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Behind Enemy Lines (Day One)
Covert Action (Duncan/Jaden)
Outer Rim World of Olivan
Date: 2919 AOK (Eight months after Auro’s Birthday)

(OOC: Be advised that this In Between may change events that took place during the game. This In Between will be considered to overwrite any actions from the game that conflict with this.)

While Jaden floated helpless in a Bacta Tank, Duncan was escorted through the large shopping mall turned village to be interrogated. Through the broken ceiling of the mall, Duncan could easily make out the massive belly of the Resolute. He couldn’t help but find it laughable that one of the greatest threats on world were literally hiding in plain sight of the Twenty Seventh’s own Headquarters. As he was lead in to a large converted store, he watched a LAAT Gunship from the Twenty Seventh pass by overhead.

After Duncan’s interrogation with Frija Daal (A former Cadet from Fray), he was brought back to his brother. The pair were shown around the large partisan complex and even given a small space to call home. While the overall population of this structure was civilian, it was clear that everyone here were in one way or another aiding the partisans. There were communal stations for washing clothes, cooking, and repairing broken equipment. One thing that they noticed was that the entire electrical network was not functional. Based on what they saw, this was intentional.

As the brothers started to explore the complex, they learned that the building was three levels tall. They suspected that it might have subterranean levels as well. The lower level was occupied by mostly partisans, while the mid and upper levels were occupied by civilian refugees and their families. The north side of the building had been destroyed when the Resolute clash landed. Now, the aft section of the Resolute stood over top of the rest of the complex. These people were literally living in the shadow of the Jedi’s failed invasion of this world.

A section of a department store was being converted in to a make shift farm, while rain water was being channeled and harvested for the daily needs of the population. As they continued to get a lay of the complex, it wasn’t long before they realized these people were getting aboard the Resolute somehow and foraging for supplies. Everywhere they looked, they saw the same hand written sign with the same figures on it. When they asked, they were told that the signs all say the same thing. ‘Everyone works, Everyone Eats, Everyone Drinks, No One Is Exempt!’

It was then that they heard the music and laughter. They couldn’t help but follow the sounds. It wasn’t long before the brothers found themselves in what appeared to be the partially rebuilt bar section of a restaurant. Cases of Republic Military Supply were neatly stacked up along the walls. Duncan took note of the many cases of Lopez Brand soft drinks. As they made their way through the box maze in to the heart of the restaurant, they saw a large group of partisans and civilians being entertained by a live band.

They could identify the woman playing drums as Shri-Lan, a Devaronian. More notably, she was a cadet from the Fray Jedi Academy. Because of Fray’s strong link to these suspected Partisans, Duncan had taken the time to study possible suspects prior to the beginning of their mission. Shri-Lan had been a member of Fray’s Dueling Team, nicknamed the Saber-Blades. Her skill set was not that remarkable, however she also was a member of the Academy’s Glee Club. Which explained her actions here.

On Base Guitar, was Kraspen Deo, a human male. Again, another former member of Fray’s Academy. Member several clubs including the Saber Blades, and the Glee Club. Unlike the other Partisans that they had met, Kraspen was a healer by heart. His recorded showed a better than average skill set for healing. Clearly his loyalties brought him here to Olivan, instead of darkness.

It was the girl playing Guitar and singing that shocked the two brothers. It was Trysta Shiloh. She was a natural born duelist and apparently, one heck of singer. She was from the world of Bilrylbak 7, born to the wealthy Shiloh family. Duncan couldn’t help but remember in her file, she and her sister were slated for training on Coruscant under Master Windu. The file didn’t explain why they ended up on Fray. He also recalled reading something regarding disciplinary action against her just over a year ago. A pair of mysteries that he wanted to uncover.

The pair moved to an empty table and listened to her song as a Olivan waitress brought a pair of glasses filled with Gav. It wasn’t the best either of them had and it was served warm. But at least it was relatively enjoyable. As they watched the darksider sing, it was a side of her that the Starchaser brothers had not expected to see. There was something different about her. It was if something was off. But they couldn't ignore the blades that hung from her back. It might be a surprise to see her sing like this, those blades remind them of how dangerous she was.

More importantly, as the brothers looked around they realized that the partisans had something that the Twenty Seventh seriously lacked. The partisans and those helping them enjoyed a high moral. The group of people, who had gathered for the entertainment, cheered and bounced with excitement as Trysta sang and played her heart out. It wasn’t like she was at a professional level, but she was pretty darn good. Once her song was over, the audience leaped to their feet in cheers.
The group of three carefully placed their instruments down, prerecorded music started to play. Shri-Lan came around her drums and embraced Kraspen in a hug that was much more than friendship. Trysta placed the guitar on its rack and nodded towards the Starchaser brothers. Then she motioned to a nearby waitress for a drink.

