Welcome to Gaia! ::

Grey eyes stared back at the broken Jedi as she peered into the mirror. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically, shoulders relaxed, face betrayed no hint of emotion, but those eyes kept staring. They were searching; who was she, who had she been, who was she now.

There is no emotion. She told herself, but knew it was a lie. She'd always followed her heart and that muscle had been more chaotic than any storm.

There is no death. That was a lie too. Her own words to her padawan, Ronyo Storm, had been. 'death is our gift.' She'd seen too many people die to tell herself or anyone that there was no death. The truth was there was always death, everything was dying all around them, and she wasn't sure that the Force had anything to do with it.

Looking into the mirror she saw the frightened girl from Dathomir and remembered what it was like to be cowed by fear, to be broken by death wielded in another's hands, and her promise she'd made to herself when she left that place. You promised me you'd be strong. Too strong to break. But there was another woman, too. Frightful white hair and blue-veined skin tried to come to the front of her memories but those images were nightmares. She'd had those nightmares for years, unable to explain them to herself or to Warren, and now she knew they were the future, a future - one she'd lived and not lived.

"I shouldn't remember." She knew that, but couldn't change the fact that she did. Perhaps her old padawan could help her sort things out.

Splashing her face with cold water and turning away, she left the confines of the quarters she'd claimed and made her way tot he meditation chamber. He'd told her to look for him there and now she did, opening the doors to see him kneeling in the center of the space with his eyes closed. She didn't wait for an invitation before stepping in and closing the doors behind her with a hiss, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence.

Predator, Hangar Bay

Sephis coasted his fighter into one of the battlecruiser's hangars and set it down gently, parking it in the free space allotted to him just like the Praetor-class bridge communications officer told him there would be. Before he had a chance to completely shut down the craft's systems, his fighter was hailed by... The Predator. What... They couldn't five minutes for him to get to the bridge? Sephis answered the hail with his thumb, undoing his flight harness with his free-hand.

"Well, well, well... Real nice of you to join us, Darth... You ready to put some serious toe-to-butt for your Empire again, your highness...?"

This must have been the XO of the Predator. He wasn't Morbella, and he wasn't the Admiral Morbella was impersonating. Nobody else on this ship better have the gall to speak to him like that.

"If you keep up that tongue with me, I'll make sure your at the top of my list of enemies to kill," Sephis retorted, pulling off his helmet. "You can have someone guide me to my quarters, if the Admiral would be so approving."

"Save your strength for the real battle," the XO replied dismissively over the radio. "I hear stabbing your superiors in the back is quite tiring. And incidentally, I have orders to direct you to Admiral Sing's quarters, instead. An escort is being sent down to your location now."

"Thank you, officer, but I don't think I'll be needing one," Sephis sneered opening the hatch of the cockpit telekinetically.

"I wasn't giving you an option, Darth," the XO snapped. "Xang out."

Sephis jabbed at the communications array, shutting that last part of his fighter down, and climbed out of the cockpit. The hangar crew had already set up a ladder for him to climb down (as though that were necessary) and were only waiting for him to get out of before they hung up his TIE fighter on one of the many racks above him. He put one foot on the hard metal exterior of the ball cockpit and pushed. Sephis went up into the air at first, and then slowly moved down to the ground, levitating himself towards one of the massive double-door exits, as well.

Hangar crew bustled about him. Sephis strolled forward casually, ungreeted by anyway. When he reached the massive doors, the slid open slowly to reveal a pair of tall and imposing Stormtroopers in black and gray armor waiting directly opposite him.

"Darth Stryfe?" one of them said.

"That would be me," Sephis acknowledged.

"You're to follow us to--"

Sephis glared at the soldier speaking. He immediately stopped. He'd just hijacked his mind, sending very strong signals to the grunt's tongue and lips to stop moving.

"I know you're here to escort me, boys," Sephis acknowledged patronizingly. "Take me to your leader."

"This way."

The other soldier, the free one, gestured forward and waited for him to pass. Taking a reading from the first soldier's mind, the plan had been that he'd take the front while the second stormtrooper would take up the rear. That was fine with Sephis. Apathetically, Sephis started the soldier he was controlling forward and walked right after him, still in his flight gear. Since he was reporting to "Admiral Talendara Sing" first-thing, he'd have to wait to change into his robes later. The uniform wasn't uncomfortable, anyway. It brought back memories.

Before long, Sephis was brought to the Admiral's quarters and parked right up in front of his door. Sending both of the soldiers away with strong mental suggestions to do so and a tiny Force Push to speed them along their way, Sephis buzzed the intercom to Sing's room, knowing who would be waiting for him on the other side.

"This is Darth Stryfe, reporting as ordered," Sephis said into the receiver.

Predator


Though she hardly even wanted the Sith here, she was relieved to hear his voice at the COM. It was funny to call it relieved, but that's what it was loosening the muscles at her shoulders as she padded four-footed from the refresher into the main space of the living quarters. It meant that this mission could finally get under way, that there was less time for her XO and the captains to be wondering who this mysterious Admiral Talon was that they'd only heard about, and why they were being pulled off their current assignments for a new mission labelled 'priority,' yet only being told it classified as escort duty.

Less time for the machine to fall apart from idling too long.

'<It's open.>' She said telepathically to the only Gurlanin on the other side of the door. Though she'd been practicing her telepathy with others things were made exponentially more easy with Sephis being her own race.

Not that it meant there was amiable feelings between the two - it was only hours ago that he'd tried to crush her windpipe, after all.

