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For Eamch Stone and Tamara Kess:
Once Stone has finished talking, there is a moment of silence before Alistair speaks. "Err... Are you sure he will be going along with the rest of the plan before we actually get down to cutting his horns off? Not to mention that I am not certain revealing we have lightsabers in our possession, items so intrinsically linked to our Order that their mere presence almost makes the presence of a Jedi nearby -namely us in this case- a guarantee? If it cannot be helped, however, I suppose I could come along and help with the... deed." Once the group is gathered to discuss, Alistair waits patiently for his turn before talking. "There is something I have to tell you. While Kess and I slept last night...," he starts, then pauses briefly to look sideways at Allerick before going on, " we heard, or felt to be more precise, a call for help. I am not sure what it was, perhaps the Hutt's prisoner? Regardless, when I tried to get a better sense of things by using the Force, I actually felt the presence of two other Force users nearby, one of them familiar." He stops in order to let this new information sink in. "This is something we cannot overlook. If Darga's prisoner is a Jedi, he or she must be freed. And the second Force user identified and, if a threat, dealt with." His tone, although calm, is grave, an unusual occurence for the usually laid back man.
For Kalderaan and Tamara Kess: "I do not know, although perhaps the fact that you only sensed one could mean that the second Force user is trying to hide his or her presence," Alistair offers. "Whatever the case may be, this is something we most certainly need to look into, not to mention inform the others as well."
For Kalderaan and Tamara Kess: There is a look of surprise on his face as Alistair breaks out of his connection with the Force.
"There are other Force users here, two of them," he says to the young woman. "Not only that, but one of them feels familiar, as if he or she is known to me. The other, however, is not."
For Kalderaan and Tamara Kess: Alistair opens his eyes and scans the room, the woman's voice still fresh in his mind. He immediately goes to Kess' bed chamber, knocking on the door and waiting for an answer before entering.
"Tamara? Are you awake? Did you hear something, a... voice?" At the same time, the Jedi concentrates, allowing the Force to act as his eyes and ears in an attempt to sense if anything is amiss.
"M'lady?" Alistair's tone is a bit teasing as he offers his arm in a somewhat exaggerated imitation of a gentleman offering to accompany his better half. "Let us not keep our friends waiting." The Jedi leads his female counterpart along, fully intending to meet up with the rest of the group and move along with their plan. Once Stone asks for his help with the task of convincing Raden, however, the man shakes his head. "I do not think I am the better choice for this. I am not the talker Colvin is and even though I have some skill in using the Force to influence minds, it is not a guaranteed success. Besides, in this case I would not want to actually control a man's decision in that way, considering his life will be in danger, no matter how small." He pauses for a moment. "No, he has to make that choice on his own, although talking to him first is certainly the way to go. I think our friend Mr. Dashwind is the obvious choice in this particular case."
Kess smiles as Alistair finishes. "You always seem to find the bright side to these things Alistair..." "Yes, I am truly gifted in that respect," the Jedi quips with a wink. "So, care to join me in reuniting with the others and see about getting Allerick's undoubtedly insane plan under way? It has been a while since we were last getting shot at and I am starting to worry we are losing our touch."
Kess goes to find Alistair. Once the conflicted young Jedi finds him, she immediately launches into a rant about the stupidity of a certain mad genius, ending with: "And I'll ram one of those starship engines right up his backside!" After a few seconds of huffing, she blushes slightly and says, "Sorry about that, but I really needed to vent to someone. Thank you for listening, Alistair. Tell me, do you feel anywhere near what I do? Were we not taught to treat people better than this?" "Well," Alistair begins and almost immediately pauses for a moment as if to collect his thoughts, "I will admit that our newfound friends are certainly... colorful, at least some of them. And perhaps you are right about the way to treat people, Tamara. Perhaps we were used to associate ourselves with a different kind of people, which in turn has led us to expect certain traits from others and feel frustrated when we do not find them." "I have to say that I do not get angry that easily myself, although Allerick in particular has a talent at getting a rise out of people," he continues with a smile. "But, despite any eccentricity he may exhibit, I think he is a good man. I think all of them are, no matter how hard they try to hide it behind a show of arrogance and self-importance or quirkiness or interest in credits and other rewards." "We are living in strange times, I think, and I suppose it is only fitting that such strange people like us are the ones starting to make a difference."
"Well, I can certainly think of someone who would be delighted to try, all the while reminding us of his brilliance and how easy it would be for him to decrypt it," Alistair answers with a chuckle. "We could certainly use the information contained within the file," the Jedi agrees. "Besides, we are already cooperating with Switch."
Once the droid is in the room, Alistair closes the door and moves away from it, his stance relaxed and his hands in his pockets. Preferring to let Colvin do the talking, he nevertheless keeps his eyes on their 'visitor'.
"Yes, that will be all," Alistair replies inclining his head, a gesture not unlike a bow. "Forgive my impatience, I was simply curious. But, as you say, all will be known in their proper time." With that the Jedi excuses himself and walks away as he starts to make his way back to his room, his intention to inform Colvin that his attempt at gleaning more information was unsuccessful.
