The Tyranny of the Jedi (Alt KotOR Saga): Cee's Story

[Ascension]

The action involving the Shan Fleet will continue here.

[Liliedhe]

Cee is simply sitting in her room and meditating... Suddenly, her eyes open and she jumps to her feet with surprising agility for an old woman who normally can barely move unassisted...

I should have known. Who swore never to get touched again?

With a mocking smile she limps towards the door and out into the corridor, in search of Carth Onasi...

[Ascension]

Carth is not initially easy to find, but if you ask around it won't take too long for someone in the know to point you in the right direction. You find the erstwhile Lieutenant Onasi where he can usually be found whenever anyone brings up memories of Telos, sitting in a secluded corner of the main hangar of the Quicksure with a flask in his hand.

[Liliedhe]

Pity. No cheerfully drowned sorrows for him today... The old woman walks up to him and clears her throat.

"Lieutenant? I fear something has happened to Lady Bastila and Atris. They are no longer on Dxun, or anywhere in the vicinity. I can feel it. I'm sure something is very wrong."

[Ascension]

He is jarred from his semi-drunken stupor by your voice.

"Wha? But they haven't come back from Dxun... so... wait... are you saying... Huh... they have been gone a long time... Are you saying they've been kidnapped?

Carth puts his head in his hands, "Oh I knew we shouldn't trust the Mandalorians to keep their word... I'll take you down there immediately. We'll ask some pointed questions."

He rises, swaying on his feet.

"Or maybe... not quite so immediately."

[Liliedhe]

"I'm not sure if they have been kidnapped. But if there had been any voluntary change of plans I'm sure they would have informed the fleet, or at least Master Atris' girls choir."

She makes a move to steady him, colorless brows raised in a slightly disapproving gesture.

[Ascension]

He laughs.

"Girls' choir. That's a good one. You're right, though. Maybe we should ask them about this."

You aren't out of the hangar before you meet Brianna coming towards you. The other handmaidens are not with her.

"I must speak with you at once," she says.

Carth grins.

"I'm all ears, beautiful."

She glares daggers at your companion.

"Not with you."

[Liliedhe]

Cee sighs, measuring the pale woman up.

"If you want to tell him that something went wrong down there and your Master and Bastila are no longer on Dxun, you were too slow. If you know something more, then speak, because we were just looking for one of you to ask her exactly that."

Though she never had expected to ever be moved by another's plight, she finds herself caring for the missing Bastila... And it makes her quite forward and direct.

[Ascension]

The woman's eyebrows rise.

"Well. What is your plan of action? To carry a drunkard around on your shoulder?"

"I'd call myself more buzzed than drunk," Carth clarifies.

"I am not interested in your opinions."

[Liliedhe]

What a nice lady^^

"Actually, I was going to leave the plan of action to you. Isn't this your job?"

Cee might be an old woman now, but somewhere in there is still a noble with an adequate sense of pride. And she still can be like that.

[Ascension]

You'd be "nice" too if you had to put up with Atris 24/7. And it's easier to stomach than her comparing anything and everything to battle in the games. Dance? Like fighting. Love? Like fighting. Pretty much anything else? It's just like fighting. Need to know anything about a person? Watch them fight.

The wise martial artist schtick gets tedious. :smallsigh:

Her face, which has been seemingly set in stone since you first saw her, breaks its held expression for the first time. Something like shock seems to pass through her, the shock of realizing that without Atris around, she has no higher authority to rely on. She is in command, for the first time ever, and it terrifies her.

"I-I suppose it is," she says. There is a somewhat long pause while she thinks things over. Luckily, and perhaps surprisingly, Carth says nothing inappropriate during this break in the conversation.

"I will summon the handmaidens. You will find a pilot who's sober. We will go ask Mandalore if he has anything to do with this."

I know it looks like I'm being hard on poor Carth here, but he'll get his moment to shine. Just you wait.

[Liliedhe]

Well, Carth was begging for it. And, since I only ever played female characters in KOTOR, I don't know Brianna at all. I know who she is, but that's it. I never had her in my party or anything.

With a smile, Cee nods. Then, she looks up to Carth. "Well, flyboy, are you up to it? Or do I have to find another one?"

[Ascension]

"Buzzed, not drunk. I can handle this," Carth assures you.

