A Tangled Web

[Mantic Dorn]

Folding his hands in front of him Mantic was not sure what to make of the elderly man. He did not seem serious, but then playing dumb or at least somewhat disoriented could be a disguise fitting for someone far more powerful then meet the eye.

"Should we not move to the hangars?" he asked. directing his question to [member="Fixx Kearney"]

Whatever was going on they needed to get [member="Lady Kay"] into custody, for either the SiS or the senate to decide the next step in her case. Standing there he remained at the senators side aware of that dangers could arise should she be more entangled then they would dare guess, maybe more entangled then she herself would dare guess.

[member="The Page Master"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was shocked to see [member="The Page Master"]. When she last saw him he was dying and disappeared in her arms. She figured that he had become one with the Force. But clearly that wasn't the case.

Yet this little venture wasn't his doing. It was hers. Instead of her lawyer she got a friend. Nothing wrong with having a friend in dire circumstances.

She got to her feet, especially since [member="Mantic Dorn"] suggested that they all leave her office. "Nice to see you too Page Master. You look well. These fine gentlemen are here to escort me to the Capitol. I'm in a bit of trouble and I need to see it through." Kay looked over to [member="Fixx Kearney"] briefly. "I'm sure that some of it is just a misunderstanding and assumptions, but everything will turn out right in the end."

She did her best not to look suspicious as she grabbed her satchel, slinging it over her shoulder. "Oh....did you want to look in it first?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

"Good idea. We're achieving nothing here. Come on,” he said to [member="Mantic Dorn"].

Fix moved past [member="The Page Master"] and opened the door, holding it open with his back and nodding to [member="Lady Kay"].

"Mantic, can you lead the way to the rear hangar? The less attention we draw the better. As soon as the transport arrives then we move.”

He moved his eyes to the Senator and smiled; a half-smile, but and honest one.

"Senator,” he said, gesturing to the hallway outside. He then looked to the one known as Page Master. "Good day. Wizard.”

He had a job to do, and people arriving whom he had no knowledge of wasn't what he was here to monitor. He started out behind the Senator.

 

[Mantic Dorn]

Mantic nodded toward [member="Fixx Kearney"] and moved passed him. He closed his robes around him and tightened the knot of the rope holding it together. While hopefully there would be little danger they were all on very uncertain ground here.
With the [member="The Page Master"] at the door Mantic smiled as he walked through the door without forcing himself through.

"A pleasure.... hr... hm." he tried but knew not how to continue so he kept walking to abide with the republic agents wishes.

the hangars... should be that way he figured. While he did keep a distance on the walk there he would not allow his senses to be lowered. To much was at stake here.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[The Page Master]

"Good day. Wizard.”

Cheeky little bugger, isn't he? But, then again, that was the Page Master in a nutshell. You could say that [member="Fixx Kearney"] was a "man after his own heart"...Well, it was a close enough phrase for this case.

"A pleasure.... hr... hm."

This one was an odd one. Seemingly seized by indecision, [member="Mantic Dorn"] decided to make grunts and pass it off as polite conversation. No matter. The Page Master himself had growled like a tiger to communicate with natives in one of his adventures.

He addressed all three of them as he started to follow behind, "May I, perhaps, walk and talk with my friend, [member="Lady Kay"]? Catch up for old time's sake? I'll pop off as soon as this transport shows up, of course."

 

[Faith Organa]

The transport pulled up to the level below the Senators floor, two guards jumped out to secure a passage. Faith watched from her window never had she thought she would see this Republic guards headed into a Republic building going after a Republic Senator.

Would [member="Fixx Kearney"] be able to pull this off?

She moved over to her desk looking for a frequency that the Agents used when communicating with her, or with one of the handlers. She tried the first one no signal, second, third, she had to ask the PM about this, finally on the fourth time she was able to send a message

Agent Kearney your transport is one floor below the Senator's Offices. Do you need further assistance? Asking if he needed assistance was certainly better than move your arse and get the feth out of there. Which of course was what she was thinking. She understood that there shouldn't be any danger right now, from anyone.

But.

What if she was wrong, she couldn't afford to take that risk.

[member="The Page Master"] [member="Mantic Dorn"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The message came through from [member="Faith Balor-Organa"]. Right now, [member="The Page Master"] could do what he wanted; Fixx had to get to that transport. Something was going on, and he had a bad feeling about it.

"Just be ready, ma’am,” he said quietly into his wrist com.

The turned instinctively to check behind them as the Page Master walked past to accompany [member="Lady Kay"].

