Starving Vengeance, Lexy's Time Lapse & Follow up posts...

[Lexy Cole]

One Week After Hoth:

The moment Lexy had jumped into Hyperspace after leaving Hoth, she had set the autopilot for Tatooine and began blocking herself from the Force. The rest of the trip was spent getting to know the Blue Vein’s computer system and how it was connected to Honor’s helmet. Even though her heart was plagued by sorrow, her mind didn’t allow her to falter. She kept herself distracted with thoughts of the up coming birth of her daughter, Zara, and the task she would face of getting Ursa a new ship for her own travels. She knew that by now the Jedi on Yavin would have confiscated Ursa’s old ship and so a new one would Ursa’s only option.

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Two Weeks After Hoth:

Lexy had spent the last week convincing Ursa that she would be alright on her own and that she had friends here on Tatooine to help her with Zara when the time came. The truth was that Lexy like Ursa being around but that she wanted to be on her own to take care of the promise she had made to Honor. So after selling some of her family’s older possessions that were really of no use to her, she and Ursa were able to round up enough money to buy Ursa a used ship still in good running condition. This meant that there was really nothing left to hold Ursa back and she had to finally bid her friend farewell.

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“Lexy, are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Ursa’s voice was sincere and she gave Lexy a strong look with her head slightly tilted to the side inquisitively.

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“Yes, Ursa… I’m sure… You’ve helped me so much already, and you need to find your own way in the Force. I’ll be just fine here. This is my home world and I have plenty of people close to me here if I need them.” As she spoke there was no hint in her voice of what she had planned for after her daughter’s birth, and as she continued to block her self from the Force, there was no way for Ursa to tell that anything else was on her mind. Lexy was actually very thankful for this, because if Ursa could have read her thoughts than she would have insisted on staying on Tatooine.

After a couple more days spent at the Cole homestead, Ursa finally set off on her own with Lexy’s blessing. Lexy hoped that her friend would find what she was looking for and bid her farewell, even though it was very hard to watch her go. The female pair had been through a lot together, fighting enemies and each other, facing the Vong, and Ursa had been there every stop of the way when Lexy had lost Logan, Zeke, and finally Honor. Even though she would miss her friend greatly, a part of her was glad that Ursa wouldn’t be around to see what she would become or to be put in the way of danger, and possibly lost, like so many others that Lexy had already had torn from her life.

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One Month After Hoth:

Lexy had heard of how some Jedi women had been able to affect their pregnancies through the use of the Force, though there was little information available on it. She had R-4 retrieve all the files containing any information about these events that he could from the Jedi data files, and she spent hours studying them for every detail they contained. She then set to work practicing her own little technique of meditation on her pregnancy, and within a month she had succeeded. Even though she was careful to make sure the data she recorded and sent out couldn’t be tracked back to Tatooine, herself, or to her child’s name, she made sure that the data concerning the pregnancy and birth were sent back to Yavin to be added to the Jedi’s records.

A week after Zara’s birth, Lexy’s childhood best friend, Kearta {KEAR-ta}, gave birth to a little boy named Jasere {Ja-SEER}. The two mother’s had agreed that Kearta would take Zara and care for her until Lexy returned. Within the next week Lexy bid her young daughter farewell, promising to return to her as soon as possible, and prepared herself for one final trip before making yet another drastic change in her life. So with a full arsenal of weapons, a new data wrist computer that she personally designed to simulate the functions of Honor’s helmet with the Blue Vein, and her two droids, she dressed in her royal white Cryth robes, feeling they’d be less threatening to people than her Jedi robes, and set out for Mandalore.

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Six Weeks After Hoth:

The two week trip to Mandalore was long and tiring, though the entire trip Lexy had R4 retrieving any and all information he could find on every data system he could connect to that might tell something about what Kyrton and his new organization might be up to. She read through every thing carefully and at least had a fairly good idea as to where to start looking for him. However, she was still concerned with how her arrival on Mandalore would be received, especially with what she had in her possession. She didn’t expect it to be an extremely pleasant meeting, and yet she hoped it would remain peaceful, for everyone’s sake.

