Suffer the Little Children...

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The trip to Cloud City had been a relatively uneventful one, with both Lupines equally as happy to spend their time together as they were to be apart. It seemed to s'Il that the longer she and Saricia spent together, the more attuned to one another they became. Not due to the Force, but rather because of their shared lineage. Two Greater Houses, reunited once more.

In Saricia, s'Il had come to find a younger sister of sorts; a woman that she would have no qualms seeking comfort with. Despite the nature of their first meeting and the jealousy that the elder Lupine had shown towards the Kroenen, she found herself abandoning almost entirely those feelings in favor of kinship. Dan had been right to bring them together, though s'Il suspected that even he would never truly understand the depth of what he'd done.

In a way, she had come to rely on Saricia, and as much as she found joy in helping the younger Lupine begin her own journals and writings, she found peace with her as well. The day after her disastrous confrontation with Zem that'd cost her the life of her son, she had gone to Saricia; spending that afternoon and night with her. In part she supposed it was to avoid Dan and the still painfully fresh memory of his accusation towards her, but mostly s'Il had gone for comfort and a quiet understanding that she knew only another of her kind could give.

* * *

And now, as they both approached the main docking doors that would take them from the platform their ship rested upon to the rest of the city, s'Il drew to a stop. Having shirked the normal white robes she normally wore while on the Dauntless, the Lupine instead was clad in her traveling leathers.

A single look back from where they'd come, and then she turned to give Saricia a gentle stare.

"Be calm," she reached out to give a light pat to the other woman's cheek.

"And don't let yourself be too overwhelmed."

[Saricia Ask'lan]

Saricia had also opted for apparel that was more suited to working outdoors then the white dress often worn on the ships of the Rebellion fleet. They were black heavy leathers that could take a hard days work outside in the fields. Over the bodice and pants was a brown traveling coat that was buckled at the waste, but it fanned out around the legs for maneuverability. It really helped out a lot when she needed to kneel down in the fields, but offer enough protection for the elements. Currently the hood was down so that her long raven hair was covering her shoulders.

The pat to the cheek was unexpected and she gave Lok a strange look. It was nice to be thought of and touched fondly as only kin could provide. Something she hadn't thought possible to be shared between them.

At first they were fiercely suspicious and territorial that every sentence or subtle shift in their stance could have been regarded as a personal attack. Eventually as time passed and Saricia's long buried instincts resurfaced and allowed herself to entertain the notion that Lok could be a friend. Soon her studies and own writings took flight and lessons buried inside her mind blossomed anew. She had little notion how much she missed Dama's teachings.

Now she had Lok and they were slowly becoming friends, but unfortunate circumstances brought them even closer after Lok's son was killed during a fight with another Jedi. It was a tragedy and was blessed she could help comfort her friend, but the confrontation opened up many questions. Why would two Jedi fight? It just didn't make any sense to the Kroenen, but such questions had to be silenced until Lok was done healing from the loss.

"And don't let yourself be too overwhelmed."

Saricia rubbed her left arm with obvious trepidation as they walked closer to the docking bay doors. "I don't think I'll have a choice..."

She could smell hundreds of scents already from the dockworkers, the exhaust from the ship, to all of the beings that had passed here within the hour. It was only going to increase exponentially once those doors opened and Saricia had to fight from pouting. The young Lupine had yet to master her senses within crowds. A couple weeks with the Rebellion fleet had not been enough time. That was only thousands of beings. Now there were going to be millions!

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She gave an amused hrmph at that, and reaching out, s'Il depressed the touchpanel that would open the large doors. They yawned upward to expose one of the many entry tunnels that connected the docking rings to the rest of civilization. Already people could be seen going about their business, some hurrying to catch their charter flights, and other meandering their way inwards. It was a sea of bodies that brought with it an olfactory onslaught that even the elder Lupine at times had difficulties with.

Both women stood in the threshold before venturing into the miasma before them. Tucking her arms in front of her, s'Il took the first step out. They were here to find Wyl Staedtler, and they'd not return to the Dauntless without the boy.

She could already sense Saricia begin to stiffen in her stance, and as she stepped forward, the elder Lupine gave her an encouraging look from over her shoulder.

"Filter it all out as best you can," she eased while stepping out of the way of a pair of Shistavenan.

"It get's easier the more you're exposed to it all."

[Saricia Ask'lan]

She grunted quietly and closed her eyes, which only intensified the sounds and smells assaulting her at once. Steeling her hands into fists, the Lupine slowed her breathing from rapid succession into a tranquil rhythmic pattern as if the movement of her chest was being directed by a symphony composer.

