Tylor used the vent system to make his way to the room outside the bridge. Like the airlock and the corridor outside, the room was pitch black. He was armed with a commando pistol, a few grenade and a torch. He held out the blaster with one hand, and torch above it with the other hand. He searched the room, he appeared to be in an armoury however all the lockers were emtpy, Tylor assumed that was the work of savangers.

Tylor was then ready to move in to the bridge but he then heard voice coming from the next room. The voices weren't loud enough for Tylor to hear but he had an idea. He activated his com and spoke to the Dreadless' bridge.
"Hey Jedi, I took a short cut to the bridge, it appears there was several people talking, I'm going to slide my backup com into the bridge, listen to what they're saying and then tell me when you'd like my to go in!"

Tylor then pulled out a com from his shoe and slided it through a small gap in the door. He then waiting for comfirmation from the Jedi.

”Perhaps the damage is more extensive than I realised…” said the Doctor.

“That’s what I’ve been saying all along,” Jasra said to the Doctor. “Something isn’t….” She paused, and frowned as she adjusted the comlink in her ear.

"Hey Jedi, I took a short cut to the bridge, it appears there was several people talking, I'm going to slide my backup com into the bridge, listen to what they're saying and then tell me when you'd like me to go in!"

“Tylor’s found something,” Jasra said to Karda. “Actually, someone. Well, multiple someones. He’s sending us a feed from the Almanac.”

Her fingers tapped some buttons, and the sound feed from Tylor’s well-placed portable com link came over the general speakers.

“…omething as useless as that,” said an unfamiliar voice. “We need valuable things. Juppa’s not going to want a load of junk!”

“This isn’t junk!” said another, albeit a more stupid sounding voice.

“No, but the relays in that are worth more than the device. Take them out. Leave the rest. We don’t have time to be…. And what are you doing on board anyway? I thought you were supposed to be mannin’ the scanners?”

“I didn’t want to be left on board all by myself. Don’t get no share of the loot if I don’t help find it. You said ….”

“I know what I said! And I said for you to stay on board! What if another salvager comes here, eh? You want them to get our find? You want Juppa to tan our hides when we don’t bring nothin’ back? No! So, get over there and monitor what’s happening out there!” A sigh. “I’m surrounded by kriffin’ idiots! And you! Where’s that detonator? After we’re done here, we’re supposed to blow this wreck, remember?”

Jasra grinned as she looked up at Karda. “What do you think? Should I tell him to go in?”

Karda nodded. “Just remind him that he should try not to kill anyone. They may know what happened to the crew.”

“Tylor? Karda says to go in when you like. Sounds like you’ve got some salvagers on board. Don’t know how many there are, but I can hear three of them. They’ve got plans to blow up the ship when they’re done scrounging so watch out for explosives. Oh, and Karda wants them alive. If possible,” she added.

((Hey Jas, I have an idea... can we talk on MSN? If not, it can wait until tonight - I won't be home until this evening.))

The Doctor stepped up to the consoles, gently pushing aside the office manning the controls.
"Excuse me a moment," he said kindly, as he began working. He pulled up a schematic of the Almanac and examined it closely. "Type three Jedi starfighter... minimal armaments... no independant hyperdrive unit... Tell me, did you find the hyperdrive assemblage nearby?"
The officer shook his head. "No. There was no sign of it."
"Hmm..." he muttered thoughtfully. "Something's not right..."
He tinkered with the sensors for a moment. The view screen flickered on, and a three dimensional diagram of the area of space they were in appeared. The Almanac was represented by a small green trianlg. The Dreadless a blue one. A yellow line formed behind the blue triangle. A second line formed behind the Almanac, and nother one, unmarked, led to a point a few meters starboard of the Almanac. "These are the engine signatures of three ships - the Dreadless, the Almanac, and the ship belonging to the salvagers."
He tapped another few buttons. The officer looked over his shoulder. "Uhm..." he said suddenly, moving to stop the Doctor. "That algorythm is extremely unstable. You could disrupt the ship's-"
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," said the Doctor, continuing his work. He completed the calculations, and a red line appeared on the screen, originating off of the screen, intersecting the Almanac, and moving off in another direction.
"This is the engine signature of another vessel. They were attempting to mask their ion trail, but a simple refractive algorythm exposed it."

