Connections

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Prison Block

Setsuna dodged another blaster bolt as looked at the man who took a step back. He wore a mask to hide his face, but he could sense the raw fear coursing through the man. His state was apparent to the young force user, many of the remaining soldiers the same. Yet he resisted the rush that came to this. 'I must not enjoy this.' A small part of him reveled in defeating his enemies, but he took a calming breath as he moved onto the next enemy.

The next slash went through the chest armor of a stormtrooper, his blade drawing blood as he could feel time begin to speed up a little. Yet his speed remained, and one man raised a baton, charging at him as he gestured for the team to fall back. Setsuna's blade sliced right through it, the top half of the weapon hitting the ground as he sliced into the soldier's collarbone, reaching the center of his chest before pulling out, quickly swinging at the man behind him, who was about to hit him with a baton. He fell like the other, the blade going through his chest.

He took a breath as one of the men pressed the button for the elevator, desperate as Setsuna stalked towards them. Just watching the soldiers shoot at him, his senses telling him where he should be to dodge, following every step laid out by the force, filled him with a sense of empathy.

Yes, they were soldiers following the Empire, but many people did it just to survive. Or they didn't know better. It was certainly a conundrum, but as more blaster bolts hit around him as he took cover behind the corner. There were only a few remaining, and Setsuna was about to turn around, but one of the men pulled out a grenade, raising his arm and releasing it.

The force user grabbed it with the force, and threw it back at the group, the concussion grenade shaking the rooms, a ringing in Setsuna's ears as all three soldiers collapsed onto the floor. He wasn't sure if they were dead or not, but he didn't have the time to care. Taking one last look at the men on the ground, he heard his comms go off, "Get back to the shuttle. We are getting out of here!" Lyle's voice was even, and Setsuna saw the elevator opened.

He strode towards it, stepping around the dead or unconscious bodies. The elevator was cramped, but as the low hum filled the air, he took a deep breath, letting his body relax as he put his sword away, sliding it into his sheath.

Stairwell

Sergei, Soma and Allelujah rushed up the stairs, the admiral a bit winded as the floors went up and up. Age had caught up with him, and no matter how in shape he was, he could never keep up with the two Jedi. A small smile crossed his face as he could see his daughter filled with purpose. Her face was grim, but in her eyes, he could see lightening of her movements, like there was less weight on her. 'Maybe not having to serve the Empire or meeting with her friend caused this.' He mentally slapped himself for that question. Of course that was what it was.

He wished he could go back to the time he served in the Republic's Judiciary fleet, when the Clone Wars hadn't happened and there was seeming peace. There were issues behind the scenes, but the nostalgia would never leave him. His wife was alive, his son still got along with him. 'And then the war happened.' He sighed and panted as they reached a door that led out to the main floor.

The three of them took a second to catch their breath, and Allelujah pointed down the hall, "We need to get to the ship. Follow me."

Sergei nodded, "And what about that friend of yours that saved us?"

Marie looked back at the door, "He'll be fine. There is no way that these guys would leave without him."

"If you are certain." If there was anything he trusted, it was Marie's instincts. Being a former Jedi and an Imperial Intelligence officer tends to foster good instincts. Once the group had caught their breath, they ran through the hallways, seeing they were empty. As they rounded the corner, nearing the hanger, one of the administrators, a bit overweight and balding, stood in front of them, gun raised, hands shaking.

"Surrender!" All of them looked at him, and Allelujah ignited his lightsaber.

"Don't do this." Terror radiated off the man, and Allelujah almost felt bad for him. Nothing about him screamed true military, and if he had to guess, he was a simple bureaucrat. It wasn't the first person he had seen exiled to some out of the way sector. 'One of the easiest people to bribe, honestly.'

Marie spoke in a calm, yet threatening voice, "We don't intend to hurt you, but if you get in the way, we will have no choice."

"I can't let a prisoner get away!" A wild blast left the blaster, and Allelujah deflected it with ease. The blast hit an inch from the man's foot, and he jumped back, the blaster falling from his hand. Sergei rolled his eyes and stunned the man, who collapsed onto the ground.

