Ask Still Cold

[Darth Invictus]

Ender's ship split through the sky with ease, the engine's scream echoing through the air. He had kept his distance from the general going-ons of the galaxy and recluded himself. There hadn't been a specific reason, it was just something that had to be done, or else he thought he would have lost his mind. It had been quite a while since he had broken his meditation but he had received a message from a familiar name. Surprisingly to himself, he didn't just ignore it but instead took it as an opportunity to leave his solidarity.

The planet he found himself flying over was Serenno, the trees brushed aside as his ship barely skimmed over the top of them. When he found a suitable landing zone in a nearby plain, the ship eased it's speed before it fully stopped above the spot and finally descended. After it had landed, the lid on top of the TIE opened and Ender jumped out onto the ground softly. He was dressed in snug clothes that were suited for the environment as he tugged his gloves to be tighter. There was a blaster pistol strapped to his chest but he had his lightsaber clipped to his hip as well underneath the clothing.

Ender pulled out his datapad to review the coordinates once more before heading off. About half an hour later, he reached his destination when he small camp in front of him. There was a fire lit that gave off a shield of light to protect it from the darkness as the sun started to dip beneath the trees. He put his datapad away and approached silently until he was close enough that the heat from the fire touch him. Ender glanced slowly around the area before calling out somewhat quietly, "Doc?"

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

-THEME-​

She spent a few days alone. On this planet, there were many places where you could be alone without being bothered by civilization. She had turned off her commlink and spent the time meditating or studying the holocron, devoting her time and effort into decoding its' many enigmatic secrets, delving deeper and deeper into this... alchemy.

There were so many applications to this that defied scientific rationale that she called the first person that came to mind to make sense of this nonsense. But grief and rage had taken a toll on the Doctor. Once a crisp, clean-cut looking woman, her long white hair was tied up into a ponytail, face and arms covered in scratches and speckled with mud. She wore a light grey tank top and flight suit in darker grey, the top tied around her waist, and heavy boots. She had left camp, intending to go deeper into the woods to focus, and practice melee.

At the nickname coming quietly from her camp, she silently approached, not even bothering to quell her own aura. She had learned a few things since they had last met; firelight flickered ambient across snowy features, golden eyes gleaming coldly in the dimming light. Even her eyes were shadowed with exhaustion.

"Hal," she greeted coolly behind him, arms crossed. "Thank you for coming."

Since he was already here, she figured she might as well capitulate. If he didn't turn around, she would talk to his back, eyes calm. What laid beneath the surface, however, seethed still.

Rage. Pain. Bleak, unfiltered grief stained with the thirst for vengeance. So many emotions flickering in and out, barely reined in.

"I have a favor to ask of you. Please sit." Not waiting for him to affirm or deny, she paced around behind him and to his right, stalking over to a thermos filled with caf. Not too far away, he would see the silhouette of a RangeMaster parked within the trees, stealthily concealed.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Nobody stepped forth at first and Ender kept his senses alert. That's when he felt the slight pulsating of the force behind him and he smoothly spun on one foot and faced toward whoever it was. The hilt of his lightsaber was in his hand and aimed toward IIana's chest but it remained deactivated. When his eyes met hers, he spun the hilt before attaching back to the clip on his side. "Doc. Always a pleasure."

It was obvious, she wasn't the same person that he had met last time. Her emotions were unstable and Ender could feel them bubbling inside her as she barely held on. There was curiosity in his eyes about her and when she asked for a favor and for him to sit, he gave a brief nod in response. Ender walked towards the fire and sitting on a log placed beside it. He stared into the fire for a moment before his eyes eventually made their way back to Ilana. "Would it be too forward Doc if I make the obvious statement that you're quite different now then since we met?" The marauder couldn't tell who he was dealing with, Ilana, or something that just resembled her.

Ender's eyes then drifted to the RangeMaster and then back to her once again. "You've been camped here quite a while." Even her eyes had changed to the familiar gold of the Darkside. Has she been completely corrupted by it at this point? He didn't want to speculate anymore about her situation and just waited for her to get her coffee before revealing what favor she wanted from him.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She shrugged at his stating she wasn't the same; even she knew it. She seemed to calm somewhat, shoulders lowering as she slowly exhaled, then unscrewed the cap to the thermos, pouring a small cup of it. "Apologies, I've only been here a few days, and I'm not normally the camping type." Amber eyes flickered lambently in the light, meeting those of silver-blue calmly.

