The Rebel Faction

"Agreed, just give us a couple minutes to grab essentials..." Trazu said as he and Asri rose to their feet. "We'll met you in the courtyard."

Trazu first went to the playroom where the kids were playing (thankfully Trissan had yet to sneak off somewhere) and told them that he and Asri were going on an important trip and that they would be back as soon as they could. After a bunch of good bye hugs (which Trissan of course didn't particpate in and pretty much just ignored Trazu), Trazu finally tore himself away from his children, knowing in the back of his mind there was the chance this was the last time they would see him alive.

He changed into his 'mock Jedi' get up, clipping both his lightsaber and standard sword to his belt. Asri he noticed as she walked out the door was wearing the black armor she 'borrowed' from the merc on the medical asteroid again, but this time with her two K'Zur clipped to her belt. He made the mental note to be careful with any shows of affections with her, lest he accidently slice himself on those sharp blades.

Rissonik came in just as he was about to exit the manor and the elder Trandoshan cut him off when he was about to explain the sudden departure. "I can already guess what is going on." Rissonik said with a smile. "I hope you get him this time."

"As do I father." Trazu said with a sigh. "His death will make the peace process easier."

"Indeed." Rissonik paused before adding. "There are rumors of large parts, even whole Clans cutting of communication with the rest of the government. Your mother worries they may be fixing to separate themselves from us, but right now we have no proof. I have little doubt Miknak may be responsible for this."

"A reasonable conclusion." Trazu said with a nod. "What will mother do if they do accounce a session from the government? Provided they even bother do accounce it of course...."

"I don't know." Rissonik shrugged. "Like try to talk to them first, but if force ends up being needed I don't know if our fighting forces are up to the task."

"Aye, we are still recovering from the last major battle. I hope things don't fall apart while I am away..."

"With the Coalition backing us now, I doubt that." Rissonik said with a smile. "Go on son, your mother and I will ensure things remain stable while you are away."

~~~

Meanwhile Asri and joined up with Lavality in the courtyard and was debating telling her about what she had discovered. Would it really be a good idea to tell her now? She thought. It may only end up distracting her from the task at hand. Then again....now would be the prefect time wouldn't it? Before we have fully committed ourselves?

She was aware of Lavality staring at her, the young girl no doubt noticing the conflict in the albino's eyes. No...not yet. She thought glancing around. Not here at least.... She for one didn't feel comfortable telling her this with so many Clan members around, Clan members that she felt had no business knowing what she wanted to reveal.

"Lavality." She said quietly so only she could hear. "There's something I want to talk to you about...something that will no doubt shock you. But not here....you tell me when you feel it's approprate to tell you, as the knowledge will no doubt change your outlook on somethings...."

Asri frowned, not sure if delaying until after dealing with Miknak was a good idea. "I don't know Lavality..." She muttered. "If he knows you don't know this...and it's safe assumption that he does, he could use it to shock you when we finally fight him. I'd rather get it out before he potentially could use it against you."

"Sorry for the delay." Trazu said as he finally joined them. "Father was filling me in on a potential political problem. Shall we get going?"

As they made they way out of the compound Trazu half jokingly informed Lavality that they did have more then one landing pad in their spaceport, so it wasn't necessary to park out side the grounds. Just before they started boarding however, he stopped short, his Force senses going off.

"What's wrong hun?" Asri asked him.

"Something...is not right..." He said, looking at their surroundings. Without further explanation he started walking around the ship and quickly spotted something suspicious: two sets of footprints, one Trandoshan, the other unknown. The tracks heading to the ship were clear and well defined, while the tracks leading away from the ship had drag marks: they left in a hurry.

"Lavality..." He hissed in a low growl. "The ships been tampered with. Asri stay with her...I'm going hunting for scumbags...."

"He gets to have the fun...oh well...." Asri sighed and shrugged her shoulders as she watched Trazu disappear into the bushes, following the sabators trail.

Asri chuckled slightly. "The most I know about any thing mechanical is related to disabling security devices and even that I am rusty in these days, since it's been so long I had to do something like that." She replied as she followed Lavality up the ramp. "Lady Varcanna would be your better bet when finding something 'odd' about the ship..." Though she will no doubt refuse to help if 'I' asked her too. She thought to herself, a slight frown on her face now.

~~~

It felt good to do something like this again. Hunting low life criminals. He hadn't done this since he before he returned to Trandosha for the first time over three years ago, when he still lived on Talus. Thus it was a refreashing blast from the past for him, only this time he had even more skills at his disposal, meaning those scum won't stand a chance.

He followed the trail, chuckling mentally at how stupid these two were, especially the trandoshan. Did they seriously think they would get away with attempting something like this right outside the gates of one the most powerful warrior Clans on Trandosha? As he drew closer he sensed the anxity of the two culperits, anxity that turned into fear, then panic. His scaly lips curled into a smile, his lilac eyes bright with anticipation as one hand dropped to his belt.

