Reforging Connections

[Halomek]

Kalja frowned as she thought about Delth’s question. “By the nature of what he does, he rarely tends to stay in one place for very long. Trying to track him down could be just as difficult as trying to track down Sivter. He’s usually very prompt about getting back to me, so I wouldn’t worry… except…”

“Except?” Delth prompted.

“I’ve been feeling uneasy ever since I sent that message to him,” Kalja explained. “I’m not sure how to interpret it though, since it could just be my mounting worry over Caitlyn’s well-being, or Akain’s disappearance, or Elena’s troubles, or Sivter’s announcement…” She sighed. “It’s all coming at once, so maybe I’m projecting that onto his lack of response. I know if there’s one person in this galaxy who can take care of himself, it’s my father.”

Delth held up his hand - his partly prosthetic hand thanks to the Cult of Shadow. “A lot of people would say that about me too.”

Kalja felt like saying something reassuring, but thought better of it and nodded. “I’ll try getting in touch with Juoi. Maybe Tulsar sent them an update on his progress or something…”

[corsos]

ooc feel free to move this forward Hal. In out all today and the rest of the week is crazy busy

[Halomek]

“Kalja! We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been all this time?”

Kalja smiled at the bald man on the other end of the com signal. Davit Jipper was like a second father to her. As the captain of the Champion of Juoi, the flagship in her father’s early hunts for Sivter, Davit and the crew of that Marauder Corvette had helped raise her almost as much as her father. Her childhood ever since her first encounter with Sivter had been traumatic and far from normal, but growing up with everybody on the Champion had helped fill a void that her father could never have hoped to do alone.

“I’m sorry, Davit,” she said with a slight apologetic bow of her head, “It’s a long story. I didn’t want to cause anybody to worry, but I had to go into hiding for awhile.”

“Say no more, Kalja,” Davit assured her. “Whatever the reason, I’m sure you had a good cause to do it. You probably had to lose the Red Viper and his crew of murderers after that thing with GAIT, am I right?”

Kalja looked away from a moment as she bit her lower lip self-consciously. Apparently the news about her and Delth wasn’t as widespread as she thought. She’d kind of lost perspective on it by being in the center of the whole thing. “Umm… not exactly, no.” She looked back at him. “Anyway, the reason I’m calling is that I’m trying to get in touch with my father. Have you heard from him by chance?”

Davit’s expression turned somber and Kalja felt her heart sink. “That’s why we were trying to reach you. I guess you hadn’t heard… A few weeks ago, Xorpex was contacted by the Oseon Port Authority and informed that the Windfall was being held because the owner had failed to pay the docking fees a few days after landing. Lucky for us, the Windfall was still registered as a JSI naval ship from the Battle of Juoi, or we might never have found out about it.”

“That’s not like my father,” Kalja said worriedly.

“Believe me, I know,” Davit replied. “Xorpex sent us to pick up the Windfall and see if we could find out what happened to your old man.” He paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, Kalja. We must have turned those asteroids upside down and inside out, but we couldn’t find a thing. The best we could come up with was information that indicated one day your father was there, and then the next he was gone. We’d still be out there looking for him if Sulimurr hadn’t ordered us back to protect Juoi.”

Kalja closed her eyes and tried to drive away the growing dread she felt. Everything was falling apart. Was this what happened when she wasn’t around? “Thank you, Davit. I’m sure you did everything you could.”

“Hey, your dad is tough, probably the toughest guy I’ve ever met,” Davit tried to reassure her. “If anybody knows how to take care of himself out there, he does. He probably has a good reason for disappearing, just like you did.”

Kalja couldn’t help but grimace as Davit unknowingly echoed her own words earlier. Delth’s subtle rejoinder to it played back in her head as if to taunt her. She opened her eyes and put on a brave face. “I’ve got to go. Please give everybody back home my best. I’ll come and visit soon.”

Davit smiled, but there was no humor behind it. If anything, he was keeping up appearances for her sake. “Yeah, how many times have I heard that before? Good luck out there, Kalja. Give Sivter one for us.”

That managed to get a more genuine smile from Kalja. “I will, you can count on it. Goodbye for now.”

With that, Kalja cut off the connection, but found she didn’t have the energy to move from her seat just yet. This was really too much. The happiness she had felt in Delth’s arms, even the glow she’d had in the morning, it all seemed like a lifetime ago for a different person.

How could she have been so selfish? How could she have given in to even one day of personal happiness? It had all seemed so logical when she had been without her connection to the Force, but now she didn’t know. Maybe she wasn’t destined to have her own life. Maybe all of those terrible things Isis and Elena had said to her were truer than she thought…

Kalja looked down and discovered that she had one hand resting on her stomach without her even realizing it. The twins were only a handful of cells right now, barely perceptible even to her. She doubted she would even have sensed them if they weren’t a part of her, but somehow the knowledge that they existed seemed to chase her doubts away. The thought of them brought her happiness back. They reminded her of the one impossible deed she had accomplished in her time away, the one she had never consciously tried to achieve: the Red Viper was gone and only Delth Ardin was in his place. That in itself was as monumental a feat as defeating GAIT ever was.

A lot of terrible things had happened to be sure, but she couldn’t let her doubts weigh her down now. She had acted as best she could at the time and now she had to deal with the consequences of those actions. Kalja stood up from her seat determinedly. Whether all that had happened was truly her fault or not, she had less than nine months to set things right again. That’s all there was to it.

OOC: The plot thickens...

