[b][i]"... Aren't you a little [/b][/i][b]short[/b] [i][b]for a stormtrooper?"[/b][/i]
[i]~ Princess Leia Organa[/i]


In the space of 30 seconds, both student and teacher had managed to reduce what had been a remarkably well-kept and elaborate lobby area, into rubble peppered with blaster scorch marks and one or two superheated burn lines from Syrra's lightsaber. Kajex took a brief second to wince at the scene- he never cared much for cushy surroundings and expensive tastes (bar Aarn's chair, which he still missed), but he didn't like breaking pretty things, either. At least he could say it took less than 3 blasters shots to take out the 6 tundra-adapted stormtroopers that had been waiting on the other side of the door- his flash detonator mixed with Syrra's overenthusiastic ability to pull 2 of soldiers from the other side of the room had helped make short work of the ambush party, along with half the decorated lobby.

"Keep your head up, kitten- need to make sure we don't get swarmed," he advised as he vaulted over the security desk, hooking a datapad into the console.

Syrra nodded, keeping her lightsaber at the ready as reached out mentally. "... I'm seeing somewhere between 30 and 40 people, but they're mostly stationary. Probably trying to reinforce their positions. I see a large knot of 15 or more towards the back of the building- they may be holding the curator hostage there."

Kajex grinned as he started tearing through the security. "They want you to think that. They know you're a Jedi, so they'll figure you'll focus on the most concentrated group of people. The curator is probably going to be off to the side somewhere."

"But if they have that many soldiers there, they're probably covering the artifacts," she reasoned.

Kajex nodded. "They probably are. Now, tell me which is more important right now- the artifacts, or the hostage?"

She swallowed, bowing her head as her cheeks burned. "You're right. Can you locate both, though? Ideally we can get out of here alive with everyone and everything."

"Already on it. Here we are." A series of live-feeds appeared on the screen while the wolf shook his head and clucked his tongue. "Leave it to the Remnant to leave live security feeds active even when [i]they [/i]break in somewhere." The screen flickered as he tapped a few options on the pad. "Shutting them out of the cams, don't want them to see us coming. Alright, briefing said that the Hovin was an Ithorian... and there he is." He pointed to and zoomed in on a feed showing a hammer-headed alien cowering between 4 Remnant stormtroopers as they forced him down a hallway.

Syrra let out a relieved sigh as she watched. "He looks unharmed, at least; though that could change at any moment. And the artifacts?"

He brought up a second feed, frowning as the live footage showed a total of 15 stormtroopers ransacking a storage room in the northern part of the building- among them stood one very large, black-armored human, tall and blonde with a ill-intentioned look on his chiseled features. "Well... that doesn't look good."

Syrra winced. "He's wearing the same armor as Locke did. It's probably another Sith Knight- by the Force he's [i]huge[/i], I didn't know humans could get that big!" She groaned. "And he probably know where we'll go."

Kajex grinned. "Correction- he'll know where [i]you'll [/i]go. You're talking to a Teras Kasi practitioner, he's not going to see me coming and going."

"I still don't get why," she confessed. "You even managed to affect [i]my [/i]ability to see you- how do you do it?"

"Mental conditioning, remember? I never had to employ it before I met you, but I used it to hide from Locke and Keris. I'll put it on my list of things I'll try to teach you. Point is, we can split up- I'm going to head over and get the curator loose, I can sneak much more easily than you can at this point and that Sith won't be able to warn them. If the Remnant hasn't found those artifacts yet, Hovin can tell us where it is."

"What about me?"

"[i]You're [/i]going to use what I taught you about slicing and sabotage to wreak a bit of havoc. Find a maintenance hub or security network and try to cut them off from each other." He handed her a half-dozen security spikes. "Use these like I taught you to get past stubborn locks. Stay the hell away from that knight or whatever he is, and just slice into anything that can inconvenience everybody." He picked up a pistol from a fallen trooper and tossed it to her as he started to head off. "And I mean it, get messy. Not violent if you can help it, but do your best to make their lives as much a hell as possible."

"Hold on," she warned him, stopping him with a paw to his shoulder. "Remember our agreement, 'Master'?"

He didn't resist as she pulled him back, holding her close as their muzzles met, sharing a potentially final moment between them- he couldn't help but smile, glad he had accepted her demands. "I'm sorry, I almost forgot your good-bye kiss," he admitted.

"You're not going anywhere without me, unless I have something to remember you by," she purred. "We'll make it through this. Go save someone, Kaj."





Her 'master' had started giving her basic tips for stealth before they arrived, which she still found difficult to perform as she sneaked down the warm and well-lit hallways, despite her small and agile frame. She was glad she had the good sense to deactivate her lightsaber before moving out- within the space of 5 minutes she nearly ran into 2 patrols, narrowly avoiding detection by hiding at the last second. Yet now she was stuck- a group of three impeded her progress as they refused to budge from their spot. Checking to make sure no patrols were coming her way, she looked around for a solution, trying to recall Kajex's words.

