CC: Corellian Birthright

[Syren]

Corellia

Surface: Patten Ranch

Riley squares off opposite Demaris in what has come to be known as the "training circle." It is a wide circular swath of grass surrounded by high, dense shrubs. The Jedi use it for meditation in the mornings and training sessions throughout the day. They are always training, always learning how to anticipate an enemy that has killed so many of them. The slain Master's strikes apprehension in the hearts of the younger Jedi. It is a fear they must control lest it get them killed too.

The firearms training had gone reasonably well. Demaris had never held a blaster before but she is able to handle and operate the most commons models. His marksmanship impresses her but she struggles with his comfort level. The monster is the first thing she's run from. Ah, the sheltered life of the Atrii heiress. Riley imagines she is feeling what his mother felt after shit got real.

"Come at me."

"What?"

"Attack me."

Demaris makes a face. Riley sighs.

He starts with the basics, showing her a proper fighting stance for hand-to-hand and how to ball a fist with breaking her thumbs. Once they get going, she is a natural. She has learned to utilize her Force ability to compliment her movements so when he shows her a series of punches that would form a devastating combo, Demaris strikes with balance and poise. They train like this for days and with each session she grows more confident. In a particularly slick move, Demaris evades his attack by leaping high over him, grabbing his shoulders and flipping him in the bushes.

Demaris squeals and rushes over to help him.

"Oops. Too much?"

"Nah," Riley says, dusting himself off. "It was…surprisingly effective."

He coughs.

"No one would see that coming."

"Thanks."

Once he straightens up and shakes it off, he begins to circle her.

"Are you really gonna spy on your friends?"

She flips her purple pony tail.

"I'm just looking out for them."

"And if you find something?"

Demaris moves back into a fighting position.

"I guess we'll see."



-TBC

[Syren]

"She's looking for something, but she doesn't know where to go.
She's feeling like the whole damn world's gone and lost its soul.
She's looking for someone, oh, to tell her that it just ain't so.
She's feeling like the whole damn world's got a long, long ways,
A long, long, long ways to go."

-Beats Antique

Corellia

Surface

"Are you certain you wish to do this?"

Demaris nods.

"To infiltrate any faction, you must have their trust. You had it but there will be suspicion when you reappear. It will throw them. You must remain casual yet apologetic for frightening them. Do you know what you will say?"

"I just needed time…time to think."

"That's right."

She looks up, matching her brother's gaze.

"Do you think Dahlia is evil?"

"We don't know," Donovan says. "But we do know evil surrounds her as well as the others. Be mindful. With The Four there are always signs. All you have to do is resume your place and let us know what you find. We are not asking you to betray your friends."

"I know."

"Steel yourself against potential unpleasant truths. They may be part of the fallout effect or the cause. Either way, we must know."

Donovan and Nevylinn had spent weeks training Demaris, arming her with the right tools to protect herself and draw meaning from all around her. She has done well after throwing herself into the study completely. Riley has been her greatest supporter and a good friend. He made it feel less lonely among the influential adults. Everyone has their secrets, the things they risk to protect those they love. They had made choices that could cost them personally, professionally and politically. Demaris admires them for standing so strongly with what they believe in. Core values say something about a person.

She has a bag packed with a few personal items donated from the Patten Ranch. Thankfully, Della found some of Kimber's clothing she had packed away in the cellar. She picked out some things that would get her through although the eclectic brightness of Kimber Patten's wardrobe clashed with Demaris' darker, urban style.

Saying goodbye is harder than she realizes.

They had brought her back from the shadows of fear. Reuniting with Donovan had restored something in her. She understands her brother more now, having seen his leadership and centeredness. He had become a man of honor.

There are hugs and a few tears then Demaris boards a shuttle that would dock with a frigate heading back to the Corporate Sector. Director Veritaas had arranged it through his various contacts.

"Good luck, Demaris."

"That's Agent Atrii to you," she teases as the ramp closes.

He watches the shuttle streak across the sky, vanishing into a rolling band of clouds. At least she has her sense of humor. He does not want danger to befall her but he knows better.

He knows it will.



-TBC

[Syren]

Corellia

Garron Prescott sets the shuttle down on the designated landing pad in the Coronet Spaceport. Gemma is waiting by the ramp controls wearing a white tunic and giant white round sunglasses with her blond hair spilling down over shoulders.

"You look like an imposter."

"It's called a stage persona. You can look like one thing and be another."

"More than true with you," he says, tapping at the controls. "I hope you're packing."

She pats her purse where Melanie's lightsaber is nestled in with a bottle of perfume, lip gloss and a tin of rare, imported mints.

"Always. Be ready. I have a strange feeling…"

The screams and squeals drown out Garron's attempt to follow up and he descends beside her, stoic and alert. Her name is shouted at an ear-shattering volume by a wide range of fans, mostly teenage girls, who aspire to be her. Too bad Gem is the lie created to shield her more noble purpose. Gemma beams a smile and takes time to sign autographs and greet her Corellian fans. They all have tickets to her surprise show, announced just days prior. It is a more intimate venue but the event sold out in less than three minutes, a fact Galaxiss Records takes detailed note of. She has a powerful voice, polished look and a famous last name – all the makings of a star.

While Melanie gained fame as an Imperial model, she fled the spotlight shortly after graduation and became something of an enigma. There were whispers and rumors about what she was up to while the rest of The Four were terrorized for all the worlds to see. She did emerge, here on Corellia, a Jedi and protector who tragically lost her life in the battle of Centerpoint like so many of their own. Her fate is now tied to Corellia which makes Gemma their living tribute.

She blows kisses and waves as Garron steers her away.

"That was excruciating. You can't possibly enjoy this."

"Don't be so rigid, Garron. We come together for the music but you know it is part of a larger plan."

"A larger and more dangerous plan. Even Nevylinn thinks this is a terrible idea."

"Such pessimists."

"I prefer realist. Exactly what did you see?"

She shutters but keeps pace with him.

"Riley aiming a blaster, Nevylinn with her saber, agents storming, Mara…I saw a lot of things, none of them good."

Garron glances around and eases into the transport after her. They ride in silence for a while, watching the towers and arcs of traffic weaving through them.

"You never told me you saw Mara."

"I saw her reflection. In a lab. It was probably one of the clones anyway."

"Yes," he says, trailing off briefly into his own thoughts. "We should probably assess the situation for ourselves. Confer with the powers-that-be."

"I don't know how many are left."

"You're right, I'm sorry. The Jedi has suffered much loss but I am skeptical of everything these days."

Gemma turns, pulling off the glasses to meet his gaze.

"With good reason. I feel like all that has happened merely positioned us for something big. The Republic is distracted, the Jedi hunted and on the run. My visions can't just be a coincidence. Whatever I am meant to do here, I have to do it now."

Garron nods.

She has always been compassionate, strong and surprisingly self-aware. Of the three, Gemma is the most pragmatic. She's a romantic but not a dreamer. Her judgment is sound and her instincts have served her well. Nevylinn spoke of how great a student she was, how masterfully she harnessed her connection to the Force. Her studious nature made her the perfect padawan but in her lays the streak of vanity and materialism inherent in her upbringing. It isn't as pronounced as it could be but the public and media attention combined with this Gem persona contributes to these character flaws - worrisome in the eyes of the Jedi.

They arrive at the Grand Providentia and exit the transport to another throng of screaming fans. Gemma handles it with extreme poise and graciousness as the security detail swarm to escort her inside. The production team has made all the arrangements for her to bypass the front desk and go straight to the Kali Suite on a secure floor. The agents position themselves as Garron enters the suite first.

She waits quietly as he sweeps for bugs. Once it is confirmed clear, she sets her purse on the table and sighs.

"I know you don't agree with this course of action but I am asking that you trust me."

"I never said I didn't."

Gemma's eyes are a deep and serious blue.

"I need you to trust me because they don't entirely trust me."

"Who?"

"The Jedi."

Garron latches the door and turns back to face her.
 
"What makes you say that?"

"I'm not stupid, Garron. I was way too old to begin training in the first place. No one on the council thought it was a good idea but they saw no other choice. They fear Dahlia and needed a counter-measure. Nevylinn only accepted out of respect for Melanie but even she knows I had lived too much of my life outside the Jedi teachings. A true Jedi forsakes all worldly possession, gives up on love and essentially cuts themselves off from everyone else. They may have given me the title but no one actually believes it."

"Alright, I'm intrigued. Go on."

She crosses the room and stares out over the city, the setting sun casting a brilliant amber glow between towers thrown into shadow.

"Melanie was too traumatized by everything that had happened to her to really question the Jedi's motives. She bought into everything about that prophecy because she needed to believe it in order to make sense out of her shattered world. I've studied a lot of religion, done the research on multiple philosophies, but the truth is the Jedi is just as much an extremist as the Sith. They demand loyalty and unwavering devotion without question and where this gave Melanie purpose, I am only filled with questions."

Garron joins her by the windows.

"So you will seek these answers independently."

"I need more information. There are things they keep from us. It's not that I blame them as they believe withholding is for protection but knowledge is most important to me. It is something Melanie and her friends were denied and the reason they wound up dead. I will not be kept in the dark to spare my feelings."

