Aria's suggestion had caught him slightly off guard, but what she said made sense. Technically, they didn't have any authority over this underground group of Force users and would probably not earn any favors from them by attempting to leverage their status. Not that Yerbol was going to try, but he thought that maybe his lovely, wonderful, caring partner would have maybe, potentially shoved their credentials in the collectives faces of the Force users and demanded(no, asked) to follow their lead. It was telling of the growth she had gone through over the past year.

Yerbol's thoughts on his wife's maturity ended swiftly upon noting the cloaked figure near the doorway.
"Honey." He muttered quietly, Aria continuing to fiddle with the terminal in front of them. A gentle nudge got her focused on what he saw, prompting an approach. While planets like Coruscant managed to hide the presence of Force users rather well due to the sheer number of people that occupied the planet, it was hard to ignore the aura that this woman(he assumed based on the facial structure) was emanating. She had to be their contact.

After a brief exchange that Yerbol knew he wouldn't dare interfere in on account of getting sassed later, they were following the hooded figure out through the port and into the familiar receiving area that the duo would normally pass through on their way to the Tower. Instead of taking the exit a few hundred feet ahead, the woman led them to the right and down a smaller hallway jammed to the brim with crates, luggage and other miscellaneous baggage that had to be navigated around cautiously so as to not shatter whatever may be inside.
"So you guys set up shop in baggage claim? Really?" The woman snorted again as they hung around a corner and entered a freight elevator that was peeling with rust and decay. When they stepped onto the platform, the woman pressed a glowing red button to the right of the doorway, prompting a metal grate to slam shut, sealing any attempt at exiting before the elevator lurched downward, gears grating incessantly.
"When you're trying to stay 'off the grid', precautions have to be made, including using antiquated technology...and using unexpected places to hide out in." After a few more moments of frustratingly high pitched grinding and subsequent whining from the dogs, the elevator platform slammed downward, metal grate sliding upward to reveal a narrow hallway that opened up into a maze of conveyor belts and catwalks suspended in mid-air, crossing and bending around each other before terminating at various points in the walls. The floor was littered with suitcases and various other forms of travel debris coated in dust, grime or both. As a contrast to the dingy underbelly of the port were several metal tables at the other end of the wide room that had large pieces of parchment scattered across them along a couple of coffee thermos', ration packs and one lone datapad on the center table. Standing behind the center table was a Twi'lek, long and thin like a reed ready to be plucked by the wind. His navy blue skin seemed to almost shimmer in the dull light, his dark black eyes examining the new visitors closely. Yerbol couldn't help but blurt out:
"Master Kartan?" The black eyes twinkled slightly as he motioned for them to come closer.
"Goodness gracious, has the little boy grown. Well, you never were little to begin with." The Zabrak's look of surprise was met with laughter by the skinny Twi'lek, who motioned to the Champion, gently chiding:
"You didn't tell me that Malu would be sending these two. Ah, probably for the better anyhow." He stepped around the table and clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking him over.
"To think that all this time has passed since the last time I saw you. When was it again?"
"Before I became a Knight, so...nineteen?"
"And what are you now?"
"Twenty three."
"Twenty three!" He gave the Champion's shoulder a hard squeeze before addressing Aria:
"Forgive my manners, but an old man in my position is happy to see a friendly face, even if it is...well, we'll get to that later. I'm Olivie Kartan. And I know you're Aria Massani, so don't worry about introducing yourself. Your face(and wedding) was put all over the Net." He resumed his place behind the table as he continued:
"I knew Yerbol when he was a youngling at the Academy, you see."
"He and Master Solus worked together quite a bit." Yerbol filled in, Olivie nodding in approval.
"Indeed we did. Those are times I still think about with fondness..." He then waved off the nostalgia with his right hand.
"But you're not here for me to reminisce. Malu sent you here to talk about Manus, correct?"
"Master Kar-"
"It's just Kartan now, Yerbol. Formalities got blown away when Bracknell decided to eradicate any trace of order within the Force."
"...Kartan. Right." He cleared his throat before continuing:
"Malu sent us with a proposal of sorts, for your network to break away from Manus completely."
"Really? That's a rather bold proposal, but for your sake I'll listen. Go on."
"We know that Manus helped build this network to help Force users who had nowhere to go during Bracknell's purge and he's sort of become a cult hero among those who don't want to join the Qyaari."
"Correction, my boy: he IS a hero. Manus managed to round up whatever help he could, both Jedi and Sith, and managed to get us through the worst of it. Across the galaxy, there are havens of Force users who are attempting to rebuild their lives thanks to what he did. Which leads me to ask why you would think we would sell Manus out to a self-righteous order that is bound to repeat the same mistakes we did?"

Ah. There it is.

The niceties had to end sooner or later.

"He's not acting in your best interests anymore." A chuckle.
"A proclamation with little evidence."
"We know that Jean Soto was broken out of prison by Manus, we know that he's been diverting resources from your outposts in order to serve his own interests and we can bloody well prove it if you let us." The mention of Jean prompted the former Master to narrow his eyes, a glance cast in the direction of the Zabrak.
"And what is this proof you have?"

The two Champions followed their unnamed contact into the elevator, the loud mechanics of which prompted anxious whines from Chwuq and Taral. They were clearly none too fond of the assault on their sensitive hearing that the grating mechanics made. Aria tried not to wrinkle her nose in distaste at the dilapidated state of their surroundings, no doubt it would not help their contact’s impressions of them, which already seemed to be….less than friendly. She could only hope some of the other Force users would be more welcoming.
As the elevator shuddered to a halt and they stepped out into the room of conveyors, Aria reminded herself that just a few months ago they had crawled through the sewers on this very planet in pursuit of the Xiis, the filth (and the smell) in this room was nothing compared to that.
It helped a lot. Helped her keep a straight face too.
“I suppose that is one way to keep yourselves protected. But it isolates you as well.”
A sideward glance as they entered the room, the Zabrak muttering a comment of:
“And if that's what we want?” before the Twi'lek man came forward and addressed Yerbol. Some pleasantries were exchanged and Yerbol elaborated a little on , during which Aria simply smiled and nodded politely until she was spoken to.
“Well, it's good to meet you nonetheless. We hope we can change your mind, at least somewhat.”
“We'll see about that.” the Zabrak snorted, lowering the hood of her cloak to reveal the rest of her face; a set of five small horns projecting from the crown of her head revealing her younger age...perhaps a decade older than the two Champions at most. “We were expecting Malu, to be perfectly blunt.”
“Well, we’re sorry to disappoint you but Malu decided to send us.” Aria answered earnestly, turning her attention back to Kartan as he began speaking about Manus’ deeds prior to Bracknell’s purge order.

As the Twi'lek claimed there was little evidence to support their condemnation of the former Jedi Master, Aria raised an eyebrow and leaned carefully on the table.
“If Manus really is the hero you say he is, then why isn't he helping you?”
“And the Qyaari are any better?” the Zabrak retorted, arms tightly crossed over her chest.
“We're here now.”
The Champion’s statement was met with a glare from the Zabrak woman and a dubious frown from Kartan.
“Thanks to MALU.”
“I have to agree with Vaerth.” Kartan grunted. “The Qyaari haven't exactly gone out of their way to help us either.”
Groaning quietly, Aria ran a hand through her hair, her gaze darting from the neutral Force users to the ceiling momentarily as she regained her composure and tried not to appear confrontational.
“We're not here to argue semantics.” the Champion spoke slowly, almost pleading with them to hear the words and THINK about them properly. “Yes, the Qyaari are not entirely blameless for what is going on here. We could have, SHOULD have, made a better effort to find and support you all.”
“And we're SORRY, but we can't go back and change that now.” Yerbol put in. Surprise flickered over their faces at the open honesty of the duo’s words.
“But we want to make that right by helping you now. That has to count for something, doesn't it?”
“We'll be the judge of that.” Kartan chuckled humourlessly.
“You still haven't told us what ‘proof’ you have that Manus intends to turn on us.” the Zabrak, who they now knew as Vaerth, put in, redirecting the topic of the conversation.
The Champions produced their data pads, calling up the saved holo messages between Nuly and Manus where they had discussed Soto’s breakout, and a few records which Malu had acquired (Kandar and her former Intelligence contacts were surprisingly efficient at finding information the Qyaari Elder needed!), which showed supplies had been diverted from their original drop-off points with very vague reasoning (and little explanation about where the supplies were going instead).
“This holo recording was taken from the Warden’s apartment. We visited him to question him about Soto’s escape and ended up finding a corpse and the Assassins Manus sent to kill him.” Aria explained, her gaze moving carefully between Kartan and Vaerth. “The other records were given to us by Malu before we left Zinuthra. She believes it proves Manus is stealing supplies from you and others on Coruscant to keep for himself.”

Aria simply nodded and cleared her throat.
“So, the question right now is: what do you know about the supply convoys? Do you know where Manus keeps them?”
“Perhaps we do.” Vaerth nodded slowly.
“Well, we can't help you take them back if you don't tell us.” Yerbol pointed out with a quiet sigh.
“You're under no obligation to change your allegiances if you don't want to.” Aria reminded them. “We only hope that we can show you we could be valuable allies, should you need us.”
The Twi'lek and Zabrak exchanged glances, as if weighing up their options, then nodded slightly.
“There's a section of private docking bays in the back of the spaceport.”
“Just tell us what you need us to do, we're here to help.”

The docking bay Vaerth had mentioned was indeed well tucked away at the back of the port, and vigilantly guarded by two individuals in the black masks and suits they had come to recognise as Manus’ soldiers.
“There are probably a lot more of them inside.” Vaerth muttered, the four Force users huddled together to peer around the corner at the doorway they had indicated as the likely culprit.
“Probably.” Aria muttered wryly. “But one thing at a time, right? We need to distract those two.” a nod towards the two door guards.
“Hmm. Kartan or I could try and pose as some of Manus’ men picking up cargo.” the Zabrak suggested.
“And you'd be happy going in alone, presuming there ARE more guards or droids inside and they attack you when they realise you're an imposter?” Aria frowned warily.
“What, you think we're not capable of holding our own in a fight just because we aren't Qyaari?” Vaerth’s blue eyes narrowed to slits.
“No, no that's not what I-”
“Do you have a better suggestion?” Kartan cut in before Vaerth could escalate the conversation into an argument that the guards would overhear.
“Well…no, not really.” Aria admitted, face flushing. “It just seems like a reasonable concern to worry about whether you'd be overwhelmed before the rest of us could get to you.”
“You telling me you can't cut through TWO people to come and help?” Vaerth snorted derisively. “I saw the way you worked when you were an Inquisitor.”
Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Aria chewed her lip as she muttered.
“If you're trying to rile me up to prove a point, Vaerth, it's not going to work.” With a sideward glance at her husband, the Champion reached out to him through their bond:
I guess we hit a few more nerves than we thought with whatever we're doing in the galaxy. Mind helping me out here, everything I say seems to make her more upset. This is why I'd be a terrible politician; my mother is probably turning in her grave right now.

While their plan to take back some of the supplies was accepted in rough form, Yerbol found it difficult to nail down the specifics simply because Kartan and Vaerth were rather secretive about any details about the docking bays. It was aggravating to be met with non-responses about patrol routes, how populated the area was around the docking bays and why exactly were these considered "private", Kartan choosing to gruffly respond with similar derivations of "just keep moving and you'll find out". Arriving at the destination settled upon the duo from the network, they peered around the corner to find two Faceless guarding docking bay doors. In order to dispatch the guards, some discourse was exchanged and, of course, got nowhere. Following Ari's prompt, he quietly told the group:
"You know, we DO have a former Jedi Master here that was renown for his ability to manipulate the perception of others." Kartan chuckled with a dry familiarity.
"Which lends credence to my suggestion about posing as Manus' men."
"Right, but there's the issue of getting slaughtered before you leave if recognized. What I'm saying is that we control how the Faceless see their surroundings so we can draw them OUT rather than leaving them inside as potential alarm raisers for Manus."
"So you're talking about illusions?"
"I suppose 'mind trick' if we're being official, but yes." Kartan's lekku twitched thoughtfully for a few moments, looking to Vaerth, the duo exchanging a glance of communication before he spoke:
"You mentioned that these 'Faceless' can use the Force, correct? How powerful are they?"
"Most of them seem to be teenagers." A frown creased his features.
"Should be easy enough, but I've never had to dupe children. Desperate times, I suppose." He looked back towards the dimly corridor that they had taken to get here before he added:
"I can create some kind of order to go over the comm system in the spaceport from Manus."
"I'm not sure Manus communicates over PA systems."
"He's done it before." Kartan offered another plan of action:
"I can summon up projections of Alliance troopers at the other end of the hallway. That should distract the guards at the door and we can take them out, then we send out a communique about the 'troopers' over their comm unit posing as one of the guards. They'll flood out and charge down the hallway while we slip in undetected and survey the situation. I'll be able to hold the illusion up for a few minutes, but the Faceless should figure out that the troopers aren't real when their sabers pass through their forms after a couple of minutes of fighting."
"Better than throwing you and Vaerth into a wide open area with a bunch of misguided and unstable zealots willing to die." Vaerth looked away angrily, objecting to the notion that Manus could inspire such malicious devotion while Kartan told the group:
"We stay covered until they get to our location, then we strike quietly. I'll summon the illusion while Vaerth and Aria deal with the guards. After the guards are dispatched, Yerbol can pose as one of the guards(I'll alter his voice, of course) and send out the warning. We'll need to find cover when they barrel down the hallway..."
"Cloaking. We did it before when we were dealing with the Xiis. I can get a cloak around us for as long as need...as long as we don't stand there for more than a couple of minutes." An apologetic smile crossed his face quickly as Kartan closed his eyes.
"Be ready."

