Getting through the spaceport was easier than Buck expected. Striding through purposefully even other Imperials gave him a wide berth. Intelligence Agents had a shadowy reputation, adding that to the fact that he was Chiss, people expected him to be cold and calculating. Not the sort a smart person would choose to associate with. That stray thought had him glancing back at Angel.
She followed his lead well, down to the aura of cool disdain he projected. His friend was displaying hidden talents he thought, mildly impressed, they may get through this in one piece. As brilliant as he viewed his idea to disguise her as an Imperial Officer, he'd also admit her brilliance on having him capitalize on his reputation to make the mission go smoothly. But even wearing a serious countenance there were still flickers of amusement in her eyes, a dead giveaway that her buoyant nature was irrepressible.
Contagious as well, he warned himself as he remembered their first meeting in a Nar Shadda warehouse. He'd gotten caught up in it as they'd eluded shots and mercenaries, when he'd thought her a skilled and delightful Agent; it was hard not to get caught up in it again. He forced himself to scowl at her, hoping it'd dim the light dancing in her eyes. Instead they sparkled more and the corners of her mouth quirked before she was able to compose herself just as they reached the droid at the automated speeder.
"Destination?" it asked.
"Imperial Frontline Camp," he ordered and as Angel opened her mouth, he shook his head firmly. "Remember your place, Corporal," he uttered carefully, trying to quell anything she wanted to say. She shut her mouth with a snap as the sparkle in her eyes finally dimmed. A necessary evil, he told himself even though he was disappointed to see it go, they were dangerous territory and he couldn't guarantee her safety if she gave them away. Thankfully the speeder was brisk and they reached the Outpost in no time.
He leaped up as soon as the speeder landed and gave her arm a quick tug to urge her along. Across from the outpost was an intimidating cliff face and he guided her to the ancient looking tunnel carved into it.
"Rakata transport," he explained, "Fastest way to get to that area. If you're talking about stasis chambers I have an idea where to start looking." She gave him a sidelong glance.
"Yes sir, Cipher," she said curtly, and he groaned as he kept pulling her.
"I'm helping you Angel," he stated, "Don't get chaffed because I'm expected to be a certain way here." He heard her give a small sigh.
"You have a point, sorry Buck," she apologized, "How do you do it?" Her question puzzled him.
"What?" he asked as she shrugged.
"Switch back and forth so easily. Makes me wonder if I know the real you." The irony of her statement made a dry smirk creep across his face.
"Surprisingly, outside of my family you probably know me better than anyone," he admitted and saw her typical teasing grin pop up.
"Should I be flattered or scared?" she gave him a quick jab to the arm before they stepped to the transport.
"Scared, definitely," he countered as he gave her a return jab, then returned to being serious. "Now these transports look more daunting than they are." The transport he referred to had a large metal base with a thick stone column in the center, going all the way to the high ceiling of the cavern. An alloy rod mounted to the column several meters up rotated around it constantly and sparks of electricity arced as it spun. Angel gazed warily at the alien technology but still followed Buck. He stepped to the console and programmed the coordinates they needed.
"All set," he said, "Now just step on and it'll send you where we're heading. I'll go first." Her eyes goggled at him for an instant but he didn't give her time to protest, stepping on the platform and making a show of pressing the correct button.
He still wasn't sure how the transport worked, it was just one of the things he'd accepted in the line of duty. The electricity surged over him, paralyzing him for a moment without pain. There was an instant of flashing light that he closed his eyes against while he felt weightless, then the sudden thump as his boots landed on a solid surface. The reverberation sent a minor shock wave through his body before he reoriented himself. Out of habit he drew one blaster and surveyed his surroundings. All of the transport caverns looked the same and he wouldn't know if they'd used the correct one until they exited, but he stepped from the transport to wait for Angel.
When she didn't materialize he started to worry. A dozen scenarios popped in his head, a malfunction in the transport, someone approaching her after he'd left… any number of things that could have happened. He heard a loud sparking from the transport and watched as her slim form finally emerged. She looked up at the transport's arcing electricity in wonder, her eyes alight.
"That was amazing," she exclaimed softly, "And these are here for you to use at any time?" The apprehension he'd felt withered in the presence of her excitement and he shook his head.
"Come along Corporal," he muttered, hoping to snap her attention to what they were doing. She looked around as if checking for other prying eyes, then gave him a sassy salute.
"Yes Sir," she assented, before composing herself again, "Lead the way." Heading to the entrance of the cavern the air grew colder confirming they were in one of the polar regions of the schizophrenic planet, a far cry from the verdant jungle areas the Imperial posts had been in. Nearing the end, Buck tensed as he heard the unmistakable clamor of blaster fire. He backed to the wall, his own blasters at the ready and edged his head out to see what was causing the commotion and groaned.
Primeval prison droids and Esh-kha, escaped aggressive aliens, had turned the path leading to the tunnel they were heading to into a lethal gauntlet. Dismembered droids and dead Esh-kha littered the ground as the two forces battled each other. Even as Buck watched, the droids fired indiscriminately on the tall half-crazed alien species with no regard to whether or not the blasts would kill quickly. Some wounded Esh-Kha were pulled aside by their compatriots, others just lay on the ground in pools of their own viscera, waiting for death. Sights like this weren't foreign to Buck, but he was reluctant to have Angel witness the slaughter. At times his giggling friend seemed so innocent, he wasn't sure to what degree of the ongoing war she'd been exposed to.
