Quay’na’s Rescue Part III (Escape From Edonaaris)

[Argos Ewan]

I sat in my chair within the bridge contemplating my crews future as I stared out the bridge window.

What is to become of us? Our power is only partially restored and yet we have what we need to sustain our defenses for only a short while. These spider creatures are going to be something else to be dealt with, but being the pirates that we are, I only hope we’ll get through this. I’m not exactly sure how we will though.

It’s funny though, it seems that this being, Ma-thrus, seems to know something. Something I can’t quite put my finder on. Something about.....the one. Most strange. Don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak in that manner, but yet..........

As I sat in my chair I put my hands together and put them behind my head, leaned back and closed my eyes to rest them. For what seemed just a moment in time, I began to fall asleep. As I did I saw and heard Quay’Na. Ohh, Argos...I never meant to hurt you...or our son. I suddenly jerked upright in my chair and looked about as her words seemed so real and sad to me. I looked about to see if anyone saw what I had just done and nobody was around yet.

I sighed as I looked out the window of the bridge. I now know that we needed to get off Edonaaris and proceed to get on with our lives. I now had a son to think of. Us living here for the rest of our lives isn’t anything or any future I have planned for my son nor the one I love. There are many things I want for my wife and son and I’m sure, Edonaaris isn’t going to be the place where I want it to happen at.

[Tony Maxwell]

The door to the cockpit had lost power and hung open all by itself, perhaps to never close again. I simply slipped through that opening and stepped into the damaged cockpit. They'd tried to clean it up, I could see that, but debris still littered the floor, control panels sparked now and then, and wiring hung from a panel in the ceiling. At least things were getting repaired, even if it was done in a messy fashion. The Captain, who's name I'd picked up on my way to the cockpit to be Argos Ewan, sat slumped in his chair, eyes closed. I turned to leave, afterall the captain need his sleep, and then the man sat bolt upright, as if an icecube had been slipped down his throat, "Hello there, Mister Ewan," I said, a smile crossing my face. My smile was not as pretty as it used to be. Beatings at the Imperial's hands had knocked many of my beautiful teeth out and cracked and chipped countless others. But I smiled anyways. I'd only just woken up from my nap in the med bay and strange stories were flying around everywhere, "So what happened while I was out, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked as I took the co-pilots chair and sat down, swiveling the chair to the side so I could face Argos.

[Argos Ewan]

Having awakened from my small nap, I looked at Mr. Maxwell and was not pleased that he had entered onto my bridge since he wasn‘t a member of the Eclipse. I got up and walked over to him. “If you’ll please, I’d like for you to not come onto the bridge. Please come with me.”

I walked out of bridge and down a passageway toward the center of the ship as I spoke to him. “If you would I’d like for you to restrict your unescorted movements to the Medbay, the central lounge or ships’ galley. These areas of the ship will have people who will tend to your needs. At least those we can provide for you. I will see about getting you put into quarters soon. I think we have a few open now from those who died when you were freed from the Lynx. I don’t know where you are from but we’ll take you where ever you need to go just as soon as we get the Eclipse up and running again. However I would not expect that to be soon. We’ve got much to do to get her up and running again. That is if we can do it at all.”

As we walked I stopped near the lounge area of the ship and looked at him and smiled. “I know this doesn’t sound good but either way, your still better off here than you were on the Lynx. Which reminds me, I want to thank you for any assistance you may have given my wife during her imprisonment on board the Lynx. I don’t know the extent of the treatment you received while on the Lynx but if it was anything like it was for my wife, I know it couldn’t have been pleasant.”

[Avalon Aquilo]

I sat in a chair next to Celeste and slept there to keep a watchful eye on her. I knew the surgery had gone well but she had yet to recover from it. When I awoke I saw that she was still asleep and still unresponsive so far. I pulled her blanket down to help her remain cool to help keep any temperature down that she may have. I looked up to the monitors and saw her vitals were still stable at this point.

I walked over and found that Afwa had slept all night in a nearby chair with a blanket. I nudged him to awaken him. “Afwa, you don’t have to stay here to watch over her. She looks to be fine for now. Why don’t you go and get some solid rest. I’ll watch over her.”

[Afwa Dohren]

“I believe I will,” I replied as I stood up.

I looked over toward Quay’Na to check on her. “I took the liberty of moving Lady Ewan back into the Medbay while you slept. She looks like she is doing quite well all things considered.”

[Avalon Aquilo]

“Well she is a strong woman. She’ll be just fine after a fashion.”

I yawned and pushed on Afwa. “Now go. I’ll take care of things here.” I watched as he gathered up his blanket and walked out of the Medbay.

[Tony Maxwell]

It was evident that Argos did not trust me, and it made all the clearer when he led me off the bridge, gave me restrictions, and generally forced me to be content with sitting on my butt doing nothing. I had thought that the aid I gave Quay'Na and everything since then would have granted me a little more respect in this... pirate's eyes. Evidentally I was wrong. I was just another person to him, nothing special. But could I blame him? I was not one of his crew, one of his brothers in arms. No, I was just another guy who'd stood up against the Empire and been persecuted for my believes. I was unimportant, really. Just the president of a former multi-billion credit company that produced some of the best droids in the galaxy. Nothing special there, right? Wrong. If this had been anywhere else in the galaxy people would be throwing a party for me or at least taking me out for a drink. They might even want to rub my head, thinking it's good luck to rub the head of a rich man. Here, on this ship, I am nothing. Just worthless cargo. I can't fight, properly at least, and I can't fix this ship. My expertise of electronics only extends towards the construction and repair of droids, not ship machinery.

Argos' continued to talk, fully outlining my restrictions and then thanking me for helping Quay'Na. Wow, what a bunch of BS. One minute he's slapping the chains on my wrist and the next he's patting me on the head, "Yeah... Whatever," I replied as I looked through the doorway of the lounge. It was a mess, like anywhere else on the ship, but for the most part it'd been cleaned up and people were milling about inside; taking a break from their work to make time for rest and fellowship. I knew none of these people, and I really did not feel like getting to know them either. If any of them were like the captain I'd rather steer clear then get another reprimand for doing something their picky conscience does not like.

I turned back to the captain, "Do you have any droids onboard? Any kind of droid at all? Astromeche, protocol, combat, whatever."

[Argos Ewan]

I briskly looked at Mr. Maxwell as he gave me his attitude. ”Yeah......Whatever?” This I found to be offensive and could become dangerous and struck a cord with me.

I turned and stepped directly in front of him and spoke to him calmly. “Mr. Maxwell, I want you to understand something. I am very sorry you have been inconvenienced by matters here on the Eclipse, but this is a raid ship. Not a luxury liner. There were four good men that died trying to give you your freedom from the Lynx. You should be grateful that we didn’t just leave you there. If we had you wouldn't be alive now seeing how the Lynx was destroyed by us. Quay’Na, my wife, was our only goal when we boarded the Lynx. Freeing you was something I only did out of respect for others. So understand, there are over sixty other men here that wouldn’t mind taking the liberty of getting rid of you right now if need be. To them you could very well be viewed as a unnecessary distraction and they don’t take kindly to distractions. I hope you understand what I am saying. If not, then you are going to find out the hard way.”

I took one step away from him and continued. “I want you to understand, this isn’t a conversation. I am only trying to warn you. These men don't’ take kindly to someone coming into their affairs and that is simply what I am trying to help you to avoid. The men are here for one reason and that is to make credits from their work and I pay them well. They have been paid to rescue Quay’Na and now they are ready to move on to the next job. In order for them to get to the next job they know that we now have to get the Eclipse up and running again after her crash landing.”

I put my hand onto his shoulder and smiled. “Look if you have something to offer as far as help, then put it on the table and we’ll put something together for you to do to help get us underway. And no, we don’t have any droids here on the Eclipse. What droids we ever did have were only freighter droids and have long since been thrown out or sold. We simply didn‘t have any use for them.”

[Tony Maxwell]

No droids? Great. Now I have absolutely nothing to do on a ship, that I've just been informed, is full of greedy pirates that are more then likely to kill me where I stand then bother to spit in my eye first. Great. How could things have gotten so bad? Maybe I was better off blowing up on that ship, at least then I wouldn't owe these people the lives lost to rescue me. I did not like how he brought up the casualties. It was not as if they had come to rescue me, they'd come to rescue Quay'Na. I was just extra baggage. How dare he try and hang their deaths over my head. I brushed his arm from her shoulder and started to walk away, only to pause and look over my shoulder at him, "If not for me Quay'Na would have died in that cell. I think that pays any debt you may think I owe. So get off my tail and leave me be," I countered angrily and then continued down the corridor, heading towards the medical bay; leaving Argos behind to play captain and be the Schutta he is.

I entered the med bay and stomped over to the medical bed that I used and sat down on it, letting myself lean backwards until my back hit the bulkhead and kept me propped up. Afwa and the doctor were moving about taking care of the injured and Quay'Na. Nothing close to proper entertainment. I'd sleep if I could, but that's what I'd just stopped doing. I wasn't about to go back to sleep, especially with how hot and mad I am right now.

Curse these pirates to hell!

[Argos Ewan]

“Yeah....whatever,” I said to Mr. Maxwell as he stormed off. I didn’t like speaking this way to him but I knew he would come to terms with what I had said to him soon and cool down. I knew that if he didn’t at least I had tried to warn him.

I went into the lounge and found Ma-thrus still there on the deck sleeping. He awoke when I entered the lounge. “So your still here?”

Ma-thrus awoke and yawned and then looked at me. “Yeeeeeeees, Ma-thrus still here. Here to see the one. Seen them I haven’t but Ma-thrus will and soon.”

I looked at Ma-thrus will a puzzled look. “Let me guess. From what you have said so far, this has something to do with me, my wife and my son. Am I right?”

[Ma-thrus]

“Ma-thrus hungry and no bugs to eat here. Ma-thrus can speak not of the one.” I pointed my finger toward the one and smiled. “No, no........ no no no, you never heard me speak of the one. Ma-thrus can’t say. Not supposed to speak about the one. Forbidden it is. When Ma-thrus see the one theeeeeeeeen I may say, but not until.”

[Argos Ewan]

Now disgusted, I looked Ma-thrus in anger. “Alright then, then we will gather us all in the Medbay and put an end to this. There is something your not telling me and I want to know what it is about right now.”

I went to the nearby com-link and pressed the button for the ships announcing system and hoped it was working. “Aramis Rakai come to the Medbay. Aramis Rakai to the Medbay please.” I now knew the ships communication systems were working because I could hear my announcement over the ships’ system.

“There, now we go to the Medbay and put an end to this babble once and for all. Follow me." I turned away and saw Ma-thrus follow me to the Medbay.

Once in the Medbay I went to Quay’Na’sside and found her awake. I pulled Ma-thrus to my side and introduced Ma-thrus to her. “Ma-thrus this is my wife Quay’Na.”

I looked at Quay’Na and smiled. "Don’t be scared, he will not harm you. His name is Ma-thrus and he lives here on Edonaaris. There is something he has been trying to tell me and I just can’t get a handle on it. We’ll have to wait for Aramis to come here first though.”

[Ma-thrus]

As the Captain took me into the medbay I and took me to the lady’s bed side I looked at her in awe and pointed at her and nodded my head. “Ahhhhhhh, the one. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, now the one comes together.”

I sat down onto the deck of the Medbay and crossed my legs and nodded my head. “Now we wait for the one.”

[Argos Ewan]

I stepped toward Quay'Na and looked at her with puzzlement and whispered to her. "Do you have any idea what he means by this? Are you sensing anything?"

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I vaguely saw Tony enter, I knew it was him from just the outline of his face. He looked angry and was about to say something to him, when Argos came in with...a strange creature.

Before I could ask, the two of them began to speak. I listened and watched the one carefully. I was slightly confused by this strange information coming out of this creatures mouth.

I raised an eyebrow to him as he kept saying, I was the 'one'. "I haven't the slightest clue and all I sense in him is no danger." I told him. "Where'd you find him at?"

[Argos Ewan]

I looked at Quay'Na and smiled. "Well he found us. Aramis found him actually."

[Aramis Rakai]

I had been finally able to get some much needed sleep after I picked up some of my things that had been tossed about from the crash. It wasn't much though as I heard my name being summoned over the loud speaker.

I yawned and pulled on my boot, in a daze I struggled to my feet and headed out of the door and towards the medbay. With another yawn, I entered and tried not to look like I had just woken up. Though, my clothes probably looked rather wrinkled. "Captain." I said as came up to them and hastily rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "You called?"

Shamefully, I didn't look at my mother.

[Argos Ewan]

"Yes I did," I responded to Aramis. "I think our friend here wants to tell us something." I leaned over and whispered to him. "Maybe this will end his babble for a chance."

"Alright Ma-thrus. Tell us now what you have been saying."

[Tony Maxwell]

I watched the captain, Quay'Na, and the... creature through eyes shaded with anger. Glaring was more what I did, in fact. The cogs were already moving in my head. I will get off this planet someday and when I do I'll go back to my droids and then, well, then I can do whatever I want. But somehow the thought of paying the captain a visit afterwards sounds very appealing. What could the great Argos Ewan do against a unit of my X7-JK 'Guardian' class battle droids? Nothing is the answer. Revenge is not my style, nor is murder. But I'm sure I could find some way to make Argos' life difficult. It was the least I could do in return...

[Ma-thrus]

“Yes,” I replied. “Ma-thrus can tell now.“

I stood up as Aramis came next to us. "Ma-thrus happy to finally see the one. Ma-thrus knew you would be here." I opened my arms toward Aramis, Quay'Na and Argos. "Now Ma-thrus can tell. You are The One, all of you.”

I pointed at Quay'Na, "you, are the one.”

I pointed at Aramis, "and you, are the one."

Then I pointed at the Captain. "And you, are also the one."

I stepped closer and pointed at Quay'Na. "You are the beginning of the story."

Then I pointed at the Captain. "You are the middle of the story."

Then I pointed at Aramis. "And you are the continuing story."

I looked at them all as I continued. “Everything you have been, everything that you are, and everything that you will ever be will grow from what you mean to each other. Everything from your past will from this day forward be your future as you will always be as one. Nothing can divide you; no fear or pain. You will always stand face to face and fight back to back to stand as one, forever. This is why together you are The One.”

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

"Oookay, I'm lost." I said as I looked at him. "You'll have to excuse me, I'm not quite up to par yet on the thinking situation. What do you mean?"

[Ma-thrus]

I could see that the one didn’t know what I was saying. “Hummmm, let Ma-thrus explain so you can understand better.” I held my arms out toward everyone in the family. “As a whole and family you are The One. The story that holds you and binds you. From the past, meaning you.” I said as I pointed at Quay’Na. “To the present, which is you,” I said as I pointed at the Captain.

[Argos Ewan]

“And the future,” I said as I looked at Aramis. “Son, you ARE what is and always will be what will always hold us together.”

[Ma-thrus]

I nodded my head, “Yes, the one. The one that holds you and binds you together forever.”

[Argos Ewan]

"Yes," I agreed. "We have and always stood face to face and always fight back to back as all of us have at one time or another. I now see what you are saying Ma-thrus and you are right. I for one will always how that to be true with Quay'Na or Aramis. Always."

For the first time I began to realize what I had in a family and what they both meant to me. "Do you not see what he is saying Quay'Na? It is what we are and what we have become and will always be."

I took Aramis's hand and Quay's hand and put the three of our hands together as one. "It is everything we should and have to hold dear to ourselves in each other."

[Aramis Rakai]

I grunted and pulled my hand back. "Well, maybe we could have, had someone not lied to me all these years." I looked at my father. "I'm afraid that once we get off this rock, I'll be leaving. I don't wish to be in the midst of the very person who betrayed me...and you."

I shook my head and turned to leave. I wanted no part of this, what else could she and would she lie about? I made my way back out to the corridor and headed towards my room.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

"Aramis! Please!" I begged as he ignored me and left the medbay. I sighed deeply as I ran a hand through my long hair. "He's not going to forgive me for this..." I said as I shook my head and looked at Ma-thrus. "I guess even soothsayers can be wrong sometimes."

