//------------------------------//
// Dreamcatcher 
// Story: Star Wars: The Old Republic- Conflicting Elements 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

Voss, present day

"You're both aware why you've been called here?" The Voss councilor's  terse voice echoed off the walls as they walked through the capital building. "No ma'am." was Sargent Brazon Exter's only reply. The Jedi from the incident six days prior walked next to him. He  was a Miraluka, a naturally blind species that sees through the Force. He kept his head down and nodded silently. "This is a matter of grave importantance to all Voss. We understand your squadron gave their lives to defend the initiate. We are most grateful." The councilor said in the stoic voice and character typical of his species. His entire squadron had been killed in that ambush, that much he knew. If the Jedi hadn't hijacked a dropship and rammed the other one into submission, he'd never have gotten out of it alive. Much less with the Voss initiate strapped to his back. "We have invited you both here as representatives of the Republic because of the events six rotations ago." the Voss continued. 

"The Mystics see, The Three decide." the Voss said, repeating the mantra that governed their entire society. Voss Mystics recieved visions through the Force that were then interpreted by The Three, the rulers of their society. "The Visions that Mystics see are absolute, dreams of a future yet to come that shape and guide the Voss." he continued. The visions that Mystics saw were very similar to the ones percieved by Jedi. To live one's entire life based on what they saw in their dreams was viewed as controversial by the Jedi and it made them wary to accept Voss into their ranks.

"The vision that the initiate saw that day was not of Voss." the councilor let the statement sink in. They walked for a few silent moments.

"It was not the future of any world seen in the Outer Rim. Perhaps not even this galaxy. We are not clear yet if what he saw was even the future." The Jedi looked up intently but still said nothing. Brazon was getting uncomfortable. He wasn't familiar with Voss culture, right now it was difficult to pretend to care. This had been just another assignment and as it had gone horribly wrong, he wanted to down Ruby Bliels until he forgot about it. He'd seen friends come and go before, that was nothing new. There was nothing left to really fight for, no real family or friends waiting for him back home on Telos. He liked having something to do though and the freedom to do that, which if nothing else the Republic promised. He figured he'd continue serving until he found a nice spot to crash, then jump ship at the first opportunity.

"He has since had several visions of what can only be seen as another world. We wish to keep this incident contained for now until we are better able to interpret the reason for these visions. As Jedi have experience in events such as these, we have invited both of you here to aid us." "I'm sorry but exactly what does this have to do with me?" Brazon stopped and asked. "You were present during the event, you should witness this. We may require you to fully understand the vision." Brazon didn't try to argue or understand. He simply continued walking.

The Voss lead them both to a chamber and opened the door. Beyond it were two Voss and the initiate from the event, looking no worse for having had shrapnel dug out of him only a few days ago. Across the chamber, another set of doors opened and Brazon instinctively pressed his frame to the door and drew his sidearm as he saw two individuals, one of them clearly Sith enter from the opposite side. He turned back to the Voss councilor and the Jedi was gone again. The Voss simply regarded him with a stoic expression.

"We understand your confusion but they were present at the event as well. We require both your parties to fully understand these visions. We will not accept any violence." The male Voss councilor explained to the Sith. Lord Lahk, hoping soon to be Darth Lahk, was rapidly losing his patience. Here in the room beyond him was the target he'd been sent to capture and directly across from him was a Republic soldier. A tingly coolness in the Force told him there was a Jedi nearby as well. The Imperial Intelligence operative that was next to him seemed to be the only calm one in the room but Lord Lahk could tell the Chiss had slipped a vibroknife into her right hand. The woman had only survived getting blasted by some lucky Republic trooper days ago. Despite his lack of Force, Lahk felt he could count on the operative to do what needed to be done and keep her mouth shut after.

Lord Lahk had done his best to smooth over the incident that had happened six days ago. He felt his own anger build as he reached for the hilt of his lightsaber. It was fortunate the Empire and the Republic were technically in a cease fire on Voss, though one would be able to see that was a lie if they stepped outside of Voss. The Sith believed peace was a lie itself but right now it was a lie that could work to Lahk's advantage. He'd explained to the Voss that they answered a Republic distress call when they began shooting. When he explained what happened to his superiors about the incident, he decided to leave out the part where a Jedi somehow snuck aboard a dropship, knocked over the other one and rescued one lowly trooper and the initiate while leaving them stranded. He thumbed his lightsaber on, pushed the Voss out of the way and strode into the room.

