STAR WARS: RETROSPECTON- Song of Remembrance

Alek gathers his stuff together "come on Tar, time to go!" He turns to the kid "What about Takuan, do you need a hand with him?"

"Nah," says the boy. "Leave him here. And her too. She stays."

Tarinda does not complain about that and helps you strap on the breathing mask that the boy hands you.

The ramp is lowered and a boiling fog rolls into the ship, curling about your feet. It is nigh impenetrable. You can hardly see the bottom of the ramp.

The boy walks down into the fog.

"Come on," he says impatiently.

With a shrug Alek grabs his case and follows the boys lead being careful of the vents.

The world beyond the ship is a sea of steam, humid and unbearably warm. The ground beneath your feet is barely solid, squishing with each step.

"Stay close or you're dead," the boy says. The oppressive atmosphere dampens what he says, so he punctuates what he says with a throat-slitting motion.

You are not really sure where he is leading you, but he is guiding you around the steam vents he spoke of- narrow slits in the muddy earth disgorging plumes of superheated steam. They look unpleasant.

Alek sighs as he looks around "Not the most inviting place, but I guess you dont get so many unwanted visiters huh?" He says as he follows him closely.

"Yeah," says the boy. "I hate it here, but that means everyone else probably does here and they'll avoid it."

Guiding you around the steam vents causes this walk to take longer. You come upon a particularly large steam vent. This one isn't spewing steam and the earth around it is dried and cracked.

"Jump in," says the boy.

Alek looks down the shaft a bit apprehensively "Um... You first, age before beauty and all that!"

The boy responds by snapping a kick into your midsection, sending you falling into the pit.

You land heavily on more cracked, dry soil after a short fall. The steam/fog is less dense down here and you can see a little better. It is dark.

Alek gets up, dusts himself off and says 'do that again and you may regret it!' He looks around for the way to go.

The boy drops in gracefully behind you.

There are three tunnels branching off from this one. The boy picks the one to your right and tells you to follow.

Alek shrugs and follows the boy

You follow the boy into the dark tunnel. It is very narrow- only room for one person at a time. There is light up ahead and the tunnel deposits into a large cavern.

The cavern appears to have been converted into a living area. Power generators, running on low levels, are supplying power to a series of devices around the perimeter of the cave. There is furniture and equipment jumbled all over the place.

On the far end, staring intently at a dimly-lit hologram, is an older man. He turns and sees you, then rises from the couch. He is of average height and has a sharp goatee, his graying hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wears a black cloak that hides his figure.

"You have arrived," he says in a deep voice.

"Er... Yes I have..." Alek replies somewhat bemused "Now who are you, if you don't mind?"

"My name," the man says, "is Hajid. I trust Balto said nothing of where you were being brought, or why?"

"Indeed, he kept absolutely schum about it all" Alek nods in confirmation. "I trust that is going to change sometime about now?" He asks pleasantly. "Oh, and if you don't mind, what is to become of my friend Tarinda?"

Hajid looks to Balto.

"He wouldn't leave without his girlfriend," Balto says.

"Ah," Hajid says. "I see. Why is that, Alek?"

Because without her help, Takuan and myself would be in the hands of the Karkavan law. As it is Takuan is lucky to be alive." He lifts his chest defiantly and continues "So it was only right to see her safely off world!" He snorts and nods with finality.

Hajid strokes his goatee.

"Interesting," Hajid says. "I suppose ultimately it is a selfish act. I sense she means something to you? No matter. We shall see to it that she is made welcome here, despite the inhospitable nature of this planet."

"Thank you" He looks around "Now where exactly is 'here' and what is it you want from me?"

"All in good time," Hajid says. "Takuan must be prepared to speak with us before I will speak with you about what it is I want. Just know that the life you were leading was a lie, and I will help bring you back to the truth!"

You notice, after adjusting to the dim lighting, that Hajid is dressed rather barbarically. He wears the clothes of a drifter, with cobbled pieces of armor.