At the end of the hallway, a group of Alliance troopers decked with assault cannons made themselves visible, one of them clearly stating:
"Think that they're down this way." The Faceless stationed at the doors caught sight of the squadron and dashed forward, sabers about to ignite when suddenly they were down on the ground and after a few blows, incapacitated. According to plan, Yerbol grabbed one of the helmets off of it's wearer and found the comm unit embedded inside.
"Get as close to the docking bay doors possible. We'll charge in the moment the last one leaves." Once the party was in position, Yerbol spoke into the helmet and heard a much higher pitched and distorted version of himself as he admonished:
"Alliance troopers down from the docking bay doors! Need support, assault cannons visible and-" Chucking the helmet near the duo who were knocked out, Yerbol channeled a cloak around the four, thankful to Renso for teaching him this invaluable trick. That thankfulness only increased when the metallic doors slid open and a number of Faceless streamed out, sabers crackling to life as they sprinted down the hallway towards their simulated attackers. Once there was a few seconds of silence from the interior of the dock, Yerbol uncloaked the four and they slipped inside. Vaerth swiftly moved to the door controls to the left, having the doors slide closed.
"There. Should buy us some time." The heavy metal bay doors were ajar halfway to more than likely allow for entry of the two shuttles that stood in the center of the room, loading ramps deployed and-
"Those shipments..." Kartan moved to a stack of crates, removing the lid of the top most crate and cursing violently.
"Rations for WEEKS on end!" Vaerth chimed in from another stack of crates:
"Potable heating units, freeze dried bantha jerky..." Cylindrical barrels were uncovered to possess blaster pistols, ion grenades and other munitions.
"We've needed this kind of firepower and supplies for MONTHS."
"Firepower?"
"Some of our Force users are still novices and need the extra...leverage."
"Speaking of leverage, are the illusions still up?" Kartan shut his eyes for a moment, then nodded:
"We've got a couple of more minutes at most."
"Then where to?" Kartan pursed his lips, then commanded:
"I know of an outpost on Tattoine that would need this. We get the supplies back on the shuttles and go to them. Unless your Qyaari feel like it would be more expedient to have these delivered to Zinuthra."
"We're here to help your people, Kartan, not ours." With a nod, the four hastily shoved equipment back onto the shuttles, the last of it being loaded just as they could see the docking bay doors denting from the vengeful Faceless outside.
"We'll take the shuttles and I'll transmit the coordinates to you in flight. GO!"

Yerbol and Kartan came up with a relatively solid plan by combining their respective ideas, and it wasn't long before they were inside the hangar bay with little effort. As the four Force users worked to load up the stolen supply crates in the shuttles, the pair of Tuk'ata paced by the door to keep watch.
“Tattooine it is.” Aria affirmed, comforted to glimpse the look of relief that flitted over Vaerth’s face as the Champions voiced their agreement.
“UFF!” Chwuq’s warning call affirmed that the Faceless had broken past their distraction. The last of the supplies were loaded up as the Tuk'ata bounded across the hangar to join them. Time to go.
“No point sticking around!” Vaerth agreed as she paused in the doorway of one of the shuttles, Kartan having already disappeared out of sight behind her.
Nodding in agreement, Aria and Yerbol boarded the second shuttle, swiftly moving to the cockpit to start the engines as the dogs bundled in after them. The shuttle lifted off and shot out of the outer hangar doors just as the Champions could hear the loud protesting groan of the blast door that indicated their pursuers were trying to break it down.
“Garza’s not going to be happy about them trashing the docking bay.” Aria snorted as the duo plugged in the coordinates transmitted to them by Kartan and Vaerth in the other shuttle.
“See you on the other side.” Aria reassured the neutral Force users as they broke the planet’s atmosphere and the stars blurred to lines.
“You'd better.” it was difficult to tell over the comm channel whether Vaerth meant it as a harmless quip or whether the Zabrak was still entirely distrustful of the Qyaari representatives.

Heaving a quiet sigh, Aria hit the autopilot and spun around in her chair.
“Well, seems like they hate us more than I thought they would.” she commented wryly.
“Not friendly?” Chwuq snorted in confusion, plopping her head into the Champion’s lap.
“Eh, I dunno Chwuq. Maybe helping them will change their minds.” Aria shrugged, scratching under the beast’s chin.
Taral situated himself at Yerbol's feet, pawing at his boot.
“Not want our help?”
“Doesn't seem like it.” Aria mumbled in response, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear before she glanced at her husband once more. “What do you think? They seem awfully hostile for people we're trying to help.” there was no telling what Vaerth and Kartan (and indeed anybody else like them who was trying to maintain a low profile) had been through after the war with Bracknell and Soto had escalated or anything since then.
“They're kind of acting like we never offered ANY Force user outside of the Qyaari help after it all happened….but what about the protection projects Voldon, Kira and Ailel helped Saresh to set up?” the Champion’s brows pinched together in a worried frown. “Or the fact that Zinuthra was open for anybody to come and go as they pleased. It's not like we were keeping people prisoner there once they landed. Remember the big scene that one group made when they left? Saying the same sort of things Manus did. Bol, he must have started all this, convinced them somehow that going to Zinuthra and asking us for help wasn't safe...” another heavy sigh, where Aria dropped her forehead to rest in her hands. “And I don't know what frightens me more, that people believed him or that I'm starting to wonder MYSELF whether he could be right, at least in part.”
Why else would Malu want to send the two Champions to Coruscant ahead of telling the rest of the Council of the matter? They'd never hidden things from one another before and while the Miraluka had said she WOULD tell them, the initial secrecy had left a niggling sense of doubt in her mind that she struggled to dispel. If Manus was as influential as he seemed to be...perhaps even MORE so than Bracknell had been, then Aria wasn't sure how much of her thoughts on the matter she could trust as truly being her own.

It was difficult to know where to start. One thing at a time, the Champion supposed.
“If Manus is really as enlightened as they believed him to be, how is he managing to use younglings as meatshields? I find it difficult to believe that every parent he takes children from would be quite so ready to commit to the cause if it's obvious they're just going to be sent on a suicide mission.”
Trying to think about it still made her feel sick. “And, more importantly, how does he morally justify wanting to do that in the first place? If all these people are willingly following him why the kids, and not the older Force users? Every single one of these Faceless soldiers we've come into contact with up until now couldn't have been older than seventeen or eighteen. Which seems a bit….odd to me, don't you think? Where are the older generation and what is Manus using them for if not to actively fight against us?”
Perhaps they would have to ask their two companions once they landed on Tatooine.
“Vaerth and Kartan might have some answers to that, I suppose.” there were so many thoughts swirling through her mind on their most recent situation that it was easy to feel overwhelmed, Aria having to shut out the rest and try to pick one or two topics of discussion at a time….or else they'd never get to the bottom of this chaotic mess.

Yerbol sat back in the seat adjacent to his partner, occasionally nodding or giving some verbal form of affirmation that he was giving attention to her thoughts. Taral snorted a few times to indicate that the fierce hound from the arid stands of Korriban wanted a scratch behind the ear, which punctuated the grave tone of Aria's thoughts. When she was paused to recollect her thoughts, Yerbol took the opportunity to chime in himself on the issues she brought up:
"There seems to be a contingent of people who want to create some kind of security in the face of chaos. Yes, we have done a lot, but who's to say that Qyaari would implode?" He quickly followed that up to clarify:
"Not to say that the order WILL, just that...well, I don't think I need to remind you of what happened to Tython and Korriban. We weren't the only ones who felt the seismic chasm in the Force when both Jedi and Sith went by the wayside." It felt like shards of those memories were still embedded in his heart.
"It was easier for Force users who were isolated and cut off from the chaos to form together. Sith and Jedi broke down walls out of necessity and forged bonds while we were trying to stop Bracknell and Illesia." He chuckled, giving his partner a wan gaze.
"Apparently we weren't the only ones to form tight relationships with people we wouldn't normally associate with before all this." The smile that had formed from the sentence disappeared suddenly, mulling some of the other ideas brought up.
"Manus seemed to take advantage of the chaos too well, almost. You're right in the sense that parents would be mollified at the notion of their children being thrown at us as cannon fodder, but Voldon said it himself: Manus was a tactician. He probably sees the kids as necessary pawns to get to where he needs to go. Remember how he described users of the Force? As weapons. Manus doesn't see the humanity in those kids nor(more than likely) the network he created. Which, by the way, separates us from them VERY distinctly. I know that having to slice through the assassins on Coruscant and Kashyyk wasn't exactly what we would've liked, but we feel BAD about it. We value the connection that all life has to the Force." His voice grew slightly deeper and raspier to mimic a certain Sith master:
"Balance requires the acknowledgment that regardless of status, action or creed, all life has a connection to the Force. Remember that every time you are tempted to draw your saber in haste." The old Master's teachings had grown on him the past few months in conjunction with Yerbol's increased instructional duties, the Champion meditating far more on what Renso shared with them in those dank tombs more than half a year ago.

A momentary silence descended on the cabin before Yerbol spoke again:
"What befuddles me more than anything is what Renso's motives ARE. I mean, it can't be destabilization of the galaxy again, right?" A snort of a laugh as he added:
"We've dealt with TWO maniacs bent on creating chaos in the galaxy. I'd like to have Manus' desires be a bit more stereotypical, you know? Domination of the galaxy from an evil throne somewhere, to rob all the banks in the galaxy, to regrow the hair on his head by stealing all the hair off of every Wookie alive, just something simple for once!" The nav computer didn't seem to appreciate the jest, showing her indignation by chirping loudly to indicate that they were a quarter of the way to Tattoine.
"Sacrificing so many people, breaking out Jean Soto, diverting resources from his own network...he's got something planned a lot more diabolical than Wookie stealing. Not to say that isn't evil in and of itself." He slunk down in his chair a bit, eyes resting.
"And don't you think Voldon is hiding something from us? No, correction, don't you want to know what he IS hiding from us? Because he obviously knows more than he's letting on and so does Malu...probably the rest of the council." He let out a gruff sigh as he rested his feet on Taral's back, who had resorted to falling asleep.

Aria listened carefully to the points Yerbol brought up about their morality, and was comforted by coming to the realisation that he was right. They may have had to sink that far, but the guilt was still there...so they were still good people, no matter what they had had to do up to this point. A slight chuckle (though only half-hearted) was shared at her partner’s almost on point impression of Renso, the shorter Champion leaning back in her seat somewhat as she frowned in thought.
“It did seem rather odd, didn’t it...but I guess we’ll never know what he was up to now.” while she was glad Renso had found peace, there were occasions such as this where Aria still wished she could have asked the old Pureblood for advice...of course they had teachings to fall back on, the same for her father’s research and other holodisks in the library on Quensu, but it wasn’t the same as hearing the person’s voice. Both Champions fell silent, mulling the thoughts over while Chwuq situated herself on top of Aria’s feet, the Tuk’ata perching her head in the Qyaari’s lap.

“I don’t know...he’s definitely hiding something.” Aria agreed with a nod of her head, patting the Sith hound’s nose absently. “But who knows what it could be…he said he and Manus worked together a lot before everything went bad, maybe they were like brothers?” of course, Aria was only theorising, and after all the Jedi had forbade emotional attachment of any sort...but Voldon didn’t seem like the type to be a typical Jedi even before Tython had fallen. “As for Manus’ motives...who knows. If you ask me, I think the guy has a few screws loose.” the grin that painted her features didn’t reach her eyes, despite her attempt at a jest. “But, he's far more organised than Illesia, and I think that's what makes him even more terrifying. We have NO idea what this guy wants….only that he hates the Qyaari as much as the old Orders, he seems to enjoy his little power trip A LOT so who knows, he's persuasive enough to convince people to blindly follow him into situations that could mean certain death, and convince them WE won't help them, and lastly he isn't below using children as cannon fodder.” Aria listed the points they were currently aware of regarding their latest adversary, counting them off on her fingers as she did so. A thin eyebrow arched upwards in a sceptical manner, her tone once again sombre as she followed up with: “I don't know about you, but that sounds like a tyrant in the making to me….we have to squash this whole movement he has going, and quickly too, before we end up with another Bracknell problem, only MUCH worse. You can bet your britches Manus is going to do everything he can to make sure the entire galaxy thinks of us the same way Vaerth and Kartan are right now.”

Aria leaned forward slightly in her seat, prompting a grumble of protest from the hound whose head still laid there. “I say the next chance we get, we need to corner Voldon and get the truth out of him...we need to know what he's hiding and whether it can help us take him down.” The navcomputer blipped obnoxiously again to announce their imminent arrival on Tattooine. “But I suppose for now we should be focusing on winning favour with Kartan and his friends….then perhaps they can help us to convince others to break away from Manus’ madman movement. There's GOT to be a way to make people see how dangerous he and Soto are...." a flicker of hopeful light appeared in Aria's dark eyes. "Wait a second....what ABOUT Soto?" Her partner flashed her a bemused glance, and even Chwuq glanced up with a confused "hrrmmm?". “What I mean is: firstly, did her escape ever air on the HoloNet news; and if it did...nobody would have made mention of Manus yet by that point would they? Even we didn't know he was involved...so what if we could PROVE Manus was the one who freed Jean, a KNOWN criminal, to work alongside her, and get that all over the Holos? Pretty sure most people in the galaxy know Soto’s face when they see it, and it might go a long way to convincing people he's a raving lunatic.” it was a long shot, perhaps, but they had worked with far less before. “Fight back with a taste of their own medicine, and all that.” silence once more fell as they mulled over the thought, while the shuttle loudly announced that a pilot was required to bring them in to land. Aria pushed Chwuq off her lap to stand and attend to the controls. “I just think trying anything to expose Manus, as long as we're properly prepared before we broadcast it for everyone to see, is better than lying down and letting him destroy everything we worked so hard to build, don't you? People died so that we could set up the Qyaari, GOOD people, we should be doing everything we can to make sure it wasn't for nothing.” another sad smile in remembrance of not only Roan, but the countless other soldiers, Padawans and Acolytes who had also fallen under Bracknell’s heel. “And if we DO end up being taken down no matter what we do, you can karkin' bet yourself I'm going to make sure it's kicking and screaming, and that I take as many of them with me as I can.”

Yerbol agreed with her idea about potentially getting the word out on the Net, seeing as they've learned just how powerful the dissemination of information can be. If it wasn't for their tactical release of information about Bracknell or the broadcasting of multiple events regarding the Qyaari and the Alliance, who knows if their ventures would've actually succeeded. He wanted to add onto his statement of agreement, but then his wife oh so casually mentioned dying alone. Not okay.
"Hey, if YOU'RE going anywhere, including down, I'm coming with you. You don't get to play the bold martyr without me by your side." As the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace, he quickly reached over and gave one of his partner's hand a squeeze.
"We'll figure this out. Just like we always have."

Hoth and Tattoine shared an overriding similarity that, in Yerbol's mind, canceled out their obviously differing landscape: SOME kind of aggravating aggregation of particles covered the ground. Whether that was frozen water that coagulated into mass heaps of ice that threatened to derail even the savviest of war veterans or the gritty sand dunes that could, at a moment's notice, be whipped into a storm, they were both dangerous planets that the Champion had no intention of visiting unless under extreme duress.

