MC: AOTE: Fraught With Disappointment

[starmark2k]

Carman sat at her desk looking down at a data-pad with a worried look across her face, she had just received a report from one of her spies onboard the Reaper. She was concerned with the information she had in her hand as it meant she was sending Nic into a dire situation. Carman cared for the man more than she cared for anyone else in the galaxy, this was unique as the crime lord was often cold towards other sentient creature.

 

Carmen fell in love with the man many years ago when he lost a bet against her and ended up gaining his employ as a bodyguard. He went with her everywhere always by her side for six months and she formed a fondness for the mercenary. Their constant time together caused them to become very close and they soon became lovers for the brief time.

 

She knew Nic didn’t feel the same way about her and this was one of the reasons he loved him. Carmen was one of the most powerful criminals in the galaxy and could have anything or anyone she wanted with the exception of Nic white.

 

The door to the office swung open and Nic walked in looking very annoyed. “What do you want Carmen?”

 

“One of your people in the prison is named Quitaan right?” The crime lord asked not taking her eyes off the pad.

 

“Yeah, What’s to ya?”

 

“Your brother received a message late yesterday.” Carmen held the pad out towards Nic. “Here.”

 

Nic stepped forward and took the pad out of Carmen’s hand, after a few seconds his left eyebrow rose and slowly said. “Admiral Quitaan.”

 

“You didn’t know her brother was an admiral?” Carmen asked shocked.

 

“I knew she has a brother who was an Imp but an admiral.”

 

“That’ll make things more difficult for you.” Carmen stated “Security will be tighter.”

 

“Well apparently that’s the way like things.”

 

“Excuse me?” The confused crime lord asked.

 

“Never mind, Something Reibe said. Nic dismissed.

 

“Ahhhh Your new friend.” The crime lord laughed

 

“Yea, who needs enemies.”

[stingerhs]

"No, its not that simple. We'll have to force Twerna to tell us how to return Ryshana and the other Jedi to normal. I'm different because I know how to fight off the effects of the mind; the other Jedi, Ryshana included, do not. And its more than a matter of having a strong mind.

 

Twerna has a method of implanting thoughts and even programs into a person's head that can be activated with a simple code word. If one of these Jedi has been activated, then only Twerna can control them until he gives out another code word that will restore them to normal. Its similar to the way the I was able to control the prisoners in the Laundry Room.

 

As for Ryshana, well, we served together for so long that she might have been able to pick up on my way of thinking, but as with most women that I've met, that apparently doesn't translate very easily. She could definitely be very stubborn at times; so, lets just hope that works to our advantage in case we get into a confrontation," Jeez stated.

 

"Besides, I have a couple of +/- 1's up my sleeve that I can play. This could be difficult, but I feel that the Force is with us on this one. Trust your instincts, and don't be afraid of anything or anyone. Most importantly, if you can't trust your instincts, then trust yourself and believe in yourself. Confidence has a habit of keeping fear at bay, so use it wisely."

 

Looking up at the indicator, Jeez noticed that they were getting close. "Any last second questions?" Jeez asked.

[JasraLantill]

Listening to Jeez's words, it suddenly dawned on Beryl that he was the 'special friend' Ryshana had talked about on the Echo. Jeez was the one that they had come here to rescue. Sure Ryshana had mentioned the other Jedi, but not with the same feeling as she had her 'friend' that she served with. She had never mentioned his name, nor had she been very specific about their relationship, but it was obvious now that Jeez was the one who Ryshana had been very close to--whom she had loved.

 

Beryl gave him a once-over look, then rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "How could I have been so stupid...," she chastised herself. She stared at him. "You're the one," Beryl said pointedly. "Ryshana's special 'friend.'" Her eyes narrowed. "She came here to rescue you, now it seems it's the other way around." She let out a sigh. "What a kriffin' idiot I've been...."

 

She squared her shoulders, feeling her confidence returning. If Ryshana trusted him enough to risk her life, then she would too. "No, no more questions. I don't know what kind of plan you have in mind for getting this 'Doctor' person to tell you how he operates, but whatever you're thinking of doing... I trust you. Let's get Ryshana and get out of here."

[JasraLantill]

((Ok, joint post from me and Stingerhs.... (So, I'm not 'technically' double posting. ) ))

 

"I'm surprised that Ryshana never told you about us, but given the nature of our relationship, I can understand," Jeez stated reservedly. As he stood there for a moment, he thought back to Ryshana for just a moment. This day will be interesting one, that's for sure, Jeez thought to himself.

 

“Maybe she was just trying to protect you,” Beryl surmised. “At any rate, we won’t find her any faster standing here wondering about it.”

 

"Very well. May the Force be with us," Jeez stated calmly. Finally, the elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors slid open to reveal an empty hallway. Stepping through, Jeez led Beryl on through as he had done before. As they headed down the hallway, it seemed to not only be empty, but it was also deafeningly silent. Their footsteps and the ruffles of their clothing almost seemed to echo across the silence.

 

Reaching the end of the hallway, it split off in two directions. As Jeez had been in the Level 5 area several times in the past, he took a right as he remembered where the security station was located. Just down the hallway, Jeez could make out a small sign on the wall that said, "Security". As they reached the sign, it was hanging next to a door with a chair setting outside. Jeez was a bit unsure as to what was going as he remembered that the chair always had a security guard sitting in it. Maybe he's just inside the station, Jeez thought to himself. Feeling outwards with the Force, however, Jeez couldn't sense any life signs in the general area.

 

"Something's wrong," Jeez stated. "There's nobody here."

 

“No security around and that’s bad?” Beryl asked. “I’d say it’s good luck.”

 

"Well, it’s just that you don't leave your most sensitive security point in the entire Facility unguarded and unmanned. Well,” he added, “discounting stupidity and incompetence."

 

“Oh, yeah, well, then that does sound a bit… odd.” She looked around, wondering if they were being watched. “You don’t think your ‘friend’ is up to something, do you? Any turrets behind that door?”

 

Stopping for a moment, Jeez once again felt outwards. Never in a very long time had he ever felt this connected to the Force, and his whole body seemed to tingle with the sensation. However, there was something out there that he couldn't quite make out. "I sense a trap, but its not here. I think more answers lie behind that door in the Security Station," Jeez stated.

 

“Well….” Beryl stared at him. “We’re certainly not going to find out what those answers are standing here all day.” She nodded her head forward. “Let’s go.”

 

Going up to the door, Jeez tried his security code, but it didn't work. "Figures," Jeez stated. "Level 4 codes aren't likely to do the trick here." Reaching into his robes, Jeez pulled out a very small comlink. "109, this is 286, over," Jeez stated into the comlink.

 

"Blue here, I read you," Blue responded.

 

"Blue, I need the secret, over."

 

"Roger, 286. Use 'power', over."

 

"Roger Blue. 286 out," Jeez stated as he put up the comlink. Looking over at the keypad, Jeez then punched in '76937' into the keypad. A green light lit up on the display, and the door swished open. Quickly heading inside while pulling Beryl along, Jeez closed the door behind them. Tapping a series of codes into the door's keypad, Jeez effectively changed the code for the door.

[Rogue Nine]

"Ok, Conn, we're in and I'm on my way up to Level 5 to get my friend. Just don't be sending me messages unless it's really, really urgent. I may not be in a position to answer. You know... binders and all. B, out."

 

Conn clicked the deck off and placed it on the table. "Binders?" he said aloud. "That wasn't part of the plan. What the hell is going on..." He turned to his console and booted it up, then ran an inmate search for 'Jeez', the Jedi contact Beryl had mentioned when going over her 'meticulously detailed' plan. Of course, nothing came up; Conn didn't really expect it to be that easy. Extracting a code cylinder from his pocket, he inserted it into his console and tapped a few keys. In moments, the screen flickered and changed, taking him to an entirely different prompt. This time, when he searched 'Jeez', it brought up the profile he was looking for. "'Ello there," Conn whispered softly as he perused the file. It was barebones and didn't provide very much information, but at least Conn had some idea of who exactly this person was that Beryl put so much trust in.

