For a moment, Arai could do nothing more than stare at him in amazement. Wrong with him? What could possibly be wrong with him? But her mind refused to cycle through a catalog of possible illnesses he might have contracted that would give him these symptoms. The anger with which he'd replied to her put her on the defensive. Now, she had to defend her argument.

"How can you say that?" she asked sharply. "Pauel even said that the only form the stuff isn't toxic in is a gas, which by the way, I can't quite wrap my head around." Her eyes narrowed as she snatched his hand up and stabbed a finger into the tattoo. "And this is not a gas."

((Is it just me, or has this RP crossed over into "epic" territory for the DTC?)) :)

"Mica!" Perdante practically dashed toward the Republic officer. "Thank the Force! I was this close to hurling myself into the central pit, and all because of Force projections caused by that--woman!" She gnashed her teeth again. "I know she was only trying to throw me off of her trail and get herself and her hot little boy-toy off this wreck of a so-called planet, but did her projections have to go in there?!" She pointed at the yawning dark maw. "I was almost killed, and I would have been if I hadn't come to my senses in a fraction of a second!" She snorted disgustedly. "Back to Geeda's. I swear, if Sal and Zen don't have Pauel in their custody, I might seriously rough someone up."

((I might have to agree :xp: Anyway, JP with Writer))

He snatched his hand back from her, standing up and glaring hard at her. "The only form of reinforcement that isn't poisonous!" His hands turned into fists as he marched out of the cockpit. "This is a weapon!"

Arai glared daggers at him. "What part of "all forms" isn't getting through to you, Travesty?" That was trouble. In their past, she had only ever called him by his last name alone once, and she had been so angry at the time that her Master had sprinted from several blocks away to intervene. "I swear, your head's gotten thicker in our years apart."

The sound of his name alone was enough to raise his hackles. "I don't see why I should be any different." he growled, whipping around to face her again. "You certainly haven't improved at all."

This time, there was no Master to intervene and Arai was far closer to the Dark Side than she'd ever been back then. Sparks flew across her fingertips as she growled, "I guess you're in for a real shock then..."

He squared off against her then, only a yard and a half of empty space between them. There wasn't much to be offered in the cramped confines of the cockpit.

"Don't you dare."

"Call it a test," Arai challenged. "If you stop me with your... weapon and are none the worse for wear, then we can entertain the unlikely chance that your illness has nothing to do with it."

And with that, she thrust her fist toward his chest, lightning crackling over its surface.

He caught her fist squarely in his right palm, the tattoo glowing faintly as it devoured the Force energy flowing between her fingers. His fingers closed tightly around her fist and twisted sharply to the right. Waiting a moment to allow the first wave of pain to cease, he shoved her backwards.

"Don't do this, Raia." he said, sliding backwards into a fighting stance and raising his fists. He hadn't actually expected her to attack him...

"What's wrong, Dom?" she asked, rekindling the sparks on her fist. "Beginning to question your initial certainty that it's not the ostanovium causing your little episodes?"

Seeing her like this cleared his anger and replaced it with worry; this was the Dark Side working in her, and he had promised to help relieve her of that plague. All he had done now was encourage it.

"I'm beginning to question the wisdom of this discussion. C'mon, Raia, this isn't you."

She laughed sharply. "If this is the only way to open your eyes, then this is me." Both fists lit up with sparks and she pushed both hands outward toward him.

The one downfall of his tattoo was that it was only in one hand.

He was forced to sidestep her second fist, pressing himself up against the wall and sucking his stomach in to avoid the sparks. But by sidestepping the blow, it meant she overstepped and her weight was unbalanced. That made it really easy for him to lock his arm around her other elbow and throw her against the wall.

Grabbing both of her wrists, he pinned her with arms stretched wide to the durasteel, getting right in her face. "God damn it, Blondie," he hissed, using his body as an extra assurance against her escape by pressing his chest close to hers. "Snap out of it! It's me!"

Gasping, Arai blinked rapidly several times. The cold, cruel light that had dominated her gaze during this entire exchange drained completely away, leaving only astonishment and fear.

"Force, Tink," she murmured. "What have I done?"

Proven herself right.

Now that he was certain she wasn't going to try to kill him anymore, Dominic released her and slowly stepped back. Without the adrenaline of the fight, whatever was poisoning him had free reign; he collapsed once more into the co-pilot's seat, his chest getting tight all over again. As he rolled up his sleeve, he could feel his throat beginning to close up - and suddenly, everything was happening much faster than it ever had before.

Without Dom's support, Arai sank to her knees, tears coming to her eyes. "What a pair," she murmured. "I can't keep a lid on my temper, and you're killing yourself being that lid."

She crawled over to him and took another kolto injection out of his pouch, pressing it to his neck. "Let's...not do that again..."

He lifted his hand to take hold of her wrist, and when his chest began to loosen again, he knocked the empty cylinder from her hand with his thumb and pressed her palm to his neck. "Agreed." he said, his voice still scratchy. "God, Raia, I'm sorry."

She let him guide her hand to his neck and clasped her other hand over his shoulder. "Me too, Dom," she said softly. "Me too."

- - - - - - - - - -

Mica removed one hand from his pocket as she spoke, silently beckoning her closer with a few movements of his fingers. When she was close enough, he put his hand gently on her shoulder and steered her back the way they came.

"She's an outlaw. There isn't much more that you can expect from someone like that." he said quietly, shaking his head. "But, at any rate, I have to say that that was fairly impressive. I just wish that you could have acted with such speed in the very beginning! If you had, they wouldn't have escaped!"

