Xenn pauses, and looks out of the window, feeling powerless as the tractor beam started to rip them from outer space.

"They had to be waiting for us, Its not even the fact that were jedi, its the fact that we were going in search of the new jedi temple grounds. I dont have a good feeling about this..."

"See to it that the crew of those ships are assembled in my ready room, and make certain there are no stragglers finding a difficult time of it exiting their ships."

"Aye, Sir," came the brisk reply, and the comm snicked closed. From his vantage point, the General watched a moment longer, waiting to see who would exit.

"This is Sarisa Ker aboard the Jedi Shield. All engine systems are powered down and awaiting docking procedures."

Once the transmission was sent she then sent out a messege to Somar, Xenn and Kitiana.

"I think things will go much more smoothly if we are open, honest and cooperative with the Imperials. If we state our business we may get the information we seek as well as possibly getting to see the proposed sight of the Praxeum."

She continued watching as the three ships were drawn into the SSD.

AS they entered the bays she observes the rather large welcoming commitee lining the bays.

Once the Shield is down Sarisa turns off all remaining systems after opening the exit port.

She heads out of the ship but not much futher than a step or two outside the ship as she doesn't want to step over any bounds with soo many troopers around. She starts looking for the highest ranking officer inhopes that they will be escorted somewhere.

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

Military training forbade the reflexive shake of his head which wanted to come out; instead he stiffened and motioned to a Lieutenant standing nearby.

"Send troops into both of those ships to search for any stragglers, and make certain you scan all elements inside. Smugglers and the like have not been above passing themselves off as Jedi in the past, and we do know their penchant for installing secret little hidey holes.

"I want every cubic millimeter of those two ships scanned, and now, if you please."

As the Lieutenant saluted and turned away, barking orders as he went, the Officer approached Xenn and Serisa. Coming to a halt in front of them, he gave them both a polite nod of greeting.

"If you would please go with the escort provided, the General of this ship wishes to speak with you."

He raised a gloved hand to one side to indicate that they follow the squadron of soldiers who were standing patiently by. Then with another nod of his head, he returned to his task of overseeing the search of the two tractored vessels, which was already underway.

As for the third vessel...

"Replace tractor beam on the unopened vessel, and repel it out to 6,000 klicks," he ordered smoothly.

"Keep the tractor beam engaged, but standby on weapons and shields."

Whoever... or whatever... is inside that vessel certainly is not to be trusted, he thought to himself as he opened a private comm-link to Ahem to inform him of what he had done.

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

Xenn swallows as they come up on the door that once opened, will make things alot more interesting.

With the whisk of air from the door, it opens. Revealing a shadowy figure at the back of the room. Perhaps General Ahem?

Xenn steps in.

First impressions speak louder than words, he thought to himself as, belatedly, he toggled a switch, polarizing the gigantic viewport behind him through which the brilliant sunlit surface of Tatooine had undoubtedly silhouetted him. The duraglass darkened, the ambient lighting automatically rising in turn, to reveal him to the others as the grizzled, experienced and patient war veteran that he was.

He stood quietly a moment, then indicated banks of chairs set off to the side, and was in the process of indicating them with a genteel gesture when his comm-link chattered for attention.

"Sir," it chirruped.

"We have found two more within the vessels specified; one, a female, was ahhh--"

Here there was a blatantly embarrassed sort of pause.

"Momentarily indisposed, but en route to disembark. The other was a male, whom we found sitting at the command station, refusing to speak or move.

"Both are in custody, Sir."

Ahem paused, pursing his lips thoughtfully.

"Escort the female to my ready room; as for the other, place him in detention... and be sure to search him thoroughly for any hidden weapons. Bring out the ysalamari, in case he truly is a Force-user, that he will not be able to play any tricks upon you in the process.

"General Ahem, out."

A short period of time followed, and then the door to his ready room opened, revealing a handsome young woman with an extremely disturbed look on her face. She was escorted to where the others stood; the guards then backed off but stayed at the ready.

Ahem now turned his full attention to them.

"Please," he said smoothly, politely, once more indicating the chairs.

"Have a seat. I will send for refreshment, if you like, before we get down to the business at hand."

"Thank you General for your hospitality. We are most thankful."

She takes a minute to survey the room, the General and his guards.

"I think drinks would be a most welcome refreshment."

Her voice soft and in a state of calm under the uneasy conditions.

