“Fuss is an understatement when trying to fit through humanoid sized doors, believe me.” Melloch said earnestly, before turning around (carefully so as to not hit Avix with his arm). “I am Melloch, I’ll be the healer on this little expedition. I hope you’re not the fussy type when getting sewn back up.”.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Melloch, since you are a healer it is safe to say we will get acquainted quite well.” he retorted before turning his attention towards Lyric. “Well now it could hinder you in other regards but I digress as we do all have our vices… But don’t ask questions you’d rather not know the answer to. You could say the last world I was on was a bit of an extended stay but things did go quite well.” he said in a rather playful tone as a sly smile crept across his face.

Lyric shook his head, mildly recalling some instances where Avix had barely come back alive. He recalled the knight’s broken and bloodied body coming back several times, each time forcing the healers to mend it into something work about. It wasn’t pretty but so far the man had managed to meld fairly well. Better than most in fact, his lips still smirking. “I learned there’s many things I rather not learn yet I still find them out never the less. Best to ask before I do.”

He turned to Melloch’s comment about being fussy and chuckled. “He’s not, but he’s more likely to come back banged up, bruised and beat to Reek shit over the course of this mission. Hazards of being a Jedi Shadow sadly, namely if you’re caught in the crossfire of things you’re involved in.”

“I’ll make sure to stock extra supplies for you then. And restraints to keep you in the medical bay until I give you the go ahead to go break everything I just fixed again.” Melloch replied. He wasn’t above drugging his patients to make sure they stayed in one place. Not that Avix needed to know that quite yet.

“Restrains shan’t be necessary Melloch but I appreciate the thought.” he retorted before turning his eyes to Lyric yet again.”I appreciate that good friend so enlighten me as to the logistics of this apparent retrieval of the Jedi captured during the sacking. Do we have any leads or an outline as to how we might approach this?”

“Currently, we are heading to Tatooine where the Kaggath was last spotted. Jedi Knight Rahn has contacts there that could give us some leads through suppliers and meanwhile Master Tetsu will head to Coruscant. I feel it’s unneeded to head back as she will deliver any needed information to the ship and aid us on our current destination, saving us precious time. Though I think a gentle touch is required with the suppliers because some are rather skittish. However when you’re on planet, you are free to do as you well please so long as it doesn’t risk the mission’s primary goal. Namely if the sith suspect we’re sending a rescue mission after them than likely end up giving away our element of surprise and it will be a slaughter.”

“Sure.” Melloch replied with a smile, before turning his attention to Lyric’s briefing. He missed the meeting too. “So, don’t take me on any meetings to the skittish suppliers, or anything requiring stealth. As you may have noticed, I’m large enough to make most people nervous and to make stealth impossible unless we’re sneaking up on someone deaf, blind, and unconscious. I suspect I will not be very helpful on this part of the journey, unless you turn it into one of your ‘bruised, banged up, and beat to Reek shit’ missions. Then I’ll be very helpful.”

“Well if that is the case then, I’ll leave the talking to you guys in regards to these skittish suppliers but if when you need some sort of stealth like mission then I am your man. But I’m rather uncouth in anything the requires subtle persuasion. Do you have any leads as to who is the Sith who is behind this?”

“Stealth isn’t just about hiding in the Shadows, Avix. I could easily hid in plain sight if I wanted to or have you forgotten the last lesson I showed you?” Lyric said to calmly and gently remind Avix about his illusions. A modest and the primary goal was to earn respect which ended much better than he expected. Though from the looks of it, it might have to be repeated.

For a moment he paused to look at the more modest knight, the two being night and day. “We might have to persuade some smugglers in variety of ways Melloch, from both intimation to trickery. It doesn't hurt to a member being one of the larger species like wookies or yourself. Even a mere showing of force can unnerve someone enough to slip up."

He turned back to Avix. "We believe it's a woman from the Sith species referred to as Darth Nyiss. She is well knowledge for developing chemical weapons and then deploying them against various planets. However any proof is still in debate at this point. It's why Master Tetsu is heading back to Coruscant. It will save us valuable time and energy to divide our forces among the tasks and spread our resources. However on the outer rim planets, you both must be careful. One wrong move could result in lost lives for our Jedi."

Avix frumpled his brow. “I cannot say that I have heard of this particular Darth… but to kidnap the Jedi for the sole purpose of testing chemical weapons on them seems highly unlikely. And come on now Lyric, the Outer Rim is where I mostly reside. I’ll be careful although I’m not so sure about Meloch... “ Avix said with a sigh as his mind was in a flurry trying to think of all the possible plans she could have for the captured Jedi.

The giant Herglic shrugged at Avix. “I’ll be sure to stick with you. I’ve little experience on the seedier side of the galaxy. I’ve been spending most of my time trying to ensure the war didn’t take as many lives as it wanted. Just tell me when you want me to look scary and I’ll do it. Shouldn’t be too hard. ‘Giant and covered in scars’ tends to be an unnerving factor for most people. Just ensure I can still use the force and if things go wrong I can patch us all up. Two things first. ” He pointed at Lyric. “No smoking in the medbay.” He then pointed at Avix next. “If anyone is injured, and under my care, what I say goes. No arguing. No buts. That applies to Sith as well. Other than that I’ll let you lead us through the Outer Rim planets.”

“The actual name isn’t well known outside the Republic but in the Empire, it’s another story. So her motivations of why are currently complete guesses without us only able to assume.” Lyric answered gently and chuckled at Melloch’s accusing finger, followed by the Helglic’s motherly chiding at not having his smoking habits cloud up the medical wing At the mention of Sith, his facial features darkened slightly at the ill possibility for caring toward them as his tone reflect his clear distaste for wasting a kindness on their enemy. It would seem his empathy and generous nature didn’t extend to the Sith, his prejudice showing thickly in his chosen words.

“I don’t intend on any Sith being taken captive. They made their choice when they fell to the darkside and the corruption shouldn’t be ignored or overlooked. In the end, they’ve escaped their consequences far too long. I expect you to kill them on sight rather than attempt to capture them as despite the Coruscant treaty, we’re still fighting a war.” Lyric said, his teeth clenched upon the ciggarra tightly at the unsavory thought. “The only good Sith, is a dead one to me.”

Melloch frowned at Lyric’s words. He didn’t need Force empathy to know what the Master was feeling, and how troubling that was. “I would like to remind you of the Code, Master Novannon. Emotions, yet peace. Passion, yet Serenity. Don’t kill unarmed opponents, just to name a few. If a Sith comes under my care, neither of you will harm them, purposely provoke them, or anything else you can come up with to kill the Sith. Are we clear?” The herglic’s gentle, friendly tone was gone, replaced with a hard warning.

"Telling that to the Sith who tried to take my eye and managed to kill both a padawan and his knight master before I put him down. We disarmed, bound and aimed to lock him away only to be cut down when he was willing to corporate." Lyric countered revealing the painful memory. Even masters weren't immune to the pain and while Melloch disagree wit his beliefs, the mission was far more critical than giving salvation or allowing risks onboard. "Sith, as clearly shown by recent events, don't play by our rules. They play by their own and because of that, our numbers have dwindled terribly. Your own treatment of the wounded should show that, Knight Melloch."

His emotion was calm though unsettling cold when stopped forward, unfazed by the change in the change in the hergelic's change in manner. "There is no Emotion, there is Peace. There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge. There is no Passion, there is Serenity. There is no Chaos, there is Harmony. There is no Death, there is the Force.

I know the code very well, but my past experiences are enough to tell me that the Sith do not. My concern is more the risk kindness toward a Sith or Jedi 'converted' will do. My view is the Jedi decided to take the easy way, lures of the dark side, then accept the Jedi teachings of 'There is no Death, there is the Force.'"

Avix listened to the two bicker and agreed with them both to a certain extent. “There are merits in what you both say but to kill them outright before information can be gained is just foolish and a waste of potential information. I am well aware of the death these creature have wrought upon the galaxy but there is a lot of information one can get out of a broken sith and the look of them losing their pride is way more satisfying than a simple death.” Avix replied coldly.

“That only makes it more necessary to be better than them. What can be gained from acting like them, only being on the opposite side of the war? We’re supposed to reassure and protect the galaxy, not have them wondering if we’re really better than the sith.” The healer rounded on Avix, narrowing his eyes at the knight. “No. No torture. No breaking them, or getting satisfaction from one of the vilest practices in the galaxy. We came here to rescue the captured Jedi, not gleefully follow in the footsteps of the Sith. No torture. No provoking. No killing prisoners.”

“It’s not torture though… It’s an interrogation. To be fair taking the high road isn’t always the most effective. Believe me I know and in my line of work one must take such measures to get the desired result.” he said sigh as he rolled his eyes at Melloch. “What good is a captured Sith if they do not convert or they give no useful information? They are just wasting valuable resources that could be going elsewhere.”

“Oh good. Then you’ll have no problem with me sitting in on each and every interrogation, just incase the prisoner gets exhausted from all the questions. That’s all interrogations are, after all. No pain, no manipulation, just question after question.” Melloch said cheerfully. “Though, one might also ask what good is a Jedi who acts exactly like the Sith. “

“Now now lets not get hasty… I prefer to work alone in that regard, you would be better tending to the wounded then watching a dreary interrogation session. Plus there is a reason that the order has shadows… We do the things you can’t nor won’t.”

“I assure you, I’m perfectly fine with dreary. You’ve never learned each and every bone, organ, and common ailments in many races. You and I will get to know each other quite well during these sessions, I feel. There’s a reason for everything, but there’s also a close watch on those who balance on the knife edge. Just so they don’t do too much what we won’t.”

“Enough.” Lyric stated before Avix start in and get the hergelic started again. He reached for his ciggarra then brushed off the cherry as he continued. “I refuse to allow a Sith, captured or otherwise, to jeopardize the mission we’re on. While I might have my own beliefs, like both of you, it is no reason we should ignore the fact involving the Sith in any form is a bad idea. We’ll cross this bridge when we get to it, shall we?”

Although Avix didn't agree completely with Lyric but this bickering had to stop. “Well this bickering is getting us nowhere and agree we shall cross this bridge when it comes. But for now… It’s best to follow up on this mission and head to Tatooine so we can rescue them. Although I hope we aren’t too late.” he said with sigh differing to Lyric.

Melloch nodded once, agreeing to stop the argument. “We still haven’t decided what to do about my complete and utter lack of stealth skills and general usefulness on this mission to Tatooine. Something tells me seeing a Herglic walking along on a desert planet will draw more attention than we’d like.”

“Tatooine gets all types, from gamblers to slavers, moisture farmers to shady traders from many different races. I don’t think you’ll stick out as badly as you think with the right clothes and help. Which, thinking of disguises I do believe there’s another member that would be well suited in helping to make sure none of you stick out.” Lyric gestures for the other two to follow him, his steps leading the other two to another part of the ship were Knight Wadoon was currently was, within the commissary.

After leaving Jayda to treat her wounds, Zanna's curiosity had gotten the better of her. She wanted to know why Jayda had had two hearts instead of one. So she found a terminal in a relatively secluded area, and started researching Zabrak anatomy. One thing lead to another, and she found herself wasting 48 minutes learning about their anatomy, pain resistance, hormones, and a few other things. By the time she managed to pull herself away, smiling. She could use what she had learned, and use it well. It'd take time, and an alchemy lab. Zanna made a mental note to approach Nyiss for access to her labs later, as much as it felt like walking into the Rancor's den when you knew the beast was home. The Red Sith headed to the camera room next, to see recordings of the recent tortures and taking a drive to copy them on if necessary. She assumed there had been Jedi tortured while she was busy at any rate. If by no one else than Jayda's master.

She entered the camera room and after a brief discussion with the Imperial trooper watching all of videos, figured out how to bring up previous recordings. Much to her delight there were several videos of what she was looking for. First was Jakali with two Jedi, as she watched the near escape progress Zanna made comments softly to herself, only half aware she was doing it. "You got too heavy handed and nearly paid for it. On the other hand, it seems the human Jedi has some skill in Mechu Deru, and is very protective of the Twi'lek. Something to explore perhaps?"

The next video was of Jakali again, this time with a Kaminoan. There was nothing of interest to note, other than the Jedi's interesting lack of concern, mistrust, or anything she expected of a Jedi prisoner on a Sith ship. It was all very...clinical. As she clicked to the next video her face scrunched in automatic distaste. It was the Trandoshan, Lord Sish. She knew from Jayda's scars that this was going to be nothing more than a sadistic, painful, session for the one handed human. Zanna sped through the torture, stopping only to listen to the 'lesson'. Her breath hissed out in irritation as she saw Jayda carelessly revealing that her injuries had healed far faster than they should have. "Just like your master. No control."

As Jakali arrived and the Zabrak and the Jedi began conversing more and more in Ul'Zabrak Zanna put her drive in and began copying the video. She wanted to know what was being said, especially given the changes in demeanor from both. Her eyes brightened with further interest at Jayda's increasing nervousness, and minor head gesture to the camera. This. This is something I can use.She merely rolled her eyes at Jakali's near loss of control, before ending the video as Nazca was returned to the Jedi cells. She took her drive out and put it safely away in her pocket, turning around at the sound of footsteps. "Jayda! What are you doing here? I would have thought that you'd be with Sish, torturing some Jedi or training." Zanna asked, feigning innocent surprise and curiosity.

