He paused outside the door from whcih he sensed the strongest scent. "So I'm going to make sure he understands a few things, in a private, and most civil setting. You assume so quickly that I'm angry. I'm shocked that you'd take such a predjudiced stance, just because I was once a beast."

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

She paused there, struggling to fight against the uncharacteristic anger that had erupted in the wake of Dat's searing words. A flicker caught at the edge of her vision; noticing that it was the hem of her nightclothes, she thought better of the directions in which her actions had been taking her, and turned away from the door.

Going back to the bed, she slammed her hand against the comm-switch.

"Captain Barnes, I am afraid that I must renege on my promise to you."

It was all she could do to keep the anger from slicing out in the words she was speaking.

"I'm afraid that I simply cannot allow this gentlman aboard Forbiddance; especially now that he has shown his true colors, his true personality."

She yanked her hand back, and began pacing the floor.

Once an Imperial guard, always an Imperial guard....

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

Too many friends had died due to faulty planning...

"Wait," Aaron said as he flipped the comm switch to Manth's quarters. "First and foremost, your ship will be your ship, and as such any major commands in regard to the vessel are yours to make while you are all onboard. I want that to be abundantly clear right now. Likewise I want it to be abundantly clear that the Bothans, whether on your side at your time or not, Major, are held in high regard in this day in age. They sacrificed alot in the time from when you came so that we could all be here now minus a goverment which was, at the time, felt to be very oppressive by some. So there will be no more of this reference to the shadows the Bothans walked in. They walked in those shadows mainly because they were forced to do so.

And Ms. Manth...I hope that you can reconsider this. I believe the Major is considering the interests of the entire crew and the mission in all of this...

...and I do believe your own ties to the second death Star battle are clouding your thoughts regarding what he is saying to you. I know this is a difficult combination we are making here...

...but the more I consider it,the more I believe each of your individual strengths and weaknesses will combine to make a great team. I am relying on Jedi Petrolu to balance you all out...and I trust him implicitly in this, as should you.

There is no longer the Empire of old to be dealt with here, nor is there a rebellion. What is to be dealt with hear are a group of my friends who are very lost...

...and who may very well remain lost regardless of what chances they have if I cannot procure the very best team I can have to find them."

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

Dammit Barnes--

A sigh burst from her and she plopped on the bed, shaking her head.

Minna, this isn't like you, she silently berated herself.

You know anger does no good, it only begets more anger. It is nothing but a loss of self control; you haven't become the spy that you have by losing your control like this with every Tom, Dick and Solo who came marching down the spacelanes and yelled at you.

What is prompting this, now?

She raised her head, her eyes huge and dark in her face as the truth hit her.

I'm afraid.

She fisted her hands, took up the bedclothes, kneaded them between her long fingers.

You will have Nefrai there if you need him; you will have the Jedi, there is no reason to be afraid of this man.

But--

But it isn't this man you are afraid of, is it?

She sighed, hung her head, remained quiet for a long moment. When she raised her head, there was new determination shining in her eyes, and her manner had calmed by degrees.

She raised a careful finger and punched the comm-switch.

"Forgive me my impulsion; it was most unlike me. Of course our new friend would have no knowledge of who and what we Bothans are now... who we have become; for that matter he has no idea as to what the Galaxy has become, either."

She paused.

Took in another breath.

"I apologize, Mr. Cyprios, for my reaction and any implied slur I might have made against you. You are of course welcome aboard my ship..."

Quickly, she released the link and drew her knees up to her chin, before she could change her mind again.

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

Slowly, the gist of what she has to say sinks in, but he says nothing, unable to tear himself away from the specters he can almost see reflected in space...

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

Quieting at that, Aaron hesitated for the first time, uncertan of where to go from here.

He frowned, looking towards Dat. "Is there something I can do?" he queried, at a loss as to what else to say.

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

...so will it take time for the Major to become accustomed to the place he finds himself now. I'm certain Captain Barnes will speak to him regarding whatever he has said to prompt you to take action; give the Captain the chance to respond."

Saying nothing more than this, Shawn stepped up to the metal doors and pressed the communit beside the door.

"Captain Barnes, this is Shawn Petrolu."

[ 05-24-2005 03:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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Without a word Shawn entered, his face obstinately unreadable...

...excepting the flash of something, perhaps concern, deep in his eyes. This only was evident for the barest of moments, however, and Aaron wondered if he should even bring it up.

"Everything ok out there?" Aaron asked, nodding towards the now-closed metal doors.