[Halomek]

Clara dragged her feet as she entered the Final Shot. The Imperials were letting everybody back onboard based on Kalja’s word, but they were still watching them like rawwks. Clara hadn’t been able to find Isis, but she had alerted the Imperials to keep a close eye on their shuttles and starfighters just in case. It would be up to them if they listened to her.

She found Tav inside, slouched in one of the acceleration couches and his feet propped up on a nearby table. He seemed to be asleep, but as she entered, Tav opened an eye and gave her a grin. “You look beat. I imagine trying to keep tabs on Isis all day would try the patience of Nejaa Halcyon himself.”

She raised an eyebrow curiously. “Who?”

“A famous Corellian Jedi from before the Purge,” Tav answered her nonchalantly. “And if a Corellian Jedi would have trouble with Isis, I can only imagine how you cope with it all the time. She’s a real wild one. Even I don’t pull stunts as often as she does.”

Clara sighed and scratched her head as she moved to sit down next to him. “I don’t think she’s changed a bit since I knew her at the academy. I was always the more mature one-” She suddenly snapped an angry glare at Tav. “-make one off-color joke about that and I’ll slug you.”

Tav held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, no worries. I’m no hoity-toity aristocrat, but I’ve got some class.”

She gave him a long look before resuming her thought. “Yeah… I guess you do at that. Anyway, I was always the more mature one, but I was pretty wild myself back in those days. I was even wilder as a kid.” She smiled wistfully. “I used to terrorize my older brothers.”

Clara leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “I suppose my time in the army really did temper me. It sure didn’t affect Sis at all. Being a slave didn’t even put a dent in her. Don’t get me wrong, she’ll always be like the sister I never had, but...” Clara yawned and felt the lack of sleep catch up with her. “…I don’t know. I guess she’ll never settle down.”

Tav grinned. “I wouldn’t take any bets on that.”

[Pryde2000]

Isis was taken by surprise when the ship suddenly shook and the young Zabrak was tossed into her. He seemed understandably embarrassed and Isis had almost opened her mouth to chide him when she thought better of herself. She just passed it off with a shrug and pretended like it didn't even happen. "Could be we're under attack," she said in answer to his question, "but I kind of doubt it. We'd feel the ship shaking again if we were."

She looked at him and felt her irritation rising again when she noticed that he was deliberately avoiding direct eye contact. What the hell is he so embarrassed about? Almost makes me want to deck him and say 'snap out of it!' "Anyway, let's get back to the Final Shot."

She started walking and made it a ways down the hallway before she turned back and saw he was still lagging behind. "You coming," she asked him irritably.

[VagueDurin]

The tone of her question snapped Tsiv out of the parylitic grip his fear had on him. The teen shook his head forceably and then jogged to catch up with Isis. He fell into step beside her but kept a nervous eye on the ship around them as if he expected it to fall apart at any moment. "Yeah..." he spoke quietly. "I'm just... not used to this space thing."

[corsos]

ooc are we waiting on something here Hal?

[Halomek]

OOC: Waiting on Pryde...

[Pryde2000]

OOC: Sorry, I've been in a bit of a funk.

IC: "Try not to think about it," Isis said with a wave of her hand and then the two fell into silence as they walked. Neither one of them had any real idea where they were going so it came as no surprise when they found themselves even more lost than they were before. Fortunately they somehow managed to find Nova and very nearly ran into her as she came storming around a corner.

"Hey, watch where you're--," Isis started and then she noticed who it was that she was speaking to, "Nova? What the hell's gotten into you?"

"It's none of your business, Isis," Nova replied and then she pushed past them and continued on her way.

Isis watched her leave a moment and then an idea struck her. "This is about the Cult, isn't it," she asked and Nova stopped dead in her tracks, "Mai told us about Vorzyd V."

She did? That schutta little Hutt-spawned nerf, I'll wring her neck!

"Look, I don't know what your deal is but the Cult does that kind of stuff all the time," Isis continued, "If you'd like to stop them, though, I think I may have a plan that will get us close to Sivter."

Nova's ears perked up at that and she turned to look at her. "I'm listening."

Isis allowed herself a smug little smirk then wrapped one arm conspiratorially around Nova's shoulders as she explained her plan. Some time later Nova had lead them to the hangar bay where the three companions had hoped to swipe and Imperial shuttle to enact their plan. Isis went in first and easily disabled the engineer that was on board the shuttle they were planning to take. Nova was supposed to follow behind and help clean up but she and Tsiv were no where to be found.

"Where the hell--," Isis began when she felt a blaster barrel press up against her back.

"Freeze," the cold metallic sound of a stormtrooper said from behind. Isis bit her lip in anger and slowly raised her hands over her head.

Nova and Tsiv watched from outside in the hangar as Isis was escorted off the shuttle. Sorry, Isis, but your gung ho heroics would only get in the way. "Alright, let's go," she said to Tsiv and together the two of them snuck into one of the other shuttles. While the Imperials were distracted with Isis Nova powered up the shuttle and rocketed into space heading for Chandrilla. The shuttle was well out of weapons range by the time anyone had taken notice of its absence.

[Halomek]

Clara awoke to the sound of multiple heavy bootsteps echoing off the deckplates of the Final Shot. Plastoid on metal was a sound she was all too familiar with from her time in the New Republic Special Forces. She knew before she ever opened her eyes that it meant stormtroopers. Her first instinct was to find cover and start shooting, but by then it was already too late. The main living area of her ship was infested with a squad of the distinctive white armored soldiers pointing blaster rifles at her and Tav.

