Something Familiar (vex and talau)

[A®heim]

The comm station on the Consul beeped, and the small light that indicated a received transmission flashed once....twice...

INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM...

...ERROR: NO SOURCE IDENTIFICATION. TRIANGULATING...

...ERROR: SYSTEM INTRUDER. RUNNING ANTI- 10101110010

............IDENTIFICATION ESTABLISHED: PROJECT FAMILIAR

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

So much had happened over the past few days Aunna’s head was still spinning slightly. Between the battery of training the ‘old fashioned way’ and being used as a live guinea pig, Aunna was surprised that she was fairing this well. True, Vex’s unusual and…dangerous…technique of trying to hasten the learning process of shii-cho had worked to some (rather surprising) degree, but that didn’t keep her from making mistakes that earned her a good battering from a lightsaber every so often. It didn’t really help that she still had no clue as to where she stood with the man.

Obviously Vex was now acting as a mentor, a teacher in the ways of the force and lightsaber combat, but…other than that what was she to him? What was he to her? Now that she was of little use to his original cause, and she didn’t understand why he felt the need to stay with her…coupled with the times they’d shared recently…she wondered what they were to each other. It wasn’t exactly a mutually beneficial relationship (that she noticed anyway), since she was the one being taught and he seemed to gain nothing from it. They weren’t exactly friends…she didn’t know him well enough for that and in her experiences with making friends, her time with Vex certainly didn’t fit into that category…at least, she didn’t THINK it did. She also couldn’t say they were lovers…yes, they’d kissed, yes they’d shared a bed, but that didn’t mean there was any kind of love shared…well…not on his part anyway. Hell, maybe what she felt wasn’t even the beginning of love like she thought…but…she didn’t believe that was the case.

Either way, the woman found herself outside in the grey (again), and being put through the rigging by Vex (again) as she attempted to move through the katas properly (again). Thankfully the clouds above had let up on the rain, leaving only a crisp breeze that sliced through clothing and bit at exposed skin. Obviously it was either fall or winter here…Aunna was tempted to say fall since several of the trees and plants surrounding their little hideaway were clothed in golds, reds, and oranges as the chlorophyll in them faded away while the trees prepared for their winter ‘slumbers,’ the longer nights no longer allowing them to produce the food needed and making the chemical unnecessary, revealing the brilliant hues they now sported. This natural wonder, however, wasn’t what caused the auburn to receive the blow that sent her crashing to the ground (again).

She’d been stepping through from the fifth to sixth kata when she’d felt an all too familiar tug in the direction of the Consul. One wrong move of her arm and slight misstep and she found her shoulder stinging then her Achilles tendon stinging, then both numb as she fell to one knee with a hiss and growl.

Bhesj, Vex!

She grunted, frustrated at the situation. Yes, she’d deserved it for losing concentration, but bloody hell it had hurt! More than anything she was frustrated with herself for letting that pull, that signal through the force, cause her to make such an idiotic set of mistakes. Struggling to her feet again, she deactivated her saber and sighed.

Hold on…I’ll let you beat some sense into me in a few minutes. I think…I think I need to go into the ship…I’m just…not sure WHY yet.

The perplexed look on her face showed there was no lie, and hopefully Vex would understand. This wasn’t her trying to get away from training, this was something else. Without another word to her companion, Aunna turned and walked up the ramp. She paused for a moment just inside the ship, looking around as if uncertain which direction to go, then headed in the direction of the cockpit. It was this direction that the pull had led her, and it wasn’t until she got closer that Aunna noticed the communications notification blinking at her. Who…HOW…someone had found their communication’s code and was contacting them. For a moment a ripple of fear spread through her. Could they really have been found so easily? Looking more closely at the notification she read the error warnings. Had they been tracked somehow? Her mind raced through the possibilities even as she read the final words. Her mind stopped at that.

Project Familiar?

Blue eyes blinked a few times at that. Wasn’t that the name of the company, or whatever, that Ayer was part of? Why would they be contacting them? HOW could they be contacting them? Aunna weighed her options for a moment, one hand hovering over the button to accept the communication. She didn’t feel anything that seemed to be pointing to a trap or trouble of some kind…she just hoped she was correct.

Tentatively she pressed the button.

This is the Consul, how may I be of assistance?

[A®heim]

Static crackled when she pressed the button, and her words were barely audible. Over the commline another voice sounded behind the static. Phae, kindly adjust the frequency so madam Borgonia will be able to hear our proposition.

A second voice, this one slightly tinny and not much different from Ayer's. I'm doing my best....this is a very long range communication, there's going to be a lot of interference.

The static dwindled and died out. Greetings Consul, I am pleased to know this communication code we acquired is operational.....you should be more cautious. Well then, no use dragging this out longer than it has to be, I imagine you must be a little edgy from what has happened to you.

Approximately half a parsec away from Carida, the SDE-01 stealth destroyer Descent drifted in the nothingness of space. Deep within its bowels, past the cold, white, empty corridors, into a warmly lit study, sat a wizened old man and his Familiar. Arzahiem exhaled deeply and leaned back towards the microphone. Phae watched from his custom made perch on the desk.

