Pesktda

She glanced around as she descended the ramp, her weapons strapped to her hips. She didn't like the way she was feeling. There was something really wrong about this place. It felt damaged to her and as they made their way into the streets, she knew why. Great piles of concrete, bricks, metal rods and frames were swept aside so that vehicles could traverse the thoroughfares of the city once more. She switched off her HUD's wavelength diffuser and looked at the area with the least amount of tint. The trees and sky were like nothing she had ever seen before. The plains and forests in the distance were beautiful but the destruction around her filled her with an unease that she had never experienced before.

She felt lightheaded from the carnage, the faint smell of decay in the air as thousands must have perished in the attacks and the aftermath was not yet fully cleaned up. It started to make her feel ill, and her steps slowed as she tried to follow the map to the University, only to find the path blocked by a temporary shelter, or a pile of debris. It was maddening and it was causing her anxiety to rise. She switched on her communicator as she walked, looking for the iconic campus of the University.

This place smells like death and I feel something. It's making me upset, but like I have no control over it.

Nearly an hour later, they found their destination, swarming with people as it was being used as a shelter, hospital, and command center for the city. Gaeza hung back and let Taung take over. She didn't know who they would need to speak with or where to go from here.

Outside the university grounds, she was starting to feel a little better, but she still felt shaky and weak on her feet. She didn't know quite how but Tib was there with a speeder and they got into it, it felt good to lay over and close her eyes. The stench of death was strong but she couldn't take the buy'ce off here. Not until they were safely back on the ship. Tib drove the speeder across town in a few minutes, running it straight up into the cargo hold. Gaeza laid in the backseat for a couple minutes while Taung fussed over her. She finally reached up and removed her bucket, letting it fall to the floor of the speeder. She swallowed and took a deep breath of air without the oppression of her bucket.

"She didn't do anything to me. I did that to her, but I don't know how. She was hollow, there was nothing in her. The feeling that is there in the back of mind was nothing in her, it was ripped out and there was a hole where it used to be. And I saw..." She took another bracing breath and continued. "I saw her life, the death of her daughter and the sadness. I could feel her sadness. It was overwhelming, like drowning in a lake and welcoming the arms of death."

"I just know."

She pushed herself up to sitting, her skin looking a little better than the cold and clammy visage revealed from removing her helmet. She swallowed hard, the vacant stare in her eyes slowly returning to normal as she tried to put words to the experience.

"The closer we got to her, the worse I started to feel. Sweats, nausea, I thought I was losing it. At first, I figured it was the smell. But as soon as my hand touched her, it was like lightning ripped through me. I could feel the Force flowing through me and into her. Those hooky books I read about it were right. It was like a dam had burst to let a pent up river flood back into it's old bed. She was barren. I can't explain it. It was like it knew her but she had the power taken from her. And then I saw her mind. I saw her daughter's grave, I felt the sadness and despair. I felt it like it was my loss."

Tears welled up and spilled over her cheeks, the pain of a stranger's life so raw to her as if it were her own. She sobbed a moment, trying to reason that it was not her daughter, it was not her life but the overwhelming sensation of her first premonition was too much for her. Her face disappeared into her palms, her head felt too heavy for tears in front of him. When the torrent subsided, she wiped her face on her pillow, hugging it to her chest, her puffy red eyes and nose still slowly leaking her sorrows.

"Does the prime have this power? Did I get her abilities?"

Taung glanced at his squawking helmet for a moment, displeased at the timing but knowing the mission was important, and at least for THIS moment, Gaeza was out of immediate danger. He reached over and picked up his helmet.

"When you get back to the ship see if you can pull everything you can from Core to Rim and the local police and bounty agencies."

He set the helmet back down and turned fully back to Gaeza.

"I don't know what kind of powers your prime has. I don't know if clones inherit force powers, or develop their own. There is so much I don't know about such things. There is no information on it. And I don't have the training to help you myself."

It hurt to admit that, that he couldnt help guide her, especially when it came to something that was obviously going to be such an integral part of her life. He was going to have to find a way to help her. Right now the only thought that could guide her was to let her access the holocron of her prime...but he wasnt sure if that was a good idea, even though it was her choice. He would have to find an alternative. There was no time like the present. He stood and picked up his bucket with one hand before leaning down and brushing a lock of dark hair over her ear.

"Try to rest and gather yourself. I'll start looking into finding something that can answer some of what you are going through."