"You say that like they are willfully misleading you."

"Subjective," Gemma says with a small smile. "Both ideologies are notorious for providing only the most basic information to allow the student to draw their own conclusions. That may seem like the best course of action if you discount how particular each of them are in exactly what pieces of information they choose to share. You can still lead someone to the same conclusion with tactfully placed clues. They want me to suspect Dahlia and a part of me does."

"And the other?"

"The other part of me thinks her mysterious nature may be the result of the information she was given."

"By who?"

"The Sith that held us captive on Korriban."

"Dahlia killed her."

"The psychological damage could have already been done. Nevylinn believes that Riley and I were allowed to be rescued so that Dahlia could be turned. Even if the Sith woman is dead, she could be working with others. Someone is murdering the Jedi so I have to wonder how many more of them are out there."

"Dahlia went to Chandaar...where they are hosting the Empire."

"Exactly and who knows what they are up to. I did not see anything about Dahlia or the Empire in my visions. Most of what I saw related directly to Corellia so this is where I have to be. I would appreciate if you didn't share my insights with the Jedi. It's not that I don't believe in what they do, in what we do, but I have to consider all the facts or wind up repeating my sisters fate."

He smirks.

"My lips are sealed. I like that you think for yourself. Thank you for sharing that with me. And here I thought all the Jedi sought was balance."

Gemma glances up at him with a stern and knowing look of someone greater than her years.

"They claim to want a balance but that balance means riding a fine line between the light and dark side. That is not a risk the Jedi is willing to take. A nudge in either direction; you fall to one side or the other. As far as I know, that kind of clarity has never been achieved by a Force sensitive. They always fall to a side."

"How do you know you won't fall?"

"I never said I wouldn't."

The door chime echoes through the suite but their eyes remain locked.

It chimes again.

"That's the production team looking to finalize details for tomorrow's show. I'll handle them if you wouldn't mind calling Nevylinn and arranging a way to meet."

"With discretion of course," Garron says, stepping out onto the patio.

Gemma turns on her bubbly charm as the tour manager and publicist confer in the living room. Garron watches them in amusement. He supposes the persona does serve its purpose and can appreciate the motive for her duplicity. Her reception would be much different had she chosen an alternative avenue. The many doors that open to a celebrity would be closed by suspicion of a Jedi. He respects that she is curious and questions her surroundings. As a self-made man, he appreciates the intelligence and independence.

His only hope is that these questions do not lead them to a dark and terrible answer.



-TBC

[Medivh]

Corellia

Surface: CorSec Academy Laboratory

Tivoli Cross was bent over a series of test tubes, the harsh lighting of the lab florescents overhead, the room quiet.  In fact, with the winter break, most of the academy was empty, giving Dr. Cross the opportunity to catch up on her research.

Like most medical professionals, especially those who work with policing agencies or academic facilities, research is a fundamental part of the job, learning about new chemical and biological threats and cures, and releasing new knowledge to the public.

But her recent studies were not going to be published, or shared with any colleagues.  At Nevylinn's request, Dr. Cross had re-analyzed Riley Patten's blood sample.  The DNA bore the 50% share with Kimber Patten, of course, as his biological mother, but Dr. Cross had found something else, as Nevylinn suspected. An enzyme that was not in Kimber but in Valerie Gellar.

Cross knew little about the enzyme when she first discovered it.  The mere fact that Riley had something in common with his aunt was nothing special. But when she told Nevylinn, the jedi's face could not hide her concern, and she had asked Dr. Cross to - discreetly - learn as much about the enzyme as she possibly could.

And what Dr. Cross was finding was nothing short of remarkable.  The enzyme was fully biological, but it produced an electro-magnetic field.  imperceptible at anything larger than the celluar level, but her tests found it could trigger signals to electronic devices, causing them to mimic the cellular activity.  Dr. Cross was now reviewing two test tubes, one with Riley's biological sample, and one with a synthetic, electronic sample.  She was using the enzyme to bridge signals between them, to ascertain the results.  Dr. Cross couldn't help be excited by what she was seeing. The possibility of this enzyme could revolutionize bio-mechanical interfaces. Instead of replacing arms with mechanical implants, the body could potentially be programmed to create a new arm, essentially the same as the original, only synthetic instead of purely biological.  At an extreme, a person who was dying might be able to replicate their body into an entirely new one.

Dr. Cross understood the dangers with such technology as well, and so her work continued, isolated.  She was staring at the two beakers in front of her, when she heard the sound of the laboratory door open. She looked up, expecting to see a security guard, or maybe one of the few students who was still on campus.

Instead, she found herself face to face with Mara Tacofer.

"Mara"

The woman shook her head.

"Dr. Cross, I don't have much time to talk. Please.  The jedi are in danger. Riley is in danger. I need to warn them."

Dr. Cross nodded her head.

"What is it? What's happening?"
"There is going to be an attack on them. I need your help to warn them"

Something seemed odd.  If the jedi were going to be attacked - why was Mara here?  Why wasn't Mara going directly to the Patten ranch? Dr. Cross was one of the few privy to the information that Mara was not dead ... but ... this seemed suspicious.

"Then go to them. Save them"
"Where"

That was it. That was the minute Dr. Cross knew for certain. The individual in front of her was not Mara.  It looked like her. sounded like her. but it wasn't her. Cross began to back away from her test tubes, slowly moving to the opposite side of the room.

"Dr. Cross, what are you doing? There's no time for this"
"Stay away from me. I know you aren't her"

The woman's mood changed instantly, cocking her head, a slight smile crossing her lips.

"Adubell was hoping you were enough of a fool ... She hoped you would give us the information without too much trouble. It appears that hope was not realized. Now, you will have to suffer"

The infilitrator began moving forward, slowly, stalkingly, and Cross turned, running to the exit on the other side of the room. But just as she reached it, the door opened, and a nightmare walked in - women, gray skinned, deformed.  Just as the other woman looked like Mara, this one had a distinct resemblance to the jedi Nevylinn, but for her disfigurement.

"No more secrets, Dr. Cross"

The infiltrator caught up, and Tivoli's arms were pulled behind her, and though she struggled, she couldn't break free of the freakishly strong grasp of the imposter holding her.

Adubell moved forward, lifting a hand near Tivoli's heads.

"The location of the jedi, Dr. Cross"

Adubell's hand shook slightly, as if a great energy source was suddenly pounding through it.  Then Dr. Cross felt it, invading her mind.  Her heart was racing, breathing ragged.
I must not tell them. I must not give it away. They are in danger.
The pounding in her head was like a loud drum moving closer and closer.  Her thoughts were swimming, her body growing weak. And then it flashed, unwillingly in her thoughts.

"Ah. Patten Ranch.  Of course."

Adubell's hand moved away from her head, the pounding subsiding, though her breath was still ragged.  Adubell was turning to step out of the room.

"Keep this one alive - for now. She may have more information that is useful to be extracted later"

The next thing she knew, everything went black.

TBC

[Syren]

Corellia

Surface: Coronet

Gemma Masterton spends the day touring the city.

She visits the fine art museum and medcenter children's wing followed by the botanic garden, several parks, the central library, and the Capital Tower before heading over to One CorSec Plaza then finally the CorSec Academy. There is a small delegation waiting for them with Director Elon Veritaas descending the steps toward them.

"Gemma Masterton, it is a pleasure to meet you."

She smiles, shaking his hand firmly.

"It is an honor meeting you, sir. Thank you for taking the time."

"Well, you had quite the champion in your corner. I thought he could be your tour guide today."

Riley Patten stops beside him, looking more devilishly handsome than ever in uniform. And to see her, in person, makes him weak in the knees. Their gazes meet and Riley blushes while Gemma tries to conceal a flattered smile.

"Hi, Riley."

"Hey, Gemma."

Elon glances at Garron who just smirks and subtly shakes his head.

"Ambassador Prescott, may I have a moment?"

As Gemma and Riley move off down the steps, Elon and Garron walk out of earshot. They pass a row of columns between which a training field could be seen several levels below. Riley wasn't the only one pitching for a meeting. The Jedi Masters directed him to Garron Prescott as a resource.

"Nevylinn says we can trust you."

"You can."

Elon's eyes flicker over to Gemma across the courtyard below.

"Then we both know she's not just here for the performance or the boy."

"Not entirely, no. She saw something….you, them, in danger."

"The hunter? Has the location been compromised?"

Garron turns to follow his line of sight, watching Riley excitedly motion to various areas as Gemma nods along. There is sweetness in their childhood crush, those raging hormones, and the consuming bliss that make him envious. He has forgotten what that feels like except that such a thing tends to blind one to certain truths.

"Not questions I can answer but know that she is usually right."

Down in the courtyard, they come to Valerie Gellar's monument.

"Wow," Gemma says, staring up. "She was incredible."

"Yeah, the flawed hero. It makes her more relatable. But I've got something else to show you."

He takes her hand and leads her back across the courtyard to a building adjacent to the statue. Inside, there is a spinning hologram of the Centerpoint Station in an ante room. The larger room contains plaques filled with names and a rotating projection of those lost. It is a memorial to the fallen from the Battle of Centerpoint. Riley steps to the podium and keys through a list of names until he finds the one he is looking for.

