Hyperspace - en route to Dathomir

Shin dropped out of her meditation, not that she had been fully immersed in it. Baylan's mood had been odd since they left the Crime Lord's ship. She had known several of those people in her short life, escaped from one and there was a tiny part of her that regretted turning over the woman to that man. It would not end well for her. Not that she was wanting to set her free but she felt the woman knew more about her Master than she did. She would have liked to ask more.

Baylan was now unsettled; he denied it but she could feel it. Their bond was strong and always would be. He had saved her from the Bounty Hunter, the blue Duro and there had been others but none so persistent as he or who had got so close to her. She had always sensed them and managed to run.

She was too unsettled to meditate.

She rose from her cross legged position and went to find him.

"Master?"

"Yes." He answered evenly, like he always did, "You have a question?"

"You're unsettled."

"I am." There was no point in him denying it.

"Why? Is it the woman, this Hela? What did she do to you?"

He smiled, "It's all in the past."

Shin was always interested in his past; it was so different to hers. He had no family. She had no family. But he had the Temple and others like him, people he had grown up with. She had always been different— an outsider, until he found her. She only had him— and these new Inquisitors.

"But it's still affecting you. I can feel it. I deserve an answer."

He studied her, this child. She was strong in the force but she would have been too old to have been trained as a Jedi, if the Order had remained as it was.

"You are correct. You deserve an answer."

He calmed himself, thinking how to explain this to her; she was still a child.

"I met her when I was a Jedi, just knighted. We liked each other and spent a lot of time together."

"So she was your girlfriend?"

Slightly surprised, he searched her feelings and all he felt were questions.

"Yes." He could not deny it. "We had a relationship."

"But I thought Jedi weren't supposed to have those sorts of friends?" Shin knew about things like that. Her short life had not been sheltered, far from it.

"You could but you were not supposed to get emotionally attached; it could affect the decisions you made. We did and it made me question the whole Jedi code."

"But you stayed a Jedi?"

"Yes. I left her. But I suppose the questions I had never left me, especially after the War."

"The clones?"

Shin had seen some of them, in their white armour with splashes of colour.

"Yes. It was wrong but it made me more able to survive after the Purge."

He watched. She had more questions.

"The locket?"

"Was given to her for safekeeping."

"Not to help her."

"It would in part but if she was in danger, I would know the locket was also in danger."

"So you used her."

"Yes."

He sensed she had yet more questions.

"This Crime Lord and this job?"

"Came along at an opportune moment and I took advantage of it. To survive."

"Hmm."

"Shin?"

"I feel there's more. Why didn't you just kill her?"

"Credits. Vos wanted her alive."

"Just that?"

"Just that."

Shin sensed Baylan did not wish to divulge any more but she also sensed regret.

Then he was closed off from her again.

.

Dathomir

Morgan Elsbeth stood waiting in the ruins of the Nightsister Territories; the area had never recovered from the Separatist massacre, and a mist rolled over the ground. She felt her sisters' pain even now. It inflamed the revenge she needed for the attack but that happened every time she returned.

She had recently received a setback from the Empire but had found an ideal planet with which to work on. Corvus.

There were some items she needed that were found only on Dathomir and now the ex-Jedi had something else she needed.

She smiled, it was ironic that she was dealing with a member of the Order that was supposedly extinct but then so were the Nightsisters and yet here she stood. Living proof they weren't.

The Jedi and the child were close.

The mist cleared.

"My lady."

Baylan Skoll was always so proper in his dealings with her.

"Baylan." She replied.

She reached up and pulled her hood down; small parts of her tattoos visible. She watched the child study her, as she herself studied the child. The Force surrounded her. At first she thought the child a Nightsister but she could find no evidence of that. She walked around her, feeling the Force pulse through her.

"Your name child."

The child looked at her Master; Baylan nodded.

"Shin Hati—my lady."

"And when did you know you had this affinity with the Force?"

