712. Like Womprats in a Cage - Raezyr and Trychon

Anya slipped quietly down the dark hallway. She felt vindicated in her actions, knowing that if she just held strong to her beliefs that the Force would take care of her. Had she not fought the Jedi at every turn, she never would have come into contact with that little T1 astromech. From there it had been a simple matter to trick the little droid into getting close enough to short it out, then reprogram it.

As she came to the door at the end, she flattened herself against the wall and the little black and white droid wheeled to a stop behind her. She leaned out just far enough to see through the window in the door. The corridor beyond seemed deserted. Not strange since she wasn't at the main entrance to the detention level yet. She looked around and spotted a data port just below the door controls. "Tee One, plug in and see if you can shut down the alarm systems and unlock all doors. Also check the security cams and see where the guards are posted," she instructed the little droid.

The droid rolled forward and it's data arm extended out from a compartment on the front of it's round, can-shaped body and inserted it into the computer port. It whirred as it spun for a few moments, then suddenly began chirping and beeping.

Anya frantically gestured for the droid to be quiet. "Shhh, TeeOne, not so loud or you'll get us caught before we ever have a chance!"

The droid chirped and beeped again, but this time at a lower volume.

"Good work," the blonde woman replied. "Now here's what you're going to do when we get to the guard station." Anya laid out her plan for the astromech.

-----------------

Rik was sitting at the terminal of the guard station, just surfing the holonet looking for anything interesting when the battered old astromech came wheeling through the door. He glanced at the chrono. The dang thing had been in there for quite some time, but that was becoming more and more the norm. The Sith girl had taken to droning on and on to the little droid about how misunderstood and mistreated she was, playing the victim card to the only thing that would listen to her. Rik thought it was amusing. Her, a victim, and not the many innocent people she had hurt and killed.

"She still babbling away to you?" he asked the droid.

The flat-topped dome swiveled his direction so it's visual sensor could view him. It started to beep, but then made a strange groaning noise and slumped forward slightly and it's lights began blinking.

"Hey, you okay?" the Jedi asked. When it didn't reply, he got up and walked around the terminal. He stood looking at the droid, then banged a couple of times on it's dome with his fist. "Piece of junk anyway." Rik squatted down in front of the robot. He didn't know the first thing about droids, but he looked at it's knobs and buttons anyway in case something obvious stood out.

He was about give up when it suddenly sprang to life. Relieved he wasn't going to have to do the security checks in person, he began to stand up. "You gave me a little scare..." he began, then looked back down as a forked appendage extended from the droid's body and touched his leg. "What the?"

Rik crumpled into a heap as the forks crackled to life, jolting him with a heavy dose of electricity.

The smell of ionization and burned flesh hung in the air as Anya walked through the doors and picked up the Jedi's lightsaber. She snapped it on and the yellow blade hummed to life. She looked at it for a moment in disgust. Of course it had to be yellow, she hated yellow. Things could be worse, she decided. It could have been green. How she detested those colors. Nevertheless, it would have to do until she could get a red synth-crystal or maybe build herself a new weapon.

She plunged the blade into the heart of the unconsious Jedi. His body twitched for the briefest moment, then held still. Anya sneered slightly as she let blade sizzle for a moment before flicking the switch off, and breathing in the stench as if it were a delightful aroma. "I love the smell of burnt Jedi in the morning," she said to no one in particular.

She clipped the weapon to her belt as she stepped around to the terminal and, with a few quick finger taps on the keyboard, found a map of the facility and the quickest way to the landing area.  Hopefully she could steal a ship here. If not, things might get a bit hairy as she'd have to hoof it to the nearest town... Khoonda, according to the computer. She'd have to move fast. It wouldn't take long for them to discover the dead Jedi. She glanced at the chrono. Most likely she had two hours before the day shift guard came on duty. She only hoped no one checked on him before that.

Quickly she slipped through the rest of the Jedi base. Thankfully, everyone was asleep. She paused at the door to the landing pad and had TeeOne check the security cams once again. Still no guards. The Jedi clearly trusted the security systems to alert them to any danger from outside.

