Dathomir

[Onderin Starlisk]

When he saw the camp Onderin immediately pegged the Nightsisters as nomads. The dwellings were archaic but practical. They had a sensibility to them that he was familiar with from the war, even though he had spent much of his time stationed aboard capital ships. There was a force gathered to meet them, with not all that many witches but a sizeable number of soldiers. If he had been here to gauge what kind of a threat the Nightsisters would be to the Order, he would be wondering where they were hiding the rest of them.

 

He gave Qaela a close look as she gave her instruction. "For diplomatic relations to have a chance, both parties must respect the laws and customs of the other and approach negotiations as equals," he responded. "I am certainly willing to do my part in this, and due to my unfamiliarity with your customs, that means following your lead. If you don't think that approach will be reciprocated, however, then the chance of coming to a mutual agreement here is nill, and it would be better for Ads and I to take our leave now."

 

It sounded, frankly, like that might be the case, from what Qaela said. It would be a shame to have come all this way for nothing, but Onderin wasn't going to put both their lives in danger to attempt negotiations that were doomed from the start. He would have to go back to the Jedi Council with the regrettable news that they had a new enemy allying with the Sith, and the Nightsisters would have earned the attention of the Jedi that they'd mistakenly thought they had all along.

[Qaela]

Qaela gave the two Jedi a thin smile. "Do that and we won't have any problems." She motioned them to follow her with a curt motion of her hand. Pushing her children in front of her, she then slowly led them toward the clustered tents. Those who were gathered in arms watched them mostly in silence. When it was clear that no violence was going to erupt, they began to melt back into their normal duties.

 

As they walked, she decided that it would be a good time to instruct them on a few things. Before, she had not been entirely sure they would actually come through with meeting with her people so she had never gone into more detail than was necessary. Now though, they would need some instructions if they were to get out of here in one piece. "The most important thing to remember is that there, males are inferior in all ways socially and politically. You aren't slaves, but be very careful whom you offend because some of the Sisters will give you a free lesson in humility." She swallowed a bit harder than normal at the memory of some of her lessons. The one she learned from the Sith Ares had been more memorably brutal, but she had learned many lessons before that one.

 

"This is the Darksong Clan, the one which I have grown up within and that my mother once played an important part in. Due to a situation you need not know of, there are only a few actual Nightsisters here in this particular Clan, but there are other Clans nearby. Summons will be sent to their leaders and they will converge on this location so that we may discuss a treaty. I won't go into the complex network of rank and authority, but generally the older they are, the more powerful they are politically and through the Force. Weak Nightsisters don't last very long in our sort of lifestyle. I hope that you can recognize those who can cast spells otherwise you should just treat every armed woman as being a Sister.

 

"Each Sister has her own part of the camp. They have their personal tent and perhaps a few for their slaves to share. There is only one common tent and that is where the Sisters meet for collective discussions. Do not approach any Sister's tent for any reason unless I am with you. Starlisk, you may be protected from enslavement by my tale of having saved my daughter, but if you enter one of their tents willingly, even that protection won't save you. Do so and you are theirs to do with as they please and you will have to fight them to avoid enslavement or worse. Ads, you are in greater danger here, but your master and I can protect you. If anyone presses the issue, tell them that I captured you and it will probably spare you. If not, I will deal with it more directly."

 

She pointed to a small series of tents. There was a larger tent in the center that was surrounded by a series of smaller ones. A few men and women were milling about attending to business. Three adult rancors were enjoying a meal at the edge facing away from the center of the encampment. "You will be staying in the tents of my mother's slaves. The hag is dead so all of her possessions, including those, fall to me. You will be safe enough there, but I caution you from nosing around too much. If you need anything, come to me and I will procure it. I wouldn't flash your light toys here, either."

 

She flashed them a smile that was genuine, though tinged in a little cruelty. "I hope you don't expect five star accommodations here. As you can see, we live on the move and refreshers aren't very portable. There is bound to be a spring nearby to bathe, but don't expect much in the way of technology. Consider it an opportunity to get attuned with nature and the simple life."

 

* * * * *

 

Nateth's breath hissed between her teeth as she watched the Jedi enter their camp. She didn't like this one bit, but she knew better than to take direct action. A single Jedi was able to wipe out many of their kind decades ago. What could two do? They needed to be handled carefully until their intentions were known. The same was doubly true for Qaela. The girl had been out among offworlders for too long and it was clearly showing.

 

She spotted a particular girl and smiled. "Arleigh, come here," she commanded. "I wish to have words with you."