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[Mandalore]

“Incoming ship, identify yourself.” The male voice rang out over the ship’s comlink strong and commanding. The strong Mandalorian training was easily heard in the tone that the voice had used.

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“This is Lexy Cole, pilot of The Blue Vein, requesting permission to land and speak with the commanding officer in charge.” Her experience with the Cryth and Honor in their military style of communication had honed her skills, so that her answering voice was just as strong as the Mandalorian’s requesting tone. She waited for a response wondering if they were running the information she had just given them and becoming more sure that they were with each moment that passed while she continued to wait.

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“Blue Vein, you’ve been granted permission to land at Dock 3. Commander Davinson will be there to meet you. We request that you immediately shut down your ship, the moment that you land.” The Mandalorian voice was still commanding but she sensed that they had learned who she was, who’s ship she was flying, and figured she probably would not just be met by Commander Davinson but his full squadron of men, as well. She didn’t truly know what to expect, so she prepared herself for the worst and hoped for the best.

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[Commander Davinson]

The moment the Blue Vein touched down, Lexy shut off the ship’s systems. She spoke into her wrist comlink to make sure that the Blue Vein’s computer would enable all security systems the moment she was off of the ship. As the ramp lowered, she scanned over the platform noting a total of nine Mandalorians including Commander Davinson and his eight men. The number and position of the Mandalorians gave them the normal advantage in a possible battle situation, but she knew that she wasn’t about to fight them unless it was absolutely necessary. So, she slowly exited the ship and prepared for whatever might happen.

“Commander Davinson I presume…” The moment she had become visible and spoken, the four rifles and eight blasters of the commander’s Mandalorian troops were trained in on her. She glanced over the group and stopped about six feet from the commander before turning her eyes back to him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir.” She kept her voice professional and calm as she slowly extended her hand in the commander’s direction. She wasn’t sure if he would accept the gesture or not but, she hoped it would at least be on the right track to a peaceful talk between them.

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Telker Davinson had no interest in the female Jedi’s gesture and paid it no mind. His main concerns were only what any Force User was doing on Mandalore, and how to get rid of her as quickly as possible. He didn’t even glance down at her hand after he began to speak. Instead, he stared directly into her eyes and rarely blinked, even though you couldn’t tell underneath his Mandalorian helmet and armor.

“No offence, Jedi, but what business has brought you to Mandalore?” His tone of voice towards her was commanding, just like with his men. He was careful to keep his hand in position so that his men stayed at the ready incase they had to arrest her, though part of him hoped that she would just get back in her ship and leave.

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Lexy was disappointed her gesture hadn’t gotten her further with Davinson, but she wasn’t going to push her presence here when they obviously wanted her gone. Instead, she gave a slight nod and reached around behind her back. She slowly unfastened a bag that was attached to the back of her belt and brought it around in front of her before going ahead and answering they question asked of her.

“No offence taken, and my business is only for a brief time before I’ll be on my way.” She started to untie the rope that secured the bag to her belt.

“Actually, I just wished to return this…” As she slowly removed Honor’s helmet from the bag she sensed the tension of the Commander and his men shoot up. She could sense that each of them had their blood pressure rising and she quickly began to explain her situation.

“Honor Harrington was a good man, and I was very honored to be able to have known and served with him. He gave up his life to save mine, and I fully intend to avenge his death.” As she spoke that last sentence she handed Honor’s helmet over to Commander Davinson, not knowing what his reaction was going to be. She never expected to leave that platform within a few hours but she also didn’t really expect them to take her into custody, so to speak. However, that was exactly Commander Davinson’s orders, which would lead to her spending the next week on Mandalore notifying the proper authorities of Honor’s death, and learning a bit more about Mandalorian culture along the way, including a translation of exactly what Honor had said to her in the hallway of Kyrton’s base on Hoth before all hell broke loose.

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Seven Weeks After Hoth:

Lexy took off from the platform and bid final goodbyes to her Mandalorian hosts. After she broke through the atmosphere of Mandalore, she didn’t waste any time setting her course and jumping into hyperspace. She was headed to Nar Shaddaa and in the only direction she could think of to get any leads on anything connected to the Cryth. She was sure that if she was going to get herself anywhere, it was going to be by finding a Cryth path and following all the way back to Kyrton. Honestly, she felt like she was back at square one when she had first realized that Kyrton was after her. This time though would be different, because this time she was going to do this alone and keep the only people she had left that she cared about as far away from her as possible.

