Into Thin Air - Part One [lmr]

[Mara]

(((This is per the Ina’s father/Ina kidnapping plot discussion thread [here]...
I figure we can do one round of ‘setting the scene’ and then get on with the action starting with the second set.)))


Late afternoon slipped into evening over the world of Arkania, through Asdasacopolis. A lab on the fourth floor in the Research and Development building of Veridian Technologies was dimly lit from security glow panels inset in the ceiling, as was the tower as a whole. Except for one corner, which was lit brightly from a desk lamp focused on a workstation on which various machinery parts and tools lay. It was like a glowstick shining as a beacon through the darkness in the back of a cave, the large manmade space filling in for what only nature usually created.

All was quiet throughout the laboratory, and indeed, throughout the entire building, though not entirely silent. Various support and heating systems hummed and whirred in the background, barely noticed by those who were used to their presence. Somewhere nearby, perhaps in another lab or an office on the same floor, an Arkanian Offshoot with a limp pressed into janitorial duty since he had been able to hold a mop was slowly going about his rounds. A dull thud or bang here and there the only indication that he was even there.

An elderly Arkanian man sat bent over the worktable highlighted by the bright lamp in the otherwise empty, darkened and silent lab, white eyes focused in front of him. His long white hair, a color more evidenced of his species than his advanced age, lay limp against the back of his lab coat, only the sides tied back together in a partial tail to keep out of his way. The man’s pale four-fingered hands were busy, one of them holding a piece of machinery, the other a soldering tool against the small part. Though in his early 70’s by now, the doctor and scientist—for who else could he be, based on his location?—worked deftly and expertly.

There was a brief sizzle and a puff of smoke as the required fuse took place. With a satisfied smile and after a cursory check of his work, the man unbent and sat up straight on his stool. His smile turned into a grimace of pain as his sore muscles complained at being pressed into service again after so much idleness. One of his hands moved around to press against the small of his back as he stretched out even more, the creaking of his body almost audible.

The scientist looked down at his chrono and was surprised at the late time displayed there. Absorbed in his work, the Arkanian had lost more hours and days than he could remember over the decades. Something that if he had had a conventional family would have been a problem. He hadn’t allowed himself the luxury of such a family. Such a family would have likely deserted him long ago, unable to come to terms with his workaholic lifestyle. Still, though, he had ended up adopting an infant daughter through strange circumstances and decisions about 25 years prior. It was a choice he never regretted, though it had been a struggle.

However, she was off on Coruscant now, leaving him alone once again. And now he knew he had been getting too old for continuing this kind of work, but he didn’t know anything else, wanted anything else. Retirement was not an option for him. Oh, he had plenty of credits stored away and invested; his job and status at Veridian had afforded him that. But he felt, as long as his mind was sharp and his body allowed him to keep coming into work every morning, he would continue to do so.

Lips pursed as he considered his next options. The other scientists and researchers on this floor, in the other labs, had left hours ago, but most of them had families to go home to, social lives to fulfill. This man didn’t. There was a brief consideration of attaching a couple more parts to his current project, but in the end he decided to just check his messages and head home afterwards. His body was aching extra today and needed a hot and soothing soak back in his apartment refresher. He no longer had pressing deadlines at this stage in the game, and his work could wait till the morning.

Standing slowly and regaining his feet, he reached for the carved wooden cane leaning against the table. Most days he really didn’t need its assistance, but it had been a gift from his daughter a couple birthdays previous, and he felt an obligation to keep it with him at all times. The doctor made his way to the computer console in the middle of the lab and relaxed down into the plush chair, letting his cane fall to the ground, his back to the doorway.

Quickly he scanned through various company memos and messages. But then he noticed a familiar frequency—his daughter’s. He smiled again as he pulled up a video message from his daughter. They tried to speak to each other once a week, but the time difference and his losing of hours at a time meant that they were playing comm tag most of the time. The aging father got pulled into the silent monologue, absorbing all the events of his daughter’s life from the past week. Everything else faded away except her beautiful face and hands.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

A four-fingered hand turned on the wall-mounted holonet receiver, though it was the local Arkanian news services that the viewer settled in on, rather than interstellar programming or galactic news like so many preferred.

