[hider=Post 55, Ellri & Sundered Echo | Darth Nyiss, Moff Katherion, Allende, Master Jessa Fallon, Jedi Knight Rin Eris]~| Some time after the imperial occupation of Coruscant ended, in orbit around a planet far, far away |~

{|> Timestamp: 16:22 hours, day 1, ATC <|}

Jedi Master Jessa Fallon looked up from her musings over the security holograms from the Coruscanti Jedi Temple. She was pleased that there was peace at last in the galaxy, but she was not sure if it was truly worth it, for the price had been high. There was no denying that they had been outplayed by the Sith, and that did not sit well with her. In studying these holograms, she hoped to uncover the means of preventing future attacks like this. There was something about the attack, at least once it had beaten the temple guard, that did not fit. The Sith did not move in the most efficient patterns. She was missing a key element. That lack bothered her more than anything else. Not that it helped that more than half the security recordings were corrupt. Several elements had needed complete reconstruction with data from the neighboring nodes. After a certain hour, they had all stopped working.

There was a polite, if disturbing, knock on the door. With a curt gesture, she dismissed the hologram before speaking out. [i]“Come in.”[/i] Some of the others thought she spent too much time on these recordings. That she was obsessed. She did not agree. She just needed to understand. If that took hours upon hours of study, then that is what she would do. Her door opened with a faint hiss of servos, revealing, as expected, another Jedi. Fallon’s former apprentice, Rin Eris. [i]“Master Fallon, the initial investigation is complete. They have searched through the ruins of the Coruscanti temple.”[/i] Master Fallon looked at her former apprentice. [i]“And? What is their conclusion? Have any of our brethren survived in the saferooms?”[/i] This she asked with hope in her voice. First-hand accounts would be invaluable for her studies. The young Knight’s face told her the answer. [i]“No master. Not a single one of the intact saferooms held any of our own. The destruction of the temple destroyed most of them. They killed countless jedi, even younglings. However, there is a problem. Temple records are clear on who was within the temple at that time, but they do not add up. All the scans and searches have uncovered a large number of bodies seeded throughout the wreckage. But not enough. The body count is far too low. A hundred at least, maybe as many as two hundred bodies missing. Mostly younglings and padawans, but also a number of knights and a few of masters. What could it mean? Have they been reunited with the Force?”[/i] The young knight’s voice was a mixture of hope and concern.

Having gotten to her feet earlier Jedi Master Jessa Fallon sat down in her chair again. It had all become clear to her now. This was the missing piece. This explained the sub-optimal tactics of the imperial forces in the recordings. [i]“No, it is rare for any but masters to be reunited with the Force on death. Unlikely for knights to be so, let alone padawans or younglings. As you know, I have been studying the recovered recordings for a while now. Things did not add up about them. The imperial forces did not move with the efficiency and pattern they are infamous for. Your information gave me the piece I lacked to solve the puzzle. I am sorry to tell you, but the missing Jedi are now captives of the Sith. There is no other answer that makes sense.”[/i]

Staggering, the Jedi knight looked at his former master, [i]“Please, don’t say that is true… Please…”[/i] Despair tinged his voice. Master Fallon got to her feet, walking around the massive desk and supporting his larger form. [i]“Take it easy. Do not give into despair.”[/i] She spoke firmly, but with serene calmness. [i]“But master, my brother and sisters are among the missing. They had just been sent to the temple, been there less than a month now. They weren’t more than five and six years. And my cousin is also missing, and I have had a bad feeling about him for days now. How can I not despair?”[/i]

Fallon hugged him gently. [i]“Dead or not, it is better to mourn them as dead, for if they are captives, I fear the Sith will try to turn them away from the light. If they succeed, the people you once knew as family will be dead to you. I am unsure if there is any way to track them down, if they have not been sent to Korriban already. But I will do what I can. They deserve no less.”[/i]

With that, she released the knight and turned back to the massive desk. [i]“Computer. Display what you can of the disposition of starships above Coruscant just prior to and during the Occupation.”[/i] The holoprojectors lit up. displaying exactly how the Sith deployed their ships during the Assault. The tactics were remarkably efficient. Not a single vessel escaped, despite there being hundreds in orbit and thousands more below in the atmosphere. Most of the capital ships were terminus-class destroyers surrounding a smaller number of harrower-class dreadnoughts, but some few stood out. As the recordings progressed, the quality decreased, probably because satellites were blasted apart. Nonetheless, there was thankfully sufficient data from the stations on the moons and remaining satellites to provide a useable recording. [i]“Computer. Focus on region above Jedi Temple.”[/i]

The hologram shifted, the planet seemingly disappearing into the surface of the desk, leaving just a small curved sector at the bottom with a number of Sith vessels above it. At first there was little movement, then a number of shuttles flew up from the temple precinct, before the Sith warships all opened fire upon the temple, leaving just ruins behind. Though seemingly crushed to nothing but rubble, Master Fallon knew well that much had survived further down below the ruins. Even knowing that, she could feel her heart jump up at the sight of the destruction. From the holo alone she could feel the hatred the Sith felt for the Jedi. It saddened her.

