Ratnena finished the pre-flight check on the assault shuttle that Sara … Tahiri, her name is Tahiri, she sternly reminded herself, and the rest of her team would be taking to the base. Explosion Boy was checking on the other shuttle that his team was taking. The brig and the hospital were on different sides of the base and each had their own landing fields. She was still adjusting to the idea that Sara … Tahiri … was a Jedi Knight, she just didn't seem to be as a pompous, know it all, boring as watching dust grow Jedi that she heard most of them were. She heard stories while in the military and the streets, jails and schools back home of them wearing robes, walking around as if they don't stink, granting the mere mortals their oh so precious time to help those who are not as great as they are. No, Tahiri was fun to be around, she liked to pull pranks, she was funny and never once talked down to anyone. Also she never acted as if she was 'greater' then anyone, she had always be polite, annoying polite at times, knew she had areas to work on. Tahiri was just a normal person to her. Of course there were a couple questions for Tahiri when she get home tonight, she had heard that Jedi can read your mind, she was not all that comfortable with that idea. Tahiri has been honest with her before, well to a point, so if she had she would tell her, and Rat would have to make sure she never did it again … in her own fun way, not the 'scream in pain' way she usually get revenge.
After she started the warm up phase, she went down the ramp and over to the shuttle that Explosion Boy was finishing up on.
"The other shuttle is all set."
"Good," Kell said pulling his head out of the landing gear, "you gave a complete sweep?"
"Yes, I didn't see any thing in the engine or other exposed areas of the ship, and I check the computer, I don't think it has been tampered with."
"Ok, when we bring back both shuttles you and I are going over them with a fine tooth comb. Circuitry Girl and Bit will check the programming at the same time. While we are gone I want you to check all 9 of the X-Wings we got here, starting with Peacekeeper's, make sure there are no surprises waiting for us. Get Sure shot and Demolitions disables whatever security codes they have in place. Vape and Nitro can help you."
"At least I won't have to go do mess duties tonight." She answered brightly.
"Something all our stomachs are grateful for," she just gave him a mock glare as he laughed, "oh yea here is a special project for you." He took out data chip from his shirt pocket. "There is a ship we are going to want to borrow with out anyone knowing we took it, the security lay out and location of the hanger is all in there. I want you to come up with a plan to get in, get the ship out and not let everyone for 5 systems know we been there."
"Oh, I knew I was going to like this assignment, do I get to steal a ship for myself too?"
"We are not stealing we are just borrowing it, we are going to give it back. Besides you fly as well as you cook."
She was going to respond when she saw Tahiri and Poster Boy walk in to the hanger. Tahiri was dressed in her typical style, she was wearing a white matted combat suit, closed up all the way to her neck, and a matching jacket and boots.
"Don't you guys have to wear those robes?" She asked the duo walked up to them. Tahiri scrunched up her face and made a disgusted noise.
"No, the rest do but I don't! When they found the 'old Tahiri Veila' on Tatooine she made them promise that she didn't have to wear any robes or footwear. She has had enough of that being raised by the Tusken Raiders. I will wear shoes but there is no way I am going to wear robes."
"The old 'Tahiri Veila'?"
"The fashion discussion is going to have to wait ladies," Poster Boy said shooting a strange look at Tahiri. "I need to talk to Explosion Boy for a second, why don't you two go and do one finial check on the shuttle."
"Yes sir," they said in unison, saluted and left the two older men.
"So you really are some country farming hick after all."
"I am from Tatooine, yes." Tahiri said giving Ratnena a strained patient look. "I was found there by the Jedi, I had been raised by the tribe of Tusken Raiders who killed my parents when I was 3 years old."
"Oh," Ratnena said lamely, not sure how to proceed with that line of discussion.
"It is ok, I have come to terms with it a long time ago in a way." Tahiri said walking up the ramp.
"Are you reading my mind?"
"No," Tahiri answered quickly and looking embarrassed. She looked around the hanger and pulled Ratnena up the ramp. Ratnena couldn't help but be amused by how Tahiri was blushing again. "I can't just read some ones mind. For one thing it is forbidden to do that without the other persons permission. Second it rare to actually hear what one is actually thinking, it is more like I can feel what you are feeling. I have been forbidden from using the Force through out training but … well," she broke off turning red. "We been around each other a lot and become close friends so it is easier to 'hear' what you are feeling, even though I have not been trying, then for me to 'hear' anyone else here. Anyways you 'leak'."
