Crafting the Tools: Finding the answers

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus didnt especially like this place. Bast Castle, No, he really didnt like it here...

It wasnt that he had any particular gripes or complaints, just the feeling he got from being here wasnt what you would describe as comfort. From the catacombs to the hangar to the very halls he wandered now, it felt as if something was watching him. Who's to say, maybe something really was...

Putting his feelings aside though, Silus wandered through the endless hallways, not particularly sure what he was looking for. All he knew, was this was the best chance he had of finding it...

This wasnt the first time Silus had walked these halls. In all actuality it was the second. The first time though, he was accompanying Wargrave, and he was blindfolded the whole way. Now he was utterly lost, having forgotten all the twists and turns he had already made. Without intervention though, he would eventually end up on the roof, due to his tendacy to travel upwards when lost, as he had done in Castle Millard many times. So for the time being, Silus wandered, up and down hallways, around corners and up stairs.....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She was climbing down the stairs from the tallest spire on Bast...the disheleved little room where she had tested the Hobgoblin. It remained in a general state of disrepair, and she liked it that way. The wind whistled through the cracks, and there were still blood stains on the flagstones from...

...from a very long time ago, it seemed. Jax was going on two, walking and jabbering in his own twisted form of Basic. Lilaena rubbed her hands together from the cold air, and used the Force to help warm her. She looked at her palms, at the two thin scars that ran diagonal across each hand. De'Ville could have healed her hands with a twisted use of a Jedi trick, but chose to leave the scars, as a reminder of the ceremony. Jax bore a tiny red birthmark on his shoulder, in the shape of a bloody hand. His own reminder of the ceremony.

Lost in thought, Lilaena paid no attention to where she was going. Her senses were not extended, rather she was focusing inward, on herself. And so, as Silus walked up the spiraling staircase, she walked downward, towards him. She looked up from her hands and stopped abruptly on the narrow stairwell, as he also stopped, inches from her, and on a lower step.

Who..? She took a deep breath, calming her nerves from the shock of almost running into him, and narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus stopped dead in his tracks as he suddenly face to face with a woman. Silus looked her over as she asked his name. Not so much checking out her features, just looking her over.

Upon making eye contact again, he replied...

Silus Xilarian, and who might you be..

Silus' arms were tucked into his coat. To her it would look as if he were shielding himself from the cold. In all actuality, he had his saber in hand, igniting it would send the blade straight into her chest. He wasnt looking for a fight, but precautions would be taken in case one was to brought to him...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

His emotions were tense, and unsure, and she felt a tingle indicating danger. Her saber was on her belt, but De'Ville did not move her hand towards it. "I am called De'Ville. You are with Shadow Squadron, are you not? Grand Admiral Millard's hotshot pilots: the protectors of the Balmorran Empire?" Her voice had a tinge of sarcasm in it.

"I have heard of you, from Wargrave. A better question would be, why are you in my way?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Ah....the one they call De'Ville....doesnt ring a bell....

Silus calmed down a tad bit. Not much, but enough to be able to talk....

Well, if you must know, I was looking for something...Everything's so quiet here, i wasnt expecting to run into anyone...

Though he had calmed some, his saber stayed ready...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

His words were chosen carefully, although they were delivered with a flippant attitude. Designed to irk her...which they did. De'Ville crossed her arms under her breasts and cocked her head to the side. There was not enough room on either side of him to allow her to pass comfortably.

"Well you have. And this is my home, not yours, although you are no guest of mine. So I will repeat my question, why are you in my way?"

[Silus Xilarian]

If I'm that much of an inconvience, then by all means.......

Silus stepped to the side and motioned for her to pass with his free hand.

And i'll continue my search....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville paused. "What are you searching for, that Wargrave could not find for you himself?"

[Silus Xilarian]

A library or something. He mentioned it briefly. I dont know how to contact him though, or else I would have asked him to accompany me...

Silus backed up a few steps, putting some distance between him and De'Ville, so that he could lower his guard slightly...

It was good to meet you Lady De'Ville, sorry for the incovience....