 

His console beeped at him. Frowning, he opened the alert that had popped up on his screen. "Uh oh." He grabbed for the deck and quickly thumbed it on. "Beryl, I know you said contact you only with something urgent. Your brother just arrived. Is that urgent enough?"

[JasraLantill]

((OOC: Part two of the joint post. Thanks for the intermission, Niner. ))

 

Inside the Station, there were several panels and displays, but there was nobody manning the station. Sitting down in one of the chairs, Jeez then stated, "Beryl, see if you can pull up the security grid controls for Level 5 on that console over there." Noticing that her binders were still on, Jeez added, "You don't need those binders anymore. I don't think there's much of a point to acting anymore."

 

"Indeed, Jeez. There most definitely isn't a point to anyone playing around anymore," a voice stated over the intercom in the room. The panels in the room also darkened, and as Jeez tried to press a few buttons, he found that the controls has also just been locked out.

 

Jeez recognized the voice. "What do you want Twerna? You can't get to us in here."

 

"Well, what I want is simple. Meet me in the main exercise room to find out more," Twerna replied.

 

Beryl gave Jeez a disparaging look, before biting down on the chip in her mouth to release her binders. “Well…” She spit out the chip onto the floor. “So much for covertly sneaking around.” She took out her blaster, and then the vial of poison, which had been shoved to the other side of her boot. She stared at the poison, then opened it, and sprinkled a few drops of the lethal liquid on the end of her blaster. Then she put the vial away. “So, let’s go ‘play’ with your doctor friend. I needed some exercise anyway.”

 

"I don't like this in the least bit. He has something planned, and I'm pretty sure that he's keeping his sidedeck handy to keep us off balance," Jeez commented. Heading back over to the door, he punched the new code into the door and then went outside, with Beryl close behind him. "This way," Jeez stated as he headed down the hallway.

 

Reaching into his robes once again, he pulled out the two lightsabers. To Beryl's surprise, he handed the short one over to her once again. "I want you to have it this time. That blaster might make more sense to you, but if there's one thing that any Jedi needs to keep by their side, it’s a lightsaber. You might not have the training for a lightsaber, but if you can remember any training for a vibroblade, then just remember to focus on the Force while you use the lightsaber like a vibroblade."

 

Beryl tucked the blaster under her belt, then took the lightsaber. She stared at it for a moment, then said, “Well… suppose it doesn’t really matter if I cut through a stair here.” She looked up at Jeez. “And, we do have one card that Twerna doesn’t know we have.” She grinned. “I’m not a Jedi.”

 

Jeez smiled at the comment, but his smile suddenly faded as he sensed something up ahead. "You feel that?" Jeez asked.

 

Beryl reached out with the Force, something she chastised herself for not practicing as much as she should have of late. She could sense ripples of life up ahead. “Pathetic life forms?” she hazarded a guess.

 

"Close enough. The hallway branches to the left up ahead. Turn the corner and use your blaster to get them to hunker down. After that, I'll handle the rest of them," Jeez stated. Up ahead, the corner was coming up quickly. Jeez then readied his lightsaber, but he didn't activate it. As they reached the corner, Jeez got behind Beryl.

 

Beryl nodded, and pulled out her blaster. “No killing?” she asked Jeez.

 

"It doesn't matter, now. I sense that we need to get to Ryshana as quickly as possible," Jeez replied.

 

“Good,” Beryl said. “Makes it a lot easier for me.” Keeping her back to the wall, she slid closer to the corner. She reached out with the Force, gauging the distance between her and her targets, then…

 

Without even aiming she peeked around the corner and shot her blaster at the squad of men, hitting two of them, one immediately and fatally wounded. She ducked behind the corner again as they returned fire, slouched down to a crouch, then fired a barrage again, this time, hitting another one that went down.

 

Suddenly her boot began to tingle. It was the Sabbac deck vibrating. Conn had just sent her a message—and it was tickly. Beryl rolled her eyes. “Great timing, Conn....” she grumbled. "It better be important." She couldn’t reach it to turn it off or answer it at the moment, as she was just a bit busy blasting at the guards. In her frustration, she took aim at one of the guards in the space between his armour at the shoulder joint and he went down like a sack of foodboard. Again, she quickly ducked back behind the corner of the wall, then while it was the guards turn to fire at her, she pulled out the Sabbac deck and held it up to her ear.

 

She listened to the short message, frowned, then angrily shoved the deck back in her boot. The next time she popped her head around the corner, she was blasting the remaining six guards rapidly and with a vengence, although they were just as well hidden behind cover now as she and Jeez were. "We don't have much time, Jeez," she said, not looking to see exactly where he was. "So whatever you're planning to do, do it now."

[stingerhs]

((more joint post from Jasra and i....))

"No problems," Jeez stated as he activated his lightsaber. Timing it just right, Jeez swung his lightsaber out as he moved forward which deflected a blaster round directly back to one of the security guards. As he finally turned the corner, he continued to simply deflect the incoming blaster rounds as he quickly moved forward.

 

Up ahead, the 5 remaining guards were fairly well entrenched in the recesses for the doors in the hallway. It also meant that they didn't have much room to maneuver. Using that to his advantage, Jeez gathered the Force in his left hand and shot it out in a wave right down the middle of the hall. The shockwave violently slammed the guards against the doors, and they fell to the ground unconscious.

 

Deactivating his lightsaber, Jeez signaled for Beryl to follow him as he ran down the hallway. The exercise room was right up ahead, and Jeez could sense that something was definitely amiss. As Jeez rounded the final corner, two guards that were standing in front of the door suddenly opened fire. Activating his lightsaber quickly, Jeez quickly deflected the bolts right back to the guards, and they fell backwards close to the death.

 

Stopping in front of the door leading to the exercise room, Jeez stood there for a moment. Closing his eyes for a moment, Jeez brushed aside the rising fear and focused in on the Force once again as he waited for Beryl to catch up.

 

In a moment, she came around the corner. She had stopped to pick up one of the guards' heavy blasters, the hold out blaster now tucked in her belt along side the lightsaber. Grinning, she said to Jeez, "You have got to teach me…" She slowed her steps and finally stopped altogether. Her grin had faded. "…that. What's wrong?" she asked him.

 

"The problem is just simply that I don't know. Something is wrong; I can feel it," Jeez stated as he deactivated his lightsaber. Opening his eyes, Jeez then said, "Well, we're not going to figure out anything by standing here. Let's get moving."

 

With that, Jeez reached up and pressed the key to open the door. With a swish, the doors revealed a dark room that was lit only by the light of 10 activated lightsabers arranged in an incomplete circle and the light entering in through the door. Each lightsaber was held perfectly vertical, and the light from the lightsabers revealed the faces of the Jedi that were holding them. "Yajisif Quiinzara, my General, please join the others," Twerna's voice came out as it echoed across the empty room.

 

In an instant, Jeez eyes seemed to freeze in front of him, and his posture changed to an almost militarily precise stance. "Jeez! What are you doing?" Beryl asked somewhat incredulously as she observed the changes. However, Jeez ignored her and started Walking forward. Taking a place in the arrangement, Jeez helped to complete the circle of lightsabers as he activated it and held it veritcally in front of him. However, there was still one empty spot in the circle.

 

Beryl then felt someone approaching from behind and instinctively turned around with her blaster at the ready. Almost as soon as she had the blaster pointed, a lightsaber flashed in front of her and sliced through the blaster. The purple blade reflected well against the purple hue of the Jedi's skin. Then, Beryl recognized the Jedi: it was Ryshana.

[JasraLantill]

“Welcome, sir,” the Commander of the prison gushed as he saluted the Admiral and his entourage—a personal aid and a squad of elite marines—as they disembarked from their shuttle. “Commander Refla at your service. I must say it’s a pleasure to see you, but a bit of a surprise as well. I wasn’t expecting you to arrive so soon.”

 

Admiral Berasmus Quitaan was a tall, fit man in his mid-forties, but his short blonde hair had already turned a brilliant white making him look older beyond his years. He had a presence of command about him—his uniform immaculate and stiffly pressed, his expression serious and stern, and his return salute to the Commander precise and snappy. His sharp, blue eyes scanned the hanger bay. It wasn’t completely out of order, but it did look like to him that someone had just been in the middle of ‘spiffing’ it up.

