Transit to Atrivis

[GM Craig]

"They're a secret arm of Imperial Intelligence made up of force-sensitives. Force-sensitive children are taken and raised by the Empire. Or sometimes a captured Jedi falls and joins them. Some were force-sensitive mercenaries recruited by the Empire. That thing we fought on our way out of Horuz was an Inquisitor. They're not powerful enough to be a direct threat to the emperor, but strong enough to be useful hunting down Jedi renegades. And that is their job - hunting Jedi and renegade force-sensitives, Jedi and Sith relics, anything that has to do with the Force."

[Nim Naja]

"Thankfully that is one less to deal with. HQ believes they'd keep her at the station, guarding their asset. Assuming she wasn't spaced for letting the senators escape."

She turned to Maris. "Thank you for being so forthcoming. It must be very difficult to speak of this. But it will help us greatly in staying ahead and it may help the Alliance in the long run too. Manui Dat Cognitio Vires - Knowledge gives strength to the arm."

[GM Craig]

Maris nods at you both. "I want to help."

[Trax]

Trax's entire body tensed up when Maris mentioned that the inquisitors were force users. It took all he had not to grind his teeth and keep from letting out a growl. The man took a few, slow, deep breaths.

"Okay," he said slowly through clenched teeth before speaking normally.

"So we can use the same tactics against them that the hunters use against you. Just with looking to minimize the collatoral damage." Trax paused, still working on trying to relax himself.

"Any idea of how many of them there are or how powerful some of them might be?" He asked, unsure if he really wanted to know the answers but at the same time, he had to know.

[GM Craig]

Maris gives a shrug. "Couple dozen maybe, at a guess? The numbers fluctuate a lot. But there's something else you should know. Inquisitors are all trained for combat, but when I got nabbed the last time, there was someone else with them. Different get-up. They were some sort of Force adept, but they were not a fighter. I don't know what they were, but it's something I've never seen before. Can't be too many of those around, but they'll be a factor."

[Nim Naja]

"HQ put their best guess at ten," she replied softly to Trax, lightly laying the tips of her fingers of one hand on his own. "Ten left, I mean. Galen I assume was no longer counted and we know of Sing and that Inquisitor."

At the mention of the 'other' she turned back to Maris, her pale sapphire eyes studying her intensely. "Can you describe this adept? Human, alien? Clothes? Did they seem powerful? Have authority?"

[GM Craig]

She chews her lip for a moment, and you are both struck again at how young she can seem.

"It seemed like they were rivals - this guy and in inquisitors. I didn't get a good look at him - he had a cloak with the hood up, and I was fighting three inquisitors. But he had a metal leg, left side, and had a synthesized voice. Older guy. From their talk, I thought he was a tracker of some kind. They chased me down like they knew where I was going to be. During the fight, he did something. I don't even know what, but I went from holding my own to moving like I had sandbags tied to all my limbs. The inquisitors disarmed me, trussed me up, and put me in stasis. I woke up on the station in Horuz."

She has started speaking faster, and is pausing for breaths.

[PM sent to Nim.]

[Nim Naja]

Nim nodded and started pulling out a pack of cigarillos and tossed it on the table in front if Maris, after inviting herself to one, of course. She offered a light and turned to Trax with a very purposeful look. It was obvious she was changing gears for some reason and breaking up the intense questioning of the zabrak.

"I believe it's your turn, Trax. I worked for a lot of bounty hunters but not in this capacity. I just provided data on acquisitions so I don't really know the game. I don't know how they think. I managed to keep ahead of imps via tech and hiding in plain sight - ah the irony between us." She slightly smiled to Maris. "Granted, I was also 'small potatoes.' They wouldn't know the lengths that I took to kark with them. I pray to the Maker they still don't. The network is a thing of beauty."

[GM Craig]

Maris reaches for the pack and draws one out. Trax and Nim can see her hands are shaking, and she fumbles her igniter trying to get the thing lit.

[Trax]

When Maris chewed her lip it brought him back to the encounter on the way back from Horuz. This woman, she had at her will dangerous powers and Trax had been on the business end of what was most likely only a very small sampling of them. She was a monster.

Yet here, now, just as in the quarters two months ago he'd seen something else, a scared child. Trax's body lost all its tension, even the look on his face softened.

Very slowly he reached out with his hands.

"We're going to help, as much as we can, to make sure that doesn't happen again." He said softly, and surprisingly enough, a tone that actually carried some concern for the Jedi.

[OOC: Trax is looking to help her with the lighter but seeing as I don't know how she'd react to him reaching out I figured I'd let you post how that goes.]

[Nim Naja]

A breath caught in her chest. Was she really witnessing this? Nim dared not speak nor breathe, as if either would shatter the illusion of Trax actually showing concern for Maris. Had she not been able to read him so well she might have thought it was phony.

Was this actual progress? Those few seconds suddenly gave her much more hope than she had had before that the two of them could heal old wounds by working together.

[GM Craig]

Maris struggles with the igniter a moment longer before Trax reaches out slowly.

"We're going to help, as much as we can, to make sure that doesn't happen again," he says in a soft voice full of sincerity.

Trax gently takes the igniter out of her fingers. Holding it steady, he activates it. Maris glances up at him, unsure what to make of the situation. Not seeing any mockery or satisfaction in his face, and with her hands still shaking, she leans forward and takes a shaky puff to light the cigarra. She sits back, closes her eyes and breathes deep, holding her breath a moment before releasing it and a cloud of smoke.

She glances sideways at Trax, her eyes downcast, possibly as a gesture of thanks. She then turns sideways to the two of you and begins to smoke the cigarra as if it were a mission, or as if someone was going to take it from her.

[Trax]

Trax very gently put the igniter on the table before slowly leaning back into his chair.  He watched the young woman, his brow furrowed with concern.  Remaining quiet for a time, he let Maris almost finish the cigarra before speaking.

"I can't say I know what that was, but I think I've encountered something similar." he began, his voice still soft.

"A few months ago, the KDF hatched a plan to hijack an imperial prison ship.  As it turned out, Ch'lana had managed to get on board as well.

Once we dealt with the troopers, we found an old jedi woman in a stasis cell.  She asked us to help Ch'lana, he had gone to face what she called a Hand of the Emperor, and a number of his guards.  Niil and Collan were quick to jump on board, and figuring they'd just get themselves killed without help, I went along.

When we were fighting, I swear I felt lighter on my feet, quicker, more accurate.  It had to be her doing.  And I would guess if that's what she could do, it makes sense there are jedi that could do the opposite."

[GM Craig]

[taking a liberty or two.]

She takes a last drag on her cigarro and stubs it out on the metal table.

Speaking harshly she glares at the two of you and says, "Yeah, well look, can we, um, talk about something else for a while?" She she seems to catch herself. She lowers her eyes and looks away as she adds in a softer voice, "Please?" She then takes another cigarro from the pack. She barely has it between her lips when Trax holds out the lit igniter for her. She glances up at him in gratitude and lights it.

[Trax]

"Sure," Trax began. "Sorry." He added, apologizing for continuing that topic of discussion.

"Can we talk about what role you'll be playing on this job?" He asked, looking back and forth between Maris and Nim.