He seemed remarkably calm about meeting a possible madwoman in the forest. "Have you ever lost someone that felt part of your identity?" she finally managed to ask, taking a slow sip of the brew as she settled back to the the ground, eyes no longer focused on his but on the ground before her. "To where even so many parsecs away... you could feel their death? Their pain?" She seemed calm, taking another swallow as though to smooth out her nerves, and it seemed to work.

"He was like you." Flat, almost emotionless. But ever so slightly, her hands trembled. "Doing impossible things. We were getting answers. I was getting answers... and without him I know little. Both of you and your abilities are a mystery... but he said I was like him." Her eyes flickered to his once more, as she crossed her legs, elbows on her knees. "Teach me. Please. I need to know."

Her voice was soft, but firm. If he refused, he was welcome to leave. She would do nothing but let him go... perhaps he knew that. But her gaze was intense, its' typical amber-gold, waiting to see what he would have to say. If he accepted... there were so many things she wished to understand.

Things the holocron revealed that seemed that anyone that was trained would take for granted. But for her... they were a mystery. Just as he was.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender didn't reply to her apology as he didn't see the need for her to have made it in the first place. His eyes steadily watched her as she poured herself some coffee before finally turning to him once more. That's when she asked if she had ever lost someone that had felt like they were part of him. He hadn't been expecting that and it stumped him slightly as he couldn't create an answer immediately.

Then the image of Talak flashed into his mind and the battle they had between them and the words that were exchanged. The sith had trained him and planted the seed that created what he was today. But Talak had joined the enemy and left Ender to fend for himself because of his own selfish reasons. "You could say something like that." He finally responded but Ilana continued on as she mentioned another person.

Ender arched his eyebrow, was she talking about her family or someone that she was close with? But as she continued to speak, he realized it was neither of those things but another sith. He ran a hand through his hair as he brought his gaze to the fire and let it reflect in his eyes. "This is something you don't make lightly Doc." When he returned his gaze to her, she would find that his own eyes were golden and had been using the force to hide their true color. "You can't turn back from it once you step forward. It won't let you." The Darkside had its own twisted sense of humor and once it planted its hooks into someone, it wasn't going to relinquish. Whoever was afflicted by it would eventually fall and they could only control their descent.

Ender picked up a stick and poked some of the logs of the fire and shifted them as a shower of sparks floated into the air. "You're a doctor and it will go against everything you stand for. Are you prepared for that?"

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

'This is something you don't make lightly'

'You can't turn back... it won't let you'

'Go against everything you stand for...'

It was funny, hearing him say things like that. It was deja vu, and if she closed her eyes she could see him. Black hair, socket eyes, a spectral grace of a smile touched by a cigara. He was young. Younger than her, yet somehow in many ways older, wiser. She swallowed thickly, jaw hardening as she stared at his eyes. Meeting the hard yellow baleful glow with her own cool amber stare, taking another sip of caf. "You mean like murder? Torture?" She paused, head tilted slightly to regard him, her lips twisted in a thin, bitter imitation of a smile.

"Losing control... feeling it burn inside you, watching them, the people you care for, change before your eyes into the very nightmares you work to exterminate?" she asked softly, the smile dropping. "Knowing that you're sick, and no pill and injection's gonna save you? What else am I missing in context, Hal?"

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender's gaze continued to remain on Ilana's but unlike her, a smile didn't touch his lips as they sat in a hard line. He watched as she started to list what she believed would be invoked if she continued down this path. She wasn't half wrong but there was more to it than just that. "Quite a bit." He stabbed the stick into the fire once more before looking to her again, "That's part of it but it won't be the people you care for change before your eyes. It will be yourself. You will become a nightmare that somehow never ends depending on how you view it."

"Your purpose was to protect life and if you continue, no matter how hard you try it will turn into destroying everything that opposes us or sides with the Jedi." Ender threw the stick away and dusted off his pants before resting his elbows on top of his knees. "You will become hunted for the rest of your life and always have a reason to look over your shoulder." The seriousness in his face in his eyes and face didn't disappear and in fact, his words grew even colder as it was obvious he had dealt with something like this before, "If you can't accept what happens to you or what you will become, it will kill you from the inside out and tear you apart."

