Aquincum City

*Kel'Al followed the massive Zabrak through the streets of Aquinicium with hardly a word, playing the role of the cool, collected merchant captain as he followed his pretend enforcer's cleared path.* *His silence did not indicate inaction, however, as he focused his senses, surveying their surroundings intently for any clues as to Seleevan's intentions or any signs of impending trouble. He could sense a cloud of emotions on the other side of the city, where the meeting was evidently taking place, but could gather no intuition of impending danger, either to his own team, or to the captives.*

*It was with some relief that the disguised Jedi Master looked upon the dilapidated transport ship that they called home once more, and saw that it was not crawling with armed Vor security officers, as he had half expected. It seemed that they were still flying under the radar, then. The Force was with them.* *He almost smiled beneath his fake beard as he felt the clank of the durasteel boarding ramp beneath his feet once more.*

*Catching the Sandpanther commander's shoulder for a brief moment before they parted ways, the Jedi Master whispered in Raksha's her ear.* "Make sure they have our birds ready to fly, just in case we still need them." *He didn't need to tell her that, given the pilot's earlier itch for a fight and anxiety about the supposed prisoner release, but the Jedi had another worry on his mind. He had chosen the Dearic Bargain with a one-way trip in mind, and now that they hadn't needed to blow their little surprise, he wasn't sure if the Gallofree was really up for a return voyage. If it broke up in deep space, they were going to want to have working lifeboats ready.*

*In fact, during the walk back to the spaceport, Kel had been toying with the idea of leaving the GR-70 behind as planned, and departing in their smaller, lighter, less sitting-duck-like craft. But there simply wasn't a way to explain the sudden appearance of Jedi starfighters that wouldn't be interpreted as the opening of hostilities. No, it was better to continue to be patient. All the same they ought to be ready to abandon ship quickly, if the need arose.*

*Once they were safely back in the cockpit of the Gallofree, Sev, Kel'Al's dutiful R2 astromech, began to raise a fuss about all the fake paint and rust and carbon scoring that had been lathered onto his delicate circuitry, but Kel cut him off with a raised hand.* "Not yet, little friend." *He glanced at the com board, then the navicomp.* "We still have a job to do."

*He shot Veran a glance as she noted how their mission was apparently being rendered unnecessary.* "But then we'd never have gotten out of that stuffy old academy for this luxurious vacation." *Kel quipped back in a low voice.* "Besides, we probably just learned more about the current Vor culture in one day than what is currently written in the Jedi archives." *The Corellian turned back to the control board.* "You just make sure you pick up on anything that our friends are trying to tell us, and I'll handle the tech issues."

*The sound of sirens getting closer might be unsettling for most, but the jedi in the starport would also feel their jedi brother coming closer. Soon, they would see a convoy of civilian peacekeeper speeders accompanying a large ambulance setting down besides the ship assigned to the two jedi.

The police took space between them and the ship, letting the emergency vehicle closer. They didnt want to instigate even an ounce of hostility, they were there only for protection. The emergency vehicles side opened up and there was Witwer, unconcious in a protective bubble, with tubes hanging out of most orifices, metal tubing holding him in place so he wouldnt move, even if the bubble was shaken. It was clear that the bonds were not there to confine him, but there to make sure no furhter damage was done to his allready shuttered body.

A medical profecional looking Vor (lab coat, datapad) walked over to the jedi that would greet him, followed by the hovering medical bubble.*

"Mister Witwer sustained heavy injuries when his fighter was hit by a flak round. Several surgeries made sure that he would survive and recover in the best possible way, but he will never be a hundred percent. Internal damage was high, and he cant be moved for a long time to come. This medical droid here will oversee his medication for the trip.
He has also sustained neural and phisical stress that will have no permanent afflictions in the future.
This datapad is linked to the droid, and the medical bubbles controlls and the patients monitoring."

