Private A Very Sensitive Matter

[Inanna Harth]

Istabith Falls, Alderaan

After spending time under the watchful eyes of the cameras, Inanna wanted to go to the most remote place she could think of. Istabith Falls fit the bill. There was some additional significance to her choosing to meet with Red at this particular place. She would explain it to him when the opportunity arose.

She was waiting for the vigilante Jedi near the bottom of the waterfalls—not close enough to be hit by the spray, but enough that she could feel a faint mist on her skin. It was mid-morning, before the crowds of tourists arrived in force, eager to glimpse the natural beauty of the falls.

They had met by chance in a weird twist of fate. Who would have thought that when she signed up to participate in a silly dating show, she would be paired up with someone she had heard of, let alone a man with such a specific connection? Either the galaxy was a surprisingly small place, or it was the will of the Force.

But now, she had a difficult task ahead of her: explaining that connection. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, but she was glad to finally be able to talk to someone about what had happened between her, Nimdok, and Miri.

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red walked down to the bottom of the falls. Inanna had decided that they should meet there, and so he came. He didn't know why, but he had some guesses. The number one was that she wanted to talk about Nimdok and Miri. So, he agreed to meet her here. It was completely lucky that they had met at the dating show, as Red had been signed up by his pit droid, who had unceremoniously decided Red need to 'get out there'. It was either very lucky they met, or the Force brought them together. Either way, they were here now.

Red noticed Inanna at the bottom of the falls. He approached her. "Nice spot. This is a pretty nice place." He told her, standing next to her. "So, what's up?" He asked. He could tell something was on her mind, something that was troubling her, but Red didn't know what, so he was here to see what was bothering her, and what she wanted to tell him.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Red arrived without much preamble. He seemed to be uncertain of what she wanted, though it was obvious they were there to talk. She wasn’t sure how he felt toward her after their first meeting, whether he was hoping their arranged date would turn into something more, if he wanted more information on Nimdok, or if he was just going with the flow. If she had to guess, it was probably the latter. He was a Jedi, after all.

“It is a nice place,” she agreed. Before he came, she had seen a couple of tourists coming up the path toward the falls, but the place was still pretty much deserted. “A lot of people come here. It’s a popular spot. There’s a resort not too far from here, where people go to escape, get away from it all…”

She trailed off. If she tried to explain why she had brought them here now, it would probably only confuse him. She had to get a few preliminary things out of the way first; then he would understand.

“Red…” she began hesitantly. “...How much do you know about Nimdok? I mean, what’s your perspective of him? What did you mean when you said he ‘tricked’ you?”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red nodded. He hadn't ever taken a vacation, not yet, at least. He hadn't needed to, or even had the time. Hmm, maybe he could use a vacation, some time to rest and relax, as Red had been stretched pretty thin and working tirelessly, nearly none stop. He could use a break. "This would be a nice place to get away from it all, to relax." He said, chuckling to himself.

Inanna asked him a question, about Nimdok. "I don't know much about him. From what little I managed to get from the files, he's a historian and an archaeologist. He was born on Alderaan. A lot of the files and records have been expunged, for some reason, but I did manage to get that both Nimdok and his wife died in a transport accident, leaving Miri an orphan, but then Nimdok's status seemed to return to alive three years later. I don't know why he didn't go looking for Miri, but he just left her." He told her. "What's my perspective on him? Well, I don't think he's a bad guy, that much I can tell. He doesn't seem to want to exploit others or generally do bad things." He said. "What I mean by he tricked me, that's a bit complicated. You see, Miri came up to Nimdok, somehow knowing that Nimdok was her father, and Nimdok said that she was. After Miri was rescued, Nimdok was subjected to a DNA test by the local law enforcement. At the time, he passed, and he was allowed to leave with Miri. I stayed behind to interrogate the suspects. Soon after, an officer approaches me, and tells me that the DNA tests were negative. We were tricked. The thing is is that the person who took the test and myself saw the results as positive at the time of taking it, but later after Nimdok left they were false. Miri is not his daughter, and he is not her father. I... I think Nimdok died in that shuttle accident, and now this is someone completely different." He said. That was the first time he had told anyone that.