Ender then shrugged his shoulders, "Or, you'll attempt to remedy what you've transformed into and help our enemies for some unknown reason. Which in turn means you are a threat not only to the Sith but to me personally. This is not a world of pleasantries. I will be the first to drive my blade through your heart if I must." The sith didn't speak with arrogance or overconfidence, he just spoke matter of factly like it was something that would have to be done whether he wanted it to happen or not. Talak had already betrayed. He wasn't going to let such a thing happen twice.

"There's more but it's something you'll have to discover on your own." Ender then stood up, the fire illuminating half his body as he stared down at Ilana. "Well, Ilana, your final chance to turn back, do you take it, or do you wish to proceed down this path?" Both had their advantages, it just came down to what she really wanted.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

"I couldn't side with the Jedi," she commented wryly, brows denting. From what little she knew of them, they seemed smug, almost hypocritical of their oaths and creeds. But hearing him state he was a Sith seemed to somewhat surprise the Arkanian; she regarded him with head tilted slightly.

But... Kai tried to pull her away from this. And Ender was giving her a choice. Regardless of which path she chose, there was no clear answer beyond the next step. When he rose, she did as well. But unlike his voice, hers was soft. Contemplative.

"...You're the first person to offer me a choice in anything," she spoke quietly, amber eyes regarding him honestly. "In many ways, I feel like you know what I mean when I say those that gave no choice, took their own." What he was asking was her own choice, and for once... she wasn't certain. "I want answers to why he died." She spoke quietly, gaze never leaving his as she shrugged. "Not that it matters. I swore an oath to heal... and you're right. But if I can't get answers through the Sith... will you help me in finding answers elsewhere?"

Once more, there was calm in her gaze. Many questions were answered by his actions, his statements. But by his own brutal honesty, she felt respect, even. A measure of loyalty from her, to respect even how honest he was with her. Strange, so few had bothered with honesty with her before.

She grimaced, however, at the idea of her words being misconstrued. "Without either side of the Force. I find if the Sith are as you claim... the Jedi are just as repugnant, their motives and creeds unaligned with my own ambition for answers. But if you will help me... I will help you with whatever I may."

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender stood there silently and still remained silent as she mentioned that he was the first person to offer her a choice in something. He would have normally done the typical method of slowly letting the corruption do his job for him without her knowing it. But after the event with Talak, he skipped all that and wanted to confirm if Ilana actually wanted this or not. When she mentioned this man dying again, the Sith raised his eyebrow at her with a questioning look. It was clear he had no idea who she was talking about but he didn't interrupt her.

"Yes, I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine." Ender didn't mind the thought of helping her unless what he stated before happens and she tries to help the Jedi or just abandon the Sith. From the way she spoke, there was a lot she would have to discover with traveling down the Dark side and he wondered how she would react to it. At her last statement about the Jedi and Sith, he actually chuckled before replying, "The first thing you'll find out, you will always get dragged into Sith and Jedi business whether you like it or not." For him, he had randomly stumbled onto a Sith and eventually became indoctrinated into them without even knowing of the Jedi.

But Ender crossed his arms and let their gazes meet head-on, "What do you need help with? And who is he?" He was curious about what her own ambitions were but he didn't voice them. How far was she willing to go to get these answers? Ender wanted to be involved for his own reasons besides just helping her and watching her "work" firsthand would be the best way for him. When she ended with that she would help him with whatever, he smirked at her, "I hope you realize the weight to those words when you say them to me."

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

No matter what, she wasn't going to join the Jedi. No point to it, really. But she listened... and when he smirked, she realized something.

He was quite handsome, actually. In a galactic general sense, in another lifetime perhaps, she wouldn't have minded sharing a drink with him. Meantime, however, there was business to be had. However, she had not anticipated that he would want to help her still, regardless of her being Sith or not. It was... shocking, really.

"I am researching into the plague," she stated bluntly, "and its' origin point. I have names, a place where the information is stored... he was going to help me find it." She gazed at him, but even speaking his name was difficult. For just a moment, a flicker of pain flared to life in amber eyes, before it cooled. Almost too quick to be noticed.