Silus turned to make his way up the stairs, as he figured De'Ville would carry on downwards...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"A library? You will not find one up there. Follow me." Without another word she continued on down the stairs, her thoughts her own for the moment.

[Silus Xilarian]

After a confused hesitatio Silus began to hurry back down the stairs to catch up to Lilaena. He slowed to her pace as he reached her, and silently followed. He was grateful for help, but he would save the thank yous for later, as he wasnt exactly sure where he was being led to.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville sensed some hesitation behind her, but offered no explainations, or conversation for that matter. After a few twists and turns, Silus found himself in a different part of Bast than before. It was lower than he had been, and central to the building, or at least, close to center.

She pressed a security code into the door panel, and they slid open silently enough. Walking inside the room, she manipulated the Force and lit the torches on the wall. Aside from the door, the room was very low tech, consisting of floor to ceiling shelves, and an oaken desk. The decor was very dark, and the cold floor was constructed out of synstone. "Come in, Xilarian, and perhaps you will find what you are seeking."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus walked in and began eyeing the books on the shelves. This wasnt quite as big as he was expecting, but there was still enough here to suit him. It was better perhaps, less to search through that didnt pertain to his needs....

Thanks...I owe ya one.....

Silus took off his coat, dropping it absently on one of the desk chairs. He breathed a heavy sigh as he started in a corner, reding book titles as he slowly started working his way over.

He hadnt expected Lilaena to stay in the room, as it would be boring to watch Silus search through books...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She sat in the chair by the desk, and watched him. "Yes, you do." Lilaena drew a book to her with the Force, and set it on the desk before her. As she opened it, she sneezed, and blinked a few times. Damn ink.

So many actual books in one place...they were worth a fortune on some planets, depending on who was looking for them. There was a shelf of Sith teachings, along with a datapad with excepts from Palpatine's Book of Anger. The actual book was concealed somewhere within the walls of Bast. De'Ville herself had no idea where, but it called to her at night, its presence an undeniable fact.

It was the treasure of the Hand...something worth protecting from the Jedi, who would destroy it, and the Sith, who would destroy everything with it. De'Ville cracked her neck, and ran her finger down the page, not really reading. To her right a tapestry hung, which concealed the door to the passage which led to her personal quarters. Two doors it had: One which opened to a hallway, and this one, which opened into her study.

Lilaena turned a page, and watched Silus as he hunted. He was drawing near to a few obscure books on metallurgy and a datapad collection of star charts.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus looked back from his searching as Lilaena sneezed. Dust, he thought, yet the book she was reading had none on it....Strange.....

He continued scanning through the books. To anyone watching it would look as if he were simply standing there. This wasnt the truth though, just his search was very deliberate. Silus was here not just to read, he was here for information. His eyes stop and focused on a book. It was a book on different types of metal, synthetic and natural. Silus picked up the book and leaned the one over beside it, so he could return the book to where it was originally kept....

Silus sat down at the desk, across for Lileana. He knew she wasnt really reading, but watching him. He couldnt really blame her, as this was the first time they'd ever met. She wasnt exactly the friendliest person on earth, but she was nice enough to bring him here. He looked up for a minute.....

Your book's upside down....

Silus looked backed down, scanning the table of contents.....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She shrugged, "Of course, I am not really reading it. What is it you seek, Apprentice?" De'Ville sat back, and noted what type of book it was he had picked. "Researching metals?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus looked up again. At least she was honest about not reading the book, and he found it funny that she made no attempt to turn the book right side up....

Yeah, I found out the other day that I had access to old Imperial Records. Nothing too impressive, mainly development and research. A few materials that were mentioned caught my eye, but I couldn't find anything else in there about them. I mentioned it to Wargrave, and he said I could probably find some useful info here...

After thumbing through a few pages, Silus reached behind him and pulled a datapad out of his coat pocket. After typing a few things in, he shut the book he had and took it back to the shelf, placing it back where he found it. After scanning down the shelf a bit more, Silus removed another. He repeated the same process as before, tilting the adjacent book over to hold the spot, and returned to his seat...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville closed the book with another sneeze, and inwardly groaned again at the damnable ink. She guessed, from the books that he'd looked at, but sounded confident, "Thinking about quantum plating? It has been done before, you know."

