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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on May 25, 2017 20:08:04 GMT -8
The questions continued for another few hours, but little more progress was made. The prisoners were fed & given drink on a regular scheduled. For the next few days though, they were left completely alone. Their only contact was the silent droid that delivered their food & water. For most people solitude was one of the more effective breaking tactics, especially those that are used to regular activity & interaction. On the fifth day, the questioning would resume. As before the prisoner would be asked set questions, but coerced to answer. Once again, Sillonire entered the cell of the jedi & sat in the chair.
-Sillonire Good morning. State your name, rank & identification number for the records, please.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2017 9:38:48 GMT -8
Alaara spent much of her time meditating in between sleeping. Her only concept of time was the delivery of her meals by the droid, with whom she interacted minimally with. Beyond that, it was hard to tell the Togrutan Jedi Knight was thriving or perishing under such conditions, or whether she was still alive at times. The other prisoners took to doing minimal exercises within their cells, recanting old stories, and trying to solve problems they had experienced in the past. As many of them were primarily engineers, the separation from contact was not as taxing as it would have been for others. Alaara came out of her meditation as Sillonire entered the cell and sat down "Welcome back Major... Didn't forget about me after all, eh? And it's Jedi Knight Alaara Zaan... I can't help but wonder what it is you hope to gain from this..." Meanwhile, as before, the other operatives remained stoic as before, responding with their name, ranks, and identification numbers. Although, when pressed, they would reiterate only partial details of the operation they performed. If the interrogators expected any details beyond that, they would be exerting their effort in vain. Any intel they had, pertained to past operations. They had not been read in on any other current or future operations, or even who the important players were within the Alliance. They knew only those they served in their regular militaries and a handful of those they had served within on various planetary defenses
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on May 28, 2017 15:22:38 GMT -8
-Sillonire Would you like the pleasant lie or the unfortunate truth?
In truth, Sillonire was fairly certain that none of the operatives knew anything. The chance of success, even with jedi magic, had been slim. The chances of escape had been effectively non-existent. Groups usually didn't send valuable or knowledgeable resources off to their deaths or probable capture for the strategically minimal impact of a single shipyard ring. There was a very slight chance that one of the prisoner might know some secret that had signed the unit's death warrant, but the chances that they would find it were so small that Sillonire would prefer to just shoot the entire lot now & save the trouble.
-Sillonire How did you acquire the clearance codes for Shipyard Ring 27?
On a smaller scale, the prisoners would have a wealth of secondary information about the rebel operations & set up. However, without alternative sources to back up the information, nothing learned could be trusted enough to be used. In short, even if she had a full & detailed life story from each of them, it would still be completely worthless to her. Word had reached her, however, that the Warlord was interested in Rebel prisoners. Ones that were intact & healthy as possible. He played the brute well enough to cow the new recruits, but Sillonire had seen more than that lurking behind his black eyes. There was a cunning, vicious snake lurking behind the facade of the brute. The Novas were technically commanded by a fop of a noble that had never seen the heat of combat, but it was the Warlord that truly commanded them. Though it was a quiet thing of whispers & rumors that could never really be proved.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 17:25:23 GMT -8
"I do much prefer the truth. I'm sure you appreciate the truth as well..." Alaara was fairly certain that Sillonire was going to stick to her line of questioning. But there was definitely some leeway as to her feelings about answering questions. As a part of her meditation, she had thought much about the operation on Bilbringi. There were things that did not quite feel right about the whole situation, and she intended to learn from the Major why that was. She just had to ask the right questions, whilst answering the right way "We hijacked a transport headed for Bilbringi. After that, we coerced the information we needed from the officers..." Time would only tell where this would all lead. But Alaara and her men were more than willing and ready to take that journey. And if they should need to die to find that destination, then each of them was willing to make that sacrifice
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on May 30, 2017 21:12:25 GMT -8
If it good the prisoner talking more, the Major was willing to wander off topic with her. Of course, she will still work to keep things on topic.
-Sillonire I don't really expect to learn anything from you. I expect you & your men to remain in those cages until you die trying to break out or are executed. In either case you will be dead & I will move on to the next assignment.