"...His name was Malakai Beck," she spoke quietly, swallowing. "He wanted to teach me.. then changed his mind. I didn't see him for weeks, but then he... died. I felt it," she spoke quietly, then eased out a breath, willing her heart to slow, shoving aside the pain that flared to life.

Who else would notice when I'm gone, and who else would ever miss me?

"We were seeking answers, also, for why I... feel the emotions of all those surrounding me," she spoke calmly, jaw firming slightly. "Why I can feel every little nuance, each as acute and real as though they were my own. He said he had answers... but he can't help me anymore." Blunt, honest truth. She was left in the lurch with no idea what really happened to him or why, and it killed her in so many minute ways. Regret as well. Regret for never saying how she felt, and now it was too late.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

The doctor still continued her research, which wasn't all too much of a surprise but he thought with the revelation of what she was, she would've forgotten it by now. Then she started to inform him that she had the information but whoever the man was, was either gone or dead. Even Ender could feel the pain that flickered through her and he guessed what the answer was before she had to say it out loud to him. When she finally mentioned his name, Ender had to scoff, mainly to himself.

Malakai Beck. That was the Sith that he had fought in order to take over the Knights of Ren. When she mentioned not seeing him for weeks, that could have been when he held the Sith in the hold of the castle but she could have been referring to another time that he didn't know. "I've met the man." It was the only thing he was going to say on the matter right then as he didn't think involving the detail of them battling would help. Ilana asked why she could feel all of the emotions and practically everything around her and Ender just gave her the simplest answer he could.

"You're force sensitive. Everything is connected through the force and because of that... you have your own connection to it. In time, you'll learn to control it and shut it out when you want or to listen when you want." As an example, nothing radiated off of Ender, if she reached to reach out to him with the force, it would be like staring at a blank sheet of paper.

Ender didn't intend on standing out here and he fixed attention on Illana before murmuring, "Come on, it's time to go." With a wave of his hand, the fire was extinguished between them and coated them both in slight darkness. "We can continue this conversation later but you need actual sleep." Already he can see it was having its way with the doctor as her appearance was far from its usual perfect and clean arrangement.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Hal had met Kai before. For some reason, that didn't surprise her. But if he was Sith, and he knew him... perhaps he was one of the ones who left him for dead on Bal'demnic. A month ago, it would have angered her enough she would have attacked him right then and there, but as it was a dull throb of pain ached in the pit of her stomach, and she nodded dully. Of course he knew Kai.

But to know when to shut off this empathic ability at will... that caught her attention. She stared at him, about to speak, but he was already murmuring. The fire was smothered, and they were in darkness. The wildlife surrounding them seemed to crescendo with the lack of sentient touch glowing in the forest, and she sighed, stepping away from him.

Even in the dark, she could feel him there. A void, a blankness of shut out from the rest of the galaxy, and her hand lightly brushed against his. Her voice was low as she paused, just before stepping into her tent to retire as he suggested... she had the feeling arguing with him would get nowhere at this time.

"Stay with me."

It was low, a soft request, but truth be told she was tired of being alone, not knowing. Even if she wouldn't be a Sith... he could help her gain the control she needed, perhaps. And for once, as well, she wouldn't be haunted by someone who never felt the same way she did. Hal seemed like the type who would understand feeling alone in the galaxy. And if he didn't... she would just have to continue on her own. Like she always had.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender was to ready to move but then he felt Illana's hand brushed against his. He usually would've recoiled instinctively but he stayed where he was. His eyes went to where he could still sense her as she made her way to the tent before asking for him to stay with her. The Sith didn't answer for a few moments but he eventually answered, "I will. Get some sleep, Ilana." The only reason he was persistent on it was the fact that she looked like she could topple over any second.

He had every intention to leave this planet with her and get her an actual suitable bed but she seemed intent on staying here. It didn't bother him and he simply flicked his hand to ignite the fire once more to illuminate the area in an orange hue. Ilana went back into her tent while Ender stayed outside, simply sitting down in front of the log as he leaned his back against it with his arms crossed. He only stared into the fire for a few minutes until eventually, he let sleep take him as well as he closed his eyes.