This counted as one of those times.

"Kartan, where exactly is the outpost?"
"Just have to circle around some of the more popular ports to avoid Hutt detection. Those slugs have been aware of us for a while and have disrupted our ability to trade at posts." Vaerth mumbled something indistinctly, to which Kartan retorted clearly:
"And you think it's an accident that our pilots have come back without supplies because at specific drop points unknown to anyone but us, there are Cartel members waiting with carbine rifles and heat seeking missiles? You know we're not the only ones to have this happen to them." Yerbol cast a quizzical glance at his partner before reaching out to her to avoid verbalizing the thought:

I don't think it would be beneath Manus to somehow involve the Hutts. I mean, they've been particularly annoying the past couple of months according to Alliance intel, but for them to know this kind of information about the network is troubling.

Before Ari could respond, Kartan's shuttle visibly dipped beneath the rare haze of sterile white clouds that swarmed the upper layers of the atmosphere, commanding:
"Just follow my lead and dock right next to me. I'll do the talking."

"Well to think that I would actually meet two Qyaari in person, let alone THESE two!" The ruddy, obviously muscled young man who came to meet the shuttles motioned to the Champions grandly after nearly shouting the sentiment he voiced.
"A good delivery indeed!" Kartan chuckled lightly, placing a hand on the visitor's shoulder before introducing him:
"Yerbol, Aria, this is Yaim Kilso. He was one of my Padawans before all this. Now, he's the son that I can't get rid of and in charge of making sure our people here are taken care of. The boy has a knack for securing an outpost like you wouldn't believe." Yaim beamed proudly at the description.
"It's an honor to meet you both! I know that a lot of us don't exactly like the Qyaari, but I say screw em. You guys have done a lot for us, made it easier to actually function as someone who uses the Force." His shoulders sunk momentarily, the weight of past events still a burden to him as they were to probably every Force user. Bracknell scarred them all.
"I'm happy to know that we're not just universally hated by anyone who isn't a part of the Order."
"Now don't get me wrong, I've got-" Kartan interrupted(a habit of his?):
"Yaim, we didn't bring them here to discuss issues. They're here for support, nothing more."
"Well good! Cause we've got a problem that could use their support." Kartan grimaced.
"Sandpeople again?"
"Don't know. A couple of hours before you all showed up, I sent out a few of the scouts to repair the sensors for the turrets around the supply depot and they haven't reported back in. We've lost so many already, so I couldn't risk sending out more people to look for them. You think that maybe you could help?"
"Of course." Yerbol quickly answered, adding:
"Point us in the right direction and we'll do what we can."
"Yeah, sure."
"This would be appreciated. Once you two come back, we should have an appraisal of the situation on our end and see if your accusations have any merit."
"Fair enough."
"And be careful around the dunes. Some of them hide Sarlaac pits."

"Sarlaac pits." Yerbol mumbled angrily under his breath as they forged along the sand, eyes cast in the direction they were heading. Occasionally he looked to his left, a massive rock wall in the distance obscuring whatever was on the other side or to his right, which was where his partner was located. Along with more sand.
"Couldn't we visit more planets like Quensu for missions? I mean, yeah, there were frozen ice demons, massive beasts engineered by the True Sith to kill intruders and all that, but at LEAST there was bloody variety." He looked down at his nav unit, the blip representing the supply outpost still around three hundred yards out. Thankfully they hadn't been walking too long("Our depots need to be close by, but not TOO close to draw attention" Kartan told them.) and in the distance there were dull red lights that flickered intermittently.
"Sensors?" Approaching a bit further led to an unexpected discovery.
"A Gamorrean?" The circular shaped "pig on two legs" was lying belly up, mouth open and throat slit cleanly.
"No blood. Saber probably. A vibrosword or dagger would've left something behind...unless the sand covered it?" A few meters away lay a Rodian and a human with the same mode of death.
"It was rather clear that the outpost here is made up of almost exclusively teenagers and a few in their early twenties. Without guidance, getting the jump on these three and executing them so cleanly would be difficult, right?" There was no other sign of battle and their weapons were still sheathed.
"Do you think that the Faceless were here? Maybe they wanted to take over the depot?"

Oh yeah, I bet you're not wrong there at all. Aria nodded in agreement with her partner’s theory about the Hutts. The Empire was pretty friendly with the Cartel, I had to deal with them a fair bit and take it from experience: you wave enough credits, or a lucrative enough business idea that could MAKE them a lot of money, in a Hutt’s direction and they'll do ANYTHING you ask of them. The Champion flashed a smile, looking up as Kartan introduced them to the eager youngster. “Good to meet you, Yaim.” the report about the missing scouts was, of course, very concerning and prompted a frown from Aria.
“Maybe...Sand people are known to attack other species, but for them to come so far from one of their own settlements? That's a bit...odd, don't you think?” nonetheless, it was agreed that the two Champions should check it out.

And here they were.
“I think Sarlacc pits are the LEAST of our worries right now!” Aria muttered, bringing one hand up to shield her eyes from the flying grains of sand whipped up off the dunes by the wind. “We’d sense a Sarlacc before we walked into one...and besides, we just have to watch the dogs and we’ll know.” the pair of Sith hounds were once again in their element now that they were back on a planet made up entirely of sand. Despite its similarities to the planet she had once called home, Aria was still scowling about as much as her partner. “Well, at least the one good thing is it’s just normal sand….don’t smirk at me like that, yes, there IS a difference!” a good-natured scowl was flashed back at him in response. “The sand on Korriban was red sand, it’s finer than this normal stuff..gets into EVERYTHING and it turns everything this Force-awful shade of pinkish-red too. And I mean EVERYTHING….makes it pretty hard trying to sneak around doing erm...things you shouldn’t be doing at that age.” her cheeks flushed red at that point, though whether it was due to embarrassment at the memories or simply the sand that lashed back against them whenever a gust of wind blew up was unclear. “But never you mind that, we’ll talk about it later if you so insist!” Aria dispelled the topic by punching Yerbol playfully in the shoulder and returning their attention to the task at hand. The blinking, red lights of the sensor was the first thing visible amongst the dunes, but as the pair of Champions approached, it was the bodies that drew their immediate attention. Moving closer to examine the carnage, Aria could immediately draw one conclusion:
“Well, it sure as shit wasn’t Sand people, I can tell you that. It’s far too clean a kill, you’ve seen how nuts they are right?” Yerbol agreed, and offered up some thoughts of his own out loud, to which she also shook her head. “No, you’re right...the sand could’ve smoothened the wounds out a bit, but it wouldn’t have wiped away ALL the blood or other marks...this had to be a saber.”

Lips pursed together in thought, Aria nudged a black mark, two half circles, with jagged spokes protruding out of them to form a graphic of two intertwined suns (not unlike those which orbitted the very planet they were currently situated on), present on the Gammorrean’s neck. “Our Gammorrean friend here is Hutt muscle...could be Twin Suns, the Cartel will deny it profusely but anyone who’s ever had anything to do with the Hutts here on Tatooine knows they endorse the pirates as long as they get a cut of their profits.” the human and Rodian cadavers bore the same marks, so where Kartan’s missing patrol members had gone was anyone's guess...and that was perhaps the most concerning. Chwuq and Taral bounded back to join them, the female Tuk’ata gave the Gammorrean’s neck one sniff before jerking back, hackles raised as she hissed out loud.
“What do you smell, buddy?”
“Baaaaaaaaaaaaddd.” Aria didn’t have to guess twice to know that Chwuq wasn’t simply referring to the pig-like alien’s body odour. Exchanging another look with her partner, Aria nodded once more.
“No, you’re right, this had to be the Faceless….which means we should get back and warn Kartan.” a quick glance at their immediate surroundings revealed nothing suspicious, but the Champions knew from experience that this didn’t mean there weren’t enemies hiding in the shadows. There were techniques Manus or other more advanced Force users in his network could be using to conceal their presence until the appropriate time came for them to strike.

The Champions kept a lookout for further signs of hostiles, but the occasional muffled footsteps and barely audible whispers that halted their progress and prompted a quick perimeter search on a few occasions could have just as easily been Sand people scouts (although Aria still insisted: “this far out? Really? Who are we kidding?”), or some other creature that inhabited the dunes. The Tuk’ata were on edge as a result of Aria and Yerbol being unsettled, and that didn’t help...was there ANY way to be sure that something HAD followed them back? Arriving back at the compound, they located Kartan in conversation with a group of older Force users; Vaerth hovered close by, attempting to look busy although it was clear the youngster was trying to eavesdrop on her ‘superiors’.
“Did you find anything?”
When the Champions reported their unfortunate discovery, Kartan’s lekku twitched in agitation. “That is worrying news indeed...we do not want to jump to conclusions, of course, but we have looked at our supply routes and there certainly may be some merit to your accusations about Manus.”
“We may not have time to debate that, we have reason to believe Manus and his...associates may be behind your missing men. There was a Hutt bodyguard found with them, but the wounds left couldn’t have been made by an ordinary blade...and certainly not one as crude as a Gammorean knife or axe; the cuts were clean, like those made by lightsabers. The Faceless could be here right now.”
“Now, we don’t want to be hasty, do we?” a male Zabrak stepped up to stand beside Kartan, hands held out calmly before him. “I’m not meaning to devalue your assessments of course, as Champions you have far more experience of such things than we have, hidden away here on Tatooine.” he cleared his throat. “But it would be a shame to go pointing fingers without any solid proof, wouldn’t it? You didn’t ACTUALLY see any of these Faceless, or a discarded lightsaber, did you?”
“You’d have to be pretty terrible to lose your lightsaber.” Vaerth scoffed from behind him, earning a chiding look from the older Zabrak.
“Check it out, would you Viqi?” Kartan requested as he faced the Champions again. “A quick perimeter search should confirm whether they were in fact followed.”
“Why WOULD they follow them? Manus already knows where we are...he was sending us supplies until a month ago…” Vaerth huffed as Viqi nodded and disappeared past the compound’s entrance.
“Maybe they were waiting for us to get here, kill two birds with one stone and all that.” Aria shrugged, uneasiness clenching a tight knot in her stomach at the thought. “Perhaps he didn’t see you as a threat before, so all he’s been doing is bribing the Hutts and their underlings to tamper with your equipment, like those sensors, to get you to send the younglings out to fix them, so that he can capture them back from you to train them for his own ends.”
Once again, Kartan’s face became grave.
“You really think he would do such a thing?”
Arms folded behind her back, Aria lifted her chin with a brisk nod.
“From what Voldon has told us of Manus, and what interactions we’ve had with him ourselves since then, we have reason to believe no act is below him as long as it allows Manus to achieve his goals.”
A moment of silence fell between them as Kartan gave the matter some thought, only to be broken by Viqi’s reappearance in the entryway, back turned to the group and attention focused thoroughly on something in the dunes outside of the complex.
“Erm...Kartan, you...MIGHT want to come and take a look at this.” as he glanced over his shoulder, Viqi’s expression remained serene and controlled as would be expected from a former Jedi, however the worry in his tone was clear.

The thought of organized crime merging with Manus' philosophy of "living weaponry" was a chilling thought and just confirmed how dangerous their new enemy was. Take the brutality and power of Illesia along with Bracknell's cunning and one would find Manus staring them down having already thought of every possible outcome. They had to had to stop him...and the first step would be to get whoever they could in the network on their side.
"Agreed. Kartan needs to know about this..." With a quick survey of the surrounding area, he added:
"And also know that his supply depot, turrets and younglings seem to be all unaccounted for."

The trip back was disorienting to the pair and animals in two due to the pressing feelings that they were not only being watched, but targeted by mysterious whispers floating across the harsh terrain. More than once Yerbol stopped, hand gripped tightly on the hilt of his dual bladed saber and looked around warily to find nothing. Frustration threatened to creep into his thinking at the strange situation, but almost every time he wanted to grumble or exclaim a threat against the whispers and shuffles, he calmed himself, attempting to pick out the sources of the noise. He suggested to Aria during a quiet moment that Manus could have made it to Tattoine and was projecting illusions in order to mess with their heads, but it didn't seem like a "Manus" type move for him to try and deal with the Champions alone. So far Manus had shown the Qyaari (and reminded those who knew him previously) that he was strategist who tried to maximize scenarios for the most he could extract from them. An attack on the duo while in deep space like this was unlikely and Aria confirmed as much as they walked into the encampment. The tents and makeshift metallic buildings(colloquially referred to as "pop-ups") bristled at a breeze that accompanied them in, prompting a few of the dwellers to emerge. Yerbol nearly gasped.
They're so...young

Indeed they were, from the looks of it, no more than sixteen. Children still gripped in the throes of chaos that the Qyaari were seeking to obliterate. A mental note was made in the Champion's head to discuss better efforts to reach isolated Force users like these. He wanted more thoughts that surfaced with Aria, business called him back to reality.

He listened to the exchange and contributed mostly affirmations of their account, but when Kartan asked if Manus was capable of raiding his own people for followers, Yerbol spoke indignantly:
"If you saw the assassins on Coruscant, the near diplomatic crisis on Kashyyk, the jail where Jean Soto was broken out...I think you'd be much more willing to believe us."
"Indeed I would. But as Viqi pointed out, we haven't seen anything except for stolen supplies in a hidden part of Coruscant of these 'Faceless' that aren't eve-" Viqi's concern was evident in his voice despite the almost serene expression, piquing the former Master's attention. He, Vaerth and the Champions made their way to the entrance, all the while harried looks of concern followed them.
"What is it?" Yaim stood next to Viqi, the young man insisting that he do the perimeter check with the slightly older Zabrak. It was he who addressed Kartan:
"See there? In the distance to the west?" A few black specks were seen cascading towards them, their shapes indeterminable, but headed in their direction with reckless precision.
"I do. It could be scavengers, Hutt cartel members on a joyride, oth-"
"Do joyriders launch flares in the air?" Viqi motioned to the once clear sky, which was now littered with glittering fragments of orange and yellow.
"Those riders are getting closer and presumably have back up. Whoever they are, they can't know we're here until we have their motives exposed." Kartan took a sideways glance at Vaerth, their non-verbal form of communicating evident for a few moments before he nodded.
"A fair point. Yaim, get the entrance barred and shields up. I'll do what I can to shield the outpost with an illusion. Yerbol, Aria, Vaerth, stay with me in case things get hairy. I wouldn't mind having the back-up."