[i]“Computer. Can you identify any of the ships that received shuttles prior to the destruction of the temple?”[/i] The computer was silent for several seconds, then a list appeared.
Valor - Battlecruiser.
Tyûkjontû Kressh - Gage Transport.
Vengeance - Terminus Destroyer.
Ajak - Terminus Destroyer.
Scream of Ragnos - Harrower Dreadnought.
Hâsk - Unidentified class.

The list went on to include a dozen more, mostly warships. Clearly there had been more shuttles than it first looked like. [i]“Computer. Identify departure trajectories of ships leaving shortly after the temple’s destruction.”[/i] As before, the computer paused a few moments, then displayed another, much shorter list.
Vengeance - Hydian Way.
Derriphan - Perlemian Trade Route.
Tyûkjontû Kressh - Perlemian Trade Route.
Ajak - Corellian Run.
Midwan - Perlemian Trade Route.
Asha - Corellian Run.
Hâsk - Corellian Run.

[i]“Master, what do you want from this list?”[/i] the knight asked, voice now tinged with curiosity. Fallon smiled at her former apprentice. [i]“The Sith would not have kept prisoners anywhere close to Coruscant. Therefore, they must have been on the ships sent away. And prisoners like our missing brethren are valuable. They would not be sent without escort. Of the seven ships departing shortly after the temple was bombed, only one went alone. The remaining six departed in groups of three. Two destroyers and one that was not a warship. Whatever those ships contain, it is very valuable to them to have such escorts.
But what could they have taken from the temple that they would send away from their home regions? The Corellian Run leads in the wrong direction for transferring treasure or prisoners. It doesn’t make any sense. The Perlemian Trade Route leads them close to Korriban, so it is obvious that prisoners were sent that way...”[/i] Fallon couldn’t comprehend it. There was no way the Sith would send valuable captives away from their own home territories. It might be that some Sith lord had acquired something valuable from the temple and wanted to keep it for him/herself, but what could that be? She had avoided politics just because she did not like studying such.

The knight looked up at him, dejected on realizing that there was very little chance of ever seeing his kin again. [i]“Master. What do those names mean? Those ships, they have unusual names.”[/i] Once again, Master Fallon smiled, recognizing the inquisitiveness so common to the boy back when he had been her padawan. [i]”I have no idea about the translation of those names, but I believe they are in the foul tongue of the Red Sith. I think it is better not to know what they translate into. I do wonder what that unidentified ship, this Hâsk, contains. It must be something valuable. I don’t like not knowing what.”[/i]

~| Holomessage to SIS Outer Rim Branch Office, Anchorhead, Tatooine. |~
{|> Timestamp: 18:37 hours, day 1 ATC <|}

Keep eye out for Imperial starship, unknown class. Tentatively named Hâsk. Last observed departing Coruscant two-three days ago along Corellian Run. Destination unknown. Cargo unknown, presumed valuable. Cargo identification requested. Signed, Jedi Master Jessa Fallon.

~| Aboard the Hâsk |~

[i]“I don’t like this, my lord.”[/i] the lieutenant said to the Moff. [i]“These prisoners are valuable. It doesn’t feel safe to delay bringing them to Korriban. Several of them have escaped from their cells already.”[/i] The Moff simply smiled. [i]“Of course they have. You know as well as I that those cells were designed to be escapable. Eventually they’ll discover that they have no way off that deck, let alone off this ship. I’ve locked down the turbolift to that deck. It cannot be reactivated from the prison deck.”[/i] He paused for a moment. [i]“Besides, we need to maintain cover. Aside from you, my personal troops and the Sith, nobody aboard this ship even knows the prison deck exists.”[/i]

Nyiss rose slowly from her bed, not wishing to move from the relaxed state she’d been in for an hour now. The pure-blooded apprentice Zanna had already left, eager to return to her work no doubt, and Nyiss had savoured every moment of her presence. Regardless of power, the apprentice was at least pretty. And smart enough not to try to look at any of the artifacts the Darth kept in her quarters. She found an armoured set of robes and slowly dressed, preparing to oversee the days events alongside the Moff, as well as acquire an important object for her experiments.

The walk to the bridge was a short one, much of the time taken by the two turbolifts needed to get there. The ship dropped out of hyperspace as she stepped onto the spacious bridge, the desert planet of Tatooine coming sharply into view in the large viewports that dominated the front of the room. Moff Katherion and his lieutenant were already there, and from what she could see the imperial woman seemed to be unhappy with something. Probably the destination. Tatooine was actually further away from Korriban, and by no means a logical route to take. It was important though, and for reasons none of the others on this ship needed to know. Darth Nyiss approached the pair and spoke tersely [i]“Is everything under control?”[/i] It was not so much a question as a command to ensure everything was under control.