The Jedi Knight gazed seriously at Mica. "Lesson learned. She who hesitates is lost. Although, the main thing I'm wondering now is, why would both of those people that we just met be on Pauel's side?" She had a sudden thought. "As far as I know, the man, Dominic, is still a member of the Found and wants to protect Pauel, but what about the Force-projecting schutta? Did Dom recruit her into their weird, murderous, and Force-inhibiting cult, or what? If not, why would she even want Pauel alive? Is she just along for the ride? Force only knows."

"My initial thought was the same as yours." he said, shrugging. "The most logical thought would be that she was a recruit; he picked her up somewhere and brought her to Pauel to have her initiated - or whatever the hell it is those terrorists do." Lifting his hand off her shoulder, he reaching into his bag again to pull out a pack of deathsticks.

"But after seeing her snap like that, I have to wonder. She was quite happily flaunting her lightsaber and Force powers; would someone like that be so willing to give them up in exchange for acceptance in a cult? Admittedly, religion is a very...persuasive mechanism. Even so, the Jedi and Sith have always been the most powerful. What would make them falter now?"

"Maybe the woman doesn't like what she's becoming, or at least what she's becoming when she loses her cool. I was once a Sith Initiate," replied Perdante, "and so I know well what the lure of the Dark Side is and means. I also know how scary it can be when--and if--you are first turning to it. Maybe SHE is scared, and that's why she's seeking out Pauel, Dominic, and the Found."

Zen made no attempt to stop Dominic as he began to move towards him. Dominic had helped Perdante and himself escape back on Coruscant. The honorable thing to do would be for Zen to help Dominic and Arai escape. He allowed the two to run past him and was ready to stand in Mica's path if need be.

Zen found himself smiling as Dominic and Arai took off. He watched his former comrade for only a few seconds before he heard Mica's voice. Zen stared down at the human as he informed him that he would be telling the captain of his actions. He did not care what the human did, but he would not take further action to help Dominic. Then Mica told him his honor would be on the line if he screwed up again. Zen took a step forward and glared at the human.

"Save your threats for someone who fears them, human".

With that Perdante and Mica took off after Dominic and Arai.

Best of luck my brother Zen thought as he headed back to the cantina.

Zen entered back into the Cantina and through the door to where Pauel was. He was not as calm as he was when he first was here.

"My patience is thin Pauel. You will come with us...make any attempt to resist and you shall find yourself without any legs."

Sal was just finishing putting the cuffs on Pauel when Zen arrived. He didn't look up until the second one had snapped into place, securing both wrists behind his back.

"I've checked him for weapons, and now that you're here, I'm sure we won't have any trouble with him running." He stood up. "We'll just have to worry about trouble from outside. What the hell happened out there??"

- - - - - - - - - - -

"You weren't really a Sith, were you?" Mica asked, a look of innocent surprise on his face. One would never guess that he had heard all of this before, so simply did the lie flow from his lips. Why give away his oblivious informant in Salvatore just yet? There was no telling how close he would get to the Jedi woman...and the closer he got, the closer that Mica became as well. "I never would have guessed...I know that it's a part of your life that you're probably not proud of, but if I may, what made you do it? Turn to the Dark Side, I mean." If she was so freely sharing other parts of her past...

Pauel's face blanched as white as a sheet. "I'll come with you," he said, "but do not expect any mercy from the Prophet when we reach him! Master Khristoff will destroy both of you, as he does anyone who opposes the Truth and the Light. I am not the only Apostle he has at his disposal; the rest are stationed on the only Pure World in this entire galaxy! I have been sent here to preach, and preach I shall when both of you are dead and the Found has found victory!"

------------------

Perdante shrugged. "Why did I turn to the Dark Side? Pure and unadulterated necessity. I was plucked out of the stinking slums of Coruscant by a Sith soldier who saw I had strong potential in the Force, even as a seven-year-old child. I had no other choice except to run, which I didn't because I was so scared. The Sith made me strong--or so I thought, until I met my present trainer, Juhani. She showed me the great flaw in my logic: that such strength is not infallible."

Zen looked over at Sal and thought about whether he should actually tell him or not. Seeing that Mica would tell the captain he would probably be more than likely to tell his own brother.

"What is that phrase you human's use?...Your captain is going to give me hell. I let Dominic and his friend escape. Not only is he my former comrade, but he helped me escape with Perdante back on Coruscant. It would be dishonorable if I did not do the same for him."

Zen now turned to Pauel and actually laughed at his words. If he wanted to he could squish Pauel's head within seconds.

"Much like your prophet you shall find no mercy from me either. When I'm done with you I shall have you on the floor begging for death," he said viciously to Pauel. Zen looked back to Sal. "Are we to wait for your brother or meet him and Perdante back on the ship?"

Walking over the still-twitching droid on the floor, Garren entered the control room, and as soon as Carth and Atton followed, he magnetically sealed the door and as an additional measure, electrified it. He then checked the camera feeds from the main chamber. "Perfect. Those projectors will come in handy." He commented. Finally figuring out his plan, he pulled the data disc out of the control terminal, and replaced it with a tape containing all of the evidence he had gathered, along with the HoloNet footage of the report on the contaminated water. Then, to add one final touch, he spoke into the microphone, in an outright damning tone, "If she really cared about the people of Coruscant, or the people of the Galaxy, she wouldn't have allowed this, no, she wouldn't have done this." And with that, Plina Skelch's career, along with at the very least, her life as a free woman, were over.

