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Coruscant, Underbelly.


The sound of cheap metal clinked in the Jedi Knight's hands, getting the attention of the merchant across from him. The Underbelly stank of piss and sweat, curdling Kennero's sensitive sense of smell, but the Defel spacer seemed accustomed to it.

"I can see why you like the place." The Falleen said snidely, shifting his foot under the table as a serving droid passed, spilling a noxious smelling liquid onto the floor.

A deep, growling sound that was the defel's laughter rose slowly from the shadows, pinpointing his location. If not for his voice, Kennero would have sworn he was speaking to a ghost. "Jedi ought to get used to places like this if they are looking for the trouble you're asking for."

Annoyance flickered across Kennero's black eyes in response, though he kept his comment to himself. The dog-man spoke true, and as it stood he was also the most reliable man for the job.

"I'm sure it tickled you pink to hear from the Jedi again." He says, taking a breath and doing his best not to grimace at what he smelled.

"The Jedi? No.." The throaty chortle-growl rose again. "You, yes.. your grace."

Ignoring the humor at his own expense, Kennero raised a data pad to the table and set the credits in his hand over it. "I'm glad to see you too, Garosh. I'd hate to have to find you if you decided to break your parol." The chuckling died in the throat of the shadowed defel as two small, red orbs opened and glowed brightly in the darkness. Those ruby eyes might have discomforted him once, but the Knight was beyond being intimidated by the criminal underworld on Coruscant -- and they'd only just begun being intimidated by him.

"The specifications are on there." He said, tapping the pad and then sliding it across the table with the credits.

A low grumble echoed in their corner while the pad disappeared into the darkness. "This isn't enough credits for a ship, Jedi."

"No," Kennero admitted, casting his eyes across the cantina dismissively. "The ship is free, for the favor you owe me. The coin is for your tab." A dangerous sparkle lingered in his dark eyes while he spoke, coming back around to settle on the mass of black in the corner of their booth to wait for a challenge. After a number of moments of silence, the Knight rose. "Good doing business with you, Garosh."

He'd barely taken a step foward when the dark voice behind him called after him. "This makes us even, boy."

Pausing there, Kennero glanced over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. "Does it?" He asked quietly before continuing to the doors. Is it that easy to settle your debts? He wondered, taking a turn and heading down the alley to where his speeder was parked and hidden among the trash receptacles.

Open Space .
Seeker...

xxxxx░░░░░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
Companion to our demons
They will dance and we will play
With chairs, candles, and clothXXXXXXXX
Making darkness in the day

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"As you wish." The Anzat said, her eyes unable to disguise the gleam of pleasure that filled her at the blonde's demand. Precious, precious child. "We will begin at the beginning." She declared, reaching for the fair woman's hands with her own. "There is not much more time left to us before we arrive, but we will spend that time in meditation to better understand the power holding you back."

Inwardly she snorted. Playing the caring, adept mentor was far more entertaining that she'd ever imagined it to be. Even when she had trained her own apprectices it was only so as to please the Dark Lady, and even then only one of them had shown real promise, and that he had done without her assistance. Oh Talmanes, you cunning snake. Would that you were here to see this.. She had no doubt that the beautiful boy would have been delighted.

And then she felt a bitter pang of guilt spell itself across her brow and peirce her chest. "['size]Reimus.." She whispered, her eyes far away and longing as she recalled the boy's face to her mind. Clenching her jaw in annoyance, she dismissed the thoughts that distracted her from her deed. "Close your eyes." She said sharply, then remembered her place. Squeezing the blonde's hands reassuringly, Mabysyn closed her own eyes and called her focus to bear on the girl.

"Focus only on my voice." She said, wrapping the girls mind with her own. "Feel the warmth of my hands in yours; the feel of my skin, the heat of my blood, the pulse..." If you can find it. "Feel your own hands within mine, the rhythm of your pulse, the weight of them, and the connection between us..."

While Mab spoke, she worked. The thinnest, most subtle probing she had ever done into the girl's mind searched, filtered, phased, and entwined itself. Not unlike what she had done to Reimus so long ago, but she did not have the time to reshape what she found, nor the energy. She did not need to do that here, the girl was willing to trust her as it was. What she needed was to feed... so as she allowed the slightest trickle of force to pass from herself to Irella through their physical contact, she took twice as much from the girl. "Yes.." She said aloud, "You will be strong again." But only as strong as I want you to be.

Naboo Orbit - Hyperspace

Ronyo follow Sam as she boarded the ship and made their way to the cockpit. Omega relinquished his usual co-pilots seat to sit just behind Ronyo's chair. Ronyo smiled and gave the wolf a nod for his generosity, for Omega didn't let just anyone sit in his seat.