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh sighed loudly as they came into view of the village. No matter how hard she tried, she never seemed to get away from this place. Even the smells reminded her of her mother. The putred stench of rotting meat from the rancor pens, the sickly sweat smell of basted roast for some kind of feast. Her stomach turned sour and she held on strongly to Wally's leash. As the group rounded the bend into the centre clearing her stomach had returned to its normal hungry self. She patted Wally's knobby hide and looked to where Qaela was explaining things to the new guests. It looked like they would be staying in the slave huts. So she could likely visit them if they let her. New people were interesting, especially if they held the power to strike fear into her mother.

 

A voice, deep and evil growled behind her. Arleigh Gasped and turned. Nateth, one of Arleigh's mother's colleagues wished to have words with her. Arleigh gulped down a breath of air, perhaps Nateth could read Arleigh's intentions? That would be troublesome. It wasn't highly recommended to piss off one of the leading sisters.

 

She bowed and saluted with her spear. Her face wrenched into a smile. Pain coursing down her spine from her scar.

 

“How may I be of assistance?”

[Qaela]

Nateth eyed the girl thoughtfully. "You wish advancement," she stated. All Sisters wanted advancement, to think otherwise would be weakness and weakness didn't last long before it was beaten out of its vessel. "Sister Qaela has thought it wise to bring Jedi among us. This is not an acceptable action, but at this point, we cannot refute her claim that the elder Jedi saved the life of her daughter. For a Jedi to save one of us is strange, but so is everything that girl does. The three of them could be here to attack us from within, to finish what the Jedi started decades ago. We do not even know for sure that Qaela is not in league with them."

 

She pointed a finger at the girl standing before her. Her voice was now undeniably commanding when she said, "Go among the Jedi, discover if they are here to attack and most importantly, if Qaela has been tainted by their Jedi ways. You are young and not as powerful, so they may not attack you on sight. Be cautious, though, the last Jedi to come in contact with our kind killed every one of us on sight and would have destroyed us all had their attention not been directed elsewhere. Do not underestimate them."

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh bowed her head respectfully. "Advancement is preferred my lady. I will do as asked." Her voice carried a hint of restraint. She disliked this older sister. Her hatred for her mother caused quite the celebration when she had fallen to Qaela's forces. As such Arleigh did not wish to explicitly undermine the young Qaela, yet it was better than being beaten to the inch of one's life. She bowed and walked after the younger Jedi....

[Onderin Starlisk]

"That will do," Onderin said simply after Qaela finished her explanation. He wondered briefly how long the negotiations would run. Sometimes things like this took several days depending on how much there was to work out, but other times it could be over much faster. How long it took in this case depended entirely on how receptive the Nightsisters were to his words. There was an advantage in dealing with Force users--as long as they could detect whether or not he was lying, he could open himself completely and speak only the truth. As long as that worked, he could quickly discredit some of the ideas they had about the Jedi much as he had done with Qaela.

 

He glanced at Ads. "This is an important part of your training," he reminded the young man. "Keep your senses open. Learn to think clearly even when surrounded by the dark side, and protect your mind if someone should start prying. But even more important than Force technique is to learn to behave as a Jedi should in a situation like this. Seek to make peace when possible, always speak honestly, but never compromise morally. There is no technique I can teach you that will make you a Jedi Knight. It is something you will become over time, and I will simply recognize it."

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads listened to Onderin's admonishment with, quite literally, aplomb. Kind of a strange word, but it popped into Ads' head as he listened to Onderin and he repeated it under his breath a few times, not exactly sure what it meant. After being looked up, as luck would have it, the word actually fit into that sentence so we are now all with aplomb, even if we aren't all experiencing it (?)(especially in this sentence). Anyway, Ads felt that he could do as Onderin said. There was a small, nagging doubt about what he would do if confronted by a Nightsister and "requested" to do something...uncomfortable. Ads made up his mind that he would just have to trust in Qaela's ability to protect the Jedi and lead them peacefully through negotiations.

 

It was then that Ads noticed one of the younger Sisters making her way toward the Jedi. Something felt different in her, but Ads wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps he was only noticing her auburn hair which made her stick out like a sore thumb (especially because those are often red). Maybe it was something else he'd noticed but all he knew was that she felt different. Either way, he wasn't sure that she was actually coming for them although it certainly looked like it.

