New Face Same Mind

The Ninth Sister sneered at Ryze as she used the force to lift him up and carry him out of the ship. "You're coming with me..."

Once back to her ship, she secured Ryze to a containment cell on her shuttle before she found a pair of stormtroopers coming up the ramp with the young jedi and a comatose bird-like creature. Both troopers had clear burn marks where acid had eaten through their armor. And they clearly looked tired and exasperated.

"What happened to you two? That jedi young one prove to be too much for you?" The Ninth Sister said with a smirk.

"No, ma'am... The..." One trooper wasn't willing to admit what had happened.

"Damn bird spat acid at us! Stunned the bugger... it was guarding her. I'm gonna pluck it and cook it for the trouble it gave us."

The Ninth Sister laughed. "You will do no such thing! Put it in a containment cell, I wish to keep it alive... such a savage little beast merits respect."

The stormtroopers growled and put Carla away in a container.

---

Mar looked to Ring then to VT. "What sort of bad things? Something happen to Ryze?" He could already sense it through the force... A pained look flooded his features as he rubbed his head, trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do... with nothing. No ship, no lightsaber, no padawan... Suddenly Mar felt more lost than ever before... His hand instinctively went to where his pendant containing Tal's lightsaber crystal resided, only to find it gone. And then he realized that he had given it to Serenity for luck.

---

Mira nodded as Thrass left. "You be safe there. And find Mar in one piece, please?"

Mira then looked to Ghost. "I'm sure everything will be fine." However the look on Keran's face said otherwise.

"A great shadow looms over Mandalore..." Keran said. "And I sense great discord in the hearts of our companions..." Keran looked to Mira. "We need to find a way off this planet... and soon..."

---

Liden's eyes opened. The procedure had worked. Her eyes had opened! Real eyes! A jolt of excitement went over her as she felt her face. No longer bound to that pitiful form that had been kept together with technology and hate. She sat up, feeling the cool air on her skin. Then she looked to Jin'Lor and nodded. "Thank you." The emotion in her voice was palpable.

"My lady..." A guard said with a bow. "The Ninth Sister has returned with prisoners. The one like Jin'Lor, and a young Jedi and some... very angry animal..." The guard stammered at that last point.

Liden smiled as she dressed herself in a black robe next to the operating table. "Excellent news. Jin'lor... You can do with Ripper how you see fit. As for the jedi girl I want quarters prepared for her. The animal... put it in a cage but put it in the quarters with the jedi... Understood?"

The guard looked flummoxed but nodded. "It shall be done, my lady."

Liden looked to Jin'Lor. "This body feels amazing." She leaned in and kissed him. "You are to be commended." She smirked and waltzed out of the lab. "Now... I have a guest to entertain..."

When Liden entered the quarters prepared for Serenity she was dressed in a rather lavish dark dress that clung to her. "Hello. I hope my men weren't rough with you... Would you like some water? Something to eat? I can get you pretty much anything." Liden smiled at the young girl, studying her, seeing how she'd react.