(L,F&E 76) Perchance to Fall

[kalenath]

Jedi Knight Jina Darkstorm was, in a word, bored. If there was one thing that she had never been very good at, it was sitting around. She had always been an active person, exercising, practicing, working out, training. But now, she was stuck in this chair. She stared resentfully at the long cast that enclosed her right leg. The damage to her knee had been extensive to say the least. Two highly skilled healers had spent some time repairing the damage that an agent of Imperial Intelligence had done to her. But now, she was apparently home.

 

Jina shook her head slowly as she looked around. The room she was sitting in was almost completely bare. A desk, a chair, a bed and the wheeled chair she was ensconced in on were the only furniture in the room. But it didn’t fell bare. It felt…right. She looked at the datapad that held the holo novel she had been reading and grimaced. She needed to answer the call of nature again. Such a pain. She tossed the holo novel onto the bed with a sigh and wheeled her chair towards the refresher. Maybe this time, she could do it without help. She paused at the door. It was too narrow for her chair to pass, and there wasn’t space to turn it in there anyway, so she levered herself out of the chair carefully, using the wall in front of her as an additional balance point, trying to keep her weight off her injured leg. The Force helped, but the stab of pain that resulted when she inadvertently banged her hurt knee lightly against the wall brought tears to her eyes and shattered her control. She hissed a little as she landed on the toilet, but then managed to do her business in silence. She was just finishing up when the door to her room opened and her mother came in.

 

Emily Hollian Darkstorm’s face was sad. “Jina…” She said in a long suffering tone. The older woman sighed. “How bad does it hurt now?” She asked carefully as she came to the door of the refresher.

 

"Mom..." Jina was almost forty years old, a highly respected Jedi master, and a master of lightsaber combat. It never ceased to amaze her how this woman could make her feel less than a centimeter tall. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

 

Emily shook her head and her face was serene. “Jina, I know you are bored. But…” the older Jedi’s eyes were serene, but her sense in the Force was sad. “You hurt yourself every time you do that. I…” She broke off, as if unsure. “Oh, Jina…” She entered the small room, knelt and held out her arms to the younger Jedi. To her daughter.

 

"Mom." Jina shook her head, but embraced her mother. “I am sorry, Mother. I just… I feel so odd. The Dark Side is lurking close, I know that. And I am afraid. I don’t want to be weak.”

 

"Weak?" Emily laughed a bit sourly. “In what crazy alternate universe are you weak, Jina?” She gave the younger woman a squeeze. “Jina, let go. Let go, Jina, you are in no danger here. I won’t let anything happen to you again, daughter.” She buried her face in Jina’s hair, which was growing out now and hugged her hurt daughter tight.

 

"I..." The younger Jedi shook her head. “Emily… Mom… No… I can’t. I am attaching. I shouldn’t. Attach that is… I shouldn’t attach. I shouldn’t be here. I know that.”

 

"Jina, Jina, Jina…" Emily sighed and stroked her daughter’s hair, and her voice was gently calming. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You are in pain and stressed.” Against her will, Jina relaxed. This was her mother, something in her responded to the woman’s gentleness. Emily waited until Jina was calm before speaking again. “How bad is it now, Jina?”

 

"Didn't want to use the Force, and... Well..." Jina grimaced a little as she contemplated her leg in its cast. “I bashed it against the door frame.” She slumped. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

 

Emily sighed and tweaked her daughter’s nose. “Well, you didn’t really. I was coming with news for you.” Jina stared at her and Emily smiled. “Yes. Melita is awake, and asking about you.” Jina’s face lit up and she would have risen, except Emily held her down. “Oh, no… young lady. The doc first.”

 

Jina stiffened. “Emily… Mom… I…”

 

"No." Emily shook her head. “No arguing, daughter. I know you do not trust Nuin and I know why. But Ecien vouches for her and will be there. So will I.”

 

"I..." Jina was floating now as the Force picked her up in a gentle embrace. “I am scared, Mom.” She said quietly. Emily guided Jina to the chair and set her down in it gently.

 

"I know." Emily nodded and stroked Jina’s hair again as she turned the chair slowly towards the door. “Got your blank look ready? Wouldn’t do for a prisoner on the way to interrogation to be happy now, would it?” She asked and Jina snorted as she slotted her wrists into the fake restraints attached to the arms of the chair. Then Jina hung her head low as the pair passed out of the room into a large corridor that seemed to be filled with Sith troops in uniform and armor. Emily hung her head low was well. Four of the armored troops formed up silently around Emily and Jina. The group walked with them towards a bank of elevators in the distance. Not until the elevators closed did anyone speak.

 

One of the troopers spoke, a female. “Jina, are you okay?” She sounded anxious.

 

"Yes." Jina smiled, she liked the trooper, the girl’s name was Mioa. “Mioa, just banged my knee again.”

 

"Ow." Mioa winced in sympathy. “I wish I could help, Jina. But with all the activity here now, well…”

 

Jina nodded in sympathy. The Empire had apparently discovered that Emily and Dargon’s troops were of higher quality than the normal run of the mill cannon fodder. So Dargon had been ‘asked’ to start an academy for troops on his land. And when the Emperor ‘asked’ something, it happened. A number of Sith had been nosing about, trying to figure out HOW Dargon did what he did, but so far they had gone away empty handed. The few Sith who had managed to penetrate the family’s outer shell of deception had been quietly adjusted and sent away. That in and of itself was scary enough for Sith. For someone to do that and NOT kill them spoke of power, massive power. Most Sith left Dargon alone now. So the only Sith the family had to worry about were the very powerful ones, which had its own share of problems, but they were coping. And now, the probes had eased off. After all, who would want to tangle with someone who had managed to enslave not one, but two Jedi? Not that Emily or Jina actually were enslaved by anything but love.

 

Jina reached out and patted the girl trooper’s arm where the armor was thin. “It will be all right, Miao. Just keep doing what you are doing and keep your eyes and ears open.”

 

The trooper gave Jina’s hand a squeeze and then resumed her post. It wouldn’t do for any listeners to see her acting non-soldier-like, now would it? The door opened and Jina bowed her head again as if in a stupor as Emily guided the chair out of the elevator and towards the family section of the secure part of the facility. This was, of course, the most heavily guarded area. No less than three blast door checkpoints separated the family compound from the Academy that had grown up over the last few years. The Sith thought that Dargon liked his secrecy while he practiced enslaving people, like any good paranoid Sith. The truth was far different.

Jina smiled as she entered the main bay of the family compound. Around her children were drilling in military formation, with one of the teenagers acting as drill instructor. Two other young children were Force sensitive and were practicing meditation near one wall, both floating a good half meter off the ground. The four troops took their helmets off and smiled as they walked towards their own quarters.

 

"I will. Um..." Miao stayed a moment. Jina looked her over, and liked what she saw. The girl’s black hair was cut short and her dark eyes were worried. “Do you want a friendly face with you, Jina?” The girl asked quietly.

 

"Thanks." Jina smiled back and patted the girl’s arm again. “I have braved the doc’s wrath before. But I do have physical therapy. You don’t want to be around me while I do that.” Mioa smiled and nodded as she strode off towards a shower and sleep.

 

Jina sighed as Emily wheeled her across the small compound. Emily looked at her daughter and smiled sadly. “Why so great a sigh, Jina?”

 

"I... I feel..." Jina shook her head. “This is where I grew up, but I don’t remember it. I feel… on occasion, I feel things, about things…but I don’t remember it. I wish I did.”

 

"Well..." Emily blew out her breath in a long stream. “It was not all fun and games, Jina. Parts of it were horrible. When you came back from the academy… I…” She shook her head. “Jedi should not attach, but that does not mean we cannot love. It is hard, probably the single hardest lesson a Jedi can learn. It took me some time to realize and I still have trouble. But we cannot be fixated on any single thing. So I love everyone.”

 

"I..." Jina blinked and her eyes burned a little. “Even the *****ly ones who insist on hurting themselves?”

 

Emily smiled kindly. “Yes, Jina. Especially those. Come on, girl. Time to face the music.” She wheeled the chair towards a door marked ‘Medical Ward’.

 

"She is going to be mad at me." Jina sighed and relaxed as best she could. “There are times when I truly wish I was a Sith…”

 

Emily smiled. “Easy is not for a Jedi, Jina. Never has been, never will be. But you have something to look forward too after.”

 

The hurt Jedi sighed. “Do I?” She asked carefully as the door hissed open in front of them and a large black nightmare unfolded from beside a bank of medical machinery. The bug staretd forward only to stop as Jina flinched.

 

"What the-?" Nuin was not happy. “You stupid girl! What have you done to yourself this time…”

[kalenath]

Jina fought with all her skill, all her focus, all her poise and ability, but it was beyond her. Eventually, her mouth cracked, just a little and a groan escaped. She snarled and focused herself again, trying with all her might to pass beyond her pain, beyond what the doc was doing to her leg. She had tears in her eyes and was biting her lip when the pain suddenly stopped. Her eyes shot open and she stared at where the black bug was withdrawing slightly. The black bug set her leg down slowly and carefully on the table the Jedi was lying on while the doc had been doing her examination and physical therapy on Jina’s hurt knee.

 

"Niun?" The Jedi managed a croak. “Hey... What…?”

 

A very human sounding sigh came from the large black bug. “Jina, you are too tense. I will hurt you.”

 

"What?" Jina had to laugh a bit sourly. “And what you have been doing hasn’t been hurting me?”

 

The large black bug seemed to collapse in on itself, no it was folding up, making itself smaller, lower than Jina. When Nuin spoke, it was quiet and matter of fact.

 

“Jina, if I do not move the knee it will lock up, and you will never be able to use it." The doc replied evenly. "But if I try and force it with you as tense as you are, I will hurt you, possibly permanently. I will not do that.” The quiet conviction in the doctor’s voice brought Jina up short.

 

The Jedi stared at the now small form of the doctor. “Nuin… I…”

 

"I will not hurt you." The doc sighed again and shook her antennae at the Jedi. “I understand your fear, better than you know, Jina Darkstorm. I know what my people did to you, what I remind you of. I want to help you and I can’t. What happened to you was my fault.” The shame in the doctor’s voice cut Jina to the quick.

 

"What?" Jina took a deep breath, and focused herself. When she spoke it was calm and clear. “What do you mean, Niun?”

 

"Jina." Niun didn’t move. “You and your father went to Tralus, to find one of my race. You found me, you took me. But I called for help before you disabled me. I fought as best I could, trying to buy time for warriors to come to my aid. They could not help me, but they overwhelmed you. You were taken from your family and your memory was erased because of me. They did what they did to you, because of me.”

 

"That's not..." Jina shook her head. When she spoke it was soft. “Niun, look at me, please.” She waited until the bug raised her head and looked Jina in the eyes with all six of hers. Jina spoke softly and with comfort in it. “It was not your fault. I apparently knew what we were doing was dangerous. Apparently I liked testing myself in dangerous situations. I don’t remember what happened, but I can see myself being stupid and careless. It wasn’t your fault. I… I want to get better Niun.” She held out her hand slowly. “And not just physically.”

 

Niun had tears in her voice when she spoke. “Jina… I…”

 

"Niun." Jina lay there, her hand outstretched. “I know now why Ecien left. Why my mom has not been back in. I need to get past this. This fear is unreasoning, a remnant of what I endured. You are not one of the ones who wiped my memory and were going to impregnate me.”

 

"Jina..." Niun shook her huge head. “Jina, you don’t understand. I remember, as if it were me doing it, what happened to you.” Jina froze in place at the sorrow in the doctor’s tone. “You were covered in chitin bandages, encased into the maker cocoon, but you were fighting. So tough, for a teenager, so strong. The queen commanded and… they…I….” The bug shuddered a bit. “You screamed… and then you were silent. I saw you then… Your face… It was blank, empty. I am sorry, Jina, I am so sorry.”

 

The sorrow in the bug’s voice had Jina nodding. “You were still in mental contact with them. But my father broke the link between you and your queen somehow after that, yes?”

 

Niun nodded. “Yes.” She said simply.

 

Jina sighed and left her hand sticking out. “It wasn’t you, Niun.” The Jedi nodded. “We both need to get past this. How about this, let’s talk while you work on my knee.”

 

The bug rose slowly, but did not approach. Her posture was low, lower than the table Jina was lying on. “Jina, the damage to the rest of your leg is almost as extensive as the damage to your knee. I know that Ona and Irene focused on fixing the knee, as they should, it was the worse off. But your bashing the leg has hurt it again. The bruising is very extensive and you have broken one of the bones as well. I can heal it… but…” She broke off as Jina hissed.

 

"Niun?" The Jedi worked to keep her voice calm. “You would need to put me in a cocoon, wouldn’t you?”

 

"Yes." Niun made a very human sounding sigh again. “I can heal the damage in a matter of hours that way. But it would drive you mad after what you have endured. I can put just your leg in a cocoon. It will heal faster than normal, but you won’t be able to move at all for a time. At least a day. Probably two.”

 

"Hmmm." Jina blinked, and then spoke carefully. “How quickly would it work, if you did put me in a Maker?”

 

"No." Niun shook her head. “Jina no…”

 

Jina persisted however, her face intent. “How long, Niun?”

 

"No, I won't do that to you." The bug shook her head and came a little closer. “Jina, listen to me. The makers were designed as healing devices. I can create them, I can manipulate them, I can't change them. If I put you in one, the sensations will be exactly the same as when you were a prisoner of my people both times. I won’t do that to you. Not…not again…” The sadness in the bug’s voice had Jina almost in tears.

 

Jina dropped her hand to her side and was shaking her head and about to retort when a soft and weak voice spoke from nearby.

 

“Master Darkstorm… She is right.” Both Jina and Niun turned to look at another table nearby. Jina tensed as she realized what she had thought was a blanket covered a slumbering form was actually someone in a cocoon. The voice spoke again. “Niun… can I roll to face her?”

 

Niun snarled softly. “Ah, Min… What is it with you Jedi?” She asked rhetorically. She walked to the table and gently rolled the cocoon so that the face of the hurt Jedi padawan was visible. “Easy does it, Min. You should still be asleep. That hemorrhage was massive, I am glad I was in time.”

 

Jina blinked. “Hemorrhage?” She asked slowly.

 

Min sighed but her eyes were bright and clear as she looked at Jina. “Yes, I overdid my exercises and tore something inside. I don’t know exactly what happened, but both Michael and Niun were annoyed with me. I guess it was a bad thing.”

 

"Bad?" Niun snorted and her voice was sour now. “When you have a small tear in one of the arteries that feed off the lower aorta, yes, it is a bad thing.” Jina tensed at that, but had to smile at the bug’s tone. She sounded just like every other healer Jina had known at that moment. “When you don’t tell anyone about the pain, that is a worse thing. Luckily I am good with human anatomy these days. But you very nearly did die, young lady so you are going back to sleep, clear?” She rolled Min in the cocoon onto her back and did something at the side of it.

 

Min’s voice was fuzzy, but she managed words. “I am sorry, Niun. But… Jina… You need a clear head, especially now. Your fear called to me, Master Darkstorm. I… I want to help.” The kindness in the young Jedi’s words brought Jina up short.

 

"You have." The elder Jedi’s voice was soft when she spoke. “You have, Min. Sleep and get better, girl.” She watched as Nuin stroked the cocoon, maybe in tenderness, maybe doing something, it was hard to tell. And then she felt Min’s consciousness fade as the girl fell asleep. She waited until Niun stepped back before speaking again quietly. “Niun…”

 

The bug looked at her. “Yes, Jina?”

 

The Jedi took a moment to calm herself further before speaking again. “If you do this, I will still need physical therapy, won’t I?”

 

"Yes." The bug nodded. “I am afraid so. I can heal the damage, but the body will need recovery time as well as training to use its parts again, with the new limits.”

 

"Okay." Jina nodded and looked at where her right leg sat on the table, the puffy swollen area around her knee made her want to gag, but she relaxed as best she could. “Cocoon the legs. Wait… if you do that… How will I use the refresher…?”

 

Niun had a smile in her voice as she approached slowly, a soft pasty like substance in her small claws. “Trust me, Jina.”

 

Jina blinked and then smiled. “I do.” Because for the first time, she wasn’t afraid. Well, she was, but she did trust Niun.

 

"I don't like this, but it is the best choice." Niun was close enough to touch now, and stopped. “This is going to feel really icky, Jina. There is a reason we knock people out before doing this, and block their senses. But, like I say, I won’t do that to you. I won’t take control from you.”

 

Jina had to laugh. “’Icky’? is that a proper technical medical term?” In response, Niun laid the pasty substance on Jina’s leg and the Jedi watched, open mouthed as it squirmed and grew. The feelings were… Jina snorted sourly. “Yep, I guess it is…”

[kalenath]

Jina was cold, but the arms that held her were warm. She ran her hands along the Twi’lek’s back as the being known as Melita held the Jedi tight and cried. Jina smiled sadly and spoke in a calming tone. “Its okay, Melita. It’s okay.”

