"I'm sorry for being a complete pain in the ass."
"Well, I'm hardly innocent after jumping to the conclusion that 'ass' was all you had on your mind."
Maarani twisted onto her other side to look at Dana, rather than staring at the wall away from her. "We gonna keep talking about my non-existent sex life, or what?"
"Not being a pain lasted all of two seconds." She entered the room fully as Maarani sat up, hesitant to sit down on the bed beside her at first. "Koor warned me about trying to make small talk with you, but I'm going to try anyway. Anything you feel like getting off your chest? Jedi are always discreet."
The Twi'lek chewed on her tongue as she let her thoughts wander to any grievances remaining. Nothing really serious came to mind. Aside from her lingering issues with the starfighters, of which she had quite a few.
"Ever been around fighter squadron pilots, Dana?"
She shook her head, having spent little time around the military at all.
"Being related to a Force sensitive puts you on a special list to become a pilot. When I showed up, expecting to get assigned to ground training, they put me right at the top of that pilot list instead."
There was a notable amount of bitterness in her voice now. "I tried explaining that my sensitivity was gone, so I didn't deserve such 'special' treatment. They insisted and I ended up getting assigned to train with one of the top tier squadrons. Just imagine struggling to reach an average grade amongst ace pilots, who know you didn't earn your way up there."
All Dana could do initially was nod her head, trying to fully grasp the extent of her story. It finally explained why she was hardly broken up about their deaths. "I assume this is part of what caused your depression, amongst everything else. But even after all that, you still miss the military life?"
Maarani nodded, tugging her pillow over and clutching it up against her stomach. "It's really easy to forget emotional pain when you're tearing muscles in the gym, blowing starfighters into oblivion, and waiting for the next surprise drill to come. Masaka screwed all of that up for me, though I'm certain she couldn't care less."
Her arms tightened around the pillow further as she held back a cough. It had been caused by another bout of grief, again over her lost sister. "I screwed up back there as well. Elira died for nothing, because I couldn't hold a flipping lightsaber properly."
"Teegs, don't start beating yourself up over that again, please. We've gone through a grievance, now how about an aspiration?"
"What is it with the Jedi definition of smalltalk?"
Dana sighed as she waited for Maarani to actually give the question some thought, though soon elaborated on her point. "A key part of being a Jedi has always been an open mind. I'm trying to help you break down the walls you've put up over the years." That seemed to get through to her, as the Twi'lek settled into her pondering posture.
"Aspiration… I got a little annoyed at Utan for pre-judging what I'd do, but to be honest, I don't think I've really thought all that much about it." She looked to Dana with a growing smile, over her own concern more than anything. "The dream was joining everyone else in the Jedi Order. Guess I expected that whoever I became a padawan to would know what I'd be good at."
"Well, I'll make it simple then. Those who actually make it to becoming a padawan have two general choices. Full Jedi duties, like becoming a Consular or Knight for example, most members choose this. The other is taking on a profession that helps the Order. Carmen is a droid engineer, and I'm a behavioural psychologist."
"What a mouthful."
"Teegs."
Maarani tilted her head to either side as she did her best to not make further remarks. It really was a simple choice. And actually knowing that she would have one to begin with was already a big relief to hear. The issue still managed to circle back around, in that she didn't know what would really suit her best in the end.
"I'm not going to be 'encouraged' back into the pilot seat, am I? Training only does so much to alleviate something you don't enjoy all that much."
"I think the only thing they'll try to dissuade you from is anything that involves actively fighting Sith. So many Jedi have turned to the dark side while battling with it, and we can't ignore that there's been a precedent in your family. That doesn't mean you can't help in the effort to push them back at all though."
The level of bluntness was a refreshing change for the Twi'lek. Her lingering nature of whimsical sarcasm vanished in the face of actual honesty. As she came through the moment, her eyes became fixed in their gaze. "I think I'm done fighting. Maybe not knowing what to do next is just part of leaving the military, and something will come to me eventually?" She continued to consider the matter, eventually returning to the basic question. "The aspiration doesn't have to be a career, right?"
