Ilum

[Onderin Starlisk]

((I assume Rezjal-el was going to concede as well. If not, the three day rule applies.))

 

The attack went without a hitch, Adar was pleased to see. Within three seconds of the ambush being sprung, every one of the intruders had fallen unconscious, succumbed to multiple direct hits with close-range stun fire. The Jedi teams quickly reported in, then fit their captives with stun cuffs that would give a nasty, even incapacitating shock if the prisoner struggled or tried to use the Force.

 

"Alright," Adar said over the comm to both teams. "We're going to take the leader--the one who had this lightsaber and called himself Master Rengar--and get him off-world right away. We can't have him coordinating with the others, and having him separate will further test their cover story if they failed to prepare one adequately. Lock the other ones up in our most secure rooms with extra cameras and guards. I'll contact the Council and get them to send someone who can give a proper questioning... I heard Master Starlisk has a background that might make him suitable for it, plus he's hunting Sith."

 

Her orders were carried out quickly and effectively. For now, the intruders were pumped full of sedative to make sure they would be secure before they came to. Furion (though they knew not that name), was loaded onto one of the shuttles and promptly taken off world toward the core systems. Most likely he would be taken to Coruscant to see what CoreSec, the Jedi's allies against the Sith, could get out of him....

[Keenava Dira]

((Sorry for the length and the wait to get it. Also, if you know what song lyrics are in this piece, kudos to you. I just thought they fit the mood quite well.))

 

Misery...

• • Fear...

 

• • • • Anger...

 

The cold hands of her captors wrapped around her body and she felt detached, frozen. She cried out repeatedly and fought against her bonds, but it was no use. She scratched, she bit, she clawed, but Lallu was gone. The last vivid picture she saw of the world before she was thrown onto the cold dark metal floor of her cell was Furion being loaded onto a ship and the frigid fingers of fate closing in on her throat.

 

Lallu couldn't breathe she was so terrified. She hadn't felt anything like that before. It was debilitating and demoralizing. She clung to herself. She pulled her knees into her chest and just let her limp cuffed hands lie on the cold ground at her sides.

 

Her throat was raw and her face was wet. Tiny crystals of ice spread in intricate patterns across her cheeks and she couldn't see anything but pain. Those golden eyes...

 

It was all her fault...

 

After an hour or so of chaotic resistance to her bonds, Lallu finally retreated to the back of her cell and into her mind. She waited, she listened, and she reflected.

 

It’s my fault. It has to be. That shuttle description was wrong, I gave our position away. I should have been smarter. Why wasn't I smarter? ... He wouldn't have been taken away. He would have stayed here. He would have stayed beside me and helped me. Why am I left all alone?

 

Like whiplash, a sudden wave of recognition hit her. Her dependency was illuminated in a blinding light and she was deafened by the realization. She couldn't comprehend the amount of significance she placed on one man until she lost him. It had happened before, but it hadn't been her fault before. Now that it was her fault, she felt so guilty that it made her sick to her stomach. She got up from her fetal pose and began to pace around the cell restlessly.

 

She gently tugged at her lekku, but scratched at herself in bouts of nervousness and anxiety. What will they do to him? They took him away…

 

The most powerful person she knew; her protector, her guardian. He was taken away and her pillar of strength came crashing down around her. She was that little girl again. She was frightened, alone, treated like meat to a room full of hungry men. Their appetites were voracious; voracious and never ending. She felt vulnerable cold… Hungry… Miserable…

 

She sat back down against the hard cold of her cell and rocked gently in the same position she was in earlier. Her mind was wrought with denial and she wanted, out of everything, to wake up from this horrible nightmare…

 

Can it be that there's some sort of error?

 

It’s hard to stop the surmounting terror…

 

Is it really the end… Not some crazy dream?

 

Somebody please tell me that I'm dreaming,

 

It's not easy to stop from screaming,

 

…but words escape me when I try to speak.

 

Tears fall but why am I crying?

 

…Why?

Fists pound the flower and it breaks upon the relentless tide of their hatred. Passion is an abhorrent illusion, twisted in their eyes to see what they want, when really there is nothing left but a fragile shell. There is no salvation, there is no relent and there is no justice paid to those who smash beauty without regard to the pain it causes, or with regard, which is even worse.

 

Lallu sat in silence, her head slumped between her knees and she sobbed silently to herself. Her stun cuffed hands were kept buried in between her legs and in between her feet.

 

But those golden eyes… They promised me everything.

 

They promised me the strength to fight for myself, the power to push for what I want; to pull away from the aggressors and get my life back. He promised that. And he gave me what I wanted for a while, but losing him cost me everything. Everything…

 

My hands are tied, they're going numb. My throat's torn raw from all my screams…

• But no one can hear me…

 

In the dark it seems I lose my dignity,

between the pain and tears

• there's only fear…

 

Searching for a crack of light, but it seems to be changing.

Is the sun leaving the sky, or is it me that is fading.

 

• This my time

I can't let my fear define me

From this nightmare I’m reborn

• This is my time

• • This is my time to escape

 

I’m not hopeless

• I’m not worthless

• • I won’t give up

This is my time…

 

Lallu’s head was simmering with thought. Words that she thought she’d never say were surfacing in and out of her mind. She couldn't control them. Then, without warning, she felt a chill... it struck her from her fetal position and to the ground.

 

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

 

His words came trickling down her spine like a dull roar. It echoed all around her like a guttural sound that was viscous and inhuman. A fire burned inside of her that, despite her misery, was billowing with amazing intensity. It refused to go out.

 

Through passion, I gain strength.

 

Every word added kindling to the fire. Every syllable shook the dust off of her mind. The diamond tears that stained her face sparkled with macabre intensity. Each aggressor of her past was a shadow that braced her, strengthened her, and rebuilt her pillar of strength brick by brick.

 

Through strength, I gain power.

 

Lallu’s fingers tingled. Her eyes lit up, although barely, with a brilliant ruby glow and her senses almost exploded with the intensity of their sensitivity.

 

Through power, I gain victory…

 

Through victory, my chains are broken.

 

The Stun Cuffs felt heavy and clunky, but already Lallu was thinking of ways to get out. She had to leave. She had to make them pay for capturing her and taking her master away. They had to pay… They ALL had to pay…

 

I am Sith… I will set myself free…

[Qaela]

It hurt to wake, and that was never a good sign. Qaela winced as bright light stabbed into her brain like needles and let loose a few select curses. She tried moving, and that only earned her a little jolt that sent tingles up and down her arms and legs. Stun cuffs, she thought blearily, Great.

 

She remained still for several more minutes while her drug and shock addled body became more aware. The blinding light wasn't so blinding after that, but it still hurt. She felt like she had been tossed unarmed into a slave pit and forced to battle a dozen burly slaves with cudgels without the Force. Scratch that, she had felt better after that test. Whatever the Jedi gave her was not sitting well with her stomach or her head. Not at all.

 

With a moan, she opened her eyes fully and risked moving her head to look around at her cell. It could be worse, she supposed. The Jedi at least weren't known for torture. Had she been captured by the Sith or even her own Sisters, she would already be covered in her own blood and quite possibly screaming for mercy by now. The Jedi were too kind for that sort of thing, even if they were far more cruel in other ways.

 

Obviously, something had gone wrong. She knew that playing this game would be her downfall. Why hadn't Furion just attacked outright? She was far better at stalking and killing than playing a Good Girl. One as dark as Furion shouldn't have expected to be able to conceal himself forever, and that was not even taking into consideration herself or the Twi'lek girl.

 

What to do now? For some reason, she wasn't frightened. A year or two ago, the prospect of being held captive by the Jedi would have terrified her nearly as much as facing the wrath of the Sith, but now it was not so frightening as interesting. Having dealt with three Dark Lords, multiple Sith masters, and the ever dangerous Lord Ar-Pharazon, she wasn't really too frightened by the prospect of facing Jedi. She had offered herself as prisoner to their hairy Grandmaster, but the fool had turned her away. She didn't fear torture, so the worst that they could do to her was lock her up. Or, more importantly, the worst they could do to her was to keep her from her children.

 

Scratch that: the worst they could do to themselves was to keep her from her children.