The Sith opened the door and stared in disbelief. In addition to a shuttle and a couple star-fighters she recognized as belonging to those damn Nautolan and Chiss freaks, there sat the Wasted Rancor and the Nefarion Wraith. She couldn't believe her luck.

For a moment, seeing Tyr's ship made her think of her former lover, and for the briefest of moments she considered going back to rescue him, but it occurred to her that not only would that increase the likelihood of her getting caught, but that if he were strong enough, he could rescue himself.

She felt smug. She was finally proving that she was the the stronger of the two Sith. Besides, if Trychon and Raezyr cared, they could come rescue him themselves. First, though, she'd have to think of some story to tell those two, but that shouldn't be hard. They were easy enough to control.

She quickly boarded the Wasted Rancor, as it was the one she was a bit more comfortable with and she would have access to what she understood of Trychon's programs.  Behind her, she could hear the little droid obediently rolling up the ramp behind her, not beeping to question her at all.

She sprinted to the cockpit and pulled up Trychon's security protocols.  A quick diagnostic showed that there was no tracking devices added to the outer hull or anywhere detectable inside the ship.  No programs had been run other than standard data dumps and checks that the computer was protected against.  No malicious programs added.

Excellent.  They're as foolish as they are arrogant.  She thought to herself, not wanting to admit that she had been worried that the ease of her escape was due to some trap.  She started the engine warmup and grinned, feeling the best she had in months.  She'd personally bested an entire Jedi enclave, and she couldn't wait to boast to the others. They'd have to respect her now.

---------------------------

Val sat with his legs crossed in front of the crackle of the fire and took in its heat as he meditated on his brief mission with Nal.  He was a simple Jedi Knight himself, just as she was... but he did feel like a bit of a mentor to the younger Jedi.  She had handled herself better than even he had hoped for, and now she was rewarding herself with well deserved rest.

He wasn't sure he'd ever accept a Master rank from the council, as happy as he was with his assignment of teaching combat at the temple.  It'd been hinted at him before that he could make the transition to Master soon, and at a rather young age considering when he'd joined... if only he was a bit more ambitious.  He found that a bit ironic, given that ambition was frowned upon by their very tenets.

Still, he felt that his place was best served teaching the younglings to protect the galaxy.  He'd have a much greater impact in that role than he ever could on front lines with a padawan.  He may never have a padawan, given his choices.  Yet here he was, away from the temple and teaching a youth of sorts in a one on one basis as he had been for months now.

He was very proud of her, and even in his meditative state the irony of his position now mixed with the pride caused him to smile.

His introspection was cut short as it often was, when a small freighter flew overhead in a vector that indicated it had come from the base.  He'd been expecting that this might happen.

He stood and brushed himself off, following with his eyes the trajectory of the ship.  He stared into the fire for just a moment, as though it maybe held answers to their future, but it never did.  He turned to wake Nal from her slumber, to find her already sitting up.

She rubbed her eyes.  "Time to go?" 

"Yes."  Val nodded as he began gathering his own things and stuffing them into his pack.  "I believe that Anya has just escaped.  We need to report back to the temple."

"You don't seem surprised at all."  She watched his body language carefully as she followed his lead and began packing.  He was hard to read nearly all the time, but she was sure she was getting better at it.  "You knew she'd escape?"

"I do not pretend to know the future, Nal."

"You knew."

"A wise Jedi prepares for all possibilities." 

"You knew."  She said, finally looking away to pick up everything she'd packed.

Val began the march back to the Temple, and smiled.

711. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr

Standing in the open docking bay outside the ship Trychon pulled the cap down low on his head. It was a little large, covering his ears and had only a bill in the front. Additionally, he wore a pair of dark tinted goggles with smart lenses which detected the ambient light levels and adjusted appropriately, as well as popping up the collar of the shirt he was wearing. "I feel ridiculous with all this crap on," he said, looking at his half-brother who was wearing a full faced helmet and mismatched armor.

