A Father's Blade: Chapter Eleven

Rand settles into one of the chairs as the large brown-furred Wookiee sits in the one across the table from him. They both swivel in their seats, to face the holoprojector situated on one wall. After a moment, the face of Jerod Pollit resolves into existence. His smiles for them both, and nods in greeting.

Without further preamble, he begins the meeting. "I have a favor to ask you both."

Waroo growls a question, asking what the favor is.

"I want you both to go to Kashyyk and try to bring the Wookiees into the war on the side of the Corellians."

Rand nods his head in acceptance, already planning the trip there in the back of his mind. Waroo scratches at his fur for a moment, and then asks Pollit why believes that the Wookiees will join them and leave the alliance.

Pollit's jaw clenches as he looks at the Wookiee, and finally answers, "Because you're the one doing the asking. We know who you are Lumpawaroo, and more importantly, we know who your father was. Your family still has worth on Kashyyk and we're banking on that worth."

Waroo rocks back in his seat slightly, his blue eyes growing larger and his mouth opening, instinctively baring his fangs at the realization that these humans know who he is, who his family are. Finally he regains control of himself, and growls that he might not be accepted by the Wookiees, that he is supposed to be watching over Han Solo, continuing his father's Life Debt to the human.

Rand turns to the Wookiee. "We'll tell them that you're doing this for Han Solo. That he asked you to come there and bring the Wookiees into the war. It's fairly well known that he's siding with Corellia."

The Wookiee scratches at his fur for a moment longer, and then barks a short affirmative.

Pollit grins widely. "Great! We'll be sending a transport out to you, and it should be there in a day or two. You both are doing great jobs for Corellia."

Rand nods his head, and the Wookiee woofs a thanks as the hologram flickers into nothingness.

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Noelani slowly regains consciousness, her broken arm still screaming in pain, and the lesser aches from her scraped knees and elbows a dull throb in the back of her mind. She opens her eyes, feeling the cold press of metal against her cheek. Struggling to get up, she eventually manages to kneel, swaying slightly in the dark. Her eyes are opened wide and for the most part useless as she twists her head around, trying to find some escape, but only managing to see thin shafts of light seeping in from loose joins where the walls, floor and ceiling meet. The scent of musty air and dust clogs her nose, and a sudden lurching to the side almost sends her falling back down.

She regains her balance, and realizes that she is in the back of a transport, a wheeled ground-truck judging from the occasional bounce and jar.

She exhales slowly and tries to pry her arms out from the jelly, and growls in frustration as she is unable to release herself. She wonders for a moment, just how long she was unconscious for, but decides that in the end it probably doesn't matter.

The transport suddenly bounces hard and with a short yelp Noelani falls over. Her scream is cut short as she lands on her broken arm and the sudden flare of pain drives her back into the arms of oblivion.

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Tahiri opens her eyes. The dream of pain and the adrenalin of a fight surge through her system. She closes her eyes again, and exhales strongly, pulling the Force to her through the haze of drugs which clouds her mind.

She reaches out with the Force, touching her apprentice through their training bond – and feels that the girl is not conscious. Unfortunately the drugs in her system make it where she is unable to tell if Noelani is sleeping normally or if the girl has been rendered unconscious through other means.

Somehow, it doesn't seem to matter - but she thinks that might be because of the drugs in her system.

Growling softly, she reaches for the Force again, struggling against the lethargy which envelops her and then reopens her eyes. Slowly, she sits up in the bed and looks around the room, which is really more of a cell than anything else. The big one-way window taking up most of one wall, another wall with its energy door to keep her locked in. A vent in the ceiling which makes a small hissing noise - Tahiri figures that is where they are pumping in the drugs which are keeping her sedated and groggy.

The one-way mirror flickers and loses its opaqueness. Tahiri can make out two figures standing on the far side watching her - a human woman around Leia's age, wearing a BioTech jumpsuit and a Yuuzhan Vong Shaper. For a moment, nightmarish images of her time in the vivarium on Yavin IV flicker through her mind, but she brusquely pushes those thoughts away, along with the realization that there will be no Anakin to rescue her this time.

The human flicks another switch on her side of the wall, and a hidden speaker crackles for a second.

"I just wanted to say thank you. A lot of our research is based on your own shaping, and to have you delivered this way to us will assist us greatly as we continue on."

Tahiri waits a moment before saying anything, trying her best to keep her thoughts focused on what she's trying to do – mainly escape this cell. "Do you think I could get some clothes?"

The woman shakes her head, almost sadly. "Unfortunately no. You Jedi are too unpredictable, so we're not giving you anything that could be used as a weapon. Which includes clothes."

Tahiri mutters a curse under her breath, and lays herself back down; pulling the sheet up over her head. Once her head is covered, she starts grinning as she tightly clutches the strong fabric in her hand.

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Chase struggles through the ducts to the end of the building, and glances out of the vent to see the entrance to the ground transport loading bay - slanted ramp, which allows vehicles to pull right up to a large rolling door, keeping the floor of the building level with the floor within the transport.

He glances around the exterior, and fails to see any transports, no way for him to escape the perimeter of the complex. Sighing in frustration he begins working his way back through the building, searching for another vent which leads to the exterior.

When he is about a dozen meters from the vent, he hears a horn. The shrill sound he remembers from when he was returned to the complex from his last escape attempt. He quickly rushes back to the grating, to see a wheeled ground transport swinging around to back down the ramp.

From beneath him he can hear the sound of the ramp rolling upwards, a metallic rumbling sound, and the voices of two different people talking. He grins and drops to his butt, placing his feet on the grate in front of him, and then pulls his legs back and slams them against it, knocking it out and sending it flying towards the transport.

