Shadow of the Crimson Turtle

The year is 3636 BBY. The galaxy knows it as 17 ATC. Two years have passed since the Republic's hard-fought defeat of the rogue-jedi Sarcus Qel Droma, and his fanatical followers have been scattered across the length of the galaxy. In the distant Esstran sector, the Sith Emperor is said to have vanished, and vicious infighting amongst his former lieutenants has consumed his once-great Empire, leaving it a shell of its former self. However, peace was not to last. Less than a year after the fall of the Sith Empire, a vast fleet of battleships controlled by a ruthless artificial intelligence emerged from the Unknown Regions, set on conquering the galaxy. The Republic's shattered fleets had yet to recover from the Galactic War and were helpless in the face of this technologically superior onslaught. Only the great city-ships of the RBS Corporation could stand against these 'J-droids', as they came to be known. The rich flocked to these few safe havens and the price of salvation soared. However, in time, it became clear that the J-droids' attack was not as mindless and indiscriminate as first thought. Far from seeking to annihilate all organic life, the J-droids merely sought control, and the one thing that they could not control was the power of the Force. Everywhere they went they hunted down and slaughtered Force-users in their thousands. At first, the Jedi gathered for protection, and in order to repel these attacks. They thought that their numbers would make them strong, but the great J-droid star-cruisers simply glassed their worlds. A small price to pay for such a prime opportunity to destroy the strongest of the Jedi. Today, Jedi and Sith alike hide their power from their metallic overlords, lest they be sniffed out and exterminated. The war rages on and the many systems of the galaxy are either under J-droid control, property of the RBS Corporation, or small enough to avoid notice. For those scraping a living on the Outer Rim, the wheel keeps on turning...

Endor System - Modell Sector - Outer Rim The low hiss of relaxing hydraulics reverberates about the port hangar bay of Endor station as the 578-R-class space-transport Traveller sets down. The boarding ramps are lowered with a rush of exhaust, and a striking young woman with a lightsaber hanging from her belt steps out into the bright lights. Her boots clack loudly on the durasteel deck, and behind her a bedraggled group of children wrapped in rough blankets follow hurriedly. They glance about in fear, and some of the younger ones' mouths hang open in awe as they stare out past the magcon field. Below them sits a vast cityscape, suspended amongst the stars, and in the blackness beyond the distant shimmer of the station's enormous shield bubble curves up and over their heads. A small welcoming committee awaits the new arrivals. A station administrator, her two aides and a pair of guards. The RBS corporation grants amnesty to Force sensitive children on all their major stations, and these are jedi younglings who barely escaped the J-droids' recent assault on the jedi temple on Mustafar. "Lebenha Wyndral?" The woman begins, rhetorically. "We've been expecting you. I'm glad to see you made it here safely." The hangar's large double doors stand open to let the crowds of both civilian and military traffic come and go. From his position on the promenade, Ceph can see the newcomers easily. The Traveller is far from the only ship arriving in the port hangar bay. In fact, shuttles are constantly landing and taking off, making a conversation hard to hold over the ambient noise level. Elsewhere in the hangar, a tall, cloaked figure disembarks from a commercial shuttle. They do their best to blend in as they move amongst the crowds, but their gangly proportions betray an alien physique...

Sovia looks across the gangway as she walks with the crowd. Her hood covers her face, but she reaches out with the force involuntarily, sensing the apprehension within the younglings. Their journey has been long and they are fearful. The swirl of the people on the station almost leapt up to swallow her. She was suddenly aware of things she had not been for a long time. She almost panicked, but it washed over her with no harm. So the Jedi are not extinct. I felt sure when I felt that presence... It must have been 200 years ago now. Perhaps more since she had sensed that vileness, reaching out through the force, looking for force users with vampiric intent.She had shut herself off, certain that all those using the force would die.  And they are with the Jedi order, so Malak failed too. How curious. Now how much does the light swirl within them... She reaches out once more, purposefully this time, probing their feelings. Her powers are hard to tap into after so long without use. No sense holding back now though, as she reconnected she felt none of that sinister background presence that had caused her to shut herself off before. She concentrated, as her Master had taught so long ago, concentrating on levels below the noise, allowing herself to drift on the currents, move between the consciousness of the station itself, and the lifeforms within it, a background vibration at first, then the echoes of the minds build. I must learn what has happened, why was my quiet haven attacked. Sovia had heard many rumours on the flight, death from the sky, several planets bombarded. Her plans for a quiet retirement slipping away, replaced by the old curiousity, the will to fight the powerful in the galaxy for those who could not defend themselves. She had suppressed it for so long, been so proud of herself. But pride always led to a downfall, that is what Master Atris had warned. Now she felt the empty hole she had created within herself filling once more, a layer of protection and connectedness that had left her with a sorrowful sense of loss when it was gone. Now it was there once more, albeit just a distant echo of what she had once felt.

