Oh kriffing hell, Terrin, I don't know this Kani you are trying to get a message to, nor do I know these Mandolorians...

As he sat and thought, another message popped up one his monitor:

Captain Barnes, this is Katrina from Stargazer Corporation. We’ve run the information you sent through our databases and best navcomputers and come up with 55 potential locations. I’m transmitting that information back to you, along with this message. I also wanted to let you know that, as far as we know, Shawn Petrolu has no known comm frequency; I am supposing this is the Jedi way. The last I heard from Captain Kartan—which was some time ago, actually—he had asked for the coordinates to Kamino and the Guild Worlds. He said he was going to get back into running Stargazer Corporation, but there has been nothing further. In his absence business remains as usual with small jobs here or there. I have not attempted to contact him myself; he seemed rather adamant he had some things he had to do before he returned to us fully; but his personal comm frequency is 111248. Maybe if he has been on the Guild World he can help you. If not, please let me know if there is any further way Stargazer Corporation may assist you.

As Aaron read the message, he chewed his lip a bit more, also reading underlying dissatisfaction in what was being said. Erik had been gone and hadn’t been in charge of his company in the least. While Aaron himself had owned the company and knew little of information smuggling, he had kept in contact with them….

…and had used them as a platform to help create the beginnings of a rebellion that had seemingly fizzled out since Admiral Pallaeon’s death. Aaron frowned at the thought, then with efforts put those thoughts aside to return to the matter at hand and pulled up the information Katrina had sent him from their computer findings regarding Terrin’s information. He then keyed in the frequency for navigation, requesting they compare Stargazer Corporation’s results with those of their own. Knowing this would take only a few minutes, he asked navigation to contact him immediately once the results came in. Then he keyed in the personal comm frequency Katrina had given to him, to contact one Erik Kartan. He typed in a message as follows:

Erik, this is Captain Aaron Barnes of Eagle Enterprises. I attempted to find you via your company, but was notified you had been gone for some time, and may have had some interations on the Guild World. I was hoping I could utilize your company to help determine the location of Galen Danner, who has had some ship trouble and is currently stranded. If you receive this message, please respond.

(((OCC: Message outgoing to A Rose So Sweet in the Jedi Praxeum and Sith Temple forums.)))

[ 02-10-2019 07:22 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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

...but would it be enough?

Terrin frowned to himself, his eyes darkening along with his thoughts. For not only was there the very real concern for the fact that time was ticking for Galen, but also that others had been dragged into this with him.

Captain Joao....a person who had quickly become a friend. Cel, who was clever, had just found a home and a father in Yaoksi, and just a kid. And Master Kyan...?

Terrin's frown deepened.

What of him? He clearly wasn't able to use the Force and track others, not like Terrin had seen other Jedi do...

...but what was he doing now? And what of their supposed Mandalorian allies? They'd promised to help be protectors, and Terrin had sent out a message to them calling for help in finding Galen...

...but were they?

Terrin really couldn't stand it. For even when he'd made the alliance with the Sith, he'd never been separated from those who were with him. And he'd been included as part of figuring out what to do to help find Galen then, so he was never out of the loop. And here he had information that might help narrow the search this time, and he couldn't do a thing with it. But the worst part about it was that here he was on an Imperial Star Destroyer that was supposedly here looking for Galen's ship per Tarnus's orders, or at least that was what they'd all assumed when they'd popped up with the ginormous ISSD arleady in the territory, right in the middle of where Kyan had projected Galen was located.

So why the hell were they not releasing he and the others who had clearly stated that they were here looking for the same ship, and not doing anything other?

So maybe Tarnus hadn't told the Empire exactly who they were looking for on the Mandalorian ship when he'd sent out his request? That seemed to be logical if he didn't want to tell the Empire Galen was on that ship because, Bloody Hell, Actar was the Empire.

Or at least that was what Terrin sincerely hoped was going on here...

...but then what had Tarnus told them instead?

All of those incongruities aside, the fact was that the Empire was most definitely looking for that Mandalorian ship, for one reason or another. And if anyone was going to find Galen, whether because Tarnus was helping them out or because of something entirely too dark to even think, he wasn't going to be able to change that, not now.

But he, Terrin Danner, had more information about that Mandalorian ship and its location than the Empire currently had.

Terrin froze and whirled, looking for a certain something, keenly aware that someone was watching him in his little detention cell.

"Hey, I have more information about the location of that Mandalorian ship you're looking for," he said simply, remaining in place and waiting to see if anyone was going to respond to him at all.

[ 02-12-2019 08:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

His world was neat and tidy and orderly, as one would expect military life to be. Not only that, but also filled with growing expectations of the path he was sure to trod, one leading to a future where he would not only be rapidly promoted to Major at the very least, but one with his own field command of several squadrons of Night Whisperers. The fact that he'd entered this cell completely unobserved substantiated his own pride in himself and his assured future; it did take the prisoner some time to realize he was even there watching him after all.

