Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544 
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 24, 2013 17:44:36 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 24, 2013 17:44:36 GMT -8
She slipped her hand into the Admiral's as she watched the first painfully bright edge of the sun appear over the horizon. She looked until the brightness made her eyes burn, then turned her head into his shoulder. As a result, her voice was slightly muffled when she spoke, "I would have thought that as your prisoner, my 'plans' would be in your power and at the command of your wishes?" she propped herself up on an elbow so she could see him better. "I hardly think I am as difficult to entertain as you imagine---with the two of us in one place the possibilities are nearly limitless. For instance we could rematch our original encounter, though some of your furniture might suffer as a result. And," with her head subtly tilted to one side, "I doubt it would be an even match..." Her eyes twinkled. She was still more than willing to challenge the much stronger male. Something occurred to her, "I was meaning to ask, what happened when I was asleep? You weren't here when I woke up." She knew that sounded crazy, but continued anyway, a blush suffusing her cheeks and creeping down her neck, "I know because you didn't answer when I called your name, and your presence in the Force had vanished as if you were dead."
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Deleted
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 5:16:18 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 5:16:18 GMT -8
-Z'har
I think you will find you are less of a prisoner & more of a guest. Prisoners don't tend to be treated as well as you have so been. As for a potential rematch, I do have a sparing room here.
The seriousness of her next question had Z'har wondering just how much he should tell her. True, he had already trusted her to some degree, but this question was perilously close to the heart of his condition. Once he had trusted her completely, maybe it was time to show a little more faith in her again. & if she proved to be a threat, he could always kill her later.
-Z'har
I fear that I haven't been entirely honest with you so far. While everything I have told you is true, there is another layer to the story. I'm fairly certain you know about Force ghosts, but are you familiar with the process know as entechment?
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 10:21:46 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 10:21:46 GMT -8
Jade smiled as she deftly sidestepped in their verbal battle, "I don't think you can claim to have been ill-treated either since my arrival." She got up and walked across the room to a suspiciously large wardrobe. The outfit she'd woken up in was definitely not something she was willing to ramble around the corridors of MandalMine HQ in. She paused, hand on the latch of the door, thinking hard about something as he continued.
The question uppermost in my mind was 'do you trust me, or are you going to kill me' but there was no way I could actually ask him this. I was surprised by my own reaction to this as I remained calm. Ultimately this was an academic question as I could not see a way to effectively influence the outcome. I would have to stoically wait and see what happened. Oddly, I find I am looking forward to this. I looked over my shoulder at Z'har, sitting on the bed, watching me. "No, I am not familiar with entechment." It sounded vaguely unpleasant.
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Deleted
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 12:21:29 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 12:21:29 GMT -8
There was a slight flash of pain in his eyes at the memory of the event, but he hides it quickly.
-Z'har
I'm not very surprised, as it is a very rare piece of technology. The most basic description of it is that is sucks the life out of a being & stores it as a form of battery & computer.
The device I was trying to build was a time machine. It was a complete failure, & damaged my body to the point that I was nearly dead. My daughter, Aya, managed to use the cybernetic implants in my body to jury rig a entechment device.
Due to my failing heath & the ad hoc nature of the rig, the process was extremely painful. The body you see before you is not myself. It is simply a host droid that I can control from a distance. In fact, it is only one of many, though it is the only one that isn't obviously a droid.
My true form, such as it is, is hidden away for safety.
To illustrate his point, Z'har pulls back from the droid, leaving it in standby for a moment before returning.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 12:40:09 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 12:40:09 GMT -8
Jade caught the glimpse of pain, and she was taken aback, unsure how to even reply to that. The very concept was shocking to deal with, but it would explain many things. Perhaps the most disturbing thing was reflecting on the intimacy they had recently shared. Still, by now Jade was good at adapting to surprising situations. She just was not sure what to say, if anything. These were some pretty personal details, and only served to cement her musings of a few moments ago. However, this was not the first time the old warrior had danced a measure with Death. She left the wardrobe, walking back towards Z'har.
"So... this, you, I mean, are inhabiting this android---but, it feels alive, like a sentient being." She blushed, not really having the words for her question, but she tried anyway, "If it/you gets injured or cut, will you bleed, or spurt out oil?" Elements above, talk about a conundrum. Her next question might seem superfluous, "Can you feel things like this?" She leaned over and brushed his lips with her own in a quick kiss, "or was all this just an entertaining academic experiment for you?" For the first time since her removal from Dressel via coffin she really wanted to slap him, see if he had any emotions left.
