Katha retreated from the man's surprising words into the governor's courtyard garden. How could he know who I really am and who my family was? Why would he say my family and I are in danger? Her thoughts ran wild and the empty void she had felt since she arrived was of no comfort. She found her way to the reflection garden the governor had made for his wife. Strangely the rare Force-sensitive flowers from Epona were a dull shade of gray. None of the plants shimmered through their normally vibrant rainbow of shades. How strange, Katha thought with a gasp. She suddenly wheeled around at the crunch of a dead branch on the path behind her.
"Hello Katha" the man said.
Katha stared, wide-eyed, "Xanin, what are you doing here!? How did you --?" she gasped, almost whispering.
"I've come to take you home." Xanin replied with a grin. He seized her arm before she could say a word. Katha jerked back and tried to call on the Force to help her, but she felt nothing "It's pointless to try that, Katha; there's nothing to call on." Xanin grinned. He almost laughed at the confusion that flashed over her face. "Don't you remember those creatures the governor received? I know you saw them. Ever hear of ysalamiri? They emit a bubble that nulls the Force within it. They are all over this place."
He turned Katha to face him. "Now, we can do this the east way or the hard way. The easy way, you can walk out of here casually and take my ship back to Balmorra like a nice girl. The hard way, I'll have to drag you there kicking and screaming but I will get you there. I've paid the governor well. So, what will it be?"
Katha stared at him for a moment. She seemed to have resigned herself to go along with him, but instead, as he loosened his grip, she retrieved the vibroblade at her leg and snatched her arm away from Xanin with lightning-fast reflexes.
"Katha don't do this. You'll only end up hurting yourself." Xanin coaxed, inching toward her with a hand up defensively.
Katha lunged at him and slashed at his hand with the vibroblade, cutting it. "I doubt that," she spat. She backed up and suddenly felt an arm grab her from behind. Katha gasped for breath as a strong hand holding some kind of cloth covered her mouth and nose. That only allowed the chemical on the cloth to do its work.
As Katha faded into unconsciousness, she saw the vague image of Xanin smiling over her and heard him say in the dim distance, "See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Zevon carefully shifted Katha's unconscious form so that he could more easily pick her up. Xanin led him out of the garden and through a servant's passage to where their transport waited. Though the chemical Katha had breathed was supposed to keep her out for a fairly long period of time, Xanin had not wanted to chance her waking up before they reached the base on Balmorra.
Once they were inside the ship he fitted a breathing mask to Katha's face and turned the chemical output on a very low setting.
The ship would arrive on Balmorra within a few hours, and Zevon decided he would use the free time to catch up on some much needed rest. He reclined his seat, using a rolled blanket for a makeshift pillow. Yet he kept his hand on his blaster, ever wary of Katha's presence as he drifted off to sleep.
Xanin stared at Katha, who looked like she was in a deep, peaceful sleep. His mind was swirling with thoughts of how he could force or convince Katha to return to her family willingly. He knew that soon after she returned her father would allow them to be married. Then and only then could he begin to help reestablish Offworld through the factory lands they would be presented with as Katha's dowry. What can I say to get through to you, Katha? he asked silently. He reached down and brushed a loose lock of her dark hair back from her face. Her closed eyes fluttered but she did not awaken from her drugged sleep. Rest Lady Sagara, he thought, perhaps you'll be more willing to listen to me when you wake up.
Xanin got up from his spot and tapped on the shoulder of a resting Zevon as he passed him heading for the cockpit. The pilot was receiving acceptance to land at a hangar above Offworld's new base.
"The time has come," he announced to no one in particular, as the ship descended into Balmorra's atmosphere.
Oridin almost ran past the party guests to get out of the governor's house more quickly. He ignored the stares and protests of the partygoers as he pushed past them toward the entrance I shouldn't have let her go off alone like that, he scolded to himself. Perin waited with their ship at the nearby hangar. He was startled by Oridin's quick return.
"Oridin! What's going on?" Perin asked as Oridin climbed into the cockpit.
"I'll explain on the way. Go to the Hotel Reesbon quickly!" Oridin replied, picking up his comlink to contact Eagle. When eagle finally answered he asked, "Have you had any luck requesting assistance for Katha?"
