MC: AOTE: Brothers in Arms

[Quist]

It hadn't taken Noelle very long to find the apartment building where Conn had indicated he was staying at as it was remarkably close to her own. She didn't want to arrive too early, however, so she waited a little bit before leaving. As she walked along the sidewalk, she wondered idly what could have brought Conn to Chandrila. Back when they had worked together at Sienar, he had mentioned that he had once accepted a position on Chandrila, but had left before he could get half a year under his belt. Still, things had a way of coming full circle, she mused.

 

Locating the building, she made her way through the front door and over to the lifts. As she stepped in front of the lift doors, they opened and a pair of men stepped out. Both were handsome in a rugged sort of way, though quite different in appearance, one having shaggy, dark blond hair and an easygoing expression and the other possessing neatly-groomed dark hair and a more-serious countenance. She gave them a quick smile as she stepped into the now-vacant lift and pressed the button for the floor she was headed to.

 

The walls of the lift were made of reflective metal, so she checked her appearance one last time before exiting and finding her way over to the apartment number Conn had given her. Making sure it was the correct one, she reached out and pressed the button on the wall next to the door.

[Writer]

"Jana," Reibe said softly, "draw nearer, I want to work on something with you." Jana approached as requested.

 

"Yes?" she asked. "What is it?"

 

"In passing, I have collected a mental image of Ms. Noelle M'si," Reibe answered softly. Jana cringed.

 

"You read Conn's mind?" she hissed. Reibe rolled her eyes.

 

"Just brushed the surface thoughts, Jana," she answered. "When Beryl asked, 'Is she pretty?' Conn touched briefly on the memory of what his contact looks like. Think of it like someone using a public databank terminal and a passerby casually observing the picture on the screen." She waved a hand dismissively. "At any rate, here it is..."

 

She projected the image of Noelle's face into Jana's head. "Now, based on this information, see if you can find her."

 

Jana shot her mentor an odd look and wondered aloud. "How am I supposed to pinpoint a single person with just a picture..."

 

"Think about your own physical appearance," Reibe offered. At first, the suggestion did not seem remotely helpful, but suddenly it donned on Jana that nearly everyone in the galaxy would know what they looked like, whether through holocaptures or through mirrors and mirrored surfaces. She combined that knowledge with the fact that very few people would be thinking of this specific apartment.

 

Reibe grinned. "You're getting it..."

 

Jana spread her perceptions outward, searching for the combination of that specific image and this specific apartment. After several moments of deep concentration, she shook her head.

 

"I'm coming back with nothing," she said slowly. "Out of my range, perhaps?"

 

"Your range is only so limited as you claim it is," Reibe countered. "If it helps you to get past your mental block, take my hands. Call on my power as well."

 

Jana did as suggested and concentrated once more, this time with Reibe as a spectator to all she sensed. They brushed over a puzzling blank spot and Reibe commanded sharply, "Back!" Jana obeyed and they returned to the spot. It was moving. Closer, and closer.

 

"Reibe, what is it?" Jana asked curiously. Reibe growled softly and did not answer. The door buzzed and she crossed the room, casually handing Jana one of her lightsabers while taking the other in her own hand. Jana took the weapon without question and followed Reibe to the door.

 

"Come to have another go, have you?" Reibe whispered at the still closed door. Jana checked the door cam and her expression took on a relieved note.

 

"It's just Noelle," she said. "See?"

 

Reibe looked and a flash of confusion was in her eyes. "Noelle M'si..." She gestured for Jana to clip the lightsaber to her belt and she did the same with the other saber. Then, she opened the door slowly, glaring out through the slowly widening crack at Noelle.

 

"What are you?" she demanded bluntly. Jana laughed and pulled Reibe out of the way.

 

"Don't mind her," she said. "She's a bit of a puzzle... not all of her reactions make sense..." She shrugged and added, "I'm Jana, by the way. Jana Vincent. You must be Noelle M'si. Come on in. Conn's at the bar... that direction." She pointed.

[starmark2k]

Nic never really liked worlds like Chandrila, everything was so clean like tidy he always thought that when something looks too clean there was always dirt hidden under the rug. He never fitted into these worlds despite the fact he had grown up in one of the perfect examples for a utopia like planet. His like of this world was not helped by the world having a higher than average concentration of Imperials as the senator Mon Mothma was one of the few who vocalised her opposition against the Empire.

