Dashel Illioni

For a moment, Dashel hears an all to familiar quote flashing through his memories and has to resist the urge to say, "Its raspberry, only one person ever dares to..." He shakes his head to clear the random though and brings his focus back to the present. No Jedi should be distracted when more serious matters demand their attention. Dashel turns to Kala and gives some very simple instructions. Moments later the ship drops through the atmosphere towards the planet below. Specifically, it begins its approach to some reserve pads located some distance from the temple. "Dashel, why are we not engaging Bhelliom directly?" "The medical supplies take priority. Besides, despite all the modifications in this ship, do you think its up to outmaneuvering Bhelliom?" "The things being bracketed from the ground as well." Dashel smiled and again asked, "Do you think this ship is capapable of outmaneuvering Bhelliom with its current burdens? Kala blinked then caught his drift. He got up and walked towards the back of the ship and the small fighter stored in the rear launching bay. It was unarmed, agile and better suited to getting past Bhelliom. Seconds later he cleared the bay and both ships began their descent towards the planet. Kala and Dashel were both aboard the smaller craft while she used her connection to pilot the main ship towards the landing pads to deliver the goods that had loaded aboard. All of its defense systems, passive and active, were readied and waiting while Dashel had begun to sink deeper into the force.

Grass Tiger exited hyperspace just shy of Gala's gravity well, directly over top of the planet's Northern Pole. Dashel immediately inserted the ship into an orbit the computer indicated would take them directly to the temple. During the flight through hyperspace, he and Kala had debated on just what and how they would do against Faust. The man was simply too creative and they had fallen back on the Jedi's traditional ally, the force and its various whims. It also had been decided that they would enter properly. Dashel called the temple, inquiring as to the state of the battle and where his help would be appreciated. ”¦Begin Comm”¦This is Jedi Knight Dashel Illioni in the Grass Tiger, I am here to render assistance as needed. Please advise as too where I am best needed, else I will serve as I see fit”¦.End Comm”¦

”¦Burksed”¦ ”œOW!”

If the creature charging him was something created by his master to test him, then Uriel would prove equal to the task of being a Sith. After all, it was not like the creature before him would understand just how badly over-matched it was. Its sense in the force was all pain and rage without the intellect to guide those emotions in a constructive manner, not to mention completely lacking any access to the force. Even someone with Uriel's level of rudimentary command of the force could see several possibilities ahead of his opponent and act accordingly. One possibility really leaped out at him among those he saw before and he acted mere footsteps before the creature could close the massive arms around him. Using the Force to power his leap, Uriel leaped up and back, high enough to clear the creature's extensive reach and land upon an angled surface. He let his weight settle briefly, using it to compress his muscles for leaping out and over the creature. His boots retained their traction on the rain slicked surface of the Kamino, leaped high and long to land on the other side of the platform. He landed lightly and spun about to face the creature which had yet to realize that its target was no longer in front of him. Uriel nearly lost his footing on the slick surface of the platform, going down to one knee in an effort to stay upright. As it was, he realized that being one knee gave him a better firing position and decided that for the time being it would be advisable to stay down. The creature was across the platform and that meant he had time to line up his next shots. Uriel pulled the trigger of his sidearm, this time ready for the explosive effects it generated at muzzle point. His first shot missed the creature, taking out a chunk of the balcony in front of the Wookie ”“ cyborg. The creature turned towards him and resumed its charge. There was no pity in the Sith's eyes as he leveled the overpowered weapon directly at the creature and pulled the trigger a second time. Guided by the force, the shot was aimed at the creature's leg in an effort to knock the creature over the side and into the world ocean below.

