Looking For Information, Alk, Ze'ira, Tarrah all others IM first

[Alk]

Alk's fingers tightened around his chair's arms imperceptibly as the shuttle hit the first areas of re-entry turbulence before finding more and more pockets of rough air as it descended. He was always a bit tense when the passenger on small ships something about the pilot in him not liking others handling the controls and being clueless as to what was happening in the cockpit. The cargo and passenger area was filled with the noise of the engines and disturbingly of some loose connection or bolt rattling making any attempt at communication amidst the flickering lights impossible for now. His mind tried to stay away from the stories that maintenance on some of these shuttles occasionally got shifted to lower priority then was really safe when compared to the front line combat craft and that the Alliance in the past often had problems with finding suitable reliable parts. Sure most of that was soldier banter but there were times it wasn't that hard to imagine it being true and the fact he wasn't at the controls certainly didn't ease the slight tension and worry he felt.

Slowing his breathing he tried to work on some of the breathing exercises he'd been taught in marksman training as well as more recently by Tarrah relaxing his body and focusing his senses. His normal senses were easy enough he had practice with them but sensing things through the Force did not come so easy. He couldn't really pick out much for sure although he was worried by the fact that amongst everything he was almost certain he could feel Ze'ira. Why could he sense her but not his team or anything else? Nothing was ever really clear in this mystical force that he'd been taught about, sithspawn if not for the things he'd seen he could of happily ignored it as some hokey religion. For a moment he gave into his curiosity and tried to focus on her extending himself towards her. It was definitely her or as much as he could tell anyway. If there was a reason for it he was damned if he knew what it was. Giving up on it for now he focused on the steady breathing. In his minds eye he pictured the shuttle descending through the gradually lightening sky over the seemingly endless canopy of dark green rainforest. The temples and ruins of the Massai piercing the green carpet seemingly at random.

At least this wasn't a combat drop all the emergency lights were extinguished and operational equipment was stowed out of the way. Still the rest of his team sat spread out around a space meant for 4 times there number with their weapons ready surrounding the main reason for their feelings if not his. He tried to convey as much reassurance about what was going on as he could with out speaking to Ze'ira but honestly he wasn't sure what to expect. After all it wasn't everyday you forced a Force sensitive out of stasis causing who knew how much damage, dropped her in a combat situation and then abducted her at blaster point. They'd been loaded into the shuttle and there hadn't really been time to explain what had been happening nor was he entirely sure what his commanders had told his team to do about him. They hadn't really spoken to him much outside explaining they were descending to Yavin and politely refusing to answer any of his other questions. Although he didn't show it to his team there was some doubt and guilt about the actions that had led them here as well as the pain that remained from the fact they didn't trust him. He realised there was the possibility that she was/had been a dark sider, was she still one if she had no memories he wandered, and that she had been incarcerated in the stasis pod for some reason but somehow he doubted that. It was possible his actions had caused her memory loss and he wasn't sure anybody deserved that even if they had been dark siders or murderers. Having your memories taken from you just seemed worse than death to him somehow.

Finally the ride smoothed out some and the noise started to decline to manageable levels as the shuttle started levelling out and setting up for it's approach on the Jedi Praxeum. If there was any luck Tarrah would be waiting for them so at least there would be a familiar face awaiting them. Moving over to beside Ze'ira he still had to speak louder than normal to be heard over the engines but still he owed her as much of an explanation as he could give.
“You okay? We're just about to land. There should be one of my friends waiting for us. She might be able to help you seeing as she knows about this Force. They've also got some good doctors and healers here so one of them might be able to work out what happened to your memories.”

[Ze'ira]

For the Echani woman, the dealings since she’d awoken hadn’t been exactly the most comforting; waking up to find herself being restrained after having been fired upon to begin with not helping in the least. Everything was still such a blank for her, she knew she was one with the force and that she was a highly skilled fighter. She could understand languages other than galactic basic, and understood general things – but there was nothing personal she could pull from. Not a single personal memory she could conjure up. Something had happened to cause it, that much she knew, and she remembered vaguely being told by Alk that he’d forced her from possibly a four millennia long stasis. Four thousand years... why would she have been frozen for so long? There were few reasons for such a thing, and none of them were really positive.

