Dancing Bantha drops out of hyperspace above Motthesh and falls towards the planet.

Swooping in low over the jungle, the ship closes in on the mountain range which conceals Defiance Base, eventually entering the large cavern which serves as a hangar for the rebel facility.

As the Bantha's landing gear touches the floor, maintenance crews move out to work on her.  Further off Colonel Lias Kourene can be seen approaching the newly returned ship, along with several other senior personnel from Defiance Base.

The cargo ramp drops, allowing the crew and passengers to disembark, and Kourene asks, "Where you successful?"

Rhijans shrugged, and jerked his head to indicate something over his shoulder, just as Dawl started down the ramp.  "Well, unless your contact loaded the boxes wrong, we not only got your converters, we also brought along a bonus."  He could bring himself to introduce her as a Jedi...the concept was just too ludicrous, to him--Jedi were a myth, a bunch of people who brainwashed themselves to believe in some 'Force'--and he just couldn't take it seriously enough to even bother stating that she claimed to be one.

But, he knew there were people in the Alliance chain of command that put a lot of stock in the whole 'Jedi' thing.  So he wasn't going to debate it with anyone, either.

"And I've got a transport rental reimbursement to get squared away, since our intel for this mission didn't include anything about the Empire blockading the Ker Aldas spaceport.  We had to divert to Ker Zaineer and drive in from there."  Now, that one, he was willing to debate about.

Shard hangs back a little.  She's not entirely popular among the Rebellion Named Ones - and she knows why.  Drinks too much, not exactly reliable except in a crunch, pessimist, questions orders and authority.  It doesn't make her the best choice to give the report.  Especially when she has alcohol on her breath; the trip back was easy, providing her with a little chance to relax.

Fortunately, Rhijans steps up to the plate again.  Natural leader, that one, she thinks as he explains the situation and their 'guest' to the Colonel.  "That's your cue to introduce yourself," she mutters to the unexpected passenger - not unkindly.

Her lips twist down as she considers what transpired on the mission, and Shard realizes she's going to have to give a report, herself.  So she raises her voice, choosing to pass the information along from here.  "We ran into some trouble as well.  Woman what goes by Ghea Nimadda, looking for our new friend here.  She's...something special, anyway."

Rhijans arched an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't say anything as Shard spoke up.  How the hell did she learn the name? he wondered silently.  Again, he reminded himself, the two of them would need to have a talk...or several, since Fate seemed determined to interrupt them when things turned in that direction.

While Shard hadn't come out and specifically stated anything other than the name, Rhijans did a little mental math, regarding the reactions when they'd driven past the Imperial column marching in with a woman at the head.  "Yeah, the area around the Ker Aldas spaceport was absolutely crawling with Imperials...and they all seemed to be answering to her.  Not sure what the whole story is, but she is definitely bad news."

"Jedi. She claims to be a Jedi." Mark flatly stated. He grinned as he looked in her direction. "But then all the jedi were killed in the war. So I'd peg her as a charltan."

"Ghea Nimadda was there?" Kourene looks more than a little shocked, "And you escaped?"  He shakes his head, and studies the orange-skinned twi'lek carefully for a long moment.

Then he turns and beckons a couple of nearby techs over, "Captain Jalt has some power converters which need unloading.  I'm sure you can put them to good use."

His attention comes back to Tfalta.  "I'm going to have to place you under guard, for the moment, at least until we've had a chance to question you and verify your answers.  Hopefully you understand that we can't afford to take chances."  The twi'lek nods, and offers Kourene a smile, "Of course."  Then she is led away under armed guard...

With Tfalta out of the way, Kourene seems to relax slightly, There was no sign of Imperial activity in the system when we planned the mission.  Yet Ghea Nimadda was there when you arrived, searching for our guest?  Interesting... that would suggest that the twi'lek is somebody very important to Moff Kivost."

One of the techs assigned to retrieve the cargo approaches and interrupts, "The power converters look to be exactly what we need, Colonel."

