Episode 2.5: The Exile's Prisoner

After a long and hard-fought battle at the Trayus Core, its
namesake, the Sith Lord DARTH TRAYA, has finally been defeated.
The JEDI EXILE stands victorious. Dozens of Dark Jedi Assassin
bodies have been cleaved asunder. These same assassins had
knelt in humble respect at the Exile's feet before they attacked.
Now, they all lie dead along with Traya, except for one that
still bears a faint trace of the Force.

The Exile, out of pity or desire for the assassin to pay the price,
has decided to take her prisoner. DARTH TYSY DVUKH sleeps in
the medbay of the Ebon Hawk, watched by its suspicious crew...

********************

Atton Rand, the bold and cunning pilot of the vessel Ebon Hawk,
was utterly confused by the strange body lying on the medbay cot.

"Who the hell is this?", he asked softly, motioning toward the body.
It appeared to be female, from the full-looking torso and hips, but
the victim's face was covered by a standard black Dark Jedi veil.

"An assassin," said Visas Marr. "If she moves or tries to attack us,
she's taking a long walk out the airlock." She squared her shoulders.

Atton turned with a jolt. Apparently, Visas had not fully mastered
the code of the Jedi yet. No matter. She herself was once a Sith.

"The meatb--er, patient--is in stable condition, Master." HK-47
gave his report. "However, I fail to see why you took her on board.
Assassins, if my memory serves me correctly, always seek to kill."

The Exile didn't respond, but merely turned to walk toward the medbay.

**********************************

Chetyr...chetyrnadtsat'. Fourteen years of hard labor. I'll pay!

New, penitent thoughts swirled slowly through the assassin's mind.
Darth Traya was dead. Tysy could sense it, even in a coma. She,
Darth Dvukh, had learned the fate of traitorous Sith Lords and had
come very close to meeting it. Now, all she wanted was her life.

Tysy heard a woman's voice. Awaken. Faintly, through the Force...

"Traya?" She spoke the dread name aloud, in her sleep, though it was
barely a whisper. "I've failed you...Mistress. The Exile...is still alive."

I meant for him to live, said Traya. Either that, or to die by
my own hand. There was only to be one survivor in the Trayus Core.

Tysy didn't understand. "Pochemu?" she asked. "Mistress...why?"

He was strong, replied Traya, the strongest man I've ever
known. You were to be my Darth Dvukh if he died, but you failed.
I do not blame you, Tysyacha. He struck my Dark Jedi down--killed
them all, without a second thought. All but you, and I'm glad for it.

Tysy sighed. "I...thought you never let failures live."

It's true, Traya said, and it's still true, even though I am
one with the Force. I saw reason to spare you when I saw the passion
within your soul. No mere Sith can bend it to his will, and no mere
Jedi can defeat it. It takes an Exile, this man, to match it and more.
I want you to serve him, Tysyacha. Be his, Darth Dvukh, and conquer!"

************************************

At that moment, Tysy jerked awake, as if from a vivid nightmare.

"Kreia let you live?" Visas Marr's voice was coolly surprised. "I wouldn't have."

Steven sat alone in the common roon, reading an old data-pad about the mandalorian wars. He had only recently joined the crew of the ebon when the battle of Telso had just finished. He knew the exile from the mandalorian wars, he served under her for most of the war and they were pretty good friends.

After finishing his reading he went to check on the prisoner. As he entered he saw Visas talking to the prisoner.
"Kriea kept you alive? I wouldnt" She said. The prisoner assassin didn't reply.
"Find anything interesting about her?"Steven asked her.

