Mensis sat cross legged in meditation on the floor of the room he had been staying in for the past few days. A chime sounded, signalling that someone had tracked him down and sent the room's console a message. He opened his eyes, coming out of his trance and rolling his shoulders in a stretch that caused his black fur to ripple across his muscles. Uncoiling from his position on the floor he crossed the room to the console. Tapping the screen brought it online and its glow lit the darkened room in a pale light as Mensis' feline eyes dilated to adjust for the sudden change in lighting.

He scanned the message and frowned. The Sith were up to something again, and the Order couldn't spare the knights to deal with it. So of course they tracked down Mensis. He sighed, growling in annoyance. He could just ignore the request for help of course, but the Order knew better than to waste his time with requests that weren't vital.

He reexamined the message, reading its key portions. Corellian system. Centerpoint Station. Knight Kesarah. Agent Ganz Reddes. Sighing, he deactivated the screen and returned to the center of his room. He would finish his meditation, and then find means of transport to the Corellian system to meet the other members of this mission. For now the Force demanded his attention and he sought the peace and clarity it offered.

The music was a pulsing pounding beat coursing through Kesarah's body as she twirled and swayed on the dance floor, her lekku swirling around her along with her black dress which rose up to expose the toned legs of a dancer. She was much more than that of course, she was a Jedi, but in that moment upon the dance floor she was a free spirit unhindered by the strictures of her creed. She felt fingers sliding around her waist as a body pressed against hers, fitting against her form and moving with her wild movements. She reveled in the attention of her newfound partner, reaching up and running her hands through his short hair as his hands explored her stomach and hips intimately.

Two hours later Kesarah had followed her dancing partner home. It didn't take them long to get their clothes off and soon she was atop him, her pinkish red skin contrasting against his rich brown complexion. She panted heavily as she bobbed up and down, thrusting against him as he pressed inside of her. She arched up, crying out in pleasure as her lekku spasmed and twitched before she slumped forwards, smiling down at him hungrily.

He looked up at her with clear blue eyes, smiling warmly.

"You're beautiful." he murmured as he reached up and stroked her lekku.

Kesarah's heart skipped a beat at the touch of his fingers on her sensitive braintails. She leaned in and kissed him to keep him from saying anything else as she ground against him. She wanted to enjoy this night, not dwell on the fact that in the morning she'd drift away and out of this man's life like all the rest. Despite the passion and pleasure, despite the look of warmth in his eyes, it was always the same. They'd make love until they were both exhausted and in the early morning hours she'd slip away and never see him again.

Right in that moment though, she didn't want to think on that. She didn't want to think on the adoring expression he'd given her. She just wanted to feel his want and need to fill her and make her whole if only for a little while and as she built them both up to another impassioned crescendo she forgot her worries and simply took pleasure in the momentary bliss she'd found for herself.

Kesarah woke well before dawn, her lover had yet to stir from the bed they'd shared and she was careful to make sure he remained undisturbed during her departure as she slipped from the bed and dressed quickly. She hesitated a moment, looking back at her slumbering lover in the gloom. This was the part she hated most, the silent goodbye. She could of course slip back into bed and go back to sleep besides him. She always toyed with that idea, of just staying in the arms of her one night stand and seeing what happened, if maybe this one would be her last first kiss.

She never went through with it though, too afraid of the consequences to take that plunge into commitement and so just like all the others, Kesarah left this one slumbering as she snuck out into the predawn hours of Coronet. Hailing an aircab wasn't hard and a few simple Force tricks later she'd obtained a free ride back to her apartment. She stood in the living space of her current abode, looking out at the sunrise over the city as Corellia's capital came to life. Standing there barefoot in her dress she felt a familiar longing for strong arms to encircle her waist and whisper lovingly in her ear. Would she ever find something so special she wondered? Did she deserve to find it? ...she hoped so.

She discarded her dress on the bed, leaving her heels in the living room as she changed into her charcoal thigh high boots and dark red skirt and tank top. She wasn't at all tired from the night's activities, she'd slept well in the arms of her partner and besides she hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. She went to her kitchen and opened the fridge to see what she had. She hadn't yet made her decision when the chime on her door sounded.

Frowning, she left the kitchen and went to the door, checking through the door cam to see who it was. There was a man on the other side wearing what looked like a Republic officer's uniform with the brim of his cap pulled low over his face, hiding it from view. Her frown still in place she reached out with the Force to search her visitor's thoughts. What she found was smooth and calm and even assured. There was no malice that she could detect, simply purpose.