"Excellent." the colonel says, glancing around the group and spottin that Jihon Mogg is injured, "All of you go and get something to eat, and medical treatment if needed, and meet me in the Briefing Room in thirty minutes."

Rhijans shrugged, and made his way to the commissary to grab something quick to eat.  The food at the base wasn't great...but it was better than shipboard rations.  Along the way, he took the time to turn in the partially-discharged power cell from his blaster and get a fresh one, which he tucked into a case on his belt, taking another fully-charged one and putting it in the weapon.

He wasn't going to let the question of the credits slide...renting equipment on Rebellion business shouldn't come out of his pocket, unless he decided to supplement on his own.  But this had been a case of necessity...the only other option would have been to try and steal something, which would have made getting back off-planet again somewhat tricky.

So the Rebellion is aware of Ghea Nimadda.  Shard isn't certain if she should be worried or relieved.  So, as always, she settles on worried.  "Catch you at the briefing," she shoots to her companions before wandering off to find somewhere nice and quiet.

To think.

For the first time in years, she does not simply crawl into her quarters and drink away the bottle that awaits.  Oh, to be truthful, Shard takes a shot or two from the flask, but nothing more.  The alcohol bitter on her tongue, she ponders the girl, Dawl, and the imperial woman.  Things just got a lot more complicated, and she's in no shape to deal with them.

Maybe I should do something about that, Shard finally decides.  Then she fingers a strand of her hair, pulling it out before her eyes, studying the threads of grey.

What can she do?

Sober in more ways than one, she arrives at the briefing room early to chew on breathmints and consider her future.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:48, Sun 27 Mar 2011.

Mark waved as Shard made her exit. "Yeah, catch ya later."

Mark went to the men's refresher. There he took a quick shower. He glanced at the clock. "A few minutes to spare. Gotta get a drink."

Moments later, Mark Jacobs entered the briefing room. A steaming cup of herbal tea in hand.

The Briefing Room is almost empty, rows of seats intended to hold the entire staff of Defiance Base stand mostly unused today, with only the group who had performed the recent mission to Dateen present.

Colonel Kourene enters the room a little early, studying a datapad.  He says nothing, but heads directly to the front of the room.  Instead of standing at the lectern there, he sits on the table to one side of it, ignoring the chairs laid out behind it, and usually occupied by the base senior personnel.

Still, he says nothing, but continues to read the pad.

Jihon Mogg hobbles in, his injured leg clearly giving him trouble, and finds himself a seat - not exactly a difficult task today.  Kourene stands and starts to speak, "First of all, congratulations on a very successful mission.  Not only did you retrieve the components required to repair our fighters, but you brought Tfalta Dawl back with you.  She is providing us with a wealth of information regarding the locations of Imperial forces, bases, and ships in the sector, including some facilities that we weren't even aware existed."

"She is also probably the indirect cause of the unexpected Imperial presence in the system, as she has apparently been making a nuisance of herself to such an extent that the Moff has ordered his pet murderer, Ghea Nimadda, to hunt her down."

The colonel stands up, and looks from face to face in his small audience, "All in all, I believe Dawl will prove to be a very useful and valuable addition to the Alliance."

"Any questions so far?"

Shard has no questions as yet.  It's good the kid they picked up will have a place here, somewhere safe.  It should be surprising that she's been such a pain in the rear for the Empire, but...Jedi trained, Shard reminds herself.  They're good at that, for sure.  And she brings value to the Rebellion.

Seems like they came away with more than they hoped, this time.

As for Ghea Nimadda...the older woman shifts uncomfortably, then leans forward.  It seems she does have a question after all.  "We going to hear more about Nimadda in this briefing?  If not, would be nice to get something on that now."

Even though he knew the Colonel didn't intend the question to go in this particular direction, Rhijans wasn't going to let it lie.  "Am I getting reimbursed for the transport rental?"  He done some very dangerous work for those credits, and while he was here helping the Rebellion, he hardly regarded them as a charity-case to take donations from him.

