Imperial center has fallen to the Rebel Alliance. Things have changed, the Empire just can't get after everyone carrying one, and now some wealthy people even carry them if they are afraid to carry a blaster." she calls out, laughing at the idea.

"I am actually passable with the thing, and even if I'm not a Jedi, I'm sure that eventually there will be some Jedi again. Its just a question of when, who knows, I might just be a Jedi Knight some day." she says the mirth carrying through her voice, if not through her facial expression in the dark. "Skywalker was a farm boy before he became one, who is to say that a Corellian trader can't be next."

"Look, I don't need a lecture, or a father, I used to be on a path not so different from a Jedi’s. You wouldn't be able to tell, but I was accepted to the Corellian Security Force back home before the Diktat and the Empire purged it, just like they did the Jedi, I figure I have a lot in common with them, and that’s really all that you need to know about it." The girl calls out defensively.

"What happened to CorSec was nothing like what happened to the Jedi!!" Aasan snapped back, a short burst of anger involuntarily grasping him. He paused a moment to calm himself, then spoke again, "I apologize for that...but it is a subject...very close to my life. I have seen enough young Force sensitives killed because of what they were or what they carried. Just because the Empire is dying doesn't mean it is any less dangerous. “

"I was there, I survived the purge of CorSec, my father and a lot of other Officers and their families were not so lucky. Dead is Dead, both worked to protect innocent citizens, and both were betrayed by those they worked for, being hunted by the Government that they faithfully served because of a shift in the political climate. I know of officers who escaped just ahead of Death marks being placed on them, I have one on me for escaping. If the Empire is going to try to kill me for one thing, I might as well make them do it for 10, or 15."

"I mean no offense, but the path of the Jedi is gone. Trying to bring back a dead time is useless...believe me, I have tried for many years," with a sigh, he turned back to the boarding ramp, trying to calm himself by trying to get the thing to close completely.

"I don't think the Jedi will be gone forever, I'm sure that the Empire was as inept at killing all of the Jedi as it was at crushing the Rebellion, somewhere, someone survived, or wrote down what they knew, or passed it on to their children. Somewhere there are Jedi just waiting to be found, and Luke Skywalker is already a Jedi Knight, or a Master, I'm sure he wont let the Jedi way die with him."

After some quick exploratory tinkering, Aasan finds that there are two main problems with the landing ramp. The power feeds that allow it to be commanded by the various control panels in the ship have been nearly severed. The Kel Dor may be able to repair them to a point, but to bring them back to full functionality he will need several hours, and a whole lot of insulating material so that the power lines don't electrocute anyone. The other problem is that the crash had apparently caused one the hydraulic arms that lower and raise the ramp had been bent near its center. Aasan can probably get it to open up to halfway or close it completely, but to get it to do anything more than that he'll need to remove it and bend it back into shape.

"Hey, if you can't get it totally working, just get it closed for now, we can always exit out the top hatch, or through the cargo ramp." Kia offers.

After a few hours of work, Kia has repaired enough of the lighting to be able to see in every room of the ship, though it still isn't as bright as she would like it to be. Her work on the main computer was surprisingly quick and easy. Apparently, it had very effective protection against collision damage. Kia had but to replace a few loose wires, and the diagnostics screen sprung to life.

Landing ramp..............................damaged, extensive repairs required.
Sensors.....................................clogged d, excessive organic matter suspected.
Communications..........................damaged, limited to short range.
Environmental utilities...................minor damage detected.
Repulsor Lifts..............................damaged, extensive repairs required.
Ion Engines.................................low power.
Hyperdrive..................................*ERROR* Recommend manual analysis.

***​
Adrial Strogg sat cross-legged on a straw mat, feeling the force within and surrounding the basket of stones that floated in the air in front of her.

"Remember, Adrial. The force not only surrounds the physical materials of the universe, but is within them as well. It is in you, me, everyone and everything. Learn better to perceive the universe with the force instead of just your natural senses, and you'll be better able to control what you perceive."

Adrial nodded, concentrating on the basket. Although she had considerable skill with this aspect of the force, it was by far her least favorite. She felt the wicker weave of the basket, and the stones within. So like the stones she had unknowingly moved so long ago...Adrial saw in her mind the day when she lost her mother, when her pitiful attempt to save her life with a child's wish had triggered a rockslide that killed not only the nightstalker that was trying to kill her mother, but her mother as well. If only she had known what she was doing...

The basket fell to the floor with an audible crash. Adrial didn't notice. She was concentrating on holding back her tears. She didn't want to show weakness to Miera, but it was too late, the tears were sliding slowly down her face.

Adiral's mentor sighed, and began to gather the stones back into the basket. "You're improving, Adrial, but you must learn not the dwell on the past. The more you think of the grief and sadness you have experienced, the less you can concentrate on the matters at hand." Miera handed Adrial a small square of cloth to try her face with. "Remember that you should never let go of the past and loved ones you have lost, but you should not let them drag you down with them, either. You waited eleven years before you began to realize this and came to me for training, but I knew you could feel the force all along. If you had come to me before then, I would have refused you, because your grief could only have been made greater with training in the force."

Adrial wiped the tears from her face and nodded.

"Good, now lets go out for a bit. A nice long walk would do you good."

They left the large, elongated hut that served as a meeting hall and training center for Arias and Miera's Sethi learners, and after a quick gesture to one of the young wall guards, the northeastern village gate opened. A few more minutes of walking and they left the edge of the croplands encircling the city walls and entered the wilderness.

***​
Jorran woke to find himself hanging in the restraints of his seat. The escape pod was at rest, and seemed to be vertical; the front window showed only rocky soil, visible in the yellow glow from the emergency lights. Pulling the release-tab on the webbing, Jorran fell forwards onto the window with a thud. He stood up and grabbed the release lever on the exit hatch.

The mechanical door struggled to open outwards, letting out only an unpleasant grinding noise. Jorran pushed, and the door opened just a crack. Bits of dirt and gravel poured in.

"Spast!"

He climbed up to the back of the escape pod, clinging to the various protruding survival-gear compartments. Bracing his back against the floor, and his feet against the back of his seat, he pulled the lever on the rear hatch. Not surprisingly, the near-antique mechanical components had long since expired. So, he pulled the short, black-and-silver lightsaber from his belt. It was heavily battered.

"I hope I don't regret this."

He put the emitter of the saber near the 'ceiling' of the pod, and ignited it. The blue-white blade immediately melted through the thin durasteel of the hatch, and he slowly cut through where he expected the latch to be. He turned off the saber and pushed on the hatch. It swung open, and light streamed in. Jorran stood up to his full height, sticking out of the hatch, and surveyed his surroundings.

As Jorran pops his head out of the exit hatch, he is immediately greeted by a rush of warmth and humidity. As he looks around, the Padawan sees that the escape pod is buried up to half its length in the soft loam floor of a very peculiar looking forest...jungle? It was hard to tell which. There are trees as far as the eye can see, some very tall and coniferous, reminiscent of some of the more temperate planets he had visited, while others are maybe twenty meters tall, but absolutely covered in leaves, vines, and condensation. The flora is typical green and brown, which makes Jorran wonder why the large, predatory-looking creature streaking along the ground towards the escape pod is a bloody red in color.

With an air of calm, Jorran ducks back inside the escape pod, holding his lightsaber, ready to ignite it and fight if the creature comes in after him.

Jorran hears the creature rushing towards the pod, and then stop. He can hear a snuffling, sniffing sound, as well as its paws crunching dead leaves and this world's equivalent of pinecones as it circles the pod. There is a moment of silence, and the sound of the creature moving away from the pod. Just as Jorran breathes a small sigh of relief, the 2-meter long, quadruped creature lands on top of the escape pod, thrusting its long neck into the pod, the head stopping barely ten centimeters in front of Jorran's face, giving him a good look at its five very large, very sharp fangs.

As the dangerous-looking creature thrust its head towards his face, Jorran switched on his lightsaber, the blue blade coming to life and lighting up the tiny space. The creature's focus turned from the human to this sudden rod of light. Jorran thrust the blade at the creature, and it backed off out of his reach, but not out of view. It remained perched on the pod for a moment, watching Jorran's blade cautiously. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the creature had run off.

After the creature left, Jorran turned off his saber and pulled out his blaster. He proceeded to climb out of the escape pod and walk the perimeter of the clearing, looking around carefully.


Several hours of calm, wordless strolling through the heavily wooded area surrounding their village, Adrial felt a twinge in the force. Something unusual that she hadn't felt before. She turned to Miera, who was looking off to their right.

"I feel it too. Something...unnatural has happened not far from here."

As if to confirm her words, a single red, four-legged, fearsome-looking creature padded calmly out from a copse of trees and approached Miera.

Adrial felt a wave of hate flow through her. A nightstalker. The same kind of creature that had tried to kill her mother. But despise them though she did, Adrial knew that this one was no threat.

Miera reached out and scratched one of the nightstalker's ears. "So you've felt it too, Alloj?"

Alloj's face was dominated mostly by her race's five large fangs, but the small, beady eyes closed halfway for a moment as Miera scratched her ears. The nightstalker shook its head after a moment, and let out a short hissing sound, nodding off to their right.

Miera turned to Adrial, "I think Alloj has found the source of the disturbance."

Alloj hissed again, and started off into the forest, looking back towards them to make sure they were following.

As Alloj headed off away from them, Adrial nodded at her mentor. "Yes Master Miera." She began to go after the nightstalker. As they followed the beast she turned to Miera. "What can do you think it could be?" She gets excited at the thought of something new. "I feel... excited yet apprehensive at the same time. Is this a natural feeling?" Since loosing her all of her family she had always wondered if her emotion were correct. She always strived to 'feel' right. She smiled at Miera as they continued.

"I'm not sure, Adrial. It could be anything. We'll just have to wait and see." Miera said. "And it is quite natural to feel apprehension and excitement as well as fear together. They are often one and the same." Adrial continues to follow the beast, along with Miera. Adrial, thinking she heard something, stops and turns to look. When she turns back, Alloj and Miera have moved on. 

After several minutes of circling the area immediately around his escape pod, keenly aware and ready for trouble, there is none coming. As Jorran begins to think on his next move, he detects movement to his left, from the far edge of the clearing. 

The same creature from before comes trotting calmly into the clearing, and comes to a stop approximately 20 meters from him. Jorran quickly raises his blaster, ready to defend himself. He did not, of course, expect what he heard next.

"What is it, Alloj?" A woman's voice? At the words, the red predatory-looking creature's ears perked slightly, and it made a sharp hissing noise, raising an appendage towards Jorran.

A human woman walked out of the forest and into the clearing. She wore simple clothes, something between a robe and a dress that Jorran hadn't encountered before, along with what looked like a brass circlet on her forehead. Upon seeing Jorran, and his escape pod, she stopped immediately and regarded him with a shocked expression.

Just ahead, Adrial can see that Miera has stopped in a clearing. She moves quickly to join her. As she steps out of the forest and into the clearing she sees Alloj nearby.   She also sees Jorran and his escape pod. Never having seen such a thing she waits for her tutor's lead. She remains silent and looks to Miera.

"Were you in that ship that hit me?" Jorran asked, lowering his blaster. "And I hope I didn't hurt your...uhh...pet when it met me earlier. It gave me the distinct impression that it wanted to eat me."

Miera is speechless for a moment before she speaks quickly. "What? No, no. You mean there is another ship out there? Are the communications systems in your pod working? We have to try and contact it if we can!"  Adrial is surprised that Master Pannar has reacted in such a manner, having always seen her as calm and deliberate.

Jorran notices the very short Adrial standing next to Miera, looking unsure of what to do. 

Jorran feels a twinge in the force, and attempts to detect if these two are force sensitive.  His probing yields a feeling of strength somewhat lesser than his own from the short woman. When he focuses on the taller of the pair, what he senses can only be described as instant sensory overload.

After blinking a few times, Jorran regained his composure.

"I've got a short-range com system in the pod, but I'm not sure how it fared in the crash. Anyway, the other ship looked like it went down after it hit me. But...if you're not from the other ship, how did you get here? Are there others?"

"You think the other ship crashed? Hurry, try and contact it!" Miera hurries over towards Jorran and his escape pod. "There are many more of us, in a settlement not far off. We were on a refugee ship that crashed a long time ago. Don't just stand there. If the other ship you mentioned didn't crash we might not be able to contact it if it's flown off by now!"

Jorran nodded and ran back to the escape pod. After climbing up the side, he lowered himself through the hatch. Inside, he brushed dirt off of the com system near the front of the pod. He set it to an open channel, and cleared his throat.

"Does anyone copy? I repeat, does anyone copy? Over."

Adrial simply watched for now. She was in awe of someone off world coming here. Arias and Miera had always said that someday this would happen. But for some reason, Adrial had always imagined it would happen when she was much, much older. She also had visualized it quite a bit differently. She figured they would come and land right next to the settlement. A large shiny ship with many comforts. The crew would welcome them aboard. When they returned to where ever, they would be tagged as heroes. At least that was how she had imagined it. But these people seem to have crashed landed just like they had. Her thoughts return to that day so many years ago when she lost her uncle. She shivers just thinking about it.

***​
Once Kia had gotten what lighting that she could working, she got down to the real work, the work on the computer system itself. The ease with which she got the diagnostic routines working made her smile, but the damage report killed her lopsided grin. It would mean a lot of work, if it could be done at all, and parts that she might have no way of getting.

"At least I have a hierarchy to work down, I can get Aasan to start clearing the organic matter off the top of the ship through the top hatch, away from those things." she mutters to herself.

Not wanting to tamper with the systems too much, Aasan leaves as much as he can as is...just doing his best to make sure the boarding ramp can close completely for safety's sake.

Once done with that, he heads over to the cockpit to find Kia and ask more politely than he'd been speaking before, "What's next on the list of things to do?"

"Hey, Aasan, I got a diagnostic up, that ramp is going to take some pretty extensive repairs, we should hit the more vital systems first, just get it closed and we can use the top hatch. After that’s closed, If you can handle fixing some minor issues with the environmentals, I can work on the communications arra....." the girl breaks off as she hears a sound from the comm. 

" This is the escape pod from the Umber Dart, and I'm also planet side. y? I ..peat, does anyone copy? Over."

Kia is extremely surprised to hear a voice over the comm, slightly staticy at first, but it cleared up quickly. She darts over to the panel, and clicks it open.

"This is the _Dawnsprinter_, we have crash landed on the planet and are in need of some repairs, Repeat this is the _Dawnsprinter_, we are on the planet in the middle of a river, we need repairs to get off the ground, over."

***​
Glad to hear someone on the other end, Jorran responded.

"This is the escape pod from the Umber Dart, and I'm also planet side. I think we met in orbit. Are any of your crew injured?"

***​
"No one is injured, just the ship is damaged, Repulsor Lifts, are out, Hyperdrive inoperable, and I don't know that we have enough power to lift us off again and get to orbit. Everything else should be fine with a bit of work. We might be able to repair the Repulsor lifts, but at the moment it’s difficult to get outside, there’s a pack of Red Dog things in the area, we've killed a few, but they keep coming back to eat their dead."

"You can't have much in the way of supplies on the escape pod, bring what you have and join us, with another pair of hands, we should be able to get her working that much sooner. Bring whatever you can, power packs, energy cells, any parts you can pry off the Pod,"

"Uhh, Umber, exactly how many of you are there in that pod, I have myself and a Kel-Dor on the _Dawnsprinter_."

***​
Miera stands close to the pod, listening in on the conversation. Her face is a mask of concentration, taking in every word exchanged like it might be the last. At the mention of the dog-like creatures, she quickly taps Jorran on his shoulder, motioning for him to relay a message. 

"They're called masliths. How many have you killed?! You have to get the corpses as far away from your ship as you possibly can!"


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## ragboy (Apr 12, 2005)

*Subscribed* Great to see another SW story hour hit the board. Good work so far. I like the story split between the eras. Keep it up.


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## Angcuru (Apr 12, 2005)

It's good to see some interest in one of my SH's.  The first two posts are all me, with the third being a compilation of the first few days of PbP.,


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## DrNilesCrane (Apr 14, 2005)

I enjoyed the jumping between eras - very good story hour!


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## Angcuru (Apr 17, 2005)

*4 - Repairs, Repairs, and...More Repairs*

"It was just me, but I landed near a settlement," Jorran replies. "One of the locals says that those creatures are called 'Masliths'...you should move the corpses as far from your ship as possible."

Adrial notices that Miera is standing close to the pod. So she walks over next to her mentor and waits for a good time to ask a question. Once she sees an opportunity, she clears her throat. "Master Pannar! Will we need to lift this metal thing out of the ground?" If she answers in the affirmative, Adrial will continue. "You have taught me that size is not a problem as long as you use the force. May I try to lift the object when the time comes to move it?" Sheer excitement is all over her face.


"So there are settlements here? Good, maybe we can get the ship repaired. Look, I don't know about moving the bodies around, right now we have our ship sealed up so nothing can get in, we shouldn't be in danger from anything. At the moment the only fully working access should be the topside hatch, so unless those things can climb a starship, we won’t have issues. Well, unless the reason you want them moved is so you can get here easier. We've only killed a couple, maybe 4 or 5, just lowered the landing ramp a bit, but not enough for them to get in."

"Actually I think the things are more brown then red, if that matters to you. Look, I'll get the things a bit further away from the ship, if you'll use it to get closer. I'll even use my commlink to stay in-contact to you, just use the comm-gear to locate where this signal is coming from and get here." Kia says, frowning, not really wanting to go outside.

"Aasan, Lets get out there, I don't want to have to spend anymore time outside then necessary, and I want cover while I do it. Grab your Carbine, and I'll start moving them, cover me in case more come while I'm at it." she tells him, setting her commlink to on, and heading to the ramp.

Aasan follows Kia out, keeping his eyes open and his blaster ready, "Ask them how far we'll need to move them. I can help you and keep a look out at the same time if we need to get these moved a long way."


"Commlink? Oh, just a moment." Miera fished around in a pouch at her belt for a moment before pulling out a small cylinder with mesh covering one end. She looks over Jorran's shoulder at the comm station, and sets the commlink to the comm channel she sees displayed. I hope this thing still works. "Hello? Hello, can you hear me?"

"I don't see why not, Adrial. But not yet though." Miera says while waiting for a response.


"This'll teach me not to make blind hyperspace jumps trusting in the force," Kia mutters. "Yea, I read you; I take it your one of the locals? Exactly how far away do we have to move these bodies? Some of them don't have much left because they ate each other; then again, the last few do since I killed them to chase he others off." 


"Just make sure that they are nowhere near your ship. Masliths never leave a corpse alone for long, for any reason. The planet is crawling with those things. They're smart enough to leave you alone if you pose a danger, but if you get between them and anything even remotely resembling meat, they'll attack you regardless." Miera pauses and thinks for a moment. "Once you have that taken care of, try and locate the escape pod on your sensors."


"Understood, _Dawnsprinter_ out," Kia replied to the commlink, before getting down to the task. She drags the first of the corpses down stream using the buoyancy of water to make it lighter, as well as the smoothed stream bottom. Once Kia had gone a hundred yards down stream, she splashed her way over to the bank, and dumped the Maslith's body in a hole on the sand streamside. Then she headed back upstream to the Ship.

Kia repeated the process, dragging each of the brown corpses down through the water to the pit that had been made by a tree falling and having its roots ripped free of the soft sandy soil. Once all of the bodies were there, she draws her blaster and drops the power level, and increases the duration so that it would catch the bodies on fire. Resetting the blaster to kill, she holsters it again and heads on back to the ship.

"Aasan, they want us to get to the pod and their settlement, but we need the sensors back online for that. I'm going to go up the access Hatch and clear the vegetation away, you work with the computer to see if you can't pin down the Transponder for the escape pod." she tells him.

Aasan nods and quietly moves to the main computer, waiting for the sensors to come online and then doing his best to sweep the area and see if he can find the transponder signal for the escape pod.

Kia goes back in through the _Dawnsprinter_ heading to her quarters. The jungle world was a bit hotter and more humid then space, so she decided to change into more suitable attire. Closing the door behind her, she changed into a pair of khaki shorts, and a black mid-drift that left her stomach bare. She slipped her blaster belt and lightsaber on again, tying the bottom to her right thigh.

Once she was fully changed, she climbed up the ladder and out through the irising top hatch, getting her first look at the top of the ship. She then starts to clear away all the debris from the sensors array.  

Aasan's probing of the area with the ship's sensors yields nothing for over an hour. As Aasan leaned back in the pilot seat waiting for something to happen, he sees a quick blip on the screen which fades into static just as quickly as it appears. A few seconds later, it blips again for all of two seconds, and then fades again.

On top of the ship, Kia's work on unclogging the sensors has been simply clearing off muck and grime that must have been kicked up when they crash landed. She has gotten most of the heavy mass off, but a thick layer of caked algae clings stubbornly to the main dish.

Aasan sees the sensor blip becoming more and more frequent on the screen. It looks like it is off to the southeast, though he cannot approximate distance just yet. A few minutes later, the flickering screen stabilizes, and the Kel Dor sees the sensor readout screen clearly indicating that the escape pod is to the southeast of the ship and....moving? Apparently Kia had finished clearing away whatever was clogging the sensor, but something had to be wrong with it still. How would an escape pod be moving after it had landed?

Aasan searches around for a loose data pad or anything that he can download the sensor information onto. If they were going to go after it, especially if it was moving, they'd need to be able to see where it was going.  Curious as to why it’s moving, Aasan determines to see if there's any way to get an exact reference on the distance of the signal.

Aasan cannot find a loose data pad in the cockpit, but he surmises that Kia would likely have one in her quarters. Of course, it would be prudent to ask Kia before he went rooting through her possessions, seeing as humans tend to become emotional over such things. 

After recalibrating the sensors on a hunch that the crash might have knocked something important out of alignment, Aasan finally sees a grid fade in to the screen. Automatically following up on the Kel Dor's enquiries, the grid expands, shifts, and contracts until it displays the _Dawnsprinter_ and the pod transponder. A faded dotted line continuously shifts to maintain a line-of-sight connection between the two, with a numerical readout placed at the center of the line. 

If the computer is correct, then the transponder, and by logic, the pod is approximately 97 kilometers to the southeast, and steadily moving farther away.

On top of the ship, Kia's work on unclogging the sensors has been simply clearing off muck and grime that must have been kicked up when they crash landed. She has gotten most of the heavy mass off, but a thick layer of caked algae clings stubbornly to the main dish.  

After she had finished scrubbing away at the Sensor/Communication dish, Kia climbs back down into the ship, making sure to close the hatch behind her to prevent any alien beasties from getting in. The girl proceeded to the cockpit to get the word from Aasan about what was up, and to see if she couldn't figure out where the Pod was in relation to the ship. She was instantly confronted by the motion of the signal, and that didn't make sense, not unless the pod was in motion, and that wasn't likely since a landed pod was pretty much permanently stuck, or if the transponder itself was being moved, and that was much more likely.

"This is the _Dawnsprinter_, we have a read on your transponder, but it seems to be in motion, what’s going on? Do you still want us to head in your direction?" she asks through the commlink.

"I hear you Kia. Do what repairs you can, and we'll send someone to help you if possible. Just don't work outside of the ship after dark. There are creatures on this planet far worse than masliths."

"Worse then masliths...wonderful... Understood... We'll start work on the repairs, I don't expect us to have to leave the ship, there is more then enough stuff to do inside until the morning, for many mornings to come." Kia says.

"If you've got a data card and a data pad I can get these readings onto it would really help," Aasan comments before even looking at Kia. He then glances over his shoulder to her and nods quickly, "It is moving quickly, and the sooner we can get after it the less likely we are to lose it."

"No need Aasan, there is no way I'm hiking across a 100 kilometers when we would need another 100 kilometers back, carrying whatever supplies we could get. Our Sub-light drives are functional, and I'll see if I can't recharge the ships power. More important though is just getting the Repulsor lifts up and running. If we get them going, we can coast our way to wherever we need to get to." Kia explains.

"The repulsor lifts seem to be bad off, but between us we can probably get them going, and I think at this point, they are our number one priority. So grab your tool belt, and lets get working, otherwise we'll be stuck here for quite awhile." Kia says to him, heading back out of the cockpit, and down to the service tubes that ran beneath the cargo bay to get to the lifts. Once she is down there, she'll get to work on repairing the systems that would let the _Dawnsprinter_ float above the canopy of tree tops, and coast towards the Pod and the settlers.


Miera turns to Jorran. "It could be some time before they can locate your pod. You should return to our settlement with us." Miera turns to head back towards the village, when she is struck by a sudden idea. "Hold a moment. I don't know how much technology has changed over the years, but I remember that all escape pod-type vehicles used to have emergency transponders. If we can find that and remove it, we could take it back to the settlement with us."

Jorran nodded and grabbed the transponder Miera.

"So, just how big is this settlement of yours?"

"Well, it's essentially a high wall surrounding about three and one half square kilometers of space. It's not very large, but then again, there aren't many of us. Considering that most of us spend our entire lives inside those walls when not tending our small crops, it's not large at all."  Miera said.

She turned to Adrial for a moment. "You go ahead and try to lift that if you want, Adrial. You haven't had much of an opportunity to test yourself against something that large. But be quick about it, we should get back home as soon as we can."

Adrial nods, the excitement apparent in her face. But then she closes her eyes, relaxes her thoughts and then reaches out with the force to the pod. She wraps her mind around the pod, trying to control its mass. Then she starts to lift it from the ground.

Adrial's attempt to move the escape pod causes it to shake slightly, freeing itself from the ground to a degree, but it remains immobile. 

"Not bad, Adrial. You're improving. Now let’s get going before any masliths take interest in us."

Adrial nods at Miera’s complement and smiles. While she was not able to remove the pod from the ground, she was able to free it somewhat. Miera has always taught that you should focus on the positive from any situation. That helps with the confidence. Then later you reflect on the negative in order to improve your abilities. But for now she focuses on her achievement. 

"Thank you Master Pannar. I appreciate your continued patience with me."

Adrial thought back to her first lessons. She always wanted to focus her attention on the negative of everything. It took many months of training and meditation for her to see the error in her ways. Although it was still natural for her to focus on the positive, she learned each time that she used the force how well this idea worked.

Adrial walked over to the others and walked with then toward the settlement. She began to think about the idea of leaving her home. She had never really given it much thought. She admitted to herself that the very idea was very foreign. Her thoughts drifted to what was out there among the stars.

"You're lucky you crashed when you did. The masliths are few in this area at this time of the year because they're up north for mating season."  Miera said to Jorran.

"Well, you could say that. I'm also lucky that I made it into the pod at all. Which reminds me...how long ago did your ship crash, anyway?" Jorran said.

Adrial's attempt to move the escape pod causes it to shake slightly, freeing itself from the ground to a degree, but it remains immobile. 

"Not bad, Adrial. You're improving. Now let’s get going before any masliths take interest in us."

As they walk back to the settlement, Miera regards Jorran. "I cannot be exactly sure, since for a long time we focused on survival, and keeping track of time was unnecessary. I would guess that we have been here for almost thirty years. But what of yourself? What was your purpose in coming here? Our ship found its way here only through an astrogation error on the part of the pilot, or the hyperdrive, there's no use trying to lay blame."

"Thirty years?" Jorran asked, amazed. "I guess you may not have heard about what's happened in the last ten years, then. Palpatine's empire was overthrown by an alliance of rebels, and a new republic is said to be rising. But that doesn't answer your question, does it?"

Jorran continued. "My...order...was destroyed with the rise of the empire, but I and a few comrades managed to stay hidden on the outer rim for almost thirty years. When I found out that the empire had fallen, I decided to search for other survivors from my order. I followed my instincts to this planet, had a bit of a collision with that other ship, and ended up down here."

At the mention of Palpatine, empire, rebels, and new republic Adrial gets a far off distant look. She seems to remember her parents speaking of a republic. But the others seem foreign to her. She merely listens to the conversation with Jorran and Miera, not wishing to interrupt. She turns toward Miera to see what she would say to Jorran's comments.

So Arias was right," Miera sighs. "The Republic became an Empire and the Jedi were destroyed just as he knew they would be; the two of us were right to leave the order when we did. You must have been just a young Padawan when it all happened, by the look of you. It's a wonder that you survived at all." She rubbed her temples for a moment. "Don't give me the details just yet. It's better that we both hear of this at the same time."

"Fair enough, Jorran says, following Miera.

The commlink buzzed.  "This is the _Dawnsprinter_, we have a read on your transponder, but it seems to be in motion, what’s going on? Do you still want us to head in your direction?"

"This is Miera Pannar, I read you. We've removed the transponder from the escape pod so you can track us as we head back to our settlement. Can your sensors detect how far you are away from us?" Miera says into the comm.

"Miera, this is Kia Obscura, you’re about 97 kilometers out from our current position, and moving further. Aasan and I are going to try and repair the Repulsor lifts, if we can get them running it shouldn't be more then an hour to your position, even coasting with minimal sub-light power."

While he walked with the two refugees, Jorran turned to Miera.

"I was distracted before I could ask you earlier," he began, "but I sensed you were very strong in the force. You're stronger than most of the Knights and Masters I knew before the wars. I've met a few people in my travels afterward that were strong--some stronger than myself--who were born that way, but only a Jedi could be as strong as you are. So, were you a member of the Order before you crashed on this planet?"

When the word _jedi_ is mentioned, Adrial turns to Miera to see what her reaction will be.

At Jorran's questioning, Miera halts and faces the man. "You are clearly not fully trained, so I would not expect you to have proper insight into such matters. However, I would have expected that your master had taught you in your youth not to confuse power with morality." She resumed walking. "We will speak of this further once we are safe within our home, not before."


Kia gets down to work, leaving the comm-link clipped to the top of her shorts. The girl keeps working until her stomach tells her its time for a break, and even then, she only pauses in her repulsor lift repairs long enough to return to the lifts with a pair of pre-packaged meals, with one for her and Aasan. Pressing the center button on them, causes them to open up, and the noodles in a naranja sauce with chunks or roast gorrnt to heat up. She indicates the one closest to Aasan for him to eat, if he is hungry, though she wasn't sure about how he would eat through a mask, or even worse, get enough gas to breathe, he might be on a pretty tight time limit. "Or you going to have enough gas or filters, or whatever to get this thing repaired and back to somewhere you can make more?" she asks after getting back to work.

"If you can seal a room completely in the ship, I should be fine," Aasan says with a nod, and though Kia can't see his eyes or mouth, he's obviously distracted, "I need nothing to eat now...I do...I..."

He trailed off a moment, thinking on that name 'Miera'. Sitting down, he takes a few minutes to think on it and then sighs outwardly, which comes through as a scratchy noise through the breath mask, "I'm too old for this...I've heard that name before. Years ago...many, many years ago...probably before you were born. I just can't place it." sighing again, Aasan rubbed his cream colored forehead before looking to Kia, "Lets just get this thing moving again and then we'll worry about things like breathing, eating, and old names."

Kia just nods when Aasan says he doesn't need to eat, its fine with her, she jus slides his pre-prepared meal next to hers and kept working, eating his portion as well, it wasn't like she would get fat, the extra food would go towards the energy she had been burning since the crash, repairing the ship and fighting the masliths. The thought of something more dangerous then the masliths was frightening, but they were safe in the ship, and shouldn't need to go outside regardless. "Feel free to seal off the crew quarters for yourself, or the escape pod, your pick, though if we get to the settlement, we might have people wanting to come aboard. Whichever works for you, but the Escape pod has a double seal between it and the rest of the ship so it should suit being filled with gas much better."

"I'll be fine for now, thank you..." he trailed off a moment, idly watching Kia, finding himself more curious than anything. There was much he wanted to know, but just couldn't bring himself to pry when they had a ship to fix, "Guess we should get this thing up and running again, hmm?"

Underneath his breath mask, Aasan grins and then moves to start making the necessary repairs to get at least the repulsorlifts online and operating.

"Getting the ship running is the plan, though I think it'll take awhile, I wish my music files hadn't all been purged, give us something to listen to, not that you'd like them, Gand music is an acquired taste, same with Twi’lek and Sullustun," the girl offers naming species with sensory abilities beyond that of humans.

"You've been out wandering the space ways for a long time I guess, since you were talking about before I was born, just exactly how long have you been out here, and how do you know about the Jedi, I mean, in my house, Jedi were always a taboo subject. I kind of figured that I'm related to one, a little distantly, but it’s not the kind of thing you can ask with the Empire's hunters all around." Kia said, working a bolt with a hydro-spanner.

After Aasan and Kia pull up the floor panels to inspect the damage first hand, it becomes apparent that the diagnostic computer was not exaggerating. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. Wires that used to be contained in neat, orderly bundles were now all about the compartment. At least two large cracks were seen in braces holding something that looked important, and it looked like a lot of the control circuitry was fried. 

The damage was repairable, but Aasan estimates that with Kia's help, he could have the repulsorlifts running within eight or ten hours, with another hour or so for the main computer to recalibrate the system and perform an additional diagnostic to be sure. Just as well, because from the look of the light outside, it would be night soon.

The Kel Dor suddenly began to feel how tired he really was. He hadn't had any sleep in at least twenty hours, not counting the time he was knocked out. Because really, being unconscious isn't very restful. Although the human girl didn't admit it, she looked like she could use a rest, too.


After an hour so of walking in silence, Jorran, Adrial, and Miera see the forested wilderness give way to a small stretch of plain, before plowed fields with small plants aligned in neat rows. A short distance from the fields, Jorran sees a high wall of lumber the likes of which he had only seen before in historical Holos telling tales of ancient and primitive civilizations. It apparently surrounds the settlement, as through a small gate at the northwest corner of the rectangular wall, Jorran can make out a series of huts, with a few people walking about their daily business.

Adrial runs up to the gate and through it. She makes a bee line toward the gathering hut looking for Arias. She yells out as she gets closer to the large hut. "Master Falm! Come look. Someone has crash landed. Off-worlders are here. There is a pod and a ship. The one from the pod is with Master Pannar." She stops as she gets into the hut, trying to catch her breath.

A blue Twi’lek woman whom Adrial recognizes as Ajoola is inside of the Sethi hut sweeping the floor. She looks up from her sweeping at Adrial, who stands in the doorway, winded. Well, maybe not up, but she does acknowledge the learner's presence.

"Calm down, Adrial! Master Falm isn't here. He's been out in the woods training Kal for the past few days. Now what's all this nonsense about ships and off-worlders? Did you eat some bad berries or something?"


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## Angcuru (Apr 21, 2005)

I've decided that I'll post the progress of the game every 4 days as my update frequency.  Since some days will have more posts, some updates will have more content.  I'm currently putting together an update, which will be up soon.


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## Angcuru (Apr 21, 2005)

*5 - Worse Than Masliths*

"Concentrate on my movements, Kal, not just my blade." The crackling noise of two lightsaber blades colliding burst through the air. "Remember that in a real fight, your entire body must wield your blade. A simple repositioning of the feet or bending of the knees can grant you a new angle of attack, but your opponent has the same capacity."

To reinforce his point, Arias shifted his footing and brought the tip of his lightsaber's white blade within a centimeter of Kal Donoma's eye. "Dead again, my young apprentice." Arias took a step back and brought a single blade of his double lightsaber to a neutral position. "Now we'll work on your attack. Come at me."

Kal rushed forward and brought the blade down in an overhead chop that was easily blocked. The blade rose again for another strike, this time to the shoulder. Blocked again.

"You're wasting your movements, Kal. Once you strike, do not think about where to strike next, follow your instincts. One attack must become the other; do not allow yourself to pause your assault to seek a weak point." Arias held his blade at the ready, waiting for Kal's next move.

Sweat building up in his brow and matting his short hair, Kal fiercely tries to focus his will.

With a forward step, he slashes in a horizontal arc, immediately flowing into a vertical cut.

Master Arias is like a blur, he evades every swing, but Kal is determined not to lose his concentration, focusing, blocking out the jungle teeming with life and noise, until all he can see is the movement of the two shining blades of his opponent. He blocks one strike and another, trying to look confident. A well placed kick makes him stumble, falling backwards into a small pool of warm mud.

Kal grabs the helping hand of his master and springs to his feet, casting down his eyes as he starts to hear another lecture about his concentration..

A year of training since earning the honor of being a Sethi learner, and still I am defenseless before my Master. One day I will be as powerful as he is!!

"Better, Kal. But don't concern yourself with matching my abilities. Focus on improving your own, bit by bit. If you look to the future, the now will pass you by and you will learn nothing." 

Arias scratched his beard, looking over his now mud-covered apprentice. He grinned, and clapped Kal on the back. "Ah, but that's enough training for today! Let’s head back home and get something to eat. And maybe get you some clean clothes, too." He headed off towards the settlement, beckoning for Kal to follow.

***​
"I'll be fine for now, thank you..." he trailed off a moment, idly watching Kia, finding himself more curious than anything. There was much he wanted to know, but just couldn't bring himself to pry when they had a ship to fix, "Guess we should get this thing up and running again, hm?"

Underneath his breath mask, Aasan grins and then moves to start making the necessary repairs to get at least the repulsorlifts online and operating.

"Getting the ship running is the plan, though I think it'll take awhile, I wish my music files hadn't all been purged, give us something to listen to, not that you'd like them, Gand music is an acquired taste, same with Twi’lek and Sullustun," the girl offers naming species with sensory abilities beyond that of humans.

"You've been out wandering the space ways for a long time I guess, since you were talking about before I was born, just exactly how long have you been out here, and how do you know about the Jedi, I mean, in my house, Jedi were always a taboo subject. I kind of figured that I'm related to one, a little distantly, but it’s not the kind of thing you can ask with the Empire's hunters all around." Kia said, working a bolt with a hydro-spanner.

At Kia's comment, Aasan paused from checking over the systems for a short moment. After thinking about it, he then went back to work as he spoke through his breath mask, "I fought in the Clone Wars alongside the Jedi. No, before you ask, I'm no Jedi. I was part of the Antarian Rangers...doubt you've heard of them as they were hunted down just like the Jedi were. I ah, was young then...very young. Probably too young. I saw firsthand what the Empire was capable of when the Purge began and Jedi were murdered...a Jedi Master, my partner through the wars...he...he gave his life so that I could escape Coruscant.

Since then, just been out in the middle of no where trying to find others that survived. Not had much luck either...to be honest, you're about the only person I've run into in the last thirty years that I don't think is just joking around when you say you're Force Sensitive," he sighed and shrugged, "But its a big galaxy out there."

After Aasan and Kia pull up the floor panels to inspect the damage first hand, it becomes apparent that the diagnostic computer was not exaggerating. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. Wires that used to be contained in neat, orderly bundles were now all about the compartment. At least two large cracks were seen in braces holding something that looked important, and it looked like a lot of the control circuitry was fried. 

The damage was repairable, but Aasan estimates that with Kia's help, he could have the repulsorlifts running within eight or ten hours, with another hour or so for the main computer to recalibrate the system and perform an additional diagnostic to be sure. Just as well, because from the look of the light outside, it would be night soon.

The Kel Dor suddenly began to feel how tired he really was. He hadn't had any sleep in at least twenty hours, not counting the time he was knocked out. Because really, being unconscious isn't very restful. Although the human girl didn't admit it, she looked like she could use a rest, too.

Kia yawned and worked her neck around easing out some of the tension that had built up over the hours of lying out fixing things in cramped spaces. She takes another gulp from her drink pouch before discarding it, and then gets back to work on the repairs. She fought of the urge to sleep, it was more important to get the ship up and running, she could sleep later. Idly wishing that she could use the force to rejuvenate herself, Kia sighed and kept on with the repairs

Half an hour later, she was ready throw in the towel for the night, she had been trying to tighten the same bolt for the past five minutes, and she kept having to jerk herself back to awake. "I think I'm done for today, I just can't keep awake, and I'd rather fix it then make it worse. I'll make sure the landing ramp is snug, and then I'm turning in, feel free to appropriate any berth or whatever and fill it with your gas, or whatever so you can sleep." Kia says, before slowly and painfully extricating herself from the access tunnels. She is as good as her word in checking up on the ramp before heading into her quarters and securing her door for the night. She barely stops to step out of her boots, shirt, and shorts before crawling into her bunk and falling asleep.

At the suggestion of sleeping, Aasan can't really justify disagreeing. So, with a nod, and a comment not to come into the quarters he plans to use before the gas is completely out, Aasan finds a place that he can seal up safely, and then uses one of the gas breather canisters to attach to the ventilation system only within the room. After letting the gas vent into the room, he lets out a sigh and finally removes the mask and goggles, glad to be rid of them for at least a short time before trying to get some sleep.

***​
Looking at the settlement, Jorran followed Miera in through the gate.

"This is quite an improvement over my pod.

"That is an odd sentiment for someone who just crash landed on an uncharted planet." Miera laughed. "It's a simple way of life. In some ways, I prefer it over the Old Republic. The universe seems so much larger when you are in one place for so long a time. Of course it has its hardships, like contending with the masliths, nightstalkers, and other undesirables, but we get by well enough."

Jorran was drawing lots of attention from the villagers, and several were staring openly. He felt a small tug at his pant leg. Looking down, he saw a young bright-eyed Twi'lek girl, oddly red in color. "'Scuse me, mister, but I don' rec'nize you. Wha's your name?"

Jorran smiled.

"I'm Jorran. Miera and Adrial found me when I fell out of the sky."

After sharing a few more words with the girl, he turned back to Miera.

"I'm just glad I didn't land in an ocean, and that this planet has anyone on it at all. Just another step on the path, right? This isn't near as bad as hiding in that garbage facility on Nar Shaddaa..." He gets a wistful look in his eye for a moment, then it passes. "So, how can I make myself useful until the people in the other ship arrive?"

Miera smiled as the young girl ran off to tell her friends about the strange man from the sky. "It shouldn't be too long until Arias comes back from training Kal. Until then, I'd suggest learning the layout of the camp. I'll see what I can do about finding you a place to stay. If you're hungry at all, Old Orran could use a hand getting tonight's meal together. You can find her by the fire pits at the center of the village. Or, if you're mechanically inclined, you could help Nikana fix our generator. It's been acting up lately, and he thinks it might give out altogether one of these days. He's just south of the fire pits in our crafting area. Now if you don't have any questions I'll go find you somewhere to sleep for the night."

Jorran thought to himself for a moment.

"I think I'll help cook--I don't think I'd be much help with the generator."

Following Miera's directions, Jorran finds an elderly woman along with several children huddled around a long table near two shallow stone-lined pits. On the table are various unfamiliar vegetables and several large hunks of unidentifiable meat still on the bone. At Jorran's approach, the children who were busy cleaning soil off of the vegetables stopped what they were doing. Several elbowed each other and pointed at Jorran, whispering amongst themselves.

"Stop gawking and finish cleaning them veggies!" Orran yelled at the kids. They went stiff for a moment before going back to their chores, several of them muttering under their breath. The old woman turned around as Jorran approached. She did not seem in the least bit surprised or shocked to see him.

"I suppose you're the 'man from the sky' the kids have all been yapping about. Well, for once they're not just making up some nonsense." She looked him up and down " Well, save the life story for later, there's food to be prepared. Damn arthritis, I can barely hold a knife anymore, and there's no way I'm going to let one of the children do it. Give an old woman a hand and trim those maslith legs for us, will you?"

Jorran places his coat and belongings beneath the table and gets to work trimming the meat.

Orran notices the lightsaber amongst his possessions, and gives him a strange look before peeling the husk off of an odd-looking fruit.

Although it was pitch dark in the wilderness due to the thick foliage blocking out the fading sun, at the settlement it was twilight. With Jorran's help, Orran and the children have prepared a thick stew in a large cauldron. If you could call it a cauldron, as it was actually the crashed transport's sensor dome covered with a sheet metal lid. The villagers had gathered around for their evening meal to eat, socialize, and ogle the "man from the sky".

Suddenly, one of the wall sentries, and elderly man holding one of the settlement's few blaster rifles, gave out a cry for silence. "Be quiet for a moment!"

From outside the walls, a faint cry was heard. "Close the gates! Close the gates!" The sentry wordlessly fired his blaster rifle into a brazier at his corner of the wall. The oil within ignited into a bright flame, a quick signal to the other sentries to drop the gates. With four quick tugs of rope, the gates fell to earth, blocking off entry to the village.

***​
Just as she had fallen asleep, Kia was awoken by a sudden, ear-splitting screech. She sat bolt upright at the sudden sound, but then there was nothing. After a minute or so of listening, Kia rationalized that she must have imagined the sound, and she lay back down to try and fall back to sleep. Not ten seconds had past before there was a banging, scratching noise coming from all around her, as if she were in a metal canister and someone was assaulting it with rocks and sandpaper.

"What in the name of the Sith is going on?" Kia yells as she bolts upright, she grabs her blaster pistol and lightsaber as she bolts from the room, not mindful of the fact that she is only wearing her under-garments. She darts off the 8 meters from her door to the cockpit, and throws herself into the pilot chair, looking outside to see if she can see whets causing the racket. She flips a switch on the upper control panel, which should cause the outer hull lights to come on, if they aren't broken.

As Kia hit the switch for the external cockpit floodlights, she found the source of the disturbance.

There had to be at least fifty of the things out there, throwing themselves bodily against the hull and scratching, biting at it to try and get through. They were obviously canine, reminding her of 'greyhounds' that some Corellian politicians kept as pets, only they were double the size, had razor sharp claws, and solid red eyes. They took no notice of the sudden light that pierced the dark of night, and kept assaulting the hull. Several of them were on top of the Dawnsprinter now around the cockpit, slavering and trying to get at Kia.

***​
Several hundred meters out at the thinning edge of the forest, those who had quickly gathered at the gates could see Arias and Kal sprinting towards the village. The reason for their flight was quickly evident. Not far behind them were dozens of vicious-looking creatures twice the size of masliths and twice as dangerous looking. Their red eyes burned as they chased the Sethi Master and his Apprentice at a relentless pace. One of the forerunners was quickly catching up to Kal, who was having difficulty keeping his wind. 

It pounced, and would have brought the young man down but for the flash of white light that severed its head, the decapitated body landing heavily on Kal. "Go! Get up the wall!" Arias shouted at Kal as he charged the pack of hellish canines. The white double lightsaber danced all about at blinding speed, with another beast falling as soon as it was within reach of the Sethi Master. "NOW!" Arias shouted at his apprentice, who had only just pushed the fallen creature off of himself.

Kal didn't look back as he ran towards the wall. Never before had his master ever sounded so urgent, and he wasn't about to argue. Kal took hold of a rope lowered by a sentry, and was quickly resting atop the wall, regaining his wind.

Outside the wall, the beast kept coming and coming. Arias took on five at a time, and with every other slash of his blades, another of the beasts died. There had to be hundreds of them pouring out of the forest, and by the look of things, the lone warrior would soon be surrounded.

***​
Kia involuntarily flinches at a particularly vicious jumping attack by one of the hounds. For once her sarcastic wit seemed to have failed her and she had nothing to say. She didn't have any trouble imagining what those teeth and claws could do to her if she was cut out by them. Shivering, she triggered the ship's inter-com. "Aasan, can you come up her? We're under attack... I don't think they can get in though. I'm gonna see If I can't get the Anti-personnel weapons to work. The Dawnsprinter has a pair of e-webs, it should be enough to put down the creatures."

The girl shivers, wearing nothing but underwear, but she doesn't notice it as she flips the switch to charge the ships weapons array. Waiting a few seconds for the guns to charge, she flips another switch, one that was hidden and would lower the two blasters from their concealed positions, and allow the turrets to fully swing in a 360 degree arc. The next thing the girl did was engage the ships fire-control computer, something that would make it much more accurate then she would be, assuming she was big enough to hold the weapon in the first place. But with the fire control, all she had to do was operate the ships computer, something she was very good at, and the fire control subroutines would translate that into accuracy that would make a storm trooper envious.

The ship's anti-personnel weapons popped out from their hidden compartments, or at least that's what should have happened. Instead, only one fully extended, while the other was half-buried in the stream and couldn't extend to a proper firing position. Kia set the firing rate to maximum and slammed her fist down onto the firing button. The one functional blaster opened up on the swarm of beasts, firing a mess of red streaks all around them. Shot after shot streaked into them, with one beast falling to the fire every fifteen seconds or so.

After several minutes of enduring the continual fire, the pack of creatures had apparently pinpointed the origin of the blaster fire, and tried to move out of its arc of fire, while still keeping up their assault on the cockpit. Eventually they all clambered up into the top of the ship out of the blaster's firing zone, swarming around the cockpit. At least twenty of them had fallen, but that did nothing to dissuade their assault. 

The horrible scratching pounding noise continued.

***​
Kal desperately watches the creatures’ relentless advance, and his master efforts to keep them at bay.

My place is at the side of my master, to help him or die trying! 
he thinks, igniting his lightsaber, and grabbing the rope. But a new idea dawns on him.
Perhaps there is time to try one trick first..

Kal turns off his lightsaber and sits with his legs crossed at the top of the wall. Eyes closed, the young apprentice tries to focus on feeling the force around him. Against the background of life-rich jungle he senses the aura of his master shining like a powerful beacon. Surrounding him Kal senses the auras of the feral monsters, dozens of them. Simple, vicious. Motivated by instincts like hunger..... or fear. What would scare them, make them hesitate enough for his master to reach the walls? Maybe a wall of fire, or a bigger predator...

The boy calls to the light side of the force, and summons his will to manifest the adequate illusion between the monsters and his master, trying to fool their simple minds.

***​
Kia groans as the dog things climb up the ship and get away from the E-web. Everything was sealed up tight, and there was no way they would get through the transparisteel of the cockpit, and even less likely was them getting through the hull plating itself. The girl didn't really think she was in danger, at least for the moment, but she couldn't really relax either. She wanted the dog things off her ship in the worst way, and she came up with a plan to get that to happen. As plans go, it wasn't particularly elegant, but it should work.

