“Wha…?” Beryl gave Ryshana an incredulous look. “I wasn’t doing anything! I was just…” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you implying that I was cheating?”

At that, Oliver suddenly looked up from his datapad. “I knew it!” he said accusingly. “I knew you were cheating during our last game! No one can be that lucky all the time!” He pointed a finger at her. “You owe me 200 credits.”

Beryl’s brow raised. “I owe you? I wasn’t cheating then, and I wasn't cheating now! I never cheat!” She paused, reconsidering. “Well, I never cheat when I’m playing among friends,” she corrected. “Anyway, I just lost. Badly! I couldn’t have been cheating.”

“Bah!” Oliver snorted, then turned his attention back to his datapad. “Well, I’m not playing with you anymore. Cheater.”

Beryl let out a snort and shook her head at Oliver’s accusation, then she looked at Ryshana. She was about to ask her just what exactly she thought Beryl could be doing that was remotely the same as any Jedi tri…. Beryl abruptly closed her mouth.

Does she know? Beryl suddenly thought. She’d been watching those holovids of Jana’s—the ones from ‘Arabelle’ (the same mysterious woman that now called herself ‘Reibe’) for several weeks now. Beryl had been particularly interested in how to ‘hide’ her Force Sensitivity from the detection of others, and had watched and re-watched the vids, but now she began to doubt herself. Maybe it had something to with trying her hand at telekinesis, even though she wasn’t very good at it yet. Well, she could move a salt pot a few shaky centimetres, but…

She studied Ryshana for a moment, but the Jedi’s face remained serene as always. Beryl shifted uncomfortably, feeling nervous and a bit scared. “So… what do you think I was doing?” she asked in a low tone, so as not to be overheard by Oliver.

((if you don't mind, i'm going to "move" Oliver out of the room so that Ryshana can tell Beryl the news without him in there to liven things up. ;) ))

Ryshana could tell that what she was about to say would have more impact on Beryl than she was prepared for. So, Ryshana knew that they had to be alone. "Oliver, I think you might want to go check on those blood samples we gave to you earlier," Ryshana stated to Oliver. Looking down at his watch, Oliver was a bit confused.

"But those samples won't be ready for another hour or so. I don't see the point in-" he started to say.

"Just go check them," Ryshana stated sternly.

"Okay, fine, fine. I'll be back in a minute, though," Oliver stated with mild frustration as he set the datapad on the table and walked away.

Turning back to Beryl, Ryshana then said, "Well, it's not a matter of what I think; its a matter of what I know. Throughout the entire game, I've been studying you to see exactly why you're so 'lucky' when it comes to gambling. And now, I've seen that playing a game of chance with you actually has nothing to do with chance: it has everything to do with skill. Then again, that's all any gambling game is to me as well.

You see, when you know what the value is of the next card that's going to be drawn, the game is no longer a game of 'luck'. When I dealt those couple of games, I used a simple technique that dealt you the second card in the deck instead of the top card. Since you couldn't detect what the second card was, you hesitated, and your game suffered. However, whenever I didn't use the trick, you were able to anticipate and plan ahead on how you were going to play your side deck, if at all.

Any normal person can't play any game of chance that way. Only a Jedi plays a game of chance that way, even if they don't realize it.

And that's not the only proof I have. Earlier in the cargo bay, you elicited a rather peculiar method of repairing that Headhunter whenever you were able to reach for and grab items that you needed without looking for them even while you were busy talking to me. Not only that, I tested you further by throwing off your detection of one tool by moving it with the Force. You subsequently used the Force to pull it within your grasp.

The bottom line is this: you are a Force Sensitive. There is no other explanation for how you've been able to do such things."

Beryl's heart was racing. Fear was setting in. Fear of discovery, and fear of the 'Force' itself. For moment, Beryl just stared at Ryshana, shocked by what she had just said. Not only did Ryshana know she was Force Sensitive, but she'd been testing her all day. And Beryl found it even more disturbing that she hadn't even noticed.

Detect cards? And move tools? I can't do those things. What is she on about? I can't even move a salt pot. I've tried. Lots.

She shook her head slowly. "Ok-aay," she said slowly. "Those things you're saying I did. I didn't. I mean, detect cards? I count them, sure. Anticipate, possibly. But that's not... that's not using 'The Force.' And move tools?" At this she rolled her eyes in disbelief. "I can't even move a salt p...." She frowned quizically. "Wait a minute... blood samples? What blood samples?"

Ryshana could easily pick up the fear coming from Beryl, and she realized that there was more to Beryl's Force Sensitivity then she first realized.

She shook her head slowly. "Ok-aay," she said slowly. "Those things you're saying I did. I didn't. I mean, detect cards? I count them, sure. Anticipate, possibly. But that's not... that's not using 'The Force.' And move tools?" At this she rolled her eyes in disbelief. "I can't even move a salt p...." She frowned quizically. "Wait a minute... blood samples? What blood samples?"

"Don't change the subject, Beryl. I'll explain the blood samples later," Ryshana stated calmly. "By the way, has it ever occurred to you that lying to a Jedi that is concentrating on you is quite difficult? You're lying not only to me but to yourself. You can do those things simply because I've observed you doing them."

Ryshana then frowned for a moment in thought. Then, she came up with a quick idea. "Perhaps you just need a bit of proof so that you can see things from my perspective," she stated. Pulling the deck of cards over to her, Ryshana quickly shuffled and cut the deck.

