Should old Acquaintance be forgot

Alex took a booth against the west wall of the Bar and Grill. It was in the middle between two other occupied ones, not ideal, but it was the only one free. Seemed the Cloud 9 was a popular spot here in Cloud City.

She tossed her battered duffle bag on the seat ahead of her, and slid herself in beside it.

The duffle was worn and weathered, and patched with a variety of appropriated bits of cloth to keep it decently useable. Its appearance was not dissimilar to its owner. Alex was looking a little worn and weathered herself. Her clothes were a little shabby around the cuffs and collar, as if they'd been made much use of. Her hair, which looked as if would tend to rich and glossy, had a dull, unkempt aspect to it. She looked every bit the weary traveller.

Hunching forward, her hands on the tabletop, fingers intertwined, she scanned the room quietly, not much impressed by the patrons she saw.
Coal sighed quietly to herself.

She'd been looking for months now, with no luck. Not even a whisper of locating the object of her search. She was beginning to despair of any success, and this bar would probably be no different from all the other places she'd been.

Still, there wasn't much for it but to continue on. What else was she gonna do?

Alex looked around for a server, droid or otherwise. For starters, she could have a beer, thats what she was gonna do.

Mu closed the door to Lili's dressing room behind the stage and grabbed her forehead. That woman drives me insane. Why? Why for the love of God does she need a herd of wombats?

Lili had a great set of pipes and a loyal audience that came in for her shows, but Mu definately had to question her artistic vision. She was still paying off the repair bills for her "Water Extravaganza Experience"

"I need a drink." She cut through the backstage area, popped out on the empty stage, down across the dance floor, through the dining area, past the booths and made a straignt line for the bar.

"Corellian Ale"

She wouldn't have minded a 'Tatooine Sunburn', but quite frankly, she wanted to put all thoughts of the dry, torturous bad lands of the Jundland Wastes behind her for the next while. Alex swore she could still taste sand in her mouth, even four months after leaving Tatooine behind her. Sand still sifted out of the seams of her duffle from time to time, and she felt she might never be rid of it.

Alex slumped back and waited for her beer to arrive, again surveying the brimming bar.

"Wonder what brings the crowds..."

"Terry," Mu reached the bar, "pour me somthing hard fast." the barkeep nodded and quickly set down a shot of whiskey. She slammed it back and grabbed the bottle out of Terry's hands. "Thanks." and waved him back to the other patrons at the bar.

Mu sighed and slumped against the black wood. Things were so much clearer before the bombing last month. She took another shot. "He won't like that I've been drinking again." Her thoughts drifted to Henning. Her skin still tingled and ached even though he said she was healed. Barton's face floated in her mind and morphed into his younger self surrounded by the great halls of the Temple.

Mu clenched and unclenched her jaw and shoved the new old memories away and poured herself another shot. Turning around she surveyed the bar's patrons and told herself, "Just keep working, lady. Just keep working."

As her eyes washed over the mass of people and then she spotted a woman about her age sitting alone in a booth. An electric current shot up Mu's back. Something... it was a strange sensation. Something.... her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the woman.

Alex held the eyes of the woman at the bar, unphased by the frown, for only a moment.

Dont know what her problem is. Dont care.

Her beer arrived and Alex drank from it with relish.

"Keep these comin'" she added before the server dashed off, the way servers did when business was keeping them hoping.

"A menu would be good, too" she called as an afterthought, not sure whether her request had been heard.

Mu swallowed another shot. The warmth hit her belly and started climbing up her insides numbing things as they went. "Strange..." She turned from the bar and started heading back to her office to see if she could track down the wombats for Lili.

The memory of Barton pushed it's way back into her mind. They were walking down a hallway, brown robes slowly flowing behind them as they walked towards the training hall. Surrounded by other Padawans coming and going. She said something that made Barton laugh. Several other padawans looked in their direction. Barton reached out and playfully shoved at her a bit. She reached back punched at his arm in return.

Mu squinted her eyes shut and poured herself another shot. She reached her door and threw the drink back. The memory wouldn't stop replaying and then it hit her, a pair of eyes with dark hair were looking at Barton.

Mu spun around and looked back at the booth. The face was older but the eyes and hair were the still the same.

Mu grabbed the door frame to steady herself.

"Are you a Jedi?'

Coal hadn't tried that direct approach yet with anyone, but was seriously considering it.

Or, "Can you tell me where all the Jedi are?"

That'd be a good one too, if it didn't end you up in some Imperial prison pinned by your toes and tortured for seditious communications.

Oh yes, she'd heard a whooooole lot about how the Empire dealt with force users, or suspected force-users. Even, that there was a dreaded sub-group of Imperials dedicated soley and religiously to seeking out and destroying any remant of any possible presence of Jedi. And right here, in Bespin, where it was flush with Imperial military personell -- it probably was not the smartest thing for Alex to now change to a less subtle tactic.

Still, she was sore tempted at times. Coal could feel like she could almost guess who -- if not force-user specific -- atleast might be sympathetic and know something..

Trouble was, everyone was all so frelling afraid.