 

Fortunately the planets cities were generally small, barely classifiable as cities as they were more like towns. This meant getting from the luxury area where they were staying to the bad part of town was fairly easy and quick. Unless you had been to the planet before or lived there you would not have noticed the difference between the bad and good parts, same architecture and clothing was generic everywhere.

 

Nic led Jeez over to a small café and sat at a table on the terrace, Nic ordered a couple of glasses of the local ale and some snack food. It wasn’t long before the waitress brought the drink and food over.

 

“I guess you’re wondering what we are doing here.” Nic stated taking a few bread based snack foods from the bowl and throwing them into his mouth. “We just need to wait until I see someone, well them see me.”

[stingerhs]

"Fair enough," Jeez responded as he took a small handful of the dried bread pieces. Ever the one to enjoy every facet of any meal, Jeez took one of them and sniffed it briefly to take in the scent of the spices. Nodding his head lightly in approval, Jeez popped it into his mouth.

 

"You know, Captain, I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to thank you," Jeez commented. "You've shown a great deal of compassion both to Ryshana before I arrived and now myself. What you do isn't easy, and I'm sure that our presence hasn't helped much."

[starmark2k]

“I’m not going to say it was easy, I mean that close encounter with Vader is something I could have lived without.” Nic said remembering the meeting with the Dark Lord of the Sith they had shortly after they had met Ryshana. “She saved my life and I owed her, the way I see it I owe her thanks and she’d want me to help you out. So I will.”

 

Nic took a sip of his drink and looked around the room, he hadn’t seen any of the people he had expected to see yet. “So, I believe me and you have something in common, we both worked secretly for the Jedi during the war.”

[stingerhs]

"Is that so?" Jeez asked. "You've probably heard of some of my actions from Ryshana, I'm sure, but what about you? My guess would be something in covert ops, right?"

[JasraLantill]

Whether it was through the Force or just with Force-enhanced senses, Beryl could hear the whispered conversations between Jana and Reibe, although she made a conscience effort not to pay attention to them. After the disaster of forcibly searching Conn's mind, she wasn't about to get caught 'eavedropping' with the Force--especially on or by Reibe.

 

It was quite obvious to Beryl that the bond between Jana and Reibe had become very close. And it wasn't just a teacher/student relationship to learn the ways of the Force--no, Beryl sensed there was something more to it. Familial? Sisterly? She couldn't quite define it, but it did make her feel slightly jealous and resentful.

 

Before her 'prison mission' she and Jana had shared a sort of sisterly bond. Now, they seemed to have drifted apart, Beryl pushed to the outside while Reibe had stepped in and assumed the role of Jana's confidant. Combine this with the fact that there was also some sort of secrets being shared between Beryl's brother Teser and Reibe, secrets that Teser didn't even want to acknowledge let alone share with his sister, and it was no wonder that Beryl was beginning to be suspicious and distrustful of Jana's new instructor.

 

The chime for the door sounded, but as she had her back to it, and Jana and Reibe were closer, Beryl remained seated at the bar and didn't bother to answer it. Even with Beryl's dislike for Reibe, she still had to grin slightly as she overheard the dimunitive woman's attempt to interrogate, or perhaps a better word was 'intimidate,' Miss Noelle M'si before Jana abruptly cut her off.

 

"Don't mind her," Jana said. "She's a bit of a puzzle... not all of her reactions make sense..." She shrugged and added, "I'm Jana, by the way. Jana Vincent. You must be Noelle M'si. Come on in. Conn's at the bar... that direction." She pointed.

 

Sam, who had sidled up to the bar to sit beside Beryl, lightly smacked her lips as Noelle entered through the door and came into view. "Oh, sweetie," she purred softly to Beryl. "'Young and pretty' is an understatement. The Doc should have said 'fresh and flawless', or 'pert and perfect', or...."

 

Her back still to the door, Beryl elbowed Sam into silence. "Ok, I get the picture," she said, sotto voce. "Just, keep your opinions to yourself. We want her to help us, not scare her off."

 

"Sure, sweetie. Whatever you say." Then, grinning wryly, added in a husky whisper, "But she's gorgeous."

 

At this point Beryl steeled herself, then turned towards the door to see Noelle for herself. Slim, about average height, dark hair, with intelligent brown eyes and fine features, Beryl realised Sam was right. 'Young and pretty' didn't cover it.

 

She glanced quickly at Conn. She was unsure where they stood, but now with Noelle on the scene, she felt even more insecure about their relationship. Nevertheless, she smiled welcomingly at Noelle.