[Arleigh Burke]

Welp. It seemed that the jedi had indeed seen her traipsing along behind them. Not like she had been trying to be super secret about it. So, she did what any dathomiri would never do. She waved and grinned. The nerves on the destroyed side of her face screamed in protest. She wanted to get to know these kind looking jedi, as such she could not afford to be the typical rude, ugly, Misandric, witch. These men had saved Qaela's children after all. That, at least in Arleigh's mind made them heroic creatures, worthy of the holodramas she had never seen. Arleigh had idolized Qaela after she and the Black Sun had killed Arleigh's mother. As such, she would never intentionally do harm to her or her guests.

 

Her eyes locked with the younger male then she looked at the older one. He reminded, Arleigh decided, her of her father. Which was a high compliment indeed. Memories of Kyle Burkes last moments shot through Arleigh's mind before she shunted them away. No one, even a hardened Dathomiri girl like herself should have to experience that. She shook her head to clear her memory before she quickened her pace to catch up with the jedi. She kept the painful grin on her face as she caught up to them.

[Qaela]

Qaela nodded in acceptance at Starlisk's response. It didn't matter to her if he agreed or not, the choice was out of his hands. He had already agreed to come here, any chance of turning back was lost when he entered the camp. If he attempted to flee now, he would have to kill all of them and she didn't think he would do that even if he could. Still, it was nice to have his cooperation. It would make things easier with her Sisters when the true negotiation began.

 

She spotted a strong looking male and gestured to him with a finger. "You, come here." The slave quickly stopped what he was doing and rushed to her side. It was so good to be back among men who knew their place beneath their superiors. "These two are to be afforded every convenience we can offer. None of the other sisters are to harass them. If one tries, get me immediately no matter what I am doing." She had her prizes, now she needed to protect them.

 

Her eyes narrowed at the approach of a young woman. This one, by her dress, was marked as a Sister, but that didn't mean anything but that she was a potential threat. She stepped in between the girl and her Jedi and asked coldly, "Who are you and what do you want?"

[Onderin Starlisk]

((Been waiting on Arleigh. Making sure Arleigh isn't waiting on me.))

 

Onderin watched as one of the younger Nightsisters approached. She was even younger than Qaela, little more than a child. She also seemed entirely... benign. He knew that she was perhaps putting on an appearance that would make them see her as less of a threat, and that was apparently Qaela's first thought as well as she stepped between them.

 

The Jedi Master would keep an open mind. Perhaps not all the Nightsisters were devoted to the dark side. Time would tell.

[Arleigh Burke]

((LOL I was in fact waiting, just to make sure everyone had their go. Sorry for the delay.))

 

Arleigh could feel her heart freeze in her chest. The Nightsister was obviously irritated, and that never bode well for a lesser sister. A thrashing would likely be in order. Time seemed to slow as she considered her options. One, she could lie about her intentions, and continue in her mission. However, there was a major flaw to that plan. Jedi, or at least Arleigh had heard, were human lie detectors. And she wanted to earn their trust, not piss them off. So she considered her last option, the only viable one. Truth.

 

Arleigh, bowed low to the group of three. "I apologise for the inconvenience, I was sent by sister Nateth to find out the intentions of the Jedi, and to see if you, Sister Qaela were in league with them." She gulped, it was a nicer way of saying I WAS ON A SPY MISSION, but no doubt they were savvy enough to understand that was what she meant. After all, who could afford to lie to Jedi and a Sister of the Night?

[Qaela]

Qaela stood silently studying the girl before her. Her own emotions and thoughts were carefully hidden behind a mask of disdain. "So you betray not only Nateth, but yourself as well by your weakness. You show not only an utter lack of ingenuity or creativity in carrying out your task, but you expose she who sent you. That makes you both weak and a traitor." She gestured to the Jedi and added, "You are fortunate that I have agreed to temper my actions in front of them or I would beat you mercilessly for your actions. Tell me now, knowing that you will betray your superiors without a struggle, who would ever trust you again?"

[Arleigh Burke]

She could feel her breath catch in her throat.

 

Her eyes bulged ever so slightly as she fought to maintain her composure. A mixture of anger, shock and fear bubbled up for a second before she cleared her emotions to the side. Was there a proper response? Had she betrayed anyone? Was it smart to tell a lie to Jedi and a Nightsi....no Sith? She didn't care anymore. She raised her head slowly until her eyes caught Qaela's.

 

Fierce Green against unrelenting Brown/Purple. Arleigh's eyes narrowed as she formulated her words carefully. There would be no argument. She had made her decision, and now her life would be forfeit. She did not have much time. Nateth would want blood.

