Pay her no mind... (Imperial Knight)

[Palinsa Donar]

She was just outside on the balcony,her lithe fingers lightly rubbing her temples as she wished silentlyto keep the body wracking headaches at bay for just a little longer.


*Keep it together, Lins...* shetried to reassure herself with the mental boost. It wasn't workingand the headache was threatening to be a big one. Lithe fingers ran lightly over the amber hair bound intricately up on her head. Curls of wispy fire brushed her cheek and neck in carefully orchestrated loose tendrils. The unique shape of her exotic face was a distraction her clients always like taking advantage of. A pretty face often made men agree to things they wouldn't normally agree to. She had perfected her makeup to accent those large eyes and high cheekbones.


This had been debriefed as a quicksettlement. She had come with the client to see if the other side wasearnest in what they were speaking of. A couple well placedquestions, her ability to read the quick surface thought answerbefore they spoke, and letting her client know if they were speakingtrue to their thoughts... a few hrs and it was going to be done. Thenshe would collect her credit, get on a transport and take a muchneeded vacation.


But the few hours had turned into halfthe day. And even now, there was talk of continuing tomorrow.Palinsa's heart sank. She doubted with the thrumming already tryingto split her temple, she knew once she fell asleep, she wouldn't wakeup. At least not in the morning.


“Lady Donar, they are waiting foryou.” A servant spoke quietly from the door back into the mainsalon they were all in.


“Tell them I am coming. Thank you.”She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled as she ran herhands lightly over her amber hair till she knew she was composed oncemore.


As Palinsa Donar reentered the room,she had a bright smile on and her client came to her beeming as if hewas a concerned lover. “Are you all right my dear?” His sinceritywas obvious to the room, but even he couldn't hide his surfacethoughts. *She better be or she isn't getting a single credit fromme.* she heard it as clearly as if he had screamed it at her.


“I am fine, thank you.” She wasdone playing the doting companion, along for mere support withabsolutely no head for trade talks. She had claimed earlier in theday that she had no clue what her man did. She just knew she was agood luck charm for him. He had made her accompaniment a term of thetalks.


Once they were all around the table,she once more touched each mind in turn to see where the thoughtswere. The client was anxious, blaming her for it taking so long. Oneof the Empire's Representatives felt sorry for her. Thought she wouldbe better off without the man at her side. The other Representativewas bored, wanting this over as much as the rest.


There were also several guards in theroom. Most belonged to the host, her client. But two were from theEmpire, though she imagined there were more she could not see. Theirminds were blanks to her. Voids where silence sat as deep as the seasof Naboo.


The questions and discussions began andonce more, Palinsa went to work. She read the answer in the person'smind, then listened to the answer that was actually spoken. If italigned with their thoughts, she remained still. If it didn't, shedid her fidgeting act as if bored but trying to be an attentive host.Two hours later there was an agreement. The Empire didn't seem happywith the outcome, despite getting what they wanted. They had come inassured they would negotiate and receive far more. They were confusedhow the man had kept them so tightly reined in with such diplomacy.


As the hand shaking and paper signingbegan, Linsa said her goodbyes and excused herself to allow them todo the things that truly were over her mind. She stepped out onto thebalcony then headed towards the elaborate gardens. There would beanother hour before she could collect her fee and depart. Her headwas screaming and she moved to a quiet bench in the shadows andclosed her eyes. Once more rubbing her temples she tried to erase thepain with sheer will.


But her will was gone, drained like herenergy. She needed to practice more. Build up her abilities. This wasgoing to kill her if she wasn't careful. Taking a deep breath sherubbed her temples once more. An entire squad of Storm Troopers couldhave trampled by at this point and she probably wouldn't havenoticed, so focused was her attention on her headache. She certainlywasn't aware of anyone else in the garden.








<<waiting on claim permission for Lily Cole (redhead)... for reference>>

[Inkara Liet]

Skydome Botanical Gardens
Fobosi District, Coruscant
1315 hrs

Years ago, she had went to these very gardens on the recommendation of a physician who had been assigned to her, personally, and had performed her annual physicals ever since. The visits had become part of her routine, beneficial in a calming way that was not at all a mystery to her, but infrequent in occurrence, due entirely to her duties. For the most part, she paid little mind to the others that made use of the space, though now with the Knights of the Imperial Throne, she had a public face and now kept up with all that entailed; prominent citizens of the Empire could be found within the gardens, and she availed herself of their company.

