There was blood everywhere. That was the first thing that she noticed. Alexis had never seen so much of it in her entire life. It was splashed on the walls and on the ceiling in long arcs and random spatters. It had soaked into the carpet in great coppery ovals that seemed to spread as the seconds ticked by. There was even a trail of it leading back into the common room beyond.

Alexis barely suppressed the bile that rose up in her throat. Jedi did not see blood very often, for lightsaber wounds were instantly cauterized. The sheer abandon with which the vital liquid had been strewn across this room was far more than slightly nauseating. The blood wasn't even the worst part. The anger and aggression that seemed to ooze from the very walls of the place had Alexis fighting with all of her being to remain centered. The carnage here was secondary to the hatred with which the acts had been committed.

There were two bodies lying prone on the floor in the room in which Alexis stood. The third victim, a young woman, had crawled out into the common room and managed to call for help. She hung on to her life by a mere thread. Kalen had gone to the medical bay to see if there was anything that she could do in the way of healing for the girl. Judging by the blood loss that the girl had so clearly suffered, Alexis had very little hope for her survival.

Grimly, Alexis approached one of the bodies. It was a large human male that was laying on its left side, its head turned up towards the ceiling. His face had been beaten severely with a blunt object. The gooey mess that was all that remained of his skull vaguely resembled a Hutt's backside. Alexis was inappropriately amused by the mental comparison and she shook her head to dispel the feeling. She sobered immediately when she once again focused her attention on the violence that had led to this man's death. His stomach had been opened with a sword and his entrails were sagging onto the beige carpet in a chaotic tumble of organs and tissue. His murderer had been very, very vicious in his attacks.

Alexis was quite certain that most of the damage had been done once the man was already dead. There was no air of agony about him. Though he had died in a bloodbath, he had not suffered noticeably. He had probably died almost instantly, possibly killed by the very first blow to his head. So why had his killer continued to beat him? It would take a powerful emotion of some sort to spur on such a brutal attack.

Alexis knelt down beside the body, carefully remaining aloft to avoid covering herself in the remains. Whatever sword had been used on the victim had a very thin, short blade. It was not of a cut that she recognized. Why had his insides been spilled onto the carpet, anyway? The killer had most likely done this after destroying the man's face. There was no real purpose to it, unless it was a form of humiliation. That did not seem to fit, as it was nearly impossible to recognize the man. Were it not for passenger lists, they would not have been able to identify him at all. That sort of ruled out a motive involving knowing who the man was, didn't it?

Alexis stood and glanced around the room. Carth had brought her here to assist the ship's Republic forces, citing her "investigative experience" and "subtle mind". Her only real investigative experience had been the time on Dantooine when she had solved that murder. She'd hardly consider that experience.

She had been dubious, at first, about coming here at all. Carth had eventually convinced her, largely due to the guilt she had experienced at his hands earlier in the day. Shortly after leading her into the room, Carth had vanished, leaving her alone with the two Republic officers assigned to the case- and, of course, the bodies.

The two soldiers that remained were leaning over the other corpse, that of a Falleen female, talking quietly between themselves. Alexis had found it odd at first that only two officers had been left to deal with the situation. She had quickly realized that they were not the only ones still there by choice, but by necessity. None of the others could remain in the room for any period of time and retain the contents of their stomach. There was no need to make a messy crime scene any worse than it already was, so the ill soldiers had been summarily dismissed.

Alexis, although sickened at first by the massacre, eventually attained a slightly pragmatic view of the entire situation. The crime's clear motivation was fury, and it was highly unlikely that whoever had killed these people was quite that upset with her. That thought didn't rid her of the nausea that had plagued her, so she once again tried to force herself to be realistic. She had seen scores of dead bodies. These were only slightly gorier than she was used to. They were just murder victims. She'd seen things that were far worse when she was Lord Revan, no matter that she did not remember them very clearly.

Alexis stepped up to the side of one of the soldiers still in the room. He was an older man with thick iron gray hair and a heavily wrinkled face. When he noticed her, her jerked away with a startled oath and almost fell onto the body. Alexis caught his arm to steady him and waited until he regained his composure.

