Nothing happens by coincidence

-common Jedi adage

Revan looked at the remaining female with a neutral gaze. The Jedi recognized her as one of the other waitresses in the tavern, although he hadn't payed much attention to her until now. The Twi'lek was quite beautiful, but Revan couldn't remember the last time a female of her species was not. He couldn't really tell her exact age, finding it hard to judge aliens over humans, but the Jedi had a feeling she couldn't be older than him.

Nevertheless this female was definitely a cut above the rest of her alluring gender. Her skin was a bright liquid gold that seemed to gleam in spite of the filthy conditions they were in. Like her counterpart, she wore a midnight black shirt, although her jacket had protective metal plates woven into the material and the shirt was not as low cut. Her trousers were tight fitting and worn, with an assortment of belts and equipment hanging from her waist.

She also had an elaborate white tattoo, the most distinguishing characteristic being the starburst with wings. Revan had seen similar designs on the guards, but theirs were on their arms and hands. T'shere's was actually on her left breast. She had unwittingly shown it to him during the peep show in the tavern. The motif was vaguely familiar but he couldn't say where he had seen the symbol before.

But the thing that caught Revan's attention the most were the eyes. Bright blue sapphires that shone like the most precious jewels in the galaxy. He could see that they sparkled with laughter and mischief. And right now those eyes were looking at him.

"Hi there, I'm Mysteel," she said cheerfully. The Twi'lek squatted a metre opposite the Jedi to look at him at eye level. She was always smiling, not in haughtiness or contempt but an honest wide smile that was infectious. Despite his precarious position, Revan felt less hostile to this person than the Arkanian.

Before Revan could reply, Mysteel continued to ramble on.

"Sorry for taking you from behind back there… okay, that sounded dirty. But you know it wasn't anything personal right? I just take the 'hitting on guys thing' too far sometimes. Imagine what I'd do to you if I really liked you."

She finished her sentence by giggling like a little girl.

Revan, in one of the few moments of his life, was at a lost for words. He couldn't decide whether this female was bluffing or really insipid.

For the sake of his own dignity, he decided to choose the former. As much as Revan felt like she was harmless, the Jedi reminded himself it was her that had taken him down quickly and silently, no small feat at that.

She returned her sparkling eyed gaze towards him, looking apologetic.

"Anyways, I'm pretty sure this was all a big misunderstanding, and T'shere well...she likes to come on strong, so I can't blame you for busting her balls...you know metaphorically. Because, she doesn't have any balls...unless you count her-"

"So this is the plan? The classic interrogation technique?" Interrupted Revan sharply. Mysteel stopped her rant, to look at him in innocent confusion.

"You think just by starting the interrogation with the prissy one, and then switching with the sympathetic one, I will actually open up to you? Just break out the torture kit," he continued disdainfully.

Mysteel looked surprised, as if the notion had never occurred to her.

"Hmm that's the classic interrogation technique?"

She leaned forward, inches from his face.

"Is it working?"

Mysteel stared at him with her wide grin, getting uncomfortably close. The Jedi didn't really know how to react to this strange person. With the Arkanian it had almost been textbook. She had been volatile, impulsive and easily manipulated. With Mysteel it was hard to tell if she even had higher brain functions.

He decided not to do anything hostile and play it safe, by answering a question with a question.

"Who are you people exactly?" Asked Revan bluntly.

"We're terrorists!" replied Mysteel exuberantly.

The Jedi just stared at her in disbelief until she clarified.

"At least that's what all the criminals call us on the local network. Damn hypocrites. I mean that's like a Hutt hating on a Rancor because they're flatulent! To be fair, we do a good deal of killing and raiding. What the criminals forget neglect to mention in their trash talk is it only happens to them. Between you and me, I think they're just jealous because we make killing them look so good."

Chuckling, Mysteel fell on her rump and rolled onto her back so she was actually looking at her captive upside down smiling all the while.

"You're…organization is devoted to fighting crime then?"

She nodded enthusiastically upside down.