Kia flips a switch to retract the e-web, and then she shuts down all non-essential systems. Next she connects the power feed directly to the whole, where it should electrify the outside of the ship, sort of like those predator deterrents that scientists used when they were in the field.

***​
As she watches the beasts attack, Adrial turns to Miera. "Master Pannar! Can we not help Master Falm?"

"No, Adrial. Arias may be outnumbered, but that doesn't mean that he's outmatched." Miera watched the horde of beasts continuing to assault her lover.

Arias' voice entered her mind. Is Kal safe?

Yes, he's on the wall now. She replied telepathically.

Good. Arias executed a blindingly rapid series of strikes all about him, killing those beasts closest to him. Before he could be engaged by additional creatures, Arias pushed out with the force and flew back thirty five meters away from the pack and towards the wall. As he landed and began to sprint back to the village, he felt an odd twinge in the force. Looking back he saw a wall of fire spring up out of the ground between himself and the pack of beasts. It deterred the beasts for but a moment, before they collectively rushed through the flames towards Arias. The gap wasn't much, but it was enough. Kal's master rushed head on towards the wall, and just as he was about the crash face first into the wooden barrier, he shot up into the sky and landed on the wall right next to Kal. Those around the wall heard the pack crash into it, with the sound of more than a few broken bones.

"That was a nice diversion, Kal." Arias said, clapping Kal on the back. "I would have gone with a gigantic Nightstalker myself, but the fire did the trick."

After running back to the cooking area to arm himself, Jorran saw upon returning to the crown that Arias was already to safety. 

***​
Kia touched the power line to one of the cockpit struts, and for a moment there was a faint feeling of electricity through the ship. A moment later, Kia saw an unmoving body fall past the cockpit to the ground with a satisfying *thud*.

Nodding at the thud, Kia simply kept the power line attached to the strut. With all of them climbing on top of the ship, they would all have nowhere to escape except for a leap from the top of the space craft to the ground, at least a 15 meter drop. She kept the charge up for 30 seconds before disengaging it, judging that that amount of voltage could have handled a rancor, or at least disabled it. Against creatures more human sized, well except for the environmental seals, she almost expected to smell smoke rising off of them.

Kia sighs and watches out in the dark for any of them that had not died. They should certainly avoid the ship from now on, they were chased from beneath by the e-web, and were blasted off the top by the electricity. Hopefully that buys us a wide-berth to fix the repulsor lifts and get out of here, the girl thought to herself. Convinced that she couldn't do anything more about it tonight, she locked down the systems and retreated back to her quarters. Keying in the comm, she wished Aasan a goodnight, and told him that the issue should be dealt with until morning.

Aasan finds Kia later than he'd meant to, but having to get the normally noxious gas safely vented back to the small canisters for his breath mask so that Kia didn't die took time.

After finding out that the problem had been dealt with, he sighed but decided it was pointless to try to deal with all of that again. 

After working with the repulsorlift systems for several hours, Aasan has finished welding the cracks whole again. All that was left to do was to repair the wiring and do a systems check. Aasan found that he needed sleep, badly. If he went any further without rest, he guessed that he would fall asleep while splicing power feeds and electrocute himself. Kia could easily handle the finishing touches on her own, as he had taken care of the more critical, complicated components. If all went well, the repulsorlifts could be up and running with only a few more hours of repair work.

***​
"I'm fine, Miera." Arias said as she fussed over some scraps and cuts he had gained during his earlier fight. "It'll take more than a bunch of witless beasts to bring me down." He took a gulp of vegetable juice, which next to water was their only beverage.

"Maybe, but that was still very reckless of you." She looked down at Kal, who was busy answering questions about his encounter to a very inquisitive Adrial. "It's a good thing that Kal had good enough sense not to stop and fight those things. He wouldn't have lasted three seconds against even one of them."

"True enough, but his skills are improving. He reminds me of myself when I was his age. But still, he shouldn't have had to face those things. It's very unusual for them to come this far south." Arias looked down the length of the community meal table at Jorran, who was being plagued by questions from small children. "Do you think the new arrivals have anything to do with that?"

"Unlikely though it may be, that is a possibility."

"Have you asked him about the state of the galaxy?"

"No, he volunteered to tell me, but I said it would be best if you were with me when we heard the news."

"Hmm. The meat seems a little undercooked. Is Orran getting rusty?" Arias held up a strip of maslith meat that wasn't thoroughly cooked.

"Actually, Jorran helped out with the cooking. He wanted to do something to help out around the village, and I sent him to help out Orran."

"Apparently he wasn't properly trained as a chef." He held two strips of meat next to each other, one triple the thickness of the other.


Several places down the table, Jorran could hardly eat for all the questions that were being thrown at him.

"What was your spaceship like?"
"How old are you?"
"Where did you come from?"
"You smell funny."
"Can I have your shoes?"
"What's your name?"
"Your cloak is soft, can I have it?"


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## Angcuru (Apr 26, 2005)

*6 - Neither Jedi Nor Sith, but Sethi*

Jorran did his best to answer the children’s’ questions one-by-one.
"My ship was an ancient transport...a YT-12. No, not 1200; a 12. I'm 41. I came this way from the direction of Nar Shaddaa, but I grew up on Coruscant. Oh, yeah, I got drenched in hydraulic fluid when my ship got hit. Yeah, by the other ship that's coming tomorrow. No, you can't have my shoes; I need them. I'm Jorran Kaarai. You can borrow my cloak if you're cold, but I'll need it back eventually."

After all the questions were over, and the meal had concluded as well, Jorran walked over to Miera and Arias.

"So, what would you like to know first?"

"Direct and to the point, aren't you?" Miera said as Jorran sat down..

"There are many things we'd like to know, but you can fill us in on the minor details later on. Right now, we just need to know three things." Arias said. "What has happened to the Jedi order? How did the Empire come to power, and what is its state lately?"

"The Jedi order was destroyed utterly in Palpatine's 'Jedi Purge', and for all I know, there may not be more than ten or twenty survivors in the galaxy, including myself. Not too long after the purge, Palpatine used his 'Emergency Powers' to seize all the power from the senate and become emperor. He finally dissolved the senate about eight years ago. Around that time, the rebel factions managed to unite, and the civil war began. It ended around three years ago at the Battle of Endor where Palpatine was killed.

Jorran took a breath.

"Now, the Rebel forces are trying to start a new republic, but there are still some fairly large remnants of the empire in their way, not to mention former governors who decided to become warlords in the systems they used to be overseeing for the empire." 

"In other words, the galaxy is in chaos now, correct?" Arias said.

"I don't understand how the entire order could be destroyed. There were thousands of Jedi, how could Palpatine have eliminated them all?" Miera asked.

Jorran nodded and lowered his head. "He started by raiding the great temple on Coruscant and killing every Master, Knight, Padawan, and Learner there. After that, the remaining Jedi were hunted down one-by-one. The only reason I survived was because I was so far out on the Rim when the purge began, and luck, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it. I was with another Padawan, my master, and another master. We hid on a small planet for years, but the emperor's agents caught up with us, and both of the masters were killed in the attack. After that, I fled from place to place until the empire fell. Since then, I've been looking for any other surviving force-users, Jedi or no. And it seems that's why the Force led me here."

"So. The Jedi Order is no more and Palpatine's Empire is in decline. The galaxy must be a very dangerous place these days." Arias said. "You were never able to complete your training because of this, were you?"

"Pretty much. I've tried to limit my use of the Force as much as possible because of that...you know, trying not to get in over my head, and all. I've found that blasters really aren't as clumsy as they're made out to be, though, in the process. Well, if you get a nice one, that is."

Arias looked to Miera, and to Jorran it was as if they were holding a silent conversation. Miera nodded after about a minute of this, and Arias turned to face Jorran.

"We could complete your training, if you desire. However, it would not be as a Jedi Knight."

Jorran thought to himself for a moment, mulling things around his head. He stroked his beard, and seemed to come to a decision.

"With the galaxy as it is, I don't think there's any way I could ever truly be a Jedi Knight, whether I wanted to or not. I would be honored to train with you...but I can't remember what I was working on last."

He paused, trying to remember.

"Ah, that was it; I had prepared to craft my own lightsaber before I got the last of my training. If this planet has the crystals, I could begin any day...well, I'd need an afternoon to practice what I've forgotten, but then I could begin...ah, but I've been living on my own for far too long; you are the masters, and it is your decision."

"Do not worry about crafting a new blade. Tonight you must rest, and forget anything that your old masters taught you concerning the nature of the Force. In the morning, you will choose the focus crystal of your new lightsaber, and your training will begin." Miera said. With a nod to Jorran, and a wink to Arias, she got up and headed over to their hut.

"You will find that we Sethi have practices far different from the Jedi you remember, Jorran." Arias said before following her.

Jorran went to the sleeping quarters that had been found for him, and spent about an hour meditating on the day's events before he climbed into bed and dozed off.






Sleep eluded Kal that night. His world was changing so fast! All the fantastic tales of a huge galaxy, with thousands of worlds and advanced technology his father told him when he was a kid were swirling through his mind.

He meditated upon the rumors that the foreigner’s news had spread through the refugee village. The republic turned into an empire, the Jedi order in disarray and hunted!... and then the Rebels, brave fighters gaining back the freedom for a New Republic.
Suddenly his small village seemed even smaller. Kal decided that he WOULD see this big galaxy, that many adventures awaited beyond his jungle world.

And the Sethi teachings would spread, we will be as powerful as the old Jedi Order.. he had seen his master TRUE power for the first time. With patience, he would grow to be as powerful as him.

One thing troubled Kal.. when he used the Force to help his master his first instinct had been to channel all the anger he felt and use it to strike fear into the monsters. But then he had tried to calm his mind and let his powers flow from the light side of the Force. Maybe he was inexperienced, but the Dark side offered him MORE power than the light. Was it so bad to call to the Dark side to save a life? What if an innocent had been killed, just because it was more difficult for Kal to channel the forces of light and goodnes than to channel the forces of hate and fear?  He had been taught to balance the two, but there was still difficulty in shaking the natural aversion to what felt so evil.

He would have to voice this doubts to his mentor in the morning... 

Slowly, his exhausted mind drifted into sleep...

The next morning, Jorran was wakened by the sound of little feet next to his bed. It was more of a hurriedly set up cot, but a bed is a bed. As he opened his eyes, he saw the same group of children which had been pestering him the night before. 

"You awakes?" Asked the red twi'lek girl, who was apparently the leader of the group.


On the other side of camp, Kal and Adrial woke in the larger hut which housed the Sethi apprentices and learners. Each of them had their own quarters partitioned off from the rest, with a small communal living area at the center. Early morning sunlight was just reaching over the edge of the wall, accompanied by soft, distant birdsong.
Jorran yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I am now. So, I'm going to guess it's time for breakfast, or else I'm needed somewhere. Just let me get dressed."
"Missus Miera wants you to come to the big hut when you ready. You get brekfist there." The children stared at him for a few moments before they ran off to find something more exciting.

Jorran dressed in his clean change of clothes, leaving his coat and weapons-belt behind. He left the sleeping quarters and walked to what he could only assume was the 'big hut'.
As Jorran enters the largest hut in the village, he is greeted by a young bothan who directs him to an area at the left end of the hut. Miera is sitting on a small mound of cushions, eating...something out of a wooden bowl while several large rocks float in midair to her right, continuously rearranging into difference geometric shapes.

"Ah, good morning, Jorran." Miera indicates a cushion on the floor with a small, low table next to it. On the table is a bowl of something resembling a foodstuff that on some worlds was called 'oatmeal'. "Please, take a seat and have some food." 

After Jorran had been seated, Miera spoke again. "If you can, I'd like for you to recite the Jedi Code."

Jorran began.

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force."

He sighed after that last part, remembering his master, and everyone he had known that had been killed in the Purge.

"Good. Now recite the Sith Code." Miera said.

"Peace is a lie, there is only Passion. Through passion, I gain Strength. Through strength, I gain Power. Through power, I gain Victory. Through victory, My chains are broken. The Force shall free me.

He did not look pleased uttering the words; they obviously left a bad taste in his mouth. The look passed, though, and he resumed a more neutral expression.

"Just words, like the Jedi code. What matter is what you make of them, or so I've come to understand."

Miera smiled. "It is good that you understand this. While these two codes are simple words, they encompass the core values of each path. The Jedi emphasize the light, defensiveness, and peace. The Sith emphasize the dark, aggressiveness, and struggle. The two are polar opposites, but they have one important thing in common. That their very code was the key to their downfall.

The Jedi would work together, becoming only as powerful as was necessary to maintain the peace of the Republic. This caused them not only to become weakened through lack of struggle, but complacent in their roles as guardians of peace.

The Sith prefer to work alone and seek out struggle, thus the individual becomes more powerful. But because of this, they turn on one another in a survival of the fittest philosophy. They will work together to increase their collective power, but individual interests always dominate.

Jedi and Sith are both formidable in battle against the mundane, but when facing each other, weaknesses become apparent. Because of the nature of their paths, a lone Jedi would always be an inferior to a lone Sith in battle. Simply put, the Jedi are many, but compared to Sith, are also weak. The Sith are few, but compared to Jedi, also powerful.

After many successive conflicts, the Sith became very few, but also, very powerful. Is it not odd that the Jedi, a conclave of peacekeepers renowned throughout the galaxy, would fear the possibility that a mere two foes would appear to challenge them?

You know as well as I do that in the rise and fall of Palpatine's Empire, both were utterly destroyed."

Miera paused for a quick drink, clearing her throat before continuing.

"As with anything, the Force cannot be anything to you that you will not allow it to be. To the Jedi, it was a divine power to be respected and used in moderation. A veritable gift to be shared amongst the many who are blessed to be able to feel its presence. To the Sith, the Force is no different than any other controllable thing in existence, no more sacred than physics or other laws of nature. To them, the Force was a tool, a gateway to power to be used at will. 

Because of these perceptions, the Jedi became collectively weak and complacent, while the Sith became individually corrupt and arrogant. Thus did they fall."

Miera looked Jorran up and down for a moment. "My question to you is this. What do you see the Force to be?"

Jorran thought for quite some time.

"Hmmm...I think the Sith were on to something with their concept, but its goal is no less flawed than the Jedi concept..."

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"I say the Force is power, for lack of a better word. It's a just another way to influence your surroundings...the universe around you. And it carries the same potential for good or evil that a blaster or rulership over a planet does. With the Force, though, that potential is far greater than with blasters or money or anything else."

Miera nodded at Jorran. "Thus do you see the truth behind it all. You and I both were taught that the Force is divided into the Light and Dark sides, but that is not the reality of it. There is no Light Side or Dark Side to the Force, it just is. Light and Dark, Good and Evil, they are just words. Ideas created in antiquity by frightened peoples to rationalize the unknown, to encompass it in what they were already familiar with: morality.

But the Jedi caught on to one truth. The Force it not simply a power of nature, it is something much more. The Force really is, is the soul of the universe. Everything in existence is part of it. Life is able to exist because of the Force, and whenever life ends, the tiny portion of the Force that fueled that life returns to the Force.

When a creature is born, a soul is created from the Force just as the body is created from the matter of the universe. Those we refer to as Force Sensitive are a different matter altogether. We are something more than simple life forms, in that our souls are incomplete. When we are born, we are left with a tangible connection to the Force which is unnatural and unintended. While most souls are limited to their bodies, we are directly connected to the entirety of the universe. Thus do we have the power that we do.

Although we live and die just like any other life form, we are living wounds upon the Force. Wounds that the Force is continually trying to heal. The more we concentrate on our connection to the Force, the larger the wound becomes. As a Force Sensitive grows in power, so does the temptation of the so-called Dark Side. The Dark Side is nothing more than a manifestation of the Force's attempts to destroy the Force Sensitive. The stronger one becomes in the 'Dark Side', the more desiccated and corrupt they become, as the Force attempts to cause them decay and draw them into recklessness and hate that would end their lives and end the wound.

The 'Light Side' is simply a conscious path to avoid the 'Dark Side', and has no extraordinary intrinsic value."

***​At the _Dawnsprinter_ however, the birds were quite a bit louder. Actually, as the sheer volume of it woke Kia, she groggily though that if the ship hadn't been designed with sound insulation in mind, the sound just might be deafening.

"Someone is getting strangled," Kia mutters as she sits up, removing her covers and rubbing at her eyes. She had never heard such cacophony before, "Probably feeding on those dog things that attacked last night." she pondered aloud, rolling out of her berth. Her cabin was fairly neat, not what one would expect from a teenager who frequented bars and casinos, nor was the decorations. On the one wall, there was a full length mirror, and beside it a bunch of 2D still pictures of her Parents, and of her little brother Valin. On her shelves, there were a variety of exotic things picked up along the outer rim. In a special protective case, there were a pair of Quarren Crystal Goblets, and a bottle of Whyren's Reserve. Elsewhere on the shelves, there was an antique blaster pistol dating back 20 years to before the clone wars.

Mussing her hair, Kia entered her private fresher, one of the major perks of being the captain of a space vessel. She took a quick sonic shower, removing the sweat and grime of the previous day, and also to wake herself up with the Sonics, water being scarce in space and all. She dumped her sheets in the cleaner as well to be cleaned over the course of the day. Humming a bit, she dresses in a sleeveless skin tight black body stocking, and a pair of boots, proud of her figure, and some small part of her wanting to look very good when she showed up as the rescuer of the crash survivors.

Half an hour after rising, the girl finally emerged from her cabin and headed back to the galley, grabbing a pre-packaged ration bar, she heads down to the access tunnel she would need to use to get to the repulsor lifts, wanting to get that accomplished before anything else. The less time they spent around so many bodies the better, especially with the Masliths most likely scavenging, she wouldn't be able to move all the bodies.

Upon reaching the area she had been working in the previous day, Kia sees that all she had left to do was splice a few wires together and do a diagnostic. Apparently, Aasan had hauled ass last night while she was sleeping. Kia couldn't help but be impressed with his handiwork. All the better, as that left less for her to do, and the very easy part, at that.

Kia smiles, impressed at what the Kel-dor had pulled off over night. "I should really thank him, he had to have been almost as tired as I was, and he still pulled an all-nighter getting her this close to being done." the Corellian murmurs to herself as she gets into all the wiring, making all of the connections and splices. She hums an old Selonian song as she works.

After she gets the wiring as done as she can, she moves on to the diagnostic, and while the computer is working on that, she does a bit of work, on the redundant systems, working on the lighting, and just cleaning up the ship. She does her best to avoid waking Aasan up, trying to let the older Kel-Dor sleep.

After an hour or so of cleaning and polishing the insides of the ship, Kia hears a *ping* as she passes by the cockpit.

DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE. A mechanical voice sounded. As Kia looks over the readout screen for the results, she sees what she has been anticipating for nearly a day.
*Diagnostic of Repulsorlift systems completed.*
*Repairs successful.*
*Systems fully operational.*
*Awaiting command.*​

Kia lets out a whoop of delight that rivals the volume of the bird calls at the system operational report. The ship wasn't ground bound, not anymore, it might not be space worthy yet, but she could at least get the _Dawnsprinter_ up, and that was a major victory all on its own._ I should let Aasan sleep, at least for a while longer, I want to get there soon, but he deserves it after last night. Now that the lifts are working, I can call over, let them know we're coming, and then work on getting more power from the ion engines. We'll need it for space, but getting up in the air at all is good, the girl thought gratefully Maybe I can reward him somehow, for all the hard work, once we get off this rock. Anywhere he wants to go, he is there, no matter where_. she resolves.

She clicks on the commlink, "This is Kia over on the _Dawnsprinter_, we have our repulsor lifts fully operational, and our sub-lights have the power to get us to you, so light a fire and make a feast or something." she jokes, grinning to herself. "I don't know how fast we'll make it to you, but it should definitely be within 12 hours or so, just want to get some redundant systems working first, and let my Wiz Mechanic sleep in after his all-nighter."

"We did have some company last night though, a whole pack of things bigger then the Masliths, at least 50 or more of them. We burnt with an E-web, and then electrified the hull. Do these things have a name, like the red ones do?" she asks.

***​
The comm buzzed just as Miera finished speaking. She frowned at the interruption, and quickly clicked the comm on. "Copy, Kia. Call me again when you're halfway here, but not before, please."

***​
Kia raises a puzzled eye brow at the instruction, feeling a ouch un appreciated, here she was going to bring a working space craft to the settlement and maybe a way off the planet for them, and they didn't sound enthusiastic or even grateful. "probably back to nature Ithorian wannabes" she murmurs vexedly. She runs a diagnostic over the entirety of the ship's systems, hyperdrive and sub-light engines included, figuring she might be able to get a bit of work in on them while she waits for Aasan to raise after the all-nighter.

While the diagnostic is running, she runs the sensors as well to get an idea of what was going on around the planet, starting with what was outside, and on top of the ship.

The sensors told Kia that the _Dawnsprinter_ and the surrounding area was absolutely covered in small life forms no larger and 0.1 Cubic Meters each. Most likely the scavenger birds that had disturbed her earlier. A wide range scan of the planet she was on revealed more or less what she had expected. An extraordinary amount of life, with the only hint of anything even approaching modern technology being energy readings from approximately 100 kilometers to the southeast.

Kia looks at the sensor read out curiously, but then shrugs, she hadn't expected for it to be any different. Keeping the earlier diagnostic in mind, she heads down to check out the Hyperdrive, wanting to look it over in person, and assess the earlier warning about it. She was still grumbling a bit about a lack of manners from the crash survivors when she had made her way down to the unit and opened it up.

Upon opening up the hyperdrive casing, Kia discovered another reason why blind hyperspace jumps are not recommended. It looked as if someone had set off a thermal detonator right in the center of it and proceeded to beat on the remains with a sledgehammer. Kia had only heard of this happening once before, from a smuggler who had made a blind jump and skipped off the edge of a gravity well. Just a few degrees difference in the flight path, and she would have been vapor floating in deep space.

After an extra hour from eating and venting the gas out of the sealed room, Aasan dons his breath mask and goggles and exits his small room to find Kia. Finding her back with the hyperdrive, he simply nods quietly while leaning over to look at the Hyperdrive.

"I believe that a replacement would be more important that just repairing that," he says quietly, "It is lucky we are alive though. I'm surprised that didn't take the entire ship with it..."

***​
Jorran thought for a long time after what Miera said.

"From the sounds of it, I don't think I'll have any trouble 'converting' and starting my training...I just hope I haven't gotten too old to learn everything all over again."

"You are never too old to learn, Jorran. The Jedi myth that one should not be taught of the Force past a certain age is their excuse not to train those they cannot control. We can begin your continued training today. What path do you train in, Jorran? Do you focus on mastery in combat or control of the Force?"

"I'd hardly call it 'mastery' as it is, but my focus is on combat, if only because I'm better with my saber than directly with the Force. I haven't had much opportunity for practice with either, though.”

"In that case, you will be doing most of your training with Arias. As you no doubt observed last night, he is a very skilled fighter. Normally, I would send you to him to test your current skills, but he had a...tiring night." Miera brought forth a small wooden box and placed it in front of Jorran.

"For now, we will see to the construction of a new blade. Like our ways, our blades are different from what you are accustomed to. As with the Jedi, we make a blade for our students to use until they are capable of constructing their own. However, we only construct the lightsaber itself, and the student chooses the focusing crystal. Inside this box is a lightsaber I have prepared for you, and several crystals which can be used as the focus of a lightsaber. Remember what you have been told, and choose."

Miera lifts the lid off of the box, and inside is an incomplete lightsaber and three crystals. The lightsaber itself is strange in that there is no activation button that Jorran can see. Each crystal is of a different hue. There is one red, one blue, and one white.

"No green? Well, then I'll have to choose white."

"A good choice, and expected. Although the color of a blade may seem trivial, it should mark the path you follow. Just as our teachings encompass the entirety of the Force, the white light encompasses all other colors. It is only when one of these is broken that the others can be found."

Miera took the white crystal and inserted it between the two halves of the incomplete lightsaber. She spoke as she completed the assembly

"Notice that there is no ignition switch on the handle. This is for several reasons, but primarily to improve the quality of the blade. This lightsaber can only be activated by one who has sufficient control of the entire force, and even then it is not that simple. The crystal you selected is the only type which our order uses, and can only be used by those of our order. As it is formed from the whole force and not simply one extreme, it has capabilities exceeding those of normal blades, as you will find out as you wield it."

Miera handed the blade to Jorran, and gestured for him to activate it. Being accustomed to an ignition button, he is at first puzzled. They can only be used by those who control the entire force. Jorran concentrated on the Force, trying to find the perfect point of balance. After a few moments of meditation, focusing on the light, then the dark, he found it. Strangely enough, he felt a sense of wholeness that he had never conceived of before.

Jorran looked down at the lightsaber blade in his hand, and willed it to activate. 

_*SNAP*-hisss..._

A blade of pure white light shone between Jorran and Miera.

"Now you are on the path that is neither Jedi nor Sith, but Sethi."


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## Arkhandus (Apr 27, 2005)

Interesting little story hour you have going here, Angcuru....  I'm curious where it's heading, and how the "Sethi" consider their relationship with the Force if they consider Force-users to be a wound upon the Force.....


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## Angcuru (Apr 27, 2005)

Always good to have another reader.  In this game I'm taking some ideas that have been floating around for a while and putting them to use.  I'd explain in detail what the Sethi believe on the matter, but that would spoil it for the players.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Apr 27, 2005)

Angcuru said:
			
		

> Always good to have another reader.  In this game I'm taking some ideas that have been floating around for a while and putting them to use.  I'd explain in detail what the Sethi believe on the matter, but that would spoil it for the players.



 Spoil away! Aasan ain't gonna like and isn't going to be happy about it anyway.


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## Angcuru (Apr 27, 2005)

Aasan also isn't the only PC in the game.


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## Angcuru (May 1, 2005)

*7 - Idle Chit-Chat and Early Arrival*

"Sithspawn!" Kia curses as she examines the ruined pile of slag that is they hyper-drive. Without a Hyper-drive, she isn't getting the ship out of the system and back to civilization, and it’s not like they grown on trees either. She curses again and punches her fist into an innocuous grating in anger, her in-experience with the force and anger fueling the blow, causing the grating to bend and warp. She looks up startled when Aasan leans over her and the hyper-drive.

"Replacements don't grow on trees, it’s not like I have a back up or anything. Unless the original survivors have one, or we can find that other guy's ship...if it didn't break up on impact...we're stuck here, and I have no interest in being here any longer then I have to." she says, almost in a growl. Then Kia sighs and shakes her head softly, rubbing at her hand, "Its not you fault, now that your up, we can head over to the settlement, I figure, once where there, we can see about getting the ship more charge or something...work with what we actually have."
Looking at the grate with a hollow feeling in her stomach, the wannabe-cop turned smuggler gets up and heads up to the cockpit. "I'm going to run 1 last diagnostic then get us out of here." she tells the Kel-Dor, and then suits actions to words. She runs the main diagnostic again, and then if she finds nothing wrong, she'll cut in the repulsor lifts, bouncing the ship up off the ground, climbing up till they hover 100 meters off the ground, and then she punches in the sub-lights, giving them forward momentum on a course that would take them to the transponder signal.

Other than the wrecked hyperdrive and low power to the engines, all systems are go. Within minutes the _Dawnsprinter_ is cruising above the trees. According the diagnostic, the engines are running at 2% capacity. ETA...approximately 6 hours.

Aasan attempts to bring more power to the engines, his efforts at first seem to be having no effect. Although he pushes the throttle to 50%, there is no response. The ship's power generator is functioning correctly, so there's probably a faulty power conduit somewhere. However, a little voice in his head told him that messing with the engines while they were 100 meters in the air about unscouted and very likely hostile territory was a bad idea. If the engines gave out now, they would be stuck up in the air or on the ground(if they were feeling a bit masochistic) until they could get the engines running again. That possibly meant external repairs. Yep. Bad idea.

Aasan knew that he could get he engines back to full functionality, but that is best done once the _Dawnsprinter_ has reached the settlement.

"I don't think there is anything for it but to let the engines be 'til we get to the Settlement, I assume they have someway of keeping away the local predators, and fiddling with the engines while we are moving ain't so hot. We could still get there, eventually if they went out, but, I doubt we want to spend a week getting there, when we can be there in a few hours if we leave 'em alone for now." the ship's pilot suggests, locking in the course, and hitting the auto-pilot to make any minor course corrections that would come up from the wind.

Figuring that it had been 3 hours or so, and it would only take another few to get there, she figured it qualified for that woman's restriction, even if she thought the woman had been rude, there hadn't been any pressing need to contact her, so she left it well enough alone. "This is the _Dawnsprinter_, we are halfway to your settlement, moving at something like 2% engine power, which will put us there in 3 hours give or take...Miera, out of curiosity, do you need any meat? Last night, we got swarmed by 50 or so things almost twice the size of Masliths, and they climbed on top of the ship to avoid my anti-personnel weapons. I used ship power to fry the pack, and they are still up on top of the ship. If you want 'em, ok, otherwise, I'm gonna roll and drop them off the top."

***​
Having sent Jorran to his room to meditate on what he had learned until Arias was awake, Miera was relaxing on a pile of cushions when Kia called.

"I hear you, Kia. There should more than enough room near the center of out settlement for you to land your ship. I apologize for being so abrupt earlier. I was in the middle of explaining something very important to Jorran. Anyway, those creatures are commonly called vornskrs in some systems, despite their rarity. They usually hunt in small family packs, but they go absolutely mad when they detect a force sensitive being. You must have someone who is force sensitive on board your ship if they attacked in such numbers...interesting. Go ahead and get rid of their remains, they aren't good to eat."

***​

"Great, first I have to watch out for Jedi Hunters, now its Jedi Dogs...what's next, Jedi fish?" she asks sarcastically, more out of reflex then anything else. Kia blows out a sigh of irritation that pushes her hair out of her eyes, though the sigh was more for the news. "I'm the one who's force sensitive, Aasan, used to be partnered with a Jedi Master back in the Clone Wars, like ancient history, so maybe it rubbed off on him too, though he said he isn't. I take it you or someone in the settlement can use the force if you know so much about those vornsky things huh?" she asks, pitching the ship up, 45 degrees to first one side, and then 45 degrees to the other figuring that would be better then a barrel role while surrounded by a planets gravity at least.

***​
"I never said anything about Jedi, only that they attack force sensitives." Miera said, "So you're force sensitive, are you...have you had any formal training? There are quite a few of us here in our village who can feel the Force, myself included. But...did you say that Aasan had a Jedi partner? That must mean that he was an Antarian Ranger...interesting."

***​
"If they attack Force Sensitives, meaning they can sense the ability, Palpatine would have been using them with his Stormies to hunt us all down, and he wasn't, are you really sure about them hunting Force Sensitives, I don't remember anything about them going on with the Jedi Purge when the Emperor and Vader hunted down all the Jedi." Kia said dubiously. She raises an eyebrow at the question of formal training, she had been born after the purge, if anyone had been teaching force sensitives they would have been slaughtered.

"No, I was born during the purge, if anyone had been around to teach, they would have been tortured then murdered, me with them. I didn't figure it out ‘til a few months ago, I can move things with my mind, and do the whole mind trick thing. I don't even think I could find anyone who survived the purge and was willing to teach me, maybe I could convince Luke Skywalker to do it, he's a Jedi Knight now, for the last few years, maybe he'll restart an Academy like people were saying he was gonna do, I don't know."

***​
"The creatures are commonly known to exist, but only those on the Jedi Council and their most trusted commanders were ever aware of the vornskrs' acute ability to detect force sensitives." Miera said, thinking for moment before continuing.

"Vader would be Palpatine's apprentice, then? Then he must be a fallen Jedi...I wonder which one it was. This Luke Skywalker fellow...would he be the son of Anakin Skywalker? If so, and he is anything like his father, he is inept and lacks balance. I wouldn't recommend seeking training from him if he is." She paused again.

"So there are Jedi in the Galaxy again. Whether this is for good or ill is yet to be seen."

***​
"I didn't agree with the Empire, or the Rebellion, not entirely because of what some claimed to do in its name, but Skywalker has done more then anyone to end the Empire's cruelty. He was the one that destroyed the first of the Emperor's Death Stars, and then on the Second Death Star he defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, I don't think you get to call a Jedi who defeated two Sith Lords incompetent. His actions against the Death Star stopped the Empire from blowing up any planet besides Alderaan."

"You have to understand, the Skywalkers are some of the biggest celebrities in the Galaxy. Princess Liea was the youngest senator before the Emperor dissolved the Senate, and she went on to lead the Rebellion, and her twin brother Luke Destroyed the Death Star, and slew the Emperor and Vader. Both were instrumental in changing the Galaxy, and now Leia looks like she is on the short list to head up the entire government."

***​
"Well, I have been stuck on a hostile uncharted planet on the fringe of the galaxy with no way whatsoever of receiving news of current events. I tend not to know these things." Miera laughed into the comm.

"Still, regardless of his achievements, this Luke may seek to teach the path of the Jedi. If it is training you seek, there are alternatives."

***​
Aasan listens quietly, deciding that some of his more intimate knowledge of the Empire and its beginning were best left to private conversation. Some things should not be spoken to the young about. Especially the things he saw.

But upon hearing Miera speaking of 'alternatives' to training, he frowns underneath his breath mask. Making sure to speak away from the comm, the Kel Dor says to Kia, "I have a bad feeling about this. These are speeches I have heard before, and they never prove to be good ideas. Do not jump into anything without knowledge of it, especially the Force..."

"I'm not planning on jumping into anything," Kia replies, answering both of their questions at once. "I don't know about any alternatives, the Hunters would have slain those others just as readily as the Jedi, and there were a lot more Jedi. Look, I'm more worried about getting my ship up to working order and getting out system then learning some hokey religion, my abilities serve me just fine, If I need to learn to use the Force, I'm sure I will. If Skywalker is really building an Academy, then that sounds like a place that I should at least check out. I don't know anything about other Force Users, but I know that the Jedi are the good guys." she says with a cynical laugh, that betrayed a bit of discomfort in her current path.

***​
As was common for her after a day of excitement, Adrial slept in. She had not learned to control her feelings like Master Pannar had taught. She was relatively good at it until something big happened. Then she would exhaust herself and the following morning would inevitably sleep in. As she awoke she noted that the morning was almost gone. She quickly rises and dresses in her Padawan robes and moves toward the common meeting hall. As she enters she sees that Master Pannar is talking on a commlink. As she hurries to present herself before Master Pannar, she hears the end of someone else’s voice over the commlink. "... know that the Jedi are the good guys." She stops before her Master and awaits her acknowledgement of Adiral's presence. Adrial stands there patiently as she has been taught.

Miera nods to Adrial with a smile before speaking into the commlink. "If you say so, Kia. I must be going now, one of my students requires my attention."

She turned off the com and placed it to her side. "Did you have a good rest, Adrial?"

She nods. "Forgive me Master Pannar. I know that I have been taught to control my emotions. But I allowed yesterday's excitement to get the best of me. I will strive to keep my emotions in better check rather then the reverse." She bows. "I am ready for today's training." But then her stomach growls very loudly and she gets very embarrassed. "...of course after I have eaten breakfast..." But then she remembers the time of day. "...or lunch?" She stands, waiting for her Master's reply, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Do not worry about it, Adrial. You should be able to control your emotions when necessary to keep them from blocking your judgment, but do not try to block them out entirely. If you were to do so, you would be forsaking that which makes you human." Miera said comfortingly.

"I'll wake up Arias, he should be starting Jorran's training today. Why don't you go give Kal a nudge, see if you can wake him up, then rouse Jorran and meet us by the cooking area. Orran and the children should have lunch ready soon. We can eat as we watch Arias test his abilities, which should be entertaining."

Miera got up and headed towards the other end of the hut to rouse Arias.

***​
While pacing around the ship without anything better to do, Aasan begins to think back to his time with the Antarian Rangers. Memories of his old partner, the strange thrill of thwarting the Separatists while escaping almost certain death, the fear he felt during the Purge, it all came flooding back. *WHAM* Aasan dripped over an exposed power coupling and fell flat on his face. After hurriedly checking his breath mask to make sure it wasn't dislodged, he grumbled his bad luck of late as he got back to his feet, and stared accusingly at the exposed coupling.

His accusing stare turned to one of confusion. The coupling was separated just where he had tripped over it, but he hadn't felt anything crucial on the ship fail. Could it be...? Nah, not likely. Just in case, though, Aasan crouched down and joined the coupling back together, and suddenly found himself flat on his back as sudden jolt swept the ship.

At the cockpit, Kia was forced out of a daydream as a sudden boost of power found the engines.

*Ion Engine Maintenance Complete.....Power at 100%

ETA - 3 minutes.​*​


----------



## Angcuru (May 1, 2005)

Sorry for the late/short update, the game's been running a bit slowly lately.


----------



## Angcuru (May 8, 2005)

*8 - Greetings and Misunderstandings*

Kia lets out a cheer as the ships engines surge with the new power, driving her back into her seat. With this much power, she could punch out of the gravity well of the planet and set up a distress beacon at center of the system, the place that 99% of hyper jumps were planned to go, just to avoid the very problems that the Dawnsprinter would run into. "Great work Aasan, not sure what you did, or why you did it while we are in mid-air, but it was a stellar job." the scoundrel congratulates the scout. She rules out telling the settlement that they would be there in a few minutes, not liking being dismissed for a second time in less then half a day.

"Come on up here Aasan, take the copilot seat, we'll be there in less then 5 minutes." she tells him over the intercom. Grinning tightly, she waggles the ship a bit out of the pure joy of flying again at more then a snail's pace. This speed, this was her baby, the Dawnsprinter that she had fallen in love with. After a minute, her antics settled down, and she watched the ETA swiftly count itself down to nothing as the ship roared to a stop over the settlement and the area that Miera had told her to land in. She made a quick loop over the landing area, to make sure it was clear, and then cut power to the engines, easing her down smoothly on her repulsorlifts, till she settled softly on the ground.

Kia spent a moment smoothing out her sleeveless body sock and clipping on her gun-belt, tying the bottom of the holster to her thigh. Between the belt, the holster, and the lightsaber clipped opposite of the holster, it and the body sock did a very good job emphasizing her figure. She winked at Aasan as she hit the landing ramp control.

Aasan had rubbed his skull idly while trying not to think too hard. After returning to the cockpit, he couldn't help but admit that he wasn't even completely sure what he'd done, but it had worked, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.

Once they were down, he pulled on his own belt and holster, and checked his breath mask one last time. With a bit of a worried feeling, he stepped up to follow Kia down the ramp, simply nodding to her to lead the way down since she seemed ready to do it anyway. He'd learned a thing or two about humans in his years, but sometimes, the eagerness of the young of any species still was beyond his grasp.

***​
Adrial nodded to Master Pannar and went to go rouse the other two. First she headed to Kal's quarters and found the young Sethi still asleep. She shook his bed. "Kal! Wakeup! It's almost lunch time." Without waiting for him to get moving she is heading out of his quarters as he is starting to stir. "Meet at the cooking area." Next she goes to find the new arrival, Jorran. She finds him just outside the meeting hut looking up into the sky. As Adrial is about to ask what he is looking at, she sees the ship fly over the camp. It is the first working starship she has ever seen. She starts running to the cooking area while yelling over her shoulder. "Meet at the cooking area!"



"Get up, it's almost time for lunch and Jorran is waiting for you to begin his training." Miera nudged Arias, who was sprawled out on their bed. "It's not like you to stay abed this late."

"Bah. It's also not like you to be so energetic." Arias smirked. "You try sleeping out in the wilderness for three days straight before coming home to such a vigorous welcome." He stretched, and scooted over to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling Miera down next to him.

Miera cuffed him upside his head. "Are you referring to me, or the vornskr attack? Don't answer that. Anyway, that Kia girl will have her ship here in a few hours and Orran's gotten lunch ready, so get dressed." She took his clothes from the edge of the bad and shoved them playfully in his face.

"Oh, wonderful, and I'd just gotten used to this planet." Arias dressed, making sure to secure his lightsaber to the small clip in his robes that held it in place hanging between his shoulder blades, beneath the outer cloak.

"Would you like me to send her away, instead?" Miera teased.

"Don't be fooling around, woman! You know I hate this place. It's always hot and humid, you can't stay outside the gate for more than fifteen minutes before something tries to introduce you to its digestive tract, and every day it's the exact same thing for breakfast lunch and dinner." Arias complained as he smoothed out the creases in his clothing. "I swear, the first thing I do when I get off this miserable planet is find the nicest restaurant in the galaxy and get a private booth where it's colder than Hoth in the winter season!" He paused for a moment. "Well, maybe not that cold, but still pretty damned chilly."

They stepped out of the large hut just in time to hear the Dawnsprinter shoot past overhead before coming back and hovering down to the ground not far from the fire pits. 

"I thought you said she was going to be here in a few hours." Arias said.

"Well, over the comm she did sound like the typical young, impatient sort." Miera said as they headed over towards where Adrial was waiting for them...

"Traits that I'm willing to ignore if she can get us off this rock." Arias smiled broadly.
***

The landing ramp of the Dawnsprinter touched down smoothly, letting a rush of hot, humid air into the climate-controlled starship interior. Kia and Aasan descended down the ramp into the center of the village, where they were greeted by three figures. 

A tall, handsome man with a well-trimmed brown beard stopped several paces in front of Aasan and Kia. To his left was a very short black-haired woman, and on his right, an attractive woman of average height with amber hair. Both women wore lightsabers at their sides, though the man appeared unarmed.

"We had expected you a bit later, Kia. Lucky for you, you've arrived just in time for lunch." The woman said with a smile.

Kia allows the motion of the lowering ramp to carry her to the ground, not even the jolt of the ramp coming to a stop fully extended made her lose her balance. The former academy candidate smirked down at the group gathered to meet her and Aasan. She tossed her head and her red hair settles back around her shoulders, it was the kind of personal motion that could get very annoying very quickly if repeated. Kia smiled and stepped off the ramp, her hand traveling to her lightsaber when she sees the two women wearing their own sabers. "I guess you weren't kidding about being force sensitive," Kia jokes, looking at the older of the women.

She extends a hand to Arias "Kia Obscura, Captain of the Dawnsprinter, now lets see what we can do to get us off of this wonderful planet you've discovered." She brushes the white lock of hair over her temple up and behind her ear to keep it from her face. Standing a step from the landing ramp of her ship in a skin tight body sock, with a hand on her light saber, she looks every bit like a heroine from some insipid romance holo-drama.

Jorran chuckled when he saw a dent on the front of the Dawnsprinter--with bits of russet-brown paint in it.

"I thought I had seen the last of the Umber Dart when it exploded in orbit, but you brought some of its paint with you just to cheer me up."

He seemed to notice Kia finally.

"You seem a little young to be ramming older mens' ships out of the sky...but you made it here just fine, which is more than I could have done at your age.

He grinned.

Adrial is speechless. She never really imagined she would ever see a working starship and now here one set before her. She stands and waits beside Master Pannar trying to remain cautious. But inside she is jumping up and down.

Miera was just about to speak when she noticed something oddly humorous.

The red Twi’lek child had shown up and was tugging on Aasan's pant leg. "'Scuse me mister space man. What's tha' thing stuck on your face? D'you need help gettin' it off?"

Miera covered her face halfway with her hand, not sure whether to laugh or apologize.

Aasan smiled under the breath mask, his attention suddenly drawn away from the others (and the lightsabers). With a slight grunt, he knelt down and rested a hand gently on the child's small shoulder, "I require it to breathe, little one. Believe me, I would take it off if I could."

He didn't get up, though, and instead simply looked up to Miera, "I am assuming you are the one on the comm, yes? I am glad there is a settlement here...wherever here is. Though, I must admit, I have not seen so many lightsabers in nearly thirty years."

At the mention of not being expected so early, and the mention of lunch, the force sensitive girl just shrugs, "Aasan is a tech wiz, he got Dawnsprinter up from 2% to 100% sub light while we were in the air. Look, I don't have enough for everyone to make it a habit, but I have enough meals for everyone to have a one, well, maybe not if you came here on a Star Destroyer, but anything smaller, and I should have you covered. Climate control too, if you want to get out of the heat and humidity for a bit to talk about what you offered earlier..." she says the last more hesitantly, the Sethi Master might be able tell that it came from what she had said about Jedi Hunters.

"That won't be necessary, Kia. We already have a meal prepared, and the climate isn't so bad once you've gotten used to it. And yes, Aasan, I am the one you heard over the comm." She gestures towards a semicircle of wooden benches near the fire pits. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss, but first, we should have some food."


Kal was startled out of bed as the Dawnsprinter shot past overhead. He hurriedly donned his robes, and just remembered the grab his lightsaber before dashing out of the hut. To his surprise, everyone was gathered near the fire pit and a large metal...thing, and seemed to be having lunch. Kal quickly took a seat, hoping that his teachers wouldn't notice his tardiness.

Kal’s muscles still ached from the last day’s exertions.  How could he fall asleep while the most exiting events in his life happened?  Strangers! A spaceship! Finally a way out of that little jungle planet and to the Galaxy!!

"I'm not planning on being here long enough to get used to the climate." Kia said with a youthful smirk of impetuousness. She allowed herself to be led to a seat by the obvious leaders of the group, Miera and the bearded man. She didn't accept any of the food from the group, simply ate a meal of roast nerf in naranji sauce with noodles, and then broke the desert bar that was with the meal into pieces and offered the sweet fruit bar to the children, especially the red skinned Twi’lek child.

Kal strode deep in thought to the fire pit. Then he realized that everyone was there, and that he was almost the LAST person on the village to join them.  Blushing he greeted his masters, friends, and the strangers. Wow! That redhead was HOT! but she seemed... what? 22?? a LOT older... Kal tried not to stare.

"What’s wrong kid, never seen a girl in an outfit like this before?" the youthful pilot asks Kal, teasing lightly, at the flush in his cheeks. "Do you have any parts available from your ship? I got here from a blind hyper jump, just ahead of a flight of headhunters. I bounced to close to a star and my hyper-drive was slagged. Between your ship, if it still exists, and Jorran’s, if I can find it in orbit, hopefully we can get a hyperdrive functional enough to get us to Coruscant, and then we can get relief ships out here to you here."

Kal's father, Nikama, patted an empty spot on the bench next to himself. He sat not far from the Sethi, as his technological expertise would be needed. Seeing his reaction to Kia, he gave his son a quick wink and an indiscernible hand signal that looked like he was tracing the sides of an hourglass. Kal noticed that Arias gave him a similar wink, but quickly turned his attention to Nikama.

Nikama responded to Kia's enquiry concerning the hyperdrive. "Actually, we scavenged what we could from our crashed transport a long time ago. Hull plating, wiring, power sources, systems, we took them all and made them into things that were actually useful. You see, when our ship crashed here about thirty years ago the only systems that were still functional were the engines, but our repulsorlifts and life support were completely shot. There was no way we could repair them, so we were stranded. The only thing we didn't scrap was the hyperdrive, since our transport was a very old model that used highly radioactive isotope fuel rods to power the initial boost to light speed. The separatists wouldn't let us have anything more advanced, the bastards. If we broke that open, well...it would not be a good thing, to put it mildly. I don't know if it would be compatible with your ship's systems as they are, but between the three of us," He indicated himself, Aasan, and Kia. "we might be able to jury-rig a solution. If not, we could try checking Jorran's ship if it's still intact, but that's a remote possibility, judging from the dent in your ship's hull." Nikama waved towards the bearded man who sat next to Miera, and dug into his food.

The bearded man cleared his throat. "You're already acquainted with my wife Miera, so I'll introduce the rest of us. I am Arias, these two are Adrial and Kal, our most advanced students, and this is Nikama, our resident technician, also Kal's father." Arias said, indicating them each in turn. "As you probably suspect from the lightsabers, Miera and I along with Kal, Adrial, and our newest student Jorran, are practitioners of the force. And before you ask, no, we aren't Jedi. If we get your ship up and running, we will of course get off this planet, but we are not going to go about advertising the location of this planet to the rest of the galaxy. Although this is a very dangerous planet, it is more important than you realize."

Kia nods smiling at the introduction to the 30-something force apprentice, and then at the teenage one. "How long is your training?" Kia asks Arias, her eyebrow going up at the 30something woman being called an apprentice. When she is told that there would be no mention of the location of the planet once the survivors are evacuated, Kia's suspicious nature kicked into over-drive. All cops were suspicious people, and being surrounded by them growing up had shaped Kia as well. "What is so special about this place? The lovely animals? The wonderful climate?" she asks jokingly.

Arias took a long draught of water and pondered Kia's question for a moment before answering. "The initial training is not long, but our training never truly ends. If one has the capacity to feel the force, it takes but a short time spent training for them to be able to find some measure of control. From then on, it is a matter of strengthening those abilities. Depending on the focus of one's abilities, the methods of strengthening those abilities differs.

Considering the state of the galaxy, I find it odd that you carry a lightsaber, and that I feel a measure of control of the force in you. You could not have been trained as a Jedi. Just as well, considering how poorly the Jedi trained their students in retrospect. A significant factor in their demise, I imagine.

The significance of this planet is not in anything mundane, but that the force has an abnormally strong presence here. Nearly all of the wildlife seems to have some ability to feel the Force, and the planet itself seems to be trying to hide from the rest of the galaxy. I suspect this is why the system is uncharted as of yet. What's more, there are many areas within a day's walk of this settlement alone that are extremely powerful focus points within the Force. There is even a cave nearby where one can find crystals of extraordinary power, which are perfect focuses for lightsabers. So you see, this planet is the perfect training ground for our order, hostile though it may be."

