Paranthetical

[Baros Sal-Soren]

Naboo
Gallo Mountains
Dee'ja Estate

Not more than 30 clicks from the settlement of Dee'ja Peak was a grove of trees, some 2 clicks long. They were currently in full bloom, pinks and yellows crowding the view of any passer by. It was nice enough to look at, but from the road it seemed more a wall than an eye pleaser, at least it did for anyone astute enough to notice that there was no way through this hedge of massive trees and their dense foliage. There was no way around either, with the row of trees bookended by cliffs that rose up into the mountain range. Only the most prepared climbers would dare. No doubt there were a few that had even tried.

Beyond this wall of trees was a sprawling though minimilistic estate owned by the founder and owner of Glitterstim. Business had continued to be good, however he stayed out of the public eye these days, preferring to run his business from afar. Hermit, some had called him. Protective, he preferred to think. Ever since the situation with the Thistlebark Killer, Baros has retreated from the public eye. No, that was a lie. He had maintained a relative openness to the outside world so long as she had been present - at his side. When the leads on the Thistlebark Killer had dried up, and his taunts had ceased, she had grown distant. He had not known until then how much he appreciated the former closeness. It seemed she had lost interest in the job - and him - if there was ever really any interest in the first place. He had considered maybe his own behaviour, lifestyle, had been to blame, but he never had time to ask. Years had now passed. He had moved on. Yes, of course he had. Necessity required it.

Through an Infochant, Baros Sal-Soren had acquired transport for his latest artifact. This would give more insight into his new passion. There was a scourge in the universe that he could no longer bare. Over the past years he had delved into this with an increasingly obsessive fervour. Greta had dared once to bring up the subject. To question whether the company needed more attention. Atara had that in hand. He was sure of it. No, there was something that needed to be fixed. An unbalance. He could not feel it, but it took a blind fool not to see its effects across the galaxy. One does not see the wind, but you see the destruction of a storm. This storm was the Force. It was a plague. And Baros would find the cure.

-----​

It was not Baros, but Greta, that waited at the second of two landing pads to the north east of the main accomodation complex. (You would be hard pressed to call such a cynical, industrial looking building a 'house'.) The Galant Paralope, Baros' private vessel, sat on the primary landing pad, Greta and pair of service droids waited on the other. It was dusk - the usual requested delivery time - when the silhouette of a Corellia ship appeared on the horizon.

On time. Good, thought Greta, another routine delivery.

[member="Damon Riggs"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feathering the controls as she brought the ship down through the atmosphere. Teyla gazed out the viewport on the lush horizon of her homeworld, lights blinking on in the few residences of Dee’ja Peak below them. For all of the hesitation she had in coming back to the planet she left all those years ago, Teyla had to admit that even at night time Naboo looked spectacular.

Her heart twisted, not a lot, but just enough. Unexpected tears bid brimmed her golden-brown eyes and she fought against them. Teyla’s emotions were volatile these days, and the intensity of shifting from weepy to wrathful in a matter of seconds even made the brutish Rafiki blush. But pregnancy hormones weren’t to blame this time around.

Only once they’d reached atmosphere had it truly hit her. Teyla missed her home.

Hearing footfalls coming from the space behind her, she quickly pressed the palm of her hand to her cheeks, wiping away any moisture lingering there.

She recognized the presence of Damon coming to sit in the seat beside her own. His anxiety was palpable, a countenance heavy with care. So much so, that she felt her stomach twist just noticeably.

One hand left the control yolk and rubbed gently across her belly to soothe the child stirring through the Force in her womb. Slowly, the twisting eased and she grasped the ship with both hands again. It was still strange, feeling the presence of their child through the Force. Teyla thought that it might imply her little one would be born strong with it, but she was hardly an expert when it came to matters such as those.

She spared the Captain a brief glance, then looked forward again.

It was normal that whenever Damon was in a state she would try to offer words of comfort to ease him, but instead, she kept her lips firmly pressed together in stubbornness.