That got Revan's curiosity piqued. He had wondered ever since his first engagement, who these people were. At least two had fought with light sabers, so they had members with training in the arts. Based on her description, he doubted they were Sith affiliated, and he didn't sense any overt malice from any individual here. Even T'shere, as hostile as she was to him didn't come off as an evil person. That left very few options.

Outcasts from the War? Thought Revan. He doubted it though. Mysteel and T'shere were too young to have been through that terrible time. And he would have heard of them if they had. But then again, Revan couldn't trust his own memories anymore. He didn't know which parts were real. The Jedi had to be sure.

"How come I've never heard of you before?"

Giggling, she cushioned her head with her palms.

"Oh, well we tend to work in the Outer Rim where nobody gives a Bantha's ass. In the wise words of my bossy sister 'we clean up the mess that the Republic craps into edges of the galaxy.' And by that, she means all the thieves, murderers, rapists and other social abortions that prey on the edges of the Republic. Hee, hee social abortions. I gotta remember that."

"I think I get the idea," interrupted Revan hastily. He didn't want her to go on another tangent but Mysteel seemed oblivious to that fact as she rambled on.

"No, no, I gotta give you an example of how awesome we are. Like just a few weeks ago, our cell intercepted one of Reeka's supply automated convoys. It was heading to the star port, probably for some mercenary ship. The crates were packed with all sorts of stimulants, army grade steroids, that sort of thing. Well that wasn't good news for anyone as far as our team was concerned. But what could we do? We didn't want to destroy the transport and draw attention to ourselves. And that's when I had this awesome idea to switch up the cargo before letting it back on its way."

She laughed again at the memory before looking at Revan again, her sparkly eyes dancing.

"Guess what we switched the drugs with?"

"...placebos?"

"Hee hee, nope. Laxatives."

Revan stared at the Twi'lek before he burst out a snort of laughter. Mysteel laughed along with him.

"See, I knew that was funny! T'shere doesn't have any sense of humor. She just wanted to blow the cargo up. But where's the fun in that?"

Eventually Revan composed himself.

"So...based on what you've told me and our encounter in the alleyway, I suppose your looking for another criminal?" He found the notion of him being a wanted vigilante amusing if somewhat farfetched.

She scrunched up her face in thought as if deciding whether to divulge such information.

"Hmmmm, I probably shouldn't say anything..."

The female leaned in conspirationally.

"Well, without confirming or denying your assumption, we're looking for these...scary looking people." she gave Revan an elaborate wink.

"And by scary, I mean imagine someone who looked like he was the offspring of hundreds of generations of inbreeding, then got dumped into a nuclear wasteland only to be eaten and crapped out by a Rancor. Got it? Yeah...well they're even uglier than that. I bet a penis blown inside out is more attractive than these guys."

"Thanks for the visual," said Revan sardonically.

"Anytime," replied Mysteel cheerfully. "Well, we were tipped off recently that one of these...social abortions would be coming around the tavern. Heh, see what I did there? For some reason, T'shere thought you fit the profile."

Revan looked at her in disbelief. He didn't consider himself handsome, but surely he wasn't that ugly. "That's actually kind of insulting. Do I look like someone affiliated with the Sith?"

Mysteel gave him a lopsided grin.

"I guess I didn't do a great job of hiding their identity did I? Well you can't blame me if the Sith fall into villainous archetypes. I mean there's no reason why you can't be evil AND good looking, right?"

She gave a wistful sigh before continuing.

"Still, just once I'd like to find a Sith that breaks from that stereotype. Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a Cult devoted to hugging children and saving little Ewoks from trees? That'd be really-"

"Do you ever stop talking?" Asked Revan in exasperation. Just listening to the female gave him a headache.

Mysteel giggled. "Only when I'm sleeping, or eating, or fighting...or alone."

She gave him a exaggerated wide eyed stare.

"It'd be kind of crazy talking to myself now wouldn't it?"

Revan gave a tight smile at her playfulness.

Seeing she was getting somewhere, Mysteel swiveled around so she was lying on her front side then. She propped her elbows to support her face and looked up at the prsioner curiously, like a child waiting for a story. Revan somehow thought it made her more endearing.