He hears one of the people beneath him yell something in confusion and grabs the edge of the vent, swinging down through the opening beneath him. Landing on the platform, he grabs the first BioTech security guard and flings him hard out the doorway. The man slams against the transport with a bang, and the driver suddenly brakes, but not quick enough to not run the guard over with the transport's large wheels.

Chase spins towards the second security guard, noticing that he is pulling out a stun baton, and Chase dives at him, knocking him to the ground. He grabs the handle of the baton, and twists savagely, enjoying the sounds of bones breaking in the man's wrist, and the accompanying screams. Chase flips the baton around and shoves it against the man's chest, flicking the switch and sending a strong jolt of energy through him.

He stands and takes a few steps backwards and then runs towards the opening and jumps, landing on the roof of the transport with a bang. Scampering forward he drops down onto the hood of the truck and slams the baton against the windscreen, shattering it. Then he jabs both the driver and the passenger with the stun baton. For a moment the smell of ozone hangs heavy on the air, as he clambers through the broken window and pushes the driver out of the seat. Then he drives the transport up out of the bay. As soon as he has cleared the walls, and can open the door he drags the two out of the transport and rockets away, laughing at his escape.

The transport bounces as it drives over the uneven earth, and Chase sees the perimeter gate – a large mesh of metal which is currently closed. He guns the engine and the transport jumps forward, and the guard assigned to the gate steps out, waving his hands at Chase, trying to get him to slow down.

Chase doesn't hesitate, just slams into the gate, which breaks with a resounding crash. The transport bounces a couple more times, and Chase winches the steering column to the right, nearly flipping the top-heavy machine with the savage turn. He continues driving, getting further and further away from BioTech. As he drives, he reaches over to the small computer mounted to the dash; he grasps it and pulls hard, snapping the mount. Once it is removed, he casually tosses it out the front window, hoping to run it over with his tires.

Half an hour later, he pulls into the garage of an abandoned building, jumping out of the transport and closing the rusted metal door of the building. He leans against that door for a moment, breathing hard, the adrenaline leaving his body tired and his knees weak. Finally after he catches his breath, he walks back to the transport and opens up the cargo bay to see what he has stolen.

His mouth drops open and he just stares, having never expected the transport to contain what it does.

It is a young girl around his own age, with long blonde hair arrayed around her. Se is either sleeping or unconscious. His eyes travel her body, noticing how her arms and legs are bound by the blorash jelly.

His own features narrow, as he wonders if he should help her or not. It won't be long before BioTech finds their truck, and he believes she would probably slow him down.

The girl moans slightly, shifting her head and he realizes that she's starting to wake up. Frowning he turns and steps close to the edge, just about ready to jump off, and hangs his head.

I can't leave her to BioTech.

He sighs and turns back to her, as she raises her head, and stares at him with the clearest blue eyes that he has ever seen. His breath catches in his throat and he's lost in their depths.

"Who are you?" Her voice is musical, with an odd lilt to it, as if she was raised on a Rim world.

Chase shakes his head to clear it, and replies, "I'm Chase. I guess I kind of rescued you from BioTech."

Her eyes fill with suspicion, and Chase takes a step backwards as he says, "Hey, if you don't want my help I can always leave. BioTech will be here in a little bit to get their truck."

The girl lowers her eyes, "No, I'm sorry. Please get me out of here."

Chase nods his head and grabs a bag hanging by the door, reaching into it and pulling out a handful of the stuff he has seen the guards use to remove the jelly. Leaning over, he sprinkles the salt on the blorash jelly binding her. Within moments, Noelani is able to move her arms, and she stands.

She smiles brightly for him, and he feels his heart begin to beat faster.

"Thank you, I'm Noelani."

Chase makes a noncommittal noise deep in his throat, one that is utterly at odds with the interest he finds in the girl. Turning from her he jumps down out of the transport, landing in a slight crouch, and then walking towards the broken human-sized door next to the one designed for transports. He glances out, and turns back towards Noelani, noticing how bedraggled she looks – mused hair, torn and bloody clothes, and she seems to be cradling one arm as if it hurts. He nods towards it. "Is something wrong with your arm?"

She glances down, her eyes glazing over slightly for a moment, before focusing on him once again. "Yeah, it's broken. I broke it while running from the warriors."

Chase frowns slightly, trying to figure out how to get help for her without alerting the authorities and by extension BioTech. He sighs, unable to come up with a solution. "Well, come on, we got to find a better hiding place, and hopefully a way off this dirtball."

He darts out of the building, some part of his mind noting that Noelani follows him, her movements nearly as quiet as his own. What he doesn't see, is the look of fear and concern that flashes across her face at the news that they'll be trying to get off world.

A Father's Blade: Chapter Ten

Chase lies on his back, staring at the aged ceiling tiles. He notices that certain portions of the white tiles have begun to turn yellow along the edges. An indicator of how old this particular cell is, how long it has been since it has been refurbished.

He turns his head, looking at the door, an electrical state field, currently set to repel and opaque. He knows from experience that the door at this power setting will raise blisters with a pass of his bare skin. It is an experience he would rather not have again. He returns his attention to the ceiling, a plan forming in his mind.

Smiling he glances around the small cell again, and sits up from his bed. Another quick visual confirmation of his cell. He closes his eyes, and listens, trying to hear anyone moving on the far side of the doorway. Finally satisfied that no one is around; he bounces up and jumps onto the bed. He reaches up to the ceiling, and begins prying away at the yellowed ceiling tiles, digging his fingers into the edges between two tiles. Getting his hand wedged above the tile, he pulls in a savage downward thrust and the material snaps apart in large chunks. Reaching up, he pulls another chunk down. And then another. As soon as he has a big enough hole, he jumps up, pulling himself into the small crawlspace between the ceiling and the floor above.

He suppresses a chuckle as he begins scooting through the cramped space, following the HVAC components, hoping that they lead to a way out of the building.