((Wow... that's a lame post I just made... sorry guys...))

"Kira, you can't do this!"
The saber in her hand ignited, its light giving the room a cold blue hue. The color splashed off the dark walls, and illuminated the figure before her. It was Mical.
"This isn't you Kira, listen to me!" he pleaded. She laughed.
Her voice was deeper, sarcastic, and chilling even to her. "Ah, but it is me."
The lightsaber in her hand whipped up of its own accord, and slashed Mical across the stomach. With a surprised 'argh!!', he fell to the ground. A quick, harsh kick to the temple quickly silenced him.
"Kira! What have you done??"
She whipped around to the door, and could feel her lips turn up in a wicked smile. It was the Doctor.
"Nothing that should worry you, old man. You are a Time Lord, are you not? Then you should have seen this coming."
Again, her hand moved of its own will, and her saber was sent sailing into the chest of the Doctor...

Revan sat in the copilot's seat in silence, now alone with Atton, Kira having left to lie down.
"How long until we reach the coordinates?" he asked.
"Five minutes less than the last time you asked," snapped Atton, his arms folded across his chest, leaning back in his chair. "I thought Jedi were supposed to be patient?"
"I thought soldiers were supposed to follow orders, and look how that turned out for me," he retorted.
"Insults from a Jedi? Not something you hear every day."
Revan was about to respond, when he felt a tremor building in his mind. It was Kira. He stood, and walked out of the room without another word to Atton.
"Guess I struck a nerve..." muttered Atton, staring out the window again.

What's going on? Kira thought to herself, though a harsh laugh escaped her lips as the Doctor crumpled to the ground, a red stain forming on his shirt. She quickly called the saber back to her hand, stepping over the carcass.
This is the tomb of Exar Kun! she realized as she stepped out into the cool stone hallway. But why would I...
"Kira." she looked up to see Crystal, saber drawn, blocking her path. "Put the saber down. Now."

Revan entered the dormitory to find Kira in the far bed. She wasn't moving, but the waves of sorrow she was generating were far worse than if she had been writhing on the floor.
He moved to the side of her bed, kneeling down so his head was level with hers. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Kira?" he whispered. "Kira, wake up."

((OOC: Yay...another sucky post from ForceFight...party...:xp: ))

"Fool. Should've attacked me when you had the chance." her hand moved, and Crystal was on the floor as well, blood pooling near her chest. With a satisfied grin, she looked over into the pool...and saw her reflection. Her eyes were gold, and her canine teeth were enlarged, giving her the appearance of a demon.
"Kira? Kira, wake up."

And she was back in the Ebon Hawk. As her eyes shot open, her breath came in short gasps, and she sat up, her eyes wild. She felt the warm hand on her shoulder, and closed her eyes again, leaning back on her elbow as she fought to steady herself.
"Revan..." the name came out in near-silent whisper.

"It's alright, I'm here," he said calmly. "You're safe."
He took her hand in his. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Warmth seeped through Kira as Revan slid his hand into hers.
"These dreams...I can hardly go to sleep without seeing them..." And damn it if they'll ever be gone...
"What happened...'before' never really did happen, right?" she asked him, "The whole mess with the Shards? It wasn't real, right?"

"I... I don't know. You'd... probably have to talk to the Doctor about that." He saw the look on her face, and changed tacts immediately. "But Kira... even if they did happen... from what I understand - not being there at the time - you weren't in control of your actions. You didn't know what you were doing."

The Exile shook her head, standing and pulling away from him as she crossed the dorm.
"I could see everything...I was concious of what I was doing the entire time..." she ran her hand through her hair, her voice dropping once again to a whisper, "It was like a living hell."

He moved up behind her, massaging her shoulders. "You weren't in control. It was those bloody Shards. I refuse to believe that you were in control of your actions."
She pulled away from him, not saying a word. "Kira... don't do this. Don't dwell on what happened. It wasn't your fault."