Dana shrugged at that, having brought it up as a suggestion alone. "It can be as simple as visiting a place, talking to someone, or whatever really. Getting to know you means it'll be a lot easier to assess how you're progressing. And I'm happy to help where I can."
With some more consideration, Maarani finally looked to the Jedi. There were a few things that had come to mind. "Visiting Felucia would be easy enough I guess. Always been fascinated by holo-images of those forests. Getting to meet Mission Vao would be another, though I bet she's sick of being asked about her adventures by now."
The smile spread to Dana at that, her dark lips parting as she pictured the meeting for herself. "She was more mature at fourteen than you are now at twenty four. I take it she's a personal hero."
"That obvious?" She shifted around some more, looking ready to stand back up, but not quite reaching the point of hoisting herself off the bed. "There aren't all that many Twi'leks who've faced down Sith, flown around the galaxy and done heroic stuff. It was nice to know there were real possibilities beyond dancing, slavery and whatever else my kind generally end up in. Aside from you guys of course."
She hesitated slightly at the last thought she had come to, reflecting on what Dana had said earlier. "You're sick of hearing me complain about being single I bet."
"I wouldn't say sick. Concerned about what looks like an obsession on the surface, and potentially a sign of dangerously deep loneliness beneath is more accurate."
"There's the psych talk." Both turned their heads as the sound of Cecile swearing in what sounded like Rodian echoed through the ship. "Sounds like she's the one who needs counselling."
"I can always try." As she got up to head to the cockpit, she glanced back with a further grin. "Don't listen to that crap about there being no 'trying'. The intent is just as important as the result. And yes, I'm dismissing one Jedi phrase of wisdom by quoting another." Leaving it at that, she looked back to the still cluttered hallway and picked her way through to Cecile's location.
Maarani twisted back onto her bed shortly after her departure, staring up at the metal ceiling as she toyed with the zipper of her jacket.
I'm already blind though…
"Not again." She gripped the pillow and shoved it up around her head in a pointless attempt to stop the ethereal voice of Kiarna.
Please, stop me if I start fondling my breasts or express a desire to dance provocatively.
Her jaw dropped as she sat up in shock, the pillow falling away from her head. "That racist bitch."
"She called me a racist bitch."
Carudan raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to project one of your insults back at her? I expected another of your rants from the way you stormed up here."
Kiarna twisted her head to him as her arm lashed out, ready to grip around his throat. She wasn't quite ready to carry through with the threat. "Hijacking my mind to learn about someone who may have hijacked my mind was way out of line. But…"
"But you learned something from that, because I asked a question you were afraid to. Now we both have a better idea of how she linked your minds together." He folded his arms across his chest as she backed away again. Such satisfaction there was in seeing her remember that he held all the cards.
"When you invade my thoughts, I at least know that you're on my side for the time being. If she's able to pick up on what I'm thinking at any moment, through the mask's protection, then what am I supposed to do?"
"Continue being a racist bitch until she finds a way to block out any received thoughts. Or just stop thinking for a while. That shouldn't be too difficult for you."
"I have no eyes, and even I saw that one coming." She landed in the copilot seat and twisted it around, setting out the coordinates for their first destination. "I'm still wondering why you haven't left yet. Rescuing crazed Miraluka isn't what you came aboard for. Bellara doesn't have much choice as my apprentice."
Carudan glanced to her, for once without his usual smugness. "I've visited Katarr in my travels, before and after it was wiped out. It's one of the few places I could actually feel the Force. That makes it a danger as well." For a few moments, he was able to glimpse the memory of what Kiarna had seen earlier, while his observation of her mind had gone dark. Hunger that somehow managed to exceed his own.
"There's about forty that came to me for help, the rest are not my concern. Let's get started."
As they got underway, she settled back into her chair and focused on clearing her mind again. She had many things to do before ridding herself of corruption.
