Face sat in the mess hall listening to the various reports from the different teams. The 'stiff team', as Ratnena called them, had just gotten back from the base so they decided that they would hold the briefing in the mess hall so the late arrives could grab bite to eat. The three medical men all declined saying that they eat earlier, Tahiri, of course, dug in as if she was never going to eat again. All of information the different teams had gathered was highly fascinating but none of it was going to lead anywhere but to a dead end. Tahiri's theory does seem plausible given what the three doctors had not found in Starred and High but still nothing concert. Kell and his group went through their personal gear while Face dealt with the commander of the brig and then General Sinclair and they found two transmitters hidden in their personal hygiene kits. They were designed to look like a can of shaving soap; the can even ejected some soap to look authentic. Both transmitters were not hypercomm capable, so either they had to slice into one of the transmitters at the Wraith base or they were supposed to contact someone on planet. Piggy reported that no other listening devices or homing devices had been located; Little Brother had also check the programming in the MSE droids and they came up clean. Drayson and her team reported that who ever did up their identification did a very professional job.
"It is too good Poster Boy; it looks like something we would do."
"Or someone with the same equipment that we have access too." Bit had clarified; once again Face wondered just how far up the ladder this mole was or if there was more then one. "We think if we access the main computer on Denon we might get somewhere."
Shalla team's news was a lot better; they did not find any traps or bombs lying around the base. They also changed all the pass code keys and with Bit's help changed the pass codes to the computer systems.
Sparks check the communication equipment with equal results; however, they were going to contact anyone they never used the Wraiths system nor did they even attempt to make any new connections.
"I swear Poster Boy if it was not the fact that they both died under mysteries circumstances we would not even suspect anything has gone wrong around here." Demolitions stated while getting up and grabbing another cup of caf. "For a pair of spies they did a great job covering their tracks."
"Most great spies are like that, there are probably some places we have hit over the years that still have no clue we were ever there." Piggy said looking over the scant evidence, they have gathered. "Charm Boy are you sure there were no toxins of any kind?"
"There were atmospheric toxins still in the blood stream from the gases we all breathe here but not in the quantity that wouldn't even give them a small headache let alone kill them."
"Could the Von …" Bit started to say but she must have seen Tahiri head come up from the data pad she was reading because she cut her self off and started again, "Yuuzhan Vong have something that would have released a poison and that dissolved or something between the time of death and your examination."
"No, there would have been some trace of the agent somewhere in their bodies. No matter how much they bled, it wouldn't have flushed out completely." Science Boy said that as the other two nodded their heads. "Besides our Yuuzhan Vong expert would have found something also but she didn't."
"I heard the Jedi couldn't see the Yuuzhan Vong." Lucky asked snatching some food off Doc's plate.
"Peacekeeper is a special case," Face said distractedly as he watched Prankster fidgeting with something in her lap for the last half hour. "I'll let her explain it if she wants."
"Got to love the 'explain the freak' day." Tahiri said quietly.
"Please, I've been living with you for three months, I already knew you were a freak, especially the way you couldn't keep your clothes on when we first met." Prankster said sitting next to Tahiri. When Tahiri slaps her arm, she almost dropped what she was working on. "Watch it Vong, I don't want to drop this."
"What are you working on anyways?" Face jumped in to the conversation before Tahiri had time to say anything.
"Oh, I found this bomb attached to the secondary power leads to the S-foils in Sara … I mean Tahiri …. the Vong's X-wing. It had two sensor lead wires from that to the main power coupling on the hyper drive. See the sensor lead wires didn't draw any power they just let the bomb know that the hyper drive had been engaged the real power supply was the secondary power leads on the S-foils that way you wouldn't detect it until it goes 'boom'." She said not looking up at the growing horror on his face. Face was sure by the way, people were not making any noise they were also as surprised and horrified as he was. Moreover, since he knew more about her background then the new Wraiths …
"Prankster how did you remove it." Kell asked as he slowly got up from his seat.
"Well after I disable it I just cut it out." Prankster seemed to be oblivious to the panic she was starting.
"How did you do that? And why didn't you tell anyone!" Demolitions asked moving towards her as Kell was.
