Disembarks from the Redshifter, running my hand along the landing strut. "Last time I was here, I was dodging Republic bombs. Glad this time we got a warm welcome." I look across the hanger to the group of smugglers. "Tren? Hey, man! Been a while! Joliee the Hutt thought you were dead!" Runs after the smuggler crew, hoping to catch up with my old acquaintances.



We step slowly off of the Shadow Stalker, taking in our surroundings. The fingerlings emerge from our clothing and take flight, excited to be back home. They each zip off, exploring the base for themselves. As we move to follow Jerus, we notice Koraline Okarr chatting with a few of the smugglers by the doors. For some reason, this catches our interest, but we do not fully understand why.



I sit on the ramp of the yacht, watching Hank the droid escort Korré and a wheelchair bound Xan away, presumably towards the medical bay. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Iwan coming towards me, but I don't look at him. I just watch Korré.



Follow's Jude's gaze, and I smile. "She's lovely, isn't she?"



"Yeah, breathtaking." I say sarcastically.



Meanwhile, I am trying to coax Huntress out of the hauler and towards the doors leading outside. She's been cooped up too long, and needs a walk... and maybe a bathroom break.

"Cut her some slack, lad. She's not done anything wrong to us, not by choice." I glance between Luci and Koraline and sigh. "Oh, this is gonna be fun..." Approaching the Joiner Chiss, I tap her shoulder. "Do me a favor, and just stay behind me for a moment, she still thinks you're dead."

Looks at Jerus blankly. "Perhaps it would be better if we returned to the nest now. Koraline Okarr does not need to be burdened with seeing this body alive." Pauses, and for a moment, there is a hint of sadness in our otherwise emotionless face. "We...wish to spare her the pain. We can never be the woman she once knew. In our memories, Koraline was always stubborn. She will not understand."

"Normally I'd agree, but there's only one way out of this hangar, and she's next to it. Stubborn or not, she deserves to know either way."I start walking, hoping Luci is right behind me. "We'll handle the finer details as they come up." I pause. "And no you will not have them dig a tunnel into dad's hangar. My fire runs out eventually, his is made with the Force and does not."

We follow Jerus silently. In our mind, we can see the fingerlings have taken positions across the base. Right now, they are observing the inner workings of the place. HOWEVER, should Jerus decide to go back on his word, the fingerlings will signal the hive to swarm.



Laughs out loud, slapping one of the smugglers on the back. "Then he said to me, 'That's not a Weequay! That's my wife!" We all laugh, though I seem to have found my story a lot more funny then the rest of them. But as Jerus walks back, and I notice someone following him, all the humor drains from me. I blink a few times to make sure I'm not seeing things. Slowly, I push away from the crowd of smugglers and take a few steps in Jerus' direction. My eyes dart between him and Luci. "What... what is this?"



"Hello, Koraline Okarr."



"Hello? Hello, what? That's it? Whats..." Looks at Jerus. "What the hell is this, Jerus? Is this a joke?"

"I wish it were. Koraline, Luci's a joiner of Oroboro now, whether you like it or not. We've agreed to allow her to retain her as such in exchange for information on the object Sucal's looking for and a few others. I..." I shake my head and usher Luci towards the door, "I'm sorry, Koraline."

Watches as they start to walk away. “No way! It doesn’t end like that!” Stops forward to cut them off. “What happened? You aren’t even going to tell me how you survived? We thought you were dead! Then you just come back like... this!”



“We had no means to of contact. We did not expect to return to the people who knew us before our joining. We would have preferred you still thought we were dead. When the Killiks fished us out of the river, they tended our wounds and restored us to health. We are part of them now.” Pauses awkwardly. “We are sorry.”



Shakes head. “That is bullshit! You can’t just pretend like this is normal! Like I’m supposed to just accept...” Flustered, I step forward and grab her by the arm to stop her from leaving.



Looks down at her hand on me. “I would warn you against that. Any harm to me with he persevered as a threat to the nest. They swarm to protect even their drones.”



Release her and backs away. “So... that’s just what you are then. A drone. Not even a person?” I look at Jerus. “Take her back to her nest. It’s clear she doesn’t want to be here anymore... and I don’t want to look at her anymore.” The words are harsh, but it’s obvious I’m more upset than angry. Before anything more can be said, I turn towards the exit. “I need a drink.” Waves briskly to the smuggler crew. “If any of you boys and girls want to join me, come along!”

I stop Koraline before she can go too far. "Oh no, you need to be sober for the next few hours if we're going to pull this off." Indicating to Luci to head out, I step up to Koraline. "This is too important to lash out like this, to fall back on old habits. Dad's not going to let this slide, but for now? We don't have a choice."