Eventually the loud road banging against her eardrums grew softer and dull. The smells began to filter instead of being one jumbled mess of garbage. Saricia compartmentalized beings, foods, metal and dirt until her entire focus was solely upon Lok. That allowed her control. The shared scent of their heritage. It further dulled all insignificant scents and provided her some clarity.

With a smile she opened her eyes and gasped at the Shistavanens. Never had she seen such a creature except hearing about them from space travelers visiting Sacorria. Blushing, she turned away from them and caught up with her mentor and friend, feeling all the while foolish for acting so naive...

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

With her companion once more at her side, s'Il half-led the way through the maze of beings and closer still to the terraced entryways that would lead them into the city proper. Transparesteel windows allowed them glimpses of their destination; high-rise building in gleaming whites and blues, cloudcars zipping by... it was all far more cosmopolitan - with the exception of Coruscant of course - than any other place the elder Lupine had been.

Saricia's reaction to the Shistavanen was amusing in its' own right, and would only prove more entertaining as they came across others.

A group of Dugs, going in the opposite direction, muscled their way between the two women with a healthy amount of swearing; one even giving Saricia a nasty pinch to the back of her calf as they passed by.

[Saricia Ask'lan]

She instantly went mad with insult. Cursing the Dugs in Bast'yr with a wicked tongue, a low growl began to grow in timbre at the back of her throat. Without realizing it, Saricia had taken a few steps before the ungrateful aliens. Peaceful as she was, she had no patience for rudeness.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Before her companion had a chance to start any sort of scene, s'Il reached out to firmly grasp Saricia by the arm and pull her away.

There was no sharpness to her voice as she spoke; rather, a soothing rumble came out.

"It is not worth our time to become entangled in small things like this - "

Another Dug from the same group broke away to deliver his own mean-spirited grab to s'Il. His intent was short-lived however as the elder Lupine brought a swift boot down to grind his fingers into the deck, all the while keeping her eye to Saricia. The Dug howled in pain, but it was more than obvious that those around them cared little. Such was the nature of crowded docking ports.

A smug grin tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she nodded her head to the last set of archways that would take them out onto one of the many outer promenades overlooking the city.

"Shall we?"

[Saricia Ask'lan]

Saricia's gaze wavered down to the dug and with great satisfaction, she smiled at his deserved misfortune. As he hopped away with his one good arm, the young Lupine's mirthful eyes blinked once when she nodded, "Yes. Let's."

Somehow, it wasn't so hard to keep her senses from overloading any longer.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

They emerged through the archway and out into the open air. It was a welcome change from the crowded scents of the docking ring, and s'Il gave a relieved sideways look to Saricia, wondering if she too felt less restricted; less pressed up. Even though she had mastered the delicate task of pushing every smell to assail her nose to the wayside, there was still nothing like unencumbered breathing. Oh, there were still the lingering overtones of metal and exhaust, but they seemed minimal when not confined.

s'Il strode to the edge of the promenade, letting her hands rest upon the railing.

Below them, scattered along the ground level and more layered walkways above that, an ocean of beings greeted their eyes. Aliens from every corner of the galaxy could be seen - families, lone individuals, vacation-goers, the amount of people both visiting and living on Cloud City was staggering.

"Just think," the Lupine mused aloud to not only herself, but Saricia as well.

"These people know of us only as fairy tales and bedtime stories."

[Saricia Ask'lan]

The statement itself was innocent enough. Lok was merely pointing out the obvious illusion of safety and security that the entire galaxy could sleep well at night because their kind had been wiped out.

Saricia saw better. To her, she watched as a great Elder Lupine gazed down upon the simple masses that were herding themselves to whatever this vast and great city had to offer them. It didn't take too long for the younger Lupine to join Lok at her side to gaze at the well organized seas of beings mindlessly walking to wherever. Being this close to Lok, she exuded the natural presence of a hunter who knew she could kill any one of these innocents.

It was an exhilarating and humbling thought.

"Many are focused on their own troubles to see the fantastic around them." Just then a pair of Quarrens walked passed and Saricia's eyes were wide with wonder.

Tentacles came out of his mouth! she thought to herself.

"It's a shame really ..."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

From her peripheral vision, s'Il spied the momentary look of astonishment on her companion's face, and it caused a sly grin to play across her lips. Turning from the railing, she started forward at a leisurely pace.

"There is no shame in placing focus on one's own immediate matters; rather, the shame lies in their willful disregard of our previous existence.

"There is a mixed blessing in our current status, but however few we may be, our survival is a fact. You and I - we are the heralds of a new breed that marries the old with the new. We rise from the pages of our ancestor's texts to evolve and become more than the simple sum of our own lives."