I cannot tell you my name, others could be listening, call me Wizard. I am head of Project Familiar, an organization I'm sure you're...familiar with, no pun intended. I am, for all intent and purpose, Ayer's father and I have a proposition for you on his behalf.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

As that elderly voice crackled through, Aunna couldn’t help but blink in confusion. “Madam Borgonia?” “Proposition?” Wait…was that Ayer? No…it sounded different…sort of. As the static died away and that…almost smug…comment about their communications code and being cautious came through, Aunna bristled slightly and hooked Vex’s saber to her belt, leaning against the control panel heavily, her head dipping between her shoulder blades in a motion much like a bird of prey. She was far from happy with being toyed with by someone she didn’t know.

Taking a breath, she waited silently for whoever this man was to say his piece…the name ‘Project Familiar’ had piqued her interest, so she was willing to try and keep her cool. The more the man spoke, however, the more she was keen to listening…the feathers he’d ruffled smoothing over slightly despite her being wary of him still. Slowly she moved to sit in the pilot seat of the small cockpit and leaned her elbows on the consol lightly, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on her thumbs.

At the man’s statement about her being ‘a little edgy’ a light ‘hmph,’ of what could be considered amusement, escaped her before more silence filled the air. Aunna still wasn’t quite sure what to think of this situation, and so she was ready at a moment to cut the com and any hope of tracking them through it. It was another reason for her silence anyway, the first being the fact that she wasn’t certain she wished her voice to be known and possibly recorded. When he called himself “Wizard” she chuckled slightly.

So…this was the man Ayer had mentioned on Coruscant. The one who’d given ‘life’ to the little droid who’d been their companion for about two weeks. At the mention of him, she sighed a bit, relieved. Well, if it was a proposition on his behalf that had to mean that he’d made it safely to where he needed to be. That alone was a comforting thought.

Madam Borgonia is my mother, sir, Miss Borgonia will do fine, or if you are the less formal kind I’m sure you have my proper name.

I am more than a bit edgy, yes, and don’t take this communication lightly. I am prepared to cut it at any time if I feel you are tracking me for…unsavory…purposes. It would be foolish of me to think that you aren’t likely tracking me already.

As for telling me your name, there’s no need, I already know it…at least in part…but I’ll concede and call you ‘Wizard’ if I must…but I can’t promise I won’t snicker.

Yes, I do know of Project Familiar, and from your epitaph alone was able to discern your connection to Ayer.

Speaking of Ayer, I’m guessing that he got back to you safely then?

Ah, it seemed Aunna wasn’t going to pull punches today, but then again, most Corellians didn’t unless it served their purposes. A light chuckled escaped the former major as she sat there. Her intent hadn’t been to be mean, but she hadn’t liked the way things had opened up, so she decided to play a bit of hard ball with the man. Maybe it would soften the edges some.

Now that we have all of that out of the way…you’ve got my attention, Mr. Wizard…what’s this proposition of yours?

[A®heim]

A moment of stunned silence....

In his spaceborne study, Arza wrinkled his brow at the commlink in front of him. Phae stared at him and tilted his head to one said questioningly. The fire crackled as a log fell into the coals. The man couldn't help it anymore; he burst out laughing.

So he told you about our little operation, did he? I should have guessed he might confide in you...I wouldn't have expected anything else. Very well, My name is Arzahiem Farweulf, but don't use that name lightly. It has more impact in this cruel galaxy than you would imagine, but yes, be assured that while your location has been noted, I have a skilled team of "technicians" prepared to jam any interception of this transmission. Believe me when I say you can trust us.

As for Ayer, he'll be fine. The damage was extensive but the central data cores remained mostly intact. Repair teams have been at work on him for the last few weeks.

The bird hopped down from its perch and craned his neck to speak in the commlink.

Much of the software was recovered, the shot disabled a great amount of internal systems, however, and rendered the chassis hopelessly destroyed. The latter we have recently completed construction of and we are still in the process of re-wiring the sensory systems and servo motors. He's conscious at least, but a lot of his coding was corrupted and he can't move yet. Nothing we droids can't handle, he'll be fine.

Thank you, Phae. That was my own Familiar, Hephaestus, 00, I imagine Ayer may have mentioned him. He's been heading the repair team recently. If anyone can fix up Ayer, it's his older brother.

The elderly man had taken on a rather somber expression while discussing the state of Ayer. The Familiars were the closest things he had to children and now he was playing the part of the concerned father standing over his son's sick bed. Arza hardened his expression and forced the thoughts away.

Alright then, well you seem to be eager to get this over with, so I'll cut to the chase. I've been analyzing Ayer's experiences for some time now and I believe that you,Miss Borgonia, are JUST what Project Familiar has been looking for.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((Vex! Get your arse in here! ))

Oh yes, Aunna had been anxious to get the transmission over with… “had been” being the operative words in that sentence. Certainly she’d been pleased by the stunned silence that followed her words, a quirky smile appearing on her face that only broadened into a grin at the rest of his words. The name, his warning after, and his…side note…about his technicians. Yes, she did think she could trust him, odd as that may seem. He certainly wasn’t without his wiles, nor was he someone to be taken lightly, but knowing that from his initial words and this new reaction…it had her settling down slightly, easing out the tense energy in her muscles and withdrawing her hand from above the button that would sever the com-relay connection.