"Tell me what the top card is, and if you have to, then just make a guess."

Beryl hesitated, but the look on Ryshana's face remained serious, and after a moment, she uttered a reluctant sigh. "All right. Fine." She looked at the deck. "Six," she said with a shrug.

Ryshana flipped it over. Six.

Okay, that was just luck, Beryl thought. I mean, six is sort of a middle-of-the-road card, right?

Ryshana nodded for her to continue with the next card. "Four," said Beryl, with little thought. Ryshana again turned it over. It was a four.

Beryl proceeded to 'guess' the next ten cards—two, eight, three, five, seven, four, two, one, ten, six. She didn't get any of them wrong. And she began to get concerned that maybe Ryshana was right about her.

"Oh, this is silly,” Beryl said dismissively. “You’re doing some sort of trick, aren’t you? Like the ones magicians do at kids’ parties and the like.”

But when she got the next ten cards right, she began to get nervous, almost to the point of panic. Maybe, Ryshana was right.

“Ok, I admit I knew I was Force Sensitive,” Beryl confessed in a low, but nervous tone. “Jedi even asked my father if they could take me when I was really young, but he refused. Three times, or so I was told. But Force Sensitive… it’s just a label, right? It doesn’t mean I’m a Force ‘user’, like Cloud. That’s different, isn’t it? I mean, sure, I know I have the ‘potential’ to use ‘The Force’, or whatever it is, but without training, without actually using it… I mean, I’m not even sure if I believe in it! The stuff I’ve seen you do—like mind tricks on guards, or opening doors with a wave of your hand, or those high-flying acrobatic jumps—that’s the Force. Not,” she waved a dismissive hand at the cards on the table, “this—predicting cards, or reaching for tools, or…” Her brow wrinkled, and she averted her gaze. “That’s just luck, or co-ordination, or skill…not the Force. It's not," she said firmly.

But Beryl was now feeling very worried. Her mind raced back to the day she and the other had encountered Lord Vader, and his words to her. “You’re not a Jedi, but yet…"

“It can't be." She shifted uncomfortably, and averted her eyes. "’Cause if it is, if what you're saying is true, that would mean that I’ve been using it for years. Without even knowing it. And with the Empire seemingly breathing down our necks all the time, that’s a dangerous position to be in." She paused a beat. "I’ve heard stories about what the Empire does when they find a Force Sensitive. Horrible stories. And even worse ones for those who are 'users.'”

Without looking up, she continued. “I’m sorry I lied to you,” she said solemnly. “So, I might as well tell you… I got these holovids from Jana,” she confessed. “Vids with Jana, as a little girl, and Reibe, only she calls herself ‘Arabelle’ in them. Reibe kind of explains Force stuff, you know, like how to mask yourself from others, read people’s feelings, telekinesis....” At this she snorted. “Which I’m total crap at, by the way. I can’t even move a salt pot more than a couple of wobbly centimetres. I’ve tried.” Her expression suddenly grew dark. “I only watched those vids to see if I could mask myself from other…people. The telekinesis stuff just looked like something fun to try, you know? Obviously, I’m not very good job at either of them.”

She looked up and met Ryshana’s eyes. “The things you say I do…. I don’t know ‘how’ I do them. I just…do them. I can’t control it. I can’t stop it.” She shook her head. “Ryshana, what I am I supposed to do?”

"Perhaps now you understand why the Jedi were so insistent on taking you in to train you. They do it for the protection of everyone. Just think about it: you have a reign on a power that is unmatched in all the Galaxy, but you don't have hardly a thought on how to use it. Yet, you still use that power even whenever you're not thinking about it.

For any living creature, your sensitivity to the Force is a great gift. Even the most simple creatures can use the Force if they are among the Chosen of the Force. Those creatures have a tendency to survive in the harshest of conditions and dominate any competition from other members of their species. They can do so because they can use the Force to their benefit.

As for being Force Sensitive, such as yourself, that is a different matter. A Force Sensitive has the capability to use the Force in a great capacity that is unmatched among the Chosen. Before the Purge, every Jedi could be classified as a Chosen of the Force. However, only a select few were truly Force Sensitive. Those that were often found themselves serving on the Jedi Council during the latter stages of their lives as a Jedi.

Being a Force Sensitive actually makes you fairly easy to detect. Using the Force comes naturally to a Force Sensitive, and they often use it without realizing it. The most common signs are enhanced reflexes, coordination, precognition, dexterity, and even some degree of psychokinesis.

And there lies the great danger to those untrained Force Sensitives, such as yourself, that have such a bond with the Force: you use it whenever you can't control it. Just think about it: you get angry at something, and you sincerely want something horrible to happen to whatever the object or person is. Someone like you would be surprised to suddenly see that horrible thing take place because you so intensely saw what was going to happen in your mind that it happened for real.

So, you have to come to the conclusion that perhaps the Jedi were right in the first place. Don't get me wrong: I understand the decision your father made. Its difficult for any Jedi to try to get a parent to surrender their child because they supposedly have some great power, and I can only imagine how equally difficult it can be for a parent to accept that decision.

Either way, however, you need to be trained on how to use the Force, and you also need to learn how to keep things under control. With no control, you will act out on your emotions and fall to the Dark Side."

Ryshana paused for a moment as she looked across the table at Beryl. Breathing in deep, Ryshana thought a bit to herself. Although she was training Cloud, it wasn't much more than offering guidance, and thus, she didn't really classify it as a Master and Padawan type of training. To do so was an enormous undertaking, but with Beryl having such little training on how to use or even control the Force, she was going to need such a bond.