"So," She remarked suddenly. "Since we've established you're not evil, I'm going to go waaaay out on a limb here. You're a Jedi aren't you?"

Revan hesitated, not wanting to divulge the full extent of his situation. To her, he simply nodded.

"yes..."

Mysteel's expression grew more excited than before. She clapped her hands in glee. "Oooooh, I knew it! T'shere's face going to be so red. But what's a Jedi Knight doing all the way in the Outer Rim on a world not even part of the Republic?"

"I'm on a mission," was his terse reply. His tone made it clear he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the weapon everyone's got their underwear in a twist about, would it?" asked Mysteel hopefully.

Revan shrugged noncommittally. "I can't say,"

"You don't want to talk about it. I get it, Order's secrets right? Don't worry, I won't tell anybody," said the Twi'lek, batting her marvellous eyes. That hardly reassured Revan, seeing as he could see her communicator in plain view.

Seeing his reluctance, Mysteel's blue eyes grew thoughtful. "Tell you what, I'll answer another question if it makes you feel more... comfortable,"

The Jedi noticed in mild surprise that one of her tentacles moved up towards her face own its own volition. She started twirling it around her hand as she chewed on her lip, looking at him playfully. Revan ignored her suggestive tone.

"Fine, where did your group come from? Who is your leader? And don't tell me it's your...'sister', because I wouldn't believe you. Did this person train you?"

Even though the Jedi had meant to goad T'shere earlier, there was a modicum of truth in his acid insults. In Revan's opinion, someone who could organize such a group must have poise and a calculating mind, something the Arkanian decidedly lacked.

Mysteel looked indecently pleased that he asked the question.

"Now that's an awesome story. Well it all started-." she stopped in mid-sentence when an angry burst of chatter buzzed into her ear. Mysteel winced.

"Sorry...uh I'm going to have to take this,"

She walked away a few paces and started talking in exaggerated hushed tones to the hidden speaker. Even though she was trying to be quiet, Revan could still hear some of the words.

"Ow, turn down the volume T'shere. What do you mean that's off limits? I'm not talking about your ass…I AM interrogating him...well if you're going to be like that…"

After a couple more seconds, Mysteel turned back to the Jedi and shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

"Sorry, Miss Fun-Bags tells me our leader's identity is off limits for…'security reasons'."

"Fun Bags?" echoed Revan. His counterpart giggled.

"My lovely older sister has all sorts of creative names for me and the rest of the merry band. She's given me a few colorful ones too...much to my chagrin. Well, I eventually got back at her with Fun Bags. Awesome right? Although at first, I threatened her with a lot worse, like Pillow Girl or Four eyed monster..."

She winked at Revan before continuing in a soft conspirational voice.

"And between you and me...her cleavage scares me! At least ever since the guys started describing them as 'gloriously hypnotic'"

Revan smirked but was still mildly disappointed, hoping to learn more about this odd group. Based on what Mysteel had told him, he briefly entertained the notion that their leader was someone who was once from the Order. There could still be a few unaccounted outcasts and renegades from the last war with Exar Kun. Perhaps there were those that felt the need to atone for their misdeeds and banded together to form resistance cells, gathering misfits and renegades to their cause. Perhaps Mysteel and T'shere were even pupils of these renegades. Still this was all speculation, nothing more than what he conjured up from scant pieces of evidence.

A memory returned unbidden. Do not disappoint me. Revan shook his head.

Mysteel looked like she just realized something.

"You know? We've been talking all this time, and I don't even know you're name." Her eyes flashed suddenly, and she took on an expression of exaggerated sadness,

"Don't want to leave a girl hanging do you?" Her voice had a playful begging tone to it, like a lost waif trying to beg some scraps off a table.

Fair enough, thought the Jedi. For a brief moment, he wondered what he should say. That he had not idea what his real name was? Or maybe he should use one of his many nicknames. Revenant seemed too morbid. He wasn't particularly enamoured with Revanchist either, which was what Ciras wanted to call themselves. He decided to go with the name he thought was his.

"Revan." He inclined his head slightly, having no way to move the rest of his body.