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Noelani finds herself standing on top of a building at the edge of the city, staring out at the reddish brown desert, longing for the binary sunsets of her own homeworld as she watches the pale version of Ambria. She brushes away the latest set of tears, tears caused by her own failings as a Jedi.

She had wanted to kill the Yuuzhan Vong.

She had liked it.

She hears the crunch of a foot against the small stones spread over the roof of the building. She glances behind her, and sees Drago standing there. His fur seeming to blend into the darkening sky and his yellow eyes glitter with intelligence and compassion.

"You're hard prey to track, young Noelani."

Noelani nods her head, and turns back to the sunset. The crunch of his feet against the roof tells her that the Cathar is approaching. He stops beside her, watching the sun alongside her.

"Do you wish to speak of what ails you?"

Noelani frowns, and decides to try to dissuade the older alien from prying into her problems. "I thought Cathar were aggressive hunters. Why do you want to talk so much?"

Dargo bellows a laugh. "Oh we are little one. Have no fears on that. But even for the best of us, as we grow older, tend more to philosophical pursuits than aggression."

She looks at him, one eyebrow cocked. "So as you get older, you talk more?"

"Yes, little one. That is exactly what I'm saying. And we can take a hint. I will intrude upon your problems no more."

Drago turns around and begins walking away from her. As the crunches of his feet fades into the distance Noelani feels a pang of guilt and regret. She knows that he was just trying to help her.

Sighing, she turns away from the sunset towards him. "Drago! Wait!"

He glances over his shoulder, his ears flattening in an expression which Noelani hopes mean that he's curious.

"Yes, little one?"

"I'm… I'm sorry." She closes the distance, lowering her head as she does so. "I know you were just trying to be helpful. It's just… it's painful. What they did to me. I was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong on our last mission. I know I'm not supposed to hate, that it's not worthy of me as a Jedi, but it's just so hard."

Drago nods his head slowly. "You will not find judgment in me, youngling. I too wished to see him dead. He has often come to my shop making veiled threats as to taking my daughter from me. We have often fought – usually to a draw- and have been told by security to stay away from one another. His less than veiled threats directed towards you were just yet another excuse for me to attack him."

They stand in silence as night continues to fall around them. Finally Drago raises his snout, sniffing the evening wind. Without looking down, he says, "Come, join me an Lyrvar for the evening meal."

Noelani is slightly startled as she realizes just how late it has gotten. "Oh! I'm late. I'm supposed to meet my Master at the hotel for dinner."

"Then I will accompany you."

Noelani shakes her head. "No. You go to dinner with your daughter. I'll be fine."

Then she rushes to the ladder which leads to the ground, sliding down it and landing with a low thud. She glances up to see Drago still on the roof, looking down at her, his eyes shining a bright yellow from reflected street lamps. She waves in farewell and darts through the nearly deserted streets.

Within minutes she arrives at the hotel, and notices that a light is burning in the window of the rooms she shares with Tahiri. Smiling happily she rushes forward, and pushes open the door, stepping in without hesitation as she calls out, "Hey! Master! Sorry I'm late, but I was having this-"

She stops in mid sentence as a burly Yuuzhan Vong and a tall lanky Wookiee step out of the 'fresher. She takes a step back and spins around as she hears the door behind her open once more. Standing there is another Yuuzhan Vong warrior and a woman wearing a BioTech Industries jumpsuit.

For a second, Noelani wonders if they could have found out just who it was who killed Rulmon Yah earlier in the day.

The woman steps forward, her face hardening slightly. "Come with me child. Life will be better for everyone involved if you do. Your Master is not here to help you now."

Realization sets in. They are here because of something Tahiri did rather than Noelani's actions. Noelani stares wide-eyed at the woman for a moment, hoping that if she doesn't make a move, they will give her enough time to figure a way out of this mess. Give her a way to find out what happened to Tahiri.

"What did you do to her?"

The woman smiles – to a non-Jedi it might appear warm and comforting but it scares Noelani. The woman's Force presence does not match it. She pools coldness and hate and deceit through the Force. Enough to cause Noelani to take an unconscious step back away from her.

The woman steps forward as she says "Don't worry about that. You'll be reunited with her very soon."

Then tight arms snap around her shoulders, picking her up off the ground. Noelani lets out a short yelp and looks down seeing the tattooed, grey-skinned arms around her. She kicks her feet and feels them flail uselessly against the strong legs of the warrior holding her.

She twists her arms slightly, one hand slipping under the sleeve of the other arm. A moment later she pulls out the collapsed staff. It's a simple weapon, compressed flow-metal, the same technology used in Tendandro battle droids for their self-healing armor, extends from the length of a lightsaber hilt to just over a meter and a half long - equal extension from both ends. Noelani raises the staff, positioning it as close to the warrior's face as possible, and then depresses the small button to extend it.

The weapon extends into the warrior's eye and he bellows in rage, dropping Noelani. Without hesitating she twists the staff around and slams it against the side of his head. He crumples to the ground bleeding profusely from where she had struck him.

She hears the Wookiee behind her growling, and the woman in front of her screaming, "Get her!"

Without waiting she jumps up on the bed and grabs the warrior with the Force. Hefting him, she grunts as she throws him through the large window. She is moving that way even before the warrior breaks through. Jumping through the window, she lands on the warrior she threw and trips over him. She tosses out her arm trying to break her fall and can hear the sickening crack of her arm breaking.

She screams but stands up rushing forward, trying to escape. Trying to figure out where she can go.

With the back of her hand, she scrubs tears from her eyes as she runs from the hotel. The Force tingles, and she drops to the ground and rolls forward, biting back bile as her roll takes her across her arm. With a solid thunk-a thud bug slams into a speeder parked a few meters away. She goes to slap the bug with her staff and realizes that she has dropped it somewhere.

