MC: AOTE: Fraught With Disappointment

[JasraLantill]

“Commander? What is that?” Admiral Quitaan frowned and pointed at the flashing control panel with its corresponding alarm.

 

“Erm… erm…!” Commander Refla stuttered as he reached over one of his technicians shoulders and began fumbling with controls. The technician looked irritated, but didn’t dare say or do anything for fear of reprisal from his commanding officer. “It’s nothing! Really!” Refla hurriedly apologized. “It’s just a….”

 

“Sergeant?” The Admiral put a hand on the technicians shoulder. “What is going on?”

 

The sergeant shifted in his seat, slightly uncomfortable with the situation. “Explosion in the mines, sir. Some reports of casualties. A security detail and assessment team has been dispatched.”

 

“They’ll soon sort the problem,” Commander Refla interrupted. “It’s really nothing to worry ab….”

 

“Does this happen often, sergeant?” the Admiral asked, cutting off Refla.

 

“Erm… no, sir.”

 

The Admiral frowned at the sergeant’s delay. “Erm? You don’t sound very convincing.”

 

“It’s happened once or twice before,” the sergeant then admitted, getting a glare from Commander Refla.

 

The Admiral glanced over at Major Payne, who was busy with his datapad. “Yes, sir,” said Payne in response to the Admiral’s silent question. “I’m getting it all down.”

 

“Good.” The Admiral crossed over to the other stations, examining the panels and displays. “Payne,” he said slowly, “I think that we should investigate this incident ourselves. Observe their emergency protocols in action.”

 

“Very good, sir.” The Major nodded to the Admiral’s security detail, who formed up at the door.

 

“In the meantime, Commander, please continue to send all requested documentation to my shuttle,” the Admiral said as he headed towards the door. “I plan to leave here for the Reaper as soon as we are finished observing your personnel in action.”

 

Commander Refla stiffened, then saluted. “Yes, sir. I’ll make sure the appropriate files are sent.”

 

“Of that I have no doubt,” the Admiral said under his breath.

 

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

 

Assisting their ‘injured’ companions down the corridor, Beryl was finally feeling like things might be going their way. None of the stormtroopers had paid any attention to them after Conn had ordered them to the medbay and she could see the lift in sight.

 

“We’re just about there,” she whispered to Jeez.

 

Max used her security key to access the lift to the upper levels of the prison, and soon the five of them were inside and going up.

 

“Now," Max instructed, "when you get inside the med bay, stay on the left side of the room. Only one security camera is there. Or was there,” she added with a wink. “So there won't be any prying eyes. I’ll leave to get you some regular prison uniforms,” she said to the Jedi. “Don’t want you sticking out any more than you have to.”

 

The door of the lift opened, and Max stuck her head out to check the corridor. “Uh oh,” she said, turning to the others. “Keep sharp and keep your heads down. Looks like there’s a detail heading this way.”

 

She motioned the four of them to follow her and they proceeded down the corridor a little way, then Max told them to stop and get up against the wall to make room for the detail to pass them.

 

Beryl kept her head down, but as the detail grew closer, she got a strange feeling. “Oh no…” she whispered, and she moved to hide herself behind Jeez and his blanket.

 

“So, sir,” said a voice, “do you really think that the Commander will try to ‘doctor’ his files before sending them to you?”

 

“I have no doubt that he will try,” the Admiral said. “Therefore it is up to us to read between….” The Admiral paused and slowed his steps, stopping in front of Max. “You there,” he said to Max. “Are these injured prisoners from the explosion?”

 

“Yes, sir,” Max said. “I have orders to take them to the medical bay for treatment.”

 

Beryl’s grip tightened on Jeez and she tried to shrink back even further from her brother’s view.

 

The Admiral eyed them over for a brief moment, frowned slightly, then said to Max, “Carry on,” and then continued down the corridor with his entourage.

 

Beryl breathed out a heavy sigh. “Oh, crap that was close!” she whispered. “Max, get us out of here!”

 

Max motioned the group to move forward and soon they were safely in the med bay.