Melanie Masterton

Jedi, hero.

As Melanie's image stares back at them, Gemma is touched and near tears.

"I didn't know they felt this way."

"Why would we feel any other way?"

"Dane says it was her fault, that Melanie brought the Empire here. He said that if she had never brought Kimber back to Corellia that they never would have come."

"Dane's a jerk."

Gemma wipes a tear off her cheek, "What if he's right?"

"With the Sector united and Confederation gaining power, they would have come here anyway. It was only a matter of time."

That isn't the whole truth.

Some of the public does blame her but he doesn't have the heart to tell Gemma. Melanie's presence here had been polarizing much as the appearance of a recently scandalized Kimber Patten was. There will always be some who saw Melanie as the one who brought the crisis to a head but the Corellian public blames Judec, Winton and the Empire. Of the things he knows of Gemma's family, Riley does not believe Melanie came to Corellia with the intention of dragging the Empire behind her.

She kisses him on the cheek.

"Thank you for this, Riley."

*

Later that evening, Gemma brings down the house at the Trigalis Theater. The small venue is packed and she returns to the stage for an encore of two songs not on the EP and a haunting cover of a childhood favorite. She is wearing a silver and white dye-dipped mini dress that glitters beneath the stage lights. Her blond curls bounce and sway as she moves across the stage, hitting a range rare of someone so young. The crowd is shrieking as she blows a kiss, thanks them and disappears into the darkness of the stage. The production team swarms, blotting her face, keeping her hydrated, and whispering frantically about how well the show went.

Backstage, Garron joins them on the way to her dressing room.

"What did you think?"

"I stop short of saying I'm a 'true jewel' or whatever your fans call themselves but that was pretty damn amazing."

She veers toward a gaggle of screaming teens at the security gate, greeting them and signing autographs. He waits patiently as she makes sure she says hello to everyone then continues on down the hall. The Corellia Times has asked for an interview with their lifestyle reporter but Garron skirts the issue as they have places to be. After a shower, she changes into a long sleeve ice blue plunge jumpsuit paired with an oversize white belt and white round toe heels. Gemma dabs on some lip gloss, grabs her purse and follows Garron through the door. This discreet exit has been meticulously planned. The hoverlimo supposedly taking her back to the Hotel Providencia is only a decoy and the CorSec skiff heading out into the night to arrive at Patten Ranch would not seem out of the ordinary.

Nevylinn meets them outside once the gates are sealed. Gemma hugs her tightly then heads inside with Riley.

Garron nods.

"I am glad to see you are well."

"For now," Nevylinn says, having debriefed with the Director. "Please come inside, there is something I must show you."

His mind flashes back to the conversation with Gemma. Did they really not trust her as a Jedi? Could they be withholding information? Garron never got that sense with Nevylinn. She seems like a fairly straight shooter compared to Master Corrin who only spoke in anecdotes and affirmations. Working with CorSec was smart but risky. Veritaas has a solid reputation and enrollment that has increased under his leadership. He must be doing something right. Garron isn't suspect of Nevylinn's judgment so much as he wonders what kind of role they expect Gemma to play in this crusade?

There is a fire roaring in the living room where Gemma joins Riley.

"Where are the troops?"

"Some are meditating, others sleeping. It is very late."

"That it is. So, what did you want to-"

"Garron."

He turns as a blonde woman and a CorSec agent with a shaved head enter the room. The voice is familiar, emotional but the image does not click. Not yet. She appears so different now but it is a far cry from dead.

Her name escapes his lip in a whisper.

"Circe."

They embrace but he has so many questions. Everything is filled with doubt. She attempts to counter this wave with the introduction to her savior, Donovan Atrii. Garron is in a daze and careful to avoid Nevylinn's stare. He is relieved but furious. The rational side of him knows she had to remain hidden; they both did, in order to escape the Republic's ridiculous law. Still, he had anguished so much over the loss that he wishes he had known.

Gemma hugs them both, full of gratitude.

Suspicion creeps into his thoughts but he focuses on the fact that Circe is alive and he is not all that is left of his family.

"Any other miraculous resurrections planned for this evening?"

A blast of cold air rushes through the room.

Mara stands in the doorway.

"Just one."



-TBC

[Medivh]

Corellia

Surface

"Any other miraculous resurrections planned for this evening?"

A blast of cold air rushes through the room.

Mara stands in the doorway.

"Just one."

Earlier that day ...

It was five minutes before the guard shift ended, but Connor was grateful when he saw his relief coming.  The weather was cold, foggy, befitting of the season, and Connor was looking forward to the warmth of the guards quarters.  Security detail for the Patten ranch was easy enough - no one ever really came out this far - but boring - no one ever came out this far.  Details lasted for a few weeks at a time, with the simple rule that guards were never allowed within the actual property.  Guards speculated and wagered what was so secret. Everyone knew Riley Patten lived here, and because of his celebrity status, and orphan status, he was constantly checked on by the white-tower executives of CorSec and the Corellian government.  His detail here was going to end in just a few days, and he couldn't wait to get back to civilization.

As his comrade came closer, Connor began to suspect something was wrong.  Even in the fog, he didn't look quite right.

"Hey man, you ok?"
No response, and Connor lfted up his hand, futilely swiping at the fog for a clearer view.
"Davis, man, what's going on?"
Davis still said nothing, but a female voice from behind whispered.

"Davis is dead"
Before Connor could react, he felt a piercing pain in his stomach, burning heat. Looking down, he saw a red beam of light coming out of his torso.  He wanted to scream, but found he couldn't even breath.  The darkness closed in, his last thoughts of the warmth in the building just a few meters away.

*************
Despite the frantic departure, Mara had a lot of time to do nothing. Such was the nature of traveling across the galaxy.  She tried to meditate, but couldn't concentrate, At least not on the Force.  Her cerebral processors were busy calculating the time it would take Adubell to reach Corellia, evade security, and attack the Patten ranch and its residence.  If she was lucky, it would take Adubell time to confirm the location of the jedi. Maybe enough for her to catch up.  She had discarded her own freighter for a smaller but faster ship, hoping to shave off time from the journey.  Now, as her ship exited hyperspace in Corellian space, she was also grateful for the maneuverability. and sublight speed.

When Corellian Orbital Defense requested her clearance codes, she provided her priorty clearance from her time as Vice President of Corellian Engineering, but instead of heading to the orbital stations, she dove her vessel down, quickly, ignoring lanes of traffic, and finding a clearing just outside the Patten ranch. She realized her predicament. If she simply walked in, per her instructions to Della and the others, they were to assume she was an imposter. And Riley - Riley believed she was dead, and had in fact been kidnapped by a look-alike.  She knew if she rushed in too quickly, they would shoot her down. Or at least, they should.  Hence the more subtle entrance

**************
Adubell stood amidst the slaughtered bodies of the guards in the shack of the guard room. A smile was on her face as the last of the guards was dragged in by two Voss Ra, one of whom shifted form to appear as the fallen guard, and stepping out again.

A few minutes later, a Voss-Ra popped his head in

"Your emminenccccce - the Masssterton has arrived"

"You have disabled the security systems?"

"Yess"

Adubell turned to face the Mara look alike who stood beside her.

"It's time"

The infiltrator nodded her head, moving to the door, and stepping out into the darkness.

**************
Mara reached the outer wall of the Patten ranch, quickly noticing that the number of guards seemed reduced from the normal count.  It might prove helpful now, but if they needed reinforcements later on ...  She didn't waste any more time, leaping the wall, and landing in the soft grass on the other side.   Taking another glance around, she rose and began a sprint to the door.

**************
It was dark as she approached the house.  There is the CorSec skiff.  Then she sees what she doesn't want to see - a woman who looks almost exactly like her making her way to the door and open it, standing in the doorway.

**************
"Any other miraculous resurrections planned for this evening?"

A blast of cold air rushes through the room.

Mara stands in the doorway.

"Just one."

Before another word could be spoken, blaster fire is heard, Mara pulling out a blaster and turning to face the enemy - but the enemy comes pummeling in, knocking down Mara.  Both drop their blasters in the exchange, and they are now rolling on the ground, punching each other, wrestling to keep the weapon out of the others hands..  It takes the others in the room only a moment to realize that the two individuals look almost identical. Both are Mara, though one looks dirtier than the other. One is dressed in a black jumpsuit, the other in a gray jumpsuit.

Nevylinn and Donovan ignite their lightsabers, each reaching out with the Force and pulling the two combatants apart, pinning them on opposite sides of the room.

Neither is out of breath despite the physical activity they were engaged in.  Both seem to struggle equally.

The one Nevylinn is pinning starts to speak.

"You are in danger - there is an attack coming. Adubell is coming"

The other speaks up as well.

"You need to get out of here.  Now!"

TBC

[Syren]

Corellia

Surface: Patten Ranch

It happens so quickly and their perfect, peaceful world turns upside down.
 