 

"You must be Conn's friend, Noelle," Beryl greeted cordially, as she rose from her seat and approached the woman. She flashed a smile as charming as any well-mannered high-born debutante would as she extended her hand in friendship. "So glad you could join us for dinner, Miss M'si. Guests always make a meal much more pleasant. I'm Beryl, and this is Sam, and the man behind the bar is my brother, Teser," she introduced.

 

Sam nodded. Teser smiled and waved. "Hello," he said, giving his sister a suspicious look in the process.

 

Sam noticed his look. "Oh, snap," she said to him, and watched Beryl carefully.

 

"You've already met Jana and Reibe," Beryl continued, ignoring her 'minder' and her brother and lacing a guiding arm through Noelle's as she led her to a seat next to Conn at the bar. "And, of course, you already know Conn." Beryl gave him a closed-lip grin. "Anyway, dinner will be served in just a few minutes. Would you care for an apéritif?" Beryl offered Noelle. "It'll give us some time to get to know each other better."

[Rogue Nine]

Conn couldn't quite place the emotions coming off of Beryl as she greeted Noelle and guided the young woman to a seat. Beryl had been more assiduous about controlling her emotions ever since her return from the Imperials, and it disconcerted him, as she used to be one of the easiest people to read. Sam had been prodding her prior to Noelle's entrance, but he hadn't been able to chide the former prisoner into silence before Beryl rose and brought Noelle into the apartment proper.

 

"Hi Noelle," he greeted her as she took a seat next to him at the bar. She looked just as she had when he last saw her in person, youthful and smiling. "I see you haven't changed a bit."

[starmark2k]

Nic was normally a private person, he didn’t like speaking about his past but since he had admitted to the crew that he was once called Simon Raikellii he felt more at ease with it. The fact him and Jeez did do similar things during the war for the republic made him fell like he could be more open about his past.

 

“Yea I was a spy, worked for a Jedi called Kaztra Set.” Nic replied to the man opposite him curious if the Jedi had heard of the one he had just named. From what he knew of Kaztra the Jedi was considered somewhat a renegade among the members of the Jedi council and had a reputation for breaking the rules. Nic had heard the man once gloat that had the war not begun his knack for bending the code would have had him exiled. There were however many Jedi during the war who gained reputations, Nic could name more than a few including Anakin Skywalker, Quin’lan Vos and more so it wouldn’t have surprised the captain if Jeez never heard of the other Jedi. “Worse thing I ever did signing up with him.”

[stingerhs]

"I could only imagine," Jeez replied as he took a small sip from his ale. "Kaztra was more of a rogue than anything. The Council was always reluctant to give him assignments because his methods were more reckless than most Jedi. My Master once commented that if all Jedi were like him, the Jedi would be more of a band of mercenaries than the defenders of peace and justice. He gets the job done, but it comes with its own price tag."

 

Taking another sip of the somewhat tart but mildly fruity ale, Jeez then asked, "What were your assignments like? Just standard information gathering, or was it more of a scouting type for military strikes?"

[starmark2k]

“It was a bit both, they also used me for… wetworks.” Nic informed rather reluctantly, he hadn’t admitted to anyone before that part of what he did for the Jedi was assassinations. “It must have been about half way through the war, I had just completed an intel gathering mission and part of the intel I had collected included information on a fallen Jedi. So they sent me in to Snipe him. Unfortunately things went wrong and I had to get closer.” Nic reached down and pulled out his knife and placed it on the table. “The Blade is made of pure Cortosis, didn’t know at the time but neither did he, I killed him.”

[Quist]

"Would you care for an apéritif?"

 

"Yes, that would be lovely," Noelle replied, returning Beryl's smile. Truth be told, she has been slightly taken aback by the greeting she had received from Reibe, but Jana's quick apology followed by Beryl's smooth reception had put her back at ease.

 

"Hi Noelle. I see you haven't changed a bit."

 

She turned her head to face Conn. "Not much to change about me," she told him brightly while looking him over. "How are you?"

[stingerhs]

Taking the blade in hand, Jeez studied it for a moment. It was relatively light and well balanced. Flipping the handle over, Jeez then caught the blade of the knife in his hand. Carefully fingering the edges, Jeez carefully felt the edges for signs of Cortesis Weave. Unusually, he didn't feel anything. Using the Force to help magnify his vision, Jeez looked very closely at the blade's edge. It was indeed Cortesis, and it was the first time that Jeez had seen such a weapon much less held one.

 

"Such a blade wouldn't have been given unless the mission was assassination from the start," Jeez commented somewhat absently. Handing the blade back to Nic, he then said, "These have been dark days indeed. I should know more than most, but it doesn't make it any easier when there are signs of that darkness tucked into every recess."

