Episode 1: The Search For An Apprentice

Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:18 am Post subject:

Fripp knelt beside his captive and moved a stray strand of hair away from her eyes with his finger. He’d begun thinking of her as his captive since no one really took as much pride in their work as he did. Sure they all came and made a show of it; a little beating, a little touching – perhaps more, but they didn’t enjoy their work and that was what made them defer to him when it came to the “breaking” of their hostage.

It had become quite apparent to Fripp that most of these guys didn’t have what it took to truly break a person. Well maybe they did; maybe it was because she was a woman that they had some qualms about certain things, but Fripp had no such restrictions. Still, he’d noticed the way some of the others looked at him when they thought he wasn’t looking. He’d seen the barely hidden contempt in Raskim’s eyes, but Raskim was all about getting the job done and he knew for this particular task Fripp was the right tool.

He continued to gently stroke her cheek with his finger for a few moments, although he wasn’t paying much attention. Something had been troubling him and he thought he should address it just in case it ever came to pass. He doubted it would, but one never knows for sure. Leaning forward slightly he stopped with his lips just short of her ear.

“Ya know love, I been thinkin’.” He whispered. “If you ‘ave my baby, you make sure he doesn’t grow up t’be a Jedi.” He grinned.

He lost himself in thought again and his grin slowly faded and he became serious again. “An make sure he doesn’t grow up t’be like me.” He brightened a little. “Perhaps a scholar or a doc…or a commander in his Majesty’s army.”

He leaned back away from her regretfully and sat on his heals just looking at her like a puzzle.

Her nude form was a jumble of color ranging from yellows to purples to reds depending on how fresh the bruises were. The others were responsible for carrying her to the makeshift shower once a day – they seemed to enjoy bathing her more than hurting her. Not that he could completely blame them. If he didn’t spend so much intimate time with her already, that would probably be enjoyable.

“Jarsk!” He bellowed toward the door.

“Yeah what is it?” Jarsk’s voice responded.

“Bring me the plasma torch, some wire, and some butter.” He responded without taking his eyes from hers. He could see the wild raging fear that she tried so hard to keep in check, but she would lose her control sooner or later…they all did. A part of him wished this were over already, but on the bright side it did force him to use his imagination in devising new ways to cause pain and fear.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:18 am Post subject:

Raskim looked up from the Coruscant news story he’d been reading when he heard the request shouted from the back room. Fripp was an odd one, but if anyone could get this lousy job over with it was him. His data pad chirped and he glanced down to see the encrypted code and knew who the caller was. He pressed a button to accept the incoming feed.

“Lord Songar.” Raskim said with a nod as a way of greeting. “Everything is still going as planned.”

“Yes I know, that does not concern me. I trust Fripp will get the job done. What concerns me is her husband’s search efforts. She cannot be found before the time is right Mister Raskim or I will be most displeased.”

The threat hung in air a moment before he continued. “What about the mercs we spoke of?”

“I have discreetly dropped large bounty-like sums through several hands so it cannot be traced. Most of them will likely remain in this sector watching for him, but the more dangerous professionals will move towards the downtown sectors where he has already been spotted. I haven’t heard of any confrontations as of yet.” Raskim reported.

“That isn’t good enough. I need him suitably distracted. Up the price to one that will make every cutthroat from here to the outer rim will want to be the first to cash in on.”

“As you wish my Lord.”

“It is almost time Mister Raskim. This job which you have come to dislike will be over soon.” Songar said with a knowing smile.

“But my Lord I – “ Raskim stammered.

“Relax Mister Raskim. Do not bother lying; your mind is an open book to me. You are wise to be untrusting just as you are wise to fear me. I don’t care whether you trust me. You fear me and that will have to be enough to get this job done.”

“I will get the job done. I always do.” Raskim said coldly.

“Then you have nothing to fear now do you?” He paused a moment. “You have two more days. I will be in touch in two more days with further instructions.”