 

Her words were hesitant but carried conviction. “Honesty in front of those who can read minds is always the best path.”

 

Her eyes dropped from Qaela's and glanced to the Jedi. Would they condemn her life as well?

[Qaela]

((Just to speed things on, I will post. If a Jedi wants to jump in, feel more than free to do so, but I get the sense that you two are waiting on us))

 

Qaela chuckled at the girl's response, as well as her naivety. She took a few steps forward and gently grasped the girl's chin with her right hand. She had a smile on her face as she looked down into her eyes. It astonished her that she even thought of this one as a girl. There wasn't too much more than five ((Dathomiri)) years between them, yet there was so much more than time separating them. Just as with Jedi Ads, chronological age wasn't always as determining as it seemed, especially when it came to the Force. Ads at least had a deal of life experiences that tempered him into are more formidable man, this girl was just beginning and had so much to learn.

 

"Yes," she said softly. Her voice was kind, understanding, and altogether devoid of anger. "Honesty is the best path when dealing with Jedi. You have little to fear from them as long as you behave by their rules because they want honesty, openness, and goodness. They are straightforward people who dislike treachery and, as long as you treat them in kind, will not return it to you."

 

The smile on her face turned into a snarl. Without warning, she jerked her hand away from the girl's chin, raking her stiffened forefinger across the girl's cheek as she did. Her voice lost all of his kindness and became as hard as durasteel and as cold as liquid nitrogen. "Honesty is never the best path with those who embrace the darkness," she snarled. "Honesty is weakness, it is a sign that you cannot deceive, and it is proof that you are vulnerable. Never tell a follower of darkness everything, always keep part of it hidden. If you reveal everything, you give it all away and leave yourself exposed and weak. I do not know how you have survived so long within our ways without learning how to lie and conceal."

 

Anger seeped into her voice as she began to rail against the girl. "You are weak and weakness is worthlessness. If you cannot even follow orders, you are useless. If you cannot be trusted to be loyal to your superiors and your Clan, then you cannot be trusted. If you cannot be trusted and are worthless, then you had no purpose but to die. The Nightsisters only have use for those who are strong and loyal, you are neither. Be grateful that I do not follow all the ways of the Sith for if I did, I would kill you now as I have seen done to countless Sith acolytes who demonstrated such pointlessness as your existence shows me now."

 

She didn't care if Starlisk or the Jedi saw this because it was none of their business. Starlisk had control over how he trained Ads because both were a Jedi. This girl was one of her own, not one of theirs. If she continued in weakness, she would only die at the hands of the Witches. Weakness was not the way of the Nightsisters. They might not be as unforgiving and quick to discard their learners as Sith, but they didn't coddle, either. She had played by their rules when among them, but they were no longer among the Jedi. They were among the Nightsisters of Darksong Clan, and this was how things were.

 

Her icy gaze fell upon the thin line of blood seeping from the girl's cheek dispassionately. The anger in her voice vanished and was replaced by the kind, almost parental voice she had first used with the girl. "Now, look into my eyes and tell me that you do not have any anger or hatred for me. Tell me that your cheek doesn't hurt and that you are glad I have humiliated you in front of Jedi and slaves alike." She raised a single finger--the same finger that had clawed her cheek--and added, "And you had better make me believe it or I will personally inform Nateth that you betrayed her and let her deal with you."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin watched the interaction quietly, taking mental notes. He had never really considered how a society of dark siders would function. Constant conspiracy, conflicting goals, Force manipulation and clashing egos would lead it to be a very dangerous life where a single misstep could lead to severe punishment. Even in this basic situation he understood the young Nightsister's plight--was it better to lie and be caught or tell the truth and betray the sender?

 

He wanted to step in but restrained himself, as it would cause him to undermine Qaela. She had been right--it would serve no one for him to do so in this place.

 

But secretly he set a goal. He tried to catch the young girl's eye as she glanced back at him and Ads. He attempted to convey calm and even approval toward her. He was interested in this one, and suspected that she was young enough to be redeemed even if Qalea--young as she was--was not.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads was unsure of how he felt about the conversation between Qaela and the young girl before her. Qaela was being very tough on the girl, which didn't seem right, but if that's how their society had always worked then who was Ads to say anything about it? So he just listened because there wasn't any way to escape from the awkward situation.