It was a pity she hadn't paid more attention to those search your feelings lessons back in the Academy days. She'd been too busy making spit balls to shoot at the freckled-faced kid at lunchtime to take that cosmic stuff seriously.

Coal sighed. She was such a stupid kid back then.

Instead, she said to the server, "I'll have steak, medium-rare, potatos and whatever vegie's you got going. But none of those round leafy ball things"

The woman at the bar had slipped from her attention, and Alex cranned her neck to try find her again. It paid to pay attention to those who paid attention to you, Alex thought inwardly. She was trying to not be so stupid as she used to be, these days.

The door swung open, as it had done so many times already that day, and two men stepped inside: Barton Henning, colloquially known as 'the Doc' (in spite of the fact that he was not the only man of his profession in the city), and a young Zabrak with intricate swirling tattoos patterned over his cheerful face. The Doctor gave his co-worker a pat on the back and they shared a joke with one another before trying to find their way to an unoccupied table. A few of the patrons called out to them as they squeezed through the closely arranged tables, causing Barton to smile awkwardly as he looked hopefully for somewhere quiet to sit.

The eye was involuntarily drawn to the Zabrak, it was impossible for it not to. The tattoos were fabulous and fierce, though softened by the smiling eyes they surrounded. It was an incongruous image, Alex thought mildly, but not an unappealing one.

And speaking of appealing, the tall dish of oh-yeah beside him wasn't so bad himself. Coal appreciated a good looking man as much as the next girl and the Zabrak's companion got a fair share of head-turnings his way.

Alex nudged her glass absently, fingers tapping its frosted side, half of a mind to nod the pair into the free side of her own booth, when he smiled..

Her fingers froze mid-tap and her mouth went bone dry. She knew that smile.

Or more correctly, remembered it.

From where? No....from when?

Alex realised she was staring, and she forced herself to drop her gaze.

Looking intently into her beer, her heart thudding like a horse kicking down the barn door, Coal went back..

*****

Itchy brown robes.....gleaming cold cathederal corridors....hushed voices.....a shy boyish grin......

*****


Alex tried to look up sideways without lifting her head, she had to be sure..

"Heya Doc!" the friendly calls caused Mu to raise her head. The corner of her mouth pulled upwards in a half smile at the sight of Barton. Mu pushed everything else aside, the wombats, the haunting memories, the bills, the aches and pains. The sight of Barton brought a strange sense of peace and calm to her mind. Something she hadn't had for ages.

Quickly stowing the bottle at the bar Mu called out, "Barton, over there," and waved the doc and his co-worker to a reserved booth Mu kept for herself and special customers that had a good view of the stage. She then grabbed the arm of a passing waitress, "Doc's in the house, send one of the gals out to the table pronto and make sure his order is put on lightrails." The waitress nodded and scurried back to the kitchen.

Mu knew it was rare occasion that the Doc had time to eat a hot full meal, so the faster they got his order to him, the better chance he had of eating something before being called back to the clinic. She then joined them at the booth wearing a genuine smile.

Within a matter of moments, Barton was being ushered to a freshly cleaned table by a bright-eyed waitress. Her face lit up with a smile, that said she was all too happy to be serving one of the bar and grill's most important customers. The bluster with which he was escorted to his table kept the eyes of the other patrons on him for a while longer, and the Doctor did his best to maintain a cheerful appearance, hiding his weak smile as best he could behind a fold-out menu. There was hardly a moment to think before a shadow filled the booth entrance, Mu Satach beaming a huge grin down at them. The patterned Zabrak broke out into a smile of his own, and even Barton's cheeks dimpled with a little more sincerity.

“That's some service you've got there, Mu,” he said. “I hope you treat all your customers this well.”

She'd lost him.

To gain him back into her view, she'd have to twist around in her seat, and that would make her obvious.

All those long forgotten sensations of soul-crushing awkwardism that she used to feel when she'd catch that smile all those years ago came rushing over her in a wave. The familiar frantic dilema of where to put her hands, how to turn her head, flip her hair, did she notice him or wait for him to see her? did she act like she even knew he was alive or strive for the casual "hey"?......all those stupid teenage girl inadequacies came flooding back from where-ever. Things that had been relegated into obscurity as maturity and experience usurped their dominion and took their own rightful place of confidence in her life.

Quite suddenly, and more shockingly, Alex felt that same flush creep up her neck and the panicky feeling that attended a crush and everything that was dreadful and wonderful about it.

"Dont be ridiculous" she chastened herself under her breath. It wasn't like she still carried a torch for the guy. How many years had gone by since she even spared a thought for him?

She forced herself to turn boldly and re-locate him again. There, seated behind her to the left, the woman from earlier had joined him.

He looked as good as his memory. Better.

Alex's steak arrived.

Mu sat down with them, "Yeah the service here has improved quite a bit now that I've got the torture chamber installed." She took a drink of water as a waitress zipped by depositing a plate of hot appetizers and breadsticks. "It's done wonders for productivity." her mouth quirked up in a half smile.

"So, what brings you two in today?"

The memories kept coming, and as Alex carved into her steak, the action was automatic rather than out of any enjoyment of the food.