 

[Inanna Harth]

As Red finished speaking, Inanna crossed her arms over her chest and shut her eyes. She had been hoping Nimdok would’ve covered his tracks better. She expected more from him and was surprised to find he had been so careless. Although since Red was genetically engineered to be an investigator, maybe he had simply met his match.

“You’re right,” she said with a sigh. “He’s not really Nimdok. Well, not exactly…” Best not mention what he had told her about his time in the Netherworld; she had a hard time wrapping her head around that herself. Besides, it wasn’t really relevant.

She gestured to the wilderness around them. “The real Nimdok and his wife were on their way here when they were killed. It was a freak accident, some fluke with the transport’s engines. So much for going on vacation.”

Resting her hands on her hips, she added, “I’d like to tell you everything I know, but you have to promise me one thing first. I don’t know how you operate. You said you were a vigilante, and I don’t have a problem with that, but if I tell you the truth, you better not take it and run with it. Don’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you, and don’t think it gives you a license to come after Nimdok.”

The man might be her ex, but she had no desire to see him killed or maimed. She was technically betraying his trust just by confirming Red’s suspicions.

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Inanna confirmed what Red thought. So, Nimdok was really dead, and this other person was taking their place. Red suspected that, but hearing it confirmed was something else entirely. Well, at least he was right, that meant that his skills were still top notch.

Then, she continued to Red. Red looked at her. She seemed quite fearful that Red was going to do something to Nimdok. "I promise, I won't tell anyone else this information. I'm still going to track him, and eventually find him, but I won't use the information you're telling me against him. I swear. I'm not after him for personal reasons, no. I'm fine that he lied to me. In fact, I'm quite impressed that he actually managed to fool me, not many people can do that, but he did. I respect him for his stealth abilities." Red told her. "I swear that I will not use the information against him or harm him." He said. He meant it, too.

 

[Inanna Harth]

He sounded like he meant it when he said he wouldn’t use the information to do harm. Inanna wanted to believe Red, but she had been around for too long to accept a promise at face value. Only when the Force was able to reassure her that he was sincere did she relax.

On the other hand, he said he was going to track Nimdok down. This didn’t surprise her. From Red’s perspective, that would seem like the right thing to do, wouldn’t it? He didn’t fully understand the circumstances. All he knew was that the person masquerading as Nimdok wasn’t the child’s true father, and therefore had no right to keep her.

Inanna herself had wrestled with the morality of it, whether she should have tried to keep the little girl out of his hands. He wasn’t exactly competent as a parent, and he knew it—that was why he had left her at the orphanage when he assumed Nimdok’s identity, because he wasn’t prepared for the responsibility of being a father.

Therein lay the selfishness of her ex. He wanted the prestige that came with being Nimdok, the college graduate and former professor turned archaeologist, but he didn’t want to deal with any of the extra baggage attached to who he was. To who he had been.

Well, let the real Nimdok’s ghost haunt him for that slight.

Fate had provided Inanna with the opportunity to explain to Red what was at stake, and possibly to change his opinion of what should be done. Taking a deep breath, she began.

“The person pretending to be Nimdok is a changeling, like me. His real name is Arimanes Bosch. We grew up together. I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts…” She trailed off, lost in thought, then shook her head, trying to stay focused.

“He left to go to school offworld, and we lost contact. I didn’t hear anything from him for over fifty years—we Shi’ido live a long time, you see. He and I are approaching our bicentennials… Anyway, a few weeks ago he found me on Coruscant. I didn’t even recognize him until he started speaking our language. I pressured him to tell me what he had spent the last half a century doing, and, well…”

There were annoying gaps in her knowledge, but she could piece together most of the puzzle for Red.

