After the events at the meditation chamber the three of us took some time to rest and recuperate. As has been my habit of late I went to the workshop to work on repairing whatever I could in the endless supply of gadgets that had broken or needed to be maintained in one shape or another.
Normally as I work on stuff it becomes a sort of meditation in its own way, the world fades out and the only thing in focus is the project at hand and finding the flow of machinery and electronics that leads to a working item.
This time was a little different. At first I couldn't place it, but then it came to me. Or rather didn't. It was as if someone had turned off or blocked a part of my
(our?)
senses. I could see the flashes of the multi-tool and feel the pulse of energy
(the blades moved with familiar form but without connection)
but the sound wasn't there and when a broken com-link sparked to life there was no sense of..
(the keys pressed down and the information displayed but no sounds clicked out)
accomplishment, I paused and reached out and felt a void
(I need to protect his goals)
where was this coming from?
(I want to hide)
I could ignore it.
(block it out)
(close myself off).
It would be so easy to just be alone.
And then it came back, a connection and a choice to stay present, and with that I ended my time in the workshop and found Rekha in the archives. We didn't talk much I simply stayed nearby for a while. We don't have to handle it all lone anymore.
We Arrived at Ukatis, an imposing blockade of ships surrounded the planet and while we where let past the route seemed to decidedly take us near some of the larger ships in a display of power I'm sure.
We landed without incident and where met by a delegation of palace guards in decorative armor and weapons and we met our contact, Advisor to the king Lady Hexalon.
we where taken to the palace in a winding path through the nicer part of the city though no citizens where seen on the way. A pretty facade covering the clearly crumbling infrastructure we had seen flying over.
After arriving at the palace we had a meeting with Hexalon at the same time a rather opulent meal was offered. I know its common for the wealthy to feast while the people starve but its still galling to see in action. There was an added twist though, apparently the food and drink had an intoxicating effect Hexalon claimed to be fairly used and adjusted to it but for visitors it could hit rather hard. Shikkar and myself seemed to fair okay but Rekah seemed to be more effected by it from the start.
Unsurprisingly Hexalon was another of Shikkar's masters...Tools/weapons/solders, though She seemed more individualistic than the others but I suppose that would be necessary for the type of person who walks in halls of kings. We might not have been fighting with weapons but I couldn't help but feel we where in an arena and she was fully in control.
Lady Hexalon laid out the path. We where going to observe the King on his death bed and hear his dying wish for Ukatis to join the republic as he had regrets for the past several decades of isolation. We where given prepared data pads with the formal announcement to be sent to the Republic. We where also informed that if that didn't suit us that we could also be useful as scapegoats for the kings passing.
It seems my unease wasn't going to be letting up anytime soon.
Hexalon then informed us of the true task the Master had for us, or Shikkar, we just happened to also be there. On another planet there is a small group of former sith students and their master, they have a Holocron that we should obtain and bring back to the Jedi.
With that we where shown to our rooms, while the intoxication from the food and drink was pulling me to the bed I did my best to search the room for any potential hidden surveillance and when satisfied that there wasn't I fell in to a rough and dream heavy sleep. Images of Lucian being abused by the Masters Tools we've been facing. I wonder if Lucian is also working for the master or if its just a jumbled up mix of thoughts brought on by the food and drink.
In the morning we gathered and where taken to see the King. Or what ever was left laying in his bed. Clearly he had been dead for some time and that was easy enough to see from where we where but I'm guessing very few people ever got this close to the body. While still digesting this bit of information the very dead king started to speak in a raspy voice and indeed professed his wish to make amends at this point and have his people rejoin as part of the republic and with that the dead king died. Long live the king.
Lady Hexalon put on quite the show of remorse and sorrow for the kings passing, in a way it was mesmerizing, like watching a sword master apply their skills. It was stunning as much as it was unnerving.
After witnessing the "death" I took a walk. I was troubled things weren't right clearly this whole thing was just farce a nice pretty show and we where the gift bow to wrap it up and deliver it.