(Sorry about this small wall of text.) The Kaminoan tech that gingerly entered Uriel's private quarters sported a very familiar hand shaped bruise upon his neck. Uriel barely acknowledged the man's presence, instead focusing on a treatise he had found regarding the Krath on the Holonet. He had information now to go along with what was being whispered to him so sibilantly by the Darkside. Among the Krath he would find a new outlet for the demands of his various hungers, but in a quiet, disciplined way far removed from the often insane impulses of the other Sith. ”œExcuse me,”

Kala and the others had led the unloading of Dashel's ship of the artifacts and computer storage that he had transshipped to Tython. Even after days of meditation on his own rebellion to the announcement made by Grandmaster Kitt, Dashel had still been shaken by his emotional response to the pronunciation. He had been in no shape to function. It had been Kala's suggestion that he go directly to the Tython temple, carrying only the minimum baggage and begin meditation on his reaction and his exile from the day to day activities of the order until he was clear on where his path, loyalties and duty lay. There was a great deal to meditate on. Dashel, fresh from the training regiment that helped him understand how to incorporate the saber-claws into his fighting routines without being overly aggressive started at the same exact point he had needed to go to to learn those routines, the beginning. He started at the Jedi code as it had been taught to him in order to state why he was wrong in his response and begin functioning as a Jedi again. There is no emotion, there is peace. He knew that his reaction was an emotional one, that he had figured out in his earlier meditations. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. Not knowing what emotions were provoking his reaction meant he did not have the knowledge to deal with them. There is no passion, there is serenity. This was where he found what was the matter after nearly of two weeks at having been stuck at this point of the code. He could not move past, yet knew that had answers to the next parts of the code. It was only the suggestion of another Jedi that he had begin examining what he identified with that he found the answer and finally understood what he had missed while examining Grandmaster Kitt's announcement. It was his loyalty to the Republic, long preached by both Jedi actions and by his own experiences that was producing the passion which was definitely disturbing his serenity. The rest fell into place easily after that and he knew that when eventually left Tython he would be refreshed and ready to rejoin the Jedi Order's day to day operations. First though, he had business to tend to on Tython and he wanted to spend some more time meditating. The examination of his own identity had raised more than a few question and he believed that taking the time to understand those questions would make him towards being a better Jedi.

Dashel sat listening to a recording of the debate between Grandmaster Kitt and the Jedi whom had joined him on the Double Helix. He sat silently through the recording and meditated on what he had seen and heard. His initial reaction to the recording had been one of excitement. Something sang in his veins and in the Force whenever he meditated on the subject. The song was a joyous one, one that celebrated a brave and noble decision. Being a Jedi meant that he could not simply be excited and run off to join the rest of his brethren, which was why he found himself working deep into several nights working through the ramifications of what the Jedi master had proposed. There were quite a large number and the effort was more than a little enlightening. He found himself carefully researching everything that was reflected in the decision and came to the conclusion that the Grandmaster's reasoning was fairly sound in reasoning and in well guided by the force. He still did not agree with it, nor did he found himself guided by the force to join his fellow Jedi in what lay ahead. Figuring out what action to take was his next step. His research here was at an end, and the head librarian had asked him to take a delivery of several sensitive artifacts and original manuscripts to the reopened Jedi temple at Tython prior to the courier arriving from the council meeting. Tython offered him a place to further study and meditate on the force, and more importantly, a place of refuge from the galaxy temporarily. It also felt right, both in the force and in what he personally believed.

Uriel spent more than a few moments during his rehabilitation honing his connection to the dark side through various Sith rituals. Every time he did so, he found himself seeing a world through the eyes of another. It was a water world, and he kept seeing a temple with Sith elements, but was something else. During a lull in his rehabilitation, he was researching those architectural elements he could remember on the holonet. He found his answer on a small, obscure site that purported to explain to the general public the differences between the various factions of Force Using traditions in the galaxy. One of the factions with a very sparse description was the Krath, a faction of force users sometimes associated with the Sith, but often identified as being seperate. Of specific note was their emphasis on experimentation in whatever field their member was dedicated too. It set Uriel back a moment. He had always assumed that he was simply going to pursue the path of the Sith. His desires, what he enjoyed and reveled in were best supported by the darkside. Yet something in the description of the Krath appealed to something inside him. It was something quiet, something he had never heard in even those twilight moments just before sleep. A tech, checking in on Uriel nearly lost his life when he dared to glimpse over Uriel's shoulder during his research earned that life back when helped the apprentice in his search by gasping out "Your master is a Krath" while being choked in an enraged apprentices grasp.

