Playing With Fire (Jedi Mission)

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((The order you post in now will be the post order for the entire thread. I'll be putting that line-up in my next post))


Mrlsst.

The humid and marsh filled home world of the Mrlssi people, covered in rainforests of Greenstalk trees that helped house the…colorful…natives and immigrated races of the galaxy that sought to learn at the renown Mrlsst Academy built here. The motley assortment of Jedi that had been sent to the planet didn’t find it difficult to get there. Transportation, as usual, had been arranged (perhaps luckily for them NOT in the form of Rhissai’s ship) in the form of a small transport ship that Talau tended to use. While owned by the Temple itself, and not ideal for all situations, it was understated…and armed. Two things the Shadow preferred above all else when dealing with potential dark jedi. Either way, it had suited their cause and the…amount…of them. The journey had been uneventful, landing had been simplistic, their greeting party had been…enthusiastic…and they had been escorted to accommodations for the evening with the promise of dinner later.

The dinner had been more than expected, including the native delicacy of Wuorl frog, and it seemed that their ‘hosts’ from the Academy were more than a little pleased to have them there. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise, perhaps, considering what the jedi were here to do. The briefing had been…vague (to put it mildly), but they had enough information to know that a leading biotechnology scientist from the Academy, one Trssil Dagd, had gone missing…along with her research. The Dean of the university had contacted the Republic officials, who had contacted the planet’s Senators, who had, in turn, fussed to the Senate and so it had come down to the Jedi to find the source of the problem.

The suspected source? A powerful local pirate.

Typically it wouldn’t have been something for the jedi to fuss over, however, there was a new factor…or supposedly there was…a dark jedi acting as the pirate’s body guard. The original intention of Miss Dagd’s research had been nano-bots. Not just any nano-bots, however, oh no…they would take the place of white blood cells. Their intent, the Dean told them, was to be more effective at protecting the body from maladies. With a 90% greater immunity to most airborn sicknesses, and a 40% greater immunity to most viral bacteria, they were intended to help the body run more efficiently and with less risk of illness. All of this information was rehashed over the dinner they were served and then they were given the rest of their evening free, and tomorrow they would be shown to the lab and given free reign to do their investigation.

The question now was…what would pirates want with such a technology?

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((Talau POV))

The Shadow had, as the name implies, been a shadow for most of the journey. She’d drawn her signature in, all the way in, folding down, compacting it, packing it down until she was less than nothing in the force simply to make herself more difficult to find. Talau wasn’t one for partners…especially not since her return to the temple…yet here she was, saddled with four other jedi and a padawan. The rilan had not been pleased….but at least THIS time she wasn’t forced to wear her robes. She had met one of her…companions…and she wasn’t SO bad…but…well people were people and jedi or not she liked to go about things her own way. Plus, more people meant more potential screw ups, and more lives to worry about…especially with a padawan in play.

It didn’t help that the young woman was feeling…less than her usual self…since her return. Typically the young woman, lone wolf or no, would have been a bit more outgoing and friendly. Two months trying to survive and forming a bond with an animal that one had to leave behind, simply to return and find the one you were planning on returning to was gone?...Those kinds of events did things to people…wounded them…and those wounds were still exceedingly fresh on the young Shadow’s heart. This was why she had stayed about as far away from the others as possible, secluding herself to the cockpit or her quarters where she could meditate and continue to recover in peace…or at least in silence. Besides, she was skilled at hiding her presence, and the others around her burned like beacons in the night at all times it seemed…it wasn’t difficult to slip around the ship and avoid them when she could see them, feel them, at all times.

When they’d landed, she’d remained withdrawn, hovering at the back of the group, hardly someone to notice amongst the gaggle of jedi the temple had sent along to the Academy like some field trip gone wrong. Her sabers were hidden well enough, tucked into two pouches on her belt, and so, some onlookers might have wondered just why a civilian was following a group of jedi. Those shifting eyes had taken in the area cautiously, those powerful senses of hers expanding outward as far as she could reach to gather all the information she could in the most efficient way possible. It wouldn’t do to be caught off guard or miss something in passing. She wouldn’t be much of a shadow if she allowed details to slip through her fingers…at least, she wouldn’t be much of a still LIVING jedi shadow if she allowed that kind of thing. Luckily, however, she hadn’t sensed any immediate threats.

No matter what others thought, the knight had remained as silent as possible on the short walk to their rooms. It was on this journey that she noticed, finally, that her leather armor and clothing was far more loose on her than it should have been….not to the point of being a problem, but it brought her attention sharply to just how much weight she’d lost in the wilds of Haruun Kal. At least I didn’t get Wasp Fever…she had mused, and decided upon further meditation once they reached the rooms they would have for the evening.

The High Council Woman had been the lucky one to receive her own room, the knight with the padawan were rooming together, so, logically, Talau and the fourth member (Leira was it?) had been bunked together. It hadn’t been a joyous occasion for Talau, but she would live. The brunette had settled herself down on the floor almost immediately and meditated…yes, she was really the master of public relations this mission, wasn’t she?

