Reinstated

[Byl Laprovik]

(ooc: continued from here (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22032))


Dac


Thunder peeled and lightning flashed outside of his rudimentary housing on the Mon Calamarian homeworld. Occasionally a blast of wind would send rain pelting against his window in a faster than usual tempo. It served for an appropriate mood setting.

The first assignment for Commander Byl Laprovik of Alliance Intelligence was...to review his personal dossier.

Entry 15.42:

Infantry service attached to 142nd Battalion, assigned to fleet elements at Way Station Echo, Hoth System. Overrun by enemy action. Engaged in guerrilla rear-guard resistance until enemy dust-off. Emergency extraction. Sole survivor.

Entry 17.22:

Assignment to Special Operations Army Detatchment. Service with distinction at Bakura.

Entry 20.33:

Assignment to Alliance Intelligence, Insurgency Field Specialist. [REDACTED]

Entry 20.44:

Assignment to [REDACTED]

Entry 21.53:

[REDACTED]

Entry 22.19:

[REDACTED]

Byl threw the datapad on his bed. This was an exercise in frustration. How off the grid was he that even Alliance Intelligence couldn't account for where he was and what he was doing? He'd hoped that this sudden change of fortunes would unlock a cache of knowledge of his past activities. To some degree, it had. He'd served with the Rebellion for some time, it seemed. Hoth was, by any accounts, a meatgrinder. He'd been left behind? And after who-knows-what, recovered as a sole survivor?

He started thinking about the scars on his body. What had he seen? What had he done?

[James Prent]

James rolled over, tucking the blankets around her chest as she propped herself up on her elbow and looked over at Byl. She yawned. "You should come back t' bed."

She smoothed the sheets next to her, gave it a pat, and picked up the datapad she found there. "What's th' use of sneakin' me in here if you're gonna stay up all night reading?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"I'm done."

Byl tried to tuck away his disappointment, and returned to better things. Crawling back into bed, he slid next to her, running a hand through his hair.

"Apparently I'm not the only one who has amnesia. At least I can count on you to remember me, right?"

[James Prent]

"Mmmm," she nodded, snuggling against his chest and tapping the 'pad to turn the page. "You're unforgettable."

She waggled the datapad. "Surely there's a non-censored version of this somewhere, right?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"Apparently only in my head, although I appear to be an unreliable witness."

There was always the possibility of the human replica droid knowing something, since they had apparently worked closely before. How reliable that possiblity was? That was another question, and one he hadn't the interest to pursue tonight. He snatched the pad from James, tossing it on the floor to allow him to close distance with her.

"Maybe I'm secretly a Jedi Master. A weapon so devastating I can't even be trusted to know about it myself."

It felt good to crack wise. To be facetious. To let his guard down. This was the first night in hundreds that he felt like he could sleep the whole eight hours without waking up to check the exits or make sure his gun was under his pillow. A part of him still worried that was when he was most at risk. He was doing his utmost to smother that part of him with a pillow this evening.

[James Prent]

She laughed. "I think we'd know if you had any sort of Force ability." She pulled his face down for a kiss, but was pensive when they separated. Her own Force potential was the reason for the scars she bore on her legs. Now that she was back with the Alliance, would they insist on packing her off to wherever the Jedi were making camp?

James caught him looking at her, and blushed lightly. "Sorry, jus' thinkin' about stuff. Other stuff." She gave him a little push. "Unimportant things."

She grinned and shoved her thoughts aside, grabbing the covers and throwing them up over their heads.

[Byl Laprovik]

He was familiar with that pause, and that uncertainty. It was a way of life for them for so long, and they both were far from immune. Was this the right decision? There was always the danger, even beyond the literal danger. That danger that they'd answer a question with two more, and set off a chain reaction that would consume them.

And just as soon as that doubt flashed, they moved past it, dwelling in the moment. In the now, where they could enjoy something more simple.

"Think I've put in enough tenure with my 72 hours back that I can request a desk job on a planet with a gorgeous view?"

He smiled, cheek to cheek in the dark of their little canopy.

"Unless you're a fan of rolling thunderstorms of course."

[James Prent]

"Thunderstorms on Nar Shaddaa just meant mud from above." She grimaced, wrinkling her nose. "Mud if you were lucky."

James snuggled against him, tucking her face against his chest. "I can't believe you're hiding in plain sight now. Sorry -!" She sighed, "I know, we're not talking about it tonight. It just feels so... weird."