[Saricia Ask'lan]

Saricia licked her lips, her eyes still trying to swallow the strangeness of the city around her in its entirety. But she thought upon her friend's words and wondered just how plausible the reality of that vision would be. Lok was the only one blessed with children, and with the recent loss of her son, just how likely could their race survive in the years to come?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There was no mistaking the thoughts of her companion, and s'Il brought her close to her side with a reassuring arm about Saricia's shoulders.

"Do not fret overly of our predicament. The future is ours."

They passed by countless beings, each and every one stranger seeming than the next.

"When we are through here we'll go to Schwartzweld. There is a friend of mine living there now; a scientist. He will help us to discover a way for our kind to flourish... all of us."

[Saricia Ask'lan]

Lok and Saricia had grown close in a short time that it had become second nature for them to just know each others thoughts. It was instinct in reading body language and scent. Pheromones off just slightly could determine anger or sadness.

"You place much faith in the Colonel." Her response surprised the young Lupine because of how plainly it was spoken. It was difficult to place such hope in a man she had not met, and it didn't help that Dan was wary of him either. She trusted Dan implicitly and if he was suspicious, so was she.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"My faith in the Colonel only extends as far as it needs to, as his usefulness to me right now is from a rather selfish standpoint. He is cut off from his Empire, and in a rather delicate position. His only choice is as of this time is to do as I ask."

Giving Saricia a sidelong smile, s'Il pulled away as she navigated her way through a group of Sullustans.

The self-imposed task of finding Wyl Staedtler amidst the multitude of beings on Cloud City would have been a daunting one, but their resources had not completely been exhausted. The Jedi, Anbira Hicchoru was here still, and was expecting them.

There had been no unnecessary discussion in the message she'd sent to him, only that he was to meet herself and Saricia. The Force would guide them all to where they needed to be; it was simply a matter of allowing themselves to be taken in by the unseen currents all around them.

"Let it encompass your soul," she spoke quietly to her partner after they'd spent a short amount of time wandering.

"It will guide and lead; all we must do is follow."

[Karl Valten]

Mmmmmm, caf, the magical substance that kept the galaxy spinning. If someone really wanted to control everything from the deep core to the farthest shit-hole of the unknown regions, all they’d have to do is monopolize the heavenly substance. At least that’s Captain Horus, head of CCPD here on this wonderful floating wreck of a city, thought as he sipped on his triple-strong gourmet imported caf. Bespin’s damn twelve-hour days were screwing with his head again.

Ah well, with no Emperor of caf to be found, money was the next-in-line ruling class. Sure, “money can’t buy happiness” and all that jazz. But money and influence pretty much hit the head on the nail, and Jared Horus had both.

“Hey, Cap, running on chems again?” The round of laughter cooked up by that damned desk-jockey elicited a shake of the head as Horus took another swig from his steaming mug. “Stuff he makes could put all of Port Town out of business. Frack the glitt-bitters, Cap’d be a rich man easy.”

Now that got a laugh out of Jared. Trying not to pass the burning, precious substance through his nose, Captain Horus leaned against a snack machine with a raised brow.

“Jones, not even Black Sun could afford this.” Cockey little bastard grinned like he was the most clever guy in the system. Maybe the kid’d actually be useful at some point. Horus took another sip and leaned up. “You’re on dispatch for the next week.”

The Captain ambled off leaving the young officer at his desk with a thoroughly crestfallen face. “Aw, c’mon, Captain. I just passed my field exams.”

“Tough luck, Jonesy, see you next week. Heheheh!”

Horus shook his head with a grin as he opened the door to his office. Why were all the greenhorns such fracking knuckleheads? “You’re with him Haddley. Have fun you two.”

And with that the Captain closed the door behind him and cut off the laughter aimed at the two newbies outside. He crossed the room and lowered himself into the comfortable cushions of his chair, nursing his for several minutes.

Damn, caf was fracking amazing. Ah well, time to get to the days business. Horus opagued the windows looking out over the gleaming city, activated the auto-lock on his door, and pulled out a small tiny frequency-scrambler. Best device that money could buy…also very much illegal. But when one needed to keep prying eyes and ears out of his business, there was no better substitute.

By the time Jared had the office secured several calls on his personal channel.

“Ah, yes, Mr. Griffin. You can be assured that patrols in the Northern Landing zones are preoccupied…and please convey my deepest gratitude for your employer. His donations will not go unnoticed……”

And so on went the day. These crimelords really knew how to entice a man.

[Saricia Ask'lan]

Saricia did as requested and closed her eyes, focusing on her surroundings, the Force, and how it could lead her to the Lok's daughter. For the past several weeks the Elder Lupine had schooled her, not only in the aspects of their shared heritage, but also in the ways of the Force. Building upon what thin foundation Dan had begun to lay down.