Clara slowly lifted her head off of Tav’s shoulder where she had fallen asleep on the acceleration couch, being careful not to make any sudden moves. She looked over at an officer in uniform who appeared to be supervising the sudden takeover of her ship. “What’s the big idea, Impy!?” she demanded. “Is it against Imperial regs for guests to take a nap?”

Tav, next to her, had his hands raised non-threateningly. “This isn’t the best time to make them mad, Clara,” he cautioned.

Clara nodded, but didn’t change her attitude as she keep focused on the officer. “Well?”

“You tell me,” the officer sneered back. “You betray our hospitality and steal our property. What did you hope to gain?”

Clara’s eyes widened as she finally understood what was going on. “I told you morons to keep an eye on Sis! Don’t blame me for not listening!”

“Ms. Sinclair is already in custody,” the officer informed her. “However it seems you conveniently forgot to say the same about Nova and the Zabrak. While we were arresting Ms. Sinclair, they got away in a shuttle. This smells of conspiracy. You and your friends are to come along for questioning or, if you want to make it difficult, we can stun you and drag you to your holding cell. Your choice.”

Clara gritted her teeth as she considered her options. Trying to fight now wouldn’t accomplish much. She had blasters pointed at her and the docking-bay would surely have been locked down by now, meaning she had no hope of blasting out with the Final Shot. Finally, she raised her arms in surrender. “I’ve already had one nap today, thanks.”

***

Kalja walked onto the bridge to find Delth there. “Nova is gone, isn’t she?”

Delth nodded back. “I knew we couldn’t trust these people. We caught Isis trying to steal a shuttle, but while we were distracted with her, Nova and Tsiv took another one. Add in the fact that one of your kidnappers was part of their group, and it all looks far too suspicious for my liking.”

He turned to look at her. While Delth’s impassive face would have been unreadable to just about anyone else, Kalja recognized his concern. “History isn’t going to repeat itself,” he assured her. “I’ve given orders to detain the rest.”

“I’m sure they don’t mean me any harm,” Kalja said to him. “This isn’t necessary.”

“We’ll soon find out if you’re right.”

[Pryde2000]

"I don't understand why I'm being arrested," Mai complained as she and Micaiah were lead into the brig, "I haven't even done anything this time!"

Micaiah just quietly rolled her eyes and obediently stepped into the open cell while Mai was being roughly deposited into it behind her. "Ow! Hey, watch it," Mai whined.

"Oh would you shut up, you're giving me a headache," Isis complained.

"Like you have any room to talk, Sinclair, this is all your fault!"

Isis was about to respond but she didn't have anything to say. Mai was right, it was her plan after all that got them all into this mess. Had everything gone they it was supposed to I wouldn't be here right now. I suppose I'll be lucky if Clara doesn't wring my neck.

[Halomek]

Clara and Tav were escorted into the brig by a group of stormtroopers. Clara was shoved roughly into the same cell with Mai, Isis, and Micaiah. Tav, being the only male, was placed in an adjacent cell next to theirs.

Clara picked a seat and slumped down in it, sullenly crossing her arms as she gave Isis a steady glare that could melt durasteel. The cell was quiet as Isis started to squirm under Clara’s penetrating gaze.

“Would it help if I said I was sorry?” Isis ventured quietly.

“I’m not talking to you right now,” Clara replied with an equally quiet, but much more menacing tone.

“For what?!” Isis demanded. “Trying to save my sister? Stealing an Imperial shuttle? When did you become an Imperial fangirl?”

Clara let out a disgusted breath that was half growl. “You know me better than that. After what happened with Tolaris, I could never…” She shook her head to get off that line of thought. “This is about you never thinking things out.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know Nova would set me up?”

Clara rubbed her eyes wearily. “You don’t get it, Sis. Did it ever occur to you what would happen if you had gotten away with it? What would happen to the rest of us that you’d leave behind? Odds are the Imps would have done the same thing they're doing now; punishing us for your actions. I’m not real happy with Nova or Tsiv right now either, but I was hoping you’d be more thoughtful when it came to me - your other sister.”

[Pryde2000]

Isis was in the midst of another objection when the weight of Clara's words suddenly dawned on her and she fell silent. For a long time she stared at her feet unable to meet Clara's gaze. "You're right," she said finally, "I didn't think it through. I guess I just thought you could handle yourself, but Caitlyn...,"

She stopped there and let her words float in the air. "I gotta keep pushing forward, Clara, I can't think about anything else. You, Dad, Caitlyn and even Adrian are all I care about and you know I'd take a bullet for you any day of the week. It's just... Right now everything is so--," she let out an exasperated sigh in frustration, "Look, I'm just not used to feeling helpless, alright? If there's something I can do for her--for any of you then I gotta do it."

[corsos]

ooc I decided I didnt have time for this - so I removed my post.... carry on.

[Halomek]

“You make it hard to stay mad at you,” Clara groused to Isis before sighing as the last of her anger ebbed away. “Look, Sis, we all want the same thing, so you don’t need to forsake the rest of us to try and make it happen. Sivter isn’t the kind of enemy you can take alone.”

“Says who?!” Isis demanded.

Clara simply gave her a long look, but before Isis could reply, the door to the brig opened allowing Kalja to step inside. She stopped outside of the forcefields with enough distance that she was able to look inside both cells.

“I know this looks bad, Kalja,” Clara heard Tav speak up. “Is there anything you can do to get me and my friends out of here? I’ll vouch for all of them.”

Clara rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Ace. She’s a Jedi Master. We’re just spacer bums to her. What good is your word going to be?”