Ryan sat in his chair, holding his hands tightly. He was frowning because a lot of things were on his mind. He was trying to figure out what to do next, either stay and try to help or begin the search for Revan and the Sith. But the thing that occupied his mind the most was this operation conducted by the Sith. Given such devotion to this task, the Sith could only have a purpose that affects all existence, otherwise no one would attack like that. He knew it because the Sith may be quicker than their mind, but they weren't stupid. He was enraged. He wanted to kill every Sith in existence after what had happened. Killing Nilhus was only the beginning and he struck down the thing like it was an animal. Making Sion fall to his knees and beg for mercy made him happy before the final confrontation. When the time came to kill Traya he defeated her easily, but when the final moment arrived, he wanted to cut Traya's head off in an instant. But he didn't kill her... He let her go.
And that was the thing that hunted his mind. He made the wrong decision, but then he started to stop blaming others and started to blame himself. How couldn't he see it? It was obvious! But it was too late now... The Jedi Masters are dead and all the hope for the Republic fell along with the Restoration Project.

But his thoughts now focused on the prisoner... The potential force user. Why did he take her? He didn't know. It might be because he wanted to torture this one for information... or perhaps he wanted to bring himself out of this nightmare.
Suddenly a knock at the door stopped Ryan from thinking and made him turn to see who it is. It was Atton.
"Hey. How's it going?" Atton asked.
"I am fine Atton." replied Ryan.
"So, what are we going to do with that assassin?" asked Atton in annoyance.
"Is she awake?" asked Ryan.
"Yes."
Ryan then got up from his chair and pushed Atton a bit away from him. As Ryan made his way to the medical bay, he wanted to see why this assassin wanted to be sparred. He entered and saw the group examine her. Ryan asked:
"How is she?"

On dantooine:

Nymf had arrived to Dantooine shortly after The Exile had left. He hadn't been there for ages, since he was a kid. He got suprised after seen the Enclave rebuit, it was exepected to be in ruins. Now wandred through the Enclave.
For the first time in years he thought of his real family, his childhood. He had to sit down and think.

Memories turned up in his mind. 'Nemo' he thought, one of the kindest person he had ever seen, and so loyal to the Order. Nymf had heard that Nemo got killed some years ago in some ruins of Dantooine.

Through the years he had crossing the Galaxy, and met less Jedis for every planet. "Are they all gone now" he thought for himself when he relized that someone should have reuilt the Enclave. He started to walk again and enter the Council room. There he found three corpses. Three Jedis. He walked towards them. "Jedi Masters" he thought and looked at their robes. He recognized Vrook, for he had been on the Enclave much more than the others. But what had killed them? It just seemed as if life was drained from them. No laserswords, no shots nothing, they were just dead.

Nymf looked up to the ski, night was falling. A cold wind came. Nymf just stood as nothing. Kept staring.

Through vision still blurry from the anesthesia that HK-47 had given her,
Tysy tried to focus on the figures that stood before her. One had a clear
shock of jet-black hair and a square jaw. Male, she supposed, and
then her eyes turned to the veiled one, her shoulders squared. Female.

"Who are you?" asked this female. "Visas Marr's my name, but as for you,
you should just call me 'Madam'. I don't trust you enough to let you call me
by my name. What were you doing in the Trayus Core, killing Jedi, eh?"

"I was promised power," said Tysy, her voice thick and heavy. "I don't know
if Traya betrayed me by letting the Exile strike me down, or if I betrayed her
by failing to do that first. I--I wanted to be her apprentice, but I was not
worthy enough. I don't know...how did you save me, and why?"

"The Exile saved you," said Atton Rand with a harsh edge to his voice, "and
frankly, I don't know why he did that either. Maybe he had pity on you, or
more likely, he has a score to settle with you. Either way, you're none of
my concern. Correction--you're all of my concern, in that I'll keep
you from harming the Exile. Harm one hair on his head, and you're--"

"Atton!" Visas' tone was sharp. "This is Atton Rand, the bold, intrepid
pilot of the Ebon Hawk[. His mouth may be fresh, but so is his mind.
If he finds you're sneaking around on the ship--anytime, anywhere, and
by any means known to man--then he'll put you straight in a Force Cage."