"It's either that or a helmet," Raezyr replied, wistfully touching the spot on his belt where his lightsaber normally hung. Anya Tachi had taught them the only useful thing she had ever been good at: to use the Force to alter their appearance. And although Raezyr was much better at it due to prolonged use, it would never fool any facial recognition scanners they might encounter here on Alderaan which would see through the image they projected as it only affected the minds of those who were looking at them and had no affect on the holocams.

"Oh, Hell no," Trychon replied, remembering the last time he had tried to wear a helmet and it ended up flopping around on his head like a kid wearing his dad's headgear. "I still can't see how anyone can get used to wearing those things all the time."

"Well, you were the one who had to pose for the camera back on Coruscant*," Raezyr retorted. He wasn't particularly happy with the helmet he had. It was a spare taken from the armory back at King's Lair on Hoth, and while it was serviceable, it wasn't as good has his old one, and bulkier as well.

Finally, Dianna Kingsdoom walked down the loading ramp of the battle-tested space ship followed by Rhox Vegah, their dark green hooded cloaks billowing around them as they moved. "Let's go, boys," she said, striding on past the waiting Sith. Rhox followed her right on by.

Raezyr looked over to his brother who just shrugged. "Aye, aye, Captain," the big man said and turned to follow.

Trychon fell in beside his brother. "Yar," he said under his breath.

Raezyr chuckled.

The woman with the fiery red hair whipped around so quickly that she nearly ran into Rhox, who just barely got out of the way. Dianna shoved her finger in Trychon's face. "I swear by all the dieties in the galaxy... if you start that again, I'll leave you here on Alderaan."

Despite her threat, it was all she could do to keep from cracking a smile.

Dianna and the two Sith brothers stood there silently for a moment, all on the verge of cracking up. Rhox just looked confused and shifted her gaze between the three. Finally she broke the silence. "I don't get it."

 That was all it took to break the dam. They broke out laughing while the former Czerka security officer kept asking, "What? What is do damn funny?"

They all turned to head out and Dianna threw her arm over Rhox's shoulders. "It's an inside joke, Rhox, but if you want to know, remind me to tell you about the time the three of us broke out of the brig of a Republic Hammerhead."

Rhox just looked at her captain, unsure as to whether someone was pulling her leg or not.

------------------------

The four walked briskly through the bustling spaceport in the capital city of Aldera, and once outside they hailed a taxi and climbed in. They told the driver to just to drive where ever he pleased and eventually had him set down near a large park. The four got out and walked straight through to the other side and looked for another cab to hail.

"Nobody is following us," Raezyr said just loud enough to for his small group to hear.

Rhox rolled her eyes. "I suggest we continue on a few more maneuvers just to be sure, Captain."

Raezyr's helmed head turned slowly to gaze at tough security officer. Even with the eye pieces blacked out she could still feel his staring at her, but she didn't care.

"We'll make one more little ride just to be sure, then head to our meeting," Dianna decided, taking into account both people's experience and training.

The four climbed into another cab, and after a shorter ride and quick walk through of a crowded market place they headed straight for the small night club that was to be their meeting place.

710. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr and Trychon

The Ice Spectre glided in and set down in the designated docking bay, settling down on the duracrete landing pad with just the slightest hint of a bounce.

"Take it easy with my ship there, Ace," Diana said, grinning and giving Raezyr a playful nudge.

"Are you kidding?" He replied. "I could land this piece of space junk on running tauntaun and the it wouldn't even know I was there."

"Raez, you know how I hate to side with Di," Trychon said apprehensively, "but we all know you wouldn't know a tauntaun if you were swallowed by one."

Raezyr thought about that for a moment, then shuddered. "I don't even want to think about that. Those things smell bad enough on the outside."

Rhox just rolled her eyes, shook her head and headed back to her quarters to grab her gear. Dianna suggested the half-brothers do the same and meet on the landing pad. Before following Rhox to their shared quarters, she reminded the boys that this was Alderaan, and they routinely scanned for energy weapons. If they were caught with unregistered lightsabers or blasters they'd most likely be thrown in prison.

"I think we can take care of ourselves. We once fought off an entire army single-handedly," Trychon objected.

Dianna chuckled. "Shut up, Trych."

Raezyr stood up and stretched after sitting for so long at the controls. "While we all know that Trych is full of go-se 99% of the time, this one is actually true."

