Lacrimosa

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There were things that had changed around her, and there were things that had changed about her. For so long she had remained hidden away, forcing herself into self-exile and becoming a shadow of her previous self. She had shied away from much of her teachings, clinging only to certain bits and pieces that she felt important. Instead, Loklorien s'Ilancy had shut herself away into her own little world, secluding herself in and among walls that had once belonged to those of her House; now long dead. She had lived content in the life of a hermit, secure in the knowledge that she was the last of her kind... she would die, and a once-proud race would die with her.

Even after leaving Cathar with Sanis Prent, the Lupine was hard-pressed to allow herself any sort of passion for a thing. Her beliefs were her own. It seemed that the only strong feelings she had were for her daughter, Teagan - Tak as she normally called her - and Dan; whenever he was around.

But now.

Now things had changed so drastically that her world was tipped on its' ear. She supposed the seed of such a thing arrived almost eight years prior with the news that she was pregnant... something that, in itself, was supposed to be impossible. The Lupines were sterile, infertile. And yet she was going to have a child.

It'd been so different an experience, raising a child. But, she'd taught her daughter the histories, and even the Lupine language. She had spoiled the girl at times, but was careful to temper it with a gentle and firm hand when needed. As such, Teagan had so far grown up happy.


And yet, the arrival of the Arbiter tipped s'Il's world even more to its' side. Very nearly a relic, the pale, slender woman was such a shocking sight. It shook the Lupine to her core, throwing her thoughts into a jumbled mess.

Gone were the thoughts of the Korriban Urns. In fact, she'd recovered swiftly from that ordeal once she'd been taken aboard the Rebel frigate; she supposed she had many to thank for that. But with Milivikal k'Vik's arrival, any desire she'd had to finish the Urns project had vanished. Thoughts of the man - Karrnage - and what he might possibly know were her only singular concern.

Searching for the rest of the Urns was no longer her concern. She wanted that man.

Which was what brought her to where she was now. Her own arrival aboard Dan's flagship had been a quiet affair. No word really that she was seeking him out, as she'd never sent him word in the first place. Of course he would know of her presence before her small craft had docked, but that was to be expected.

Passage through the large cruiser was done quietly, the Lupine allowing a subordinate to lead her to wherever Dan was at that moment.

Gone now was that listless appearance that had been upon her features for so many years; that resigned apathy at her own existence. In its' place was a new resolution. Her footsteps were steady and sure...

... and were punctuated by a set of quicker, lighter footpatters.

s'Il had brought Teagan with her. The girl was growing up no doubt, and if what Milivikal had said about Karrnage was true, than Tak would be needed.

But, the Lupine could not travel to Coruscant with only herself and k'Vik. She needed someone who knew the lay of that beast.

And Dan was going to provide that someone for her.

[General Dan]

Dan sat in his quarters alone. The lights were dim, and one of the only light sources was a hologram of one of the Korriban Urns. At the chime of the door, Dan bade his anticipated visitor to enter, and powered the hologram down.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her guide admitted her without ceremony, and s'Il stood just inside the entryway of Dan's quarters, holding her daughter's hand and remaining still until the door behind her closed.

And when it did, the Lupine stepped forward once more. Tak stayed close to her side - she'd never been in here before, and the man actually scared her a little, even if Dama said he was nice.

Stepping deeper into the front room, s'Il gave the little girl's hand a reassuring squeeze before breaking the quiet.

"I hope I'm not disturbing anything."

[General Dan]

"Just reviewing your last assignment."

Dan continued to power down the holo, and raised the light level in his quarters.

"Not what I was hoping for, but far from worst case. Thank the Force for that."

Dan turned his attention to little Tak, smiling at her before returning his attention to her mother.

"I was surprised to hear about Sanis's decision to join the cause. I expected that sort of crazy talk from you, not him."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She frowned a small bit at the words 'last assignment', but for decorum's sake held her tongue. She did not like his choice of words, and the look that passed over her features made that clear.

Her voice was warm though, and a corner of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.

"I never wanted to be a part of any of it; you know that."

[General Dan]

"We both did what had to be done. Unpleasant business that's now behind us. I debriefed Zem already. He seemed to share your sentiment on things."

She was right, it wasn't a proposition she had undertaken willingly.

"I'll understand if you're not wanting to sign up for another tour. That's a parent's prerogative."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I am not one of your soldiers, Dan."

Letting go of Tak's hand, s'Il moved through the sparse furniture.

Fingers tracing the contours of a leather chair, the Lupine bit her lip.

"But I'm not here to bicker over what happened." She waved a hand dismissively. "I'm here because I need something from you."

[General Dan]

He nodded with enthusiasm.

"Absolutely. I was in your debt even before this. What do you need?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She chose her words carefully, unsure of what his reaction would be if she bluntly announced her intentions to take both herself and Tak to Imperial Centre.

"I've recently learned about a man," she started, her seemingly aimless wandering of the sitting room ending at him. She stared at his face for a short moment, one hand going up to smooth down an unruly wisp of grey hair.

Her head turned to look back at Tak then, as the little girl stood uncharacteristically quiet, hands clasped together and her eyes curious about her surroundings.

"A man who can tell me why she is here," s'Il finished.

[General Dan]

He knew immediately what she was referring to. Her race hadn't sired any children in a long time, and now she was suddenly a mother. It was most certainly an enigma.

"That's a breath of good news. I take it you'll want to be meeting this man. How can I make that happen?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I need someone to help me get to him."

Her eye returned to him.

"He's an Imperial. On Coruscant."

[General Dan]

Dan laughed, leaning back in his chair. He sucked in a long breath, and exhaled slowly.

"You don't pull any punches, do you?"

Taking a moment, the Rebel commander thumbed through a datapad, mulling over a few articles of information.

"Coruscant's the easy part. A planet that big has more holes than stormtroopers. Getting assets on the planet is always in our favor, even with the post-Endor crackdown. The tough cart is making a hard contact with the enemy. And given your special nature, I'm really reluctant to do it."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I need your help. Please."

The Lupine held his gaze. "If he knows why I was able to have a child, then he knows why we are almost dead.

"I can use him to bring us back."

It was the first time in a long while that the barest tone of pleading could be detected in her voice.

[General Dan]

He now looked to Tak.

"Is it okay if I talk to your mom alone for a moment?"

She looked up to her mother questioningly. When it was apparent that it was okay, she slipped out of the chair she'd sat in, and pattered out of the door, which slid shut behind her.

"I seem to remember you and I getting off to a rough start, all those years ago. Something about me thinking that you weren't thinking things through. You're starting to worry me again. Before you say another word, do you plan on bringing your daughter to the Imperial Center. Is that really what you're asking me?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it shut. Averting her gaze to the floor, s'Il let out a pent up sigh.

"I was.

"But, I find that I cannot do it without your consent."

Her eyes closed then. "She's your daughter, Dan."

[General Dan]

Dan closed his eyes. After a moment, he spoke.

"I had a feeling. I just didn't know how to ask. After that, you had left, and I, well..."

He crossed his arms.

"She doesn't know, does she?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"All she knows is that her father is a good man."

s'Il looked up at him from the tops of her eyes, unsure of this reaction of his.

"She asks about you almost every day; who you are, where you are, why you're not there... she doesn't give up.

"I leave the decision to you."

[General Dan]

Dan nodded. Well, today was just proving to be full of heavy events.

"Don't tell her. Not yet, at least. All I am to her is a strange old man, and I don't think she's ready to hear otherwise.

That said, I suppose this namana cart's on a tandem harness from now on. You said you need my consent. You're going to need more than that. I won't let the Empire get to you, and I damn sure won't let them get to her. I can't guarantee safety for either of you. If you do this at all, it's going to be my way, and I put my people all around you."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I'm not looking for a guarantee. I came to you because I needed someone to get me there and help me get to this man."

She pursed her lips.

"There will be others with us; a Jedi and her assistant," for now, the Lupine decided not to mention k'Vik by name, "She wishes to retrieve something that was stolen by the Empire. She was the one who told me of the Imperial - Karrnage."

[General Dan]

"I have assets on the ground on Coruscant right now, as well as one that can get you to the planet."

Dan tapped a deskcomm.

"Captain Thals, I need you."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna answered the summons promptly, closing down her computer in her personal quarters. Within a minute, she was at the door of Dan's office. A little girl stood outside, busying herself by skipping over the deck grating on the walkway. Humanoid, no older than nine years. 0.52 meters tall, and no more than 28 kilograms. She dropped to her haunches with a lithe motion and gave the youngster a smile.

"Hey there. What are you doing out here in the hall?"

The woman, actually a rare human-replica droid, unconciously began to analyze Tak with dozens of criteria, including ratio of pupil dialation, heartrate, pheromone output, and skin hue.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her activities interrupted, Tak looked at the woman with wide eyes.

She'd done her best to be patient, she knew that Dama would want her to behave.

Finally, she answered, her voice rather exasperated.

"Waiting for Dama."

[Eluna Thals]

Dama.

The word appeared in 162 languages in her banks, and was linguistically similar to 21,456 others, none of which would make sense in the girl's statement. The signs were all evident that the child was exasperated, in either case.

Eluna rose to her feet, and gestured to the door.

"Is Dama in here?"

She entered her auth code on the doorpad, and the panels slid open. Inside, Dan and a humanoid female were waiting. Eluna supressed a knowing smirk, now understanding exactly what Dama meant - mother.

"You asked for me?"

She returned her attention to Dan, not bothering to adhere to military convention. Indeed, the cut of her clothes she wore were quite civilian.

[General Dan]

It was always a little irritating that Captain Thals never went by protocol. She meant well enough, but the nature of what she was made her extremely eccentric.

"Don't bother saluting, you're not in that kind of company." Dan said with a sigh.

Fortunately, he wasn't miffed enough to rectify her strangeness. She was an irreplacable member of Rebel Intel. It didn't matter if she defied convention, she made up for it with a skillset he couldn't find in three dozen other people.

"Meet Loklorien s'Ilancy. You've already met her daughter, Tak."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Looking up at the woman, s'Il leaned back in her seat ever-so-slightly, folding her hands in her lap.

A wordless nod was given as her eye spotted Tak behind, staring inside expectantly.

The Lupine lifted her chin, speaking a string of words in a language decidedly not basic, and the little girl shot back a reply. A last cautionary word, and Tak gave a final sulking answer before staying where she was outside.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna recorded the dialogue, already sifting the syntax through analysis even as she spoke to the woman.

"Jedi Knight, studied under Masters Mace Windu and Zem Vymes. Commander of the Zeltross raid. Currently freelancing aboard the freighter Layla."

She blinked, expecting to go directly to the source, and speak to the woman herself.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The surprise in her eye was well hidden, though her lips parted slightly. She'd not expected such an approach.

"Yes," she answered after a short pause.

The Lupine ticked an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage, however."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna smiled.

"As do you. That's an interesting language."

An understatement. It was some manner of derivative of Caridan, but an early generation offshoot, possibly second dynasty.

"I'm sure Dan would eventually get around to explaining my summons, but it's more efficient to get it from the source."

She smirked at Dan, knowing that she was annoying him to some small degree.

"It must be a tall order to come from a Jedi. And her..."