Muttering a curse that she has heard Tahiri use, she dives down an alleyway, hoping to loose her pursuers. The short bark of a Wookiee lets her know better, and the Force prompts her to dodge again as a thud bug flashes past her ear.

Spying a door along one wall, she skitters to a stop, her feet sliding slightly on the dirt which covers this particular section of alley, and presses her hand against the door beside her. She pushes with the Force and the door flies inward, crashing into some metal shelving. Without hesitation she darts forward into the darkened shop, enhancing her night vision with the Force.

Chewing her lower lip she looks around, trying to figure out what to do. A low growl startles her and she turns towards the door. Backlight by light from the street she can just make out a dark shaggy form standing in the doorway. She reaches out with the Force, and picks up the door hurling it at the figure standing there.

She smiles viciously as a Wookiee howl of pain rings out as the door slams into him. She turns away and rushes further into the store, heading towards the front. Arriving at the front door she uses the Force to break it down as well and steps out of the store, casting a glance over her shoulder making sure her pursuers haven't caught up with her yet.

She is smiling and turning back to face forward when something warm and sticky slaps against her face, covering her mouth.

Her eyes pop open wide in surprise as she struggles to scream, and she raises her hands to pry the goop away from her face, realizing as soon as she touches it that she can no longer pull her hands away. She tries to inhale but can only feel the jelly bulge into her nostrils and she almost panics, realizing that this is how Rulmon Yah felt as he died.

Rough hands grab her and push her down to the ground and she collapses to her knees and elbows. She can feel her skirt and tunic ripping on the harsh pavement and burns erupt on her knees and elbows as she is dragged backwards slightly.

Pain from her broken arm flares through her consciousness, driving the edges of her vision black. Then she can feel more of the cold, slimy gel being applied to her ankles and then they're pressed together so that she can't move her legs.

Hands pull her face sideways, sprinkling some bitter smelling salts near her nose, and suddenly she can move her hands.

Before she can react though, they pull her arms back nearly dislocating her shoulders in the process, applying more of the jelly to them, keeping them straining that way. Sickened from pain, she realizes that she can feel the edges of the broken bone as they grind against each other.

The woman in the BioTech Industries uniform walks up and looks down at her, that cold, heartless smile still there on her face.

"You should have been a good girl."

She nods her head, and pain blossoms in Noelani's forehead, driving her into the black oblivion of unconsciousness.

A Father's Blade: Chapter Nine

Tahiri groans, wakening to a fog clouding her senses and a throbbing pain situated in the center of her forehead. She struggles to remember where she is, what she was doing, but the last thing she can recall is ordering the Corellian whiskey at the cantina the previous night. She sits up in the bed, clutching the sheet to her chest, and takes a moment to look around.

It's a simple bedroom, containing a dresser, a wardrobe an open door which appears to lead into a refresher and a closed door which Tahiri assumes leads to the hallway. The only oddity is that the far wall is a huge mirror.

She stretches out with the Force, but it is still oddly clouded, and she turns inwards, focusing on her own body. She frowns as she discovers the toxin which has built up in her system.

I've been poisoned.

She tries to stand, but instead falls down, bouncing off the bed and landing on the floor with a grunt. She opens her eyes, and is rewarded by a close view of the carpet, resisting the urge to vomit as it seems to move and squirm in front of her.

A loud voice seems to thunder at her from everywhere at once. "You'd be best served staying right where we put you, Tahiri."

And I'm being watched.

She tries to raise her head, frowning as she scans the corners of the room, trying to find the camera, even though she knows it's probably too small to be visible to the naked eye. The movement of her head causes a wave of dizziness to slash through her head and she allows it to drop back to the carpet, exhaling slowly.

She bolts awake as hands grab her shoulder, brusquely yanking her up off the floor. Her eyes travel down the tattooed covered arms until she finds herself looking at the mass of scars, tattoos and open wounds which is a Yuuzhan Vong face. His markings reveal that he is a member of the Intendent caste, and Tahiri strikes out, slamming the heel of her palm against the exposed cartilage of his nose.

The Intendent grunts in surprise and drops her. Tahiri lands on the bed, and tries to stand up, waves of dizziness slamming into her again. She falls back onto the bed, closing her eyes trying not to throw up.

Again, the thundering voice, "You need to behave, young lady."

She lifts her head, glaring at the mirror. "I'm going to kill you."

The voice doesn't reply, and the sound of a door closing draws her attention from the mirror. She looks around, noticing that the Intendent had left the room. She sighs, and drops her head back onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling, trying to use the Force to purge the toxins from her system.

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Noelani happily wanders from shop to shop, keeping an eye on the sun so that she can return to the hotel room before dinner time. She looks up from her wandering, finding herself standing in front of a junk shop. She twists her nose slightly and glancing at the wares for sale in the window steps into the dim interior of the store, her opening of the door is accompanied by the tinkling of bells.

"Wizard." Her voice is silent with awe as she looks around at all the various tidbits of technology strewed around the store. She steps closer to the wall and picks up a flattened dish, with a single large glass visual sensor facing her.

"Wow, this is a Serv-O-Droid DUM-series. This thing must have been around during the Clone Wars."

"You are right on that youngling. That droid has sat in this shop for nearly sixty years now. Far as I know, it still works."

Noelani looks up from the pit droid to see a hulking, aged Cathar behind the counter, his honey-colored fur interspaced with patches of whitish gray, especially around the muzzle and through his mane. He wears a red tunic with gray and black squares around the collar and arm cuffs, and is leaning on the counter. Noelani smiles at him, hoping it doesn't maker her look like prey.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. I was just looking around. I hope you don't mind? I love stores like this; you can find all sorts of interesting things in them."