 

Taking a quick drink from his ale, Jeez then said, "I still remember my first mission with the Clone Commandos I was assigned to. It had started as an attack on the Orbital Yards on Fondor that the Techno Union was holding. The attack, however, was a diversion so that my squad could land on Fondor and get in contact with a resistance group that supported the Republic. That mission turned into a 18 month long campaign as we were isolated from the Republic.

 

The problem was the resistance group we were helping. They wanted to turn it into a full scale civil war even though about 90% of its population supported the Techno Union. It wasn't until the mission we undertook to capture Fondor's Prime Minister that Ryshana and I understood exactly what this resistance group was really after. They supported the Republic, yes, but they were cruel and heartless. Their tactics were brutal, and they often publicized executions of supposed criminals.

 

When we successfully captured their Prime Minister, they were able to wrest control of the Orbital Shipyards. The problem is that the Oribtal Shipyards also housed Droid Control ships along with entire battalions of droids. With all those droids at their disposal, they launched an immediate attack on Fondor's capital using only the droids. Countless thousands of civilians were slaughtered. Although the droids were eventually crushed by the Fondorian Army, the damage had been done.

 

On the return to the Resistance Compound, the Prime Minister called us fools for allowing a former dictator to gather such a strong foothold on his planet. It dawned on both Ryshana and myself then as to exactly what was going on: the Resistance was nothing more than a former dictator trying to gain power back that he had lost. After some fact checking in a database, we confirmed his story. To make this long story short, we ended up defecting from the Resistance. The squad didn't like it, but they understood that Fondor needed to uphold the ideals of the Republic. Using diplomacy, we were able to convince the Prime Minister that the best choice would be for Fondor to support the Republic despite the fact that it didn't make much business sense."

 

Taking another drink from his ale, Jeez then said, "It was the Republic that sent us on that mission, though. I'm not sure if they knew who the Resistance was headed by, but it shames me to know that I helped a man slaughter millions of innocents."

[Rogue Nine]

((JP with her Quistyness))

 

"How are you?"

 

"I've been pretty good," Conn replied. "Just doing a bit of this, a bit of that since leaving Sienar. When did you leave, by the by?"

 

"Oh, some time after you did," Noelle said.

 

"Got tired of treating mangled test pilots, did you?" he quipped.

 

She grinned. "I guess you could say that. ChandraMed offered me something that just sounded so much more... interesting. And you know how curious I am."

 

"Yes, I do remember," Conn affirmed, then glanced over at Beryl before continuing. "Actually, I'm a bit curious myself about ChandraMed."

 

Noelle tilted her head. "Oh?"

 

"Yes, but let's get dinner out of the way first, shall we?" he suggested. He didn't want to move too fast, lest he arouse her suspicions, but they did need to operate with a sense of urgency. The quicker they got Noelle aboard, the better. He just hoped that she hadn't changed over the years and was still the same helpful colleague willing to help out with anything he asked of her. If she wasn't, that was going to make things a lot more complicated and potentially messy. And he in no way wanted that to happen.

[JasraLantill]

“Let the girl finish her drink, Conn,” Beryl admonished him. “The caterers are still to arrive, and she certainly can't want to talk about work when she's only just got here.”

 

She smiled brightly at Noelle as she handed her and then Conn a small glass of the nectarwine apéritif that Teser had poured out for everyone.

 

“Cheers and good health,” said Beryl, clinking her glass lightly against Noelle’s, then Conn’s and then the others before taking a sip. “You know, Noelle, I’d really love to say that Conn has told us all about you, but the truth is, he’s been rather reticent on the subject.” She placed a light hand on Noelle’s arm. “So, tell me,” Beryl started, “like Conn, you’re obviously not a native of Chandrilla, so how do you find….”

 

Beryl’s suddenly coughed, as if she had choked on her drink. Only she hadn’t. What she had done was to reach out with the Force with the intention of feeling for veracity in Noelle’s answers, and had found—absolutely nothing. It was as if she was trying to suss out the truthfulness in a chair or a brick. There was not a trace of life force in Noelle that Beryl could detect, and this puzzled her greatly. She suddenly wished Jeez was here, but since he wasn’t, she cast a quick glance at Reibe, who was standing well behind them. Only she couldn’t read what Reibe was thinking or feeling. For a moment, she wished that Ryshana were here to give her guidance.