The day she first successfully conducted the blindfold test came to her mind. A solemn-faced Jedi master.. Figram, Figrand...something like that, had taken the class. Alex had tried to hide in the back, not liking the pressure that came from being singled out and expected to perform like some trick tuan-tuan. But the Master had been adament, and to center-stage she'd obediently trotted.

*****************

"You must not rely on the 'physical' in this exercise, young padawan"

"No, Master" Alex responded.

"Only as you trust in the Force and become sensitive to its nature will you be able to succeed"

"Yes, Master" and the blindfold was lowered against her eyes.

Funny how different the world instantly becomes when vision is gone. What once was comfortable and familiar transforms into an unknown environment that almost seems hostile in its strangeness. It is even hard to balance on one's feet properly. Movement suddenly becomes a precarious enterprise and Alex felt quite frozen to the spot.

--Reach out to me, Padawan -- the Jedi Master spoke to her mind alone, the room itself remained silent.
--Try....you are able, I know it --
Alex grimaced with the effort, but that eased gradually as she placed her focus on the Jedi Master and on no one else. She could "see" him now. Not in her imagination, but actually see him - his form and outline. Even his face, watching her intently.

--I see you, Jedi Master -- she spoke in silent return, excitement in each word.

The Teacher smiled, and Alex beamed with pride.

"Well done" he said aloud, removing the blindfold. "You did well"

**********************

Alex washed down the food with the beer.

That was a good memory, she smiled to herself. One of the last. Before she'd fled.

“Slow day!” said the Zabrak, grinning. Barton opened his mouth to explain, but the tattooed intern interrupted. “I'm sure Mu knows I was joking, doc.”

Barton's eyes fell and he nodded with a small, familiar embarrassment. He stopped his mouth with one of the delicious looking snacks that had been laid out in front of them. He glanced up at Mu, covering his mouth for a moment before speaking.

“How's business? Any... interesting customers recently?”

"Slow eh?" Mu looked at the Zabrak over her glass of mint flavored water she hoped would mask the whiskey on her breath.

She raised her eyebrows and her eyes twinkled a bit as she half smiled. While she was recovering in the clinic the young man seemed to have a knack for bursting, busting, or knocking over something around her. At first it was irritating, but as the sheer number of mishaps continued it became a running inside joke between them. "I'm sure you're finding a way to keep patients away."

Placing her glass down she leaned back in the booth, "Interesting clients..." she glanced at Barton and tapped her chin. "Had a couple of nerf herders through yesterday that got a bit grabby with Delia. Seemed to misunderstand the type of entertainment offered here." Mu sighed a bit. "Terry and Zed had some fun with them for a while out back. Spenny, of course almost passed out at the mess they made on the dance floor. Not to mention the fit Lili threw afterwards because the whole stage got covered with food splatter." She took another sip of water. "I'm never going to stop hearing about her dry cleaning bill."

She leaned in and placed an elbow on the table. "Other than that, just the usual crowd, locals, traders, etc." Mu began rubbing her temple. "I don't know. I feel like my mind keeps playing tricks on me." Mu started to fiddle with a napkin and avoided looking at Barton. "These jumbled images that have no context to them jump out at me from everywhere and nowhere. There's no telling what will trigger it. For example," she turned to face Barton directly, "just before you came in, the gal with dark hair sitting back that way... just... her... I, I don't know. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

Figrin!

Alex jumped a little in her seat as the Jedi Master's name rolodexed out of her memory file and shot with sudden clarity into her head.

She remembered him now - a name to go with the face - and the small victory brought a smile.

"I'd like dessert please" she nabbed at the closest server hurrying by. "Anything that's fruit in a pie will do."

Figrin D'an. A quiet, understated type, as many of the senior Jedi tended to be - a product of the whole "There is no emotion; there is peace" dogma, no doubt. Still...it was with fondness that she recalled him now. He'd obviously made an impression.

And there was another one who'd made an impression, she thought, turning in her chair to watch Henning. She had no problem remembering his name.

Barton Henning.

Even as Alex looked, the trio in the booth all turned to look back at her for some reason, and she was caught staring.

This was awkward.

But her's was not a bashful nature, and she boldly held her gaze.

Barton nodded slowly. Though the Zabrak was aware that the Doctor and Mu had some shared past together, he wasn't clear on the details. Advertising that they had both escaped the Jedi Purge was not the wisest of plans, even in relatively trustworthy company.

Collectively, the three turned their heads to see the woman Mu was talking about. She was beautiful, in a way that Barton thought nobles and aristocrats might be. It was as if she was daring them to look her way, a definite defiance in her posture. As his eyes met with hers, Barton smiled again. He did not recognize her.

“We can talk about it when we're both off duty,” he said.

“When Chaos freezes over, then, eh?” the intern laughed.

They'd turned away again, and shared a joke and Alex mulled over what to do next as the server settled the dessert in front of her.

A mouthful, two, and she'd made a decision. She pushed the plate away, tossed some credits beside it to cover the bill - just enough and a meager tip. She didn't exactly have creds to burn.

Shouldering her duffle bag, Harlequin pushed herself up and out of the booth and walked casually, yet directly, over to the trio's table.

She allowed their conversation to stall as one by one the three lifted upturned faces and gave her their attention.

