Survival, Dark Times 3

[sarinshepard]

Yenna

"Welll..." She smiled, and shrugged. "I'm gonna go home and eat some dinner," she said, scooping her clothes up off the floor and began to dress herself. "My gorgeous, womanly figure isn't gonna look this great for long, so I may as well go eat a tub of chocolate ice cream and as many nachos as I want."

She headed straight for the door, but she turned and faced the doctor at the last minute. "Thanks, Doc. Have a great day!" And then she was gone.

[Revan Jast]

Dr. House

He watched her walk away, puzzled that she ignored him again. When she wasn't in a sexual mode, she was totally not here... well, that was a shame. She was a fine piece of work, that one. Sighing, he started to pick up his jacket, but then realized he had something to take care of....

Clearing his throat, he walked to the door and opened it a crack.

"Miss Secretary, can you come here for a moment?!"

The End....?

[Rain]

Uh...whut...

[hk47fan]

Mara

I stood next to Takk, both of our ears being pressed to the door, though I was also using the Force to enhance my hearing slightly, a luxury that he didn't have...well, that I presumed he didn't, anyway. An hour ago, the last thing I thought I'd be doing was hiding in a room inside my own home with a man that nearly killed me and my unborn child. Now, though, here we were, on the same side. It felt slightly weird.

Not to mention, there was technically a criminal in here, a mercenary, and the rest of that...group. I wasn't sure what to call them, but just from how they acted, I was inclined to say mercs or pirates. And two of them used to be dead.

Snapping back into the situation at hand, concern grew when I heard the words "Emma and Demlan." The children were nice enough, not bad at all, but they were Sora Trok's children. The very man that Winter was on the run from. I knew that Sora likely had no idea that Emma and Demlan were out running around like this, or even that they knew my son, but the thought that they could potentially lead him here was discomforting.

I looked at Winter, and Sora's mercenary that had arrived. I wasn't sure what to make of him, but Winter trusted him, and he hadn't made any sudden moves just yet, so I wouldn't question him for now. I was slightly suspicious, but we needed all the allies we could get. "It's your boss's children," I whispered to them both.

Emma

"Hi, Mr. Foxx!" I greeted kindly, smiling at him. I always tried to be polite to people; our parents did try to make that a big priority in our lives, treating people kindly and smiling when we should. My dad always wanted us to look as happy as ever when we were out at public events with him.

Then, I looked at Jaden. "Um, hi! I hope you don't mind us stopping by again, but we kinda wanted to check on you before you went home," I said, glancing at Jaden's dad. I wasn't sure if he'd tell him what really happened or not. "You know, with your eye and all."

"Yeah, we hoped you were feeling okay," Demlan agreed, basically ignoring Jaden's dad. He didn't have the manners I did. "I mean, not only your eye, but you really slugged that guy. Probably tired after you whooped him so hard..."

I resisted the urge to facepalm myself.

Tina

I turned my head up high at the man as we walked away, not wishing to speak with him any longer. "Well, glad he could finally tell us something," I remarked. I felt really icky being here, and having to ask a common criminal for help! I mean, sure, I'd been a criminal once, and technically I was on the run now, but I didn't belong in a place like this! I didn't need to associate with people like him! I had earned a much higher standard of life.

"I hope we don't have to ask anyone for directions again. I'm not sure how much I like the people around here, no offense to them," I said to Kitty as we walked along. However, I guessed that we were lucky to at least get directions, and lucky that we even made it to Taris.

"Now, we just need to get to that speeder and meet Nillia," I said, moreso to myself than Kitty, trying to reassure myself that we'd be fine. I hated to admit it, but I did kind of fear being killed on the way there. I had no clue where Keish had his minions running around at, so I just wanted to get out of sight quick.

[Revan Jast]

Kurt

He cursed under his breath. "I can only hope they leave as soon as possible, lest things get very complicated in a short time. Sora is expecting reports from me, and I'll have to tell him something, so you all need some sort of plan, and fast."

[Rain]

Xandyr

What was I supposed to do now? First my wifes would-be killer shows up, back to normal and chatty as ever, with two zombie Padawans, Boba Fett's long lost brother, a fiery smuggler and Coruscants most wanted felon. Then Sora's right hand inside-man appears, and now Sora's own children were here!

I had to get them away from here. And fast.

"I uh... Jaden is uh..."

"I'm grounded." Jaden told them. That just went to show that Force sensitivity had no relevance to fast thinking.