The thin metallic walls of the outpost were now covered in sand as was their position, which was a few meters away from the entrance.
"I am seriously in awe of what you can do." Yerbol said with an amazed smile, Kartan snorting a chuckle.
"I've done a lot more than this in my heyday." Not willing to indulge in what exactly he did, the former Masters quickly whispered:
"Ahead, maybe two hundred yards off." The group settled into semi crouched positions as they watched the once unknowable black specks zoom into view, the speeder bikes halting several feet away from the compound. Their armor bore an all too familiar color scheme, although a few moments later they were joined by two heavily armored humans with the same pattern as the Gamorrean's necklace emblazoned on the chestpiece.
"This is it, I'm telling you!" One of the Faceless protested, her voice almost at a whine.
"You have access to their base and yet you still can't point us in the right direction? Just like the depot." Another Faceless dismounted the bike.
"No, no, these ARE the coordinates." He hesitated.
"Something's off. I know they're there, I can feel people, I can-" The other armored human slung a grenade launcher off his back and fired it at the innocent sand dune, which pierced Kartan's illusion quickly.
"NOW!" Kartan commanded before shouting:
"LEAVE ONE ALIVE! WE NEED INTEL!"

The group joined Yaim and Viqi at the entrance to the complex to witness the approaching speeders. They had hardly any time to prepare with the speed at which the unwelcome visitors approached, but Aria had to admit she was impressed by how quickly Kartan was able to throw up a near-perfect illusion of a sand dune around the entire complex. There was no time to voice this out loud however, as the riders arrived outside and began arguing over whether or not their informant was in fact, correct about the location they had been sent to. One look at them confirmed Aria and Yerbol’s fears, the Faceless had found them.
“I DON’T think they’re here to make friends.” Aria whispered from where she crouched beside her partner. Kartan’s eyebrows knit tightly together in a frown, but the Twi’lek Master nodded in affirmation, all the while maintaining the illusion he had set up.

Aria cursed softly as the grenade rolled through the fake sand dune and exposed their hiding place, launching the group into action. Reacting on impulse, she lifted the grenade with the Force and flung it at the resting speeders, thankfully the projectile only exploded after it hit the sand beside the bikes and thus did not injure any of the group members, instead backfiring by cutting off the Faceless assailants’ only means of quick escape. The Champion drew her lightsabers and activated them as Vaerth did the same, her apprentice’s blade a flash of yellow in the corner of Aria’s vision as the young Zabrak darted for the nearest assailant and clashed weapons with them before the Champion could instruct her otherwise.

At least she had the sense to choose an opponent who was somewhat close to her in size and avoid the large, burly Twin Suns men who had joined the Faceless before the attack had been launched. At least they could be thankful that their attackers didn’t have much of a numbers advantage over them, by one or two at most which was...negligible, especially if they considered the pair of Tuk’ata as fighting members of their group also. More or less an even playing field, in that case. Aria cast a brief glance over at the two Sith hounds to instruct them firmly, before they could sink their teeth into anyone.
“Hey, you two, play nice! We need them alive, okay?” grunts of affirmation confirmed that she had been understood, so Aria turned her attention to their opponents.
Kartan and Yerbol stood back-to-back, exchanging blows with one of the Suns’ men and a Faceless assassin, while the other two Faceless were advancing on Vaerth to push her out of the complex and into the dunes outside. Vaerth held her ground surprisingly well, considering she had less experience, already close to besting one of her two assailants. The remaining gangster seized the opportunity to try and pick out, in their eyes, the weakest member of the group by sneaking up behind her while her attention was occupied by the other two. Fortunately for Vaerth, Aria was quickly able to intervene, landing with her back to the Zabrak and bringing her blades up into a guarded stance, deflecting the shots the thug fired from his blaster back towards him. He dodged out of the way (barely, given his larger stature), spitting profanities as he tried to advance closer.
“Move, Vaerth. Don’t let them get in close.” Aria spoke over her shoulder to the youngster. “Just move when I do and keep your back to mine, you’ll be fine.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vaerth nod in response, changing her footwork to mirror Aria’s as the Champion followed techniques she had learnt from Renso in the tombs to keep the larger man from getting close enough to them to land any devastating blows. Blaster bolts, they could deflect easily, but in close quarters there was no way they could overpower him.

“Drop the thugs! They’re Hutt muscle, they won’t be able to tell us anything useful!” she called across to her partner and Kartan. Given the state of the Twin Suns’ predecessors Aria and Yerbol had found, she doubted Manus would have clued them into his plans.
Got it. Yerbol responded through their link, catching her eye briefly from across the room. Try and grab any of these Faceless before they try running off.
Aria exhaled softly, steadying her breathing and silently hoping that Vaerth was well-versed enough in duelling techniques to hold her own without help for a while. She had been impressive so far, holding her own against the two saber-wielding Faceless while Aria parried blaster bolts from her opponent, but she could tell Vaerth was tiring and leaving her unsupported for even a moment was a large risk to take.
“Vaerth.” She muttered, deflecting another shot which ricocheted off the sandstone wall and nailed one of the Faceless in the calf. “Are you alright?”
“F-Fine!” she responded despite losing her footing for a moment and stumbling. Aria nodded, deciding she would have to take the chance. Across the room, Yerbol, Kartan and Chwuq had dispatched the other gangster and forced the Faceless boy into a retreat back towards his comrades. But where was Taral? The Champion risked another glance around the room to locate the Tuk’ata, spotting him darting up to lunge at the Twin Suns thug from behind. This might be the best chance Aria would get to finish him off. Aria gritted her teeth and broke her position behind the youngster to close the distance between herself and the Twin Suns man, pulling his attention back to her so that he didn't see Taral until the tomb beast’s teeth had clamped down on his throat.

A shout of alarm from Vaerth prompted Aria to spin around in time to see one of the Zabrak’s opponents catch her ankle with their foot and overbalance them, thankfully Kartan quickly leapt the remaining distance to engage the second before they could strike a killing blow. Yerbol joined Aria to face down the remaining two side by side. Without the help of the Twin Suns, the Faceless neither had the numbers or the skill advantage, which they had evidently realised as they attempted to frantically backpedal out of the complex towards their damaged speeder bikes.
“Don't let them get away!” Kartan shouted. The group gave chase, but one of the Faceless had already managed to salvage one of the bikes and had begun trying to kick the engine into work again while his two companions caught up. Yerbol had the longest stride of all of them and with Chwuq at his side, they soon caught up to the girl at the rear of the fleeing trio. By pulling a piece of debris from the destroyed bike into her path, Yerbol tripped the girl and allowed Chwuq to leap forward and wrestle her to the ground, leaning her full weight onto her to hold her in place.

Aria, Vaerth and Kartan came to a stop behind them, the Twi’lek scowling solemnly at the horizon where two of the Faceless had escaped.
“Dammit! They’ll be coming back with reinforcements, I’m sure.” he muttered.
“Very likely.” Aria nodded in agreement, turning her attention back to Yerbol and their captive as she let out a high pitched shriek, struggling to try and break free from underneath the Tuk’ata’s large form.
“GET THIS THING OFF ME!”
Chwuq simply growled at the young girl again, her teeth bared as she hissed out.
“Staaaaaaay!”
Aria eyed the Sith beast with a raised eyebrow, telling her. “Chwuq, let her go.” the Champion’s gaze returned to the Faceless girl. “But ONLY if you promise not to try and run, you hear? Your friends are gone now...just hear us out, okay?”
Thankfully, she appeared to not think much of her chances of outrunning them a second time, and nodded her agreement. With a grumble of protest, Chwuq shifted the bulk of her weight off the girl’s torso and stepped away to stand at Yerbol’s side. Aria dropped into a crouch beside her as the Faceless captive sat up, mumbling a thankful sentiment while she recovered her breath.
“Now, what can you tell us about Manus, or what he’s planning?”
Wide-eyed, the girl shook her head once again, as she had done previously when Yerbol attempted to ask her the same questions.
“I don’t think she’s gonna talk.” Vaerth grumbled impatiently. “This is a waste of time…” only to be hushed abruptly by Kartan. Both Champions flashed the young Zabrak a reprimanding glare too, while trying to reach a solution to persuade their informant to be well...more informative.
I think Vaerth has a point...somewhat, at least. Aria sighed, reaching out to Yerbol through their bond so as not to give away the conversation to their other companions. It’s no good trying to get her to talk if she’s more afraid of what Manus will do to her than she is of us...we’ve got to convince her to trust us somehow, any ideas? Or maybe we should speak to Voldon?
“Look, kid...I know you’re worried about Manus but we can protect you, in exchange for your help.

Yerbol quickly made an executive decision to tackle one of the armored thugs and the Faceless boy standing next to him, Kartan joining in on the fracas alongside. The Hutt gangster attempted to keep his distance while firing potshots from a few meters away with a blaster rifle, which made things much more difficult than they had to be. The Faceless boy was just like all the others: raw, inexperienced and chock full of unbalanced rage that permeated his movements. While dodging the bolts as best they could, both former Master and Padawan dispatched of the Faceless easily before turning their attention to the heavily armored would-be assailant. A wide eyed stare of panic would be the last expressing he wore, Yerbol throwing his saber at just the right angle to where it twirled through the air, one hilt slicing the Sun's head clean off. Once the saber returned, it didn't take very long to clean up the rest of the field, including throwing a chunk of rubble in the way of one departing Faceless who thought it would be better to run away from the situation.

Kids.

When the girl stood up and refused to speak, Aria made a good point. It took heavy coercion(borderline torture) to make their first Faceless captive talk. Manus had them either trained very well or scared so much that they would rather die or get captured at the hands of their anointed enemies rather than get into Manus' clutches again. With the philosophy of "living weaponry" that Manus purported, it made sense that he would see any who didn't achieve his purpose as "defective" and dispose of them as such. That thought was what spurred him to tell his partner:
I don't know if trust is something that she'll be able to muster right this second. I say we try to pry the information out of her for a couple minutes more, but then take her captive and keep moving for the well-being of all the others.

When Aria mentioned protection, the girl shook her head violently, eyes narrowing.
"Please! 'Protection'? None of you can protect me or yourselves from what's coming. My Master will destroy everything he chooses like the living extension of the Force he is." Said like a true believer.
"I don't know what Manus has told you about the Qyaari, but we're very good at thwarting any kind of threat on the galaxy, 'living weapons' included. You come with us and we'll show you that." She cautiously took a step back.
"No. No, I won't go with you. I'll make sure that the Force that flows me through takes down as many of you before I die!" Lightning crackled from her fingertips, but her electrical act was short-lived as Kartan thrust his right arm forward, palm towards her face. A moment later, she crumpled to the ground, the only indication of survival that of her chest gently rising and falling.
"What was...?" Yerbol's jaw hung open slightly as he turned to face the former Master, who said with a mischievous smirk:
"Remember? A lot more."

__

Yaim and a few of the others bound their Faceless captive as tightly as they could with polymer based rope, stripping her of her armor and replacing it with plain clothes(the young ladies in the group did this in private, of course. Modesty had to be upheld, even in captivity.) Without her armor and saber, she would hopefully be motivated enough to not try and make a run for it the moment she woke up from Kartan's Force martial arts strike. While the youngsters bound their new captive, Kartan, Vaerth, Viqi and the Champions stood in a tent near the landing pad. They surrounded a rusty circular pedestal that served as an ancient but working holo communicator, salvaged apparently by Viqi and Yaim in the derelict palace of a Hutt.
"Before we get into any kind of posturing, politicking or angry staring contests, let me extend my thanks to you both, Champions. Without your help, I'm sure that we wouldn't have had the kind of success we did today." Yerbol looked from Kartan to his two followers before telling the trio:
"This is the kind of cooperation we want to give you. You don't have to operate on your own any longer." Viqi visibly tensed slightly with no reaction from Vaerth.
"I'd normally object to your optimism, but the events of today have given me pause about who we're placing our trust in."
"Kartan, you can't be serious..." A glare was issued by the former Master, which made the Zabrack nearly stand at attention. When the glare was over, Kartan's gaze returned to the Champions.
"Your story seems to match up with what happened today, but I won't make any rushed judgments after the heat of battle. What I will insist on rushing is my decision on what to do with our people here. They're young, inexperienced and have been out on Tattoine for too long. We need to relocate somewhere that Manus wouldn't dare touch or know about. The latter is probably impossible, so the former would work just as well."
"He was willing to blow up the Shadowlands, so I don't know about his willingness to lay off any location except...well..." He thought about the benefits of sharing this information without Council approval, but decided that the situation called for this revelation.
"We've expanded our outpost on Zinuthra by a lot with the Alliance's help. It's practically a small city now. Your settlement would fit perfectly with what we have." Kartan's lekku vibrated with thought.
"As bold as Manus has been lately, you know him as a tactician, right? He wouldn't risk open war on the Qyaari homeworld. There you at least would have some kind of stability for the youngsters to enjoy." Another vibration, this time more vehement.
"Patch me to your Council. Then leave the tent. I'll have Vaerth retrieve you."

It took an hour before Vaerth retrieved them from their brief repose, the duo entering the tent to find the seated projections of the Council staring intently at Kartan. Voldon's gaze snapped to the Champions as they took their place alongside the former Master.
"It's been negotiated that we will take Kartan's group into our settlement. Accompany them to the planet, then report back to the Council chambers." As sudden as his commands were, so went the projection.
"Kartan, wha-"
"A lot of things needed to be said. They were and now we're past them. Hopefully." Whatever discourse occurred between he and the Council would apparently be classified until they could find out further. Curiosity would have to give way to preparations.
"We're ready to carry out the Council's orders. Show us what you need to do."
"With pleasure."

___

Several hours of lifting, packing, reassuring and mumbled swearing at how hot it was, supplies were packed into airtight canisters and loaded onto four shuttles. Two of them were older tinny looking vessels that had seen better days seemingly centuries ago, but Viqi and Yaim assured them that they would be able to make the trip and keep up with the two scoured from Coruscant. It was decided that the Champions would take the Faceless captive, who was given a sedative by Yaim in order to make sure she was incapacitated for some of the journey before being put on the shuttle Yerbol and Aria would pilot. It was a smart idea to put her on their shuttle, seeing as if she did try to put up a fight, she'd be in a shuttle with two Sith hounds and two Champions. If that wasn't deterrence enough, then she was either extremely confident in her ability or just stupid.