"Learn the ways of the Force, Beryl. Let me show you how to use the Force to benefit yourself and others so that you won't fully realize the danger that your untrained power holds."

Beryl was silent for a long moment. She was afraid. Afraid of Vader. Afraid of what she might become of her. Afraid of the power of the Force. Afraid of what her family would think.

For whatever his reasons, her father had been adamantly against everything and anything that had to do with Jedi. Kept saying that they were meddling, controlling, and not to be trusted. Wasn’t even that surprised when the Emperor had declared that the Jedi had been conspiring to overthrow the Republic. In fact, by all accounts, he had actively believed it, even though Beryl and the majority of her brothers hadn’t. And now, here was a Jedi in front of her, offering to train her in their ways. Rade Quita’an was dead now, but he would have blown a thermo coupling if he could see his daughter now.

She bit her lip. Ryshana had made some good points. What if she did unintentionally cause an accident for someone, just because she was angry with them? And she was obviously putting everyone else in danger if she was ‘easily detectable.’ The Empire was still looking for Jedi like Ryshana. Beryl didn’t want to be the one to allow her to get caught.

It was a big decision, but Beryl slowly nodded. “Alright. Show me how.” She suddenly felt lighter for her decision and let out a relieved sigh. Then she raised an eyebrow. “Wait…,” A slow grin appeared on her face. “I don’t have to call you ‘Master’ or anything like that, do I?”

Ryshana laughed a bit both at Beryl's question and a bit out of relief that things went well. "Considering that the Jedi Order is in ruins, I think that decision lies with yourself more than me," Ryshana responded with a smile.

"But if we come across any remaining Jedi, I'm going to refer to you as my Padawan Learner whether you like it or not. But, that's about the only occasion where that would happen. Otherwise, I think a first name basis should be just fine."

((starmark2k, Wildjedi, and Steven: i would like to start moving on with the story, so if you folks could get your characters back to the Echo... ;) ))

((OOC: I was thinking the same thing, Stingerhs... :) ))

"Good," Beryl said to Ryshana. "So, when do we start?" She checked her chrono, then frowned as she realised it was later than she thought it was. "Say, the others have been gone a long time," she said with mild irritation. "Sure hope they get back soon, and that Nic's not in a hurry to leave or anything. I still want to go into the city for a bit. That swoop is calling my name."

"What swoop?" Cloud said, coming into the common room. He was wiping his hands with a cloth, an indication that the engine repairs he had been doing were finished.

"That part I gave you work alright?" Beryl asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah." He gave Beryl and Ryshana a strange look, then shook it off. "So, what swoop?" he asked again.

"Oh, just one I've had my eye on for a while," Beryl replied nonchalantly. "It's on special offer."

Cloud chuckled. "Oh, that one. Jana won't let you off ship if she knows you're heading off to buy that, special offer or not."

"Well, you don't have to tell her," Beryl countered.

Cloud snorted. "I won't have to. She'll just take one look at you and know you're up to something."

Beryl looked surprised. "Am I that easy to read?"

Cloud exchanged a look with Ryshana. "Yes," he said flatly.

"Well, she could at least let us the four of us off to go and get a quick drink," Beryl said. "No harm in that."

"Drink?" Oliver's voice echoed down from the med bay. "When?"

((starmark2k, Wildjedi, and Steven: i would like to start moving on with the story, so if you folks could get your characters back to the Echo... ;) ))

((Consider it done))

The rented speeder landed just out side the echo. Nic and steven took out the supply crate that was full of the food and drink he had bought on his way to the Drop off. Jana carries a bag that had the part cloud needed, they had stopped off at a parts store. Nic choose that one due to the sign outside which said 'Good quality parts and CHEAP!'. After entering they had discovered the shop had good quality and cheap parts as they had all been stolen from a freighter about a week ago and the owner wanted to get rid of them quick.

They left the speeder outside the ship where the Rental company said they would pick up and walked into the Echo. Nic sealed up the Airlock behind him and began to walk up to the common room.
"So anything interesting happen while we were gone?" Nic asked

"Interesting?" Beryl looked askance at Ryshana. "Erm... no. Not particularly. Did some repairs, watched some holonet programs, ate lunch, played a game of cards." She shrugged. "You know, the usual."

She paused for a beat, carefully eyeing up the crates of supplies the guys had and the bag Jana held. "So, I see you did some shopping. Does that mean that you got... I mean, we got paid?"

"Yeah, we got paid." Nic said as he took out a small pouch from inside his pocket and threw it on to the table. "Ry divy it up between you guys i've already given Jack and Jana their cuts."

Beryl grinned. "So, Nic..., now that you're back, that means that the rest of us can go into the city now, right? You know," she added quickly, as not to seem too eager, "for a bit of R&R?"

"You'd think that." Nic said opening a crate and pulling out a bottle Nudian Wine, He flick off the cork and just drank strait from the bottle. "But as it's the imperial capital and storm troopers are all over the place... Ok let's just cut the arguement out... You can leave but you can't buy that swoop bike!"

Beryl's mouth dropped open in utter amazement. "How did... who tol... " She took a breath. "Droyk, Nic! I didn't even mention the word swoop! What, is it like writen on my forehead or something?"

