The Device

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Outside the Vagabond

Christina stretched as she walked outside the ship to get some fresh air. She had her morning caf, and with the program doing its thing, she had time to relax. The crew had gotten a nice rest, and with them safely hidden on this moon, they were unlikely to be found by the Empire. Sounds of a lightsaber clashing and a hum filled her senses as she walked down the ramp, turning her head to find the source of the sounds. Nothing to the left or right, but as she walked around the ship, she found Setsuna and Allelujah sparring. Setsuna was in a pair of exercise pants and no shirt, while Allelujah wore a sleeveless top and tight pants.

Setsuna took a jump back from a strike, his lithe muscles glistening from the sweat that gathered on him. Allelujah was similar, his heart beating fast from the spar. Christina purred, happy to watch the sight of them. Allelujah swung a low strike, which Setsuna deflected went in for a counter blow, but the Jedi brought his blade back up, catching the Kiffar's strike near the hilt of the lightsaber, "Good. You seem to be a natural with that blade."

Setsuna just grunted as he took a step back, nodding. It seemed his connection to the blade flowed both ways, "A bit heavier than my last one." The pair continued to move and fight, panting as Allelujah could see the skill in Setsuna's form. He didn't need to say it, but he loved the fact he could actually fight with someone in a duel. The lightsaber normally carved through weapons, but Setsuna's new glowing blade could handle it.

The pair exchanged blows, each of them getting near strikes, Allelujah bruising him a bit with the stun setting of his blade, which Setsuna grunted at. It was strange to fight another force sensitive, as it seemed both were predicting each other. Every time Setsuna thought he had the edge, Allelujah seemed to be able to stop him. As well as each swing let the blade feel more natural in his hands, feel like it was an extension of himself.

But to Allelujah, Setsuna was pushing him to his limits. It may be because it had been so long, but Setsuna, despite his lack of formal training, was a natural, maybe even better than him if he was given formal training. He would probably have taken to form IV, but that would require finding a holocron with that training or another Jedi who knew that form. Blow after blow rained down on Allelujah, his more defensive form much more suited to dealing with this. His master would chide him for being so sloppy, for letting Setsuna push him so far, but his rusty form became more graceful with each parry.

Neither man sensed Christina was there, so she was given a show as the two skilled warriors fought and sparred, practicing. She silently squealed, loving the sight of two very handsome and skilled fighters showing off. On her planet, this was normal, and she blushed at the memory of home. Both weapons hummed as they clashed, Setsuna dodging more and Allelujah parrying more. Sweat poured down their bodies, their hair damp.

After a few minutes passed, both men took a step back and a deep breath after Allelujah was nearly disarmed, the spar stopping as Allelujah fell on his back, turning off his lightsaber while Setsuna leaned back against the ship, trying to get air.

Allelujah was the first to speak as he sat up, resting on his arms, "Remind me never to face you in a serious battle." His arms were screaming as he used the force to steady himself, "And you lost to that mercenary? He must have been really bad."

Setsuna scowled, "He used tricks to beat me. He was good, but I would have beaten him if he didn't do that." He looked at the ground. 'I don't even know if that is true.' He took another deep breath, and let the sword drop, "And you are skilled as well, though you did seem a little rusty. We should do this regularly, to keep us both at our best."

Allelujah smiled, "Yeah, I probably should." Setsuna seemed focused on him, looking at him, probing his force walls. Not pushing against them, but he could sense curiosity in it, "Is something up?"

Setsuna just kept a straight face, "You seem to be holding back." Allelujah looked at his sweat covered body, and the fact he was panting, giving Setsuna a curious look. The Kiffar corrected himself, "I don't mean from the fight. I have fought people before, and you are holding something back. I shouldn't have gotten so close at some of my strikes, especially against a trained Jedi, even if you are rusty."

Allelujah looked at the ground. He only thought the echani could do this, but maybe it could be something else. 'Some more martial Jedi could almost supernaturally read their opponents strength, even if they were trying to hide it.' He kicked a rock, and let out a sigh, "I have a minor…issue with myself, but I have to solve it on my own. But thanks for caring to say that, at the very least."

Hallelujah, appeared away from the group, his arms crossed over his chest, "You think that technique is going to help when you seem to throw yourself in danger to save people. That attitude will get you killed. And me along with it." His tone was bitter and dark, glowering at the lighter half.

