Private All's Well That Ends Well (old version)

[Jacen Nimdok]

Goshen, Lao-mon

Nimdok slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on his back looking up at a white ceiling lit by bright lights.

His first deep breath upon reaching consciousness caused a violent coughing fit. Someone laid a hand on his shoulder to steady him as he turned on his side, still hacking up a lung. When at last he could breathe normally again, he forced himself into a sitting position. The person who had touched him was a nurse (or at least, she was dressed like one) and she was quick to press a flimsy paper cup of water into his trembling hand. He downed the contents, though much of the cool water missed his mouth and dripped down his chin.

Still mildly disoriented, he looked around, trying to get his bearings. For the second time in two months, he found himself waking up in a hospital bed. His current injuries were obviously far more severe than the stabbing he received on Jerrilek at the hands of a Mandalorian mercenary. Now his entire body ached, as if he had been beaten from all angles with a variety of blunt instruments. The pain was sharpest in his upper back and left shoulder, which were covered in bandages—rather unusual for a Shi’ido, whose ability to regenerate themselves was remarkable. If he couldn't regenerate at all and his wounds had to be bandaged, then he must be in pretty bad shape.

A small girlish voice piped up nearby, only to be hushed by an adult. Turning, he saw Miri standing in the doorway, held back by a white-haired older woman. Not caring if it hurt him, he beckoned to her with both arms. The woman reluctantly released the girl; she bounded over and clutched his trembling hands with her smaller fingers. He was too weak to lift her up onto the bed, so she climbed aboard by herself and hugged him.

“I’m all right,” he reassured her, returning her embrace.

“No, you’re not.”

Nimdok looked up to find Tammuz Hoole, Inanna's father, standing at the foot of the bed. The old robed patriarch was peering down at him, his hands clasped behind his back. The older woman who had held Miri back crossed the room, standing at his side—she had to be Lilith, Inanna's mother.

“You’ve been unconscious for nearly five days,” Tammuz went on, his tone stern. “You’ve lost most of your hidden flesh, as well as sustaining serious wounds. Not to mention the effects of the neurotoxin…”

Nimdok was slow to remember the events which had brought him to this point. He knew what planet he was on and why he was there.

Five days ago, he had returned to his homeworld under the pretext of visiting old friends. He found Inanna’s parents still living at the Hoole family estate. They welcomed him, but the situation had quickly gone south when they introduced him to a young changeling named Pygar who was staying with them. Pygar was a fugitive, a traitor to the Sith Empire hiding in fear for his life. Nimdok was also wanted by the Sith. Having the two of them there was too dangerous. He would have to leave as soon as he arrived.

Then the creature had revealed itself...

From there he recalled only flashes. A battle in the skies with a monstrous foe. Fangs piercing the soft part of his shoulder, pumping poison into his body. His wings severed and devoured by massive gaping jaws lined with jagged teeth. Falling to earth in a paralyzed state of shock. Black blood running down his back. A sense of hopelessness, guilt, and regret. Then darkness.

“You behaved with reckless abandon,” Tammuz scolded. “I’m surprised you didn’t get yourself killed. In fact, if we hadn’t been there to aid you, you’d probably be dead by now.”

Nimdok shook his head. “I was trying to protect you all. There was a… a thing that had broken into the house. It was looking for Pygar. It came after Miri—”

“She told us all about it,” Lilith said, her tone gentle. “We killed the Doppelganger. Everyone is safe. You’re the only one who was really hurt, Ari.”

Nimdok flinched. Even when she was trying to be kind, Lilith was on the same wavelength as her husband. Neither one of them understood why he had acted the way he did. He’d been foolhardy, charging into battle without calling for backup or even telling the others what was going on. The person they knew fifty years ago was not that reckless. In their eyes, his behavior was out of character and alarming.

And they expected an explanation for it. Nimdok wet his lips, not sure where to begin. How could he explain to them what had happened to him, the strange dual state of mind and spirit he now found himself in?

Before he could say a word, Tammuz held up his hand, his expression distracted. “Someone here is looking for you,” he murmured, frowning. He could sense them via the Force.

“More Sith?” Lilith asked quietly, her eyes widening.

“No.” Tammuz’s brow furrowed. “A Jedi. Or at least, he has the aura of one.” He frowned. “We registered you anonymously in a private room. How does he know you’re here?...”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red walked down the halls of the hospital towards the room. He wore normal clothes, for a change, to be able to pass by fairly unnoticeable. Of course, his red hair still drew attention to him, but for a different reason. His armor made it seem like he was prepared for a fight, and he didn't expect Nimdok to be able to put up a fight, seeing as how he was in a hospital. Red was fairly underarmed, with only dual blaster pistols, his lightsaber, and a few hidden knives, and two flashbangs. He wasn't expecting a fight, but he was lightly prepared for one just in case. Red also brought his pit droid, who was promptly waiting in the lobby.

Red had been tracking Nimdok for a long time, especially after his meeting with Inanna Harth . Nimdok was a very hard man to find, but everybody left a trace, they all made mistakes, and Nimdok's mistake was working with too many people and organizations on Archaeological sites. Red was actually able to track him through the Galactic Alliance, who Nimdok had worked with before. Red asked some questions around, and his pit droid did some splicing. They were able to locate Nimdok's position, but he was already gone, but Nimdok basically left a paper trail as he mainly took shuttles. All Red had to do was look through security camera feeds, check shuttle and ship logs, and follow his trail. Now, a private room rented to the Hoole family was rented in a hospital, and Red knew where he was. He had been looking into every lead, and the Hoole family was one of them. Almost too easy.