"Explosion Boy said I could use his lab and work area if I ever need anything, so when I found this I went in there and read everything he had on bomb, besides Nitro was there." She did not look up until Kell snatched it out of her hands. "Hey, I am not done with that yet!"
While Kell and Demolitions looked over the device and everyone in the room started breathing again, Face spoke to her.
"Prankster, you are supposed to report if you found anything!"
"Oh, I guess I did not think about it," she said turning red, "I was so interested in where the bomb was and how it was installed that I kind of forgot, sorry."
"Prankster," Face said tiredly, wondering how Wedge ever learned how to deal with the Wraiths when he started them. Surly none of us was this bad!
"What do you mean you read everything I had on bombs?" Kell asked as Demolitions pull out a scanner from his hip pocket.
"Well I never worked on bombs before and I really didn't want to die, so I went in to read what I could. It was pretty easy once I knew how."
"Let me guess a photographic memory?" Sparks asked.
"Well, yea sort of."
"I don't care next time wait for me understand?" Kell said looking at the readouts. "What do you think?"
"Unquestionably non standard, it looks like a homemade job to me but put together really well." Demolitions said, "How far along did you get in opening it up, Prankster?"
"Well I had to finish the other X-wings and the shuttles when you all got back, so I didn't start until we started this meeting. Oh yea one other thing, it was deep in the engine."
"So they didn't do it here?" Kell asked as he watched Demolitions cracked open the outer casing.
"Uh you're sure that safe to play with Explosion Boy?" Shalla asked.
"Yea she did a good job disabling it. I'll make sure to praise her a lot as she is cleaning the hanger with a toothbrush."
"Great," Prankster said looking like she lost her best friend.
"If the stiff twins didn't do it here, then where could they done it?" Road Kill asked grabbing her cup of caf to control her shaking.
"How do you know they didn't do it here?" Piggy inquired.
"It was too deep in the engine; I had to remove all the coverings to even see it. I found the sensor lead wires on the hyper drive power line. I traced them back to the starboard S-foil motor. The secondary power supply is not something you do a routine maintains or during pre flight checks, so they tend to be deeper in the engine then the main supply lines. Explosion Boy or I could do the job quickly enough, say within couple hours but we still would not be able to do it unobserved."
"So what are you suggesting that it was attached before she arrived here?" Scavenger inquired as he watched the two bomb experts working next to him.
"I don't know," she said glaring at the two experts, "they took it before I could figure out how it was supposed to work."
"Keep this up Prankster and you clean the hanger and the mess hall with a toothbrush." Demolitions said with a grin, "Explosion Boy, this looks like a one shot deal, no timer or delay actions."
"Yea that what I'm thinking too, Prankster, which was easier to reach without tearing apart the whole ship, the bomb or the sensor leads?"
"The hyper drive, the leads were hooked in with gator clips."
"Those clips would never handle the jump to hyperspace." Demolition said looking over at Face, "Poster Boy, I bet that when they got a free minute they did nothing more then activate the bomb, maybe remote, and hooked it up to hyper drive."
"When she jumped the clips would fell off activating the bomb, simple easy and we would have never known what happened to her." Explosion Boy finished for him, "Prankster are there any other anomalies that might have slip your mind?"
No sir, Sa … Ta …I mean Peacekeeper's ship is the only one with anything on it."
Face and Kell exchanged looks, he did not like where this was leading. If they were right then someone with access to the Jedi hanger had installed the bomb.
"What is so damn important about you Peacekeeper?" Road Kill asked, well yelled out. "We find a bomb and a major security leak on the same day and you seem to be involved in both?"
Tahiri looked over at Face, looking miserable; Ratnena gave her shoulder a squeeze while talking low to her.
"Peacekeeper, I know I told you that you did not have to tell them if you did not want to but …," Face said quietly.
"I know, I know … it that damn 'but' that keeps getting me in trouble you know."
"I believe that, I have heard that some people think you have a cute butt." Ratnena said with that deceptive sweet and innocent smirk. Tahiri gave her a smile that no one could mistake for sweet and said something in Yuuzhan Vong. Face and those who knew some Vong broke into laughter.
"I should wash out your mouth out young lady," Face said stretching, it had been a long day or he was just getting old.