"[i]No sense in wasting time ending a life just to move on, if you can focus on a distraction instead."[/i]

Deciding it would be ill-advised raising noise taking out a patrol that would likely need to report in within a set time, she cast her eyes around for a diversion. The hallways were decorated with ancient pieces of artwork, statues, exotic weaponry from other eras; beneath them, signs detailing their planets of origin, time frames and speakers. She frowned at the last of these, noticing switches on each of them, peering at the closest of them.

[i][i]Press for audio description.[/i][/i]

A smile spread across her face as peered around the opposite corner, staring down a hallway with some half dozen or so such displays. Picking one a moderate distance down the hall from her position, she pressed it in mentally, backing up against the wall as a voice played from the speaker at moderate volume. She didn't even need to see the stormtroopers through the Force, the armored footfalls rushing down the hall and past her as all 3 investigated the source of the noise. Another modicum of focus and another display lit up farther down the hall, allowing her to round the corner discreetly, sprinting at Force-aided, supernatural high speed down until she reached the end, sliding to a stop and darting into an open doorway.

Heart hammering, she glanced down the hall again to ensure she hadn't been spotted, letting out a sigh of relief as the soldiers chatted and shrugged at each other, baffled. Leaving them to their confusion she continued- she had chosen this direction both to stay far from the black-armored Sith and to heed her lover's advice to raise hell, spotting a maintenance room halfway down the hall and ducking into it. She attempted to open the hatch, cursing as it remained locked. A moment later she drew a security spike out, quickly and carefully jamming it into a port on the side of the hatch controls- within moments the door and the attached security overloaded, the hatch sliding open as the spike gave off smoke, now useless.

She grinned to herself as she spotted everything she needed to make herself a nuisance- separate access terminals to lighting, fire alarms, gate controls, regulation controllers for energy conduits, and secondary camera feeds. More of her mentor's words came to mind.

"[i]Get creative enough, and you can turn [/i]everyone [i]into a hostage- even hostage-takers."[/i]

Hooking into the gate and door controls first, she scanned through the entire building, her datapad's programming bringing up simplistic access to every hatch and anti-theft window- and promptly sealed off access to all windows and floor lifts. Her ears perked up as several surprised voices echoed distantly through the otherwise empty halls of the museum. She took a breath, giving herself a moment to locate isolated patrols, waiting until they were positioned perfectly for her to cut them off completely, watching them with a significant amount of satisfaction as they started to panic- a few of the stupider troopers had responded by shooting the magnetically sealed shutters, killing themselves when their shots rebounded into their faces.

"Starting to see why Kajex prefers this approach," she said to herself, locking out evacuation routes and the building's rear cargo lift and access hatches. Once she was sure nobody else could move anywhere, she put herself into a trance, trying to locate her lover. Sure enough, he was difficult to find as he had said he would be, his mind cloaked sufficiently that she doubted she'd have been able to find him had she not bonded so closely with him- happy to see he was still alive, she started speaking to him.





He felt the warmth in the back of his head first and he paused, taking cover behind an archway on the other side of the museum. Pride for his student radiated from him, certain that the Trian[i] was responsible for locking down the building so well, moreso that she had the foresight to allow him to keep moving unimpeded.

"[i]I have an update- got the rear main hall locked down, the Sith and his men are stuck there until the big guy slices down his door. He hasn't started yet, which is odd- might lack in brains what he gained in hugeness[/i]."

He grinned as he started moving again, stopping at one end of a corridor some 30 meters long, with 4 soldiers standing guard at a door mid-way. "I'm proud of you," he said quietly to himself, knowing full well she could hear him. "Glad to see you're putting my instruction to use. I'm close to Hovin, I spotted the Imperial patrol kicking him into a room and their guarding it. Do me a favor, kitten."

"[i]Anything!"[/i]

"When you see my tail flag, hit the lights where I'm at," he directed her, peeking around the corner and spying on the 4 anxious soldiers. Drawing another detonator from his belt, he waited, took a breath, and lifted his tail out from beneath his longcoat.

Several seconds passed with no incident. After the 5th second, the entire wing was shrouded in darkness, the security shutters on the windows preventing any light from getting in- the wolf watched and listened as he heard the stormtroopers cry out in surprise, keeping his ears out for their words and his capable, night-seeing eyes on their hands.

"Switch to night vision!"

He grinned, setting his variable explosive to flash-bang, waiting another 5 seconds before depressing the device, waiting 2 seconds, then tossing it down the hall, ducking back around the corner. The hall filled with an incredible flash of light and sound, and it was then the wolf made his move, sprinting to their position and slamming into the nearest, shortest soldier and sending him sprawling, his weapon clattering down the corridor far out of reach. With all 4 soldiers blinded from the flash-bang combined with their low-light helmet vision, Kajex hit the floor, raising his rifle and opening fire.