Almost two hours later, she’d gotten herself up, washed her face and hands, and waited patiently by the door. They hadn’t been given a specific time to be ready, just a general “someone will come to get you in about an hour and forty-five minutes or so for dinner”…Talau…hadn’t needed that much warning. Meditating as she had been, she’d allowed herself to open up a bit more, to release that pent up signature and give those senses a bit more slack with which to go probing about through the force. It really was a wonderful alarm chrono as well, the force was. By the time the woman had come to get the jedi, Tal was leaning casually against the inside wall of the room, waiting.

Dinner itself had been an experience.

She couldn’t rightfully say she’d ever willingly eaten frogs…not even on Haruun Kal…but given her current state, she was willing to try just about anything they put in front of her. That included the frogs. Luckily they didn’t LOOK like frogs…she wasn’t sure if she could have handled that, even though she’d gathered exactly what they were from the passing server’s mind. As long as they didn’t LOOK like frog, she could get over it…half the battle of eating something was knowing what it was…for her that meant visually. Her self imposed silence had continued through the meal and she had seemed almost relaxed, content enough to just sit back and listen to whatever chatter had gone on around the table or jedi and school officials, absorbing what she could about those around her, watching the “threads” between them form and break as the conversation went along, watching the movement and color of their auras. It was actually rather entertaining for her, despite it being part of her information gathering.

As the Dean had recounted the events and information, the “civilian” clad jedi had become an odd mixture of relaxation and intensity, her mind chewing over the details given before asking exactly what the intent of the research Miss Dagd had been performing was. If her “uncharacteristic” (thus far) speaking had been thought strange at all by the others, she hadn’t noticed…she only wanted the answers. Answers she got, but it didn’t shed any more light upon their situation than the original information they had gotten from the council…at least…not yet. Why would pirates want nano-bots like that? she had wondered silently, the colors of her eyes shifting yet again in her confusion and subsequent brooding over the question.

They’d headed back to their rooms soon after and, proving her current prowess at public relations once more, she’d gone to bed without a word. This was about where they were now…the next morning.

The sun had crept up into the windows by now, but Talau had already woken. Nightmares…tended to do that to a person…wake them up. It was in the grey of dawn that the young rilan found herself startled upright, the short blade in her hand as she glanced around before relaxing once more. Another dream…this time it was about Ryn fighting some deranged dark jedi who just didn’t seem to know how to die. To say it had been a little unsettling would have been quite the understatement. Shaking off the dream, she sat up and replaced her sabers in her belt and the blade back into her boot, then settled herself in to watch the sun rise. It was humid, even at this time of day, but at least the gravity here was lighter…it would be easier to move about this way. If only….

She stopped the thought there…“if only’s” only made dealing with the situation at hand more difficult. Sighing, she’d gotten up and gone into the refresher. Twenty minutes later she was walking out clean and dressed. It didn’t take much to comb out the mid-shoulder length hair and replace the silver beads in it that she was so fond of. With those things done, she walked outside, leaning against the railing of the walkway and taking in the morning as she waited for the others.

[Dire Wolf]

Meditation. It was a Jedi's best friend. The state allowed for a clear mind, and could easily double as a restorative slumber when coupled with the Force. The midnight maned woman found that meditation was a far better alternative to sleeping, therefore her head rarely met with a pillow. Her playful black vornskr, however, was a different story. Wrex was nearly two years old, still well within the puppy range for the predatory animals known as Vornskrs.

It was almost funny to the woman how he would go from being a bouncy ball in a phone booth to a lump of nothing within half an hour. Not that she was complaining, mind you... he was always a fun creature to have around. Unfortunately, the former was the case with Wrex as she was trying to meditate within the confines of the small transport that the small group of Jedi had been afforded. The woman named Rhissai'arckan simply sat in a meditative position, in this case one of pure annoyance, as the energetic puppy vorn nuzzled her with his nose. Hard. So hard, in fact, that it nearly pushed her off balance.

After nearly fifteen minutes of this unwanted nuzzling she finally allowed those bright emeralds in her eyes to slide open and glare at her pup. She spoke in the smooth and flowing tongue of her homeworld, and the language named after her race. <<By the nine divines, Wrex, if you were any more energetic we'd have to throw you in a big wheel so you could power the ship.>> Her words fell on deaf ears, however, as the big puppy continued to nuzzle his black nose into his companion. Finally, the woman gave into Wrex's demands and slipped out of her meditative position. With a single sigh she held out an outstretched arm and called a thick rubber ball to her hand, the material hitting her palm with a fleshy slap!

Her midnight furred companion responded by rushing up next to her in at a level of excitement that was well over nine thousand. Wrex was tornado of black fur around Rhiss' legs as she walked out of the room and into one of the only long corridors of the small transport. Bouncy ball in a phone booth? Pfffffft.... ever hear of the expression "bouncy ball in a starship"?

After checking her senses to ensure that not a soul was around, the woman cast the ball down the hallway at an odd angle so it would bounce against he floor, wall, and ceiling at stupidly fast force-enhanced speeds. The puppy tore off after the ball even well before his friend cast it out of her hand, but even the early start and his natural haste of his heritage didn't lend him enough speed to actually hope to catch up with the rubber trinket. Glowing yellow eyes tracked the ball like a radar instead, never missing a single inch that the multicolored object passed through.