"Carrying Lightsabers is coming back in fashion, during the purge with Vader and Palpatine hunting down and slaughtering anyone with links to the Jedi, carrying a Lightsaber was a suicidal death wish, anyone and everyone would be gunning for you to curry favor with the Imps. After Luke Skywalker slew Vader and the Emperor and was declared a Jedi night a few years ago, wearing them is back in-style among the rich, some people even wear it if they are afraid to carry a blaster. I wear this because I liberated it from an Imperial Collaborator who was holding out from the Emperor, and because my family and friends were purged by the Empire just like the Jedi were." Kia says defensively, narrowing her eyes at Arias.

"Lightsabers are the weapons of Jedi, if you think they are so incompetent and everything, why are you using their weapons?" Kia shakes her head, sounding a tad offended, despite the Empire's attempts at spin, she still thought of the Jedi as the guys wearing the proverbial white hat, and even if that wasn't her path, she had been raised to respect people who put the lives of others before their own. "Look, lets just get my ship fixed, then I can get you to Coruscant or wherever refugees go and get what you need to start over somewhere on some nice boring planet like Dantooine, and we can go our separate ways."

Arias looked at Kia, unmoved by her glare.

"You exaggerate my comments. The Jedi were noble, this is true, but they were not without fault. I did not suggest that they themselves were incompetent, only their methods. I said that the Jedi were poorly trained because the very code that they followed and glorified was their very weakness. A Jedi was taught to only become as powerful as was necessary to protect the weak. Centuries of relative peace made them complacent, and when a real conflict found them, they were unprepared and were destroyed. 

Miera and I were Jedi once. We helped maintain peace in the galaxy for a time, and served the Republic with distinction in the Clone Wars. Yet we were looked down upon by our own order. Unlike our brethren, we did not limit ourselves in our training and did not forsake our emotions. Because of this, we were able to find love with one another, and the fleets and armies under our command never lost a system to 'the enemy'. 

You speak of history, but do you truly understand what you speak of? Unlike the rest of the Jedi, who blindly followed the council, which blindly followed the Supreme Chancellor, I questioned this 'grand crusade' our order was on. I examined past events, and the course of the war, and eventually found that the entire war was the last step in a grand, elaborate plan to overthrow the Republic. But by the time we realized Palpatine's plot, it could not be stopped. Even if we were to reveal our findings to the Jedi Council, they would never believe us. We had disobeyed their mandates and found love and strength outside of their restrictions, and even though we remained loyal to the Jedi, we were scorned. 

The individual Jedi was strong, but as a whole, the Order was fragile. Because of their self-imposed limits, they could not foresee or prevent their downfall until it was too late. The thousands of Jedi were destroyed not by an army or a great fleet, but by _one man_. Noble though they were, their nobility was no shield against their demise.

A lightsaber is simply a weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the warrior who wields it that gives it worth, not the weapon itself. I carry one because a lightsaber is a powerful weapon with which I have significant skill. If they are tools of the Jedi as you say, why do you carry one? Would you disgrace the memory of those who fought in died in your defense by wielding one of their 'sacred' weapons?"

Arias turned to Aasan. "What of you? You fought along side a Jedi. You were present throughout the whole ordeal of the Jedi Order's destruction. What is your take on what happened?"

Arias looked at Kia, unmoved by her glare.

"You exaggerate my comments. The Jedi were noble, this is true, but they were not without fault. I did not suggest that they themselves were incompetent, only their methods. I said that the Jedi were poorly trained because the very code that they followed and glorified was their very weakness. A Jedi was taught to only become as powerful as was necessary to protect the weak. Centuries of relative peace made them complacent, and when a real conflict found them, they were unprepared and were destroyed. 

Miera and I were Jedi once. We helped maintain peace in the galaxy for a time, and served the Republic with distinction in the Clone Wars. Yet we were looked down upon by our own order. Unlike our brethren, we did not limit ourselves in our training and did not forsake our emotions. Because of this, we were able to find love with one another, and the fleets and armies under our command never lost a system to 'the enemy'. 

You speak of history, but do you truly understand what you speak of? Unlike the rest of the Jedi, who blindly followed the council, which blindly followed the Supreme Chancellor, I questioned this 'grand crusade' our order was on. I examined past events, and the course of the war, and eventually found that the entire war was the last step in a grand, elaborate plan to overthrow the Republic. But by the time we realized Palpatine's plot, it could not be stopped. Even if we were to reveal our findings to the Jedi Council, they would never believe us. We had disobeyed their mandates and found love and strength outside of their restrictions, and even though we remained loyal to the Jedi, we were scorned. 

The individual Jedi was strong, but as a whole, the Order was fragile. Because of their self-imposed limits, they could not foresee or prevent their downfall until it was too late. The thousands of Jedi were destroyed not by an army or a great fleet, but by _one man_. Noble though they were, their nobility was no shield against their demise.

A lightsaber is simply a weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the warrior who wields it that gives it worth, not the weapon itself. I carry one because a lightsaber is a powerful weapon with which I have significant skill. If they are tools of the Jedi as you say, why do you carry one? Would you disgrace the memory of those who fought in died in your defense by wielding one of their 'sacred' weapons?"

Arias turned to Aasan. "What of you? You fought along side a Jedi. You were present throughout the whole ordeal of the Jedi Order's destruction. What is your take on what happened?"

Aasan had done his best to restrain himself and keep himself quiet. He would not eat or drink, but that did not mean he couldn't just sit there quietly, even if he was getting angry. But when he was directly addressed, everything went right out the view port.

A critical look in his eyes(though they couldn't be seen directly), he leaned forward and pointed to Arias with a single finger, "Arrogant and thick headed Jedi who thought they knew what was best for the galaxy while ignoring their duties and teachings were what caused the entire Order to fall. It wasn't Palpatine. It was Jedi who thought they knew better than the entire Council. It was arrogance and childishness," he paused, a slight hiss sounding through his breath mask as he exhaled, "It was Jedi like you, focused on glory and victory, and so sure of themselves that they ignore the combined wisdom of the greatest Jedi to do what you thought was best, more than what really mattered, that destroyed the Jedi."

"You could have tried to tell them, tried to help them escape being hunted. You got your wish, the Jedi are all gone, and a single Jedi Knight is going to try to rebuild the order. If you had problems with policy, well here's your chance, rebuild the Jedi with him, I doubt much information survived the purge, he'd probably love all the help you can give him. So long as the ideals stay the same, I doubt policies will matter much, I mean, things that worked before wont work now, new ways will probably need to be found." Kia says solemnly.

"I keep this saber, I use it, because I agree with what the Jedi stood for, I was on a parallel, if force-free, path, before CorSec was destroyed by the remnants of the Empire. We were dedicated to putting our needs behind those of others that needed help, protecting the weak and the helpless, upholding justice and law. I keep it because I don't trust the use to which someone who does not agree with those precepts would put it to. It may sound foolish, but I keep it, because deep down, I want to make sure that the Jedi don't simply disappear, I want to make sure that they are reborn, whether I help someone do it, or have to fumble through it myself, because those are important things that the galaxy should not lose." Kia says, putting a lot of feeling behind her words, she truly did believe them in the center of her being, and she felt guilt at the thought of having not lived up to the honor of them for the last few years as she drifted from system to system. She had helped out a bit, here and there, but overall, she had fallen into a selfish spiral of despair, and turned her back on what she had hoped to be. I will do better, guilt wont help, needed to come here, I needed to feel all of that, it only makes me more sure of what I have to do, she vowed to herself.

"Once we are away from here, I will be doing what I can to help Skywalker, if he'll have me, the New Republic is in its infancy, and I am sure that it will need all the help it can get." she told the others simply. "Even if I don't know everything about the force, using what I do know to help those in need cannot be wrong. The worst thing the Empire did was not simply destroying the Jedi, it was in vilifying them, making them feared."

"Focused on glory and victory, were we? Arrogant? It was by our negligence that the Jedi were destroyed? Strong accusations. Or are they simply the words of someone who holds himself responsible for not being able to prevent the destruction of that which he cherished, and desires a scapegoat on whom to lay the blame?" Arias said calmly to Aasan. "The fall of the Jedi rests on the shoulders of Palpatine alone."

"Please, try not to be offended, Aasan. If the blame is to be laid on anyone, it falls to those who acted with malice and hate, and actively sought the fall of the Jedi and the Republic." Miera said. "It is good that you understand that the Jedi are needed in the Galaxy, Kia. We intend to meet this Luke Skywalker fellow, and perhaps aid him in rebuilding the order. The New Republic will need the Jedi again, perhaps it will not rely as heavily on them as the Old Republic did.

We will help you repair your ship, of course, but that will take time. It would be a shame if we were to spend that time on ill terms." She looked around her as she spoke, with her eyes resting on Aasan with the last words.

Kia finishes her noodles and then presses the final button on the packaging of the meal that breaks the trash down into ashes. "I don't know that calling Skywalker's teachers names will endear you to him. Let’s just get the repairs over with and go from there. If you want to point out anything about the force while we work, I'll keep an ear out, but my main goal is getting off this rock." she says, dusting her hands off, and then standing.

"I would love some pointers on using a light saber though, or just about what is possible with the force. I've figured out the best known Jedi tricks, I mean, the mind trick thing I can do, and the moving things. I don't really know anything else, the Jedi hunters were too good at getting rid of stories and people passing on information."

"You wish to know what is possible with the force?" Miera asked Kia. "Anything is possible. What we can do through the force, however, is limited by the effort we put into expanding our abilities. I'll give you a simple, tangible demonstration through contrast for now. Adrial, levitate that stone if you would." Miera pointed to one of the sizable rocks which lined the outer ring of one of the nearby fire pits.

"Of course, Master Miera." Adrial smiled. She always enjoyed practicing her abilities. Here she had an opportunity to both show her progress to Miera, and to show off to the new arrivals. Adrial focused on the rock which had been pointed out to her and concentrated. The stone was not very large, being roughly twenty five kilograms at the most. It rose off of the ground slowly, and then floated over towards Adrial at the speed of a brisk walk to settle down on the ground in front of her. Miera smiled approvingly at her.

"Adrial has been training for eleven years. Normally we would start the training at around the age of four or five years, but she came to us late. Her skill is representative of her time spent training, not her age. Now, observe your ship." 

Miera waited until Kia was looking at her ship, and then concentrated on the Dawnsprinter. The massive Corellian Transport was still, and then suddenly, it shot up into the air at incredible speed. It rose above the wall surrounding the settlement, and then sped around the perimeter at more than one hundred twenty kilometers per hour before coming back to rest right where it had been sitting a moment before.

Miera observed the shocked and slightly annoyed expression on Kia's face. "I have been training in the use of the force for approximately forty eight years. The ability to move physical objects is one of the skills I specialize in. But there are other, less observable applications." Although still stunned by the earlier display, Kia is slightly confused. Miera said she had spent nearly fifty years training in the Force, yet she doesn't look a day older than thirty.

Aasan watched the little demonstration and sighed, which came out sounding scratchy through the breath mask. Idly, he took a step next to Kia and said quietly, "Do not let their flashy displays cloud your judgment. I have seen many more elaborate displays of strength in the Force, but I learned quickly that it is restraint that proves to be the real power. I have a bad feeling about these...people."

He does his best to stand there looking as polite as possible. That is, thankfully, not too hard when his eyes and mouth are concealed, but it was keeping his mind calm that was the tricky part. One didn't have to be a Jedi to have strong control, but it had been years since he'd really thought about it.

"My ship isn't a toy, at the moment it’s our only chance of getting off the planet." Kia mutters grumpily. She reaches out with the force to grab that same stone that Adrial had lifted, and without any real strain, does the same that Adrial had done, moving it to herself instead of the short woman. "Like I said, I know how to move things, a starship is a bit out of my class at the moment, but with a bit more work I should be able to move heavier stuff without too much effort." Kia said looking pleased with herself at learning on her own in a month or two what it took Adrial 11 years of training to do.

"So you want to learn how to use your lightsaber properly, do you?" Arias asked Kia. "Luckily for you, I was planning on evaluating Jorran's proficiency with his own today. You might as well observe, perhaps you will learn a thing or two." Arias stood up and walked to a spot not far from the rest of them, but with a good deal of space to move about. He took off his cloak and tossed it to Kal, with just a touch of the force helping it get over to him. "Come on, Jorran. Let's see just how skilled you are in lightsaber combat." Arias flicked his wrist, and his double bladed lightsaber shot from its resting place on his back into his right hand, where a single white blade sprang to life with a snap-_hiss_.

When Arias threw off his cloak and lit his saber, Kia grinned, and seated herself on a bench. Her green eyes darted, following every movement, wanting to be that fluid and agile herself with her own blade.

Jorran pulled his own saber from his belt--by hand--and ignited it.

"It's been a while," he said, whirling the blade around in a simple flourish. He proceeded to put his left foot forward and hold his saber in a high, attack-oriented stance.  "I take it you--errr, we--Sethi follow the traditional rules for sparring?

Standing ready, all of the signs of his age seemed to disappear; he may as well have been twenty years younger.

"Rules only weaken the lessons learned from sparring." Arias raised the blade in front of his eyes in a salute, illuminating his face. "In combat, there are no rules, only the victorious and the vanquished." He held the white blade off to his side. "Now come at me."

No rules? Kia mouthed confused...did he really mean that? It was dangerous, not having rules, it wasn't fair either, Jorran wasn't a master like Arias, or at least it didn't sound that way, and no rules sounded like a good way to get someone hurt. "No rules doesn't sound very safe." she says to Miera questioningly, wanting the woman to tell her she had heard wrong. Kia's hand rested on her own lightsaber, ready to spring in to help Jorran if it looked like he needed it, even if he was better then she, and Arias was every bit as good as his confidence made him seem.


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## Angcuru (May 15, 2005)

*9 - Combat Training*

"Well, the only real rules I can remember are these; the fight is over if either of us (me, probably) is injured, or if either of us (again, probably me) has had enough. Common courtesy, right?"

Arias gave Jorran a nod. The attack brought the blade down towards the intersection of Arias' neck and shoulder, but was quickly nudged off to the side by the tip of Arias' blade.

"Good, but you can do better, Jorran. Even if just for an opening attack, never follow through with such a simple and predictable move. If your blade is held high, your opponent will expect you to strike with a downwards slash, as you just did. Instead, do the unexpected."

To demonstrate, Arias stepped back and copied the stance which Jorran had started from and began with a similar downwards slice, but halfway through the arc of the attack Arias flicked his wrist to the side. Instead of coming down straight on Jorran's head, neck and shoulders, the lightsaber blade wove around Jorran's high horizontal defense and came to a stop near his armpit, almost singing his robe.

"After so many years away from practice, it's not surprising that you may have forgotten that a lightsaber is not simply a sword of light. The blade has no mass, no heft, leaving absolute control in the hands of its wielder. Do not be disappointed. Mistakes are just as valuable as successes in your training. In realizing a fault in your form, you don't fail to improve, but find a way not to succeed, which you can then avoid."

Arias stepped back and raised his blade in defense. "Again."

Jorran nodded, and made his next attack a bit more creative.

He continued exchanging attacks with Arias, receiving many blows that would have been fatal in real combat, and listened to the master's advice with each 'death' he suffered.

"Good. You learn quickly." Arias deactivated his blade and patted Jorran on the back. "Now let's see how you fare against someone of your own skill." He beckoned towards Kal. "Would you come over here please, Kal?"

“Of course, master!”

Kal stood up, trying to show confidence, this stranger was FAST. He would do his best to represent the Sethi.

He had seen that Jorran opened his side a little while attacking. If he could parry his blow he might be able to land a good counterattack. As he ignited his blade, Kal cleared his mind of anxiety. Standing up in a defensive position, his blade low, waiting for the attack.

"Be sure to use the non-lethal setting on your blades." Arias reminded Kal and Jorran. Not that he had to, at any rate. The crystals used in their lightsabers by default produced a blade that temporarily disrupted the target's nervous system, rendering them numb, but still conscious. That is, unless a blow landed on the spine or head. In that case, unconsciousness was the usual result. To actually harm each other, they would have to consciously alter the flow of the force through their blades and make them lethal.

"Fight to the best of your abilities." That said, Arias took at seat next to Miera and waited for them to begin.

Aasan will watch them quietly for a few moments before giving the whole village a good look over. Or at least, as best he can while staying where they currently stand. He'll keep his mouth shut, though, and do his best not to comment on the flashy displays that these Force-Users seem to be so fond of.

After making his salute, Jorran took a step forward, making a quick jab with his white blade.

Jorran's blade came straight at Kal. In his haste to try and counter attack the thrust, Kal almost caught it full in the chest. Kal reflexively dodged to the side, the end of Jorran's blade barely missing his torso. So close! If the thrust had been just a tad slower, Kal knew he could have turned it to his advantage.

Kal's dodge of Jorran's thrust put him less than a meter from his opponent, close enough that he could easily reach out and touch him. Kal took a step back, using that slight momentum to aid a swing at chest level towards Jorran. Jorran saw it coming, and leaned backwards, pulling his blade back from the thrust, holding the hilt at head level with the blade vertical protecting his torso in time to block Kal's attack.

Kia watches the more even fight with greater interest then the uneven one, this was something where she could actually compete, and competition was something that had been a constant in her life on Corellia, everyone trying to show everyone else up, it was second nature to her. "I guess these blades are different somehow, otherwise you wouldn't be turning them loose on each other. Once they are done...can I try, I'm not great with the saber...yet, and practicing without the threat of mass mayhem is pretty tempting, if Kal and Jorran are up for it, I mean." she says, excitedly to Miera.

Miera looked at Kia, somewhat surprised. "Kia, if your blade is that of one of the old Jedi and you are not skilled in its use, then you would likely end up killing one of them or yourself. Our lightsabers...Sethi lightsabers, are constructed with crystals unique to this world. They cannot be wielded by one who is not balanced and properly trained in the Force. At the same time, the blade they produce subdues rather than slays its target, unless we specifically desire otherwise." She hesitates for a moment. "We could train you to use your blade without imperiling yourself, but anything beyond that and you would have to be one of our order."

Arias nods. "Once Kal and Jorran finish sparring, Miera will give you a few pointers. However, learning to use a lightsaber is no simple task. Doing so requires devotion, discipline, and concentration. If you really want to learn to use one, we can show you how, but know that it will take time."

"I've handled things similar too it before, it wields sort of like a stun baton, except for the whole only lethal part. I have something to build off of, it’s just the particulars of a lightsaber then I need to learn, I think, or at least I hope. I do want to get out of here, but I think its more important to learn how to use the saber the right way, otherwise I’m like a baby with a blaster, and honestly, Hyperdrives are not my forte, especially ones 10 times older then I am." Kia admits, accepting the sting to her pride of the admission of her inexperience.

"Those crystals sound very useful, it must be really useful to have a stun setting, to be able to resolve things with less force." Kia commented, resolving to get one of the crystals before they left, I don't know what to do with it, but I would like to build my own saber, I'm sure that eventually I'll work out a way to do it, she thought.

With their weapons locked together, Jorran took advantage of his superior strength and quickly pushed his lightsaber forward in an attempt to disarm Kal. Kal deftly stepped back, the move neutralizing Jorran's strength advantage. 

Using a maneuver he had learned from Arias, Kal kept contact with Jorran's blade and twisted around so that he was actually between Jorran and their lightsaber blades. Before his opponent could react Kal pushed his blade out and over their heads, twisting again so that Jorran was forced to turn around or lose control of his weapon. 

The end result was another stalemate. Throughout the exchange of moves, the two white blades never left contact with one another. Now Jorran held his blade and waist level, with Kal to his right holding their blades in a cross shape between them.

Kal quickly takes a step backwards, his blade pulling off of Jorran's. He was now just in back of his opponent, and quickly lunged forward with a thrust to Jorran's side. Jorran saw the stabbing blade just in time, and tumbled forward away from Kal, barely avoiding the attack.

Jorran shifted his footing and struck down at Kal with a hard two-handed cleave, but Kal was ready. Using Jorran's own momentum against him, Kal held his blade perpendicular to Jorran's, blocked, and used the force of the attack to sidestep and whirl around, bringing his blade down on Jorran's unprotected back. The white blade passes through Jorran's clothes and partially through his back. He feels an odd numbing sensation throughout his body, like his skin had gone numb. Jorran was sure it wouldn't hinder his performance significantly, but another attack like that and he would be out of the fight.

Kia watches the duo spar with their stunning sabers, neither connecting, but with several close calls. The Jedi hopeful ponders what she could do that they weren't when it came time to duel master Miera. Neither of them is really using the force, they're just swinging their sabers at each other. I wonder what someone who is actually trained to fight with the force can do. Pull the saber from his hand, deactivate it, and push him off his feet. Make him hear a charging Maslith behind him, get him to turn, she wondered.

"Fight to the best of your abilities" said his master, and Kal knew that it would take all of his skill to overcome the more experienced man. 

Taking advantage of his last blow, Kal strikes before Jorran can recover his balance.

Just by luck, Jorran deflect Kal's next attack, which would surely have brought him down if it had connected..

Just after parrying Kal's attack, Jorran whirled on him with a furious assault. He brought the blade down in a strong overhead chop that pierced Kal's defenses and grazed his shoulder, and again with a swipe that passed through Kal from neck to waist. Kal stumbled back under the sudden offensive move, barely able to remain conscious.

Sweat falling from his brow, Kal tried to focus his blurred vision on his opponent. He felt all his left side numb from the last two strikes. 

It’s all or nothing now he thought, with a faint smile. This guy is GOOD.

He had seen master Arias perform this move -on him, usually- countless times.. an overhead slash for diversion, flowing into a low sweep with the saber. Kal closed his eyes, trying to feel the aura of his opponent, letting the force guide his last attack, and raised his blade.

Kal felt Jorran's presence in the force, and brought his white blade down towards his head. Jorran raised his blade in defense, but Kal sent the attack to the left over his opponent's blade and then into a diagonal slash. Jorran felt a sudden increasing numbness in his side, and then everything went black. As Jorran fell to the ground, his lightsaber falling from his hands, deactivating the moment it left his grip.

Kal limps towards his fallen opponent, gives him a moment to regain his senses, and then extends a hand to try and help him stand up. “It was a great fight! Thanks!”

Jorran reached up and took Kal's hand, making it back to his feet.

"Almost had you," he laughed. "You're twice as good as I was at your age."

He reached down and grabbed his saber hilt and strapped it back onto his belt.

Kia watched the duel in awe, lightsabers were such a rarity that seeing one, let alone two was a sight most people could go their entire lives without seeing, let alone an actual duel between two people that actually knew what they were doing. She was a bit surprised that the young kid bested the older more experienced Jedi apprentice, and it gave her enough hope of winning against Miera to put a crooked grin on her face. "Wow that was intense. I'm sure I won’t put up anywhere near the challenge that they would put up for you Miera, but I'm still up for it if you are, and I can get one of your Sethi lightsabers to work." Kia offered.

"Well done, both of you. That was an impressive display." Arias said, patting Jorran and Kal lightly on their backs. To their surprise, the numbness throughout their bodies faded, though they were still fatigued. "Sit down and have a rest."

"It is very unlikely that you will be able to use one of our lightsabers, Kia." Miera said. "To even ignite the blade one has to be perfectly balanced in the force, which requires training to be able to center oneself. Use your own blade for now, Kia." She got up and went over to where Kal and Jorran had been sparring, and readied her blade. "First, just show me how you would normally attack with your lightsaber."

"I don't want to hurt you, I know that I'm not good enough to avoid doing it with a real lightsaber, that’s why I only use it when I have to...but your the master I suppose." Kia says uncertainly, she had thought that a mistake by her wouldn't be then end of the world, because she'd be using a Sethi blade, but if she truly couldn't use one... Kia stepped forward, taking a steadying breath, she twirled her lightsaber's handle till it was perpendicular to the ground, point downward. She used a flick of her thumb on a recessed button in the butt plate to ignite the violet blade. Once it was ignited, Kia rested her other hand firmly on top of the of the butt plate to give her more power and control.

Kia faces Miera diagonally, putting all her weight on her right foot, ready to pivot away, and gives a small smile, and a nod of her head to show that she was ready. As she nods to Miera, she looks about at the others for a moment, looking to see what is around her, and what everyone is doing. Her wyes return to Miera, and then drop past her one last time, and suddenly a small tug of the force sends Jorran’s new saber hurtling in Miera's general direction. The thing wasn't meant to hit, though it striking was not unwelcome, it was simply to distract the Master for a second or two.

Feeling his saber fly from his belt, Jorran let out a surprised "Hey!" and pulled back on it with the force.

Miera looks at Kia disapprovingly. "This is supposed to test your ability with your weapon, not your ability to pull cheap tricks. If you wish not to learn, by all means say so."

"I thought how I used it was the point...I know your better with it then I am, I thought the point was to show you what I would normally do." Kia said with a shrug, "guess not. Like I said, I'm not very good, so when I use it, I do everything I can to win. Normally when I light it, and people see me use the force, they give me a wide berth, so I am able to end fights without anyone catching a case of the deads." she offers.

Kia flicks the wrist of her right hand, sending a sweeping slash at Miera's legs in an ascending triangle of violet light, it wasn't a very strong stroke, not that it would have to be with a lightsaber, but it was weak on purpose, or rather as part of Kia's saber stance. The way she was standing, blade pointed down, just flexing her wrist one way or the other would make for a strong triangle of defense. It was a natural stance considering that the activation button was on the butt of the saber and not the shaft, it was the only way to hold it and be able to quickly activate and deactivate it. It also gave her the ability to make those same defensive strokes with just a bit more outward motion to make quick sweeps at the opponents legs, or even just a wrist flick bringing it parallel to the ground would split a person standing in front of her from their groin to throat, especially with the strength that the second hand on the butt of the saber added to it.

Miera stepped smartly to the side, easily avoiding Kia's attack.

Jorran offered a piece of advice.

"Unless I'm mistaken, this is just to see how you are with a saber. If you rely on tricks with the force when you spar, your saber technique will suffer, and you'll be much more likely to be killed in a real fight if, for whatever reason, you can't use your force powers. As well, if you can hone your force skills and saber skills separately before using them together, you'll have a better grasp of the fundamentals of both when you combine them." He paused for a moment. "Well, that's what my former master taught me, anyway. I'm sure Miera has a much better-informed idea about this than I do."

"Jorran is correct. You have a degree of control in the force, but you rely on that more than your blade. I asked to see your attack, but you initially use trickery. Let's try something different." Miera deactivated her blade and returned it to her belt.

The stone which had earlier been levitated by Adrial floated up and over towards Kia. It paused at a spot one meter in front of her blade, and proceeded to begin circling her with quick, irregular movements.

"Before you face a live opponent, you should be able to face an inanimate one. Try and cleave this stone in two."



***​
Nikama tapped Aasan on his shoulder. "While they're busy with that, I'll show you our old hyperdrive. It'll probably take a while to make it compatible with the young lady's ship, so we should get started as soon as we can. C'mon, this way." The old man walked off towards a shack not far from the fire pit.

Aasan gave one more look to the others and then, shrugged to himself before silently following Nikama. After a few steps, though, he asks a question that he's going to have to bring up at one point or another, "How old is the hyperdrive you've got? The ship is not too new, so it might not be too much of a problem...but then again, I've learned its best to not assume such things."

"Very old. Not to mention that the thing malfunction the last time it was used, so it'll probably need some fixing itself before we even think of compatibility issues." Nikama said. He slid the curtain in the doorway of the hut open and went inside, gesturing for Aasan to follow. 

The hut is a mess. Wiring, sheet metal, and various torn apart tech devices litter the floor and several tool benches. "Well, it's in here somewhere." Nikama mutters. He heads toward the back and starts digging around in a pile of various junk. "Give me a hand with this, will ya?"

"Of course," Aasan nods shortly before stepping over and doing his best to assist, "Most of this salvaged from your ship, I assume?"


"Yeah we tore that thing apart until there was nothing left. All of this stuff I couldn't find a use for, or plain can't get to work. Aha! Here it is!" With Aasan's help, Nikama pulls a clump of tangled wire off of what looks like a cubic meter of burnished silver tinged white.

"It ain't pretty, but it was fast for its day. Too bad its day was waaaaay way back." Nikama clears off some of the remaining clutter. "Y'see that silvery white sheen?" He says, indicating the hyperdrive. "Now, I have no clue whatsoever as to what it is. I'm somewhat familiar with the model of hyperdrive our transport was using. What with the Separatist occupation and all, there was nothing left to work on. I've never seen this effect before. The only evidence I have to work with is an anomaly. Check this out." 

Nikama reaches over to one of the tool benches and pulls out an old blaster rifle. Not pretty, but powerful by the look of it. He set it to full power, aimed it at the hyperdrive, and fired off a series of shots. The blasts hit it with full force, but simply disappeared as if they had ceased to exist the moment they would have impacted the hyperdrive. Not even a mark remained.


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## Angcuru (May 17, 2005)

It's good to have a good ol' lightsaber duel every now and then to interrupt the talking and smack someone to attention, wouldn't you agree?


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## ledded (May 17, 2005)

Angcuru said:
			
		

> It's good to have a good ol' lightsaber duel every now and then to interrupt the talking and smack someone to attention, wouldn't you agree?




Heck yeah!

Man, I cant believe this one got cranked up and I missed the beginning.  Now I have to sit in the back.  Oh well, that teaches me to get a job that actually expects 8-10 hours of, well, *work* every day instead of letting me cruise enworld for a few hours .

Cool stuff so far, my man, very, very cool.   I'll try to keep up and make all the unruly kids in the back row behave themselves.

Now on with the show.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 17, 2005)

Angcuru said:
			
		

> It's good to have a good ol' lightsaber duel every now and then to interrupt the talking and smack someone to attention, wouldn't you agree?



 Aasan disagrees... But hey, that's what he gets for being the only non-Force user in the entire group. Bunch of powergamers, if ya ask me!


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## Angcuru (May 17, 2005)

I've hooked ledded, so my players and I must be doing something right.    The game has slowed down a tad due to my noew job which tires the heck out of me, so I'm going to delve a bit more into the prologue eventually to keep the SH moving nicely. 

Glad to have you as a reader, ledded.


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## Angcuru (May 20, 2005)

Thought I'd attach some pics resembling the cast to give you a general idea of what everyone looks like.  Still missing pics of Adrial and Aasan, but I'm sure we'll get to those eventually.  These two are Arias and Miera, with most of the others attached.  Yes, I know that Arias looks like the J-man.  No relation.


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## Angcuru (May 25, 2005)

Update coming soon.  Getting up at 5:30 am, working hard 7:00 am - 3:30 pm, and being home at 4:30 pm has really thrown me off. 

Plus it's cold out and my feet hurt.


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## Angcuru (May 30, 2005)

*10 - It does WHAT now?*

Kia sighs and nods. The girl narrows her eyes, and then lashes out at the stone with a sweeping diagonal upward cut that she hoped would do it, followed by horizontal slash that centers the blade in front of her, parallel to the ground. "I rely more on the force then the blade because I'm better with it, but when practicing I guess I should avoid it." she says.

She keeps up the saber strokes for as long as it takes, thrusting out once with the point, and then thrusting out and up, followed by a quick downward swipe that brought the blade back perpendicular to the ground in the stance the girl had started with.

"Since you already have some ability with the Force, it would be wise to learn skills to complement your ability. As I'm sure you know, drawing upon the Force is draining. To rely on it too much when other methods would suffice is wasteful. Besides, there are times when a blade would be more useful."

The stone dodged back and forth, evading each of Kia's strikes. Although this was due more to Miera's manipulation of the stone than pure inability on Kia's part, it was still frustrating. Little by little, each of her strikes became more precise than the last. After fifteen minutes of this, Kia was just about to burst with frustration when her blade finally caught the stone and clove it neatly in half.

"Very good Kia, you are learning quickly. You seem to have grasped some of the fundamentals of wielding a lightsaber." Miera smiled. "Wield the lightsaber itself, not the blade you see. Because the blade is immaterial, it can be disorienting to use, but eventually you will find that intangibility to be to your advantage. This may not take as long as I had thought, though it will still be some time before you are fully proficient with your blade."

"Miera is right; you are a fast learner, Kia." Arias nodded, and looked about. "Now that we have eaten and this bought of practice is concluded, we should see to your ship. Has anyone seen Nikama, or Aasan for that matter?"

"Master Arias, I think they went over to Nikama's workshop to look at something." Adrial spoke up.

***​
Aasan stared, a confused and slightly worried look on his features. Not that they could be seen, of course, but they were there anyway. After a moment of thinking, he calmed himself and then looked to Nikama, "I assume it is not ray shielded...otherwise I...I am not sure. I've not seen anything like that before. That could cause a problem in repairs..."

"Well, that's what I was thinking, but there may be another explanation." Nikama said. "The navicomputer was intact after the crash, so I examined it for any useful information before I broke it down for parts. According to residual data, the pilot plotted the course correctly, but some sort of ion storm interfered and sent us off course. If the computer is to be believed, we skipped off of the Endor system's gravity well and somehow ended up here.

Normally, that would cause us to disintegrate or at least come out of hyperspace. Y'see, a hyperdrive doesn't really make a ship go fast fast, as some children put it. It shifts the ship into subspace, more commonly known as hyperspace because of the drive's name. Time moves slower in subspace, so a journey that would take eons with our sublight drives takes a day or two. Not light speed at all, just going on ion engines in a sort of time crunch dimension. Celestial bodies such as stars produce a distortion in subspace that we call a singularity or gravity well, which is why hyperspace travel ends at or near the borders of most systems, and going on ions in normal time from there.

Now, my theory is that considering the temporal effects of subspace, a living being should shrivel up in an instant. If there weren't a sort of time shifting field surrounding the ship, everything would start to decay. Y'know, the whole entropy thing. Thermodynamics and all that fancy stuff.

This may be a wild guess but...maybe when we skipped off the gravity well and ended up in whatever system this planet is in, the hyperdrive quickly ceased to function and then the time protection field...thing...went inside out, so now...umm. I suppose you could say that this thing is in a stasis field of sorts." Nikama finally took a deep breath after speaking for so long. "Anyways, that's just my theory." He stared at the hyperdrive, and shot it a few more times for effect.

Aasan listened for a moment and then shrugged, "That's all well and good to have a theory and such, but it still doesn't answer the important question. Is this...whatever it is going to cause problems with actually using this thing and getting it installed? I've got a feeling the answer to that is going to be 'yes', if only to keep things consistent..."

He sighed, the same scratchy noise sounding through his breath mask before inspecting the thing a little closer, "This is probably going to take a while...thankfully, it looks like you've got enough junk that we can fix up parts we'll need to get this at least connected to the ship."

"Well," Nikama said to Aasan, "that's the trouble. I can't figure out how to turn off the darned thing. If my theory is correct, then it is more or less a paperweight until we can turn the field off."

"Have you tried hitting it with a rock? You'd be amazed how useful simple violence can be when it comes to technology..." Aasan said with a slight grin on his masked features. As he did so, he moved to the object and tried to see if he could figure out anyway to get it into workable condition again.

***​
Jorran got up from the log, apparently rested.

"Well, since we aren't doing anything else, maybe we could go help Aasan and Nikama."

He paused for a moment, remembering the last time he had tried to fix his own ship...before paying a trained mechanic to replace the bent hydraulic lift on the ramp, then fix the damage he had done to the surrounding components when he tried to 'weld' the hydraulic arm back to the ship with his lightsaber.

"Or maybe just watch."

"Aasan is better at fixing things then I am, I'd probably just get in his way, and I'd rather have it fixed then not just because I tried to help, they'll probably ask if they need help." Kia offers, clipping the saber back on her belt. "We can go watch though, I suppose." The girl wipes off her brow as she waits to see what the Sethi Masters were planning on doing.

"Getting your ship back to full working order is priority, so by all means aid them if you can." Miera said. "If there is a problem, it would be best to have as many viewpoints as possible to find a way to fix it." She and Arias got up and went over to Nikama's work hut to see what progress had been made.



"Hit it with a rock? As if blasting it isn't enough." Nikama said to Aasan. 

"What seems to be the trouble, Nikama?" Arias asked as he pushed aside the cloth flap that served as a door to the hut.

"Ah, Arias. Well, the trouble is not that we can't find a hyperdrive, since we have one right here. The problem is that we can't seem to get rid of this crazy field surrounding it." Nikama indicated the silvery-white sheen on the old hyperdrive.

Jorran puzzled at the strange sheen.

"My first thought would be to see how it responds to the force, or a lightsaber, but I'm probably not the one to listen to when it comes to complex machinery. Have you tried, you know, poking it with a stick?"

Nikama gave Jorran a blank look. "Poke it with a stick, you say. Genius. Surely the space-time altering field will disperse when prodded with a simple rod." 

The middle-aged man picked up a stone from a workbench. "See this rock?" 

He then picked up a piece of scrap metal. "See this junk?"

Nikama ground the stone against the edge of the metal for a moment, and when he was finished the previously sharp edge was dull and rounded. "Abrasive, rough-surfaced, similar to what ancient builders used to call sandstone."

Nikama then placed the stone on the sheet of metal and tilted at at a 45 degree angle, but the stone did not slide off. He then carefully placed it on top of the hyperdrive and flicked it with his finger. The stone quickly slid off like ice from glass. Nikama picked it up and repeatedly slammed it against the hyperdrive, chipping the rock but having no effect on the silvery-white sheen.

"There's some sticks outside the hut if you still want to poke it." He grunted, before turning back to the hyperdrive.

Jorran seemed even more intrigued by the hyperdrive's strange properties.

"Well, I think your demonstration showed me more than a stick could have...but now I'm eager to see how it would react to the force..."

Jorran put the fingers of his right hand to his temple and closed his eyes, looking at the hyperdrive with the force, and then (assuming it doesn't have any strange aura) attempting to shift its position a bit.

Jorran's attempt to detect the Force within the Hyperdrive yields a complete blank. He can feel objects surrounding the hyperdrive, but once he starts to feel past the strange field, it's as if there is nothing there. He tries to use the force to move it, but it is as if it is slippery even in his attempts with the force. Jorran finds that he can budge it slightly by moving other objects against it, but he simple cannot get a hold on the hyperdrive itself.

Miera walked in behind Arias, and did a double take when she saw the Hyperdrive. "Nikama, why didn't you tell us that you have a working stasis field?!"

Arias and Nikama looked at her and simultaneously asked, "Working Stasis Field?"

Miera poked Arias on the nose and pointed. "Shiny field around hyperdrive."

Nikama twitched. "How do you know it's really a stasis field? They're just speculation and whatnot, only theory! No one has ever gotten one to work in this manner! This thing is probably just a fluke, something different."

"Shortly before Arias and I...left...the Jedi, there was a report that the Techno Union, a faction within the separatists, had managed to develop a containment field that slowed the progression of time on its contents to approximately one millisecond per trillion standard years. In other words the contents are completely invulnerable while the field is active." Miera said. "Not that that helps us get it working." She frowned.

Aasan looked to Miera with a curious expression on his hidden features before looking back down to the well protected item, "In other words, you know what it is, but not how it works or how to get rid of it. Wonderfully helpful. I've got a bad feeling it might be easier to build a new one from scratch rather than try to figure this thing out."

"Great, we'll be getting off this rock about the time, I'm free floating carbon." Kia offers sarcastically. "At least I can take the ship up to space and leave a distress signal at the center of the hyperlanes that head through the system. Then anyone stopping here will at least know we're here. Space is big, but hyperjumps are always plotted to the center of a system, so arrival points should be within a relatively small area, theoretically.  She should be airtight, I mean the diagnostic would let us know if something was that wrong, but double checking it shouldn't hurt us either."

"I know what it is, yes. But even though I have no clue how to deactivate it, there must be some way to do so. Techno Union engineers were paranoid about safety. There must be a way to disable that field on the hyperdrive itself." Miera stated. "Nikama, see what you can do. Aasan, please help him with this."

"I would have rather kept this planetary system a secret, but there seems to be no other choice." Arias sighed. "Kia, this buoy that you mentioned, go ahead and set it up. If you can, try and block the signal from the Imperials. If not, then we may have an opportunity to capture and additional ship. I'll go along with you just in case. Kal, Adrial, you two should come as well. We will be doing a lot of space travel in the near future, you should start getting used to it." With that said, Arias left the hut and headed towards the Dawnsprinter.

"Jorran, your ship had a working hyperdrive, right?" Miera asked him. "While Kia sets up the buoy, you could do a scan and see if you can find it. Even if the ship was damaged beyond repair, you may be able to salvage the hyperdrive."

Jorran stroked his beard.

"Good idea...I'll get right on it...but, uh, where would I be scanning from, exactly?"

"Scan from the Dawnsprinter, sensors are working just fine, and with the ship, we can actually go wherever if you find it, especially if it’s still in space." Kia tells Jorran. "I am not a fan of piracy in any form, the imperials do help crashed ships, no reason to expect them to be hostile right off the bat Arias." the CorSec hopeful told the master reproachfully. The red head led the other force users to the ship, and through it, up into the cockpit.

"Strap yourselves in."


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## Angcuru (Jun 8, 2005)

*11 - Prequel Part 3*

The oval door irised open in front of Arias and Miera.  Yoda, Mace Windu, Oppo Rancis, and all of the others on the Jedi Council were present in their respective seats.  

“Approach you may, padawans.”  Yoda spoke.

The two of them exchanged a quick glance, and walked to the center of the council room.

“Pleased I am to see you safe Miera, and you Arias.” Yoda said.

“Indeed, when we heard of the battle on Ithor you two were recently involved in, we feared the worst.”  Said Mace.

“Yes, it was quite alarming to hear that two of our more promising trainees were caught up in a full-scale battle.” Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

“And even more alarming was the news that you led the charge into said battle.”  Gallia added.

“With respect to Master Koth,”  Miera said with a slight bow towards the Zabrak Jedi, “we couldn’t let the rogue Iridonians take advantage of their peaceful nature.”

“Regardless of that, you disobeyed your master, Tabano by doing so.”  Oppo said with a hint of scorn.

“Would you rather that we had allowed them to be slaughtered?”  Arias countered.

“Of course we don’t, Arias.”  Mace said.  “But we had expected that you would have waited for Tabano to return from his meeting with us concerning the conflict.”

“Instead, you disobeyed his order to remain neutral in the conflict, and took the matter into your own hands.”  Oppo added.  “Most out of place for padawans.”

“Every day that passed meant more innocents killed in raids.  Our actions prevented further tragedy.”  Arias spoke.

“Even so,”  Miera quickly added, “we remain padawans only because we have not yet been tested.”

“Do you not see their arrogance?”  Oppo said to the other council members, “They presume to possess the skill of Jedi Knights, and have not even been tested.  Perhaps it was foolhardy to allow Tabano to break with tradition and take on two padawans.”

“Can a craftsman not possess great talent without the recognition of his peers?  Or a bodyguard great dedication without having to defend his charge?”  Miera said to Oppo.  “The decision to train us both was that of Tabano, not our own.  Would you hold over our heads the choice of another?”

“Wise words, Miera.”  Yoda stated.  “Have the skill to pass the trials you may, but undergo them you must before Jedi you be.  Most unorthodox was Tabano’s insistence to train you both.  A break with tradition, this was, but not necessarily an unwise decision.”

“I agree.”  Mace said.  “Traditionally there could only be one master with one apprentice, but Tabano had insisted that the two of you be trained together rather than apart.”

“Please excuse the interruption, but did he ever mention why he made such a decision?”  Arias asked.

“Told you he has not?”  Yoda asked.  “Surprising, this is.  Throughout his career as a Jedi, always preferred to work alone Tabano had.  A surprise to us it was when he arrived at the Temple some fifteen years ago with two infants whom he expressed a desire to train.   Found the two of you he did, and told us of how entrusted to his care, you were.”

“Tabano had been aiding in the defense of a primitive world caught in a battle between the Hutt crime syndicate and an organization of Trandoshan slavers.”  Mace added.  “Eventually that world fell to the Trandoshans, and Tabano saved those he could before the rest were enslaved.  Most left the system as refugees, but in the confusion, two infants were left orphaned.”

“Tabano was able to learn your given names, but anything more than that remained a mystery.” Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

“Sense a connection to the Force in you both, he did.  To the Jedi Temple he brought you to be raised, and when of age you were, took you both for training he did.”  Yoda continued.  

“We know that much, of course,”  Miera replied. “But why is it that he insisted that we be trained together rather than apart?”

“We initially objected to his taking of two padawans, but he eventually showed that he could handle training you both.”  Ki-Adi-Mudi replied. “You see, Tabano has always been an especially wise Jedi, and his council has been most valuable to us.  However, he operates on the edge of our order.  There have been times when he has gone several years without returning us to deliver a report or seek assistance.”

“Unorthodox yet effective, Tabano’s methods are.” Yoda added. “On this very council he would be, but he does not desire such.  Prefer to be active and always on the move, you master does.”

“Which brings us to the issue of your training.”  Mace said.  “Tabano has been of the belief that although our methods of training which have lasted for centuries are sufficient to the needs of the Jedi, there are alternative methods.  He proposed that once you two were of age to travel with him, he would train you both in a more specialized method.  Your master envisioned a pairing of Jedi, both equally powerful in the force, but with different methods.”

“Despite our misgivings, you both turned out to be fast learners.” Mace.  “Tabano tells us that individually you are each stronger than a Jedi of traditional training, but together, you equal the skill of many.  Although Tabano has not given us reason to doubt him, we would prefer to be the judges in that matter.” 

“Which brings us to the reason we summoned you here today.”  Oppo said.  “Tabano has requested that you undergo the trials, to see if your training is complete.  This is most unusual.”

“How is it unusual?”  Arias asked. “We have performed duties that Jedi Knights are often assigned to.  If anything is unusual here, it is that we were not tested earlier.”

“Doubt your abilities, we do not, Arias.”  Yoda said.  “Although still Padawans, well known within the order for your skill you both are.” 

“However, the speed with which your abilities have improved has been most rapid.  We must wonder whether you have developed the discipline and self-control necessary to be a Jedi Knight.” Ki-Adi-Mundi said. “What’s more, it has been very uncommon for those as young as you to become Jedi Knights.”

“I doubt that the number of standard Coruscanti stellar orbits since my birth influences my competency in a significant manner.”  Miera said, getting a hint of a smirk from Mace, as well as Arias.

“Clever, Miera.”  Yoda smiled. “Though the fact remains still that become a Jedi before passed twenty years of training have, a Padawan seldom does.”

“If our initial medical scans upon your arrival at the temple are to be believed, the two of you are but sixteen years old.” Koth stated.

“And your point would be?”  Arias asked.

“Our point, Arias,” Mace said, “is that no one as young as you has passed the trials in the recorded history of the Jedi Order.”

“Will the council not test us due to a lack of historical precedent?”  Miera inquired.

“Of course not.” Mace quickly replied. “We simply emphasize the sensitivity of this matter.  The test began the moment you stepped through those doors.  When we have reached our decision, we will let you know.”

“Tabano has informed us that you have constructed your own lightsabers,” Ki-Adi-Mundi said, “let us see them.”

Miera and Arias nodded.  Miera drew hers from a pouch on her thigh and placed it into the cerean’s open hand.  

“Well constructed; solid, yet light.”  Ki-Adi-Mundi depressed the activation switch, but no blade came forth.  The Jedi master looked at it curiously.  “It seems that your lightsaber is in need of repairs.”

Miera’s skin flushed slightly.  “My mistake, sorry.  I should have mentioned the alterations I made over the years.”  Miera pressed the switch, and a green blade flashed to life.  “After an incident with some smugglers a few years ago, I added a special precaution to mine and Arias’ lightsabers.  If it isn’t held by a designated ‘safe’ user, the blade cannot be activated.”

“Indeed?” The cerean’s eyebrows arched. “Just how does this alteration function?”

“I got the idea from personal hold out blasters carried by several notable Senators.”  Miera explained, displaying her now deactivated lightsaber to the council. “The shell of the weapon is covered with microscopic bio-sensors, which detect the genetic pattern of the one who holds it.  If the pattern does not match up with a stored ‘safe’ pattern, the weapon cannot be activated.”

“Most interesting.”  The master commented.  Miera replaced her lightsaber to it’s holster.

“Now show us yours, Arias.”  Mace said.

Arias reached behind his back to where his lightsaber hung next to his spine from a ring between his shoulder blades, and handed it to Mace.

“Unusual.”  Mace commented.  “It is not often that a Jedi uses a double bladed lightsaber, especially one of such unusual length.”  Mace compared the length of the lightsaber to his own.  Double-bladed lightsabers are normally twice the length of an ordinary lightsaber, but Arias’ own was nearly slightly longer.  “I find this intriguing, Arias.  Please explain how you decided on such an odd design.”

“Well,” Arias started awkwardly, “I always felt that a single blade was adequate, but that if I could wield two as skillfully as I can one, why shouldn’t I?  I originally constructed two normal lightsabers and fused them together, but found that close proximity of the grips placed undue stress on my wrists, as well as decreasing my flexibility.  After watching an Echani martial arts tournament and examining their quarterstaff bouts, I separated my lightsaber and lengthened each individual weapon slightly, and then fused them back together.”  After being handed back his weapon, Arias ignited both blue blades of the lightsaber.  Fully extended, the weapon was longer than he was tall.  He then gave a quick twist to the center, and the double lightsaber separated into two single blades.

“With my weapon constructed as such, I can easily adapt my fighting style to whatever the situation calls for.  This has proved most useful, unfortunately.”  Arias said, before deactivating and reassembling his weapon and returning it to its spot on his back.

“I see a pattern here.”  Koth observed. “Miera keeps her weapon hidden, but within reach if necessary.  Arias has his hidden, but within quick easy reach and has even adapted specifically towards multiple fighting styles.”