The data pad chirped off and Raskim tossed it atop the desk and buried his face in his hands before running them through his hair. “Please Lord, let this go smoothly.” He prayed. “And give me the chance to put a blaster hole through that guy.”
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:19 am Post subject:

[Hashum]

I was sitting at the table in my room, staring at my datapad. I had received a response from the message I sent Jart the night before but was certain he understood the urgency and was probably well on his way here.

If that was the case I should try to contact Dr. Thi’nel so she would know my intentions, unfortunately as I tried to compose a message to her I was conflicted about what I should tell her. I sat staring at the blank screen for several minutes, finally taking a deep breath I began…

Dr. Thi’nel:

Please forgive me but I must be blunt, I know this is not the most secure means of contacting you but I do not have the time to arrange for anything else and it’s important you understand the urgency of this request.

I fear that something terrible has happened, I’ve not heard from my wife in several days now and this coincides with an apparent abduction here on Coruscant. Last night I found a strange cylinder or tube, inside the tube there is a small residue of some sort that I believe must have been used in the abduction. Unfortunately the tube melted and some of the residue may not be usable.

I hope you understand that I am unable to leave Coruscant to bring this to you, instead a close friend of mine is going to meet me here and deliver it to you on Lok. He should arrive there in two to three days, his name is Jart and I trust him completely. Please whatever you could do or learn about this substance could be critical and time is off the essence.

Hash

I placed my hand on my forehead as the transmission was sent. Scooting back my chair I stood up. As I was getting to leave my comm buzzed and I could hear Shensen’s voice coming through.

"Master Hashum? I've just arrived. What's going on? How can I help?"

I dug the comm out of my cloak to reply.

“I will meet you at the Star Port, wait for me there.”

It actually looked like a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining and it appeared to be rather mild so I left my cloak draped over the chair and proceeded out. Now things were in motion now, soon everything would be right again.

I left my room and began the short walk to the Star Port…

It only took a few minutes for me to get there but Shensen was already waiting outside for me. When he saw me approach I motioned for him to come to me and we began walking back into the city and began filling him in.

“I’m quite certain Safia was kidnapped…”

Shensen began to interrupt but I raised my hand to silence him so that I could continue.

“Please let me finish. From what I’ve been able to find it sounds as if there had to have been a small group, maybe four or five men. Whoever it was though they knew what they were doing, it’s as if almost nothing was seen and nothing was left behind.”

He nodded his understanding and so I continued

“I’ve been over this area for several days now and there’s nothing left to be found here. But I can’t search the planet myself either, I’m going to stay here and keep looking just in case. I’m quite certain they haven’t left the planet yet and are probably waiting it out somewhere. Men like this are hired, and I don’t think they’d risk moving around or leaving this soon. See what you can dig up, perhaps the Outlander Club would be a good place to start.”

“Indeed Master, I will see to it immediately.”

I nodded my appreciation and he swiftly turned around and began walking back toward the Star Port.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:19 am Post subject:

[Jart]

"I will get you the information," was all he had said. Jart knew better than to waste Hashum's time with conversation. The Jedi master was restless and Jart could feel his turmoil, but Hash was still in control and understood the situation. With Safia missing and very few clues available, concentrating on the only solid clue would offer the best probability of finding her. Hash would be continuing his search, while Jart handled the strange cylinder and the unknown substance inside it.

The Nightbird, as Jart's hired pilot referred to himself. Was busy with a large flask of something so noxious that the Twi'lek could smell it from the next room. Drunk or not, his ship got me to Coruscant quickly and will get me to Lok, shortly. There may have been a faster available ship on Coruscant, but that search might have cost more time, and I sense this is the right man for the job. I wonder if I should inform him that his name refers to a creature that needs an atmosphere to fly with and makes little sense for a space faring pilot.

The Jedi knight had sent an image of the object to his ex-handler in the Alliance with no other information attached. If the Force allows it, Jart's friend would send him something useful.