"I can certainly try," Alistair replies to Colvin's suggestion. "I can, however, by no means promise you success. I do believe though that even if I do not manage to... convince him to tell me anything, he will probably dismiss my questions as simple and justified curiosity." With that, the Jedi takes his leave of the other man, going to look for the major domo. If or when he finds him, he feigns surprise that their paths seem to have crossed, yet engages him in conversation. "The great Darga's abode is certainly impressive, almost as much as he is. Certainly he has piqued our curiosity and interest. And an Imperial is expected to arrive shortly? Your master seems to catch the eye of some important people. I admit I am curious as to the reason behind such a visit; you would not happen to know anything about that, would you?" As he speaks, Alistair reaches out with the Force in an attempt to make the Twi'lek more forthcoming with answers and information.
Having retired to his quarters as well, Alistair spends his time resting and contemplating the way things have been going for him since he first associated himself with the rest of the group. It has all certainly been eventful enough, there is no denying that. Having to do business with a Hutt, however, seems rather distasteful to the Jedi. 'At least Allerick seems to have a plan,' he thinks to himself. Then a soft sigh and another thought. 'I do so hope it does not end up blowing up in our collective faces, both literally and figuratively speaking.'
"I am just a traveler, or at least I was," Alistair says, smiling at his and Tamara's words. "Circumstances would have me more or less abandon that simple life, however. Now, I seem to be in the business of causing trouble alongside these gentlemen here." "And lady, of course," he adds in the end.
Alistair follows Colvin's example, although his bow consists merely of his inclining his head forward and down just a little, his eyes on Darga. "You are most gracious, great Darga."
Thinking more or less along the same lines as Stone, Alistair lets the others do the talking this time, although he does inwardly sigh that one of those others is Allerick, considering the man's 'diplomatic gift' or lack thereof. The Jedi is content to simply stay silent, but alert, ready to spring into action if it comes to that. Once again, he considers the wisdom of igniting his lightsaber under these circumstances if words fail and a fight is inevitable.
"Well, one can hope this time things will not end in a fight," Alistair says with a soft sigh and a chuckle as he enters the palace along with the rest of the group. As he walks, he stays close to Tamara, his eyes darting this way and that, ever alert. "You seem to have regained your confidence in yourself and your abilities, if you do not mind my saying so," he says in a voice low enough so that only the other Jedi hears him. "I am glad. After our last talk, I have to admit I was a little worried about you."
"Seriously now, did any of you believe that we would actually manage to avoid that?" Alistair quips with a chuckle. "Given our recent history together? Anyone? A show of hands would suffice."
"Wonderful," Alistair mutters under his breath, a sigh accompanying his words. "You know, things were much easier when we were allowed to use our lightsabers in public, I think," the Jedi says to Tamara in a low voice, half-jokingly and half-seriously. Other than that, he stays alert, waiting to see where these... negotiations, for lack of a better term, are going to get them.
"I agree," Alistair offers. "Besides, I think we should also see if there are more sentries -droid or otherwise- before we enter rather than after. Nothing spoils an escape or tactical retreat like armed people you did not know were there standing in your way."
Placing his hands in his pockets after the fight is over, Alistair assumes his usual relaxed posture and looks around at the various swoop bikes and their riders now lying on the ground or slumped over their vehicles' controls. "That went well, I suppose," the Jedi remarks, content that he managed to more or less keep his identity and abilities hidden, at least for the time being. "Still, it would have been preferable if we had managed to avoid a confrontation. We just came to this place and we already 'succeeded' in getting ourselves in trouble. News like this are bound to travel and, with our luck, probably reach all the wrong people," he concludes with a soft sigh.
Alistair presses on with his attack, still fighting with bare fists as the alternative would be his lightsaber or an overt display of Force use.
'Perhaps I should have held onto the blaster after all,' Alistair thinks to himself as he charges the nearest gang member, fully intending to knock him off of his bike.
"Let us all calm down," Alistair calls out as he brings both hands to his sides in an attempt to appear non-threatening. He still keeps his guard up, however, his eyes on the various bikers and the woman that leads them in particular. "Nerves are frayed but we can still salvage this. Please, let us all stop this fight and my friend here," he goes on with a nod of his head towards Allerick, "can do wonders for your bikes, I am sure." He allows himself a reassuring smile aimed at the biker woman.
"Way to go, Allerick," the Jedi comments with a smile and a soft chuckle as he also walks outside to join the others. "I see you have reacquired your usual charm after that brief respite inside." As he talks, his eyes move from one biker to the next, his hands behind his back in case he needs to draw his lightsaber. Considering where they are, however, the idea is not a very good one, a fact he easily acknowledges.
"I am not sure how we could go about accomplishing that without offering them something that would make it worth their while," Alistair offers after a moment's thought. "As far as I know, Hutts are not exactly known for their generous or even cooperative natures."