The Cathar chuckles loudly, "I do not mind at all youngling."

At that moment, another Cathar enters the shop from a doorway with steps leading up towards a second floor. Noelani looks at her, noting the familial resemblance with the elder Cather, a sort of similar shape to the muzzle. Short honey colored fur covers her exposed skin, extending to the slightly deeper warm brown of her mane. Yellow eyes shine with an inner light and she is dressed in tight fitted leggings and an equally tight sleeveless shirt. Wrapped around one exposed arm is a thin circlet of gold, matched by a band of gold hanging through one of her ears.

The elder Cathar smiles at the newcomer. "Ah, Lyrvar, how are you this fine morning?"

Lryvar eyes Noelani for a moment, before turning to the shop keeper. "I'm fine this morning." Lyrvar looks at Noelani once again, and she has the distinct impression that the young Cathar is considering her prey. "I must attend to some things, Father."

Without another word, she brushes past Noelani, bumping her and knocking her against some of the broken machinery which lines the shelves. Noelani scowls at the feline alien's back for a moment, at the shopkeeper chuckles once again.

"Pay no mind to Lyrvar. She is still young and I'm afraid the fire in her blood might be a touch to strong for her to be a shopkeeper like myself."

Noelani smiles for him again, as she says, "Oh, it's not a bother. Actually, what I'm looking for is ideas for a design."

She turns away, and begins poking through the odds and ends on the shelves, hunting for something, but not quite certain what it is.

"What are you going to design?"

She glances up at him again, beaming in her pride. "I'm gonna build a lightsaber."

She notices the Cathar raise an eyebrow slightly. "Those are powerful weapons, youngling."

"I know…. but it's okay, because I'm a Jedi. Well, a Jedi apprentice at least."

The big cat smiles, razor sharp incisors flash in the stores lights. "Ahh. A Jedi. We Cathar have long honored the Jedi. Our history tells us that before our planet was destroyed millennia ago, many powerful Jedi came from the Cathar." The shopkeeper chuckles to himself. "But what does a kit such as yourself care of the ancient history of an alien people?"

Noelani tilts her head slightly as she watches the alien. "My Master tells me that history forgotten is destined to be repeated, and that is why we so often have to fight the same war over and over again."

"Your Master sounds wise. I am Drago."

Noelani walks to the counter on which the Cathar leans, and sticks out her hand. "My name's Noelani, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The Cathar's paw seems to engulf her hand as he shakes it, and Noelani can feel the powerful muscles, as well as the tips of his sharpened talons. After a moment, she withdraws her hand and continues looking around the shop.

The bells attached to the door tinkle once more, and Noelani turns that way, her breath catching in her throat as she sees the Yuuzhan Vong warrior strolling into the shop. The warrior looks around him at the machinery; disgust rests undisguised on his features. His living armor glistens sickly in the stark light of the shop, the gray of his flesh seems somehow even more sallow under the fluorescent glare than it would beneath a natural light.

Drago's lips curl back into a silent snarl. "I thought I told you that you were not allowed into my shop again Rulmon Yah."

Noelani can feel her fear pounding at her heart, and she glances around, trying to find a place to hide. Not finding anything, she presses herself further into a corner, hoping the warrior doesn't look her way.

Rulmon Yah walks to the counter, and Noelani realizes that Drago has pulled himself to his full height, and seems to tower over the warrior.

"I do not take orders from you, Infidel. I have come to resubmit my offer. Turn your daughter over, or we will take her."

Noelani can feel the Cathar's anger, and a low growl seems to come from him. Finally he speaks. "Leave."

Rulmon sneers at him, and turns away from the counter, and towards Noelani. He freezes as he spies her, and Noelani takes an instinctive step back, every part of her screaming that she should run from this warrior.

I'm a Jedi!

Noelani steels herself, pushing back her shoulders and meeting the warriors gaze head on. Rulmon Yah glances at Drago, his sneer growing wider. "I think I might be able to buy your daughter a bit more time, Infidel scum."

Drago moves so fast that Noelani is unable to track him. One moment he is behind the counter and the next he is up and over it, his claws extended and slicing at the vonduun crab armor which the warrior wears. The warrior is faster though, and slams his fist into the back of the Cathar's head. Drago crumples to the ground, and the warrior pulls out a coufee.

"No!"

Her scream echoes in the small shop, and the warrior glances up at her.

"Don't worry human. I've not forgotten you."

Noelani reaches into her hair and pulls out the stokli spray stick. Her hair falls out of its braid as she aims the weapon. As she depresses the small trigger a stream of grayish-white goo flies out and slams into the warrior, wrapping around him, pushing him back against the shelves.

The spray stick beeps once, an indication that it's empty, and Noelani allows the weapon to drop from her hands. She stares at the warrior who is glaring at her, and Noelani belatedly realizes that she sprayed his mouth and nose shut.

She turns from him, and kneels beside Drago, concern etched on her face. "Are you all right?"

The big Cathar heaves himself up, and looks at the Yuuzhan Vong, who is beginning to go into convulsions. He looks back down at Noelani.

"I am just old, youngling. Though I must notice that our guest appears to be lacking a way to breath."

Noelani bows her head slightly. "Yeah, I noticed also. There's nothing we can do now though. That was a stokli spray stick. Even if we wanted to get it off it would take at least a half hour." Noelani turns towards the warrior, noticing that his face has taken on a blue tinge, and offers him a shrug.

Impassively, she watches as he fights against his bonds, his struggles growing in desperation as his oxygen runs out. Finally after about five minutes, his eyes roll back up in his head, and his struggles cease. Noelani knows that he is only moments away from dying, and she is not certain if she is happy about that or not.

Drago's large paw lands on her shoulder. "It is never good to watch death claim someone, but if you are truly in training to be a Jedi, it is good that you watch the repercussions of your actions."