It didn't sit right with me but then did it really mater? The planet and its people ultimately could use the reestablishment with the Republic and this was more the job of train diplomats. I decided to send the official report but with an additional note of my concerns to the Counsel as well as informing them about the potential of holocron and we where going to look into it.
As soon as the message was sent Hexalon visited me and informed me there was going to be a formal announcement and ceremony which we would be expected to attend and then there would be several days of morning. I embarrassingly miss the hints that the time of morning would be a great time to leave and pursue getting the holocron.
I am not suited to cloak and dagger shenanigans it would seem.
I breath a little easier as Ukatis is left behind yet its not safety we seek in our next location and a foreboding presence grows ever closer.
**Log recovery active sections fragmented. Data loss due to file corruption or user deletion**
*fragment*
He's gone. again.
*fragment*
We made camp but not having really brought anything in the rush it wasn't going to be comfortable, after having looked through the force at there situation we decided to see if the three of us could get closer to their camp and possibly catch them by surprise.
I was frankly useless with the tracking between the dust storm and low evening light growing dimmer by the minute, had to rely on Shikkar and Rekha, but eventually we made it to where the beasts where that Lucian's camp had rented where but they where nowhere to be seen. They had been inside somewhere but there was no structure around.
I believe it was Shikkar that discovered the underground bunker doors first. Ancient slabs of stone that where being covered in sand as the storm continued around us. once we figured out how to open them we decided to slip inside and hopefully catch the group inside off guard.
*fragment Recovery*
I tried but, I couldn't... There was too many. We only got out because of him. The repairs weren't enough he was too sick. He was so cold and weightless. He could have been a specter haunting my dreams again.
If only.
*Fragment end*
We made our way down a hallway made of stone again the low light wasn't doing me any favors but Rekha's eyes seemed to be much more adapt at picking up details including a tripwire trap, easily avoided with her help.
We reached the main chamber undetected, they had left one guy to keep watch and he was failing spectacularly even if we hadn't been hiding our presence within the force the idiot was lost in his music listing with a pair of headphones the others where asleep.
Shikkar moved into the room in a manner I was getting all too familiar with and while I didn't much care for the three thugs that had Lucian, still it wasn't right to just kill them even if that would be easier at this point. So I broke the silence and said I wanted to do business hoping the abruptness would throw them on the back foot as well as keep Shikkar from attacking...
*Fragment* I saw the eyes, through the arcing bolts of pure force burning into my parallelized form, Pure hate and anger burning yellow. All I can do is lay here in agony. It's hurting but I can't help all I could do was stay in the way long enough for a second chance. *fragment end*
It seemed my plan worked well enough, they were caught off guard enough to not attack particularly when they realized I was not alone. We negotiated a payout that had them clear out and leave Lucian with us as a slave, I was betting on them not having a chance to look around yet so the gamble what value might be in this hideout vs their lives was what I was playing with. From a pure finical side of things I might have offered a bit too much but it did avoid a conflict and needless fighting.
*fragment damaged sector full recovery impossible*
There is no choice..... tried to run.....pulling in... Hexilon with droids....Force be with us.. *fragment end*
We are heading back to the city, we explored the small bunker and deemed there to be little of use or danger as the most interesting thing was probably the carvings of maps on the walls in one of the rooms I've documented what I could and will be attached.
(A series of photos, and video clips, showing old carvings in the various rooms of the underground bunker a few misc notes of interests are jotted down including the observation that these markings could be at least 1000 years old and that they appear to be Jedi in design)
Rekha pulled me aside last night and told me about Lucian's condition. its not good he needs medical help and soon more than what we have access to here or even on the ship. Can't say I'm surprised and for now try to push forward with the hope we can still help him. When he woke up he was confused and for a moment seemed to think it was several years ago eventually he remembered and I could see a pain of regret that mirrored in my own soul.
Despite everything I still love him.
When we got back to the outdoor market to return the beasts we learned the three we had been following hadn't made it back. I felt partly responsible as it was because of our interaction they had left in the night and storm.
