Jebble, Friday evening
At first, Zayne couldn't figure out what was more terrifying. Was it the sight of the rakghouls starting to completely overwhelm the Mandalorians in the valley below his vantage point? Now they were even piloting vehicles to aid the slaughter, as if they really needed the help of Basilisk war droids. Or was it the look on Celeste's face as she guided the rakghoul army from this cliff? But the longer he watched, the clearer the answer was. It was definitely the look.
"Celeste!" Zayne yelled to pull her attention away from watching the battle. "Come back to the lab. With the rakghouls and Mandalorians fighting, it's not safe out here!"
"Yes, it is safe. For me," Celeste responded. A soldier piloting a Basilisk came screaming through the air, firing at Celeste and the team of rakghoul guards surrounding her. The guards quickly returned fire, bringing the war droid down before pouncing to feast on the fallen warrior. "You see? There's nothing wrong here. Everything's fine."
"Celeste, how can you say that? They tore that man apart!" Zayne argued.
"They have to eat sometime, Zayne. And there are already plenty of Basilisk riders."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zayne asked. "And how can they use speeders and weapons? The rakghouls on Taris are mindless!"
"I know the truth now, Zayne," Celeste said calmly as she watched one of her minions get into the Basilisk after repairing some superficial damage. "The plague carves out and discards the target's personality, but the being's learned skills remain, waiting to be activated. So while the raks on their own serve only their hunger, the wielder of the Talisman can draw upon what they were. The Mandalorian army is being brought to heel, Zayne. We're safe. All thanks to the Talisman!"
"Maybe," Zayne said, trying not to look Celeste in the freaky, glowing eyes. "But I still wish I had my lightsaber. No offense."
"Wait a second," Celeste said, pausing to concentrate. "Yes, it has been seen in the south passage. Acquire and attend." Opening her eyes again, she held her arms out in excitement. "Everything feels better, Zayne. I'm not cold anymore. I was buried, but now I'm free. And the Talisman. I can feel it in my mind, and everyone it has touched."
A rakghoul in crimson armor strode over to Zayne, holding out his lightsaber. As Zayne grabbed it cautiously, he asked, "Can their personalities be restored?"
"No, they're but imprints," Celeste answered. "The Mandalorians simply recruit. The Talisman reshapes. Karness was right. To them will fall the future."
"HEEEEEEELLLLP!" Gryph yelled, grabbing Zayne's attention. A rakghoul had the Snivvian slung over a shoulder, carrying him out toward its master. "Put me down, gruesome!"
"You were getting into trouble, Gryph," Celeste said. "There are Sith artifacts in there. You don't know what they can do."
"Your boss knew!" Gryph yelled before being thrown down into the snow. "Tell him, Celeste! Tell him who you work for! Zayne, she's working for Lucien!"
"What?" Zayne yelped in surprise.
"I have his data-sphere!" Gryph said, holding up a small crystal ball. "The Covenant was looking for the Talisman here when they were on Taris, and when they left, they gave the job to her!"
"Is that true, Celeste?" Zayne asked, turning around. "You work for the Covenant?"
Celeste didn't bother facing Zayne as she answered. "I'm with a recovery team. We find Sith relics and dispose of them. For everyone's sake. And our leader is beyond reproach. Teacher of a generation of Coruscant seers. Lady Krynda."
"I was right! You do know her!" Zayne shouted.
"I was surprised you knew the name. She left the Jedi long before you were born," Celeste said. "But you definitely know her son. Lucien Draay."
"Of course," Zayne said, feeling some anger rising. "He never mentioned her... and I can guess why! What they're doing is wrong, Celeste! How could you work for that family?"
"Because MY FAMILY lost everything in the Sith War, Zayne!" Celeste answered, balling her fists in a rage. "I joined the Jedi to make sure the Sith would never return! But the Jedi still aren't on their guard! So we're doing the right thing!"
"They killed my friends and blamed me for something they thought I might do!" Zayne countered. "Was THAT the right thing?"