Cloud snickered, and Beryl shot him an evil look. "Don't you even say it!" she said to him. "Not. One. Word."

Cloud held his hands up in surrender, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

She turned back to Nic. "Ple-eeze," she begged. "It's a limited-edition, Mobquet-Zephyr custom hybrid, with bi-directional thrust nozzles, duel chamber turbo thrusters, and dallorian-alloy engine covers over a Mobquet G3-I repulsorlift engine in Supernova Red. And I promise, no, I swear I won't race it. Ever. I'll just keep it in the cargo bay and rub it down with a polishing cloth til I can see my reflection. Please? Please?"

"So it's got bi-directional thrust nozzles, duel chamber turbo thrusters, and dallorian-alloy engine covers over a Mobquet G3-I repulsorlift engine." He repeated. "That means it's loud and will make mess all over my cargo bay... And i really don't want Jana to moan at me every time she goes down there."

"Translation for what Beryle just said, for those not swoop techniqual(sp) of us.It's damn fast and if she's buys it she'll shut up. Personally I see no warm in letting the kid have the toy."

Beryl sidled up to Jack, being that he was taking her side. "What Jack said," she said to Nic. "Oh, please, Nic. It's on sale! And it's not just a bike...it's an investment!"

"Investment?" Jana laughed harshly. "Beryl..." She shook her head. Then, she turned to Nic. "Nic, remember when we wouldn't let her have a bike during that run to Alderaan?" Without letting him answer, she went on, "Something tells me that she'll not give up. If not this bike, then it'll be a more expensive one later."

Turning to Beryl, she said, "If you have the money, I'm not going to stop you." Just as Beryl looked ready to cheer, Jana held up her hand, "But! You're going to give me the keys. If you do decide to use the bike for more than a cargo bay decoration, I'm going to know it. And I'm going to watch it. And I'm going to add a failsafe on your bike. If you get too reckless, I'll know it and I'll trigger it... shutting your bike down faster than you can say, 'Droyk!' Do you understand me?"

Beryl looked at Nic, then at Jana, then grinned. "Yes, Mom." Then she mouthed a silent, "Ye-esss!", accompanied with a retracting fist of victory. "Ryshana, you're coming with me, right? Shopping?" Beryl nodded enthusiastically.

Jana placed her hands on her hips and frowned sternly. "Don't you 'yes, mom' me!" she reprimanded. Then, she looked down at her posture and groaned. "Oh, what the skrang? I am mom!" She shook her head and reached into her pocket, retrieving her datapad and looking over it.

Beryl frowned at Jana's datapad. "Aw, what now? Please don't tell me you've started a demerit system around here. I've got enough problems with your galley rota, Jana."

"It's a letter from home," Jana retorted hotly. "My parents moved, sad to say..."

"You checked mail?" Beryl asked, interested. "Where?"

"Corellian Pride Cantina," Jana answered with a grin. "CMG hotspot. They're crazy over having pureblood Corellians in there... even to the point of free drinks."

"Free drinks?" said Oliver, coming around the corner. "Where?"

"Only if Beryl lets you go with her," Jana answered. "It's a 'CMG member and friends only' cantina."

"Oh." Oliver gave Beryl a smug look. "So I'd have to go with the cheater."

Beryl held up a warning finger. "You want a free drink or not?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "And I didn't cheat," she added adamantly.

"Fine. You didn't cheat. I'm sorry." He paused. "But I'm still not playing with you anymore."

"CMG, huh?" said Beryl. "I'm there. Need to check my messages, too. And some other stuff."

Jana raised an eyebrow. "Beryl," she said reproachfully. "A person is typically accused of cheating during a gambling session..."

"Oh, great. Here come the demerits..." Beryl said under her breath. "Jana, I'm sorry. It wasn't my fault. I was weak. We played a game of cards. But I didn't cheat. I lost. Cheaters normally win, don't they?"

"Whenever you gamble, you'll eventually loose," Jana answered solemnly. "Even when you cheat."

Beryl closed her eyes in frustration. "I don't cheat..." she said quietly. "At least not on purpose."

A flicker of understanding passed through Jana's eyes and she did not accuse further. "Go check your mail," she said quietly.

"Thanks, Jana." Beryl looked over at Cloud. "You coming?"

Cloud shrugged. "I suppose I could do with free drink. Besides," he patted Oliver on the shoulder. "Someone's got to keep him out of trouble. Right, Impe?"

"Trouble?" said Impe. "I won't be any trouble. I was planning on picking up another Nilar field cauterizer for our next voyage. Mine's getting worn out." He looked at Jana. "By the way, where are we headed for our next job?"

"Yeah," said Beryl, looking at Nic, then Jana. "And what's our cargo?" She was wondering how much room it would take up, so as to know where to park her swoop when she brought it back.

"Well when we get some i'll let you know." Nic replied. "Our only contact left on coruscant is currently serving time at his Emperors pleasure."

With the credits on the table, Ryshana quickly counted out the total and split the stack into 4 equal stacks for herself, Beryl, Cloud, and Impe.

"Ryshana, you're coming with me, right? Shopping?" Beryl nodded enthusiastically."Coming with you? Yes. Shopping? Well, maybe no. I might need some things, but I can't say for sure," Ryshana replied.

"And I think I could go for checking some mail. I have some old contacts back on Corellia that I didn't get a chance to talk to when we were there last. They might have something for me if I check under a certain name," Ryshana stated. Getting up from the table, Ryshana gathered the dirty plates and utensils, and then she went and stuck them in the small washing machine.