@Vesuvius00
During the Sacking

The archives of the Jedi Temple were an impressive sight... even with the bodies, minor fires and blast marks littering it. Not as much blood as one would expect from an outright slaughter but only the more bloodthirsty of Sith would find issue with such a thing.

As Azariah walked past the carnage he took the time to look over the various bodies that littered the room, allowing the force to offer the advice that it deemed important enough to present to him. The battle for the temple itself was clearly over once Darth Magus and those who were apart of his strike force had broken the back of the Jedi when they breached the temple and cut down almost all the Jedi that responded to a shuttle full of Sith smashing down their front door, but even now he could hear the sounds of battle as hold outs and zealots who believed it was better to die then to surrender fought until the bitter end in a battle that they had no hope of victory. Thankfully the archives had already been fought for and lost to the Jedi and the mop up operation was continuing onwards elsewhere.

Stopping as the force pointed out one of the Jedi bodies above all the others, Azariah took the time to search it before quickly coming into possession of an ID card that he suspected would still be in the archives, lucky that those Sith that had cleared it had been to focused on other matters to bother taking it for themselves. ID card in hand, Azariah made his way over to a nearby terminal and logged in with it... gaining Chief Librarian access to the archives and everything within. "Jack pot."

The first data stack was already in his hand as he started to copy and download the Jedi's rather impressive collection of star maps, planets and space routes. Not the first thing a Sith thinks of on the path to power, but the Jedi might know of planets and safe routes in space that the Sith Empire didn't... Not just useful for the right Sith, but also a highly prized bargaining chip in the right situations. As the first download was underway, Azariah moved to log into the next terminal and start the second download. There was a lot of information in this archive and he needed to get as much of it as he could before it was destroyed.

............................................................
Six hours, 56 minutes after sacking. (2 Minutes)
Aboard the Kaggath; Main Prison Complex

In the aftermath of the Sacking, many of the Sith that were under Darth Nyiss must have fought tooth and nail for the chance to interrogate the Jedi first much like feral kath hounds over a chunk of meat. After all, turning a Jedi to the dark side would be a great feather in the cap of the Sith who managed it and even if no real results came from it many of them were just petty sadists who would be satisfied with inflicting pain and agony on the helpless instead of doing something productive.

Azariah was not amongst those Sith trying to get the first crack at the Jedi. There was little point since the Jedi weren't going anywhere and proper conversation was a matter of endurance anyway; You had to be prepared to take your time. So he let the fools rush in and instead focused on doing more productive things; Without a master to report to he went to his bunk and had a bit of a rest, went and got himself a somewhat bland but filling meal and even managed to have an early survey of the information that he had managed to retrieve from the Jedi's archives in order to work out not just what he had, but also to sort through what he wanted to keep solely for himself and what he would make copies of to offer to Darth Nyiss in order to show that he had actually been busy during the raid.

Thus Azariah was in a fairly good mood as he stalked towards the cells where the Jedi were kept. It didn't take long for him to pass through the doors and have a look at the captives that were inside. Opening himself up to the force as he stood proud and on alert for any ill-conceived attempt to overpower him, Azariah allowed it to offer its input as he gazed at each prisoner in turn before finally settling his gaze on the young Twi'lek girl. Pointing her out, he offered in a surprisingly civil and calm voice "If you will follow me, we have much to discuss."

With that statement, he simply turned and walked out of the room to wait outside with full confidence that the Twi'lek girl would follow him. What was she going to do, wait and provoke a more... forceful invitation?

Ven'ren felt much better being off the planet and at the prison ship. His moment of peace on the planet had been short lived, the uncanny feeling of mixed belonging and the emotions of those who fought and died at the temple had come back once he was in sight of the jedi prisoners being brought aboard the shuttle. He had spent the rest of the time trying to concentrate on his surroundings despite the bombardment of input. He had to rely on sight and hearing more that he liked, his force-senses being so muddled.

The ship however, was quiet, and he had used the time after boarding when he was no trailing after his master to get used to the facilities and especially the place he was going to sleep in. He had been on a ship like this before, but it was smaller, taking a maximum of eight prisoners. His room, while offering a little less privacy than he would have wished, was far nicer this time around. He wandered the rest of the ship, still in his armour. His boots making clinking sounds warning people someone was there half a corridor away.

Jakali exited the lift to the Darth’s quarters. a smile on his face, a genuine one for once. He adjusted his robe, the hood lowered then checked once more to make sure he had his lightsaber on him after the previous incident with it. As he reached into his robe he heard footsteps moving towards him, loud ones at that. Probably not an assaliant if they were making that much noise, of a very stupid one. He moved towards the sound, then turned a corridor to see the figure coming towards him, another Sith, he wasn’t sure who exactly.

“You know I heard you from a mile away with those boots on. Still in your armor?” Jakali asked, raising one eyebrow as he spoke to the figure, it would have been odd for him not to since the person must have seen him come around the corner.

Ven'ren listed his head to the person addressing him. His own face could still not be seen for the mask.

“Greetings. You must be...” he made a pause as he tried to match the face in front of him with one of the images of the other sith that were supposed to also be on the ship. “Jakali.” He settled on, hoping his memory had matched the right face and name, before returning to the question he was asked. He looked down on his robes as if he’d have to check.
“Well, so it appears. Not that I think that should be so strange. I was under the impression this was not going to be a safe trip.” There is some humor in his voice, that can be heard clearly through the slightly odd inflection he speaks with.

“That’s the right mindset I suppose, but what if you had encountered a more paranoid Sith than I? A masked, armored man approaching me might have put me on the edge if I were that kind of man. Luckily I am not” Jakali said, then crossed his arms, thinking who the Sith might be. “What is your name, you know mine, I don’t have the pleasure of knowing yours.”

“I see.” Ven answered cordially. “I have no intention of intimidating any of my new allies, I assure you. I just look like this, I’m afraid.” He tilts his head to the side. “I am glad you are understanding.” he says before nodding politely. “I am Ven’ren. Good to meet you. How do you find our new temporary home?”

“It has its benefits,” Jakali said, wondering it the man had heard the turbolift to Nyiss’ quarters descend before, of if he had heard Jakali exit that very same lift. “It is nice to meet you too, Ven’ren, you are Lord Jewel’s apprentice, correct?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“Indeed.” the other sith responded, not making clear if he answered the first statement or the question. “Say, have you had time to meet my master? Or perhaps, of more interest, have you had time to meet any of the prisoners?” Now in conversation, Ven started walking again, thinking the other sith would follow. He had not had the stride of someone getting to somewhere specific, in Ven’ren mind. He stopped a moment in front of the Darth’s lift before simply continuing, if he wanted to ask about it, he didn’t do so immediately.

“I have not yet me here, though I would like to. I have heard many things about her, you are quite lucky to have her as your master. But, yes, I’ve met a few of the prisoners, they are interesting, that is a word for it I suppose?” Jakali stated, following Ven as the man walked past, then towards the lift before passing that too.

“Why do you ask?” He asked, catching up and walking alongside of the other Sith.

Ven was silent for a while as if thinking about why he asked.

“We are here for their sake, are we not? Sill, I have not had the pleasure of making their acquaintance in any personal fashion as of yet. And while I am certain I was brought here more for my master’s purpose than anything else.” He made a nod back towards the lift to indicate the Darth. “All my files has certainly been looked through and I do have a specific point of view from which to approach these people, naturally.” He said this as if it was obvious, though he had made no mention at all to what he was talking about.

“We’re here for our sake, the Jedi are our captives. They’re our enemies, have been for centuries, this situation is complex, it is best for you to continue to follow your master, she is a very skilled Sith in more ways than just combat,” Jakali said, turning his head towards Ven as they walked. “Approach who? The Jedi?” He asked.

Ven shook his head, but not necessarily to answer anything. “What brings you to this place then, Jakali? If not the prisoners? And of course they are our enemies.” He didn’t quite chuckle, but there was humour in his voice again “who isn’t?” The last question was simply abandoned.

“The same thing that everyone of us is here for but too dishonest to admit it, the Jedi are just part of it.” Jakali said. Not adding onto the vague sentence. He just looked at the masked man again. “You’re not wrong, Ven’ren, we do have a lot of enemies.” He said with a laugh.

Ven'ren smiled, though of course that could not be seen from the outside. Having finished looking at nearly every part of the ship that did not currently host a person, he headed back to the sith common room. Once there, he subconsciously wandered towards Jewels and his rooms. “We do. Sometimes, I can't tell my friends and my enemies apart!” He chuckles slightly. “Sometimes the reason I can't is because they are the very same people.” He says as if it was rather amusing and interesting, rather than troubling.

Lord Jewel Namore had been sitting quietly in the open area of her room, studying the dossier’s on the other Sith in great detail, looking for any and every advantage she could gain over them. Some of the reports were the official ones, but most were what her personal intelligence network had managed to either gather or decrypt from other networks. She stifled her surprise when the door opened, revealing not only her apprentice in full armor, but another Sith too. She tapped a few buttons on the datapad she was holding to hide away the information and re-encrypt it before standing.

“Making new friends Ven’ren?” She said, the condescension thick in her voice. She was wearing her standard lightly armored clothes, her lightsaber hanging at her side. She fixed the unknown Sith with a mild glare, finding herself faintly annoyed that he was roughly the same height as her.

“Oh, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, my lord,” Jakali said, surprised that Ven had managed to lead him right to his master, inadvertently it seemed, unless he had missed a conspiracy plot, but he was sure it wasn’t that as his master hadn’t tried to strike down Jakali right as he entered the room, if it were a plot. Well, yet. He dropped to one knee, as was customary when greeting Sith Lords. “When I met Ven’ren and figured out who he was I did tell him that I had heard great things about his master, but I did not expect him to lead me to right into your room. He is truly lucky to have you as his master.” Jakali added with a smile.

Ven'ren first bowed as he saw his master in the room and then, following his previous though, answered her.

“I don't know, Master, it is hard to tell sometimes.” He turned to Jakali and asked lightly “So are you a friend or an enemy or both?” As he was mostly joking, he did not expect an answer but instead quietly added a “Sorry about that” as to his unthinkingly leading the other sith into his master’s chamber, and then returned his attention back to Jewel, as not paying attention to her while she was present tended to be unwise.

“Sith don’t have friends.” Jewel said, absently correcting her acolyte. “Anyone who claims to be your friend is simply waiting for the chance to take advantage of you.” She was happy to see this newcomer observing proper respect for her though. Her apprentice may not really think things through all that often, but at least he seemed to have decent taste in people. Still, she did not state that he could rise. She would leave the newcomer, Jakali Harcor according to her files, kneeling for a moment longer, to make sure he knew his place.

Jakali’s eyes followed Jewel from his knelt position, she had not said a word to him, instead correcting her apprentice about friendship. It wasn’t bad advice, but it wasn’t something Jakali agreed with, friendship is one of the easiest ways to manipulate someone. Though he always made sure he was the one who made friends, not others making him one of theirs, then the Lord’s words held more merit. He did not speak nor rise, instead he kept knelt down, his eyes towards the ground.

“Of course, Master.” Ven’ren bowed again, to show that he had understood. He had, of course, not planned to trust anyone on the ship, but he still did not at all mind being friendly with the people he would have to spend time with anyway. He knew what it was like to spend two years only snarling at every living being that came near. It protected you from treason, but was exhausting in the long run. He didn’t need to tell people he wasn't going to trust them. They could probably figure that out by themselves.

“Master, this is Jakali.” He said as he realized no formal introduction had been made. It was for politeness rather than anything else. His master had access to the same holorecordings as he had, and certainly already knew the name of the man in front of her.

“You may rise Harcor.” Jewel stated formally, making use of his second name, which had not been said, to make sure he knew that she knew him regardless of her apprentices introduction. “Ven’ren. Have you introduced yourself to any of the Jedi yet?” She asked sternly. She had nothing else to say to Jakali at this point, if he was going to think of a way to make this apparently chance visit useful to him, then that was up to him. Jewel gave nothing for free.

“Yes, my lord,” Jakali replied, then rose to his feet. Silent until he had waited for her to finish speaking, when he sure she was and he had the opportunity to, he did. “He has not yet, if I may interject, we spoke of this very same topic on the walk to here. Your apprentice seemed eager to meet the Jedi, I already have met several of them myself. They are an interesting group of captives”

Ven’ren nodded affirmatively to what Jakali said, but answered himself as well.

“No, master, I have not.” He did not leave to rectify this, however, until formally dismissed.

“Then go and meet them now. I look forward to your report.” Jewel said to Ven’ren, expecting him to obey immediately. With that she turned to Jakali “Is that so?” She said, with slight sarcasm. “Perhaps you should tell me about them then.” She half suggested, half commanded.

“Yes, my Lord.” Ven'ren bowed and turned on his heel, leaving the room immediately. He did not spare Jakali a glance, but his breath sounded a little like 'good luck' when he passed. Whether it was intended sincere or sarcastic could not be determined.