3 of the stormtroopers had fired wildly down his direction, the shots going completely overhead. One of the blinded and panicking soldiers unloaded 3 shots into another patroller's back, killing him. 2 well-placed shots dispatched two of the remaining soldiers, leaving only the short one behind. The wolf staggered to his feet, striding to the last, unarmed man as he crawled to get his weapon, stomping a boot over his wrist as he reached out and causing the soldier to cry out, Kajex kicking the weapon away further out of reach. With a well-placed boot, he punted the soldier's helmet of the soldier's head and down the corridor, the soldier moaning pitifully.

The wolf stopped, frowning. It was a younger man, more or less- a dark red-furred, fox-like Amaran male who stood at a height between himself and Syrra, yet barely looked old enough to legally drink. Kajex growled threateningly as the vulpine tried to crawl away, picking up the youth and slamming him against the wall. The fox yipped in surprise and pain as his head smacked against the museum's stonework. He looked up at his assailant, his green eyes wide and ears folded back submissively against his short, cherry-red hair. It was only at this point that the wolf noticed the fox's bushy tail hidden beneath the belt-cape all the troopers had been wearing.

"L-look, if you're gonna kill me, just... make it quick, please!" the fox pleaded, his paws held up in surrender.

Kajex glared at him. "How the hell old are you, kid? You look [i]barely [/i]old enough to pilot a starship, let alone join an army!"

"I'm 23, s-sir!"

"I'm not a 'sir', pup- do I [i]look [/i]like a soldier, or did I hit you too hard?" He cut off the youth with a paw. "Shut up, don't answer that. Give me your name- now!"

"Talrik Lye, sir!"

Kajex sighed. "Didn't I just tell you not to-- you know what, fuck it. Is that door locked?"

"N-no sir!"

He shoved the Amaran towards it. "Then open it the fuck up, kid," he snapped, jabbing his rifle into his spine. "I'll make you a deal- you do what I say and you don't end up like your other 3 friends."

The fox swallowed, looking at his fallen comrades in trepidation before muttering quietly. "They weren't my friends, but alright." Kajex kept the barrel of his rifle pointed at the fox's back as he opened the door, the room completely pitch-black yet within the wolf's ability to see. In the corner of the exhibit, trying to hide behind massive pieces of ancient armor, was the Ithorian, shivering in fright.

"<Please, I swear to you I know nothing!>" he groaned in his guttural language, holding his long shackled hands over his head in fear as the two approached.

"Easy there, professor," Kajex intoned comfortingly. "I'm Kajex Surnahm, with the Jedi Order- we're here to get you out." He glared at the Amaran. "You got the key for those binders?" he growled at the smaller vulpine.

"I'll get them," he said timidly, stepping in and undoing the shackles, then stepping back away from the two.

"Are you hurt?" the mercenary asked the Ithorian carefully as he helped him up.

"<A little bruised, but 'bruised' is far more preferable to 'dead'. I thank you, Master Jedi.>"

"I'm not a Jedi Master, I just work with the Jedi- and you're welcome. Do you know why the Remnant came here?"

"<They wanted the artifacts I intended to trade to the Jedi Order.>"

Kajex turned to the fox. "Does your commanding officer have the artifacts in his possession?"

Talrik shook his head, cringing. "No sir. We've been searching for hours and we never found them."

"Do you have a comlink on you?"

The fox pulled out the device, hesitating for a moment before handing it over to the wolf. Kajex snatched it up, dropped it and crushed it under the heel of his boot, the communicator cracking easily, eliciting a snicker from the wolf. "Damn, Remnant tech has gotten frailer since Endor, hasn't it? Just had to make sure you didn't call for backup. Buck up, pup," he added, smirking at the nervous Amaran. "You get to live today- and you'll even get an all-expenses-paid trip to Yavin 4, if you can answer the million-credit question."

"What's that?"

"Does anybody else in the Remnant know that Jedi are here yet?"

"N-no, sir- we were told to wait until we were contacted by a vessel called the [i]Rushin' Roulette[/i]."

Kajex stared at the fox in disbelief for a few moments, before bursting out laughing. "You heard that, right Syrra?" He could almost hear her giggle in his mind as she responded.

"[i]That's just horribly funny, love."[/i]

He shook his head in amusement, still chuckling as he turned back to the Ithorian. "Well, that explains why they weren't prepared for us. Anyway- where are the artifacts, professor?"

"<You... do not know? I had them delivered to the hangar where your ship was docked this morning- I had intended to make the trade there, but before I could set out these brigands arrived.>"

Kajex groaned, his amusement now soured by the news. "Dammit. Well, it's still a good thing we came here, to get you out of this bind. As for [i]you[/i]," he added, returning to a hard stare at the Amaran, "you put your paws behind your back."

