Well, fancy meeting you here... (Oriadin)

[Kale]

Believe it or not, Kale was studying. Like, with books.

He was seated on an upholstered bench tucked in an alcove that abutted one of the lesser-traveled corridors of the Temple complex just north of the Archives, his right foot propped on a nearby planter with an ice pack taped around his ankle (courtesy of the day's training session). Behind him was a twenty-foot-tall, arched window that gazed toward the opulent Senatorial district. On his lap was a thick, hardbound volume, and on the bench beside him was a datapad which he was using to take notes and look up the hard words.

Kale had discovered the spot halfway through last week, the week after Pierce had handed him a syllabus of texts and topics. He'd found the sarcophagus atmosphere of the Archives proper to be too stifling to concentrate, especially with the head librarian watching him like a hawk the whole time. The back-alley alcove was different. Though it was quiet inside, the walls weren't acoustically insulated the way they were in the library. Up against the window, he could hear the air traffic in the Senatorial district and the landspeeders on the streets below. He could hear the wind, which, hundreds of stories up, blasted the stratoscrapers and made the windowpanes whistle and rattle. Maybe it wasn't what most people would call a study environment, but Kale found it much easier to concentrate amid the familiar city noises than in the cathedral quiet of the Archives.

It also made it easier to ignore the few passers-by that actually passed by. Kale didn't bat an eye when he heard quiet footsteps in the corridor; he was busy looking up the word inexorable, and wondering, if he met something exorable, how he was to exor it.

[Oriadin]

Oriadin had been back at the Jedi Order for a few days now. He'd kept a low profile since he thought it wise to talk to the Jedi Council about his whereabouts before discussing it with anyone else. Still, there was a constant nagging for the Knight to seek out his old Padawan Kale, and find out how he was, how he was coping.

He'd learned from James Prent that he still trained with the Jedi, and infact with Pierce Tondry. A good man that Oriadin had come to know through his Master Helenias some time back. Oriadin began to track down Kale. Even though he felt he'd failed as his Master, he still wanted to look out for the boy. He still felt responsible for him, in a way.

Finally, Oriadin had tracked him down. He'd spoken to a few people, asking if they'd seen him and of course, used his ability in the force.

He crept up to Kale slowly, noticing he had taken to some hefty reading. Finally he stood above his former padawan, and paused there for a second. So much had changed since he last saw him. Oriadin had been through so much, most of which he hoped one day he would forget, and one day would stop haunting his dreams. Now though, was the time to catch up with his past.

"It means not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course; unsusceptible to persuasion...

...Hello Kale"

[Kale]

Kale flinched at the voice, and the book started slipping between his legs. He jolted forward to catch it, but it fell to the marbled floor with a reverberant crash.

As if jolted awake by the noise, the Padawan straightened up and stared wide-eyed at his former master.

"M-- Master Oriadin! What're you-- Where--"

Kale blinked a few times, then sheepishly bent down to scoop his book off the floor. "You're... back," he said uselessly.

[Oriadin]

Oriadin stood there hoping for some inspiration to come to him that would make things be all ok. He knew though that that was not how the world worked, even if he had to learn some things the hard way.

"Kale... I..."

The Knight was lost for words. He'd always been one to say the right thing at the right time, but now he seemed different.

"I have spent the last few days trying to track you down. I know that Pierce has been training you...

Im sorry for my dissapearence but..."

He searched for the right words. Things were on his mind, things he didnt feel comfortable sharing just yet.

"Things came up, and I had to leave. Im sorry for leaving you in the lurch in the way I did, but sometimes events unravel in ways you cannot control."

[Kale]

Kale didn't say anything. He was still trying to fully register Oriadin's presence--to assimilate the revelation that his old master, who he had thought had left for good, one way or the other, was standing four feet in front of him.

Things came up...

"I, uh... I had gotten to thinking you weren't coming back."

It came off the top of his head--was it an accusation? An apology? He couldn't tell at this point.

Kale looked up at his former master's face, his eyes shifting back and forth as if he were studying it. "No one told me anythin'. I thought it might be council business, or one of Archer's friends, or..."

All the uncertainty and anxiety he'd felt during Oriadin's absence--particularly after the saber heist--rolled to the surface, and Kale couldn't quell the sudden surge of resentment that followed.

"So, what was it?" he asked with a bit more acid in his voice.