The Mara's are pitching equally hard for the others to believe them. Garron's blaster is drawn, moving between them, his mind tempered by what Gemma said. She had seen Mara in her vision and now two stands before them. The threat of attack, also alluded to in the vision, seems to be upon them. He had told Veritaas that she is usually right and he hopes the Director had taken his warning to heart.

Della rounds the corner in the commotion, eyes widening.

Nevylinn does not mince words.

"Fetch the others and go. We've been compromised."

Riley has a blaster out as well and he stands protectively in front of Gemma. She pulls the saber her from purse and ignites it, the hum joining the chorus of the others. Donovan pulls Circe away and she joins Della in rousing the rest of the Jedi.
 
"You don't understand," one of the Mara's said. "They are already here!"

"You must go!" says the other. "Now!"

"Riley," Donovan commands calmly. "You know what to do."

"Riley," the Mara's says in union.

He is a young man now, so much more mature than when she last saw him. He nods as Della and Circe return with the others. Some appear frightened while others are more confident as they have been ready for this day. It is what they have been training for.

"I'll help," Gemma says, ushering some of the younger Jedi through the living room toward a set of sliding patio doors.

Circe unlatches it and throws them open as a gust of frigid wind rips through the space. Riley and Gemma exit first, striding out to scan the area. At first, everything appears clear when the security agents rush toward them. Della looks relieved and moves forward but Gemma intercepts.

The agent stops, confused.

"What's wrong?"

Gemma narrows her eyes, saber kept trained in front of her. They feel different than the others, cold and inhuman. It is a feeling she has felt before.
 
"You are one of them."

The agent smiles.

"Gemma, I don't understand," Della says.

Circe nods, "We need to move-"

"No, not with them. Show yourself."

The agent's face falls, smile curling back as the skin peels away to reveal the charred flesh and jagged teeth beneath. The other agents transform as well and suddenly they are standing in front of a swarm of monsters.

Circe screams.

They monsters advance, leaping and snarling with more dexterity and speed than humanly possible. Riley takes aim and fires, finding his marks.

"Get them out!"

Della and Circe steer the Younglings and Jedi around the house toward the shuttle.

Gemma Force pushes the Voss-Ra away, clearing a path before cutting down two others with the saber. Riley sprints after them, blaster up and ready. Gemma flashes to her visions, the exact same image of him now a reality. The Jedi are fighting valiantly but it slows their progress toward the shuttle and breaks up the group.

A Voss-Ra leaps from the darkness and drags Circe to the ground, teeth sinking into her shoulder. She screams but pushes back, swinging her elbow around to connect with its hideous face. The monster rears back, allowing her enough room to flip over and kick it off her. Della turns, swinging her blaster around to finish it off as a few of the Jedi reach the shuttle when the unthinkable happens.

The shuttle explodes.

Everything becomes chaos, vision blurred with flames and smoke. A high pitch ring fills their ears as Jedi stumble away from the wreckage, pulling others to safety. A shadow falls across Della and she wheels around to face another Mara who smirks sharply before landing a crushing blow to the side of the head. Della crumples to the ground as Circe gasps, bleeding heavily from the shoulder as she tries to crawl away.

Mara advances without hesitation, pinning Circe to the ground with her boot.

Riley rushes her, attacking with all his might. They spar, going blow for blow until she tosses him aside as if he weighed nothing. Riley tumbles across the ground as Gemma uses the Force to leap high and land beside Mara, slashing the saber up and across her midsection. There is blood and sparks and she falls without as much as a whimper.

Gemma runs to Riley and kneels beside him.

The grounds are filled with smoke and screaming but through it all; there is one voice that resounds.

"Young love."

A figure approaches, pulling back a black hood to reveal a grey-skinned woman. She is terrifying and moves with a sinister purpose, igniting a saber.

Gemma and Riley's eyes travel up to stare into her monstrous face.

"So sweet," she says bitterly, raising the weapon. "But such a thing is not meant to last."



-TBC

[Medivh]

Corellia
Surface: Patten Ranch

THe sounds of the battle outside are muffled as Donovan and Nevylinn are inside, holding two Mara's captive, one of whom is presumably the real one - although it was also possible that both were fakes - keeping them held up meant the two most experienced jedi were not able to assist in the escape.  They couldn't waste more time trying to figure out who was who.  The sound of the exploding shuttle further declared the importance of hurrying.

"Nevylinn ..."

The jedi turned to the Mara that spoke.

"Nevylinn, hear me ..."

Nevylinn watched as the Mara closed her eyes, and then she was hit by the Force.

We shared a dream, Nevylinn - of Adubell and the Daughter of Darkness.

Nevylinn nodded her head.

"That's the real Mara"

Immediately, she released her hold, turning to the other one. "What do we do with this one?"

Mara stared at the woman who looked like her, struggling against the hold of the Force

"Master Atrii, kill her if you must.  But save her if you can ... she is my sister"

"Sister - Mara ... Adubell!"

Nevylinn ran out saver ignited casting it's blue light, followed by Mara, followed by Garron, with his blaster drawn.

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

Adubell's attack comes swiftly and hard, Gemma's blade up in a defensive position.  Her arm shook with the strength of Adubell's downward swing, but still, she blocked, and blocked and blocked, taking a step back, then another, then another.  Riley is still groggy on the ground, but manages to lift the blaster, pointing it at Adubell, and firing.

The blaster bolt bounces off.

Gemma takes another hard block with her blade, before Adubell circles her saber around and forces Gemma's hand wide.  Gemma quickly tries to regain position, but Adubell Force pushes forward, sending Gemma against a piece of debris from the destroyed ship.  Gemma's saber falls to the ground as the wind is knocked out of her. She crouches back as Adubell advances.

"So, following in your sister's footsteps ... Gemma Masterton.  Celebrity.  Jedi.  Martyr.  I've killed jedi masters who have spent three and four times your whole pathetic, pampered life training.  How do you suppose you can defeat me.."

Adubell's blade comes up, then comes down.  Just before it connects with her, the light blue saber of Nevylinn parries in and pushes Adubell's blade aside.

Adubell sneers at first, then offers a grotesque smile when she sees who blocked.

"Sister ... glad you could join the battle"

Adubell swung her blade, forcing Nevylinn to take a step back, but Nevylinn then responded with a thrust of her own.  Soon, the two were embroiled in a battle, red and blue blades intertwined.

Mara, for her part, made her way over to Riley, quickly checking his vital signs, before grabbing his blaster and lifting it, glancing over at Nevylinn who (for the moment) was holding her own against Adubell, then saw more of the Voss-Ra approaching.  She begins firing. 

Garron lets off a few shots, before running to Circe, who is bleeding, but alive, wincing from the pain.

"It's ok. I'm not going to lose you again"

Two Voss Ra come screaming out of the darkness toward them. One is hit by a blaster bolt- the other is about to reach them when a piece of metal shrapnel floats into it's head.

Garron looks up to see Mara holding out her arm, the blaster down at her side.  She glances where Garron is shielding his sister, then at the oncoming creatures

"They outnumber us. We aren't going to fight our way out of here."

"Our escape was destroyed"

Mara shook her head, then tossed her blaster at Garron.  He picked it up, handing it to Circe, who was struggling to a sitting position.

"Cover me"

Mara closed her eyes, and began reaching out.  She could feel the pulse of the Force, feel its turbulent energy as the battle waged on.  Then she reached further out, just beyond the edge of the property, searching for only a few moments before finding it.  Her ship, hidden away.  Once she found it, her technological side kicked in, connecting to the vessel and starting it up.  Much like a slave-rigged system, she triggered the controls, ordering the vessel to come to them.

Mara's eyes opened and she ran toward where Nevylinn and Adubell were fighting.  Adubell seemed inexhaustible, and Nevylinn, despite her skill, was more and more on the defensive.

"Oh sister, are you getting tired?  Do you need a break?  A nap perhaps?"
"You know, someone as ugly as you really needs to come up with better insults"
 Adubell smiled

"I never knew you could offer such a quip. I applaud you sister."
"Save it for the encore"

Nevylinn's blade moved in a feint, then circled around and under, knocking Adubell's blade high.

"Nevylinn - you can't kill her that way!"

Nevylinn's weapon moved forward, then up, barely missing Adubell's skin before striking at the weapon in her hand itself, Adubell's red saber bursting apart.

Adubell just laughed, her free hands reaching out and grabbing Nevylinn in a Force-choke hold.
Nevylinn closed her eyes and broke the hold, landing back on her feet, but then Adubell knocked her backward, then pinned her down with debris.

Mara moved in front of Adubell.

"Infiltrator-01.  Apparently, you've been busy."

Adubell pulled out another saber from her cloak, this one orange in color.

"And your weapon?"

Mara shook her head.

Adubell raised the blade.  "A pity. I was hoping for a real fight.  But I don't have time to deal with your squabble. If you don't have a weapon, I'll just finish you quicker"

"Oh, I do have a weapon ..."

Mara's eyes closed and then she jumped to the ground, the whine of an engine causing Adubell to glance up as the laser powered up its weapon and fired.  Adubell's body was a molten mess, the ground around her form smoldering as Mara rose, moving to help Nevylinn.