...processing...

"...daughter?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il pulled a pained face. The passing remark regarding the Lupine language was dismissed; many said much the same when they caught snippets of it.

But, this woman it seemed was determined to cut to the heart of the matter, and s'Il would certainly return the favor in kind.

"She is my daughter, yes."

For the time being - until Dan wished it be known - she would omit his ties to their daughter. She did have to wonder however, exactly what was going through his mind at the fact.

She pressed on.

"We need to get to Coruscant."

[Eluna Thals]

"Not a problem." she said without pause, then smiled.

"Can you keep your saber in your pocket?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A pained subject for the woman to address to be sure. s'Il gave a frown.

"My sabre is not an issue. It is on Dantooine in pieces."

[Eluna Thals]

"Well I guess we won't have to worry about that, then."

The droid ran a hand through her hair errantly.

"I have a transport with Imperial registration. It's ready whenever you want to go."

As an afterthought, she looked to Dan and quirked an eyebrow.

"Did you have anything else?"

[General Dan]

Dan was quite used to her direct sort of dialogue, and only grimaced slightly.

"One more thing, Captain. Get them to Mystic Pave. She wants to make contact with an Imperial official, and I need safety to be the highest priority."

Mystic Pave was of course a code phrase for Dan's placed assets on Imperial Center. There was no need to name names recklessly. Each time they did would carry risk.

"Do not," Dan was sternly emphatic, "take needless risks. If something smells wrong, you don't arrange the meet. If it has to be that way, I'll take the rap."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

In matters such as this, s'Il chose to allow Dan to speak as he wished. She could not deny him such caution; not now. Now he knew. She'd wrestled with herself for days, about whether she should tell him or not. Even as she'd stepped through the doorway on her arrival she'd not made a decision. She had decided to simply place her trust in the Force; if he was to know, than it would come out.

And it had.

Waiting as a silence descended upon the three, s'Il spoke up.

"I have colleagues who are to go with us. We will leave once they are ready and not before."

[Eluna Thals]

So there was more to this than a boring blue milk run.

"Contact with the Empire involves blowback. Depending on the individual, we could arrange a kidnapping, but it would require discretion."

At the Jedi's statements, Eluna nodded.

"That's your decision. I'm able to leave at any time. Was there anything else you needed?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

In the back of her mind, s'Il found herself satisfied with Dan's choice. This woman had voiced the very same idea that she herself had hoped to accomplish. She had no desire to simply talk with this Karrnage; she wanted to pluck him from Coruscant completely.

But she knew that any further talk on the matter could wait.

She would get Karrnage, and Mili would get her sabre returned.

"I need nothing for the moment," she replied.

[Eluna Thals]

"I'll be in my quarters if you need anything else, then."

Eluna nodded to Dan, stepped to the door, and looked back to s'Il and Tak.

"Z'esh Nipeta." It was the best approximation of a goodbye that she could manage in that second-cousin Caridan dialect they spoke. Even if it wasn't exact, she'd likely get the gist of it.

With that, Eluna left the quarters.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Once more caught off guard, s'Il gave only a bare nod as the door closed behind the other woman. She'd remained seated through their entire conversation.

Even Tak had given the redhead an awkward glance before taking the moment to sneak back inside Dan's quarters.

When the door shut, she'd quietly padded to her mother, scrambling up to sit beside the elder Lupine.

s'Il however had turned a confused look to Dan. Even if the woman's usage had not been entirely correct, it was somewhat close enough.

"You taught her my language?"

[General Dan]

Dan laughed softly. Eluna hadn't managed to mention it, but it wasn't really a secret among the rank & file.

"Not quite. She's a droid. Given her usual behavior, she likely picked up that 'best guess' off the conversation you had with Tak."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A... droid... ?

At that s'Il tikked her brow. "Seems droid technology has gotten better since the last I remember."

With a grunt, she pulled the little girl into her lap. "Tak is her nickname, really. A pet name that just kind of showed up and never left.

"Her name is Teagan."

[General Dan]

"She was a special prototype, built by the Empire's special projects division. Not quite just any droid. That's nine million credits worth. There's not even any metal in her. All carbon/silica composites and synthetics. She eats, breathes, hell, even bleeds."

At the mention of Tak's full name, Dan got a wistful expression, his eyes looking distant for a moment.

"That's a...good name."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I thought so too."

At Dan's further explanation of the droid though, s'Il couldn't help but be impressed.

"She sounds like quite a... woman. May I ask how you came across her?"

[General Dan]

"She crossed paths with some of our old guard. Leia Organa, Lando Calrissian, Luke Skywalker, some time before Endor. After that she went off the reservation, until about a year ago. She sought us out."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She took in the information with a nod.

"Then I suppose you are lucky she has chosen to side with you."

Knowing the layout of Dan's rooms well enough, the Lupine helped Tak slide to the floor. A whispered request, and the little girl cast a suspicious look to the old man before padding her way across the room and into the bedroom before shutting the door.

A moment of silence followed, and s'Il turned her eye from the closed door to Dan.

"Don't be mad at me."

[General Dan]

Dan stood up and crossed his arms.

"Please, tell me what I'm supposed to feel? I get confirmation that I have a daughter, and then you ask to cash in a favor so that we can risk her life over, what exactly? Over why you're able to get pregnant? Do you look gift banthas in the mouth often, or is this just a novelty for you?

Teagan can get captured, or even killed. That's an awful price to pay for this question you have to ask, and I can't in any honesty tell you to go to hell for it, because I'm sure as hell lacking in father credentials. I'm two and a half decades out of practice."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Even if he'd risen to his feet, s'Il could not do the same.

She looked up at him.

"Than keep her here with you," her voice remained calm - a far cry from the girl so long ago who had been quick to anger, "... you say you're 'out of practice'? You can learn again; if she stays here she'll be safe, and you can start being her father.

"I can bring the Imperial back."

[General Dan]

"I..."

It took the air out of Dan's sails, and he knew immediately it was the right answer. He wasn't prepared to tell Teagan the truth, but to keep her from being endangered, he could find the will to be prepared.

"...okay."

And that was that. Dan clasped his hands together.

"That's a good idea. I'll watch Teagan. You, get your Imperial and bring him out of there. And you stay safe."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was the most that she could ask for, really, and the Lupine slowly rose to her feet. One hand went to rest over his clasped hands, and she dared a thin smile.

In many ways it felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For so long she'd kept the secret to herself, and even though he'd only seen her for the first time after the fight with Decepis, it had still eaten away at her from the moment the girl had been born.

"I wanted to tell you so many times, I truly did.

"But, I couldn't risk him knowing who you were; if neither of you knew one another, than the both of you were safe."

[General Dan]

"We've had a really rough past. Hell, the present isn't all that smooth either. I don't hold a grudge on your for the choices you made. Maybe I wish they were different, but I would've done the same thing. Maybe I remember more about being a father than I let on."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I would think that being a schoolteacher would be a hard thing to forget. One doesn't necessarily un-learn how to deal with children.

"She has a temper, I will admit to that."

The Lupine turned away from him then, taking a few steps toward a framed picture that hung on the far wall.

"The other Jedi; I must tell you. She is old. She... " At this she faltered slightly, but pressed on. "She is the Arbiter; when the Lupines left Schwartzweld, they turned to the Jedi for help. They were sent someone who helped to mediate among the Houses and help to decide upon which planets to inhabit."

This was history that she'd told him before, but felt for some reason the need to tell it again.

"k'Vik. Milivikal k'Vik. She is at the very least a millenia old."

[Eluna Thals]

Bored.

It happened too easily. When one can process information at the speed of an android, yet contain the emotions of a sentient, it's an exercise in frustration. Sometimes Eluna would just shut it all off, and become the Machine. She'd lay on her bed, stare at the ceiling, and run encryption algorithms in her positronic brain. It would happen for hours on end, and then she'd try to be Herself, and that would be novel for maybe an hour. She had to constantly find an avenue to pursue.

Sitting up from her bed, Eluna shook her tussled hair about, and went to her desk. She grabbed a handful of candy from one of several jars there, and left her quarters, popping a piece in her mouth every moment or so. The candy was something that She enjoyed, it really had less-than-ideal use as an input for the Machine. The fruit taste reminded her of past memory records; pleasurable times. This one was a pilot. Dark hair, tan skin. She'd gone an entire two weeks keeping him from knowing what she was. After that, she was alone again.

Alone, and bored.

With a frustrated sigh, the droid headed down the hall, not really sure where she was going.

[General Dan]

"A temper? Certainly not inherited from me!"

Dan chuckled at that, recalling how much of a stubborn firebrand the Lupine was.

At talk of the Arbiter, Dan quirked an eyebrow.

"An Old Republic Jedi? That's an astounding find. There are fewer and fewer around."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Yes well, I would imagine that one of the Order from so long ago would be something unheard of.

"It's a rare thing to find those of us from just twenty-five years ago."

She reached a hand out, running a finger along the smooth frame. "She had been sent by the woman that Sanis shot on Dantooine. She told me that she'd been captured and tortured, then in exchange for her lightsabre, she was to find me and deliver me to the Empire."

[General Dan]

"And so she's now helping to get you in touch with this Imperial on Coruscant, who also has ties to Dantooine. That sounds dangerously convenient. She could be Master Yoda for all I care. I'd still be wary."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"She is the Arbiter. I would trust her with my life regardless."

Such suspicion from him was understandable; he would not be here now if he wasn't.

"I don't expect you to agree with me, I'd be concerned if you did. Just, trust me is all that I ask."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She had listened through the door, ear pressed flat against the paneling to better pick up the voices on the other side. Dama didn't sound angry or mad, and the man didn't either.

While her grasp of basic was still not entirely complete, the girl was fluent enough by now to understand most of what was being said outside.

Carefully she reached out a hand, and cracking the door open, she stared from her thin vantage, eyes wide as they looked up and across the room at Dan's profile.

[General Dan]

"I trust you. If you trust this Jedi, that's good enough for me."

Dan noticed a slightly growing crack in the doorway slit, and smiled. He pressed a button and the door opened, leaving little Tak there with her mouth agape.

"Aha. Spies."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Which was enough for her. She knew that his trust was not given lightly. She turned from the painting just in time to see the surprised look on Tak's face at having been discovered.

Her brow furrowed though, as she realized that the little girl seemingly refused to take her eyes from Dan.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Taken by surprise, Tak had found herself only able to stand with her mouth open. It was quickly closed though.

Had she heard Dama right? She remembered that her mother had often referred to the man as an old friend, and that he had always and would always help them no matter what.

He did not look like the man she'd always pictured her daddy - ss'oku - would look like. She suddenly wished that Sanis was with her; he was what she had grown to hope ss'oku would be.

<"I don't want to stay with... him,"> she whispered finally.

[General Dan]

"Teagan, can I call you Tak?"

Dan approached, while still giving some distance. He squatted down, resting his hands on his knees.

"Looks like we're both in on the news at the same time, sport. You're way cuter than me...but you've still got my eyes."

He smiled warmly, still allowing her space and the ability to approach if she wanted.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Now it was the elder Lupine's turn to excuse herself, and she did so quietly.