"I always hated men like him. Never made my life easy and screwed over more of my officers than I can say." He shook his head and looked down the hallway, "Let's get going."

Marie nodded and looked to her adopted father, "It is a bit cathartic." She had run into this issue just as much as him. 'The only thing that helped us was the fact both of us could work together.' The rest of the run was mostly silent, save for when they passed by some elevators and Setsuna ran out to join them, his blade back in its sheath.

Allelujah just nodded at the man, giving him a small smile. Setsuna just nodded back, and he fell in the back of the group. Sergei instinctively gave Setsuna a salute of respect, which the Kiffar accepted with little fight. Their bootsteps finally were heard in the hanger, and they could see the engines were primed on the shuttle.

They ran in with no issue, and Lyle's voice came from the cockpit, "Marie, I need a co-pilot. And we need gunners. We have a squadron of TIE Fighters incoming!"

The group looked around the room, Christina already strapped in as she waved at them. She was out of that armor, and Setsuna was about to join Allelujah as they walked to the gunner station in the cockpit, when Sergei put a hand on his shoulder, "You get some rest. I started on a gunnery station." A confidence echoed in his features, and Setsuna nodded. There was a hum of approval from the air around him and listening to the force had benefited him more often than not.

He looked at Christina, removing the mask, "Are you ok?" She didn't look hurt, but her breath was a bit shaky.

The Zeltron gave him a partially fake smile, "I'm fine. Just nerves." The Jedi just nodded, then grunted as he could feel Feldt tugging on their bond, pulling on as much as she could at their distance. He put a hand on his chest and closed his eyes,

The two men settled into the station, and as the ship shot out of the hanger, the wings lowering, Lyle spotted the rapidly incoming TIE Fighters, "They're here!" Marie worked at the hyperdrive, finding the coordinates as she punched in them in. Sergei and the Jedi took aim at the formation of five fighters, the mobile fighters easily catching up to them.

Lyle juked and took sharp turns as only a few shots grazed them, the multiple laser cannons of the ship returning fire. The Corellian smirked. 'I'll give these shuttles one thing. They are well armed.' Laser fire filled the space as the hyperdrive warmed up, and the two gunners nailed two of the fighters, both enemy starfighters collapsing as they fell into the void, explosions quickly following. Sergei let out a regretful grunt, while Allelujah just narrowed his focus onto the next enemy.

They swarmed around the ship, buzzing like bees as more hits damaged the shield. And the rebels had no idea if more were on the way. The two gunners were doing their best, Allelujah having an easier job as he let the force guide his hand. Another fighter went down, but space still roiled with danger.

Lyle looked to Marie, "Anytime you're ready!" There was a hint of annoyance in his voice, and a blast hit the shield as the ship shuddered. Marie was going to reply, but that shaking emphasized his point, and she worked faster, making sure they were correct.

"Good to go!"

"Punch it!" Marie hit the switch, and the ship slipped into hyperspace, leaving the TIE Fighters in the dust.

Hallway of the Vagabond

"No. I cannot let you do that." Tieria's voice filled the halls as he crossed his arms. The Miraluka stood in front of him, a tension on her expression.

Feldt took a deep breath, "I know it's dangerous, but it's the best chance we have of getting rid of this. Of stopping him from being able to do something to her."

Tieria looked where her eyes should be and pursed his lips. She looked more confident than he had ever seen, and he couldn't deny she might be right. He had gone over so many plans in his head, yet none of them could deal with the force. She was a risk if they tried to fight him, and who knew if Ribbons could channel the force through Anew.

Feldt stood as calm as she could, her senses reaching out to the former agent. A heavy sense of guilt sat in her, and Feldt touched the back of his hand, "Tieria, you wouldn't want to be the tool of the enemy. If this was you, I would do the same thing. We owe it to her, even if she got us in this trouble."

Tieria hummed under his breath, but nodded, "Alright, but I am going to watch the entire time. And make sure that she is unable to do anything if Ribbons takes over." Feldt nodded, and watched him walk off, coming back a minute later with a pair of binders. A part of her wished it didn't have to come to this, but Tieria wasn't wrong.

