"I might not be explaining it very well. I should rest."

"You're doing fine. It's the audience that is the problem."

She nods. "It's fine if you don't agree," she directs at Felix, "I'm just not sure I'm saying it so you'll understand. I really do need to rest."

Felix nods, maybe because he is worried she won't rest otherwise. "Please, do rest."

She makes a face like she's considering saying something else, but she goes.

And the following morning everyone gathers for the long-awaited announcement.

Felix speaks in calm and precise tones.

First, he reassures that everyone is going to be freed. Then he explains the rest.

They have been brought here because they need people for a secret project that is going to require their active and ongoing consenting cooperation. If they decide go through they are going to be rewarded with a lot of material wealth and the best protection and comfort that Dusk and the Dalkaila can provide, which is actually pretty considerable.

However, the exact details of what they are going to do here must remain secret. And as such they can't allow anyone who knows to spread around the information. If they try one way or the other, they will be stopped. And the easiest ways to achieve that is by keeping them around.

So they are going to be given a choice, which can take a few days to decide. They can leave, like the other slaves (with a similar starting cash and ticket to somewhere close in the Galaxy). Or they can stay, and be let in on the secret. Once they know they still can make the decision to go through or not and they are still going to be taken care off regardless of their choice. But of course, they won't be allowed to compromise their secrecy.

Dusk steps up to the podium when he's done; she's looking much more composed today.

"I understand that it's not fair to ask you to make a decision like this without full information. As Felix said, the nature of the project makes that impossible. However, if you'd like to nominate one person whose judgement you trust, we can explain the entire situation to them, with the understanding that if they decide not to stay, I'll wipe their memory of the conversation."

Her audience looks nervously at each other; she scowls slightly. "If we wanted to just keep you, we could. We aren't doing that, because we do need volunteers, and anyone who stays and doesn't volunteer is a drain on our resources. It's in our interest to let you leave if you're going to want to." There's scattered, somewhat dubious nodding. "Is there an obvious candidate?"

Several people look at Anin'tunaw, and she sighs and stands. "I suppose I am."

The Sith nods. "Anyone else?"

Apparently not.

"Come to their office tomorrow after lunch, then."

She's there promptly.

"Hello, Anin'tunaw," Felix is so glad that the translation magic handles pronunciation, "How are you today? Would you mind taking a seat?"

She sits where indicated; she looks fairly intimidated.

That makes a lot of sense.

"I'm going straight to the point. What we are going to offer the ones that stay a new kind of magical power. It isn't the Force, but something completely new. It allows people to create and expand a pocket dimension with traits that are idiosyncratic to the individual and personality-based. The power is called dreamshaping and works during sleep. This facility is in fact inside my pocket dimension and the items I have been giving you by request have all been created into existence out of nothing the night prior and I can do a lot more than that. I'm unusually versatile for a dreamshaper, but many of you will be able to create various things inside your own pocket dimension of comparable value."

"We are doing this because the source of the power, called the dreamshard, wants to be used and does not care if the power is used irresponsible. It would not care if the Sith that invaded us and used it to enslave the entire Galaxy as long it would get new dreamshapers regularly. So we are trying to satiate it's desire for new dreamshapers in a constructive way, because we also want dreamshaping to be a positive force to the Galaxy in the long run."

"Dusk," Trevor interjects, "Is an unusual breed of Sith... she is good, but the key factor is that she is a sane Sith that does not care to become what Siths are know to become even if she also does not mind using the reputation to her own advantage. Are you with us so far?"

Anin'tunaw shoots a skeptical look at Dusk, but nods.

"I don't know that I'd go so far as 'good'," Dusk starts, grinning wryly. "And it's fine that you're skeptical; I'm not asking you to trust me, just to see that this makes sense of what you've seen so far. The dreamshard is calling out through the Force; it'll stop once there are more dreamshapers, but until then we could have more Sith here to see what the noise is about any time. I don't want them to have it."

"-all right. Why us?"

"It was a way to get volunteers without being too informative or too suspicious about our real intentions. ...And would allow us to free some slaves. Dusk specifically requested slaves that are unruly and undisciplined on the grounds that those are more likely to suffer punishments or get murdered by their owners. Then we filtered out those with too much discipline problems to work with us and then the ones with undesirable pocket dimensions, keeping families together."

"Nobody's going to be surprised at a Sith ordering a bunch of unruly slaves and nobody ever hearing from them again. It is a risk letting you go, but not that much of one comparatively."

"Okay."

"What about people who want things you can't just make?"

"That might depend on the specifics. We are going to try our best to provide, but it might just be the case that we won't be able to or it's incompatible with security. It's the sort of thing one must consider while deciding if they want to go forward or not."

"We aren't actually limited for resources; if anyone has family they want us to find and invite - or buy, or steal - we can try to arrange it. And I'm not sure there's much besides that that we can't make - we already have a library of every book published in the Empire, for example."

Anin'tunaw nods, thoughtfully.

"And what will you expect us to do, with these - pocket dimensions?"

"Nothing in particular."