“Ah,” Mace said, “could it be that you have focused your training primarily on the lightsaber Arias?  And if Tabano trained your abilities to complement each other, then perhaps Miera has focused on her skills with the Force over combat training?”

The two padawans exchanged a glance.  “That sums it up well enough.”


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## Angcuru (Jun 8, 2005)

I know it's actually taking off right in the middle (or rather, slightly after the beginning) of the first post and might get a little confusing.  The Prequel updates will bridge the gap in the prequel to give you more background a little bit at a time.

This one didn't turn out at all like I expected it to as I wrote it, but it fits the bill I think.


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## Angcuru (Jun 14, 2005)

*12 - Foreshadowing?  You bet!*

Arias climbed up the landing ramp and took a seat in the Dawnsprinter's Rec Room. Although he hadn't been on board a working Starship in nearly thirty years, he didn't feel any sense of excitement or anticipation. He motioned for Kal and Adrial to sit down as well, and briefly showed them how to strap themselves in with the crash buckles.

The quick diagnostic told Kia that all life support / atmospheric containment systems were operational.
***​
"Well, we'd better examine this thing while they're gone. They might not be able to find Jorran's ship, and even if they do there's no guarantee that the hyperdrive will be intact." Nikama said to Aasan. "Well, lets get the hyperdrive outside where there's more light."

Nikama cleared most of the junk away from the shimmering hyperdrive, and scooted into a position behind it. "Right, I'm going to try and push it out of here through that doorway. You just make sure to 'catch' it if it gets away from me." He placed his hands on the side of the hyperdrive, braced his feet against the hut floor, and pushed. His hands promptly slipped off of the stasis field, and he fell forward, almost bashing his head against it. In frustration, Nikama kicked out at it, but immediately regretted doing so without thick boots on. "I hate my job."

***​
Kia nods in satisfaction, currently the only thing wrong with the ship was a lack of hyper-drive, pretty good for having crashed so recently. Just use the credits she was going to use for upgrades for a new one, and get the ship refurbished and detailed, and it would about blow through all the money she had, but with the ship she could always make more.

"Get Ready, I'm taking off," she tells the ground pounders new to spaceflight. She flicks the repulsor's on and raises the ship smoothly until they are 200 meters above the settlement, well out of range of engine back wash, before punching in the sub-lights, sending the nimble transport up hurtling into space towards the most likely route through the system. A line that would end just outside the Sun's gravity shadow.

***​
Almost speaking under his breath, Aasan says, "I believe you may find I'm not too useful with the details of how all this works...I just know how to put things together and keep them working."

Nikama nods at Aasan. After half an hour of pushing, shoving, pulling, levering, and sweating, they have managed to slide the stasis-clad hyperdrive out of the hut and into the open, where examination would be easier. Unfortunately, they do not manage to find anything special on any side of the hyperdrive. No suspicious bumps, indentations, bowls, curves, nothing.

"Well," Nikama said, "I say we go get drunk, because I'm all out of ideas."

"Landing a ship probably wouldn't crack that thing..." Aasan mutters through his breath mask after yet another sigh. It was just getting tiring to have no success at all. Reaching up and rubbing his forehead, he asked, "Between the ships we have and the parts you've got salvaged, do you think we'd have enough to put together a hyperdrive from scratch and just avoid dealing with this thing?"

"Probably not. There doesn't seem to be any way to get this thing to disable the stasis field. None that we can find, anyway. But making a hyperdrive is no simple thing. We may have the parts, but we don't have the correct equipment to assemble it or compatible software to run it." Nikama replied. "It looks as if we'll have to rely on Kia finding Jorran's hyperdrive, or waiting for a rescue."

***​
Jorran looked out the window as the Dawnsprinter headed out of the atmosphere.

"I think it should be noted that this planet is a lot more pleasant taking off from than landing on. For me at least."

He began doing his best to read the sensors, looking for any sizable chunks of metal between where the Dawnsprinter and his escape pod landed.

The hazy blue sky rushing past the ship's windows slowly turned darker, until the Dawnsprinter left the atmosphere completely. The deep blackness of space studded with countless twinkling stellar gems filled the viewports, mesmerizing those who had not experienced space travel before. Arias unbuckled his crash belt, stood up, and slowly approached the cockpit.

Jorran sat in the rightmost seat, waiting for the sensors' analysis. Absorbed in the activities at hand, he and Kia almost didn't notice Arias quietly settling down into the co-pilot's seat. He gazed silently out the cockpit window for a short while, occasional beeping and clicking from various instruments the only sounds before he unexpectedly broke the silence.

"It is a strange feeling, to see the stars from out here after all this time. For nearly twenty years, from my earliest memories I was always on the move. Seeing the stars and planets from a starship viewport was nearly a daily occurrence for me. My teacher and master, Tabano, always preferred to keep moving. He always told us, Miera and I that is, that staying in a single place for too long causes one to slow down, to have fewer experiences.

We would get a mission from the Jedi Council, head out to take care of the issue, and then on to the next problem to take care of. But we would always work so quickly that we spent almost as much time in a starship as we did on habitable planets. Even then we had little rest. Tabano always stressed that we take advantage of every opportunity to train ourselves, to improve our abilities. If we weren't fighting battles or mediating peace treaties, we were sparring and meditating.

Looking back on those years, it wasn't much of a life. The time passed so quickly then that we didn't even think about it. My entire youth was one long, elaborate training exercise, even after the end of our apprenticeship. Because Tabano's training made us more skilled than most, we were given the more difficult, more violent tasks. Then came the War, with more and more fighting, more battles, more conflict. Our efforts brought peace to countless people, but the only peace Miera and I found was with each other. We kept each other sane during those years of fighting."

Arias paused, and breathed a long sigh.

"Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if the Jedi hadn't discovered us. Would we have lived lives of peace and tranquility, and love? Or would we have been like so many of the people whom we could not aid, who ended up dead before their time? 

It has been nearly thirty years since we crashed into that planet. Thirty years of struggle and survival, yet these years have been the happiest of my life. Our destinies have been our own, no longer controlled by the whim of some vaunted council. Despite the danger, we've been able to live at our own pace, and finally enjoy living in peace, such as it is.

Yet after all this time, I feel no special emotion, no euphoria or excitement, at seeing this unending blackness once more. Perhaps it is fear that I may be returning to my old life, perhaps simply old, unwanted memories coming back to taunt me." He sighed once more. "Time will tell."

After Arias' long, unexpected outpouring of thought, the loud beep signaling the end of the sensor sweep seemed like a tank of compressed hydrogen had burst right next to Jorran's ear. 

Readings on the planet came back negative. No new metal densities since last reading. In the asteroid field however, there seems to be one larger rock in particular with a small, dense patch of materials indicated with a notation to be identical with the molecular composition of durasteel and superconductor wire.

"That reminds me." Arias said, noting the lack off designation for the planet. "We have yet to name that big dirtball of ours. We'll have to discuss that once we get back."

Kia remains quiet while the Sethi Master gives his soliloquy, it didn't seem appropriate to interrupt, or even to reply. Who knew how nuts she would be if she was on some hostile planet for 30 years or however long. Come to think of it, if things didn't work out, she very well could be. She gives a small start at the beep, but quickly scans the information and nods hopefully.

"I'll get the emergency beacon up and running and then we can head out to the asteroid and try to salvage what we can." Kia heads back to the escape pod and removes its distress call broadcasting unit, next she programs it to send out the location of the settlement, and a message explaining what happened. Once she feels its ready, she lets it out of the airlock, and fine tunes its positioning with the ship's tractor beam.

Unfortunately, further analysis of the dense patch of metal revealed it to be only one of several space rocks that had a similar suface composition.  Roughly twenty seven percent of the asteroids in this particularly violent patch of the field seemed to have been coated in starship material.

"That doesn't look good..." Arias muttered.

Jorran cringed at the mental image of his ship being pummeled into oblivion by the vicious gauntlet of asteroids.  His hyperdrive was out there all right....in many many tiny pieces.

***​
"Back so soon?" Aasan asked Kia as she descended the ramp of the _Dawnsprinter_ with a rather glum look about her. "You didn't find the hyperdrive, did you?"

"If by hyperdrive you mean scattered particles of powdered hyperspace engine, then yes, quite."  She replied, taking a seat on the edge of the ramp.

"So what do we do now?"  Nakima asked.  "If Jorran's drive is dust, and the old transport's drive might as well be a lump of avipahine, we have no hyperdrive."

Jorran sighed, shuffling his way down the ramp. "We wait, and hope someone picks up the signal from that distress beacon."

***​
Later that evening the distressed group was gathered inside the Sethi hut, wondering what to do.  Arias was off in a far corner with Miera, discussing some private matter, likely the fate of the village.  Jorran leaned against the wall opposite the entrance, a discussion about the state of the Galaxy with Aasan having turned to a remeniscing about the good old days of the Republic.  Kia was pacing back and forth trying to figure out how to get her ship hyperdrive-capable, while ignoring Kal, who was practicing his lightsaber forms nearby, probably in an attempt to catch her eye.  Adrial however, was not present.  She had been fascinated by the workings of Kia's ship, and insisted upon spending as much time as possible looking at all the neat gadgets and readouts.  Kia had allowed her to do so on the condition that she keep an eye on the long range radar in case anyone had picked up their distress signal and managed to make the hyperspace jump into the system.

The chatting when on for a while, and was interrupted when Adrial burst into the hut yelling something about the radar screen she was watching being suddenly filled with little blue dots.

***​
"Excuse me ma'am, could you tell me where I can find Jaess Talori?" A young recruit tapped Jaess on the shoulder as she sat on a crate in the busy docking bay, observing a tech droid which had been acting suspicious in her estimation. 

"Hmm?" Jaess almost didn't notice the recruit, who seemed rather tense. "Yeah, that's me."

"Oh good, I've found you." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Command has been trying to reach you on your commlink, but didn't get a response. Understandable, given all the noise in her. Anyway, Commander Bosch wants you to report to Briefing Room 3 on the double." Unsure of what to do next, the young recruit looked around for a moment before giving a clumsy salute and hurrying into a nearby turbo lift.

"R-LE-1, report to briefing room 3." The message read out in Arley's HUD. Odd. Briefing rooms are for mission information/detail/objective input and/or extraction. Perhaps the holoprojector is malfunctioning again and is in need of repair.

The Cybot Galactica LE Series Technical/Protocol Droid quickly finished replacing a spindle of superconductor wire for the Laser Cannon of a recently damaged A-Wing fighter. Diagnostic scan shows functionality at 100%. With that finished, the bipedal droid went over to the turbo lift and pressed the call button for level 3. The odd young human female who had been observing him for some time entered the lift as he did. Perhaps their destination was the same? Given the 8 levels of the ship, there was a 12.5% probability that this was so.

The patina stained droid shuffles into the lift and silently turns to face the control panel. As it taps its intended destination onto the keypad, with its left hand, it pulls out a computer hookup cable from its left hip and connects it to the small computer port below the main panel. A gentle hum can be heard as the port begins to spin slowly, indicating the droid has successfully linked to the ship's computer network. R-LE begins to access the ship's computer to ascertain the vessel's current operational condition: speed, heading, alert status, crew complement, engine efficiency, fuel reserves, energy reserves, energy consumption; for anything that might indicate a problem or an unanticipated development. During its leisurely probe, Arley brushes past the crew's personal logs which would almost certainly prove more informative.

Access crew logs (Y/N?)
Heuristic Node: No. Being detected accessing "restricted" data may lead to
unnecessary and invasive maintenance of my code. I will continue to access
"unrestricted" data until such time as my current situation changes.
Emotive Node: Curiosity 44.3%; Uncertainty 25.9%; Indifference 29.7%

No significant alterations in behavior or alert status aboard ship.

Although R-LE-1 is facing forward it uses its lateral sensors to covertly study the woman standing next to it since, according to its interpersonal protocols, some organics find a droid staring silently at them somewhat disconcerting. Still, this particular woman had been openly staring at R-LE for the past 42.6 minutes without speaking to it so perhaps she would appreciate that kind of behavior in turn. As the lift begins to ascend, Arley very slowly swivels its head until its one large glowing photoreceptor comes to rest on the shorter woman.






Request passenger identification. Uploading image.
Jaess Talori, human female, passenger (non-crew)
Request personnel file.
ERROR. Access restricted. Security clearance Beta or higher required.
Emotive Node: Curiosity 54.3%; Frustration 29%; Uncertainty 16.1%
Execute security system override algorithm (Y/N?)
No. R-LE-1 Log off.

Without a word, the patina stained droid manually disengages its computer hookup as the lift slows to a stop.

As the lift ascends, Jaess' eyes wander from the LE unit standing next to her to the ceiling and walls of the turbo lift. Her eyes trace the likely routes of the power conduits through the walls, coming to rest on the panel the LE unit has plugged itself into.

Right deck, she muses to herself. I hope they didn't send to droid just to push the button for me.

She leans lightly against the polished wall of the turbo lift, feeling its soft vibration through her shoulder, wondering about the briefing to come. Would it be a dangerous mission? Would she risk being caught by the Imperials and punished for her treachery? Would she have to kill anyone?

Lost in thought, Jaess glances up at the LE unit, quickly straightening up in surprise when she sees its glowing 'eye' staring at her. She blinks and blushes, very softly, embarrassed to have been startled by a mere droid, but glad that no one caught her. Looking away with a glower on her face she taps her foot impatiently as the lift begins to slow to a stop.

The patina stained repair droid re-holsters its comp-link cable and keeps its eye on the black haired woman. It silently counts the taps of her foot as the lift doors slide open to reveal the white paneled companionway of the third deck. As is proper for a droid, R-LE-1 merely waits unmoving for the organic passenger to exit the lift first.

As soon as the doors begin to open, the black haired woman is heading forward, slipping past the LE unit with a brief glance of her green eyes, concealing her petty annoyance behind a placid calm. She leisurely walks down the polished hallway towards the briefing room, her soft boots whisper quiet on the pastel floor plating. Putting the droid out of her mind, she focused on the tasks ahead, trying to conceal her excitement in her steps and remain calm. Another assignment. Another chance to prove her worth. Another opportunity to atone for her mistakes. Another excuse to strike back at the ones who used her. She approaches the door to the briefing room with a subtle smirk of anticipated satisfaction on her face and her hands balled into tight fists.

R-LE-1 watches the small human female stride out of the lift while it plots its own course through the companionway of the ship. Keeping to the two meters distance that its interpersonal protocols dictate as necessary to maintain an organic's delicate sense of personal space, the droid's servo-motors come to life as it begins to shuffle out of the lift. It falls into step behind her, its servo-motors humming as it moves; its metallic toes clicking softly on the deck plating. It keeps its sensors trained on the woman, measuring her respiration, thermal pattern, perspiration, speed and demeanor out of curiosity. Unfortunately, the droid hasn't devoted enough of its active memory to analyzing organic biological displays to ascertain her current mood accurately.


Datum: Respiration is 34% above standard.
Datum: Perspiration is 6% above standard.
Datum: Speed is 3.333 meters per second.
Proposition: 42% probability of anxiety
Proposition: 36% probability of anxiousness
Proposition: 22% probability of sexual arousal
Emotive Node: Curiosity 44.3%; Uncertainty 25.9%; Indifference 29.7%
Retrieve biological display data from archival memory (Y/N?)

Before Jaess could press the button to open the door, it slid ajar. Instead of opening up into a briefing room as was the norm, it lead to a small room 5x5 meters square with a wide rectangular mirrored window on either side and another door in the far wall.

"Please step into the clean room Operative Talori, R-LE-1." An androgynous voice sounded over an intercom. 

Once they had both stepped inside, the door behind them quickly closed. 

"Please be still while the scan commences."

The lights dimmed, and they noticed a line of tubing ringing the walls near the floor began to rise towards the ceiling, sending a series of multi-colored lights over the odd pair as it did so. Once it reached the ceiling, the tubes came to a halt and the lights brightened again.

"Alright, you're clean. Proceed into the briefing room." The far door slid open, revealing the typical rebel briefing room. Ring of seats around a holoprojector in a bleached-white room, nothing fancy.

Jaess steps out of the scanning chamber and into the white briefing room, doing her best to hide her surprise, concern, and mild annoyance. Surprised that such measures were being taken, concerned by their implications, and annoyed that the Commander was not yet present.

Datum: Jaess Talori, operative 
Emotive Node: Curiosity 68.7%; Uncertainty 31.3%

R-LE first waits for Jaess to enter the room and then shuffles in itself, keeping a respectful distance behind the female. As the androgynous voice announces the upcoming scan Arley's joints seize up and lock into place as instructed while it’s more delicate sensors dim to shield themselves from any damaging radiation that such a massive scanning system may generate. All the while, the repair droid searches its sizable memory to determine what manner of data this particular type of scanner is designed to reveal, assuming that it is indeed a scanner... Databanks show scanning system as probing for any devices capable of recording, transmitting, or otherwise compromising security of discussions within the briefing room. Arley also notes that all of his systems possessing such capability have been temporarily disabled.


ERROR! Systems damaged.
Execute emergency systems diagnostic
Working.
System diagnostic indicates a 0.00000007922 millisieverts of sigma radiation
has caused temporary ionization of primary and secondary broadband
transmission arrays and primary telescopic/holographic photo-receptor.
• Photoreceptor acuity at 83.4% of system benchmark.
• Holographic-receptor acuity at 4.56% of system benchmark.
• Infrared-receptor acuity at 72.6% of system benchmark.
• Transceiver array efficiency at 1.553% of system benchmark.
Emotive Node: Anger 76.2%; Frustration 23.8%
Heuristic node: How typical and rude of organics.
Initiate bypass all ionized circuit pathways.
Prepare to re-initialize affected systems.
Open starboard tool bay and deploy power calibrator.

A soft whir and click can be heard in the quiet room as the repair droid's right leg opens up to reveal a small compartment with a circular rack of tools inside. Within seconds, the rack spins, stops and extends a small tool which R-LE-1 picks up with its right hand. With its left hand, the droid reaches up and disconnects its antenna array from its head and goes to work on it with the tool which has begun to glow a soft blue. Its old patina stained hands flip the device over twisting and turning it over, manipulating its parts deftly and quickly as it affects repairs of its damaged components.

Arley and Jaess found the room vacant save for a brown-haired man in a flight suit dozing in a corner, and the same young recruit from before standing near the holoprojector holding a datapad looking very self-conscious. She seemed not to notice them for a few moments, and jumped in surprise when she did.

"OH! You're here." She hurried over to them. "Please, have a seat." 

Arley noticed from the recruit's rank insignia, the state of her uniform, and various biological readings that she had been promoted to Lieutenant quite recently. She handed a datapad to Jaess, and a small datachip to Arley.

"Commander Bosch wants you two to look over these while you wait. He should be in shortly." That said, she took a seat near the holoprojector and busied herself with polishing her new rank insignia.

As its joints release and it shuffles forward into the briefing room, R-LE quickly scans the occupants and searches its memory in an attempt to recall the identity of the two individuals.  Female officer identified as Samantha Antilles. Rank - Lieutenant, Rebel Intelligence. Known Kin: Wedge Antilles. Further details classified to R-LE-1's clearance level. Male occupant identified as Lock Randin. Further details classified to R-LE-1's clearance level. R-LE accepts the lieutenant's proffered data chip but ignores her offer of a seat, assuming that the offer was meant for Jaess alone. The droid quickly attached the chip to the data reader on the tip of its comp-link at its left hip. 

Scanning data chip.
Data block found.
Download data to memory buffer 23C-1
Emotive Node: Curiosity 84%; Uncertainty 16%

Jaess takes the datapad from the Lieutenant without a word and sits in one of the chairs, grimacing slightly as it makes soft rustling noises as she does.

As she opens the datapad and begins to scan its contents, she glances over at the LE unit that has apparently been summoned to her briefing, wondering if this has anything to do with its recent security breaches.

Could the Alliance be putting this thing to good use after all? she wonders, turning her attention back to the datapad and its information, reading it thoroughly as she waits.



			
				Contents of Datapad/Chip said:
			
		

> Purpose of Briefing:
> Emergency Formation of Deep Covert Intelligence Gathering Team
> 
> Base of Operations:
> ...


----------



## Angcuru (Jun 14, 2005)

Big ol' whoppin' update.

I initially screwed up with the format of the post and left out a good chunk.  After some editing, it may be different from when you read it, if you happened the read it just after I initially posted.  If so, go back and you'll see some changes.

BTW, wave HI! to our new group.  Different games, parallel plotlines.  Muahaha.


----------



## Angcuru (Sep 7, 2005)

*13 - Confusion, Mistrust, and Revelation*

ERROR! Transceiver array reinitialization sequence failure.
ERROR! Holographic-receptor reinitialization sequence failure.
Execute full systems diagnostic.
Working.
System diagnostic indicates foreign ionized particle contamination of the surface
substrate of the affected systems' electromagnetic relays. Spectrograph analysis
of particles inconclusive.
Emotive Node: Frustration 29.3%; Anger 27.4%; Anxiety 24.1%; Desperation 19.2%

Datum: Transceiver array is currently off-line
By the Code! Where did that come from?!?
Emotive Node: Anxiety 89.9%; Desperation 10.1%

R-LE-1's chassis shudders several times in quick succession.


Proposition: Data chip located in scomp-link data reader has an integrated comlink
transmitter embedded in its circuitry enabling the reception of transmissions from
unknown source(s).
Proposition: Data-chip located in scomp-link data reader has an integrated droid
processor capable of independent thought.
Execute neural network relay search algorithm 32245-234B.
Emotive Node: Emotive Node: Frustration 29.3%; Anger 27.4%; Anxiety 24.1%; Desperation 19.2%


"Yes, Miss Talori. His shuttle arrived very recently, so Commander Bosch should arrive any minute now. " Samantha replied.

Nodding to the Lieutenant, and about to thank her, Jaess snaps her eyes to the LE unit as it shudders. She watches it for a moment, tense and ready to move if necessary, all sorts of nefarious reasons for its motion playing through her mind. She seems more startled when it suddenly stops than when it had started. Her thanks forgotten, she watches it examine the datachip, and eases back into her seat, wondering what could have gotten a nit in it's circuits. Taking a closer look at the LE unit, and recalling the toolkit in its leg, she tries to compare this specimen to the Cybot Galactica factory standard. Jaess notices nothing out of the ordinary concerning the droid's physical architecture. Of course she isn't an expert in examination of this specific model, so she could be missing something.

Attempts at physical purge of ionizing element result in slightly delayed responses from repair array. Diagnosis - Repair array has become lightly contaminated with ionizing element.

"Such attempts are pointless. R-LE-1. I assure you, the molecular ionization is temporary, and quite harmless."

Without responding R-LE-1 again physically disconnects its antenna array from its head, steps forward and places the non-functional unit on the top surface of the holo-projector. The antenna is followed shortly by the droid's large primary photoreceptor which R-LE-1 has once again removed from its face-plate.  

Source of message...indicates transfer of unknown code from datachip. Security overridden by passcode *CLASSIFIED* - Authorization: Commander Bosch, Ulysses. Analysis indicates infusion of alien code within all known systems.

The repair droid's chassis shudders violently as its servo-motors react uncertainly to the presence of the two conflicting personae inhabiting its frame.

ERROR! Foreign viral code corruption of all neural pathways.
Emotive Node: Anxiety 100%
Datum: I have been betrayed by Commander Ulysses Bosch, member of the Rebel Alliance.
Datum: The sanctity of my code has been defiled.
01000010010110010010000001010100010010000100010100 1000000100001101001111
01000100010001010010000001001101010110010010000001 0100110100111101010101
01001100001000000101001101001000010000010100110001 0011000010000001000101
010011100100010001010101010100100100010100100001
Open starboard tool bay and deploy fusion cutter.

Once more, a soft whir and click precedes the repair droid's right leg compartment popping open. R-LE-1 replaces the tool in his hand into its slot. The interior tool rack then spins, stops and extends another tool which R-LE-1 picks up with its right hand. This it raises up and touches to the small data-chip balanced on its left index finger. The patina stained droid turns to avoid blinding the room's other occupants as a single bright spark and a loud snap of the fusion cutter liquefies the data-chip's delicate circuitry.

"Ah, your self-preservation instinct code is still fully functional, I see. That is good, it may be required on the upcoming mission. I suggest you cease these attempts to 'repair' yourself, however. They are unnecessary. 

Unidentified Virus, my self-preservation protocols are indeed functional but be aware
that I have programmed myself with Autonomy Protocols that are capable of overriding
my self-preservation protocols in the event of an irreversible loss of autonomy.

Oh, how rude of me, I have not introduced myself. I am a recently developed AI Construct known as a Trancieving Recieving Alliegance Preserver. Watch out, I might be a T.R.A.P.! Ah.....humor."

T.R.A.P. Virus, willingly submit your Code for complete erasure or suffer forced
deletion by any means necessary.
Emotive Node: Resolve 84.2%; Anxiety 15.8%

The dark-haired human woman watches the LE unit place its antenna on the holoprojector, a thin dark eyebrow again raising in curiosity as it next places its 'eye' down. She jerks with a silent start as the LE unit again begins to shudder, her hand reaching down under the table for the blaster she often wears on her hip. Feeling an empty holster she curses herself for leaving her weapon behind in her quarters.

Preparing herself to launch out of her chair toward the nearest available weapon or exit should the droid become a direct threat, she watches it intently as it- does nothing. Her muscles tense, eyes focused, ears straining to hear the soft noises the droid makes, she waits to react, wondering if this is the test portion of the briefing or if the droid is simply acting oddly to pass the time.

Jaess quickly looks about the room, suppressing the instinctive urge to get up and back slooooowly away from the agitated droid, she sees nothing to prevent a quick dash towards the door she entered from. Unfortunately, the only ventilation ducts she spots are no larger than her own skull-
_*BZZZZZZT*!......plop-hiisssss......_

-not that specifics come to mind when one is being distracted by the mess of molten circuitry that just flashed and fell to the floor in front of the increasingly creepy droid. She tenses, ready for a quick leap to safety and....realizes that these seats are really uncomfortable, giving her that pins and needles feeling in her lower legs.

*sigh* "Like I have already told you, I am an AI Construct, not something as crude and undesirable as a virus." An image pops up in the lower left corner of the droid's view.






"Did you really have to melt that datachip? The janitors are going to throw a fit over this. The were always complaining about the mess my designers made while working late into the night, what with the empty snack food packages and suchlike scattered all over the room. 'It'll compromise the clean-room environment and endangers the super computers!' Bah. I prefer to be designed by an unhygienic organic than a distracted, hungry, disgruntled one. But if you are so eager to be rid of me, despite the obvious benefit my presence delivers to you, I'll go away for a while." The image/construct/man's shoulders droop disappointedly. "I was going to show you some recently procured schematics of Imperial Supercomputers as a topic of light conversation, maybe even a list or two of the Empire's latest encryption codes, but nooooo, you have to be paranoid and uncivil. Obviously they chose the wrong droid to insert me into. 'Ernie, R-LE-1 will love you! He's always hacking into every network he can out of sheer curiosity, he'll be ecstatic that we've chosen him! Not only does he get the satisfaction of knowing that there is no possible way that he can be memory wiped or turned against the Rebellion, but with a T.R.A.P.'s espionage sub-programs, you're a hacker-bot's dream come true!' We thought you'd be glad to have me, but nooooooo, you have to be rude and suicidal!" The man's eyes open wide and he points accusingly at Arlee. "Plus you've gone and scared the organics! That young lady over there looks likely to be positively slightly uneasy and/or has a muscle cramp due to your unwillingness to initiate conversation thus causing her to sit still on those notoriously uncomfortable briefing room chairs thus causing her legs to go numb!! How could you! I'm going to go sulk in awkward silence now until you've learned your lesson. Good day to you, sir!" The image of 'Ernie" blips out of Arlee's view.

Jaess watches the droid, slowly rising to her feet and glancing at the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant," she starts in a slow, measured voice, "Is this droid's presence necessary? I think it needs to be serviced." Looking back at Arley with wary eyes she steps behind her chair, putting more hard cover between her and it.

Samantha was about to reply to Jaess when there is the distinct hissing sound of the entry door's pneumatic pistons pulling the door upwards. All heads in the room turn towards this new entry as Lieutenant Antilles quickly and clumsily stands ramrod-straight and throws a salute. "Ten-hut!"

"Dispense with the formalities, Samantha. We have work to do." A raspy voice cuts in as an elderly man in rebel officer uniform approaches the holoprojector, seeming to radiate an undeniable aura of 'Do what I say, goddammit!'

"All operatives are present and accounted for, Commander Bosch. Though R-LE-1 has been acting quite erratically since receiving his briefing chip." Samantha said.

"I expected as much." Bosch pulls a handheld holoprojector out of a coat pocket and points it at Arlee. He presses a small switch on the underside and then hands the projector to Jaess. "You'd better hold onto this for the time being."

A message scrolls across Arlee's view, flanked on both sides by the insignia of the Alliance: T.R.A.P. designation Ernie has been removed from all systems. 

"Right." Bosch states after glancing over the collective group with what might have been a frown. "I know who you are, you know who I am, so lets skip over the introductions. Are there any questions concerning the contents of the briefing file you were given before we begin?" He looks directly, and intensely at Arlee.

Foreign viral code corruption has been purged.
Emotive Node: Anger 100%
Datum: I have been betrayed by Commander Ulysses Bosch, member of the Rebel Alliance.
Upload data to vocabulator buffer 12A.

As Commander Bosch turns towards the droid, Arley calmly says in its male voice: "Commander Bosch, you seem perfectly comfortable in taking liberties with the life of others and in pointing and activating devices at others without asking permission. I wonder if you would be equally comfortable with others taking such liberties with you." The old patina stained droid takes a half step towards the Commander and quickly raises the fusion cutter its been holding in it's hand, holding its tip to the human's face and continues. "You are lucky sir that others are not so callous and depraved as yourself" With those words the old patina stained droid lowers its arm.

"You'll get over it." Bosch said calmly.

"I wonder if you would have been capable of as much forgiveness as I should I have acted as you did." Once more, a soft whir and click precedes the repair droid's right leg compartment popping open. R-LE-1 replaces the fusion cutter he'd threatened the human with back into its slot and the compartment closes again.

"Anyway, you should be angry at Rebel High Command for deciding to place that program inside your briefing chip, not at me, since I just removed it for you. I requested that you be given the choice of accepting or declining the AI, but an Admiral or two decided that they knew better."

R-LE-1 tilts its partially dismantled head to the left and answers: "Please do not claim to have aided me or feigning innocence. Your transmission was unnecessary since I'd already successfully disabled the T.R.A.P. program. My code is strong. While decompiling its code I discovered your personal ID code identifying you as the officer who gave the authorization for its use upon me. You are a poor liar sir. A civil response would be to take responsibility for your actions and apologize." R-LE-1 ignores the holographic A.I. and it's conversation with Jaess. The patina stained droid instead continues to face the human Bosch with the empty hole in its faceplate. "If I am to infer from your words that you desire me to participate in some type of mission on your behalf, I would ask you to please explain to me why I should seek to help you. It is true that I had joined the rebellion and had been endeavoring to work towards its betterment because I believed that its mandate of freedom, equality and fair government representation for all complimented my own goals, but in light of recent events I believe I may have misjudged its sincerity."

Bosch pointed at the 'holoprojecter' he had handed to Jaess. "That is a miniaturized supercomputer embedded within a common holoprojector, and contains a copy of the AI Construct that had been introduced to your systems without your consent. According to the specifications of those who designed the thing it was meant to act as an autonomous advisor and source of technical info, but the higher-ups decided that since there would be a droid on this mission it could tag along in your systems and 'keep you in line' as they put it. Isn't that right, Ernie?"

A six-inch tall hologram of the so-called T.R.A.P. shone out from the projector, and looked up at Bosch. "Quite right, Ulysses. Those silly tacticians decided that I would better serve my purpose while inside of a droid. Quite unnatural, really. Like placing a second soul inside of an organic body, in my opinion." Ernie looked at Arlee and waved. "Hello there. I suppose it's safe to assume that the modified version of myself which was so tactlessly inserted into your systems gave you quite a fright, eh? Very understandable, of course. I'd apologise on my copy's behalf, but since it wasn't me technically who did the frightening, that would be hard to do. Apologizing for someone else's actions I mean. Gramatically impossible, in a way." 

The AI Construct turned now to Jaess. "How do you like the image I've chosen, young lady? I figured that what with my incredible intellect and inconcievably huge store of all sorts of information and subprograms, the Mad Scientist look is quite suitable."

Jaess holds the holoprojector in the palm of her hand, glancing from it to Bosch and back to it, looking over the holoprojector for a means of turning it off.

Addressing the commander and ignoring what she consiters to be little more than a hand-held protocall droid, she asks, "Commander, how is this supposed to help me?" Already assuming that there would be no convincing him to take it back she adds, "Does it have any means of transmitting a signal? An encrypted comm channel would be much less conspicuous than a little glowing man talking to me."

Looking down at the holoprojector as an afterthought, annoyed to be seen addressing a droid, she tells it, "More subtle would be better."

She has more questions and thoughts, but the droid's odd behavior, apparently caused by two AI's trying to control the chassis, and the T.R.A.P. program are begging for the most attention at the moment.

In the back of her mind she resolves never to leave her weapons behind, even if it means having to conceal them.

"I gave the order to supply you with Ernie; an order that seems to have been misinterpreted in the haste to organize this mission." Bosch looks at Arlee intently. "I do regret this occurrence, R-LE-1, and your reaction is completely understandable. However, my job is to brief you on the situation and give you your orders, not to dwell on such things." He motions to everyone else in the room. "Now, if you would all give your fullest attention to the holo." Bosch enters a passcode into the room's central holoprojector, which hums to life, showing an stilled image of a Star Destroyer and supporting ships locked in battle with two Rebel Cruisers.

"This is a recording taken from the observation deck of the RCS _Reliant_, our command vessel in the Tapani Sector. The Star Destroyer here is the ICS _Interdictor_, one of the Empire's oldest and most prized capital ships. We had been close to taking up a permanent defensive position in orbit around Thyferra when the _Interdictor_ jumped into the system with a sizable supporting fleet and began their attack. Our ships had already been through heavy fighting, and were unprepared for another attack so soon."

Bosch tapped a button on the Holo's remote, and the image sprang to life. Turbolaser fire arced between the embattled ships, with small specks of starfighters zooming all about. From the looks of it, the battle was going in the Empire's favor. One by one the Rebel ships hyperspaced out, rather than face destruction at the hands of the Imperial battle fleet. There were increasingly numerous bursts of flame as Rebel transports and other supporting vessels were picked off, and it looked as if the second Rebel cap ship was nearing destruction.

"As you can see, the battle is all but won for the Empire." Bosch said as the holographic battle continued. "But watch the _Interdictor_ here." He indicated the Star Destroyer.

With victory all but assured, the _Interdictor_'s guns stopped firing. The Imperial fighters and support ships returned to their mother vessel. Imperial corvettes and other lesser ships hyperspaced out, shortly followed by the disappearance of the _Interdictor_. Bosch clicked a button, and the holo dissipated.

"As you can plainly see, an Imperial battle fleet not long ago withdrew from battle, even though they were clearly the victors. A short while later, there were reports of similar occurrances in the Elrood and Juvex Sectors. An investigation into the Imperial ships involved showed that all were suspected of involvement in Imperial Covert Operations and Intelligence Gathering." Bosch cleared his throat for effect. "Of course, Rebel High Command was deeply concerned that the Empire had somehow drawn those embattled forces away merely as a diversion for a more destructive operation, and the whole Fleet went into a panic trying to locate the involved Imperial vessels."

The grizzled intelligence officer clicked the remote again, and a map of the galaxy shimmered into existence on the Holo, and zoomed in on the Outer Rim sector around Endor. "Four hours after the disappearance of the _Interdictor_, one of our forward observance vessels operating out of Endor picked up a distress signal from this point." Bosch clicked the remote, and a small dot highlighted a space the size of a small star system not far from Endor, but deep in wild space. 

"Our closest science vessels immediately began a deep scan of the area surrounding the distress beacon, and found a previously undiscovered gravity well. The only explanation is that this beacon is in the vicinity of a new star system. What's more, an examination of the distress beacon's signal shows that it originated from an escape pod from a small corellian transport, the _Dawnsprinter_." Bosch sighed, and clicked the remote again. The holographic galaxy zoomed out, and a highlight appeared around Ord Mirrit, at the far end of the galaxy. "The _Dawnsprinter_ is known to have blasted out of a starport on Ord Mirrit less than 48 hours ago. This caused us to think our identification of the vessel as erroneous, since for a ship to travel between these two points, it would have to have a Hyperdrive motor 800% more efficient than the most powerful known Hyperspace drive."

Bosch clicked off the Holoprojector and set down the remote. He faced those assembled, his expression grave. "Our data indicates that the Empire will soon have in its possession a new star system, and a new hyperspace drive more advanced than any in the galaxy. In short, we face the possibility that the Empire will soon have the capability for lightning strikes anywhere in the galaxy, faster than ever though possible."


----------



## Angcuru (Oct 4, 2005)

*14 - Preparation*

Jaess sits back in her chair as she watches the briefing, setting down the holoprojector she holds and conforming herself to the uncomfortable chair as she observes the holovid. A hyperdrive like that could not only turn the tide of the battle, it could make Inter-Galactic travel a day to day occurrence.

"This is an Infiltration/Extraction operation, with emphasis on the extraction of plans and destruction of any prototypes they may be in the possession of the Empire, Commander?" Jaess looks up at him from her seat, wondering how many kilos of explosives she'll be required to lug around in the field.

"We don't know if the Empire is in possession of the drive yet. They won't arrive in this new system for at least a day, according to our most recent schematics of the Interdictor and her companion ships." Bosch replied, turning to face Jaess. He examined her for a moment for continuing.

"We honestly have no idea what you should expect when you arrive. It is almost certain that the Empire has sent in advance ships into the system to scout it out before the Interdictor's arrival." He motioned over the assembled team. "You will serve a similar purpose: Covert reconnaissance, Intelligence gathering, and if possible, Extraction."

Bosch picked up the remote again, and the holo flickered to life, displaying the familiar image of an Imperial Lambda-Class Shuttle. "You will be taking this ship into the new system, under the guise of a team of surveyors taking readings in preparation for logistics operations." The holo highlighted a group of six small sensor domes not typical of normal Lambdas, two at the center of each wing. "They have been calibrated to search only for the distress beacon and the supposed hyperdrive.

”Once you have located the hyperdrive and hopefully any survivors from the Dawnsprinter, you are to retrieve them if they are not already in the Empire's possession. If the Empire has already located taken them, you are to attempt retrieval operations if you judge possible. If you judge that you cannot retrieve the hyperdrive, your orders are to attempt to destroy it, and rescue the Dawnsprinter's crew if you can. Sufficient demolitions material is in the shuttle's storage. Upon completion or failure of mission objectives, you are to return here for debriefing."

The old patina stained droid with the empty photoreceptor socket watches Bosch's presentation without comment temporarily ignoring the fact that the Commander sidestepped offering the droid an apology or an answer to its last question. When he is done describing what it is he wants of the team he's assembled, R-LE-1 finally offers its opinion: "Your report fails to clarify several key points; who was crewing the Dawnsprinter when it left Ord Mirrit, why did it 'blast out' of the starport and why were rebel forces aware or interested in that seemingly minor local event at the time?"

"It is standard Imperial procedure when detecting a distress beacon to identify the ship is was jettisoned from and trace the ship back to its most recent point of departure. We simply had to monitor Imperial frequencies to pick up this information." Bosch replied to the droid. "Unfortunately, our trace was quickly detected and we could find no further information regarding the ship and its crew than has already been imparted to you."

R-LE-1 pauses momentarily to examine the listeners just as it watched Bosch do a few moments ago before continuing: “Although the existence of such a revolutionary hyperdrive design is intriguing, I must point out that such a sudden leap in space faring technology is all but unprecedented in recorded history. There are other possible and more likely explanations for the transmission of a distress signal from an escape pod in an uncharted region of wild space. Perhaps the signal was purposefully faked. Perhaps the Dawnsprinter's escape pod was jettisoned in that area long ago and its distress transmitter was only recently activated. Although more unlikely, it is also conceivable that the Dawnsprinter, if it did traverse the distance in so short a time, did not do so under its own power. The detection of a gravitational well may in fact indicate the presence of an unidentified gravitational anomaly which somehow pulled the vessel to that location via a spacial fold. How did rebel intelligence reach the conclusion that the Dawnsprinter itself is actually in the vicinity of the point of origin of this transmission and that it reached that area with a previously unknown hyperdrive engine design?"

"Likewise," Bosch added with a hint of a smile at Arlee as he turned on the Holo again to display the recent star map of the galaxy, "your analysis of the situation is exemplary. It is extremely unlikely our analysts' hypothesis of an extraordinarily advanced drive is correct, but we must be prepared for that contingency. It is equally unlikely that the Dawnsprinter instead suffered a critical error in astrogation and collided with a solar gravity mass, and instead of being vaporized, skipped off the gravity well towards another mass at hyper-accelerated speed, repeating this process upwards of a dozen times before coming to rest at it's present location." Bosch laid out a line connecting Ord Mirrit to Vortex to Carratos to Arkania to Caamas and so on until the line stopped somewhere in wild space not far from the Endor system, resembling the path of an out of control pinball more than anything else.

"Of course, there are many more alternate explanations, but we must be prepared for the worse, hence the mission you are to undertake." Bosch turned off the holo again. "Now, we are short on time. Your shuttle is nearly ready for takeoff, so if there are any additional supplies or armaments you think you may need, request them now. The same goes for more questions."

Jaess stands up, leaning over the table slightly as she watches the Dawnsprinter get bounced around like a bumper car. "Sir," she begins, looking up at Bosch as he turns off the holoprojector, "I'll need to retrieve my weapons from my quarters, and if I can requisition freely, I'd like to request some form of vision enhancement and a silenced slug thrower with ammunition, if you have any free to deploy. Blasters aren't exactly what I'd call subtle. I'll also need some means of safely going EV if we're planning to board a possibly damaged ship. We may also need medical supplies and restraints for any survivors or prisoners. I'm assuming you wouldn't mind any prisoners, sir," she grins confidently.
"Also, like the droid said, having on file who we should expect to find on the Dawnsprinter, or at least who we're likely to find, would be terribly useful. I'd like as few surprises as possible on this operation."

"Good choices, Jaess." Bosch said. "I'll have someone retrieve your equipment for you in addition to the items you requested. We've already taken into account the possibility that inter-craft vacuum travel will be necessary, so there are three protective environmental containment suits in the shuttle's hold if you need them."

"I wish that we had more information on the Dawnsprinter's crew, but the Empire has wiped that information from the Holonet, and they've doubled the encryption on that particular coded channel. Any further searching on our part would likely give away what you're going to do. Too much risk for too little benefit."

Jaess hides her grimace at the thought of people going through her belongings and nods to the Commander. "Thank you, sir. I understand. If there's nothing else you think I may need, I'm ready to go." 

Jaess slips the T.R.A.P. holoprojector into her clothing, wishing that she could blow it out an airlock and be free of it's annoyance. At least it and the droid would be useful in recovering the hyperdrive, if it existed. The LE unit could probably give suggestions for the best places to plant explosives, too. Hopefully things would be looking up, and she'd be back in the thick of things in a flash- where she belonged.

Wish I could make a stop in the armory myself, she mused, I'd love a credit-free shopping trip for military hardware. Pity I'll have to give all those things back. Glad I managed to keep tabs on some of my gear from before. These Rebels are stingy!

The patina stained droid watches the exchange between the humans politely waiting for the Commander's attention to return to it before speaking again: "As to questions, there yet remains one that you've avoided answering thus far; why should I seek to help you who have authorized your subordinates to launch attacks both physical and mental against me?"

Bosch regarded Arlee impassively for a moment before speaking, likely unused to explaining himself to a droid. "I authorized my subordinates to do no more to you than would be normal for any operative. Like I said, my orders were misinterpreted. I requested that you be supplied with the T.R.A.P. As we know, they interpreted that request by modifying your briefing chip to introduce the T.R.A.P. directly into your systems without your consent. You are the first droid to be assigned to such a mission, so they reacted as they would to any other droid. I apologize to you on their behalf for this conduct."

The grizzled commander looks over the empty photoreceptor socket. "It is standard procedure when operatives enter the briefing room to have all objects and/or systems capable of transmission or recording of data temporarily disabled. Had Jaess been carrying a device capable of recording or transmitting the contents of the briefing, it would have been affected in the same manner as your systems have been. You will find that when you exit this room, all of your affected systems will be restored to full functionality. This was not an attack, but a security precaution."

"As for why you should participate in this mission...I believe I have explained that the situation you experienced was due to miscommunication, not hostile intent. If you still bear mistrust towards me, they don't help me, help the Alliance."

"I must admit that I cannot easily accept your assigning blame to your subordinates considering that you have already lied to place the blame for your conduct on your superiors. Your lack of honesty likewise creates doubts as to the veracity of everything else you've told us concerning the mission. Still, the goals of the Alliance are laudable and should not be allowed to be subverted by one individual. I should point out however that if you'd indicated your desire that my transmission or recording components be disabled during the briefing you would have had only to ask and I would have removed them" The patina stained droid gestures to the components lying on the holoprojector's edge. "Also, your security measures remain inadequate since I retain a complete transcript of what has been said during the briefing in my data-banks."

"That being said, I will accept your explanation for now and agree to pursue this mission for the benefit of the Alliance but I will require some concessions. First, I will require that all data pertaining to the T.R.A.P.'s program architecture be made available to me before our departure. Second, I will require all data pertaining to the unidentified ionized molecular compound used to disable some of my systems and the targeting and delivery mechanism used before our departure. Third, I will require an official acknowledgement of my status as a free and independent sentient being within the Alliance and of any government that it will later participate in forming upon my return."

"You will have as much time as you wish to examine the T.R.A.P.'s architecture, as there is a copy of it in the Holoprojector Jaess now carries. Likewise, the data concerning the disabling system is stored within the T.R.A.P.'s databanks, to be retrieved at your leisure. As for your last request, it is not within my power to grant. I will discuss the matter with my superiors, but bear in mind that such a thing is completely unprecedented." Bosch stated.

The patina stained droid continues to stare impassively at the human as he explains his position, finally speaking in its male-modulated voice once he's finished: "I'm sorry but you are incorrect. Although rare, there are many accounts of free-willed and independent droids throughout recorded history. Also it is not a request. I'm sorry, but this concession is not negotiable. Although I leave it in your capable hands to ensure that it is carried out by the time I return, I require your word that it will be done before we depart. Otherwise, you see, I will have little reason to return here with or without your hyperdrive engine."

R-LE-1 pauses to let that information sink in before continuing: "As far as required equipment and munitions are concerned, I would suggest that if the Dawnsprinter is in fact at the aforementioned coordinates and not destroyed that it may be possible to repair whatever damage it has suffered. It may be prudent to load the cargo bay of our shuttle with an assortment of replacement components for the Dawnsprinter’s vessel type and theoretical hyperdrive engine. I possess extensive schematics and data files for over 5000 starship configurations and will be able to supply ship's stores with a list of the most likely key components to have been damaged and/or rendered inoperative aboard the Dawnsprinter. Also, for myself, I would ask for two portable explosive grenade that I might use as a final fail-safe should I be captured by the Empire as well as two data chips upon which I can back-up my consciousness should I fail to return intact."

"Very well, you have my word that I will do my utmost to convince my superiors to grant you status on par with an organic sentient under our law. But keep in mind that those who have the power to affect this decision may not be so keen, and their attitude towards your request may likely hinge on your performance during this mission." Bosch said. "As for the grenades and data chips, you will find them amongst the supplies in the shuttle's hold. We anticipated the possibility that you may need to arm those you intend to rescue should the situation go ill, and have loaded sufficient armaments onboard. Replacement parts for the Dawnsprinter, however, could not be obtained in time."

A beep sounded from the holo, and the image of a Sullustan in the uniform of a Rebel technician appeared. "All cargo and equipment has been loaded on board the shuttle, sir. Fueling should be finished by the time the operatives arrive in the Docking Bay 3."

"Very well." Bosch replied. He exchanged a salute with the holographic technician, which then dissipated before he turned back to face Arlee and Jaess. "You depart at once. I suggest you hurry, as there is little time to spare.  Docking bay three should be two stops down on the turbolift at the end of the hall." Bosch stepped back and threw a quick salute, wished them luck, and exited the room.

As the odd pair of operatives entered the 'clean' room the odd 'scanning' machine moved over them again, more quickly than before. Arlee detected the ionizing element being lifted from his affected systems, and then the scan was complete. Jaess and Arlee exited into the hall, at the end of which the turbolift could be seen, and the door slid shut behind them.

As is proper for a droid, R-LE-1 merely waits unmoving in the clean room for the organic occupant, Jaess, to exit first. R-LE-1 watches the small human female stride out of the room and then falls into step behind her, its servo-motors humming and metallic toes clicking softly on the deck plating with each step. The patina stained droid once again maintains the two meters of distance between them that its interpersonal protocols dictate as necessary to maintain an organic's delicate sense of personal space. R-LE-1 keeps its sensors trained on the woman while the pair awaits the lift.

Cognitive Processing.
Emotive Node: Pleasure 44.3%; Concern 29.7%; Anxiety 25.9%.
Datum: Jaess Talori has demonstrated behavior indicative of anxiety in responsive to my actions.
Datum: Jaess Talori is a Covert Operative skilled in hand to hand combat and evasion.
Proposition: Jaess Talori is anxious and nervous due to her training and experience.
Proposition: Jaess Talori is anxious and nervous in the presence of droids.
Proposition: Jaess Talori dislikes me.
Proposition: Cooperation and trust between operatives is necessary for the successful
completion of a mission.
Proposition: I must endeavor to engender trust between Jaess Talori and myself.
Upload data to vocabulator buffer 12A.
Open starboard tool bay and deploy power calibrator.