Tarik hesitated, then obeyed slowly, ears still flat against his head as the wolf slapped a pair of his own cuffs around the vulpine's wrists. "But... why?"

Kajex smirked. "Gotta make sure you don't try anything funny when we get your ass out of here. Syrra, we gotta book it back to the ship, alright?"

"[i][i]About time too," [/i][/i]she responded nervously, "[i][i]the big guy just started hacking the door apart and he's got his men with him! I'll get the lights and meet you at the lobby!"[/i][/i]

The museum wing brightened and Kajex grabbed the Amaran by the arm, yanking him up front and keeping a paw on his back as he pushed him forward "Alright fox-boy, you stay in front of me- Professor Hovin, stay behind me. Can you handle a blaster?"

The Ithorian shuddered, as if the thought scared him. "<I would prefer not to, but if I must...>" The wolf handed him a pistol and they started to move quickly through the exhibits, their footfalls echoing through the halls as the distant sound of crashing metal started up.






Nobody wasted time with introductions when they reached the lobby, the group of 4 instead running as quickly as possible toward the gate. The starport where the [i]Gold Rush [/i]was docked was not exceptionally far, merely a half mile away from the museum, but Kajex wanted to take no chances. Most of the populace of Abaat was too busy trying to get out of the now-fierce snowstorm that had shown up, such that nobody noticed that one of their group was handcuffed, was being forced to the front by a wolf with a blaster rifle or that he was wearing Imperial Remnant armor.

What they did notice was the enormous man in black armor being tailed by more than a dozen Remnant Stormtroopers, their presence quickly causing a panic at least a block behind them- local authorities rushed past the group to engage them, and explosions started to sound out. Syrra looked behind, worry evident in her features.

"They're getting killed back there, Kajex," she said softly.

The wolf grimaced, guilt welling up in him. "I know."

Tarik glanced back. "Shouldn't we do something?"

Kajex frowned at the vulpine. "Who's 'we'? You're our prisoner right now, kid. And Syrra, I'm sorry; but we don't stand to gain anything by staying and fighting, except a quick and stupid death and more civilian casualties. Can you get a bead on that guy's intent and tell me honestly that he would stop even if he took us out?"

The feline shook her head, looking defeated. "No. There's nothing but violence there. He's moving only so he can get to us."

"Then we need to keep moving, draw him towards us. If we hide, he'll slaughter everyone anyway- at least now we've got his attention, maybe the enforcers here will thin out the troopers for us." He jabbed the Amaran in the back with his rifle. "Start talking, pup- what do you know about Large-and-In-Charge back there?"

Talrik shuddered. "He's Knight Ulfric, he's supposed to be a member of the Circle of Syn. The guy is a maniac, goes off the handle over the most minor offenses. We had a force of 50 before we started- by the time you guys arrived, he'd killed 10 of us. 5 out of rage for ridiculous reasons, the other 5 because he said he was bored."

"Does he have an apprentice?" Syrra asked, looking alarmed.

"He [i]did[/i], actually- she was one of the 5 that got killed out of boredom."

Kajex pushed him harder, his anxiety mounting. "Okay, then double-time it, soldier boy- I don't want a freak like that anywhere [i][i]near [/i][/i]my ship. It's just up ahead." The group doubled their pace, boots crunching through the fresh snow, the underdressed Ithorian in particular wheezing as the cold and exertion took a toll on his elderly form.

The wolf had been concerned that security would attempt to stop them before they could enter the building- even with Syrra giving them assurance that she was on Jedi business, it would mean a few minutes of waiting while the Sith Knight closed the gap between them. To their surprise, however, the security station was bare- the news of an Imperial presence in the city had prompted the security officers to run past them completely and meet the threat, as they were part of the same on-planet security force. Thus they met little resistance getting to the docking bay beyond a flurry of panicking pilots and swoop-race aficionados.

They reached the hangar before long, an inch of fresh snow having collected on top of and around the ship. Syrra and the Ithorian sprinted ahead to the hatch while Kajex took Talrik aside to the stack of cargo crated lining the walls. "Syrra, fire up the engines! Hovin, which one of these crates has the artifacts?"

"<The blue crates marked MSM-INV-1!>" he called back as he and Syrra headed up the ramp.

Kajex undid the fox's binders and grabbed the younger man by the scruff, glaring at him. "You'd better listen good, kid, because I'm only saying this once. You're going to help me bring this cargo container into the ship and then sit your ass down in the lounge- or I'm going to lock you outside the ship and let Big-and-Bad-in-Black have you back, savvy?"