 

She made her decision on how to play this out. If it worked, great, if not, then she had more than one card to play. Figuring that there would be someone listening, she said in a calm, smooth voice, "I believe it is considered polite to at least inform prisoners of the charges against them. I have caused you no harm and I cannot believe that Jedi would be so crass as to attack without provocation."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Someone was indeed listening to Qaela. Instead of opening the door, one of the Jedi that were guarding her door hit the intercom so that his words would come into her cell. "I apologize for our lack of manners," he said curtly. "The charge is impersonating a member of the Jedi Order as well as potentially being a member of the Sith Order. Did you really think you could come to a place like this and not be found out?"

 

Getting her talking would be a good first step. They honestly didn't know who she was at all. Sith were notoriously egocentric and often willing to sell each other out for some slight gain. Maybe one of the prisoners would make an offer.

 

((I am willing to RP this out. However, if you would like to escape or something, I'm not going to stop you, so you needn't wait on me unless you want to. Just don't go killing all my NPCs or destroying this Temple.))

[Qaela]

((I am not one to mow through NPC's like they don't exist, but treat them near as PC's. Two or three Knights are sufficient to contain her as she would be about senior Knight level.))

 

A disembodied voice responded to her query. It wasn't what she was exactly hoping for, but at least they were talking. She snorted in derision at their "charges" and wondered how to handle them. As she did, her head began to clear enough for her to use the Force once more. When she reached out to touch it, she noticed that the veneer that Furion had put over her to conceal the darkness she embraced was gone. Well, there was no point in trying to conceal it any further: she embraced the dark and she wouldn't hide it. She was who she was.

 

"I am not Sith," she snapped vehemently. "Come on in here and I will show you the scars I received from Sith trying to kill me." She would at that, even if it might make some of them blush.An enlarged sense of modesty was never one of the disadvantages she suffered from.

 

She spat on the ground, or rather would have if the frying and chemicals pumped into her hadn't left her mouth dry. "I admit it, I was 'impersonating a member of the Jedi Order,' so you got me there." There was no point in denying it. Even if they weren't running her biometrics and DNA, they would soon realize that she was not a Jedi. "So fine me, not that I have much money to take."

 

"I deemed it necessary in order to find my children." She wasn't sure how well these Jedi could read truth from fiction over an intercom, but it was true, at least from a certain point of view. "The reason I came here is because I want to find them and I believe the Jedi or at least, their allies, are holding them from me. I was hoping that your library nodes would contain the information I need, then I was going to leave." Well, that much was true, though she skipped a few tiny things in between. Best not mention that, though, even if she wasn't planning on killing any of the Jedi, they definitely would not have enjoyed what she was planning on doing to some of them.

[Onderin Starlisk]

The Jedi were smart enough to know better than to take her up on her offer to go inside and talk. They still didn't know for certain how powerful she was, and there werw Sith Masters out in the galaxy so powerful that they could overcome even a small team of Jedi Knights, just as there were Jedi Masters who could fight through a Sith Temple. Still, the vehemence with which she denied being a member of the Sith Order was believable. In this case, however, it didn't really help her all that much, since she was radiating the dark side. Sith, Dark Jedi, or whatever she was, she would be staying in her cell until they had some answers.

 

All that said, they were Jedi. If a peaceful solution could be found, they would prefer it over pretty much anything else. Especially if this woman hated the Sith, maybe a bargain could be made.

 

The Jedi who had spoken earlier did so again. "We might be able to help each other, then," he said. "The fact is that the Jedi Order is having difficulty learning of the Sith's plans and whereabouts. We may be able to provide for you the specific information you seek from our library, as well as arrange your freedom, for solid, verifiable intelligence regarding the locations of Sith Temples."

 

It was no secret among allies that both the Jedi and CoreSec had teams of people following leads looking for Temples and keeping a close watch on any reported Sith activity they could find. The dark side organization was in the shadows, but the Jedi had no reason to believe that they were close to defeat. And if they were... well, then the information about their last few refuges was even more valuable.

[Qaela]

This was interesting. She had not expected such an offer from the Jedi, not in the least. The Sith, she knew, could be treacherous and sought betrayal, but she never considered that the Jedi would want her to be those very same things. Her first instinct was to reject the offer outright as ludicrous. The very thought of betraying those who embraced the darkness was revolting and, if she were honest with herself, caused a tingle of fear to run down her back.

 

But then. . . . .

 

She remained silent for many long minutes. The Sith had given her no end to trouble. She had been telling the truth when she challenged the Jedi to see the scars that covered her body from where Sith tried to kill her. For years, Sith inspired terror and rage within her. They had destroyed her life more than once. There had not really been any Sith she knew excepting one that did anything to inspire her for loyalty or made her feel anything other than as an outsider or threat, so why did she owe them anything?

 

It wasn't all bad, though. They had taught her a great deal and made her more powerful. They were dangerous, she knew, but she had given almost as much grief to them as they had given her. She had killed Ares once, and helped kill others such as Haphaestus and the fool Tobias. They had taken much from her, but she had exacted her own toll on them. Recently, she made her peace with Raynuk's attempt to kill her, even if she had been infuriated at his departure and still didn't trust the man.

 

She owed the Sith nothing. Her only debts would have been to Furion himself, not the Sith. She was a Nightsister, and while treachery ran in her blood, she also had her own word to keep, even if her definition of keeping it could sometimes be described as fluid. She would not betray Furion until he gave her reason to do so. The question she had was: could she betray the Sith without betraying Furion?

 

"I told you, I am not Sith," she said after consideration. Her voice was far more calm now. "Surely you know that the Sith are not ones to share information with those who are not Sith, and even then, they don't always share among their own kind."

 

A bit of defiance tinged her voice. "I am not a Sith, so you cannot hold me as one. I have done you nor this base any harm.You have charged me as impersonating a Jedi and I admit my guilt. Tell me, Master Jedi, what is the punishment for such a thing?"

[Onderin Starlisk]

The long period of silence before her response was encouraging for the Jedi. This woman, dark-sider though she may be, could provide a critical piece of information to the the Jedi Order that could help them defeat the Sith once and for all. And she was seriously considering it. He could feel through the Force her fear at betraying ones so powerful, but also her sudden resolution to hold herself to something... something that he couldn't quite divine. It wasn't very Sith-like, though.

 

"I might believe you when you say you are not Sith," he responded, ignoring for now her question. "But surely you cannot say the same for those with whom you were travelling. Where did you meet up with them? Where did the Sith take you to inflict those scars upon you that you say you have? Surely you know where at least one of their hidden Temples are."

 

He wanted to assure her that the other Sith would never know that it was her that leaked the information, but that struck him as dangerously close to the dark side itself. He was content to let the Sith be Sith and the Dark Jedi be Dark Jedi, but he would not lower himself to their level, even for information as significant as this.

[Keenava Dira]

Lallu’s ebony skin shone in the low light of the small cell she was provided. Sweat beaded lightly on the surface of her skin, but crystallized in the low temperature around her. Everything was cold, but here in the stone, it wasn’t pleasant. The solid frigidness of the floor beneath her sapped the warmth from her body and brought her nothing but pain and ache.

 

She didn’t know where the others were, but she didn’t dwell on that fact either. Her mental revelation of earlier was slow and took time to saturate, but in the meantime, the black Twi’lekk was still caught like a cornered animal. She could see the Jedi patrolling outside the bars and she did little to antagonize them. She looked up at them with her ruby red eyes from time to time, but ultimately she pushed no other ulterior motive. Instead, Lallu simply cried. Trails of tear marks stained her face and she buried her face in her stun cuffed hands. She breathed shallow feeble breaths and coughed out in irregular intervals. Her stomach was empty and it growled like a fearsome beast, but it could barely be heard over the sounds of her sobbing. Occasionally Lallu stopped to stare off at the far wall of her cell in vague disbelief, but she resumed her sobbing shortly after.

 

Her tearful song echoed off of the bars of her cage in many different ways and she didn't care. The make-up that she wore to cover her scars was wiping away, exposing evidence of severe abuse. The smallest of which was a burn mark around the ring of her neck, and the largest of which consisted of a series of scrapes and cuts along the side of her back punctuated by large whip marks. Each mark was deliberate in craft, but was intentionally designed to cause as much pain to the victim as possible. This was particularly visible in just how deep the whip marks were in the flesh of her back.