Shri-Lan and Kraspen made their way from the stage, hand and hand. They walked over to a table where they joined another male. Trysta however, made her way over to the Starchaser brothers. As she closed on them, they noticed her arm was still in a Bacta sleeve. Half way to the table, she picked up a glass of Gav from the waitress she signaled earlier. She pulled a chair from the table and took her seat between the two brothers. “I take it, you two enjoyed the song,” she asked with labored breath. She took a healthy drink then added, “getting settled in okay?”


watch Trysta's song

As Duncan and Jaden walked through the enemy camp Jaden's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. His second meeting and subsequent vision from Lysire still fresh. 'She says we're not ready....that the Darkness is here. Then why doesn't she teach us?!' He thought, frustration plaguing him. Then he heard the sound of music playing close by. He looked to the source and saw a makeshift karaoke bar. Looking at Duncan he motioned towards it and started walking in. Taking a seat he finally saw exactly who was singing and to his immense surprise it was the woman who upon their first meeting tried to kill him and then saved his life at the beginning of this mission. As he watchedher preform her lyrics made him question if this was the same woman who called "kill the tech" with her friends. He remembered the end of his conversation with Lysire. He thought, 'She said they would not leave us to the darkness. That they would guide us. Is she what they were talking about? She did touch her head and now this.'

Before he knew it the music had ended and the woman was walking up to the table where he and Duncan sat. "Yeah, your preformance was actually what brought us here. I didn't know you could sing so well," he said to her with a slight smile.

The woman laughed as she took a sip. Her skin was of a grayish color and her eyes seemed to match her skin. Her near white long hair was always in a ponytail. Affixed to her forehead was a metal symbol that appeared to be made out of silver. It was clear that this piece of metal was actually embedded in to her skull. "Thank you," she said softly. "I haven't sung in what feels like a life time."

She looked around at the group that had gathered at the makeshift bar, "I used to sing as part of the Glee Club back at the Academy on Fray. Back when I was a different person." She turned her attention back to the pair of clones at her table, "I am Trysta Shiloh."

Jaden took this opportunity to really observe the now named Trysta. The last time he was so close his life was literally in her hand as the flames burned him and she too was burnt for her troubles. By contrast the time before that she was calling to take his life along with her friends. 'She's pretty attractive all things considered,' he thought despite knowing such things were against the Jedi Code. He then thought, 'It's like I said though, the ghosts of Fray are definitely coming back to haunt us.' "You can call me Jay and this is Dunn," he said. "We never thanked you for coming to save us from whatever hell the Republic were gonna leave us in. And definitely thank you for risking your life to save me from falling to my death."

"I am pleased to meet you two," she said softly as she considered how to answer the next statement. It was a bit harder for her. She didn't understand why, but her edge seemed to have dulled. She wanted to make some short nasty statement but realized that she couldn't think of anything.

She decided on the truth. She smiled and nodded as she held her glass up as if in a short toast, "Jenna and Frija said that you two were important."

In the back of her mind, she knew that they were not clones. Or at least the one called Jay. Part of her screamed to call the guards and have them arrested. But another part, a part she thought had been long dead called on her to wait and see what they wanted first. Maybe they wanted to just learn more about who they were as a people.

'Small talk stupid!' she thought. "So um, Jay" she said feeling uncomfortable using a name that she realized most likely was a lie. "What world were you from before you came here?"

For a second Jaden considered bluffing his way out of her question. After all he could say they were from Dantooine or some other Outer Rim world. Despite that he chose his answer. "We're from Naboo," he said, feeling the discreet look Duncan was giving him. "We were owned by a farming family, but I also helped repairing the equipment." He knew as soon as he said those words that it sounded like bull. "How long have you been here," he asked.

Trysta didn't catch the bluff as she took another sip of her drink. "I got here a few months ago," she said being vague about the time frame. She wasn't about to tell them that she had been on world for six months building on connections among disenfranchised groups. Her mission was to make sure that the Partisans would answer the call once Jenna, in the name of the Lord of Darkness, made it.

"yeah, mostly I did a lot of sight seeing," she said then thought, 'what the F*** are you saying. You didn't need to say that!' realizing her mistake, she sighed heavily. "This place really looked different before the war."

Jaden had to repress any visible signs as he remembered how beautiful and full of life the city was before the Retribution crashed down and the war that came with it. 'We have to fix this. We have to,' he thought. The months of seeing the death and destruction were starting to weigh on his soul. He thought of Anong and how her family had perished on what he called Day Zero. The day everything went to hell. "I've heard about that day that the ship crashed onto the city. It's ironic isn't it? The ship that caused all this is now a safe haven."

Trysta smiled at the statement, "yeah its ironic."

She leaned back in her chair and felt a bit of bragging coming on. "The Jedi over there," she said speaking of the Twenty Seventh, "think that the ship is theirs. That they control it and all around it. They don't know of this place or how we use the supplies of their own flagship to help feed those here."

She leaned forward as her face twisted with anger, "the Jedi have grown far too arrogant. They were arrogant in assuming that they would be welcomed here. They were arrogant in assuming that they could rob democracy from us."

Trysta remembered how she had once fought under the colors of the Jedi. It made her realization that much more painful. But it wasn't painful. To her surprise, the pain that had always been linked to those memories were gone.

Jaden looked at her as she said those words and he didn't have to reach out with the force to feel the anger she held towards the Jedi. It was evident in each word she said and in her body language as she did. He wondered what had happened to her to feel such maliciousness towards them. 'What did they do to her? Why does she hate the Jedi so much,' he thought.

He knew about the Jedi Academy on Fray from the conversations he had with Duncan and the brief conversations he had with Auro and Unna. Whatever had transpired on that world had reprocussions that no one could see coming and that it had come to haunt the very galaxy. He then saw that she became a bit withdrawn.. no more introspective. "Is everything okay?" He asked concerned.