 

“Pardon me,” Beryl excused herself for coughing. “How do you find living here, Noelle? Is it much different from your homeworld?”

 

“Erm… I’ll set the table!” Sam suddenly offered, trying to avert Beryl’s grilling. “Caterers will be here any minute and…”

 

“Thank you, Sam.” Beryl only glanced at her askance. “Much appreciated.” Still focused on Noelle, her eyebrow raised enquiringly as Beryl’s ice blue eyes awaited Noelle’s response. “So, your homeworld?” she prodded.

[Quist]

Noelle took a small sip from her glass. The apértif was fragrant and flavorful and she enjoyed it, even though she didn't care much for alcohol. She placed the glass down on the bar and faced Beryl. "My homeworld?" she repeated, adopting a thoughtful tone. "I'm from Hapes, which is very lush and green and beautiful, so being here on Chandrila isn't actually very much of a change. However, I haven't been back to Hapes in quite some time, since I've been out in the Galaxy for a few good years."

 

She glanced over at the doctor. "When Conn and I were with Sienar, we were stationed on Corulag in the Bormea Sector. Another lovely planet, though we rarely saw the light of day. Sienar and its test pilots kept us quite busy." She took another small sip. "How about you, Beryl? Where are you from?"

[JasraLantill]

Beryl opened her mouth to reply, but Sam was quicker.

 

"Corellia," Sam said, smirking. "Can't you tell? The direct, gregarious, and naturally nosy nature of her interrogation techniq.... Ow!" Sam wagged her hand in the air as if she'd just been shocked.

 

Beryl cocked a single eyebrow, her eyes dangerously narrowed in Sam's direction as she nonchalantly rubbed her right thumb and index finger together. "Something wrong, sweetie?" Beryl asked her.

 

Now it was Sam's turn to reciprocate a dirty look. "No. Just got small static shock. A very 'small' static shock. Probably from the very 'heavy' boots I'm wearing with their very 'heavy' soles that are so perfect for kicking 'things.'"

 

Beryl grinned wryly. "Maybe." She looked at Noelle. "Sam's correct, though. I am from Corellia." She nodded at Jana. "And so is Jana. So, please don't be offended if we seem a bit... brash. We don't mean to be."

 

The door chime sounded and Teser ushered in the caterers, who soon set up the table and laid out the food. "So," Beryl said to everyone, although she was looking at Noelle, "shall we be seated?"

 

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

 

Dinner progressed without incident, with Conn and Noelle relating anecdotal stories about their time working together. Sam and Teser sat on either side of Beryl, each keeping a close watch on her, but she kept to her manners and didn't give either one of them cause to worry. Until....

 

"So, Noelle," Beryl started, "you've told us about your past work. What are you currently working on? Anything remotely interesting?"

[starmark2k]

As Jeezs told his story Nic listened to it carefully, he had known he wasn’t the only one who regretted his activities in the war but hearing the Jedi’s words made him realise it more. Listening to the story Nic thought that is anyone would regret their actions in the Clone Wars the Jedi would be top on the list, after all it practically led to their extinction.

 

As the Jedi’s story ended Nic finished off his drink and then slowly placed it down on the table. “I can top that.” Nic replied in reference to the fact Jeez’s felt responsible for the deaths of millions. “This is all my fault.” He stated cryptically. “The way the galaxy is, the Empire, I could have stopped it all from happening.”

[Quist]

"What are you currently working on? Anything remotely interesting?"

 

"Pretty interesting stuff, yeah," Noelle replied cheerfully. "A little bit different from patching up wounded test pilots, but still just as fulfilling, I think. Lots of medical research, testing different drugs and effects and all that. Then again, I've always been a bit of an enthusiast when it comes to those sorts of things, as most other people find them terribly boring."

 

She tilted her head to the side as she smiled and looked at Beryl. "Why do you ask?"

[stingerhs]

Raising his eyebrows, Jeez then said, "Well, I'm sure a lot of us could say that. There's just so many "what ifs" and "what could've happened" going around, well, its enough to make anybody's head spin."

 

Taking another sip, Jeez then said, "Heck, I even met the Emperor in person once back when he was just the Chancellor. To be honest, I never suspected him of being who he was, but when I did meet him, there was still something about him that put me off. It wasn't the Force; it was just gut instinct that there was something going on behind that innocent smile. Its a shame, too, because even back then, I was always one for following my gut instincts."

 

Nodding his head in Nic's direction, Jeez then asked, "So, what about you?"

[JasraLantill]

Noelle tilted her head to the side as she smiled and looked at Beryl. "Why do you ask?"