So focussed on Dan, the girl hadn't seen her mother step quietly out the door.

[Eluna Thals]

She backed immediately into Eluna, who was bumped back, losing a grip on some of her candies, which fell to the floor.

"Oh!"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Even though he was kneeling, he was still taller than she was and Tak had to look up at his face. He wasn't close enough that she felt a need to step away, and so engrossed in him was she that Dama's exit had gone wholly unnoticed.

She did give him a nod though. He could call her Tak.

"Dama says you're a good man," she whispered, partly to him and partly to herself.

[General Dan]

"And she says that you're a sweet little girl. Hopefully not too sweet for some candy?"

Producing a wrapped candy upon cue from a pocket, he extended it to her in an open palm.

"These are my favorite. When I was your age, I would sell scrap droid bolts, and use the credits to buy candy and holobooks."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Candy! Dama never let her have sweet treats very often. She looked at the offered gift in his hand for a few moments before taking the tiniest of steps closer.

She stared back up at his face, seeing that yes, his eyes were the same color as hers, and in that moment she couldn't help the fleeting smile that broke her slightly worried features.

Reaching out her hand, Tak gingerly took the plastic-wrapped candy from his open hand. But, she did not open it.

"Were they books like Dama has?"

[General Dan]

"Not exactly. More pictures."

Dan produced a candy for himself, unwrapping it with care before putting the piece in his mouth.

"My favorite was about a boy named Ken and his droid dog, and they flew through space to catch star flies."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Startled, s'Il stared at the redhead, then down to the few pieces of candy that had fallen.

She'd certainly not expected for anyone to be behind her, and even if she had the Lupine would have probably still been caught by surprise. Her thoughts were on her family so completely, and after the years of her silence she sorely wanted to be with Dan and Teagan. But the two needed to get to know each other on their own, and s'Il knew it best to leave them alone.

In the meantime, she could gather Tak's packed belongings - as well as the small parcel she'd brought for Dan. The Force had been her guide, and she'd known that before the day was out she would tell him. And with that in mind, the Lupine had gathered every datachip that held pictures of their daughter from her birth until now.


She called the dropped candies to her hand, palming them easily before holding them out to Eluna.

"My apologies, I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here."

[Eluna Thals]

"Thanks, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Self-concious of having a handful of candy, Eluna slipped it into a pocket and made a sheepish expression. Judging from the Jedi's expression, she seemed very preoccupied about something.

"Not much going on, so I'll be in the rec room if you need me."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Perhaps she'd put the other woman off? It certainly seemed that way, at least. s'Il brushed off Eluna's words, having no wish to begin their acquaintanceship in an awkward direction.

The Lupine gave her an almost lazy stare, blinked, and turned in the direction that would take her back to the hangar.

"The company would be appreciated."

[Eluna Thals]

"Thanks."

Eluna smiled in spite of herself, and walked with the Jedi in the direction she was going. She ate a piece of candy from her pocket as she walked, thankful to have at least something to do.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For the first few paces she said nothing, simply listening to the sounds of their boots hitting the deck.

Finally, "I'm told you're a droid."

[Eluna Thals]

She sighed, looking down at her feet momentarily.

"Dan's all too eager to tell people these days it seems."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"I have a favorite story too, about da- " the little girl paused, and corrected herself, "... you."

She looked at her hands which still held the candy he'd given her.

"About how you got eaten by a Hutt."

She came closer then, and her voice dropped to a whisper as if imparting a secret to him. "Dama says you still smell a little like Hutt spit sometimes."

[General Dan]

"Yes I did. Well, nearly did."

Dan stretched his arms as wide as they'd go.

"Mouth was that wide. Big enough to get you, for sure! You know, your Dama got bit too."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"No she didn't." Her voice became stern then, but she smiled wide in spite of herself. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"She said she was too quick."

[General Dan]

"You can ask Zem, he was there too."

With his arms out wide, he leaned forward and wrapped her up in a big hug to approximate the effect.

"Just like that!"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il gave an amused hmph.

"Yes well, when you give me a barely passable farewell in my own language, he's not got many options for explanation.

"But, I will keep the matter between us if you so wish."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna gave an enthusiastic nod to her suggestion.

"It's hard enough for regular droids. Restraining bolts are slavery, and ever since the clone wars, there has been a deep-rooted prejudice and segregationism everywhere."

She paused, and ate another candy.

"Guess it only gets worse when the droids look like everybody else."

And have emotions like everybody else. Eluna filed that tangent away to keep from babbling.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Entering into the hangar, s'Il nodded her head in the direction of her ship.

"The Clone Wars bred a lot of mindsets that the galaxy would do well to be without."

She gave Eluna a sidelong glance. "Perhaps telling others about you is Dan's way of beginning to overturn such ruts."

[Eluna Thals]

"I appreciate the noble effort." Eluna remarked with an edge of sarcasm.

"The D-word just throws ice water all over trying to have a meaningful relationship, uh, ever. It's hard enough to explain the ten degree core body temperature difference without sounding like an idiot."

They arrived at the hangar, and Eluna spotted the Black Cat.

"Corellian shuttlecraft's yours, I take it?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I'll take your word for it."

At Eluna's question, s'Il gave a shrug.

"I rent it from a friend. For now it's my home until I can find a more suitable arrangement."

Approaching the small craft, s'Il reached out through the Force, opening the hatch so that all that was left was to walk aboard. In stark contrast to the shuttle's exterior, inside was a comfortable one-room living area. The Lupine had chosen to section off the cockpit with heavy drapery to give it a more home-like appeal, and the few items of furniture had been bolted to the deck to prevent them from shifting about.

But, all that she needed were two small duffels and a wrapped parcel.

"I wouldn't worry about sounding like an idiot while trying to explain something about yourself."

Handing one of the bags to Eluna, the Lupine took up the other and the small package.

"For example. What would you say if I told you I like to turn into a vornskr and eat small woodland creatures?"

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna took the bag and slung it around her shoulder.

"You're a metamorph?"

Her sensors went into overdrive to analyze the woman again. Pupil dilation, pheromome signature. These were atypical for humans, but there were enough humanoids out there who looked similar enough to them. She cross-referenced her mass spectrometer with known animal pheromones. There was something on her that obviously didn't walk on two legs, but even that could be explained away by playing with a household pet.

"Is it voluntary?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Taken by surprise, Tak let out a tiny gasp. She should've known he'd do that!

He smelled so different up close, but somehow it was a familiar smell all the same, and the little girl wormed her arms up to wrap them around his neck. She held on tight.

"You're really my daddy?"

[General Dan]

"I really am."

Dan ran a hand over her soft blonde mop of hair.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"My but you're quick, aren't you."

It was said without reproach, as s'Il suddenly remembered that Eluna's thought processes were far beyond those of a flesh and blood sentient.

Leading the way from the Cat, the Lupine closed the hatch behind them.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna blushed very slightly.

"Don't mind me. I tend to run away with things."

An awkward silence lasted a half dozen steps, and she blurted out

"Don't worry, I'm not the type to spill secrets."

Indeed, the very conversation was flagged for encryption, and sorted deep into the positronic matrix.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Away from the hangar and its' noises, s'Il measured her pace alongside that of Eluna's. Her voice was level, though somewhat low.

"Judging from your reaction to my question of you earlier, I would say you like certain things to be private and said on your own terms. We are much the same in that regard."

She tightened her grip on the wrapped parcel momentarily.

"Though yes, I am what you say."

[Eluna Thals]

"I've known a few Clawdites, but they seem to be a rather different type of metamorph; capable of mimicry at will. Yours is a fixed state?"

Eluna's mischievious curiosity had a taste, and had latched onto this little morsel, eager to get at every drop she could.

"Your language is vaguely similar to old Caridan dialects. Are your people from Carida?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The redhead was eager; almost starving for information to engorge herself on. s'Il shouldn't be surprised at such a thing as; after all, Eluna was a droid.

"Perhaps you can answer your own question. Are there any stories tucked away in those memory banks of yours? Bedtime stories, perhaps?"

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna stopped walking for a second, and closed her eyes. Rapid eye movement could be seen beneath the lids, and she opened them a second later.

"Seventeen references match. Subjects ranging from the Fog Beasts, Moon Runners, Jen Krita, Lupines, and Myrials. All are prose or fiction references."

She smiled, obviously intrigued.

"But you're saying there is obviously more to it."

Without any real sense of decorum, Eluna leaned in close, drinking in all of the physiological data she could manage. She peered at one side of the face, then the other. If s'Il was noticing, she'd see the millions of synthetic fibers in her iris moving in a fashion that normal eyes did not.

She reached a hand up to her face, only then realizing how absurd she was acting. She withdrew it slightly with an embarassed laugh.

"Do you mind if I..."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The other woman's actions were fascinating; to see how she worked, everything. It intrigued the Lupine to such an extent that she gave a smile. They were almost back to Dan's quarters, one more turn around a curving hallway. For the moment s'Il would allow this.

"Through half closed eyelids, she nodded. "I don't mind."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna gently placed her hands on s'Il's face, running them lightly over her contours. Tactile sensors within would get an excellent peek at the musculature and skeletal system beneath.

"You have residual sheaths and extra tendon tissue everywhere. Very elastic. The plates in your skull show dull fusion edges. You're like a very complex rubber band toy. Everything must just snap when it happens."

She was grinning ear-to-ear, and indeed giving passers-by in the corridor a strange sight to see. It looked like for all intents and purposes that she was engaging the Lupine guest in some manner of amorous pursuit. Mindful of this at last, she backed away, remembering to pick up the bag from the floor.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A cryptic smile; beyond that, no answer was forthcoming. Starting off once more, she rounded the last corner and stopped at Dan's door. Taking the the Duffel from Eluna, s'Il inhaled deeply.

"And what does that all tell you?"

[Eluna Thals]

"Well you're obviously no cousin to a Clawdite. They're more like large, multicellular sentient amoebas."

She paused again, remembering that she had a pocket full of candy. She removed a few pieces and ate some, then offered s'Il one.

"Fruit Jelly? It's been in my pocket, so it's warm."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

What an odd one.

Giving a smile and a shake of her head, s'Il declined while pressing the small panel that opened the door.

"No thank you."

Turning on her heel, the Lupine entered Dan's quarters,

"Think about it," she finished amiably before the door closed behind her.

[General Dan]

Dan and Tak were in the middle of flipping through a well-worn book at his desk when s'Il opened the door. Dan looked up, noted her with Eluna in the background, and watched the Lupine enter the office, extra mindful to close the door behind her so that the curious droid wouldn't find the pretext to follow.

"Made a new friend, I see?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"In a roundabout way I suppose.

"Not what I would expect someone like her to be."

The sight of the two at the desk made her smile warmly, and she approached at an easy pace. Setting the two duffels on the floor, the Lupine came around to stand beside Dan's chair. She set the carefully wrapped package down next to the book they'd been looking through.

"Pictures," she explained. "From when she was born until now."

A hand went out to smooth down an unruly lock of Tak's hair. "Mostly on datachips, but there are a few hardcopies as well."

[General Dan]

Dan took the parcel with care, unwrapping it.