“I’ll have you know I saved her life once,” Tav replied back, a little miffed. “Of course, her dad saved mine a couple years before that, so I can’t say she owes me, but I know the family well enough. They’re good people.”

Kalja smiled. “Thank you. After everything I’ve learned today, I think I needed to hear that.” She looked at Clara. “Tav did indeed once risk his life and his ship to save me. If he’s willing to vouch for all of you, that would be good enough for me - unfortunately it’s not my decision.”

“Ardin,” Clara bit out harshly. “I’ve never liked that guy.”

“Please don’t judge him too harshly,” Kalja said. “Delth’s changed quite a bit from the man he once was. Believe it or not, he’s doing this more to protect me than to punish you. I think he understands why Isis did what she did, as well as Elena and Tsiv, but he also has a hard time trusting anyone. It’s not made easier by the fact that Mai was involved with my kidnapping. I didn't mention that before because there was already enough conflict.”

“What!?” Clara exclaimed before shooting a murderous look at Mai and grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. “I knew you were slimier than Hutt snot, Valentine, but kidnapping a Jedi? That’s low even for you! You deserve to rot in this cell!”

“Please,” Kalja interjected as Clara felt a gentle invisible push separating her from Mai. “I’ve forgiven her. I know she didn’t intend anything malicious. There’s no need for violence.”

Clara sulked back in her seat. “With all respect, Master Jedi, intent doesn’t mean anything next to what actually happens. Has anybody ever told you that you’re too nice?”

“Frequently,” Kalja answered with a calm smile. “I suppose you could say that’s why I’m here now. I want to help you, but you’re going to need to make a difficult choice. Isis and Mai, you two in particular will need to work hard if you want out of this cell any time soon.”

[Pryde2000]

"Work hard? For you or the Imperials," Isis asked with an off-hand gesture, "Clara and I don't exactly have the greatest of track records with them you know and keeping me here isn't going to stop me from trying to find my sister."

[Halomek]

“I have no authority here, so it would be under Delth,” Kalja confirmed for Isis. “It wouldn’t be that simple though. You’ll need to convince him that he can use your skills first. I can add my support, but ultimately it’ll be up to you.”

“That’s asking a lot,” Clara spoke up. “Sis and I don’t have a lot of love for the Empire. The thought of working for them is… distasteful to say the least.”

“I doubt Delth would swear you in as Imperial agents. This would be off the record,” Kalja replied. “You don’t have to like it, but Sivter’s actions have forced many of us to make hard choices. I know that better than most.” She looked directly at Isis. “Something else you should ask yourself is what gives you the better chance of finding Caitlyn: sitting in a cell or with the resources of the Empire behind you.”

[Pryde2000]

Isis crossed her arms and purposefully looked away. She had a point, being in this cell made things a might trickier. Getting out of here would be hard enough on its own but then escaping from an Imperial warship would be nearly impossible. She really had no choice here but to cooperate. "Fine, we'll do it your way," Isis said finally, "but you better be right about the Red Viper. I find it a bit hard to swallow that he's really changed all that much."

[Halomek]

“Then perhaps you’ll both be surprised,” Kalja suggested with a smile. “I’ll speak with Delth and let him know you want to talk to him. Remember, it’ll be up to you to convince him. Good luck.”

“I thought the Jedi didn’t believe in luck,” Tav spoke up.

“Only the ones who don’t know better,” Kalja said with a grin before exiting the room. “It won’t be the Force that helps you out of this.”

OOC: Corsos, I think we can cut to Delth coming in to speak with them.

[corsos]

"An offer?" Delth asked.

Kalja nodded. "They want to discuss something with you."

"I think they're just trying to get out of their cell." He offered.

She smiled. "Maybe so. But they want to find Caitlyn, and they will be far safer with your help."

"You want me to do this?" Delth asked.

"It's the only way."

He nodded. "Wait outside."

Delth straightened his uniform and walked into the cell, looking at the two occupants. "I'm told you wanted to speak with me?"

[Pryde2000]

"Not really," Isis replied with an off-hand gesture, "but given the circumstances we don't really have much of a choice."

She finally turned to look at him, her keen eyes searching his for any sign of this "changed man" Kalja had spoken of. "Since you're here, though, you can tell us what exactly it's going to take to get us out of this cell."

[corsos]

"A guarantee you won't try and steal Imperial equipment, like that shuttle your friend took." Delth said, turning around and activating the control to shut the door to the holding cell.

Isis folded her arms. "All I want to do is find Caitlyn."

"A noble quest." Delth said, folding his arms. "Unfortunately, if you try to infiltrate the Cult yourself, you won't just be killed. You'll be captured, interrogated and used to get to Kalja. I can't have that."

"You don't know that will happen." Isis said, as stubborn as ever.

"Yes, I do." Delth said. He then turned and punched in a few buttons, turning the cell silent. No one outside could monitor what was being said or heard inside the cell, not even Kalja. A mechanical voice came from the control panel. "Silent mode."

"What are you going to do, torture us?" Isis said.

"No, I'm going to give you what you want." Delth said, using the force to make sure Kalja didn't try any of her other tricks to know what was going on in there. "If I was in your position, I'd be going after my friend as well, even if it meant certain death. But Kalja would carry your deaths on her conscience, and she already carries too much. So I'm going to give you some help."

"We don't need Imperial help." Isis huffed.

"Yes you do, and you'll accept my help unless you want to see nothing but the inside of this cell until Sivter is cold and dead." Delth said.

"What do you have in mind?" Isis said, still not pleased.