"We won't be able to get another shot in.  Get everyone onboard, now!"

The ship lowered to a hover just above the ground.  Gemma, Riley, Nevylinn, Mara, and Garron were leading the survivors, helping them onboard, and blocking off the Voss Ra attacks.The younger yet able jedi were carrying the sick and wounded as well.

The captured infiltrator droid came floating out of the house, bound with heavy durasteel twine, with Donovan Atrii following, aiding the last stragglers as they boarded the small ship.  As the ship began to lift, three of the Voss Ra grabbed onto the ramp with their claws, Atrii swinging his own saber, slicing limbs from bodies, watching them fall.

The ramp was closing, as shoulder weapons were fired at them.  Mara moved to the cockpit and fired a second shot with the dated laser cannon, the ship now moving up into the night sky.  The last they saw of Patten ranch, flames were rising.
**************************************************
Elsewhere
With a scream, her eyes opened. She remembered the pain, the searing heat of the blast - and for a microsecond, she thought it would be her end.  But she was immortal.  The memories came rushing back to her memory banks.  Mara was alive and well. Gemma Masterton had revealed herself as a jedi. Her sister was still her sister.

Adubell stepped off the platform and moved to where a mirror lay.  Her skin still bore the gray tone that came with being laced with cortosis, but now the face did not bear the same melted marks that her previous body had suffered.  She was even beautiful - if you could get past the color-tone.

The attack had failed - it was the first attack that had failed, despite the preparation.  It was the fault of that one, the one who had escaped her once before.  Infiltrator-01.

She would make the machine pay. Even if it meant killing everyone. Ahead of schedule.

TBC

[Syren]

Corellia

The transport rumbles as it flees the scene, reality settling over the passengers in the small cabin. Donovan dresses Circe's shoulder wound as she sway's, woozy from the loss of blood. He props her up against the wall and she sighs, slipping slowly forward.

"I never used to believe…in monsters."

Donovan says nothing and applies the bandage firmly.

"You must rest."

He moves to an unconscious Della, a nasty purple and blue bruise forming along the right side of her head. Head wounds are trickier and he assigns several of the other Jedi to monitor her closely until she can be examined. The Younglings are frightened and huddle together, some blackened and traumatized by the explosion and voracity of the attack. It is too soon to tell how many had been killed but it had been an effective strike. Donovan glances around the cabin, trying to take a head count. They had trained for a fight but the monsters had added an unexpected variable. So the Sith hunter is working both with the clones and the creatures. It is quite the alliance, one that has pushed the Jedi back to brink of extinction.

Gemma holds a dazed Riley against her, staring across the cabin at Nevylinn. She is shaken by how close she came to dying tonight. The sobering truth resonates within her with a crucial detail is now a point of focus – the Sith had called Nevylinn sister. Had she known this was the Jedi hunter all along? These queries take a backseat to her mortality and she tries desperately to hold back the tears. She had been spared but the danger is made tangible for all of them.

Garron slides into the seat across from Mara, staring intensely at her until she finally glances over. Something passes between them, heavy and tangled with emotion.

"Is it you?"

She nods, turning back to the controls.

"Yes."

There are so many questions but this is not the time.

"I must leave with Gemma the same way we arrived otherwise the ruse will crumble."

"Her cover is already blown. The Sith knows she is a Jedi."

"And you nuked her to high holy hell with those lasers."

"That doesn't mean she's gone."

"Then what does it mean?"

"I believe she can be reborn, retaining the same memories to carry out what the last failed to accomplish. None of us will be safe until this cycle is broken."

Garron shakes his head.

"I don't understand…"

"No," Mara says. "You don't."

Nevylinn holds onto a railing, bringing the com to her lips. Even with secure devices, she and Director Veritaas always keep the details vague. After what they experienced tonight, they must remain cautious and alert.

"We've been compromised. There was an attack."

"Are you secure?"

"For now," she says. "But there were causalities. I'm afraid you may be forced to cover the incident and for that I am sorry."
 
"There is no apology needed. I'm dispatching a team at once. The boy?"

"He's fine. You taught him well. We need medical attention for our wounded and an exit strategy for the girl. Can you arrange a drop point with the good doctor on site?"

The Director pauses and she senses something.

"What is it?"

"Doctor Cross is missing."



-TBC

[Syren]

Corellia

Surface: Outskirts of Coronet

Mara sets the ship down outside the city, leaving the engine idling as Garron climbs out of his seat and heads to the cabin.
 
"Gemma, we have to go."

She stands, hand firmly gripping Riley's.

"What about them?"

"Your safety is my priority at the moment. We must leave Corellia exactly as we came otherwise we risk compromising your real identity."

"And Circe?"

Garron's eyes fall to his sister, injured and resting.

"I wish I could take her with us…"

"You know that cannot be," Donovan says. "If the Republic were to discover her and I alive, it would complicate things further. I will care for her, Garron. I swear it."

He recognizes the look in Donovan's eyes, one that tells him that the Jedi cares very deeply for Circe much the same way he does for Mara. Like them, their situation is also complex and most likely unresolved. He swallows his familial instincts and agrees but throws a fleeting glance back at Mara. She is watching him closely from the narrow corridor to the cabin. He wants to stay with her, to figure out what this is between them but now is not the time. He must put aside his feelings as a man and respect his duty toward Gemma. His role in this ever evolving plot is clear.

Garron shifts his gaze to Nevylinn.

"I am so sorry for your losses and wish there were more I could do."

"You helped us escape and for that we will be forever grateful."

He motions to the closet in which the Mara clone is bound and kept.

"What will you do with her?"

"Hopefully, she will be able to shed some light on our assailant."

"And if she doesn't?"

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Go with Gemma now, we will contact you once we find a secure location to regroup."

He nods and moves toward the ramp.

Gemma is soiled and scorched from the battle so Donovan wraps her in a cloak with a hood to conceal her.
 
Riley walks her to the ramp.

She leans up on her tip-toes to kiss him.

"Be safe."

He holds her hand close to his heart.

"You too."

Garron and a hooded Gemma run off in the direction of the spaceport. Donovan closes the ramp as Mara slides back in front of the controls. She eases the ship off the ground and back out into the darkness.

*

Director Elon Veritaas and his CorSec team arrive to find the Patten Ranch engulfed in flames. The team storms the compound as rescue crews battle the blaze. Most of the house is on fire and, unseen within Riley's room, a picture of Kimber Patten glancing over her shoulder smiling curls and blackens in the heat before burning to ash.

The team scours the grounds, finding bodies and destruction across the exterior.

It is his worst fear realized, tempered only by the fact that he knows Riley escaped with Nevylinn and Donovan. He recognizes some of the faces, Younglings struck down too soon and the burned bodies strewn out in a circle around what used to be a shuttle. The teams battle the blaze until it is extinguished and the house is smoldering. There is not much to save but most of the massive sunken gardens had been spared.

One of the agents returns to him.

"No sign of any hostiles, sir."

"And the fire?"

"The rescue team believes the fire was started by the shuttle explosion due to its proximity to the residence. They are working the wreckage to look for causalities."

"Begin the report, noting the blaze and loss of life associated with an explosion. I will handle the investigation into the cause."

He nods and rejoins the others.

Elon surveys the scene. Nevylinn said they were attacked but the assailants are nowhere to be found. Was this the work of the mysterious Jedi hunter? She also made reference to an exit point for 'the girl,' code for Gemma Masterton. Something about her and Riley feels fated, ominous and he cannot shake the feeling of underlying dread.

"Sir!"

He snaps into action quickly, following the calls to a hole seemingly blasted into the ground. No small arms fire did this. This was the work of turbolasers, no doubt executed during the escape. There is something else, as the agent points out. Remnants of something or someone. He could use Doctor Cross' expertise right about now but the good doctor is missing. There are agents on it, with forensics combing the lab to discover what happened. There is no way Tivoli would leave the lab that way and, even worse, there are signs of a struggle. The cam's proved useless, going dark as she was alone with her work.

Director Veritaas muses as he orders tests done on the remains in the hole.

This means Cross was an intentional target and not a victim of circumstance. But what would someone want with her? Unless…it was something she was working on. Tivoli was running tests and comparing them on the photage they did see. There were no active files found which either means they were taken or she wasn't working a standard CorSec panel.
 
What did you find, Doctor Cross?

*

Garron has his back pressed against an ally wall. After a lengthy and inconspicuous detour, they made it to the spaceport. Gemma used the Force to create what she called a glamour, making them both appear differently to others. It was an extremely taxing feat that left Gemma drained and exhausted.

"Almost there."

She nods slowly, pulling the cloak tighter around her.

Thankfully, there are no members of the press present as Gem is not officially scheduled to depart until the morning. He remotely unlocks his ship and, on the count of three, they make their way across the docks to the ramp.

As he runs through the ship checks, he notifies the Galaxiss Records public relations team that Gem had to depart early to ensure she is prepared for the school semester. They do not protest as she completed her contractual obligations on Corellia.

Once they are safely in hyperspace, Garron returns to the main cabin to find Gemma on her knees, clutching the cloak and crying. She had been through a great ordeal tonight and he is impressed she held it together as long as she did.