"And what do they really do with the stuff you find anyway?" Gryph asked. "Maybe they're not the noble people you think they are."
Turning around and unleashing a wave of Force energy to throw Zayne and Gryph back, Celeste cried, "SHUT UP!" Rakghouls immediately swarmed on them, holding the pair back as Celeste approach, igniting her lightsaber. "If the Covenant is corrupt, then EVERYONE'S corrupt! Nothing matters! Nothing's pure! Nothing but power! Lucien is right, you are a trickster. And you have done unimaginable damage!" Closing in on Zayne, holding her saber to his neck, she vowed, "I will complete my mission, beginning with dealing with the two of you!"
"Your mission, Celeste?" Zayne asked. "Your mission is to protect the galaxy from Sith power! Well, look behind you! There's your threat. Millions of Mandalorians, all gone! An infinitely expanding Army of the Sith! And created by you! Unimaginable damage, Celeste? You've just gotten started!"
Celeste dropped her lightsaber and turned back to the cliff face, looking at the now quiet battlefield, illuminated by a few remaining fires and moonlight. She could feel it: there were no more Mandalorians on the planet. There were only the rakghouls. "No," she said, dropping to her knees.
"Celeste!" Zayne called, ripping his clothes as he pulled away from the rakghoul that had been restraining him. He forced Celeste to see the truth, but now he needed to help her. He started by walking over and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Don't touch," Celeste warned. "The Talisman."
"I know. I saw what happened with Pulsipher," Zayne said. "But there's got to be a way to remove it!"
"I need your help, Zayne," Celeste said. "He wants to leave this world. Karness Muur. He's IN THE TALISMAN! These creatures... with a Jedi's mind, they can do anything. Spread anywhere. Everywhere! Cassus Fett's transports will be here soon. Please, while I can still control it. Strike me down."
Zayne stared at Celeste in horror. He had never taken a life. He couldn't start now. Not by killing an innocent Jedi.
"Then you must run," Celeste continued. "It will still want a Jedi! I can feel the change inside me. Please Zayne. End it now."
"I will," Zayne said quietly. A small smile crossed his face. "But not like that. I have an idea."
*****
As she followed Zayne into Pulsipher's lab, Celeste said, "I sent the rakghoul guards downstairs like you asked, Zayne."
"Good. If this works, they won't know how to work the doors leading up here thanks to this," Zayne said, gesturing to a large durasteel coffin, "the isolation chamber Pulsipher told me about."
"Lord Dreypa's Oubliette," Celeste said, recognizing it immediately. "You're right, the Talisman's influence will not escape from it. I know. Because it was built for me." Celeste started to climb into the oubliette before correcting herself. "I mean, for Karness. Dreypa meant to imprison him. It won't be pleasant. It's a torture chamber. But it's safer than leaving me on the outside."
As Zayne helped her into a comfortable position in the oubliette, Celeste reached into her belt and pulled out a circular star medallion with three points hanging from a lanyard. "Zayne, when your ship arrives, take me to Odryn. To the Sanctum of the Exalted. It's where... it's where I was supposed to take the Talisman." She held up the medallion for him to take. "This key will get you in, Zayne. There are Covenant researchers there. They understand Sith artifacts. Maybe they can help me."
"If they don't kill us first," Gryph pointed out. "They're the people after us! We can't--"
"It's all right, Celeste. We'll go," Zayne said, taking the key. "We'll go. Don't worry about us."
"You... You really didn't kill the Padawans, did you?" Celeste asked, feeling a true connection to the Light Side for a moment. "Then listen. You must reach Krynda. If what you say is true, she never would have allowed it. Something is wrong and she would want you to stop it. She's devoted, Zayne, not evil. Just like..." Celeste's voice trailed off.
But Zayne's rose, filled with kindness. "Just like you."
"Thank you," Celeste whispered.