---​

The next morning, whenever Ilana woke, she would find Ender already awake with food over the fire. The sun bore down on them hard but bearable. He stripped most of the clothes down to just resign himself to a shirt, pants, and boots. He had hunted earlier and managed to catch a bird that was at least big enough to feed both of them for the morning as it roasted over the fire. The Sith was on the log but when he heard movement, his gaze was drawn to her and he simply called out, "Good morning." He then gestured with his hand to the roasted bird, "Breakfast is almost ready."

​

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She always woke early. It was an old habit, ingrained from years of strict sleeping schedules and her day drilled from a very tender age. The fact that Ender was already awake ahead of her spoke volumes to the Doctor. She blinked once, staring at him in faint disbelief, then slowly stepped out. "You stayed... and even got food?" Amber eyes tracked across his form, and to the fire then back again.

She had changed into leggings, a black tank and boots as well, the dark colors making the pale Doctor already seem all the paler. Her hair was neatly braided behind her head, and though she felt a dire need for a shower on her own ship, for now she would stay there, looking at Hal with faint disbelief, hands on her hips.

"Didn't know you were the breakfast type," she replied, but unlike the maelstrom of emotions she was last night, she once again seemed cool, calm, the perfect image of collectiveness. Striding over to sit opposite of him to the fire, she crossed her legs, reaching for the old thermos of caf, and tilting it to offer some. "Thank you, by the way," she spoke quietly.

"For staying."

For once, she slept without interruptions or nightmares. An oddity, considering her rest of late. And it wasn't unappreciated by any means.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

"Well you did ask me and I got hungry." Ilana wasn't the only one with sleeping problems, the only difference between them is he knew how to hide it better. His eyes flicked up and down her figure momentarily before he commented, "It seems sleep did you wonders." Compared to last night, she seemed more in control of herself and there was a focus in her eye that had been missing. She sat down across from and his eyes followed her until she did find her seat before tearing off a piece of meat for himself.

Ender threw it into his mouth and chewed for a little bit before he chuckled, "I'm hungry when I'm hungry. Don't really have a type." But the Sith gave her a nod in reply to her thanks at getting breakfast for them. It wasn't hard as using the force let him cheat in a lot of aspects in life with hunting for game being one of them. "Don't mention it. I just sat by the fire and looked pretty." It surprised himself that he stayed. He honestly thought that a few hours into it, he would've left but yet he remained.

Ender tore off another piece of meat and threw it on a plate before sliding it over Ilana. "Nothing fancy but hopefully you'll stomach it." He didn't really know how she ate but he just assumed with her being a doctor that she usually ate on the nicer end of the spectrum for food compared to most people. "Now that you have your sleep, tell me about what you're searching for." Ender didn't make small talk, he was used to just knowing what his objective was and doing it and that's what he fell back on.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

A soft chuckle slipped from her lips, a wry grin touching as she took a long drink from the caf bottle, attempting to wake up a little more. "Truth be told, I entirely expected you to leave," she replied simply, sitting back on her haunches to look at him. He seemed to be in a good mood. At mentioning she seemed better, she ran a hand through her hair, the smile fading. "Yeah. Last night was... bad. Memories that refused to die."

She nodded in understanding at his statement of food; she knew that feeling all too well. Occasionally she had a day where she could eat three square meals, but they were rare and few in number. And if there was a 'meal', it often came in a bar or shake. No time for real food. Snagging the plate, she tucked in neatly, but the food was gone far faster than she'd anticipated. "Good thing I'm not the fancy type everyone assumes I am," she quipped, pausing when he asked her objective.

She sighed, running a hand over her face. It was clear last night, but now in the light of day the answers seemed thin, phantasmal longings that couldn't stand to hard facts. The world that she clung to so desperately no longer fit in the world she was descending into. "I want... to find answers about control," she reiterated, frowning. "But it's more than that. There were rumors, stories, about controlling how you felt.. but also how others felt. I wanted to know if... he did that to me."

She stopped, pausing at the implications, and swallowed hard. If she could sense others emotions through extrasensory perception... could the reverse happen? Could her own emotions be manufactured, manipulated in such a way?

Here was one man that perhaps would have the answers before her.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender hadn't expected that to be her answer. He thought it would be something strange but at least physical and able to retrieve. Instead, she wanted answers about control before correcting herself and instead asked if her emotions had been manipulated. The Sith arched his eyebrow at her after she was finished speaking, not really sure what to say before just eventually shrugged at her, "Most likely, if he was a Sith."