That, of course, was before he mentioned Ayer.

Extensive damage…repair teams?! What the hell had happened?! Aunna was stunned silent long enough for Arza and Phae to speak their piece through to the end before she managed to find something that even remotely resembled a coherent thought.

Wait…what?!

The most brilliant of questions it was not.

Slow down now…wait a moment. What do you mean by all of this? How was he damaged? What happened? You said that Ayer will be alright? I don’t understand…when…when did this happen?!

Luckily she made a full recovery shortly after.

She was standing again, leaning heavily against the control panel once again as she nearly started pacing back and forth in her agitation. Thinking back, the auburn tried to figure out just when Ayer might have been damaged, or how. A shake of her head was given as she couldn’t place a moment. It had to have been sometime when she wasn’t around…after they’d left Corellia? Had something happened in transit? On Kuat? Had there been more trouble for him? No doubt she’d been the cause, directly or indirectly, of what had happened to him. A low groan issued from her at the thought and she sighed.

You’re sure he’ll be alright? I…it…

Her voice tapered off, unsure of just how to put her feelings into words. Sure Ayer was a droid, but…he’d been more than that. He was a friend too, he’d helped her in whatever ways he could and she admitted to herself that she’d be hurt if he WASN’T going to be alright. It would be as bad as if a friend had been injured and died because of her actions. It wasn’t a pain she wanted to revisit.

It would be…horrible…if he wasn’t going to be.

Horrible wasn’t a strong enough word, but there wasn’t really a term that settled between ‘horrible’ and ‘devastating’…not one she could think of at the moment anyway. Though, perhaps devastating was closer to the truth…especially if his “death” had been a result of his dealings with her. Slowly she sat down again and shook those thoughts from her mind. Phae had said he’d be fine, apparently he was ‘conscious,’ and so there was no use fretting over something that didn’t need to be fretted about. After everything she’d been through, however, it was still a bit difficult not to want to jump to extremes…if only to prepare for the worst outcome.

[A®heim]

((Yeah! n'stuff!....and things....))

Now it was Phae's turn to be caught off guard, though Arza made sure he wasn't alone. She hadn't known? One step at a time now. Close mouth. Unfurrow brow. Pondering....but of course! He should've guessed that Someone like this Aunna wouldn't have just Ayer behind if she had known. Chances are he did something humble, heroic, stupid, and subtle to get himself shot and they just assumed he had departed their company. After all, he had contacted Ayer not a week before about the necessity of his presence on Kuat. He was likely preparing to leave right around the time he was damaged.

Wow, how to break something like this? Well....he already had....hwot to break something like this to someone who you now know wasn't aware of it the first time you mentioned it. ....right.

Genius.

I'm not entirely sure where to begin.... Around the time you departed from Corellia, we received strange readings from Ayer. This hadn't been the first time this had occurred, but we were shocked to receive a distress call from said Familiar mere seconds afterwards. This alert goes off automatically when extreme strain is put upon a Familiar's systems so naturally we had little choice but to react.

I had an extraction team sent as quickly as possible where they recovered Ayer from what appeared to be a grove or orchard. The team narrowly reached him in time, chemical entropy had already begun to corrupt and destroy some of the more sensitive equipment.

He could hear the pain in her voice and more, he could feel it. It was almost like he could see her aura burning through the commline: a nauseous vapor of deep blue and sickly yellow. There now. I put my fullest trust in the abilities of Phae and his team. They'll have him up and running in no time. The fault was not yours; Ayer would put himself between almost anyone and a blaster. He was tasked to protect you and Vex, and now he feels he has truly accomplished that.

I know that. He told me so.

Arza gave another gruff, compassionate chuckle. His CPU still isn't realigning very well, but I can understand enough what he has to say. And did he have a lot to say.... you all had quite the adventure it seems; Criminals, hostile landscapes, starliner crashes, Jedi, light and dark, flying monkeys, bloody system clocks, it's been quite the tale.So yes, rest assured he will live and be none the worse for this when all is over and done with. In fact, I think the lessons and enlightenment he's gained from this have really upgraded his photoreceptors to a whole new spectrum. All of us thank you for that.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((sorry for modding your post Arh, but you had a major color code issue ^.^))

“…Right.”

Well, it seemed Aunna wasn’t the only one incapable of speech at the moment. There was silence on the other side of the com as he spoke about strange readings, a distress call and an extraction team. That silence was broken shortly after.

An…an orchard. It was an orchard. Vex…he was fighting a jedi there. Ayer had been following me a ways away…but I felt him killing her, the jedi, and I couldn’t just let Vex do that so…

She trailed off. Obviously she’d gone back to try and stop him.

There was a lot of force energy around, making things even more confusing in the dark, but as far as I knew Ayer had been with me the whole time…it wasn’t until I started back to the Consul after everything was over, after all the confusion died down, that I realized he wasn’t there. By that time though I’d told him to go back to the manor…I…I thought he just…

Great, so it had been her fault…again. A hand ran through her hair and she sighed slightly. As if on cue Arza spoke again, putting some of her worries to rest, though she still wasn’t entirely convinced. She would, however, have to take his word for it and trust that Ayer would be alright in the end…she couldn’t afford to worry about him too much since she needed to focus on her training.

