Destinies: Fury [completed]

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Mommy's coming.

Lilaena De'Ville was not piloting her ship, the Sith Infiltrator Revenge on this trip to Coruscant. She had a legally bought yacht that boasted modest speed and all the comforts of home. There were two cabins, and one was already decorated in blues with some books and toys that might interest a small boy.

She'd given up her son for almost five years now. Her heart couldn't bear the strain of being away from him. Darven, dear Darven, had taken Jax at her request, taken him to Arcan IV and the Jedi. She'd felt that her newborn son would be safer there. And after all that had happened to Jax in the few months he'd lived on Vjun among the Hand, she had been right. Vjun was no place for a child.

But on Onderon...

No matter where she was, Jax was her son, and he belonged with her! Pierce (the name was a curse in her thoughts) was probably brainwashing him against his mother. She hoped that her ex-husband was not. Hoped that Pierce still felt...

Still felt what? Vice Director of Imperial Intelligence Pierce Alexander Tondry had shown his true colors three years ago on Chandrila. He had possibly never felt anything for her. She'd been used, cruelly, and would not make the mistake of letting her emotions get in the way of reason. Not again.

The Damselfly settled onto a docking platform, and Lilaena unbuckled herself. She was wearing a non-descript outfit, and her hair was a bit longer than usual, and tied up in a scarf. Once the yacht was secured, she quickly hailed a cab. Once at the rendevous point with Xilarian and Shadana and their apprentices she could relax a little.

Hold on baby... She bent her thoughts towards Jax, little Jax, who was barely five years old.

Mommy's coming.

[Silus Xilarian]

In a small cafe near the Jedi Order, Silus was checking his chrono. He had arrived before De'Ville, partially because of purposefully different departures, and for the simple fact that his ship was faster. Of course, he wasnt piloting the Dragon on this particular day. A ship of that magnitude wasnt exactly what he would consider incognito. Instead, he had bought himself a small courier ship of his own, and had spent the last week watching his droids tweak the engines for superior performance. It wasnt the fastest thing he'd ever flown, but he surmised that it would do for this occasion.

Absently, his fingers tapped a quiet rhythm on the table in utter boredom. He wasn't exactly sure when the others would arrive, but he knew it would be at least a little longer. The sun had only just set.

Taking a moment from his finger tapping, Silus scratched at his chin, where a newly grown goatee was causing him some minor irritation. This wasn't, of course, part of some fool proof disguise, but more or less an attempt at something he didnt feel was too important. De'Ville wanted him to change his looks somewhat for the event, so he stopped shaving for awhile. Kind of a 'two birds without throwing a stone' type deal.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria too had made the effort that De’Ville had asked of them and was feeling slightly awkward for it. A few stray tresses of red hair were visible, but most were tucked beneath the black bucket-hat she wore. In black cargo pants and a white spaghetti-strap top, she didn’t only look different – she felt different. It was a far cry from the velvet cloaks and leather armour she was used to. If anything, she felt vulnerable. She was still armed, but only barely, with a couple of stiletto blades slipped onto her boot sheaths. At least she looked more convincing than Silus. The doz’rah smiled slightly, a sort of uneasy, nervous smile.

“Not long now?”

[Razielle Shadana]

With a long suffering sigh, Razielle set out on the latest business of her new little "family". It was all well and fine to set up an abduction, but the need to somewhat tone down her identity was the present cause of her ire. To be blunt - she liked the way she dressed and to change anything was to take a step backward into sloppy. Still, it was only temporary and she had a job to do. She and her young apprentice, Han had arrived on first class transportation, then stayed the night at a rather posh hotel. They would be leaving on another ship with members of the Circle anyways, so she hadn't bothered to purchase a new vessel.

Razielle waited with patience for the toxic light of day to flee her presence. Only then, set out to meet her other contacts. Her apprentice remained at the hotel until she required his annoying presence. Raz arrived at the cafe clad in black thigh highs & boots, a short grey pleated skirt and black tank top. Her hair swung in a pony tail that reached her waist. Her glowing violet eyes were a dead give away at her nature, so she had them covered with sporty shades.

Spotting Silus, she slid into a chair near him. She hadn't met the red head before, but she looked capable enough. Dismissing the waitress with a blank stare over the rim of her shades, Razielle spoke. "Mornin' guys and dolls. " It was a deliberately casual comment, so unlike her normal flowery speech. Really quite laughable..

[Lilaena De'Ville]

It was a short trip by taxi to the late night diner where the others would be. As De'Ville tipped the driver she could see the towering 'scraper that housed the Jedi Temple. In the twilight it was framed majestically, and lights were beginning to click on. Which of those windows held her son? He would already be down for the night.

She'd done some preliminary research, Pierce was still on the planet. He was not quite as secretive as he used to be, his Jedi training kept him tethered on Coruscant more often than not. And he wouldn't leave Jax alone for long. She wondered how the little whisperkit was doing, and absently fingered a slim control box in her pocket.

Entering the diner, Lilaena walked to the table that held her three companions. She hadn't really met Daria before, other than knowing who she was, but Silus said she was up for it, and so she believed him. Plus the red-head had some... special powers that the Jedi would not be expecting.

With an effort Lilaena took her hand out of her pocket and away from the device. "Hi, all." She looked at Raizelle, "Where's the kid?"

"Left him in th' hotel. I'll pick him up later." The Vampyre was enjoying 'slumming,' as long as it didn't have to go on too long.