“According to him, fifty years ago he got involved in an experimental program called Project Warlock. It wasn’t too different from the experiments you were involved in as a child, only they weren’t out to create supersoldiers. The goal of the project was to artificially create Force sensitivity in its subjects. They were considered pioneers in the field—in the past, a handful of scientists had attempted to inject midichlorians into people in order to make them Force sensitive, or they had used alchemy, magic, whatever. But Project Warlock was the first serious scientific attempt at unlocking the secrets behind why some people are Force sensitive and others are not undertaken since the Gulag Plague.”

She sighed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the scientists who experimented on you were building on the work they did. The problem is, what they were doing quickly became unethical. The results of the experiments were unpredictable—sometimes there would be almost no change, just the tiniest bit of sensitivity to the Force. Other times it would be overwhelming. Some of the subjects were driven insane, because they felt too much and had no training to help them deal with it. The scientists knew what they were doing was dangerous, risky, and harmful—Arimanes knew—but they continued with their work anyway.”

Now Inanna was becoming visibly uncomfortable, her expression pinched as if she had a sour taste in her mouth. After she had learned the truth, certain aspects of Arimanes’ story had kept her awake at night. When they were young, he had been fascinated by her Force sensitivity, perhaps even harbored an unhealthy fixation on it. But she didn’t think he coveted her abilities for himself.

“...Arimanes eventually turned the experiments on himself. He was a geneticist, so he knew how to do that. He was lucky—the injection gave him a very mild Force sensitivity, just enough to ‘open a window’ to the Force, as he described it. It also allowed him to see what was really going on around him—he was able to sense the Dark Side in some of the higher-ups who were in charge of funding the project.

“To his credit, once he realized they had been infiltrated by the Sith, he left. Went into exile for a few decades, trying to come to terms with what he was and what he had done. He only returned recently, apparently having decided he was going to switch careers from scientist to historian. Or to be more accurate, he decided to start masquerading as a dead historian named Nimdok...”

She paused. “Am I going too fast? I realize this is a lot to take in. Are you getting all this?”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red listened to her, noting down nearly everything she said. Wow, so this Arimanes was a changeling, like her? That made a lot of sense. Inanna seemed to have quit the long history with Arimanes, seeing as how Shi'ido live for quite a long time. He continued listening to her, then she came across his genetic experimentation. Red immediately shot up, giving her his full attention. Everything she said, oh god, genetic experimentation, force-sensitive experiments, Red knew it all too well, it was him. He had been made through genetic experimentation, and even had Force-sensitivity. He was shaken. Nimdok had a role in Red's creation? "Yes. I... think that's correct. I think that research helped build the experimentation that created me. I'm even Force-sensitive, too. And yes, the two instances are very alike. Since we were so finely tuned, most of the experiments had some sort of mental disorder, some even went completely insane. But they still received training, and learned to use and control their power." He said, shakily. "So... Nimd- I mean, Arimanes, helped create me? He's one of my creators?" He said. He was actually shaken, not many things could do that, but this did. It was like meeting a god, your creator. Red had met the man that helped to create him.

Inanna continued, explaining some more. Red listened to her. "Yes, I'm getting all of it. It is a lot to take in, but I've got it down."

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna pursed her lips. Clearly Red was taking all these revelations pretty hard.

“If he was involved in your creation, it was indirectly,” she said gently. “But yes, I suppose he played a role. You're welcome to confront him about it, if you can find him.”

What a startling array of coincidences this was turning out to be. Red saved Miri and met Nimdok, then he was paired up with her… the Force worked in mysterious ways indeed.

A family walked down the forest path toward the waterfall, a couple carrying two small children. Waiting for them to pass, Inanna started to pace, then resumed her story.

“Nimdok had already been dead for three years when Arimanes assumed his identity, and that’s where things get weird. You see, Nimdok was never an archaeologist—he was just a history professor. A very intelligent, well-read, and respected professor, but definitely not the adventuring type. I don’t think he’d ever even left his homeworld before he died. Apparently he had always dreamed of being an archaeologist, but could never work up the courage to actually try it.

“Yet after he is ‘resurrected’ he suddenly becomes this fearless explorer, going around the galaxy in search of Jedi and Sith artifacts. Stuff that some very, very dangerous people also want. He has no fear, no concerns… no responsibilities to anyone but himself.”