[Byl Laprovik]

"Yeah."

Weird was the right term. Weird and wonderful. It was hard to stifle the part of his brain that screamed this was too good to be true, though.

"I'm just tired of running. Tired of sleeping in thirty minute bursts, waking up, and checking the exits. Maybe we've done a good thing. Hope we have."

The nagging part is that he wasn't any closer to catharsis than when they made the decision to go to Bothauwi.

"You're the only constant in my life, James. You have no idea how much that means to me."

[James Prent]

She smiled against his skin, and then her thoughts drifted to darker places. "Were they really saying that Loklorien s'Ilancy could be a - a Sith?"

He murmured assent, his face pressing against the top of her head.

James shuddered. "I... I know her. Pretty well, actually." She hugged Byl tighter unconsciously. She'd heard the conversation taking place while they were being smuggled off of Bothawui, but had been afraid to speak up. She couldn't believe the accusations... but on the other hand...

[Byl Laprovik]

He opened his eyes just a bit, interrupted from bliss.

"You know...s'Ilancy?"

It stood to reason. She was a Jedi too. He was curious.

"What's she like?"

There was this giant missing piece of the puzzle in his mind and he was scrambling to find out how to tease it out. He very much doubted there was anything earth shattering that she knew about the Jedi/Sith, but he'd certainly settle for some perspective.

[James Prent]

"Well..." James' voice trailed off, and she suddenly felt like she was suffocating in the warmth under the sheets. She wriggled into a sitting position, pulling the covers down and breathing the cool night air. "I shipped out with my... half-brother Sanis, an' he was good friends with her. Knew her before me 'n all that, and she traveled with us for a long time. Her an' her little girl." James' lips curved up in a smile at the memory of Tak and Daani and all the trouble the two girls got into.

Her smiled faded slowly. "She helped me when I found out I was Force sensitive. A little. I mean, I ended up with the Alliance after I...manifested. I told you 'bout that already." He nodded silently, allowing her to continue.

"But I never told anyone why I didn't go back to that life. Why I stayed in Cloud City. We met up there later, by accident. I thought they didn't want me around anymore, but they said they did and then I saw her. I mean, I'd seen her before but we were eatin' dinner an' suddenly she was like a dark, twisted thing. Lok was sayin' she'd train me, teach me the Force, but all I could see was this darkness.

"It didn't make sense then, but it sure scared me. I decided to stay in Cloud City. I'd put down roots, whatever. I lied." James rubbed her face wither hands. "I haven't heard from her or Sanis since. Probably a good thing. But she was my best friend, y'know? It wasn't easy."

[Byl Laprovik]

Something in what she said put Byl at a distinct unease. That people so close could change, and become so apart.

"And this woman is linked to whatever's knocked loose in my head."

He found his determination again.

"What do you think? Is she? Could she be?"

[James Prent]

James shrugged, feeling decidedly glum. "Lok? Never. Whatever it was th' Force showed me?" She sighed. If it was the Force. Which it had t' be.

"Yeah, I think it could have." She refused to think of Lok as that thing. "She is a powerful Jedi. And from what I've heard, the Dark side can make you stronger."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl didn't say anything. He looked a bit distant.

"And if she was to offer me a glimpse into what I was missing..."

He looked at James with worry in his eyes. Worry how far his need to know was going to take him.

"I'm so goddamn tired of asking questions. It's always one more. One more."

He squeezed her hand.

"I need you to do something important."

[James Prent]

She squeezed back. "Anything."

[Byl Laprovik]

"I need you to make sure that when it's time for me to find out what it takes to get my mind back..."

He ran his hands through her hair, eyes fixed on hers.

"...that I don't pay too high a cost for it."

[James Prent]

A quip rose to her lips, her go-to response when things were starting to feel too serious. But then, this really was much too serious. James swallowed the joke, and nodded. "Of course. I'll do my best.

"You are a stubborn son of a bitch, though." Ah, there it was. Inappropriate humor was a terrible crutch. Still, she wasn't about to tell him she wasn't sure she wanted him getting his memories back, period. Not that she didn't think she could handle who he had been...

...but that she was afraid he wouldn't stay. Was that the cost too high? Losing her?

[Byl Laprovik]

That did the trick. He escaped his reverie, and back into her embrace. Again a smile returned.

"Stubborn? I'm fine with stubborn. I know what I like. And I want to keep that."