A soft chuckle comes from Alistair's direction, indeed the first sign that the Jedi is and has been there all along during this meeting. "Excuse me, gentlemen," he says with a smile, a sort of apology for his interrupting the proceedings such as they are. "Varth may very well be sincere about his defection from the Imperials, Colvin. However, and this is only an assumption, what Captain Verana here is saying is that it is still too early to be entirely certain. Thus, this should explain why the Imperial -or former Imperial- is still breathing, as you put it, not to mention the precautions the good Captain is asking of us."
Alistair thinks on it for a moment before saying anything. "Perhaps they can be used as a focus for the Force, a sort of... repository? We connect with the crystal and it draws on our power, storing it within itself and maybe making itself eligible to be used in the construction of a lightsaber?" The Jedi shakes his head. "I do not know. I am just voicing a thought, an idea. It is only an assumption I suppose. Your thoughts?"
"I am afraid I did not open myself to the Force due to a sense of caution Kess," Alistair says softly as he sees the two crystals, the one in front of him unchanged while the one hovering in front of the woman seems to show another color within its original one. "You seem to have had greater success. Anything you can tell me about it? Perhaps now that I see it does not pose any danger I should try again? "
Once he and Kess have finished sparring, Alistair turns to the other Jedi. "That was a good duel Kess. We should do this again some time. For now, however, I believe we should perhaps examine the crystals we got from those spiders a little more thouroughly." Once he is satisfied with his examination of said items, the Jedi goes to take care of the little matter of Switch asking for an update. "Hello Switch. Everything is well, I hope? Over here, things continue to be interesting. We managed to retrieve a ship named the Bantha that was lost in space, but only after we found ourselves in a fight not only with crystal spiders, but Imperials as well. Unfortunately, there were casualties and not everyone from the ship's crew made it." Pausing a little, he finishes. "That is all I suppose."
Alistair stands there a moment or two with his mouth open after Allerick stops talking. Composing himself again, however, he calls out to the man as he is ready to leave the room. "We should probably do something about the name as well, I think. Somehow, Bantha does not sound suitable or impressive enough for that matter."
"Certainly," the Jedi answers. "Practice is always welcome. Just go easy on me, yes? I am, after all, a wounded man." The wink accompanying his last remark makes it fairly evident that he is jesting.
"I... see," Alistair says before pausing to think for a moment. "I now understand your concern, and in fact I suspected as much to be honest," he continues. Moving a little closer to the younger woman, he puts his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, a smile appearing on his face. "It is my belief that, under the right circumstances, all of us can experience such strong emotion; we are not immune to them Kess, simply better at not letting them hold sway over us. It is how we choose to deal with them that is more important." "Consider how much has changed. Where there were many of us, now only few remain, and with change comes uncertainty and yes, even fear or anger when those few are threatened. These are going to be trying times for all of us left and I suspect the Dark Side and the power it offers are going to be more seductive than ever before. We should and must acknowledge its existence and the fact that we may very well catch a glimpse of such Darkness even within ourselves. That does not mean we will fall to it, Kess; if anything else, knowing it exists could very well serve to make us even more vigilant, even better equipped at refusing its promises of power and the corruption that comes with it." "The fact that, although it did seem beautiful to you, it also terrified you instead of only enticing you is a good thing," Alistair offers after a moment's thought. "If you wish, I can remain with you so that we may meditate together if you prefer not to be alone." "Besides," he adds in the end in an attempt to lighten the mood, "I would like to think that I am not going to be dying that easily just yet. I am not all that shabby with a lightsaber, you know."
Hands in his pockets, a mannerism that seems to be a habit of his, Alistair offers her a smile of his own, warm and friendly. "May I?" The question a way of asking the woman's permission before making himself comfortable as he sits down. "You have my attention Kess. What troubles you? You seemed quite concerned earlier. And still do, for that matter."
"You are the doctor here Zedd," Alistair concedes with a smile. "Now, if you will excuse me, there is something that I should attend to." Taking his leave of the others, the Jedi starts looking for Kess, making his way to her quarters first. With nothing else to require his attention and with his wounds all but healed, he finds himself both curious and concerned about what the other Jedi wanted to talk about.
"Well, I am certain he will take great delight in simply pondering the possibilities," Alistair remarks with a chuckle. "Perhaps sedatives should be close at hand when he actually starts implementing them."
Acknowledging that this is certainly not his area of expertise, Alistair straps down, already feeling better after Zedd's ministrations.
"It seems our mission is at an end. I wish the ending was a happier one, but I suppose there is no point going after the spider, especially in an unstable cave like that one," Alistair offers, still wincing through the pain. "Zedd," he calls out to the droid, "I would not mind some looking at once you are done with the others. That armored man hit me pretty hard with that vibro-axe of his."
Alistair looks at Kess with a puzzled expression. Fully intending to take her up on her request, for now though he believes some medical attention and perhaps a dip in a bacta tank would be thoroughly welcome. Afterwards, unless other matters require the group's more immediate attention, he will be joining his fellow Jedi. Apart from whatever the young woman seems to want to talk to him about, there is also the matter of the crystals the two of them collected from the spiders' bodies that also needs to be addressed. |