While we got our things together with a plan of getting Lucian to the ship, I took a moment to look through the force to see if I could tell what had happened to the other group. They where alive but one looked possibly injured. Part of me wanted to leave they had gotten themselves into this mess through greed and clearly weren't exactly the best kind of person you could find in the galaxy, but that's not the jedi at least its not what we should aspire to be.
Shikkar and I joined the search party and where able to help find them after several hours. They where still camped out as one of the beasts had been killed and the headphones guy was holding a mangled arm severally in pain. Shikkar and I manged to deescalate the situation from getting extremely violent, A lightsaber can have a chilling effect without ever actually needing to attack. with them found and for the moment tempers cooled to a low anger we called J3 and left the planet. Jedi may help but they don't have to cover for poor choices and stupidity.
We still had to deal with the dangerous debris field around the planet which seemed worse than when we arrived, but Shikkar was able to guide J3 by using the force safely through, once again clearly puzzling the droid at the unnatural knowledge and skills afforded ones with connections to the Force.
Rekha and J3 where able to Hook Lucian up to an iv drip to help with the pain and essentially knock him out for the trip back. The less stress on his heart the better at this point. but before putting him fully under we got to talk.
We.. I didn't get to say everything, there was too much and maybe in a fools way I was trying to hold on and tell myself a comfortable lie. I'm pretty sure he saw through it. He asked if I would be able to let him go, that he wanted to know I would be alright. I told him I wasn't done fighting for a chance just yet, but I would try if it came to that, and that eventually I would try to be okay. Even now through blurry eyes, a tightening throat making it hard to breath and cracked skin burnt from blaster bolts and shikkars attack, I don't know if I was lying or telling the truth.
As he slept I started to clean and work on his arm and leg. They where a mess not just from the dust and sand of the last couple of planets. the parts where old and worn down and hadn't had any maintenance in a way that suggested even longer than Lucian had been using them. Though I had kind of suspected that from seeing him the first time and his journals when I had read them last. You'd only see an abysmal set up like this from the poor and desperate, for it to be given from a "benefactor" like Lucian had had suggests an underlying intent of cruelty or neglect. This was only reinforced when working on his leg and I came across a modification that sent a chill down my spine.
A tracking device and pulsing light showing that it was active. closer examination showed that it was hardwired into the leg to remove it meant turning it off alerting the owner of tampering and possibly disabling the leg completely.
I told the others of what I had found and that I was concerned that there might be someone waiting for us some where in our path home, Shikkar seemed to lose interest and left, J3 said we could plan another route but it would take us several days longer than the currant direct path and Rekha reminded me that Lucian wasn't going to last much longer.
I decided bring Lucian out of his medical comma to let him know what I found and to get his opinion on it. He had been unware of the tracking device and confirmed that the one that had purchased and installed the gear was the same person as Shikkar's master the growing feeling of dread and certainty we would have someone waiting grew stronger. Lucian opted for me to attempt the removal of the device and we put him under again and then moved him to the work bench in the cargo-hold it had the tools needed to even have a chance at what I needed to do.
The job was tricky and there were a few moments where I though I had triggered a fail-safe but in the end was able to extract it and jettison it into space in middle of nowhere and J3 jumped back into hyperspace to the new route I hoped that maybe that wold be enough and buy us the time and confusion we would need to get home.
It wasn't.
They figured it out. that Damned ship was there looming and pulling us in. J3 was trying to modulate the Shields to make us a harder target to grab but he couldn't do that and fly at the same time so I attempted to fly as he worked the computers but it quickly was apparent my skills where lacking but since I had an idea of what he had been doing we switched and seemed to be making some progress before we felt the ship rock from getting hit with blaster fire knocking the shields off line Tractor beams locked onto us. Rekha attempted to use the turret to disable the beams as I worked to get the shields back on line.
Shikkar came into the cockpit and asked us to stop and not fight the master, It didn't have its weapons with It. I didn't have the time to be gentle or patient in a response. I told It it was going to need to make a choice to help us or save us time and just slit our throats there. Perhaps not the best of suggestions but I had nothing else. It went back down the stairs to the loading area as we got dragged into the larger ship. We had failed to get way, and there was little chance another attempt to hide and escape was going to work. As the ship was pulled in I reached desperately through the force, maybe I could brake something just enough to let us escape, I felt a connection but nothing changed that we could see or feel.