"So you mean that she is telling the true." Mark looked surprised. "She is a jedi?" Mark couldn't believe it. He had thought all the jedi were dead. With all the Imperial propaganda on how evil the jedi was, Mark had to work hard to find the truth. The jedi were the guardians of peace. They had been for years.

Mark had thought the jedi tradition was long dead after the purge. But one had survived. Was one enough?

Rhijans snorted softly at Jacobs' question, but said nothing.  He didn't need to, really...the skeptical look on his face spoke volumes.  But he kept his eyes on the Colonel, waiting for an answer to his question.

Somewhat predictably, Rhijans focuses on the tangible.  It's a bit of a surprise that Jacobs leaps to a different point; Shard would never have guessed him to be a romantic, but he certainly seizes on the idea of Dawl being Jedi quickly enough.  Rhijans, ever pragmatic, demonstrates his own feelings on the matter, leaving Shard the odd-person-out.

Closing her eyes, she leans her head back.  "Nobody is perfect, and least of all the Empire.  Sure, they say they wiped out the Jedi, but what would you expect from a propaganda machine?  'We almost got 'em'?  It's a big galaxy - what are the odds of them murdering every single one of the Jedi, a long-standing order of highly-skilled mystics, infiltrators, diplomats, and killers, when they can't even erase a burgeoning rebellion?"

Her eyes snap open, staring at the ceiling.  "That's us, by the way."

Reaching back, she runs fingers through her hair.  "More likely that some of the Jedi escaped the killings - not as any kind of organization, but in isolation, passing their knowledge to others as best they could.  That girl?  Probably one of their apprentices.  Unless anyone else has a better theory for a lightsaber-waving girl who jumps onto a moving swoop from a transport and manages to not cut her own fool head off."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:15, Tue 29 Mar 2011.

"That's correct.  She say's she's an apprentice Jedi." he pause, frowning, "What did they used to call them?  Ah, yes, a padawan, though she didn't use that word herself.  Her master escaped the Purge, and got her to safety, but was killed a few years later."

Rijan's question brings a tight, humourless smile, "Yes, we can arrange for reimbursement.  I assume you have receipts?"

Then, "Ghea Nimadda is... bad news.  We had no idea where she came from, but with the new information we have, it looks like she may have been a Jedi apprentice herself once, until somebody corrupted her training."

"Currently she is Moff Kivost's right hand.  If he wants a job doing, and it's important enough, Ghea Nimadda will be sent to deal with it.  For most of the last three years, she's been out of sight, either keeping a low profile or, more likely, working on something somewhere in Hutt Space."

"We didn't even know she was back, but apparently she's spent most of the last ten or eleven days hunting Tfalta Dawl."

He starts pacing again, "I can't stress this enough.  Ghea Nimadda is very dangerous.  She has a star destroyer at her personal command and, as you will have noticed, an entire division of stormtroopers.  But, as far as we can tell, she doesn't rely on them.  It appears that she usually prefers to do her own dirty work.  She is a cold-blooded murderer, with Jedi training."

Rhijans listened to the information, dispassionately.  His people had never had dealings with Jedi, had no belief in their ways, and while they didn't dismiss them outright as a hoax, they had precious little use for them.  So, 'Jedi training' didn't mean a whole lot to him.

He was far more impressed that this woman had made enough of an impression on the Moff that he gave her a Star Destroyer and a stormtrooper division.  One or the other would be trouble enough...both were a massive headache waiting to happen.  And this, in an organization that was not particularly noted for its devotion to gender equality (or any other equality, for that matter).

Yes, he decided, he would go to great lengths to avoid being anywhere in the vicinity of Nimadda...and if Fate forced them to cross paths, he'd shoot first and ask questions later.

As his mind processed all of this, he reached into a vest pocket and pulled out the rental contract from Zaerd, neatly folded into a size that fit into the pocket, and unfolded it to hand to the Colonel.  He was sure there were a dozen or more questions he should be asking right now...but none of them would come to mind.  They'd apparently side-stepped a meteor strike, getting away from Nimadda before...and part of him mused about how much luck they'd used getting away clean...and whether that meant there wasn't enough left for their next mission.