Allelujah just looked at the ground, "A Jedi's life is sacrifice." The dark aspect just glared and faded back into the ether, his annoyance still very much present in the back of Allelujah's head.

Setsuna looked at the Jedi curiously, "What was that?"

Allelujah just realized he spoke out loud, and frowned, "Just an old Jedi phrase. Sacrifice is what we do for those who need it. To keep the galaxy safe from the dangers in the dark."

"Then why did all of this happen?" Setsuna's thought slipped out. There was a hint of frustration, of a silent judgement for what happened to him, "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry for that." His radiating emotions read genuine remorse. 'He didn't deserve that. After all that happened to him.'

Allelujah shook his head, "No, I get you. We should have been ready to protect people, to stop the fall of the order. But we failed."

Setsuna pushed off the ship and walked over to him, offering him a hand. Allelujah took it and stood on shaky legs. Setsuna looked him in the eyes, "No. It's not your fault. I'm just frustrated is all. We can only poke at the empire, while they continue to hurt innocents."

Allelujah just put a hand on his shoulder, "Then we give them the biggest black eyes we can till they fall." Setsuna smiled, and was about to speak when Allelujah noticed that Christina had been watching them, "How long have you been here?"

Christina looked at the pair, still a bit distracted by how hot they were, but their conversation had brought that down. She smiled, "A few minutes before you guys ended sparring. Made me a bit homesick. I'm sorry for intruding." She looked to Allelujah, an apologetic look on her face, "I promise I won't tell anyone what I heard, but do you mind if I had a private chat with Setsuna?"

Allelujah nodded, and walked towards the ship, a nice shower on his mind as he took one last look at Setsuna, who met his eyes. He could see the warrior spirit in the younger man, and he promised himself he would help find info on the forms to help him. Christina looked at Setsuna, "I haven't seen you this confident before."

Setsuna just shrugged, "Getting a grasp on my abilities has given me a bit more understanding of myself."

Christina flicked his nose, "You certainly have become scarier. But don't forget you are the humorless man we all know." She then looked up thoughtfully, "Though I suppose there are two of you."

Setsuna cracked a smile, "I can at least understand them. I just don't laugh."

"That is true." She looked at his blade, "Can I hold it?" Setsuna just nodded and handed it to her, that blue go fading away as it left his hands. She held the surprisingly light blade, and took a few steps away, taking some swings. There was definitely something special about this weapon, the markings on the blade telling an ancient story. Unprepared for the power of the slashes, she stumbled forward and fell forward, scuffing and staining her pants as she dropped the blade.

She began to laugh at herself, Setsuna chuckling slightly as she pulled herself up, "Master swordsman." She pouted and shoved him, before handing him back the blade after a few more successful ones.

"That is why I stay on computers. Gets me less dirty." Setsuna smoothly sheathed the blade as he called the sheath with the force. Christina marveled at the ease at which he did this, and smiled as she could sense how comfortable he was. He certainly had some pings of regrets and worry, but otherwise he was calm and collected.

A wide grin crossed her face, and Setsuna gave her an uneasy look. She just walked up to him, looking him deep in the eyes, "But when were you going to tell me that you hooked up with Feldt?" Her voice was high and excited, that mildly crazy look in her eyes.

Setsuna groaned, "I assumed you would have noticed. It's not like we haven't slept in the same bunk for months now."

"That doesn't count. You two were doing that before you even hooked up. You two look like you've been connected to a battery. It's like you're glow." She may not have the force like those two, but even she could see the content and love between the pair. Even now Setsuna was a bit brighter.

Setsuna just hummed under his breath, "Feldt has made me happier than I have ever been." He looked down at his hands, "To feel someone so connected and familiar is something I didn't expect or ask for, but I won't give it up now."

Christina squealed, hugging him, "I knew you two had a connection ever since she joined the crew. The way you stared at her on that boarding ramp." Setsuna couldn't contain his blush as the older woman held him close.

"If I had known you were so gung-ho for it, I wouldn't have done it." He gave her a teasing smile as she glared at him. She poked his chest.

"You are lucky Feldt isn't here to hear that." She let go of Setsuna, and her voice became more serious, "It's more than just that, you know. I was afraid you were not going to know what to do with yourself if we ever won."