 

After an hour or so of continuous sobbing, her cries fell into airless weeping and eventually pointless gasping. Then she just lay quietly on the floor of her cell, facing outward toward her captors.

 

She sat in silence with her eyes open and staring until she finally sat up and looked around, confused. “Where am I?” She asked, rubbing her head between the lekku.

 

“The last thing I remember is my parent’s house on Ryloth and now I’m here? Where is here?” Lallu grabbed at her sides as if she just realized that it was freezing. Her face was riddled with an expression of loss and confusion, but she looked around as if ignorant to her surroundings.

 

“Hello? Is anyone out there?” Lallu asked in earnest not counting on an answer. Lallu’s mind was riddled with memories of using deception to fool slavers, but she wasn’t quite sure how it would work on Jedi. Regardless, the young Twi’lekk filled her mind with memories of her parents and added in vague pictures of her childhood home to make the images seem lost or muddled. She looked down at her stun cuffs with wide eyes and looked back at the empty space between the bars. “Have I been arrested? Hello?”

 

Lallu figured she didn't have much to lose. Well she didn’t figure she had much more to lose than she already had lost, but that wasn't relevant.

 

((I am willing to RP a bit too. And I promise nothing )) ((In the meantime, sorry for the wait. At the time, I was trying to portion out my posts based on different activity levels and I wondered if Qaela or Rez were going to post.))

[Qaela]

((Rez PM'ed me saying he was bowing out of the RP for further notice, so no need to wait on him))

 

Qaela frowned at the response. These Jedi did not seem willing to give her much leeway, not that she blamed them. Were she in charge of prisoners, she wouldn't give an ounce of room. Then again, she was the "bad" girl here and the Jedi were supposed to be the "good" guys, whatever that meant. She was hungry and thirsty after whatever drugs the Jedi dosed her with and that needed to change. She crossed her arms and said with a huff, "If you aren't going to answer questions, neither will I. In truth, I don't know if I can talk much more with how thirsty I am, and my hunger is driving me to distraction and muddling my brain so I can't think very well."

[Onderin Starlisk]

A female Jedi Knight approached Lallu's cell, hearing her crying out. She didn't know anything about the Twi'lek, but she did know that the prisoner had at the very least been impersonating a Jedi Knight; chances were she was also a Sith Lord. That made the Jedi naturally mistrustful of her, for chief amongst the Sith's arsenal was deception. This woman was a Jedi Knight, and like all Knights she had had a Master who had taught her well about the perils of the dark side. During her experiences here on Ilum in the crystal caves, and again during her Knight Trials, she had faced the dark side and resisted its call. She didn't know if the dark side was more powerful or whatever the Sith claimed, but it didn't matter: she followed the light side because it was right, and because power alone was not her chief desire in life.

 

She would speak with the Sith they had caught, but she would be wary. As she reached the cell, she peered in and narrowed her eyes slightly. "What are you getting at?" she asked. "It's very unlikely that the stun blasts would cause a sudden bout of amnesia, so I don't think playing this game is your best course of action. There might be a way out of this cell, but I will need to know everything about who you are and why you came to Ilum first. We don't hold Sith without a purpose."

 

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

 

Meanwhile, the Jedi outside of Qaela's cell sighed. He felt like she had been close to giving something up, but then she suddenly locked down and made it clear that the talks had at least temporarily ended. That was fine, he supposed. She would probably change her mind after a few days in this place with nothing to do and no apparent avenues of escape. At least he hoped she would, because he was uncomfortable with her even being here. Dark siders had a significant effect on the way the Force felt around them. Things were muddy, clouded. He couldn't be absolutely certain what she was up to, sometimes could seem to think clearly. He had all faith in the Temple's ability to hold her here, but he had just too little experience to be positive that one such as this could be held at all without something drastic like ysalamiri. Having those lizards around would just make things even worse, though.

 

"Fair enough," he finally said into the comm. "I'll have something brought in and we can talk again later. You will sit against the wall farthest from the door until the food and drink have been delivered and the cell has been shut again."

 

He called in the request and a few minutes later a protocol droid came shuffling down the corridor with a tray with a container of water and some basic provisions. Once they had made sure the prisoner was away from the door via security camera, the droid entered, set the tray down, and turned to leave again without even giving Qaela a look.

[Fynn Relmis]

Tares' moderately sized vessel exited hyperspace above the planet Ilum and was immediately advised of the planets status. Fynn decided it would be best to arrive quietly, and so agreed to be ferried down by a shuttle from the planet's surface. He said his goodbyes to his old friend, and thanked him for the use of his ship. With little ceremony, he left, taking his old rucksack and handful of other supplies with him, making sure to ready himself for the colder climate of the planet. The confluence of events that had brought him hence made Fynn wonder as if there wasn't more at work then the simple whims of the universe. His reintroduction to the cold wasn't welcome, but Hoth's weather had tempered him to it's unpleasantness. He still bore the grey uniform of Tares' company, but his old boots, his old heavily patched Jedi coat from his sojourn on Hoth gave his jedi origins away. No matter his isolation, Fynn was still a Jedi, and he kept to their ways as best he could. He came now seeking information about the large crystal he had discovered, but he would sublimate his curiosity if other more important matters were at hand.

 

As he approached the main cave facility, through a blowing gale of snow and ice. The sun was beginning to set, and after a brief delay and check of his credentials, he gained admittance, rubbing his hands together as entered a large quiet lobby area. The veteran knight pushed outwards and felt the presence of the other Jedi, "Fynn Relmis," He said identifying himself at the small facility. "I've come to do some research, if possible i need a work station and access to the jedi archive on site." He asked for patiently.

 

It was then that Fynn felt it... a plaintive cry in the force... a petition of sorts. The cry was weak, and unsure, but it was there, and it did not feel like Jedi. It felt rather like the presence he had felt on Merkava not but a day or two before.

 

"Sith...?" Fyn said under his breath wondering aloud. Sith here? Ilum had been the secret haven of jedi initiates since before the dark times, and in all that time, the dark ones had never dared set foot on it's surface. If he felt it, he was sure Onderin felt it too. There was clearly more happening here then he was presently aware of.

 

(ooc revised per my mistake about Onderin's presence, carry on)

Edited March 22, 2013 by Guest

[Qaela]

Qaela was glad to see the food and began eating as soon as the droid left. She didn't worry about poison or drugs. If the Jedi wanted to drug her again, they hardly needed to put something in her food to do it. The food wasn't the best, but she had eaten far worse. Even these old rations were better than brackish water and half spoiled drebbin meat, both of which she managed to survive on for four days when she was separated from her Clan as a girl.

 

As she ate, she pondered her situation. These Jedi were obviously not going to simply release her, not without a reason. They weren't likely to ignore her, either, but would want to interrogate her and find out whatever information she may possess about the Sith. Truthfully, she knew little, but she did know a few things that could possibly get her a ticket out of here. The question, as she had pondered earlier, was whether she wanted to risk betraying the Sith once more and likely having that information get out. Sith had tried to kill her before, but that had been because they thought her an unnecessary loose end or even an annoyance, never because she was a traitor. The Sith would not take betrayal lightly, not at all.

 

She couldn't simply sit here and rot on this frozen wasteland, either. She needed to do something, though what she wasn't so sure. There were too many variables to be considered here and more than one option. Technically, she hadn't ever actually killed any Jedi. Sure, she betrayed their foolish Grandmaster and even flew in the fight against their temple on Gala, but she didn't hit anything there. Other than that, all of her actions had been against third parties or even Sith themselves. In truth, she had caused a lot more harm to Sith than Jedi themselves and that thought brought a smile to her face.

 

When the food was finished, she pondered her options. These Jedi thought they had her in a bad position. Well, it was true, she wasn't exactly in the best of situations, but she was Qaela of the Nightsisters and she wasn't going to play their game without adding a few rules of her own to it. She had something the Jedi wanted and the Jedi had something that she wanted. That made this a negotiation, but how it all played out would be determined on how she acted.

 

As with all of this blasted forsaken planet, the cell was cold. Well, Qaela could deal with cold or heat or wet or even dryness and was not going to shy away from such things. She wasn't sure if they were watching her cell and didn't care if they were. She also was tired of wearing these ridiculous Jedi robes that Furion had forced on her. She preferred black, not these horrible brown and tan things. With a smile of contentment, she quickly stripped off every bit of Jedi infested clothing she had and tossed it on the small, hard bed. She wasn't ashamed of nudity and the scars covering her back, side, and legs would help validate her stories of abuse at the hands of Sith.