He opened the door, and Anew looked at both of them as they came in. She saw the binders in Tieria's hands, and the question left her, "What is going on?"

Feldt took a step forward, "I am going to try to help." She needed to keep Anew as in the dark as possible, as she didn't need Ribbons to be aware of what was going on. She could never fully know. 'I hope he's distracted by whatever he is looking for.' She gave Anew a smile, "Just trust me. Please."

Anew looked at the woman, "I could hurt you if you stay in here with me."

"That is why I brought these." Tieria was still a bit harsh, and Anew shrunk a bit as he thrust the binders forward, "We are going to put these on you, and you will calmly accept them." Anew could see the hope in Feldt's eyes, and she nodded submissively.

"Go ahead." The binds went on her, and Tieria stood a few feet from her as he nodded to Feldt.

The Miraluka looked pointedly at Anew, moving to a meditative pose, "Please sit down and relax. If you wish to sleep, then you can do it. But I need your mind to be open."

Anew nodded, loosening her walls as she closed her eyes. Her training had taught her how to try to close your mind off to a force user, except for Ribbons. It was an odd sensation, not being able to feel it like how a force user can do it, but a tingling sensation filled her mind as she hoped that was Feldt. 'It's at least a nicer presence than Ribbons.'

Feldt extended her senses, focusing all of it on the woman in front of her. The room around her faded a bit, and she reached flowed through the senses and raw feelings of the woman. It was still an imprecise art, and Anew's thoughts were her own. With months of practice, this was easy, causing very little strain as she began her approach the root of the issue. She tried to hide herself as best she could, keeping as low power as possible.

The dark void was all she could sense as he got closer. It was harrowing. She expected immense rage or something more palpable and understanding, but Ribbons was the darkness that swallowed all that was in front of him. She physically shivered at that, and calmed herself, her nerves fraying a bit. She reached out to try to distract herself from that, and could sense significant memories, her mind unconsciously reaching out to touch them.

Feldt found herself in a basic hotel room, with the familiar sight of Anew, though her hair was heavily curled and a bit longer, reaching to her middle back. She wore a basic shirt and pants, and more curiously there was a feminine looking man, with the same lavender hair, though shorter and his bangs mostly covering his forehead, besides one spot. His outfit was like Anew's.

Feldt took a breath as she watched Anew look at the man, wringing her hands, "Revive, these guys are with the Hutts. You sure this is a good idea?"

Revive just grunted, his voice like his build, "And if they are hiding a force user or Jedi, then we need to dispose of them. They have disrupted trade for too long." Revive put a hand on her shoulder, "Just dress pretty, flirt with him a bit and stun him if he gets too handsy."

"We can go back to Ribbons and report this. See what he wants." Her emotions were restrained, but there was an unwillingness that sat beneath the surface. She had no idea what time frame this was, as Anew looked too close to her current self to tell. But seeing her looking so nervous was strange, especially after the raid on the ruin.

Revive grabbed her other soldier and pulled her close, his face inches from hers, "And look weak in front of him? We were told to find this target and not come back until we did. We cannot fail, especially since we are so new!"

Anew took that in stride, and looked down, swallowing heavily, "I know! I know." She took a deep breath, "Just make sure you know the signal if I need help."

Revive flashed her a worrying grin, "Oh I need no reason to deal with this scum the way they should be treated if it comes to it." He rubbed the blaster on his side, and Feldt hated the bloodlust that leaked off him. It reminded her too much of the man that had killed her parents. The vision began to fade, that dark pit still pulsing in her mind.

Feldt continued forward. She let the force guide her, surrendering herself to it. If she was meant to see these memories, then it was how it was supposed to be. Her surroundings grew redder as she approached the root of the problem, more personal memories passing by her.

Anew's history tugged at Feldt. She couldn't find any memories of her as a kid, from the brief flashes she got. All she could sense was task upon task, always following the orders and whims of another. And there was a deep attachment to this brother of hers, which permeated any memory that she had of him. The Miraluka had no desire to see what the mission she had to do entailed. Especially if it involved hunting down force users. 'Is this what I would have done if I had been caught?