Still, she had the uneasy feeling that she'd seen him before. Despite that though she opened the door and looked out at him, confident that even if he proved hostile that she could easy take him.

"Yes?"

He looked up at her, smiling and Kesarah felt a jolt of shock run through her body as the man from the night before looked back at her. The same clear blue eyes looked into her own brown as she gawked at him in surprise.

"Knight Kesarah," he said politely as he removed his cap. "I believe we have business to discuss, if I could come in?"

Kesarah stood there a moment more, still absorbing what was before her as she noted the four metal implants on the man's temples and the two others across his forehead. The shiny chrome stood out against his dark skin which was contrasted further by his blonde hair and blue eyes. She managed to snap herself out of her shock finally, nodding mutely and opening the door fully to allow him to enter.

"Thank you," he said cordially as he stepped inside and turned to her as she closed the door behind her. "I take it you have not received the message."

Kesarah blinked stupidly for a moment, and then managed to find her voice.

"What?"

"Have you checked your console in the past week Knight?"

Kesarah frowned, shaking her head as she turned and headed to the console in the living room wall, pulling out the keyboard and bringing it online quickly checked her mail. There were several missed messages but one in particular caught her eye as she opened it and scanned it quickly. Her eyes widened as she read it and she spun on her guest almost as gracefully as she had upon the dance floor the night before.

"Agent Reddes?" she asked as her stomach sickened.

He nodded. "That would be me."

Kesarah looked at him for a long moment before sinking down into a chair with a groan as she massaged the sides of her head against the oncoming headache.

After a moment more she looked up at him angrily.

"Did you have fun last night?"

He smiled. "I did, you were an amazing partner."

The fact that he didn't so much as twitch or seem the least bit ashamed of what had happened last night only served to incense Kesarah more as she continued to glare at him.

"Glad you enjoyed it," she snapped, feeling increasingly violated and used.

He came to sit at the table, producing two cups of caf and a bag smelling of pastries from where Kesarah really wasn't sure.

"You think caf is going to make this better?" she growled haughtily.

"No, but I do think you'd like breakfast." he replied.

She continued to scowl at him for a moment more before taking one of the cups and drinking the piping hot liquid within. Reaching into the bag she pulled out a light pastry with egg and cheese baked into it.

"So what is this mission?" she asked after finishing her food.

"That can wait until after we retrieve Knight Mensis," he said as he sipped his own caf. "Besides you haven't agreed to help."

"And I won't until I know what is going on," Kesarah said to him angrily. "Especially after last night!"

"I enjoyed it." he said simply.

Kesarah's lekku twitched angrily as she looked away from him. Truth be told she'd enjoyed it too, and this was the first time one of her flings had followed her home but that didn't help assuage the sense of betrayal she was feeling.

Agent Reddes checked his chrono, standing up as he finished his caf.

"If you like I can go get Knight Mensis and return for you and your answer."

She looked up at him. "No, I'm coming with you. If you think I'm going to let you out of my sight for one moment after this stunt you'd better think again!"

Mensis opened his eyes as the vibrations of the freighter's hull alerted him to the impending landing. He'd spent the trip from the Mid Rim to Corellia meditating and training in the cargo hold of the freighter much to the perplexion of the ship's captain. However he'd remained undisturbed once the crew had realized he had no intention of mingling with them. Now however he stirred and upon gathering his simple belongings he left the hold.

"Thank you," he said simply to the ship's captain as he handed him the remainder of his fee.

The Captain looked at the credits for a moment before pocketing them with a shake of his head as he returned to the business of offloading his cargo.

Mensis strode out on the duracrete of Coronet's spaceport, looking around at the bustling port for a moment before he headed towards the main terminal. Having come in on the freight pad there was no ground transport for pedestrians but he did not mind the walk, taking it in stride as he walked beneath Corellia's sun as its rays glistened off his sleek black fur. The message hadn't given him much detail about his contacts here, simply that he was to proceed to Corellia and Coronet where they would meet him. A simple enough directive provided they could find him. Given his preferred method of transport using cargo haulers rather than proper passenger liners he found he was sometimes quite the challenge to track when combined with his penchant of using hard credit rather than electronic transaction.

