Isk leaves the ship once the coast is clear, coming to a halt near the body, where they look to intend to stay until a pyre is built.

During the debrief they bring up the pilot Manoll must have brought to fly his own ship, given that it had set down on its own after he'd leaped down from it while it was still midair. They expect the pilot will wait to leave until they have more absolute confirmation of Manoll's death, but they should deal with them in the next few hours. 

"It was a droid, I couldn't sense anyone else. You'll be able to contact them?"

"Yes. If it is a droid, they may know me," they add, "I may be able to convince them not to attempt to return to the Jedi." 

(Alek, settled on the ground in the shade of the ship, recovering from the shock of such a tense situation after spending so long in the kolto tank, blinks at the sound of their voice through the vocoder. It's strange to hear Basic coming from them, but it's nice that Isk can talk to more people, now.)

"That's good. I'm not sure what to expect, if they do go back - I'd rather not have to leave."

"Yes. I will do that first." They turn their dome to look down at Esche's body. "I would like to attend the pyre, once that is settled," they tell Pradnakt. 

"'Course. I'll come with you? They might have questions."

Affirmative beep, "Will contact them through the ship transceivers."

They are somewhat reluctant to leave Esche's body, but they do so anyway, rolling back up the ramp and on towards the small communications room just before the entrance to the cockpit. Once there, they plug in to the outlet there and send a call out to the Jedi ship. 

Pradnakt stays in the doorway, where she can lean without risk of interfering with any machinery, and waits.

There's a moment of waiting, and then a beeping noise, and a hologram of a utility droid appears over the pad on the console. 

"Who is calling?" A crackly voice requests in droidspeak. 

"Isk," Isk returns in basic, "T7-I17. You are?"

  "Isk. I am T3-Q3. Cue. Has the mission been successful?" 

"It has not." 

  "Ah," sad whistle, "Master Manoll has fallen, then? I should report to the Jedi Council," he points out. 

"Request do not. Prefer not to abandon current location. Request you bring ship closer." 

  "...The Fallen Jedi will not harm me?"

"Alek has not harmed any droids. It is unlikely he will. Allies unlikely to as well." 

  "...On your word. I will bring the ship closer," he agrees. 

Isk reports the translation of Cue's words to Pradnakt, "Expect he will request more clarification in person. Reassured by naming Alek. Will need more. Not timid, exactly, concerned with survival." 

Pradnakt nods. "I'll give him space - he can come talk to me if he wants, I'm just not great with people I can't sense and don't know well. I won't hurt him if he doesn't threaten anyone."

"Unlikely to threaten anyone," considering whirr, "Spoken occasionally. Good pilot, dislikes violence. Enjoys hologram art. He is about seven years old," they add. 

"Good," she says, grinning at this last fact. "I don't have many holograms but there's sculpture around, I think Nine's been out to look at some of it."

"Makes his own - hologram projector was upgraded to allow it. Mechanic friend," they add thoughtfully, "May wish to return to her, eventually, if feasible."

She brightens further, delighted. "You guys are just full of surprises. Well, we can look into getting him back if he wants to go, but I might try to talk him into staying, it'd be nice to have another artist around. We'll see."

Agreeable whirr. 

They can exit the ship, then. Outside they will see the small Jedi transport lift off in the distance, turning to come towards them. It eventually lands a short ways away, and Isk makes their way over to greet Cue. 

Alek looks up when they exit, having migrated somewhat closer to Manoll's body. He's not sure where to get wood they can use for a pyre, or else he might have started building one while they were gone.

Pradnakt comes over, observing his uncertainty. "Scrub'll work well enough for a pyre. We can go get a tree if it's important, but I'd rather not leave him that long if it's not."

"Scrub works," he agrees, "As long as it burns hot enough." Collecting scrub it is, then.

Eventually, Isk returns to standing near Manoll's body, Cue in tow. They are still discussing something in droidspeak, but it seems like Cue has agreed to join them for the pyre, at least, if not for longer. 