[Rogue Nine]

Conn brushed a stray piece of debris off his shoulder as he leaned against the elevator railing on his way back up from the mines. The injuries had actually been far less serious than he had expected and he was happy that no one had died in Beryl's little explosion. They were Imperials and prisoners, but to a doctor, none of that really mattered and Conn prided himself in his profession.

 

The lift slowed to a halt and the doors opened. Conn made to move out, but was momentarily frozen as he saw Admiral Quitaan and Major Payne approaching. Stepping quickly out of the elevator, he pressed the hold button while simultaneously throwing a salute to the two higher-ranking officers. "G'day Admiral, Major," he said.

 

Major Payne returned the salute. "Working hard, Dr. Harlowe?"

 

"Yes, sir," Conn responded. "Better than the alternative."

 

"The alternative?" Admiral Quitaan echoed, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Hardly working, sir," Conn explained, feeling a little foolish.

 

The Major smirked. "I think he meant it as a joke, Admiral."

 

Admiral Quitaan nodded, no change in his expression. "Eccentric indeed," he muttered under his breath. "Dr. Harlowe, how is the situation down in the mines. I hear we recently had an explosion."

 

Conn gulped. "Just a few minor scrapes and bruises, sir," he responded. "Probably hit a gas pocket of some kind. I've sorted out most of the injured, but there are a few that will require a bit more legwork. I'm actually off to go get them treated now. Nasty injury, might require reconstructive surgery." He made a face.

 

The Admiral nodded. "Very good, doctor. Carry on."

 

Conn threw another hasty salute as he made off down the hallway. "Yes, sir."

 

Admiral Quitaan waited until he and Major Payne were both in the elevator before speaking. "I suppose his quirkiness aids in that...oh what do you call it? Doctor's comfort??"

 

"Bedside manner?" Payne volunteered.

 

"Ah yes, thank you."

 

"I think the Zeltron pheromones might help more with that," the Major said, still smirking.

 

"Zeltron? Pheromones?" Admiral Quitaan asked, raising a blond eyebrow. "He doesn't look red to me."

 

"Yes. Conn Harlowe's a quarter Zeltron," Payne said. "Helped him quite a bit in moot court, those pheromones."

 

"Interesting..."

 

****

 

Conn stepped into the medbay and hit a panel on the side, hearing the doors slide shut and locked behind him. "Whew," he breathed, leaning his back against them as he looked around. The Jedi Jeez and the Twi'lek woman sat side by side on the exam table. Sam seemed to be rooting around for something next to his desk. And Beryl stood off to the side, leaning against the wall. When she saw him, she looked up and smiled crookedly at him. "What took you?"

 

"I'm a doctor, not a hyperdrive," he demurred as he made his way over to his desk. "What exactly are you doing, Sam?" he asked her as he placed his medkit on the floor.

 

"Somethin' to give us some more privacy, Doc," she said, looking through another cabinet.

 

"Oh," Conn said, realizing what she meant. Sliding into his chair, he booted up his terminal's screen and tapped a few buttons. He cast a glance up at the holocamera overlooking the right side of the room and smiled in satisfaction as the little red light on it blinked off. "Better?" he asked Sam.

 

She looked from the camera to Conn, then back to the camera again. "Yeah, that works too," she said, withdrawing her hand from the cabinet.

 

"Yes, it keeps the bucketheads from investigating when I'm practicing my dance moves," Conn said dryly as he stood up. "All right," he said to the room. "Before we get any sort of nefarious planning done, please let me indulge in my actual paid profession and check you all for injuries. Who's first?"

[JasraLantill]

"I'll go first," Sam volunteered.

 

"You?" Beryl gave her a strange look. "You're not injured."

 

"I am so." Sam held up a finger. "I think I broke my nail. See? Right there by the quick." She examined it herself. "It's small but it hurts. Stupid droids...," she grumbled. "I don't think I need a bacta strip, but a nail file would be helpful."