Kira leaned against the wall, her head resting against the cool metal of the bulk head.
"Still...the memories are there. Regardless of whether or not 'I was responsible', I commited those crimes. I fought the others...I nearly killed..." she blinked hard, refusing to go on with her sentence.

"No, Kira. That wasn't you. It was Darth... what did the Doctor call you? Darth Kourkon? It wasn't you! Please, don't do this to yourself!"
She didn't respond. He walked up to her and took her in his arms. "Please... I can't lose you to this."

Kira reached up, and put a hand over his. With a sigh, she leaned back against his chest.
"I've withstood worse before..." she whispered, "I'll get over this...it'll just take some time, that's all."
Of course, the experience had left its lasting marks on her already...but, like so many others, the scars will eventually fade...

Atton watched the proceedings from just beyond the door, his eyes narrowed at the man who was holding the Exile.
Why in the name of hell did he have to show up?? he thought to himself, fighting to control his anger. Everything was going fine, then some fag with a lightsaber shows up, tries to pick up where he left off some 10 years ago, and everything goes to hell!

"Kira... let us help you. Talk to the Doctor. He knows more about this than we ever could."

"Perhaps..." the Exile murmured, and turned in his arms so that she now faced him. Her hands splayed across his chest as she looked up at him, their eyes meeting.
Revan was power. Looking into his eyes was like looking into the heart of the Force.
She nestled her head beneath his chin, content to just stand there in his arms.
"Just give me a moment." she whispered.

Atton's eyes narrowed further as he watched Kira return Revan's embrace.
I've seen enough of this. he thought, turned on his heel, and returned to the cockpit.