The Twi'lek nodded enthusiastically. "Awesome! Everybody calls me Tails by the way. Can I call you Rev? It has a more...personal touch."

Mysteel smiled mischievously as she said the words which Revan returned.

I think I like her.

Surprisingly, Mysteel crept forward and sat next to the Revan, leaning on the same pillar, huffing.

"Geez, this interrogation stuff is hard work."

"Especially since you did most of the talking."

She continued to twirl her tentacles playfully before replying in a sarcastic voice.

"Hmmm, when you put it like that, it almost sounds like I've got this interrogation thing backwards. Oooh you've tricked me!"

Revan smirked, wanting to ask another question. But then she yawned, and gave a languid stretch. "Oh well, let's try this again in five minutes."

The Twi'lek spent the next few moments humming some nameless melody, seeming content to simply sit next to the the Jedi. Revan didn't mind her company. In fact at this moment he felt more at peace than he had in a long time.

It's strange. But I almost feel...safe.

His reverie was interrupted when he suddenly became aware of a...pattering sound. Revan looked up and saw a tiny blue figure climbing down the flight of stairs. It was the infant he had seen so courageously, shield the fallen Arkanian. When she noticed the Jedi's scrutiny, the tiny kid gave a squeak of alarm and darted behind the nearest pillar. She peaked forward timidly from her hiding spot.

"You have a guest." Said Revan quietly.

Mysteel swiveled her head and opened her eyes, her smile widening.

"Sister, there you are!" She exclaimed happily. She crept forward on her knees, her arms outstretched.

"How did you get down here you little scamp? Wasn't Arctet looking after you?"

The little infant behind the pillar gave a nervous whine, looking alternatively between Mysteel and Revan.

"It's okay. He's not going to hurt you," Mysteel said soothingly. She patted her lap encouragingly at the infant.

In response, the child started waddling towards the other girl. Mysteel caught her up in her arms and laughed as the blue tentacles brushed her face. In response she tickled the baby who giggled in her arms.

Revan looked at the scene curiously. It was clear the two were not real sisters simply by their pigmentation but the bond was undeniable.

She turned her sparkling blue eyes back at the Jedi.

"Did you know, she followed me all across the galaxy? Snuck right onto our ship without anybody noticing. Not even three, and she managed to hoodwink the entire crew! Mother would be so proud...if she wasn't scared to death right now about her missing daughter. Man I really got an earful when I told her..."

The child giggled. "More missions," she said in a high pitched voice.

"No more today for you little one. I think you've had enough excitement for one day." Cooed Mysteel, patting the blue head gently.

"Isn't she cute?" She asked the Jedi, as she pressed her cheek against the baby's.

"I mean, who could harm a pretty little munchkin like that?" Mysteel looked at Revan teasingly as she said those words.

Apparently not me. Thought Revan. The Twi'lek was cute, full of vigor and very courageous, which was something Revan could respect. Then again, if it hadn't been for the child, he wouldn't be tied to a pillar, trading words with an insane Twi'lek.

"What's her name?"

"Oh, mother hasn't named her yet. She thinks it's bad luck to name a child before her third year."

The child looked indignant, "Fun Bags calls me Mission!"

That earned a laugh from Mysteel.

"No silly, T'shere calls you 'Mission Crasher' because you're always sneaking off with us! She calls Kynes 'Trickster' all the time too. That doesn't mean it's her real name."

"No, I'm Mission!" replied the child stubbornly.

"She really likes that word," remarked Revan.

"It's one of the first words she learned to say," replied Mysteel grinning. She always wants to follow me on my little missions, don't you, you little scamp?

She turned to Revan with a titter. "As you can see, my little sister approved of my choice in title,"

The Twi'lek's attention returned to the infant who was now pulling on one of her tentacles. Mysteel teasingly darted it out of her reach, letting the child try and catch it. The Jedi watched the whole scene silently for a few moments, deciding what to do. Should he try to escape and carry on with his mission? That would require some creative fighting, and he didn't want to start a violent scene in front of the child. That left only two options, remain a captive or negotiate some sort of deal.