It was a brutally frank answer, but the Jedi were a religion & SIllonire's experience with various religions tended toward the types that liked to go down in a blaze of glory or auto-immolate themselves.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2017 12:15:34 GMT -8
It was quite the frank answer, but Alaara did not let it phase her. Death was just the transition from the physical Force to the ethereal Force. She would merely be returning to that which she had come from, like all things did. Instead she kept to her mission to gather information. For death did not have to necessarily be the outcome of these events. The Force at times might lead you down one path, only to reveal another hidden path to follow if you were ready and willing "Well I am afraid that you will only be disappointed if you are expecting an escape attempt Major. We consigned ourselves to death the moment we accepted the mission to raid the shipyards. So it will have to be execution... Though I can't help but wonder what dark corner you will be reassigned too. After all, I cannot imagine your masters will be too pleased about what happened over Bilbringi... Maybe it wont just be us facing execution. The Empire was quite famous for executing officers that failed them. I don't imagine the First Order will have changed that mentality much... It would be fitting though, to retain some former customs for those retaining their old armour..." Perhaps it was nothing, but Alaara suspected there was some significance to the Novatroopers retaining the old Stromtrooper frown over the new smile that had earned them the Smileytrooper moniker
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on May 31, 2017 19:01:35 GMT -8
-Sillonire You might be surprised by how much we retain. What kind of explosives were used?
Truthfully, Sillonire wasn't too worried that a writ of execution might be handed down for a Novatrooper. For one thing, they were already rotated through the worst assignments that High Command could get away with. The goal likely had been the eventual disbanding of the Battalions. But unit cohesion was simply too high to be broken down that way. All they had managed to do was make the Novas close ranks even more against the First Order structure. At this point they were very nearly waiting for the spark that would cause everything to go up in flames. A execution order would be just about the worst move High Command could make. The only way that would end would be most it not all the Novatrooper battalions loose in First Order territory & wreaking havoc.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2017 9:42:57 GMT -8
"Perhaps, but very little surprises me Major..." And there they were, falling back into the standard line of questioning. The Major was efficient if nothing else. She knew how to transition between their conversation and doing her job effortlessly. Considering they had established that Alaara and her men were marked for death, she could only assume the questioning was either a torture tactic of some sort to try wear her down, or a way for the Major to maintain routine "Seismic charges... I doubt it would do any harm for you to answer this... but what is with retaining your old armour? Do you feel more frightening when you're not smiling your enemy to death? Although, I suppose from a certain angle, it can be a very sinister grin..."
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jun 3, 2017 17:19:30 GMT -8
Sillonire doubted there would be any harm in telling the jedi the reason. As far as she knew, jedi could not communicate telepathically & even if they count, the cell should be able to block it.
-Sillonire The basic materials are an improvement from the Old mark three armor. But with the much wide distribution & much smaller industrial base than the Galactic Empire, the First Order had to find corners to cut in order to reduce cost. The new suits have all the technological functions of ancient plate armor & the environmental protection of wearing a wet cloth over your face.
The older mark threes had been good enough by the battle of Yavin that the wearer could go walking in space with nothing more than an air pack. & even then only if they wanted to stay out for longer than half an hour. In every field except arms fire the mark four design was inferior.
-Sillonire The technicians that came along with the Novatrooper Battalions felt it would be easier to use the new materials with the older molds.
Of course, it would have been easier to make new molds outright than convert the older molds to the new material. But it was not something that was flaunted, even to condemned souls. Reaching into an inner pocket, Sillonire removed a lightsabre that would be intimately familiar to the imprisoned jedi.