Pradnakt joins Alek, pulling up big clumps of brush with her telekinesis. "Have you done this before?"

Nod. "There's a war on. Jedi die all the time. I was inexperienced enough for them to try to keep us from going too close to the front lines, but missions can go unexpectedly wrong sometimes."

She nods. "All right." She pauses, briefly, thoughtful. "Sith'd be a little young for it, your age. We start later, though, I think."

"Makes a difference, yeah. The Jedi took me when I was six. Mas-Manoll fought in the actual battles, usually. They would probably have started sending us to the less fraught areas with active fighting by now, if I hadn't fallen." 

She hisses softly in annoyance and shakes her head. "Well, that's better than the rumors, anyway."

"Rumours?" He pauses. "Oh, the baby thief ones, I bet." He keeps working, thinking hard on something.

"...I had three brothers. One of them was two. I think. The Jedi took him, too, and one of the older ones. Not the oldest, though. He was too old."

He was so mad. Alek remembers this brother's anger at their separation more strongly than anything else from before the Temple. 

"Yeah. I'd heard - literal infants. Sith - we don't get a choice any more than you did, but we do get a childhood. Thirteen, maybe fourteen - any younger than that and whoever picks 'em up will have the other Sith worried about 'em. Building a private army or something."

"Not so common to have that many Force-sensitive kids in one family, but we'd've kept you together, too, I expect. Depends on the master, but. That kind of bond can be a strength."

"Not infants, usually, but 2 or 3 year olds who express force sensitivity, they do take. They just... usually won't push too hard if the parents say no. Most parents don't - It's supposed to be a huge honour... and maybe there's some force manipulation there, too. I don't know, I was never involved with the Searchers. 

"They didn't keep us together, the ones they took. Different parts of the creche, far enough apart in age that we didn't have any initiate classes together. I can't remember the younger one's name. I think the older one is named Galen, though. I saw him sometimes, before he was chosen as a Padawan. We have the same family name.

"The Jedi see bonds like the ones between siblings as liabilities. It's attachment, see." 

She nods. "Sensing genetic relatedness isn't hard to pick up, if you want to try looking for them sometime. Not soon, obviously, but. There's hope, anyway."

His head whips up, "Yes, I want-" he pauses. "I want to find the oldest one, at least. Getting the other two away from the Jedi will be complicated, I think." They might not want to leave. 

"Well, if he's in Jedi space, even that might be tricky. But I should be able to give you an idea of where he is, at least, if someone's got a star chart."

Nodnod. "That would be... good," he says, quiet, tentative hope colouring his emotional aura. "Thank you." 

Scrub gathering. 

"'Welcome."

Scrub gathering. They'll need a lot, but soon they have enough to get started with, at least. Pradnakt piles it up and levitates the body on top, then steps back, looking to Alek.

Alek stares at the pyre for a few moments, at a loss for what to say.

Eventually, he shakes his head and steps forward, raising a hand and drawing on the Force to light a fire in his palm. He places it on Manoll's chest, catching his robes on fire, and then begins touching the pyre in various places, walking around it to get an even spread. He winds up behind the head, cleverly arranged to hide the lack of connection to the body, where he whispers a few words before he has to retreat from the growing heat of the flames. 

He feels... simultaneously relieved, and sad. 

Isk whistles sadly, wheeling over to settle next to Alek and watch. 

Pradnakt stays back, giving them their privacy, until Nine comes back around the side of the house; she speaks to him quietly, explaining what's going on, and then joins him in watching, standing a little apart from the other pair.

After a while, Alek steps back, turning to look at them. 

"...What now?" He asks quietly, expression a little lost. 

She steps forward too, reaching to touch his arm, gently. "There's nothing urgent, right now - can't do much until Daisy gets back, anyway. Longer term - you can stay a while, if you want. There's things I can teach you."

(He twitches, startled by the touch, but doesn't pull back, holding himself a little stiffly for a moment before carefully leaning just the slightest amount into her.)

It takes him a moment to answer the question. 

