003 - Week 2, Day 3: A Hidden Threat

It was early morning as Master Rothul started to prepare for the day ahead. Many patrols had already been sent out as the sun came up, but he remained. He had wanted to take Lo on a scouting mission to check up on Knight Bec’s ship. Despite their argument the day prior, he still wanted to talk. She deserved to know why he was so on edge and irritated lately, and why he refused to open up. However, earlier yesterday afternoon Lo had requested that Knight Guerrin join them, if only just to act as a guide to help with Lo’s questions while they talked. He was hesitant, but he wouldn’t refuse. Lo had a very good reason to want to have someone else come along.

He had given a time and a place, in which now he waited with a small satchel around his form which held his water skin and a few other useful things should something go awry during their outing. There wouldn’t be much support if something did happen, for Evie had to take another squad out on patrol, and Aren was taking a larger squad out to go investigate an abandoned outpost a few kilometers out. Cora was busy meditating before going about her day caring for the sick and injured. They had no extra support, but Dominik wasn’t planning on this mission being overly dangerous.

Lo exited from her hut. She looked through her bag, giving it one last check over. Satisfied with the preparedness of her kit, she smiled and looked up to spot her master. A large grin filled her muzzle. She waved back at Ro’sara, who popped out shortly after, with their breakfast reminds.

As Lo drew closer, her head tilted to the side. and she observed her master’s mood. Her anger from yesterday appeared to be replaced by a better one. One of excitement and eagerness, the nervousness lessened by Kayda joining them.

“Morning Master. How are you feeling?” Lo risked a question, poking the calm waters.

Though Kayda had been awake for a little time, she had stayed in the hut for a bit, meditating and gathering everything she thought she might need for the day’s scouting mission. It was fortunate that Master Dom had not denied her the opportunity to join the mission, as she suspected he would not open up to his apprentice without an extra push.

She left the hut, quickly locating the other two over near one of the tunnels leading outside.

“Good morning Lo,” Dominik began, showing her a faint smile before he glanced over to see Kayda approaching. “I’m feeling alright, but I think it’ll get better once we can get eyes on Bec’s ship and make sure it’s still somewhat operational.” He said, although there was more than just one reason behind their outing. He had hoped to get time to talk, but he wasn’t sure if he would feel comfortable doing it with Kayda listening. Nevertheless, he would try.

As Kayda joined them, Dominik immediately turned and started leading the way into the tunnel, keeping his pace slow so that all three of them could walk side by side. “We’re going to go check up on Knight Bec’s ship,” he said, looking to Kayda as he began to explain their task. “I want to make sure it is still functional, at least to some degree, and hasn’t been tampered with. Right now, it is our only reliable way to move people if we need.”

Lo adjusted the strap of her bag and moved behind him. She wanted to start on the question, but starting too soon would bring discomfort. Avoiding that was important for this to work. Her tongue licked the inside of her cheek as she thought about something.

“While we walk, how about we talk. We can start off easy. You mentioned we could talk about my family, right?” She hoped the lighter subject might put her master’s discomfort at rest.

“We can always talk about your family, Lo. I will never keep anything from you regarding your parents. What are you curious about?” He replied, his eyes remaining ahead as they walked.

“You were mentioned to have brought me to the temple and I got a few different versions of why. I was wondering, what happened to them? The memories are fuzzy and lacking.” She asked, pulling next to him.

Kayda saw no reason to speak up yet, choosing instead to listen to the other two talking. For now, that would be enough.It was not as if there was much she had to say on this subject. She knew nothing about the young bothan’s family.

Dominik took in a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly as he recalled that day, years ago. “Your father was an SIS agent in the back lines of the Empire. I had worked with him many times before. If I recall correctly, he was discovered and killed. I believe he sent a message to your mother a short time before he died. The Empire tracked it to where you and your mother lived. They didn’t want any loose ends. I was there when they ambushed the house. I told your mother to take you and run while I dealt with the troopers.” He paused for a moment, allowing the young Bothan to take in the information and process it. “After they were dealt with, I found your mother had been shot by two that had split off. They tried to take you too, but, well… you can see that didn’t go over well, for them.” Dominik explained, smiling faintly at Lo near the end as he recalled the moments afterwards.

“Is that why you kept in contact when I was a youngling? How did you know I was force sensitive at all?” Lo realized that it explained the nightmares at least. They were repressed memories and her own mind keeping herself safe.

“Yes, that is why I often visited when you were young.” He said, thinking for a few long moments on the second part of her question. Despite the painful memory, a faint smile could be seen on his face. He chuckled a little before he answered. “You were playing with Evin while your mother and I were talking. I recall him laughing and calling my name and when I turned around I saw you using the Force to throw a block at him.”

Lo had been nervous. She could sense the pain and hurt, but it didn’t seem so bad. This fact caused her to relax and continue. “He must’ve really made me mad to do that.”

She let the warmth settle in her heart as she thought about her words carefully. “What was my father like?”

“He was kind. Haad his morals set straight and never wavered on them. And he couldn’t stop bragging about his strong-willed daughter.” Dominik said, smirking as he looked down at Lo. “He was one of the first to speak to me after I was rescued. Part of his job was to question me and make sure that I was still mentally intact. But, he also spoke to me as a friend and trusted me where many others worried about who my loyalty was to.”

“Is why you avoid certain questions?” Lo was beginning to understand now. Her expression softened as she continued to observe him, wondering where to start to mend the damage. She glanced at Kayda with pressed lips. An obvious sign of her uncertainty over her tactics and hoping for hints that she had been doing well.

“You have been a captive of the Empire?” Kayda asked, a bit surprised. Sure, she had suspected that Dom had something from the war that he was unwilling to speak of, but had not really thought it was something that big. She had heard all sorts of tales about what the Sith did to their Jedi prisoners and was very thankful that she had not been in such a situation herself. She hoped her direct question would fill the padawan with a bit more confidence.

Dominik nodded to Lo at her question and opened his mouth to speak as Kayda asked the next. “I was, yes. Twenty years ago during a battle on Alderaan.” He said, watching Kayda for a moment as if he was expecting a judgemental look from her. Not many Jedi tended to put their full trust in him after they learned of his capture and torture by Sith. “I was held for nearly a year before I was extracted.”

“I didn’t know… Now I feel terrible for asking all those questions as a Youngling.” Lo bowed her head, feeling insensitive and pushy.

“A year as a prisoner is a long time. I would not doubt that many have questioned your loyalty? Is that why there is a Jedi Shadow here?” Kayda asked, “or is she here for a more sensible reason?” She glanced over at the padawan. “Not knowing about the reason for the lack of answers, how could you have been expected not to ask questions?”

“Do not feel that way Lo. You aren’t the only one who has asked questions before. I don’t blame you for asking them, but rather myself for not being more transparent about my past.” Dominik said before he addressed Kayda’s words. “Yes, many have questioned my loyalty, but it has not stopped my development as a Jedi nor does it hinder my ability or judgement as a Council member.” Dominik said, his tone more defensive and slightly irritable as he spoke. “From what I was told, Knight Barral came here as a response to my Padawan’s call for aid. Nothing more.”

“Let us assume that there is nothing more to her presence than that.” she would not press that further for now. “Your being on the council certainly explains why the dead-drop directed me here…”

Lo could sense the tension in the air. Thicker than she expected and it seemed to close around her causing her to inhale then exhale.

“I’m sure everyone is here to help. That’s the sole purpose to answer my message and so far, everyone appears to be focused on that task. As long as we can help the Twi’leks, things will come together. Right?”

Realizing Lo’s comment was an attempt to pacify the rising tension, Dominik nodded to her and said nothing further. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, his eyes looking forward as the tunnel turned and the outside light greeted them from ahead.

Kayda was pleased at how the situation thankfully defused with those last statements, most of the tension dissipating. For the next bit, the questions were more harmless and not sparking new tensions, some directed at Dom, others at her..



Judging by their surroundings, Dominik could tell they would reach Aren’s ship soon. He had come out here with Aren one time before to do the same thing they were doing today. Although this trip had one other purpose, and that was to talk with Lo. To try, at least, to open up to his Padawan and explain his behavior and to apologize for how closed off he had kept her. He felt that was at least partially started due to their conversation in the tunnels, but there were still many more things he wanted to explain to Lo.

Lo was trying to keep up. However, her injuries from yesterday were starting to flare up and slowing her down. She paused in mid stride as her figure curled a little, her breathing a little shorter. Her limit had passed it’s tolerance point.

“Master, remember when you said to know my limits?”

Dominik heard her question and turned, observing her for a moment before taking a few steps back and kneeling next to her. “Yes, I do.” He said, giving Lo a faint smile before he glanced back at Kayda for a moment. “Do you need to rest?” he asked once his eyes returned to his padawan.

“Yes, I think I do. Those bruises still hurt even if they didn’t go deep and I did land on my face when it grappled me.” She just plopped down, trying to see if being still helped the pain.

Though not blocking all sunlight from the ground, the forest around their resting place was still thick, the canopy leaving the area in half-light. Kayda looked around them as the padawan sat down to rest on a small boulder. There were noises from various wildlife in the distance, but nothing that appeared to be anywhere close.

She wandered around a little, looking at various trees and plants, not in the mood for sitting down at the moment. The only warning they had was a sudden screeching sound that was readily recognizable as coming from some sort of starship. Mere seconds later, a qudre of laser blasts struck several of the nearby trees. The heat was so intense that it boiled the water within the tree trunks, causing them to explode. Kayda instinctively ran for cover, trying to stay out of sight of whomever had just shot at them. “Take cover!” she shouted to the other two.

As that familiar screeching sound filled Dominik’s ears, his eyes looked to the sky and for a split second he was able to register the laser beams coming their way. The man turned in the next moment, hastily forcing Lo to move from her spot and pushing her to the ground. Dominik quickly threw himself down, his body covering Lo’s form just as the lasers impacted the ground and the trees exploded, sending large splinters of wood in all directions. The man hissed as he felt a sharp object pierce the left side of his torso and another in his right arm as he laid over Lo. Dirt and rock flew all around them before settling a few moments later.

Lo screamed. She didn’t mean to, but it happened. The impact on her master’s body rattled through their bond and stabbed deep into her. However, there was no physical wound. Just phantom pains from Dominik. Her arms had wrapped about her head as she curled into a ball underneath him. Blood rushed adrenaline to her brain before the dust cleared.