 

Beryl rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm fine," she said to Conn. "A few scratches and the like but nothing serious." She turned the shoulder that Twerna had nicked with his lightsaber closer to the wall, trying to hide it from Conn. She glanced over at Ryshana and Jeez. "You'd better examine them first, Conn," she said to Conn. "They were involved in more... erm, scuffles than I was."

[stingerhs]

Ryshana examined herself and didn't notice anything wrong. Well, aside from the port still in the back of her head. Jeez was the same way.

 

"Actually, I think the only one that would need examining would be Ryshana here," Jeez offered. "She had her hand severed off and reattached later. You might want to check on the work done there."

 

"And while you're at it, I, for one, would like to check these ports at the back of our heads," Ryshana added. "I'd like to know if they could be removed or at the least plugged closed and disabled."

[Rogue Nine]

"Yes, I didn't think those were lightsaber recharging ports," Conn quipped as he approached them. "Let's first have a look at that hand of yours though, Ryshana." Taking her hand gently in both of his, he studied the circular mark around her wrist, frowning at what appeared to be burns. "Speaking of lightsabers, I guess I don't have to ask what happened here," he said dryly. "Remarkable how you were able to have it reattached, however."

 

"Quick reaction times," Ryshana replied somewhat evasively. "Jeez was the one who started the reattachement, and a nurse from the Facility actually performed the procedure."

 

"Interesting," Conn demurred as he tested her fingers' motor functions. Satisfied, he straightened up and looked her over. "I'll have to track down this nurse and find out how she overcame the cauterization effect of the lightsaber blade. Damn things always burn off the vital nerves." He clucked his tongue as he went about checking her other various bruises and scrapes. "I tell you, you seem to be in much better shape than you were the last time you came through my medbay."

[stingerhs]

"I can imagine," Ryshana responded as she remembered the torture session when she first came in.

 

"Wait, what happened??" Jeez asked.

 

Ryshana paused for a moment, and then she said, "Well, its a long story, but lets just say that the Imperials weren't very friendly to me whenever I first arrived here a couple days ago."

 

Jeez just nodded his head as Conn continued with the checkup. Ryshana then commented, "In all honesty, you can't say that the nurse was completely responsible for rejoining my hand so well. The Force is a very capable healing tool when needed."

[JasraLantill]

Sam, who was still examining her fingernail, suddenly perked up. "The Force heals things?" She held up her finger to the light. "Say, Beryl... I know you're not as practiced as your two friends here, but since the Doc is busy, think you could heal up the tear in my nail? It's small."

 

Beryl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like your brain," she snapped.

 

Sam looked at her. "No need to get nasty, sweetie," she said rather calmly.

 

"Sam..." Beryl sighed. The stress of the escape was finally setting in--her patience was short and she was feeling rather irritable. "I'm sorry, but there are more important things to be concerned about now than your fingernail. Like removing or disabling those spring jack ports that crazed doctor put in Ryshana’s and Jeez’s heads." Beryl opened a drawer in a nearby cabinet and rummaged around in it. "Here." She tossed Sam a bacta strip. "Wrap that around your finger."

 

Sam stared at the bacta strip she had caught in her other hand. "Sure you don't want to give the Force a try?"

 

"No."

 

"Just a little bit?"

 

"No."

 

Sam examined her finger again. "It's really quite a small injury."

 

"No, Sam! I don't want to use the Force to heal up your kriffin’ fingernail, okay?!" Surprised herself by her outburst, Beryl rubbed a hand over her forehead and down her face. She was getting worried—about their escape, the appearance of her brother, and the consequences of unknowingly using the Dark side of the Force to kill Dr. Twerna. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you, Sam.” She leaned back against the wall again, the back of her head making a soft thud against it. “I just want to get out of here.”

[Rogue Nine]

"The Force is a very capable healing tool when needed."

 

"Yes, I'm sure," Conn agreed as he wrapped a thin strip of bacta-treated gauze around her wrist. "But since I'm not a Jedi, I have to rely on another very capable healing tool." He gave her a smile, then stood back. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he said, "Now, I'd just want to dump you into a bacta tank for a while, let the stuff heal you up nice and proper. Would you mind?"