[Lexy Cole]

Lexy hated just about every single cantina she had been in, and the Ca’tra Rang Cantina was no different. She knew cantinas were a great place to get information but this didn’t make them anymore pleasant to spend time in. The fact was that most cantinas were filled with drunks and drug users all the time. She both pitied and despised these people at the same time, so she tried to avoid them when she could. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and this was definitely one of those times. What Kyrton and his men had been doing was wrong and they had to be stopped. The only way for her to be able to stop them though, would be ti find out where Kyrton would have headed after the battle in the Hoth asteroid field.

She crossed the room towards the bar and scanned the entire cantina with the Force for any potential dangers. It seemed that no one was really paying her any mind, which was exactly what she had been hoping for. Though there were a few of the customers that she sensed lustful feelings from when they saw her, she easily dismissed those thoughts from her mind and continued on her way. After all, she was more glad that she wasn’t being recognized as a Jedi and she would be able to pass off the new persona she had created for herself, Lex.

Lex was a bounty hunter hired by an unknown third party through a mutual contact to assassinate Tannus Kyrton. Lex had no ties to anyone and had no middle or last names to tie her to a place either. Lex was a shadow… a dangerous shadow… on a mission that she could not stopped from completing. Lex had no loyalties to anyone or any order, allowing her to do anything and everything necessary to find Honor’s killer. This made Lex everything that Lexy could never be in order to get the job done.

As Lex walked through the cantina to the bar she actually stood out quite a bit in her pristine white uniform. She hadn’t worn her Cryth uniform since she left them, but it was the most efficient way she could think of to attract the Cryth’s attention, and more than anything she wanted them to find her. On the other hand however, as she sat down at the end of the bar she did make a few hearts skip a beat or two. Even though it might have been a good time for her to take off her hood to appear to be a bit more friendly and start getting information, she decided against it. Instead, she kept her hood pulled up to hide her face and the only person that she made any eye contact with was the bartender. She automatically gave him a small smile and slight nod as he noted her from the other end of the bar.

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Braxson had seen all kinds of characters in the Ca’tra Rang, so it was really no surprise that he remembered seeing a similar uniform to the one this young woman was wearing about eight or nine months prior. However, he would soon learn that gender wasn’t the only difference between the two individuals. As he approached her and received her greeting, he gave his own smile and nod before leaning on the bar and speaking.

“What can I get you, Miss?” Brasxon’s voice was low toned but pretty cheerful, and he used the question for a dual purpose. He could not only get her drink order with his particular choice of wording, but he might also get a name out of her.

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Lex wasn’t impressed with the bartender’s attempt at subtlety and she slightly smirked under her hood. As if his double question wasn’t obvious, she decided to leave out her name for the moment and just order her drink. After all, he would ask her flat out sooner or later, so she would just wait until then to answer.

“I’ll just have a Tihaar.” She kept her voice quiet and passive as she watched the bartender’s reaction. She wasn’t dressed like a Mandalorian and there really weren’t that many other’s around the galaxy that would order a Tihaar, though in her case she had acquired a taste for it during her time on Mandalore. Also, she didn’t really know how she was going to present her new persona, so she would have to wing it for now. Once she figured out something that worked for the persona and that she felt comfortable with, then she would work on strengthening the appearance. That time would come at some point, but it wasn’t that time now. At least, not just yet…

[Lexy Cole]

Braxson gave the woman before him a nod with a look of being impressed covering his face. He crossed behind the bar and started making her drink, glancing over at her every few seconds. It was rare that he got an order for a Tihaar, and he was sure that he had never gotten an order for one from anyone that wasn't a Mandalorian. He wondered if maybe this girl had once been a Mandalorian or maybe she was close friends with one, because he really couldn't think of any other way for her to have developed a taste for this particular drink. When he finally headed back over to Lex, he noted the small nod that she offered him in thanks.