 

“So I see,” he replied, looking down his nose at Commander Refla, who was not a very tall man at all. The Commander swallowed hard, and the corner of his mouth twitched nervously. “Nevermind,” Berasmus continued. “I didn’t come here primarily to inspect your housekeeping.”

 

“No, sir… erm, I mean, yes, sir,” the commander stuttered. He took a breath to gather his composure. “What would you like to see first, sir? Supply inventory, export registers, maintenance logs….?”

 

“Prison rosters.”

 

The Commander frowned. “Erm… did you say, prison rosters, sir?”

 

Berasmus’ impassioned face stared down at the commander for a moment, then he slowly turned his head towards his aid—a Major who was standing slightly behind him and to his right. “Major Payne, did I just stutter then?”

 

“No, sir. You said, ‘Prison rosters.’ Your words were very clear.”

 

Berasmus nodded in self-affirmation. “I thought so, too.” He looked at Commander Refla askance. “Do you think that perhaps the Commander has a hearing problem, Major?”

 

Major Payne began to grin. “Perhaps, sir. Shall I… ask him, sir?”

 

Before the Admiral could answer, “Prison rosters!” Commander Refla smiled nervously. “Right away, sir. This way, sir.” The Commander saluted again, turned sharply on his heels and scurried towards the prison entrance, shooing his guards out of the way as he passed.

 

A barely perceptible smile tweaked at the corner of the Admiral’s mouth. “Payne,” he said as he linked his hands behind his back and started slowly following the Commander, “did I ever tell you how gratifying it is sometimes to be an Admiral?”

 

“Yes, sir. Many times, sir,” Major Payne replied, his grin not quite so suppressed as his superior’s. “Sir, shall I inform Captain Raikellii of the Reaper that our arrival will be delayed by a few hours while you finish up here?”

 

“Yes, I think that would be in order,” the Admiral replied. “You might even mention that we’ll be inspecting his galley supplies.”

 

“Sir, that will give him time to hide any personal contraband he might have accumulated since the last inspection,” Major Payne warned.

 

“Yes, it probably will,” Berasmus agreed.

 

“Ah,” Payne said. “Politics, sir?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

The Admiral and his entourage proceeded inside the prison facility.

[stingerhs]

Beryl's eyes widened as she slowly backed away from her friend. "Aw… crap!" she exclaimed, cringing as she glanced down at the smoking remains of the heavy blaster. She tossed it to the floor. "This was definitely not in the game plan…."

 

Twerna's voice then echoed across the room again saying, "And you must be Beryl Quitaan. Please join me in the circle," Twerna stated. In front of Beryl, Ryshana held the lightsaber out so that the tip of the energy blade was now inches away from Beryl's neck. Behind her, the lights in the room slowly lit up, although they were still at a lower level than the light in the hallway. However, it did reveal about 20 heavily armed security guards that were all equipped with heavy armor and large blaster rifles, and those same rifles were all trained on Beryl.

 

Beryl had little choice but to back up. She didn't want to fire her hold out blaster, and holding a lightsaber against Ryshana… well, that just didn't even bear thinking about. As she slowly retreated in to the middle of the circle, she shot a quick glance over her shoulder. There was no one else there.

 

"What do you mean 'join you?'" Beryl called out. "What, are you kriffin' invisible now? Hate to break it to you, Twernie, but they've already developed personal cloaking devices. So much for your next research grant, eh?"

 

In the back of the room, a hidden door opened up, and two more heavily armed security guards stepped through and flanked the door. Then, Twerna finally stepped through, and much to Beryl's surprise, he was dressed in an Imperial Navy Officer's Uniform. Checking his rank ensignia, Beryl was surprised even further as she recognized the rank of Grand Moff. "That will be Grand Moff Twerna, Miss Quitaan. If I can show you respect, then you can return the favor. Now, you and I have much to discuss."

[JasraLantill]

((OOC: Oooh...! More joint postiness... ))

 

Beryl shook her head with disbelief. A Grand Moff? What kind of place is this?! Inside, she felt panic rising, and she desperately tried to calm herself by letting the Force flow through her. “I don’t have anything to discuss with you.” She paused a moment. “Except… maybe….” The corner of her mouth twisted up, and then shook her head. “No, Win or Die probably isn’t your cup of local rocket fuel.” She knew that her sarcastic attitude was probably not going to endear her Twerna, but then again, she figured that he was probably planning to kill her anyway and so it didn’t matter much. “Sorry, no. Nothing to discuss with you.” She paused again. “Sir,” she added.

 

"Actually, you and I do have much to discuss as you fit into my plans with such perfection," Twerna replied without getting irritated at Beryl's sarcastic remarks. "You see, for my plans, I really need 13 Generals, all of whom are trained Force Sensitives. As I currently only have 12, you can most definitely fill in as my 13th."

 

Beryl let out a small, nervous laugh. “Oh, really?” she said slowly. “And get one of those nifty shiny spring jacks?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She looked around at the Jedi surrounding her. “Besides, I’m not a trained Force Sensitive.” I’m an ‘untrained’ Force Sensitive, but that’s besides the point, she thought to herself.

 

"True. Your Master's memories only indicated that you were just recently her Padawan, and that she hadn't been training you for very long. However, you are still Force Sensitive, and given the 12 other Sensitives around you that are trained, your training wouldn't take very long to complete," Twerna replied.

 

“My ‘Master’s’ memories?” Beryl gave him a strange look. “Now that’s just… weird. I don’t remember calling anyone ‘Master’.” She donned an amused grin. “Well, there was that one weekend at The Wheel when things got a little… erm…nevermind.” She wagged an accusatory finger at him. “You’ve been dipping into the tranqs around here, haven’t you? Padawans and Masters…” She snorted with contempt. “Some ‘Grand Moff’ you are.” She looked over at the armed guards. They were of the same calibre as the ones Jeez and her had encountered earlier. “In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if you are one or not. I certainly don’t recall seeing your picture on the Holonet. And even if I don’t particularly like being in those circles, I still like to keep up on the news.”

 

"Oh, so you would deny that Ryshana is your Master? Interesting that you would lie not only to me, but to yourself as well. In that case, I'd venture to guess that Ryshana's own assessment of you was indeed correct," Twerna commented. "As for my rank, I am indeed a Grand Moff. However, you will not have heard of me. In fact there are few who have heard of me. I am in fact the head of the Imperial Experimental Projects Agency. We would leave experiments to private companies, but I think that even you've seen what happens when things are left in the hands of private industry. The Agency, and its subsequent head, are kept under the highest Imperial Security Clearance, and as a Grand Moff, I report only to the Emperor himself."

 

Pausing for a moment, Twerna then stepped forward into the circle. "Ryshana, please ensure that Miss Quitaan here doesn't try to do anything foolish," Twerna ordered. Ryshana, who was standing directly behind Beryl, then placed the tip of her lightsaber so close to the back of Beryl's neck that she could feel escaping energy crackling against her neck. Then, Twerna pulled out a small syringe and then stuck it into her upper arm.

 

"Perhaps now I'll get the correct midichlorian count from your blood instead of the false count that Doc Conn submitted," Twerna stated somewhat ominously.

[stingerhs]

((more joint post goodness))

 

"Being the 'Grand Moff' of Iepa, which is a really stupid sounding acronym by the way," Beryl said, frowning as the needle stung into her arm, "and best 'buddies' with the Emperor, I would have thought you'd already have it on file somewhere."

 

"Actually, you'd be surprised at how litte the Empire knows about those that actively hide from it. Besides, Imperial Intelligence isn't near as good as they claim to be," Twerna stated as he pulled on the plunger to fill the syringe with blood. After he pulled out 10cc's of blood, he pulled the syringe out of her arm. "Then again, that's why the Emperor has people like me to ensure that nothing bad happens with that lack of intelligence." Turning around, Twerna removed the needle from the syringe and placed it in a special container. After then capping the syringe, he gave both items to one of the guards at the door.

 

Turning back around to face Beryl, Twerna then said, "Then again, the Empire never really knows exactly what the other hand is doing. If it did, then I can assure you that this operation here would not be what it is. In fact, I would not be here before you now."