Absk straightened subtly when he noticed Darth Nyiss stepping out of the turbolift. Not in any manner visible to any of the lesser crewmen (and women) also on the bridge, though. [i]“Perfectly, Darth. The troopships sent over from the Asha are about to dock as we speak. The troops will be on the surface within the hour. If you have plans of your own, I recommend having them complete within two hours. I mean to depart this world as soon as possible.”[/i]

[i]“Of course, staying at this Force-forsaken place for any length of time is not pleasant. But I’m afraid you might have to extend that time somewhat. I have a specially caught item that needs delivering to the Ajak. I’ll be traveling to Mos Ila to retrieve it myself.”[/i] She stared pointedly at the Moff until he acquiesced to the request. She wasn’t directly in command of the flotilla, but her influence meant he had little choice but to obey her whim.

[i]“That item wouldn’t happen to be the reason you had me hollow out half the Ajak, would it?”[/i] The Moff asked. [i]“I’ve been wondering about that bit for a while now. It has seriously reduced its combat strength, so I hope it is for a good reason. I want these ships heading towards Teth as soon as possible. The army wants two battalions transported off that world, and apparently the navy wants my ships for the task.”[/i]

[i]“Of course it’s for a good reason. I needed a new guard for my complex. A Krayt Dragon seemed like a good fit.”[/i] With that, Nyiss turned and headed towards the shuttle bay.

Katherion turned to the Lieutenant. [i]“You will accompany her. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. It would not look good if we let a Darth die, even if it is from a project as massive as fetching a Krayt Dragon. The Dark Council would have our heads if we let her die.”[/i] The lieutenant nodded. [i]“or worse.”[/i] Without saying anything more, she marched off, both to follow the Darth and to collect her personal squad. In her opinion, you could never be too careful with Krayt Dragons.
[/hider]

[hider=Post 56, Sundered Echo, FallenReaper, Ultimate523 | Viera, Xid, Strago]
Timestamp: 01:30 Day 2 ATC
Xid had managed to get Allanar, barely, back to his bunk before he felt his knees weaken and threaten to give out from under him. He was breathing heavily and trying to lay the man comfortable down instead of a hasty discard. It wasn’t the Jedi’s fault Xid lacked strength, the boy darted back to his cell for the single long sleeve he had torn off. His body only pulled in far enough to reach out a few fingers and snag the edge, turned on heel back to the other cell. He decided to re-wet it using the cell’s own sink. He passed a hand over it, the water filled so far then dunked the slightly damp sleeve into the sink. The water darkened the white cloth as the Padawan wringed it out, letting the excess pour back in. Once that was done, he shifted to laid the cold, makeshift compress over the man’s eyes.

He felt helpless. As normal, not much good with his limited healing and knowledge, he could only do so much. Once he was done, all he could do was wait. Wait until this nightmare ended one way or another for him and the others. The only thing that worried him was how this ending would happen. There was only two ways out and neither he liked very much to think about. He shrugged off the gloomy thoughts, knowing they didn’t help him much, then started to think about a way out. At least something to keep from bothering Allanar since the Jedi seemed too sick to speak. His back leaned against the man’s cell wall and let his eyes roam, forgetting the other Jedi in the room, as his words were said out loud.

[i]“There has to be a way out of here...someway to get to the wiring or something.”[/i] 

Viera saw the young Jedi helping his sickened elder compatriot from behind the barrier over her cell. It was the same one as had healed her. Clearly, whatever the older one, Allanar if she remembered rightly, was suffering was too much for his Force healing. When he started chattering about getting out, a pang of alarm shot through her. That was bad. They were on a Sith ship, the cells were monitored and if the Sith heard, they’d punish them for it! She shut off the energy shield of her cell and rushed over to him [i]“Shhh! Don’t talk like that. They’ll hear you.”[/i] She knew they watched the cells. How else could they have known to move her out of the cell when that homicidal Lizard who dared to call himself a Jedi attacked her.

Xid jumped suddenly, his eyes shot in her direction and surprised. The Jedi had waltz right out of her cell, her boots clicking across the floor before she stopped beside him. Then scolded him right there for his stupidity. She was right of course, the Sith would monitor them just like the Republic did theirs, something he should’ve remembered. Then again he was a young, naive Padawan with only fours of experience under his belt and that was only because of his talent with machines. For a depressing moment, he wished that Navi was onboard with him. It would’ve been comforting to hold the hard metal droid as he thought but the odds were unlikely. His eyes looked apologetically at her before he spoke. [i]“I didn’t… sorry…”[/i]

Then he looked at his feet. It was all he could say, anything else and he was worried he might upset her more. His master always did say he talked too much, even if he had good intentions by it.