"I will not go anywhere in anything flown by that one."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"If you feel like bringing him along you may, but he will not fly the ship."

"I'll get on the guns, then."

"On second thought, let him fly. He'd be less likely to blow us up that way. And the trip to the moon is a short one."

"I knew you had faith in me."

Brianna just sighs and walks away, off to fetch the handmaidens. As soon as she's out of earshot Carth looks over at you. You can smell the alcohol on his breath.

"She's got a lot of spirit. Whaddaya think? You think a padawan and a guy like me..."

[Liliedhe]

"Sure, why not? I've heard Mustafar froze over last year, so it could happen...

Cee just shakes her head and hauls Carth along. "But maybe you should get some stimcaf along the way."

[Ascension]

"Stimcaf. This is a plan I can agree with."

With some effort you get Carth into some semblance of sobriety. It's not a perfect facsimile, but is enough 'twill serve.

He warms up the shuttle's engines again as you wait for the handmaidens to arrive. It is not a long wait.

"Let us be off."

"You got it!"

The shuttle lurches out of the hangar non-lethally and continues towards Dxun non-lethally. It turns out Carth isn't drunk enough to kill you all.

What a comforting thought.

[Liliedhe]

"Off to play cavalry..."

Somewhere, somebody must be laughing at the irony of this, Cee thinks as she straps herself into a seat and clenches the armrests while Carth takes off. As soon as the ship has stabilized enough, she tries to reach out through the Force towards Bastila...

[roll0]
Trying telepathy, something along the lines of ''Coming".

And I need to get farseeing, the ultimate enigmatic old lady power.

[Ascension]

Yes, farseeing would be handy...

You faintly feel something like Bastila's mind, but there seems to be some sort of interference... you are hardly surprised when she does not respond.

Shortly afterward you land on Dxun. You are not allowed to land in Mandalore's compound itself, but there is a clearing by the entrance where you can set down your shuttle.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

[Liliedhe]

Stop stealing my lines! :smalltongue:

"I can't reach Bastila, something is interfering, it's like she is drugged, or unconscious or something."

She gets up from her seat and stretches her creaking back... These seats were never built with any thought on what havoc they wreak on people's spines. Then she looks at Brianna with an expectant look on her face.

[Ascension]

"Abort the landing!" Brianna shouts, "It's... Mandalore must be involved in this. There are other ways to learn where Masters Atris and Shan have been taken."

"Umm, okay, but I'm not sure if they'll like this..."

Carth slips on a com headset.

"Uhh, Dxun control, we seem to be having some minor problems here... Oh, no, nothing we need you to repair. No, I think we'll go back up to the fleet. No, you really can't get this kind of a replacement part just anywhere. Oh, no, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to... GAH!"

Carth goes from bluffing to screaming as the anti-aircraft batteries around Mandalore's camp open fire. In a stunning display of semi-drunken aerobatics he narrowly avoids being shot down. As soon as he is clear he streaks towards the stratosphere.

"I hope one of you ladies has a real good plan that involves getting out of here fast."

"I believe they're after the Jedi. They must have a Sith with them who could feel that there were Force sensitives aboard this shuttle. If we had landed as planned we would have been walking into a trap. There is, however, an alternative. Lady Atris has a holocron, one that holds the secrets of the WatchCircles. It can teach us how to see things."

"Can you learn on the way?"

"The way to where? We don't know where the Masters are yet."

"The way to places without people trying to kill us!"

"The holocrons are still aboard the Quicksure."

"Damn."

"But they should not follow us there. Even they are not powerful enough to casually anger the fleet. They must have thought they could deal with us without provoking the others."

I originally wrote it as "Something about this doesn't feel right" before I realized that it was essentially just another way of saying "I've got a bad feeling about this."

[Liliedhe]

As the shuttle lurches to escape being fired at, Cee is thrown across the seat and starts to fluently curse in Sith. It's so handy for that... When she has steadied herself, she agrees:

"Seeing would be a good idea. Maybe the fleet should relocate, just in case? If the Mandalore has doublecrossed you, then I doubt Vaklu can be trusted."

