Ciphered Holos

__Access code: *******************
__Access code accepted; bio-signature verified.
Default selection entries opened as Aran.
__Processing records as Aran. New entry...
__Input method selected; vocal entry only.

So. Uh. Few... *sighing and shifting, grunting slightly and the holo shows her looking pale* ....kriff it's been a busy few days.

There was Kali hitting me with this... new spice mix her crew is selling, this V stuff. I thought the syringe had gotten shattered until I started sorta... giggling like a mad drouk. I have a really... really confused memory that I think I started telling Mishka about... *running a hand through her hair* Kriff, I can't quite recall. Then someone started shooting. I... think. Given the other stuff that happened and the fact that I hit consciousness the next morning in the Republic hangar section of Nar, pretty sure at least. V-dex I think. that stuff- kriff, it's... well so you can purge the affects of toxins but I've never had something hit up to an addiction so damned fast. Spent a few days trying to balance out the ... craving with everything from stims to - hell - meditation. It wasn't working too well. In fact it was working pretty poorly, but I'd given some of the spice to Tel and he gave it to Mishka for them to work on a detox for it.

Kali - Sarai - wanted Ranai on a platter for the detox. And - kriff that was tempting. For all of five seconds. But- few days of no sleep, bad shakes, then everything else- it was... getting really tempting. I even spent a few days at the Marran moon - that's a story in and of itself - and... I think it was the grace of the Force that I didn't ... *sighing again* I... still have two hits of the stuff left and after last night- I don't ... need it. Or kriff, want to risk having the stuff neraby. Might send one to an old chemist friend of mine and see about him working on a detox, then give the other 'sample' to Tel again. Need to tell Ranai to watch her back, Sarai... really is out for her. And sure, I can get it - Sarai has a point, you know? Ranai's tried to kill Xan more than a few times and made personal attacks on Sarai too. I can get the desire for blood - hell, I had it. But- I can tell myself either it's 'cause we have a contract for a job with Ranai and her people that's got my head cooled or the fact that she and I had a fight and I beat her but either way, she doesn't deserve being handed over for Sarai's idea of fun.

Not yet at least. I'll be honest, once we don't have a common goal I think we're going to have problems again and my attitude might mellow but- maybe not. Sarai though... I didn't ... I didn't realize she knew that name and I heard the click of the camera. I have no idea what she's planning.

Maybe I'll just give Mai a story she can publish, not one off the records. *chuckling* But kriff, who knew Mai Cash knew someone involved in this whole Proteus kark... I didn't know she knew K'raal, and since I know K'raal knows some of the same people Ranai does... it's odd. It prolly is just that Mai knows nearly everyone, and whoever she doesn't know she has to know someone who does know them. Woman knows more than a moon's worth of people and half of them, their life stories!

Mychae... I owe her a real explanation. I've got a room with her auntie - the same one who has a hooker army summonable by credits - at the moment at the Rat thanks to her, and the place is such like nothing I've never been to before. And... well I promised her everything. Which is going to include everything I've dug up on Brecker and who hired him too, so she knows. I've got ... well, soon as I can get myself safely into Republic space, I've got someone to go... visit. I think I've got a few ideas where Brecker's place is, going to convince him to... rethink being interested. Hell, I'll take my saber, blaster, and my little old knife collection. Just to be more convincing. Mychae - promised her a very drunken full chat. She - don't think she cares. But I care I guess, or at least want her to know waht's really there before she does stuff like... give me more explosives.

Which I really need to thank her for. Thinking I might take a trip to Voss, before I avoid the planet, and blow up the buildings I know Proteus had been using. After making sure no one is in them, of course... But still, I... *trailing off before softly swearing* I was at Kaas, the Sanctum, because I gave my word to Kell that I'd go there to look for the kids. So I pulled out my armor, fitted my mask on - I figured that'd be better than staying around someplace more, given the fact that our second office on the upper Promenade was the site of an attack. Some hunter working for Proteus, Jacen Climz....getting ahead of myself.

I hired Tervho to look for any information on Jacen Climz for me. The guy worked around Nar, took some jobs and stopped by for a better contract, wasn't sure he was going to sign on for long-term so asked for a single deal. Those have much lower, well, screening processes, and was handing the details over to Jacen when he asked me why I hadn't asked about his mask. I tend to appreciate when I pull off being mistaken for, well, sighted so... but that I hadn't noticed. He got me with some... gas? And then the fire-fight started. The only reason I didn't lose was - I got saved. Alasha and Calo-din. Alasha distracted Jacen and when Calo-din reached out in the Force- kriff I was desperate. Calo-din helped me get out but Alasha lost the chance to capture the hunter. He said something about 'you can't always be there' I think but- kriff. Close one. I was barely moving by the time we got out of there and took a few minutes to get my breath caught enough. Ended up getting escorted to the clinic later on that night and getting a lung treatment before the coughing really stopped.