"We would like to discuss the proposal from the Empire of a Jedi Praxeum on the planet below. First off I'm personally curious why such a proposal was offered when the Praxeum on Yavin IV was destroyed."

She looks into the Generals eyes.

"Is this a trap to trick any other Jedi?"

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

This one is direct, and rather brave at that.

Good.

He let some of that humor escape him in the smile which now crept about his lips.

"A fair question, and one that will be answered forthrightly... but after you answer, once again, ones we have of you.

"Now," he went smoothly on, motioning to one of the guards who flipped a data-padd open.

"For the record, please state your names, the names and serial numbers of your ships, your planet of origin, and what again it is that brings you here to Tatooine."

General Ahem... Tsk Tsk, for a seasoned war veteran your just like all the imperial officers ive encounterd before. Too extreme, giving away your intentions prematurely.

"Xenn, Fl-142, is my ships name. 142-af423-098 Is my ships serial number. Dantooine. I Am a Jedi, and we are all seeking permission to land at the sanctioned temple grounds."

The the smile on Ahem's face faded a bit however, in return to Xenn's overt stand-offishness.

This is no Jedi, he thought to himself, as he nodded to the guard with the data padd. Then the smile strengthened, and he gestured once more toward the proffered refreshments.

"I know how you must feel," he began as he walked to a sideboard to take up a carafe of Iberian tea. Returning to the viewport, he adjusted the polarization, allowing a bit more of the light reflecting from the planet below to filter into the ready room. He stood there a long moment, his back to the party, contemplating the view, organizing his thoughts.

"You have no reason to trust us yet, but it is the hopes of Admiral Actar that one day you will.

"But now--"

He turned round and faced the group once again.

"May I ask the others here to please comply with the stated questions? This is purely a matter of record, you must understand."

"Sorry for my delay. I am Kitiana. I was riding in the Fl-142 with Xenn, but my ship, the Nysa is on the Flower serial number 302-N98-001. I am a force user."

She takes a seat next to Xenn and glances at both him and Sarisa. Though she feels a bit uneasy, she doesn't feel that anything is out of place. Of course though, she would remain on guard incase anything were to happen.

[ 09-21-2005 05:56 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Kitiana ]

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"This Flower you refer to in which your ship is berthed; do I assume correctly that is the dreadnaught halted in our outer perimeters?

"Might I ask of the Commander of that vessel; is he still aboard?"

Smiling again he returned to the sideboard, taking up a bit of sweetmeat which he carried with him to his desk. There he seated himself, nodding to the guard with the data padd, who nodded in turn.

"My name is Sarisa Ker. My ship name is The Ripper serial number 243-SN9-528. It too is aboard the Flower of Carnage."

She then nodded to General Ahem's question regarding the Major.

"The commander of that dreadnought and of the vessel in which I arrived is Major Konig."

She thought for a moment as her brow wrinkled a touch with confusion.

"Though I am not sure why he is not with us at the moment. As for where I am from..." her eyes became cold as flashes of her father appeared in her minds eye followed by explosions from cannon fire of orbitting SSD's. " I was born on Corusant."

With a briefly relaxing breath she kept her composure and warmth crept back into her eyes.

"As Xenn stated we are here to investigate the site from which a Jedi Praxeum is to be constructed. Though my previous question regarding the position of the Empire on this matter is also a curiousity of my own."

[ 09-21-2005 10:04 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sarisa Ker ]

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"Your questions will be answered," he repeated before folding his hands together and placing them loosely upon his desk. He settled a bit in his seat, tilted his head a touch to one side.

"Tell me then, Serisa Ker, if you will: a third ship came with your group, one whose crew declined our invitation to disembark. Will you please state for the record the operator of this vessel, owner if you know it, and why this person is here with your group but has chosen to remain aloof from it?"

I belive its Soman you speak of, none of us know where exactly he came from, nor his intentions.

Now, General I feel we have answerd your questions thouroghly enough. Perhaps you can entertain us with some answers to our own."

Xenn cant help but notice the General studying us like lab mice... Grining behind his cup of whatever he his sipping on. Knowing he has an ace in the hole.

"Thank you for your observation," he said at length as he quietly unfolded his hands from where they had been laying loosely upon the desktop. Toggling a link, he bent over, spoke into the mike in a voice too low for even Jedi ears to discern.

If these are truly Jedi...

Smiling then, he turned back to the group for a moment before he rose and moved over to a darkened area of his immense ready room. There he flipped a switch; a soft blue light immediately turned on, revealing the impossible:

A portion of a Myrkyrian metal-tree, against which trunk there clung a full-grown ysalamiri.

