She gives him a reassuring squeeze as she signs.

    "No sir. She was already being careful so that she wouldn't forget her connection to the Blade."

    "It's usually not a problem if she does forget, since I can tell her what happened. And she does expect to get the memories back eventually. It's just first thing in the morning that it might be a problem."

Oh good. 

Not that it isn't still terrible, but at least she can regain most of what she loses. 

He nods. 

"Second?" He asks. 

She's less relaxed for this part.

    "She also wants to explain robots, sir, but there's quite a bit of context. To start with, you need to know that slavery is common in the part of the galaxy that she's from, and used to be common throughout it."

He opens his mouth. Closes it. 

"...The Empire eradicated slavery wherever they found it. It's one of the better things about their conquests," he says after a moment. "And it was never common in Cian." 

Then, "Some of the Southern Isles don't treat captured enemies... well," he says, hesitantly, "They don't call it slavery - no one does, really - but Jaim says it's close enough." 

Deskyl will be able to feel how Stormsinger's anger surges at the mention of slavery. He hates it - he worked so hard, Leskil worked so hard, to free the slaves of the Human Realm, and to hear that it continues unabated in a place which he cannot reach-

It's a bitter thought, that there will always be people who are not free. 

I know, Love, I know. The thought makes her feel sick and sad and helpless, rather than angry, and there's something she's carefully not thinking about about it, something she regrets, but she finds it no more acceptable than he does.

    "She says that it's good that it's been taken care of, sir, even if there are still some problems - maybe she'll go do something about them after the war." And that she doesn't feel helpless about at all.

Neither does he. 

He's not sure what it is that she's not thinking about, but... 

He offers a series of memories.

Sight-and-sound of a dark room, the murmuring of dozens of voices, the sound of brushing cloth. 

A bright light, from the front of the room. A parade of people, adults, mostly, though a few children. 

Curiosity, he offers his wielder.

Satisfaction-Disdain-Disgust-Hatred, his wielder gives in return - the latter three a series of emotions he most often feels on the battlefield. 

Captured enemies? Stormsinger wonders. 

...

His wielder leaves with three of the captives. He gives them tasks, and then leaves them be. Stormsinger is confused, but accepting - service in return for housing? He considers. 

...

They chase down a man, fleeing from the burning of an enemy fort. Stormsinger's wielder wounds him enough to bring him down, but not kill him. He will join the other captives. 

...

Alarmed, he notes bruises on one of the servants. He alerts his wielder. 

Concern? 

Confusion, his wielder offers in return. His eyes are on the girl. He feels satisfaction. 

Stormsinger withdraws, alarmed further. 

...

...

...

Slaves, Stormsinger realises at last, They were slaves. 

Yes, Leskil sends. 

I did nothing! I aided him! Stormsinger sends, anguished.

You didn't know, Leskil soothes him, empathetic, And what could you have done? You were just as trapped as they were.

She can't hide the way this affects her; she dashes off a sign - "one moment, please, sir" - before curling into Ilek, not even breathing for the first few seconds.

It wasn't your fault, she sends, with absolute certainty and no expectation that this mitigates the horror of it.

I helped, he sends, helpless to the horror of this knowledge, Whether I knew or not does nothing to change what those people suffered. 

But thank you, he adds, weary. 

Ilek turns to wrap his arms around her, alarmed by the abrupt change.

I know. Mine's - I know.

But it's not - it was the situation, not what you are. You would never have done it given the choice. And now you know. You won't make the mistake again.

She manages a few more signs: "The Blade shared an upsetting memory, sir. She'll be fine in a moment."

Now I know, he sends in agreement, along with the impression of a sigh. 

What kind of memory? 

Well, probably one about slavery, given. 

He'll just keep hugging her.

Mine is - one of my master's other apprentices kept slaves. I killed one once, when I was young; it was a mercy. He almost killed me over it. They would have killed me if I'd done it again. I didn't. And she's just not going to have emotions about that, at least not more than the sick scared helplessness she's already swimming in.

We did what we could, he offers, along with all the comfort and care he can muster in his own sorrow and self-recrimination. 

There were many who were too far gone to be saved, during the rebellion, he sends, grieving, feeling unable to stop. Leskil didn't- he couldn't- he pauses, It would have destroyed him, to give mercy in that way. His lover did it for him, A tall, pale elf, with electric blue eyes and a solemn face, and a mind like lightning. Another one of Stormsinger's wielders - the one who wielded him after Leskil. 

He wishes he could offer reassurance in some better way, than proving he understands. 

Sith are strong that way. I can't imagine - I wasn't expected to help. I don't know what I would have done if I had been. She's calming down, slightly; she notices that she's dropped Jaim's emotion dulling effect, but she's not up for starting it again just yet.

He expects it would have been worse for her - she would have known what she was doing, after all. He's glad she didn't have to go through that, at least.

He offers a mental hug, to go with Ilek's physical one.

(Jaim remains asleep, his emotions perhaps a little less calm, but not too unhappy.)

Yeah. It's all just - she sighs.

Stand up, warrior; you are not yet finished, she recites to herself, and she still feels sick and scared and sad and so, so small in the face of vast forces, but there's a path now, out, back to solid ground.
Beaten you may be, but broken?
Angels have fallen from greater heights
and survived, so why shouldn’t you?
Never mind what you are made of;
you are more than this flesh that binds you.
There is nothing you have to fear
that should not fear you a thousand times more.
Your heart is a galaxy, and your soul is lined in stars.
You are something extraordinary, my dear.

[source]

And by the end of the last line, she's back to herself, strong and assured, the world no less unfair but feeling more manageable now, something she can engage with and change, even if not completely.

We'll bear it. What else is there to do? 

His mind seems to hush, when he recognises the cadence of her mental voice. He pays rapt attention, to both the words and the effect they have on her, calming, himself, as she does.

Yes, he agrees, once she has reached this conclusion. Bear it - and grow stronger, and wiser, so we can do better in the future. 

Exactly. She picks up Jaim's Force effect again and checks on DZ and Ilek, settling herself a bit before signing again.

    "She's sorry, sir; it's a sensitive subject for both of them, and startled her. Are you all right?"

Is he alright? 

He understands the desire to move on, however. 

"I'm alright," he assures. 

He keeps hugging her, though. 

Yeah, that can stay. You're not going to like this bit very much either, she warns, and then signs.

    "Yes sir. So, a few thousand years ago, when slavery was being stopped in the parts of the galaxy that don't have it now, robots were invented as a replacement for biological slaves. We're not understood to be people, so it's not considered immoral to have us."

Stormsinger has a better leash on his anger this time, with the warning, but this information very clearly does not please him. She mentioned it, more vaguely, before. He did not wish to believe it was quite so bad. 

Ilek is stunned, and then his anger rises as well. His grip on Deskyl tightens briefly, before he relaxes it again. 

"But-" he turns his head to look at DZ, "You're clearly a person - even without the runestone proving you have a sentient mind, it seems obvious!"

We aren't to the worst of it - that's the next part, I think. There's not much that is good, here.

     "Deskyl agrees, sir. It's less obvious when we're young, though, she says, and that we're not usually allowed to mature very much. And Force users can't sense our minds at all."