He didn't particularly like the first choice. Still, Revan wondered how much he was risking in trusting these people. He noticed that the child was very comfortable around the yellow Twi'lek, something he found assuring. Children were usually good indicators of whether certain people were trustworthy. Judging from her reaction, Mysteel seemed quite safe.

I suppose there isn't much choice.

"These Sith," Revan asked suddenly. "You believe they are interested in buying the weapon?"

"Hmmm hmmm."

"And you want to stop them from acquiring it?"

"Well, there's that. But ultimately, our leader wants to find their leader, kill him, then kill all his followers in an orgy of bloody death! Noble goals, wouldn't you agree?" Mysteel replied playfully.

She continued to play with the tiny bundle in her arms. Revan processed those words silently, wondering how he could turn this development into his favor. Eventually he reached a decision. The Jedi spoke quietly again.

"I think I could help with that."

Mysteel stopped playing with the child and stared at him, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Really? What do you mean?"

Revan thought quickly, making the lie up as he went.

"You were right before, The Jedi have a vested interest in the weapon being showcased at the auction. I was sent to make sure it would not fall into the wrong hands. If this..cult is interested in it, I must make sure they never acquire it. To this effect, I propose a...trade."

Mysteel looked at him in, a grin breaking out on her face. "you have my undivided attention,"

"Let me go to the auction. I will determine the threat this weapon represents, and if necessary, buy it myself to prevent it falling into the wrong hands. In exchange I will help you track down this cult and help you eliminate them. How does that sound?"

It seemed Revan had said the right thing, because Mysteel's broke into a gleaming smile and clapped her hands in glee at the prospect with shining eyes.

"Oh, you're awesome, Jedi are awesome! Thanks Revan. I knew you were one of the good guys!"

There is no such thing

Revan's face remained neutral, hoping he didn't betray his innermost thoughts.

She leaned forward suddenly, and planted a kiss on his forehead. He jerked back in surprise.

Giggling, Mysteel held up the bundle she was carrying.

"Say thank you Revan,"

Instead, the child gave a little whine, her face looking queasy. She chose that moment to hurl the contents of her dinner. Revan barely managed to twist aside and avoid being caught in sputum.

Mysteel gave him an embarrassed look.

"Yeah...I thought that soup tasted kind of weird. We'll work on that. Uhmmmm, I gotta tell my sister the good news. Thanks again!"

With that, she stood up abruptly, and rushed out of the dimly lit room, leaving the Jedi utterly alone.

"You have a gift for manipulation little sister." Remarked T'shere. The two were in the office room a short while later, where the commander had initially patched up. The Arkanian had heard pretty much every word of their conversation through their shared communications channel. While she didn't believe the captive was overtly lying, she doubted he was telling the whole truth.

Bastard's too slippery by far. The Arkanian did not doubt there was an ulterior motive involved.

"You'd be surprised what happens when you're nice to someone." Replied Mysteel. She looked at T'shere in mock accusation.

"I was nice dammit!" T'shere scoffed.

Mysteel rolled her eyes.

"Right and I strangle little children in their sleep. Anyways, now that we've cleared things up, we can give him his stuff back right?"

"Not so fast there Tails. He might be willing to help, but that doesn't mean we should just trust him."

"Why not?" her sister asked. "He came clean with us, and the story fits. If the he wants to help, I say we take it. Force knows we could use another hand. Or a meat shield. Hee."

T'shere sighed. Mysteel was always willing to believe the best in people. Unlike her sister though, the Arkanian had been through enough jading experiences to temper her trust.

"You trust too easily Sis. You don't know anything about him!"

"I know he's a Jedi. That's a good start."

"Him? I may have been away from the order for some time, but if I recall, they don't send kids on training wheels to death worlds by themselves. I mean he's only a teenager!"

T'shere grimaced, thinking of the indignity of being beaten by someone who might have been a decade younger than her.

"Something doesn't fit. And in case you've forgotten, the Jedi are the reason most of us are in this mess." T'shere retorted.

"I mean, what were you thinking about telling him about Lucidae? In case you've forgotten, he's a wanted criminal. If that bastard is from the Order, what do you think he's going to do? Let him have a free pass? No! The False Order isn't as nice and shiny as you think."