However he was mildly surprised to find a Republic officer standing at the door of the terminal. The dark skinned human was obviously a cyborg, his facial implants and unnaturally blue eyes giving away his augmentations as he approached Mensis.

"Knight Mensis, I am—"

"—Agent Reddes." Mensis said curiously. "How did you know where to find me?"

The Agent smiled. "Republic Intelligence likes to keep tabs on its assets."

Mensis' fur bristled. "I am no one's 'asset'."

"Forgive me," Agent Reddes said earnestly. "A phrase, no more. Will you join me?"

"I would not be here if I did not intend to." Mensis replied.

"Excellent, I have already retrieved Knight Kesarah, she is waiting outside in the speeder."

The Agent turned and led Mensis through the terminal and out into the vehicle waiting area. Sure enough a speeder was waiting for them with a coral pink twi'lek leaning against it scowling in their direction. The saber at her hip told Mensis she was Knight Kesarah, but everything about her seemed contrary to what he knew Order Jedi to be. She seemed too earnest in her emotions and particularly expressive of them when she turned an angry glare at Agent Reddes.

"Is this him?" she asked.

"It is," Agent Reddes replied as he opened the door for her. "Please."

She hesitated a moment, looking from him to Mensis for a moment before getting into the speeder with a huff.

Mensis observed all this placidly before climbing into the speeder himself. Some thirty minutes later they all sat in the living room of Knight Kesarah's quarters as Agent Reddes explained the reason they'd been called upon.

"Have either of you heard of Centerpoint Station?"

Knight Kesarah shook her head but Mensis nodded.

"It is an enigmatic station of unknown origin between the twin world of Talus and Tralus."

Agent Reddes nodded. "Correct, no one really knows much about it and given the almost continual state of war these past few centuries no one has bothered to find out."

"So what do we care about it then?" Knight Kesarah asked haughtily.

Mensis frowned, looking at his fellow Jedi in confusion. She certainly seemed distressed, though he could not fathom why.

"Because the Sith are paying attention to it." Agent Reddes said. "We have intelligence that indicates that a Sith Inquisitor and at least two warriors have travelled to the station and we suspect that they have company of a military nature."

"And we are to investigate this?" Mensis asked.

"Yes." Agent Reddes said. "We don't know what they're doing there, but we don't want them doing it to put it simply. Neither side in the war knows anything about the station that we know of, but if the Sith somehow have found information about it then we can't allow them to exploit it."

Knight Kesarah sighed. "So you're worried that the Sith have found a way to make an old station work however it was designed to work." she waved a hand in flippant dismissal. "Let them tinker with it, who cares?"

"It could upset the balance of power in the galaxy," Mensis said, his cat eyes narrowing as they turned on her. "If the Sith find ancient technology of a magnitude that the Republic is not able to match."

Knight Kesarah scowled at him before turning her gaze on Agent Reddes.

"So that's what the message is all about?"

He nodded. "It is."

"And you want me to help you?"

"If you wouldn't mind." he said. "I can deal with Imperial troops but Sith are another matter entirely."

Mensis nodded. "I will accompany you Agent."

"Thank you," he said with a grateful nod before he turned to Knight Kesarah once more. "And you Knight?"

She scowled at him, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.

"Fine, guess you can count me in as well."

"Excellent," Agent Reddes said as he stood up. "Both of you take care of whatever business you have to on Coronet. We'll depart this evening, meet me at docking bay one-oh-nine at the main spaceport."

"You have a ship?" Mensis inquired.

"Yes, among other things and we will probably need it if we find the Sith have taken active control of the station."

Mensis nodded. "If they have then you may leave them to me while you complete whatever mission it is you must."

"I appreciate the back up," he nodded to them both. "Have a pleasant morning and afternoon, I will see you both tonight."

With that he turned and headed for the door, placing his cap on his head as he walked out and let it close behind him.

"He's got some nerve," Knight Kesarah grumbled as she clenched her fists in her lap.

Mensis turned to regard her for a moment, a regard which earned him a glare.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"I do not."

"You can rest here then, or whatever you need to do." she said as she stood up and headed for what Mensis presumed was her bedroom, her movements fluid and graceful.

"Thank you," he said with a bow even as the door to her bedchamber sealed between them.

Mensis considered his fellows for a moment, wondering especially at the very un-knightly Knight Kesarah before he set his things down on the floor and stretched out upon it. It was best that he rest now while he could before going on to whatever came next.