That there was something... nay, someone's openly grasping psyche pressing against her own mental walls was unexpected, but nothing got in or out unless she willed it so. Unintegrated sensitives hardly dared to walk these parts of the capital, wary for some strange reason of all that the Knight program could do for them, but there were some that were oblivious. With a tip of her head and an apology, she excused herself from the Atrisian diplomat to whom she had been talking for the past five minutes on the subject of cultural martial arts disciplines - an expansion upon a question he had asked of her - to root out the problem. That all she had to do was turn around made it the easiest job of tracking she had ever undertaken. One could make an assumption around the vigorous rubbing of temples that this woman was engaged in, but it was the openly seeking mind that created the redhead's status as a target for integration, which made the dark-haired Knight take the scant few steps over to the target to open a dialogue.

"Excuse me, miss," she spoke up, in a clear-toned voice, after finding that standing over the woman drew not a single sliver of her attention, "I can see that you're in pain."

She did not sit, and her hands remained folded behind the small of her back. Every inflection, every word, every quirk of movement in her visage, was carefully constructed to show what she wanted to be seen, and to elicit desired responses.

"I can help."

[Palinsa Donar]

She had managed to get the sharp pain turned to dull ache when she heard a voice and opened her eyes. The feet of the woman who had spoken to her were a blazing sign that not only had she been snuck up on, but she had been obvious in her pain.


Recovering her composure as she looked up, her eyes squinting in the bright light of the day that poked needles into her skull, the young woman smiled. But the curtesy was tight and didn't quite reach her eyes. “Forgive me, all the talk of politics and exportation bores me. I am sure the headache will pass.”


Her body was tense, tight with the fight to control the pain. She had blown it and she knew it. The face of the woman towering above her and staring her down was enough to make her realize just how bad she had gotten. “It's just a headache... I...”


The sun was too much. Trying to put up shields while this drained made her suck in her lower lip. Maybe a little truth... just a little.


“Forgive me.” She looked back up, this time shielding the bright sun on her eyes with her hand. “I am Palinsa. I think the headache IS a bit more than usual. If you have something I can take, I would be most grateful. I fear my pain killers are on the ship in my things. I hate to excuse myself just to go fetch them when it seems we will be leaving soon anyway.” It was close enough to the truth that maybe it would be enough.


The mantra in her head, also as unshielded and open as her lie, whispered over and over. *In and out... in and out... just breathe, Lins... keep yourself calm and still... it will pass..* Her smile, as bright as the sun when first turned up at the woman was slowly melting into a wince. She had pushed herself far too much. The BURN OUT that a Jedi had warned her about years ago, seemed a lot closer suddenly.


And she wasn't sure there was anything anyone could do for her at this point. That single thought scared her to death!

[Palinsa Donar]

Palinsa was at her wits end. If this woman could help...


Suddenly she glanced across the garden. Two guards wereapproaching. Biting her lip she wondered just who the woman was andwhy the guards were coming to accompany the stranger... or perhapscheck up on the woman.


Standing up, a little shaken on her feet as her head protested thesudden movement, the red head smiled as politely as she could. “Youknow, I think the fresh air did wonders. I am actually feelingbetter.” She was blatantly lying but had to get out of there. Shedidn't want any trouble.


As she moved around the fountain away from the stranger and herencroaching body guards, she met their path a moment quicker than shehad thought. “Excuse me, please.” She smiled her best and triedto step between them.


When they refused to move, she even tried to step around them butthe hedge was in the way. “Pardon me, I need to get back.” Shecouldn't say back to her husband or lover because it wasn't true. And she daren'tsay client because the illusion had been set hours ago and lettingthe proverbial nexu out of the cage would certainly get her introuble. Taking half a step back figuring the direct approach wasbest, she grit her teeth against the pounding in the her head thatthreatened to make her vision swim, and once more stepped forward.“Excuse me!”

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"We both know that's not going to happen."