He rolled with her, so that he straddled over her, and let the storm roll on beyond them. This was their night. All of it. No looking for trouble around the corner until morning.

[James Prent]

Morning dawned early. James greeted it on the minuscule balcony off of Byl's studio apartment, overlooking the oceans of Dac with a steaming cup of caf in her hands. The enormous sky was full of clouds, but the sun was low enough that it was shining underneath them and right into her eyes.

She'd been away from Nar Shaddaa for long enough that expansive vistas no longer gave her that sick feeling in her stomach, but she still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of so much water surrounding her. And what - sea monsters? James stared at the sparkling ocean, the sunrise reflected in it with a hundred different colors, and tried not to imagine some deep sea horror breaking the surface and somehow reaching over the city until it got to this balcony and then gobbled her up.

She shook her head slightly, and sipped her caf, leaning on the railing. Sea Monster, you can't have me, 'cause Byl needs me. He. Needs. Me. A bittersweet smile twisted on her face, and she looked back over her shoulder to where she could see him stretched out on the bed, one arm thrown up over his head in his sleep. What could she do? Waitress James from the all night diner, saving Byl the trained super soldier slash spy slash operative.

Oh yeah, that was totally going to happen. She sipped her caf, and tried not to think about the coming day.

[Byl Laprovik]

Late REM sleep.

He was aware of how well he slept. Not a moment broken by the need to check the entrances. Not a moment of worry for James. He always slept with his body closest to the door. In worst case scenarios, to shield her from any shots that might come in.

He woke up, feeling rested. Feeling different. He knew who he was. No more questions in his head. Sure of purpose.

She slept next to him, content in the safety he offered.

Then, as calmly as if he were making a pot of caf, he took his pillow and pressed it over her face...


"Gahhhh...."

Byl woke, catching the breath he'd held for a minute in the last moments of his fleeting nightmare.

He'd almost had a full night. So close.

[James Prent]

She was by the kitchenette, pouring another cup of caf when he slowly turned over and woke up. "Mornin', sunshine." James snagged the second cup and filled it for him, walking over to the edge of the bed. Sitting carefully she handed it over and kissed him.

"You missed a hell of a frelling sunrise." She smiled, only the tiny creases at the corners of her eyes betraying the anxiety that she could never quite get rid of.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Shame I missed that..."

His mind was still reeling as he took the caf and her affections, needing both to dispel the fog of sleep and the lingering whispers of the night terror he'd just emerged from. He watched her as he drank, the morning sun kissing off the far contour of her face. She looked beautiful, and he was never more relieved to see her there smiling that smile that only she could wear.

"...don't normally sleep this late, do I?"

Another sip. Just a dream. Nothing.

[James Prent]

"No, but I figured you needed it. You're meeting with Starborn today, and gods know what she's gonna want t' talk about." James rolled her eyes, but she was grateful that the Intel agent had gone to great lengths to find Byl. Now, at least, they had a direction other than simply running from everyone.

And if they needed to run again? Well, that was an option too.

[Byl Laprovik]

He shrugged.

"I doubt it'll be much. Show my beautiful face in broad daylight, and stay on a short leash."

Trust was a valuable commodity, he didn't have much of it and he doubted Starborn did either. If he was really that far deep into Intel, he doubted he would be back in that role without a lot of trial and error.

He kissed her cheek.

"With any luck, back in time for dinner with time to spare. If the weather behaves, maybe we can go to the north pier? Fresh seafood for a change? Certainly fresher than Bespin."

[James Prent]

James smiled agreeably. "Sure, that sounds great." It sounded...positively domestic. She sipped her caf, and waggled her eyebrows at him. "You probably need pants. I'd keep th' shirtless look, though. It's my personal favorite."

She squealed as he tickled her, and struggled to keep from spilling her cup. Finally wriggling free, she tossed his clothes at him and beat a hasty retreat, red faced and laughing.

[Byl Laprovik]

He dressed himself in front of her, reminded of how plain his outfit was. It was plain because survival dictated to him for so long that he should be plain. Finished dressing, he showed off for her.

"Maybe I'll get a suit stipend. Of course I'll need an equally well dressed woman on my arm. I'll let you know if they include a clothing stipend, should I be assigned to any cliché assignments where I gamble with dangerous people in casinos."

The laughter healed. He kissed her in thanks.

"Guess I'll be going then. Tonight though. You and me. Seafood on somebody else's bill."

