Last time: Sasha and Viran found Kur and told him about Oppie.

Now: Sasha starts hearing things.

Chapter 4- The Voices

Sasha… Sasha… please help.

Sasha stood in the middle of darkness. It looked similar to the area that her and Cien would meet in before the Sith would cloud Sasha's mind with horrible memories. Glancing around, Sasha saw that she was alone, but she didn't feel alone.

Please, Sasha…

There was that voice again. Oppie's voice. Sasha looked around more in a panic as she tried to figure out the origin of the voice.

"Oppie, can you hear me?' She called out into the darkness.

Yes. Finally, yes!

Sasha felt her lips quiver as a joyful smile pulled at her face. "Where are you? Are you alive?"

I don't know where I am. But I'm alive. I mean, I feel alive if that's what you are asking.

"Then why can't I sense you in the force," Sasha asked.

No clue. Probably has to do with where I am. The Force feels different here.

"Which is where? We can come for you! We can help you."

I don't know how to describe it, I'm trapped here. I haven't been able to find a way out - I see gateways to places but I can't get through them. Please, you have to help me.

Sasha furrowed her brows. She remembered Viran's warning about this potentially being a trick. 'I want to believe you, but first I need to see for myself," she said with a sense of warning in her voice. "If you really are Oppie, then tell me something only Oppie would know about me."

If you're worried about that Sith, she would know all that you knew, wouldn't she?

"Still worth checking, just to be safe," Sasha stated. "Then something not about me. Who is your family and what happened to them?"

There was a silence again before the voice returned. My family was Mandalorian, but they were killed by an Imperial weapon known as the Duchess. I never told you that, I didn't know how.

"It really is you…" Sasha trailed off as a smile came to her face. "And it's alright. We are with Kyr now. He told us."

Wait, what? Why are you with Kyr?

"We thought you were dead, Op. We had to go search for someone we trusted. And you trusted him," she said in a sadden tone.

I'm sorry I left you guys like that. But I promise to find a way out of here. I just can't do it alone. I need your help Sasha. Your's and Viran's.

"What do I need to do?' Sasha asked. However, there was no response. "Oppie? Op! Please respond."

"Sasha, wake up," Viran's voice then filled her ears.

Waking with a gasp, Sasha woke up to see Viran above her trying to wake her. He looked at her so worriedly. She had been tossing and turning something fierce all morning then he heard her calling out Oppie's name again. He assumed it was the nightmare again. However, her next reaction threw him off guard. Sasha smiled up at him as she sat up and threw her arms around him.

"Hey, it's okay," Viran said confused as he awkwardly held her. He pulled away to look at her. "Are you okay? You're smiling. I mean not that smiling is a bad thing. I like your smile. It's just… not what I was expecting." He rambled.

"Vir, Oppie is alive. I know he is," Sasha said with the utmost certainty.

"Did you hear his voice again?" Viran asked, surprised.

"Yes! And we actually talked," Sasha said. "I even made sure to check and see if it really was him, and he passed. It was him, Viran! We need to tell Kyr."

Viran stepped back as Sasha threw the blankets off her bunk and started pulling her boots on. Viran wanted to argue it over with her, but he hadn't seen her like this in over a month. He didn't want to spoil it. However, this was really big news if Oppie was still alive. Viran watched as she put herself together and made her way over to the ramp. She lowered it to reveal the early morning sunrise and heat. Curiously, Viran followed after her as she stepped off the ship and back into the campsite.

While the sunrise was painting the sky in a brilliant hue of orange, in the mostly dry river bed amongst the trees it was still fairly dark. Kyr's ship was locked up tight, they weren't sure if they should knock on the hatch or go back to their ship and try to comm him.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Kyr materialized from the darkness to their left with an abrupt tone to his voice though his helmet's amplifier. Startling both of them, again.

"Kyr, I heard Op last night, it's him, he's ali-" Sasha started then was immediately cut off.

Suddenly in the forest a twig snapped. Sasha and Viran's heads shot up as they glanced in the direction of the twig. Viran reached for his blaster and Sasha reached for hers. However, they heard a rustling sound in Kyr's direction. Turning their heads, they noticed that Kyr was gone, but where did he…?

"Hands up." Five rough looking men came out of the treeline. "Where's the Mando?" The one in the lead demanded. All five had their blasters out and trained on the two Jedi.

Sasha and Viran froze, their hands on their blasters but they weren't drawn.

"Listen friend, we don't want any trouble." Viran said as he put his left hand up, slowly trying to slide his other hand down to grip his blaster.

"I said hands up!" The marauder shouted.