Flexing her fingers briefly to stretch out the stiffness, the younger Lupine curled them softly into a ball and curiously looked around. Slowly the loud pounding of alien voices dulled into a quieter roar, the smells of sweet oils and pungent body aromas weren't as sharp. The bustling chaos of Cloud City was had shifted into something far more manageable for the girl. And her head stopped pounding... a blessed side effect.

"I ..." She stopped, her mouth hanging agape with doubt. Wetting her lips, Saricia's brows folded inward like a lost pup who wasn't sure it was really ok to speak. "I think ... perhaps they would be ... Um ... somewhere in general housing. It's the best place to blend in."

Only Lok picked up on the tinest shift in Saricia's head lowering in disappointment. It was clear she didn't trust her instincts, but with what little she knew studying Cloud City's layout, it was the best she could muster.

[Wyl Staedtler]

It was an accident. Not one of the serendipitous sort that turned into an adventure; no, this was a terrible, horrible mistake and it had been two entire days which was hundreds and hundreds of hours practically and it hadn't gotten better. They hadn't come back. They were gone. All of them. Just like that, in the blink of an eye. He tried and tried not to let the panicky feeling bubbling in his chest creep up on him, but this was so much like Before only worse, because it was always harder the second time 'round.

Wyl Staedtler peered around the corner, staring into the public courtyard with wide, wary eyes. Desperately he examined the milling faces hoping that he'd somehow been wrong; but there was nothing familiar about any of the bodies there. His stomach clenched.

He couldn't see them. He couldn't feel them. They were gone. They'd left him.

It's your fault, hissed a voice in his head. Wyl shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped into the crowd, trying to look cheerful. People asked questions if you looked lost. Which he was but he didn't want to look it. There wasn't any kind of answer to those types of inquiries, not yet. He didn't know what had happened, just that it was something bad and all of them - Daria and Master Tarkin, Serena, Morgan, Rhianna - had vanished.

What if they'd been found? The knot in his stomach tightened and the small boy bit his lip, wondered if he was going to throw up; he'd sensed something wrong a few days ago but he wasn't yet adept enough to pinpoint the cause of such a disruption.

That'll teach you to wander off - you've been told not to, the voice hissed again. It was true. It was entirely his doing that he'd not been with any of the others when... whatever had happened. Wyl's curiosity and wandering spirit had sent him on another quest - he couldn't even remember what had been so important - and by the time he'd made it back, well. Everything had changed.

He didn't know what to do. Nights were the hardest, trying to find somewhere unobtrusive to sleep (which was hard to come by and fitful at best); come morning, he'd launch himself back into his search for the rest of the Jedi party, scouring Cloud City for a few hours before skittering to the docking bays where Trip, his new droid friend, and Amos were. So far he'd managed to fool them about his newly independent status but Wyl wasn't sure how much longer he could continue this farce. After all, Amos had to leave sometime too, didn't he?

They had to come back. Once they realized he wasn't around, they'd turn around, wouldn't they?

But that wasn't today, not yet at least. Wyl sighed and loped out of the courtyard toward the lifts that would take him to the bay level. He nimbly sidestepped slower pedestrians, twisting the small plastic ring on his finger nervously. He wished that Tak was here with him. She'd know what to do; wives were useful like that.Even if she didn't, they'd be able to keep each others spirits bolstered and she could change and that was always a good distraction.

Wyl's stomach rumbled hungrily and he grimaced; he hoped his timing was right and Amos was getting ready to eat lunch. A real meal was probably going to be the high point of the day.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a patient look that s'Il gave to Sar, and the elder Lupine allowed a thin smile to grace her features.

"There is a man, here on Cloud City. He is who we must seek out first."

Dan had agreed with her notions of using Anbira, encouraging her even, and s'Il planned to do just that. The disheveled Jedi would help them find Wyl, and once that was done all four of them would return to the fleet.

She went on.

"He knows we are here to meet him, and knows who to look for; he will help us to find the boy, and once that is done he will return with us to the Dauntless.

"For now however, it is simply a matter of allowing him to come to us."

Taking the younger Lupine's hand, s'Il gestured to a small bistro.

"And while we wait, let us sit and enjoy our surroundings."

[Saricia Ask'lan]

She sighed softly, wishing that s'Ilancy would have been gracious enough to offer that information before the younger Lupine had made a food out of herself. Such were the way of tests, Saricia supposed. It was just ... frustrating. Everything was so foreign to her senses that it was difficult to think clearly.

Eyes and ears perked up towards the bistro - The Rusty Fazlioa. What a Fazlioa was and why it needed to be rusty, made little sense to Saricia. Regardless, she followed the one-eyed Lupine and waited to be seated quietly ...