"Enjoy the drink. If you need anything just hollar. Everyone just calls me Brax." He slightly smiled back and started to walk away to leave the girl be, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he turned back around and leaned on the bar infront of her.

"So... What's your story? What brings you here?" He kept his voice loud enough she could hear him, but soft enough that no one would be able to easily listen in.

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Lex had taken one sip of her drink when the bartender had returned and was leaning across from her. She tlilted her head slightly as she listened to his questions and noted the quiet tone that he chose to use. She smirked and figured that she might as well find herself a contact. She also didn't see why Brax wouldn't make a good contact to have. So, she came up with a story.

"I'm looking for an old friend. His name is Kyrton, Tannus Kyrton. And I need to find him as quickly as possible. Ever heard of him?" As soon as she spoke Kyrton's name she knew that Brax had heard the name before and that he surely had some kind of information for her. As he contemplated telling her aything, she watched his expressions and tried to figure out what his decision was going to be.

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Brax couldn't believe was he was hearing but he deffinately knew the name and so he would send her to the person he knew that might be able to help her.

"I don't know much myself, Miss, but I know I've heard the name and I know who can help you find your man..." He didn't know why he felt suddenly vert compelled to help this young woman but he would help her by sending to a mutual aquaintance. This aquantance had had his own run in with Kyrton and had actually come back after deciding that Kyrton's group wasn't where he wanted to be, so he might know just where to find this guy. Which he was sure that this young woman would just love.

[Lexy Cole]

Lex grinned at Brax and couldn’t believe how easy it was to get this bartender to give her the information that she needed. When she finally got him to admit that part of the reason he wanted to help her was because he was attracted to her, she remembered Eron Nightwind acting the same way towards her. In that moment her mind noted that her looks could be a good tool to use in the future. However, no matter what kind of tools she used in her questioning she never expected the amount of information that Brax ended up giving her. She had expected a name and maybe some way of finding this person, but instead she got a name, an address to meet him at, and a time to be there.

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“Don’t worry… I’ll make the call and he’ll be there. Just make sure that you’re there on time.” Brax was positive that his friend would want to meet Lex just as much as she wanted to meet his friend. After all, he was sure that the two had more in common than Lex could possibly know or imagine. He also couldn’t help the smile that he gave her after his comment of being on time, seeing it was something that he routinely said and it sounded so formal.

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Lex slightly laughed and gave Brax a small nod in acknowledgement. There was no way that she was going to miss this meeting, especially seeing she was sure that this guy knew something about Kyrton that might be useful to her, and it was kind of amusing that Brax would suggest that she might miss it. She figured that she might as well play nice since Brax had been so helpful and kind to her, so she didn’t see a problem with her next move. She slowly leaned across the bar and lightly pressed her lips to Brax’s cheek.

“Thank you, and don’t worry… I won’t be late.” As she spoke she spoke in almost a whisper and kept her face right next to his, her lips hovering only inches away from his brightly blushing cheek. She couldn’t help the slight laugh that escaped her lips before she finally leaned back into her seat. She picked up her glass and threw down the rest of her drink in seconds before looking back into Brax’s eyes.

“I guess I better be getting on my way then. After all, I would hate to keep him waiting because I wanted to carry on a light conversation.” She smirked and bid the bartender, her new friend, good night before rising from her seat and heading out of the cantina. No sooner had she gotten outside, she read the address that she was to have this meeting at and she headed for the speeder she had bought and was sure she would sell before leaving here. She was then on her way through the area in search of her final destination and ever getting closer to it. Even though she was consciously still making sure she was headed in the right direction for her meeting, subconsciously her mind had drifted to Honor and her last moments with him. These thoughts only fuelled her anger and made her that much more determined to find Kyrton and kill him.

[Lexy Cole]

Lex walked into the apartment and tossed the key device Brax had given her down on the table in the center of the room. As she closed the door behind her, she sensed another Force User nearby. Whoever it was, she could sense them in the building and coming her way. She tried to sense more about this Force User but it quickly became obvious that they were blocking her from doing so, much in the same way that she was blocking herself. She continued to sense their every move as they came closer to the apartment. She decided that if she was going to greet this informant properly, she should at least appear to be comfortable in her environment, especially if they expected her not to be. She sat down in one of the chairs at the table making sure that her face was concealed by her hood and waited patiently.

