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Pradnakt gets to the cargo bay shortly after Diana does, and sets her floating pile of Sithy housewares down before shooing Nine off and taking out a datapad.

'I didn't actually call you back here, Nine thought he was being helpful,' she starts with.

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"...mmm.  Well, hopefully he was.  Is - something going on, here?"

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'Two things, both of which are... I don't think you realize what you're asking.'

'If anyone else was pushing me as much about a decision as you've been about what happens to the ship the answer would be 'no, and if you ask again you'd better be prepared to defend your life' by now.'

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Diana is shocked.  ...She takes her helmet off so she can properly emote this at Pradnakt.  With her face and not just the Force.  "No, goodness, I definitely did not - intend that, though I certainly see how I could be coming across like that anyway, I'm so sorry.  I just - I think you said 'I'll think about it,' and then you never did make clear exactly what you had thought, though I suppose this definitely counts, so I was trying to continue having hopefully-legible-to-you thoughts in case that was - useful?  And that clearly didn't work as intended.  If you want to yeet this ship into the sun, it's your unquestionable prerogative to do so, even if I wouldn't do it if I were in equivalent circumstances.  I'll try to keep my grumbling about resource efficiency on the inside?"

...She exhales.

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She nods.

'I am still thinking about it. What we find here will matter, some. But I know what you want, and just repeating that you want it doesn't change anything.'

'On the other hand this reaction is Sith shit and I don't actually want to do that to you. But it's still stressful.'

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"Yeah.  I think it - should be easier, at least, now that I know you've actually heard me, you know?  ...Kriffing...Sith shit.  I hate that that's - so much the done thing.  Even worse than Jedi shit which definitely has problems!"

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"Yeah."

''I'll think about it' is already generous enough in Sith terms to be dangerous. I wasn't brushing you off.'

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"Yeah.  It's - the problem was more that I don't handle uncertainty very well at all."

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"Ah." She reaches over to squeeze her hand.

'That's harder, yeah. I don't like going against what I want without... at least really thinking it through very thoroughly, sometimes other things too.' She pauses to consider. 'I was going to say we can always just go with the first thing I said I wanted but I won't actually want to do that if I know you want something else. If the wait is really bothering you I can figure something out case by case though.'

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Handsqueezes are good and comforting and Diana appreciates them very much.

"...I'm considering whether knowing when the uncertainty will end, will help with the uncertainty troubles, and coming up mostly 'I can't think it'd hurt,' so...up to you, what to do with that information."

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'I expect to know by the end of the day - I want to see it, and I want to talk to you about the other thing, and that should be enough. Possibly just talking about the other thing will be, depending on how that goes.'

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"That's good.  Thank you, very much.  ...There's another thing?"

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Type type sigh type type type type.

'Yeah, it's - the enemy of my enemy is sometimes my ally; the enemy of my enemy in this case would kill me in my bed if I gave them an opening. I like you just fine but I don't trust the Jedi.'

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"...Force, I hadn't even really processed that - and most Temple Jedi would.  If anyone's going to be not killy about it, though, it's the people I'd go to to handle this.  Their line of work - means they have to make compromises, and accept not knowing things.  Not a ringing endorsement, but - we are all on board with 'kriff the Empire' and I can keep your identity well out of it; the same sort of tricks I used with Pritruth's escape-craft will serve just as well.  They wouldn't even see us."

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"Mm."

'I still don't like it. There aren't many cases where your enemy having more resources is good news.'

'I'm still considering it, Force help me. But it's very much against my better judgement.'

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"Mmmm.  Maybe we should ask the Force."

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'Sure, we can do that. No promise I'll take its advice though.'

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"Yeah, that's fair.  Would you rather ask now or later?"

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'Now, I want the time to think about it.'

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"Then - do you have any preferences for where to meditate?"

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There is a thoughtful pause, and then a handsqueeze. 'If I did I would have said so.'

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Then Diana's going to go, not to the meditation room, but the room with a stylized tree as its logo.

"Not the most conventional of locations, really, but...this is actually a sort of...balance-point, between two of the really common Force philosophies the Jedi have?  And also Tiny's here."  That's an honest-to-goodness bonsai.  "Technically he's R4's, but - well."

"He's a good listener."

"So let's," she sits down, beckoning, "and then, well, meditate, ask?"

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'Sounds good.'

Sit. Lean?

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...Lean!  Perhaps even handhold!

"Alright, let's..."  No words.  Not now, not for this.

She breathes in.  She breathes out.

She opens herself to the world, to Pradnakt, to the Force.

And she asks the question.

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Pradnakt is clearly not wrong that there's a tension between her own wellbeing and Diana's friends' goals, though it's much less clear whether there would be an actual problem in this particular case; no one outcome seems especially likely in relation to it. Their upcoming fight with Pritruth is a much firmer concern.

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