Talrik swallowed and nodded, grabbing the other side of the cumbersome crate and hauling it with him as the [i]Gold Rush's [/i]engines started warming up. They had nearly reached the ramp when it froze in mid-air, Kajex yelping as he nearly dislocated his arm still clutching to the now-immobile case. Both lupine and vulpine tugged frantically at the case, Kajex cursing rapidly as it refused to budge, suspended in midair.

"Fuck, fuck, [i]fuck[/i], motherfucking--" he stopped short, looking up and seeing the immense human Sith knight standing at the entrance to the docking bay with his hand outstretched, pure malice in his eyes. He strode towards them as he Telekinetically pulled the crate back slowly, the two men struggling to stop its approach. Talrik reached at the wolf's holster, pulling out his blaster pistol and firing 3 accurate shots at the human- they both gaped as he merely stretched his other giant hand out and caught the shots in his palm, suffering no ill effect.

"Oh... [i]shit[/i]," Talrik whined, firing repeatedly as Kajex whipped his rifle up and fired as well. With a speed neither of them expected, the knight drew his lightsaber and ignited it, the massive scarlet pole of energy far thicker than any ordinary lightsaber, its hilt far longer than any traditional weapon- their blaster bolts bounced uselessly off the knight's weapon as he continued to amble towards them, twisting his weapon around with unprecedented finesse.

Talrik cried out as one of their own blaster bolts ricocheted off the energy blade and slammed into his left arm, sending the fox sprawling and groaning in pain- another deflected bolt exploded against Kajex's rifle, rendering the weapon useless. With only 3 meters left between them, the wolf fumbled around his belt for a second concussion charge, pressing the switch in, tossing it and abandoning the crate, covering his ears and shutting his eyes.

A flash of light filled the dim docking bay interior as the explosive went off in front of the knight. A heavy weight slammed against the back of the wolf's head, disorienting him for a few precious seconds- stars flickered in and out of his vision as he spotted the crate ahead of him, the hinges now busted and useless with the top half completely wide open. His eyes fell on a bright yellow cube the size of his fist- the holocron. He instinctively grabbed it, just as the cube started to float into the air, now dragging him along with it through the snow.

He looked up, cursing loudly as he saw the knight still standing, looking completely unfazed despite having his concentration broken, his lightsaber raised above his head as the wolf slowly slid right in front of him. A malicious grin curled on the human's face as he brought the weapon down, just as a challenging snarl sounded near the wolf.

The Sith's lightsaber stopped short, flashing and cracking against a bright blue rod of energy. Syrra stood above the wolf, weapon angled horizontally above her head and holding her enemy's weapon in place- the knight looked furious, though he said absolutely nothing. The holocron ceased to move as if drawn by an invisible cord and remained unaffected as Kajex crawled away from the two, spotting Talrik climbing to his feet, looking injured and shaken, but alive. Seeing very little choice otherwise, he chucked the device towards the fox. "Get that into the ship now!"

The vulpine caught the holocron easily with his uninjured arm, staggering into the [i]Gold Rush[/i]. Kajex returned his attention to Syrra, who had engaged the knight in earnest, demonstrating her growing skill in [i]Ataru [/i]as she launched a rapid, acrobatic assault against the giant. Kajex watched in amazement as her offensive locked the knight into a guarding stance, offering no means to counter her assault that she could not dodge. Looking for some way to help, he glanced back at open case, eyes widening as he spotted the 3 lightsabers Hovin had promised.

Scrambling for the crate he grabbed one, tossing it to the feline. "Syrra, catch!"

The Trianii kicked the knight hard enough to knock him back a few steps, twisting around and snatching the second weapon cleanly. A second blade, this one a deep purple, snapped from the elaborately-designed hilt, the elder weapon joining the younger as they dueled against its scarlet brethren. Kajex grabbed the remaining two and sprinted toward them, snapping both weapons on and finding himself with two green energy blades in each paw as he rushed to join in.

Without warning, a second beam of scarlet energy snapped from the other end of Sith's hilt, revealing itself as a saberstaff. Syrra yelped as he spun the weapon around, ducking just in time to avoid her head being removed and staggering back. Free from the heavy assault, the giant turned his attention to Kajex, charging at the wolf with a lunge. The power behind the blow was immense, such that the wolf found himself staggering as he cross-guarded a stab with both weapons, grimacing as he struggled to keep the saber lock in place. With a deep, mocking laughter, the human winded Syrra with a kick to the midsection while simultaneously shattering past the block, knocking Kajex away as he advanced on him.

Weeks of sparring with Syrra had paid off as Kajex blocked and counter-struck with superior agility, but even while coordinated with Syrra they could not breach his defenses- he was far better trained than either of them, and it took little more than an eventual decision to knock back Kajex with the Force to take the wolf out of the fight, both weapons clattering away from him. Syrra continued the duel, her endurance slowly ebbing away as the knight put her on the defensive, battering against her blocks until a well-placed slash grazed the ancient lightsaber across the hilt and deactivated it. Another push, and Syrra slammed into the thin blanket of snow next to Kajex, breathing hard and looking worried.