[Ascension]

"We'll take the fleet on a short jump to Kashyyyk. The Wookiees have no love for Revan, but they don't have any love for Vaklu, either. If we make known our intentions not to stay there for long, they should tolerate our presence until we can get this all straightened out."

[Liliedhe]

For a second her thoughts stray to the other prisoners, on their way to Malachor V into what is probably a trap. Then they stray away again. They are all grown up and responsible for themselves.

"Good call."

I'm trying not to be too... prescient, but two Jedi disappearing while someone wants to make a treaty with the Sith, that isn't too much of a logic leap, or is it?

[Ascension]

No, that's fine. Especially since you didn't actually warn them. :smallamused:

Once you land on the Quicksure Carth heads straight for the bridge. One of the handmaidens goes with him to confirm his story, make sure it doesn't sound like the ravings of a drunken lunatic.

Brianna heads towards Atris's quarters.

"Come this way."

[Liliedhe]

Why should I? I'm not the Salvation Army^^. And I'm not responsible for them. But, what I meant was, if it would be prescient to make the connection between Bastila and Atris disappearing and a meeting going on on Malachor V.

Standing back and smiling slightly under the hood of her cloak while Brianna explains things, she then follows the Handmaiden to Atris' vault of forbidden knowledge man was never meant to meddle in. Of course, that doesn't concern women in the slightest...

[Ascension]

"Master Atris would not like having anyone see her private chambers... but, well, these are strange circumstances..."

Atris's cabin... or, more accurately, her full suite of cabins... is far more spacious and elegantly furnished than anything else you've seen on board the ship. It must have been intended as quarters for an admiral or a senator, someone of great renown.

Though even the vestibule is decorated with historical texts, the holocrons are buried deep within the suite, densely packed into a small storeroom. There are dozens of them, all calling to you in the Force. Voices dark, light, grey, all across the spectrum. It is no wonder Atris has gone a little mad.

Brianna picks one of them out, a square holocron like that of the Jedi, but one with a bit of a flavor of darkness hanging around it.

"As the pilot suggested, we will study on the way. Come, let us go."

You wonder how much of this is drive to be gone is born from expediency and how much of it is merely a desire to get away from the rest of her master's holocrons. Especially the more sinister ones... Brianna has not looked comfortable since the moment she entered the suite.

[Liliedhe]

She stays away from touching the collection. Greed is a terrible vice, and a pathetic one. Still, she remembers very well how Brianna accessed them. Just in case... Then follows her out. Holocrons are such a fantastic medium to make others think your thoughts even years and years after you are gone... What else is immortality?

So Cee does not comment on Brianna's unease or anything, just keeps a bland face.

[Ascension]

Carth greets you as you emerge from Atris's quarters.

"The boys were able to plot a good course to Kashyyyk. It'll only take two days in hyperspace. I hope you ladies can learn whatever you need to learn in that time... whoever we're chasing after will have a pretty significant lead on us."

He turns to leave.

"You won't see me again until we hit Wookieeland. I've got a shuttle to strap a hyperdrive to."

"Where shall we go to access the holocron? It would not feel... proper... to use my Master's meditation chamber in her absence."

[Liliedhe]

"You know this ship better than I do. if all else fails, we can always take my room."

Cee shrugs.

[Ascension]

"...That works."

You return to your cabin... Brianna seems slightly surprised by its size relative to Atris's suite, but she does not actually say anything about it...

She kneels on the floor and holds the holocron out in her hands. You can feel its power filling the room, the knowledge locked within... but it feels confused somehow...

Brianna focuses, and a small, flickering image of Krynda Draay rises from the cube. Her words come slowly, and her right eye looks... odd. Different. You can't quite place what is wrong about it, though.

"You wish to learn to see, do you? To see as I did? Well, I'm sorry. You must be born with such gifts. I can however, teach you to see beyond your worthless eyes... Forget them. Discard them, if you may... The Force shall serve as your eyes, as it does for the Miraluka. Let your eyes move through the Force, let your vision flow away from your body... Yes..."

[Liliedhe]

Oh, you want to make us bat**** crazy? :smallbiggrin:

With some effort, Cee also seats herself on the floor and listens to the holocron. Her eyes narrow, as she begins to give herself to the Force... Feeling the currents caress her face, her mind...