“The fault was not yours; Ayer would put himself between almost anyone and a blaster. He was tasked to protect you and Vex, and now he feels he has truly accomplished that. I know that. He told me so.”

Aunna let out a half hearted huff of amusement and relief and shook her head. She was about to reply when the man chuckled and continued. Saying they’d had “an adventure” was putting the situation mildly in her opinion, but then again, perhaps to Ayer it was just that…or perhaps this Arza was being ‘nice’ about the situation. At the mention of flying monkeys and system clocks, however, Aunna put her face into her hands and laughed a little, a few tears escaping as well.

Bloody bird is a kriffing mind reader if he said ANYTHING about flying monkeys, Mr. Wizard…but yes that system clock was the most annoying thing about this whole ordeal…well, second only to Vex himself. HE is the most annoying thing about it.

It was a teasing jab at the dark man, whether or not he could hear her, and she made sure to echo it about in her mind a bit just in case he was lurking about in there. She hadn’t exactly been focusing on her mental barriers so it was fairly safe to say he’d heard a few things at least…and if the mental ninja were still creeping about he’d hear this too…and in no small amount of humor either.

I’m not sure why you’d be thanking me, but I’ll take almost any sincere thanks I get these days. Nice to be thanked again, for a change.

She paused for a moment and gazed out the view port at the grey sky and forest outside. Vex was going to have a fit if she didn’t get her rear back outside soon…with a roll of her eyes she let out a light ‘mmph’ and shook her head.

I’m afraid that, one way or the other, I don’t have much more time to talk. I have a rather…demanding…mentor waiting on my return and I can’t say I left with the best reason in the universe, so…as much as I would prefer to pick your mind about exactly what Ayer’s said, I’ll have to ask that we move on to the topic you contacted me for.

Another, shorter, pause followed as she drummed silently on the metal of the control panel.

You said you’d been looking over Ayer’s experiences…and that I’m “just what Project Familiar has been looking for”…I’m not certain I follow what you mean by that.

[Vex]

"The droid's CPU has never been properly aligned. Though occasionally useful, the robot has been more of a pain than anyhingelse. If this 'Project Familiar' that you speak of is anything like what I think it is, then we can do without. I hardly require another nuisance to deal with while protecting Aunna. You should feel fortunate that I do not have the technical prowess with which to reverse triangulate your position and come hunt you down. By coming here, contacting us....you put her in danger."

Vex was not amused. He'd waited for a short period, waiting for her. He understood the pull upon the Force and what it was like when compelled by it. When it took an unusual amount of time, he stalked up the ramp looking for her. He heard her thoughts...though he was hardly as amuses as she was. Not a surprise, by any means. Standing in the doorway, he'd listened silently for a moment, taking in the conversation without letting his presence e known. He wanted to know exactly hat was going on. Now that he did...it was time to end this.

Moving over to her, his hand came up, wrapping in the mane of dark red, twisting it around his fist and holding her by it, looking at her in a commanding manner. "You chose to slip from training in order to take a communications call from a stranger? At least without answering they were blind to our location...now they could draw the entirety of the Republic down upon us."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

...Speak of the devil…

Excuse us for a moment…

Hold on her hair or not, she muted the com with the flip of a switch. She grabbed the hair at the base of her head, easing the pressure against her scalp and allowing her to tug against his hold as she glared back up at him.

I chose to ‘slip from training’ to follow a pull in the force, no more and no less…that it was because of a communication is no fault of mine. All I did was what you have been telling me to do since Coruscant, allow the force to guide me…it brought me straight here and, against my better judgment, bayed me receive the communication. You think that I don’t know the risks, Vex? I’m very well aware of what could happen and was very well aware of it BEFORE I did anything. You might not believe this, Mr. Praetor, but I DO think more than you seem to give me credit for and was, from the first instant, prepared to cut the transmission. The more he spoke, however, the more I was assured that there was less threat in answering this communication than there is in being around you on a daily basis. Now kindly let go of me. I understand and appreciate your concern, but right now you will just have to suffer through the rest of this conversation and when it is through I will return to being your obedient student.

The ice in her voice made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t about to back down on this. Everything rang true in her words…she knew better than to even attempt at lying to him…and so, with nothing to hide, she saw no reason to back down. She’d been reasonable, she’d thought out the possibilities, she’d both done as he’d instructed her to do previously, as well as fought the urge to act impulsively because of it. Aunna had been about to unmute the com again when she stopped and looked at him once more.

And any resource that we have at our disposal should be a welcome one…even to you. You would do well to remember that. If he has the means to contact us, and create such droids then who’s to say how he or his droids might be able to assist us? It’s unwise to push away, threaten, and insult those who could either help us or harm us on a whim.

With that she unmuted the com with a sigh…Now for damage control.

I’m sorry about that. He’s obviously not a personable man and concerned for my safety…though he has odd ways of showing it…

She was referring to the hold he’d taken on her hair and the way in which he’d spoken to her.

So I do hope that you both forgive his…mannerisms…and keep good on your word that I can trust you not to allow any others to know our location.

Not even her father knew where they were or how to get hold of them…and she would honestly prefer to keep it that way if she could.