"What do you mean?"
"You 'leak', you have a lot of strong emotions and those are the easiest to 'hear'," Tahiri said looking more and more uncomfortable and blushing harder. "Standing near you sometimes is like standing next to a hypercomm. antenna, it is hard to block out your emotions."
"So the stronger feeling I have the harder it is for you to ignore them?"
"Yes, basically." Ratnena watched as Tahiri started to turn purple, "Will you stop that!"
"Sorry, I couldn't resist." Ratnena said laughing. "Can you 'hear' everyone like you can 'hear' me?"
"No, strangers are always the hardest and they have to be really strong emotions for me to understand them. But the closer I become to a person and the more time I spend around them the easier it is." She walked toward the shuttle controls and sat down in the pilot's seat. "Sometimes it can get really strong, like with Anakin Solo."
"Is that the name of your boyfriend that you are always talking about but would never name?" Ratnena asked from the co-pilot's chair.
"Yes, we were very close and sometimes we could actually hear words from each other." Ratnena studied Tahiri face; she was struggling to keep it neutral.
"What happened to him, you never talk about him in present tense? Did you guys get in to a fight or something?"
"No, he died just before the Fall of Coruscant, we were on a mission for the Jedi and he was injured. He never made it back home."
"Oh, sorry," Ratnena answered lamely, she had been lucky really no one she has ever really cared about died. Sure she knew people who had been killed or died but she was never affected for long by their deaths. Tahiri, unfortunately, has not been that lucky. She looked out the view port and saw the rest of the Wraiths walking into the hanger. "Looks like the party is about to start."
"Yep," Tahiri said looking out the view port, "when I get back I let you in on all my secrets, is that ok with you?"
"As long as you don't eat any steaks while we talk, seriously I still don't know how you do it." Ratnena said getting up from the co-pilot's seat. "Just don't get in to any trouble without me, Jedi or no Jedi you can't have all the fun!"
"I will try not too, at least I won't get caught!" Tahiri called out as Ratnena walked to the hatch. At the hatch Ratnena stopped at looked at the back of the pilot's seat and let a wicked smile cross her face. "RAT, STOP THAT!"
"So they implanted all the warrior training and memories of that Vong directly into your brain cells?" Doc said from behind Tahiri in the passenger section of the shuttle. "That is impossible!"
"Yuuzhan Vong, and it is not impossible because they did it." Tahiri said in a distracted tone, she was splitting her attention between flying the shuttle and listening to Doc and Science Boy discuss her shaping. Elassar was sitting in the co-pilot seat, acting like he was enjoying the view but he was fidgeting with one of his lucky charms. "Relax Charm Boy, I am not going to leap over the seat and kill Doc for being so rude." She paused and then leaned around her seat to look at him, "yet."
"Ah you do so calm my mind." Elassar said while he and Beljos let out a laugh.
"My apologies Peacekeeper," Doc said as she turned back the controls, "this is still all new for me. I heard rumors about you but never imagined that I would actually get the chance. I would just love to know how they actually did it."
"The Shapers have a protocol called Qah, it allows the Shapers to implant memories, training or knowledge into a brain cell of a Yuuzhan Vong. Although they had to modified my cells drastically since human cells would reject the Qah enhanced cells."
"Think of it as the 'Flash training' they would give the clones back during the clone wars." Science Boy said, "Did you get that far along in your training?"
"Yes I see what you are getting at but those clones were empty vessels, so to speak, there was room for the training to be added. Tahiri, however, already had memories and feelings, I am surprise there was enough room for both sets."
"There were a few complications," Elassar said cautiously, looking over at Tahiri.
Great now they are going to want me to tell him too! She really didn't like talking about this subject especially with someone she hardly knew.
"We need to tell him Tahiri, he is going to be the unit medic. He has to know the medical background on all you Wraiths."
"Sure why not, this is turning in too 'lets discuss the freak' day anyways."
"No one thinks of you as a freak Peacekeeper." Science Boy said quietly from the back.
"HA!"
"Ok let rephrase that as 'no one who knows what happen to you or is still happening to you' thinks of you as a freak."
"I hope I am not being rude Peacekeeper, I just want to know more about you so if in the event …" he stopped suddenly; Tahiri sunk deeper into her seat and griped the steering controls harder. "Did you say still happening to her?"