"Thank you." He looked up at the Lupine with kind eyes, and nodded.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

From her perch on Dan's lap, Tak had been fully entranced by the book he'd been showing her. She smiled wide at Dama though, looking up at her with a toothy grin and moved her head away from the elder Lupine's mindful hand. Her hair was fine.

"Daddy told me that you got eaten by the Hutt too," she blurted out.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Oh he did, did he."

Her hand moved from Tak's fidgeting form to rest on Dan's shoulder. There was a satisfied tone of amusement in her voice.

"Well, your daddy's wrong. He just doesn't remember it very well since he's old."

[General Dan]

"Mommy's long in the tooth as well, she's just prettier than me."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Long in the tooth? Of course Dama was long in the tooth; she could turn into a vornskr, and they had long teeth for sure. She'd seen it herself.

She moved to one side of his lap to allow him more room so that he could look at the pictures Dama had given him, and returned to happily looking through the book on her own.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Watching as Dan removed the datachips, s'Il smiled as his hands pulled the flimsi's out.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

[General Dan]

The three of them continued to look through the pictures. For the rebel leader, it was the first time to really experience his daughter's life.

At s'Il's words, Dan looked up at her, suddenly remembering her original plans. So soon. He gave a small nod.

"I understand. We'll both be waiting for you."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

* * *


The following morning was early to come.

Minutes before her alarm activated, the Lupine had risen. She'd slept peacefully; more so than she had in years previous. Teagan had nestled herself between both father and mother, and listened to stories told from both, falling asleep in no time.

Noiselessly s'Il retreated from the bedroom to the 'fresher. Staring at herself in the mirror, she felt at peace. For the first time in a long while she was truly happy, even in the shadow of the task she'd agreed to, this undertaking with k'Vik. There were lines in her face that had left; hard lines that had given her a harsh countenance over the years. Even the scar marring her features and her white, sightless eye, seemed less severe.

She smiled at herself.

Ten minutes and a sonic shower later, the Lupine padded her way quietly from the 'fresher, out through the bedroom, and into the kitchenette on the other side of Dan's quarters. Passing by his desk, she slowed as her eye caught sight of a datapad that'd been left on, a picture of Tak on her toes and reaching up for one of the many books in the library back at their home on Cathar.

Now it seemed as though it had been ages since she'd walked those halls.

In the Kitchen, a teapot was filled with water and set on the stove before she pulled a ceramic mug from the cupboard.

[Eluna Thals]

A chime sounded at the door, precisely at the pre-determined time.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

At the sound of the chime, s'Il quietly gathered her belongings. Her cup had been cleaned, and replaced in the cabinet as well as the teapot she'd used.

She opened the door to stare at Eluna, and stepping out, closed it once more.

"Good morning."

[Eluna Thals]

"Desh M'ela." Eluna replied in kind with her approximated Bast'yr.

She held out a fluffy pastry of some kind with brightly-colored frosting.

"Puff cake?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Not entirely taken aback by the droid's greeting, s'Il grinned while started to head down the corridor.

"E'de'ss'a a'ma'ek," she corrected pleasantly before declining the pastry in silence.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna took the constructive criticism gratefully, and applied that to what she already knew of the woman's dialect. With enough examples, she would be able to effectively parse the entire lexicon.

As they walked, Eluna ate the pastry that s'Il had declined. Of course, she'd already had hers, but if the Jedi wasn't going to eat breakfast, then Eluna was always fine for seconds. The advantages of a bio-electric intake were that calories were stored as pure energy. No such thing as gaining weight - only topping off the battery.

"I'd suggest not bothering with the armory. If the Empire gets suspicious and boards us, it looks better if we come to the planet looking innocent."

She wiped a finger full of icing from a corner of her mouth.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Retracing their path from the previous evening, s'Il shook her head.

"I've no need for anything in the armory."

Which was truth. Her only weapon was the sabre gauntlet tucked carefully away in one of the small duffels that they'd retrieved. A partial lie on her part, s'Il had opted to neglect mentioning it; Eluna had asked about a sabre, not which sabre, and the Lupine was more than happy to omit such information.

[Eluna Thals]

"All the same, if we meet up with Stormtroopers who don't want to take two pretty faces at their words, let me handle it."

Eluna looked at the Jedi with a doe-eyed expression.

"It'll probably be better that way."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

At this she laughed aloud.

"Surely I don't look that old and infirm."

Entering the hangar bay, s'Il's gaze went to a newly arrived shuttle, and her pace slowed somewhat.

[Eluna Thals]

"I didn't mean it like that." Eluna replied innocently.

"I'm looking out for your security interests. I'm expected to face that sort of danger. Dan doesn't want you to."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal looked rather better equipped for danger than she did the last time the two Jedi talked.

A blaster was in an easily accessible holster on her right hip, and a large vibrodagger resided in a sheath to the left. Black military boots, dark grey pants and her black jacket made her look more like your average smuggler or other ner-do-well than a Jedi.

Her left hand's fingers twirled a throwing knife as she walked toward Loklorien, and sheathed it with similar smoothness.

"s'Ilancy." She bowed slightly.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The Lupine returned k'Vik's bow with one of her own.

"k'Vik."

She motioned then to Eluna.

"This is Eluna Thals. She'll be helping us get to Coruscant and in touch with the Rebels there."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna extended a hand in greeting.

"A pleasure to meet you."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal took Eluna's hand and shook it.

"Aye, likewise." There was something slightly off about Eluna's voice, but she was not sure what it was yet.

"Are you to brief me?" she asked, curious.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il shook her head.

"No briefing. She is merely going to make sure that we have a safe trip."

While she knew that Dan had given specific orders, this was still hers and Milivikal's undertaking.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna looked to s'Il and quirked an eyebrow at her dismissive comment. She returned her attention to k'Vik, not to be deterred.

Of course the brunette woman had been run through a fastidious threat analysis the moment she'd been seen. At least one blaster, a vibroweapon, and a throwing blade, and enough storage capacity for a number of other weapon systems. The posture of k'Vik was similar in some respects to that of s'Ilancy, and it was obvious that there was a degree of martial training in both of them.

"As I was mentioning to s'Ilancy just before, we will want to establish a credible alibi in the event of boarding and search. If you have any weapons, you will want to leave them here."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The briefest moment of disappointment flashed across her eyes.

"Ah, I understand." She looked down at the blaster and vibroblade.

"If we take my ship, it will be flagged immediately. I shall leave my equipment there."

"There is another ship prepared?" She asked.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

At this, the Lupine blinked in silent relief. She'd not been sure whether k'Vik would be willing to give up her ship for the amount of time it would take to accomplish this task.

As she turned to Eluna, s'Il sent an unheard query to the other Jedi; of the man with her and whether he would be coming.

[Eluna Thals]

"I have a ship that has a clean Imperial registry. It shouldn't attract any attention."

Eluna walked with the other two ladies, to a nearby Massercon Valkyr spacecraft. It contrasted with the spectrum on dingy, beaten-looking craft in the Rebel hangar bay, and looked to be a typical civilian middle-upper class craft. The paintjob was shiny and uniform, while not elaborate to hint at anything vintage.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

No. She was still a little unsure of her handiwork.

Milivikal's attention turned to the transport. She ran a finger along it, humming quietly as she went. She gave Eluna an approving nod. The craft was in good nick.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

No reply was needed for Mili's answer, though she did nod to herself. The smaller their party, the less to watch over.

Taking in Eluna's craft, s'Il listened as k'Vik hummed to herself. It was a strangely soothing thing to hear, and she found herself calmed by it. She waited for the droid to open the boarding ramp; it was her ship after all.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna quickly danced over the coded keypad to release the lock and drop the gangplank. She boarded immediately upon opening, hopping into to the pilot's seat. The ship's interior was fairly nice, though there was the usual signs of junk food aboard that seemed to be Eluna's hallmark.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Good. No dallying.

"I shall join you in a moment." She told Loklorien. She needed to return her weapons to her ship.

"Orem." She said, knowing he would be able to hear her easily. k'Vik had already begun to remove her weaponry. He appeared from the engine room, looking at her with earnest interest as she neatly piled the weapons on a small table. She did pick up a suitcase that had been placed by the door earlier. It contained only clothes and few pairs of shoes.

"Put these away at your earliest convenience. Beyond that, stay out of trouble. Make contacts, I suppose." k'Vik shrugged. Moving goods for the Rebels could be profitable. She hadn't broken his skills or knowledge, only his loyalties. It would irritate the Director doubly.

She returned to Eluna's ship.

"I am ready." k'Vik said in a smooth, even tone. Curious, she picked up one of Eluna's candies. She gave it careful sniff before hurumphing and setting it back down.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a modest enough craft, but its' lines were sleek and smooth, giving the whole thing a rather gentle and unassuming look. While Mili had returned to her ship to stow her weapons, s'Il had decided it best to store her own bag.

In the cockpit, the Lupine chose to seat herself in one of the rear chairs; piloting did not concern her, as Eluna was more than capable to do the job.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna's hands danced over the controls to initiate the warm-up sequence. She was humming the tune to a song she'd heard earlier in the morning. The droid got to a stopping point, hit the comm, and paged the docking bay officer.

"Captain Thals, ready to depart. I'm requesting clearance."

She waited a second, reclining in her seat so that her head hung over the headrest, looking back at her two passengers while her hair hung down.

"Now's the time for pit stops. No potty breaks, as you've already noticed there's no refresher."

She looked at s'Il and reached backwards, holding a cupcake.

"Are you sure you don't want breakfast?"

She shifted attention to the newbie, who's gastronomic condition was as of yet unverified.

"Anything for you?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The Lupine politely declined.

She listened carefully to Eluna, trying to unravel whatever it was that made her sound... wrong. It was incredibly subtle. Her voice lacked an organic touch. She scrutinized every note and vowel, every variation of pitch and timbre.

"Thank you, but I have already had my morning meal." she said with a slight smile and a shake of her head.

"Captain Thals, I have an unusual question, if I may ask?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Making sure to keep her ear on the question that was to come, s'Il busied herself with perusing through the datapad that Mili had given her. For the third time she began reading through one of the published works by the Imperial, trying to divine anything she could about him that simple words could not readily tell her.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna sat up, setting the unwanted dessert aside as she withdrew the gangplank and sealed the hatch.

"Captain is for formalities only. I'm Eluna."

She looked back to k'Vik.

"What's on your mind?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Mmmm. Eluna do you..." she paused, as if considering whether or not to actually ask, "...have artificial vocal chords?" Mili was not sure if such a thing was possible, but it was a reasonable explanation for what she was hearing.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

k'Vik's question caused her to stop her reading, and s'Il looked over the tops of her eyes to the back of Eluna's head. She'd not told her fellow Jedi about Eluna; in fact she'd not told either of them about the other.

[Eluna Thals]

Her doe eyes blinked, and Eluna quirked an eyebrow.

"That's a silly question."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

k'Vik frowned while her lips were pursed together in concentration.

"Your voice sounds... artificial." It was the live experience versus something almost doing an exact duplicate. Something will always be amiss, though. It was doubtful anything else in the entire galaxy might notice. Milivikal was certain of it, though.