Once the flight plan was set and the base completely checked for any remaining parts, the shuttles careened into space, making the jump smoothly on accounts from the other shuttles. They were going to occupy the same space for a longer duration than their trip from Coruscant, so Yerbol kicked his boots off, planting his feet on the dashboard above the instrument panel.
"There was sand in my boots...and sand, I think, on my socks?" To confirm the theory, he shook his right foot, grains flicking onto the dashboard.
"I'm taking a shower when we get back home, Council summons or not." A look of playfulness danced across his eyes as he told his wife quietly:
"Wouldn't mind if you joined." A very annoyed grunt came from Chwuq, who placed her skull on Yerbol's armrest.
"Fine, fine, I won't any more." He added under his breath:
"Not while you're around anyway." Yerbol was about to ask his partner how she was doing when his eye caught the still form of the Faceless girl. Pity welled up inside of him, asking his partner:
"You think these kids are ever going to have a shot at thinking normally again?"

As the Faceless girl raised a hand and began to fire lightning from her fingertips, Aria had stepped forward to shield Vaerth somewhat and taken a defensive stance with her own blades, though Kartan quickly intervened and sent the youngster into an unconscious state, much to the Champions’ surprise. Regretably, it seemed Manus had dug his philosophy rather deeply into this youngster’s thoughts and thus, she would not be swayed by any persuasive statements attempted by either of the Champions. They would have no choice but to treat her as a prisoner until such time that they could convince her otherwise, or as a worst case scenario….well, Aria didn’t want to think of that. It wasn’t right, or fair. Instead, they found themselves gathered with Kartan, Vaerth, and Viqi while others in the outpost dealt with giving their newest charge a change of outfit. Aria was relieved to hear that the Twi’lek former Master seemed to be coming around to their suggestion of allegiance, Viqi on the other hand did not seem pleased by the idea in the slightest. While she was sure the Council would have something to say about Yerbol’s brazen suggestion, Aria couldn’t argue that it would be the best move forward for everyone involved in this little outpost.
“You’d have just as much freedom as you do here, we can assure you that. But better protection from anything Manus could possibly send your way, if he would even dare...which, we’d like to hope he wouldn’t.” once again, the Twi’lek’s lekku vibrated in agitation, for a moment Aria worried that he would refuse the suggestion entirely. Instead, they were bid to wait outside after putting in the holo frequency for the Qyaari base.

They weren’t waiting an incredibly lengthy amount of time, but the hour seemed to drag by at a granite slug’s pace...especially with sand blowing at them from every which way. It was unsavoury, to say the least, and Aria did not like it one bit. The Tuk’ata, on the other hand, seemed to be rather enjoying themselves; frolicking about like pups and diving in and out of the dunes, tails wagging back and forth in delight all the while. Aria tore her attention away from Chwuq and Taral’s game of tag as Vaerth reappeared and beckoned the Champions back inside, to be greeted by the holographic images of the Qyaari Elders. Voldon and Cheriss both looked abnormally somber, even for the Dathomirian Elder. Between them, Matthew and Kira looked somewhat uncomfortable, but still more serious than she had ever seen them before….whatever words had passed between the Force users of the outpost and the Elders must not have been entirely pleasant to hear. Before either Champion could inquire further about WHAT had been said, the image disconnected and they were left with the simple instruction to escort their new allies back to Zinuthra.
Well, they’re all hiding something….this can’t be good, can it? She muttered telepathically to her partner, exchanging a glance with him before they busied themselves with preparing the four shuttles and all of the salvageable equipment and possessions that Kartan and his followers had managed to keep with them over the last few years.
_________________________

Once the shuttles had made the jump into hyperspace, it was safe to hit the autopilot and leave the shuttle to steer itself for the several hour long journey back out into the formerly Unknown Space sector where Zinuthra was situated. As Yerbol made a comment about having sand in his boots, his partner responded by kicking her own shoes off and shaking them out to get rid of the offending grains that had also found their way there.
“Pretty sure it’s impossible not to get sand in your shoes on Tatooine, though I have to question how said sand managed to work its way THROUGH my socks and end up between my toes.” Aria flashed him a grin of her own, adding: “And you don’t wanna KNOW where else I think I’ve got sand, though you could help with that when we get home. Might as well join you and save hot water, right?” their banter was interrupted by a loud protesting growl from Chwuq, who situated herself between them to scowl disapprovingly at Yerbol. Aria rolled her eyes, smirking as she ruffled the hound’s ears gently.
“Hey, just cause your man’s not in the mood!” the Tuk’ata huffed again, shaking out her coat as Yerbol changed the subject and brought Aria’s attention back to their guest, still unconscious opposite Taral, who had taken up his position of guard dog dutifully instead of pestering the Champions like his mate.
Aria’s brow crinkled into a concerned frown, another sigh accompanying the shake of her head.
“I don’t know….we can hope for the best, can’t we? It’s not going to be easy, breaking through that kind of...of brain washing. But at least she’s safe on Zinuthra, if nothing else it might give her the chance to start thinking for herself instead of following whatever lies Manus has been feeding them.”
“Uff! Uff!” Taral’s warning grunt alerted the Champions to their captive returning to consciousness, almost as if she had heard the topic of conversation shift onto her. Exchanging a glance with her partner, Aria rose from the co-pilot’s chair to move back into the passenger part of the shuttle while the Faceless girl groggily tried to push herself into a more upright position, only to find her hands tightly bound.
“Relax, we’re taking you back with us...nothing is going to happen to you as long as you don’t try anything stupid again.” despite the warning, the girl attempted to struggle and free herself, thankfully the bindings held tight. “Now, if you hadn’t tried to shoot lightning at us, maybe we wouldn’t have had to sedate you and you wouldn’t feel like you’d been trampled by a herd of Banthas.” the Champion smirked, dropping into a crouch so as not to appear too condescending. With no weapons and the sedatives keeping her Force abilities stunted, it was highly unlikely the girl would try to start a fight...and if she did, she had guts (and Taral would likely deck the poor kid before she could touch Aria, so there was that).

“You’re wasting your time, I’ll never join you.” the Faceless captive proclaimed, her jaw jutting out stiffly. “My loyalties are to my Master alone. He will come for you, and you will regret the day you crossed him.”
“Funny, we’ve heard THAT one before haven’t we?” Yerbol crossed his arms as he too joined them. “Bracknell said the same thing.”
“And the Xiis.”
The girl scowled at the two Champions, protesting.
“We survived Bracknell’s attacks WITHOUT your help. We don’t NEED the Qyaari and yet you subjugate Force users to your laws and your control, you’re no better than Bracknell was.”
Another glance was exchanged between the pair, before Aria returned her gaze to their guest.
“Is that what Manus told you? I can tell you right now, that it’s not true. People are free to come and go from Zinuthra as they please; no one stays there against their will….well, except you, when we get there in a few hours. But you attacked us, so that’s kind of on you.”
“Besides, if you work with us, there’s no reason we couldn’t grant you that freedom as well.” Yerbol put in, with a hesitant smile. “We’re not the monsters Manus has made us out to be.”
“My Master is more powerful than you will ever be, why would I give that up to join the losing side?”
“Freedom of speech, the opportunity to grow your abilities, and study the Force in a safe, peaceful environment instead of being thrown into the fire by a lunatic in the guise of a master tactician?” Aria shrugged, “I dunno kid, you tell me.” the Champion rested her chin on her palm, propped up by her knee to study the young girl’s face more closely. “The Qyaari would never throw a twelve year old child into a battle with Force users twice your age and far more experienced than you….you’d need years more training before you were physically OR emotionally prepared for that kind of opponent. What would your parents think, if they knew where he had sent you today? You could have been killed, if we were less careful about hurting you.” she was young enough that Aria hoped pressing that issue might jolt enough sense in her to at least prompt the girl to start thinking for herself...or else, they would have a difficult time indeed reversing Manus’ conditioning. “Do your parents even KNOW where you are, or what he’s asking you to do? They must be worried about you. I know mine would have been.”
For a split second, a flicker of doubt appeared in the youngster’s eyes, before she shook her head violently and squashed it back down, expression returning to the venomous glare she had worn upon first awakening.
“My parents are not ashamed of the Master’s goals. It is an honour to be chosen for training.”
“BAH!” Aria scoffed, rising abruptly to her feet as the shuttle’s navigational system chirped to announce their drop out of hyperspace and subsequent approach to Zinuthra, signalling the need for a pilot to bring them in to land. “You sound like a Sith Acolyte.”
Heaving a regretful sigh of his own, Yerbol re-joined his partner in the cockpit, his own expression one of concern prompted by her white-knuckled grip on the controls and all-too-intent focus on their flight path.
“This is MADNESS.” she muttered under her breath. “In what universe is it okay to brainwash children into thinking that being used as cannon fodder is a PRIVILEGE? I swear, if Voldon doesn’t kill Manus the next time we see him, I will.” the Champion trailed off with a shaky breath out, trying to calm her own wayward temper. “I'm definitely up for joining you for that shower, to clear my head before we have to discuss all of this with the Elders."

To top it all off, something just seemed...not right. She couldn't quite place it, but there was something amiss. "Does something feel...off, to you?" She frowned across at her partner. "Like something has happened that Voldon isn't telling us about?"

Their exchange wasn't long, but Yerbol could feel the blind rage and anxiety that the girl was emanating. One didn't need a connection to the Force to realize that she was indoctrinated, ideas implanted in her head that have roots going deep into her mind that might be too strong to pull out. A strong sense of duty washed over him as they resumed their place in the cockpit, responding to his wife's comments about Manus:
"You remember when you were doubting whether or not we were making an impact on the galaxy?" He retrieved his miniature holo unit from within one of his pockets and pulled up a small projection of Janika, Manso and two other Qyaari who had become full fledged Knights.
"Those were scared, wide-eyed kids who had no idea what they were going to do with themselves. In the span of a year, they're confident Force users who have a bright future." He nodded in affirmation as he continued:
"Manus might have hypnotized those children and scarred them beyond comprehension, but we can help heal them in whatever way possible. It's our duty, our privilege as the Qyaari. We save, not destroy." He felt a trickle of emotion from the girl behind them. What that emotion was would be a mystery, but his words had some kind of register on her.

It was a start.

"Hiding something?" He asked almost incredulously at his partner's question, following up:
"I don't know if they're hiding anything. Voldon and the rest of the Council looked like they were all going to burst with opinions, rants and diatribes, but instead held their peace until we arrived back on world. If anything, I think a lot of sentiment is going to pour out into the open today." Leaning back into his chair, he rolled his eyes as they began their initial descent.
"Just ONCE would I like for things to go smoothly and not have secret ramifications that lead us into more danger. JUST. ONCE."

Taral snorted.

___

"Do I look too rosy cheeked? I mean, they probably won't notice, but still." Yerbol moved his jaw down, extended his cheeks and contorting his face at other angles to ensure that the minute shade of pink from his cheeks would disappear. The mirror showed some result, but the Champion knew it would take a while before the flush fully disappeared.
"Not to say that I'm disappointed at what we got to do." He shot his partner a wink from his position in their once steam filled bathroom, his clothes partially on his body due to his rosy distraction. Yerbol wouldn't have normally been so concerned about this, but there were a couple of times where he and his wife disappeared for "Academy reasons" before he arrived at a meeting or briefing session where his flushed countenance and excuse of being away led many to connect the dots. Again, not that he was disappointed or ashamed, but the Council REALLY didn't need to know about-

A violating chirp from their holoterminal indicated a new message, which played automatically. The words were read by the same sultry voice that Manso programmed:
"The Council anticipates your arrival. Please be prompt. Dan-Ardou." Dan-Ardou Malaka was a Selkath who was responsible for sending out Council communiques on their behalf. She arrived a few months ago and was very prompt about sending out messages, but she was also...well, terse was an understatement.
"Promise me that we're going to lay around after this meeting. Just...lay around. And not move for a long, long time."

___

When they arrived, the Council members were gravely silent, their eyes engaged with a Twi'lek seated in the center of the room who turned around with an almost relieved smile.
"Champions. Good to see some friendly faces in this sea of malcontent." Voldon grumbled something inaudible under his breath as the Champions took their normal seats. For a few moments no one spoke, as if to steady themselves for the torrent that was to come. Then, Matthew started:
"Our arrangement is to house your people, Kartan. We agreed to that happily. Now I feel like you're taking advantage of us, Champions included." Yerbol cocked a brow as Voldon added:
"He's right. We gladly house your people, but if you hadn't noticed when you landed, we are a Qyaari homeworld. We won't open our doors to just anyone who wants a piece of land." Kartan quickly fumed:
"JUST ANYONE?! You people SAY you want to protect Force users, but then spit right in our face when we need help the most! It's sickening!"
"How can we be sure that the other outposts you want rescued won't turn on us as agents of these Faceless? They're a radical, dangerous group. Manus might have even planned it for you to come here so that you could plant this idea in our midst."
"I had no idea that Manus would turn to such evil, Voldon, I assure you. If I had known-"
"But you didn't. And that burden falls on your shoulders, not ours." Voldon icily replied.
"Ignorance is something that happens, Voldon. Don't discount the power of being in the dark." Malu chimed in, her blindfolded eyes seeming to bore into the former Battlemaster's skull.
"I agree with Malu. Kartan is a noble man and if we are to start building trust with his people, we must be willing to extend ourselves."
"And have the security of our planet compromised?" He pointed at the panoramic glass windows behind him as he continued:
"Don't you remember what happened with Bracknell? He caught us unaware and nearly pulverized our forces into NOTHING, he-"
"We were there, dear. You don't need to remind us of what we lost and had to give up that day." Malu nearly hissed, silencing him instantly, which then granted her the ability to speak:
"Kartan, you've worked with me for a while now. You know what..well, what most of us want for your people."
"Assimilation." Kartan said with a sarcastic smirk.
"No. Integration. We want to protect all Force users from the carnage that Bracknell brought to us. It is their choice to stay or leave, but we will not turn down Force users a chance to reach their truest potential." A deep exhale from the presiding Elder came before he told Cheriss:
"Speak your mind. I know you've wanted to say a lot ever since Kartan walked in here, but held your peace. Now's your chance."