"For Balmorra, yes" Eagle corrected, "but it is still going through the works, nothing is confirmed yet."
"Well I could use the assistance now. They got Katha because I played by the rules. I'm not inclined to wait for procedure."
Eagle sighed audibly, "I don't think this is a good idea, but I also know there's not stopping you now. If you don't contact me saying you're on your way back within a standard week, I'll consider you AWOL."
"Yes sir." Oridin replied, cutting the communication.
"Eags is right, you know." Perin spoke up, "This isn't a good idea."
"Well no one said you had to go." Oridin remarked.
"Too bad. I'm not going to let you have all the fun and excitement on your own." Perin said, trying to suppress a grin. As they reached the Hotel Reesbon, a storm had started rumbling.
Oridin ran from the transport pad into the hotel through the pouring rain. Drenched from head to toe, he calmly asked the receptionist for Katha's room number. She gave it, as well as a key, to him without any protest, making Oridin wonder if the hotel was really as secure as it bragged. Once he got to Katha's room, he began searching through Katha's drawers, looking for supplies to help him when he found her. Now where is her lightsaber? He doubted she had taken it with her, since it would have been nearly impossible to conceal. Sure enough, after searching behind several drawers he found a smooth, rectangular box, which seemed to have no seams. He called upon the Force, searching for an internal opening switch. Soon the box slid open and he removed the lightsaber from it. He placed it and the other things he had collected in a small backpack and left the hotel. Perin and he waited till the storm passed enough for them to be granted an exit path through the planetary shields. Once they reached space, Perin immediately calculated a hyperspace route and they headed for Balmorra.
The lift descended from the main ground floor to the first of the seven sublevels. After leaving the lift, Xanin carried Katha's still unconscious body into the interrogation room, while Zevon and another Offworld person carried ysalamiri in nutrient frames to place around the small room. Xanin carefully set Katha in a chair, in the center of the room, leaning her head over on her shoulder. Then he bound her hands and feet together tightly, making sure the knots were secure. When he left the room her turned out the light.
In the observation room, Zevon and he could watch and wait for Katha to awaken through camera monitors with infrared sensors.
"Any guess about how long she'll be out, Zevon?" Xanin said staring at the monitors.
"Well, normally it wears off in a few hours, but since she breathed it all the way here, it will take longer, maybe even a few whole days." Zevon replied.
"And you're certain the drug won't have harmed her?" Xanin inquired with a worried frown.
"It shouldn't effect her at all outside of a slight groggyness and possibly symptoms seeming like she drank too much Corellian Ale." Zevon said.
"Good. I'd hate to have our plans ruined because we rendered her incapable of making decisions."
"Don't worry. I researched the drug extensively." Zevon assured him.
Xanin turned his full attention back to the monitors to observe the status of their captive.
Perin and Oridin landed their ship in the outskirts of a small town on Balmorra. With the files Oridin had obtained from Xanin's datapad, they had found the new Offworld Corporation Headquarters to be located at the edge of this small town called Etna 5.
Oridin brought up the maps from Xanin's datafiles and looked over them for possible entrances to the compound. Perin glanced of his shoulder at the maps as well.
"How about there?" Perin asked, pointing to a back entrance.
"No they'd see me on their security moniters before I even got close to the entrance." Oridin observed, but he kept looking at that area. "But look here, at these subfloor pipes. The exit is way out here into Etna 5's main pipes. This one to the far left seems to be out of use for repairs. If you enter the main entrance like you are going to rendezvous with Xanin and Zevon while I enter through this pope, then they are less likely to notice me. Then you can slip away and pose as Zevon to slip in and free Katha. I will meanwhile be making my way through the subfloors. You will send Katha on her way though the subfloors, so that we will meet up. Then we will all three meet at our rendezvous."
Perin nodded in acknowledgement, "Since we know the work shifts from Xanin's flies, slipping into the compound shouldn't be difficult."
"Then let's get going, who knows how much time we have left." Oridin said, closing the datapad. Perin opened the hatchway and Oridin walked down the ramp. He watched Perin lift off and head for the base's landing pad, then Oridin proceeded towards the pipe entrance.