One of the two guards spoke in a clipped tone, full of restrained menace. As Palinsa's eyes turned to the speaker, the second man pressed the arc conduit of a stun baton into the red-head's side. Palinsa seized as her muscles locked in immobilizing pain. Before she lost consciousness, she could just make out the first guard slipping an opaque black bag over her head. Before it descended over Palinsa's eyes, she saw the smirking expression of Inkara Liet in the background.




* * *



The next time Palinsa opened her eyes, all she could see was white light. She ached from her head to her feet, and as her senses began to return to her, she also realized she was restrained from her head to her feet as well, strapped and shackled onto a cold metal gurney that was inclined at a steep angle.

Wherever she was, it was cold. Not so much as to be freezing, but the discomfort registered. She could hear very little. The shuffling of what sounded like boots. A nearly-quiet hum of something mechanical. She heard nothing else. If anyone was with her, they said nothing.

However, there were matters that were unsaid.

...She's awake...

...Lady Liet suspects potential force adept...

...hiding in plain sight, rebel sympathies?...

...her parents' history is an interesting topic of discussion. Something to press her on...

[Palinsa Donar]

The hand at her periphery was quicker than her body's response. "NO! WAIT" Was all she got out before her teeth slammed together and she went down, convulsing with no control of her body. The pain was excruciating, but without the ability to voice it, there was no scream. Her mental cry was loud and keening as the hood enveloped her vision just before the blackness became complete with her unconsciousness. *NNOooooo!!!!*

She must have been out quite a while. While the headache burn fromoverusing her gift was gone, the pain of the stunner and whateverfollowed was fresh on her body. Shivering as the cold was realized,she bit her lip in more pain from the wracking.



She tried to move her head from side to side, but the dizzinessreminded her that while the initial spike of her head pain was gone,lack of food, real sleep and a stim shot was still leaving her achingand suffering. “Hello?”



She thought she heard voices, but when she concentrated, they werenot really there. Closing her eyes she whispered mentally to herself.*What did you get yourself into, now, Lins? * Lack of training andpersonal shields would mean anyone with the ability would hear herthoughts easily.



Bits and pieces of overheard mind speech managed to register andshe found herself answering, not realizing it was actual telepathyshe was sensing. “I am no rebel sympathizer. And my parents' deathwas a horrible accident. A grave misunderstanding.” The fact herparents had been caught in an Imperial sting and mistaken forAlliance supporters still rankled her. But she had promised to neverchange sides. So despite being angry at the Empire for the error, shestill could never find herself entertaining the idea of helping theenemy... even for revenge.



“Where am I? What do you want? I didn't do anything wrong!”The indignation in her voice may have been menacing if not for thewaver in her vocals from the pain, hunger and now cold that seemed toweigh heavier on her than her material clothing.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

If anyone was in the room with Palinsa, they were silent. A new sound could be heard. Tap...tap tap tap...taptaptap, soft and nearly inaudible, save for the digital call and response beeps of a touchscreen interface. Someone had to be in the room with her, typing something inscrutable and unseen on a computer.

...possible evidence of invasive telepathy...

...should be recommended for Black-Level interrogation...

...Lady Vissica will want to know...

[Palinsa Donar]

The voices were silent a moment. But then the tapping began.

What were they doing? What did they want?

"HELLO! Anybody?" She called again and struggled once more against her bonds which left her crying out in pain this time, unable to bite it back in time. Tears filled her eyes as she struggled harder, the pain growing. "PPLEEASEE!!! Someone..." The plea was bordering on pitiful as the redhead yanked uselessly.

Lady Vissica... that name... someone would want to know ... know what?

Once more her mind called out because her voice was getting raw. *Tell Lady Vissica whatever you want... just let me go... please.....*

She didn't care who knew what... she only knew she had to get out. "Please. Tell whoever you want, but let me out of here. Why am I here?" Once more unaware her mental thoughts were already making her spoken words and pleas redundant.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

A sound in front of Palinsa jolted the woman's already-frayed nerves. Heavy, metallic, a sharp pneumatic hiss. A door? The clamor ended as soon as it began, replaced in it's absence by what sounded like footfalls against tile. But they sounded wrong. Not the clap clap clap of synthetic-soled boots, but rather a softer thump-tick, thump-tick, thump-tick. Softer - but heavier.