Behind the five gunmen, Kyr's copper armor came into view from the early morning darkness like a wraith. The three leftmost marauders went down with shots to their back before they could turn. The other two whipped around and brought their blasters up to engage. Kyr grabbed the barrel of one and pushed it up into the air as it fired, sending a shot off into the morning sky. He brought the butt of his blaster pistol down on the temple of the one who fired, knocking him out, twisting his body around as the last remaining marauder fired in panic and ended up hitting his comrade. Kyr dropped his blaster pistol and then unlatched the vibroblade he kept at his shoulder, and brought it out in one smooth motion and threw it at the survivors throat. He fell to the ground with a nasty gurgling sound as Kyr picked up his dropped blaster, and then went to retrieve the knife. He wiped the blade on the dead man's jacket as he turned back to Sasha and Viran.

"What was that about Op?" He said in a calm voice, resheathing his vibroknife and looking at them.

"He's.. uh.." Sasha started, taking a gulp as she looked at the bodies, then focused back on Kyr. "I heard him again last night, but we were actually able to talk. He was able to confirm what you told us last night about his-, your family." She said.

"Wait, Sash." Viran said, "If it was something like that Sith chick messing with you, wouldn't she know what you knew? I want him to be alive, but if all he did was confirm what you just found out, then it might still not be him."

"I… I hadn't considered that," Sasha said, her hopes feeling dashed.

"Sport's right." Kyr said, "It might not be him, especially if someone was digging around in your mind."

Sasha's gaze was unwavering as she stared at the ground in front of her. Viran placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It just… sounded so much like him," Sasha said plainly.

"She faked your voice, Sasha." Viran said gently. "That's how she beat me on Polis Massa."

Sasha glanced up at him, her expression showing shock, then she sighed. "And she created a false reality with that nightmare I had about you dying, Vir." She groaned. "Ugh, if this really is her that means she survived. And I am just a fool into thinking that it could be Op. It's just… it seemed so real and sounded just like him, Viran."

"If you hear the voice again, make it confirm something you don't know but we do." Kyr suggested.

"Yeah, have it tell you something only one of us could know." Viran echoed.

"I could do that and then relay what they say to you after," Sasha said with a nod.

"Alright, I'm ready to blow this dustball. Those guys just fulfilled the rest of my contract for me." Kyr nodded at the five corpses that lay behind him. "I need to head to the town to settle up, but if you guys want we could head back to Artemis, should be safe with the hunting season over. You guys want to meet me up in orbit and dock with me? My ship is probably a little comfier than that thing," He nodded towards their small vessel, "and Tac wouldn't shut up about meeting you last night."

Viran nodded. "Sounds good. We will meet you in orbit."

"And tell Tac we can't wait to meet him too," Sasha said with a slight smirk.

Once in orbit they had to wait an hour or so for Kyr to rendezvous with them, the two ships docked smoothly, and the hatch opened. Immediately an excited storm of whistling and warbling greeted them, from a droid that looked like a slightly downsized astromech, with a bill shade over his visual sensor, a dark aluminum finish with maroon accents, and a mythosaur skull painted on his right leg armature. Kyr, his helmet still on, came around the core of the ship down the corridor "Don't pester them." He admonished the droid. "Come on in, this is T1C-TAC, I just call him Tac. Sorry I wasn't expecting guests, but feel free to stretch out." He said, guiding them back towards the front of the Corellian YT-2300. "Here's the guest bunks," he said, gesturing to a set of doors, "and the lounge is this way. Don't go into the armory or the interrogation room, please." He added.

"Thank you for all of this, Kyr," Sasha said as she walked alongside the droid. Tac was happily burbling and whistling to her, giving his own tour of the ship, pointing out all the weapons that were in the armory, the way to the gun ports, and also his favorite data socket. Tac made her smile and giggle to herself as she enjoyed the droid's energy.

"No worries, I'm going to get us to Hyperspace." He said as he continued around through the connection tube to the cockpit outrigger, leaving them in the lounge. The space was neat, but not overly well kept, there were some stains here and there. The lounge space was minimal, though it did include a holotable for games. It was minimally appointed, more of a transport and a live-in vessel that fit a Mando.

Sasha and Viran sat down on the bench that was in front of the holotable. Viran was looking around at the ship with a sense of awe. Sasha was just glancing around taking it all in. As she sat there, she heard the voice come to her again.

Sasha, are you there?

Straightening, Sasha tapped on Viran's arm to get his attention.

"What's up?" Viran asked.

""It's the voice," Sasha said with a sense of urgency.

"Be careful and truly figure out if it is Op or not," Viran advised. "And if it's not, then get out as soon as you can."

Sasha nodded. "I will. Be right back."

Sasha closed her eyes and centered herself into the force. She found herself in the darkness again. She called out into it. "Oppie, I'm here."

Thank the force. I lost contact there for a while. Is everything okay?