((Speaking of "over", I really wanted this "Endgame" thing to be a trilogy, and technically, "Checkmate" should be the third installment, not the second. Thus, I'm starting completely over on the story of Perdante et al, and the aftermath of Endgame. Sayonara, and thanks for playing with me this time!))

Good gracious, WHY? Just a few posts ago, you were calling this EPIC, and quite frankly, I agreed with you. You're going to give up all this awesomeness we've got going because you accidentally put Part III second?

((TM Tysyacha here. I'll restart this under 4 conditions:

1. Please, no one mention Plina Skelch EVER AGAIN. Her plotline is effectively over, and she was one of my more stupid RP caricatures. She was just my chance to take potshots at Sarah Palin, so no more about her. Creating her was my mistake. Agreed?

2. Please, someone haul Pauel aboard the Millennial, pronto, and beat the ever-loving crud out of him so he confesses what he knows about Khristoff. Agreed?

3. I'm going to ask a mod to change the title of this thread to "Counterplay", the 2nd part of the trilogy since I intended it to be the 2nd part. Agreed?

4. Please, bring back Visas and Juhani. I miss my trainer, and Mica's corrupting me! :P

If you agree, please PM me and I will restart it. Otherwise, it's "checkmated"!))

((I'll volunteer Mica to beat the ever-living snot out of Pauel!))

Agreed! (BTW, could you please change the title of this thread to SW: Counterplay?)

If our former player of Visas and Juhani has vanished, I'd be more than happy to take them on. Me taking Juhani especially would make it easier for us all when Perdy decides to ask Juhani about Arai ;)

((As far as I know, the former player of Visas ONLY has vanished, so you may take them on. I also appoint you co-threadmaster so it can continue to be epic instead of not!))

((Both of them? If I read you right, Juhani's player hasn't gone MIA? ))

Chevron says he's still RP'ing, he just hasn't posted in a while. EDIT: Someone needs to respond to Chevron's character, Juhani. Preferably Visas, if you'll take her over, Writer.))

((Done and Done.))

Cargo Hold, Millennial

"Thank you, Niera," Visas said softly. Then, her head turned slightly, sensing Juhani's approach. As Juhani knocked, Visas was already moving toward the door. She keyed the door open and then took a step back.

"Juhani," she said, nodding her head slightly. "Have we heard back from your apprentice? Or the rest of the strike team?"

Zen picked up Pauel and draped him over his shoulder. Zen wanted to hit the speaker with every fiber in his being but something held him back. Pauel had come without a fight showing he was a coward. If he were to torture Pauel it would bring him not honor but shame. He knew he had to focus on killing the Prophet of Truth, for it is he who caused all that happened on Coruscant. It is because of him that Adeline and so many others had to die that day.

"I shall place this scum in the brig where he belongs," Zen said to Sal as he left the cantina once more.

Zen wasted no time getting back to the Millennial. He was certain that he would have to deal with the captain once they left, but that wasn't his main concern. What mattered now was finding where the prophet was. Zen dropped Pauel in one of the cells and turned on the field to keep Paul in. Zen glared at Pauel one last time before leaving him to his fate.

"Have we heard back from your apprentice? Or the rest of the strike team?"

Juhani shook her head. "To the best of my knowledge, no. But I have faith that my apprentice will be able to acomplish her mission. She is both strong and capable."

"But my apprentice and the strike team are not the reasons I have come to see you. I came to you because I wish to speak to you about Revan and the Exile. Lately I have been having distrurbing dreams."

ABOARD THE MILLENNIAL, IN THE BRIG

Pauel's skull was positively reeling, as well as his mind. Here he was, the Apostle of Truth, second only to the Prophet Khristoff himself, stuck in the cold, smelly brig of a Republic warship! His cell only contained three things: a rusty sink, an even rustier toilet, and a cot with only the barest of mattresses and blankets. How old was this vessel, anyway? He thought he could barely discern the word MILLENNIAL upon each of the three items in question, but with his vision still blurry from having his head smashed into the table at Geeda's Cantina, he wasn't quite sure. One thing of which he was sure, however, was that they all would pay, every single one of them: his captors, the two thieves who had stolen his own frigate, the Standard, and everyone in the galaxy if they didn't manage to "shape up and ship out". Once Khristoff came down from his Celestial Tower upon the Pure World, the final reckoning would take place! Pauel smiled and licked his lips. He couldn't wait.

NAR SHADDAA, IN THE DIRECTION OF GEEDA'S CANTINA

"By the way, Mica," continued Perdante humbly, "if it turns out that we won this battle and captured Pauel, what are we going to do with him aboard the Millennial?"

Mica put his hand confidentially on Perdante's shoulder. "You just leave that to me." he said.

When the two returned to the cantina, they found Sal waiting for them with the report that Zen had taken Pauel back upon the secondary transport sent to them as a secure transfer squad. From there, the three returned to their own transport and lifted off to return to the orbiting Republic frigate. Upon arrival, Captain Fara Starr was waiting for them.

"Welcome back, gentlemen." she said, nodding to the twins who exited the craft first. She turned then to Perdante, who trailed behind them. "And to you, Jedi. Zen has already returned with the target, and for that you have my thanks and congratulations. I have debriefed him, and it sounds as though you had some secondary trouble on the trip." Her eyes lingered now on Mica and Perdante. "I understand that there were other fugitives present when you found Pauel?"