The two soldiers looked Alexis up and down as if seeing her for the very first time. Alexis could tell that they had forgotten that she was there. She could see what they were thinking, too. What's a delicate-looking kid like that doing in here? Why hasn't she fainted or fled the room in tears? Who is she, anyway?

Alexis motioned quickly towards the body before them to keep them from actually voicing these questions. When Carth had left her, he had taken her authority over the situation with him. If they wanted to kick her out right now, they had every right. She had to distract them so that they wouldn't do it. "That's a Falleen," she said. "And a noble at that. Do you see the way the ridges of her face are shaped? She has really aristocratic features."

"How do you know that?" the younger soldier asked.

Alexis shrugged. "I've been around." The Falleen was not as badly maimed as the human had been. Although her corpse was bloody, it was clear that she had been killed by a series of stab wounds, and these were not nearly as messy as the bludgeoning had been.

"What are you doing here?" the older man asked.

Alexis ignored that. The Falleen was exquisitely beautiful, despite her reptilian characteristics. Alexis understood that many of the Falleen were lovely to behold, but she had met very few, and most of them had been male. She'd seen pictures and holos, however, and knew how to recognize the aristocracy. "It's strange to find a Falleen out here. They very rarely leave their homeworld."

"She's… gorgeous," the younger soldier said after another moment of studying the body.

"I'm sure that she'd appreciate the sentiment if she were alive to hear it," Alexis said. Once the words were out, she wanted to bite her tongue. Patronizing these men wouldn't get her anywhere. This incident had her intrigued and she did not want to be removed before the investigation even began.

Alexis gently pressed her fingertips to the Falleen's face. For something that looked so reptilian, her skin was very warm. If Alexis had not seen the stab wounds herself, she would have thought that the woman was still alive. The small green scales that coved the woman's body felt rough under her hands. "They haven't been dead for long," the older soldier grunted at her, realizing what she was checking for.

"Did anyone nearby hear anything? Surely with this kind of… violence… there was screaming or shouting involved," Alexis said, pulling her hand back. There was a very small amount of blood on her fingertips and she stared at it, mildly disturbed.

"I don't know, lady, but I doubt it. These walls are very thick and the only people with rooms nearby are all dead."

"You mean that these people weren't sharing this room?"

"No. As far as we can tell, they didn't even know one another."

Alexis frowned. That was odd, especially for such a passionate crime. Clearly someone had known all of them. "Has the witness said anything about her attacker?"

The old soldier shrugged. "I can't say for sure. She wasn't conscious when we arrived, so I didn't hear anything from her."

"It may be that she dies before we hear anything, too." Alexis wanted to check with Kalen, but she knew that her friend was busy and these men would be suspicious if she suddenly knew something that they didn't. They already didn't like her presence. "The murder weapon?" Alexis asked suddenly.

"Killer took it with him," the younger soldier told her.

"And no one was seen fleeing the scene?"

"Haven't been any witnesses to come forward," the older man said.

Alexis sighed and glanced back at the body. The stab wounds had been caused by the same sword that had been used on the other man. They were slender and finely cut, not hacked into her flesh. That would take a fair amount of power: Alexis imagined that this woman's scales were tough, making for a decent natural armor. Piercing them with that sort of precision was not an act of a crazed killer, either. If the murdered had been as mad with bloodlust when he attacked this woman as he had been when he murdered the man, her wounds would be much wider. Did that imply two killers, or that the intended victim had been the man? And where did the other woman fit into all of this?

"You seem familiar to me," the younger soldier said, breaking the silence. He was staring intently at her face.

Alexis frowned. "A lot of people feel that way," she responded carefully. She could feel Carth approaching from outside the door. She almost turned and threw herself into his arms before she remembered that she had to look tough in front of these people. If she showed any weakness, they probably would no longer trust her judgment.