[Oriadin]

The mention of Archer sent a cold shudder through the Knights body, he gave a worried look to Kale, in the same way a child looks when being told off by a parent. He quickly kept himself in check, not wanting to give anything away and realising Kale was just guessing at where he'd been all this time.

"It was... a difficult time. One Im having trouble coming to terms with myself."

Oriadin's voice wavered as he finished his sentance. His emotions were coming to the surface and his eyes welled up. His fist clenched as he tried to hold back from letting it all out.

He took a deep breath and turned his back on Kale while he regained his composure.

[Kale]

Kale was taken aback by the strain in the Oriadin's voice. When he'd first joined the Order, more to get off the streets than for anything else, he'd thought of the Jedi as mythic figures, giants fighting battles he couldn't possibly understand. He thought they were too wrapped up in the Force to care about little things like real life.

He'd learned better by now. But, even so, it was a shock to see his former master in such a weakened state.

Kale carefully slid his injured foot off the rim of the planter and down onto the floor. It made him feel like he had more solid ground beneath him.

"It was somethin' to do with your past, wasn't it?"

Kale was surprised by his own deduction--but it made sense. If it were official Jedi business, he'd have said so to rescue his conscience. It had to be something personal, and all Oriadin's personal ties, at least, outside the Order, were locked up in the recesses of his shaded past.

Kale was also surprised by how hard he drove the point. Oriadin was flustered, and he wasn't being fair. But he didn't feel like being fair at the moment.

[Oriadin]

A frown appeared on Oriadins face and his eyes darted from side to side. He was searching. Searching for reasoning.

It had taken Oriadin a few moments to realise that Kale had said anything to him and he felt at a lost on how to reply.

Finally, he turned around to face his formar padawan. His frown subsided and his shoulders relaxed, almost as if he were begining to release a heavy load.

"The past?

Yes, the past but also the present. Why did they have to die? Why did I have to look for them? Its all my fault."

Oriadins hand began to phisically shake and his head began to move side to side as if begging someone not to do something

"Kale.... he killed them all!"

[Kale]

What the frell?

Oriadin's horror was infectious. Kale didn't know what had the knight so spooked, but he still felt a chill in his spine, and he stiffened in his seat.

"What are you talkin' about?" he asked incredulously. "Who killed who?"

[Oriadin]

Oriadin became lost within his own head, murmering to himself. His hands clasped one another.

He could see a woman, and a small child. They seemed happy. The woman enjoying the beautiful sunshine on her pretty face, and watched as the child played happily by himself with a ball over fields of green green grass.

Oriadins face smiled warmly as those visions ran through his mind. He needed to come back to the order, to those who had become his family after his memory loss. He didnt know where else to turn. The Jedi would help him, thats what they do he thought.

"They killed them all... all of them. They are all dead. I could do nothing."

His smile turned upside down and his eyes filled again.

"Marie... and little Apollo... I couldnt save them."

A single tear was released from the Knights eye. It rolled down his cheek and fell silently to the ground below.

[Kale]

Kale watched in disbelief as the storm of emotion raged on Oriadin's face. He was silent--he didn't have the foggiest idea how to respond. He'd never been very strong on empathy.

There was an awkward pause, and the window rattled as a hover-lorry trundled by.

"I, uh... I'm sorry," he said weakly. Aw, frell, that sounded stupid.

"But none of this is makin' any sense to me. You wanna... you wanna go someplace a little less open?"

He wasn't sure why he was asking--there was so little traffic in this corridor that there wasn't much chance their conversation would be intruded on. But Kale felt sort of cornered, and his mind was hazy. He needed his feet moving so he could think. The Padawan gathered up his book and stood, favoring his left ankle.

[Oriadin]

Oriadin had been so lossed within his head for a moment, he almost forgot he was talking to Kale. He thought he'd gotten over the worst of it before coming back to the Jedi Order, but now it came flooding back and hit him like a sledghammer on an old wall.

He raised his hand to his face and used his fingers to stop more tears from forming. The knight had once been a text book Jedi. This is right, this is wrong. Never letting out any emotion and always focused on the task in hand. Now he was simply a broken man.

"Kale..." he said, composing himself with deep breaths and ignoring the question of going somewhere else. "Im sorry for the way this meeting has developed. Im not the same person that left here, when I were your master. I... Im not even sure if he will ever come back. You see, ive been on a voyage of self discovery, and from there, been to hell and back.

Once you have seen things, you can't unsee them. Ive seen some truly horrid things since my dissapearence. Things that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Oriadin knew now that there was no getting away from it. Kale was going to have to know what had happend to him. Kale would be the first to hear of his travels and discoveries. This was going to be hard though, so far, he hadnt even been able to say it to himself in his head.