"Ah, Lady Vissica, the prisoner has regained consciousness, and she is ready to -" A humanoid voice with a Core World accent began.

"Leave us." The second voice sounded nearly feminine, but low. Full of gravel and rasp.

"Ah...uh..o-of course, my Lady."

Clap clap clap the boot soles went. The door screeched closed.

Again, Palinsa returned to relative silence, disturbed only by the sound of breathing, and the presence of a faintly musky odor.

[Palinsa Donar]

Lady Vissica... she was here?

"Hello? Lady? What is happening?" Her voice was hoarse, her body sore to the point of fatigue and her mind so close to pounding again, she small respite she had felt upon waking was nearly forgotten. *Why won't you answer me?* She growled absently.

"Please... I know you are here. What is happening? What did I do?" There were probably a myriad of things she had done. But short of being personal insult to someone, she couldn't think what she could possibly have done to warrant this kind of treatment. Then suddenly the thought struck her and the whimper was nearly a screamed echo in the silent room despite barely being an exhale of breath with a whine of volume.

*They caught me. They think I am a traitor like they thought my parents were. It was a mistake, my parents loved the Empire. They weren't traitors. Oh gods... what's going to happen to me?* Her mind went frantic as she wondered now if all the nightmares she had made up in her travels were about to come to fruition. And all because her parents had been finding out who the real loyalists were.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

There came a sound that wasn't quite a growl. A throaty rumble. It didn't sound human.

"Gaven Phenirr."

thump-tick

thump-tick

thump-tick

"He was placed under arrest not long after you were. The Imperial Security Bureau will be interested to hear how he has consistently negotiated government contracts in his favor."

The strange footfalls followed the voice in a circuit around Palinsa, with only a formless shadow at the periphery of her vision to sho for it. Behind the steps, something dragged along the floor. Swished against it.

"I believe you know the answer."

[Palinsa Donar]

The name of her most recent client hit her ears worse than had she been boxed there. Her mind went over the three contracts she had negotiated for him over the last two years. Her defenses rose as the accusations began to fly, however veiled in mild curiosity.

"The Empire always received what it desired. I am sorry if I did not always make them gain the ground they desired. It was my job. But I made sure they never lost any of what they initially asked for." It was true. She made sure that no matter what the plans her clients had, she never allowed the Empire to lose whatever ground they had initially negotiated. "I even made sure the Empire gained some last time." The was a whining plea for the voice to believe her.

The swish concerned her and each time she heard its pass, she shivered and bit her lip. Whips, stun lines, all kinds of nefarious and unwanted things ran through her mind. *Please... no more pain. I can't take it... please. I did what they wanted... I never hurt the Empire.* Her mental mantra kicked in once more as she spoke over the top of it. "What do you want? I can tell you anything you want. I can even tell you where the contracts are on his ship if you want to see them!"

*If you're gonna kill me, it will be a blessing... the pain is too much... please... let me go.* Between wanting desperately to live, and the pain making her second guess that choice, she felt the tears down her cheek as she waited to see what would strike first, a fist or an implement.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The sounds of movement stopped. When the voice spoke again, it originated just over Palinsa's left shoulder.

"Gaven Phenirr's fate does not interest me. I expect he will be tried, found guilty, and disintegrated within the week."

A hand came into view, visible to Palinsa just barely if she strained to look down. It rested on her shoulder, with broad knuckles, four dark-skinned digits tipped with short-tapered claws. Between each of the sturdy digits, a vestigial webbing of skin stretched from one to the next, hinting at an aquatic origin.

"You need not share his fate, Palinsa Donar. I am confident we can negotiate something better for you."

[Palinsa Donar]

The fact that Gavin would die a horrible fate, surprisingly didn't trouble her. He was an unscrupulous man and her trade agreements with him and the Empire had barely made it worth her time. The Empire had been more than generous and she never felt a need to push that. His fate was his own.

As the hand touched her shoulder, a small jump and whimper shook Palinsa's body. The whimper was a cross between surprise and the pain from the jump. She managed to look down and see the foreign paw on her shoulder. The tell tale Selonian digits made her shudder once more.

Palinsa closed her eyes and let her head drop. “Tell me, please... what do you want of me?”