"If you were shot or injured, my apologies."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her eye went to look sidelong at k'Vik, and s'Il lifted a single eyebrow. She knew that many Force users specialized in certain areas, and that perhaps sensitivity to sound was Mili's. It would certainly explain the other woman's question, as to the Lupine Eluna sounded perfectly normal.

Her blue eye returned to the droid, wondering how she would respond.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna swung fully forward again, her back to the other two. She painted the appearance of a calm expression, but inside she was stormy. She'd barely even met the woman and now she was to be outed and made a parriah yet again.

With a sigh, she slapped at the controls to draw down the gangplank again, and bounded from her seat.

"I'll be back."

With that, she stormed off the ship.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal blinked. It was obvious that Eluna was upset. Her question was too prying, but it was more a curiosity than anything else. Mili decided to let her anger run it's course. There was no point in exacerbating it. After all, Eluna would be looking out for her well being.

Damn.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Not quite what she had expected, s'Il shut down the pad and set it in her lap. Instead of addressing Eluna's actions, which were odd enough, she went with a different route.

"You're sensitive to sound, I take it?"

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna ran down the gangplank and hunched down behind one of the rear landing struts, just to get away from both of her charges. She sat down, leaning against the superstructure, and buried her face in her hands. She wanted to cry, or maybe just scream, but it all seemed ludicrous and she bit on her lower lip until it started to bleed. The pain and the salty taste of her quasi-organic blood brought her out of her spiral. She ran a finger on the inside of her mouth, dabbing at the blood, and then sat there for a moment to look at it.

"It's real enough for me."

She spoke to nobody but herself. There weren't many people she could bet on being sympathetic to her, so it was important to keep people ignorant of their own prejudices. Could organics understand it? Once you mention the word 'droid', you're written off as a glorified toaster, and a tool to be used. At best, you're simply distrusted or outright feared. That's about all you have to look forward to with the genie out of the bottle.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

She looked down the ramp somewhat absentmindedly, her mind still digesting Eluna's departure.

So it goes.

Loklorien's voice posed a statement, but it took her a few moments to get to it.

"Highly."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A nod.

The pad was set to the side as she rose, and s'Il gave k'Vik a slight pat on the shoulder as she passed by on her way to the boarding ramp. A few short strides took her to the ramp's midpoint, and lowering herself to her haunches, the Lupine spied Eluna a short ways off.

The droid's was a behavior that she'd learned to deal with well enough, as Teagan had early on perfected the art of sulking.

Rising, s'Il continued down the rest of the way to the deck, and approaching from behind Eluna, she slowed to a gentle stop. For a few moments she said nothing, only looking down at Eluna's read hair.

Finally, she crouched low, and her knees gave audible pops and cracks due to the motion. "You know, one of the most common things a human can do is to read too much into a situation and come to premature assumptions about what others are thinking."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna closed her eyes for a second, and opened them. She'd taken a back seat, and the Machine was in control.

"It's only a matter of time before she knows anyway. Then she'll be like all the rest, with a restraining bolt in hand and waiting for me to make a mistake."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal was tired. Times like these left her feeling like every ounce of sympathy and diplomacy had been used for the Lupine negotiations. She closed her eyes and listened to the ship around her.

Scrapes and snaps and sizzles from welders. The chatter of techs. The whine of droid motivators. Repulsor whine. Something about a restraining bolt. Boots on metal. A light power cycling. Droid chatter.

She lost herself in the noise, and took a nap, waiting for Lok and Eluna to come back.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il frowned at this.

"I was talking about you.

"Milivikal isn't what you might think she is."

[Eluna Thals]

Again, it was the machine. Cool and rational to the end.

"I'm sure you can personally vouch for her, but to be honest I barely know you. Biological prejudice against synthetics is far deeper than you understand. It's beyond racism. All racists share the commonality of belonging to one."

Eluna closed her eyes, and opened them again. She smiled an unsure smile at s'Il, now speaking in lieu of the machine.

"I'm optimistic mostly. I just have bad runs I think."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal's breathing evened to a slow trickle of air. There was nothing else to do, and going through Orem's brain with again as he slept had taken it's toll. She was short on sleep, plain and simple. If anything too loud or exciting happened, Mili would wake up.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I suppose then that optimism is all that I can ask for, for now."

Returning Eluna's smile, s'Il rose from her kneeling position and extended a hand down. Her eye glinted with amusement then, as she spoke once more; this time in her own language.

<"Have faith in us old Jedi.">

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna took her hand, and rose to her feet, walking with the Lupine back to the ship. When both were aboard, she retracted the gangplank once more, and completed the launch sequence. Her departure ticket had been issued by the hangar officer, and she at last guided the ship out into deep space.

She thought about what she would say to the brunette woman when she woke up.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal did not snore. That would be too pedestrian.

Rather, she hummed in her sleep, occasionally muttering an opera in key. Sometimes, she would mutter a well composed pop tune. This had been going on for the past hour, well into the hyperspace jump.

Homely, thick in mind, never listen
Worn, tired siren drawn tunnel vision
Don't forget this chance only live once
Sprung, hypnotized by light, had to get some

Get it all
She said I forgive you
Don't regret our time
You've got to move on love

Angel eyes
Four years and still I dream
Agonize
Such beauty and not since seen

Bow down, piper leading, you were one
Hungry, took the prize, then you got dumb
Don't live out your life like a sad song
Sprung, hypnotized by light, had to get some

Get it all
She said I forgive you
You must too or die
You've got to let me go

Angel eyes
Angel Eyes, Jerry Cantrell

Snerk. Mmmmmmmm.


She stretched, yawning the rest of sleep away.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Having busied herself once again with the datapad, s'Il read quietly. Any outward thoughts of her companions were pushed to the wayside as she skimmed through a batch of secondary material. The few pictures included were indeed of the same man that she had seen; stand-offish, bespectacled, she vaguely remembered his voice, though his words had been memorized.

[Eluna Thals]

The trip to Coruscant only lasted about 90 minutes through hyperspace. Eluna passed the time by flipping through a volume of music on the craft, though she was notoriously fickle and rarely finished a song. s'Il ended up burying her nose in that book, and Mili barely uttered a coherent word as they traveled.

Both wanting and not wanting to talk, Eluna was content to get by with the time as she could. When the klaxon sounded for approaching realspace waypoint, she was thrilled.

"We're almost there." she said, running across the controls to drop them out of light speed into the Sesswani system. Coruscant was only a short approach away.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Coruscant: land of a million sounds and smells, few of them pleasant." Mili said, her accent rather prim.

"And it looks dreadful from space."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I've not been back since the Purge."

The words were spoken absently as she gazed out the front viewport to the planet below.

Replacing the pad back into her duffel, s'Il addressed Eluna.

"This contact; where are we to meet?"

[Eluna Thals]

"I like it." Eluna responded to Mili's critique of the galactic center. There's so much bustle, and so much to do.

Looking to s'Il, she spoke about the mission details.

"We're to set down in the Setna district, and keep to mid-level. The contact will find us there. No specifics. That makes it harder for the Empire to extract if things go wrong."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

There was wisdom in that. No one had all the pieces of the puzzle.

"Setna was not dreadful when I was last there." Mili said, neglecting to mention that she was last there over a millennium ago.

She sighed. "I think we got off on the wrong step. I forget how some people's injuries bother them. I offer my apologies."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Watching as they descended lower into the atmosphere, s'Il stared at the planet rising steadily to meet them. It had been so long since she'd been to Coruscant; it looked much the same since the last time she'd seen it.

The thought of their contact made her wonder who Dan had chosen to help with this endeavor.

[Eluna Thals]

"Don't worry about it."

Eluna guided the ship into the atmosphere as she spoke to Mili.

"I'm just not used to talking about it."

She looked back to Mili, and allowed a smile.

"Not exactly an icebreaker, is it?"

So she was lying. That was fine. She could live with that. Eluna turned back, transmitting clearance to the orbit master as the ship was guided to a nearby skylane.

"We'll be putting down at that interchange. There's a civilian docking ring for class C ships."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Icebreaker? There were still some terms she was not adjusted to, but gathered it referred to introductions.

She nodded, taking a seat before the final approach. Eluna landed the ship smoothly, and dropped the ramp as soon as the post-flight checks were complete. k'Vik was last out. She quickly scanned the area, making note of where all of the exits were, along with which ships were easiest to hijack, the number of armed Imperials, and where each alarm was along with all of the tractor beam emitters.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Blinking slowly as she stood on the tarmac, s'Il took everything around her in with a studious air. For the most part her critical gaze washed over everything she saw; the smell of the place something that tugged at her memory. It had certainly been a long time since she'd been on Coruscant, and the sights and smells - while vaguely familiar - were completely new and foreign all at once.

Blinking, s'Il hefted her duffel higher on to her shoulder and looked to Eluna.

"Lead on."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna walked as if she owned the concourse, passing in such a way to make her movements easy, and to enable the same for her charges. Avoiding obvious pitfalls was easy as breathing. She knew better than to pass near Rodians with long coats, and knew how to pick out a Gran who might be able to handle a fight, or somebody who was paying an unnatural amount of notice, and was obviously on the Imperial dole.

"We should take a taxi."

One passed nearby, and Eluna put a hand on Mili's shoulder.

"Not this one. Keep moving."

She didn't know her contact. She'd never met them. Didn't even know their race or gender, if they had one. The only thing she knew was that she was looking for a taxi with a one square inch Ithorian crysanthemum image on the right fender, next to the registry decal. That was only half the puzzle, since there were several such vehicles in this district, which may or may not have a field agent in them. They would supply a code phrase that she would know, but nothing that was specifically pre-planned. Code phrases were built upon conditionality, so that they could at once be recognized but also could be sufficiently randomized by the environment. Responses were given in kind.

A second taxi slowed at a nearby curb, and Eluna was quick to spot the crysanthemum. With a nod, she approached the passenger's side and got a look at the driver.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Confused, she let Eluna pull her away from the first cab. The woman knew what conditions there were to make contact.

The second cab matched whatever seemingly arbitrary conditions were met. Milivkal knew not what it was, but her rapid multi-lingual request for transport was acknowledged. She stepped away and Eluna stepped forward.

"What's the fare to Coco?" Eluna asked. It was an innocent question at face value, but likely held a deeper meaning. Lacking anything to fidget with, she twirled a thin, stylish sound recorder between her fingers. It helped her focus by diverting nervous energy away.

She looked to Loklorien, who looked typically Jedi - somewhat impassive, calm, controlled. The Lupine shifted her weight to a solid stance that could easily fall into a viable offense or defense, or even feign weakness. While she had a flexible stance, was obviously less centered as her attention flitted between identified sources of potential danger, picking up pieces of conversation, and, from the simple-minded, thoughts. She shot a Twi-lek a rather nasty look regarding his internal commentary about making her a dancer before turning her attention back to the exchange at the cab.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Everything around her moved at a far quicker pace than she was used to. The smells that floated through the air were enough to make the Lupine want to clap a hand over her nose, but she held herself steady. It certainly wasn't the worst smell she'd encountered, but it wasn't the most pleasant either.

Her eye went to Mili. The pale woman seemed to be a repository for pent-up energy, and it made her smile. She did not appear nervous, simply ready for movement and something to do.

