The Rebel Faction

Trazu entered the medical bay and received the same report as Maskis did on Asri’s condition and he felt his heart stop a moment when he saw the word ‘nano’ in the report. That damn Tuezo was right. Where the hell did she get those…. He wondered. And what purpose do they have in her?

“Any idea what the nano’s do?” He asked one of the medics.

“Damn if I know.” He replied. “We only just found out they were there when we did a test to figure out her blood type so we can get some plasma back into her. There was enough of a concentration in her to prevent us from getting a definite result, so we had to resort to using type O. We can only hope those things don’t interfere with the bacta.”

Trazu nodded his thanks and watched as they slipped Asri into the tank. He found it hard to watch her just floating in there, completely helpless, knowing how fierce a warrior she was. If the damage to her spine was bad enough, there was a chance she could be paralyzed from the chest down and the spine was one of the few body parts his kind couldn’t regenerate. If that was the case, he knew what would likely be asked of him when she woke up and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to pull it off. Mercy killing was never an easy thing to do, especially when it was someone you loved.

“I should have known…” He said, placing a hand on the glass of the tank. “I should have known something wasn’t right when Maskis challenged me like that. He’s not stupid enough to do something that foolish. I shouldn’t have let my temper get the better of me…I should have just walked away…”

“Don’t blame yourself.” One of the Jedi that was helping the medics said. “The Force likely intended things to happen as they did, for whatever reason it only knows.”

“That’s no excuse!” Trazu snapped. “Too often I have let my own sensitivity about my height get the better of me. I should have learned by now to let any comments aimed at such to just slide off my back. Now….Now this…” He looked up at the tank. “…happened…and she may be paralyzed fro the rest of her life. A kind of life I know no proud T’Doshok would want to continue living with. And all because I….” He shook his head. “I’m sorry…” He said, choking back sobs. “With her I had finally healed a gaping hole in my heart that’s been there since my wife died. Now…I may end up losing….” He couldn’t finish the sentence and buried his face in his hands. He felt the Jedi put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Have faith in the Force Trazu. There is a reason for all of this…I am sure of it.”

“There may not be a Force to have faith in soon…” He said under his breath, referring to what he, Dolash, and others discovered on their trip. If the Jedi had heard him, she didn’t show it. Instead she let him be.

“She’s…stable.” Trazu replied softly. “But we won’t really know the extent of the damage until she gets out of there: there’s a chance she may be paralyzed.” Feeling helpless and depressed, he said nothing more and left, just wanting to be alone right now.

Over the couple of days Trazu spent a lot of time being by the tank Asri was in, hoping that everything will turn out all right. The Tuezo he heard complained constantly about the food it was being served. While it was an honest mistake in giving it normal food at first since no one knew what a Tuezo ate, it still complained that the blood it was being given was ‘tasteless’. Trazu honestly didn’t care and felt the damn creature was lucky it was getting fed at all.

On the forth day Trazu entered the medic bay to find a couple of medics talking with a mixture of excitement and worry. “What’s going on?” He asked.

“We did an examination of her last night and found that she is healing much faster then she should be.” One of the medics said. “We knew you guys healed fast…but not this fast.”

His heart felt lightened at the news. “The nanos?” He inquired, feeling it the only possible explanation.

“We have confirmed that it is the nanos that accelerating the healing process.” The medic said with a nod. “But we decided to do some tests and it seems the nanos serve has her immune system as well.”

“There seems to a great cost though.” Another medic added. Trazu wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, but nodded for him to go ahead. “These nanos have become so effective at doing a biological cells job they are slowly replacing them when they die instead of allowing her body to replace them naturally.” He brought up a scan of her tissue, showing clearly how there were nanos taking the place of actual cells in her flesh. “We know with humans, we have a completely new ‘set’ of cells through our bodies every couple decades. It’s probably a faster rate with your species and by our estimation her flesh is already 15% nano. We don’t know how long these things have been in her though, so we can’t accurately project when the conversation process will be complete.”

Trazu was simply stunned. No wonder she was so hesitant about revealing her secrets, especially this little gem. She’s losing her very…humanity… He thought, feeling a great amount of sympathy for her. That must be a horrible thing to face… “Can it be reversed? Stopped even?”

“I suppose it could…” The first medic said. “But the risk that it would result in her death is very high.”

“Thus the decision would be hers to make…if she hasn’t already made it.” Trazu said, mainly to himself. What wasn’t known was how much Asri herself knew of this, though he suspected she knew everything, hence her hesitation to really get close to anyone. Then he overheard one of the medics say:

“Imagine the lives we could save if we can figure how to apply it without this kind of risk.” No doubt the man was referring to the immune system ‘trait’ of these nanos and Trazu found himself sickened that they even thought about using this discovery for their own purposes without Asri’s consent.