[Ma-thrus]

"The pain of the heart he may not wish to escape but he will. One can not live for pain and won't." I put my hand on hers. "Trust Ma-thrus. He knows what he is saying, yes. Give the heart time to heal. He will know his heart once he is tired of looking into the darkness."

I looked up at the Captain. "Ma-thrus go back to lounge and await search for missing fuel cells. Let Ma-thrus when you ready to go."

[Argos Ewan]

I watched as Ma-thrus left the Medbay and turned back to Quay'Na and looked at her and put my hand onto her shoulder. "He is right. He will eventually come around."

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

At that moment, I took a deep breath and threw back the covers.

[Argos Ewan]

I saw Quay'Na throw the covers back off of herself. "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I looked at my husband. "I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago. I have to straighten this out with my son. He's got to know the truth."

On shaky legs, I stood. I was determined to get to him and tell him exactly what had happened and why things had been going the way they were. There would be no more lies, and no more cover ups.

I had hurt him, that much was true. But, there was so much more to it than what he saw with his eyes, so much more and he needed to know.

[Argos Ewan]

I looked at her as she stood up. I quickly went to her side to help support her. I knew that if she was determined to do this I couldn't stop her and shouldn't. "If you must go then I will go with you. You can't do this alone."

[Zereth Lancer]

Argos felt a hand slid over his shoulder and hold him back, "No, she needs to this alone," I said calmly. It made my bile boil to touch Argos, to even talk to him again. But I was not doing this for him, I was doing it for Quay'Na, "Let her take care of this Argos. You can't control everything in your life anymore then you can control the rising of the sun."

((Sorry, wrong account. Just consider this to be Tony.))

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

"Thanks, luv." I smiled as we walked to our son's room and I knocked gently.

"Go away!" I heard him call.

"I'm not going away, Aramis. We need to talk and if I have to break down the door...I will."

A moment later, the door opened. "I'm tired, can't we do this another time?"

"No, it has to be now." I told him. "So, as your commanding officer, we are going to have this discussion now."

He shrugged and stepped back to allow me to enter. I looked at Argos one last time before my son closed the door. "Have a seat." I told him.

Aramis sighed and took a seat on the edge of his bed. "Listen, I know you're angry and you have every right to be, but there is so much more to this story than what you've gathered and I'm here to explain the rest." I advised him as I sat in his desk chair.

He nodded. "Alright, but really doubt it's going to change anything."

"Oh, I think it will, my son." I told him. I then began to explain everything from the beginning. The very day that I left my master on Coruscant and became known as Palleus. I'm not for sure how long I was there, telling him everything.

It was a lot for him to take in and I could tell he was deep in thought as I stood. "You can take this information as you wish, son. But, it had to be said."

He didn't answer as he sat on his bed.

I looked at him. "Just know that I did this out of love for you and your father." Again, Aramis remained silent as I opened the door and exited. I saw my husband nearby as the door closed behind me.

[Argos Ewan]

I quickly removed the man's hand from my shoulder. He was going to be someone I was going to have to deal with for trying to step between myself and my family. After removing his hand I took a hold of Quay'Na and helped her to Aramis's quarters.

As she insisted on him opening the door, he opened it and went inside and I waited for her to come out. As I waited I heard her words and hoped Aramis would open up for a change and give her the chance.

After a while she exited the room and I walked over to help her to the Medbay. "Well did he respond at all to you," I asked as I walked with her.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I shook my head. "He didn't say anything, Argos...he may never forgive me for this." The thought of that hurt deeply.

"Did I hear Tony out here?" I asked as I looked around. "We owe him a lot, Argos. That man saved my life more than once on that prison barge. I wouldn't have made it without him. I truly mean that."

[Argos Ewan]

I looked at her with shock as she explained to me about this man, Tony. “Tony huh? Well that is the first time I’ve ever heard his first name.”

Before we got into the Medbay I stopped her and spoke to her. “Look, every since this morning I hadn’t exactly been cordial with him. I knew nothing about the man and I really felt that I should restrict his movements around the ship. I didn’t feel that we needed someone we didn’t know wondering around the Eclipse. I had no idea that I owed him anything at that point, but as you say, we both do. I owe him my gratitude and thanks for helping you to return here safely. I promise I will take care of that just as soon as we return to the Medbay.”

As I began slowly walking with her again, I looked at her. “There is one thing that I am going to have to explain to him though. I won’t tolerate him trying to come between me and you or my son as he tried to do an hour ago. You know how I feel about that. Even the crew knows better than to do anything like that to me or you. I simply won’t stand for it. That is something I can’t and won’t allow.”

I sighed as I continued. “You know everyone we have on board this ship have been hand picked by you and me. Together we have picked only those who have shown us the proper respect we deserve. It isn’t asking much that they do respect us seeing how they are working for us and this is our ship. Actually we’ve given them nothing but the proper respect in return for their fine work they have done for everyone on board the Eclipse. Besides, this is also our only domain. Not only do we work here, we also live here.”

I held up my right hand as if to stop her from speaking. “I know, and I will be kind to him. That is unless he is disrespectful to me like he tried to be earlier and an hour ago. But I take partial blame for that under the circumstances. I will apologize to him for my part in that too.”

[Tony Maxwell]

I, once his hand had been cast aside, returned to my bed, grabbing a broken datapad off one of the medical table and the set of small tools located just beside it. Someone had been attempted to repair it and failed miserably. I silently wondered why one datapad was so important to be repaired. A datapad was only a means of viewing information on a datadisc. You could take the same datadisc and play it on another datapad. I looked it over, clearly something had fallen on it and damaged it in some way that stopped it from working. Then I looked at the bottom, where the datadisc port was located and noticed there was a datadisc still plugged in. I tried to remove it, but it held fast. It was jammed. That's why they wanted to fix it. Now this datapad was the only one that could view that information. Oh well, might as well do something while I'm down here.

Selecting a Tekliance from the tool kit I slipped the device into the grooved head of the bolt holding both sides of the datapad together and twisted until the bolt. I repeated this with the other few bolts and soon I was ble to carefully pry both sides of the device apart. I set both sides down on my bed beside me and examined the junble of wires and other electronic components. A few wires were shorted out and fried, while others were simply disconected. Replacement parts was all someone needed. I reached a hand into my coat pocket and extracted my wide-ban communit. The Imperials had taken it, smashed it against the wall, and handed it back. Something about giving me a false sense of hope had been mentioned during the process. Whatever it was I opened it up and started to browse through the intact bits and pieces, wires and electronics, searching for the pieces I needed. I pulled several things out and slowly began replacing the broken components of the datapad with fully functional replacements. I still did not have all the pieces I needed, but I was on the right path to getting this datapad fixed. I really hated to contribute after the way Argos had treated me, twice today, but it fixing this gave me something to do. Hopefully it'd speed time up too.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

Three days! Three long, gruelling days! And now finally! My damned kitchen was in order. Seasonings and spices and the rack they came in were fixed into a drawer!

"Be damned if Ah havta chase'm through mah Mess Hall!"

And the cutlery back in order, resharpened, and refastened into a new drawer. The meat locker was reset, restocked. The bad meat thrown out.

"Stinkin', rottin' meat! Whata waste!"

And the cutting boards and other utensils fixed, cleaned, and back in their cupboards. The silverware collected and the plates, trays, cups, et cetera gathered, cleansed, repaired, salvaged, or dumped. The pressure-cooking system, the microwaving system, the slow-cooking system, the roasting system, et cetera, were repaired, recalibrated, and reset to the way I liked it. The cleansing and disposal systems were repaired. The seating in the Mess Hall was rebolted. It was the least devestated by the crash. Only two seats had moved, and that was from my body crashing into them!

"How'd Ah miss da table.....I dunno."

With my long and powerful gait, I strolled into my now clean pantry, and into the airlock that was my room. Very antiseptic feel to my room. I struck a panel on the wall, and it slid up, revealing my stash, where I kept my various trinkets. My Alderaanian Wine collection was still intact. I smiled. Alderaanian wine was hard to come by now, considering the fact that all that was left of Alderaan was an asteroid field. I continued looking through my personal effects, and was happy to see that none of them were destroyed. I smiled widely, and walked back into the kitchen, shutting my dormitory behind me.

I set up the A'La-Carte system up, and placed the foods onto the trays. In fifteen minutes, it would be breakfast, and everyone would have their selections. What was left could be closed and vacuume-sealed to keep them fresh. No waste of food, given the circumstances. I set my own table, with my small meal. I usually didn't eat a large breakfast. Just helped myself to five eggs, four pieces of toast, two bantha sage patties, and a half-gallon of Iskonian wine. I took a large sip, savoring the wine.

"Way betta dan coffee!"

I chuckled softly, which, to everyone else, sounded like a standard laugh, and continued my breakfast.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I was silent as Argos helped me back to the medbay. I went up to Avalon who had a worried look on her face as she looked over Celeste. "How is she?" I asked gently as Argos and I looked over her.

I looked at the heart monitor that blipped continuously. "Why hasn't she awakened, Avalon? It's been three days since you operated."

I no sooner got the words out as Celeste's monitor flatlined. "Celeste!" I heard myself scream as Argos took me into his arms and pulled me back to allow her to do her work.

[Argos Ewan]

I stood by Quay’Na as we looked over Celeste. I saw that she had been turned over onto her back within the last few days. “She isn’t looking good Avalon and her vitals are dropping too,” I said to her as I looked up at the monitors.

Suddenly the warning buzzer went off on Celeste’s monitor screen.

[Gideon]

I spent the next few days helping out where I could. Weld this, hold that, bolt this back in, get the readouts for this, go do that, and so on. I stopped every so often, to see Celeste. At the time, I was working on welding some panelling in the hallway, and I got this strange feeling. I felt my heart stop. I heard an echo of a screech in my ears, and I felt myself weakening, my knees buckling. I felt like I was falling forward. It felt like.....

....dying.....

I bolted the panelling as fast as I could, and then I turned quickly, dashing down the hallway. I felt her. Celeste. She was fading. And fast.

I was on the other side of the ship, so it would take me, even as fast as I was, some time to get there...

[Aramis Rakai]

I sat at my desk after my mother left and thought about what she had said to me. I pursed my lips together and opened one of my drawers. Inside was just a few personal items I owned. My favorite was a hologram box of my grandfather, who I often referred to as my father when I was very young. You're real father died, luv. He was a great warrior, but even great warriors die...

"We all need to forgive, Aramis..."

All the hairs on my back stood on end and I felt this strange coldness come over me. I shook involuntarily. "You're not here." I said and refused to turn around.

"I'm here, Aramis and I'm telling you that you need to forgive your mother or this rift between you will never heal. She did what she did to protect you, not hurt you."

I turned and saw...Celeste.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"You need to awaken and see this for what it is. She loves you and she always will, for if you don't...you will regret it..."

I sat there and stared as her image faded from my room. I couldn't move for a few moments, as the hopelessness ran through me. She was gone and I knew it.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I looked at the monitors as they sounded off and knew Celeste had to be revived immediately. I pulled the crash cart next to Celeste’s bed and turned the defibulator on and jelled up the paddles as the system generated. When the system powered up I looked at the Captain and Quay’Na. “Stand back!” I placed the paddles onto her chest and pushed the button to operate them. “Clear!”

Suddenly Celeste’s body heaved and settled onto the bed and I looked up at the monitors and watched for a response. The system regenerated in case needed again. After seeing no response I turned the power up on the unit and waited for it to power up to the new setting. Once powered up I gave my order again. “Clear!” Immediately her body heaved again.

Once again I looked at the monitors and saw them begin to show results.

[Gideon]

I continued sprinting, running like as if it were all I could do. Just as I passed by a room, I saw Aramis in the blur. And I got this very unusual feeling, as if I had felt someone close to me nearby. Huh? Celeste? I almost stopped, but had to focus on the task at hand....getting to her. I rounded the corner, and found the Medbay. I sprinted into the room, to see Avalon, Quay'na, and Argos among others, surrounding her bed. I skidded to a halt.

"Is she okay? What's going on?"

[Argos Ewan]

I stood at Quay’Na’s side with my arm around her waist as I watched Avalon feverishly work. As I looked on I could feel the tension from within her as I felt her body tense up under my hand as she gripped my shoulder.

After Avalon made her last attempt, the monitors began to show better signs. I placed my other hand to Quay’Na’s shoulder and whispered to her to comfort her. “It’s alright. She’s stable now.”

I saw Avalon drop the paddles and went to Celeste’s head and began speaking to her. As she spoke I couldn’t hear what she was saying as I looked over Quay’Na’s shoulder and saw Gideon come up behind Quay’Na heading toward Celeste.

He stopped and stood next to me. I reached out and touched him on the shoulder. “She’s alright Gideon. Take it easy. She’s out of the woods now,” I said with great concern for him and his feelings. It had been no secret to me that he had now fallen in love with Celeste. My feelings went out to him knowing how he must feel right now. I gently eased Quay'Na slightly away from the bed to give Gideon the room he would need. “Go to her and be there for her if she awakens. She‘s going to need to see you if she does.”

[Avalon Aquilo]

I dropped the paddles just as I saw the monitors show that Celeste’s vitals were now raising. Her having not spoken for two days now made me try one more time to get her to hear me. I bent down to her ear and whispered to her. “Celeste, everyone’s here for you. Come on and fight. Pull yourself out of this. Come on, open your eyes. We are waiting for you.”

[Gideon]

I nodded, swallowing the large, nervous lump in my throat. I easily moved through the small crowd of people, taking my place by the bed. I still found it difficult to speak, so I merely stood there, waiting.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I was in the middle of enjoying my breakfast, when Gideon runs past. I noticed that Gideon, the normally calm, cool, and collected fighter, was looking incredibly nervous as he was sprinting toward the Medbay. I heard about Celeste the doc and her surgery. Apparently it wasn't going so well....sad to hear that. I sighed, my tail swishing slightly. I rubbed the horns on my head, feeling the beginning of the growth on them. I would need to grind them back down again. I sighed. The crash screwed up so many things. People died. And to save the Captain's wife. One person for several. She did have Force powers, but did that make her worth the other lives? But the fighters that died were asked if they wished to do it, and they assented. Therefore, it was not the fault of the Captain, or of his wife. It was the fault of the fighters. I sighed, taking another large chug of my wine.

Why did I even care about anything that happened on this ship? I was just the cook. This was a job. A job that paid infinitely better than any of the head chef jobs that I ever had. And they seemed to appreciate me here. Me, a red-skinned, two horned, tailed member of the Zabrak subspecies. And I had hair. How many members of the Zabrak genus could say that? I chuckled, and took another gulp. Good stuff, the Iskalonians knew their wines. It wasn't Alderaanian, but it was good.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I stood up and drew out my pen light and opened one of her eyes and examined her. Once done I looked over the monitors and then looked over at the Captain and the Lieutenant. “Captain, Lieutenant; I need to speak to you alone in the Medbay office.....alone please.”

I walked away from the bed and drew the curtain around the bed leaving Gideon standing next to the bed alone with Celeste.

I walked toward the office with the officers walking behind me. When I got to the office I held the door open and held it for them until they had entered. Once they had entered I closed and locked the door and then went to the desk and leaned against it as I faced them. I took a deep breath and sighed as I gathered myself to say the one thing I was so fearful of saying to anyone.

I quit hesitating and began to break the news to them as I looked directly at them. “Captain, Lieutenant; I’m afraid I’m going to have to tell you. The Doctor is totally and completely unresponsive. She has gone deeper into her comatose state and there is nothing I can do for her to bring her out of it. The only thing I can do is try to sustain her. I just simply don’t have everything that is needed here to save her. If we were someplace that had the equipment I needed I could bring her out of this. If I were to use an act of desperation to try to do this with no more than what the Eclipse has on board right now, it would kill her.”