"...I'd like to learn," he tells her. "I should- stay in the ship, though." He's never hurt Isk, but he doesn't want to take any chances with Daisy or Nine if doesn't have to.

She nods. "There's not really room in the house, anyway. If you start feeling cramped we can put up another one, it only takes a couple days."

Shrug, "I've been living on the ship for most of a year, I'm used to it. Just being able to go out here is a big improvement to the usual." 

"All right. Don't bother the animals, listen to Daisy about the garden, stay off the roof, don't disturb me when I'm practicing with my 'saber, and bring water with you if you go for a walk, that's about all I've got in terms of rules. And check with me before you disturb any of the art, I guess. We should be able to feed you once Daisy's got the garden expanded - she'll let you teach her a recipe or two if there's anything you want her to make."

He nods - most of these seem entirely reasonable, though the roof thing seems a little weird? Still, it won't be hard to follow it. 

"...I play the harp," he mentions after a moment. "Mine... needs some repairs. But once I do that do you mind if I play out here?" 

"Sure. I meditate right after sunset, though, I'll want it quiet then. Usually about forty minutes, sometimes closer to an hour."

"I can avoid playing then," he agrees. 

He turns back to the pyre. At this rate it will burn all night. He doesn't intend to leave any time soon.

Pradnakt stays for a little longer, and then goes inside, coming back out to add more brush to the pyre when it starts to get low. Daisy comes back after a few hours and goes inside as well, bringing Alek a plate of finger food when the sun gets low before she goes out back with Nine to work on the garden and bring the animals in. Pradnakt comes out a little later, to go up on the roof and sit, not meditating yet. Overall it seems like they're going about their usual day, keeping Alek and the droids in mind but keeping a respectful distance.

Technically you're not supposed to eat while standing vigil, but Alek's just come out of a three-and-a-half-day kolto soak. He eats the finger food.

Eventually, the pyre completes its purpose, and they can leave it to burn itself out on the dry ground. Alek, tired, turns back towards the ship and house. If no one stops him he'll go straight to bed from here. 

Pradnakt is still on the roof, and leaves him be.

Daisy is waiting for Cue by his ship, though.

Cue notices this! He rolls over and looks up at her, "Can I help you with something?" He asks. 

(Alek enters his ship then, settling in his bunk for the night after a spot of non-Force assisted meditation.)

"My Sith asked me to talk to you about your plans. Isk told you we don't want you to go back to the Jedi?"

"Yes. They explained what had happened to them, as well." His dome swivels to look at Isk and Alek's ship, "I will stay, for now, if you and your Sith will have me. I would like to know they will be safe, with the fallen one."

"You can stay," she nods. "We think Isk will be safe, but of course it's okay for you to check. Do you know what you'd like to do in the longer term?"

"...There is a mechanic who works with the Jedi who I care about," they say after a moment's pause. "I would like to return to her. She will worry."

She nods again. "Do you think there's much risk of the Jedi asking you about Alek, if they see you again?" 

"They may not even realize I was the one who went with Jedi Master Manoll, particularly if I do not return with the ship."

"I'm not sure that's enough for Pradnakt to feel safe. She's said she'll let you leave anyway, we'll just leave too, but that won't be good for any of us. We can pay for a message to be sent to your mechanic friend, if that helps."

He rocks back and forth a bit, unhappy, "...She might leave the Jedi, if I asked. She is not one, only works for them. A message can wait until I can contact them from somewhere else, though," they add, "Couriers are expensive, and this was meant to be a long-term mission with little contact." 

"It won't be a hardship; Pradnakt inherited a lot of money when she left her master. We could support her while she looks for a job or help her set up her own shop, too, if you think she'd want one. Or something else; I just mean that the resources are available."

He hunches down, uncomfortable, "We can manage," he insists. 

"-What's wrong?"

"We would not like to owe debts." He explains after a moment. 

"Oh. No, we wouldn't expect it back; we can put that in writing, if you'd like. We know that we're asking something significant of you, to start over in a new place."

He whistles a bit anxiously, "That- does not seem particularly even. It was not your fault I came to be here."