"I am afraid of Darth Nihilus."
Carudan glanced at her for a second before realizing what she was on about.
"I am angry at the way my mind has been twisted so readily."
Kiarna's hand drifted to her lightsaber, clutching around the cool metal as a source of calm.
"I hate Maarani. I want her to suffer."
It had been close to a week since the capture of that pilot. Every preparation had been made for the operation that would follow, and while the procedure had taken longer than expected, the final result was everything she could have hoped for.
"The amputation was successful. When you are ready, Lord, we can begin."
Lasidia nodded her head as she approached the operation table, watching the Togruta strapped down to it struggle against her bonds with what little strength remained.
She focused on the fresh stump where her left lekku had been located, circling the table to kneel down beside it. Nearly identical to her own stump, just as she had instructed, and slightly glistening with blood seeping through the cauterized flesh.
There was a loud gasp as she dragged her tongue up over the wound, saving the taste of the blood as she rose back up. Her hand settled down along the other Togruta's chin, stroking along the jawline. "You must hate me, revile me. No sane person would take joy in such a barbaric procedure, would they?"
A hiss was all she got in response.
"This is simply a message to the Republic, nothing personal I assure you. When this is all over, I'll even give it back to you myself." Lasidia trailed her hand down the pilot's neck to her shoulder. A shrapnel scar trailed along the inside of her collarbone. "Shrapnel, I take it. Must have hurt." With a twist of her hand, she brought out a concealed blade and pressed it flat against the scar.
"Lord Lasidia, if you wish to take a turn at surgery-"
The knife was lifted away with a slight nick. It began bleeding just a little, trickling down over her shoulder.
"Maybe later." After leaning in to take a long sniff, she licked her lips again and twisted her head to look at the pilot again. "What is it like, suddenly having your emotions snatched away? Or would you like to sit up instead, see how lopsided your head now feels."
"Liti!"
Lasidia's expression went dark. Her hand trailed back to the shoulder to extend a finger, which she began pressing against the cut. More blood flowed. "That was a very rude thing to say. Now I will have to kill the Jedi who come to rescue you. I was just about to thank you for showing us the way to our destination too."
She turned to the surgeon briefly, though not to speak in an audible tone.
Begin the sedation.
"Every member of my tribe will hunt you down for this!"
The faint smile returned to the Sith's face as she stood up, drawing her finger across the blood trail and lifting it to her lips. "It must be nice to belong to a tribe that still cares about you. A tribe that wasn't waiting for the opportunity to throw you to the sand and mutilate your body. Shame, really."
As the pilot's eyes began to close, she leaned in once more to whisper against her left montral. "Thank you for showing us the way to the Rakata."
Once she had passed out, Lasidia finally sighed and licked her finger clean of the blood. "To think I used to enjoy being savage. Kiarna certainly did not miss much there." She circled back to the next table, where she began removing the outer cloak draped around her form.
"She's learned the ways of torture well, if I do say so myself." Silent pulled his surgical mask down after cleaning the freshly opened wound up. The small pool of blood under the shoulder was soon wiped away.
By then, Lasidia was sitting up on the second table to free her mostly bare feet from the leather straps tied around them. "Make sure that she isn't too badly harmed in her preparatory torture. We want the Jedi to rescue a prisoner of war, not another version of myself." When done with the feet, she moved up to undoing her tunic. If any of them would experience a moment of awkwardness, it would be Silent.
"You'll be pleased to know that Masaka is becoming more receptive. I found a glass rod lying on the floor on my way over, and now she genuinely believes it's something valuable slipped into her pocket by the Jedi." He wheeled over a smaller side table, on which the severed lekku was laid out. Two more tables waited nearby for the later stages of surgery.
"I trust you to handle her if she breaks out. Do not let let Rak'Sakar tell you otherwise." She took a deep breath as she lifted her legs up and laid back onto the cold metal surface. The skin stretched across her shoulder blades felt icy, made slightly worse as she settled her arms across her stomach. "When this is done, what will I have to do to get it off?"