Finding Hashum's doctor shouldn't be difficult. I just hope her skills are enough.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:20 am Post subject:

[Ilithrya]

Ilithrya Kiranos rested her back against the wall of the third class startport, tapping her foot impatiently as she watched the incompentant crew of thugs unload their latest order, a shipment of spice consisting of a few crates of Booster and Pixie.

"Hey, Krexal. Hurry it up! I'm not about to stand around here all day and babysit," she shouted angrily at the head goon. The crates of spice made her nervous. She'd been clean of it for almost 3 months now, but she still faced...urges.

"Hold on sweetheart, it's gonna take a while," he snarled in return.

"Fine," she groaned under her breath. "Eik," she said, looking down at her R5 unit modified to be her personal security droid, "keep an eye on the..."

Eik blurped and whistled a quick, snappy interruption indicating that he knew what to do. "Yeah yeah...just like your last owner..." she muttered, "always thinking your on top of things..."

She headed into her ship and started to remotely access her link that still lay buried under Rydin Outpost. "Let's see..." she mumbled to herself as she started searching for her name among the bounty list. "No...no...no..." she started to repeated over and over in a monotone voice as she scrolled down the list of names. "Heh...one for Glatz. Wow, some farmboy wanted for Imperial questioning...and it's a chunk. Hashum..." She gawked at the price. "No, that can't be right. Some fool had to add a zero or two. He's too smart to get himself listed, let alone for that price." She opened the bounty and started reading through it...the numbers all matched. Every bounty hunter on Coruscant will be out for him with that price on his head.

She wrote a quick note to Safia and Hashum explaining the situation, and prayed that it got to them in time as she printed up a copy of the bounty and grabbed a few extra blaster packs a some high grade stimpacks.

She ran down the ramp of her ship and onto the lift to the public area and to the shuttleport terminal. "Let's see... Last seen in..." She recognized the name of the location. "Good, not too far from here. Thank the Goddess.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:20 am Post subject:

[Hashum]

After leaving the starport after my brief meeting with Jart I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that I was being watched. I wasn’t really surprised by the this, I had ruffled a few feathers already and if whoever was behind this felt threatened it was only logical that someone would eventually have their eye on me.

I continued down the street I was on until I saw a small alleyway to my right and made my way over to the entrance and proceeded down the alley. If whoever was watching me was at all associated with the men that had attacked Safia they probably had little concern for anyone that might be watching, on the other hand if they were not then I had more to lose from the public eye then they did and wasn’t about to risk the added publicity of a confrontation in the street. Of course it was also possible someone just wanted me monitored for the time being.

Either way there was no need for me taking any unnecessary risks and if something did break out it was better that I not draw any more attention to myself in the process. The alleyway turned out to be a maze of side streets and alleys branching out across the entire area it seemed.

I was squeezing through a rather tight opening between two alleys when I felt the first incoming blaster shot, luckily the narrow opening I was squeezing through made me a difficult target and the bolt singed the concrete about a meter away from me. On the other hand I couldn’t exactly defend myself in my current position either, I exhaled deeply and pushed myself through to the other alley. Slightly off balance from the push I stumbled for a step or two, before regaining my balance and calling my saber to my hand.

This time the blaster shot came from in front of me, my saber hissed to life and the shot was easily deflected and singed the wall to my side. Several other bolts followed which were also deflected. The shots seem to come from around the corner of a street a short way down alley. The teal blade of my saber hummed as I slowly walked towards the alley.

Another shot came this time from behind me, I spun around blindly deflecting the bolt into the wall, the shot had come from a man now wedged between opening I had been in just a few minutes before. He fired again as he tried to pull himself out and I deflected the shot back but it only hit the wall next to him. He fired several more and again I deflected them back this time one catching him in the side of his chest, the blaster fell to the ground and I pulled it to me using the Force. The man remained motionless so I left him for dead.