The book he was holding had been authored by Qui Xux, genius ditz of the top secret Maw Installation. Before her memory had been forcibly wiped by a rogue Jedi. No one would be able to make another Sun Crusher, but the quantum metal was fully researched, if the information itself was not incredibly hard to find. She had the only copy of Qui's book that she knew of, although perhaps the Jedi had their own copy in their vast library.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus looked up and smiled.

I know...Actually I was thinking about something on a smaller scale...for now...

Silus thumbed through a few pages and looked back up at Lilaena...

You wouldnt happen to have a spare copy of this would you, or have it stored on a datapad or something?

Here he had a good bit of the info he came looking for.....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She shook her head, "No that is the only copy I have. Perhaps even the only copy in existance. I have not taken the time to have it transcribed to a datapad." Books printed on flimsy were hard to maintain, if you weren't careful with them. De'Ville was careful with all her books.

[Silus Xilarian]

Looks like I got a lot of typing on my hands then...Unless you got something to scan some of this...

Silus got out his datapad and set it beside him. He flipped back a few pages, searching for a good starting point to start typing from. An annoyed look crossed his face as he continued to flip pages, discovering new info that he wanted to save each time...

He was gonna be here for awhile....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, and reached into a drawer for a reader. The small device, when run across a flimsy of text, would translate the information into data, and store it onto a padd. De'Ville flipped it to him, hitting him between the eyes.

Hard enough to get his attention, not hard enough to injure. "No, please, take your time." Lilaena liberally applied sarcasm to her tone.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus nearly fell out of his chair with surprise as the reader him. He brought his hand up and rubbed the bridge of his nose a bit. With an annoyed look he glared back up at Lilaena...

You know, I appreciate you helping me and all, but you could be a bit more social. We are on the same side here.....

He doubted his words would have any positive effect, but he was making a conscience effort to be social, something he rarely did. It was the least she could do.....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Oh yes, I apologize." He couldn't be sure, but there might have been a trace of a smile tugging at her lips.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus halfway openned his mouth to speak, but instead, just shook his head and picked up the reader and plugged it into his datapad. Hitting a few buttons on his datapad, he got it setup to recieve the info, and got the reader ready to go.

Silus scanned a page and set the reader back down. It didnt have the text style saved in its memory banks, but the print matched another font pretty closely. A screen came up on his datapad showing the auto placement or the letters compared to the font. After switching a few letters, such as A's and R's and i's and l's everything was setup to go. Before he restarted, Silus looked back up...

Is there a kitchen or something around here. Something to drink might be a good idea to help pass the time.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She nodded, opening her book and turning it right side up. "The kitchens are down a level and towards the western wall, near the empty servant quarters." She flipped a page, and looked up at him, still not really reading, and still not really hiding it.

"What are you going to do with the quantum alloy when you get one?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Something small at first. Its strong enough to deflect a lightsaber blade, so I might explore some possibilities there...

Silus pushed his chair back and got up, getting ready to go get something to drink...

Care to join me?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Of course." She stood to her feet, and waited for him to rise. "After you."

He stood about six inches taller than she, and was around her same age. Imperial. She unconsciously rubbed the tattoo on this inside of her right arm, hidden beneath her clothes. The thought of the Imperials still bothered her, after all these years. Wargrave was good enough, but he was still an Imperial, and she had never bothered to get close to him.

Of course, getting close to any of her 'collegues' would be nearly suicidal. She of course considered herself the most stable one in the Hand, which was the assumption the other members made about themselves as well. De'Ville motioned to the door, and Silus walked forward, the shhick of the mechanical doors the only sound as they opened.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus ducked his head into the fridge for a moment, returning with a bottle of water...

Can I get ya anything?

Silus twisted the cap off the bottle and took a drink. It seemed that Lilaena didnt care for him much, or just plain didnt like him. Aside from the snide remarks back in the hallway, Silus had been on his best behavior, not to mention surprisingly polite. Maybe she just didnt like pilots. Either way, Silus was curious...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Water would be fine." She accepted the drink from him, and sat at one of the dusty tables. There were no longer any cleaning droids in Bast, and so things were ...dirty.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus sat down for a minute, across from Lilaena...