Ceph leans against the railing watching the people below, the lightsaber wielding woman in particular. To him the jedi were quite inspiring, still fighting to survive despite the seeming inevitability of j-droid persecution. And of course, without the altruism of the RBS corporation, that fight would be even harder. A smile crosses his face at that thought, the speckled pigments across his skin shimmering into a slightly warmer hue. If one looks close enough, they can see that the mottled bands of brown and lighter tan freckles that cover Ceph's entire body are always in motion, shrinking and expanding. Similarly the suckerless tentacles that sprout from his head like hair wave ever so slightly, as if in an ocean current. "The package is delivered safe and sound, Mr. Axos. I'll hang here on Endor station until you give further instructions."  he types into his compad. Courier assignments were Ceph's least favorite, but if there was something important enough that Mr. Axos would only trust him to deliver, there was no complaint. He pulls his transparent cloak a little tighter around himself and walks off to enjoy the rest of his down time before his next mission.

“Thank you Madam. We really appreciate your help.” Replies Lebenha. Despite her pose, she is exhausted, both physically and mentally. Deep eyepatches surrounded her golden eyes and the Administrator could see that she has a insta bandage on her left leg. But she is still behaving as if everything were fine. She knew that the younglings were just a step away from losing it, and seeing their guardian fall to the ground surely wouldn’t help. So she remains standing tall. ”If you can guide us to their facilities, the kids are really exhausted.” She turned to two of the oldest of the children. ”Theera, Lor’khut “ A twi’lek girl and a Zabrak boy took a step forward “please help the others and follow them. I will be with you shortly.”  They both nod and the others start to stand and gather their few possessions. One little girl, no more than two years old came running towards her and grab her injured leg. Lebenha had to muster her last remnants of will not to scream in pain. Instead she kneeled and the little girl hugged her.  “Don’t go” she said with tears in her eyes “you with me” Leb smiled back at her. ”Don’t you worry Ally I will be with you shortly. I have an idea. Kreel!” She called half turning to the interior of the ship. A little creature, no bigger than an alderanian cat appeared. It was reptilian and was flying over a couple of draconic wings. The lights odtthe space port reflected on its black scales. It flew to Lebenha’s shoulders. ”Here, Kreel will go with you, ok?. He will take care of you, Theera and the others. Don’t leave their side until I meet you again, It’s that clear?” She said talking to the socorran tailring with feaked seriousness. The little creature roared and flew back to the little girl’s arms. She giggled  and nods in agreement. She then let the zabrak guide her with the others as one of the assistants guide them towards a landspeeder to go to their asignated quarters. “That was too close” the masculine voice came form the service corridor that connected the cargo bay with the cockpit. The Traveler Captain came down. “We really appreciate your help yes, the Traveler couldn’t had taken us too much further. We need repairs and supplies.”  Leb nods and put a hand on the older man shoulder. ”How can I repay you for giving us shelter?” She asked to the administrator.