"Yeah, everything is fine, but Op… the others still don't believe that it's you," Sasha said sadly. "I need you to tell me something that only Viran or Kyr would know that I don't know about. Then and only then will they believe you."

Ugh, fine. Alright let me think for a second. There was a silence before he spoke up again. Okay, I've got something that only Viran knows about. You remember the day you injured your hand by breaking the glass?

"Yes," Sasha said with a gulp as she mindlessly ran her fingers over the scars on her right hand.

You were trying to clean the injury in the apartment refresher. Viran showed up and caught you cleaning it. He helped clean it and wrapped it for you. You begged him not to tell me about it. Then the next morning I approached you about it and said that I had noticed it the night before?

"Yeah, go on," Sasha said unsure where he was going with this.

After Viran left you to go to bed for the night, he came to my room instead and told me about your hand. He said that you were trying to hide it so we didn't worry. He begged me not to tell you that he broke his promise and told me about it. I kept that promise, but I couldn't just let you go to work with a non-functioning hand. That's why I approached you the next morning about it.

Sasha stood there, jaw dropped. "But he said…" She growled to herself as it all made sense as to how Oppie knew so easily that next morning.

And if he's still doubting, then tell him that I know what he said when you were so sick in the hospital with the Tarkelian Flu and he didn't think I could hear him. He'll understand what I mean.

"Uh okay," Sasha said.

With that, she pulled out of the force. Sasha turned her gaze to Viran who was staring at her with worry. Kyr had also entered the room, his buy'ce off, and was standing there with his arms folded, regarding her uncertainly. Tac was there humming to himself and looking at her in question.

"I talked with him again," she began. "He told me about the fact you broke the promise you made me and told him about my hand after I cut it up at the cantina."

"Seems like the Sith could have figured that out," Kyr said skeptically.

"He also said that he knows what you said to me when I was unconscious and sick with Tarkelian Flu when you thought no one was listening," Sasha added.

Viran turned bright red and gulped nervously. "Yeah, that's Op alright. He really is alive."

Kyr glanced at Viran with an almost imperceptible smirk, then turned back to Sasha. "So he's actually still alive?" His stance relaxed slightly but noticeably as some tension released from his body, but his face took on a serious look, like he was planning a mission. "Where is he, does he need our help?"

"He said he's trapped." Sasha said, "he said he's somewhere with gateways but he can't use them. I need to talk with him again and get more details."

"What does that even mean?" Kyr said, "like he's being held captive?" Tac spoke up with an excited chirp and a low growling sound. "Yes you can take part in the jail break." Kyr told the droid, annoyed.

"No, I don't think that's it… he learned some new power with the force, remember? He was able to move things through space from one point to another like that." She snapped her fingers to emphasize the point.

"Yeah, like how he got you to your ship before the explosion?" Kyr asked.

Viran spoke up, "Yeah I've never even heard of anything like that."

Sasha nodded, "I'm betting it has to do with that, next time I can reach him I'll ask him to describe where he is… I don't think it's anywhere we can reach though."

"So if we can't reach him how can we help him escape? That seems like a porg or the egg problem…" Viran trailed off.

"I don't know." Sasha said with a sigh. "But at least he's alive." Sasha said with a smile, feeling like the dark cloud that had shadowed her for the last month had suddenly cleared away.

"Yeah," Kyr said, his own voice hopeful. "I don't know much about jetii magic, but I will help as much as I can."

Viran nodded. "We won't give up on him, we'll get him back."

Tac bubbled a few whistling tones.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd enjoy the tour when he's back. He'd love it so much he'd probably enjoy showing you his lightsaber afterward." Kyr responded to the droid in an annoyed tone. For once, Tac seemed left speechless, and then a hailstorm of excited beeps and whistles accompanied him doing a few wheel assisted pirouettes before he went off to the armory to clean the tools in case he could inspect a real lightsaber.

Sasha and Viran chuckled as they watched the droid roll off. Viran then turned his attention back to Sasha.

"You should try and get more information from Oppie and if you need us…" He reached over and placed a hand on her arm. "Just call out and we will be there."

Sasha returned the gaze with a nod. "I will."

Kyr was still standing there. "If you need a quiet space to meditate or whatever you do, the bunk room should be- " A loud crashing sound and an indignant set of warbles and raspberries came from the corridor that Tac had disappeared down. "Stop breaking things!" Kyr yelled down the corridor, heading to see what had gotten knocked over.

Sasha and Viran chuckled again. Sasha stood.

"I'm going to go try and contact Oppie," She said. "I'll be back out in a bit."

Viran nodded at her. Sasha made her way to the bunk room. Once there, she sealed the door shut behind her so she could be alone to think. Sasha then made her way to the middle of the room and sunk down into a criss cross position. Taking a series of breaths, Sasha focused on the Force and centered her mind like she always would with meditation.

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