Ask Nemesis Games

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music OOC

“None of us can change
The things we’ve done.
But we can all change
What we do next.”
–Fred Johnson
The Expanse
"Critical Mass"
Season One
Episode Nine

...O my...
...A shape...
...In space...
...It makes...
...A vase...
...In an ocean...
...A Pantoran...
...Watch her go...
...O Jedi Shadow!

...Farewell, Gravenell...
...Thinks our Pantoran...
...Goes from the window...
...Where remains a woman's gaze...
..Upon Sevenmoon...and the stars too...

...A shape...
...It makes...
...A hill...
...So still...

Spero Station

​

In the cockpit.
Is our woman.
Vayla Mirana.
Of Pantora.

Star’s Sanctum.
She thanked him.
Within her ship.
She thanks Quin.

“Quin…
Thank you…”
Eyes into eyes.
“For what we do.”
Them…O the Jedi!

"Remember?
That letter?
I sent you.
You sent too."

That was back when
Quin was with Leh'Min.
Leh'Min'Ayd...someday...
She'd meet now, then.

"Before your own facility.
That Trandoshan's factory.
There where you fought Sith.
That...woman...and then...him."

Quin had given his name.
For a Sith spoke it all day.
"That man called Kayden."
A Shadow is O so patient.

She turns to him.
She turns to Quin.
Eyes are like lightning.
Opening and burning.

"Whatever we find here
You don't give into fear.
To death...what do we say?"
His response as they navigate.

Whatever the outside
Whispers in the night
About the Jedi Order,
The light, it’s for her.

Vayla Mirana.
A Jedi Knight.
It is no drama.
But she is light.

No, I am more.
The light’s door.
Like a sunlight.
And it can bite.

But opens for
A different kind.
A door is a window.
For the Jedi Shadow.

And her ship flies
Beneath a night sky.
Which is naked space.
Twilight, midnight—same.

The light freighter set out
From Gravenell City ground.
The Jedi seek a research facility
More than that, more than man.

More than one, two men.
More than men, one Jedi.
Or what remains of them.
Master, if I must, I will fight.

One man is her old master.
The other man is Sars Valt.
The owner of Valt Ventures corporation.
But Spero Corporation owns this station.

And its secrets will become our information.
Whatever they uncover would become evidence.
Against Sars Valt—but he was just one of two men.
He is the connection, the link, to finding an old friend.

In a leather seat.
In a blinking cabin.
Vayla sighs, reflecting.
Master. Learner. Apprentice.
Question is would, will I win?

“Over time…Quin…”
A Shadow has a code…
Only the Shadows know.
That each other is Shadow.
No, no one else ever knows.
Save the Grandmaster alone.

“...I…”
Eyes in
the sky.
“A Jedi
Learned
To curve
And
Dance
With
The
Night.”

She speaks vaguely.
Our Pantoran lady.
Cryptic electricity.
Electric eyes gazing
The stars are waiting.
In the sky, at a painting.

She speaks plainly IC.
But in poetry OOC.
Or…well…maybe...
You decide...I think.

“But never wavered
Against…that fire…
They made it higher
That fire…brighter…”

Vayla blinks herself
Out of a daze while
Her ship takes itself
Upon that kind of isle.

A large building is just past
That connected landing pad.
A facility is quite like a fortification.
What are you hiding, Spero Station?

Wind pounds round a ship!
The Star’s Sanctum flies in!
The is the ship of two Jedi!
Padawan! Shadow Knight!

And the Jedi enter a night.
No need for the space suit.
A corridor connects the pad
To the ship for Vayla and Quin.

It gives them plenty of oxygen.
But I breathe…a darkness within.
She senses something, it is faint.
Something…is here…at the gate.

At the gate, guards stand at arms.
There are two of them and apart.
Between them a reinforced door.
“We’re not here to bloody a floor.”

She whispered it to just Quin.
As they approach, she tests him.
“We also do not play with magic tricks.
But convince them the way a Jedi might.
Without starting a fight.” Master Mirror grins.

Before coming here, they considered options.
They could not secure any kind of invitation.
That facility had a short kind of guest list.
A Jedi Knight's of the night and is patient.

So the Jedi could utilize infiltration.
Get past the guards and then get in.
Can pretend they're with maintenance?
Negotiate to the end or sneak to the exit.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“The letter I remember.”

That had been so long ago. At least— it felt like a long time ago, even if it really wasn’t. He remembered the moment he’d received it, Lemon’s comment about how Vayla had spelled his name wrong, his amusement at that which had turned into a kind of admiring respect for his master after reading her letter. It was in part due to her words that he’d made it out of the factory afterwards.

Kayden… He remembered that name too. He would never forget it, the man’s twisted face and the scorching feeling of lightning crawling all over his skin. At that moment, he’d wondered about death. “We say… there is none. There is only the Force.” He hoped it was the right answer, and he glanced at his former master for confirmation as if he were still a Padawan.

They would soon arrive at the station, and when the pair made their way into the corridor, Quin would nod at Vayla’s instructions. The part about not using Force tricks was a little surprising. He hadn’t even realized how much he’d come to rely on them, and maybe that was what Vayla was getting at. At the thought, he couldn’t help a small rueful smile from appearing on his face. Even though he was now a knight, Master Mirror would never stop being his teacher.