"From here it may take a few days, Naboo isn't exactly right around the corner. Once we are in hyperspace Omega can keep us appraised of the time and of any danger. He's turned into quiet the navigator even out of his normal element," Ronyo had sensed the woman's serious nature and knew it would take some time to get her to loosen up again, if at all but Ronyo had high hopes he could succeed there," The ships more than equipped for the journey, there are spare rooms both starboard and aft of the ship, the ladder being down with the engines. it's an old ship so it has an old water based shower in the main room, I find it to be a better soothing element than the sonic showers in the new models. It's the only one so let me know and I'll make sure to clear out," It was a verbal tour but the main part was where Sam was most likely interested in, "The meditation room is just starboard of the holoterminal straight back. You can gather yourself before we start if you want. Oh and welcome aboard the Defender, one of my souvenirs from Tython."

Ronyo smiled and plotted the course for the ship home planet as he slowly brought it into orbit around Naboo's upper atmosphere. He gave his docking number as they passed the orbital station for clearance and then brought the ship about. Omega's nose was pushing his arm at that point which was resting on the hyperspace throttle.

"Fine, you can push it you big baby. You keep this up and I'm going to teach you how to fly this thing, and maybe get you one of those little hats too."

Omega gave a playful yet true enough growl before Ronyo moved away and began walking towards the meditation room. Omega pushed the throttle up slowly with both his paws showing a remarkable sense of carefulness as he did so. Soon the ship was off with the streams of passing stars shooting past them at high speed.

"I'll be in the meditation room when you're ready, but still take your time that we do have a lot of now a days. Not sure how much longer we can say that."

Missing Score, Docking Tube

Cole stood behind four people: Captain Esthar, in charge of station security, and her top three Lieutenants, each of them sporting blaster cannons that released a spray of blaster fire, as opposed to a single blaster bolt. In the close quarters of this docking tube, the only thing that could would save someone from being hit by them is range. CR-1s weren't known for their marksmanship.

Cole, himself, was carrying a blaster carbine, non-repeating. He kept it slung over his shoulder, though. Should the need to use it arise, he'd most likely be unable to, anyway.

The five of them, together, were waiting for supposed Jedi Knight Armina Rahl to unlock her airlock doors so Cole and his troopers could attempt boarding actions-- with 'Armina Rahl's' consent, of course; Doing so without a warrant or express permission from a ship's owner could result in a tiring legal battle. They were also wearing vacuum suits, should this Jedi turn out to be an impostor and detach their ship with inhabitants still inside. Hopefully, Cole thought, these would prove to be unnecessary.

Missing Score

Cole watched as Armina Rahl stepped before him and his troopers, lightsaber dangling off of her hip, and stared at the small cluster of soldiers before her. He stared at her, silent and stoic, until he heard weapons clack.

""

Cole gently pushed his way through to the front of his escort and greeting party. If Armina Rahl wanted to be a diplomat, he could be one, too.

"" Cole explained.

He extended a hand to the knight, not in a gesture of friendship, but in a manner suggesting he was expecting something.

"" When Armina said nothing, at first, apparently not understanding, Cole clarified. ""

Missing Score, In Orbit Around Coruscant

Cole's wings flickered irritably. If this Mina was being genuine, that confirmed Cole's suspicion that Jedi Knight Armina Rahl was not the Force-user that broke their suspect out of jail oh-so-many weeks ago. And her claim about Sith thought to be dead, Cole subsequently suspected, might not be very unrelated to their confronting Mina in this manner. On the other hand, however, if this Mina were playing them, then there was no possible way he'd let her travel with her lightsaber, especially since she wouldn't need it to defend herself, anyway.

"defenseless on this space station,>" Cole said, trying to remain tactful. "need a lightsaber for protection, much less anything to the contrary. Not to mention, you'll be well-protected during your stay here. We don't take security breaches lightly, and the last thing we'd want is for Sith, as you say, running around releasing prisoners.>"

Cole extended a hand again, this time less sternly, knowing that if she refused to relinquish it again, she'd have to deal with less considerate folk in handing over her only weapon.

"" Cole insisted. ""

Cole suddenly realized, with a wash of dread, that "Armina Rahl" could certainly give him her lightsaber, if she wanted to. At the cost of his hand, anyway. He wouldn't retract the hand now, though. Cole didn't like to think of Jedi as villainous.

Missing Score

Cole dropped his hand, clasped it behind his back with his other one, and bristled. This Jedi was being quite difficult.

"not relinquish your lightsaber, either handing it over to our station's forces for safekeeping, or keeping it aboard your ship, then I'm afraid you cannot come aboard,>" Cole responded stiffly "detained on your ship until I can get a small force to board yours and retrieve it from with force.>"

Cole huffed. This was not at all going the way he wanted it. And if this Knight Rahl truly wanted him to believe that she was no threat, she was doing a terrible job at it, as well. Cole was trying his best to be diplomatic at this, but he would not risk the lives of the men and women under his service. Letting Knight Rahl keep her lightsaber, while under interrogation, would be like letting Boba Fett keep his entire set of armor under the same circumstances. It wasn't going to happen.

"" Cole stated. "<Please, hand over your lightsaber, or at bare minimum, leave it aboard your ship.>"