The Rebel Faction

~Korribon…that’s what I thought.~ Trazu said to the spirit. ~We killed the first Miknak there….so perhaps during the fight….

His sentence was interrupted when Lavality shouted her warning, only then did he sense the threat via the force. He had been so engrossed in his own thoughts he hadn’t been paying attention to the Force.

“Lavality!” Asri yelled as the girl took the shot that was meant for Trazu. Tiosk reacted immediately, throwing one of his daggers at the spot the blaster fire came from. It hit…something…but didn’t disengage the cloaking device. The dagger started ‘moving’ of it’s own accord before it was torn out and tossed aside. By then though Trazu had regained his senses and directed a Force blast at the cloaked figure, sending it crashing into the doorframe it was trying to escape through.

“Get medical in here!” Rissonik shouted into a comm. unit.

“Not even in my own home can I have a meeting without an attempt on someone’s life!” Naosha growled as Trazu ignited is lightsaber and pointed it at the now decloaked figure throat.

“I suggest you start talking.” He growled. “There’s several people in this room that don’t mind using torture…so how about saving yourself some pain. Now who sent you!?”

Trazu growled. “We’ll make you talk then.” He hissed.

“Go ahead and try runt.” The Trandoshan said definitely. “Nothing this Clan can do will make me talk.”

By now Rissonik got a chance to get a look at the man and his eyes narrowed. “I know you.” He said with a faint growl. “You were one of the K’Satikur that left during my amnesty period at the start of the Separatist Movement.”

“What of it old man?” The man snarled. “Yeah I left, damn good thing too: I wasn’t going to associate myself with a bunch of ‘people’ that are weakening our race as a whole.”

“You’re entitled to your opinion, however…your actions have negated the amnesty you left under.” Rissonik said harshly.

The man looked confused. “And that affects me ‘now’ in what way?”

“The amnesty only remains in affect so long as you never do any direct action against the Clan you left. Basically, even if you had cooperated, your life is forfeit now because of what you did today.”

“Pffft….so? I figured I would be killed on this mission anyway.”

Rissonik leaned close to him. “Yes…but normally it would be an instant death. However, considering the circumstances….we may decide upon a slow and agonizing death…one that even a K’Satikur couldn’t with stand.”

The man blinked slowly, then laughed. “The only one you had trained to do the extreme executions died years ago and I know you haven’t trained another!”

“Oh?” Rissonik raised a brow. “Don’t be so sure….” He walked over to the comm. unit and got a hold of one of the Keshir. “Find and send in Tiskus please.”

Now the man looked a bit worried. “He’s dead….I know he is! He can’t be alive!” He protested.

“Wrong…” Naosha said calmly from her seat. “We found him alive on Tissuss, his body mutated and fused with cyborg parts. I’m sure he’ll be ‘happy’ to see you: I think he’s picked up a few new tricks….”

The traitor suddenly tried to impale himself on Trazu’s ligthsaber, but Trazu foresaw it and moved the saber away in time while pinning the man to the floor with the Force. “You can avoid this fate….if you tell us what you know.” Trazu said calmly.

Meanwhile, Asri was only half listening to the exchange, her attention divided between her injured half-daughter and the confrontation. With her good arm she helped Lavality sit up. Purely by accident she touched the tip of her claw to her blood. She frowned when she noticed this, but wasn’t ‘too’ concerned: after all, a virus couldn’t possibility infect her through her claw could it? Besides what worried her more was that the blood was an odd color: it was red, but there were hints of blue in it as well. Didn’t know viri could change the color of your blood… She thought as she looked for a tissue or something to wipe her claw off on: she didn’t want to accidentally touch somewhere that the virus ‘could’ infect through.

As she reached to grab a tissue she paused, noticing something else, something a bit more frightening. The blood, though it only covered just the very tip of her claw, seemed to have spread to cover more of it: it was covering about a fourth of her claw now and was completely blue. Can’t be. Asri thought. Viri can’t do that! It dawned on her quickly what could though: nanotech. Realizing that she could be seriously in trouble, this virus was decidedly much more deadly then the one she was infected with, she wanted to call out to Trazu, to anyone really, to cut off her finger, if not her whole hand! By now the ‘blue’ had spread to halfway up her claw and within a couple more moments would reach her actual flesh. She found herself unable to speak though, mesmerized by the slowly spreading blue part of her claw and wondering why her own nanos weren’t recognizing the thread to it’s host.