"Yes sir!" Tahiri gave him a mocking salute. "Look everyone it is late we all have been busy today, I will explain everything tomorrow; if that is ok with you, sir?"
"Works for me," Face said getting up from his seat, "those of you on watch tonight don't take any chances. If you see something that is not right, call us for back up. Briefing at 0700, exercise at 0500 see you all there."
"So, what is the big deal?" Ratnena said after locking the door to their room after Sara … Tahiri … Little Brother and her all got back. Little Brother immediately extended his antenna and did a complete scan of the room. Tahiri, meanwhile, had her head buried under her bunk, getting her nightclothes probably. "I mean what is so bad you don't want to share it with us?"
"It not them I am worried about, it is you!" she said angrily as she slammed her bunk down.
"Me? What are you talking about?" Ratnena grab a robe from her storage compartment, the one concision she made to Tahiri, and began shedding her own clothes. Tahiri remained silent as she took off her footwear and socks. "Come on Tahiri, give it up, we are friends you know."
"And I wanted it to stay that way, but after I tell you, you will hate me and push me away just like everyone else has!" She said as she went into the refresher.
"What are you talking about?" She said following her over and blocking the door so it could not close, "So you are a Jedi, big deal it has not made me like you any less."
"It is not that I'm a Jedi that has me worried," she said softly looking at Ratnena's reflection in the mirror, "it is the kind of Jedi I'm that you will hate."
"What? I do not understand. How could I hate you, I mean you are my friend …"
"Like that matters," she screamed out turning on Ratnena, "Luke said the same thing, so did Leia and Han, Mara, Jaina, Jacen, Corran, Sannah and the rest! They all have said the same thing for time to time but I know," Ratnena could see the tears start forming in her eyes; "they are just waiting for me to lose it. To fail, so they can get rid of me! I am the freak, the Jedi-the-who-was-shaped! The abominations even the Yuuzhan Vong wished I never was that I had been killed before I was exposed to the galaxy!"
Tahiri slid down along the wall, with tears running down her face. Ratnena did not say anything she just sat down next to her and held her hand.
"See, the old Tahiri Veila was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong when she was 14 on Yavin 4. She was supposed to go with the others to a place were they would be safe until helped arrived. However, she wanted to stay with Anakin Solo, to prove to him that she was not a child but someone who was just as strong as he was who was worthy to stand by his side. Anakin Solo was her best friend, her first real friend in her life! She grew up in the deserts of Tatooine; surrounded by Sand people many of them did not want her around either. He meant the world to him, she would have done anything for him, followed him anywhere he lead, she couldn't stand the idea of him fighting the Yuuzhan Vong without her. However, she screwed up, she was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and they did experiments on her, forbidden experiments. The Shapers implanted memories and skills of a Yuuzhan Vong warrior, some one named Riina Kwaad, into Tahiri Veila's brain. Anakin Solo raced to her rescue and he was successful in saving the old Tahiri Veila, helping her escape. Riina Kwaad was suppress and locked away deep within Tahiri Veila's subconscious. Then Anakin Solo died and part of the old Tahiri Veila died with him. A couple years later Riina Kwaad got stronger and forced a challenge with Tahiri Veila over who had control over their body." Tahiri looked up at Ratnena, she could see the pain and uncertainly in Tahiri's eyes. "There were two separate and complete personalities, souls if you will, trapped in one human body. One was human the other was Yuuzhan Vong, two different beings that could no more be separated then someone could unscrambled an egg."
"So there are, like, two of you in there?" Ratnena asked not quite following what she was saying.
"Not any more, just before I turned 17 the two personalities had an acknowledgment that they could not destroy the other without dying too. They had to find a way to accept each other or they would both fall into a state of madness with no end. They 'merged', combined the best and worst of the human and Yuuzhan Vong worlds. And as a result of that merging I was 'born' so to speak, I am neither Yuuzhan Vong nor Human but a combination of both."
"Really?" Ratnena said taking that all in, "so what is like, you act like a Vong half the time?"
"Yuuzhan Vong and no, I have both of my 'parents' memories and knowledge but neither is really complete. I am me, not them."
"So it is like this 'old Tahiri' and Riina are your mothers and you are them but you still yourself?"