The brightly colored ball zoomed and bounced down the length of the long metallic corridor before it slowed to a bounce. That was when the romping puppy jumped up on his hind legs to bring two giant front paws down on the rubber sphere, hoping to catch the dastardly thing. Except... it moved. Right before his paws hit the thing it shot out back towards his companion, right inbetween his legs. After a few moments of confused silence, the pup tore after his ball once more. Rhissai would eventually let him capture the elusive ball so that he could happily chew on its tough hide. Eventually.

It went on like this for a solid hour before the overly-energetic puppy was finally all tuckered out.

This happened more than a few times during the Jedi's little sojourn to the planet of Mrlsst, each time while the woman was trying to meditate. Though, that wasn't saying much... as Rhissai was almost always meditating. The trip itself may have been uneventful, though there was one instance that Rhiss took interest in. Knight Talau, a Jedi Shadow that had oh so recently returned to the Order from a nearly two month long absense, was cloistering herself up inside her own private room. Nearly every night, well after the woman went to sleep, her furry companion would sleep at the foot of her bed. In her experiance it was found that the Force guided its followers via other means, and that included animals. Perhaps the Force was guiding her to this recluse Shadow? She had sensed a quick lance of emotional pain from the woman, one that was hidden well. One that felt all too familiar.

Talau. The high council member first met the Shadow in the room of a thousand fountains. Even then, the bright eyed woman noted something... off... about the girl. Some excellently hidden pain buried deep within her soul that was held under a tight lock and key. It wasn't unlike the pain that she was struggling with but less than a year before. She would have to talk to the girl later, hopefully after the mission was complete and the five Jedi where returning home.

The rest of the trip went without much else to bat a lash at, at least from Rhissai's perspective, and the same went for their arrival to the swamp planet. As was their dinner, save the briefing... which left much information to be desired. The woman looked down at the plate that was set before her, it was the native frog-like species. Before even considering taking a bite of the food she took in its scent. The scent was, by far, the most important thing to the woman as far as the entire dish went... for her sense of smell was far superior to even the average house dog. Its aroma was... odd. Full of odd spices and stuffings, and she could even tell that the oven that was used to cook the critter was a little old... she shook her head. Rhiss was getting far too into deciding whether she would eat or not... she already knew that she wouldn't.

Despite the fact that Rhissai hadn't eaten in nearly a month she humbly refused a plate of the frog. Not because the 'food' was atrocious, or she was too immature to eat something that looked (or smelled for that matter) nasty, but simply because the woman was fasting. Fasting for what? An answer to a question that had been burning within her heart for well over a year. One that she preffered not to think about, but it was one that never truly left her mind for any spectacular length of time. The whereabouts of Ramseye.

She shook her head at that, however, as it was useless to think of that man right now. It was useless to think of that bald man at any time. After the briefing she stole herself away to her room for yet another sleepless night. The true reason for Rhissai's meditations? Well... but a few meager months ago she began to get reoccuring nightmares. Each time they were the same, yet each night revealed a little more of the frightening image. It was a simple spar between her and Jace, ith each passing night it became more and more frightening. Why, you ask? Because it quickly became obvious that her fight was more than a friendly sparring session... she actually wanted him dead. It was a vision... she knew it. One that she didn't want to see.... or believe.

It was barely time for the Jedi to gather at the front walkway before Rhissai got up out of her meditative position and headed down there, Wrex right on her heal. She was surprised to see Knight Firians there before herself, surely she would have at least sensed the void left in her wake? The black haired woman nodded once in approval, this Shadow was truly skilled at the art of Force Concealment. Not even Wrex sensed her presence, which only surprised Rhissai more.

"Ahh, Talau, I was hoping that we'd get a chance to talk," she said, looking at the woman through happy green eyes. Wrex was looked up at the woman with a glint in his glowing yellow eyes. He really liked the woman, there was just something benevolent about her... something good that he could easily pick up on.

[Grawn]

At first, he hadnt been so sure of his spys words of this scientist and her research. Numerous times, objects of interest had been brought to his attention by his "interest" seekers as he liked to call them. And most of the time, they were only shiny pieces of bantha dung and his seeker found himself on the bad end of a blaster. Followed by being blast out of an air lock.

But this project this Mrlssi had undergone was legit.

It had been a simple matter but it had taken weeks for his men to find a chance to snatch her away from her lab. Along with all her research without tripping any alarms or anyone being alerted. It had all played off well in the end however and now Nica Torva had what he considers a gold mine in his hands.

The technology was something akin to what his own race would produce. Arkanians were brilliant scientists, not that he himself was one. He had chosen the pirate lifestyle long ago and never looked back on this decision. The ability to inject nanobots into your own body to significantly increase resistance to disease and ailment was a staggering discovery. In its current state, it could help many beings across the galaxy.

However, its current wasnt what he wanted. Nica, while not being a scientist, wasnt by no means a idiot. If properly tweaked, this technology could be used for military purposes and ultimately would be of great interest to many people and organizations in the galaxy. This means big money for himself and money was power.