I took my med pad out and lay it upon the desk and then looked back at them. “There is simply nothing I can do at this point. Eventually, she is going to die. That is unless we can get her off this blasted planet and somewhere where she can get better medical attention than what I can give her here. I can try to sustain her and put her on every machine we have here on the Eclipse, but even at that she is going to die. If we‘re going to save her, we‘ve got to get off this planet now.”

I walked around the desk and continually nervously tapped my finger tips on the desk top as I looked at them and shook my head. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never been faced with this before. Death doesn’t come easy for me, not in this profession. I'm used to having everything I need to make things happen.”

I sat down in my chair and clasped my hands together to stop my nervousness. “I am truly sorry. I really feel like I’ve failed you even though I have tried everything.” I looked at my hands as I sat there. What good are these if I can’t save lives

[Argos Ewan]

I could see by the doctor’s reactions that she wasn’t feeling very good about herself right now. I looked at Quay’Na and nodded my head toward Avalon to let her know that Avalon needed our support right now. I walked around the desk and placed my hand onto her shoulder. “Avalon, you’ve done everything you could have possibly done. It’s not in your hands now.” I knelt down next to her. “You’ve done an outstanding job and you should be proud of yourself.”

I stood up and saw that my words of comfort weren’t enough. I looked at Quay’Na for help with Avalon.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I looked at the doctor. "You've done your part, Avalon. The rest is in the God's hands." I told her gently. "We're going to do everything we can get this place in workable condition to leave."

[Avalon Aquilo]

I listened to their words of support but it still gave me no comfort. As they spoke my thoughts went to the one person I really needed at this moment that would make me feel more comfortable with myself. Still, he was of no use to me now at the moment with his condition.

Oh Jace, if you only knew how much I need you right now. How could this happen right now just when I need you more than ever.

I stood up as I sighed and looked at the Lieutenant and the Captain. “Right now it just seems that even the Gods are against me on everything I have important to me right now. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to my duties and do what I can. Right now it doesn’t seem like much.”

I walked out of the office and saw the curtain still drawn around Celeste and knew that I now owed it to Gideon to tell him the bad news. This was a part of my profession I wished I didn’t have to perform.

I walked next to Gideon and explained everything to him just as I did the Lieutenant and the Captain. I told him all of it and then placed my hand onto his shoulder. “I am really sorry Gideon. I know you have become quite attached to Celeste. Maybe it would be best if you unattached yourself under these conditions. It’s only going to get worse from here. I don’t see anything positive happening as long as we remain here on this God forsaken planet.”

Even though I had spoken the words myself, it sounded cold, even to me. It was something I had never been taught in my schooling but then how can you teach anything like this to anyone.

[Argos Ewan]

As Avalon exited the office, I watched her leave as I walked next to Quay as I gently put my hands on her arms. “This only seems to be getting worse. I’ve got to get the crew ready to find those fuel cells so we can figure out where to take Celeste to get the help she needs. I know Avalon is quite capable, but Celeste has been with us for so long. I‘d hate to lose her now and like this.”

[Jace Keller]

I sighed as I began reprogramming the main computer to the ship. I knew this system inside and out. If I can get this system up and running, the communication systems would be running...meaning, I could get ahold of my twin brother.

I was sure that Argos would not find that amusing in the least. But, Jericho was my twin brother and he had helped me a great deal to get the information I needed.

I was getting tired as I continued working, I'd not slept well the past three nights for some strange reason. But, there was things that needed done and I wasn't about to just sit around and do nothing.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I felt bad for Avalon, but my feelings were from a Jedi's point of view. My seconds of guilt was released from me as I looked at my husband.

"I think, I'm strong enough to start helping in the repair. Afterall, there is still much to do." I told him. "The faster we can get out of here, the faster we can get Celeste the help she needs."

[Argos Ewan]

I looked at my wife with shock on my face as I looked at her. “My love, I couldn’t ask you to do this. Your broken right now and in need of time to heal.” I shook my head and continued, “it was just moments ago you needed me to help you to go and speak with Aramis. How can you even expect to help at this time?”

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

"Let me do something, Argos. Everyone on this ship put their lives at risk for me, let me do my part. I need to do something."

[Argos Ewan]

I knew that if she felt well enough to insist on this then there was no way I could refuse her the very feelings she felt about this. “You know I could never say no to you.”

I sighed as I looked at her and put a fake frown on to play with her. “Sure go ahead. See if it matters that I should ever say no to you. What does it matter that I wouldn’t want you to do this? Go ahead, swing it over my head seeing how your my wife. After all, the crew only thinks you always lead me around by the nose anyway.” I smiled at her as I pulled on my nose. “I think it is something like this. Do I have it right?"

It was nice to have her back with me now. Now I could enjoy and appreciate her even more than I ever did before. Especially since I had experienced and now knew my displeasures of not having her with me and at my side.

[Zereth Lancer]

Delete please...

[Tony Maxwell]

I snapped the two sides of the datapad back together, hit the power button, and watched the screen light up and the information on the datacard scroll across it. The information was irelevant to me, I justed had to check if the reader was still working. After running out of parts I'd searched briefly and located an ancient piece of medical equipment, a scanner of some sort that was so archainc that it was useless even if it was in working condition. I'd checked it first and confirmed that it would never work again, so I took the few pieces I still needed and fixed the datapad. The medical information would be of more use then the busted scanner. I switched the datapad off and, after getting up off 'my' bed I laid it down where I'd found it and then returned to my bed again. A few moments ago a huge commotion had taken place at one of the few emergency medical beds. The doctor woman flatlined and then saved by the miracle of electric shock. It was very suspensful, for the other people. I just felt sad to know that another person was dying. Droids were so much less complicated then people, I reasoned, they could not die and could be repaired easily or rebuilt completely. Droids are expendable, living organisms are not. I can't wait to get back to my droids...

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I smiled at my husband and leaned up and kissed that lovely nose of his. A moment later, I saw that someone else was awake...Tony.

"I'd like to speak with Tony for a bit, before I vacate this wonderful room and head to other places of importance." I told him. I was strange to finally be able to put a face with the voice that had kept me alive in that horrid darkness we shared.

[Jace Keller]

I finished one of the programs on the bridge computer and took in a deep breath. I stopped and reached into my jacket, pulling out the tankard. Just one drink a day... My mind went to Gideon.

Suddenly, without warning...a memory split through my head so fierce and so strong, it hurt. "Ow!" I cried out and held the sides of my head.

"You can't keep this up, brother! I won't let you kill yourself! Alcohol and drugs! Alcohol and drugs!" I saw Gideon there as if I were watching a holovid...talking or may I say yelling at...me. I saw the suringes in a box on my bed, wherever we were, I saw myself looking as if I were nearly dead. The image I saw of myself shook it's head and slurred. "You don't know me...this means nothing to you..." I watched in horror as I held a suringe and placed the needle into my arm....

It was gone as quickly as it came, leaving me breathless and sweaty. "What the frell?"
This could not be true! I quickly took off my jacket and rolled up my sleeves...a sick feeling came over me as I saw scars on my forearms...injection scars. I looked down at the tankard laying on the floor where it had been dropped and had to wonder what had made me turn to drugs and had what Gideon and Avalon rang true? Was I really an alcoholic? I picked it up and looked at it. Was I truly as dependant on this stuff as they had said?

A moment later, I heaved it across the room and it hit the bulkhead on the other side. I'm not a junkie or a drunk! I'm not!

[Argos Ewan]

I smiled as she kissed me. As she spoke to me some things came to my mind that I needed to speak with him about to. “Quay’Na, why don’t you stay right here and I’ll get him for you? After you talk to him I’d like to talk to him to and apologize to him about how I treated him earlier. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the privacy you will desire and wait outside the office until your done. Once your done I’ll speak to him.”

I walked out of the office and went to Mr. Maxwell’s bedside. “Mr. Max......Tony, my wife would like to speak to you in the office.” I held out my hand to direct him toward the office as I smiled at him. “If you’ll please.”

I watched him get out of the bed as he looked at me a little strangely and went into the office. Once he entered I closed the door behind him to give them privacy and waited outside the door for her exit.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I looked around the empty Mess Hall. It was strange. Normally everyone would be here by now, but they weren't. Most likely, they were either resting up, dead, or in the Medbay.....I sighed. Thank the galaxies I was big-boned! Otherwise, I'd be broken in the Medbay myself.....I continued eating my meal, chowing down on my five eggs. They were quite good today....

[Tony Maxwell]

I raised an eyebrow skeptically at Argos' now polite attitude towards me. An hour ago he'd shot words like bullets at me, and now he was throwing flower on my head and leading me as if to some grand parade. Yes, I'm a skeptic, and this was a very incredible change of behavior. Either the capain had finally taken his anger pills, or someone'd ordered him to be nice. Since he was the highest ranked person on this ship, by ship titles, I knew that no one could have ordered him to do anything. So I stepped right along, trying to figure it all out. I was escorted into a small office room and the door shut behind me. A trap, perhaps? Maybe he'd gotten angry enough to do me in and play act being nice in order to lure me in here. I wanted to panic, I wanted to turn and kicked the door down, but instead my eyes grew accostumed to the bad lighting in the room and Quay'Na came into view. I had not been able to view her much in the darkness of the cell, but I'd more then seen her a few time since getting on the ship, "Can I help you?" I asked as I found an empty spit of wall to lean my back against, crossing my arms over my chest and giving her a skeptic look.

[Gideon]

My head began to hurt slightly. And then, the vivid images came. It started in an office, a plain office.....a doctor's office. And I didn't hear the words, but I could hear....their thoughts. Avalon was ashamed. Celeste had slipped further into her coma.....Quay'na wanted to help with repairs, Argos didn't want her to work too hard....Celeste....I sighed softly, a tear coming to my eyes.....she was slipping away. Dying.

The vision changed, to someone blurry in a blurry bunk of a bed. It was Jace. I knew it from his thoughts. I saw myself, saw the needles, saw myself yelling at him......wow, I was pretty damned hard on him last time he was drugging, wasn't I? And now, he couldn't remember, and was beginning to remember.....and it was tearing at his consciousness......I sighed, the tear drying. Celeste.....I wanted to help, but what could I do? I wasn't sure.....

But I could help Jace....But not now. Too soon. It would be too much for him.....I would wait. Just like here and now, with Celeste. I was waiting. Still waiting. I was growing tired, angry, of waiting. I was finally making a human connection with someone, the same someone who saved me in the past.....and now I was losing her? And why? Because her harness broke because of shoddy matinenance. because of a death raid mission to save Argos' loved one? So, Argos could get his love back, yet I could lose the first someone that I'd ever opened up to besides the man who I called brother, Jace?

I slowly walked to the edge of Celeste's bed, and sat down. I held my head in my hands. I sighed. I tried to gather myself. With my right hand, I held her hand, which laid at her side. My head hurt so bad.....

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I looked at Tony and turned on another set of lights so he could see me. "I hear that my husband has been less than appreciative of your presence and I'm very sorry, Tony." I said. "You saved my life more than once on that ship and my husband is a very hard person to get to know at first. Trust me, been there done that when I started here."

[Tony Maxwell]

"Hard is an understatement," I replied roughly, "Talking to him was like talking to a stone wall, with spikes. I tried to start a conversation, learn what's going on, and what I get is a chain slapped on my wrist, and then he had to jerk the chain. I was to survive and get off this rock, same as him, I want to help, but I can't and he knows it. So he confines me to the residential areas of the ship and then informs me that the rest of the crew may kill me at any time, thus confining me to the medical bay. What use am I there? At least he could give me free reign around the ship, at least then I could see if I can find something to do. Sitting on my hands is not my style, never has been. I like getting my hands dirty with the casual worker," I saw the look on her face as she heard that last two sentences, "I'm the president of the multimillion credit droid company Maxwell Industries. You may have heard of me. Snotty brat inherits father's fortune. It was all over the holonet a few years ago."

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

Ah, now that I had heard a while back...

"Well, even so you do have the power to redeem yourself. I mean, heck I'm a Jedi turned pirate and pirating is my life and will be for a very long time." I told him.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I listened to their words of support but it still gave me no comfort. As they spoke my thoughts went to the one person I really needed at this moment that would make me feel more comfortable with myself. Still, he was of no use to me now at the moment with his condition.

Oh Jace, if you only knew how much I need you right now. How could this happen right now just when I need you more than ever.

I stood up as I sighed and looked at the Lieutenant and the Captain. “Right now it just seems that even the Gods are against me on everything I have important to me right now. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to my duties and do what I can. Right now it doesn’t seem like much.”

I walked out of the office and saw the curtain still drawn around Celeste and knew that I now owed it to Gideon to tell him the bad news. This was a part of my profession I wished I didn’t have to perform.

I walked next to Gideon and explained everything to him just as I did the Lieutenant and the Captain. I told him all of it and then placed my hand onto his shoulder. “I am really sorry Gideon. I know you have become quite attached to Celeste. Maybe it would be best if you unattached yourself under these conditions. It’s only going to get worse from here. I don’t see anything positive happening as long as we remain here on this God forsaken planet.”

Even though I had spoken the words myself, it sounded cold, even to me. It was something I had never been taught in my schooling but then how can you teach anything like this to anyone.

I looked at Gideon and watched him for his reactions. I shook my head and continued. "I hope that we can save her but at times like these, I guess the only thing we can do is pray for her. I know my prayers go out for you right now because if this were Jace I would be simply falling apart right now."

I tunred and walked away from him and left him in peace with Celeste. As I walked out from behind the curtain I began cleaning things up. I walked over by the bed where the newcomer was resting at earlier but had left to go elsewhere. I looked down at the bed and saw a Data pad there and picked it up. When I did I accidentally turned it on and it sprung to life. Surprised, I looked around and saw Argos standing next to the office door which was closed at the moment.

I walked over to him and showed him the datapad. "Captain, look at this." I keyed in several operations on it and it worked perfectly. See what our newcomer has done. Celeste told me that this datapad didn't work but yet look at it now. It is functioning perfectly. I don't know how he got it working but it is working fine now."

[Argos Ewan]

I looked at Avalon and watched her operate the DataPad and she was right. It was functioning quite well. “Let me see that,” I requested.

She handed the DataPad to me and I looked it over and finally took the piece apart and saw what Tony had done and how it was put together. “This is simply amazing work. I’ve seen this unit sitting around for some time now and it hasn’t worked in ages.” I peered into the unit once more and saw the refined work that had been done to it. “This is simply nothing short of amazing work here. I don’t think anyone on board could have done this good of work.”

I looked at Avalon with a raised eyebrow. “And he did this here in the Medbay,” I asked.

She nodded her head. “Yes Sir,” she replied.

I closed the unit up and placed it in my vestment pocket. “I think I will hold onto this. I will be speaking to him shortly and I’ll have to ask him about this. We may have a job for him after all. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

She calmly bowed and walked back to her duties. As she did, I thought to myself.

Well I guess I was wrong. I guess I do have a driod for you to work on if you wish.

[Gideon]

I couldn't really think of anything to say. She cared about Jace, and she would've been falling apart right now.....funny, and in an ironic manner, that Jace might not feel the same way at the moment if it were Avalon....then again, if he could remember it, he would be falling apart. I sighed, not even looking up as I spoke.

"Yeah. Prayer and meditation is the only thing that can help....If she does pass on, then it was meant to happen, irregardless of how I feel about it....and vice-versa...."

My head hurt badly. It continued to pound on, pain shooting down my body with each thump and throb.

"Do you have anything for a migrane, Avalon? 'Cause I've got a killer in my head...."


I rubbed my temples, waiting for a response. But it was too quiet, and she didn't answer. So I looked up, squinting from the migraine, and realized that Avalon had already left. What the busybody! Jeez.....

[Avalon Aquilo]

After speaking with the Captain i remembered that I had heard Gideon say something after I walked away. When I left the Captain I went back to Gideon. "I'm sorry Gideon. Did you need something," I asked.

[Gideon]

I had my head back in my hands. Upon hearing Avalon, I looked back up and saw that she was back. I nodded.

"Yeah, I need something for a migrane. I've got a bad one...."