 

Jina was sitting up in a comfortable bed, and a good thing, since her body was completely immobilized from the waist down. It still creeped her a bit out, seeing the large gray mass where her legs were supposed to be, but she could still feel them. Niun had not dulled the sensations completely, and while the feelings were as the doc had said, icky, they were something Jina could deal with. And Jina had control of her body still, so she wasn’t caught up in her nightmarish memories. She had been trying to categorize her feelings, her thoughts and fears, when the door had opened and her mother had come in followed by a blue skinned Twi’lek in a patient gown. And then Jina’s world had dissolved into a mass of tears and hugs.

 

Eventually, both women had cried enough and Meilta sat on the edge of Jina’s bed, holding her former lover’s hand. For her part, Jina just looked at her friend, trying to see deep into her, and not liking what she saw. Finally, Jina spoke softly.

 

“Melita… What happened?”

 

"Oh Jina... Oh my heart..." The Twi’Lek known as Mi’Ta to Imperial Intelligence and Melita to Jina, sighed deeply and shook her head. Her lekku trailed down along Jina’s arms slowly. She smiled a bit sadly. “I got stupid is what happened. I trusted people I shouldn’t have. I sent in my report on Special Branch’s research. And then I was reassigned, I remember telling you about that. I thought it was for my protection. Silly me…”

 

"Yeah." Jina nodded. “I remember our last night together. I had a bad feeling, but thought it was just about you leaving. Then some major came by two days later and said you had been killed in the line of duty. I pressed and he had no information. He was just a delivery boy. I was…not polite with him.”

 

"It was probably the truth as they knew it." The Twi’lek nodded. “I was reassigned. To Special Branch.” Jina gasped in horror and Melita nodded again. “Yeah, they did not appreciate my investigations into their activities. They took me by surprise, stunned me, interrogated me, tortured me for a while, and then they chained me up to the wall of a mine shaft and flooded it. I guess their idea was ‘natural causes’. Maybe put my body in an airspeeder that they crash into a lake or ocean somewhere afterwards. Or maybe not, maybe they just would have left me there. Maybe it was all they had available on short notice, I don’t know. I expected to freeze -that water was cold- or drown. All I could feel was the cold, cold that turned warm eventually. All I could see was your face the last time we made love…” She caressed Jina’s face tenderly. “But just before I froze to death, he found me.”

 

Jina blinked and then her face went hard. “Vorren.”

 

"Yes." Melita sighed and nodded. “Vorren. He offered me revenge on Special Branch. I told him to flarg off, I knew what he was. But then…” She was shuddering and Jina pulled the other woman close again. “He told me that Special Branch had killed you. I was so mad… I couldn’t see straight. He cut me loose, drugged me and took me back to his home. Apparently I was a special project of his. He and his wife worked on me for a while. I don’t remember everything they did to me. I wasn’t…I wasn’t lucid. I mean, as far as I knew, my sole reason for living was dead.” Jina hugged her friend again and Melita returned it. “I fell into a big black mental pit, Jina and I couldn’t get out. I… I didn’t want to. And by the time I found out you were alive, I was so messed up, I had no idea at all what was truth and what was fiction. Lorna and Musano Vorren were kind to me, but… They wanted information. Information I would not give them. So they… They…” Melita was shuddering hard now and Jina held her tight.

 

Jina’s voice was soft. “They brainwashed you.” It wasn’t really a question. Melita nodded, unable to speak. “Oh, Melita…” Jina stroked her friend’s head and lekku. Meliita tensed and then relaxed as Jina’s hands found sensitive spots. “We will help you.”

 

“I don’t think you can, Jina.” Melita grimaced a little. “Part of me is still a loyal servant of the Empire. Part of me is trying to figure out a way to escape. To get as much information as possible before running and reporting. I don’t think Ecien can undo all of it. But all of me is still in love with you.”

 

Jina blinked and then looked at the female who was sitting beside her. “What if… What if I was not affiliated with the Republic? What then?”

 

Melita smiled a bit sadly. “Jian, you are a Jedi… You are always going to be…” She broke off as Jina expression changed. “What?” She asked as Jina’s face fell.

 

"You don't have all the information." The Jedi’s voice was soft now. “I am not affiliated with the Order any more, Melita. I don’t know if you heard… but I was sort of… well.” Jina sighed and spoke quickly. “I ran when they wanted to confine me. I am a renegade now. Ecien’s people found me, rescued me from a horrid fate. I have joined them.”

 

Meliat blinked and then smiled. “Well, in that case, if these people are not affiliated with the Republic… Then… hmm… We might be able to make this work. But…in that case, Jina, you would have to talk to Vorren.”

 

Jina’s face went still and Melita froze in place. “Melita, if I talk to him, I am going to tear his throat out with my bare hands. For what he did to me, for what he did to you, for what he wants to do to other friends of mine, I will kill him.” The Jedi’s voice was soft, but totally matter of fact. She meant every word. Melita stared at her and then nodded slowly.

 

The Twi’lek sighed. “Jina, he is my Boss. I do not have the authority to negotiate. He does.”

 

Jina smiled and stroked her friend’s head again. “Ah well, let’s let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. For today, I have you back, my heart and that is all that matters.”

 

Melita smiled and lowered herself to lie beside Jina. “Yes, my heart. Let us be thankful for what we have. And since you cannot move, I have you at my mercy at long last, Jedi wench!” She leaned over Jina and then was on top of the Jedi, kissing her.

 

"Oh?" Jina smirked as she used leverage to tilt Melita off of her and then rolled herself on top of the Twi’lek. “Who has who at whose mercy?” She asked sweetly.

 

Unseen by either of them, the door to the room opened and closed. Emily was smiling a bit sadly as she left the room.

[kalenath]

Jina did not have to fake her fear. She was terrified. Niun had removed the covering from her legs and the Jedi had been utterly amazed at how good her injured leg felt, even if it looked worse than ever. Even kolto could not heal as quickly as the Sitolon methods could. Melita had held Jina’s hand while Niun had worked. The agent was kind, funny and utterly devoted to Jina now. The brainwashing that Vorren had done to Melita had been negated, or at least alleviated, by what Ecien had done. Jina was happy to have her friend and lover back. But now, the Jedi was scared.

 

When her mother and father had proposed this lunacy, Jina had been very unsure of it. Now she was incredibly unsure. Part of that was her current situation. Being strapped to a cold examination table was never a comfortable feeling. Being strapped to a cold examination table wearing nothing but medical sensors with tubes stuck up various parts of her anatomy and with an odd helmet thing over her head that had cold electrodes pressing against her scalp? That was downright terrifying.

 

She did not have full control of her body either. Niun had been adamant. She did not want Jina hurting herself in her anger, so the doc had prescribed a strong tranquilizer. It was enough to keep Jina docile, but not enough to knock her out. Pity, she would have preferred to be unconscious for this. She tensed as voices were to her ears. She sighed and focused on what Dargon had told her to do, what he had spent an hour coaching her to do. Not that it was going to be hard, to act angry and terrified.

 

Vorren sounded groggy, but was obviously trying to act respectful. “… and I mean no offense, Lord Dargon, but I do need to get back to my mission.”

 

"Of course." Jina’s father replied in a cold, clear tone. “I understand, agent. I will not hinder your mission, as it was given by Imperial decree. Your ship is on its way here. When I spoke to them last, they said their ETA was eighteen hours.”

 

Vorren sounded a bit distressed now. “Milord… may I ask why you did what you did? Why you attacked us?”

 

"Attack?" Dargon laughed, a sinister sound. “I did not attack you agent, I disabled you. If I had attacked you, none of your people would be breathing. But I had to retrieve my subject before it terminated.”

 

Vorren sounded unsure. “Your… subject…?” He asked carefully.

 

"Yes, my subject." Dargon had an evil smile in his voice when he spoke. “Come see.”

 

The door hissed open and Jina’s father entered, garbed all in black as befitted a Lord of the Sith. Cipher Agent Vorren of Imperial Intelligence followed, garbed in a patient gown and looking as if he had just woken. Of course, since he had been in carbonite, he had just woken not very long ago. He entered the room and froze on seeing Jina in the bed. Her eyes lit on him, but she was too weak to do anything but snarl. Of course the tube down her throat did not allow her to make any other noises.

 

"Idiot girl." Dargon sighed. “Still rebellious, are we, slave? Ah well…You will learn again.” He raised a hand and blue white energy flew from it. Jina tensed, but when it touched her, it didn’t hurt. It tingled. And something spoke in her head. Scream, Jina, loudly and jerk like you are being electrocuted. It was her father’s voice.

 

Jina fought the restraints for a moment and then screamed into the tube in her mouth before collapsing back onto the table, gasping in pain and fear that was not feigned. Her leg hurt like hell. Vorren watched the supposed casual cruelty with dispassion, and then he nodded. “The name was noted, the same as yours. She is yours?”

 

"Yes, agent." Dargon nodded. “I lost this slave on Tralus, many years ago. I believed it dead. Little did I know the Jedi had found it and taken it. I put a great deal of effort into this one, and when I had the chance to get it back on Correllia, I took it. Your team was in the way, agent. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I trust you were not overly bothered.”

 

"Ah..." Vorren stared from the nude, restrained Jedi to the man in black. “No, milord, I was not.” What else could he say? He shook his head slightly. “May I ask how you did it? Professional curiosity, you understand.”

 

"One professional to another?" Dargon smiled thinly. “Imperial Intelligence is on the right track, agent. But their methods are… well...barbaric.”

 

Vorren nodded slowly. “We lack the Force, so we have to use other methods.”

 

"Other methods." Dargon snarled at him and Vorren actually winced. Dargon’s voice, while still cold, rang like thunder with the sheer outrage in it. “Other methods? What possessed you to use a hammer on my slave’s knee? A hammer? Of all the sloppy interrogation techniques! That one has to be the worst I have seen since I was an apprentice. It will take months of rehab and training before she can walk again! Months, agent! And such a waste of time and energy…” His outrage was not over the damage done, Jina realize, but the inefficiency. The sheer cold malice in Dargon’s voice had her shuddering.

 

Vorren nodded and his voice was clinical. “I didn’t have a lot of time. If I had, I would have used gentler methods, but the Jedi were closing in. We needed answers and we needed them right then. I won’t apologize for my methods. Imperial Intelligence uses whatever we can.”

 

Dargon trailed hand along Jina’s arm and she did not have to fake a shudder as the cold fingers stroked her. Now his voice was also clinical. “Yes, the drugs, the electricity, the sensory deprivation tanks… These work, to a degree. If all you want is a mindless robot, that is easy. But if you want the subject to be compliant, willing even, it takes time and effort. You saw Emily.”

 

"I did." Vorren nodded slowly. “I have to say, milord, that is…impressive. To have a Jedi under your control for so long is most impressive indeed. Speaking as a fellow professional.”

 

Dargon nodded and then sighed. “There are parts of my techniques that unfortunately, I have been unable to reproduce with any regularity. Hopefully with this subject returned, I can refine my experiments.” The helmet on Jina’s head gave a tingle and she screamed into the tube in her mouth again as electricity touched her. It didn’t actually hurt though. Dargon stroked Jina’s arm again. “There, there, young one. It will be over soon and you will be free again. Free of that ignorant foolishness the Jedi put in your head.” Jina screwed up her face and felt her eyes start to burn. Dargon snarled. “Weak willed fool.” He slapped her across the face. “It is going to take weeks to undo what the Jedi did to you.” The slap didn’t actually hurt.

 

"Um..." Vorren actually shuddered at the cold tone of voice the supposed Sith Inquisitor used. “Milord, I had some questions that needed answers.” His tone was respectful, and almost scared.

 

Dargon looked at him and smiled. Only a fool would have called it friendly. “I see. I think we can oblige you.” Something happened and Jina gagged as the tube withdrew from her mouth. “Agent, what do you want to know?”

 

Agent Vorren nodded slowly. “Who leads the Bladeborn now?” He asked carefully.

 

Jian struggled in her bonds and snarled at him. “Go to…” She screamed again as the electricity flowed again, not enough to hurt, just enough to tingle. But she convulsed in her restraints anyway, something made her jerk as if being electrocuted. It didn’t hurt, but she was sure it should have. She was sure something would after this.

 

"Now now, girl." Dargon’s voice was kindly now, like an old man who was trying to help. “Don't backslide. None of that. Answer the agent’s question and your pain will end.”

 

Jina snarled at him. “I won’t help you!”

 

Vorren looked at Dargon, who sighed. “Ah, girl. Always the hard way. So be it.” He touched her on the back of the head and Jina screamed again and stiffened in place. Dargon’s kind voice spoke in her head. Easy, Jina, let me do this. It will sound more realistic coming from you this way. I won’t hurt you, girl.

 

Jian felt her mouth open and heard her voice speak. But it was a monotone. “The Bladeborn have no leader. They are currently having a tournament to discover who is worthy. They are in hiding until they have that settled.”

 

Vorren recoiled slightly. “A tournament? Of all the…” He shook his head. “Well, that puts paid to finding them. If they stay hidden, no one will. Some of the lower ranks have been found, but none have been taken alive. Personally, I don’t think it is going to happen, no matter if the Emperor decreed they be taken alive.”

 

Dargon looked at the agent. “Are you disagreeing with an Imperial decree, agent?” He asked mildly.

 

Vorren shook his head. “No. No matter my wishes, I have my orders. I will follow my orders. Whether I believe the Bladeborn were capable of betraying the Empire or not is immaterial. I do need to get the information on Trugoy’s demise to higher authority though.”

 

The Inquisitor nodded as he removed his hand from Jina’s head. “We have an intelligence liaison at the academy. Well, actually she is posing as the janitor.” He laughed coldly. “How… unoriginal.”

 

Vorren sighed. “I apologize for our scrutiny, Lord Dargon, but you have to admit… This…” he waved a hand at where Jina lay gasping now. “…is impressive.”

 

Dargon’s voice sounded in Jina’s head again. Now Jina…

 

Jina snarled at him. “I will kill you… I will kill you both!” She shuddered as something happened and her body seemed to get both heavier and lighter at the same time. Drugged?

 

Dargon sighed and his hand traced her cheek, and then electricity flared again. She screamed again and then slumped in her bonds. “Sleep girl. We will continue this when you are stronger.” He led Vorren out of the room speaking in lower tones. “Do you need anything else, agent?”

 

Vorren was shaking his head. “I need to speak with my team as soon as possible, determine what…” The door hissed shut, leaving Jina alone. The machinery that held her retracted into the wall and she lay quiet.

 

Dargon came back in a few minutes later and as soon as the door closed, his face broke out in a huge smile. “Oh, Jina, you were marvelous!” Jina was shuddering as he released her from the restraints and gently pulled out the other tubes. She tensed as he produced a hypo, and then relaxed as the lethargy that had suffused her vanished. She was crying as her father pulled her into an embrace. “It’s okay, Jina. It’s done. He thinks you are an experimental subject. And he thinks the Bladeborn are leaderless. Well done, girl.”

 

"Don't..." Jina threw her arms around her father as he covered her with a blanket and tried not to cry. “Don’t make me do that again, please?”

 

Dargon sighed. “I will certainly do my best not to Jina, but you of all people know that nothing in life is certain. Come on, let’s get you to Niun. Even fake convulsions and shocks will have hurt you.”

 

Jina nodded as he helped her to her feet. “Where is Vorren?” She asked in a quiet voice.

 

Dargon shook his head. “Back in his cell. I won’t let you near him, girl.”

 

Jina shook her head, hissing as her bare feet touched the cold floor and then relaxing as her father pulled a wheeled chair from a closet. She sat and he covered her with another blanket. “Don’t tell me you care if I kill him.” She said quietly.

 

"You know better than that." Dargon sighed and shook his head. “I couldn’t care less about him, Jina. I care about you. If you do that, girl… You know what will happen. And your mother will seriously hurt me if I let you fall.”

 

Jina blinked and then laughed. “Wuss.”