“As you wish, my lord. I have met with three of the Jedi. First two of the younger ones, a human male, I believe only a recent Knight and a Twi’lek girl, only an apprentice but not of that Knight. The two share a close bond as I found out further along my encounter with them. An intense friendship, possibly with unspoken romantic feelings.” Jakali said, speaking clearly to Jewel before he paused and recalled the other Jedi he had encountered on the ship.

“The other was a Kaminoan, a most peculiar and rare being, not like many other Jedi. Our encounter was more of a debate than anything else, he strongly defended his side of the debate, as did I. Darth Nyiss had already spoken with that one, I believe she captured him personally. I also conversed with her lordship as well, not that long ago actually, she is a fascinating woman, one of great power and beauty.” He said, a grin creeping onto his face as he recalled their ‘encounter’.

“Interesting.” Jewel said, her tone genuine this time. Her face changed to a scowl when Nyiss was mentioned though. This apprentice had had the nerve to bypass Jewel and meet directly with the Darth. He may not be her own apprentice, but she still deserved more respect.

Jakali noticed how Jewel’s face changed to a scowl when he namedropped the Darth, he guessed that he must have hit a bad nerve.

“Did I say something bad, my lord?” Jakali asked, one eyebrow raised, unhappy that he had already pissed off a very powerful woman he had just met, then he thought of more to say. “I would have made it a priority to see you first, my lord, if I knew where exactly you were located at the time. Truthfully they didn’t tell me where everyone was located and I felt it may have been improper to ask someone.” He added.

Jewel’s eyes narrowed as Jakali tried to talk his way out, hitting on the thing that had upset her with surprising insight. It disgusted her. He was trying to save face instead of acknowledging he was a fool. “My patience grows thin Harcor.” She said coldly. “If you have a reason to still be here, say so quickly. Otherwise do not waste any more of my time.”

“I shall depart then, my lord. I’m sure you have work to do and the last thing I would want to do is interfere with that. Good day.” Jakali said with a slight bow of respect then turned towards the door, a chill running down his spine as he left, he didn’t even do anything that extreme and had angered her.

“Good.” Jewel said briefly, turning her back to him as he left. She forgot almost every aspect of the meeting as soon as Jakali left, pulling up her notes again. One thing stuck with her - his report on the Jedi. If there really was a romantic bond between two of them, they might be the perfect pair for her to begin with. Such a thing was a rare joy to exploit and push to the limit in Jedi.

Jayda’s steps were heavy and quick, her foot pulling back to bring her closer to the camera room. Her mind was fixed on the conversation that occurred earlier, between herself and Nazca, and namely realizing how terrible it would’ve been if another Sith knew about its existence. Sish’s venomous words slithered their way into her worry causing her pace to increase, her paranoia growing with each step. She wasn’t about to become some Sith’s pawn before she could gain her revenge.

Coming to the door, it came open causing the zabrak to look and come face to face with a familiar redden face. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion when seeing Zanna within the security room, her gaze shifted to the console and couldn’t help wondering. Casually, Jayda strolled into with the lithe of a feline predator weighing up her prey. She didn’t immediately reply to the surprised greet but instead, digested its earnest nature and counting mentally the occupants within the room. Only about three currently busy individuals ranging from looking over the videos to storing them, ensuring the cell interactions went over smoothly, leaving them as the only two not busy.

“Could ask the same question about you.” Jayda said, eerily calm and cold.

Her arms pulled behind her, falling out of Zanna’s sight while she twisted about in an almost stalking way. “I honestly thought you would be seeking a way to gain the Darth’s favor, not lurking within the security room.”

Zanna resisted the urge to immediately go on the defensive keeping her body language and expression casual and relaxed, despite the disturbing feeling she was being hunted. She had made the mistake of underestimating the Zabrak once before she wouldn’t do it again.

“I did try to meet the Darth at first, but I was informed that the Darth was regrettably occupied. So my petition will have to wait. On my way back I heard of how two Jedi had nearly escaped from Jakali’s grasp, the fool got careless and nearly shot. Seeing an opportunity to study the prisoners and what at least two of them can do, I came over here to ‘lurk’ as you say. The video was enlightening. A human boy appeared to have some degree in Mechu Deru, and was protective of the Twi’lek. More so than one expects with the Jedi. Something we can use.” She calmly, watching Jayda as she moved.

Zanna’s eyes focused on the other sith’s neck, noticing the relatively fresh looking claw marks and minor cuts around her throat. She looked down at the rest of Jayda’s body, seeing the rest of her injuries. “Another ‘lesson’ I suppose? I do hope you didn’t throw away that jar.”

Jayda's eyes hardened. Her head subtly movement, giving away her intentions, as she studied the Sith openly. Each path up and down absorbed the tiniest detail to memory. then compared it to their first interaction together. It wasn't easy. She knew so little about the Sith race and their movements that her impressions could've been dead wrong, but something was certainly off. Zanna's weakness was combat. In Jayda's mind, the woman should've been nervous and unsettled being trapped in this room. Even more clearly seen because Jayda knew her own body language showed aggression towards the other apprentice, signaling possible attack.

It gnawed at Jayda's mind where there was lacking response to her own attempts to draw the advantage. Her ears caught Zanna's words, though they were casted away briefly, while she kept her eyes fixed on Zanna's distance to the door. Part of her begging for something to happen. Her focus, for a moment, was broken when Zanna mentioned her scars. It was all it took, causing the zabrak to break away in habit. Carefully she lied her way past the observation. “It's safe and he doesn't know anything. Either way, none of his lessons have killed me yet. He'd failed to break me. Now nothing he does will ever change that fact. I'm too stubborn because I'm more willing to die on my feet than live on my knees. It's a fact he will never forgot.”

There was a bitterness in her tone over the thought.

Slowly, she turned her head back to face Zanna and lightly stepped forward. Her hand reached out to hover a single, pointed nail underneath the Sith's chin. Her other hand already twitched for a reason to flicker out her light saber and engage the woman, proving if her light saber skills were really as bad as she claimed. “I've heard nothing about a near escape. If it happened recently, how is that word spread so fast to only your ears? The only way you would know was if it happened while you were watching the cameras of the interrogations.”

Zanna raised an eyebrow as Jayda openly studied her body language, likely looking for any sort of lie. You learn quickly, don’t you? I’ll have to move fast to ensure you don’t become a threat. “Just because none of his lessons have killed you doesn’t mean that someone else might capitalize on it.” She countered, storing away the last comments. They were something to note and plan for.

Zanna tensed as the Zabrak placed a claw underneath her chin, and she took a pointed step backwards. The Zabrak was getting too comfortable. “Just because you’re inexperienced enough to not listen to the right sources, doesn’t mean I am. Soldier’s talk. One of their brethren died, accidentally killed by the human jedi. I didn’t hear how, simply that ‘Lansil died when the Jedi tried to escape.’ followed by a curse at the Sith responsible, mentioning his robot arm.The rest I found out by watching the video.” Zanna stared at Jayda’s continued aggressive stance, then sighed.

“What are you going to do? Attack me for watching a camera video of jakali’s failure and getting ready to leave as you walk in, in front of” Zanna’s head turned to count the other occupants, “three witnesses? Don’t be that rash or I will remind you of why we agreed to train each other. “ Suddenly, the Red Sith’s eyes gleamed with interest. “Why are you here, and why suddenly so worried about what I’ve watched? Is there something you don’t want others to see? Should I go and watch the rest of the torture room videos?”

Jayda noted the subtle, uncharacteristic tightness spreading through the Sith’s body. The apprentice’s feet took a step back momentarily causing a small, predatory smile to cross her lips at the reaction. It wasn’t because the woman feared her, but because Zanna’s body language finally matched up with her knowledge and the signals she was getting, noting that the woman was unsettled by her aggression. Her smile faded almost the same time it appeared. At the step back, her hand retracted back to her side where fell limply and at Zanna’s sigh, she relaxed. She leaned back upon the console again, Jayda’s figure tilted away to give the sith some breathing room after getting what she wanted, her mind stashing away the mention of conversing with a guard over what happened. It would be something to check into when the fellow apprentice leaves.

“No, I don’t . If I did, I wouldn’t have been so blunt about my body language or acknowledged you were even leaving.” Jayda stated, calmly, her tone relaxed again. She knew the sith would’ve caught the phrasing and slowly realize what she did was intentional, but she left the reasons of why out purposely.“Instead I would’ve killed you later and ended the problem, without wasting my breath.”

She pushed off the console at Zanna’s spark in her eyes, her teeth flickered out to bare them instinctively. “Sadly, a few lessons did stick within my memory. One of them was learning from my mistakes quickly or I wasn’t going to get strong enough to kill him. So I will never make a mistake the same way twice. He punished me and I want to know why, namely what tell I gave and how I can be more aware next time to stop it. A secondary reason is to prevent others from using it against me. Though to be honest, I could merely discover if our mutual acquaintance's recordings were the only log you pulled up easily…”

Zanna stared at Jayda in confusion for a moment as she did an abrupt 180 and relaxed. Slowly she allowed herself to relax as well while she listened to Jayda, immediately picking up on the wording. She keeps surprising me. Apprentice isn’t like the master, it seems. Useful, but also dangerous. Then she smiled and gave a light laugh. “My my, you’re better at this than we all thought you were. Well played, whatever you wanted to get from it. Killing me wouldn’t have been as easy as you think, even if you did attempt it while I was in your bedroom.” Zanna didn’t need to look at the others in the room to know they were listening, and would make the assumptions she wanted from that comment. The other Sith would pick up on it, eventually. “ I like living just as much as you do.”

Jayda showed little to no altering of her expression when Zanna let out an impressed laugh. Her eyes merely tightened up and her weight leaned back farther, still eyeing the woman before her in a predatory way. She knew what the Sith was doing as a spark of hatred wafted through her. It spiked and ceased, being bottled back like many in the past for better use. Though how to accomplish it was a much greater challenge, one she refused any to teach her… yet.

“Then you shouldn’t be among the Sith.” Jayda stated bluntly, not bothering to correct any assumptions toward the rumors Zanna started. It would only serve to make things worse and Sish already knew something was occurring between them. “As for being good at this game, if you weren’t sloppy then it wouldn’t have mattered.”
She felt minor satisfaction knowing that it was still easy to draw out the Zabraks irritation. That at least, she hadn’t misjudged on. Zanna smiled despite her carefully smothered fury. Insolent little impure bitch.. “Sloppy about what?” She asked, “You got too close and I stepped back. You showed continuous aggression and I reminded you why attacking would be a bad idea.” Zanna shrugged. “If you’re fine with someone being that aggressive in your personal space, that’s your own decision. I prefer to have distance.”

“Naturally.” Jayda merely commented. Her tone was clear she didn’t believe the woman, but said nothing farther.

Zanna smiled again, adding one more bit to the rumor she was starting, just to be safe. “Well, I do like being close sometimes. As you well know.” Her tone was heavy with implications, just in case anyone listening wasn’t smart enough to understand.

“I’m sure Jakali will in time since he’s more your speed and tastes. A Zabrak’s… a little too rough for for someone of a petite nature. Rather not have you die when your bones broke during the act.” Jayda stated, her tone subtly snarling and warning Zanna to shut down the conversation. Her body had already pulled upward into upright stance once more to show she was through playing these little rumor games.

Zanna’s eyes were wide with surprise and her tone had innocent confusion in it. “But that’s not what you did a few hou-Oh.” She glanced at the others in the room, one of whom she was saw quickly glancing back to their screens. The red sith looked embarrassed and coughed, changing the subject. Just a lovers quarrel...she doesn’t want people to know, I’m too innocent to know that.

Zanna acknowledged the truth behind Jayda’s words about cameras, but kept to the lie anyway. The truth wouldn’t help her yet. “Back to your original question… you could bring up recently viewed videos, yes. But you have no idea who viewed them, and assuming I saw this ‘lesson’ of yours and plan to use it against you is not only false, but foolish. Though I am now very curious as to what about that ‘lesson’ makes you so worried.” Zanna took a few steps towards the terminal she had left, looking back at the Zabrak. “Shall we watch it together, and see what happened?”

“Preferably not, taking a beating from Sish is bad enough without an audience.” Jayda replied, her own body moved to block the sith and open the path to the exit. This little game was getting no way and while she learned more than she needed, it was dragging on for too long. Namely as she wanted to check something in Zanna’s absence. “Besides, you might want to get to the Jedi before Sish tears them to rags and you have nothing to work with. Unless you rather learn after the fact when it’s too late?”

“Very well.” Zanna said, stopping as the Zabrak cut her path off. She could only hope that the Zabrak didn’t find out that she had seen the long conversation in Ul’Zabrak, much less that she had a copy on her. Zanna nodded once as Jayda suggested she leave. There was no use in staying and the other Sith, as infuriating as she was, spoke the truth. “I’ll see you at our training session then. When is that, by the way?”

“Tomorrow, I have to make sure to acquire some swords first.” Jayda answered in a neutral tone. Watching the woman, her smug face dropped from her face and sank into dismay for a moment. It made the zabrak’s anger fade for the time to see the realization she could easily be killed during a training session dawn on the woman as she turned on heel, then left the room. Softly, Jayda spoke more to herself, not caring if the those within the room heard or not. “I would’ve ignored you… had you never made it known you existed.”