'I'll let you get out of this cell, and off this ship. But when you do, you'll rendezvous with one of our people on the surface that will go with you and help you infiltrate the Cult. He's been plying this trade for more years than I have, and is quite good at what he does. He's better than anyone inside the ISS or Imperial Intelligence, and that's why I think he can get you inside without getting caught." Delth said.

"And what if when we get to the surface, we don't find your man and just go on our own?" Isis said defiantly.

"He'll find you, exact a price of his choice for your breaking of his contract, and bring you back here." Delth said. "And you'll spend a lot more time in this cell than you could possibly imagine."

Isis looked at him with cold eyes.

"Do we have a deal?" Delth said. "Or you can stay here until this is all over."

Isis nodded.

"You'll know when it's time to run. Take shuttle Alpha-India-Sam-54. The information you will need for my contact will be in the shuttle computer system. Questions?"

[Pryde2000]

"Just one, why?" Isis asked, watching him very carefully. "I've heard all the stories about you. The merciless 'Red Viper' was a bit of a legend back at the Academy. I'm sure you and your cronies know that Clara and I were once officially part of the Republic and unofficially still your enemies. By all rights you should be putting us out the airlock but you're letting us go. Why? What's with this sudden change of heart?"

[corsos]

Because you'll never be a true threat to me or the Empire...

That's what Delth could have said, but it would have been unnecessarily crass and impolite. Besides, it wasn't the whole truth anyway. He wasn't that heartless.

"Because I want to see the Cult brought down as much as you do and we need to throw as many resources at the problem as we can." Delth turned towards the door but stopped for a moment and looked back. "And if there was someone I was close to that was taken by Cult, I wouldn't want anyone to try and stop me from doing what I needed to do."

Delth turned off the cell's silence mode, and then opened the door. He stepped outside, resealed the door, and looked at Kalja. "You won't have to worry about them. It's handled."

[Halomek]

Kalja nodded. “That’s good to hear, Delth. I think they’ll prove to be more valuable than you think.” She looked at him. “I just finished speaking with the Jedi Council about ways we can stop Sivter. The general consensus is that we can’t outsmart him, so we’re going to have to outfight him.”

“No offense, but the Jedi have proven than they can’t even do that,” Delth said to her. “The Cult of Shadow has bested the Jedi Order at every turn.”

Kalja shook her head. “You don’t understand. I’m not just referring to the Jedi Order, I’m referring to everybody.” Delth looked ready to object, but Kalja held up a hand to stop him. “Perhaps I’m wrong about this, but I don’t believe the Empire has had any more success than the Jedi. Can you look me in the eyes and say with absolute certainty that the Imperial forces are close to catching him?”

Delth looked away as he spoke through gritted teeth. “No, I can’t.”

“No one can and that’s my point,” Kalja concluded. “If we continue to think of Sivter and his cult as common terrorists, then we lose. I said before that we need to think of something unexpected to stop him, so in that vein, I’d like to request an audience with Thrawn to discuss a possible initiative to take Sivter down.”

[corsos]

"If what Admiral Dreskul tells me is true, the Regent is quite frustrated by our lack of progress. I believe he would be more than willing to lend the Empire's resources to such an end." Delth said. "He has given Admiral Dreskul and I leave to handle this threat and we can speak for the Empire in regards to the Cult. Any request for additional resources would have to go up the chain of command, but I can't image the Grand Admiral rejecting anything we felt necessary to take Sivter down."

Kalja nodded. "That's good to hear."

"I would also suggest we enlist the help of Oremin. They have as much, if not more experience in dealing with force users than I do. Reng Kasr would be an invaluable ally in this battle." Delth hesitated for a moment before adding the next part. "Perhaps the Jedi should also reach out to the New Republic. Their resources could be put to good use as well."

[Halomek]

Kalja smiled as they started walking. “I’m glad we’re on the same page with this, because that’s already being done. My hope is that we can unite again like we did for the Xen’Chi and stop Sivter before a full blown war erupts.”

Delth smiled too. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re the one who came up with the idea?”

“Everyone who calls you a slab of meat with scars seriously undervalues your perceptive nature,” Kalja answered with just enough of a smirk to let Delth in on the joke before she grew more serious. “Do you believe Reng will work with us? With the Jedi involved?”

“A man like Kasr doesn’t allow his passions to interfere with his priorities,” Delth said with a nod. “He’s cold and clinical in everything he does. He won’t let his dislike for the Jedi override the necessity of ridding the galaxy of Sivter.”

Kalja made an introspective noise. “I met Reng back on Nexus Station during the treaty signing. Believe it or not, I liked him. It’s a shame he despises Force-users so deeply. I wonder what could have happened to make him the way he is.” She looked aside to Delth. “I’m curious, what do you think of him and Oremin?”

[corsos]

"A useful ally." Delth said. "But like anyone, they can't be trusted completely. In the end everyone will side with their own interests above all else. I'm not quite sure I know precisely what their true intentions are, but they appear to be closely in line with those of the Empire."

"It doesn't bother you that they seem to hate all force users?" Kalja asked.

Delth considered her words carefully before answering. "Honestly, it doesn't. Think about it, all the horrors this galaxy has seen over the millennium have been caused by those that use the force. It's a very powerful weapon, and in the wrong hands it can lead to untold horrors. Without the force, this galaxy would be a far more peaceful place."

"But the Jedi keep the peace." Kalja said.

"And the Sith and others destroy it." Delth said. "I am not naive. If there was no force there would still be war and death but there wouldn't be as much. The force not only makes the individual more powerful, it draws others in and turns a man into an army."