Please continue with what you were saying before you were interrupted…

[A®heim]

((Happy saints day!))

The man had just opened his mouth to speak when he heard Vex enter. Even as he spoke to them with his signature ominousness, Arza found his mouth tilted into a small smile. Enery Winsliyn...haven't changed much I see.

"The droid's CPU has never been properly aligned. Though occasionally useful, the robot has been more of a pain than anything. If this 'Project Familiar' that you speak of is anything like what I think it is, then we can do without. I hardly require another nuisance to deal with while protecting Aunna. You should feel fortunate that I do not have the technical prowess with which to reverse triangulate your position and come hunt you down. By coming here, contacting us....you put her in danger."

I can assure you, such a confrontation would be undesirable. It would hinder both our businesses as I'm sure you know as well as I. If I were to "bring the entire Republic down upon you, trust me when I say I could have and would have done so the moment you picked up the limp form of the Familiar that saved your lives.

The line cut off. He had expected it to. The smile never vanished.

Feeling smug, are we? You realize, I hope, you'll never be able to garner any fear or respect from that man.

Arza closed his eyes and shook his head in a silent chuckle. Reaching into his coat pocket, he retrieved a wooden box, intricately carved, and inscribed with no shortage of miscellaneous notes and diagrams (doodles). Opening this box, he pulled out a simple mahogany pipe which he carefully filled and lit. Several draws and puffs later, he turned to Phae.

How quickly would you be able to bypass their comm security?

The Familiar's hesitation was unnoticed by mortal eyes. Judging by the complexity of their receiver, approximately 3 minutes and 41 seconds. 11, on the other wing, could probably have it down in a matter of milliseconds...

Arza said nothing, but played around with making some smoke rings. They drifted up in wavering ovals until hitting the ceiling where they burst and dissipated into the cabin air.

..................

Phae stared at him him in silence without budging a servo. Arza.

Hm? His eyes fixed on the bird and his eyebrows raised in innocent ignorance.

Do you want me to fetch 11?

..................

....Oh! No, no, that won't be necessary. I only wished to be certain we sat upon the platform of technological superiority.

So then you wanted to know if you COULD eavesdrop on them if you wanted.

Yes.

Phae dropped it there. Sometimes there was no use pressing the sense out of that man; you would just end up more dumbfounded. Arza, on his part, leaned back in his chair, puffing happily. A silence slightly too long for the bird's preference and slightly too short for the man's musings was ended by the return of the comm line.

"I’m sorry about that. He’s obviously not a personable man and concerned for my safety…though he has odd ways of showing it…"

Arza's teeth shone through parted lips as he smiled at Phae. The droid pretended not to notice and suddenly became engrossed in a self-scan. I'm sure he is. Well, well, the infamous Vex Praetor. Long have I anticipated the opportunity to speak to thee at last. However, as it is, I have business to discuss and as the young lady has already pointed out, time is of the essence. I will not hold you longer than need be.

Miss Borgonia, I came across some interesting developments in Ayer's programming while I was reconfiguring his damaged software. It would seem that his travels with you and Mr. Praetor have taken his abilities as a Familiar down a path I would wager never to have been wandered by artificial intelligence. I will spare you the details, but the emotions and ideologies he is now capable of comprehending is...no less than astounding.

I'm going to be blunt: I want more. This is one of the greatest breakthroughs in my creation of Project Familiar and I intend to replicate it; all while assisting you in your ventures for redemption and justice at the same time. No doubt Ayer, has mentioned the importance of his partner, what it entitles, the meanings behind it...

Arzahiem reached over to pat Phae on the head. His mind lapsed momentarily to the christening of his first familiar. Oh what fantastic discoveries lay within the mechanical ingenuity. What wonder he had felt when that bird first introduced itself and then immediately informed him of the numerous structural faults of the manufacturing station and the piece of bofu stuck in his teeth.

Aunna, what would you say if I were to offer you a Familiar?

[Vex]

At her words those black eyes grew even darker, as though they sucked the very light out of the room. Her barb about the conversation being less threatening than spending the days with him had been low and, if the anger hadn't risen so swiftly, there might have been an opening for something akin to hurt. Instead, however, he gripped that hold tighter and pulled her back against the wall. His hand loosened from her hair and moved around, closing about her throat to keep her there, though they did not press down to harm or hinder breathing. "The smart thinker would have never opened up the communications link to begin with. My disobedient student...my wayward pet...do hurry with your folly of a conversation...I won't have you back to be my obedient pupil...but a very regretful one."

"Unwise? We know nothing about this man, his capabilities, or his intentions. The broken, misguided robot can hardly be used as a gauge of character or good will, no matter how attached you may have gotte to it. The unwise action is to jump into bed and ally yourself with someone we know nothing about. His capabilities and resources are unknown and shadowed for a reason. I only trust that which I can understand and have some modicum of control. Which, if remember circumstances correctly, have done a much better job of keeping both of us healthy and out of harms way. IMPULSIVE actions, such as in the bar on Manaan, the streets of Nar Shaddaa, playing hero in the undercity of Coruscant, and not running when I told you and therefore forcing me to continue to engage a Jedi on Corellia...THOSE are the actions that have gotten us injured and put into harms way."