 

Beryl raised an eyebrow. "So… say an Imperial inspection team showed up here, out of the blue,… are you saying that they'd shut you down?" Perhaps having Nuss visit isn't so bad after all, she thought to herself.

 

"Perhaps you're referring to your brother, Admiral Quitaan who just arrived moments before you got here. I doubt he even knows of this operation. Even if he did, I'm a Grand Moff. Any request for an inspection has to go through the Emperor," Twerna stated. "And if he did find out about the operation here, a couple of marks on his record from me, and he would become one of the most wanted men in the Galaxy."

 

Motioning to another one of the guards, the guard then left the room. "But I defer. If the Emperor did find out about this place, it won't make much of a difference. I already have my Generals, and that's more than enough to keep me safe from either him or his little dog he calls 'Vader'. I also have a growing army with an almost limitless supply. Its amazing what a couple of prisoner transfers will accomplish," Twerna stated.

 

"At any rate, you will be my next General whether you want to or not," he said ominously. "Take her to surgery prep. Its time to begin her first stages." With that, Ryshana stepped forward and moved the blade around so that it was next to the front of her neck. Two other Jedi then took Beryl by the arms after they deactivated their lightsabers. Placing Beryl in binders, Ryshana then deactivated her lightsaber and began to pat Beryl down. Meanwhile, Twerna turned around and left the room.

 

Jeez and the other Jedi then deactivated their lightsabers and left the room from the front entrance. The other guards with rifles, however, remained in the room and kept the rifles trained on Beryl. Ryshana, meanwhile, found the hold out blaster and Jeez's small lightsaber and gave them to another guard nearby. After that, Ryshana then signaled for the other two Jedi to take her away.

[JasraLantill]

Major Payne brought over a data chip to where the Admiral sat at a terminal. “Sir, I’ve sent a message to Captain Raikelli explaining that we will be delayed. He sends you his regards. Oh, and here are the newest inmates to arrive on station, sir,” he said, handing him the chip. “Apparently, they only do data entry once a week.”

 

Berasmus raised an eyebrow, then turned his head in the direction of Commander Refla, who stood on the other side of the file room looking distinctly nervous. “Once a week?”

 

“Yes, sir. Once a week,” Payne repeated.

 

“Commander Refla?” Berasmus beckoned him over with a crooked finger. “Would you care to explain to me why your people are so overworked that they can only input arrival data on a weekly basis instead of as and when people arrive?”

 

“Erm… we’ve been plagued with staff shortages…,” Commander Refla started, but his voice trailed off when the Admiral’s eyes began to narrow. “But we do keep very accurate records, sir,” he added. “Our documentation has never been faulted and every prisoner is accounted for at all times.”

 

“Indeed?” said the Admiral. He put the data chip into his terminal and began to leaf through the newest arrivals. “Let's see. How about you tell me where Prisoner 21790 is? Right at this very moment.”

 

The Commander hurriedly punched in a few buttons on a nearby terminal. “Erm… 21790 is in the other facility,” he said hesitantly.

 

“Other facility?” Berasmus frowned. “What ‘other’ facility?”

 

“For high security risks,” the Commander said hesitantly. “Politicals, sir,” he added quietly.

 

The Admiral frowned at the screen. “21790 isn’t tagged on here as a political,” he observed. “Why was she assigned there?”

 

“Oh, no, sir, you misunderstand. 21790 is there on a work detail. Erm…” He double-checked the screen. “Laundry detail, to be precise.”

 

“Laundry detail.” Admiral Quitaan suppressed a grin. “How… quaint.” He gave a nod to Major Payne and the Major tapped something into his datapad.

 

“Jobs keep the prisoners occupied, sir,” the Commander explained. “Lessens the chance of them…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “…becoming dissatisfied with their situation.”

 

“I expect all of them are ‘dissatified’ with their situation,” replied Berasmus. “They’re prisoners.” He began reading through the profile of Prisoner 21790. Then he frowned. “Are all of your human prisoners decontaminated with Excet-289A? Or just the ‘dissatisfied’ ones.”

 

The Commander shifted uncomfortably. “Sir, I realise that the decontamination solution seems unwarranted, but it’s a cost saving method. We do have alien prisoners here, and Excet-289A is the recommended solution for them.”

 

“I see.” Berasmus rose. “I’d like to see this ‘decontamination chamber.’”

 

“Now, sir?”

 

Berasmus turned to his aid, Major Payne. “Major…?”

 

“No, Admiral,” Payne said without prompting. “You didn’t stutter. You were very clear.”

 

Berasmus looked back at Commander Refla.

 

“Medical bay,” Refla said. “Yes, sir. But… I will advise you that our current doctor is a bit… erm, unorthodox.”

 

Berasmus slowly raised an eyebrow, but his face remained stoic.

 

“He’s a pressed officer,” Refla explained.

 

“I see,” said Berasmus. “Major?”

 

“Yes, sir?”

 

“Please make a note for me to keep that fact under consideration when I’m writing up the Commander’s facility evaluation.”

 

The Major typed something in on his datapad. “Done, sir.”

 

“Commander?” Berasmus motioned toward the door.

 

“Right this way, sir,” Refla said, considerably more relaxed than he had been a minute ago, leading the Admiral and the Major down the corridor to the med bay.

[starmark2k]

Kriss Raikellii sat in his office looking out of his window at the passing stars, his mind was no place and everywhere all at the same time. He seemed so calm on the surface like the man didn’t have a care in the world.

 

A chime rang from the doorway and Kriss turned to face the door. “Enter.”

 

The door opened and in walked Commander Niska, the second in command on board the ship. He held a Data-pad with a worried look on his face as he walked closer to the captains desk.

 

“Sir, we were contacted by the admirals aid he will be arriving late, I took the liberty of sending your regards sir.” The commander reported.

 

“Thank you commander.” Kriss replied followed by a silence between both men. “Anything else?”

 

“Sir… ummm… I think it would be wrong of me not to advise you in… altering… our records of your interrogation procedure with the bounty hunters.”

 

“No, we have nothing to hide.” The captain replied.

 

“But sir it wasn’t exactly standard pro…”

 

“We have nothing to hide Commander.” Kriss abruptly ordered. “Don’t make me repeat myself!”

[Rogue Nine]

Beryl still hadn't replied to his latest message, and Conn was getting antsy. He tried to busy himself with running reports and tidying up the medbay, but his heart wasn't in it. He paused as he stood next to his operating table with a can of cleaning solvent in his hand, realizing his foot was tapping unconsciously. "Huh," he muttered. It had been a while since he'd done that. Deciding he had nothing better to do, he started tapping his feet to a rhythm, playing an old Alderaanian jig in his head as he danced.

 

The door to the med bay opened and Commander Refla, Major Payne, and Admiral Quitaan stepped in. Seeing his facility doctor bouncing about on the floor, the Commander's mouth dropped in shock. The Admiral merely raised a curious brow, but Major Payne actually grinned.

 

"Always looking for new ways to keep in shape, eh Harlowe?" he commented wryly to the dancing doctor.

 

Conn froze mid-step. Turning his head to the side, he saw he had visitors. Pudgy and slightly balding, base commander Refla stood next to two taller figures, though with Refla's height impairment, that wasn't really hard to do. One wore a crisp Imperial Navy uniform and Conn could pick out the admiral insignia affixed to his breast. Oh, Sithspit, he thought as he made to straighten his stance and get ready to throw a salute. Then he glanced over at the other man, dressed in drab Imperial olive and couldn't help but let the side of his lips curl into a slight grin. He knew who had spoken to him.

 

Raising his hand in salute, he addressed Major Payne first. "Well Payne, it was either this or Professor Barnley's suicides," he said, referring to a particularly sadistic physical education instructor at the University of Alderaan. "And my medbay isn't quite long enough for those." Bringing his hand down to his side, he stood rigidly at attention. "Lieutenant Conway Harlowe, at your service, sir."

 

Admiral Quitaan looked at Major Payne askance. "You're acquainted with the Commander's 'unorthodox' physician, Major?"