She didn’t like the job he’d taken, the secrecy of it all, the object they’d brought back an---

The anger she felt melted away, dissolving into guilt. Yes, he’d taken a job that entailed her revisiting some unpleasant memories, with an artifact that could jeopardize the prior deal he’d made working with the Confederacy. But he’d done so because they needed the credits to prepare for the baby, knowing that the due date would creep up on them sooner rather than later. She couldn’t find it in herself to fault him and reached back to give his hand a soft squeeze.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” she said the words out loud for both him and herself, slowly descending to the landing pad. “...You’ll see. We’ll just get this delivered and...be on our way again.”

------------------------------------------------------------

The ramp touched the ground of where they’d been instructed to land and after a few moments Teyla and Damon descended down the ramp. Their resident Wookiee appeared behind them and stood near the entrance.

It was difficult to see once outside since night was almost fully descended on them. At least, that was what it seemed like to Teyla. But the lighting coming from the Inquisitors Revenge helped a bit, illuminating the person waiting there to receive the package. Teyla came from behind the Captain and squinted her eyes, trying to determine why the person standing there seemed familiar in some way…

Then it dawned on her...and she froze, standing in shock while unbelieving eyes blinked.

Now she wished that there’d been no lighting at all.

“G-Greta?” she stuttered, brows furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"], [member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Damon did not want to say yes to the job, but they needed credits that they didn’t have to share with the rest of the crew they hired on at times. That’s why this was just Damon and Teyla. Rafiki was there only because he insisted. The walking fur carpet seemed to have a soft spot where Teyla’s pregnancy was concerned, as did Damon. That’s why the job was... well supposedly a relatively easy delivery. The problem was two-fold. The artifact should have been reported to Metus, and two, they were on Naboo. The contact had promised a lot of credits though.

Righs sighed, something he did a lot these days. He wanted a healthy partner and child. Damon also wanted to marry her, but didn’t really know how to broach the subject. The non-traditional thing worked for them, and every time they tried to label what they were something always popped up to threaten that. There was just one truth Riggs knew, and that was they loved each other, and the child growing inside Teyla was the proof of that.

Her moodswings made him remind himself of that fact daily. Like now, she was crying because it was Naboo, and now that she recognized the contanct, something Riggs did not expect, she seemed mad.

“So um... something going on here that I’m missing. How do you know each other, and why is that making her mad?”

He was addressing Greta. Riggs hated seeing Teyla mad and upset, which meant the last seventeen weeks had been hard. He was definitely counting down for the other twenty three which seemed to go by fast and slow all at once. How was that even possible?

“I think his job just got a higher price attached to it...”

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"] | [member="Baros Sal-Soren"]

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

Greta did not react at all to the site of either of humanoids that had been tasked with the delivery. She was fully aware of who the female was, but she also fully intended to make nothing of it. With a subtle tilt of her head, the droids to either side of her. They walked forward, the one on the left pushing a repulsor lift, the one on the right clearly fitted out with security measures barely hidden beneath its now oversized forearms. The protocol droid stopped short of the two smugglers as the repulsor lift hovered in front of it.

"Please place the item upon the sledge. My compatriot will provide the data chit with your payment," came the eerily monotone voice of the droid. It seemed devoid of personality entirely.

The second droid stood still, awaiting the item's delivery.

----~----​

Baros wandered through his collection on the upper floor of his complex. His tea was cooling to the point that he would soon be comfortable drinking it quickly as he prefered. Until that point, the heat was just a comfort to him. He stopped, in the darkened room, before a stone tablet that was illuminated by a spotlight directly above. It shone purposefully on the runes graven into the tablet. Ancient words of ancient peoples; Baros had yet to learn the language completely, but it would only be a matter of time. Another small piece of the puzzle that seemed to grow in size by hundreds of pieces with every piece he added. He ran his fingers over the indentations. What sort of inhuman being had created these? He wondered. Someone perhaps that started human and was warped by the Force. Perhaps it was someone that was never human. He wondered for a moment if the Force was a gift by the nonhuman beings of the galaxy and if interbreeding had created humans susceptible to it. As far as theories go, it was not his most outlandish, nor was it anywhere near his first.