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Deleted
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 12:54:53 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 12:54:53 GMT -8
Holding out his hand palm up, he pushed the nail of his other thumb into the flesh. A thin trickle of blood seeped from the minor injury looking all the world like regular, normal blood. The next question would require actual words to answer.
-Z'har
Yes, I can feel. Compared to my original body, this form has a much finer honed senses. However, I can also choose not to feel if it is required. As for the emotional spectrum, I am still myself as far as I can tell. Though that does bring up the other possibilities of what actually happened.
Up until Aya acted, I am certain of what happened. Beyond that the truth becomes unclear. The version I just told you is the most likely. After that, the next most likely is that I died in that chamber as Aya tried to save me. Unable to accept my own death, I became a Force ghost & began haunting what I currently consider my 'true' body. After that in likelihood comes that the original Z'har died in that chamber, but not before a copy of his memories was stored, creating myself.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 13:02:22 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 13:02:22 GMT -8
She brushed her finger over the small cut, manipulating the Force skillfully to heal it without leaving a scar. "If you are indeed a Force Ghost, then you still have at least some connection with the Force itself, or you should." She frowned, a furrow appearing between her eyes and just over her nose as she considered the options. He had seemed convinced that he could not access the Force. But, this sounded like an incredibly traumatic experience, so perhaps it was a psychosomatic block that he was not yet able to confront and work around? Or he was a clone of himself? What can one really say to that? She squeezed his hand firmly in hers attempting to convey comfort, though she was pretty sure he wouldn't acknowledge any such need, or wish. "Well, I am exceedingly glad that Aya was there. I would hate to have lost you forever---" She broke off, looking away suddenly as she realized that she'd vaguely implied that he had been hers to lose, and while that might have once been the case, she did not know if it still was.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 13:13:38 GMT -8
Using her grip on his hand, Z'har pulls jade back into his lap. The mischievous spark from earlier made another appearance in his eyes.
-Z'har
Oh, she is usually lurking around somewhere. But more pressing, when exactly did I become yours to lose? Come to think about it, I did offer once. My memory might be a little rusty, but I'm fairly certain you didn't accept.
The smile in his voice was obvious as he said that.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 13:30:13 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 13:30:13 GMT -8
He had always been stronger than me, but I was painfully aware of it as he wouldn't let me go. A lot of things occurred to me, and none of them made it easier to be situated like I was now. He had asked. And I had given the answer that I thought was right. But, later I had started to question it, and come to the realization that I had probably made one of the bigger mistakes of my life all those years ago back on Osarian. Not a fatal mistake as I remained completely alive and well, but, a mistake that had caused growing self-doubt and regret over the intervening decades. Actions take only seconds to perform, but they can have snowballing consequences much later, and then, when one looks back their cumulative weight can be daunting indeed.
"Damn you, Z'har, damn you to the seventh level of Hades. Of all the things you could have remembered, it would have to be that, wouldn't it?" Her fist clenched against his chest then relaxed as she slumped against him. She spoke very quietly, even though they were the only occupants of the room, voice tinged with the tiredness of soul that she truly felt and the annoyance that came from realizing that he was enjoying her discomfiture. The normally dignified and put-together Jedi felt very much off balance, and she hated it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 13:44:32 GMT -8
His hold of her was aiming more toward being comforting, but he had never been that good at that sort of thing. Lifting her chin with one hand, he looks down into her eyes.
-Z'har
I remember much more than just that. I remember drops of rain framing your eyes. I remember a stone room where you saw the deepest parts of me. I remember you, Jade.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 14:05:22 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 14:05:22 GMT -8
Green eyes blinked up at him from under long, black lashes as he wouldn't let her look away. She felt her heart skip a beat or two as he spoke in a soothing, deep voice. She replied huskily, "I remember you too, Z'har. I've remembered that meeting a long time, the way you---" She broke off, the image of a ten year old boy being tortured by raiders shortly after his family had been slaughtered. "That was a fight I wouldn't have minded losing. Not to you." She blinked against the sting of eyes that couldn't cry and nearly lost herself somewhere in the depths of his own black ones. She stretched up and kissed him gently.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 14:13:55 GMT -8
Returning the kiss for a long moment, Z'har pulls back just enough to whisper a reply.
-Z'har
There isn't just one way to win, though some of them take longer to recognize.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 14:19:13 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 14:19:13 GMT -8
"I can see that." She conceded. Indeed, her position was untenable, she had no standing to argue from at this point. She reached up with one hand and stroked down along the edge of his jaw as she whispered back, "And what do you intend to do, now that you've won?" One black eyebrow arched steeply in a quizzical interrogative as she smiled at him, before standing up and finally heading back to the wardrobe, the door of which creaked as she pulled it open. "Any preference you might have?" she inquired of him, in reference to the contents of said furniture.