I rubbed my temples.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I looked closely at Gideon and something didn't look right. "Look at me Gideon." As he did I could see the lights we're hurting his eyes. I reached over and dimmed the lighting and pulled out my pen light and looked into his eyes. "I see what the problem is Gideon," I said as I crossed my arms in front of myself as I turned the pen light off. "You have a concussion. Have you taken a blow to the head the last few days? During the mission maybe?"

[Gideon]

I looked up at her, almost laughing. A concussion? I'd been thrown from a podracer once, and hadn't gotten a concussion from that.....maybe a broken bone or two, but no concussion. I had a hard head....but I bet the extra-sensory abilities that the Force gave me was providing me with too much to process. I normally didn't get the visions as frequently as I had been getting them in the past three days. And they were getting stronger, clearer, more comprehensive.

But I had banged my head when the harness didn't strap in all the way....

I smiled.

"I did bang my head when the harness didn't strap in all the way.....but that isn't it. A while back, I crashed and fell out of a podracer, and broke two ribs, but didn't have a concussion. I believe it is an overload of the extra-sensory abilities that I have....They are getting stronger, clearer...."

[Avalon Aquilo]

“Humm,” I said as I stood thinking. I looked around and saw the defibulator I had used on Celeste hadn’t turned off like most models I was used to. I held up a finger to Gideon, “hold on a second. Let’s see if this makes any difference.” I walked over and turned the unit off and looked back at him. “Did that make any difference.”

[Gideon]

I looked up at her. I noticed that she had turned off the defibulator. Wha? Why would that make any difference?

"Um, no. That didn't help at all.....I just need some asprin or something...."

I continued to rub my temples. I could see Jace more clearly now. He was struggling, but it was only internally. And it wasn't thoughts of suicide or self-injure, so maybe he could figure it out for himself.....you could lead a bantha to water, but you sure couldn't make it drink.....

[Avalon Aquilo]

"Very well then." I turned to a nearby case and opened it and took out a container of med-pills for him to take and poured a couple of them from it. "I'm sorry," I said as I poured him a drink of water into a cup. "I just thought maybe the system was causing your system to get out of phase or something."

I turned and handed him the cup of water and pills. "By the way, have you seen anything of Jace." I sighed as I looked at him. "I'm really worried about him and us."

[Gideon]

"No, it's ok. You were only trying to help....It might've been the defibulator....but it is my sensitivity....."

I took the pills in my mouth, and sipped lightly on the water. I felt the pills begin to dissolve, and I could swear that they were beginning to take effect.....I continued.

".....to the Force....or at least that's what I think it is....And as for Jace, he's fighting himself. He's trying to remember what he's forgotten, and he's forgotten quite a lot. So it will take some time. Just don't talk to him about it. Give him time to recuperate....and not to mention, if he realizes I'm Force Sensitive, then he might think that I am spying on him, invading his privacy.....It's not like I want to hear and see his thoughts, see him struggling.....he's a good friend and all.....and I don't want to see and feel Celeste dying, or feel Argos and Quay'Na and their connection to each other when it feels like I might be losing my connection with......you know....with Celeste....she's the only person I've really opened up to in....a long time. I don't want to lose that....I don't know what I would do....."

I sighed, finishing off the small cup of water. The cold, wet sensation soothed my throat. My migrane was already beginning to ease off. Those pills worked wonders....

"I just don't know....I don't know why this would happen, why this could happen. Why she's in that bed. Why I have these....powers. I can see it happening, but I don't know if I can do anything about it.....I mean, why would I have these powers, if I can't use them to help others, help myself, heal others, heal myself, harm those that deserve it, defend those that can't defend themselves, gain profit for myself, gain profit for others, gain enlightenment, or a better understanding of this galaxy and why we're all in it...."

I shook my head.

"I just don't know..."

[Tony Maxwell]

Jedi are not real, I thought in the privacy of my head; Jedi are just part of stories told my aging old people. The torture must have went to her head...

I pulled back the sleeves of my tattered coat to reveal the burn marks that wrapped around my wrists, and then did the same with the burns on my neck, "Have I not redeemed myself? Are these burns upon my body not evidence of a life changed? I stood up to the Empire, something the spoiled brat I used to be would never do. I have redeemed myself, and more. But a redeemed soul does not aid me in this evironment," I gentured widly at the room, indicating the whole ship when I said 'environment'.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I listened to Gideon as he went on and on. I had finally heard enough of this. “Oh by the Gods Gideon. You sound as though you were a God who had lost his powers to control the universe and it is now bothering the daylights out of you.”

I reached over and lightly pushed on his left shoulder. “Come on man, get a grip. Your not so removed or any different than the rest of us.” I spoke to him in a deep voice to mock him. “Oh, I know you have many special abilities.” Then I shifted my voice back to normal. “But your no different than we are. You have weaknesses and flaws just like we do. If you don't think so then what makes you think your so perfect?"

I took my arms and wrapped them around him and embraced him as I put my head on his shoulder and held onto him. “Actually, I really like the person you really are. Don’t be so afraid to know you are no different than the rest of us in so many ways.”

I looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek and then took one step back from him and held his hands. “In what you are is what gives you character and makes you so unique. No abilities does that for you. You do that because you are you, not some God. Do you understand what I am saying my friend?”

[Gideon]

I sighed. I did sound like I was complaining about the things I could do....They were interesting in some aspects, but in other aspects, they could easily drive you mad if you thought about them. Then again, everything could drive anyone mad if they were thought about long enough.....I rubbed hy head.

"Yeah, I understand you, Avalon. I like what I can do.....I like who I am....but I don't like being in everyone's heads.....or not so much in everyone's head, but to hear things....I mean, I can use the information, be sure. But I've got enough going on in my own head, anyway...."

I got up and stretched, smiling slightly at Avalon. I had an idea of what to do. If I couldn't solve my problems, maybe I could use them to help others solve theirs.....like Jace. I patted Avalon lightly on her right shoulder with my right arm, before passing her right side.

"Thanks, Av. Be careful, okay?"

Without even waiting for an affirmation, I walked out of the Medbay, and headed down the corridors, taking the proper turns, until I found myself in front of Jace's closed dormitory. I knocked lightly on the door.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I felt sorry for the man as he left the Medbay. Still though, I couldn’t help but to notice his loneliness and pain. I’m sure that Celeste has much to do with that.

I went back to Celeste and saw she had stabilized and was actually doing better than expected.

Seeing how things were much better than I expected I decided to go and get something to eat from the Galley. When I entered I found Tiny behind the counter. "Hey there Tiny. What is for the eating right now. I am starved."

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I shovelled off my eggs, drank the last of my wine, and munched on a piece of toast as I took my dishes to the sink. I scrubbed and cleaned them off, before returning them to the bottom of the stack, the piece of toast hanging out of my mouth. I swallowed whole the last piece of toast, which was nearly whole. Once done, I sighed, and went behind the counters to retrieve my broom to sweep up, when my first matron made her way into the Mess Hall. I looked up, and smiled.

"Breakfast, ma'am. A small bar of yo' choice. Mostly eggs, toast, bantha sage patties, bacon, biscuits, white gravy, oatmeal, and a few of dem MRE bars. And yo' choice of coffee, milk, jawa juice, tea, or wata. If ya don't like whatcha see, I might be aba ta whip up a li'l somethin' fo' ya."

I leaned on the counter and waited for her response, lightly rubbing the nubs on my forehead that was my horns.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I looked around in his display and slid my hands down my waists. “Hummm, not really sure. Trying to watch my figure. What shall it be?” I looked closer through the case and didn’t see what he mentioned that sounded good. “How about some Oatmeal and a bagel with Creamed Cheese and some coffee? Can you fix me up with that,” I asked.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I furrowed my black brow, the red skin wrinkling as I did so. I smiled.

"Da coffee an' da oatmeal Ah got. An' Ah'm sure Ah got some cream cheese in da 'fridge. But as fa' da bagels, Ah'd hafta check ma secret stock....an' Ah'd havta have somethin' in return....Whaddya havta offa?"

[Avalon Aquilo]

I thought for a moment trying to see what I could come up with. I Looked closely at his horns and saw he had been grinding them down. I knew there was a process that was used with lasers, that we had on board the Eclipse, that could help him so that he wouldn’t have to do this anymore. “I see you have been grinding your horns down. How would you like to not have to do that anymore?”

[Jace Keller]

"Thanks, Av. Be careful, okay?"

Without even waiting for an affirmation, I walked out of the Medbay, and headed down the corridors, taking the proper turns, until I found myself in front of Jace's closed dormitory. I knocked lightly on the door.

I closed down this particular computer in the bridge and began heading back to my quarters. As I went out of the bridge, I saw my tankard and picked it up. I swallowed hard as so wanted to take a drink from it, but I did not. Instead, I placed it back into my jacket pocket and headed out. I quietly passed the medbay and the mess hall seeing the doc talking with our head cook. I couldn't seem to remember his name at all and didn't feel like asking, he looked rather rough. I went on and turned down my corridor to see....Gideon outside my room.

"Gideon, what's up?" I asked as I approached. I was glad now that I had refrained from that wanting to take a drink.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

Jedi are not real, I thought in the privacy of my head; Jedi are just part of stories told my aging old people. The torture must have went to her head...

I pulled back the sleeves of my tattered coat to reveal the burn marks that wrapped around my wrists, and then did the same with the burns on my neck, "Have I not redeemed myself? Are these burns upon my body not evidence of a life changed? I stood up to the Empire, something the spoiled brat I used to be would never do. I have redeemed myself, and more. But a redeemed soul does not aid me in this evironment," I gentured widly at the room, indicating the whole ship when I said 'environment'.

I looked at him and nodded. "Why are you so angry at us? At me? The Empire has taken everything that you stand for and from what I gathered, Argos destroyed the very man that wanted both of us dead. I can't get your home or your factory back, but you are alive. Is that not enough to be grateful for? I know I am and it was because of you that I'm even here now." I gently touched his face and smiled. "You did that, no one else, had it not been for you...I would have given up."

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I smiled. It WAS a good idea. But I kinda liked grinding them down. It was like shaving. Very therapudic....

"Well, Ah kinda like grindin' dem down. Ya know, like therapy? Would be easia, though....But how 'bout dis? You give me some of da replacement lenses an' parts ta one of doze laser cuttas ya use in yo line of work, an' Ah'll get ya two bagels...da size of one of ma hands? Ah'll throw ina preserva-wrap ta keep 'em fresh if ya can't eat'em in one servin'. Whaddya say, Avie? Deal?"

I smiled. It was a good deal. The laser cutters were not high power, or the lenses were by themselves, but with the right amount of power behind them, they could be......

[Avalon Aquilo]

“Hum,” I thought aloud. “I might just be able to swing that. I’ll make you a counter bargain.”

I knew I had a spare one in my bags from when I came on board the Eclipse so this wasn't a problem. However, he wasn’t getting off this easy. After all, I paid a higher price than a bagel for that tool. “You feed me breakfast for the next two weeks free and you have a deal. The breakfasts must be of my chosing though.”

[Gideon]

I turned as I heard him. I didn't realize that he wasn't in his room. He must've been remembering elsewhere....oh, well.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing, Jace. We've all taken some blows from our problematic rescue mission....You especially, given the memory loss and all.....Hey, you wanna sit and chat for a few minutes? In your room?"

[Jace Keller]

"Sure, but I've not had much time to clean up the mess in here yet." I told him as I opened the door and went in. It was truly a mess as I cleared away some of my computer stuff and gave us a couple of places to sit.

I took a seat on my bed and offered my friend a seat at my desk. "So, what's up?"

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I smiled. She was definetly new. The breakfast was free. The extras came out of my pocket. But I didn't take advantage of anyone that didn't deserve it, and she was a good lady. So....

"Whoa, Ms. Avie! Da meals're free. Da extras are what cost. De come outta ma pocket. Ah gotta maka profit outta dis, or at least break even, ya know? So, here's da deal: Ah get ya a bagel da size of ma hand everyday, or somethin' of equal value, for a week. How 'bout dat?"

[Gideon]

I took the pro-offered seat. It was the polite thing to do. I didn't want to seem an interrogator. I was a friend, a brother, and he needed to see that. I was trying to help him, not hinder him. I had the plan.

"Ok, I'll be totally honest with you, Jace. We've been friends for a long time. I'm not brow-beating you to get on your case. That would be way too easy, anyway. I'm trying to help you.....So I'll give you some info. Something you don't quite know. I am almost positive that I am Force-Sensitive.....and this gives me some edge on various aspects of my life.....Unfortunately, it gives me some things that I don't want.....for example, into your situation. I know that some time today, within the last fifteen minutes, you had a slight lapse in memory. Not sure what you remembered, but I saw me yelling at you. And I think it was when you were on drugs and I found out.....Didn't think I was that harsh, but apparently, I was.....so here's the deal. I'll try the give and give approach, where you give me some tidbit and I give you some tidbit. So, you know that I'm Force Sensitive, and I know that you had a memory lapse, and that I am almost positive that I was involved...."

I rubbed my temples slightly, and saw a red-skinned giant talking to a woman. They were talking....bagels? In my head? Tiny? And Avalon? Huh. Strange.....like I just got finished telling Jace, I didn't always get what I wanted....

"I'm not calling you a junkie, or a drunk. No one is, bro. We want to help. So, now, tell me what exactly you remembered. But don't overdo it. I don't want you blowing a gasket, or doing more damage to what you have already beaten up. What did you remember today? Was it prevalent, or just used-up space that we all have in our cortexes?"

[Avalon Aquilo]

"Oh no can do," I replied. "It's breakfast of my chosing or nothing at all." I winked at him as I smiled. "I'm not cheap but the tool can be had; for that price. So what will it be?"

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I smiled. The broad had spunk. My old boys would've liked her....I nodded.

"Mebee ya didn't hear me, Avie. Ah said a bagel, or somethin' of equal value. Dat mean, whateva ya want dat day. If it's on da menu, den it's fo free. If it ain't, den it's da value of doze bagels. Got dem from Coruscant's Finest Bakery. Hard ta get dem....Believe me, de are well worth it....an' Ah'll be mo' dan fair on da exchange rate fo' each meal, if ya don' want da bagels...."

I smiled my smile, waiting for her answer.

[Avalon Aquilo]

"Hummm, no. It's breakfast of my choice for two weeks or not at all," I replied.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I smiled. I just told her. Had to slow it down a bit.

"Ah jes' told you dat! Whateva's on da normal menu, is free. Da bagels' are from ma personal stash. Ah spent ma hard-earned creds on dem. De are not fo' everyone, jes' fo' de ones dat pay."

I sighed, and motioned for Avalon to stay put. I grabbed a plate. I went into the back, and entered into my room, and into my secret foodstuffs stash. I got out a bagel, and on the way back, I slid it into the oven. Once done, I pulled out and served some cream cheese into the bowl. I brought the bagel to Avalon. The single bagel, unsplit, was almost three inches thick and took up almost the entire standard dinner plate.

"Here's da bagel. You'll get eitha' mo' of dese fo' da rest of da week, or somethin' of equal value fo' de mornin'. Normally, de regular meals're free. Dese aren't in da regula foodstuffs pantry. De in ma secret foodstuffs pantry. Ah bought dem fo' a fella, but he didn't want dem. He wanted his money back....I gave him some, but he lost creds....Ah've made a good barter an' profit offa dese. De are very good bagels! Here."

I leaned in, and spoke quietly.

"Ya gimme da laser tools, an' parts, an' ya get dese fo' one week. Or somethin' of equal value....Ya see?"

[Avalon Aquilo]

I looked at the bagel and it smelled so wonderful, but I wasn't budging. "Alright," I replied. "But I'll split the difference with ya. Instead of two weeks make it ten days and you have a deal. What do you say? Am I eating breakfast this morning or going hungry?"

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I nodded, impressed. Ten days was worth the price of the equipment. The boys would've liked her. I smiled, offering her the plate.

"Ten days it is, Miss Avi. Ten days. You'll get ya food. No one goes hungry in ma Mess Hall."