[Ascension]

The lesson goes on for well over an hour, but finally your probings in the Force lead you to a vision of Bastila. You see her frozen naked in a block of ice in the middle of a scream, surrounded by demons with eyes like the T slit in a Mandalorian helmet, on the way to a planet stained red with the blood of both men and devils. Pain and fear overwhelm you. A harsh voice whispers "MALACH-" but is suddenly cut off as you are jolted back to your cabin.

You see that Brianna is panting and covered in sweat.

"Atris... Oh... my... They... Monsters. Demons..."

Just a little bit.

Okay, here's what's happened, mechanically. You've gained a free Force Training feat, with two caveats.
>First: All the powers gained from this feat must be Farseeing. This includes any bonus powers you gain in the future from this particular feat by raising your Wisdom score.
>Second: Although you are not consciously aware of this in character, Krynda Draay's holocron has been tampered with by Haazen. Because of this, you were taught a flawed form of Farseeing. All that you see with the Farseeing gained from this feat will be twisted in some way.

You have also gained the ability to take any of the WatchCircle talents (Collective Visions, Visionary Attack, Visionary Defense, Renew Vision, and WatchCircle Initiate) at any time you gain a talent in the future, regardless of the class which grants you the talent, if the Draay/Haazen holocron is accessible at the time you take the talent.

[Liliedhe]

Pretty, really. :smallbiggrin:

Cee isn't as shocked. What are demons, anyway. Whatever shock remained at seeing Bastila frozen, is driven away by realization. "Malachor V. They are going to Malachor V. Like the group Vaklu is sending, it's probably a trap for them, too."

She tries to get to her feet, but they are not willing to comply, so she starts to curse again.

[Ascension]

Well, it seemed more sinister in my head. :smalltongue:

Brianna's young legs carry her to her feet far more easily.

"I'll let Onasi know."

And then she is off, scurrying down the halls, without so much as a token attempt to help you up.

The nerve.

[Liliedhe]

Oh, yes. Still cursing fluently, Cee scrambles to her feet and puts the holocron savely away. Wouldn't want it to get damaged, right?

Then, she follows the handmaiden out of the room and towards the shuttlebay...

[Ascension]

You find Onasi shouting orders at a group of techs who appear to be trying to bolt a large hyperdrive pod to the roof of a Ministry-class shuttle. Others are busy tinkering with its sublight engines.

[Liliedhe]

"And, what's the verdict? Will you make it?"

She asks him.

[Ascension]

"We'll have the work done by the time we hit Kashyyyk. And from there... well, let's see..."

He climbs into the shuttle and fiddles with its navicomputer for a bit. He emerges with a grin on his face.

"I can't find any way to draw a course between Dxun and Malachor V without a stop at Rhen Var. And if I get to work on the route in advance, this baby should be able to catch up with them there. I could also set a course for the Malachor system itself, but last I heard it's crawling with Sith..."

[Liliedhe]

"No, if we could intercept them at Rhen Var, that would certainly increase our chances. Especially as the whole meet at Malachor V is very likely a trap, anyway."

[Ascension]

"Alright then! Just sit back and relax for a bit. It'll still be a little while before we're ready to go."

[Liliedhe]

"I will."

She proceeds to do just that and returns to her room.

[Ascension]

You reach Kashyyyk without mishap. You leave the fleet behind there, boarding Carth's heavily modified shuttle. The equipment he has had installed makes the craft a bit more cramped than a stock Mini, and the shuttle was designed for much shorter trips, but the Bad Idea (so christened by Brianna, in reference to what the act of flying anywhere in it is) is still fairly comfortable. Carth estimates that with the shuttle's new externally-mounted hyperdrive and the course he's plotted he can make Rhen Var in two days. He hopes this will be fast enough to catch the Mandalorians, but he can make no guarantees.

The nine of you (Cee, Flyboy, Co-Pilot "Rhett Sharat," Ice Queen, and all five Handmaidens) set out for the ice planet...

[Liliedhe]

Cee spends the trip in meditation and preparation, occasionally using her new trick to check up things haven't gotten worse with Bastila...

It's been quite a while since she was in a fight, and even longer, since she intended to kill. A part of her had hoped she would not need to, again. Another part relishes the thought, but she keeps it in check for now.