In an underground base, Nica walked down a long hallway accompanied by his bodyguard. The lights overhanging above him lit up the area as he passed rows of solid durasteel doors. The goggles he wore protected his solid white eyes, a trait of his heritage as an Arkanian, from the harsh light beams. At the end of the hallway was a bend that they took that went to another hallway but half the length with two armed men standing guard at the door at the end.

"How is she doing?" the Arkanian pirate lord asked as he reached the guards, hands behind his trench coat as his boots clicked to a stop. The guards straightened up, knowing all to well what the punishment of not showing proper respect to the lord was.

"She works diligently, sir. We dont notice anything deceiving" one guard said spoke, followed by his counterpart. "Not a peep, milord".

Going to the console to the right of him, the pirate lord's hand did a little dance on the keyboard and the screen came to life. It showed the Mrlssi sitting on a cot in the corner of the lab room. Even though he had no taste for the awkward looking species that the girl was, Nica approved of her mind and thats all he needed.

"Make sure she stays that way. I'll return later" he nodded to the guards and turned around, heading back the way he came. Perhaps he'd visit the harem, the wear and tear of the day and the thought of the money he would soon be making made him feel tired.

"I think I'll visit the ladies, Mr. Grenald. If you wish to join me, your welcome to it" the pirate lord spoke aloud to his bodyguard. The Dark Jedi was perhaps the only one he respected among his entire crew roster to actually care how he felt. With the Force on his side, Nica was confident his endeavors would end good and thus he had to make sure his little Force wielder was content.

Everything was going according to plan.

[kagemusha]

It appeared that the other Jedi accompanying them were much like Ta'lin in so much as they all seemed to be used to working alone, but where the young knight differed from his companions was the fact that he was keen to be sociable during the journey to Mrlsst. However, it seemed to Ta'lin that both Talau and Rhissai had little intention of spending their time getting to know Ta'lin and his padawan, Aelei. Indeed, for much of the journey, he was barely aware that the former was even still on board, knowing only that the Jedi was there because he'd watched her get on board and there was nowhere she could have gone. Despite this desire to be left in peace on their part, Ta'lin made a few attempts to engage with his companions during the flight, but didn't impose his presence on them for too long.

For the main part, though, it was the well-being of his padawan-learner that concerned him. Aelei had been a sickly runt of an apprentice when they'd first met and although she had complied with Ta'lin's wish that she should eat more and recover her strength, she was still vastly underweight and prone to bouts of illness, such as the one she was presently experiencing. Unfortunately, Ta'lin's knowledge of healing could avail nothing in this situation as this was not some viral malady or injury, but a weakness in the system as a whole due to her partially emaciated state. Perhaps it had been a mistake to accept the mission so soon, but with war coming to the republic and all the demands of the Jedi Order that would eventually come with that, every Jedi was required to do their part and prevent the republic from being overwhelmed and descending into internal anarchy. For that reason he'd chosen to accept the call to go to Mrlsst and search for the missing scientist, despite his concerns over Aelei's continuing weakness. He was increasingly aware though that she would need to be left behind when they left the safety of their temporary headquarters and began conducting the investigation.

It wasn't until the Jedi sat down to dinner together that Ta'lin remembered the other he had agreed so readily to take on this mission. Memories of his days of exploration with Jan Carrel - of knew sights, sounds and tastes - began to bubble to the surface when he heard their proposed destination and he'd been all to keen to explore a world that was unknown to him except in archive entries about the native Mrlssi, which appeared to be some form of flightless avian species: bizarre and colourful, but wise. Before each of them was sat a plate of Wuorl frog, a local delicacy, which the others seemed quite wary of for reasons that the adventurous Ta’lin did not quite understand. It was opportunities to try new things that attracted him to missions in far flung regions of the galaxy and he could not see the value in simply rejecting something because it was alien to him. As such the rather odd dish was devoured with much gusto by the young Jedi, although he didn’t ask for seconds: the native dish was tasty certainly, but it was an odd texture and he’d probably only eat it this once if he had the option of something more normal. The representatives of the Mrlssi government were duly thanked for the meal of course and after making sure Aelei had eaten at least something, Ta’lin retired for the night.

---

Dawn had only just past a few minutes ago, bathing his room in an warm glow, but already Ta’lin was awake, the combination of the rising temperature and increasing light enough to trigger his mind into awakening. He lay in his bed, gently perspiring as he stared up at the ceiling for a few moments and tried to remember what he’d been dreaming about. The fog of sleep was parted gradually like the thickets of a forest as he searched for recollection of his unconscious mind’s wanderings through the night, bringing him closer to the subject of his dream. Images - shimmering and indistinct - flashed before his mind’s eye and then melted silently into his stream of consciousness, teasing him with the prospect of recall and then slipping away before he could grasp them. Then at once he remembered the smooth, dry trickle of sand between his fingers and the slightly salty tang of the breeze and now he remembered... he’d been home again: he had dreamt of the Gold Beaches of Corellia. His moment of pleasure was tempered by the remembrance of who had been with him on the beach.