Red stopped in front of the door to the room. This was it. Red needed to have a discussion with Arimanes, at least now he couldn't try to get away. And so, Red knocked on the dooor, waiting for someone to open it.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

At the knock on the door, Lilith jumped slightly, startled. Tammuz squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, then crossed the room and opened the door.

Beholding Red, he stepped outside into the hallway, blocking the Jedi’s way. “This is supposed to be a highly secure area,” he said. Red would briefly be able to see inside, glimpsing Lilith standing over the bed where Miri clung to a haggard, thin Nimdok. Upon seeing Red, Nimdok’s expression changed, displaying shock and dismay—but that was all Red would see of him before Tammuz closed the door between them.

“I don’t sense any darkness from you,” Tammuz said. “But given the circumstances, I have to ask. Who are you and what do you want?”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red looked at the man exiting the room. He managed to get a glimpse inside of the room. There, he saw another woman, Miri, and the man of the hour, Arimanes himself. No doubt Arimanes was shocked at seeing Red, probably wondering how Red found him, but that was a complicated answer. The man asked Red who he was and what did he want. "I'm Red, Jedi, special forces. I'm here to speak with Miri and Arimanes, or also known as Nimdok. I know that Sith are hunting him and Miri, an I'm here to help. I've been searching for them for a while now. If you don't trust me, just ask Nimdok, I'm the Jedi that rescued Miri from her Sith captors. We have some... business to discuss." Red told the man.

"May I enter?"

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

“That’s the Jedi who saved me from the bad people,” Miri announced, pointing at Red as the door closed.

Nimdok felt Lilith’s eyes upon him, her gaze questioning. As far as she and Tammuz knew, he had simply adopted Miri from an orphanage. The complicated, convoluted true story remained hidden from them.

But now, the arrival of Red almost certainly meant he would have to tell them everything.

Outside, Tammuz listened to Red, his brow furrowing. He didn’t sense any treachery from the red-haired man, but much of what he said didn’t mean anything to the old patriarch. He knew less than Red did about Arimanes’ activities for the past fifty years—Arimanes had returned suddenly less than a week ago, and with all that had occurred since then there hadn’t been much time to get reacquainted.

Without saying a word, Tammuz opened the door and stepped aside to let Red through. “It seems you have a visitor,” he announced. "Someone who wishes to discuss business with you."

Nimdok remained sitting on the bed as Red entered. He wished he could get up and face the Jedi on equal footing, but he was too weak to stand. Red tracking him down could mean any number of things, but he sensed a certain degree of antipathy and distrust between them now. The Jedi could see right through him as if he were a pane of glass.

"Hello Red," he greeted. His voice, normally strong and deep, sounded frail and raspy. "As you can see, I'm in less than ideal circumstances at the moment. But if you came all this way to find me, it must be important."

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red entered the room, looking around. He saw Miri and Nimdok/Arimanes on the bed. "Hey Miri, long time no see." He nodded to her. Then, he turned to Nimdok. Nimdok looked... seriously weak. What happened to him? He seemed to be unable to be able to run away this time, that was a good thing. Now, he could speak with Nimdok, and he would have no choice but to listen. He couldn't make any excuses now. "Hello, Nimdok. Or do you prefer Arimanes?" He said, using his other name, showing that Red knows who he really is. "Yes, I know who you really are, and what you really are.: Red continued. He turned to the Hoole's. "You're Inanna's parents, right? I'm Red. I met your daughter a while back. She would be here, but she's following up on some leads." He told them.

Red turned back to Nimdok. "You're not an easy man to find, Arimanes. You hide your tracks well, but rare the man that can hide from me." He said. "We have a lot of business to discuss, but first, what happened to you? Why are you sitting here in a hospital?"

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Miri waved to Red. Though she had no fear of the Jedi, she picked up on Nimdok’s anxiety and began to fidget on his behalf, though she never strayed far from his side.

"Hello, Nimdok. Or do you prefer Arimanes? Yes, I know who you really are, and what you really are.”

Nimdok shut his eyes. He didn’t think Red meant to be cruel or malicious necessarily, but his words landed like a slap to the face. No matter how hard he had tried to cover up his past, he had been exposed. And by someone he trusted, no less.

“I don’t care what you call me,” he replied, opening his eyes again. “I’m all that Arimanes ever was, and as Nimdok as Nimdok will ever be.”

The Hooles studied Red from the foot of the hospital bed. Lilith brightened at the mention of Inanna. “Yes, we’re her parents. I’m Lilith, this is my husband Tammuz. What do you mean she’s ‘following some leads’? Where is she now? Is she safe?”

Tammuz kept his gaze trained on Red. His arms were crossed over his chest, one hand reaching up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. Though he didn’t say anything, he was clearly just as eager for an answer as Lilith.

Nimdok meanwhile started to explain how he had ended up in the hospital.

“I came here to visit. What I didn’t realize was that the Hooles already had another guest staying with them, a fugitive who had defected from the Sith Empire.” He sighed. “The Sith found him regardless. They sent this creature after him—what did you call it, a Doppelganger?”

“It was some sort of Sith experiment, a vampiric monster with a Shi’ido’s shapeshifting abilities,” Tammuz replied coolly. But his revulsion with the creature was plain. He seemed to take the mere existence of the Doppelganger personally. “We managed to kill it, but only with great difficulty, and by banding together to fight it as a team.” He pointed to Nimdok. “Arimanes attacked it by himself, without telling anyone what he had found. This is the price he paid for his actions.”