 

"Jina." Dargon smiled fondly. “You haven’t seen Emily angry yet…”

[kalenath]

Jina did yet another slow movement, careful to move her leg in only the prescribed manner. The fact that Niun was standing nearby and watching her like a huge spider eyeing prey made the Jedi very careful. The bug had been very unhappy with Jina’s condition after the charade to fool Imperial Agent Vorren. She had spent twenty minutes berating Jina, Dargon, Vorren and a host of other people while she had worked on healing the damage that had been done to the Jedi’s body. Jina winced as pain shot through her leg, but continued the exercise, bending the knee just as much as Niun had told her to. Something went crack and she froze. It didn’t hurt, but…

 

Niun was at her side in an instant. “Let me see, Jina…” Jina didn’t move, acknowledging the stab of terror that flew through her as the large black bug loomed over her. She acknowledged it and let it pass her by. She wasn’t afraid of Niun now, usually anyway. The bug took her right leg in both small manipulators. Sitolon had four arms, two for heavy lifting and fighting, two for more dexterous work. All of Niun’s hands were gentle as she manipulated the leg carefully. The two heavy claws held the leg gently in place and the two small hand like claws were slowly moving the leg to full extension. Jina hissed as something hurt, but then the pain faded. Niun’s voice was soft and satisfied now. “There we go… Better? Try it again.” She asked gently as she laid the leg down and backed up a step to give Jina space.

 

Jina moved her leg again, slowly, and in the prescribed pattern. This time it didn’t hurt. She smiled at the bug. “Yes. Better. What was the crack?”

 

"Ah..." Niun sighed. It always amazed Jina how human the bug sounded. “Ona and Irene did a magnificent job of repairing your knee. “ She patted Jina’s leg gently. “But parts of the leg healed a bit wrong. The fact that you keep using the leg when you shouldn’t is probably the main cause. The convulsions you went through, even faked, stressed the leg as well. There is a bone spur that seems to have grown in a bad place.” Her claws touched Jina again, this time over the knee. “I can…” The bug broke off as she felt the knee carefully. Jina bit back a scream as something hurt badly and Niun froze. “Jina…?”

 

"Ugh..." Jina took several deep breaths before replying. She passed beyond her pain and spoke calmly. “There is a great deal of pain in that spot, Niun.” The bug manipulated the knee again and the Jedi winced, but managed to keep from crying out as the pain redoubled.

 

Niun cursed softly, and Jina hid a smile. The bug had been around humans for some time and mannerisms had been assumed. The insectoid healer shook her head.

 

“Jina, it is a bone spur, and it is pressing into the knee joint itself." Niun said with a shake of her torso. "You will need surgery to correct that. I believe it has grown since you have been here… I don’t remember feeling that on any of my other examinations. I can’t do anything with that until the rest of your injuries are healed. It is going to keep hurting.” Niun said quietly as she laid the leg back down. “I am going to prescribe something for the pain.”

 

"No need." Jina shook her head. “I can handle it, Niun, now that I know what it is.”

 

The bug snorted. “Of course you can. But why should you?” Jina stared at her and Niun laughed sourly. “Jina, you are not alone anymore. You are not in this alone. You do not have to do it all alone.” The kindness in the bug’s tone brought Jina up short.

 

"I..." The Jedi stared at Niun and she felt her eyes burn. She pulled her emotions out and looked at them. Yes, she had been trying to keep everyone at a distance. It was what she did. For very good reasons. “Niun… No… I can’t…”

 

The bug laid both of her small manipulators on Jina’s closest arm and her voice was as gentle as her touch when she spoke. “Jina… We are here for you. We will not let you fall. You can let go here, Jina. We will help you. It is what family does. Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

 

Jina was shaking her head as she pulled the patient gown off and stared clambering into what looked like a prison jumpsuit. She wasn’t body shy and Niun was a healer, so while it was uncomfortable, it was not embarrassing. “Niun, there are perfectly valid reasons why I have to remain in control. At the moment, my emotions are teetering all over the place. I have to stay clear, I have to stay focused. Or bad things will happen.”

 

Niun’s voice was soft now as she helped the Jedi move her feet into the legs of the suit. “I understand your fear, Jina. I don’t have the Force… Well, not enough to train. According to you Jedi, everyone has it.”

 

Jina smiled at the bug’s sour tone. It was part envy and part relief. “Everything living, yeah.” She gasped as her leg hurt, but allowed Niun to pull the legs of the suit on. Jina lay back, working past the pain and then she sighed. “Sheesh, that is not fun…”

 

Niun pulled the Jedi’s feet out the bottom of the suit and patted the woman’s head. “You are doing great, Jina. Most of my patients would be screaming at me or trying to hit me by now.”

 

Jina gave the bug an evil smile. “Do you want me to?” She asked in a sweet tone.

 

Niun laughed. “You… are bad, girl. I like you, but…Sheesh. No, I prefer you the way you are. Come on, girl, time for the rest of your therapy.” Jina did not move as Niun scooped her up and then gently deposited her in the wheeled chair that was slowly becoming the bane of the Jedi’s existence. “As I was saying, Jina, I understand why you don’t want to open up. But the anger you feel can and will fester, girl. You know this.”

 

"I do, but..." Jina sighed and nodded. She turned the chair towards the door, but stopped and Niun moved away for a moment, only to come back with a hypo in a claw. “Niun…” Jina slumped and her tone was resigned. “I take it you are going to insist.”

 

Niun’s voice was gentle as she waited for Jina to calm. “Jina, pain will slow your recovery. Every moment you spent passing beyond your pain is a moment you could have used for more productive means. I give you my word this will not make you fuzzy. All it will do is dull the pain, no more.” Jina sighed and then bared her shoulder in silence. Niun gave the injection and Jina relaxed as the pain she had been suppressing faded. “Good girl…” Niun crooned.

 

Jina laughed. “When you say that like that, I keep thinking I am a trained canine.”

 

Niun snorted in matching laughter. “No, you are not that well trained.” She recoiled in mock fear as Jina raised a mock threatening fist.

 

Jina reveled in her lack of pain for a moment and then sighed. “Next?”

 

Niun nodded and stepped to walk behind the chair. “Next.”

 

The two females walked in silence to another room that was set up nearby. Jina entered first with Niun following close. Inside, abed had been set up for long term care an in the bed lay a human male. His face was drawn and pale, but his eyes were alight when he looked up from his book to see Jina. “Good morning Jina, the wicked witch has finally released you from durance vile?”

 

Jina snickered as Niun sputtered. The bug finally spoke in a tone that was a direct mockery of a famous evil witch. “Hello, my pretty.” Both Jedi laughed and Niun had a smile in her voice. “Remind me to do something awful to you, Michael.”

 

Michael Jonal shifted a little in the bed that had been his home, and would be for the foreseeable future. He smiled. “Now why would I do that? You make my life as miserable as you can anyway.”

 

Niun laughed, but then sobered. “Any change?”

 

"I don't think so." Michael shook his head. “Tingles occasionally, but nothing more. I… Are you sure the nerves are alive?” he asked carefully.

 

Niun nodded and her voice was kind. “The nerves in your lower body and legs have been kept stimulated. The regeneration therapy will work, Michael. Give it time. Your spine was cut, Michael, that is not something that you can just fix by slapping a bandage on.”

 

"Yes." Michael sighed and nodded. “I know. I just keep hoping that something will change. Truth be told, I am bored since Min was sent to you. How is she?”

 

"She is better." Niun shook her head. “The damage is fixed and I will release her this afternoon. But she is not to exercise again until I am sure she is healed. And I think Emily wants to have a talk with her too.”

 

Jina stared from the bug to the bedridden Jedi in wonder as both shuddered. “What am I missing?” She asked quietly.

 

"Jina..." Michael smiled, but his eyes held worry. “Emily is a wonderful person, kind, loving, gentle, all that. But she is also, at heart a mother. And what do mothers do when their children do bad things?”

 

“Oh…They punish.” Jina blinked and then nodded slowly. “We are all her kids, right?”

 

Michael nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s not all bad, mind you. She is not violent. She just makes you feel about an inch tall and when she starts saying how ‘disappointed’ she is in you, you want to crawl under a rock and die.” His voice held rueful admiration and Jina nodded.

 

The female Jedi moved her chair close to Michael’s bed and sighed. “Time?”

 

Michael nodded and settled himself in the bed. “Fine by me. Are you ready, Jina?”

 

Jina sighed. “No. But let’s do this. I feel…” She thought hard for a moment. “Well, I feel somewhat less angry today. I worked through most of the issues that we talked about yesterday, and I am afraid. I know I am afraid, but not of what now.”

 

Michael nodded slowly. “Is it the unknown? Or something you recognize?”

 

Jina thought about that, trying to make sense of her emotions. “A little of both I think. There are elements that I recognize, but some that I don’t.” Jina didn’t look as Niun left the room, the healer had other things to do, and this was important. If Jina could not get a handle on her emotions, all kinds of bad things would result.

 

Micheal kept his face neutral. “Okay, let’s take them in turn. Take your time, Jina, we have all day if you need it. This is what I am here for, to help you.”

 

Jina blew out a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, I worked through my anger with Vorren. So why am I still getting flashes of pure rage when I think about him…?” This would be a long day.

[kalenath]

It was dark, it was cold. Those were the first things Jina sensed when she opened her eyes. But it was weird. Did she? What was going on? She was not in the bed she had lain down in after eating the really good meal that Emily had essentially dragged her to. Having a family took a great deal of getting used to. Jina had always been close to her friends in the Jedi Order, but this… This was so alien, and at the same time, so familiar that it hurt sometimes. The family had welcomed her with open arms. Emily, Dargon, the other younger children that Emily had adopted, and all of the various hangers on… It was a bit overwhelming at times. The little kids in particular looked at Jina with awe in their eyes and Jina found she enjoyed their company. Little kids had always bothered her a little for some reason. Even the young students at the various Jedi temples that she had studied at had bothered her a little and she had never been able to put her finger on why. She sighed quietly.

 

Her talks with Michael had been productive. She was calmer now than she had been for some time. She doubted that she would ever actually forget what Vorren had done to her, but she did understand it. She and Michael had worked through her feelings, pulling each out into the open where the two Jedi could examine them, discuss them and deal with them. Jina had spent a great deal of her time with Michael in tears and it bothered her greatly, this lack of control. Michael and Emily had both been very supportive of Jina, helping her to face her fears, deal with her infirmities and weaknesses. With their help, Jina had passed beyond what had happened to her, and had fallen asleep calm for the first time in weeks. And now she was here, wherever here was.

 

Jina looked around cataloguing her surroundings. She stood on a planet’s surface. Overhead, the sky was dark and stars were visible. So it was night. She was standing on a plain, around her there was nothing but hard packed grayish dirt. She reached down and touched it; it was cool to her touch. She looked at herself and nodded. Not a dream, a vision perhaps? She was wearing brown Jedi robes instead of the silver armor that the Sitolon had given her. Her lightsabers hung easily at her belt and she… She paused. Why was her belly big? She stared at it for a moment before putting her hand on her belly. She froze as something moved inside her. She was pregnant! She shook her head.

 

“A vision…” She said quietly. “A possible future…”

 

A calm voice answered her. “Yes, Jina. A possible future.” She spun in place to find a young woman standing there. Jina stared, she knew this woman! It was a young woman with black hair and green eyes, who wore silver armor very similar to Jina’s own.

 

"What the...?" Jina’s voice was quiet, scared almost. “Nia…?”

 

Nia Korr’s face was sad as she stood nearby, her eyes on the Jedi. “Hello, Jina. It is good to see you again.”

 

"Nia..." Jina didn’t move. Something was wrong, very wrong. “What is going on…? I can’t be…” She stared at herself and shuddered. “I can’t be…”

 

Nia sighed and suddenly looked her actual age. She was only twenty one after all, even if her life had been incredibly hard. “This is a not… quite a vision, Jina. You have walked the plain and travelled like I can. Maybe this is not real, but it sure feels it. Your pain and fear called me here from where I am imprisoned. You are my friend, Jina. I don’t want you to suffer as I have. But you must calm yourself. Come on woman, you know better.” Nia smiled a little.

 

Jina nodded and calmed herself. “Where are we? I don’t recognize the place.” She looked up, trying to determine her place by the constellations, but she had never seen that configuration before. There were no landmarks.

 

Nia nodded and her face was remote now. “No. No you wouldn’t. You never saw the stars from here. We are on Coruscant, Jina.” Her voice was sad. “We are standing where the Jedi temple was.”

 

Jina felt all the blood leave her face and she stiffened into immobility. She stared around her. As far as the eye could see there was nothing. Nothing at all. No mile high buildings, no traffic, only a huge empty space. Mountains shone in the distance, but… No vegetation, no movement, no nothing. “What… What happened?”

 

"What happened? We lost." Nia shook her head slowly. “This is what happens if we lose, so we mustn’t. You need to go back, Jina. You need to go back now.” She reached out to take Jina’s arm, but Jina recoiled.

 

The Jedi was shaking her head. “This is… I can’t be… You can’t be…”

 

Nia froze in place, her hand dropping to her side. “Oh Jina…” Her entire posture was of sadness now. “Come here …” Jina didn’t, indeed, likely couldn’t move as Nia stepped close and embraced her. “Easy, Jina. It’s okay. This is a possible future.” The young sort of Jedi gave the older Jedi a hug. Jina relaxed but then tensed again as another voice sounded nearby.

 

“Nia, we are out of time!” A blue transparent form appeared nearby and Jina felt her world spin as she recognized the young form. Ulaha had been a Padawan on Tython. Through series of unfortunate events, she had died, and her body had been taken over by a Sith assassin, who had not actually been evil. Oreana, or Dia as she had called herself, had tried very hard to be a good Jedi, until she had died. “Nia, you have to get out of here!” That was odd, Jina had never heard a Force spirit sound scared before.

 

Nia shook her head. “I am not leaving her, Ulaha. Jina… You have to…” She froze in place as something happened.

 

Jina stared at Will’s daughter as the young woman staggered back. “Nia..?” Her eyes went wide as she saw something change. The armor that Nia wore was vanishing! It was disappearing in pieces as if eaten. By tiny machines!

 

"You..." Nia stared at Jina and then at herself. She blinked and her face was sad when she met Jina’s eyes again. “Jina… You set me up… Of all the people I might have expected to betray me… I never would have expected it from you.” She slumped.

 

Jina was shaking her head in horror now. “Nia… No… Is it the machines? I can stop them!” She watched, unable to move, as Nia collapsed, her face etching in fear and pain as her armor was eaten away and parts of her body followed. Nia stared at the Jedi, unable to speak. Jina was crying now. “Nia… No.. I didn’t….”

 

The Force spirit came close. “Jina! Wake up! Now!” The force of the spirit’s command sent Jina reeling and then…

 

She was aware that her throat hurt. She was aware of warm arms holding her. But all she could see was green eyes staring at her in fear, confusion and hurt betrayal as they were eaten from within. And all Jina could do was scream.

[kalenath]

Jina was aware of everything around her. She was surrounded by something warm, and strong arms held her tight, rocking her every so often. Warmth suffused every pore from the beverage that someone had carefully made her drink. But she couldn’t talk. She couldn’t stop crying. Someone was holding her as she cried, and she was sure that it was her mom. A startled exclamation came from somewhere nearby.

 

Melita’s voice was worried. “What the hell happened?” Jina couldn’t look up, she couldn’t move at all as she felt another warm presence settle near her and more arms enfolded her. This time, lekku also draped over her, offering comfort.

 

"Melita." Emily’s voice was just as worried. “We don’t know. She hasn’t been able to calm down. She was fine when she went to sleep, but then she woke up screaming. I came in and she was sitting like this. She has been crying ever since I came in. She stopped screaming a few minutes ago. She won’t talk to us.”

 

"Well..." Melita’s voice was tart now. “She likely can't talk. If she is emotional as she seems, likely she can’t get the words out. Is that right Jina?” The Twi’lek who had been Jina’s lover asked gently. Jina nodded her head savagely. A soft hand caressed her head. “Easy, Jina, easy. We will help. Twenty milligrams?” She asked someone else.

 

Niun’s voice came from further away. “I think that would work. She won’t let me touch her. I think all of her control just evaporated. You should not be touching her, Emily. She could hurt you, without realizing it.”

 

"Back off, Niun!" Jina’s mother snarled, a sound more akin to a rancor than a human woman. “She is my daughter. I don’t care if she is dangerous. She is in pain and I will help her. We sent for you because she knows you and she loves you. She barely knows us, and has fought when we try and sedate her.”

 

A sigh came from nearby. “Always the hard way, Jina. Okay, I will do what I can.” Melita’s voice was soft and gentle when she spoke again. “Jina… I am going to give you something to help calm down. A little stick… Here we go…” Jina barely flinched as a sting in her shoulder heralded a soft feeling that swept through her. She relaxed slowly. “Good girl…” Melita crooned softly as Jina’s muscles started to uncurl. Hands and lekku traced her shoulders and arms as Jina collapsed into the arms that held her, completely undone by her grief and fear. “Easy, Jina… easy…” The arms lowered her to the surface she was sitting on and Jina finally managed to open her eyes.