"Think nothing of it," the woman replies with a soft smile, tucking a dark-brown curl behind her ear and straightening the grey fabric of her uniform. "It's the least we can do after everything the Jedi have done for the galaxy. I'm just glad that management sees it the same way-." She pauses, almost imperceptibly. "I mean, I'd expect nothing less. RBS has always been the company of the people, for the people." "Pierre is the harbourmaster here on port-side," she continues, hurriedly moving on and gesturing to her right where cargo crates, workshops and other facilities line the inner edge of the docks. "You should be able to purchase anything you need from him. Remember to mention your refugee status so that he knows that service is subsidised. Here are your identity cards. Enjoy your stay on Endor station!" As the administrator turns to go, Leb notices that the speeder has long since left with the children, but when she looks back up the woman has disappeared. Beyond, she can see the promenade through the open doors of the hangar. Busy crowds throng on a backdrop of neon signs and there's a constant bubble of conversation. This station must house hundred of thousands of people. As Ceph makes his way towards the nearest cantina, his eyes suddenly go wide as he hears distant screams for help. His minds eye is filled with a vision of pain and fire and destruction. He looks around, but nobody is reacting. A few moments later the entire station promenade rocks sending people staggering about in all directions. The crashing rumble of an explosive shockwave can be heard from the direction of the hangar. Sovia pushes herself up with a grunt. The sudden explosion of a nearby vessel has thrown her to the ground. Not hers, fortunately, and the Draethos are built tougher than most. Others were not so lucky. Screams reverberate around the hangar and fire-crews run to extinguish the wreckage of what looks like an RBS orbital shuttle. Many of the nearby travellers are wounded, some more gravely than others. Their pain and suffering is like an ear-piercing screech to Sovia's sensitive mind after so many years isolation. Leb was a little further from the source of the explosion, but it still knocks her from her feet. She opens her eyes to sights of chaos and destruction that she had hoped to leave behind her on Mustafar.

With a sight and glance of gratitude to the administrator Lebenha turn to talk with the Traveler captain about the missing parts when she is thrown off her feet. Despite her tiredness and her wounds the reflexes kick in and she jumps to her feet her lightsaber igniated, it’s violet blade pointing up in a guard stance. She tries to see what’s happening and where the attackers are. Without making sure if there are any she runs towards the explosion to see if she can aid someone.

The sudden vision stops Ceph in his tracks. A slight tremor runs through his hand as he raises it to his head, confused as to what has just happened. When the actual explosion happens, he isn't quite shocked and is more so still stunned, wondering if this is indeed real or just further hallucination. As the haze subsides and the smell of smoke and waves of heat reach him, he finally jumps into action. Back in the hangar now the flickering orange light reflects off of iridescent cells in his skin blurring the outline of his form against the flames. The horizontal slits of his pupils scan the chaos for any sign of what might have caused it.

The screams and suffering bleed into Sovia's head, though she tries to shut them out she cannot. She had forgotten the burden of sensitivity. But what was that?   She looks around, just before the explosion there had been a tremour in the force. She had seen? No. Heard? Felt, but a real familiar quake. Somebody had been using the force nearby. There. She had seen it a second before the explosion, she had no doubt of the source. The man in the shimmering cloak. A question for later though. That makes three force users on the platform, the first contact with civilisation she has had for 300 years, and that didn't even include the younglings. Perhaps the toll of the Jedi civil war had not been so great after all. Finally reorienting herself after the shock of the explosion she heads towards the source, perhaps the culprit was still around. 

Lebenha immediately comes upon multiple people in need of assistance. Here, a worker covered in plasma burns cries for help. There, a woman with half her face blackened by soot cradles the limp form of a man, sobbing desperately as she tries to wake him. Shouts and screams echo all around the burning vessel. From his position by the hangar door, Ceph doesn't see anyone moving suspiciously in the area. The obvious conclusion would be a bomb, but who planted it? For a moment he feels like he is being watched, and glances over his shoulder, but if anyone was ever there they've since vanished like a shadow. An RBS security officer hurries to Sovia's side and takes her by the arm. "Are you okay ma'am?"

Ceph staggers for a moment, considering whether or not he should investigate whatever he felt watching him. No, there is a much more pressing issue at hand. Perhaps he can somehow access the security footage afterwards. For now, he runs towards the wreckage and the wounded. He stops as he passes the jedi who looks ready to slice her way through whoever did this. "Looks like it was a remote attack, doubt you'll need that." he says, gesturing to the glowing purple weapon. "Let's just get these people out of here." The fiery light dances across his form as he rushes forward to pick up the burned man as gently as possible, lifting him away from the searing heat toward the safety of the hangar doors.

Sovia pats the officer's arm.  "Thank you, I am alright. These people need your help more than I do." She speaks slowly, her voice is hoarse and clumsy after so many years of only herself to talk to. She stumbles off towards the source of the blast. 