As I entered the small alley the other shot had come from there was no one to be seen. With another hiss the blade of my saber retreated back into the hilt and I continued down the alley. The alley was rather short and after only a few hundred meters there was a dead end. I hadn’t seen any other turn off’s or door’s so turned around to leave the way I’d come.

About half way back out of the alley I could see two men now standing at the entrance. One was heavily armored in dark composite the other seemed to be wearing something he’d pieced together with varying colors and levels of protection. I continued walking towards the men assessing the situation, I had little doubt that neither of them would pose any real threat and continued to hold the hilt of my saber. The lesser of the two was obviously nervous and frightened, I could feel it mounting inside of him, the dark armored man however was still cool and in control.

When I was only about thirty meter’s away I ignited my blade again, that was enough for the man on the left as he began to back away, his armored friend however stood fast and so I turned my attention to him. I slowly continued to walk toward him, a blaster shot came at my head and I swiftly deflected it harmlessly to the side but it hadn’t come from the armored man, but as I had moved to deflect the first shot he pulled out his own weapon and opened fire.

I spun away to my left and stretching my arm out send a blast of Force pushing both of them back several meters, the armored man kept his balance but his friend lost his balance and fell to the ground. With him temporarily out of the pictured I charged the armored man deflecting several more blasts before severing his torso at the waist. The other assailant had regained his feet by then and was making for a quick exit back the way he’d come.

I returned to the first attacker checking to see if he was still alive, but there was no pulse. I left his body wedged between the walls and turned around and started to make my way back to the main city streets…
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:21 am Post subject:

[Isleh]

Bice studied the body of the man she had shot with her blaster through her scope and then scanned the other corpse that the Jedi had downed. She still couldn't beleive that he was one and a chill ran down her spine as she relized how deep she was in.

Still, she had a job to do and she motioned for Kay to watch her as she began working her way down into tha alley. She wanted to retreive whatever data she could from them, bio samples at least to ID them and get their names.

Quickly she moved and she unceremoniously went through what was once their belongings and pocketed anything that she could.

"Not alot to go on but it's a start" she thought.

Bice gave a quick look around to make sure she it clear. Kay would be watching and waiting by their speeders and would continue to follow their target with her signal. She gave a thumbs up and and watched a speeder dart off.

Moments later, she felt the hammer of a blaster bolt square in the back as the air around seemed to compress around her with it's impact. She crumpled to the ground and could hear the click of armored boots on duracrete echoed off the alley walls as someone approached.

She could feel the dampness of her blood spread under the shattered remains of her armor as she laid there. Each click of boot on duracrete was a symphony and it seemed like an eternity as each step grew louder. She could see her breath she did relize it was that cold.

Bice looked, and her face lay in a pool of water mixed with her blood. As her vision faded, she saw the armored reflection of her killer dance on it's surface.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:21 am Post subject:

[Safia]

A body can only take so much pain and she had reached her limit. She felt a sickness in her throat and her head had a lightness to it. She felt all her control slip away as her body started to twitch then turn into a violent shaking. Blood streamed from her mouth as she bit her tongue and darkness engulfed her.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:22 am Post subject:

Raskim was startled out of his nap by the insistent knock on the door. He and the rest of his men looked at eachother a moment. The perimeter alarms should have gone off well before anyone made it close to the door. Holding his blaster at the ready his signaled Jarsk to answer the door.

Jarsk moved to the door at a deliberate pace and holstered his own blaster in favor of a vibroblade which he held behind his back as he reached for the controls to the door. He looked back once and the rest of them nodded as he mouthed a silent three-count. Upon opening the door he paused a moment before his blade swung around and he lunged out of the door only to be hurled across the room into one of the permacrete walls, cracking it in the process. He remained still at the base of the wall.

They all turned back to the intruder with weapons raised but he was no longer there. With a burst of speed he had turned up behind Raskim with the point of a lightsaber pointed at the base of his skull. He looked at the men from deep within the darkness of his hood.

"You will not be needing those. Toss them. If not, he dies followed by the rest of you." He hissed.