That was because what was abuzz on Arkania was nothing more than a footnote to the Galactic Republic's news, drowned out by war and the various crises that affected sectors and trade organizations. The criminal problems on Arkania, no matter how shocking to the Republic, were more likely to matter here.

In tonight's news, Arkanian authorities have launched a raid on the University of Arkania's research facilities, attempting to confiscate records of controversial Professor, and wanted criminal, Doctor Sobi Q'asdan. Yesterday an arrest warrant was issued in relation to a pervasive long term unapproved research. Tentative records indicate over 1,000 test subjects were killed in the course of those studies. The Police have put out an all points bulletin for the Professor, and anyone who sees her should call law enforcement immediately.

In other news..."

Doctor Sobi Q'asdan shut off the display and frowned as she glanced around the hotel room carefully, noting every feature of the room, and focusing on the flaws. Flaking wallpaper, dirt on the door handles, a crack at the base of the wall. It was subpar, far below the status of one of the great Arkanian scientific minds. Possibly the greatest of her generation.

It had taken decades to get this far, and she'd been forced to cram all of her data onto personal drives, and stuff it into parcels headed for a cybernetics firm. They'd been the only convenient hiding place, and there'd been too many drives to hide in the pockets of her quintessential white lab coat. Sadly, this had been the only option.

And she'd just barely managed to escape from the police officers who had come to arrest her.

Soon Sobi would have to run for the safety of some neutral planet, or the Sith Empire. Surely there had to be some like-minded people she could complete her research with. But in order to complete it, she needed every single drive she'd saved information onto.

And that meant finding Veridian Technologies and a certain researcher who was now in possession of those precious drives.

[Mara]

A thud behind him jolted the Arkanian scientist and doctor away from his console and his daughter’s face. His heart pounded in the silence as he twisted around in his seat, muscles groaning at the sudden movement. Standing in the doorway to his lab was a familiar face: the janitor. The scientist blew out a breath of relief, realizing his panic had been for nothing. He was used to being in the lab late into the evening and night, oblivious to his surroundings, which made sudden noises all the more startling. Another reason for him to finish up and get home.

“Many apologies for startling you, Dr. Icharus.” The janitor bowed his head, keeping his eyes averted in deference, before slowly bending down to pick up the trash receptacle he had dropped, his mangled leg making it more difficult than usual. Though this scientist was the only one on the fourth floor, probably in the whole building, who actually treated him with a degree of respect, the Offshoot still couldn’t get used to it. Setting the container to rights, he began cleaning up the spilled rubbish from the floor.

Dr. Rand Icharus smiled at the Offshoot. “Don’t worry about it, Len. Please. I should have been more aware of myself. I just got lost in a message from my daughter, is all.” The Arkanian felt a little sorry for the janitor, but he also knew that wasn’t really anything he could do to change anything. Len was destined to live out the rest of his days cleaning up after all the pureblooded scientists, doctors, and researchers in the R&D building. What he could do was make that life just a little easier and pleasant by giving him a kind word here and there, conversing and listening to him.

Satisfied that all was back to normal, Len returning to his cart to gather some cleaning supplies, Dr. Rand turned back to the comm console to finish his message from his daughter. Settling comfortably back into his chair, he played back the video to the spot before the janitor had interrupted him. Another smile spread across his face as the hands in front of him got particularly animated, telling him about an event she had just attended. With a pang, he missed her all over again, but she knew that she was happy, and that was all that mattered. To better focus on her sign language, he leaned forward closer to the screen. Soon he was absorbed back into it all, no longer noticing what was going on around him.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Sobi Q'asdan walked through the deserted halls of the research and development building, familiarizing herself with the layout of the facility she had ripped from the night watchman's mind. In her expert opinion, the man would recover, but he would never remember exactly what happened. That suited her purposes perfectly.

She passed by an Offshoot janitor who was mopping the floor, and she ignored him completely. After all, he was an inferior, the lowest of the low on Arkania. He didn't deserve her attention, and he knew that. He remained silent as she passed by.