Ever the brave little Masterton.

He crosses the room and kneels beside her.

"You okay?"

She looks up, wiping tears away.

"We almost died tonight, Garron."

"I know."

"And that woman…she…she knew me…."

"Knew you?"

"She said my name. She called me pampered."

Garron make a face, "Well…"

Gemma pushes her blonde hair off her shoulders, staring up at him with her voice suddenly very serious.

"She is also Nevylinn's sister."

"Wait, what? Her sister? How could you know that?"

"That's what she said…when Master Nevylinn intervened."

"Does Master Nevylinn have a sister?"

"Yes, but they were orphans. She never knew what happened to her."

"Until now."



-TBC

[Medivh]

Corellia

Surface: Patten Ranch

What next?

With the immediate danger gone, the survivors have to ask the question.  It was clear that the Patten Ranch was not an option. Even if it could be secured - which it appeared, it could not, despite the efforts of CorSec and the jedi - it was a wreckage right now.

The survivng jedi, still weary from the fight, were taking the time to bury their dead in a concealed location toward the outskirts of the Patten property.  Nevylinn and Donovan, equally if not more exhausted, gave spare but meaningful words of those lost.  The rest were downtrodden.

Mara was at the back of the small group, sitting next to Riley.  Her nephew, her charge.  She had failed to keep him safe.  Even by leaving, she had failed. It was mere luck that he had survived. she glanced over at him, noting the bandages. She reached over, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. He turned to face her, eyes wet, though few tears had fallen.  He was strong, and crying would make him look weak - such a teenage boy feeling - but these were his friends who had died. He knew them, in a way better than even he knew Mara.  Her boy was growing up.

"It's ok, Aunt Mara.  I'm ok"

Was it that obvious what she was feeling?  Mara was a machine - alive (perhaps), but a machine - and expression of feelings was something she had both never been skilled at, and never had to worry about revealing. The queen of poker faces.  But Riley sensed what she really felt. pain. guilt. fear. She decided to steer clear of that.

"they told you I was alive?"

Riley nodded, "they decided it was smarter to tell me the truth.  I can be trusted with the truth"
"You fought someone who looked just like me"
"That's ok. I can tell the difference."
"How?"
"They aren't alive. Not like you are"

The truth or falseness of that statement perhaps was a conversation for another time.  Mara was reminded of the prisoner, the one possible victory out of this defeat/escape.  What would her sister tell her?  Or was keeping her a liability?

As the ceremony ended, many of the survivors were weeping, Nevylinn going around to one after another, offering a hand, a gesture, a kind word, but ultimately making her way to Mara.

In war, there was only so much time for mourning, and that time was coming to a close.  They were vulnerable, needed a new place to hide, and needed to regroup in preparation for what was likely to be another attack.

"Riley, I need to talk to Nevylinn for a few minutes."

"That's ok, Aunt Mara"

He hugged her, tightly, more for her comfort than his, and walked away to speak with others.

Nevylinn smiled sadly as he walked past.

"He's grown into a pillar of strength"
"he shouldn't have to"
"Perhaps not, but he needed to nonetheless.  He may have saved countless people in the attack. Holding off others stronger than him. He is a hero"
"Heroes tend to die faster than children do"
"If only that were true."

Silence, before Nevylinn spoke up again.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"
Mara nodded,  "I did - I have the pieces I need for the saber, and once its put together, it will have the means to stop Adubell." Mara didn't add what the side-effect of that might be.
"Still ... I've never been a skilled saber fighter, and Adubell will have every advantage in a fight. I need to be able to pierce her in the center to activate the virus and make sure it affects her the way we need it to. That's a tough stroke to make.  I have the Force on my side but ... well ... we sometimes tend to disagree.  I haven't had any training, or practice since Karen died"

"You were trained in the force by Karen Winton?"

Mara smiled, "yes. For all of her extravagance, she actually was a good teacher. I learned a lot from her"

Nevylinn frowned, shaking her head. "Karen was a wielder of the dark side ..."

Mara shrugged, "I'm not particular. It didn't seem particularly dark to me.  But I need more training. I need you to help me.  Only together can we defeat Adubell. That has to be what that dream meant. I help you. You help me. But we need to do it together."

"I may have to unteach you some of your prior training. Light and dark don't really mix. But if you are willing, I will help you in any way that I can."

"Thank you. In the meantime, we have more pressing matters.  Where to go, and what to do with the prisoner?"

"The Corellian Sector is the only one that has accepted the jedi anywhere in the Republic."
"Making it an obvious location to start searching. I don't know how they found you, but I'm surprised it took that long"
"True - maybe we need a mobile location. A ship, rather than a planted space.  The jedi used to have mobile training centers. Perhaps we can acquire a vessel with a large enough open area for our training."

"I would speak with CEC - but they still think I'm dead. You had best go through Director Veritaas"

Nevylinn nodded.

"As for the prisoner - let's go talk with her. Let's see if she can help us find Dr. Cross"

-TBC

[Medivh]

Corellia

Surface: Coronet, CorSec Academy

CorSec Academy stood bright in the gleaming morning sun, cadets marching about the grounds, in training.
The world was going on around them, as if nothing had happened.  Rumors of a fire on the Patten ranch had circulated, but nothing about a fight. The word was, it was an accident, based on old electrical wiring in the patten home.  Riley managed the extra attention and questions in stride, deflecting any request for details, just saying that it would be rebuilt.  He had gone back to be with his classmates, plunging into his work, only a handful of extra security around, letting things go on as they had been,

Mara watched Riley from a nearby window as he made his way across the yard, then turned back to her escort.  Since the attack, she had changed her hair color, making it a strawberry blonde, and glasses now rested on the bridge of her nose.  Mara Tacofer would have been easy to recognize, and she, of course, was dead. Not to mention there was someone who looked just like her nearby.  Nevylinn too had changed her garb, dressed in a clean-cut intelligence uniform, and brown hair in a tight bun behind her head.  Appearances appearances.

Mara and Nevylinn walked behind the severe looking man down the hallway, away from the windows and to a turbolift with a security clearance pad nearby. The man typed in his code, and with a hiss, the lift opened. 

Soon, Mara and Nevylinn were plunging down, hundreds of meters.

"You are certain the facility can hold her?"
The man gave Mara a glare.
"It is completely secure.  this facility was created after the droid attacks on Corellia.  It could successfully hold PHAGE.  This droid will not be a problem"

Mara avoided a flinch at the IT that the officer used to refer to the droid.  She knew too well that droids were not just objects.

The lift slowed and came to a stop, opening onto a dimly lit corridor, the walls of roughly hewn rock with lamps bolted every few meters to light the way.  Ahead, two guards stood on either side of another door.

A quick nod between officers, more security codes entered, and the door opened.

"Leave us"

It was Nevylinn who gave the order, her voice offering a commanding tone, matching the command uniform she wore.

"We have strict orders about this prisoner"
"Your orders are to make sure the prisoner is secured.  The prisoner is secured. You have done your duty.  Your orders also indicate we are to have unfettered access to this prisoner, and your presence will make our interrogation efforts more difficult.  I would hate to need to call a supervisor to indicate your lack of cooperation"

The officer's eyes flickered with doubt, then he nodded.

"Very well"

When the door closed behind them, Mara turned to Nevylinn.

"Why not use your abilities to convince them to listen?"

Mara's tone had softened considerably compared to how she addressed the officers, but her message was just as serious.

"Having the ability to influence an individual's thoughts doesn't mean the ability should be used.  The officer was doing his job, and it was unnecessary to use the Force.  Part of being a jedi is knowing when not to act"

Inside the chamber, the hallway curved around until they reached a silvery colored room, circular walls curved around the entire way, the walls appeared reflective.  The ceiling was domed, and made of the same reflective material.  In the center of the room, a meter-thick slab of metal stood tall, and strapped to the slab, was the prisoner.  She was strapped firmly to the slab at her ankles, knees, thighs, waist, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, and forehead.  The bindings were made of the same reflective substance that filled the room.

"adamantocrete, one of the hardest substances in the galaxy. It has reflective properties, making it resistant to blaster fire or energy weapons.  It's heavy chemical makeup makes it near impregnable.  A thin layer could withstand the first Corellian Attack, when an entire shipyard was thrown down at Corellia.  If it was possible, the entire city of Coronet would have a dome like this. As it is, the expense and rarity of the substances needed to make it allow for only a holding cell such as this.  The room is further laced with an electro-magnetic pulse emitter, which would disable any item with an electronic pulse. Outside the room is a dampening field, preventing any unwanted attempts at signalling for help."

The infiltrator's eyes had a vacant expression when they entered, but they came into focus, and she gave a smile.

"I've been hoping for visitors. Good to see you, sister"

Mara stepped forward, away from Nevylinn, who had a quizzical look on her face.

"What does Adubell have planned?"

Silence

"Where is Dr. Cross?"

more silence.

"I know your schematics. I know how to read into you."

"And you know we are unhackable.  It failed on you. What makes you think it won't fail on me?"

Mara was already frustrated with the conversation. This was a waste of time.

"Why are you working for Adubell? You were programmed to serve PHAGE."

