Private Jailhouse Rock

[Coren Starchaser]

The Jedi Master of the Outer Rim Covenant had not been at the uprising on Zonju V. He had other things to tend to. Sullust had returned into the fold of the Alliance Remnant, now one of the states of the Outer Rim Coalition, and it meant a time to return to normal operations. Sort of. The Omai Rhen, one of the last remaining Star Temples in service, had been supplying kyber reserves and some Jedi to a covert temple under construction on the remains of the one destroyed at the fall of the New Jedi Order. That was where Master Starchaser was, as a representative of the Home Guard, the Alliance, and the Jedi, to set up a location for Jedi to come to safety, on a fortress world of the Coalition.

He had heard the call of Zonju V but by the time the Tiburons and the response fleet were ready, the call had come that the Judges and Coalition were able to straighten the situation out. But he still made his way, an Alliance CR-90 set up for prisoner transfer had arrived and met with the Verdict. But with the captured already imprisoned on the Judge Flagship, the Jedi Master received permission to speak to them here, at least initially.

Wearing the combat jumpsuit of the Alliance Remnant Special Forces with a dark brown robe over it. He had the insignia of the Alliance, a lightsaber hilt, and his personal side arm. The latter was kept outside of the prison wing, but his lightsaber came with him. The crystal within would prevent dark siders from activating it, and the Master felt he’d not lose it. As the door hissed open, he stepped inside, two guards, from his own personal unit, and both Jedi Padawans, remained outside.

“It appears not all of the Agents left unscathed.”

 

[Madalena Antares]

Coren Starchaser Hanna
​

She had never truly been scared of the Darkness. The time she had spent being afraid of it, had happened because of the remnants of her sister's blood magic spell that had pulled Madalena from another dimension and placed her in Scherezade's body. But from the moment she had received her own body, the fear of darkness had evaporated so completely, that she often forgot it had ever been present at all.

Today was such a day.

The sun was resting lazily against her brown hair, the soft breeze moving a few locks gently from her face. The meadow was brimming with life in the form of butterflies, a few caterpillar, a funny beetle, and siblings. Everywhere she looked, there they were standing; most of them tall, all of them having either the emerald green shade or the silvery green shade of glowing eyes. And there were so many of them; enough to create a new clan, or a new village. Yes. There were even talks of creating a new clan on their home planet, their jewel in the Unknown Regions, where they enjoyed solitude and safety.

And there were her parents. For all their years, the only lines that marked their faces were those of laughter and joy. And for all their years, their love was as strong as it had been after they had realized they were not enemies, but lovers. They had fought all the perils the galaxy tossed at them, came back for more, and then not only recreated their ancestor's kingdom, but built a family, a life, a home. They were happy. Their children were happy. And the sun relaxed against them as they all laughed and ran around the meadow.

This was home. This was warmth, and not scorching heat. This was love, and not an attempt at survival. This was everything that was supposed to be, that ever was, that- That she had been yanked away from. A fraction of a second before it ended. She was there now, and she looked at the smiling and happy faces of her true brothers and sisters, and she could hear the screams of terror in the background, things she had forgotten, or perhaps never remembered in the first place. She screamed with them, though she was no longer there, her soul making its way to another existence, and them, her brothers and sisters, ceased to exist. Her galaxy ceased to exist. And suddenly she was a Warrior, and her memories were different.

But no longer. She was Madalena Antares now, both in body and in soul, even if her memories of the right place had not fully recovered. She had become her own person, had led people, Had… She remembered now. She had lost. Her first loss on a field of battle.

Glowing green eyes opened as the voice of the man sounded. It took her visions a single breath to snap into focus, and her gaze rested against him. She took his form in, not missing the lightsaber by his side. Analysis of his clothes came next, the way he stood, what he projected. It didn't matter that she was for the moment, disconnected from the Force. Had probably been for… Hours? Days? For as long as she'd been held there. Next to her was another cell, one that held Hanna. But she wasn't looking at that right now.