Viera suddenly felt quite bad for scolding the Padawan. He was looking utterly dejected after his apology, and that was really not what she’d meant to do to him. She wasn’t used to anyone looking at her as any sort of authority, although as a Jedi Knight technically she had it. [i]“Oh… no don’t be sad. I’m not telling you off… You were called Xid weren’t you? I don’t want to be stuck in here either, but I know there are cameras watching these cells. There have to be. I was moved after another… Jedi…”[/i] She said the word with an edge in her voice. No true Jedi attacked another Jedi, no matter the circumstance. [i]“Threw me across the room.”[/i] Then she looked over at Allanar. [i]“Is he alright?”[/i]

His eyes looked at her and a slight smile, not a wide grin, but an expression that let her know he accepted her reply had sprung to his lips. He nodded when she spoke his name, his shoulders relaxed and struggled not to stare at the limp Jedi in the bunk. At least until for now. When there was mention of another Jedi being tossed, the Padawan’s eyes widened. It was clear, Xid couldn’t understand why another Jedi would toss another, even after they were all caged up and needed some sense of connection. His thoughts trailed off at the change in topic.

Allanar didn’t look so good and though she asked the same question he had, Xid couldn’t answer with absolute certainty. A slight fear seemed to claw it’s way from his chest then stick in his throat at the notion the man might not make it. He felt responsible for not stopping him or doing something, the slight emotion grew until Xid took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and counted, letting the calm fill him again before he answered. [i]“I don’t know… If my master or even Tolun Fi was here, then they would be of more help. I could try to heal him… but I’m not effective enough. I’m not very good at it. It’s outside my...talents.”[/i]

Xid hadn’t went into details but his mind wandered over to the first time he shown his talent to Tolun Fi. His lips smirked a bit in a small chuckle then faded when he realized how terrible he was being. A Jedi was suffering and he was laughing, what a great Padawan he was being. His head bumped a bit in to wall a bit and added. [i]“If I talk too much, let me know. My master and Tolun Fi didn’t mind much but I can get carried away…”[/i]

Viera couldn’t help but laugh at that. She knew she talked too much, everyone had always called her a chatterbox before her self-imposed semi-exile to the archives. [i]“You’ll not annoy me by talking too much… Normally I’m the one apologising for that.”[/i] She saw that he was worrying over the other Jedi, and while his care was certainly a good thing, excessive worry wasn’t. [i]“Oh you shouldn’t worry too much about Allanar. I’m sure he’ll be alright. And don’t for a second blame yourself for not being able to fix everything. No-one fixes everything. I’m sure that other Jedi will be able to help us when he gets back.”[/i] She stopped herself before she started babbling too much. She did genuinely want to help this Padawan with the situation, and she worried about Allanar herself, but talking too much wasn’t going to help.

Xid’s head jerked to her direction, a little grin broke his sober mood as she mentioned the similarity between them. It made him feel better about his tenancy, his head cocked a bit to one side. The Padawan looked at Allanar for a bit longer before he spoke. [i]“Feeling helpless is one thing but being useless is another. That’s what I usually feel like when I’m out of my element and to be truthful, it’s not pleasant. We’re Jedi and it’s our reason to help people and each other so it’s hard not feel this way.”[/i]

His eyes couldn’t stop staring at Allanar, the man still shivering and looking a mess. He wanted to do more but now, the Jedi was beyond his ability. All he could do was take in Allanar’s reaction and maybe figure out from those what happened. [i]“Odd how the Force works, isn’t it?”[/i]

As the Jedi spoke in the cell, the troopers who were ordered to bring back Strago were nearly there. They made sure he had been fully disarmed, but didn’t bother cleaning him up at all, letting his blood cover their armour. He was totally dead weight at this point, which made it harder to carry him, but they didn’t care much about avoiding making his injuries worse, which helped them go a bit faster.

Once they finally arrived, they activated the barriers they felt were necessary, and threw Strago toward the middle area of the cell block, quickly leaving afterward, and de-activating it all once again. Strago’s upper body remained covered in blood. Whatever had gone away during his escape came back from all the blood that poured down from Sish' bite, still continuing to flow as he laid there on the floor, completely unconscious, the only sign of life being the slight movement he made from continuing to breathe.

