People of the Sky (Open)

[Leiko Hatake]

<font size=1><a href=http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38879&perpage=20&pagenumber=2>Continued from here...</a></font>

He had come and gone, again, like some thief in the night. Her brother had appeared out of nowhere - as usual - battered and broken. Leiko had moved out on her own because of his infrequent visits; her adoptive parents disapporved of having...an abnormal in their house.

"If they only knew how abnormal he is," she thought as she began putting her just-bought groceries away. He hadn't bothered to tell her what had happened now, only sat himself down at her kitchen table, bandaged his wounds then flopped on the couch and fell asleep. He had disappeared by the time she woke up the next day, leaving a few credits behind for her trouble.

It was how their relationship had always been, and she didn't think it would change anytime soon. Not unless the Force disappeared from the galaxy.

Both of them had been 'gifted', something passed down from their mothers' side of their family. When her father had their mother killed, Leiko hid. She withdrew from her family life, hid her abilities and quietly obeyed her father. Kyashi rebelled, and lashed out. She wasn't there to see him kill their father, but she knew he must have had his reasons. After that, she was shipped off to another family, one that was loyal to the Empire, on Coruscant.

She set aside a few last cans, and canted her head. Someone was at the door.

[Tear]

He had been watching through the night. The figure was leaning up against the grime covered wall of a darkened ally way. Hours had came and gone and the man went from leaning to sitting

Tear's eyes watered forcing himself to remember to blink as he watched the door like a cat watching a mouse hole.

Sleep crept her warm fingers over his mind, whispering rest into his ears and sprinking sand over his eyes. His head bobbed randomly everytime he caught himself falling asleep. Its funny how one moment your body just wont listen. You'r eyelids droop and there only way to keep them open is to use your fingers and pin them open. Then it all changes.

Tear straightened as he watched Kyashi slam the door behind him. He glanced around briefly before taking off in a casual walk down the street.

Curiousity took over were sleep had left off. He had a home.

Silence had swallowed most of coruscant at this hour. Most human and even aliens found the wee hours of the morning best for sleeping and not for wandering the streets knocking on doors.

Tear took a step back from the door whoever answered would probably only look once and slam the door on you, crazy fool, he thought to himself as he looked himself over. His suit, or what was left of it reeked of booze. Not only that but his suit bore small burns in various places. He didnt even have his coat anymore.

I got to think of a reason im even here. His hand moved to the door out of habit and knocked. Did I just knock?

The door opened a crack and the soft pink lips and big eyes of a girl peeked through. Ah frell.

"Hello?" Her voice was soft but cautious. Why wouldnt she be? Boy scouts wouldnt be selling cookies at this hour.

"Uh hi." Think you idiot!

"Im a friend of your brothers. Is he home?" A toothy grin rose between Tears lips like a shark that had just tasted blood.

[Leiko Hatake]

<font size=1>OOC. Tear, please stop posting my characters' actions. Thank-you.</font>

The door opened quickly and slammed shut. Tear could hear the sound of many, many locks turning and a heavy sigh following it.

"I don't have a brother. I think you have the wrong house, Sir."

The last word was forced politeness. Leiko had never known Kyashi to have friends - acquaintances, the occassional casual lover, people he used to "make things happen" - but never an actual friend.

She stared hard at the man through the peep-hole. "I suggest you leave before the troopers show up."

[Sudoku]

He'd left while it was still dark out, making his way quietly from his sisters' apartment, and quickly made his way down through the levels of the city.

Kyashi hated to put her in such a position, but he had no-where else to go. With a pair of Imperials following him (and possibly finding him half-asleep on the street), it was the only option.

He pulled the collar of his shirt up, blowing onto his hands as he stopped walking and settled down on the nearby curb. He'd been walking for hours, and now it was time for a rest. He kept his senses alert, just in case...

[Tear]

"Oh I apologize." He took a step back from the door and turned around, glancing both ways down the street before picking a direction and walked away.

In all honesty Tear had went out on a limb when he asked for her brother for all he knew they werent even related. But she looked around his age and they shared a likeness. He would have bet they were related. Maybe they were, either way she was connected to Kyashi in some way and thats all he needed to know.