Chastened, Nimdok ran a hand through his hair. “It… well, it came after Miri. She ran to me for help, and I guess I got carried away…” His memories of that night came back in a rush. “I smashed it through the bedroom veranda, dragged it up to the stratosphere, and fought it there in the form of an icarus until it bit me and left me paralyzed by a neurotoxin. Then it sliced my wings off and ate them, and I fell.”

He trailed off, his brow furrowing. His memory of what happened after that was understandably missing.

“We Shi’ido are able to change form by using pockets of hidden flesh within our bodies,” Lilith added for Red’s benefit. “His wings were made up entirely of hidden flesh. When they were severed, he lost all of that flesh, hence why he is so weakened now. The neurotoxin also did a great deal of damage—it will take quite some time to fully recover.”

Nimdok sighed. “I apologize for the damage done to the house,” he said sincerely. “I’ll pay for repairs, if you’ll let me—”

“There’s no need for that. Besides, I know you don’t have the money,” Tammuz deadpanned.

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red turned to the Hoole's first on their questions on their daughter. "She's following some leads on the Sith that had taken Miri. We are working together to find the Sith and bring them to justice." He told them. "The last time I had saw her, it was on Alderaan. We met on a dating show, there, and when she realized who I was, we decided to work together. Don't worry, she should be safe. I have her contact information. If something went wrong, I'm sure she would contact me." Red said. Then, he turned back to Nimdok.

Nimdok and the Hoole's explained what happened. Upon hearing that Nimdok tried to fight the creature by himself, Red wanted to slap him in the face. What an idiotic thing to do! Seriously, he could have been killed, or worse! Red refrained from whacking Arimanes in the face, but still, what a stupid thing to do. "Well, at least you're still alive. Now, you're probably wondering what I'm doing here. I'm here to protect you and Miri, and to stop the Sith that want you both. Inanna told me about the assassin's, and what happened with Miri on that part. We need to have a chat about that, and her Force powers. But before that, do you remember the man that was working with the Sith that had Miri? Fenton, was his name. He told me some interesting things. Something about the planet Telos, and about a Sith Lord called the Lord of Doubt. Ever heard of anything like that? I believe this Sith is the mastermind behind it all. There might even be more children like Miri, experiments." He told them. Seeing as how Tammuz was Force-sensitive, he could probably see how Red felt about experiments, like how they were the only family he's got, the only people who understood who he was and how he felt.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Lilith’s expression showed clear relief at the news about Inanna. She was so glad just to hear that her daughter was okay that the details of how she met Red barely registered as remarkable to her. If anything, she’d be sure to hunt through old Holonet footage to try and find the dating show in which Inanna had appeared. Tammuz at least raised an eyebrow at the story.

Now that they had confirmation that Inanna was safe, they could turn their attention to the strange matter of Miri and the Sith. It seemed that everyone had some kind of beef with the ancient and notorious Dark Side cult these days, but the issue of her abduction seemed much more unusual than the typical fare.

“What exactly happened to Miri?” Tammuz asked, frowning.

Arimanes, who was becoming increasingly miserable after learning that Inanna had revealed everything to Red, sighed heavily. “I’ll try to answer everyone’s questions, but it’s a long story. Let’s see if I can make it quick…”

Running through a general explanation of the events leading up to his first meeting with Red, Arimanes bluntly admitted that he had stolen Nimdok’s identity and used the dead man’s reputation and credibility to grant himself access to various archaeological opportunities. The nature of his quest for Jedi and Sith artifacts led to several brushes with the Sith. He had robbed a tomb ahead of a planned Imperial excavation, battled a Dark Lord on Odessen, and even claimed a Sith holocron.

The Samovar holocron incident in particular had drawn the Sith’s ire because he had deceived them into believing he had destroyed the artifact in question. He hadn’t—though he had been forced to damage it in order to trick his pursuers. One of the Sith had seen the hollow shell of the holocron fall and shatter on the ground right before his eyes… oh, the look on that arrogant boy’s face had been a sight to behold. He assumed the holocron had been destroyed and more or less gave up the chase. Nimdok meanwhile had kept the extracted crystal matrix in his pocket and was able to escape the planet with it.

Seeking revenge for all his crimes against them, the Sith had dug into Nimdok’s records, discovering that he had a daughter in an orphanage on Alderaan. She was promptly abducted, initially with the intent being to use her as bait and draw him out of hiding. When “Nimdok” failed to even notice that she was gone, Miri’s captors realized something more was at play. The incident at Samovar was probably what gave them their first clue.

“In order to save the life of an innocent young Samovaran woman, I had no choice but to change form,” he confessed. “She promised me that she would keep my secret, but the Sith have no qualms against extracting information from people’s minds by force. If I had to guess who could have betrayed my true identity to the Sith, it was probably her. Lady Anesha Astapova is her name—but I don’t recommend you interrogate her about it. She and her family have suffered enough.”

“I find it rather ironic that you cared so much about this Samovaran girl to risk discovery in order to save her, yet you weren’t even aware that the Sith had kidnapped Miri,” Lilith snapped. Her tone was icy with barely controlled fury. “When you decided to steal Nimdok’s identity, did you consider his daughter's wellbeing at all?”