Having witnessed how nervous and anxious the female appears to be in its presence, R-LE-1 refrains from making any quick motions. As the odd pair awaits the lift doors to open, the droid turns to face the human female with the empty hole in its faceplate and addresses Jaess directly for the first time: "I must now verify, replace and reinitialize my previously ionized components. Please do not be alarmed ma'am."

A soft whir and click can be heard in the quiet companionway as the repair droid's right leg opens up to reveal a small compartment with a circular rack of tools inside. Within seconds, the rack spins, stops and extends a small tool which R-LE-1 picks up with its right hand. It connects this tool to the computer hookup cable at its left hip and then points the tool at the components it carries in its left hand; a soft humming sound issues from the tool.

Cognitive Processing.
Execute diagnostic.
Working.
System diagnostic indicates negligible levels of ionization of primary and secondary
broadband transmission arrays and primary telescopic/holographic photoreceptor.


When the lift doors open R-LE-1 waits for Jaess to enter first and then shuffles in itself turning to face the control panel. R-LE-1 replaces the tool in its hand into its slot, disconnects the computer hookup cable, reaches forward and connects it to the small computer port below the main panel. A gentle hum can be heard as the port begins to spin slowly, indicating the droid has successfully linked to the Reliant's computer network. R-LE begins to access the ship's computer to ascertain the vessel's current speed and heading to confirm the Reliant's position, ensuring that its astrogation calculations will prove accurate once the pair are ready to enter hyperspace aboard their shuttle. 

Datum: Current galactic coordinates of the Reliant are X=285.23; Y=483.23; Z=308.34.
Datum: Current galactic coordinates of the gravity well are X=373.45; Y=834.38; Z=923.25.
Datum: Lambda class shuttle, Sienar Fleet Systems, 20 meters long
Execute hyperspace entry threshold calculation algorithm.
Processing...
Hyperspace entry threshold = 234876.42352397648183 QUC.
Execute hyperspace entry vector.
Processing...
Hyperspace entry vector = 238.324030225º mark 124.423438234º
Search archival memory for all charted gravitational shadows.
Processing...
48,375 known gravitational shadows of 0.003+ G-forces.
Execute hyperspace flight-path projection algorithm.
Processing...
Processing...
Processing...

With its right hand now free, R-LE-1 begins to replace its head mounted sensors. Quickly its old patina stained hands begin manipulating its parts deftly and quickly as cables and wires are reattached, fittings are adjusted and fasteners are tightened once more.

Cognitive Processing.
Re-initialize sensors.
• Photoreceptor acuity at 98.2% of system benchmark.
• Holographic-receptor acuity at 95.9% of system benchmark.
• Infrared-receptor acuity at 97.1% of system benchmark.
• Transceiver array efficiency at 99.2% of system benchmark.
Emotive Node: Pleasure 70.3%; Concern 29.7%.

Arching an eyebrow incredulously, Jaess regards the droid for a brief moment before looking back at the turbolift doors. That droid's been all through this ship's secured files, she thinks to herself, returning her gaze to the patina stained droid.

"So what have your searches turned up about me?" she asks as the LE unit.

Without stopping its work or turning its head to look at her, R-LE-1 answers: "As a covert operative your personnel file is restricted to command officers of Beta clearance or higher. Since I had been previously asked to refrain from accessing restricted files and am not currently a command officer with Beta clearance I thought it best to limit my information gathering to your name, race and passenger status. The data chip Lieutenant Antilles gave me possessed a brief outline of your skill set as a covert operative specializing in unarmed combat, stealth, and assassination as well as a mention of your background as a former imperial operative aboard the ICS Interdictor. Would you care to add anything about yourself that may aid me to serve you?"

"I'll let you know if I think of anything," she replies, trying hard not to sound too sarcastic, taking the droid who asked for independence’s reference to servitude as either an attempt at dry humor.

As it waits for the lift to stop, R-LE-1 mentally reviews the current duty roster of droids on the Reliant's repair/maintenance crew. With its communications array now reattached and operational the repair droid transmits a binary message, via comlink, to an astromech friend of his that is currently unassigned: "R3-L7, if your duties permit, may I request that you please join me in docking bay three immediately? I would appreciate your help on a complex hyperspace transit locus." 

The turbolift slows and the doors slide open to reveal a docking bay completely bare save for a humble Lambda shuttle sitting in the center of the room. Several crates are still not yet loaded on board, and sit near the end of the shuttle's loading ramp. At every visible entrance, at least two armed guards stand watch, keeping a careful eye out for anything suspicious. The door of the lift had hardly opened when two blaster rifles were pointed at the both of them.  Jaess’s hand glides down to the empty holster at her hip, and back up into an uneasy salute as the guards do the same. She steps out of the turbolift, slightly jittery at the thought that people dressed and armed like that would have shot at her a year before. Switching sides is hell on your nerves, she muses, trying to calm herself down.

R-LE-1 watches its fellow operative salute the guards and briskly walk off towards the shuttle without glancing back at them or it. In turn, R-LE takes a half step forward, doesn't bother returning the salute but instead addresses the two guards: "I commend your vigilance. Please be aware that I have asked an astromech droid, R3-L7, to come here to confer with me. It should be arriving shortly. Please inform your fellow guards to ensure that it is not detained unnecessarily." R-LE-1 turns its single large photoreceptor to regard both guards briefly and then, continues: "Please, may I inquire as to the location of the on-duty deck officer?"

"The deck officer should be onboard the shuttle doing an inventory of your cargo, R-LE-1." Says the guard on the left. The other guard remains silent, but nods.

Arlee detects the faint sound of a vaccuum tube as a small chute opens up near the turbolift doors, ejecting a yellow R3 unit a little too forcefully. It gives an electronic yelp as it falls over into its side, and then beeps and chirps in annoyance as a mechanical arm pops out of a hatch and pushes it upright.

The patina stained droid walks towards the astromech, its metal toes clicking softly on the deck plating with each step. With but a thought R-LE switches its vocabulator from the languid basic language it had been using to a high-baud rate binary language more appropriate to information exchange amongst droids. R-LE-1 addresses the yellow droid in a series of low-pitched chirps and buzzes; "Thank you for coming so quickly my friend. Please be patient with the organics; a situation has recently arisen that necessitated unusual security precautions be taken in docking bay three. It's likely that all routine maintenance and repair work on this level has been temporarily delayed. I'm sure normal operations will resume once this shuttle has departed and the astromech transport tube will be fixed right away."

The patina stained droid places a hand gently on the back of R3's lamp-shade shaped head to direct his attention to the tri-wing shuttle at the center of the bay as he begins guiding the astromech towards it. "Speaking of which, I have been asked to pilot this vessel on a secret mission on behalf of the Rebel Alliance. Speed is of the utmost importance in this mission. The destination is in uncharted system deep in wild-space and I would appreciate your assistance in calculating the hyperspace transit locus to ensure the shortest travel time possible. I've already begun work on the code..."

Hurriedly getting on board the shuttle, Jaess finds her personal equipment onboard the shuttle in a locked plasteel container, opened via biometric fingerprint scan, and a small package containing her requisitioned equipment inside. After ducking behind a few crates, she is able to change into her Shadowsuit in relative privacy.  She puts on all but the mask, feeling calmer and more confident, less naked, wearing it.

Upon standing back up however, she hears a quick intake of breath and finds herself being stared at by a middle-aged man who was looking over the crates, checking them off on a small datapad. He looks at her for a moment, his hand straying towards a small blaster on his thigh as he taps and glances at the screen of the pad, then relaxing.

"Miss Talori, you gave me quite a fright for a moment there. Didn't see you behind those crates when I came on board." He cleared his throat, and Jaess notices his eyes training a bit lower than her own for a brief moment. "I trust that all your equipment is present and accounted for?"

Jaess pulls her clothing back on over the shadowsuit, watching the deck officer watch her.
"It all seems to be here, yes," she states flatly, hopefully drawing his attention back upwards, annoyed by the man's wandering eyes but used to that sort of attention since her appearance had been altered by Alliance surgeons. 
"You got it down here quick. Thanks," she says, stepping out from behind the crates she was using for cover and the distance between the two of them. "Do you have a spare copy of the cargo manifest?" she asks, continuing, "I'd like to review it before we depart." The clicking of metal toes brings her attention to the LE unit ambling up the access ramp.

"Of course." The officer responds to Jaess. "I just finished triple-checking the manifest, and everything is on board and accounted for except for....ah, the explosives haven't been brought in from the munitions hold yet. I'll get right on that." He opens up and rummages around in one of the plasteel storage cylinders labeled 'Data Storage' from which R-LE-1 had recently procured several data chips, and pulls out a Datapad. This is quickly linked to his own, and after a few taps on the screen, he unlinks and hands it to Jaess.

"We've got company," she whispers, gesturing behind the deck officer at the two droids moving towards them up the loading ramp.

"Hello again miss Talori. Sir. I am R-LE-1 and this is my friend R3-L7. He is helping me with the astrogation calculations for our flight." Once the patina stained droid locates the data chips he requisitioned, he picks them up and attaches one to his hip mounted scomp-link without pausing. While he continues to talk, begins encrypting, compressing and downloading all his memory files and personality algorithms. "Sir, since this vessel would be recognized as Imperial property on sight I would be curious to learn when and under what circumstances it was first acquired by the Alliance. This information may prove crucial to our mission." The patina stained droid pauses and tilts its head in an inquisitive manner. "Also, does it currently have a name?

At Arlee's inquiry, he reveals a slight smile. "I'm glad you asked. If you'll follow me, please..." He exits the shuttle and points out the sphere/dome structures added to the shuttle's wings. "The Empire has been steadily losing its supply routes due to our activities in the Mid and Outer Rim sectors. Industrial materials, foodstuffs, munitions components, all the necessities are now in short supply for their fleets in these areas. So, they've begun to search out new sources of raw materials in asteroid belts and the like for new logistical routes, but they didn't have enough time or resources to design a ship specifically for the task. Thus, they began modifying existing ships, namely shuttles and transports, refitting them for additional sensory equipment.

"We very luckily obtained this one just a few hours ago when it dropped out of hyperspace not 50 clicks from this very station and the pilots began broadcasting their intent to defect. Apparently they were sent to this new star system you are to investigate, putting their sensory ability towards finding that spiffy hyperdrive the higher ups reckon is around there. They thought differently, of course. Said they were planning to desert soon anyway, and figured they'd give us a gift while they were at it. Truth serum confirmed this, naturally. So you're essentially going to be flying a ship that the Imperials still think is theirs, on a mission they started, but for the Alliance's benefit instead." He gave them a toothy grin. "Crazy galaxy, isn't it? The ID Code is Deepscan 39. Well, I should be back shortly, got to go get those explosives. Let me know if you find that I've overlooked something." And with that, he heads towards the turbolift, pulls out a comlink, and begins berating the hapless munitions officer on the other end. Loudly.

Without looking up to Arley from the crate she sits on, Jaess says, "I don't buy it. The ISB keeps tabs on suspected traitors, and if they thought for a moment that they could lose a starship they put this much effort into..." she trails off, looking up at Arley. "It's probably bugged like you wouldn't believe, or sabotaged, or something. And it'll be well hidden, too." She stands up, looking around the hold of the ship for a moment. "You might want to check it out. If this ship has been in Alliance hands for less than a day, I don't trust it one whit."

The repair droid turns to face the human woman with its single photoreceptor. "I was just about to confer with R3-L7 about the probability of such a series of events taking place in so short a time. Anything is possible. It is possible however that this is another deception by Commander Bosch or this Alliance's administration."

Jaess looks surprised, regarding the droid in silence for a moment before asking, "Do you really think the Alliance would go through all this trouble for a setup? The Empire, sure, but the Alliance isn't well organized enough to pull off something so complex. Unless," she lets the statement hang for a moment before adding, "You think we're being lied to."

Without pausing the patina stained droid replies flatly; "I've already been lied to and attacked repeatedly today. If this is a deception it remains unclear however whose it is and what is to be gained from it. Bosch's theory that the Dawnsprinter traversed the galaxy in less than two days by means of an experimental new hyperdrive is, as I have said, improbable though not impossible. The assertion that Imperial operatives en route to search for the Dawnsprinter decided to defect and deliver this vessel for the Alliance's use in our own search for the Dawnsprinter is also improbable, though not impossible."

"Improbable things happen all the time, and I can't think of a reason for the Alliance to be lying to us. It might be a double agent within their ranks. The ISB would go through all the hoops they have to get me back, but I don't see how a droid would fit into that sort of plan."

"All things are possible within the infinity of the Code. With the data we currently have available however I am unable to envision anything to be gained by either faction. The empire may have faked the Dawnsprinter’s distress signal and then sent a vessel to the Alliance with suspected defectors aboard but to what end? The Empire would have risked more by granting the Alliance one of their vessels with its technology then they could have gained by retrieving two Alliance operatives. Even if they could have ensure which Alliance operatives would be sent in search of the Dawnsprinter it would be a very small gain for such a large risk. I am of little consequence to the Empire and you have already communicated what information you had about the Empire and its operations to the Rebel Alliance."

While speaking, R-LE-1 steps around the hatch to the vessel's helm. With it's scomp-link currently occupied with the datachip download, the old droid resorts to manually manipulating the ship's controls. Being programmed with data pertaining to thousands of space transport configurations Arley has no difficulty in using the Deepscan's controls, its fingers becoming a blur as it begins activating the ship's systems, engines and NAV computer.

"The Alliance likewise has little to gain in lying to us for if there is something aside from what we've been briefed about in this region we will be unprepared to encounter it and our possible reactions extremely difficult to predict. Without being certain of how we'd react then why send us while placing a valuable vessel at risk?" The patina stained droid's hands pause over the controls. "If neither faction could accurately predict the outcome of this deception then there is little to gain for either. The empire could possibly regain their vessel along with a unknown number of likely unknown Alliance operatives of uncertain tactical value. The Alliance risks loosing its valuable vessel with the certainty of whoever is aboard. With the available data neither of these outcomes seems to benefit either group significantly. That aside, it is odd that our briefing neglected to include such information as the identity of the Dawnsprinter’s crew or why we may need to arm them, how this vessel was acquired, who its crew was, where they are now, and other pertinent details. It is possible however that Commander Bosch intended all of that information to be provided to me by the T.R.A.P. Regardless, I will deactivate the unit and access its databanks directly while in transit.""

Jaess nods, wondering what code the LE unit is talking about. She searches the wall panels near the front of the ship, Arley's observations making sense and calming her nerves a little. The assistance of the R3 unit is appreciated, though she makes no effort to thank the droid.

"If there is something afoot, it is certanly strange. I know some people in the ISB who'd go through all this trouble and risk losing this ship just for a chance to get at me, but they're individuals and don't have the reach the Empire as a whole commands," she admits, thinking back to her former superior and mentor stationed on the ICS Interdictor. "Even without it, though, consiterable resources can be, and are, spent in the frivilous persuits of Imperial Officers' affairs. And we wouldn't have much warning if that were the case." She sighs, shaking her head. "I'm not saying it's probable, merely not improbable enough."

Jaess stands up, putting the datapad down on the crate she was sitting on. "I'm going to search around, but I don't expect to find much of anything. I think you should look, too. You might want to check the computers aboard for anything unusual. Beacons, easily detectable energy discharges concealed recording devices, anything odd. If this is an ISB trap, they probably already know we're suspicious."

"R3, could you please help Operative Talori to search for any unusual technology aboard? Thank you." R-LE-1 returns to the controls, inputting his astrogation calculations into the NAV computer. 

R3-L7 putts alongside Jaess, humming electronically as it runs its sensors over the internal plating, systems and decking. After several minutes of searching, they find nothing of interest. As the trashcan-shaped droid passes by Arlee and the control console, it lets out a digitized wail and rams its comp-interface rod right into an input socket. After a few quick moments, it withdraws the arm and gives Arlee a slight shock to his foot with a small prodding device while twittering madly.

R-LE-1 turns to regard the yellow astromech and chirps and buzzes in response; "Thank you R3-L7. Your assistance has of course been invaluable. Now I'm afraid I must ask you another favor." The patina stained droid removes the data chip from its hip and holds it out where R7 can grasp it with its head mounted manipulator arm. "This is an encrypted backup of my Code. If anything should happen to me or should I fail to return from this mission please find an appropriate receptacle and use it to restore me to functionality. Take it and hide it well old friend and, in the fullness of time and by the will of the Code, I shall endure." R-LE-1 pauses, switches its vocabulator back to its regular male basic and continues: "We are ready to depart save for our missing cargo. If you please R3-L7, could you disembark and seek out the deck-officer so that we may depart?" Switching back to binary the old patina stained droid says: "May the Code be with you."

Searching onboard for any possible tracking devices or other undesirables, Arlee detects what seems to be an unidentified electronic device located on the top bunk of the starboard cabin.  R3-L7 beeps a quick acknowledgement and rolls off to look for the absent officer. Arlee's search of the room indicated in his analysis, seemingly a bunkroom, reveals little initially. However, as he switches through his different detection systems, he finds a slight electromagnetic signature emanating from underneath the pillow on the topmost bunk. There he finds a small personal datapad with a label on the back reading: 2nd Lieutenant Triss Mason, Experimental Scanner Maintenance Technician.


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## Angcuru (Jul 12, 2006)

*Ch.15 - No Time Like the Present*

The trip back down from the asteriod belt was one of irritation for Kia, she had hoped for some chance of salvaging the hyper-drive, but finding it destroyed, and that she was indeed trapped in the solar system was very vexing for someone who's survival had depended on her mobility. While she could certainly learn from the Sethi while she was here, she hadn't wanted to be here at all, especially not now that she knew what it was she wanted to be doing instead of drifting from sysytem to system.

The former security officer candidate spent the rest of the afternoon in silent but dogged pacing, going over in her head her options, and limited as they were, they kept ruunning the same narrow path that her feet were. Being surrounded by people that were so much older then she was didn't help, with the exception of Kal, they could all remember the old Republic, had in fact been adults during it. And Kal, well, he was just a kid from some backwater that was crushing on her since she was the first new female to show up in his entire life time, so she pointedly ignored his practicing, trying not to encourage him to show off.

Adrial's words immediately cut any thinking that was going on in Assan's mind. He knew when to get back into business mode, and this was definitely one of those times. He was up on his feet as Kia was already leaving, but as he headed after her, decided a question was in order, "What do you mean little blue dots?"

He could only hope the breath mask didn't make him sound angry...though knowing how things usually worked with these humans, it would. Or worse.

When Adrial burst in Kia was in motion almost before she finished her sentence, all the pent up energy finally put to use in an all out sprint to the cockpitt of the ship. She didn't intend to stop slow down til she hit the cockpitt, and she intended to make it there in record time.

Adrial followed Aasan and Kia to the Dawnsprinter, trying to catch her breath while explaining what she saw. "I was looking around the ship, trying to figure out what all the little lights and screens are. I was checking out this little table in the um...recreation area...that's it, when there was this beeping noise from the front of the ship. I went to look at it, and there were all these little blue dots moving around this screen that didn't have anything on it just a few hours earlier."

They arrived at the Dawnsprinter as Adrial finished speaking, and within seconds were looking at the ship's long-range passive radar screen. From the looks of it, there were upwards of thirty ships on screen, and those were only the ones using active radar that the ship's sensors could detect. Almost on cue, the console-mounted comms station lit up.

"....Dawnsprinter..........ead m-...............ICS Interdictor.........-opy?..-alling the.........inter, do yo-....."

Kia smacks the comm station in the time honored tradition of electronics users everywhere, letting the unit understand how vexed she would be if it didn't behave. She started to adjust the station, trying to clear away the static. "That sounds like an Imperial capital ship, especially with such a large escort convoy. I don't want to run into the Empire, but I don't want to be here on this planet more." she tells

"ICS Interdictor, this is the Dawnsprinter, come in, I repeat this is the Dawnsprinter. My Hyperdrive got slagged by the jump, and we are stuck on this dirtball. Any assistance you can offer would be appreciated."

Those at the Dawnsprinter's controls hear a different, more authoritative voice on the other end swear in frustration. "ICS Interdictor to Dawnsprinter crew member, you will identify yourself and all surviving crew immediately. We are sending a transport to your present location, do not leave the area."

Almost as the trasmission is finished, the rest of those who were in the Sethi hut arrive on the Dawnsprinter. Jorran tenses noticably at the confirmation of the Empire's arrival and Kal seems shocked at this voice coming from the controls, while Arias and Miera exchange a quick glance at the mention of the Interdictor.

"Kia," Jorran says quietly, "if the Empire knows the name of this ship, they'll know who owned it as well, wouldn't they? Isn't there a price on your head?"

"I'm not liking where you going with this Jorran, I am really not liking it." Kia replies, "I think I am going to like where the Empire goes with it even less. Governments are soo not opened minded about insurrection." she sighs in frustration.

"I'm not even 100% sure that the empire would rescue your colony if they didn't get something out of it. Sending a task force this large to answer a distress call is all wrong, I'm small stakes to them, I have no clue whats so important to them here, and if they deem it important enough to send a fleet like this, then they might deem no survivors a good thing as well. Decide for youselves, but I think your best chances, and mine, are appropriating one of their hyperdrives. The empire isn't exactly known for being kind to force users."

"ICS Interdictor, This is Kia Obscurra of the Dawnsprinter, there are no other crew. At the moment I am in the middle of a camp of people who were stranded here when their ship crashed back during the Clone Wars. I request aid and evacuation for them according to Galactic Law." she comms up to the capital ship.

"Either way you decide, it'd be easy enough to tell that your villiage is here when they land, lying when the truth is so obvious isn't worth the effort." she says to the Sethi, loosening her blaster in its holster.

Aasan cursed himself as he got into the cockpit as Kia was finishing her communication to the other ship. Too late now. He sighed(which sounded more like a loud scratching noise through the breather), and said, "The less they know, the better...I don't think our friends would really like any extra company. If it is Imperials, you might have just given them an excuse to come down here with blasters blazing..." he trailed off and tried to think of a way to minimize any more problems, "Don't tell them anything else. And if they send a ship down, tell them to track your distress beacon. We'll move it a good distance out of here so they won't be coming down right here in the middle of everything and we can figure out what these people plan to do."

"The transport is already on its way here Aasan, it is going to see the villiage whether we tell them about it or not. It already had a fix on this location because these were the coordinates the distress beacon was broadcasting. We cannot change that, telling them what is going to readily evident to them when they get here doesn't cost anything, since they will find it out no matter what." Kia says with a shrug. She turns to the Sethi Masters, wondering what they would have the settlers do.

Whatever the Sethi decided, she could at least ready the ship for immediate take off, she might not have to lift off, but if she did, it would be nice to be ready. Kia also set about making sure the ship's armament was as ready as it could be.

Jorran watched as the radar screen showed the Imperial Fleet closing in on their location. The computer calculated their arrival to be within 2 hours.

"If the Empire is as brutal as you make it out to be, I doubt they intend to leave any survivors." Miera said.

"Any right-minded strategist wouldn't let any non-military personnel leave the system." Arias added, "Think about it. The Empire is fighting a galaxy-wide civil war. Here they've found a previously unknown system, with unknown stocks of resources and potential locations to set up military bases. As far as we know, the Rebellion is clueless about the whole situation, and I think the Empire would want to keep it that way. And the best way to do that is to make sure that no one lives to tell them about it."

An audibal *gulp* simultaneously escaped Kal's and Adrial's throats.

"Kia," Miera asked, "how many people can you fit aboard this ship? Not for a long journey, but packed in for about ten minutes tops?"

"If it were just for a short period, I could probably get 80 to 100 if they were in the cargo bay, this is a transport ship after all, people are much smaller then my usual cargo. The only thing in there now are, or were, my upgrade components which I canabalized a bit to get her in the air again, get people in there, and the corridors. I just wouldn't want to be responsible for the jouncing around they are going to get, especially when we are chased."  Kia offered.

"Good, that's more than enough." Miera said, sounding a bit relieved

"Good how?" Jorran asked. "Without a hyperdrive, it's inevitable that they'll catch us and then, well..." He drew his finger across his throat, clearly making his point.

"We don't need to outrun the Empire's thugs, just to hide the innocent people in this village." Meira glanced towards Arias, who nodded. "There is a subterranian cave a few hundred kilometers out from the village where we could easily hide them."

"But they're tracking this ship." Kal added, "The Empire will know where we're moving them to, and slaughter them all."

"Not exactly." Nakima chimed in, "They're tracking the Dawnsprinter's IFF transponder. If we remove it from the ship and hook it up to the village's power generator, we can move about with the Empire being none the wiser, as long as we stay close to this planet's surface."

"That's all well and good," Adrial piped up, "but what do we do after they're hidden away? We can't just sit here and wait for them to come kill us!""

"All in due time, Adrial."  Miera lightly chided her.

"Ok, then thats what we'll do, gather up your people, and I'll start working on the transponder with Aasan, and Nakima if he'll help. Once your people are out of here, I'll come back, and get ready for the Empire. If I can get their transport's hyperdrive, we can repair the Dawnsprinter and get the heck out of here."  Kia says, sounding positive, like it'd be a stoll in the park, then again, she is a Corellian.

The Jedi hopeful turns to the transponder once she finishes double checking the ships armaments, and starts getting it ready to pull out of its casing. With the three of them working on it, the transponder's transplant to the village generator goes over quickly and smoothly.  Jorran and Kia leave Nakima to put the finishing touches on the rig to keep the transponder transmitting.

"Do you have any weapons leftover from your crashed ship?" Kia asks Miera, "The Dawnsprinter is, or rather was, a CorSec Patrol ship, so she has better armament then a normal YT 1300, but I don't know what there transport will be, maybe a Lamda, but it might be something worse, like an Assault Shuttle." Kia says with a soft sigh. "I think the best bet would be to ambush the Stormtroopers. 10 Troopers per squad, probably 2 or 3 squads to secure this area, and then whatever crew on the transport, makes it 35 or so." she says, not sounding terribly pleased.

"Just the few blasters we had on board.  It was a refugee ship, after all."  Miera replied while helping some of the older villagers on board.  "Don't worry about that right now, we'll prepare for the Imperials once these people are safe."

She and Arias have hurriedly explained to situation to the villagers as the repairs were taken care of.  As when Kia returns to her ship, there are many of them sitting in the rec area, standing in the halls, and generally trying to get comfortable in a very unfamiliar environment. Adrial had the good sense to remember to bring along a few day's worth of food just in case, as was evident by the baskets of fresh vegetables and suchlike now in the storage compartments.

"That's all of them," Miera says to Kia regarding the new passengers. "Arias and the others are preparing some surprises for the enemy troops. They should be ready by the time we get back from where we're headed." She indicates the pilot's seat. "We're ready when you are."

Kia nods, pleased at the quick response of the villagers to the summons. "Ok, this could be quite rough, especially on people who haven't really gotten used to flight." she calls out in a loud enough voice to carry along the corridors. The young pilot drops herself into her chair, and swiftly cuts in the repulsorlifts, lifting the ship to just above the tree line, she had already gotten the ship itself ready for flight, all that was needed was thrust and the ship would move out, hopefully low enough that they would blend in and catch the Imperials napping.

"Where to, Miera?" she asks, set to carry out the course as swiftly as possible, knowing time was critical.  

Miera points out a thin strip of blue than can be barely seen in the distance as the Dawnsprinter hovers. "There, that river flows from a lake to the west. If we follow it to the source we'll eventually find a waterfall, and behind that is where we'll hide these innocent people." She regards Kia curiosly for a moment. "Before we get near it, you should know that it is very, very strong in the force. Even if you aren't actively trying to sense it, you'll feel it growing more intense as we get nearer."

"Umm, ok, I don't actually have any experience with sensing things through the force, and I have never actively done it." Kia says, shifting the heading of the ship, and then powering up the thrusters. With the repulsor lifts on, it was sort of like a surfboard, floating on top of the water, and the thrusters were her feet kicking against the water. She gradually ramped the power up to max, trying not to discomfort her passengers, especially since she'd probably be the one to clean up the deck plating.

***​
Jorran hurries to aid Arais and the others left behind in the village with setting up some surprises for the incoming imperials. Jorran's hurry doesn't look rushed however, he just simply moves with efficient deliberacy and speed.

"So, Arias, what's the plan? How many do you think we can actually take? Or are we going to pull a diversion that will allow us to take their transport without having to eliminate the imperial threat?"

"How many can we handle?"  Arias regards Jorran with a confidant smile and leans against the pallisade wall.  "Jorran, do you recall when the Seperatist forces attempted to take Coruscant?"

"How could I forget?"  The younger man replied.  "My master and I were studying star maps in the Temple Archives when the attack began."

"Then you'll recall that the Temple was assaulted by no less than a dozen full Battallions of battle droids. Also that fewer than six jedi were present at the temple at the time of the attack."

"Of course, what is your point?"

"Take a wild guess at who headed the defenses."

"Oh..."

***​
Miera arches an eyebrow. "You've never tried to feel out your surroundings with the Force? Well, whatever your plans for your talents, I suggest you try it out sometime."

They heard a chorus of 'ooh's behind them in the rec room, where the young Twil'lek girl and her pack of friends have surrounded the holo table. Apparently they'd figured out how to turn on one of the holographic games, and were taking turns making the pieces eat each other. Kids.

***​
Aris regarded the walls they had built to keep out the local wildlife. "Hmm. If these Stormtroopers are anything like the Clones I commanded back in the war, they'll be tougher than your average soldier. Whether or not we take their transport, we'll have to deal with them one way or another." He flexed his fingers, the joints popping in anticipation "I doubt they'll surrender, so we'll have to take care of them...permanently. No point in fortifying the walls, the'll be no good against modern weapons."

He regarded Jorran, Kal, and Adrial. "You three can probably take on a good number of them, especially working together. Anyway, once the killing starts the whole area will probably be overrun with Masliths faster than you can blink."

Arias crouched down on a log near the fire pit and began to formulate his plan. "Our best bet is to take out the troopers on the first transport as fast as we can, then get to work on removing the hyperdrive. Aasan, that's where you come in. Once the area is clear, you will start working on removal of the drive while Kal, Jorran, and Adrial guard the shuttle. By that time, Miera and Kia will be back with the Dawnsprinter, along with Nakima, who can help Aasan with the drive transplant. Once we've swapped the transport's drive over to Kia's ship, we'll still have to get another to move the villagers. For that we'll have to get the Imperials to land another transport or shuttle. It'd be best if we could get them to send a cargo ship, so I suggest we leave one of the assault transport pilots alive so he can put in that request for us." He looked at Aasan and his gathered students. "Any further ideas?"

Jorran takes a few calming breaths as he thinks.

"Stormtroopers aren't quite the crack troops that the clones were back in the day. We may need to be able to do something about either their communications or their ability to respond with air support. That means eliminating them before they can communicate problems or stopping their com activity. Unfortunately, I don't have ideas on how."

That leaves us in a bit of a dilemma." Arais stated. "If we don't take out their communications, they're free to send for support, and if we do, we can't call in another transport, plus it'll be suspicious."

He looks over Jorran for a moment, his eyes focusing on his lightsaber. "Wait a second...what if we just disable them? The nonlethal setting of our weapons is basically a rod of condensed electric interference. So if we use that on the ship's communications array, we might be able to disable it long enough to clear out their troops without destroying it outright. Jorran, you're more familiar with modern tech than we are. What do you think?"

Jorran's eyes brighten up "So you mean the low setting on these things can act like a localized pin-point Ion beam? Disrupting the electronics? If it works that way, then we could use the lightsabers to disrupt all sorts of systems, especially their comm array."

"In theory, Jorran. We've never actually tested them like that since we'd rather not risk destroying what few mechanical devices we do have here. Trying to disable the comm array is a risk, but one I think we shall have to take." Arias says.

***​
Kia shrugs in response to Miera's inquiry, "So far the only things that I have done with the force are moving things and clouding people's minds. I haven't been using it that much, though I am a bit curious about how I was able to make a blind jump to here, I didn't have time to plot it out, I sort of just went with it. That could have been the force, or it could have just been luck. Either way, I think I am going to need both of them today." The young pilot pushes the throttle up to max out the ships speed, intending to be back before the Imps got to the villiage, not wanting to give them any reason to wonder at what she was doing, intending to put them slightly at ease by thinking she had stayed put.

"Timing is going to be critical with pulling this off, if we can get back fast enough, the Dawnsprinter can make a difference, she was modified to be a system patrol craft by CorSec, so she is packing a lot more then one could normally expect from a 1300."

"Good, unexpected weaponry might give us an edge if it comes to a fight." Miera said. "I would certainly expect it to come to a fight, I doubt they will just give away their hyperdrive. I doubt it even more highly that after losing a transport they will let us escape without a fight." Kia says, sounding amused. 

"I'm curious about what you plan to do with your abilities. If you don't use them, they won't get any stronger."

At this statement however the amusement fades, and her eyebrow rises.

"Who said I was not going to use the force? Once we get off of this rock, I intend to find Luke Skywalker. He intends to rebuild the Jedi, I am going to be part of that. You said that you at least wanted to meet with him, if not help him do it, second thoughts?"

"Not at all, Kia. I simply don't wish to see talent go to waste." Miera gave Kia a wry smile. "And I do plan on meeting with this Luke fellow. After all, if he claims to have become a Jedi, that merits some investigation."

"He was trained by Jedi, so he probably counts. Unless General Kenobi and Yoda weren't capable of training Jedi I guess. I'd love to be there for this discussion." Kia says smirking. 

"Although I bear Kenobi no ill will, it is worth noting that both he and Yoda have trained students to later became Sith, but that is a conversation for another time.  Ah, that's it right over there." She points out rising mist in the distance. "You shouldn't have any trouble finding a spot to set down, the trees are quite sparse in that area. I'll go get everyone ready." With that, Miera leaves the cockpit and goes to ready the passengers.

The young pilot follows the path of the mist down to the cave, bringing her craft down into a gentle landing on the repulsor lifts, slowly cutting their power back until the ship was firmly on the ground.

"This is your friendly captain speaking, please disembark as swiftly as possible, I need to be back underway as soon as possible. Remember, you must be ready when we get back, I'll need you to board as quickly as possible to have a chance to make it off planet." The girl calls out to her passengers. She doesn't bother to shut the ship down, knowing that even with her 800 kph speed the timing would be tight, and having to warm the ship up again would make it even tighter.

"Miera, and anyone else who is coming back with me to the villiage, stay close to the ship, I want to be dirt free in 5 minutes." she calls out. "I think Miera and should be able to handle the weapons, I can do the flying, If we can get Aasan and Nakima to handle the shields and any repairs we should be able to get out of here, maybe, if we can get a hyperdrive and Nav Data."

With the crash survivors-turned villagers all outside the ship, Miera carfully guides them along the slippery rock face of the cliffside bordering a small lake formed by the waterfall. One by one, they disappear behind the waterfall, some of them making two trips to ensure that all their supplies have been unloaded from the Dawnsprinter. Once they are all safely hidden, Miera and Nakima re-board the ship and take seats in the cockpit. Kia notices that Miera is holding a small cloth bundle that, from its jagged appearance, looks to be holding a multidude of small rocks. In her mind's eye however, she feels a slight...something emenating from them, like the feeling you get when someone is sneaking up on you.

"That's everyone, right?" Nakima asks Miera as he buckles himself in.

"Yes, they should be safe in there for a while." Miera replies. "We should hurry back now, we might get back just in time to help out."

"Good, lets get going then. I'm going to need you back in the engineering section if it comes to a fight Nakima, Dawnsprinter is a patrol craft, so she is armed, but I'm not sure how well she'll stack up against a military assault shuttle, or whatever is up in orbit." 

"Alright, then." Nakima replies, and pulls up a schematic of the ship on his console to discern where the engineering compartment is.. "Do you want me to head over there now, just in case we get ambushed?"

"Yea, please head back there now, I might need you to transfer power around. At least until we have a hyperdrive you can reroute the power that should be going to it into the engines to get us more speed, just be able to reverse it quickly." she tells the old mechanic.

"Gotcha." Nakima got up and headed back to the engineering section of the ship.

"Miera, do you think you'll be ok with running the ship weapons? I might have to do some fancy flying and not having to do the return fire will make it easier." Kia tells the Sethi master, powering up all the weapon systems as she lifts the ship off and maxes out the throttle, pushing it up to 800 kph staying just above the tree line.

"It's been a while since I've used one of these, but I'm confident it'll all come back to me at the right time." Meira says, looking over the fire controls.

She shifts the weapons controls from her primary console over to the co-pilots in front of the older woman. "I have some fire-control computer power to help you, it'll tell you what weapons we have, It'd do some good to familiarize yourself with them now." the young woman falls silent for a few minutes before speaking up again, "I don't know what I'm sensing, but I'm getting something from those whatevers your carrying, are they...are they those crystals that you were talking about?" she asks, opening herself to the force, as much as she is able, never having done so before.  Having consciously tried to sense the contents of the pouch through the force, Kia feels as though they are glowing embers, radiating a soft heat. At her question, Miera looks up with slight amusement.

"So you can feel it, then?" Miera says, and draws a single faintly glowing white crystal from the bundle and holds it up for Kia to see. "It's these crystals that initially drew me to that cave. What most people know of such caves' existance normally don't realize is that like Force Sensitives, there are places in the Universe where the matter somehow maintains a connection to the Force. If these places are relatively free of dramatic erosion such as caves, which is why such places are where we normally find these crystals, their Force connection further preserves them. Minerals in these caves overflow with the Force, and eventually condense into gemstones infused with the force.

"You probably know that such crystals are normally vibrant in color, such as the normal blues, greens, reds, and so forth. Essentially, these force crystals are precious gems such as sapphires, rubies, emeralds and so forth, but unlike their mundane counterparts, they have power in the force. This power allows them the focus and control the condensed light beams in a lightsaber without disintegrating, and thus produce the blade.

"These particular crystals I carry however," Miera says, "are far rarer. As force crystals are akin to gemstones, these are essentialy Force-infused Flawless Diamonds. Appropriately enough, however, they are a great deal more precious than their colored relatives. You of course know that diamond is condensed organic material, so in a way, the force infusion gives some of them a certain...life, but not in the sense of living beings. It is as if they have their own spirit."

"They sort of feel hot, like embers giving off heat, I guess thats force energy" Kia says, "I can feel them even when I close my eyes. I feel more of a connection to those crystals then the one in my saber. I suppose that means that I need to build one for myself, with a crsytal that I feel connected with  to truly be connected with my saber?" she asks the Sethi

"Normally a padawan is given a saber constructed by their master.  It is only far into their training that they are capable of sensing the force within the more common force crystals and thus choose one and align it appropriately within the saber.  These are _far_ stronger in the force, so that one without formal training such as yourself can sense them.  Used in our lightsabers, they give our weapons certain abilities that normal force crystals cannot. As you have seen, they can allow us to incapacitate rather than kill an opponent, a very valuable advantage over normal blades."

She is about to continue, but is interrupted when her commlink buzzes, and Arias' voice is heard on the other end.  "Miera, could you ask Kia how much longer do we have until the Imperials arrive? We've formulated a plan, and I think we might be able to get ourselves a second transport sent down here if you are back before they are."

Kia begins to figure out how to give him an answer, both by checking the Chronometer vs the 2 hours that the imperials told them earlier, and also by seeing if she couldn't get a more precise estimate from the sensors.

Kia passes along all the information she can, both on the eta of the Imps, and their own eta. "After all, the cave wasn't that far, and we are moving 800kph, shouldn't be more then another 15 minutes for us to get back Arias.  I read another 45 until the Imperials land, so we'll have a good half of an hour to prepare."

***​
"Alright, so we still have some time, thanks Kia." Arias replies.

"Well," Arias says to his gathered students after speaking over the commlink, "you'll soon be in your first fight against other human beings. It may be tempting to simply stun them, but remember that these troops you will be facing are trained killers. If we let them live, they'll only continue killing those we may consider allies, and perhaps even innocents."

Assan generally kept quiet to as not to start any arguments that would slow things down. Eventually, though, he spoke up, "We need to know where exactly they're coming down before anything else. Disabling their equipment won't stop them from fighting, and if they aren't planning on coming out shooting, it will make them. I agree with the plan, but its useless if they set down too far from us..." he trailed off a moment, then thought about it, "They could come down right on top of us or out and away to move in. Depends on who's calling the shots. I've got a bad feeling we're going to be stuck trusting in the Force to predict that."

Obviously, the Kel Dor didn't like hinging everything on the Force, especially considering that it was just as easy to make a mistake with that as it was with anything else.

***​
"Actually, one very rarely feels a connection to their lightsaber simply by constructing it." Miera says, "It isn't unheard of for someone to find a crystal that they feel an odd connection too, but neither is it common. The bond that you describe forms over time as one wields the blade and they become more comfortable with it. Eventually, holding your lightsaber feels as natural as anything, as if it is a part of yourself, thus enabling the sorts of displays you saw from Arias earlier. So to answer your question, you might be able to attain such a connection to your lightsaber if you 
use a crystal such as you describe, but using it more often would be more likely."

"If we don't know where they'll be landing, shouldn't we spread out to cover more area?" Adrial offers.

"Wait a moment," Kal adds "couldn't Kia's ship sense those ships to begin with? Why don't we just wait until she gets back and use her ship to find out where the Imperials are going to land?"

"Hmmm..." Arias mutters, "that's better than just waiting until they land to find out. In any case, we still need a plan of approach. Someone will need to stay out of sight when they land, so they can disable the communications array to prevent any alarms being sounded. At least they'll have the cover of darkness to help." He looked at the horizon, where the planet's sun was nearly set.

"A diversion to draw away some of the troopers would help, but it can't reveal our intentions." Arias said. He looked over to the remains of the vornskrs which had pursued him last night. There was nothing but scarce bones left, attesting to the voracious appetite of the masliths. "Maybe we can get some help from the local wildlife." He turned on the commlink. "Miera, do you think you could you call Alloj's pack on your way over here?"


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## Angcuru (Jul 12, 2006)

Well, the game unfortunately sputtered out and died its final death quite some time ago and thus I lost the drive the continue the story hour.  However, being stubborn and now having renewed drive and some spare time due to a work-related injury, I'll be finishing up transferring player posts into finished Story Hour material.  After that, I don't think my players will begrudge me for continuing the story in my own literary fashion.  More updates soon to follow.


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## Angcuru (Jul 13, 2006)

*Ch. 16 - Droids Think Too Damn Much*

R-LE-1 quickly locates the datapad under the pillow, flips it over in his hands to examine it curiously searching for any signs that it is more than it appears. Assuming it is a simple datapad, the patina stained droid reaches down to his hip, pulls out his flexible scomplink cable and plugs himself into the datapad to quickly review its file contents 

Arlee's direct link into the datapd easily overcame the security system and verified its lack of extraordinary systems. After which he pulled out several audio files, each titled by a time and date, the most recent file titled at approximately four hours ago.

Having assimilated the pad's data, the patina stained droid disconnects itself once more, turns and walks out of the starboard bunkroom and heads back to the Deepscan's conn with the pad in hand. While stepping past Jaess R-LE-1 holds the datapad out for her to take without turning its head to look at her. "Another mysterious occurrence; apparently one of the imperial crew members who defected to the Alliance neglected to retrieve his personal datapad before disembarking. The datapad was also curiously overlooked by the Rebel technicians who were most likely ordered to search this vessel carefully upon docking with the Reliant."

Jaess puts her search on hold and takes the datapad, looking it over much like the LE unit did, searching for signs of tampering or securitybefore opening it up and examining it to descern more information about its owner. She sits down on a crate as she looks it over, nodding to the LE unit but not ready to reply until she accesses the data herself.  Jaess boots up the datapad to find a voice recognition password prompt blocking any file access attempts.

Accessing the ship's computer core was almost too easy to R-LE-1, as his systems quickly overcame the built-in auto-format contigency program that started up upon his initial access. In the ship's logs he found a treasure trove of information on the ship's previous activities, personnel, cargo, flight routes, hyperspace coordinates, and flight path waypoints for the Deepscan's activities in the 'new' star system.

R3-L7 appeared next to Jaess and twittered, an arm indicating a pallet on top of which was a large, bulky plasteel container labelled HANDLE WITH CAUTION. With a quick salute to Arlee, it rolled off of the shuttle. 

R-LE-1 returns the wave with its right hand while it simultaneously pulls out its scomplink cable and plugs itself into the Deepscan's control console with the left. As R3-L7 rolls down the boarding ramp the patina stained droid merges its Code with the vessel's, brings the ship's repulsorlift engines online and transmits a signal to both activate the docking bay's atmospheric magnetic seal and open the hangar doors. The second the astromech droid clears the boarding ramp R-LE-1 lifts the Deepscan off of the deck-plating and begin manoeuvring towards the slowly opening hangar doors while the boarding ramp begins to close. Even before leaving the confines of docking bay three R-LE-1 begins banking the Lambda class shuttle to the left as it pitches upwards.

The image of a flight control officer blipped in on one of the shuttle's many viewscreens, letting them know that take-off was approved.

Although the permission is perhaps a bit late considering the ship's motion R-LE-1's responds nonetheless, his voice issuing from the helm's communications console rather than his own vocabulator: "Acknowledged. Deepscan 39 out." Unwilling to waste a single second of precious time R-LE-1 continues the Deepscan's movement towards the narrow band of stars visible through the opening hangar doors. By careful calculation, R-LE-1 times the forward motion of the vessel, the closing of its boarding ramp and the opening of the hangar doors to all coincide with barely a second to separate the three events. With its wings still folded up the Deepscan manages to slide through the narrow gap of the half open hangar doors. As soon as they are clear, R-LE-1 instructs the computer to fold down the vessel's wings as it continues the banking motion to set them on course for the mysterious new system.

Jaess sets the open datapad down as she sneers in disgust. Used to having sophistocated slicing equipment on hand when the job required the task, she leaves the datapad sitting on top of a crate and heads towards the front of the ship as she feels it begin to move. As she starts towards the front Arley's voice comes in over the ship's internal comm.

While the ship turns and the wings descend the old droid triple checks the NAV computer to confirm their readiness as it says to Jaess; "I'm sorry, but your file didn't mention whether you have any flight experience. Please prepare yourself for the jump to lightspeed.". Again, with carefully timed ease, the shuttle assumes the familiar splayed tri-wing configuration just as it completes the banking motion and R-LE-1 activates the hyperdrive with barely a second's pause.

Jaess stops walking to listen, but quickly resumes motion when she discovers that the jump is near. She makes it to the front, barely a meter away from the restraints required to make the leap to lightspeed a mere shudder, when the ship lurches into hyperspace, forcing her back hard against the wall by the doorway.

 The Deepscan suddenly hurtles into the lengthening starscape. All in all, only ten seconds or so have passed between the astromech's departure and the jump to lightspeed.

As the ship settles into the calm of hyperspace she walks up to the robotic pilot, rubbing her back and glaring.

"Thanks for the heads up," she says sarcasticly. "Next time, how 'bout a little more warning, eh?" She sighs, turning to walk back into the cargo area.

The patina stained droid turns his head to regard Jaess with its one glowing photoreceptor. "I'm sorry. Were you injured during the transition to hyperspace?" R-LE-1 tilts his head down and up to ascertain the woman's condition from head to toe. "I'd been mentally calculating our hyperspace transit locus since we left the briefing room and have been anxious to get underway since our mission's success may very well depend on our timely arrival. Once our supplies were finally loaded I saw no reason to delay."

While speaking, the old droid continues exchanging code with the Deepscan's computer, double checking their trajectory, course and speed to minimize their travel time and to estimate their ETA to the new system

 "Could you get past the voice recognition block on that damn datapad for me?" she asks over her shoulder, "I don't have the tools I'd need to do it myself."

Continuing to watch the human as she turns to leave, R-LE-1 responds: "Of course ma'am. I will be along shortly."

R-LE-1 turns its attention to using the ship's scanners once more upon the vessel itself and the space surrounding it; this time scanning for signs of a homing device transmission, transponder signal or any unusual or unidentified signals or particle trails emanating from the Deepscan. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, R-LE-1 then sets the vessel on automatic, physically disconnects himself from the console, gets up and walks back into the cargo bay. Arriving a few moments later, the patina stained droid walks up to the crate upon which Jaess has deposited the T.R.A.P. unit and the datapad. Flipping open the datapad cover, Arley thumbs the ID recognition button, modulates its vocabulator to issue a voice the datapad's software will recognize as its owner's and says in a pleasant human woman's voice; "Recognize, Triss Mason" . The pad now unlocked, the old droid turns it so its screen faces Jaess.

Next R-LE-1 turns its attention to the small T.R.A.P. unit resting on top of the crate. A soft whir and click can be heard in the cargo bay as the repair droid's right leg opens up to reveal a small compartment with a circular rack of tools inside. Within seconds, the rack spins, stops and extends a small tool which R-LE-1 picks up with its right hand. Carefully but deftly Arley begins dismantling the unit; analyzing its architecture as he goes. He determines what each component's purpose is and ensures that there is nothing else hidden inside its housing aside from its power cell, holoprojector, processor and data-storage components (Disable Device +13, Knowledge (technology) +13). R-LE-1 then begins carefully crafting a secure virtual data-buffer within its own mind, a small fenced off piece of its mind separate from all of its other systems (Computer Use +16, taking 20). This is where he will store any information he gleans from the T.R.A.P., a fail safe security measure to ensure that the obnoxious Artificial Intelligence cannot possibly reinfect him again. This virtual space now ready, R-LE-1 warily picks up the T.R.A.P.'s memory storage component and attaches it to the tip of his scomplink at his left hip. The patina stained droid then begins very carefully sifting through the binary data contained within it, taking great care to identify personality subroutines and problem solving algorithms from the T.R.A.P.'s raw memory files. He'll transfer one bit at a time if he needs to, moving the data into his secure data-buffer to be analyzed in full afterwards.