A sound to the wolf's right drew their attention, all three of them staring as the port-side mounted turret sprang to life. The knight had only enough time to glare at the heavy cannon before the guns went off, a rapid-fire flurry of energy splashing near the knight and causing significant damage against the floor as each shot exploded, sending the knight flying across the bay.

Kajex grimaced, grabbing the still intact lightsabers he had been using and helping Syrra up as they sprinted for the ramp, glancing back briefly and noticing the knight was still moving weakly. He shut the ramp behind them and made for the cockpit quickly, Syrra dropping into her seat moments after he got into his. "Why are we still here?"

"Because I went back for you," she replied. "That and we're locked down by a tractor beam, someone doesn't want us leaving."

Kajex growled, staring up at the tractor emitter near the lip of the docking pit. "I'm not above causing property damage. [i]Hey kid![/i]"

"Yes sir!" the fox called back.

"Do me a solid and shoot the fuck out of the tractor beam emitter overhead, or your boss is going to share a seat next to you!"

Armored footsteps clanked through the ship as the vulpine left the portside turret, sprinting to the center of the ship. The wolf watched with growing anxiety as he saw the knight stagger to his feet, looking murderous as he approached. Thinking desperately for anything to buy a few more seconds, he input ship commands, a blast of snow blowing out from under the vessel as the repuslorlifts strained against the tractor beam's influence- the force of the blast was enough that the knight was having to lean into the buffeting blowback, still approaching.

The [i]Gold Rush's [/i]roof cannon sprang to life, spears of hot red light lancing into the forward wall of the docking bay, striking the tractor emitted directly. Syrra yelped and fell out of her seat as the ship, no longer restrained, shot up and out of the pit, the starboard side of the craft clipping against the lip and causing the ship to pitch dangerously. Kajex struggled to regain control, grabbing the flight yoke and wrenching it around, steadying the ship as it sailed upwards, as Syrra climbed back unsteadily into the co-pilot's chair.

The wolf let out a sigh of relief as they shot into the atmosphere, putting his face in his paws. "Fuck, that was far closer than I liked..."

His feline co-pilot and student nearly melted into the seat as tension left her, letting out a sympathetic and tired groan. "I think we stumbled into something big, love."






Syrra left Kajex to tend to Hovin's and Talrik's wounds, while the wolf plotted out a course for Yavin 4 and put them into hyperspace. Thankfully they had not encountered any Remnant ships in orbit trying to cut off their escape, which struck the wolf as odd- he had expected there to be at least some attempt to get the stormtrooper forces off the ground or prevent any ships from escaping. In fact, it seemed rather unusual that no other stormtroopers had shown up to support the knight as they attempted to leave- he wondered if perhaps the knight had knowingly left this men behind simply to pursue the group as they escaped.

He shook his head, waving his thoughts away- he'd talk to Skywalker about it. Now more concerned about the well-being of his passengers he got up, stretched to relieve some of the lingering tension in his body, took off his coat and walked down to the lounge. Syrra was treating Talrik's injured arm carefully, a nasty, gaping wound centered where the blaster bolt had hit. Kajex grimaced- he was incredibly lucky the bolt hadn't blown his arm off completely. Now that the fox had stripped all his upper armor off, Kajex could see his lithe but toned body- he certainly had endured and completed training. The fox looked up sadly at his captor, staring for a few moments before casting his eyes back down- he still held the holocron in his paws.

The wolf ignored him for the moment, turning to Hovin, who despite looking exhausted greeted the captain happily. "<I have you to thank for saving my life, Master Jedi.>"

Kajex sighed, though he still smiled. "I already told you, I'm not a Jedi Master."

"<You wielded two lightsabers.>"

Kajex arched an eyebrow. "I did. It's not as if a non-Jedi can't handle a lightsaber proficiently. I've had sufficient dueling training- my partner here is to thank for that," he added with a grin, which Syrra returned. "Anyway, I need to speak with you if you're up to it- after that I will gladly let you have as much rest as you would like."

"<My dear lad, I would endure a week without sleep if I could give you the answers you need. You may ask me anything.>"

Kajex nodded. "That's good, because New Republic Intelligence is also going to want to talk to you and figure out what's going on, as will the Jedi Order. That goes for you too, kid," he added as he glanced at the fox- the youth said nothing in return, staring distantly into the floor.

"I need to ask first if you know the contents of the holocron you were offering us."

The Ithorian shook his enormous head. "<I'm afraid not. I have great admiration and respect for most Jedi, and I sought only to safeguard their knowledge- but I am not Force-sensitive in the slightest. Only one who could influence such power could access its secrets.>"

"What about the lightsabers?" he pressed. "The Jedi Order has plenty of them at their disposal. And while I'm sure they would value such relics I can't imagine any lightsabers being held in any significant regard."