"I've always been different."

Morgan Elsbeth nodded her head, "It is often the case, my child." She gestured to her dismissal. Shin walked away.

"Shin would be classed as a Bokken Jedi, by those who still believe, trained after the Temple fell but we will not be Jedi."

Morgan Elsbeth studied him; he had certainly committed some un-Jedi like acts.

"You have it?"

He held out his hand.

The locket floated to hers.

She held it in one hand and raised her other one above it.

They all watched as the Jedi inscription metamorphosed into Nightsister symbols.

Finally it stopped.

"And you found this in the Jedi Temple Archives?"

"Yes, my lady."

"No one knew exactly what it was but I felt it was different. It called to me."

"As it would. It would sense the most receptive mind. The other Jedi were so wedded to their code."

Baylan nodded.

"It has been kept safe all this time."

"Yes. My lady."

Shin watched his every move unsure why he was being deferential to this woman. Then she knew, she felt her mind in hers, even stronger than her masters.

She took an involuntary step back.

"I sense we will not meet now for a number of years. We both have work to do."

"Agreed."

"May your Force go with you." The Nightsister said

"And may yours go with you." Baylan replied.

Shin had never heard that expression before. Another question she had for him.

.

Hyperspace

First Light - Dryden Vos ship.

Hela woke and shot upright, breathing hard; she was now in a large soft bed, not a bunk. She looked around the room, it was lavishly and expensively decorated. Everything looked real, nothing fake.

She leaned back and closed her eyes again. This was Baylan's fault. It was some kind of Force nightmare, she'd wake up soon, be back on Daiyu with Zur and Dag.

She lay there, hearing and feeling the slight hum from hyperdrive engines; she was travelling on a ship.

It wasn't a nightmare; she opened her eyes again.

"How do you feel?" A soft coruscanti accented voice asked her.

She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and searched for the owner of the voice; a human sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, in the shadows.

He rose, holding his hand out, "Dryden Vos. You cannot believe how I feel, finally getting to meet Hela Nim and her amazing voice. I saw you so many times. Every time I was on Coruscant and you had a show running, I would get a ticket. Sometimes it was so difficult; some people simply refused to give them up willingly."

Hela stared at him, unable to speak.

The man from the dinner on Daiyu.

A fan?

"I know this is so—unexpected. I was quite specific though. You were not to be harmed in any way. And who better to bring you to me than someone you knew intimately, a former Jedi."

He smiled.

"Oh don't worry. I'm not going to turn him in. He's been very useful with his specific set of talents and now his little protege. Tell me, what was it like being with a Jedi?"

Hela opened her mouth then closed it again.

"Oh. I'm sorry that was very intrusive. Perhaps another time when we know each other better."

He watched her and smiled.

"This is going to be—"

"You had me kidnapped?"

"Oh no. Retrieved. Saved, if you will."

"No! kidnapped!"

"My dear. We are going to have a little talk, where I explain everything to you but for now you can shower and get out of those—" he looked at how she was dressed, "rags. There are clothes in the closet. I hope they fit. You look thinner than I remember, even from Daiyu."

He rose, "But enough talking. Oh! I forgot. Please call me Dryden. I know we are going to be the best of friends."

She watched as he walked to the door, "N'ina will help you." He opened the door and a small Rutian Twi'lek entered. She bowed and kept her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Anything she wants."

"Yes sir."

She waited until he had left the room.

"Where are we?" Hela asked.

"On his ship. Would you like a bath or shower?"

"No. Where exactly are we?"

"In hyperspace."

N'ina pulled out some towels and a robe from a closet.

"Going where?"

"I don't know. He doesn't tell us."

She fluffed up the towels and robe.

"Do you want a bath or shower and what perfume would you like in it?"

Hela let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed the back of her neck; it itched, felt odd, like she'd cut it." She checked her fingers, no blood.

"It's the implant. We all have them."