Corporal Daro Typhe didn’t say a single word as the shots he fired hit the foliage around where the sensors had located the targets. They were far from his best shots, but they were good enough. At the same time as the corporal grinned, Lieutenant Tala Delstee turned the ship around, corkscrewing in the process, lining up for a second salvo.

Her heart racing and her own pain ignored, Lo quickly crawled out from under her master. She fell onto her knees as she examined his crumbled body. For a moment she thought he was out cold until he stirred from her touch.

“Master….” Lo whimpered as she grabbed her bag.

“Move Lo, to cover.” He said, slowly pushing himself up off the ground. His left hand on his side in an attempt to stabilize the large splinter of wood in his side, he forced himself to stand, his head gesturing in the direction that Kayda was. He took in a deep breath, trying to process just where the attack had come from. If it’s from a starship, they could come around for another strike. He thought to himself.

“With Kayda, Lo. Move!” He said quickly, finally finding his footing as he urged Lo off towards the large boulder Kayda had taken cover behind.

“Master, what about you? You’re hurt. I can’t… I can’t leave you behind.” Lo resisted the fear telling her to run. It knocked at her courage and tried to knock it down, evidence in her trembling figure. Her feet still moved as she started to run ahead of him. Every few steps she forced herself to pause and wait.

Kayda crouched down on the side of the boulder from which she estimated the ship had first struck, figuring that if it fired again, it would come from a different direction. Seeing the padawan assisting her master over, Kayda quickly pushed some of the debris aside with the force, making their path a little easier. Over the crackling of a few fires, she could hear the drone of the ship increasing in volume once again. It wouldn’t be long now before they were in position to fire again. “We don’t have anything that can bring that down!” she whispered to the others after they got behind the boulder. “Suggestions for what we can do?”

“I wish I had one of the speeder bikes. I could get their attention and lead them away. On foot, that’s rather difficult.” Lo tried to keep the panic out of her voice.

Dominik sat, back against the boulder and hand still on his side and he listened to Kayda and Lo. He took deep breaths, calming himself between the pain in his side and the mystery threat that loomed overhead. He would have pointed out the issues with Lo’s idea, mainly her safety, had they not been in the sights of a ship at that moment. He let those thoughts pass though. “We may need to split up.” He said, glancing to Lo before his gaze rested on Kayda. Grouped targets, especially those that hadn’t moved far after the first barrage, were easier to hit. If they split up, theoretically the ship would have to pick and choose its target. The survival of the group would be at a higher rate.

“Agreed. There’s only one ship. Not entirely sure about the type, but no single ship can pursue three targets at once. Or two for that matter.” She looked over at the other two, continuing. “You are hurt, Dom, and so are you, Lo. I can attract their attention and draw them off, which you go in different directions to find better cover.” That was the moment the second salvo hit, three of the shots detonating several more trees, while the fourth impacted harmlessly against the far side of the boulder.

Lo jerked down. Flinching as debris scattered from the impact, her ears hurting from the thunderous sound. She couldn’t think. Why couldn’t she calm and think? Her fingers dug into the cloth of her medical bag while she pressed herself against the rock. Trying to make herself small and center herself.

“Lo!” Kayda shouted, “Focus! Freezing up now will do no good. Leave the medical bag with Dom, then run that direction! I will run the other way.” She pointed hard to the left. Perpendicular to the path the ship had flown the first two times.

When Kayda snapped, Lo pushed herself off the boulder. “Okay… Okay.”

She began to move the medical bag, pulling the strap over her head and setting it down beside Dom. The little frightened Bothan twisted about then readied herself to bolt.

Dom reached out, taking the bag and placing it next to him before reaching back over and grabbing Lo’s wrist. “Lo, remember what I always tell you. You can do this.” He said, making sure her gaze met his for a few moments before he let go of her wrist. He allowed his body to rest back upon the rock as he adjusted himself, making his form smaller and making sure the rock protected him as much as possible.

Lo swallowed and nodded. She tensed then shot off, rushing from behind the rock toward the path Kayda indicated. Her legs smacked the ground to push her faster and faster.

At the exact same moment, Kayda ran in the opposite direction, a snap of her wrist launching her lightsaber into her hand, where she ignited its green blade. As she ran, she struck at the smaller trees near her path, cutting them down and effectively making noise. That should attract the attention of the ship.

As soon as she thought that, she heard the screaming of the ship’s engines and felt more than saw the shots strike the trees less than ten meters behind her. She leapt over a fallen tree, just passing behind it as the wooden shrapnel blasted over the top.

Unfortunately, she had not had any time to inspect the ground on the other side of the huge tree trunk. It wasn’t flat. It was a downhill slope, the trunk leaning against a pair of other trees that themselves precariously leaned downhill. She hit the ground unevenly, not quite landing on her feet, instead going into a forwards roll down the hill. Had she not been trained in the Force, that would probably have gone very badly, ending with her hitting something unforgiving, like a tree trunk or exposed boulder. However, her training came to her rescue there, and she avoided all such hindrances, rolling to a stop some distance below the bottom.

Her foot a little tender from the bad landing at the top, she slowly got upright, sheathing her lightsaber again. The next moment she heard a sound of wood breaking, looking up to see the sizable branch dropping down towards her head. She didn’t have time to react as it struck her head.

As Lo and Kayda both ran their separate ways, Dominik made sure to remain as still and low as possible as he huddled behind the boulder. The man dug into Lo’s medical bag, finding the salve that she had mentioned before contained in small bag’s made up of some of Ryloth’s tough foliage. In just a couple minutes, he had the three small pouches of salve applied to the piercing wounds. Two of the doses had gone to the injury to his side, and one to the wound on his arm. The splinter to his arm had been small enough that the man removed it himself.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself from the adrenaline in his veins, Dominik closed his eyes as he rested against the boulder. Moments of near silence went by as he let his body relax. The crackle of a burning trunk or the sound of the distant ship flying overhead were all that filled the area around him.

“We appear to have lost track of the first Jedi, milady.” Helia said, looking up from the sensor display. The spreading fires were wreaking havoc upon the infrared scanners. “Shall we circle back and scan again?”

“No.” Nimm said, looking over the imperial agent’s shoulders. “Pursue the young one. Get me in range. We will go back afterwards for the rest. The young one is moving in the wrong direction. Too close to where their base is. I won’t have her escaping. Not when I have her isolated from the rest.” It was nice to no longer be hiding in the shadows. Striking the Jedi while they were exposed had a certain uniquely satisfying charm to it.

Lo’s breath became shallow and rough. Every breath passed through her raw throat caused fresh pain. Her legs darted over the fallen trees, and she rushed through the trunk gaps. Branches clawed and tried to trap her.

I'm a fracking coward!, she screamed at herself. Tears burned at her ears as her bond with her master's pain began to wade, allowing her senses to return. It didn't stop the emotional storm from brewing again.

Please... let me find someone. She prayed to the force, her eyes darted wildly from one side to the other. It wasn't for her sake because she didn't deserve it, but her master.

Her exhaustion began to weigh down her legs, and she started to slow. Every inch of her fur stood on end as she finally halted. Her limbs rooted themselves to the ground and refused to move. Her lungs struggled to retain air. A sour taste had building at the back of her throat before she swallowed it down, still panting.

"I got to go back." She glanced back to the direction she left.

Before she could move, something loud and power rumbled above her. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the same predatory ship stalking her now. She couldn't run. No strength left causing her to glance around for a hiding place. There weren't any. She was exposed in the clearing for the enemy to see.

She summoned her lightsaber to her hand and forced herself to brace for what would be death. All Lo could do was die like a Jedi at least.

Spoiler:

Time seemed to tick by agonizingly slow as Dominik waited to see if the ship was going to come back around. He didn't want to move for fear of being seen, but as the fire continued to crackle and the smoke became thicker, Dominik had no choice. He had hoped Lo and Kayda were able to get past the treeline so that they wouldn't be caught in the element, he had to trust that they did. Picking up Lo's medical bag and throwing the strap on his shoulder, Dominik kept his left hand over the large piece of wood stuck in his side, so as to stabilize it as he moved. The man tried to sit up but the pain in his side was unbearable. The wood shrapnel had to be at least a couple inches into his side, which was dangerous considering his circumstances. Again he forced himself to sit up, groaning audibly as he sat up in an attempt to distract himself from his injury. Eyes closed tight as he took a deep breath before finding his balance and forcing himself to stand. The man's veins started to feel like fire, he figured it was the lack of oxygen he was getting through the thickness of the smoke that started to surround him.

The older Jedi started to cough as he forced his body to move. One foot after the other, slowly, making sure he had his footing so that he wouldn't fall and make the situation worse. He started moving in the direction he had seen Lo go. He needed to make sure she was alright, he didn't know where the ship had gone or if it had successfully taken out one of them. The didn't hear it overhead anymore, not over the roaring of the fire that engulfed the forest. He felt his right hand start to move more easily around the wound and when he glanced down, he noticed the blood was seeping more and more into his robes. Moving was causing the wood shrapnel to shift, which effectively caused blood to see past it and out of the wound.

Dominik felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, though he wasn't sure why. He hadn't lost very much blood, and other than the wound to his arm and his side he was alright. The man walked slowly from tree to tree, using those still standing as a brace to help him move farther. He felt a tinge of worry wash over his bond with Lo, then there was fear that followed, but afterwards, nothing. The bond was still there, but it was almost emotionless. Empty.

The Master Jedi glanced behind him. He had only moved about ten meters from the boulder. He was barely able to make out his footprints in the dirt and ash and as he looked forward he realized he was nearing the edge of the treeline. A few large rock formations lay scattered before him, they would provide cover; if he could make it to them. The man took a deep breath in and felt his oxygen intake suddenly decrease. His chest felt tight, his throat restricted, and his eyes began to sting. It had to be the smoke, there was so much of it. Closing his eyes for just a moment, Dominik took another step forward. His foot collided with an exposed tree root which caused the man to lose his balance. He fell forward, his foot twisting for a moment as he tried to position his body to fall on his right side, away from his wound. As he moved his other foot forward in an attempt to change his fall, it stubbed the tree root too.  The man fell onto his left side, the impact with the ground forcing the wood splinter further into his body and causing the man to cry out in pain. He tried to breath in again, but his throat still felt restricted, causing the man to cough harshly on the dry smoke and the dust in the air. He rolled onto his right side, his lips remaining closed but sounds of agony coming from him. One hand moved to cover the wound more but he just ended up feeling more blood soaking out. Laying on his left side, his face buried into the ground as he tried to reign in his strength and fight the pain coursing through his nerves.