“Alright. Let’s give this a go,” he said, grinning back before he approached the pair of guards. As expected, they moved in front of the gate, refusing to let the Jedi pass.

“Do you have authorization to be here?” Quin was so tempted to just use a mind trick just then before he remembered Vayla’s request. The old fashioned way it is.

“You mean, you don’t know who we are?” Quin quirked an eyebrow as the two guards exchanged glances. “I’d hate to tell your superiors that you refused entry to two senior executives.” He began to pull out his datapad before one man spoke up.

“I’m sorry, but in that case, uh, we’ll have to ask you to scan your faces here. Company protocol, you see.” He stepped aside to reveal the device before looking at the two. The other guard came to stand next to him, and Quin began to move forward. However, before he would lower his face to be scanned, however, he would quickly step to the side and elbow one of the men, sending him reeling backwards. As the other scrambled to get his blaster, Quin would give him a good smack on the head before doing the same with the first one. With both knocked out cold, he would take a keycard and toss it to Vayla.

Only then did he remember the first part of her instructions, the part he hadn’t really thought about.

“...There wasn’t any blood…?”

@Die Shize

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music OOC

“We say… there is none.
There is only the Force.”
He hoped it was the right answer,
And he glanced at his former master
For confirmation as if he were
Still a Padawan.

Knight.
Padawan.
To Master Mirror, a Jedi.
Quin, apprentice, is ever one.

Life. Death.
The Force.
By him, by her.
Either, neither.
That door.
For them.

Well, I will have to check my vocabulary.
Vayla said Jedi don’t play with magic tricks.
Because the Force isn’t magic—quite simply.
Knight or Padawan, the boy was to be tapping
Into the Force, no magic, to perform a mind trick.

The lesson, then, was that Jedi aren’t magicians.
A Jedi mind trick is really just relying on elements.
However, the Jedi improvised, the knight, yes, him.
Sensing the intentions, Vayla moves—to cover Quin.

Camera, at the ceiling, scanning, seeing.
Vayla taps in the Force and is scrambling
That camera's feed but only momentarily.
Enough for Jedi to quickly remove bodies.

“...There wasn’t any blood…?”
“...It wasn’t quite my intention…
But it got it done...” Giving Quin
A grin—adapting to the situation.

Which, in a way, is roleplay.
Whether a fourth wall breaks.
Whether we plan or even PVP.
Roleplay, not roleplan—improv.

And a keycard is just then inserted.
The door opens up and they step in.
Jedi Knights—once were Padawans.
“You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet”.

Two guards were left outside behind those Jedi.
They were unconscious and out of line of sight.
A camera would have appeared to malfunction.
The pair of Jedi are visitors who spot reception.

Mind trick, apprentice...not magic...
It would take both to then convince
Guard at desk and that receptionist
That those Jedi were indeed two VIPs
Of a kind, another, definitely executives
Who were permitted entry on a guest list.
“Sorry, mister and miss, must’ve missed it.”

The receptionist checks her screen again; buttons and prompts.
All the while, her computer has a hand on it—Vayla is resting it.
More than that, she is reading the machine, her eyes staring off.
It would look like she’s waiting—hiding her eyes that were glassy.
It takes a few seconds for her to scan the machine—technometry.

“And who did you say you’re with again?”
Being tested—Vayla gave no names yet.
“We're representatives of Mr. Cornwell.”
“Ah, yes...researchers...here to inspect...
The visit was approved ahead. Well then.
What did you say your names were again?”
She doesn’t seem suspicious but still a test.
“Andora Darjin,” Tilts her head to Quin next.
“And my co-researcher…” Force. "San Holo..."

Vayla spent most focus scanning the electronics.
So hopefully Quin’s more focused on mind trick.
To him, the guard was giving Quin a conversation.
"Karkin' camera! I better check in with those two..."

“Right then. The main facility entrance is to your left.”
The receptionist would in turn say, handing out tags.
They are name tags serving as the pair’s badges.
“They'll move you along, save restricted access.”

We’re in.
No grin.
Mirror
Within
Is her.
Vayla.
Mirana.

She has a dark blue leather jacket on.
Tan pants, black boots, moving along.
A corridor opens up behind the door.
Time for two Jedi to go and explore.

@Sicadorito

 

[The Storyteller]

Spoiler: Music OOC

This is not an...interruption.
The Force just moves along.
Oh yeah…it’s kinda dancin’...
Into the wind, yeah, singin’...

And the Force, it moves on!
Runnin' up a hill, sing song!
Flyin’ in the Force, a seesaw!
Mind in the air, move along!

Yes…across the wavelengths...
Invisible limbs, those bird arms.
But it is not a ghost, it has heart.
Seeking, searching—for a friend.

A friend is there—on that moon.
A friend's there in a building too.
A friend feels a friend’s presence.
Another person, a Jedi can sense.

Whether that friend is yet alone.
Whether they came with someone.
They are the target of the Force’s flight.
It can see—find, seek—but it has no eyes.

For…the Force…is really…just a girl.
Who opens doors…corridors unfurl.
Windows are weak to this here girl.
Goin' through walls as Force curls!

Takin' a trip down station lane!
A girl's just kinda glidin' her way!
Sticks and stones can break her bones!
But as a girl flies and floats, she ain't alone!