"I know you" she opened simply to Barton.

Mu looked up at the woman. "Brash as ever." Pain shot through her head. Mu gritted her teeth and took a drink, it was like discovering a a stranger living in her mind that refused to answer questions but offered random information at most inappropriate time.

"Do you now." Mu looked at Barton, "Clueless as ever." The corner of Mu's mouth twitched. "I don't know Barton. I've heard better pick up lines." Mu's eyes twinkled a bit. "This should be interesting." Mu sat back and waited to see what the woman's reaction would be.

"Pick up---?"

Alex almost bit. It just showed how rusty she was that she'd rise to such easy bait.

She forced a chagrin smile and kept her voice light, her eyes jumping from Barton to the woman and back again.

"No, really, Im sure we know each other. Mind if I sit?"

Alex made as if to sit, but the woman remained planted, not budging an inch. She wasn't making it easy for Alex, that was for sure.

"I dont bite" she joked, "not lately, anyways"

An image flashed across her mind of a young dark haired girl tackling and biting a young padawan. Mu's right eyebrow arched slightly. She wasn't sure if it was a memory or her imagination. As was her habit Mu reached out gently with her feelings, "Very guarded."

"Well, introduce yourself and then we can return the favor."

"Harlequin" she said stretching out a hand to Mu, while slipping a glance at Barton.

"Its a pleasure"

"Name's Mu Satach," her voice graveled as she pronounced her name. "everyone gets the pronunciation wrong, so most just call me Mu." she took Harlequin's hand and shook it firmly. Then motioned for her to sit. "This here is Doctor Barton Henning," she nodded towards the two sitting with her. "And this klutz is Ummre."

The three slid around a bit making way for Harlequin. By the looks of her rig, she was a drifter as were so many who filtered through the system.

"So what brings you to our little slice of paradise?"

The alias registered no recognition from Henning, and not that it should. It was an aquisition borne out of necessity once Alex left the safe harbour of the Order so many years ago. She had taken great care to hide any link to her life among the Jedi back in those days and taking a pseudonym had been one of the first steps. And old habits died hard. Alex told herself it was just smart to keep it that way, but, she knew it made it difficult to generate a sense of trust from others when she was keeping coy.

She mumbled the obligatory 'nice to meet you's' and slid herself into the booth. Her brown eyes sought out Barton's - hoping for some sort of indication he knew her. There was none.

Alex turned a sabaac face to Mu, who appeared to be a very straight-shooter, and stated boldly, "Im looking for Jedi"

"Jedi?" Ummre's eyes widened a bit, "But the Jedi are..."

"The Jedi," Laughter erupted from Mu as she cut of the zabrak off and took another drink, "are dead." She slid a sideway's glance at the woman.

Barton squirmed ever so slightly in his seat. Mu narrowed her eyes and slipped into an archaic dialect, "Why seek ye the dead among the living?"

As the conversation progressed, Barton merely listened. Mu had a certain bristling about her that told him to let her do the talking, but the unfamiliar face – Harlequin, what an unusual name, he thought – seemed intent on provoking some response from the Doctor himself. When the attention was at last shifted away from him, however, Barton found himself no more comfortable as the woman uttered a rather dangerous word: Jedi. There were only a handful of people who cared where the Jedi were. Most of them were bounty hunters, in the charge of some Imperial General. There were the Rebels too, of course, but they were rarely so open in their search for the lost Jedi.

With a hint of discomfort – one to be expected at the mention of something such as the Jedi, Barton smiled. It was a rueful smile, for although Mu was simply trying to convince this Harlequin that no Jedi inhabited Cloud City, there was some truth to her words. If there were Jedi, they were ghosts now – literally or metaphorically, haunting planets, trapped in the shadow of their past.

Alex smiled politely, the kind of smile that was obviously just to join in with another's. She looked slowly from the Zabrak (who's initial response was curious), to Henning and then to Mu.

"You dont really believe that do you?"

The smile diminished gradually and Alex's quick, intelligent eyes held Mu's.

"...That they are all dead. Even the Imperial bigwigs dont believe that"

Ummre frowned, the tattoos on his brow curving into a new and equally beautiful pattern. “Believe!” he said, with a sudden enthusiasm. “That's the thing, isn't it? They believe a lot of things, but whether or not they know them... not that, that is another matter entirely!”

Barton shifted, rubbing his chin in thought. “It's been years since Jedi could walk freely. Even if there were survivors of...” - his voice faltered, agonizing clear memories of that fateful day in his mind - “What happened, well... it's unlikely that you'll find them. I doubt they want to be found.”

The faltering in Henning's voice was a dead give away that not everything was as academic as the trio would have Alex believe. Alex had caught it, as most certainly had Mu and Ummre.

Cole was tempted to take a chance and try searching Barton's feelings by the force, but she didn't dare. It was much too risky, and she was far too rusty. She had only had meagre success attempting that art when she was back at the Academy and had not had any practice to speak of since. Not to mention the fact she was sitting smack-dabb in Imperial space, amongst company whom she had no real clue as to where their sympathies lay. Far, far too risky.