"One floor down, Mantic. Transport is waiting.”

He called over his shoulder [member="Mantic Dorn"], keeping a good pace and moving through the muted walls of the Republic offices, pictures on the walls and a few bodies watching the quartet (and what a quarter they were – a Jedi, a Senator, a civilian and a wizard?)

The offices of the Minister weren’t far away, close enough to see the Senate quarters where they were now, but far enough to feel there was still a huge chasm between getting from A to B in one piece.

But Fixx was confident this would be easy enough. Nobody knew what was happening, it was all contained within these walls. Just as intelligence operations should – silent and swift.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was a little encouraged by [member="Fixx Kearney"] 's smile. Maybe he didn't hate her after all. She headed out of the office and followed [member="Mantic Dorn"], her hand clutching the strap of her satchel. Everyone knew that she always took the bag with her, so seeing her with it now, as opposed to the agent or the Jedi, gave them little cause to be concerned with the situation.

She looked down to [member="The Page Master"] as he walked along with them. "I guess that we don't have a lot of time. But I'm glad to see you alive. I haven't seen nor heard from the others in that adventure we shared. I hope that they are alright. As far as my adventures, I've had plenty. Though I'm afraid that I've broken and bent a few rules along the way. So....I'm going to be held account for it. At first I thought the situation was dire, but now, I think that there's hope for me still."

As Kay was yattering away, the four of them had walked down the stairs to the next level where the transport was. Seeing the guards gave her a bit of hesitation however. But she had to do this. Sort of clear her name and ensure the Republic that she was not their enemy. And ensure [member="Faith Balor-Organa"] that she was still a good person despite hiding her gifts.

 

[The Page Master]

The Page Master walked casually along with the others, his hands in his pockets. He listened to what [member="Lady Kay"] had to say with a serious, concerned demeanor. His shades were removed so he could see eye to eye with her. If life was a winding road, shortcuts and cheating were peoples' attempts to shape the road to skip over hardship and get to the end prize faster. The common tools for such a task usually involved stealing, lying, and other similar acts. He spoke up and tried to offer some wisdom. But first, he pulled an un-bloomed rose out of his sleeve. The petals were tucked up like a bulb.

"You see, Kay...You are this beautiful flower; unique in every way. From the overall beauty to the specific dots, marks, and features that make you who you are. But, all of the sneaking around..." He raised his hand over the flower and blocked the light from it. The flower then started shifting around like a snake, peeking around this side and that of his hand in an attempt to catch the light. "...isn't beneficial in the end. Sure, you're getting the light that you need, but you're not flourishing as you were intended to do so. If you keep living in such a way,..." He took his other hand away and did nothing to block the light. However, the rose stiffened and stayed bent at a gnarled angle. "...even the friends and people you're fighting for will cease to trust you. If you wish to earn that trust back, you're going to have to go through a painful ordeal..."

He steadied the flower in one hand and grabbed the top of the stem (under the bulb) and clenched his hand around it. Then, he dragged his hand down the length of the thorny stem, stripping the stem of its thorns. At first, tears welled up in his eyes as the thorns initially bit into his skin. Halfway down the stem, a long tear streaked down his cheek and a most quiet whimper of pain came from his throat (of which only Lady Kay could hear). Finally, the stem was now perfectly straight and free of thorns. The Page Master opened his fist and a bloody mess of thorns dropped and splatted on the ground. Soon after it landed, the blood and thorns sizzled away and up into wispy, grey smoke which dispersed quickly. His hand was fine; no longer bloody. "...But, it's worth it." He smiled and offered her the flower.

He flicked the tears away and said, "Is there anything I may do to help, mi'lady?"

[member="Fixx Kearney"]
[member="Faith Balor-Organa"]
[member="Mantic Dorn"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay listened and watched [member="The Page Master"] as he worked on giving her a valuable lesson on life. It was almost as though she was getting a lecture from him. But what he had to say and show her did have a good point. She frowned a little and lowered her head. "I know. I wasn't trying to cut corners. But...I didn't ask others in the Republic for help. I figured that what I was doing wasn't important enough for them. And it was dangerous. I didn't want any of their blood on my hands..."

She sighed and took the rose. "I will see this through. Running will just get me into more trouble or get me killed. I think that I'm in enough trouble as it is." She glanced over to @Fixx Kearny and [member="Mantic Dorn"] as they approached the guards and the transport, before giving the Page Master a hug. "I have some rescued slaves that are on their way to Bakura. Do you think that you could help them to settle in? I was on my way to do that when all of this happened. But I'll get over there as soon as this is all over."