Noelani frowns at the warrior's still form, and then shakes her head. "That's not why I watched."

Noelani tucks her head down, trying to hide her shame and the tears that begin to burn her eyes. "I… I wanted him dead. And not just because he was attacking you."

A Father's Blade: Chapter Eight

Tahiri steps out of the motel room, leaving Noelani alone within it. For a second she hesitates, and almost turns around and retrieves the girl, but once again decides against it. The hotel they are staying out is a long low building, with the rooms exposed directly to the outside, the doorways protected only by a covered walkway. Tahiri walks forward, and steps off the sidewalk, her bare feet crunching slightly on marble stones spread at the edge of the sidewalk. Memories of dreams and nightmares flicker through her consciousness, but she quickly shelves them, focusing instead on the sounds of the night around her.

She reaches out with the Force and feels a small rodent scurrying through the brush, a night-time bird of prey flying far overhead and hundreds of insects, then the dry sage brush which the hotel uses as a decorative border around the hotel. All of it creates a web of life which she is both intrinsically a part of, yet because she was not born here, since humans did not first arise on this planet, she is separated from it, she doesn't quite fit into any ecological niche.

The Shaper within her frowns at that, and for a moment she has the desire to rip apart, to twist, the ecology to fit her needs and desires. With the Force and her Shaper's knowledge she sees so many possible ways to make the ecology better suited, to more conform, to her and her sense of aesthetics. With an effort of will, she rips her thoughts away from that path, focusing once more on what she is going to do.

She pulls her outer cloak tighter around her, as the night air is getting definitely colder. Bundled that way, she appears to be another amorphous blob as she moves through the night. For a moment she wonders why there are no street lamps or other forms of exterior illumination in the area, and glances behind her to see the bright floodlights at the corner of the hotel.

Turning back so she once more faces the darkness of the night, she begins walking, allowing the Force to guide her steps, to tell her where she needs to go and what she needs to do. For a moment, doubt floods her mind, as she considers that maybe she's not powerful enough to listen like this, that without Anakin she's not worth enough to the Force, but she dispels those concerns, deciding to trust in the Force and not worry about anything else.

After about a half hour of wandering through the back alleys of the city, Tahiri finds herself stopped and looking up at one of the many cantinas dotting the landscape of the city which surrounds BioTech Industries. She frowns for a moment as she allows the Force to bring impressions of the building and its occupants to her.

When nothing comes she chews on her lips for a moment, and walks towards the door. She pushes in and finds herself confronted with a huge, muscled man, his bald head gleaming slightly from the spotlight which shines on him from overhead. Behind him Tahiri can make out the massive shape and red glowing eyes of an YHV droid.

The man's voice is low and gravely, with just a hint of anger lacing his words. "I think you're in the wrong place missy."

Tahiri looks up at him.

"When did you start being able to think?"

She's staring him in the face, and knows that the strong light is shining slightly on the scars from her shaping. She grins at him, to add a counterpoint to her words, letting him know that she's insulting him.

He reaches out and puts one of his hands on her shoulder, trying to turn her around to march her back out the door. She calls on the Force, keeping herself in place, and calmly looks down at his hand where it covers her slim shoulder. He starts to squeeze, applying more and more pressure.

She casts a single long look up at him, before returning her gaze to his hand.

"I was shaped by the Yuuzhan Vong. I doubt you have the ability to hurt me. Now let me go."

Then she reaches up and pulls back one of his fingers so hard the snap is clearly audible in the foyer of the cantina. The man yelps in surprise and yanks back his hand from her. She shakes her head slightly and brushes past him into the cantina proper, stopping for a second to allow her eyes to adjust to the light of the dim, smoke filled room. Her nose wrinkles slightly at the smell of tobacc and other inhaled intoxicants and she slips through the crowd settling finally on one of the stools at the bar.

She orders a Corellian whisky when the bartender asks, and tosses a few coins on the bar top. She narrows her eyes and watches him fill the glass. He heaps ice-cubes in, and then throws a meager splash of whiskey over them.

When he places the half-filled glass in front of her, he reaches to collect her coins, and her hand shoots out to grab his wrist.

"That's not full."

"We don't serve little girls here," the bartender growls at her as he tries to pull his hand away. She lets go of his hand and balls her fist, slamming it against the bulb of his nose. His hands fly up, clutching it. "That hurt you little witch!"

She answers with a calm, cold smile, and says, "Fill it up."

Tahiri notices that silence has fallen over the cantina, and she curses at herself for drawing a bit too much attention to herself. Yet she doesn't remove her gaze from the bartender as he massages his nose.

Finally, the man grabs her glass, and returns a moment later, setting it in front of her with enough whiskey in it that she could just about say it was full. He swipes the coins and walks to the till, purposefully ignoring her. She takes a swallow of the amber colored liquor, relishing the slight burn as it slides down her throat. She stares into the liquid, watching the golden flecks as she remembers the first time she had ever tasted it - it was on the Falcon and she was with Anakin, back between their first kiss and Mrykr.

She takes another swallow, allowing the memory to slide away as the liquid slides down. Then glances around the cantina once more, noting that the customers had returned to their drinks and conversations.

She glances to the man sitting on the stool next to her; he has wavy brown hair and brown eyes. Scuffed boots poke out from his heavy duty trousers and a tunic cut along Corellian lines hangs loosely on his body. A blaster is nestled in the holster on his thigh, and Tahiri can just make out that the safety is switched turned off.

She frowns for a second, and then faces him fully, putting on a bright smile for his benefit.

"Hello there."

The man glances up from his drink to look at her. She notices as his eyes dart from the mass of blonde curls down her robes to her bared feet. Finally it settles back on her face, flickering between her smile and her eyes.

"Hi, yourself."