The Force is also a girl's best friend.
Her mind, to his mind, they connect.
A girl is weightless—our purple bird.
This corridor, that one, the next turn.

Then...she senses that presence…
Yes…he’s closer…right…and left…
A friend…his name…it’s…it’s Lin…
A girl has found him. Her: Lemon…

…Lin…
…It’s Lemon…
…You’re…here…
…I’m…near…
…Lin…

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Spero Station.

If Perla had been telling the truth, this was where she would find the crux of Rashnik’s operations, combined with “other projects”. She didn’t know what to expect, but she had come prepared.

After having her favorite CEO pull some strings, she’d managed to land herself and Cul jobs as research assistants. As such, they would have full access to the facility. For now, all she wanted was a look around to see what was going on.

“Authorization?” The two guards at the other end of the building would block the entrance. Glancing at Cul, Cheriss pulled out her employee card, handing it to them to scan. The light glowed green, and they stepped aside.

“New blood, eh? You’ll find that this is the most boring facility you’ve ever been to,” one said with a roll of his eyes as the door opened behind him.

“Is that so?” A nod of confirmation. They must keep it all under wraps, then. “That’s too bad. I was hoping for some fun.” And so, the Sith and the Pyke would make their way in.

@Die Shize

 

[Cul Laaster]

Spoiler: Music OOC

A Pyke couldn’t know why.
Trust is not one’s specialty.
Yet, the Sith had accepted.
For him to come along with.

A Pyke proved to be a guide.
He had his own connections.
Yes—or on Gravenell, that is.
Enough of just himself to trust.

There were credits being dipped
Into this building from fingertips
Of which a Pyke is familiar with
But of course doesn’t mention it.

The two appeared to have an understanding.
To a Sith, a Pyke had given her a proposition.
She would use her power and keep supporting
Him and he would be her underworld connection.

That was that then.
For now, at least.
They’re not friends.
O a Pyke thinks.

“New blood, eh?”
I am old blood.
A violent eye.
Violet bright.

The guards are meat.
Like most guards are.
While a Pyke’s arms're
At his back. He thinks.

The pair advance down a corridor.
One of many within this building.
On either side is another door.
Offices, none so interesting.

“I am betting whatever is truly happening,
Whatever it’s about is likely underground.”
That's what it usually is, generally speaking.

A pair of man and woman around the corner.
They walk quickly into vision from a corridor.

“Oh! Hey! Are you the new assistants?”
A Nautolan budges glasses up his nose.
“Yeah! Right! Are ya the new assistance!”
Speaks the female of whatever-is-species.
A Pyke stands and he looks between both.

Cul shares a look with the Sith.
Can you cast Sith Mind Trick?
Doesn't presume her business.
Just knows the Sith have tricks.

“What...assistance...
Do you need from"
A Pyke blinks.
“Us...assistants?”

“We’re trying to analyze the
Data from the last expedition
Within the Sharpfall Mountains
Where we had first found them.”

None of this makes much sense.
We could assist. Learn what it is.
A Pyke keeps his tongue in check.
A Sith might just use Sith Mind Trick.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin would follow Vayla in, flashing her a quick grin of thanks. The moment he stepped into the building, however, he would feel a strange presence poking at the back of his mind. Strange… but familiar.

Lin…? He felt a lump in his throat, but he had to swallow it. He glanced at Vayla, who was dealing with the receptionist. It didn’t look like she’d heard anything, and he tried to focus back onto what they were doing. She’s not here. There’s no way. Still, the thought of seeing Lemon again never left his mind.

San Holo, master? Quin gave Vayla a look before turning back to face the receptionist.

“Don’t worry about it. The guards are doing just fine.” Putting some emphasis on what he said with the Force, the receptionist would pause for a moment, taking her eyes off the computer before handing them their tags. Quin would offer her a nod of thanks before following Vayla into the corridor.

“Master?” He still couldn’t bring himself to say “Vayla” out loud— it just sounded strange. And right now, it was his master who he needed most. “I… heard Lemon again. She spoke in my head, but I don’t know if I’m imagining it. It’s just like what happened in the city, but this time she feels closer.” He paused. “Do you think we could stop by a computer, if we can spare the time? I want to see if she’s been here.” It was a stretch to assume that she would even be in the database, but he had to know.

@Die Shize

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Me, I—
Had fun
Coming up
With names OOC.
But those names
Are in the database IC.

San Holo is a name
On that guest list
As is Andora
Darjin.

Technometry allowed
Vayla into the machine.
The names were found.
As well as Mr. Cornwell.

It was a subtle reading.
But in order to succeed.
They worked as a team.
Queue Quin who speaks.

Vayla listens in.
Whether Master.
Still Master Mirror.
Whether a mother.
Kinda sensei to him.
Guide, friend, of Quin.

Lemon.
Again.
Turns
Her
Head.

Closer.
Is it her?

Vayla doesn’t sense her presence yet
Lemon and Quin have a close connection.
She considers the options as they’re walking.
After talking, Quin asking her about a computer.

“It’s a stretch
to assume
She’d even
Be in the
Database,
I am afraid…”

They’re here for the research.
To find out what’s going on.
Of Sars Valt, info to uncover.
To light, the Shadow is drawn.