"Indeed there were, Captain Starr," replied the Jedi Knight. "One male and one female. It might be just a coincidence that the male was present at the Jedi assault on the Gathering Place of the Found, but I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in the Force, and also that this particular fugitive is our enemy. He wanted to find Pauel for some reason, and possibly help him. He's a cult member; that's for certain. As for the female, I don't exactly know who she is. Maybe she's a recruit into the cult, but don't quote me on that. It's just a guess. She definitely knows how to use the Force," added Perdante, relaying her grim tale.

"That woman almost tried to kill me. Her Force projections jumped into the central pit of Nar Shaddaa, and I was almost blind and stupid enough to follow them--straight to my death!" She gritted her teeth. "These two are dangerous, and they're even more so because they're on the side of Pauel and the Found. If anything, they'd try to help Khristoff if they found him, rather than defeat him."

"And we should certaintly hope that they are." Mica said, offering a datapad to the Captain. She took it with a raised eyebrow, so the officer continued his report. "I managed to land a tracker on their hull before they took off. If they find Khristoff, we will as well."

Fara smiled and nodded. "Good." She said, looking at the data displayed for just a moment before passing it over tohis brother. "Sal, I want you to keep track of their route and put us in pursuit. Be discreet about it, though; if they know we're following them, they'll try to detour."

The navigations officer nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." He said, and left.

"Now, I'm sure the two of you are hungry--" Fara began to say, but Mica cut her off.

"With all due respect, Captain." He said, "Perdante and I would rather speak with Pauel first."

She eyed him suspiciously, but nodded slowly. "Very well then. Report for official debriefing at sixteen-hundred."

"Of course, Captain." He saluted, and as she walked off, her turned to Perdante and smirked. "Let's see how good your communication skills are."

Zen waited until the captain walked away to make a move. He had been cloaked in the shadows waiting for a chance to speak with Perdante. They way she acted back in the alley had confused Zen. Had she forgotten what Dominic had done for her? Even her words a few seconds ago confused him. She was a great warrior with a long path ahead of her and he would do his best to guide her.

Zen decloaked and stepped out of the shadows to make it look like he was just walking down a hallway. He didn’t want to get into another confrontation with Mica so he had to choose his words carefully. He stared at Perdante and in doing so thought of an idea. Though he did not like to lie it would be the only chance of speaking to her alone.

“My apologies Mica, but Juhani sent me to retrieve Perdante. She is in meditation and wishes for Perdante to join her.” He looked over at Perdante and nodded his head. "Pauel is in the first cell on the left, I'm sure you'll be able to handle him on your own." Zen added in.

Perdante turned to Zen after they had both started walking toward Juhani's quarters. "Thank you for retrieving me," she said with a smile. "I haven't been in any meditation sessions with Juhani for so long, and--" She paused abruptly. "Wait a minute. I just lost my chance to confront Pauel. Did you do that on purpose?" Her eyebrow furrowed. "I really wanted to find out what he knew about Khristoff, even if Mica...had to use more forceful measures than I."

Zen couldn't help but smirk as he walked with Perdante. She had once again showed him why he had chosen to fight along side of her. She was not only a noble fighter but brilliant as well. He looked over at Perdante and stopped walking.

"You have caught me Jedi Knight Perdante. Juhani did not even request to see you, I simply wanted a moment to speak with you."

Zen took a deep breath before continuing. He understood her desire to want to find the Prophet of Truth. She had no idea just how much he wanted that as well.

"Do you remember what you told me back on Coruscant? How everyone deserves a second chance? Your words inspired me to create the Reclaimers; a group for those who have been rejected or exiled but still wish to do the right thing."

He said what he meant about her words inspiring him. In fact he had been so blind by what had happened to his fellow Sangheili that he would have continued down the wrong path had it not been for her. He wanted to do the same thing for Perdante.

"You speak about Dominic and Arai as if they are scum. That because Dominic works for the Prophet of Truth he is a bad person. Did you forget it was he who allowed me to get you safely to the jedi back on Coruscant? Without him you and I would have been shot before we would have left the chamber. That is why I allowed him to escape back in the alley; to honor what he had done for me."

Zen hoped that the information would stick with Perdante. He knew where she was coming from. He used to hate the Jedi when he was with the Found. He learned that there were noble warriors out there like Juhani and Perdante. People who made him rethink how he saw the Jedi.

"You are a great warrior Perdante and I would be honored to follow you into any battle. I just want to make sure you follow the right path in your journey."

She did not reply for a good long while--not because she had no idea of what to say, but because Perdante wanted to let Zen's words sink in deeply. What he had just said was not only rational, but compassionate and wise. Why had she failed to show such compassion, failed to remember Dominic as her savior instead of her mortal enemy? Sadly, she nodded and looked at her mentor.

"I--I don't know what's come over me as of late. Maybe I'm just tired, or feeling all the stress of the evening's activities starting to overwhelm me. You're right about Dominic being there during the assault on the Gathering Place. Why didn't I remember him? It was awfully dark, and I was just so angry..." She scowled. "Maybe that's the problem. I let my anger get the better of me, just as I let my passion get the better of me when I was trying to conduct that sparring match with Salvatore not too long ago. I'm not the Jedi I should be, and I know it. Yet you keep having such faith in me, and I...appreciate it. More than you know." She laid her hand on his arm.

Cargo Hold, Millennial

There were a few things that passed quickly through Visas' mind when Juhani mentioned "disturbing dreams". Either way, she was certain this was not a conversation to continue here in the cargo hold.