He straightened when the man suddenly spoke to him, then moved to the far corner of the little cell and plopped the tray down on a small durasteel shelf.

Then he turned and faced Terrin directly.

"What information?" he asked succinctly, broadening his stance a bit and letting his body turn just the slightest, even as his right hand hovered about the butt of the hand blaster he wore on his hip.

[ 02-16-2019 09:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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

...or if he would believe him. Even so, he had to try. After all....

What was it that Galen was so wont to say? In for a credit...

...if he didn’t at least try he’d never know. And the information he’d gleaned while “virtually” aboard the Mandalorian ship with Galen may perhaps be of absolutely no use.

Terrin regarded the other man then,, deciding that being straightforward and to the point was going to be the best approach. Perhaps the only approach.

“My Jedi friend was able to help me get more information about the Mandalorian ship’s SOS and location while we were looking for it, before you tractorred us in. It has an amplified SOS signal, one focused by a kyber crystal. The ship is also not completely stationary in space, yawing a bit so that the SOS signal has more range and detail.” He paused. “Also I can draw you a star map of what is outside of that Mandalorian ship’s forward viewport at this time; with the Jedi’s help, I was able to see it.”

Falling silent at that, Terrin simply looked at the other man, willing him to believe him....

...or at least take the information to higher ups who might then make a decision on what to do next. All the while his thoughts had not left the others who were here with him, and he couldn’t help but wonder that, if the Empire took him up on the star map, that maybe he might be able somehow arrange a deal to set the others free....

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

"This is General Tarnus.

"I'm all ears about that ship, my friend."

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

He sat back a moment, chewing his lower lip a bit, a hand going to his chin. Terrin obviously needed him to communicate the information he'd sent to Tarnus, and Terrin was at least for the moment trusting Tarnus with this. Still, Aaron had no idea where exactly the General stood on things such as the Empire...

..and Actar. And oh yes, Aaron clearly remembered his interactions with the Admiral...

...and how he'd promised a truce in exchange for Aaron's allies, only to later throw Terrin and Jasyn in prison for an offense neither one was involved in. This needed to be done carefully.

But again, Terrin was trusting Tarnus...

...and the fact that he was meant two things: he was running out of options, and he believed Tarnus would do everything he could to find Galen. Or perhaps it only meant one of those two things...

Aaron frowned, chewing his lip for a moment longer. Then he made a final judgement call, and dropped his hand to the reply button. "General, my business partner has communicated with me that the ship has an SOS signal that is amplified with a kyber crystal to give it focus and that the ship itself is yawing to give that signal more range. He's also sent me a star map of what can be seen from the forward viewport. He's a well-trained pilot with a good eye, so it should be fairly reliable, if lacking in scope since it's two dimensional. I am acting on his behalf, to transmit this information to you, and will send the map from the forward viewport along with our analysis of it to you as well."

Since Terrin obviously cannot now, came an errant, darkening thought.

Then, attaching the file he'd mentioned, Aaron then sent his reply off along his own highly encrypted frequency and waited to see if the General would have anything further to say.

(((OCC: Message going out to Sorben Tarnus in Back Into the Fire in the Empire and New Republic forum)))

[ 02-17-2019 06:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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

"General Tarnus to Captain Barnes. The information you have sent should prove useful to us; you have the full appreciation of the Empire. Your abilities in this matter are much regarded, and it is my personal hope to be able to utilize those abilities again at some future date.

"General Tarnus, out."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"This is General Tarnus. Information regarding the Mandalorian ship we are seeking has... come into my hands.

"I think this should be more than enough to utilize in finding Admiral Actar's ship. Analyze, and let me know what you find.

"General Tarnus, out."

[ 02-18-2019 10:50 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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

“We proceed as planned with some alterations,” Bes’in announced. “The Ultimate and Indomitable are to assigned to the Kuat Drive Yards. Destroyer and Rebuilder are to depart to the Corellia system. The Vhett will join us at Coruscant. All ships are to emerge at their assigned locations outside of any blockades or system fleets. Once they notice you jump away to secondary positions. The Vhett and I will remain outside weapons range of the Coruscant blockade to gauge their response before making contact with the Empire. All other ships are to return to Mandalorian space under the command of the Redeemer until Guardian Skirata can take command. Do not engage the Empire, but also defend Mandalore if need be. If the Empire does intend to invade work with the other clan chieftains who pledge their loyalty to Manda’yaim.”

One by one the various Captains answered with simple acknowledgments. It was a gamble to deploy most of the fleet in such a manner. Compared to the Empire or the now defunct New Republic his ships constituted a small battle group at best. The fall of the New Republic did bring in a fresh infusion of disillusioned Officers who instead of laying down arms headed out to wage their own wars against the Empire. Most were easy to convince to throw in their lot with him the rest soon got snuffed out by the Empire. Those new troops while fanatic in their devotion to hurt the Empire still needed time to integrate and understand Paladin Tactics. Which was why the ships deployed were his more experienced Mandalorian born and raised forces.