*With that, he laid the datapad on the ground and backed off to the emergency vehicle. The Bubble, accompanied by the droid that got out after it walked up to the ramp, awaiting the jedis instructions.*

[quote="Torian Py'ek":30gypo0f] "Wait here for the lieutenant. I'll begin the pre-flight preparations and try to ensure that Khar has left no surprises for us," [action:30gypo0f]and then, upon reaching the cockpit, sits in the pilot's seat and begins the pre-flight procedures.[/action:30gypo0f][/quote:30gypo0f]

[action:30gypo0f]Nodding her head, Meryn settles in to wait for Lt. Witwer to be brought to the ship.[/action:30gypo0f] [narration:30gypo0f]Her wait proves to be a relatively short one, as it is not long before[/narration:30gypo0f]

[quote="Seleevan Khar":30gypo0f][color=#00BF40:30gypo0f]* a convoy of civilian peacekeeper speeders accompanying a large ambulance setting down besides the ship assigned to the two jedi.

The emergency vehicles side opened up and there was Witwer, unconcious in a protective bubble, with tubes hanging out of most orifices, metal tubing holding him in place so he wouldnt move, even if the bubble was shaken.

A medical profecional looking Vor (lab coat, datapad) walked over to the jedi that would greet him, followed by the hovering medical bubble.*[/color:30gypo0f]

"Mister Witwer sustained heavy injuries when his fighter was hit by a flak round. Several surgeries made sure that he would survive and recover in the best possible way, but he will never be a hundred percent. Internal damage was high, and he cant be moved for a long time to come. This medical droid here will oversee his medication for the trip.
He has also sustained neural and phisical stress that will have no permanent afflictions in the future.
This datapad is linked to the droid, and the medical bubbles controlls and the patients monitoring."

[color=#00BF40:30gypo0f]*With that, he laid the datapad on the ground and backed off to the emergency vehicle. The Bubble, accompanied by the droid that got out after it walked up to the ramp, awaiting the jedis instructions.*[/color:30gypo0f][/quote:30gypo0f]

[action:30gypo0f]After the Vor has backed away, Meryn steps forward, bending down to pick up the datapad and then motions for the medical droid to follow her aboard the ship.[/action:30gypo0f] [narration:30gypo0f]Frowning as she looks down at the medical bubble and sees Lt. Witwer for the first time, Meryn can see even without consulting the droid or the datapad that she will have her work cut out for her when she endeavors to, with the aid of Ashla, augment his body's natural healing processes to speed his recovery along.[/narration:30gypo0f]

[action:30gypo0f]Once inside the ship Meryn and the droid secure Lt. Witwer in one of the passenger cabins and, reading the contents of the datapad as she walks, Meryn makes her way to the cockpit and says to Torian,[/action:30gypo0f] "Sleeevan did all that he said he would. Lt. Witwer is aboard. [action:30gypo0f]Reaching up and massaging her temple with a sigh, Meryn says,[/action:30gypo0f] I'll let the others know and then do what I can to help the lieutenant."

[narration:30gypo0f]As she is leaving the cockpit to make her way back to Lt. Witwer, Meryn telepathically contacts Veran and Kel'al to [force_speak:30gypo0f]inform them that Lt. Witwer has been released and in their care now, adding that she and Torian will be departing for Corellia immediately.[/force_speak:30gypo0f][/narration:30gypo0f]

[quote="Kel'Al Raganella":3uwh3eef][action:3uwh3eef]He shot Veran a glance as she noted how their mission was apparently being rendered unnecessary.[/action:3uwh3eef] "But then we'd never have gotten out of that stuffy old academy for this luxurious vacation." [action:3uwh3eef]Kel quipped back in a low voice.[/action:3uwh3eef] "Besides, we probably just learned more about the current Vor culture in one day than what is currently written in the Jedi archives." [action:3uwh3eef]The Corellian turned back to the control board.[/action:3uwh3eef] "You just make sure you pick up on anything that our friends are trying to tell us, and I'll handle the tech issues."[/quote:3uwh3eef]