It was obvious she wasn’t the only one who had questions in regard to that either, clearly with the weapons trained on her the majority of the time, and the distance that was kept between herself and those who were keeping her captive. It didn’t seem to faze the woman, though she certainly didn’t like the idea of being a captive – she simply wasn’t in a position to argue right at the moment and would have to wait until they arrived where they were going. She already had a feeling who she was being taken to see, and was apprehensive if only for the reasoning that she wasn’t entirely certain what side she fell on within the force. But then again, that could work to her advantage. Still, she simply maintained her calm and remained in a semi-meditative state most of the time.

The other thing that bothered Ze’ira was the fact that she could sense Alk so well, and wasn’t sure what had happened for that to occur. Surely, she could sense all the others clearly as well, but he stood out and not just because he was force sensitive either. It was like a part of her could stretch out and ultimately end with him – something that was a worrying though, especially when she felt him reach out toward her through the connection as though testing the waters. Ze’ire didn’t react, although she wanted to pull away from it, almost physically as well – while at the same time it made her feel a little easier about the situation.

The turbulence went barely noticed by her, though she surely felt Alk’s anxiety about it, however once it smoothed out things seemed to calm a little (apart from the constant watch over her), and Ze’ira’s eyes opened as Alk moved next to her to speak over the engines. To be honest, she wasn’t sure how to answer him, though the insinuation that others would have to examine her made her feel wary again; the meeting with someone knowledgeable about the Force even more so. It would likely be a Jedi, and while she knew she probably shouldn’t feel threatened by that, there was a deep-seeded part of her that was concerned about such an encounter – given the way she was found. Still, the Echani simply nodded as the dry humour sounded through her soft voice, “I am fine... I would say I am well, but I do not believe I need my memories to know that I have been under much better cicumstances before.” Her gaze cut around to those who were watching them a moment before shifting back to Alk, “Though perhaps the sooner we arrive, the better. I am sure you enjoy this scrutiny about as much as I.”

[Alk]

Alk didn't really like the way High Command had been running this show since they had captured Ze'ira. Okay they knew nothing of her and she could be dangerous but the way they were treating her could provoke most people into starting to get paranoid and lashing out let alone if you threw amnesia into the whole mix for fun. He'd been on missions involving the Jedi's history before recovering artefacts or hostile extractions of members of the Order but they had always had SpecOps trained Jedi members attached to the squad to allow for greater cooperation and extra 'more informed' options and views. This mission they hadn't. At first he'd thought it just because it was a rush job and there had been none available but now he thought about it he realised that might not of been the only reason. After all they had the Hospital frigate set up as a possible way point on their mission and the squad must an after action report while they were in hyperspace so why not have one meet them there. They could act as a guard roughly knowing what to expect from a hostile force user and try to reassure Ze'ira they meant her no harm if she wasn't hostile. None of this was like his Commander's thinking. Throw in the fact he'd confided in Alk that he'd kept his time training at the temple a secret just putting it down as him acting as a liaison with some of the old military members and training some survival techniques to the younger Jedi.

Was it possible that someone in the upper reaches of Command didn't trust the Jedi or was trying to exclude them from certain missions or was it just some idiot playing weekend warrior making tactical decisions for political reasons? The idea seemed ridiculous after all quite a few of the 'old' heroes of the Alliance were Jedi, without them they'd be scattered around the Galaxy still chased by Vader, his fleet and a couple of Death Stars for goodness sake. Okay a couple had gone rogue and a few were still members despite their acts but then the Jedi did actually try deal with their own problems Intel had much more rogue agents and they'd not even spent half the time trying to sort them out. Whatever this was about he doubted it bode well for the immediate future.

Still whatever was going on with this mission his immediate concern was trying to help Ze'ira recover her memories and ensure she was okay both for her own sake and for that of the mission which meant meeting up with Tarrah and the Jedi. Hopefully the Jedi Master or someone in the Praxeum had received a message from someone further up the food chain then him requesting their assistance and would be awaiting them. He felt a little nervous to be returning to the Temple but he couldn't quite pin it down. A few months ago he'd been relatively happy just as a member of the Alliance Armed Forces but then someone had to go chuck this whole Force thing at him. It had him wondering whether his pre operation bad feelings were just nerves, signs of bad things to come or just indigestion and now to top it off his squad wasn't able to trust him almost treating him like a captured unknown.