Kaminoan technicians filed several reports on the difficulties of implanting the personality included in the file titled US-361953130-FS-S-1. Their struggles were duly noted, replied to, compensated for, and in the end, they succeeded in doing what they had been instructed to do. That did not mean the final produced clone was faultless. Uriel woke on the cloner's couch with a massive headache and memories of at least 2 separate lives, and no idea of how to reconcile which one had been or was real. He could remember learning to run with a group, learning to support and be supported, and helping those unable to stay with the group improve. The lesson had been important, formative to whom he was, it had been at his core. The memory would shift though, and the same companions whom had once helped those weaker them themselves had turned on the weakest members of the group and excised the imperfection from the group. Various technicians assured him the confusion would pass and his mind would reconcile what was going on. Uriel wanted to throttle them, but decided that doing so would be even weaker than just focusing on being Sith. Whenever he felt confusion about whom he was, he used his anger at that weakness to banish it completely from his mind. In between bouts of memory related problems, Uriel's time was spent becoming associated with the improvements of his new body. The components that made him what he was had been updated and improved in some very unexpected ways.. He was quite surprised and pleased with the part of the work done by the Kamino cloners.

The mind of every clone ever created started out blank then evolved depending on the preference of who was creating the clone and what it was intended for. For clones intended for purposes other than personal resurrection, then some basic flash learning and personality traits where added before the clone was awakened, or, if being created for a military occupation, then key skills would be directly transferred from the templates stored for that occasion. For personnel clones, the story was similar, but different in execution. The clone in question would receive only the personality and memories of the individual who had ordered the clone body. No new skills would be imparted during the resurrection process. Occasionally, however, those awakening in new clone bodies would report shadowed memories of events that had never happened and or memories that were altered in some detail that researchers found most often to be the result of errors in the cloning process. The technicians on duty had their hands full with normal Sith, but one with a neural net in place which used technology abandoned centuries before that had somehow become integrated into the genetic memory of every clone almost made them abandoned the clone altogether. Two options were discussed, rebuild it without those cellular complications or updating the technology of the neural net and related implants could make future clone transfers far easier on all parties. Further complicating the fact was that the technicians found two competing personalities present, as if someone had attempted to overwrite a personality in an organic body with a carefully created construct. Both proposals simply shrugged away the competing personalities and recommended that the personalities be simply merged. Before anything could be done, the technicians submitted their proposals to management and went about their various routines. The reply had been quick, much to the lab's surprise. The lab's orders were to clone the individual, updated the various technological components to at least galactic standard and implant the personality in file US-361953130-FS-S-1 without delay.

Research was something that Dashel was beginning to find exasperating. It seemed that out of every 10 promising leads, only 1 in 10 would ever amount to anything. Worse was the simple fact, as Kala reminded him, that for every lead that got passed the first level of examination, only 1 in 100 went any further. Had he not had the very difficult workout sessions and meditation series to look forward to, he might have given up the chase. Yet he had them, and it helped to keep him focused. The harder he worked on all three, the more things seem to come together until the day his patience paid off. He found a single clue, buried in a child's primer of all places that had once belonged to a Jedi master who had been in charge of one of the old order's creches. A simple flimsy, on which was printed a single series of Triani runes which Dashel recognized from the holocron that had been the reason for his initial trip to the temple on Coruscant. It seemed the holocron had more secrets to unlock. He had not had time to access the device before yet another workout, but vowed that on the next morning he would have a conversation with the gatekeeper personality. At the workout, he was sparring with Kala, when she went nearly totally inert for a few seconds. Concerned, as she had never displayed the slightest flaw before, he activated his wrist cuff and scanned her. The device's display indicated that there were not difficulties, just that she was receiving a massive data download. Dashel did something assumed by many to be an easy task for most Jedi. He waited. After a few moments, Kala reactivated and stared at Dashel before saying anything. When she did, it was something that startled him. "Seems someone stole one of your old ship's from the former temple grounds on Coruscant and used it to attack a Mandolorian. I hope you don't mind, but I decided that you owed him a favor." She paused a moment before continuing, "It might do you some good to have to fill that favor." Dashel frowned, not sure that owing anything to a Mandolorian was a good idea. He paused a moment, than decided that if it happened, it happned and there was nothing he could do about it. The workout ended, merged into a meditation session, dinner, and then a night of rest for the Jedi.