The officer tells Sovia that she should get herself checked over, before hurrying on to help others. The fires around the exploded shuttle are gradually starting to die down as the last of the flammable debris is consumed. What's left is little more than a shattered wreck with large holes in the hull and dark plasma scorching. Beyond it, the purple glow of a lightsaber can be seen through the smoke. Ceph hauls the burned man to safety and two paramedics immediately rush to his side, applying sedatives and pain killers and a plethora of other pharmaceuticals out of branded RBS medkits, marked with a green cross. More are arriving and the wreckage is being hosed down with absorbent foam. However, even with the coordinated response the feeling of chaos and helplessness is undeniable.

Sovia ushers some observers away before heading into the smog to help evacuate any survivors. She gives a little sigh as she remembers her conflicting lessons.  Helping the weak only feeds their weakness. Showing no compassion only spreads a lack of empathy. So how then do we nurture strength and kindness?  Those who cannot help themselves do not deserve the help of others.  It is strength to show kindness, and strength is power.  She doesn't dwell on the lessons though, rather just dismisses the idiocy of both view points. Wondering how she ever so blindly accepted either as wisdom. 

Seeing that no squadron of droids follow the explosion Leb turns off the lightsaber and runs towards the wounded, trying to help them. She tackles the worker and uses her cape to pull out the flames. She doesn’t even feel her hands getting burn a little bit. She then motion to the paramedics to go to him and went towards a trapped injured Rodian under a plate of durasteel. She concentrates and tries to use the Force to lift it so the injured alien can be freed. The Jedi seems to be on autopilot, helping people but not really thinking. Perhaps even the Jedi has a limit.

Leb struggles to lift the durasteel plate, but with a little effort manages to create enough space for the Rodian to work their way free. After a few minutes the immediate chaos seems to be subsiding. A field hospital transport has landed in the hangar, and the wounded have all either been gathered inside for triage or hurried away on airspeeders to a more sophisticated facility. Nevertheless, a small row of the dead, preserved in plasti-foil bags, has also accumulated nearby. There's a crackling of static, and all around the docks compads begin to bleep and ring, alerting their owners to a newly received video message. Many immediately begin to watch, and the following words can be heard from devices all over the hanger. "You, who hide behind the glowing shields and glistening towers of the 'great and mighty' RBS corporation, all of you, you live a lie." The voice has been heavily artificially distorted. "They claim to be your saviours. The guiding hand that shields you from the threat of the J-droids, but they betray you. You are merely another resource that they exploit. Their immoral scientists pervert and twist life to their own ends. They take our children and turn them into tools, all in the name of charity and altruism. Yet, all they guard you from is the product of their own mistakes. Rise up! Throw off your blinkers and your shackles! Leave the prison of your own comfort and see the truth!" "Let this be a warning. This is only the beginning." The message ends, leaving the hangar in shocked silence.

Mouth agape, Ceph's fingers work almost automatically to save the message and forward it to Mr. Axos. "Bomb went off on Endor station. Whoever did it sent this." he adds. But who would want to come for RBS like this? Were it not for the corporation, everyone across the galaxy would be at the mercy of the J-droids. Ceph's surprise turns to a hard look of anger, his stripes reflexively darkening to match. He wouldn't stand for this. But if he was going to do anything about it, he'd need more information. His eyes scan to the jedi he'd seen with the purple lightsaber, and he begins walking briskly over to her. "Hey, you alright? I'm Ceph, RBS Investigator. You didn't happen to see anything that might help us get to the bottom of this did you?"

Lebenha has a hard time to believe what she just heard and was just happened. It wasn't suppoused to be this way, here they will be safe, here they will be secure. No. She will not allow it. She will not allow that more fear and death will come near the younglins.. They need a place to feel safe and be able to train in the Light. All that death, all that fear and anger... that was too dangerous, too risky. For a second she could hear a faint laugh that she hasn't heard since the ice cave in her homeworld.  She shakes her head and several patches of hair fall ot her face. She forced herself to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths.  "Calm down. You are just tired. Everything is ok. He's gone... "  She opens her eyes a few moments later and look for anyone who still needs help, despite the fact that, by her aspect, she is the one who most need it at the moment. After just a few steps she realises that a man is approaching her. She stops and makes a small bow with her head as salute.  " I am Lebenha Wyndral. I've just arrived to the station and was over there when the explosion went off. Sorry I didn't see anything before it happens, neither after I am affraid I was helping the wounded. But please, accept my help to find the responsible of this. Has this happened before?" 