"The force is so much more than a weapon Delth, you felt what it was like on the Cleansing fighting GAIT." Kalja said. "Although I channeled it to you, I can only guess what it felt like in that nether world fighting GAIT with all those that could touch the force lending you their strength. The force is life itself, I couldn't imagine the galaxy without it."

"I felt like a God. I never want to feel that way again." Delth said, not hesitating. "For most of my life, I could never touch the force like I can now. I couldn't even imagine what it was like to control the force, let alone become a part of it like I did when I fought GAIT. In my youth I was trained to stop people who are just like I am now. You've always had the force making you strong Kalja. Even though you were without it for a time, you don't know what it is like for someone who can't even conceive what the force is. They see someone like you and I as dangerous people that can kill them with a mere thought. That's how I saw the Jedi and Sith when I was hunting with nothing more than my wits and courage as my ally. There is no deadlier adversary than someone trained with the force. Normal people just see forcers as something scary that they can't understand. They live in a galaxy without the force every day of their lives."

[Halomek]

Kalja nodded in understanding. “I understand what you’re saying, but in one aspect you’re mistaken. The Force is a part of every organism. No one lives without it. Most can’t sense it, or use it, but it’s with them just the same. Even creatures like ysalamiri are connected to it in a unique fashion. That bubble they create doesn’t actually cut off the Force like most believe, it neutralizes it so it’s impossible to manipulate it in any fashion, even for sensing. It's still there though.”

She leaned in and kissed him. “But enough talk. A lot has happened and there’s a lot still to be done. I’m going to rest up.” She gave him an unmistakable come hither stare. “Coming?”

***

Clara stretched as she was let out of the cell following the deal Delth had offered them. “Mercy from an Imperial,” she thought to herself with a little resentment. “Even if a Jedi is behind it, it’s still a little hard to swallow.”

She glanced over at Isis. “Sis, I swear if I catch you looking at one of their shuttles for more than two seconds, I’m going to break your legs.”

[corsos]

Delth smiled. "Yeah... 'rest' sounds good." He followed Kalja back to their quarters.

[Pryde2000]

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Isis replied with a shrug, "I wouldn't dream of--,"

She stopped suddenly when she noticed that Micaiah, Mai and Clara were all glaring at her. "Fine, I won't do anything stupid," she replied in exasperation. Then she hurried out of the cell to avoid their stares. Sheesh, that was worse than facing a firing squad, she quietly grumbled to herself.

"You wouldn't mind getting a drink with me, would you, Ace?" Isis asked as she fell in step beside Tav, "I could really use one right about now..."

[Pryde2000]

Some time later Isis found herself wandering around the Final Shot with an open beer bottle in her hand. She didn't dare go near the boarding ramp, not with Clara watching like a hawk and Micaiah eying her to make sure she doesn't try anything. Trying to find solitude she headed back to her room and stopped at the door in surprise when she found Mai already inside.

"Something wrong with your room, Mai," she grumbled as she stepped inside.

"Sorry, I needed to get away and I figured this was the last place that assassin would look for me," she answered, not even bothering to lift her head from her portable computer terminal.

"So what? You sneak into my room and try to get away with something illegal?"

"I'm not stealing anything, Isis, so give it a rest, okay? It's just a friendly game between slicers."

Isis looked skeptical. "Game? You think stealing is a game?"

Mai rolled her eyes at that but did not avert her gaze from the screen. "You really should try to do something about that narrow-minded view of yours. The slicing world is much more complicated than you think."

"Seems pretty simple to me. Every one of you is one kind of conniving thief or another."

Finally she did looked up at her. "And yet you pay us to help you catch criminals. Funny that, don't you think?"

Isis shrugged. "Some of you are useful from time to time. Others are more of a nuisance," she added pinning Mai with a glare.

"Business is business, Isis. You may not like how I operate but it's kept me out of a jail cell for longer than you know."

"Double dealing behind my back? Nearly getting me killed? What the hell is there to like?"

"That wasn't my fault," Mai muttered, sheepishly turning away from her.

"How was that not your fault, Mai? No one put a gun to your head and made you turn against me."

Mai set her terminal aside and fixed Isis with a glare that matched the bounty hunter's. "Look, I do what I have to to stay out of jail, alright? I'm on the wrong side of the law and I know it and both you and Clara have been itching to take me down. Besides," she added and her tone softened considerably, "you weren't supposed to get hurt."

Isis raised an eyebrow at her. "What does Clara have to do with all this? I thought you said you two never met."

Mai's face reddened and she quickly turned away. "We haven't, it's just... You know... Oh never mind!" She replied in exasperation. Hastily she fished up her terminal and continued her work. The two of them fell silent for awhile as Isis plopped down on the bed behind Mai. She layed there shifting from side to side growing more and more uneasy over the fact that Mai did not appear to be leaving any time soon. Finally the slicer pounded her keyboard in frustration.

"Do you mind, Isis? I'm trying to concentrate here."

"Oh sure, I'll just lie here quietly and let you do your crime thing in peace."

"I told you it's not a crime, it's a game."

"Oh yeah? What kind of game?" Isis asked as she propped herself up on one elbow and peeked her head around Mai to get a look at the screen.

Mai sighed heavily then tilted her computer a bit so Isis could see. "Some hotshot slicer put this encryption up on the holonet and boasted that no one could break it. I've been trying for days and I'm finally getting close."

"You've been doing this for days," Isis replied with a shake of her head, "You need to get out and meet somebody."

"Funny you should say that, Isis. I heard about that steamy kiss you had with your brother."