[Jane Starborn]

"I am, of course, working on getting ahold of your non-redacted file." Jane Starborn smoothed her palm across the surface of her clean desk. Not even a datacard was sitting on it. She hesitated, and then added, "You were, of course, closely affiliated with Captain Eluna Thals. She would be able to fill in some of the blanks with her own recollections of your missions together."

She steepled her fingers, looking across at the blue eyes of Byl Laprovik. "On the meantime, I think we both know you need to be visible. As visible as an Intel agent can be," she amended. "So you'll be heading out with me."

Jane pulled a datapad from a drawer and slid it across to him. "Standard recon mission. We go in to the location and I map it. Simple."

[Byl Laprovik]

"Blue milk run, then."

Byl sat with his hands on the armrests, as calm as a glass of water. This was more or less the sort of thing he expected. So much the better.

"I think I can handle that. Where's our target? Further, are we expecting enemy contact?"

[Jane Starborn]

Jane indicated the datapad he held. "Outpost on Munto Cordu (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Munto_Codru). The Empire has a garrison in Capital Cordu, and Intel wants the Forbidden Castle mapped in case they decide they want to liberate the planet."

She raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps not as exciting as you are used to, but necessary nonetheless." It was, after all, her primary job with Intel.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl looked at the intelligence presented to him. Skills he had no idea how he had were put to seamless use in analyzing what was in front of him.

"I'm used to living hand to mouth and running for a living, Starborn."

He gestured to the pad.

"This is a welcome diversion. Covert insertion, I'm assuming? Shuttle?"

The installation seemed like it was centralized enough for an orbital strike to destroy it. He imagined the Alliance preferred a softer approach, which suited him fine.

[Jane Starborn]

"Shuttle," she nodded, "And we're going inside in plain sight. We have cover identities as newly hired servants. They're a little old school when it comes to droids doing the cooking and cleaning."

Jane smiled without humor. "Which works well enough for us." She looked at Byl's face, looking for... anything. He was a hard man to read. "We're leaving tonight, 2200 hours. Until then... I can tell you where to find Captain Thals." The HRD had been almost sulky last time she'd talked to her. Jane wouldn't pretend to understand what that was about.

[Byl Laprovik]

2200...

So, more of a blue milk run than he realized. Still enough time for dinner. Not much else though. And the droid...human replica droid?

A frown.

If he didn't see the machinery exposed from her injuries, he'd never know. Never seen anything like that.

"And you think Captain Thals has answers I need?"

Worth a shot, but if she did, wouldn't she have briefed Starborn?

[Jane Starborn]

"She was part of Phoenix Cell with you," Jane confirmed. "She is probably the only...person who knows who you were."

She studied the man in front of her. Was there a difference between what someone did, and who they were?

[Byl Laprovik]

He nodded absently. Nothing concrete. Just a possibility. He didn't put much stock in it.

"Phoenix Cell?"

It wasn't a name that appeared in his reports. Everyone was so damned tight-lipped with even the most incidental information.

"Alright then. 2200. I'll be there."

He'd meet Captain Thals, of course. He wasn't sure what he expected to find. More on Phoenix Cell for sure. More on him? Who knew.

[Jane Starborn]

"I will see you then."

Jane watched Byl walk out of her office. To be totally honest with the man would mean having to tell him the details of all his missions. She had read them all while trying figure out where he could be.

That sort of information was better coming from a friend, though. Right?

[Eluna Thals]

She watched it rain. It was always something simple. Something to vaguely occupy her, while the rest of her mind was filled with missions, briefings, interactions, and memories. All separate and compelling thoughts, almost all happening at once. It was both maddening and understandable, but one thing it most certainly did was create a sense of loneliness.

When the door chime went off, she allowed the Girl to jump slightly with surprise. Then the Machine took over. It knew who was on the other side of that door. The only person who wouldn't bother with a comm message.

The door slid open to her apartment, and she looked up at his face.

"Come in."

[Byl Laprovik]

Somewhat on guard, Byl complied.

"Captain Thals..."

He looked around her apartment. What was he expecting for a droid? A droid with it's own, er, her own apartment? It was appropriately plain.

Watching her move, it was difficult to remind himself who he was dealing with. There was nothing to cause disbelief. No uncanny valley. As real as he was, supposedly. And a look on her face that couldn't be there by accident. He quickly diverted his eyes to her boring couch, but didn't sit.