“What do you expect me to do? The bugs are in her head! You saw it yourself, she barely even cares!” I am trying very hard not to show just how hurt I feel. I hate emotions! It would be so much easier if I was drunk, but I guess masking it with anger will do. “I’m not like you all! I’m just the pilot! I’m not strong in the Force like my brother. If you all can’t figure out how to make things better, what good am I?”

"You're more than just a pilot. You're a crack shot with your blaster, one hell of a fighter when they decide to get up close and personal, and you're ten times more perceptive than even you give yourself credit for." I look Koraline in the eye. "I know what you're feeling right now, whether you want to admit it or not. I've felt it too but it's not worth loosing yourself in grief, not now."

Signs heavily. “I don’t know what you expect, but... fine. What’s your plan?”

"We make a plan. As agreed, they shared the location of the Rakatan machines, but we need someone who knows the star lanes well, and I can't think of anyone who knows them better than you."

I consider a moment before nodding. "Alright. Once they give us the coordinates and... and the trade is done, I'll start mapping out a flight plan. One that avoids major hyperlanes and Republic patrols."



We wait patiently for Jerus and Koraline to finish talking. We can't hear what they are saying, but we aren't really trying to. We are in our own head again, listening to the voices of the hive. The fingerlings are making their report about the base. Structural weaknesses they may have found, natural faults and decay in the framework. Defenses and how to bypass them.

The Luci part of our brain does not like this part of the plan, but the Oroboro part of us keeps her suppressed for the time being. No harm will come to anyone so long as the deal goes as planned...

Mentally sighing in relief, I nod. "Thank you, Koraline." Turning back to Luci, I beckon towards the door. "You're free to go, I'm sure the fliers already know the way out."

"Yes." Starts walking towards the exit, then stops and looks back. "The entrance to one of our tunnels is not far from here. We will need time to search our collective knowledge for the locations of the four machines. Will you be accompanying us to the nest to wait, or would you prefer an emissary drone be sent for you when our Meditation of Recollection is complete?"



I keep my eyes on the ground. If I look at her any more, its just going to make me angry again.

"I'll wait for a drone. I've seen what extended exposure to Kilik pheromones does."

"Very well. You shall hear from us soon." Walks straight for the exit, past the gawking smugglers.



I wait until she is definitely gone before looking up again. "Wow. She... really has changed, hasn't she?" To Jerus, I ask, "Do you need me right this minute? I uhh... I kinda want to be alone for a while. I promise I won't do anything stupid. I just... I need time to think."

"You're fine. Dad's gone to talk with Lord Organa, so there's gonna be some down time until he's done with that."

"Great. We'll talk later, once the bugs send their messenger." Secretly, I hope it's just an ordinary Killik, not Luci. As terrible as it sounds, I'd rather not see her again... like ever. "Call me if you need me. Just make sure it's important. I like my alone time." I try to walk casually back to the Redshifter, resisting the urge to sprint there. Once I have walked up the ramp and closed the doors, all the emotional gates I keep locked tight fly open, and it is a mess. Lots of screaming (thank the stars for soundproof bulkheads), lots of objects being thrown across the room and broken on the floor, and lots of ugly crying.

I throw open the mini fridge in the lounge and grab the bottle of Corellian Whiskey and drink it straight back. I know Jerus said no getting drunk, but the Killiks would need time to compile their data. I'd recover by the time they were done... I hope.

Lastly, as I crash onto my bed, my hair and make up a complete mess, I grab the commlink off the side table and punch in a code. "Ryder? Hey, brother, you there? Pick up! We need to talk." I lay there, waiting for a response. I sniffle. "I know I don't call you very much, because... your a dumb Jedi and stuff, but I just... I need to hear your voice." Still no answer.

Not long later, I return to the base. Huntess enjoyed a nice walk around her new home, and took in the surrounding landscape. Hopefully she doesn't wonder far and cause trouble. On Dantooine, she had a seculded island to herself. Here, so such luck. I may have to keep her chained up for a while.

I walk into the living area of the base, where chairs and couches are. Sitting alone (well, mostly. Hank isn't far away) is Korré, cradling her belly. I give her a wave. "Hey! How did the trip over go? No complications, I hope."



Caught by surprise, I look up. "Oh, HJ. You startled me. Yes, everything went fine. Baby is quiet, which is good... I think. Xanthippe is in treatment. The base's medical droids are fixing up the wounds I couldn't help with a med kit and kolto."



"Yeah, sorry about that. Grandpa can get a little... carried away sometimes." I sit down in a chair across from here.



"Well, knowing Xan, she probably had it coming." I realize what I've just said and cover my mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry! What a horrible thing to say! I don't know what came over me!"