Then just yesterday, Mai comes up to me and tells me Tervho promised her a karking huge pile of credits to look into the Jacen thing! After I hired him? Kriff, not sure what to make of that other than an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'm probably just over-reacting, might be more since I had nothing other than a name to give him, he needs more than that before he can try to track the guy. That... yeah, kriff I'm just paranoid. He's a nice one, and honorable, so calm down Book, just stop seeing too much into everything.

Well, so after the office got a bit destroyed and I recalled the promise I made to Kell, I spent a few hours snooping around Kaas City. Ran into a Sith, had no idea who it was- until he gave me his name. Proteus. Which is the name of the Sith who had his hands on Torlem, the padawan thinks he's got something to do with his issues with the Force. After... well I think he's right, to say the least. My cover there has a pretty limited file built up so when he asked for it, I handed it over and very quickly made my way to the spaceport. Well, quickly as a Sith does when not trying to attract attention. Which- it wasn't that fast. And then Proteus and another Sith were waiting at the spaceport, blocking my way to my ship. Which is still on Kaas, and not sure I'm willing to risk getting it back any time soon.

Good thing it was cleared out of anything and any tech ages ago. I got to my ship and he knew. Somehow he knew who I was. I don't know how he knew but- he knew. He called me Book, he knew and kriff, I tried to bluster it out. I was even fooling myself into thinking that maybe he bought it but the other Sith with him waited until I'd begun to walk before moving and the blustering lasted maybe a few minutes before it was painfully obvious that they didn't buy the attempt. If I'd tried harder to get away, maybe... not sodding ... I still had to in the end... if I'd tried to attack them both, maybe I'd have gotten away instead of not.

I still got away but it was... after we got on the planet. Which was Voss. And that is why when Mychae lent and gave me lots and lots of explosives, I know exactly where I want to use them. See Proteus has a building and although I ended up leaving him a corpse of a dead guard and a fully functional, repaired door panel, I want to give him more. Like a smoking ruin of a storage facility. It'd be a lovely present. Might frame it with a timed, triggered little recording of verse seventy-nine of the Hutt, the Jedi, and the Sith. *humming a snatch of tune under her breath for a moment, singing briefly 'And then the lot bent o'r t' do it again' before she stopped*

I keep thinking about- I could go to Tython a bit. I want to. It'd make things easier. Kriff, so much easier. And then what - I can't protect anyone or help anyone there while I wait for the Council. And- sure I'd get something I want back. But I think Toreel was really right, maybe. I don't deserve to get it back, or have it. I... *she stopped, staring at her hands and with an effort, a look of rage flickering across her face, a tinged-red glow is almost visible around her fingertips before the emotion seems to die out, leaving her looking drained and pained from whatever she did, voice tired* I should leave Krenthor's saber with someone who will at least value what it means to me. Kriff now I just don't know what to do. What good would getting it back do? What do I risk destroying if I take that chance?

Kashira was broken out of Belsavis. The once-vaunted public face of the Black Barge Collective. Kreighton had asked me to help out someone who was going to set up a branch of the Fifth Column on Nar and I gave my word. And it turned out to be Kashira. And- she didn't pull blasters on me, or anything that I expected. Kreighton and I talked about that, once she stalked off, I'm glad he agreed and was worried about the change too.

Kriff, the Fifth Column... They're watching Sarai's group, Nar - everything I think. Gathering information and people. And I know that the Republic would want to know about them, the Council would want to know about them- but it's obvious I'm not a spook, I don't work for anyone who doesn't pay me, unless I want to, now. And I can't seem to see a whole lot of bad in them, right now.

Maybe I'm not looking hard, or I don't want to just yet. I just got out of piling up jobs and bodies for the Barge, and there's a few remnants of the Barge around who I've tracked or been tracked down by. Kuronan, for one. And then to have Kashira land in my lap like this... Kreighton and that crew have been... helpful. They're keeping eyes peeled on folks stirring up trouble, putting their own brand of law into practice I think, and ever since the trouble I had with Kali, they've been watching her. So when she and I went up to talk away from everything, they were watching. I guess since I don't know what to do about the Fifth Column right now, I'm going to go with my gut - help, listen, and observe. Get my files on them fleshed out more. I'm not sure ... I keep getting asked why me and her people have problems. I could tick off at least ten reasons. Wait, at least eleven. What the kriff is she doing knowing that name, with a photo of me now... right, think on other things.

Need to find Jaelira. Need to finish that map of where Proteus' building is. Need to make sure no one gets found. Need to find Jacen Climz. Need to... *sighing, she continues to rattle everything off, from drinking with Mychae to trying to get more information on what happened to Kashira*