De'Ville nodded, the kid would just get in the way in the diner. "As long as he can be ready to go in an hour." Razielle matched De'Ville's nod, a look of annoyance at the thought of her young apprentice crossing her near-perfect features.

Lilaena leaned on the table as the waitress dropped off four cups of caf. "Well, we made it. Anyone wanting to back out? Or should we just continue with the plan, and leave such a mark on the Order that it will take years for them to recover?"

[Silus Xilarian]

"Well, now that you mention it, we could back out."

Under the table, a foot hit Silus' leg roughly. He was about to become vocal on the matter, but the simple fact was, he was sitting at a table with three women. The foot could have belonged to anyone.

"But, you know, we got all dressed up. May as well hang out for a bit."

[Jax Ivanrue Tondry]

mommyscoming

In a bed, in a room, on one of the mid-range tiers of the Jedi Order Living Quarters, Jax Tondry shifted and woke himself up.

The young boy jerked upright, but seeing no movement, relaxed. Then he scanned the room. Something seemed very familiar about it.

Eventually it came to him that this was his room, where he slept. The stark and long shadows shrank into the shaded sides of familiar objects in a moment of perceptual adjustment, and Jax knew right where he was.

Still, something about the room didn't seem right.

TR-9700 wasn't there. That had to be it.

"TR?" he called softly. "TR, c'mere!"

A short jingling sounded from out in the hallway, precursor to the bundle of fur that flashed through the open door and into bed. Jax felt something wet licking his face and giggled without meaning to, reaching out and grabbing his pet whisperkit in a big hug. This, of course, sent the animal into a greater frenzy of licks, and it was several minutes before Jax could control himself enough to stop the involuntary giggles.

It occurred to Jax that his noise might have woken Dad, if Dad was home. To be on the safe side, he slid out of bed and peeked into the hallway to check with TR jingling after him.

No lights shone anywhere in the apartment and Dad's door sat closed like a big immovable monolith. If Dad had been home, the door would be partly open, and so Jax knew logically his father wasn't in the apartment even though intuitively he had known earlier that he was alone.

mommyscoming

Jax shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably. Something still didn't feel right, but there was no placing what it was.

Bored, Jax decided to go back and sit on his bed. There was an important day coming up- his birthday- and so Jax ticked numbers off on his chubby fingers, counting up from when Dad had mentioned it. It had to be tomorrow. No, wait. Today was tomorrow! That meant his birthday was today!

Of course. That was the reason Dad wasn't home. Dad always got up really really early on birthdays so he could go out and get his work done in time to come home and throw a party. It made Dad smile to think his plan was a surprise, and smiles went hand-in-hand with presents, which also went hand-in-hand with being good. If Jax went back to sleep and pretended not to know a party was coming, why, he was bound to get even more neat stuff! Maybe Dad would get him one of those rancor-pets he'd heard about! Those were s'posed to be huge, and so cool!

Scrambling back beneath the covers, Jax clenched his pillow so hard that the tension tired him back to sleep in only a few minutes. Left floating around in his mind was the idea that today was definitely going to be a big day.

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Hang out?”

Daria looked as the mere thought of such things was a sin. The Doz’rah was eager to get on with the mission. It had been a long time since she had been dispatched on her home world as an assassin, and somehow all of this secrecy and lies reminded her of that.

“I’m not backing out. Let’s do this.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Around the table, she saw only determination in the eyes of companions she'd chosen. She studied Daria's eyes for a moment, seeing an eagerness there, but also an underpinning of professionalism. De'Ville nodded. "Then let's get to it."

Razielle was the first to get up from the table, as she had the longest to travel. She had to go back to the hotel, pick up her apprentice, and place him in his spot, where Daria was in charge of picking him up from. And, of course, get to her own position.

Silus nodded to Daria, and his apprentice was the next to slide out into the night, flagging down a cab to take her closer to the Temple. Lilaena let her foot touch Xilarian's calf, and she smiled. "Ready?"

He nodded, 'Can't wait to get started." With a rogue wink he pulled her close to him and kissed her.

De'Ville laughed, and pushed him away. "Business, X. Business." She looped her arm through his and they walked out into the night.

___


Now closer to the Temple, De'Ville looked up from their vantage point, the wind of traffic whipping her hair into her eyes. Silus had rented the speeders they sat in. Daria had rejoined them, sitting and looking very uncomfortable in the mechanical beast, but her eyes shone when she looked towards the Temple. Towards their task.

De'Ville sat in the second speeder alone, the slight whirr of her macrobinoculars lost in the whine of speeder traffic. Their positions would change once they knew the exact position of Jax's room. She clicked her comm, hailing Shadana.

"We are in our positions." Razielle didn't sound worried that she was laden with two Mark 4 Thermal detonators.

"Good work. I am activating the tracer now." De'Ville felt a surge of excitement and... hope... as she pressed the button to activate the non-invasive trace chip implanted in the whisperkit's shoulder. Razielle would see it on her own scanner, and re-position herself more fully away from it.

Silus was already starting up his speeder, Daria staring at the blip on his screen, and Lilaena quickly did the same. Her hand brushed her stomach, and she felt a pang of sorrow, remembering Jax's twin sister. Miasa. Miasa had died just months after conception, but Jax... Jax she could still save.

The speeders entered the flow of traffic around the Temple.

[Razielle Shadana]

After leaving the trio, Razielle went to retrieve Han. Surprisingly he was ready and waiting for her in the hotel lobby, for once not causing her grief. She was still not too sure about the kid to be blatantly honest. As far as being her apprentice, so far he had been incredibly uncooperative and obstinate. It wasn't like she needed him, if he didn't like what he was learning she would be more than happy to drop him off at a Coruscant orphanage. But for the minute he seemed inclined to do his part for De'Ville's seek and retrieve mission.