Leaving the stone tablet, the Corellian wandered casually to the window and began to sip his tea as he looked through the dark tinted window to the landing pad in the distance below. He was grateful for Greta's assistance. The droids were now approaching to receive the delivery. He squinted trying to make out the faces of those delivering his latest trinket. A sip was taken from his tea, and another, and another, before the rest was downed in one go. Whoever was down there, he just could not quite make them out in the haze of twilight.

[member="Damon Riggs"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Riggs looked over to Teyla, who still not amused. His question went unanswered for now, which was fine because they would talk later. The woman nodded to the droids, and Riggs went back to the ship and grabbed the cargo. It wasn’t a large case, and he carried it with ease. Setting it in the droids waiting arms, he looked to the woman.

”Metus doesn’t find out... Give Teyla the credits...”

He could not smile right now. Riggs felt like this was some kind of set up, but the client was rich, and they needed the credits. He took her hand and squeezed as he looked at her again.

”The job is done. We’re paid. Let’s get out of here. I’ve got a bad feeling...”

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

Greta’s silence was in itself an answer, and it came through crystal clear.

Teyla was on the outside now. She didn’t get to ask questions anymore, this was purely business. Realizing that, hurt more than she expected it to.

She stood in place, shoulders tense and jaw set as Damon went for the cargo, working with Rafiki and the droids to get it loaded.

Teyla smiled up at her Captain, feeling his fingers slip between hers. She was grateful for his presence and attempt to comfort, giving his arm a light pat. “Yeah, I’m eager to leave too, the sooner the better. But, can you give me a minute? Please?”

She didn’t wait to see if he had gone back to the ship before turning a critical gaze on Greta.

“You had better be keeping him safe,” she charged, pointing a finger at her. She had no particular quarrel with the woman, but she wasn’t going to leave without saying something. “If the CIS gets the slightest whiff that Baros has that?” Teyla shook her head in disbelief. “They’ll come for it.”

She didn’t understand the Force completely, or the obsession that its practitioners had with the ancient writings and texts, but she knew Sith artifacts weren’t permitted within the city. What was Baros thinking? “You have to know he's in over his head. He'll wind up getting himself killed...Just. Look out for him.”

With her peace said, she turned and followed the same direction for the ship to leave again.

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"], [member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

The droid did not budge as the delivery was placed in his arms. After Damon stepped back, he did rotate his hands in a way impossible for humans, completing a full 180 to grip the parcel. "Arms?" It queried as it carefully fernaglled the item onto the hovering cart in front of the droid. It was clearly apparent now why it pushed the sledge in front of him, this droid was as dexterous as a felonian muckrat - not very.

----~----​

One of the individuals delivering the package was pointing a finger at Greta. It seemed the exchange was not going as smoothly as the others. Perhaps this new contact Greta had made was not the right fit for their needs, especially if it had troublesome crew like this in their books. Leaning ever so slightly, Baros got close enough to reach out to the wall mounted terminal, and he firmly depressed a comm button.

“...he's in over his head. He'll wind up getting himself killed...Just. Look out for him.”

Baros paused. Teyla?

----~----​

With the crew of the Inquisitor's Revenge making their way back to their ship, the sentry droid spoke up. It's voice was the complete opposite of the dry lifeless drone of the protocol droid. It was almost, no in fact it was, human.

"You will find your payment being considerably less after the admission of opening the case, Miss Ee'everwest."

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"][member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Riggs still wasn't sure what was going on, but it was clear that Teyla had history here. He wasn't going to say no when she asked for a bot of time to say something, and so he stopped. Damon nodded at her with a soft smile, what was going to do, argue with a woman that was 17 weeks pregnant. Whoever this person was to her, they had Teyla on edge, and Damon didn't like it. When Teyla was on edge bad things happened. He had learned it was because she was force sensitive and just knew things. This seemed different than that though.

Damon rolled through his mind and examined every memory he had of their past conversations. Who could this have been. He walked off when Teyla turned to leave, and that was when the voice came from the droid. It was... human. Who would have been wealthy enough to... There was only one name Riggs could think of.

Baros. Riggs hadn't heard Teyla use the name with Greta, but now that he had figured it out, he was pissed. There was no way he was going to give them less, especially when she didn't really admit anything.

