Chase trailed after Bane, doing what he could to be useful. He couldn't decide if he should lie to Pira or not, but he wanted to tell her about the recording. I can't. She'll be shattered. It's best if she doesn't know, right? But she'll know something is off. We know each other too well, and even if I faked it- she'd know, He thought, a frown crossing his face.
Chase nodded as if he understood, but he was still bothered. It felt wrong, and he didn't like it. But he stayed silent. It wasn't worth bringing up a worse discussion than the one about Pira. He shivered, rubbing his wrist nervously.
Kissimi stood before Master Skywalker, partially at attention. They were in the meeting room, a small room with a holo-table at the center. Skywalker was across from her, and he was pacing. He had spent the last five minutes lecturing her about her failure to contact the Council, or any other Republic contact, for that matter, and about how they could probably have saved Mace Windu. But she’d zoned out. He’d finished, and she simply was waiting for him to ask a question she had answers to. Finally, he did.
“What happened, Padawan?”
Kissimi avoided eye contact, studying the edge of the table. Her hands closed around each other, clasped behind her back. She’d spent months searching for the answer to why her master and friend had died, and it all led back to the Holocron. But there was no way she could tell Skywalker about how she had teamed up with a phantom-like Sith lord to get information about said Holocron. That would be problematic.
“When?” She responded carefully, hoping she could avoid the topic of the second half of her time on Lothal.
“After the crash. How did you survive?”
“I don’t know how I survived, sir. I hardly remember the event itself, I just remember returning to the site of the crash and finding Master Windu’s body,” She closed her eyes, fighting the images flashing through her mind, “droids hadn’t found it yet, so I was able to gather my things, but I had no time to show the proper respects. I took his lightsaber, at least,” She hesitated, and Skywalker took the chance to ask another question.
“How did you keep away from the droids?”
“I lied, sir; gave myself a false identity, and kept with it. I traded with the locals and found something you might find of interest on the black market.”
“What did you find?”
“A Sith’s lightsaber. Dual blade. I’ve reason to believe there’s a Stih on Lothal- and possible contact with a probable target, a Sith named Naamari.”
“And why do you have contact with a Sith?”
“She reached out to me on my ship. How? I don’t know. She wants me to bring her information about the Holocron. Tomorrow, sir,” She said the word “sir” with slight venom, hating that she had to have the discussion she wanted to avoid.
Skywalker raised his eyebrows, pausing in his pacing to study Kissimi as she continued to inspect the edge of the table. She remained motionless, but the venom in her last word made him think twice about her. If she really had contact with the Sith, then there was no way to know for sure how long she’d actually been in contact with them. It was a risk he’d have to take. He sighed, shaking his head as if to pity the apprentice standing before him.
"I see. Do you have recordings of your conversation with this Sith?"
"Yes, sir."
"Show me them."
"I would have to collect them from my ship, sir."
"Then do it, Padawan. Now. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir," Kissimi ducked her head and then took a step back before turning on her heel.
The conversation hadn't gone how she'd hoped, but it would have to do. She had information about the Holocron she knew the Council wouldn't yet have. She had a lead about the Sith. She would either ruin or save her reputation with the recordings. But no matter what happened, she would return to Lothal. The Temple was no longer her home. She wanted them gone from Lothal- the Republic and the Separatists. Lothal should be a free planet under its own rule. Galactic superpowers are the enemy of the people, and I won't stand for it. I can help them find the Holocron and remove it, then I'm done. It doesn't matter that Chase and Bane know about my contact since the entire Council is about to know anyway.
Pira Jackson
Pira had settled herself in a small library she'd found, her nose in a book about the history of the Republic. She'd read about it hundreds of times but still found it interesting enough to reread about. Each time she read about it, she found something new out. History was interesting to her, and this interest kept her at the top of her classes. The only reason she'd been sent on the ship with Chase was because of her knowledge of history and technology. She'd studied the history books and the schematics for the average Republic shuttle. She knew how to rig up a strong long-distance transmission, how to repair a hyperdrive, how to reengage shields, etc., all because she actually liked reading. But at least for her, reading had never gotten in the way of practicing and sneaking around; it sure hadn't gotten in the way of making sure Chase behaved even though he was the older sibling.