The Doctor stood in the TARDIS, his gloved hands gliding across the controls. There was a sharp rapping on the door. He snapped his fingers, and the door snapped open. Atton stepped in, closing the door behind him. "We need to talk."
The Doctor smiled darkly. "I wondered how long it would take you to speak to me," he said.
Atton stepped up beside him. "It's about-"
"Revan and Kira," finished the Doctor. "Yes, I imagined as much."
Atton stared at the floor for a moment. "Why did he have to come back?"
"Life is suffering, Atton," he said. "If sympathy is what you're looking for, you'll have to find it somewhere else. I have little tolerance for fools - and only a fool would let the woman he loves be swept out from under him."
"I don't need your sympathy," hissed Atton.
"Then why are you here?"
"I..." he stammered. "I... I need your help."
"I cannot help you," he said, looking up at him. "You must help yourself."
"How? I love her, Doc. I need her. But as long as Revan's in the way, I can't..."
"You can't what?"
"I can't take this anymore, Doc..." he said, turning to the wall and leaning against it, his eyes closed. "I can't... I can't see her with him anymore, it's... it's too much."
"Then perhaps you should do what you do best... and run away."
Atton glared at him. "I won't run. Not this time. I can't abandon Kira."
"Why? She has turned against you, Atton! She knows you love her! But she doesn't care!"
"She... she-"
"Enough," he said, lifting a hand. "You know what you must do. Whether you do it or not is entirely up to you."

~~~~~

Stepping back into the cockpit, Revan sat in the now vacant pilot's seat. He double checked their course, and leaned back in the chair, his hands behind his head.
"Comfortable?"
He spun aorund to see Atton in the door. "You're in my chair."
Rolling his eyes, Revan stood and moved to the co-pilot seat, making sure to smack his shoulder into Atton's on his way past. "We'll arrive at the Dreadless in about an hour," he said.
"Understood," said Atton coldly, sitting in the pilot seat. "Now why don't you go scrub the coolant tanks or something?"
Gritting his teeth, Revan remained silent.

"What? Oh, don't tell me that you decided now was a good time to fall back on that Jedi bull." Atton prodded.

- - - - - -

Sweeping her hair back behind her shoulder in a tired motion, Kira moved to the Hawk's galley, pouring herself a cup of caffa.
Nestling the steaming cup between her hands, she sipped it carefully, sighing as the scalding liquid passed across her tongue. When was she going to get five seconds to breathe? The Force seemed intent on having her run every moment of her life...
She looked over her shoulder as she heard steps on the metal floor, the Doctor coming into view.
"Oh...first time I've seen you out of the TARDIS, Doctor."

"Indeed," he responded. "I've been... working."
She arched an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "I see."
He glared at her. "You don't understand. The Time Line is still in chaos. There's something wrong."

She looked away from him, taking another light sip of the caffa as she distracted herself from his cold glare by watching a light on a console blink on and off.
"I figured as much...after all there is another Time Lord here..."
After a moment, she turned back to him.
"Doctor...I've been having some dreams...almost like memories of what had happened...before...with the Shards. I thought that once we were sent back, those events would never have happened. At least not in this Time Line."

"They didn't," said the Doctor simply. "Those events are part of a timeline not canonized in the vortex. They are nothing more than 'what if' events - no more than potential occurrences."

"Then why do they feel so real?" she whispered, taking another sip of caffa as she watched the light again.

"Because you experienced them. But you did not part-take in them."
She continued to stare out the window.
"Think of what happened as if it were a dream: you experienced the events; you witnessed them; you even saw yourself commiting them. But they were not real."

"It's still so strange..." she said, her voice still quiet, "To think that I could ever do something like that...it scares me."

“Tylor? Karda says to go in when you like,” Jasra said over the com to Tylor and his team on the Almanac. “Sounds like you’ve got some salvagers on board. Don’t know how many there are, but we can hear three of them where you are. They’ve got plans to blow up the ship when they’re done scrounging so watch out for explosives. Oh, and Karda wants you to take them alive. If possible,” she added, herself not particularly caring whether he did not.

As the Doctor moved over to the console and began to show Karda the ion trails left by the ships that had intersected with the Almanac, Jasra’s mind began to wander to thoughts of Brax. She could feel his presence drawing closer to her, and she hoped that he wouldn’t have any problems landing the cloaked Ssss on the Dreadless. And, more importantly, she hoped that none of the crew would notice an invisible ship landing in the docking bay she had opened for him, chalking it up to a simple malfunction or mistake.

“Jasra!”

“Huh?” She turned, suddenly aware that Karda had been trying to get her attention. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