A coughing fit soon followed as Dominik choked on the dryness in the air. He tried to breath quickly which only led to more hacking and choking. Finally he was able to take in a deep breath, but he felt his mind slipping. C'mon... c'mon. Lo, think about Lo. You have to be there for her.

As minutes passed by, Dominik fought to hold on to the last sliver of consciousness he could. He wanted to reach out, but he felt as if all of his bonds were just empty. He felt completely and utterly alone.

Chatting happily with the mother of a toddler and playing with him by floating blocks for him to giggle at suddenly Cora is hit by an intense wracking pain in her side and hears the roar of a ship. Fleetingly she saw the ship but it was unclear. The blocks fall harmlessly as Cora pales clutching her side."Papa..." Standing Cora excuses herself quickly and runs for Sar.


Raising her voice Cora called out startling everyone as they knew she was not one to raise her voice. "Get everyone deeper in a safe retreat Dominik, Lo and Kayda were attacked by a ship. Stay there until you hear from me. I have to find Dominik."


Running toward their last known location Cora opened the comlink. "There are hostiles in the area. Repeat hostiles in the area. Recall all patrols and assist with a mandatory evaluation process. We have wounded and I need assistance because I have no idea what I'm walking into. Last known position was headed toward target A. I will provide updates. Over."


Turning off the comlink to avoid distraction Cora started running utilizing the Force and with the bond empty Cora prepared for the worst-case scenario. Something was wrong and she pushed out with a pulse of Force Sense. The taint of the Darkside was a shock to the system and she pushed past the revolting feeling.


The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she realized that feeling was in the same direction as Aren's ship, and the smoke billowing. Minutes later she came upon the scene of the attack. Searching around Cora finally found Dominik thirty feet from a boulder that they could have hidden from. Turning back on the comlink Cora made the announcement. "Status update. One wounded. Two missing. Forty five minutes to target A. Requesting assistance, dire medical emergency. Darkside present. Over."


The calmness in her voice belied the feelings of dread as she looked over Dominik. Kneeling down Cora checked his pulse which was weak and thready. The wounds were her biggest concern, there was a smear of blood on the boulder and Lo's medical bag. Dominik's hand was over his left side. The robes were soaked in blood and his right arm was turning and odd shade. It was as if it were colorless. The sense of the Darkside poured off it and the wound on the left side.


Turning Dominik over Cora noticed the large price of shrapnel in his left side. Placing her hand on it she pulled it out. Staunching the blood flow Cora put her Healing to work.


After clearing the debri from the wound Cora laid hands on Dominik and started a battle with getting him stable.

Dominik was in and out of consciousness as Cora came near him. His chest heaved as he fought for air and struggled to get the oxygen he needed. As Cora pulled the wooden shrapnel from his side Dominik's consciousness raced towards the surface. His body tensed as his left hand shot out, taking Cora's arm and squeezing tightly as he cried out both in surprise and in pain as the foreign object was removed. He took deep, labored breaths as his mind slowly came to.

Gritting her teeth at Dominik's cries and Cora stilled as he grabbed her arm. "It has to come out Papa there is something else wrong with this." She kept it short, her work was not yet complete and needed her focus unbroken.

Dominik’s teeth grit as he heard Cora’s voice, his head thrown back as fire ripped through his veins. “Cora… Lo-” He coughed hard suddenly, wheezing as he took another breath in and fought the constriction in his throat. “Where is Lo.” He finally said, his body shaking slightly as he moved his right arm to rest on his chest. He released his grip on Cora’s arm, his hand falling down and clutching the dirt in his agony.

Calm and serenity washed from Cora touching his mind. "Lo is likely hiding as she should be. What did you use on the wounds?"

“Lo’s-” Dominik began, hacking again as each breath felt like fire in his lungs. “Her salve.”

Dominik’s body turned suddenly as the pain from the penetration wound flared up. He subconsciously turned away from Cora in an attempt to move her hands from it by rolling onto his other side.

Shock rippled through Cora at his revelation. His turning away launched her into action. She grabbed his face and turned it to her. "She was not working on Sith Alchemy Papa. You will be still until I can fully stabilize you. Sit. Now."

It was a rather quaint evening while on patrol and was mundane considering their circumstances. Would probably be a bit more if Evemarie had not started to going over certain stealth exercises with her squad in preparation for what was to come. She couldn't help but feeling a sense of dread since her conversation with Master Rothul . This mission was feeling less like a relief mission and could sense things would be escalating in the next couple of weeks.  She couldn't help staring out over the dunes and let out a deep sight. I wonder when this calm sea will finally erupt into to maelstrom... I can't help but feel this is going nowhere and we will need to start breaking out a bit...   her train of thought was immediately shattered as Cora's voice rang through their coms. "Over. There are hostiles in the area. Repeat hostiles in the area. Recall all patrols and assist with a mandatory evaluation process. We have wounded and I need assistance because I have no idea what I'm walking into. Last known position was headed toward target A. I will provide updates.

"Alright boys and girls you heard the lady! We need to get back immediately, Usen you take half the squad and get back to the settlement and make sure everyone is inside. The rest of you will come with me and we will see if their any more enemies in the area where the attack took place."  she said forcefully starting to make her way towards the coordinates.

About 10 minutes later the radio crackled alive again: Status update. One wounded. Two missing. Forty five minutes to target A. Requesting assistance, dire medical emergency. Darkside present. Over.

Dark Siders??? I knew it... I knew I wasn't paranoid.. Stop don't hyper focus on that thought. We have to get to there and help Cora with the injured. Then we can start poking around more for those creatures.   she thought to herself as her partial squad rushed over to Cora's location.

10 minutes would pass until she stumbled up what appeared to be Cora whom appeared to be stabilizing Master Rothul. She motioned her squad to aid them and it was at that moment she heard Cora utter the the pharase.   " She was not working on Sith Alchemy Papa. You will be still until I can fully stabilize you. Sit. Now."

Evemarie froze for a moment and did her best to push that thought from her mind but could  not help uttering  the word vomit that followed. "Cora what can we do to help and what do you mean Sith Alchemy?"

In rylosynchronous orbit

The Aruk floated silently in space, well above the layer of satellites set up by the hutts. At the moment, the engines were cold, with very little light shining out through the cockpit viewports, making the ship difficult to spot visually. Nothing but obscurity kept it hidden from other sensors, though. Near the center of the ship, in the private quarters Nimm Deenia stood before the holoterminal. Reaching forward, she pressed the keys to send the message she had just recorded to her master.

Sure, she could have contacted her master directly. However, she preferred reporting indirectly. Easier to get everything across and there was no need to interrupt her. It was time to get things moving, but she knew without a doubt that Darth Nyiss was busy. It would be interesting to see what her master did about her information.

Soon it would be time to start working on the prisoner. “That will be fun…” she whispered to herself, already having a plethora of ideas about what she would do. So many ideas, only one body to use them on. If only she could have collected more than just the one...

Concentrating on Dominik barely noticing the surroundings she glanced at Evemarie then back to Dominik. "I mean just what I said. I need a litter, someone to find Lo and Kayda. And I do not need my concentration broken again. This will not be pleasant for P-Dominik or myself." She was firm but calm vocally.

"Stabilize him first and then we can focus on finding the others… That is if they haven’t been taken already.” She said with a sigh as she motioned her squad to assist. “You two get a makeshift litter together.” She commanded before making her way to the assault site. She inspected the area from where Dominik took cover. The forest to the east was burnt and could make out fallen trees. Immediately she went towards that direction to investigate.

I hope it is not too late… I hope Lo was able to make it out as if those creatures get their hands on her… No, don't think such awful things.. Try to be positive Evie.

Instructions on how to prepare a litter were short and concise, Cora was concentrating on the fact that at present she knew what she was dealing with on a much broader definition than she liked. She needed to know exactly what was effective against what she was battling. Frustration reared its ugly head as she batted away the emotion blocking it out. "We can move him now. Where is Evemarie?"

Cora looked around in confusion searching. Maybe if I start shouting Sith Sith Sith she will come running. One track mind Shadows.

It didn’t take long for Evemarie to see that going the way of the inferno was a fool's errand and figured it would be best to go look for them in the morning. She quickly returned to see that the Twi’leks had fashioned a litter to get Master Rothul back to camp. "Cora, I could not make any tracks of the other Jedi and the visibility in the forest is poor. Is Master Rothul able to be moved at all?"

Picking up Lo's medical bag Cora nodded. "Affirmative. He can be moved." She knelt down and reached out to  gently tip up Dominik’s face to hers. "Dom? We are going to move you. Try to stay still. Can you do that?"

Dominik’s eyes remained closed even after Cora lifted his head up and started speaking to him. His breathing was more stable than it had been before, though if only by a little. He didn’t respond verbally but he moved a bloody hand up to brush against one of hers before it fell to rest on his chest.

Cora looked over at Evemarie and nodded. "Quickly. This is not a place we need to be caught up in. Burns are painful and I will need all I have to combat what is ailing Dominik."

"Understood, come on you two put him on the litter.” Evie said in a rushed tone as she went to help lift Master Rothul onto the litter.  “Alright guys, one… two… three.”

As the Twi’lek and Evie moved and lifted Dominik onto the litter, his body shifted slightly causing the fire in his veins to flare up. His body tensed up as they got him onto the litter, the man crying out at the wave of pain he felt. He took in a deep breath through his nostrils, coughing as he exhaled quickly. He couldn’t quite comprehend why he was being moved or where they still were. The man couldn’t easily speak in the moment, for if he could he would beg for them to locate Lo. He couldn’t leave her behind, not out in the open expanses of Ryloth. His body trembled after he had been laying on the litter for a few short moments.

His eyes opened slightly, allowing light to flood into his vision. The man’s eyes stung but he felt like he was spinning and wanted to try to ground himself by opening his eyes.