Dianna looked back and forth at the brothers serious faces for a moment, not sure whether they were pulling her leg or not. Finally she shook her head. "Just leave the Sith toys this time, alright? Alderaan's a peaceful planet. They don't like people bringing weapons, and we don't need the attention it would bring if you got caught, dong ma?"

She left before they could object again, as she knew they would. She didn't really care what they had to say as long as they listened. Dianna was beginning to grow her contacts once again despite her wanted status here in the Core, and she couldn't afford to have these two screw things up.

She opened the door to her quarters and stepped in. The ship had been modified to carry mostly cargo, and since most of the time she had at most one other crew member with her on a run, she had converted all but two cabins to extra cargo space.

Rhox was just sliding a dagger into each of her calf-high boots. She stood up and flipped her hair over her shoulder, then pulled it back tightly into a pony-tail. "Captain, may I speak frankly with you?"

"Of course, Rhox," Dianna replied. "You're my security officer. I'll listen to anything you have to say."

"What the hell are you doing with those... Sith?" she asked, twisting her mouth and nearly spitting the last word as if she were trying to get rid of a bad taste in her mouth.

Dianna sighed. "I know you haven't had a really good experience with the Sith, and I was pretty apprehensive at first, but I try to take people at face value. They've claimed the Sith are misunderstood and have been given a bad rap by a few bad apples, and so far, they've done nothing but prove that statement correct. They've lived up to their word and they've done a lot for me and the entire crew. You need to give them a chance."

"Captain, it's been my experience that if a Sith is being nice to you, he or she is using you or wants something from you, or you have something that they can't take from you by force," Rhox explained, crossing her arms across her chest. "And I've never seen an exception to the rule."

"All I know is that Zanz, my former security officer and first mate, a man I looked up to and thought of as a father-figure, once thought the same way you do about these two," Dianna said. "In the end, it was he who ended up making off with a dozen lifetime's worth of aurodium and left the rest of us holding the bag. If it hadn't been for the Sith, you wouldn't be here because I would have had to disband the Kingsmen and sell everything I own to try and repay a slimy Hutt."

Rhox snorted. "I heard that story, Cap. Let me guess, it was probably those two Sith who came up with the idea for that heist, wasn't it?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything, but yes... it was."

"If I had to guess, I'd bet that they worked some angle. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that they ended up with all that money somehow anyway, blamed your loyalest crew member and got rid of the only person who might question them about it in one fell swoop. Then they come swooping in with an 'investment,' using the money that was rightfully yours anyway to do it, and now they own you, lock, stock and barrel," Rhox said smugly.

"Own me?" Dianna's jaw dropped.  "You think they own me?"

"No."  Rhox's face went a little flush, realizing she'd overstepped not by insulting the brothers, but by insulting her boss.  "You know what I mean.  I know they seem nice, but I wouldn't put that sort of deception beyond any Sith."

"And if they were just some random Sith who'd hired me to do a job for them, you'd probably be right.  Hell, I'll even grant you that possibility given the fact that we'd gone to them looking for some help finding jobs."  Dianna paused to let that small concession sink in.  "It doesn't explain the half dozen times they've come to my... our aid.  Let me tell you more, and you go ahead and give me your theories."

Rhox simply stared back defiantly.

Dianna began.  "The time they rescued half my crew from a rival who'd kidnapped them, wiping out my rival in the process?  A long time thorn in my side?"

When no response seemed to be forthcoming, she continued.  "How about the time that they went with me to confront a Hutt on Nar Shadaa, where they're very wanted, just so that I wouldn't give up my base?"  Another pause.  "No theory on that?  They nearly lost an apprentice on that mission, and from what they tell me, he's still recovering, and may never be the same."

"Well, I..."

"Or how about when these two Sith," Dianna spat the word as an insult the way her officer had.  "Took my side and backed me up over their two Sith friends, including a friend of mine who I've known since long before he was a Sith?"

Dianna let that sink in as well.  "We haven't heard from them since.  I suppose that's a ruse as well?"  Dianna put her hands on her hips.  "Don't worry, Rhox... I'm not mad at you, and you can continue to voice any concern you may have, but I'd appreciate it if you avoid calling me stupid when you don't know everything."