"Implant? What kind?"

"A slave tracking device."

"Slave?"

She dropped back onto the bed.

"It's an implant chip and homing beacon."

Hela had heard of them from Anakin. He'd had one when he was a child; she tried to remember what he said about them. How to deactivate them.

"If you try to escape it sets off a small explosion. It will kill you and anyone near you."

"Kill me?" Hela leaned forward, hand held to her neck

The Twi'lek moved closer to her, "Please what do you want? A shower or bath and what clothes. He will expect you there."

"No! He can't make me do anything. He can kill me."

"Please." The Twi'lek was ringing the towel in her hands, "He won't kill you, not yet. He has my brother. If I don't— if you don't do as he says, he'll kill him. He's ten years old."

"Him why? He's nothing to do with me."

"Because he can. It's how he does things. Finds out what matters to you and uses it to control you."

Hela crossed her arms.

"You have to be ready for a certain time after he speaks to—"

"To who?"

Hela leaned closer, "Even Dryden Vos has someone he reports to."

The door slid open. They jumped apart.

"My Lord wants to know what the delay is."

Hela had never seen the armoured species standing in front of her. Grey skinned, orange haired covering part of his face, a blaster was attached to his back.

Drawing herself to her full height which wasn't much, "And you are?" She asked Imperiously. Her accent was very much like Vos. The being blinked, once, twice, three times before he answered.

"Enforcer Toht Ra."

"She can't decide what to wear." N'ina answered.

"She has thirty seconds before—" he held out a small device.

"No! Please."

There was a small button on the top.

"I'll have a shower and wear the red dress." Hela answered quickly.

N'ina ran to get it.

She thought Ra grinned, as he put the device away; it was difficult to read his face, as she had no experience of his species and he closed the door quickly behind him.

"Is it always like this?" She rubbed the back of her neck again, it still itched.

N'ina nodded.

.

Dryden watched as she walked into his Reception room, the red dress looked exquisite on her, just the right colour, even though her hair was different to Coruscant.

"You look lovely my dear."

He held his hand out.

"I must order more dresses in that colour."

She moved towards him, he pulled her closer, "Let me give you a tour of your new home."

Dryden's hand rested lightly at the base of her back, as he walked her through the ship, gently but firmly moving her along.

"The First Light is my ship and my home." He said proudly.

"I needed a place that I could take with me, a place I could keep secure. This is it."

He swept his arm around the large entertainment area. It felt more like a house than a ship, with its large windows but they were still moving.

"That said it does mean I have given up many things, like sunlight and fresh air and the concerts on Coruscant but you're here now. I know you will miss them, too, cooped up here, but just think of the honour you have been accorded."

Hela didn't answer.

He linked his arm through hers, "You will get used to it and I am sure you will come to like it here."

N'ina trailed behind them. Hela looked at everything trying to remember where everything was. There were more of the armed Security Guards everywhere. It was difficult to see exactly how many. They all looked exactly the same, except for one. The others seem to defer to him.

"This is surreal." She blurted out.

Dryden stopped.

"Why?"

"It looks so normal. But the galaxy—"

"For some, my dear, this is normal. From now on this will be normal for you."

"Why me?"

"You? Because you deserve it."

He propelled her around the room; it could have been a room in Coruscant, or Alderaan, or Naboo, in one of the blocks she had lived in. He showed her through to a smaller, equally extravagant room.

"My study." It displayed his collection of artefacts. In fact he was showing them to her.

They passed the bright red Mandalorian armour, "From the Old Republic era. Thousands of years old." He explained proudly.

"Have you seen these?" He pointed to a display cabinet, ignoring her question. Nubian headdresses. She had seen them, in passing. But now she saw something else, Zur's ceremonial knife. She stared at it. Remembering his face. She gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to cry. She remembered N'ina's words and if Dryden saw that, it would just be something he could use against her.