Miri, still sitting beside her father on the bed but unable to follow the confusing conversation, perked up at the mention of her name. Her father closed his eyes as if it physically pained him to admit it aloud as he replied, “No. I didn’t.”

Lilith put her hands on her hips. “Yet now you do care about her? When the Doppelganger attacked her, you reacted as if your own child was being threatened!"

“She is my child.”

“Arimanes—” she began, exasperated and frustrated.

But Tammuz had already figured it out. “So that’s it,” he murmured.

Lilith cast a puzzled glance at her husband. “What do you mean?”

“The moment you arrived in this system, I sensed something different about you,” Tammuz said, still looking at Nimdok. “Your aura in the Force is different. I didn’t understand what it was at first, but now I see.” He glanced briefly at Red. “You are a Jedi, surely you can sense it as well. There’s a seam running through him, like when two different types of fabric are sewn together into one garment.” His gaze flicked back to Nimdok. “It’s why I feel as if I’m talking to two different people right now. Because you are two different people.”

“How is that possible?” Lilith asked, bewildered.

Arimanes shook his head. “I’ll get to that part eventually…”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red listened as they talked. It seems as if Arimanes hadn't told them everything, he seems to do that a lot. He doesn't tell people the full truth, and either lying, bending the truth, or leaving some bits out for the rest of the time. He has some serious trust issues, and he could probably work on some of those issues a lot more. Then, they started getting into the thing where both Nimdok and Arimanes had joined together. Yeah, that was a strange and complex subject, luckily Red sort of understood it.

"Yes, Inanna told me about that. Apparently, Arimanes here went to the Neatherworld, and apparently met NImdok's ghost. The two then joined together, somehow, and now both live together within one body." He told them. "Yeah, it's kind of confusing. I don't really get it either."

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

“It was a willing conjoinment,” Arimanes replied irritably, abandoning all pretense. He didn't change shape, but he sounded very different compared to when he was pretending to be Nimdok. His tone was more remote and aloof. “After everything that happened at the spaceport with Thetis, Fenton, Miri and Red, I was called to Anaxes… Without making this too complicated, suffice to say that before I began posing as Nimdok, I had previously posed as a Jedi Master named Casimir Heliobas. The Galactic Alliance was really calling for Heliobas’ help, but I couldn’t be there as him because of Miri. So I went as Nimdok instead, claiming to be a friend of Heliobas sent on his behalf. It worked out surprisingly well—they were planning on traveling to the Netherworld in order to retrieve a fragment of the Dagger of Mortis. It was, for all intents and purposes, an archaeological mission.” He sighed. “But once we passed through the portal, our team was attacked. I became separated from the others, and Nimdok's spirit found me. The mission would have failed if I hadn’t let him possess me—he knew where the fragment was and agreed to lead me to it if I let him stay in my body. It was clear that all he cared about was Miri...”

“...She’s still all that I care about,” Nimdok added.

Arimanes pursed his lips, a bit perturbed that Nimdok had briefly taken over to say his piece. This was difficult enough without the ghost acting like a creep and making it seem as if they were… well, a split personality. Which was more or less the truth at this point. But neither one of them were crazy. They were just in a nigh-constant internal conflict of interests, a perpetual battle of wills.

“Beyond leading me to the fragment, Nimdok knew more than I did about what had happened to Miri,” Arimanes continued, getting back on track. “Being dead gives you an excellent vantage point from which to watch events unfold. But without a living body, he could do nothing to help her.” He spread his hands. “He saw that the events at the spaceport were all a setup. Thetis wanted me to find her and give chase. She assumed I would be the one who confronted her at the spaceport. When Red got there first, she had to change her plans.”

“All of this cloak-and-dagger stuff,” Nimdok interrupted again, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “It can really get out of hand if you’re not careful. Thetis isn’t as smart as she thinks she is. For one, she lied to Fenton because she saw him as disposable, a quick means to an end. That proved to be a mistake, because he made things more difficult for her due to his ignorance. After he was captured, he acted out of fear and admitted his suspicions. She told him they were taking Miri to Telos, but that wasn't true. She had been ordered to follow Arimanes around, tracking him until she could use Miri as bait to corner him. That was what she tried to do at the spaceport, where they "stopped for fuel". Really she made him pull over because she sensed Arimanes was there—and she was determined to corner, confront, and capture him. As stupid as it sounds, I think she may have even thought he would come along willingly, consumed by guilt over what had happened to Miri—”

“Which I did feel guilty about despite what all of you seem to assume,” Arimanes snapped. “I tricked the authorities into letting me take her and refused to let her out of my sight from then on, even when it proved inconvenient. I broke the law in order to make sure she didn't wind up in another orphanage. Hell, I even tried to take her with me to the Netherworld—”

“Where she would certainly have been killed, or worse!”

“—and when that didn’t work out, I arranged for a babysitter. She was there waiting when we came back, completely safe,” Arimanes growled between his teeth. “I also tried to find a Jedi Master who could train her and help her control her powers, but the escalating tensions between the Jedi and the Sith meant all the good teachers were heading off to battle. Not to mention that the Sith never stopped chasing us—I would have enrolled her in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant if we hadn’t been forced to flee the planet to escape the Sith.” He gestured to Tammuz and Lilith. “I left her in the care of friends whenever possible to avoid placing her in danger, but even when I came to Lao-mon, hoping I could leave her with you two for a while, the Sith followed me here!”

“Because you insist upon hunting for relics all the time rather than letting me take care of Miri. You have a much longer lifespan than mine—can’t you wait another eleven years for Miri to come of age, at least? Then I can leave you to your insane quest for artifacts, and Miri will be safe on her own!”