 

She spoke out, knowing that the Jedi were listening, and said, "Since you have been so kind as to provide nourishment, I feel that it is only fair that I entertain one of your interrogators. I may even be willing to answer questions about myself as well, provided we can reach some sort of agreement." She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and sat down on top of her clothes on the bed to wait for their answer. Hopefully, she would be able to speak to a leader face to face so she could get to some real bargaining.

[Onderin Starlisk]

((Sorry Fynn, Onderin's not actually on planet, I've just been posting as NPCs. However, there is plenty going on here that warrants his attention and I will get him here within a week--I just have to wrap something up on Onderon now that Darex is back.))

 

In the Temple ops center, Knight Adar paced restlessly. "Give me some good news, Arec," she said.

 

Arec gave a slight smile. "The Council is most interested in what we've found," he responded. "I'm told Master Starlisk is coming."

 

Adar's smile mirrored his. "Good. The sooner the Council takes over, the sooner we can get these dark siders out of here."

 

She got a signal from the front desk, informing her about the arrival of a Jedi Knight named Fynn Relmis. She quickly went out to meet him. "Jedi Relmis, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said. "I'm Knight Adar. Before I ask your purpose here, I must warn you--we have three prisoners currently that are suspected of being Sith. I would choose caution."

 

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

 

The Jedi outside Qaela's cell once she had finished eating and decided to renew the talks nodded to himself. It seemed that she was still open to talks, as long as all parties could remain civilized. He liked that stance, and thought that as a Jedi it was indeed responsible to remain civilized. However, word had just trickled down that a Jedi Master would be coming around.

 

"We have a representative from the Council coming in from offworld to speak with you," he said into the intercomm, unaware of the prisoner's current state of undress. "He'll be here soon. Until then, we've been instructed simply to hold you."

[Fynn Relmis]

Fynn listened attentively as Adar spoke. A confident Jedi he felt, but out of her depth. The Jedi who remained in the order now weren't the battle hardened veterans he'd known in the past. It wasn't to say that they weren't capable, just not as experienced as one would like.

 

"Sith, I felt as much. I assume the council has dispatched someone to handle their interrogation..." Fynn said out-loud to no one in particular.

 

"Well met Jedi Adar, I have come seeking knowledge. I have made a rather important discovery, one that I hope the Jedi archive would enlighten me too. But that can wait," Fynn said as he took a few paces. An idea in his mind was coming to fruition, a thought that was now forming into action. It was entirely possible that they held the information he sought, or know where he might find it.

 

 

"I wish to speak to the prisoners. How they bi-passed security must be ascertained." He asked plainly, his eyes calm and steady, thinking on what needed to be done.

 

"They may hold information vital to the Jedi order, I'll understand if you must inform your superiors. I have extensive experience dealing with the Sith, whatever information they may have is time sensitive, if it is not extracted quickly, we may lose whatever advantages their capture has afforded us." He found himself standing resolutely as he had done so many times before.

 

"How many Jedi do we have guarding the prisoners within the facility?" He asked looking to make sure that everything was truly under control. He wasn't going to allow anything to happen without getting a full handle on the tactical situation. "And their transport, how did they arrive here? I want to get a look at that as well, this may be indicative of a larger plot."

[Qaela]

"Oh joy," she murmured quietly to herself. She really wasn't too eager to meet with someone quite that high, especially if it was that very same hairy creature she faced on Cloud City. That might prove to be a tad bit embarrassing, considering the state she last left him in. Even though she eventually regained control of herself, that same rage and seething hatred was still accessible to her just waiting to come out. She was in control, but that wasn't a guarantee that relapses wouldn't happen.

 

With nothing else to do to pass the time, she opted to keep herself warm by practicing calisthenics. It had been too long since she had a good workout, though she doubted she would get one in a place as small as this. At least she could get her blood pumping and relieve some of her tension at being trapped like this. She never did well locked in a cage like this, and it would keep her warm. She wasn't regretting her decision to toss aside the wretched Jedi clothing, but light be cursed, it was a tad bit cold in here.

[Keenava Dira]

((Again, apologies for the wait, but I am glad things are moving along.))

 

Lallu could hear through the metal. The female Jedi’s voice echoed like a shrill wind brushing quickly against her ears and tickling every part of her spine as it crawled up and down the Twi’lek’s back, but it didn’t bother her. She clouded her mind with true memories to obfuscate the present and hid her expression behind the innocence of her robbed youth. The innocent flower that was crushed in the wake of masculinity was played to the fore and Lallu’s ruby red eyes were littered with the sins of her past assailants.

 

"What are you getting at?"

 

Lallu didn’t know how to react so she remained silent. Her eyes looked forward without showing any hint of deviation from her established character. Her make-up was now running down her skin and the scar around her neck was clearly visible in the low light of the cell. Her face was stained with tears and she looked alone; miserable, alone and afraid.

 

"It's very unlikely that the stun blasts would cause a sudden bout of amnesia, so I don't think playing this game is your best course of action. There might be a way out of this cell, but I will need to know everything about who you are and why you came to Ilum first. We don't hold Sith without a purpose."

 

“Sith?” Lallu said with hollow understanding almost immediately after the Jedi did, which wasn’t completely an act. Lallu had little to no understanding of what the Sith truly were until Furion came. Even then, she didn’t understand the intense rivalry that besieged the factions of Jedi and Sith nor to what extent the Sith worked to earn what they wanted. She thought that becoming a Sith would show Furion that she really cared and that she really wanted to become stronger, but she didn’t realize that, at the time, she needed to prove it to herself more than she needed to prove it to her master.

 

Lallu played with the word for a moment or two more, inquisitively probing and gesturing without actually arriving at the true meaning of the word. Then, a few moments later, Lallu quieted down and let her hands rest at her side. She looked meaningfully out at the Jedi beyond the cage, but didn’t smile. In fact, her expression was something close to depressed, but not quite. She looked perplexed.

 

“What is a Sith?” Lallu asked. Her mask was confusion and she wore it well, because she had extensive experience with that particular emotion. “The last thing I remember was my parents tucking me in on Ryloth and then… Golden Eyes. Hypnotizing Golden Eyes are all I see afterward. I remember pain, but I have no way to base those feelings on reality. I remember being a young adult, but I don’t remember being this old. I don’t remember these beatings and each one aches anew as if I can feel the torture without the sting of contact against my body.”

 

It hurt Lallu a little to blatantly lie about her master in that way, but she used her feelings to her advantage and fed her emotional angst into the act without much effort. She continued to look out of the cage to the world beyond. The lack of sound, smell or real sensation in the cell accelerated and intensified the beating sounds of her heart in her chest. The adrenaline of the moment caught within her throat and she could feel her veins pulsing with vigor as each knife of deception was pushed deeper and deeper.

 

Lallu’s eyes slowly swelled with tears. She let her legs fall to the ground with as much grace as she could afford on the cold corroded metal floor. “I don’t know where I am. I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t know why I’m here.” Lallu sobbed.

 

Her mind filled with shrouded black memories. Each predator was blotted with shadow and each picture was followed by Golden Eyes one after the other. Like a phantom they followed all of her recollection and haunted her dreams. She cried out frantically and her wounds burned fiercely.

 

“Whenever I sleep those eyes stare deep into my soul and I can’t breathe. I don’t know what I have done, but I feel wrong. I feel horrible and unclean.” Lallu sniffled pitifully on the floor and hung her head so low that her lekku touched the ground. She clasped her face in the palm of both hands and sobbed through them. Tears wrapped around her fingers and hit the cold, harsh, black, stone floor.

