Lord Greshh

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Hayden Twilight

As Jude jumps out of his seat, I push him back down. I look at Jerus and my parents. "I sensed you coming, but I didn't run. Didn't think there was any point." I hitch my thumb towards the bed, where Korre is asleep. "Can we do this quietly? Don't want to wake the girl."

Becca Twilight

"And just... what exactly are we doing?" I step forward and give Hayden a warning look.

Jakito Twilight

"One chance, kiddo. Give us a reason not to be mad." I look at the twins and Jude. "At ANY of you."

Hayden Twilight

I sigh. "You can leave them alone. This was mostly my idea... and kinda Jude's, but he's a dumb kid. I could have slapped some sense into him and made him give Korre back, but I didn't. I called Cosen and Gavin to help me, and they've been trying to talk me down ever since."

Xanthippe Naberrie

I walk out, already prepared to fight. "Then they made more sense than you." I see Korre sleeping behind them, and I feel the urge to leap across the room and grab her. To Hayden, I say, "Stand down and release Korre. Now."

Hayden Twilight

I stand up, looking defiant. "No. Not into your care." Casually, my hand falls to the lightsaber at my hip.

Xanthippe Naberrie

My hand tightens on the lightsaber hidden up my sleeve, and my other hand crackles slightly with lightning.

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Becca Twilight

I lean closer. Though I can not see them, their voices are not difficult to pick out in the otherwise quiet hall.

Cosen Greshh

"Are you sure that is the only option?"

Hayden Twilight

"Its just about the only option we have left. I don't like it anymore than you do, but every other option leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Gavin Greshh

"We've all walked the dark path, but our father taught us better than senseless violence. Any other Sith would have done it the messy way. The fact that she's still breathing is proof that we hold ourselves to a higher standard."

Hayden Twilight

"Exactly... though I'm not sure he'd have approved of this."

Jude Sucal

"Either we do this or we.... do the other thing. Greshh was no stranger to killing. It's not like he was a pasafist. He was a Sith Lord!"

Cosen Greshh

"It was our father's ability to stay his blade that made him stronger. That's what he taught us."

Gavin Greshh

"He didn't always practice what he preached... and maybe in some cases, death was the better option. I'm worried about the repercussions this may cause. What if this ends up playing directly into Sucal's hands?"

Jude Sucal

"My dad wants the child. Denying him that prize will weaken him, I'm sure of it. No matter the cost, we need to make sure we end the threat today. Once and for all. No more beating around the bush."

Cosen Greshh

"But what if it doesn't work the way you think? Remember Sucal wanted you first, Hayden. He wanted you to become powerful so he could use you to tear a Wound in the Force. What if this is it? What if this act causes the wound that shreds the fabric irrevocably?"

Hayden Twilight

There is a long pause before I finally say in a defeated voice, "Son of a bitch..."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Becca Twilight

"Hayden." I finish. I'm feeling some type of emotion, yet I can't figure out if it's anger that she would once again place herself in a situation like this, or relief that she is still alive and hadn't gotten herself killed yet. Maybe it was both.

Jakito Twilight

"So, they ARE all conspiring together. I swear, if the Mandalorians knew this whole time and didn't tell me..."

Xanthippe Naberrie

"You'll do what, exactly? Fight them all yourself? If you think they'd kill me for tricking them, your chances of survival are even slimmer." I look down the hall towards the voices. "In any case, we can't delay anymore. We need to end this."

Becca Twilight

As Xan advances, I hold out an arm to stop her. "Not yet. I want to hear what they are saying."

Xanthippe Naberrie

I scowl. "Does it matter? Korre is in danger as long as she remains in their hands!"

Becca Twilight

"Yesterday, you didn't even want to come save her! We can spare a moment longer. Hayden will not hurt her." At least I hope that was true. I could never tell with Hayden, especially when it came to things she felt passionately about.

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Xanthippe Naberrie

Nods. "They can't linger long anyways. Its hard for me to control them once they are out of sight." I manipulate the Jakito illusion to tell the guards they are going to explore other parts of the city. The voice that the illusion speaks with is not quite right; almost like someone doing a bad impression rather than a perfect mimicry. Still, it works well enough to fool the guards.

Becca Twilight

"Brilliant." I say sarcastically. "Now, can we do things by the book now? The more we tick these guys off, the more likely it is they'll start shooting."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Xanthippe Naberrie

“When you work in the senate long enough, you learn to pick up on when it’s time to negotiate and when it’s time to take action. Now let’s hurry up and find this Temari. We’ve already wasted enough time.” I wave for them to follow as move towards the now unprotected doors.