Wincing at Dominik's pain Cora reached out to clasp his hand concentrating on healing and easing his pain. The walk back would be difficult but they could make it. Evemarie would have to be on the lookout to see if Dominik slipped to catch him.

About half way there the litter slipped and Dominik almost fell. As the lead Twi’lek slipped Cora swiftly reached out with the Force keeping Dominik from falling to the forest floor. The damage was done though, for as he was jolted Dominik moaned in agony. Cora held on to the Force gritting her teeth straining to keep healing and keep Dominik level.

As the litter was readjusted under Dominik he was gently set on it. Perspiration dripped down the back of Cora’s dress as she let go of Dominik’s weight.

The jolt from the movement sent Dominik’s mind and body into a downward spiral. His body jerked and the man threw his head back in agony, but after a few moments he relaxed suddenly as his mind fell into a deep, dark abyss:

His head was pounding. His body ached and there was a thin layer of a cold sweat on his skin. With only his trousers, boots and an undershirt on, the man wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel cold, or if it was in fact overly warm. Opening his eyes, the room was rather dark with a bright white light outlining the top and bottom edges. It was small, almost the size of a chamber on a cruiser. Was he still on a ship? The last thing he remembered was hitting the ground during a fight on Alderaan whilst dueling a Sith.

The man hung suspended in an energy field with a blueish tint and electrical in nature. His hands and arms were above his head, pulled out and behind him slightly to make his position that much less comfortable. His ankles held together straight below him by what looked like a silver band, most likely the bindings that were made specifically for Force users. Or in his case, Jedi.

Dominik opened his eyes fully which proved to be quite a feat after a few long moments. He was exhausted, though he wasn't sure why. The older Knight pulled his hanging head up slightly. The room was a little over twelve feet (4 meters) in length and nearly the same in width. It was almost pentagonal in shape, like most detention levels Dominik had seen on large cruisers. He tried pulling at the energy field that held his wrist but was met with an overwhelming amount of resistance. He tried pulling again a few moments later but nothing had changed. Looking around the room again, he took in a few more details. There were stairs a few feet in front of him, just three of them that led to a door. The door nearly blended into the darkness of the walls with help from the oddly lit room. To his right was a small console, about waist height. He guessed it held the controls for his prison. Other than what he saw, there was nothing. It was a small, dark, draftless chamber that encouraged a feeling of isolation and embraced the sense of the unknown.

From the control room, Lady Vane watched the Jedi stir through numerous holo screens. Each one posed on the man from different angles. She stood still in the room as the Jedi moved his head. He took a few moments to observe his surroundings then the realization washing over him. He began a fruitless effort to wiggle from his binds. This caused Vane to smirk at the waste of energy.

Hours ago, several technicians ensured those bindings would hold properly. Not a single flaw present that the Jedi could exploit.

Her confidence swelled in her as she faced her apprentice.

"What are your thoughts?" Her voice rang out like a deep, sweet purr. She left the question vague enough for him to make his judgement on what she had been referring to.

The younger apprentice watched the holo screens with focused intent. The Jedi Knight had been delivered to them just over twenty-four hours ago. He had been captured during the Alderaan siege whilst gathering intel on pockets of extremists. Their Sith agents had easily exposed him, as Jedi trusted far too easily, and captured him.

“He has a strength to him,” Apprentice Tharen’s eyes were fixed on the screen as he observed the man on the other side. Watching his every move, judging every little twitch and pull as if it was a show, “but if he has strength, then he must have weaknesses.” He continued, looking finally to his Master. “What is our goal? What is his purpose?”

A pause extended into seconds before Vane replied. Whether she was pleased or annoyed by the question was anyone's guess, including her apprentice's. Her figure straightened into an authoritarian posture as she walked casually toward Tharen. Her yellow tinted eyes sizing him like a cat with a brazen mouse.

"Yes. The main goal is to obtain as much of his information as possible. Then dispose of him." Her eyes seemed to penetrate into his core before she turned her body and proceeded to the door. Each step made with grace and purpose as her hands folded against the nook of her back.

Vero stood tall as his Master came near. He watched her, challenging her gaze and showing he would not back down.

"Yes Master." He said as she answered his previous question. His eyes moved back towards the screen, observing the Jedi once more before he turned to follow Lord Vane.



Lord Vane led through the way through the corridors to the Jedi's chamber. Dark black robes silently shifted off of her steps as she pressed a panel and the doors hissed open. Once open, she continued inside. Her yellow eyes locked onto the prisoner suspended in his bindings. A wicked smile curved across her lips as she approached him.
"Ah, you're awake. Restful night or a restless one?" She started off the conversation light and easy, to observe his awareness and behavior.


Hearing footsteps approach and the door hiss open, Dominik's head rose to see two Sith enter a room. Obviously a Master and an Apprentice. He could tell by the way the second one followed the first. His gaze turned into a hard glare as he held his head up, eyes following the first one's every movement as she entered.

"Restless and distasteful. I'd had better company before." Dominik challenged, his eyes shooting over to watch Tharen's form for a few short moments before moving back to the woman. He could tell by the way she presented herself. She was far more dangerous than the younger one. But that wouldn't make Dominik back down.

Apprentice Tharen stayed three paces behind his Master, moving the opposite direction she had when they entered the Jedi's prison chamber. He kept his posture tall, unwavering, for he saw the way the Jedi's eyes passed over him when they entered.

“Pity it seems the Jedi’s good manners are merely a myth.” She noticed him looking at her silent apprentice. He wasn’t the threat here, but she let it slide.

Her figure stepped over to the console as she pulled up a holo screen. It displayed his vitals from his heart beat to his brain waves before she turned away. Her silver tongue continued to pluck at the selective truths she had learned.

“It seems you were very busy on Alderaan. Several sources noted you interfering where you had no right to. I’m personally curious about the details of that mission. I find the source is often better than the reports.” Vane kept her casual and relaxed attitude at the front. She knew the control she had and let it ooze out into the conversation. Her figure turned about to draw close to him again, but she stopped about three feet from his location.

“So, would you be kind enough to share the information about your mission?” She didn’t expect the Jedi to cooperate. However, she wasn’t a complete savage… at least, not yet.  

Dominik's eyes never once left the female Sith as she moved over towards the console. His gaze remained on her like a Rancor on it's elusive prey. His hands clenched and clenched as she spoke, the only way for the veteran Knight to release the ire he felt building up at every little word she spoke.

"My mission is none of your business. I can make it your business though. I'll tell you right before I dispatch you and your apprentice and continue on my way as if this inconvenience had never happened." He challenged. Head held high as he looked at her, Dominik would never willingly hand over any information to the Sith. He was prepared to die to protect his fellow Jedi.

“Interesting to see even Jedi can have a temper. And they condemn us for being emotional monsters. Such hypocrites.” Vane’s voice took on a hint of venom from his response.

“I’m sorry to inform you, you don’t seem to understand the position you’re in. You’re not in control here and you will not be leaving.” To prove her point, she looked at Tharen then to the console. A silent indication for a shock to be administered and for his hands to get dirty.  

Tharen waited not a second more as he saw his Master's gaze. He moved swiftly to the console, his fingers touching one of the smaller built in holo screens. He brought up the control interface for the shock system before his hand moved to a dial to the right. He saw the Jedi brace himself momentarily before Vero turned the dial a quarter of the way around. Immediately, currents of electricity traced along Dominik's body and forced themselves throughout his core. The man visibly shook as he took the first wave. The Apprentice kept the dial turned for about ten seconds before he returned it to it's off position.

Dominik let his body and head hang after the torture ceased. He took quick, shallow breaths, his chest heaving for a few moments before he started to regain himself. Raising his head ever so slightly he shot a glare at the Apprentice before that same glare moved to the woman. Moments later he looked away, working on regaining his composure as the moments went by.

“It seems we hit a nerve with you, but your blame should be with yourself. You decided to play ignorant and obviously words would not get through that thick head of yours.” A soft, sadistic glee edged into her voice. It was subtle, but easily noted. If that wasn’t enough to confirm her enjoyment, the smile certainly did.

Drawing his attention, her figure began to stalk around him. Her eyes observed his condition as she continued to talk, giving him a chance to make this easy.

“Your resistance is admirable, but it will not do you much good. Your allies appeared to have abandoned you and your mission is a failure. Already two diplomats are heading to conflict and will start to unravel your efforts.”

“I have already set in motion things that you will never break.” Dominik replied, raising his head again as he began to fully regain himself. He took deep breaths as he finally started to realize exactly what his purpose was. All they wanted was information, and since he was a key diplomat in the fight for Alderaan’s peace, he had information and strategies they wanted.

“A Jedi is never truly alone.” he muttered, his eyes glancing to the side as he watched her move around him. “Where a Jedi always trusts in his allies and in the Force, the Sith have nothing. The only one who is alone here, is you.”

As she continued to pace, her arms folded over her robes and remained behind her. Out of the Jedi’s sight. Her back had been exposed to Tharen at key points, fingers slowly counting down with each spar of words. Two of them remained up as she continued the fight of wills.

“You can only rely on yourself and what strength you can obtain. The fact the Jedi are losing the war with numerous casualties and losses is evidence your methods have deep-rooted flaws. If the war continues, I doubt any Jedi will remain at this rate.” Vane observed his reaction to the truth of her words.

“We will always persevere.” Dominik began, letting his head hang slightly as he drew in his strength and will to fight back. “The Jedi always have. Unlike the Sith-”

Tharen’s eyes narrowed as his hand moved on the dial. Dominik was not prepared for the shock that came in the next few moments. He gritted his teeth, attempting to reign in the want to cry out as the pain swept through him. Tharen left the dial at one quarter power for another ten seconds, his eyes moving to scan the holo screen for his vitals and brain activity. All looked well.

He slowly turned the vial back to the off position so that his Master could continue her interrogation.

Dominik’s head hung as his chest heaved and his heart thumped hard in his throat. He took slow, deep breaths, his body trembling every few seconds as small trails of leftover electricity traced his body before dissipating completely.

“It’s good to see… the Lo-cat knows how to play.” He teased, pulling his head up again in defiance of the pain he felt in his body.