 

“My name is Asiira, but I don’t know anything beyond that. My mind has been clouded for so long… I-I-can’t even remember what my parent’s names were.” Lallu’s voice reached a higher pitch until she was hysterical, but then she calmed down. Her voice was more somber and accented by small, body flinching, sobs. “I don’t know where ‘Ilum’ is,” she didn’t; “I don’t know what his plans were,” she didn’t. "But I do know that I don’t know how I got here. I belonged to a lower class family on the outskirts of a shabby town in Ryloth, so I am free now… but not really…”

 

Lallu held herself in her pitiful position but looked up with a face full of remorse. Her arms were clasped around the center of her chest, one over the other, and her lekku were draped around the back of her shoulders. The ruby red of her eyes glinted slightly and her lips quivered against the frigid air of her black cell.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Adar was pleased to have someone around that was experienced in dealing with Sith, even if he wasn't the Jedi Master that was reportedly on his way. "We have fourteen Knights here to guard the prisoners. There are three prisoners on world. One of them seems open to talking," she explained, referring to Qaela, "but another one seems to either be experiencing amnesia or feigning it. I would recommend the latter as the one you should speak with; Master Starlisk from the Council is on his way with the authority to treat with the former on behalf of the Order.

 

"They arrived via a shuttle, which is still here--it's the one without Jedi markings. You can inspect it at any time if you wish."

 

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

 

The Jedi standing outside Lallu's cell was taken aback at her persistence. He was starting to believe something had happened to her. But still, it was too convenient. He couldn't exactly let her out of her cell to walk free, even if she was experiencing some sort of mental trauma for having been separated from the powerful Sith with whom she had arrived. It was possible that he had dominated the poor girl, and only now was his Sith magic wearing off.

 

On the other hand, she could be setting a trap. He turned on his commlink and called it in to the command center, hoping for some guidance ((i.e., waiting for Fynn to take over with Lallu)).

 

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

 

Finally, an E-wing starfighter, an agile and powerful snubfighter than had been critical in the war but had almost never been seen since, appeared out of hyperspace over Ilum. Its pilot was Onderin Starlisk, just arrived after a long jump from Onderon. He had spent the entire jump in a Force trance, and now that he was here he had recovered from the various bruises and cuts he had suffered at the hands of his adversaries there. As soon as he began his descent and checked in with the Temple, he stretched out with his feelings, breathing in and then releasing the presences he felt below. There were three dark side blots in an area of a little over a dozen Jedi... one of which was oddly familiar.

 

Soon he had landed at the Temple in the ice, popped his canopy and descended. He almost faltered a step when he walked through the front doors and saw none other than Fynn Relmis talking to one of the Jedi stationed here. Memories from the war came rushing back again and Onderin recalled some of the military actions he had taken in which Relmis had been involved. The man had served in several circumstances as a military coordinator of sorts for the Order to work closely with the then-Rebellion against the Empire and their Sith lackeys. Believing firmly that it was the will of the Force that the Empire and Sith be actively opposed, Onderin thought highly of Fynn's similar stance on the matter. On the other hand, he remembered painfully the debacle surrounding an attack on Kamino in those days... and the controversy that had sprung up around Fynn's role in it.

 

He hadn't heard from Relmis in a long time. Whatever had happened back then, Onderin felt no darkness within him, and so his stance on taking action against evil made him ideal for exactly the kind of situations Onderin was pursuing. It was quite possible that Onderin's destiny lay down a similar path to this one's....

 

"Jedi Relmis," Onderin addressed him. "I must say I'm surprised to find you here."

 

Adar turned to face him. "I'm Jedi Adar, Master," she said. "Jedi Relmis just arrived and offered his assitance regarding the Si--er, dark siders that we captured. Technically, we're not certain that they are Sith."

 

Onderin nodded and looked back at Fynn. "Your help is more than welcome; we should be able to cover ground twice as fast if we divide and conquer. I think the prisoner has been waiting long enough, though, so we'll have to catch up later." As usual, Onderin was straight to business. It was often in a Jedi's nature to sit and talk everything through, debate the will of the Force for hours, days, or weeks before getting involved in a conflict. That was not Onderin's stance--he proceeded directly and purposefully toward each conflict as it presented itself so that it could be solved as quickly as possible. He trusted his instincts and interpreted them most often as being the will of the Force.

 

Without a guide, he immediately headed toward the strongest dark side presence, though to him it felt different from that of a Sith. He had soon arrived outside a cell, where three Jedi Knights were standing guard. They stood up a little straighter when they saw him. "Master Starlisk," one of them greeted him as Onderin reached for the door controls. "She seems willing enough to talk, now that we provided some food and drink. I should warn you, though, that she's currently--"

 

The door slid open and Onderin blinked, then shut it again.

 

"--Naked," the Knight finished, wincing.

 

Onderin blinked once or twice more. "She was wearing clothing when you captured her, right?" he asked.

 

"Yes, Master," came the response. "Apparently, she decided she didn't like wearing it. Maybe she's trying to prove a point."

 

After another moment Onderin shrugged. He could control himself. He opened the door again, stepped in, then shut it again behind him, clearing his throat then bringing his eyes to rest unwaveringly on the prisoner's own, once he had glanced her over one time to try to understand the purpose she was trying to make clear by going without clothing in such a cold place as this. She had an athletic, attractive body refined through combat and trial. It was, however, quite thoroughly scarred, suggesting a long history of physical abuse. The scars were far too much to have been earned in a singular event: such an event would certainly have killed her. This suggested instead drawn-out torture sessions or self-infliction. Onderin imagined a Sith might be a part of either as their depraved lust for power led them to do unspeakable things to themselves and others.

 

"I am Onderin Starlisk," he introduced himself. "And I'm here to find out just who exactly you are and what you are doing here. It's quite possible that we can help each other."

[Qaela]

Qaela could sense someone powerful approaching and prepared herself to deal with her new interrogator. When the door rose and shut rapidly, she couldn't stop herself from smirking in satisfaction. So many in this galaxy were squeamish around flesh almost as though they themselves weren't naked beneath their clothes. The male who had been standing in the doorway seemed to be embarrassed by seeing a woman. Either that or the rumors about Jedi and not marrying were true. It was just like them to deny such an integral part of their nature. Perhaps this poor man had never seen a live woman the way nature had created her before. She could feel sympathy for him were that true, even if he were a Jedi.

 

He reentered after a few seconds and made a point to focus on her eyes, though not before at least glancing at the rest of her. At least he didn't look at the ground and there wasn't too much embarrassment about him. These Jedi really should have gone about preventing her from using the Force. Isolation and deprivation were two of the most effective interrogation tools available, and they had done neither to her. Jedi truly were either too weak or too honorable to do what was needed with someone they clearly believed was dangerous.

 

She recognized the man's name and wasn't sure whether to be dismayed or encouraged by it. One of their ruling leaders had apparently come all the way to this frozen waste to see her, and they didn't even know who she was yet. It made her wonder who they would have sent had they known who she was or who she had been traveling with. Probably their entire Council and half of their available Nights, though she could never quite get over the offense that they would steal a name that belonged to her kind.

 

She gave him an icy smile remained seated on her bed. She was almost disappointed that there had been no threats or violence, but she had come to expect that in Jedi, especially with their almost pleasant treatment of her. She wondered what it would take to make him angry or frustrated enough to strike her, though on second thought, that might be too much for one of their higher Jedi. A Night she might have managed to make strike her, but not a Master. At best, she might get him to threaten her with harsh punishment.

 

Best to answer his thinly stated questions and get the ball rolling. "You wish to know who I am? I am a mother," she said almost nonchalantly. "Though I have only traveled to a handful of planets, in each of them I have found that it is natural for a mother to love and care for her children and to sacrifice for them, often to the point of what others would call insanity. I have seen and heard stories of women who will do incredible and dangerous things when someone stands between her and her offspring. I have also heard that fathers are usually only slightly less passionate in such things. Tell me, Onderin Starlisk, are you a father?"

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin went over to the corner and sat cross-legged on the floor. He continued to study the prisoner's face as well as probe her with the Force. She had definitely recognized his name, which wasn't surprising, but it at least told him that she hadn't been living under a rock somewhere. It also told him that she hadn't been some sort of long-term Sith prisoner kept secluded from the galaxy--despite her scars which may have suggested that story. As she answered his first question in a round-about way, he could detect no deception from her.

 

He shook his head at her question. "I'm afraid I never found time for that. The war was my life for a long time," he answered, keeping his mind open so that she would not feel he was being dishonest or deceptive. "But through the war, I have witnessed firsthand the devotion of which you speak. Soldiers who lay down their lives to protect each other, civilians, and especially their families." Even on Onderon, from whence he had just arrived, he had seen mere civilians fight down a nightmarish assault to protect their homes and families. It had been insane... but it had been enough. Such courage seemed uncommon, but they had found it when enough had been at stake.