 

Before Ryshana could reply, Conn overheard the conversation between Sam and Beryl behind him and turned around. "Hey, you two," he said to them. "Settle down, okay?" He cast a glance at Beryl. He didn't need to be Force-sensitive or even a quarter Zeltron to figure out that she was a little high-strung. Concentrating, he exerted a small bit of his Zeltron abilities, attempting to soothe Beryl's nerves.

[stingerhs]

"No thank you, Doctor. I'll be fine without the heavy bacta treatment, thank you," Ryshana replied somewhat dejectedly as she was paying attention to Beryl and Sam. Beryl's agitation was rather apparent, and Ryshana was getting somewhat concerned.

 

Jeez then perked up as he noticed something soothing. He could almost smell it in the air, and Jeez concentrated on it with the Force. What is that? Wait is that...

 

"Phermones?? Who's putting phermones in the air??" Jeez commented. Looking over at Conn, Jeez then said, "Well, I was thinking that you were partially Zeltron, but I wasn't sure till now."

[JasraLantill]

Beryl was just starting to feel a little less edgy, when Jeez opened his mouth about pheromones. Immediately, her edginess returned and she glared at Conn. “Pheromones? Pheromones!” Her eyes narrowed. “You’re using pheromones? Why?”

 

“Probably because you’re getting snippy,” Sam bluntly commented.

 

“I am not ‘getting snippy!’” Beryl said adamantly. Realising that her voice was elevated, she crossed her arms and turned away from them. “I’m just… irritated, that’s all. Mostly with myself, and for that I apologise. I just want to get out of here before my brother comes back snooping around or before someone else unexpected comes sauntering in looking for a bacta strip or something for a sore finger.”

[Rogue Nine]

Conn shot Jeez a look. "Thanks, mate," he said, rolling his eyes as he gave Jeez a once-over. "She was responding to it well enough before you tipped her off." Taking Jeez's pulse quickly, he dropped the Jedi's hand. "You seem to be all right, for the most part. I'll have a look at those port things in the back of your heads in a minute; they'll probably require a bit more in-depth study." He glanced over at Sam and Beryl. "Got a bit more pressing concern right now."

 

Striding over to Sam, he took her hand in his without so much as a word and quickly applied the bacta bandage over her broken fingernail. "There, good as new," he pronounced quickly. "Would you like a kiss to make it all better?"

 

Sam rolled her eyes at him. "Sorry doc, you ain't my type."

 

Conn smirked at her. "Yeah, I know." Taking a deep breath, he turned and approached Beryl slowly, hands turned out and up. "Hey, you okay? I promise, no pheromones if you don't want them."

[stingerhs]

"Hey, that's your fault there, Doc. I just don't like the thought of some pheromones influencing my actions," Jeez commented.

 

Jeez just looked over at Beryl and shook his head. Feeling Ryshana's surface thoughts, Jeez used the Force to implant a thought into her head.

 

So, *this* is your Padawan, ehh??, Jeez said in Ryshana's head.

 

Feeling the familiarity of Jeez's thoughts inside her head, Ryshana utilized a similar technique inside of Jeez's head and replied, Apparently so. She has much to learn yet, and her lack of control is compounded by her lack of Jedi training for her entire life till about a week ago.

 

Hmm, well, she was capable enough to mount the rescue attempt. The question is if that was the Force or if it was her abilities, Jeez responded.

 

Come now, we both know that there is no such thing as chance. The Force had to have been working through her, and its been working through her the length of her life. What happened was the will of the Force, Ryshana commented.

 

Hmm, I doubt that. A neophyte Padawan with little training manages to do what she did?? No, the Force may work subtleties, but what happened was the result of her actions alone. You may not sense it, but she has far more capabilities than you seem to realize, Jeez said.

 

And what's that supposed to mean? You're not implying that I'm inept when it comes to sensing what happens in others, are you? Ryshana asked somewhat incredulously.