With only the whispering of the bed linen, Ta’lin swung his legs over the edge of the bed and then sat up to survey the room. It was pleasant and the furnishings gave it a more natural, organic feel than the rooms back at the temple did, with their stone, steel and glass. Across the room his padawan was still sound asleep, so he moved as silently as he could and left the room, collecting his boots as he went. Once outside he pulled them on and headed immediately for the outskirts of town to find a greenstalk tree that wasn’t currently occupied or utilised in some way by the locals, so that he could participate in some early morning exercise before the others were awake and the investigation began.

The light gravity on the planet made climbing the tree far easier than it might have been on another world. However, when Ta’lin climbed he did so without calling upon the force for enhanced strength, relying purely on his own athleticism to make it as near the top as he could, so it was a long climb. From the top he could see the forest spread out in one direction and the city in the other and he sat quietly on the topmost branch for some time catching his breath and enjoying the relative peace of the early morning aware that he may not get the chance to really enjoy himself for some time.

---

The sun was well up now, both the academy and the city as a whole was coming alive once more and the time for the Jedi party to reassemble had arrived. The walkway creaked slightly as Ta’lin approached the agreed meeting point, washed, dressed and breakfasted. While he had looked like a traditional Jedi the day before, now his apparel was far more utilitarian: the brown over-cloak and tunic were gone, replaced by a charcoal-grey, sleeveless vest made of some toughened synthetic material, which offered greater durability than normal Jedi robes without reducing flexibility. Around his waste a viridian-green sash concealed the utility belt worn by many of his fellow Jedi and a leather strap harness allowed him to carry his lightsaber on his back rather than dangling conspicuously on his belt.

“Morning. Aelei won’t be accompanying us today, I’ve told her to rest up today and see how she feels tomorrow.” he said by way of greeting and explanation of his padawan’s absence.

((You can continue your conversation at will, btw. Just assume Ta’lin arrives after you’re finished. ))

[Rugs]

"Not at the moment, Nica. I might join you later," Grenald replied gruffly to his employer. He wasn't being rude to Nica in particular, he was just always in a generally bad mood. His height didn't help. He was a Dug, and made his way around using his arms, rather than his legs and feet; those were used in the same way most other species used their hands. And, as far Grenald could tell, it seemed everyone in the galaxy was taller than he, and it irritated him so that everyone had to look down at him when addressing him.

But it made no difference. Grenald had the Force, where they had nothing. He could end someone's life without laying a finger on them, and then there was his lightsaber. It was a short blade, to go with his small form, and was the red of the insides of a dying man. With those two things, no one would dare challenge him.

The Dug stopped following Nica for a moment, and instead went back into the room to look at the prisoner on the console. And then there was this. The work of the Mrlssi student. The ability to create a supersoldier through the use of nanomachines. Grenald didn't share his employer's shallow want of money. No, once the testing was done, and the injection proved effective, he wanted his own injection. That was why he came on to this job. With that, in addition to the Force... he would be unstoppable.

Suddenly, he made his way to the guards that stood by the entryway into the room the Mrlssi was in. He barked for them to open the door for him, and once it was, he waddled into the room. A twisted grin touched his face as he heard the door close behind him. It was just him and the Mrlssi. Trssil, that was her name. As he crossed the room, he could sense, no... feel the fear on her.

"Here you are, all alone, dear," he said with a cruel mockery of kindness to his voice. "With no one about but pirates and me." He stopped right in front of her, and gently stroked the feathers of her face with one of his feet. "Are you afraid, girl? I know you are. I can feel it on you." Suddenly, his gentle touch turned harsh as he grabbed onto her face, and made her look into his eyes. "Let me tell you this, girl," he growled, all pretense of kindness dropped. "Don't even think of screwing this project up, do you understand me?! I want those nanomachines, and you will give them to me. And if you don't I will split you open and dance in your entrails!" He let go and turned to leave, but right before he reached the door, he turned to say one last thing. "Don't get any delusions about salvation in your head, girl. No one is coming for you. Not your family. Not the Republic. Not the Jedi." That sick grin twisted his face once more. "No, now it's just you and us." With that, he left the room and the door slammed shut behind him.

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Her feathers brushed gently against the edge of the computers plastic borders as eh got up out of her seat and moved hurriedly across the lab's slick floors. It was a typically bright white room, allowing great optics for diligent work. There was a variety of different machines to assist with her calculations, which needed to be exact on such a particular assignment as this. nanotechnology was the pique of modern tech.

While she greatly enjoyed her work on nano-tech, she did not enjoy the hostage situation. The clicks of her taloned feet and the ruffle of her feathers as she shuffled across the lab were not those of a very happy Mrlssi. In fact, she was quite frustrated. Was it to much to leave a Scientist to her work? or was it too much for these prates to go through the legitimate and legal process of filing a study request for nano-steroids? Really? Did they have to go so far as to kidnapping her? She's just found a breakthrough in proper cell mimickry whent they'd busted down her lab door!

Cell mimickry...Possibly the funnest part of her job was first studying the different types of White Blood Cells in the body, particularly the B-cells, which were members of the immune system. They would swoop in through your veins and as soon as they detected antigons in your vessels, they'd throw an anti-body on the antigons that would allow your T-cells, the fighters, to identify them, and that would break down the antigon defense mechanisms. It was much like a starfighter or frigate to a cruiser in space battle, acting as support ships to knock out the shields.