“You will do no such thing.” He growled at them. Before they protested he continued. “Think about it…Asri obviously knows about the nanos in her system and if she wanted to share it with anyone she would have done so by now. Besides, we don’t know where she got the nanos from and I suspect it wasn’t willingly, so who knows what kind of fail safes could be built into those things coding? I suggest…for the time being…that you ‘forget’ you even discovered this.”

The doctors estimated that Asri would be healed enough to leave the tank the next day, so Trazu made sure he was there for the process. When they opened the lid however, her eyes snapped open and those eyes were full of panic. Trazu had a safe bet as to why. Before he could say anything to her that could claim her down, she rushed the open hatch of the tank, ripped out the breathing apparatus once she surfaced and jumped out herself, spilling some precious bacta on the floor in the process.

She seemed a little shaky on her legs, but at least she was able to use them, of which Trazu was grateful. Shaky or not though, she was looking at the medics with a violent glint in her eye and Trazu moved quickly to intercept her.

“No need.” He said, blocking her path. “I already told them that they are not to tell anyone.”

If someone not in the know had been in the room they would have been confused, but Asri knew immediately what Trazu was talking about. She looked down at him, despair showing in her dark blue eyes. “You…know?” She asked, her voice a little hoarse due to the breathing apparatus.

“I do.” Trazu confirmed.

“How…much…?” Fear tinged her voice now.

Unsure if there was anyone in the room that didn’t know already or not, Trazu switched to Clan Dialect to be safe. “I knew ef tho nunes in year bedy und thut thoy uro chunging yea.” He said.

Asri sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands. Trazu fetched a blanket and wrapped it around her: he noticed she was crying. “Asri?” He probed.

“You can’t possibly want me now…” Asri said with a sob. “No sensible T’Doshok would if they knew.”

He was reminded his own sister Varcanna, whom was dead certain that no male T’Doshok would even give her a second glance when they found out she was sterile. That is until one of the Clan elite warriors, Silliss, proved her wrong. Trazu was sure he could do the same with Asri. Again.

“Then I must not be a sensible T’Doshok.” Trazu said with a faint smile. Asri looked up at him, tears staining her cheeks and a puzzled and uncertain look on her face. Trazu sat down beside her and gently stroked her face with one hand. “I still love you…Asri.”

“But how…knowing what I will become…and knowing how I will likely be treated once I am…”

“Those challenges we will face when we come to them, not before.” Trazu said. “For it is what you are inside that draws me so. You’ve been through challenges no normal T’Doshok has and they likely wouldn’t have been able to accept such a fate as you have.”

“What makes you think I have accepted this…?”

“You’re still alive.” Trazu pointed out. “You no doubt had plenty of opportunities to end it before now, in an honorable fashion as well. Yet you chose to continue on, despite the hand fate has dealt you. You have a sense of determination to make it through no matter what the task or challenge that rivals even the greatest of T’Doshok. If your father hadn’t been the closed minded fool that he was, he would be very proud of you.”

“Doubtful.” Asri whispered, to which Trazu simply shrugged.

“My own father is proud of you and if you were younger he probably would have adopted you as his own. He recognized your talents and wisdom and holds you in very high regard, hence why he decided to offer you Clan membership. It was his own father, Chikonis, that instilled in him the ability to recognize and respect those kinds of qualities in someone no one else would look twice at. Have you ever heard the story of the Little Thief?”

“N…no….”

“Then I shall tell it. When my father was but a boy he and Chikonis caught a boy in the act of thievery. This boy was an orphan, with no Clan or family to call his own, thus was at the very bottom of the social ladder. The boy, Chikonis was told, had been the bane of Shopkeepers throughout Hsskhor, finding ways to get around the security systems to get what he wanted and no one had been able to catch him. Well, Chikonis and father had a stroke of luck, as they were able to corner him in a dead end alley. Like any trapped animal, the boy put up a fight, throwing anything he could get his claws on at them. He had a good arm, for despite Chikonis’ skill as a warrior he landed several good hits before he was restrained: one hit got him here.” He tapped the point between his eyes. “And that, father believes, is what gave Chikonis pause in just handing the boy over to the authorities. Instead of condemning the boy to a life of prison, or possibly instant death considering his status, Chikonis took him in and raised him as if he was one of his own. Thanks to him, the boy grew into a man who’s skill with a throwing blade are legendary and loyal friend of father to this day.”

The story had the desired effect on Asri, as her mouth was hanging slightly open and the look in her eyes told him she had a new appreciation for Sha’tor Rissonik. “You the boy is still around today…who is he?” She asked, curiously.