"Yes," Tahiri looked at her with a guarded look, as if waiting for something.
"Why did you keep the name Tahiri?"
"Beats me, it was the first name that came to me after I came out of the merging."
"Wow that is like, you know, weird that you would chose that name over any other, so what is the bad part?"
"What! Ratnena that is the bad part!"
"Uh, I've missed something then, what is so bad that you wanted to keep hidden from me?"
"I just told you, I am literally half human and half Yuuzhan Vong!"
"What? That is it, that what had you worried because of who you are?" Ratnena said, Tahiri threw her a look that suggested she was out of her mind, "What?"
"You really don't get it do you?" Tahiri said with a smile and gave her a hug, Ratnena could feel her crying some more.
"What?"
"You're the best Rat." Ratnena was completely lost she just let Tahiri cry. She knew that sometimes she could be a bit strange when it came to her emotions so she did not think any thing was too strange, she just wished that Tahiri would tell her what the big deal was. "You see, everyone I know seems to be waiting for this big bad Yuuzhan Vong part of me to come out and destroy the galaxy or something. The kids that the old Tahiri Veila grew up do not understand me and the adults are afraid of me, well not afraid but very guarded. Even Han and Leia, whom are almost like my adopted parents and love me as if I was their daughter, even they sometimes … you know, they don't mean too but …" Tahiri said letting her voice trail off.
"So what, it is not like just because you are Vong that does not mean you are evil. Sure, there are some nasty Vong out there but I remember hearing about those shamed ones or whatever they call themselves, they joined our side in the end. Anyways no one who plays the kind of jokes like you play can be evil." Ratnena said dismissively, "here I thought it was something really bad."
"Like what?" Tahiri said with a confused look on her face.
"I don't know, maybe you were the granddaughter of some evil warlord or something. You know something bad."
"No, but Anakin Solo's grandfather was Darth Vader."
"You're joking!"
"No, Darth Vader name was Anakin Skywalker, the father of Luke and Leia. As smart as you are you didn't know that?"
"Who studies ancient history anyways?" She said dismissively, she was about to rub Tahiri's head but held back at the last minute, no sense in annoying the girl. "Anyways I'm sure that we all have some classified past we rather not share with anyone."
"Yea, what is hiding in your closet?" Tahiri said breaking the embrace and sitting back on her legs. She was still crying but she had a smile on her face. "Come on I bared my soul to you, now it is your turn."
"I uh …" Ratnena not liking where this conversation was, "I would love to tell you, you know that but …" she stopped as an idea hit her "… I cannot. I am under orders from Poster Boy not to discuss it with anyone until training was over." She gave her roommate a cheerful smile she hoped would convey the right message to her.
"Oh, so you are under the same restrictions that I am under." Tahiri said with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Yes," Ratnena said with just enough sorrow in her tone to convey the sense that she would tell if she could, "you understand, if Poster Boy found out …" she let her voice trail off.
"Oh yea I understand," Tahiri said looking down crested, "but you would tell me if you could."
"In a Kessel second, we are friends and friends need to be honest with each other …"
"True."
"… Can trust each other no matter what …"
"I agree."
"… and if you can't trust your wingman and partner who can you trust?"
"No one, I agree totally, that why I been so moody lately, I had to keep this big secret from everyone here. You, most of all, need to hear the truth about my unique condition because you are exposed by it more then anyone else, I mean now you will understand why I act a certain way. I hope that you will be able to help me learn more about myself, how to control myself. My biggest fear is losing control and putting you in a position where some one might hurt you to stop me." Tahiri took a deep breath and gave her a sun bright smile, "the longer I had to wait the worst it got for me. I kept imagining all these horrible reactions you would have to my secret and well I am sure you understand."
"I think I do," she reached out and took the younger woman's hands in hers, "true friends learn how to look beyond all that and just trust that the other person wouldn't hurt them."
"I agree, now what is your terrible secret?" Before Ratnena could say, anything Tahiri held up her left and to stop her from speaking, "wait, don't tell me. You were kicked out of your last command for pulling pranks?"
"Well … you could call it a prank, I called it a harmless prank, but they kind of called it 'attempted murder'."