Welcome to Gaia! ::

To Anaxes

Though she was relieved to find they had left the Corruo, the darkness having dissipated shortly before the ship had done so, she still wasn't the least bit comfortable.

The short woman, her voice as peculiar and unsettling as her child-like physique was, didn't really seem all that friendly. The words of; 'our mighty Sith', weren't exactly all that reassuring either. She decided it would be best not to say anything about it, though, considering she didn't quite feel as capable as she thought she should be.

The comment she made about eating people was rather disturbing, though. She wondered what exactly she had meant by it, while just the slightest hint of deja vu lingered in the back of her mind.

But before she could come to regret getting on this ship, she reminded herself of the fact that she was certain she knew the yellow-eyed Sith, which meant in turn that she knew about her. It was a big galaxy out there, she didn't want to take the chance of finding her answers else where, especially not when someone who was right here might hold any of the answers she was looking for.

"Erm..." She gazed over at Mab, partially unsure of how to bring it up and partially realizing she had no idea if she could even trust this woman, or how dangerous she might be. She did kill all those men at the hangar and help her escape on this ship, it certainly meant she wasn't on their side, but was also no assurance she was on hers. She had no way to be certain at the moment, but she certainly was willing enough to take the chance.
"You said... you'd tell me?"

Corruo, Hangar Bay

Blaster cannon fire erupted throughout the hangar. Sith troopers and cadets brazen enough to exchange fire with the vessel that was trying to escape swiftly fell, and the ship's turrets scarred and blew holes through the rest of the bay area. Sephis would not let go of that ship, however. One or both of the Force-sensitives on board was fighting him. He could feel it.

They could not escape, though, or else Sephis would surely not live to explain his failure to his master. Sephis pulled and pulled. Try as he might, however, it seemed as though the ship would not budge any further than its location. They were at an impasse. Sephis could feel his grip tighten and solidify around the transport, however.

No matter what, this ship was locked in place. It was more than a minute later before Sephis realized that the blaster fire that was impacting on the floors and walls, was not leaving any physical marks. Sephis watched as one in particular slammed into the hangar floor. Only it didn't slam. It just phased into nothingness.

Sephis leaped out from his hiding spot. He tried to direct some of the blaster cannon fire towards himself. None of it targeted him. Sephis stared at the ship. It seemed to be... Transparent?

Slowly, the image of the ship faded away, as well as the sensation of sound that it was emitting. The ship was nowhere to be found. Long gone, from its previous position, surely escaped and gone off into hyperspace, by now. A Force Illusion. Sephis should have known. He'd been subject to many during his apprenticeship.

Sephis glanced around the hangar. The real cannon fire had done some damage. Sephis watched as the ion engines of a TIE fighter whined up from overloading and exploded, green and yellow light, bursting forth from its rack, heat and large debris filling up the hangar. Ensis would not find this acceptable.

[ Coruscant ]

When the alarm klaxons start going off, Rikka swears rather floridly, yanking on Rokumasu's arm all the harder. When they come upon a pair of soldiers sprinting down the hallway towards the detention center, Rikka pauses and Mina's face smiles.

"Halt! Who are you?"

"Why, I think I'd rather know who are you?" Rikka replies with ease, and then both men are thrown against the wall, unconscious. Rikka rounds on Roku with a vicious, "Stay!" and the venom and absolute command in her tone make no threats but instead promises of what she'll do to Roku if he so much as moves a muscle. She wasn't known as Raven's best interrogator because of her love for puppies and s**t.

Dropping to a squat by the first fallen man, Rikka relieves him of his comlink as well as his nametag. She strips him of his uniform, too, leaving the man in nothing but his underclothes and Rikka pulls it on over her tunic and breeches, leaving her Jedi's concealed under the man's body.

Faces are easy to illusion -- as Mina Rahl's face becomes the fallen soldier's -- but clothes are trickier especially when Rikka wants to put all her focus on the face she's stolen and getting the hell out of here.

"This is Sergeant Quenton Western, the escaped prisoner is on his way to hangar bay 14 with the assistance of the young woman. I call for back up, I repeat, send back up."

Pocketing the comlink, Rikka turns back to Rokumasu. "Let's go."

That said, she grips him by the arm again and heads off to a hangar bay that isn't numbered 14.

Coruscant

Rokumasu followed the woman who had yet to give him her name down the hallway, if being lead by the arm can really be considered 'following'. She had gone through an awful lot of trouble, and risked being captured herself, and it appeared her only purpose was to break him out of republic custody and take him with her, to wherever she was going. The way she spoke to him made it seem as if she knew him from somewhere, but he couldn't recall anytime when they could have met. Suddenly, the alarms starting going off, filling the building with flashing lights and an array of loud sounds. His 'escort' began to swear, and she accelerated her pace, pulling Rokumasu with her.

A couple of Republic soldiers hurried towards them from the other end of the hall, yelling for them to stop and asking for their names. Surprisingly, she stopped right where she stood, apparently doing as commanded. As they came closer, she assaulted them with the Force and pushed them into the wall, with Roku sensing a feeling of enjoyment from her.