Well, no one had ever said life in SpecFor was boring or easy he supposed. He nodded as Ze'ira replied her voice containing dry humour. He could understand and actually shared her view but at least she kept some humour about the situation.
“Well I can honestly say I've been in better ones personally but then I've definitely been in worse as well. Yeah can't say I joined Alliance Special Forces to be the centre of attention nor to be guarded or 'escorted' around let alone by my own team.”

Sudden deceleration pushed him into the seat as the engine roar increased momentarily again and he had to smile marvelling at the sound as he felt the shuttle touch down. Okay some things didn't change at least and he knew he could be the same on this count at least. The pilots of these craft always seemed to come into landings hot probably to stay in habit for the times they actually were coming into a hot landing zone.
“Well, looks like we're here. My friend should be waiting for us with any luck.”

Pushing himself up he moved down the boarding ramp his team moving carefully to ensure they both remained covered in case one decided to make a break for it. He shielded his eyes for a moment until they adjusted as he left the shade of the shuttle into the blinding light and sweltering heat of Yavin.

[Tarrah]

She actually was waiting, curious as to what exactly was going on. Command had contacted her, mentioned that her friend Alk was bringing a person of interest, and she hadn't really understood what that meant until the ship had shown up on scanners. When they were that close she had sensed the other with Alk, and had immediately backed off.

This being.. was not one of the Order, at least none that she knew and she was pretty damn sure she knew all of them. Luke was gone, most of the Council was off on missions and errands of their own, leaving only her and the racial purist she wanted to smack around near constantly. Still, she wasn't worried. The quick sense she had got was not one of malice, but neither was it of good intent. It simply... was, somehow strictly neutral.

Hence her curiosity.

The shuttle landed and she smiled, right up until she saw all the drawn weapons. Her eyebrow went up, and she barked out an order, annoyed at this point. "Weapons away. NOW." They did so, uneasily, some clearly looking at her thunderous face and thinking they were in for it. "Don't you think if there was something wrong, if she was really so dangerous, that she would have killed you all by now?" Tarrah rolled her eyes as she moved forward, her gaze softening as she looked at the pretty blond.

"You are among friends here," she said quietly, ignoring the soldiers as they shuffled back to the shuttle, her eyes on the female, though they widened when she sensed a bond between the two. Eyes flicking back and forth between the pair, she asked quietly, "What happened? You two are connected..."

[Ze'ira]

Ze’ira could understand Alk’s own restlessness at being guarded and watched by his own people – no doubt if she had any allies that she knew of and they treated her as such then she would feel just the same. As it stood right now, she was the outsider and didn’t deserve any understanding from others, though it seemed he was willing to freely offer it. If nothing else, Ze’ira appreciated that and nodded as he spoke about his own views on the current standing. If only she could remember something from before the time she woke up; the woman was certain there was probably something she was missing.

The presence of another strong force user hadn’t gone unnoticed by the Echani either, but since it seemed they’d backed off as soon as she felt it she wasn’t going to explore it any further. It was more than likely the friend of Alk’s he mentioned now as they touched down and Ze’ira sighed softly, “If it is possible to regain my memories then it might makes things a little easier...” But then again, it could lead to a discovery that many may not like... The grim through passed through her mind briefly before she shook it off. It would be best to simply take things as they came right now.

Surrounded by the soldiers, they were escorted off the craft, and Ze’ira’s silver gaze fixed straight ahead of her at the female who was waiting, knowing that it had been the presence she’d felt as they’d approached. She allowed the silver locks of hair to fall across her face slightly as she studied the Jedi and her gaze slid across to watch the guards as they were told to put the guns away.

A small smile threatened to tug at her lips at the mention that she could have killed them all if she’d had such intentions, but she pushed back the urge and instead returned to watching the Jedi before glancing around at their surrounds. Part of her wished she knew whether there was anything at all recognisable, even though she was certain that if she really had been in stasis for four thousand years then logically speaking it would be impossible. I small sigh left her lips, but she returned her attention to the other woman as she spoke to her.

