The four woman sat quietly in their shared cells, each in their own thoughts. The Storm Trooper pondered on what exactly happened to the Captain, who always appeared to be loyal to the Empire, and last she checked, human. This robot that appeared to be the mythical General Grievous claiming he was in fact Jaeger himself filled the veteran trooper with unease. She focused on her armor, taking note of all of the damage and what would need to be replaced, if she made it out of this situation alive, that was.
Coe Dell glared at the cell wall, worrying about more pressing matters than the measly storm trooper. She needed to figure out a way to report this to the Inquisition and avoid getting executed in the process. She was a coward before, but now she wanted revenge. Revenge for her mentor and her fallen allies. She had already dealt with droids once, and it would be no problem to disassemble a few and find a way out. She would escape and return to the Inquisitor Stronghold and bring the might of the Empire down on these rats.
Daf'Nee was sitting in the corner, facing the cell wall with her eyes closed and hands on her knees. She had been meditating for the entirety of the trip, but she could not find any peace. She wanted to speak to her master once more, hear his sound guidance, but he was gone now. He sacrificed himself in that duel with the Jedi Slayer. She wanted to get revenge, but that would only lead down the dark path, and she wished not to dishonor him by falling from the light. Daf'Nee sighed and returned to focusing on her meditation.
Hearing Daf'Nee's sigh, Vel rose her head from the table, seeing that the troopers armor was placed around her. She turned her head, seeing her other three cell mates in the cell, secluding themselves from one another. She closed her eyes once more, not to rest but to sense the emotions from the room. Daf'Nee had a calm aura, but Vel could sense that it was forced and that deep down, she was in anguish. Coe's area of the room was dark with rage and other negative emotions. It hurt just to be next to her, even without looking at her aura. Finally, Vel focused on the trooper and saw that oddly enough, she was the most calm, her aura serene and peaceful. She opened her eyes and focused on the trooper once more, seeing that she was sitting near the cell door, stating at the table.
Building up some courage, the padawan got up from her seat and approached the woman, who turned her own gaze upon Vel. "May I help you?" The woman asked, giving her attention to the fugitive.
"Um, I was wondering about your past. You are unusually calm for the current situation, and I was wondering what exactly you went through to have this-" She paused, looking away to find the right word. She looked towards one of the red commando droids, who was watching her. "-peace to you."
The woman's face changed from expressionless to having the faintest of a smirk. She shifted in her seat and relaxed more, looking Vel in the eye to hold her attention. "Well, I suppose I can inform a former jedi about my past. Its not like we're really enemies in this cell."
Those words caught the attention of Coe, who seethed hostility. "Traitor!" She barked, jumping up. the moment she moved, the cell doors opened and the droids fired. The other three shielded themselves, expecting to perish in that moment. Surprisingly, the three felt no pain, and instead heard the electrically-charged yell of Coe, being stunned by both droids. The Inquisitor fell to the ground, electric discharged jumping from her to the cell floor. The droids walked in and prepared to move the incapacitated prisoner. One of the droids turned its head towards Vel and the trooper.
"Her hostility was not acceptable. We are isolating her into her own cell. The General wants all of you alive." It said, holding Coe's shoulders. The droids then carried the incapacitated inquisitor out of the cell and to a different vacant cell, leaving the three women alone.
The trooper shrugged after watching the droids leave, returning her attention to Vel. Daf'Nee, having been disturbed out of her attempted meditation, moved towards Vel and the trooper, taking interest in what ever was going on. "Well before I was interrupted, I guess I'll tell you about my past. Firstly, my name is Lucia Vonderlorne." She paused waiting for a sign of an emotion, but neither jedi showed any change in expression. "I was the heiress to a once wealthy banking family who worked within the Republic, but when my family showed distain for the new Empire-" She looked off to the side, her eye twitching with anger. After a moment, she returned her gaze to the two listeners, "...I enrolled into the Academy on Carida as a show that the only person in my family who did not care for the Empire was my stubborn Father. I needed to protect the rest of my family."
She took a sharp breath, holding back the wave of tears that she had held for so many years. Remembering her past and what turned her into a veteran was crashing down on her all to suddenly. It was the curious Vel that saved her from her thoughts. "So you went to the elite academy where they trained officers? Did you ever lead any units?"
Lucia nodded, regaining her cool and continuing her tale. "Yes, a while back. I was stationed at a factory world, and the team I lead actually halted some rebel plot to blow the place up. Then my unit was sent to Tattooine to try and deal with some overly aggressive Tuskan Raiders. I was leading the squad when we got ambushed. Luckily, my armor protected me against their clubs, but my soldiers weren't so lucky. Possibly since my armor had been a newer issue, or simply because the raider I was fighting was not as experienced, I saved myself, but couldn't save my men in time. They had all killed each other; the raiders smashing their heads in while my men blasted them with their last breaths." She paused once more, remembering that day when the sand had shifted colors with the amount of blood that was spilled. She still had nightmares of that event, when she slept.
Daf'Nee asked the next question that drew her back into the present. "So how exactly did you know about that Jaeger guy? What did you do for him?"
"Well, as I said before, I used to work under the Storm Trooper Commander that served on his ship. We did what we were ordered to. Clear out towns suspected to be hiding rebels, assist the Red Death in assaulting a rebel position. Eventually, I requested a transfer and was working under Lord Vader for a time until I was assigned to assist the Inquisitor's mentor." She nodded over to the cell door, hinting at Coe and her now deceased master.
Vel nodded, getting up and approaching the table. "I think I understand now." Lucia and Daf'Nee both looked at Vel with confusion written on their faces. "You were forced to serve the Empire, so your entire service, you have learned to be calm under pressure, focused o doing everything to the letter lest you mess up and your family pays the price. Being the last survivor of a raider attack must have doe you no favors, and working under dark side users would only increase your negative emotions. Yet you've learned to keep calm through all of that since you're concern for your family's well being outweighs your fear of death."
"A cause worth living for." Daf'Nee added, looking back to Lucia, who was beginning to tear up.
Just before the trooper could actually show her weak side, the door opened, causing them to jump. One of the droids walked in and focused on Lucia. "Storm Trooper, come. The General is-" It turned its head, looking at the wall. the three waited for the droid to say something else before it suddenly turned its head back, causing Vel to yelp. "...in the right state of mind. He wishes to offer you a proposition." The droid the focused on the two jedi, its face plate unnerving the two. "He will offer one to you both when you are ready. And when he can control his...temper."
Lucia looked towards the two to gauge their opinions, but all she got was the look of compliance. Sighing, she stood up, rolled her shoulders and approached the red commando droid. "Alright, bolt for brains, bring me to Jaeger."
The droid, ignoring the insult, held up a pair of restraints, implying that she would need to wear these. She complied, raising her arms out. The droid activated the restraints and began to escort her out of the brig.