But it would have been a thrill to try it. She had definitely caught something in Barton's words. Thinking about it, Alex realised that he would have been there, at the Academy, when all that horror started. She suddenly felt quite guilty for abandoning the Order, though there would have been nothing she could have done. She probably would not have survived it. And, like so many things in her life, she accepted the hard truths and moved on.

She disagreed with Henning's opinion of the Jedi, however. She felt sure there were some out there, hoping to be found -- by the right seekers. The Jedi, if she remembered anything at all about them, knew that they understood the cycles of life and knew that there was a time for all things. Some of those Jedi who had survivied wanted to be found by the right people. People like Alex, who needed them and wanted to come home.

"You're probably right" she said after a long and thoughtful pause. "I stand in need of revising my initial conceptions for the second time by you tonight"

Then, getting up to leave, she leaned close to Mu and whispered in the same archaic dialect, though a little imperfect, as the one she'd quoted earlier, "While there is life, there's hope"

Then to Ummre and Barton she added, "Thanks for your time" and moved off.

Mu watched Harlequin move off. "Safe travels." She called out then turned to look at Barton, raised her eyebrows a bit. "So... what was that you were saying about interesting customers?" smiling, she finished her drink.

The conversation slid into the everyday, but Mu's mind was racing. The memory game between her and Barton had been a cautious dance. While she struggled to make sense of the tangled chaos in her mind, Barton only wanted to forget. It pained her to see him wince when she asked questions.

"Well fella's, I've got to get back to cracking the whip around here. Otherwise the crew will start a mutiny." She stood up and stretched her back a bit. "Or worse, Lili will try to out do her "Ode to Water" extravaganza."

Without using her eyes, Mu watched as the woman paid her bill, hefted her satchel and move towards the exit. It's risky, you have no way of knowing who she is now... then again, you don't know who you are now. And with that thought, she made a snap judgment, reaching out with the force Mu pushed a thought gently towards the woman's mind before she reached the door.

"I remember you... Alex."

Alex was willing herself not to look back over at the table, but one last drink-in of Barton Henning after all these proved too strong a draw and a time or two she let her eyes drift his way.

The trio were chatting quietly among themselves and seemed to have no vested interest in her at all. Too bad, he had no memory of her. Alex didn't want to believe it really, but there it was. She'd made no impression on Barton this time around either, same as she hadn't all those years ago. Kinda stuck in her craw, but what could a girl do.

Alex hitched up her duffle back over her shoulder, inwardly attempting to dismiss her disappointment. He was in denial to a lot of things, she told herself. He had turned away from the Jedi too, by the looks of things, and was not yet ready to turn back. Or know anyone who wanted to.

As she readied to leave, she nodded good evenin' to the curly-topped Maitre'D -- or whoever he was supposed to be-- a dandy little fellow wearing an out of date jacket.

"I remember you... Alex."

The voice came to her as if Mu was standing right behind her. Alex swivelled around as if jolted by a shot of electricity. No one was anywhere near her. Her eyes darted around the room - to the table, but only Henning and the Zabrak remained there, to the bar, over to the corner
of the room....there, standing against the wall, very still and looking directly at her was Mu. The energy that crackled between them at that split second was almost palpable and Alex took a step backward.

"You alright, Miss?" the out of date jacket asked with concern.

"I am now" Alex replied, collecting herself and waiting for Mu to move or motion to her some place they could talk.

"You alright, Miss?" Terry asked Harlequin.

Mu pushed another thought at her while casually reaching behind the bar for the staff schedule.

You're about to be followed by a rat. She sent her an image of a small lanky man dressed in a miner's rig that had been sitting a few tables away from the group.

He seemed harmless. He seemed a bit drunk. He seemed to be more interested in waitresses than anything else. And that was exactly what he wanted everyone to believe.

The man called for his check.

Leave, then lose him on the upper shopping levels. He's an informant for Black Sun. Don't make him disappear, just make him bored. If he goes missing or suspects your anything but a drifter, we'll have more to worry about than you can imagine.

Mu called out to a nearby waitress, "Sari, can you work an extra shift next week?"

Once he's lost interest in you, make your way to level 118, Southwest quarter. Find an alleyway with a green door. Mu sent her an image of the back alley, the faded door covered with graffiti, the burnt out dysfunctional access pad. You'll have to use the force to activate the true pad which lies hidden deep within the wall behind the burnt out one.

"Sure thing boss." Sari chirped.
"Good," Mu tapped the pad in a few places and replaced the schedule. Mu turned and entered the hallway towards her office. Business as usual as far as anyone was concerned.

The lanky informant stood up, stretched, finished off his grog then swaggered towards the fresher.

The initial shock of Mu speaking to her so clearly in her mind was slow to wear off and Alex did not hide it as well as someone more practiced would have.

Terry asked if she was alright again as Harlequin sank down onto a barstool. She waved her hand dismissively, "Warm in here, is all" and even that short answer made her miss some of what Mu was telling her. Terry left her alone to attend other customers and Alex was infinitely grateful.

And then, before Coal was ready for it, Mu severed the connection and moved away. Shortly thereafter, the one she'd pinned as a Black Sun informant headed for the refresher. Alex stayed put until he'd disappeared behind its doors, then shot from her stool and out into the evening air...