She inclines her head in what Cue won't yet recognize as the sort of fond smile that suggests she's thinking about Pradnakt. "No, but you are here, and the easiest thing for you to do would be to go back, and we're asking you to do something much more difficult without much advantage for yourself. What happened before doesn't matter much, for that, to her way of thinking."

There is a barely perceptible pause. Then-

"I would like to send her a message," he agrees. "I will tell her what you have offered, and let her decide if she will accept." 

"All right. We'll be going to Kincardine in the next day or two, we can do it then."

Agreeable whistle, "Thank you," he tells her. 

"You're welcome. Will you want anything else, while we're there? Pradnakt would like to get you a vocoder like the one Isk has."

Nervous hum, but, "I... would like a vocoder, I think. It hadn't occurred to me." His dome swivels to look up at the ship, and then back down to Daisy, "You will sell the ship, yes? I don't believe it has trackers, but it is still very obviously a Jedi ship. I believe Isk will be willing to host me, if so, but if not I would appreciate a place to charge."

"We'll want to do something with it, yes. We'll get supplies to set something up for you, do you have any preferences about what it's like? Size, furniture?"

"I would prefer open space, myself, though Sara will need furniture if she does join me here?" 

"All right. I'll talk to Pradnakt about it, but I expect she'll be willing to build a guest house. Are you all right being this close to us?"

Uncertain whirr, "Yes? I do not think any reasonable distance would make me safer, if it turns out I am not in fact safe." 

"It might. Darksiders are impulsive; ten minutes on a speeder will make a difference, if they're upset rather than pursuing a goal."

Hmmm. "What are the dangers of living ten minutes away from any help?" 

"Here, with a human, not very much; it's a safe area, and Pradnakt is a sense specialist, she'll notice if something upsets your friend, or if she's injured. By yourself - if something were to damage your ability to contact us and your transportation at the same time, we wouldn't know until we noticed you not checking in. That's not likely to happen, though, especially if we design with it in mind."

"Perhaps it would be wise to stay some distance away, then," he admits. "I do feel some amount of apprehension at the idea of being so close, if impulsive destruction is a possibility." 

She nods. "I don't think it's likely, from either of them - Pradnakt hasn't lost her temper like that in nearly two years, and Alek hasn't damaged Isk at all, or even Nine when he shot him. But it's still reasonable to want to be careful."

Whirr, "For Sara's sake, then. She is not a droid." She may also find living too close to the darksiders uncomfortable, at least at first. 

"It would be fine if it was just for you," she says, gently. "You don't have to put up with a risk like that, even it it's a small one."

He squishes down a bit, "...Yes, that's true. I could stay out of the way, though. Force can't sense me." 

"You shouldn't have to," she asserts, and folds down to sit cross-legged, putting herself on eye level with him.

"When my Sith first realized how much of a problem she had - how bad her self-control had gotten - she had me read books, for organics, about staying with someone who's dangerous like that. They weren't right about everything, but one thing that they said over and over was that being in a relationship like that is bad because of how you get in the habit of limiting yourself, to stay safe, and how anyone who really cares about you won't want you to do that. And she doesn't, and she won't let Alek ask it of you either."

He shifts a bit, "Sometimes staying in a less than perfect situation is necessary," he points out. "The Jedi do not, on the whole, treat us as people. We are still in danger of being sold or wiped, with them, though it is rarer. It's safer than most other places, but being as covenient to them as we can is important." 

"Yes. But it's still wrong, to need to do that. And Lord Pradnakt holds herself to a higher standard."

Uncertain whistle. "Okay." He agrees. It's going to take time to believe that, though. 

"It's okay if it takes time for you to understand it. It took me time, too. And it does for organics who've been in situations like that."

He makes a small, positive whistle, "Okay." He says, more firmly this time. "I will try." 

"Good," she smiles. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Soft whirr, "Nothing comes to mind," he replies. He squishes down and then comes up again, as though nodding or bowing, "Thank you for the explanations, and the options."

