Survival, Dark Times 3

[hk47fan]

Mara

"Winter...don't really know her, but if you think she can be trusted...hell, I don't know. I just don't want to see you dead, so maybe you should give her a call," I answered. All of those people were far from my best friends, but if we were in danger, we may need some help from them. "Just be careful, because you've got a good point. We can't get too well known again."

[Revan Jast]

The pirates ran for cover before Kurt could take down any more. He too ran for the nearest tree, calling out the man they'd been chasing.

"Hey you!"

Once the man looked over, Kurt made a series of hand gestures to point out where the enemies were. This was to avoid calling out their positions and causing them to move somewhere else. Although he wasn't a military man, Kurt had learned the proper hand communications when he was younger.

Kurt reloaded his weapon and moved out into the open, dropping into a crouch. The pirate on the right peeked around, allowing Kurt to pick him off. One quick pull of the trigger and he was dead.

It's almost like child's play, he thought.

No one else dared to peek out, so Kurt moved back into cover.

[RobbyL9]

Blades was surprised in his adrenaline high to see someone he hadn't noticed before in a position to flank him. He almost drew his weapon on the man but stopped and quickly ducked for cover when he saw the hand signals being given to him.

Before the other man dropped to one knee and fired, Blades hand-signaled back "I count three. Armed with rifles."

When the pirate was picked off, the attention turned to the other soldier. Blades used this opportunity to go prone and crawl out from behind the boulder. Staying as stealth as possible, he slowly got to his knees and walked around the trees behind the remaining pirates. Just as he was hoping it would be, their attention had completely turned to the other man.

Blades' finger jerked back on the trigger, rapidly shooting the two pirates in the back and killing them. Once they fell and he had checked their bodies for movement, he called over to his mystery guest "We're all clear! Get over here, I wanna talk to ya!"

[Rain]

ONE DAY LATER... EXCEPT ON GOBINDI... OR PERHAPS THE CORUSCANT PEEPS ARE IN A DREAM WHICH IS INSIDE A DREAM OF THE GOBINDI PEOPLE... IN WHICH CASE ABOUT AN HOUR ON GOBINDI EQUALS A DAY FOR THOSE INSIDE A DREAM INSIDE TEHIR DREAM... BUT FORGET ABOUT THAT...

ONE DAY LATER - ON CORUSCANT AND BESPIN!

Xandyr

I lingered around the area outside Coruscant Security. I had a suitable disguise on that made me look like an Arkanian tourist. I was waiting roughly an hour before I spotted her - Winter.

"Excuse me!" I called over holding up a map, so that to the CCTV cameras it would look as though I was asking for directions. I waited until I was right beside her before I spoke. "Okay, uh... you might not recognise me, but I'm Xandyr Foxx."

"Yes." She replied, "I already noticed. Not much of a disguise, but then again not a lot of people around here know you. Anyway, what are you here for."

The disguise was a little dodgy. But I only had a day to put it together after all! "Yeah... I uh... well my fiance and I need your help."

She cocked an eyebrow, waiting for me to go on. "I think someone is targetting me."

"Targetting you?"

"Yeah, like attacking me."

"Do you have a description of this person?" She asked.

I thought for a moment. There wasn't much to describe. "Well... it's a male. He has pretty dark attire and has his face hidden."

"You can't give me any more than that?" She queried, "If you need our help we need more intel."

"Seriously, he's the only one on Coruscant who fits that description." I said, almost with a laugh, "Oh and he carries a sword, if that helps."

Winter paused. "Okay. I'll help however I can. But it will all be off the record, which means I can't involve the rest of CoruSec. I'm not sure how much help I can be alone though, as I am fairly busy, but I'll see if I can call in a few favours." She smiled, "Now, I need a way to contact you."

"Here, this is my comlink frequency. And here's Mara's- I mean uh, Janet's."

Winter laughed. "Xandyr don't worry! I specialise in hacking intel, snooping around where I don't need to. I already know about Mara. Your secret is safe with me."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Well... okay then. Thanks."

"You better go..." She said as she glanced behind her, and pointed down the road as if she was giving directions. "I'll be in contact shortly."

[hk47fan]

Sora

"I...don't know anything..." the woman gasped from inside her cell, worn and beaten after a day's worth of hard interrogation. I had been here all day, with Rhynna, as we both questioned the woman. She continued to deny the claims.