Riggs turned back on his heels.

"Look you bucket of bolts," he said on his way to face the machine. "First, she didn't admit to anything. Second, there was nothing in the agreement that we had to ignore what we were transporting, especially when it is in CIS space, and Darth Metus is our best customer. I SHOULD charge you more for the job considering what is in there. However, because I like repeat business I'm letting this slide. The credits that hit my account are anything less than what we agreed to, I'm reporting this delivery to Metus himself."

Riggs looked at Teyla.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know this was for Baros... I would have said no to the job otherwise."

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

She sighed, just audibly.

Teyla loved Damon without reservation, but that didn’t blind her to his flaws, as he was not a perfect man. He could be prideful, quick to anger, and unafraid to unroll his emotions. Passionate, and devoted. Teyla was grateful for that passion, and even for the faults.

But, she knew from past experience, having been riled by the man many times before, that going toe-to-toe with Baros was never the right answer.

And even though she was...huh. Teyla couldn’t explain what she was feeling in the moment...but whatever it was, she knew that she didn’t share Damon’s sentiments of reporting Baros to Metus.

Teyla began looking around instead, trying to see if she could spot Baros. Finally, her gaze traveled up, making eye contact with the man near the window. Lowering her head, she looked back to Damon and smiled faintly.

“I know, you have nothing to be sorry for.” There was no way of really knowing. The last she’d heard, he’d been still trying to make things work on what was left of Corellia. But that’d been years ago, before the first Sith invasion on Coruscant...before...

Teyla shook those memories from her mind.

It made sense that he would have moved to Naboo with Glitterstim, Naboo was the Galaxy hub for fashion. But, she still didn’t understand his interest in what they were delivering.

And yes. Teyla had looked. She hadn’t liked the way it felt hauling it over, and curiosity got the better of her.

“What my partner says is correct. There wasn’t anything outlined in the contract explicitly stating the privacy of the container's contents. And if there is a problem with the services rendered, then I’d like if we could speak in person about it. There’s no reason we need to leave on bad terms...Please...Mr. Sal-Soren.”

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"], [member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

The droid did not say anything in reply. Instead, it simply raised its hand palm facing out in a gesture universally understood to mean either stop or wait. The other droid with the hover skiff and cargo turned slowly and made its way back toward the compound. Greta did not budge, though she now showed visible signs of frustration. It seemed that this encounter had gone and made her day just a little more laborious than it needed to be.

Moments passed. Silence persisted.

Eventually, from the far end of the gangway, a door slid open with a distant hiss and Baros stepped out. He was still a hundred yards or so from the crew, Greta and the security droid, but it seemed that orders had already been passed their way. The droid turned instantly, but Greta resisted the order of retreat - not for long though. With a subtle glance of dismissal, she turned on her heels and slinked her way to the same door that Baros had just recently exited. As Baros and Greta crossed in their short journey, there was a slight exchange between them. It was a whisper and a wink- from Baros. Winks didn't mean much when Baros was concerned. They were a dime a dozen.

When within reasonable distance that he could call out and not have to shout, Baros said, "I would have thought that casually inspecting the goods that you are delivering is considered an unspoke rule of good faith."

"With the type of people in your line of work," he continued, now coming to a casual stop some ten yards from the crew, "present company withstanding, of course. Having a rule explicitly stating 'Don't look in the box' is pretty much an invitation to do just that. You looked. Got worked up. But still...delivered the item. Intriguing."

He paused for a moment, trying to catch Teyla's direct gaze.

"I don't believe we have had the pleasure of being properly introduced," he said now looking at Damon, "Baros Sal-Soren, and I would be happy to pay you more. Would you consider double? With one condition of course."

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"] [member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

So he was here. They really needed to leave. In all the conversations he and Teyla had that centered around Baros, there was nothing good she had ever said about the man. Riggs also wasn’t comfortable with putting his pregnant partner in what was only bound to be another one of his twisted games. Teyla had warned him that he could be unpredictable, so when Baros asked about doubling the payment his first thought was just run off at the mouth that he wasn’t leaving Teyla for double. From what he was told about him, it would seem like something he’d want.