 

Jina breath was coming in short, quick gasps as she looked around. Her vision was blurry, but she was still in the room she had fallen asleep in. She as sitting on her bed and it was covered with people. Well, her mom was sitting on one side of her and Melita was sitting on the other side. Her father was sitting at the end of the bed, his face was remote, but his eyes were worried. Niun was standing a bit further away. Jina lay back, calm despite her fear as her mother eased her into a sitting position on the bed.

 

Melita smiled as she say Jina’s eyes on her. The Twilek was wearing a scanty nightgown and nothing else. The Ex-Republic agent and current Imperial one snickered. “You just wanted me half nude, didn’t you, Jina?”

 

Jian stared at her lover, and then was startled to hear her voice laugh. It was a soft croak, due to her screaming so long, but clear. “You evil Twi’lek… Drugging me is the only way to get what you want, isn’t it?”

 

Melita smiled, but the expression did not reach her eyes. “Don’t you know it. Better now?” She asked kindly as she stroked Jina’s closest arm, gently calming.

 

Jina exhaled slowly, aware of the scrutiny on her and nodded slowly. “Yes. Thank you.” She began a breathing exercise and when she had finished it, opened her eyes again. "It... It was… moderately awful, before I...” She gasped, trying to move past her fear. She put a hand to her stomach and it felt as it always had, so she relaxed, just a little.

 

Jina’s mother was sitting quietly, but her hand was on Jina’s. “What happened? A dream or a vision?” Her voice was concerned.

 

Jina slumped back into the bed. “I don’t know. It wasn’t a dream. It didn’t feel like a dream. But a vision… She said it was ‘what would happen if we lost…’ but… I don’t know…” She repeated lamely.

 

Dargon laid a hand on Jina’s. “Who said, Jina?” He asked carefully.

 

Jian shook her head. “Nia. I saw Nia Korr, Will’s daughter. She looked… older I think. So it had to be the future. I…” She shook her head again.

 

Another voice spoke and Jina turned her head to see Michael Jonal sitting in a wheeled chair nearby. His face was serene, but he smile when she looked at him. “What did you see, Jina?”

 

Jina smiled back at her friend. But then she tensed again. Warm hands massaged her shoulders and warm lekku were d****** suggestively over her body, distracting her from her fear. “I was standing on an empty plain. There was nothing there, no grass, no trees, no animals, no nothing. When I touched the dirt at my feet, it felt dead, sterile, lifeless. I…” She shuddered again. “I looked at myself and I was wearing robes. And my belly was big. I was pregnant.” She ground out the last and touched her abdomen again to reassure herself that she was not, in fact, pregnant. The Jedi froze as both Emily and Dargon hissed as one. They looked at each other and then at Jina who blinked. “What?”

 

Emily chose her words with care. “Jina… Special Branch has been running a eugenics program for some time. We have not been able to figure out why. We do know that what they did to Maria and Samuel Kalenath was part of it.”

 

Jian froze. “Sara?” She asked carefully. She liked the spunky little girl who had been raised in a cell. Yes, Sara Kalenath scared the hell out of the Jedi on occasion, but she was a good person. Most of the time, anyway.

 

Dargon nodded, his face remote. “Yes. We do not know why they are doing what they are. But they are taking women and…well…You know.” He looked sick and Jina nodded, remembering what she and her allies had found when they had boarded the Dia’s Gift -the Special Branch laboratory ship- the first time. It had been…awful. Jina had actually held the hand of one doomed woman while she had died, victim of the experiments that had implanted the woman with a non-viable embryo.

 

Emily however was staring at her daughter. “That is bad, but that alone wouldn’t have driven you so crazy, Jina. What happened?” Jina mumbled under her breath and Emily sighed. “I couldn’t hear you Jina.”

 

Jina would not meet her mother’s eyes. “I killed Nia.” All four humans and the bug all inhaled sharply at that. “I killed Will’s daughter!” She screamed as she collapsed. She was crying again and she heard raised voices, but none of them penetrated. Finally another small sting sent her into slumber.

[kalenath]

When Jina woke again, she sighed. She could smell the Twi’lek close at hand. “I am sorry, Melita…”

 

"Oh?" The Twi’lek’s voice was soft and kind as a hand traced Jina’s cheek. “For what? Waking me out a nice dream of multiple Special Branch goons screaming in agony under my knives? Or having an awful nightmare and needing help to calm down?”

 

Jina smiled a bit sadly. “That would be…” She gasped as a lekku went somewhere it shouldn’t. “Umm… Oh, you evil Twi’lek.” She gasped as Melita caressed her gently, and not so gently. Then she flinched as cold fingers found a particular spot and she hissed as they dug in.

 

Melita’s voice was wicked now as she laughed. “You are still ticklish there? Shame, shame, Jina…”

 

Jina smiled and opened her eyes. When she did, she found herself alone in her room with Melita. The Twi’lek was wearing a jumpsuit now, but was plying her not inconsiderable skill on the Jedi and Jina found herself gasping in short order. And not from pain. “Melita… Oh… please…”

 

Melita grinned as she continued. “Please? Already? Oh Jina, I haven’t even begun yet. I will drive that dream, vision, whatever the frak it was, from your thoughts if I have to do everything I know to you right here.” Jina shook herself and surrendered gracefully to the moment.

 

***

 

A timeless moment later, Jina watched in silence As Melita dressed slowly and languidly. She could watch her lover all day and never get bored. Melita was aware of her scrutiny and smiled sadly. “I don’t want to go, Jina. But I have to. If I do anything too out of character, we can’t explain it away to Vorren as an aberration.”

 

"I know." Jina rose from the bed, ignoring her state of undress, walked to the Twi’lek and hugged her tight. “I love you, Melita. I won’t insult you by asking you to be careful. But please come back to me.”

 

Melita hugged her lover tight and her voice was a bit husky when she spoke. “Not many loves survive two deaths, Jina. But as long as I can without endangering you, I will keep coming back. Now I have to get back before…” She paused as the door opened and a figure in Imperial uniform walked in. The man’s eyes were on Melita, but then he looked at Jina and his eyes went wide.

 

Melita slipped easily into character and snarled at the man. “Loc, you son of a barve! I was busy! Now I have to get this slave back to her pen before Lord Dargon finds out I had her!”

 

Jina kept her eyes on the floor like good slave, but then the Force shouted a warning at her and she looked up in time to see the man’s blaster rising towards her. His eyes were on her and they had something in them that she had seen before. A sick mix of horror, anger and loathing all warred in the man’s eyes, but his face was slack. He was under someone else’s control, the tiny machines in him made him unable to disobey. She was slow to recognize it and slower to respond. There was no way… A blue mass interposed itself between her and the possessed man.

 

“Melita!” Jina shouted as she dove to the side, searching for cover. A blaster sounded and then another. Jina looked up in time to see the man fall, a hole in his chest, dead center mass. But that was not what had her freezing. Melita stood, a hold out blaster in hand, and her other hand pressed to her abdomen. “Melita!” Jina roared as she jumped to her feet and ran to her friend. She caught the slumping Twi’lek and cried as she lowered her friend to the floor. The door hissed open again and another stranger stood there. The female’s eyes were the same as the man’s had been, her blaster was coming up and Jina did not hesitate.

 

The Force lifted the woman off her feet, and she barely had time to scream before it crushed her. Her scream cut off in mid note as her entire body was crushed into something the size of a briefcase. A very messy briefcase. What was left of what had been a woman in Imperial uniform fell to the floor with a wet thump. But Jina’s eyes and Force sense were on the slumped body of her lover. Who wasn’t breathing now. She could hear an alarm in the distance, but she didn't care.

 

"No!" Jina’s voice was sick now as she focused everything she was, everything she had on the still form cradled in her arms. There was no way she could have known that that her eyes had turned silver. “Melita… No.. No… I won’t let you die! I won’t!” She kissed the Twi’lek and breathed deeply into Melita’s still form. Jina froze as she felt something… Some kind of connection suddenly snap into being and the woman in her arms coughed and breathed.

 

Melita’s voice was strained as the Twi’lek opened her eyes and stared at Jina. “Jina… What…?”

 

Jina buried her face in her friend’s chest and cried for a moment. Then a voice snapped her out of it.

 

“What the hell?” Imperial agent Vorren stood in the doorway, a blaster in hand. Jina’s eyes went hard as she looked at the man who had very nearly crippled her. Vorren had time to cry out as he was slammed into first one wall, and then another with the Force. A form bearing a lightsaber that ignited in a red wave appeared outside, only to meet a solid wall of the Force and be thrown back into another wall. A dull crack echoed from the man as he fell limp to the floor.

 

Jina was aware of Melita’s terrified voice calling to her as if from a great distance but it made no sense. Eventually, she could discerned words. “Jina, no... No… Jina… Please… no…”

 

The enraged Jedi stared at the Twi’lek she loved through red haze. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the anger vanished, leaving Jina to stare at the terrified female in front of her. She stared at Melita and then at the unconscious form that was still hung in midair. Vorren was breathing, barely. She could hear Melita trying to calm her down.

 

“…He didn’t know, Jina! I swear he didn’t really hurt me. He could have. He could have just taken me in, brainwashed me. He could have tortured me for information… Jina, he should have. He could have gotten in a lot of trouble if his superiors had found out about me… Jina please… For the love of god, let him go… Please…” Melita was speaking slowly and clearly, obviously trying to calm the Jedi down.

 

"I... What have I done?" Jina stared at her hands, then at the man who hung in midair, obviously hurt. She slumped and then, gracefully knelt. The form of the unconscious Imperial agent lowered slowly to the floor and laid itself out straight. Jina’s voice was soft and filled with pain. “I am sorry, Melita… I am sorry…”

 

"Oh Jina..." Melita stared at the Jedi for an instant before kneeling in front of her and embracing her. “I am not, Jina. You saved me. I was slipping away, and you pulled me back.” She stared at her abdomen and fingered the burnt hole in her jumpsuit. Under it, the skin was unmarked. “You… You healed me…”

 

Jina could not take her eyes off the two bodies in front of her and the dead Sith in the hall. All killed with the Force. She jerked away from the Twi’lek. “Don’t touch me, Melita… I don’t want to hurt you too…”

 

"Jina... Jina, its okay." The Twi’lek smiled and hugged Jina tighter. “You won’t.”

 

"I..." Jina shook her head. “Twenty minutes ago, I would have said I never would have done what I just did… So… I don’t know anymore, Melita… I don’t…”

[kalenath]

Jina knew she had messed up. She knew very well what had happened. She had snapped, used the Dark Side of the Force to kill. She wasn’t even sure what power she had used on the second agent who had tried to kill her, the female one, but she had made one heck of a mess. So much so, that Emily had moved her to another room while someone cleaned hers. And despite her wishes, no one would leave her alone. She looked around the small room, focusing on the plant in the corner. Living things always calmed her, the vibes that she got from them had always soothed her before, but not now. She sat on the bed and tried not to cry as her mother held her.

 

The Jedi, Dark Jedi, whatever she was, shook her head. “Look, mom… I am dangerous. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what I did… I just…” She broke off and winced as Emily hugged her.

 

Emily’s voice was kind and gentle. “You saved your lover's life.” She stroked her daughter’s hair and sighed sadly. “What happened was awful, Jina. We messed up, we never should have let those two in here. I thought we had the scans down, but apparently they managed to hide the machines until you saw them.”

 

Jina took a deep breath. “Were they after me?” She asked slowly. “I mean, the first one nearly got me, if not for Melita, I would be dead.”

 

Emily sighed quietly and gave her daughter a squeeze as the younger woman shuddered. “I don’t know, Jina. Dargon is beating himself up, trying to retrace their movements. We have a team going over their ship now as well, including tech Olandas, who is very confused, but accepts Melita’s authority for the moment.”

 

"I..." Jina bowed her head and shook it. “I am sorry Mom, I messed everything up, didn’t I?”

 

"No." Emily Darkstorm hugged her daughter again. “No, Jina. Those two controlled agents did. It is not your fault.”

 

"Mom..." Jina wouldn’t meet her mother’s gaze. “You won’t be able to cover up that I killed the Sith who was working with Vorren, and messed Vorren up as well.”

 

Emily shook her own head and pulled Jina’s face up so that the younger woman’s glistening eyes met Emily’s. “We are not going to. We are going to tell the truth.” Jina blinked and Emily smiled at the confusion that shone on her daughter’s face now. “Let’s see… Melita… entertained herself with you, she was attacked by those two controlled agents, and you defended your former lover. You broke your control for a moment. You are a very dangerous prisoner, Jedi.” Emily had a wicked smile on her face now, but then it fell. “We are not going to tell anyone how you killed them, Jina. We are going to leave it vague, intentionally.”

 

Jina shook her head slowly. “Mom… I…” She broke off again as Emily hugged her tight.

 

Emily’s voice was serious now. “Jina, listen to me. You have touched the Dark Side. It is clouding your mind, your thoughts and emotions. Do you trust me, Jina?”

 

"Mom?" Jina’s voice was small. “Yes. But I don’t trust myself.” In her mind she could see her upraised hand and the small remnant of the woman who had attacked her falling to the floor in a spray of blood and gore. She blinked as Emily tapped her on the nose.

 

"Come on." Her mother’s voice was tart now. “Jina. You know better. Let the memory pass you by, we can deal with it. We will deal with it. Let it pass you by, Jina, let it pass.”

 

Jina was shuddering now. “Mom… I am evil…”

 

"No." Emily shook her head. “No you are not. You used the Dark Side. That does not make you evil. What you did with the Force skirted the edge. But you were protecting Melita, hold to that. You were not acting selfishly. You used an evil form of the Force to protect someone else, you had no idea if that woman was going to shoot at you or Melita.”

 

Jina shook her head slowly, not understanding. “Mom… I wasn’t… I wanted them dead and I wanted it to hurt.”

 

Emily sighed and tweaked her daughter’s nose. “Jina…” Her voice was more serious now. “Trust me… Breathe in, and then out…” Jina did as instructed. “Now, let’s examine what happened. Melita was leaving, you said that. The door opened and the man, Loc, came in.”

 

Jina took another deep breath before speaking. “I immediately acted as a slave, as if Melita had been playing with me. And then I felt a warning through the Force. I looked up and he was drawing his gun. He was so fast, there was no way to dodge it. I wasn’t expecting it, and I was slow. Melita got between us. She killed him, but he hit her, bad. I caught her and then the door opened again… the woman standing there was also controlled. You can tell sometimes if you can see the eyes.” She looked at her mom and Emily nodded. Emily had seen it before. Jina’s voice trembled as she continued. “I have never been that angry in my life, Mom…Never.”

 

Emily sighed deeply and held her daughter as Jina shuddered. “That may have been their plan all along, Jina. Special Branch didn’t want you dead before this. They didn’t mind you broken, but not dead. This is different, somehow.” She shook her head as she mused. “Maybe another player, maybe a rogue element within Special Branch…We don’t know.” Emily shrugged. “The Jedi say ‘Once you start down the dark path, it will dominate your destiny forever’. And it is true, you will never be able to forget what happened here, Jina. It will color everything else you do for the rest of your life. The question is… How will it color everything else you do?”

 

Jina stared at her mother, uncomprehendingly. “Mom… I fell…”

 

Emily smiled tenderly. “Jina, trust me. You didn’t do it for yourself. You reacted instinctively, to protect your lover. You overreacted, true. And what you did to Vorren and Olut was excessive. But having them surprise you like that to the heels of you having to kill with the Dark Side…” Emily paused. “Jina…?” She asked slowly.

 

Jina had frozen in place. Her terror was easy to see, let alone sense. “Mom… I hear laughter… Giggling... In my head…”

 

Emily stiffened in place, she knew who laughed like that while he did evil things to people inside their heads. A Sith named Ravishaw did that. “Jina, shut him out. You can. You know how.”

 

Jina concentrated, trying to shut out the laughter that was growing in strength. “It is stronger than ever now… And getting… worse…” She gasped out. “I thought the Bladeborn cut him off from the Force.” She groaned as pain erupted inside her head and then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the dark presence in her mind vanished.

 

“We did.” Another voice answered her. Jina stared up into the concerned eyes of Bladeborn Grandmaster Istara Sharlina Andal who stood nearby. “But apparently he got better.” Istara sat down on the other side of Jina and embraced her friend. “I came as soon as I heard, Jina.”

 

Jina was shaking her head. “You shouldn’t be here… They will find you… Track you…”

 

Istara smiled a bit sadly. “Trust me Jina. No one and nothing will get between me and my friends. But we have it covered. Rest now, my friend. He won’t touch your dreams.” Jina was fading but she smiled on seeing Istara’s smile. Everything would be all right now. Istara wouldn’t let her become a threat.