"I'll be right back," Ryshana stated to Beryl as she went to her room. In her stuff, Ryshana assembled the leg brace that held her lightsaber. She also grabbed her lone blaster and holstered it to her side. Inside the holster belt, Ryshana hid some of her credits and attached a small datapad to one side. Heading back out into the common area, Ryshana then said, "Well, I'm ready when you are, Beryl."

"Well when we get some i'll let you know," Nic replied. "Our only contact left on coruscant is currently serving time at his Emperors pleasure."

"Ooh, ouch," Beryl cringed. "So, no contact, no cargo, no job. Great." Although, she wasn't that upset by the fact that they were not having bulky cargo in the bay where she was planning to store her bike. "Well," Beryl sighed wistfully, "I suppose we'll just have to keep an eye out for one when we're out and about, if the opportunity presents itself. Something lucrative, yet... compact."

Heading back out into the common area, Ryshana then said, "Well, I'm ready when you are, Beryl."

Beryl grinned. "Right then," she said to Nic, Jana, and Jack. "We'll see you guys later." She turned to Ryshana, Cloud, and Impe. "C'mon. Better check mail first. We'll share a taxi to the Corellian Pride Cantina."

"Alright." said Cloud. He went outside and called for a taxi speeder. "Just hang on for a minute while the rest of my friends get out here." Cloud told the driver. "Just don't make it all day." responded the driver.

Beryl grabbed her holster, one of her blasters, some loose credits, a couple of credit chips, and the special chip that she used to access her trust fund.

"Don't leave without me!" she called out to Cloud as hurried down the corridor. As she slid excitedly down the ladder to the cargo floor, she could hear Oliver and Ryshana coming down the corridor behind her.

"C'mon you guys!" Beryl called to them. "Taxi's waiting!"

"What's the rush?" Oliver asked her, taking the long way around the catwalk to the stairs.

Beryl looked at her chrono. "I don't want to be rushed at the bike shop," she said. "I want to take my time."

Oliver paused on the steps. "And I like to take my time drinking my free drinks."

"Fine. While you're drinking, I'll go shopping," Beryl said. "Now, c'mon!"

She dashed outside, leaving Oliver and Ryshana behind.

Oliver shook his head and looked askance at Ryshana. "She is 34, not 14, isn't she?"

Outside, Beryl was about to hop into the cab, when she noticed Jana's rented speeder getting taken away by a rental company employee. "Crap. We could have taken that back for them, if I had known it was there," she said to Cloud. Then an idea hit her. "Say, Cloud... you're pretty good with swoops, aren't you?"

"I am a fair swoop driver." responded Cloud. He remembered the time he had to take one to fight Sephiroth. Then he asked, "Why?"

"Well... I was thinking.... maybe we can test drive one on the way back? You know, drop off the others at the ship, then you and me can go back, drop off the bike, and come back here on mine. Of course," Beryl added, "we'd have to go pretty fast on the way back. Wouldn't want to keep Nic waiting, would we?" At that, she winked mischeviously.

Beryl was silently challenging Cloud to a race. A race that Jana, or anyone else on the crew, wouldn't be able to witness. After all, she still wanted to test out her bike, and knew she wouldn't be able to once it was parked in the Echo's cargo bay. She hoped Cloud would go for the idea.

Cloud knew that wink. The wink Beryl gave him was they key to make Cloud do anything. He could try to resist, but he knew in the end, he would do whatever she asked. "Oh... alright." said Cloud. "Besides, you might find out how good your bike really is." He then turned toward the Echo and yelled "What's takin' ya? I haven't been held up this long since I fell into a gundark nest on Naboo!"

As Beryl waited in the taxi with Cloud for Ryshana and Oliver, her fingers tapping restlessly, and impatiently, on her lap. Suddenly, it occurred to her that she was so excited at the prospect of getting her swoop bike, that she had nearly forgotten about her recent confession to Ryshana, and Ryshana's offer to take her as her student. And, quite obvious to her now, that should have been more important.

Ryshana's words echoed in her head. "...you also need to learn how to keep things under control. With no control, you will act out on your emotions and fall to the Dark Side." Beryl sighed. She was definitely acting out on her emotions at the moment. And definitely lacking control. But she had wanted that swoop ever since it came out--before, even, a she recalled seeing the prototype designs in a technical journal.

She looked back at the Echo, wondering if Ryshana would be upset with her for her behaviour, and maybe even take back her offer to train her. She bit the inside of her lip and took a deep breath. "Oh, please," she said, not meaning to say the words out loud.

"It's true," Cloud said, rousing her from her thoughts.

"Huh? What's true?"

"The nest of Gundarks."

"Oh. Right," Beryl nodded. "Bet you had a hell of a time getting out of that mess."

Ryshana had remembered that she needed something from her room and left as Cloud and Beryl headed outside. Reaching into her repair pouch, she grabbed an old lens of some kind and pocketed it.

Heading back outside, Ryshana could feel Beryl's excitement eminating from her even before she reached the taxi. Getting in, Ryshana then said, "Getting a little excited, aren't we?"

Without waiting for Beryl to reply, Ryshana then said, "Just remember that a swoop bike, no matter what kind it is, is never going to last forever. As with anything in existance, it can all be gone in an instant. Material goods aren't necessarily bad; they just need perspective."

With a nod to the driver from Ryshana, the taxi was off to the Corellian Pride Cantina.