Tear breathed in the cold metallic morning air. It had a funny taste to it this deep in the city. He kept walking, until a squad of troopers slowed by to question him for obvious reasons Tear had looked like hell. A simple clearance code silenced them.

The armored troop carrier lifted off with Tear onboard headed toward more Imperial surroundings. He glanced back toward the area of Kyashi's home. The Inquisitor had got what information was needed and now he left it for someone else to finish off.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon’s eyes remained fixated on his datapad as he trudged through the streets. One hand was buried deep in his pocket fumbling around with a silly ring filled with sentimental value. A virtual stack of reports on the actions at the club was displayed on the lightly glowing screen.

Each file contained nearly the same information and the Executor skipped the more familiar portions. Finally he arrived at the piece of data he felt most important—a list of places visited by this Tear fellow.

Supposedly this man was the Grand Inquisitor or some other little fly buzzing in Khendon’s realm of employment. Technically, The Office of the Executor could take command of any military or civilian asset it required to do its job. This included, of course, the Inquisitors. However, Tear had not respected the rank—something that Khendon found perturbing.

There were traditional channels an officer could use to get “revenge.” Court-martials and tribunals were frequent occurrences in the Empire. Yet, they were so impersonal. Besides, Khendon didn’t want Tear to go to some prison resort he wanted pain and suffering.

One apartment in particular seemed to have been of some importance—it was the last location on the list and seemed to end the Inquisitor’s personal search. That was enough reason for Khendon to go there and see what he could find out.

There were ways to handle each situation and Khendon knew exactly what needed to be done right now. He stopped off at a small café and purchased a means of persuasion.

A brief walk found the apartment building Tear had entered. The Executor used a keycard to enter the complex and moved towards the number he was looking for. Khendon, wearing a black Imperial uniform showing the seal of the Executor, knocked on the door with a mild smile and two steaming cups of stim caf.

[Leiko Hatake]

She had been lounging on the couch, reading the latest fashion rag via datapad when there was another knock on the door.

She glanced out the peep-hole, half expecting Storm-troopers to be dragging her brothers' corpse back for identification. Instead, a man stood in the hallway, smiling and holding two hot cups of caf. She raised an eyebrow as she took a step back.

"Yes? Who's there?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Something mutely growled deep within Khendon’s mind. A dark sensation ran over his body and he was forced to constrict his connection to the Force. The shadow shriveled like a seed sown in salted ground.

Instead of falling apart, Khendon fortified his smile with a genuine sense of joy at hearing the voice. “Miss Hatake? I’m from the Office of Executor Sevon. I’m doing a follow up on a dangerous blond haired criminal that might still be around this neighborhood.”

Khendon had earlier consulted his datapad as to the occupant and couldn’t find any connections to the crazed Inquisitor. Never the less, he had caught the flow and his mild lies began to roll of the end of his forked tongue, “I have a few questions, they might take some time.”

[Leiko Hatake]

"Let's see some official ID. Then I might let you in."

She unlocked a few of the locks, leaving the chain-locks in place. She peered out from behind the door at him, taking a look at the very official IDs he presented to her. The door opened, and she stepped into the doorway.

"Alright. Start talking."

[Khendon Sevon]

“I, uh… took the liberty,” he held out one of the cups of stim caf. “Sorry, er, if anyone else comes around wearing a suit like mine don’t tell them I did this. The Executor would have my head. I thought you might still be sleeping and didn’t want to wake you up without some comfort.” Khendon smiled nervously

[Leiko Hatake]

"Oh."

Leiko was taken aback. A considerate Imperial officer...was..unusual. She took the cup with one hand, gesturing to the inside of her apartment.

"Uh, come in, I guess." She made her way passed the small kitchenette, a dining table covered in datapads and books, into the living room - a simple couch, coffee table and matching chair. She took a seat, setting her caf on the table. "That blonde guy was here earlier, but he left. Is he really a criminal?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon nodded slowly and looked into the depths of his caf. “Yeah, a wanted Dark Side user.”

The Executor shot a silvery glance at Leiko, “You’d be amazed at the power these darkies wield. I’ve seen…” he allowed the statement to trail of and focused back on his cup, his visage turned mildly white and he licked his lips, “I’ve seen some horrible things.”

[Leiko Hatake]

"I can imagine."