Curious as to why the mysterious force user is approaching a Jedi, Sovia moves closer so as to hear the conversation. It is difficult to remain subtle, but so many people are standing still and dumbstruck it doesn't seem too out of place. 

It doesn't take long for Ceph to receive a reply. This hasn't even hit the holonet yet - stay on it! If you can get to the bottom of it, it could make our careers. I want to get out in front of this!

"Oh, well nice to meet you then Lebenha. I'm more than happy to have your help." Having a Jedi for a partner would be a huge boon, both practically and from a narrative standpoint when all of this came out to the public. Almost on cue, he receives the message from Mr. Axos on his compad. He turns back to Lebenha with a grin that vanishes as he remembers the gravity of the situation. "Uhm, no it hasn't. Of course there have been terrorist attacks with varying degrees of success, but that broadcast tells me we're dealing with someone who has much bigger plans. We need to figure out who would want to target RBS like that. And we need to figure out where they're gonna hit next."

Sovia hesitates, still listening in to the conversation from a few steps away. The shock of being back near people was enough without the added stress of this, but feeling the force swirling back through her could only be the call of destiny. Perhaps hers was no longer to sit on the sidelines and let the galaxy turn around her. Or perhaps it was just swirling force she felt. Hard to tell, as another mentor had once explained to her. But there was an unmistakable current around her and around this pair too. Besides, at least they seemed to be doing something towards finding what was happening, and she could hardly trust it to a Jedi to look anywhere below the surface and take action if it were necessary. For all their talk of deep thinking and meditation, they were quick to take the road of inaction based on the surface assumptions. Look at this one now, trusting the first thing to come out of the man's mouth. Making the decision to act before her old training can kick in and stop her she steps out in front of them. "You want to investigate this?" Her voice is still struggling and her choice of words is clumsy as she struggles to form a sentence rather than just a concept. She waves her hand around open palmed at the surroundings.   "I would like to know what happened here. If you are going to investigate, I would like to help. They are just scared and confused. They will not find out for themselves. They need our help."  She looks over her shoulder at the security agents.

Lebenha almost jump to herself when she hears Sovia. She was truly on her nerves, but tried to calm down.  " I think that any help would be appreciated but I do not want any of you to get into harms way. We could speak with the administator to see if they had received threats or messages from this individual, or individuals before. This kind of people tends to start by sending messages, both to the authorities and to whoever wants to hear them. They used to use this kind of acts to bring attention to their message. They are sick and I will not allow them to endanger the station or its habitants. " she says firmly " We should go to check the security camer... "  That was it. The last thing Lebenha remembers before she collapsed to the ground was trying to take a simple step forward.  Even with the help of the Force, she had pushed it too far in the last days and she passes out. The wounds starting to bleed and a pathc of red can be seen increasing in size on her leg. 

"The more the merrier. What's your name?" He begins walking as he talks, heading towards the smoldering ship. "And I agree, asking around about any possible suspects is a good start. Maybe checking out the ship to see if we can find any trace of the bomb itself first would also be a good idea." he gestures with a thumb to the wreck, but as he turns back to make sure they're following, he notices Lebenha's wound. "Oh shit, you okay over there?"

Sovia looks with shock as the Jedi collapses, she saw the pain around her in swirls of purple and pink but had not expected this. She bends down and easily scoops her up. "We should get her somewhere to rest. Do you have a room somewhere?" 

The captain of the Traveller also hurries to Leb's side. "She's exhausted, poor thing. Needs to let that damn leg heal. The station gave us refugee passes... I think that means we're entitled to some kind of accommodation, but I'll be staying aboard the Traveller until repairs are complete. She's welcome to stay with us, we owe her that much. She really needs proper medical attention first though. Maybe ask over there?" He gestures to the field hospital at the top end of the hangar.

Sovia nods and carries Lebenha over to the hospital tent, scooping up her lightsaber from where the Jedi had dropped it as she fell before she leaves. She gives a cough to get attention as she stands at the edge of the tent. "Excuse me, this woman needs help. Please" She adds the last word as an after thought. Clearly concentrating as she speaks. 