"Yes," Elassar said leaning over to Tahiri and placing a charm on the control stick while flashing her a smile while he talked to Doc. "We don't understand how or why but Tahiri's human cells and her Yuuzhan Vong altered cells are in a state of flux. They are merging into a unique human/Yuuzhan Vong cells, with properties of both. Her brain scans are fascinating to look at, her brain is almost completely filled with these new cells."
"So far it is just limited to her nervous system, but it is something you need to be aware of if you eve have to treat her."
"Are you saying that physiology speaking in relation to her nervous system she is Human/Yuuzhan Vong? Fascinating, has this been something going on since your shaping?"
"No," she said with a sigh, "we can't pin it down accurately but we think it was when the personalities of 'Tahiri Veila' and 'Riina Kwaad' merged to create me. You are right there is not enough room for two separate personalities to exist in a human body. Those two had fought each other to see which one would stay and which one would 'go away' but in the end they merged into a single entity and I was born so to speak. I am a product of both worlds both the good and bad."
It was quiet for a while, which suited Tahiri, while Doc digested that piece of news. She knew she would have to go through all this again with Rat but that was scarier then annoying as it was with Doc. Of course Rat's rejection would be more painful.
"Well Peacekeeper, I won't discuss this with anyone, except of course Charm and Science boy and you. I can imagine how awkward this could be, especially given the views on Yuuzhan Vong. Too bad it would be a interesting paper to published."
Tahiri slowly twisted in her seat and looked back at him and watched him squirm in his seat.
"I am not a science experiment."
"Easy there Peacekeeper, lets fly the nice shuttle and not kill anyone on their first day." Elassar said gently redirecting her attention on her flying. "Don't worry her bark is always worst then her bite."
"Tell that to Lord Nynex, Charm Boy." Science Boy said with a smile in his voice, Tahiri snorted, that had been the first time and really one of the few times Tahiri Veila and Riina Kwaad worked together and the first time they could use both shades of the Force together. Well, Tahiri thought, it would have worked even better if either one of them had realize they were working together. "Once Tahiri has been around you for awhile Doc, she won't react that much. Why she only threats the rest of us once a week now."
"Ah you do so calm my mind." Doc replied doing a fair impersonation of Elassar. He did it so well that all three males burst in to a round of laughter; even Tahiri could feel a tug of a smile on her lips. "If I could ask how does this affect your Force abilities?"
"I am not hampered by the shaping if that is what you mean, I am as strong in the Force as any Human/Yuuzhan Vong Jedi around." She said evasively.
"But I thought you were the only one?"
"I am," she replied not giving out any more information then she absolutely need to. She contacted the hospital flight control and got landing instructions. "Strap in we are going in on final approach."
She saw out of the corner of her eye that Elassar had recognized what she was doing. That was ok, no one really known just how her Force skills had grown since the end of the war. As they flew up here she keep getting flashes of Yuuzhan Vong life in the forest below her. Again the thin line between the shades of the Force were getting blurred, she wondered if it was had anything to with her brain changes. It is a question she would like to ask these guys but held herself back. Too many of the Jedi and non-Jedi already think she is too much Yuuzhan Vong for their taste. All though many knew she could use 'Vongsense' like Jacen, no one knew that she had grown past that ability, and she was now seeing Yuuzhan Vong life as clearly as other Jedi seen the creatures of this galaxy.
She landed the shuttle right on target, without any assistance, and began the shut down procedure. Anakin would be so proud! She thought as the rest of the crew unbuckled themselves.
"Remember code names only," Elassar said standing up, "and no references at all about Peacekeeper's skills. Let me do all the talking."
"Right," Science Boy said heading aft of the shuttle, "come on Doc, and help me get Igor." Igor was his droid he used to help him with his experiments in his lab. Igor was a 2-1B droid that had been heavily modified by the Wraiths to go beyond what most medical droids were capable of doing.
"So just how powerful is a Human/Yuuzhan Vong Jedi?"
"As powerful as we are." She said flashing him a loop side smile.
"All this openness and honesty is really getting sickening, you should try to be more closed mouth." Elassar said with a grin. "Alright, but you know it might help us understand and predict just how your shaping is going affect the rest of your body if we had more information. But right now we have to go see your old admirer."
"I bet he is still going to be stiff and closed mouth as he was the last time I saw him."