Dashel's plan for a single workout extended into several day long workout sessions. The sheer physical exhaustion he suffered helped him reach the force in a far calmer state than he achieved in a while. He was in his third week of effort when something urged him to return to the library and the information he had left there. There was no threat in what he was reading this time. Instead, it was knowledge and no matter how it was generated, it was available. He entered cautiously, eventually submerging himself in what he found. Time passed quickly, with the first day rapidly becoming a week. He passed throughout it all, one with the force and guided by it throughout the process. When he finished, he knew he had a solid foundation for using the weapons. There was more to learn, though, and he began searching the archives for further clues as to where he could find further his journey.

Uriel's Ship Name: Dark Heart Class: Raider Model: modified VT-49 Decimator: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/VT-49_Decimator Manufacturer: Sienar Fleet Systems, Length: 32.6 meters Armaments: 4x quad laser cannons in 2x turrets., 4x fixed blaster canons, 2x fixed ion cannons, 2x bomb (20 total) chutes, 2x hardpoints Hyperdrive, Class 1.0, Backup 5 Description: Found and stolen off of Onderon. Armor Physical Armor, Ablative, Heavy Shielding: Heavy Anti-personnel Ray shielding, anti-personnel turrets external, 2x Chain Guns. Internal, 4x sonic cannons (stun, fatal) Others 6 months consumables, holonet transceiver, hyperspace capsules, sensor mask, maneuvering jets, 2x External Drone Hardpoints (4x each) , 4x Point Defense System (a.p. on ground) Passive Detection and Jamming Notes Intentional Overkill. Also has a full weapons lab and mechanics station.

Meditation was the first skill taught to all padawans because of its usefullness in helping to keep a Jedi aware of the consequences of his or her actions, both in the long term and in the short term on the world outside of themselves and the internal effects. It was one of those processes that when Jedi failed to participate fully into it, that could be counted as a key component of the reason for their downfall. As he was walking towards the mediation room, Dashel had a flash of thought about what he was going to be undertaking. It was funny, but the whole process seemed to be about repeating his padawan days. Granted he had been older than most, and so had missed out on something. He took a moment to think about it, then went ahead and did something more traditional padawans underwent. Instead of a more traditional meditation session, he instead headed to the gym for a very difficult workout, one guaranteed to exhaust him and force him to a heightened state of awareness that was often Padawans first step into the higher mysteries of the force.

The restricted section did indeed hold the tomes he had been looking for. What failed to surprise him was that the information had been created by a Jedi knight. He took a moment to see why it was here, a few moments work helped him to the answer. The former Jedi had fallen to his own aggression. Dashel paused a moment before continuing, pausing to reflect on where he was going with his research. He decided to have the librarian hold the books while he withdrew for some meditation. He wanted to be centered before starting off into knowledge that might or might not be tainted by the darkside.

Dashel eventually found the tomes that had been listening, but then had to convince the librarian in charge of the archives that he was qualified to enter the restricted section of the archives. After a short delay, she passed him through to enter the section. He was escorted the whole way, ostensibly to ensure that proper archival measures were taken to protect the terms he was searching for. That they were still in tomes was no surprise. Knowledge created by the Sith was often not digitized to add an extra layer of security.

Dashel found just a couple of the tomes that had been listed in his researches. the one that had caught his attention had been written by a Twi'lek Jedi whose clan on Ryloth had been noted for its powers of assassination. That strange Jedi had left a holocron behind. Dashel had dashed to where the holocrons were stored and quickly determined the thing was present. His status as a Jedi Knight was enought to allow him access to this one, so he quickly took it to a small nook to begin making an acquaintance with the device's gatekeeper.

Dashel eventually grew tired of the crowds in the temple foyer and found himself in the temple archives. The research that he wished to conduct was quite rare, as weapons other than lightsabers were not usual to Jedi. Days of searching led to continuous dead ends until nearly 2 weeks had passed. It was on the 12th day that he found a clue what he was searching for. That clue was a single line in a tome that was a copy of a copy of an item from an ancient Jedi who experimented in alternative weapons. He in turn listed several sources who proclaimed expertise with the alternative weapons and rated them according to their actual experience and success. He broke for a single day, then returned to search for the titles that had been listed.