Thanks again for helping me out

Though the comment was geniune, it served a dual purpose, as Silus kept a keen eye on Lilaena's reaction, looking for more insight to her thoughts.......

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She swirled her water with a turn of her wrist, and then set the bottle down on the table. The water continued to swirl around into a tiny funnel after she released it and put her hands in her lap. "It was no inconvenience."

The water continued to swirl in a tightly spun spiral, and she added, "How long have you been in the Imperial Navy, Xilarian?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus pulled up a chair and took a drink of water before answering Lilaena's question...

Ive been back for almost a year now, under Millard's command. Before I got kicked out though, I served for 5 years, most of which I was under Thrawn's command...

Though he was most likely mistaken, it seemed like Lilaena had warmed up to him a little. Since they had "introduced" themselves in the hallway, this was the first time she had acknowledged that Silus had a name. That was added onto the fact that she was making idle conversation.....

One thing did interest him particularly. It seemed that her face became more smug as she said "Imperial Navy". This slightly confirmed Silus previous thoughts about her...

You dont seem very fond of the empire, Ms.? De'Ville....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Let me just say that the Universe dealt me a raw hand, Xilarian." Unconsciously she rubbed her inner bicep through her sleeve, as the water in the bottle continued to swirl around. She looked away from him, and frowned, then got to her feet and left the kitchens, the doors swishing shut behind her.

[Silus Xilarian]

A look of confusion settled on Silus' face as Lilaena abruptly left. Her words echoed in his mind for a moment, and then, abruptly as she had, Silus jumped up and jogged out after her. He didnt know where she was headed, but he had a good guess. And the fact that it was the only place he knew his way to fom the kitchen didnt hurt either....

As Silus rounded into the corner, he caught up with Lilaena. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing her, as she still had her back to him, and something told him that running up behind her would be a very bad idea...

After catching his breath slightly, Silus spoke....

Im sorry...

Silus left his reason for apology open for her interpretation....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She stopped walking but didn't turn around. "It is not your fault that you are involved with the Empire. You haven't..." De'Ville let her words trail of, the lazy contraction of have and not hanging in the air.

How long had it been? Years. "I was twelve, Xilarian. No, it goes back even further. Seven. Ripped from my family by the Empire. It is not your fault, but -" She turned to look at him, and he saw hatred in her eyes, Not directed at him, but through him...as if she could tear the heart from the Empire by the heat of her gaze.

De'Ville whirled on her heel and stalked down the hallway again, her cloak snapping behind her. Back in the kitchens the water bottle exploded.

[Silus Xilarian]

"But you must hate me because of it..." Silus finished her sentance in his head. He shouldnt have felt guilty. He had no reason to. But he did. Somehow Lilaena had managed to nestle herself into a small soft spot in Silus' heart.....

Silus slowly paced after her. His intent wasnt to ask for her forgiveness, or even to calm her down really. She had every right to be angry, and Silus understood this.

In all actuality, he didnt know why he had kept on behind her. He just had. And now he followed her, back towards the study. He kept back away from her, not only for her comfort, but his safety.....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena felt a hot tear run down her cheek, but she didn't reach up to wipe it away as she walked down the hallway. He was behind her, at a safe distance. Safe. As if anything was safe around her.

Jax wasn't safe... De'Ville sucked in her breath, and made a small motion with both of her hands, opening the doors to her study. Three long strides and she was in front of her desk. When Xilarian made his way towards the door she chucked the book he'd been reading at him, hitting him in the chest. "Just take it and leave." She sat down and refused to look at him, smoldering.

[Silus Xilarian]

She was now fuming. Angry at the mere presence of Silus. Though he couldnt see the tear stream down her face, he knew it was there. He heard it in her voice.

At this point, the room seemed alive. The energy of the room itself seemed angry, and it conveyed the same message that she had......Leave......