There. The Force flashed it's warning in his mind and he reflexively drew his lightsaber, it's crimson plasma blade springing to life just in time to deflect the blaster bolt that was fired his way.

"Damn he's a Jedi! We're screwed!" He heard someone yell. His smile turning into a savage grin he broke into a run, his cloak flying behind him. Two figures he saw burst into a run before him and he headed toward the human first, cutting him down without a second thought. With the Trandoshan, once he caught up to him, he simply cut off an arm. The Trandoshan gave a dramatic cry of pain and collapsed, grasping what was left of his arm with his whole one.

Trazu watched this one a moment, a look of disgust on his face as the fallen Trandoshan whimpered pitifully and tried to scoot away from him. "What a pathetic T'Doshok you are." Trazu growled at him. "Quit your whimpering and be grateful I didn't cut something off that doesn't grow back."

"Y...you're not going to kill me?" The Trandoshan asked fearfully.

"Maybe...maybe not...depends on how you respond." Trazu snarled. "Who sent you?"

"A...a Hutt...." The Trandoshan replied, his eyes glued to the lightsaber that was still lit.

"I see." Trazu remembered during their brief stay on Nar Shadda that they had fooled a couple of bounties that were associated with a Hutt that Lavality was his slave and that he was transporting her to her new 'owner'. It was possible one of the Hutts took offense to being fooled like this, but he couldn't be sure and a flunky like this wouldn't know the reasons behind the mission anyway. "I know you were messing around with that ship back there." He said, using his saber to point in that direction. "I want to know what you tampered with."

The Trandoshan licked his lips nervously. "W...we rigged the engines so that they would not only overload and explode but set off a bomb...."

"A tad overkill..."

"We wanted to ensure she was killed..." The Trandoshan said with a shrug. "Obviously we didn't count on someone like you being one of her bodyguards...."

"Lavality is allies not only with my Clan but with the Jedi Order as well." Trazu said with a sneer. "You choose the wrong person to try to get a bounty on." To that the Trandoshan blinked in obvious surprise. "Oh...you didn't know that did you?" Trazu leaned closer to the Trandoshan's face. Using the Force he touched the Trandoshan's mind, lightly probing it. On the surface he of course felt fear, but also desperation and not the kind of desperation he was expecting and this gave Trazu pause. "Family experiencing hard times?" He asked softly, deciding to guess rather then to succumb to temptation and find out himself with the Force.

Now the Trandoshan was really surprised. "H..h..how...." He stammered.

"Doesn't matter." Trazu said, shaking his head. "In desperate times, people sometimes make dumb choices. You're not really a bounty hunter are you?"

"N...no sir." The Trandoshan shook his head. "I convinced my...partner...that I could help him on his job. I needed the money...badly. My family was only just getting out of the hole with our sole client suddenly up and disappeared, leaving us with nothing."

Must have been one of the Clans father was talking about. Trazu thought. He wondered how many other small families were now struggling due to these disappearances. "What do you specialize in?" He asked.

"Specialize? Engineering. Ships usually."

The wheels in Trazu's head started turning as he thought this over. "Come on, lets get you back on the right path." He said, turning off his lightsaber and helping the young male up.

"H...how?" The surprised Trandoshan asked.

"First, you are going to undo what you did in the ship." Trazu said bluntly as he half dragged the male back toward the ship. "After that, we'll see about getting you a honest job."

"You would do that....after what I just tried to do?"

Trazu's face turned slightly solemn. "Everyone deserves a second chance." He said softly.

"Trazu lived as a ranger on Talus a few years back. That plus his ability with the Force would mean those guys wouldn't be able hide from him." Asri said. "Unless they did the smart thing and took a speeder far away from here."

Just then Trazu reappeared, with another Trandoshan male just behind him that was missing one arm. Asri could tell that Trazu was the reason for the missing arm. "Guess they weren't smart...." She muttered as she approached them.

Her appearance obviously unnerved the young male, for he stopped in his tracks the moment he spotted her. "S..sir..that's...a..." He stammbered.

"Chill." Trazu said sharply. "She wasn't born like that and she's a valued member of my Clan."

"I thought you usually kill 'scumbags' on sight without hesitation?" ASri asked, a slight teasing smile on her face.

"Only his partner was the actual 'scumbag'." Trazu replied. "This one was just a desperate T'Doshok that was down on his luck."

"So you brought him back here to undo what he did?" A nod. "Good...Lavality couldn't figure out what they did to the ship."

Trazu looked at the young male and gestured at the ship. The Trandoshan, knowing what he was wanting, proceeded up the ramp. Both Trazu and Asri followed up, Trazu pausing only briefly to reassure Lavality that he wasn't going to pull anything them.

"She's....only a kid..." Asri heard the young male mutter as he got to work, noting the surprise and regret in his voice.

"Do not judge her by her size and youthful appearance." Asri warned. "She's a skilled fighter and pilot." And a Clone.... She thought to herself. If anything else that would be the biggest shock of all to her: that she was really only four years old....

