Valour knelt at her station as she began to carefully remove the dirt and grime from the artifact that had been uncovered earlier that day. As she removed debris layer by layer, she was startled to see that the same rings that had been found on the painting in the Jedi temple on Lothal were here on this painting. Could it mean that it held the same ability to enter into the world between worlds that the Jedi had been able to access?
Kiara put her brush down as she stared at the small indication of the rings in front of her. She cast a glance around her to see if anyone else had noticed them. If they did, they didn't seem to understand their significance. After all, she was the only one who witnessed the temple's activation on Lothal and survived it. And she certainly hadn't put everything that she had witnessed or knew in her report that she'd filed after the events that occurred there.
She debated with herself as to what she should do. She didn't know for sure if this temple was like the one on Lothal, but she did know one thing; if it was, then the emperor mustn't get ahold of the power within it. She grabbed her scraping tool and silently begged forgiveness from whatever forces were listening as she used it to start chipping away at the section of the ring that was in front of her. These temples were all intricately designed, and she could only surmise that the smallest bit of damage could prevent access to the knowledge within. She knew she couldn't do much. Not all at a single time but she hoped that a few bits in various locations removed could put a fly in the ointment.
At the end of her work shift she took in her work. She'd been able to disguise her sabotage to the painting pretty well. At least she thought she had. Once the overseer of the project examined her section of the painting Kiara would know if she had hidden her added flaws well enough. She grabbed her work tools and brushed off the top layer of dirt from her grimy uniform. It would be a long trek back up to the surface and she couldn't wait to remove the grime from every pore of her body. A hot shower was definitely in order.
Today was also a special day. She'd been here at her new posting for just over three months, now. That meant that she could leave the base with a pass. And she knew where she was going to go, too. There was a bar not far from the base where many of the Imperials would go to get out messages to their loved ones. Quite a few of them would also meet up with them on their leaves there. It was the best choice that she had to get a message out as to where she was at. She couldn't send out a Fulcrum message from there, but she could contact her ship to check in.
Kiara rode the impossibly slow lift as it ascended toward the surface. The section that she was assigned to work on was so far beneath the surface that it took more than half an hour just for the lift to take her to the main level of the Imperial base. The crust of dirt that she'd been able to ignore for most of the day became quite cumbersome as she shifted and moved around as the rest of her colleagues waited to ascend to the surface with her. Once the long lift ride was over, she made her way to get cleaned up. She swore that every day it took longer to get the dust out of her hair, and she almost had given up on getting it out from under her nails on a daily basis. When she finally was cleaned up and in a fresh uniform, she felt nearly three kilograms lighter.
As Valour left the complex she took in the sight of the civilian section of the city. It sort of reminded her of the lower levels of Coruscant. The buildings were all built directly on top of one another, and she could tell that any vice that she may want to indulge in could be met mere moments after leaving the Imperial Complex.
As she walked alone towards the bar that she'd been told about, she could feel eyes on her. If she wasn't careful, it would be too easy to go missing from this planet, never to be heard from again. She kept a hand on her blaster and when she felt the force nudge that to her felt like a bug bite on the back of her neck she turned and glared. She didn't know who she was glaring at since she didn't actually see anyone but she knew that they were there. She remained glued in place for a moment as she stared into unseen eyes to let them know that she wouldn't be intimidated. Suddenly she sensed another set of eyes, but these were much closer. She spun and brought her foot up into a swift kick that came in contact with a Rodian. The man hadn't expected the move and had gotten caught square in the jaw with Kiara's boot. He fell to the ground and didn't move.
Valour called out to the darkness after the still unseen owner to the eyes that she felt watching her. "Trust me. I'm more trouble than it's worth. I won't be very profitable to you."
She then stepped over the fallen male and headed toward the bar that she'd left the base in search of. When she found it, it seemed to be nothing special from the outside. Just an unremarkable door, really. If she hadn't had explicit directions, she likely wouldn't have found it. Inside, however, it was quite lively. She made her way to the bar and ordered a drink. She took it and sniffed it. She took a small sip and tested it before spitting the liquid back into the glass discretely.
When the bartender returned to check on her, she glanced around. "I was told to ask for s'Nora."
"s'Nora, huh?" The Sullustan grabbed a glass and started to wipe it as he considered whether or not he'd admit to knowing who Kiara was asking for. He eyed the human for a bit before he lifted his head and pointed with his chin toward the back corner. "He's back there if you have the credits."
Kiara nodded her understanding and got up from her seat. She left her drink along with a generous tip with it as she headed toward the contact. When she got back there, she was surprised to find a cyborg. He appeared to have once been human, but he was far more machine now than man.
"You s'Nora?" Valour asked as she sat across from the man. As she did, she revealed a handful of credits.
"That's right." s'Nora counted the credits in the hand of the woman as his fingers twitched in anticipation. "What can I do for you?"
"Nothing much. It is really quite simple. I'd like to get a message out. I was told that you'd be willing to help me."
s'Nora looked between the credits and the woman holding them. "A message to who? What kind of message?"
Kiara smiled and leaned in. "I just want to let my family know where I'm stationed. My brother worries about me. I only want to send out a message to let him know that I made it safe and sound to the base. You know how it's been with rebels attacking so many of the Imperial ships; if I could just let him know where I am I'm sure his mind would be put at ease."
s'Nora mulled over the request. "I can help you out, on one condition. I'll be in the room when you send your message. I can't have any messages that can link back to me sent out to anyone who may attract attention toward my little enterprise. Especially from your boss."