The
Light!
THE
LIGHT.

“We came here to get answers.”
Both Jedi continue, move along.
“If she is here, that is even better.
She may be the best we have got.”

If the Jedi wanted answers in this facility.
Then a purple-skinned Togruta, they need.
For, Vayla knows, not because of a shadow.
The Force plays no tricks. It’s no coincidence.

In the corridor, a lab coat comes out of a door.
Two women smile as they pass across the floor.

The Jedi are representatives of Mr. Cornwell.
Whoever that is really, well, time may yet tell.

Master Mirror places a hand on Quin’s shoulder.
“We move along and mosey, Pa—ah—I mean, er,
Knight. Yes. It suits you, all right. So let’s find her.”
Looks left and right, enters same door. “Computer.”

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin nodded reluctantly at Vayla’s remark. She’d said exactly what he was thinking out loud… but a part of him still wanted to check, just in case. There was always a chance, and weren’t Jedi always supposed to have hope? It’s misplaced, Quin. He didn’t want to believe the rational part of him, but it was usually right.

When the two women came out of the door, Quin would give them a faint smile before following Vayla inside. As much as he tried to focus on the mission, the only thing in his mind was still Lemon. He’d never been this distracted before, and it was starting to give him a headache.

Lemon? Can you hear me? He tried to reach out, but got no response. She was so close, yet so far. But he really had no way of knowing how close she was. It could have all been just an imagined feeling, and then he saw yet another computer. Vayla said it out loud. This time, though, the urge was too much to bear.

“Master… I have to check. You can go on without me, if you’d like.” With that, he would make his way over. The screen was already on, displaying a grid of pictures similar to the one on Thila. However, as much as he clicked through, he didn’t see a single being who looked like Lemon. A quick search for her name yielded nothing either. At the end, with nowhere else to look, he moved away from the computer.

“That’s… it, I guess. She’s not here,” he confirmed to Vayla if she had decided to stay. “I’m sorry for wasting our time.”

@Die Shize

 

[Leh'Min'Ayd]

In a lonely room

Spoiler: Music OOC

A voice.
Voiceless.
O little voice.
Why so quiet?
Why so silent?
Ya make no noise…
Once spoke so loud…
Yes…so...very...vibrant…
A voice within a crowd…
A girl can yet be violent…

…No…
…No more…
…Go…
…The door…

A voice sees a light.
Eyes...hear the night.
And the door…opens.
He steps in. It isn't Lin.

A girl…in the middle of the room…
Twirl…spinning like a record tune…
Rage…rage against…the dying light…
Rage…rage against…the life that dies…

FIGHT.
Cries a girl’s voice!
FIGHT.
Thunderous noise!

Within a voice’s skull.
Bound by iron so cold.
Graven with madness.
Bind knee—bind wrist.

A girl! And she’s trapped!
Flies but she can’t stand!
In the middle of the room.
Doorway darkness looms.

…He…steps in…
…He…isn’t Lin…
…It’s…it’s him…
…It’s…Kayden…

No...I won't listen!
Lying on her bed.
I...I won't...give in.
Little pillow head.

A girl's eyelids are squeezed tight!
Teenaged Leh'Min—still just a kid!
Is she waking or is she dreaming?
P-Please! Make the darkness leave!

Lemon?
Can
You
Hear
Me?

A Sith is vicious!
THE LIGHT.
Sith is insidious!
THE LIGHT.

“Who is our enemy, Leh’Min!”
A girl answers him! “SITH.”

…I…I...I...can…hear you…Lin…
…Please come and find me…
…I don’t know where I am…
…Think under the facility…
…It’s…some kind of…lab…
…I...keep having...visions...

Words, a girl just blurts.
A little lemon all alone.
Little lemon, far under.
But she is still so close.

…I miss you, Lin…
…Lin…Queonkri…
…I’m…Leh…Min...
…Ayd…I…I…think…

Whoever she is.
Whatever she was.
A Jedi's friendship.
Was not yet undone.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Making her way down the corridor with a Pyke at her side, Cheriss couldn’t help wondering how long it would take until someone began to ask questions. But there was hardly anyone around, which was a little strange considering the size of the facility. Cul was right— whatever business they had here, it was deep, deep underground. She doubted that even the few people here fully knew what was going on. Bits and pieces of the story were probably what they had, but their job would be to put those together.

Soon the pair had come across a pair of real assistants, who asked them for some help processing their latest data. While that wasn’t her specialty, she did have the Force at her side. Maybe that would help… somewhat.

“Of course.” The Nautolan waved the pair over to his computer and turned the screen towards them. “I know we’re not supposed to share, but we’re really having a tough time figuring out what this means. You two got any ideas?” Cheriss glanced at Cul, figured that he was just as lost as she was, then decided to try something.

“You’ve done this before. You can figure it out.” There was a subtle layer of the Force in her voice, and the Nautolan blinked twice before looking at the computer again. Then, after a few moments, his eyes lit up as he turned back to the pair.

“I’ve got it! See this here? That’s the key. It only felt off because I’ve never seen such perfect results. The mind control for these subjects worked perfectly! They were only mice… but still.” He turned back to his screen. “I wonder how they did it.”