When they left the shuttle with Igor in tow they were greeted by two men, one introduced himself as the Doctor in charge of the hospital and the other was the district commander of the Military Police. Tahiri let the Force flow over her and got the feeling that they were very put out on being pushed aside like they were. Elassar was being smooth and professional with them, but staying firm about not having them in the examining room with them. They did show them to the morgue and offer any assistants that the Wraith would need.
When they walked into the morgue the smell of death was strong, not as strong as Coruscant had been but still enough to make her feel discomfort. Lying on two tables was all that was left of High and Starred, their bodies looked as though they had been through a punching match. She felt bad even though she was sure that Starred, at least, meant to do her harm. To die as they had was not pleasant or pretty; then again, she thought, how many pretty way to die were there?
"Do you have the medical reports and reports from the brig?" Elassar said to the M.P.
"Yes right here," he said handing a data pad to Elassar.
"Ah capital," he handed off the pad to Doc and then motioned the two outsiders to leave the room. "Thank you for all your help we will call you when we are done." After they left, grudgingly left, Elassar activated the privacy lock and looked at Tahiri. She had already opened the case she brought and activated one of the scanners inside.
"Bug free," she reported a few seconds later.
"Ok Doc, copy that file and upload it into Igor. You and I will work on Starred, Science Boy and Igor will get High. Peacekeeper, after Doc gets done reviewing the medical part I want you to review the M.P.'s entries see if there is anything in there that will give you a clue as to what happened. Also stand by to go get food, I always get hungry during these things."
"Right, let me guess pasta with red meat sauce?"
Tahiri sat on one of the empty table watching in horrifying fascination as the three men and one droid worked on the shells that used to be men. They had been working on the bodies for about 8 hours, with only a couple breaks, talking in terms she didn't understand. Her job was to maintain security, read the reports, make sure all test were uploaded into her case, and be a gofer.
From the M.P.'s report it sound like they were affected like that holocamra man had been the last time they were here. Two days before they died they began to complain about headaches and becoming more unruly. Twelve hours before they died they had attempted two poorly planned escape attempts, became violent and more incessant that they had to leave or they will die. They both got so violent that they had to be restrained and put in separate isolation cells. While in the cells Starred became, if it was possible, even more agitated while High just laid on his bunk sobbing uncontrollably. When the guards finally noticed the hemorrhaging it was too late, they never even got to the medical ward of the brig before they died.
Tahiri was convinced that the Peace Brigade was behind the two would be spies and that they had help from the rogue Yuuzhan Vong. This had their prints all over it, do your mission or die; there was no middle ground. Both men knew that they were going to die and they tried to fight it. But the Shapers must have learned their lesson from the last time, their conditioning must have been so complete that they could not even tell the doctors why or how they were going to die. Do your mission or die; there was no middle ground.
The way they died also told her a lot; it was painful, messy, dishonorable death that they would reserve only for those they felt were dirty and unredeemable to the gods. The kind of death that would filter it is way back to the others and serves as a warning, do your mission or die; there was no middle ground.
She has not yet shared her ideas with the other; Charm Boy wanted them to go in unbiased and open-minded. He had said that if went in with any predispositions they could easily miss a small but vital clue that would lead them down the right path.
"Negative, again!" Science Boy said tiredly from the read out screen on Igor.
"Well that was my last idea," Charm Boy said as he straightens up from his work.
"Are you sure he check for everything?" Doc said walking over to Igor.
Science Boy turned and gave Tahiri a questioning look, she responded by a small negative headshake. She had already looked at both bodies and felt nothing that would indicate Yuuzhan Vong material.
"No I am sure, they are just what they look like two healthy men who just happened to be dead." Science Boy said seating down on a stool, "the only thing wrong with them, besides the lack of get up and go, is elevated levels of adrenalin."
"Ok Peacekeeper, what is your report?" Charm Boy asked picking up a piece of chicken she got earlier.
"They both had complained about headaches for two days before they died. They claimed that they had to leave or they would die. The closer the deadline approached the more agitated they got, so bad they got they had to be put in isolation and in restraints. The guards noticed the bleeding but well you can guess what the end result was."
"Your expert opinion?"
"This smells of Yuuzhan Vong; messy, painful, dishonorable. It matches very closely with the other case."
The three men looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
"I don't have anything better." Doc said grabbing a piece of chicken also.
"It makes sense their bodies pumped out some much adrenalin it caused their blood pressure to go through the roof."
"Ok, Peacekeeper I want you to write that up in a report when we get back. Igor has all the information we are going to get. It is time to head back to base."