The Captain walked to the dais, which the Queen had occupied a few minutes before, her hands clasped tensely behind her back. Luke watched as she paced a few moments, before turning to Therizo. She paused, biting her lip as if still contemplating what to say. "No doubt the Queen has informed you of your charges?" she said, Therizo affirmed that she had. "Hmm." the Captain replied, tapping a finger on her lips, her brown eyes then landed on Luke. "Ah, so this is the man in question" she said, descending the dais and approaching him.
"Yes, Captain" Sergeant Xavier replied, "Lars Starkiller" she raised an eyebrow at Luke, and smirked as she began looking him over.
"Well, you're definitely looking better from the last time I saw you." she said, turning to the Sergeant, "Tell me, Xavier," the man stood to attention, "How exactly did you find our friend, Starkiller, here – when he was in the Vogelfrei camp?" she inquired.
Justiss looked toward Therizo, then looked at the Captain. "He was bound to a wall, in one of their storage areas." he replied. "Covered in blood, you couldn't even see his face"
The Captain chuckled, "You hear that Therzio?" she said louder, so he could hear. "Tied to a wall – and beaten within an inch of his life. It was within an inch of his life, was it not Adriané?" she asked the Healer, tuning to face her. Adriané affirmed and once more gave Luke's condition when he arrived at the ward. The Captain spun back to look at Luke, "You're fortunate to be alive, my friend. The Force must be strong with you" she said with a smile.
Luke smiled back, "So I've heard before" he replied.
Ariadé snickered, "Have you indeed?" she said, laughing to herself a moment. She cleared her throat, "Back to topic. Therizo, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked.
"I did not think I did anything wrong" Therizo said, Ariadné chuckled humorlessly when she replied.
"What you think you did, is of no concern in this situation. The senate will not care, surely. Indeed, I don't think I do either." she shook her head, and looked to the ground, "Bound to a wall" she muttered, "Well, Therizo, I don't know how you'll get out of this one. In fact, I don't think you can"
Therizo looked confused, "Ma'am?"
She turned her head in his direction, "The senate wants your head, and don't think I'm not considering giving it to them." she snapped, "You bound a human being to a wall, Therizo! Thats unforgivable here on this side of the Eridanus. Or have you forgotten that the laws of Echtra do not apply in Liboria, nor do our laws apply to them?"
"I have not forgotten, but he was an outsider. How did I know he didn't come from the other side of the river?" Therizo asked.
The Captain looked at him in confusion – albeit, staged confusion. "Were you perhaps asleep, or were you blind the day that the X-Wing crashed in the river? That excuse will not work on me, and the senate will not appreciate it either" she said, sighing, "What am I going to do with you Therizo? I can't let you go this time"
"Why not?" he asked, his once haughty attitude was vaporized, and he was now wide-eyed and surprised.
"Because you have tied my hands!" she shouted, pulling her wrists together, and if bound, and approaching to say 'look'. "I cannot free you this time! I was told, in no uncertain terms: that I was to take drastic action with you, or else the senate will not only have your head, but mine!" she told him, her eyes blazing with enough fury to rival a Krayt Dragon."You have crossed the law of the senate these three times, you were left with a warning last time. You disregarded that warning and are now at the mercy of judgment. By rights, I ought to turn you over to the senate, and allow them to deal with you. But I know they will deal you an execution sentence. And I cannot allow that"
"So what will you do?" Therizo asked softly, Luke could sense the fear in him. He was not to be released, he now realized that.
The Captain shook her head, "The only thing I can do." she said softly, "I shall have to send to you through the Jubilee. Seven years of servitude, if you're well behaved, shall allow for you to be free of all crimes of which you have been accused."
Therizo pondered this, "And if I do not behave?" he asked.
The Captain tilted her head to the side with a smirk on her face, "At which point, I will have to agree with the senate, that you are a blackguard with no hope of redemption. They will decide your fate, and you will be out of my hands. A great relief to me, I assure you." her attitude of detachment was unnerving to Luke, she reminded him vaguely of his father's cold and calculating attitude as Darth Vader. "What will it be? For the decision is all yours, vogelfrei."
"Jubilee" Therizo stated at length, hanging his head.
The Captain nodded, "Good choice" she said, speaking to the Lieutenant in their language, she was giving him orders. Lieutenant Llewellyn replied, and stood Therizo up, he then began to escort the larger man from the room. "Therizo" the Captain called, "You owe me, I have now saved your skin five times." she said.
Therizo smiled, "Maybe one day I'll make it up to you" he said, she smiled, "Oh, I'll take you up on that my friend" she said. He then nodded in respect, and allowed the Lieutenant to lead him out
Ariadné held her head in her hands, and sighed. She turned to face Luke again, "Well, you have had a trying time here in Liboria, haven't you? You had a terrible welcome." she asked, not expecting an answer.
"True, but its getting better." Luke replied.
She laughed, "Yes, I would suppose that things are looking up for you. You went from being a bloody mess, to fully healed – well, almost fully healed – and a guest among us. Yes, things are getting better." she said, her thoughts took her elsewhere, "Which reminds me. . ." she trailed off, "Adriané" she said, causing for the healer to be at her side instantly. "You said something about he was already healing when he was taken to your ward" she said.