The information that Kyan and his allies provided on the Vong will give those new troops all the opportunity for proper seasoning soon yet.

“Helm take us to Coruscant rally point one,” Bes’in ordered.

...but in fact, what he was not saying at the same time. After all, Aaron had spent quite some time building a rebellion against the Empire that was Actar; a rebellion which had only been cut short due to his main supporter’s untimely death, though Pellaeon was quite advanced in years.

Aaron nodded to himself then, feeling confident that the information Terrin needed to be passed along was in good, reliable hands. And Aaron admittedly felt a little unconscious tinge of eagerness to get back to the business of rebellion.

After all, this Empire that Admiral Actar had created was of the variety of the one that had been ruled by the Emperor and Darth Vader. Possibly worse.

“Captain Aaron Barnes, over and out,” Aaron said then aloud, seemingly to no one in particular, for he most certainly did not feel the need to send a return reply to Tarnus. In fact, he was reading between the lines that he most certainly shouldn’t...

...and that all things would come back around at the right time, and in due time.

[ 02-18-2019 01:05 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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

"Sir, incoming transmissions sent by General Tarnus have been analyzed. Resulting data in combination with that sent by ISD Rabid show new possible location of target vessel as somewhere in Sector 86, approximately neg2217 by +0246 by neg 0304 from interceptor Sly's coordinates.

"May I have your orders, sir?"

Landarian swiveled his chair, a genuine smile lighting his features. While Actar wasn't known for his friendliness to officers beneath him, he did reward them well and often for missions well accomplished.

"Send data to all ships in armada. Instructions are as follows: Using data analyses, deploy all fighters, drones, and ships into a logistical sphere about the centerpoint given. All ships are to be alerted to an intermittant signal rather than a steady one.

"It sounds as if the Admiral is experiencing more difficulties with his ship than expected, and that his signal has dropped entirely off of both subspace and the HoloNet. Look for old radio-type realspace signal; however keep in mind the intensity may be stronger than mere radio wavelengths.

"Make it so."

With no further ado he then turned to the yeoman who had materialized seemingly from thin air, holding out yet more datapadds for him to peruse. The top one referred to their new prisoners.

He took that one in hand, quickly scribbled an order and after signing it handed it back to the Yeoman.

"See that the Officer in charge of them personally visits each and every one, seeing to their wants and needs. We have it from General Tarnus himself that they are not to be harmed... and if they have come to some discomfort their needs are to be met immediately.

"I shall be coming along shortly to personally attend to their condition."

With that he returned to his busy-work, going through the pile of padds in his hands, waiting for the signal from the Communications Major that Actar's ship had finally been found.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Landarian was just about ready to make good on his intentions of visiting their prisoners when he was sidetracked yet again by his Communications Officer.

"Sir, we have a transmission coming in from ISS Todthund.

"Shall I forward to you?"

Landarian merely nodded. "I'll take this one in my Ready Room," he said as he rose from his seat and hastened there. Once seated, he reached out to engage the message a pretty blinking green light was informing him that he had waiting.

"This is Captain Jissel of ISS Todthund," came a deep, grating rasp. "Now in orbit about planet Mandalore; sensors indicate no human or humanoid life signs present.

"However, sensors did pick up a shadow-signal of indeterminate origin; we sent out a probe-droid which indicated a fairly large grouping of ships currently exiting Mandalorian space, traveling along a bearing of--" Values were rattled off "-- which would place them on a heading straight for Coruscant.

"We believe them to be Mandalorian. Sir.

"Orders?"

Landarian frowned at this.

Mandalorian? First a mission to find Admiral Actar, said to be in somewhere in Sector 87 of the galactic NW quadrant, flying a Mandalorian ship. Next, detaining a group of people in the prime staging area, people claiming to be hunting a Mandalorian ship, said to be defunct and piloted by the wife of one of the detainees.

And now this.

His frown deepened. Every instinct was screaming at him to return home, to assist what he couldn't help but think could very easily be some sort of attack on the Empire's very heart. True, Coruscant was well protected by a double blockade, but the dead race of Mandalore lived on in millions of whispers yet today. Their prowess as warriors was practically legendary.

He thought a moment longer before issuing his order to Captain Jissel.

"Shadow them, but do not engage. Let me know immediately if there is any change in the status quo, or if anything happens that makes you so much as burp in reply.

"Landarian, out."

Now drumming his fingers upon his desk, he eased one over and opened an encrypted channel to Coruscant HQ.

"General Tarnus eyes only; Sir. Please be informed a small fleet of possible Mandalorian ships is currently en route to Coruscant. The maps and information you have sent regarding Admiral Actar and his Mandalorian ship has been analyzed; we expect to be locating his position within the hour.