People can be good. But it is too late for me... Is it? Or is there still a chance, even for her who has been breathing darkness for longer than the others on this shuttle have been alive?

Rhen Var... That brings back memories, reminders of past things. What will she find there? Or... Who? Maybe even someone who knows her name. The name she has forgotten herself...

[Ascension]

Each time you check on Bastila en route she is a bit closer to the planet of blood, the demons are a bit larger, her face even more an image of terror. The last time you use your far sight you see another demon in amongst the ones with Mandalorian eyes. It has glowing round red eyes positioned in a vertical rather than horizontal row, and a central talon of pure light extends from its claws.

When you finally emerge from hyperspace near Rhen Var you show up right next to your quarry, apparently at the exact same instant. You also recognize the Mandalorians' ship... it is the same craft which ferried you away from Serroco.

"That's the ship," Brianna confirms aloud, "I can feel Master Atris... faintly."

"Alright then!" Carth shouts, "Let's do this! Grab hold of something sturdy, ladies! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

Continued in the Beta thread...

[Liliedhe]

((Link please?))

"Maybe talking would have worked?"

Cee wonders kinda idly, while she straps herself in...

[Ascension]

"Talk? To Mandos? You obviously weren't paying much attention to galactic events during the wars..." Carth replies through gritted teeth as he flies into what he expects will be a furious battle...

Link here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96233&page=3)

[Ascension]

"He greeted us kindly enough," Bastila reports.

"A bit brusquely, I think, but such is to be expected from the Mandalorians."

"The first thing that seemed odd was when he engaged us in small talk. The Mandalorians are not known as conversationalists."

"He seemed oddly burdened. Hesitant. Uneasy. Unwilling to get down to business. None of these are traits the Mandalorians are known for."

"We foolishly assumed that he might be intimidated to be alone in a room with two Jedi."

"I suggested that perhaps he might feel more comfortable if we laid aside our weapons."

"He said, 'No. It's hard enough for me to order this while you're armed. But I must do what must be done,' and then he sprang an ambush on us."

[Liliedhe]

Cee frowns. "It seems like Vaklu might have been in on this. At least, his ambassadors were also sent to Malachor V, like you should have been..."

[Ascension]

"They're also going to Malachor? Did he send any Jedi with them?"

[Liliedhe]

"Yes, Merrel and Vasto. You think they might be in danger?"

[Ascension]

"It's certainly a possibility," Bastila says, "Would those who went with them be concerned for their safety?"

[Liliedhe]

"I honestly doubt that. Most of them are only concerned for their own backsides. And Vaya would only cheer the Sith on, without doubt."

[Ascension]

"This is... troubling."

"We don't have the power to take on the Sith at Malachor. I am sorry, but your friends are... acceptable losses."

"We're obligated to try."

"No, we are not. They made their decision. They walked into the trap under their own power."

"And so did we, yet you praised your apprentice for coming to save you."

[Liliedhe]

"We might at least try to contact and warn them. And leave it up to them, what they will do."

Cee suggests.

[Ascension]

"Alright, yes, we should warn them. I fear I am still a bit woozy from that ordeal, though. And I imagine Bastila is similarly fatigued. Could you be the one to contact them?" Atris asks Cee.

[Liliedhe]

"Merrel I should be able to contact, yes."

Cee will first try to find Merrel using farseeing, and then to telepathically contact her...

Force telephone, coming up...

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Ascension]

Your vision is disturbingly similar to your visions of Bastila. Again the Jedi is being borne towards a planet bathed in blood, again she is surrounded by demons. These demons, though, are of a different sort. Blacker, more indistinct, more sinister. And one of them, the largest of them, turns to look right at you.

"Go away, witch," he says to you, and your vision is lost in searing pain.

Any further attempts to contact the vessel are repelled in similar fashion. No message can get past the Dark Lord's interference.

[Liliedhe]

Cee screams as the dark presence burns her mind. She clutches her temples and curls up on the floor...

"I can't get through... They have something with them... Something far stronger than me or the Twilek... They are lost..."

She desperately tries to rid herself of the foul contact, but is unable to repel it completely, remaining prone and helpless, her had craddled in her hands.

[Ascension]

Nadd's touch is strong enough to be felt by the other Force sensitives in the shuttle.