My conscience was telling me to let her go...but I had to go with what I had heard. I couldn't let a potentially dangerous person out on the streets, putting people's lives in danger and reporting valued information to Daala. That kind of thinking was what cost me my wife. I ignored Mona's obvious warning signs, and everything fell apart.

I pressed a button on the control system, and she screamed as she was electricuted.

"Please, miss, this isn't easy for me," I said genuinely. "But if you would just tell me what I need to know, this wouldn't be so hard on you."

"I don't know anything! I've been telling you that for a day!" the woman screamed.

"Admiral, I don't think she knows anything," Rhynna interjected. "We've been at it for a day and no confession."

"She served under Daala. From what we know about that woman, she's a hard-core Admiral. Don't you think that she'd inspire determination in her troops and spies? Convince them to never break their silence? We can't let an opportunity like this slip away. If we pressure her enough, she will tell us what we need to know," I explained. "Now, lets return to the interrogation."

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

Naos

After arriving on Bespin, and reuniting with old friends and allies, we all had taken some time to get settled in and recover after what we had just learned, and the fiasco on Tattooine. I spent every waking moment with Thorin...he was the last family member that I had, and I needed to see an innocent, beautiful face in a time like this.

Now, it was time to get down to business. The Jedi Council was gathered in this white, circular room on Cloud City. No one here knew about what happened with Jan...but it was time that they did know. They probably assumed that this was a meeting about what to do with the Order now; unfortunately, it was much different.

"First of all, I would like to thank Master Offee for taking over the Order in my absence," I started, glancing at Barriss with a small smile. "I can already tell she handled everything with the utmost grace and proper judgement. She may have saved the Jedi Order itself."

"Thank you, Grandmaster Redgrave, but you give me too much credit. The Jedi around me are to be thanked as well, and I am just glad to have both you and Master Starstone back with us," Barriss told me.

I nodded. "Secondly, I must tell all of you why I assembled the Council today. It is not to discuss what to do with the Order now that we are no longer on Coruscant...instead, I must share some much graver news: I have decided to resign as Grandmaster."

The Force radiated with shock from many Council members. Even Barriss looked surprised. "Why, Grandmaster? What is the meaning of this?" she asked.

I sighed, looking down with guilt. I looked back up, knowing I had to face this. "Some of you may know of Jan Corcer. A psycho, obsessed with me, that worked with Dark Lady Lumiya," I answered, looking at Olee for a moment. "In order to gain my affections. She assaulted me at the top of the Jedi Temple one evening, while Lumiya tried to kill my fiancee: Master Gash. Their plan failed, but Jan continued at it. She worked with the Black Sun for a time, until finally, she and several friends had enough of the Lady in Blue's antics. They rebelled, and ended up stranded with us. There, Jan and I confronted each other, and my anger prevailed over my teachings: I used the Force to shove her into a rock, nearly killing her. She survived, but had yet to wake up when we left Tattooine...I feel a large amount of guilt, and must take responsibility. I can no longer properly lead the Jedi Order."

Alsia

After getting to Bespin, I had greeted all of my friends, and caught up with everyone. I also had gone to Memah's new cantina: The Jaded Sky. Evidently, she had wasted no time in getting one after abandoning the Soft Heart.

With so many old residents of the Soft Heart wanting to live in the new one, Memah had decided to open it a bit early, and let all of us move in. Trika, Caleb, Serra, Daron, Miss Haltzilakas, and myself were all now living there.

Now, I was trying to sleep, but I couldn't. I kept getting haunted by these visions. Right now, I was sitting up in bed, after waking up from the most recent one.

Why is he in my dreams? Why now? Its been months...I still miss him, but I'm over his death. It just doesn't make sense.

I sighed. I had to stop thinking about this, and try to get some good rest for once. I hadn't gotten any since back on Coruscant. Sure, I slept on Tattooine and on that transport over here, but that wasn't exactly comfortable living.

I lied back down, and slowly drifted off.

He was there, on the platform...that platform that I'd only been to once, but recognized anywhere. He was there, calling out to me. Screaming my name constantly...I'd try to run for him, but I couldn't. For some reason, its like I was just stuck there, watching him scream out for me.

Then the platform exploded, and he went plummetting into the abyss of Coruscant. However, he was still screaming my name. Still yelling it out, at the top of his lungs...

I shot up, sweating and breathing heavily.