“Enough of this,” Tammuz said, tired of listening to Arimanes/Nimdok argue. “I’m sure Red here has heard all this before. You mentioned that this Thetis Suzerain woman was acting on orders. Who ordered her?”

“The Lord of Doubt,” Nimdok replied. “A Half-Bothan Sith Lord who operates within the Sith Empire. His real name is Arrius Messala.” He lowered his head. “Arimanes made him, fifty-three years ago, as part of the experiments under Project Warlock. But like most of the other experiments that came out of that, Arrius Messala is mentally unstable. Scratch that—he must be completely insane at this point. He hates Arimanes for abandoning him and turning his back on the Sith, yet he loves him and wants him on his side. That’s why he ordered Thetis to experiment on Miri and give her Force sensitivity, to show Arimanes how far he had come by building on his old research. He thinks he can convince Arimanes to return to the fold this way. Do you understand?”

“No,” Lilith replied. “I don’t understand anything! What are you talking about? What’s Project Warlock? What does it have to do with a crazy Sith Lord? What does Arimanes have to do with the Sith?!”

But Tammuz, who had known Arimanes since the latter was only a boy, had already been forced to accept the bitter truth. Even then, he covered his face with his hands in shame, unable to look at anyone. His worst fears had come true. His protege had used his teachings to work with the Sith. Crossing his arms over his chest and turning away, he abruptly left the room, heading out into the hallway. Lilith hesitated, bewildered by her husband’s reaction, then followed him out, leaving Nimdok and Miri alone with Red.

“Arimanes has retreated to the backseat of his mind, and is refusing to come out,” Nimdok remarked. He looked directly at Red, one eyebrow raised. “I hope you’re satisfied, at least.”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red watched as Nimdok and Arimanes went back and forth between each other, arguing and speaking in turn. It made his head hurt. Red couldn't imagine what it must feel like for both of them. Trapped in a body with another person, it must feel like having a split personality. If they didn't learn to work together, to truly join in harmony in mind, it could tear them apart, literally breaking their minds, driving to insanity. And that was something nobody wanted to go through.

Then, Nimdok started talking about the Lord of Doubt. Then, Nimdok said a shocking statement. That Arimanes created him under something called Project Warlock for the Sith Empire. That hit Red hard. Wait... Arimanes created experiments? He worked for the Sith Empire? That put a lot of stuff into a different perspective for Red, especially the experiment part. He created experiments? Most of the experiments came out mentally unstable? For Red, the experiments that were created alongside him, all of them had some sort of mental problem, for Red it was OCD, he was lucky to get such a low thing. But some weren't so lucky. He knew a couple of experiments with serious mental disorders, and some were completely insane. Was it possible that Arimanes might have had a hand in the creation in Red? Maybe he didn't create Red, but perhaps his research was used as the base and improved upon to create Red. This was really putting some things into perspective for Red.

Then, Nimdok spoke to him. Red turned to Nimdok. It was weird speaking to a dead person. "I... I don't know. That's some pretty heavy stuff you just said out loud, it is heavy for everyone, including me. I'm a genetic experiment, Arimanes might have had a hand in my creation, Tammuz must have known Arimanes for a long time, and hearing that Arimanes worked for the Sith must have hit pretty hard. And you just said something that Arimanes wanted to keep hidden, and now it's out there, so now of course he's hiding away." Red told him, sitting down in a chair. "Miri? What do you think of all this? You got drawn into this, against your will. How do you feel about this?" Red asked her, wanting to know how she felt about all of this.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Nimdok’s gaze flicked to Miri as Red addressed her. The girl was still sitting on the bed beside him. Though she had largely tuned out the conversation, Tammuz and Lilith suddenly leaving had drawn her attention. She could sense Tammuz’s grief in particular, hanging like a cloud around his being.

Her eyes darted from Red to Nimdok and her brow furrowed, not quite understanding what they wanted from her. Finally, she turned to her father. “I want you to get better,” she said. “‘Cause I don’t like being stuck in the hospital again.”

Again. Nimdok hesitated, feeling Red’s questioning gaze upon him. “I spent some time in a hospital on Jerrilek a couple of months ago,” he admitted. “It was a very brief stay, lasting only a day or two. My injury then was nowhere near as severe as this.” He gestured to himself. “This will take more time to heal, Miri. I’ll have to stay in the hospital for longer. But if you want to leave and go stay with Mr. and Mrs. Hoole, you may.”

She shook her head vigorously. “I wanna stay with you.”

“And what if it’s too dangerous to stay with me?” Nimdok asked softly. “What if I go somewhere you can’t follow?”

“You’ll come back,” she replied with the blind certainty only a child can espouse. “Like all the other times. You always came back and took me with you. Even though I had to wait a long time. The longest time was when I was little and everybody said you were dead. That time it felt like forever until you came back...” She paused, alarmed. “Why are you crying? Are you hurting? Do you need medicine?”

Nimdok had bowed his head, hiding his face behind his folded arms, but he couldn’t disguise the trembling sobs that wracked his body or the occasional muffled gasping breath. Miri crawled closer to him and sat up on her knees, wrapping her small arms around her father.

Now that Nimdok was falling apart emotionally, Arimanes started to make a begrudging comeback, wanting to spare him the embarrassment of weeping in public. His body stilled, his breathing returned to normal, and at last he raised his head.