I saw a small line of special orders forming, some people giving scowls. I, at seven feet and six inches, towered over the other crewmen and women. I spoke, my voice almost a shout, though in truth I didn't mean to shout at all.

"Whaddya lookin' at?! Quit yer damned scowlin' or Ah'll knock it off of ya!"

[Avalon Aquilo]

I took the plate from him and smiled. “Alright it is a deal then and don't forget my oatmeal and coffee and one last thing.” I lowered my vioce and spoke to him in his tongue. “Ya cutta ofya finga wit chit, I not putta it bak on. Capeesh?”

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I heard her. Regular comedian. I chuckled slightly. As small as she was, maybe her blaster might frighten me, if she had one....I deft scooped up her tray, her bowl, and a cup of coffee, and quickly prepared her breakfast. I slid the tray to her, with a large, blocky-toothed smile.

"Hava good day, Doc Avie. An' drop dat package off lata, afta dinna, before lights out an' bed. Ah'll be right here."

[Avalon Aquilo]

I looked at him and smiled. "Well I'll tell you what. I'll be sure to give it to you when I come back for my breakfast in the morning. You know I'll be here then. After all, I can't collect on my part of the deal if I don't come here now can I?"

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

"Dat sounds lika a plan, Avie....Well, Ah hope ya have a good day, an' patch up alla dem people...."

I smiled, waving at Avie. She was a good lady.... I went back to quickly finishing my special orders, and accepting the monetary gifts or equipment or other goods that came from the secret foodstuffs pantry. I smiled. Three profits of goods and extra creds. It was a good day for me. I whistled happily as I wiped up and cleaned the dirty dishes. I was ahead of schedule today. This was a good day.

[Jace Keller]

I rubbed my temples slightly, and saw a red-skinned giant talking to a woman. They were talking....bagels? In my head? Tiny? And Avalon? Huh. Strange.....like I just got finished telling Jace, I didn't always get what I wanted....

"I'm not calling you a junkie, or a drunk. No one is, bro. We want to help. So, now, tell me what exactly you remembered. But don't overdo it. I don't want you blowing a gasket, or doing more damage to what you have already beaten up. What did you remember today? Was it prevalent, or just used-up space that we all have in our cortexes?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair to get it out of my eyes. "I don't know...I was in here and it was more than obvious...I was a junkie." I shook my head and looked down ashamed. "I was a junkie and I was doing drugs with suringes, I saw the scars on my arms."

[Avalon Aquilo]

As Tiny got busy, I took my oatmeal, bagel and coffee to the table. I was starved and ready to finally eat. I sat down and lay my napkin in my lap and took a taste of the oatmeal and spat it out just as quickly as I ate it. "Pla.....!" This tasted terrible! I shoved the bowl away from me and called out to Tiny. "Tiny! What in the world are you feeding me here?! Are you trying to make me sick or what?! This is terrible!"

[Nawn Erdon]

I had finally awoke and decided to go to the Galley to get something to eat. Just as I walked in I heard Avalon shouting at Tiny. I went to her table and pulled the bowl of oatmeal toward myself and tasted it. "MMMMMMMM, this is really good. Are you sure your not going to eat this? If not then I'll eat it."

[Avalon Aquilo]

"EWWWWWW! That is disgusting! How can you eat that Bantha dung! It tastes terrible!" I cringed at the thought of Nawn eating that stuff. "You'll die eating that stuff!"

[Nawn Erdon]

I couldn't resist making fun of Avalon as she yelled at me. I quickly grabbed my throat with both hands and pretented I was choaking and lay my head on the table acting as if gasping for air.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I watched as Nawn made fun of me. I reached across the table and shoved him off the table. "OH, that's it fuzz head. Make fun of me!"

I looked away from him as he laughed at me from the floor. "Tiny!"

[Aramis Rakai]

I tossed and turned in my bed the rest of that night, as images of my mother haunted me while telling me the story of my past...her past. I still felt angry for being lied to, but she was my mother and I knew I needed to get past it. But, it was hard and it would be hard to trust her again. I saw how Argos...my father reacted to her and he seemed to allow her the benefit of the doubt, but...could I?

I was completely exhausted and I had worked non-stop for nearly three days. One good thing, was that my ankle was not hurting now and the swelling had gone down tremendously. I lay there for another half an hour and realized that sleep was not on the menu for me at this moment, so I hesitantly got up. I really wanted to take a shower, but with the crash our water reserves needed to be saved. I was utterly glad we had deoderant.

Dressed in fresh attire, I was able to actually walk with the brace without the need of my crutches and it barely hurt. I stepped out of my quarters and made my way to the mess hall for some food. Something smelled good as I entered.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I saw Aramis walk into the mess and saw him walking without his crutches. I waved my hand at him and called to him. "Aramis, come and join us."

I looked over and saw Nawn getting off the floor as he laughed and I pointed my finger at him. "And you better behave yourself."

I looked over toward the kitchen again, "Tiny, where are you!"

I watched Aramis walking through the Galley. "Come on over here. Tiny will be here in a sec. He can get you something."

[Tony Maxwell]

My hands tighten into fists and my body tense up, "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at me. I let myself loose everything that mattered to me. I am still selfish, Quay'Na, even if just a little. I rebelled against the Empire because they took seized my property. If they had not I would have never taken up the rebel banner and stood against them, I would have remained high up in my company office counting my money. I'm mad at myself for letting myself be that way and for everything else I've done," I could feel my voice softened and start choking up, "I'm sick of this situation, sick of pretending to be strong when what I really want to do is crawl under a rock," I let my chin slump against my chin and my back slide down the wall until I was sitting on the floor, my knees raised and my head laying on them, "I'm sick of pretending to be brave when I'm a coward, tired of pretending to be valiant when I'm scared, tired of pretending to care about you and your crew when I'm really only thinking about myself. All I've done since I woke up was plan out how I'm going to retrieve my droids, how I'm going to do things that benefit myself. I try to be helpful and nice, but that's just not the way I am," A soft sob escaped my lips, I tried to hold it in but it got away. Lucky for me my face was hidden from her, otherwise she would see the tears welling up in my eyes.

[Aramis Rakai]

"Am I missing something here?" I asked quizzically as I looked at the two of them. "I'm in the mood for bacon and biscuits with gravy." I said as I looked over at the buffet set up for us. Not even a crash could stop 'ole Tiny from cooking us a feast.

My stomach growled as I got a plate and piled my choices on, then took a seat by the doc and our flight commander.

"Man, this looks great!" I said as I took a bite of the nice crispy bacon.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I watched him and could sense the turmoil within him. "Then change that person whom you hate, make him a better person from the inside. Let go of your past and make yourself a new future. I know you can." I told him gently as I knelt down in front of him.

"You are a good man. Even if you don't believe it, I know you are."

[Avalon Aquilo]

I sat back in my seat and watched Nawn continue eating my oatmeal as I crossed my arms.

I looked over at Aramis as he began to eat. “Well it’s a good thing you stayed away from the oatmeal. It is really rank.” As he ate I continued, "how are things going with the power generators? You got put of the power up just in time. I had to perform surgery on Celeste right away when the power came up."

[Aramis Rakai]

"The power generators are fine for the time being, but it won't last us very long if we don't find those extra fuel cells." I commented as I took another bite.

After I swallowed, I looked at Avalon. "How is Celeste?"

[Tony Maxwell]

"I've tried Quay'Na, god have I tried. But it never ammounts to anything. I still wake up the same man every morning, even if I look different once I'm up. I don't think I'll ever be able to change..."

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I crossed my arms in front of me. "With that kind of attitude, you won't. Come on, if you really want to change, you can." I told him.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I listened as he spoke about the fuel cells and the generators which didn't sound good to me.

"Well Celeste isn't doing very good Aramis. She gone deeper into a coma. If we don't get her off-world soon and to some proper medical care, we're going to lose her."

[Aramis Rakai]

Suddenly the food didn't taste that great as I heard the news of Celeste. Her harness broke.

It was a harness that I was supposed to fix and just never got to it.

"I guess, I'm not as hungry as I thought." I wiped my mouth with my napkin and stood. "I've got a lot more work to do. Excuse me, Avalon, Nawn." I took the untouched portion of my breakfast and put it by the sink that Tiny would wash from and headed towards the door. I didn't want Celeste to die because of my negligence.

[Avalon Aquilo]

I watched as Aramis suddenly walked away. I looked at Nawn as he ate. "I wonder what is eating him?"

Nawn didn't reply as he continued to eat the oatmeal. I reached across the table and shoved his shoulder. "Will you stop eating that gunk before I have to put you in the Medbay!"

I sat back and watched Nawn continue to eat. I took up my spoon and reached across the table and tasted the oatmeal again. "Hummmm, not bad." I reached out to the bowl. "Here, give that back to me. I want some."

He quickly pulled the bowl away from me as he shook his head.

I threw my spoon at him and shouted, "fine then! Eat all of it and I hope you puke!"

Nawn looked at me and licked his lips.

"Oh my Gods!"

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I was busy cleaning the floors, when I realized that someone was calling me. Avie.....and something about my food being horrible. What!? MY food?! Unacceptable.....I grumbled and made my way around the back rooms, and found her. I looked at her oatmeal, and then got a whiff of it. What?! Gruel?! Oh, crap.....the gruel and the oatmeal packets must've been mixed up during the crash.....great. I sighed.

"Sorry, Avie. Dat's gruel.....musta got da containas mixed up when da ship crashed....Sorry 'bout dat. Ah'll get ya fixed right up....."

I made my way to the back, to fix up another bowl of oatmeal, grumbling of all the damnest rotten luck.

[Gideon]

I nodded.

"Yeah. We've all got some skeletons.....me, I was a member of the killing squads during the Jedi Purge, when Order 66 was given...."

I sighed, reaching into my suit for a canteen of water. I took a sip, and offered it to Jace.

"I'm here to help, Jace. So, how are you holding up, bro?"

[Tony Maxwell]

I shook my head slowly, "I'm done with trying. I've been trying for so many years with no results," I wiped my eyes and looked up at her once they were dry, "This is my fate, my curse. Something I will have to live with."

[Avalon Aquilo]

As Tiny walked away I looked at Nawn as his face began to turn green. I slammed my fist down onto the table top and pointed at him with my other hand and finger and laughed at him uncontrollably. "That'll teach you to listen to me."

Nawn stuck out his tongue and then began spitting out what was still in his mouth. I now laughed even harder as I covered my bagel and coffee to protect them from Nawn's spitting frenzy.

[Jace Keller]

I shrugged as I pulled out my tankard. "I want a drink, but I've not done it." I sighed. "And it's not because I didn't want too."

[Gideon]

I looked at Jace, figeting with one of my piercings, namely the one on my lip.

"And I assume that it was hard to turn it down. But you did. You didn't give in to the addiction. You fought it, and you won. Look at it this way. You won. It is only a small battle, but that's what wins wars. Small victories in battle. And the mistakes and losses we take, we learn from them. We take our strategy and we alter it to fit, to work. And that's how we win. We win by small battles. I didn't win altering what I did overnight....I lost my damned arm, and saw the suffering through the eyes of others before I stopped working for the Empire. I had to experience it firsthand....And doing so, I altered my strategy. I changed my identity, assumed who I was, who you knew. And by doing that, I won a small battle. But at the same time. I lied to myself. I denied that I was a murderer. And realizing that, I won another small battle.....I can't say that I don't enjoy battle, because I do. It's a great drug, the rush of adrenaline. But the problem is, you get addicted, and you lose yourself, who you really are.......So remeber these things: one, small battles win the war; and two, just because you are changing yourself, winning these battles, doesn't mean that you have to change yourself. It means that you have to find yourself, the true self, the self without the addiction, almost like finding your inner child, the being that isn't distorted and tainted by life and it's various problems. Remember that; it'll help you later."

I took another sip of my water, and offered it again to Jace.

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

I shook my head slowly, "I'm done with trying. I've been trying for so many years with no results," I wiped my eyes and looked up at her once they were dry, "This is my fate, my curse. Something I will have to live with."

I was quiet for a moment, then proceeded. "And what do you plan to do with this fate?"

[Jace Keller]

This time I took it and drank. "I know this is only the start, but its a start. I don't know who I was back then, but bits and peices are coming back...I don't want to fall into a pattern I can't trust."

[Aramis Rakai]

I stood beside the outer hatch, it was closed. In my mind I could hear whispers, I could feel life just outside. It felt so radiant as if I were being warmed on a summer day. The spider was out there, I could feel it's presence and it was a very strange feeling...a feeling through the Force.

I chucked the thought, it led ties to my mother. I wasn't a liar, not like her. With an exasperated sigh I trudged on to do my duties. Too many things had to be done and not a lot of time to do it.

[Gideon]

I nodded my assent. He was right. He didn't want to become someone who was a degradation of his former self. He was, in a way, going through what I went through when I was injured so long ago. I lost a limb, and was declared dead, given a chance to start over; Jace had lost his identity, but was regaining it, and perhaps gaining an outside opinion and view of just how he was. He wasn't Jace right now; and that would most likely help him to get over his problems. He would see it not through his own eyes, where the drinking was minor, and not even a problem; instead, he would see it as others saw it, as an addiction, as a loss of control. This loss of memory happened for a reason. Everything did.....

"You are not Jace right now. Instead, you are a shell of your former self. And that is what will help you. You will see your love of alcohol as it really is: as a harmful addiction, instead of a good or enjoyable habit. By not knowing yourself, you are seeing yourself in a different perspective, and by the looks of it, you are not happy with what you see. But that's the beauty of being alive, of being mortal; we can change, as we are supposed to. Nothing remains constant. For example, the former Jace and Avalon; your relationship changed from friendship to infatuation to love. And now, it has changed into a state of healing for you, and for her. This will give both of you a chance to get things into perspective. Take the chance. And the healing will change again to love, but not the same love; a love that is tempered, stronger than before. Another example is the relationship that you and I have; you need me now to help you heal, and as your friend, and your brother, I will oblige. The former Jace would've done the same for me, if the chance were to arise. And by doing this, our relationship as brothers will grow ever stronger."

I took another good swallow.

"You see, this is something that you should never forget, irregardless of how many bumps you take on the head: things happen for a reason. We may not see the reason at the time, and we may not see it later, but whatever happened had a purpose for happening in the way that it did. Remember that; it'll help you later."

[Jace Keller]

I listened intently and nodded. "I don't like what I see, and I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again. I wish, I could remember what Avalon and I had...it's still a blank and when she's around, I don't know how to react." I sighed and rubbed my head.

[Gideon]

I took in what Jace said. He didn't know how to react. He couldn't remember her.....maybe....I got an idea.

"Hey, Jace. I want you to close your eyes, and trust me, okay? I've got an idea. It's crazy, but it just might work. When you close your eyes, I want you to clear your mind. Think absolutely nothing. Um, meditate seems to be the word I have in mind. If you can clear your mind, maybe I can help...Something's telling me I could do something....Will you do this for me, bro?"

I looked levelly at him, rubbing my hands together, trying to warm them, though one was fake. It seemed the artifical heat motors on the skin weren't working. I'd have to either work on it or get Aramis to look at it later.....Damned arm.

[Jace Keller]

I shrugged. "Sure." It wasn't going to hurt anything. I closed my eyes and did as he said. I saw the words 'nothing' floating in my brain and couldn't help but to laugh.

[Gideon]

I sighed, knowing exactly what he pictured in his mind, without even thinking about it. I knew Jace all too well....

"I'm serious, Jace. Not the word, nothing. I mean clear your mind. Wipe it clean. Clean the slate. You know what I mean..."

I sighed, and as he closed his eyes, I leaned forward, and brought my hands to his head, both hands at the side of his heads, near the temples. I pictured in my mind the moments that I could remember when he and Avalon were together. I focused, thinking hard on it, meditating on giving him those images, transmitting them to his memory. I focused hard. Only when I felt this sensation, like I was radiating some odd inner energy, did I speak again.

"Are you seeing anything, Jace?"