She turned her back to the door as she heard it hiss open and shifted, four legs becoming shapely arms and legs, her back lengthening, fur receding, until she was standing in her humanoid form facing the chair she'd left a robe ready for use after her shower. It wasn't that she needed it, though she did enjoy the warm water permitted for the higher ranks that her previous detail, a 'leuitenant,' wasn't privy to, it was that, if possible, she preferred Sephis entering distracted, even if slightly, to murderous. Aware that he was in full view, she wrapped the thin robe around her and tied it, loosening it where it clung to her damp skin, and then took the datapad from the refreshment table.

Crossing the room as he entered, Morbella seated herself on the sofa and crossed her legs while keeping her eyes on the datapad as if entranced by it's contents. "Good, now that you're here we can get started." She said finally, and as if on cue, the display screens that showed the outside stars of space blinked before switching to a view of those stars becoming lines, and then hyperspace. Pressing a button on a small, nearby remote turned the displays off - she had no reason to desire hyperspace sickness any time soon. "We need to go over a plan. I'll tell you what the Admiral told me and then you can advise - that's your official capacity on this mission; my Advisor."

She watched him unblinking for a reaction, though it was clear by her own that she was less than pleased with the situation.

Predator, Admiral's Quarters

It's open, Morbella replied to Sephis telepathically.

The first thing Sephis saw as the door opened was Morbella, as a human, naked and walking towards a chair with a robe over the back. Taking her time picking it up, she wrapped the thin piece of clothing around her and then adjusted it a bit, making the attire more comfortable for herself. Sephis stepped inside, choosing not to comment on Morbella's deliberate or accidental-- Sephis wasn't sure which-- attempt to tease him. He wasn't here to play games with the black ops captain. There was no need to alert her that he was entertaining the idea.

Morbella seated herself on the sofa and crossed her legs, staring at a datapad with interest.

"Good... Now that you're here we can get started," Morbella said, without looking look up at Sephis. "We need to go over a plan. I'll tell you what the Admiral told me and then can advise. That's your official capacity on this mission: My advisor."

Morbella then flicked her gaze up at Sephis. Sephis arched an eyebrow, surprised. This was the most direct and challenging Sephis had ever seen her.

"I presume we are heading to one of two places: Korriban, the old homeworld and capital of the Sith, or Anaxes, the stronghold that served Validus so well for years," Sephis suggested. "Those would be my two top choices if I was trying to usurp the present Empress."

Sephis didn't move over to the chair adjacent to the couch Morbella was sitting. Nor did he move to the couch itself. He preferred to remain standing as his legs were cramped from the cockpit of the TIE fighter.

Hyperspace/ The Defender

“Your feelings give you away Sam,” A grin was on Ronyo’s face as his former master entered the meditation room.

Ronyo had felt Sam for the entirety of his time in the meditation chamber. It was clear her thoughts likely matched her swirling and mixed emotions. The Jedi tried his best to comprehend the level of confusion and pain that likely was now acting upon his friend. To have believed one way and suddenly have it all cast aside was something that would shake anyone to their very core. Same was doing well to keep her outside self appearing to hold up but even if she was a Jedi Master, she was still a person and there were some things that just hit us harder than others.

Ronyo stood up from his meditative pose and looked at Sam-El Joelk with a curious eye trying to read the woman without the force for a small time. He could have closed his eyes and looked upon the woman as the force saw her to get a better understanding but at the moment it seemed a different method might be in order, if she wished it. In his left hand he held a training saber and there were two more such devices leaning against the wall. The woman before him had just gone through a traumatic experience with no real outlet for pent up emotion, and at the moment Ronyo had a feeling letting out some of that in an environment where only friends dwelled might be helpful, so he tossed the practice saber to his former master and smiled.

“You look like you could do with hitting something for a bit. No tricks, no force, and no worries just skill on skill. Sometimes the best way to meditate I have found is to do it in a more martial sense,” Ronyo leaned over and picked up the other two practice sabers, “When we can no longer lift our weapons we can go into a more practical meditation if your still willing. At your leaser my friend,” Ronyo grinned as he brought his weapons up slightly and waited to see Sam’s reaction.

Missing Score

Cole approached a chair opposite to Knight Rahl.

"" Cole asked, cocking his head quizzically. ""

Cole pulled the chair out from under the table and sat down, leaning back in it and clasping his hands in his lap. Cole wanted to start from the bottom up with this girl. Which meant that he wanted to start having a conversation about her identity.

"" Cole explained. ""

Cole was no expert in the Force, but he knew that Force-users could affect the mind in ways that he wasn't even sure he could imagine. For all he could know, he might not have speaking to Knight Rahl, at all, at this moment. Just like he suspected it wasn't Knight Rahl who had actually kidnapped their prisoner oh-so-many weeks ago.

Missing Score

"" Cole replied smartly, pointing to the insignia on his armor. ""

Cole paused for a moment, letting that sink in with Knight Rahl.

"Force-users are known to be able to easily deceive people about, and conceal their identity,>" Cole explained. "questioning a diplomat of your caliber. The only question that should remain for you is, what is it, that you have done, that warrants treatment such as this? And our answer in reply is, that depends on what your identity is and your ability to be able to confirm your whereabouts about-- oh, say, 16 days ago.>"

Cole's gaze bored into Knight Rahls' intensely with his compound eyes. If this was not Knight Rahl (or if Knight Rahl was truly responsible for the security breach at the detention center), then it would only be a matter of moments before this interrogation turned violent. Cole had this suspect backed into a corner now. He'd laid all his cards out on the table, and they were good ones. If she decided not to cooperate, the next set of steps here would be clear cut.