“If that’s the best flattery you can achieve, it’s no wonder your diplomatic skills never worked properly. And were so easily undone.” Vane resisted the urge to coo at him, adding insult to injury. She sighed as her playful expression darkened into a serious one.

“I’m giving you the chance to make this easy and to freely give your account. I’m not a fan of ripping it out of someone.” Her hand reached for her glove, gradually pulling it off and held in her other one.

“And I’m not a fan of Sith begging for information that is not theirs… but here we are.” the older Jedi retorted, his gaze hardening into a glare as he looked directly into the eyes of the female before him.

"Naturally only a Jedi confuses mercy for begging. Unlike most Sith, I don't have to have your permission to get what I want." Vane stepped forward as her hand waved up causing a set of stairs to rise. Their gears moved and pushed up, creating a single person platform where she could stand face to face with the suspended Jedi.
“Just remember, you brought this upon yourself and I tried to spare you from it.” Her bare hand reached out to rest upon the side of his face.

Dominik watched as the female Sith came closer, a platform lifting her up so that they were face to face and level with each other. As her hand came near, Dominik attempted to pull his head back, though he couldn’t move but a few centimeters. His breathing was slow and steady as he prepared himself for the unknown.

The moment Vane’s skin came into contact with his, she started to suck the knowledge from him. Thousands of invisible tendrils extended from her force and pushed into his mind, ripping at his mental defenses. Her lips curled into a warm, satisfied smile. She focused on his painful expression as he attempted to fight back. A sense of adrenaline and dominance pushed into her, driving her on to break him. She cherished the moment she could drain every last precious memory from his worthless mind. Leaving a husk in its absence to rot and decay like the many  of her apprentices the Jedi had cut down in the war.

As her hand touched the side of his head, Dominik immediately started to feel the Dark side attempting to break down his mental defenses. The man's thoughts raced for he wasn't sure what he was fighting. His head started to pound moments later, but his focus was on the Sith in front of him. He held his gaze steady, unwavering from hers as he felt his defenses slowly start to crumble. His hands clenched into fists and his body began to lock up. He gritted his teeth, his breathing becoming very labored and erratic as an indescribable pain wracked his core.

He felt himself slipping, his eyelids grew heavier and closed for a quick moment before he drew in his strength in an attempt to fight back. Soon, all the man could see was the woman before him. He honed in his focus in an attempt to fight back, but he didn't know what he was fighting.

“One thing I’ve learned over the years, there is always something worse than death. And only few, like myself, have learned how to inflict it. Remember that well, Dominik Rothul.” Vane sneered as she continued her attack on the helpless man.

Dominik faintly registered her words. They sounded muffled as time went on, though he did hear one thing clearly; his name. Hearing it, his eyes closed again for a moment, and then again moments after. Seeing the Jedi start to falter, Tharen looked down at the holo screen which displayed his vitals. His brain activity had dropped drastically. No doubt due to the attack on his mind from Vane.

"Master." The apprentice began, glancing back up to the woman, "The Jedi is starting to crash."

“Not as strong as you put on, are you?” Vane taunted as she removed her hand, letting the Jedi recover. She turned about and stepped down, the stairs collapsing behind her. Her hand pulled the glove back on signaling she had finished.

“Cora Alcyon seems rather interesting. If we ever cross paths, I’ll have to make sure to reminisce about her beloved master. She’ll want to know how he fared against the terrible Sith before she dies.” She chuckled as she looked at Theran on her route to the exit.

“You have one hour to enjoy yourself. Don’t kill the Jedi and report back to me when you’re done.” With those last words, she stepped out into the corridor and toward her quarters.  

Theran nodded to his Master as he watched her leave. He then turned back to look at the Jedi who seemed like he wasn't about to recover from his Master's digging into his mind. The younger Sith smirked as he watched the Knight hang, his breathing staggered and his head low.

Vero's right hand moved to the dial before he started turning it. Dominik instantly began to cry out. As the dial's intensity moved past fifty percent, the devious smile on his face only grew bigger. He had one hour.

Upon entering the cavern Cora began efficiently issuing orders. "Down here." She indicated the meeting table knowing that she was going to need to restabilize Dominik. "Water drinking and in a large bowl. Clean cloth. And a seat."

Evemarie immediately nodded her head. "You go get the cloth in the South, Iomammeca, follow him and I’ll grab the water."   She said in a rushed tone as she bolted towards the healing tent. Within a few moments all the materials were gathered and awaited Cora's instruction.

After stabilizing Dominik, Cora pulled out Lo's bag. "Evemarie how extensive is your knowledge of toxins?" Cora asked as she carefully set out the various items on a smaller flat rock. She produced bandages, salve in three packets and a waterskin. "Dominik said he used the salve. Which one I do not know but it will have a taint. It is not acting like a normal toxin. It is all I can do to keep him from slipping away. I need help and I need it now. I do not have the time to puzzle this out. I have to keep him stable. I need you to work this out so that I can treat him. Lo kept a journal and supplies I need you to see if any of them are also tainted." Cora went back to laying hands on Dominik.

"I doubt that Lo would have access to  Sith Alchemical Poison.. However I will do my best to see if I can find anything that could be of aid  and see if foul play is involved." She said with a sigh as she rushed out towards Lo’s hut.  

Snapping with frustration Cora kept a gentle hand on Dominik and turned to Evemarie. "We are looking to see if the possibility exists that a traitor has been here a long or short while. It is too coincidental that this happens now. After we ran out of supplies she would have had to collect more. Knowing when she made these is vital. Older means the supplies were tainted."

The concerns Cora brought up before she left just had Evemarie on edge as the thought of a potential traitor is something she would hyper focus on but she did her best to smother those thoughts to the furthest recesses of her mind. A few moments later she arrived in Lo’s hut, it was rather quaint for the moment before Evie began to ransack it searching for anything that may be able to aid Cora. Nothing stood out to her other than her journal which Evie immediately flipped through the pages to find anything amiss. It seemed rather benign and appeared to be the curiosities of a Padawan. Nothing out of the ordinary stuck out to Evie as most of the salves appeared to be made from easily forageable items with exception being the venom from the odd sloth like creatures the Padwans had encountered the day before. This isn’t good, there are no clues of foul play and this journal is useless to Cora but I’ll inform her of what I have found… Even if it’s not cheery news, we do have to potentially prepare for the worst. she thought to herself as Evemarie rushed back to Coras side.

“There is nothing out of the ordinary that I could find in her hut other than her journal which had rather benign musings. The only thing that may be of aid is she did work on a poison and corresponding salves that happened to have used the venom of those sloth like creatures the Padawans encountered yesterday.” Evemarie said in a rush wondering what her next orders would be. This type of thing was not in her wheelhouse and deferring to the expert would be preferred. However Cora seemed frazzled to the point where she might be losing her nerve.

As each minute ticked by, Dominik felt his mind and body slipping further and further into the darkness. He focused hard on his senses, not through the Force what through what he could hear and feel. As much agony as it brought him, Dominik focused on the pain he felt throughout his body. His lungs burned, it felt as though pins and needles were running through his veins. The wounds that Cora had begun healing on his arm and side stung and burned; but he embraced it. It was one of the few sensations keeping him physically tethered to the land of the living. Dominik knew that if he tried to cast the pain aside, to utilize Crutcitorn and let it fade, he may fade completely.

He embraced the sounds around him as well. Listening to Cora dig through Lo’s bag, listening to her voice and trying to comprehend every word she spoke. He could hear the worry in her voice; the slight tinge of panic and irritation that was a given in any situation like this. Dominik wanted to speak, to open his eyes and reassure her that things were going to be alright, no matter which way this went. He opened his mouth to say something though but immediately he started to cough and choke, preventing any words from being spoken. His chest heaved as his body started trembling in response to the next wave of pain that washed over him. Dominik picked one of his hands up from his side and shakily moved it to rest on top of Cora’s own. He squeezed it gently, as much as his waning strength would allow, as he tried to comfort the younger woman through her work and stress.

Cora's focus shifted to Evemarie as she was informed of the situation and fully comprehended how truly bad this was, not to mention how very quickly it was spiraling out of control. It was like getting a bad hand in Sabbac. She could work with it but the odds kept stacking against them. She hated odds. Hated being told the odds. Her whole life she'd been fighting against them.

Determined to again beat the odds, she knew what they were, she held onto that and turned back to Dominik. She'd been too young to do more for her biological parents but she would not lose the man she'd come to call her father. As she thought this Dominik stirred and placed a hand on her own. She cradled his hand between hers. He seemed to want, no need, to say something. "What is it?"

Evemarie immediately began to examine the salves and laid out three leaves on the floor doing her best to see which one is tainted. She poured a bit of the first salve out and the leaf immediately started to burn. She repeated the process two more times and the leaves immediately began to decay. Oh no… Her salve’s have been tainted. I wonder if this is the extent or if everything else that she has been working  with has been tampered with. she thought to herself as an eerie silence set in for a few moments before Evie spoke.

“Cora… All 3 of her salve’s have been tampered with. It appears to resemble a Sith Alchemical poison, I’ll be back… I have to see if any of her other concoctions have been tampered with or if it is only what was on her person.” She said coldly before darting off to the hut.

“Lo- Kayda.” He whispered to Cora, his mind desperately hoping to hear his Padawan’s voice nearby. All of his senses were dulled through the Force. The bond with his Padawan was left an empty husk; still there, but with no feeling. Suddenly Dominik’s grip on Cora’s hand tightened for a moment as his body jerked. The next moment, the grip on Cora’s hand let go completely as his hand simply rested on top of hers. His chest stopped heaving as his throat suddenly constricted, allowing no air in or out of his lungs. All the while, his mind fell back into a deep dark abyss as his sense of the world around him disappeared.

Memory wrote:He hadn’t willingly given out any information for the months he had been held captive. Many had tried, but he did not openly break. A few times the female Sith from the first day had returned and broken down his defenses, dug into his mind and pulled out pieces of information. He hadn’t the slightest idea in how to fight it. Dominik hated the feeling. Helplessness, uncertainty, and even a tinge of fear had started to leak into his heart. He hung in silence and waited. Head down, eyes closed, focusing in on the strength and resolve he still had.

Upon spotting Theran ready and waiting for her, she nodded approvingly. She sensed a trickle of excitement through their still growing bond. A pleased smile crossed her lips to show she approved of his behavior and gestured for him to follow her inside.