[Arleigh Burke]

A wicked hand grasped to her chin dark fingernails etching red lines in pale skin. Arleigh felt her heart turn to ice as the older woman began to speak. Beautiful red lips stretched into a wicked grin. Arleigh shuddered as Qaela began to speak of honesty. This was not the first time she had been grasped by the chin before a beating. Arleigh's thoughts screamed back to two years prior. Qaela's deceptively beautiful face was replaced by an older and a narrower one. High cheekbones fell into sallow cheeks, and perfect skin fell away to blotched and purple skin. Veins stood pulsing in the forehead of Arleigh's mother Ansleian as she took the part of Qaela. Two years fell away from Arleigh as well. Straight posture fell slightly, the thin body lost its slight chest, she grew shorter and fear spread across her.

 

Two years ago. Honesty. Pain. Death. Ansleian was screaming obscenities spittle spattering upon the tear stained face of her daughter. A body lay behind, a man, a father, lay in smoking ruin before a witches onslaught. Fire burned on the side of Arleigh's face and Arleigh was brought back to the present. Slightly shaken.

 

Blood. She could taste it, falling in a crimson line from her cheek bone, across the deep scar to the corner of her pink lips. The iron copper taste gave her strength. A strange and unnatural calm echoed from the eyes of the Jedi Lord. They understood. It was shocking really, she had never thought of the Jedi as caring or loving, or how much her heart ached for such things.

 

Her fierce green eyes flicked back to the Sith woman. Arleigh drew a breath and steadied her voice.

 

"Now, look into my eyes and tell me that you do not have any anger or hatred for me. Tell me that your cheek doesn't hurt and that you are glad I have humiliated you in front of Jedi and slaves alike."

 

A smile flicked at the corner of Arleigh's mouth causing the blood to flirt down her chin. Her green eyes had an icy sheen.

 

“No.”

 

She had not stood up to her mother, and it had pained her immensely. Beating after beating, she wouldn't bow to the Witch from the stars. Hero she was not. Arleigh was content with whatever fate this response brought her. Hopefully Wally would escape alive.

[Qaela]

Qaela shook her head sadly. "That rebellious spirit of yours won't do you any good until you can protect yourself. There are times when submission is the wisest course of action. I know this from experience. One Sith lordling thought I was too arrogant, so he used a powerful spell to literally crush my body and grind my bones together as a lesson in humility. The pain was excruciating and required a long time in their healing liquids and many healing spells, but I learned a valuable lesson. The Sith, and even Nightsisters, don't require you to accept the pain and humiliation. They expect you to be angry and to bottle that anger up until it can be used later. They expect you to control your hatred and desire for revenge when it won't do you any good, then to use it when you are strong to show those who humiliated you that you are now their equal. The Sith would have you kill your former tormenters, but why waste such a valuable resource and, more importantly, why allow them the escape of a quick death? Is it not far more enjoyable to best them, then let them live with that knowledge? Even those who are weaker than you have their uses, otherwise the strong would simply kill the weak and there would be only one left."

 

She gave the girl a cold smile. "I had hoped that you would show me that you are capable of making me believe a lie and thus redeem yourself somewhat for your previous failure. However, your pride has robbed you of that. Sister Nateth may have no further use of you once your betrayal is made known to her, but I am not Nateth. Pride has its place, but it can be very dangerous and cost a great deal. If you ever wish to become something other than everyone's slave, come to my tent when the sun goes down. I have business to attend to and won't have time for a failed spy until then. If you do not come to my tent, then pray to the spirits that I do not ever see your face again because, Jedi or no Jedi, such an encounter will be extremely painful for you."

 

She turned away from the girl and gestured for the Jedi to join her in her inspection of her mother's former holdings. She needed to get these Jedi settled quickly so that she could address her Sisters in private and discuss her intentions. They would never speak around the Jedi and they certainly would never send the messengers to the other clans unless she convinced them to do so. This nameless girl's aborted attempt was a good sign that the other Sisters respected her position because otherwise she wouldn't be worth sending a spy to. If they didn't fear her at least a little, they would approach on their own. Instead, they sent a near worthless girl, one easily sacrificed, to test the waters.

 

With a smile, she glanced at Starlisk. "You do not approve." It was not a question. "I am glad you did not interfere. If you had, I would have had to punish her quite severely to show that you do not control me. The way of darkness is a hard one, but those who survive are stronger for it. Among the Nightsisters, we do not shed as much blood as the Sith do. Failure here doesn't result in death most of the time, but rather in loss of status. It is no different than what happens in nature, except we at least allow our weak to serve some menial purpose. Nature just kills them off and feeds on their flesh."