Jakito Twilight

I look at Jerus and Becca. “Remind me why you thought bringing her was a good idea. Mandalorians don’t like being duped. Especially by Sith. This really is not a good time for Xan to be her old trickster self again.”

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Becca Twilight

"Oh, I'm going in. There is no way I'm standing outside and waiting for Hayden to come out. Jakito and I need to confront her together."

Jakito Twilight

"Right. Hopefully, she isn't relapsed into darkness. She's just being..." I look at Jerus. "Tactical."

Xanthippe Naberrie

I roll my eyes. "Well, if we're getting in, we might as well get going." I wave my hand and all four of us appear to duplicate. Each of us now has a nearly perfect copy of ourselves standing next to us, the only indicate that they are not corporeal is the slight wispy aura to their features. "Lets hope these guards aren't as strong minded as their leader. Hang back a moment, then quietly make your way towards the door." I wave my hand again, and the four copies start walking towards the guards. the Jakito illusion waving to get their attention.

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Xanthippe Naberrie

I glare at Jerus when he chuckles. "Glad you think it's funny. Has it not occurred to you that they can just as easily broadcast her location to Sucal directly to draw him out? Just because your father is shielding her, that doesn't mean she or her child are out of danger! And what's worse, the Mandalorians may be in on this crazy plan!"

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jakito Twilight

I frown. "What? No, Cosen and Gavin are with the Mandalorians. Neither of them can go anywhere without an escort. If Hayden and Jude came to find them, they would have been discovered by the Mandos are stopped. And I've been helping the Mandalorians for a while now, staying at this hotel base. Hayden couldn't have slipped under my nose so easily." I look at Becca. "And why would she anyways? She turned away from the dark side, didn't she? We saw to that ourselves."

Becca Twilight

"I guess not as much as we thought. Maybe something happened to her in the time between Alaris Prime and now. Something that tipped her back over the edge. Whatever the cause, we heard from some Revolution that she and Jude were headed this way."

Jakito Twilight

"If they are here, then they are hiding their presence in the Force well from me. And if they are actually in the hotel..." I glance back at the Mando guards watching us. "They're keeping secrets."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Mandalorian

"We aren't in the business of keeping rodents! Bug off before we blast ya to bits! Final warning!" To emphasize his point, he cocks his blaster and aims it at Jerus.

Jakito Twilight

Having heard their names and recognizing the voice, I step into action. My hand grabs the barrel of the Mndo's blaster. "Woah woah! Easy there. These are friends... at least two of them are. My wife and my brother-in-law. The third one... maybe you can wing her with a stray bolt."

Mandalorian

"You aren't in charge here, Jedi. You are an ally of Mand'alor, but if you interfere with our plans here..."

Jakito Twilight

"Then the consequences will me mine to reap. But just so you know, that guy down there is Mand'alor's boyfriend's father. If things go well, perhaps her further Father-in-law, and therefore extended family of Clan Cadera. Killing him would be a big mistake."

Mandalorian

Jakito can't see his face under the helmet, but it is likely that he is starting to second guess his desire for violence. "Stand down. Don't fire, but don't lower your guard either." Turns back to Jakito. "Go down and talk to them. Give them whatever they came for, then tell them to leave. We already have enough Jetiise around here with you and those Twi'leks. We don't need more mucking things up."

Jakito Twilight

"Noted." I jump down to the street and jog over to meet them. "Hey! Long time, no see! Good to see you up and about again, Senator." I nod to Xan, then pull Becca into a hug. "What brings you guys all the way here?"

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Becca Twilight

“Good idea.” I make sure to walk with a Jerus and Xan in a very clear and noticeable way, showing that my hands are empty of weapons. Silently, I pray that the warriors they have on guard duty aren’t the type to shoot first and ask questions later.”

Jakito Twilight

I walk along the outside of the hotel, trying to pass the time before the big mission by helping keep might watch with the Mandalorians. Cosen was still getting ready doing... whatever it was she did, and Temari was talking to Ava. I don’t know who else was planning on being part of the Stoneheart mission, but I didn’t like the idea of all the company. I’d have rather gone in alone.

One of the guards perks up and says something about perimeter sensors being tripped. They begin to pull weapons and aim them into the street below. “Uh oh. There’s always something, it’s there?” I Tran my lightsabers and get ready for a possible Republic attack.