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Korik already knew what to expect as he approached his apartment, or office might be a better name for it. Not only had Brax filled him in on some information about this girl but he had also been just down the bar from her up until she left the cantina to go and meet him. He wasn’t able to see her face but he had sensed that her Force Presence was familiar and began to wonder where he had met her before. As he reached the apartment door, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he prepared to come face to face with either another Cryth or at least someone who knew a lot about them. He opened the door smoothly before his eyes landed on the young woman sitting before him.

“Hello, Lex. My name’s Korik.” He couldn’t see her face once again, but this wasn’t what really caught him off guard. It was actually the fact that she was so strongly blocking herself from the Force now that she was around him, that took him by surprise. To him this meant that she either didn’t want him to sense something about her, or she was hiding from someone else. At that point he couldn’t help wondering what Brax had gotten him into this time around, just over some small cash.

“So… Brax tells me that I might be able to help you out with some information.” His voice was casual as he crossed the room and sat in the chair directly across from her. Depending on how she answered would give him a fairly good idea what she was wrapped up in and what kind of information he might be able to give her and what kind of information she would have to withhold from her.

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Lex kept her head down and listened closely as Korik spoke. She could also sense him in the Force, even as he blocked the details, and she just couldn’t be sure where she could have known him from, she was sure she knew him from somewhere. She slightly lifted her head to get a better look at the man sitting before her. She immediately recognized his uniform and recalled him as one of the many Cryth that had been under her command approximately a year or so ago.

She slowly continued to lift her head until she could finally see his face, meaning he could see her face as well. Both of their eyes filled with shock at seeing one another’s faces within seconds. Korik obviously recognized who she was and she was taken off guard by his resemblance to her dead lover, Honor Harrington. She concluded that they could have easily passed as brothers, especially if they had been seen together. The thought of Honor sent a sharp pang of pain through her heart and she quickly closed her eyes to recover from the sudden dispare that she had bee learning to fight off for months.

She was slightly trembling as it appeared that she was actually trying to physically try to fight her mind to keep herself from breaking down. Even though she had much more control over her emotions recently compared to just a few months ago, thoughts of Honor still pained her when she allowed them to creep into the forefront of her mind. It wasn’t until she had finally stopped shaking and regained control of herself that she finally opened her eyes. Doing so revealed Korik’s own reactive actions to finding out who she was and being honest with herself, she had been expecting this reaction and was prepared to handle it.

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Korik had expected a pretty girl under that hood, but he would never have thought that he would see ‘The Lady of The Cryth’ peering at him from beneath it. In the same instant that she had closed her eyes, he had dropped from his seat and was not far from her as he rested down on one knee. He had believed that she had died and so seeing her before him now not only made him very happy, but also had caught him completely off guard. He wasn’t sure what to say or do as he remained on his knee before Lex.

[Lexy Cole]

Lex opened her mouth to speak to Korik and ask him to stop kneeling because she was no longer ‘The Lady of The Cryth’, and hadn’t been for quite some time. However, she couldn’t seem to find her voice right away and even though she continued to try to speak, she just couldn’t seem to be able to make herself do so. As she looked at the man before she just couldn’t stop noticing how closely he resembled Honor, even though there were features that were obviously very different, such as his eye color. Even so, it still took her a little while before she was finally able to find her voice once more and address a situation that she hadn’t been completely prepared for. She rose to her feet and placed her hand lightly on Korik’s shoulder.

“Korik… please get up. I’m no longer that girl I used to be, and thus I ask to not be treated as such.” Her voice was soft and kind but still very business like in its tone as she spoke to him. She focused herself on what she needed to know and refused to let her mind drift back to Honor until business was taken care of. She watched Korik slowly rise to his own feet to stand before her, still obviously a bit uncomfortable with the idea.

“Korik, you have to understand that ‘The Lady of The Cryth’ died the day that Zeke, ‘The Lord of The Cryth’, died. I’ve moved on since then and am no longer the same girl I was then. I have a new mission now, and yes, Brax said that you might be able to help me.” She explained herself even though she wasn’t sure that she really needed to. The truth was that if Korik had ever been around her back when she was still his leader, he would be able to sense in the Force that she was no longer the same and that her Force Presence had definitely changed over the time since he had last seen her.