Letting the words hang on the room’s silence, she made her way to the terminal to check on several logs from the outside security camera and history to disrupting her blunder with the Jedi. It would take several minutes causing her to idly browse the feeds for something interesting which she would download, saving for a time later.

Zanna walked out of the camera room, before Jayda could find out that she had actually seen her conversation with the prisoner. Things were about to get interesting, she was sure. Here's to hoping that she doesn't try to kill me during the training tomorrow. My Force advantage should be enough. She thought, only slightly nervously. While she had meant what she had told Jayda, she also knew that the Zabrak could easily decide that her own weakness was something she could overcome, and just kill her while they train. She pushed that from her mind as she approached where the Imperial Intelligence's prisoners were all kept. She would deal with that problem when she came to it, right now she needed to focus on the prisoner. She had noticed the one Jayda had captured punching the wall in apparent anger, just before Jakali had arrived and taken the other two. He would be suitable to start with, as her plans for the Mechu Deru user would require more time to gather all the necessary pieces and materials. She turned to the Imperial troops on guard.

"I need a prisoner. Male, preferably a criminal." As they moved to go get her prisoner, Zanna pulled her datapad out of her cloak. She didn't trust leaving it in the communal room for any Sith to hack into. It didn't take long to find a Coruscant Police record, and even less time to edit key sections to suit her purpose. She was almost ready except for one thing by the time the trooper's brought out a restrained man, taller than her, a scar prominent on his face. Zanna wasn't sure if that came from his time here or from before, nor did she care. "Thank you. I'll take him from here." She gave a light force push to make the man start moving forward, and to remind him that she could easily overpower him despite his size.

"What is your name?" The man gave no reply, walking forward in sullen silence. Zanna sighed, then threw him up against the wall with the Force, choking him. She spoke calmly over his panicked gurgling, his hands desperately grabbing at his throat to try and remove a grip that wasn't solid. "I'll ask again, and then I will take what I want to know from you. I'd rather not do that as I'm told the experience of having your mind broken into and pillaged is very painful and can potentially drive people insane. I don't want to kill you because you went insane and have to go back to get another prisoner. Do you understand?"

She dropped him to the ground, and he coughed and gasped for breath, but nodded. "Your name?" The man took a deep breath, picking himself up off the ground. "Vankel Bansha." Zanna gestured for him to start walking again while she spoke. "Good! Well, Vankel, I'm going to make you an offer. If you go along, everything will end up just fine. If you don't, I'll make sure you regret it."

They entered the torture cell and as Vankel was secured Zanna explained what she wanted him to do, and explained further how horribly it would end for him if he didn't do what she wanted. When she was sure he would behave, she left and headed to the Jedi prisoner cells, gathering a half dozen troopers with her.

She walked through the doors to where the Jedi were kept, her troopers fanning out behind her and aiming their guns at the Jedi, ordered to fire at the slightest provocation. Set to stun, of course. "You." She pointed at Arix. "Come with me." She left off 'Or I'll stun everyone in the room and drag you out.'

Darth Nyiss stepped over the threshold to the prison for the first time since it had been filled. She imagined it wouldn’t look too different from before. The presence of the Jedi was felt far more strongly than anything else. They were decidedly cold and harsh next to the rush of darkside energy that filled the rest of the ship. Still, that would change soon enough. When she crossed into the room, the Jedi would no doubt feel the magnitude of her presence - there was no one stronger in the Force anywhere on the ship. If they could still bare to look at her at that point, they would see her vibrant crimson skin and dark robes. At her belt was her own double sided lightsaber, but also the saber of the Jedi Master she had slain in the temple. She wanted to see if any of the Jedi would notice and react. The chance that one of them was a padawan of that particular master was not especially high, but it was possible.

She had, of course, already selected the candidates for her experiments. She knew who to look for, only not their names. The first was to be a young human girl who had lost her hand while being captured. Damaged goods perhaps, but then, the chances of complete success on the first one were always lower, so this one would be less of a loss should it fail. Nyiss would also be bringing Tolun Fi with her. Initially he may not be of much use, but he had to observe at least, to be able to contribute later. Besides, he was brilliant. He might just surprise her, and she, unlike most Darths, appreciated surprises.

She glanced around, quickly locating the Jedi in question. “You.” She said pointing straight at Nazca. “Come with me.” Her voice was forceful, though she did not put any of her telepathic might behind it at this point. The change as she continued was significant, her voice softening and becoming friendly. “Tolun dear, if you are not indisposed, I would appreciate your company now.”

Xid still leaned against the bunk wall, his back filled by the chill and hard surface digging into his back. Currently, he was feeling much better compared to earlier though he knew it was only temporary. The wounds would start to hurt again in time, either by the Sith's torture or natural means when the nerves started to feel again. Force healing was useful but even it had limits, a fact he knew far too well. Discomfort edged into his senses causing him to shift while listening to Shiri and trying to add to his mental list against Lea's negativity. It was better than being useless after all though he really should rest, his mind too restless to let it settle with everything that happened.

When Shiri said something about overpowering the sith, Xid shot upright and shot a surprised look at his friend. He hadn't expected her not to consider the factors he had already. Ones easily overlooked and currently ignored by the others, save Lea. That there was cleared more than the encountered sith on board and that meant a lot more light sabers compared to what he originally thought. He had been about to reply when Shiri turned away. Blinking, he watched her for a moment walking toward Alat and Tolun, their words mingling currently among their own company. It made he felt like a Initiate again. A boy, simply lost, lone and forgotten in the important thick of things as usual. It was bound to happen after all because he failed to understand the world the same way everyone did.

He sighed a bit, leaning against the wall. “She's ignoring all the parts in the machine.”

Lea looked confusedly at Xid. “Huh? What do you mean?”

She’d could vaguely recall that one of her long-term patients had taken on a machine-fixated padawan, but it took her a few moments to connect the dots. Not that that helped her understand his analogy.

Xid turned to Lea and smiled, gently. “Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t exactly see the world in the same way as everyone else. I see it more like a working machine and Shiri’s only looking at the parts that are visible. That’s the Sith that arrive and the troopers. What about the parts that aren’t as well seen? The ship for example is the machine’s shell and outer layer, it’s what holds all the parts within easily. However the parts that are suppose to be here and work towards keeping it, the imperial civilians to troopers and even the sith, know its inner paths and routes. They can navigate it. We can’t so even if we manage to overwhelm one or two sith, where do we go next? That doesn’t count defenses meant to keep us, from their location to how they function and what triggers them. I don’t think they would accept Jedi prisoners unless they mean to keep them contained, do you?”

“Yes. True. Earlier on I was kept elsewhere on the ship. Even when I got out, I could never find a way to escape. We need to have a plan for escape, not just rush into it.” Lea nodded as she said this, knowing well that the crew would not be too lenient with escapees. She hadn’t been outright hurt by the imperial troopers once they cornered her in the past, but they had not been gentle upon taking her back to the cell. There was no telling what they would do now. Nor, for that matter, was there any telling what the other Sith would do. She at least did not want to lose a hand the way that mouthy criminal had done.

“Do you think they’ve got any surveillance of these cells? Would it not be rather stupid to plan openly before such? If I were one of the Sith, I’d make sure to always keep track of what the prisoners were saying.”

For a moment, Xid considered what Lea said. “I don’t know but I can find out. Give me a second.”

Gingerly, he turned to the side and rolled up his robe’s sleeve. Then carefully he leaned against the wall and pressed his palm against the wall, relaxing to feel the inner workings occurring in the room. Wires buzzed, gears grinded, and lenses zoomed in as his soul seemed to become in tune to the ship’s breathing machines. He loved the feeling all too well. To become a part of something he understood and not feel isolated, it was a wonderful experience he could become absorbed in for hours. Though he had sank rather deep, Xid’s voice spoke back to Lea. “It seems just to be basic security measures which is odd. I thought they would’ve had much more advanced ones, but then again that’s only this room. I would have to tap into each individual room to know if that’s something common for each one or just this one.”

“That is convenient. Can they be shut off, disabled or modified?” The trouble, she knew, would be erasing the evidence they’d tinkered with it. But they would just have to take the chance that someone wasn’t watching that particular recording then and there.

“I think maybe Darth Nyiss is testing the Sith too. That might be why the measures aren’t more advanced. Until we figure out a way off the ship and how to keep any plan secret from our captors, there is no point in truly trying to escape. What we really could use is a lightsaber or two.”

Xid, much to his dislike, released his connection to the ship. His soul seemed to deepen into emptiness for a moment as a void began to grow and stop short of swallowing him up. Maybe it was his sensitivity to the machines that made him so sensitive to the inner workings and his own ability, his own knowledge unable to know for sure. It made him realize how odd he was in the end. A fact he secreted hated about himself, his eyes looked toward Lea when she asked her question, followed by the requirements of a lightsaber or two. He bit his lip quietly and then, against his better judgement then motioned for her to edge closer.

When she came into his personal space, he leaned into whisper something in her ear. “I can’t tell for sure unless I’m touching one. My mechu deru is rather limited because of how my master had me trained, else it would be rather overwhelming. I’m a little too sensitive to machines that even hearing a malfunctioning one is like nails across my brain. However, I could likely disable a camera with a simple touch given a few seconds if they are only basic machines. More complicated will take much longer for various reasons, from determining the model to discovering the weakness to attack. As for lightsabers, I know the main components and could build them, but I just need the elements to make it. Mainly wiring, metal, copper, a few other things. However the crystals are the hardest part, though they are growable. They aren’t possible to manufacture without a refinery and a growing furnace. Something that would get the Sith’s attention even if I had the components or stuff to make it.”

Finishing his words, he pulled back with a curious look at what he just revealed to see Lea’s reaction.

“Disabling a few cameras would help. But only if we can make it seem like they’re not disabled. Say, can they be wired in a loop? Cameras from both rooms showing the same room?” She asked, thinking of how that could be utilized for their advantage.

“As for the lightsaber creation… Lets go see what we can use in the medical bay. There’s all sorts of equipment over there.” Lea grabbed Xid’s wrist, pulling him along to the primitive med bay. She had no idea what could be used for what, but it wouldn’t hurt to look. She did not know what equipment they could do without, but if it provided them with a reliable weapon, she suspected most of they could make do without. At least the simpler stuff.

“That would need someone with slicer skills...which I don’t have.” Xid admitted as he felt his hand snatched and pulled, his body being lifted off the bunk and onto his feet. He nearly crashed into the floor again when Lea practically hauled him to the crude medical bay. His balance restored, he tried to keep the room from spinning as he looked around, eyes noting the different equipment around including an empty kolto tank. Xid’s first reaction was that it didn’t work and it was merely there for some sort of sick amusement, his mind cursing the Sith who’s idea it was. Sighing, he ambled slowly to the nearest display of tools. They appeared to have been moved some from their original places, his eyes shifted to suspect Lea was the one, then set back down again. “Alright, before I get started. Which are the most important tools that can’t be replaced? Namely those for worst case scenario wounds and healing?”

He didn’t know how long it would take him to make the lightsabers, though he spotted some worrying concerns. Some elements appeared to be missing and without them, he wasn’t going to be able to put together a weapon powerful enough to allow them to defend themselves. Best he could presently do was make a mini, centered blast that would only dent the cell doors. He looked to Lea for guidance before continuing, though he peered back to see if Koren had followed them. Personally he enjoyed the comfort the older Knight brought and he was among the best fighters they had experience wise.

Lea let go of Xid’s hand, then started going through the various machines and tools on the tables. “This is good… Trash… Good. Good… Junk… Useless… Excellent…” she kept muttering beneath her breath, moving some of the tools about reorganizing them. Though she clearly had a pattern to it, it would not be apparent to anyone else what that system was.

Without any care for his reaction, she grabbed Xid’s tunic, hauling the slightly taller Jedi down somewhat so she could whisper to him, making sure to keep her hand between her mouth and his ear so that even if there were cameras watching, they could neither hear what she said nor see her mouth in order to use lipreading to interpret it. “The ones at the left side of each table are junk. Most of the tools and machines are useful, seeing how they’ve not bothered to provide us with kolto for the kolto tank. I’d rather not anyone be aware of what we’re planning to do, so do try to play with a few of the others to lay a false trail even as you analyze the junky ones. You probably won’t break the ones we need. Just avoid the ones at the back right corners as they’re fragile.”

When Lea let go, he started to rub feeling back into his wrist as he watched her. His head tilted to the side and continued to study, mentally realizing there was a hint of repetition. Yet he couldn’t understand the pattern established in the actions. Still hooking his wrist between his fingers, he faced to the side and tried to calculate how to use the kolto. Mentally he debated on either to tear it apart or merely keep it hold and hope it could stand up to the artificial heat and pressure.