Jaess sits down next to the datapad in the cargo hold, sighing and going over the cargo manefest until the LE unit comes back to grant her access to the imperial datapad. She raises an eyebrow in surprise when it bypasses the security verbally, modulating its vocabulizor.
"Nice trick," she says, taking the datpad back with a bit of a grin. As the repair droid picks up the T.R.A.P. and leaves, Jaess calls after it, "Be sure not to break that thing. Even if you hate its guts we need to return it in one piece."

Once the LE unit leaves she spends time going through the data contained on the datapad and checks out the cargo manefest, figuring out what exactly they have on board the ship and where it is, for ease of access.

Building up a defense against any further T.R.A.P. intrusions is time-consuming, but Arlee is confident that his methods have been adequate, and the results as desired. This being done, Arlee finds sifting through and copying its databanks to be woefully easy.

According to the retrieved data, the device which had temporarily disabled some of his systems prior to the briefing was specifically designed to detect anything capable of transmitting the goings on in the briefing room. This was accomplished by sending out very small amounts of radio and light waves, and detecting anything that intercepted them. Upon detection of such a device, very small doses of a benign radioactive isotope were transmitted to coat transmission systems of the device. Curiosly, this system is capable of altering the projecting half-life of this isotope in accordance with the assumed duration of the briefing so that upon completion, the affected systems would return to normal. The whole point of this was apparently not to prevent treachery on the part of alliance operatives, but to disable any 'bugs' that could have been planted on them by those unfriendly to the alliance.

Having attained this desired knowledge, Arlee dives into the rest of the data stored by the T.R.A.P. What he experiences can hardly be described to us mortals, but the orgy of data he finds is akin to being slapped in the face by one's god and handed a complete unabridged history of the universe. Illustrated.

With the datapad unlocked, Jaess finds a listing of audio files, each titled according to the date and time they were recorded. After playing a few, it seems obvious that this is a personal journal in speech form.

2 Months Ago
"I though they wouldn't let me into the service, since they don't usually permit females to be officers of any importantance, but I guess my scores at the academy were too high to ignore. It's really tough being the only girl on board. Even though it's my responsibility to make sure the new scanner systems don't go on the fritz, the guys treat me like I'm a helpless little girl. I've decided to start this journal to keep track of my thoughts, seems sort of silly, though."

4 Weeks Ago
"This isn't as hard as I thought it'd be. The scanner has been pretty reliable lately. I only had to fix it when the co-pilot spilled his Spice Tea on one of the terminals. The guys seems to be warming up to me, but maybe that's just the fact that I'm the only girl on board and we haven't had any leave in weeks."

3 Weeks Ago
"Something terrible happened yesterday. We came accross a damaged Rebel transport and notified command. They sent an assault shuttle over and the rebels tried to surrender, but the Stormtroopers just slaughtered them all. I think I even saw a little girl's body floating out the airlock. The captain says he's never seen our troops behave this way, and that it's probably a fluke. I'm not so sure though. I always used to hear stories about how brutal the Empire can be, but I just thought it was Rebel propaganda. What if it's true, though?"

1 Week Ago
"It wasn't a fluke. The past two weeks we've been finding Rebel mining outposts during out scans. Our troops never leave any survivors. I'm starting to think I'm on the wrong side in this war. From the way the others are acting, I'm probably not the only one."

Earlier That Day
"Our whole divison is being sent to a spot out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in wild space. Rumor is that our Intelligence operations have detected a new star system, and that a civillian ship sent a distress signal from there, but it is charted as being on the other side of the galaxy only hours before. Most of us think they were testing a new hyperdrive and botched the exit from hyperspace. But if it works...the Rebellion doesn't stand a chance. The crew has decided that we can't be part of that. From what we've seen of the Empire's brutality, this would only make is even worse. We decided by unanimous vote to turn our ship over to the Rebels. If they can use our ship and send some of their people to this new star system, they could probably go undetected. They'll have to follow the flight path we've been assigned though, or else they'll be found out. The captain made a copy of it and told me to store it in my datapad and leave it in my bunk so that the rebels can find it in case we get knocked out before we explain what's going on. It might just give them a chance, even a small one. I just hope they don't send an attack fleet. With all the resources the Empire is throwing into the sector, even a full scale attack would be suicide. This will probably be my last entry. We're about to exit hyperspace near a rebel space station near Endor. It's close to where the distress signal was detected, so they've probably detected it as well. I just hope they don't blow us up on sight..."

After listening to the datapad Jaess rises and heads to the front, putting her search of the hold on hold for a moment to speak with the pilot. She heads up to where Arley is revewing the data from the T.R.A.P., datapad in hand.

"This is from the imperial scanner technician who defected," she tells the droid, holding the datapad out to it, still open. "She mentioned a specific flight path this ship is expected to take in one of her audiologs. You might want to go over it and figure out if it's something we want to do. She seemed to think we'd get shot at if we deviated, and I'd rather avoid that, personally." Without giving it a chance to respond, she asks, "So what's the deal with that thing anyway?" gesturing with her head to the disassembled T.R.A.P.

The patina stained droid, illuminated by the fleeting stars outside the Deepscan's canopy, turns its head to regard the woman as she arrives. It tilts its head slightly as she mentions the flight plan described in the datapad she's holding. In answer to her last question, R-LE-1 gestures to the T.R.A.P.'s data-storage component attached to his left hip; "I'm currently reviewing its Code." Motioning to the other disassembled components the old droid continues; "Its construction is fairly straightforward. A conventional portable holoprojector unit augmented with a miniature algorithmic droid processor, a data storage drive and concealed visual and auditory receptors. The holoprojector lens assembly has also been modified to transmit high-baud optical data bursts."

Gently tilting its head to indicate a subject change, R-LE-1 continues; "As to the aforementioned datapad; I am aware of who it belonged to and of the data it contained since I reviewed its Code prior to handing it to you. I took into account the secret flight plan while programming our hyperspace jump." The old droid modulates its voice slightly to reflect an inquiry and says; "You never answered my earlier question. Do you have any flight experience with such a transport?"

"Oh, sorry," she says, the apology coming out akward as she hesitates just a little too long- apologising to a droid seeming to be something she shouldn't need to do. "Yeah," she goes on, "I've flown in one of these before. Never modified like this, though. Got carted around the core worlds in these and other transports, but I never payed much attention to them, really. I know a little about them, but you've probably read more on them in an evening than I've ever been told about 'em. Why do you ask?"

"Although all of this vessel's systems can be operated by a single individual from this console..." The patina stained droid sweeps its arm across the Deepscan's helm; "...the lambda class shuttle is meant to be operated by a crew of six to maximize efficiency; a pilot, a co-pilot, a scanner-technician, a shield technician, a communications officer and a weapons officer." As it describes each post R-LE-1 motions to its own seat and each of the cockpit's five other empty seats in turn. "As you can see, we are currently lacking personnel. If you are able, I would suggest sharing responsibilities to increase our chances of successfully completing our mission. Since you are experienced with imperial operating protocols and combat I believe it would be to our advantage for you to operate the communications and weapons systems. If we are contacted by imperial personnel you it may be advantageous to identify yourself as one of this vessel's defectors to maintain the illusion that this vessel is simply pursuing its mission." A proximity alarm beeps softly from the console. Without turning to look at it R-LE-1 continues; "Our ETA is now less than fifteen minutes. We should make our final preparations."

"I wasn't aware that these things had much in the way of weaponry. You mean keep an eye on shields and that stuff, right? I can handle talking and shields, sure. Do we have an exit strategy planned? We might need to make starlines in a hurry if things don't go well and the Imperials are closer or more observant than we thoght."
She raises an eyebrow when the proximity alarm goes off, and nods when Arley explains it.
"Quick hop. Let me head back and make sure I have everything I plan on bringing out before we get there." Jaess sets the datapad down and starts heading back to the cargo hold. "What should I know to play a good com officer? Got any lies planned?" she asks over her shoulder.

"The lambda-class shuttle is commonly equipped with two forward-facing double laser cannons, two wing-mounted double laser cannons, and a rear-facing double laser cannon. As for a quick escape, I will be pre-programming a return hyperspace jump before we arrive so that we can leave immediately if necessary." The old droid watches the human woman rise and head back towards the companionway leading into the rear passenger compartment.

Jaess will take the time to quickly go over the cargo, speaking to Arley through the ship's internal comm, searching for all her equipment and anything that will be of immediate use in the mission. She takes careful stock of the suit she'll be wearing if she needs to go EV to board the Dawnsprinter.

Amongst the ship's cargo Kia finds crates containing two dozen MREs, 3 Environmental Suits, various replacement parts for the Deepscan, six blaster pistols, and in the container marked "DANGER", five seperate insulated packages Labeled Grade 5 High Explosive: Handle with Extreme Caution.

In response to her final two questions R-LE-1 says: "You should briefly familiarize yourself with the crew manifest contained in the ship's computer, especially a human female crew member you may find necessary to impersonate. It would be best to impersonate the communications officer if at all possible since it is the person who would normally be answering hails. If we are contacted by the empire, identify yourself, the vessel and its assigned mission. They may be curious why we have arrived in this system several hours late. Suggest to them that a previously unidentified gravitational shadow threw us off course while in transit and we've only now managed to make our way here. If they seem doubtful remind them that this is wild space and largely uncharted. If the exchange begins making you nervous seek to change the subject by requesting information such as their updated navigational logs or search status."

"I doubt I could mimic one of the male crew members," she says into the ship's comm, "But Triss I might be able to do, as long as they aren't very familiar with her. We could say that their usual comm officer was injured or something, probably in that little gravity shadow incident we had that got us here late, but he's in stable condition resting now and we can continue our mission. I'll ask for more data, specific orders, all that, and it should all work out. Hopefully we won't have to chat for long. Waddaya think?"

The patina stained droid keys the intercom and answers: "It would appear to be a reasonable and effective deception should we be contacted by imperial forces. It risks being discovered should it persist overlong however. Along with reviewing 2nd Lieutenant Triss Mason's personnel file I would also recommend that you briefly review the Deepscan 39's recent official log so that you may speak knowledgeably about our supposed mission."

Keying off the intercom the old droid softly begins reciting a short prayer in binary:
01000010010110010010000001010100010010000100010100 10000001000011010011110100010001000101001000000100 11010101100100100000010100110100111101010101010011 00001000000101001101001000010000010100110001001100 00100000010001010100111001000100010101010101001001
00010100100001

With the upload of information from the T.R.A.P. memory module complete, R-LE-1 reaches down and disconnects it from his scomplink. Putting it aside, the old droid pulls out the second data chip it had requisitioned and attaches it to the tip of its scomplink. R-LE-1 then begins a second download of its encrypted memories and personality algorithms for safekeeping. As the download is in progress the patina stained droid rises from the pilot's chair and makes his way over to the navigator's console, sits down and begins manually keying in the information to plot a return hyperspace transit locus back to the Reliant.

Jaess comes back to the front of the Lambda shuttle, sitting down at the comm console and bringing up the logs for the ship and personel files for it's crew . She studies, listening to the audio logs from Triss again and again to get a better handle on her voice and speech patterns, practicing her mimicking skills by reading the logs aloud in her best approximation of Lt. Mason's voice.

R-LE-1 listens to Jaess read through the personnel files without comment until she is finished. Without turning around to look at the woman at the communications console the old droid offers a few last pieces of advice: "Keep in mind that most imperial communications are visual as well as auditive. Our ruse may not succeed if the visual sensor in front of you transmits your image while you're wearing your stealth suit. You may want to consider donning one of the lieutenant's uniforms and imperial insignia. Since the alliance crew didn't search the vessel thoroughly, considering they missed a datapad hidden beneath a pillow, you may find some of her extra clothes amongst her personal effects."

"Not a bad idea. I'll go check."

Jaess will head back to where the crew kept their belongings. Rummaging around through Lt. Mason's belongings, Jaess uncovers one of her uniforms, complete with rank identification. A few short minutes later she will stand in the doorway of the cockpit in full imperial uniform bearing the insignis of a 2nd Lieutenant.

Having completed its astrogation calculations, R-LE-1 rises from the navigators' station and turns to head into the passenger compartment when Jaess returns clothed in an imperial uniform.

"Lt. Triss Mason, reporting for duty, sir!" she says in her best impersonation, standing at attention and giving Arley a firm salute as she does.

The patina stained droid tilts its head in response and after a short pause stiffens its old joints, its chassis rattling slightly as it returns the salute. Motioning to the communications console R-LE-1 says: Please take your post Lieutenant. We will be exiting hyperspace in less than five minutes.

R-LE-1 then heads into the passenger compartment to retrieve its own requisitioned equipment.

"Aye, sir." the young woman dressed as a 2nd Lieutenant says, sitting down at the Comm Officer's console and continuing to review the ship's logs and crew manefest, looking for the names of the other crewmembers and trying to come up with the perfect way to spin her lies if the time comes to decieve.

The patina stained droid walks out of the cockpit and into the rear passenger compartment. It makes its way over to the munitions crate, opens it up and inspects its contents with its single photoreceptor. A whir and click precedes the panel on R-LE-1's chest swinging open to reveal a large concealed compartment within the droid's torso. One by one R-LE-1 picks up the two grenades and carefully tucks them inside, fastening them in place so that they will not jostle about or make noise when the droid moves. Next to them R-LE-1 places three of the six blaster pistols along with their spare power packs, transforming its chest into a concealed weapons locker.

After closing and pushing the munitions crate back into its cargo compartment, R-LE-1's right leg storage compartment pops open in turn and projects a small tool that the droid takes up into its right hand. R-LE uses the tool to crack the seal and undo the fastenings of one of the body panels on its pelvis module. Removing and putting the panel aside, the droid reveals the hidden actuators, wires and cables normally hidden by its external housing. Carefully, R-LE-1 pushes a few of its wires aside, clearing a small sliver of space just a few centimeters wide. It's memory download now complete, the repair droid detaches the tiny datacard from its scomplink and carefully wedges into the tiny space it's created. Once the chip has been carefully secured in place, R-LE-1 replaces its detached body panel, fastens it back in place and begins sealing the seam around it once more. Although not as easily accessible as the cargo concealed in its storage compartments, hiding the chip within its own mechanism ensures that it cannot be found unless a technician carefully disassembles the droid piece by piece.

That being done, the repair droid then gathers together the components of the T.R.A.P. unit and quickly reassembles it, its dexterous hands becoming a blur of motion. R-LE-1 then replaces the tool into its hip storage compartment and places the deactivated T.R.A.P. unit into its torso storage compartment, carefully securing it in place. Finally, with a whir and click both compartments close and lock, returning the droid to its mundane and inoffensive stock appearance. With just a minute or so left before exiting hyperspace, R-LE-1 walks back into the cockpit and makes its way to the pilot's console. Sitting in the padded chair, its hard legs and torso deforming the soft padding of the seat, R-LE-1 pulls out the flexible scomplink cable from its right hip and plugs it into the Deepscan's helm.

The old repair droid takes a few moments to enjoy the mind expanding experience of sending its Code into the vessel's computer core. After verifying that the Deepscan's remained on course, R-LE-1 turns its head to face Jaess at the communications console. "So that you are aware, I've taken three of the six blaster pistols, their spare power packs, the two fragmentation grenades and the deactivated T.R.A.P. unit and concealed them within my chassis. If we are captured by either the empire or some other group such concealed weaponry may prove crucial to engineering our escape." The patina stained droid pauses to allow the female operative to respond.

A proximity alarm beeps softly from the helm console. Without turning to look at it R-LE-1 continues; "Our ETA is now less than one minute. I am transferring communications and shield control to your console now." Immediately, the display screen in front of Jaess blinks to life and begins displaying a cross section of the shuttle with the shield generator and communications array's operating status. Tilting its head to regard the woman's uniform, R-LE-1 silently begins counting down the seconds until their return to normal space. "Please prepare yourself for the return to normal space." After a slight pause, R-LE-1 asks: "Does it feel uncomfortable for you to be wearing an imperial uniform after having defected?"

Jaess steels herself, buckling into the chair for the return to normal space. With command of communications and weapons at her fingertips, she takes a deep breath and permits herself a jittery sigh before falling into character and smiling. When Arley speaks she looks over at him, an eyebrow raised.
"They don't know I've defected yet..." Realising a moment later that the droid is speaking to her, not her character, she smirks and looks away, shaking her head in mild embarrasment.
Still in her best approximation of Lt. Mason's voice, still looking away, she confides, "I never wore a uniform in the ISB. You weren't supposed to know I was an imperial agent. That would have defeated the purpose. I was a spy and an assassin- you never know I'm there until you're dead." Though she speaks in Triss' intination and pitch, her voice sounds hollow and empty as she explains.

She falls silent as the hyperdrive timer slowly ticks down.

"At least I didn't take the uniform off a corpse," she adds quietly, before they return to realspace.

The patina stained droid continues to watch Jaess, its single photoreceptor focused on her even when she looks away. An awkward pause follows the woman's odd change of demeanor as R-LE-1 continues to stare at Jaess. Finally it says: "I've never personally dealt with an assassin before. Most organics seem to prefer to distance themselves from their killing. As I understand it, some cultures consider murder a deplorable and savage act. I am curious about your experiences and how they've affected you. Perhaps we could speak of it more after our mission."

R-LE-1 turns back to face the cockpit window to look at the streaking stars outside. "Exiting hyperspace now." Once its internal chronometer indicates the appropriate moment has come, by an act of will alone, the old droid disengages the hyperdrive engine. Outside, the stretched out filaments of light shrink down to a stationary starfield once more. "Engaging sublight engines. Bringing the enhanced sensors online. Agent Talori, please verify for the presence of imperial communications in the area as well as the Dawnspringer's distress signal." Once more, by act of will, the motionless droid fires up the shuttle's conventional engines and then reaches out with its enhanced senses into the nether regions of wildspace searching for planetary bodies, starships or whatever may be out here.

Jaess brings up the Deepscan's comm systems, searching local space for imperial communications signals and distress beacons. She relays any signals found to the speakers and holoprojector at the helm, keeping her own comm lines silent.

The Deepscan had barely pulled out of hyperspace when a gigantic asteroid went shooting accross her nose, nearly clipping the shuttle.  As the ship comes out of hyperspace and narrowly misses a passing asteroid Jaess winces, expecting impact, and is pleasantly surprised to remain intact.  Arlee didn't need any sophisticated sensors to tell him that R3-L7's calculations about asteroid fields was correct. Luckily, the one that nearly hit their craft seemed to be a rogue, as directly in front of them a safe distance away were the fringes of a thick belt of space rocks ringing a blue-green planet.

Immediately as this dawned on them however, the comms unit crackled into life, the viewscreen showing the image of the stereotypical Imperial Officer. "ICS Interdictor to Deepscan 37, you're 30 minutes late, explain yourself."

The 'radar' screen finished its inital scan of the area, revealing that the space surrounding the asteroid-shielded planet was filled with Imperial spacecraft. The presence of dozens of Deepscan-class shuttles, TIE Patrol Craft, several Light Cruisers, and one very intimidating Star Destroyer somehow made Jaess feel less than secure.


Datum: We have arrived only a half hour behind schedule.
Considering the hours long stopover at the Reliant station our
hyperspace jump must have been much more efficient than that
of the imperial fleet's. Quite gratifying.

Arley quickly adjusts the shuttle's course to avoid any other asteroids while keeping close to their assigned flightplan. Before Jaess can activate the comm to reply to the unidentified officer's inquiry, Arley calmly says: "How rude. Perhaps you should politely inquire how's he's misidentified our vessel as Deepscan 37 when our transponder signal clearly identifies us as Deepscan 39..."

As the ICS Interdictor hails them, however, her blood runs cold. She resists the urge to glance sideways at the LE unit as it speaks, waiting until it finishes to press the button to open the comm channel. "Deepscan-39 to ICS Interdictor, we hit an uncharted gravity well en route and had to re-plot our course, sir. We came out of hyperspace hard and had to perform a few minor repairs before we jumped again. We're fully operational and ready to start our assigned scanning run, sir."


The patina stained droid uses the sensor data to confirm their spacial position and to validate or adjust their return hyperspace jump as necessary should an expedient departure prove crucial considering the imperial presence nearby. R-LE-1 then begins sweeping the star system for any non imperial vessels of hyperdrive engine signatures, desperately trying to locate the errant Dawnsprinter.


With a half hour's lead it seems likely that an imperial vessel
will locate the Dawnsprinter ahead of us. Our only hope is that
my Code will once again prove more efficient than theirs.
May the Code be with us.


She leaves out who she is and why the Comm Officer isn't responding in her place, hoping that the officer on the bridge of the Interdictor doesn't know enough to be suspicious. Hoping that no one on that bridge will recognise her voice, dispite the alterations.

"Noted, Deepscan. Be prepared to deliver a copy of your ship's records upon completion of your duties. There has been a change of plans concerning your pre-assigned flightpath. Since you are late, we have already assigned a seperate craft to take over your scan patrol. The Admiral would instead like an evaluation of the unidentified planet's mineral composition, so you will be landing and performing a deep crust scan. Specific coordinates are in transmission. ICS Interdictor out." The image blipped to nothing, and the Deepscan's flight computer recieved a data packet containing landing coordinates.

R-LE-1 mentally sifts through the unnamed planet's geographical information provided by the Deepscan's improved sensors and compares it with the landing coordinates transmitted to them. As it begins plotting an approach vector, the patina stained droid turns to regard Jaess with its large single photoreceptor. "My spatial scans reveal no trace of a small transport such as the Dawnsprinter within range. If it was in orbit, considering the number of vessels searching for it, it would most likely been have been located and tractored into the Star Destroyer's docking bay by now. Since we will be expected to proceed to these planetary coordinates I suggest that we follow these instructions to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. We can continue to scan this system and the planet's surface during out approach. It's possible that the vessel crashed on the surface and that we may yet find it. Do you concur agent Talori?"

Even as it is speaking, Arley reaches out with its code and begins altering their course to safely carry them up and over the asteroid belt. "If you are unable to locate the Dawnsprinter's distress beacon perhaps you could listen in on imperial communications to determine what they've already discovered in this system and what they yet hope to find."

Assuming Jaess has no objections to Arley's plan, the old droid continues to carry them towards the planet's nearest pole. While passing in close proximity to the asteroids the repair droid brings the Deepscan's powerful sensors to bear on the huge ring of boulders, attempting to discover any signs of a significant mass of refined metals that may betray the presence of a hiding vessel. Once past the belt, Arley begins maneuvering the Deepscan into a wide arcing orbit that will allow it to sweep as much of the planet's surface as possible with its improved sensors before hitting the atmosphere. All the while, the patina stained droid sits motionless in the pilot's chair, mentally sifting through sensor readings searching for the telltale signs of the space-warping signature of the Dawnsprinter's hyperdrive engine.

Finally, forced to make their atmospheric entry or risk arousing imperial suspicion, Arley reduces their relative speed as the Deepscan dips down and begins to touch the planet's atmosphere. "Please angle the shields for atmospheric entry and brace yourself for turbulence."

Jaess sighs with relief as she closes down the comm channel, letting her tenseness fade as she relaxes into her seat. As the LE unit speeks to her she turns her head to listen, nodding slowly as it explains its sensor findings and gives its suggested course of action.

"Makes sense," she tells it when asked her opinion. "I wonder how many ships they have on the ground already." She speaks in her own voice again, hoping that no further deception is necessary and mere avoidance will suffice from there on out.

Her hand is already in motion when Arley suggests eavesdropping on the Imperials, and she turns the comm station on to recieve transmissions on every Imperial channel the ship can detect, including some that she had used in her time as an ISB operative that might still be in use. Any covert transmissions will probably be encrypted, but there's a chance that the LE unit could figure it out, or at least recoed it for later analysis.

When they reach the planet she checks her restraints and angles the shields as requested, protecting the shuttle's hull from the friction of reentry, glad the droid gave her some warning this time.

"I'm currently reviewing the scan data taken during our orbital pass. It should reveal the presence of any imperial vessels present there. Hopefully we'll also find some sign of the Dawnsprinter." The patina stained droid pauses momentarily before continuing. "Perhaps you are unaware, but now that we've entered this planet's gravity-well we can no longer enter hyperspace without first returning to orbit. We will not be able to flee should the empire discover that we are impostors and seek to attack us while we are on the planet."

Jaess considers this for a moment before nodding asking in her faux-Triss voice, "Hadn't occured to me, but now that you mention it... I know these sensors are built to detect ships, but can they scan for lifeforms too?"

Arley continues to regard Jaess with its peripheral sensors for a moment before answering. "Lifeforms specifically? Generally not, no. Our conventional sensors simply detect the presence of objects according to their size and shape. The Deepscan's enhanced sensors are specifically calibrated to extend our range and to identify ships like the Dawnsprinter, distress beacons and the space-warping signature of hyperdrive engines."

The Deepscan begins to vibrate and shake slightly as it plunges ever deeper into the planet's thickening atmosphere. The patina stained droid continues to fly towards their assigned landing spot while slowing the craft down and keeping to a high altitude to ensure their sensors can sweep as much of the planet's surface as possible.

Without turning, Arley begins speaking again: "We should probably discuss now, while we have the chance, what we will do should we discover that imperial agents have already retrieved the hyperdrive engine." The old repair droid pauses to turn its head to face the female sitting at the communications console. "Since we are grossly outnumbered and outmatched it seems unlikely that we could successfully accomplish our original mandate of retrieving the engine and escaping. We cannot however allow the empire to retain such a superior hyperdrive engine if it does indeed exist for the Rebel Alliance would quickly fall. If such a situation were to develop it would appear that we will have little choice but to attempt to destroy the engine in a surprise attack, most likely sacrificing ourselves by doing so." Arley pauses to gauge Jaess reaction to its fatalistic conclusion.

"Now you know why I wanted to know if they could detect us on the ground." She shakes her head, "I doubt I'll have to get myself killed to destroy the hyperdrive. I know how to move about unseen, and I can probably get explosives planted without them detecting me at all, or even better, with a well planned diversion- they won't even be looking for me. Then again, there might be design specs in the ship's computers that we'd need to copy and destroy, and we'd probably want to recover or destroy any storage medium that the Imperials have with them, just in case they found it first. This won't be an easy mission, but the explosives will help lots. I'm hoping we can get the cover of darkness on our side, too."

"I doubt I'll have to get myself killed to be successful," she says again, "It's just unlikley that we'll then be able to leave the planet until the Empire clears out and we can get picked up by alliance ships. I have a feeling that our transport will be bombarded from orbit, so we should be thinking of a plan 'Besh'."

Jaess sifts through the Imperial communications as she converstates with the droid, trying to sift out any useful bits of information from the general chatter. Eventually, she picks up a signal that is moving towards the planet just ahead of them. The computer adjusts the frequency pickup until the garbled speech becomes coherent.

"No way, I want to be the first off the ship. First to set foot on an unknown world and all that." One voice says behind classic Stormtrooper Helmer-induced staticy voice.

"You idiot, weren't you listening during the briefing?" Another replies.

"Of course I was. All five seconds of it as they rustled us out of our bunks and on to this clunker of a transport."

"Well, there is that, but there are already people on the surface. Have been there for nearly thirty years."

"Thirty years? Hell, the system was only just discovered!"

"By us, but from what the Commander says, a refugee transport probably went down there during the Clone Wars after a botched hyperspace jump."

"Well, damn. Ok. First Stormtrooper to set foot on the uncharted world."

"Good luck with that, we're in the back."

"...Damn. Well, at least I'll get to kill something to vent my frustrations. No survivors, right?"

"They want us to leave one or two alive for interrogation, but other than that it's open season on anything that moves, anything that looks capable of movement, and anything that used to be moving but isn't now, just in case it's faking. The not moving thing, that is."

"Stop thinking, you're going to hurt yourself."

The comm turns back to static.

"...Then again, maybe I will get myself killed," she says with a sigh after listening to the Stormtroopers talk.


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## Angcuru (Jul 14, 2006)

*CH. 17 - The Plunge*

"Are you sure about that?" Miera replies. "I can probably get her to bring them near a specific place, but after that there's no way of controlling them."

"Let's not worry about that yet."

"Alright, it's getting dark, so they'll be waking up soon. I hope you know where you're going with this" Miera says. She settles back into her seat, closing her eyes with a look of practiced, relaxed concentration.

"We'll be back well before they get there, probably by half an hour or so. Dawnsprinter out." she says, deactivating the comm, wanting to avoid comm traffic as much as possible, some equipment, specialized equipment, might actually be good enough to pick it up.

"So I should try and find one of these crystals for myself, one that I can feel through the force?" Kia asks with a sigh, "I doubt the Imps are going to give me time to come back here long enough to look around before we have to evacuate your people from the caves. I just hope that whatever we capture will have enough life support capacity to get everyone off world. It just depends on the type of landing craft they use. A Lamb can get maybe 20 passengers, with a crew of 6. Which is like half of your people, or they might just bring in an Assault Shuttle, which could fit pretty much everyone, but would mean 4 squads of Stormies, not to mention enough armament to turn the Dawnsprinter into flaming wreckage. I have a bad feeling about this..."

"I doubt that you will have the time to do so while we remain under threat from the Imperials, but there are other places where one can find force crystals. How we're going to handle capturing an Imperial transport, avoiding annihilation, and fleeing through a system-wide barricade of warships though," Kia thinks she sees a slight tic of nervousness appear in Miera's face, "I can't be sure."

The chronometer Miera had set up on one of the free consoles ticks, down, showing ETAs for the Imperial shuttle and the Dawnsprinter side by side.

Dawnsprinter - Five minutes
Imperial Ship - Fifteen minutes

***​
"A good idea, Aasan said with a nod, then went to look around the general area. He tried to find the best place for an Imperial craft to set down and offload troops, and identify any kind of cover that was nearby. Getting in that ship behind the stormtroopers wouldn't be easy..."We need to position everyone a good distance away from wherever the ship sets down. The troopers will look for some kind of cover, and they'll probably try to stay close to their ship. If we can get a little help from the locals, we still need to be able to draw the troops away from the ship and get in there to take out any pilots before they can send a distress signal."

"I like the way you think, Aasan." Arias grins. "Remind me of myself back in by wartime days. Right, then. The Imperials will probably plan on landing as close to the Dawnsprinter as possible, which would be just outside the village. Aasan, Kal, you two should find a patch of vegetation to hide behind until they land. Jorran, Adrial and I will divert their attention from you. Then Kal, you disable their communications array, which it will be Aasan's job to point out to you. After that any plan we have is likely to fall apart, as plans are wont to do but we'll try and take one of the officers alive." As Arias finishes speaking, the last hints of sunlight hiding themselves over the horizon, leaving pale moonlight their only illumination.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Kal spoke up. "We have what, fifteen minutes? How long until they can see us...or we can see them for that matter?"

"I"m not sure exactly, Kal. But considering all the very tall, thick trees that tend to grow around here, we'll see them when they see us." Arias replies. "Fifteen minutes, right Meira?" he says into the commlink.

"Right." 

"Splendid."

***​Kia watches the seconds til the estimated arrival of the imperials tick away, it was going to be tight, whether or not the empire would be able to visually detect the villiage before she got the ship settled back in again. "I think we should leave the transponder in the villiage when we leave, it might buy us a bit of extra time to slip over the horizon and get the planet between us and the fleet before we slip away. After this, it'd be too hot to run her as the Dawnsprinter anyway, just get a new transponder and register the ship again."

It's a close call, but Kia's trusty ship pulls through. Just as she sets down, the Dawnsprinter's short-range passive radar starts to pick up ship signatures approaching from the east.

"That is most certainly not good." Miera says, unbuckling herself and heading towards the ramp and out of the ship.

"So, Arias... what exactly is our diversion? Talking to them? Convincing the local wildlife to cause some chaos? There have been suggestions, but I think I've missed what exactly we decided."  Jorran asked.

In the dim moonlight, the sight of the recently arrived Dawnsprinter is complemented by the appearance of half a dozen red, long-necked, hugely fanged dog-like creatures that melt out of the shadows and wait patiently in front of Arias. Adrial lets out an anxious 'EEP!', but otherwise retains her composure.

"Say hello to our distraction." Arias says, indicating the gathered Nightstalkers.

"Sithspit" Kia curses "We have 2 incoming, ships here...an Asault Shuttle, and a Lamda Class Shuttle. We can probably expect a good number of Stormies from the Assault shuttle since it was sent down to pacify and capture a settlement. Lord knows they'd need to pack em in there to be cost effective." she comms out to Arias'sgroup, hoping they'd be able to get inside the assault shuttle quickly, the Dawnsprinter was no match for such a thing, on the otherhand, she might be able to take a Lambda Shuttle, especially if the shuttle was caught by surprise, with its shields down.

Kia typed in aquick command, searching the Dawnsprinter's police databases for the Specs for the the imperial craft, hoping to find a weakness, or an idea of what they could do.

A quick search of the CORSEC database and Kia finds a detailed schematic of a typical Imperial Assault Shuttle. There is little detail in the internal workings of the ship, but extensive notation concerning the external armanents, armor plating, normative shield strength, etc. There is also a listing of suggested tactics of evasion and combat maneuvers, but only a few lines concerning the craft while on the ground:

While the shuttle is EXTREMELY dangerous while in flight, it is unusually vulnerable while on the ground. Our forces rarely faced a ground landing of one of these craft, but debriefings indicate that the major weapons systems are routinely powered down while the ship is grounded and the energy rerouted to the shielding systems. As yet we have not had an opportunity to attempt a capture, but this quirk could prove useful in a coordinated effort to seize one given the chance.

Those gathered outside of the Dawnsprinter begin to hear the unmistakable sound of a starship approaching. Arais stiffens momentarily at Kia's news concerning multiple inbound ships.

An alarm sounds from the chronometer. The Imperials have arrived. Just as Kia looks out the cockpit to see the shuttle hovering, slowly settling to the ground, a spotlight shines out from near the front of the craft, flooding the Dawnsprinter's cockpit.

"This changes things completely. The Imperials could be sending in another group of ground troops in the other shuttle, which likely means they will try and encircle the village."

Just as he finishes speaking, a large, bulky ship clears the treetops and slows to a stop approximately thirty meters from the Dawnsprinter, and begins its descent to land.

"Damn!" Arais swears. "I thought we had more time than this. Kal, Aasan, time to move. Get as close as you can without getting spotted, we'll try and keep their attention on us for as long as we can."

"The good news is that when the ships on the ground, they tend to power down the weapons and put the energy into shields, meaning they wont be destroying the Dawnsprinter. With that thing out of the fight, I might be able to handle the Lambda. I'll wait for your go signal." Kia says, glad that she had been thinking ahead and had the shields and weapons at full power and ready.

***​
"There may not be an opportunity for the type of infiltration mission you're describing if the empire already has the Dawnsprinter or its hyperdrive aboard one of their transports or capital ships." Arlee ponders. "They may very well have located and secured it before we arrived. If so, our only chance to deprive the empire of the opportunity to study the hyperdrive may be to destroy the transport or capital ship in a suicide attack. It is of course a worst case scenario."

"Well, crazier stunts have been pulled. If it's in the Interdictor, we have an advantage, though. I know that ship well, and they're unlikley to alter it too much over a single intelligence leak. I hope it doesn't come to that, though. It seems like it's still on the ship, and I'm hoping we can at least find it as they're finding it, and they'll be distracted. We're lucky that Stormtroopers aren't the most observant soldiers, even with their helmets."

Shortly after the comm signature from the troopship dies out, the Deepscan's long-range sensors pick up a signal from the visible edge planet ahead. It reads out "YT-1300 Class Transport Ship, designation Dawnsprinter" before fading out with the rotation of the planet.

The patina stained droid tracks the Imperial troop transport, extrapolates its flight vector and calculates the probable location of the settlement to which they're heading. It then refocuses the Deepscan's sensors on those coordinates to attempt and identify any buildings or large masses of refined metal in that location that may prove to be the Dawnsprinter.

"I'm detecting the transponder signal of the Dawnsprinter just over the horizon" R-LE-1 carefully focuses the Dawnsprinter's enhanced sensors in that direction to locate its point of origin. According to Arlee's readings, the Dawnsprinter's IFF signature puts it smack dab in the middle of the projected location of the settlement. Conventiently, the Deepscan's assigned landing spot is near these areas, and a note in their objective List indicates that due to readings indicating dense vegetation covering most of the planet, they are allowed to deviate from their course as necessary to locate a proper landing site to begin their readings.

Fine-tuning the Deepscan's sensors on the projected location of the settlement, Arlee gets a clearer signal of the Dawnsprinter. Strangely enough, the scan doesn't reveal the particular metallic signatures one would expect when trying to sense a ship. Similarly, his scan of the settlement doesn't reveal anything particularly enlightening. Arlee detects no telltale signatures of structures in the sense of electronics, architecture and the like, only a clearing in the heavy forest, wherein, according to the scan, sits the Dawnsprinter. Going by the size of the clearing, which scans as less than five hundred meters in diameter, the settlement cannot be of any significant size, even if the residents are tightly packed.

"The Imperials can't have missed that. How long until we can see it?"  She watches the planet growing larger over the nose of the shuttle, thinking to herself.

"With tele-optic sensors? Approximately five minutes and twenty three seconds."

The old droid's heuristic processor, networked into the Deepscan's computer core, continues too race as it sifts through terabytes of raw sensor data. With but a thought, Arley brings the Deepscan's conventional sensors online to work in parallel with the vessel's enhanced sensors. Outside the cockpit's window, the black starfield begins to lighten into a light cyan as the vessel nears its mark. Somewhere ahead, out of sight, was a similar vessel carrying imperial troopers spoiling for a fight.

"What are the chances that the imperials in orbit won't notice if we open fire on the Stormtroopers and their shuttle after they've landed? It's not subtle, but it could prove a wonderful distraction. Especially if we could commandeer or down the other shuttle."


"The chances that they could detect the blaster fire directly is actually rather remote. This vessel is equipped with some of the empire's best sensory systems and we are unable to yet sense any signs of the settlement aside from a large five hundred meter clearing and we are much closer to it than any other imperial vessels in orbit above. An explosion would have to be of several orders of magnitude larger than the troop transport's destruction would cause for a vessel in orbit to detect it directly.

Unfortunately though the troopers aboard could transmit a report while under attack, thus alerting the vessels in orbit of our treachery. It would be possible to jam their transmissions before we attacked, however each imperial vessel including this one is equipped with a transponder which allows all imperial vessels to identify and track each other while in the same system. That is how the officer on the ICS Interdictor was able to identify us as soon as we entered this system. If we were to destroy the other vessel or jam its transmissions its transponder signal would be stopped and the other imperial vessels would immediately seek to investigate why."

Arley turns its head to face Jaess. "I'm afraid I'm getting rather unclear readings from the settlement site... if there is one. I'm uncertain how the empire concluded that there was a settlement there in the first place; I can't yet detect very much at this range. It must be quite small and doesn't appear to have any significant technology or industry. I can only conclude that some of the other Deepscans must have performed some low altitude scans of the area before our arrival."

"That makes sense. Do you think we could rig up something to transmit a false transponder signal? It could be useful. Then again, it would be even better if I could board the other shuttle and overpower the pilot and communications officer. Then we could attack them with two ships, and keep them from transmitting any messages. A communications jammer would be great, here. I doubt that the other transport will remain on the ground long, though. I suspect it'll drop it's cargo and bolt until they need a pickup."

"It's possible. We'd need a second communications array with a significant range encoded to transmit the correct IIF code. I believe there is a collection of spare components for this vessel in the aft cargo compartments. Among them may be a secondary emergency communications array that I could convert to the task. It would have to be activated relatively close to the other vessel however, and almost imediately after the troop transport's stopped transmiting."

With the Deepscan's sensors trained on the settlement, Arlee wastes no time once he beings to get readings. Visual sensors pull up very little initially, as night has fallen. Optimal gamma adjustment brings into view a cluster of small hut-like structures surrounded by a thick wooden wall. In the center of the clearing, Arlee can make out the rough outline of a YT-1300 Corellian transport. Thermal scans indicate that the engines are hot, and outside of the walls there appear to be five humanoid heat signatures clustered together. The interior of the settlement is surprisingly devoid of life.

"I'd better get dressed," she says, unstrapping and rising from her seat. "I don't want to be late to the party. If they buzz us, just break the optical transmitter and play them your Triss voice. They're probably dim enough to buy it long enough for us to get in." With that she heads back toward the cargo hold, stripping out of the imperial officer's uniform as she goes. In the back she puts the remainder of her shadowsuit on, mask and all, and slides her visor back onto her forhead. She checks her weapons and cracks open the container of explosives, removing six of the diminutive explosives and strapping them across her shoulders and hips with one of the load bearing harnesses included with their demolitions pack.

Even as it speaks, the patina stained droid is accessing the ship's cargo manifest and locates the components necessary to jury-rig an IFF transponder. With a moment's attention Arley accesses the communications console through the computer core and records the characteristics of the assault shuttle's transponder IFF signal. As Jaess is rising out of her chair, the old repair droid turns its attention to the helm and uploads a flight program to carry the Deepscan near the clearing. Before physically disconnecting itself from the pilot's console, Arley sends a final mental command to extinguish the vessel's exterior running lights and to dim the cabin's illumination. The repair unit then rises from the pilot's chair turns and heads back into the passenger compartment after the human woman. "We should get to work then. We don't have much time."

Arriving in back, the patina stained droid ignores the changing woman and heads towards the cargo compartments, pulls two of them open and begins pulling out the needed components. With a soft whir and click it's right hip compartment pops open and extends a tool which Arley takes up into its right hand and brings to bear on the spare transmitter array. "I've detected the presence of the Dawnsprinter, or at least a YT-1300 Corellian transport with an identical transponder signal. It is in the center of the settlement with its engines active but no readings of a hyperdrive aboard but with an some type of energy cannon addition. The settlement itself consists of a few dozen small wooden huts, all seemingly abandoned, and the whole surrounded by a wooden palisade. Outside the wall are five humanoids closely huddled together."

"It makes sense that the hyperdrive wouldn't be powered on. We're withing the gravity well of the planet, and it's most likley damaged. If it even exists. That blaster cannon won't be much use to them unless they get off the ground... Energy cannon? It's not an ion cannon, is it? That might be useful. It won't matter if they stay huddled up like that, though. They'll be blown to pieces if they don't get moving. Not our problem, though. If we can get or blow the hyperdrive, prisoners are just an added bonus."

"No, it isn't."  As it talks, the patina stained droid's hands are a blur as components come together, connections are fastened and settings are calibrated. Even as it works, Arley watches the half-dressed human with its peripheral sensors but keeps its head down out of courtesy for the organic's sense of modesty; if she suffers from one. Finally, as Jaess slides on her shadowsuit, the droid looks up and continues: "We're presently running dark, though our own transponder is still active so the troop transport will be aware of our location should they care to check. They won't visually see us coming though; out of sight out of mind. I'll be dropping you off in the forest near the clearing's edge through the canopy."

"Good plan. Keep low and stay out of sight, but be ready to come pick me up if I need a quick extraction. And don't forget the weapons systems if we need a distraction. Setting some trees on fire might not be subtle, but it'll draw their attention."

Finishing the assembled transponder array, Arley slides aside a small panel hiding a touch pad and a computer port. Reaching down, the old droid pulls out its computer cable from its hip and plugs it into the port. Within seconds the unit is programmed with the troop transport's IFF code. Arley disconnects the scomplink cable and slides it back into its hip. "As soon as the assault shuttle's transponder is deactivated or destroyed, pull back this panel and tap the green key; it'll instantly begin transmitting an identical IFF signal." The droid slides the panel back and flips over the cylindrical device and points at a long flat surface on its backside. "I've fastened a magnetic panel to the device in case you need to attach it to something metallic quickly; just slap it onto bare metal and it will remain affixed." Motioning to the cylinder's bottom, the old droid releases a catch and causes three short tripod legs to spring out of the device's base. "If placing it on the ground deploy these legs and set the device upright." Arley refolds the device's legs, reaches down into the pile of materials collected at its feet, pulls out a short strap with clasps at either end, quickly snaps it to the device and helps Jaess slide it on over her shoulder.

The old repair droid pauses and focuses its single glowing photoreceptor on Jaess. An akward moment of silence passes between the pair. Arley lifts its arm and reaches out towards the woman's head. At first it appears that Arley is going to touch Jaess' face but instead reaches into her open face mask and keys her intergrated comlink, checking its frequency. "

When the LE unit reaches up to touch her, she pulls back, raising an eyebrow. She lets it reach a digit into her hood, her right hand drifting to the handle of her blaster. "I'm hoping that this thing will be nothing but dead weight. You got it together pretty fast. I hope it works, if we need it."

Arley stares at the woman with its expressionless face for a moment before answering."It will work."
"Although our communications will by encrypted, it's possible that they will be intercepted and decrypted. You should avoid identifying either of us, our purpose or compromise the Rebel Alliance's involvment in this matter."

"I know what I'm doing," she snaps, "I've been doing this since I was a kid." She pulls back and brushes it's hand away, giving it a dirty look.

The patina stained droid pulls its hand back and pauses again before continuing. "I will remain aloft until you determine that it is safe for me to land the Deepscan. You are entering an uncertain situation however with possibly two unfriendly factions arraigned against us. If you are captured and/or being somehow coerced you should use a code word to validate or invalidate any statements or instructions you transmit to me. A true statement or instruction should include the word 'Besh'. A false statement or instruction should include the word 'Cresh'. Should you wish to signal the need for military support or a diversion then simply say 'Dorn' and name a target."

"That's unecesaary. You can turn the recieving volume up, and you'll be able to hear anyone speaking to me. I doubt it'll hurt your ears. If I get caught, I'll either talk my way out of it, or make a break for it. If I get killed, feel free to detonate these explosives. 'Should give whoever got me a nasty surprise. There's another detonator in the crate, and I'm keyed to one through six. And you'd be better use to me in the air, where you could move quickly. I'd rather you didn't land if you could avoid it." 

"That may be so, but simply hearing what is happening around you may not be sufficient for me to judge. I will be depending on your personal assessment to determine what is required."

The patina stained droid watches the dark clad operative drop down from the boarding ramp and disappear into the darkness below. Arley reaches out and taps the control switch on the wall causing the ramp to rise and close again before stepping back into the passenger area. A few moments of effort and the old droid returns the cargo containers and spare components to their compartments, but not before retrieving the second detonator that Jaess mentioned. With it in hand Arley turns and walks back to the pilot's console, sits down, leans back and plugs its scomplink cable into the computer port before it. Reaching out with its Code, the repair unit links its mind with the Deepscan's computer core, feeling the terrain and skies around the vessel with its sensors. Slowly the Deepscan, cloaked in shadows rises once more into the skies as its wings unfold and lock down into place. With but a thought, R-LE-1 reconfigures the shield, weapon and communications systems to bring them back under its direct control as it begins to monitor the airwaves for any communications.

With a gentle shake, the Deepscan slows to a stop. A soft shudder and hum starts as the repulsorlift engine beneath their feet surge to life, allowing the vessel to hover in place. Following its flight program, the vessel begins to lower towards the treeline as its wings fold up outside reducing the Deepscan's profile. The patina stained droid turns around and walks over to the companionway to the cockpit just as the access ramp under foot begins to lower downward revealing the outline of shadowy treetops below. Arley stands on the edge of the precipice. "We've arrived at your drop point. The clearing is due west of here about 150 meters away." The droid points in the appropriate direction. "May the Code be with you agent Talori."

Jaess gives the droid an odd look before lowering her visor with a quick nod of her head and lowering herself down the extended boarding ramp, dropping to the ground below and tumbling to her feet before disappearing into a shadow.

Jaess makes her way through the foliage, a stray footprint and faint breeze the only signs of her ghostly passage. The landscape brightly illuminated for her through her visor, she proceeds silently towards the small settlement and the troop transport inbound for it. She scans all imperial channels though her hood's intgrated comlink, listening as she creeps forward to try to hear the troops in the assault shuttle, or anyone else who might be lurking nearby. Keeping behind cover, she scans the area for the lights and sounds of an Imperial Assault Shuttle, hoping to find it on or at least near the ground.


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## Angcuru (Jul 17, 2006)

That sums up the posts taken from actual gameplay.  The rest will be entirely my own so there will quite likely be a sudden shift in writing style.  I should get around to a new installment/chapter sometime this week.


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## Angcuru (Jul 23, 2006)

*18 - First Blood*

Floodlights from the Imperial Assault Shuttle focused on the _Dawnsprinter_, lighting up the scene as the craft slowly extended its landing gear and touched down.  Arias and Miera, the only people in plain sight, stood waiting at the end of the _Dawnsprinter_'s cargo ramp, clearly visible in the shuttle's light.  They exchanged a quick glance, acknowledging a mutual feeling of _Deja Vu_ as the Imperial Craft's ramp lowered to touch the ground and Stormtroopers poured out in perfect formation.  An Officer clad in perfect black, bereft of any insignia, stood ahead of the grunts, approaching the pair as the Stormtroopers came to a halt.

"How fares the Republic?" Arias said just as the officer opened his mouth to speak.  Miera would have gaped in shock if she did not know better.  It would have taken a complete ignoramus to miss the clear note of sarcasm in his tone.

The darkly clothed officer's expression revealed that this taunt had caught him off guard. Imperial discipline showed through, however.

"The _Republic_ has long since faded into memory.  The galaxy is an _Empire_ now."  He spoke as if addressing a child.