After a moment of hesitation and a slight nod from Raskim they all tossed their weapons.

"Now you will tie them up and gag them." He addressed Raskim. "Their hands behind their backs followed by their ankles behind them. Move."

Raskim moved quickly eager to avoid the heat that had been so near the back of his neck. He quickly tied the men and gagged them. He had thought about trying to tie one loose, but a look at Lord Songar changed his mind; he would know.

He stood and knuckled the small of his back when he was finished. "What now?" He asked.

"Now it is your turn." Songar's saber winked out with a hiss and he strode over to Raskim turning him around by the shoulders to face away from him.

Raskim turned and swung at the same time, but Songar caught his fist in a large clawed hand while his other gripped Raskim's neck in a merciless grip. He hung suspended in the air like that for what seemed an eternity. Silver flecks started to dance before his eyes and he faintly heard, "On the other hand, you are too dangerous to leave alive." before he fell into darkness.

Songar threw the body across the room casually, getting it out of his way. Raskim was the only one to see his face and that made him a liability. The other men looked wide-eyed toward the dark corner Raskim's body had been thrown in. They would not see his crushed throat, but they heard the snap of his cartilage and knew he was no more.

He made his way into the back room. It was dark and contained a myriad of unpleasant smells. Sweat, mildew, and blood among them. Safia’s bare, beaten form laid motionless upon a filthy cot. Her body was bruised, welted, and burned in several places some of which looked fresh. He sensed and smelled the fear coming from her along with something else, something faint; hope.

He sat down beside her and moved hair from her face matted with dried sweat.

“Rest easy my dear.” He said soothingly. “The effects of their drugs should be wearing off now. The drug is strong but wears off fast. You will have quite a nasty headache, but given the circumstances I doubt you’ll notice it much.”

She stared back at him, but said nothing. “Rest. I’ll be back shortly.” He rose from the cot and went back out to the main room. The men watched him warily as he made his way over to Raskim’s desk and switched on his communicator and started typed his message.

Your wife is here, but I doubt you will like what you find.

He included the coordinates and sent it on it’s way. By the time he received it and was able to fight his way here he would be too late…and tired. He was fairly certain he had slept little the last several days. He sensed his anger, like a beacon. Hashum was surely struggling with a lot more than the loss of his wife at the moment. He smiled.

He went back into back room and found Safia starting to move. Writhe was more like it, the control of her limbs was coming back, but it would take her a little time to get used to them again. He stood over her a moment returning her gaze from beneath his hood.

“You are strong in the force Safia, but you could be even stronger. It is horrible what has happened to you here.” He said with mock sincerity. “I can make you even stronger. Strong enough that something like this could never possibly happen to you again.”

He held her gaze a moment and then waved his hand in dismissal. “That is for another time. For now, I will return this to you.” He said placing her lightsaber on the cot beside her. “Oh and I have some gifts for you in the other room.” He said as if it were nothing. “Take your time, they will wait.” He finished with a grin she could not see from the depths of his cowl.

He went back into the main room and sat at Raskim’s desk, put his feet up, and waited.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:22 am Post subject:

[Ilithrya]

Ilithrya stood next to the corpse, giving it a quick lookover. It's torso was severed cleanly, and the injury was completely quarterized, but the body was still very warm.

"I'm close..." she whispered as the sound of armored boots started to quietly thump their way closer to her. She looked down into the darkness as a figure in a mismatch of multi-colored armor started to emerge from the shadows. She quickly withdrew back from the corpse and into a side alley quietly, making her way to the other end, and into a sparsely populated street.

The street was generally unimpressive, as were the inhabitants that walked it. Gang of rodians, impoverished families, spice junkies, thiefs, smugglers, and corrupt law enforcement. She dodged and weaved her way easily through them, not really blending in when she felt like she was hit from behind. A feeling of complete darkness sent a shock through her, and she grew cold.