Distracted by his inner thoughts, Xid didn’t keep track of Lea until she instantly gripped his tunic. Her hand seized where the lightsaber had nicked him then jerked him downward where she whispered into his ear. Sadly, despite his deepest wishes, his eyes widened and cheeks grew slightly heated at the sensation of her breath in his ear causing a tingling feeling. At hearing her reply, his face become red with his embarrassment at his reaction while teeth gritted tightly to stop it. He started to nod his understatement before he stopped himself, the cameras likely to pick it up.

When Lea finished, he pulled upright again then glanced at the table filled by tools. Slowly he walked around her and ended to the nearest one, walking to the end where the side she spoke of lay the useless tools. There wasn’t many as he picking up some from the right then left, careful not to mix them up, examined them then sighed placing them back down.

A few minutes later, he twisted about and his arm ‘accidentally’ skimmed the table’s edge. The useless tools were sudden sent into the floor where they clacked loudly causing him to jump. “By the Force, can you help me?”

In the silence of the prison complex, broken only by the distant sound of the other Jedi speaking, the noise of the tools clattering onto the transparisteel floor was remarkably loud. Lea didn’t even think before rushing in close beside Xid and helping him pick them up. The space between those two tables was rather cramped, but she did manage to fit her hands in to grab the innermost tools, though she had to practically squeeze past Xid’s chest to do so. Not that she minded that.

Bending over, Xid smirked subtly when he noted some of the tool’s outer cases had broken. Their insides easy being revealed and wiring sticking out haphazardly through the cracks. It was a perfect excuse to fix them, at least without nosy sith getting completely wise to his attempts to aid his other Jedi. Carefully positioning himself as close as possible to the table when his eyes caught Lea pressing close, squeezing close to his torso. His breath stilled a bit and his body tensed, a natural reaction when she invaded his personal space, unsure what to do. His first thought was to leap back and haul backwards, breaking the contact and sparing him from going red all over again. However that would mean he couldn’t use her cover to rip the wires out farther to give a greater excuse to fully disassemble and fix them.

“D-don’t move.” Xid said, his words stumbling over themselves. His hand immediately folded under Lea, quickly ripping out a few wires to make the damage much worse than it was originally. His head brushed close as he whispered into her ear. “With each tool, rip out the wires and apart, making the damage worse, so I have to disassemble them. It’s easier to have an excuse to tinker with them if I have to put them back together.”

He placed the further mangled tool back on the table, then repeated with the next one.

Lea felt her rate breathing increase somewhat with Xid so close, but did not fully understand why. There had not been any real point in her training when she’d been physically close to boys, especially not in the past five-six years. Even when her former master had been close in training, he was not only her master, but also much older. Any training they had close together had been utterly clinical, never any hint of intimacy.

Xid being this close felt odd, but comforting. When he brushed his arm past her chest by accident, she felt an unusual tingle and sucked in a breath, then listened as he spoke of ‘accidentally’ dismantling tools. She didn’t know how to react to her body behaving this way, so she focused upon helping him damage the dropped tools.

Xid tried to keep his mind on the task but he couldn’t help his mind wandering. His skin felt hot and prickly, like someone was jabbing needles in him, as he fumbled with the plasteel and metal cases. His fingers trying to coax more wire out than originally was. It wasn’t easy. Soon, the pile on the table looked more like a tree rat’s nest than anything that was once tools. The last one in Xid’s grip and being stubborn about releasing the small wire within it. Reaching his fingers in, he grunted heavily and tore it apart, the side nicking his thumb. Xid flinched at the pain ripping through his thumb causing him shove it into his mouth. He passed the stubborn tool to Lea to put up on the table while he examined his newly sliced digit, the jagged line ran from the tip down to just a little past the first knuckle.

At first Lea did not notice Xid nicking his finger on the thin plasteel casing on the final tool. It was only when she put it on the table that she saw the single drop of blood on its gray surface that she realized what had happened.

“Here, let me take a look at that.” she said, concern in her eyes, the previous minutes of strange feelings forgotten for the moment. She pulled his finger out of his mouth, looking over it clinically. Though the cut wasn’t too deep, it still bled well. Concentrating deeply upon the Force, she tried to will the wound shut and healed. That only partially worked. She hadn’t rested since the last round of healing and the Force could only do so much. The wound closed, but was not mended underneath. Then she carefully wiped the excess blood on his finger on her robe.

“There. You’ll still have to be careful. the flesh underneath isn’t mended yet. If you’re not careful, you’ll start bleeding again.”

“Yeah, that was a little clumsy of me, wasn’t it?” Xid answered when she pulled it free, examined and mended it. He smiled gently at the kind gesture then saw it close, knowing both her and he would be completely exhausted by the end of this. Namely if they were the only two able to heal the others. That put them at the most risk. “We need to figure out who else has any medical skills or force healing, namely should something happen to us. I’m sorry to say my force healing is a little lacking compared to yours.”

“Practice makes perfect.” she answered, smiling a little. It felt good to be around someone her own age. Even before she’d been captured on Alassa Major, she had hardly had anyone her own age to be around. Most of the politicians were far older than her, at least in their twenties, and the few who weren’t, were either of strange species or too aloof to get close to. Not to mention that they’d been politicians. Master Shodon had been skilled in many areas, but he had been very flawed when it came to training her socially. She had no idea what was appropriate and what wasn’t appropriate when it came to interacting with people her own age, especially boys. She’d probably have to find someone to ask about that one day.

Until she could do that, she would simply have to do her best. Xid seemed like an decent person. “You’ll no doubt do alright when it really counts. But knowing who can do what will still be useful.” She hugged him as she said that last bit, not really knowing why. It seemed right.

Xid swore he was redder than a fruit when he was suddenly hugged, face turned up in utter surprise. His body stood there for a moment unsure what to do as his usually clever mind fumbled, stumbling over the turning emotions and confusion budding in his core. For a moment any words escaped him and silence seemed to grow longer between the two before he moved. His arm wrapped about hers, not knowing what else to do, and gave her light hug. Instinctively his head lowered to hers, resting there for now until she finished her embrace. When Lea finally let go, he spoke out loud. “Let’s hope we survive this, shall we? Though I’m glad you have more confidence in my abilities than I do. I don’t think my next lesson with a Sith will end with me being unscratched sadly. So be sure you can patch me up afterwards? It’s going to be a long time before we get out.”

“Don’t be so sure. Not all Sith are obsessed with physical harm. I’ve not been harmed much so far in my captivity… Though that might change now, seeing how you and some of the others have been treated.” Holding Xid like that was comforting for her, but initially it seemed he didn’t know how to react. After a few moments he hugged her back, somehow managing to rest his head on her shoulder, despite his shoulder normally being as high up as her mouth. After a minute or so, she let go and took a step or two back, staring a bit curiously at how his face was still a bit flushed.

“Maybe there’s something in the shower system that can be used for creating useable crystals? Or down in the Arena? Or of course, one of the troopers’ weapons if we can get hold of one of them. The focusing crystals there aren’t usually as good, but that could be fixed with a bit of work.”

“Somehow, with my luck, I seriously doubt that. I did manage to seriously piss off the Trandoshan Sith and I get the feeling, he’s not going to be forgiving.” Xid admitted as he recalled his experience, partly shoving away a shudder at the upcoming misery. Any further conversation was stopped when the lift doors split open and caused Xid’s head to jerk, spotting a Zabrak Sith tossing Nazca inside.

Nazca waited until Jayda had left, then her strength left her and she crumbled to the ground, breathing shakily. Death had come a little too close for her taste then. She looked up and gave a shaky grin to the two Jedi looking at her. “Just met three Sith. They’re all fairly different. May have pissed one off forever.”

He broke away from Lea and darted to the fallen initiate while his body leaned down and his fingers pushed to her neck, feeling desperately for a pulse. He shot a disgusted look at the apprentice as she casually retreated back into the lift, vanishing from sight. Part of him hoped the damn thing collapsed on top of her after the sith left, his focus returned to Nazca’s fallen form.

“Lea help me, quickly. We need to get her off the floor.” Xid cried out.

Only reason Lea didn’t get to the fallen woman before Xid was that he was closer to her than Lea was. While Xid checked the pulse, Lea checked the woman’s breathing to ensure that her respiration wasn’t compromised. She knew well that while pulse naturally is important, breathing is even more so, and if someone’s breathing normally, they will have a pulse of some sort. It took only a minute to be certain her breathing was steady.

It was only at that point Lea let her focus shift to the woman’s true injuries. Though she would have preferred to check for any damage to the spine or neck, she realized that moving her one more time probably wouldn’t do much more harm than had already been done. She also noted that someone, perhaps one of the Sith, had given the woman’s healing process a jump-start. With that in mind, Lea did her best to help Xid carry the woman over to one of the empty tables in the room. It wasn’t as good as a proper bed would have been, but the distance to the bunk rooms would be far too great to carry her, and all the medical equipment was here anyways.

Nazca looked up at Xid as he checked her pulse, noting with interest he was red as if he had gone a while without breathing. She looked over to where Xid called, then grinned, laughing a little bit. “I’m sorry Xid, did I interrupt you? You can just leave me here, finish your business. I’m sure the kiss would be worth it.” As they picked her up she hissed in pain a little bit.

“Ow, watch the side. The damn Trandoshan’s claws still hurt even if the jendoslu healed, as painfully as possible, most of the wounds.” She gratefully got onto the table, looking at the both of them. “So, if you see a giant lizard coming for you, prepare for pain. Lots of pain. He didn’t give a shit about information, or turning you. Just pain. Don’t steal from the guy with the robot arm, he’ll immediately drop his facade of being nice and charming and turn into your average rage mongering sith. The Schutta who threw me in here is...unique. I’ll explain more on her later. Oh! I’m Nazca by the way.” She introduced herself to Lea, before smirking knowingly at Xid. “A friend of Xid’s. Nothing more. Just a friend.”

Some part of her felt an odd sense of relief at Nazca’s final words, though Lea did not fully understand why. It didn’t take long to figure out that while the wounds looked pretty bad, there wasn’t much healing that could be done. Not with Lea having healed that many wounds without resting and their nature. Instead she could focus upon patching them up with whatever supplies were available so that they could heal on their own.

“There’s not much to be done about the bruises. Unless aggravated further, they’ll mend in a few days. Seeing how Darth Nyiss doesn’t want us killed, that could even come to pass. Xid, would you pass one of those kolto patches from the gray box on the left table over there? That should help the claw marks on Nazca’s left side.”

“Right.” Xid agreed and moved to grab them, his hands shaking rapidly from seeing his friend damaged. He managed to pry open the box without dumping the important things and fished out a compress drenched in kolto. Without sparing much time, he pressed into her wounds and held it there gently, letting the liquid seep into the wounds where it would heal naturally.

After Xid placed the kolto patch onto the claw marks, Lea put some medical tape over it to be sure it wouldn’t fall off easily. Kolto patches had adhesive edges, but you could never be too sure. Her pride as a healer demanded that no patients of hers should receive substandard treatment. Once the tape was on, she put the rest back on the side table, then smiled innocently at Nazca. “All done. It’ll still hurt, but it should heal up well enough if given sufficient time to do so.”

Shiri followed the sith out the door a few minutes after he beckoned her, figuring it best to just play along for now. “So? What’s your deal?”

Waiting for the few minutes it took for the Jedi girl to come out and join him, Azariah started to lead the way to along the carpeted hallway towards one of the nearby sections of the ship. Acknowledging the question asked of him, he replied “My name is Azariah. As to what my ‘deal’ is you’re going to have to be a bit more specific…”

Selecting one of the doors at the end of the hallway, it opened for the Sith easily enough to reveal a rather spartan room with two chairs and a table in between them. “What’s your name by the way?”

Shiri sighed and followed after the sith, Azariah, as he led the way. “I’m Shiri. What I meant is, the last sith that came and got me had 4 troopers with him, and you’re alone. Either he’s less confident in himself than you are, or you’re less cautious. Or you’re both dumb, whichever works.”

“Or it could just be that the force informed me of the best time to swing by and say hello.” Azariah answered with an almost playful grin as he moved to stand beside on of the seats, placing one hand on its back as he beckoned Shiri towards the other. “Granted you’re not wrong to think that normally a Sith wouldn’t do that. Most of them are far too egotistical and short sighted to listen to any advice that the force might give them.”

“So you’re claiming not to be short sighted and egotistical?” Shiri walked over to the chair he had motioned to and copied his pose behind it, smirking at him a little. “That sounds a bit egotistical to me, but so far I have nothing to prove or disprove your short sightedness. Maybe you’d like me to give you an eye exam?” She lost the grin, putting on an innocent look and tilting her head a little

Pulling the seat out and sliding into it with a surprising amount of poise, Azariah couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. “An offer I might take up another time if I get to do the same to you. I think I may get the better part of the deal through…” He flashed her with a grin that was a little different than his normal smile, but it was short lived before he fell back into his general good natured smile. “As for why I’m currently talking to you Shiri…”

Reaching into one of his pockets, he removed what looked like a deck of cards. “Do you play pazaak? Even the Jedi Order can’t be that socially isolated as to not know how to play it.”

Shiri was a bit surprised by the question, she certainly hadn’t thought that she’d be playing any card games here. “Yea I know how to play, just haven’t much lately.” She sat down across from him and crossed her arms in front of herself. This was probably some sort of trick, but Shiri couldn’t figure it out without asking. “What’s the catch?”