 

"Yes, sir," Payne replied. "We attended university together."

 

"I wasn't aware that you had an interest in medicine," the Admiral commented.

 

"I don't, sir. It was Lt. Harlowe who had an interest in law."

 

"Oh, I see," Admiral Quitaan said slowly. "An overachiever."

 

"Yes, sir," said Payne.

 

Commander Refla had finally recovered his voice. "Lieutenant Harlowe!" he shouted. "Have you lost your mind? Dancing? In the med bay? When you were aware that Admiral Quitaan was inspecting the facility? I'm putting you on report for conduct unbecoming an officer!"

 

"He did salute, sir," Major Payne said in Conn's defence. "And his morale seems very high for a 'pressed' officer."

 

Admiral Quitaan nodded. "Indeed." He moved forward, looking around the med bay as he approached Conn. He circled around him, taking note of his uniform's appearance and his polished boots. "In fact, almost impressive."

 

Commander Refla shifted uncomfortably. "You said you wanted to inspect the decontamination facilties, Admiral? They are right this..."

 

"I'm sure the good doctor is more technically qualified to answer my questions than you are, Commander." He stood in front of Conn. "Aren't you?"

 

Conn fought to keep a straight face; he'd been wanting to laugh since the Admiral had called him an 'overachiever'. "I would very much hope so, Admiral." He took the initiative of leading them towards the decontamination chamber.

 

"So tell me, doctor, out of the prisoners that you process through here, how many, in your professional opinion, actually need to have such rigorous decontamination?"

 

Conn cast a glance at Admiral Quitaan. "Well sir, decontam is standard procedure and only takes a few minutes. But I do think it's wholly unnecessary in some cases. Not everyone who comes through here is some disease-ridden scallywag."

[JasraLantill]

At the Doctor’s comment the Admiral’s eyes smiled, even if his mouth did not. “No, I wouldn’t expect so,” he agreed with Conn. He eyed up the decontamination chamber curiously. “And how do the human prisoners… those you classify as non-disease ridden ‘scallywags’… how do they fair after decontamination with Excet-289A? Do they suffer any permanent ill effects?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Ryshana, please,” Beryl pleaded with her as the two Jedi started to drag her away. “Don’t let Twerna do this! Come on, snap out of it! Remember all that stuff you told me on the Echo? And what about Jeez?! Come on, remember!”

 

Ryshana, meanwhile, ignored her as they moved down the hallway. Beryl, tried the best she could to break out of the Jedis' iron grip as she writhed and struggled, but Ryshana just continued along apparently oblivious to what was going on. Then, they reached a door labelled "Surgery Preparation". Seeing the label, Beryl struggled harder than ever to get them to let go of her, but they just simply would not let go.

 

Pressing a button by the door, the door to the room swished open only to reveal Jeez with a lit lightsaber. Before Ryshana or the other two Jedi could react, Jeez lept for the Jedi to the left of Beryl, and his head was already rolling off his shoulders before he could reach his lightsaber. The other Jedi had just let go of Beryl and was reaching for his lightsaber, but Jeez simply lashed out with the Force which sent him flying down the hall.

 

Ryshana, meanwhile, drew out her lightsaber and slashed out at Jeez. Jeez quickly blocked the strike and then launched a furious counter-attack. “Jeez, no!” Beryl cried out thinking that Jeez was looking to kill Ryshana, but no sooner had she said that, she heard the unmistakable hiss of a lightsaber igniting behind her.

 

Without even having to concentrate much, she reached her hand out for the lightsaber of the dead Jedi on the floor beside her. The weapon flew into her hand and she immediately ignited it. Reactions and old TCTA weapons training took over and she parried the oncoming vertical slash without thinking.

 

She repelled the Jedi’s attack blow for blow with ease for a few seconds, but then as she began to ‘think’ again, she found herself losing ground and backing into the open door of the surgical prep room. Meanwhile, Jeez continued his furious assault on Ryshana. Every strike was extremely swift, and it was difficult for Ryshana to keep up. As she backed away towards a wall, Jeez then backed off momentarily and lashed out with the Force at Ryshana. Flying backwards, Jeez then turned and attacked the other Jedi to take some heat off of Beryl. Forced to defend against two opponents, the Jedi was quickly forced back.

 

Ryshana, however, had recovered, and she quickly rushed towards Jeez. Leaping horizontally, Ryshana then went into a spiraling attack. She still doesn't want to give up on that move, Jeez thought to himself. Moving slightly to the side, Jeez quickly deflected her lightsaber and then swung the blade around and nicked her in the side with his blade. Stunned by the pain, Ryshana then tumbled uncontrollably to the ground as Beryl and Jeez continued to fight off the other Jedi.

 

Then, Jeez felt an opening, and he kicked upwards against the Jedi's chin which sent him reeling backwards a bit. Beryl then quickly lunged forward and impaled the Jedi in the chest with her lightsaber. As the Jedi fell dead to the ground, Jeez used the Force to pick up the fallen Jedi's lightsaber and activated it so that he had a lightsaber in each hand. Ryshana, however, had recovered fully and launched a furious assault at Jeez. With two lightsabers, however, her blows were very easily parried aside. "Beryl!! Go find a sedative from the prep room!! Go!!" Jeez yelled out.

 

Beryl didn’t argue with him. She darted into the prep room and her eyes latched onto the standing tray beside the examination table. There were several syringes laid out in neat rows, each with various shades of liquids—some clear, some blue, some light pink. “Kriffin’ hell, which one!” She grabbed them all, hoping that Jeez might know which was the best to use, and ran back out to the corridor.

[Rogue Nine]

“And how do the human prisoners… those you classify as non-disease ridden ‘scallywags’… how do they fair after decontamination with Excet-289A? Do they suffer any permanent ill effects?”

 

Conn shook his head as he opened the decontamination chamber door. Admiral Quitaan seemed like a by-the-books sort of officer, but with Commander Refla's obvious discomfiture and Major Payne's interventions, Conn figured that there might be a bit of Beryl in her big brother and he decided to test that. "Oh, no sir. Wouldn't make sense to spray the diseased ones with something the healthy ones couldn't handle, now would it? Stuff's a little rough on the skin, but nothing too bad." He gestured towards the open chamber. "Perhaps you'd like a dip in there to see for yourself?"

 

Before the Admiral's look of surprise had even settled on his face, the Major quickly intervened. "Erm... I don't think that a practical demonstration is necessary, Harlowe," he said, giving a look of warning in Conn's direction. "Perhaps you can just explain the procedure in detail to the Admiral."

 

"Oh come on, it's not that bad! Hell, I even go in there sometimes myself, if I forget to shower in the morning," Conn said, his face deadpan, but his eyes dancing in amusement.

 

Commander Refla flinched. "See what I mean, sirs?" he said to the two officers. "Unorthodox."

 

"Perhaps you can tell me how your last human subject fared in the chamber," the Admiral said, quite obviously amused by the Commander's discomfort. "I believe that was...." He looked at the Major.

 

"21790, sir," the Major answered.

 

"Yes, how did 21790 fare?"

 

Conn hesitated for a moment. Beryl had been the last human in the chamber. Glancing at the Admiral's eyes, Conn could tell that he knew that. Of course, he's an Imperial Admiral. There are very few things he can't find out. "Well Admiral, your sister fared pretty well. I don't think she liked the heat, but then again, she was doped out of her mind at the time, so I don't think she felt it much."

 

The Commander's brow raised in confusion and he looked to Conn for an answer. "Did you just say 'sister'?" He then turned to the Admiral. "21790 is your sister, sir?"

 

This time the Admiral did grin slightly. "Yes," he said after letting the Commander sweat for a moment. "She is." He glanced at the Major. "What was that saying you said on the way here, Payne?"

 

"You can choose your career, you can pick your friends, but family is inflicted upon you, sir."

 

The Admiral nodded. "Very true, very true…."

 

"Sir, I take it from the Commander's question that he is unaware of the transfer request," the Major said boldly. As the Commander's mouth gaped like a fish, the Major continued, "Your staff should be processing that now."

 

"So, Doctor," the Admiral continued his conversation with Conn. "Is it standard procedure here to sedate prisoners before decontamination?"