@Die Shize

 

[Cul Laaster]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Pykes. They were so stereotyped. Cross paths with a Hutt and you could expect nothing good. A Pyke, though, was not necessarily that bad unless he felt like he should be.

It was true, their homeworld of Obah Diah was no welcoming pearl for the eyes; but this old Pyke was no Hutt, he was cold, ice in eyes, violet, looking for value wherever it is.

So a Pyke might not shoot you outright, you can cross paths with a Pyke and be spared his eye.
Uncanny, maybe, a Pyke for a research assistant, but whoever worked at this shady research facility was already walking in an uncanny valley to pay any mind to a Pyke.

He is a businessman, this guy, and on Sevenmoon that meant his is the business of spice. It was true, Cul Laaster did not rule the streets.
Together…as one…three may yet rule the industries…with you serving me.
And more, a Pyke thinks, when finally his species and his family will stand instead of being stuck on their knees.

A Pyke dreams as a Sith speaks. It takes little convincing for Cheriss to negotiate her way into hearts and heads.
The influence of a Sith, a Pyke can use this. He spies with his own two eyes those of real researchers, his and hers.

The Nautolan speaks of keys, tells of mice, here in a research facility outside Gravenell. Far enough away to get up to no good too. It already seemed to Cul that the upper levels were likely dedicated to surface research and data analysis.

Mind control. That was fitting with a Sith standing in between. Mice. Of everyone in this room, a Pyke thinks; and a serpent under the grass.

“How do you think they did it?” An old Pyke simply asks him, standing with arms folded.
“Hmmm…” Brows arc. While the Nautolan’s busy humming the woman beside him finally speaks.
“We know the effects of the subjects that are joined and connected…that comes naturally for them…but we can’t figure out how…”
“So we used the rocks found in the mountains—”
“—Ehh not rocks—”
“—LET ME TALK—And did separate experiments on the mice subjects—”
“—Well to no avail—”
“—SHUT THE HELL UP—Trying to find an amalgamation with their minds but they went crazy, attacking other mice—”
Blinks the eyes of a Pyke.
“—Then we drugged them—”
“—I SAID—Eh, yes, correct—When it only just clicked that the catalyst must thus be this—"
“—Spice.”
“—I—Yes.” Blinks a Nautolan at the screen. “So maybe it's a link between the crystallized lattices and the spice ingredients?"
"Or it's the Force!"
"Oh what a bore."
"You're boring!"
"Do you see?"
“I have the eyes of a hawk.” Blinks a Pyke.

He leans in at that computer screen beneath him, shifting gaze up and down, sifting this way all around, dissecting data like a mouse sliced and diced by blades.

Spice. The name of a mind-altering substance that can make your eyes as bright as this Pyke's violet violence. Pyke. He is one of their kind. It was his people on Kessel by whose hands was spice mined. Spice mines. They were mine. Not this Pyke’s but the Pykes. All was ours. Once upon a time.

A Pyke knows his history like he knows his family. Cul of House Laaster knows the spice of the Pykes like a Pyke knows his own spice. That’s my spice. There was no denying it. The computer did not lie one bit. Those were his ingredients to the very severed heartbeat. Data speaks and a Pyke is listening. And the ears of a fox.

“So the spice is a key ingredient.”
“It's a catalyst.”
“That’s correct.”
"Theoretically."
"Data speaks!"
Both shrug at once. "Best guess."

Cul takes a breath, steady, like he’s about to give a speech. Instead, he takes a step back, clasps his hands behind his back, and a Pyke stands tall as he faces the wall.
His expression is vacant, void of emotion; noiseless, thoughts are drops upon an ocean, around the arms of a cloud so broken.

“Sharpfall Mountains, you mentioned.”
“Yeah. That’s where we found them.”
A Pyke turns around.
“Found what again?”

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Just as the apology came out of his mouth, he heard a voice in his head again. It was Lemon’s, clear as day. His eyes went wide open at her revelation that she was in some kind of facility underneath this one. She was here!

“Actually, uh, Master— you’re going to think I’m crazy or something— I promise I’m not— I actually heard something this time. See, I was talking to Lemon in my head and she didn’t respond for a while and that’s why I thought she wasn’t here and she wasn’t in the database either but now she said she’s in a place under the lab and—” He took a breath, lowering his voice when he realized that his tone had been escalating. “Sorry. She’s under the station, is what I’m trying to say.” He looked uncertainly at Vayla, hoping that she understood… whatever he’d just said.

“So, uh, do you mind if we go take a look? I feel like I owe it to her. If you remember on Thila… she was the one who came for me,” he said, meeting Master Mirror’s gaze. Once again, the Padawan in him had resurfaced, and he hadn’t even noticed. “I have to go for her.”

@Die Shize

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music OOC

What is a Jedi with no hope? Here and now stands a Jedi who hoped she would never find out. Even in the shadows, or especially in them, a Jedi flies in the night beside the light.
It never dies, bright in the eyes, and Vayla Mirana’s eyes are quite like lightning. Lightning, like that of a lightsaber, beating back the darkness.

In that office, at that desk, Knight Leonkri invites his master to move along if she would not stay by his side. It isn’t personal, the woman knows, as the young man that is still a boy to her proceeds further to the computer.