"A Jedi?" her voice, slightly parched, was a touch deeper than usual, "The Outer Rim Coalition makes use of Jedi for interrogation?"

That, was one thing her brain couldn't wrap around.

 

[Hanna]

Hanna
Post 1
Location: Brig, The Verdict
Madalena Antares Coren Starchaser

Prisoners of war were never afforded a high quality of care.

The doctors of the ORC had replaced her thoroughly singed left forearm with a cheap and ill-fitting cybernetic replacement, along with a few of her organs, including most of her digestive system and her left lung. She knew that if she managed to return to Scintilla, the doctors there would replace all of her lost or damaged organs with cloned organic replacements free of charge. However, first, she needed to escape or negotiate her release.

Given the extreme trauma that her body underwent in the failed boarding operation, Hanna had spent most of the past few days in surgery or slumber. During that time, she had dreamed of home, of Scintilla and the holiday celebrations that she was missing. However, she had also dreamed that she had the ability to sense and feel the Force, along with the power to move objects with her mind. Her mentor and superior, Madalena Antares, had taken her on as an apprentice and told her of the great potential that she possessed. One day, she would be able to conjure lightning storms which she could use to vanquish powerful foes and destroy vast armies. The brown-haired woman had doted on her like she was her very own daughter, trained her, and saw to her every need.

But only until she woke up.

In spite of the seemingly fantastical nature of her dream, every detail of it had been strikingly realistic. As such, when she came to her senses and found that she was locked in a brig, trapped in a body fitted with cheap cybernetics, and with no Force powers of her own, Hanna could not hold back the tears that filled her eyes. If anything, she wanted desperately to return home, but she remembered her faith in Discordia and her loyalty to the Agents of Chaos. Although she was extremely young, Hanna was a woman of firm principles and resolve. The Agents of Chaos was everything that she knew. They had brought her to life, trained her, and gave her a fulfilling purpose. She would never trade information and betray her allegiance in exchange for an early release or a reprieve from torture. If anything, this was a test of her resolve, strength, and faith.

If she failed, Discordia would have no use for her poor, damned soul.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The Coalition and Underground had a specific working relationship, the latter linked many of the pieces of the former, and that included the Alliance Remnant, and Starchaser. He was called in for very specific purposes, and the largest of those was when a Sith, or someone who seemed to scream Sith came into play within the Coalition’s space. He was known for having a very specific way for dealing with them, even if that had tempered following Coruscant.

The time of crusades and magma cells were over. It wasn’t that they were beaten, no, the light remained. It lived on in him, in the others across the galaxy. But still, there were wars to be fought, battles to be won, battles to be lost. Here and now? He had prisoners, and that meant learning what he could from them, regardless if it was useful, or if he was going to be able to hold them for long.

“The Coalition has a wide reach, and well, when specific people are brought in? It pays to have a Jedi they can trust.” He never tried to hide who, or sometimes, what, he was. It wasn’t worth it. “And if the record is right, you all showed up in our space first.” He focused on the green eyed woman, but he knew the one they had to refit with cybernetics was there, but they hadn’t spoken. He’d learn about them both in time.

“What brought you to Zonju, anyway?”

Hanna Madalena Antares

 

[Madalena Antares]

Coren Starchaser Hanna
​

A confirmation. Yes, a Jedi. But that did not solve her puzzlement; the Coalition could trust the Jedi all they wanted to, but since when did Jedi do interrogations? That part demanded going entirely against their creed, their way of life. Was he perhaps then, one of those fools who claimed the name but behaved entirely different? Had he painted his soul with shades of grey and dubious morality? There was no way to know. Cut off from the Force, Madalena could not just lunge herself into his mind and check. She had a feeling that even with the Force, doing just that would prove to be more of a challenge than it was worth.