She snorted. “I’d say being dead would probably erase most people’s fears, if I didn’t know better. Arimanes chose Nimdok because he had no surviving family to worry about. Except Miri, but she could be left at the orphanage, none the wiser. At least, he thought he could leave her there, unprotected...

“Basically, Arimanes miscalculated and underestimated his enemies. He thought he could get away with pretending to be Nimdok, taking advantage of his name and reputation, and avoid dealing with the one loose thread that might tie him down. And because of that, Miri got abducted and experimented on, just as Arimanes used to experiment on children when he was working in Project Warlock.”

Granted, Arimanes didn’t seem sure whether Miri had been chosen at random, or if she had been deliberately targeted by someone who knew about “Nimdok”’s true identity. Her money was on the latter, if only because she was tired of coincidences. Besides, it made sense. Whoever these Sith were, they were clearly angered by what "Nimdok" had been doing.

“It's easy to see why he's pissed the Sith off. While posing as Nimdok, Arimanes has been searching for Jedi and Sith artifacts, holocrons, crystals, all kinds of stuff. He told me he was amassing a collection, and how soon he’s going to need a place to keep it all safe and out of the hands of the Sith.”

She stroked her chin. “It was only a matter of time before someone wised up and figured out what he was doing. They probably came after Miri as a way of getting to him, drawing him out so they could get rid of him...”

The story was progressing into more current events, and telling Red about that was probably going to be difficult and painful for her. She decided to offer Red one last chance to ask questions or make comments, if only to delay the inevitable.

“What about you? You encountered Miri’s abductors, fought them, even interrogated one of them. Have you been able to find any more information about who they are and what they want? Even a guess?”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red listened to Inanna as she continued. So, Red was right. Nimdok was actually really gone. And Arimanes thought he could just leave the child behind and go about prancing around the galaxy? That was sick, really sick. Leaving behind the child of the person you became just so that you could have the experience and fame. That was pretty messed up. And now Miri had been experimented on because of Arimanes. Arimanes had put Miri in a position of danger because of his carelessness.

Then, Inanna asked him a question about Miri's abductors. "I think that they know who Nimdok really is, that's why they targeted Miri. One of them said something similar to that. My guess? I think they're working for someone, someone who knows who Nimdok really is. They were headed to Telos, for some odd reason. I think that they were hunting Nimdok down." He told her.

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red listened to Inanna as she continued. So, Red was right. Nimdok was actually really gone. And Arimanes thought he could just leave the child behind and go about prancing around the galaxy? That was sick, really sick. Leaving behind the child of the person you became just so that you could have the experience and fame. That was pretty messed up. And now Miri had been experimented on because of Arimanes. Arimanes had put Miri in a position of danger because of his carelessness.

Then, Inanna asked him a question about Miri's abductors. "I think that they know who Nimdok really is, that's why they targeted Miri. One of them said something similar to that. My guess? I think they're working for someone, someone who knows who Nimdok really is. They were headed to Telos, for some odd reason. I think that they were hunting Nimdok down." He told her.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Red’s deductions sounded logical, and they fit with what she already knew, both from talking to Nimdok and her own experiences with the Sith who were after him.

“Did you go to Telos to try and look for these Sith?” she asked. But she knew it was unlikely. A Jedi venturing into the heart of the Sith Empire…

Continuing her tale, she aimed to wrap things up without getting too emotional.

“Nimdok went to Alderaan as soon as he got Miri, in order to visit the orphanage, change her records so that he was listed as her guardian, gather evidence from where she was kidnapped, chew out the staff, all that stuff. Then he was called to Anaxes—apparently the Galactic Alliance needed an archaeologist, and he volunteered. That whole project wound up taking him into the Netherworld, if you can believe it… and he met the real Nimdok’s ghost.”

She hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck. “I don’t fully understand what he meant by this exactly, but it sounded like Arimanes and Nimdok… joined together somehow? Like, both of their consciousnesses are currently occupying Arimanes’ body, and have been ever since he came back from the Netherworld.”