“Someone you’ve likely already heard about, if not met already.” Trazu said with a sly grin. “He’s currently the Vice Admiral of the Fleet.”

Asri blinked a moment. “Tiosk!?” Trazu nodded. “I…I haven’t met him, but both Silliss and Rissonik spoke highly of him. I’ve heard some consider him a little crazy though…”

“If you ever get a chance to see him in a space battle…you’ll likely agree.” Trazu said with a chuckle. “It may not seem like it, but he knows the limitations of his crew and ship, so he knows what he can get away with.”

“But what does Tiosk’s past have to do with me?”

“Your past is different from his yes, but like him you are being shown opportunities you otherwise wouldn’t have. It’s up to you to take them.” She was about to say something but he stopped her. “Look at me. Do I look like someone a female T’Doshok would even give me a chance if she only had my looks to go by?”

“Uh….” The look on her face told him she was starting to get his point, but he continued on anyway.

“Yet despite that, my wife saw something in me that she liked enough to propose and have five kids with me.” He chuckled a bit before turning serious. “I see something in you Asri…something that has healed the wound that was made when my wife was so cruelly taken from me. I want to give you the same opportunity my wife gave me when she still lived.”

There was an uneasy silence for the next few minutes, Asri taking her time absorbing Trazu’s words fully. Then suddenly, she lunged for him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. He could hear deep sobs coming from her, but it didn’t bother him in the least as he did his best to wrapping his arms around her.

For they were tears of joy….


(ooc: sappy sappy sappy....anyone need a tissue?)

The medics insisted that Asri stay in medical for another day, which took a lot of arguing from both Asri and Trazu to get them to back down. Once they begrudgingly released her, Trazu got her a robe and escorted her to the Cafeteria, where she happily devoured three kaadu livers. After that, they spent some bonding time together, in the privacy of Asri’s room, before Asri fell asleep. Trazu didn’t mind at all that she fell asleep on him, in fact he quite enjoyed watching her sleep until his own need for rest finally drove him back to his own room.

The next day Asri was dancing again and Trazu noticed there was a new intensity, a new sense of confidence, in her dance. This confidence was evident not just in her dancing, but in the way she carried herself when not dancing. It was like she had been reborn into a new happy life and Trazu felt a beam of pride knowing that he was the one that triggered it.

Afterward, Trazu helped smooth out the knots in her muscles by massaging them, which was a challenge as there was a lot of ‘her’ to cover for one his size. “You sure you never took lessons in this.” She merred, as he worked on her back muscles.

“Never. Though my wife would give me massages, so I guess I picked up the ability from her.” Trazu said with a faint chuckle.

“You’d be ‘dangerous’ if you ever did take proper lessons.” Asri said, looking back at him with a grin. “I’ll happily be your first ‘victim’ at any rate.”

Another chuckle. “Did you always get sore after one of your practice sessions?” He asked, turning slightly serious.

“No.” Asri replied. “Since I wasn’t getting any proper food during my time in the tank, the nanos had to take resources from else where to repair my body. In this case, they ‘borrowed’ from my muscles, which should be back to ‘normal’ in a couple of days I reckon.”

Trazu didn’t like the way she used the word ‘repair’ rather then ‘heal’, but let it slide. For her continued mental health it was best if she accepted what she was going to eventually become and Trazu along with her. “These nanos seem very picky on what they accept as substance.” Trazu said. “I’ve only seen you eat liver.”

“It’s the metallic content they are after.” Asri explained. “Blood and liver are the only things I’ve found so far that they’ll all me to actually keep in my stomach. A good thing our species is are carnivores…otherwise I may be having a harder time with it.”

“Still must be hard in some places though: I remember the look on the attendants face the first day you were here when you made your order.”

“It can be.” Asri said with a chuckle. “If all else fails I’d go hunting for game in the wild or…” She stopped herself suddenly and Trazu could feel her tense under his hands.

“Or what?” Trazu pressed, not sure he wanted to know.

“When things were really hard, like when I was poor and homeless on Corusant, I would hunt the vagabonds and other lowlifes. It wasn’t something I was proud of as I knew I would have eventually gotten caught. Fortunately, it wasn’t the police that caught me in the act…”

“The Sith?”

“Yes…still makes me wonder how I was able to keep him from knowing what I was really up to when I decided to leave his ‘care’.”

“I think I know why.” Asri twisted around to look at him, an inquiring look on her face. “The creature that attacked you…to get to Lavality, it told me it couldn’t read your mind because of the metal in your body. The abilities of that thing were very similar to the Force, so with that in mind I think the nanos have made you immune to mind tricks and what not.”