Then suddenly it stopped. Before her eyes the blue rapidly retreated, replaced by the more familiar silver of her own nanos. All that was left of the incident was the actual blood, with no hint of blue it anymore. Asri wasn’t sure what to make of this….did her own nanos attack the invading nanos or did the invading nanos take on the color of her nanos? She prayed it was the former and not the latter….

The man looked around with some uncertainy, then his face hardened and he spat in Trazu's face. "Tiskus is dead." He growled. "You have no one that can get the information out of me."

Just then there was a ring at the door: it had to be Tiskus as if he knocked there would be a dent in the door. "Don't be so sure...." Rissonik growled to the man before saying. "Come in!"

The door opened and the massive bulk of the cyborg Tiskus suddenly filled the double doors: it was a good thing they had double doors, otherwise the man would never get in. Either way he had to stoop a little to walk in. "You summoned me Sha'tor?" He said.

"That's Tiskus!?" Natira said, agast at the sight.

"Yes..." Tiosk replied. "Poor man, he crash landed on Tissuss some years ago and was 'recovered' by a group of Imperial researchers. They turned him into this."

There was a sudden stench of urine and the traitor tried to bolt, but Trazu caught him via the Force and pinned him down again. "Yes Tiskus." Rissonik said then pointed out the man. "This man here is a former K'Satikur Warrior, one that left during the amnesty period I gave when the Clan spit at the start of the Separatist Movement. He just negated the terms of said amnesty period by attempting to take Trazu's life."

"I see." Tiskus' eyes narrowed as he looked down at the man. "Deak sentence?"

"Eventually. We want to know what he knows, but of course he is being stubborn."

Tiskus' abnormally long snout formed a toothy grin. "I like kose ke best." Tiskus looked around at the room and frowned. "Can you kave kim transported to my 'skop'? I don't want to risk kreaking anyking in kere...."

"Or we can meet up outside and give him to you then." Trazu said with a grin. "That way there's not such a big chance of him getting away."

Tiskus grinned again and nodded before stepping back outside. Trazu forced the man to his feet and marched him outside, using the Force to keep him in line. Once Tiskus had a firm hold on the man Trazu released him from the Force and naturally the man started struggling. However Tiskus' grip seemed to be just as strong as the Force and the man had no chance to get away, leaving him only to lose what pride he had left by screaming and begging for his life as Tiskus carried him away.

"Let us know if he says anything or not. Don't kill him yet." Trazu called after him before heading back in. ~I suggest going with.~ Trazu told the spirit. ~If anything so I can get a faster heads up on whether physical torture will work. If not I may have to use mental....~

It was at that point the medical team finally arrived and Rissonik glared at them in disappointment. "You're response time is dismal and you're lucky this doesn't appear to be a life threatening injury." He growled.

"I...I....sorry sir." One of the team said. "It won't happen again."

"It better not." Rissonik warned. "Otherwise I may have to reconsider your contract."

The team glupped and started to work on Lavaliy. "Make sure you are wearing very good protection." Trazu warned them. "We recently learned she was infected with a potentially very contagious virus."

"Nanotech...." Asri breathed so softly that only the medics and Trazu only just heard.

"What?" Trazu asked her.

"It's not a biological virus...it's nanotech." Asri told them. "A biological virus wouldn't turn her blood partly blue...."

Trazu could tell in her face there was something else, but what was more important at that moment was getting Lavality treated. "You heard her. Take every precaution you can think of." He told them as they put her on a stretcher and wheeled her out.

"I'll contact her the station and ask them to send a team of their own here." Rissonik said. "They would know better how to treat her in this case."

Tiskus carried the man to the arena, where his shop was. He punched in the door code only to find it didn't work. With a growl he asked one of the K'Satikur warriors if they had changed the code.

"Yes." The warrior said. "Right after the split actually as a precaution in case the warriors that had left would tattle it to any low life that would have wanted to loot the arena. They looted every other place here....anyway, here's the new code."