[kalenath]

When Jina Darkstorm woke, she wasn’t where she had been. She blinked, trying to figure out what was wrong. The ceiling was different. She was not in a room anymore. She was in a cave. A well lit one, warm and dry. But a cave. She stared around herself, perplexed. She was lying on a bunk, clad in what looked like training robes and her leg hurt… She stiffened as she looked at her leg. It was in a full cast again! She jumped as a throat cleared nearby. Jina tried to sit up and she hissed as her leg hurt worse. She rolled into a sitting position in time to see a door set into the wall nearby open.

 

Ona, the Bothan healer of the Bladeborn, strode through the door, fixing her robes. “Seriously, Jina… of all the times for you to wake up. You had to do it when I was on the can.” But her voice was humorous.

 

Jina laughed. She liked Ona. But then she paused. “What… What happened?” She asked carefully. This place was nothing like where her mother and father lived. She tried to sit up again and Ona came to her side and knelt down, holding her gently in place.

 

"Stay still." Now the healer’s face was stern. “None of that, Jina. You have been using that leg far too much. You did more damage to it. Do you want it to be crippled permanently?” She asked acerbically.

 

Jina froze in place. She liked the black furred healer, but when Ona started talking like that, everyone sane stepped carefully. Even Sith lords had nothing on this Bothan when she raged. “I… It didn’t hurt. I thought it was healed.” She said in a small voice.

 

Ona sighed and her anger dissipated. She stroked Jina’s hair gently. “Jina… You didn’t hurt because Niun had you on painkillers, remember?” Jina blinked and then blanched. “I see you do. Between you moving around, your… um…. ‘Horizontal calisthenics’, and what you did when you were attacked…” Ona shook her head and her face was sad. “Oh Jina…” She squeezed the bedridden Jedi’s shoulders. “You are a mess.”

 

Jina let the Bothan hug her. The Bothan was a tactile being, she used touch as a healing tool, and she genuinely like most people. Ona was a law unto herself, even among the fairly unorthodox Bladeborn. The Bothan was incredibly empathic, and at the same time, hard as a rock. She was one of the greatest healers that Jina had ever encountered, even the Sitolon with their millennia of medical know how acknowledged the Bothan’s skill as great. Jina had been a patient of the healer several times now, and she knew better than to argue. Besides, she liked Ona.

 

"I know." The Jedi returned the hug and her voice was small. “I am sorry, Ona. I… Things have been… a bit unsettled.”

 

Ona snorted. It was downright amazing how many emotions the Bothan could put in a snort. Derision, anger, fear, compassion, exasperation… All of those were present in that short explosive grunt, and more. “That is the understatement of the century, Jina. Here, let me see…” The Jedi lay still as Ona passed her hands down along the length of the cast, her face disapproving. After a few minutes, the Bothan sighed. “Jina… You are not going to be walking for a while.”

 

Jina stared at Ona and then at her leg. “I… Ona... I have to…” She shut up as the Bothan glared at her.

 

"You have to listen to me." When Ona spoke, it was quiet and matter of fact. “You have to heal. Part of the reason you lost control was the pain in your leg. Part was the emotional attachment you have to that Twi’lek.” A stab of pain flew through Jina that was not physical and Ona’s face softened. “Jina… It’s okay, she is okay. You saved her.” Ona hugged Jina lightly again. “Well done.”

 

Jina shook her head. “I… I don’t know what I did.” She stammered. “I kissed her and… She woke up… Like one of the old tales.”

 

Ona smiled and her voice was gentle. “Old tales often have a grain of truth in them, Jina. But from what I could tell…” She paused as Jina jumped a bit and smiled wider. “Yes I came when I heard. Like anyone or anything will keep me from helping you?” She patted Jina’s arm and continued. “The kiss had nothing to do with it. I examined both her and you. You apparently forged a connection with her, you threw your will and drive into her, trying with all your heart and soul to heal her. And you did. It seemed similar to what I do actually.”

 

"Really?" Jina stared at the Bothan. “I… I never studied much healing beyond what is taught to all Jedi.”

 

Ona nodded. “Do you want to? You will have time now.”

 

"What?" Jina stared at the Bothan and her eyes were burning. “I… No, Ona… I am dangerous. I killed that woman and that Sith… I…”

 

Ona smiled and then pulled the hurt Jedi into an embrace. “Jina… It’s okay. Yes, you used the Dark Side. Yes, it will color everything you do from now on. And no, I don’t care.” She squeezed the Jedi tight enough that Jina was gasping. “You are my friend, you are in pain and I am going to help you. Clear?” This last was in a hard tone.

 

Jina sputtered a bit and then laughed. “Watch the ribs, Ona… Sheesh, you trying to hurt me worse?” But her voice was humorous as she returned the Bothan’s hug. “Clear. What are we going to do, Ona? I blew my cover completely I think.” She shook her head, amazed at how swiftly things had gone sour.

 

"Yeah." Ona nodded, but she had an evil grin on her face. “That you did. But it is handled. You ‘escaped’. Dargon is very upset with Melita at the moment, has actually demanded that she and that tech Olandas remain and be ‘punished’. I am pretty sure that the punishment will involve helping him and us stop Special Branch.”

 

"Ona?" Jina stared at Ona, her face working. “Every time I heard Melita’s name before… I was aroused. I am not now. Is it a side effect of what I did?”

 

"No." Ona shook her head and her voice became clinical. “You are on a special sedative we developed a while back for just such situations. It will keep you from feeling such things for as long as you need it. Jina…” She held the Jedi down when Jina tried to get up. “Think! Calm yourself. Why did I do that?” She asked calmly when Jina had slumped back into the bed.

 

"Why?" Jina bowed her head and when she spoke it was quiet. “Because I am not rational when she is involved. She and I… We fit, but…” She slumped deeper in the bed and tears were falling. “I can’t see her again, can I?”

 

"Oh Jina." Ona sighed and patted Jina’s arm. “I don’t know, Jina. Love will usually find a way, but, as unstable as you are right now…. The last thing you need right now is more emotional upsets. We… know about such things.”

 

"Right." Jina sighed and calmed herself, drying her tears on her sleeve. “Yeah… So… I ‘escaped’?”

 

Ona nodded and her grin was vicious. “Yep and Dargon has no idea at all where you are. He is very incensed about that, he blames Imperial Intelligence for the loss of his favorite slave.”

 

"Huh?" Jina blinked, something about Ona’s tone was off. “My father doesn’t know where I am?”

 

The door opened and Dargon Darkstorm was standing there, his face severe. But his tone was humorous. “No, Jina, I have no idea at all where you are.” His face dissolved into a smile as Jina laughed.

[kalenath]

Jina was… bemused. She had expected to use the wheeled chair again, but obviously, it would not fit through some of the corridors that she had travelled through. Instead, she was being carried by one of the largest men she had ever seen. The blonde haired human had a horrifically scarred face, but his hands were gentle. The axe that hung across his back seemed somewhat ornamental but at the same time fully functional. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was actually a Massassi lanvarok, a specialized weapon used by the Massassi warriors of Yavin IV. She stiffened a bit as her carrier approached a door, but it slid aside and Istara was there, smiling.

 

Jina shook her head slowly as she was carried into what was obviously an office. “I wasn’t expecting this…”

 

Istara laughed as she waved the human to deposit Jina in a chair nearby. “Well, Ona has spoken. She doesn’t want you walking until after she has a chance to get that bone spur out of your knee. You could use the Force to get around, but we would rather you did not. It goes against the Code to use the Force when there are other options.”

 

"Right." Jina nodded slowly and smiled as her carrier laid her gently in the chair and then covered her legs with a blanket. “Thank you.” She said quietly as she settled the blanket.

 

The man’s voice came from a box on his throat and it sounded normal. “You are welcome, Jedi Darkstorm. Call when you wish to leave.” He bowed to both of the woman and then turned and left the room.

 

Jina stared after him for a moment. You did not expect to feel compassion from a darksider. Ona of course was very compassionate, but that man looked like the ultimate Sith. She shook her head, she should know better by now. The Bladeborn were not typical in any way shape or form. She smiled as she turned her head back to Istara. “You wanted to see me?” She asked softly.

 

Istara smiled as she sat behind a desk that was overflowing with piles of datapads. “Yes, I did. You look better, Jina. I am glad.”

 

Jina shrugged, she was still getting used to these feelings. Her voice was sardonic. “If you mean drugged and immobile, yeah I am better.” She couldn’t keep a hint of bitterness out of her voice.

 

Istara met the Jedi’s gaze calmly. “Jina… Focus.” Her voice was calm, gentle and soothing. “Come on, you know why we did what we did. Your leg needs time to heal. You need time to come to grips with what you experienced. Time is something we can and will give you.”

 

Jina took a deep breath and relaxed. “I am sorry Istara. I am not angry with you. I just…” She shrugged helplessly.

 

"I know." Istara nodded and stood up slowly. She came to stand beside the Jedi’s chair and took the woman’s hands in her own. “I know. I never told you, I don’t think, why the Bladeborn walk carefully around me…”

 

Jina stared at the other woman. Istara was only a few years older than Jina. But suddenly Istara seemed ancient and tired. “Istara…?” Jina asked carefully.

 

"Jina..." Istara knelt down beside Jina’s chair. “You need to know. It is going to come up, and I don’t want it to blindside you. Idjit and I…” She paused as Jina laughed sourly.

 

"Duh." Jina’s voice was humorous. “Anyone with eyes can tell you two love each other.” She froze as Istara met her eyes. The sheer pain in the Bladeborn grandmaster’s face had Jina quailing.

 

"We do." Istara slumped and when she spoke, her voice was nearly inaudible. “Yes. And I very nearly killed him.”

 

"What?" The pain in Istara’s voice had Jina flinching. Then she pulled Istara’s hands, trying to get the Bladeborn close. “Istara…? What happened?”

 

Istara smiled a bit forlornly. “We went out looking for trouble is what happened. I was a little sick. Sickness was a weakness, I ignored it. I had a pain in my stomach, I ignored that. We found a fight with a group of bounty hunters who were looking for a Bladeborn bounty. We argued with them, not that it took much to get me to fight in those days.”

 

“And it does now?” Jina asked teasing, trying to lighten the mood she could feel forming.

 

Istara smiled slightly, but her face was still sad. “We won the fight of course. But the pain did not go away. Idjit took me to Ona, he could feel something wrong but had no idea what it was. I argued, said I was strong. But he is a bit stubborn.”

 

Jina stiffened. Was Istara crying? Yes, that was a tear that fell from the woman’s eye. Her instinctive remark was in a worried tone. “Pot meet kettle. Istara… Come here…” She hugged the grandmaster and Istara returned the hug.

 

Istara sniffled a bit and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. “I am sorry, I just… even now it bothers me. It hits every so often, and all I can do is let it pass.”

 

Jina froze in place. Something about the woman now reminded her of Emily, Jina’s mother. Pieces started falling into place in the Jedi’s mind. Why Istara acted so motherly on occasion, why she defended children so fiercely, even more than normal Bladeborn. Why she acted… like a mother…

 

“Oh my god…” Jina felt her own eyes start to burn.

 

"I had been pregnant." Istara’s voice was soft and filled with pain now. “We didn’t know. We were young and stupid. Neither of us thought to use protection.” She bowed her head. “I… did not react well when Ona told me that I had been pregnant. That I had miscarried. That they had been forced to remove the…” She broke off unable to continue.

 

Jina was stunned, but hugged her friend tighter. “Istara, it’s okay.” She stroked Istara’s hair, both to calm her friend and to calm herself.

 

Istara lay quiet in the Jedi’s embrace. “You needed to know. I understand completely about being in love and that love being denied. That is why Ona developed that drug. To use on me. But if it can help you… Please let us, Jina. We know the Dark Side, Jina. We know its call. We can help you, if you let us.”

 

"Oh Istara..." Jina shook her head, but in resignation, not negation. “I don’t see any alternatives that bear thinking. I am sorry for your loss Istara…Wait a moment…” She blinked and stared at Istara. “Kirina…? She stared at Istara and a wicked smile crossed her face. “You didn’t…”

 

Istara smiled sadly. “Oli is Kirina’s child, not mine, not Idjit’s. She has the right to raise the girl. She carried the girl to term when I could not. She stood as surrogate for me, and the least I can do is support her however I can.”

 

Jina thought back to her time on the Sitolon homeship. Istara had been the one who had finally figured out who Kirina had been before her ordeal, and it had devastated everyone who knew the girl. Jina had met the girl named Rina during her adventures in dealing with the bugs on Tralus. She had liked Rina and the girl she had liked was gone. The body had been alive, but the mind was gone. It was amazing, or maybe the Force, that Ecien who had found the girl, had called her Kirina which in Sitolon meant ‘Little lost one’.

 

"Wow." Jina shook her head. “You are strong, Istara. Stronger than I will ever be. Any one of those things might have driven me mad.”

 

"Jina." Istara slumped in place, but did not retreat from the embrace. “It did. That was why I left. Why I was sent away. I was a danger to everyone around me. Until I found a cause worthy of my sword, all I wanted to do was die fighting.”

 

"You found one." Jina smiled gently and hugged Istara again. “And that cause was helping Will’s family.”

 

IStara grinned a bit foolishly. “Yep. We seem drawn to foolish or lost causes, the Bladeborn that is.” She shook her head. “Speaking of lost causes… I called you here for a reason. I could use some help…”

 

Jina let the grandmaster go and Istara rose and walked back to her desk. The Jedi looked at Istara and nodded.

 

“You know you have but to ask. What can I do? I am kind of a bump on a log at the moment.”

 

Istara sighed as she sat down and her sigh was heartfelt. “I had no idea at all, what Trugoy had on his plate when he died. This…” She waved a hand at the overflowing desk. “Is this week’s stuff.” Jina’s eyes went wide. “Have you ever done organizing? I… never did…” The Bladeborn admitted a bit sheepishly.

 

"Well..." Jina blinked and then nodded slowly. “You know, it has been a long time, but I did do some time in the archives.” She broke off as Istara made a face.

 

Istara’s face was comically scared now. “Help…?” She asked in a plaintive tone.

 

"When you ask like that..." Jina couldn’t help it, she laughed. “Okay, sure. The first thing, if I remember correctly, is to organize everything by date or priority.” She leaned a bit closer, aware now that her chair was actually within reach of the desk. Likely not a coincidence. She picked up a stack of datapads to start organizing them. “Do I get paid secretary wages?”

 

"Well..." Istara smirked. “We will talk once I see how you do. And no goofing off or I go get Ona.”

 

Jina snarled mock playfully. “Slavemaster.” The two mismatched woman shared a laugh and then buckled down to work.

[kalenath]

Istara was good company, but after a few hours of organizing things, Jina was losing ground to her fatigue. She kept at it, grimly determined to make some kind of difference. She was so sick of being useless, of being a… Her thoughts stopped in mid whine as she stared at the datapad in her hands. She felt every ounce of blood leave her face as she perused it. Most of what she and Istara had filed, she had simply scanned, noted the date and the heading and then filed. But this one was titled ‘Plague’. The descriptions were beyond horrific, the plague caused madness.

 

Istara looked up from where she was working and sighed. Her voice was quiet. “You didn’t know about that?”

 

"No." Jina could not tear her eyes away from the horrific descriptions on the datapad. When she spoke, her own voice was small. “I heard rumors of course, but rumors are always exaggerated. Always. This…” She shook her head.

 

"Yeah." Istara pursed her lips and nodded. “If anything the rumors understate it. It is horrible. We have lost four kin to it already. The incubation period seems to be variable, so we have been unable to determine where or how they were infected.”

 

Jina blinked at the pain in Istara’s voice. “How do they…? I mean…What kills them…?” Her eyes got to the end of the datapad and she exhaled sharply. The Bladeborn executed any they found with the plague with blasters to avoid further contamination. Then they burned the bodies. “Oh my god, Istara… I am sorry…”

 

"I hate it, but..." Istara shrugged. “Mercy or pragmatism, in the end it boils down the same. We cannot allow the entire order to get infected. We are essentially in quarantine here. They would have understood if they had been lucid. We have been… Well, we have been discussing things among ourselves. For now, most of us will remain here, we need to train anyway. We have been on the run so long our schedules have gotten messed up.”

 

Jina bit her lip and nodded. “It says here that it only affects Force users? Any idea why?” She asked slowly.

 

Istara nodded. “What little we have been able to determine says that it was engineered as a bioweapon. Probably by Sith Lord Darmuk, although we have no proof.” She spit the name Darmuk out as if in physical pain.

 

"Where have I heard that name?" Jina stared at her friend for a moment and then she nodded in understanding. “He is the one hunting your sister, isn’t he?”

 

The grandmaster of the Bladeborn shook herself before responding. When she did it was cold and matter of fact. “One of them, yes. We don’t know why, except that he convinced the Emperor to hand her over to him.”

 

"Why?" Jina blinked and her brow furrowed in thought. “That makes no sense. Why does he want her? What makes your sister special?” She froze as Istara stilled into immobility. “Istara… I am not your enemy…” She said carefully. “I want to help. Maybe I can.”