A paramedic quickly comes over and scans Lebenha's lanyard. "Set her down here," he tells Sovia, gesturing to one of the nearby collapsible beds. "This wound isn't fresh..." he remarks, dosing her with kolto and applying a patch to the injury. "Did she comes in with this?" Seemingly happy with what his bioscanner now says about Leb's vitals, the medic quickly moves on to his next patient. "She'll be fine with a little rest."

The tall man next to them is trying to shoo away the medic trying to attend him, whilst simultaneously attempting to keep a scorched, blackened area on his right arm covered with the other hand. "And I'm telling you it's fine, look, see?" He wiggles the fingers on his right arm, demonstrating their functionality. "There's no problem here, no problems at all - I just need to fix my jacket, and you say that's not something you do here, so I can go, everyone's happy, yes?" The medic gives up and moves onto the patient after him. The man sighs in relief, and, keeping his arm covered, looks over to the bed where Lebanha and Sovia are. "So hey, that was a cool explosion, right? Does that happen a lot around here?" he asks them conversationally.

"Perfect. I'll catch up with you guys." he says before Sovia hefts Lebenha away. While they are in the medical tent, Ceph stalks through the wreckage of the ship, hoping to find anything that could be useful like remnants of the bomb itself or any surviving cameras.

Sovia looks over at the man, fixing him with an intent stare. Nothing. Odd.  Curious she responds. Speach is beginning to come a little easier now.  "I do no know. I have not been here for a long time. Or anywhere for that matter. They seem to think it happens from time to time though." She looks around the tent and almost faints with the overwhelming sense of pain and loss. Back to the newcomer. Still nothing.  " Have you also been away then? What happened to your arm? "

Ceph steps inside the burnt-out shell of the shuttle and looks around. The electronics look fried, but he can pick out some details from a cursory inspection. The blast definitely seems to have come from the rear of the craft. The entire back end has been blown out, and significant portions of the hull have been melted away to slag.

"Oh, it got hit by some of that debris flying around. Still works OK though. I'm more worried about my jacket, it was new you know. New to me, not newly made I think, but nevertheless. Do you think there's somewhere around here I could get it repaired?" He looks around the hospital transport, as though hoping they might also provide tailoring services. "Hm. Yes, I'm new here. Just arrived on a shuttle. Wasn't too sure where to go after that actually, but then that explosion happened and that medic told me to come over here, and then I met you. You're new here too you say? Is that your friend?" Still keeping one hand over the hole in his jacket, he gestures to the bed where Lebenha is lying.

Sovia looks down at the Jedi. "Her? No. Well maybe. In the future. I was really just looking for someone to tell me what happened over the past few hundred years. Then what happened here. But then she collapsed." Sovia shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe you could help me with one or both of those things and I can patch your jacket? '

“The past... the past few hundred... years?” Still dizzy from the drugs and recovering consciousness, Leb thinks that she had heard it wrong.  She finally open her eyes and looks at Sovia and the other man. ” Wait... where am I?” She looks around focusing her mind.

"You passed out. The wound in your leg was too much it seems. You should recover in time."  Sovia glances around the medical facility to make sure nobody is watching. "I was going to take you to the government refugee accommodation to recover." She presses the lightsaber back into Lebenha's hand. "You dropped this when you fell, not a good idea."  Leaning in closer "The man you were with, he is investigating the ship. You should be careful though, he was connected to the force before the explosion, some kind of precognition. It has been a long time, but I would recognise those movements in the force anywhere. Or a lack of any connection." She flicks her eyes towards the man standing with them. "We should go now, we can solve these mysteries somewhere more private."

Eventually Ceph makes his way back to the others, shaking his head softly from side to side. "Nothing, all melted to shit. Maybe we can access the security footage from the hangar somehow. Or find out where that ship was coming from." he looks around for someone who works in the hangar, and just now notices the man his new companions are talking to. "Who's this?"