-Sillonire What about you? Why cling to flashy weapons like this? I've been in battles & seen the butchery that can be done with something like this in the wrong hands. I shudder to think what could be managed with a real weapon.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2017 16:20:03 GMT -8
Were it not for the cage, Alaara could have very well communicated with others through the force had they been close enough. As it was, her fellow team members were the only people close by, and even then, it would be pointless to tell them anything she learned. They were not any more likely to survive this ordeal than she was. But all that aside, Alaara sat and listened to Sillonire's reasoning regarding the armour. It was curious to hear such a comparison of the new smiletrooper armour made. By all Alliance intel accounts, the armour was as good, if not better than the older suits. But that was certainly one explanation for the Novatrooper nostalgia "That begs the question... if the First Order is so short on resources.. how did the Novatroopers manage to make, in your words, better suits?" Alaara's attention was then drawn to the lightsaber that Sillonire then drew from her pocket. Alaara had modelled it after the saber of the most famous Togrutan Jedi to live during the fall of the Republic, Shaak Ti. There was also the distant familial connection the pair shared thanks to an ancestor of theirs. It had briefly given her pause to see her lightsaber in the hands of an Imperial, but she was able to control herself and respond to the Major's questions "An old Jedi Master once called the lightsaber a symbol of the Jedi Order. He said that anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter, but to use a lightsaber required more skill than simple sight. Lightsabers are a true testament to a person's skill and ability. They can only be constructed by those that have trained and proven their worth to the Force. Yes, great butchery can be be done with it, but so too can the same be said of a blaster rifle... or the superweapons that your Empire's so love to construct..."
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jun 5, 2017 17:01:28 GMT -8
-Sillonire The Novas did not come to the First Order with empty hands.
In truth, they had showed up with the majority of the Deep Core backing them up. Much of the population this deep in was more loyal to the Warlord than the First Order, as he had personally lead them through the Core Civil War with few losses. Of course, officially all of their production was being rerouted to support the First Order. Unofficially however, it had been easy enough to swing the needed production. The real heart however was the super heavy freighter that had been refitted as a mobile weapon & armor factory. Technically, it was a hold over from the Civil War that would allow the warlords forces to resupply & restock far quicker during conquests than they should be able to. Anyone that tried to find it however would find themselves chasing a never ending string of 'just missed it' & 'they didn't stop here' messages. The ship itself was hidden here in the Prakith system though, in the far reaches of the system's outer ice cloud.
-Sillonire A symbol indeed. You might as well wear a holo sign flashing 'jedi' as to ignite one of these. It seems pointlessly elitist to me for someone to wield an inefficient weapon just because of the skill required to use it. It also reeks of pride. Give me a hundred people & a hundred blaster rifles & I will give you back a hundred soldiers. Give me a hundred people & a hundred lightsabres & I will give you back ninety-nine corpses & one being smart enough not to have picked the thing up.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2017 10:04:45 GMT -8
Sillonire's response made it quite apparent that the Novatrooper's thought quite highly of themselves, to believe that they had brought to the FO some great bounty of resources. It was more likely that it was sheer hubris that made her believe that. But if that was what she wanted to believe, than Alaara would not stop the Major. After all, she didn't exactly have any specific proof to counter such claims "Pointlessly eltist? Coming from a Major within a corp that wears black and gold armour? Tell me, how many people are allowed to join the Novatroopers? And to what function have you served past Empire's? Unlike your fancy black and gold armour, a lightsaber is a far more efficient weapon. The mere sight of a blade igniting can cause a foe to second guess their motives, and rally soldiers together. Where your blaster rifle runs out of rounds, my lightsaber can deflect those very blaster bolts right back at you. There is next to no material in all the galaxy that can withstand a saber... deflect it briefly, suffer multiple strikes, yes. But a lightsaber will cut right through your precious armour. Fancy coloured armour... that reeks of pride. Yes, you could give someone a hundred soldiers with a hundred blaster rifles. But to them, everything becomes something to shoot, to blow up, an enemy because something is not them. Give me a hundred force sensitive people, with hundred lightsabers, and I will give you a hundred people capable of thinking for themselves. Capable of defeating five times as many of your soldiers. Able to avert unnecessary wars and let people retain their freedom. Jedi can be diplomats or warriors. Your soldiers will shoot what they are told to shoot by someone who thinks that humanity is the superior race and has a divine right to rule over all others. Because what? You believe you are the peak of civilization? Because your numbers are greater than ours? Your empires rise and fall in a matter of generations, Major, but the Jedi and free worlds have existed for forty thousand years. Not even your great Galactic Empire could wipe us out. Yet you still cling to their ideals. Why? For what reason do you willingly cling to a losing side for? It must give you great satisfaction to trample upon the freedom of others, to justify your own imprisonment to the great and glorious Empire that you believe you freely serve..."
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jun 6, 2017 14:43:38 GMT -8
Sillonire was about to reply when she stopped herself. She wasn't the one in the cage. If she lost control of the interrogation it would ruin any future sessions. Getting drawn into a political debate would be the quickest way to surrender control to the prisoner.