Mysteel gave her a hurt look. Another difference between the two sisters was the Twi'lek genuinely respected the Jedi's station. Lucidae had filled her head with all sorts of ridiculous tales of heroism and valor in ages past, when the Order was still an honorable faction. Personally, she didn't even know why the former Master bothered.

There is no honor among Jedi, not anymore Lucidae was fond of saying. Still T'shere didn't want to take that perfect picture away from her sister. Her innocence was worth preserving.

"I didn't mean anything by that," said T'shere hastily. She grasped Mysteel's shoulder.

"But you've got to look at the facts. He shows up out of nowhere at the same time the Cult arrives. That's more than a little coincidental, don't you think? And how would the Jedi Order even know about this auction? It's not exactly public information. We had to go through a lot of channels to find this intelligence."

The Twi'leks bubbling demeanour began to deflate.

"Look, we should clear this up with Lucidae and see what he wants to do with the prisoner. I'm sure as hell not going to send him to the auction. Granted, we should still find out what this weapon is. The other prisoner should be able to help with that. And in the worst case, I'll send Kynes or another scout, but not him."

Mysteel looked crestfallen.

"But if we get him to sit it out, he's not going to help us..."

"Then he's a very bad Jedi," retorted T'shere. "If he was really selfless, he'd help us unconditionally. Not to advance his own agenda."

"But T'shere..." Whined Mysteel. She gave her best mournful look, that had gotten Mysteel out of more jams than she cared to remember.

"No buts" replied T'shere firmly. Mysteel hunched her back in exaggerated defeat.

"You're mean," she said half heartedly.

"That's why I'm in charge,"

In a more conciliatory tone. T'shere said "Look, go talk to him, make sure he understands we'll give him a chance to help us...just not with this issue."

Mysteel nodded, her eyes downcast.

T'shere suddenly remembered something. "Wait...if you're here...who's guarding Revan?"

At Mysteel's blank look T'shere's eyes widened in horror. "You left him alone?"

Her younger sister shrugged. "Oh he's not going anywhere. We tied him up good and proper right? And there are guards at the stairs above. And none of the alarms have been tripped."

T'shere got uncomfortable again. Wordlessly, she rushed past the Twi'lek and out the hallway chamber. Sevaral guards along the corridor gave them quizzical looks as the pair jogged by them.

"Security!" T'shere snapped at them. "Converge to level B"

They hastily obeyed, following their leader through the winding corridors. In short order, they reached the flight of stairs leading to the basement level.

Mysteel looked amused and exasperated at the same time. "Don't worry Sis, like I said, he's not going any..."

They froze in front of the pillar where Revan was supposed to be chained.

"...where."

The females stared in front of them in slack jawed amazement. Revan was indeed still there, but not chained to the pillar. He was leaning in front of it, fully clothed again. All his equipment on the table had been picked up and for all intents and purposes, the prisoner was never bound. He looked at the pair intently.

"I assume we're all in accordance then?"

"How...how?" they both sputtered.

T'shere glanced down at the chains. They were still intact, meaning Revan hadn't used brute force to escape from them. The only way he could have escaped was by deactivating the locking mechanism. But that would mean...

Revan tossed her a black metal object. It was the security keychain she had taken from the guard on put onto her belt.

"You dropped this when you were having your way with me," he deadpanned.

T'shere replayed the events of the interrogation in the back of her mind. She realized the Jedi hadn't been goading her simply for insult's sake. In actuality, he had simply wanted her close enough to take the key off her belt. She had been too angry and Mysteel too distracted to notice his fingers on her waist while she unleashed her barrage of attacks on his prone form.

Once again, she had underestimated this cagey opponent.

Still, she wouldn't accept all the blame. T'shere turned her silver eyed glare at the Twi'lek who was now doing her best to become invisible, a near impossible feat given the fact she was yellow and the rest of the room was dull grey.

The only thing Mysteel could do was give her an embarrassed laugh.

"See? I knew we could trust him. Aren't you glad he's on our side?"

T'shere continued to give her a withering glare.