“I’m all right,” he reassured Miri, wiping his tears away. Then he looked at Red. “What exactly do you intend to do now that you know who and what the Lord of Doubt is? Inanna has already tried to track down Thetis—she even used Miri’s memories to refine the search. Now I hear she’s gone undercover in the Sith Empire, posing as an Imperial diplomat. What are the two of you up to?”

Subject 73 Red

***

Outside the hospital room, Tammuz stopped and leaned against a wall, still clutching his head. Lilith caught up with him.

“I remember what you said,” she spoke softly to him. “About Arimanes and the way his mind works. But that was a long time ago. Clearly he has changed. Perhaps for the better.”

“Perhaps not,” Tammuz muttered.

She sighed. “Whether you can forgive him or not, he deserves a second chance. Not to mention this business with him now having a split personality…”

“Two souls. One very alien, and one very human.” Tammuz paused, deep in thought. “He wanted to leave the girl with us. I imagine he still does. Should we?”

His question was quite loaded. The Hoole family had already recently taken in a young man named Pygar whom they were protecting from the Sith. Pygar was an adult, but Miri was still a child—and yet it looked like she too was being hunted. Having two people in their care who were fugitives of the Empire would place them all in great danger.

Lilith smiled faintly. “You already know my answer. Arimanes was like a son to me, just as he was to you. How could we refuse him now?”

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red watched as Nimdok seemed to have an emotional breakdown from what Miri told him. The power a child had over their parents was astounding, as shown by Miri here. it was a touching moment, watching Miri hug a Nimdok that seemed to be having a breakdown from what his child had just told him. Jeez, poor guy. Still, Red let him have his moment, out of respect, the guy had come back from the dead after all. The least Red could do was to let him have this moment.

Then, Arimanes was back, asking Red questions. Red turned to him. "What I intend to do? Well, my main objective is to first insure the safety of you, Nimdok, and Miri. You seem to attract a lot of trouble and danger, so I will try and make sure you don't get in any possible life-threatening situations, again. Next, as you already know, I am cooperating with Inanna to hunt down the Lord of Doubt and Thetis, and make sure they can't harm you or anyone else every again, whether that be capturing them, or putting a more permanent end to their ways. It was you guys and your incredibly strange problems that got me into this mess, and I sure as hell am going to make sure that I see it through. Thetis still owes me a rematch, and I want to meet the Lord of Doubt, a fellow experiment. After all, us experiments understand each other in ways normal people don't. That reminds me, we're going to need to have a chat about all that, Arimanes." Red told him. He didn't add it, but they had kinda grown on him.

"Miri can go stay with the Hooles, if she wants. I will be sure to stay close to both you and Miri, as you guys attract more trouble than I do, and that's saying something. I'll make sure you guys stay safe, until Inanna reports back with a lead. Until then, I will be sure to make sure you don't encounter any more plots to capture or kill either of you." Red told them.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Arimanes was relieved to see Red showing no reaction to the news of Inanna going undercover. That must mean they were still in touch, and his fear that Inanna was deliberately disconnecting from all her friends and family was misplaced.

"Miri can go stay with the Hooles, if she wants. I will be sure to stay close to both you and Miri, as you guys attract more trouble than I do, and that's saying something. I'll make sure you guys stay safe, until Inanna reports back with a lead. Until then, I will be sure to make sure you don't encounter any more plots to capture or kill either of you."

He shook his head. “We can’t stay on Lao-mon for much longer. The Sith know we’re here.” Hesitating, he added, “It’s not just the Lord of Doubt chasing me. I’ve made other enemies among the Sith. AMCO is one of them—he's the one who sent soldiers here to terrorize the Hooles, along with the Sithspawn creature who did this to me.” He gestured to his bandaged back. “No doubt he’ll send reinforcements as soon as he finds out all his troops are dead.”

As far as Arimanes was concerned, the situation was a petty rivalry taken too far. Vandiir was simply a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum because Arimanes had "stolen" one of his toys. Things had grown a bit more complicated than that, thanks to Inanna, but Arimanes had no way of knowing what she was up to at this juncture.

“As soon as I’m well enough to travel, I intend to leave this planet," Arimanes went on. "To be perfectly honest, Red, I’d rather you didn’t come with me… but I will answer any questions you have about the Lord of Doubt, the experiments, and so on. I suppose I owe you that much in exchange for your help.” He wasn't sure how much assistance he could be to the Jedi in his quest to find Thetis, but he could certainly try.

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red listened to Arimanes as he spoke. Man, this guy seemed to attract a lot of attraction, and he certainly seemed to make a lot of enemies. Red sighed, "You apparently don't know how to keep a low profile, huh, Arimanes? You really should stop making so many enemies, it's bad for your health, especially when they hospitalize you." He told him.

"Yes, leaving soon is the best possible choice. Though, Inanna's parents will most likely need to also go into hiding, as the Sith know that they have connections to you, and might try to torture the information out of them." Red said. "I can, if the Hooles and you let me, help you get somewhere safe, for the time being, and plant evidence to lead the trail in a different direction. I have quite a few contacts and friends who can help too, I have plenty of connections." He continued. It was true, Red did have many connections, which came in handy in many situations.

“As soon as I’m well enough to travel, I intend to leave this planet," Arimanes went on. "To be perfectly honest, Red, I’d rather you didn’t come with me… but I will answer any questions you have about the Lord of Doubt, the experiments, and so on. I suppose I owe you that much in exchange for your help.” He wasn't sure how much assistance he could be to the Jedi in his quest to find Thetis, but he could certainly try.