Her eyes fixed on the suspended Jedi. She let her presence fill the room and watched his reaction, hoping to draw a little fear from him. A small weakness to brighten her day.

Hearing the door to the chamber open, Dominik’s head rose slowly, just enough for his eyes to open and see who it was that entered. He let his head hang again, though as it did he chuckled for a moment. “Didn’t get what you wanted last time, did you?” he mumbled quietly, his head still hanging and his eyes closed.

“That’s the fun with my little ability. I can draw out quality time with you.” Vane retorted, her voice held allure and false sweetness.

Theran followed in closely behind his Master, watching the Jedi as they entered. The younger Sith placed the tray on a small table next to the control console. The Jedi’s words towards his Master irritated Vero, but he knew soon enough they would have their fun. As he sat the tray down, the sound of the metal tray being placed on the table made Dominik look up again, only slightly. “And this time you brought some tools to help do your bidding. Are your skills not enough?” he challenged, though he did not look at her directly. His head remained low as he allowed his body some rest before all hell broke loose.

“Someone has a fetish for torture as you’re so quick to provoke. I see not all Jedi are wise enough to understand about choosing their words carefully.” Vane’s eyes looked to her apprentice, noting his irritation.

The older man scoffed almost immediately at her words, his head finally lifting to look at her. “Words or no words you’ll do what you want. Showing defiance is better than staying silent in fear.”

“Of course I will. That much we can agree on. With the discrimination you hold against every last Sith, I know you won’t acknowledge any kindness toward you. We tested this the first day we met, remember? Of course, my warnings were meaningless to you.” She let the words sink in before continuing.

“But no, I don’t need these tools to get what I want. My apprentice shall actually be gaining some first-hand experience. He tends to get a little… zealous over his duties. Depending on how the session goes, it might end with us simply departing or me extracting more information.”  

Taking the serum from the tray in one hand, Theran moved around the console and approached the suspended Jedi. As the small platform in front of the containment unit rose to put him at eye level with the Jedi, he reached out suddenly, taking Dominik’s head in one hand and forcing it to the side. He took the serum, adjusting it’s vial and watching as a needle emerged from within the small cylindrical container that held the liquid. Exposing the man’s neck, the Sith apprentice adjusted the needle in his fingers before plunging it into the captive’s skin. Dominik flinched as he felt the prick of the needle, his teeth gritting as the cold liquid slowly started to seep into him.

Satisfied, he took a step back off the platform to return the syringe to the tray whilst the serum slowly started to take effect.

Vane gestured then dragged a seat to her direction. Casually she took a seat while she observed not just the Jedi, but her apprentice too.

A few moments later, Vero stepped over to the console, his hands folded neatly behind his back as he waited for the serum to start taking effect. The apprentice looked almost bored as he waited, but he wanted to make sure the Jedi would feel the full effect of his actions before the fun began. His right hand moved down to the console, adjusting a few settings via the holoscreen and bringing up the Jedi’s vitals before his fingers found the voltage knob. He waited a few more moments before taking it in his fingertips, turning it up past the fifty percent mark and watching as streams of blue electricity started to charge and cover the Jedi’s body.

Dominik Rothul had felt many pains in his life. The pain of losing a fellow soldier, of losing an innocent bystander or an old friend. The pain of bonds breaking through the Force and fizzling out, never to return. This, however, was a new type of pain.

Everything seemed to have multiplied ten-fold. The man cried out as pain wracked his body, even more than it had in the entire time he had been held captive. His body shook violently as the energy from the containment field held him still. After a few moments his teeth clenched in an attempt to quiet his cries. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt the voltage cease.

The Sith apprentice moved out from behind the console and stepped up onto the small platform in front of the prison. He glanced back at the vitals monitor, seeing mostly normal levels, before he turned back to Dominik. The Jedi Knight did not move except for his breathing, which was staggered and uneven.

“Give up already? We’ve only just begun, Jedi.” Vero said, smirking as Dominik’s head slowly raised. Vero’s eyes met the defiant ones of the Jedi, and for a moment it was a battle of wills.

“There is not a Sith alive who can break me, young one.” Dominik challenged, glaring at the apprentice before the younger boy moved suddenly. Theran didn’t hesitate as his right hand moved and grasped the Jedi by the neck, squeezing as the younger boy immediately began the task of draining the Jedi as the Dark side seeped into his body, grabbing on to his life energy and slowly starting to pull it back into the younger apprentice.

Dominik Rothul could hardly breath, and with the serum in his system and his pain tolerance lowered, something dangerously close to fear flashed in his eyes. He gasped for breath through clenched teeth, his eyes staring straight into Theran’s with determination and stubbornness. He would die before he let any Sith break him. He would not give in. He could not give in.

Dominik inhaled sharply as the Sith’s grip didn’t let up. His fists clenched as the edges of his vision started to falter. “You’re a pawn.” He challenged, gasping for air and taking the pain but not giving in.

“No Sith- will ever break me.” Dominik said, his gaze not once moving from the apprentice.

Theran was too focused, too distracted by the Jedi’s taunts to pay any attention to the vitals tracker at the console. All of his levels slowly started to lower, but the apprentice did not notice. All of his focus was on the Jedi, and on proving himself to his Master right then and there.

Vane stood upright. “Theran. Cease.”

Her tone held authority and demand, hinting to mistakes having been made. Theran didn’t cease as she watched him continue. Her eyes caught the vital tracker’s beeps, rising and  accelerating, indicating his would be death approaching. She gritted her teeth. With a well-trained skill born of a fighter, she rushed at her apprentice’s exposed back. Her lightsaber snapped into her hand and ignited to its full red glory. Controlling the swipe down to its very strength and aim, she scored a shallow lash across the younger man’s back. Just one. A warning to never ignore her orders again.

He heard the igniting of a lightsaber and felt the movements of the air in the room as she moved swiftly but the younger Sith could not act fast enough. The sound of searing skin could be heard before the young apprentice cried out. He dropped his Force Drain on the Jedi before stumbling to the side, falling off the platform and hitting the floor. A small amount of smoke from seared skin and clothing rose from his back as the man slowly attempted to push himself up off of the floor, hissing at the pain he felt and dread filling him as he realized what he had done.

As the apprentice’s hold over his body ceased, the Jedi’s mind went black and his body followed. Going limp in the containment field’s hold, the man’s eyes closed and his breathing slowed as exhaustion and pain took over his mind and body.

“You had simple instructions and you failed to follow it. Perhaps I should use your force to heal the damage your foolishness has caused…” She spat, a threat heavy in her voice. Her hand already retracted her blade and slipped it onto her belt. Vane stepped down from the platform toward her apprentice.

“When I give you instruction, you listen. You take no freedoms that jeopardize those orders or you can expect to pay the consequences. Do you understand me?”

Slowly the apprentice picked himself up off the floor. He glanced momentarily at the unconscious Jedi before he looked back to his Master. The younger Sith kneeled down in front of her on one knee, wincing as the lance to his back pulled at the burned skin and clothing. "Yes Master." He said. He wouldn't ask for forgiveness, for he knew it wouldn't be granted.

“Tell me where you went wrong.” Vane ordered, coming to a stop within his personal space. Her robes just inches from his keeling posture. If she wanted, she could’ve reached out and drained him there. For now, only her fury, an icy cold one, could be felt in the room.

“I was overzealous, Master.” The younger man said, bowing his head even more as she came near. “I let my advantage over the Jedi get the better of me.”

“Now, how do you intend to fix that and repair the trouble you’ve caused?” Vane’s wrath hadn’t been phased in the least. There had been no evidence she accepted his answers or didn’t seek to punish him still.

“I can use myself, Master. If the Jedi is struggling I can use my abilities to help restore his vitals-”

“Enough. You are still learning and advancing in that ability. It would likely kill him.” Vane’s hand jerked up as her sharp voice stopped him. She looked to the Jedi, her thoughts twisting in her mind.

“The notion is still usable. Fetch a prisoner and I’ll do it. You will make up for this mistake later and I will tell you how when I’m ready. Now, go.”

Tharen kept his head down as low as he could whilst still being respectful. HIs master’s sharp tone kept him at bay after his suggestion was quickly shot down. He listened closely to her next orders and moved in one swift movement as he stood, ignoring the pain on his back and moving to the door. Moments later he disappeared through the doorway as it shut behind him.

Vane watched him go then stepped to the console, examining the Jedi’s life signs. She activated the holo cam within the chamber so to record on her command. This footage might prove useful later. She turned to face her apprentice when she heard his returning footfalls.

As the door opened, Tharen held a younger, teenage Republic soldier by the back of the neck, forcing him to walk in front as Vero pushed him through the door. The young prisoner felt to his knees on the floor before Lord Vane, his fear apparent in the way he trembled and kept his head down. Tharen allowed the door to close behind him before he walked up to the prisoner, grabbing hold of his hair and forcing his head back so that Vane could see him.

Vane closed the distance and leaned in. Her head tilted side to side, examining the prisoner’s appearance. The boy could be no older than fifteen even with the broken nose he suffered. Her lips curled back into a familiar smile.

“Excellent pick, my young apprentice. Now, bring him up to the platform and secure him there. There’s a set of bindings nearest the Jedi.” Her attention returned to the console, pressing a few buttons before following them upward.

Following his master’s orders, Vero picked the prisoner up and forced him forward again. The young boy watched as they approached the unmoving Jedi, fearing engulfing his heart as the Sith apprentice forced him down and attached the bindings to the boy. Vero’s movements were quick and purposeful, hoping to keep his master’s ire at bay and not wanting to make any more mistakes, for his sake.

With all of the bindings in place, Vero stepped back around to stand behind his master so that he could properly observe without getting in her way.

“Learn from example for this is how you deal with difficult Jedi.” Vane began, starting the recording.

She strode up the stairs to the whimpering prisoner. Her hands began to remove the leather gloves she wore, revealing the thin scars on the surface. All of them produced by thin, sharp needles penetrating her skin over and over. Her old master’s motivation to develop her force drain to its full potential or suffer them being dead weight.