"You are among friends here," Ze’ira’s brows rose at the statement, but she held her tongue for the moment when she saw the surprised look on the Jedi’s features, "What happened? You two are connected..."

A discomfort settled over Ze’ira, and she looked to Alk for a moment wondering if she should speak, though in honesty, she wasn’t entirely sure what to say. After the small hesitation, her eyes shifted back to the other female and her velvet voice spoke quietly, “He risked his life in order to spare mine, so I saved his in return.” There was another pause for a moment before she continued, “I may have caused this... link. But I assure you it was not done intentionally. Whether I am among friends or not though, remains to be seen. Since from what I gather, any allies I may have had would probably be long passed on by now.”

The Echani woman then went quiet, there was no much else to say really, and everything she’d spoken was in a tone that was neither friendly or unfriendly – simply fact as she knew it. She wasn’t even sure how much the Jedi knew about her situation yet, or what anyone was expecting of her. Though she somehow felt at least a slight comfort in Alk’s close proximity.

[Alk]

Looking back over his shoulder Alk smiled hoping to reassure Ze'ira with the truth.
“I promise as far as I'm concerned you getting your memories back and, so long as it's safe for you and others, letting you find your own place in the galaxy is the most important thing.”

Turning back to the landing field a bit of the tension that had been hanging from Alk's shoulders vanished as he saw Tarrah waiting for them. Someone had at least contacted her and she had turned up to meet them. Did this mean he was just jumping at shadows with how this mission had gone down. Hopefully she'd get what was going and be able to explain it. Maybe she or one of the other Jedi would be able to recover Ze'ira's memories. … If they were recoverable, which regardless of the consequences he actually hoped they were.

As Tarrah approached the smile fell from her lips and her countenance took on a stormy appearance possibly at the drawn weapons his squad had at the ready. His squad was good and they obviously weren't taking any chances even if the end of the mission was in sight. Still they followed the order that was barked at them in a tone that would make any drill Sergeant proud. He had to acknowledge the point she made. He'd seen Ze'ira in action barely out of stasis and she was at the very least good enough to have made the transit difficult if she'd wished. He'd seen some less scrupulous force sensitives ideas of making life difficult and if not for the lightsabers cauterising properties he'd describe it as messy to say the least. It was even possible given enough space such as an entire planet such as the one she was found on or Yavin 4 she may of even gotten away without a single scratch.

A hint of a smile formed as Tarrah rolled her eyes but he turned to watch his team shoulder arms and file up the ramp each throwing him a final glance. Lawlala was the last up the ramp and she bid him farewell in her peoples hunting sign. Out of habit, hope that she stayed well and that they met again under better circumstances he replied in kind wishing her easy hunting and a life of freedom. Despite the hurt their actions and distrust had caused he couldn't blame them for it. In face were it possible after this he'd want nothing more than to be back with them. It was a difficult situations and they couldn't really afford to take any chances with him or Ze'ira. To be honest he was almost a little bit proud that they had done their duty despite what it had entailed.

Hearing Tarrah's quiet statement he let out a sigh glad that his team wouldn't be able to hear it through the closing ramp and over the engines preparing to return the craft to the frigate above. To hear that and for it to filter back to high command would probably be all it took to throw his career into the recycler over doubts about his mental state impartiality and the fact he could be being influenced. As it stood that was a far outside possibility they might consider but have no evidence to prove or make it a consideration. Officially he was probably here to 'represent Alliance forces' and 'ensure the security of the prisoner'. Not that he would really stand a chance with the latter if she so wished but then he didn't think that was likely and the Jedi would be better equipped and informed were it to be needed but appearances important and 'officially' she was an Alliance prisoner.

At Ze'ira's hesitation and glance he nodded slightly. He trusted Tarrah, she wouldn't spread this unless it was important and she'd helped him before both out of difficult spots and giving him the few basic tit bits about the Force he knew. No one he could see would overhear them so now was as good as ever to explain. Taking the moment to introduce him he added what little he could to the help matters.
“Ze'ira this is Master Tarrah of the Jedi Order. We're on Yavin 4, it's not much but it's better than where you were we should be comfortable here for a bit and the Order stands the best chance of being able to help you. At the very least Tarrah can answer most of your questions better than I can. Tarrah this is Ze'ira. She was found in stasis on a planet in the middle of nowhere by archaeologists. By their best estimation or guess she had been there for roughly four millennia. They sent out a broadcast with the details of their find and we were ordered to protect them and her. Unfortunately the Imps turned up and her stasis pod was hit. I felt her scream through the Force and opened it up to get her out of there. It all kinda went down hill from there. I'm not sure if it's from the time she's been in stasis, the damage that was done to the pod or the way I woke her but she's suffering from amnesia. I was hoping you might be able to help her and had any records from then.”