"I'm placing an organic seam between the two cuts. You simply have to will it to fall off, and the seam will break. Sokoli Zatu will be programmed to specifically avoid such an impulse."
Lasidia nodded as best she could, her head bound down to the table by her back lekku, now pressed underneath her body. It would be months before she was herself again.
"Sokoli Zatu… To think a coward who ran away thirty five years ago will be seen as a hero by them. Fools."
The moment she had trained months for finally arrived.
Every memory and thought tied to Mikan Sol sank into the depths of her mind, locked away for the right time to reemerge. While her face, montrals and lekku were modified to resemble Sokoli as closely as possible, dark powers and technology worked together to recreate the identity of the long lost Jedi.
Their downfall was closing in.
He opened my mind in more ways than one. Even now, I feel the cold chill of air sweeping over my emptied eye sockets.
I watched my world burn. I watched as the fires around me extinguished themselves in his presence. I watched the death of the Force unfold before me…
"Sereti, has something happened?"
She shook her head. Her trembling hand reached for Carla's beside her. When it settled, she did her best to calm down from the haunting memory. "It is what lies ahead of us that has me worried. She faced Nihilus in a way I never could. I wish I knew for certain that I had the strength to fight him for myself." They were already leaving Coruscant's orbit for Katarr. She had long dreaded the inevitable day she would venture there, but there was no other choice about it. It was her duty to investigate the disturbance at its source.
A little while after they entered hyperspace, she left her chair and paced the small compartment they were seated in. The doorway to the cockpit was sealed, giving them a few minutes of complete privacy.
"I do not like how deep the deception has become. It is beginning to feel like all the lies are starting to catch up with us now. Tegama may be the worst of them, but others will hurt a lot more. If we lose the Mandalorians now…" She pressed her arm against one of the bulkheads to rest her forehead on it comfortably. It was hard to find peace when they were potentially hurtling towards a new bloodbath. "When Lasidia and her forces are gone, I might just step down from the Council."
"You would be sorely missed if that were to occur." Carla also left her seat, brushing a strand of white hair out of the way as she took hold of Sereti's shoulder. "We certainly had our differences in the past, but we have always persevered through the trials set before us, as friends and leaders. Whatever happens, the Jedi would not have come so far without your guidance."
"Let us hope that is enough, then."
The sight of snow made Maarani furrow her brow. Ryloth was anything but cold, and even Coruscant had been slightly cooler than what she was comfortable with. It didn't get any better as they approached the concealed landing bay. It gave barely more clearance than the shipyard they had obtained the Distant Star from, and looked very desolate.
By the time they touched down in the bay, two women in white had appeared at the top of the ramp upward. One was quite old, probably Atris. She had to keep herself from making the remark out loud and further upsetting Dana.
"You will actually try being respectful this time, right?"
"I haven't said anything!" Maarani left her seat to kick through the junk piles that had spread over the corridor behind them, Cecile was conveniently making her way over to the hatch by then, allowing her to catch one of the droid's arms. "CC, wait up a second. Need to check that it's okay to let you out and around first. You understand right?"
"Oh, well, I suppose you are right Mistre... Maarani."
Maarani tapped her shoulder as she moved past to lower the ramp down. The mechanisms crunched against each other for a few seconds before it dropped down rather violently. "Could you take a look at that in the meantime? I don't like the idea of that happening while we're in hyperspace."
As the Twi'lek descended from the ship, Cecile began making her way over to the hatch controls when Dana caught her arm as well. "Mistress Maarani asked me to look into why the ramp malfunctioned."
"Sounds like she's warming up now. Anything happen since our talk?"