"I won't be long," Zayne promised. "I'll see you later." Zayne closed the oubliette and took a moment to think positive thoughts for Celeste's sake as Gryph went back outside to the cliff. Weird things tended to happen around Zayne. Maybe, just maybe, the Force would cut him a break for once and let things turn out okay. He was just going to hold on to the thought that it would happen. It had to.
*****
"That was good of you," Gryph said when he saw Zayne walking out of the Citadel.
"It's what we do," Zayne said simply.
"It's what you do," Gryph corrected. "But you're my ride. So, you didn't know the name of your own Master's mother?"
"He never invited me to the house, okay?" Zayne complained. "He ignored me! I'm lucky I know how to turn on a lightsaber!"
"I hope you won't need it," Gryph said, watching the rakghouls down below starting to turn on each other. "Looks like that box worked. Now nobody's thinking for the raks!"
A loud rumble caught Zayne's attention. As he spun around, he saw two rakghouls breaking through the snow after tunneling up the cliff toward the warm bodies. "So much for doors in a place made of snow!" Zayne yelled as he lead Gryph in a sprint back to the Citadel.
"They can think!" Gryph responded. "They think they want us!"
Standing in the doorway back into the citadel were the rakghoul remains of Pulsipher. Zayne turned sharply, grabbing Gryph to pull him along until they reached a ladder. "Climb! Now!" Zayne said, giving Gryph a boost up the first few rungs of the ladder.
They reached the roof quickly, but they weren't alone. Some rakghouls followed them up the ladder. Some just used their sharp talons to climb the building. Zayne drew his lightsaber, holding the yellow blade out, hoping to scare off the monsters.
That's when Gryph started yelling. "A ship! A ship!"
"Cassus Fett? The Mandalorians?" Zayne asked, too busy watching the monsters to turn around.
As blaster fire rattled the citadel, even picking off several of the rakghouls, Gryph responded, "No, it's ours! The Williwaw!"
As the Williwaw drifted toward the citadel, Zayne could spot the loading ramp open with some friendly faces on it. Jarael and Rohlan were firing blasters at the rakghouls to provide cover fire while Alek stood at the front of the ramp, his long, blue lightsaber giving off the glow of salvation. "Come on, Zayne!" Alek called.
Zayne held the rakghouls back by waving his lightsaber deliberately, giving Gryph a chance to jump onto the ramp and cling to Jarael for dear life. Finally, Zayne climbed on, prompting Alek to call, "Slyssk! Get us out of here!"
The ramp started to close as the crew climbed into the loading bay, and then the Williwaw rose through the atmosphere. Zayne's job wasn't done yet, though. He ran through the ship toward the bridge, yelling, "Alek, turn us about! There's someone down there we have to pick up!"
"Down there?" Alek asked, keeping pace with Zayne. When he reached the bridge, he looked at the scanners. "Zayne, how could anyone be alive down there? Besides, company's just arrived. The Mandalorians! I'll put us in behind that moon." Alek stopped talking as he noticed the scanners indicating that the Mandalorian warship stopped shy of the planet's atmosphere. "What are they doing?"
"It's Cassus Fett," Zayne explained. "I've got to warn him again not to land! Maybe this time he'll... listen... to me." Scans showed the warship firing a barrage of missiles at the planet, stopping Zayne cold. It was just like Serroco. Mushroom clouds peppered the planet as nuclear warheads detonated all across the planet. "NOT AGAIN!" Zayne cried. Rakghoul life was still life, and he could feel that life being extinguished. "Not again." But once agian, there was nothing he could do. He had to watch the destruction of another planet from orbit. "Not again."
The bulk of the Rakghouls were at the Citadel. That had been the target of the main part of the assault. Celeste was gone. He had failed.
A call came over the comm, leading to the pleased sound of Cassus Fett's voice echoing through the Williwaw. "Vor entye, Zayne Carrick. You are free to go. Cassus Fett - and the Mando'ade - are in your debt. Re'turcye mhi."
