The Rebel Faction

<font color=CC3333>Vess watched Ren make his way out onto the balcony, and rising she started to follow but stopped herself. She could sense form him the desire to be alone at that moment and reluctantly she turned back to Kas. " If you will excuse me, Mr. Kata, I would like to freshen up."

Standing inside the elaborate bath room she stared at herself in the large mirrors, her once bright eyes reflecting dim and weary. It felt odd, turning on the ornate faucets of the shower stall. Even those tasks necessary for day to day life seemed pointless now, a waste of time that could be speant searching. Sleeping, eating, her ribs were starting to show beneath her pale skin as she removed the clothing she had worn for days.

Steaming water cascaded over her body when she stepped into the stall and she closed her eyes, letting the warmth wash the tension from her muscles. Her eyes closed, inhaling the fragrant aroma's of the soap , the smell sending her memories back to how it was before.

What would happen if - no, she couldn't think like that. When they found the children, what would happen? They were the heirs to the Hapan throne, but so much had changed. Dakkon had a new life, and she was with Ren now.

And how she needed him! Not just as a means to her children, but he guided her, protected her from the demons of the past, and when they were together he made those demons receed. She felt she could survive this, even if gods forbid she never got her children back, so long as he was beside her.

The water continued to run, as did the thoughts in her head.

What would happend when...

Kamon continued to walk with Dakkon but he lost concentration by watching the tube. It was interesting but he couldn't puzzle out what it was.

"Dakkon. What is that thing? Its interesting. Reminds me of some kind of shoot."

He went back to concentrating on Ren for a moment. It was interesting. What kind of deadly danger would he be in.

"There is the possibility that he is helping another Force user out. I have no idea who it could be though."

Kamon strapped in and they shot off like a rocket. He had to yell to be heard.

"Not Ren. There is no way he would be involved in the Spice cartel. What about here? Was he in contact with any Jedi besides yourself while he resided here?"

He had to stop talking for a little bit in order to take a breath. He was losing air capacity because of the speeds at which they were traveling. Hed have to work on holding his breath a little longer.

Stumbling back into the empty sitting room, Ren clutched the sides of his head in a vain effort to dull the pounding pain that cracked through his head, blasting every synapse and neuron into a thousand pieces.

He slumped against the wall, tugging tightly at his hair, and then, the pain was gone, leaving Ren gasping for a breath. His eyes widened, his head looking around, homing back in on his surroundings, a look of shock and desperation on his face.


<font color=lime>I . . .I have to get out. <font color=white> Thought Ren.<font color=lime> I have to leave.


<font color=white>Collecting his thoughts and robes he slipped out of the apartment and out of harms way.


............................


The Nerf's Turf Inn, a most downtrodden little keep if there was ever was one.

At the bar, sat a foul looking array of scum . . . Snivvians, Weequay and the odd Nikto or two, all dulling thier respective daily tribulations in the anesthesia that is alcahol, and at the centre of the group was the Jedi Master. The master's eye's locked onto the one glass of ale that he'd grasped tightly without relent for the last fifteen minutes. His gaze sinking deeper into the murky liquid with every passing second.The drink stared back, like a reflection of himself, dark, cold, and bitter. It's fiery centre only contained by the thin glass that surrounded it, a volitile concotion of unstable matter.

The glass, if it were to magically come away, it would release it's foul contents upon the world and leave a black mark.

A stain.

However he could drink the ale, and it would be gone, lost, and forgotten. Just another everyday throwaway commodity. Easily replacable.

Though, before the drink was downed, for that single solitary moment it glided across his tongue, it had fullfilled it's purpose. It quenched and relieved, it had left it's taste, it's mark.


Placing the glass steadily back on the table along with a credit chip, the tiniest of smiles formed across his lips.

Like the glass, he was clear now, more than he'd ever been.

Ren stood up from his barstool, and left the dank little Inn forever.


"What's with him?" asked one of the patrons to the barkeep.


"Hell knows," responded the barman, "Only had the one drink."

Dakkon shook his head, again just as much as the straps and velocity would allow.

"He knows already all the information we have about my brother. If we knew where he was, he'd be dead. It would be stupid to think we would hide any information from him regarding Lupercus.

It has to be something else..."

As they reached the point of terminal velocity, only in reverse, the craft began to rapidly slow, and for a moment everything went black. Suddenly they burst back into the light, only it was artificial. They had reached their destination.