Of course, he didn't believe in luck, either...

Shard rubs her forehead.  Things have gone from bad to worse.  Oh, the girl's background is pretty much what she expected - apprentice, master killed, that kind of thing.  She was the wrong age to have been around when the Jedi still existed, for starters.

But Nimadda...

"Not surprising this lady has a kill-wish for Dawl." Her smile is humorless.  "Some stuff had to carry over from her training, after all.  So what'll you be doing with the girl - sending her somewhere a little less hot?"

Which left her, of course.  What if Nimadda caught a sniff of someone else with the wrong kind of training?  I'll strangle that girl, I swear... Shard considers.  A complete exaggeration, of course, but nausea threatened at the thought of a jedi hunting her.

"And what's our next move?"

Fifty credits says it has to do with Nimadda, she bet herself.

Colonel Kourene accepts the paper from Rhijans without so much as glancing at it.

"Tfalta Dawl will be staying here for the moment, while she gives us whatever information she can.  This is, after all, a secret facility, and should be relatively safe.  Later we will transfer her somewhere outside the sector.  From what she's told us so far, teams from this base, including yourselves, will probably be performing operations based on her information in the near future."

"The next move is that you get some down time while we assess the situation.  At least one of you," and here Kourene nods towards Jihon Mogg, "needs time to recuperate from this mission, and Captain Jalt has asked for time to make some repairs to his ship."

"We will also be considering the structure of our teams.  There may be reassignments for members of this team and others."

He lets that one sink in, before asking, "Anything else?"

Rhijans had questions come to mind--all of them sarcastic, in nature, and not very helpful to the current situation.  Apparently, everyone else in the room had at least some degree of faith in the whole 'Jedi' thing, so the skeptical commentary would likely be lost on them, and only serve to cause some mistrust and dissension.

So he kept his mouth shut, and looked around at the others.  They'd been a decent team...for a bunch of amateurs...and he'd be glad to work with them again, as long as the demand for accurate firepower wasn't too high.  But nobody had lost their heads, nobody had folded up or complained or whined about the danger...he'd certainly worked with worse.  He certainly hoped that the reassignments didn't lead to him doing it again.

Mark didn't have anything else. He was looking forward to the down time. A few drinks. Plenty of sleep and a few more drinks in the morning. However, Mark's mind already started to think about the next mission. Supplies and weapons were lacking, but then the rebellion was short in all of these areas. But he'd have to try to get his hands on a blaster rifle or something with a longer range.

Reassignments.  That means more fresh-faced youngsters, more cynical veterans, more people to worry about.  That stank.  She knows the others can handle themselves for the most part - Rhijans most certainly, the man is a pro.  Narf, much the same.  Jacobs is a touchy subject, given his opinion on dealing with their stowaway, but at least he proved himself competent.

"Got it, Colonel."  Her lips twist into a half-smile. "Nothing more from me."

Maybe I should visit that kid, Shard thinks.  Find out more about her master, figure out...  The thought trails off.  Their bosses would be doing that - getting the necessary information out of the Jedi's apprentice (the wording very deliberate in her mind, and very different from Jedi Apprentice).  And Shard doesn't want to deal with uncomfortable questions.

Her fingers find the smooth steel she carries beneath her cloak, dancing uncertainly along the metal.  Sure, Shard.  Run away.  Run away like you did before, from everything you found you hated.  The thought makes her want a drink as guilt and blame bubble up within her - anything to make the judgement go away.  This time, though, a fresher idea springs up to balance the dark feelings.

The girl worships the Jedi, that much is plain.  She'll never listen to you, and going to her, talking to her is just going to get the two of you butting heads.  For sure, you'll end up frustrated, and it'll bring up some seriously bad memories.

Clean break, Shard.  It's better this way.  Deal with her if you have to, but you left because you were dying inside.  Because you couldn't hack it.

Why torment yourself?

Strange.  For once, she didn't quite feel like crawling into a bottle.  Probably will eventually, but might as well ride this wave while I can, she decides.

"Anything else, sir?"