On their way to the Corellian Pride, Beryl silently watched the sun set on the city-scaped horizon of Coruscant. Oliver was telling the driver a joke, something about a man, a bartender and a Wookiee, but Beryl’s thoughts were elsewhere. She was keyed up about purchasing the swoop, but some of the things Ryshana had said to her earlier had quelled her excitement a bit. Not enough for her not to buy the bike, of course, but enough to have a second, if fleeting, thought about it.

…Learn how to use the Force to benefit yourself and others…. Material goods aren't necessarily bad; they just need perspective…. With no control, you will act out on your emotions….”

Selfishness. Materialism. Recklessness. All of these things had one thing in common. A lack of self-discipline.

Beryl had recalled asking when Ryshana would start her training, but it was suddenly obvious to her that it had already started--without Beryl even realising it. She’s good, Beryl thought admiringly about the Jedi. Sneaky, but good.

The taxi swung around one of the larger buildings, and Beryl saw the Jedi Temple come into view on the horizon. Or, rather, what was left of the Temple. The burned out building still stood, but instead of its elegant towers being the brilliant beacons they once were, they were now just stark reminders of the dark times they were living in. For a moment, Beryl wondered if there were any other Jedi, aside from Ryshana, still out there somewhere, and as taxi descended to their destination, and the Temple faded out of view, Beryl exhaled a tiny sigh.

“…how did you make him cry?” Oliver was saying. “And the man smiled at the bartender, and said, ‘I showed him!’”

The taxi driver chuckled out loud at the punchline of Oliver's joke. “I’ll have to remember that one!” he said jovially, as he slowed the speeder to a stop. “Well, here you are. The Corellian Pride.”

They paid the driver and the four of them went inside. Beryl being 100% Corellian, according to their bio-scanner at the entrance, plus the fact that she had an active membership in the Corellian Merchant’s Guild, did indeed get them free drinks, and Oliver took immediate advantage of the offer and headed to the bar.

“I’m going to check my mail,” Beryl said to Cloud and Ryshana. “And, withdraw some credits from my trust fund,” she added. She headed towards the CMG download point.

"Hey, I'm right behind you," Ryshana said as she followed Beryl over to the terminal.

Seeing how there were two terminals, Ryshana picked one and plugged in her database. Checking under the name of "Ionue'Reassan", Ryshana then pressed her hand on the terminal to confirm the code. In an instant, the datapad downloaded 23 messages.

Going through them, they were all from three contacts that she had on Corellia. They detailed a number of things that Ryshana was interested in, but they were also protected by four individual codes, each providing over 500 layers of encryption which made them next to impossible to decipher without the four keywords even with hundreds of the best droids working on it.

Wanting to take care of the deciphering later, Ryshana just put up the datapad and looked over at Beryl. "So, are you up for double teaming on a couple rounds of cards?" Ryshana asked with a smile as she nodded towards the tables.

While Ryshana downloaded her messages, Beryl did the same, but under her real name. After all, if anyone was on the Imperial’s hit list for any of the things that had transpired in the last few months on board the Echo, it was ‘Garajaminder Falsootaavichykar’, not Beryl Quita’an. As far as the Imperial’s Security Forces were concerned, Beryl was pretty much a normal, law-abiding citizen.

Her messages downloaded, she switched modes on her datapad and called up the access information for her trust fund account, then inserted her special credit chip into the terminal. She decided that it might be best to take out a little more than the eight thousand the swoop bike was advertised for, just in case there were any ‘hidden’ expenses or optional items associated with the purchase. Plus, she still owed Ryshana a few credits from their card game on the Echo. She rounded up the figure to an even ten thousand.

Her mind a bit preoccupied now with the imminent purchase of her dream bike, she had just put away her credit chip when Ryshana asked, “So, are you up for double teaming on a couple rounds of cards?"

Truth be told, the question caught Beryl by surprise. She didn’t answer right away, but merely followed Ryshana’s gaze to look at the card tables, then back at Ryshana. “Yeah, sure. I guess I’m up for a couple of rounds. Erm… are we playing for fun or profit?”

((OOC @ Stingerhs--I’ll let you take over Beryl for whatever you might have planned for their next card game.))

Since Beryl, Ryshana, Cloud and Oliver had left the Ship nic had taken the bottle of nubien wine to his room. He had been spending his time less than productivly by listening to the Holo-net channels news, More accurately the official channels. The official news channels were nothing more than transmitted properganda for the Empire. His favourite story was how an imperial vessel managed to stop dangerous chemicals reach a rim world, Although a quick skip to a pirate channel told the story of an imperial vessel blockading the same planet and destroying a medical supply vessel.

Nic had finished the bottle, fortunetly Nubien wine had a low percentage of alcohol, you could drink 4 bottles and not be affected by it. Nic got up and walked through the corridor to the common room where Jana was. "Hey Jana."

Jana was seated at the holo-net in the common room and 'shushed' Nic as he entered.

"Win or Die is on," she hissed. "Sit down and shut up."

She turned again to watch the holodrama.


((I now provide a link to a description of 'Win or Die', so you can accurately portray Nic's response :p http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Win_or_Die) ))

Nic walked over to the Holo-net and pushed the off button. "We get enough imperial propaganda on the news, The stuff rots your brain." Nic said walking over to the counter grabbing a drink two glasses and then sitting down. "O.k Jay so what was the real deal with the blood stripe, it ain't like you to shoot someone in cold blood."