Bastila rushes over to attempt to comfort Cee.

"You are right," she admits, "they are lost. But we are not. You are not. Hang on."

"That power... Never in my studies have I encountered a source of such power... The Sith may pose a challenge to Revan yet."

[Liliedhe]

She tries to breath more calmly, to get rid of the familiar taint. For so long, she has stayed away from it and played it safe, but now, involving herself in the Force so much, breaking her own walls repeatedly to connect to others, and in empathy, her shields are down. It comes back, frightening in its intensity.

She hangs on to Bastila's voice and tries to pull herself out of the darkness. It doesn't feel intoxicating anymore, only nauseating. It's a slow process, but she drags herself up again, like a drowning woman. Finally, she manages to sit up.

"Well, when they say it doesn't let you go, they were not kidding...", she manages to whisper, her voice brittle. "Whatever they woke up, I don't think Revan will be a match for it."

[Ascension]

"Maybe he's right..." Bastila muses, "Certainly even the universe he envisions would be superior to whatever that would do to the galaxy."

"I never claimed the Sith were wise," Atris says, "Only powerful. Now they have found a power even they cannot control."

[Liliedhe]

"No, it would not. At least darkness can be fought. But when you are dead inside, you can't even decide to fight... You will just function."

She stands up somewhat shakily and leans against the wall.

"Power like that of the Sith always turns on itself. But it can take a very long time..."

[Ascension]

"Then we shall wait, and hope they consume themselves quickly," Bastila suggests, "Not that we shall wait idly... Even without Vaklu's aid we have sufficient resources to harass Revan's forces and to stir up discontent within the Republic."

[Liliedhe]

Cee nods, color slowly returning to her face. Then, as her gaze strays to Carth, she frowns. "Maybe we still can warn Merrel and Vasto... What about contacting their ship through technical means?"

[Ascension]

"They're in hyperspace. We have a hypertransceiver, but to communicate with them, we would still have to be near where they entered hyperspace... at least within the same system. And I don't imagine we would be popular in the vicinity of Onderon right now. Still, we could try it..."

[Liliedhe]

"I suppose it might be less risky than trying to head them off to Malachor V. But this isn't my ship or my choice". The old woman shrugs.

[Ascension]

"Well, we wouldn't have to stay in the system long... just long enough for a quick transmission. We'll try it."

The Bad Idea drops out of hyperspace while Rhett and Carth plot a new course for Onderon.

"We'll only be able to send the message. The delay on the reply will be longer than I'm willing to linger in the system. You'd better go ahead and decide what to say in advance. We've got to make this one transmission count."

[Liliedhe]

"All right."

Cee tries to remember what she saw about the ship and who was onboard (as in, how many people are the crew, did the Ambassador have aides and so on? Who was there except the other prisoners from Serroco and Vasto?)

[Ascension]

Your shuttle was on a different landing pad. You never actually saw the others' ship. It is, however, safe to assume that there are other crew members and that the rest of the crew would be made up of men loyal to Vaklu... but probably not men entrusted with a full understanding of his plan.

[Liliedhe]

She thinks about it...

How can she warn them, without the information ending up in the wrong hands? Gnawing her lip, she walks up and down the corridor...

[Ascension]

Eventually the haphazardly modified shuttle reaches its destination: a spot lying just outside the gravity well of Onderon, a spot from which the diplomatic mission to the Sith set out on its journey to Malachor V.

The shuttle's arrival has not gone unnoticed... Vaklu's space forces have been on high alert since the Shan Fleet's sudden departure. Vaklu fears that the fleet simply pretended to defect from Revan's forces, and was merely performing a reconnaissance mission for the Republic... a mission which is now complete. In his mind, any new arrival to the system may be the first ship of a full-scale armada come to "cleanse" Onderon once and for all.

"We've got incoming... Here! I hope you've figured out what to say to your friends, 'cause we're gonna have to make this quick!" Carth shouts, tossing Cee a comm headset.

"We've still got the fleet's course to Kashyyyk in our computers," Rhett reminds, "and we're outside of Onderon's gravity well here. We can jump to them as soon as she's done transmitting."