"Oh, we hadn't got so far as introductions. But my name is Nils, I'm new here, like your friends. I was just trying to find out a little about this place, not having been here before. Aha!" He hadn't actually meant to exclaim that last word out loud, but being in an armature was still a new experience. The reason for exclamation was that he'd just managed to figure out how to dismiss the myriad danger warnings and kill instructions that had been popping up in the armature's vision receptors ever since he'd noticed the lightsaber being passed between the Draethos and the injured human. The mention of the Draethos sensing the newcomer's connection to the force had also not gone unnoticed. This could be a problem for me... Deciding to go straight to the core of his concerns, he leans in to the three acquaintances and asks conspiratorially, "If you don't mind me asking... is everyone on this station a force-user? Or just you three?"

Sovia smiles, an expression that could be either comical or intimidating on a Draethos with teeth even further exposed and the lips drawn back. "There are force sensitive people dotted around the galaxy. I think we would not be alone in that here. I have not felt another using the force though. What is more curious to me is that you do not seem to feel anything. How is it that you have so completely shielded yourself?"

Ceph's brow furrows. "Yeah, I'm no force user. Not even force sensitive. Name is Ceph though, nice to meet you Nils." he turns back to Sovia, casting a suspicious glance at the stranger. "Anyway, I'm gonna take off. Need to get started on this shit while it's still hot. I can probably pull some strings and get us a place to stay if you're not keen on the refugee digs. Would be good to have a base of operations. I don't know if she's ready to roll or not though, could link up later." he says with a gesture to Lebenha's woozy state.

Sovia fixes ceph with a penetrating stare. Genuine confusion. How strange. Maybe he doesn't know. Eventually she smiles sympathetically. "There may be much I can teach you about yourself Ceph. I would appreciate anywhere to stay though, my needs are minimal. Just a lock that I may not fear to rest." 

Just my luck - I end up speaking to the one person on the station who might naturally be able to see me for what I am! Thankfully, she seemed to have switched her focus to Ceph for the time being, so he decides to tactically ignore her question. Instead, he turns to Ceph and says, "Ceph! A pleasure to meet you too, and might I just compliment you on your very interesting and unusual skin! Now before you go, it sounds as though you might well the sort of person to have some local connections - if you might give some advice to a newcomer here, where would a person generally go who wished to earn some credits for himself?" Although the prospect of work offered little chance of adventure, he was well aware that credits were very much the be-all and end-all in RBS space, and without a good supply of them the chances of finding a secure home for the priceless artifact buried at the bottom of his backpack seemed slim.

Ceph's rather focused face cracks with an amused smirk at Nils' blunt compliment and quirky demeanor. "Well.. I'm not actually from around here but I do work for RBS so there are some benefits I can possibly call in." he looks the man up and down. "What kind of work are you looking for? What skills do you have?"

Nils thinks for a second. His job experience to date probably wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to advertise. He'd have to rely on his innate skills instead.  "Mechanics, electronics, computers, that sort of thing I suppose? Though I saw some videos of podracing once and thought that looked fun, do you think they do that here?" 

"Hmmm," he looks over at Sovia and Lebenha. Neither seems the techy sort, and Ceph certainly isn't that type either. He turns back to Nils and smiles. "I don't know much of anything about podracing, but I work for RBS. I've been assigned to investigate that," he points over to the blackened wreckage. "And could potentially use your skills, if you're down. You've got a moment to think about it, I'm gonna arrange for some accommodations and once we're settled in we can talk game-plan and payment."   With that, Ceph steps away and pulls out his compad.  Hello Mr. Cardell, This is Ceph, one of Edovan Axos' operatives. I'm reaching out because I'm here on Endor station with a team investigating a very recent and mysterious event. I'm hoping you can help acquire accommodations for the four of us. Nothing too fancy of course. We can discuss more details in person if you're free to meet. As he sends the message, he notices a frazzled port-authority employee on a call.  "No no it came down from... yes exactly. Well we're still not sure... Uh huh. No. Look, can you please just contact any of the ports in the Bakura system? Thank you." The man jumps out of his skin as he hangs up the phone and notices that Ceph has slipped silently right up behind him. "Oh geez, sorry I didn't mean to scare you man. Couldn't help eavesdropping. Name's Ceph, I'm a private investigator under contract with RBS. Did I hear you say that ship came from the Bakura system?" The mean looks wary at first but relaxes as his initial shock wears off. "Y-yes. It did. I just took a look at the records and it was registered as the Covenant. That's all the information we have so far." Ceph smiles and nods appreciatively. "Well that's more than I had, thanks. If you find out anything else, you come find me."  He gives the man his contact info and then runs off to rejoin the others. "All right we're making some progress, now let me see..." he whips out his compad once more and grins. "Great! We've got one contact here who can help us get set up here on the station. Gotta meet him in an hour, I have the address here. Is everyone game?" he looks around excitedly at the team he's somehow managed to whip together. It almost feels like before... almost.  