She sticks her hand out towards him, "I'm Tahiri"

He briefly shakes her hand, and before turning back to his drink replies, "I'm Rand Shepherd."

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Cere glances at the scientist beside her. A foppish man in his late forties, his prematurely bald head gleams under the florescent lighting of the lab. A smattering of freckles adorn his too-wide nose and his blue eyes appear washed out and lifeless. His name is Thesim Gra, as unsavory in personality as he is a genius in biological technology. She knows that the only reason he has accepted this job is because BioTech Industires turns a blind eye to how he treats the specimens.

She turns back to the specimen in the small cell before them. He's a young human male, about fourteen standard years old. Angry brown eyes stare at them from beneath a mop of unruly reddish-brown hair. A scowl twists his boyish features into a petulance which only young human males are able to produce. He is dressed in a pair of navy trousers, a grey shirt and a navy jacket.

"This is the one that escaped last week?"

"Yes, ma'am. Ru Pollsa retrieved him last night."

She reaches forward and turns on the intercom to the boy's cell. "You've put us in a lot of trouble young man. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Go rodder yerself."

Cere smiles slightly, and turns back to Thesim as she flicks off the intercom. "And you say he's the best of our test subjects?"

"Yes. He accepted the language implant and we've given him six of the battle upgrades and nine non-battle implants so far. If we give him more, he'll probably be able to escape again and we won't be able to recover him."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"I used to work for a company called Binring Biomedical out on Saffalore. There was a brilliant woman there named Doctor Edda Gast. She developed a number of…control methods for various species such as Twi'leks, Sullustans and even Bothans. If we can get her research then we should be able to create a way to control him more permanently. The other option is to try using Yuuzhan Vong slave coral."

"I would prefer not using the slave coral. Send out feelers and see if you can find any information on this Doctor Gast or her research. "

"Yes ma'am."

Thesim scurrys away and Cere focuses once more on the boy in the room. She flicks on the intercom. "Tell me why you don't want to behave for us? We took you in and are caring for you."

The boy doesn't answer just stares at the wall, anger and distrust bright embers shining in his eyes.

Cere shrugs and turns off the intercom, turning on her heel to return to her office.

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Ulya Tu walks down the tongue-ramp of the Festering Wound. This is the sixth star system she has visited since her defeat at the hands of the Jeedai whelp, the sixth stop in her attempt to discover more and deeper knowledge of the Jeedai Force. Vjun, Korriban, Malachor IV, Byss, Yavin IV and now Krayiss II. All attempts to hunt for more knowledge, so often met with failure, and twice with planets that no longer exist.

She sniffs the cool air, as she looks around the foliage around her. Immediately before her is an expanse of blue-green grass, which reaches to her waist. Off to the east she can see the start of a forest and to the north the start of foothills leading to a series of mountains – a series of misty blue faces reaching higher and higher.

Ulya reaches into the Force, hunting the source of knowledge which should be here, hunting the ancient Sith library which her Master Lumiya told her once sat on this world. She feels a flicker of something in the foothills north of her. Turning that way she begins walking, intent on finding the knowledge she needs to get her revenge against the Jeedai child. To be able to redeem her honor by destroying the Infidel Jeedai.

She walks for days, the cool wind turning decidedly colder as she gains altitude in the foothills. On the seventh day of her hike, she finds what she has been searching for. Nestled into the mountains is a stone edifice. She reaches out with the Force, getting a feeling for the old temple. It is a building nearly as ancient as the mountains in which it is nestled, a place of dark power. The pall of death and the Dark Side hangs over everything, calling her forward, promising her the power that she needs.

Promising her the knowledge to gain her revenge.

A Father's Blade: Chapter Seven

Noelani throws herself onto her bed, arms stretched out as she stares at the ceiling of the hotel-her eyes following the pattern of cracks in the plaster there.

Finally, she twists her head to look at her Master who is sitting on the edge of her own bed, staring at the wall. She rolls onto her side, propping her head on her hand, and watches Tahiri for a moment.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

Tahiri doesn't respond, just continues to stare at the wall, lost in her thoughts.

"Master? Master!"

Noelani giggles as Tahiri jumps slightly. "What?" Tahiri scowls at her giggling apprentice. "Don't do that when I'm thinking."

She lowers her head acting abashed and says, "Sorry, Master. But I asked what are we going to do now?"

Tahiri smiles at her. "You're going to get some sleep. And in the morning, you'll begin looking for the various parts you will need to build your lightsaber. As well as thinking about hilt designs. Remember, this is something that you will probably be using for the rest of your life-so you want it to build it with care and design it with thought."

She sits up in the bed, suddenly happier. "Thanks Master! But what are you going to be doing?"

Tahiri shakes her head slightly. "I'll be following up our one and only lead, by having a rather boring meeting with Thera Holsom and with her boss if I can manage it."

Noelani flops back onto the bed once again. "Thanks for not making me go to that."

Tahiri shakes her head slight, and gets up, walking towards the door. As she nears it she glances back over her shoulder towards her apprentice. "You get some sleep. I'm going to go look around a bit more – and don't be surprised if I'm gone before you wake up."

Noelani smiles cheerfully, happy at the thought of being able to sleep in late. "Okay!"

Then Tahiri opens the door and walks out into the hallway. The door closes behind her with a soft sigh, and Noelani gets out of the bed and changes into her sleeping clothes. Then she climbs back into the bed, pulling the covers up tight around her shoulders and is asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

She awakes to a steady drizzle of rain falling on her, filtered by massive trees stretching up as far as she can see. She glances down and notices that she is in neither her sleeping gown nor her Jedi robes but rather some type of shift which seems to move of its own accord. She pulls at the lower edge of the white fabric, lifting it so she can look at the material it is made from, surprised at its warmth and the fact that it feels like the pelt of a doorvi – a small Tatooine mammal, raised for its suede-like fur and the protein it provides.