It was double the credits though, and with the baby almost 20 weeks away, Riggs had to ask at least.

“Damon Riggs... and what’s the catch?”

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

"Riggs."

Baros seemed to be rolling the word around in his mouth, or his mind - or both. There was no distaste evident in the way that he said it, but you could tell he was thinking something through. "Pleasure to meet you Damon Riggs."

Behind Baros the door slid shut behind the pair of droids. The sun was entirely down below the horizon now. Daytime was in its decadent death throes. "There are several jobs that I will need to have done for me soon. I assure you that they are not in any way akin to the type of cargo. In fact, these will mostly be passengers. I do not wish to go through the public transport system, nor do I wish to go to the places where these people will be coming from. However, I very much wish them to come here. Very much indeed."

Glancing towards Teyla, Baros commented, "I have the fullest confidence in your ability to see the job done."

[member="Damon Riggs"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

Teyla stepped forward but made sure she didn't leave the boundary of the light cast from the ship. She exchanged a look with Riggs, then turned her gaze back to Baros, her dark brows creasing.

"Right..." her voice trailed off, mind working to try and piece together the clues.

Finally, after a few silent seconds, she asked, "Why?"

Damon always told her that they didn't ask questions, but her familiarity with Baros made her comfortable enough to override the adopted smugglers code. Especially when considering the first shipment they'd brought. "What do you need them for? Does it have anything to do with that?" she pointed to the door where the droids had disappeared behind, indicating the Sith artifacts. For what seemed like the first time, she took a real look at the home Baros made for himself on Naboo. More of a fortress than anything.

Teyla thought on it silently.

She'd taken to the stars to get away from what she feared.

Baros had built walls. "What's going on?"

[member="Damon Riggs"], [member="Baros Sal-Soren"]

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

"That?" Baros said glancing behind him, "one less artiface of evil in the hands of someone evil. The math works out to be a net gain for all the sane people of the galaxy."

Teyla was smart. Baros knew this all too well. It was why he had hired her in the first place. It was what had grabbed his attention when they first met. He could see the cogs turning in her head, but he knew that she already knew the answer.

"Business, Miss Ee'verwest. My interest in these individuals is business related. It is also my business," he glanced at Riggs, "I am sure that you can understand that I would not be asking you to do these jobs for me if I was OK with everyone knowing my business."

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"] [member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

“See that right there is the problem,” Riggs said with a stern expression in his face. “I get business being business, but the minute you ask us to transport people, and need a smuggler to do that, well that has me curious.”

Riggs looked Baros over. The man was smug, and whatever Teyla had seen in him, Damon didn’t see it. Sure there was some charisma, but the arrogance the man oozed out covers up and charisma that could be liked. He took a couple of steps toward Baros, positioning himself between the man and Teyla.

“Slavery is illegal in Confederacy space, so unless you give us a reason plausible enough to ensure we aren’t side stepping something I don’t even want as my business, then forget it. I don’t know who you thought you were hiring, but we have certain ethics, ones that are more important than double the credits, even with a kid on the way...”

Damon looked at Teyla over his shoulder. He was making this decision for them, and he hoped she was going to be okay with it.

“So if you insist on keeping your purpose to yourself, then our business here is concluded, and you can forget the notion that we will take jobs from you, not with the trouble that is attracted to you.

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

There was no sign of annoyance, nor was there any sign of intimidation. Baros kept his gaze on Riggs as he spoke. After the smuggler was done, Baros just left the words to linger for a moment, and then when he could see Teyla moving to speak, he preempted her. "I trust Teyla." He came across as sincere, but that seemed like something a man like this could generate on a whim. Was this something that he would fake though?

He decided to let the talk of pregnancy wash over. That was irrelevant to his goals.

"That is why I ask you. I also owe her my life. That is why I offer you more money."

Moving past Riggs, Baros wandered to the edge of the catwalk that connected the landing pad to the house, he looked down off the side and into the now black abyss below. "This has nothing to do with slavery Mr Riggs," he said as he turned only his head up to face Damon, "it has everything to do with rescuing."