[Eluna Thals]

"You used to call me Eluna."

She smiled somewhat wistfully, looking into his eyes for a sign of any familiarity.

"Do you want a drink?"

The droid was nearly certain why he was here. She was just here to be used, wasn't she?

[Byl Laprovik]

"Sure."

He nodded absently, suddenly not sure if he had a preference about that sort of thing. He knew Captain, er, Eluna Thals was a droid, but he'd never guess just from observing. It wasn't just an exacting organic likeness. She behaved completely normally. Too close to the mark he had to remind himself. What would James think of their meeting?

She trusts me.

He frowned at the thought. The responsibility of it was sobering. Eluna returned just at that moment with a pair of drinks. He sipped at his. Whatever it was, it tasted good enough.

"Tell me about us, Eluna."

[Eluna Thals]

The girl inside wanted to scream. About what?!? Instead, she sipped at her drink, stepping towards him.

"We were close colleagues in Phoenix Cell. I assume you've read those dossiers by now, no?"

Passive aggressive, perhaps. It wasn't fair though.

[Byl Laprovik]

He grimaced a little as he crunched an ice cube. There was more to it than that, and he could see it on her face. The very fact that he could see that much gave him pause. Was that what she just wanted him to see?

"We both know the Alliance's penchant for creatively editing those dossiers."

Of course, there was also the possibility that he was now a man outside looking in. It wouldn't surprise him in the least that he'd be frozen out of the access he once had. So was Starborn jerking him around then?

[Eluna Thals]

"We worked behind enemy lines to support local insurgencies against the Empire, Byl. I don't know what else you are looking to find out from me."

She sighed, and closed her eyes. Opening them again, she placed her glass on the nearby table, a bit forcefully, as it clattered, punctuating her petulance.

"We were lovers." She lied, looking hurt. Okay made love, but she wasn't about to make a fool of herself.

[Byl Laprovik]

What?

He paused as she spoke, not sure at all what to say to a thing like that.

"But you're a..."

[Eluna Thals]

"...droid?"

She finished his sentence sharply, the irritation palpable on her voice.

"It doesn't matter. I doubt you cared even when you did remember."

The girl inside retreated, hurt by the carelessness of it all.

"You wanted to know. I told you. It's not in the dossier."

She watched his expressions, hungry for a sign of something that probably wasn't there.

"Besides, you've done well enough finding a new life, even without a past. Why dredge up something that'll hurt you, right?"

[Byl Laprovik]

There was an uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. Something in the way she said it. More than the unrequited feelings that she must still have (somehow).

"Something that will hurt me? What happened, Eluna? This is more than dossiers, and more than you, isn't it?"

[Eluna Thals]

The machine was back in control, and she moved to the door, opening it for Byl.

"It was a mistake for you to come here, Captain. I doubt you'll take me at my word, but there's nothing for you if you keep looking. Leave it be."

[Jane Starborn]

Jane shuffled a pile of datacards, stacking them neatly and setting them in a wooden box. There was a knock at her door, and she looked at the chrono sitting on her desk. Right on time.

"Come in," she called. "It's open."

The door to her office slid aside, revealing the slight figure of James Prent. The woman's short hair was wild in that unpredictable way that only the most skilled stylists could pull off, though Jane was fairly certain that James spent close to zero amount of time thinking about how her hair looked. She was wearing denim jeans with red stitching and a close fitting white button up collarless shirt. Everything she was wearing was new, except for her boots. They were scuffed and worn, and as Jane looked at them, the woman dragged her toe across the tightly woven carpet. Uneasy. Nervous.

Her eyes were looking anywhere but at the Intel operative, but when James stepped across the threshold she made eye contact and Jane added strong to her mental list.

"You wanted t' see me?" James' arms were crossed, her hip popped out slightly in defiance.

"Yes. Thank you for being on time." Jane got up and rounded her desk, pulling out one of the two chairs on the other side for her guest. "Please, sit."

[James Prent]

She felt like standing a bit longer, so she did, on principle. But then Jane Starborn was sitting in the second chair, and James didn't want to look like a jerk, so she took the offered seat. On her terms.

James slouched, her arms still crossed. She was pretty sure this made her look like a petulant child. "What do you want t' talk t' me about?"

"About Byl, of course." Jane's face was smooth and every facial muscle seemed utterly under control. The woman probably had never had a pimple, or else she had some sort of magic make up that forgave whatever flaws she was hiding under it. "I hope you understand that we have his best interests at heart here."