“Its barely noticeable, honey.” she promised, joining him beside the mirror to fix her own hair. “By the time we’ve walked from here to there you should be fine…” a playful smirk flitted across her features as she added: “That is, presuming you stop fussing over your cheeks long enough to straighten your collar properly.” shaking her head good-naturedly, Aria gave the offending garment a gentle tug to straighten it once more, grinning back at him. “There. What would you do without me, huh? You’d have no socks left and you'd be waltzing into meetings looking like you'd been dragged through a bush backwards...although, then again if I wasn't here you wouldn't have a reason to be late either since we wouldn't have been-” the train of thought was interrupted by the chirping of their holoterminal, prompting a groan of frustration from the Champion.
“You know, I can't take ANYTHING seriously when it's read in that voice...even if I'm picturing Dan-Ardou glaring at us through the walls while she was writing that.”
The comment earned an amused snort from her partner, who rolled his eyes and suggested .
“Sounds like a deal...I've got a feeling that after this, we're going to need it.”

That was assuming that something else didn't require their attention immediately after the meeting. They could hope for the best.
_____________

One could have cut through the tension in that room with a knife, when the two Champions entered to find Kartan situated in the center of the circle of Elders. The Champions glanced between each person in the room, as if assessing what was about to be said. Before either could ask any questions, however, Matthew spoke up again and sparked off another torrent of back and forth quarrelling between Kartan and the Council members. Aria stifled an exasperated sigh of her own, exchanging a glance with Yerbol as they waited for a chance to get in a word of their own.
Oh boy...this is going to be fun, huh?
Cheriss had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal thus far, but shifted her weight and sat forward as Voldon directed the conversation back to her. The Dathomirian’s gaze scrutinised Kartan closely, as if she could have pulled the very thoughts in question from the Twi’lek’s mind and lay them out in the open as proof for all to see. Aria had little doubt that the former Sith Lord had the strength to perform such a feat should she deem it fit, for a moment the Champion was concerned Cheriss would suggest it. Thankfully, however, the Dathomirian simply offered her own supplementing points to the officiating Elder’s concerns:
“I agree with Voldon. How can we guarantee that these other Force users aren't dangerous? It's a risk we can't be taking on a whim.”
Kartan snorted incredulously.
“They're CHILDREN. Hardly what I would consider ‘dangerous’.”
“It would appear we have very different definitions of the word.” Voldon muttered sourly, his glare very briefly shifting across to Malu.
“We have far more at stake here, more to consider, than simply a promise to protect any Force user we can….we have students of our own to protect. Are you willing to compromise their safety to keep Kartan happy?”
“With all due respect, we're not entirely unprepared are we?” Kira put in, “Can we not put other measures into place, an early warning system? We’ve used Zinuthra’s natural defences to catch attackers off guard before.”
“You'll forgive us for not being overly eager to trust your word at face value.” Cheriss continued as if the redheaded Knight had not spoken at all. “But I find it more than slightly suspicious, that the Qyaari’s doors have remained open to any and all Force users, regardless of former alignment, since Bracknell was dealt with...and yet Kartan, you and your people chose to hide yourselves away from us in the shadows instead of come forward, without a substantial reason to see us as a threat?”

This is not good. At all. Aria’s features contorted into an almost pained grimace. She could not remember the Elders being THIS divided since...well, the first time they had gathered them all together on Zinuthra. Perhaps it was appropriate for them to interject and steer the older Masters back on course...they had done it before, albeit in a less....calm, fashion, back then.
“I made the best decision for my people!” Kartan protested indignantly, his lekku quivering in agitation.
“You swapped one doctrine for another.” Voldon growled.
“And YOURS is any better?! How many lives is your damn pride worth?!” at Kartan’s comment, Cheriss sat so far forward in her seat that Aria thought the Elder might have lost her composure and was preparing to lunge for the outsider. This is like that first summit all over again, though if this keeps up it's going to end a LOT worse than that one did….wait a minute, I've got an idea. Back me up?
Thanks to their bond, Yerbol was able to catch on to his wife’s train of thought and offer a nod of encouragement as the Champions quickly stepped between Kartan and the Elders.
“I think everyone needs to just CALM DOWN.” Aria huffed out a breath as no protests were made immediately to Yerbol’s shushing of the room, allowing her to continue without raising her voice further.
“Do I need to remind the Elders that every Qyaari in this room had once seen the others as an enemy, and that more than one of us had tried to kill one another in the past. Now, we’re a team, because we could put that aside to join together and face a common enemy. How is this ANY different?”

“We cannot ask them to place their trust in us and not offer some to Kartan in return.” Malu agreed sagely.
“And while we are sat here bickering between ourselves like housewives, Manus and Soto are sweeping through systems in every Rim and indoctrinating younglings into living suicide weapons. Don't you think this is EXACTLY what he wants?! Keep us so occupied with our differences that we're blind to the REAL threat while he creeps up on us from behind and then he DOES catch us unprepared?” the stroke of genius had seemed so obvious to Aria, but from the look of pensive epiphany that crossed Cheriss’ face it had not dawned on the Elder until that precise moment. The Dathomirian sat back heavily in her chair, grumbling some form of expletive under her breath in her native tongue, followed by:
“I'm getting too old for this crap!”
“We know Manus isn't too intimidated to destroy places as important as the Shadowlands on Kashyykk, so it's only a matter of time before he comes here.” Malu continued. “We have more resources, better defences here now than we did when Bracknell attacked us, why shouldn't we take the risk to invite them to join us? We survived with far less at our disposal before.”
“Every neutral Force user like Kartan and his group that we turn away and refuse to help, gives Manus more power and more of the advantage.” Yerbol frowned. “So with all due respect: if it's risk we want to discuss, which one is worse, Voldon?”

“....Very well.” The Qyaari Elder gave a terse nod of agreement, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “Malu, I will leave the logistics of contacting these other groups to you...these people trust you more than me. Meanwhile, we will have to re work our class schedules to include Kartan’s younglings in the teachings.”
Aria heaved a sigh, catching Yerbol's eye again.
I'd bet our next chance of a vacation that we're going to be asked to help with that.

The arguing threatened to break out into all out conflict, but thankfully his wife was able to calm the tensions with a very probably scenario that made all too much sense. What was Manus doing right at this moment? Cackling at their inability to pull together? Self righteously patting himself on the back as he continued to wreak havoc on the continuity of the Force by stealing younglings away from a promising future? In any of those scenarios, Manus was the one who was gaining the upper hand. Just like Bracknell, Manus was the true threat, yet was able to cause ideological division among those who wanted to stop him. Maybe Manus learned a trick or two from the deceased Sith Lord...or maybe that's why Soto was retrieved from Coruscant, to help the former Jedi coordinate warfare on every front, including psychological.

These revelations more than likely crossed the minds of the Council members, including the most stubborn of the group. His acquiescence was a victory, but tensions needed to be ironed out before Yerbol could feel any sort of happiness about saving Kartan and his group.
"Integration is a wise choice, Voldon. One that we all would have agreed upon." The icy tone in the Master's voice was strange given their relationship, but Matthew wasn't averse to giving his objections, even to a friend he fought with side by side.
"Good to know." Voldon retorted angrily, bile rising in his throat before quickly swallowing and motioning to the Champions.
"Kira, Aliel, take them down to meet the new trainers." He rose vehemently, storming out of the room to their right with a kind of thunderous indignation that couldn't be forged. Matt cleared his throat in an attempt to clear any residual tension from the room(in vain perhaps) as he looked to Kartan with a half hearted smile.
"We'll get this taken care of. Talk to Malu and I about your needs while we walk over to the settlement." When the other Masters disappeared, it left only the Champions, Kira, Aliel and Cheriss, the second of the group sighing loudly.
"That shouldn't have happened. I'll talk to him."
"Can you share anything about what happened between those two, Kira?" The Elder in training(based on her more frequent appearances with Voldon) placed a thoughtful hand on her chin, which jutted out for a few moments before she spoke:
"I won't say too much, but Voldon went through a lot with Manus before the Emperor, before we even were married." A swallow.
"He ah...well, might as well come out into the open with this if you guys didn't know already, but Manus was one of the few people who helped coordinate a rescue mission for us when the Emperor had us hostage. Master Orgus, according to Voldon, was the one who broke him out of the Emperor's hold, but Manus was the person that led the physical effort to get us off that floating death trap. His face was the first one I saw after..." She trailed off, shuddering. Another silence settled on the room for an indefinite amount of time. Kira broke the silence, albeit at a more quiet decibel level:
"Voldon, me, Doc, Rusk, even T7...we owe him our lives. And that's probably what drives Voldon crazy. The fact that his friend, the one who saved his friends AND his woman could turn on him like this." Yerbol couldn't help but ponder:
"I didn't think Voldon was prone to that kind of...emotion." Kira shook her head with a sad chortle.
"He was a robot when we met back on Coruscant four years ago. It took some charm from yours truly for him to open up and when he did...well, let's say that he's got a side of himself that he wants no one to see...and I've probably said too much already." She looked to Cheriss as she spoke to the Champions:
"Thanks to this 'too old for politics' Elder, we have some new trainers. You ought to meet them. I think they could become something special." The endorsement from Kira was intriguing enough to distract Yerbol from the pressing matters of the day to see the potential help.
"It'll be nice to have some help in the classroom."

___

The three instructors had been put to work right away in a general Force techniques session in the same garden that Yerbol and Aria had gotten married in, which made the scene all the more ironic considering that instead of matrimony and happiness there was a lot of grunting, shouting and the levitating of Novices who were "volunteering" to get thrown around by the trio in front. There was a Chiss female who, if one looked in a passing sort of way, almost resembled Illesia in facial structure, but her form was much more slight and graceful. A Cathar male helped a novice off the ground, a toothy grin and swishing tail indicative of the fun he apparently was having. To cap off the display was a human male, his yellowed eyes and scarred arms telling a story that Aria might be familiar with.
"No, no, child, you can't just push anyone on a whim...not yet, anyway." The Cathar's almost musical accent jingled jovially, giving the once fallen novice a wink before shooing him over to a group of students who were practicing push and pull techniques on a pumpkin. As the group of Elders and Champions passed said pumpkin practice, the Chiss waved them over, her crimson eyes much warmer than the last pair Yerbol had stared into. Although she wasn't HER, being around her made the Champion feel slightly unnerved.
"The Champions that the Qyaari are so proud of." The Cathar said with a broad smile, extending a furry hand to the duo.
"Kinso or Kin for short." The Chiss came alongside and patted the broad shouldered alien on the back as she added:
"Always the first one to introduce yourself."
"Why not? It makes things less awkward when you come by." She snorted a laugh that was a bit too high pitched for a Chiss before she cleared her throat, extending a hand herself:
"Don't mind him, he's odd, but lovable all the same. Paix Ingala, former Sith Inquisitor and happy Qyaari trainer now." Her Imperial accent wasn't as strong as it probably was a couple of years ago, but it still shone through just the same.
"We are all happy to be here...even if the sourpuss over there isn't acting like it." The scarred man with yellowed eyes glared at the Cathar before hesitantly moving to the group.
"Not all of us have to be enthusiastic."
"This is-"
"I'll introduce my bloody self, thank you." The obvious former Sith nodded to the Champions.
"Waylon. And your youngsters need help. Desperately."
"Which is why we're here, Waylon." The Sith grunted at the light reprimand by Paix, the former walking to the pumpkin circle while the latter asked Cheriss:
"So Cheriss, how do you think we're doing? Raising the Champions of tomorrow?"

A sympathetic smile creased Aria’s features as Kira spoke of Voldon and Manus’ friendship, the Champion shaking her head as she mumbled. “Poor Voldon…” she couldn’t have imagined what the Elder must have been feeling...she had been concerned of course when the Qyaari had first formed against Bracknell, that Vano and some of the others would rather choose to side with Bracknell than join up with Yerbol and a “bunch of Jedi”, but they had been lucky for them to come around and become integral members of the team. Manus on the other hand….well, she didn’t want to imagine how Voldon thought this would have to end, in order to protect those the Qyaari cared for. At Kira’s comment, Cheriss rolled her eyes.
“Hey, watch it youngster.” the former Sith’s voice took on a purposefully strained, elderly tone as part of her retort. “I’ll outlive all three of you yet, you mark my words!”
A brief chuckle was shared amongst the group, before Aria frowned.
“Well, that explained Manus and Voldon a little...but Cheriss, you looked about ready to strangle Kartan in there, what…?” the Champion was well aware that she might have been overstepping her bounds by asking, but curiosity was getting the better of her. The Dathomirian cleared her throat awkwardly, waving a hand towards the exit dismissively.
“That was...a lapse of judgement on my part. Nothing against the Twi’lek personally, only some of the company he keeps.” a thin smile was all that accompanied the cryptic statement, followed by: “A lot of us are confronted with old ghosts, dealing with these neutral Force users...but sometimes, those ghosts are best left undisturbed, my dear.”

____________________________

And thus, the two Champions found themselves accompanied by Ailel, Kira and Cheriss to the meditation garden, where they were just in time to witness the training session out in full swing. After dismissing the youngsters back to their practise, the trio made their way over to greet the Champions and the Elders. The Cathar and Chiss were friendly and seemed very approachable, however the third and final of the tutors hung back, a scowl painted over his face that gave the impression of him being far less friendly than his peers...although, Aria noted, not unsavoury. There were no ill intentions to be sensed in Waylon’s demeanour, while he was certainly abrasive, there was nothing about him that gave her cause to be suspicious. Of course...she wouldn’t have expected any less from people hand-picked to join the Qyaari’s efforts by Cheriss, considering how suspicious the Elder was of the newcomers.
“It’s good to meet you all.” Aria nodded politely as they shook hands with Kinso, and then Paix, Waylon was less than keen and simply grunted in their direction, muttering a comment about the state of their classes’ progress.
“Yes, I believe they do, sir.” the Champion sighed, for a moment feeling somewhat guilty for the state of their students’ learning, since she and Yerbol had been so absent trying to chase after first Illesia and the Xiis and now Manus and his cult. “It would be nice for them to have some consistency in their tutoring, especially when Yerbol and I are needed elsewhere….that is unfortunately one glaring problem with there being only the two of us.” of course, this was no-one’s fault, and Aria could only hope that the Elders wouldn’t assume she was attempting to prod at their organisational skills, however it was a fact that was easily observed within the Qyaari until the new tutors had been enlisted. “They’re going to need all the training they can get if they’re going to be strong enough to handle whatever Manus throws at us.”