-Sillonire Politics is best left to academics & politicians. Where was your base of origin?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2017 9:41:41 GMT -8
Alaara laughed then, The Major's comments having just proven the point she was trying to make "See, that is exactly the point I was making Major. You're so shuttered into your role as a soldier, that the moment someone challenges the ideals that you are fighting for, you figure it is better to let politicians deal with the so called politics. The right to be free and live a life without fear is not a political agenda. It is our duty to ensure that those who cannot fight do not have these rights taken from them by those with power..." Alaara was unsure whether Sillonire would understand the point she was making. The Imperials were notorious for discarding those who could not contribute to the war effort. Those who did not conform, were killed. What resulted, was a generation of brain washed children who were enslaved to the Imperial way of life. The old Jedi Order had not been much better when the Republic was at its greatest strength. But the Jedi had reformed their ways thanks to the chance they were given to learn from the past "As for our base of origin... It has probably moved several times by now. Before you know it, our base will be where ever we are now..."
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jun 8, 2017 19:47:45 GMT -8
Sillonire's eyes narrowed.
-Sillonire You have a few facts twisted. You seem to view me as a mindless wind up toy. Yes, I am aware they Empire has problems. Every system does. But at least it tries to do something about the problems. Unlike your ever so high & mighty Old Republic, which was so corrupt & weak that it couldn't do anything about the slavery flourishing along the entire outer rim. Even if it had wanted to, which I find doubtful from the records. The same government that let dozens of other nations grow up throughout it & allowed the unity of the galaxy to fracture under sedition. The same sedition that led the galaxy into its current war torn state. Though it is hard to blame them with the ever so pure example of the Jedi Order protecting the peace & justice of the galaxy.
She nearly spit those two words. A vile curse that showed what she though of that ancient organization.
-Sillonire Yes, the Empire was more militant by far than the Republic was. It had to be to clean up the mess left by the Republic. If it hadn't been for your Rebel assassins destroying much of the high command over Endor, we might have actually had peace instead of another hundred years of bloodshed & warfare as every petty tin pot dictator & chancellor tried to climb to the top of the heap on the bones of their neighbors. You want to see the price of your oh so valued freedom? Go look at the oceans of blood split in the name of freedom.
With a few taps on her datapad, a hologram of a face appeared over it & the machine began to speak. She set it on the chair where the Jedi couldn't help but see it.
-Sillonire It is easy to forget how much of that blood is own your own hands.
With that, the Major left, leaving the datapad running out of reach of the Jedi. A nearly endless parade of names & faces. a new one every few seconds. The vast majority appeared to be technicians of one type or another, judging from the shoulders of their uniforms.
-Datapad Jameabdi Blaboy - Missing in Action, presumed dead Arychri Frejers - Missing in Action, presumed dead Freluis Blesmar - Missing in Action, presumed dead Chaelij Kimbplac - Missing in Action, presumed dead Matryan Chaald - Missing in Action, presumed dead Jayrub Whalong - Confirmed dead Jovapey Chafer - Missing in Action, presumed dead Chriwest Ingebeen - Missing in Action, presumed dead Andluc Warring - Confirmed dead Devotoby Whical - Missing in Action, presumed dead ...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2017 8:13:39 GMT -8
There it was. Alaara had broken through the Majors defences. She just remained seated and listening to the other womans tirade. It was clear she would not get a word in on this rant. Nor did she intend to. This moment was what she had been looking for, to see what lay beneath that facade of hers. Where many of her punches would have landed a lot harder upon other Jedi, Alaara was dampened against their strikes. Yes, the Republic had been a failing system. So shackled by greed and special interests that it could not properly govern. Even the new Republic that had risen up to replace it in recent years had suffered the same problems. But that was why they both had to fall, so that a new system could rise up to replace it.
It was amusing to hear Sillonire speak of the Republics inability to stop the slave trade, when the Empire did nothing to stop it either. They even encouraged it. But then, perhaps state funded slavery was justified when the Emperor said so. And lest they should forget that Palpatine was the original chancellor who climbed to the top of the heap upon the bones of his neighbours. How much blood had been shed in the Sith's thousand year quest to rise up and create the Empire. Many of the problems that plagued the Republic had been made possible because of Palpatine.