She left it at that - he didn't need to know what she had seen in the past. Did he know about Kyashi, or about their parents? She wasn't sure - she had been living with her adoptive parents for a while now, and wasn't aware of what information the Empire would have on her family. Asking couldn't hurt, could it?

"He was asking about my brother. I don't have one, that I know of," she lied, keeping a straight yet concerned face. "What was that all about?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon forced his face to not narrow in wicked triumph. Instead, he turned his head to the side and bit his lower lip, “Brother?” He had been chasing someone. A boy, an abnormal…

The Force waited deep in the dark recesses of a bolstered well. The cold stones were constantly sloshed by the yearning for release that was present in every waking moment of Khendon’s existence. A small murmur drew the Force from the well like water in a bucket. The sampling expanded the user’s awareness just enough.

He knew it in that moment. This young lady was more than she appeared. The force dwelt within her in a pure, untrained state. She wasn’t a Jedi, but she was abnormal.

Khendon looked nervous. In truth he hadn’t studied this woman’s records long enough. He was sure that something was missing. There had to have been another reason for Tear to come here.

A decision was made. “There was a young man that this Dark Sider was hunting down, rather viciously, too. He might have confused you for a sister.” The Executor shook his head in mock disapproval and took a sip of his caf, “You’re lucky he didn’t kill you.”

[Leiko Hatake]

"Yeah, he must have," she breathed a sigh of relief. The less people who knew about Kyashi, the better. The fact that he had a pile of datapads under his arm and had no knowledge of her brother was a good sign.

She shrugged as the man took a sip of his caf. "I guess I am, although, I think I could take care of myself. Or would like to think I could. My father taught me how to handle a blaster, so it's not like I'm completely helpless."

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon looked into the depths of the swirling black liquid. His eyes slowly found their way to Leiko’s. “No offense to your defensive skills… but a blaster wouldn’t have done much against a lightsaber. Very few people can stand up to a man of such extreme speed and strength. Especially one armed with such a weapon.”

[Leiko Hatake]

Her face briefly showed irritation, which was replaced by a polite smile.

"I guess you're right. You probably have to deal with those horrible Force-users all the time, and I've never even seen one."

It was a blatant lie - she herself had some knowledge of the Force, but not enough to do any real damage to anyone. She was a decent shot with a blaster, but would she have been a match for the blonde man? Probably not. She could feel herself tense up, and tried in vain to make herself appear calm.

"Are there anymore questions?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon let out a breath and watched as the steam from his cup was swept away by the power of his exhalation. His eyes remained intensely locked on the young woman’s own. He allowed the moment of silence to carry on as his reservoirs of the Force spilled over and ran free.

The Executor’s voice nearly dropped an octave as he spoke in a near hush, “Leiko, even now you know the truth. Let the wall fall down. You’ve hidden behind it for far too long. Break it and free yourself. It whispers to you, does it not?

“The Force is a great burden, and a great gift.” The door’s bolts closed tight as locks engaged. “Open your senses,” his voice was soft, yet full of power, “release your self imposed shackles.” There was a sense of demanding in his voice that underlined every syllable—he was giving her an order.

[Leiko Hatake]

A chill ran down her spine as he spoke. She shook her head, folding her arms across her chest tightly.

"I can't. It doesn't whisper to me, and it doesn't need to be "released", either." Her eyes narrowed as she continued. Who was he, to come in here, and speak to her like this? She could feel her anger rising, something she would normally keep in check. "I'm not shackled by anything - I simply know better than to use it. You don't know anything about me, or my family, OR my abilities. So don't think you can order me around like one of your underlings. The force is not a "gift" or a "burden" to me, it's nothing."

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon nodded his head slowly. “The bolts on your doors aren’t to protect you from the outside world. You placed them there to keep what’s inside you in check. Even now your emotions betray you! Don’t hold back! Let GO!” His voice evolved from a low grumble to a roaring demand.

“Let go.” The words, whispered, were even more potent.

[Leiko Hatake]

She let her breath out through clenched teeth, and again shook her head. The table began to shift, her cup of caf skittering across the surface. Leiko slammed her hands on it, and the movement stopped.

"The locks are there... to keep freaks like you out! I won't lose control, I won't let you goad me into lashing out. You're an Imperial, you know what happens to people like me..."