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

While the oatmeal was warming up, I was rummaging through the containers, sorting the oatmeal and the gruel into separate containers. I was done in less that one minute, right as the bell dinged for the oatmeal. I opened the oven and scooped up the bowl, sprinkling sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon into the bowl, and stirring in until it was perfect. I brought it out in a large bowl, and a small amount of maple syrup for it.

Walking out into the Mess Hall, I put it in front of Avalon.

"There ya go, Avie. Some maple syrup fo' yo' oatmeal. Sweetened with sugah, brown sugah, an' some cinnamon fo' da' zing. Try it now."

[Avalon Aquilo]

As Tiny sat down the new bowl of oatmeal I smiled as I looked at him. "Well you have held up your end of the deal so far, I'll forfill mine in the morning if not sooner."

I looked across the table and saw Nawn reaching for my oatmeal. I reached across the table and slapped his hands. "Oooooooh no you don't! This is mine," I said as I slid the bowl towards myself.

As I did, Nawn stuck his tongue out at me. I took the bowl of oatmeal and shoved it in his face. As it hit him his arms flailed about and he fell backwards, chair and all, onto the floor behind him.

I stood up and took my bagel and took a bite of it and then pointed it at him. With my mouth half full of bagel I shouted at him. "And let that be a lesson to you! And no, you can't have any of my bagel either!"

One by one I saw Nawn's hands come upon the table as he pulled himself up and looked at me. He smiled at me and then spat some of the oatmeal at me.

"Why you little brat!" I threw my bagel at him and it bounced off his head.

Suddenly the entire crew that was in the galley began throwing food at each other as someone yelled out. "Food fight!"

Food began to be thrown everywhere.

[Jace Keller]

"I see Avalon and I...laughing in the galley, while...making a cake?" I had to laugh, the sight was halirous. "We were having so much fun...and this was me..." I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

As I watched the food fly, I instantly felt a rush of anger. They were throwing food that I took my time to make, and made it well, especially given the conditions of a frelling shipwreck! Instantly, I made my way to the control panel for the Mess Hall, and I typed in a few simple commands. The three blast doors shut, sealing off the room. There would be no escape. One pirate, upset that his coffee got thrown, punched the offender. And I, in turn, grabbed both men, and with relative ease, tossed the Iskalonian and the Near-Human through the crowd. Both men hit several others. And around three-fourths of the food throwers stopped, sporting various bruises, cuts, and minor concussions from hitting the furniture. And with a loud bellow, loud enough to be heard over the den of noise.

"STOP DAT DAMNED THROWIN', YA PUTZES! AH AIN'T CLEANIN' UP AFTA YA DAMNED FOOLS! CLEAN UP YA DAMNED MESSES!"

When one pirate attempted to protest, I punched him with half my strength, square in the face. He hit the ground hard, unconscious and with a broken and splattered nose.

"CLEAN IT UP NOW, YA DAMNED FOOLS!!!"

[Avalon Aquilo]

I looked at Nawn as he looked at me. “Did you hear what he called us? Fools?”

Nawn nodded his head and then reached down and picked up a huge pile of oatmeal and placed it on the table and kept a handful of it in his hand and smiled at me.

“I got ya,” I replied as I took up a handful of it myself. “Ready?”

Nawn quickly nodded his head.

“Fire!” I shouted. As I did, Nawn and I both threw our handfuls of oatmeal at Tiny and it hit him in the head. Nawn and I both sat back and laughed together.

[Argos Ewan]

As I stood outside the Medbay office doors, the ship alarm signal nights began to turn on indicating something within the ships security system had tripped. I quickly ran through the ship and by the galley and found the blast doors had been closed.

From outside the galley I hit the door button and the doors slid up. As it did some mashed potatoes hit me in my right cheek. “What the...” I reached up and wiped the mass from my face and looked around and saw everyone throwing food around and they seemed to be enjoying themselves in doing so.

“Alright! That is enough,” I yelled.

I looked at Avalon and Nawn as they sat down at their table and I walked over to them. “What is going on here?”

[Nawn Erdon]

I heard the Captain yelling and looked over at him. "Ut-oh. We're in trouble Avi," I said as I looked at Avalon.

I looked back at the Captain as he walked up to our table. "Uh, it's not my fault." I quickly pointed at Avalon. "She started it."

[Avalon Aquilo]

I looked at Nawn as my mouth now hung open. "You little brat! I did not! You did," I exclaimed as I pointed at him. As I did he slapped my hand away. "Why you little...." I quickly shoved the table into him and knocked him backwards again as he flailed his arms around trying to catch his balance to no avail to keep from falling backwards again.

[Argos Ewan]

“Alright you two,” I said as I bent down and picked Nawn up from the floor. “Now for what reasons could you two have for possibly starting this, and don’t tell me it wasn’t your fault.”

I just finished picking Nawn up and pointed at Avalon. “Especially you. I’ve known you for years and this is just something you would pull.”

[Avalon Aquilo]

My mouth fell open as Argos blamed me for this. I quickly decided that I might as well make the best of this situation.

I leaned back into my chair as I wiped the oatmeal from my hands. “Well actually, I wanted to test the crews reflexes to make sure none of them had been injured in the crash. I’m glad to report everyone seems to be in good shape and good spirits,” I said as I smiled at him.

[Argos Ewan]

“Uh-huh,” I replied as I nodded and then looked at Nawn. “And what is your excuse Wing Commander?”

[Nawn Erdon]

Ut-oh I didn’t like the sound of that. Captains don’t normally use your rank name unless your in serious trouble. I quickly tried to recover from the damage. “Uhhh, well uh, I was doing targeting exercises Sir. The crew needs to keep up with their targeting practice, and seeing how they can’t fly their ships, I figured this the next best thing. Especially since Avi started this, I figured it the best way to keep the crew in shape. I’m sorry I didn’t inform you before doing the exercise.”

[Avalon Aquilo]

I laughed as I looked at Nawn. “What a load of crap! What a suck up! Exercise my eye!”

[Nawn Erdon]

I quickly looked at Avalon, “well, like your medical report was any better.” I quickly lay my head on the table top as I thumped my fist on it. “Oh doctor, I think you missed one on your observation. I think I’m ill from my injuries from the crash. What kind of doctor are you, a witch doctor?”

[Argos Ewan]

“All right you too, stop it. Obviously you two need something to do,” I said as I crossed my arms in front of myself. “Avalon, if you are quite done with your breakfast, I think you have a patient in Medbay to see.”

[Avalon Aquilo]

“Aye Captain,” I replied and quickly exited the galley.

[Argos Ewan]

And as for you,” I said as I looked at Nawn. “You will clean this mess up, all of it. Am I understood?”

Nawn nodded his head and quickly began cleaning.

I turned and looked over the rest of the crew. “And that goes for the rest of you too. You’ve had your fun. Now it is time to pay the Baliset player, clean this mess up and now! I want it spotless when I return and it had better be clean.”

I looked across the galley and saw Tiny standing there and I motioned him to me. As he got to me I smiled at him as I put my hand onto his shoulder. “Tiny, don’t be to hard on the crew. Look at them. This was just the thing the crew needed to help them vent off and it has boosted their moral. Since the crash they really needed something I am sure. So I want to thank you for putting up with this. They’ll clean it up for you. You don’t have to do it. If they don‘t to your satisfaction then you can bust some heads, but only after I have given you permission.” As I looked at Tiny, I winked at him. “Don’t keep them to long. We have some fuel cells to find. Then we can get off this swamp of a rock.”

[Aramis Rakai]

As I was working on some wiring in the engine room, one of the generators cut out and sparked. "What the..." I began as the lights flickered slightly. Great!

"Aramis!" I heard one of the other techs call from up top, two of them were working on the wiring in the bridge and I was down here.

"I'm on it!" I called back and trudged over to them. I powered up the fourth generator and powered down the third that was giving us problems. I took one of my scanners and plugged it in to see if there was a definite power influx problem. It came up negative.

"One of the wires must be loose." I said to myself as turned the power completely off to this generator and then unfastened all the screws and opened it up. I did an intiatial check and shook my head as I began to put on the outer casing. Something stopped me, and I put it back on the floor.

I scratched my head and looked back into the generator. Pushing the blonde locks away from my face...I saw something strange in the bottom of the tank. I reached in and pulled it out and brought it into the light.

It was an old jumpdrive.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I smiled. He was scolding me, like only Argos could do. Calmly. And their spirits were up....so I smiled.

"Okay, Argos. Ah'll not be so hard next time.....though dey will get it clean. An' Ah'll page ya if de get outta hand."

I wiped the oatmeal from my brow. I sighed. And then tasted the oatmeal. It was oatmeal this time, and it was good.....a waste of oatmeal. I sighed again.

"Dat was some damned good oatmeal....an' look at it. All ova da place, an' on me.....Oh, well. It was not too much of a problem puttin' up wid dis. Afta all, Ah only got a little exasice myself. Ya know, a little bowlin' fo' people."

I chuckled slightly.

"Ah think Ah'll have brunch now. Ya wanna join me, Argos?"

[Gideon]

I chuckled slightly, retruning my hands to my lap, rubbing them to warm them again.

"I can't believe that it worked...I guess I really am Force Sensitive. That was a memory that I had.....you didn't get anything else, did you? Because, maybe, if you see other memories, things that I've been through....maybe you can help me, Jace. I'm calmer now....I don't get nightmares as much now, but I still haven't really talked about it, and I'm not sure I can. I think the only thing that I can do is share it, show you what I did....Would you see this for me, bro?"

[Argos Ewan]

I was shocked at what Tiny had said. Apparently he didn’t understand what I just told him and why. I pulled Tiny to one side and spoke to him in private.

“Tiny, I think you’ve misunderstood me. When I told you to get my permission to thump some heads, if you didn’t notice I winked at you. In everything I must say and do in front of the men I have to maintain a position of Captainship. If I don’t then the order of my rank upon this ship is lost. When I winked I was saying do what you must when you must. After all, it IS your galley and I trust you to do the right thing without my judgment. If that should ever change then I would tell you so. I think you deserve that and nothing less of me. Capeesh my good trusted friend?”

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I smiled at Argos. He was a good man, and a good Captain.

"Ahh. We'll, Ah thank ya, Argos. Ya know me, neva too good on subtleties.....Ah'm a little more to da point. Now, about dat breakfast...Ah got some left dat ain't been tossed around. Ya want some?"

[Jace Keller]

I opened my eyes and looked at Gideon. With a nod, I answered. "Yeah, I'll take a look...bro." I gave him a grin.

[Argos Ewan]

I shook my head as I looked up at him. "I'm sorry Tiny but I can't. I just came down here because the alarm went off and I had to check it out. I've got to get back to my wife right now. We're having a cofference right now with one of the prisioners from the Lynx." I smiled at Tiny, "you know......all that important stuff between officers."

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I nodded.

"Of course. Tell da missus to stop by, an' ta quit bein' a stranga. You too, Argos. In fact, gimme a call lata on da com, an' Ah'll fix you an' da missus some brunch or lunch, whateva time it is. Capeesh?"

I smiled. They were good people, Quay'na and Argos. They gave me the freedom I craved, and the job I loved. Was best to take care of them.

[Argos Ewan]

"That sounds really good my friend and I will tell her that," I replied as I smiled at him. I turned and walked away as I spoke, "we'll see you later."

I walked away and went directly to the Medbay and found that Quay'Na hadn't finished with our new visitor yet. As I waited outside the door I watched Avalon moving about and tending to her work with Celeste.

[Gideon]

I smiled.

"Thank you, Jace. But I'm warning you, this could be a bit....extreme. If you want me to stop, let me know. You'll have control...."

With this, I told him to close his eyes. Jace closed them. And I reached outward, my hands at both sides of his head. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and concentrating.

The images began to flow in slowly, images of my past flowed in. At times, they were of me and Jace as children, later as teens, and a few times as adults previous to the adventures of the Eclipse. And the other scenes showed: scenes of my training, the echoes of the subliminal programs that I had to listen to as a child, and as a teen, resonating in my ears. And then the combat classes; attackers coming at me, and I, unarmed, taking them down with little difficulty. And then to the missions: taking down enemies of the Republic, members of the Trade Federation. Only to destroy the Jedi who were fighting alongside us when Order 66 was given. And then to the hunting of men, women, and children of the Force. The subliminal messages was accented with the screams of terror and the dying of the Force users. It echoed in my head. They continued to echo, even to this day, and not just in my mind. When I found myself at other places, places where many of the Force users died, I could hear them, their screams echoing in the silence, in their absence. Only those who were Force Sensitive could hear this. And if I was transmitting this, then Jace could hear it, though he may or may not be Force Sensitive himself. I was a hologram, a player, a recorder; and now I was playing back the messages to Jace. Would it work? Who knew? Only Jace could tell me...

I continued to transmit the images and sounds, though I did it as I remembered it, in linear and chronological order, trying not to overwhelm Jace. If he could even see and hear my memories at all......

[Aramis Rakai]

I looked closely at the jumpdrive, it was a pretty old model and what in the worlds was it doing in the generator?

I took it over to one of the computers and had to rework one of the plugins to have it fit. After a few moments, I saw several files listed and began going through one by one.

Who is Ceres Ewan? This guy did some pretty bad stuff. He was involved with...planetary extinction, corporate takeovers, account fraud...

That was only a few things I read on. I looked at another file that was listed as Jericho Ewan. On it I found that he had been a high accountant in the Ewan Fishing Industry and sentenced for embezzlement.

I looked at a third file and saw that a huge amount of credit had been wired from this Ceres account and put into Jericho's account in a rather roundabout way. Charges had been brought against Jericho and he was sentenced to four years in prison on Kessel...I shuddered at the thought.

I wondered who these people were and if they were somehow related to my father.

I got on my comm and contacted him. "Captain, it's Aramis I need you to come down to the engine room. It's important."

[Ma-thrus]

I walked into the galley and saw things laying about the room. I walked over and picked up many thing that sat around. I saw a thin slice of something laying on the deck and turned it over. "Humm, no, no. nothing there," I said as I shook my head.

As I walked through the room while I looked at the deck I bumped into something hard. I looked up and saw a strange being standing there. "Hum, you very tall. Ma-thrus think you long shanks." My body bounced as I laughed. "Oh, be so kind as to move your feet. Ma-thrus looking for bugs. Dirty flloors very good place to find bugs yes?"

[Argos Ewan]

I heard Aramis’s request and it sounded urgent so I left the Medbay and headed toward the engine room. I only hoped he hadn’t found something that was going to keep us here any longer than what we were looking at already.

I got to the bridge and went into the engine bay hatch which was open, and climbed into the engine bay. As I finally got down I looked around and saw Aramis. “What is it son? Is there a problem?”

[Aramis Rakai]

"Who are Ceres and Jericho Ewan? Are they part of your family?" I asked bluntly.

[Jace Keller]

An array of visions and scenes came to me as if I were playing them on a holovid. Some were healthy thoughts, others were gory and others Jedi were taken down, burned alive...even the children.

I took in a lot of it and after watching the deaths of many more Jedi children, I jerked away. "Uhhh, I don't want to see anymore." I groaned and shook my head.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I smiled. I had heard about the inhabitant of this planet, but never had the privelige to meet him. And now he was here, looking for bugs. And I had just the thing.

"Yeah, dirty floor's a good place ta find bugs, but dis floor ain't dirty. An' Ah got jus' da thing fo' ya, man. Gimme one sec."

I walked into the back room, into my quarters, and rummaged in another hidden cupboard. I found one of my several large gallon jars of dirt. I kept nightcrawlers from Dagobah in the soil. They were extra large, and most species of fish loved the tastieness of them. Guess it wasn't all bad in the swampy planet of Dagobah. The nightcrawlers were prime bait for fishing, when I would make my fish fillets with tartar sauce, or my brine stew. But I had at least three more gallon containers of nightcrawlers. I took the container with me, the doors sealing behind me. I walked into the Mess Hall, and sat the jar down on a table.

"Nightcrawlers from Dagobah. Great fo' fishin', but since you eat bugs, Ah guess ya can have 'em."