"What's going on out there?" Angel whispered as he still shook his head at the violent scene.
"There's droids and Esh-Kha firing on each other out there." Her brow furrowed in puzzlement and worry.
"So who's on our side?" she asked and he smiled cynically.
"Neither, the Esh-Kha are hostiles, aliens imprisoned by the Rakata before the Republic made this into their prison," he said, "And the droids were set up before the Empire took over. Both sides would view us as either threats or targets and they're right in our path. The lovely part," he continued, "The droids have stealth detection probes deployed, so that option's out. If we want through we'll have to make a break for it."
He gave her a stern look. "You ready?" he tried giving her one last chance to back out and was surprised when her face lost all emotion, posed in deadly serenity.
"Lead on," she said and he pointed to the corridor carved into a cliff face at a right angle to the one they were about to exit.
"We're going to flank right staying behind those droids," he explained, "Their primary directive is to subdue the prisoners so they might not care as much about us. Plus the Esh-Kha will be more concerned with taking them out. But we'll be at a closer range to them, easier for them to take us out if they take notice of us so move fast, got it?"
"Stay right, try not to draw attention, move quickly," she stated, still looking colder than he'd ever seen her, then shattering the illusion by winking at him, "You forgot don't die." Buck shook his head, reluctant to admit part of him was relieved to see a trace of the Angel he knew.
"That should go without saying," he said as they readied themselves at the entrance, "Stay low, go fast. Kill first, die last," he muttered and shrugged at Angel's questioning look, "Something my Tisci taught me. Now move!"
The pair of them sprinted across the snow covered ground, darting behind the line of large four-legged droids. Buck heard shouts from the Esh-Kha as they were noticed and a few started aiming their blasters at them. He tucked and rolled into a kneeling position before firing shots back at them, trying to make sure his targets went down with one shot. He jumped to his feet, still moving swiftly as he glanced back at Angel. She was firing some well-aimed shots of her own, though it looked like hers were to disable instead of kill. Still, he was surprised she handled a blaster so well as she kept up with him.
They continued forward, making just past half-way when the prison droids finally took notice of them. Several squawking beeps alerted Buck that they had been spotted.
"Watch the droids," he shouted as he saw one point its weapons at Angel.
"Just cover me," she yelled back as she stilled. Buck saw her raise her hand, lifting one of the droids to send it crashing into another. He shot an Esh-Kha aiming at her as she repeated the action, this time bowling the droid into several others. The screeching of metal on metal echoed against the rock walls as Angel cleared the droids and stayed close to Buck while he kept raining suppression fire on the Esh-Kha. The alien convicts were still firing at them even though she was destroying their enemies and Buck heard her huff.
"So be it," she sighed in resignation then lifted a droid and sent it into the shooting Esh-Kha.
The blaster fire ceased as the remaining Esh-Kha scattered, finally overwhelmed by the sight of the slim Jedi lifting droids like toys and tossing them at each other. Even Buck was starting to become impressed, he'd seen his mother's abilities and recognized how much power Angel wielded. When the droids were finally downed, the pair finished making their way to the corridor both keeping their blasters at the ready. Stepping softly, Buck looked again at his friend who seemed totally unaffected by the strength she'd displayed.
"So you could have cleared our way at any time?" he felt compelled to ask and she smiled shrewdly at him.
"You seemed so adamant about taking charge, I didn't want to interfere," she remarked, "If given a choice, I would have cleared the droids as I did, then stun the Esh-Kha instead of killing them." She let loose another sigh, "But when it comes to self-defense, we do what we must."
"Just how strong are you?" he asked. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he groaned, "Fine, how strong does the Force flow through you?" Despite what they'd just gone through, he saw her shoulders shake with laughter at the sarcastic question.
"You act like it's a measurable thing," she chuckled, "I don't know really. I just focus and what happens happens. It feels like my connection is solid and I've been told it's strong with me."
"Glad to see all that power hasn't gone to your head," he quipped and he rolled his eyes as unmistakable giggles erupted from her.
"Save me from giggling Jedi," he griped while rotating his suddenly tense shoulders, "After this I'm due for some serious R and R."
He heard a shift beside him and was surprised when Angel reached up and laid a hand on the back of his neck. Cool waves radiated from it, when combined with the gentle kneading of her fingers they effectively melted away more tension than he realized he'd been carrying. Another side of her abilities he thought, before he tilted his head from side to side, testing the ease of movement then gave her a grateful smile.
"You know I could probably help you with that, relaxation that is," she said, "I have some very effective mantras and meditation techniques." Buck thought about the last time he'd gotten some R and R, trying to remember if he'd spent it with that skilled Twi'lek on Corellia or that surprisingly limber Zabrak who'd kept him warm on Hoth. Shaking the images loose, he looked into Angel's expectant eyes.