Xid felt his instinct or rather a sixth sense click just seconds before the Energy doors started to flicker to life. His eyes lowered to spot where Viera was standing and noticed she was right over the threshold! Immediately his hands reached up and took hold of her robes as his body took a step back, pulling her clear of it. Sadly, his foot twisted under him and felt himself start to fall, his balance lost just when the red transparent door came back on. He grunted upon feeling her pile on top of him, his hands still clung to her robes. [i]“Ouch...you’re not as light as you look.”[/i]

Immediately he realized what he had said was out loud! His eyes widened and looked at her, his cheeks slightly reddened at the insult he uttered. [i]“I-I didn’t...I should’ve...sorry…”[/i]

His ear heard the sound from Strago’s body being dropped. His eyes struggled to look around Viera and almost wished he hadn’t, his face paled on the Jedi’s image. He was still. Very still that Xid felt his stomach curl and tighten, the man covered in blood and wounds which seemed to freeze Xid in place. Again...why didn’t he do more? Quickly he wiggled from underneath the female Jedi to scramble onto his feet, boot clicked in his wake when he slowed on drawing closer to Strago’s form. He let himself fall to his knees as a shaky hand reached out to touch the grimy, gore covered shoulder. Gently, Xid pushed the Jedi onto his back and without any thought or concern about the effects, he focused on healing the man. His eyes closed and shielded from the hellish image, he felt that light warm feeling race through his fingers. They sparked and heated in a familiar comfort. In moments, his body slacked, the energy being drained to mend what was broken. 

Viera was quite stunned at the sudden flurry of action, finding herself sprawled atop the young padawan only seconds after him speaking. He said something, from what she gathered it was probably considered insulting, but at that moment she was mostly just relieved that in the whirl of action she’d narrowly managed to miss hitting her head on the bulkhead, not to mention being bisected by the red energy field that had briefly flickered on where she was just standing. Seeing the colour Xid went, she started laughing, the whole situation was ridiculous. She picked herself up from the ground awkwardly and caught her breath, then kicked the wall where she nearly hit her head. She was sick of being hit on the head. Of course the Durasteel-cortosis alloy wall was far more solid than her foot, and she immediately regretted the rash action.

All of this was forgotten immediately when she turned and saw the wrecked form of Strago on the floor, Xid kneeling over him, an aura of the Lightside of the Force emanating off of him. Viera immediately worried for him he seemed to have a tendency to throw himself too far into healing others after all. And as usual when she worried, she talked. A lot. [i]“Oh no! what’ve they done… This is horrible. Xid be careful, don’t go to far. Oh… What can I do, what can I do?”[/i]

[i]“Talk to me...about something, anything…It’s what my master did to keep me grounded, every so often reminding me that I had to stop...”[/i] Xid said, his voice slightly soft as his mind split between his progression in healing Strago and trying to keep from being carried away. His master always talked and kept him grounded through casual talks or mission briefings about the next planet. He found it soothing, easier to pull back when he had a voice to focus on. His eye lids slacked from weariness that poured over him and left him exhausted, his hands already started to feel the heaviness as it moved up his arm. His ear perked to whatever Viera said allowing his mind to gradually shift that direction. It was hard, namely because he wanted to help so badly, to know his skills wouldn’t be enough. Not without giving Strago his life.

Xid was asking her to talk! He couldn’t have picked a better person, she thought, but with that she suddenly couldn’t think of anything to say. [i]“Um… oh… What about?”[/i] She said half to herself. Her mind raced through the things she knew, which was a lot given her previous task as a keeper of the archives, but she couldn’t settle on anything suitable. She knew she didn’t have time to deliberate on it, so she just started reciting the thing she knew best instead. [i]“In my section of the archive, there were 102 shelves, each containing a unique aspect of Jedi history…”[/i] She went on to describe some of the information stored in that section and the methods by which it was stored. She hoped it was interesting enough to keep Xid focused on reality, but it was the best she could do.

The young Padawan didn’t mind the topic of the Jedi as he only visited the archives a few times during his youth. Most of his free time was spent either in his room or in Tolun Fi’s lab, where he chattered about the Kominoan’s current work and calibrated the equipment. Sometimes it felt like the Jedi had specifically let Xid fix mainly because they would be fixed right the first time but that was likely ridiculous, at least to Xid. After a time, when his hands had numbed and he couldn’t feel them, Xid pulled back. His mind fully tuned in on Viera's topic and ended up asking a question. [i]“What information do you have on the Force? I mean, well…”[/i]

He bit his bottom lip, unsure if he should’ve mentioned that. Then again, it was likely his friend was dead after the attack on the Temple and the last time he would ever see him again. Still, deep inside it felt like he was violating trust and treading upon the Kominoan’s memory. In haste he added. [i]“Maybe...maybe I shouldn’t have asked that.”[/i]

Viera was confused at the sudden interruption from the padawan. She’d managed to lose herself in the memory of the archives, it was a pleasant one, and reminded her of a more peaceful time. A time when Viera Starr did not need to worry about the Imperials or even the Republic. And so when Xid asked his question, not only was she puzzled by its nature, but she was caught by surprise too. [i]“Well yes but-”[/i] She stopped mid sentence. She had to think about the answer. What’d he mean? And why was he apologising? What a strange question to ask. [i]“The Force is a broad subject. Maybe if you give me something more specific I can find something for you…”[/i] She said. It was just like her times back in the archives, finding obscure datapads and holocrons for those that searched for information. She was so caught up in the memory and the illusion, that she started to walk towards the door, as if to leave and find the long rows of shelves to walk between while she listened to Xid narrow down his request.