Dashel had gotten lost in the vast temple complex while mentally reviewing his latest failure in attempting to modify the standard Jedi lightsaber forms to fit his saber claws. The claws, far shorter than the standard lightsaber, made some of the forms impractical and also blended too well with his species predatory instincts. What broke him from the reverie he was in was the rumbling of a stomach long overdue for a meal. The hunger, combined with some ancient instinct made him notice a young humanoid avian walk un-greeted through the temple's main entrance. Pushing those primal instincts aside was as simple as willing them to the force. When he did so, he could sense the young female in the force. Hers was an untrained presence, shining forth in a quite undisciplined manner. He moved across the room, in a direct line for the young female determined that he would at the very least make a civilized greeting on the behalf of the Jedi. "Greetings young one, I am Dashel, welcome to the Jedi temple on Gala."

For the crew of the Glasstiger, their layover at Ossus lasted long enough for various goods to be loaded onto their ship. Most of the goods that were delivered were standard for a ship that spent long periods away from port, spare parts being the most prevalent. One particularly consignment was of particularly interest to Elizabeth, the sixteen year old card-shark Dashel had acquired at the Golden Link. She had been completely withdrawn and silent for the first part of the voyage, opening up about herself only after an encounter with Kala where the young girl had asked Kala what kind of Master Dashel was. Kala's laughter had echoed through the spaces of the ship. Elizabeth had acted hurt until Kala had explained that Dashel had already submitted the necessary manumism papers for her during a brief real time transit between hyperspace routes. After the encounter, Elizabeth had been less withdrawn and more likely to take part in some of the daily chores necessary to running the ship. In particular, she had proven popular with Burksed's older daughters, an observation that had prompted a discussion between Burksed, his wife and Dashel that had lasted late into the night. From Ossus , they had proceeded to Gala where they had landed at the small shipyard and dealership Burksed had founded there. The Glasstiger and its resident Delta 12 had been immediately rolled into the nearest extended term maintenance bay for some way over due upgrades to the software of various systems. The ”˜tigers whiskers, main sensor array, navigation systems, communications system were, over the course of the upgrade, brought into a more modern operations. During the upgrade, the imperial tracking devices that had been placed on the Delta 12 had been detected and both ships had then been quarantined while a thorough decontamination had taken place. One area that had received particular attention was the ship's galley. As a Jedi, Dashel had never felt the need for anything more than simple meals, and it had been equipped and stocked accordingly. The entire Burksed clan had taken it upon themselves during their journey to educate the Jedi Knight on just how bad the onboard food was, with the most vocal being Burksed's youngest. That vocal tirade had been punctuated by a tantrum that had involved a great deal of food being chucked at Dashel who had remarked, much to the parent's total dismay, that the child had to be force sensitive to be that accurate. It had taken 3 days for him to calm the fears of a very anxious mother after that, assuring her that her child was not going to have to train at the Jedi temple. The exchange had clarified their involvement with Dashel and the rest of the Jedi Order. Dashel might be their benefactor in many ways, but they were weary of what he could do or become. After all, they reasoned, the Jedi temple was still producing Jedi whose known crimes were fairly lengthy. Explanations about the Sith had fallen on deaf ears, and had left Dashel with much to ponder. During the refit, Dashel had been alone after hours in the shipyard's small cantina during a break in the refit and had been cornered by Burksed's wife. The very determined women had been seeking such a moment to both continue the conversation about their children's force sensitivity and the future of the shipyard, repair facilities and dealerships Burksed had set up on various planets. She had had enough of people who took advantage of Burked's talent, and wanted to know Dashel's intentions toward the various facilities. Dashel had grinned at her, and gently broke it to her that all he wanted was a place to repair his ship, work on projects that interested him, and someplace to rest between various missions. Whatever else occurred at the shops was up to his corporate partners, namely Burksed and his family. The women had been entirely pleased when she had heard that, and became far happier when she realized that Dashel had given her family a 50% stake in the combined company. As the overhaul on the ship had become more and more centered on the software, Dashel had left the more intricate details to Kala and Burksed and moved on to other pursuits, namely maintaining his personal equipment and developing and effective fighting technique around the unique characteristics of his saber-claws. Both lightsabers had needed work, whether from simply replacing worn out parts or upgrading various components. It had been an anxious time for Dashel, because the facilities on Gala simply did not have the necessary equipment or raw material for building a Lightsaber from the beginning of the process. It was after the re-sealing of his sabers that he found himself stopping a lightsaber routine to watch the antics of Elizabeth and Tahki as Elizabeth had attempted to pursuit the creature around the observation lounge where he had been practicing. Elizabeth was trying to scold the small creature while laughing at its antics as it attempted to run from her with a meter long staff topped by a small glass bauble. Apparently proud of herself from successfully avoid Elizabeth, Tahki had run over to Dashel with the staff and had given it to him. Afterward, she had run back to Elizabeth, climbed up the stunned girl until she was able to sit on the girl's should, where Tahki had proceeded to roundly scold Elizabeth. Elizabeth's confused look had prompted Dashel to laugh and say, ”œShe's probably telling you that you will never be able to catch or her, or that you need to be less clumsy. You should hear her after I spend time sparring with Kala or practicing at a firing range.”