As the call cut out, Zayne rose, cupping his head in his hands out of frustration and horror. He rushed off the bridge, unable to look at the destruction of another planet. "In my debt? They wiped out their own people! I wanted them to stay away! Never this!"
"To stop the infection, Cassus amputated the limb," Rohlan said. "Very like him. So many in one stroke."
"That's why our Jedi have to stop your old allies, Rohlan," Alek said, brimming with determination. "Whatever it takes. Gryph, did they bring the plague from Taris?"
"It was a Sith artifact," Gryph explained. "It transformed the Mandalorians into rakghouls."
"A single artifact did all that?" Alek said, sounding just a little impressed. "Amazing."
Zayne had found a seat away from any windows and slumped down into it. Jarael and Shel found him quickly, both looking concerned.
"I'm sorry we took so long, Zayne," Jarael said. We helped Shel here reunite the Constable's kids with their father, like you asked."
"We came back from Alderaan as soon as we got your signal," Shel said. "You had a friend down there?''
"Celeste. She saved us," Zayne said. "She wanted to do the right thing... But now she's gone. Used.... Used up... by the Covenant. They started this with their blasted mission. Since they framed me, disaster has followed me everywhere." Whispering, barely audibly, Zayne said, "This has got to end." Without thinking, Zayne's hand reached up to his chest, where a medallion hung from a rope around his neck.
A moment passed, and so did Zayne's gloom. His head snapped up and he rose to his feet, suddenly filled with a kind of determination he had never felt before. "Alek, you said you owed me from Flashpoint. Can I count on you?"
"Of course, Zayne. Just say the word," Alek vowed.
"We'll all help," Shel chimed in.
"What do you have in mind, Zayne?" Jarael asked.
"I'm going to honor Celeste by doing what she told me to do. All of it," Zayne said. "And I'm going to take down the Covenant and clear our names in the process. I have to. After all, she gave me the key."
[OOC: HERE ENDETH VECTOR! Well, the JJM/Hepburn portion of it in KOTOR. If you're interested in the further adventures of Celeste Morne and Karness Muur, please check out the Vector trades, featuring three generations of Skywalkers and thousands of years of SW history. As for Zayne, it's gonna be a fun couple of weeks....]
"Celeste!" Zayne yelled to pull her attention away from watching the battle. "Come back to the lab. With the rakghouls and Mandalorians fighting, it's not safe out here!"
"Yes, it is safe. For me," Celeste responded. A soldier piloting a Basilisk came screaming through the air, firing at Celeste and the team of rakghoul guards surrounding her. The guards quickly returned fire, bringing the war droid down before pouncing to feast on the fallen warrior. "You see? There's nothing wrong here. Everything's fine."
"Celeste, how can you say that? They tore that man apart!" Zayne argued.
"They have to eat sometime, Zayne. And there are already plenty of Basilisk riders."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zayne asked. "And how can they use speeders and weapons? The rakghouls on Taris are mindless!"
"I know the truth now, Zayne," Celeste said calmly as she watched one of her minions get into the Basilisk after repairing some superficial damage. "The plague carves out and discards the target's personality, but the being's learned skills remain, waiting to be activated. So while the raks on their own serve only their hunger, the wielder of the Talisman can draw upon what they were. The Mandalorian army is being brought to heel, Zayne. We're safe. All thanks to the Talisman!"
"Maybe," Zayne said, trying not to look Celeste in the freaky, glowing eyes. "But I still wish I had my lightsaber. No offense."
"Wait a second," Celeste said, pausing to concentrate. "Yes, it has been seen in the south passage. Acquire and attend." Opening her eyes again, she held her arms out in excitement. "Everything feels better, Zayne. I'm not cold anymore. I was buried, but now I'm free. And the Talisman. I can feel it in my mind, and everyone it has touched."
A rakghoul in crimson armor strode over to Zayne, holding out his lightsaber. As Zayne grabbed it cautiously, he asked, "Can their personalities be restored?"