[Onderin Starlisk]

((I apologize for my post spacing. I've been quite busy and RP doesn't always make the top of the list.))

 

Onderin shrugged at Qaela. "Of course I don't approve," he answered. "Your society breeds fear, hate, and contempt. While it might keep everyone closely in line and demand perfectionism, I have been brought up in a very different environment. How is it that I have accomplished all that I have, defeating Sith and matching wits against Emperors and Arach'tar when my upbringing has been so disgustingly forgiving? You live lives of such strife, but in search of what? Slaves? Surely it's not luxury or comfort that you seek. Influence?"

 

He hoped that whatever else came of his interactions with Qaela, she at least came to understand that the light side was viable. There were many very powerful Jedi. Surely the Nightsisters knew that. But the Jedi served peace, and they met others with forgiveness and compassion. He did not see why they would choose the dark side when the alternative was a better life with an undeniably equal amount of, well, power.

 

But he wasn't here to change these people. He was here to make sure they never became a threat.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads decided not to speak up. While his life certainly had not been like the Nightsisters' while growing up, he certainly hadn't had the cushiest upbringing and didn't want to deal with anyone trying to manipulate that to fit their own beliefs. Ads agreed with Onderin though, so he simply nodded his approval before looking for Qaela's response, genuinely curious as to what the Nightsisters sought.

[Qaela]

"Safety," Qaela answered without pause. "I seek safety for my own and the way to get that is through power. It can be power by brute strength, manipulation, bargaining, or allies, but power is what is needed to guarantee safety. The strong prey on the weak, light or dark; that is the way of nature. It culls the inept and allows the best to carry on, thus preserving both nature and society. You defeated the Sith because they preyed too much upon their own weak rather than guiding them to strength. There is strength in the light, nobody denies that. What I would argue is that those who practice the light are weaker individually, but only are stronger when with superior numbers. As I have said before, if you only barely managed to withstand the Sith as it was, how would you have fared against double or triple their number as they would be had they not wiped so many of each other out? You wouldn't."

 

Now that they were within the relative safety of her own section of the camp, Qaela was able to relax a little. Jedi or not, there were some Sisters who would love nothing more than to attack. With her children present, that was an unacceptable risk. She said a few things in Dathomiri and a woman and two boys came to attend to her children. She paused briefly to gauge whether they could be trusted or not, but decided that she had to start somewhere. If she was ever going to be able to act without the three of them at hand, she would need to trust the watchers.

 

She halted in front of a small tent. The structure was no longer than one of the small cabins that had been on Starlisk's ship. A small solar powered light provided illumination in the dimming light, though that was the only modern technology within. "This will be your tent, Starlisk." She pointed to one a little farther down, "That will be yours, Pup. Both of you, remember what I said about the other Sisters. I don't want to waste time dragging you out of their tents after they enslaved you. Beware the chanting, there are spells that will cause you act as though you are drunk or on spice. We use them to seduce or manipulate our way out of certain situations--and to seduce mates.

 

"I must speak with the other Sisters of my clan. There are some things that need to be settled away from outsiders. As the slaves if you should require anything, but only the males until you can recognize a Sister. I shall return to you in the morning."

 

Without waiting on them, she turned and stalked away. Even here, there were eyes watching and she didn't want it to appear that the Jedi were her masters or controlling her in any way. Such a thing would only weaken her position and leave them all vulnerable.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin watched Qaela go, not quite satisfied but understanding that this was no place for an extended debate. It seemed to him that this place was unsafe only because the Nightsisters themselves had made it so. A community at peace with itself, made up of selfless members who each acted for the good of the others, was much stronger than one where safety was bought with manipulation and maintained with blackmail. It was well known that two individuals watching each others' backs was more than twice as effective as each member alone--that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

 

The Jedi Master stepped close to Ads. "Be mindful," he said. "I believe we are here at the will of the Force. Trust your feelings and all will end as it is meant to."

 

He gave a smirk, then headed into his tent and began to meditate. For now, he was content to wait and see if he attracted any attention.

[Arleigh Burke]

(I apologize for the delay on my end. Had to work a doubleshift)

 

Arleigh watched them go her eyes pleading until the Jedi Master and apprentice had entered their tents. When they were finally out of view she allowed herself to relax. Her nailbitten fingers traced the still bleeding cut and she smiled at the rather large amount of blood that she had gathered onto her fingers. She spun on her heel and ran to her own tent. She was dammed, and she knew it. She could join the Sith sister and live in exile and pain. She shook her head, either way she went, she was dammed to leave this planet. She cursed softly as she began to pack her most valuable possessions into a small satchel. She pack two pairs of extra clothes, as well as the relics of her father.