"What the hell is going on?" I wondered.

[Rain]

Olee

I disagreed with Naos saying that he could not properly lead the Jedi Order, but I did feel that him stepping down was the right decision. Provided he was only stepping down temporarily. What he did was wrong, but it was a mistake, and he was clearly troubled by it. It was clear he was feeling very guilty about it, and he needed time to come to terms with what had happened and to make his peace with it.

"We understand Master Redgrave." I said as I gave him a reassuring smile, "And don't worry. We are all here for you. You'll get through this."

Memah

I could here the noise from upstairs, so I decided to investigate. When I got to the source of the noise I found a pale Alsia Fel sitting up in he rbed, breathing heavily.

"Bad dream?"

[hk47fan]

Naos

I nodded. "Thank you...in time, I believe I will. But alot has been going on in my life. I need to collect myself and get over this, as well as cope with being a single father, and the departures of both Master Scout Gash and Master Nait Gash. It is simply alot to take in, and I can't run the Order while I deal with it," I told them.

"I agree with Master Starstone, but who is to run the Order in your absence?" Barriss asked.

I looked around for a moment. Finally, my eyes returned to Barriss. "You are the most qualified, Master Offee. In fact, probably even moreso than I. If you do not mind continuing on in the position...."

Barriss nodded. "I will do so, but I refuse to be a permanant replacement for you. There is a reason that Master Paine appointed you to the seat of Grandmaster, and ultimately, it is where you belong."

I was silent after that. Could I ever return as Grandmaster after what I did? From what I knew, no Grandmaster had ever done this. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be fit to run the Order again. I couldn't promise anything, not right now.

"As Acting Grandmaster, I would like to bring up the most pressing issue on our minds at the moment," Barriss said, looking at the entire Council. "Now that Master Redgrave has returned, we can discuss it. Administrator Calrissian has been very kind to offer us shelter here, but Cloud City is simply no place to run a very large Order...it just doesn't have that kind of room. Not yet, anyway. We have many Knights, Padawans, and Younglings who need a home, a place to train...we must move the Order. I have been researching planets, and I think Tython would be a haven for us."

Alsia

I was still reeling from that dream when Memah entered. I just sighed, trying to get ahold of myself, and looked up at my landlord. "Yeah. No big deal, at least, uh, I hope not, but..." I began, pausing. I still wasn't sure what to think of this. Was it a big deal? "I've been having these weird dreams lately. About Takk."

I'm probably going to make her think I'm crazy.

"I don't know why they're coming around now, or if they mean anything," I continued, running my hands through my hair. "I still think about Takk on occasion, but I'm over his death. It was a long time ago, and I'm over it, or I thought I was. I just keep having dreams of him on that platform where he died, calling out to me."

[Rain]

Olee

"Tython?" I queried, "The ancient home of the Jedi? But if the old Temple still standing?"

"Yes, surprisingly it is Master Starstone." Another Master replied.

"I think it is an excellent idea Master Offee." A third added.

"I agree." I spoke again, "I do feel that some of us should remain here however. The Jedi as a whole are not entangled in this mess, but some, such as myself and a few others are." I glanced at Naos, and then back to Bariss, "What do you think?"

Memah

"Oh you;re not crazy, believe me." I replied, offering Alsia a reassuring smile, "I still have the odd dream about Rodo. He was the bouncer at the Soft Heart Cantina on Coruscant. the original one that is, not the one you guys stayed in. He gave his life to ensure that a group of us including myself and Uli escaped the Death Star before it blew."

I sat down across from her. "You never really forget, you just learn to come to terms with it. Things have been so hectic the last few months... maybe you never got proper closure? You might think you are over his death, but perhaps you were too busy to grieve properly?"

[hk47fan]

Naos

"That is a good idea, and we cannot all simply go at once. I am not sure if there are that many transports," Barriss said, chuckling slightly. "We must get the Younglings, Padawans, and Knights off first, with a few Masters to oversee it. Even that may be too much, but some of us will have to stay here for a time."

I nodded in agreement. "Both of you are right. Some of our friends, and allies, are here. For the sake of the Order, we must keep tabs on the growing conflict between the NR and our friends. And like Master Starstone stated, we are entangled in this," I said.