 

"But tell me... what does your coming here have to do with being a mother?"

 

Sitting on the floor as he was, defenses largely lowered, he was rather vulnerable to attack. Granted, he had his lightsaber on him, but by disadvantaging himself he hoped to prove that he was here for no other purpose than to talk and learn. He was not expecting this to turn into an escape attempt, and he hoped she would meet him on that neutral ground.

[Fynn Relmis]

The Jedi masters arrival caught Fynn a little by suprise, but a welcome none the less. Onderin was never one to waste too much time on pleasantries. In someways Fynn always looked up to the jedi, even during those darker days.

 

Fynn nodded as Onderin spoke, doing his best to keep the contact brief, if Onderin was here, it was likely his suspicion was not his alone. For a second, there was a hint of something else, but as Onderin moved to see one of the prisoners, he calmed and centered himself for the investigation to come. Fynn heard the call when it came in, and took a deep breath.

 

"Jedi Adar, I need something more on that shuttle, see if you can download a flight plan or find anything unusual about it. Then prep it for departure, and plant a tracking device. Then I want it just as if you were never there understood? If there is a plan, and it involves the shuttle, I want whoever Is running it to think its all going to plan." Fynn said as he prepared to head to the other cell on the other side if the facility.

 

Fynn trudged the distance slowly, breathing slowly in and out with every couple of steps. He made sure that the prisoner could hear him coming, and used a hand signal to send the guard back to his post for a chat.

 

"She claims no memory of anything sir, she's claiming her name is Asirra, and complete ignorance of any plot." he informed Fynn of the whole affair and explained he was as confused about the prisoner as anyone.

 

"You can head back to the monitoring station, but keep tabs through the monitors. Master Onderin and I will be handling the investigation from here." Fynn said quietly and looked into the cell. He didn't speak, he just stood at the entrance of the cell and peered inside. For several seconds he said nothing, then he spoke, gently and calmly.

 

"Your name is Assira? My name is Fynn." he asked casually as he gazed upon her form in the corner of the cell. He stretched out with force gently trying to see what if anything he could feel, anything that might give him a clue as to her alignment, strangely he felt nothing, almost as if...just a gray response. But there was a hint of something else... Fear.

 

"No one here will harm you. That much I can promise you. I don't know what you are, a scared lonely little girl far from home, or a very dumb liar, but I know you aren't where you want to be. If you want out your going to have to give me something. Interested?" Fynn's words were quiet and reserved, almost as if he was making an offer that he shouldn't. He stood there waiting for a response.

[Qaela]

Maybe he hadn't ever been with a woman. Poor man. She had found that in this Galaxy, it was the men who most often wanted physical relations, not the women like on Dathomir. It must have been so very hard for him and the other Jedi, no wonder they were so up tight. It was almost a shame that Jedi were so reserved, it meant one less weapon in her arsenal. This one might have no idea what drove her if he had never had children. He might not know even if she completely opened her mind to him--something she was not going to do.

 

"If you are not a father, then I do not believe you can ever truly know what could drive someone to do the things they do," she said dryly. She threw a fierce glare his way and allowed as much rage, fury, and determination to well up within her that she could handle without losing control. Her voice was defiant, untamed, and full of hot fury. "I love my children, though you may not believe my kind capable of it. My children have been taken from me and I will do anything to get them back, anything. Any man, woman, or creature who holds them against me will suffer tremendously before they die, that much I vow. I have allowed myself to suffer for far too long and I say 'no more.' I will gather my children and take them to safety if I must burn and kill to do it."

 

She bowed her head and closed her eyes in concentration to force herself to calm down. These were the very type of creatures that were keeping her children from her and it was hard not to try to lash out at them. She had control of herself for now, she could grudgingly thank Raynuk Montar for that. She didn't think that her eyes had turned black again, but they had come close. There was no mirror to see if they remained their natural brown.

 

"The last time I was near my children, a Jedi stood in my way and refused to give them over. He was working with a Black Sun vigo on Cloud City who has gotten it into his head to turn my children over to your kind for 'protection' and so that they won't be 'corrupted' by their own mother. I offer you a chance to do what is right and save a great deal of lives. I want my children and I will make a deal with the despicable Sith themselves if that is what is needed to get them back. Your kind claims that mine are monsters, but I ask you: what kind of monster keeps a mother from the children she loves? Answer that question, Master Jedi, or this discussion is over and I will unleash my wrath upon the Jedi without holding back."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin frowned. He was aware from the last Council meeting that there had been some interactions between Master Kirlocca and a Black Sun vigo on or concerning Cloud City. However, it seemed rather unlike Kirlocca to deliberately separate a mother and her children, especially if he even slightly understood how angry that would make her. On the other hand, he could see the moral dilemma; particularly depending on who the father had been, it might have practically been a foregone conclusion that these young individuals would become the next generation of powerful opponents for the Jedi Order, terrorists who murdered for pleasure. If they could be diverted from that path, it seemed noble to try.

 

It was justifiable, he realized, but it wasn't right. Forcing Force-sensitive children from their parents was not going to turn them into model citizens. This situation was a perfect example of what was wrong with the Jedi Order these days--they had forgotten compassion and peace in order to hurt their enemies in any way they could. It was like how Onderin had allowed himself to think in the war until Armiena Draygo had marched into his office and round-house kicked him to set him straight. He hadn't known it at the time, but looking back he realized he had never been closer to the dark side than in those days. It was why Jedi made poor military commanders and vice versa. It had been impossibly difficult to be both, and he had always found himself choosing. It was why he was glad that the war was over.

 

Onderin allowed the prisoner to feel how troubled he was by what she was saying; so far, he had nothing to hide. "I... find that I agree with you," he said after a moment. He remained sitting despite her obvious anger. "Whichever Jedi made that choice was wrong. Too many of us have allowed our war with the Sith to impair our ability to tell what is right and what is wrong."

 

He considered the next step. "What can I do to make this right? I would like to find them for you." He still had reservations about giving her access to the library due to all the information in there that she could take back to the Sith if this turned out to be a deception. Onderin did not believe that he was beyond being deceived. But through acts of good faith he might convince her that not all the Jedi were bad, and once she believed that, her path would lie open.

[Qaela]

Qaela blinked once at the Jedi's words. She had expected only the same sort of self righteous indignation from this one as she had expected from Ca'Aran and the furry Jedi. Her eyes narrowed and a frown formed on her lips as she searched for any sign of mockery or a trap. Jedi might not lie as much as Sith, but she was sure they did indeed lie when they felt it would help them.

 

"Help me find my children," she answered, "and allow me to take them to a safe place of my own choosing. I don't care for conquering or domination, I only care for family and clan and my own ability to defend them. If you reunite my children and I and allow us to go unharmed, then I vow never to participate in any action that will cause harm to Jedi or those you claim as long as they leave me and mine alone."

[Keenava Dira]

Footsteps clattered across the open cellblock. She heard him coming as he opened the door and felt the beat of his heart. The warm lifeblood of his body churned with a deceptive smugness that defied this man’s ignorant mind. He was just another ‘thing’ between her and freedom. He was a thorn in her rose, a sting in her side and another useless pawn that she had little time for. The more time she spent dallying with these strangers, the further her master went. She didn’t have time for deception, but it was her only tool now. She had no choice.

 

Her character, her mask – which was nothing more than a facsimile of her childhood – fell on her like a glove. She sat quietly in the corner of her cold, black, cell with her knees held close to her chest. It was barely noticeable through the low light that poured through the building, but she was casually rocking back and forth. She was keeping pace with her own heart. She was breathing in and out and mentally inhibiting her nature from emerging. Meanwhile, her mind was fluttering chaotically with thought, spreading her emotions out and controlling them for the time she had. She kept control of the reason she was concerned and instead let herself be concerned. She isolated her fears and pushed the passionate forces out while remaining fearful. She let her present memories remain, but made her other memories fuzzy. Her mind was a whirling torrent of pain and torture, like it always was, but now Lallu was using it to her advantage.