"Excuse me, but no. No, I don't believe that for a nanosecond." James shook her head. "You have the best interests of the Rebellion and th' galaxy goin' on here. It just happens that you need Byl, an' you need t' know what he knows. Otherwise..." her heart caught in her throat, "you'da jus' shot him in the back when you found him."

The only person with Byl's best interests at heart was her. Maybe in the entire galaxy. Most definitely more than even he himself. James scrunched down in her chair defensively, and defiantly thrust out her chin.

[Jane Starborn]

"That would never have been the case," Jane protested quietly. "Byl -"

"- is damaged."

"Yes. He is." She looked at James, the short woman crammed into the chair as if it were a piece of land she was protecting from invaders. "And until I talked to him, we had no idea that was the case. He needs our help to unravel what happened to him."

"I know." James sighed, but didn't relax. "That's what he said too, and it's why he wanted t' come back in th' first place."

Jane shook her head. "No, not us the Alliance. Us as in you, and me."

[James Prent]

James paused, her upper lip sucked in between her teeth as she stared at Jane. After a long moment she exhaled, and said, "What."

The Intel agent sighed. "You're close with Byl, James. Closer than anyone... ever, as far as I can tell. You know how he was. And you know how he is."

"As far as I can tell, he's better off now than he was before," James interjected. "We talked a bit, hung out some, whatever, when I was recovering with the fleet. But I wouldn't say I know who he was before. I was acquainted with him previously, yeah."

[Jane Starborn]

"I'm not wording this correctly," Jane said. "Bear with me a moment."

The other woman nodded, waiting silently for her to figure out what she was trying to say.

"You are Force sensitive." James flinched, as though Jane had slapped her. Perturbed by the reaction, the operative forged on nonetheless. "You know him, the new him, better than anyone. And I..." Jane touched her temple. "I know the old Byl. I have an eidetic memory. Once I experience or read something, it's locked in here forever.

"Captain Thals presumably knows Byl even better than I, since I have merely read his unredacted mission reports and every scrap of paperwork there is on the man, but as she is a droid I don't think my idea would work."

James was leaning forward slightly, her arms still crossed. "An' what idea is that, exactly?"

"You bridge the gap between me, and him. Use the Force to reintroduce memories of his past missions. Perhaps it will trigger -"

"No."

"-his true memories to resurface. I know you don't want to-"

"No! I won't do it."

"-but this might be our only shot at undoing whatever Jedi s'Ilancy did to his mind. And we desperately need to know what he knows, James. Or I wouldn't ask."

[James Prent]

"No, no, no, no!" James shook her head emphatically. "I'm not trained. I'm not a Jedi. I don't know how - and if I did know how I still wouldn't."

"Please, just think about it."

"Let's see - try a mind meld with my friend in order t' stuff his head full of reports t' try t' kick start his memory. Uh, I don't think so."

Jane was persistent, she'd give her that. "Your friend? Surely Byl is more than just a friend."

Flustered, James hugged her arms in tighter around her torso. "Yeah. I guess. I mean, we never really... I jus' -" She blew out a puff of air noisily. "Yeah. He's more than jus' that. Which is... I..."

"He needs your help, James."

Yeah, he does. "I know. That's why I can't try what you're asking' me. I jus' can't." James blinked, her eyes damp, and she scrubbed at them impatiently as she stood up. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

She had no where to go, and Starborn knew it. Still, the operative nodded, getting to her feet and opening the door so James could slip out into the hallway. "Please James, just think about it. Talk to Byl. Find out what he wants."

James nodded jerkily, and hurried away.

[Jane Starborn]

Jane sighed, the door sliding shut quietly behind the departing woman. She ran her hands through her hair, teasing the ends between her fingers. Getting in touch with the Wheel was an option, but not one she could act on immediately. It was jumped to gods knew where after the warning of Dan and Loklorien's duplicity, and any attempt to contact them would put them in danger. Other parts of Intel were heavily involved with the convoy's safety, and Jane was on the outside.

She reached into the wooden box and pulled a 'card at random, inserting it into her datapad. Wolfpack. Jane tapped through the heavily redacted file, wondering how a SpecOps team was classified above her clearance. Still, they were probably the key she needed to unlock the mystery of -

Jane tossed the datapad onto the desk, covering her face with her hands. She was a data cruncher. A stylus pusher. She went out on 'blue milk runs,' as Byl so eloquently put it. She was in over her head, but there was nothing to do but tread water for as long as she could.