 

Of course not. I would never imply such a thing to you, Jeez stated. I would just simply tell you. In this case, I just think that you're not giving your Padawan enough credit. She's too strong-willed for that sort of thing.

 

You're probably right. I just wish she could learn how to handle her emotions. The problem is that we're trying to teach a full-grown adult how to think and act without using emotion, Ryshana stated.

 

That is a problem. Hmm, you do realize that since we're married, Beryl is technically my Padawan as much as yours, right? Jeez asked.

 

Hmm, I didn't really think about that. I guess it's somewhat the case since we're supposed to have an equal hand in everything we do. But now isn't the time to burden her with that information. For now, I think she just needs some reassurance, Ryshana replied.

 

Well, I think she needs some discipline, but that's probably just me, Jeez responded.

 

"Calm down, Beryl. If anything comes through that door, I'll know about it before it happens, and then, I'll handle it. Believe me, we won't have to worry about a thing," Jeez commented.

[JasraLantill]

Beryl turned around slowly, giving an incredulous look first at Jeez, and then Conn. “I’m calm, okay,” she said, though her body was still tensed and her arms folded and her jaw set. “I don’t need any pheromones, or sedatives or people telling me to calm down. I’m just a bit… edgy, that’s all.”

 

She stared at Conn. “So, is it my turn now?” She held out the arm that Twerna had cut near her shoulder with the lightsaber.

[starmark2k]

”He will betray you and it will end in death.”

 

Those words told to him by Reibe echoed inside Nic White’s head as he laid on top of his bunk. Loyalty was something Nic had a strange knack to inspire within others of those around him, he didn’t know how or why it happened but he could always count on it. This time it has failed him, but such a betrayal was inevitable. He had been lying to his crew for months or even years in some cases, he was not the man they thought he was.

 

Nic was a murderer, he had killed lots of thugs, clones and other imperials but only one kill had stuck with him, the innocent life he had taken. The pain he had carried with him while he travelled across the stars as a mercenary seeking this retribution.

 

Simon Raikellii was a man of honour a keeper of peace and order on his home world. Simon Raikellii was dead, In a manner of speaking, now there was only Nic white one of the scum of the galaxy and his Sin would now be the death of him. He had come to terms with this now, all that mattered was he succeeds in his mission first do Jana, Jack, Ryshana and Beryl can escape.

[Rogue Nine]

Conn's eyebrows shot up at the gash in Beryl's shoulder. "Where'd you get this?" he asked, taking her arm in his hands and gently probing at the burnt flesh.

 

Beryl grimaced slightly at him touching the wound. "I had an argument with a doctor over his treatment practices." She paused. "I won."

 

"Must not have been a very good doctor, then," Conn responded, not missing the thinly-veiled threat in her words. She was stressed, there was no doubt about that. Releasing her arm, he backed away and strode over to his desk, where he picked up a transparent jar and a pair of disposable surgical gloves. On his way back to Beryl, he caught Jeez's eye and gave him a look, hoping the Jedi would take the hint. Sidling next to Beryl again, he concentrated, nearly squinting in the process as he exerted the slightest of pheromones around her. His control wasn't as great as a full or even half-Zeltron, but he'd had years of practice. He just hoped that it'd be enough not to have her notice again. Otherwise, there was no telling what she'd do in her state of mind.

 

Slipping the gloves on, Conn took a generous gob of the clear substance in the jar and carefully slathered it onto the slash on Beryl's arm.

 

"That feels nice," Beryl commented, as Conn massaged the gelled substance on the wound. The muscles in her arm began to relax, the effects of the pheromones starting to taking effect. "Will I have a scar?"

 

"I don't think so," Conn replied. "At least not when I've finished treating it." He scooped up another dab of the substance. "This is unstabilized alazhi mixed with ambori." At Beryl's confused look, he grinned slightly. "Components of bacta," he explained. "Specifically, the components that promote the healing of wounds. Kavam is the other component, that actually encourages the rejuvenation of injured or dead tissue. But alazhi is good as a cooling agent as well for burns, which is why I've used it on your arm." He peered at her gash, noting with satisfaction the skin beginning to heal. "I don't know yet if I'll have to stitch it up, but we'll give it a few minutes and see how you react to it." He squeezed her arm slightly, then let go, waiting for her reaction.