Of course, after applying their anti-bodies, it was the cells tendencies to split into two. The downside of nano-technologies was that they hadn't been able to split. They could hold all of the needed information, but unlike cells, who had a natural reproductive life-cycle, nano-cells didn't. The result would be a need for extra inejections of the cells, which could cost quite a sum.

She walked over, and lifted a small needle, filled with Type A of the substance. It suceeded in the desired effect, a steroid boost, and suceeded better than any other existing adrenal alacrities or strength enhancements, increasing the bodies efficiency by several times. However, it was a very short-term effect, maybe ten minutes at the most. Type B, her second attempt, was a collosal failure.

She was trying, currently, to get the cells to last longer, and to split into separate cells, or shave off their used memories and outer cores. The problem had been that anything that entered the body had to have certain layers of chemicals on them, else all of the normal cells would attack it, the body would reject it. So, the application of this wasn't a problem. Extended contact with the blood-stream was. The chemical would dissolve, and the the nanites would...Well, it wasn't pretty. Type B had been her proto-type 'double layer.' In other words, put one layer off, then the top part of the cell falls off and a layer beneath it reveals itself, extending the life-span of the nanite.

Unfortunately, something was wrong with the circuitry, one of the wires crossed or something like that, resulting in the smoky destruction of the nanite inside of the bloodstream whenever it 'split,' resulting in one less guard in this facility. Fortunately enough, the Arkanian Pirate Lord had supplied her with an endless line of specimen for which to get killed in faulty experiments. Unfortunately, Trssil had a concsious, and it greatly wounded her to see anyone killed by her projects. Since the crazy pirate lord demanded progress at an exruciating rate, results were needed. Which meant, Types C, D, E, and F had been created as well. All failures, but each one closer. She'd volunteered that they use lab specimen, like Gizka, but it was insited that they needed it to work on sentients, not Gizka.

As Trssil's clawed hands grasped another tube, to refill the chemical that would layer the nanites, she narrowed her eyes as she looked down her beak, scrutinizing the chemical for a moment.

Suddenly, the door opened behind her. Her strange, bird head cocked to the side and she chirped out, "I'm terribly busy, if you would return later..."

She turned to look at the newcomer. The Dug Dark Jedi. She shivered, feeling his hate. This man creeped her out more than the Pirate Lord. Perhaps it was just his attitude but...He was volatile, not to say the Pirate Lord didn't have a temper or a heavy hand either, but this one...

Trssil grew more anxious and paniced than usual, not a feeling she was unuse to in this area, but around him it seemed amplified.

"Here you are, all alone, dear," He said in that fake compassion that made him seem...Just creepy, "With no one about but pirates and me." She couldn't hide her absolute disgust as he stroked his wierd foot-hand against her feathers. She clucked her beak nervously and her left eye twitched. "Are you afraid, girl? I know you are. I can feel it on you." Right now she was actually more disgusted and angry to be terrified, but he suddenly reached over and grabbed her harshly by the face, and she could see his perverted face twist into a devious grin with a sort-of sick desperation to it, "Let me tell you this, girl, don't even think of screwing this project up, do you understand me?! I want those nanomachines, and you will give them to me. And if you don't I will split you open and dance in your entrails!" Trssil tried to pull back, and her heart fluttered within her several times its normal rate. "Don't get any delusions about salvation in your head, girl. No one is coming for you. Not your family. Not the Republic. Not the Jedi. No, now it's just you and us."

He left then, but there was little relief to be gained from it. Trssil just stood there, then. She wanted to run, hide underneath one of the desks provided, in a cupboard somewhere. Shut the pirates out, shut the world out, and just cry. Her heart fell, and she could feel the edges of a despair gripping her, she wanted to break then. Wanted to be saved and see her family again.

But she didn't do any of that. SHe simply turned, a single glossy tear wetting down the feathers on her cheeks, followed by a couple of more stragglers that insisted on blurring her vision, and she lifted the vial in her hand and carefully put it into the slot on the nanite creation machine. And she went back to work, that last tear of hers drying up.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((post order listed in thread discussion))

The slate was set for the day.

As promised, the Mrlsst Academy dean was set to give them a full tour of the campus, if they chose, after breakfast. Of course, the man had other things to do, but finding Trssil (and her research) was a priority. Her family was constantly banging down his door, it seemed, to see if there was any news on their daughter. “Not yet,” he would say, “but soon enough the jedi will find her.” With that he had given them the tentative agenda:

Tour the grounds
View her lab
Let the jedi work.

It was about as good an answer as he could give them, and really, he was ready to wash his hands of the thing if they called back in another hour (as was their penchant for doing)…luckily for them, they didn’t.

Unfortunately, poor Trssil wasn’t having things so easy.

There was, in fact, a dark jedi. A dug by the name of (of all things) Grenald. The poor, harassed, Mrlssi scientist had her hands full enough with Nica the Pirate Lord and his demands concerning the nano-tech, but the dug pushed things a bit overboard with the way he handled her, then trod on whatever hopes she might have of rescue.

But help WAS on the way…it was just…a little slow out of the starting gate.