But this was not the Jedi Archive.

She stopped as she was faced with the unmoving bulkhead door of cold grey metal, shaken violently back to the present. She stood staring at the door as she remembered Imperial troops and Sith flooding the pristine halls of the Archive. Her Archive. An archive that was now nothing more than a blackened ruin, pillaged of what few pieces of information the Sith found interesting. When they came for her, she hadn’t even fought back. Hadn’t fought to defend her archive. Some Guardian of knowledge she was.

She sank to her knees slowly, fighting back a tide of emotion. [i]“There is no emotion, there is peace.”[/i] She whispered to herself. She couldn’t bare to say the next line of the code aloud.

Xid’s ear perked up when Viera answered, his head turned up at her request and caused him to visibly hesitate. How much could he say while not feeling like he was betraying Tolun Fi’s memory? The question seemed to be held on the tip of his tongue, burning him slightly as his mind seemed depressed at the merely thought. At the image of the lithe, Kiminoan frowning at him, Xid shoved down his guilt and his unease, his hands now removed from Strago’s form to break away from his task. For now, the older Jedi was still in less than perfect shape but at least there wasn’t any fear of dying. The Padawan couldn’t feel his arms very well and for a moment, he didn’t think it was wise to look down. The last thing he wanted to see was his fingers trembling and shaking, a clear tell he has been far too close to giving everything he had.

Slowly, he forced his eyes to lower down. His hands just laid there, still and calm while propping up Strago’s head to keep it off the cold floor. The sounds of Viera’s boots caused Xid’s head to jerk in time to view her. The woman’s feet seemed to run automatically, finally realizing what he himself looked like when locked in thought or work, as she seemed to scan the air for something particular. Then her illusion, her memories were broken when Viera came face to face with the cell entrance way. Something seemed to hit her hard and before Xid knew what he was doing, his outer shirt layer was already folded under Strago’s head and his hands were wrapped about Viera’s shoulders.

Having caught her words, Xid wanted to mend what he had hurt as he started the second part just out of habit. [i]“There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.”[/i] 

Strago had felt a growing warmth in his body as Xid had healed him, and it remained for a while, even after the actual healing had been completed. He could feel that he was alive, but it took him several moments to become mostly conscious once again. As he did, he looked over toward the sounds he heard, speaking, and movement, coming from Xid, and Viera. They had begun saying the Jedi Code, an odd decision, but a comforting one. He cleared his throat slightly, wanting to be sure he could actually speak if he tried, and realised that he was well enough to do so, [i]“There is no passion, there is serenity.”[/i] He added, feeling the words resonate deep within him, meaning quite a lot in the moment after what he had just done, and gone through. He needed to remain calm, both for his own sake, and for the other Jedi, succeeding in doing so for the moment, beginning to heal himself very slightly as he continued to look in the direction of Viera, and Xid.

Viera felt arms around her as she fought away emotion, and heard the next part of the Jedi code from the soft voice of the young Jedi Xid. She’d thought that hearing that line would break the damn… let loose all the pain and anger and loss from the archives destruction. But it didn’t. Instead she drew strength from it. She was a Jedi. Jedi did not give in to emotion. She thought the next line of the code even as Strago said it There is no passion, there is Serenity. [i]“There is no Chaos, there is Harmony.”[/i] She stood then. Moping about on the floor was not becoming for a Jedi. [i]“We have to stay strong… The Sith want to see us broken. We can't give them the satisfaction. No matter what they do, we have the Force, and we have each other. We can't give in. Remember. There is no Death. There is the Force”[/i] She thought of her archives again, remembering the peaceful feeling of walking among the shelves, trying to remember anything about what Xid had asked. [i]“Xid. You asked me if I knew of the Force. I do know some things. If you can give me a more specific question, I might be able to answer.”[/i]

Mentally absorbing the last lines Viera gave, Xid’s mind realize it held the most meaning, despite being the last lines in the Jedi code. Particularly for this current situation as their lives hung upon their captors, he tried not to waver in front of them. This was almost worse than Belsavis, he found a sharp shiver that raced up his spine and forced back the unpleasant memories. He never wanted to think of that place again for the rest of his life. Never again.