“Makes sense…” She said softly. “You can’t mind trick a droid after all…”

“I wouldn’t advise letting it be known.” Trazu suggested. “If the Jedi find out, they may be less inclined to trust you, since you have your own mind rather then programmed like a droid.”

“A reasonable precaution.” Asri said, nodding in agreement. Then her face dropped, a sad thought apparently coming to surface. “Here’s something we haven’t considered though as far as our relationship goes.” She said. “How do we know I won’t ‘change’ mentally as I become more…inorganic.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it Asri.” Trazu said with smile. “There’s little sense in worrying about ‘what ifs’ right now.” He touched his nose with hers, which ended up being their first kiss. Unfortunately this moment was interrupted when the Force decided now was the prefect time to show him a vision.

“What’s wrong?” Asri asked when he pulled away, having seen the far away look in his eyes.

Trazu quiet for a couple of minutes as he interpreted the vision, which was of a little girl getting on a ship by herself, loaded with an assortment of melee weapons. There was little question on who the girl was. “Lavality’s fixing to taken a trip…by herself.” Trazu said with a sigh. “We better go find her before it’s too late.”

“That girl is nearly as bad as Trissan.” Asri muttered as she slipped on something more appropriate.

They cornered Lavality in one of the hallways, with knowing expressions on their faces. “Fixing to go on an adventure without bodyguards?” Trazu said with a smile, his arms folded across his chest. “You know the Fleet would have our hides if they found out and something happened to you.”

“Take me with you.” A small voice said. Trazu looked behind him to see one of the younglings and frowned.

“I doubt your Master would permit such a thing.” Trazu said.

“No no…not him…” The boy poked his chest. “Me, the one you have locked up down here…remember?”

It took a moment for Trazu to piece together what this kid was talking about. Once he figured out he was both surprised and a bit disturbed that this was that blasted Tuezo talking to them: he had honestly forgotten about the creature until now. “What did you do to the boy!?” He demanded.

“Just borrowed his mind for a bit.” The boy…no Tuezo…replied. “He won’t remember anything I did with it when I release him. No harm done…save for a bit of embarrassment perhaps.”

“And why should we take you with us?” Asri snarled.

The boy/Tuezo glanced at her, but kept his focus on Trazu. “I can help you find the one you seek.” He looked at Lavality. “I remember where I accept the job, perhaps find an important clue there?”

“Or a trap.” Trazu growled. “You could just be setting us up so you’ll still get that hefty bounty on Lavality’s head.”

The Tuezo snorted. “Tuezo have little use for credits, it’s only the blood meal we get from our victims we want, a blood meal with a promised lack of retribution from the local authorities. This one, the monster lizard, gave no such guarantees I wouldn’t be punished for that deed. Gave me picture, spoke of double money if task is done in a week, then walked away without allowing me to explain my kinds usual ‘terms’. He’ll learn the hard way now, as he basically set me up.”

“So he took you at face value and didn’t bother to do any research into your species.” Asri said, sounding a little intrigued at the creatures habits: perhaps because she lived a similar lifestyle not so long ago. “Sounds like you want payback.”

“What he did…or didn’t do rather, was basically a double cross.” The Tuezo said, with a hiss. “Tuezo don’t like getting double crossed. We hold a grudge a very long time until guilty party is punished.”

“And how do we guarantee you won’t try to kill us anyway?”

“He defeated me.” The boy/Tuezo pointed at Trazu. “Thus he has my respect. Any a Tuezo respects is safe from that Tuezo. Same with close friends or allies of him.”

“We only have your word on this regarding your kinds habits and behaviors.” Trazu said warily. “And since you are speaking through another I can’t use the Force to determine you are telling the truth.”

“Come to me then.” The boy/Tuezo said. “I can’t keep this up any longer anyway. A strain it is…”

The boy suddenly blinked and looked around, obviously confused at his current whereabouts. “Wha…what happened?” He squeaked.

“You were sleepwalking dear.” Asri said.

“During the day?”

“Stranger things have happened.” The albino said with smile. “Go on, your Master is probably wondering where you went.”

The boy, not wanting to ponder this mystery any further, simply nodded and ran off. When the boy was out of sight and they were sure they were alone in the hallway again, Trazu spoke.

“So…should we see about confirming the ‘truthfulness’ of this thing by getting face to face with it? It may respect me, but I trust it about as far as I can throw it…without using the Force.” He folded his arms. “If we do go down there, it probably be best if Maskis stayed up here.” When Maskis looked about to protest Trazu cut him off. “No offense Maskis, but it’s very clear that thing’s mental influence is what caused you to act so strange and challenge me a few days ago. We can’t risk it using you against us again.”