Kiara smiled. "Of course. I fully understand."
Kallus finished his workout and headed back to the Shadow Chaser to get cleaned up. He knew that he could request quarters at the new temporary base where his team had been sent while looking for a more permanent base, but he felt that it was just as well to stay in his quarters on the ship. He strolled toward the ramp of the ship and saw that Tac was floating down to greet him.
"Master Kallus, a transmission is coming in."
Kallus's brow furled. "From whom?"
"I am unsure. It is from the planet of Trilex."
Kallus jogged up the ramp and made his way to the cockpit of the ship and worked the controls to put the message through. When the message was put through, he was surprised to see Valour.
"Kiara!"
"Kal, I don't have much time, but I wanted to pass on to the rest of the family that I made it to Trilex safe and sound. I know that my brother worries about me, so I wanted to make sure I could get a message to everyone. Especially to Alex."
Kiara looked at the camera and Kallus could tell that she was telling him that she wasn't alone in the room.
"I'll make sure that Alex is made aware of your safe arrival," Kallus nodded and added, "I know that he's been especially worried about you."
"Well, he can stop worrying. You can even tell him that I've found some interesting places for my downtime. There's even a lounge nearby that has some pretty great music at the end of the work week. It's a little out of the way place owned by a Cerean; Gcolilz's. I've found some very fascinating ways to spend my time while here. It would seem that having fun is almost like a religion."
Kallus filed the information to memory. "I'm sure you will enjoy your off hours while at your new station. The rest of the family will be happy to hear that you are well."
Kiara seemed to look off the screen area for a second and nodded. "I have to go. I'll try to send the family a message to keep in touch when I can. Take care of everyone, Kal. Especially Alex. He sometimes needs more watching after than the others."
Kallus rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he'd disagree about that. Anyway, be careful. Trilex isn't exactly known for being an easy planet to live on."
"I'm always careful. Bye." Kiara waved and said just before the transmission ended.
Kallus sat back in his chair in the cockpit of the Shadow Chaser and thought over what Kiara had said. The part about having fun being a religion really stuck with him. He worked to decipher her message and when the answer to the cryptic message hit him, he was shocked. She was working on another temple. That couldn't be good. Especially after hearing what he had about the one on Lothal. He figured that he'd best share this small bit of information with Kanan. Then, perhaps, he'd see about going to Trilex. If Kiara had found something she wasn't going to be able to share it over subspace with borrowed transmitters. Not to mention, he wasn't all that happy with the idea of his friend being on a planet like Trilex without some sort of aid nearby if she needed it.
Kallus was intrigued with the fact that there appeared to be a Jedi Temple on the vice-ridden planet. He briefly wondered how the Empire ever learned of its presence. He figured that it would be a smart idea to determine the locations of as many Jedi temples as possible. The Empire likely has decided to excavate as many of them as they can.
"Trilex?" Zeb tried to remember everything he knew about the planet. It wasn't much. He'd rarely had a reason to head to that sector of the galaxy. "Why would there be an Imperial base there?"
Kallus paused in his eating to answer the man. He'd joined the crew of the Ghost for the evening meal and took the time to tell them that he'd finally heard from his friend. While it wasn't an official Fulcrum message, he figured that it was as close to one that she could get out at the time.
"It would appear that the Empire has located another hidden Jedi temple. She couldn't share much, and what she could, it had to be coded." Kallus then added, "She wasn't alone when she contacted me."
"Another Jedi temple?" Kanan didn't like the sound of that. Not after what he'd experienced in the one on Lothal. "That can't be good."
"I'm planning on informing the rebel leadership that I'm going to Trilex to try to make contact with her so that she can give me a full rundown of what she's come across since she was transferred there." Kallus started to move his eating utensil around again as he considered ways to blend in with the civilians on the planet.
"What if you are recognized?" Sabine asked. "If the Imperials recognize you-"
"I'm aware of what could happen," Kallus cut the Mandalorian off. "But I have changed my appearance enough that for the most part, I'm not likely to be noticed."
"You've grown a beard, Kallus. That's not exactly a foolproof disguise. The least you should do would be to change your hair color."
"I'm not one of your art projects, Sabine," Kallus rolled his eyes.
Zeb snickered at the idea of turning the young woman loose on his friend. He could only imagine what she'd come up with. "I don't kno-"
Kallus held up a hand to Garazeb to stop him mid-sentence. "Don't you start!"
Hera and Kanan both laughed as the other two started to joke about how they could help keep Kallus hidden from Imperial detection.
Hera was just starting to show her pregnancy. Until recently she'd been able to hide it with her clothing. Now, however, there was no mistaking the fact that the Twi'lek was expecting.
Kallus looked to the couple for a little help, but it was clear that they found his plight of trying to hold off the artist of the group from giving him a makeover to be more than just a little humorous. Even Chopper who was the frequent victim of her creative talents spouted off suggestions to the woman on how to help their friend change his appearance.
"Come on! I think I even have some contacts that you could use to change your eyes." Sabine and Zeb were having way too much fun imagining just what the woman could do if given free rein to change what he looked like.
"No," Kallus said firmly. "Like I said, I'm not an art project. I don't intend to look like one."
Zeb saw the look in Sabine's eyes and knew that she didn't intend to drop it. Once she got an idea in her head, she ran with it; especially if it came to her artistic abilities. After the meal was over he was heading to check on the perimeter before he planned to call it an evening when he swore he'd seen Sabine walking and speaking with Mon Mothma. Zeb snickered since he had the feeling that his friend might be a bit more colorful than he'd like very soon.