[Liliedhe]

I'll try my best, but I'm probably not so good at subterfuge and Codes Jedi might understand but others don't - Cee isn't one^^, her insider infos are very limited^^

"Send the following", she asks Carth, "To Captain Kolin: There are additional elements to this mission you don't know yet. Please inform the Jedi Merrel and Vasto, that the Exar Kun's teacher is involved and they might be in for an enlightening experience... Also, the Mandalore's gift will not arrive, so reception might not be as favourable as you think, warns the old witch."

She hopes very much that Kolin will feel at least enough loyalty to his fellows, that he will relay the message...

[Ascension]

"Let's blow this joint!"

As soon as the message is sent, the Bad Idea jumps back to Kashyyyk and the fleet waiting there.

En route, Bastila explains her plans for the near future.

"Revan only recently started jailing fellow Jedi. When he first became head of the Council he did not have the power to do so, and even if he had, the rest of the Council still had enough influence to have him removed from power at that time. Instead he had his enemies transferred to menial positions where they were supposed to be harmless, Service Corps jobs mostly. The worst offenders were enlisted in the Agricultural Corps. I say all that to say this: We will not be able to carry out a war against Revan alone. I think we should attempt to recruit some of the dissident AgriCorps Jedi to our cause. They should not be hard to convince, the only matter is extracting them from their research facilities. Revan is no fool, he knows how many of them hate him, they will be guarded."

Given Exar Kun's "Jedi archaeologist" cover story, I think I have reason to believe that the Jedi Service Corps existed in some form even as far back as the Old Republic.

[Liliedhe]

Sure it did. The reason the Exile goes to Telos from Peragus is because Kreia thinks that there might still be Agricorps Jedi alive there. She is wrong of course.

The old woman frowns. "That sounds like a reasonable idea, since an Alliance with the Mandalorians and the Sith proved to be impossible."

An ironic smile dances over her haggard features. "If somebody told me that a few days ago what I would be doing now, I would have done myself injury laughing..."

[Ascension]

I completely forgot about that. Jeeze. Might have to go back and play the games again... ^^ I always kind of wanted to try an armored Sith build, and I never got around to it... might be fun.

"These are indeed strange times," Atris agrees, "full of occurrences one would once have easily thought laughable."

[Liliedhe]

My first Exile went armored to the end, a Guardian/Weaponmaster... She got horribly trounced by Kreia, since I forgot ever build up defenses against Force Powers and made Kreia quite invincible^^. Exar Kun's armor rocks, though. And it looks nice. ^^

"Yes, they are."

Still smiling ironically, Cee finally sits down. Hard. "I'm getting too old for this stuff", she remarks.

[Ascension]

"The old Jedi Masters would say something pithy about the power of the Force overcoming the disadvantages of age. These days, though, old Jedi are becoming an endangered species. Blind acceptance of Revan's creed requires enough youthful idealism to abandon one's common sense."

[Liliedhe]

"In that case, I would like to ask them for their tricks, really." She touches her aching back.

"But yes, I agree with you. The things one does in youth because of the belief to be invincible, or not bound by the consequences the older generations experienced..."

[Ascension]

Your ship soon reaches Kashyyyk again, where the fleet still patiently waits for you. The news of their leader's rescue boosts their spirits greatly.

((Prepare to return to the Mandalorian thread when they reach the Shan Fleet. Then everyone will return to the main thread whenever the "diplomats" find the rest of you again.))

[Ascension]

((And contact has been made with the Mandalorians. Please head over to the other thread now.))

[Liliedhe]

"Yes, it is. In fact, that is why we called you... What do you know about Force Illusions? It is something Aleema Keto and my... former friends where quite famous for. It was never my own specialty, though I can create them, too."

The old woman looks at Atris with a speculative light in her eyes.

[Ascension]

"Yes, I am familiar with what the Ketos could accomplish with illusions... Do you think it is worthwhile to investigate the Krath's power? Could we replicate their feats... phantom fleets and the like? Do not say yes unless you truly think we could," Atris replies. Though a certain weariness still hangs on her, her expression is neutral, betraying no hint of her thoughts.

[Liliedhe]

"Yes, I believe it would be a viable solution. The basics, even I can teach, and if I had access to the Ketos' library the advanced abilities should be possible to reconstruct", Cee answers with quiet confidence.

"You don't happen to know where those materials got to after our defeat?"