"Then it is settled. The Order's new home will be on Tython, and we will begin moving everyone there slowly. Master Starstone and Master Redgrave will remain on Bespin indefinitely...I will also remain until everyone else is on Tython," Barriss said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Alsia

I was silent for a minute or two after what Memah brought up. She could have a point, but I wasn't sure. I mean, I thought I had gotten over it after those first several days. Those were the hardest days, but then I tried to move on with my life. I'd always miss him, but I thought I had moved on.

However, if I had, then these dreams wouldn't be here.

"Its possible, I guess," I answered. "I was really busy on Coruscant Security for a long time, with everything that was going on. But now, I'm not there anymore, and I don't really have a job at all, so its starting to surface again. But if I'm not over Takk's death, then how do I get over it? Maybe thats a stupid question, but I'm not good at this sort of thing."

[Rain]

Memah

"That's the thing..." I frowned, "Normally I would say you owuld get your closure by returning to spot where he died. It would be difficult yes, but worth it. It would help you come to peace with the fact that he is gone, and it would allow you to move on with your life. But Coruscant isn't exactly a place you want to go to at the minute..."

I heard a comlink buzz. I pulled out mines. "It's not me - must be yours."

[hk47fan]

Alsia

I raised an eyebrow. No one had any reason to contact me, not now anyways. I couldn't imagine anyone like Han wanting something from me, and not many people knew the signal to get me on.

However, nonetheless, I activated it. "Uh, hello?"

Sora

Ten more minutes had passed by, and the prisoner still wouldn't give up any information. Part of me was wondering if she was truly innocent, but I trusted Intelligence; there had to be something here. I refused to let an opportunity like this slip away.

"Where is Natasi Daala?" Rhynna asked.

"I have no clue. I don't even know who she is!" the woman screamed.

I punched in a button, and she got shocked again. A yell of pain erupted.

"Tell me how you got onto Coruscant," Rhynna ordered.

"I moved here with my family a few years ago, after Aldeeran got destroyed. We were off-planet when it happened, and lost our home and all of our extended families. We're all we have left. All my kids have are my husband and I, so please, let me go," the woman pleaded.

I sighed, shaking my head. She was a good actor, I'd give her that. Now, though, it was time to turn the torture up a knotch.

I pushed another button on the console in front of me, and the electric shock was one level more powerful.

I looked at her. "It is time for you to confess, or the consequences will be severe," I said sternly.

"There's nothing to confess!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "There is nothing!"

"I'm sorry about this, but I have to do it. I can't let you get away," I told her, some regret showing in my voice, before I turned back to the console.

"N-No, pl-" she started.

I pressed the button, and one final yell was heard before everything went silent. I looked back at her, raising an eyebrow, and saw her just lying there, limp.

My heart dropped.

Rhynna walked over to her side, calmly grabbing her wrist and feeling for a pulse. She threw it aside after a few seconds.

An unhappy look crossed the Head-of-Security's face. "Admiral, she's dead."

[Revan Jast]

Kurt watched the pirates go down with a sly smirk. "Job well fucking done," he said.

He bent down and picked up one of the guards by the collar, wrapping his hand around the hilt of the knife and pulling it free. He wiped it clean on the grass and sheathed it, walking towards the other man as he did so.

"What the hell brings you to this place?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. He was surprised to see anyone else here besides the guards, since this was a secluded place, after all. This guy was up to something, that much was clear.

[RobbyL9]

"I could ask the same of you." Blades retorted, flipping up his mask "You look a little well-equipped to be one of the pirates and too damn smart." He paused momentarily to check his rifle and reload it. "Look, it's pretty obvious you're not an ally of these guys otherwise you would have blasted me or passed me by... You trying to blow something up?"

[Revan Jast]

"As a matter of fact... I am," Kurt replied. "Maybe a few other things, too."

He looked to the east, did some math in his head, and then looked back at the man. "Did you come here by yourself?" he inquired. He remembered the two blips on his radar from earlier. Time to see if the man was a liar as well as a pretty good shot.

Kurt started walking towards the stronghold as they talked. No sense in wasting time. There was shit to take care of.

[RobbyL9]

"Maybe, maybe not. But if you are what I'm hoping you are, then we'd be better to work together." Blades said flipping his mask back down "So how about for now we just form an unspoken, mutally non-committal, no shooting each other pact? We'll both just go our separate ways to where each of us is supposed to be heading and if we end up seeing each other again, well..."

Blades winked "So much the better. I'm Blades by the way, in case I don't see you again."