Yes, he'd thrown it all back into her face, everything that she'd done, that he'd warned her about or tried to protect her from that had gotten them into harm's way or harmed in general. Snarling, the sound a mechanical rending of sound from that mask, he pulled away, moving back through the door. "Though, if you fear for your safety so much in my presence, we can arrange for you to be handed over to this stranger's care. Perhaps he will be less inept than I."

With that storm of emotion in the Force, he entered the hall and moved to depart the ship again before she continued her conversation with the man named Wizard.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She’d been battered about by him before, threatened like this before…but this was slightly different. Aunna couldn’t quite tell what was buried beneath the anger that had flared up in him, but she knew there was something more there…that she’d hit a nerve somehow. He’d pulled her up and pushed her back against the bulkhead, venting his frustrations and anger at her, throwing every good deed she’d done since he’d met her back in her face. It hurt above all else and she solidified herself against it. He could think what he liked about her…everyone else looked down upon her decisions, what made him any different? Even as he let her go and stormed out in a swirl of black hair and pale skin with that parting shot, she simply lifted her chin slightly and shut her emotions down further as she sat down once more.

“Long have I anticipated the opportunity to speak to thee at last.”

Well that certainly didn’t help her argument with Vex at all. Inwardly she sighed. Couldn’t anything be easy when dealing with Vex? Was she constantly going to have to worry about him potentially angering someone who could do them harm? Even if she hadn’t accepted this transmission, there was always the worry of someone they couldn’t avoid…and the thought of that bald devil still itched at the back of her mind, a constant warning of danger that she just couldn’t shake. At her name, Aunna returned to the present.

At his warning and the following statement about his ‘wanting more,’ Aunna raised an eyebrow. Well, at least he was honest about that want.

I would start with the typical questions of who, what, when, where, and why then go from there.

[A®heim]

Phae tilted his head at the communicator before looking up at his partner. Based on recent audible evidence, I have come to the conclusion that you are going to have to extend your wait to speak with Mr. Praetor.

Thank you for that news flash, bird. Now, unless it's something relevant and important would you mind locking your little beak shut for a minute while I discuss the terms with this woman before the "Great Praetor" uses the comm suite as a hacky sack thus laying a rather bulky roadblock in the path of this old man's dream?

Very well

Thank you-

Sir, I have something important and relevant to say.

Arza glared down at the bird daring him. What?

You're still holding down the comlink button.

The man's eye twitched as he slowly looked to his hand. Sure enough, the button was still compressed under his thumb. His forehead hit his desk with a dull thud. With his face still buried, he held the comlink to the desk and spoke quietly into it. One moment please.

Arza removed his finger from the button and thrust the comlink out towards Phae.
Transferring the call to customer relations? You're lucky Vex had left the room for that one.

You. Talk. Now. [/size]

The bird droid shook its head and hopped up to the small metal box being held at arm's length towards him. Due to an unexpected stupidity stroke suffered by our lead role, the part of "the Wizard" will now be played by yours truly, Phae the infallible ferrous flappy thing.

Stop milking it.

Your queries will now be answered in a straightforward uniform way in the order you asked them in: Who - YOU will be receiving REA-13 from US. What - a state-of-the-art Reptilian Electronic Assistant class Familiar droid. When - ASAP. Where - right where you're standing unless preferable location is given. Why - it will be mutually beneficial for all parties. As for the "go on from there", just say the word and I'd be honored to go into further detail.

Phae looked up form the comlink into a death glare from the old man. There, was that so hard?

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Aunna could only quirk an eyebrow at the conversation that followed. What sort of dysfunctional pairing was this? If she’d not just had such a tiff with Vex, the woman might have been more amused; at the moment, however, it was mildly irritating.

“One moment please”

The link went silent and Aunna folded her arms across her chest quietly, stewing over Vex’s reaction behind walls of stone. What a frustrating and infuriating man he was! Really, why did he try so hard to protect her? It just made no sense to the woman, and honestly, she didn’t believe it made any sense to him either. She’d been grumbling to herself in olys corellisi when the com crackled to life again and she fell silent once more. A slight narrowing of her eyes and an annoyed sigh were the only reply she gave to the droid on the other side as it spoke up, followed by the ‘wizard’s muffled comment.

As it continued, she paid more attention. They wanted to send her a droid…REA-13 to be exact…and by the name it wasn’t about to look like any bird. They wanted to send the droid soon as possible and to this location. Well, that wouldn’t do, to be certain.

Alright, a few things…First: considering my situation, I’m not certain it would be a wise idea for you to send one of your ‘children’ to me. I tend to see a great amount of problems crop up at times, as seen by how you found Ayer.
Second: it would be foolish to try to get anything directly to where we are currently staying. Whether you perform a drop or try to give it to us directly, it compromises our safety…Vex won’t have that, and trust me…it’s going to be bad enough living with him right now, never mind if I say yes and you try to get the droid directly here. It would be more wise to drop the droid in a more remote area away from us and have him or her make their way here…this is, of course, assuming they are able to evade detection, whether it be by flight or some other means.
Thirdly: From what I understand about Familiars, each comes with a specific skill or set of skills…if this is the case, what is 13’s skill, or skill set? I’m going to need to know more about 13 itself before I can say yes or no…I don’t feel like receiving one of your familiars only to have Vex try to dismantle it on the spot because it has an attitude or skill he’ll never even come close to accepting.