 

Beryl glanced askance Conn, and then returned Noelle’s smile. “No particular reason, I suppose. Conn’s been doing a bit of research himself of late, and so I guess I’m just….”

 

“Nosey,” Sam interrupted.

 

Teser, who had just been in the process of taking a sip of his drink, spluttered as he tried to stifle a laugh. However, his sister was not so amused.

 

Beryl’s smile dropped as she gave Teser and then Sam a deadpan look. “I prefer ‘curious,’ if you don’t mind.”

 

“Same difference,” Sam replied. “Is there any dessert?”

 

Beryl’s eyes narrowed. “Not for people who keep changing the subject of the table conversation, no.” She turned back to Noelle. “Please forgive her. She’s ill-bred. Now, what sort of research are you doing? Something for ChandraMed, or a private contractor. Or…,” she paused a beat, “maybe the Empire? I heard on Holonet News that the Senate recently voted to increase the budget for medical research so that all Imperial citizens might benefit from any new advances.”

[Writer]

With an exasperated sigh, Jana shot 'the Look' to Beryl, a Force 'forehead flick' to Reibe (who was glaring suspiciously at Noelle), and a disarming smile to Noelle herself. "Forgive Beryl's incessant, directed curiosity," she said cheerfully, and again turning the Look on Beryl, she added, "We'll not ask you to speak of work if you'd rather not."

 

Rubbing her forehead with a sour expression, Reibe spoke up, saying, "Indeed not. Perhaps a different route of curiosity, yes?" She smirked faintly. "Whereabouts on Hapes are you from?"

[starmark2k]

Nic was about to reply with the story of how he could have ended the empire before it even started but then something caught the corner of his eye. “Well that’s a story for a time when we don’t have guns pointed at us.” Nic replied to the Jedi’s question as he slowly raised his hands into the surrender position.

 

At that moment three aliens of the Kaldo species appeared, two holding blaster pistols and aiming them at the two men at the table. “Come with us, the Cleric wants to speak with you.” The unarmed alien said.

 

“I’m trying to think of the last time someone wanted to speak to me and didn’t send some armed thugs to get me.” Nic said as he stood up.

[JasraLantill]

Rubbing her forehead with a sour expression, Reibe spoke up, saying, "Indeed not. Perhaps a different route of curiosity, yes?" She smirked faintly. "Whereabouts on Hapes are you from?"

 

Beryl glared at Reibe. "No dessert for you either." Then to Jana, "Of course Noelle doesn't have to talk about work, if she doesn't want to. But I've found Conn's recent research to be so fascinating...."

 

She paused as she noticed that her left hand was starting to shake a bit. The effects of Sam's stims were beginning to wear off and it seemed to her that Conn hadn't given her one of those tranq-cocktail injections in a very long while either. She smiled wryly at the young doctor as she slipped her hand into her lap, safe from Noelle's view.

 

"You know," she continued, "his study on documenting the effects of mind altering drugs and sleep deprivation on performance and decision-making? I was just curious if perhaps Noelle had done any similar work."

 

She now looked curiously at Noelle. For a moment, she found herself contemplating on using the Force to attempt to 'explore' the young woman's mind for the information she wanted, much like she had done earlier with Conn. And then...

 

"Ow!"

 

"Sorry," Sam said while she sopped what gravy was left on her plate with a piece of bread. "My foot slipped."

 

Beryl gave her a deadpan stare. "Oh, really."

 

Sam nodded as her mouth was full.

 

"So, Noelle," Beryl asked, "have you ever done research similar to Conn's? Maybe you could help him with it."

[stingerhs]

Looking over his shoulder, Jeez spotted the three Kaldo thugs. Eying them up, Jeez knew that they posed no threat to either him or Nic, but Jeez was quick to recognize that something else was happening behind the scenes. Standing up, Jeez looked right into the eyes of the unarmed Kaldo. Probing him with the Force, Jeez sensed a weak mind, and he quickly began to concentrate.

 

"There's no need to hold us at gunpoint," Jeez stated lightly as he indiscriminately waved two of his fingers on his right hand.

 

"There's no need to hold them at gunpoint, men," the unarmed Kaldo stated.

 

"We'll go with you peacefully," Jeez stated without breaking his concentration.

 

"They'll come with us peacefully," he stated. With that, he nodded to those flanking him, and they holstered their blasters. "Follow me."

 

Looking over at Nic, Jeez gave him a reassuring smile and a quick nod to motion him to follow the Kaldo.