Cheriss chuckled in response to the Chiss tutor’s query, mouth turned upwards in a smirk as she gave her assessment. “I would say just as well as I had expected of you, Master Paix. Your students learn quick, and I daresay there may be a handful of Champions amongst them in the future when their abilities are more sharpened.” the Dathomirian Elder’s gaze rested on the training students as they worked to follow Waylon and Kin’s instructions; Aria spotted Iruba who, while still being levitated and thrown several feet backwards towards a group of other Novices and their pumpkins, managed to slow her descent with the Force in order to land firmly on her feet and charge at the Cathar once more, along with Tobe and some more of the older students who had showed promise a year prior under the Champions’ tutoring. As they watched a nervous young Togruta misdirect a flying pumpkin to bounce off Waylon’s head (much to Paix and Kin’s amusement), however, Cheriss clucked her tongue in teasing disapproval and added: “The rest of them...well, we may make librarians or archivists of them yet.”
A chuckle was shared amongst the group.
“I think our librarian would take issue with that statement, Cheriss.” Aria smirked, wondering how the Mirialan would feel if she had been privy to the Elder’s comment.
“Indeed.” the Dathomirian raised an eyebrow, her attention diverted momentarily as she watched Kartan and Vaerth approach one of the student groups and start up some idle conversation; perhaps the newcomers were trying to glean what level of training the students were at and thus where the other youngsters from Kartan’s group could best attempt to slot in, but at this distance it was impossible to hear what was being said and more than tricky to lip read. “Or she may appreciate the company.”
“Of course, the Council is under no disillusion about Vano’s ability to put that saberstaff of hers to use when the need arises.” Ailel put in with an amused snort of her own, before the Elder’s face once again became grim as if she were already trying to somehow predict where Manus would strike next. “....Force knows we will need it, the question now is only when.”
As Paix and Kinso began to excuse themselves from the conversation to return to their class (since Waylon looked as if he were at his wits’ end with having pumpkins, and on a few alarming occasions other students, bounced off his head and/or body), they were interrupted by Ailel and Cheriss’ comlinks blaring simultaneously. Cheriss tore her gaze from the newcomers sharply to attend to the message. Ailel too, sported another grim frown.
“....What is it? Cheriss, Ailel….what’s wrong?” the Elders’ initial silence on the matter was disconcerting enough to set Aria’s teeth on edge, though before she could interject and demand at least SOME form of explanation, whatever had stunned them into silence released its hold once more and Cheriss spoke as she turned to head back inside:
“Talk of the devil, that was Vano. There are an awful lot of distress frequencies coming through from the Outer Rim.”
Ailel quickly fell into step with her counterpart, both Elders making for the upper floor where the communications hub was located after putting a frantic holocall out to the other Council members.
“Manus?”
“No way to be sure.” Ailel called over her shoulder. “We shall have to look into it!”
“Right.” the Champions cast an apologetic glance at the now concerned Chiss and Cathar instructors, Yerbol offering an apology:
“Aria and I will join you to go over some of the lesson material and see where you’d recommend we start to focus in light of...recent events.”
“Unless of course, the Elders are expecting us to join them?” his wife’s question that was called after the pair however, was not met with a definitive answer as the door whooshed shut behind Cheriss and Ailel.

"I would think that they would want you both to get in there, eh? Haven't you two been the ones chasing Manus across the galaxy?" Yerbol grimaced at Kinso's last question, the latter quickly and apologetically adding:
"Not that I object to your pursuit. Paix and I have a bit of history with his group. We...disagreed with his methods. Quite vocally in fact. And other ways." Paix followed this explanation with one of her own:
"And that may or may not be why we're here." Yerbol wanted to ask more, but Paix seemed to sense his curiosity and told the Champions:
"When you both return, maybe we can have a nice dinner together and discuss mutual traumas, but for now..." The former Inquisitor waved her light blue hand at the now blinking holo unit holstered on Yerbol's belt.
"I think you're needed elsewhere."
"We'll keep the children in line. And Weylon. He'll need it." Another toothy grin.

The communications hub was a far cry from the cobbled together equipment they salvaged from wrecks in their initial scrum against Bracknell. Instead of having both communications AND intelligence on the same floor of the former training facility, the former was shifted to one of the newer buildings erected post-Bracknell. Saresh and Won both donated military grade equipment to the new hub and in exchange the Council agreed to host several Alliance squadrons as a show of cooperation between both Force order and governmental entity. The rows of data terminal, holo communicators and other humming equipment that Yerbol couldn't identify was manned by a combination of Alliance specialists and volunteers who signed up with the Qyaari during Bracknell's reign but couldn't use the Force and/or didn't want to "buy in" to training their Force powers. Synthesizing the differing backgrounds proved to be an initial challenge, but as procedures were smoothed out and implemented, things got so smooth that Zinuthra was increasingly being used as a major point of communications for Alliance ships going out into Wild Space and planets near the border. It was one of those ships captains that was currently talking to Vano, whose dour expression reflected the tone of of the captain, who was just finishing a thought:
"...and we can't just send in fighters! We've got our own problems to deal with!" The Elders, now fully assembled and standing on the opposite side of the terminal had varying expressions of worry(except for Voldon, whose facial expression seemed to never change except for when he got angry).
"Captain, according to reports across every intelligence network we have access to as well as holonet broadcasts, the Outer Rim just plunged into outright chaos. We're going to need your fighters pulled back from Belsavis and directed towards the Rim." Malu's point was scoffed at by the captain, who retorted venomously:
"You people can do what you want, but we CAN'T afford to get our people off of Belsavis. It's just too important. Unless Saresh gives me a direct order, we're not moving anywhere. Osun out." As the channel went dead, Voldon swore vehemently, looking to Kira with knowing indignation before addressing the others:
"Manus knew this was going to happen, he BLOODY KNEW IT!"
"And that's something we have to react to now, Voldon. Beating ourselves up over this will do nothing."
"Dare I ask...?" Yerbol trailed off, allowing Malu to pick up the slack:
"In sudden fashion, the Outer Rim has plunged into absolute chaos. Toxic gas leaks on Taris, a prison break on Belsavis, Alliance bases under assault by unknown forces on Hoth and, of most intrigue, a distress call from the Voss ambassador that...well, we'll let you hear it for yourself." She motioned to Vano, who complied with the directive. A moment later, a strained, but almost musical voice spoke in hushed tones:
"I have escaped. Please, Alliance, your aid is needed for the Voss. The Nameless ones, they have come, they have killed so many. Our mystics did not foresee their coming, our defenses are failing. Please. Come."
"Takes a lot of guts to take on the Voss on their home planet." Kira commented, Voldon nodding in agreement.
"Whatever Manus wants, it HAS to be on Voss. The other planets are diversions and-"
"That doesn't mean we ignore the other planets."
"You know how he works, Kira. If we divert forces-"
"Then we're no better than Manus! We promised to guard the innocent no matter what the cost. We can't be hypocrites...not again." Anyone else who challenged Voldon would normally have received some kind of vehement response, but Kira knew just how to get past the stony facade of her husband and convict him of what needed to be done. The presiding Elder sighed, then began to issue commands that begged to be followed:
"We take whatever Qyaari we can and go to each world to snuff out the disasters. Whoever's ready, we send. The Alliance units already are gearing up to help. Malu, you know the younglings better than I do. Can you assign them accordingly?"
"I'll want Aliel's help, but yes." She looked to Aliel with a smile.
"They'll want to see their favorite Elder down there." Aliel had indeed garnered somewhat of a reputation for being the "cool" Elder. Not that she wasn't teaching them rigorously enough, but her gentle approach garnered her a lot of admiration and respect from the youngsters.
"Good. We'll send a strike team to each planet and I want an Elder on each planet."
"I'll go to Taris." Matt quickly said, arms crossed over his chest.
"And I can head to Hoth. I've spent a lot of time there and would like to see it rid of whatever Manus inflicted on it."
"Good. I'll head to Voss." He took a steely look at the Champions as he told them:
"You two are coming with me. You have experience against the Faceless and I'll need the most experienced back up possible." Voldon looked to Cheriss with a look that conveyed...something. Whatever was communicated seemed to be of most importance, seeing as the duo looked at each other for what felt like an eternity before Voldon asked Cheriss quietly:
"Where do you want to go?"

“Well yes, I suppose we were but-” Aria began in response to the Cathar’s original query, but trailed off as her partner grimaced uncomfortably and brought on their apology. Instead, the Champion smiled gently and offered both tutors a nod. “Nonetheless, we are very glad to have you helping us. And I'm sure we will speak again soon.” however, as Paix rightly pointed out, they were required to direct their attention to the communications center. Bidding the tutors a quick farewell, the Champions made their way back through the Academy to join the Elders and arrived in time to catch the tail end of an angry broadcast from an Alliance captain.
“That doesn't sound good, at all…” Aria muttered, trailing off as Malu appraised the Champions of the situation. Voldon vehemently cursed Manus’ approach, prompting an equally sharp response from his peers as Kira protested to her husband's suggestion of abandoning the other planets to their fates. The news made Aria’s fit twist in fright; not least due to the sheer volume of chaos the former Jedi Master had managed to spread across the ENTIRE Outer Rim over such a short period of time, but also at the realisation that the Qyaari and the Alliance would struggle to contain so many choke points effectively….Voldon was right, Manus knew and he was trying to force their hand. Kira had a point though, what gave the Qyaari the right to decide who was “important” enough to receive their aid and who had to tough it out themselves? No, they couldn’t pick favourites, they had to help them all in whatever means they could. Relief washed over the Champion as Voldon acquiesced to Kira’s plan of action and began issuing orders for various Council members to attend to certain tasks.

Aria wanted to step forward and volunteer for them to go to Taris, concerned for Tabitha and Volgorl and desperately wanting to ensure they were safe and well, but Matthew put voice to his statement first, and before she knew it, Voldon was assigning them to accompany him to Voss while Malu offered to head for Hoth, and presumably Ailel helped to organise the younglings to accompany each of them and then remained here on Zinuthra to help the instructors and other personnel keep everything running as smoothly as possible. This left only Cheriss without an assigned task, the look shared between them leaving Aria unsettled for reasons she could not place. Even more so when the other Elder didn't immediately answer Voldon’s question, instead choosing to remain silent while she weighed up her options before turning towards Vano and Kira.
“Can you two handle Belsavis?”
Both Knights were quick to nod in affirmation.
“Of course.”
Turning back towards Voldon, Cheriss nodded once more.
“In that case, I’ll come with you to Voss. We don’t know what Manus might have waiting for us there.”
Something about the tone in the two Elders’ voices made Aria feel uneasy. She pushed her apprehension away and tried to focus on the task at hand. With their actions decided, the members of the Council began to disperse on their various missions.

The Champions would meet Cheriss and Voldon in one of the hangar bays within the next hour, Voldon made that EXPLICITLY clear. The implied destruction described by the Voss ambassador left them no option but to respond with the utmost urgency, of course, meaning that they packed the essentials before proceeding to the named landing bay post-haste. The transport ship, which was in fact less of a shuttle and more accurately classified as an escort boat given its modest weapons array, stood with its engines live and idling when Aria and Yerbol arrived there, an agitated-looking Cheriss pacing at the end of the loading ramp.
“An escort, is that really necessary?” Aria quirked an eyebrow up in question.
“If the entire Rim has gone to as much Bantha fodder as those distress calls imply, we can’t be taking any chances.” Cheriss muttered as she rushed them aboard the spacecraft. “I’d rather be in a ship that can fire back than a flimsy shuttle transport.”
Aria couldn’t argue with Cheriss’ reasoning, however she couldn’t say she was entirely happy with it either.
I don’t like this. She spoke to Yerbol through their Force bond. This whole situation with Manus has made them all so jumpy and distrustful...it’s disconcerting.
With everyone now on board and settling into their seats, the escort lifted off the landing pad and shot out of the opened hangar doors, the landscape below them rapidly shrinking and giving way to the inky blackness of space. Both Qyaari Elders were grave-faced as they waited tensely for the pilot to steer the ship towards the Outer Rim, the words they exchanged spoken in quiet tones that suggested they were trying not to be overheard...Aria could not help but eavesdrop however, in the hopes of hearing something that might quell her own nerves.
“I appreciate you coming with us.” Voldon was normally calm and collected in any situation, but this time she could hear the tightness of worry in his voice.
“We have no idea what Manus has been doing on Voss,” Cheriss answered, brows knitted together in a tight scowl. “To attack them so openly….and for them to have not seen it coming...Voss ALWAYS have visions. It’s not a good sign.”
“It could be a trap.” hearing the words from the officiating Elder’s own mouth somehow made the thought of that possibility in Aria’s mind even worse. She could almost FEEL her stomach twisting itself into knots.
“If it is, you’re not going in alone.” Cheriss retorted firmly. Aria didn’t need to hear any more, instead reaching over to place her hand gently on her partner’s knee, hoping to seek some form of comfort as she tried to remain as level headed as possible.

As always, Yerbol seemed to know before she had even finished the train of thought herself, catching her eye as he closed his hand around hers and squeezed gently. Aria managed a faint smile in return, attempting to change the subject and occupy the remainder of the journey with a less somber topic.
“I've never been to Voss, you know. All I know about them is what other people tell you.”
“Hah, well they are certainly a strange people.” Cheriss smirked, the serious mask disappearing for a moment and replaced by an amused smile. “More amicable than most who are as primitive a society in comparison, but strange nonetheless.”
“More strange than YOUR people, Cheriss?” the Champion’s cheeky jab at the highly matriarchal and, in some respects, almost tribal, society on the Dathomirian homeworld earned a chiding scowl from her Elder.
“Yes, even then.”
“How so?”
“The Voss as a species have an innate connection to the Force, some say second only to the Miraluka.” Voldon explained. “But the Mystics are the most gifted, and in that way by Voss standards the most “fit” to make decisions, the others take every word they say at face value...because the Mystic’s visions are NEVER wrong.”
Aria found that very hard to believe.
“That CAN'T be possible though...always thought everyone that said that was exaggerating.”
“Oh, they aren't.” Cheriss shook her head. “They ALWAYS know. No-one else has ever been able to explain it, but the Voss Mystics’ premonitions have always guided them through their troubles….it’s how they were able to intercept the Imperial occupation when the Emperor tried to take control of the planet for the Empire, the Republic tried to stick their noses in too and the Mystics put a stop to it before they could start shooting at each other.”
“So you can understand,” Voldon continued the Elders’ earlier train of thought, leaning forward in his seat and pressing his fingers to his temples, “How it is so bizarre for the Ambassador to tell us that even they DIDN'T see Manus coming, AT ALL.”
“Makes sense though, doesn't it?” Yerbol pointed out. “If he could coerce them to join him and use that power to “predict” all our counter movements….there’d be nothing the Qyaari or the Alliance could do to stop him from taking over.”