After all, she was just another Arkanian scientist in a labcoat, carrying an oversized datapad with her.

Finally Sobi arrived at the door of Dr. Icharus, and she paused there for a moment, her mind coming back to the gamble.

Her face had been on the news for the past two days, and if he'd been watching, he might recognize her. That was her chief worry, but if he was like most of the scientists she knew, he would be buried in his work, without time for trifling media.

In that case, her deception could be successful.

Sobi pushed open the door and walked inside, quickly spotting the older scientist and moving up to him.

"Hello, Doctor Icharus?" The Arkanian scientist said with a smile. "My name is Doctor Sadene Qadari. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I apologize for the late hour."

[Mara]

Dr. Rand chuckled to himself in response to something his daughter had said. Then she had blown him a kiss and wished him well before the video ended. The elderly Arkanian leaned back in his chair, the luxurious back cushion almost form-fitting to his body. He sighed, again feeling the familiar pain of the long distance between himself and his daughter. Perhaps he should make a point of visiting her in person more often. Or at least, taking time out of his needlessly busy days so he could be around to see and speak to her in real time over the comm.

He was actually contemplating an easing into retirement and the implications of such a change--since he no longer worked on time-sensitive projects and should have cashed in years ago--when a female voice worked its way into his thoughts, startling him once again. It was not a familiar one, but then again, there were so many scientists and others working in the building he didn't know that well. A drawback (or maybe a perk instead?) of his isolationist work habits. In the decades he had been in his lab, he had no one he could call friend, and only a few he could actually call by name.

Turning his chair around as quickly as he could manage, he saw an Arkanian woman in a lab coat standing nearby and smiling. At a glance, he thought maybe she was twenty years younger than he. But then again, the lighting in his lab was dim, and his eyes were tired from staring at his computer screen for the past hour. And if he had to be completely honest, Dr. Rand was not exactly a good judge of ages, or anything remotely social about other beings. It had taken him a good part of his daughter's childhood for him to eventually figure out her tutor had a crush on him and that he, surprisingly, reciprocated. 

Responding with a smile of his own, he reached down for his cane and slowly stood up with its aid. Though still a socially awkward scientist, he also had been instilled with a degree of chivalry and respect. Despite his age, he wouldn't remain sitting. "No, no, it's no trouble. Uh, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Doctor." Though he did wonder at the late timing of this visit, it wasn't completely unheard of. However, he hadn't had a late-night visitor in quite some time, not since his last important Veridian project. Dr. Rand paused, running a long white finger over the handle of his cane, unsure of what to say next. "Um, what brings you by? I was actually just about to head home."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Oh, I am so very sorry to disturb you this late Doctor," Sobi said with a sympathetic smile. "However, I really couldn't wait. You see, datacards containing my research were mistakenly placed into a package that was delivered to you. I'm afraid that I'm going offworld tomorrow morning, and I really couldn't leave without my research."

Like good lies, this one had a grain of truth that resounded in it.

The Arkanian woman was indeed eager to leave behind the planet. Once she was safe in Sith space, which she had decided her destination would be, then she could begin the laborious task of continuing her work.

But the information this other Doctor had was an essential first step to rebuilding.

Sobi moved further into the room and surveyed it, looking for the package she'd hidden her cards in. Her pure white eyes focused in on the desk, and a picture of an Offshoot. That raised an eyebrow.

What interest would an Arkanian scientist have with a lowly Offshoot? They were little more than lab rats and worker drones.

[Mara]

"Hmm..." Dr. Rand turned from the other doctor after she explained herself and looked around his lab, scanning it briefly. Through the dim light he couldn't see many details from where he stood, but even if it had been brilliantly lit, he was focusing more inwardly than outwardly. If the object had been right in front of him, he wouldn't have spotted it. "I don't seem to remember seeing..." His voice trailed off slowly as he started talking more to himself than to his guest, stepping away from comm console. Any curiosity he may have had about this late-night visitor vanished with the prospect of a mystery to solve, a package to find.