"I would certainly ask you to help me with this. There are others that I would be willing to hire, but I retain a certain loyalty to those that have laid themselves in harm's way for me," he looked now to Teyla, "I only wish to say thank you...in a way that would seem appropriate, given...circumstances."

[member="Damon Riggs"] [member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

She knew when Damon got into one of his moods, that there was no arguing to be done with him. There wasn’t anything she could say to change his mind or course of action if he decided that they weren’t going to take the job. Part of her was annoyed, but also too occupied with going over in her mind the previous conversations she’d had with Baros when they’d worked together before. He’d never dealt in slaves, and she’d never known him to be that type of person, but three years was a long time. People changed.

A small modicum of relief was felt to find that wasn’t the case, though. But her curiosity changed to an overwhelmed feeling, becoming unusually quiet and unsure about what to do except stand there with her mouth slightly open for a moment, stunned when Damon let slip the nature of the pregnancy.

It wasn’t necessarily a secret. With her jacket removed, it was easy to notice the small bump forming. Still, there was a part of her that didn’t want Baros to find out and it brought up some conflicting emotions in her. When Damon looked at her over his shoulder, it was clear from her expression that she was simply being tolerant at this point.

He was, after all, trying to be protective. If not overly so.

She stepped up beside Damon, slipping her arm in through the bend of his.

“That’s very generous of you,” she said, suddenly turning all business, “And you provided the information we needed. We’d be happy to help in whatever capacity we can.”

[member="Baros Sal-Soren"], [member="Damon Riggs"]

 

[Damon Riggs]

Riggs just nodded. He knew from Teyla's reaction, and Baros, that he took it a bit far. Damon wasn't going to deal in slaves though, and since Teyla had never said anything nice about the man's character, Damon could only assume. It was wrong, but it wasn't unfounded based on the evidence and conclusions it had led to.

"Rescuing is much different," he chimed in after Teyla. His hand reached to her arm to offer an apologetic squeeze. He knew he was going to hear about later, whether it was because Teyla was mad, or she wanted to know that he knew he'd messed up. The thought of being a dad scared him to a degree. He was happy, but Riggs also knew the life he offered both Teyla, and now the child they were going to be raising together, was not the same one he had. There was a lack of security to this life than what he had, so Riggs was overcompensating by playing to protective father and... well he couldn't say husband, but partner. Neither of them had ever suggested they were not committed to each other.

"Double the credits then," Riggs stuck his hand out. It was going to be a gentlemen's agreement after all. The nature of it seemed like something Baros didn't want traced back to him, so that meant no contract. Riggs didn't trust the man, but he trusted Teyla. If she didn't have a problem with it, then Riggs was going to go with that.

[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"] [member="Baros Sal-Soren"]

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

"Fantastic," Baros said as he turned on his heals and walked a few steps towards his home. Riggs' handshake was noticeably left hanging. "I will have Greta forward you the encryption for communication, if you could reply so that I can differientiate your signature from my other assets."

"Greta. Double the pay for this delivery." He spoke as if she was there. Moments later the data chit vibrated slighty with the increase in funds.

"Thank you for your services. You will be sent the details for your next delivery...soon."

[member="Damon Riggs"][member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]

 

[Amz]

She knew this was probably unsettling for Damon, she understood why it could cause him to be in a bad mood and feel defensive, but she thought there was something more going on. Didn’t mean she wasn’t mad or frustrated, but she understood.

Teyla watched the exchange. Baros not shaking Damon’s hand was a very blatant statement in itself, one she didn’t fault him for. Teyla didn’t do anything at first, watching Baros turn his back. It made her feel a slight twinge of guilt.

'I'm going to have a quick word with him," she turned to face Damon, knowing he wasn’t going to like the idea of her being alone with Baros. But if he trusted her like he claimed, then he wouldn’t mind. He would trust her with this, too.

Teyla let go of Damon's arm to walk after Baros, stepping fully into the shadows where she was nearly blind.

She thought she could make out a small bobbing blob and moved towards that.

“Baros, wait! ...I’m sorry about Damon, he’s...usually more civil than that...but that’s not...please stop. I can’t see, and I want to talk. Not about business.”


[member="Damon Riggs"], [member="Baros Sal-Soren"]