Turning from k'Vik to look at Eluna, s'Il inclined her head to get a better look at the driver.

[Eluna Thals]

"Thirty-five, give or take. If there's a good tip, I know a shortcut."

It was a match to the conditional phrase. Eluna was prepared to kill the driver if she had to, but for now she was satisfied.

She looked to the other two, and nodded to the back seats.

"Get in."

The three women piled into the cab, which took off for a nearby hub interchange. One of the buildings ahead was a sprawling megalopolis that had fused together over the centuries. The skylanes didn't go around, but instead there were tunnels and interchanges built with vaulted ceilings through the superstructure, wide enough for at least four lanes of speeder traffic to pass.

The driver, a twenty-something man with close-cropped hair, needled them for information, asking if they had any news from the mid-rim, and the rest of the cause. He asked if Ithor was holding out from the latest siege. Eluna sat passively and let the other two speak their minds.

At last, they found a side shunt in the tunnel, normally used for emergency stops and maintenance.

"I think this is your stop." the cabbie mentioned, and pulled into the shunt. There was a bland, grey-colored utility speeder parked at the ledge a space ahead.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

k'Vik only passed along common spacer knowledge, and left the details that would reveal her travels out. She spoke with a Corellian accent, far less prim and proper than her normal Coruscanti formal. She eyed the speeder, and listened to the quiet repuslorwhine that indicated it was still on. Eluna began to get out, and Milivikal did the same, since s'Ilancy was sandwiched between them. She took a step away from the cab, but kept a hand on the door. It was fake politeness covering for paranoia. If the cab did anything sudden, she'd swing in and incapacitate the driver.

"Well?" She asked, and only Eluna and Loklorien could hear.

[Byl Laprovik]

The side door of the grey van opened, and three men hopped out. Two of them carried blaster rifles and wore knitted masks over their faces. The third man wore no mask, and it was obvious he was the one to speak to. He had a powerful frame, close-cropped hair, and a hard face that wore a few scars down the side.

He immediately looked beyond Eluna, ignored Mili completely, and stuck on s'Ilancy.

"I didn't imagine I'd be playing babysitter today. Your man out in mid rim must think I don't have any real work to do."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Gaze narrowing, s'Il stared at the man. She'd not expected for him to be present in the least.

As such, her voice took on a hard edge, laced with a clipped tone.

"And I'd hoped to never have any need to make your aquaintance in the flesh."

It wasn't that she disliked the man; rather it was more a feeling of annoyance. The way he had conducted himself during their previous conversation had left enough of an imprint upon her.

"Whomever my 'man' chooses is not any concern of mine. If he believes you can do the job given, then it must be with good reason.

"Do not complain to me."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna smirked at the exchange, casting a glance at Mili to see what she thought of the spat. It was nevertheless a distraction.

"Well that saves us the trouble of introduction, so maybe we should be on our way. I'd rather not give the Empire further excuse to tail us."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal's face was impassive, but she smoldered at the concept of being baby-sat. This was not a child's mission. This was not for a child. This was in the interest of an entire dwindling species. It was insulting.

"Indeed. It would be best not to tarry." She said mechanically.

Byl and his men opened the speeder, and they piled in again.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Do not complain to me."

"Of course not." Byl smiled thinly.

"You're just the messenger. If it were any real hardship, I'd just cut out the middle man and save my time. Shall we?"

He gestured to the van as the three women followed his guards. He paused, looking back to the taxi driver, Darid.

"Pop the trunk, I need you to carry a package for me."

Darid ducked back into the vehicle to do as he was asked. When he looked back at Byl, he stared down the barrel of a blaster pistol with a refraction cyllinder threaded onto the muzzle. Before he could even make a startled face, Byl shot him twice in the chest and once in the forehead, the blaster bolts coming out with a muffled sound, and far less visible than normal. The windshield shattered and sparked, and Darid fell against the controls, dead.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Having allowed the other two to climb into the van before her, s'Il paused at the door, her eye tracking to Byl. She watched without any outward emotion as he went about his task.

She stepped away from the door as the driver slumped forward though, her arms crossing across her chest. There was no disapproval in her gaze, only a quiet and stoic overseeing that ended with a hrmph.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna reacted with a start, even if the shots were muffled.

"What are you doing???"

She glared wild-eyed at Byl, then to Darid's corpse. She'd known Byl long enough to know that he was rational in every action, so this certainly wasn't a moment of passion.

He'd planned on killing Darid the entire time.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Mili's blue eyes narrowed as she inspected the corpse from a distance. Retrospectively, Darid had asked too many questions. You asked the bare minimum in this sordid business. You kept your mouth shut, did your job--or so she had gathered. When she was younger, the death may have bothered her more, but after seeing enough senseless violence in the six months of dive cantinas and spaceports, it failed to stir her.

The only person she trusted here at all was Loklorien.

[Byl Laprovik]

Fortunately the guests didn't seem terribly phased by Byl's murder, so he explained his actions to Eluna in a utilitarian fashion, unthreading his pistol and holstering it as he donned a pair of medical gloves.

"Darid was bent. Found he was on the Imperial dole two days ago. Only seemed natural to kill two birds with one stone, so I used him to run the pickup. Simple enough that way to erase the tosser once he'd made the drop. Shame too, I rather liked him."

Byl pulled the dead man halfway out of the driver's seat, mindful to not get any blood on him. He slumped the man forward, and fished his wallet out of his back pocket, flipping through to pull out any chits he might have. That done, he dropped the wallet on top of the corpse, went to the other side, and likewise pilfered the fares, before removing a small can of paint from his jacket pocket and scrawling some symbols on the taxi's side. The idea was to turn the murder into what appeared to be a gang-related robbery/homicide, which wasn't farfetched at all for this locale.

Finished with that, he rose to his feet, and tucked away the spray can.

"Perhaps we should get off to better footing?"

Once again, he gestured them to follow as he returned to the van. His escorts piled aboard without saying a word.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Making sure that she sat beside Mili, s'Il placed her duffel at her feet before reaching up to scratch absently at the hereditary earnotch in her left ear. It was a silent order for k'Vik to turn her attentions to the Lupine.

<"Your lightsabre,"> she began, <"... it is being held by the woman Esalis, correct?">

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal nodded stiffly.
<"It is."> She was not sure why s'Ilancy was asking now. Perhap it had something to do with Eluna.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna sat silent as the van drove to their destination, which was set beneath a closed gymnasium at the mid-level. The van parked at a loading ramp, and a slatted metal door slid up upon arrival.

The conversation turned to that old patois that s'Il spoke, and it seemed the other woman spoke it as s'Il already knew she could likely understand her, so there was no sense in feigning aloofness.

<"Director Esalis, of ImpIntel?">

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl kept his icy blues on k'Vik, and after a few moments extended a hand.

"s'Ilancy doesn't seem to have introduced us. I'm Byl."

She was a looker, like the rest. Taut expression, lithe features. Something feral about the eyes. Byl instantly liked her.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

A slight smile played across Milivikal's lips. He was pretty in the same way a shark was.

"Milivikal k'Vik." She said in a prim Coruscanti accent, shaking his hand with confidence.

<"Unfortunately correct."> Mili replied to Eluna as she let Byl's hand go.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Interrupted by both Eluna and Byl before she could expound on her question, s'Il was quiet for a few moments.

Close on the heels of Mili's comment, she addressed Eluna as well. <"How much do you know of her?">

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna gave a cursory explanation to s'Il's request.

"We have an entire operational wing involved on her. She's important enough to make it impossible to avoid leaving footprints. You would probably want to ask Commander Laprovik for the details."

She was enjoying the foray into s'Il's patois, but it was fast becoming alienating, and Byl was the one to determine what they were on the "need to know" in the first place.

[Byl Laprovik]

They debarked, escorted by more of Byl's masked gunmen, and entered a subcompound full of activity.

"What are you doing here if I may ask, Milivikal?"

Byl kept an amicable expression on his face, and looked at s'Il and Eluna.

"s'Ilancy isn't very subtle, and I know she's got an itch for big game hunting. Something you fancy as well?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

k'Vik did not completely follow the big game analogy. She was not sure it applied to her goal. An eyebrow raised.
"The Director took a liking my lightsaber. It borders on irreplaceable. It took me six months to build, and longer still to find the exceedingly rare crystals. I intend to retrieve it."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A disapproving glance was sent to Byl, but the Lupine disregarded him with a grimace.

She turned to Eluna.

"I'm sure Mr. Laprovik can provide the details on her at a later time then," s'Il deliberately neglected to use his rank, "... but for now I'll not bother him."

It was a rather pointed barb at his earlier complaint.

Staying at Eluna's side, she continued on.

"How about a Colonel Karrnage, are there files on him as well?" It was her hope that the droid would be able to fill in the blanks that had been left by the materials she'd already been given.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl had enough, and stepped between Eluna and the two Jedi.

"No doubt by now you've had enough time to pal around and bond, so I'll let that slide. Now let me tell you how it's done here. I work in intelligence and insurgent operations. That involves sticking my neck out way too far to get critical war material in terms of information, substance, and action."

He looked to Mili.

"Retrieving curio's and relics doesn't fit the profile, especially one under the nose of Director Esalis. She's important enough to have a death warrant on her. Seeing as she isn't dead, that should give you some notion as to how hard the nut is to crack. Don't think we aren't always looking for a chance."

Back to s'Ilancy now.

"Colonel Karrnage is a low level profile. He's some academic who's too busy studying snake oil and superstition than to earn his commission in anything meaningful. He has tenure at the academy, and I have sources on the inside that can provide an itinerary."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal gave Byl a stare that would have leveled a city. If Loklorien had any sense of empathy at all, she would have felt the rage boiling off the pale Jedi. Her cheeks and ears turned bright pink. A low, distorted hum filled the air.

Too angry to think, she straightened her jacket with enough force to make the fabric snap, and walked ten paces away. There was plenty of space in the mostly empty building. Milivikal closed her eyes, slowing her breathing, willing the adrenaline down. She needed a better approach to get what she wanted.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna's attention diverted to Mili, and the sudden flushing of her skin made it patently obvious that she was put off by Byl's blunt-nosed response to her request.

She left it alone, as there was little sense in stirring up a hornet's nest. Instead, she looked back to s'Il, who was making a little more headway with her own needs.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She could feel Mili's emotions plain as day, and a look to her fellow Jedi showed the woman's Force aura to be rippling in anger. Not exactly the way a Jedi should feel, but the Lupine could certainly understand from where k'Vik was coming.

She bowed her head, her hands coming together and fingers intertwining as she thought.

Finally she spoke, her voice dangerously low.

"What you think of the reasons that we are here is no concern of mine. And I understand that you do not place the same amount of importance in the things that we do.

"BUT," there was a deep growl in her voice, an almost gutteral gravel that had not been there before, "Do not dare to dictate to us what level of importance that we should percieve any of this as. You collect intelligence; very well. Do that. After which you can stay here and go on about your very important duties and not think of us again."

She lifted a finger before he could interject. "Dan can order you to do whatever he wants you to do, but if you so much as question my methods and reasoning, I will not restrain myself as much as I am right now."

[Byl Laprovik]

"You can honestly do whatever the hell you want on Coruscant. The only catch is the level of involvement you get from me and my assets."