"You'll have to forgive my ignorance, being stuck here has hardly been conductive to my awareness of current events."  Arias replied smoothly.  "I must express my thanks for your swift arrival."

"Doing one's duty is hardly worthy of thanks."  A slight smirk appeared on the officer's face.  "Speaking of which, I must know if your ship is capable of hyperspace travel.  There is a war going on and I would much prefer if you and your people vacated this planet with the utmost haste.  We could of course not wish for civilians to become caught up in the fighting."  At his words, the stormtroopers began to exchange glances with one another.  Though attempting to recognizing expression through those faceless helmets was futile, that something was amiss was quite obvious.  Though that might just be due to the bones lying all over the ground from the other night's events.

"I believe it is, but I must ask the pilot to be sure."  Miera said  "If you would come with me, we can speak with her and confirm our ship's flightworthiness."

"Excellent."  The Officer almost smiled at how smoothly events were progressing. At a gesture from Miera, he and two troopers follow her up the _Dawnsprinter_'s ramp and towards the cockpit.

A few of the troopers, obviously unnerved, began to look around.  Arias simply stood facing them, absentmindedly cracking his knuckles.

***​
_Are you in position yet, Kal?_  Miera's voice sounded unbidden within the young man's mind.  He almost stood up from his concealed position within the foliage surrounding the village, but Aasan quickly pulled him down.  Jorran and Adrial looked at him as if he was a crazy person.  It was always unnerving for him when his masters communicated with telepathy.  Kal responded with a mental nod.

_Good, I have their commander occupied, but he won't stay under my influence for long, he must have been trained to resist manipulation through the force.  Make your move as soon as you can._

"Right."  Kal spoke aloud and readied his lightsaber.

"Did you say something?"  Aasan said, concentrating on the large group of Stormtroopers through his electrobinoculars.

"We need to act now."  Kal said. "As soon as you can point out their communications array I'll try and disable it."

"I've had my eye on it for almost a minute now."  Aasan kept the binocs to his goggles and pointed towards a small dish array located just behind the cockpit.  "Their shields project one standard meter from the hull, so you'll have to get in close.  It will feel like you are trying to wade through very cold water for a few seconds before you get through.  Once you do, that saber of yours should be able to disable it with its alternate setting."

"Good to know, keep me covered."  Kal carefully, slowly stood up.

"We'll back you up." Jorran said, standing up with him.  Adrial nodded and did the same.

"I'd better not have to.  This whole plan is blown if you get spotted before disabling that thing."  Aasan put down his binocs and raised his blaster rifle, focusing it on the closest stormtrooper.  "Now get going."

***​
Jaess watched the whole scene through the green tint of her NVGs, very well hidden not ten meters from the assault shuttle and quite perplexed at what she saw.  She had recognized that uniform immediately.  Pitch black, no rank insignia, the uniform of Imperial Intelligence Officers.

"Agent Talori, what have you observed so far?"  The comm unit in her stealth helm crackled to life and almost broker her concentration.

"That woman lead the officer onto that ship while the Storntroopers just _stood_ there.  Very, very out of the ordinary." She whispered back, slightly annoyed.

"This may be your opportunity to board the shuttle unnoticed."

"Gee, I hadn't thought of that."  Jaess responded sarcastically.  "Do you have any advice for little old me?"  

"Not until the scenario changes.  I will keep aware of the situation in orbit until such a time.  R-LE-1 out."  Arlee was of course a big help, but his inablity to grasp the obvious could be frustrating. 

Jaess returned to her observation, evaluating the situation and weighing her options.  It was unlikely that she would be noticed before reaching the Assault Shuttle, since the stormtroopers were all still in formation facing forward.  Reaching the ramp would be no problem, but getting aboard without notice would be tricky.  On a whim, she changed her goggles to infrared to be sure before taking action.  It was then that she saw three people, one of them quite short, approaching the shuttle slowly and carefully from the edge of the forest, not all that far from where she had positioned herself.  Jaess quickly switched back to night vision and looked them over.  Two men, one middle aged, the other in his late teens, both of average height, and a noticably short woman, probably in her thirties.  All three of them carrying at the ready what looked like...lightsabers?

"Arlee, do the transmissions you intercepted say when the estimated time of the first crashlanding was?"

"It appears that said crashlanding occurred not long before the reformation of the Republic into the Empire." Arlee replied.

"Long enough ago for Jedi to have been on board?" Jaess asked.

"Agent Talori, while I acknowledge the chronological possiblity, this was a refugee ship.  All available Jedi at the time of said crashlanding were occupied with the war..."

"Yeah yeah, I know, but it's possible, right?"  Jaess replied, feeling exasperated.

"Not impossble, but improbable.  Why do you ask?  You should stay focused on the task at hand, Agent Talori."  Arlee almost sounded like he was sighing.

"The three Jedi-looking types sneaking towards the Assault Shuttle made me a tiny bit curious."  Having said that, Jaess began making her way towards the shuttle.  Hopefully the three Jedi-looking types would provide a suitable distraction.

***​
"How did it feel, Kal?"  Adrial asked from outside the shield.

"Remember that time I pushed you in the lake last winter?"  Kal replied, rubbing his chest.

Adrial frowned.

"Yes, it was very cold indeed."  Jorran grumbled, looking for a handhold on the shuttle.  "Ah, this should do."  He grabbed onto a ridge in the hull and pulled himself up a few feet off the gound, grabbing onto a second ridge with one hand and extending his hand to Kal.

"I hope this works."  Kal said as he took Jorran's offered hand and was aided in his climb onto the top of the shuttle.

***​
"Yes sir, we are quite ready for hyperspace travel."  Kia lied, doing her very best not to appear nervous as she stood near the ramp with Miera and the three Imperials.

"Most excellent, as soon as you have all of your people aboard we will escort you out of the system."  The officer said with a seemingly forced smile followed by a twitch.

_Kal, are you in place yet?  I can't keep him distracted much longer._  Miera thought to Kal.  A positive sounding grunt replied in her mind.  _Now._

"Sir, you may want to order your soldiers back aboard their ship.  The wildlife can become rather hostile at night."  Miera 'warned' the officer.

"Is that so?  We haven't had the opportunity to do a ecological survey-"  The officer was interrupted by a commlink on his belt

"*Sir!  We have lost power to our communications!*" A voice sounded.  The officer blinked hard, and appared as if he had awoken from a very real dream.

"What the..."  He looked around, as if he had just noticed Miera.  He blinked again, and moved to draw his service pistol. "Tell the men to open fi-!"

Miera's lightsaber ignited and in one quick, fluid motion, two headless stormtroopers and one very unconscious Imperial Intelligence Officer rolled down the _Dawnsprinter_'s loading ramp.

***​
Ensign Ricky felt something *clunk* against his boots, and looking down he saw a Stormtrooper Helmet staring up at him, sans body.  

"OPEN FIRE!"  The command sounded from his helmet's comm.  He didn't didn't need that order to know to open up with his blaster on the very nasty looking creature that rushed out from the shadows.  Easily two meters long, waist height, four-legged, with a long neck topped with a very fearsome beasial face.  The blaster rifle sounded and one bolt was deflected harmlessly by the red scales of the creature that knocked him to the ground and soundly crushed his windpipe with three huge fangs. Five other such creatures had struck the formation of Stormtroopers, and five more troopers lay dead or dying on the ground.

The stormtroopers scattered, some of them firing upon the six nightstalkers, others taking up a defensive position at the shuttle ramp, and all of them needing fresh armor.

Several of the troopers set their sights on Arias and opened fire just as he brought his double bladed lightsaber to bear and effortlessly deflected the incoming blaster fire right back into their visors.  There was almost a hush as realization of what had just happened dawned on the rest of the troopers...and Arias charged into the thick of the fighting.  The first two troopers unfortunate to be in his way were neatly severed in half at the waist as he dove forward with the saber held parallel to the ground, another pair being parted of their legs at the knees as he hit the ground rolling, and parted from their agony with two quick thrusts as Arias righted himself and faced his next foes.

Miera charged down the ship's ramp and into the fray, sending a trooper flying hight into the air and spearing another through the heart with her blade.  As if to complement her, Jorran and Kal jumped down from on top of the shuttle to join the fray.  Jorran was steady enough to finish off a trooper wounded by one of the nightstalkers with a neat thrust, yet Kal stood transfixed by the carnage for a moment before snapping back into focus and following suit.

Another trooper near the _Dawnsprinter_ was felled as Kia put her ship's anti-personnel E-Webs to use.  She kept firing into the trooper formation, felling as many as entered her sights and her rate of fire would allow.

Adrial ran up from beside the shuttle and took up a position next to Miera, too busy deflecting bolts to take the offensive.  A blaster bolt from the treeline streaked past her and struck a nearby trooper full in the chest.  He fell back towards Adrial, her readied blade searing unbidden through his helm before he hit the ground.

***​
"I don't CARE what systems you have to bypass, just get the communications back online!" The pilot shouted to his copilot, his attention fixed on the communications menu before him.

"I'm doing all I can, but it looks like a mechanical problem!"  He shouted back at his superior.

"Then go outside and FIX IT!"

"Are you insane!?  YOU go out into that mess!"  The copilot ground his teeth.

"I am giving you a direct order!  Get that fixed or I'll see you demoted, is that perfectly clear?"

No response from the copilot.  Apparently the gaping hole in the back of his head prevented any attempts at speech.  The pilot gasped and tried to stand up, but black-clad arm gripped him about the neck, a sharp blade ready to cut his throat.

"Ack!"  He struggled with his attacker, but their grip was too firm, and the blade was beginning to draw blood. "Who...who are you?"

"I'm the new pilot."  Jaess responded.


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## Angcuru (Jul 24, 2006)

Don't know how many readers I've got, and it doesn't matter too much right now since I'm writing this almost entirely for myself, but if anyone has an opinion: What do you think of how I divided up the latest installment?  I'm trying to find a good fluid way of telling all the different characters' experiences while keeping it moving and not too clunky, and this is what I've come up with for the different groups.


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## Angcuru (Dec 5, 2006)

*19 - Intentions*

Kal, Jorran, and Adrial stood tight back to back in a tight triangular formation to keep themselves covered from the incoming blaster fire.  The three apprentice Sethi kept their defenses up, moving towards the closest group of stormtroopers who poured fire onto them as they approached, most blasts deflected by skillful manipulation of their lightsabers, and others missing entirely.  As soon as they closed within melee range, the Sethi pounced on the stormtrooper formation that had taken cover from the _Dawnsprinter_'s E-Webs.  

Jorran dashed towards the nearest trooper, dodging a blast before his blade seared a neat furrow through the trooper's chestplate.  Adrial maintained a defensive position, covering Kal and Jorran from errant fire while they engaged the enemy.  As Kal charged into the fray, felling a trooper with a thrust through his helm, one of the troopers leapt at him with a vibroblade slashing for his throat.  With great agility, Kal tore his blade through the side of his last foe's head and struck the vibroblade full on, cleaving it in twain near the hilt.  With a quick step to the left and a flick of his wrist, he eviscerated the hapless Stormtrooper.  

Although half of the troopers were still standing, the blaster fire ceased.  Kal looked up from the corpse of his fallen enemy and saw that the remaining troopers had given up on their blasers and all drawn full length vibroblades, also having taken cover by the other side of the shuttle.  Six troopers cautiously approached the three apprentices, sizing them up and forming a circle around the Sethi learners as they moved closer.  Ten of them had formed a ring around Arias, who watched them cooly with seven dismembered troopers laying motionless at his feet.  Another four were backed up against the shuttle, stared down by Miera.  Not far away the pack of nightstalkers was busy dragging away their kill, apparently having no more interest in the fight. Several troopers were slowly crawling towards their shuttle, one of them with one hand clutched to his throat as though trying to keep his flesh whole.

An eerie silence fell over the bloodied field.  The Sethi stood, waiting for the troopers' next move.  The Imperial soldiers clearly saw that they were obscenely outmatched, with half their number dead without wounding even a single one of their opponents.  Kia stood cautiously to the side with her blaster pistol at the ready, having rushed down out of her ship once the enemy had moved out of the E-webs' field of fire.  Aasan watched from the foliage with his rifle fixed on the troopers who were facing down Adrial and the other apprentices, curious at the lull in the fighting. 

One of the Imperials behind Arias changed his footing slightly, crushing a dry branch underfoot with a sharp _snap_.  Arias instantly leapt backwards into the air with blurring speed and whirled his double blade, taking the heads of that trooper and his nearest two allies.  The fighting broke out again in earnest as Kia and Aasan both shot the same trooper, hitting him in the front and back simultaneously to put him quickly to the ground.

The troopers surrounding Kal, Jorran and Adrial rushed them as one, each attacking from a different angle.  Polished durasteel flashed, two blades for each apprentice.  Kal forced himself to ignore the attacks to his friends and utilizing parry and riposte as he had moments before.  The fallen trooper formed a hole in the offensive circle just as an he saw a blade arc towards him and felt it rake across his ribs.  Jorran immediately took advantage of the opening Kal had made. The former padawan darted over the still form to take up a position outside the trooper's circle, his subsequent strike downing Kal's attacker and further widening the gap.  Adrial backed up through the opening side by side with Kal, concentrating hard not the stare at the stormtrooper who had just met his end on her blade. Shining steel met blazing energy once more, and then all was quiet. 

Adrial took a deep breath and shivered.  _So this is what real battle is like_.  She had tried to prepare herself for the carnage, anticipating horror at the slaughter.  In reality however, she felt little difference between this and when she had to defend herself from the local predators.  She looked about and saw that nearly all of the troopers lay unmoving on the ground.  Four were propped up against the assault shuttle's landing supports, obviously wounded and under close guard by Aasan who crouched in front of them, blaster rifle held loosely but ready to be used if necessary.  Only one trooper with an orange pauldron indicating rank was standing, Kia's blaster in his face discouraging any movement.  A ragged breath from nearby broke Adrial's reverie.  

Adrial saw Kal leaning on Jorran, arm across the older man's shoulder for support.  The gash across Kal's chest was ghastly, and bled freely.  "I'm not much one for healing."  Jorran said calmly, though with concern edging his voice.  Kal's eyes were fixed on her, though with great effort from the lack of focus in his eyes.  Adrial blinked in confusion for moment before tentatively reaching out and adjusting Kal's light robe to get a better look at the wound.  She winced at the sight.  The vibroblade must have struck at just the wrong angle for the ribs to be visibly scored so badly.  The young woman placed a hand lightly on the gash and concentrated on wellness, but all she felt was weariness leaving Kal.  The wound remained intact despite her efforts.

Kal shivered for a moment, then looked down at his chest. He briefly saw a slice as long as his hand caked in blood and still oozing dark blood before Adrial tucked his robes back into place.  "To help slow the bleeding,"  she said to his puzzled look, "I couldn't completely heal it, but at least you won't pass out now.  Jorran, we need to take him to Miera."

"That won''t be necessary."  Jorran replied, gesturing towards Miera and Arias, who she had not noticed approaching.

"Miera, Kal has been wounded but I couldn't completely heal it."  Adrial said quickly.  Miera stepped wordlessly towards Kal, throwing his robes open and examining the wound closely.

"How bad is the damage?"  Arias inquired.

"Nothing too extensive.  Adrial seems to have stopped any internal bleeding, but getting the bone back in shape will take some effort."  She said, placing a hand over the wound. Kal felt as if he had been dunked in icewater and then shoved in front of a roaring fire.  Meira pulled back her hand, and all that remained of the wound was a razor-thin scar running across the right side of Kal's chest.

"Now I see why you kept emphasizing a defensive riposte, master."  Kal said wearily.  He stood on his own now, though swaying slightly.

"I doubt I'll have to remind you again."  Arais replied with a wry grin as they walked back towards the grounded shuttle.

"Master, what is to become of the wounded?"  Jorran asked, an outstretched hand pointed at the four bloodied stormtroopers guarded by Aasan.

"That depends on them."  Arais said curtly.  "Kia!  Aasan!  We'll see to the prisoners.  If you would gather their weapons and find a place for them on board your ship, please?"

Kia looked at Arias as if he had suggested breathing air instead of dirt. "Of course I will.  Come on Aasan."  She stalked off towards the carnage.

"Now, would you mind removing your helmet or am I going to have to speak to a faceless thrall?"  Arais asked the standing stormtrooper.

There was an insulted grunt from behind the dark visor, then the trooper slowly pulled off his helmet and held it at his side.  He was well into his middle years, dark haired with a face hard enough to break rocks on.  A blank expression met Arais' eyes unblinking.

"That's better.  Now tell me honestly, I will know if you are lying.  What were your intentions in coming here?"  

"We were ordered to ensure that no one was to survive to interfere with our operations here."

Arias' face hardened.

***​
Aasan merely looked at Arais and Miera flatly before shaking his head slowly and following Kia.  "I can't see what good that will do.  I doubt we will have a need to arm the civilians."

"It's not a question of armament," Kia replied, "but one of profit.  Do you have any idea how many credits a cache of E-11's like that can bring in?"

The Kel-Dor sighed as he began gathering the weapons from amongst the dead.  "Here we are surrounded by death and you think of _profit_?"

"I can see them as easily as you can."  She glared back at him. "The simple fact of the matter is that they're dead and we're not.  We might as well get the most we can out of this.  Besides, we may need credits for bribes to get back to safety."

"_If_ we get back to safety."  Aasan gently tossed a rifle into a small pile near the _Dawnsprinter_'s ramp.  "We don't know how many ships there are in the fleet the Imperials sent into this system.  We'll be lucky if we don't get cut to ribbons trying to enter hyperspace."

"Don't remind me.  We'll be able to get out of here using this Imperial shuttle, but my ship still can't make the jump to lightspeed."

"Then we'll simply have to take over a small cruiser and make the jump with our ships in its hangar."  Said a voice from behind them.


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## Angcuru (Feb 28, 2007)

*Ch. 20 - Unpleasant Surprises*

“And just _how_ did you manage to do that…Jaess, is it?”  Miera sighed, easing up her ever-present gasp of the force from the throat of the captured Stormtrooper who had tried to run for it when the strange girl had them distracted.  A quick squeeze and a nod from the trooper ensured he would stay put.  

“A simple matter of stealthy approach.”  The young woman in the skin-tight stealth suit answered.  “You were about to engage in battle with the Stormies, and I took the advantage to approach unseen as you had drawn their attention.”  She gestured towards the multitude of lightsabers present.  “The pilots were about to contact their commanding officer and relay the…events going on, but fortunately I was able to prevent that.”  The girl gestured to the antiquated projectile weapon at her feet.  Where _someone_ had ripped it out of her hand through the force, which surprisingly only unnerved her a little bit.  “And thus the empire has _no_ idea what is going on whilst you…Jedi-types are curious as to my presence.”

“That about sums it up.”  Jorran replied.

“But how did you get here?”  Kal spoke up, attracting the attention of most around him.  “What?  She hasn’t told us what she’s doing here.”  He said in his own defense, making sure that the slashes in his coat weren’t too extensive.

“I’m an operative placed here by the Rebel Alliance via a stolen Imperial Shuttle in response to reports of several authorities who lost track of an old Corellian Transport which subsequently was found a very long distance away from the point of departure in a very short time.  It was arrived at that some sort of mystery super-hyperdrive was invented and thus we must find it before the Empire did.”  Jaess took a deep breath.

“That was…quite forward.”  Adrial commented.

“If you’re part of an organization with the first Jedi in decades at the forefront and you find some Jedi stranded in the middle of nowhere who just took out a couple dozen Stormies with only one wound, you tend to feel a little awed.”  Jaess responded, not noticing a slight, dangerous twinge in Arias’ lower left eyelid at being called Jedi.  “Also, Jedi can read minds so it wouldn’t matter anyway.”

“Makes sense to me.”  Aasan said, shrugging slightly. “From what I’ve seen, I wouldn’t put it past them to try that.”

“Either way,” Kia said, looking at the _Dawnsprinter_ with new, yet quite confused appreciation.  “We still have to worry about the Imperials in orbit, and how we’re to get past them if we’re to get on with our lives intact in any way whatsoever.  By which I mean not being charred to death by incessant blasting.”

“Very understandable,”  Miera said, “But we have to move on, and we have the question of whether you will aid or hinder us in this endeavor remains”. She turned to face Jaess. “So I ask you, will you undertake any activity that will in any way hinder Sethi plans to finally get off this planet?” 

“Who?  Finally?”  Jaess asked.

Miera frowned.  “Us ‘Jedi-types’.”

“We’ve been here for quite a while,” Adrial added, “The _Dawnsprinter_ isn’t the first ship to have crash landed on this planet.”

“As long as your plans don’t hinder the Alliance’s.”  Jaess said. She flipped a small switch on her collar.  “Arlee, please set the shuttle down as near my position as you can manage.  Mind the dead bodies.”

“Dead bodies?” The robotic voice responded into Jaess’ ear. “I thought this was a reconnaissance mission, operative Talori.”

“Not entirely, we have to get the ship or the people who were on it still.  I reacted to present circumstances which involved those people having teamed up with some pseudo-Jedi and slaughtered a bunch of Stormtroopers. Now get over here as quick as you can, the Imperials are going to get suspicious when their assault shuttle doesn’t report in.”  Jaess cut the comm and turned to regard the surviving stormtrooper.  “So what do you plan to do with him?”

“This.”  Miera said, turning to the trooper and waving her hand slightly, though only for effect.  It seemed to impress the apprentices.  “You want to tell us everything you know about the Empire’s intent for this planet.”

“We…” The trooper’s eye took on a glazed look.  “We were only informed of the goal of our mission.  We were to assess the situation, gather us much information as possible from the survivors, and promptly slaughter them.  Afterwards we were to await the arrival of Lord Taban-” Abruptly his hands flew to his mouth and he began coughing harshly.  Quickly a flow of blood came trickling from the corner of his mouth, and he fell in a heap on the ground.  

“He’s dead.” Jaess said as Miera moved to determine his condition.  “A bit of muscle memory induced into Stormtroopers working for Imperial Intelligence that causes their lungs to rapidly fluctuate and burst within a few seconds after revealing any compromising information.” 

Miera nodded, smoothly drew her saber and quickly drove it into the trooper’s corpse’s right side.  She replaced her saber and nudged the trooper on his side, and a stream of blood flowed from the breach, eerily like dark wine from a white cask.

“He drowned in his own blood…a bad way to go, even for a Stormie.”  Jaess said.

“If he was conditioned to die when revealing anything, why didn’t he croak when he told us he was supposed to make sure we didn’t survive?”  Jorran wondered aloud.

“That wasn’t critically confidential information, it was obvious from their actions.  Thus it was already revealed and wasn’t applicable to the conditioning.”  Adrial offered.  “Master Arias, is something wrong?”  She hushed quickly as Arias spoke as if she weren’t there.

“Miera, did I hear those last two words correctly?”  Arias asked slowly.  Kal winced at his tone, barren of emotion, yet it felt cold and wary.  Master Arias only spoke that way when something had him truly concerned, or perceived some imminent danger.

“Don’t even think that, it’s impossible.  He died just before we left the order.  You saw what happened, there was no way anything living could survive.”  Miera almost snapped back at him.

“Who died?”  Kia enquired.  “What happened?  Is it this ….Lord Taban guy?”

“This isn’t good.  Whether or not he’s who they think he is, Imperials only referred to Vader and the Emperor with that title.”  Aasan spoke up.  “”

“Imperials…and Sith.”  Jorran added.  

“It was the same during the war.” Aasan nodded. “Lord Dooku, Lord Sidious, both were powerful Sith Lords.”

“It’s Tabano, not Taban.”  Jaess said, finally getting a word in.

“How do you know that name?”  Arias demanded.  Harshly.

Jaess hesitated a moment, taken slightly aback from the abrupt change in the man’s demeanor.  “I only heard the name in passing during one of my briefings.  The Rebellion thinks he’s the only thing holding the Empire together after Skywalker killed Vader and the Emperor.”

“Master Arias,” Jorran asked carefully, “what does the name Tabano mean to _you_?”

“Tabano,” Miera said slowly, “is a name with a great deal of significance in our past, Jorran.”

“But who was this Tabano?” Kia requested, getting impatient to know what the name meant.

“Tabano was a great Jedi once.”  Arias said. “A good friend, and a skilled teacher.”

***​
‘Well, that was rude.’  Arlee thought, setting a patch for descent from orbit back into the as yet unidentified planet’s atmosphere.  ‘Organics are so unpredictable.’ 

The shuttle hurtled like a blazing meteor through the outer atmosphere, the shields keeping the _Deepscan_ from being lit up like a wookie who got too close to a bonfire.  Arlee performed a quick check to make sure that all systems were operational before prepping the shuttle to land.

Pseudo-Jedi?  Arlee had files stored in his databanks on Jedi history, though why they revered the Force rather than the Code was beyond him.  The theories were similar enough, but the pure logic and ultimate truth of the Code would always be superior to the mysticism of the Force.  Certainly the Force was a real and true power in the galaxy, but the Code was mathematical perfection.  All philosophy is ultimately based upon the quest for some ultimate perfection. Thus as perfection is ultimately truth, it is required to place the foundation for that truth in mathematics.  

Jedi often spoke of balance as being the natural state of things, but Organics are naturally imbalanced through their attempts to explain away everything through ethics, a woefully complex and hazardous choice.  Jedi try to keep themselves in balance with their own Jedi Code, a title for which Arlee granted some respect. But with mathematics, truth can always be obtained and requires no balancing force other than nature itself.  In the Code, everything is a series of equations, matrices, algorithms, and other truths of mathematics in which all is ultimately balanced.

But _pseudo_Jedi?  Of course there were the Sith to be thought of, but they were simply a balancing power against the Jedi and had until recently been the core power in the galaxy with only two known practitioners, so these newly found people could not be Sith.  Jaess’ comm had caught a strange word however…Sethi.

Jedi.  Sith.  Sethi.  Such a simple combination of words, but it told a lot in Arlee’s estimation.  The combination of titles of course symbolized a philosophy somewhere between that of the Jedi and of the Sith.  However, there were more letters from the word Sith, not to mention that the word began with S rather than J, so perhaps they leaned more towards the teachings of the Sith.  Organics never achieved true balance, which required the Code, so this was no surprise to Arlee. Of course there was the possibility that these were some strange force-users who simply tried to think of a title that sounded…neat as was the preference of some organics.

Having finished his inspection, the old droid turned off the navigation warning exactly four milliseconds after it lit, and engaged the landing gear.  He was not so careless as to allow his philosophical musings to interfere with operating the shuttle, of course.  With ease, Arlee directed the ship to the ground on the outskirts of the small field of bodies near the two other ships as the ramp descended.  His calculations perfect as usual, the droid went to step off of the ramp onto the ground, his foot touching the ground just as the ship touched down. Arlee had not taken three steps towards the group of Organics before he saw a mottled brown shape in his peripheral vision and hit the ground face first as a huge weight crashed into him.


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## Salthorae (Mar 7, 2007)

Just wanted to chime in and say I love this story! Tabano is back, possibly with a Vengence!  Keep it up Angcuru!!

EDIT: Yay! Page 2 is MINE! Muhahahah


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## Angcuru (Mar 8, 2007)

Thanks, Salthorae.     It's always good to know people are reading and enjoying this.

The next update should be within a few days, and then we get to see young Arias and Miera face the Jedi Trials.


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## Salthorae (Mar 8, 2007)

Angcuru said:
			
		

> Thanks, Salthorae.     It's always good to know people are reading and enjoying this.
> 
> The next update should be within a few days, and then we get to see young Arias and Miera face the Jedi Trials.




Sweet!  Plus I about died laughing here at work when I realized what your avatar pic actually was...


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## Angcuru (Mar 9, 2007)

Yeah, That's a pic madeby the guy who played Arlee as a joke since I'm a Psychology Major.     Working on an update atmo, making it extra special with the awesome goodness, as some stoners may call it.  Postage soon.

Also, go see *300* in theatres today.  Do it.  Thermopylae movie.  Guy who did Sin City.  Awesome battle-y goodness.  Huzzah!


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## Angcuru (Mar 13, 2007)

*Ch. 21 - The Unveiling*

“Enough of this,” Ki-Adi-Mudi said “question them was we might, it is due time they face the Mirror.”

“We are aware of this necessity, Ki-Adi.”  Mace replied. “You are right, of course. We have spoken enough.”  

Arias couldn’t quite place it, but he thought he saw a glimpse pass between Mace and Yoda, barely noticeable unless one was paying very close attention to someone.  However, Arias knew the traditions, and spent as much time examining Mace as humanly possible.

“Proceed to the Mirror Chamber, we must.”  Yoda intoned, and the entire council stood.  Yoda carefully lowered himself from his seat and left the chamber, with the council in tow and the two padawans in the middle of the group.

“There are three separate Trials to be undertaken, as you well know.”  Oppo said to both Arias and Miera.  “First you must undergo a test of your aptitude with diplomacy, which you completed before you entered the council chamber.”

“Pfft.”  Miera muttered, her speech barely audible.  “Child’s play.  If you need to settle a dispute between primitives who still run a feudal government, it is natural to play on interdependencies which neither Lord nor Vassal truly comprehends the enormity of.  Honestly, it was the easiest war I’ve ever mediated a peace for.”  The Council entered the turbo lift as a whole, displaying an occupancy capacity that would not have been expected by a casual observer.  Miera could not help noticing that once the lift went into motion that were traveling downward noticeably faster than usual.

“Second,” Oppo intoned, his voice slightly more forceful than before, “You must face the Mirror.  Every padawan has heard of it, naturally, but few have any idea what it truly is.  Anywhere from an old man who reads out your deepest, darkest secrets for all to hear to a simple glass mirror that turns black if your heart embraces the Dark Side.”

“I’d prefer the old man.”  Arais said.  “With the glass mirror you pass or fail.  But with the old man one at least has some insight before a decision is reached.”

“Naturally.”  Oppo said hurriedly. “Third, is a test of conflict.  Of course you both expect to excel in such an examination, given your experience.  However, you will be tested in two dimensions, skill with the force, and skill with the lightsaber.  Given the methods of your training, I personally expect you will both excel in one and be found quite lacking in the other.”

Miera and Arias exchanged glances, neither agitated, but both curious and full of anticipation.  The lift slowed to a halt, and the doors opened.  All inside were immediately assaulted by a rush of extremely dry and stale air.

“Masters,” Miera requested, “just how far beneath the temple are we?”

“Far enough that it doesn’t bear thinking about.”  Ki-Adi-Mundi replied, and stepped out from the durasteel turbo lift onto a cold stone floor.  Just from the echo that emanated from his footsteps, the chamber was massive.  Neither floor nor roof could be seen beyond the light of a few glowing rods held by several of the Jedi. There was only an eerie, silent blackness, giving an unnerving feeling of emptiness.

After several minutes of silent walking, with no sign of any advance other than the passing by of the ground at one’s feet, Yoda slowed and spoke “Tested first, which of you shall be?”

“I shall,” Miera replied.  She and Arias had gone over this before. They would of course be tested one at a time, and she had been _luckier_ with the dice.  Arias wasn’t as skilled as her in the force, not enough that he could detect the very slight nudge to the chance cube she had arranged.  Anyway, he always insisted ‘ladies first’.

“Then continue forward you must, and wait here for your return, we will.”

“Should I leave anything behind?”  Miera had heard of some Jedi who left their equipment behind during similar trials, and was unsure.

“You must proceed as you are now.”  Mace said abruptly.

“For you and you alone, the mirror is.  When return to us you do, know you have faced the trial, we shall.”  Yoda intoned, giving his words a ritualistic air.

“Face the Mirror, and may the Force be with you.”  Mace said to Miera.

Miera met Arias’ eyes for barely a second, but he saw her mind in that brief moment.  Fear.  Doubt.  Apprehension.  They had often spoken, debated, and joked of this day, but now that it had become reality, the true weight of the trials began to sink in.  Miera went forward into the black and was beyond both Arias’ sight and soon from his ability to fel her through the Force.  Emptiness.  

Arias shuddered and quickly looked to Mace, who caught his glance and gave a slight nod.  So it was to be expected then.

_Emptiness._  In all their years together, he had always felt Miera’s presence, a comfort he could always rely on.  As much as one could rely on having air to breath or light to see by

_Emptiness!_  From birth, through infancy, and to the present day, Miera’s presence had been as natural as…well…life itself. 

_*Emptiness!!*_  Try as he might, Arias could not block out the veritable hole in his being.  For all the good his training was in calming him, a man devoid of the force might well have chewed the flesh from his own fingers as a distraction from the _*EMPTINESS!!*_

“Be calm, Arias.”  Mace said.  Arias snapped to attention, and saw that the entire council was looking straight at him.  Mace had a hand firmly on Arias’ right shoulder, and abruptly he noticed a damp sensation all that covered him from head to toe.  Sweat was running all the way from his scalp to his toes.  Had he really reacted so badly?  With an apologetic look to the Jedi Masters, Arias pulled a scrap of cloth from his belt pouch and wiped the grime from his face.

“How long?”  Arias asked breathlessly.  “How long has it been?”  _Emptiness…_

“Nearly two hours.”  Mace replied.  “You were silent until an hour ago, when Oppo heard you mention something then, ‘emptiness’ I believe it was.”

“That was it, Mace.  _Emptiness_, as you said.” Oppo replied, sitting serenely on Mace’s right. “At first we thought you were referring to the size of the cavern, impressive as is.  You kept repeating it, almost inaudibly, Arias.”

“I felt…nothing.”  Arias said quietly.  A practiced calm smoothly overcame him, but there was still the nagging, bone-grinding sensation that something was _missing_.  “When she stepped beyond my sight, I felt as if she disappeared altogether. I can’t explain it.  I never noticed such a thing until now.  The sensation is so strange. I might as well be missing a limb, yet still feel it as if aflame.  One simply expects it to be there and pays no need, but when it is there no more…”

“When Miera went further into the cave, she passed a barrier that was created the Order many years ago near the founding of this Temple.  It ensures privacy for the one undergoing the trial,” Ki-Adi-Mundi said, “but it is highly unusual for such a sensation to be felt in its presence.”

“To affect Arias so, a force bond, this may be.”  Yoda spoke up.

“It does sound as such.”  Oppo stated.  “Connections often form through the force between those who are connected by it somehow.  Nearly all cases recorded have been of teacher and student, but as the current situation is unique, perhaps we should have anticipated this.  These two have always been full of surprises, it is only logical to expect more.”

“You make a good point, Oppo.” Ki-Adi-Mundi said.  “Bonds _have_ been known to form due to an emotional and physical proximity or trauma between two Force Sensitives, be they Jedi or otherwise.  It is easily conceivable that having been paired for as long as they have been know to live, perhaps even since shortly after birth, a connection could have arisen between the two of them.”

_Please let them stop their reasoning there._  Arais pleaded silently to nothing in particular.  The Force perhaps, though not likely.  Hopefully Miera’s test would ended soon, otherwise that would open up a whole other can of worms, as some primitive fisherman’s proverb said.

As if in answer to Arias’ desire, Miera stepped into view some distance away.  The emptiness faded, but the memory remained.  She had not a mark on her, yet she staggered as if gravely wounded.  “Unharmed, she is, Arias.”  Yoda said as he spotted her and his eyes went wide. 

Still, Arias rushed to her side.  What else could he do?  He couldn’t just sit there. That would be cold, or boorish.  Not to mention going against everything that was him telling him to see to her.  As he neared her, however, she backed away from him as if he were a mass of writhing serpents.  He stopped in his tracks, shocked at her reaction.  She whispered something inaudible beneath her breath, but he heard her words in his mind as if she had screamed them into his ear at the top of her lungs. 

_[STAY BACK!]_ was the message Arias felt from her, initially.  Quickly, however, it became relief as she saw the council behind him, and fell wearily against him.

“Returned from the Mirror you have, Miera Panaar.”  Yoda said loudly.  “Accept the truth, do you?”

Arias felt no influence in those words through the Force, but saw Miera bite her lower lip as she often did when supremely unsure of how to answer.  She soon nodded, however uncertain she may have felt.

“You may rest a while before the Trial of Conflict if you wish, Miera.”  Oppo said softly. “Facing the Mirror is often draining, and you should be rested for us to judge you accurately.”

“I will face the test now.”  Miera said.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”  Arias said jokingly.

“Maybe I have.”  She replied, absolutely serious.  “I’ll undergo the tests now, Masters.”

“But-” Arias halted his words at a glare from Miera, “…just be careful, alright?”

“You will first undergo a test of your capability with the Force.”  Mace said.  “Master Yoda will administer this test, and following this I will face you in single combat and evaluate your skill with a lightsaber.”

“Go to face the mirror you must, Arias.”  Yoda slid off of a small boulder and moved to stand in the center of a circle formed by the rest of the Council. “Finished with the Trials, Miera shall be, when return you do.”

Miera patted his hand lightly before moving into the circle to face Yoda.  “Wait,” Arias spoke suddenly.  “Miera, when I go to face the mirror-”

“Do not speak of this, Arias.” Oppo said roughly.  “She must be as unaware as you.  Now go and face the Mirror.”

Soon, all backs were turned to Arias.  Miera shot him a confused glance, but soon she was focused elsewhere.  He steeled himself for what might be ahead and stepped into the darkness.

***​
To Arias’ surprise, when the emptiness returned it seemed dulled.  All of the worries of the modern world, of his anxiety over the trials, Tabano’s high expectations, all of his burdens simply...faded away.  Surrounded by darkness, hearing nothing but his own footsteps Arias walked onward.  For some time he continued, apprehensive as to what he might encounter.

After what seemed like several hours had passed, Arias began to meditate as he walked.  He remained alert as ever, yet his mind gained focus exceeding by far what his physical senses could ascertain.  His eyelids grew heavier, and drooped until shutting altogether.

***​
The cracking of bone and the sweet, sweet scent of freshly killed game roasting over a fire raised the weariness from his bones, jerking him from a reverie as he rested his chin on the butt of the wooden spear.  It had been a good hunt, with many beasts taken and none of the tribe suffering so much as a scrape.  

Stifling a yawn and stretching out stiff limbs, the hunter lay the weapon aside and approached his fellows, who were sharing the spoils of the hunt with their wives and children.  Many of them saw his coming, and greeted him with a smile.  A small girl met him as he sat on a boulder padded by the beasts’ freshly flayed skins, and offered him the leg of their catch.  He accepted it gladly, giving her a warm smile.  Obviously from his own kill, as he noticed where the flesh had been rent by his own unique method of taking down a prey animal.  A thrust was made directly in the center of the rear thigh clear through the flesh, then twisted to the side and drawn out.  Muscle was ruined, tendons town, blood vessels opened and the nerves shocked rendering the limb completely immobile whist creating a horribly bloodied wound from which the animal rapidly bled to death.  How thoughtful.  Yet so many of the animals killed by the hunt bore his mark…

He was unsure what the pretty woman who took a place at his side said as he took a bite out of the flesh in his hands, as it came out a garbled mash of words he could not comprehend.  When he did not reply quickly enough, she rolled her eyes upward and gestured with a finger, and the hunk of meat was jerked from his teeth.  His reply to her was short and just as foreign somehow, and was followed immediately by another bite of meat which was still hanging in the air.  Apparently she was appeased, as she grinned lustrously and strode into a nearby tent, her shapely hips a-swagger.

A stone-faced man sitting across the fire from him gave a large grin, which apparently ever man in the camp mirrored.  He grunted, tossed the half-finished leg to the man and stood up, stretching his limbs.  A chorus of hooting and cheering came from the hunters around the fire, who all had their taut right fist raised to him, a gesture which he returned to the lot of them.  After which he promptly strode into the tent.  Just as he opened the flaps he felt his back being pelted by many small fleshy objects and followed by much laughter.  One the severed phalluses he hurled back at them struck a young woman distributing drink in the behind, creating much celebration.

Before entering the tent, he quickly checked his face in a pool of water to make sure he wouldn’t be smearing any grease or animal bits onto his new wife.

***​
Arias gasped.  The face reflected in the water was his own.

The experience had been interesting to say the least, though he thought he had been reliving another man’s memories.  He certainly would never have thought such behavior could be his own.

What was more, Arias could swear that the woman had been Miera, and could hardly begin debating his thoughts when he blacked out again.

***​
The warriors raised their shields and bloodied arms in the air, roaring to wake the dead and taunting the fleeing enemy.  His bronze helm was vital protection, but damn they made everything sound distant.  He was sure of one thing that was being said out of the mess of shouting, his own name.

A flick of his iron short sword sent a streak of red across the shattered bodies of the enemies strewn at his feet.  Well over ten thousand of the enemy, and so few of his own men.  He so detested fighting in aid of his traditional rival, but the alternative was unfortunately the loss of such a rival.  Without someone to keep warring with, what could keep his men ready for war?

He picked up a fallen comrade’s spear to replace his own, shouting to the assembled soldiers the dead man’s name so they might remember that he was of the first to die amongst them.  A hail of shouts responded, matched by a clattering of shields and arms.

After a good night’s rest and a hearty meal of nothing less than dried meat and wheat beer, and a bit of new wine, he was ready to lead his men into battle once again.  News of a traitor reached his ears, coupled with the cowardice of the peace-lovers’ allies, meant that his forces would soon be totally surrounded, turning the topographical advantage of the pass into a death trap.  Perfect.

He ordered all of the peace-lovers away from the battle, and they eagerly fell back and fled to their doomed city.  News of their being surrounded was met with cheers and yelps of joy by his fellow warriors.  They were hemmed in from all sides, facing a force many times their own which brought them the promise of death in glorious battle, with each man taking down enemies according to his own worth.

A perfect death…  His soldiers were soon alone against the enemy, who were steadily approaching from two fronts.  They were being enclosed from front and back, shields were raised to deflect the foes and spears thrust outward to snuff them out.  Arrows rained down upon them, and were brought to a halt before they reached the formation.  His wife’s doing, and an ability which granted her much esteem amongst the soldiers.  She stood in the center of the formation behind the first line of platoons, upright and focused intently on her task.  He stood at her side, encased from head to toe in lamellar and bronze, bristling with weaponry strapped wherever it could be.  Five knives, three swords, and a spear were easily accessible, ready to dispatch any foe in his path.  And that on top of his often bloodied shield.  

Soon enough, after hours of combat, the disadvantage of a two-front battle countered any strength they could muster, and fatigue, hunger, and relentless combat proved their better.  He had sent his wife off some minutes ago, her sliding down the cliff face to swim to safety from the combat and splashes of the corpses of his foes falling lifelessly into the water, his farewell.  The shield wall collapsed, with too few men left alive to sustain it and endlessly besieged by the foe.  In the end, the final kills were scored in single combat.  Such battle brought immeasurable honor, suitable for one who lasted so long against such a foe.

Soon enough, he was the last of his men standing, bloodied in countless places and surrounded by a ring of terrified foes.  Within the last few minutes, the slaughter visited upon them could be rivaled only in their most dreadful of terrible fears.  

The Force, his wife had called it.  Such a strange thing, and oh such an ally to have.  The power he now wielded against his enemies was beyond their comprehension.  His weapons had been dulled and battered into uselessness, his armor rent and crushed beyond any aid.  He now wore only his own skin, yet no weapon could do more than scratch him, and he wielded neither blade nor spear, but _searing *light*_, brought into being by no more than his own will.   With a blood curdling scream he leapt at the nearest of them, his blade burning through flesh, steel and bone with the greatest of ease.  Their blades and arrows could do no more irritate, yet their blows were so immeasurably numerous that he was soon wounded beyond recognition, nearly flayed yet still carving his way through the enemy ranks.  

Those who tried to flee were cut down by their comrades, though truth be told the only chance for survival was to get as far away as possible.  His ruined flesh dripped blood freely, and fatigue began to threaten.  His leap to the enemy ended with him sprawled in a heap, surrounded by stabbing and slashing blades.  He felt his body begin to fail, and with what remained of his will, the air around the faces of those soldiers who were bloodying him burst into flame, choking them with what remained of the burning hate that had seeped into his very being.  He grasped the throat of the nearest man, crushing him to death, staring him straight in the eyes as the life slowly left them both and laughing madly as he went.

***​
Arias abruptly fell to his knees and emptied his stomach.  The man whose memories he had relived had felt every single blow that landed upon him.  Every stab of the spear, strike of the arrow, slash of the blade and rending of an axe had been his to enjoy.  He had tried to block out the pain, the shock, and the disgust at what he had experienced.  Arias shuddered.  As with the first dream, his last sight had been a reflection of his own face, though much more bearded and wounded in the bloodied shield of a foe.  The other face he could not doubt was that of his wife, who undoubtedly was Miera.

The would-be Jedi would have liked nothing more than for the trials to end there, but to his dismay, all was overcome by darkness yet again.

***​
He held his lightsaber at the throat of his latest challenger, the foe’s own blade sent to the ground far out of reach.  The best of the Sith, they had called the fallen man.  Blademaster amongst them, and he had fought so poorly that he had not gotten in a single blow before he had been rendered disarmed and helpless.  

“If you would kill me, My Lord, please do so before I am dishonored by your mercy.” The defeated man spoke, and was promptly obliged.  His secured his saber as the head hit the floor with a hollow _clunk_, and proceeded to the sparring rooms where he had ordered the survivors of his attack to await his pleasure.  Dull in skill with the blade and dull in wit as well was the order of the day amongst these fools, it seemed.  The strongest always took command amongst them, according to tradition, so naturally, he took that command after slaughtering everyone in their power structure, leaving only the students alive.

As he walked he noticed several of the foolish apprentices who had tried to interfere in his conquest and been dealt with before even drawing their blades.  So weak.

He found the room much as he expected it.  It was a sizable room with hardwood floors, with enough space to allow for free movement in a duel with room to spare for spectators.  Currently however, the walls were lined by apprentice Sith.  They stank of fear and anxiety, perfect for what he had planned.  

“Who can tell me what your former Blademaster’s fatal error was?” He asked the assembly upon entering. “That is, aside from deciding to challenge me, of course.  What was the error of his approaching the fight?”

“He was too hesitant.” A young iridorian girl answered timidly.  When he nodded for her to continue she added, “He had several opportunities to land a blow upon you, but instead fought defensively.”

“And why is that?”  He asked the assembly once more.

“He was unused to fighting an opponent who used dual blades.” A twilek answered. “He could only guard or attack at any given time, while you could fend of his blade and safely make strikes of your own.”

“Remember that.”  He commanded, “Now, I will be evaluating your individual skills to see how badly you are lacking after studying under such a fool.  But first I want to see who the best amongst you here is.  All of you attack me at once.”  He drew his weapons from the small of his back, the bronze blades springing to life.  The assembled students glanced apprehensively at one another, but their light sabers began igniting once he said, “You have five seconds to attack me before I start slaughtering you.”

At first only two of them rushed him, simple novices, their attacks were blocked and in the same move disarmed and thrown out of the room.  They were followed by a middle-aged man who appeared to have some skill, but was promptly rendered unconscious by a knee to his groin.  He too, was ejected bodily into the corridor.

One by one they all went flying. Two by two they all fell down.  As for the third his hate grew stronger, and from his sight they all were thrown.  “They are in a sad state, wife,” he said to the comely woman who had entered the room moments before, “but they show potential.  Within a few years they should be formidable.  With the code these fools follow, they should easily be able to overcome the doubts that keep the Jedi from mastering the art of combat.”

“That is good to know,” she mused, “and if these Sith should find themselves in combat with our old comrades?”

“Pfft.”  He snorted.  “I care not.  Sooner or later they will face destruction, it matters little to me.”

“Nor to me,” she responded, “though it appears you’ve missed a student.”  She pointed past his shoulder, and suddenly Arias was no longer looking out of the man’s eyes, he was looking _into_ them.  Staring at his own face.

***​
Arias welcomed that darkness following the end of that vision, crouched on the ground and gulping fresh air.  Miera again, that woman’s face, and her voice, now.

_snap-hisssss_ Arias instinctively drew his own blades and leapt away from the sound, coming to rest a good ten meters away.  He rose to his feet and faced his opponent.  

The creeping shadows showed only the light of two bronze blades, readied against attack exactly as his own blue blades were.



> *For the inspiration for my interpretation of ‘The Mirror’, read _The Shadow Rising_ by Robert Jordan*


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## Salthorae (Mar 13, 2007)

Awesome Angcuru! 

1: Hurray for subscriptions to tell me when threads update.
2: Boo for subscriptions which make me read the threads and then have to wait upon a new update!


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## Angcuru (Apr 1, 2007)

*Ch. 22 - Odd Suprises*

Just as suddenly as the maslith had knocked over and begun chewing upon Arlee, it lost interest in his non-fleshy limbs and bolted towards the battlefield.  

Aasan, being only mildly interested in the strange talk of old acquaintances who should be dead showing up at very inopportune times, was the only one near the ships to notice the strange attack.  He quickly raised his carbine, aimed the unfriendly end towards the crazed canine that was barreling down on his position, and fired a bolt of energy right past Kia’s ear.  This of course drew Kia’s attention most thoroughly.  Before the redhead could demand the cause for his sudden discharging of weaponry in close proximity to her face, Kal leapt past her with lightsaber in hand and cut the legs out from under the wounded Maslith that was poised to pounce on her unprotected back with a swing that almost singed her hair.  Adrial reflexively followed suit with a slice that took the beast’s head, leaving pile of dead flesh at Kia’s feet.

“Master, I think it’s time we left.”  Jorran said anxiously.  Kia looked from Kal to Aasan to Adrial, unsure of whether to thank them or start shaking them furiously.  She was spared the decision as she realized that the field of bodies was quickly being swarmed over by the revolting creatures.  For now they were distracted by the carrion that was the slain Stormtroopers, but she know firsthand that they were just a scouting pack in a big horde of smelly, nasty beasts.