"No, they're but imprints," Celeste answered. "The Mandalorians simply recruit. The Talisman reshapes. Karness was right. To them will fall the future."
"HEEEEEEELLLLP!" Gryph yelled, grabbing Zayne's attention. A rakghoul had the Snivvian slung over a shoulder, carrying him out toward its master. "Put me down, gruesome!"
"You were getting into trouble, Gryph," Celeste said. "There are Sith artifacts in there. You don't know what they can do."
"Your boss knew!" Gryph yelled before being thrown down into the snow. "Tell him, Celeste! Tell him who you work for! Zayne, she's working for Lucien!"
"What?" Zayne yelped in surprise.
"I have his data-sphere!" Gryph said, holding up a small crystal ball. "The Covenant was looking for the Talisman here when they were on Taris, and when they left, they gave the job to her!"
"Is that true, Celeste?" Zayne asked, turning around. "You work for the Covenant?"
Celeste didn't bother facing Zayne as she answered. "I'm with a recovery team. We find Sith relics and dispose of them. For everyone's sake. And our leader is beyond reproach. Teacher of a generation of Coruscant seers. Lady Krynda."
"I was right! You do know her!" Zayne shouted.
"I was surprised you knew the name. She left the Jedi long before you were born," Celeste said. "But you definitely know her son. Lucien Draay."
"Of course," Zayne said, feeling some anger rising. "He never mentioned her... and I can guess why! What they're doing is wrong, Celeste! How could you work for that family?"
"Because MY FAMILY lost everything in the Sith War, Zayne!" Celeste answered, balling her fists in a rage. "I joined the Jedi to make sure the Sith would never return! But the Jedi still aren't on their guard! So we're doing the right thing!"
"They killed my friends and blamed me for something they thought I might do!" Zayne countered. "Was THAT the right thing?"
"And what do they really do with the stuff you find anyway?" Gryph asked. "Maybe they're not the noble people you think they are."
Turning around and unleashing a wave of Force energy to throw Zayne and Gryph back, Celeste cried, "SHUT UP!" Rakghouls immediately swarmed on them, holding the pair back as Celeste approach, igniting her lightsaber. "If the Covenant is corrupt, then EVERYONE'S corrupt! Nothing matters! Nothing's pure! Nothing but power! Lucien is right, you are a trickster. And you have done unimaginable damage!" Closing in on Zayne, holding her saber to his neck, she vowed, "I will complete my mission, beginning with dealing with the two of you!"
"Your mission, Celeste?" Zayne asked. "Your mission is to protect the galaxy from Sith power! Well, look behind you! There's your threat. Millions of Mandalorians, all gone! An infinitely expanding Army of the Sith! And created by you! Unimaginable damage, Celeste? You've just gotten started!"
Celeste dropped her lightsaber and turned back to the cliff face, looking at the now quiet battlefield, illuminated by a few remaining fires and moonlight. She could feel it: there were no more Mandalorians on the planet. There were only the rakghouls. "No," she said, dropping to her knees.
"Celeste!" Zayne called, ripping his clothes as he pulled away from the rakghoul that had been restraining him. He forced Celeste to see the truth, but now he needed to help her. He started by walking over and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Don't touch," Celeste warned. "The Talisman."
"I know. I saw what happened with Pulsipher," Zayne said. "But there's got to be a way to remove it!"
"I need your help, Zayne," Celeste said. "He wants to leave this world. Karness Muur. He's IN THE TALISMAN! These creatures... with a Jedi's mind, they can do anything. Spread anywhere. Everywhere! Cassus Fett's transports will be here soon. Please, while I can still control it. Strike me down."
Zayne stared at Celeste in horror. He had never taken a life. He couldn't start now. Not by killing an innocent Jedi.
"Then you must run," Celeste continued. "It will still want a Jedi! I can feel the change inside me. Please Zayne. End it now."
"I will," Zayne said quietly. A small smile crossed his face. "But not like that. I have an idea."