It didn't really cover everything that had happened but it was most of the important information. Hopefully enough to start to sort things out.

[Tarrah]

"You are among friends here," the female's eyebrows rose and she smiled slightly. She understood the skepticism, but she did mean it. If this female was attached to Alk somehow then she was a friend simply by virtue of that. "What happened? You two are connected..."

The female looked to Alk, and her lips quirked. Yes... there was something there. There was something between them in the Force but it also seemed to be more. Not necessarily interest on a base level, but the bond of comrades. From what little she had been told they must have fought together.

“He risked his life in order to spare mine, so I saved his in return.” There was another pause for a moment before she continued, “I may have caused this... link. But I assure you it was not done intentionally. Whether I am among friends or not though, remains to be seen. Since from what I gather, any allies I may have had would probably be long passed on by now.”

Tarrah's head tilted slightly and she shook her head. "Things happen in the heat of battle and emotion that you cannot predict. I do not know you, but I would not think you did this on purpose. As to the risk.. well, it is a noble motivation." Though the comment of allies being gone confused her, and she studied the Echani a little more closely. Something she had not noticed before, the subtle aura of one... Not necessarily old but-

"Ze'ira this is Master Tarrah of the Jedi Order. We're on Yavin 4, it's not much but it's better than where you were we should be comfortable here for a bit and the Order stands the best chance of being able to help you. At the very least Tarrah can answer most of your questions better than I can. Tarrah this is Ze'ira. She was found in stasis on a planet in the middle of nowhere by archaeologists. By their best estimation or guess she had been there for roughly four millennia. They sent out a broadcast with the details of their find and we were ordered to protect them and her. Unfortunately the Imps turned up and her stasis pod was hit. I felt her scream through the Force and opened it up to get her out of there. It all kinda went down hill from there. I'm not sure if it's from the time she's been in stasis, the damage that was done to the pod or the way I woke her but she's suffering from amnesia. I was hoping you might be able to help her and had any records from then.”

Her eyes widened with every word, though she quickly banished the expression. In stasis that long? Even the best tech shouldn't have worked. Someone had put a lot of effort into keeping her alive. Yet they'd put her in stasis in the first place. She could think of one of two things. Either someone had wanted to save her from something or they'd imprisoned her. Without memories there was no way to tell. If that made her wonder it had to make Ze'ira as well. How horrible must it be to not know yourself? Then there was another aspect.

"Please, please tell me they sent it coded and only to the higher echelons. There are many Ze'ira.. that would want to pick your brain. There are very few reliable sources of information from that long ago outside the Order. It is good you came here. Anywhere else you would be in much more danger."

Tarrah shook her head a little. "I will help you as I can. Amnesia is a touchy thing though, and we must go slow. The shock of something coming back could do more harm than good." She would admit that she was curious too, but she would not pick another's brain without consent. There were some on the Council that might 'insist' on the woman staying here. Good thing they weren't around, though her racial purist friend would be salivating having an Echani around.

"Come, both of you. We will get you settled." She glanced at Alk and gestured them both to follow her. An attendant scurried to her, and she spoke softly to the female Rodian before the other left, sprinting ahead. She missed Fluffy. And she knew she wasn't 'supposed' to feel that way but she could not help it. The rancor had been her friend for many a year, her last real link to her people too and she just- Shaking her head she pushed it away. She had other things to worry about. Like an amnesiac Force user, missing Knights and the sheer... screaming of the Force. She had to find Hawk and Stryker. She'd heard them calling but then it had been obscured by something... before she could get a lock.

All she knew was direction and proximity, a sort of imprint, which meant she would have to track it.... The life of a Jedi.. never ended.