His mind fell back to the present, the older Jedi stir and put herself back together. It was something that filled Xid with pride and gratitude that he was a Padawan, his lips turned up into a slight comforting smile. His head turned to Strago, who he noticed was awake now, to see the man draw comfort from just simple words. [i]“Nice to see you up, though if you give me a moment, I’ll help you to a bunk where you can lay down and relax. You look like you need it.”[/i]

He would be lying if he didn’t say he wasn’t curious about why the man was in such a state, yet details could wait. At least until the Jedi was well enough to talk about it. That was when Viera’s question caught him off guard. The Padawan blinked once then shook his head, realizing what she was asking. [i]“Yeah, ummm. What can you tell me about a Force’s connection with individuals? I mean, I know some from talking with Tolun Fi, a Kiminoan Jedi, during my free time as a youngling but it’s been a while and some of the info has been…lost in four years under master Sela Zythor. I just need to remember some basics to refresh my memory.”[/i]

He was worried inside because if any of the Jedi knew what they had talked about or if Tolun Fi managed to survive and escape, then likely he would be in serious trouble. Part of him wanted to stop, to hush and chose a lighter topic just to ease his conscious. However, he didn’t want to betray his friend’s memory because he knew Tolun Fi would be disappointed in him should he just allow the Kiminoan’s research to pass into memory. 

Strago smiled slightly at Xid’s words to him, very slowly getting into a more comfortable position on the floor, watching as the other Jedi began to speak again. Once there seemed to be a brief break in conversation, he spoke once more, [i]“Some rest certainly wouldn’t hurt.”[/i] He said, feeling much more pain as he moved than he was used to, but doing his best not to show it while he slowly began to work toward a standing position, hoping that one, or both of them would help him to his bed, needing the rest very badly, even with the healing that had been done.

Once Xid made sure Viera could pick herself up off the floor, he took one more glance then started to rise upright. Back on his feet, the Padawan skirted back to Strego’s side to find the Jedi sitting up. The older man had started to work on standing when he was he near enough as the teen reached out his hand and pulled one of Strago’s arms over his neck. Taking a deep breath, the boy braced himself while he heaved as much as the Jedi’s weight as possible onto his thin body. He felt his knees shake a bit and threaten to once more give out from under him. He was starting to dislike this feeling of exhaustion when he started to feel himself crumble a bit.

Instinctively, Xid called out for help from Viera. [i]“Oh, not good! Viera, a little help, please!”[/i]

Viera thought about the question as Xid began to pick up the older Jedi, mumbling shelf designations as she mentally sorted through the vast amount of stored information she’d been responsible for. Of course it was more her responsibility to know where certain topics were than to herself be a repository for the information, but in her spare time she had studied a number of the holobooks, and even a few of the actual Holocrons themselves. [i]“Well, its been a generally accepted truth that Force sensitivity has at least some relation to genetics, as there have been a number of powerful Jedi dynasties in known history…”[/i] She trailed off as Xid called out for her help. She was hardly the strongest Jedi, but in his state it looked like any shoulder to lean on would be better than none. She rushed over to the pair, both exhausted and neither able to properly stand, and took most of Strago’s weight onto her own shoulders, crumpling slightly beneath his muscled form. [i]“You need to be more careful Xid… You can't keep doing this to yourself…”[/i] she managed in between heavy breaths as she guided the trio towards Strago’s cell.

Xid felt his body give away almost until Viera arrived, taking some of the weight from him and chiding him. He just held on tighter to Strago to try to carry what he could. It was hard not to want to do more, his eyes found it hard to tolerant seeing the Jedi in the state or the fact he noticed the bite mark upon the shoulder. Teeth, needle and razor sharp, had punctured deeply. It took him a moment as the image of Sish' grinning face made his face pale a little.

Feeling the need to answer Viera, he began to answer her, his eyes unable to pull away from the bite mark. [i]“I-it’s alright. I’m alright. I can’t leave him on the floor and I didn’t think Sish' apprentice was as cruel as her master. Maybe I was wrong.”[/i]

The last bit was spoken softly and in a slight regret. 

Strago allowed much more of his weight to go onto Xid than he expected to, not used to feeling so weak. He didn’t pay much attention to the speaking between the two, his mind in somewhat of a daze at the moment, just making sure to be aware enough to make sure he didn’t fall, and moved in the right direction. A moment later he felt someone else grab him to help him, and he moved his head very slightly to see that it was Viera, not that he expected it to be anyone else. He shifted more of his weight onto her for a moment, wishing that he didn’t have to be a burden to the other two Jedi, but not letting pride get in the way of the more logical decision.

After a moment more, Strago began to move toward his cell, his mind mostly just focused on getting to his bed where he’d allow himself to pass out again. He tried not to move too fast to the point where it would be counter-productive, but he moved at a pace that was likely faster than expected, partly thanks to his legs being much less damaged than the rest of him along with wanting to get it done as fast as possible.

The trio quickly and awkwardly managed to transfer the the bulk of Strago onto his bed - such as it was. With the literal weight off her shoulders Viera checked his vitals, a somewhat unnecessary precaution, but automatic. Despite his unresponsiveness, he seemed in fairly good shape. He wouldn’t hurt himself or degrade from where he was, though he was far from healthy. Relieved that he would be fine, she shifted her attention back to the young padawan. She almost felt like checking his life-signs as well. He was giving too much of himself. But she’d already nagged him enough about that.