He was ready for the Jedi this time. The smaller Miraluka materialized almost next to him and the Sith tripped him with a low swipe to the legs. The Jedi was knocked immediately off his feet and fell to the ground on his back. The Sith brought his lightsaber to bare to impale his opponent quickly but the Jedi pushed him off his feet with an outstretched hand. Staggering back, the Jedi was still with his back on the ground but standing in the doorway was the Republic trooper aiming a pistol straight at his forehead. The operative behind him was holding the Voss councilor at knifepoint with his back to the wall, obviously preparing for another phantom strike from the Jedi. Lahk stared at the soldier across from him. He outstretched his hand and pulled the blaster from the trooper's grasp with the Force. The trooper only stared back.

This was not the first time Brazon had fought a Sith. He was ready for the 'classic' way they chose to disarm people. When the Sith pulled on the blaster in his hand, he actually pulled the trigger into his finger, causing him to fire a stun blast right at him. At this close range, the shot was unavoidable. The Sith was shocked in more ways than one, he doubled over and collapsed on top of the Jedi. Brazon turned his attention to the operative who had inched over to the door holding the other Voss councilor hostage. He recognized her uniform as one he'd seen six days ago. It was the same sniper who tried to tag him during the ambush. Her shoulder was bandaged where he'd blasted her. This was his chance to finish the schutta off. He stepped closer, when in her other hand she brought held up an active grenade.

Telk'ess'comovar, or Kess as people outside the Ascendancy called her was in a strange predicament. Her superior officer had just been stunned and had fallen on top of the Jedi she had shot in the leg only six days ago. Apparently, the kick to his legs had been a little more than he could stand and was pinned by the weight of the incapacitated Sith on top of him. She didn't know what the councilor who escorted them had meant about 'seeing through dreams' but wasn't about to stand around and find out. The Sith who ordered her to come here had just been taken out of comission, her goal now was to escape with what information she had. She primed the grenade she had hidden her pocket and tossed it into the room, hoping to be rid of all loose ends and on her way back to Dromund Kaas soon.

Master Zequill didn't feel any pain as the Sith pinned him to the floor. The leg injury that had delayed him to the rendevous with the initiate the other day had made him vulnerable regardless and despite the lack of pain, he couldn't move his leg. He inched his arms out from under the Sith's frame and did his best to push the Sith off of him when he saw the object in question. He looked over to the two Voss Mystics along with the initiate who were cowering in the corner. He could see the young initiate's aura pulsing through the Force; he had collapsed from panic. 

Well, not saw entirely so much as felt. His species percieved everything through the Force and although the grenade gave off no visible Force aura he could see, he could very much feel the panic it caused and the difference in air current it made as it traveled. He outstretched his hand free hand and released a blast through the Force that pushed the grenade to the ceiling seconds before it exploded, creating a whole in the ceiling and raining debris on top of them. The ceiling hadn't been that thick and was now a gaping hole that let in sunlight. He moved the Sith off of him, stood up and looked at the hole in the ceiling and looked over to the Mystics and the initiate. They were frozen, staring at the hole in the ceiling. Master Zequill turned his attention to it and although he was blind, he could see why they were frozen.

The room was slowly covered in what looked like sunlight but wasn't. Soon everything, the occupants of the room, the floor, walls and what was left of the ceiling had turned a shimmering gold. Where a hole in the ceiling was there was another hole, like a storm of light and electricity hovering above them. The Voss councilor who had led the Republic trooper and the Jedi into the chamber shook her head and began to speak. She addressed all of them.

"This is the cause of your conflict. The war between the Sith and the Republic is literally tearing apart the fabric of time and space itself." she gestured to the 'other' hole in the ceiling above them. "We Voss can see through these rifts but we lack the affinity with the Force to open them. The friction between light and darkness itself is what rips them open." The hole in the ceiling abruptly closed, the room's colors returned to normal and then fell silent. "The initiate can interact with these openings, he can change their destination. But we require your cooperation for this to succeed."

"Tell me, why should we cooperate?" The Sith said, getting up off the ground. "The floor of this room is rigged with explosives." The Voss councilor said stoicly. The Chiss began inching her way to the door again but both had been closed when the fighting had started. The Sith sighed. "We intend to use these rifts to find another world, another galaxy in which to live in peace away from the Republic, away from the Empire, away from all non-Voss. You will help us to open the rift and keep it open until we are able to stabilize it."

"So, you're keeping US hostage?" Brazon said, leaning against the locked door behind him. "That is correct." The Voss responded without looking at him." He slumped to the floor. What he wouldn't give to be back on Telos right now with a Ruby Bliel in his hand.