....It took the better part of the night before Alex felt she could move without compromise from spying eyes. She'd outlasted the ratman, whom had scurried out after she'd made her departure from Cloud 9 to pick up her trail at a nightclub six blocks south. She'd partied half the night away, making interesting conversation, if not deliberately vague on details of a personal nature with a hotshot pilot named Saul Karzai. He was cute, and could actually cut a rug like pro after his fourth or fifth corellian ale and-- he was engaged enough to make the Ratman convinced Alex was just a bored drifter looking to unload some cabin-fever energy. He'd left sometime around 2am.

Alex remained in the charming, and increasingly inebriated, company of flight officer Karzai for another hour and fifteen minutes, then, leaving him under the pretense of going to the ladies room...slipped out of the side fire-exit and doubled-back to the South Quarter and to the faded door covered with graffitti.

She had been standing there for 12 minutes now and she resisted the very strong urge to kick the dang door down. Frustration and physical weariness were telling on her now, and it was difficult to concentrate.

Harlequin decided she'd give it one more try with the 'force.'

Closing her eyes, she let her fingers rest again lightly on the burnt-out entrance pad. Feeling the crusted outer rubber of the fritzed wiring, she touched the protected ones beneath it. Channelling the force, she tapped out the correct key and with immense satisfaction, she heard the lock kick back inside the mechanism. Opening the door just wide enough to slip like a shadow inside, Harlequin stepped soundlessly into her future.

The door clicked shut behind Harlequin.

Darkness surrounded her.

There was a faint hum in the air.

A click,

a second click then...


Brilliant white arc lights above her snapped on and the floor fell away from her feet.

It was an elevator shaft, the platform dropping as fast as a free fall.
It came to a halt.
The cylindrical wall slid aside to reveal a dimly lit interior.

The walls of the room were covered with antiques from across the galaxy. Recessed in the center floor was a circular sofa, before it scattered on the small table were charts, paperwork, invoices and a steaming cup of coffee.

A hand etched with faded silvery burn scars that raced up and disappeared into a loose fitting sleeves of a comfortable black tunic took the cup.

"The evening wasn't too boring for you, I hope." Mu took a sip of the black liquid then held the cup lightly. She sat back in her seat, crossed her legs and continued. "I apologize for the cat and mouse routine, but I've been around here long enough to know that while Cloud 9 is relatively safe for routine business it's anything but when it comes to more tantalizing matters." A wry smile played about her lips and a slight sigh escaped. "Everyone has an angle to play there, informants for the informants, spies for the spies, bugs, tracers, hidden alliances and more."

She took another sip of her coffee then set it down. "But where are my manners," She stood up and bowed slightly to Alex. "Former Padawan Cole, I am honored to have you as a guest in my humble home."

Alex swivelled her eyes briefly about the room taking in her surroundings, and then returned to rest on Mu.

The silver scars on her hands were distinctive - there was a story there.

The woman was used to being in control, Alex surmised to herself. Mu's bearing was of one who was used to running things and being obeyed.

Alex was wary, with good reason.

"I dont remember you" she stated with some suspicion

Mu's mouth twitched a bit. "Not surprising." She picked up her cup. The same burn scars raced down out from her trousers and across her bare feet as she climbed the steps and crossed to a mini bar. "Search your memories of Barton, then expand your view a bit." Mu re-filled her cup to the brim. "I'm there. Most likely trying to put him in a head lock..." Mu smiled to herself, "and failing."

Mu turned to her guest and gestured to the bar, "Coffee, Tea?"

Alex rummaged through her memories of her time at the Temple, selecting from the ones of Henning and their brief encounters in the gleaming hallways or crowded common rooms. And it was there where she found Mu Satach. The face then was reflected in the face now, aged only a little, and offering her tea or coffee. There was the same cascading brown locks just now as then. And the same shapely frame that had taken up all Henning's attention and left nothing for Alex.

A stab of envy hit Harlequin as the memory solidified in her mind. Mu was still by Barton's side, even after all this time. What was up with that?

"Coffee would be good" she answered, following over to stand closer to Mu.

"I remember now...You and Barton were close then, as well"

The comment was an observation and a question both. Just how close, Cole wanted to know, but Mu gave away nothing in her eyes and left Alex to her own conjecture.

"You've seen some rough days, I think" she said, referring to the silver scars. Mu had made no attempt to hide them and Alex saw no reason not to ask. "A guest of the Empire at some point, would be my guess"

"A token from the Emperor's inaugural ball so to speak." referring to the scars and the fall of the Republic. "Dr. Henning," as she poured Harlequin a cup. "tells me these are the remains of a fire grenade. Apparently, we had found a group of younglings and hoped to get them out through a ventilation shaft in the back of the Temple's library." Mu replaced the coffee decanter back on it's heating pad.

"Barton was searching for a way all of us could climb into ducts when.." an image of her younger self half turning around to run floated up from the dark waters of her mind. Behind her, a grenade arcing across the room towards the children. An explosion, flames shooting out, igniting everything in their path, "the troopers found us." Mu passed the cup of coffee to Harlequin. The cup rattled ever so slightly on it's saucer.