 

Conn had watched the exchange with the Commander and had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide the grin on his face. "Sometimes they can get pretty unruly, sir. I don't really need them tearing up my medbay as I'm trying to process them." He lowered his hand just a bit. "As I recall, Beryl came in kicking and yelling, cussing out the stormies as they brought her in. If I hadn't sedated her, she'd've probably kicked my head in."

 

The Admiral nodded in agreement. "Yes, she's always been a bit… 'unruly' in that respect." He eyed Conn over. "Doctor… would you care to accompany us down to the main detention area? I would welcome your 'unorthodox' opinions." He glanced over at the Commander. "Commander Refla, in the meantime, if you could transfer your supply manifests, export registers, maintenance logs to my shuttle it would be much appreciated."

 

Still gaping like a goldfish, the Commander nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll… I'll send a security detail with you." He nodded to the Stormtroopers standing in the corridor near the Admiral's own personal guards, then turned to the Admiral, saluted, and then hurriedly exited the room.

 

The Admiral shook his head. "I really detest having to deal with worms such as Refla," he commented to Conn. He looked at Conn. "So, shall we go?" He held out his arm, indicating that Conn should lead the way.

 

"Surely," Conn said, picking up a small medkit from underneath his desk. "Never go anywhere without one," he explained quickly. As he turned towards the door, he made a face. Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into...

[JasraLantill]

((OOC: A double helping of Co-posties... ))

 

The Admiral, with his security detail, followed Conn down to the prison levels. There wasn’t much activity—few prisoners ever were allowed not to be on a work detail during the ‘daytime’ hours—and the prison’s general quarters were as quiet as a tomb.

 

On the way down in the lift, Major Payne explained to Conn how the Admiral was in charge of logistics in this sector—supplies, resources, maintenance and equipment. And since the prison asteroid was also a mining facility, it was up to him to see that it functioned efficiently and, at the same time, within Imperial regulations.

 

“Which means that he is very interested in understanding how facilities function ‘behind the scenes,’ so to speak,” the Major explained. “So, if you have any grievances or complaints about procurement issues, not getting enough medical supplies, or having faulty equipment, or misappropriation of resources, for example, we would very much like to hear about it. Especially from one such as yourself who is familiar with the operation of the facility, but yet, shall we say, ‘relatively unconcerned’ about promotional opportunities in their career and more about when their enlistment expires.”

 

The lift stopped and they all disembarked. The Admiral asked to see the prison kitchens first, querying Conn on things like whether he or any of the other Imperial staff ever ate the food prepared here or if he had treated any of the prisoners for malnutrition or food poisoning. The Major recorded all of Conn’s answers on his datapad, as well as scanning random inventory as they passed through the pantry areas.

 

The next stop on the tour was the prisoners’ cells, to check on the utilization of assets such as bunks and blankets, and because the Admiral had expressed an interest in seeing Prisoner 21790’s cell. “Tell me, Lieutenant Harlowe,” the Admiral said as they walked through to the main corridor towards the prisoners’ cells. “I realise that Quitaan isn’t a common name, but what made you assume that Prisoner 21790 was my sister rather than, say, a cousin or a niece?”

 

"An educated guess," Conn replied. "That, and you two look too much alike to be just cousins."

 

“Indeed?” The Admiral’s eyebrow raised in much the same way as Beryl’s would have. “I expect she might say otherwise.” They walked for a few paces in silence, then the Admiral said. “You have something in common with her, you know.”

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Jeez, meanwhile, had forced Ryshana almost against a wall. His skilled attacks with both blades were making it almost impossible for Ryshana to even launch a counter attack. Then, Ryshana finally backed away somewhat and vaulted off of the wall unexpectedly. Instead of continuing to fight Jeez, she ran straight for Beryl with Jeez in hot pursuit. Realizing that she was about to attack Beryl, who was loaded down with syringes, Jeez quickly used the Force to pull Ryshana backwards. As she was falling, Jeez quickly timed and then threw the lightsaber from his left hand. As it flew forward, it connected with the wrist that was holding the lightsaber, and it cut off Ryshana's right hand.

 

As Ryshana fell to the ground in shock, Jeez quickly reached out with the Force and pulled the lightsaber he threw back to his hand. Meanwhile, Ryshana's lightsaber deactivated on its own and clattered to the ground. Jeez continued to move forward and then place both of his lightsabers next to Ryshana's neck in an X pattern.

 

It was heartwrenching enough to have seen Ryshana’s hand sliced off, but to witness her friend and mentor decapitated in front of her eyes…?

 

“JEEZ, NO!” Beryl screamed.

[Rogue Nine]

It was Conn's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Do I really, sir? What might that be?"

 

"She, like you, is also a 'pressed' soldier, though I daresay that she probably wouldn't have mentioned that to anyone. That's one of the reasons why I'm here, Doctor-to take her back into custody. It just so happened that this facility was fortuitously due an inspection at the same time." He grinned then, an uncomfortable expression for both him and whoever was receiving it. "Perhaps, when she returns from her work detail, you can impart this information to her? I, unfortunately, will be away inspecting the The Reaper while her transfer orders are being processed."

 

"I'll be sure to let her know once she gets back, Admiral," Conn said, keeping his voice level. That is, if she comes back alive and not in a body bag, he thought to himself grimly.

 

They had reached Beryl's cell. The Admiral looked around, then frowned with a mixture of disgust and trepidation. "Tell me Doctor, are these…," he wrinkled his nose, "cells ever decontaminated with the same vigour as newly arrived prisoners?"

 

"Ah, you'll have to ask one of our Trustees about that, sir," Conn replied. "I don't spend all that much time down here, I'm not the kind of doctor that makes house calls."

 

While the Major made a note of Conn's response in his datapad, the Admiral commented, "It's not difficult to see why." He turned to the Major. "Did you bring that package with you?"

 

"Yes, sir." The Major snapped his fingers and one of the Admiral's security guards produced a small, wrapped parcel and then handed it to the Major, who then handed it to the Admiral.

 

Admiral Quitaan looked at Conn. "Which is her bunk?" he asked, his tone of voice suddenly much softer and less commanding that before.

 

Conn stared at the Admiral for a few moments, a look of surprise on his face. "Uhm, I think it's that one, sir," he responded, pointing to the lower left bunk. "Do you plan on leaving that for her?"

 

"Yes," the Admiral replied, and he laid the package on top of the bunk Conn had pointed to. "She'll know who it is from, and what it means." He straightened himself up, smoothed his uniform, (even though it had barely a wrinkle,) then said, "Well, I think we've seen enough here, Major. We should return to see how the Commander is coming along with his inventory files." The Admiral snorted. "Before he tries to hide too many things."

 

Conn couldn't help but chuckle at the Admiral's last statement as he tucked the package under Beryl's pillow.

[Grace]

"I'm not speaking to you," Jana said shortly, never moving from the meditative position she held. Her eyes remained closed and Reibe smirked.

 

"You'll have to eventually," she pointed out. "I'm the only one who can train you."

 

"There's Ryshana," Jana countered stubbornly.

 

"That's only if she and Beryl manage to escape," Reibe reminded the stubborn young woman. "And even then, Ryshana does not have the training ability to aid you in fully mastering your power. You are stronger than anyone I've seen in years, Jana."

 

"Stop trying to flatter me," Jana snapped, finally opening her eyes. "You tied me up, gagged me, and erected some sort of illusion, made Nic think I was you. I'll never forgive you for that."

 

"I don't require your forgiveness," Reibe answered shortly. And with that, she left Jana alone once more.

[steven]

Jack walked through the corridors with mixed feelings. He was happy that so far he had avoided all contact with the cryptic jedi, although due to an certain genetic minipulation program he was force through, she'd have a hard time reading his mind and discovering anything he wouldn't want her to find out, he still couldn't stand Jedi, espically arrogrant Jedi like her. The fact she was even in this heep of junk Jack called home annoyed him, he was saddened how quiet it was here, he thought he would of perfered it more quiet around here however Jack had grown small attachments to the crew here and knowing they were in some imperial prison doing force knows what, wasn't exactly making him the happiest of all people.