Chase Jackson
Chase continued to trail after Bane, but his mind wasn't in the present. He was thinking about why he'd done it, why he'd gone through Kissimi's files. He was also still thinking hard about Pira. I haven't seen her since we got here. She doesn't often disappear with no warning unless she's mad at me. She always stays with me, so this is strange. What if she leaves with Kissimi? She'd be in danger. Shoot. She's still here though. I need to tell her about the recording or she'll keep trusting Kissimi. This is not a good idea- but I have to, right? She's my sister...
Bane made it to the other ship and looked around “there should be a medical unit or something here by now…I hope they didn’t come on another ship or something…she needs help now. Where is Skywalker?”
“Don’t look at me. I don’t know,” Chase muttered under his breath, looking around as well. As if on cue, a pair of doctors appeared from around the corner, speaking in hushed rapid voices as if they were arguing- they were. Behind one of them floated a stretcher, supported by gravitational technology.
Bane walked megara in his arms over to them and said “I have your patient right here if you two can stop arguing for a moment?” He laid her on the floating bed and said “she’s in bad shape…”
Kissimi passed the scene, pausing for a moment as the doctors both fell silent and one opened his mouth as if to give a sharp retort. She lifted her hand just slightly and spoke to the doctors, "Go," She ordered simply. The doctors obeyed, taking Megara and the stretcher with them. She then continued walking toward her ship, stopping only as Chase called out to her.
Chase was lagging a few feet behind Bane now and decided to call to Kissimi. "Kissimi?" He watched her turn slowly, an expression of exasperation on her face.
"Yes, Chase?"
"What happened to your wolf?" An innocent question meant to throw Kissimi off- it didn't work very well.
"Come with me and I'll tell you. I need to check on her anyway," Kissimi responded, sounding rather bored of the boy already.
"Uh-" Chase hesitated, glancing at Bane. He hadn't planned for this response, and was regretting it. He had no wish to be anywhere alone with Kissimi, even if Bane said she wouldn't hurt him or Pira.
Kissimi ignored Bane and beckoned for Chase to follow. After a moment, Chase did follow, listening intently as Kissimi explained what happened to the white wolf. She was surprised at how intent Chase was about listening to her and suspected something was up. As she stroked the wolf's head, she studied Chase from the corner of her eye.
"So why did you really want to talk to me, Chase?"
"This was why!"
"Not because you want to protect Pira?" She raised her eyebrows with an inquisitive glance at the boy, who fidgeted under her gaze.
"Wh- why do you think that...?" He sounded uncomfortable, his plan having gone rather wrong.
"Because you could have asked me what happened when White got onto the ship, which would have been more logical than now." It was a logical answer.
The wolf yawned, her paws batting at Kissimi mindlessly. She appeared to not be in pain, quietly accepting Kissimi's touch as praise. Chase didn't say anything, giving Kissimi a chance to completely throw him off.
"Go find your sister."
"What did you do to Pira!?" He sounded alarmed.
Kissimi chuckled. "So that's what you think about me. Good to know."
"What?"
"Hm?" Kissimi didn't make eye contact with Chase, but she was entertained by this. Perhaps it was cruel, but having done nothing to Pira, she would play a game with the boy. If Chase didn't trust her now, he never would. He wouldn't understand what I've been doing. Neither of them would. I'll be lucky if Skywalker does. Deception comes at a cost, after all.
Bane said “she’s in the other deck. I can smell her. Take a breath chase. I know it’s been a crazy day. And we are all a little tense…Chase, why don’t you find Pira and leave us to talk for just a moment”
Chase rocked on his feet then nodded reluctantly and left to locate his sister. I need to just calm down. Maybe she'll be in the library. She always is when she's not with me, He thought.