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

Then he quieted, folding his arms in front of him as the sleeves of his robes fell over and covered his hands. "And something is troubling you as well, is it not?"

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

"Sorry about the table, Captain." His smile widens and turns wry in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit. "A bit overzealous in my katas earlier. I suppose... Just put it on my tab." Chuckling, he makes his way toward the bedroom, pausing at the door. "Will there be anything else tonight, Captain? Master Jedi?"

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

"Kesh is waiting to have a word with you," Aaron then spoke up, raising a hand to stop any comment. "I'm letting Jedi Petrolu sit in on this one, for whatever it is he has to say. You are all going to be a team; now is a good time to start working on becoming one."

With no further word than this, Aaron turned and departed. As the metal doors to Dat's quarters slid open, Aaron walked out and paused in front of Nefrai. "You may speak with the Major now," he opened with, "But I want Jedi Petrolu to be part of this...

...discussion as well. Remember, you are all going to be a team...

...and Shawn is the one who knows where you are all headed for the best, who you are dealing with...

...and is the most objective of all of all of you in regards to the differences Manth and Cyprios may have. I'm counting on you to help him maintain the balance as well...

...along with the fact you have some amazing abilities. Keep that in mind."

With nothing further then, Aaron began to walk once more, leaving the doors to Dat's quarters open in his wake, waiting for Kesh's entrance therein.

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

Nefrai Kesh then straightened. If it hadn't been evident that he was hunched before, it was now made obvious, standing near 2.6 meters, looking down at Dat with his skull like visage, then came down again. "A little stretch is always enjoyable."

He went to the table, and placed a clawed hand upon it, scratching the metal ever-so-slightly. "Now, Cryprios is it? We, Petrolu here, you, myself and ms. Manth will be working with each other on a fairly dangerous mission, as juding by your thrist for information you realize."

He looked straight at Dat, no bs in his eyes. "As a team, I sense a bit of distrust, paranoia, something between you and Manth that I'm afraid we cannot have. After all, as a team-" he gave much emphasis on the word, "-we cannot have infighting and squabbling, that could get one of us hurt or killed. Now, I trust that if we work together we can keep anything bad from happening, but if there is a sliver of doubt between us all, disaster could easily be within reach."

"Now, can I trust you to work well, and get over your differences with everyone in this team?"

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[ 05-24-2005 10:10 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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Having said his peace, he turns once again toward his sleeping quarters. "Will that be all, then," he asks a bit brusquely.

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

...but I believe we are all quite capable of putting them aside to complete this mission. To continually rehash the point only makes it easier for us to get caught up in ourselves and our own possible disagreements over what we are doing."

Here he paused and let a moment hang in silence.

Then he finished with, "And let us not forget that none of us truly knows each other just yet; what we all know is based merely on our walks of life: An Imperial guard, a Jedi, a Bothan. These are the things we do, but they are not our sole descriptors.

And that being said...

...it is time for us all to get some rest."

[ 05-24-2005 10:39 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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"If I can stop being a creature that's haunted the shadows and nightmares of your kind for longer than you've had intelligent speech, then I'm sure you can get over your bigotry in time."

He stepped out, and in his restlessness began to stalk the halls, his thoughts roaming around his soon to be "companions", ignoring the stares and shock, also ignoring the fact that he nearly gave one of his previous-victims from the hornet a heart attack.

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

She crawled into bed, lay down, tried to still the deep-seated tremors that insisted on remaining with her, no matter what calming technique she tried.

She got up, went to the 'fresher, got a drink of water.

Washed her face for the third time. Crawled back into bed, pulled the covers up.

"Lights out," she said softly... then commanded them show themselves again that their brilliance would wash away the taunting image of a particular leonine face that came swimming at her out of the dark.

She sat up, defeated. Quickly then, she got out of bed, removed her nightclothes, put on her utility belt.

Checked a pocket: it was still there.

Holding her head high she moved to the door, palmed it quietly open, and stuck her head out to peruse the corridor without.

The few crewmen who yet moved at this late hour paid her little heed; satisfied, she moved out among them, her footfalls soft but sure, quickening as she hastened on the well-remembered path to the particular docking bay where her ship had been berthed.

Entering, she went immediately to the officer on deck.

"I-- I would sleep in my ship, please," she said, her tone still soft but carrying an undercurrent of steel within it, one that would brook no denial. The officer could find no reasonable excuse to not grant her request, and Minna was soon safely ensconced in the blessed familiarity of Heaven's Forbiddance.

She keyed a new sequence into the hatch before locking it securely. Then she attended to her navigational computer, pulling up the coordinates to a particular system and punching them in.