Now that she thought about it, she had technically met not one but two men on Coruscant—her old lover Arimanes, and Nimdok’s spirit tagging along with him. She wasn’t into metaphysical stuff; it was a chore to try and understand, so she didn’t push it.

“Afterwards, he came to Coruscant with Miri, got her therapy, tutoring, everything she needed. They were renting an apartment and he seemed to be trying to be a good father to her. But he needed to get back to his work, and simply leaving her in the care of a droid nanny wasn’t enough...”

This time her pause was motivated by deeper feelings than confusion. These memories were fresh. She could vividly remember Nimdok coming to see her at the Harem Club, her shock when she realized who he was, and his awkward proposal of, well, marriage. Let’s get back together again, make a new family unit in order to raise this kid, c’mon it’ll be fun. Those weren’t his exact words, of course, but it had felt like it. She’d been foolish. The euphoric joy of seeing him again, coupled with the shame she felt at him seeing her the way she was then, were a heady combination that blocked out all rational thought.

“That was right around the time he contacted me, asking me to help him with Miri. She needed a mother figure, and he needed to get back to his work. The Sith attacked him while we were meeting in a public park. Shot him with a tranquilizing dart, knocked him out cold. I fought them off—they didn’t know who I was or why I was even there—and we rushed back home to Miri.” She gestured as if pulling apart tissue paper with her hands. “That girl ripped those Sith agents to shreds. We found her hiding in a closet, covered in blood. The apartment was supposed to be a secure location, and she had a droid protector, but they destroyed it and came after her. So she killed them with the Force. Doesn’t remember it, thankfully—Nimdok erased her memory.

“I helped them escape Coruscant. He had no clue where to go, so I suggested the Scintilla—you ever been there? It’s not half bad, for a space station run by terrorists. The location is always changing, which makes it one of the safest places in the galaxy. Nimdok was reluctant, but I convinced him. At least, until he decided to leave to go on an expedition to Odessen, and wheedled me into staying behind to babysit Miri… and when he came back for her, that was it. I haven’t seen him since.”

She heaved a sigh. She was still bitter about the whole sequence of events, even though she knew it wouldn’t have worked out anyway. Too much had changed in fifty years. They hardly recognized each other now. The problem was, she had actually liked what she saw in him—this new Nimdok guy made for a rather decent person. Whatever sliminess had been in Arimanes was tempered by Nimdok, who had been a good man when he was alive; in exchange, Nimdok’s crippling weaknesses and timidity were replaced by Arimanes’ strength of will. Too bad he hadn’t liked what he saw in her. She didn’t like herself very much either.

“That’s all I know,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “What you choose to do with the information is up to you.”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red continued to listen to her as she went on. It was all really confusing. "He went to the Netherworld? How is that even possible? Hold on a minute, hold on. What do you mean they 'joined together'? That doesn't really sound possible." Red said. He didn't really understand it, but there was a lot of stuff in the galaxy he didn't understand.

He listened to her as she talked about the Sith attack, and how Miri shredded them. Her powers were growing, she was becoming unstable. She was becoming a danger to herself, and others. Red needed to find them, fast. Then, Inanna finished. "Thank you for telling me this. Seriously, thank you. This is... quite important to me, actually. I'm not just looking for Ni- I mean, Arimanes. I'm also looking for Miri. She was experimented on by the Sith, and given Force powers. And as you've just told me, they're strong, and he doesn't know how to control it. She is a danger to herself and to others. Also, she's an experiment. Sure, me and Miri are both vastly different experiments, but it's still the same concept of altering someone's genes to give them certain qualities, and I feel a sense of duty and protectiveness to other experiments. I need to make sure that she's alright, and at least able to handle her Force-abilities, before something bad happens." He told her.

"Before he left, did Arimanes tell you about any locations? Like a safe house, or any places he would want to go to?" Red asked.

 

[Inanna Harth]

She pursed her lips as Red interrupted her. His bewilderment was understandable, but she wasn’t sure how to answer his questions.