"I don't know about that," Syrra spoke up. "The one you tossed to me was fairly elaborate. Purple lightsaber gems aren't exactly common, and the weapon itself looked like it was created by an artisan."

"<Two of the lightsabers pre-date the Cold War- one belonged to a man named Ven Zallow, a Jedi Master who fought and died during the Sacking of Coruscant, over 3,500 years ago. The second belonged to a Kel Dor male, the archivist and Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, who lived and fought during the Great Galactic War and Cold War. Both were well-known and respected by both Jedi and Sith,>" Hovin explained. "<As you can imagine, these artifacts would be of great value to either Jedi or Sith, if only for extensive research purposes.>"

"Why?" Kajex asked, confused.

"The crystals," Syrra answered abruptly, looking surprised at herself for her immediate insight. She cleared her throat and returned to applying bacta to the fox's arm. "Traditional lightsabers used Ilum and Adegan crystals in their construction, but after the Jedi Purge the Emperor banned all trading and possession of lightsaber crystals and had blockades on planets that possessed them- he even went so far as to destroy such caves. Any kind of crystal or gem can be used in a lightsaber if it resonates with the user, but they'll possess different effects- on the surface they'll [i]seem [/i]subtle, but they can be fairly extensive and varied. I can only imagine how lightsabers back [i]then [/i]worked."

Kajex nodded. "I see. And the last lightsaber?"

"<It was the weapon of Jedi Master Mace Windu, a highly skilled human who fought during the Clone Wars, and died shortly before the war ended.>"

The wolf frowned. "I remember the name. He was the Jedi Master that led a coup against the Emperor and failed, wasn't he?"

"<The very same,>" the Ithorian acknowledged. "<I'm told that former Senator Sano Sauro came into possession of a lightsaber he claims was wielded by the Jedi Master- he is a fool and liar. Master Windu's lightsaber possessed very specific characteristics and distinctive elements that would allow those who have studied the weapon to know the real deal; in particular are the electrum finish, the violet blade, the high-quality construction and the engraving of the letters BMF on the side of the weapon.>"

"BMF?"

"<Some personal touch, I imagine. Nevertheless, these key identifiers confirmed that the weapon belonged to Master Windu, thought to be lost when he was defeated by the Emperor.>"

Syrra sighed, pausing as her work patching up the Amaran. "Well it's useless now. That knight sliced through the emitter and I got tossed away from it."

"<Do not worry about it, young Jedi. The holocron is the true prize here, or at least I hope it will be depending on what secrets you discover from it.>"

Kajex stood up and strode over to the fox, whose arm was now properly bandaged. "On that note, let's have a look at it, right?" Talrik said nothing, still staring aimlessly at the deck. The captain frowned, crouching and carefully grasping the cube, pulling it away- the youth did nothing to react, even as he set it on the table next to them. Curious, he leaned forward. "What's eating you, kid?"

The fox didn't look at him. "It's nothing."

"Sure doesn't seem like 'nothing'. Spit it out."

Syrra glanced at Kajex briefly before putting a paw on the fox's shoulder, giving him a kind smile. "You did well to help us, Talrik. You may very well have saved our lives by suppressing that knight with the turret, and for that I thank you."

Talrik nodded, still not looking at either of them. "Don't mention it. Cost a lot."

Kajex arched an eyebrow, standing and scratching his head. "It's... only a couple charges on the fuel cells, kid, it's no big deal. And it's not like anyone will know, right?"

At this, the fox looked up, meeting the wolf's confused look with a hard glare. "Tell me, captain- how many Amaran do you think serve the Imperial Remnant?" he asked harshly, a quiet growl in his throat.

Taken aback by the youth's sudden aggressiveness, Kajex narrowed his eyes. "Did they lessen their racist policies after Endor? Because I'd still say the answer is only a handful."

"You'd be right," Talrik replied, looking sour. "I'm the only one I know of who actually served the Remnant. Got registered like everyone else. So when the Remnant arrives and notices that one of its own soldiers was captured instead of killed, what do you think will happen?"

Syrra looked apprehensive. "You'll be hunted, I don't doubt- but I sense this isn't what's at the core of your anger and fear right now."

Talrik glared at her. "Do you have [i]any [/i]idea what the Remnant does to the families of those who are captured, just on the [i]suspicion [/i]that one of their own soldiers will talk?" he snapped.

Angry for the Amaran's abrasiveness towards his lover, Kajex growled in response. "What the hell were you expecting, kid? You should've thought of that [i]before [/i]you joined the Remn--"

"[i]I WAS CONSCRIPTED, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!![/i]" the fox snarled in anguish.

The wolf felt the growing heat of his anger completely freeze over at these words, a growing sense of guilt starting to form in the pit of his stomach as the vulpine stood abruptly, shouldering past the wolf and continued loudly, pacing aimlessly through the lounge.