"Understood, Ma'am.  I'm sorry it came out like that."

"And please try to play nice with them unless you have a real reason not to.  They aren't like the Sith you've known... but, " Dianna paused briefly to collect her thoughts. "You don't want to be on their bad side either.  I've seen people who ended up on their bad side before.  Don't let that be you."

Dianna walked out of the room, suddenly a perfect picture of calm again.  Maybe she was telling the truth about not really being mad, but Rhox could tell she touched a nerve by pushing the issue on her former first mate.  She wondered if her captain's last pause had been to avoid using the phrase 'or you'll end up like Zanz.'

709. Like Womprats in a Cage - Raezyr

The Nautolan Jedi carefully pried a piece of purple crystal from the rock wall of the cave. She and the Chiss had already found a small handful of crystals: two blues, four greens and a yellow, but this was the first purple. The purple were hard to find, so hard in fact, that she was considering keeping this one for herself.

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She would construct a new lightsaber using the violet focusing crystal and it would signify her new start, overcoming the dark side of the Force. She whispered her idea to Val who was standing watch while she worked carefully.

"I think that's a most excellent idea," he replied in whisper, trying not to draw the attention of any more kinrath.

So far they had encountered three of them. Each one had been a tough fight, but through all of them, Nal had kept her cool. She had stayed calm and focused, and Val was impressed. Rarely did a Jedi bounce back so quickly. Some never did.

-----------------

Anya sat on the floor of her cell. Thankfully she had learned a bit about understanding the beeps and boops that a standard astromech droid usually emitted back during her days on Corellia. During her early days at the brothel, she had only been a scullery maid, cleaning and doing menial tasks. She was forced to sleep in a small closet along with the owner's pieced together astromech. Eff Two, was what they called it.

She allowed herself a smile. She hadn't thought about Eff Two in many years. How she had hated that little droid. It had constantly broken down, and she had been forced to repair it, even though she knew nothing about droids.

That one had been nothing like this old Tee One. That had been a conglomeration of parts from several other droids while this was the real thing, old as it was.

It didn't take long for her understanding of the droid's speech to come back to her, and thankfully so. Tee One was her only conversation as no one living even bothered to come to her cell any more. Luckily for her, the droid seemed inclined to talk a bit whenever it brought meals or made it's rounds, presumably to check on her.

Still, she was beginning to go crazy. She he had to get out of here somehow. She just needed to think. "I've got plenty of time for that," she thought to herself wryly.

---------------------------------

"I thought you were going to get his consent before you did the memory transfer," Taisun growled to the other Master Jedi, clasping his hands behind his back and peering out of the window of the Council Chamber onto the Dantooinian prairie. It was clear the Cathar was a bit irritated. "It's not usual to force that upon someone. It's rough enough even when fully prepared for what is about to happen, not to mention the risk of..."

"I know the risks well," Tanner Solumi interrupted. "Oovo IV wasn't that long ago. The thing is, I don't think it was avoidable, and his mind is stronger than that poor Bothan's was. Besides, Tyr is alright."

"That really isn't the point," Taisun said.

"I know," the human replied, dropping his eyes to his feet. "He's as stubborn as his father was." Tanner chuckled a bit at the memory of his son. "Do you remember the time we had even trying to convince Jaron to give up on the search for Tyr?"

"All too clearly, my old friend," the big Cathar replied. "All too clearly."

-------------------

The tears wouldn't stop rolling down his face, no matter how hard he tried. The memories were fresh in his mind and Tyr couldn't stop them from flooding to the surface.

It felt weird remembering them. It was clear that they weren't his, but he saw them all from his point of view. Holo-reports from his father... older, and worn. Years of tracking down and fighting slavers, looking for his son had taken it's toll, making him look older than he really was.

He remembered first-hand the meeting before the Jedi Council. He watched in his mind's eye as Jaron Solumi stubbornly refused to give up the search for his son, even though it had been going on for years. Only the intervention of Tanner had kept him from being removed from the Order.