 

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said, her eyes cast downwards and visibly more relaxed now. "I'm just a bit upset by... erm... stuff." She frowned then, as if remembering something. "You sent me a message and said my brother left me some sort of package?" she asked. "Was it ticking?"

 

Before Conn could respond, the doors to the medbay slipped open behind them and a cheerful voice said, "I don't think so, newsie. Why don't you see for yourself?" Conn and Beryl turned to see Max walking towards them, a pile of gray clothing in her arms. Reaching into her pocket, she extracted a small square package and tossed it over to Beryl, who reached out with her non-injured arm and caught it.

 

"A laundry service that delivers. Wow," Conn quipped, giving Max a look.

 

The short Trustee sneered at him. "Don't make me hurt you, Doc," she said as she distributed the clothing to Ryshana and Jeez.

[JasraLantill]

Beryl just stared at the package for a moment.

 

“Well?” Sam asked. “Open it, sweetie.”

 

Beryl flicked her eyes over to Sam then back at the package. She bit her lip. “So, were you with my brother when he left this?” she asked Conn.

 

"Yeah," Conn replied, resealing the jar of alazhi. "He and the good Major were touring our wonderful facilities, so I showed them around."

 

“Did he seem… angry at all? Upset?”

 

Conn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Not really," he told her. "Unless you count being exasperated with Commander Refla's ineptitude." He scratched his head. "From what I read off of him, he seemed very cool and calm. Most I got off of him was when he asked about you."

 

Beryl’s brow raised. “What did he say?”

 

"He asked how you fared with the decontam chamber," Conn responded, cocking his head back at the door in the wall. "He also said you and I had a lot in common. That we're both pressed soldiers and all that." He looked into her eyes. "He seemed kinda worried about you, to be honest."

 

Beryl’s eyes narrowed, more with apprehension than irritation. “He told you I was pressed?” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, he is just insane…,” she said under her breath. “I am not ‘pressed,’ Conn,” she said to him. “I never ‘signed’ anything.” She paused. “Well, nothing official anyway.” She shot a quick glance at Ryshana, before locking eyes with Conn. “I ditched Nuss before that could happen.”

[Rogue Nine]

"No wonder he's trying to track you down," Conn mused.

 

"Hey Blondie," Sam piped up from the side. "You gonna open that thing or what?"

 

Beryl looked at Sam askance, then turned her attention to the package. She opened it carefully, discovering a small brown pastry inside. “Ryshcate,”

 

“Well, that was nice of your brother,” Sam said, her eyes fixed eagerly on the cake. “Is it for your birthday?”

 

“No.” Beryl stared at the cake. “I think it’s a... peace offering,” she said slowly. Then she frowned curiously. “Which is very unlike him...”

 

Conn shrugged as he finished wrapping medical tape around Beryl's arm. "He seemed like a decent enough guy," he said, tearing the tape with his teeth. "But I understand if you don't want to be tied down. That totally isn't like you."

[JasraLantill]

Not like you… Conn’s words rang in Beryl’s ears. There was a lot of things that had happened recently that was ‘not like her.’ Twerna’s death was lingering in the forefront of her mind. And now, away from the Jedi facility, her encounter with him was beginning to worry her more and more.

 

She felt no remorse for killing him, no regret, no sorrow, and somehow that didn't seem quite right to her. She should feel something, shouldn't she? Killing him wasn’t the same as shooting down an Eyeball, or blasting at Stormtroopers who were trying to kill her—killing him had been murder. She had murdered someone, granted a demented and evil someone, and now felt nothing for taking his life. Even when she had poisoned the Ysalamiri she had felt a bit of regret, but with Twerna, she felt nothing. And this upset her a great deal.

 

She shifted uncomfortably, and put the cake down on a counter.