He ripped off another strip of meat from the cooked game before speaking again, "Someone can't exactly control how someone feels. It's more of something that you can nudge along in a certain direction. It depends on the person how they react to it." Pausing a few seconds to eat part of his food and to wipe his mouth with his thumb afterward, Ender continued, "If someone has a weak mind, then I guess it could be nearly possible to completely control their emotions. But for most people, it's usually a push that some can ignore if they fight and others cannot." If she was force-sensitive and felt that it was for certain that her emotions had been manipulation, then he could believe it most likely happening.

"There's no way for me to tell. Maybe if there was a specialist of some sort. The only thing I would be able to test for you is if he tangled with your memories or thoughts. Other than that, you'll just have to become more powerful in order to combat the next time someone does it to you." Ender generally strayed away from people's heads, their thoughts were messy and his was already ugly enough to not need him peeping through the windows of someone else's thoughts.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Strong and weak-minded people... she wondered where she fell on that spectrum Whether or not her own emotions had been compromised, or if she was ever going to be that vulnerable again. Somehow, she doubted it. She would never let any other Force Sensitive that close to her again... she was determined not to.

"How do you become more powerful? Constant training?" she queried quietly, leaning back to gaze at him and taking another sip of cold caf. "If so... I've been training every spare hour I can. But without any guides, any leads, I'll never be powerful enough to withstand that sort of manipulation, no matter a weak or strong mind I can have." She persisted, curious as to what Hal could do.

She'd had a taste of it before, but that was some time ago.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ilana asked how to become more powerful and he chuckled softly at such a question. It was a popular question amongst the Sith and one that had revolving answers. When she commented that she had been training but by herself, Ender glanced up at her and shook his head, "Then you haven't been training. You have just been engraining your flaws." His eyes went to the ground and to his feet as memories of his own training with Talak flashed through his mind.

Ender knew what she was subtly asking and she would be able to see his jaw clench slightly as he contemplated an answer for her. After a few seconds, he eventually spoke once again, "I can train you. Or at least act as a guide until you feel like killing me or leaving." His eyes met hers's and he held contact with them for a few moments, obviously, something clashing in his eyes before he spoke again, "If you accept, you'll be able to know about yourself to answer the questions you have about yourself and potentially even more. It won't be fun, it won't be easy but you'll be stronger."

He slipped off the log in order to sit on the ground and place his back against it as he drew one leg in and rested his arm on top of his knee. "There's a price however and it's a heavy one. Loyalty." Ender shrugged his shoulders once more, "It's not quite something you can ask for but quite frankly I'm tired of dealing with bullshit. You will be asked to do things you will not want to do and you'll just have to stomach it."

With some grace, he tore off some more meat and placed it on a plate before sliding it back over to Ilana for her to keep eating. "If you say no, then no hard feelings and I'll just help you find a teacher suitable for you." Ender still would like to make sure that she didn't join the Jedi if she did decide she didn't want to be taught by him.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Until she left him or killed him? She frowned, gaze focusing on his features as he shifted, white brows dented. She would let him talk, the crackle of the fire the only other initial noise in the camp as he spoke, his words settling around her mind.

Loyalty. A noose, a bond that tied her to someone else. He wanted her loyalty, more than anything else. Her eyes regarded him for a moment longer, the silence stretching on. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft. "You, more than anyone, would know that my loyalty is an unbreakable bond. However... if my ambition comes at the expense of many lives, I couldn't do it. I have no desire for either Sith, nor Jedi... but an ally. I offer myself as an ally. You have that bond." She took up the plate, then glanced at him.

"You don't know much about me, and the same is here. That might be for the best... in my limited experience, few of us have loyalty. If I had to swear by anything about you to my loyalty... it would be to my own creed. My own moral code. As you've offered your services to me, I do the same for you. Whatever a Doctor like myself can be in offering, Hal."

She then sighed, rubbing a palm on her forehead.

"With Kai's death, I was furious. People disappoint you, abandon you for their own selfish reasons. I've never understood that easy break from a promise. You become a ghost... I refuse to fade to nothing. I have my answers... but this isn't over yet." She glanced back to him, contemplating.

"I have something for you. Should you want it... something you shall benefit as much as I have. Would you want it?"

@Orbit