"Dreams," she said. She caught Juhani's elbow gently and gestured out from the cargo hold. As they walked away, she asked softly, "Dreams? Or visions?"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Some Random Planet

The Apostle Pauel had failed to do any kind of planning for his departure from Nar Shadda. As a result, his ship had all but run out of fuel, forcing Dominic and Arai to make a fuel stop on an essentially unknown planet en route. As Arai flew the ship down into the planet's atmosphere, she stared curiously at the massive metal station under construction in orbit. Then, she turned her attention to the spaceport.

Once they were landed, she turned to Dom. "Why don't you make sure I didn't ruin the mechanics of this baby too badly in our insanely mad dash away from Nar Shaddaa? I'll go see about refueling."

Dominic nodded as he stood up from the seat beside her, stretching his arms and neck out before heading for the corridor. "Let me know what the cost comes out to be." he said. "If there aren't any replacement parts needed, I'll split it with you."

Arai nodded. "Deal." She rose and followed him down the corridor. About ten steps later, the corridor branched off and the two friends parted ways. In seconds, Arai was at the boarding ramp. She keyed it open and moved out into the open air. Less than a second later, she was practically assaulted by the dock attendant.

"Heyyyyyyy!" he shouted, far too enthusiastic for Arai's tastes. "Welcome to the tail end of nowhere!"

Arai was not impressed. "Is that what your planet is called?"

He laughed uproariously, as though it was the funniest thing he'd heard in his entire life. Belatedly, Arai feared it may have been.

"I take it you're here for the mining," he said once he'd finally managed to cool off. It took him a while and Arai felt almost bad she had to correct him.

"No, we're just here to refuel," she said.

"Mmmm," he mumbled. It was the first time she'd seen him something less than overjoyed. But his perky attitude soon returned. "No problem! We'll get you all wired up an' ready to go! Five thousand credits, please."

"Have I gone deaf?" Arai asked, blinking. "Five thousand?"

"We sell fuel at a flat rate based on ship size," he answered cheerily. "For your ship, it's five hundred credits. Then there's the docking fee of-"

"Docking fee?" Arai interrupted. "We're only here as long as it takes you to fill up our tanks. Unless your fuel pumps are impossibly slow, we won't need a docking permit."

"This is a dock," the man retorted. "You're in it. Docking fee, forty-five hundred credits."

"We're only here for fuel," Arai protested.

The man chuckled. "Should'a gone through the orbital fuel stop, then."

Exasperated, Arai demanded, "Where in orbit?"

He grinned in reply. "Oh, that's right. It's unfinished, but that's hardly our problem down here, now is it?"

"It's not mine either," Arai answered sharply. "I will not pay for a docking permit I'll be using not more than ten minutes."

The man's grin widened. "Look, if it's a matter of credits, there are alternative methods of payment. Jewelery, weapons, artifacts... ship parts you can afford to lose."

Arai wrinkled her nose. "It's not-"

"Or perhaps... something a little more personal?" he interrupted, wiggling his eyebrows. "Gets pretty lonely out here, and the miners aren't much to look at, let alone..."

"That's quite enough!" Arai cut in hurriedly. "No personal favors, no trinkets, no credits! I will not pay for something I'm not using."

"Come on, beautiful." There went his wiggling eyebrows again. "Just 'cuz it's the tail end of nowhere, it don't mean I ain't got a place-"

"Which you share with your mother," Arai countered sharply.

The man grinned. "Ain't nothin' wrong with Mama. She can't hear too well anymore anyway. Not since the bomb went off in her ear. She won't interrupt."

Arai's eyes narrowed. "I. Said. No."

The firmer tone didn't get through the moron's thick head. "You'll say yes. I ain't never heard a no that-"

Wordlessly, Arai raised her right hand and formed a loose grip in midair. The effect was chilling; the dock attendant's voice abruptly gave out, his eyes bugged, and he clawed at his neck as though trying to get at an invisible grip. Indeed, that's exactly what he was doing.

"You've heard it now," Arai said coldly. "When I say "no", I mean it and I do not waver from it. Fool! Added pressure only made your consequence that much worse."

Dom was in the midst of stripping a wire end to replace one that had been fried in the sudden surge of power to the engine when something... made him stop. It wasn't a sound or something that he saw, just a feeling... a feeling he hadn't know for a very long time. And it scared him.

He dropped his tools immediately and rolled himself out from under the open panel, scrambling to his feet. His heart was in his throat; all he could think of was that something had happened to Arai. A Republic soldier, a bounty hunter, God forbid, one of the Sith remnants...

But no. Upon reaching the ship's open loading dock, he found that Arai wasn't the victim of the dark energy - but the source of it.

"Raia, no!"

Arai's eyes never left the choking dock attendant. "Stay out of this, Dom," she said sharply. "He went too far."

"You're the one going too far!" he answered, grabbing at her shoulder and whipping her around. "Let. Him. Go."

If nothing else, the force of Dom's action distracted Arai just enough that she released the dock attendant. Her eyes still full of anger, she turned her attention to Dom, lashing her right hand out at his cheek. Then she raised her hand, as if intending to do to Dom what she had done to the dock attendant.

He hadn't been ready for it - not that there was a way for him to dodge it when she was so close anyway. The blow caught him hard across the face, and he blinked rapidly, stunned momentarily by the blow.

It wasn't until she began to raise her hand and he felt the dark energy gathering again that he recovered his motor functions. He could feel something tightening around his throat, and he threw his right arm up to press palm-to-palm with hers. The tattoo in his hand burned as the pressure at his neck relaxed. "Damn it, Blondie!" He cried, grabbing her wrist with his other hand. "Don't do this to me again!"