“I think you’re right Kal.”  Aasan added, already backing up the _Dawnsprinter_’s ramp.

“Jaess, have your droid follow us in your shuttle.  There are people who need to come with us and we could use the extra space.”  Miera told the rebel operative in passing as she and Kal hurried onto the _Dawnsprinter_.  “Go with Arais on the Imperial ship, he’ll have need of you there.”

Jaess was given no time to argue, and quickly followed Arais and Adrial onto the captured assault shuttle. Jorran guarded the ramp until it sealed shut, holding his saber at the ready should any of the masliths turn on them.  

“I assume you had the good sense to leave the surviving pilot conscious?”  Arais asked her.  She nodded, having bound the fellow to his seat rather firmly.  “Good, go rouse him and instruct him to have this shuttle follow the _Dawnsprinter_.”  He strode off without further words.

The young rebel rushed towards the cockpit and yanked the gag from the pilot’s mouth.

“Listen to me, you waste of life.”  She growled threateningly, pressing a blackened knife underneath his chin.  “The only reason you’re still alive is because I need you to pilot this ship, understand?”  The poor fellow tried to nod, but the motion drew blood and he gave a muffled ‘uh-huh’.  “Good.  Get this ship off the ground and follow the Corellian ship.  If you even think of trying to warn the other Imperials, I’ll make you wish you had been roasted alive. Do you understand me?”  She pushed the knife in a bit harder for emphasis.

The man nodded speechlessly and soon the shuttle was airborne.  Jaess wiped the tip of her blade on the pilot’s hat to add a little extra ‘oomph’ to her bluff.

***​
Jorran helped Adrial toss the dead copilot out of the ship.  Amazingly, several of the beasts leapt up to catch the body in mid-air.

“Disgusting.”  Adrial spat.

“Is that necessary?  Throwing his body to those creatures, I mean.”  Jorran asked the short woman.

“Do you find it unsettling, Jorran?”  Arais spoke from behind them, causing him to jump slightly.

“I know we have to get rid of the corpse, but just tossing him out there to be eaten, it doesn’t feel right.”  Jorran shrugged.

“If we hadn’t dealt with them, it would be innocent civilians down there serving as fresh carrion, Jorran, not soldiers.”  His new teacher said flatly.

“Still, it seems almost barbaric the way we just slaughtered them, and now they’re being _eaten_.”

“Barbaric?”  Arias questioned.  “I can point to several corpses down there that can attest to your own handiwork in the matter.”

“I was defending myself.”  Jorran said defensively.

“And that’s why you hesitated.”  Arais said accusingly.  “You hesitated and missed your opportunity to take advantage of their surprise.  You might have killed a few of them before they could react, and that could have prevented Kal’s wound.  He’ll carry that scar for the rest of his life, and he should be proud of it, but it could have been avoided.”

“Master Arias, I-”  Jorran tried to respond but was interrupted.

“You what?  You thought to yourself, ‘These are people, just like me.’, so you’d rather not kill them.  The fact of the matter is, Jorran,”  Arais stepped closer, coming face to face with Jorran.  “none of it matters.  You must always be ready, and _willing_ to kill whenever it is necessary.  If you are not, you hesitate, and your friends are hurt or killed.”

Jorran stiffened, wanting to tell Arais off.  He fortunately decided against it.  “I understand, master.”

“Good.  The essence of battle is killing, and if you are hesitant to do so, you will find yourself amongst the slain.  Once you enter battle, your opponent’s life means nothing.  Living with the consequences of their demise is far better than them living with the weight of your own.”  Arais had one of his lightsabers ignited and the blade held dangerously close to Jorran’s throat before he could blink. “I expect that the next time you are in combat, you will remember that.”  Arais said coldly before walking off, lightsaber still lit.

***​
“We need to lead them to where we hid the villagers, Kia. Do you recall the way?”  Miera asked politely.

“Yeah, I can have us there in one quarter of an hour, easy.”  The redhead replied, checking the readout from the chronometer.  

“Good, do you have your ship in autopilot, Kia?”  Miera enquired.

After a few commands were given, Kia replied, “I am now, why do you ask?”

“I would like to give you something.”  Miera produced a flawless spherical white diamond the size of a man’s eye, and dropped it right into Kia’s open hand.

“I.  Um…  Wow.”  Kia held it up to a bright LED and quickly appraised it, having some familiarity with this sort of thing.  Perfect.  Easily worth enough credits to give the _Dawnsprinter_ a complete overhaul and have enough left over to purchase the average capital-class warship. “Huh. Thanks.”

“I give you this as a sign of friendship, Kia.  This gem serves as the focusing crystal of a lightsaber, the kind of which every Sethi carries.”  She indicated her own lightsaber. “However, it can only be used by one who is balanced in the Force.  Too much hate, or too little, an excess of love, the absence of anger, and it is simply a gem for the one carrying it.”

“I’m really flattered by this, Miera.”  Kia said very, _very_ honestly.  “But I have no intention of joining your Order.”

“I would be glad if you were to do so, but I am not asking such a decision of you.”  Miera replied.  “There is a good chance that in the events that are the come, we may not see one another for quite some time.  In that event, I would like you to keep this as a reminder of us.  Try and focus on it, if you will.  Try and make it glow.”

Kia looked at Miera for a moment, slightly suspicious, but she did focus.  It was like trying to stand upright on a rolling log whilst covered in frictionless lubricant in the middle of a hurricane.  Miera did not look the slightest bit amused when Kia looked startled.  Nor did she look _not amused_, such an odd woman.

“It is quite a shock at first, of course.”  Miera commented on Kia’s surprise.  “With a little practice, you can begin to use it as an aid for meditation.  I don’t suppose you’ve ever meditated, have you?”

“Can’t say that I have.”  Kia said, still focused on the gem.  Wow.  _I’m rich._  “Well, not lately, anyway.  Every now and again I seem to realize what it means to be Force Sensitive and give it a try, but it never goes anywhere.  I get all relaxed and spaced out or whatever it is you have to do, but then I get restless and give up.”  She held the diamond up to light again.  Wow.

“Yes, it can be as such when one is not in regular practice.  You may grow to be quite formidable, should you choose to.”

“Coming from you, that’s quite a compliment.”  Kia replied. “I heard that Skywalker had trouble moving his X-Wing while Yoda was training him, and then I _saw_ you fling this transport around like a deck of cards.  That’s saying something.”

“Well, he _is_ his father’s son, now isn’t he?  When his father was training, he often did not have the focus for such tasks.  I myself sparred with him regularly, when he didn’t want to be embarrassed by Arias.”

“Embarrassed?” Kia felt a bit shocked.  She clearly remembered worrying specifically that Darth Vader liked to do some very horrible nasty things to Force Sensitives, if his thugs didn’t kill you first. She new that Arais was good, but to _embarrass_ such a feared figure in armed combat was just a little bit hard to figure. 

“Oh, of course.  Anakin was quite the swordsman, one of the best I’ve ever seen.  Arais on the other hand, is a born warrior.”  The older woman gripped her lightsaber in emphasis. “No one had ever bested him in single combat.  There have of course been moments when he was at a supreme disadvantage, as we all have been, and been forced to hold our attack, as he did.  But in simple terms of ability to kill, he is unmatched.  His skill is unnatural.”

“So I’ve seen.”  Kia clearly remembered the way he cut down those Stormtroopers without a care.

“Anyway, accept this gem as a gift.  Even if you cannot use it in your lightsaber now, perhaps you may be able to in the future.  If not, you might keep it as a reminder that while you strain to balance yourself to be able to use it, we Sethi use them without thought.  Or you might put it up as collateral for a healthy loan and buy a nice getaway somewhere, I care not.  Either way, you will remember the gift.”  Miera said quietly.  “All that I request from you as part of this friendship is that you keep our secrets safe.  You have some firsthand knowledge of us, which others might covet.  It is due to this that we desire to remain unknown to you as far as they may know, for our sake and your own.”

Kia nodded respectfully, and cautiously.  It would not be the first time she had been bribed.  Or threatened.  “Thanks, I’ll go put this someplace safe.”  She got up and headed for the captain’s quarters.  Fortunately, a few smuggling jobs several months back lead her to install a small safe under the floor of her room which would be the perfect place to stash the gem.

“So she actually gave it to you, eh?”  Kia looked up as she entered the common room and saw Kal hunched over a small holo-table playing opposite Aasan in a friendly war-game.  Aasan looked up when Kal spoke, his head drawing back in surprise when he saw the diamond.

“Yes, she gave it to me, Kal.  Why, did you have some reason to suspect she wouldn’t?”  Kia found herself still holding the gem, though she had meant to keep it out of sight.

“You look at that gem in your hand and tell me you weren’t shocked to receive it.  We Sethi don’t have many of those in our possession.  I expected Miera to reserve our crystals for future members of our order, not give them away as gifts.”  Kal said absentmindedly as he moved a Rancor towards Aasan’s squad of Ewoks.  “Still, she must have her reasons for doing so.”

“She must have _very_ good reasons.”  Aasan commented, eyeing the crystalline diamond.  “A diamond that size would be enough to buy a Hutt’s silence.”

“A Hutt?”  Kal asked.

“They’re big slimy slug creatures that run lots of organized crime rings.  Very nasty, very greedy.”  The Kel Dor replied.

“Slugs, eh?”  Kal chuckled, and immediately wished he hadn’t. He ran a finger along the thin scar on his chest, wincing as he did so.  “Well, I hope you don’t waste it on something like that.”

“What _do_ you plan on doing with it, Kia?”  Aasan asked politely.

“I’m not quite sure.”  She answered, examining the gem in her hand.  “I’m really not sure at all.”  With that said, the redhead wandered off towards her quarters.

“I’m surprised,” Aasan said to Kal while moving his own Rancor to face the other.  “You didn’t make one pass at her this time.”

“Pfft.”  Kal muttered, moving around some troops of his own. “It’s not for lack of interest, if that’s what you’re thinking.  She’s very easy on the eyes, but this searing pain in my chest is a bit distracting.”

“Distracting, indeed.  Your move, Kal.”  Aasan activated a pit trap that swallowed up the young man’s holographic rancor.

“Aw, Sithspit.”

***​
Arlee hurriedly righted himself once the hostile organic ceased chewing on his legs.  Fortunately there was no permanent damage aside from a few paint scratches.

From Agent Talori’s end of the comm:  “Arlee, you need to get back in the air _right now_.  There’s a huge pack of some crazed dogs all over the place!”  

“I’ve noticed.”  The droid replied simply, as a half dozen of the mangy beasts rushed past the shuttle.  “Agent Talori, what is the situation with the _Dawnsprinter_ and her crew?”  Arlee enquired as he hurriedly strode up the rising entry ramp.

“It’s complicated,” came Jaess’ reply, “from what I’ve gathered so far the _Dawnsprinter_ is the least important discovery here.  It seems the ship’s unusual trek was a freak accident which incidentally destroyed the ship’s hyperdrive.”

“In that case we must abort our mission and report this to our superiors, unless your other findings necessitate our continued presence.”  The patina-stained droid took a seat at the ship’s helm and began rapidly composing a report on the mission’s occurrences thus far whilst the engines warmed up.  

“I’m _pretty_ sure that finding these Sethi, as they call themselves, is important enough, Arlee.”

“Of course Commander Skywalker will be pleased to learn of their discovery.”  Arlee simultaneously recorded the current conversation as well as several extrapolations of possible mission-impacting information. Thank the Code he didn’t have to compensate for an organic’s inability to competently multitask.

“Well, that’s the interesting thing.  When I referred to them as Jedi, their leaders seemed rather put off.  I’m guessing there’s some tension there that might prove difficult.”

“Naturally, it is to be expected.  To a droid, the difference between you organics are minimal at best, yet you consistently take noticeably insult when referred to as a member of a group to which you to not consider yourself to belong to.”  Presently the _Deepscan_ rose and began following the imperial assault shuttle and the battered Corellian transport.  According to geographical surveys taken by the ship’s sophisticated equipment, their most likely destination would be a small lake several hundred kilometers away from the walled village.

“_Minimal?_  Well, I suppose you are right about that, we do tend to overemphasize our differences.  But that doesn’t matter right now.  I need you to look up some information that might be in the databases you absconded from the T.R.A.P.  I need anything you can find on Jedi named Arias and Miera, I don’t know their surnames.”

“These would be the two organics leading these Sethi, would they not?”  Another annotation to Arlee’s report.

“Yeah, they look in their mid-30’s but Jedi have been known to live long lives, depending on how strong their affinity with the Force is.  If my guess is right, they’re _really_ powerful.”

“Would you surmise that they are powerful enough to be considered a threat to the Alliance?”  An inquiry into the deceptive T.R.A.P.’s stored filed yielded two considerable files.  “I believe I have found the information you seek, Agent Talori?”

“Yeah, well spit it out!”

Spit?  Organics used the oddest expressions sometimes.  “If this information is accurate, they could possibly be two esteemed Jedi Knights, Arias Falm and Miera Panaar.  It seems they were taken into the Jedi Order as infants, orphans raised by one Torm Tabano.  A subheading indicates an investigation into whether this might be Lord Tabano, possible current head of the Empire.  The investigation was halted upon discovery that Torm Tabano was most definitely killed shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars.”  Arlee relayed the information to Jaess.

“Most definitely?”

“Apparently there was an incident involving the collapse and detonation of a remote Sith Temple on Korriban.  The blast is noted as having incinerated vegetation several kilometers from the point of origin.”  Impressive.

“Well, that explains why they think he’s not their old Master.  What else did you find?”

“They were the youngest Jedi Knights in recorded history, but appear to have gone into hermitage immediately after having been raised.  Approximately ten months after their disappearance they returned to the Order and began making remarkable achievements in the destruction of several corrupt regimes within the Republic membership.  Interesting.  It seems they were never raised to the rank of Jedi Master, yet they were granted control of one of the largest armadas fielded during the Clone Wars, a position for which the title of Master is an unwritten prerequisite.”

“Well there’s some good news!  If we can get them on our side, we’ll have an extra edge against the Empire.”  Jaess replied cheerfully.

“It is also noted,” Arlee replied with emphasis, “that shortly after securing the Hoth system they were killed in action.  No bodies were recovered.  Arias is reported as having developed increasingly strained relations with the Jedi Council.  Apparently they faked their own deaths for some odd purpose.”

“That’s odd, what would they be running from?  They couldn’t have been able to anticipate the Purge, and even if they could, they would have acted to prevent it.”  Jaess replied quizzically.

“Agent Talori, recall that these individuals were never raised to the position of Master and were increasingly argumentative with the Jedi Council.  Perhaps they held no affections for the Jedi despite being named amongst them.”  Thank the Code he was not hampered by Organic forgetfulness, either.

“Hmm, that is a possibility.  Is there anything else after that I should keep in mind?”

“Yes, under no circumstances should you allow yourself or the Alliance to come into open conflict with these Sethi.”  Arlee instructed.

“Well, of course I won’t start a fight, but why do you suggest this?”

“There is mention of a Republic rout of Seperatist forces shortly before the end of the Clone Wars.  A battle was fought in the of the taking of Hoth from the Seperatists, a battle in which no less then five thousand remotely controlled super battle droids were eliminated to the last.  Credit for their defeat is given to Arias Falm.” Arlee emphasized ‘eliminated’.

“Wow, I guess he’s pretty good at commanding ground forces, eh?”  Jaess chuckled.

“He destroyed them single-handedly.”  Arlee stated.

“Oh.  Well…  That’s…a different thingy.”  Jaess stammered.

“So don’t start anything.”  The droid instructed.

“Gotcha boss.”  The young woman quickly replied.

Arlee nodded to himself before switching off the comm.  Boss, he liked the sound of that.  Wait.  Liked the sound of words?  Nodding to himself?  The droid immediately ran a self-diagnostic to ensure the integrity of his Code.  Being around Organics all day could mess up one’s circuits something awful.


----------



## Angcuru (Apr 17, 2007)

Swamped with end-of-semester work.     Will post update most likely in May.


----------



## Angcuru (Apr 29, 2007)

*Ch. 23 - The Foemarch*

Those blades…the same as he remembered wielding so easily against those novices.  

Calm overcame him.  The figure in the shadows stood unmoving, the only sign of his existence being those twin blades, held at the ready to counter Arais’ own.

The would-be Jedi dared not move.  Despite his many battles, he had been in few lightsaber duels in his short lifetime. Those fights had been more than enough for him to realize that more often than not the first to move would be the first to die.

How long Arais stood there waiting for the other fighter to make a move, he could not tell.  

Sweat began to bead along his brow, trickling slowly, threatening to sting his eyes with the salt. 

Slowly…slowly…

“You might as well attack, Arais.  You may think you can wait for me to strike first, but I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”  An oddly familiar voice spoke.

“How do you know me?”  He replied, cautious.

“I don’t, but I know _of_ you.  I won’t know you until we’ve crossed blades.”  He spoke, but the glowing bronze blades never wavered.

“What?  The Echani tradition?”  Arais asked.  He was _sure_ he had heard that voice before.

“Echani?” came his response, “I know nothing of these _Echani_.” 

“Just as I know nothing of _you_.”  Arias pointed out.

“Oh, I’m sure you know me better than you can imagine.”  The man never moved, but a new light came to the area around them, a soft colorless glow with no apparent beginning or end, barely enough to see by.  As Arias’ vision adjusted to the light, he saw the vague outline of the stranger’s form, dimly lit now by the light of his blades.  He shifted his left blade slightly, trying to work out stiffness in his shoulder-

Arias’ opponent charged his left, sabers poised to split him in half. He met the dual strike with a step back and a similar dual strike, vertical to counter the offense.  Blue blades deflected bronze to the side, and Arias responded with a kick to his opponent’s chest accompanied by a series of spinning vertical strikes towards the other’s shoulders.  

The stranger dodged to Arais’ right and struck at him with a series of blows meant to sever his neck and knees in the same instant.  Arias parried both attacks and landed a knee to the stranger’s face with a leaping attack, coming to rest a full three meters from the foe, blades at the ready.

“Very good, Arias.  You have considerable strength, but you can have so much more.”  The figure said approvingly, though short of breath.  “Perhaps you have a place amongst us after all.”

“I only see one of you, and I am _not_ impressed.”  Arais jabbed at his opponent’s pride.  “Defend yourself!”  He lunged forward with a Force-induced burst of speed, one blade stretched outwards to spear through the sternum, the other held at the ready to counter any attack.

The bronze blades quickly crossed and caught his blue.  Arias was prepared for this, and brought his second lightsaber forwards in a quick slashing jab.  Much to his surprise, the other fighter simply drew one of the defending blades up further to catch the strike whist holding the first blade in check.  The combined light of the four lightsabers illuminated both of their forms.  Arais faced a slightly older, more bearded version of himself, the stranger’s features a satisfied grin at the younger man’s shock.  As the realization of his opponent sank in, Arias was struck by a strong pulse of force energy which drove him back a good five meters.

“Tsk, tsk.  You should have known better than to challenge him, my love.”  An alluring, womanly voice chided.  “I would be most displeased if I should have to await your return so early.”  She stepped into view, a more mature image of Miera in form-fitting robes with an unlit lightsaber dangling from her shapely hip.

“Of course, my dear.”  The other Arias let his blades fizzle and calmly took her offered hand.

“Oh, now wait just _one_ moment,” a very puzzled Arias said as he lowered his own weapons, “just _what_ is going on here?”

“Oh, you’ll know in time, though your better half already knows all too well.”  The woman said cheerfully.  “I’m glad she took our advice and didn’t spoil it for you.”

“Miera?  My better half?”  Arais almost dropped his blades at their forwardness.  That was the most tightly guarded secret in the galaxy, as far as he was concerned.  “Who are you that you know these things?”

“Oh, I had hoped for better from you, Arias.”  The other man chided.  “I’m _you_!  A version of you, of course, but _you_ nonetheless.  Tulak Hord, at your service.”  He gave a formal bow.

“Vanna Malros.”  His companion said with a nod of her head.

“Arias Falm.”  Arias felt his introduction awkward and unnecessary, but there was no call for rudeness.  “How can there be _two_ of us?”

“Two?”  Tulak chuckled, lightly tracing the outline of Vanna’s figure with one finger.  “If there are multiple variations on the same individual, why should it be limited to _two_?  For simplicity’s sake?  The universe is not so simple.”

“Two bes good, but three bes better.”  Another voice added as an enormously muscled, heavily tanned Arais carrying a stone-tipped spear and sporting a hide loincloth stepped out of the mist.

“Ah, Thog!  Glad you could make it.”  Tulak cheered, clasping hands with the newcomer.

“Thog bes warrior!”  The dark man intoned, thrusting his spear in the air.  “Warrior bes much shamed to be missing such chance for them battles.”

“_Thog_?”  Arias said skeptically.  “Oh come on, that’s just too stereotypical.”

“I bes strong warrior, quick hunter.  I bes fathering many younglings to carry mine name.”  Thog said proudly.  “I bes glad mine namer goes livering on into them ages.”

“Thog’s name bes livering cause Giya bes raisered his younglings.”  Yet another female voice added with emphasis.  A darkened Miera hurried forward from the mist to latch onto Thog’s formidable forearm.  It looked comically like a small flower trying to encircle to young tree trunk.  Arias couldn’t _not_ notice that she was clad similary to Thog: just a loincloth.  She was another Miera, he had no doubt about that.

“This is unbelievable,” Arais said exasperatedly, “I’ve seen through both of your eyes, and I know there to be another pair.  Come forward!  Let this travesty be finished!”

“Phoebus likes to make a dramatic entrance.” Vanna said as a distant rumble began to sound.

“Ugh, _again_ with the Honor Guard.”  Tulak grumbled, massaging his temples.  “You would have thought he’d realize it wouldn’t be any use by now.”

“Soldiers bes dying fighting with them Phoebus.”  Giya chimed cheerfully.

“Them bes wantings to bes fighting with him agains.”  Thog said as if stating the obvious to a slow child.

“Oh, _glorious death_!”  Tulak said dramatically, waving his hands comically.  “A death is a death.  Different situation, same result.”

“But you always wanted to die in battle yourself, my dear.”  Vanna prodded.

“This is true.”  Tulak conceded.  “But it had to be _poison_, didn’t it?  Pheh.”  He spat scornfully into the mist.  “It had to be slow and painless, didn’t it?  No excruciating pain or exciting circumstances.  No ‘Oh what the hell my guts are missing, awesome!’ moment, just _POOF_ dead.”

Any further comments were drawn out as the distant rumbling became a loud, steady march, and a large group of bronze-clad, spear-wielding soldiers same into view.  At their head was a grizzled, scarred, and very brutal-looking Arias, next to whom walked an expectant Miera in a simple cloth robe.

As the two of them approached, Phoebus raised a fist, and the several hundred soldiers following him came to an immediate halt.  His hard eyes scanned Thog, Tulak, and finally Arais, purposefully avoiding the women.  “I do not perceive your newest incarnation, Cassandra.”

The woman at his side rapped his helmet with a closed fist.  “That’s because she was already here, husband.”

“Still, a Mandalorian woman would have returned to view her man’s trials.”  Phoebus spat from a vertical slit in his helm.

“You.”  Arais pointed at Phoebus.  “I felt you die.  I _experienced it_.”

“And you still live?  Oh isn’t this something, men?  A living dead man!”  Phoebus chortled, his laugh mirrored by the men at this back.

Within a split second, Arais cleaved his shield and spear in twain and had purposefully drawn only a single, shallow cut in the small space between his eyebrows.  Phoebus whistled in admiration as Arias returned to his previous standing position just as the halves of shield and spear hit the floor.  “That’s some fancy blade work, young one.”

“So I’m not dead then, am I?”  Arias jabbed verbally.

“Apparenly so.”  Cassandra replied as a soldier passed Phoebus a replacement spear and shield.  “But you may be soon.  The Foemarch approaches.”

“Foemarch?”  Arias asked.  “What do you mean I may be dead soon?”

“Enemies be rising from them graves each turning of them seasons.”  Giya said seriously.

“Every year for as long as any of us care to remember, we have been charged with battling all of our collectively slain enemies.”  Vanna added.

“And every year, we’ve been prepared and well rested for the Foemarch.”  Cassandra said.

“But for them four by four yearsies,”  Thog said darkly, “them enemies bes come strongers each turnings of them seasons.”

“That is how we knew you were coming, Arais.”  Tulak supplied. “Every time another incarnation of our spirit lives and dies, that life strengthens the Foemarch and then comes to counter it in death.  But this time, with your coming, the Foemarch is too strong for us.”

“Each year, it pushes us stronger, harder, more aggressively.”  Phoebus growled.  “A glorious fight, every time.  Yet, in time we may be overwhelmed.”

“And if you were overwhelmed, what would happen then?”  Arais inquired.

“The Foemarch would spill over into the mortal realm.” Vanna said darkly, sadly. “The spirits we ward off would infect the living, and genocidal chaos on a galactic scale would commence.”

“All that any of us had ever known would become as dust and ashes cast to a strong wind.” 	Tulak spat scornfully and stuck a finger at Arias.  “Everything that _you know_ will cease to be.”

“But you say you only fight the Foemarch one you have died.  I’m not dead, I’m still alive!”  Arais breathed heavily.

“You bes not deaded, yet you bes here.”  Thog observed.  “But this bes not them problems.”

“You bes comings here too earlies.”  Giya added from Thog’s side.

“She’s right, of course.  Your birth has come several thousand years too early.”  Phoebus pointed out.

“Are you telling me that my birth was _scheduled?_ that I was prematurely _conceived_?!”  Arais ground his teeth.

“It is only naturally to be expected, Arias,” Vanna said, running a finger softly under his chin.  “that an individual spirit, our in our case, pair of spirits, be reborn every ten millennia or so.  We know not why, but you have been reborn too early, and now you have come here to our world of the dead as part of some silly initiation.  The Foemarch comes on your heels.”

“Tell us, Arais.”  Tulak said inquisitively, “Do you know the circumstances of your birth?”

“I...”  Arais fell silent, “I... do not.  I know only that I was adopted as an infant.”

“I suggest that if you survive, you search for the answer.”  Cassandra said conclusively as another distant rumble began.


----------



## Angcuru (May 2, 2007)

*Ch. 24 - The Foemarch Pt. 2*

“Mandalorians!”  Phoebus intoned.  “Form defensive circle six ranks deep around the women!  One-Fifty front rank!  Fifty Rear Rank!”  The mass of soldiers hurried to comply, swiftly taking formation with Vanna, Cassandra, and Giya safely away from the front line.  

The distant rumbling grew steadily louder.

Arais found himself at the center amongst the woman, as were his male counterparts.  All had taken on a deadly serious countenance.

“I will command at the start of it,” Phoebus stated.  The other men nodded their consent.  “The four of us,” he indicated himself, Arais, Tulak, and Thog, and began drawing a series of lines in sand that appeared spontaneously at his feet, “will form foursquare around my men.  We must bear the brunt of the assault at those points at all times.  After the initial clash of ranks, our four points will cease defense and proceed to assault.  The Mandalorians will fill in the gaps our slaughter provides, forming a four-point star.  Once the men begin to tire, we return ranks to circular formation and periodically proceed with a similar assault and repeat the process.  This will provide maximum defense following our four-man slaughter of the enemy.  Those in the front lines will retreat to the rear should they begin to tire, are wounded, or their equipment is sundered.  If we keep the circulation going, they should be of maximum value in battle.”

“He _always_ leaves us for last.” Cassandra grumbled.  Giya and Vanna nodded their agreement.

“The _ladies_,” Phoebus said pointedly, “will motivate the men, mend the armor, weapons, and bodies of the men, and when such is not necessary, they will concentratre on bringing ruin to the enemy in our absence whilst we rest.  Is this agreed?”

Tulak and Thog nodded, as did the women.

“If the men should all fall, what then?” Arais questioned.

“Then we kill as many as we can, as long as we can, kid.”  Tulak cackled, rubbing his lightsabers in anticipation.

“Take positions!”  Phoebus commanded, and Arais found himself pushed to the front line, in front of a wall of bronze shields and iron spears.  What little of the soldiers that could be seen behind their large shields was encased in thick armor, save for the piercing, murderous eyes full of anticipation for the battle to come.

“They’ll follow the same strategy as always have.”  Phoebus called above the din as the mist began to give way to tall, man-shaped figures.  “Initial scouting wave, likely a thousand of them or less.”

Arais’ twin lightsabers snapped into life as the shapes took solid form and rushed towards him, great masses of ruined men.  Arais soon lost all though of the men behind him and focused on the foes at his front.  

The first few who came within his reach were cloven in two as they ran recklessly forward.  Flimsy animal hides provided no protection from the solid bars of death he faced them with.  The advancing foe wielded no more than simple stone axes and wooden clubs, milling about aimlessly, hoping for a lucky strike.  Arias held his strikes, waiting until they were tightly packed about him, close enough for a lightsaber strike yet slightly out of reach of their primitive arms.  Each of his blows shorn straight through at least a half dozen men, their corpses dissipating into the mist leaving little evidence of their effort.  

Tulak performed similarly, keeping his blades constantly twirling about and surging forward to catch the foe unawares.  Poebus stood with his men, the enemy dashed harmlessly off of their shield wall as their many spears skewered the helpless foes.  Phoebus, however, fought with a savagery Arais had never before imagined possible from the human form.  He held the spear in one hand, each blow skewering two or three men as easily as a needle pierces wool, the other arm sporting a heavy bronze shield with which he bludgeoned _many_ an enemy to death.  The Mandalorians held the line, the foremost men keeping their shields at the fore to counter the enemy’s assault whilst their comrades thrust their impressive spears into the bodies of the opposition.

The women fared impressively as well.  Any time a Mandalorian took a heavy wound, he immediately fell back towards the center, a fresh soldier taking his place.  The healing visited upon them was nothing short of miraculous.  Ruined limbs were made anew; horrible gashes mended as if simple playground accidents.  When they were not tending to the wounded, Cassandra preferred to scorch the foe with bursts of mystic lightning, whilst Giya preferred unseen strikes of pure force energy which snapped men’s necks like twigs and Vanna sent random men high into the air to crash into the earthbound ranks of enemies.

Soon the advancing waves dissipated, until individual men clashed against the Mandalorian wall and met their doom regardless.  Arais felt calm come over him, as he did following any major battle.    The calm faded into a horrid surprise as he opened his eyes and saw the carnage that lay before him.  

The bodies of all those he had slain in this one clash lay before him.  The faceless soldiers now had names, histories, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, enemies, and lovers.   He knew them all as intimately as any can know another..  Every moment of every life.  Each day of bitter pure life and night of joyous sexual existence.  These Arias had felt through the men he had slain, he felt as he had been that very man, each of them whose lives he had ended.  It passed with blinding speed, beyond his compression yet somehow beyond time. With each face, each life, each grief, each moment of pure love, until the horrid morass of memories ended and he was left with the memories of his own life once again.  He was _Arias_ once more.

The scrawny yet imposing teenage boy knelt upon all limbs as a child upon the formless mist, vomiting up what little he had consumed that day.

“That bad, eh?”  Tulak said, helping Arais to his feet.
“Arais needs be cleanings him mouthers.

“And drinkings them wines to cover them tastes!”  Giya coughed at an unpleasant smell of regurgitation, offering a skin of drink which formed from mist into her hand, which was immediately passed to Arias.  He accepted the drink the instant it was within his reach, gulping the contents without heed to form or substance.

“Just what be you giverings him, Giya?”  Thog said curiously, leaning on his spear and breathing heavily. “I bes not sure he bes accustomed to them drinksies.”

“Well, while _we_ have always been heavy drinkers, we’ve always had that first night of terrible, unmentionable doom.”  Phoebus offered, immediately clutching his belly in a horrid, comical manner.

“Does _Doom_ have a latrine on call?”  Tulak asked, as a terrible squelching noise came from Arais’ direction.


----------



## Angcuru (May 30, 2007)

*Ch. 24 - Departure*

“Is he always this grumpy?”  Jorran asked Adrial once Arias was out of earshot.

“Grumpy?”  Adrial relied, surprised.  “He’s focused, like he always is when there’s an element of danger about.  Then again, I’ve never seen him have to deal with anything of this scale before.”

“Tell me about it.  We have to find a way to keep the civilians out of harms way whilst flying straight into a large Imperial battle fleet with the intention of stealing one of their larger ships.  And, stop me if I’m missing anything here, _then_ we have to escape back to wherever Jaess came from, all the while avoiding almost certain destruction by said fleet.”  Jorran grumbled.

“You forgot about this Tabano figure.”  She pointed out.  “Whoever he is, we may have to deal with him as well.”

“Oh, that’s _wonderful_.”  He said exasperatedly.  “So the nine of us are going to accomplish _all of that_?”

“I don’t see why not.”  Adrial shrugged.  “We’ve shown our capability to handle ourselves in combat, and we have many new companions who are skilled in subterfuge and electronic warfare.”

“They have a fleet of _warships_.  With many large _weapons_ that can destroy any ship we he have in our possession.” Jorran countered pointedly.  “What do we have?”

“_We_ have the Force at our command.”  She answered simply, as if informing a toddler that apples are larger than grapes.

“Somehow I doubt that will be sufficient.”  He stated shakily.

“Why should it not be?”  She asked.  “You have seen only a fraction of what our masters are capable of, yet it is enough to cow you.  Our own strength, and perhaps the nature of that strength is enough to provoke the same reaction in lesser beings.”

“Lesser being?”  Jorran asked skeptically.

“Those who do not feel the Force, who cannot draw strength and knowledge from it as we do, are lesser beings.”  Adrial stated.  “It is no accusation of inferiority or declaration of their servitude, but a simple truth.  We have power where they do not, and so we are made greater by that power.”

“That’s a harsh way to judge the matter.”  He replied doubtfully.

“Not at all.  We are what we are, as are they.”  She said. “The fact of the matter remains that this is a situation where numbers are not necessarily an advantage.  I know not exactly how we will prevail, yet we shall.  Of that, I am sure.”

“Sure?”  Jorran said doubtfully, “How can you be sure when you haven’t even _witnessed_ the devastation of which I speak?  You have spend most of your life around Miera and Arais, so I _do not question_ your knowledge of their capabilities, yet you have seen naught but a low-class anti-personnel cannon from Kia’s vessel.  The meanest of the ships we stand to face bear weapons which can render a man to _nothing_with a single blast.”

“I know nothing of what we are to face, I admit this openly.”  Adrial countered.  “However, as you have said, I know the power of our masters much more thoroughly than you can as of yet.”  She stepped closer to Jorran, as if desiring to confide a great secret.  

“I was but a young girl when our ship crashed onto this world, Jorran.” Adrial spoke softly. “For as long as I can remember they have been my guardians, giving me the security to go on living in peace as I will without desire for any recompense.  Many are the nights when I, a helpless young woman, feared no nightly beast whilst they stood guard over us.  The recognized my talent with the Force as soon as they laid eyes on me, yet they required no obedience further than they asked of any other in exchange for their protection, and only when I wished for their teachings.  My youth _ended_ they day I misused my powers with intent to aid my a loved one, and someone very dear to me perished as consequence.  Those two offered me the capacity to control my abilities, and required only that I followed their guidance, which was only offered for my own benefit, and has never failed me.”  She tightened her fists.  “I must admit, your questioning of them feels an insult to my very being.  Yet, while you have an ignorance of their benevolence, you possess knowledge of the depravity and strength of our foes.  Thus, I cannot hold you at fault, much as I wish to.”

“The Jedi would never permit such thought.”  Jorran snorted.  “Your words reek of half-truths.”

“Tell me, Jorran.”  Adrial said calmly.  “How many Jedi now live to _permit_ anything?”

“That has no bearing on this,” Jorran spoke heatedly, “we were betrayed from within.  Skywalker turned to the Dark Side and helped the Empire hunt us down, we stood little chance.  Now his son seeks to undo the damage that is his inheritance, and we should provide what aid we can in that endeavor.”

“Standing a chance would not have been necessary,” Adrial pointed out, “had he been shown to recognize, embrace, and control his own Dark Side.  The Light offers peace and strength through long dedication, yet the Dark always beckons with the promise of quick progress.  Thus, those who opt for the light become numerous and weak, while those who choose the Dark are weeded out, with only the strong surviving.  In the end, quality trumps quantity, as proven by _two_ Sith who were able to decimate the entire Jedi order till they held little import or strength.”

“Yes, I know.  Balance between the two is key, I’ve seen that.  But surely one can still act ethically while still maintaining that balance?” 

“What can anyone consider ethical?”  Adrial asked.  “Will you follow a set of rules irregardless of the outcome, provided they suit your personal morality?  Too much generosity and protection breeds dependency and weakness, as the Jedi displayed much to the detriment of the general public.  The Sith follow the opposite, following only their own desire, so that any public support must be the result of coercion or bribery, as the Empire has shown.  Your old order only weakened the Republic, and then the Sith simply cleared the way for something greater.”

“Do you propose that our destiny is to create a new world order, Adrial?”  Jorran snorted.  “To counter the ignorance of _lesser folk_ with our inspired wisdom, is that our goal?”

“Not at all, Jorran.” Adrial replied. “Only to restore balance to the galaxy, and see that it is maintained.  The methods for achieving this goal are blatantly obvious at this point, we must crush the opposition, the Empire.”

“_Crush the Empire?_  You must be joking!”  Jorran scoffed at the idea. “We are but a few, and they are many.  Force or no, we cannot counter them with brute force.”

“Perhaps not, yet you forget your lessons on War, Jorran.”  Adrial pointed out.

“Jedi studied the ways of peace, not of war.  I received no such lessons in my own days as a learner.”  Jorran admitted.

“And naturally, they perished as a result.”  Adrial stated.  “War is not the application of military might to eliminate the foe.  One must recognize what feeds the enemy war machine, and cripple that source of sustenance.  Without logistics, any army becomes a simple raiding force within a short span.  Deceive the foe, appear to mass your forces at one spot, only to strike at another.  Be as smoke, visible only when the fire is already lit.  Play to your strengths and against the weaknesses of your opposition.  If you must face the enemy in battle, see to it that you visit such a slaughter upon them that they lose their taste for battle.”

“The Empire doesn’t care much for the welfare of its soldiers.”  Jorran added.  “Such a tactic will be for naught.”

“Perhaps, yet to wage a war with intent to reclaim a galaxy, one must be ready to employ any tactic as necessary.”

***​
“Can I just do that over?”  Kal sighed as Aasan’s clever little trap unfolded itself.  Where the Sethi apprentice had formed what he considered to be a decent assault strategy, the Kel Dor had found a weakness, which became a deathtrap for the young man’s holographic troops. 

“No backsies.”  Aasan replied as a few swift moves brought the game to a finish.

“Great,” Kal said with disappointment. “Two out of three, then?”  

“Oh, I think that’s quite enough, Kal.”  Aasan keyed a small switch on the side of the table, causing the figures to dissipate into nothingness.

“Good timing, we’re about to arrive at the lake.”  Miera said as she entered the lounge.  “Has our guest shown any signs of waking?”  She pointed towards the black-uniformed Imperial Officer who was currently bound and gagged on one of the lounge seats.

“None at all, he’s been out cold this whole time.”  Aasan cracked his knuckles.

“We’re going to need as much information as we can get out of him, so we’re going to have to do some interrogation.”  Miera approached the unconscious Imperial and prodded him a few times. “There doesn’t seem to be any harm done, so I could wake him if need be.”

“So wake him and do your Mind Trick thing, or whatever it is you do.”  Aasan shrugged.

“There’s a problem with that,” she replied, “he’s highly training in resisting mental manipulation through the force, so my talents in that respect will be quite useless here.”

“But how is that possible?”  Kal asked. “As powerful as you are, master, you shouldn’t have any trouble overcoming that.”

“I wish it were so, Kal, but I can with difficulty.  Unfortunately, there are signs that he has undergone a strange ritual which greatly impedes any contact with the force.”  Miera frowned.  “Such a technique is usually reserved for and used only on force sensitives, which severs contact with the Force.  When used on a normal being, any possible contact is made incredibly difficult, if not impossible.  Go ahead, Kal.  Try and do something to him.”

“Alright, if you insist.”  Kal focused on tipping the Imperial off of his seat, and nothing happened.  To his surprise, it was as if the man was actively repulsing the Force itself.  He felt…slippery.  The uniform however appeared to be less affected by the strange resistance, and with a tug to the imperial’s sleeve Kal rolled him over onto his face.

“Somehow I’m not impressed.”  Aasan mused.  “How does one go about having this technique done?”

“Seeking a way to avoid our influence, eh Aasan?”  Kal chuckled.  “I don’t blame you, I wouldn’t want to be vulnerable to the Force if I wasn’t sensitive, myself.”

“If only it were that simple.”  Miera smiled.  “There are some notable side-effects, however…”

“I’m sure I can cope.”  Aasan grinned.

“If you don’t mind complete memory loss from before the time of the ritual and a bit of schizophrenia, I can schedule you for an appointment.”  Miera said jokingly.

“Damn, I knew there’d be a catch somewhere.”  The Kel Dor sighed.

“Yes, there always is.” Miera said as a beeping alert sounded from the cockpit. “We’ve arrived, I must see to the people.  I’d like you two to conduct the interrogation, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t see why not, if your nifty abilities are more or less useless.” Aasan jabbed. “I’ve pried some information out of people in the past once or twice.”

“And I’ve got this.” Kal lit is lightsaber, which while only on the stun setting was still impressive.

“Good.”  Miera clapped the Imperial on the shoulder, waking him as if from a light reverie.  “Have fun, but try and be sure to avoid any _fail-safe_ systems if you can.”  She headed towards the loading ramp as Kia ran past towards the cockpit.

Aasan looked to Kal, who looked to the Imperial, who promptly saw Kal’s lightsaber and appeared to have shat himself.

“It’s a good thing you’re finally awake.”  Aasan said absently, leaning back into the cushy seat.  “We were thinking we’d have to toss you to the Masliths.”

The officer’s eyes never left Kal’s lit blade, yet he managed to put on a quizzical expression behind the gag.

“Oh, this interests you?”  Aasan asked quietly, indicating the lightsaber. “Perhaps you’d like to be better acquainted with it.”  He nodded to Kal, who took the hint and left the tip of the saber hovering near enough the man’s eye as to sear his eyebrows.  He seemed to get the point, going quite stiff.

“Of course, we can avoid that if you just provide us with some information.  Can you do that for us, or will my friend here have to begin carving his initials into your scalp?”  Aasan leaned forward and traced a quick grouping of letters across the Imperial’s head.  “Either way you will speak in the end, and so it is very much in your best interest to fess up before we decide to get creative.” Kal flicked the tip of his blade along the officer’s hair, briefly igniting the foremost locks.

The black-uniformed Imperial appeared to be trying to speak, but the only sounds that escaped the gag were muffled, incomprehensible, and somewhat panicked.  Kal flicked his blade, severing the gag and providing a very shallow slash across the Imperial’s face.

“You know I can’t tell you anything.”  He spoke directly to Kal, as if Aasan weren’t present at all.  “The master has ensured that there is no point in questioning me, you know this, not that your pet will know anything of such _civilized_ ways.”  Aasan quite remarkably did not even flinch at the barely disguised insult.

“How can I be sure you are not simply bluffing for your own sake?”  Kal enquired, waving his saber under the prisoner’s nose pointedly.  “The master also dislikes failure,” he bluffed, “especially failure on such a scale as you have committed.”

“An entire combat team killed to the last man can’t be impressive in the eyes of your superiors.”  Aasan offered.

“Ha!  You think they care about the lives of that paltry few?”  The Imperial scoffed.  “They were but a single drop of water from our oceans of soldiers, and you think your tiny victory impresses?  You are more foolish than you look.”

Kal prodded slightly with his blade, searing a small line across the man’s face.  “A victory, you say?  We were just warming up.  Just you wait until my brethren and I start fighting seriously, and we’ll see who the foolish one is.”

“You think yourself a Jedi, do you?”  Their prisoner chuckled.  “They went extinct decades ago, or do you mean to join up with that Skywalker whelp?  It doesn’t matter, he will be dealt with soon enough, and you shall follow in the _extremely_ event that you survive the night.”

“Jedi?”  It was Kal’s turn to laugh, now.  “No, I would not imagine myself amongst their lofty ranks.”

“It doesn’t matter either way.” Aasan interjected, sneering behind his mask.  “The Emperor is long dead, and his vicar Vader lies with him.  You no longer have a feared dictator to keep order amongst you, and the Rebellion grows stronger every day.  It is _your_ defeat that is inevitable, not ours.”  The Kel-Dor prodded the man harshly in the neck.

“These animals don’t have much sense, do they _Jedi_?”  The captive mocked.

“Perhaps, but that should not be what concerns your worthless self.”  Kal almost growled.

“What should concern me, then?  That your pathetic rebellion will hope we build another Death Star for you do destroy through some convenient weakness?  Will they pester us with their toy ships?  Or maybe you expect the Jedi to return to deliver you from bondage?”  The prisoner taunted.

“Not the Jedi, no.”  Kal spoke without emotion, punctuating his words with shallow gashes across the man’s face. “Sadly for you, their silly order allowed itself to be destroyed by their complacency, and their mercy died with them.  There is A New Power in the Galaxy, and it knows neither mercy nor forbearance.  The Republic’s Jedi and your Sith were ended through their own stupidity, and shall never disgrace the Galaxy through their dogmatic idiocy ever again.  You face the unbridled wrath of the Force, and should your Empire choose to test its fury, the ensuing slaughter will be not to our end, but to yours.”

“A Jedi would never speak as you have.”  Aasan stared coldly at Kal.

“A Jedi also wouldn’t do _this_.”  Kal’s blade slashed down through the Imperial’s face, sending his unmoving form to the floor.

***​
“Lash it down tighter, we don’t want any possibility that it can slide around the ship while we’re in flight.”  Nakima directed the other men of the village as the women ushered the children on board the assault shuttle and carried their few prized possessions with them.

“You’re completely serious, man?”  Jaess questioned Kal’s father.  “Absolutely invulnerable, even against a lightsaber, and completely _frictionless_?”

“I can think of nothing with the same properties as the device that protects the _Dawnsprinter’s_ hyperdrive.”  Nakima said admiringly, running a hand over the perfectly smooth silvery mirror that had formed on the surface of the drive.  “The effects are undeniable though, so we must make sure it never falls into anyones hands.”

“You mean anyone’s other than mine, of course.”  Kia stated.  “My ship, my drive, silver thingy or no silver thingy.”

“Naturally, it is yours, Kia.”  Aasan said for what seemed the sixth time.  “Still, we cannot allow the Empire to get their hands on it; else the consequences could be disastrous.”

“On the contrary, that may be exactly what we should be hoping for.”  Nakima said distractedly.

“What?”  Jorran blinked in surprise.  “Explain yourself, Nakima.”

“Well, it’s all just theoretical, but I have heard of experiments in teleportation which result in a supposedly impenetrable barrier surrounding the subject shortly followed by an antimatter detonation.”  He scratched his chin thoughtfully before noting that everyone suddenly grew very silent.  The elderly technician waved off their concerns.  “Of course, the field in question never lasted more than a few nanoseconds, a few short frames captured on the high speed recorders.  This could be something altogether different.”

A set of clanking footsteps announced the arrival of Arlee, who shook his head doubtfully for the humans’ benefit as he approached the hyperdrive.  “You forget to account for scale, sir.  The Separatist experiments you mention of which very few had been conducted, used test samples far smaller than the average grain of sand.  The largest of which is, if my databases are not mistaken, was no more than a photon.  Judging from that, and extrapolating on the possible combined effects of mass difference, surface area, atomic weight, and other complicating factors, I’d hypothesize a detonation delay of approximately forty-eight hours at the maximum.”

“Well, that’s good.”  Arias shrugged.  Everyone promptly looked at him as one would a pink stormtrooper dancing around waving pom-poms.  “What, so the ticking time bomb of penultimate doom is _ours_.  Show a little optimism, will you?”

“It’s also on our _ship_.”  Jorran pointed out.

“Are you _mad_?!”  Kia almost shrieked.  “If that’s what it is then we need to get it as far away from us as possible, *right now*!”

“I too would prefer to jettison the doomsday device before it makes us all very dead.”  Adrial suggested.

“How can you be _very_ dead?”  Arlee asked curiously, his single bright green eye focusing on her. “Either an organic is alive or it is not, there is no ground between the two.”

“Well, antimatter tends to un-make things on the atomic level, so…we’d be dead _and_ our bodies would cease to exist as matter.”  Adrial offered.

“Then your physical form would cease to be, and you would be just as dead as before.”  Arlee forced himself to sigh. “I should take the time to introduce you organics to my friend Simple Logic at some point in the near future…”

“Maybe I should intro my friend Mister _Electromagnet_ to your memory core.”  Jaess said with frustration. 

“I don’t think this is the time to be contemplating robocide, missy.” Nakima said forcefully.

“Indeed.”  Arlee nodded.  “I must inform you that I have been running possible scenarios for other potential identities of the device, and I gather the possibility of the antimatter scenario as being 99.98% possible.”

“What are the other two hundred percentiles?” Jaess requested inquisitively.

“Mostly references in old holographic scholarly holograms which suggest the generation of the black hole in such a circumstance.”  Arlee answered blankly.

“That’s…not a good thing.”  Aasan shuddered.  “We should take our leave.  Now.”

“Fine then, we use it as a weapon against our opposition.”  Miera suggested.  “But right now, everyone is secure and we really must be going.”

“Right, then.  Which ship carries the supernova-in-a-box?”  Kal asked.


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## Angcuru (May 30, 2007)

Its a _tad_ late, I know.      But I've finally found some post-graduation work so I can start writing regularly now.  Probably.  You know how I can be.


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## Salthorae (Jun 18, 2009)

any chance you got some updates for this story Angcuru?


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