*****
As she followed Zayne into Pulsipher's lab, Celeste said, "I sent the rakghoul guards downstairs like you asked, Zayne."
"Good. If this works, they won't know how to work the doors leading up here thanks to this," Zayne said, gesturing to a large durasteel coffin, "the isolation chamber Pulsipher told me about."
"Lord Dreypa's Oubliette," Celeste said, recognizing it immediately. "You're right, the Talisman's influence will not escape from it. I know. Because it was built for me." Celeste started to climb into the oubliette before correcting herself. "I mean, for Karness. Dreypa meant to imprison him. It won't be pleasant. It's a torture chamber. But it's safer than leaving me on the outside."
As Zayne helped her into a comfortable position in the oubliette, Celeste reached into her belt and pulled out a circular star medallion with three points hanging from a lanyard. "Zayne, when your ship arrives, take me to Odryn. To the Sanctum of the Exalted. It's where... it's where I was supposed to take the Talisman." She held up the medallion for him to take. "This key will get you in, Zayne. There are Covenant researchers there. They understand Sith artifacts. Maybe they can help me."
"If they don't kill us first," Gryph pointed out. "They're the people after us! We can't--"
"It's all right, Celeste. We'll go," Zayne said, taking the key. "We'll go. Don't worry about us."
"You... You really didn't kill the Padawans, did you?" Celeste asked, feeling a true connection to the Light Side for a moment. "Then listen. You must reach Krynda. If what you say is true, she never would have allowed it. Something is wrong and she would want you to stop it. She's devoted, Zayne, not evil. Just like..." Celeste's voice trailed off.
But Zayne's rose, filled with kindness. "Just like you."
"Thank you," Celeste whispered.
"I won't be long," Zayne promised. "I'll see you later." Zayne closed the oubliette and took a moment to think positive thoughts for Celeste's sake as Gryph went back outside to the cliff. Weird things tended to happen around Zayne. Maybe, just maybe, the Force would cut him a break for once and let things turn out okay. He was just going to hold on to the thought that it would happen. It had to.
*****
"That was good of you," Gryph said when he saw Zayne walking out of the Citadel.
"It's what we do," Zayne said simply.
"It's what you do," Gryph corrected. "But you're my ride. So, you didn't know the name of your own Master's mother?"
"He never invited me to the house, okay?" Zayne complained. "He ignored me! I'm lucky I know how to turn on a lightsaber!"
"I hope you won't need it," Gryph said, watching the rakghouls down below starting to turn on each other. "Looks like that box worked. Now nobody's thinking for the raks!"
A loud rumble caught Zayne's attention. As he spun around, he saw two rakghouls breaking through the snow after tunneling up the cliff toward the warm bodies. "So much for doors in a place made of snow!" Zayne yelled as he lead Gryph in a sprint back to the Citadel.
"They can think!" Gryph responded. "They think they want us!"
Standing in the doorway back into the citadel were the rakghoul remains of Pulsipher. Zayne turned sharply, grabbing Gryph to pull him along until they reached a ladder. "Climb! Now!" Zayne said, giving Gryph a boost up the first few rungs of the ladder.
They reached the roof quickly, but they weren't alone. Some rakghouls followed them up the ladder. Some just used their sharp talons to climb the building. Zayne drew his lightsaber, holding the yellow blade out, hoping to scare off the monsters.
That's when Gryph started yelling. "A ship! A ship!"
"Cassus Fett? The Mandalorians?" Zayne asked, too busy watching the monsters to turn around.
As blaster fire rattled the citadel, even picking off several of the rakghouls, Gryph responded, "No, it's ours! The Williwaw!"
As the Williwaw drifted toward the citadel, Zayne could spot the loading ramp open with some friendly faces on it. Jarael and Rohlan were firing blasters at the rakghouls to provide cover fire while Alek stood at the front of the ramp, his long, blue lightsaber giving off the glow of salvation. "Come on, Zayne!" Alek called.