[Argos Ewan]

I looked curiously at my son and knew I would not lie to him but I had to knew somethings first. "Where did you hear those names at son?"

[Ma-thrus]

I looked at what the creature was giving me and I shook my head. “No, no no no. You not understand Ma-thrus. Ma-thrus not eat snakes like that. Ma-thrus eat bugs.”

I thought for a moment and laughed. “Oh no, Ma-thrus not eat bugs. Ma-thrus talk to bugs. Speak of may things. Bugs don’t want to talk then, yum,” I said as I smacked my lips. "Then Ma-thrus eat bugs. Ma-thrus not like bugs who don’t like to talk to him. Not very good for conversation some aren‘t, but good to eat!”

[Gideon]

I instantly drew away my hands, and stopped the connection. I looked blankly at Jace.

"That's the truth, Jace. I was a clone, programmed to kill. And I'm not proud of the things I did. I can't fix it, Jace. But I could stop it, I could kill for good reasons. I could work against the Empire, like we do from time to time. That's what I was talking about....I'm sorry you had to see them. Or I'm sorry I asked you to. I just needed someone to show, or at least, to talk to...."

I sighed, and rubbed my hands together trying to warm them. Seeing my memories like that, and hearing them, left me all cold, and clammy.

[Aramis Rakai]

"The third generator was acting up, so I went to see what the problem was. I found an old jumpdrive attached to the inner casing. I took it upon myself to open it up once I got a plugin to work...the names were very well mentioned and this Ceres guy...well, he wasnt' a very good guy. He somehow wired a huge amount of money to this Jericho's account and got him for embezzlement. The guy didn't even change the password. So, the Jericho guy went to prison for four years and get this, this Ceres guy had secret sanctions with the Empire, he was doing corporate takeovers, planetary extinctions and getting paid quite a bit for these little tasks for them. So, tell me...who are they?"

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I laughed.

"Nah, man. Dey are worms, not snakes. See if dey talk. If dey don't, den give'em a try. Da fish love 'em, and if ya eat bugs dat don't talk, den maybe ya'll like dese. Give'm a try. Or go an' find da bugs someplace else. Dey ain't any here."

I smiled. I was trying to be hospitable to the guy, but if he didn't take them, he didn't take them. I slid the container closer to him.

"So, what's you name?"

[Argos Ewan]

At this point I could believe what I was hearing. “Well I’ll be a chained Marnock.” I stepped back and leaned against the bulkhead as I clinched my fists. “And I didn’t know, I.....didn’t...... know! They played me for a fool and I bought into it!”

I stood still for a moment and looked at Aramis as I took a deep breath. “Son, Ceres Ewan was your Granddodya and thank the Gods he is dead. Jericho Ewan was or is your Uncle. I don’t know if he is alive now or dead. All during the time I was growing up I never knew of my Dodya’s involvement with the Empire. This is why the Empire took our family business away from us. Because of your Granddodya's involvement with them.”

I walked away from the bulkhead and walked over to my son. “Son, yoyu have discovered something even I didn't know. So son your not the only one around here that didn't know everything about your family. I didn't either. Jericho tried to tell me but I didn't believe him. Where is this jumpdrive? I want to see this myself. Show it to me.”

[Ma-thrus]

I took a hold of my jacket with my hands and boastfully spoke to long shanks. “I am Ma-thrus. I am one of six and here for the one. Ma-thrus here to help find fuel cells.” I solemnly looked at the floor. “Ma-thurs knows where fuel cells are. Well one of them anyway. It’s on Ma-thrus’s home.”

I held up my finger to long shanks, “but know other cell has to be close by. We go and find cells but have to be careful of spider first. Much danger there is with spider.” I perked up as I looked at long shanks. “But Ma-thrus knows how to fight spiders and will kill them to find fuel cells for Eclipse.”

I reached over and pulled the jar of small snakes close and opened the jar and smelled inside it and then shoved the jar away and held onto my nose. “Wheeeeeeeeeew, Ma-thrus not want little snakes. No voices there and I can’t eat.”

[Aramis Rakai]

I nodded as I showed him the computer that it was still plugged into. "Right there, its all there. It's enough to convict Ceres for life...if he were alive." I told him.

"Why would he do that to his own son?" I asked as he looked at the computer.

[Jace Keller]

I instantly drew away my hands, and stopped the connection. I looked blankly at Jace.

"That's the truth, Jace. I was a clone, programmed to kill. And I'm not proud of the things I did. I can't fix it, Jace. But I could stop it, I could kill for good reasons. I could work against the Empire, like we do from time to time. That's what I was talking about....I'm sorry you had to see them. Or I'm sorry I asked you to. I just needed someone to show, or at least, to talk to...."

I sighed, and rubbed my hands together trying to warm them. Seeing my memories like that, and hearing them, left me all cold, and clammy.

I listened and sat quietly, then nodded. "I will do whatever I can to help you, God knows you're helping..." My voice cut off abruptly as another memory plowed into my brain at full force.

This time I was in some bar with my brother Argos...

"I don't understand why he feels that he must be here. I know it is your birthday, but him being here puts you and our family in a bad light whenever he shows up." Argos told me as we sat down at a table.

I gave my brother a pat on the back. "Come on, bro lighten up. He served his time, what more do you want? He may have made a really bad choice, but he's still our brother and my twin."

Argos turned to me. “You know, you are right, but can we afford take a chance on him after what he's done? I think not. Anytime I have ever opened myself up to people like that they have done nothing but try to take advantage of me and the family.” He pointed his finger at me. “I just can’t do it Jace. The price is to high.”

Why was the price too high? I wondered as the image of Argos flashed away and was replaced by another man, my twin...

"Jace, our father is a working with a corrupted governent, what kind of man does what he did and made me look as if I'd embezzled millions. He's not in it for us, he's in it for the money, he was making false documents to aid in the take overs of all kinds of companies and making profits, but it was wrong and I found out about him." He told me pointedly. "He's wrong and I can prove it."

"Just hold up, bro. I need some time to let this sink in..."

"I don't have that time, we've got to act fast and it has to be at the party." He said.

"And if you get caught..."

He grimaced with a nod. "It's back to prison for me. So, I won't get caught, I can forge access into your system to find what I need." Jericho looked at me. "I need your help, Jace. I can't do this without you."


A moment later it was gone and I was staring at Gideon, his hands were already on the sides of my head. "Did you see what I saw?" I asked.

The memories were flowing back into my head one by one.

"What was that about?" I asked blankly and shook my head hoping for another memory to pop in and give me the answer.

[Argos Ewan]

I sat in the chair in front of the computer and looked over the data. Once I finished I shook my head. Your right it is all there.”

I stood up and walked over to Aramis and put my hand onto his shoulder. “Well to be honest with you, I can honestly tell you your Granddodya did this for only one of few reasons if not all of them. The Empire can be quite a persuasive force once they have got you where they want you. Once you have allowed yourself to be pulled in by them by their temptations that can easily put their hooks in you and from that point on there is no escaping them. Greed also plays a very significant force in that too.”

I lifted my hand from his shoulder and placed my hand on his cheek. “Let this be a valuable lesson my son and don’t ever forget it.” I lowered my hand from his face. “It is the very reason why you have been raised as you have on board the Eclipse. Your mother and I have fought for years against the Empire to destroy what they are and what they stand for.”

I sighed as I continued, “they killed your Grandparents and took our family business. Now your Uncle Jace and I fight to survive what is left of our lives such as it is. We do it to provide anything we can for you and your mother’s lives.”

“Your mother fights to remain with me as my wife and as your mother. You and I simply mean that much to her and I will never allow any harm to come to you or her. That is the very reason why it was so important to me to get her back.”

I walked over and leaned against the bulkhead as I looked at Aramis as I smiled. “When I first met your mother she was fighting the Empire against their Order 66 to purge the Jedi. She was desperately fighting the Empire to save you and keep you with her. It was by sheer stroke of luck that we were both there at the same time and we fought back to back, back to back son. Her against the Empire and me against a smuggler gang. Together we barely escaped with you and the Eclipse. So out of the Empire and their evilness, that is about the only good thing that the Empire ever did for me, but we fight every day to keep that because we know what it means to us and what you mean to us too.”

[Aramis Rakai]

I sighed and looked at the computer again. "So, you didn't believe Jericho and he went to prison for four years..." That was awful.

[Argos Ewan]

I shook my head as I looked at him. “No, it wasn’t just that I didn’t believe him. It was simply that I didn’t know any different. That is until now,” I said as I glanced over at the computer and the information on it.

“It’s been over 73 years since I’ve seen him. The last I heard he had spent 35 of those years in prison. So it’s been about 38 years since he got out by my thinking. To this day I still have no idea where he is or if he is even alive.”

[Aramis Rakai]

I was quiet for a moment. That sounded really sad, I thought about my mother and how I would feel if I had done the same thing, to condemn her before allowing the truth to really sink in.

"Maybe, we can go search for him once we're off this mudhole...as a family." I said with a grin.

[Argos Ewan]

I walked over to Aramis and smiled. “Son, I am happy that you have come to find a value in your own family. Perhaps it is something you should also think about when it comes to your mother too. It is someone that should be just as valuable in your life.” As I looked at him I winked at him. "It is something you are saying yourself if you would only listen to your heart. Listen to your heart son."

[Aramis Rakai]

"I can't condemn someone who was trying to protect me, maybe what she did was wrong...but, she did what she had to do." I said. "She suffered with this too for all my 73 years and I'm not going to have her suffer anymore."

[Argos Ewan]

I sighed with great relief as I walked over to him and embraced him. Once I released him I held onto his shoulders and smiled at him. “Now that is the mark of a true man. I am very proud of you and to be your father. You would not believe how this is going to effect her. She has been very very worried about the bond between you and her. I think you should talk with her. Let her know how you now feel. You know she will open her heart to your words son, because they will be words of forgiveness, understanding and faith in her. Speak to her soon son. Don’t let this go on.”

[Aramis Rakai]

"I will." I said with a nod. "But, can you promise me something in return? Can you promise me that you will make the relations with Jericho right if we find him?"

[Tony Maxwell]

"And what do you plan to do with this fate?"

I simply shrugged my shoulders, "I'll do whatever I can and what I can't I can't. That's just the way my life is," I let out a sigh, for like the hundreth time and looked up at her, "How can you be so brave after what you've gone through, and with what's still going on?"

[Argos Ewan]

“Son, if I see Jericho again, I will make things right with him. Not because you ask me to, but because it is the right thing to do now that I now know the truth, as it should be. I only wish I had known of this sooner. Even now, I owe your Uncle Jace my deepest apologizes for the past.”

I looked toward the deck in shame of what had happened in the past and how Jace got treated by me at the time when it happened but knew I now had a price to pay for that.

“Shame in a family is the hardest token to pay. Just as you must with your mother, I must do the same not just with only your Uncle Jericho but also your Uncle Jace. Just as you will learn from your mother and I, it is a price worth paying. If not for them, then at least for your own heart for it WILL send your burdened heart free again.”

I patted my hand on Aramis’s shoulder. “It’s a very valuable lesson to learn my son. Never be afraid to face it or be afraid to admit you have made a mistake in your life. It is a part of what makes us what we are; good, compassionate and decent people. There is enough evil in the universe. As Ewan's, we should never be a part of that too. You'll come to understand and know this too, and soon I hope.”

"As you are about to with your mother, you will take the first step in being a true Ewan. A son worthy of the name, Aramis Ewan, my son."

"When the time comes that you speak to your mother about this, if you wish it, I will be at your side to support you. As your father, all you have to do is ask and I will be there for you."

[Aramis Rakai]

I smiled slightly and blew out a deep breath. "I think, it's time that I go talk to her then."

[Argos Ewan]

I smiled at my son with an open heart. "Then I will go with you, but only if you wish me to. Would you like for me to?"

[Aramis Rakai]

I looked at my father. "I think, this is something I really need to do on my own." I told him. "Can you call my mother to the bridge?"

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

"And what do you plan to do with this fate?"

I simply shrugged my shoulders, "I'll do whatever I can and what I can't I can't. That's just the way my life is," I let out a sigh, for like the hundreth time and looked up at her, "How can you be so brave after what you've gone through, and with what's still going on?"

"The Force aids me and I don't fear death. For a Jedi...there is no death, there is only the Force and I trust in that. I also trust in these people on this ship, they too are my family and it's through trust and faith that I have made it this far." I told him.

[Argos Ewan]

“Very well then son,” I replied as I walked over to the ship’s comlink.

Once at he ship’s com-system I hit the controls and announced, “Lieutenant Ewan to the bridge. Lieutenant Ewan to the bridge please.” I reached up and turned the system off and turned my attention back to my son.

I walked to him and placed my hand on his shoulder as I was about to walk by him. “I’m going to go and talk to Jace about what has come to light. Just remember son, open your heart and let her in as I am about to do with Jace. I only hope he'll receive me as well as I know your mother will you.”

I started to walk away but immediately stopped and looked back at him. “I am very proud of you son and I love you very much.”

[Aramis Rakai]

"I love you too...Dodya." I told him with a grin.

[Argos Ewan]

I was proud to hear him call me by the old generation name instead of calling me father. It touched me deeply as I walked away from him.

I walked through the ship and went directly to Jace’s quarters and knocked upon his quarters hatch. “Jace, it’s me, Argos. May I speak with you?”

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

Just before Tony was about to say something, I heard a request for me. I sighed and looked at Tony. "Well, looks like we'll have to continue this a little later. Get some rest and think about things, you owe it to yourself, my friend."

I told him this and then exited the room and made my way to the bridge. The door slid open and I walked in. Figuring that I would see Argos, to see Aramis surprised me more than anything.

He was sitting in the Captain's chair as I stepped up to him. "What can I do for you, son?" I asked gently.

He looked at me and for a moment he was expressionless, the next a wide grin came across his face. "I think, we have much to talk about, Mom. I want to say that I've been a fool the past few days and I'm sorry. I've been blind to a great many things and I understand why you did what you did."

His smile lit up my spirit as I looked at him, tears welled up in my eyes as I took a seat by him.

[Vincent "Tiny" Tinozzi]

I looked to the strange creature, smiling.

"Ok, Ma-thrus. Not a problem, man. Hmmm, maybe Ah could keep lookin'. Ah might find some otha bugs.....ya in?"

[Gideon]

I sat stunned. I wasn't sure what exactly transpired in Jace's memory. It was muffled, unclear. I couldn't understand everything. Maybe if I looked later, but for now, I was beginning to tire out a little. I sighed, taking my hands away from Jace's head once more, rubbing them for warmth.

"I'm not sure, honestly. It was too muffled, too unclear. It was like as if I were getting a hologram that had been corrupted.....I couldn't make much of it. Except that you were there, Argos, and someone else.....and something about your father....But that's all I have...."

[Ma-thrus]

"Ma-thrus can accept that, yes," I replied as I nodded. As I looked past long shanks I saw a bug walk behind him.

I looked up at long shanks as I pushed him body aside. "Now if you'll excuse me I have some talking to do." I quickly ran after the bug.

[Aramis Rakai]

We talked for what seemed hours, she told me of that past where she was treated much like a slave and not a daughter. She did what she had to do to keep my safe and for the first time, I understood.

"I'm sorry, I've been avoiding you. It was wrong and I never meant to hurt you." I told her.

She smiled at me. "You reacted like anyone would have and I was wrong to have kept it from you, but everything is in the open and we're going to be fine now." She touched my cheek gently. "I've never been prouder of anyone, than I am of you right now, my son."

I returned the smile, things were going to be fine now as I nodded and yawned.

"You look tired, you should get some rest. Argos is planning on a fuel cell excursion in the morning I believe." She told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well then, looks like I need to get some sleep, I want to be part of that."

"How's your ankle?"

I shrugged. "It's fine."

She nodded as I stood and gave her a hug. "Love you, Mom." I told her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you too, son."

I set off out of the bridge and headed for my room. I was tired...physically and emotionally/

[Jace Keller]

I was about to answer when I heard a knock on my door and heard my brother's voice.