"Sorben, take care, old friend. Don't let my home get blown up in my absence.

"Landarian, out."

Rising, he returned to the bridge proper, heading over to the Communications Major before taking his command seat once again.

"Any progress on tracing that signal from Challenger?" he asked, frowning yet again when his query was met with a simple, "Negative, Sir."

He sighed, regained his seat, and proceeded to count seconds... seconds which were dragging by entirely too slowly for his liking.

((OOC: Landarian's message goes out to General Tarnus in Back Into The Fire in the Empire/New Republic forums, thank you.))

[ 02-18-2019 10:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Captain Landarian ]

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

Thus it was that, beginning with the one proclaiming himself as being Captain Terrin Danner, then proceeding with Captain Yaoksi Joao, the adopted Ryn Link, and lastly the Jedi, he and his men removed each one singly and escorted them into some more bearable "living quarters."

At least these had a tiny head, a sonic 'fresher, and a bunk and chairs possessing real honest-to-goodness cushions.

In the case of Captain Joao and the Ryn, a far less "austere" version of med-droid came to call, providing them with medical care for their injuries and even going so far as to administer pain killers. While that care wasn't quite the same that they would have received in a good ol' bacta tank, it did approximate 96% of the job of bringing them back to a state resembling a normal healthy one.

As far as their emotional state, well... that was left up to the varying strengths of each individual.

The timing and placement of them all in their new "quarters" was impeccable; none were able at any time to communicate with another, and when finally installed found themselves to be in cells which alternated across the yawning corridor from each other, each one separated by four rooms. Thus Captain Joao's little room was separated by four from that of Link, who in addition was across the corridor, and four cells away from that of Terrin. Thus the two captains were separated on one side by eight rooms, far enough for conversation to be an impossibility. Likewise the width of the huge corridor precluded any possible discourse between the two humans and the Ryn.

As for the Jedi... he was placed at the very last cell on the block, well away from the others, and in a cell designed especially for Force users in that it was equipped with a Force cage type of device. Though he hadn't made any outward motion to harm or escape or even speak, Landarian's soldiers were not stupid. A Jedi was a Jedi was a Jedi; and so they made certain he was far, far away from the other three, and that the device was engaged so as to infringe upon his Force-using abilities.

Satisfied that he had followed his orders to the best of his ability, the Officer in Charge contacted the bridge, to inform Captain Landarian that the prisoners were ready for his inspection.

Sir.

[ 02-18-2019 05:09 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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

While his new living space for the time being was far from posh, he couldn’t help but note that while he sat here, unable to do a thing, Galen was stuck on an inoperable ship with ice condensation everywhere. And time was ticking.

Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!

And what of Yaoksi and little Link? Hopefully they’d been moved to better situations as well, and were in good shape....

Terrin shook his head, and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of them, and seeing Galen there. In all actuality they hadn’t been tractored in all that long ago, not really, but to Terrin it seemed like an eternity. His mind flashed to another image then, to some of Galen’s last words to him:

”Hurry, Terrin.”

He raised a hand to his mouth, resting it there as his eyes grew impossibly more distant.

Soon, love....

Terrin then simply himself over to the only two things he had left at the moment: Trust in his partner and friend and in One Lt. General Sorben Tarnus, and hope. Trying to think of nothing else but that, and of her, he leaned forward and rested his head in his hands...

...and waited.

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

First the med droid administered to the superficial burns caused by the repeated stun baton blasts, along with the bruised from where they struck her with it. It injected something into her larynx, along with a burning feeling was the sensation of breathing through wet clay being replaced by breathing through a tube. It was easier, but her vocal chords struggled to work correctly. Then a liberal if not overzealous amount of pain killers was applied leaving her mind swimming. She tried to call out but between the stubborn vocal chords and the haze of the drugs she could only weakly moan out.

“Ahh… hhaa…” She intended to call for Yaoksi. But nothing seemed to work correctly.

Next came the mechanic, from what she could gather from the assessment the circuitry was fried. It was in need of repair or a replacement, in any event they removed it leaving behind an empty socket of circuitry, wires, and plugs. Their work done they left her a prisoners smock in one of the chairs along with a tray of food before closing the doors. It was a step up though it was still hell for Link, but in the end more bearable from what had transpired earlier.

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

Clutching the newly found power pack as though my life depended upon it...

Since, hey! Guess what? It did!

...I scooted carefully backwards out of the storage compartment I had found in the aft deck. Rather a strange place to hide something so vital as this pack, but who was I to question the Mandalorians in their wisdom? I'm sure they had a reason.

What further reason I wished to Hell's Seven Circles that I had was a reason for joy, said joy being created by a further communication with Master Kyan so I could tell them all of my discovery. I'm sure Terrin had probably paced a meter-deep track in Captain Joao's brand-spankin' new ship by now, worrying about my fate. After all, my current power was slated to poop out in...