[narration:3uwh3eef]Veran nods disinterestedly when Kel'al suggests that the mission netted them a better understanding of the Vor culture since, in her mind, that understanding doesn't have any real value in terms of combating Khar. [action:3uwh3eef]Lacing her hands behind her neck and leaning back in her chair, Veran says in a mildly exasperated tone,[/action:3uwh3eef] [color=#FF0000:3uwh3eef]"The only thing we learned is that Khar is more clever than we thought. Am I the only one that realizes that he's just managed to tie our hands, the hands of the CDF too for that matter? His proposed ceasefire, whether it's sincere or not, means that the Jedi can't retaliate against him for what he's done to Corellia unless and until he reveals what his real plan is. The CDF can't move against him either without seeming like the aggressors now either. Meanwhile, he's free to advance whatever plot he has and all we can do is hope that we spot the trap before he springs it."[/color:3uwh3eef]

[action:3uwh3eef]Sighing tiredly, Veran is about to go on in the same vein when she is telepathically contacted by Master Nelente, who informs her[/action:3uwh3eef][/narration:3uwh3eef]


[quote="Meryn Nelente":3uwh3eef][force_speak:3uwh3eef]that Lt. Witwer has been released and in their care now, adding that she and Torian will be departing for Corellia immediately.[/force_speak:3uwh3eef][/quote:3uwh3eef]

[narration:3uwh3eef]Concentrating to maintain the telepathic connection between herself and Master Nelente, Veran [force_speak:3uwh3eef]let's her know that she has received the update and that she and Kel'al will see her back on Corellia[/force_speak:3uwh3eef] before, turning to Kel'al, saying in a relieved tone, [color=#FF0000:3uwh3eef]"In case you didn't get the telepathic memo, Masters Nelente and Py'ek have the Lt. now. They're readying to head home now. Looks like we're out of here, huh? You want me to let everyone else know? I'm sure the Panthers will be relieved to hear Witwer has been freed."[/color:3uwh3eef][/narration:3uwh3eef]

[quote="Meryn Nelente":3cmpy269] "Sleeevan did all that he said he would. Lt. Witwer is aboard. [action:3cmpy269]Reaching up and massaging her temple with a sigh, Meryn says,[/action:3cmpy269] I'll let the others know and then do what I can to help the lieutenant."[/quote:3cmpy269]

[action:3cmpy269]Resisting the urge to remind Nelente that he is not deaf and was able to conclude for himself from the the sirens that Witwer had been brought to the ship, Torian nods with a grunt when she says that she will inform the Jedi that had come to rescue them about the development and, once she has left the cockpit, leans forward to bring the ship's repulsorlifts on line to begin take-off.[/action:3cmpy269]

[narration:3cmpy269]As he takes the ship up Torian half expects it to blow up or be shot out of the sky, his mistrust of Khar so great that he cannot yet fully believe that they are being freed. When their ship is nearing Vortex's upper atmosphere, neither having been shot out of the sky nor exploding, Torian relaxes marginally, certain that there is some hidden agenda of Khar's at play, some advantage for the Vor in choosing to release them that has yet to be revealed. Maybe, Torian thinks to himself as the ship enters orbit, learning the details of Khar's proposed ceasefire from Nelente will provide some clues.[/narration:3cmpy269]

*Slowly, a grin spread over the Jedi's face, behind his fake beard, and he looked up from his navigational preparations.* *Everything seemed to be falling into place now. The instrument panel said that the dying ship had at least two voyages left in it before it failed altogether (not that he entirely trusted the anaylsis), the coordinates for the homeward jump had been set, and now Meryn's telepathic message. Very good. Veran was right about their hands being tied, at least in an official capacity, but that was where Kel'Al's new covert unit would fit in. With the Sandpanther's aid (and they would have plenty of motivation now), he could have something up and running in a matter of weeks.*

*But first, then needed to get off this planet. Any further actions could wait. They needed to put as much space as possible between themselves and Khar before he got any new ideas like capturing the infiltration team as soon as the other hostages had gone.* *Kel reached for the ship's intercom, and depressed the mic.* "This is Cap. It looks like we've gotten what we came here for. Prepare the hold for takeoff."

