Chapter 9.

Bruakal was sick of looks his forced haircut got him from the spacers in each of the seedy bars D’Ryn and he went into looking for someone to fence their stolen ship too. But then again the reputation the quick-tempered Jedi and his hair-trigger lightsaber skills where getting them, they were definitely being taken seriously by any of the less reputable buyers they did manage to find. He sighed as yet another buyer glanced nervously at the blankly staring Jedi. D’Ryn eyes remained distant and flat as he studied their table companion. Bruakal elbowed D’Ryn sharply in the side hard enough to send the smaller sophont nearly tumbling from his chair. He recovered and glanced over at the wookie, his face had remained blank never showing the faintest twitch of emotion. But he did stop studying the shabby looking Bothan who was talking into a translator quickly. Bruakal listened to the offer and agreed to meet the Bothan at their hanger to look at the ship in a few hours. They parted company without touching or shaking hands as the humans tended to do.

D’Ryn watched the Bothan go, his presence leaving little flickers of afterimages as he moved away. The force had taken on an odd quality since he had killed the hutt responsible for his master’s death. Instead of the usual high-speed flashes of images that assaulted him every time he studied someone closely with the force, he was just seeing quick snapshots highlighting their actions. The Bith wasn’t a bad sort really he had a run of bad luck recently and was trying to scrape his way back to legitimacy by any means possible. Bruakal didn’t say anything to him just lead the way as they left the dimly lit lounge. Thousands of images flitted in front of him as they made their way slowly through the crowded main corridors of the station. The images slashed at him, forcing him to see things he had never wanted to behold. a mother slapped her crying child till only whimpers came from the huddled bundle, a son yelled abuse at his parents and stormed out leaving the home broken full imagined slights and undeserved rebukes, all around it whirled till blissfully it all vanished pushed back.

D’Ryn blinked dazed as his eyes cleared and he noticed finally that the corridor had frozen and a large circle of space had opened around him. He glanced down at the glowing lightsaber in his clenched fist, puzzled he had could not remember having drawn it. He searched panic gradually building for Bruakal. Relief poured over him as his friend shoved through the crowd growling at his delay.

Bruakal shoved his way towards D’Ryn, life debt or no, this was the last straw. The Jedi had to get a hold of himself or be left behind. He opened his mouth to say just that but D’Ryn beat him to it.

“Bruakal! Thank goodness, my friend!” D’Ryn stumbled over to him. Puzzled Bruakal looked at the smaller Jedi.

“Here, take this, I need to meditate. Until then I can’t trust myself with it keep it safe!” D’Ryn thrust his lightsaber into Bruakal's huge hand. Thankfully he had remembered to switch it off, but that had been out of years of long habit, not a real plan or thought on his part. It just showed how badly he needs to focus. Bruakal nodded and guided his gratefully babbling friend towards their hanger. The rapid mood shifts more concerning than the sullen silence that had been his norm.