 

"Jina." Istara bowed her head and spoke in a monotone. “Setsuna had two major abilities. Force Resuscitation is actually the lesser of the two.”

 

Jina stared at her friend, her mouth falling open. Force Resuscitation was a powerful ability, and a horrible one. The ability to heal or kill with a touch was frightening to say the least. But then Istara’s words percolated through the Jedi’s brain. “The lesser?” She asked carefully.

 

Istara would not meet Jina’s eyes. “My sister is… She is hounded, running. If I go anywhere near her, I will lead her hunters to her. I want to find her, hold her and tell her everything will be all right, but I don’t know if it will. I have to be strong, Jina. Everyone here is counting on me. But…”

 

"I understand." Jina nodded. “But she is your kin. You don’t want me moving, so… Come here, Istara.” Istara rose slowly, and the tracks of tears were visible on the woman’s face as she walked to where Jina sat. Jina moved in her chair, leaving space for Istara to sit. Jina spoke softly. “Anything I can do to help, I will.”

 

Istara sat and sighed, calming herself. “You have not heard the worst. Did anyone tell you why I left the Bladeborn?”

 

"No." Jina shook her head slowly and her voice was gentle. “It was about your sister, but other than that, no. It is your business. If you want a friendly ear, I am here. Once my leg is healed, if I can help in any way, I will.”

 

Istara smiled a bit forlornly. “Thank you. I may take you up on that. I left the Bladeborn over Setsuna, my duty and honor collided and I chose my honor. I cut my brand off.” Jina froze in place, she had heard… Istara gave her a squeeze. “Yes, I had planned to save her and then suicide, but things did not work out like I had planned. It’s okay now. Well, I am. Setsuna… Well… Setsuna’s other ability manifests as Force bonds.’

 

Jina blinked in confusion. “Force bonds? Like the Exile? 300 years ago?”

 

Istara nodded. “Yes, in some respects. She has no control over it. Michael was trying to help her, and then they were attacked. He was hurt and she was tossed off the side of building or fell, not sure which. She survived and is in the company of another Jedi. We had someone observing, but we couldn’t approach.”

 

Jina blinked. “Huh?” She asked intelligently. “Why not?”

 

Istara shook her head. “Setsuna believes she enslaves people with those Force bonds. She believes she enslaved me when we met. If she sees me, she will run. She believes the Bladeborn are still servant sof the Empire. If she sees anyone with a brand…Well…” Istara shrugged.

 

Jina stared at the Bladeborn. “She will try to get away… To keep from binding you to her, or so she believes. Why does she believe this? Just the sense I get from you tells me otherwise.”

 

Istara snarled softly. “Because my esteemed predecessor told her that, and she has no other source of information. He was wrong, oh my god how wrong he was, but she believes it. So if we push, try to extract her…”

 

Jina stared at Istara in horror. “She will run or fight.” She could not believe Trugoy, the old and wise being had led the Bladeborn until his death, been so obtuse.

 

Istara nodded. “Yeah. All we can do now is wait. We have…agents in place, observing remotely. Most of them are watching Darmuk’s forces, but… Many of those are hidden. He is making a move now, but for what, we don’t know.”

 

"Wait..." Jina nodded slowly. “Isn’t he the one who has Will’s daughter?” Istara nodded, her lips pressed tightly together. Jina shook her head. ‘This is going to be… bad…”

 

"Bad?" Istara shook her head. “That is putting it very mildly.”

[kalenath]

Jina had been working as Istara’s de facto secretary for three days now, and she had to admit, she enjoyed. It was a non stressful job, and she had more than enough stress in her life at the moment. Ona was determined not only to see Jina healed, but fully recovered. So every day, the Jedi had to endure what could only be described as torture. Physical therapy was not for the faint of heart. Jina stared at her right knee encased in its cast resentfully for a moment before sighing. It wasn’t the knee’s fault it hurt like the blazes, even with the painkiller.

 

The Jedi had been a guest of the Bladeborn before, so she had been ready for certain aspects of the life she was now leading. But there had been some surprises. Somehow, the Bladeborn had managed to make a chair for her that allowed her to get around under her own power. She hadn’t really minded being carried, per say, but it had been embarrassing. Istara had realized that, and this morning when Jina had woken, Mama Lizard had arrived with her new chair. It was droid operated and voice commanded, so all Jina had to do was sit. Not that she did that very well at the best of times. She got bored easily, especially these days…

 

Her thoughts broke off as a sound penetrated the walls of the cavern she was in. She looked up at the cave wall and listened. The entire complex of caverns was nestled under a mountain range, and was fairly compact. Small fusion generators powered the complex and would be next to impossible to detect from anywhere outside the caves. But the Bladeborn did not believe in coddling themselves. Comfort took a distinct back seat to function and efficiency. So the walls were thin enough that she could hear things outside. That was probably intentional, to make it hard for people to sneak up on the grandmaster. The sound came again and Jina tensed as another sound was heard; a child’s muffled cry of pain. Jina turned her chair and was heading towards the door in seconds.

 

As soon as she opened the door, she could hear them. A young female voice was sneering. “...get up, coward! You lied to the teacher, and got me punished! I haven’t begun to hurt you yet!”

 

An equally young male voice answered her. “I told the truth. You were shirking…” The voice grunted in pain again.

 

Jina guided her chair around the corner and found what she had expected. Two young humans in Bladeborn student robes were in the shadowed corridor. The male child was on the ground and the young girl had her boot on his throat and was grinding it in. The girl snarled again, a sound very unlike a human, more animal like.

 

“Shut up! You enjoyed watching me get hurt, didn’t you?” She kicked the boy viciously and Jina was moved to intervene.

 

Instead of coming any closer however, Jina spoke from where she sat. “What happened?” Two pairs of wide eyes shot to where she was sitting at the cross corridor. The girl spun in place and her hands came up in a defensive posture, only to fall as she realized who was talking to her. The boy stared at Jina from the ground. Jina moved the chair into the light of the illumination panel that served this section of cave, not that there was a lot of light. And that was probably intentional. Bladeborn liked the dark. Jina’s voice was flat now. “I asked a question.”

 

The girl stammered as she tried to recover her poise. “Uh… Jedi Darkstorm… I…” The girl was obviously unsure of what to do. Jina was not one of her instructors, not one of her superiors, not anyone she knew how to deal with. She could not have been over eight standard years old, and was actually quite pretty under the rictus of rage she had been wearing. Her short red hair was all mussed, from being emotional and probably from fighting as well, given the condition of the young man at her feet. She was cute, but Jina knew exactly how dangerous the girl was as well, even trainee Bladeborn were lethal beyond belief.

 

"We..." The boy spoke in a rasping tone. “We were sparring, Jedi Darkstorm. It got out of hand.”

 

"Sparring?" Jina shook her head. His tone was good, but the Force sang with the lie. He was trying to cover for the girl! The chair bound woman felt incredulity in the Force from the girl, even if her face was still a blank mask. The Jedi kept her face serene and her voice cool with effort, she wanted to smile. “Outside the ring, in a hidden place? No… You were dueling.” Both children froze in place. “What I need to know is this. Was it to first blood or did you swear ‘to the death?’” Neither child would meet her eyes and Jina sighed. “Look, students… what are your names?” The boy murmured ‘Hoss’ and the girl murmured ‘Zana’. Jina nodded. “My name is Jina Darkstorm, we had not been formally introduced. Now we have been, so I ask again. What happened?”

 

Zana, if anything, was more off balance now. “I….” She shook her head and bowed it.

 

The boy spoke softly from where he was on the floor. “I messed up.” The girl’s head spun to look at him but he did not take his eyes off of Jina. “I got emotional, I wanted her to hurt. I never expected the teacher to actually put her on the Rack.”

 

Jina blinked at the pain in his voice and the girl’s sense in the Force. “What is the Rack?” She asked slowly.

 

The girl swallowed, but then straightened herself. When she spoke it was clinical. “The rack is punishment for Bladeborn who transgress seriously. They put me on it for ten minutes. Ten minutes that seemed like ten hours!” The sheer pain in the girl’s sense in the Force had Jina wincing. “I messed up, I know I messed up. But…”

 

Hoss snarled at her. “You lied to the instructors, Zana. That by itself is worthy of punishment.” The girl drew back her leg to kick only to freeze as Jina coughed.

 

“Calm yourselves students. You know better. Zana… There.” She waved towards one side of the corridor. Zana stared at her, and then walked stiffly to the wall and knelt beside it, facing Jina. Jina nodded to her and looked at the boy, who had already taken a spot near the far wall, kneeling. Jina smiled at each in turn. “Will you help me recite the Bladeborn Code? I am a little rusty on ancient Tythonese.”

 

The Jedi started speaking in the ancient tongue used on Tython before the formation of the Jedi order and two other voices joined her after a startled moment. <Loyalty. Duty. Honor. Respect. Vigilance. Prowess. Humility. Courtesy. Valor. Service. Sacrifice.>

 

It never ceased to amaze her how calm she was after speaking the Bladeborn Code. It was, at heart, the same as any form of meditation. It was designed to instill calm, and calm was important for anyone, but especially for beings trained as these were. Otherwise, things got messy. By the time they had finished, both children were calm. Jina nodded to Zana and spoke again. “So, Zana. What happened? And no evasions…” She waved a finger at the girl.

 

Zana’s head was bowed and her voice was very low when she spoke. “I was reading in my bunk. I was supposed to be meditating. But I couldn’t.” There was something in the girl’s tone that perplexed Jina, but she shrugged it off for the moment. “I was supposed to be thinking on a particular passage of the Code, ‘Valor’, but… I couldn’t focus. When I was called to class, I told them I was sick. I know it was wrong, that I was not, but I didn’t want to sit and study any more. I…I do feel weird, not bad, just weird. I am not really sick, I don’t think. But I feel weird.”

 

Jina looked at Hoss now and raised a brow. He met her eyes. His eyes were haunted and his sense in the Force was sick. “I told them she was lying. That she had been reading a novel instead of meditating. I didn’t know what the penalty was…” But something was off in his Force sense.

 

Jina sighed and shook her head. “Don’t lie to me boy. Why did you tell the instructors on her?” Hoss jerked, but could not tear his gaze from hers. She had learned early on that having a sharp and penetrating gaze was a very useful tool in dealing with people who did not want to tell the truth. Hoss mumbled something and Jina shook her head. “Come on, students. As long as it is just the three of us here there are no problems. If I have to get one the masters, or Mama…” She trailed her words off menacingly.

 

"She..." Hoss met her eyes challenging now. “She is too good. She beats all of us, every time! She needed to get taken down a peg or three!”

 

"I see." Jina nodded slowly as she looked at Zana who was staring at the boy as if she had never seen him before. Jina sighed and spoke. “Jealousy is insidious, students. There is always someone better, you know this.” Both of them nodded. “But letting your anger and hate fester is a one way ticket to the Dark Side. You broke the rules, Zana and were punished for it. You blame him and he blames you for being better than he is. That… sounds like Sith behavior.” Both children froze at that. “Are you Sith?” Jina asked off handedly.

 

"No I am not." Hoss stared at her and then slowly, so slowly, rose to his feet. He bowed to Zana. “For the insult to you, I apologize, sister. I let my feelings get in the way.”

 

"Yes. I did as well. I am not Sith either." Zana rose as well, unsteadily. Her voice was firm as well. “I understand your feelings brother. Apology accepted, please accept mine for maligning your honor. I will help you study if you…” She paused. “I…” Jina stared at the girl and blanched as she seemed to sag. Zana’s voice was off now. “Something is wrong…” She collapsed in heap.

 

Hoss shouted as the girl fell. “Zana!” He would have run to her, but Jina held him back, she had moved in between them.

 

"No!" Jina held the boy. “Don’t touch her! She might be contagious.” She moved up slowly to where the girl was lying now and held out a hand. What she sensed made her hiss. “No she is not. You, Hoss, run to Ona. Tell her I need help. Tell her… Ravishaw.” With that Hoss’ face went white and he took off at a run. Jina’s face was hard as she levered herself out of the chair, hissing slightly as her leg hurt. “He touched you, didn’t he girl… No… No… Don’t try to talk…” Jina’s voice was soft and gentle as she sat down beside the shuddering girl. “I think it is time that son of a barve realized just how annoyed he has made me. Let’s do this, girl.” She touched the girl’s head and both her eyes and Zana’s rolled back up into their heads.

[kalenath]

When Jina could see again, she was standing in a garden, a fairly common visual representation for another being’s mind. She checked and was unsurprised to find her right knee whole. In a mindscape, physical rules did not apply. She looked around. The garden was small, but nice. Flowers surrounded the perimeter and vegetables were planted in neat rows. The Jedi could identify some of the plants, but she was no Agri-Corp person. She looked around.

 

“Zana?” She asked softly. She did not want to startle the girl, not here, not now.

 

A muffled exclamation came from nearby and a small form crawled out from under a low bush. Zana looked like hell. The girl was clad in a torn dress, her entire body was dirty and her eyes held terror. Her face was covered with the tracks of tears. “Jedi Darkstorm? How did you get here? I…” She recoiled. “This is a trick! Another of his tricks!”

 

"No." Jina pursed her lips, but did not move. “This is not a trick, Zana. Search your feelings. You know the truth if you search for it.” She opened her arms, but didn’t move. “I am here to help.”

 

Zana shook her head savagely. “You can’t help me. I am lost. I just hope they kill me swiftly. I don’t want to be a threat to the Order.” Something changed and she staggered. Then she screamed loudly. “No! No! Don’t let him take me again! No!” Her form wavered and vanished.

 

Jina snarled and cast out with her mind, following the trace she could feel of Zana’s terror. This was a trap, she knew it was a trap, but she didn’t care in the slightest. She took a step forward and the scene changed. Now she was standing in what looked like a hospital ICU or something similar. White sterile walls surrounded her, harsh light illuminated everything, casting shadows in odd places. Medical equipment beeped on the walls. She hissed as she saw Zana strapped to a table. The girl was unclothed now, and her head was shaved. A mask covered her mouth and tubes were flowing into her from various bags. Jina sighed, this was what Special Branch did to their prisoners, what they had done to her friend Cora. A form in surgical garb was leaning over the girl, whispering. The dark side hovered close about that form. He reached for the struggling girl and Jina gathered herself.

 

Jina spoke softly, but with great power resonating in her words. “All right, that is enough!”

 

The form in surgical attire turned slowly and languidly. He pulled off his surgical mask and looked at the Jedi. The being known as Ravishaw was smiling widely. “Well, well, well. What have we here? Jina Darkstorm? What are you doing here Jedi…? Oh…” The image chanced and Ravishaw stood in his customary black robes, his sword in hand. He looked at her, perplexed for an instant and then smiled wider. “You are not a Jedi anymore are you? Dark Jedi. Feels good, doesn’t it, to cut loose? To be everything you can be.”

 

"Ravishaw." Jina shook her head slowly. “You truly are pathetic. Was this a trap for me or Istara?” She didn’t move, didn’t draw a weapon, indeed she didn’t react at all as the man took a step towards her. “When you see Vandar again, tell him from me, ‘When next we meet, one of us dies’. ” Her voice was calm, and focused, but under it lay hate.

 

The man in black laughed. “Wow, for a Jedi, you sure are emotional, aren’t you my dear? You would do better than this morsel.” He ran a slow hand along the arm of the bound girl who snarled at him. He sighed. “Now, now, brat… None of that.” Energy flared from his hand the girl bucked and screamed before collapsing back onto the table. Ravishaw smirked as he turned towards Jina, his blade at the ready. “That will keep her until I am done with you.”

 

"No." Jina smiled thinly. “I am not going to fight you here.”

 

Ravishaw tilted his head at her. “No?” Then he grinned. “Good. Then kneel. You will enjoy it, parts of it, I promise”

 

Jina smiled just as wide, an expression that had Ravishaw freezing. “I didn’t say I was going to serve you. I am just not going to fight you here. Because if I fight, I will do damage to Zana’s mind. You don’t care if you do permanent damage to your slaves’ minds, after all, you can always find more. But some of us do.”

 

Ravishaw smirked. “So you are just going to stand there and watch?” Energy flared from his fingers again and Zana screamed again. He froze as Jina smirked.

 

The Jedi’s voice was soft now. “No.” Suddenly the scene changed again. Now the three of them stood in a wide open air amphitheatre. But Zana was clad in full Bladeborn armor and was standing behind some kind of wall of energy. Blue energy that crackled and hissed, but it felt clean and pure in the Force. She stared around in shock at the sudden change and Ravishaw snarled. The former Bladeborn threw dark and evil looking purple energy at the wall. It bounced off. Jina shook her head. The Jedi stood calm, clad in full silver battle armor now, her lightsabers in hand. Jina sighed. “Really Ravishaw… You are hardly the only one who knows how to manipulate minds. But some of us use our powers for good.”