Hexilon was in the docking area with a group of battle droids could practically feel the smug confidence radiating off of her. The ball in my gut twisted and for a moment I thought of running to Lucian killing him now to spare him of what would most likely come next but that also felt like giving into hopelessness.
No I was not giving in like that. I walked down the stairs to the exit ramp Shikkar was kneeling in respectful supplication ready to be collected. I pushed back the dread and fear, called on the force and charged forward lightsaber flaring into action.
It was a blur of action, I slashed at a droid cutting it down and then what felt like a wall of blaster fire came at me was able to deflect a few shots back and take out a couple more droids, Atton's lessons had not gone to waste, including the part about being worn down by shear numbers, a couple hit me but I kept moving there was more than me to defend.
I felt a familiar slap of one of Hexilons toxic darts and knew I was once again on a desperate timer before I'd be helpless. Just as I was about to lunge for another attack a Shikkar grabbed me from the side trying to get me to stop pinning my arms and keeping me from attacking. I knew it couldn't help itself, there is still too much of a hold on it from its master, I didn't want to hurt it but it was going to get us all captured and I could only guess at the pain that awaited us all.
A rain of blaster fire came from the ship as J3 fired out on the droids dropping a couple more and in the moment I let go of my lightsaber and wielded it with the force attacking another droid. I would not attack Shikkar I knew the challenge would be already my body was reacting to the poison coursing through it.
Hexilon pulled J3 out of the ship holding him in the air with the force musing how she should distroy him, Rekha came out just in time to grab him with her own force pull essentially putting him into a floating stalemate. In that moment J3 popped out a emp grenade and tossed it at the remaining droids dropping more of them. I moved the my lightsaber in front of Hexilon telling her to put him down. I didn't attack. Maybe I should have but I've come to relize that Hexilon is much like Shikkar, perhaps there is still something left to save in her. I felt the poisen take its hold and my body was no longer able to move.
Shikkar tackled Rekha next again trying to get her to stop fighting, J3 managed to pull out another emp grenade from a compartment dropping the rest of the droids, with that Hexilon let out a burst of electricity from her fingers the currents flowing through J3 arcing and burning through him has he dropped down in a heap. She then turned to Rekha and Shikkar still struggling and lighting up her own lightsaber attempted to stab down and impale both of them.
It is hard however to stab with an arm that is now missing. My body was disabled by my mind and connection to the Force burned strong it was as if I was still there holding my blade and while I may have sympathy I will defend my friends.
Just then explosions went off in the distance and Hexlion screamed running out of the room as the power flickered off in the hanger and emergency lights fire to life. Someone started pulling my body to the ship, Shikkar. I could hear more droids coming and did my best to block and defend our retreat as they opened fire.
Then I saw him. our rescuing angel buying us one more chance. As he got closer the temporary repairs finally gave out over worked and stressed to failure Lucian's leg burst into flames dropping him to the ground and he started crawling with his one arm. Shikkar ran out and grabbed him as if he weighed nothing brining him on the ship.
I knew what would happen next and for a moment I considered letting it happen. Shikkar turned to leave, I knew what waited for It, and how much worse would it be for the tool that not only failed to help capture us to its Master's call but help us escape. I could not let that happen. So with the lightsaber still floating in the air its connection strong with me we pushed and held it back for just long enough for the doors to close locking shut as the ship flew out of the doc into space.
I saw the rage, I felt the energy burn through me. it was the same as Hexilon's. It was hurting. I don't even know if it quite understands why. I felt my conscious pull away maybe this was it.
I was pulled from the black, back to the living world, back to the pain. I wish i could have stayed in the void, its quite there. Crying and a hoarse repeating whisper calling me back, I knew what waited me back there, on the ship with all the grime, noise, and the price of our escape.
I answered with a kiss.
The last one, the last heart braking I love you, the last goodbye.
Lucian is dead
My trueheart has been ripped from me again.
It would be so easy to just lay-down and not wake up, not face the pain and emptiness inside again.