"Kale... You remember Archer? This begins with him."

Oriadins tone was one that expressed a story was about to begin, and that this could take some time.

[Kale]

Kale nodded slowly. He remembered Archer all right--it was his first Jedi mission, and the first time as a Jedi his life had been put in danger. When their leads on the madman dried up, Kale had been relieved. As tormented as Oriadin appeared, Kale was apprehensive about where this story was heading. But he wanted to hear it.

"Okay," he answered hesitantly, sitting back down on the bench. There was an armchair cattycorner to the bench in the alcove in case Oriadin wanted to sit, too.

[Oriadin]

For the time being, Oriadin chose to stand. Well, more to pace.

"As you know, our leads on Archer dried up and so we returned to the Jedi Order and I reported our findings to the council. At the time, I thought that was the end of it."

Oriadin shaked his head in dissapointment, he now wished that had been the end of it.

"I started having very painfull visions of my past. Nothing much, just quick flashbacks. None of them really made much sense. It was like a dream thats at the back of your head. You try to tell somone about it and all of a sudden, you cant remember it any more. Well, there was one thing I do remember. I saw Archer in one of my visions of the past."

Oriadin looked to Kale to see how he would react to this before continuing his story.

[Kale]

Kale stiffened visibly. He didn't know anything about visions--he'd never had one himself, and he was inclined not to trust them, even after all he'd seen at the Jedi Temple.

After all, Archer had been weighing heavily on both their minds during those days.

But there was no mistaking how real it had been to Oriadin. "Archer?" Kale repeated. "You're sayin' you an' him used to know each other?"

[Oriadin]

Oriadin turned to face Kale, his face very serious. The sadness that he wore upon his face just moments ago leaving. It was clear the Knights emotions were scattered about all over the place.

"Exactly!", he shouted. "Ever since I came to the Order I knew nothing of my past or about myself. Id had visions, flashbacks of my past but none of it made any sense. This was the first thing I had to work with. I had no idea what it meant at the time, except that I knew Archer already from my past. What wasnt so clear to me was if Archer knew me or not.

I decided to return to where we began our investigation on Archer, alone. I had to find out what this vision meant for me I knoew the council wouldnt approve, since this was for personal reasons so I left without word." Oriadin looked sadly at Kale. He still regretted not being there for his once padawan learner.

"So I packed up a few things, dressed in my plain clothes and set off. There wasnt much there apart from rubble and debris from the explosion. I had a good look around the place and surrounding area and came accross no clues. I was about ready to give up when I over heard two men chatting from down an ally way. They were talking about a job well done. I could tell they were on about the explosion. I casually walked up and opened up conversation with them. They seemed startled at first, but they were keen to boast about what they'd done."

Oriadin stared at nothing in particular as he recalled what had happend.

"It didnt occur to me how easy and convenient all of this actually was. I was all too wrapped up in finding out about my past."

[Kale]

This was tough to hear--Kale just sank into his seat absorbing it, reserving judgment until he'd heard the whole thing.

And from the sounds of it, there was a lot more left to be told.

"So, what happened?"

[Oriadin]

Thankfully, Kale didn't seem to dwell to much on the fact that Oriadin left him behind. Unfortunately, he had to continue on with his story.

"Well...", he began. "One story led to another and I convinced them that id been an outlaw on my last plannet and that id heard about Archer and had come in search of him. I told them I wanted to join his ranks. At first they denied that they knew him at all, but with some persuasion with the force, they were soon telling me where their hide out was and how long they'd both worked for the man.

They seemed in awe of the fact they worked for him. Proud. So I asked them to set up a meeting. I would return to the rubble again the following day and find out the hows and wheres of it all. So off they set. I found a small hotel to stay at and booked a room for a few days, not really knowing how long it would take to set this kind of thing up. From what the two men told me, Archer had a lot to do, places to go, people to see. I half expected never to see the men again.

My plan was simple. Infiltrate the group, find out how I knew Archer, gather what ever intel I could on the man and take it back to the Jedi Order.... best laid plans eh?"

Oriadins eyes welled up again. His mind kept skipping to further parts of the story as he ran through what happend with Kale. He could still hear the screams and cries for help. He could remember how utterly powerless he felt, and he felt the guilt.

He lost his concentration and completely forgot he was telling Kale his story. He stood still for a number of minutes glaring down towards the ground.