 

“Ryshana, can I speak with you?” She glanced at Conn, Sam, Max and then finally Jeez. “Alone?”

 

"Sure," Ryshana answered. Jeez stood there somewhat uncomfortably, but he understood.

 

As Beryl and Ryshana stepped away to a more isolated area, Ryshana asked, "What's on your mind?"

 

“The dark side…," Beryl started, keeping her voice low. "Jeez said I was using it when I killed Twerna. But, it didn’t feel ‘dark’. Not at all. Why couldn’t I tell the difference?”

 

"Well, it’s not a matter of feeling dark. You see, the Darkside of the Force promotes the passions and emotions inherent to all of us. The Darkside manifests itself and provides an increased sense of satisfaction, and even pleasure, whenever you use your passions and emotions to fuel your power.

 

“It’s hard to feel dark whenever it feels so good. It’s that good feeling that masks the truth," Ryshana added.

 

“But that’s just it. I don’t feel ‘good’ now. In fact, I don’t really feel anything for killing him. I’m not happy I killed him, but I don’t feel any remorse for it either. Why? I chopped the guys head off, for Galaxy’s sake,” Beryl said in a low guilty whisper. “I should feel something, shouldn’t I? Or is that the Dark side manifesting itself again?”

 

"But its not about now, it’s about when you did it. A person that heeds the call of the Darkside lives by the moment," Ryshana responded. "The real question you should be asking yourself is what you felt whenever you killed Twerna."

 

Beryl thought for a moment. “I felt… rage, then vengeance, and then… satisfied, I guess.” She snorted. “’Lives for the moment…. That’s me all over.” Her brow crinkled. “I’m worried, Ryshana. I don’t have the control that you and Jeez do. I don’t have the training you’ve had. I can’t just shut off my emotions like you seem to. What happens if I unknowingly use the Dark side again?”

 

"You need to try to remember not to live in the moment. Think about what lies ahead, and then do what feels right. Don't trust your emotions; use your head and think straight. If you follow that, you'll make it through 99% of all situations," Ryshana responded.

 

Beryl gave Ryshana a weak smile. “That’s easier said than done. Maybe I should just not use the Force at all, until I’ve had more training.” She looked down at the floor. “Look, I know I haven’t been the greatest student for you. I’ve actually never had to be one, really. Things just came so easily for me—school, TCTA, Incom. I never had to study or practice much of anything. But this Force stuff… it’s hard.” She placed her hand on Ryshana’s arm. “I promise, when we get back to the Echo, I’ll be a better student. A better…padawan,” she added softly. She looked over her shoulder at Jeez. “You can have her back now,” she said to him.

 

“You’d better get dressed,” Max said to the two Jedi. “And you three,” she nodded to Sam, Beryl, and Ryshana, "need to get down below soon. They’ll be doing a lockdown and a roll call. Standard procedure after any incident.”

 

"Jeez can stay in my quarters," Conn volunteered. "I doubt any inmates down there would keep quiet about an extra squatter in their cell."

 

"Well, I got rid of 'Ice' so there's an extra bunk in our cell," Beryl said. "I don't think anyone will notice."

 

"They won't," Max said. She grinned. "I do the roll call."

 

((OOC: Stingerhs, now would be the time for Ryshana to say that she wants to stay with Jeez. ))

[stingerhs]

((hehe, you don't even need to mention that part. ))

 

"Well, actually, I was wanting to be with Jeez for the night," Ryshana stated. Catching the mixed expressions on the room, Ryshana was quick to add, "Its just that I haven't had any contact with him for 5 years. Surely you'd understand."

 

As Ryshana turned to look over at Jeez, he then stated with a nervous smile, "Well, erm, yes. It really has been so long. I really think that tonight would be, umm, good. Yes, tonight would be a good time to ahh, catch up. As it were, hehe."

[Rogue Nine]

Conn looked at Jeez, then at Ryshana, then back to Jeez. "Hold the phone, you two are together?" he asked incredulously. "Like, 'together' together?" He scratched his head. "The circumstances aren't exactly ideal..."