[member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Faith Balor-Organa"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The stream of light outside guided them across the way to the transport which could be seen hovering with the city framed behind it, two guards stood waiting for [member="Mantic Dorn"] still leading the way. The skyline was busy, but everything seemed normal. Fixx did another glance behind him, but nothing was out of the ordinary, except that fool [member="The Page Master"] chatting to [member="Lady Kay"]. He didn’t like it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll be so kind as to get on board as quickly as possible when we get outside, that would be lovely.”

They were coming into the open air now; prime picking for someone to take a shot. Why was the wizard here? What part was he truly playing in all of this? Fixx moved a little quicker beside Kay.

"I know you don’t trust me, but if anything happens don’t let me out of your sight,” he said, a little quieter.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Mantic Dorn]

Mantic boarded the shuttle, glancing around he bowed to the minister of intelligence and proceeded inside positioning himself further in to oversee the seats and make sure no one disturbed the pilot in the cock pit.

From there he would assist [member="Fixx Kearney"] if needed otherwise stay put.
He was a hopeless spacer and was not comfortable with the idea of escorting this high profile prisoner.
But he knew the necessity of the mission and awaited for everyone to settle in before he himself followed suit.

[member="The Page Master"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Faith Balor-Organa"]t [member="Fixx Kearney"] [member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

When [member="Fixx Kearney"] stepped closer and spoke quietly, Kay was a little shocked at what he had said. Her respect for him was growing with each passing moment as she came to learn how he did his job and why. Something was making him nervous. She took a hold of his arm and gave it a little squeeze in reassurance. "I trust you and your instincts. I'll keep close."

Her eyes went to [member="Mantic Dorn"] for a moment. What were his instincts telling him? Was it with the same worry as Fixx? She bowed her head to [member="The Page Master"] and then got on board of the transport. Finding a seat was easy. She took up a chair in the middle and placed her satchel on her lap, tucking the rose inside of it. Now the real work begins. Though in all fairness she found herself just to be a distraction for the Republic instead of them getting to the real issue. But it was not the time nor place to talk about it right now.

 

[The Page Master]

"Goodbye, mi'lady!" called the Page Master to his leaving friend as she and the others traveled up the entry ramp. "Until we meet again!"

And with that, he angled his palm flat, like he was about to do Force Push, and aimed it towards the ground. An umbrella discharged from his sleeve like an assassin's blade, but he caught the handle of it before it got out of reach. As soon as he grabbed the handle, he brought the umbrella up and opened it in one smooth movement. When the umbrella was pointed upwards, he took off and flew off into the distance. When he was but a dot in the distance, the dot became a twinkle of light and then it was gone.

[member="Mantic Dorn"]
[member="Fixx Kearney"]

([member="Lady Kay"]: Just mention Matthew when you're at the point where legal representation is needed. Also, if you could PM a general listing of what went down that got you in trouble, that'd be great)

 

[Darth Ferus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfR238kimYU​

​

A hum matching the song sounded off from the pilot seat. Music seemed to fill the air, and the soldier sitting in the pilot seat seemed to be enjoying it quick a lot. He was silent as [member="Mantic Dorn"] , [member="Lady Kay"] , and [member="Fixx Kearney"] came on board. Slowly the doors closed as the trio entered, and already something seemed off. There were no guards to greet them. In fact, there were none around.​

​

The doors shut tight, and sealed. The acess pannel shut off. It was a trap. Still humming from the front seat the image of a pilot would fade, turning to that of a droid. Quickly the shuttle took off, going in a very, very wrong direction. From the dark corner of the room a new presense exploded, filling the room itself. "The Lady Kay. I told you to keep your presense hidden. And this is what you do? If I hadn't been keeping tabs, I might have lost you to the Jedi. Did you hear how much the Jedi feared you because of what you could do? And that's not even much." Slowly the Sith Lord began to step out of the shadows, the darkness forming into a man. Deep red eyes formed, narrowing in hate. "Why did you have to go back on our agreement?"​

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay's heart felt like it leapt up to her throat, while at the same time, a chill went up her spine as [member="Darth Ferus"] made his presence known. He had been watching her and now [member="Fixx Kearney"] and [member="Mantic Dorn"] were caught in the middle.

She wanted to shrink away as she had never seen him angry before, never quite felt it. But instead she stood up, holding her satchel to the side. "I didn't go back on it. I still have time left. I asked for a week and that was four days ago. You granted me permission to look for an alternative and that's exactly what I am doing....."