Silus' own gut feeling told him he would be better off to go. He couldnt now though. It just wasnt how he was....

Silus gently set the book down beside him and slowly walked up behind Lilaena. Granted, he was watching her very close. Watching for any sudden movements. As he neared her the room seemed to calm down. The anger was still there, as if it was holding its breath, waiting to see what Silus was going to do. Slowly, he reached down and placed a comforting, but careful, hand on her shoulder.......

The room felt as if it were about to exhale.....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She felt the hand on her shoulder, and tensed, reacting almost on instinct. Her hands went to his arm, and twisted him around and up, as she got to her feet, kicking her chair out of the way. Silus winced as she slammed his back onto the desk, and then grimaced as he saw the vibroblade that had appeared in her hand.

"In the future, you would be wise to take a suggestion, Xilarian." De'Ville's voice was hard, no trace of the earlier vunerabliity.

[Silus Xilarian]

So this is what I get for trying to make ammends?

Silus stayed leaned back against the table. His only weapon now was negotiation, at least until he could find an alternate way out...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"This is what you get for not leaving. There is no way you can make amends for what the Empire did to me." She thought about removing his testicles with one fell swipe of the vibroblade, but decided not to. She sighed, and tossed the vibroblade into her left hand.

[Silus Xilarian]

So what now, I take the punishment for what someone else did to you? Nice mentality to have I guess. Let someone show an ounce of caring, then attack them when they try to comfort you?

Silus' stare narrowed at Lilaena. This probably wasnt the best time for it, but his temper was starting to kick in....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She glared at him. "Well I was trying to get you to just leave. In case you noticed, I have been more than accomodating to you already." With a smooth, Force assisted motion, the vibroblade was discretely tucked back into her boot.

De'Ville stepped away from the desk. "Get off my desk."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus slowly stood up as she put the knife away...

Well in case you didnt notice, I felt bad about upsetting you, sorry I was so caring, i'll know better next time....Now if you'll excuse me....

Silus made his way by Lilaena and began walking toward the door...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"As I said before," her voice softened slightly, "It is not your fault. And, there is nothing you can do to make me feel better about the Empire. I must deal with my problems, as must any sentient being."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus stopped at the door and looked back to Lilaena. "Just leave"....that little voice in the back of his head spoke to him....She had issues......She wasnt worth the complication.....But as many times before, that little voice was ignored.

Well, at the moment, Im not on the Empire's timeclock, if you would like some company.....

"Silus, you're such an idiot"............He knew this all too well....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She looked up at him, and for a moment her eyes appeared like sunken pits in her face, as if she were much, much older than the twenty-seven she was. Just as quickly as it had come, the moment passed. Lilaena blinked.

She didn't know what to say, although there were a thousand competing emotions tumbling around in her brain. She settled on resignation, and waved him into the empty seat.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus stayed put for a moment. His mind was yelling at him, telling him not to do it. Noting that, in the back of his mind, what he was doing was a mistake, Silus walked back over to the desk where Lilaena sat. He sat down the book he had been reading and got comfortable. There was an uneasy silence for a moment, as either really had anything to talk about now....

Sorry for bringing those memories back to you...I didnt.....

Silus paused at that point, not wanting to say too much, as that was part of what set her off before. Sighing a bit, Silus glanced over at the book Lilaena had been "reading"....Women are from Vjun, Men are from Arcan...It was a curious title, but Silus thought nothing of it.....

He looked down and began reading again, leaving her the choice of whether she would speak to him or not....

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville sighed, and tossed the book into the air. It stopped at the height of its arc, and then floated to a shelf. "When you're done with your book, perhaps you wouldn't mind joining me in a sparring room? I would like to see how well Wargrave has done by you." She stood to her feet, stretching slightly.

[Silus Xilarian]

Lilaena's words seem to fall on deaf ears. As she was speaking, Silus eyes began to widen at the page he was reading...

He said nothing.....

As she stood, Silus fumbled, without looking, for his datapad. Upon locating it, Silus furiously began typing. Without looking up Silus answered her, somewhat.....

hold on a sec.......

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She sighed, and left the room, the doors sliding shut behind her.