Gads. Only five more standard hours?!

I sighed with relief, knowing I held another 48 hours of power in my hands, but that relief was tainted with pain.

Terrin, oh how I miss you! I wish I could touch your sweet, sweet face, feel your lips on mine, make your pain go away, pain I know I've caused, pain that...

I stopped that pity train right there with the sudden realization that yes Terrin was probably in anguish, and that yes I loved him and thus empathized fully, but...

No. The pain I was suddenly feeling was quite different from personal sorrow, feeling instead as if it was the real honest-to-credits ouch kind, a pain I realized to my great consternation was actually and physically coursing into my body from nowhere with such emphasis that it set my old friends the geese marching up and down my spine in acknowledgment.

I plopped down on the deck, power pack now held loosely in my hand, wondering what this pain was all about, where it was coming from, when I saw her.

Again.

The Ryn, the one I knew as Cel. She looked more woebegone than ever, only this time she had good reason.

Her arm was gone.

My jaw dropped.

"Cel-?" I couldn't help the word from bursting from my lips. Moisture from the vocalization condensed on the inside of my helmet lenses; frowning at my gaffe, I pursed my lips together tightly and waited for my body heat to evaporate the moisture.

"Cel?"

This time I tried a new tack, merely thinking the name, trying to remain calm in the face of her all too apparent distress, but heartened by the fact that this time when I tried reaching out...

...she did not disappear.

[ 02-18-2019 11:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

Link bolted upright, this time she knew she heard something. Acting in such haste was not the thing Link needed at the moment. As if on cue the hazy drug influenced world around Link accelerated to the speed of a gravitation in an instant. Not at all handling it well she scrambled over to the small head managing to keep the meager contents of her stomach down long enough to ensure they made it into said head. After that ordeal she leaned back against a nearby wall, moving to brush her hair aside Link was confused why the left side remained stubbornly put. Looking down the lack of something became clear in her mind.

Kriffin hell… not again.

She hung her head in defeat wondering how it was possible to go from the best day she had ever known to one of the worst.

“Cel?”

There it is again.

“…aaatttt…” Link rasped.

That sent her into yet another round of coughing and regret as the experience Link compared to trying to speak with a mouth full of cotton, in a typhoon, under the ocean, if the ocean was also syrup. She recovered enough to regain a measure of composure. Slowly she exhaled attempting to center her thoughts, this was more successful than her previous attempts. Closing her eyes, this time Link thought about and mouthed the words.

“Galen?” Link asked. “What is happening, where is Papa?”

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

Not only could I somehow see her, but I could hear her as well!

Which was really weird when considering that those pesky tears that were so thoroughly wetting my face should be blurring my vision as well. But nope, there she was, half laying on the floor, her big bright eyes flicking everywhere as she sought...

Me.

I allowed myself a gulp, afraid that she would vanish. To my extreme relief the vision stayed put. Which then brought forth a major question.
"Cel," I began carefully. "How is this, ahh... connection being maintained? Is Master Kyan there? And what happened to your arm?

"And... Papa?!"

Squelching an absurd urge to finish with a simple "Over," I merely quieted my mind as much as I could under the circumstances, waiting to see what the little gal would reply.

[ 02-19-2019 02:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

“Papa… Yaoski...” Link mouthed while thinking about the words. “I don’t know where everyone else is at, I don’t even know if the voice I’m hearing is real or if I’m going insane.”

Link swung her remaining arm hitting the wall out of frustration. The pain from her hand was a reminder that this actually was happening. She looked at that hand and for the first time saw the crudely placed bandages from where the stun button caused the electrical burns and felt the gauze wrapped around her neck from that one particular injury.

“We got taken by a SSD,” Link continued. “They separated us, and threw me into a cell. Then some others came with stun batons, they used them to fry my arm and took away my voice and tied me up and then they kept shocking me over and over and over.”

Her words kept getting fast and faster almost slurring into one another. Her breathing quickened and she suddenly realized that she was having a hard time breathing. What Link was experiencing was a panic attack, she fell over hyperventilating and gasping for air. To Link, hours appeared to whiz by, but in the land of physical time it only amounted to fifteen or so seconds before her body jolted itself back to a normal state. With her pulse still racing Link now consciously took deep breaths slowing herself a little with each one. After a moment or two she still was experiencing mild signs of panic but felt she wasn’t going to relapse to what she was like only a few minutes prior.

“I’m fine… Your fine Link,” She relayed. “When they… finished… I was left hanging there. Next thing I know I’m here, my arm is gone, and it is one of the worse pains I have ever felt to try and speak.”

She pushed herself up and clung to the empty receptacle that once connected her arm to her body.

“And do you know the worse part?” Link asked. “They never asked me any questions, the only thing the Ryn is good for is entertainment beatings.”

[ 02-19-2019 03:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Cel ]

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

"Your house and family are in safe hands, old friend. I will guard them all with my life.