[Byl Laprovik]

North Pier - sunset

His run-in with Eluna put aside, Byl waited at a reserved table. For once, the weather behaved. On Dac, that was nearly a bloody miracle. Of course, it could bucket at the drop of a hat, but the clouds looked fairly unthreatening as the sun dipped down to the sea.

While he waited for James to arrive, he ordered a bottle of wine. Hardly his normal course of action, but when did he ever get the opportunity to masquerade as a normal person? At least for one night, at least. After this, and Starborn's blue milk run, things would change. How much, that remained to be seen.

[James Prent]

She still felt flustered from the meeting with Starborn earlier in the day. She was going to have to talk to Byl about what had been suggested, and she didn't like it - didn't like it one bit.

The sunset went unnoticed as she was directed to Byl's table and sat down across from him. James looked into his slightly questioning eyes, and forced her shoulders to relax. "Hi." She picked up her menu, and added, "How was your day?"

[Byl Laprovik]

He grimaced at the question. As his eyes met hers, Byl knew it was a question born out of formality and she was in no rush for him to reciprocate. They'd both had things to sort out, then.

"Well, yeah. Guess the fairytale is deferred at least for a moment. But enough of that, look here."

A warm smile, and a gesture to the peace offering before them.

"Never did half so good on the lam, did we? Complements of our comrades, handlers, what have you."

His crows' feet accentuated as he smiled, kissing her on the cheek as he leaned forward. They parted and sat opposite, and for a moment he busied himself with filling their glasses, putting off talking about drudgery. Still, he'd have to mention the mission soon.

[James Prent]

The sea air tickled her nose in that slightly uncomfortable way that she was sure she'd never get used to, the breeze ruffling her hair. "I suppose they have a vested interest in keepin' y' happy." James picked up her glass and sipped the wine. It was pretty good.

She looked out toward the ocean briefly, and then studiously ignored the vast blue/green expanse that was certainly full of sneaker waves and poisonous fish. "I suppose the seafood is good here." She grinned, picking up her menu.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Same day catches, so I'd wager so."

Certainly didn't pay to order the nerf in a place like this, at least. But then, they were just dancing around the matters at hand.

"My meeting with Starborn went well. I'm here without any holes in, so I haven't been given the heave for treason or whatnot."

[James Prent]

"Well," she said slowly. "That's good." James looked at him over the top of her menu, and then looked down quickly when he caught her.

His foot bumped hers, and she sighed, still hiding behind the menu. He knew all her tells, and she was frelling terrible at hiding that she had something she didn't want to tell him but probably should. After a moment she folded the menu and placed it on the table, meeting his eyes.

"I had a meeting with Starborn as well, incidentally."

[Byl Laprovik]

Now that wasn't expected.

"Really?"

Byl looked sidelong, just for a moment. Damned peculiar. Then again, she was a spymaster. If she deserved her place in the world, it must be for having a reputation at being thorough.

"Looks like you're likewise in one piece. Still, I gather it wasn't about the rainy weather."

He hoped it was simply Starborn using James to get at him, and not the Alliance taking any active interest in James specifically.

[James Prent]

"Nooo, not exactly." James picked up her wine glass and gulped at it. Checking to make sure the waiter wasn't anywhere near, she looked back at Byl. "She seems t' think that there's something I can do t' help y' get your memories back. Which is, y'know, stupid."

[Byl Laprovik]

The waiter came by at that exact moment, leaving Byl to stew over her words. He ordered something, but obviously wasn't paying it any mind. Once James did the same, the waiter left and they were alone again.

"She wants you to pry in my head, eh?"

He frowned. It wasn't over concern for his mind, which at this point had been reshaped over and over again like so much putty. He didn't like how Starborn was trying to use James.

"Stupid's about the long and short. You're not some lab rat for her."

[James Prent]

James sat up a little straighter, feeling good that he was on her side, but then insulted somehow at the same time. "Well, it isn't like she was asking t' do frellin' experiments on me or anythin' like that. I mean, it sort of made sense but I just can't... I can't..."

She squinched up her face and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Maybe I could, but the Force isn't something you jus' intuit. You know she never forgets anythin', right? And she's read all your missions, not th' redacted ones. So if I could bridge that, somehow..."