 

((Time to let the cat out of the bag? ;o))

[stingerhs]

"I realize that, but you surely could make arrangements for a, erm, *married* couple, right?" Jeez asked a bit nervously. Ryshana shot him a look, but Jeez just replied in her head, Hey, they would've found out eventually anyways.

 

Ryshana just flashed him a quick look as she looked back up at the rest of the people in the medbay.

[JasraLantill]

“What?!” Beryl’s gaze flickered between Ryshana and Jeez.

 

“He said they’re married,” Sam answered her.

 

“I heard what he said!” Beryl snapped. Her incredulous eyes found Ryshana. “Jeez is your husband? When did this happen? And when were you going to tell me? That is, if you were going to tell me,” she added.

[stingerhs]

Ryshana's eyes scrunched up in concern. She sensed much anger in Beryl. "Why are you getting angry when there's nothing to be angry over?" she asked as she looked right into Beryl's eyes.

 

Then, Jeez stood up as he looked at Beryl. "Release your anger, Beryl. That is unless you enjoy basking in your darkness," he stated in a very serious tone.

[JasraLantill]

Beryl’s jaw set as she looked at Jeez. “You want me to release my anger? Okay. Fine.” She turned back to Ryshana. “You don’t trust me,” she said pointing an accusatory finger. “I know I haven’t been the greatest ‘padawan’-- in fact I’m probably the worst one in the history of the universe since I’ve only really been consciously using the Force for a week, have absolutely no control about how and what I feel, use the Dark Side in my very first real fight, end up murdering someone, and have a ‘Master’ that doesn’t even trust me enough to, one, tell me the name of her ‘special friend’ that we’re supposed to be rescuing, and, two, tell me that ‘special’ means that she’s married to him, which, according to everything I’ve ever heard about Jedi, which isn’t any more or less than what any normal person would know, is like totally unheard of from people so in control of their emotions that they can turn them off and on like spigots! And,” she continued, with hardly a breath, “I have no doubt that Nic knew about Jeez, otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to do this mission in the first place, and he’s not even the one here risking his neck to get you out! And to top off this wonderful experience that is prison, my idiot Imp brother decides to pay me a visit at the most inopportune time with plans to whisk me off to some stupid Imperial training facility so I can learn ‘discipline and order’ and make something of my life. And for the icing on the kriffin’ cake, I can feel that there is something really, really wrong with this whole situation, so wrong that it’s churning a hole in my stomach, so excuse me if I feel a bit left out of the loop and slightly tetchy!”

 

While Beryl ranted, Sam opened up a drawer in a nearby cabinet and began to rummage around for a sedative.

[stingerhs]

"Excuse me?" Ryshana started as she felt her own anger starting to rise to the surface.

 

"Hold it," Jeez jumped in. He knew Ryshana well enough to jump in before anything started. "Both of you cool it. I don't know what pretenses were involved when this whole thing started, but it all stops now.

 

First things first, Beryl, you need to use some more rational thinking. If Ryshana didn't trust you, then you would not be here. Like anyone else, she would not place her life and the lives of others into your hands if she did not explicitly trust you. Yes, she left out details regarding her motivations, but that has nothing to do with the mission she entrusted you with. If anything, her trust in you is very well placed.

 

Now, would you please start to heed the both of us when it comes to dealing with emotions? You're not thinking rationally, and if you continue to give in to your anger, you'll start down a path that you'll never be able to return from. You may not know how dangerous that path is, but we do because we've seen where it goes."

 

Jeez then stood there in silence. The whole time, Jeez had remained calm and focused as he always was. Ryshana then walked over to Beryl and held both of her hands. "Look, for what its worth, Beryl, I'm sorry for not telling you. You are right: I should've told you the whole truth and not just part of the truth. This situation is hard on all of us. I know you don't see it, but everything has been weighing in on us as well. Believe me, you don't need to isolate yourself in all of this. We're here for you; please don't try and make us out to be your enemies," Ryshana stated as calmly as she possibly could.