Gelin chirped animatedly, coming running towards her from across the yard, and the small quadruped launched himself at her. She caught him and put him right up on her shoulder, like a strange, furred parrot, and she stroked the soft fur. He was full grown now, the size of a small monkey, with soft black fur and bright jade eyes that only now seemed to realize there were others here. Small, rounded ears twitched, and the little stub of a tail was stiff with tension.

Who they?

Friends Gelin...

The silver one glows like you do. Not bright. Grey.

Tarrah blinked and continued to stroke Gelin's fur to calm the creature, and once he'd relaxed she stopped. A moment later the little furred form had jumped agilely off her shoulder to the ground, and went scurrying towards the recent arrived pair. He sat by their feet, staring up with big, round eyes. She snorted with laughter. Two minutes and he was already begging for treats.

[Ze'ira]

Alk’s promise of restoring Ze’ira’s memories being the most important matter caused conflicting thoughts in regard to it. She’d already been thinking about the information she’d been able to find out so far. How could she have been frozen in time for such a long time? More importantly, why? Obviously someone had done that to her, but it seemed rather drastic which meant there had to be a very good reason. The problem lay in what that reasoning would be. If her memories returned, would she know why it was done? Would people want to return her to that state, or would she herself want to? As daunting as it was to be in a time and place that had likely changed quite a lot from anything she might have lived, it was a debate about whether she would be better off simply starting fresh...

... Of course, she already realised that was very unlikely to happen. Simply fact was, she was a fully trained force sensitive, which meant she once had a place with others, and their descendants may expect her to have a place with them too.

As Alk explained what had happened to bring them both there, Ze’ira took a moment to survey their surrounds. The pulsing of the force was strong and she could pick up on the life around this place. She also watched for Tarrah’s reactions in regard to the story that was being relayed to her. Surprise was to be expected, the Echani supposed. She doubted it was every day that someone discovered a frozen four millennia old woman who had studied with the Order.

"Please, please tell me they sent it coded and only to the higher echelons. There are many Ze'ira.. that would want to pick your brain. There are very few reliable sources of information from that long ago outside the Order. It is good you came here. Anywhere else you would be in much more danger."

Ze’ira’s gaze slid across to Alk with raised brows at the apparently hope that no one outside a certain few knew about the discovery. It hadn’t actually occurred to the woman that she might be seen as something of a resource for others, but her eyes had snapped back to Tarrah with a slightly confused look at the confession that there wasn’t much information about that long ago, “So there are not even many records or anything?” Her shoulders almost slumped before she straightened again and fixed her expression so it wouldn’t betray the very slight disappointment.

There had been hope... a very small hope, that perhaps there would be something, some kind of records, referring to her supposed time of living that might spark recognition.

"I will help you as I can. Amnesia is a touchy thing though, and we must go slow. The shock of something coming back could do more harm than good."

The Echani nodded, she’d already come to the conclusion that if anything was to be restored then it would take time. She was also rather hesitant about the idea of anyone ‘picking’ her brain. It was a subconscious feeling mostly, that it would be dangerous for anyone to attempt to touch her mind. “For now, I think I should perhaps concentrate on discovering more about the present. It would be comforting to gradually settle into my own, but wiser if I know what I am dealing with in the world around me first.”

Once Tarrah turned to lead the way elsewhere, Ze’ira waited for Alk to move before she stepped forward to follow the Jedi. There was almost a sense of longing in the air, as though she should remember what it was like to be around others like Tarrah, but with it also came a strange feeling of distance. Was it something from her past life, or simply the effects of so many years locked away frozen?

“Will I be required to stay here, do you think?” Ze’ira spoke softly to Alk while Tarrah spoke with a Rodian. She wasn’t certain what was expected of her. Would the Jedi Council want to keep her close to watch over her? She paused slightly before continuing, “This force bond... I apologise if it disrupts your life too much. There was really nothing else I could do at the time....”

Ze’ira then glanced ahead as a small creature that had been receiving pets from Tarrah suddenly made its way toward them and she blinked at it a couple of moments before bending down slightly and offering a small smile, “I wish I had something to offer you, little friend, but I am afraid I haven’t anything to my name but the clothing on my back right now.”