Alexis could feel Carth's emotions as clearly as if they were her own. His apprehension was nearly overpowering. So, the big bad soldier went weak-kneed at the sight of blood, did he? Alexis turned in time to see him step over the threshold of the door. He stopped there for a moment, surveying the room. She could feel him gathering the strength it would take to keep him in the room.

To her side, the two soldiers snapped to attention and saluted smartly. Carth responded with a slightly less formal salute and walked over to Alexis. He stared at the dead woman on the floor wordlessly. His revulsion was clear, but he did not attempt to leave the room. "Do you speak Falleen?" he asked Alexis.

Alexis glanced up at him. "No. I can say a few things, like the usual hello, how are you, don't shoot, we mean you no harm, etcetera. I don't know anyone other than a Falleen who can speak that language, actually. They guard it rather jealously."

"The woman in the med bay seems to be speaking it," Carth replied.

"Isn't she a human?" Alexis asked, perplexed. It was highly unusual for a human to learn Falleen. Falleens who left their homeworld learned Basic, not the other way around.

"Yes. And Falleen appears to be the only language she speaks. She can't understand a word of Basic, as far as we can tell," Carth told her.

Alexis looked back at the body in front of them. "That means that she almost had to know this woman."

"Not necessarily."

"But most likely."

Carth shrugged. "At this point, anything's possible."

Alexis happened to glance over at the soldiers. They were still standing at attention. Alexis elbowed Carth and he looked down at her. She pointed at the officers and he looked skyward, as if in exasperation.

"You can relax, gentlemen." They responded rather quickly by spreading their legs and clasping their hands behind their backs. "No, really relax. I'm not all that important." The men loosened up slightly, but they looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"Is the girl still awake?" Alexis asked.

Carth shook his head. "She's out again. She was only lucid for a little while. Her wounds are rather extensive."

"Do they think that she'll live?"

"Kalen's doing everything that she can to help the doctors and the droids, but it doesn't look good."

Alexis sighed and looked around the room one final time. "What do you say we get out of here? We can close these rooms off and come back another time. I'm starting to feel a little sick."

Carth grimaced. "I'll agree to that." He turned to leave the room, absently taking Alexis's hand. She was mildly surprised. She'd thought for sure that he was upset with her. She trailed after him with the two soldiers hot on her heels. No one wanted to remain in the presence of those bodies for any longer than was absolutely necessary.

The left the common room, too, and stood in the hallway where many of the rest of the Republic officers onboard were gathered. Alexis self-consciously eyed her hand, still clasped in Carth's, but made no effort to remove it. Let them think whatever they wanted. She needed comfort right now, and so did Carth. They would have, too, if they'd managed to stay in the room.

Carth issued a few orders and started the long walk towards the med bay in complete silence. His countenance was brooding and Alexis chose not to say anything. She pushed some of the loose strands of her hair out of her face as they walked, sighing when they crackled a bit. She had been working out with Dustil when Carth had come for her and the sweat had dried in her hair. "Do you know anything that I don't?" Alexis asked him.

His eyes met hers briefly. "We have a suspect."

"You don't sound too certain about your suspect's guilt," Alexis said in response to the tone of his voice.

He grimaced. "You haven't seen her yet."

"What? Is she small or something?"

"You could say that. She's only six."

"Six?" Alexis exclaimed.

Carth nodded. "We found her in the hall a little while ago outside the med bay. We think that the woman speaking Falleen may be her mother. She isn't on the passenger list and her clothes are covered in blood."

"Was she carrying the sword?" Alexis asked intently, already reading the answer on his face.

"Yes. She dropped into a combat stance when the soldier who found her approached. Apparently she knows how to use the thing. A six-year-old! I can't imagine her having the strength to kill those people that way, but Kalen tells me-," he began.

"That she's a Force-sensitive," Alexis finished for him.

"How did you know?"

"That's the only way you would have even suggested that a little girl could bludgeon someone to death. Besides, I can read your mind." Carth's eye widened. "I was only teasing, dear heart," Alexis added.