"You're welcome. Feel free to come find me if you need anything." She stands and heads back to the house.

"If I need anything," he agrees. And he rolls up the ramp into the Jedi ship, settling in to charge for the night. 

Isk follows Alek into the ship roughly an hour after he leaves, and then all is quiet on the guests' part.

The night and morning are quiet, the humans sleeping in until noon after their late night.

Pradnakt comes out to the ship with a plate of eggs and toast shortly after Alek wakes up. "Sleep all right?"

Alek looks up from where he's perched on a tall crate in the loading bay of the ship, fiddling with an instrument of some sort - likely the harp he mentioned. 

"Yes," he agrees, setting the harp down next to him and then sliding down to the floor. "Is that for me? You didn't have to..." he trails off, recalling the state of the ship's stores.

"The hens don't stop laying just because there's nobody around to cook, you know." She hands it off. "And it's better for you than ship food, anyway."

"That's true," he agrees, taking the plate. "Thank you." 

Nom.

"When do we need to take the tank back?" He asks between bites, glancing over at the object in question. 

"The sooner the better; today, if you're up for it. We just need to make a quick stop in town first."

"Alright, we can go whenever everyone going is ready. I think I'm pretty much fine," he tells her, nudging some egg onto some toast, "What do we need in town?"

"Stop at the bank, mostly. Everything else we can get in the city - we're putting up a house for Cue and the friend he wants to invite, need some supplies for that, and I'm going speeder shopping. And I could use you on food shopping, if you don't mind."

"I don't always... do very well, around crowds," he mentions, a little uncertain. 

"All right. You can come with me or stay with the ship, then."

He shrugs, "It's... the empathy, for the most part, in cities. It's hard enough to deal with my own emotions, let alone a whole crowd's. It's my strongest Force sense, though. I've always used it." Suppressing it entirely is like blindfolding himself. It leaves him on high alert, which completely defeats the purpose. 

She nods. "That makes sense. We can work on filtering, maybe, see if you get anywhere on the way over."

He nods, "Even if it doesn't..." Once he knows how to do it at all, it's just a matter of practicing. 

Small smile. "Yeah. I'm a little surprised you didn't already know - what did the Jedi expect you to do instead?"

"I know some Jedi techniques for it, but they rely on being calm, which I'm usually... not, in crowds. Not a lot of practice, either. Manoll filtered for me while I was learning. It wasn't really obvious it was a problem until I started going on missions with him."

She makes a face at the idea of Manoll filtering for him. "I guess it wouldn't have been, if everyone you grew up with was like that. Well, filtering isn't hard, the way I do it. We already have it, really, it's what lets you hear someone saying your name in a crowd of people talking, you just have to get used to using your empathy the same way."

"We can practice that without a crowd to filter?"

"Some, yeah. I can mutter to myself."

"Okay. I... guess we'll see how that goes." He turns his attention to finishing his breakfast. 

Isk comes in shortly before he finishes his breakfast. He tells them about the plans for that day, and then he's done eating and they can get ready to leave.

Daisy is another few minutes straightening the house up, and then they can take off for the town. When they get there, she takes the speeder and heads in.

Isk keeps the ship running while they wait for her.

About ten or fifteen minutes later, the emotional background noise of the town has a sudden spike of fear.

Pradnakt looks up from her datapad when it does, getting to her feet - "Are you coming?"

He's already setting his harp down when she asks, looking off in the direction of the town. "Of course." 

She wastes no more time, but heads straight across the rough terrain toward the source of the emotion, detouring only for rock formations too big to leap and badly startling some cows in their pasture as she gets closer to civilization.

He keeps pace, pulling on the Force to keep up with her. 

There's more fear, as they get closer, and anger, a sense of many people involved in both - no fighting, probably, not that it's easy to tell, from here. The impression is borne out by the shouting, as they get closer. And then Pradnakt unfurls her aura, stormy-dangerous-dark, and fear wins out completely, the crowd dispersing at a terrified run before they get there, leaving Daisy behind.