[Kale]

Kale furrowed his brow. That couldn't be the end of the story...

He nervously clawed at the upholstered cushion beneath him and lightly cleared his throat. "Um... Mas--"

Er, what was he supposed to call him now?

"Oriadin?"

[Oriadin]

A small wavering voice called out to the distracted Jedi Knight. He looked over to his right and saw Kale.

"Kale... what are you doing here. Shouldnt you...."

Suddenly the knight looked about him and remembered where he was. He'd been completely lost in memories that came flodding back to him.

"Oh right, heh. Sorry. Yeah. I went back to meet the two men I had spoken to the previous day and to my... shock, horror, suprise... call it what you will, there before me stood Archer. As a Jedi you should always be prepared for anything."

Oriadin found himself handing out some advice to his former padawan, and this made him smile, if even for the slightest of moments.

"I couldnt have been prepared for that though. Archer was reguarded as a very dangerous man who was extreamly hard to get any information on, let alone actually see him. Yet there he was, right before my eyes. The other funny thing was, after my visions of him, and that I recognised him from those visions I still couldnt put my finger on how. It was like being asked a question at a quiz that you know the answer to but for the life of you cant remember it.

I approached him, and to my suprise he seemed.... like a nice guy. Down to eath, completely normal. Normal in the sense, not the mass murderer I had been led to belive he was.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, he took me in. Showed me a few things like his hideout and made small talk. He wanted to know if I still felt like I wanted to join his ranks to which I said yes. That began... the initiation... the three trials to see if I were worthy. Thats when things turned... bad"

Oriadin turned to Kale. His emotions all over the place. He was visibly in pain. A fire burned in his eyes and he seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He'd aged since leaving the order.

[Kale]

Bad...

That word had all kinds of meanings on the street. All of them, well... bad.

Kale recalled Sharkey stumbling into their apartment at the Plaza Cueva de Luce late one night, his almond complexion palled, almost green, and his hands shaking. There were dark stains on his jacket which he didn't explain--he just threw it in the corner where he piled his laundry and sat on his bed with his back toward Kale.

Kale, sitting on his cot on the opposite wall, asked what had happened. Sharkey just shook his head and said, "Bad night. Shut up and go to sleep."

And that was the end of it.

Kale saw that same haunted pallor on Oriadin's face. There were other things there, too--defiance, loss, uncertainty, and a number of things Kale didn't have the vocabulary for. It unsettled him.

The Padawan swallowed and said, perfunctorily, "What happened?"

[Oriadin]

Oriadin couldnt look into his former padawans face as he began his description of the three trials.

"They were missions, of sorts. I was told it was a mission that had been created in order to test my abilities, loyalty and worthyness.

For my first mission I was briefed on this man, called Brian Halfway. From what I was told by Archer, he was a business assosiate who'd landed himself in trouble with a number of bounty hunters. He was coming into a space dock on Coruscant and Archer had agreed to keep him safe after he'd arrived. Under the table business deal I guessed. Archer told me it was my mission to meet him at the space dock, and bring him safely to his hideout. Not too bad, I thought. The tough part would be to do this without looking like a Jedi!"

Oriadin tried to raise a small smile, but his face only gave off a look of despair and regret.

"I met Brian at the space dock no problem and we made our way to our transport. Suddenly all hell broke loose. My instincts started going crazy with a sense of danger, next thing I knew blasters were being fired all over the place."


Oriadin grabbed Brian by the sleeve of his shirt, almost ripping the whole thing off him as he did. Laser blasts wizzing left right and center. "IN HERE!", he shouted as he pulled his blaster out and began picking off the attackers one by one. They were seriously out numbered and Brian was unarmed. They had taken cover behind some spare parts for one of the ships that had come into the space dock for repairs. Gradually, the attackers began to move in on Brian and Oriadins position. "We cant stay here long", said the Jedi knight as he fired meanwhile looking for a way out. Suddenly, he saw something. A few tanks of fuel. He focused on them and with the force, managed to topple them over. "Get ready to move!". He started rolling the tanks in the direction of the heavy fire and when they got close enough he stood up and fired. The tanks exploded and sent about twelve men flying through the air. The others, who werent hit by the exploding tanks were startled and didnt quite know what was going on. "Now! Come on. If we move now, we've got a chance." Oriadin ran across the hanger bay blasting out. He tried as far as possible to shoot legs and arms. Nothing that would cause any permanant damage, but enough for them to be out of commision.