"Will win." Setsuna gently corrected her, and she nodded.

"Will win." Christina's perky smile filled her face, and she squeezed his cheek. Setsuna huffed and she stared him down, "Don't give me that."

"You are like an annoying older sister or cousin."

"Then I am doing my job. Someone has to keep you guys from all going off and being crazy. I swear the only sane person on the ship is Feldt besides me." Setsuna didn't disagree and smiled at her.

"Well thankfully you are here to keep us all sane." He held his sword and began to walk back towards the ship, her following him, "And I think you are right. It feels…right to be with Feldt. Like a part of me feels more whole."

Christina just smiled wider, "Than let your connection strengthen you. Love is a way for my people to remain strong and stable. As long as you don't mind sharing a bit~." Setsuna raised an eyebrow, "Hey, I've been good. Just because I see eye candy doesn't mean I touch." A half smirk rose on his face, and the Zeltron grumbled, "It's not fair you get to turn it around on me."

"Turn around what?" Setsuna still had that smirk, and Christina just huffed and walked ahead, moving up the ramp ahead of him.

"You'll pay for that!" She blew him a raspberry, and Setsuna settled into a content mood. But as he walked up the ramp, there was still that dark regret in his mind. Ali was still out there, and probably hurting people. He needed to be dealt with, and he would never forget that, never let him go fully.

Bridge of the Vagabond

Anew was looking at the data being worked on, eyes watching as what looked like nonsense was being processed. Haro was happily chugging along, seemingly ignoring her. The sun had rose in the sky, and some of the crew had taken a short hike, leaving only a few people on the ship. The ship was covered in a camouflage net, which would hide it from any observers that flew over it.

She just hummed a tune under her breath when she heard footsteps approaching her. She turned to face them, and found Tieria looking at her intently, dressed casually. She turned around and looked at him, "Something going on? Or are you just keeping an eye on me?"

Tieria just gave her an even look, "Both. The rest of the crew might fully trust you, but someone has to be cautious." Anew frowned slightly at that, but Tieria just continued, "But right now I have a more pressing question. One only you can answer."

Anew raised an eyebrow, and say down, spinning the chair to face him, "You have my attention. I'll answer what I can." She crossed her legs, scanning his face and body language.

Tieria looked and twitched a little as he asked his first question, "Why did that Regene woman have my face? Why did she look like me?" Sure, there were differences. 'More feminine, a bit shorter. But not enough.'

Anew let out a breath, "I was surprised to see someone who looked like her too when I first met your team. It sat in the back of my mind but seeing her again had me notice that as well." She looked into his eyes, "I don't know a lot, but I know we aren't human."

The way she said we caused his breath to catch. Tieria had always questioned what he was, but every genetic study had told him nothing. Close enough to be human, but still that much different. He crossed his arms as he stared down at Anew, "Then what are we exactly?"

Anew gestured for him to sit down, but he just shook his head. She shrugged her shoulders, "Ribbons never told us anything. Honestly Regene would know more than me, but Ribbons called us his children. Every time one of us failed, he would look and speak to us like a disappointed parent." A vision of a memory of him talking her down in a calm, but domineering voice passed through her head, that frown sending shivers of fear down her spine.

Tieria tapped his foot, "When you say children, did he mean it more metaphorically? Or like he created you?" Ribbons was sounding more and more like a megalomaniac; his followers being called children odd. 'And he's chasing some ancient thing?'

"He always said that without him, we wouldn't exist." She had a faraway look, and cleared her throat, "He said we didn't want to be like the failure, who didn't help out his goals, and failed his master." A hint of pain went through her mind, but passed before she could wonder what that was.

Tieria could easily guess the master either meant the emperor or Darth Vader, but the failure? He looked at Anew, and even he could see that she was trying to hide her nervousness, "So who is this failure?"

"Ribbons said he was the root of our suffering. Why we were all below our peak capabilities." Her eyes looked at him with a new understanding, "Only a few of us ever got to see who it was. I only knew that we didn't want to become him, or we would be treated like him. And now that I met you, I think I know who it is." Anew's look was intense, and Tieria had a dawning sense of unwanted importance.