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(Talau POV)

Grey eyes had gazed out across the landscape as the sun rose over it for…she didn’t know how long. A tumult of thoughts and emotions roiling deep within her, behind stony barriers built strong to keep prying minds and senses at bay. Those eyes had turned downward as that pale blue saber crystal, the color a cloudless daytime sky, glittered in the early morning sun, those golden rays catching and glinting off the facets of the precious (to her) gem. It was still endowed with his presence…it still –felt- like him.

Her eyes closed, as if the closing of those lids might further seal that, oh so fresh, pain off from even herself. It worked…to a degree…keeping her tears inside, rather than spilling over into the outside world. With a calming breath she opened them again and gazed at the crystal once more, her eyes catching (for a moment) on what he’d carved into it. A bit of blue, pale as that crystal, seeped into those stormy grey eyes before she looked back at the world around her, fingers curling around that jewel and hiding it from the world as she held it tightly.

Where was he now? When was the last time they’d watched the sun rise together? Or the last time they’d shared a meal, or studied, or practiced forms together? Where was it that they’d gone the last time they’d had time? When was the last time she’d looked into his eyes? The last time they’d held each other? Kissed? Or the last time she’d hear his heartbeat? When was the last time she’d told him she loved him?

Too long…

Her head hung between her shoulder blades, a few tears slipping along her lashes to fall to the forest floor below, the droplets that still clung to them glittering in the sunlight.

Was he looking for her?

Did he even believe she was still alive, or had he given up hope?

Those fortress walls of hers were crumbling…that final, painful, musing sending cracks through them that allowed wisps of that deep pain and sorrow to ripple out from her, shrouding her as a fog would. She reached out for him, finding that link, that bond, and grasping it as tightly as she could. It was still there…he was still alive, that silver thread that bound them together still strong.

--Ryn…where in this universe are you min areach?-- ((Rilan: min areach = my strength))

She allowed that thought to slide along their bond like a drop of rain along razor wire…hopefully it reached him…wherever he was.

Even in this state, however, Talau wasn’t defenseless. To allow herself to be so wrapped up in her emotions that she was senseless (I know there’s a joke in there somewhere) would mean a shortened lifespan for anyone, and it was practically a death sentence for jedi…especially shadows. It was one reason why she had such strong mental and emotional walls…to keep herself protected from others as well as keeping her protected from the emotions getting grip on her. Because of this strict training, brought on by her former master Shoal, it should be no surprise that the young knight felt Rhiss and her companion coming before they ever arrived. She sighed slightly and leaned more heavily against the railing as the master approached her and spoke. Idly she reached down to scratch Wrex on the head lightly.

I’m afraid there won’t be time for that Master Rhissai

In an instant those tears were gone, wiped away as if they were never there, the crystal in her hand vanishing beneath the leather of her top and the cracks in those walls sealed themselves up once more. It seemed Rhissai wasn’t the only one about so early in the morning, and after a few more minutes they were joined by Ta’lin (sans padawan, and a relief to Talau). By this time, that silent, stoic, façade had come up again completely and she nodded to the man who approached them. After a few more minutes Talau seemed to look off into the distance. The Dean was close at hand now, and that meant they would be shown to the lab soon.

Soon was right.

It didn’t take long to cover the rest of the academy since the Dean, it seemed, was rather anxious for them to get to the Lab so the jedi could begin their work in finding Trssil. As he showed them to the lab, he went over what few clues the local and campus security had found. Talau, however, found that she couldn’t focus properly, much of what the Dean said not even reaching her mind to be processed and instead just rebounding off of those mental defenses. She would have to hope the others were paying better attention than she was. Her eyes weren’t even seeing anything around her as she moved, relying on her sense to keep out of the way of others…to move about without needing to view the world she was surrounded by. Perhaps she shouldn’t have gone on this mission…perhaps it was too soon to be back, working like this…perhaps she shouldn’t have stayed with the jedi at all, but instead left as soon as she’d returned?

A light sigh escaped into the world around them and finally she pulled herself back out of her silent, stony, musings to notice that they had reached the lab itself. Allowing the others through, she followed in after them, closing the door behind her. Only then did she allow her presence in the force to flow outward, unbridled, to brush against everything and everyone there like a strong wind, or the rushing flow of clear water. It swirled around the entire room as her senses expanded outward, trying to gain any information that might help them. Slowly the young brunette moved into the room, grey eyes moving around, her mind shifting away from her own pain to the room they were in. There were…traces…black threads, red threads, at least four different colors of “thread” that she “saw” glittering about the room. She eyed the dark, clinging, gloom that slunk about in the corners of the lab and in the shadows.

Yes, the force worked oddly with Talau. Those powerful senses she had in the force, combined with her rilan eyes…well it made for some interesting views when it came to the force. There were no tangible threads, there was no visible darkness…hell, the trace amounts darkness were minuscule enough that if her talents in sense hadn’t been considerable she might have not noticed them at all. Time had dissipated them, obscured them and allowed them to seep back into the force as they were intended to be, but those eyes caught them just after her senses did.

So there IS a dark jedi…

She mused, more to herself than her companions as those eyes narrowed down on a key pad and the various ‘threads’ of force that clung to it, then turning to the nearest corner and eying it for a moment. Talau sighed. That was all well and good to know, indeed, but it didn’t give them a clue on where to start looking for the girl….just who one of her captors was, and who they would be up against later.