Real Name: Uriel Stonedog Nickname: Species: Bio-Engineered, Unique (I hope so anyway) Physical Traits Age: 1 month Height: 3/4 meter Weight: 110 kilos Hair: Blue Skin: Blue-Gray Eyes: Amber Sex: Presumably Male. Uriel's load out Lightsaber: double bladed, dual phase, (capable of being used seperated.) x2 Light Blaster Pistol x4 Clothing: All but backpack are stored except for really special occasions. Loincloth, Armored Synthweave. Knee length. Has pockets. Can resist light blasters and slug throwers Backpack: 3 pockets, contains the Krone, the Lady, and the Child. Jacket: covers him to mid-thigh, can resist light blasters and light slug throwers. Contains a signal boosting mesh for data transmission/receipt. Has holes cut for spines to poke through. Belt: Standard utility belt, contains some extra space for various components. Cape: ankle length. Heavy. Contains several pockets for various components. Body Weapons Back Spines[/]: Contain Lethal Poison Claws: All six pairs can be poisoned by rubbing them against back spines. Normally a six legged creature, he can store two of his arms somewhere in his torso, just don't ask where cause he doesn't know. Description: An artificial lifeform created by a BlackSun scientist to serve as a living weapon of mass destruction, the program continuously failed until someone decided to combine their creation with the recently acquired genetic code of a recently deceased Jedi. Only the work of the scientists got the Jedi after he'd be tortured to returning to the Darkside. The program had its first true success and its first true horror story, as Uriel found the monster's body quite to his liking with its insane density and physicality. The small Dark Sun lab died horribly, and the former experiment took to a shuttle and escaped to the stars. A mid-flight shuttle accident stranded him on Onderon in the hands of a minor noble house of ancient lineage. Thinking him a pet, they allowed him the run of the house and took him wherever they went. Despite his intense hatred of the situation, he allowed the farce to continue as he explored their mansion, for he sensed something of the Darkside within their premises. Affter two years of frustrating search, he found what he was looking for deep within a sanctuary nominally dedicated to the nauseating light. Behind a wall in that sanctuary, he found a small ring that contained a holocron with three Sith spirits locked away inside, the Krone, the Woman, and the Childe. All are of the same, yet seperate with them aging backwards. (the Krone is the youngest version). They are also the Lord, the Master, and the Gatekeeper in order of descent. He has yet to delve further into them knowing only they provide him with power. It is enough for now.

Coming soon to a databank near you!