Turning her head, now she saw her – Hanna. And she saw the tears. More than once before had she shown warmth to the tiny woman, gave her an extra scoop of attention compared to the other Hunters. She had not thought that both of them would be captured together. She did not want to see her, or any other Agents, there. Madalena wished she could send Hanna a message telepathically, but for now, that road was closed. Almost as soon as she glanced at her, she returned her gaze to the Jedi. He did not need to know that Madalena cared. Not from this, anyway. It was silly though, for he soon would know regardless, as a plan began to form in her mind.

Looking at the Jedi again, Madalena studied his features. From the robe to the angle of the jaw, the nose… She squinted. "I remember you," she said, almost hesitating. Did she? Yes. It was coming to her now; slowly. The face, she knew she remembered that. A bar. Making people… Ah. "Nar Shaddaa," she smiled with confidence now, "Little white dress."

Of course, she had looked different then. She had looked like her sister, because she had been in her sister's body. And while family resemblance was strongly presence, there was one trait the two sisters shared identically – the hue and glow of their green eyes.

Madalena motioned to Hanna with her head. "Let her go," she made the demand, "She was simply following orders. My orders. Then we may speak."

 

[Hanna]

Hanna
Post 2
Location: Brig, The Verdict
Madalena Antares Coren Starchaser

The heavy, ugly cybernetics weighed down on her diminutive form, making her feel as if there were a rock buried in the pit of her stomach. Hanna silently contemplated whether or not she was in shape to fight, but with a powerful Jedi Master standing only a few feet in front of her cell, she realized that there was little that she could do even if she were fully healthy. Nevertheless, when she noticed Madalena staring in her direction, she moved to wipe the tears from her eyes. She could not let the Jedi see her weakness, even if he had already sensed it. In spite of her poor physical fitness, Hanna saw it as her duty to resist the will of her captors, and ultimately, to escape.

She listened in contemplative silence as the Jedi Master spoke, her pulchritudinous features twisting into rage when the words left his lying lips. However, when Madalena suggested that she be allowed to walk free, Hanna could not restrain the frown that crossed her expression. The Qilin didn’t want to be considered a bargaining chip. If anything, she wanted to help Madalena escape. She knew that with Madalena’s brutal reputation and high status, it was likely that she could be brought before a military tribunal and charged with war crimes which would carry an extremely steep punishment. By contrast, Hanna was a lawful enemy combatant with no reputation or record. She had never killed civilians, committed a war crime, or ordered anyone to do such on her behalf.

If it came down between herself and Madalena, Hanna knew that it was her duty to stay.

“No, I’ll stay!” Hanna pleaded. “Madalena, they’ll hurt you more than they'll hurt me! Don’t let him do this!”

 

[Coren Starchaser]

While he was a Jedi, it didn’t mean he was immune to certain thoughts, and with other Rebels coming into his turf and ruining his day. He had other things to handle on Sullust, but when priority targets came, and especially ones that were Sith in nature, Starchaser made sure to be kept in the loop, and beyond that, he would remain closer to Sullust, unless he was called for Jedi business. He was practiced in the ways of certain foes, and he did not want the Judges to be concerned with his enemy. Sith had tricks that most weren’t prepared to deal with.

He knew of the other one in the other cell, but his main focus was on the one that he had confirmation was a Force sensitive. That was really why he was here, but keeping two Agents in proximity? That would be easier to get them to speak, if they were to be separated? Things would get… impossibly difficult. What he saw were two strangers, two people striking at a world under his protection.

But what one of them saw was… recognition? As she spoke he listened, but it wasn’t something that made sense. He’d been to Nar Shaddaa plenty of times, what spacer hadn’t…oh. There it was. White dress. Now it came back to him. “So you made it this long, the galaxy really has gone to the darkness.” He said, with a mock concern. As she pleaded for her companion’s freedom he understood that it was a leader looking after her charge.

As a Jedi Master, he could respect that.

“Why Zonju?”