"Yeah.... yeah, he's grounded." I said, taking on a stern tone. "Yeah he uh..." Not too far behind them I saw the familiar red outfits of a Corusec patrol. This had gone from bad to worse. It was time for a change of plan. I laughed. "Actually... he's kidding. I'm kidding. He's not grounded. See, Jaden is uh..."

"Taking acting lessons."

I glanced round to see Takk in the hallway, standing with his hands behind his back, and putting on some sort of accent. What in the name of Alderaan was he doing? All I could do was play along.

"Yeah." I laughed, trying not to sound nervous. "He's pretty good too! I bet you believed him when he said he was grounded didn't you! Anyways kids, Jaden isn't coming out but you guys can come in." I quickly ushered them in and shut the door. They looked extremely confused. I couldn't blame them.

"Emma, Dem, this is my drama teacher!" Jaden exclaimed, pointing at Takk. "Mr-"

"I am Mr Whiteraven!" Takk bellowed, almost making Jaden jump with the loud interuption. "Champion of the stage, bringer of joy and sorrow, slayer of Theokoles. Young Jaden here is my finest student!"

Winter

I sighed as Takk left the room and invented a new persona. "This is bad..." I said to the group, particularly Kurt. "How do we avoid these kids?"

"We could always take 'em hostage?" Suggested Sem, almost too casually.

"They're kids!" I responded with a hint of disgust at Sem's suggestion.

Sem rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. Keep 'em on Winter. Does anyone have any better ideas?"

[hk47fan]

Emma

Demlan and I walked inside, and we both gave each other confused looks. Acting lessons? Jaden never mentioned that. All of a sudden, his teacher came out of nowhere, shouting about slaying....something? "Uhh, I didn't know you wanted to be an actor," I said to him, kind of uncertain. "...but thanks for letting us come in?"

"I never saw you as the acting type," Demlan admitted, shrugging slightly as he glanced warily at Mr. Whiteraven. "...but that's cool, I guess."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Whiteraven," I said to him with a slight nod. I looked at Jaden. "So, uh, were you in acting class right now...?"

All of this did seem a little weird, but I was glad that Jaden's dad let us inside...it looked like the police were patrolling outside, and if any of them saw Demlan and I, that wouldn't be good. People would know who we are, since we were with our dad at events and stuff. But it was getting late...we probably needed to get home soon.

"Xandyrr!" Jaden's mom said with a smile, that looked a little weird, as she walked out of another room. "A word, please, while Mr. Whiteraven entertains the kids?"

She gritted her teeth, like it was important or something. I just looked back at Jaden.

Sora

Night was falling on Coruscant, and while the search for Winter continued, I had decided to return to my home. Often, I worked late in the nights, but I would trust Kurt to track her down for now, and I'd get back to it in the morning. I did need some rest, after all. My mind was still on the situation at hand, but I had to try to forget about that traitor. At least for now.

As I walked into my huge apartment, one of the classiest, fanciest there were on Coruscant, I heard my sister-in-law, Vania Yitek, mumbling to herself. "Where are they? Crap, crap, this is not good..."

"Vania?" I questioned, entering the apartment. "Who are you talking to?"

The short, blonde-haired woman looked at me, her eyes going wide. "Sora!" she exclaimed. "Wh-what are you doing home so early? I thought you and Deena were going to go out to dinner with some of the Senate leaders or something..."

"There is an emergency situation at the moment, I cancelled the dinner," I informed her, eyeing her suspiciously. "Where are Emma and Demlan?"

I could see her tense. "I....well....they..." she stammered.

I narrowed my eyes. "Vania, where are my children?" I asked, a little more sternly.

She sighed. "...they went out for awhile. They haven't come back," she told me, looking away.

Suddenly, I was filled with fury. Vania often babysitted my two children, Emma and Demlan, because she was a family member; they were always under strict orders to not go out. Despite my attempts to secure this planet, it was still not safe enough for them. Not for two children of mine. They were never allowed out under any circumstances, not alone, anyway.

"You did what?!" I hissed, not hiding my anger. "Vania, you know our orders about that. You know that."

"I know! I just....they always want to, and I..." Vania said, suddenly getting very nervous.

"And you can't find them?!" I shouted, raising my voice slightly. "There is a planet-wide search going on right now, and you cannot find my children?!"

"I've tried to get them back, but I can't get ahold of them!" Vania exclaimed, looking at me with a pleading look.

I ignored it. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to them?!" I yelled. "They're young, naive! These streets, no matter how hard I may try, are unsafe! Because of you and what you've let them do, my children could be dead!"

"Sora, Vania," a familiar voice interrupted, and I glanced back to see my wife, Deena Trok, walking in. "What is going on?"