The creature hung there in apparent content, turning it's head to mewl at the General's approach. He reached to a nearby bowl, took up a bit of a treat, and presented it to the creature.

"It is such a rare thing to be allowed a pet upon an SSD," he stated then, his voice neutral, his back to the group.

"I take such joy in the little pleasures of life."

With that he turned back to the others, one hand re-establishing the barred cage about the tree, which descended smoothly from where it had been uplifted to snick softly into the deck.

He regained his seat, glued his eyes to Serisa.

"A question was presented to you, Serisa Ker," he repeated.

"Cute pet you have there. I wasn't aware Generals had pets on their ships."

Once the General restated his question specifically at Sarisa she looks at him as if trying to read him through his gestures and movements. Then with a still calm soft voice.

"With all due respect I beleive Xenn answered your question General. I do not know the name of the ship but it's pilot is a man by the name of Somar. At least that's the name he presented to us. I do not know his intentions, and I cannot speak for Xenn or Kitiana but I have doubts about Somar."

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

"Thank you, Sarisa Ker, for that affirmation."

He rose to his feet, moved back to the ysalamiri. Once again it mewled, expecting another treat.

His back to the others, he reached a hand through the bars and gently scratched the animal's shoulder, which provoked a series of delighted squeals and purrs from it.

"Ysalamiri have been standard pets aboard SSDs since the days of Talon Karrde," he said smoothly, turning away from his pet to face the group.

"I believed all Jedi were aware of-- ahh, but it is of little matter now, isn't it my friends? The point is that you are now aware of it yourselves; hopefully there will come a day when this animal may be returned to its natural home on Myrkyr."

He nodded to the guard with the data-padd, who once again nodded in return.

"So, this Somar is then.. not a Jedi? That is all I can deduce from your statements, as he apparently is not a part of your group. Why he persists in keeping your company...

"Well."

He returned to the sideboard, poured himself some tea. Nodded to his aides, who sprang to the needs of his guests.

"That is something we must discover from him then, isn't it?"

Taking a drink, he remained quiet a moment, studying them all, reading their body language: Serisa uncomfortable but apparently open, Xenn sullen and mistrusting, Kitiana...

That one. A bit more of a mystery. Open, yet with an aura of secretiveness unbecoming to Jedi....

"Please, pardon what appears to be evasiveness on my part. You have responded to the best of your ability, and as far as I can deduce, truthfully as well.

"Let me return the favor, if you will."

He paused a moment, then turned back to his viewport. Below him, Tatooine hung like a great mauve and ocher fruit, dried and sere yet contradictorally ripe for the picking.

This planet has already been plucked once; this shall not happen again.

Not if Actar has anything to say about it, or Tarnus the power to follow through with what action might or might not be necessary.

"You... Jedi--"

A brief, pregnant pause.

"--have been heartily misled."

He turned round to face them, spreading his hands to the side, letting them fall. Calm, serene, and openly genuine, he returned to his seat and set his cup quietly upon his desk.

"While the Praxeum on Yavin IV has been destroyed, no attendant Jedi were killed. Many at the time, in fact, were elsewhere; those at the Praxeum were simply removed, for future replacement.

"Here."

He paused, letting the golden orb behind him announce itself for all to see.

"It was always Actar's intention to rebuild a new Praxeum, on larger and more efficient than the old one on Yavin 4.

"Those few Jedi who had been at the old one are now on Tatooine, out in the Dune Sea in the vicinity of Jabba's Old Palace.

"Following their duties in the teaching of a new group of-- I believe your term is younglings?

"ARE YOU TELLING ME,THAT THE EMPIRE IS BREEDING JEDI TO DO THIER BIDDING?"

Xenn coverd his mouth, at the thought of hundreds of jedi being trained by... THE EMPIRE? This was a truley evil act if Xenn had ever seen one. Noticing the Ysalamiri, he concluded there were only a couple options left available at the moment.
Xenn Glared at the General, waiting for his response.

"Oh dear," he finally stated, now regaining his former calm.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough; I was under the impression that Jedi not only were those blessed with somewhat high midichlorian counts, but people of reasonable intelligence as well.

"Ah well, forgive me if the circumstances cloud your ability to analyze-- Jedi."

He rose to his feet, came around the desk and approached Xenn. There he came to a halt, a mere meter from the irate man's nose.