Karda frowned at her lack of concentration. “Focus on the task at hand, Jasra,” he chastised her. “I was asking if you could scan the Almanac again. The Doctor has pointed out that there’s no ion trail for the salvager’s ship leaving the Almanac. That means, it’s still there somewhere.”

“Oh,” said Jasra, straightening her tunic. “Right.” She knew there was a ship latched on to the Almanac. Brax had told her as much already. But she couldn’t tell Karda that, so she scanned the Almanac again. “Yes. There’s an anomaly that could be a cloaked ship attached to the other side of the Almanac.” She put the information up on the main viewing screen. “Just there.”

Karda nodded. “Tylor?” he said into his com link. “We’re coming aboard to assist you. It appears that whoever is on board came from a ship that is still docked with the Almanac. If you can, secure whatever persons you find on board now, but make sure that other ship doesn’t leave. I want to see its nav logs. Karda out.”

Karda turned to the Doctor, Rose, Crystal, and, lastly Jasra. “Well? Shall we go and join Mr. Tylor and have a look around?”

Jasra nodded, and as Karda turned to leave, she couldn’t help but grin.

”Brax?” she called to him through their link. “We’re boarding the Almanac now. Make your way there and find me on board. But keep yourself cloaked. I don’t want Karda to interfere. Please, hurry, love. I’m so anxious to see you!”

She shivered with anticipation and desire. Pheromone addiction or not, she desperately wanted to see Brax. Mentor, teacher, partner…she felt incomplete without him near her. And she could hardly wait to see him again.

Tylor was standing over the unconius bodies of the savangers when he recived the call about the Jedi and the new additions where coming aboard "Great," He replied, "I now have complete access to most of the ship. However, the lights can't be turned off, it seems someone went alot of trouble to destroy everything single one. I'm going to open a way to the bridge. Unless you want to take the difficult route like mine."

"Erm, thanks for the offer, but I think we'll skip the ventilation ducts and wait for you to open the way up to the bridge, Mr. Tylor," Karda said into his portable com as he stepped through the airlock and aboard the Almanac along with the rest of the group.. "Jedi are very patient."

"And tidy. Don't want to get our tunics dirty from crawling through manky vents," Jasra commented quietly under her breath, although it was loud enough for Karda to hear and he gave her a sharp look.

"Just let us know when it's alright to procede to the bridge," he continued to Tylor. "In the meantime, we'll try to make our way to the aft section where the salvager's ship is docked."

They had just reached the spot where the rest of Tylor's marines were when Karda sensed something through the Force. Walking over to a storage bin, he opened it up and looked inside.

"Oh, and Tylor? Keep a sharp eye out for explosive charges," Karda said into the com as he pulled out a small device with tiny red and yellow flashing lights. "Remember, the salvagers were planning to blow up the ship when they were through with it. I've found a charge already, hidden in a storage bin, so there could be more hidden around the ship."

He tossed the charge to Jasra. "Here. See if you can disarm that."

"Me?" Jasra said, staring at it in her hands. "Why me?"

"Because it will give you something to focus on," he said. "I have a sense that your concentration is waning, Padawan. Keep your mind on the mission," he told her. "I don't want any mistakes." Turning to the Doctor, he said, "Doctor, stay close. I have a feeling that we may need your expertise in searching for clues as to what happened to the crew." He waved his hand for the Doctor, Rose and Crystal to follow him, leaving Jasra behind with the marines and the explosive charge.

"Fine," Jasra cynically called after Karda. "I'll just stay here and play bomb disposal with the soldiers."

"When Tylor gets the passage open, you head for the bridge. See what you can find. We'll meet you there later," Karda added over his shoulder.

"The ships scanner thingys are only picking up two bombs, one halfway through the passage is in the medbay and the other in the crew qauters. Stupid salvagers. Those are crap locations a for placing bombs, if they go if, well it would barely make it difficult for us to move about the ship. Think they've got something else planned?" asked Tylor through the com-link

Karda frowned. "Perhaps," he replied into the com link to Tylor. "Med bay and crew quarters...," he said quietly to himself. He paused, thinking for a minute. "Tylor, I think they may have been trying to hide something, rather than destroy the ship. See if you can safely dispose of the bomb in the crew quarters. The Doctor and I will take care of the one in the med bay."

He nodded to the others, a non-verbal clue to follow him to the med bay.

The Doctor stared unsympathetically at Kira. "Fear will not help you, Exile," he said. "I suggest you bury your fear and guilt. It will only make you weak."

Kira smiled ruefully, looking into the dark liquid.
"I suppose you're right." she said, "It never happened...why act as through it did?"