 

The dirt from the metal floor – the accumulated dust from prisoners past – felt gritty underneath her fingertips and was a constant reminder of her situation, but she wasn’t like them. She wouldn’t stay here. She couldn’t stay here. Something called to her from deeper in the facility. Something was drawing her out and a flame was burning deep inside the lowest pit of her heart, threatening to explode. She just needed a little more.

 

Lallu stood up slowly when the new man arrived outside her cell. She glanced over at him for a moment with a blank look. There was no intent there; no fear, no anger, no emotion. She walked across the backside of her cell and started feeling along the cracks of the stone with one of her shackled hands. She felt the metal slivers of attempts made against fate. Prisoners fought against their bonds and left evidence so small that their captors wouldn’t notice. Lallu felt that pain oozing out of the pores of the rocks and stones. The passionate woes of those lost in misery were the serenade of her soul. They carried her on and added fuel to her fire.

 

"Your name is Assira? My name is Fynn." The man said; he hesitated. The name was a fake of course, but names like ‘meat,’ ‘slave,’ ‘padawan,’ and ‘runt’ were common to her. The juxtaposition of this man’s life and hers was an awesome exaggeration and he thought he could placate her. He thought he could understand her. He must have thought that she cared what his name was; like it was important to know the name of your meat before you killed it.

 

After a few moments, he made his presence known a bit more when he reached out to her. She could feel the amount of power he held in abstraction when he tickled the surface of her mind, but she was ready this time. She wouldn’t be stunned, she wouldn’t be duped. She wouldn’t be fooled. She let him in to the house that she built. She allowed him to see the mess she made and showcased the real memories she had, mingled with the lies that she fabricated to sell her story. She showed him the real horrors of her past accented with Furion’s menacing eyes. The eyes that mesmerized her; the golden eyes that hypnotized Lallu and led her into a life she would never have imagined living with her solitary woes.

 

"No one here will harm you…” She didn’t believe him. Six words into his conversational tone and she already had no respect for him or his message. It was a lie. They would hurt her, because she was going to hurt them. However, Lallu let her eyes wander. She slid down the back of the cell and let her stun cuffed hands slip into her lap. She tilted her head toward the ceiling and let silent tears fall across her face.

 

“I don't know what you are, a scared lonely little girl far from home, or a very dumb liar, but I know you aren't where you want to be. If you want out you’re going to have to give me something. Interested?"

 

Not good to insult someone, even if you are right. Lallu thought to herself without moving from her spot. Instead, she shifted her gaze to meet his and let her ruby red eyes stick in the same spot. She smiled tentatively, but the smile quickly melted into a shy grimace and then led to a frail frown like she was feigning pain and trying to hide it from prying eyes.

 

She held silent for a few moments, adding to the pregnancy of the pause with small but labored breaths. She slowly stood and walked toward the bars of her cage like some cornered animal and looked straight into the eyes of her captor.

 

“How would you like to wake up and realize all your life has been a lie? I have been gone what, years? My Parents are probably dead. The worst part is, I don’t even know... The uncertainty aches almost more than these wounds do. What could you possibly want that has not already been taken away from me?” Lallu pictured vividly the first night she was taken in her mind. She couldn’t bear the thought for so long, but now the thought resonated strongly. She embraced it. Although now, it was Furion’s golden gaze behind that viscous monster’s eyes, instead of his icy, soulless blue stare.

 

"Ask what you will, if you must... I will answer what I can." Lallu said through thin lips. Her tone lilted at the end as her emotions built. She could feel the warm tingling sensations build on the edges of her eyes and let the tears come. Screw him. They were real and she was entitled to them. Whether the memory was real or not, these people didn’t know her. She used real enough memories to make a strong man cry, but these Jedi, they were as fake as any other. Jedi or not, men were men regardless of piety or dogmas.

 

Her fury was building deep inside with every recollection, but she pushed it down behind a smokescreen.

Not yet…

 

They aren’t worth it…

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin watched her carefully as she made her vow. He wasn't sure if the word of a Sith was worth anything, but then again he was more certain than ever that she was not a Sith. She simply hadn't told him what she was. It was clear that she used the dark side, especially given how she had allowed her anger to well up when she had begun talking about what had happened on Cloud City. Anyone who served the dark side cared more about power and their own selfish ambition than self-control or restraint, but Onderin did not necessarily believe that they were all completely without honor. This threadbare woman seemed to be telling the truth.

 

It didn't matter though. While having her hold herself to that vow could potentially remove an enemy from the Jedi Order in a way that even killing her might not, this simple act of compassion was an end unto itself for the kind of Jedi that the galaxy needed most right now. Onderin stood up, intending to make good on his offer. He started to leave, then turned back. "I'm unlikely to find anything in the archives unless I have something to go off of. Your name or theirs, perhaps?"

 

It would be nice, he decided, to at least know her name. He felt perhaps a prodding in the Force. He had the chance to make a difference in this woman's life. If things went just right, maybe he could put her down the first steps to changing her destiny forever.

[Fynn Relmis]

“How would you like to wake up and realize all your life has been a lie? I have been gone what, years? My Parents are probably dead. The worst part is, I don’t even know... The uncertainty aches almost more than these wounds do. What could you possibly want that has not already been taken away from me?”

 

She was good, for a moment Fynn felt a twinge of guilt. Her state made him pity her, for longer then he cared to admit. Yet he could sense that her eyes hid something, something that was buried so far and so deep, it made Fynn curious as to how deep the abyss was. He wanted to protect her, to make her safe. Her words held a passion that was at best dangerous, and at worst...he didn't want picture what it was at worst. He took a step back as she spoke leaning his head against the wall of the cell. He looked up into the low light of the cell. Then gazed back into her non-human eyes, intense eyes, eyes that had seen how much...he wondered. Was she a twisted plaything for some petty dark lord? A willing servant of the dark, capable of anything?

 

He hated this, hated incarceration, freedom was the right of all sentient beings, and Fynn held that value above almost all others, almost equal to his oath as a Jedi. He wanted nothing more then to let her go, to free her from her bondage and allow her to continue living as she pleased. But she was where she should not be, she was an enigma in violation of one of the jedi's most sacred sites. They had to know why, and he was not about to let her innocent state, as convincing as it might be, to blind him to what he had to do. He touched the light-saber scar on his left eye, and breathed in and out slowly, remembering Nivana, and all the others he had lost over the years.

 

"Ask what you will, if you must... I will answer what I can." Her words came slowly, and Fynn used that moment to focus all his perceptions on each word. The force allowed him to feel everything in minute detail. He heard the tones, the vibrations in the air, the fine movements of her tongue, even her warm breath... as the silence returned for a moment Fynn shook his head slowly. He knew enough now.

 

"No you won't," Fynn said through the force he as lowered his head. He reached out, and unlocked the door to the girl's cell. "Not yet," He said in a voice that seem full of grim determination.

 

"You know I trained a young woman once, powerful thing she was, and beautiful to." He said gazing off into the middle distance. "She mastered in weeks some skills, that took me years to master. She was stubborn and determined, and so damned sure of herself. But she trusted me, she would have done anything I asked, even throwing herself into a deadly war when she wasn't ready. See she lied to me, so convincingly that I didn't just believe her, I trusted her."

 

"You know how? Because you just want to belong. You'll die before you turn your back on what you think is your family, and you'll kill or be killed, just prove that you belong in it. You'll lie, you'll murder, just to show that you're strong, that you can be trusted. You see the jedi and sith aren't all that different in that respect. That's why I know that you aren't some lost youth far from home. That girl would have begged for absolution, She would have tried to appeal to my sense of mercy... whats left of it."

 

The intercomm on the wall clicked on. "Knight Relmis... what are you-"

 

"Keep calm, were going to get answers but not with her in here, just keep the monitor's on. We're going to the surface." He said to the intercomm and then turned it off.

 

"But you don't want mercy, you want pain, anguish. You want torture, and suffering and you want to give yourself to them." Fynn said as he took another step towards her.

 

"You've already told me what you are, but I'm still not sure who you are. But we'll find out. Get up," Fynn said as motioned for the girl to stand. "We're going for a little trip, you've been locked up to long anyways."

 

"Move...or I will move you. Remember, I said no one here would harm you. But I'm not from here. I have very little honor left to be lost, and if you try anything I won't be racking my conscience as to what to do." Fynn said this sternly, aggressively bringing her to her feet with the aid of the force.