Dashel had been here before, but maybe not in exactly this position. He faced a rather comely human female who was attempting to bluff him out of the very large pile of credit chips on the table between them and his hand was the stuff legendary bluffs were made of. In short, he had nothing. At least he had nothing if one forgot to reckon with the Force. Subtle touches from the force had long alerted him to the fact that his erstwhile opponent had been cheating even before he had joined the game and had helped him, against his better judgement, decide to join the game. It was after he had joined the game and it had become clear that he was the only competition at the table for her that the jackpots had become astronomical and the number of the players at the table at been reduced to exactly two. The house had certainly taken notice, but that was only obvious if one had the force or knew what to look for. Dashel could see it in her eyes. She knew the house had taken notice and had known what to look for. She was a professional gambler, far above him in skill. Without the force she would have cleaned him out. With it, he had managed to stay in the game and even possibly pull slightly ahead. Dashel was trying to read her eyes as she raised the pot once again. There were now enough credits on the table to purchase a small space station. He personally thought she was bluffing and decided to return the raise to her once again. He blinked when she raised again and effectively doubled the amount of the pot between them. He sighed, sat back and looked around the room at the various people gathered around the table. Kala was in the ring of spectators, just behind his opponent and posing as a bubble headed blonde and from the couple of men that were constantly buying her drinks, succeeding. Bursked and family were back on the GrassTiger, after meeting with Dashel and conforming that he had successfully set up small repair, fabrication and laboratories on several planets, staffed with Droids and several living beings. None were of particularly spectacular talent, but they would do. He turned back to the game and the cards in his hand. As a temporary measure he ordered some cards from the dealer. What he got helped a little but not enough to justify what he was about to do. A new bet quickly increased the pot to four factors above what it had once been. After announcing his bet, Dashel once again watched his opponent's eyes. They widened slightly at the amount of the bet on the table. She called his bet and her eyes widened further at the sight of this cards as he laid them out. How had he, a Jedi, never learned her name? As the thought crossed his mind, he noticed a large Yuzzem crossing the casino floor to the table escorted by a casino security officer. She layed out her cards and began making a move to collect the pot but never made it. Two massive hands belonging to the Yuzzem physically pulled the women from the table and nearly 3 meters into the air. Already petite, she looked even more diminutive next to the massive, clearly angry creature. Dashel stood and quietly opened the formal jacket he had worn into the casino, clearly displaying the lightsabers there. The crowd, security and the Yuzzem immediately quieted, at least long for Dashel to have the creature put the woman back into her chair and gain control of the situation. A security man discreetly approached, and subtly avoiding the Wookie related creature, spoke directly to Dashel. "Jedi Dashel, this Yuzzem has been hunting this woman across the galaxy since her escape from a Hutt crime lord. It appears she was a slave to the Hutt." Dashel looked around the cl\roud and sighed as he realized that the beings here were expecting him to say something, preferably in the cause of justice. "What was her crime?" The Yuzzem responded in understandable Basic, "The Hutt who has put up the reward said the reward was for her knowledge of a sizable amount of money." He grinned at Dashel as he continued, "Half that pile on the table will just about satisfy the Hutt and still make you a profit Jedi." "And the girl?" "He said to sell her to highest bidder possible. I imagine there are several around here that would be willing to bid for her." "Why not take the other half and be done with it?" The Yuzzem's grin widened even further, "Done." "Kala, take her to the Grasstiger." Dashel turned to the security officer. "I will take her to the temple. There we can hope to rehabilitate her then get her a new identity so she can have a clean start. I would appreciate it if the Casino would grant me immediate clearance for launch." The guard simply said, "Of course, Jedi Dashel. I assume you will be leaving as soon as possible?" "Of course," said Dashel Moments later the Grasstiger, with one additional passenger departed for Ossus.

Kala delivered the specified items to Xanadu 11 minutes after Dashel had given her her orders. As soon he placed the items in the central hold of the ship, set them up, and insured that they were adequately powereed, he gave Tirius the okay to lift for Gala.

The recovery crews Captain Seers had brought among the original contingent from the cargo ship were beyond excellent in their handling of the recovered items. Each one was gently lifted from among the debris, photographed, catalogued, and gently moved to a small plaza were it was to wait to be placed into storage. Face after face of various masters, extending back to the Wars of Light and Darkness were removed, all damaged to some degree. Captain Seers stood by and directed things as necessary. About halfway through the room, she noticed Dashel had had one statue drawn off to one side and was carefully studying the likeness along with his constant companion, Kala. They were quietly conversing about something. Curious as to why the Jedi had interfered in the process she had set up, she wandered over to where the two of them were. ”œExcuse me, Knight Dashel, but I did set up a process by which these statues were to be preserved,”