He used the nickname only Dom could get away with. That combined with the ostanovium tattoo canceling her attack was enough to jolt Arai out of the darkness. She took a step back, rage quickly replaced with horror. She felt weak and she bent almost double, bracing her hands against her knees. Her eyes flooded with tears she could not stop.

"Are you still here?" she asked softly. "Hasn't our time back together proved to you the Jedi were right? I'm beyond saving, Tink. Why do you stay?"

He sighed and, with one hand on her upper arm and one hand on her jaw, he lifted her back to a standing position... so that he could kiss her, quite roughly.

"No one," he told her sharply, lowly, "Is beyond saving."

Arai took a step back in astonishment, blinking several times, opening and shutting her mouth at least three times. Then, without a word, she grabbed his neck and kissed him back. Pulling apart from that, she said softly, "Now that we've got that straightened out..."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Once they had gotten that straightened out, Arai went back to the ship, leaving Dom to sort out their fuel. Due to Arai's episode, the dock attendant had fled the scene. Free fuel, Arai thought ruefully. But at what cost? How many times had she tried to kill Dom now? The fact that the attempts were beginning to blur scared her. How many more times could she get away with this before she hurt him seriously?

They were in hyperspace now and Arai had withdrawn to the room. Before her was a small cloth bag. In her mind's eye, she was back at Geeda's, watching Pauel reach into the same bag and pull out an ostanovium inhaler. Slowly, her hands shaking, she put one hand in the bag. The cool metal of the remaining inhalers almost made her shiver, but she forced herself to pick one up nonetheless.

Did she dare use it? Her questions had not been answered even remotely to her satisfaction, but she could not risk losing herself again. She raised the inhaler to eye level and stared at it, her hand wavering.

"Seventy-two hours," she said softly. That's how long Pauel had said it would last. And then what? The effect would simply go away? If only! Members of the Found were dying and Arai had no way of knowing if, by taking this inhaler, she was following in their footsteps. She had to know more...

Of course, they were headed to Khristoff... whoever he turned out to be.

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, Arai swiftly brought the inhaler to her lips and pressed the button before she could change her mind. The gas was expelled into her mouth and she breathed in deeply, allowing the gas to enter her lungs. The sensation was dizzying at first, but that sensation quickly subsided.

Pauel was right. She had drastically overacted the effect of loosing Force-sensitivity. The feeling was much like he'd described, the gradual emptying feeling. She waited for even that feeling to subside and suddenly she was afraid. Without her connection to the Force, she felt so very small, stuck within her own skin. Unsettled, she crawled up onto the bed and curled up in a corner, hoping this feeling too would pass.

The interrogation room that Pauel was brought into was slightly larger than his cell; at about eight feet by six, it allowed room for a single steel table and two matching steel chairs. The window that usually served for observation was blinded, offering little escape from the four bare durasteel walls that faced him. When Pauel was roughly thrown into a chair with his cuffs still clapped tight about his wrists, the two guards escorting him left...and as they did, Mica arrived.

The communications officer waited just outside the open door for the other two to leave, and when they did, he stepped in and began to pull off the leather gloves he wore finger-by-finger. He kicked the door closed and approached the Prophet at a slow swagger, tossing his gloves down on the table between them.

"So." he said, looking down at the man. "You're the great Apostle of the Found, are you?" Mica smirked contemptuously as he began to unbutton the sleeves of his uniform shirt. "I'm not impressed."

ABOARD THE MILLENNIAL, INTERROGATION ROOM

Pauel glanced up at Mica, sadly and pityingly, as if he were the one with the strength, skill, and advantage at the moment. "Of course not," he replied. "You are blinded by arrogance, and such people are never impressed by the humble." He blinked, and discovered that the insides of his eyelids were itchy and watery. "I have known many like you in the course of the years of my wretched life. In fact, I was even one of them, before I gained the knowledge of the Truth."

He wished he could ask Mica for a glass of water, but he dared not. Instead, he smacked his parched lips and continued in that same, soft, level voice:

"I was violent and bold, ruthless and reckless like you. Once, I was mere mercenary scum, a blaster and vibroblade for hire by any slave trader or Hutt crime lord. I beat whomever needed to be beaten, bribed whomever needed bribing, and killed whomever needed to be killed. I obeyed my orders without question, just like you. In my former line of work, it didn't do to pry into the schemes and plans of others. If one did, one usually wound up dead."

The Apostle smiled. "However, one day I heard Khristoff preaching on Tatooine, in much the same manner as I came to preach on Nar Shaddaa. Instead of going on my way to amputate the legs of a degenerate gambler who owed my boss money, I stopped to hear him, enchanted by his voice and words. Khristoff said there was a higher way, a greater Truth than that of this world. Humility was what he preached, and sacrifice, and complete dedication. Selfishness was the bane of all mortal existence. I listened, and I believed."

He leaned forward. "You are about to turn a corner, young soldier. Either you will beat me to a bloody pulp in search of information on my Master, or else you will hear what I say at long last. It's your choice. What shall it be?"

Mica looked at him silently for a moment longer, his expression unchanged and unchanging, before he suddenly hauled out and punched him hard across the face. The blow knocked the defenseless man backwards at such an angle that the chair tipped and crashed to the ground, spilling him onto the cold, unforgiving steel floor.

Turning around, Mica pulled the chair on his side away and slid the table down the room to jam it against the inward-sweeping door. His chair was next to join it, and then the soldier set himself to removing his uniform shirt, leaving him in just the white wife-beater undershirt he wore beneath.