She glanced over to Mantic before turning her attention back to Ferus. "The Jedi are not afraid of me. They are just....curious. Curious as to why I hid. That's all."

Mantic might be able to protect himself against Ferus, but Fixx was not Force sensitive. She remembered what he had said just before they boarded, so she side stepped a couple of paces so that she was almost blocking him from the Sith Lord. "Please, M'Lord, let us continue our journey so that I may work on an arrangement for the prisoners."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Getting on the transport, Fixx had the same feeling he had months before stepping onto the Republic transport with Kayleigh. Something was wrong, and it was too late to do anything about it now. The chill swept over as he stood, and the voice broke from the side of the hold.

A voice emerged and following it came a figure - [member="Darth Ferus"] - addressing [member="Lady Kay"] which signalled this was one of the Sith she may have had dealings with. Fixx glanced to [member="Mantic Dorn"], and then back to their unexpected visitor.

Fixx remained calm, holding onto the rail above their heads, knowing that only an idoit would try anything stupid in this situation. The transport was moving off now so that threw a hydrospanner in the works. Kay spoke up, finally seeing her place of authority and attempting to do the right thing and show her true nature. His blue eyes watched this hooded figure – typical Sith, he thought.

"Well, I don’t know about you, Sith, but I think what the Senator says makes perfect sense. Why don’t you let us on our way and we can settle this once I’m done with her.”

His voice was calm and devoid of plea or bargaining. Fixx was scoping the Sith out and saying things how it was. He knew the advantages the Force warriors had, but there was no point cowering from them in a situation such as this. He’d faced down worse. Just.

 

[Mantic Dorn]

As the shuttle lift off Mantic had no idea something was wrong. Normally he would have sensed a sith lord without difficulties but [member="Darth Ferus"] expertice in hiding his force signature was far above even [member="Lady Kay"] - and given that he also had no idea that the shuttle started heading in the wrong direction the jedi was utterly surprised when the dark lord suddenly appeared in the passenger area.

At that time his dark side was freed and it rolled over Mantic like waves chrusing unto a fragile reef. [member="Darth Ferus"] was a true sith lord with such evil and monstrosity that his mere presence caused Mantic to stagger away. His short retreat ended with his back hitting the shuttle\s durasteel wall.

This man.... they had been so close on Atris, it was him... Mantic realized as fear found its way inside his otherwise hard constructed mental walls of defence. He blinked and needed a moment to regain footing in reality.

He pulled his hilt from his belt and looked at [member="Darth Ferus"] side. He should strike, it was the right thing albeit his poisonous words would infest everyone present.

What the others were discussing was a blur to him, he fought an inner battle, his mind unable to function at a normal phase.

He must strike. There is no time to loose...

He felt nausia as raised his swordhilt. The strike would be a hard but clumsy one, coming from above, just avoiding the ceiling.

[member="Fixx Kearney"] [member="Faith Balor-Organa"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"The Jedi are terrified of you. The non force user here is terrified of you. They don't know what you can do, and that is a scary thought, isn't it? How much does she actually know?" The peircing red eyes went over to [member="Fixx Kearney"] , staring him down. He was calm, collected. In the face of a Sith Lord he kept his wits about him. He could have made a good officer in the One Sith. Too bad he was a foe. His mouth opened to speak, but that was quickly shut as [member="Mantic Dorn"] pulled out his blade. Silently he watched the Jedi move closer. Something was.. Off about him. As if his confidence was shattered. Was it?

Quickly the Sith Lord would raise up a hand, his palm flat. His hand had come up to meet the blade, but the two never did come in contact. Lightning surged out of the Sith's hand, bursting to catch the saber. It was to knock the blade back, to act as a defense. Lightning continued to circulate the mans hand though as the red gaze fell upon the Jedi. "Are you afraid, young Jedi?" A hint of enjoyment flashed in the red eyes as he watched and waited. The first strike had come, would they continue?

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Faith Organa]

There was word from the transport that [member="Fixx Kearney"] [member="Lady Kay"] and [member="Mantic Dorn"] had not come on board. Faith looked to the window she could see the transport. Turning and rushing back to her desk she key the frequency she had gotten Fixx on just moments ago.

Agent Kearney, where are you?

It sounded more urgent than she meant she waited would there be a response. Getting back to the transport, "Search for them" She ordered, her dark eyes seemed to grow darker had she now lost three all at once.

She would almost make a deal with the devil himself if it meant their safety. What was she to do now? What could she do other than sit and wait as the team began the search.

[member="Darth Ferus"]