The Doctor nodded. "I believe it would be best if you buried these memories. Do not allow them to interfere. They are irrelevant."
He turned to the door. "I must return to my work. There is much to be done..."
With a flick of his cape, he was around the corner and out of sight.

Jasra stared blankly at the explosive charge in her hand that Karda had given her.

“Erm…you do know how to disarm that, don’t you, little Jedi?” one of the marines asked condescendingly.

Jasra’s eyes flicked up to meet his. She grasped one of the coloured wires. “It’s the blue one, right?” she asked tentatively. The marine’s eyes grew wide and he started forward to stop her, but before he could reach her, she yanked out the wire.

“No!” said the marine, and he put his arms up in attempt to shield himself from the impending blast. But none came. As he opened his eyes, he saw Jasra grinning at him. She hadn’t pulled anything out, but had used a mind trick on him to make him think that she had. The marine scowled at her, plainly upset that he had been fooled.

She tossed the device up into the air, and then caught it again. “I think I can figure it out, soldier,” she said to the marine as she cocked an eyebrow. “But, you’d better join your commanding officer on the bridge while I do it. Just to be on the safe side,” she added. Grumbling, the marine waved his companions ahead to go and join up with Tylor.

In truth, Jasra wanted to be alone for a while so she could meet with Brax when, and if, he came aboard the Almanac.

Tylor stood infront of a consel, his eyes not leaving the screen. He was looking at map of the ship. At this point was bored stiffless. He would have rather been at the bridge of the Dreadless doing some minor upgrades from his consel. However he boardem ended when he noticed something strang on the screen. "Hey Jedi's," Said Tylor through the com "Something's going on with the scalvengers ship. I just saw this... something on the ship just activated. I'm going to check it out. I've allready opened a path for me."

Marshall then picked up his torch and blaster and moved out.

Real smooth move, Jasra, Crystal's teasing voice echoed in Jasra's head. Don't scare the soldiers too much, alright? I know why you want to be alone, but try not to overdo it.

Without a word, she continued to follow Karda toward the med bay.

Tylor, without hearing any objection, continued to the hanger. After only a minute of leaving the bridge he was confronted by a group of hostile savangers. The group was a mixture of species: 2 trandosians, 3 rodians and a jawa. "Freeze! I'm a republic Marine!" shouted Tylor as pointed his blaster and torch at the group. The jawa screemed and ran off meanwhile the rest of the group opened fire apon Tylor. Fortuanlly he was able to roll and take cover behind a create. "This is Tylor here, I'm being pin down, not sure of my exact location expect I'm being pin down. I require assistance."

((Alright guys, here's the deal. My seminars are done, but I still have two exams this week. I won't be able to post that often. I'm giving permission for Jasra to take control of the Doctor and Rose, and Kira to take control of the Doctor on the Hawk. I should be back and posting by the end of the week. I'll try to talk to you guys on MSN, but I don't have a lot of free time lately. Sorry.))

(((OOC: I'm back to the Forums! Thanks for keeping Karda, Jasra.)))

Tylor's message came through on Karda's comlink.

"This is Tylor here, I'm being pinned down, not sure of my exact location except I'm being pinned down. I require assistance!"

"Interesting." Karda murmured. "Doctor, do you think that you and Crystal can take care of the bomb in the med bay? I'm going to find Tylor and see what is going on with him. I'll need to signal some Republic marines, also." He started off, then paused. "Unless you think you could do it easier."

((OOC: Welcome back, Rob! We missed you! Glad you are able to take over Karda again. DF wouldn't be the same without him. ;) ))

Having just reached the bridge of the Almanac, which was in disarray from the efforts of the scavengers, Jasra heard Tylor’s message through the com link. “Crap,” she whispered. She wanted to stay here in case Brax showed up, but Tylor had sounded rather desperate for assistance.

“Well, I suppose I should go and help him,” she said reluctantly. She started toward the door, then paused. “Then again, Karda’s probably thinking the same thing.” She turned away and started to walk towards what looked like the main console so she could start scanning for any signs of where Brax’s ship was at the moment. “But…Karda did tell me to join up with Tylor….” She turned towards the door again. “Then again, Tylor’s a Republic soldier. He can take of himself, right?” She turned towards the console again.

As she fiddled with the remains of the console, she realised her desire to locate Brax was strong. Very strong. Too strong. She paused again, then grimaced. “Crap,” she groaned. Karda was right. She was obsessed with Brax for some other reason than a Force bond. She tapped her com link.

“I’m on the bridge, Tylor,” she spoke into the com link. “I’ll be there in two ticks.”