"Yes, the concoction that Therizo's wife gave him was helping the healing process. Why do you ask?" Adriané inquired.
"Would you say she would be a good healer?" she asked.
"Sufficient, she could be taught more civilized ways. Are you considering putting her in Jubilee under me at the ward?" Adriané said.
Ariadné smiled, "Your perception is well attuned, seler. Yes, that is my plan. I fully intend to place her under your care, I think she will do well. Besides, seven years is a long time to be separated from one's children. If she is at the ward, then she will be allowed to have them, perhaps give them a better life than they have now." she said.
Adriané shook her head with a grin on her face, "You are too merciful, onóno, the senate will not like that you have placed them both in Jubilee."
"The senate has no say in what I do as long as I do not break any laws. I am here to keep law and order, and if I decided to place them both in Jubilee, then that is my decision" Ariadné replied, "Tell me, Starkiller, what brings you to Tyrn?" she then asked Luke.
"A friend of mine. He disappeared at the same coordinates as Tyrn's location. I came to find him" Luke answered, unsure if he should tell her his friend's name. Now that Prentiss was known to be related to her, it might not be a good idea.
"Ah, then he would be the one that crashed before you did. Unfortunately, he's probably dead. No one ever comes out alive from Echtra, that place is altogether evil." she replied, with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry, but it is most likely the case. The only way he would be alive is if he became one of them, which is possible."
"He could be alive then?" Luke asked hopefully.
"Yes, but he would not be the same person you knew. He would be twisted by the dark side – you look surprised, allow me to explain. That side of the river has been ruled by the dark side for the last twenty years. The Empire sowed its seeds of evil, and they grew exponentially, until we could no longer live in peace. We had a civil war, and all of our transportation – bridges, and the like – were cut off from that side forever. If your friend is alive, then he is either turned, or in the process of being turned" she explained.
"Is it possible we could find him?" Luke inquired.
She snickered, "Sure, but I won't risk losing any of my soldiers to look for him. Crossing the river is dangerous as it is, getting to the other side is suicide" she declared, "Forget him, write him off as dead, it will be best for you and him."
Luke did not agree, but said nothing. If she knew that Prentiss was on the other side, would she change her mind and go after him? She wasn't heartless, but seemed to disregard his friend on the context of he was of no interest to her. Even then, it might not matter, she was resolved not to go to the other side of the river. Echtra, as he had heard it called.
"The question now is," she began, calling his attention back to her, "What am I going to do with you?" she asked. "You have no connections here, no friends or family. But we must find something for you" she thought aloud.
She seemed contemplative, and was about to come to a decision when the doors burst open revealing five older men. "Captain Llewellyn!" one of the men shouted, "We have something to discuss with you regarding that Vogelfrei that you have 'dealt' with" he said.
Ariadné stared at him, "Do you indeed, Senator Dreadnaught?" she asked coldly, "And what could you wish to discuss with me?"
"You have allowed for him to go free!" Dreadnaught exclaimed.
"Pardon? I have not allowed him free. I sent him to the Jubilee program, did I not Healer Llewellyn?" she turned to her sister.
"You did" Adriané replied.
"Precisely. He should have been brought to trial" Dreadnaught replied.
"And he shall … if he does not do as required in the Jubilee program" Ariadné said.
Senator Dreadnaught scoffed, "And since when were you the judge and jury regarding criminals?" he asked.
"Since I was told to take care of him, by Senator Thrace, I believe that it was my prerogative to deal with him as I saw fit. If this does not work, then he will be sent to the senate for judgment." she replied.
"You let a criminal be placed in a home for the next seven years?" Dreadnaught said with a mocking tone, "And you say you are protecting us"
"It is the law of the land, Senator, he has been placed in a program which was designed for situations like this." the Captain replied, "If kept busy, Therizo is a hard worker, and will do as told. He will take orders if he sees them as lawful, and not unreasonable."
Senator Dreadnaught shook his head, "Hard worker? You are biased, Captain Llewellyn, and you are allowing that bias to allow a criminal to live long past the time that he should die" he declared.
"Senator!" Adriané gasped.
"Tread carefully senator," a new voice uttered, it was Organa who had been pointed out by Justiss earlier. "Are you forgetting that this is the Captain of our military? She was appointed by the senate to lead them By going against her, you are going against the senate"
Dreadnaught spun to face the younger man, "Are you saying that there is no question of bias? Do you forget that this Vogelfrei name Therizo fought with her father in the Civil wars? That is the reason I say she is biased. She's keeping him alive out of some misplaced sense of debt to her father" he hissed.
"Bias?" Ariadné repeated, stalking toward him. Although he towered over her rather small frame, she was the one who dwarfed him, "And you are not biased Senator?" she asked.
"No" Dreadnaught replied.
"Really?" she said, her eyes aflame. "Then this shall be an interesting conversation"
*Seler - Sister
*Onono - Twin (Yes, they are twins)