"And speaking of such things, how goes the life of those aboard that little ship which was... stupid enough to pop out of hyperspace so close to you? Let's see, it was a Captain Danner, I believe; and another Captain, Joao wasn't it? Along with... a Ryn and a Jedi, who doesn't seem to be doing much in defense of himself or his party, if I recall your report correctly.

"I presume these... detainees have been properly interrogated. It has come to my attention that the results of those interrogations have yet to come to me.

"Please forward, and keep attending to them. I'm sure Admiral Actar has plans for them of his own, and we all know he prefers a clean plate when it comes to such things.

"General Tarnus, out."

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

Harshly.

He had come to be friends with Sorben Tarnus in the relatively short time the man had been with Imperial forces, and instinctively knew this wasn't going to sit well with him at all. It wasn't that the General would try to fly in the face of the Empire, holding them secretly in disfavor for methods they used. Rather it was that he thought many of such methods to be... inefficient. There was often a much better way to gain information other than trying to torture it out of prisoners.

Landarian understood this at a level he didn't believe General Tarnus quite attributed to him. Perhaps one day he would; now he could only wince, appeasing himself with the fact that the torture endured by little Ryn had fallen upon her before the General's in-coming order to belay that sort of thing had been issued. He only hoped that her injuries and discomfort were duly addressed, and that she was, if not still a detainee, then at least more comfortable in the more than likely meager holding room assigned to her.

He sat down at his desk, waiting until the door swooshed closed before reaching out to send Tarnus an answer.

"Affirmative, General," he began simply enough. "All detainees have been actively questioned with the sole exception of the Ryn."

He paused momentarily, wondering if that omission would be taken as an error on the part of his men. However, knowing what he would next say pushed his momentary unease away and he continued.

"To clarify, Captain Joao, Captain Danner and the Jedi Kyan Jeti'isad, and the Ryn have been subject to interrogation strategies, each with the implementation of varying stressors. Per new trial policies in this regard, the Ryn was treated the harshest, and asked no questions. It did not offer pre-emptive answers in any attempt to stop the procedure.

"However, interrogation was successful in some regards with the remaining three. All three adhered to the same story, that they were searching for a Mandalorian ship, known somehow by them to be completely powerless and with only a general distress beacon still operating. Just how exactly this was known had yet to be divulged; my men were ready to begin Phase Two when your order to maintain their health for the sake of Admiral Actar came through.

"To continue, the pilot of this ship is still claimed to be the wife of Captain Danner, one Galen Danner. Just how she came into possession of a Mandalorian ship is just as much of a mystery as the Admiral's procurement of one; methods used up until orders to cease did not entice any of the four to divulge this information. If indeed they were telling the truth about this to begin with.

"Additionally, Captain Danner, escapee from Imperial detention on Coruscant, alluded by his silence the exact methodology employed leading to his, ahh... unexpected release. Again, Phase Two truncation eliminated the chance to determine the answer to this quandary; I trust the good Admiral will not look upon this ship as not carrying out her full duties in this regard."

He paused a moment then, pondering his next words, wanting to state them precisely but without the slightest hint of anything that might be misconstrued as insubordination.

"My friend," he began carefully. "There is a commonality here that I find to be... distressing at the very least. Oddly enough, Captain Danner offered up the same map and coordinates that you recently sent, all to help find this ship. One he and the others claim to be holding his wife, and that our orders state as being piloted by our beloved Admiral.

"This is quite a discrepency, General. It can only imply there is indeed something afoot pertaining to the Mandalorian people, especially since we have now found a group of what appears to be Mandalorian ships leaving that sector of space and heading on a bearing toward Coruscant.

"Further orders, Sir?"

Pursing his lips, he sent the transmission on its way before he could change his mind and delete or at least greatly word it's final few statements.

He sat at his desk for quite some time afterward, eyed staring to a fixed point perhaps 56 parsecs in front of him, waiting for the reply he was sure would come.

((OOC: Message goes off to General Tarnus in Back Into The Fire, in the Empire/New Republic forums, thank you.))

[ 02-21-2019 01:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Captain Landarian ]

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"Begin Phase Two. Except for the Ryn. A Ryn is a Ryn; if no information has been gleaned from that one as yet, it is more than likely none is forthcoming. Especially since it is adopted by Joao. It will know nothing.

"Not to mention that keeping that one from further harm might entice the good Captain into being a bit more forthcoming. Be sure he is notified of this.

"General Tarnus, out."

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Sorben... what in Hell's Seven Circles are you doing?! The words now branded themselves across my brain, adding their own heat and flame and fire and anguish to that which I was already experiencing coming from the hapless little Ryn. It took me a few moments for me to realize all these things, that my breathing had tripled, that the heat of outrage was flooding my body, that tears were springing to overflow my eyes, leaving a trail of salty water my body simply could not afford to waste.