When she stopped next to the prisoner, her hand reached for his head. Her fingers gripped a chunk of his shaggy, filthy hair and forced his head higher. A soft inhale escaped her lips. Her other hand reached out to touch the Jedi Knight’s arm before she began to drain the young man. His screams echoed throughout the chamber in endless agony. All the while, the Jedi remained completely ignorant of the consequences.

Vane would make sure that bliss would never last.

On the verge of panic at Dominik's thrashing as Cora felt his mind slip like water through her fingers, panic set in. In the next instant all her medical training kicked in. "No. I refuse to watch you die. I have lost too many people that I love to see it happen again."

Cora felt the constriction in his throat and moving to his head she tipped it back. Slowly and gently she began to use the Force to create an invisible tube that would carry air to and from his lungs. Seconds felt like minutes as Cora worked as quickly as she dared. If she had been on Manaan this would not have been necessary, she could have had the equipment on hand.

Finally Cora was able to create the tube constructed of the Force. "Evemarie I need you to help me. You have to funnel air into Dominik. Gently! His chest will rise and after two heart beats push on his chest, again gently. Do you have that? In two full. Hold two heart beats. Out. Then again. Do not stop until I tell you to." Cora had a steady battle to fight but fight this she would.

"Do not do this to me. I cannot watch you die like my biological parents. You are too important to me. Wake up! You are more than just Dominik Rothul, Jedi Master of the High Council. You have been a father to me for thirty-two years and I will not have you die on me now!" Cora brokenly whispered as she poured more healing into him at every turn, battling what was ravaging his body.

Evie rushed over and hyper focused on Cora’s instructions and would follow them without hesitation.   “Understood, Cora.” She replied sternly. I know I’m not the most capable person when it comes to stabilizing people but I need to try. I can’t let my worries of inadequacy get to me as I need to be here for them. Even if I am unsure if I can keep the rhythm she wants and unintentionally mess things up.. Noo, I must persist. She thought to herself as  she hyper focused on Master Rothul’s heart beats and pressing on his chest every two beats. Now was not the time to doubt, just persist until Cora directed her otherwise. She was a tool for Cora to wield and direct as she saw accordingly. That is how things have always been for her but Evie’s musing on such thoughts were repressed as she needed to be present. Now was not the time to be flustered.  

Dominik’s mind was eerily silent as moments ticked by. Drowning in the abyss that was his past and the pain that came with the memories that were resurfacing, his mind was tossed around like a rag doll as it was pulled farther and farther down. There were flickers of light, however, every few moments there was one, then another. With them came voices: Lo, Evemarie, Aren, and Cora. They were memories of simple conversations that had gone on during their time on Ryloth; simple words of affirmation, laughter, and even a scolding or two mixed in with the voices. As they echoed through the abyss, Cora’s voice became loud and clear. Yelling at him and breaking through the darkness that threatened to swallow him whole.

The man’s hand hadn’t moved from his chest ever since his mind fell into the abyss. It suddenly clutched the robes underneath it as the man took in a long, deep breath. He exhaled quickly and took another breath in, Cora’s hold on the Force as an invisible tube inside his throat allowed the man to breath freely as his mind came rushing back to the surface.

Cora noticed that Dominik was breathing on his own but did not look up at Evemarie as she spoke with a measured tone of calm. "One problem down and a million and a half more to go. Thank you Evemarie you may desist. Now I have a mission that requires your particular… talents."

Pausing Cora wiped away some sweat. She was soaked and uncomfortable but knew it was going to be a long night. "I need you to find me that traitor. I do not care what it takes or what you do to find them. I want that information. And I do not care who it is. Everyone is suspect. And I do mean everyone. I do not wish to know what methods you come up with to collect the information, just do it. I am trusting you with this. Do not make me regret that decision. Am I clear?"

Cora's tone was one of authority and command. It rang with promise and sincerity. It did not leave any option for anything but her way.

Evie couldn’t help let out a deep sigh of relief when Cora told her to stop. Well that is a relief… At least Dom can breathe on his own but I wonder if there will be anything else I can assist… Her thought was cut short by Cora’s order. “Are you sure it is not best to go looking for the others in the morning. I feel I will be best utilized by your side if another attempt is made again. I think hunting down the traitor right now is foolish  as the Sith are getting more emboldened. You are letting your emotions get the better of you and me skulking about with no leads to hunt down a potential traitor will not allow Master Rothul to be well.” She said in a sincere but firm tone.

"You misunderstand the situation. It is imperative that I know where it came from or when my strength gives out, and it will for I am not limitless, so shall he." Cora was adamant about this. "Either we abandon the Twi’leks to their fate or we find who this is. I cannot hold out for guessing."

“No you misunderstand… I’m not going to be able to find the information that you need right this moment. We have an encampment of over 100 Twi’leks and even if I was to do as you would say it would take several hours and that is on the maybe that there is a traitor…  Not to mention I’d burn all the good will that Lo and Master Rothul have built.” She sternly replied. What we do know is there are two missing Jedi and the hour grows dimmer for the chance of finding them.. If Lo is still out there finding her is paramount as she may not make the night… You saw her skills were in combat when battle tested… Why lose three assets when we can only potentially lose one.”

"Because if you wish to see Lo break we can sacrifice Dominik. She will be of no use to anyone. I fear that she does have that potential. Potential that if not fostered by this man could be used against us. She is brilliant. And I for one will not abandon her. Go. Leave me."

“If it’s a Sith Alchemical poison then it is best to let it run its course as we have no lead on where it came from and if found it may be too late anyway. Also do you really think your former Master could bare losing his apprentice knowing that his former apprentice let her emotions get the better of her and didn’t attempt to save the most vulnerable? If she is captured then she may not make it off this planet to the Academy to be used against us. Another lost soul due to ineptitude from command that failed to make the hard decisions that often require  sacrifice. You can’t save everyone and to do so leads to more casualties. I’ll leave you be as Master Rothul requires your full attention. The missing Jedi require mine.”  She replied coldly as she made her way towards the exit.“With leaders like this no wonder we lost the war.” She scoffed under her breath as she disappeared into the night.

Opening a channel to only Aren, Cora knew that she needed this help. Someone had to be willing to see what she saw. "Aren we have a problem, my friend."

Aren, whilst out on a patrol with her Padawan and a few other Twi’lek, still had her comlink active and was currently on nightwatch as the rest of the group rested. They all slept in an enclosed rock outcropping, out of the elements and hidden from many enemies. Her comlink blinked and beeped, to which Aren quickly covered it with her hand to quiet the sound.

“Cora? What’s wrong? We heard some chatter over the frequency earlier but I think we were too far to hear it clearly.” Aren replied, waiting patiently knowing their connection may be slower and not as clear as she would prefer.

Getting to the point Cora was sparse in the telling of what happened. "Dominik was wounded in an attack. I know someone tainted Lo's salves with a Sith Alchemical toxin. His condition is...dire. Evemarie is searching for Lo and Kayda who were with him and went missing. But the biggest problem is that we have a traitor in our midst. They either planted the poison or we have a Sith here. An attack on a council member is an act of war. I do not wish to fight another war if possible. I have to know who it is and what was used. It will make healing Dominik easier. Perhaps we can stem this before it gets farther along and sweeps us up in political power games."

Listening to Cora's response, Aren's heart dropped. Dominik was down, Kayda and Lo missing; not to mention their eldest and most experienced Jedi was also dealing with a toxin in his body.

Aren took a few moments to process this information before she brought the comlink back up to speak, "I will try to get my squad back as soon as possible, but we're still a few hours away and it is pitch black out. We have to wait until dawn until we can move, Cora." Pausing for a moment, Aren took a few deep breaths, "Do not leave his side. You are his tether right now. He'll need your strength. I promise we'll get there as soon as we can."

Visibility was rather poor as the nights on Ryloth happen to be quite inky during the later hours in the evening. Evie was doing her best not to dwell on the erratic behavior that was displayed by Cora but she couldn’t help focusing on how easily she lost her nerve To think with Master Rothul out of commission  “she” could potentially be in command… Since she is a knight and if the others deem she is unfit then a change in command will be needed. I’ve served under far too many indecisive Jedi and Republic commanders to know how this could turn out.. Best to not make any rash decisions but I’ll play nice… For now~ she thought to herself as she rushed towards the attack site.

Ten minutes would pass until she came upon the attack site with the embers of the fire to the east still lingering in the air. Hmm such a tragedy this is… Now is not to doubt Evie, best to assess the situation before making any rash decisions. she thought to herself as she exhumed the area piecing together her best what might have happened. From what she could tell there was an orbital strike that dispersed the group. Blood and three sets of footsteps led her to rock where Cora was trying to stabilize Master Rothul. They took cover behind the rock, Master Rothul was gravely injured and potentially the other 2 may have been lightly injured. One can assume he tried to use one of Lo’s salves to aid him and then he proceeded to use one of the tampered vials.. she thought to herself as she continued to sweep the area.

She noticed that there were two sets of footprints that set off in opposite directions, one of a standard medium sized bipedal creature and the other being that of the young Bothan. What appeared to be Kaydas went off into the burning forest and it was safe to assume that she was doing a distraction of sorts to potentially draw whatever injured Master Rothul away. Searching for Kayda would be pointless at this point as the forest was still burning  and visibility being low. Lo is her priority and Evemarie raced East in hopes of finding the young Bothan before it was too late.


Three hours had passed since Cora and Aren last spoke. Aren had made the decision to move, despite the dangers of Ryloth at night, but they had to take an alternate route that gave them more cover and crossed less predator trails. Entering the cavern from the Northern tunnel, Aren instructed Val and her patrol to stand by while she went and looked for Cora or Evie. The cavern was unusually silent and after a few moments Aren realized it was completely empty. Where had all of the Twi’lek gone? And were Evie and Cora still there? After scouring the huts, Aren moved to the healing tents. A sigh of relief swept over her as she opened up the entrance to the largest tent and saw Cora sitting next to Dominik’s prone form.

“Cora? Where are all of the Twi’lek?” Aren asked as she walked into the tent. It was then her eyes fell on Dom. Immediately she could tell his skin was paler, and he had been badly injured judging by the wrappings on his right arm and those he could see wrapped around his torso. There was a cloak loosely wrapped around his form that parted down the middle over his chest.