 

She grasped the bow her father had given her and sighed. Her father had always said her destiny was among the stars. But which stars? She pushed the sudden welling of tears back. Why did you have to die? I need your advice. I need to know the way to go. The silence was deafening. As the last year, she was utterly alone. A soft drip sounded as blood from her cheek spattered onto the stone flooring. She wiped angrily at the wound and applied pressure. She slung the bow and quiver onto her back grabbed her spear and walked out of the tent. Her heart was on fire. Emotions raging, she walked towards where there was calm. Almost absentmindedly. Until she was standing before the slave tents, she gulped and making sure there were no Sisters watching, knocked on the master's doorframe. Damnation awaited.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin opened his eyes and knew he had a tough choice ahead of him. The young Dathomiri girl was outside his tent now. Her inner turmoil was tangible in the Force. She wanted to leave, and he wanted to take her away from this place. A Force adept still young enough to be turned away from the dark side, she would have a place in the Jedi Order if she wanted it. But even without considering that end, he would not hesitate to deliver her from this place.

 

And yet, he could not imagine that the Nightsisters would react favorably to the idea. He was here to make peace with them, and performing an action that offended them would violate his mission. He wasn't certain he could even risk opening the door and inviting her into this tent. In some ways he was already as paranoid as the Qaela seemed to be in this place.

 

But maybe if he was cunning enough and played the Nightsisters' game something would work out. For now, he was getting ahead of himself. He would have to take a couple of risks in order to do the right thing.

 

The Jedi Master stood up and opened the simple dwelling's door. "Come in," he invited the girl that stood outside. "Quickly. I do not think it would good for either of us if you are seen here."

 

Onderin glanced at the wound Qaela had dealt the girl as he moved further inside and sat down, and didn't fail to notice as well that she was carrying a small satchel as well as a few crude weapons... probably all she owned or close to it. Nomads didn't tend to built up a bulk of possessions.

 

First, he had to establish her purpose for being here in her own words. "Perhaps you should start with your name... then move on to why you're taking this risk." If Qaela came back, she would probably kill or seriously injure the girl, and Onderin wouldn't be in a position to stop it.

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh bowed low as she entered the tent. The man before her had kind eyes and a pleasant demeanor he reminded her heavily of her own father, before he passed. His accent was Corellian, or at least she thought so. Her father had shown her some smuggled holos many years before. The slightly graying hair gave him the essence of wisdom. A Jedi Master in his true form. No demon as had been described by the Sisters for so many years. He was kind, a father figure. How lucky the Jedi must be, to be ruled by kindness and not wicked cruelty, she thought bitterly.

 

She quickly shut the tent flap behind her ensuring they were not seen. She knelt before him. And spoke, her voice terse with a slight Hapian accent.

 

"I am Arleigh Jennifer Abigale Burke, Daughter of Captain Ganitori Burke and Sister Ansleian. My father was a Hapian Pirate who crashed here and was taken aprise by my mother. He however raised me actively trying to subvert my mothers influence. When she found out my desires to leave this place, she murdered my father and attempted to electrocute me." She paused and pointed to her scarred face.

 

"For the last year I have served the nightsisters. Without my Father's influence. I don't know why I seem attracted to the peace that is stemming from the Jedi presence here, but somehow I am."

 

She smiled slightly. "If you cannot help me, I understand. But my recent mistakes have doomed me to either serving Qaela or dying here. I chose option three. Escape."

 

Her eyes watered up slightly, "Please help me, I will do anything...."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin was mildly surprised at the courtesy Arleigh displayed. Everything he had seen from and heard about the Nightsisters so far made it sound like they would fear and mistrust him, treating him as an enemy who was plotting their collective demise. But she was coming to him asking for deliverance, and she seemed free of the Nightsisters' opinion of the Jedi. Perhaps it was her offworlder father's influence.

 

The Jedi Master seemed to consider. "My name is Onderin Starlisk," he said. "I think you should understand my purpose here. Qaela was captured while infiltrating a Jedi Temple with a group of Sith. I went to her to see what I could learn about the Sith's whereabouts, and while we were talking I learned that she had been separated from her children. I agreed to help her get them back, and in the process learned of the regard in which the Nightsisters hold Jedi. It seems that, due to the actions of a particular Jedi in the past, the Nightsisters were seeking to ally themselves with the Sith in order to protect themselves from an allegedly-inevitable Jedi attack."