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Korik could sense the pain that Lex was suddenly going through, as well as the fight she was putting up against it. He remained on his knee considering what to say to her and contemplating what could be putting her through this kind of turmoil. He was about to speak when she had reopened her eyes and he quickly decided against saying anything. It wasn’t until she had risen to her feet and touched his shoulder that he finally heard her voice. He knew what she was asking of him was not being told as an order, but he considered it such and slowly rose to his own two feet to stand before her. As she explained how she felt about her position as ‘The Lady of The Cryth’ he finally understood why she had left the Order and asked the commanders to disband the remaining Cryth. She felt that the cement that held the Cryth together had been ‘The Lord of The Cryth’ and so she felt that without him, the order would not survive and she would be unable to lead them like he would have alone, or the couple would have together.

“I understand… Lex.” It was hard for him to refer to her in that way when he instinctively wanted to call her ‘My Lady’. It was a natural reaction that he was going to have to work on quickly, so as not to upset her with him. After all, he was far too happy that she was even still alive that he didn’t want to annoy or pain her in any way.

“So… How did Brax think that I might be able to help you?” It was a simple question, but he honestly thought he might already know what she needed help with. After all, she was dressed in her Cryth uniform and yet no longer claimed herself to be a Cryth, let alone The Lady of The Cryth. He was sure however, that she was looking for the Cryth that had reorganized under the command of a lower ranked commander named Tannus Kyrton, and with this he actually could help her.

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Lex listened closely as Korik spoke and realized that it was going to be hard for him to adjust to speaking to her like anyone else. She could sense that he was glad to see her, though she didn’t probe his mind to find out why because she really just didn’t have the time. Instead she wanted to keep the business talk going and get through things quickly so that she could be on her way.

“I’m looking for Tannus Kyrton, but I have no idea where to start.” She slowly sat back down at the table and continued to watch Korik as he reacted to each thing that she said. She was surprised to see a smile cross his face when she mentioned Kyrton and she sensed a bit of anger towards the man suddenly radiate from Korik. She slightly grinned at the thought that she had come across another Cryth that didn’t like Kyrton. She really didn’t even care to know what his reason was behind the dislike, she just like the idea that she wasn’t alone in her anger towards the man.

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Korik grinned and held back a slightly laugh as Lex confirmed his suspicions that she was out and about looking for Kyrton. As he slightly reached out with the Force to sense a bit more about the new person she had become, he realized that she had grown a bit darker and there was a difference in how she not only sensed everyone else, but also in how she perceived herself.

“That’s far too simple, My…” He quickly cut himself off and closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and sitting down across from her.

“I can tell you exactly where to start, Lex. You need to start at his main base, which is located on Ithor.” He hoped that she wouldn’t comment about his slip up and just went straight into explaining to her where she needed to head next.

“The Cryth cleaned up a small area on the surface for their base and I’ll provide you with the exact location. I’ll also give you a recycled identification number that will gain you access to the base without any questions asked or any suspect of your appearance. Once you’re inside the base however, you need to be very careful about who you trust. Don’t let just any of them sense who you are, because some of the men think that your death that Kyrton told us about was well deserved after you ‘abandoned’ us. There are a few, like myself, that felt you had good reason for what you did and have always mourned your death. However, it would probably be best if you had as little interaction with the other Cryth as possible. It’s very hard to tell what side each of them is on and it’s usually just better to avoid the situation all together.” He never looked away from her eyes as he spoke and even though there was one question running through his mind, he kept the nagging inquiry to himself. He didn’t need to know the answer and he wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to know the true answer.

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Lex watched Korik quietly and silently as he explained about Kyrton’s ‘main base’ and how she would be able to infiltrate the base with information he would provide her. She waited until he had completed his summary of what he could help her with before giving a slight nod of approval.