It is his emotions getting the best of him, so determined to find her, Leh’Min’Ayd, and anything in his way must be paved. Vayla watches him, she doesn’t leave, watches Quin as he searches the computer.
Like I’m searching for you…Master…to stop you…wherever you are…what you are doing…

Quin is typing, clicking, but his search yields nothing. What is a Jedi with no hope? A Jedi Knight speaks of wasting time. The knight beside him is no longer his master but ever his guide as both lights fly and fight in the night.

O shadow, where is your glow?
By what star burned, silent echo?
How are you flying, firefly, with no wings?
With no light, what is a shadow in the night?

A Jedi blinks herself out of it. She spreads her lips, determined to reassure Quin, to cleave his apology and tell him there is no need to be sorry for anything.
That was the very moment that it was instead Quin who speaks, about the voice in his head, but it’s no mere voice, it’s a girl’s voice, and it becomes his world.

As a shadow becomes the night. Vayla has no eyes, except for her prosthetics, those electric orbs that are yet oceans of emotions.
A Jedi can have them, the Jedi know, but on some level and to some extent a Jedi did well to keep them in check.

“Quin…”

Vayla begins after she listens to her apprentice, her former Padawan, her Jedi Knight from the same sunlight and the closest person for the son she never had. A shadow is alone. This isn't me. I am merely the fire that bleeds.

There may never have been much hope of finding Leh’Min’Ayd listed in the database simply because if a Jedi Padawan was being held in this facility then it very well means she will be unlisted or at least on this level.

“...We came here for information.”

The Mirror steps forward, toward Quin, Knight by Knight, eyes into eyes.

“If anyone has it, I’m sure your Lemon is one such person.”

A smile just then, at the same time as a hand holds a shoulder like a mother trying to reassure her son he would find his friend again one way or the other.
Just as much, a Jedi reminding a Jedi why they fight, whether shadow or light, dark or bright, they were the Knights whose arms and lightsabers arc against the dark side.

“More importantly, she is someone in need. As you are you, and I am here for you, my friend.”

Letting go, Vayla turned back to the computer and did some shifting and searching of her own.
“Now let’s see then…”
-Tip-tap-click-clack-
“Ah! There we have it.”

Finger-flick at the screen, promptly pivot it toward Quin, let him see for himself on the monitor the identities of whoever they are. An electronic message in the system just then revealed to them the real reason that the two of them are guests in this research facility they had more or less illegitimately entered considering what Quin did to the guards outside the entrance and doors back at the start.

“Andora Darjin, San Holo, researchers sent by Mr. Cornwell of the Gravenell Aquarium.”
Evidently specimens were sent to Spero Station which was nothing unusual by itself since this facility is classified in dim light under an umbrella of research and development.

“Our clearance gets us into the lower levels where…”
A Jedi’s smile, a woman’s grin.
“...Those aquarium specimens were taken…”
Where hope can guide Quin.
“And where Leh’Min is.”

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Spice? At the mention of it, Cheriss couldn’t help glancing at the Pyke. That was his specialty, wasn’t it? She could tell by the intentness in which he looked at the computer, and the way his violet eyes seemed to glow as he did.

She, on the other hand, was more interested in the “amalgamation with their minds” bit.

“Found the rocks!” The Nautolan answered Cul. “Combined with the spice… they’re almost like magic.”
“Magic? Like the Force?”
“You know what I— never mind.”

Like the Force. The Force always played a role. Nothing was ever fully up to chance. The Nautolan was merely ignorant to the complexity of it. Scientists— they all were, even if they might have been helped by it. Kayden had asked her once if she believed in coincidence, and in this case, it was a definite no.

“How did you know to use spice as a catalyst?” The two researchers exchanged glances.

“It has mind-altering properties. What was being tested was originally intended for use against the hive mind of the Killiks, but now we’re thinking it could have much more potential for application than that.” Indeed.

“There are samples of both the rocks and the spice here, if you’re interested. I know you two are new, but they encourage us to do our own research here. As long as you report it. But why wouldn’t you? It helps with the funding, and our pay.”

@Die Shize

 

[Cul Laaster]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

“Found the rocks!” The Nautolan answered Cul. What rocks? Come on. It was hardly an answer. Then again, these two idiots appeared to have arguments over what makes a rock a rock. Patience, a Pyke has, so he listens on as tongues wag.

Like the Force. The two would be research assistants exchanged glances. A Pyke and a Sith. They were here to exchange assistance, for each person’s very own benefit of course, nothing further, no more and no less.

Combined, however, a Sith and a Pyke could yet raise hell on Gravenell, and through such chaos thrive. With a Pyke on top. The lab rat speaks of the hive mind of the Killiks. Cul doesn’t know about the experiments but he has encountered Joiners before.

Potential indeed. A Pyke thinks, giving his violet eyes to the room. Beginning with my very own spice, too.
“We are interested.” A Pyke is honest, speaks no less. “Where are the samples?”

“In the lower levels,” a woman snaps her fingers. “That’s where most internal testing is being done. The deeper sections are off limits but we can move about freely enough on this station and then some!”

A Pyke tilts his gaze. “Lead the way.”

Away they go. The two research idiots in front and a Pyke and a Sith at the back.

“No. No. Now that’s just dumb. You’re not even thinking.”
“Yeah? Well you’re an idiot! You can’t even kriffin’ read it!”