[A®heim]

Phae and Arza both cursed their logic at the same time. Duh, of course they couldn't send it right to them. They were convicts in hiding not the decorated war heroes most Familiars were assigned to. This was going to be trickier than they had initially prospected. Then again...Aunna's solution may be acceptable.

That would be...difficult, at best. 13 has more field training than any of the other REAs but has yet to participate in a solo operation. That said, I do not doubt she could accomplish it.

The bird paused a moment to review the conversation logs so far to look for any inconsistencies or vague points to elaborate on. He found quite a few. As for 13 herself, she is one of our newest models, the REA Familiar. You will find that several major modifications have been made to allow the droid to take on a more diverse array of roles and functions. I'm sending technical data...now.

The holoprojector on the Consul flickered to life as several complex schematics flashed across empty space. More data than could possibly be read at that speed by human eyes flew down the diagnostic charts as the primary structures flipped and rotated about.

Fear not. These are files directly from my own Lateral Analysis programming; my "special ability" as you called it. The are being transmitted through the same anti-espionage command programs being worked into this communication. If 11 can't stop an intruder, than the intruder isn't from this dimension.

As you can see, there is a major difference in the appearance of this model. While this lowers the subtlety aspect of it slightly, rest assured such shortcomings have been augmented so you need not worry about drawing attention to yourself. That, and I don't believe there is another Familiar that I would feel is capable of remaining safe in your hands.

Phae caught himself a moment too late. No offense was meant by that, Miss Borgonia. I apologize.

Process before you speak, bird.

Phae ignored him and continued cautiously. Otherwise, there are many good reasons why we wish to send her in particular. Her "special ability" is a high-velocity dart launcher embedded within her tail armed loaded with several varieties of reusable darts. These have been tested to be an effective means of both lethal and non-lethal incapacitation of single hostile targets. Something I believe would appeal to both you and Mr. Praetor.

In addition to this subtle armament, the standard Familiar programming is present with several more innovations that should make the droid even more life-like than ever. As I'm sure Ayer has informed you, we don't program their personalities to I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly what she's like, but from the little time I've worked with her, she seems remarkably stable and cold-willed. No...perhaps cold isn't the word. She shows compassion for her family and allies, she just doesn't let it control her judgment. I daresay I needed mention the importance of that to you.

And finally we come to the most impactful reason: due to unforeseen circumstances and the need for immediate action, 13's initial field test was the extraction of Ayer from just that situation you have mentioned. Other than Arza and myself, she is the only member of Project Familiar who knows about you two.

The old man had risen during his Familiar's monologue and was leaning slightly against his desk letting small puffs of thought spurt form his pipe. When Phae had finished, he nodded to the bird and took the comlink back up. Well there you have it. Straight from the mockingbird, as it were. I have complete faith in 13's abilities. Name a place, she'll find you.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

I’m afraid that would be necessary, considering our…precarious…position.

The gender of the droid didn’t escape the woman. Listening silently, she eyed the projection that appeared before her. In a moment of reaction, she’d hit the recording device, capturing the projected schematics as Phae spoke. The blue light of it glinted in blue eyes as that last sentence came across the com waves.

She remained silent even then.

Yes, it was true enough. Even she didn’t feel that a droid…of any kind…would be ‘safe in her hands’ at the moment…partially because of her current status with the Republic and partially because of Vex. That wasn’t to say that the comment hadn’t stung, and the silence that followed it spoke more loudly than any words could. Finally, as Arza admonished his companion, she let out a silent sigh and bowed her head.

No need to apologize…I said as much myself. Please continue.

Continue he did as he lay out 13’s ‘ability.’ It certainly did appeal to her…a useful skill for a droid to have while in their company, able to defend itself or them should the need arise, as well as being able to act proactively in situations were disable an enemy first would be the wise choice. She might actually be able to save more lives from Vex’s…talents…by doing so. This was certainly a possibility that Aunna found appealing.

As Phae lay out what he knew of her personality, Aunna snickered slightly. She couldn’t help but get the feeling that she was about to become outnumbered. If the droid was how Phae described her, she and Vex should get along rather better than anticipated…once he got used to the idea that the droid was (like it or not) going to be part of their lives permanently. Well…she wouldn’t get her hopes up on that outcome. Her dark companion was still rather testy, and…while he’d seemed to at least accept Ayer in the end, who was to say he’d do so with another droid.

The last reason Phae lay out before her had the 31 year old sitting in a stunned silence for several moments. 13 had taken part in the extraction of Ayer the night they had gone to her parent’s manor? She already knew about Aunna and Vex, Ayer’s involvement with them, what had happened…it was a bit much to fathom, but the blue eyed fugitive did an amazingly good job at it. Well…that certainly had a lot of impact on her decision. As Arza’s voice came across the com once more, Aunna brought herself back to the present and thought for a moment. The forest that surrounded them was large, spanning off into the mountains on one side and into the grasslands and more civilized lands on the other three sides. This gave them a relatively good cushion of space that the Consul could hide in…if the droid was dropped into the grasslands and made its way to the edge of the forest…that should be decent enough.