 

Ravishaw snarled and his blade sang as he stepped forward. “You pathetic witch! She is mine!”

 

"Oh?" Jina smiled sadly. “Is she? Zana? Do you wish to serve this being?”

 

"Never!" The young Bladeborn shook her head savagely. “I will die first! He has been clawing at my dreams for weeks. Ever since Trugoy died.” Now the girl’s voice was sad.

 

"Yes." Jina nodded slowly. “He touched you in the hangar bay, threatened you with a knife. We all though he hadn’t had time to actually do anything. That is our fault, Zana, not yours. We will make it right.”

 

Ravishaw’s voice was the sound of claws on silk now. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Jedi. You are mine now, as she is!” The scene around them wavered a bit, but then stayed the same. He stared round in shock, and then at Jina who stood impassive.

 

"Ravishaw, Ravishaw..." The Jedi’s face was serene, but a tiny smile crept across it. “You really are an idiot. You are not in her mind anymore, Ravishaw. My mind, my rules.”

 

The evil Sith’s eyes went wide and he stared at the Jedi. “No…” He breathed and for the first time, fear crept onto his face.

 

"You know, you were right about one thing. I do enjoy cutting loose when I can." Jina smiled widely. “I am going to enjoy this. You like hurting people, taking their power and using it for your own ends? I wonder how you will feel if all your power gets taken from you?”

 

"What?" Ravishaw was shaking his head. “No! You… You can’t!”

 

Jina smirked. “Watch me.” She raised her hand and Zana’s eyes went wide as the insane Bladeborn, the incredibly powerful being, feared and hated by of her sect of Bladeborn, screamed and fell to his knees. Then he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony. Zana stared at him and then at Jina and froze.

 

"No..." Zana’s voice was soft, scared. “Jedi Darkstorm… No… Don’t do this…”

 

"Oh?" Jina’s voice was cold now. “Don’t tell me you care about him, Zana of the Bladeborn.”

 

"No." Zana shook her head. “No I don’t. I care about you. And you are scaring me, ma’am. You are doing to him what he did to his victims, like me. You are not him, Ma’am… Please don’t become him…”

 

Jina blinked and then stared at the girl. She stared at Ravishaw and then at her hand, still outstretched, pulling the evil man’s life force from his body. She slumped and her hand fell to her side. Ravishaw snarled at her.

 

“You want it! Take it! Do it!” He called as she turned to the girl.

 

"No." Jina turned her head to look at the pathetic form at her feet and sighed. “No. I refuse to become you. Begone.” The insane Sith screamed in incoherent rage as his form wavered and vanished. Then she collapsed to her knees and cried. She started at small arms surrounded her. Zana was crying as well.

 

Zana’s voice was soft. “It’s okay, Ma’am… It’s okay, he is gone… Isn’t he?”

 

Another voice answered her and both the Jedi and the young girl stiffened as two forms appeared nearby. “Yes he is.” Istara’s voice was sad as she looked over the scene. Idjit, the seer of the Bladeborn simply sighed, shook his head and vanished. Istara spoke again. “Oh Jina… You should have left it to us.”

 

"Yes." Jina bowed her head. “Yes, I should have. My eyes are yellow now, aren’t they?” She had used the Dark side again, she was falling. She had fallen.

 

Zana shook her head. “No, they are silver.” Jina stared at the girl and Zana hugged her again. “Scary, but… You are not evil, Ma’am. I know you are not evil.”

 

Jina shook her head. “I don’t know, Zana. I just don’t know.”

 

Istara sighed, gathered the two crying females up in an embrace and shook her head. “Let’s get you back to the real world and then we can decide what to do. But no matter what, well done, Jina.” She gave the Jedi a squeeze. “But let’s go home.” All three forms vanished from the amphitheatre.

 

A few moments later a small green form uncoiled from where he had been sitting out of sight. Vandar Tokare smiled in genuine admiration. “Yes, Jina…Well done…” Then he vanished.

[kalenath]

This was just too surreal. Jina had fallen, she knew she had fallen, so why was everyone treating her the same? Well, everyone but Zana. That girl…

 

“Is the tea to your liking, Jedi Darkstorm?” The girl asked quietly from where she stood at attention in the corner.

 

Jina blinked and then looked at the cup in her hand that she hadn’t touched yet. Zana had insisted on getting Jina’s glass from Mama when Mama had pulled the Jedi in for a ’talk’. The girl wouldn’t let Jina out of her sight. It was getting a bit much. Jina smiled a bit and took a sip. It was good, warm and soothing. Jina sighed. “Its okay, Zana. I am just a bit distracted.”

 

The other being in the room nodded slightly and scrutinized the Jedi. “By what?”

 

Jina took a moment to think before replying. It was not as if she was really afraid of the being known as Mama Lizard. The Barabel was worthy of respect, sure. Anyone who had seen the seven foot tall female lizard fight or train knew better than to disrespect her in any way. But Mama, as she was called by the Bladeborn, was also kind and gentle. So Jina liked the Barabel, but knew she had to answer the question. When the Jedi did speak, her voice was calm and quiet. “I am still working my way through that. So much has happened so quickly, I am not sure how to react.”

 

Mama Lizard nodded slowly and her voice held rueful acknowledgement when she spoke. “Yesss. Your life haz been a bit unsssettled rezently. You could do with some calm in it I think.”

 

"Calm?" Jina had to laugh at the lizard woman’s deadpan tone. She shook her head and sipped her tea. “Yeah. I agree. But I don’t think calm is on the horizon any time soon, not with this nasty plague and Special Branch hounding me. Not to mention your own troubles.”

 

"And?" Mama shook her huge head and fixed Jina with a stare that had the Jedi squirming a bit. It wasn’t for nothing that the Bladeborn called her ‘Mama’. “Jina… You need to calm yourssself. Thiz isss a good place and time. Will you meditate with me?”

 

Jina swallowed a bit and then sighed. “I take it you are going to insist.”

 

Mama smiled, a fearsome sight. “You are hardly the firssst perzon we have dealt with who hasss been in that pozition, Jina. But you mussst calm yourssself. That is why I am here, to help you focuz.” Jian stared at the lizard and Mama nodded. “Tell me true, if sssomeone were to attack Zana right now, what would you do?”

 

Jina stared at the Barabel and then at the silent Bladeborn initiate in the corner. She winced and swallowed again. “Something bad. Damn it, why won’t you all believe me? I am a danger to you!” Her voice was still low, but was picking up strength.

 

She paused as Mama raised a clawed hand. The green scaled being’s voice was still soft. “Jina, we know you are dangerousss. Zo am I, ssso is Zana. Zo what?” The Barabel asked in her odd but easily discernable hissing tone that held humor now.

 

Jina blinked and started to retort, but then paused. She shook her head slowly and took another sip of her tea. “You are right, I am unsettled. I have been unsettled since I woke up here. Maybe it is the kindness you all have shown me, maybe it is something else.”

 

Mama’s voice soft now, soft as a newborn nerf’s wool. “There isss more to it, izn’t there. You were not this unsssettled after you beat Morey. What changed?”

 

Jina bit her lip and bowed her head. The Bladeborn would never call the man Ravishaw again, ever. They had removed the traitor’s brand, casting him out and would have executed him if they had been given the chance. “When we woke up, you all were there. Istara and Idjit were kind, you were kind. But… I nearly did it to him, what he did to others. I very nearly became him…”

 

"Ma'am..." Jina jerked a little as Zana spoke softly. “You didn’t.”

 

Mama shook her head. She seemed a little exasperated now, but her voice was still calm and gentle. “That isss not the problem, iz it Jina?”

 

"You know..." Jina sighed and smiled a bit forlornly. “I always thought ‘mom radar’ was a euphemism. You have me pegged, don’t you?”

 

Mama smiled. “Guilty asss charged. You need to work through thiz, girl. Michael cannot help you now, he cannot leave for some time. Niun hasss managed to get hiz legs to feel again, and he cannot be moved for at leassst a week.”

 

Jina smiled at that. “I am glad, but… Min?” She asked carefully. The young Jedi Padawan was healed, but nowhere near ready for her trials yet. Vandar’s taking her from the temple on Tython had been one step removed from criminal, the girl simply hadn’t been ready.

 

The Barabel nodded. “That isss under dizcusssion. I was azked to asssk you thiz. ‘Would you mind taking a padawan’?” Whatever she might have expected, there was no way she could have expected Jina’s reaction.

 

Jina blanched and recoiled, forgetting her leg in its cast as she tried to stand, to run. “No…” She hissed as her leg hurt. The cup of tea fell and spilled unnoticed as she tried to get out, get away. She was struggling to rise but froze as a huge shadow fell over her. Mama Lizard might have been big, but she was also fast!

 

The Barabel’s huge clawed hands pushed Jina’s shoulders back into the chair. “Jina… Sssit ztill. You will hurt yourssself. Be calm, Jina.”

 

"Mama..." Jina stared the huge form and then she blanched. She had been about to use the Force on the kind lizard! She slumped and her voice was sorrowful. “I… I nearly hurt you… I could have…”

 

Mama smiled at the Jedi. “Yet you did not.” She let the Jedi go and stepped back. “Zana… More tea pleassse.” The young Bladeborn bowed and started for the food prep area. Mama sighed and started cleaning up the mess the tea had made. “Why do you react zo ssstrongly to that idea, Jina?”

 

"Because..." Jina’s voice was small when she spoke. “Because every time I take a Padawan, they die.”

 

Mama Lizard stopped her cleaning and stared at the Jedi and then, in a graceful move pulled Jina into an embrace. “Oh Jina… I am sssorry…” Her embrace was gentle, but pervasive. Jina found herself rocking in the warm arms, crying. It had been so long since Jina had allowed herself to think about her students. The tough human Bjorn Davei, killed just after being knighted while acting as gunner for Will, fighting to save an odd alien from the Sith, and then Hjor Kapas, the kind Quarren, gunned down by Special Branch goons. That did not even count Cora who had died on her last trip. She hadn't been a padawan, just a young friend. Mama’s voice penetrated her emotions. “It wasss not your fault.”

 

Jina sighed and relaxed into the embrace. “No, but they were my responsibility. I should have been there, both times, I was… elsewhere. I know it is not rational. I know that I am not rational about this. But it hurts so much…Jedi should not attach and I did.”

 

"That iss not what I zee." Mama sighed and set the Jedi back in her chair before kneeling beside it and taking the Jedi’s hands in her clawed ones. “No, Jina. The bondsss between Mazter and Apprentissse, or Mazter and Padawan, or Massster and Initiate, are ztrong. They have to be. We will need to explore thisss. We will need to examine your feelingz. If you wisssh, we can begin now.”

 

"I..." Jina blinked, dumbfounded. “Don’t you and Zana have things to do?”

 

"Jina." Mama smiled sadly. “Thisss iz my primary job. Keeping thisss crew of mizfitsss in check iz hard work, and a full time job in and of itssself. But you require my aid and I will provide it.”

 

Jina nodded at that, the iron determination in the Barabel’s tone made disagreeing unwise. “And Zana?”

 

Mama sighed and looked at the younger girl, who came up with a new cup of tea that she held out to the Jedi. Zana bowed as Jina took the tea. “You saved my life, Ma’am.”

 

Jina froze, the cup halfway to her lips. She stared at Zana and then at Mama Lizard whose expression as somewhere between a frown and a smirk. Mama shrugged. “Our code isss clear. You saved her life, she owes you hers.”

 

Jina blanched, her tea forgotten. “She is not… I mean… I don’t…” She shook her head, trying to get her head around this. Did she really need a life debt from a Bladeborn?

 

"Jina." Mama froze in place and her voice was soft, almost scared. “Jina, think. Do not speak rassshly now. Are you zaying she cannot fulfill her oath?”

 

Jina hadn’t thought she could get that stiff as she saw a blade appear in Zana’s hand. The girl knelt and pressed the tip of the blade against her belly where the armor did not cover. A swift thrust and the girl would die slowly and painfully. “No!” Jina shouted. “Zana… I am sorry… I didn’t mean…”

 

Zana stood and the blade vanished. Her voice was cool and controlled. “You are not to blame, Jedi Darkstorm. For this or anything else. From this moment on, I am yours. Command me, and I will obey.”

 

Jina was shaking her head, horrified. “Zana… You cannot mean what I think you do. You are Bladeborn. An initiate, you are still in training.”

 

Mama smiled as the situation stabilized. “Ssshe will continue her training. And… You are bored, are you not, Jedi Darkztorm? We have a proposssition for you, if you wizh to hear it.”

 

Jina blinked as Zana resumed her place by the wall. “What?” She asked slowly, dazed by this sudden turn of events.

 

Mama smiled widely. “We need a hissstory teacher. Trugoy taught mozt of thosse courzesss, but with him gone, we are zeriousssly zhortssstaffed.”

 

Jina stared at Mama Lizard and laughed a little. It was only slightly hysterical. “You want me to teach?”

 

Mama nodded and keyed a terminal alive. A series of image appeared on a wall monitor. “Our hissstory lezzonsss covered much of the galaxy, not juzt the Empire. We need sssomeone who can teach zuch and make it interezting. I underssstand you did zome teaching.”

 

Jina blinked and then relaxed and smiled. “You have been taking to Sara.” Mama bowed her head and did not answer. Jina thought about that for a moment and then nodded. “I would be honored. And Zana…” She looked at the younger girl and the girl met her gaze calmly. “I disagree with your code on this regard, but I understand your feelings. I will not question your honor again.” The girl nodded to her and Jina turned back to face Mama Lizard. “So… now what?”

 

Mama sighed and sat on the floor, arranging herself comfortably. “Now, we can meditate, cleanssse ourzelvesss and think on why you react the way you do. We need to explore your actionz, your motivationsss, and you deziresss. But for now, we need to focuz.” The Barabel took a deep breath and then blew it out. “Ssso… I need you to think on thiz… What isss the zound of one hand clapping?”

 

Jina stared at the Barabel, dismayed. She had not expected this “What…?”

 

Mama’s voice was soft, but adamant. “What isss the zound of one hand clapping Jina? Focusss on that zound. Nothing elssse. Lizten to my voice, let it help you calm.” Jina found herself floating slightly as the Force flowed through her. She relaxed fully, trying to get that odd idea into her head. What was the sound of one hand clapping? She had no idea.

[kalenath]

Jina was nervous, but she hid it behind her control. She was not sure about this at all. Even Mama and Zana’s calm reassurances that nothing would go wrong hadn’t quite managed to calm her completely. She busied herself for a moment and then looked around. This cave had been set up specifically for her. The Bladeborn worked fast, she had to give them that. Her desk sat well away from the walls, set that way so that she could get the droid operated chair she was ensconced in around it. Two doors led out of the cavern to cave passages that had been smoothed to allow her chair to move easily. Or maybe it hadn’t been for her. There were other droids operating about now as well. She keyed up her terminal and hid a smile as her students did the same. Time to get started.

 

She took a deep breath and spoke. “My name is Jina Darkstorm and I was asked to teach this class.”

 

All seven of the young beings in the room bowed their heads to her. Zana was at the closest desk, her hand was not on the hilt of her small sword, but it was never far from it. It was very odd having a girl who was less than eleven years old acting as a bodyguard, but that was nothing humorous about it. Zana took her duty very seriously, she wore full armor and carried a blaster as well as her sword even in the classroom. Luckily Jina knew how disciplined the girl actually was, so she was not worried about Zana snapping and going on a rampage in the class. Five of the other children were Bladeborn initiates, the sixth…

 

Min was still weak from the various things Niun had been forced to do to heal the massive tear in one of her large arteries, but her eyes were clear and sharp as she sat at a desk all the way back. She didn’t want to turn her back on any of the Bladeborn and Jina could actually understand. It wasn’t quite an insult either. It was almost a compliment that Min was wary, even here and now, of Bladeborn. The Bladeborn students actually seemed amused by the Jedi’s wariness. Another child, a boy named Garth, was sitting beside her and had helped the Jedi Padawan to sit. There was something oddly familiar about him, but Jina put that out of her mind. She had enough to worry about.

 

The chair bound Jedi spoke again. “Can anyone tell me what was the last thing you studied?”

 

Two hands shot up immediately. One boy and one girl. Jina wasn’t sure who had been first, so she nodded to both. “Hoss? What was the last thing you studied?”

 

"uh..." The boy she had met while he was getting his rear end kicked by Zana nodded to her, but then shook his head and lowered his hand. “Lori’s hand was first, Ma’am.”