He walked from table to table, counter to counter, using his cane for support. Though he only used one four-fingered hand, he was slow and thorough in his process. Dr. Rand searched through bits and pieces of various projects, going through stacks of datacards, piles of flimsi. Checking the floor, uselessly peering into the newly emptied trash bin. But the late hour combined with his age and the lowering lighting was hindering the search as he bumped around the lab. Nothing resembling what the doctor told him could be found.

With an apologetic smile to the visiting doctor, he made his way back to the door and to the keypad on the wall beside it. Keying it, the rest of the glowpanels activated, washing the entire room in a bright light. Deciding to start over, he made his way to his desk, which was sitting perpendicular to where his computer console and the comm system were situated. Now that he was focused on something, aided by the additional lighting, he was coming more awake, thinking more clearly. If he had received a package by mistake, the most likely place would be on or near his desk.

As he bent to look through the scattered chaos of his desk, he seated himself in his chair, partly to ease his search, partly to ease his muscles. Methodically he went through each drawer, lifting up flimsies, datacards, other various items. Dr. Rand found a few things he hadn't seen in a while and put them to the side for future reorganizing. However, he didn't come across anything that didn't belong, as far as his memory could tell, and he moved on to the desktop itself. There were so many things stacked on it that the type of wood was no longer discernible through the mess.

As he looked through various piles, he noticed then his guest had been particularly silent. With a glance up, the scientist noticed the woman's gaze was on his desk, a strange look on her face. Wondering if she had discovered what belonged to her, he followed the direction of her eyes. But instead of a package, it was merely a small framed holo of his daughter. It was from a few years prior, the day of her graduation from university, and she was grinning from slightly pointed ear to slightly pointed ear, glowing with happiness. Dr. Rand glanced back to his visitor with a brief smile and explained simply, "My daughter," before turning back to his rifling of his desktop's contents.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Sobi waited idly for the old man to find her package, and she had to admit that if she were a less patient woman, she might simply have stabbed him with the lightsaber in her pocket and found it herself. However, years of exacting research and focus on science had given her a remarkable patience, and hasty was not a word to describe the Arkanian woman.

However, when he proudly identified the offshoot in the picture as his daughter, a very slight twitch appeared in Sobi's eye. However, apart from that, her facade of kindness remained intact.

"She's a lovely young woman," The Doctor said evenly, her white eyes searching the room for a sign of a yellow box.

"Ah," Sobi said with a thin smile as she spotted the box half-buried under a pile of papers on a chair. "I imagine this would be it."

The Arkanian Dark Jedi pulled an errant lock of snowy hair off of her forehead before gently setting aside the papers and picking up the box...

[Mara]

(((I hope this helps. Otherwise, let me know, and I can edit a bit))).


He smiled and nodded at the woman's compliment of his daughter, taking it at face value. Dr. Rand had no reason to believe that she was being anything but completely sincere. His daughter had been a part of his life for so long now that he no longer saw the differences in appearance and species, if he ever had in the first place. The scientist looked up from his search of his desktop to gaze over at the holo again. "Yes, she is. I'm very proud of her. She'd had a hard life but overcame it with such grace." After sighing, he added softly to himself, "It's been too long since I've spent time with her."

Dr. Rand's brief melancholy departed then, and his mood lightened. He turned back to his task, looking through the piles of chaos on top of his desk. "Now, let's find your--" The other Arkanian scientist interrupted him then, apparently discovering what she had been looking for. It had been hidden on a nearby chair, not on his desk where he thought it most likely. But then, he knew he could be awfully absent-minded at times, always misplacing things. Pushing away from his desk, he turned to her. "Oh, good. I wish I could say I was happy to help, but I'm afraid I was a bit of a hindrance. You found it so easily." His eyes twinkled as he smiled at her.

Reaching down for his cane so he could lever himself up out of his chair, he heard a distinctively chirping noise. "Hmm, excuse me. I seem to be getting a call..." Dr. Rand reached into the pockets of his lab coat, looking for his personal comlink. But when he eventually found it, it was silent, and he continued to hear the alert. Chuckling to himself, he realized it was coming from his office comm, right by his desk. "Sometimes I think I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached," he chattered inanely, momentarily forgetting about his guest and speaking more to himself.