Her skills would be perfect for finding other force users, and if she broke, she didn't know if she could come back from that. The dark side was a risk for all of them, and she internally wept at the thought that she would go after Allelujah or Setsuna. 'Setsuna.' So many what-ifs formed in her mind, but she pushed them away. This was not what happened, and she would not let that happen.

The webs became thicker, and it was almost like it was sticky as she found her path harder to walk. And it wasn't even normal. That unease only spread, and as she neared the glowing red connection, another memory assaulted her.

Instead of a hotel room, she was in a lavish office. Holorecords covered the walls as a cool colored rug covered most of the room. The floor was covered in wood, and an expensive wooden desk sat near a window that looked out on space. A terminal sat open, and Ribbons sat behind the desk, looking up at Anew who walked in, in her uniform.

He didn't speak as she saluted him, and the green-haired inquisitor waited patiently. Anew cleared her throat, and this was the woman Feldt was more familiar with. More confident, standing straight, emotions tighter controlled, "We didn't manage to find any Jedi, but there was clear evidence they were helping shelter and transport force sensitive people to the outer rim. They cleaned their records as to where the people went, but I can continue to search."

Ribbons spoke, and Feldt shivered at the seemingly soft voice, "No need. The rats will come out to play eventually. Loosen up and let them think they escaped. Just keep contact with our informants." The calm way he tilted his head and spoke caused her to let out a breath. Here was the man that hurt most of them, and he spoke as if people were animals.

Anew nodded, and she swallowed heavily, "Is Revive back? It's been over two months."

Ribbons eyes narrowed, and there was a strain in his voice, "He is doing his job and takes as long as I demand it to be. If he can't deal with a group of simple escaped prisoners, then he will have no place here."

Feldt could feel Anew's worry spike, and the room almost twisted as the weight of emotions shaped the very form this memory took. Ribbons looked bigger, the shadows stretching behind him. Anew's voice wavered a bit.

"You said you he would get back a month ago."

Anew grabbed at her throat as her breathing became impossible. She grabbed at her throat, and she was lifted in the air as Ribbons stood up and glared at her, "I am in charge here. If I hear you asking what happened to that brother of yours, it will be you who won't be seen again. Understood?" His tone was low and in control, but his rage bubbled below the surface. He walked around the desk, his eyes with a yellow shine.

Anew might not have known it at the time, but the dark side radiated the room, a low hum as Anew desperately nodded, her eyes wide as she choked. He held her for a few more seconds, before dropping her on the ground. She took deep, gasping breaths, and sat on her knees as she looked at the ground.

Ribbons growled as he looked down at her, "Get up and out of my office. I will call you when I need you." Anew nodded and Feldt steadied her nerves as even a train agent like Anew couldn't hide the fear that shot through her. Feldt had to suppress her own as the memory faded like all the others.

Feldt's resolve grew as she finished that memory. The inquisitor was a monster, and she knew she had to cut Anew off, or he could do worse to her and everyone else. And soon enough that tumorlike connection was right in front of her. Bright red, and it was like a black hole of the dark side. And not even the whole thing. Just a small piece of a monstrous man.

It also reminded her of a force bond, but all wrong. This was a parasite or tumor that sat in her mind, forcing obedience or acting as his eyes and ears. A force bond should be natural and consensual, created by two people who got close. Yet here it was, forcing a troubled woman to do the bidding of her master even after she thought she was free.

She unconsciously tugged on her bond with Setsuna, drawing what strength she could as she focused on the web, starting to tear at the base as she truly exerted her power. The connection was holding, but she pushed her power into it, trying to tear it as fast as she could. She had no pretensions that she would be able to hide this, but if she could break it fast enough, then Ribbons wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

The bond began to fray, and hope rose in her mind as she could see a free Anew. She created a light in this darkness, and as she could feel real progress being made, a voice echoed in her mind, "Well if it isn't the seer. I hope you didn't expect me to not notice."

Author Note

Welcome back! We finish the prisoner rescue and move onto Feldt trying her best to free Anew. We still do have some stuff left with Sergei, but Feldt is now in more danger than the rest of the team. Can she seal or destroy the bond? Or will she lose more than this chance? Please review and comment, and I'll see you next time!