But whether Sillonire wanted to believe the truth or not, was another matter entirely. After all, it was doubtful that the Empire would have allowed its subjects to know the true history of its rise. Of its first Emperor. The high command might have known that Palpatine was a Sith. But she was fairly confident that everyone else was oblivious to it.
Alaara watched as Sillonire started the datapad playing. She was all too aware of how many had died on Bilbringi alone. For the Force was a double edged sword for the Jedi. Where the Sith could use it and be unaffected by the violence they caused. The Jedi could hear the voices of all those that were killed en-mass. You could harden yourself against it, and lessen its impact upon you. But you could never deafen yourself to it whenever it happened. Alaara had only to remember just how many people had died in the Empire and First Orders quests for Order. Many of them had never served in the armed forces or chosen to be complicit in the Rebellion and Alliances efforts. But every single one of the Engineers that had died over Bilbringi had all willingly enlisted in the First Order. They knew that their choices would have consequences. But the thousands of people born each day of a non-human species, who had no choice about what they were, had no such luxury and were killed for it anyway.
As Sillonire left the cell, Alaara resumed her meditation. Feeling the ebb and flow of the Force. While her cage prevented her from using the force to attack or affect anything, it did not stop her from feeling it
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jun 12, 2017 17:50:08 GMT -8
It took nearly four days for the datapad to run through the full list of names. By far the very vast majority were simply missing. Scattered through the list were the occasional stormtrooper or other actual combat member. Had any of the Star Destroyers actually been staffed at the time of the attack, the list would have been much, much longer. While fluids were still provided, no food was sent to the Jedi's cell while the datapad was playing. For the other troopers it was just another boring period between interviews, but Sillonire was annoyed. Some at the jedi, but mostly at herself for allowing herself to lash out. Once the datapad had finished, it was collect by the food droid as the meals resumed.
She wasn't sure how she wanted to handle it. On one hand, she had lost a good bit of the initiative. On the other hand, leaving the jedi in there alone until the Warlord arrived seemed like a poor plan. Entering the cell once more, Sillonire waited quietly for the jedi to notice her.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2017 8:40:11 GMT -8
As a trained Jedi Knight, Alaara could survive for weeks on end without food. More so when she was meditating. She did not touch the fluids provided either. Remaining within her meditative state. Even when the meals resumed, she did not touch what was provided. Preferring instead to wait as she was. As Sillonire finally returned, Alaara drew herself out of her meditation. Unlike the confident and on track Major that had come to question her in the past, something had changed about Sillonire. She seemed to be almost skulking in the corner, waiting for Alaara to do something. She might have smiled. To have drawn the Major down to the behaviour of a child was certainly something.
The loss of control in their last session must have been quite the mark against her. But the fact she was back here, and seeming so unhappy about it, meant there was more afoot. It seemed pointless to send the Major back in, if death was the only fate that awaited Alaara. She opened her eyes then, and looked at Sillonire, tilting her head a little to get a better view of her captor "No questions right off the bat this time Major? I can't help but wonder what brings you back here..."
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jun 14, 2017 18:21:07 GMT -8
Sillonire nods firmly to the jedi.
-Sillonire The same thing that kept me from having you executed the moment you were in chains. I have a duty.
Sillonire paused. Despite the annoyance the other woman had caused her, she really didn't like where she would have to go next.
-Sillonire I don't think words are going to get you to share anything. So I will have to break you. We will skip the questions you already answered. But for every evasion or lie, you will be punished.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2017 17:05:33 GMT -8
Alaara found it strange to believe that duty would have kept her alive, especially since both sides were at war. Intel gathering was important, but she was fairly certain that such excercises would have been better spent on her team. Keeping a Jedi alive was always a dangerous gambit. Her attention was soon turned to other things, as the Major spoke of breaking her. So, they had gotten to that step at last. And here she thought the Major found such things distasteful "And how will you know if I lie Major? Asking me to confirm what you already know would be a waste... Though, I wonder how you intend to punish and break me. You and I both know that would involve powering this cage down. And when that happens..." She made a hand waving movement as was traditional for a Jedi performing a mind trick
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