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Deleted
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 14:30:09 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 14:30:09 GMT -8
Rising from his position on the bed, Z'har reaches into the wardrobe & pulls a rather practical jumpsuit from it. From the look of it, as well as the other clothes present, it was in Jade's size.
-Z'har
This would be most suitable for the things that need to be done today.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 14:40:09 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 14:40:09 GMT -8
I took the jumpsuit he handed me and slipped it on reflecting ruefully that it was a good thing I'd stayed in shape because it fit me like a glove.
She turned her back to him so he could zip it up the back instead of just using the Force. It was convenient. Then she turned to face him. The grey and silver of her outfit muted the green in her eyes a bit, making them look stormy instead of as clear and perceptive as usual. She laughed merrily as she challenged him, an odd picture: muscular Zabrak over six feet in height, facing a diminutive woman that was just over five feet! "I'm ready for you... wait, have you a glass box about so in size?" She gestured with her hands just the size necessary to encapsulate the single black rose he'd given her the preceding night. It might have been sentimental, but she wished to preserve it from harm.
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Deleted
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 15:12:04 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 15:12:04 GMT -8
-Z'har
I can have one waiting for us at our first stop.
Leading her down the hallway, he stops in a room roughly halfway to the far end. Inside was a vast array of various suits of armour, uniforms & other types of clothing. Changing into a similar jumpsuit & a visor, Z'har could have been any one of the multitude of security guards at the Citadel. Over the past fifty years, not a single person could admit to seeing the admiral's face, something that made it very easy to blend in if needed.
Leading the way out of his private chambers, Z'har walked though a winding series of hallways all following the same basic aesthetic. Eventually, the two came to a turbolift, which they used to head down deeper into the massive structure. After another twisting set of passages, the pair made their way into a room stocked with small crates & a single glass case.
Stepping up to one of the crates, Z'har keyed it open. Inside was a jumble of precious & semi-precious stones of various types.
-Z'har
Ten crates, each with 1 Million credits worth of gemstones. The credit balance has already been deposited. I do have to wonder however, where you plan on keeping all these.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 15:22:12 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 15:22:12 GMT -8
Jade looked somberly over at Z'har, after briefly contemplating the pile of gemstones, the corners of her lips twitched slightly with suppressed mirth. "Perhaps I should leave most of them here and designate you as my banker, then I'd have an excuse to drop in and visit. Check up on my investments routinely, so to speak." She turned back to the crate and picked up an emerald. She examined its clear greenness for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. She hadn't thought about it at the time, but she suspected she'd just spent a most comfortable night in the Admiral's private quarters. They had not once passed guard patrols or workers... and that would explain why. Also, he seemed to prefer keeping a low profile out here, where there were more people about.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 15:34:19 GMT -8
-Z'har
I'm fairly certain that I could find a safe place to keep them for you. Though I doubt you need these as an excuse to visit.
Despite the multitude of guards & other workers they had passed nearly constantly to reach here, this room was empty except the two of them. Picking up a small box that had been sitting out of sight, Z'har removed a long pin set with a large piece of jet. With a quick & precise motion, Z'har replaces the pin currently holding Jade's hair in place with the jewel set pin.
-Z'har
Though it may not look like it, that hairpin has access codes needed to take command of some MandalMine Collective resources. Additionally, it serves as an access code to most of the Citadel, including my private quarters.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 15:47:54 GMT -8
Post by Ael Jade on Oct 29, 2013 15:47:54 GMT -8
She smiled warmly. Of course she didn't need that excuse to visit. She had several much better ones. And, he'd basically just given her the 'key' to his 'house,' implying that he wished to see her again, and that she didn't precisely need to wait for a written invitation. A pleasurable shiver shot down her spine as he deftly repinned her hair. She reached up and felt the jet inlay, cool to the touch. "Thank you. Very much." She winked roguishly, "Your private quarters? I might get the impression you wish to see me if you aren't careful, Z'har." She half-turned and snaked an arm around him for a quick hug before querying further, "Which MandalMine resources have you placed in my hands, or rather, hair?"
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Deleted
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Mondder
Oct 29, 2013 15:57:52 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 15:57:52 GMT -8
-Z'har
Ships & crews mostly. If you ever need a ride somewhere you have only to ask a crew & they will get you there. If you request, you can also get a hold of troops to support you or materials delivered as you desire.
In truth, the codes contained in the hair stick would more or less give her complete control over any MandalMine Collective resource she could think of, as it was literally an extension of the Admiral's mental network.
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