"I understand." Tysy nodded. "I'm here to serve, not to kill."

Visas was touched, and some part of her felt vaguely sad. She had not been
so ready to accept her fate when the Exile defeated her. Why couldn't this
assassin be more cold-hearted, more loyal to the Sith, more easy to kill?
It was not that the Ebon Hawk didn't have enough room to transport
her, but still. Assassins were not welcome passengers aboard this ship.
After all, the Exile had almost been killed more times than Visas guessed
he could count. That wasn't going to happen again--not on her watch.

"Here he comes," she said sharply. "The Exile. I'll let him kill you." She stepped
back to let her Master pass, not keeping her veiled eyes off of the prisoner.

"Now, now," a voice said calmly. "There's no need for killing." A strange young woman with curly blonde hair and dark blue eyes entered the medbay and looked down at Tysy. Then, she turned to the Exile.

"Exile," she addressed him, "surely you agree with me, yes?"


((Be extremely distrustful of her, all of you. None of you know her. In fact, you all must be wondering, is she a stowaway? She'll answer a few of your questions, but will leave others unanswered. :) ))

"I agree with... wait a secod.. who the hell are you?" asked Steven drawing his pistol and held it by his side. "You weren't here when I joined the crew and far as I know this the only person we picked up from Malachor IV" He said pointing at Tysy

The woman made a dismissive gesture with her hand and Steven's pistol flew out of his hand, thumping hard against the wall.

"No need for weapons," she said pleasantly. "I'm not here to harm anyone."

Ryan turned suddenly and asked:
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

Hk-47 walks up to see what all the comotion is about,

MMMM..... May I need to interject and stick everyone with anesthesia?
Meatbags are only for arguing while us Hk's do all the dirty work

"My name is Crystal," the woman said pleasantly. "Crystal Gray. And as for why I'm here..." She gave a sort of amused chuckle, "... I have no idea."

Nymf went out to from the Jedi Enclave, back to his ship, the Griffin.
He had heard rumors of The Exiles return, he feelt that he would like to talk to the Exile. Answers, he was looking for answers. Maybe the Exile knew what had happend to Revan, the dead Jedi Masters and other things.

He sat in the Griffin, thinking of where the Exile could be...

"Okay..." Said Steven I hate it when jedi do that! "Fine, we'll drop you off at the next station.. Which I must ask, where are we going next?"

"Now that I'm here, I have no intentions of leaving," Crystal said with a smile. "And Steven? I'm no Jedi."


((I know he didn't say it aloud, but she's a mind reader :) ))

"Well it's obvious that you didn't have any intentions to ask if you could come." remarked Ryan "Which proves that you either are not here to be our friend." and he finished with sarcasm "Or you simply don't have any manners."

"Or I came by accident," Crystal suggested.

"It depends on since when have you been here." said Ryan like that he was posing a question.

"No more than a few minutes," Crystal answered. She held up a hand. "I know that may sound strange to you, with us being in space and all, but it's the truth."

Ryan frowned and looked at her.
"How do I know that you aren't a Sith?" asked Ryan suspiciously.

"You're a Jedi, right?" Crystal asked. "Reach out and understand I have an extremely weak connection to the Force. I'm no Jedi. I'm no Sith."

Ryan said coldly:
"That's why I am asking."

"What do you mean?" Crystal asked. "Sith have the Force. Being a Jedi, you or some of your followers should understand that I do not. Wouldn't that automatically rule out the possibility of being Sith?"

"But does it rule out the possibility of you being an assassin?" asked Ryan.

Crystal's smile faded. "Look, if I were an assassin, one of you would be dead already. I don't play around on jobs. This is purely an accident."

Ryan wanted to reply but he sighed and said sadly:
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to insult you."

Crystal stared at him for a moment. "I think I'm seeing a problem here," she said quietly. "You're far too trusting. For all you know, I could be lying. I could be a great liar and you'd not know until it was too late."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about insulting me. You were doing good with all the demanding questions."