With great effort I brought myself under control. I thought of Terrin, that helped. I thought of Darra, that helped even further. And as I slowly calmed it came to me that the image of Cel, while still there, didn't seem to be as... brilliant, as enhanced as it had been when I was in full-fledged affronted mode.

Her image wavered into a bit more contrast as I realized there wasn't one damned thing I could do for her. All I could do was to think of me holding her hand, of putting my arms about her trembling little body...

And suddenly I was. Weirdly enough, I was there.

With her.

In her little cell.

My jaw hit the floor, then bounced back to a position of normalcy so I would be able to speak.

"C-cel? Wha-?" was all I could manage before her image faded from view, and I came to awareness back aboard Cin vehti, my arms wrapped around thin and very cold air.

[ 02-24-2019 09:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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I’m no Jedi, I don’t have any fancy powers, I’m just want to be a normal person.

She so much wanted to believe it that Link thought it was her imagination when she felt cold metal arms embrace her. Looking up through watery eyes Link could make out fiery red Mandalorian Armor. Her mind did a double take as she processed yet another impossibility which made her seriously question her sanity. It quickly ended when that specter too faded away but not before a departing message was let hanging in the air.

“C-cel? Wha-?”

Link would have laughed at herself if she didn’t suspect it would induce another round of coughing and pain.

I must be going crazy, completely insane.

Hanging her head in defeat it was then a glimmer caught her eye.

Ice Crystals?

Yes Link was sure of it, on the deck surrounding her form in a sort of a ring was remnants of ice crystals rapidly thawing into tiny puddles. In fact on her fur clung a few stubborn ice crystals as well. This at first frightened her. Did her prison have internal cameras in each room, if so did her captors see that as well, also if they did was another beating coming her way. Then it filled her with excitement, Link wasn’t going crazy, in fact though she didn’t understand how it all worked she was in position to help. She closed her eyes giving serious credence now that the voice she was hearing did indeed belong to a very real Galen.

“Galen,” Link thought as she mouthed the word.

No response. Link took a breath readying herself for what she knew would be an ordeal.

“He-he gha-len,” came a weak rasp.

She fell to the desk throat racked with pain Link likened the experience to breathing burning razor blades.

No Link, you can do this. You have been through worse.

Propping herself back up she braced her body against the wall holding her steady as she took in a deeper breath.

“Ga- Galen I’m… he-he here,” Link wheezed out.

As she slumped back down to the deck as recompense to forcing herself into such an action Link could only hope that her efforts would be the ticket they were looking for.

[ 02-25-2019 03:21 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Cel ]

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And quite suddenly just LET. IT. ALL. GO.

Scrambling to my feet now, slipping on the ever thickening ice, I whirled. Now I did raise my fists against the darkness, against the Night which I could almost palpably feel was descending to cover me in a smothering, mesmerizing blanket of...

"NO!"

The word shot out as if I thought it would actually hear me, as if I thought it was actually out there watching, calculating, considering its next moves in the game I most certainly did not wish to be playing.

"This is ENOUGH! ENOUGH!"

I whirled about, in counterpoint to the moving stars, my eyes everywhere, seeking shadows I just knew were there, just beyond my peripheral vision.

Just... there...

Nothing.

No big eyes, no sudden soul-wrenching epiphanies. Not so much as the distant sound of metal pinging and snapping as it grew colder and colder in my beautiful little ship.

Just silence.

Silence filled with the sound of my own heavy breathing, of the gritting of my own teeth, a sense of sound as the vibrations my now-moving booted feet produced were sent skirling up my legs, through my very bones. I paced back and forth, growing madder and madder by the minute.

"This just isn't FAIR! I suddenly burst out with, falling once again into silence, this time hearing the sound of my own blood pounding in my ears, the pulsing of my heart, the sound of...

What was that?

I froze like a gandyrak in headlights, not daring to so much as squeak, holding my breath, straining my ears... no, it wasn't... now anguish was growing but it wasn't alone, for it had come galloping along hand in hand with even greater anger, anger so fierce that it squelched down my ever-present goosey-army, quieting them enough so that...

YES. There...!

A small distant "I'm he..here..."

I whirled, instinctively reaching out a hand, my fingers making a weird hook-like pattern, nothing I was consciously aware of but there ya have it...

Just as I suddenly had in front of my eyes the impossible sight of space itself turning into...

Something.

I didn't think. I just took a single step forward, and suddenly found myself back where I had been only moments ago, standing in utter shock in front of an equally shocked Ryn. I gulped, she tried to gulp...

And nothing untoward occurred.

I ripped off my helmet even as the sound of something ripping all around me faded away into an improbable sort of memory, and even as it did I was tearing off my gloves, so the little tortured kid could see a kind face and feel flesh against her aching body.

I held her firmly, but gingerly, for the moment not even wondering what in Hell's Seven Circles had just happened. All I knew what that Cel needed someone, and somehow I was able to come to her aid.