*Anything... my loyalty has never wavered. * Her whisper came to the feline woman's mind. “I'll do anything, but please... just tell me.” She felt her body begin to relax. Death or life, it was going to be revealed in a moment. *My loyalty has always been to the Empire... *

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The silent pleading of Palinsa's emotional projection had an immediate effect. The hand at the prisoner's shoulder raised from it's perch, then withdrew from sight.

"Lights."

An electric snap sounded above as the high intensity interrogation spotlamp switched off. At the same time, the lighting in the rest of the interrogation chamber switched on. It would take a minute or so for Palinsa's traumatized eyes to adjust to the change of illumination, but slowly, she'd begin to see her surroundings.

Gray walls. Gray ceiling. Gray floor. Brutalist accents of metal meeting tile in austere and spartan array. It was unmistakeably Imperial.

thump-tick

thump-tick

thump-tick

The unseen figure finally moved into view - a hazy silhouette gaining clarity with each blink of the eye. Few species in the galaxy could be mistaken for a Selonian by those who had seen them. Broad-browed head, bullet-shaped muzzle. A towering frame built around a whip-flexible spine and wiry muscles. What was decidedly unusual was the panoply of Imperial armor the alien wore over her torso.

The Selonian squared herself once she had paced squarely into Palinsa's view again. A clawed hand rose from her side, index finger and thumb meeting as if she were pulling an invisible thread.

In unison, Palinsa's bindings and restraints clicked open.

"Rise." The Selonian commanded with a neutral-toned rumble.

[Palinsa Donar]

The loss of the light was almost a relief till she blinked and the other lights began to register. Slowly blinking, her ears twitched as she realized the feline was moving in front of her. The swish on the floor now being guessed as a tail and not a whip, the ticking sound being claws and not torture devices.

As the woman raised her hands and the bonds holding Palinsa were suddenly released, the woman began to topple forward. Stepping off the slight step at the bottom of her body board, the telepath went to her knees with a cry. *Thank you... * her breathy mental rasp echoed.

The coolness of the stark floor was actually a welcome. She took a deep breath and tried to draw that coolness physically into her body. She knew it wasn't possible, but it didn't stop her from trying.

It took her a minute to catch her breath. Slowly, with tight clenched jaw, the Corellian managed to get to her feet, shaking, and look up at her captor. “What...” She started to talk and had to take another breath. “What do you want of me?”

If the woman took too long to answer, Lins would not feel shame in reaching for the table to bolster her up. It dawned on her then that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Was that this morning, or yesterday morning? She had lost track of time. And that didn't sit well with her either.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"Hm."

The Selonian's head canted slightly, her ermine eyes slowly closing as it did. She drew in a deep breath - broad, wet nose crinkling as the array of whiskers framing her musteline face rose and fell.

"I can feel you inside. Yearning. Reaching."

A single black eye cracked open a sliver.

"Clumsy. Feeble. Childlike."

The Selonian tugged ponderously at the tiny crop of fur at her chin.

"And yet, good enough for the weak-willed."

The alien's pink tongue flipped up in a half pass along her muzzle.

"You know that you hold more than simple intuition. Gaven Phenirr knew it too. You are like a toy. Sold to the ignorant so they may simply play with you, because they are too foolish to know how to use you."

A wall fell upon Palinsa's attempted probing, as impenetrable as granite. The Selonian's eyes were on her, sharp as a hawk's.

"Cease your useless efforts on me, girl. They will yield nothing for you that I would not tell you myself."

The alien crossed her arms over her armored breastplate as her muscular tail slid a lazy trail along the floor.

"My name is Matatek Sel Vissica. I am a Knight of the Imperial Throne. I am here to offer you purpose."

[Palinsa Donar]

The words from the feline enraged Palinsa, but she was in no shape to argue. On a good day, she could have squared her shoulders and denied the adjectives. Weak-willed was the one that rankled her most. Had she had hackles, they surely would have raised. As it was, she merely managed to shake her head slightly.


“I can read only the barest of thoughts. What is at the fore at the beginning, before speech and noise drowns out the rest.” She couldn't believe that she knew anything more than that, surely she would have figured more out by now if she truly could have.