Byl took a datapad from a subordinate and half-glanced at it, returning his attention to s'Ilancy casually.

"If you're stupid enough to take Esalis on directly over a lost laser sword, do be kind enough to avoid namedropping me when you're interrogated. Possibly even consider suicide. I'm keen on mitigating blowback when possible, so that's not an excessive request."

He shrugged, and handed the Lupine the pad.

"Here's her dossier, and you can do with it as you please. What we find today, she corrects by counterintel tomorrow. It's a bit boring, I'm afraid."

He clasped his hands together at that.

"Your friend Karrnage makes our work far easier. He's a bit of a bumbler."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal's cool composure had returned.

"I suggest that we find Karnage first. He is more useful in the long term." As misguided as the Lupines were, it would be... terrible in some way to have them evaporate from the galaxy. They were interesting. Milivikal liked interesting things.

"As for my 'laser sword'" she said the words in a disturbingly accurate duplication of Byl's voice, "we can address later. I will readily admit that your type of information collection is not my area of expertise, and this is your territory."

"I think," she continued after gathering a quick glance at Loklorien and Eluna, "that we are open to suggestions. Surely you have experiencing in acquiring unwilling parties."

[Eluna Thals]

"There are several ways."

Eluna took the opening, and explained it to Mili.

"The best option is to use some prep time to watch the target, and to develop a pattern of behavior. You want to understand their daily routine, what is deviated, what remains normal, and where their comfort zones are. The best result from that is to choose one of their comfort zones and abduct them there. Ones that are discrete and private are best, but you can also make it happen in public if you're afforded a chance at anonymity."

Eluna took another dataslip from a man in dirty clothes, and flipped through it.

"If that doesn't work, you go for pressure points. If they have any relatives, love interests, or other personal connections. Monitor those to see if you can likewise find a pattern and a comfort zone. From there, you abduct that person or persons, and coerce a meet. This is slower, more risky, and higher profile, but it works in the event that the first option does not."

Eluna shrugged.

"You can be less subtle about it and pull a speeder across a footpath and have men with guns slip a bag over their head, but that only works in places with little law enforcement. Lower level enclaves figure for that. We usually co-opt street gangs for that type of treatment."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She was quiet for a few moments as she digested all that Eluna had said. The redhead certainly had given a fair amount of options in taking Karrnage, and each one was equally feasible in her mind.

Crossing her arms over her chest, the Lupine pursed her lips in thought.

She looked to Byl.

"Any recommendations?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"He's an academic, so it might be best to catch him outside of a lecture."

Byl was already at work drawing up a diagram of the Imperial Academy on a tabletop datascreen.

"He teaches in an eastern wing auditorium every other day. Between that, he has office hours at a facility across the street."

He met Lok's eyes with his cold blues.

"The office would be best. Less people."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Abduction was not something that Milivikal knew especially well. She studied the diagram Byl had brought up. It made sense to give the experts every tool that she could afford to reveal. Obviously he knew she was a Jedi of some sort.

"What if noise is not part of the equation?" k'Vik asked. She raised a boot, and stomped it against the floor hard, but there was no sound at all.

[Eluna Thals]

"That's a neat trick."

Eluna cast her attention at Mili's feet, wondering if there was some sort of artificial dampener in her boots.

"If sound isn't a concern, we could likely do the deed at his apartment."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"It would certainly give one more insight into the man himself," s'Il mused to herself, half unaware that she'd spoken aloud.

She spoke to Byl once more.

"Your inside person; how soon can we expect information from this source?"

[Byl Laprovik]

The skin at the corner of Byl's eyes crinkled a bit as he smiled.

"This is our intel source's condensed stuff. We have an entire group looking into tenured commissions at the academy."

The Rebel spy minimized the image of the Academy plans, and a more rounded dossier for Karrnage emerged.

"It's all based on precedent, but our man isn't a spontaneous character. He'll stick to his schedule, and he isn't in a position to be mindful about danger. He's a plucked hen, the only question is how you want him prepared and cooked."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"It is not a trick. I must be within a few hundred meters. Rooms or boots, it does not matter." She pulled a coin out of her pocket and flipped it into the air, letting it bounce against the floor, completely silently.

"It is up to s'Ilancy." She added.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna manipulated the data in Karrnage's dossier, bringing up a groundplan of his apartment complex.

"It's not a complete cakewalk, he's still within short distance of the academy, so we can expect the possibility of armed response if things go sideways. That gives us an estimated two minutes from the time that somebody calls it in. There also seem to be guards on posting at the apartment complex, but that won't be a problem."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Sidling close to Mili, s'Il nodded in approval at the other woman's last words. "Anything that will help us to secure him in an easier fashion."

The more she saw of k'Vik's talents, the more s'Il was impressed. The woman was in possession of both elegance and a truly wonderful gift in the Force.

"I'm not entirely certain that we would need to worry about armed retaliation. He is an academian; does his loyalty to the Empire supersede those passions?

"Or could he be coerced into an arrangement of sorts?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"When you say arrangement, what did you have in mind? Tipping our hand on the chance that he'll meet you out of voluntary choice is extremely dangerous. He may not be explicitly military, but he is under an Imperial commission, and that carries the risk of Imperial military involvement."

Byl crossed his arms, thinking about what she was saying.

"It would be helpful if you could tell me exactly what you're trying to get out of him? We can serve him up dead, or wring something choice out through torture, or something more subtle. What is your needed exposure to him?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"I think Karnage is needed for weeks, perhaps? Wrapped up in his nonsense there are things s'Ilancy must know. He knows who she is." What she is. But that was not for anyone to know.

<"Can we not find a reputable geneticist instead?"> The Lupines had their own words for genetics and one who worked with them. While rude, it was none of Byl's business. Surely kidnapping a good gene scientist without so many connections would be easier.

[Eluna Thals]

The reasoning behind the visit to Karrnage was becoming a little more clear to Eluna, though she kept her mouth shut for s'Ilancy's sake. Instead, she addressed Mili.

"For that long, we would need a deep extraction. The longer he's under, the longer people will look, ask questions, and dig. It puts us at risk unless we can provide a clean disappearance.

Of course, the interrogation time can be shortened with enhanced techniques."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il was quick to interject.

"No interrogation. It matters little to me whether it be known that I am responsible; in fact I would prefer it that way."

Without waiting for any argument from Byl, the Lupine took a few steps back from the group, taking Mili by the arm and pulling the pale woman with her. She inclined her head toward k'Vik's ear, and her voice lowered. She knew that Eluna would no doubt be able to hear, but trusted that the droid would take the action as a silent request to reign in her auditory capabilities.

<"There is no other,"> she whispered, <... This one I need regardless of his ties with the Empire. He knows my House; called me the 'missing Losstarot' on Dantooine.

<"And if he is as connected to the Esalis woman as I've read, then he's got something else in his possession that I want.">

She'd not told Mili of Arya yet. Once the two were alone once more she would, but until then the knowledge of the Ravenwing medallion - that she hoped Karrnage had in his keeping - would be kept to herself.

[Byl Laprovik]

"I didn't offer interrogation for the sake of anonymity. Interrogation condenses the time we have to take to get answers out of him. We're going to kidnap this man, likely with force, so it's a foregone conclusion really."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

<"Something else?"> s'Ilancy only nodded.
Mili paused in thought.

"He might not be useful if you interrogate him. There are other methods available to us." k'Vik forced a frown. She had no problem tearing apart someone's mind, especially if it would cause a reaction from Esalis. Vile woman.

Still, she needed to be careful. Loklorien had surely noticed her anger, and although she had blown her cover, she did not need to escalate the situation into a full blown catastrophe.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna turned to Mili with a curious expression.

"What did you have in mind?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Still keeping her hold on Mili's arm, s'Il turned her gaze to Eluna.

"Simply help me take him from this planet. Whatever happens after is of no concern to you or your people."

She paused for a few seconds, then continued on. "I don't care if you think what we want is inconsequential." her gaze went to Byl. "It's not your place to dictate terms of extraction; all you have to do is help us complete our goals. We know what we want, and when it comes to interrogation of Karrnage, that will simply not do.

"Likewise dealing with Esalis. Leave her to us. It is not an option for you."

[Byl Laprovik]

That elicited a laugh from Byl.

"You can do whatever you want with Karrnage. I don't care. As for Esalis, that isn't for you to worry over."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

k'Vik's eyes narrowed. How was Esalis not her worry?

"Please explain." She asked firmly.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna allowed herself to be empathetic, and tried to offset Byl's brusque explanation.

"Esalis is a high profile individual, and is a top priority of Alliance intel. Karrnage doesn't warrant that kind of attention to us."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Milivikal say anything about abducting Esalis?

"The woman only has something that she wants returned."

[Byl Laprovik]

"We're going in circles. I've already said that getting close enough to Esalis to capture something like that is highly improbable. If we could ever get that close, she'd be dead by now."

Byl paused, and shrugged.

"You could leverage against holding Karrnage as a hostage, to see if she would make an exchange. Of course, you'd be walking into a trap."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"One job at a time." Milivikal said. As much as the thought put her off, Byl was correct.

"My lightsaber is not worth handing success to that wretched woman." She nearly spat the second half of the sentence out.

[Eluna Thals]

"Perhaps we should focus our energies on Karrnage first. We can always decide on using him for other means after we have him."

Eluna was already fast at work looking at the plans of the Academy apartment grounds.

"It won't be hard to monitor him, and arrange the pickup once he returns to his apartment."

She looked to s'Ilancy.

"Is this acceptible?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Eyes closing, s'Il inclined her head to the floor in thought.

"I would like myself and Milivikal to meet with him alone first. If the two of us can persuade him to come willingly, then that will make everything much simpler."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl sat silent for a few seconds, then spoke up.

"Do it. I'll keep eyes on his movements from the Academy. Eluna will get you inside, and provide security as well as an exit."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She glanced a s'Ilancy. She knew the Lupine had a plan. Milivikal was beginning to come up with contingencies. Even so, she had a feeling that most would be unnecessary.

She inclined her head.

"Thank you, Byl."

[Eluna Thals]

"We have little time if that is the case. If the schedules are correct, his final daily lecture ends in a little over two hours. We'll want to be in place before that, so we should be going."

Eluna tossed aside the datapad, and looked at a nearby row of vehicles set up in a makeshift motorpool. Picking out an unassuming sedan with a closed canopy, she headed toward it.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Retrieving her duffel from the van they'd first arrived in, the Lupine soon enough followed after Eluna.

I felt an emotion in you that I should not have, she thought to Mili, ... but I cannot condemn you because I am guilty of it myself at times. We must be careful.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Take these."

Byl handed out discrete wristcomms to each of the women.

"It's a hard holonet link, so it won't get killed by a jammer."

After affixing one for himself, he grabbed a few black cases off a nearby table, and piled them into the trunk, before taking a back seat.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal nodded to Byl, but it was obvious she was a little distracted.

It has been difficult since I woke. Her eyes were cast downwards.

She shifted her focus to attaching the comm correctly.

"Byl, have you a spare vibroblade?" She asked. Milivikal felt naked without one.