[ 02-25-2019 04:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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It worked, it kriffing worked! Galen did it, no we did it! Take that smug Mandalorian Jedi.

Her celebratory mood was briefly deflated as Galen scooped her up and Link gasped in protest.

“Too tight too tight too TIGHT,” she both thought and mouthed at Galen.

The grip slackened slightly as Link caught a glance relating a sorry expression. The pain killer administered by the med droid Link suspected was dosed for a human of her mass and suspected age. So the overall effect did alleviate some of the pain she was in but left her more loopy than anything else. Not wanting Galen to take offense and genuinely seeking physical contact at the moment Link did hug her back with her one arm and tail in a much gentler fashion. It was then those unbidden tears came welling to the surface.

“I- I- was so…” Link couldn’t think of the words at the moment.

She was elated to see, to hold Galen. Besides an obvious Yaoksi, Galen was a close second for people Link wanted to see, let alone actually liked… Terrin was somewhere in the mix, the Jedi was up to debate. On the other hand Link felt shame for her current state, not that she believed that she deserved it, but it was a side of her life that for those Link considered family she never wanted them to see. At the moment however all of that was overcome by her overwhelming need to just let someone see her as more than the former slave girl who she couldn’t shake loose from. So Link just held her not saying anything, and ignoring the possibility of what might happen when those guards discover a second occupant in her cell.

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"Sorry!" I whispered as I loosened my grip, smiling then to feel her tail wrap loosely about me. The smile soon faded, though, as with the steady reduction of adrenalin that had bolstered me throughout this amazing event I was now able to take a quick gander about myself.

My heart sank, even though I told it sternly not to do so.

"Well, I see you... I mean, we're exactly where I thought," I said. Granted the statement was a tad bit on the obvious side, but it had been stated simply so Cel could hear my voice. I was still trying to make her feel as good as I possibly could even while trying to figure out just what in Hell's Seven Circles I was going to do next.

For something deep inside my Gut was whispering ghoulishly that the weird whatever-it-was that had yanked me from Cin vehti wasn't going to trot obligingly to our rescue.

At least not until I could truly ascertain what it was... and what I'd done to call it. I knew the probability was more than likely that it was indeed the same thing Sissy had been exposed to. In her case, she got the brunt force of it.

But in mine, perhaps something of a backlash. At least that's what made the most sense.

But what had happened to her in that period of time when she left me for dead with our father, dead by her hand, and disappeared only to come back wielding this... this thing like some kind of Uber-jedi, I hadn't the foggiest notion. All I pretty much knew, or at least highly suspected, was that she was whammied, disappeared, and came back with apparently total command of this strange power.

Me, I'd been hit with backlash. And that was it. Period. Ever since the only thing to have happened, maybe in response and maybe now, was that those hunches I've always had seemed somehow to strengthen, to become more accurate. But control this? Make it come on command?

How the hell did Sissy do it?!

I shook my wandering thought back to our current situation.

"So!" I began brightly, untangling Cel's tail and depositing her as gently as I could upon the little bunk provided. "I see we're in the SSD mentioned earlier to me. I can see we don't have exactly their best guest accommodations; SO I'm pretty sure someone will be coming along at one time or another to visit. Or at least check on your condition?"

I paced about the little cell, noting every feature, noting there was nothing I could possibly reach, or at least that no one could possibly reach simply standing there unless said person was Kaminoan...

A Kaminoan could reach the air duct up high against one bulkhead, far removed from the bunk, or head or sink. I was pretty sure that said Kaminoan would not have been detained in this particular cell, but it would be fine n' dandy for a diminutive Ryn.

Even more fine and dandy for a Ryn having a sudden friend who was more than willing to help...

I studied the grating, then looked back to Cel. She looked awful, and I'm sure she felt even worse. However, I'd come to know a bit about her and knew that within that furry little chest there beat an extremely stalwart heart.

If there was anything I knew it was that if anything was going to go wrong with a plan, it more than likely would happen at the very outset. I knew this would seem fast and furious, but my Gut was screaming again to hurry the hell up!

I didn't even bother to ask her anything. I simply replaced my gloves and helmet, so at least if someone should burst in the door I would be masked, and more importantly, totally armed. Then I carefully picked Cel up from the bunk I'd so recently laid her upon, and extending my arms held her carefully up to the grating.

"If you can manage to unscrew that grating and remove it, I can boost you into the air ductwork. Maybe you can crawl around until you find where everyone else is detained; if I know the Impys they loooove to separate the prisoners they take so as to demoralize them.

"Hopefully then you can at least let them know that I'm here, and working on... well, something to get us all out of here."

I knew the idea was crazy, half-cocked and thought up on the fly. But those were what tended to work best for me; my carefully thought out ideas never seemed to hold water, while those made up on the spur of the moment seemed to do so.

At least that's what my Gut was screaming at me as well.

[ 02-26-2019 12:36 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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