Azariah took a moment to shuffle the deck a bit before splitting it into three; One big deck and two side decks, one of which he kept and the other he slid over towards Shiri. “No catch really. Republic Senate rules and all that. Just felt like it would be nice to have a conversation with someone that I don’t have to wonder what their motives for speaking to me are. Besides, most Sith/Jedi conversations I know of seem to consist of insulting each other or the usage of some rather painful toys…” Pausing for a moment before he started shuffling the main deck again, he smirked a little as he added “Granted, there is nothing wrong with it if being tied down and having humiliation and pain inflicted on you just happens to be your thing…”

“That’s disgusting and one of the main reasons people don’t like sith.” Shiri said, still keeping her arms crossed. “You’re ok right now, but then I don’t know if you’re keeping up an act or not yet. If not, that’s a few strikes for you, but by default every sith has a hundred strikes against them.” Shiri took four cards from the deck of ten she was given and took a card from the main deck as well, placing it face up on the table. “A seven. your turn.”

“To be fair, Sith don’t own the monopoly on deviancy; Once you remove the petty sadists a lot of them tend to be asexual and interested only in power and what it can give them. Fairly certain that the Hutts bought the rights to being deviants long before the schism in Jedi ideology that lead to the creation of the Sith in the first place.” Azariah answered as he took four cards of his own and flipped one from the main deck, revealing a six.

“Strange how the Hutts have their own little Empire and have done since before the Republic existed, yet the Jedi Order doesn’t declare war on them out of fear of ‘disturbing the balance’, but the moment that some kind of force religion that isn’t their own pops up they are rather gung ho about burning it out of existence.”

Shiri played her turn, pulling a three from the main deck and playing a four from her hand. “I forget, does the seven count towards my score or was that just for seeing who played first?” She ignored the jab at the Order and decided to only answer the first part of what he said. “Whatever, each group has its extremes.”

“We can just say you’re going first and let it count towards your score. Ladies first and all that.” Azariah answered easily enough. “And I’m inclined to agree that each group has its extremes, but in saying that the Jedi Order also has its share of extremists… Those few men and women to whom committing dark acts in order to defeat an enemy like the Sith is justified for being the ‘Greater Good’.”

Shiri sighed lightly. “It’s your turn.” She semi-dramatically placed her cheek on her hand, elbow braced against the table, and looked Azariah in the eye. “I know what you’re doing, or trying to do anyway. Jedi Shadows do the things the rest of us won’t, for the best possible outcome. Sometimes, and I know there are a lot of sith who would agree with this, the ends do justify the means, if the end is truly the best possible outcome.”

“Not whom I was referring to actually.” Azariah admitted as he flipped another card from the main deck. A three this time, giving him nine. “Though part of me has to wonder how much suspicion that the Jedi Order as a whole has about the Shadows. It’s one of those gray areas that the Jedi seem dislike so much.” Offering Shiri a warm smile, he simply offered “And what is so wrong about having a civil conversation about religious dogma? It is more or less why this war was fought and so many people on both sides died after all, even if your average republican citizen doesn’t like to admit it.”

“On the plus side, the War itself should be more or less over now. Peace in our time and all that…”

“If you didn’t mean the shadows, who did you mean?” Shiri asked as she flipped over a five. “Great… I stand. That’s 19 for me. Honestly, I don’t know so much about the whole religion side of it, I just feel… Nevermind I’m not sure how to say how I feel. I do know that the way the Sith do things, compared to the Order, is wrong though. It’s not right.”

“In that we can both agree Shiri. Far more Sith than I care to admit are too focused on their personal ambitions and desires to dedicate themselves to making an Empire that is going to last and even more seem to use the Sith Code as justification for a thuggish nature and poor self control. If history is any indication, winning this war might actually be the worst thing that could have happened for the Empire, simply because without an enemy to unite them the various darths and lords are going to start killing each other.”

Letting out a bit of a sight as he flipped another card from the main deck, Azariah sighed as he got seventeen. Sending a two from his hand, he simple said “Draw. Still, despite how grim the future is no doubt going to be for the Empire in the coming decades, that doesn’t really change your situation all that much.”

Shiri took her head off her hand as she listened. “Ok, one: Why would you draw the round? Two: It sounds like even if you guys somehow won that you’d still lose by tearing yourself apart afterwards. Souldn’t you, I dunno, switch sides before then so you win? Even if the Order somehow lost the war, we would ultimately win because you just can’t work together. How many of the sith on this ship do you trust, are you even capable of trust? I know that every Jedi can trust each other, because we don’t care about power.”

Shiri let out a breath and returned to her previous position, but looking at the wall to her right instead of at Azariah. “Sorry, I was ranting a bit too much there. Three: It’s your turn.”

“Nah, rant all you like. It’s fine.” Azariah answered as he flipped his own card, starting with an eight this time. Ignoring the first question, he moved onto the second. “Honestly, the Order doesn’t interest me. I took some time to study its code and all that and it is simply too full of fear and hypocrisy for my tastes. Besides, I would have to deal with the stigma of having been a Sith for the rest of my life and you would be wrong to think that the Jedi don’t have their own politics happening behind the scenes; They are just less open and ‘civil’ about them.”

“Currently the plan is to rise up through the ranks of the Sith, go and become the ruler of one or more planets over at the edge of the Empire that isn’t bordering the Hutts or the Republic where there is little real oversight and wait for the whole thing to fall apart before founding a minor empire of my own. Have to admit it’s a much more interesting future then the Order would ever provide and I can do some actual good rather they be stonewalled by a Senate so corrupt that it is little more than a joke.”

“I literally have no response for half the stuff that you just said.” Shiri flipped over a ten and gave a slight laugh. “Haha, look at that. I stand, and win at 20.” She finished speaking as she placed a ten from her hand on the table. “It’s not all about the senate and religion and all that, you know that right? Most people I’ve met are in the order because they feel it’s right.” She flipped over the first card of the next round, a two. “Haa.. you might be winning this round. Your turn.”

She leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling a moment. “Ah, there it is.” She gave a small wave and smile to the camera in the corner of the room. “Those things have microphones too, don’t they? Shouldn’t you be a little more careful when speaking of your ‘plan’?” She used air quotes to emphasize the word plan. “It might work, if none of your comrades stop you.”

“Most likely. Be rather foolish security wise if there weren’t. And honestly most of them wouldn’t care even if they watched it; It doesn’t affect them directly and they would have a real hard time using it against me simply because anything I say during this meeting can be considered nothing more than a ploy to try and earn your trust. It’s kind of why I like talking with you. How wrong would I be in saying that your key motivation at the moment is to find a way for yourself and as many of the other prisoners as possible to escape this ship and get back to republic space?”

Flipping over his own card, he was somewhat pleased to find a nine and giving him a solid seventeen. “I guess I should give you the heads up that this whole ‘Breaking the Jedi’ phase that everyone is in at the moment is more like a victory lap then anything else. A chance to earn a feather in their cap by bringing a Jedi to the dark side and all that. Not quite sure how long the Darth is giving us, but I’m fairly certain that any Jedi that doesn’t break is going to be introduced to her alchemy lab. Something to think about.”

“Well, as far as earning my trust, you guys are on the right track. So far i’ve been taken to dinner, didn’t eat it of course, been threatened with death, seen my friend shot full of lightning, seen another friend get taken away just as I got back, and now I’m playing a nice game of Pazaak.” She gave an entirely fake smile as she flipped over a card. “Three. Your turn.” Shiri looked at the two cards left in her hand and then put them facedown on the table.

“You’re not entirely right, but not wrong enough to be wrong. I want, no I’m going to, save everyone possible. That includes my friends, fellow Jedi, and even Sith like yourself, Azariah. You don’t have to join us, though we’d love your help, but I think you don’t quite belong with the Sith. You could go right now, and start that little empire of yours, rule it kindly and be loved by your people, or whatever it was you had planned. I for one wouldn’t judge you for having been a sith if you joined the Order, I’d keep others from picking on you too. Maybe we could be friends even.”

He was silent for a little while after what she had to say. Flipping over a card from the main deck, it revealed a four. A defeat normally… but placing down a -1 card turned certain defeat into almost certain victory. “You know Shiri, I think I can see now why the force pointed you out to me. You are a kind soul, despite all the darkness that currently surrounds you and rather than submit to what others call fate you would rather fight it to the bitter end for the sakes of yourself and those you care about. It’s highly admirable and I never once saw someone as passionate about anything back at the Academy.”

“As strange as it must sound, I truly do believe you will find the strength to get through the coming ordeals. If I might offer you a bit of advice; The way to survive while surrounded by the dark side isn’t to try and push it away. All that does is tire you out and in the end it will consume you. Instead, take inspiration from nature and ask yourself a simple question: Where is the storm calmest?”

“A metaphor then? In the eye of the storm, or the center. But that could also be interpreted in different ways. It could mean as you likely wish me to think, that one must embrace the storm to get to the center, to become the eye of the storm, but that doesn’t quite make sense to me.” Shiri flipped over a card, another three. “That’s, 8 for me I believe. Why aren’t there 12-cards?” She leaned back in her chair again and continued her thought.

“If you embrace the storm, you become like the storm do you not? Turbulent and out of control. The eye however, is the complete opposite of the storm, nestled in the center of the chaos as a sanctuary, calm and clear. I thank you for your belief in me, and hope that will turn to trust one day, but I have to say your advice is wrong. The dark side, the Sith, I’m surrounded by them. The storm. Yet, the storm does not consume its eye, it cannot. I am calm, and clear-minded, a sanctuary to my comrades. I already am the eye of the storm, and the storm will not consume me, no matter what disasters it causes.”

Shiri stood up held out her hand to Azariah. “I stand, you win this set, even if you’re over, you’re closer. Let’s end the game here, at a tie. I’d like to play, and talk with you again, but I feel this has gone on long enough. If you have no further need of me,” She walked over to the door. “I think I can remember the way back, but I suppose you’ll want to escort me won’t you?”

“Why of course. It would be rude not to escort a lady back to her current quarters.” Azariah answered after shaking Shiri’s hand and stood to his own feet, following her to the door without mentioning just how much shit he would be in if he had let the Jedi girl have free reign to walk around the ship. He wasn’t that stupid.

Still, while they were walking back to the Prison area and somewhat away from the cameras that recorded noise, the older Sith did add “I do hope that one way or another you survive this. Stand by those you care about, fight and struggle to protect them as best you can and learn how to take the beatings and punishments that will come from struggling against those too petty to improve themselves. But always survive, for that is the only way you will grow stronger and become strong enough to have a chance at avoiding being the Darth’s latest pet Sithspawn… or its lunch. The rumors about what she does with her test subjects can’t seem to agree on what she does with them.”

Shiri walked just behind the sith as they headed back towards the prison cells, looking around the halls as she did. She noted how many cameras she saw and their places, something good to tell the rest when she got back. “I will, eye of the storm, remember? I’ve got just one question for you though, you don’t even have to give me the answer.” Shiri paused and turned to face Azariah as they got to the turbolift back to the cells. “Where are you in the storm? It’s never too late to join the calm of the eye, and remember that where the eye is, was the harshest of the turbulence not too long before.” Without waiting to hear his answer, Shiri went into the turbolift, and back to her friends.

Azariah didn’t answer Shiri’s question, but as the door for the Prison Area closed and Shiri was sent back to join her fellow Jedi, he smiled to himself as he walked away. He had to go visit the records room… as well as clean up his cards.

The kaminoan approached Alat without hurry and watched as Xid was escorted to one of the bunks by a young twi'lek, pleased to see the young knight had made it. His attention returned to the Jedi who had tried to address him before he was taken. He offered the kel dor a long, semi-irritated blink. He had never cared for metaphors, especially for situations such as this. The Twi'lek returned and offered her own ideas of what to do about their situation, something Tolun Fi happened to disagree with immensely. He caught sight of the other prisoners and decided that the conversation should probably be kept in confidentiality, lest everyone in the room be implicated. He steered Alat and Shiri away from the others with a slow walk, hoping that no one would take their separation as conspiratorial.

“Game tokens do not kidnap and murder.” Tolun Fi replied tersely. “I had just witnessed one of our temple’s guards fighting slaves to the death with blunt instruments. Forgive me for not finding amusement in board game analogies.”

He felt as if he was being a bit harsh, and in truth, he wasn’t particularly mortified by the combat demonstration, as he had become accustomed to witnessing much worse. “I do not suppose you’ve considered that what we know is next to nothing other than we have been captured by the Sith, and they are taking us for interrogation one at a time, for the time being. We have no way of knowing the layout of the ship, and I do not think it is necessary to remind you that each of us were forced to submission by these same individuals. Trying to plan an ambush for when they come again is clearly something they’ve planned for, and the Sith do not care for individual lives.