[stingerhs]

((and the skies split apart, and God thus declared, "More joint postings!!"))

 

"Oh, relax, Beryl. I won't do anything unless I have to," Jeez stated somewhat annoyed as he concentrated on Ryshana. "Quick, read off the labels on those syringes."

 

Beryl fumbled with the syringes in her hand. “Two of them are saline,” she said, tossing them to the floor. This one’s dexy-hy-droxy-chloro-fluni-traz-e-pam,” she read slowly of another clear liquid syringe. “And, the pink one’s tri-glyceride-zerpaz-i-phan. And this other clear one is tri-methyl-benzo-phenyl-chlor-ephramine. the blue one is… is… erm…” The blue one had no label. She gave him a weak grin. “It’s just blue.”

 

"The last clear one. Inject it in her thigh, and then inject the pink one by her wrist," Jeez stated with a bit of a rush.

 

It was unusual for Beryl to not to question Jeez on what exactly she was injecting, but she didn’t say a word as she jabbed the designated syringe into Ryshana’s leg and depressed the plunger. In an instant, she detected that Ryshana was beginning to relax. Good, Beryl thought. It’ll make it easier for the next shot. The second syringe was more difficult for her to administer, besides the fact that a wrist wasn’t very fleshy, but seeing Ryshana without her hand was actually making Beryl a bit queasy. “Done,” she said to Jeez. “Now what?”

 

Jeez then deactivated his lightsabers as he felt Ryshana's consciousness drain away and knelt down beside her. "Grab the severed hand and follow me," Jeez ordered as he picked Ryshana up off the ground. Heading into the prep room, Jeez placed her on the table.

 

On the counter nearby, Jeez caught sight of a machine that he was all too familier with. Reaching over, he grabbed a metal shaft that was connected via a thick cable to the machine and slid it into the port on the back of Ryshana's head. An indicator came up on the machine, and then a monitor came to life next to the machine as it displayed Ryshana's vital signs. Getting into the cabinets, Jeez worked quickly as he looked for surgical tools.

 

Beryl came into the room holding Ryshana’s hand and with a look of utter horror on her face. And her expression turned even more horrified as she saw Jeez ‘plug in’ Ryshana. “Kriffin’ hell…,” was all she could manage.

 

"Don't worry about that. We need to keep her stabilized in case she goes into shock. That machine will help us accomplish that," Jeez stated as he started pulling out the surgical tools and setting them down on the counter in front of him. "If you would, use that first clear solution you mentioned by injecting Ryshana near the wrist, and then through one of the veins in the severed hand."

 

Then, one of the side doors opened to reveal a somewhat shocked nurse. "What's going on here?" the nurse asked in disbelief.

 

"We have a severed hand that we're trying to handle," Jeez calmly replied. Looking over at her, Jeez then said, "And I'm sure that you'll do a far sight better than me when it comes to reattaching that hand. So, I'm gladly thanking you for volunteering."

 

Beryl had just finished injecting Ryshana’s wrist with the second clear syringe when the nurse arrived. Her eyes narrowed at the woman. “Here,” she said coldly, slapping the syringe into the nurse’s hand. “You inject the hand.” She flashed a quick, but wry grin. “I’ll get the door.”

[JasraLantill]

Beryl jogged over to the surgical bay door and into the corridor. She checked left then right, and seeing only the two dead Jedi within, she went back into the surgery suite, closing the door behind her. With Jeez attempting surgery, she didn’t want any more surprise attacks.

 

She looked at Ryshana laying on the surgical table—her friend, her teacher, but now a pitiful, unconscious Twi’lek with a missing hand and a spring jack implanted in her head. Anger started to well up inside her—for what Twerna had done to Ryshana, to Jeez and the other Jedi and prisoners, and what he had been planning to do to her. She turned to Jeez, eyeing him with some trepidation. “So, where did you say you got your medical training from?”

 

"Nothing quite like field training in the middle of a battle," Jeez stated as he remembered a number of instances when he provided medical care to his wounded Clone Commando comrades. "With blaster bolts flying overhead..."

 

After the nurse finished prepping the hand, Jeez then took the hand and lined it up with Ryshana's wrist as best he could despite the serious lightsaber burns. "And don't forget the missiles screaming past..." he continued. Taking some bacta solution from the nurse, Jeez then squirted the gelatinous fluid between the hand and the wrist in order to soak the ends into somewhat healing themselves. "Then, there was all that dirt everywhere that was starting to turn into thick mud from the blood pooling out of the bodies..."

 

Letting the nurse take over in order to stitch the parts back together, Jeez then went over to the sink to wash up. "So, yeah, I learned this stuff from the best," Jeez stated calmly as he studied the readout from the machine plugged into Ryshana's head.

 

Beryl’s face showed her discomfort as she listened to Jeez’s description. Although she’d seen some injuries from both being a test pilot, and occasionally from blockade running, she had never been in a ‘wartime’ situation. “And you reattached, erm, limbs?”

[stingerhs]

((and man thus complied with God's decree and presented him with more joint postage.))

 

"On three separate occassions, yes," Jeez replied as he remembered a scene where 682 took a direct hit from a rocket with his body going one way and his arm going another. "Ok, her vitals are reading normal. If she's going into shock, I certainly can't tell."

 

As the nurse concentrated on her work, Jeez then went back over to Ryshana and looked down at her. Caressing her head with his left hand, Jeez had to close his eyes for a moment. It will all be over soon. Yes, it will be over soon enough, Jeez thought to himself. Focusing in on the Force, Jeez felt himself slowly becoming one with the Force. As he focused, he brought his attention to Ryshana below him. He felt the numbed pain from her wrist, and he felt the pain of several bruises that had formed on her body from the previous bout. Then, he felt her clouded mind. The confusion from the mind control had long since been repressed to a point that it was too weak to prevent her from obeying Twerna.

 

With that in mind, Jeez remembered how he freed himself just after he left the exercise room less than an hour ago. It was a struggle, but Jeez had been able to connect with the Force to increase the confusion to a point that his subconscious self could fight off the commands from Twerna. In this way, Jeez did the same thing to Ryshana. She had to fight off the parts of her brain that were suppressing her confusion. Jeez then prodded her mind to provoke the confusion, and as he worked and concentrated, he slowly increased the confusion in Beryl's mind. Her subconscious began to awake, even with the sedative, and Ryshana was slowly able to fight off Twerna's commands as she awakened.

 

Her eyes opened suddenly, and she looked straight up at Jeez. "Jeez!" she yelled out in joy as she jumped up to hug him with her good arm. Jeez quickly embraced her as he slowly let her back down.

 

"You've had a busy day," Jeez stated to her with a smile.

 

"I know," Ryshana responded. Turning her head, she caught sight of Beryl. "Hey you. I knew you'd come through for all of us."

 

Beryl gave Ryshana a weak grin. “I’m glad to see you awake, but we’re not out of this yet.” She gave Jeez a nervous sort of look. She was getting concerned not only for them, but for Sam as well. If Twerna had known who she was, who was to say that he wouldn’t try to harm Sam, or even Conn for that matter, in retaliation for what they had just done? “Jeez, can we just hurry this up and get out of here? Before that doctor guy comes back?”

 

"Well, we need to get this done properly so the hand will heal back correctly," Jeez replied. Looking over at the nurse, she nodded to Jeez as she cut the stitching. "Well, its back on, but I'd prefer it if we could use the Laser Rebuilder to attach it properly," she stated. Looking up at Jeez, the nurse then just stated, "Well, I guess I'll just go find one." Then, she turned around and entered the Operating Room next door to look for the tools.

 

"Well, at least I can twitch my fingers," Ryshana stated as her fingers moved just slightly. As she sat there, Ryshana wondered back to the encounter they had just had. "So, what happened back there, Jeez? I thought you told me long ago that you were immune to those that commanded you."

 

Jeez sighed for a moment. "Well, I have the same problem you have. I just have more training on how to control the mind. Twerna can manipulate it, but he doesn't really know how to control it," Jeez stated with some reservation.