Subject 73 Red

"Do you honestly think that I am going to let you get away again?" Red said with a smile. "You dragged me into this, and now I want to see it through. Plus, you need all the help you can get, and I am probably one of the few people that can help you. I'm not letting you get away from me again, or I'll have to hunt you down again, and that's such a hassle, but you know that I could track you anywhere." Red continued. "Plus, you and Miri have grown on me. Also, you and Miri have both had a part in the Experiments. You might have started the research for creating me, and Miri is also an experiment, but not one like me, but still one nonetheless. The experiments are the closest thing to family, which makes you basically family." He told them.

"Plus, Inanna will probably want to have a couple of words with you. She seemed pretty mad at you, and yet she is still trying to help you. You owe her a lot, too."

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

"You apparently don't know how to keep a low profile, huh, Arimanes? You really should stop making so many enemies, it's bad for your health, especially when they hospitalize you."

“I keep a low profile when I’m able,” Arimanes replied, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. “As for Vandiir, I wasn’t his original target—I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He didn’t send his troops here for me—”

“He sent them here to hunt down one of his fleeing Sithspawn,” Tammuz interrupted, reentering the hospital room. “The boy stole files from Vandiir’s computer, data which reveals the weaknesses of all his creations, as well as the locations of the laboratories where they are being created.” He crossed his arms and looked at Red. “There’s no need for you to worry about us. We’ve already taken steps to deal with the situation. Everything is under control.”

Lilith followed close behind her husband. The couple stood together at the foot of the bed, listening. Arimanes blinked at them. He knew there was stolen data involved, but he hadn’t known the full extent of it. Before he could ask questions, Red started talking again.

"Do you honestly think that I am going to let you get away again? You dragged me into this, and now I want to see it through. Plus, you need all the help you can get, and I am probably one of the few people that can help you. I'm not letting you get away from me again, or I'll have to hunt you down again, and that's such a hassle, but you know that I could track you anywhere. Plus, you and Miri have grown on me. Also, you and Miri have both had a part in the Experiments. You might have started the research for creating me, and Miri is also an experiment, but not one like me, but still one nonetheless. The experiments are the closest thing to family, which makes you basically family."

There wasn't much Arimanes could say about the proposed connection to Red's past. He remembered the thought crossing his mind when they first met at the spaceport, and Red mentioned his history, that there could be a common thread there. But if there was, Arimanes didn't know much about it—the scientists involved in Project Warlock had all scattered after its collapse, moving on to other research and working for all kinds of people with both good and bad intentions. "What do you want from me, an apology for my involvement in your creation?" he muttered. "Or do you want me to welcome you as part of my family? No thanks, kid. It's enough that I got saddled with this one." He pointed to Miri, who beamed up at him.

"Inanna will probably want to have a couple of words with you. She seemed pretty mad at you, and yet she is still trying to help you. You owe her a lot, too."

“Fine,” Arimanes snapped. “If you and her want to paint targets on your backs by throwing your lots in with mine, be my guest. But I won’t allow you to stop me from traveling, I have too many people counting on me and too many ongoing affairs to just drop everything at once—"

“He’s lying,” Nimdok cut in. Having had time to recover his composure, his tone had become bitter, almost venomous. “All of the people who are counting on us will understand if we have to disappear for a while. Arimanes just can’t bring himself to stop, even when his life is in danger. He’ll kill himself before he ever takes a break from artifact-hunting—”

A seething Arimanes regained control over his body and expelled his breath between clenched teeth. “As for Inanna,” he growled. “I never asked for her help. In fact, I advised against it.”

“Arimanes, please,” Lilith said. “Everyone here only wants to help you. Why are you being so combative?”

Arimanes wouldn’t answer. Perhaps he was being too hard on Red, but the archaeologist was set in his ways. It was enough that he had to deal with Nimdok opposing him at every turn; in Red he saw one more nagging voice of defiance, someone who wouldn’t mind their own business and leave him alone.

With a groan of frustration, Arimanes shook his head—but the defeated slant of his shoulders said otherwise. “Change of plans. I won’t leave Miri with the Hooles. Nimdok can’t bear being away from her again, that much is clear, and she wants to stay with her father anyway.”

"I think that would be wise," Tammuz agreed. He seemed relieved that the option was now off the table. "Things are sure to get... hectic around here now that we've drawn Vandiir's attention to ourselves. But you needn't worry about us. Take care of yourselves first."

Giving his old mentor a long lingering look, Arimanes sighed and turned to face Red. “Where exactly would you be taking us? I don't want to hear about your contacts and how you know a guy who knows a guy who might be able to help us. I need a clear answer—the name of a planet, a space station, a ship, a pocket dimension, whatever. Where in the galaxy is safe from the Sith?”

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red turned to the Hooles first, listening to Tammuz speak. Red nodded. "I have no doubt that you will be able to handle the situation, if all Hooles have the same resourcefulness as Inanna, you should be fine." He said. He was sure that the Hooles would be safe, the Sith might overlook them, still looking for Nimdok and Miri, if they were lucky.

"What do you want from me, an apology for my involvement in your creation?" he muttered. "Or do you want me to welcome you as part of my family? No thanks, kid. It's enough that I got saddled with this one." He pointed to Miri, who beamed up at him.