“We could defeat one or two Sith by virtue of our numbers and that our Force abilities do not seem to be suppressed, but it would be foolish to think the Sith haven’t accounted for the fact that we may try that. We do not have lightsabers, so how many lives would be wasted in exchange for one or two Sith, especially when the Sith would not likely care what happens to a few of their own? We’re speaking of an order that promotes treachery and murder as means of promotion.” he looked over to Shiri, frowning. “We need to be mindful that what we’ve witnessed so far isn’t necessarily the patterns they will adhere to. We must tread carefully. We cannot help anyone, let alone ourselves, if we get ourselves killed by half-considered actions.”

Shiri nonchalantly followed Tolun and listened as calmly as she could to his opinion, no matter how much it seemed like he was lecturing. “Well of course their habits could change, but for right now I don’t think they will. As time goes on, they will likely grow more confident in themselves, and more careless around us. Yes, these are the same Sith that captured us, one on one, but as they come to take us to interrogation they are alone and we are a group.” Shiri had more she could say, but decided not to yet as she crossed her arms and waited to hear what they would say.

“We have time yet.” Alat had folded his arms behind his back. “We’re seeing the front the Sith are putting forth.” He looked from Shiri to Tolun. “This isn’t a game for me believe it or not.” He turned his soulless stare on Tolun momentarily. “This war is over. We aren’t prisoners of war. We’re test subjects. That is the only reason the Sith would have taken so many prisoner.” He looked from one to the other. “I couldn’t guess to what end but I have no doubt they will begin to target the weak links to see if they can convert us.” He continued to walk. “The Sith are predictable if you watch them long enough. The trick is to keep in mind we are still prey to them. Our time will come to be predators but it is still a ways off yet.”

“A fair observation.” Tolun Fi said, continuing the leisurely pace. “I believe our prerogative should be to find out about as much of the ship that we can, how many Sith there are, their habits, and other security measures. We also should see if there is a way to gain access to the turbolifts.” he paused, blinking slowly as a realization set in. “Xid. We should inquire if he is able to override the lifts and what tools he would need to do it. That might involve somebody willing to break free of their interrogator if the opportunity arises with the knowledge of where the maintenance section of the ship is. Regardless, the only way the Sith are going to let their guards down is if they think they’re breaking us and we’ve lost the will to fight back. It’s a fine line to walk, admittedly.”

Alat smiled “I think Xid is a decent place to start. I would keep an eye on Nazca. She is barely a Jedi and the Sith will target her, she will be easy to mold.” Alat continued to match Tolun’s pace. “Perhaps she shall be our weapon.” He looked at Tolun again “You seem to have come back unscathed from your time with the Sith. What did you gather?” Alat was waiting to pick Shiri’s brain when he’d solved the mystery of Tolun’s interrogation.

“A division amongst their ranks.” Tolun Fi replied, looking at Alat. “The Sith who had collected me was more interested in discussion than torture. As I mentioned, I was forced to watch three slaves and one of our temple troopers fight to the death, which was unpleasant. He permitted me to speak my mind in exchange for me listening to his. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, I admit. This Sith might be someone I can leverage for information, and I attempted to spread the seeds of doubt over his over. The only thing I know for sure is that he disagrees with the methods some of the other Sith use, and for that pieced together that each of the Sith are acting on their own according, likely towards a similar goal.”

Alat nodded carefully at that, folding his hands behind his back. “Certainly a weak spot in the armor.” Alat turned towards Shiri. “You’re...Tetsu’s Padawan yes?” Alat turned to look at Shiri with his sightless mask. “What have you divined from your time here.” Alat’s voice did something it never did. It softened ever so slightly. While his mask prevented little adjustment in facial features it was less. Fear inducing.

“Yes. I am glad she wasn’t at the temple during the attack however, she would have fought to the death with the sith.” Shiri smiled a little at the thought of her master, and wondered a moment on what she would do when she heard of the attack. “Xid and I were taken a short while after waking, and I suppose the sith’s plan was to try and be nice so we’d talk to him. He had food set out for us and we talked a little, but it ultimately ended up as a fight. Xid got the most of it, and accidentally sent a piece of a broken plate into a trooper’s neck, who the sith finished off and started taunting Xid about…” Shiri trailed off as she glanced back at the bunk where she had left Xid. “The only thing I can think of that the sith was trying to do was see what we remembered of the attack on the temple.”

Tolun listened idly as the other two Jedi reminisced about Master Tetsu, waiting for the conversation to get back on track, which it did in mercifully short order. “This Sith, did he have a mechanical arm?” Tolun Fi asked.

Shiri took a moment to remember. “Yes, I think he did. Have you met him as well?” It wouldn’t be strange if he had, that sith seemed a bit eager to start speaking with the Jedi, judging from how soon he had taken her and Xid after they woke up.

“He’s the same Sith that questioned me. Curious, he’s been rather eager to get us to talk. It’s possible he’s trying to build a sense of trust so we’ll be willing to divulge information later on. We should be careful with him, but I sense he doesn’t buy entirely into the Sith cause. We may be able to have him see the Light side if we play our hands right.” he said, glancing at Alat. He made a silly game metaphor. That should keep the kel dor happy. “So, let’s see if we can get Xid on board for helping us. I have a good relationship with him, perhaps he’d be receptive to me.”

Alat nodded. “I’m sure he’d respond well to either of us. You’re welcome to ask” He seemed deep in thought. “The Trandoshan is going to be a problem.” It was like watching a hawkbat tense for an attack the way Alat seemed to react to bringing up the other sith. “That one is a predator if I have ever seen it.” He paused for a moment “the kind of Sith I hunted on the battlefield.” Alat came back to the conversation in short order. “That is only two though. What of the Zabrak that follows the Trandoshan, she seems. Unsure.” Alat let the unspoken question stand.

“If the Sith are trying to get us to go dark, then we might as well bring them to the light. There’s no way to know for sure if we can, but I’ll sure as hell try.” Shiri spoke confidently, and smiled lightly at the other two. “In them trying to gain our trust, we might just gain theirs. The only catch is that we don’t know who we would do the best with yet.”

“Spoken like a Master.” Tolun Fi said approvingly to Shiri. “It’s settled then. We’ll learn as much about our captors as we can and devise a plan. For now, let’s think about what we discussed. I will speak with Xid in due course.” The kaminoan said, nodding to the others before heading back to his bunk room.

Shiri hung back as Tolun walked away, noticing one of the turbolifts bringing yet another Sith into the prison. He singled her out and beckoned to her, leaving promptly afterwards. Well so much for an ambush. She thought to herself as she walked up to the turbolift. She wanted to go check on Xid, or anything other than go deal with another sith, but eventually she just sighed and entered the lift.

Arix meditated.

The kaminoan had been right--something Fi, he knew, though he couldn't have said they'd ever dealt much with one another. It was now more than ever that he needed to have himself together, to be collected and understand what needed to occur rather than forcing it, which was precisely what wasn't his strong suit. He had always been in possession of an understanding of motion, of action, the will of the Force in motion. Like all his people combat was at the heart of him, and it had taken him quite a long time to accept that this might not be a good thing. The constant pursuit of bettering oneself was admirable, but the predilection to violence, the willingness to accept it as a natural part and response to a situation... It had taken a true Master to teach him what a life of violence should be used for.

And she was dead.

It hit him like a brick--like that damn zabrak's foot--every time he thought about it, his breath pushed from his lungs and his eyes squeezing shut. It hurt, but he knew as well as anyone that picking at it wouldn't solve anything. She wouldn't have wanted it...so instead he tried to focus on being practical. Like so many others he allowed his senses to broaden, tried to find anything he could through the force and was obscured by the overwhelming presence of the Dark Side, like a weight or a veil. It was hard enough to find peace in the face of it to be meditation all on its own, to build a little place of serenity in the midst of such turbulence, and it helped. He needed to heal, he needed to be strengthen up. If he was to be of any use at all, he would need to be ready when the time came.

He tried not to think of it as an 'if'.

All of the serenity he'd managed to build for himself was lost when the door opened and the Sith marched in. It had been different when they had come for the others, somehow, but for whatever reason he knew this time he would not be so lucky, and berated himself for thinking of it that way. There was more that he could do than fight--he could stand for his allies, his companions in this. He'd have to get to know them when he got back.

He tried not to think of it as an 'if'.

Did she expect resistance? She certainly seemed to, based on the guards she brought with her. Was she disappointed that he was already walking towards her? Pleased? His ribs hurt less. Maybe the meditation had even done some good for him. He didn't look at the others and didn't speak--just walked to the Sith, raising his hands slowly.

Peace. Not hate. Now wasn't the time to get everyone shot trying to make himself feel better.

"Fine."

After the brief encounter with some of the other Jedi Avix felt a subtle rumble in his stomach. Well I best find something to eat. I wonder how the food is on this ship he thought to himself as he made his way towards the mess hall. Avix in turn was also reflecting a bit on the mission. It was doable but he wondered if some of the softer teammates could make the tough decisions if they called for it. Within a few moments he had reached the mess hall and immediately got into line. He had always been a bit of gourmet and didn’t expect much from standard military fare. However he was feeling a smidgen optimistic and figured is couldn't be that bad.

The selection was sparse which was to be expected and he opted for a soup like substance. One would have to be a terrible cook to mess up soup. He took his “meal” and found his seat away from the crew members. The more he looked at it the more he began to have second thoughts. After looking at it for a minute he decided to dig in and reluctantly took a sip. What his tastes buds were met with was some of the blandest thing he had ever eaten and made swallowing it painful. “What the hell is this? I swear they give prisoners better food then this… I wouldn’t even imagine feeding such gruel to animals let alone the very soldiers tasked to defend the Republic.” he said aloud as he pushed the gruel away.

Lea and Xid finished patching their patient, having to remove her tunic layers to ensure the wounds could be repatched if needed. It was one step that made him extremely uncomfortable, his eye averted to keep from feeling like a total slimeball. He was relieved when Lea took the lead and was attending to wrapping Nazca's top, allowing her to retain her modesty even with the nasty wounds. His mind still fixated them within his focus as he edged out of the medical part of the prison complex.

His hands were absentminded cleaning the blood stained fingers upon a pitiful towel when he stepped out. Xid knew Lea would be out shortly and paused at the door frame's side, leaning into it. Mentally he was fine but physically he felt utterly exhausted, his head pressed against the cold metal to chase away the budding hurt. His sleeves had been rolled up and slightly stained from Nazca's blood, giving the once pure white edges on his inner tunic sleeve a pink tinge.

Already, he was grateful for the numbness Lea’s healing created. Else he would’ve been bent over in pain and not on his feet, standing and moving easily. His eyes spied Shiri coming out of the bunk area, likely from the lift, then pushed off the door frame slowly. When he was a short distance near her, he spoke softly. “Hey, are you alright? Not feeling dizzy or anything from the attack or anything else?”

He was still mindful of what she said, though he was trying to be sensitive about it. Something he was taught by Sela since becoming her padawan. It was the one thing he appreciated learning and it kept him from becoming too distance from others when he was a youngling. Back then, Tolun Fi was the only Jedi that showed some slight acceptance. Started to realize how much he missed just working endlessly in Tolun Fi’s labs, he shook his head lightly to chase away the thoughts.

Shiri went over what had just happened in her head a few times, smiling as she remembered the promise she made. She was both slightly surprised and disappointed as Xid approached her. "I'm more ok than you are. Why aren't you resting?" Shiri sighed and continued. "I swear, I'm going to tie you to the bunk with your own robes and make you stay there until you get some sleep." She smiled as she finished, but she meant it.

"I just had an interesting conversation with a sith while we played a game of Pazaak, nothing too bad. I don't think I've played Pazaak since I became a padawan actually." Shiri stepped a little closer to Xid, ready to support him if he needed. "So why are you up and about? Did something bad happen? Is Nazca back yet?"

"No, I don't really need any Kolto patches it'll heal on it-Oh Nek Take it that's cold!" Nazca blurted out as she felt the Kolto patch press against her skin. She glared balefully at both of them as they continued to seal her injures, against her wishes. "They would have healed on their own. And people are going to need them more than I am, especially if the lizard gets to them. Or the robot hand guy with the scar over his eye decides to stop pretending to be charming. It was refreshing, actually, to see how he really was. That 'I'm not really that bad of a guy' act was wearing a little thin." She grinned at Xid as he averted his eyes, teasing him. "Aww, you're such a gentleman. Thank you so much Xid, whatever would I have done in this terrible situation if you had seen a little skin? I would have had to fall on my lightsaber from mortification!"

She turned her gaze to Lea's innocent smile, smiling in response. "Thank you. Though next time I say let it heal on it's own, do so please? I already have enough trouble with him not listening to me." She gestured to Xid's retreating back. "Now, I just want to get to a bunk and fall asleep and pretend for a little bit that I'm still in Nar Shadda where things were nice and simple and all that mattered was the next target I could steal from and outrun." She gingerly got off the table, taking a few careful steps to make sure she wouldn't collapse any time soon. She hissed a bit in pain as her side stretched. Much like Lea said, it still hurt. She looked back at the girl, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I won't be running anywhere anytime soon...I guess this is what I get for taunting the giant brutal lizard."