That was a very distressing possibility.

“That is, if there are any Mystics left alive when we get there.” Cheriss hissed vehemently. It certainly wouldn't be below Manus to destroy the Voss’ home in response to their refusal to support him. They would have to gather what information they could from the Ambassador and any other survivors when they touched down, which according to the pilot’s voice that rang out over the intercom at that precise moment, would be soon.
“Approaching Voss now, Masters Qyaari. No sign of hostile craft on scans.”
“Very good, captain, proceed with care nonetheless.” Voldon responded, still rife with suspicion that they would be ambushed.
Aria turned her attention from the Qyaari Elders to peer out of the viewport as they crept closer to the planet, unable to stifle her gasp of surprise.
“That mountain is HUGE.” the rocky spire that jutted outwards from the planet’s surface was easily on par with Quensu’s crystalline mountain ranges, if not larger. Certainly big enough to be easily visible even from this distance.
“Voss-Ka, the capital (and only) city.” Cheriss explained. “And probably one of the only places well fortified enough to be reasonably safe from Manus’ ilk.”
They would soon find out.

It was irksome for the Champion to know that there was seemingly no consideration for the duo to head to Taris, but deep down Yerbol knew that he and Aria were needed where the fighting would more than likely be the worst. Hopefully whatever shred of Force power his mother had would somehow...reach out(?) to him if things got bad. Or he would feel something. Just...anything to give him assurance they were avoiding the worst of Manus' coordinated assault on the Rim.

The aforementioned blitz was now divided into equal portion by Voldon before the Champions met he and Cheriss at a small transport vessel that had scorch marks emblazoned on its sides and exit ramp along with parts of the outer hull beginning to flake off, prompting a grimace from Yerbol. A war torn vessel being flown into the midst of such chaos? Maybe it was the only vehicle left to them, but with the new Alliance equipment being flown in, he would have thought a better suited vehicle to be an option. The pilot and the Elders seemed unconcerned as they all boarded and took off for Voss, the Champion unaware of the clenching and unclenching his hands into fists, his breathing a bit heavier than normal.
Emotions are fuel, not hindrances unless you make them.

The old Master's written doctrine(the latest he had read anyhow) floated through his mind as a reminder to relax, Yerbol shutting his eyes gently as he refocused his breathing, pushing aside the doubts, the fears that Manus had managed to create within him. Maybe that was why Manus attacked Taris? To derail him? Did Manus know that Lysa was dead, that his parents were the only living relatives he had left, that-

FOCUS

He could feel his muscles tensing almost all at once in one more defiant gesture of anxiety before they relaxed, casting a look at his partner and meeting her gaze with a small smile before sitting up. She needed him at his best and he would NOT allow anything to stand in the way of his ability to protect her.
"A word once given." He mumbled to himself, recalling the pallid face of Roan as he stared up at him on Bracknell's ship, words not spoken but conveyed through his last gaze. Yes, his parents were in danger, but his number one priority was the woman he swore to protect for the rest of his life.

Focused.

All the while as Yerbol gathered his thoughts, he had tuned out some of the initial conversation that the Elders and Aria were engaged in. Only now did he hear clearly the obvious declaration that it was a trap, Yerbol nodding in agreement before catching a glimpse of anxiety within his partner through their bond. He gave her an affirming nod, taking her hand gently before telling her:

We've got this. We toppled an entire government, remember?

Thankfully the conversational topic changed to the Voss, the four discussing the possibility of Manus desiring the power of the Mystics for their farseeing abilities, but Yerbol questioned aloud right after the pilot announced their initial descent:
"But if Manus wants the power of the Mystics, wouldn't he need them to agree willingly to join his cause? I can't them coming along quietly, which would mean dealing with some of the more powerful beings in the galaxy on their home planet. This seems...well, rather bold or rather stupid on his part." Voldon shook his head.
"Believe me, there's a reason for this. There always is." The shuttle jolted into the atmosphere before the pilot shouted:
"Got a lot of activity on the scanners! Looks like-" The left side of the transport nearly caved in, a massive indentation forming between where Cheriss and Voldon were sitting, narrowly missing their heads by inches.
"Get us as close to the ground as possible!" Voldon commanded, motioning for them to stand as he told them:
"We'll need to jump the moment we get close enough and disable the AA guns!" Of course the Faceless would have taken over the anti aircraft turrets. Of course.
"GET US CLOSER AND HIT THE RAMP! NOW!"
"But-"
"DO IT, SOLDIER!" As their tattered vehicle weaved through the pattern of fire ascending towards them, their descent was rapidly progressing, Yerbol's stomach descending into his bowels along with the rest of the ship. After yet another juke, the pilot shouted:
"ABOUT A THOUSAND FEET IS ALL I CAN DO!"
"GOOD ENOUGH!" The ramp opened up to reveal the sky speedily flying away from them, indicating they would be jumping against gravity.

Sounds about right for them.

"GET ON THE GROUND SAFELY, TAKE OUT THE AA CANNONS AND MEET US IN THE CENTER OF VOSS-KA! GO!" With that sudden command, both Elders casually leaped out of the transport as if it were an activity they were used to doing on leisurely afternoons when they had nothing better to do.
"JUST LIKE OUR FIRST LANDING ON ZINTUTHRA!" Yerbol nearly screamed against the whipping winds with a defiant smile, grabbing Aria by the hand. The duo counted in sync before launching out of their doomed transport, Yerbol mustering whatever energy he could to slow their descent, the principle of decelerating all too familiar(unfortunately) from Zinuthra's climate and a few other instances where he had to perform a high altitude jump. Thankfully it seemed that both of them had grown since their first attempts at a stunt like this, which translated into a much slower fall at around five hundred feet. Below sprawled the capital, the telltale flickers of red and green blaster bolts bouncing through the streets. He could spy one of the cannons to their right(as much right as one could tell from being this high up) and another to the left, both of which were firing repeatedly into the stratosphere. Focusing so much on slowing their descent inhibited his ability to communicate through their bond, so he looked to his falling companion and nodded to the left, hoping she saw the same thing and understood that by splitting up they could take out both guns and loosen things up for more friendly forces to hit the ground without interference.

About two hundred feet left. And he was tired. His fall began to speed up again, the Champion shifting his weight as much as he could to the very right of the AA cannon, which looked like a grassy area that could serve as-

No. Nope. That's not grass.

Realizing that the Voss used such colorful cobblestone would have been a nice yet ephemeral discovery if they had decided to vacation here, but now within just several feet of landing it was an awful epiphany. As the ground came up to meet the Champion, he thrust his hands forward and tucked himself into a ball, energy directed downward. Upon contact, the deceptive cobblestone flung in several different directions, a large indention forming on the once beautiful road as he rolled several feet away from the gun and came to a stop at a nearby tree.

Tell me....you're...ok...

Uncurling himself from his position, he slowly rose to his feet, nodding in appreciation of the carnage that was his landing.
"Not too bad." He gasped out, hands on his knees.

Aria had been banking on a relatively smooth landing, given that the scans had been clear when they had first broken Voss’ atmosphere. But of course, that wasn’t going to happen to them now, was it? Things ALWAYS went wrong. It was almost guaranteed. As the pilot shouted something about only being able to get them to an altitude of one thousand feet, Aria’s stomach did a couple of flips before she had even risked peering out of the now open loading ramp. Cheriss and Voldon, being more experienced, took the jump far before the Champions did and were soon far out of their line of sight as they sped towards the ground.
“Or Tython!” Aria called back in response to her partner's comment of the similarities to their first landing on Zinuthra. You would think she would be used to it by now, more prepared….nope, she still hated it. No time to chicken out now! she told herself as Yerbol took her hand. The Champion drew in a sharp breath and managed a smile, before they made the jump. One thousand feet was a LONG way to fall, but the ground still rushed towards them at a disorientingly fast pace despite their collective efforts to slow their drop...or at least it seemed that way. Halfway down, they slowed to a more respectable speed and allowed the Champions to squint at the landscape below them and try to evaluate the situation (as much as they could from this high up, anyways). Streaks of vibrant green split the sky around them as the anti aircraft turrets opened fire on their ill-prepared transport. The bolts were larger than the Champions themselves, designed to wreak havoc on a ship’s hull or thrusters on impact and would spell certain death for both of them if they were caught in their path. From their current position, she could spot two of the artillery towers on either side of the area that would become their landing zone; Yerbol had seen it too, catching her eye and nodding to the rightmost turret. Aria understood his directive and nodded back in confirmation. She felt the impending danger before she saw it, jerking her attention away from the ground in time to look up and see the bolt speeding toward them. She wanted to scream a warning, but the velocity of the fall meant the wind was howling in their ears and ripped the sound from her lungs so all that came out was a barely audible squeak while she let go of his hand to throw up a protective shield around them before they were cooked by the beam. The line of green streaked past them so closely she could feel the heat of the plasma tingling against her skin, but thankfully she reacted quickly enough to ensure neither she nor her partner were injured. From then on, Aria focused her energy on diverting the bolts so that they didn't connect with either of the Champions and shear them in half while her partner kept their descent as slow as he could manage.
Two hundred feet. Time to split up and get to work. Aria glanced sideways at her partner one last time, but he was too busy focusing on the rapidly-approaching landscape at that point to catch her eye.

Right. Still falling.

The Champion abruptly refocused her own attention, realising with a sickening jolt that it was not grass that she was angling for, but in fact VERY solid stones.

This was going to HURT. The Champion shut her eyes tightly as she braced herself for the impact, angling her body so that she could protect her head and neck from a direct collision with the cobbles, praying Yerbol wouldn't be too badly injured where he had landed either. She had hoped to slow down enough that she could simply land in a crouch, as she had seen Roan do on several occasions, and no doubt the same way which Cheriss and Voldon would have come to a stop themselves. Aria’s own landing was anything BUT elegant. The Champion misjudged the distance left by a mere few feet, but it was enough of a mistake. Her left shoulder hit the ground first, before Aria had the chance to complete a full rotation and attempt to land feet-first, the momentum of the fall instead forcing her into a sideways log roll. The cobblestone crunched underneath her weight, clumps of the brightly coloured pebbles churned loose and sent spraying upwards to land somewhere within the vicinity. The sharp edges of the cobblestone scraped the exposed skin of her face, neck and hands; thankfully her clothing protected the rest of her body well enough, though the blade guards of her lightsaber hilts jabbed painfully into her ribs as her body weight rolled onto them. They had served her well in both offense and defense in the past, protecting her wrists from attack and useful as a weapon even when the blade wasn't activated, but in this case they were a sore (literally!) hindrance….After a few rolls, the Champion fetched up against a large metal object which she quickly realised upon opening her eyes again was the bottom of the leftmost defense turret.
Tell me...you're...ok… Yerbol’s voice broke the silence that had once sat between them during their descent.
Uuuuughhhh. Aria’s exclamaition of discomfort was accompanied by a groan out loud. I'm alright….I'm good...y-you? She sat up gingerly as her partner confirmed his relative wellbeing, giving each of her limbs an experimental stretch. So far, moving was uncomfortable but none of the bones were broken. Nothing she couldn't grit her teeth through and deal with later. Aria drew in a breath, channelled into the Force to harness the pain into productive energy to fuel her movements, like Renso had taught her.
Pain and fear are only a weakness if you allow them to rule over you. But you can harness them and use them to your advantage and that is a strength that you have over many others your age.

Meet in the middle? She reached out to Yerbol a final time as she got to her feet, skirting around the base of the anti-aircraft turret until she located the stairway that led up to the control panel. A myriad of buttons flashed brightly coloured lights, the cannons themselves shaking with the reverberations of each shot as they kept firing. Jagged red letters proclaimed “HOSTILE CRAFT INCOMING” on the main screen as the red blips indicating their position flickered in and out of the radar's focus as their poor pilot desperately tried to evade further damage. Aria hoped he could hang in there for just a little longer; her hands trembled ever so slightly (despite her best attempts to use the Force to help keep her cool) as her fingers passed over the buttons, feeling for the little wear-and-tear indents that would show her which ones had been most frequently used and thus give her some clue as to the access code which would allow her to power down the AA guns. They were easily enough located, but there were still thousands of possible combinations...she didn't have time for guess work dammit! There HAD to be a better way to do this....
Come on, help me out here! Aria didn’t know what she was expecting when she focused her energy back into the Force once more, but anything was worth a shot at this point and if there was some way for her to figure out what the code would be….

There! The vision was very brief, no more than a few seconds, but Aria’s hands moved instinctively to punch the buttons required. The console blared an obnoxious beeping tone as it processed the command; for a paralysing moment Aria’s heart jackhammered violently against her ribs as nothing happened, before the entire turret deactivated and powered down all at once. The Champion’s shoulders sagged so dramatically backwards in relief that she almost took an involuntary swan dive off the edge of the platform, had she not caught herself at the last moment and steadied herself on the railing.
I got it! PLEASE tell me you got the other one! She reported to her partner, reassured to hear a similar affirmation of success from Yerbol. Good….good, I’m heading back down, I’ll meet you on the pathway.

As she hurried back down to follow the pathway back towards Voss-Ka, the Champion stopped momentarily to examine the damage caused during Yerbol’s landing with a raised eyebrow, allowing her partner to return and catch up with her in the same moment.
“Well, I can tell you came this way, look at the mess your big head made of their lovely walkway.” Aria grinned teasingly, gently bumping her shoulder against his chest. Perhaps now wasn’t the best time for jokes, but they had to keep their spirits up somehow, considering they might be walking into a trap that could go badly for any one of them.
“Let’s hurry and catch up with Cheriss and Voldon, they probably need our help.” she added as they continued walking, picking up their pace somewhat. The unmistakable snapping of Cheriss’ lightwhip up ahead alerted the Champions that the two Elders had likely met some resistance already on their way to the fortification; the Qyaari would likely have to fight their way into Voss-Ka, but Aria hoped the Ambassador who had contacted them previously had managed to find their (it was always hard to tell gender with the Voss….they all looked and sounded the same to her) way to safety inside...if it was as well guarded as Cheriss had implied they should be safe from further ambush by Manus at least long enough to get an appraisal of the situation. Exchanging one last glance with Yerbol, the Champions drew their weapons and hurried to help Cheriss and Voldon.