"

Red chuckled at this statement. Arimanes seemed to be resisting anybody trying to help him. Why was this man so stubborn?! "Nah, I'm just saying that I feel a strange sense of responsibility, plus, you'll probably end up killing yourself, so I should try and prevent that from happening. Besides, Miri is plenty for you, especially with Nimdok now." He said.

Arimanes continued on his rant. "Well, Inanna cares about you, that much was evident in our meeting. So of course she is trying to help you. Me: I'm in it because your idiocy could get you, Miri, and even other innocent people hurt or killed, so I can't allow that. To be honest, if Miri wasn't here, and if I didn't like her so much, I probably would have killed you the moment I walked into the room." Red pointed out calmly. It was true, though. Nimdok had proven to be a danger to public safety, and with his complete disregard of basically anyone else in his lust for ancient artifacts. Red would have killed him on the spot to make sure that no one would get hurt in his quest. But, he couldn't do that to Miri, losing her father yet again would destroy her.

“Where exactly would you be taking us? I don't want to hear about your contacts and how you know a guy who knows a guy who might be able to help us. I need a clear answer—the name of a planet, a space station, a ship, a pocket dimension, whatever. Where in the galaxy is safe from the Sith?”

Red nodded. "The best places that I can get you into would be the Silver Jedi Concord, the Hutt Cartel, and probably the Zweihander Union. The Silver Jedi Concord and the Zweihander Union would be the safest for you. The Silver Jedi are at war with the Sith, and I am the Chief of Secret Police in the ISB in the Zweihander Union. I also have multiple friends, coworkers, subordinates, acquaintances, and contacts in the Zweihander Union. I'm a Jedi in the Silver Jedi, and a high ranking officer in the ISB for the Zweihander Union. I can most likely protect you better in Zweihander Union space, with my wide range of power. There are even other genetic experiments there, from my homeworld." Red told him.

"Of course, I could always send you to my homeworld, where me and the other experiments were made. There are still at least a couple thousand of us on planet, and when they hear I sent you, under my protection, they would protect you and Miri with their lives. Plus, it's in a secluded section of the Unknown Regions, and it is very far away from the Sith Empire."

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Arimanes quite frankly didn’t give a damn if Red would’ve killed him in his hospital bed. If it hadn’t been for Miri (and by extension Nimdok) he never would’ve come to Lao-mon and gotten hospitalized in the first place.

Miri on the other hand wasn’t so dismissive of the Jedi’s sort-of threat. Her father gave her a reassuring pat on the back and whispered, “Don’t worry, he’s just joking.”

“The best places that I can get you into would be the Silver Jedi Concord, the Hutt Cartel, and probably the Zweihander Union…”

“The Silver Jedi Concord?” Arimanes echoed in bewilderment. “You mean the Silver Jedi Order?” Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Tammuz smirking wryly at him.

“They changed their name while you were out.”

“Great.” Arimanes rolled his eyes. It wasn’t enough that star empires rose and fell with each passing day; the various galactic factions were always changing their names for no apparent reason. “Well, my research assistant should be a Silver Jedi Padawan by now. I’m sure he would also be eager to help.”

He was of course referring to the one and only Starlin Rand , whom he had sent to gather old texts from an ancient library on Zeffo, knowing full well that it would place him in the path of a certain Silver Jedi named Syd Celsius who was in need of an apprentice. He was planning on visiting the boy after this was all over anyway, and it looked like he wouldn’t have to change that part of his plans after all.

The prospect of going anywhere near Red’s homeworld was incredibly off-putting to Arimanes, who for the most part felt only shame over his involvement in Project Warlock. There was no way in hell he was hiding behind the voluminous skirts of the Hutt Cartel, and compared to the SJC the Zweihander Union simply couldn’t compete. SJC was bigger, had been around for longer, and Arimanes already had an established connection to them through Starlin.

<And Miri can receive training,> Nimdok's ghost reminded him. Yes, that too was a possibility.

“The Silver Jedi Concord it is,” he said, glaring pointedly at Red. “I trust I won’t have you breathing down my neck once I’m safely within their borders?”

Yes, they would find safety among the Silvers… and Arimanes could still go on the hunt for relics inside the boundaries of their space.

Subject 73 Red

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Jacen Nimdok

Red nodded to Arimanes as he made his decision to go to the Silver Jedi. "Alright, I can get you inside Silver Jedi space, as I am a Jedi within their ranks myself." He told him. The only matter was getting him and Miri inside of their space, as they could get intercepted, but Red was quite certain that Arimanes could find a way, as he had managed to travel a long way across the galaxy already.

Arimanes then asked if Red would still be tracking him within the Silver Jedi. Red chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, I won't be actively hunting you down. You'll be mostly left to your own devices within their space. I will check on you from time to time, but you probably won't even know it. If we run into each other, it will probably be entirely coincidental. You have to remember I'm a Jedi myself, so I have work to do within their space. Of course, I might send someone else to check on you. If you meet a green-haired Padawan with seemingly infinite depths of anxiety, that's him. Plus, I told him about you and Miri, and he seemed very excited to meet you." Red told him. He was talking about Subject 648 Slipknot , a fellow experiment, and a Padawan within the Silver Jedi Concord. Slip was there in Silver Jedi space more often than Red, so having Slip make sure they were alright and if they need any help to send Slip, as he would most likely be closer.

"I do have a question, though. I need a lead if I'm to be able to find the Lord of Doubt. I think I have an idea on where to start, but I'll need some information first. Where did you create the Lord of Doubt? Which planet exactly? It might help me follow a trail to his location." Red asked him.