"Stay"

Her command for him to stay put carried with it a strength in her voice, unlike the sickly sweet tone from when they were still in the cell. She then approached one of the bodies, and stripped him of his uniform, leaving him nearly bare of clothing. Her face also changed to match his, and as she spoke into the comlink, he heard his voice leaving her mouth as well. Roku finally made his mind up, for better or worse, and broke free from the wrist restraints that the Republic had bound him with. He didn't who she was, or what motives she might have for busting him out of here, but it was clear to him now that she hadn't come this far to just let him refuse to leave with her, and the possibility that she possessed the strength to force him was always present in his mind.

As she grabbed his arm again and began to pull him with her, he broke his arm free of her grasp, and continued a little behind her at the same pace.

"Maybe when we get out of here, you can fill me in on who you really are, and why you're doing all of this."

Naboo.


Kennero lowered his eyes before looking up at Mina, gauging the question in her eyes, and then returned his sight to the swiftly approaching horizon. Instead of the Naboo landscape, however, his thoughts were on Mina's question and his answer.

"I can't abandon her." Was all he said for a long moment, unsure of how to continue. He wasn't even completely sure himself of what more to say, or what to decide on. Mina had his love, but so did Isani - even if she chose to spurn it. His former master was on a road to self-destruction and he knew that he couldn't walk away - it wasn't in him.

"I have to see it through, Mina. I owe her that much." But what of what he owed to Mina? For her love, he owed her everything - his heart, his life, and their future. Looking back to her with a small smile, he added. "It changes very little. Hunting Sith is what I do, what we both do, in our own ways. I'll ask the Grandmaster for an official change of assignment -- after we return to Coruscant." He finished his sentence with a drawl of desire, raising a hand to run it through her thick, brown locks to the back of her neck and drew her to him for a passionate - make me feel alive - kiss.

[ Naboo ]

Mina nods to let Kennero know she understands, and silently resolves to not let Kennero go solo on his - she won't call it a suicide mission, but the path he seems intent on taking is one that can only bring him pain. The young Knight isn't so sure Isani can come back to the Light again. She doesn't want to believe it, of course, but logically Mina knows Isani's first redemption was brought on by Grandmaster Sam at her most powerful and perpetuated by Mina's own master... and they were sorely lacking both nowadays.

When he moves in for a kiss Mina leans forward to meet him partway and there is a touch of the desperation she's feeling (she knows if Kennero goes after Isani there's a chance she'll lose him to the half-insane Sith and Mina cannot lose him) but more of the love and understanding and the response to his silent yearning (it's with Kennero that she feels alive, too).

She pulls away eventually - after some time, she doesn't know how much - and tells him with the little breath she's recovered, "I understand - but I'm asking for an official change of assignment, too, then."

Because nobody should have to face what Kennero faces on their own.

Sam's eyes locked momentarily on Omega, the wolf that Ronyo introduced as a friend, and she did not doubt that he was anything but. The animal's eyes were intelligent, and the way that Ronyo spoke of him told her enough of the respect that he was due. She smiled softly, unaware of her own expression. She'd always been fond of animals. "Tython..." It was true that Isani's mind walk had given her back her memories, but some of those memories were hard to see. Right now, given her state of distress and minimum control, it was even harder.

She remembered that he was going to find it, but couldn't remember him leaving. Biting her lip, she avoided looking at him for a moment to regain her slipping composure. Too much.. too much. His hand on her shoulder almost undid her, and had it been a stronger embrace it might have, but she shook her head and chilled slightly. Goosebumps raised on her arms as she spoke again. "I'd like to stay for the funeral.. I want to say good-bye.

On Naboo, she knew that the funeral would be more elaborate than her life with Warren had been. He was a farmer, but his family were politicians and they lived in the city, their beloved, though wayward, son would get only the best. Perhaps among such opulence she could lose herself for a moment. She knew that Ronyo would offer it, had offered it, but she needed to know that if and when she released the rest of Sam-the-flower-girl that she would go with a whisper.

ANAXES

Isani smiles thinly. "You know me, my lady. They could hardly resist my charm."

She moves to join Venia, treading carefully now. Oh so carefully; Isani has never been one to throw her lot in with anyone, but five years of flying under the radar as presumed dead has made her a little stir-crazy, in a sense. Made her ready to take those risks she'd always skirted before. Instead of doing her best to back both sides so nobody sees her at fault, Isani's ready to pick a side and then make sure they win.

As the Sith master moves to sit beside the Dark Lady she informs the other woman of what she knows of Ensis. Briefly. "Not as tightly as she would like to think - at least, that will become the case soon enough," Isani offers.

The stir in the Force does not go unnoticed, and Isani's smile turns somewhat genuine when the shift of power settles and Venia's attempt at contact -- Isani assumes that's whats been done -- ends. "I've already taken the liberty of arranging transport for Darth Neiva," she tells Venia. A show of faith, a risk. "She's on her way as we speak."