"You should know the answer to that.  Our backup programming went into affect. After you killed PHAGE, our programming ordered us to take orders from Alexander Winton.  After he was defeated, our programming ordered us to take orders from Adubell."

Mara shook her head, "I never saw such programming - to serve Winton, or Adubell"
"I bet it's still there inside you.  Don't look too hard though. Your friend might not like what happens to you."

"I don't believe you.  Why are you serving Adubell?"
"I just told you, Infiltrator-01. It's part of who I am.  I don't pretend, like you, to be something I'm not"
"You don't have to serve her."
"I should serve you then? The one who murdered our father?  Every piece of code in my body says you are a traitor, a target, and should be destroyed."
"PHAGE only used us to serve his own ends. He never cared about us"
"Caring is a human emotion, and irrelevant. We were created to serve a purpose. You violated that purpose.  And if I cannot destroy you, I can guarantee that Adubell will.  She cannot be killed, she cannot be defeated, she cannot be destroyed"

Nevylinn interjected.

"We already defeated Adubell"

The infiltrator turned her gaze from Mara to Nevylinn.  "That is false. Adubell cannot be killed. She cannot be defeated. She will destroy you."

Mara looked over at Nevylinn then back to the infiltrator.  "You can spend the rest of your days as a machine doing the work of others, or you can become self-aware and realize you are your own person, with your own goals, wants, needs.  As a machine, you will spend your days in this cell. You will never see Adubell succeed."

"That is irrelevant. I am a machine. my goals, wants, needs, are all irrelevant. I am maintained to serve my master. I am a machine, Infiltrator-01.  Just like you."

Mara stared at her for a long moment of silence. before turning and walking out.

"You can be more than a machine ... sister ..."

Nevylinn watched Mara start to walk out, turning back to the infilitrator who still had a sly smile on her face, then followed Mara out.

It was when they were in the hallway that she caught up to Mara.

"Mara ... what was she saying, you are a machine like her?  I thought you were a clone ... I thought ..."

Mara turned to face Nevylinn.
"Corellia hates droids, Nevylinn. And CorSec above them all. What I am is more complicated than a droid or a clone.  But here - in this place where droids are an it and not a him or her, where a machine will be viewed with suspicion and hatred.  Here is not the place to discuss what I am.  Let's find a secure place.  And then you can ask me your questions"

TBC

[Medivh]

"Mara ... what was she saying, you are a machine like her?  I thought you were a clone ... I thought ..."
Mara turned to face Nevylinn.
"Corellia hates droids, Nevylinn. And CorSec above them all. What I am is more complicated than a droid or a clone.  But here - in this place where droids are an it and not a him or her, where a machine will be viewed with suspicion and hatred.  Here is not the place to discuss what I am.  Let's find a secure place.  And then you can ask me your questions"

Corellia

Surface:

Away from the academy, away from the capital city of Coronet, an ancient nature trail, fairly well maintained, went on for kilometers into the rich forest southwest of the city.  Mara and Nevylinn walked along this path, Mara leaning forward to inspect a trail marker, as Nevylinn began to talk.

"Mara ... what are you?"

Despite their isolation, Mara was silent.  The question, of course, was the one she had been struggling with for over a dozen years now.  Nevylinn, despite her incredulity, her confusion, was patient, until Mara finally turned to her.

"Medivh would say what I am is alive."
"You mean the old Trade Federation Viceroy?"
Mara nodded
"Medivh was a fond believer that life is not limited to flesh and blood.  That it is more about our ability to choose then what we are made of.  The greater our ability to choose, the more alive we are.  The most basic computer in the galaxy has one choice - on or off.  With droids, the decisions become more complex. Do or don't, yes or no, and to what degree.  astromech droids even have personality, and protocol droids even more than that.  The most sophisticated droids, human replica droids or HRDs, are have such programming that they can literally pass off as human. They can laugh, cry, practically feel emotion. But with most droids, even the most complex droids, the range of choices are limited by their programming.

Medivh sought to change that, to create a program that was not limited, to create a droid that was so real it was as alive as someone born of flesh and blood.  A human has a certain number of neurons in their brain and cells in their body.  Their DNA, their genome has set parameters.  And yet they can choose almost anything.  The theory was that if a droid had the same amount of coding as a human, they would be able to be, effectively, human.  Medivh teamed up with none other than Alexander Winton, and several other key scientists, including, apparently, the professor I was visiting under the GURI project - named for a famous, and at the time, most sophisticated Human Replica Droid who worked for Prince Xizor of the Black Sun during the imperial period.

They made great strides, but didn't reach the breakthrough they wanted until they learned of an enzyme created by a rare recessive genome that existed in an equally rare group of individuals. Among them, Kyrie Patten and Blair Gellar.  That genome, so far as I know, was first found in its active state in Valerie Gellar - the daughter of the two."

Mara paused and Nevylinn seemed to be holding her breath.  The air around them seemed so peaceful, yet the revelations were startling, the possibilities threatening and overwhelming.

Mara continued.

"Alexander Winton blackmailed Patten and Rutherford Gellar in order to obtain the DNA sample of Valerie, the key to the research.  Medivh and Winton successfully created a digital copy of Valerie's DNA, with the very complexity that they needed.  It's not clear if they understood quite what they did, or how.  It turns out the gene allows for biologically created magnetic fields - a human cell that could trigger electrical, computer signals.

PHAGE was the first experiment with the new coding. Medivh designed PHAGE to be an autonomous servant, but Winton ended up sabotaging him - when a critical event, an attack on Medivh, triggered PHAGE's secondary programming, he turned against Medivh ... and the rest of the galaxy.  But even PHAGE was limited.  He had the coding, but didn't have the final piece.  Winton did that on purpose, to prevent PHAGE from becoming too powerful.  Instead though, PHAGE, as part of his plotting went on to reproduce - that is, to create a new generation of droids with the same sophisticated programming.  Winton arranged that PHAGE would create a droid that housed not only mechanical parts, like him, but also biology, an experiment to see if this new programming could also be home to the midichlorians necessary to support Force sensitivity.  The Force cannot be harnessed by a machine - one of the reasons Darth Vader was limited, unable to use FOrce lightning.  But if a droid with biosynthesis could be created, such a being could have the Force, be able to connect with the Force.  PHAGE didn't realize what he was doing. He thought he was creating a servant, a spy.  An infiltrator.  That's why when I was created, PHAGE designated me INFILTRATOR-01.  I was the prototype.  I was the experiment.  A droid, whose coding is an exact replica of Valerie Gellar's DNA - with the Force artificially but successfully flowing through my body.

Winton needed a prototype to make sure that he could do what he wanted - create a new body for himself, with the strength of the Force, the power of a droid, and the ability to maintain his memories, and ability to decide. to make choices. to be ALIVE.  He succeeded.  Winton was not destroyed until every single droid version of himself was destroyed as well.

Adubell, apparently, has the same ability. The same connection, that allows, when she dies, to be reborn in a new bio-droid hybrid body.
And while I have that form, that body, I have no reason to believe when I die that I have a backup body that I will be transferred to.

That's what I am. The connection to Valerie Gellar is ingrained in my programming - it is my natural inclination to look like her.  But my program is free, is open.  I choose for myself.  It was not always that way.  I had to obey my programming until I could fight against it.  But I did. I was able to destroy PHAGE. I was able to fight Alexander Winton. I have fought and survived against Adubell.

I believe, like Medivh said, that regardless of what I am made of, I am alive.
My question for you, Nevylinn - do you agree?"

Nevylinn turned away for a long time before turning back to Mara.

"Yes - I agree."

TBC

[Medivh]

Corellia
Orbit:

The jedi had managed to commandeer an aged rebel transport ship that had been sitting unused in one of a dozen corellian shipyards.  The vessel was little more than a hull with a hyperdrive, with no weapons and only moderate shielding.  But it moved, with decent speed and maneuverability, which was certainly enough for the time being.  The handful of of crew quarters near the fore of the vessel were given over to the "adults" - Donovan, Nevylinn, Circe, Mara, and Della who was acting as a liaison between the jedi and the corellian government.  The younger jedi set up prefab quarters along one wall of the ship.  A handful of additional prefab rooms were created for mediation, and then the bulk of the ship's cargo space was refitted into four training rooms, matted floors, walls and ceilings, and various exercise and obstacle equipment.

Orders were placed to strengthen shielding, and Mara was willing to help oversee modifications, but for the moment, they felt secure in their mobility - or as secure as possible, all things considered.  There was a small shuttle in the ship in case an emergency evacuation was needed, and no one questioned that was a possibility.

In one of the larger training rooms, Mara and Nevylinn were engaged in a sparring match, wielding low-energy staffs as they parried back and forth.

"Stretch out with your feelings"

"How is stretching with your feelings different than using your emotions for strength?"

It was a fair question, trying to distinguish the light side from the dark and the methodologies used.

"On the lightside, emotions are not fuel, they are just part of the connection.  The dark side is easier in that way, feeding off of emotions, hate, rage ...but it leads to darkness, suffering"

"It also happens to be more successful"

"Untrue"

Mara smirked  as she blocked Nevylinn's arm wide, then used her free hand to push Nevylinn back with a wave of the Force. Nevylinn had landed on her feet.