The elderly Arkanian picked up his cane, stood up, and made his way over to answer the comm. Dr. Rand looked up at the woman who was holding the yellow box, shrugging an apology on his way. But when he picked up, the conversation went very oddly. "Hello? This is Veridian Technologies, Medical R&D, Dr. Icharus's lab. What? Who is this? Len? Please, slow down. Uh-huh. Okay. Okay. Really? Are you-- Can you repeat? Yes. Yes... " At that point, the scientist turned his white eyes back on the other Arkanian in the room, a strange look on his face as he seemed to study her, concentrating.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Sobi did not notice the strange look, as her full and undivided attention was on the box. She opened it with bated breath, and visibly relaxed when she saw the pile of datacards inside.

Without looking like she was in a rush, the Arkanian woman tucked them all into the deep pockets of her lab coat. Every pad represented years of work, years of expertise and experience. Not one of those was replaceable. Each of them was priceless to her, and she would readily have sacrificed a thousand offshoots to recover them.

The last one was placed in her pockets, and the snowy-haired woman rubbed her hands on the thighs of her blue jumpsuit to remove the sweat that had formed. She gave a quick smile.

"It's been a pleasure Doctor, I shan't keep you any longer."

A dip of her head, and the Arkanian woman started to walk away. However, she paused in the doorway.

"Oh, I'm afraid you never told me what your lovely daughter does for a living."

I'd love to experiment on her.

[Mara]

Dr. Rand continued to study the other scientist as she opened her box and pulled out datacards, hiding them away in pockets. The elder doctor was trying to put together what he was seeing with what he was hearing over the comm. He still didn't know who had called him, but that was no longer important. If the information he was being told was true, this woman could be more than what she seemed. Much more. "Uh, thank you," he murmured to the stranger on the other side. Without a further word, he shut off the comm and put down the device, his eyes never leaving the other Arkanian.

She looked over at him then, apparently all packed up and ready to depart. It was something that couldn't have come soon enough for Dr. Rand; this whole encounter had been a bit odd from the get-go, and now it was taking an even stranger turn, at least for his mind. He forced himself to smile and nod, hoping he didn't look too nervous. The doctor's heart was pounding with all the dreaded possibilities, and he tightly gripped his cane with both hands. "Uh, yes, yes, of course. Glad to be of help. Er, safe travels."

However, he just had to sweat out the next few moments, until she left his lab. Then Dr. Rand would be able to breathe again. And he could contact the authorities. When she had been facing him directly, he realized he did recognize her and began to believe everything from the unknown caller. In the mornings while he ate his simple breakfast, he normally had the news on in the
background. Mostly it was to listen to the galaxy-wide feed for tidbits on Coruscant politics. He never knew if his daughter or her doings would ever be featured. But at this moment, something he had seen earlier in the day was clicking now with the Arkanian scientist standing before him.

But just when he thought he was in the clear, the woman turned around and asked him the strangest thing. For a few moments he could only stand there, staring at the other Arkanian who he now was almost positive was the dangerous fugitive from the news and the comm. Though, as he thought back on their interaction so far, she had seemed peculiarly interested in his daughter. At the time, he had just taken it in stride, but knowing now who she was and remembering his daughter's lineage, it all started to make sense. Her curiosity was nothing but innocent.

Trying to compose himself, he cleared his throat before he spoke. Dr. Rand wanted to be as polite as possible so as not to give away what he had discovered, but at the same time, he wanted to close the conversation as quickly as he could so that she would leave in peace. He didn't want to put himself or his daughter in danger and divulge any more things that were too personal. "Hmm, what an odd question. Um, well, she's in politics." The older scientist smiled. "Is there something else you needed besides your package? Shall I call you an airtaxi?" A gesture towards the comm. "Er, I really don't mean to be rude, madame, but, um, I really do need to be heading home, and you're not authorized to stay here."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

It was readily apparent for an astute observer of sentient behavior that something was amiss. Given the circumstances, someone with proper powers of deduction could come to the conclusion that the woman's identity had been revealed somehow. To anyone with half a mind to work with, it was clear his call on the comm had prompted the change, as that was the exact moment that his demeanor changed.