 

"What happened back there is something new. Twerna must've done something between yesterday and today." Looking over at Beryl, Jeez then stated, "I'm not sure if I can control myself completely. If Twerna gives a command, Ryshana could be back in the state she was, and I could temporarily lose myself to his commands. Whatever happens in that timeframe could be very interesting."

[JasraLantill]

Beryl arched her brow. “Interesting?” she asked Jeez incredulously.

 

The nurse had returned with the tool she was looking for. Sticking a very small probe into the gap between Ryshana’s wrist and the hand, the nurse slowly began to reattach the circulation and nervous endings as best she could.

 

“You’re saying that Twerna guy could come back," Beryl continued, "and you two could each go back to being… wind-up Jedi and you think that’s interesting? No, no, no, no, no….” She looked around, spotting an empty syringe on the medical tray the nurse had been using. Snatching it up in her hand, she reached into her boot, extracting the vial of viper kinrath venom she had used to kill the Ysalamiri. “That’s it,” she said with conviction as she filled the syringe with the last of the venom in the vial. “Twerna comes in here, I’m killing him.”

 

"And what would that accomplish?" Jeez asked. "Killing that man isn’t' going to solve anything. What do you think is going to happen when one of Twerna's underlings finds out that he's dead? You're forgetting that Twerna has a very ambitious plan going on here. It’s also a plan that could continue on with one of his underlings." Looking over at the nurse, Jeez then stated, "No offence, Miss.

 

"The point is that if you kill him, you'll just pass the opportunity onto somebody else. What's more important than stopping Twerna is making sure that the things he's set into motion don't come to pass. To do that, we need to do what I've been planning all along.

 

“The truth of the matter is that this rescue attempt was to get the manpower we need to expose Twerna's plan to the rest of the Empire. If there is one thing the Empire will not tolerate, it has to be a coup d'etat attempt, and if we expose him, I can assure you that everything involved here will come to an end."

 

Beryl stared at Jeez deadpan. “Why do I suddenly get the feeling that I’m being duped?” she asked rhetorically. “Ryshana and I came here to rescue you, Jeez—you and the other Jedi—not to bring down Twerna.” With inquiring eyes, she looked at Ryshana. “Didn’t we?”

 

"Well, yes, we did, but as you can see, that plan had already been heavily altered since I hadn't expected, much less planned, for what happened," Ryshana replied. "And now that I've seen what's been done to me, Jeez is right. We can't let what has happened to us happen to others. Just killing Twerna so we can escape only solves our problems. If we just leave, thousands of lives will still be at risk because of Twerna's plans whether it be the troops that his successor installs the brain ports into or the eventual conquering of systems all to replace one dictator with another. Jeez is right; we need to expose Twerna or risk many more lives."

 

Beryl let out a sigh of resignation. She pressed her lips together, unhappy about staying longer, but knowing that the two Jedi were right. “When this is over, I want a vacation,” she said under her breath. “Okay, let’s hear this plan of yours,” she said to Jeez. “And what do you want me to do?”

 

"Well, for now we all need to stick together," Jeez stated. Finally, the nurse pulled the probe from Ryshana's wrist and got to work rejoining the skin together. "When we're done here, we need to get to Twerna's office. He has this datapad that he keeps with him at all times. We need to get that datapad off of him since it is likely to have a ton of data on his plans in addition to personal notes that are likely to be very incriminating. You are going to have to be the one to handle that because of our circumstances.

 

“The problem is that Twerna always keeps at least two of the Jedi by his side at all times. However, they're still likely to be using those little boxes that allow them to use the Force. They don't need it, but they likely aren't aware that they don't need it. If you remember, those boxes act as a backup measure for controlling someone which is why you killed the ysalimiri in the first place. So, what I'll do is to figure out where the controls are for those boxes and use them to confuse the two Jedi while you snatch the datapad.

 

“After that, we run like hell to get out of here. I have a couple of cards to play to help us escape, so it shouldn't be too large of an issue. Any questions?" Jeez asked.

 

"Actually, I have one: since when did you become General?" Ryshana asked with a smile.

 

"Since my General took ill and had to be rescued," Jeez stated as he returned the smile. Leaning over her, Jeez reached down and kissed her.

 

Beryl was actually quite surprised to see Ryshana get kissed, but she didn’t say as much. “Avoid the Jedi, get the datapad, get the hell out of here. Got it. Where’s his office?”

[stingerhs]

((the skies opened before the multitudes, and more joint postings were provided.))

 

"Not too far from here. Go down this hallway and take the third hallway on your left. The office is at the end of that hall," the nurse replied. "Although, I have to ask, what's my part in all of this? I'm just a nurse."

 

"Just stay out of trouble and don't get involved. If the Imperial Justice System proves its worth, you'll just get reassigned," Ryshana replied.

 

"Well, that's reassuring," the nurse stated somewhat distastefully. "I guess I'll just get off early and go on a mining transport."

 

"Mine transport?" Ryshana asked somewhat incredulously as she looked over at Jeez.

 

"Yes, the prison here does make itself valuable in that its also a mining colony. The ore is delivered to an elevator system along with any approved personell that need to leave the Prison Facility. At the top of the elevator is a large hangar in which the ore is distributed among the buyers' transports. Those same transports also provide shuttle service for the personell to transports located in orbit over the planet. Why do you ask?" Jeez stated.

 

"Well, we've been thinking of a way off this planet, and that could easily be a good solution," Ryshana replied.

 

Finally, the nurse finished joining the skin together. The burns from the lightsaber were still visible, but the hand was fully connected. The nurse then took a syringe from a drawer and injected it into Ryshana's wrist. "This is to counter the numbing agent used earlier. This is not going to feel very good," the nurse stated. Sure enough, Ryshana was soon gritting her teeth as she felt the pain rising in her wrist. She did, at least, have full functionality in her hand. Using the Force, Ryshana was able to numb the pain.

 

Handing her a lightsaber, Jeez then said, "Alright, well, lets get started."

 

“Great,” Beryl said. She tucked the capped poison syringe into her top pocket, then spun the hilt of her lightsaber in her fingers like a cheerleader twirling a baton before clutching it solidly in her hand. “You two can follow me this time.” She flashed Jeez a mischievous grin. “The last person Twerna would be expecting to waltz into his office is me. I’m supposed to be getting ‘prepped’ for surgery.” She headed out into the corridor in the direction that the nurse had indicated. “Oh,” she added over her shoulder, “and I did think of using the mining cargo lift to get out of here. Even got a distraction in mind so we can use it.” She paused then, and looked at Jeez.

 

“And just so you know, Sam and Doc Harlowe are coming with us. Max, my trustee, too.” She started walking again. “I think.”

 

"Well, as long as Nic doesn't mind," Ryshana commented. Looking over at Jeez, Ryshana said, "Nic is the Captain of the ship we're hired on."

 

Nodding in acknowledgment, Jeez continued to follow behind Beryl while feeling outwards with the Force. He didn't want to run into any security guards that would give away what was happening. Remembering the layout of the Level 5 area, Jeez then signaled to Beryl and Ryshana to keep going. The security station had to be back up and running by now, and Jeez turned down a hallway on the right towards the station.

 

As he moved down the hallway, he continued to feel what was in front of him. Finally, he felt several people located around one room. Thinking for a moment, Jeez then realized that he was already there at the Security Station. Peering around a corner, Jeez chuckled to himself for a moment when he realized that they were still trying to open the door that he had changed the code for earlier. Then, and idea struck him. Turning the corner, he activated his lightsaber and pointed it at the guards.

 

"Keep you hands from the coms and the blasters, boys," Jeez stated as the guards looked over incredulously at him. As Jeez moved towards them, they backed away slowly. When they had backed away from the door, Jeez continued pointed the blade at them while he punched in the code without looking at the keypad. As the door swished open, Jeez then said, "Alright, now, slowly reach down, grab you blasters, drop them on the floor, and kick them away."

 

As the guards complied, Jeez then motioned for them to enter the Security Station. When they were all inside, Jeez used the Force to stun them, and they collapsed on the floor. Deactivating his lightsaber, Jeez then went to work on figuring out how activate the Jedi boxes. After about a minute, Jeez figured it out and was ready to get moving as he monitored Beryl and Ryshana over the security cameras.