Oriadin could see the door in the distance. "There, Brian, get through that door. Brian led the way now and just as they were about through, a lone blast got through and hit the Jedi on the foot. It was a light scrape, but enough to knock him off balance. "Keep going!!", he yelled, as he rolled and recovered. They ran through the door and Oriadin sealed the door behind them. The transport was waiting, with another of Archers men. They jumped in and were off before anything else could happen.


"So as you see Kale. Not the easiests of trials. Archer was happy with my work. There was an investigation into what happend but Archer is a master of hiding his tracks and no one ever tied it to him... or me for that matter."

Some might have reguarded that mission a success, but it lay heavily on the Knights shoulders. Three men died that day. They were either Bounty hunters, or employed BY bounty hunters, but they were still dead either way.

[Kale]

Not the easiest of trials... frelling understatement. Either Archer had an extraordinary amount of faith in Oriadin from the get-go, or he had very little and didn't really care that much about getting this "Brian" home safe.

But, either way, it was what Oriadin had to do... wasn't it?

Kale could see his former master didn't see things that way.

"Sounds like it could've been a lot worse," Kale supplied weakly.

[Oriadin]

Could have been a lot worse... those words echoed in Oriadins mind in such a way it tormented his very soul.

"Things were only begining Kale. The worst was yet to come."

Oriadin tried to think of reasoning behind what he was thinking while doing these "trials". That was the problem, he hadnt been thinking. He was too consumed by seeking out his past. He was on a voyage of self descovery and couldnt be stopped.

"That brings be on to my second trial..."

Oriadin sat in his hotel room contemplating some plans Archer had given him. This one would be tougher in some ways, but easier in others. The basics were to infiltrate a heavily guarded building with top security, a security system Archer himself had created. This enabled good intel on the best ways in, and out without being detected. Once inside, Oriadin would have to steal a case which had once belonged to Archer and had infact been stolen from him. At first, Oriadin was cautious but he dug around and came to the conclusion that it had infact once belonged to Archer. What was inside the case, he didnt know, and for now Archer wanted to keep it that way. At least this time, Oriadin would be able to openly use more of his Jedi skills to get through the building without being seen.

The big day came around for the Jedi Knight to fullfill his second trial. He was dropped of a very large multi story hotel. He was given some smart clothes to wear, and told to act as a top business man, and he managed to pull that off very well. He'd aranged a meeting with the Vice President of the hotel to discuss a new business venture to which the greedy little man couldnt resist. Oriadin had done his homework and new he wouldnt resist a way to make even more money.

"Ah, Mr Vice President, I am Oriadin". The Vice President seemed eager to meet him and showed him down to the lower levels imediately. Bypassing several security checks along the way. By the time they reached their destination, they were some 8 levels below the ground. "Julie, I want no interuptions of any sort under any circomstances for at least a couple of hours!", the Vice President bellowed at his shy secretery. "Yes Sir, of couse sir", she whimpered back. Oriadin followed the Vice president into his large office, examining the leather, heavy oak desk and interesting artwork arranged neatly around the room. Oriadin waited for the door to be closed behind them. "Good." Oriadin said. "Lets begin". With that, Oriadin struck the base of his neck with the side of his right hand and watched as he fell silently onto his leather sofa. He quickly ran over to the doorway and listened for any suspision raised outside the office. Seemed he was in the clear. Phase once, complete!

[Oriadin]

Oriadin regretted everything he did. The actions he took, the decisions he made. He wished he could take it all back. Under normal circumstances, he would have questioned what he was doing a hell of a lot more, but his past was at stake. What length would you go to find out who you were? He knew deep down that there was no way of knowing what events would follow, but he felt he could have handled the situation har better had his judgment not have been clouded.

He ran back over to the slumped over body of the Vice President. Firstly to check how long he'd be out for, and second to make sure he wasnt too badly hurt. Once satisfied he got moving. He reconed he'd have around 35 mins before the Vice President sounded the alarm. He walked over to the bookcase and began looking for one simply called '42'. It didnt take long, it was exacly where archer had told him it was. He pulled it and a secret doorway opened, revealing a secret passage way.

The passage way was something Archer had created in his design of the buildings security. Interestinglyenough, the Vice President and infact the President of the building had no idea it was there. Archer felt safe in the knowledge that it wouldnt be uncovered before he'd need to use it. Banking on the fact the Vice President sooner enjoy the delights of watching paint dry than picking up a book and reading more than the front cover.