The male and female mouse are arguing about something. Cul thinks it is just as well as he talks about something else to the Sith beside the Pyke.

“They’re using my spice.”
Words unfurl. He has no reason to lie and nothing hides in his eyes save for dark purple light.
“I sell in bulk to only one client I know of who is affiliated with Thur Rashnik, in turn this very station as confirmed to a Ranger and a Mandalorian by Perla the Hutt.”

They take a left. He turns his head at the corner.
“None other than the Daggers.”
That was no coincidental matter. They walk along. A Pyke is calm as he walks with his hands clasped at his back.

“Look! How many times do I have to say it!? You can’t put ketchup on a hotdog!”
“Yeah? Well you put peanut butter on hamburgers so you can just move along!"

"..."

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Once again, Master Mirror had proven that she was willing to put up with him, and for that Quin was grateful. When she placed her hand on his shoulder, he would give her a thankful smile before he straightened up again.

“That means a lot, Master.” He knew she knew, so he didn’t elaborate too much. After a moment, he would step back to give her some more space to work as she put their fake names and identities into the system. At least they would have a legitimate reason for being here now that was actually recognized by the facility.

“I’ll have to remember those names. I can picture you as an Andora, though.” Quin flashed a quick smile in Vayla’s direction before she brought up the lower levels. They would finally find Lemon— he was sure of it.

The elevator to the lower levels wasn’t hard to find. Inside, it appeared as if each floor had a designated company or area of research. The one for the Gravenell Aquarium was one of the lowest, and as the lift began to descend, Quin tried to mentally prepare himself for what he might find. He didn’t want to get his hopes too high out of fear of being disappointed yet again, but he had a better feeling about it this time. He took a deep breath as the door opened, stepping out onto the floor alongside Vayla. There was only one thing on his mind as he did.

Where are you, Lemon?

@Die Shize

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Quin flashed his mirror a smile which she exchanges.
“Vayla. Mirana. Andora.”
Darjin. San Holo.
“It does have a bit of a ring, I think.” That is who we are to this facility.

Poor Quin, Vayla reminded him that the names were on their very badges as given by the receptionist upon walking into this research facility. The Force. It can bring us together as much as keep us apart.

The very universe had a way of creating conflict where it might otherwise not exist, chaos against order, but a gaping pit is what a Jedi ever fought against while the Sith sought to create it.

Emotions, a Jedi knows, can be the force that leads to a dark street. Whatever their history, Quin Leonkri and Leh’Min’Ayd, two Jedi, share their own state, their own kind of link.

It was friendship, that much was evident on Quin's countenance, but whatever happened back on that planet, Thila, had involved the four corners of the Force and there was no mistaking it, no doubt.
Force...Corners...Circle...so...round...

“Let’s go.”

Away they went, taking their exit out of that office.
Two Jedi, braving the dark, Knights Vayla and Quin.
He's not a Padawan now, she's reminded, not a kid.
A young man, if not a man grown, Jedi against Sith.

Two Jedi Padawans…two Sith Champions…impressive...
Andora thinks as she stands beside her only companion.
In an elevator stand two Jedi Knights—of light so endless.
Though a Shadow, Vayla is a Jedi, a black fire cast by light.

They are specks of dust in the grand scheme of things.
But the light side of the Force has determined they serve.
It is their purpose in life to protect one another and defend others.
Whether the shadow, whether the flame, the light do two knights bring.

O wandering folly, it is to you that I lament.
Endless is time as it drips from your breath.
You entered the lair of a dragon, fury’s heart.
A moment frozen in flame—bright but dark.

In the dark, she is whistling.
Vayla Mirana, tempted to sing.
The elevator descends into the deep.
Vayla and Quin, sharing the same dream.

“Trials and tribulations,” the woman murmurs in the lift.
Whistling in the dark, gaze on wall. “Ski boots didn’t fit.”
The lift goes down, further do they travel into the abyss.
Finally, she feels her, the elevator arrives at the Aquarium.

And the doors open.
And a man steps in.
Him, steps on floor.
Quin, into corridor.

Vayla arrives at his side. Together, by two Jedi would they light the night. They are surrounded by darkness, blind, lacking in knowledge of whatever is really going on in this research station.
They have pieces to the puzzle but not enough, and if they are going to put it together then a Togruta named Leh’Min’Ayd may yet be able to help provide them with answers.

“...I sense a presence…a disturbance…”

A woman sees lab coats emerge into view up ahead. A pair of researchers mingling at a corridor junction. The pair of Jedi ever have to use discretion as they travel ahead.

Walls on their left and right, a sign on the wall at the end. It read: ‘Labs and Offices’ with an arrow pointing left. Another sign pointed to the right: ‘Storage and archives’

“Which way, Quin?”

Vayla ever seeks his judgment as a tutor seeks a student’s opinion. Posing as visiting researchers got them this far, they should be able to roam freely, but need more leads. One way or the other, they would choose a direction to continue their search after Leh'Min.

@Sicadorito

 

[Leh'Min'Ayd]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Why so sleepy, kid?
I’m…not…a…kid…
Oh, such tired eyes…
I…am…a…Jed…i…

She is just a girl.
Alone in a world.
Almost eighteen.
But she’s no teen.