*Releasing the intercom and leaning back in his seat, Kel closed his eyes for a moment, and focused deeply on the force, listening with as much mental silence as he could summon. Gradually, he began to get a sense of the other Jedi, in their own ship, not too far away across the landing pads and hangar bays.*

**Veran lifts a hand and rubs the ivory hued vestigial horn over her left temple as she grins and says to Kel'al,* "Hurry up and get us out of here will you? The sooner you get us into hyperspace and on the way home, the sooner I can go to sle . . . meditate on everything that has happened."

The chances of anything happening to prevent them from making it to hyperspace seem slim, but Veran would rather go to sleep knowing that they are out of danger than go to sleep only to be woken up if they do come under attack.

*Standing up and covering her mouth as she yawns, Veran says,* "I'll head back and make sure they don't need a hand back in the hold."

Once she reaches the hold where the Sand Panthers have been working on assembling their starfighters, Veran asks, "Do you all need a hand with anything?"*

*Raksha is wiping her hands on a rag after having completed the work on her XJ7 when Veran enters the cargo bay and asks if they need any help. Shaking her head, the Chalactan says,* "We've got it under control Master Jedi. *Looking over at Dudek, Malestrom, Astatine and Krol, she says,* Let's get suited up and stick close to the cargo bay unless we need to deploy. *Turning back to Veran as her fellow pilots move to get into their flight gear, Raksha says,* We'll stand by in case you need us. Let us know when we're in the clear."

*After the Zabrak returns to the cockpit or wherever else she might be going, Raksha heads to her quarters and quickly dons her flight suit, returning to the cargo bay with her skull cap already on and her flight helmet under her left arm. Pulling her thermal gloves on after giving the other pilots a thumbs up when she sees them in their cockpits with their birds powered down for the time being and then getting into the cockpit of her XJ7, Raksha flexes her fingers and then puts her flight helmet on, taking a deep breath as she begins the wait to see whether they will make it to orbit and hyperspace unhindered.*

*Kel'Al just shook his head as Veran departed.* *He longed to tease her about being patient, but he had sensed movement by their friends across the spaceport. Sure enough, a civilian ship of unknown class (it looked to be an ugly or a local design) was moving slowly by deliberately up from a pad not too far away. Aboard the vessel, the Jedi Master could sense three presences, no less, no more. Two were very familiar to him, and the third, while unfamiliar, was definitely a force sensitive, and a badly injured one at that. There was no room for further doubt about the Vor 'god' and his intentions. Now it was time to get the heck out before anything else could happen.*

*Keeping one eye on the departing ship, Kel eased the levels forward, and the Gallofree's engines sputtered to life with a not-entirely-reassuring clatter. He grimaced, and chewed on the edge of his fake beard as he eyed the gauges.* *In spite of the racket, everything checked out normal.* *Heaving a sigh, the Corellian waited, calling on the Force for calm, until the craft they were following was far enough out to be out of range of surface weapons.*

*As soon as it was, the GR-45 shot up into the air, taking a 30-degree angle from the ascending craft, and falling neatly into the middle of a group of assorted merchant vessels departing Vortex. Slowly, they ascended with the normal traffic, avoiding any semblance of haste. Kel'Al kept his senses partially attuned to the other Jedi craft, which which he could not be assured to maintaining visual contact. The next few moments would be critical, but he was pretty sure that the Vor would not have let them so much as take off if they had discovered the starfighters, and so they still had that surprise ready to be sprung if necessary.*