Her eyes remained glued to the chrono: three more hours until departure.

She yawned, but hunkered into her seat, determined to remain awake...

...and determined as well to depart the Hornett at precisely 0600 as scheduled.

Alone.

[ 05-25-2005 12:22 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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"Captain Barnes, this is Shawn Petrolu. A couple of requests. The Major would like access to his cargo pod to retrieve some items he may need for the trip...

...and he is also requesting a datacard with some information he was requesting. I trust you know what this is in reference to."

Quieting at that, he waited, fairly certain that Barnes would reply in short order.

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

Here he paused a moment. "As for the Major's cargo pod...

...he can retrieve whatever it is he might need from cargo hold 1138 at 0530 hours. I will alert security of this...

...and I would like you to accompany him, Shawn, rather than my guards. This will draw less attention, and my men around here know you well enough to let him in based on your word. I can tell them all I want that he is coming, but having a familiar face would ease their minds. If you need anything further, let me know. Otherwise, til the morning, Barnes out."

[ 05-25-2005 09:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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...I will return here just before 0530. I don't know that I'll be getting much sleep..."

Here he trailed, the briefest flickers of concern glinting in his eyes, "...but I should try to meditate at least."

Saying nothing more than that, Shawn turned to go, his mind on the task ahead...

...and his thoughts haunted with images of a vision he hoped was merely a shadow of what could be.

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

0515.

Now is the time, she told herself as she then reached to communications and toggled a switch. Immediately a link she had already keyed in popped into being, one connecting her to Captain Barne's private frequency.

She paused a moment, debating how to begin.

But yet another thought of the leonine Serke prompted her to speak, no matter how illogical or waffling her words might end up sounding.

"I regret to inform you yet again that I must back down from this mission," she began carefully.

"Other than that the reasons for my decision are personal ones, and shall not be mentioned here, I find myself having urgent business elsewhere."

She cringed a moment, then pursed her lips and continued.

"I am confident in the abilities of your new guest as well as those of Nefrai Kesh; he is a good companion, and a good hunter. He will help you on your quest."

I hope, the amendment came tumbling laong, but she squelched the thought, hurried on.

"I am sending you coordinates to a system called the Khar Delban system."

Just you nevermind how or why I happen to have those coordinates...

"That might be as good a place as any to begin looking for your missing people, if there is any involvement with the Sith."

A pause to close her eyes, fighting down a shudder.

"As for the upgrades you have just finished on my ship... please take payment from the credits Nefrai and I earned assisting Captain Barnes. I believe my half of that total will be more than enough."

She stopped again, her mouth working for a moment or two. Then realizing that there really was nothing more to say, she closed off communications, and set about warming up Forbiddance for its scheduled departure.

[ 05-26-2005 01:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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At 0517 he enters the main hangar, but is cautioned by his (breathless) security escort that he is to go no further without Jedi Petrolu's presence. He nods wordlessly, scanning the hangar bay with his eyes. His TIE is still there, off to the side... and quite well-guarded. The cargo pods have been detached, though, and lie, half-opened, beside the fighter. Why am I not surprised? I wonder if they've hacked the computers too? He pales as the ramifications of that possibility sink in, and decides to make an effort to figure out if anyone has accessed the heavily-encrypted files. Damn it! That weapon is much to powerful to be allowed to fall into anyone's hands. There's no one left strong enough to use it as an instrument of order, only as a weapon of chaos. He sighs to himself then, crossing his arms and waiting for the Jedi to arrive, looking as professional and stoic as he can.

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

Shawn, after a night of pure meditation and absolutely no sleep, returned to Dat's quarters, the hood of his robe still on his head...

...to find a rather antsy looking threesome of guards.

Shawn frowned.

Three? Where's the other one?

It didn't take Shawn long to find out from the guards that Dat had taken from his quarters earlier and that the lead guard had followed in hot pursuit after him. Sensing outward, Shawn sensed nothing untoward, and requested that the lead guard be commed. In short order he was informed that both the Major and the guard were waiting in the docking bay to retrieve Dat's belongs.

He made his way to the docking bay cargo hold on his own, already having a fairly good idea of where it was. As stated, there the guard and Dat stood, waiting. The former looked a little bit rattled, and the latter...

What Shawn sensed gave him pause. His greeny-blue eyes cut to Dat, and for the moment he chose not to press. "Ready?" he queried instead, falling silent, and waiting to see what the Major might reply.

[ 05-26-2005 09:31 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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