Caden cursed. "Borka, it happened again! Second time this week."

Borka walked over. "Damn weather keeps changing. Sandstorms used to blow from the west and in the early seasons. Recently, it's all the time and from the east."

Luke supressed a grin as he walked up to the exercise table. "G-17, six remotes, blindfold."

"Hold on. We have to dig the sand away from the containers again." The locked containers were placed under the table, facing the troopers, and east.

"Have you considered moving them? I mean, the sand keeps burrying them..."

Borka shot Luke a hard stare. "Shut up and wait. We'd have you down here doing the digging if we didn't think you'd steal the laser swords."

Luke shrugged and, after a while, was finally handed his lightsaber, remotes, and blindfold. The ten minutes went by fast. In the two months that he had been there, Luke had found his strength improving vastly. Luke returned his lightsaber, shaking his right hand.

"What is wrong, Skywalker?" Ezhno turned to the trooper. "B-14, four remotes, blindfold."

"Nothin'. It's just that my hand has been acting up."

Ezhno continued to talk to Luke as he practiced with his lightsaber, it's thin, blue light showing signs of failure. Ezhno nodded. "I sense your dismay at the shape of my lightsaber. It is, indeed, rather old."

"But doesn't yours get repaired every now and then, like the others'?"

"Not always. I am not humanoid afterall, and you know how much the Imperials hate those who are not humanoids."

"Oh... That's why you get blamed for stuff frequently."

"Yes. But enough about that. What do you need to repair your hand?"

"Well, my repair kit, but they took that from me when I was brought here."

"Go to Perdita. She can help you get it back."

Luke nodded. "Thank you."

"It is no problem, Master Skywalker." Ezhno inclined his head as Luke turned around to find the human woman.

That was odd... 'Master Skywalker'?...

Perdita saw Luke walking towards her and headed his way. When she reached him, she inclined her head. "What can I do for you, Master Skywalker?"

"... Perdita... I--I..." Luke was shocked by the extreme show of respect, especially in a place where everyone was on a first-name basis. Finally, he managed to ask her why.

"Well, Ezhno respects you so much that he just inclined his head and called you 'Master'. He does not give respect lightly. Besides, even Masters Yoda and Kenobi recognized you as a Master, so... that is what we will call you." After a pause, she asked again, "What can I do for you?"

"Ezhno told me to come to you about a repair kit for my hand. I had it when I came in..."

"Ah, yes. Borka took it off of ya' when you were brought in. I'll talk to Caden about getting it back to you." She inclined her head again and walked off.

"Uh... Thanks!" Luke called after her. As Luke walked to his corner, he was assaulted with head bows and other respectful gestures. He sighed heavily as he plopped down next to Hateya.

The Twi'lek woman stood and bowed low, her smooth, green skin almost radiating in the afternoon sun. "O Great and Powerful Master Skywalker, you really should not sit out in the sun. It is bad for your health." She smiled at him patronizingly.

"Very funny, Hateya." He shook his head. "Word sure does travel fast around here..."

"Of course it does, especially now. You're the most exciting thing to happen to us in quite some years."

Luke flexed his hand at the breakfast table. It sure was getting hard to move, and the foe skin covering it was all but spent. In fact, the tension of it on the circuits was probably doing more harm than good. He had lost the nerve connections weeks ago, with no hope of ever having them again with that model. He was stuck with that hand...

Eron inclined his head as he sat down across and to the right of Luke. "So, Master Skywalker, tell us more about the Rebel Alliance. We get word every now and then here, but... it's rather incomplete and unrealiable."

Alden nodded. "Yes, Young Master. Clear some facts for us..."

Luke spent the good bit of three hours recounting his tales since he'd joined the Alliance and all events that had taken place, careful not to reveal any confidential information to the intent ears of the troopers surrounding them. While Luke enjoyed bragging as much as the next guy, he wished they would just shut up and leave him alone for a while. Perdita saved him. She bowed, handing him a small bundle of cloth. "Here it is, Master Skywalker."

Removing the cloth, Luke welcomed the sight of his repair kit. "Thanks, Perdita. I owe ya' big."

She blushed and bowed again. "It was nothing, sir. Glad I was able to help."