Over those three hours, Cora had managed to stabilize Dominik enough to where he finally breathed on his own without his throat needing to be held open. His breathing had returned to a somewhat normal pattern, though he often coughed and choked a couple times every few minutes. The man was out cold, his body overwhelmed by pain and his mind floating between the light and the dark as the poison coursed through his bloodstream.

Moments later Evemarie had arrived having a bit of soot on her clothing and hair a bit disheveled. This was a bit off as she normally seemed to be well kept but such things weren’t on her mind when two missing Jedi. She wished she had better news to share but her face was forlorn with her eyes fixated into the distance. “Is Master Rothul stable? I wish I had good news about the others but alas I don’t… What I can tell you is that they were attacked by an orbital strike of sorts. After which they took cover behind the rock Master Rothul was found at. It would appear that they split up and Kayda disappeared into the inferno to the East… Lo went to the west for two kilometers but her footprints disappeared in a clearing and there was no trace. They could be alive, hiding somewhere, dead or the worse and more likely option… Captured." Evemarie said with a forlorn sigh.

Not looking up from Dominik’s breathing Cora listened to the recounting of Evemarie’s fruitless search. "And now that you have returned empty-handed what is your plan?"

Cora's monotone voice barely above a whisper. She was busy and the interruption of having her worst fears confirmed did not bode well for her frame of reference. Compartmentalizing the feelings for the last three hours and fighting a reactive rather than proactive battle using multiple Force Powers was not pleasant.

“Well my dear senior Jedi, I had to be sure of the situation before acting in rash manor in the middle of the night. Maybe you can enlighten me onto your tactful thoughts…" she retorted.

"My thoughts are that we should not attempt to provoke one another due to the fact that a dissension among the ranks is what they want." Cora's voice was matter of fact and lacking any emotion. "To answer your question Aren I sent the Twi’leks deeper because I had reason to believe that the location could have been compromised and did not wish for them to be killed. There is a strong possibility of that ship being able to, oh cause a cave in at the most limited thought. I have come up with far worse than that while I have been attending Dominik."

“Was that before or after you wanted me to burn through all of the goodwill we built on an emotional decision to snuff out a traitor without adequate information?” she asked rhetorically.   “I’m glad you made the correct decision after you collect yourself… However that is unlikely at this moment as the ship seemed very keen on going after Kayda based on the fallen trees and laser fire to the east from the attack site. Lo was probably taken by whomever attacked based on where the tracks went cold.”

Cora stood and turned looking at Evemarie. "Please do enlighten me as to your attempt at provoking me did not make my point exactly? You have never had the pleasure of encountering a Healer. Do not mistake that what you saw was anything but concern for my charge at present. That is how I operate. If you wish to continue to provoke me I will not idly sit by and let it happen. Stick to your forte and do not question mine. Are we understood?" Cora raised an eyebrow at Evemarie.

"One should stick to healing instead of trying to tell a clandestine operative how to do their job, especially when said operative is laying out the proper way to go about this. Similar to how you guided me to help with stabilizing Master Rothul, I did not question your expertise in that area once and yet you have gall to question mine. I tend to do things by the book if it can be helped, especially given our situation. I do not intend to start things but I do have the tendency to finish them... “ she said in calmly chilling tone as her hollow gaze made eye contact with Cora,

"If you recall correctly you did start this. And I am done hearing the useless words of someone who does not have the best interests of a High Council member; who was attacked by a Sith, by indirect means at the very least, at heart. This is taramount to breaking the treaty so excuse me for attempting to stop an intergalactic incident. You fail to see the scope of the issue, hopefully that has clued you in."

“Focusing on intergalactic issues… We have no proof that it was the Sith Empire, our word means nothing without any information. If anything we do not have proof and the Empire will have a casus belli as it would appear we are breaking the treaty based on where Ryloth is situated. The acceptance of this mission by the Council was a tightrope they chose to walk. Now that things are escalating and we will look like the ones who cast the treaty aside… Your failure to acknowledge this shows me you have little to no experience in such matters. Being a combat healer is one thing but actually getting in the muck of things that have the potential to blow up into an intergalactic incident is another that I don’t think you’re used to dealing with.”

Aren could feel the tension in the room grow and grow. At first she let the two Jedi hash it out, but she felt the tension peak and in her mind she knew it wasn’t healthy for any of them. “Both of you, stop.” Aren said, finally raising her voice as she partially stepped between the two. “You’ve both done your best, it has been a long and stressful day, to say the least. But arguing is not going to bring Lo or Kayda back, it’s not going to heal Master Rothul, and it’s most certainly not going to reveal the truth behind who caused all of this.”

Aren looked to Cora first, “Cora, you need to rest. You’ve been at Master Rothul’s side all day and if he is stable then one of us can watch over him while you sleep.” She then looked to Evie. “You did all that you could to track them down, but right now we are at a major disadvantage with our enemy one step ahead and the darkness of the night still shrouding the clues. We just need to step back, look at-”

Barely audible over Aren’s voice was a brief groan from next to Cora; Dominik. Aren went dead quiet as she saw a slight hint of movement from the injured man. She moved around Cora and kneeled next to Dominik’s head, placing her hand on his forehead and feeling a slight fever coming on. Next though, she saw his eyes flutter and the man took in a deep breath.

“You three… fight like younglings-” He took in a slow, deep breath and went silent for a moment, “arguing over the last pastry in the dining hall.” His voice was quiet, weak. But it was there and it was evident that the man remained, even if slightly, awake after he had finished speaking.

Cora's head snapped in Dominik's direction and her body followed in a swirl of skirt. She went around to his right side conscious of the fact the Evemarie may want to speak to him and did not want to shut her out. It was not her way to make others feel excluded no matter what they thought.

Reaching his side she touched his face and neck finding both too warm for comfort. "Fever. I cannot leave his side yet. It will have only just started and may climb higher to dangerous levels."

Dominik reached up slowly, gently shooing their hands away from his face with one hand. He took in a deep breath, his eyes fluttering and attempting to open before he gave up on it. “Did you find them…” he mumbled. He had heard a small part of the conversation before his mind had fully come to and knew Evie had been the one to go look. He waited, chest rising and lowering steadily as he prepared for the words he knew were coming.

“Master Rothul it is best you get your rest and I can brief you on it in the morning on the situation.”

Cora shot Evemarie a look of thanks and looked back down at Dominik. She put her hand to his own. "Evemarie is correct. The situation is in our hands and you are ill. I dare say she handled herself very well earlier when you went into respiratory arrest. She gave some much needed assistance and I am grateful for it." Cora looked over at Evemarie and offered an olive branch in the complement and thanks, wondering if the Shadow would take it.

A sly smirk came across Evemarie’s lips and she nodded accepting Cora’s offering. I do hope I don’t come off as too gruff, we are in this together and do hope that this can be worked through. For now she is needed by his side and it is best if I turn in for the evening. she thought to herself as she silently made her way towards the exit.

Aren watched as Evemarie silently dismissed herself before the Knight looked to Cora. There was a worried look on her face before she glanced to Dominik who had grown silent for a few moments.

“Evie didn’t find them…” He muttered, taking in a deep, painful breath as he felt his heart beat in his throat. The older Jedi desperately wanted to know where his Padawan was. She didn’t deserve to be alone or lost; not after their most recent argument and misunderstanding.

Aren looked to Cora. “I’m going to go get another basin of water. I’ll be right back.” She said, knowing the water would be needed, rags along with it, but also knowing she may want some time alone with Dominik. A few moments after the younger Knight had left, a small, thin line started to fall in the form of a tear from the edge of Dominik’s closed eyes. He reached up slowly, his shaky hand reaching around the back of Cora’s neck before he pulled her in, touching her forehead to his. It was a rare act of mixed compassion and sadness the Dominik rarely showed.

The man said nothing, but it was obvious he was suffering. Though if it was physically or emotionally, it would be hard to tell. He took in a deep breath as the hand behind Cora’s neck slowly began to slip as he let it fall back to the bed, feeling weak and defeated in his current state.

Cora's eyes softened as she saw the tear. As she went to wipe it away Dominik’s hand moved and rose. Thinking he was going to, she hesitated and then he pulled her down to touch her forehead to his.

Swallowing thickly Cora recalled their first meeting thirty-two years ago. How she had reached out with little three year old hands and as he said goodbye she had pulled his forehead to hers, like her parents had done to her. It was a sign of love for her and Dominik knew that. Lifting her head she saw that he was again unconscious, his hand and body relaxed on the bed, as he had been before.

Swallowing again Cora dragged her hands through her hair and attempted to compose herself before Aren returned.

Returning with a large wooden bowl of water in her hands and rags draped over one arm, Aren could tell immediately upon entering that Dominik had fallen back under. Balancing the bowl with one arm, she reached out and grabbed a stool and brought it over as she placed it at the foot of the cot.

"He is strong, Cora." Aren began, dipping one rag into the water and then a second a few moments later. "He will pull through this. All we need to do is give him time."

Cora nodded and cleared her throat. "I hate reactive medicine. All I can do at present is treat symptoms. Go behind the toxin and clean up after it. It makes what I am doing harder. If I could only know what it was I would have a better chance at neutralizing it."

Cora drug her hands through her hair again pulling it away from her face. "I do not think we should camp with the Twi’leks. Evie wants to talk about burning through goodwill, mine is gone. I would not care to abandon them either. My trust has been broken. I will treat them but I shall keep my distance. How many people know where Lo keeps her salves? I cannot do this for more than one person. It will … never mind."

Aren was concerned, but she knew that Cora’s new found lack of trust for the Twi’leks had good reasons. Aren handed a rag over to Cora before she started dabbing away the sweat that started beading up on Master Rothul’s forehead. “I know it’s hard to trust them now, especially after this. But Cora, this is our only defensible position. Here, we have strength in numbers. If we move Dominik somewhere else, we’re on our own. And I’m not sure he’s even in the position to be moved. We shouldn’t change things, not while he’s like this.” Aren said, letting the cool rag rest on his forehead for a moment before he moved to one of his cheeks.

“We have to trust that the majority are on our side. Right now, we can’t survive on our own. Not with so many unknowns.”

Shaking her head Cora corrected the simple misconception that Aren was under. "I would not move Dominik at present unless something were to endanger him more. I shall not trust until we have answers. I will not take any joy in saying that I was right when something goes wrong. After all I'll be the one with more work to do."