She was getting worried about Brax, but as she could still feel his presence through their bond, she knew he was alright for the moment. Giving one last look over her shoulder at the bridge console, she darted out the door and headed in Tylor’s direction, reasoning that the sooner that they took care of these scavengers, the sooner she could find Brax.

As she reached the hanger, her Force senses told her to duck. Blaster fire loomed over her head. Seeing a glimpse of Tylor’s shirt behind a crate to her right, she took cover behind one on the left, and then ignited her lightsaber. “You alright, Tylor?” she shouted to him over the sound of the blaster fire.

"I've been in better poistioned. I've worked out these guys are trigger happy and I'm thinking about waiting untill they've ran out of ammo. But now your here you could alwase cheat and use on of your fancy jedi powers like that electric thingy. I've worked out if I shot the water-sprinkeler above they're heads, you can fire electric bolts and that the water and you should know the rest..." Said John, releasing he had gone on abit.

Electric thingy? Jasra slowly grinned. Tylor obviously didn’t know that Force Lightning was a Dark Side power--a power that a Jedi shouldn’t know. But, as she hadn't been a true Jedi in the other time line, she knew it. And even though Karda wouldn’t like her using it, and would probably chastise her for doing so, she figured that searing the pants off these pesky scavengers was worth the risk.

“Alright,” she said to Tylor, as a mischievous grin appeared on her face. “Shoot the sprinklers.” She clenched her fingers, preparing to zap Force Lightning into the water.

((Ugh. I can't do a post getting them down to the med bay right now. I'll add it in later, but for now, assume they made it there alive.))

Down in the med bay, the Doctor was examining the computer on the chief medical officer's desk. There was a paused log entry open, dated a few days ago. He activated it, and winced as the speakers let loose a scream of static. He muted the playback, rebalanced the audiographic processors, and reset the console. The recording flashed to life part way through the recording, with the occasional spark of static.
"... just lost main power. We're running on backups. And the comm is out, so we can't even... bridge! I've ordered a-"
There was a burst of static, the screen flickering for a fraction of a second as the door to the med bay blew open behind the doctor, sending shrapnel everywhere. The doctor screamed as she was pulled away from the camera by a masked figure with overly large shoulders. The figure looked at the camera for a moment. A loud snap-hiss sound cut through the screaming, and the camera was engulfed in a deep red light before falling into static.
The Doctor stared darkly where the figure had been, the looked over his shoulder. He could see where the doctor had stood in her dying breaths - and the charred open relay network of the camera that had recorded her last moments. He activated the screen again, and sped the display to time index 223.04. He froze the frame, and squinted at the masked man's left shoulder. His right shoulder - while certainly broad - was nowhere near as large. He pulled a pair of glasses from his inner jacket pocket, placed them on his nose, and leaned in closer to the screen. There was an animal on the man's shoulder.
"Is that a cat he's got wrapped around his neck?" asked Rose, coming up behind him.
"I'm not sure..." said the Doctor, tapping the console. He zoomed in on the creature, and enhanced the still image.
"It's an Ysalmir..." he muttered after a moment.
"A what?" asked Rose.
"An Ysalmir," he repeated. "They're an animal native to a planet called... Myrakus? No... Myrkr! That's it. Lovely planet, that is."
"What's it doing here then?"
"I don't know," said the Doctor, straightening up, his eyes not leaving the monitor. "I don't see what use they could possibly..."
He trailed off, his eyes widening. "No. No, I know why they're here..."
"Why?" asked Rose, after he was silent for a moment.
"Ysalmir have the unique ability to push away the Force, creating a sort of... bubble around them, in which the Force... not so much doesn't exist, but... cannot be used. The Force cannot penetrate it."
"I still don't see what use they would be..."
"They're excellent tools... if one is seeking to capture a Jedi. Particularly if one wants them alive."

“Shoot the sprinklers.” Ordered Jasra. Tylor smiled and nodded. He leaned left to get a clear shot. He could tell the pirates hadn't seen him due to the fact they were still shooting at the create. Tylor switched the blaster to sniper mode* and aimed the blaster for the springelers above they're head. Tylor fired several shots and water began to spray from the spingelers onto the pirates and the area around them. "Now Jedi, do you magic."


*(like the attack on KOTOR which name I cannot remenber)

Jedi Magic? Jasra didn't have time to use any 'jedi magic' the firing stopped for a second as a strangled gugrling cry came from down the hall, then it started back up.But not aimed at Jasra and Tyler this time, they seemed to be shooting at each other.