"Kank you." Tiskus said as he was finally able to walk into the arena.

The arena was really a maze of halls and rooms, with a main hallway that led to an actual arena where warriors could hone their fighting skills. Tiskus' 'shop' however was just around the corner from the entrance, though the hallway he had to go down was a bit narrow for him. Fortunately, his 'shop' entrance had double doors, so he was able to enter it easily.

The room had an assortment of knives and other instruments on tables and racks that were arranged around a set of two poles: these had two shackles each, one at the top and another at the bottom. Tiskus held him in place with one powerful arm between these poles and shackled him to it with his othe arm and with assistance of his tail. He then proceeded to strip the man, easily ripping the clothing off him and 'accidently' leaving a few scratches from his sharp claws. But he knew those kinds of wounds wouldn't faze the man and started looking over his tools, trying to decide which one to use first.

"It's keen a long time since I did kis." He told the man as he finally made his first choice. "So my kand may not ke as steady." He grinned at the man as he moved around to front of him. "Not kat I care of course."

The man was quiet, but the fear was evident in his eyes and the way his body shook Tiskus leaned close to his face. "Kefore I kegin...you kave one last chance to avoid kis fate. You going to talk? Or am I going to kave some fun wik you?"

Meanwhile Trazu was look at Asri with concern. She seemed very nervous and frightened, but he hadn't seen or heard anything that would make her so, at least not recently. Was it the talk about the Rebellion again? He thought, remembering what she said before. no...it's something else....

"How did you figure out she was infected with nanotech." Rane asked her, something Trazu was slightly curious himself as from what he could tell, Lavality's blood had been normal looking.

"I..." Asri started, sounding very reluctant and Trazu getting a bad feeling. "I was helping her to sit up...when I accidently touched some of her blood. It was just the tip of my claw...so I thought I was ok, but when it started 'advancing' up my claw...."

Trazu took a good look at her claws, but didn't see anything. "You think you infected yourself with her 'virus'." Trazu said, his voice full of worry. "But I don't see any trace...."

"That's just it...I don't know if..." She glanced at Tiosk, Natira, and Rane, they were the only ones in the room that didn't know, before adding quietly. "My own defeated them or if her's 'disguised' themselves like my own....."

"When Lavality's medical team gets here, we should have them check you as well." Trazu said. "Goddess please let it be the former...."

"Do you feel anything, beyond the things related to your recent injury of course?" Trazu asked Asri.

"No...but I'm not about to concider that a good sign...as it may take a while for that virus to build up enough numbers to really start affecting me." Came the reply.

Just then one of hte Seren nurses came in. "Sirs, madams. I was tasked to ask if any one here got into direct contact with the Admiral." She asked.

Asri and Trazu looked at each other before Asri rose to her feet, nearly falling over in the process but Trazu held her steady. "I was....and I already know I may be infected...." Asri replied.

"Please come with me mam." The nurse said, beckoning her to follow. Trazu helped Asri out of the manor and head toward the clinic, which fortunately wasn't far away.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Varcanna asked, looking concerned.

"Out of everyone here she has the best chance." Rissonik said and noticed out of the corner of his eye Rane nodding in agreement. "You know? How?" He asked him.

"I'm a very observent individual." Rane replied with a slight grin. "I noticed 'it' when I saw her in the clinic on the way over to the station."

"'It'?" Natira asked, Tiosk having the same questioning expression as did Naosha and Varcanna.

"It's related to Asri's past." Rissonik said. "But we are not at liberty to tell it."

Meanwhile Trazu took the opportunity to let the nurse in on Asri's 'unique' condition when they were out of everyone elses ear shot.

"I don't know if you are the same group that had treated Asri before, but there's a chance that Asri beat the virus on her own." He told her.

The nurse blinked at him. "How? We've been trying for years to find a way to kill it." She asked.

"Nanotech." Asri replied. "My body is infested with it, has been for years. There's a chance my nanos 'rejected' the ones in Lavality."

"We will have to confirm this...if this is true then...no...I won't say anything until we confirm the possibility." The nurse said as they arrived at the clinic.