"No, not really. I think I will need time before I even begin to grasp how Mistress Maarani works. She is unlike everything I have come to expect from Twi'lek." Her eyes flickered briefly, still fixated on Dana. "I don't think she likes convulsing her body in such-"
"Cecile, keep the inappropriate stuff locked away, remember? Have fun with fixing this junk." She jumped down the short clearance between the ship and the landing bay floor to hurry over to Maarani's side. Atris hadn't moved from the top of the ramp fortunately, and her Twi'lek friend wasn't in any particular hurry. She was already making her distaste for the cold very clear.
A quick nod to Atris saved her from any initial embarrassment that was potentially about to erupt. "Teegs, this is Master Atris, possibly the only living Jedi left from Revan's era, the master I trained with for two years for becoming emotionally stable, and one of the most knowledgeable people in the ways of the Force."
"Master Dana is also an exaggerator who has a friendly thought for everyone she meets, no matter what state they are in." Atris smiled just a little as she extended her hand out to greet Maarani, who was looking back at her with every bit of youthful curiosity. She certainly didn't have the look of someone dead inside, cut off from the universe around her. Not like Surik at all.
Maarani took the extended hand as she was apparently expected to, giving it a very light shake out of concern for her apparent condition. "Well, I won't disagree with that when she says I'm immature and a bad listener."
"I never said bad listener."
Atris rolled her eyes a little as she turned back to lead them into the complex. "Not to sound old, but when I was on the Council, five was pushing it, ten was an absolute cut off. Twenty four with a teenager's mentality is not my area of expertise."
"Why does everyone bring that up the moment they meet me? Do I just have a note on my forehead that says 'I'm a juvenile who flew starfighters and got bashed about by two Sith, please patronize me'?" The look Maarani got from Atris for that said enough. Protesting was only further proof in their eyes, as always.
"Kindly stop talking until I ask you a question." For Atris at least, it was noticeably more pleasant without the Twi'lek's scratchy voice ringing in her ears as they continued on through the small corridors. Upon reaching the open room at last, she nodded to Shamara and approached the edge of the gaping drop.
Maarani could very faintly hear the sound of water rushing below, and was about to ask about just that when she remembered being told to effectively shut up. Concentrating on the sound almost distracted her from Atris' actually asking questions at last.
"I need to know who I am training before I can properly form a daily routine. We can start with the name, and what you did previously in addition to being a pilot."
After swallowing, the Twi'lek straightened up a bit as she settled into her militaristic mindset. "Tegama'Arani, Starfighter pilot second class. I leered at female mechanics and shot down Imperial bombers alongside my now dead squad." Noting the bemusement, she relaxed herself a little more to loosen the smartass edge. "Dana calls me Teegs, I prefer Maarani."
Atris felt her pulse slow down drastically.
I gave her strict orders to avoid Maarani…
She found herself swallowing as well, though it was very subtle. There had been a moment of hesitation upon seeing a Twi'lek step down out of the ship, but she had dismissed it as a coincidence. It had gone far beyond the realm of coincidence now.
Before her silence dragged on, she glanced at the blaster pistol hanging from her hip and motioned to it. "Have you used that much in your time, Tegama?"
"Sometimes, when I had to. Didn't do much when Kiarna came after me." Maarani pulled it off the buckle and held it out to Atris, assuming she wanted to inspect it for whatever reason. "It's gotten me out of some bad situations, so I-"
Right before her eyes, it was snatched out of her hand and tossed into the abyss to her left. She was rather slow to actually react, slightly leaning out over the dark fall to see where it had landed. "I had that pistol for eight years."
"Blasters are not the weapons of a Jedi. If you want to become one, then you can start by not playing with those crude things anymore."
Maarani glanced at Atris with no shortage of annoyance to be had for her rude action. "My lightsaber doesn't work, and I'm going to need something in the meantime to defend Dana. So if you'll excuse me…"
Both Dana and Atris watched in silence as the Twi'lek pulled her jacket off and dived off into the water deep below.
The former watched her descent for a while longer, still stunned by the reaction. "There is still water down there, right?" To her great relief, a loud splash echoed back up through the chamber, followed by several gasps and Twi'lek profanity about the cold.