Asri watched the young male, wishing she knew something about mechanics so that she would at least have an inkling if this guy was really undoing what he did. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Trazu come in. Turning her head to look up at him she saw him stare at the male intently for a moment, then his tense stance relaxed and he leaned up against a wall close by. Apparently he was ‘checking’ on the male via the Force and if Trazu was satisfied that he wasn’t up to no good, then she would be as well, so she forced herself to relax.

“Miss?” She heard him say and she looked at him.

“What?” Asri replied.

“C…can you give me a hand here?” The male asked, looking a little nervous. “This part requires two hands and well…I’m kind of missing one.”

“Alright.” Asri said as she knelt beside him. “What do you need me to do?”

The male guided her though task in easy to follow instructions and Asri couldn’t help but admire his ability to ‘dumb down’ the methods of the task so anyone could do it. She also couldn’t help but notice that he had stared at her hands intently for a moment and that made her uncomfortable.

“Nanotech?” He suddenly asked and Asri couldn’t help but freeze, her eyes widening in shock. “Thought so…” He continued absently returning to work.

She stared at him, a part of her wanting to throttle him. “What ever gave you that idea?” She hissed threateningly.

“Your coloration.” He replied. “The Jedi said you weren’t born like that, so the only other way for a grown T’Doskok to have that coloration is through gene manipulation.” Asri couldn’t help but nod in confirmation.

“I’ll give you that.” Asri said. “But how did you know it was nanotech that did it?”

“Your hands.” He replied. “They have a slight metallic hue to them that’s noticeable in the right light. Whomever did the coding apparently had the same problems as my father.”

“Your father?”

“Yes, he was a scientist that was researching gene therapy and he used nanotech. Problem is, he could never quite get the coding right and instead of altering the genes they would turn the poor lab animals perfect metal statues. The transformation was so quick that the animals didn’t survive….”

She felt a shiver go down her spine: was this a possible outcome for her? “How long?” He asked her.

“How long what?” She replied.

“How long have you had them?”

Asri debated a moment on whether it would be wise to tell him. “Four years, about.”

The male nodded. “Then the process is taking as long as would biologically.” He said.

“What do you mean?”

He paused in his work a moment, apparently thinking of how best to explain it. “The cells in your body are constantly dying and being replaced by new ones.” He said. “Depending on the species, roughly every decade or so your body has been fully replaced by the ‘next generation’ of cells. Apparently, the nanos in your body decided to play along with this process, only replacing a cell once it’s ‘died’.”

“I already knew it would be years before the ‘process’ was complete.” Asri said solemnly. “You sound so certain that this was ‘why’ it was taking so long.”

To that he shrugged. “I admit it’s more of a logical guess then anything.” He admitted. “But that’s not the point I am getting at…”

“What pray tell is your point then?”

“That you should be able to control them.”

“Huh?” She thought the idea absurd. “I think you lost a bit too much blood there….”

Unfazed, he explained. “Nanos are basically a swarm of tiny robots that function either as an entity all it’s own or takes commands from a central unit. Those used in research and experiments are usually the ones that require a central unit. Without contact from the central unit they would go dormant within 72 hours.”

“Obviously mine didn’t, meaning they are their own entity.”

“Not necessarily. What’s a brain?”

She was taken back by that question and by the time she started wondering how to answer that he answered it for her. “A brain is essentially a biological computer, more complex then any artificial one made: scientists are still trying to figure out how to replicate it in the mechanical form.”

“So?”

“So...first off, they couldn’t have used the ‘free thinking’ type of nanos as there would be too much risk involved, even for the most unethical of scientists. Where you unconscious at any point after they were….injected?”

“Yes….” Asri replied with a shudder. “I had blacked out due to the pain I was in. My vitals had also dropped to virtually nothing and they thought I was dead. How long I was out before becoming fully conscious I don’t know…”

“Been sick?”

Now she was starting to get annoyed with all the questions. “No. At least I never got to the point I showed symptoms.”

“I see. I think…and this is me thinking logically here…the nanos, instead of going dormant like they should have, they ‘adopted’ your brain as their new central unit. Since the brain controls all your body functions, from cell building to the immune system, the nanos assumed those roles as well. Hence why you didn’t just turn into a metal statue like my father’s lab rats.”

This was becoming a bit much for her, having never had it explained to her like this. “So you think I can control these things?”

Another shrug. “Perhaps not so much now, since it would be potentially life threatening to you. However, when the process is complete….who knows what you’ll be able to do….”

“What if I don’t want the process to complete!?” She said hotly.

“Well…I suppose you could try to tell them not to replace any more cells…and just act solely as an immune system. I wouldn’t know how you could accomplish that tough…”

She thought about that: if what he was suggesting was accurate, then there may be hope for a continued normal life for her yet.

“I thought you said you specialized in engineering.” Trazu asked, having listened to the conversation with interest.

“Originally…I was going to follow in my father’s footsteps.” He said with a said shrug. “So I studied a lot in his field of work. Biology, nanotech, etc. But…when he died in an…accident…I decided it was too dangerous and took up straight ship engineering instead.”