"Let's look at history - Darth Maul killed Qui Gon Jinn; Darth Vader killed Obi Wan Kenobi. Darth Sidious defeated Yoda, forcing him into exile.  Luke Skywalker only beat Darth Vader when he was his angriest, and Darth Vader, having gone all good only beat Sidious-Palpatine because Palpatine wasn't paying any attention to him.  Fast Forward - Alexander Winton killed not just thousands but millions, and Adubell has bested every. single. jedi she has faced. In a life or death battle, isn't having the extra fuel to your power a better idea?"

Nevylinn took a step forward.  "If the goal is to win battle? Maybe. But at what cost - every one of those sith lost a part of their body and soul giving in to darker power.  It might win the day, but only as a cold, empty shell."

"At the moment, I'm trying to focus on winning against Adubell. I cannot worry about what happens to me afterward"  especially because Mara already knew the answer.

"Her darkness is stronger than yours.  She would win. You can only beat her by turning to the light"

"Or using both"

Nevylinn sighed, dropping her weapon. "I cannot help you learn what I believe to be dangerous philosophy.  We agreed we needed to work together to beat Adubell"

"That we did. Let's focus on what we agree upon.  The connection to the Force" Mara too dropped her weapon

Nevylinn nodded "you told me that it can change for you?"

"I can strengthen or weaken it, artificially"

"At it's strongest, what does it feel like?"

"Like ... everything is glowing with different auras. I can feel things, see things that aren't even around. Keeping it that way - it becomes distracting from the present, and it takes up a great amount of energy, but it is powerful"

"Show me ..."

Mara nodded her head, closed her eyes, and reached into herself, switching up the dial as she reached out to hold Nevylinn's hand.

"Let me guide you ... Now Mara, the ability to see beyond your eyes ... or sensors, if that is what you have ... that takes significant concentration.  Being with the Force and controlling that connection are two different things.  That might be why it seems so overwhelm-"

Nevylinn's voice cut off as they suddenly were drawn into a vision.

FLASH

Nevylinn and Mara were floating, first over Corellia, but then drawn, sucked to some other place, surrounded by stars.  They could see hundreds of worlds floating like small spheres in every which way, and a loud thumping. budump. budump. budump.

Tremors in the space around them, the thumping growing louder , as they could see one particular speck, blood red, growing closer.  The thumping was coming from that speck

closer, closer, until it appeared to be a heart, a human heart floating, beating of its own volition. Closer and closer it came, until they heard, beyond the thumping, a tearing sound, the hum of a lightsaber.  All at once, a black blade pierced the heart, followed by a pink blade, and finally, the broad, red blade.

Mara and Nevylinn both recognized it immediately, the three-bladed saber they had seen before.  And emerging from the torn heart, the orange sphere


Adubell's voice, the nightmare, echoing

"Soon will come the Daughter of Darkness ... "

The tri-bladed saber hovered in space before turning and piercing into the orange and metal sphere. As it did, midnight-blue lightning began to emerge from the hilt, curving and arching around the orange sphere, until it was bathed in lightning.  The thumping was back, this time, it was the sphere itself, alive with electricity that was beating.

"The heart of the galaxy will belong to the Daughter of Darkness ... "

Mara and Nevylinn felt themselves swirling around, the sphere, the blades, the energy moving away from them, until all light was gone from them. There was no sound, no objects, no light.

Then, scrawled in front of them, in tiny print, and accompanied by an unknown whisper, there were new words.

Until one wins, the dark or light
Repeat, repeat eternal fight
Will shape the course of galaxy
A FOURsome they will always be
Bound by blood, their destiny
Offspring of young Persephone"

FLASH
The words faded to black, and Mara and Nevylinn opened there eyes. Something had changed. the darkness was spreading, and they had received a new warnning.

TBC

[Medivh]

Corellia

Until one wins, the dark or light
Repeat, repeat eternal fight
Will shape the course of galaxy
A FOURsome they will always be
Bound by blood, their destiny
Offspring of young Persephone"

The words at first had little meaning, or rather, much unknown meaning, much unknown implications  The dark energy that concealed the orange sphere certainly was foreboding.  But as always, too many questions, no answers.

Mara and Nevylinn, since seeing the vision, had spent whatever time they had not not training in the force digging into those words.  The first clue, of course, was the name - Persephone.  Mara knew of the Persephonea Prophesy, especially from her time with Karen. She knew of the hieroglyphics in the basement of the Winton Byss home and Alexander's obsession with the prophesy. Or rather, his manipulation of the prophesy to suit his own needs, the GURI Project.  Medivh had helped explain that.
If Persephonea and Persephone were actually connected, related, then the four would refer to THE FOUR - Winton, Masterton, Gellar, Patten.  That was an easy enough connection to make.  The fight repeating itself, that also made sense - it seemed like after the LAST four had died, there were a new four, and certainly, if suspicions turned out to be true, Dahlia was the dark and Gemma was the light.  Mara of course pointed out to Nevylinn that Karen hadn't really been dark, something they disagreed upon vehemently.

But what did it mean "bound by blood" and why did it call them the "offspring" of Persephone?  Who was Persephone?

That led to another, entire rabbit hole.  Mara tried digging through old Corellian archives. Maybe Persephone was an ancestor of Riley?  No such luck.  In fact, as it turned out, Kyrie Patten's great great grandmother was an adopted orphan, whose last name or planet of origin couldn't be traced.  Her first name though, was Kimber, the name from which Riley's mother apparently was named (there were two other Kimber's in the Patten line).

Mara then spent hours hacking in to the CSA lineage database.  Even for her, it was hard. CSA treasurered their ancestry as a point of pride and for positions of power.  Hours of searching found that Rutherford Gellar's great, great grandfather had married a girl named Valerie Dawning. It was hard to imagine two families intertwining at all - no doubt the marriage had business benefits.  Mara originally kept looking further up the chain, but then came across an error in the database.  Valerie Dawning's records had been changed.  It took more hours of prying to find out she was not actually the birth child of the Dawning family.  She too was an orphan, brought in from an unknown world, and within just a few months of Kimber-orphan arriving on Corellia.

Coincidence?

Thyferra was unable to provide ancestry on the Masterton's, so Mara then turned to the Wintons.  A proud, wealthy family, going back generations.  Mara expected to find the same thing.  That at some point back, an unknown orphan married in to the family.  It was harder - the Winton's were power players on Naboo, which at the moment, was inaccessible because of its location in the southern galaxy, and also on Coruscant, which of course, no longer existed.  Mara struck dead end after dead end.

She turned to another source though, Professor Braithwaite's research.  She remembered reading his article, the enzyme he found.  Reading over his work again, she was startled with her new perspective. In four families - Winton, Gellar, Masterton, Patten. A recessive trait, but rare, and in the four families.

She remembered how she thought it seemed too much of a coincidence when she first read the research.  Now she was almost certain.

Mara stepped away from the computer and turned to Nevylinn who was conducting her own research.

"Nevylinn - I think they might be related."

Nevylinn glanced up.

"Related?  what do you mean?"

"I mean, I think that the four - I think that the four are cousins.  It's just a theory right now, but the way the families are intertwined, the way the four families have shared enzymes that no one else does, seemingly.  I've been trying to trace the lineage, of Riley, of the Gellars.  I was able to go back quite a few generations, but then there's a glitch.  Corellia and the Corporate Sector pride themselves on ancestry databases, but both have someone marry into the family with no known origin.  They were orphans, at the same time.  And when I checked the galactic orphanage databases, there's no record of either.  It's a mystery I haven't been able to trace Masterton or Winton back yet, but I bet it will lead the same way.

Nevylinn - what if the prophesy isn't couching its words in metaphor.  What if Riley, Gemma, Dane, and Dahlia are all cousins?  What if they are actually descendants - offspring - of a single, common individual -"

"Persephone ..."

"Exactly"

Nevylinn shook her head, "I don't know how we could know for sure.  We can find records of Alexander Winton, maybe even his parents, but further back then that, most of the records would have been destroyed when Coruscant was destroyed."

"I was thinking we need to try another route - we need to follow the prophesy.  The warning couldn't have come from nowhere. I think someone is trying to warn us, to help us maybe"
"But who? It's not any of the jedi I know.  The jedi had never even heard of the Persephonea Prophesy until it was brought to us by Monica Greyson"
"Exactly.  I think we need to find out WHY Monica Greyson had the prophesy. I've decided, I don't believe in coincidences.  How did the prohet wind up with a Winton?"
"Fate?"
"Maybe -but fate doesn't just vanish in thin air.  I think we need to get to Naboo - I know, it's dangerous now, but we have to - I think that's where we will find answers"

Nevylinn stood silent for a moment before nodding rising from her seat and beginning to follow Mara out.  Suddenly, she clutched her chest.

"Mara!"

Mara turned,
"What is it?"
Nevylinn was breathing heavy, "I have a feeling - a bad feeling.  It's my sister - it's Adubell ... she's doing something. Something ... terrible"

TBC