[Khendon Sevon]

“You mean, people like you and me, don’t you?” Khendon allowed a moment then spoke in a mild, lulling voice, “I can help you understand what powers you have. I can guide you to knowledge that you’ve never dreamed of! Skills beyond your conception!

“Leiko, just open yourself to the truth! You feel it, don’t you?” He reached out to her in the Force, the tendrils of the Dark Side expanding at his command. "I'll protect you."

[Leiko Hatake]

She could feel the hair on the back of her neck rising as he reached out to her through the Force. She had no way to block him - she had never really encountered another Force-user with the exception of her brother.

"I don't want to do this...You say you'll protect me, but for how long? How long will you keep me around untill you decide to have me killed off or shipped away?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon grinned and shook his head, “How long will you last here in mediocrity? When will the ‘troopers breach your door and haul you away because a bureaucrat decided to create a new law?

“Do you want to remain in obscurity? You have a gift! You are better than them, those others out there. Leiko,” Khendon spoke softly now, “you are special.”

[Leiko Hatake]

"I've lasted 16 years without having one trooper come to my door - I've hidden myself very well, the only people who know about my...condition are you..and one other person." She bit her lower lip and continued. "I don't want to be better than anyone else, or be special. I just want to live my life, okay?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon slammed the table with his fist, a fury stormed in his eyes. “Why do you insist on referring to the Force as if it were a disease!” He grunted, “You’re nothing but a child. What do you know about this world? Your parents died and left behind a brat that can’t even embrace what makes her different from others.

“I’m wasting my breath,” Khendon finished his caf, “you just want to hide.”

[Leiko Hatake]

"I know that Force-users don't have a place in this world anymore. Look at the Empire - it wiped out the Jedi, and now it's moving onto every other Force-sensitive, even if they aren't aware of their powers. Hiding is better than being hunted day in and day out. My parents didn't die...the Force killed them!"

The table promptly flipped, end over end, before crashing back down. Leikos' hands clenched into white-knuickled fists on her lap as she let out a long breath. "You think it's so simple, that it's such a great thing to be different. That's easy to say when you're an Imperial officer."

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon’s face grew cold and stern. The Force radiated from him like heat from a nova. Energy moved from within the man’s deep dungeons to external vents. An invisible wind whipped the contents of the room around uneasily. His power was unleashed.

“It is that simple!” His voice had grown in scope. The Executor allowed his aura to touch that of the woman’s and purposely mingled his own wicked emotions with what he sensed in her.

[Leiko Hatake]

As Khendon allowed his own emotions to mingle with hers, the "wind" in the room kicked up, knocking over knick-knacks, lamps. The overhead lights flickered, then shut off. The wind whipped around, slamming into Khendon, knocking him off balance, off the couch and onto the floor.

"Stop it!"

The wind died down, the lights returned and Leiko rose unsteadily to her feet. "Just stop it. Please."

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon had been taken completely by surprised. He grinned now with predatory teeth shining in the restored lighting. “Leiko,” he stood and held out a hand, “I can help you understand everything. There would be no confusion, no need to hide. It would be a crime for someone of your talents to not use them. Just, take my hand.”

The galaxy was changing fast. The Executor knew he would require Force adepts at his side to help him challenge the bureaucrats already clawing to the top of the Imperial mound. Every edge that could be exploited would be. He would see to this.

[Leiko Hatake]

Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her hand in his. A small pout had formed on her lips as she leaned against gently against him, exhausted.

"You promise?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon internally was a knot of intense concentration. Every muscle was hard with the reality that a trap could be sprung at any second. Yet, externally the Executor was compassionate sounding and looking.

“Of course I promise.” The Imperial would require every Force asset he could get his hands on to carry out his malicious plans. Although finding the Force in Leiko had been a complete surprise, Khendon was coping with the situation rather well.

[Leiko Hatake]

"Good."

She straightened up slightly, her pout disappearing. It was replaced with a serious look of concern. Her thoughts drifted to Kyashi - if the Imperials found out about him, they would both be in serious trouble.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon nodded slowly and took a card from the inner pocket of his jacket. “Listen, I have to go find out what that crazy blond haired criminal was doing and where he went. Here’s my datacard, see the seal of the Executor?

“With this you can gain access to my office and my secretary will tell me that you need to talk to me.”