"Hey, that's not even funny," Isis snapped, shoving Mai's shoulder with her foot, "How the hell did you find out about that anyway?"

Mai shrugged, "Adrian told Clara, Clara told Tav, Tav told Micaiah and Micaiah told me. That sort of thing gets around, you know?"

Isis just stared at her in shock. That was everyone on the ship! She wanted to be angry but she didn't know who to focus that anger on first. Instead she just quietly snapped her mouth shut and tried her best to ignore the burning sensation in her cheeks. "So--what kind of encryption is it, anyway," she asked trying to change the subject. Luckily Mai was kind enough not to pursue the matter any further.

"It's a complicated algorithm with a quad matrix override protocol. It 'senses' an intrusion and then re-sequences itself whenever I get close to cracking it."

Isis just stared at her blankly. "And that means what in Basic?"

"It's a large sequence of numbers, letters and symbols that changes itself whenever it feels threatened. There, do you understand now?"

Isis gave her a cold stare. "You know, you don't have to talk to me like I'm an idiot, Valentine."

"Probably not, but sometimes it sure feels like it," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I said you're probably right," Mai replied hastily. Then she paused and leaned in closer to the screen. Her focus was so intent that she barely noticed Isis edging closer and closer. Finally she let out an exultant hoot and raised her hands in the air. "I did it! I'm in," she announced triumphantly, "I knew that guy had nothing on me!"

"Alright, that's it," Isis replied irritably then she flipped Mai's terminal closed and powered it down, "Time for you to go, Mai, some of us want some sleep."

Mai stared at her terminal in disbelief. "Did you just... I can't believe you... I didn't get to leave my calling card, Isis!"

"Calling card? What are you going on about now?"

"Every hacker has a screen name, it's how we know who each other are! Every time you crack something you leave your calling card behind so everyone knows you did it. Something like that would have given me major bragging rights but now I'll have to crack it again just to prove it was me!"

"Well, why don't you get started on that somewhere else," Isis replied nonchalantly, rolling onto her side and turning her back to Mai. "Let me know how it goes."

Mai stared at her in stunned disbelief then finally grabbed her terminal and vacated the room, muttering under her breath as she went. Meanwhile Isis was busy eying the empty beer bottle she held in her hand. Her thoughts were on her sister and her inability to help her. Finally in a fit of anger she threw the container at the wall then frowned at it as it ricocheted off the bulkhead and landed on the floor with nothing but a dent. Note to self, find something breakable the next time I feel like doing that, she grumbled...

[Pryde2000]

Clara and Isis were among the first to rise the next morning. They sat across from each other in the common room quietly talking over a mug of caf. Isis gingerly sipped at her drink, flinching slightly as the hot liquid touched her tongue. "I can almost see what she sees in him," she was saying with a mischievous smile on her face, "I know you saw it too, you weren't just looking at his face were you?"

"Sis!" Clara exclaimed, nearly choking on her caf.

"He's pretty athletic for someone who's like forty something," Isis continued, not giving Clara a chance to respond, "and he's not too bad on the eyes, either."

She glanced up at Tav who had just entered the room. "What do you say, Ace? You think the Red Viper is hot," Isis asked him, grinning broadly from ear to ear.

"Oh please," another voice interrupted and Mai entered the room shortly after Tav did.

Isis glanced at the mug in her hands and the bags under her eyes. "Thanks for joining the conversation with such a cheerful attitude, Mai. And what the hell is up with you, anyway? Did you even go to sleep last night?"

"I slept for an hour," Mai said with a shrug, "Anyway, that's not important now."

She sat down in a chair directly across from Isis and Clara and set her computer on the table. Then she typed in a few commands and turned the device around so that the two women could see the screen. The recording began in the midst of a news feed that was shortly interrupted by a familiar face. "I just intercepted this a moment ago," Mai explained, "I'm still trying to trace Sivter's pirated signal back to where it came from, but I have to say he's pretty good at hiding himself."

Isis absently shushed the slicer, her eyes fixed on the screen as Sivter announced the next step in his plan. He would attack the planet Alsakan and supposedly wipe it clean of all life, but how he intended to do that was anyone's guess. Last time I checked the Cult didn't have access to a Death Star unless something's changed in the past week. "I think we need to talk to Kalja," she said finally when the recording was over.

[Halomek]

As it turned out, it was unnecessary to try and make Kalja aware of Sivter’s latest message. By the time they found her, she had already seen it and asked Delth to call a meeting to discuss their options. It quickly became apparent after Delth relayed the details of his prior discussion with Dreskul that there were none.

“We can all agree that it’s a trap,” Delth summed up. “I personally disagree with meeting Sivter on his terms, but it seems we have no choice.”

“We don’t,” Kalja agreed. “If we don’t show up, Sivter wins for sure. His words are just as dangerous as anything else he uses to wage war. Trying to prevent such a massive loss of life should be reason enough, but a lack of a response will also give him more fuel to sway people to his cause. Instead of individuals, we could see entire planets or governments supplicating to the Cult of Shadow if they feel we can’t protect them from him.”

“I don’t suppose anyone has argued that he might really be bluffing,” Tav suggested. “This could all be a blind to redirect ships and resources from whatever his true target is. Hell, he might even be doing all of this just to have a laugh at how easily he can manipulate us.”

“I’ve never known Sivter to bluff about anything,” Kalja said with a shake of her head. “He doesn’t fight battles he doesn’t think he can win if he can help it. Even if he has suddenly started bluffing, it hardly matters at this point. I can guarantee he has people placed on Alsakan right now to watch what our reaction will be. Whatever we do, he’ll find a way to respond that benefits him. Mark my words though: he will attack as he promised.”