"Who?" Tieria didn't want it to be true. The pieces were coming together in his mind. 'I was locked in a cell. I look like one of these people. I was called a failure by Ribbons.' He was breathing heavy, and he swallowed hard.

Anew looked at him with a deep, innate stare. Her breathing was a practiced controlled pace, "You. He always seemed to have an inbuilt hatred for you."

Tieria's expression twisted in pain. The words hit his heart like a bullet, and a part of him didn't want to know more, to stay ignorant. But he instinctively pushed on. Tieria's eyes were full of desperation, "Did he ever say why? Why I was in there? Why was I locked up?" There was no point in trying to ask if she knew his condition.

Anew shook her head, "I wish I could tell you. But Ribbons never said anything more. But I could tell it was personal. If it was just business, then he would have killed you. But you had no intel he wanted, no connections to follow. He hates you for some reason."

Tieria's anger grew as she spoke. He had always assumed he was locked up for a reason. 'Like maybe I had lost my memory. Or was important to some bigger fight. But this?' Ribbons had not only left him to rot for years but hated him. 'What could I have done to him?' His mind began to sink into the darkness, and he let out a harsh breath. He just nodded at Anew, "Thank you." He was speaking through gritted teeth, and he walked away, his harsh steps echoing through the bridge.

Anew looked back at the data, and she heard Tieria's strained voice, "We aren't failures." The steps continued and the sound of a door sliding closed left silence. The beeps and electronic sounds from the computer were the only sounds that filled the space. She let out a breath and pursed her lips. 'I hope he's right.'

Conference Room of the Vagabond

A good chunk of the day had passed, and the crew was all resting and relaxing when Christina had excitedly called them to the conference room. Everyone took a seat as she was putting something into the data slot, and the Zeltron had a wide smile. Lyle looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "So what's got you all bubbly?"

Christina started the projection, "This! I don't know how useful it is, but I thought it would be something exciting." The holograms appeared above the table, and it showed a collection of three images, with simplistic but clear art. One of them showed what looked to be some sort of machine with two chambers. On the left was one of the aliens Setsuna had seen in his vision of the sword, appearing bigger than the three people on the right. They were a mix of aliens, and they were in scraps of clothes. In the middle was some sort of switch.

The following one showed the same people, but the art showed energy going from the right to the left, the slaves or prisoners on their knees. The alien on the left had his hand in the air, the energy surrounding him. And the last image had the slaves looked like drained husks as the alien almost seemed to glow. The group studied it, trying to make head and tails of what they were seeing. It took about a minute to get someone to speak, and Tieria was the next to speak up, "Where did you find this?"

Christina looked up at the image then back at Tieria, "When I was going through the data, I found buried deep was some images relating to wherever this map was pointing to. The symbols related to whatever this is still a mystery, but the images speak for themselves."

Feldt tapped her chin, "Is this some sort of…life draining machine?" She pointed towards the middle image, studying the waves in the air, "It looks like something is stealing their life force?" She looked at Allelujah, "Is that a thing the force can do? Or any machine?"

Allelujah looked back at his studies. There were records of dark force techniques, but they were locked in the restricted section. 'Which I never got the chance to look at.' He didn't shake his head, only shrugging his shoulders, "Unfortunately, I can't say one way or the other. It sounds like that it could have been possible, as the force acts as it wills, but draining the very life of a being would have been a monumental task. Though firmly part of the dark side."

He studied the image, "This machine looks like it could do something like this, as we have no idea what technology these people had. Devices can use the force or require the force to activate them, so the person on the left could use the machine to replicate the effect of the dark side."

Setsuna spoke plain, "Well I have seen that the race on the left could and did use the force." The team looked at him curiously, only Feldt aware of what he had seen, "I could feel the dark side coming from them."

Tieria and Lyle just looked at him in confusion, groaning as they tried to wrap their heads around this. Lyle raised his hand, "Before we continue talking about this supposed device, you could see the past? How?"

"Through the sword."

Lyle just ran a hand down his face, and groaned, "Of course you can do that with the force. Why did I even ask?" He looked at Allelujah and Feldt, "Can you two do that?"

The two force users shook their head, and Allelujah began to explain, "Every force user has a different connection to the force. This was new to me too, but many techniques-"

"I got it, I got it. Can we get back to the topic at hand?" Tieria spoke with his usual even tone. As interesting as the topic was, he just wanted to get to understand why Ribbons was focused on this. 'What could his end goal could possibly be?'