Nic poured them both a glass full of corellian ale.

"Hey!" Jana protested as Nic shut the holo-net off. As he poured the ale she continued grumbling a little, but then he asked the question and she fell thoughtfully silent.

"Corellian Bloodstripes are the highest honor our military bestows," she said quietly. "They are only awarded to the very deserving... the people who can see that doing the right thing is going to hurt, whether the hurt be physical or emotional. Despite that, they do the right thing anyway, some of them dying in the process, but a few surviving to wear their bloodstripes, proving their honor and courage."

She sighed. "That piece of petchuck didn't earn them; he bought them. I haven't the slightest idea why he thought that was acceptable... from youth, every Corellian is educated in what the bloodstripes mean and how dishonorable it is to wear them without earning them."

Frowning, she went on. "Nic, my father earned first-class bloodstripes. He still favors his left leg from the injuries he received. On top of that, only CorSec personnel really know what he did to earn them. All that matters to me is that he did earn them. For a situation like this, Corellians have a saying. 'I have earned my stripes for Corellia.' The men who earn their stripes in classified situations are taught to say this, for they cannot reveal their true actions."

Growing more and more frustrated by Gavin Tercer's blunt disrespect, Jana's voice began to raise slowly and tears began to flow. "My father has said those words many times. His name appears on the list of those who've earned first-class bloodstripes. And to have a man who did not earn them wearing second-class stripes is a disgrace! A dishonor to any who have earned them! Nic, you may look on his action as a simple mistake. But know this; in the eyes of all Corellians, his 'simple mistake', if left unmended, would force dishonor on both him and any who did nothing... and on those who actually earned the stripes."

Closing her eyes and forcing herself to breathe slower, she finished. "In refusing to act, I would have brought dishonor, not only to Corellians in general, but to myself... and worse, to my father."

Looking over at Nic and wiping a few tears from her eyes, she whispered, "I will not be responsible for dishonor."

Taking a deep breath, she added, "I've heard the Imperials say that two Corellians together is a threat; three is a conspiracy. But any Corellian knows that three of us together are a victory." She smiled slightly. "Nic, even the Empire is afraid of Corellia. For that reason, even they will not interfere... not even attempt to charge any Corellian who kills another for wearing unearned bloodstripes."

Ryshana looked wryly over at Beryl. "Do you honestly think that I ever "gamble" for fun??" Pausing for a second, Ryshana then said, "The satisfaction of knowing that you cleaned house is usually one of the best feelings in the world. Besides, anytime I "gamble", its for profit."

Beryl grinned at the reply. It was nice to know that Ryshana wasn't exactly what she was expected in terms of a Jedi.

"So, what kind of profit are you talking about? The kind that nets you lots of money?" Beryl asked.

"Well, sort of. The key thing about money that you have to understand is that its a means to an end. When you need money for something, then you go and earn it. The means must always justify the ends, and having money for the sake of having money or pointless items does nothing more than to so the seeds for something to go wrong in the future," Ryshana replied.

A bit worried about the "pointless items" part, Beryl then asked, "What kind of things are "pointless", then?"

Pausing for a second, Ryshana then answered, "Well, Jedi teachings hold that pointless items are anything that you can hold dear enough that it could lead to a downfall in the future. However, its been my experience that "pointless items" usually fall under the category of anything that holds no purpose. Its a rather broad category, but it doesn't take much to figure out what a pointless item is."

Still somewhat concerned, Beryl asked, "Soo, what about, say, a swoop bike?"

Ryshana smiled and said, "Well, it depends on the purpose of the swoop bike. If you plan to race it for something or if you use it for transportation, then no, the swoop bike does have a purpose, and thus, it isn't pointless."

"Anyways, lets get over to those tables and play some cards. I'm looking to ring up about 4000 credits. And, for the record, you don't owe me anything for the games back in the Echo."

((hey guys, i'll finish the post up in the morning. for now, i'm sleepy. ;) ))

Nic finished his drink and stood up without saying a word and began to walk over to the cockpit, he then just stopped. "Jana the time of honour died years ago, Corellians are in the imperial navy. When you take a life like that, not in defenc, it stays with you... changes you. The murdered always haunt murders." Niccalmly spoke without turning around and continuing down to the cockpit

Jana watched Nic go and then settled back in her chair. As she flicked on the holo-net once more, she muttered to herself, "Honor never dies." With that, she slouched even further and watched the end of 'Win or Die'.

The sound of Nic's footsteps alerted Jack to his pressence. Jack was enjoying a small break at that moment, he had his eyes shut, he was leaning backwards and had his feet up on the control consel.

Jack sat up straight, rubbed his eyes and waited for Nic to get here. "Afternoon Capt'n, what can I do for you?" Jack asked Nic when he reached Jack.

"Anyways," Ryshana said, "lets get over to those tables and play some cards. I'm looking to ring up about 4000 credits. And, for the record, you don't owe me anything for the games back in the Echo."

Beryl raised an eyebrow at the unexpected reprieve. "Thanks." No one else would have done that. Especially Nic. In fact, she wondered if Nic ever did find out that she had 'cheated' during their last game, albeit not purposefully, if he would demand her winnings back.