"You think I act in thoughtless obedience to my superiors?" he asked, his back turned to the man in cuffs on the floor as he tossed his shirt on the table with his gloves. Turning around, he yanked the chair roughly from under the Apostle's sprawled form and threw it, skidding, to join its companion. With all obstacles out of the way, he advanced on the man. "You think that all I do is done out of pure loyalty?" he began to laugh as he kicked Pauel in the face. "You're just as gullible as all the others on this ship."

ABOARD THE MILLENNIAL, INTERROGATION ROOM

Pauel spit a bit of blood out of his mouth, along with one of his teeth. "Gullible?" he asked, shrinking into a protective ball. "What, do you think that all of us are weak and stupid? What kind of trap have we fallen for, and what kind of lie have we believed? It seems to me that you are the gullible one, for you think your strength and brutality alone can conquer me. It cannot, and it will not."

Zen smiled down at Perdante as if she were one of his own. It was good to see she still accepted his guidance. Though he still felt it was odd how she reacted in that alley. Perhaps it had something to do with Mica working for Captain Starr and her wanting to be in her good favor again. Perhaps it had to do with Mica himself. Zen did not see Mica as a warrior for he showed no respect for others, not even those that fight with him.

He placed a hand on Perdante's shoulder and wiped the smile from his face.

"I am glad to hear you say this Perdante. I feel that you should avoid contact with Mica. He seems very aggressive and shows no respect for others."

With his concern about Mica out of the way he could try to help Perdante with controlling her emotions. He knew the Jedi were big on keeping them under control and not allowing them to show up in combat. He also knew the Perdante was once Sith and has not received the full training and apprentice would go though. He did view her as Sangheili...maybe he could teach her to fight like one too.

"Though I do think I have a solution to your problem. In our culture we too learn to not let emotions to control us, however we do learn to use them to our advantage. I think I can teach you to balance your emotions but also to use them in your strikes. You said you wished to get better in a certain form? I believe this would be the perfect time to try my idea out, if you are interested that is."

Her eyes lit up. "You mean the Juyo form? Excellent! I've been wanting to practice some more, seeing as how I was all but useless in the fight against Pauel. Once Dominic and his companion showed up, I was off chasing shadows while the real action was taking place. Let's head for the Training Room."

((Um, how did Garren know where the Millennial was? Also, could Niera just wait outside the door of the interrogation room for a minute, until Mica finishes clobbering Pauel? Please?))

((...I'm just trying to figure out how a civilian even got access to the interrogation rooms...))

Mica bent down and grabbed Pauel by the scruff of the neck, dragging him up to eye level. "We'll see how resiliant you are when all of your teeth are knocked out of your head and you're drinking your own blood."

Grabbing him by his back now, the Republic soldier bent Pauel over and fired his knee hard into the space between the two cages of his ribs, giving hhis diaphragm a rather uncomfortable stretch. Dropping him to the floor again, he kicked the Apostle's stomach repeatedly before again kicking him in the head. He put his foot on the man's face. "So what to you say now, dear Apostle?" He spat the title out like it was a bad taste in his mouth.

(forget it, I just deleted that ill-conceived post)

ABOARD THE MILLENNIAL, INTERROGATION ROOM

This time Pauel's eyes were dull, bordering on lusterless. Lifeless. Mica had almost gone too far, and that almost was what kept the Apostle of Truth in the land of the living. He looked up and said, "What do you want from me?" He wanted to launch into another mini-sermon, and give his interrogator a taste of what waited for him in this life and the next, but he no longer had the strength. "And who are you? You are no mere Republic officer; of that I'm fully certain."

"You're quite astute." Mica smirked, stretching his hand out towards the broken man. Four invisible walls closed and wrapped around the Apostle, crushing him in a vice-like grip. Moving his hand, he lifted Pauel and put him up against the wall, quite literally putting him between a rock and a hard place. "But then again, I've been a bit more blatant with you than with most.

He stepped closer to Pauel, and though he dropped his hand, the man stayed suspended in midair. He put his face in his. "The mistake that you and your Found made was not realizing that, by messing with Force Users, you weren't just messing with the weak and leniant Jedi. My master and I are a lot less tolerant of your teachings.

"Now, you are going to tell me where I can find Khristoff."

Pauel gritted his teeth. He felt like he was imploding, suspended in a vacuum. Of course, in a sense he was imploding, and that was why he sucked in his breath. His heart and lungs were shrivelling, collapsing. Mica was too strong.

"Sith!" gasped the Apostle, with blood spewing out from between his quivering lips and swollen gums. "I shall be glad...to tell you...where my Master is. You won't survive landing on the planet, let alone...infiltrate...his stronghold!"

He managed to gaze into Mica's eyes, balefully, and snarl, "Cocyta..."

Expelling one last bitter laugh, the Apostle Pauel gave up his spirit and perished.

Mica frowned a bit, displeased with the results. He had been told the planet...but not the exact location - and he hadn't intended for Pauel to die. It only went to show the weakness of these Found characters; they didn't deserve to live any more than the Republic scum that he served.

He let the limp body fall to the ground then, and knelt beside him to take his pulse. Yes, that was it; he was dead. Placing his hand then on the body's torso, he closed his eyes and took care to reconstruct the broken innards: the collapsed lungs, the fractured ribs, the ruptured liver. Everything went back into its place except for one thing.

In his investigation of the body, Mica found something rather unexpected: a fairly small fracture - but a fracture nonetheless - in the late Apostle's skull...a fracture right between the eyes, as if he had been slammed forward into something rather hard. His thoughts immediately flashed to his brother. This seemed like the sort of thing done to stun an unwilling captive...but Sal wasn't nearly brutal enough to go to such extremes. The only one who had been with Pauel up until this was...