No, he had taken that life from her.
From her fingertips, he removed it.
Deprived her of all those missed years.
Of being a girl, a kid, of laughs and tears.

Most girls, a girl thinks, spent their time chasing boys and having sleepovers.
Sharing makeup, gossip, going out to eat, shopping, dressing up, showing love.
Leh’Min’Ayd got to do those thing, at least for a little bit, when the world was hers.
Mostly in her head. Silex, Jade, Ruzaan, Pyke, thanks, guys, everyone. Lin...it was...fun.

She’s on her bed, in the middle of a room, a girl rests her head.
She is cold, legs curled up, knees to chin, arms round her chest.
Her eyes are closed in slumber, though she is awake and asleep.
A girl dreams, a girl sees, she just wants to breathe, leave her be.

...Please…please…stop it…stop...beating…me…
It isn’t him. It isn’t her master who hurts her.
He hurt her when he had to and burned her.
This feels worse. Her heart...hurts and burns.

Lonely heartbeat, thumping, drumming, like hammer on glass over and over again.
She’s frail, brittle, avian arms and legs, slim little Lemon, bones can snap like twigs.
If it wasn’t for the Force, a girl would be nothing, Master said; instead she’s No One.
I am…no one…just a stupid girl…curled up like a lab rat…a dumb kid should be dead.

It should have happened back in that factory, on that planet, past that town, up the mountain.
Where that Trandoshan, Thur Rashnik, was performing his experiments on men and women.
Children, even, from what the Jedi gleaned. Jedi…Lin Queonkri…Leh’Min’Ayd…Padawans!
Lin was long gone, he left her. No…I left him…dumb Leh’Min… But Leh’Min never forgot.

“...L-Lin…”
She can feel him.
He can’t see her.
Can’t see each other.
“I sense your presence…”

It was every Forcie’s favorite line, but is Leh’Min’Ayd even really a Jedi?
She is nothing, really. No One is but a bug in the middle of a mountain.
She had failed to stop two Sith, she was a weak silly girl who can’t fight.
She should have died back on Thila, in the vent, or on the ground again.

“...M-Master…”
A girl whispers.

He can’t hear her either. The old man, as a girl sometimes liked to call him, had left her.
In the dark, in the cold, in the silence of an endless night. The light, sometimes it is bright.
When he came back, that man, he will have questions, expect answers. Am I...stronger..?
She doesn’t know. She just wants to go. To leave this room, Jedi or not, she wants to fly.

Instead, she begins to sniff, begins to cry.
Broken, lost, forgotten, abandoned lemon.
Tears on sheet, she rolls over to her side.
No position, there’s no escape for Leh’Min.

Her eyes…they’re closed…but she sees…so far…
Lights…in the dark…and she knows what they are…
O stars…you twinkle, you glow, as if to speak to me…
Teasing, you bright things, for of you I can never reach…

Her eyes, black pupils, black irises, black seas.
Against purple skin with tendrils—lekku, of pearl.
A girl, forsaken, all alone in the middle of a world.
She sleeps, she dreams, she wakes, she breaks.

“...P-Papa...”

He let her out, that purple bird, that peacock, from her cage.
Master, he found her, took her in, that lost little Leh’Min’Ayd.
No father, no mother, an orphan, a father the man became.
A Jedi, he claimed, raised her in a room, a cage and a cave.

He let the girl go experiment, experience, to test her skills.
The master let the student move along, explore the world.
Practice in the field—kill and death—she’d have never left.
She failed him, too weak against Sith, just a dumb little girl.

“PAPA!”

Where are you, Lemon?

Papa!?
It isn’t him.
But it is…Lin.
I am…I am in a cave…in a place…far away…
You’re…close…Lin…look for…the lemonade…

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

The two researchers seemed more than happy to lead them to the samples. Despite their false identities as research assistants, the fact that they were so willing to give it to even those they’d never met was a little strange. They didn’t seem worried at all about them potentially wasting the resources or even stealing them, which suggested that they had ample funding and frequent restocks. Whoever was funding this place had to be wealthy indeed.

As the two argued in front of them, Cheriss would tilt her head slightly to listen to Cul. That was another interesting detail, that they were using spice from the Pykes. If this were all fully legal, there would be nothing stopping them from buying from the ISC planets. Only those who wanted to operate under the radar would be resorting to the syndicates for resources, and that sparked her interest in what they were really trying to do here.

“It appears that the Daggers have much farther of a reach than anticipated.” Everything seemed to lead back to them. She was left thinking about it when they reached the elevator.

“We’ll take you to storage, and that’s where you’ll find the materials. If you’re here, you already have plenty of lab experience, so we’re not going to bore you with all the rules and whatnot. Just… be careful not to accidentally inhale the spice.” The Nautolan gave them a warning before stepping into the lift.

“Now, just letting you know, this level here is as far as you and I can go.” The woman tapped on the floor just above the level of the aquarium. “And that’s where we’re going!”

The elevator began to descend, and soon they’d arrived. The man and woman would lead them to a small room in the back. The lab outside was well-lit and the equipment had clearly been recently cleaned.

“Here we are. Feel free to take a look around, and if you have any questions, just give us a call. That analysis won’t write itself.” With that, the others would leave Cheriss and Cul in the lab.

@Die Shize