Old memories best left forgotten quickly flashed to the forefront of her mind. She tried to suck in as much air as she could as she grabbed her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Digging her fingers into her head, she froze there momentarily and finally managed to force her eyes open, tears dropping from her eyes onto the cold floor below.

A few sentients looked awkwardly at her as they passed her by as she sucked in a few long hard breaths, eventually regained her composure.

"What was that?" she whispered as she turned around and make a brisk pace towards it. "...and why am I going towards it?"
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:23 am Post subject:

[Dwilah]

...instead a close friend of mine is going to meet me here and deliver it to you on Lok. He should arrive there in two to three days, his name is Jart and I trust him completely. Please whatever you could do or learn about this substance could be critical and time is off the essence...

Dwilah eyed the transmission on her datapad, pursing her lips slightly. She rubbed her chin faintly as she looked over it again. The date it was marked would put the arrival date of this Jart fellow—who she was sure she’d met at least once or twice before in passing at Club Midnight—tomorrow.

However…the medical facility was still in partial shambles from when it had been ransacked several weeks ago. It had been cleaned—the spoiled bacta mopped away, the broken glass swept up, medical databases repurchased and the security system reinstalled and upgraded. She swiveled around in her chair to eye the half-remade facility. It would not be up to the task of divining Hashum’s powder, unless it was a very base thing. In which case Dwilah imagined he would have been able to figure it out himself and not call on her for help.

She would simply await the substance and see. If she couldn’t figure it out here, she’d take it to a friend of hers she knew and borrow their lab. Perhaps Zannon’d go with her, as well. He might be interested in some of the business opportunities that the colony offered there. She grinned faintly to herself and stood to organize a crate of medicine bottles into a cabinet, wondering about Hashum’s missing wife.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:23 am Post subject:

[Dwilah]

Jart was indeed the man she remembered meeting a few times. The passoff of the tube was made with little confusion and little talk. Jart had other business to attend to, it seemed.

Dwilah went through the process of scraping out the charred remains of the substance within the tube and making the first basic tests on the substance. There seemed to be three major molecular trace compounds within the charred ash of the scrapings, one of which Dwilah recognized right off the bat even with those preliminary tests.

Ryll was such a commonly used spice among her patients, both as a spice on its own and also as a base for building other, more complicated drugs, the Bothan doctor could recognize the compound by sight as the readouts showed up on her screens in the half-rebuilt medical lab, both in spikes, bubbles, and complex number readings.

The second compound wasn't familiar by sight, but was organic, unlike the Ryll spice. Following her instincts that her community of patients and clients liked to play with common spices, she ran it through the gambit of spice compounds in her recently re-purchased, re-installed medical database.

Grey Gabaki was a dried plant burned for its relaxing smoke--generally not considered to be generally harmless, if one ignored the long-term affects to breathing systems and discolorations to teeth and skin. However...in this slightly altered form it was being combined with Ryll and the third, non-organic compound in a way that Dwilah suspected simply gave the other two's real purposea distraction...a flavoring to cover a nasty medicine's taste, if you will.

The third obviously synthetic compound she could discern nothing on her own. There were a few basic sub-compounds and molecules she could pick out, but nothing made sense as the three began to merge and combine, and a few of the edges were hazy in the makeup of this third compound as the scrapings had been damaged by burning heat. The other two spices were still recognizeable after beginning the burning process, being common enough.

Dwilah called a friend on Ridio-4, a small scientific colony planet covered mostly in well-to-do independent labs and a few non-profits, working through a vast landscape of humid jungles that covered the planet, hoping for cures to various illnesses and diseases for multiple species and corporations.

Dr.Uffhlllee, a Bith, welcomed her challenge as she promised to bring samples of certain Lokian fauna along with her (in particular some spiders and a subspecies of rawl) and she made necessary arrangements in the small, but pleasant inn there in the colony. After which, she commed up Zannon, and invited him to accompany her.