Madalena Antares Hanna

 

[Madalena Antares]

Coren Starchaser Hanna
​

"Pain does not frighten me," Madalena said, her words responding to Hanna, but her gaze unflinching from the Jedi before her. She came from a long line of women who were tortured for ridiculous reasons. Perhaps, for the first time, she would be as such because she'd been captured during a war and not because of other things.

A thousand years before today, her grandmother had been captured by the Mandalorians. They had performed surgery on her after injecting her with chemicals that would ensure she did not lose consciousness regardless of the pain she would feel, and then sewed rope into her very spine so that they could dangle her like a puppet over their dinner tables.

Seven hundred years before today, her own mother had crash landed on a planet which they would later learn was Fhost. The tortures she had undergone there were not of the physical kind, but the mental one, and they had almost broken her. When her other half found her, she had been starving, malnourished, and close to dying.

A year and a half before today, her own sister had been murdered by a Jedi Master, his lightsaber going through her heart. Instead of dying she was imprisoned once more in the Darkness, thinking that the week for real time she had been in there was actually years, during which she tortured as well. The betrayals that had happened to her when she managed to free herself had broken her further. Her sister had re-learned how to smile, but Madalena knew she wasn't and never would be the same again.

And now, it appeared, was Madalena's turn. Those that had come before her had survived. She would as well. It was not that she did not know fear; quite the opposite, it was an emotion she knew intimately well. But it was not something she was feeling right there and then.

"No," she answered the Jedi then, "First, you release her. Then, we may speak. Though I would prefer it over a meal. Losing consciousness at the field of battle leaves a girl hungry."

 

[Hanna]

Hanna
Post 3
Location: Brig, The Verdict
Coren Starchaser Madalena Antares

“Madalena, please! Let me do this for you!” Hanna exclaimed as tears burst forth from her eyes and rolled down her pale cheeks. “You’ve already done so much for me.” The diminutive Qilin’s outward facade of strength disappeared as she broke down in tears. Although she had not yet admitted to herself, Hanna knew that there was nothing she could do to help her Master. The woman was a far more valuable prisoner than she was. If the Jedi truly wanted her to talk, he would undoubtedly acquiesce to her demands in order to see to it that she spoke. If Madalena was compelled to reveal sensitive information in exchange for her release, Hanna did not know if she would ever be able to forgive herself for her failure.

Ultimately, Hanna felt as if she were nothing more than a pawn, unwittingly set between two powerful masters of the Force. However, if she were allowed to return home, Hanna resolved that she would do everything in her power to contribute to Madalena’s rescue.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

“Never even came to mind it would. Not in my repertoire, either.” He was a one time Marshal of an Order of Jedi who kept their foes locked up in magma cells. He may be a crusader at heart, and a zealot of some message he felt he was the sole heir to, but patient was a thing Starchaser could be. It didn’t always allow him to enter a situation with the most information. Not the best battle plans, but his conscious was clear, mostly. He defended without forcing an answer, but he’d get his answer.

Besides, he was the one who wasn’t locked up. He had no issues throwing people in cells. Within a volcano, or the planet’s interior, that just made it more scenic, and sometimes putting people in a situation that they didn’t choose? Well, it had merit. The same as leaving someone disconnected from the Force and in a dark ship. He had no intention to harm them, never did. But his face would remain stoic.

“I think you’ll tell me what I need. Best if its together.” Starchaser was an oddity in the Jedi, but he had the patience required in his recent days. “I’ll give you time to get yourselves.” With that he stepped from the room. He had a few messages to return, and a few hours later, some meals would be sent. Hardtack bread, jerky, water. Enough. He’d let them stew.

Hanna Madalena Antares

 

[Madalena Antares]

Coren Starchaser Hanna​

Not for the first time since opening her eyes, Madalena wished she had her connection to the Force. It just made things so much… Simpler. Still, as Hanna begged her, she made no response, her gaze forever set on the Jedi, no flicker of emotion of even recognition passing on her face. It was cold. But it was needed.