Then, she turned. "But that's hardly the point here." She glanced down at Tysy and turned back to Ryan. "Didn't it bother you in the slightest that I know who you are and yet you know nothing of me?"

Hk turns to the intruder then back to his master....

Master, shall i take care of this menace?

or shall we put her in containment since you have no idea what she could be capable of....

Ryan turned to HK and said pointing:
"HK, I already said it once; and I will say it again: When troubles come, I will ask for your help."
Ryan then turned to Crystal and asked:
"And what is it that you know of me?"

((You are right, Killwithhonor. It is amusing that someone is using HK :lol: ))

( i know lol, even though i wont have alot of lines its still funny to have the random comments)

Is there anything else master?"

"I know your past," Crystal answered cryptically, "I know your present, and I know fragments of your future."

"To my understanding of what you meatbags are, that would represent a jedi, am i not?

"Hk, dont you agree with me we should shove the stow-away in our air-lock if she doesnt leave willingly?" Said Steven. He didnt patically like people reading his mind. He beleaved that the mind was a personal think and should only be entered by another at their request or to extract info that would benifit others.

"Yes, you are right HK. But there are several remarks that I would make." began Ryan, he paused for a moment and then continued:
"You most probably know my past, since you were around Kreia. My present is obvious. And I don't believe in fortune telling."

((Uh, Vlad, Crystal doesn't look like she did then... last time you saw her, she had dark hair and blue-gray eyes. Now, she has blonde hair and dark blue eyes... not to mention she's shorter :) ))

Ryan heard Steven's comment and replied:
"You know, I am starting to think that you were the one that acctuely made him."

((Vladimir-Vlada, read my post above yours... you shouldn't be recognizing Crystal.))

((Oh sorry. I didn't see that.))

Crystal smiled. "I know your past because you know it. I agree, your present is fairly obvious. But fortune telling?" She laughed. "At any rate, I said fragments, not the whole thing. And you do know me... or at least you did."

She changed ever so slightly, first growing taller. Then, her hair darkened and straightened and her eyes faded.

"Telepath, telekintetic, shapeshifter, teleporter, and Force knows what else," she said, now looking and sounding like the Crystal Ryan would recognize.

Tysy felt a growing sense of unease and dread. The longer that this absurd
exchange continued between the Exile, new crew-member Steven, HK, and
the mysterious blonde woman, the more insecure Tysy felt. She knew the
signs of an assassin. Showing up out of nowhere, trying to gain the trust
of her 'marks' before killing them as a sign of cleverness. If this Crystal
Gray had no intention of murdering anyone aboard the Ebon Hawk,
then it was definitely news to Tysy. She sat up, regaining her strength.

"Tikha," said the former Sith warriess sharply, meaning "Quiet!"
"Kto vy?" "Who are you really, and what are you doing among us?
How did you even board this ship? The last thing I remember, I was lying
dead in the Trayus Core, or almost dead, at least. I am a prisoner of the
Exile. I," and here her voice was darkly proud, "am Darth Dvukh.
If you've never heard the name, I was a servant and assassin of Traya.

"Your ways are quite familiar. Some of them were taught to me by the
Mistress of the Trayus Core herself!" Tysy smiled coolly at Crystal. "Whom
are you after? The Exile? I've changed my mind about killing him, so back off!"

Ryan looked in shock as he recognised the young woman.
"You!" he said still in shock "I remember you! You were that Padawan on Dantooine who concnviced me to surrender. What are you doing here?"
"Who cares." began Atton pushing Ryan "She's just my type. But I don't know about the attitude, though."
Ryan rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Crystal's eyes widened and with her control lost, her curly blonde hair and dark blue eyes and shorter height returned. "Tysy? My goodness you've changed! Then again, so've I, but..."