"She really is Rilana's other daughter, then." As the cursing and splashing continued, she reached her hand out to guide Dana away from the edge just a little further. "Tell me what's really going on with her. You more than anyone know that Sereti only sends very specific cases my way."
Dana nodded as she briefly thought back to her own arrival. Prior to that were memories she didn't like reliving. "She's made contact with two Sith in the past month. Masaka left her to die, and Kiarna let her go for some unknown reason. Teegs claims that she lost her sensitivity, despite having a strong empathic presence she's not aware of, and the fact that none of her story doesn't hold up to scrutiny in the least. Sereti and the others want answers, and like it or not you're the closest to an expert on this matter. Satisfactory?"
A quick nod came in response from Atris. "It's nice to see you have maintained your usual level of succinctness." The hand gripping her came trembled a little as she again found herself thinking back to Lasidia's brief visit. She needed another distraction. "I have studied that Sith holocron you brought by at length. From what I can tell it is one of three, though I believe the knowledge it contained was not Sith in origin."
"What else could it be then? The Sith wouldn't store Jedi knowledge."
"The inscriptions refer to the Rakata, which only confirms that Darth Lasidia is seeking out another of their devices. I cannot fathom what bending the Force to create extreme speed could do in a superweapon though, since it would be useless beyond a solar system." She clasped at her forehead as the dark presence passed from her mind again. To anyone else aside from present company, it would appear to be a headache.
"Teegs has seen for herself just how powerful that technique is for an individual. If it is one of three though, then we might have a chance at intercepting the other two first." Dana looked back to the abyss as she heard Maarani calling out from below, having found her pistol somehow. "I think we'll all be glad when this wild behaviour stops. Thanks for at least considering this in the meantime."
"Do not thank me yet. A lot changes in twenty five years, like my tolerance. That said…" She approached the edge of the abyss again, trying to peer down into the darkness to locate Maarani. "We will try our best. If at least one of those poor children actually makes it into the Order, that will be something."
Dana pointed out Maarani on the ladder far below, dripping wet and clearly shivering. The blaster pistol was stuffed down the front of her pants. "I think she's got the right attitude for a bodyguard after all. Her idea for a cover story." She leaned over to the discarded jacket and draped it over her arm, watching the ascent a little longer. "I'll ask Cecile to bring her other clothes up from the ship. Word of warning, she is vehemently against any clothing that doesn't cover up well."
"I wasn't planning on Echani training for her anyway. Twi'lek may also vastly prefer light attire, but they do not meet the precision required." As said Twi'lek began to reach the top, she gripped Dana's arm momentarily before going on her way to the Council room. "You know the way to the rooms."
The solemn expression faded back to her more friendly look as she approached the top of the ladder. Maarani was still muttering to herself in her native language, and shivering heavily by the look of it. "Want your jacket now Teegs?"
Maarani grabbed it and pressed it over her chest, keeping the inside facing away from her drenched self. "You know, you could've done some sort of Force thing to help me out there. Not like I mind the freezing cold water and all that." She wandered past for a few steps before realizing she was quite lost in the place.
"Follow me, your room is the one that feels like it has three desert suns blasting inside." She led the way back down as she had so often done during her own years there, contacting Cecile as they walked with the request. She wasn't far behind them by the time they reached the room itself.
As described, it was very warm. So much so that Maarani actually felt faint wafts of steam rising off her clothing right after entering. The deep chill that had left her lekku feeling numb was fading back to her relief. "I miss this temperature." The prodding of her arm by Cecile prompted her to look at the clothing brought up to her. "Thanks, if you two can give me a few."
"Are you sure you don't need my help to change, Mistress? It's nothing I haven't seen before."
"CC, give me the clothes and please don't ever bring that up again." Once they were in hand, she pushed the door shut and finally set about freeing herself from the freezing mess.
A few private moments to ponder what Dana had meant by her empathic presence...