"My relaxation technique usually involves warm bodies," he declared, "But you're welcome to help me with that if you'd still like to." She looked at him blankly for a moment before she got his meaning and turned away flustered. Capitalizing on her embarrassment he shot her a sly grin
"No better way to relax after a mission," he said, "You can't tell me that meditation is more relaxing than…" He was struck with the sudden revelation, "Oh that's right... Jedi. So it's highly probable that you've never enjoyed the ultimate in relaxation." Still looking disconcerted she stepped more quickly inching ahead of him.
"Not that it's your business," she replied in a huff, "But no."
"Hard to believe my little Jedi is a prude," he goaded and Angel whirled on him.
"I am not," she said defensively, "But it's better if people think I am, it's what people expect of a Jedi. Besides, most of the males I'm around are other Jedi or Republic soldiers who view me as untouchable, with a few maybe trying to 'get under a Jedi's robes' for bragging rights. It's not even so much I feel I need to avoid physical contact. It's just… well, I haven't found anyone who really appeals to me."
"What about me? Maybe I could?" he teased with a wink, and held his hand up with his index finger and thumb an inch apart, "Just a little?" He wasn't sure what made him want to laugh more, her flaming cheeks or the hand she suddenly clasped over her mouth to stifle her own amusement.
"I've seen you be charming when you put your mind to it," she admitted with laughter in her voice even as she started heading back down the corridor and he found himself trotting to catch up to her.
"Angel, my charm is legendary in some circles," he murmured leaning close to her ear, "And some of my other qualities as well."
She turned and gave him a droll look. "You're looking smug again," she admonished, as humor twinkled in her eyes and he realized that a slow smirk had taken over his face without his knowledge.
"Maybe it's because I can be," he stated, "I make sure if someone's been in my arms, they're not leaving unsatisfied." He couldn't resist another wink, "There's a really easy way for you to find out, you know." To his surprised, she let out a giggle of amusement instead of embarrassment.
"Not if you keep looking like you know everything," she laughed, "That look does you in Buck. I don't think I could take you seriously if you looked like that while we were together."
Buck felt his hungry grin grow wider. "Well if that's your only argument, I'm fine with blindfolds," he said, watching her jaw drop in shock.
"Save me from arrogant Ciphers," she muttered, but smiled as she shook her head and they continued down the corridor. They neared what was supposed to be the end when Angle's footsteps slowed.
"Wait," she halted and closed her eyes. Something close to pain passed over her face and when she opened her eyes again they were confused. "This doesn't make sense," she murmured and sped down the corridor.
Buck followed her, blasters in hand and at the ready. She came to the end of the corridor and they saw a large room with several empty stasis chambers. Looking like large test tubes the unoccupied chambers looked forlorn. Angel had her hand outstretched and every time she drew close to one she'd pull back like it burned. Buck stayed alert for outside danger but became concerned by her reaction. This wasn't the controlled Jedi he'd seen or even his giggling carefree friend. She started darting from chamber to chamber, stopping short before touching them.
"Senseless," she muttered as she moved toward one chamber, "All that time," she wandered to another, "The prides they missed, the kits," She finally approached the main chamber dominating the room and with what looked like great effort laid a hand on it. Buck watched her recoil but leave her hand on the console. He remained silent letting her regain control over herself, but was relieved when she finally looked up at him even though her eyes looked distraught.
"Twenty years Buck," she said softly, "There were Cathar imprisoned here. Held in stasis for twenty years," she shook her head again, "Stasis froze their bodies but not their minds. They were thinking, dreaming, having nightmares and unable to do anything about it for all that time." For all Buck had seen, this floored him.
"Being paralyzed like that," he muttered, "Sounds like hell." She nodded and looked like she was still gathering her control.
"It was," she affirmed, "There are echoes of their emotions in the chambers, decades' worth. Rage and sorrow, longing to be back home, back with their prides. But most of all hatred. Hatred for the Republic." She looked up at Buck looking confounded, "That's who put them there Buck. Their leader Prince Shange, he opposed the Republic so he and those who sided with him were brought here. It doesn't make sense." She started pacing between the chambers again.
"Why bring them here?" she was whispering as she stepped between them, "Why subject them to that? Why not contact the Jedi? A Consular might have been able to diffuse the situation. Why wasn't one sent?" Then her head raised and her eyes grew distant, "Maybe one was… " she muttered, and comprehension lit up her face.
"What are you thinking?" Buck asked, surprised when her expression grew guarded. She doesn't want to tell me, he thought, but she's trained to be honest. He held up a hand signaling she could stay silent and for the first time since being close to the stasis chambers she relaxed.
"I need to do more research before I know," she said, "Look through Master Tho's journal again, maybe I missed something. There's a connection here I'm certain."
"Then let's head back," he stated, "For what it's worth I'm sorry this was a dead end." Her eyes got a distant look before she tilted her head at him.
"No, not a dead end," she assured him, "I'm sure there's reason I was guided here, and I thank you again for helping me."
"Well thank me when get back to the Corsair," he replied, "At least we have a clear path back." She nodded at him keeping her blaster ready and he did the same as they swiftly turned to speed through the corridors.