She frowns as she sits up, looking around the darkened forest floor, the smell of decaying leaves and rain assaults her nose. The gloom of a perpetual twilight, caused by the massive trees around her gives her a slight chill that has nothing to do with the crisp autumn air. She stands up; brushing the moldy leafs from her hands and the shift that she wears- looking around for some sign of where she is at, of how she got here.

She finds nothing.

She calls out, "Hello?"

And is answered only by a muted echo and the caw of some animal.

Frowning she walks forward, as her eyes slowly begin to adjust to the gloom. A new scent assails her nose, something different than the smell of wet forest. Smoke. A fire. She looks around, trying to find where the smell is coming from and darts along beside the fallen trunk of one of the giant trees. She rounds the corner and finds a small cottage built into the trunk. Paneless windows glow with the cheery warmth of the fire, and Noelani exhales in relief at finding something-some sign of intelligent life.

She raps on the simple wooden door and can hear shuffling sounds coming from within.

The door opens to reveal a boy a few years older than herself. Piercing blue eyes, tussled brown hair and a rakish smile. She has the feeling that she has seen him somewhere before. That she knows him. It takes her a second to regain her composure, and as she is about to speak, he does so first.

"Hello, Noelani. How nice of you to join me."

She takes a step back, biting at her lower lips as she wonders how he knows her name. "Who are you?"

He sadly shakes his head. "That doesn't much matter. I have something for you."

Noelani glances up at the sky-the drizzle has started to come down harder, and more and more drops are making it through the canopy above. She glances once more into the brightly lit hut, "Can we go inside?"

"No. You're not allowed in just yet. Wait here."

She shivers, and imagines that she must look quite a sight with her hair hanging limp, plastered to her face and back by the rain. She rubs her bare shoulders, trying to warm them, a little surprised at how dry and warm her chest and upper thighs are where covered by the still squirming shift.

The boy returns to the doorway and holds out a shaft of metal with black and steel ribbing which runs the half not currently covered by the boy's hand. He pushes it towards her.

"Here, take it."

She reaches out and grasps the metal ribbing and fire races up her arm. She can feel it as it consumers her nerves and arteries as it blisters her muscles. She can feel bands of something wrapping around her arms and legs, holding them together – refusing to let her go.

She screams out.

And bolts upright in the bed of her hotel, feeling trapped and pinned by the covers and sheet which she has tangled around her limbs. Finally she struggles free of the sheets and pushes them away from her, focusing on her breathing and heart rate trying to get them both under control.

She looks around the hotel room, a deep sense of unease filling her.

"Master?"

There is no answer and Noelani frowns for a second until she remembers that Tahiri said she was going to get up early for some meetings with BioTech officials.

She looks around the room once again - Tahiri's perfectly made bed, Noelani's which is trashed from her dream, the small dresser where some of their clothes are and a closet where the rest of their clothes hang. She steps into the small refresher, noting that all the cleansing supplies are still arrayed where Noelani had placed them while unpacking.

She frowns trying to figure out what is bothering her, unable to put a finger on it.

She strips out of her sweat soaked nightgown and steps into the refresher, allowing the hot water of the shower to wash away the last of the tension of the nightmare from her shoulders.

She calls on the Force, allowing it to bleed off her anxiety and fears, quieting her mind, focusing her spirit. With her eyes closed she captures a single drop of water with the Force, and begins making it orbit her body, breaking a small grin she captures another and then another until she has hundreds of water drops flying around her. It's a game she taught herself on one of the first nights she was on Ossus at the Jedi Academy, it was the day that Master Tionne taught her class how to push things with the Force and it was the first time in her life that she had been allowed to spend as long as she wanted to take a shower.

She grins to herself remembering her amazement as she sat on the tiled floor of the shower stall, the water rushing over her as she flew the hundreds of water drops around her with the Force. Marveling as much in the ready supply of water as she was her ability to move the water drops themselves.

Finally the water grows cold, and she turns off the water, stepping out of the shower and grabbing one of the towels from the rack.

She counts the towels again and then turns towards the sinks, once more noting that everything that she unpacked the previous day sat in the exact same spot she placed it. The small bottles of perfume, soaps, and makeup all arrayed in neat, little stars, complemented by the extra, decorative soaps from a bowl the hotel left on the counter.

It is a trait which Tahiri frowns upon, and rearranges at every opportunity.

Wrapping the towel around her, she walks out of the refresher and grabs her comlink, flipping it open to check for any messages. She punches in Tahiri's com code and instantly gets shunted to the message queue.

She drops to the edge of her bed, chewing on her bottom lip, trying to figure out what she should be doing.

Then she grins to herself as she realizes that this must be one of Tahiri's tests. To see if Noelani will panic. That must be the reason she did not come home last night.

With that as a theory, Noelani pushes the uneasiness to the back of her mind, and opens up the closet to pick the clothes to wear for the day. She pulls out a long black cotton skirt, and a light blue linen tunic. She quickly dresses and then admires herself in the mirror. Happy that she snuck this outfit in with her standard Jedi robes. She twirls around, watching the skirt swish around her ankles, and then jogs in place for a second to ensure that it won't hamper her movements.

She puts on her boots and then opens up their travel case of weaponry. The first item she pulls out is a single-use stokli spraystick. Where a standard spraystick is a bit longer and wider around than a lightsaber, the single use version is not much bigger than a writing stylus. She twines the spraystick into her hair, using it as a bone in her braid. Then she pulls out a collapsible staff and straps it to her forearm so that it hides under the long sleeve of her tunic.

Finally she slides a vibroknife into each boot.

Feeling a bit better now that she is armed, Noelani closes up the travel case and leaves the room, checking that the door is locked as she goes.