“I know it sounds impossible and ridiculous, but that’s what he told me,” she replied. “I’m not an expert on this stuff, so I’m as confused as you are. If you want to know more about the Netherworld expedition, I’d suggest asking around in the Galactic Alliance, see if you can find somebody who was involved with that mission and whether or not they worked with him.

“All I know is, the man I met on Coruscant seemed very different from the Arimanes I knew fifty years ago. He wouldn’t even let me call him Arimanes—only Nimdok.”

Red’s concerns and interest was clearly focused on Miri. After all, she was like him—an experiment. As he spoke of his feelings of protectiveness toward her, and his desire to make sure she was safe, Inanna cast her eyes down. She was trying to hide not only her emotion, but the sense of apprehension she felt toward the whole endeavor. Red clearly had a very different opinion of Arimanes than she did. A very negative one.

Finally, she sighed. “Look, Red. There’s something you need to understand. We changelings usually don’t have a personal identity, at least not the way humanoids understand it. We certainly aren’t born knowing who we are. A lot of us just imitate other things, other people, and make that into our identity.

“Take my family, for instance. My great-grandfather, the famous scientist Mammon Hoole, created a persona that was so strong, his descendants have been riding his coattails ever since. Every Hoole you’ll meet today is a scientist of some kind. But have any of them ever reached the heights of brilliance Mammon did eight hundred years ago? No, they haven’t. But it’s the only identifier they have. And if someone like me comes along who doesn't have a knack for science, then I don’t even have that...”

She was starting to get off topic. “What I’m trying to say is, we tend to base ourselves on others. It’s part of our nature as shapeshifters to do that. You may think that makes us slippery and deceptive, but it’s… well, it’s who we are.

“Knowing that, I can’t say where Arimanes ends and Nimdok begins. He has made Nimdok his identity, completely and fully. Whether that means he joined with the real Nimdok or not, I don’t know. I don’t get that part of his story either. But I’m sure you can see how that would create a problem if you were to try and take Miri away from him,” she continued. “If he has somehow ‘joined’ with the real Nimdok on a spiritual level, that must mean that now he is Miri’s father. Not biologically, but he’d be carrying around the spirit of her father, interacting with her, raising her as if—as if Nimdok had never died.”

It seemed useless, trying to force Red to understand something she didn’t even fully comprehend, so she stopped. She was finding this whole thing much more frustrating and difficult now that she actually had to talk to someone about it.

“The apartment on Coruscant was their safe house. After it was compromised, they went back to living on the run. I have no idea where they are now. He wouldn’t tell me where they were going.”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red listened to her. Yes, he understood what she was saying. Being a changeling... you obviously wouldn't have a personal identity, as when one would shift they would essentially become a different person. They wouldn't truly know who they were. With Arimanes and Nimdok, they had joined together, so Arimanes had adopted NImdok's identity has his own, and now he was technically Miri's father now. It made sense. "Yes, I understand what you're saying. Now, Arimanes is Nimdok, as that's the identity that he has taken. And now with the real NImdok joined with him he is basically Miri's father." He nodded. Yes, it would be a problem if he tried to take Miri away, but good thing he wasn't going to do that.

"Alright, Inanna, there's also something I need you to understand. Firstly, someone needs to teach Miri to control her powers. I'm not saying me, the Jedi, or anybody, just someone needs to teach her how to control them. You told me yourself, she shredded those Sith agents, with the Force. Imagine what she would do if she completely lost control. Many people would get injured or even killed. Someone needs to do something, to teach her how to control it. I... I remember growing up as an experiment, with these powers. It wasn't easy, but if I wasn't taught how to control my powers and abilities, I would have snapped. I would have completely lost control, and my mind would have cracked. I would have fallen into insanity, and I would have hurt and killed many people. Hell, I might have even become a Sith. The genetic experimentation creates a stress on the mind that someone like you, who has never had to experience something like that. I was lucky to be created with those abilities already in place, and I was lucky to have people to train me and teach me how to control it to use it. Miri... she doesn't have the luxuries I did. She doesn't have the scientists and teachers to teach her, she doesn't have the resources I had, and she doesn't have the time to adjust, she was just thrown into this, and the next thing she knew everything would seem different.