Mu wandered back to the sofa and mentally willed herself to relax. She took a breath and continued, "He said he heard the blast, felt the heated air rush through the shaft, fought his way back to us only it was too late." Mu swallowed and pushed an image of charred little bodies out of her head. "The little ones were already gone."

For lack of anything better to do, she took a drink of her coffee. "This is a special blend a contact of mine sends me from Atzerri." The coffee's aroma filled the air with a hint of cinnamon spice. "I hope you'll enjoy it."

Mu sat down with her coffee, offered a seat to Alex then avoided looking at anything in particular. "From what little else I've been able to glean from him I surmise that we were found by another group escaping the Temple, a grab bag of young and old. He and another older padawan carried me half dead into the sewers beneath, but... " Mu took a drink, "then the currents tore us apart."

Mu took another sip and half whispered to herself, "Strange the way the galaxy moves sometimes." A bit louder and looking right at Alex she continued, "Until, I ran into him at his clinic, he'd been living under the impression that only he survived that night." Mu smiled secretly to herself, "And it didn't quite help ease his mind that I had no recollection of him at all." She tapped the side of her head, "Things up here are a bit," Mu searched for the right word, "fragmented."

A horrible tale. And all the worse as there was a tagline of guilt attached to it, intended by Mu or not, that Alex couldn't help but feel. She'd gotten off easy - had left the Temple before it all hit the fan and had spent the better part of those first jedi-free years congratulating herself for it.

She didn't feel quite so proud about it now. Maybe she could have helped, but most likely not. She'd probably have been killed with the rest of them.

"You're lucky to have escaped with scars and a few loose screws" she supplied, not really knowing the best thing to say.

"And now Henning's a doctor and you're, what, a club owner?" She sipped her coffee and eyed Mu over the cups' rim. "I find it hard to believe that's what you've settled on.."

Another slow sip, "...You said there were others. Are there active Jedi out there? Are you and Barton in contact with them? Or, (and here another possibility presented itself to Cole's mind) are you the ones I've been looking for?"

She put down her cup with stated with conviction, "I want to come back. I want to make things right"

Mu's left eyebrow raisees at Harlequin's "loose screws" comment. She considers the image for a moment. A few screws jiggle and fall out of a metal panel, it falls away exposing the raw wires inside that spark and suddenly burst into flames.

She blinks, returns her attention to Alex and half laughs. "I'm not what you seek... and the Jedi, those that continue to survive would be supremely suspicious of m..."

Mu adjusted her seat on the sofa and continued, "I've done things," she glanced away then back, "and I have several close Imperial ties scattered across the core and a few key contacts on Coruscant." She looked down at her cup. "If I tried to contact the Jedi," she sighed, "it would not go well."

Mu smiled to herself, "But, your instincts are correct, Cloud 9 is a nice little operation to keep prying eyes entertained and away from my personal dealings." She half gestured to the antiques. "I think we may be in a position to help one another."

Alex followed the drift of Mu's eyes and allowed herself an appreciative review of the unique items displayed around the room.

'Its nice setup, I'll grant you that" she said after a while, "But how would this help me find the Jedi?

You know any of 'em looking for a 3rd Century Alderaanian lamp?"

She genuinely laughed for the first time in what felt like ages. "You'd be surprised at who buys those." She leaned forward and set her cup down on the table beside the nav charts.

"You see, while you are the first I have spoken to about this, you are not the first individual I have encountered that is heeding a call." She rested one elbow on her knee. "The winds have changed since the death of Palpatine and Vader. As if a vine that had whithered in winter is now starting to have it's sap seep upwards to revive the branches. Ask yourself why now, after so long do you desire to revive that which was dead?"

She tapped the charts, "Connections are being made, slowly but surely all across this galaxy. Some dark, some light... some deadly. Everywhere I've traveled over the past year I have felt it calling me, as it has called you." She closed her eyes and breathed, "even now it is calling others who are on their way."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Alex couldn't believe Mu could sit so calmly and speak of what, according to her own description, could only amount to a revival of the Force Users.

"Forget all this" she gestured to the room with a sweep of her hand. "By your own words, things are happening. Its time to act!"

Harlequin's eyes sparked in the subdued light.

"Lets restore what Palpataine's Empire has crushed beneath its boots. You could do it. You could start something. I will help you!"

Mu shook her head slightly, "Any leader must have a clear vision, mine is so very clouded." She looked at Alex, "But you can go where I can not, make the connections that would be denied to me. What I can do, here at the edge of the Empire, is ensure that you are well funded for your journey. And through you provide a way to move supplies, information, or people out of the core and into the Jedi's hands."

Alex felt electrified at Mu's suggestion and her excitement was quite palpable.

This was it! This was what all this searching had been leading up to. Cole resisted the urge to "whoop."

"I can do that" she said, restraining herself. "Give me a name, some where to go. There's nothing to keep me hanging 'round here"

A close encounter with Henning wouldn't be an unwelcome delay, Alex thought abstractedly, but the lad was thick as two bricks cemented together with duroplasm and an interlude with him was about as likely as the Bothan's holding a square-dance on the Urion Moon.