 

He shrugged. "The Jedi Order wasn't even really aware of the Nightsisters. I am here to make peace between us so that we do not gain an enemy through inaction and the Sith do not gain an ally. In order to succeed, I will need to make a good impression on the Nightsisters and observe their customs carefully while I'm here," he continued, looking at her meaningfully.

 

"I will help you," he said definitively. "But we can't just get up and leave--I would like to take you away from this place within the Nightsisters' own rules. You know these people far better than I do. Can you think of a way as a part of these negotiations or through another method for you to be allowed to leave with us?"

 

Onderin could think of one way, a way which Qaela had sort of mentioned back aboard the ship on the way here. But he was reluctant to go down that path unless there was no easier one.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads was in his tent and had been for a while. ((I just want to make sure people know where Ads is and that I'm still following along.))

[Arleigh Burke]

Honesty. A bitter world that forbade it at every turn. Death was coming for her, she knew it. She had seen the terror in her father's eyes as his blood slowly ran from a thousand painful cuts. The terror of the realization that there was no after life, that nothing could save him. He had screamed at her, his shattered mouth unable to make syllables. A final goodby from the pain of Nightsister torture. If Nateth got a hold of her. The pain and death would be unbearable. She could face the Sith Sister if she needed to. Pain had its limits, death...Death she could not yet handle. Pain brought strength, she knew that at least. She had seen and felt plenty of it. Arleigh curse herself within her mind. She would have to pay for these mistakes some day.

 

She inclined her head and wiped away the tears from her eyes. Perhaps she wouldn't be so cursed with these emotions if her father hadn't raised her. But there was no time for regrets on things she couldn't change. She would join these men, she would do anything she could. Her father had begged her to leave, and leave she would.

 

 

“Your mission take priority for the rest of the Galactic Alliance. I know how important these negotiations must be. I am secondary, and I realize that.” She considered his query for a few seconds, she straightened her back and looked him in the eye from behind fire red bangs.

 

….”Does your lesser, your servant? The other male you came with, your apprentice?” She did not quite know the term. “Does he have....” She gulped. “Does he have a mate? There are some traditions, if it was deemed better for the clan, for me to leave with you and he.” She looked slightly stricken. “I doubt he would agree to such a thing. My father always taught me that Jedi had no such mates.” She was useless and she knew it. To have Jedi children would improve the clan's status for sure.

 

She cocked her brow, “I cannot think of much other plans that have a high chance of succeeding. Yet if deem this an unwise plan, Nateth's judgment will be severe, and I will likely be carrion food before the morn.”

 

She sat back on her haunches, “Unless you think I should go to Sith Sister's tent later tonight.” She was really running short on ideas. Her mother had always chided her for not having any plans before she acted. These were plans formed in desperation from a frightened girl's mind. No doubt the Jedi Master would know what to do.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin gave a slight grimace. That had been the idea he'd been thinking about, his last resort plan. "I'll have to talk to Ads about it," he said. "Perhaps we could attempt to give the impression that you two were to be wed, but avoid an actual ceremony before getting safely off world. My only other idea is to see if they will allow you to leave with us as an observer to learn about the Jedi, as well as to watch us carefully and ensure that the terms of whatever agreement we make are being met on our side. Knowing as I do the Jedi's stance on the Nightsisters so far--or lack of it--I think accountability would only reinforce our trustworthiness."

 

He paused and gave a slight chuckle and glanced in the direction of Ads' tent. "I doubt there's any precedent for a Jedi Master arranging his apprentice's marriage."

 

The Corellian turned back to Arleigh and glanced at her satchel. "Either way, I'm afraid you've packed somewhat prematurely. You'll have to bear this place a little longer, perhaps a few days until negotiations resolve. We won't be able to be seen to associate, but if we play our hands carefully both our purposes can be served."

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh smiled softly and nodded. She looked at there things then towards Ads' tent.

 

“Thank you for helping me sir, perhaps I should see your apprentice myself? Before I visit Qaela's tent and hear her own ideas for paths among the stars.”

 

She planted her fist against the cold ground.

 

“If this plan works, I am forever in your debt master Starlisk.”

 

Her mind was a battleground. Everything her mother taught her screamed at her infidelity. Everything that her father taught shouted for joy. Either way, the battle was not yet over. She would have to survive the next few nights. Dathomir would hold much for the Jedi. Whether or not it would be a marriage was a different issue. One wholly dependent on the younger jedi. Either way, Arleigh was prepared.