The hotel was more than glad to provide Razielle with a speeder for her stay on Coruscant, such was the kind of money she was fond of throwing around.. In the speeder on route to the Jedi Temple, Razielle had briefed Han on what needed to be accomplished. She didn't give a damn how he did it personally, though she did give him the information on Jax that he would need, regarding the whisperkit and the boy's name and age.

Rather than draw any attention by storming into the Temple, tripping all manner of alarms as they went to retrieve the boy, it had been decided that Han would lure Jax to them outside. Razielle's boy apprentice was very skilled with illusion and he seemed intrigued with the responsibility of being included in what was very important business. Answering the hail Raz replied with a grin. "We are in our positions.."

Razielle was no genius with technology, but finding the beeping glowing dot was a snap. The speeder hovered close enough to the ledge that it only to a second for Han to jump the small distance. Razielle immediately left the scene not wanting to appear that she had been investigating the landing. Jedi were so overly cautious and all.. It was simple from here - Han would walk around the corner of the building close enough to see
in Jax's window and to be seen by him, but far enough away that Jax would have to emerge to talk - after being properly motivated to do so by Han.

Leaving Han to do his part, she circled around to the opposite side of the building and several levels up. Now came the bad part for her. Diversion was needed and it wasn't like she couldn't take a beating. She stashed the thermal detonators beneath the speeders seat with a laugh. Driving as if she was out of control she flew the speeder - with only a skillfully executed minor crash into a veranda. She allowed herself to tumble from the seat, as if wounded.

The minute she heard from Han, she would activate the detonators and make good her escape. With any luck, some Jedi would come running to her aid and be taken out with the rest of that portion of the building. Well.... One could hope.

[Silus Xilarian]

"You ever flown a speeder before?"

Inside the cockpit of the speeder, Silus was calm and casual, even as he pushed the accelerator farther than I already was. Nearby, Lilaena seems to be flying as straight and narrow as she could, while Silus dipped and weaved through as much traffic as he could. While he was looking forward to paying the GJO a playful visit, he couldnt ignore the fact that they were gonna need to make a quick exit. That meant, he needed to get accustomed to the speeder quickly, and, if the speeder couldnt handle the abuse, he would rather find out before they started.

[Han Fernua]

What a drag this was. At the time that he was starting to get use to his new residence, they took him out of it and want him to do something for them. Out of the blue, nothing in it for him. What was he, a slave to these people? If knew that, he might not have jumped on to the females ship. So why did he? Maybe it was because he was just drawn to her, he didn't know. Maybe it had nothing to do with her at all. But now she wanted his help, if thats what she called it, to get something for her. To get her son.

As he waited in the lobby of the hotel that the pale one choosed. It was nice, he thought. Maybe a little over done with all the colors and un-needed extras. He wondered what a place like this could cost someone. Not being very good with numbers, it didn't take him long to come up with a simple answer. It was just alot to him.

Doing all that waiting was driving Han to complete boredom. He was going over fun things he could do while he sat here. There was many people also in the lobby. He was about to start playing his own personal game when the pale one came back. If Han was a cursing man, he would have cursed. But he was not a man and did not curse so it made no difference. And to think, he was being a good little boy? Dream on.

Finally it all came down to him. Razielle repeated to him what he was suppose to do. She told him about Jax, about his mission, about options he could take and where to go. Han listened with half an ear. They have been over this many times now, and nothing changed. So he just nodded now and then as if he was really listening. And it was no surprise that Raz left so quickly when he was dropped off. Han didn't really care. Sure he would do this for these people what were so mean to him. Calmly, Han started to make his way as if he was just out for a stroll. Only, he was on a ledge. Not quite where you would expect to see a kid.

[Daria Nytherciria]

“No,” Daria replied, practically rigid. She didn’t like speeders anymore than she liked ships. They were all flying deathtraps, as far as she was concerned. Seat her on some great winged bird or pack beast and she would have adapted instantly, but all of these buttons and wires set her on edge. It was against Kuto code to rely on technology, and in spite of being away from the home world, she still held true to this. “I can crash it, if that would help.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"There you are..." De'Ville saw the figure on the outside of the building, but only because she was looking for him. Inertia and gravity tore at her as she worked the yoke and the rudder pedals (very unsimilar to an actual ship) dipping out of traffic, into oncoming traffic, through the speeders and flotsam, and finally out next to the Temple.

She assumed Silus was close by, and was right when his speeder came up next to hers. She activated the passive repulsors, suspending the speeder in midair beside the ledge outside Jax's window. De'Ville nodded to Han. "Please, do it now." The please was unusual. If she'd had time to think it over, it would have bothered her that she'd used it, but at the time it seemed appropriate.

Digging into her bag, the Dark Jedi pulled out a putty-like substance, and she climbed out of the speeder on to the ledge with Han. She began to thread the putty around the frame of the window while the kid began concentrating, peering inside, although though the window all they could make out were dark shadows.

Silus would give Raizelle the signal that they'd gotten Jax. Lilaena was only worried about her son. What if he refuses to come? What has he been told about me?

[James Prent]

On the other side, and lower down, of the Temple, James Prent tossed in the half-sleep that follows nightmares. They'd been bad tonight, although nothing really made her think that any of them were Force visions. In her state of near sleeplessness, the sound of a speeder crashing sat her straight up in bed.