[i]“Where was I?”[/i] she thought aloud. [i]“Oh yes, the Jedi Dynasties. Our own current Grand Master, Satele Shan, is descended from a long line of Jedi that began with Bastila Shan, the hero of the Jedi civil war. Across recorded history, it is known that a child of two Force-sensitives will almost certainly be Force-sensitive themselves. That has been the subject of debate among the council quite a few times - the Jedi are guaranteed new members if they let marriages between Jedi take place, but allowing even love to occur in the order has been called risky by some of the masters…”[/i] She thought for a moment, mentally waving away the idea that the people she was talking about could well be one with the Force now. [i]“I think the orders current relatively lax view on such things is probably due to the Shan line… Am I getting off topic? Sorry… I tend to talk a lot in bad situations. And this entire ship is a bad situation.”[/i]

Xid felt relieved when they made it to the cot, his body leaned in and settled Strago, the last of his strength seemed to vanished in the effort. His head felt a little light causing him to press his hand against the cell wall. When he touched the cold metal, he felt a slight comfort from the steady and firm texture as if supported by an old friend. It kept his world from spinning too much, providing a center to draw on. The Padawan held back a spark of frustration at his weakness to focus on What Viera said. Currently what Viera said, he already knew but that didn’t answer his question really. It didn’t tell him why the Grand Master’s lineage ended up being Jedi other than birth rite.

[i]“It’s alright, but that doesn’t answer my question,”[/i] Xid admitted, trying to keep standing upright despite gravity pulling him down, [i]“To me, it seems like Grand Master Satele Shan’s whole lineage became Jedi due to their parents before them. However, eliminate that, would the results be the same? I know Jedi and Sith connections to the force differ but why is something I don’t understand. Maybe I was too vague about it and I’m sorry about that. I was hoping you might have crossed over something that might explain that...”[/i]

Slowly the Padawan found his body lowering to the floor, his shoulder leaned against the wall heavily as he curled his knees under him. Today had been draining, both physically and mentally, on him. More than any mission had ever been. That didn’t bode well in Xid’s mind and likely the next day was going to be worse. Especially if the Sith that tortured him today came back tomorrow.

Viera was about to go on and elaborate about her limited knowledge of the Force, but when she looked at Xid she saw he was barely keeping his eyes focused. [i]“You’ve pushed yourself too far Xid…”[/i] She said. She was worried about how much he might give of himself when she wasn’t around to make sure he kept himself alive. [i]“Curiosity is good… But you need to sleep. You won't even remember what I’m telling you as you are now. Come on, go and sleep. I’ll help you to your bed if you need it.”[/i]

[i]“Viera, I couldn’t sleep in this place even if I wanted to.”[/i] Xid said. In the same moment, his body pressed closer to the wall, his eyes sagged a bit because sleep threatened to close them. He was clearly fighting the exhaustion weighing him down but seemed to fail, truthfully unsure if he could stand at all. Worse off, it was hard to swallow how much had happened and what little he felt he did to help resulting him being left this way. Slowly he attempted to pull upward only make it a short distance and fall right back down.

[i]“Besides, I don’t want you wearing yourself helping me back to bed…”[/i] He admitted with light chuckle. 

Viera gave him a mock scowl at that [i]“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a Jedi, not an old lady. You, on the other hand, can barely stand on your own two feet right now. And if I have to mind trick you to get some rest, I will.”[/i] Her threat wasn’t meant cruelly, and her voice showed it, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still do it. She walked over to him and picked him up by the arm, to help him steady himself for the short walk back to his cell.

Xid groaned softly at the idea and the woman’s frown, reasonable doubts she would crept into his mind. However, he didn’t see the point in risking it or arguing because neither were productive enough to prevent the outcome. When she walked over him, his head lifted to watch her aid him and support his limp body. It wasn’t likely hard since he didn’t weigh as much as Strago, the older Jedi built for combat while the Padawan seriously lacked in that area. His feet dragged his way back to his cell using Viera as a crutch until she helped him back into the cot and off the cold floor.

Once laying down, his eyes looked towards the woman for a request. [i]“Could you talk to me? I need something to help me sleep, namely in this place unless you don’t want to… then I understand.”[/i]

Viera blinked in surprise. He wanted her to tell him… a bedtime story? That was slightly unexpected. She wasn’t used to padawans showing so much interest in stories or knowledge like that. But she did know some stories, after all, there were many great Jedi heroes recorded in the archives. She had to think for a moment to select one that didn’t start too terribly, but under Xids expectant gaze she quickly decided to tell one she knew well and omit the worst parts for now. [i]“Let me tell you of the Jedi Exile, and how she restored our order to its glory after it was almost destroyed. Hers is a story of a single light amidst darkest darkness…”[/i]

Timestamp: 02:30 day 2 ATC
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