Luke didn't like everyone watching him repair his hand, or understand how it was so interesting, but he shrugged and peeled back the artificial skin. It barely came off in one peice. Can't ever use that again... Too bad... The circuits were in a tough shape. Luke cringed just looking at them. He shook his head and murmured to himself, "... don't know if I can repair this..."

Alden extended his own hand, palm up. "Master, if I may?"

"Huh...? Oh, look at my hand. Sure. You know about mechanics and circuits and all that stuff?"

"Decently enough. Da had a false foot, but it wasn't nearly as complex as this... All I can tell you is that the wires near the main relay are fused together, and they shouldn't be."

"They are?" Luke moved his hand back to his own face, and cursed. "They are." He sighed and began the tedious steps to separate them--a task that would have been a lot harder without his experience with droids and circuits back on his uncle and aunt's farm, and especially without the senses he had developed in the Force. "... That explains the lack of sensation..."

Alden furrowed his brow. "Sensation? As in false nerves? Is that possible?"

"Sure it is. About three years ago, a man... oh. Nevermind. Anyway, it's a recent discovery in medicine. Really useful. But the false nerves aren't working right anymore. They haven't for a while. I was even having trouble with them back on the Tantive V--one of the Alliances main ships. Now the nerves are completely gone."

"And I bet all this sand hasn't helped either, huh Master Sky."

Master Sky? What next! "Um... yeah, Eron. Either way, the wires aren't fused any more and I should be able to move it a little better." Luke flexed his hand. "Still a bit of work... but it's good enough for now..."

"Leia... Leia..." Han put his hand on Leia's shoulder. She was sitting in a circle of candles, meditating. "Hey, Leia..."

She opened her eyes. "Oh, Han. Sorry." She cleared her throat and walked over to the large window where the night lights of Coruscant greeted her. "What's going on?"

"The Mansurien delegation is about to land."

"Oh, I'll be right there." Leia pulled a brown cloak over her white dress. Luke's old cloak... It even smells like him...

Han sighed and held Leia in his arms. "How is he?"

"He's not hurt, that much I can tell. I think he's being held captive... but he's amongst pretty decent people... I'm sure of that." Onto her belt, she secured the small, makeshift lightsaber that Luke had taught her to make. "Let's go." Meeting up with Mon Mothma and other New Republic representatives, they made their way out to the landing pad. The seven delegates filed out of the ship. Leia made sure to keep note of their order since it seemed significant. Except for their clear skin, they were humanoid. Leia held back a cringe. While most of each delegate's body was covered in elegant robes, their heads and hands were bare, their clear skin giving a perfect view of humanoid anatomy just below the skin. Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare... Leia commanded herself. Deciding to make the first move, since she would be dealing most with them, she walked up to the lead delegate and bowed. "I am Princess Leia, Jedi Knight, Senator and Representative in the New Republic."

The lead delegate returned the bow. "I am Lorien, The First, ruler of all Mansur. I have the power of elemental earth. It is broad for my people, thus my powers are special, hence my being the ruler." Leia knew he wasn't bragging, just being frank. She had dealt with such races before. He signaled with his hands for the others to come out from behind him and line up to his left in order from left to right. He signaled to the woman next to him.

She stepped forward. "I am Nyeki, The Second. I have the power of illusion, but only of those pre-existing illusions derived from the subject's own mind." As she stepped back, the man next to her stepped forward.

"I am Tertius, The Third. I have the power of healing, but only of mild to moderate surface wounds."

The woman next to him stepped forward, but The Third still remained. She cleared her throat, "I am Tess, The Fourth. I have the power of healing, but only of mild to moderate internal bleeding. Tertius is my twin. We work together to combine our powers for the greater good of Mansur." They both stepped back as the next delegate stepped forward, a man.

"I am Quito, The Fifth. I have the power of motion, but only of inanimate objects that are less than or equal to my own mass."

A young woman stepped forward. "I am Essien, The Sixth, daughter and eldest child of Lorien, The First. I have the power to control fire."

The last young man stepped forward as The Sixth remained where she was. "I am Ashon, The Seventh, son and youngest child of Lorien, The First. I have the power to create fire. My older sister and I work together to combine our powers for the greater good of Mansur." The Sixth and The Seventh stepped back.

Lorien nodded and turned to Leia. "If you would, Lady, show us our accomidations. We are rather weary and travel-sore. We wish to rest before the start of negotiations."

"Of course. This way."