Zayne held the rakghouls back by waving his lightsaber deliberately, giving Gryph a chance to jump onto the ramp and cling to Jarael for dear life. Finally, Zayne climbed on, prompting Alek to call, "Slyssk! Get us out of here!"
The ramp started to close as the crew climbed into the loading bay, and then the Williwaw rose through the atmosphere. Zayne's job wasn't done yet, though. He ran through the ship toward the bridge, yelling, "Alek, turn us about! There's someone down there we have to pick up!"
"Down there?" Alek asked, keeping pace with Zayne. When he reached the bridge, he looked at the scanners. "Zayne, how could anyone be alive down there? Besides, company's just arrived. The Mandalorians! I'll put us in behind that moon." Alek stopped talking as he noticed the scanners indicating that the Mandalorian warship stopped shy of the planet's atmosphere. "What are they doing?"
"It's Cassus Fett," Zayne explained. "I've got to warn him again not to land! Maybe this time he'll... listen... to me." Scans showed the warship firing a barrage of missiles at the planet, stopping Zayne cold. It was just like Serroco. Mushroom clouds peppered the planet as nuclear warheads detonated all across the planet. "NOT AGAIN!" Zayne cried. Rakghoul life was still life, and he could feel that life being extinguished. "Not again." But once agian, there was nothing he could do. He had to watch the destruction of another planet from orbit. "Not again."
The bulk of the Rakghouls were at the Citadel. That had been the target of the main part of the assault. Celeste was gone. He had failed.
A call came over the comm, leading to the pleased sound of Cassus Fett's voice echoing through the Williwaw. "Vor entye, Zayne Carrick. You are free to go. Cassus Fett - and the Mando'ade - are in your debt. Re'turcye mhi."
As the call cut out, Zayne rose, cupping his head in his hands out of frustration and horror. He rushed off the bridge, unable to look at the destruction of another planet. "In my debt? They wiped out their own people! I wanted them to stay away! Never this!"
"To stop the infection, Cassus amputated the limb," Rohlan said. "Very like him. So many in one stroke."
"That's why our Jedi have to stop your old allies, Rohlan," Alek said, brimming with determination. "Whatever it takes. Gryph, did they bring the plague from Taris?"
"It was a Sith artifact," Gryph explained. "It transformed the Mandalorians into rakghouls."
"A single artifact did all that?" Alek said, sounding just a little impressed. "Amazing."
Zayne had found a seat away from any windows and slumped down into it. Jarael and Shel found him quickly, both looking concerned.
"I'm sorry we took so long, Zayne," Jarael said. We helped Shel here reunite the Constable's kids with their father, like you asked."
"We came back from Alderaan as soon as we got your signal," Shel said. "You had a friend down there?''
"Celeste. She saved us," Zayne said. "She wanted to do the right thing... But now she's gone. Used.... Used up... by the Covenant. They started this with their blasted mission. Since they framed me, disaster has followed me everywhere." Whispering, barely audibly, Zayne said, "This has got to end." Without thinking, Zayne's hand reached up to his chest, where a medallion hung from a rope around his neck.
A moment passed, and so did Zayne's gloom. His head snapped up and he rose to his feet, suddenly filled with a kind of determination he had never felt before. "Alek, you said you owed me from Flashpoint. Can I count on you?"
"Of course, Zayne. Just say the word," Alek vowed.
"We'll all help," Shel chimed in.
"What do you have in mind, Zayne?" Jarael asked.
"I'm going to honor Celeste by doing what she told me to do. All of it," Zayne said. "And I'm going to take down the Covenant and clear our names in the process. I have to. After all, she gave me the key."
[OOC: HERE ENDETH VECTOR! Well, the JJM/Hepburn portion of it in KOTOR. If you're interested in the further adventures of Celeste Morne and Karness Muur, please check out the Vector trades, featuring three generations of Skywalkers and thousands of years of SW history. As for Zayne, it's gonna be a fun couple of weeks....]