One moment and I’ll have coordinates for the drop off as well as the meeting point. It would be too dangerous for us to come anywhere near the drop off point…just in case. In the mean time, I have two more questions. 1) will she be able to be tracked by anyone? And I mean at any point in time, not just during the drop off. 2) Does she have a name?

In less than a minute she had two points plotted out, both a comfortable distance from the Consul’s resting place…aka: a good long distance away.

Transmitting coordinates now.

She sighed a bit and rested her forehead against the palm of her hand.

…Vex is going to murder me for this…

[A®heim]

In the world of 1s and 0s, a signal began its journey along the highway of the commline. The whole trip took mere fractions of a nano-second, yet even before it had traveled above the troposphere, it collided with a new code, this one also traveling along that anchoring link but traveling in the opposite direction. The two signals collided in an imperceptible flash, but progress was not to be slowed. The returning signal simply enveloped the first within it. Any chance receptors outside this coded field would find nothing but a jumble of white noise.

A single green LED heralded the arrival of the coordinates. Phae deftly downloaded the files to the Familiar High Security database and terminated the external link. Only 4 people in the galaxy would be able to read them.

These will be acceptable, however I'm not sure I can trust HALO with this assignment. While their capabilities of discreet deployment are unrivaled in the Galaxy, it remains, unfortunately, a Republic run operation. They cannot know of this.

13 will be dispatched to you by one of my Rishii-class stealth dropships, the same craft that rescued Ayer. 13 is familiar with this craft and I'll be sure to assign only my most trusted along with her to crew the ship. They will be well out of the system before she meets up with you.

Aunna's last couple question unnerved Arza. He knew he would have to answer this truthfully, but carefully. All Familiars have an encoded link to my personal database. It alerts me when they are in danger and allows me to note the progress of their evolutionary programming. However, the connection switch lies with the Familiar itself. If it so chooses, it can deactivate the tracking signal. Allow me to assure you, though, that signal's defenses are impenetrable. I had them reworked for just this situation a short while ago by 11. He took it as far as he could unravel and then jumbled it so even he wouldn't be able to crack it.

As for the name.... that's difficult to be certain. We never give Familiars a name. Such a personal classification isn't something that should be programmed. A name they gain through their travels with their partner; It is sentient nature to desire names for those close to us. The names will differ according to who the droid interacts with. Ayer is simply his model number, AER, said quickly, his partner misinterpreted it and referred to him as "Ayer". It stuck. 13's name is yet to be stated. That's your job.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The silence stretched on as she listened to what the aging man had to say. So the droid could be tracked. That earned a heavy sigh as she pondered the intelligence of her answer once again. Vex may not trust the man…hell, even she didn’t trust him fully…but…keep your friends close and your potential enemies closer. If she had one of his droids, not only would the droid itself be helpful, but she doubted he would risk his own droid’s safety…not a droid like this anyway. Nodding once, she reached her decision. Yes…Vex was going to want to murder her for this.

Lucky for her, the man didn’t seem interested in actually attempting homicide when it came to her…

…just threatening it.

I do hope that I can trust you in this. I’m taking more than one risk in accepting your offer, you understand…and I can promise you that I won’t take lightly to being backstabbed, especially since I’m putting my neck out there for this concerning Vex…and I can promise you that if HE thinks that I’ve been put into danger because of this…..

She sighed a bit at the thought.

Well…I’m sure you know what happens to people who put me in danger…and those are the ones that I can’t talk him out of. Please keep that in mind…I want to make you my enemy about as much as you want to make us your enemies…or so I hope. With that said…when should I be expecting to meet 13?

Her words weren’t meant as a threat, simply a warning about what the reactions would be should something happen. ”What a sad state of affairs this is…issuing warnings about such things”

[A®heim]

All things considered, the conversation was going rather smoothly. Not that there had ever been a similar situation to transferring a state-of-the-art "Republic" droid to a pair of wanted fugitives, but for something that had only barely been touched on in the business manual, it really wasn't so bad.

Of course, Arza knew better. This was the easy part; all verbal, no action for the serious difficulties to be born of. No, this had only just begun.

I'm fairly certain the committee has come to the belief that you've had quite enough "backstabbing" for one life, wouldn't you agree? I give you my most solemn word that I will do all in my power to keep you from harm, but you must know there is only so much a man in my position can accomplished. Working from the third person isn't efficient, even behind a handful of Familiars, but it is a necessity sometimes. I desire no quarrel with you two, and if one should arise in the future, know it will not be us that starts it, but it may be us that finishes it for the universal good.

His words were meant as a small threat, but only in the sense that a cautious creature may flash its colors to warn that consumption will result badly.

My craft could be ready to approach the Carida system in as little as 1 half of its rotation. However, we will need to return to our headquarters before long to attend to other matters. Whenever would be most convenient and least dangerous for you within that time frame is when we'll send out the dropship.

Another light flashed on the communications console. We have an incoming transmission from FHQ, Section R.

Arza smiled. The repair ward.

Patch him through, Phae, I imagine it's of utmost importance.

Static crackled over the line as the new data stream collided with the old, the encryption code leaping up to cover it as well.

Hello Aunna.