"Wha-!?" The unasked question was forgotten as she ran to the tiny window and threw it open, sticking her head out. The building had shaken, or it was her imagination. There was nothing underneath her, but above...there was smoke coming from a higher veranda. James ducked back into her room, and grabbed a robe, planning on heading up to see what was going on.

As she entered the hallway, other padawans were doing the same, although some were heavy sleepers and did not appear. "I'll go see what's goin' on. If we all go, the elders will be upset that we are all getting in the way."

One younger padawan looked disappointed. "But I want to see what's happening!"

James playfully shook her head. "Patience, my young padawan. I'll come back as soon as I get the details, and I'll let you all know. But for now, I think the situation is best served by you all getting back into your rooms." Her tone was light, but her heart was heavy. What is happening? Her sense of danger in the Force was high. One of the padawans commented on a feeling on unease as well, but James managed to convince the others to stay put.

It was true, all of what she said, certainly going upstairs to see the crash would only complicate matters if everyone in the building did so. But she didn't want to involve any of these in whatever it was that was happening that night. Not if she could keep them safe. James tugged her robe around her body tighter, and headed for the turbolifts.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin was in another wing of the Jedi complex, cleaning up in an Academy training room, when the general alert was sounded. The automated security system had put out a wide broadcast over the comm, indicating something serious.

He quickly finished putting away a few small training orbs, then moved to the wallpanel. With a few quick keystrokes, he called up the security grid and isolated the alert. Outside explosion, living quarters wing, walls appeared to be breached. His first though was a speeder collision. On rare occasions, when their proximity safeties failed, speeders had been known to collide with the larger buildings on Coruscant. But one hitting the Jedi complex almost never happened, given that the area around it was restricted airspace.

It would take him several minutes to arrive on the scene, and no doubt, others would be there long before him. He did move with haste however, hoping that no one was hurt.

[AmazonBabe]

:: AB had been on her way to her room when she'd remembered a question she'd wanted to ask Figrin about the move that she and Morgan were putting together to Yavin IV. A quick check in the Force had told her where his Force signature was, so she'd turned around had had begun to head in the direction of the young Padawan's training wing. ::

:: She was rounding a corner to step into a turbolift when the security system announced a wide spread alert. All turbo lifts would be automatically shut down, leaving only stair cases open. ::

:: With her question to the other Jedi Master forgotten, she turned back in the direction she'd come, finding the disturbance in the Force coming from the Padawan's wing. Having already been on the wing for the Master's, the wing for the Padawan's was not far. She broke into a trot, heading for the Padawan's wing. ::

[Jax Ivanrue Tondry]

Jax opened his eyes as the building shuddered and sirens began to wail. TR-9700, his 'kit, wriggled next to him, and he yelped as the 'kit's cold nose touched the back of his neck. "TR..." Jax rolled over and glared at the 'kit, who was trying to get under the covers.

The alarms worried Jax. Where was Dad? The little boy sat up, and crawled out of bed, padding over to the door. It opened with a swish, and he peeked out. Dad's door was still closed. But if alarms were going off, Dad would be here soon, to check on him. Jax was utterly confident that nothing could harm him, at least not before Dad arrived to make everything okay.

The boy went back into his room, waiting for Dad to come back. The nanny droid stood in a corner, unused for the better part of a year now. Dad turned it on now and then to tell Jax stories, which is why it was still there, and not serving some other family. Jax walked to it now, and struggled to reach the power switch to turn it on. The switch was out of reach, but with a click the droid powered up, just as Jax saw some shadows outside his window.

The 'kit whined, staring at the window. Jax took the droid's hand as the female personality greeted him. "Would you like a story, Master Jax?"

[Pierce Tondry]

Predawn traffic on Coruscant moved briskly, but not fast enough to suit Pierce. His Operational Capacity paperwork- forms on military standards for various categories of training- had gone in this morning, as had reviews for his personal twelve-man attached unit, Tau Team. Both Pierce and the Taus still classed as fit for duty, which bordered on ironic since both were on their first official leave of the year.

The leave started as a way for Pierce to be free for his son's birthday, but the Taus enjoyed the luxury of having a fixed holiday as much as Pierce enjoyed the time with Jax. Mutual benefit turned the practice into tradition, and so his men were now out of his watchful eye for the day, scattered at various points on Coruscant.

Well, some of them were. Lucious "Magic Fingers" Vadgrin definitely was, although what he would be doing Pierce had only an inkling. Although he was the team's slicer, Lucious had more awareness of the world around him than general coding reputation suggested. That kind of non-specific interest could be hard to predict without any clues.

The team's CO, Sergeant Nick "Hemline" Weimar, would be easier to predict. A day of gambling followed by an evening at the bar, followed by a one-night stand with someone met at said bar. It was a lifestyle Pierce understood, and even though he'd never choose it for himself.

That reminded Pierce- team demolitions expert Mason "Meltdown" Saunders had a girl now. Bothan, a species Pierce innately distrusted for all the right reasons, but apparently Ary'tha classed in as a Bothan atypical of her species. Good for you, Mase. You deserve a good mate.

Pilot and mechanic Alan "Torch" Grainer would be flight-testing the new combination of rockets and manuevering jets he'd equipped to the team stealth shuttlecraft Nullwake. Alan swore up and down this combination provided better handling for a craft Null's size, and he was probably right. So much as dent the armor, Pierce had told him, and Alan would be flight-testing sims for the next two months. Null could be needed at a moment's notice, and absolutely should not be crashed...