Her ears seemed to perk up as she caught Shiri's voice and, more importantly, mention of a Pazaak game. She moved as quickly as she was able without collapsing again and looked out the doorway at the Twi'lek. Her expectant face fell into disappointment as she saw no evidence of a Pazaak deck. "You played Pazaak and you didn't ask for a deck? Come on! We're likely to go insane from boredom during the down time." Then Nazca remembered her appearance. Missing tunic , nothing more than a wrap around her to keep her modest, her own dried blood on the side of her pants, clearly clawed side, and generally ruined appearance. Nazca held up her stump, as if she still had a hand to hold up in a calming fashion.

"Okay, look, I can explain in a very concise terms how none of this was my fault. You should remain calm, and not yell at me for insulting the sith with my very extensive repertoire of insults in a variety of languages, stealing one of their lightsabers, or trying to bite one's nose off. You should instead focus on how to get us a Pazaak deck to occupy ourselves with." Nazca gave her best winning and innocent smile at the Twi'lek.

After the chat with the two masters, Kennith didn’t have much to do till they actually got to Tatooine. After near-constant search for two full months, having time which wasn’t allotted to some goal was almost strange. Some might say he could’ve gone over old data again, but he knew well that would not be useful. There simply weren’t any viable leads in the information he had. Any truly useful information at this stage could only be acquired through direct contact.

It was for that reason he went to the chamber that had been assigned to him. When he got there, he was pleased to see that the Ship’s droids had already moved his gear in, so he spend a few minutes stowing it in the appropriate places. Like he usually did, he didn’t have much. A few spare robes, some disguises and various gadgets made up the bulk of it. He’d never been fond of having many possessions, all that did was get messy. Besides, being on the move all the time meant chances of a lot getting lost.

After unpacking fully, he thought about taking some time to meditate, but he really wasn’t in the mood for it. What he was in the mood for was food. Proper food. After checking the schematics once more, he strolled over to the nearest turbolift, took it three decks up, then went sternward through the medical bay to the mess hall. The former was all empty now, but he had a feeling it would not remain so long.

The mess hall was quite possibly one of the largest rooms in the ship, being both wide, long and tall. Well, engineering would be even bigger, but that didn’t count. There were scores already eating in there, even one of the other Jedi. When he got to the end of the line and saw just exactly what was being served, his mind would not quite accept it. He wanted food, not nutrient paste.

He looked at the cook on the other side of the counter, then handed him a couple of credit chits. “Got some meat? perhaps a decent slice of Nerf steak? If you do, these’ll keep coming.” The chits were far more valuable than a few pieces of steak, but Kennith didn’t care, he simply wanted decent food. If his bribery got everyone else better food as well, then that would no doubt improve the morale, something which one should never underestimate the value of.

The cook’s eyes lit up upon receiving the chits. “Coming right up,” then he whispered with a small grin. “Captain’s stock.”

“Excellent.” was all Kennith answered. A couple of minutes later, he held a tray with a large slice of fried Nerf on it and some slightly indeterminate vegetables beside it. He’d have preferred some determinate vegetables, but that could wait. The cook would need time to expand his stock. Even if not perfect, the vegetables were still worlds better than a gooey nutrient paste. Not knowing anyone else on the ship, he chose to sit down opposite that other Jedi.

As he sat down, he smiled at the other Jedi. “Name’s Kennith Rahn. Who are you?”

“Still doesn’t answer my question.” Xid commented, appreciating her concern. He was slightly amused by the image floating in his head over the petite Twi’lek tying him to the bed since there wasn’t any posts to tie to. He was even flattered that she valued his life though he felt hers, like many others, were worth a lot more. “Besides, I feel alright for now as Lea numbed the feeling in my ribs. Most the bleeding had been stopped by the lightsaber strike.” He pointed to his chest at first, then to his face. “And the claw marks have already started to scab over.”

His arm tossed the towel over his shoulder and set it there, freeing up his hand while he showed off the mending scars over his nose. Precisely where the Trandoshan had clawed him. He felt more relaxed when Nazca has earlier tease and studied Shir, both for signs of unusual behavior from what she told about her capture and in the case she might’ve been hurt by the sith earlier. She seemed alright but he didn’t trust her easy going appearance.

Xid’s facial features looked surprised at her when she mentioned Pazaak. His eyebrow raised, her body moved closer and his mind glimpsed how closely Lea was earlier. Again, he felt heat rise to his cheeks against his will. Damn it, he thought bitterly and tried to stop it. His mind was thankfully distracted by two things: Shiri’s question about him then Nazca, and his recent patient wobbly walking toward them. His head shot back instantly to see the woman’s horrid stand then inwardly groaned, knowing Shiri would end up putting two and two together.

The reason he wasn’t officially resting like he should was because he had been helping Nazca. He wanted to slap Nazca as she frowned at the lack of deck most likely, her next words answering his first thoughts easily. Xid sighed in an exhausted breath and twisted on his heel, careful not to jarr Shiri, to move beside the wounded.

“Nazca! You need to be laying back down, now.” Xid tried hard not to snap at her, and moved to press his own wounded body against hers. Granted, he wasn’t strong enough to forcibly haul the twenty-one year old woman back to Lea but he was still going to try. He turned back to Shiri, having an explanation on hand to save Nazca’s hide again while he gestured quickly for her to take the other side. When the two were siding Nazca, Xid started to whisper quietly, trying to turn away from the cameras and keep his voice low as possible.

“Look, the reason I’ve not been resting is because Lea and I have been working on trying to figure out how to escape. We’ve already determined the cell has basic security. It’s easy to sabotage and create a playback loop, for someone with slicing skills I can show them where. This allows us to make say a blind spot or slip out at key times unnoticed. I might have a way to make at least one lightsaber or two at best. Though even with the parts, I still need the most important element: a focus crystal. We have two choices, I can create a machine to synthesize one or used one from either a blaster or lightsaber. All three options have their pros and cons, as well as their chances of succeeding. Though I rather not think of the odds really.” He said almost catching them completely up, adding one final point. “I think the ones who should wield them would be Koren and Alat since they are adapt fighters. At least better than I, you, or Shiri are when it comes to experience.”

As Xid pointed it out, Shiri did notice that he looked a little better than when she had left. She was about to say that he still needed to rest, even though Lea had sped his healing, when she noticed him blush slightly. What...? Maybe he's embarrassed that I'm treating him like this... With that thought she shook her head and spoke softly. "I know you can take care of yourself, I just worry too much I guess."

When Shiri heard Nazca's voice she turned to see her friend looking like she had just went through hell and back. At the same time, Nazca seemed to realize how she looked, because she started explaining exactly how it was all her fault and tried to tell Shiri to stay calm. Shiri stood there for a moment, stunned as her friend just smiled at her. She took a deep breath and walked over to her, not saying anything until she stood right in front of Nazca.

"You idiot. You stupid... Stupid idiot!" She quickly and carefully gathered Nazca into a hug, holding her friend tightly as she tried hard not to start crying. She pulled away as she heard Xid telling Nazca off, saying the same thing she herself had been telling him just before. He started supporting Nazca and motioned to her to help as well. Shiri started supporting her other side, and then listened carefully as Xid spoke.

"Seems you were busy... I'm pretty good at slicing, so I could help with the playback loop later, and I'll help get focus crystals from blasters too. Although it could just be easier to steal a couple of lightsabers from the sith." Shiri smiled a little. "Between Nazca and I we could probably get them all."

While it would’ve been optimal for Nazca to simply rest after the wounds were patched up, Lea was anything but surprised when she got up a few minutes later. In that way, she was much like most Jedi patients - Notoriously stubborn and difficult to deal with. She could remember more than once having to keep seriously wounded patients in a forced coma in order to let their wounds heal sufficiently to not be worsened by movement.

That was why she preferred to deal with patients who were further along in their treatment plans. But as a healer, she couldn’t always get what she wanted. Grown up patients were the worst. They never had the patience common to the old ones and couldn’t be reasoned with the way children could. She didn’t know what she’d do if some patient ended up pushing her limits too far. A part of her was a bit curious on that front.

She stood there, musing over thoughts like that for quite a while. Ever since she’d been separated from her master, she had been somewhat lost. Things that had seemed so clear then, were getting muddled up. She had liked it when things were simple. “Oh well. Can’t have everything being easy. Coming out on top from a challenge like this will be an achievement worth remembering. Just like you taught me, Master.” Lea said to no one in particular, neither knowing nor caring whether anyone listened to her.

After about a quarter hour, Lea decided to walk over to where the others were. It did not take her long to see that more than one of her patients was behaving foolishly. Seeing how they were Jedi patients, that was far from unexpected. The best Jedi patient to deal with, after all, was unconscious. Add to that the fact that what remained of Nazca’s clothes was starting to fall off, she could not help but chuckle a little at how red Xid’s face was. She should perhaps explore that more in the future. It was curiously interesting.

“What do you two think you’re doing?” she said, looking at both Xid and Nazca. “You’re both injured. You’re both in need of rest. Stop trying to make your injuries worse. Let go of her now.”

“Ah…”Xid started, his eyes snapped to Lea’s words and noted her standing there. “You sure? There’s no one to pull my weight and…”

“Yes. Let go of her. I’ll take care of it.” Lea answered firmly.

Xid sighed and, begrudgingly, moved to the side where Lea could slide in easily. He gave Shiri an apologetic look for the moment and flinched when his muscle twitched causing him squeeze his arm about his side. “Ow...bad idea.”

The moment Xid let go of Nazca, well before she had time to fall over, Lea reached out with the Force. First to steady her, then to lift her up. She didn’t care if Nazca found that surprising or uncomfortable. Instead, she rotated Nazca in the air and guided her in between two of the support posts between the top and bottom bunks, then lowered her onto the bed. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but it was both safer and easier than doing it manually.

Once Nazca had been lowered to the bunk, she turned to look at Xid. “Do you want me to move you to a bunk too, or will you go on your own?”

There wasn’t much Tolun Fi needed to concern himself with in regards to Nazca, since she had a rather devoted troop tending to her, including Xid, Shiri, and Lea, whom Tolun Fi had discovered was a Force healer. It was good experience for the youth to figure out how to deal with crisis on their own, and they seemed up to the challenge. Tolun Fi was the only proper doctor amongst the Jedi aboard the ship, and he suspected he’d have to step in at some point for some of the more serious injuries. Besides, it would be interesting to see what Xid retained from his lessons in the lab for helping with some of the casualties that found their way into Tolun Fi’s lab. He would check on Nazca later,

While the medical room was occupied, and most of the other Jedi were in their respective bunk rooms or just wandering restlessly, the kaminoan slunk into the sanitation room and immediately started looking for blind spots with the cameras, looking for the telltale signs that Xid had helpfully instructed him to look for, including looking for glints that could be seen only in infrared and sometimes ultraviolet spectrums. Seeing nothing of the sort, indicating that the cameras were infrared, Tolun Fi felt confident enough to proceed. The block afforded little room for privacy, and it was possible to see into parts of the other rooms in the block, which worked fine for his purposes, as he derobed and headed to one of the shower stalls to disguise his snooping. The water was refreshing and reminded him of his homeworld, and it gave him an opportunity to pick out the locations of the various cameras and their fields of view. There appeared to be a few meter section near the left-side of the toilets that the cameras simply didn’t cover; even for security purposes, no one wanted to watch another being defecate, especially if their physiology was quite different from a human or a Sith. The standard toilets were simply put, rather inadequate and would provide quite the gruesome spectacle for anyone watching some of the more distinct species of the galaxy attempt to relieve themselves.

The thought of a mortified security guard checking the footage and being confronted with the sight of a Herglic in ample bowel distress brought a brief and fleeting smile to his face, a rarity. It simply would not do to have the others discover he actually found some of their crude and juvenile jokes amusing. He gathered his garb to the spot and began to redress, facing towards the wall. Being careful not to move too obviously, he produced a hidden marker in the chest console of his undersuit and began to write a few basic equations on the wall, along with the various races in attendance in the cell block, along with some key points to their physiology and common treatment practices. It was useful stuff to know, but it would also serve to act as an indication of if the Sith took notice of his activities from a camera he couldn’t see, and if they could detect his writing. It would take some time, but he would leave it be for the next little while. If the Sith did know he was writing on the walls, the only way they’d be able to read what it was would be to have an ultraviolet lamp and the proper tinted glasses on board and came to inspect it in person. Should that happen, they’d likely confiscate the marker, which wasn’t a huge loss, he has a space hidden elsewhere, possibly beat him, and then proceed to lose their minds trying to find where else he’d left hidden clues for them to find. That alone would be worth a fractured limb, he decided; the mighty Sith brought low in terror of losing power to a scientist with a homemade writing utensil was a delightful thought.

It was time to go collect Xid.

Leaving the sanitation facility, Tolun Fi made his way to the bunk blocks and quickly found where the young Knight and Lea were putting Nazca down to rest. He observed the young woman on the bed, observing the treatment that had been given and decided it was a job well done. “It is truly a wondrous thing when I am not needed in the end. Excellent work, the both of you. Now Xid, if you will accompany me to the medical facilities, it’s time we look at your own wounds, namely your ribs. I could not help but notice that your breathing has been strained, barely noticeable, I assure you, and you’re walking slightly hunched over on the side. I’d rather not have you strain yourself and accidently cause a clean break that punctures your lung.”