Oriadin entered the passage way and followed along all the way to the main vault. Now he would need to be carefull. Breaking into the Vault itself was the easy part. After some lengthy chats with Archer it became clear that Vaults were not designed to keep people out... well not everybody. They were designed to allow the person that created them, to get in. The hard part would be the three guards blocking the enterance armed with some extreamly dangerous weapons. Given the only instruction to shoot anyone at first sight unless that person is the President himself. No questions, just fire away until they stop moving. There was only one way through to the Vault, and that was one very long corridor. It was designed that way so the guards would see any intruders very early and blast them from here to next week.

Archer had provided a weapon he'd been developing that enabled the user to fire through a solid wall and kill any living thing in the next room. Oriadin had decided long before getting there, that there was no way he was using that. Being a Jedi, he would instead use the force, a gift, Oriadin mused, that Archer didnt know he had.

The three guards had been very highly trained. They'd been groomed for years to take out the first sight of anyone who shouldnt be there. They never missed and until now, never lost a fight. You could imagine their suprise when a lonely man entered through the door and started walking towards them. They glanced at one another for a second before raising their guns and blasting the hell out of the corridor. No one had ever walked through that door that wasnt the President before, THIS was the biggest moment of their carears. They let the corridor have the lot. By the time they finished shooting a cloud of smoke had filled the entire corridor and the guards couldnt even see the ends of their flaring noses. Everywhere fell silent. Nothing could get through there alive.... well, except perhaps a well trained Jedi.

Oriadin had projected an image of himself in the minds of the guards, effectivly ensuring they blasted all their ammunition at thin air. He then used the cover of the smoke to get up close. By the time the smoke had cleared Oriadin was on top of them and had rendered them unconsious. He used the technique Archer had taught him to break into the vault and within seconds he had his hands on the case. He picked it up and made for the door. Then the alarms sounded. "FRELL!" Oriadin thought to himself. The door started to close and Oriadin started to move. He dived towards the door, slid accross the floor and narrowly escaped the room. He entered the passage way and made for the office where this had started.

The Vice President had just started coming around and Oriadin would be caught unless... he closed the passage way door behind him. Ran over to a water dispenser and used it to splash water on the Vice Presidents face. "Are you ok? Looks like you hit your head pretty hard" Oriadin said in a soft concerned voice.
"What happend", replied the Vice President.
"You fell, and hit your head".
With that, the Vice President realised the alarms were sounding and then a second later the secretary bundled through the door.
"Sir, the Vault has been broken into."
"Quickly, to the cameras!"
They all ran off to find the theif, forgetting about Oriadin and leaving him there. Oriadin gave it a few seconds then made for the exit. He walked, but walked quickly. It wouldnt take long for them to realise it was he who had broken in to the Vault.

He'd just made it outside when he heard a shout of "THERE HE IS!". Now he ran. There was a transport waiting for him as planned. He was about a hundred yards away when a single shot was fired. Oriadin looked down and saw a red patch appear around his middle. Suddenly his feet failed to work and he stumbled and fell. It was then he felt the sharp pain through his whole body. The men chased after the fallen Jedi and once again, it would only be moments before he was caught.

It was Archer himself that got out of the transport. Looked at the Vice President, gave a sly smile, grabbed Oriadin and pulled him into the transport and then they escaped. There was no doubt that Archer had saved his life that day.

Oriadin looked at Kale, and held the right hand side of his belly, remembering the pain and suffering that came after that day.

[Kale]

Kale was stone-faced. So the story was getting a little deeper, a little darker. Doing some solo surveillance was one thing--foolhardy, maybe, unless you knew what you were doing. Kale had enough trouble when he tried poking around a fairly small-time operation in the Twilight sector.

But trying to plant yourself in an operation without any outside support--that was crazy, especially if the situation was as hot as all that.

"Well... why didn't you call for help? Or at least let the Order know what you were doin' so they could keep an eye out for you?"

Maybe hindsight was 20/20, but it seemed obvious, even to a pickpocket who was used to working alone.

[Oriadin]

Oriadin looked over in Kales direction with a heavy heart. His eyebrows closing in with deep thought.

"I wanted too... but the council... I didnt think they would support me on a personal vendetta. Not to mention I was being watched too closely by Archer and his men. If I tried to get word out then it would have been seconds before they were on to me."

Oriadin shook his head, Kale didnt know the half of what was to come. Unfortunately at the time, neither did Oriadin.