Lyle just looked at Setsuna, "You'll have to explain this to me later." Being left out of the loop wasn't fun, especially when it related to his teams' skills.

Christina nodded and her eyes went to Anew. Anew studied the image carefully, "Well from my experience with Ribbons, he is always looking for more power. More influence. To get in good graces with Darth Vader. So, if he can find this device, assuming it's what he is looking for, then he can go two ways." She hummed under her breath, not knowing which one is worse, "Either he offers it as a gift to his master, or he uses it himself. And with the Inquisition resources, they maybe have a use for the prisoners and Jedi they capture."

The force users shuddered at the thought. If this thing absorbed life force and was tied to the dark side of the force, then captured Jedi or other innocent force users would be the best fuel. Though they were still operating in limited information, so it could be equal for all life.

Tieria growled and looked to the group, "Then we definitely need to stop him. He is a threat to everyone, especially if he gives it to the leadership of the Empire." Anger and long buried hatred bubbled up in him. The force sensitive members could read that like a book, and Christina had a worried expression forming on her face. Lyle let out a sigh.

"That sounds all nice and good, but we still don't have where it is. How much longer do you think till you have the coordinates?" He glanced at Christina, and she pursed her lips. 'I don't like that look.'

"Maybe a day? A little less? Or more?" This data was complex, and her system was still trying to convert it to modern operating systems. She was getting impatient, but she at least knew she had a time frame on that data. Haro was doing a great job, and he would definitely be rewarded for that.

"Keep us updated." Lyle looked at Christina, "Anything else we should know?"

She shook her head, "Not really. I know roughly what area the planet is in, but that still contains several different planets. I will tell rebel command once I get it done. Hopefully they can send a larger strike team to assist us in dismantling the place if it comes to that, especially if it is crawling with those droids, you guys mentioned."

Lyle nodded, and the group who had been at the ruin didn't want to imagine what a place that held an artifact like this would have. Christina turned off the projection, and took a deep breath, "But as long as we don't meet Ribbons, I'm sure that we can keep it away from him and can let this object lie." Anew's eyes flashed for a second as she said that, but Christina and nearly everyone else missed it.

Everyone except for Feldt was reassured, who had a bad feeling about something. It was a flash of the force, but it was gone before she could identify the source. She took a breath, Setsuna looking her with concern, but she just smiled, "It's fine. It was nothing." She looked around the room again, trying to find what that was. 'Please just be my paranoid.'

Medical Bay of the Omen

Marie rolled her shoulders, finally feeling healthy again. After the attack on the excavation, she was brought back to the Omen to get full medical treatment. 'Bacta does a lot of good for the ribs.' She looked at the doctor, who just nodded, "You are cleared to go. Also, the Admiral wanted to see you on the bridge." She nodded and was about to leave when the door opened to reveal a brown-haired man, his hair in a long ponytail. He had a severe face, but a smile lightened it.

"It's good to see you up and running again." The man leaned on the door, and Marie just shook her head.

"Lieutenant Ming. I thought you were on shift." He had long served under Sergei, having transferred command with him multiple times. She crossed her arms across her chest, a smile forming unbidden on her face.

He shrugged his shoulders, "One of the other guys said he's willing to cover me as I visit you. And they aren't going to fire me for doing this." He looked her over, "How did you lose a fight? I thought the Echani didn't lose in melee?"

Marie just groaned, "He was tougher than I thought." Her eyes showed she was taking it in stride, but her mind wandered back to Allelujah, hoping he made it out safe. 'Wonder how he managed to evade us.' She pushed to move past him, and punched his shoulder, "Now I think you need get to back on duty. I can share some drinks with you when we get off duty."

Ming just smiled, "It better be from your supply. You drained my stuff last time." Marie just rolled her eyes and walked down the hall. Ming just shook his head and headed back to the hanger control room. Marie looked back one last time, then took confident strides to the bridge. She tapped her hip, a strange worry crossing her mind before she blew it away. 'It's probably a new mission.'

Author Note

And we come to the end of another chapter. Our crew is learning more, and we have new mysteries. Who knows what's going to happen next? I'll see you guys' next time and please review and comment!