Doctor Sobi Q'asdan was that astute observer, and she had the proper powers of deduction. Needless to say, she had more than a mind. Even a mind and a half would be underestimating her abilities.

However, she didn't let that crack her bedside manner.

"Well then, I'll just have to accompany you home," She said with a smile.

As if to head off his objections and any pretenses that he didn't know her, she called his rather poor sabacc face.

"I can see that you recognize me, and while I'm sure you are an upstanding research scientist, I'm also afraid that as soon as I leave this room you will call men with guns who will come and stop important research. I'm afraid my work cannot continue easily without me. So for now I think it is best that I head home with you. I'm sure we can have a lovely conversation about your charming daughter, or your work here. Perhaps we might even arrange some kind of equitable arrangement between us."

[Mara]

(((Apologies for not getting this up sooner; I went through a couple versions before settling on this one.
I hope it's okay...)))


The elderly Arkanian scientist blinked wide, white eyes in surprise at the woman’s suggestion, struck speechless for a few moments. Dr. Rand could think of no reason why she would want to follow him home that would end well. Especially now that he knew who she was and what she was capable of. And matching that with her oddly intent interest in his daughter, there was no telling what was on her mind. “Uh, um, uh...” He swallowed and took a few deep breaths, quickly trying to compose himself and using his cane to keep his feet and the rest of his body steadily anchored to the floor.

Soon enough, he had gained relative control over his bearings again, and he smiled at her, hoping it appeared sincere and innocent enough. Inside, he was freaking out, his heart pounding in his chest, absently wondering if he was about to faint or go into cardiac arrest. “Sorry. Uh, thank you for your offer. It’s much appreciated. But I assure you it’s entirely unnecessary and...” Dr. Rand's attempt to keep on his original plan to steer their meeting to an amicable parting was interrupted by the woman's acknowledgment of what he knew.

At first, Dr. Rand denied it, automatically reacting without much thought. "No, no, no... I really have no idea who..." But when his head caught up with his tongue, he stopped. Looking at her face, it had dawned on him that further contradictions wouldn't help his case, and he dropped the facade. Time for full-force survival mode: pleading for his life and shifting focus off of his daughter. "Please, just let me go. I promise, no law enforcement. I don't want any trouble. You've got my word." The Arkanian placed a nervous pale four-fingered hand against his chest; the other still clutched his cane, which shook a little in his grip. "Please, I promise..."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"I'm afraid I must insist," Sobi said apologetically. As much as these crude methods troubled her, she hoped they could still cooperate properly. The man's fear was really just annoying to her. He should have known better, that an upstanding Professor from the Arkanian Academy of Science wouldn't harm a fellow colleague.

The Arkanian woman gestured to the door.

"Together we'll walk to my vehicle quietly and with proper decorum," The snowy-haired woman said with a smile. "Rest assured, I don't plan on harming you. Despite what you might have heard, I am a research scientist like yourself, and I have no wish to harm my colleagues. But I must insist you walk with me now Doctor."

Sobi lightly touched the elderly man's arm, and she walked towards the door, holding it open for him.

"Come along Doctor."

[OOC: 4,000th post. Catching up to you Mara.]

[Mara]

(((Haha... a valiant goal.. )))


All his attempts at persuading the female scientist to change her mind and just leave him in peace weren't doing a lick of good. He wasn't sure if he just wasn't saying the right words or if it was his fear leaking through, hindering his sincerity. Or maybe a combination of those along with other variables. Dr. Rand racked his brain for something else to say; obviously just repeating himself wouldn't change anything now. It'd just serve to discredit him further, paint him as a crazy old Arkanian past his prime, and probably deliver him right into the woman's plans, whatever they were.

These thoughts just made him more nervous and unable to come up with anything worthwhile to tell the Arkanian woman. Scenarios swirled through his mind, possibilities and theories as to why this scientist had sent her files to his lab--because now he realized, belatedly, that it had been no accident--instead of any of the others on this floor of the building. Why, instead of just taking them and leaving, she wanted to abduct him, albeit in the most polite way he'd ever encountered, but he still felt that was her intention now, in asking to follow him home. The only thing that made sense was the connection to his daughter, and even then, though he hesitated to even touch the idea, it would have been easier to just go after Ina straightaway.