She hoped he wouldn't be too bored while she was working in the labs with her fellow doctor, but thought the time they could spend there otherwise would be well spent. There were certain bio-medical firms that she knew would be interested in certain...shady ventures if they prodded correctly, should Zannon be interested, and otherwise it was always nice to simply get away, have drinks, and enjoy a bit of local cuisine.

They could afford to do now, get away like that, so why not, she reasoned--though at the back of her mind she felt guilty doing it while Hashum was worried about his missing wife.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:23 am Post subject:

[Jart]

Nightbird had passed out after completing the landing. The man has been abusing alcohol for a long time, so he should be well aquainted with it's effects. Jart decided to use one of the healing techniques his master had taught him so long ago to ease the pilot's likely hangover.

After changing into his travelling clothes, a quick shuttle, and a short walk to the doctor's lab, as per Hashum's directions, Jart handed Dwilah the tube.

"You know everything I do, Doctor. Hashum needs this as soon as possible, if you need anything of me, I will have my comlink ready." He passed her the frequency.

"Where will you be?" she responded.

"I have a data transmission waiting for me. I'll be nearby." He smiled softly and took his leave.

His sister wasn't home. Shoroliakan wasn't either. I'll leave them a note, and plan for a visit when Safia's found. He dropped into the chair in front of another holonet terminal. These have been nothing but bad news, recently.

The message was from Esh'elon, although there was nothing to mark it as such. The image Yryllyn was returned with "no information available" noted in bold red letters. A list of suggested origins was also included. They ranged from specialized hyperdrive tools to a system for dispensing paint over a detailed surface. Several stood out as possibilities.

Jart transferred the information to his pad, and deleted the file from the transceiver. He left a note for his family and locked up as he exited. Sparks and Shoro should visit me. Dantooine would make a nice vacation spot. The Twi'lek returned to the Bothan's lab to wait.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:24 am Post subject:

[Safia]

She watched as the figure cloaked in darkness approach her fearful he was here to devise a new way to torture her. When he sat down beside her and spoke his comforting words, she didn’t know whether to believe him.

She was still confused as to why these despicable men kidnapped her, plotted torturing her and for what reason?

When he left the room she could feel the muscles in her arms and legs begin to contract and movement slowly return to her suffering body.

He returned this time to stand over her. She tried to make out his features under the hood and could tell he was a Transdoshan. Did he call her Safia? He placed her lightsaber beside her and told her he had some gifts for her in the other room and then he left the room again.

She tried sitting up but dropped quickly back against the cot with the agonizing headache pounding her head. She was determined to get out of this place and tried again slowly moving until she managed to swing her legs to the side of the cot. She took a few deep breaths and with all her strength she stood up.

It felt strange moving again. She took a few steps, stopped and turned back to pick up her lightsaber. She wobbled to the door and looked out into the room. She saw the Transdoshan sitting with his feet up on a desk. She noted the large feet and purple skin. She gazed around the room and saw them……all of them…..bound and sitting on the floor waiting for the next move. She could sense the fear radiating from them.

Her eyes moved from one to the other remembering their faces and looked for one in particular. When she spotted him she walked over to where he was sitting looked him in the eyes and ignited her lightsaber. She lightly touched his cheek with the edge of the blade melting off the tissue to reveal the gleam of teeth beneath. He screamed like a little girl.

She felt the force returning to her and as her anger turned to rage she felt stronger……she would have her revenge.
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:24 am Post subject:

Her lightsaber shone like the sun in the small dim room. The smell of burning flesh permeated the air and made Shensen's stomach rumble. He smiled as he sensed the rage in her and the enjoyment she was taking in her revenge. She was already stronger than she was before. She had been through some of the worst things a body could endure - she would fear almost nothing now. She did not care that she was bruised and tattered or that she was nude save for her boots - she was focused on a single purpose now.

"Make them pay." He said casually. "Make them all pay. It is no less than they deserve."
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Forum guarded by Blast Cannons three days a week. Guess which days.