A cold feeling intruded itself into Pierce's musings, and he traced it directly from thinking about crashing. Not Alan crashing- danger related to people Pierce knew personally always came in more specific forms- a flashvision, or intense dread after thinking about them, or both. Danger relating to events always presented itself in far more nebulous ways, ways that did not make sense until he could see them in hindsight.

Still, with nothing more to attach the danger to there was no trail and no means to act. Pierce continued onward, now in view of the vast structure that was the Jedi Temple.

[imported_Natia Telcontar]

*Natia was in the process of getting ready to head out on one of her excursions which the Council knows nothing about. Lightsaber at her side, dagger at her other side, black boots, black gloves, black bodysuit, black hooded cloak. All of them are where they're supposed to be on her person. Her hair was pulled back into a braid so it wouldn't get in her face as she was out.

Right when she was about to leave her room, she hears a definate crashing noise, serious crashing noise. Then the alarms started. So much for her excurision tonight.

Running lightly down the hall, she's heading towards where she heard the crash. It was a few floors away, and others are stepping into the hall, having awoken from their sleep by the crash.

Not a word is said to these ppl as she makes her way through the halls to the nearest staircase and starts running up the stairs. She just hopes that none think her a Sith with the way she's dressed*

[Han Fernua]

Han peered into the window just as Lilaena pulled up in her speeder. What was she doing there? Wasn't he suppose to get the kid out before she came? Whatever, it didn't change anything, just the fact that she was now watching him, and even using such words as 'please,' and 'do it now.' How dare she tell him to do something. They asked him to hep out, and he felt like it then. But if she was to tell him to do something again, forget about getting the little wet noised kid. Han cept all his thoughts to himself, as he usualy did. Hell would break loose the day he let his mind speak out to others.

As he watched the window, LD started to apply something to the window. Han didn't care what it was, he didn't need to know. He tried to focus his thoughts on what was needed now. To get the kid to come to the window. How was he to do that? Just then the kid got up from his bed and started to walk around the room.

Han ducked back so as no to be seen. Carefully watching the kid, he tried to come up with a way, a image[/i] that would draw the child near. But just as was to be expected, the boy had to go and turn on a robot. Great, Han thought, something else to go wrong. Getting closer to the window, Han attempted to look deeper inside, to get familiar with the area. To notice where the bed, dresser, nightstand, whatever was in the room, to make sure that if he used a illusion that it would not just walk through the bed or something.

The room was pretty simple, nothing cluttered the center of the floor that much. A good thing to keep in mind. In his peripheral vision he saw movement, just as Jax looked toward the window, Han stepped away to the side. He was sure that Jax saw him. That could fail this mission. He needed to work fast, to come up with something quick. He motioned Lil to move back as he focused his mind.[/i]

Inside the bedroom a small figure could be seen outside the window. It cast a shadow into the room from the lights of the lights that lit up the busy night life of the planet. And as the figure got closer to the window its shape and size could be determined. It looked to be a helpless cat that found its way onto the ledge and, just like all cats, didn't want to seem to come down on its own.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Actually, I think that might not be our best course of action at this point."

Everything was in order now, Lilaena was doing her thing, Razielle and Han were doing there thing, and he was now parked around the side of a building doing his thing. What exactly his 'thing' was at this point though was kind of vague. He seemed to be more or less playing the waiting game. More or less, Silus wasnt really of any use until they got Jax out of his room and needed the perfect getaway.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena pushed a thread of wire into the putty, and depressed the button that activated the small device attatched to the wire. The window beneath the putty melted as though acid had eaten through it, and as the section she'd outlined fell, she grabbed it with the Force, lowering it to the ledge outside.

The Dark Jedi master muttered into her commlink, "Raizelle, now is good." She could almost see Jax, as the boy came up towards the window. Han was concentrating, his strength sufficient to cause her to believe she could see the cat as well, or at least mix of shadows on the ledge that might be a feline. C'mon baby. Just a little closer.

[Razielle Shadana]

Hearing Lil's voice, Razielle grinned and commenced with her performance. The scene: she was a slightly tipsy and now mildly wounded citizen that had oh-so-mistakenly crashed her speeder into the Jedi Temple. Luckily for her she had sustained nothing too damaging and help was most likely on the way.. Typical.

She could almost feel them oozing towards her. It was stiffling. The detonators were set, and though she was no whiz, she knew enough about them to activate them remotely. But she was still hoping to take out a few Jedi in her efforts.. Just wait, Raz...

Struggling to her feet, the wounded victim seemingly stumbled back blindly, towards the ruined ledge she had just crashed through. Perilously close and with just the right touch of drama, Razielle lifted a hand to her forehad and gave a tearjerking sigh. A brush of her finger over the switch disguised as jewelry and it would be a very bright night for the Jedi. The Two Mark 4's would see to that. Just as the doors opened to the veranda, Razielle let out a small groan of feined discomfort and activated the detonators.

[Jax Ivanrue Tondry]

Jax released the droid's hand, and crept up on the window, 'kit licking his fingers as he approached. There was a sizzling sound, and then a breeze hit his face.

The nanny droid said in a motherly tone, "Would you like to hear a story, Master Jax?"

But the boy's eyes were fixed on the woman's face he could now see, now that he was close to the open window. He reached out a hand to her, thinking that maybe he was sleeping and this was a dream. "...Mother?"

And then the woman, who looked like the holo of his mother that he'd been shown on occasion, grabbed his arm, then under his arms, and pulled him through the window.