Brax had attacked from stealth, his glowing claws ripping out the throat of one of the trandoshan's. That one screamed and the other four turned to start firing at Brax in the middle of them. His hands moved out deflcting bolt's, taking out a Rodian with one of the other's blaster bolts. His hands lifted and he ripped into a second Rodian, cutting into his face, then enck, and chest ... it fell to the ground, hands reachign to try and stem blood flow. But it would be dead in moments, he spun and claws raked across the eyes of the last rodian. Blinding him, he kept firing though, and Brax's foot lifted and broke his left knee cap with a deftly placed kick. Another turn and spin, his claws coming up into the stomach of the last one standing, a Trandoshan, he tore into his stomach and blood and remnants of the man's lunch spilled on the floor. Brax stood up, his claws powering down ... looking out at Tyler where he lay on the floor in sniping position. "Don't shoot me, I'm on your side." He said, stepping past Tyler and looking at Jasra. He didn't give her a chance to say something though.

He stepped into her arms and put his around her, his lips pressing against hers. His body pulling her close. I missed you

Jasra melted into Brax’s embrace. She was so very glad to see him and hungered for his touch, but in the back of her mind, she could sense Karda nearing the hanger bay. And if he saw her and Brax together he would be less than pleased. The thought bothered her so much that she slowly, and reluctantly, pulled away from Brax.

Not here, she told Brax though their connection. Karda is near. She cleared her throat, and glanced quickly at Tylor. And I’m supposed to be a Jedi.

“Nice work,” she said aloud to Brax, eyeing the carnage he had left behind him, and then she smiled slightly, somehow feeling pleased that he had killed the remaining scavengers. “Karda won’t be pleased, but….” She shrugged.

Turning to Tylor, she said, "You’d better stay her and wait for Karda, Tylor. Meanwhile, Brax and I will have a look 'round on the scav's ship."

Tightly gripping Brax’s hand, she lead him across the hanger bay to the airlock where the scavengers had docked their ship, and after a quick glance over her shoulder, she and Brax went inside.

The air in the scavenger's ship was stale, reeking of Trandoshans and Rodians, but Jasra didn’t care. As soon as they were both safely out of Tylor’s sight, Jasra wheeled on Brax and kissed him passionately. “What took you so long?” she asked breathlessly. “I was worried about you.”

"Sorry." He said, pulling her close, returning her kiss. "I ran into a little trouble, on the lower decks." Her body felt amazing against his, he had missed her a great deal. He breatehd slowly, inhaling her scent. She could feel his heart slowing in his chest, as their pressed close togethor, he closed his eyes a moment. "We have a few before Karda gets here." He said, and pulled her farther into the ship.

A short while later they were in the cockpit, looking mildly ruffled, but a faint grin drifting along thing blue lips. Brax bent over one of the stations, tapping at a few keys with his claws. "Looks like this ship was sent here specifically to find this ship, somebody by the name of Juppa sent them," he nodded faintly to this, and tapped at a few more keys. "Having trouble finding a home port though.

Still slightly flushed, Jasra gave Brax a coy grin as she slid past him to look at the ship’s log, looking for any entries made as to the fate of the crew of the Almanac or where the ship had come from. A few buttons punched and…

“Ah…Juppa is the owner of this ship, not the captain. And someone called Valclav Amek was paying him to destroy the Almanac. Stripping the ship of useful parts was obviously just a bonus.” She pushed a few more buttons. “And look here,” she said while pointing at the screen. “They were going to Myrkr once they were finished stripping the Almanac. Not a particularly notorious place for smugglers, slavers, or scavengers, but isn’t that where they have those strange creatures that use the Force?” She frowned, trying to think of the name of the animal.

"Ysalmir," he said, with a frown. "If that's where the people you are looking for are they're most likely in trouble. Only reason a force user goes to Myrkr is to get killed." He glanced over at her face, "and Karda's gonna want to go there." He glanced back at the doorway, Karda would likely be here in just a few moments. "He's gonna flip about me even being here huh?" He asked, turning back to the board. "I didn't know this would happen. You're not an Omwati, it shouldn't be possible for us to mate-bond, but we have." He turned leaning against the console, and looking at her.

"My people mate for life, we have to ... when we mate we gain a connection to that person, we form a bond that makes us unable to be apart for long. The Zedai have done research on it, using technology that the rest of our people don't have ... it's some pheromone or something like that, I never cared that much. We look forward to our bond, some just wanted to know more about it." He nodded, "And somehow the force has allowed us to bond this way, I don't think it's as strong for you. But it's there, I know that, for me ... a few months apart will kill me, a few days will make me sick. Even a few hours will make me a bit nasuesous."

He looked up, "Karda's coming, we can talk more later."