 

Several of the children cast him sidelong glances, and the girl who had raised her hand with him stared at him. Her sense in the Force was shocked that he had said that. But Jina understood. The boy was trying, very hard, to follow the Code. She had shamed him in that corridor, although it had not been her intent, it had proved salutary. Courtesy was just as important part as any of the other bits of the Bladeborn code.

 

"Right." Jina smiled and nodded to the girl. “Well, then, Lori. Can you tell me what was the last thing you studied?”

 

The girl nodded slowly. She was probably about eight and was, to use a phrase from one of Jina’s friends ‘cute as a button’. Her dark hair was cut short and her blue eyes were wary, but it did not detract from her cuteness. She checked her terminal quickly and spoke quietly. “We were studying the retreat from Korriban, Ma’am. We were studying the rise of Grand Moff Viaken. We have… um… had a lot of independent study time…”

 

"I know." Jina sighed quietly. “Yes, things have been very unsettled recently. But we can hope things settle down a bit, can’t we?” She had a grin on her face now and more than one of the children smiled with her. “Now, I am certainly not a servant of the Empire, so I don’t know a lot about this Grand Moff. I intend to correct that as soon as possible, but… Mama actually asked me to show you the other side. You all have been taught from one point of view, the Sith of course.” The children were staring at her and Jina nodded. “There is never only one point of view, children. From the Sith’s points of view, what happened was a horrible defeat, and a humiliating flight into exile. But… What do you think the Republic’s point of view was? And no, Min…” She waved a finger as the Jedi Padawan started to raise her hand. “I know you know this, or you better. If you don’t, I am going to have some words with various people at the Enclave.” She grinned to take the sting out of her words and Min dropped her hand to her lap. Min smiled back but did not speak.

 

The children looked at each other, a bit perplexed. Finally one, a young green skinned Twi’lek raised her hand. Jina nodded to her. “What is your name?” The Jedi asked in a kind tone.

 

The small Twi’lek smiled at Jina. “I am Kintas, Jedi Darkstorm.”

 

Jina nodded. “Very well, Kintas. What is your thought?”

 

"Ah..." The youthful Bladeborn initiate, she could not have been more than six or seven, but was every muscular for her size, spoke slowly and carefully. “We were taught that they were triumphant, that they celebrated the fall of their enemies. That the Republic gloried in the destruction their foes. But that is not like the Republic, is it?” The girl asked slowly, feeling out her thoughts with each word.

 

"Well..." Jina shrugged. “The Republic is not monolithic. It is a conglomeration of different worlds with different agendas. I am sure that some paraded, gloried in their ’total victory’…” Her voice was sarcastic now. “…but most of them likely felt the way that certain Jedi did at the end. Relieved it was over. I have read reports from that time, and all of the Jedi, bar a few that were falling to the Dark Side or had fallen, were just glad it was over. Not that it actually was, as we know now. Odan-Urr left many writings, some of which I was surprised to find in the Bladeborn’s archives. I did not ask how they ‘acquired' copies. It wouldn’t have been polite.”

 

Both Min and Garth looked surprised at that, but all of the children looked intent now. Jina smiled and keyed her terminal, sending information to each student’s small monitor. “The relevant passages are here and here…” She highlighted several portions. “…although the full text is available if you so wish. If you can start where he is discussing the campaign on Cinnegar, we can discuss that once you all have had a chance to peruse it.” The Jedi smiled as the students started to read quietly. Bladeborn might be odd, but they were good students. Her face fell slightly as she remembered why. They were punished when they did not perform as expected. Maybe with her help, they could find a better way.

 

Jina shook her head and focused on the reading. It was fascinating and took her mind off her problems, allowing her to focus, which was what she was good at. After all, she was the Third of the Seven, not that she had a clue what she was supposed to do, besides “Focus Hard’. For now, she could teach and that was something she truly enjoyed.

[kalenath]

For a moment when Jina Darkstorm woke, she was momentarily unsure of where she was. Then memory came crashing in. Ona had finally pronounced the Jedi fit for surgery to correct the final bits of damage to her knee. Of course the Bothan healer had not wanted Jina awake for that, so she had prescribed a general anesthetic. Jina had fallen asleep to the sound of quiet singing from Zana, it had helped calm her. Jina took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

 

“Morning, lazy bones.” Jon, the other healer of the Bladeborn, spoke from where he was sitting nearby. He wore his usual supercilious expression, but underneath that, Jina could taste his worry through the Force. Jina nodded slowly and opened her mouth to speak. A dry croak came out and Jon sighed. “Always pushing yourself. Just like any of the idiots I usually deal with. I thought Jedi were supposed to have sense. Why don’t you?” He asked the ceiling as he poured a cup of water.

 

Jina took the cup he offered and took a sip. She swirled the water around in her mouth, letting the moisture soak into parched tissue. Then she spoke in a sweet tone. “But you love us anyway.”

 

Jon mock snarled at her. “Some of you.” His face became serious. “How do you feel?”

 

Jina nodded as she took another cautious sip. “No pain…” She mused, focusing her mind around her body, looking for anything out of the ordinary. “How did the surgery go?”

 

Jon snorted. “Need you ask? Like Ona was going to let you out of the operating theatre without fixing everything she possibly could?” He smiled as Jina laughed a little, but then he sobered. “Jina… the damage…I…” He broke off, at a loss for words.

 

"I know." Jina sighed and met the healer’s eyes. “I knew the moment I woke up in Ona’s care, Jon.” She bowed her head. “I won’t be much of a lightsaber duelist now, will I?” The damage that had been done to her knee, both by an agent of Imperial Intelligence and through her own actions, had been extreme. The knee would likely never support her full weight, let alone allow her to dance on it, or fight.

 

Jon shook his head and for once, he was not acerbic, judgmental or scornful. Indeed, his eyes were glistening and his sense in the Force defined sorrowful. “We tried. Jina. I swear to you, we tried. It was just too much. Too many fractures, too many strains. Too many impacts on something that had already been strained. Jina, I am sorry.”

 

The Jedi nodded and then she held out her free hand. “Jon… I understand. I don’t blame you. You and Ona did everything you could, more than you could. Is that where she is? Recovering?” The Bothan healer was incredibly empathic and had touch healing down to an art. But in all things there was no free lunch. Making a body heal faster than it should was incredibly costly in terms of energy. The human healer took her hand and gave it a squeeze before setting it gently back on the bed.

 

"Yes."Jon smiled bit tenderly. He and Ona had paired up, much to his shock and her delight. “I finally managed to get her to sleep.”

 

"Uh..." Jina looked at him, a little worried. “You didn’t drug her, did you?” If he had, well, Jina wanted to know. Ona in a rage was something to avoid at all costs. She had never actually seen Ona angry, but she had heard a number of stories, ad she did not want to see her friend like that.

 

"Right." Jon snorted and his face was unguarded. Happiness shone from it and for a moment, Jina felt a strong pang of jealousy that she acknowledged and let pass by her. “Do I look that stupid? “ He hurriedly continued as Jina opened her mouth. “Don’t answer that.”

 

Jina could not help it, she laughed. “You… are bad.” She said, waving a finger at him. She was amazed at the change in the man. She had met the healer before and he had been… Well a jerk was probably the mildest term for what he had been. Living with Ona seemed to have mellowed him a bit. Jon smiled and scanned the readouts, only to pause as Jina spoke again. “I need to see it, Jon.” Her voice was calm and her sense in the Force was likewise.

 

The healer looked at the Jedi and then nodded slowly. “Don’t move.” He cautioned.

 

Jina remained in place as he moved the blanket that had been covering her lower body out of the way. His hands were quick, careful and professional as they undid the sleeve like cast that covered her leg from hip to ankle. Nothing hurt now, but her breath left her body in an explosive grunt as her knee became visible. It was half the size of her other knee!

 

"Is..." Her voice was tightly controlled when she spoke. “Is it supposed to be that small?” She asked clinically.

 

"it's not actually." Jon shook his head and took her hand in his, guiding it gently to the knee. “The compression of the cast kept the blood vessels constricted. It will swell a bit as the blood flow resumes. And you lost some muscle mass, we can help you regain that. But the damage was done, Jina. We… might be able to replace it with an artificial one.” His voice was not hopeful. “But that causes complications of it’s own.”

 

"I know." Jina felt her knee carefully and shook her head. “I... I could always tell that something was wrong, but not what. Or how bad. I…” She felt her control start to crumble. “I…” Her eyes started to burn.

 

Jon shook his head and took her hand in his. “Hey… Hey… Its all right. We will do what we can. With physical therapy, you will be able to walk again. With the Force, you will be able to move well again. But…” He paused.

 

“I won’t be able to fight again. Ah well…” Jina sighed, and focused herself beyond her grief and fear. “I never really did like it, well, the ‘me’ that the Jedi trained. I was just very good at it. I wonder if I liked it before I lost my memory. You know… when I was a Sith or whatever Dargons’s kids are supposed to be.” She mused and then snorted. “No point in getting moody now is there?”

 

Jon smiled at her. “No. There are more than enough moody people around here as it is. Do you have any idea what you want to do?” There was something in his sense in the Force, an anticipation.

 

"Uh." Jina shook her head, perplexed by the man’s sense in the Force. “Not really. A duelist and a teacher were all I ever was.”

 

Jon smiled widely now and his sense in the Force was triumphant. “Have you ever considered studying healing?”

[kalenath]

Jina was sitting at her desk, doing a lesson plan for her history class, when her door chimed and she turned away from it with a smile. “Enter.” Zana stood at her customary place by the door, immobile, watchful. It was downright odd how ‘right’ it was starting to feel, having a youthful Bladeborn around. Zana was courtesy incarnate, and would not speak unless spoken to. Jina actually forgot the girl was there on occasion.

 

Her quarters were well set up for someone with limited mobility now. Her chair, much as she hated it, could get around everywhere she needed to. The docs did not want her actually walking until they were sure her knee would support her, so she was stuck, but had hope. Especially now with who she sensed on the other side of the door. The door hissed open and a nightmare vision walked into the room. The huge insectoid creature walked on four legs and had four arms folded in front of it. Er, her.

 

Jina smiled and nodded to the bug. “Hello, Ecien.”

 

Stuiamlanakolatalinecien, or Ecien to her friends, nodded. Her sense in the Force was worried, but eased as she looked Jina over. “You asked to see me, Jina? I am sorry I have been so busy, I wanted to come see you but haven’t had time. Between digging escape tunnels, planning contingencies, training and...” She broke off as Jina shook her head.

 

“I know how busy you have been. I was amazed you found time today, or even next week, to see me. You can’t help me, can you?” Jina asked quietly. She nodded to a medical text that lay open on her desk nearby. It was open to an anatomical drawing of a human knee.

 

Ecien was silent for along moment and then made a very human sounding sigh. “No, Jina, we can’t. Niun and I tried our regeneration therapy. Both of us, in case it was one or the other. It didn’t work, and we have no idea why. The healing we tried on your knee simply didn’t work, for no reason we would ascertain.” The bug seemed to slump. “I should have told you… We should have told you, but you had enough emotional upsets.”

 

"Yes." Jina sighed just as deeply. “I understand. I have been afraid to join my mind to the hive, since… Since Vandar caught me. I don’t know if he, they, did anything to me while I was unconscious. I remember them injecting me with those machines, but nothing else. I understand your people’s caution.” She sat back in her chair and shook her head, trying not to cry as she remembered a bright young kid named Cora and the pure uncomplicated love the girl had demonstrated. A wave of reassurance came from Ecien and Jina relaxed a little, calmed herself and sat quietly.

 

"Well." Ecien moved next to where the Jedi sat and sank onto her abdomen. “I wish we understood. You are our friend, Jina. And we can’t help you. It sucks.”

 

Jina nodded and held out a slow hand. Ecien took that hand on one of her small manipulators, the ones designed for light work. Of course light work was a bit of a misnomer, the bugs ‘light’ manipulators were as strong as any human muscles. Her light manipulators had hand like claws on them, her heavy manipulators had massive claws that could cut through flew, bone or anything else short of armor plate for that matter as easily as cloth.

 

"Yeah." Jina gave the small hand like claw a squeeze. It always amazed her how soft Sitolon epidermal tissue actually was. “I need a straight answer, Ecien. Is Vandar snooping in on my mind? I have sensed odd things occasionally.”

 

"Yes." Ecien nodded, her tiny head bobbing up and down. “Yes he is. We have attempted to bar him, but we cannot, which is why you were moved while unconscious.”

 

"I see. I thought so." Jina nodded slowly. “Well, at least I cannot endanger your people while I am cooped up here. I am a security risk now, aren’t I?”

 

"We don't like it, but yes." Ecien nodded again. “Until we can determine how he is accessing your mind and what for, we cannot allow you to return, or to merge with our minds. I am sorry, Jina.”

 

Jina took a deep breath and then blew it out slowly. “I understand. It hurts, thinking I won’t be able to see my friends, but I do not want to endanger them. I just pray I have not compromised my mother and father’s safety.”

 

Ecien nodded. “Jainine has not seen anything about that recently…” The bug broke off and winced. Jina as well winced as something reverberated through the Force. It felt like terror and it was familiar. Zana started forward, only to stop at a curt gesture from the bug. The youthful Bladeborn’s hand was on her sword hilt, but she didn’t draw it. That was wise, as Ecien used four swords and could wield all four independently at the same time. Zana wouldn’t have stood a chance, not that she would have cared.

 

"I... I know her!" Jina’s eyes went wide as she recognized the terrified sense in the Force now. “Nia!” She shouted as she tried to get up. Ecien’s smaller hands held her down gently. “Ecien…!”

 

Ecien bowed her head. “We can’t help her, Jina. None of our seers have been able to get a glimpse of anything around her. She was on a ship and now, she is not. We are looking for her, you know this. That is all we can see. You…need to heal as best you can. You have a great deal of learning to do if you wish to become a healer as well.”

 

"Right." Jina nodded and relaxed slowly. “Not to mention, it will allow me time to work through my emotional condition. There is more to healing than the physical after all.”

 

Ecien snorted as she stepped back a bit. “Doctors make the worst patients, or so I am told. I will help you as I can. Istara has been called away for something, but I and Istara’s Bladeborn are here for you, Jina. Now and always.” She crossed all four of her arms in what had to be a salute of some kind.

 

"Ok..." Jina nodded and smiled at her friend. But then she paused, thinking hard. “How did ‘I’ sense Nia? I mean I am no seer.”

 

Ecien paused for a moment and then shook her head. “We don’t know. You helped train her, did you not?”

 

"Train her?" Jina nodded a bit dubiously. “Some, yes. That girl was like a dangerous giant space hamster on caffeine. She drove many of the instructors absolutely crazy. Powerful and unpredictable. That was Nia.” The feelings of terror vanished as quickly as they had come and Jina shook her head. “I got nothing beyond the fear. I can’t help her like this…” She waved at her chair sourly. “…that is for sure. So I will study and teach. And try to figure out how to get Vandar out of my mind.”

 

Ecien had a smile in her voice when she spoke again. “Fair enough, Jina. Our healers are working on the problem of you not reacting as you should to our healing. They are going over what Niun had to do to get that leg cocoon to bond at all, which was quite a bit.”

 

"I wondered why it felt so odd, even after it had formed and hardened." Jina nodded, but her face was furrowed in thought. “Might it be the covalent bonds of the cell walls in my leg? Maybe they are off somehow?” Ecien looked at her and Jina shrugged. “I have lots of time to read.”

 

Ecien laughed a little and sat beside her friend. “That is one possibility. We are looking into it, Jina. I swear it to you, we will find answers.”

 

"okay. Well, on another subject..." Jina nodded and focused on what she was working on. “I need to get this lesson plan finished. What can you tell me about the Sith expansion into the Unknown Regions after the Great Hyperspace War, Ecien? I know your people were watching from the shadows.”

 

Ecien nodded, happy to focus on something less emotional. “Well, we were and we were not. None of us wanted to get too close, you see and, well, we were fighting the Dark Cousins when we found them as well. But it does make sense to keep tabs on enemies.”

 

Jina nodded, her face sour. “Yeah, the Republic always forgets after a time, and then the Sith return. That cycle will likely continue for as long as the Force does. Or at least as long as the Republic does.”

 

"Yes." Ecien sighed. “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, Jina.”

 

"The cycle doesn't care if people remember or not." Jina laughed sourly again. “Even those who remember it repeat it, Ecien. Not willingly, but they do. Okay, so where did the Sith conquer first, do you know that?” She asked, her hands ready to take notes. At least she had a primary source for her class, something not every history teacher could boast, people who had actually been there and seen things with their own six eyes.

[kalenath]

((Well, Jina is... having issues. But the Bladeborn (and Zana) are not going to let her go mad. Comments or suggestions always appreciated. Flames might get get Jina upset. Don't. Zana may be young, but she is DANGEROUS.))