31 Chapter

The last few weeks were spent going over the derelict from top to bottom, deck by deck to note what hull breaches, systems and any other kinds damage needed to be repaired, as well as gathering up and identifying all the remains that the crew could find in between their other duties. Frankly, I'm a bit amazed. For a ship that's been sitting within a planetary ring for four thousand years, it's in a rather good condition.

Or rather, that was what my crew has been doing...Once I was actually back on Clear Skies Commander Swan refused to let me leave. She said I'd already had my fun, and that I wasn't allowed back onto the Pearl before I had a vacuum rated suit.

It struck me as being a little odd how our work relationship was going. Was it really the XO's job to boss the Captain around? Still, she had a point and while everyone but the Honor sisters were busy going through the wreck, I was finally finishing up the work on my armor.

Flexing my wings in the depressurized hangar bay, I feel the flight controls respond to the movement. My body is encased in stylized armor, shining purple and blue. Between my wing's is a small power cell, the same kind the Drones are using. Along the rear side of the wings are the thrusters. Every joint on this thing is powered. I am a walking, talking, badass bird of power armored prey. I am finally, truly a Morrigi male.

Well, if it worked.

I let go of the deck, floating up and forward in the microgravity as I slowly accelerated out of the bay to fly under the stars. Going slow, I performed the final calibrations needed on the suit's systems. Then, taking a deep breath, I start out doing a slow lazy loop around Clear Skies and the Black Pearl before hitting the throttle and going for a ride through the ring around the planet, making my way over to the hangar of the Black Pearl afterward to meet with Commander Swan.

Coming in for my landing, I flex my wings to reduce my speed as I cross the newly activated air shield, my metal claws scraping against the metal deck as I touch down.

I then entered the code to disengage the helmet on the wrist controls as the doors to the hangar swish open, allowing Command Swan to stride in. The helmet folds down quickly, allowing me to spread my feathers happily. It works! To fly between the stars again...Swan finishes striding up to me, taking in my suit and no doubt reviewing my...acrobatics on the way over. She stops right in front of me and shakes her head in disbelief. "Captain, That's a spaceship, not a vacsuit."

I trill in amusement and reply.

"Why use something that simply protects against vacuum when you can spread your wings and fly?"

She once again shakes her head, this time dismissing the whole topic. "Either way, we are ready to head out. Mekak, Icri, Cormac and Padme will come with me on the Skies and the rest are going to stay with you to get this thing going. We are heading straight to Coruscuant, we should be able to find the parts we need there."

I thought about this a moment, then gave a single affirmative head bob.

"We should be able to hold the fort. It's not like anyone will stumble over us out here or else someone would have already found this thing. Besides, the weapons and shields are still in working order. Unless they bring a military-grade corvette we should be able to fight them off."

She doesn't look that assured by my statement but agrees anyway. "Good luck, Captain."

I trilled again.

"You're the ones that will need good luck. You're the ones who'll be fighting with the salesmen on Coruscant, they're more dangerous than any pirate!"

10 hours of inspecting the outside of the Pearl later, I am curled up on my pillows in the Captain's cabin. I had been checking the hull for damage on behalf of my chief engineer, being used as some kind of sapient camera. I was doing that job because I could get closer to check details than any of the Crows (half of which had been left behind by the Clear Skies), at least not without ADDING to the damage.

I yawn slightly and then reach into my bag to pull out the pyramid. It's clearly a holocron, but...is it Sith or Jedi? I inspect it for a few minutes before shaking my head.

There were only two ways for me to find out which. The first would be to either hand it over to the Jedi. Then I'd never get it back and, if no one stopped Palpatine, it would fall into his hands when the Jedi fell.

The other choice was to activate it myself.

Letting out a slow breath after wrestling with that little dilemma, I flooded the holocron with The Force before placing it on the floor as the corners twisted in a quarter circle, a hologram appearing above it.

"I am Keltor, Lord of the Sith!" The image said, spreading it's arms. The figure was wearing a mask of some sort and a dark robe with the hood pulled up over its head, hiding all but the mask.

After a pause, the image continued speaking. "You seek the knowledge of the Sith and I can give it to you, if you prove yourself worthy!"

I raised an eyebrow. Oh Really? "I shall do no such thing, Darth Bathrobe. I couldn't give a toss about the 'secrets of the Sith.'"

Memory engram or not, that got his attention. "What?" It growled, GROWLED!, and I gave an eloquent shrug.

"The Sith are simply a bunch of egoistical megalomaniac psychopaths with a black leather fetish and anger management issues. I have no intention of joining your little club."

"The Dark Side will make you Strong if you follow the Code of the Sith." It said, adopting a stance it no doubt expected to look mysterious.

Really? This was what Revan was after?

"I already know the Sith code, Darth Bathrobe, and while better than the current Jedi one, it still leaves much to be desired." I answered, laying down to watch the cube's VI process that.

The image crossed it's arms, scornfully. "You are a Jedi..."

"Wrong, nor do I have any more intention of joining their corrupt little cult than I have of joining your BDSM club." I snarked, chuckling before continuing. "Now, the question is what to do with you. I suppose I could hand you over to the Jedi, I'm sure they would be greatly interested in a holocron as old as yours."

Despite the mask, the image actually looked startled, dropping its arms at that reply. "The Jedi, Corrupt?"

"What else would you call casual mind control at a whim?" I shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, they do far more good than ill and are a balancing force in the Republic. But I see change on the horizon and the Jedi would never survive it. Not as they are now."

The hologram sighed before removing the mask while pushing it's hood back. "It makes me sad to hear what has happened to my old order." It said, revealing an old man with grey hair.

I blinked. "I thought you where Sith?"

He chuckled and shrugged, shaking his head sardonically.

"That was the idea. My creator left me as Sith bait. A Jedi Holocron with the knowledge of the Sith...if I was able to turn even one to the light side my creation would have been worth the effort. At least, that was my master's intention. My name, my real name is Nerok, Jedi Master Nerok of the Jedi Order."

I raised both eyebrows and leaned my head closer to the image. "Really? That was the plan? How is that going for you?"

"Never said it was a good plan, he just thought it was worth a try." He replied, folding his arms in the standard Jedi stance that seems to be multi-versal. "Besides, with the number of Jedi who have fallen to the Dark Side due to Sith holocrons, he felt it would be more than fair to try to return the favor."

I snorted and stood, stretching out my body in a serpentine wave. "Well, I don't trust you as far as I can throw you. What you are saying may turn out to be just a trick to get me to become a raving lunatic with a leather fetish."

He quirked a slight smile at my quip. "It might, you are quite correct. But holocrons are, in the end, a repository of knowledge and wisdom, nothing more. I am simply the image left behind by my creator to help access it. You choose what to ask me...and you can trust my answers or not, that's up to you."

I sat on my haunches, sinking back into my pillows slightly as I looked down at his image. "I still think you are too dangerous to keep around, but I will think on your words."

However, before I could channel The Force into it again, it shut itself down.I stared for a bit, then prodded it gently, alert for any sort of reaction, before putting it into the bag again.

Sith bait...yeah, right. While he might be telling the truth, he is much more likely trying to lure me into the Dark side. Then again, he was technically correct...he could only give me answers and information. Nothing more.

It was up to me what to do with what information he gave out.

I frowned and flared my feathers a bit, before forcibly calming myself and rolling over to get some sleep. I can worry about it tomorrow.