James trailed off, looking at Byl. Did he think it was an interesting idea? Totally useless and not worth thinking about? "They really want you to remember, Byl."

[Byl Laprovik]

Caging in his sense of frustration, Byl ran a finger along the rim of his glass before hefting it up for a quick gulp. He set the glass back down once more, chewing on a response.

"I do too."

He didn't have anything better to come back with. Apparently she didn't think it was a farfetched idea. Byl looked into James' expressive eyes, finding all of the conflicts of emotion brought out in her voice. It was certainly something she'd been thinking about for some time.

"You need to be careful, James. How useful do you want to be to a woman like that? If you go into something, you make sure you mark your exits, remember?"

A wave crashed against the breakers, and Byl broke eye contact.

"If you're comfortable with it, then I won't object."

[James Prent]

"Fuck no I'm not comfortable with it," she blurted, loud enough that a few people around them turned to look. James leaned forward over the table, lowering her voice. "Look, your mind has already been raped by th' Dark side, if what we've been able t' piece together is correct. I don't see how me poking around up there with my... inabilities, is going to magically make things better.

"You need a real Jedi, a real Healer. I would probably just turn you into a vegetable by accident."

[Byl Laprovik]

"Which only points us closer to the Jedi, and back to a path you're not comfortable heading towards. So square one, then."

The waiter arrived with their food, and Byl teased at a piece of grilled fish, moving among some vegetables.

"No, then. It's not worth the risk for either of us."

[James Prent]

James nodded, feeling a little relieved... and a little disappointed. That surprised her. She picked up a seaweed roll and dipped it in the sauce, taking a tentative bite. It tasted a lot different than she was used to, but that probably had something to do with how fresh it was.

"Then it's decided." She smiled at Byl, and changed the subject. "When do you leave on your mission?"

[Byl Laprovik]

Managing to spear a bite of fish, Byl dispensed with it, needing the extra second to figure out how to explain that one.

"Starborn's not one for being indirect. We light out for Munto Codru later tonight."

He hated that it came so sudden, but waiting for the word to come down would likewise have been unpleasant.

"I doubt we'll be two days, all told. I think Starborn just wants to see how slack she can run the leash."

[James Prent]

James nodded, her mouth full of rice and fish. After a few chews and a swallow she said, "Okay."

He looked at her, and she added, "I mean it. Okay. We knew this was comin', so if it's tonight or next week... it's okay." She smiled a little tightly. "I'll be fine while you're gone. Promise."

[Byl Laprovik]

It was a bare-bones consolation, and Byl still held a troubled expression, which he patched over with a fleeting smile.

"What will you do when I'm gone?"

The when I'm gone was tacked on. They were still coming to grips with their place in this galaxy. Starborn had thrown him a bone. James had to find her way, and whatever path that was, it wasn't back to the Jedi.

[James Prent]

"Catch up on my holofilms," she quipped. "You won't be gone too long, and... it's not like I'm going to get a job with the Rebels. Frankly, staying indoors as much as possible. I don't know that I am going to be used to all the water around here any time soon."

It was a flippant answer, but anything more serious wasn't anything she wanted to think about at the moment. When I'm gone had an ominous quality to it that reached beyond the immediate mission toward things that she didn't want to think about. What would she be doing over the next few days? Probably doing some serious thinking about the direction of her life and where she was going to fit in with Byl's new/old life.

He was reinstated, and she was just his plus one. Time to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. James sipped her wine, staring off toward the ocean before the view unsettled her stomach. Yes, she would be occupied while he was away, and hopefully answers would present themselves.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl could see the stormclouds lurking behind her - the figurative ones at least. There was so much to James left unresolved and deferred, and the more he thought about it, the more disgusted and guilty it made him feel. Puttering around for answers to the gaps in his head was leaving her to crawl on a knife edge. Could they really keep this up for long? It was an unappealing choice, but by default the best one they'd been able to scrape together for months or more.

He kissed her, leaning over the table and drawing her close to him with a gentle hand at the back of her neck. It was the only consolation he had to give. She deserved every bit of it at the very least.

They parted. He thought about going over the usual things. Check the entryways. Watch for people following at a distance. They were like mantras for a tired priest, and Byl realized he didn't have the energy for saying things that didn't need saying. Especially when there were better things.

"Watch something with a happy ending. I love you."

The chrono on his wrist beeped. Two hours till mission. He had to go.