"Buh-bye," she said with a smile as he left.

Glowing green eyes scanned the area. She couldn’t actually see any surveillance equipment, but that didn't mean that there weren't any bugs or anything else spying on them right in that instant.

"Hanna," she said the younger woman out, her expressions now turning soft, "When was the last time you got a backup?"

Madalena had seen the Qilin's file. She made a note of seeing the files of all those who served the Hunt. She also knew that on the Scintilla, there were copies of the same cloning batch that Hanna had come from. It was not an ideal solution – cloning was expensive and hard work. But if Hanna had a recent backup made, she could be brought back into a new body on the Scintilla. Same person. Different yet exactly the same body. But only if such a solution was possible; anything older than just before they left for Zonju, and it would not be one they could use.

And as for Madalena… That was trickier. She had not thought of having a clone body back up for herself. She no longer held a vial of one of her mother's fertilized eggs. IF she were to die, death would hardly be permanent, but things would change, most likely in unwanted ways.

"When he returns," Madalena continued, "Say nothing. They coud have specialists analyzing not what we say, but how we say it. School yourself to neutral expressions. You are one of mine, and you will not end here."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The time he was away allowed Coren to prep a few ideas. He was meditating, not something he did often, but he was feeling maybe it would be easier to split the two. If they had a companion, they were probably too relaxed around him. The challenge of it as well, was that Coren wasn’t too threatening, not if he didn’t have a lightsaber in his hand. Or the Force at his beck and call. While they were fed, they were separated shortly there after. After a few more hours, Starchaser stepped back towards the cells.

Giving a visit to the one he knew was a Sith, the Jedi Master stepped into the room near the cell. He stepped in, a bottle of whiskey, and two glasses. He pulled a chair in with him, and shut the door. He took a seat without saying a word and unscrewed the top. The Outer Rim’s world was a lot different than the Galactic Alliance, but Starchaser was a part of the Underground, and now the Partisans, even if he kept himself more supporting the Home Guard, and keeping watch at the galaxy.

The General Jedi sat down and poured two glasses pushing one to a place the prisoner could access it. “So, Nar Shaddaa, then you show up attacking a world under the protection of a legitimate government?” He sipped his own glass. “You’ve been busy.”

Madalena Antares

 

[Madalena Antares]

Coren Starchaser​

She was uncertain of how much time had passed, or when she had fallen asleep. But Madalena knew that when she opened her eyes, Hanna was gone. She'd squinted, swallowing down a severe need to punch something. Hanna, despite her furiousity, was a gentle soul. She did not know how well the unicorn later could withstand interrogation, nor how strong she would be in the face of it. All she could do, was hope that they had taken her proposition seriously, and had released her home. But, they had probably not.

When the Jedi Master returned, Madalena's gaze never moved from him. Looking at the glass of whiskey, she made no motion to touch it. Drinks were nice, but if he expected her to drink, he should've brought a nice meal with him first. She could do with a nice burger and a salad on the side. Perhaps even some meat pies could come in good. Or perhaps some ice cream. Madalena loved ice cream.

He sipped, and asked.

And she sighed.

"A year and a half or so in between and you believe those are the only things I've done?" she asked, shaking her head, "That is insulting, Jedi. And is the world so greatly under your protection that you would do away with its legitimate ruler? That is not protection. That is ruling the world yourself, through the local population. Manipulation. Something that is more up the Sith's alley."

She smiled. So far, he nor anybody else had used methods of physical pain to torture her. Frankly, she doubted they would. It didn't seem like their style. But when would the psychological torture begin? And how greatly would she be able to stand it? Did the man even know she'd been a Confederate at the time they met, and had remained one until abdicating her spot as one of their middle management leaders?

"Where is Hanna?" she asked, "If you hurt my little pony, this will not be the last time we speak."