[Dire Wolf]

(okay, the first part of this is dedicated towards the grey Jedi Talau sent the message to. And don't worry about it Kage, I wasn't planning on them talking anyways xDDD. Also: the post is totally phail, but I'm not my best today.)

The response that Talau recieved from the other end of the sterling bond was underwhelming, to put it lightly. It was nothing but a wash of static that one would see and hear from a holo-television that lost its signal, yet defiantly refused to be switched off. Though, if she would look hard enough, listen behind the white noise, she would hear strains. Not of love, or life, but of battle and hatred. If she were to listen even closer she would almost be able to hear the wound that her messaged had caused him, but not an emotional one. The surprise of a stray thought fluttering beyond the bond slowed the grey Jedi enough to be hit by his adversary's shining blade. A blood red was of pain and anger flowed over the bond, making it clear once again.

This anger was not at her, nor was the pain that gushed from his body caused by her words. A pause, in all emotions... a realization, one that would have likely been just out of her grasp. Then, in a flash, a blind rage overtook the line. An anger that burned so brightly in the deepest crevasses of Ryn's heart that it could probably be seen through their bond... though it would be faint and flickering due to the great distance that separated them. Hurt, anger, pain... both emotional and physical, rage, all of them burned from his body to their link to her.

Then... nothing.

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(Rhissai's point of view)

The slightest inhale of Rhissai's nose brought in the numerous scents and odors of the forest that surrounded the complex. There was an innumerable amount of fragrances that graced the woman's nose; some pleasant, some rank, and some were an odd mixture of the two. Yet, for some odd reason, the smell of salthingyer pervaded all of these... almost as if there was an ocean nearby. The raven maned woman shook her head, no, there was no ocean nearby. She did not need her acute sense of smell to tell that Talau was in debilitating emotional pain. Her sixth sense told her that much, the one that had an odd empathetic link with every entity around it, the one that could see through her crumbling barriers like the wind would fly through jagged rocks.

A soft hand found Talau's shoulder, resting its weight against the woman comfortingly. Using this new physical link between the two beings, the elder sent a quick thought to the younger, --its alright, Talau. I know we can't talk about this yet. But we must soon. I assure you that you will ask you for your saber. I'd have to turn my own in as well. After the mission, alright?-- She withdrew her hand, and her thoughts, from Talau just as Ta'lin appeared from the building and spoke of Aelei. "I hope that she will become well soon," she said simply and honestly, "and welcome. Perhaps the dean will arrive shortly to show us to the labs."

As if on cue, the dean arrived and gave the trio of Jedi a curt greeting. What proceeded was was a short tour of the campus, one that honestly wasn't needed and only slowed down the rescue process. Rhissai was hardly paying attention during the tour, if one were to look into her bright green eyes one would swear that he could see the gears turning just behind them. It wasn't terribly long until they stepped into the lab that the student was taken from.

The first thing the woman noticed was the door frame, which had been splintered by the force that had slammed against the door. Unlike the other Jedi, this object was what drew Rhissai in the most. Her hands began to lightly slide along its surface, taking in every single curve and angle... even the sharp ones. She could feel the impressions that each person used on the door, feel the small traces of the environment that had been left behind with its use. Her mind delved into the pool that held these impressions, trying to sift out one from the other.

A soft glow eminated from her eyes, growing brighter as her mind waded deeper and deeper into the pool of the Force. Soon her mind was fully immersed in the events that this door had seen, the people that it was used by... at first it was confusing. Overwhelming. But the Jedi master had grown accustomed to it, oh yes, she had done this countless times to find a murderer... or, heh, kidnapper. The woman's mind worked to sort out these events in time, it was most certainly tedious work... seeing as the door had literally been used thousands of times over the many years that the wing was open. Rhissai's mind was quick, however, and stronger than most... eventually she singled out the trace that she was looking for... and viewed it.

SLAM! The door was kicked down by one of the massive reptilian foot of a Trandoshan pirate, shattering the wooden frame into pieces. The Raven maned woman stood there on the other side, a silent and invisible observer to all that was going on within the room. Three pirates rushed into the room like bats out of hell, the first not even waiting for the door to settle onto the ground. Green eyes shifted to the fourth form to enter the room, a Dug with a simple lightsaber hanging from his belt. Fortunately, he took a few steps towards the three pirates that were working to restrain the struggling Mrlssi... stepping on the door in the process.

The Jedi Master watched, her face stoic, as the avian woman vainly tried to fight off the three larger and stronger pirates, only barely managing to clip a small bit of hair from a human's head. A smirk of satisfaction etched its way across the woman's face as she watched the hair detach... then, suddenly, her vision went black.. only to be replaced by her previous view.

The Dug stepped off of the doorway, ending the event abruptly. Green eyes darted to the two other Jedi in the room, not hesitating for a heartbeat, "Hair. Some was clipped. Find it," she thought fast, therefore she spoke fast. There was honestly no time for pleases and thank yous, if even a single strand of hair was found Rhissai could track that brigand bastard back to his birthing if she needed to. Or whenever he grew that particular strand... whichever came first.