Zen.

The Sangheili. The alien was still on his bad side, especially after he lured Perdante away. But no matter. He would simply have to try harder in the future - and besides, it was more fun without her here.

With delicate tendrils, the communications officer used the Force to enhance the fracture; the skull began to split with a few quiet but sickening cracks, leaving a spiderweb of broken bone right that began to release a slow seep of blood and brain fluid. He then turned his attentions to the other side of Pauel's brain, where he placed a slight pressure on the pituitary gland. Slight as it was, it was enough to damage it; and with that damage, his framing was complete. The body was still warm, which meant that all he'd done would still appear to be completed before Pauel's heart stopped beating. To the untrained eye, at least. If they were to put the body under extensive investigation...

But the Millenial wasn't really equipped with a morgue of such skill. It wasn't too often that a dead body turned up on the ship, what with the crew being in tip-top condition and their being in peacetime. So he had little to fear.

Standing up, Mica quickly went to the table, pulled his shirt and gloves back on to hide the blood stains on his hands and wrist, and dragged the table and chair back out of the way. He threw the doors open and went running to the guards.

"Get in contact with the medical wing! I need a crash cart up here stat!" he shouted, and one of them, blinking in surprise, went dashing away. The other ran with him back into the interrogation room, and he swore when he saw the preacher's eyes glazed over in death.

"What the hell happened in here?" he asked, turning immediately to Mica.

"Hell if I know!" he snapped back, looking insulted that he would even suspect he had done something out of line. "I had him cornered and ready to crack, and then he just...collapsed!"

"Dreams? Or visions?"

Juhani turned to look at her and then stared straight ahead. "I believe that they may be visions. And they are always the same. I see a man that I believe to be Revan and a woman fighting. They are overpowered and then taken away."

Juhani took a deep breath to crush the emotions that she could feel rising to the surface.

"I believe that the found have something to do with this. It's one of the reasons I came along on this mission."

ABOARD THE MILLENNIAL, CORRIDORS

"Again, I thank you--aaahh!" Perdante, strolling with Zen towards the Training Room on the Millennial, suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach. Kneeling down on the cold steel floor of the ship's corridors, she coughed and hacked, feeling the very breath being knocked out of her. The odd thing was that absolutely nothing and no one was touching her, assaulting her. She shut her eyes tight against an agonizing wave of heat and tears, and the Jedi Knight felt as if her teeth were being knocked right out of their sockets. What in space was going on?! Then, just as suddenly as the attack had started, it stopped! It was extinguished, snuffed out, like a light or an archaic candle. It was as if nothing had happened, or was done happening.

Something clicked into place in the former Sith Initiate's mind. Without another word, she stood up, whirled around, and practically dragged Zen by the arm toward the cockpit of the Millennial. How many times had she felt those familiar sensations in the Force, that meant one of her rivals' lives was being ended before its time? She knew that someone had perished, and more specifically, had been slain. Thus, she stammered at Captain Starr:

"Someone died. I think it's Pauel in the Interrogation Room, and as far as I know, no other one of us has been exposed to such harm--ah, the pain!" She wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. "I felt it through the Force. As a Jedi, and a former Sith, I can sense it. There's no time to lose..."

Zen was alarmed when Perdante doubled over in pain. Was someone attacking her with the force? He looked around to see who or what was causing Perdante to be in such pain. Luckily before he could pull out his sword the pain seemed to go away. Before he could ask her what had happened he found himself moving towards the cockpit as Perdante ran as fast as she could. When she said she that Pauel was dead, Zen almost jumped up in surprise.

"Pauel can not be dead, he was very much alive when I left him in his cell," Zen stated still confused how it could have happened. "Unless...Mica. He interrogated Pauel. Captain Starr you know Mica, is he the type to get carried away when trying to get information?"

Fara could only blink for a moment at the two additions to the bridge crew. The surprise of even seeing them here, let alone breathless with exertion, prevented her from understanding what it was that they were talking about for quite a while. Then, she replayed Perdante's words in her head and came to an understanding just as Zen asked his question. She turned to look at the alien, still blinking.

"No, of course not." she said, acting almost as though she were the one insulted by such implications. "Mica has some of the best self-control that I've ever seen. His temper can flare, admittedly, but he's never violent."

Nevertheless...the ashen look on the Jedi woman's face caused a sense of foreboding to steal over Fara, and she turned to one of the bridge techs.

"Patterson," she said, "Check the logs to see if any emergency personal have been mobilized."

A few beeps and a moment later, Patterson turned to look at her. "Ma'am, there has. A crash cart was just deployed to the detention level."

And then Fara's face went ashen as well. "Very well," she said, turning again to the two. "Come along, smartly now." And off they went.

((Chevron, I've done some checking through this RP and I've noticed something. It seems like Visas and Juhani are having the same conversation over and over again. Let's try to get away from that, shall we?))

Visas nodded. "My visions have been similar. The woman you envision is the Exile." She paused thoughtfully. "Our reasons for accompanying this journey are similar. I do not believe the Found are at fault for the disappearance of our friends. While the presence of Ostanovium would rule out Force abilities while fighting, I know the Exile. She was a skilled combatant even without it. I do not doubt that Revan was the same way."

She shook her head. "No, the Found are not responsible, but I fear they may be financed by those that were." She nodded. "I sense this is the link you are searching for. This Khristoff may not be able to tell you exactly where his financiers are, but he may be able to point us nearer to the right direction."