At any rate, Ryshana was certainly not a typical Jedi, or at least, not what Beryl thought a typical Jedi would've been like. Then again, things had changed since the Emperor had dissolved the Jedi Order, and Beryl hadn't really met a Jedi before Ryshana. All she knew of them before then was from stories and holonet reports--that they were austere and secretive, had been used by the Republic to facilitate diplomatic crises, fought with lightsabers instead of blasters, manifested almost magical powers through 'The Force,' and followed a strict code of conduct. She didn't know the specifics of their code, but she'd heard that Jedi were forbidden to have intimate relationships and were encouraged to lead a simple life. Now, she was beginning to wonder if any of what she had heard was true.

Trailing behind Ryshana towards the gaming tables, she glanced over her shoulder at Cloud and Oliver at the bar, letting them know with a nod that Ryshana and she were going to play cards for a bit. But a nice looking man sitting next to Cloud mistook her gesture for himself, and he smiled at her.

Beryl took a second look at him. He was handsome--dark hair, dark eyes, chisled features and well-built.

"Mmmm..." He's fine... She smiled back at him.

Had she not been with Ryshana and the others, she would have liked to have gone over and talked to him. She turned her attention again to Ryshana, and let out a barely audible sigh as she followed her to the tables.

Yup. Sure hope that 'initmate relationship' thing isn't true, Beryl thought wistfully. And if it is, sure hope Ryshana isn't expecting me to comply with it.

Nic sat in the co-pilots chair and opened up a navigational chart. "Nothin." He replied to Jack. "I'm just checking where we should head to next."

Nic was quite sure that he wouldn't be able to get any work on coruscant, so he had to remember what contacts he had and where they wre located, the problem was all his contacts were often dead, incarcerated or had gone strait out of fear of imperial reprisal.

((for the sake of time and me just simply wanting to move the story along, i'm going to speed things along a bit at the Cantina. ;) ))

With Ryshana and Beryl in place and secretly working together, they were quickly able to drum up some credits. In Ryshana's usual fashion she allowed herself to lose games at random intervals in order to maintain the illusion that she wasn't really cheating. As the time passed, Ryshana and Beryl had amassed almost 5000 in winnings, and their table had become a fairly popular spot as spectators watched the action and wondered when Ryshana and Beryl's streak of luck would run out.

But that just wasn't going to be the case. Finally satisfied with her earnings, Ryshana stood up from the table after winning her last hand. Signaling the dealer that she was done, the dealer took her chips and exchanged them for a charge credit chip worth 5205 credits. Following Ryshana's signal to stay put, Beryl didn't get up and stop playing for a couple of games before walking away with an extra 945 credits.

Stopping at the bar, Ryshana ordered a Corellian Ale and waited for Beryl.
______________

The man sat in his chair and sighed to himself. Sure, it would be a big haul, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now with the Imperials watching his every move. Well, at least they were watching his every move once he left Coruscant's atmosphere.

And regardless of how good the money would pay, his cargo needed to go through. After contacting several old friends, he was starting to get frustrated as they had all turned him down for the same reason that he couldn't deliver the cargo in the first place. The Alliance was depending on him for these parts, but at the moment, there was little he could do about it.

A woman then walked into the cockpit where he was sitting. "Any luck, yet?" she asked him.

"Not even a peep. These Imperials have all of us on a short leash, and they're not letting us forget it," he replied.

"Well, if you can't find anyone you like, how about someone that you don't like. I just came from the Corellian Pride Cantina, and you'll never guess who I spotted."

"Someone I don't like, eh? You're not talking about that blasted ol' son of a gundark, Nicolous? If that's the case, then that's beyond being out of the question: I don't deal with Trandoshans."

"Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that Trandoshans aren't allowed at that Cantina. It was Nic White," she responded with a bit of frustration.

"Nic?!? That piece of a no-good for anythin' son of a Bantha! You expect me to encharge him with our cargo??" he asked angrily. "The man doesn't have a lick of good sense in him, and the same can be said for his loyalties."

"But it might be our only shot. Besides, Jana Vincent is still working with him; she was with him at the Cantina," the woman replied.

"Bah, if she's been working with him for this long, then she's probably been corrupted as badly as he is. I'm telling you: the man ain't worth his two bits."

"Well, if this cargo means anything to you, then at least try to convince Nic to do it: at least he doesn't have the Imperials breathing down his neck."
_____________

On board the Echo, the communicator panel lit up and began to signal that a communication was inbound.

((and some extra info for ya, starmark: Nic will recognize the man from the comm as "Invai", or you can pick out a suitable nickname if you choose. the thing is that Invai and Nic were running two seperate missions but got caught by the same Imperial Ship at almost the same time.

during the brief incarceration, Nic and Invai got to know each other in the prison block and planned an escape. the escape almost worked except that Invai's ship was tractored back on board in the process. Nic didn't have anything he could do for Invai, so he very reluctantly left him there.

and thus the bad feelings Invai has for Nic. Nic, on the other hand, should initially react quite well to Invai. anyways, the rest is up to you. ;) ))

Jack was the first to notice the communication. "Erm Captain," Jack said refering to him to the message "You want me to see what this guy wants or do you wanna talk to him,or her, personally?"

Cloud looked at the man eyeing Beryl. He looked nice enough, but Cloud felt like breaking a glass over his head. "Strange..." thought Cloud. "I haven't felt like doing that since I was with Aerith..." Cloud didn't know what was going on. Was he falling in... love? With Beryl? "What do you want?" asked the bartender. "Uhh.... Corellian Ale. Best you got." The bartender left and Cloud still looked frustrated with himself.