[James Prent]

The 'lifts were halted, and it took a few minutes to climb the stairs to the correct level. James shut the door to the stairwell behind her, and then found her body flying backwards. It took her mind a few minutes to register what had happened as a wave of hot air rushed over her.

Her ears were ringing, and alarms began wailing. Something had exploded. Something big. James put her fingers to her ear, and saw that she was bleeding. People were running all around her, and she used the wall to get herself back to her feet. What was going on?

[Pierce Tondry]

Ker-Crack!

"Ehm, what was that, Ed?"

Old Eddie turned to his friend, not getting up from his rocker. "A 'lectrical storm's a-brewin," he said. "On Coruscant they pop up fast, they do."

"Really? I'd always wanted to see one."

"Oh, them's violent things, but they ain't likely to break the building's shields. Sit a spell on the porch with me and one'll likely come along."


******

The traffic cleared away from the Jedi Temple as Pierce's speeder approached. Not as many of the morning commuters sought the Jedi for business, and as he broke from traffic Pierce felt uncontrollably alone.

The cold premonitory feeling at the back of his neck overtook the rest of him. Pierce slowed his vehicle to a stop, uncertain what was happening.

Ker-Crack!

It was numb, all numb, and the red haze clouded everything. The wind was gale force, buffeting him without moving him. The drops fell, but they were blood, not rain. He opened his mouth in fury that it should be so, and his voice took the form of a great tidal wave of blood that drowned everything in a tumultuous and boiling red sea.

Pierce jolted back to sensibility with a start. His hands reached mechanically for the steering controls. He didn't realize how clammy they were until they loosely gripped the wheel, but this realization did not register on his senses. They were too preoccupied on coming to grips with a far more furious fact.

Somehow, Pierce knew without knowing that Lilaena De'Ville now had his son.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin was thrown off balance as a the building was rocked by what could only have been an explosion. Catching his balance on a railing, his danger sense instantly told him something was terribly wrong. He bolted down the hallway and up the nearest set of stairs, moving with all the speed he could muster.

He threw the stairwell door open and found James Prent struggling to her feet. The Jedi Master helped her up, spotting a trickle of blood running down her earlobe. Chaos surrounded them as other Jedi moved out of the immediate area. A cloud of permacrete dust plummed and spread down the hallway.

"Are you alright?," he asked. "There was some kind of explosion... a big one. A lot bigger than a speeder collision."

His danger sense flickered again. There was something else now... sinister and dark. This was no accident.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

[imported_Natia Telcontar]

*Natia was just exciting a stairwell when the building shook from the explosion. She's knocked off her feet violently, landing down in the hall a short ways from where she was. Her eyes close, to block out the light of the building, as she regains her bearings of where she is and what happened.

There's a dull pain in her head from her head hitting the floor. After several moments, she struggles back up onto her feet and looks around. There are Jedi about, looking confused, some injured mildly like she is, but it doesn't look like anything serious in this area.

She goes to work her way down the hall towards where the explosion happened*

[Razielle Shadana]

This was going to be one of those times where Razielle hated depending on others. She had done this knowing if one person was delayed, it was all over for her. The Vampyre was not in a position to play with time.

As she had ignited the veranda into a brilliant explosion of crystalline lights; orange, red and blue, Razielle herself had been propelled back by the force of the blast and off the side of the building. Rolling herself into a predetermined dive, she silently focused on Silus arriving quickly. Immortality had its limitations and she had no desire to make a red splat on the pristine Jedi Temple.

The velocity of her fall extinguished the remaining embers from the explosion, but she was still a bit singed. All of this had better be worth it, I hope De'Ville gets her son out of here... Extending her arms and legs away from her to slow her descent a bit, Razielle did the only thing she could. She waited...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Gotcha! Lilaena hugged Jax to her as she pulled her son into the speeder. Han was scooping up the whisperkit and jumping into Silus' vehicle. . . it seemed to be happening in slow motion.

An explosion rocked the building, and Jax started to cry as Silus flipped an incredible 180 and accelerated away. Lilaena strapped Jax into his seat, his little fists trying to push away her hands. She wished she could explain this to him (blood and ashes, he was bigger than she'd thought he would be), but there simply was no time.

The Dark Jedi stomped on the accelerator, taking the speeder away from the Temple.

[AmazonBabe]

:: AB had come up the opposite end of the Padawan's wing when the explosion had hit. She lost her footing and hit the floor hard, sliding up against the wall. Several Padwans that were plodding in the hallway likewise lost footing, either falling or crashing into walls or other Padawans. It was instant chaos. ::

:: Amongts the wailing of the alarms, the younger Padawans were either sniveling with fear or latching on to older Padawans, while the older Padawans tried to keep an air of bravery, though glimpses of fear and confusion could be seen in their eyes. ::

:: AB picked herself up from the floor, and immediately went down again, sharp needles of pain shooting through her ankle. ::

Frell! Great time to sprain an ankle!

:: She picked herself up again, wincing not only from the pain in her ankle, but from the noise level of the alarms. She put most of her weight on her good ankle, looking down the hallway at the other Padawans picking themselves up or helping others. As her eyes traveled towards the center of the hallway, she spotted tiny wisps of smoke coming through the cracks of a closed door. ::

:: Her already fair skin went ghostly white as she wobbled towards the door, praying that whatever had happened beyond the door, that there had not been a Padawan in there. ::

[Silus Xilarian]

Before Han could get in fully, Silus reached over and grabbed him by the arm, yanking him into the speeder a bit unceremoniously. As soon as none of Han's limbs were hanging out, Silus punched the accelerator. The force of the takeoff was enough to slam Han's speeder door.