When the cat slammed down her mental shields, the silence was so sudden and void like that the redhead gasped and eyes cleared as she looked at the captor. “How?... what?” She had felt that same void in the guards in the room where the negotiations had been. But she thought it was simply boredom or lack of any clear opinion or thought that had kept her from reading them. But realizing it was a conscious thing peaked her interest more than her hunger or fatigue.


As the woman spoke of Palinsa trying to glean anything from her, her eyes narrowed in indignation. “I do not pry, Lady Knight.” The title now given because of the feline's place in the Empire being revealed. “I only read what is foremost thought of.”


But as the offer to have answers came, she took advantage. “Why am I here and what purpose do you offer?”

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"What purpose? The only purpose."

Vissica's whiskers splayed a degree wider.

"Those who know the Force are compelled to use it in service of the Empress."

The Selonian upturned her chin ever-so-slightly.

"There is no other purpose."

[Palinsa Donar]

Palinsa nearly fell once more. She was being offered a job for the Empire... for the Empress!

"You are asking me to serve the Empire?" She almost laughed had she not still been in pain. "How can I say no when it is all I have ever wanted?"

She shook with relief. There was no worry of choice or loyalties and had the woman felt her mind, the desire to do just what was being offered is all she ever wanted. "Of course, I will serve the Empire." She dared not think she was going to have anything to do with the Empress, herself. Even she wasn't that naïve. *I just hope she doesn't have need before I can sit down and eat a little something first.* Once more, not realizing the lack of shielding meant Vissica could hear her every thought, she felt her mind wandering. *And perhaps a pain block...*

"Please... may I ask for some water at least?" She wasn't sure what capacity she was going to be serving in. Her mind reeled from being in a small cell and pulled out when needed, to being in a dorm like setting where others of service were kept till they were called for. Either way, she only hoped she wouldn't be pushed as she had today. *Though I would do it gladly if ordered.* Her mind contradicted itself almost immediately.

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica's ears pinned back slightly. Though it was evident from Palinsa's giddy response of relief, she could sense that same emotional release on a more muted scale through the force.

"Do not mistake a question for a demand, Palinsa Donar. We are negotiating the non-negotiable. Adepts of the Force serve at the Empress's side, or they die."

The Selonian's tail flipped up slightly, thumping the floor with a thud.

"You may yet find your enthusiasm run aground upon unforseen adversity."

Vissica punched the controls for the interrogation chamber door. It hissed open in a blast, revealing a black-uniformed officer of the Stormtrooper Corps.

"My Lady?"

"The initiate requires nourishment. See to it immediately."

The officer didn't so much as spare Palinsa a parting glance as he curtly nodded to the order.

"At once."

Turning sharply on a heel, the subordinate immediately set to the task, leaving Vissica hovering at the door's periphery. She looked back at Palinsa with an inscrutable expression.

"Come with me, Cadet Donar. If you do not break, perhaps we can make you stronger."

With that, Vissica made her exit.

[Palinsa Donar]

Oddly enough, the gruff words of the woman did nothing to quell Palinsa's enthusiasm. With as much of a bow as she dared without risking falling over, Lins smiled to the woman. "If I am run aground, then I will simply have better footing." She half whispered as the woman stepped to the door, then bit her lip waiting for a strike, something else she was used to when displeasing to her higher paying clients. They were only clients once, at that point, but none the less, she was used to it.

When she was merely ignored, as the Knight gave instructions to someone hovering outside, she let out a sigh and nodded to the one offering her escort. Or perhaps demanding was a word Vissica would probably have used. With all the strength she could muster, Palinsa managed a final bow, head inclined in respect, to the Knight. "I will not let you down." She promised and followed the officer into the hall. She had to touch the wall now and then when they turned a corner, to keep her balance. But she managed to follow the officer to a nearly empty crew hall.

She was given orders to eat, then told where her room would be. She would be given orders when they were ready. And she was told not to try and leave. Once she acknowledged everything, the officer hailed another cadet in the room and merely turned and left. She was shown food, her quarters and a spare jumper that was available. The cadet left Palinsa in blissful silence nearly an hour later. She showered and collapsed into bed after taking a pain blocker.

Life had finally come full circle. In running from the Empire, she had found herself well and truly in its employ.

"I did it mom and dad. And I will set the record straight about our family. I will make you proud." Those were her last thoughts, and words as she fell into a deep restful sleep in many years.