"Your sister decided to let our children roam Coruscant freely," I snapped to Deena. "She can't find them."

"What?! Vania..." Deena said, looking at her sister. "When was the last time you heard from them?"

"It's been...a while. I'm not sure exactly how long," Vania replied, very anxious. "I'm sorry, it was a mis-"

"Get out!" I yelled to her. It wasn't often that I was this angry, but it seemed to be becoming a common occurance lately. "Never come back. Do you understand me, Vania? Never come back. And if I don't find my children, I promise you, I will-"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Vania yelled, almost looking to be on the verge of tears, as she darted out of the apartment.

I turned around, enraged, and began to walk towards the door myself. I shoved my way past Deena. "I'm going to fix this mess," I growled, not letting her get a word in as I left.

Caitlin

"Captain, you have to just hear me out," I pleaded, with the local leader of our Resistance base on Taris. His name was Captain Ailim; he was a Weequay, and he was a good man, but he could be a little...hard to deal with at times. He had a good heart, but convincing him to give Blades the Mercenary a shot was a little harder than I first thought it was. "He...seems like a good man. Just give him a shot."

"Dr. Trok, I have always had respect for you, but I have a hard time believing that I should let out a man that works, and wishes to return, to the New Republic," Ailim said, in his native tongue, although I was able to understand it. The last thirteen years had provided a lot of time for learning. "He could be tricking you. You don't usually bring things like this to me, why now? Why this man?"

"Because I believe that he could help us. If you agree to let him go and give him some work or something, then maybe it'll get him on our side full time. We need to help him, not keep him locked up in a cell," I pleaded with him, hoping desperately that he would listen to me.

Maybe he was right: Maybe this was too much of a risk, and maybe Blades would trick us all, but I felt like he was different. The way he acted, him not trying to murder us all spoke volume in my eyes. He had his issues, probably, and he had done bad things, I was sure, but...there was always some hope for people.

"It may be safer for all of us if he remains in his cell. We can try to interrogate him and get some information out of him; that is the only way I see him benefiting the Resistance," Captain Ailim told me, quite bluntly. He stared at me with his several eyes.

"We're not the NR! The point of the Resistance is that it is supposed to try to bring this Galaxy back to the integrity that it once had, and leaving men to rot in cells is not a way to do that! We're different," I insisted. I couldn't let this go; somehow, I had an attachment to the situation. "We could change this man's life, get him away from the New Republic, you never know."

"Forgive my skeptic nature, Dr. Trok, but I tend to think that his crimes against us already speak against you," Ailim told me. "Why should we give this man a chance for anything after he made his intentions clear, even after his surgery? No matter what he may have said to you in private to try to convince you otherwise."

"Captain," I said, taking a deep breath. I had to convince him somehow. I wouldn't let this go. "We have to give him another chance."

"Why? Why do you insist? I am generally curious," the Captain told me, folding his hands.

I was silent for a long moment. It was a hard question to answer...I wasn't really sure why. All I had done was patch the man's wounds and then talk to him for three minutes inside an operating room, and maybe for another five inside a cold cell. Why did I want to help Blades so much? It did seem foolish.

Finally, I said the only thing that really came to mind when I focused on it.

"Captain," I said, taking another breath. "There are people out there who do bad things, are on the wrong side...but sometimes, they deserve another chance. You know it, and I know it. I used to not think like that, but...I made a mistake of not giving my father another chance, and I regret it very often. I may not know Blades, but I want to at least give him that opportunity."

Ailim was silent after that. I didn't discuss my father much, but people knew of...what had happened. People in the Resistance, anyway. "Fine," he finally said. "Make him an offer to join us, at least temporarily. In return for him being released, he has to do work for us and stay here. He'll be under close watch. We will compensate him, but he has to follow the rules. No reporting to the NR."

I smiled. "Thank you, Captain, thank you!" I told him, honestly. "I'll go give him the news now."

"Don't make me regret it," he called, as I turned to leave.

Soon, I was back at the cell, and Blades's guards let me in once again. I walked towards him, with a light smile on my face. "Good news," I told him, a little more positive than I had been earlier. "I have an offer for you."

[RobbyL9]

Blades

Blades who had been reclining on his back and making shadow puppets on the wall, did a quick Teras Kasi kip up. On his feet, he walked toward the cell door. So Head Nurse Feelgood had returned after all. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Let's hear her out first though. There's always a string attached.

"Cool. What do you got for me, Feelgood?" he said quietly in a misty voice, smiling at the end.

[hk47fan]

Caitlin

Strangely, I was warming more and more to Blades. I was very hesitant to do so. He could be a merciless killer, and I could've just blown the Resistance's base here sky high. We could lose our entire footing on Taris because of this.