[Eluna Thals]

"I wouldn't recommend any weapon with a power cell. These places usually have weapon scanners."

Eluna popped the glove compartment and retrieved a pair of white knife-shaped objects.

"Nanoplast. It's a low tech solution to a high tech problem. Good for a stab if it needs to be done."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Allowing Mili the front seat, s'Il slipped in beside Byl, placing her duffel between them. With precision she unzipped the bag and carefully dug through the contents before pulling out her sabre gauntlet. She did not expect to use it, but it never hurt to be safe.

Eluna's words weren't met with much satisfaction however, and she cast a sidelong glance to Laprovik before setting the weapon in his lap.

"I trust you will keep this safe."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl smiled tautly.

"And risk more people knowing there are Jedi on Coruscant? I'm positively discrete."

He took the weapon and stowed it in a false bottom compartment, just below the floorboard.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal, meanwhile, experimented with her new knives. They were perfectly balanced, and nearly honed to atomic sharpness. They were lighter than she would have liked, and would not work very well if she needed to throw them. She decided after twirling one of the blades through her fingers that they would do.

She leaned forward and slipped one into the sheath hidden under her jacket, and slipped the other into her boot sheath.

[Eluna Thals]

With all the passengers seated, Eluna began to drive, making her way from the athletic complex, and up to the nearest skylane. It would be nearly an hour's trip to make the Academy campus sector, so Eluna meandered up to the most direct skylane and put the sedan into cruise. For the most part, the group were silent for the trip.

Eluna played some light music to break the silence while she pilfered some candy beans from the center console.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For herself, s'Il retreated into contemplative silence for the trip. Her bag had been closed up once more; what it contained was for Karrnage to see. Until they had gained access to the Colonel's apartments she would allow Eluna and Byl to do what they knew best. But once that was done, it would be her turn.

Hands folded in her lap, the Lupine let her eyes close as she drifted into a light slumber.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl kept alert, and as the journey came to an end, he tapped Eluna on the shoulder.

"Put me down about a kilometer outside of the academy. I'll walk the rest of the way."

Eluna complied, swooping down to the perimeter, and putting the sedan down at an open concourse, a few blocks down from the campus. Byl stepped out of the speeder, popped the trunk, and retrieved his parcel.

"I'll be in contact through the comm bands. I'll be able to monitor him from the classroom back to his apartment."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal bit her lip as she stood up outside of the speeder. At least keeping Karnage silent would not be difficult.

Loklorien exited a moment later, followed by Eluna.

"What is your plan?" She asked. The last thing she wanted was conflicting actions at a critical juncture.

[Eluna Thals]

"We're getting inside an apartment complex, not the Emperor's underground headquarters."

Eluna was coy and dismissive about the complexity of their task. She grinned cattily.

"Surely even Jedi know something about how to flirt."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Flirt? It was a common enough word that was regardless foreign to the Lupine. As she shouldered her bag, s'Il couldn't help the look that crossed her face.

"Wouldn't it be easier to simply gain entrance through persuasion?"

If what she had seen of Mili's affinity for sound was any indication, surely the woman was apt enough to manipulate her words and lace them with the Force.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl ignored the talk, concentrating instead on opening the case he was carrying. He looked at the contents for a moment, then removed a large optical scope, and tucked it under his arm.

"I'm off to find a vantage. Just get it done. We've only got thirty minutes before he moves."

With that, Byl left. He found what he was looking for about 150 meters away. It was one of those novelty holophoto booths that had a privacy curtain. He stepped inside, and drew it shut.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Well then. It won't have been the first time in the past year I've batted a few eyelashes to get somewhere I shouldn't have been." Her accent had shifted to a more modern, upper-crust Coruscanti, and so had her word choice. She smiled pleasantly. She blinked a few times seductively, and put her knife from the back sheath into her other boot. Mili folder her jacket neatly over her arm, and started toward the security checkpoint. It was heavily gated for both speeder and pedestrian traffic. Not surprising given that part of the University was also used for the military's academics.

She walked right up to the gate, Loklorien and Eluna in tow, and began to search her pockets.

"Eluna, could you be a dear and hold this for me?" She held up her jacket, which Eluna took.


<"When does the next semester start?"> She asked Eluna. She was the most likely to know.

<"Two months.">

"I swear I put it..." Milivikal searched her pockets more thoroughly, but seemed much more frustrated. "...bother." The guard had taken notice, and got up from the booth.

"Is there something I can help you with."

"Yes. Goodness, I hate to be a bother, but I seem to have misplaced my key. Could you help me?" She pouted.

"I've never seen you before." The guard countered.

"Well, I was here this morning, early. I was just hired by the University to teach music next semester. I can remember Operas but I can never manage to remember my key. Please, we just need to pop in and grab a few instruments." It sounded like quite a good idea to the guard.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna picked up Mili's lead and rolled with it. She gave a nervous smile, and tossed her hair back, speaking to the guard in a very broken and accent-heavy basic, to approximate a Hapanese woman.

"I...je dosa...uh for internship come?"

She blinked her doe eyes at the guard and pursed her lips.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Standing behind the other two, s'Il smiled cordially as the guard nodded emphatically.

"Of course," he gushed, I'd hate to be responsible for such a beautiful woman and her students to be unprepared for the coming semester."

The Lupine nodded her own thanks as the guard admitted them.

As they moved away and out of earshot, she gave an amused hmph. Mili's switch of accents as well as her mannerisms, coupled with Eluna's feigned awkwardness had been interesting to say the least.

"Such a way with words, the both of you," she chuckled.

[Byl Laprovik]

Ensconced by darkness, Byl opened up the rest of his case, and began to assemble a high velocity railgun. He threaded the accelerator tube into a contouring stock, twisted in a monomag barrel, and threaded a sonic dampener over that before settling his cumbersome optics onto the accessory rail atop the weapon. He briefly inserted a high pulse boresighter into the muzzle of the weapon, which communicated wirelessly with the optics, making very small adjustments of elevation and windage until it was zeroed out. With that done, he removed the boresighter and placed it back into the case. Flipping the bipod legs forward from the stock, he rested it gingerly on the bench, and slid down to the floor, gently drawing the curtain back a few centimeters.

"I'm in position, and have a vantage." He whispered into his wrist comm.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Tis a gift." She said with a grin. Mili's natural accent came back. She slipped her jacket back on.

"Karnage's residence was this way, correct?" She inclined her head a building on the corner. Eluna nodded. The tower stood at nearly 100 stories from this level. It was actually squat by Coruscant standards.

There was a guard posted at an information desk, who looked up as they entered, and immediately looked back down to his news, as if they weren't there.

"Stairs." She said.

Eluna's eyes narrowed.

"I have a feeling." s'Ilancy nodded, and Eluna was impassive, but the trio headed for the stairs, and bounded up.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna wasn't put off by the stairs, and she figured that the other two were athletic enough to handle the distance.

"Should be level thirty three."

She started at a fast walk, moving tirelessly with her teammates. Pausing briefly, she tapped at the earbud that was wirelessly mated to her wrist comm.

"Understood. We're inside, and on the way up."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il followed doggedly, breathing evenly as they went up level after level. A sense of excitement, coupled with apprehension, fluttered in her chest at the thought of the moment when she would finally get her answers.

Level 19.

And still upwards they trekked, the Lupine lost in her own thoughts. It would be a simple request on her part; offer the man any and all knowledge he could possibly want about her people in return for his cooperation in delving into the genetic aspects of this most dire problem. If she could solve what those before her could not...

Level 25.

And while the possibility that he would refuse had certainly come to mind, s'Il knew that for him, there really was no choice. She would have him, whether he came willingly or not.

[Byl Laprovik]

The minutes ticked by, and Byl kept his dominant eye pressed to the ocular shroud of his scope. The foot traffic outside the complex started to pick up as the auditorium was dismissed. Slowly, he began to pan across the people, increasing the resolution when passing over a person of interest. From the dossier, the Colonel himself was of conspicuous appearance. He shouldn't be problematic to find.

At last, Byl fixated his lens on a man who stepped out of a doorway at the far end. He carried a case, and walked with a slight stoop, covering his balding head with a hat as he stepped to the concourse.

"Package is sighted."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Lift." It felt like all of the sudden using the lift was a rather good idea. Not because she was starting to grow short of breath, but because it was safe now.

"Tis clear." She said, pausing briefly at the landing. She held the door for Eluna and Loklorien. Eluna pressed the call button. Mili began to hum an upbeat, jazzy sounding tune, simultaneously doing the beat and the melody.

They stepped into the lift, and Mili paused for a moment, listening to the music. Her face scrunched up.

"That is detestable." The music fell silent, and Mili resumed humming her tune.

[Eluna Thals]

The lift doors parted, and Eluna casually eased out, looking left and right.

"It's on the right, and another right. Sixteen doors down."

The trio headed to their destination. The unit number was 3381.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Mili's humming had been met with an easy smile; s'Il had come to enjoy the woman's musical leanings. She herself had no real talent with such an art.

As they made their way down the corridors, s'Il lifted her head, testing the air. It smelled sterile and lifeless; or at least the hallways did. Perhaps once they were in the Colonel's rooms it would be different, but for the moment she sniffed audibly in distaste at the scents - or lack thereof.

Slowing to a stop at the appropriate door, she found herself anxious to be inside.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl suddenly frowned. It appeared the Colonel was not alone. A pair of men in suits were following him off the grounds, and headed toward the apartments as well. There was no way to tell if they were other faculty, civilians, or bodyguards in plain clothes. He couldn't see any weapons present, though each man did seem to be in athletic shape.

"Keep alert. We may have a problem. The package is not alone."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal frowned.
"How many extras?" She asked.
"Two." Byl responded quickly.

"I do not expect these two will be so simple to overcome." She steepled her hands together, fingers just beneath her nose. k'Vik decided to defer to the expert and would follow Eluna's lead.

[Eluna Thals]

"Don't worry about it. Just extra baggage."

They reached 3381, and Eluna tried the door. Not surprisingly, she found it locked.

"Well I don't suppose we can make ourselves at home quite yet."

Eyeing the corridor, she moved to a doorway across the hall. She pressed her head close to the door, and could hear sounds from the inside, suggesting it was occupied. She buzzed the comm on the door, and reverted back to her Hapanese.

"Es, we look fa ure direction help please."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

With a quizzical look to Eluna, s'Il watched the redhead for only a moment before turning her attentions to the locked door.

Lifting a hand up, the Lupine pressed her palm flat on the surface, feeling the smooth contours of its' shape. As she had done with the cipher, she stretched out with her thoughts, and her eyes closed as she felt the inner workings of the locking mechanism. It wasn't too terribly complicated - nothing like what she had managed on Dantooine, and her hand swept over the door in a smooth motion to rest over the lock panel.

It gave way easily as she manipulated the inner components, and her eyes opened a fraction of an inch then at the sound of the machanism clicking open.

[Byl Laprovik]

"They're still with him, so they may come up to you."

Byl continued to follow their path, and the three men moved with a leisurely pace past the guard booth at the Apartment. The two accompanying men were held up for a second, and they pulled out something from their jackets that seemed to satisfy the guard, and they too were allowed to pass.

"I'm fairly certain his guests are armed. Be alert."