"I didn't [i]walk [/i]into a Remnant recruiting center, fill out an application and waited for a response via holonet! I was one of the thousands of non-human conscripts forced to serve the Imperial military in order to bolster their ranks after the end of the Thrawn campaign! I had to undergo everything that all stormtroopers endure, with the added 'bonus' of getting targeted for my race and my size! Do you know what they do to the runt of the barracks at Teeva Academy?! Because if you don't, here's a hint- [i]it's long, dry, rough, and they don't kiss you goodnight afterward!!![/i]"

The statement made the wolf feel worse, his ears flattening guiltily as the Amaran's eyes began to fill with tears.

"I couldn't care [i]less [/i]about any of the soldiers you killed trying to rescue this old man, Surnahm! I'm [i]glad [/i]you killed them, and I would've been happy enough if you had decided to kill [i]me [/i]too! Do you think I'm some sort of brainwashed pup, some moronic fox that got in over his head and believed the Empire's lies, even as its own recruits pinned me down and raped me?! Do you think I [i]wanted[/i] to aim my weapon and kill innocent civilians because they had the balls I lacked to stand up and reject Imperial control?! Do you think I spent every single day comfortable and happy, knowing if I slipped up, said something wrong or disobeyed a command that my mother and little brother would pay with their [i]lives[/i]!?"

"I-I didn't kn--"

"Of [i]course [/i]you didn't know," he shouted, tears streaming down his face. "[i]Nobody [/i]outside of Imperial control would know! There are only a [i]handful [/i]of decent folk in the high positions of the Empire, people who try to look out for my kind! But they're not going to be enough! Because you decided to capture me instead of killing me, my mother and brother are as g-good as de..." the fox broke down, sinking to his knees and shaking uncontrollably, sobbing into his paws.

With a look of anguish on her face Syrra walked to him, wrapping her arms around the Amaran as he trembled. To Kajex, the threat of the Imperial Remnant, the struggle between the Sith and Jedi seemed so far away now in the face of the fox's torment and anxieties. He wondered sadly how long this had been bottled up for, and who, if anyone, he confided these things to- he only felt worse for his abrasiveness towards the younger man, now aware he was only doing as ordered, bound to duty only due to his love for his own family. The wolf sighed, approaching the weeping soldier and crouching next to him. With only the barest amount of hesitance, he put a paw on the soldier's head.

"I'm sorry, kid. I really am."

"I-it doesn't... m... matter," he choked out.

Kajex managed a smile. "No, actually... it does. I'm sorry because I understand that kind of love for a family that you'd do anything to keep them safe, and that your love is the only reason you got stuck in such a shitty set of circumstances. I lost my family a long time ago, I know how bad that hurts- which why I'm gonna offer you a chance to save yours."

The vulpine looked up, face wet and confused. "H-how?"

"First you have to tell me what you'd be willing to do in order to keep your family safe." He glanced at Syrra, who seemed confused but hopeful that he had some sort of plan.

"Absolutely anything," the fox answered without hesitation, his breathing shaky but his words filled with certainty.

"Good, because your family isn't dead. Not yet. And I know that because that giant asshole back on Abaat was leading you all, correct?"

Talrik nodded, snuffling.

"Which means that it was a Sith project, and not an official Imperial Remnant mission. They're the kind of jobs that require skilled yet expendable soldiers that are able to keep their mouths shut- the kind of secrecy that doesn't get paperwork logged in quickly enough. The Sith wouldn't want the common rabble to know their own dealings and projects, they're going to hide as much as they feasibly can."

The fox froze, hope starting to filled his eyes. "Then I still have time?"

Kajex half-smiled, moving his paw to the trooper's shoulder and squeezing encouragingly. "[i]You [/i]don't, because you said you'd do anything to save them, and I'm holding you to that. So here's what's going to happen- you're going to go into the crew quarters and get some rest while we're en route to Yavin 4. When we get there, you're going to plead amnesty and asylum, and offer the Jedi Order and the New Republic whatever information you can about the Imperial Remnant and this 'Circle of Syn' you mentioned- in exchange for getting your family out of Imperial-controlled space. I may not have a lot of pull, but as it involved the Sith I'm sure Master Skywalker won't object."

"And you'll... get them out, for sure?" he asked uncertainly.

Kajex paused, then nodded. "I'll do one better. I'll go [i]myself [/i]to make sure your family gets back, even if nobody else does."

Syrra smiled. "Kajex is experienced with solo rescue operations- he can get your family out if he knows where they are and has the time and opportunity."

"So, are you willing to co-oper--"

Kajex yelped, cut short as the fox leaned in abruptly, shuddering as he hugged the taller male, his bushy tail wagging. The wolf sighed, smiling wryly as he patted the vulpine's back.

"Guess that answers that..."