Still, I had to give him the chance.

"Captain Ailim, the current head officer around here, was a hard man to convince. He was very hesitant...and rightfully so," I said, wanting him to know that we did have good reason to be suspicious, because of what had already happened. "I kept pressing at him, though, and he gave in: He'll let you go if you agree to do some work for us for a while. Join us as a soldier, even if it is temporary. You'll be compensated."

I bit my lip, hoping he'd be open to it. I wasn't sure whether he would, or whether he'd want to rush back to the New Republic already.

[RobbyL9]

Blades

Yes! Smile, baby. We are back in business. Blades maintained his fierce, stone-faced gaze at the young woman on the other side of the field and thought for a second. The reactors to this place were trashy, archaic Tarisian tech. He could set them to blow with time to spare and make it back home with a bounty that could get him to the outer rim and back.

Caitlin was obviously going to great personal risk to do this. He could see in her eyes that though she was more comfortable, something was still upsetting her. Maybe even scaring her. No, he had to keep his word if he was going to do that. Besides, it was never about the money. It stopped being about the money when the veil was lifted at the ceremony all those years ago.

Blades squared his jaw "On one condition." he took a step back and held out his hand to the force field as if to shake "Make a promise to a man, you shake his hand."

[hk47fan]

Caitlin

At first, he was silent, which I could understand. For a mercenary that had been under the employment of Sora Trok, it was a big decision. For anyone joining the Resistance in any capacity, it was a big decision. It was effectively turning against the mainstream galactic government to join a force that was fairly small in comparison.

Thankfully, though, he was deciding to take her up on her offer. That made me very relieved.

I reached out my hand, as if to shake it through the force field, similar to how Blades had. "I promise that I will keep my word, and we will all try to help you. We aren't trying to trick you; that's not who we are," I assured him. "Please, just do the same for us."

[RobbyL9]

Blades

Nodding his head, Blades looked around. "So... when am I going to get my assignment?" he asked, his mood immediately changing on a dime. "I'm also gonna need some time to prepare my arms for whatever needs doing, no more than an hour at most. And please, tell me you're actually giving me one of the tough missions." He leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms.

"Cause I'm just gonna end up embarrassing people otherwise."

[hk47fan]

Caitlin

At this moment, I motioned for one of the guards to let the force field down. "He's released," I told them simply. It had all happened so quick, but no matter whether Blades planned to stick with us or betray us, it was best to find out sooner rather than later. "To be honest, I am not sure what you will be doing. I know it will be something along those lines, though. I am just a doctor here. That's probably something that the Captain will assign to you," I told him as I walked inside the cell. "You'll have to take it up with him. He'll probably want to meet you first, anyway."

[RobbyL9]

Blades

He could feel it when the force field came down for the final time. Stepping out into the hallway and enjoying his freedom, Blades asked Caitlin where the captain could be found and started walking. As he passed the guard in charge of his cell, Blades looked him dead in the eye.

"What's the difference between a jeweler and a jailor? One sells watches, the other watches cells."

[hk47fan]

R7-43

My head spun around, looking at the organics around the room. The transport that this Resistance team, Team Beta, was on board was approximately 2.1 miles from the destinaiton: The New Republic's arsenal supply, estimated to be the largest arsenal base on Taris. The mission for Team Beta, made up mostly of Resistance soldiers with military skills, was to attack the base in a short amount of time and confiscate the New Republic's weapons.

I had come along to assist the team with any technicalities of the mission, such as hacking into any systems that needed to be scrambled in order for the mission to be successful. Now, we were flying through the sky of Taris on a transport.

As I waited alongside the organics, I began to recieve a message; another reason the Resistance had chosen to send me was to be able to relay messages between the Resistance headquarters and Team Beta on a secure channel.

"Incoming message from the Resistance base," I beeped, although most organics would not be able to understand me. One of the members nodded, and I let the message play, as a hologram of the organic leader known as Captain Ailim appeared.

"Team Beta," Captain Ailim said, looking at all of them. "You all know the mission: Ram your way into the base, quickly retrieve the weapons and manage to sabatoge the base in some form, and escape. We do not have the means or the want for an all out assault, however. This must be as quick as possible; try to avoid as many casualties as you can. The NR forces will likely try to send reenforcements quickly. Our intel suggests that this base is very valuable to them and their operations on Taris."

He looked at all of the organics again, and in particular, the newest organic to join the Resistance forces; I did not know much about him, but he was added to this mission shortly before it launched. "Are we all clear?"