I sighed as I stood. "Excuse me for a minute, Gideon." I said as I went to the door and opened it. "Hey, bro what can I do for you?" I asked with a tired grin.

[Argos Ewan]

I looked into Jace’s quarters and saw Gideon was there. “I’m sorry I didn’t know you had someone here. I was wanting to speak to you about something but I suppose it can wait. I can talk to you about it some other time.” I turned and began to walk away.

[Jace Keller]

Something didn't feel right as I went after him. "Wait!" I grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. "What is it? I've got a list for our journey tomorrow, if my calculations are right, it's got to be about ten clicks out."

[Argos Ewan]

As Jace began to speak to me after stopping me, I shook my head. “Jace, there is something I have to show you. In the end I only pray you’ll forgive me.”

[Jace Keller]

I was confused as I looked at my brother. "Forgive you? For what?"

[Argos Ewan]

I sighed as I looked at the deck. It was hard for me to face him with what I had said to him over the years when the subject had come up about Jericho.

I looked up at Jace and began, “Jace, over the years I have said many things to you, when the subject came up, about Jericho. Honestly, if I had known what I had just found out I would have never said those things to you. For that I am deeply sorry and I hope you can forgive me. Actually, if you didn't I couldn‘t blame you.”

[Jace Keller]

"I was angry at him for a very long time and for the life of me, I don't really know why. He was always my twin and I always believed in him, but there was a voice inside my head that told me over and over again not to trust him. Eventually, it went away but not before he was in prison for a very long time." The guilt rushed over me and I sighed, but then thought about what my brother said.

"What did you find out?" I asked as I looked at Argos.

[Argos Ewan]

“Jace, over the decades I have always thought our father such a saint. As it turns out he was such a bastich and I can never forgive him for what he did to us and Jericho.”

I leaned back against the bulkhead and looked deeply into Jace’s eyes. “The fact of the matter is, Aramis found a jumpdrive just moments ago that was hidden on the Eclipse in the generator compartment. On that jumpdrive was all the undeniable facts and information about how our own Dodya sold our family out to the Empire. It was him Jace, it was him all along. He is the one who did this to us, not Jericho.”

[Jace Keller]

I felt my breath leave me as I heard his words. "Oh, gods...my brother..." I leaned against the bulkhead for a moment and then looked up at Argos with anger in my eyes. "He spent 39 years in the Kessel mines...for nothing!"

Anger boiled inside me as I turned and saw a box of tools sitting there I hit it and it went skittering across the floor. "Damn him! Damn his lies!" I yelled.

[Argos Ewan]

I got exactly the response I knew I was going to get from Jace. “I know Jace, believe me, I feel the same way. We’ve been betrayed. Our whole family has and for his own greed. His greed is what killed him and set us on the path we’re on today. Now that the truth is out, we’re going to have to find Jericho. That is if he is even alive.”

I shook my head as I looked at Jace. “Personally, I don’t know where we would even start. Before we could even do anything at all, we have to get off this swamp rock.”

"Jericho or no Jericho we've got to get out of here. Sooner or later the Empire is going to come looking for us and find us. We've got to get moving before that happens. Once we're out of here and have found a place for repairs we'll search for him then. First things first though."

[Jace Keller]

"He's alive." I said softly as I looked away from him and I leaned against the bulkhead. "I know where he is and as soon as the communications were up, I was going to...contact him."

[Argos Ewan]

“You mean you’ve known where he’s been or how to contact him all......” I stopped myself in mid sentence now realizing I had no right to be upset after the way I treated and thought of Jericho in the past.

“Jace, I can’t help but to feel that I have been such a fool with you and Jericho. Honestly, if I had known the truth I wouldn’t have acted this way. I hope you know I really mean that. Your both my brothers and I love you both. It’s just that the past really feed me some false information and it was t he only thing I could go by. I hope you’ll understand that and find it in your hearts to forgive me.”

To know I had been so mislead for so long not only made me feel like a fool, but also weighed heavy on my heart and soul. To know that even our Momya died probably not ever knowing the truth made me feel even sadder.

[Jace Keller]

I sighed. "I do remember somethings, I do remember that you hate him and I do remember that he told me not to mention him around you and I remember that you said being around him was a price too high. But, after that is a big blank except when I remember being around him after his prison sentence." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Can you show me the jumpdrive and where did you find it?"

[Argos Ewan]

“Yes, I did say those things but only when I only knew what I thought I knew. Now everything is changing and for a good reason.”

“Yeah, I’ll show the read outs from the Jumpdrive but it is connected into the system down in the generator compartment. Come on, I’ll show it to you.”

I turned away with Jace in tow and took him to the generator compartment and turned the system back on and everything came up as before. “There, you can read this yourself. It‘s pretty self-explanatory.” I pointed toward the casing that was removed. “Aramis found it over there concealed.”

[Jace Keller]

I looked at the readout on the screen, it was all there…suddenly, a rush of memory came through my mind so strong it hurt again. Second time in a day…

It only took a couple of seconds for me to find what Jericho had been telling me all this time...the truth. My heart sank as I saw the information that had been hidden from us for the past five years. I saw the transaction information from my Dodya's accounts straight to Jace's account with my Dodya's delivery codes.

The next file I saw was the transactions between my Dodya and...the Empire ship, Elexus. Millions of credits had been dropped into my Dodya's accounts under the name of Lexus. This was what my twin had discovered, he never committed a crime. But, Dodya had found out about it and did everything in his power to keep my twin quiet and to dishonor his word.

Jericho went to prison for nothing and if I didn't get this information to Argos, he'd go again and I was damned if I'd let him do that.

I took out the jumpdrive as I looked through the front port to see my Dodya coming through the main door, with a group of guards. I had to think quickly and there was no way that he was going to get this jumpdrive as I quickly ran to the opening that went to the engine room. Throwing it open, I quickly climbed down the ladder and over to one of the four generators. I quickly took out the bolts and screws and placed the jumpdrive deeply into the casing and fastened it back. With a sigh, I made my way back up to the bridge and could hear my Dodya's voice coming over the intercom system.

I hit the floor and held my head as another memory flashed through me…

I turned just a bit, and that was enough. The next second, I was falling into darkness.

I didn't know how long I was out, but had a pounding headache when I came to. I blinked slightly as I noticed I was strapped to a chair in a strange room.

I saw my Dodya leaning against a table nearby. "I should have known, is this what you did to my brother? What are you going to pin against me? It won't work, Dodya. Not this time."

[Argos Ewan]

I watched as my brother read the information. I sudenly saw him hit the floor and I knelt down and picked him up and held his head in my arms."Jace, what is wrong?" The best I could see he wasn't responding very well. "Jace come on brother. Speak to me," I said as I cradled him in my arms.

[Jace Keller]

I didn’t hear anything that was going on outside of my mind, these visions coming from me had been locked away for decades, and now they continued to come pouring out…

He pulled a chair close to me and sat down on it and looked around once more. "I didn’t want what happened to Jericho to happen, but I had no choice. I know you don’t believe me when I say this, but know I had no choice in this. Right now it is everything I can do to just have them spare your life. With what influence I have left you are going to be brainwashed. Everything you have come to know will be wiped from your memory. It is the only thing I can do to save you. For Jericho, nothing sad to say. I can’t do everything for both of you.”

"Forgive me, Jericho...I have failed you..." I said as my boots were taken off and they brought over some kind of strange suit and began putting it on me. I wanted to struggle but my arms couldn't seem to find the strength, even when they released me to pull the suit on. Fear overtook me as the helmet was fastened over my head, leaving me in darkness and silence. The only sound I heard was the sound of my own breathing. I knew what this was, it was a sensory-deprivation suit, used in years long ago to 'break' a person.

My arms were strapped back down and I was trapped! But, just being in the suit was not the worst of it, the lecturing that came next was the far worse.

I couldn't believe this was happening!

One moment it was silent the next I heard over and over again how perfect the ways of the empire was through padded headphones on the sides of the helmet! It seemed that the next part was made especially for me, it droned on about Jericho and how he was the enemy and how I should not trust him! Jericho divided our family! He was the enemy!

It seemed like forever this droned on...would it ever stop?

I slowly opened my eyes and saw my brother holding me, I was soaked with sweat. “I know what happened.” I said quietly as he helped me sit up.

[Argos Ewan]

Jace began to open his eyes and he finally spoke to me. "What happened? Huh," I said now confused. "You mean about the information from the jumpdrive?"

[Jace Keller]

"A memory just came back, it's the second one today." I told him. "I know how that jumpdrive got there...I put it there."

[Argos Ewan]

"Huh, you....you put that there? How? Why? Where did you get that information and why didn't you tell me about this before now," I asked as I continued to hold him and tried to fill in the blanks. Blanks of this that apparently were missing to me.

"You're going to have to help me here. Obviously, there are some points I am not understanding in this that are eluding me."

[Jace Keller]

I sat up and scratched my head. I began telling him what had happened and that I was planning on going to him when I was caught off guard by our Dodya. I continued to tell him what happened and then about how our Dodya had my mind wiped.

"I knew something was not right, but I couldn't remember what." I shook my head. "Jericho suffered needlessly because of that bastitch."

[Argos Ewan]

My body stiffened as he told me everything. I was stunned by what he was telling me. "Your fooling me Jace. You mean that bastich brainwashed you." I slowly shook my head in disbelief. "I don't doubt anything your saying Jace. I know you wouldn't lie to me, especially about something like this."

[Jace Keller]

"Jericho never held anything against me once we spoke again, forty years later. I remember when he bleached his dark hair now, I always gave him a hard time. It was times like those that we lost and now we only have pain and misery to look back on. I always knew somehow that Jericho was not the thieving monster our Dodya made him out to be."

[Argos Ewan]

I sat Jace up and leaned against the bulkhead myself and crossed my arms on my bended knees. "I don't know Jace. I can look back and see the many things I had said to Jericho myself. Many things, mean things, but I've got to mend things with him and quit looking backwards and build a life with him. Everything from the past is gone now. We only have what we have in front of us."

[Jace Keller]

"He's not the same man that you remember, Argos. He's found a new way of life, one that he seems to be happy with. He told me that whilst on Kessel, he found religion from a fellow that was part of the Syukai Society. Have you heard of that?"

[Argos Ewan]

I nodded my head, "I could imagine that. It was probably the only thing that kept him going all that time during his incarceration. I can’t help but to feel I am partly to blame somehow, in some way. I am anxious to see him again. There is much I want to say to him. I only hope he’ll forgive me.”

[Jace Keller]

"He knew it was our Dodya all along." I told him. "But, once he was out he went to some system, where they train warriors in this society and now he is a Syukai warrior, he trained for twenty years and he said when the time was right he would tell me where to find him. He's the one that got our information on the Lynx. He has many connections through the society." I explained.

[Argos Ewan]

Now surprised I asked, "he was the one that got you the information? Really?" Jace nodded his head. "Then he has to know about Quay'Na and her being my wife then and that I am married now."

[Jace Keller]

I nodded again. "He knows and it saddened him that he knew he'd never be able to be part of that family. He told me even though you hated him, there was nothing that he still wouldn't do to help you or me."

[Argos Ewan]

I sighed as I looked at Jace. "Well that is something that will change once I see him again. That is if we ever get off this swamp."

[Jace Keller]

"We will and in the morning we'll go looking for those fuel cells and as soon as the communications are up I'll see if I can get a hold of Jericho, I'm sure he's worried about us."

[Argos Ewan]

I stood up and looked at Jace. "Well if you do speak to him, please tell him I am sorry for the past and wish to see him very much. Meanwhile, I'm going to have to get things ready to go get those fuel cells. Of the two, I think we've lost one of them according to Ma-thrus anyway."

[Jace Keller]

I looked at my brother and shook my head. "I can't do that, brother. That is something you must do yourself." I sighed and passed him, I gently squeezed his shoulder as I did and disappeared back up the ladder.

[Argos Ewan]

What was he thinking? I knew that was something I had to do on my own, but he got the wrong idea from what I said. "Jace," I called up to him. "Jace, hold up," I said as I climbed up the ladder myself. "Hold up a minute. You misunderstood me."

[Jace Keller]

I stopped in my tracks and turned around. "What?" I asked blankly. "What did I misunderstand?"

[Argos Ewan]

I topped the ladder and went over to Jace. “It’s not so much about what you misunderstood, it was more about how right you were in what you said. However, it is something I would like him to know just in case we don’t get out of there. But with what you said, maybe he would be better off not knowing that I knew the truth until I do see him. I think he would then know that it isn’t some fabrication I had set you out to tell him. If he doesn‘t know and we don‘t make it here, then it will be his retribution to me for how I treated him in the past.”

[Jace Keller]

"Trust me, our brother seeks no revenge on you." I told him. "I think, things will turn around for this family once we are out of here though. A lot of hurt has taken place and for him not to turn his back on either of us for what has happened, shows that there is much more to our brother than either of us see. Our Dodya played us both against him and it was so unfair."

[Argos Ewan]

"I think your absolutely right Jace." I put my hand onto his shoulder and smiled. "Let's get to this. The sooner we get started the sooner we can get out of here."

[Quay Rakai-Ewan]

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Captain." I said as Aramis and I stepped out of the bridge. "Aramis says the generator room is in good condition and most of the wiring is back in place and I have a crew working on the hangar, at which we are going to be heading there to fix wiring there shortly." I finished.

[Argos Ewan]

"That sounds good," I said as I walked over to the com-console.

I pressed the ship com switch and placed on a head set. "This is the Captain speaking. All crews to the briefing room immediately. All crews to the briefing room."

I turned and looked at my wife, Aramis, and Jace. "We're going to have to organize the crew to get those fuel cells. We're also going to have to set up a moving guarding perimeter while looking for them. There is a spider like creature out there and we've got to prepare the crew for this if we're going to get these cells back."

[Jace Keller]

"Good call, bro." I looked at Aramis. "How are the communications looking?"

"Almost done with it and then we have to see how the aerial is, but its underwater at the moment." He answered. "And possibly in the mud."

"Well, if we can see where that monster is outside perhaps two of us can get to work on it." I suggested.

He shrugged. "I'm up for it."

"I'll call Gideon, he can be the eyes in the back of our head." I told him as I looked at Argos. "How does that sound? We could get communications up tonight if we're lucky."

[Argos Ewan]

I nodded as I walked over to Quay'Na and rested my arm on a nearby console overhead next to her. "That sounds good Jace, but instead of doing that why don't we just forget about the aerial and scavenge one from one of the wrecked fighters. The communications systems on any one of those is just as good as the one on board the Eclipse. We can simply splice it into the com-systems on the ship and it should work just fine once the signal is boosted a little. It might even boost the Eclipse‘s com-systems and help it to reach out better. Gideon is going to have enough to do with the ship‘s external repairs as it is already.”

[Afwa Dohren]

I heard the Captain's orders over the ship com-system and headed toward the briefing room.

I was glad that something was about to happen. I was so sick of sitting around or working on the ship's wire ducts. Maybe now we could see some real action. Food fighting didn't come close enough for me.

I walked into the briefing room as other crewmembers did as well. I took up a seat knowing it wouldn't be long until the Captain would come and fill us in on what was needed now.

[Avalon Aquilo]

As I sat by Celeste I heard the Captian's order but knew there wasn't any way I could go to the briefing. I hoped Argos would excusse me from not being there for him and Quay'Na.

[Ma-thrus]

The Captain made an announcement and I saw everyone leaving the galley for the meeting. I looked up at Tiny and smiled at him. "The One is summoning everyone. Ma-thrus must go. Must follow crew to briefing so I know where to go. Ma-thrius see long shanks again soon. You find bugs, I go."

I turned and quickly followed the crew.

[Jace Keller]

As I followed Aramis and Quay'Na who were trailing behind my brother, I strode up quickly to the boy. "I hear I have a new nephew." I gave him a wink as he smiled.

"I think, we're going to make a great team." I told him as we entered the briefing room and took our seats.