"Secondly, it's not just Miri and Arimanes I'm after, you have to remember the Sith are after Miri and Arimanes. They really want Miri, as she is powerful. They want to use her as a weapon. Miri and Arimanes are the key to finding them. They could draw in the Sith, and I could find them and take them out. I need to find out out who decided to experiment on Miri and why. I need to make sure they don't get to use her as a weapon for their own benefit." He told her. He had been through all of this. "Remember, I was created to be a weapon. I know how it feels. I need to make sure that no one can use her as a weapon. I need to make sure that she won't turn out like me." He said. Miri was innocent, she didn't deserve the kind of life Red had to live, no one did. That kind of pain, what the experiments become... it's not a great way to live. Red needed to make sure that she didn't end up like him. No one messed with an experiment, not on Red's watch. "After that... I'll leave them be. I have no doubt that both Nimdok and Arimanes will be able to take care of Miri, but as long as the threat of the Sith loom over them, they will not be safe."

"Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna stood with her hands on her hips as Red gave a speech of his own. It was mildly patronizing, but no more than her spiel about changelings had been. There was also an element of self-deprecation and regret that she could empathize with.

When he finished, she tried to cut to the chase and get to the point.

“I get it. I’m quite sure Nimdok is also aware that Miri needs training,” she said. “He was there, he saw everything that I saw and more. I would be very surprised if he hasn’t already tried to find someone to teach Miri—as a matter of fact, now that you mention it, I remember he spoke of a Jedi Master he had considered, someone named Jend-Ro Quill.” But in the same breath, he had said Master Quill was going off to war against the Bryn’adul and the Sith and couldn’t train Miri.

To be honest, she wasn’t all that confident in either Arimanes or Nimdok’s ability to raise Miri and keep her safe, but then she had only spent a few days with them. They were obviously living in perpetual fear of being found and attacked or captured by the Sith. It was a terrible environment for a child to grow up in, especially one so young.

“The Sith are the bigger threat to Miri's safety. I’ve been thinking about going after them myself, for all the good that will do.” She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back away from her face. “Unless you can find somebody to teach Miri, or convince Nimdok to let you teach her—or find a way to sever that little girl’s connection to the Force altogether, you're better off putting your investigating skills to good use and trying to find out who is sending agents and hunters after them. Until they're taken care of, trying to train Miri will be like trying to hold a moonbeam in your hand. The Sith certainly aren't going to stop themselves.”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red listened to her reply, and nodded. He heard her mention Jend-Ro Quill. Red thought back. Yes, he had met Master Quill, before. He would be a good teacher for Miri. Of course, the war with the Bryn'adul and Sith would occupy him for some time, and who knew when that would die down. Still, Master Quill qould be a good choice. "Yes, I've met Master Quill before. He would be a good choice."

Then, he heard Inanna talk about the Sith, and how they were the biggest threat. Yes, that was the largest threat to Miri and Nimdok at the time, and the only way for them to truly be safe would be for the Sith hunting them to be tracked down and dealt with. Red needed to do that before they got to Miri and Nimdok, before it was too late. "Yes, I agree. The Sith will have to be taken care of before Miri receives training, wherever that might come from. I do have some leads to find them, but it will be a long road before I can deal with the Sith. It will not be easy." He said. "You were considering going after them by yourself? That sounds dangerous. You should come with me. I could use your help and skills, and I don't just mean your shape shifting abilities. I could use your creative thinking, and your soft-heartedness to show me different paths, and to be a voice of reason. Help me find the Sith, and deal with them. Help me help Nimdok and Arimanes and Miri through this, to keep them safe. And after this is all done, maybe you can finally be with Arimanes. To finally be in a family." He told her. He could tell by the way she acted and talked about Arimanes and Nimdok that she most likely wanted that. He could sense it inside of her, the strong desire to be liked. "You're a good person, Inanna. You have qualities many people in this galaxy do. Your desire to help those in need shows that. I like that about you, I see it in myself, but you're a far better person than me. Please, you know how I feel, the desire to help those in need, the passion to do it. Please, help me find Nimdok and Miri and the Sith, so that we can help them live a normal life for once." He pleaded with her.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna’s eyebrows rose. He was pleading with her. Shouldn’t it have been the other way around? Shouldn’t she be the one begging him to help her? But she supposed he did have a personal stake in the matter, and it was his job...