[Alk]

Alk's features took on a slightly pained look when Tarrah inquired if the message had been sent encoded and only to the higher echelons of the Jedi. While as far as her initial worries were concerned things were find the security of the message outside of the Acadamy was a great deal more dubious.
“As far as I know yes but I wouldn't put too much stock in that. It was a formal request to the masters, so it was addressed so, and they were worried about someone else rushing out a paper on 'their discovery', of all the things to worry about in this galaxy, from what I gathered so it was encrypted but not well enough to stop someone in Sigint poking their noses into it so others probably know if not some of your fellow Jedi. Would give you almost certain odds that's how the Imp's got there so soon after us and we hadn't been slow to arrive there.”

The fact he found more concerning than the Imperials signal intelligence abilities, he already knew they could be quite effective, was that someone in the chain of command feel the need to read the Jedi's mail. Even getting it by mistake didn't preclude handing it over to them and just supply support to them if they felt this was important there were enough well trained Jedi to handle it from what he'd heard. Hell Corran Horn and Luke Skywalker had been with Rogue Squadron and Katarn once a leader of what was now Page's Commandos both of which were amongst the best at their respective fields. Bah, now he was just going back over the same worries maybe he should just be glad there hadn't been a group of Imperial Force sensitives there awaiting them because then things would of ended very messily and he doubted he would have been the only Alliance casualty.

It shouldn't really of surprised him that there were very few reliable remaining sources of information about the Jedi before the rise of Palpatine but still he felt a pang of disappointment. He hadn't been expecting an instant miracle cure for Ze'ira nor a full library of information about her or their bond handily cross referenced by era and name of members of the Order but equally this meant their options aside from the Jedi were severely limited. Not that he didn't trust Tarrah he just always preferred to have options open and approach problems from multiple vectors when possible. It seemed even now the bad old days where the Empire's bogey men made it a bad idea to collect or hide information about Force sensitive individual or traditions were still having repercussions. He had to wander how much information from pre-Empire times had been lost or corrupted. There would probably never be a way to tell. It seemed they had little choice but do what little they could while doing as Ze'ira said and focus on the present but even then where could they start? So many events of today and tomorrow were due to that of yesterday and year.

Noticing Ze'ira waiting for him to follow the Jedi Master he nodded and crossed the open area in front of one of the massive old temples that had first been converted into a hidden rebel base before becoming the Jedi Praxeum. Last time he had visited the planet he had done some research while bored and been surprised by how old the temples were especially with how well they were preserved but now he stood here with someone who was quite possibly older and was even better preserved. Watching Tarrah converse with a Rodian he shrugged at the question he'd been asked.
“I don't really know I'm afraid. Jedi Masters tend to be a power in of themselves from what I've heard, I've only met Tarrah though really the others I've heard stories of, their more varied than the stereotype gives them credit for.”

Of course it was possible he was talking to someone who had been a Jedi Master but that was neither here nor there.
“Saying that though I can't see Tarrah 'requiring' you to do anything. She might ask you to stay as a guest but I imagine it will be your choice and as an actual guest not as some kind of prisoner. To be honest I could see the Alliance having a lot more problems with you leaving here than Tarrah barring something highly dangerous or unusual happening

Alk paused for a couple of seconds thinking over Ze'ira's apology before replying not entirely sure what to say nor even how he felt on it really. It would probably take some getting used to her just 'being' there on the edge of perception. The nearest he could think of it was as after trip to an orthodontist and having work done. If they did their work right you didn't feel pain where they had worked, nor even real discomfit, it was just … different to how it used to be.
“It's okay … it's just … well odd. I understand you didn't have much choice on how you did what ever you did in that trench. Lawla said getting to me immediately she would have been very lucky if she'd managed to even get me to stabilise let alone keeping me that way back to the ship or the medical frigate.”

Finally he just added.
“Thank you for saving me.”

Watching the small quadruped approach he crouched down a hand brushing across the empty holsters and pouches to one of the few that his team hadn't taken from him. Breaking off a bit of a ration bar he offered the small bit of a compressed fruit oat and nut bar out to the creature. He didn't recognise what it was but then it was a large galaxy they lived in. Speaking to Tarrah his voice held a trace of amusement.
“Please don't tell be this is how Fluffy got the name? I would hate to think that rancors started out this small and fuzzy.”