"That would be very good, thank you, Sir."

He can understand your sign language, she relays. He has someplace you can sleep.

How do you know this language?

"I cast an understand-all-languages spell," Carlos said. "Do they not have those in the Other Place?"

    "I don't think so. And it wouldn't work on droids, if someone invented one. This is very confusing." He made a Force effect to know languages, she signs.

Not a Force-user, Deskyl replies.

"You don't use force magic to understand languages," Carlos says, confused. "You use mind magic to understand languages. And I do too know lots of force magic." He lets lightning spark between his fingers to demonstrate.

Deskyl steps between him and DZ again. Stop that.

Carlos had been growing increasingly comfortable, but at her words he tenses up as if preparing for a blow. "I'm sorry," he says. "I'm sorry, I'm-- I'll do what you want, please don't hurt me."

She relaxes, marginally, and steps back to where she and DZ can talk. Update, she signs, please.

    What he's doing doesn't work like the Force. He's confused; so am I. He was trying to demonstrate it.

Shouldn't threaten you.

    I'm not sure he knows about Sith.

Shouldn't threaten you, she repeats.

Carlos has a look of horror on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to threaten anyone, it's an accident, please don't hurt me."

DZ relays this; Deskyl doesn't sign back, but inclines her head in acknowledgement. "She's not going to hurt you," the droid reassures.

Carlos looks skeptical, but decides that if he questions her he is more likely to be hurt than if he pretends to believe her. "Your friend needs a place to rest," he says. "I can let her sleep in my closet, but I'm not sure that I can get you there-- I can't teleport, and the anti-machine field will notice you if you walk there. Maybe I can bring some of my mother's furs here so she at least has a soft place to sleep?"

DZ signs along as he talks.

Anti-machine field? Deskyl asks.

    He mentioned it before. Things are very strange here.

You stay with me, then. And to Carlos: We'll stay here.

An hour later, Carlos returns bearing several furs that are as large as he is. One of them shimmers in the light. "These aren't my mother's favorite," he says, "she probably won't even notice that they're gone. I hope."

Deskyl is dozing in the corner when he gets back; she opens her eyes when he comes into the room.

I can protect you. Tell me about her?

"She's a powerful witch," Carlos says. "She kills nonhumans for their fur. She had me so she could have a servant to clean her windows and massage her feet and cook her three-course dinners every night, and she beats me whenever I disobey or make a mistake-- if I'm lucky. I have friends now, they want to keep me safe, but she's powerful enough they can't stand up to her. At least she keeps me safe from"-- he shudders-- "Dogs."

Any reason not to kill her?

Carlos's brow wrinkles as if he's thinking about it. "She might kill you first," he offers.

Sith, she signs, as if that answers the question. Tactical report?

    "She wants to know - what she's capable of, what defenses she has, things like that," DZ clarifies.

"She can shapeshift, she can turn people into animals, she's completely invulnerable," Carlos said, "she can transmute simple kinds of matter, she can cut her furs into coats with a thought... she doesn't have allies, though, everyone hates her. You just have to sever her soul from her body somehow. Mal's working on it."

The Force should be able to do that. I'll think about how. Sleep first.

    "That's the Force, it's not the same as your magic, sir."

Carlos looks uncomfortable. "You shouldn't call me sir."

"All right."

Deskyl yawns, and gestures at the furs to float them over. You're sure? she signs to DZ, and the droid nods back. All right. Wake me if you need me. And then she curls up in the fur pile and goes to sleep.

    "I'll need to recharge, sometime in the next few days. Deskyl can probably make a charger out of what you have here, if you have a power source for it to draw from."

"Oh sure," Carlos said, "I fixed this up from what washed up on the beaches from the Other Place." He shows DZ to an electrical circuit which, upon closer examination, is a perpetual motion machine.

"That should work nicely. Is this kind of thing normal, here?"