Lost inside himself for the last few moments, he had missed her words and only awakened back outside when he felt something on his arm. Dr. Rand almost jumped out of his shoes, startled by this strangely intimate invasion of personal space by the woman. Though, for some of his age, the movement was rather limited, and he merely jerked back from the touch in reflex, needing to grasp onto his cane with both hands to keep his balance. Through a bit of leftover haze, he saw the other Arkanian walk to the door and open it, beckoning. At that moment, he did what was simultaneously probably the bravest thing he had ever done, and the stupidest.

He acted, wondering if it was instinctual or just plain desperation. With a slow nod, he walked slowly towards the door, playing as if he had thought about his options and left without any, had decided to go along with the woman's plan. The elder Arkanian smiled at her briefly as he passed through the doorway. Dr. Rand took a couple steps to the left, then whirled as quickly as he could manage and swung his cane at the other scientist's head. It hurt him to have to discard the walking stick from his daughter, but he couldn't take the time to recover it. Instead, he burst back into the hallway, this time going right, run-stumbling towards the nearest bank of turbolifts, adrenaline keeping him afloat.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

The old man swung his cane, but what he didn't realize was that the Arkanian woman he was fleeing from was gifted with the Force, and she effortlessly reached up to grab the cane. He ran towards the turbolift, and Sobi stepped back inside the door. She quickly called on the Force for a pair of actions.

Her first priority was to stop his forward motion. That was accomplished by a Force Barrier just before the turbolifts, something he would not be able to penetrate.

The second action was even simpler. She took aim and threw the cane so the length of it struck the old man in the back of the knees.

Sobi walked calmly up from behind and rebuked the man in her usual polite tone.

"Don't run, it won't accomplish anything. Now no more foolishness. Come with me and you won't be harmed. However, I think I would like a conversation with your lovely daughter. You will help me with that."

[Mara]

(((I figure this is as good a time as any to wrap up this part of the plot, so we can all move on to the ‘main event.’
Plus, it just feels… right… to me to post in here once more... )))


Dr. Rand’s breath came to him in ragged gasps as he hurried away towards possible escape. It was by no means an effortless run, though he probably wasn’t even moving fast enough to be considered such. To keep his balance without his cane, his arms flailed at his sides, flapping like a fledged avian. His steps were jerky and stilted. A few times he stumbled and almost came down, but he rallied, his flight instincts and self-preservation keeping him upright. The only thing in his mind was to get as much distance between him and the crazy woman scientist as possible.

Just a few meters more, and he’d be at the turbolifts. As much as the aged Arkanian could manage, he put on an extra bit of speed and reached for the controls. But his four-fingered right hand stopped against something before touching the button. Some kind of invisible wall slammed into him, vibrating up his arm, and he vaguely felt something snap near his wrist. Then, his forehead bounced off the obstacle, his body still in forward motion, and Dr. Rand swayed back, his legs feeling like rubber.

Before he had a change to regain his equilibrium, yet too flushed with adrenaline to feel the pain in his head or arm, his knees finally buckled when something solid caught him sharply behind the knees. The doctor scientist lost his balance finally and fell to the tiled floor in a crumpled pile tangled in his lab coat. His breath was raspy, and he had never felt so exhausted in his life. Dr. Rand’s head ached where he had hit it on the invisible wall, and there was acute pain coming from his right wrist and hand. 

His supposed visitor came up to him, bitingly calm words coming from her mouth. He rolled to his side, slowly, and cradled his injured limb against his chest. The Arkanian’s white eyes tilted up to look at her. So many things swarmed his mind, but he was just too tired to do anything anymore. Dr. Rand could only lay there, staring at the woman with a blank gaze until his adrenaline-sapped body finally gave up, and with a sigh, he passed out. The ast thought he had before he lost consciousness and went limp was that he would do everything in his power to protect his daughter and keep her safe.

[to x…]