Shaking her head, she turned to Ryan. "We're in hyperspace, yes? I was trying to teleport myself to a station in orbit of the planet I was on when this ship flew past, jerking me rather abruptly aboard. As I said, it was unexpected, for me and for you all."

"You what!?" Aske Steven, shaking his head. He didnt also didnt believe in teleportation either. He just couldn't understand how it was possible "Okay. Just tell us who you are! How can you teleport?"

"I've told you," Crystal said patiently. "My name is Crystal Gray. Exile knows me, Tysy should, but doesn't remember me, which I'll attribute to brainwashing. As for teleportation, it's easier done than said..."

She vanished and reappeared instantly in the doorway. "Can't quite explain what I do, but that goes for a lot of the things I can do."

"Cool. Have you ever tried going a bank job.."Steven shook his head. "I mean, I know your name but I want to know who you! Whats your history with Ryan? And why does everyone seem to refer to him as exile? It's really confusing.."

"Wait..." Through a hazy fog in her mind, Tysy struggled to focus. "Crystal Gray?
My mysterious comrade, who helped to find that Holocron of Darth Revan's on Korriban? Thank goodness you weren't...killed..by our ranks. We Sith would have spared no one who hadn't turned to the Dark Side. How is it that you escaped,
or otherwise weaselled your way out of capture?" Tysy couldn't believe it.
"Tovarischa! My friend! How are you?" She held out her arms for a hug.

Crystal glanced at Ryan before answering Steven. "You must be new to the crew..."

"Ryan was a Jedi," she said. "Exiled. Had a wonderful adventure worthy of being history holorecords... you get the idea, I hope. Not long after he was exiled, he returned to the Enclave. I was there with Tysy. He threatened us, though I know he meant no harm. Then, he ran. I chased him and we were captured by the Sith. We escaped separately and went our own separate ways. Haven't seen him since... until now."

Crystal accepted the hug. "Seems strange, doesn't it, Tysy? How far we've come... you a Sith, me a... well... me..." She chuckled, trying to figure out a way to describe herself.

I know i am only supposed to respond to my master but do you think you could convince my master to get me a sense of humor chip? Maybe get me a happy chip too, i sometimes find myself being very not kind, or mean as you meat... humans would say, And yes we should throw this one in the airlock and tortue her but i guess thats just myself and you steven

"Torture?" asked Tysy, her mouth gone suddenly dry. "I admire your ruthlessness.
However, killing a Sith prisoner would bring far more satisfaction to my captors
than mere torture. Especially for her, I think," she said, motioning toward Visas.

"I did not say I wanted anyone to torture you. However, if you try to attack
any one of us, torture will be the least of your punishments, Sith," Visas said.

"I--I was ordered to try and kill Ryan, whom I know as the Jedi Exile. How did
I come to serve Darth Traya, anyway? It was not she who turned me toward
the Dark Side. Rather, it was a rogue Sith Lord, playing by his own rules, upon
Korriban. He had an apprentice named Collus Drake, and it was Collus who
introduced me to the sheer damaging power of the Dark Side of the Force.

"It was only a matter of time before Traya recruited me. I was a smuggler
and interrogator, not a killer, helping to finance Sith war effort. I asked Traya,
'What use do you have for a lowly thief who thinks that murder for its
own sake is senseless and stupid?' Traya smiled and said, 'All the use in
the world, Tysyacha. Become one of my servants, and I will teach you.

"And she did. Torture me if you want, but I'd prefer to die." Tysy closed her eyes.

If you would prefer to die then shall be it, master give me the word and i shal execute the hostile named Tysy

But by judging the tone of her voice, she does not really wish to die, she rather wishes to live, but for what purpose shall this be? I am catching on to your plan even though i am a robot of the Hk series, i still can sense what you have been doing, drawing us in till the right moment where you can execute us all

"I think that Tysy needs to answer a few questions." began Ryan. "First of all, why are you an assassin?"