Clara slammed a fist down on the table. “I’m getting sick of all this defeatist talk! You make Sivter sound like he’s unbeatable no matter what we do. Nobody is unbeatable!”

“I agree,” Kalja responded calmly. “Sivter can be brought down, but at this stage, no ordinary response will do it. In addition to allying with as many other forces as we can to protect Alsakan, I suggest we try and board the Edict of Darkness and stop Sivter face-to-face.” She smiled at Delth, though there was no humor in it. “It worked against GAIT.”

[Pryde2000]

Isis had been strangely quiet the whole time. She kept her eyes fixed on the table in front of her and to anyone watching they might have thought that she had fallen asleep. She ran the scenario over and over again in her head and had to admit that it was the perfect trap. If they tried and failed to stop Sivter their military's would seem ineffective. If they did nothing their governments would seem ineffective. People were bound to lose faith either way, it was the perfect lose-lose situation.

"It's not too late," she said quietly but loud enough for the others to hear. They all turned to look at her, some of them in surprise. Isis raised her eyes off the table and looked directly at Kalja. "If we act now it's not too late."

"Isis, we've already--," Micaiah tried to say but Isis cut her off.

"I'm not talking about that," she said, slapping her palm onto the table with a loud smack, "We have one week until Sivter attacks. If you really truly believe he's not bluffing then there's only one thing we can do. We need to get those people off of Alsakan now."

Her comment surprised Clara and even Micaiah, both of whom were at least partially convinced that her suggestion would somehow involve attacking Sivter and rescuing Caitlyn. "Think about it," she continued, "he only wants that planet because of all the people that are on it. Right now our responsibility is to them, stopping Sivter can wait."

"What about Caitlyn," Micaiah ventured, looking at her curiously.

Isis' shoulders slumped a bit. "I love my sister," she said quietly, "but she's only one person. If we don't try to evacuate those people now billions will die."

[corsos]

ooc ill hit this when I can guys

[corsos]

ooc I dont want to rush through a post guys.... ill get one up once I have the time and motivation...

[corsos]

Dreskul looked around the room at everyone that had gathered there. Delth had brought Kalja and her group of companions, and Dreskul's entire senior officer corps and intelligence analysts were in attendance as well. Dreskul had his entire team of intelligence analysts working on Sivter's latest message for hours, and his officers on the possible responses. The girl made a good point, and it was in fact one of the possible strategic responses that were discussed.

"To evacuate Alaskan, if its even possible to mobilize an operation of that size in so little time, was one plausible scenario." Dreskul said. "However, Sivter's most likely response would be to simply not arrive, and strike elsewhere at a time of his choosing. That would make it much less likely we could anticipate his attack and stop it. We have a better chance of saving the people of Alaskan than we whatever his alternate target would be."

"I can't believe you are just going to let him destroy that planet." Isis said.

"We're not going to do that either." Dreskul said. "We've run through a number of scenarios. The first is interdiction. We can interdict all the hyperspace routes leading to Alaskan, and meet Sivter on our terms at a location of our choosing. Unfortunately, that way we have to spread our forces over a number of different locations."

"If he comes with the type of force he has promised, then whatever task force interdicts the ships will be destroyed." Delth said. "The only hope would be to hold off Sivter until reinforcements could arrive."

Dreskul shook his head. "Alaskan has too many hyperspace routes. There's no way enough reinforcements would arrive on time. However, interdiction is part of our plan. We need Sivter to arrive at Alaskan with whatever resources he has committed to this operation. We'll send a large Imperial battle group to guard the planet, and make it known that Kalja is with it."

"He won't be able to resist it." Delth said. "And the amassed Imperial fleet will be enough of a threat to think that's our legitimate defense."

"There will be a public spat, a parting of the ways between the New Republic and Galactic Empire. Everyone in the two organizations will believe the two are on the verge of war." Dreskul said. "But this is where you come in Kalja. You will have to personally meet with Prime Minister Organa Solo and make a deal. Delth will attend with the granted power of Grand Admiral Thrawn to negotiate a secret deal. The New Republic fleet will arrive shortly after Sivter, with Imperial Interdictors dispersed among them, trapping Sivter between the planet's gravity well and our own.""

"That's when we need to do what we do." Delth looked at Kalja. "Everyone does. Our fleets need to destroy his navy, and we need to kill Sivter. This is our chance."

"You're still using the planet as bait!" Isis said.

"We are." Dreskul said. "It's a strategic risk, but one that's unavoidable if we want the opportunity to destroy the Cult for good."

"And we will." Delth said. "Failure is not an option."

ooc this is the best I could do - feel free to chime in with any other ideas or adjustments... I got my first game of the season tomorrow night, and then IM back in Albany for a couple days.

[Pryde2000]

IC: Isis stared at him incredulously, her mouth agape, a retort on the verge of exploding from her lips. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were going to dangle those people out there in front of Sivter and hope they win. All at once she pounded her fists onto the table then turned and left the room. Clara quickly hurried after her, partly out of concern and partly because she was worried her sister might do something stupid again.

"Pompous Imperial bastard," she spat as Clara caught up with her, "It's unforgivable, using those people as bait. Only an Imperial could come up with a plan like that!"

OOC: Hehe, looks like someone's gonna have more reason to go to war later.

[corsos]

"If we evacuate that planet, Sivter will assault another without warning or indication, and we will have no chance of stopping him." Dreskul said, keeping his calm. "At Alaskan, we have a chance, and a damn good one if we do this right."