He grinned at her, and for a moment, they forgot what they were doing. Carth pulled her up short and dropped a kiss on her lips. "I don't think that we're going to have a lot of time together for the rest of this ride. It looks like we're going to be busy."

Alexis nodded. "That's okay," she told him gently. "We've got the rest of our lives."

Carth chose not to answer that. Alexis knew that he thought that she still wasn't ready to talk about it. And he was right, she wasn't. She didn't really know what had made her say it. What mattered now what the Force-sensitive child that the Republic suspected of murder. So, she didn't have time to worry about herself just now anyway.

"Are they keeping the little girl here, too?" Alexis asked outside of the med bay.

Carth opened the door. "She's sitting in the room with the injured woman. There are a few soldiers in there with them, and Kalen."

Carth led her back to another room where Alexis could clearly see Kalen through the glass leaning over an injured woman on the table. They walked inside. Kalen turned to them. She motioned Carth over. Alexis glanced around the rest of the room.

Seated between two soldiers was a tiny six-year-old girl with rich brown skin and dark brown curly hair that was in a knot on top of her head. She was dirty and covered in blood, but beneath the filth, she was a lovely child. She had broad features and wide, slanted brown eyes coated by long, thick eyelashes. She was wearing on old gray tunic and black leggings that looked as if they had seen better days. Her feet were bare. There was a large, now bloodstained doll resting in her lap.

Alexis took a step towards the child, a single hand pressed to her temple. The little girl was indeed Force-sensitive, but she wasn't all that powerful. She didn't have much control, either. She was quite clearly broadcasting the fact that she was cold and frightened to anyone that would listen. Alexis started to pull off her cloak and give it to the girl when she realized that she wasn't wearing one. She'd been going out in public completely uncovered. Alexis frowned. Hopefully no one would recognize her.

The child cringed slightly when Alexis frowned, causing Alexis to rock back on her heels. She didn't want to scare the girl. Children weren't usually afraid of her, so this was a new experience. Maybe she just needed to talk to her. "I'm not going to hurt you," Alexis said reassuringly, taking two slow, measured steps to the girl's side and crouching down.

The little girl's fingers tightened on the doll in front of her until her knuckles turned white. There were tears streaming openly down her face. Alexis tenderly brushed away one of the child's tears. With a muffled sob, the girl suddenly launched herself out of her chair and into Alexis's lap. She wrapped her arms around Alexis's neck and pressed her cheek to her Alexis's shoulder, weeping brokenly.

Alexis stood up carefully to avoid jarring the slender child. Her legs went around Alexis's middle. Alexis turned helplessly to look at Carth. He pointed at the woman on the table and made it quite clear that he didn't think that she would live much longer.

With the little girl still held tightly in her arms, Alexis walked over to Carth's side to look at the third victim. There was quite a bit of blood on the sheet that covered her. One of her cheeks had a long slash mark on it and a chunk of her hair was missing. She only faintly resembled the child. Alexis wasn't too certain that this woman was actually her mother.

The woman gasped suddenly and her eyes shot open. Her body began to twitch violently. Kalen held a hand over her to still her using the Force, but it was clear that there wasn't anything else that Kalen could do for the woman. When her death throes were over, Kalen checked for a pulse and shook her head when Carth gave her a questioning look. Carth tossed the sheet over the woman's face.

"Is this your mommy?" Alexis asked the shaking child.

The little girl ignored them. Carth touched Alexis's shoulder gently "Let's get her out of here," he said.

Alexis turned her head to look at the girl. Her face was turned away from her. She looked back at Carth. "Are you sure you want to take her out of here?"

"The day when we can't control one child is the day I retire," Carth responded, his tone light despite the somber mood in the room.

Alexis smiled faintly at him. "All right. But don't blame me when something goes wrong." Alexis turned her head and spoke very close to the girl's ear. "We're going to take you to our place, okay? I bet we've got some blankets and maybe some juice there. How does that sound?"

The little girl faced her quite suddenly. Her face was bright red from her tears and her eyes were bloodshot. She nodded warily. Alexis gave her a gentle smile. At least they knew that she understood Basic.