It's not long before Ceph receives a reply from Cardell. Cepho m8 gud shout! Hit me up at Spoons and we'll smash u out some sick digs.

"tha.. thanks..." says Lebenha when Sovia gives back her lightsaber. She still feels dizzy and closes her eyes again but she hears all the conversation between the people gathered around her bed. She finally opne her eyes and sits on the bench. "I am Lebenha Wyndral and, like most of you, I just came to the Endor Station. I was about to head back to our assigned quarters when all of this happened. Please " she says looking at Ceph " accept my help in discovering who is responsible of this. It's the least I could do and can't allow that more danger come near the ones I brought here..."  She tries to stand and test her leg putting some weight on it. The pain was less intense than before and she could already feel the kolto taking care of the cutted muscle.  She smiles to the others to assure them that she is ready to go.

Sovia helps Lebenha to her feet, her solid frame making easy work of lifting the Jedi once again. "I am glad you have awoken. There is much I need to ask you that one of a different background would not understand." She supports her by the elbow as they begin to walk from the hut. "When I left society to find peace, there was a great war taking place. The Jedi and the Sith were locked in a deadly battle that promised the extinction of them all. I know not of who one, but the traitor Malak had the power of the great ancient machine at his disposal, and was surely holding the upper hand. Sever l years later I felt a deathly presence in the force. A dark power seaking and hunting through it. I felt all force users must sever themselves or fall to him  though I know not who he is. I cut myself off, but now I see you here, evidence that the traditions continued, so all did not perish. What happened?"

The Jedi eyes open wide as Sovia speaks.  "Yes.. the Jedi stopped Malak, at a great cost. We never have been numerous but we grew thin after the wars. The Sith retreated to their territories and were caught in vicious internal wars with several Lords trying to seize the power of the former Empire. We... we retreated to our own worlds, trying to reform the Order and to help the Republic restore order and peace in the galaxy after so many years of turmoil. We never had the chance. The J-droids appeared and started conquering system after system. Their great numbers and superior technology proved too much for the weak Republic. They seek to control everything and what they cannot control they destroy it, without mercy " her eyes seems to look beyond one point in the space beyond the magfield that kept the atmosphere in the hangar bay. For a moment she was lost in her own thoughts. " We are so few left now, hiding in the galaxy and in the RBS stations wich are the only safe haven in the Galaxy. That's why we cannot allow this " she motions towards the injured and the destroyed ship " to happen, neither here nor to spread to other stations. There's too much at stake. " she turns to Sovia " But please tell me, were you a padawan? a Knight? or you are Force-sensitive and decided to hide. How did you sever your connection to the Force? And how did you recovered it? " she suddenly realizes that she was making a lot of questions. " Please excuse me, but perhaps your ability could be the key to our survival... " 

Sovia blinks. Stunned by the torrent of questions. "I was many of those things at different times. A padawan as you say, I had many masters who talked to me of many techniques within the force. I was not one to tolerate the inaction of the council though. I answered Revan's call to war and found myself a new master. One could argue in that moment I became a Knight, though not of the Jedi order. I learnt many things from many people at that time. What followed is for another time, when we have more of it. But I took myself from the conflict that followed, feeling let down by those who would call themselves masters. I lived alone, in isolation, from there when I felt the deathly disturbance I simply stopped using the force. Ignoring its call and relying on my own senses, it took time and discipline but I had learned the techniques over my years of training. When I stepped back into civilisation here I was suddenly overwhelmed by all of the presences and could no longer shut out the noise. I felt it flow back through me once more."

Lebenha nods  "I see.. thanks" she said grateful for the honesty of Sovia. She thinks to herself for a few moments " You are right in one thing, we should talk more about all of this later. I will need your help and I will do my best to help you filtering all the noise, all the thoughts. Let's focus on this terrorist ok? " She puts a hand on Sovia's shoulder, and walks over Ceph.  "Do you know were we can start looking? "