"Lets do it. I'm ready"

"There are some conditions I must ask you to adhere too. First and foremost, once you find them, you must not let then know about me. Second, you must not let me ever know where they are." She chose her next words carefully, "And finally, I would ask that should you find any archived records still in their possession from... before, that you retrieve something for me."

The conditions sounded reasonable enough, she guessed.

Why all the secrecy, though? Some past bad blood? Mu maybe didn't trust her ownself to keep faith?

A tad odd, Alex decided, but not impedimentary to her goal.

"I can live with that" she said, "But I wont take anything from the Archives that may lead to harm coming to the Jedi because of it"

Alex had failed the Order enough. To begin on her new path with a potentially dangerous outcome was not gonna be in the cards.

She smiled ruefully, "Chances are the records are lost anyway." She stared at the carpet for a moment, then shook her head. Taking a deep breath she moved the charts and activated the coffee table's internal emitter. A star chart of the galaxy illuminated in the air between them, blue areas indicated the Empire's holdings and red the Alliance.

She picked up a small stylus "Because Cloud City," she tapped at the chart and Bespin illuminated brightly, "is so far removed from all of this," pointing to contested areas in between the seas of red and blue "we are largely ignored. The result is we are crawling with Rebels on shore leave. Mostly grunts, a few hotshot pilots, all dressed in civilian clothing, on their way to or from deployment, blending in with the bounty hunters and merchants."

She activated another keypad and surveillance footage from the bar popped up displaying several individuals. "Logically, the Rebels have a vested interest in working with any remaining Jedi. It legitimizes them in the eyes of some as the true government of the galaxy and we're pretty lively in a fight. Also, the Jedi need a certain amount of space from the Empire until they are strong enough to walk unfettered in daylight." She took a sip of coffee then set her cup down.

"So, I would follow the Rebels into the mid rim... here." she tapped at the chart again and drew a large area that encompassed several systems surrounding Ord Mantell. She leaned back and tapped her lower lip with the stylus.

"I've felt a whisper of something when I've traveled through that region." She started shaking her head slightly, "But it doesn't last. They are shadows and when you shine a light to look they are gone. But the Rebels... are the wall that keeps the Empire at bay."

While the information was the most Alex had gotten her hands in in her entire search for the Jedi, it was still a tad ambiguous for her growing impatience, especially in light of tonight's success.

"Well, I guess I could loiter about in those systems for a time and just hope my lucky stars send me a feeling"

Mu arched an eyebrow at her and Alex knew her sarcasm was unwarrented. What did she expect, Mu to hold her hand as she walked in the Jedi's front door and say, Look who's back?

Alex placed her cup down on the table, still full. "I guess I shouldn't be ungrateful, but Im tired of chasing an elusive tail. I'd hoped for a more direct connection."

Harlequin had overstepped, a personality fault she had, thus far in life, been unable to correct. Satach disolved the lightshow with a flick of her stylus.

"Ok, ok. I'll go make like Space junk over Ord Mantell" she aquienced. "Is there some way for me to contact you, should these whispers give me a call?"

"I know, but have patience." She pulled out a small black data crystal from her pocket, "If you leap to fast, you'll miss those who have not arrived yet."

She tossed the crystal to Alex. "This contains a set of encryption key codes and list of frequencies I monitor. You can use any of them to contact me on any long range comsat. And remember that Ord Mantell is not the destination you seek, it's just as close as I've personally been able to get."

"Got it" Alex said, eyeballing the crystal thoughtfully.

"You've put a lot of faith in me tonight" she said at last "and I cant think you would trust anyone easily, given the state of the galaxy as it is"
Cole looked at Mu candidly, "Both of us are going on faith, arent we?"

It had been a very long time since Harlequin had ever put faith in anyone. And longer still that anyone had put faith in her.

It was a defining moment for the prodical Jedi.

"You wont loose on mine" Alex promised her.

"Have a little faith in me." a quirky lopsided grin of her father rose and fell in the back of her mind. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"The winds have changed, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I find myself wanting to believe in that change." Mu picked up her charts and organized them.

"I imagine you're tired, it's very late." Standing up she carried her charts and cup to the mini bar. "There is a guest room you are welcome to rest in before you begin your journey." She rinsed the cup and put it in the sanitizer. "Not as opulent as the rooms at the Cumulus, but comfortable and it's yours if you need it."

As gung-ho to be off and finding Jedi as Alex was, the thought of sleeping in a warm comfortable bed held great appeal and she accepted Mu's offer, with thanks.

"Should I find my own way there using more mind tricks, or would it be better if you just point the way" she said, adding a wry grin.

Mu leaned against the counter and smiled at Alex. "It's down that way on the right." She tucked the charts up under her arm. "I'm not sure if I'll be around in the morning when you wake. Deliveries arrive rather early down at the bar. But please feel free to make yourself at home.”

"I'll try to do that" Alex rejoined.

She extended a hand to Mu using an old-world custom that lent itself to trust and committment between two parties. "Thanks Mu. I really mean it"

As the pair exited the office together, Alex left her new ally with a promise to find her in the morning.