She looked away from Red, her face darkening in color as black blood rushed to her cheeks. She was blushing.

“Don’t make promises that aren’t yours to keep,” she said quietly in response to his comments about Arimanes and having a family.

“Of course I’ll help you. These Sith who abducted Miri and Force knows who else are evil. They need to be stopped. Though I don’t even know where to begin our search. You say that you have some leads already?”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Inanna Harth

Red watched her as she seemingly got flustered and even started blushing. She wasn't expecting Red to plead with her, to say the least, in fact most people probably didn't expect it. He wasn't really one to plead with anybody, but he did with her, he could use her help in finding the Sith, and he really needed help. She quietly mumbled something about not making promises Red couldn't keep, about Arimanes and having a family. Red leaned against the rail. "It's not a promise. I said maybe, maybe you could. I know that you've had trouble with Arimanes in the past, but that's because he's paranoid, and rightfully so, because Sith are hunting him and his daughter. Once they're safe, he might have a change of heart. You don't know, so there's a chance. I'll be sure to try and convince him. Plus, it seems you're good with children, so Miri must like you, which means Arimanes might keep you around, as he obviously cares about Miri, and keeping you around might make her happy. As I've been told, parents will do anything for their children." He told her. "And if Arimanes doesn't do it, I'm sure someone else will. You're a very likable person, even I like you." He said. It wasn't just something to try and get her to help him, he really meant it.

"Yes, I have a couple of ideas on where to start," Red told her. "First, you mentioned that Nimdok worked for the Galactic Alliance, I might be able to track him through there. Secondly, obviously I need to get to Telos, that's where the informant kept on saying they needed to go, numerous times, so there is something there that is very important, as the informant seemed to really need to get to Telos, he even said that he needed to get to Telos, right before he passed out from poison coursing through his veins that was implanted by the Sith. So obviously Telos is important in some way, but I'm not sure what." He said. Then, he thought back to the interrogation. He suddenly remembered something that Fenton had said that suddenly clicked in his mind. "Fenton, the Sith's associate that I fought to rescue Miri, said something about a 'Lord of Doubt', then sounded really panicked and even asked if 'he knows'. I think this Lord of Doubt is an important piece in this puzzle, but I don't know where it goes or how it even connects. I've never heard any word of a Lord of Doubt, and I don't think anyone else has. It's a cold trail looking into that, but I know that it's very important in this mystery, I just don't know how." Red stated.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Red pressed on about Arimanes and Miri becoming her new family. Inanna wasn’t sure how she felt about Arimanes anymore; she was still bitter and upset about what had happened last time. Growing increasingly flustered, she smirked and waved her hand in dismissal. “Well I’m glad you like me, sweetheart. But we’ve got work to do long before I can even think about that romanticized stuff.”

“Telos…” she murmured. “That’s deep in Sith space. Are you sure you can get there safely?”

She had her own methods of going about this investigation already in motion. A plan had been hatched in her mind, one that involved putting her skinshifting to good use and going undercover behind enemy lines. But she wasn’t sure how Red would react to her plan. Probably he would tell her it was a bad idea that would get her killed, or worse. But she had to try whatever options were available to her.

For the time being, she was willing to tell him one aspect of her plans. “I heard about a pair of psychic twins on Nar Shaddaa who can find anyone in the galaxy using the Force. Maybe they could find that woman who abducted Miri, the one who got away.”

Her brow furrowed at the mention of the “Lord of Doubt”. “I’ve never heard of anyone by that name either. Do you suppose he’s a Sith Lord, maybe even an important figure in the Sith Empire?”

She was grasping at straws, she knew, but guessing and theorizing was better than nothing.

Subject 73 Red