"Let me clarify for you. We are most certainly not breeding Jedi, as you so disgustingly suggest.

"We have, as has already been offerred and then followed through upon by Admiral Actar and Lt. General Tarnus, already created a new Praxeum for the Jedi to use. It has been built for some time, has been occupied by the few Jedi in attendance at the old praxeum on Yavin 4, and has indeed been in use as well.

"The younglings who were at the old praxeum are those who are being taught below; several of your kind--"

He paused, his eyes narrowing for by the gods he now was certain Xenn was a wolf among the fold.

"--have already assisted our police in eliminating the Hutt threat here on Tatooine. The illegal spice run has been truncated, those Hutts in charge -- and at the expense of innocents within this sector, I might add -- have either been killed or imprisoned, both quite within the boundaries of the Judicial system set up by the faltering New Republic.

"Which, I might add--"

He now turned away, dismissing the blustering Xenn as a bug.

"Shall only be strengthened by the incorporation of an honest police force.

"How do Jedi otherwise keep the peace? Are you not, by your own mandates, the original such force in this galaxy? Weren't your numbers entirely too small? Weren't those such as the Hutts and the Black Sun a permanent threat, one difficult to remove for the peace of all?"

He sat down, stared Xenn straight in the eye.

"We have already eliminated the threat of the one, my friend," he repeated. "And with the assistance of one Jedi by the name of Shawn Petrolu. It is our hope that other threats to the peace of this galaxy will likewise be eliminated, by the joint cooperation between us and the Jedi--

"--that the inhabitants can then live out their lives in peace, without chaos."

Taking a semi-deep breathe she refocused on Ahem.

"It was my understanging that ever since the Empire came to be the Jedi were always against them due to your overbearing and corrupt ways. How do we know that hasn't changed?"

She looked out of the view port at the planet below.

"How many Jedi including younglings are down there? I'd also like to know are they allowed to come and go as they please or only when they are part of a police force?"

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

This one calls herself a Jedi; she needs to meet those who truly are such, he couldn't help but think as, drawing a breath, he spoke up once again.

"You are mistaken in your beliefs," he said quietly. Once again he let his hands spread out to either side of him, then come to rest in folded repose.

"We are not the ogres as were the Imperials of Palpatine's day; in fact, by calling us such, you not only bring us disgrace but display your own naivety. We are not the Empire; in fact, there is no Emperor.

"There is only Admiral Actar, who with those others in High Command wish nothing more than to bring order to chaos.

"As for the Jedi below, why yes. They may come and go as they please, although not many have chosen to do so. They have to date preferred to remain in the New Praxeum, teaching the children, and working with us."

He paused again, then turned round and went to his desk. There he opened a communication to the bridge.

"Send for Petrolu," he ordered curtly, closing the comm-link at the ensuing "Aye Sir!" which crackled back at him.

He looked up to the others.

"Perhaps you would believe words coming from another Jedi instead; I have sent for Shawn Petrolu, who will speak to you of his own free will. But until then--

"Would you rather we returned control of Tatooine to the Hutts? Would you rather we back off of our maintaining order, that the ruffians and pirates and bounty hunters and such have the freedom to run rampant, as they desire?

"If you wish to hear further truth from me, it is the statement that I find your continued refusal to respond to this line of query discomfiting, as if you do not wish for order to be maintained, as if you desire the darker elements to run amuck in the Galaxy.

"That-- and the possession of as many ships as you appear to own-- do not a Jedi make.

"At least not according to what I have learned. But then, perhaps I am as misunderstanding of you as you are of us?"

The Lieutenant at communications saluted mentally to the General, then turned toward his panel to carry out his order. Swiftly keying in a few strokes, he brought up the private communications frequency given to them by Jedi Petrolu.

He then set about setting forth a call.

"Jedi Shawn Petrolu, Jedi Shawn Petrolu, this is Sormontato, currently in Tatooine space.

"General Ahem requests your return at your earliest and swiftest convenience, reply when able, over."

Over and over the call went out, winging into the void, seeking in all directions, assured of a response.

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

"This is Jedi Petrolu. I am currently away from the Praxeum on Tatooine, but my destination will take me right by your location. I am on the way."

Sending the message at that, Shawn turned to Dat, who was already in the process of making corrections to their hyperspace path. In moments the ship reoriented herself under his command, and spread her wings into hyperspace once more.

Enroute to Tatooine, and from there to K'eel Doba, as already planned. Shawn was determined of this.

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