He stepped to the door and looked back at her one time, his eyes played across her hair, her expression, the way her sad face turned just....a memory flashed before his eyes. Three rapid pictures of a woman, or rather women to be more specific. The first was the woman at the University, the next was Gaeza's prime, Sinistra, and lastly Gaeza herself. The three images flashed through his head again, and again. No...it couldnt be...the facial features, the alarm that ran through him, the woman knowing that Gaeza had the Force, the Force flowing from Gaeza into the woman...it wasnt possible...was it? He was glad that her face wasnt looking at him at the moment, he wasnt sure how much his face would have given away before he turned away, allowing the door to slide shut behind him, leaving her alone for now. He took several long slow breaths as his mind raced furiously and came to the obvious conclusion that he needed to bury this knowledge away somewhere that couldnt be found...by anyone. If Sinistra somehow made a connection that Taung knew she had family, or that her family knew about Gaeza... He shook his head violently and headed to the cockpit.

The three troopers jogged back up the ramp, Einen yelling to Taung they were back in and ready for liftoff. Mel peeled off her buy'ce and headed straight for the terminal to look for any references she could find for Mets Aveeno. She got a hit on a passenger manifest off Garqi, heading to Nar Shadaa. Considering his ties to a cartel, Nar Shadaa was as good a place as any to pick up his trail. It also didn't have extradition laws so the Smuggler's Moon was the perfect place to hide. Mel spun out of the seat, heading to the cockpit, her face hard and ready to get on with this trip. The destruction from whatever attacked Pesktda was disturbing to be around and she couldn't stand the stench of decay any longer. The cockpit door slid open in front of her as she leaned in to tell Sep and Taung the destination.

"I got hit on our guy from a passenger manifest out of here about 2 days ago. Looks like he fled to Nar Shadaa, probably to meet up with the cartel and figure out his next move."

She tapped the doorframe with the soft worn leather palm of her glove before she turned and headed back to her quarters. Her braids were starting to pull and give her a headache. She wanted to let her hair down and take a shower to get the feeling of this planet off her.

"Excellent. See if you can pull a holo and some kind of bios by the time we are out of range. Sep. Lets burn out of here. You heard her, Nar Shadaa."

Sep nodded and closed the boarding ramp, the lights went to green, then he increased power and lifted the ship, there was so little traffic that he simply informed Garqi Control that he was leaving, not bothering to file a flight plan. It didnt take long to hit vacuum, and from there on to their next destination.

Light flooded the small dark office. There was a dusty looking figure sitting behind a desk with their feet propped up on it. Dressed in a old, dirty brown enviro-suit, the soles of the boots were worn smooth from use. An Ubese helmet and cloak capped the figure, who folded gloved hands in their lap. Inside the helmet, the HUD was going over them all, but mainly on Galdaart Fel. He looked thinner, leaner than his file photos.

Dru looked at the three figures hard. They looked grumpy and uncertain. Well, except for Melia. She looked like she could have gunned down a fluffy field of bunnies. Dru sat forward, her boots hitting the floor hard enough that it stirred up the dust around the room. She gestured to a door behind her as the raspy vocoder sounded.

Demarus, head back to the camp. You're done. Go out the back.

She tilted her head sideways as the Cathar disappeared, the weapons case left in the middle of the floor. His gaunt look disturbed her. If he were unwell to complete the job, then all of this was a waste of time. She stood up from the chair, and stepped around the desk with the grace of a dancer. She wanted a closer look at the smuggler, and knew that he would be wanting answers. She started slow as she held a hand out to Melia, looking for her statement on the mission to Aargau.

Welcome to Garqi. You can call me Dru. Report, Melia.

Mel tensed when the light flickered on but when she saw Dru, she relaxed somewhat, if relaxed is what you could call it. She didn't speak but offered out the datapad when it was asked for. She proceeded to run though the bullet points with her hands tucked behind her back.

"5 casualties on site. 4 guards and the warden. Mr. Fel has been dehydrated and malnourished. I ran a drip and gave him shots of kolto and steroids in accordance with the notes in the medical terminal."

She was sure that was going to elicit a response from Dru but before it could happen, Galdaart started talking. Mel froze, waiting to see what would happen. They had kept Galdaart in the dark on purpose, on orders. Dru must know that he would want to know what he was doing there. Mel didn't look at Galdaart to her side. Instead, she looked straight ahead, silently praying to god she didn't believe in.