Following her eyes, he looked at the case and took it reverently from there. It was on open display, like all his objects.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

He watched for her reaction; she tried to keep it as blank as possible.

"You rarely get these. They're usually handed down to a family member."

"And that one?" She pointed to a double bladed one; it wasn't one she had ever seen before.

He put Zur's knife back and took the other down.

"This is my favourite." He slipped his fingers through the grip and twirled it slowly around. Then he leapt at a serving droid and sliced through its midsection. It happened so fast, all she saw was the sparks from its workings before twisting incredibly fast to her finishing, a hair's breadth from her jugular.

She swallowed.

"My favourite." He touched her cheek.

Her heart was racing now.

"Don't worry my dear. You're safe here."

The droid was dragged away and she heard someone walk up behind her and turned expecting another server droid but it was a human or had been at one time; it now had only half a head. The top was gone. They stood there, waiting, glasses balanced on the tray. Hela couldn't take her eyes off her.

"Would you like a drink?" He asked.

The tray was moved towards her; she automatically took one of the glasses.

"Thank you." She said, and watched as the server walked away.

"They can't hear you but they work well. It's something I'm working on with Doctor Cornelius Evazan. Brilliant surgeon. Have you heard of him?"

Hela shook her head and didn't reply, as she watched the server walk away.

Dryden propelled her along with him; he spoke as if all this was normal.

I'm going to wake up soon. This has to be a nightmare. It can't be real.

"You're perfectly safe here. I have the best personal Security Force and we keep moving. I have a meeting tonight and then need to land to take on supplies but is there anywhere you have always wanted to go?"

Hela drank the whole glass quickly.

"Let me think about it."

"Of course my dear. I do hope you're settling in well but there is one more thing that needs to be done." He beckoned to a droid that was standing to one side. It trundled over.

"You may need to sit for this." He pushed her into a chair.

"Your left hand please."

She didn't move.

He grabbed it hard and pulled.

The droid came nearer, with a tray.

It's arm moved towards her, she could see the heat radiating off the appendage. Dryden Vos held her arm down as she screamed with pain from the brand.

He leaned forward, face next to hers, still smiling.

"You're mine now. Never forget that." He turned to N'ina, "Dress it."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched him walk away; this was a nightmare.

She clamped her jaw together.

I will not cry. I will not cry. He will never see me cry.

.

Barton IV

Mayday studied the data.

"It's sparse. Is there any more from Enfys? Or Weazal?"

"Apparently they've managed to locate him several times but he never stays anywhere long enough for them to catch up. The nearest was Daiyu for some meeting but even then he had been gone a couple of days after they hit there. He has gone very quiet."

"I don't like quiet." Muttered Mayday.

"That's okay we've got a meeting with Fulcrum. They need us to do something."

"Something?" Can't they be more specific?"

"Not at the moment. They'll be calling in five."

"Good. I need something."

Finor and Donca glanced at each other.

"What do you mean, something?"

"I need to be doing something. I wasn't bred to be idle. I was bred to fight and there hadn't been much of that lately."

Finor smiled, "Training not going well?"

"It's going fine." Muttered Mayday.

"I thought you'd butted heads with a few of the new ones."

"We're fine now. They saw the error of their ways."

"I can imagine."

"Come on. It's time."

The familiar hologram of Fulcrum rose from the Holoemitter, "Good day!"

Mayday frowned a little, the voice sounded different.

"There's a new Imperial Outpost being built, it needs stopping."

"We thought it had been abandoned."

"Not with you, elsewhere. So you'll need some more transport."

"Okay. But why us?"

"You're one of the more organised groups and you get results."

This worried Mayday, if they were one of the most organised. He dreaded thinking about what the others were like.

"Send us the details." Donca replied.

"Done. There's a pilot on their way for you. She'll bring some supplies for you."

Mayday pushed himself away from the wall.

"You've worked with her before. She's good."

Donca and Finor glanced at each other.

.