“Thank you, Korik. I’ll need the information as quickly as possible, so I can get moving as soon as is possibly capable.” She knew she really didn’t have to rush everything, but she hoped to have all of this done and over with soon. She just wanted to be able to get back to Tatooine and her young daughter, to start another new life and just be able to leave her past, in the past. She would tell Zara of her biological father Zeke and her almost step father Honor, but she would not speak of the times they spent together or the events of her past life. She would explain to her daughter that those times were another life to her that was far over and that would only be revisited in her dreams, if at all.

[Lexy Cole]

Korik started loading the data he had into Lexy’s data pad immediately, glancing over at her every once and a while to check on her. By the time he had finished his work, he noted that she was in a meditation and sat down at the table to wait for her to finish. As he placed her data pad on the table’s glass surface, he watched Lexy thinking that she looked so peaceful and realized that he didn’t understand how she could have walked away from her followers who had been so dedicated to her. He knew it had to of caused her great pain when the ‘Lord of the Cryth’ was killed, but he still didn’t understand why she had done what she did. However, he was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when she began to stir and he quickly sat up straight.

“I’ve finished… But there is one more suggestion that I have for you.” He didn’t know how she was going to take this suggestion, and he honestly expected the worst. She seemed very independent to him and so he wasn’t sure she would be very accepting of his suggested terms for helping her, but he had to at least try.

“Lexy, now that I’ve given you what you need in order to get into the Ithor base. I have something to ask of you.” He didn’t wait for her to respond before he quickly continued on with what he had on his mind. After all, if her gave her enough time to think about it and actually give him an answer, than she might just take off before he had a chance to change her mind.

“I want you to let me tag along, just as a little bit of backup in case something goes wrong. After all, I’m still on good terms with some of the other Cryth and I might be a good asset to have around either for my contacts or just as a distraction.” He knew this idea was really a long shot when he saw the look in her eyes that almost asked him if he had completely lost his mind or something. He didn’t know why she was looking at him in such a way, but he knew that if she was going to argue with him he would just keep insisting that it was more valuable to her to have him tag along instead of her going alone and him tailing her.

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Lexy gave a weak smile to Korik as she took her data pad back and started glancing through the information that he had just downloaded. The data included location information and identification information that she would need in order to be able to even get into the base. She knew this was not going to be any easy task but she would figure out some way to get the other Cryth to trust her. She wasn’t proud of it, but she had gone as far as to learn a few of the darker uses of the Force and if she had to resort to them to mess with the minds of Kyrton’s followers, she would. She was still looking though the data when her train of thought was suddenly brought to a halt by Korik’s suggestion of coming with her. At first she was so caught off guard that she had no idea what to say to him, but she quickly regrouped herself and immediately stood up.

“No! Absolutely not… Too many lives have been ruined by Kyrton’s actions already and I refuse to put anyone else that I know in harm’s way intentionally.” She stuffed her data pad into a side pouch on her utility belt and pulled back up her hood. She started for the door as she continued to speak.

“I’m thankful for what you have already done for me, Korik. However, you have to stay here.” She had started to reach for the door when she suddenly felt and saw Korik’s hand grab her wrist and stop her. She looked up at him and suddenly was able to sense him in the Force for the first time. She recognized the presence as one of the guards that had been with her just about every step of the way while the Cryth were over Kashyyyk and one of the men that had taken Zekk’s body after his death. He had been there through her first loss and sense what it had done to her, as well as the small connection she had begun to form with Honor, even then. She suddenly realized that he understood her better than she thought he could have and that the strong concern for her was not just him viewing her as his leader, but also as a friend.

A slight sigh escaped her lips as she looked up into his eyes and she knew he wasn’t going to give up on this. She gave him a slight nod and he instantly headed to get his supplies and weapons to bring along. Deep down she knew it was better for her to have a partner with her and he had been sure to point out that he still had connections inside the Cryth. All of what he could tell her and do for her was very useful, and yet she couldn’t help wondering if she was doing the right thing by letting him join her. She just had this bad feeling that by bringing him along, she was sentencing him to his death and she didn’t think she could handle another death on her hands because of a decision that she made. Just when she about had herself convinced that she needed to try to sneak away, he was back with everything he thought they needed and in the next second they were headed for the platform she had landed at. Within hours they would be launched and headed for what could possibly be their last battle ever, if they were unable to succeed.