Kissimi Cresis
Kissimi sighed and finally sat beside the wolf, still petting her. The wolf yawned and rest her head on Kissimi's lap while glaring at Bane for some reason. Kissimi didn't appear to notice this.
Bane sighed and rubbed his face. “The kid is worked up over what he found. Some recordings he found when checking things for me. It’s put him on edge. And his freaking out a bit.”
"Thank you for stating the obvious. Are you done?" Kissimi responded. Her tone was empty, but her words were agitated. The wolf wasn't moving, her breathing slower than it had been not moments earlier. It was upsetting Kissimi, a feeling shared by herself and her wolf friend. Even as she continued to stroke the wolf, her fingers twitched and betrayed her feelings of worry. It could be misinterpreted as worry about the boy's findings, but it was more for her wolf. She couldn't risk loosing such a loyal friend and that was how things were looking at the moment; patience wasn't something she had much of currently.
White didn't want to die. She'd been fighting for so long though and was starting to tire. She knew her human friend was in the same state of fear she was in right now. She couldn't help but think about the things she hated: Bane's nickname for her, her brother- who was known simply as Brown- and her human's apparent favoritism of him, the unjust death of their parents, the droids, the hunt for the Holocron that meant breaking every rule she'd been raised knowing, the Jedi- though White didn't know the Jedi's name- and its search for the Holocron, and most of all, Kissimi's pain.
It hurt to see her human in pain because of her own misjudgement. White knew she should have insisted that she stay with her brother to patrol. Perhaps then the knife wouldn't have broken skin. Perhaps her death would benefit the human. With one fewer member of the pack that was White, her brother, and her human, then the human would be fit to take on the child. All three of them knew the female child had potential to play right into the final plan.
Meanwhile, the brown wolf had been trailing after Chase, keeping in the shadows. Now, though, he turned back, returning to Kissimi's side. He padded into the ship, passing Bane as he did so. He gave Bane a not-so-gentle headbutt as if to suggest leaving before flopping down at Kissimi's feet with a huff. He focused a docile but hostile scowl on Bane now. He had only returned because he knew his sister was fading and wanted to be with her. He hadn't returned for Kissimmi. He had definitely not returned for Bane. But knowing how Kissimi would react to the loss of his sister- anger and a burning moment of hatred before a display of weakness nobody else should have to see or experience- he would do what he could to soften the blow.
Brown had no care for Bane, but letting him get injured now would just mean one more mess for Kissimi to deal with after she got over the loss of White. Even the wolf prayed his sister would survive, but that meant Kissimi being left alone to try and heal her; both life and death required Kissimi to be left alone, he realized, and that would be complicated. If Bane didn't go willingly... Brown didn't want to think what Kissimi might order him to do...
Brown yawned as Kissimi stifled a yawn of her own, looking down at the wolf by her feet and petting his head lazily with the bottom of her foot. Neither of them could remember the last time they'd slept, even though it had been at least a full two days gone without sleep. Sleep would be required soon if either was to keep up with this.
Bane sighed then said “I figured you should know why the boy is scared of you. And I see your wolf isn’t fairing well. If I can help let me know. But…you should know if it comes to it, Megara can heal with the force. If you want her to…if your white wolf can last till megara wakes up…I hope she can. I’ll have my comm on. Call me if you need me to get megara” he bowed his head and left the room, his nose telling him he should leave them be.
Megara stirred in the medical bay, feeling that someone with the force was in the room with her.
The door slid shut behind Bane. Kissimi sighed but tilted her head silently as the white wolf stirred, her head lifting. The white wolf moved so she could look at Kissimi's face, her expression saying all it needed to: I got rid of him and I'm proud of myself. Kissimi smiled, stroking the wolf.
"Smart little pup. But you don't need to scare everyone to be smart," She spoke softly, entertained by the prospect of her wolf's intelligence.
Bane walked out and said “this is getting us no where…I need to get her help…but those kids can’t stay with her either…” he walked to find someone in charge.
Megara groaned softly and opened her eyes, feeling the doctor and a Jedi nearby. “What’s…going on…”