All those years he had been wrong. In his own mind he had grown resentful of his father for trying to send him to the Jedi, and it had tainted his memories, making him believe that he had never wanted to be a Jedi, but remembering his own smiling face on the holo-recording, brought back the memory of his true feelings.

After what seemed like forever, Tyr he was able to pull himself together and sit up in the bed. He took a long hot sani-steam in the refresher and got dressed in the Jedi garb they had given him. They had never brought his old clothes back, but that was okay. He had begun to realize just how comfortable these robes were. He crossed to the door and punched the intercom button. When the guard answered, he asked to speak with Val or Tanner.

Within a few minutes, Tanner Solumi was at the door. "You asked for me?"

"Can we talk?"

"Of course, Tyr. Follow me," the old Jedi said.

Tyr held out his hands so the binders could be put on.

Tanner looked Tyr in the eye without glancing down. "I don't think that will be necessary."

708. Hoth: King's Lair - Trychon

After they were underway Dianna explained that it really was a simple exchange they were going on.  As if to prove the point, she brought along only the two Sith and the newest member of her crew, Rhox Vegah.

The trip had been quiet and uneventful, with Rhox and Trychon keeping largely to themselves, and Dianna and Raezyr spending most of their time together.

The entire crew gathered in the cockpit of Dianna's personal small cruiser for the last leg of the trip, so they could be prepared should things go awry at the last minute.  Rhox continued to stay quiet and not speak except when Dianna addressed her.  Raezyr wondered if that was due to a conversation that Dianna had with her, or if she was simply going to be this cold to them for some time.

Dianna seemed to answer his thoughts by attempting to break the ice.  "Trych, I've come to terms with the fact that you guys aren't like most Sith... but even Raez has his moments with his temper.  You on the other hand, almost always seem so... optimistic.  I don't get it."

"Oh that's simple."  Trych said, swallowing the last mouthful of a treat he'd plundered from Dianna's cabinets.  "It's just a common misconception about the Sith."

That was apparently exactly what it took to get Rhox to speak up.  "Oh, this should be rich.  Do tell."

Trych couldn't help himself.  Everyone else in Di's crew was used to him and his over zealousness at times.  Rhox was like a clean datasheet for him to play with.  So as much as he expected her attitude, he put on his best imitation of shock, which was a fairly good one, and turned around to address her.  He could feel Raezyr's mirth more than he could see or hear it, but he heard Di snicker.  "Well my young lass, it's quite simple.  Between the Sith and the Jedi, the Sith are the true optimists.  The Jedi are pessimists."

"By the suns, you are so full of it."  Rhox glared at him.

"No.  I'm serious."  Trychon met her gaze, acting as though her words hurt him.  "You see... the Sith are viewed as evil... but it takes a true optimist to proclaim 'I am going to rule the galaxy!'  where it would be much easier to say 'Gosh, that sounds like an awful lot of work... and they'll probably try to stop me.'  Meanwhile, the Jedi are always running around the galaxy saying things like 'I've got a bad feeling about this...' or 'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate... leads to suffering'."


"You think you're so clever."  Rhox spat.  "I've dealt with the Sith though.  Way more than I liked to during my stint with Czerka.  There's something wrong with you."

"You're not the first to notice, either."  Trychon nodded sadly as he turned around.

The conversation ended as they exited hyperspace.  Raezyr took over the controls and made a direct course for the planet.  As they neared orbit, the controls beeped an indication that one of the large frigates was scanning them.

"Are we good?"  Raezyr asked.  "How do you want me to play this?"

"We should be fine." Dianna mused, staring at her readings.  "Just in case, keep your distance.  But don't look like you're trying to keep your distance."

"Hunh?  How am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know.  Fly casual."

"Ice Spectre, You're cleared for landing in landing dock 71511.  Please ensure that your weapons remained powered down at all times, and you are not to bring any handheld weapons off of your ship."

"Copy that."  Raezyr commed back, before shutting down communications.  "I don't like this at all."

"Knock it off, Raez."  Trychon laughed as he got up from his seat and headed back out of the cockpit.  "You're starting to sound like a Jedi."