[Qaela]

There was doubt in the Jedi's mind, but that was to be expected. She wouldn't trust a Jedi, and certainly not a Sith. Furion might be the only exception to that, and perhaps the fool Lucifer, but none of them were to be trusted. She wouldn't trust the Jedi to keep to his word until her children were in her arms and she was away on a fast ship she had thoroughly checked for explosives or trackers. Though, if he did keep his word, she just might force him to make time enough to become a father. Having children from a powerful Sith and a prominent Jedi might prove valuable, though this time she would hole up somewhere nice and safe during pregnancy. There were plenty of Sith that wouldn't dare touch her or her children for fear of the name Lord Ar-Pharazon, but if she could keep the Jedi off her back by making unbreakable ties to one of their leaders, that would be even better.

 

That line of thinking was pleasant enough that she actually allowed a genuine smile through, though it was brief before she shut it down and regained control. He wanted to know her name? Well, that would be a sticky issue. She wasn't entirely sure how much the Jedi knew about the demise of their last Grandmaster. If he found out she had something to do with his death, it might cause him to rethink his willingness to work with her. On the other hand, if he didn't know her name, how was she to expect him to find her children? More to the point, even if he was able to track them down, he would eventually discover her name through the hairy Jedi or even Ca'Aran himself. In that light, she really didn't have much choice.

 

"My name is Qaela. I have no true surname, at least, none that anyone pertinent would know. My three children are not old enough to have names, but that does not mean that the ones holding them haven't given them false ones. They are triplets, two males and a female, and would be around six months old. As I said, they were last in the custody of the Vigo Delta of Cloud City, though it was my understanding that he was turning them over to a rather tall, furry Jedi Master who spoke through growls and a translator droid. He agreed to confront me over them, assuming I would attack him physically. I attempted to persuade him to return my children, but he felt himself superior because he embraced the light and denied them from me. We did not part ways in a friendly manner, through no blood was spilled."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin nodded at Qaela. That should be sufficient information--he had Kirlocca, Delta, Qaela, and Cloud City to key his searches off of. He decided not to tell her that the Jedi with whom she had interacted was on the Council, but there was a good chance Onderin was going to end up dealing with the wookiee directly to get to the bottom of this. Ultimately, it meant he was going to have to call the other Master out on what he had done, the very idea of which would make most Jedi squeamish. Onderin, however, would not back down from seeing this through for any reason, even if he had to get Darex involved.

 

"I'll be back when I have something," he told her, still not taking his eyes off of hers. Finally he turned and left and the Jedi outside resumed their guard. It seemed unlikely that Qaela would make an escape attempt at this point, and indeed Onderin was almost on the edge of letting her walk the Temple freely now that they were working toward a common goal, but he wasn't quite that convinced that she didn't have a second goal which she had so far hidden from him. Although he was determined to try to help her, it didn't mean he should entrust her with anything she could use against the Order if she was so inclined.

 

He promptly headed for the library and was soon digging through the files. He had sufficient information that he was able to find a record of what had happened on Bespin. Not everything was named, and there were some missing details, but together with what Qaela had told him he was able to get a decent picture of what had transpired. Although Qaela, too, had left out some details--perhaps some relevant details--it didn't change Onderin's willingness to proceed. The problem was, where the children had been taken was simply not recorded. He wasn't sure if Kirlocca had told anyone else where he had taken them, but it certainly wasn't recorded here.

 

The Jedi Master mulled the development over. Finally he shrugged. It simply meant that he was going to have to call Kirlocca now and get the location from him instead of eventually confronting him later after the fact. Onderin stood up from the computer terminal, went to the holocomm room, and began his call....

[Keenava Dira]

"No you won't…"

• • 
    "Not yet…"

 

Something changed in the meat that dangled outside of her cell. Lallu could feel his mind as her master felt hers so many times before. She could see the path he held constantly shifting. His mind was almost as chaotic as hers, but there was a difference. Regret and pain lingered in this man’s soul like a lure. Lallu understood regret. She could relate to regret, but her regrets were different. His shone to Lallu through all of his facades and seemed contradictory to the other Jedi in the area.

 

From what little she knew of the Jedi from Furion’s tutelage, she could understand that they were pompous and self-righteous, but she didn’t understand how much until now. However, what struck her as even more interesting was the level of extreme hypocrisy that lay exposed in this man’s consciousness. He claimed to be a Jedi. He claimed to hate Sith and everything that came with that, but here he was anguishing over an attachment. Lallu didn’t know who he was attached to or when, but the feeling was deliciously ironic.

 

"You know I trained a young woman once, powerful thing she was, and beautiful to." He said gazing off into the middle distance. "She mastered in weeks some skills, that took me years to master. She was stubborn and determined, and so damned sure of herself. But she trusted me, she would have done anything I asked, even throwing herself into a deadly war when she wasn't ready. See she lied to me, so convincingly that I didn't just believe her, I trusted her."

Oh… A woman, huh? Lallu thought silently. Truth be told, Lallu really didn’t care, but instead, paid careful attention to the way he spoke. The feeling from before peaked again and again and while she pretended to listen to his pathetic rambling, she could see him moving to act upon a particularly significant thought. Her red eyes glued to his form and followed him around the cell with each syllable. No actual regard was paid to what he was saying, but she could see him move closer to the bars of metal that stood between her and freedom. Lallu let her tears rest on her cheeks and her scarred body knelt upon the floor, eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this man’s monologue.

 

"You know how? Because you just want to belong. You'll die before you turn your back on what you think is your family, and you'll kill or be killed, just to prove that you belong in it. You'll lie, you'll murder, just to show that you're strong, that you can be trusted. You see the Jedi and Sith aren't all that different in that respect. That's why I know that you aren't some lost youth far from home. That girl would have begged for absolution, she would have tried to appeal to my sense of mercy... what’s left of it."

 

Ignorant people who have no knowledge beyond their gilded lives beg for mercy. I admit, I should know how to react in this situation, but I have been in this situation so many times I guess it didn’t occur to me. The thought was silent and her expression barely changed, but his comment was so dead on that it bothered her. Her lies weren’t that good because she wasn’t that good at deception. She played at mercy and guilt when she didn’t think she deserved them. She tried to create pity in those who didn’t feel it. Lallu was confident, but she only had one drive. She wanted to get out. She wanted to find him. Her training wasn’t done and she needed to find her master. She was flailing about trying to deceive these pompous ass hats, but she knew now what to fight for and she knew that she would have to prove that she could fight out on her own. Whether that meant fighting this man, she didn’t know, but she would do whatever she could to get out. No one owned her… No one. They wanted to see an animal? She would show them an animal; a cornered predator that hadn’t eaten in days.

 

"But you don't want mercy, you want pain, anguish. You want torture, and suffering and you want to give yourself to them."

 

You have no idea. Don’t patronize me…

 

"You've already told me what you are, but I'm still not sure who you are. But we'll find out. Get up… We're going for a little trip and you've been locked up to long anyways."

Lallu was about to get up on her own, but before she could get up on her own, she could feel the power he held surging in her legs. She looked directly at him and sat still. Then, when she felt like moving, she stood on her own. Her expression was flat. She wasn’t going to talk to him anymore. She didn’t need to say anything. This man had all the answers he needed and she couldn’t do anything to counter him.

 

However, the rage in his speech and the conflict that broiled deep inside this man were even more intoxicating than his regret. Lallu had always felt ‘heightened’ around people who let their tempers rise, but now she could ‘see’ the energy dripping from him. She hungered for it. Her own chaotic emotions stewed under the shield of her own make and still had not burst through, but their volatile essence was made even more prevalent by the burning of his heart.

 

"Move...or I will move you. Remember, I said no one here would harm you. But I'm not from here. I have very little honor left to be lost, and if you try anything I won't be racking my conscience as to what to do."

 

Her hands were numb from the heavy cuffs that still lingered there, but her hands wrists and garments held many little secrets that Jedi would not think of. Rags were a shroud in which many things could hide despite prying eyes.

 

“Yes Sir,” was the only thing she said before following him out of the cell and into the corridor. She kept herself silent and instead she began scanning all of the doors, windows, walls, crawlspaces, and anything she could see. She started counting in her mind and spent time thinking about the cuffs still dangling on her arms.