Silus was already flying down as he made his way around the building. If everyone's timing was on, it meant Razielle was already in the air. This proved true as Silus rounded the building and saw her pale form flying through the air. Her arms and legs were spread away from her as she took the ultimate nestea plunge, which was slowing her slightly. Gravity was also on Silus's side, not to mention an engine pushing him downward. Needless to say, it wasnt long before he was having to slow up to match speed with her.

"Daria! Help her open the door!"

By now, the dark under levels of Coruscant was coming at them pretty quickly, and it didnt help that they didnt have a sunroof....

[Daria Nytherciria]

As Razielle fell from above, Daria yanked at the handle on the speeder door. It would not open. In a panic, she growled at the scrap metal and kicked out at the lever – causing the door to spring open. Silus banked the speeder to one side, and all of the occupants slid with gravity. He would have to pass right beneath Razielle, at the right angle, for her to make a painless stop. Although he wasn’t the best of drivers, he seemed to be holding the craft in place right, and no sooner than had the door burst open, Razielle came crashing into the backseat – with Daria cushioning her fall, the wind completely knocked out of her. “She’s in,” the Doz’rah wheezed.

[Pierce Tondry]

Time seemed slow.

It was a quicksand feeling- the air seemed gelatinous, thwarting any attempt he might make to turn the speeder in the direction of one of the fleeing vehicles that must have held his son. Almost as if the Force was guiding him, telling him there was no point in such a chase, and instilling an icy calm inside him that numbed everything away.

Logically, it made sense. Jax could be killed during a chase from any number of things. The safest course for the boy was letting his captors escape.

Part of Pierce rebelled. It hated that fate should follow this course. It despised the woman with his son, and everyone with her, and everything they stood for.

Part of Pierce wanted to make Lilaena scream in agony as he killed her.

Pierce blinked, and the world returned to a semi-normal state. Everything still seemed a touch slower than usual, but other than that, all was fine.

Except that he couldn't control the speeder's direction. Looking down, Pierce could see the cause.

His hands were shaking.

[James Prent]

James coughed through the dust that was settling in the hall. Someone was screaming, it sounded like a frightened youngling, or maybe two, and like they were in the bottom of a well. She tried to talk to Master D'an, but her ears were ringing, and she could barely hear him. She tried to answer, but coughed again.

And then -

Jax! Her time spent with the little boy had begun a bit of bonding between them. He had taken to her right away, for his own reasons, and perhaps his innate ability with the Force helped grow the bond beyond emotional, and turn it into something mental. Almost as though they were family. She could sense how he was feeling much easier than she could others around her, although she couldn't point to where he was in a building.

And Jax was terrified. His room, however, was on the other side of the building and down a few floors. James pushed past Master D'an most uncharacteristically, grabbing for the door to the stairwell. She had to get there, before... before...

Master D'an took her arm. James turned frightened eyes to him. "It's Jax. I - I can feel it. It's starting." She felt her knees buckle, and she stayed upright through an act of willpower. "I'm too late! He's gone!"

[Jax Ivanrue Tondry]

Jax pushed at the hands of the woman who was strapping him into a speeder, for once not interested in the vehicle. "No! No! Stranger!" He cried as the speeder took him away from the window, and away from his birthday, and his father.

"I am not a stranger, I am your mother." The woman sounded like she was crying. Jax shook his head. This wasn't his mother. No, no!

"I want Daddy! Take me home!" Mommy had left them. Mommy had other things she liked better than Jax and Daddy. Jax cried, his little fist thumping against the dark haired woman's arm as she drove.

[Razielle Shadana]

The Vampyre found herself half sprawled across the redheaded Daria. How charming.. Sitting up and rolling herself into her own seat, Razielle tried to assess the damage she had done herself in her efforts. It was really not so bad.

Her cheek had a scratch under one eye that was bleeding. Actually the blast had given her a small taste of what sunlight must feel like. Her flawless white skin was pink with burn, although it just made her look less like a corpse so she figured it was no castostrophic event. The thigh high's had of course been shredded to tatters and her ponytail had half fallen out.

Disentangling her hair from the elastic, Razielle finally spoke in a soft rasp that would have done Salem proud. "Thankss.. Nice catch guyss.." But no one was really paying attention, not even her child apprentice. It was time to get the hell out of there and lead away the cavalry.

[Han Fernua]

Since the moment that LD had gotten the kid, Han had recieved nothing but a bumpy ride. And to top it off, as Raz landed her little flying trick, the two females clashed and someones foot got him in the nose. Oh, what a great night for a joy ride.

As the speeder finally stablized, Han repositioned himself on his seat. He then looked over to the pale one who, at the moment was not so pale, seemed to be having a bad hair day. The smell of burned flesh and hair filled the vehical. Han was searching for some clean air that did not have the stentch. There was none.

As opened the window to allow some fresh air in, he looked over to the womans face. It was bleeding. He didn't think that the woman had any blood flowing through he pale vampiric body. Something has to keep her going, he thought. He looked around the cabin and found a small medkit in the back. He opened it and found a bandage like cloth. Taking it, he gently aplies it to the wound, takes Raz's hand and makes her hold it in place.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville pushed Jax's hands away as she flew calmly through traffic, already far away from the Temple. "Calm down!"

She looked at the five year old sideways, and to her relief Jax settled down, hugging his pajamas to him in the wind. The dark Jedi closed her eyes briefly, and sighed, flying towards the ship that would take them off Coruscant.

