Mos Espa

Crystal cringed, to think a thing as precious as this was almost lost to a museum or collector. "Would it be okay with you if I held onto it for you?" Crystal didn't want to steal from the boy but already she could feel the power in the relic and she wasn't letting this get into the wrong hands. She held out a hand and waited, hoping the boy would trust her.

Crystal took the extended relic and slipped it into her pants pocket, determined to keep it close by. "Thank you, Eimhin. I appreciate that." She smiled at the boy. "You guys didn't find any other relics did you?" She hoped beyond hope that his answer was no.

Crystal nodded happily, content to have the medallion in her pocket. It felt comforting and she could swear she felt the presence of the sith who owned it before her. She looked at Eimhin and then signed. What was she going to do with a child for the rest of her time here? What did children even do all day? She knew if she was alone, she would be training non-stop, barely slowing for food and rest. But didn't one have to entertain children or spend time with them or something? "So, what do you typically do all day," Crystal asked cautiously.

Crystal nodded, "Sure! Where do you keep him?" She grabbed some credits and a hydroflask as she asked so she would be prepared for wherever they headed.

Crystal followed the child through the city. When they rounded the corner and she spotted the droid, she was impressed despite herself. She hadn't been expecting much for a little boy but the droid looked almost functional. "Wow, you've done a great job so far. Why don't we take it back to the ship and you can work on it without having to worry about thieves?" Crystal looked warily around them. They were in a rough area of Mos Espa, which was saying something since the whole town was rough. She didn't want to risk Eimhin being hurt.

Crystal watched Eimhin with a skeptical eye, not sure of how accurate the boy was being. She couldn't imagine a child fighting off anything. She certainly had been unable to at his age. She grimaced. If only she'd had a weapon, or training. Maybe then she could have saved her family. The thought pierced her mind swiftly and she gasped out loud. Where had it come from? What had happened to her family??

She mindlessly led the way down the ally and towards the ship, occupied by the thoughts swirling through her brain. Why couldn't she remember what had happened? She could remember a little about living on a planet, trees and water everywhere. She could remember faint images of her parents and brother. She could even remember traveling to another planet After and finding Darth Strife. But why were there so many blank spots in her mind? Frustration filled her to the point she almost missed the surge of dark side energy that enveloped her. She gasped in alarm. He'd found her. "Come. Quickly!" She urged the boy and droid to move faster, needing to get to the ship. Her old master was too close.

Crystal looked back at the boy behind her. "A very dangerous man has found me. We need to get back to the ship and prepare. You really shouldn't be with me through this, I thought I had more time." Frustration filled her. Everything always went wrong. The force felt like it was fighting her half the time instead of being her ally. How was she supposed to get the power she so desperately needed if it wouldn't carry her along? Her feet pounded the sandy streets and soon they were back to the ship and she was hurrying up the ramp. She needed to make sure there was no way he could find her and she needed to set a few traps for him just in case that failed.

Crystal fought a glare, for a second wanting to reach out and punch the boy. She squashed the urge successfully, ashamed at the feeling. She was better than that. She wanted power but there was no reason to hurt someone for annoying her. Her face softened into a smile as she met the boy's gaze. "You're right, you are pretty impressive. But if you are going to stay with me then you need to follow orders. We have to move quickly and quietly if we have a hope of getting through this the way I want to." Pocketing the medallion again, she laid out instructions for the boy to carry out. There were plenty of weapons in the ship, thank goodness Adonias had stocked everything well. She planned to set the boy up as a sniper on the top of the ship and she would be the bait. She figured with his training and a little luck, he could get off at least one shot before they had to move to the second step of her plan. She set that part of the plan herself.

Crystal's respect for the boy grew. He was as composed as any seasoned soldier. Those raising him had done a good job so far. Once he was settled on the rooftop of the ship, she hurried to enact her own plan. She gathered the essentials from the ship and stowed them nearby in a location that would be easy to grab them from once they needed to escape. Then she rigged the ship's auto-destruct and patched it into her hand held comm system. She would be able to start the timer whenever she needed to and the explosion would serve as a nice distraction if things went badly. She smiled, the grin ferocious. She had not had as much time to train as she had hoped for but her mental clarity was better and she had a lightsaber again. Hopefully she could best her master. He wouldn't be expecting anything from her. That was always his mistake. He thought little of her but it was time he learned. She walked back down the ramp of the ship and paused at the bottom of the ramp.