[Pierce Tondry]

First James Prent had come careening into the room. She'd listened as he told her in a subdued voice about the loss of his son before speeding off again.

Then, the Jedi Council had arrived. They asked how he was, what he knew. Asked if he minded an investigative team coming by. Promised to find Jax. Figrin had been especially kind.

Other Jedi had trickled by after that, offering condolences. The phrase "If you need anything" had been repeated so many times, Pierce could likely have had ten female Jedi for sleeping companions that night.

The investigative team came and went. They told him nothing he didn't already know.

Now it was some time later. Pierce was alone in his son's bedroom, holding one of the stuffed toys Jax used to play with. Everyone who had come by, was gone.

The day he'd feared for two years was now over. Lilaena came, struck at his heart, and disappeared.

In spite of everything, Pierce felt strangely calm. The fear was gone- the mere idea had built up so much in his mind, it was hard to see anything else. Now that the situation was here, he could confront it.

But unfortunately, it meant other things were true; things he'd feared along with the possibility of losing Jax. That when the time came, the Jedi would be unprepared for this kind of crisis. That Pierce's trust in their ability to protect his family was misplaced. That the absolute faith in the teachings of the Jedi which had slowly built up over years inside Pierce was foolish.

It was also a painful reminder that acting in behalf of right and good did not render one invulnerable to those who did evil.

But those who did evil were not invulnerable themselves.

Pierce set the stuffed toy down, got up, and quietly went into his room.

Doesn't mean much.
It doesn't mean anything at all.
The life I've left behind me is a cold one.

I've crossed the last line from where I can't return.
Where every step I took in faith betrayed me.

Sweet surrender is all I have to give.



######

"No storm, Ed?"

"Oh, there'll be a storm, don't you worry. They just don't always show up right away. But this storm'll be back, and it'll be worse than anything you've ever seen."

[Figrin D'an]

The conference room adjacent to the Council chambers was empty and quiet, one of the few places in the entire complex that wasn't still in a cloud of tension and uncertainty. Everyone was on edge after what had happened, and there wasnt a soul in the building that wasn't thinking about Pierce's son, Jax, and wondering where he had been taken.

Having taken charge of the situation at the scene, Figrin had spent hours with the investigative team, talking with witnesses and examining any shred of evidence. Now, he simply wanted to read the complete report and digest everything it contained.

The investigators had managed to reconstruct the incident rather well. Three teams, stationed in different positions around the Jedi complex... one to create a distraction, one to grab the target, and one to serve as a decoy. It was flawlessly executed. Professionals with perfect timing. There was no way that the Jedi could have reacted quickly enough with the organization necessary to counter the operation. And, to add to the dismay, every member of each of the teams had gotten away clean. No arrests, no one to interrogate, and therefore, no solid leads on where to begin to look for the missing Jax Tondry. If Pierce was right, that it was Lilaena De'Ville who was responsible (and there was no reason to doubt that assertion), the Order could attempt to track her recent movements, but there was simply no guarentee of finding her. The Dark Jedi had proven to be elusive in the past, and given the precision of the kidnapping, Figrin had no doubt that she would have taken extensive precautions to cover her trail.

Pierce had been oddly quiet ever since learning of what had happened, enough to cause Figrin concern about his state of mind. Tondry was strong of will, but having a child taken was something that would create a strong swelling of emotion in even the strongest of minds. Having never had children of his own, Figrin could only imagine what the Jedi Knight was feeling. It didn't lessen the guilt he felt, though. The Jedi Complex was supposed to be a place of serenity, in which Jedi could feel safe. On this day, that belief had come crashing down upon them. Could the Jedi not protect their own within their own walls? Were they so blind and perceived as being so weak that their enemies were able to challenge them on their own ground and win?

Things would need to change. They had to. There was simply no other recourse. Complacency had become the status quo. No longer, however. The Dark Side would need to be sought out and defeated.

And it would start with finding Jax Tondry and Lilaena De'Ville, no matter what it took to do so.

[James Prent]

The holovision made for a colorful window into fantasy, but with the sound muted, the figures in front of her eyes failed to snap James out of her reverie. She felt shattered. If only she had a bit more control over these visions, she could have predicted Jax's kidnapping.

She should have been able to do something. She wanted to be able to do something.

James was unconsciously fiddling with her lightsaber hilt, it's rough-looking metal skin smooth against her right hand as she fumed. She turned her anger over in her mind just as often as she did the saber, until she sighed, and closed her eyes.

It wasn't your fault, James. Figrin had said that to her after she'd returned from her race to the Tondry's rooms. James tried to take that to heart. Certainly he was right, but it didn't feel correct, when she had had so many warning signs. But ultimately the blame rested on one person. Lilaena De'Ville, the name she'd finally wrested from Master D'an. Pierce wasn't up to talking to her about his ex-wife, and she'd never pried. James swallowed, willing her anger to wilt away.

Slowly, it did. Her visions made one thing clear. Jax would be in trouble, and she would fight the person who threatened him. Whether the cloaked figure of her dreams was De'Ville or not, James would be ready.

She was ready. The padawan stood up, extending her arm and igniting her lightsaber. The blue blade sliced through the air, and James spun it in a brilliant arc in front of her. She trusted her training, and her master. She'd learned much in the years she'd been with the Order - it seemed only yesterday Jax had celebrated his third birthday with her, and now he was already five. He wouldp be brought back. The Tondry family would be whole again. James turned off her saber, clipped it to her belt, and made her way towards the sparring rooms.

Mommy had come, but this was not the end.