As the days have gone by, Leeta and the human Candidate, Tahir, have been spending less and less time in their room, and more and more time with the inquisitors. Much of this has been very boring work, paperwork, filling out permits and such… but today seems different.

Tahir has quickly washed his face and dressed himself in his white and violet Inquisitor robes. "We are meeting some exiles today, Leeta." The human says happily as he pokes at his reflection in the mirror.

Leeta nods, helping Tahir and adjusting his robes as he gets ready. She has already finished her morning routine, waking up early as usual to do so. As she straightens his robe she signs in formal into the mirror, "?ekil yeht era tahW. meht fo eno tem ev'I kniht t'nod I ?selixE"

The young human peers quizically at Leeta's reflection, then turns around as he slowly figures it out. "They're newcomers to Sinai. I hear that the Temple has been getting quite a few as of late."

"Are they dangerous?" the Savanite asks, "They are usually taken as a bad omen among my people; most strange things are. I've never seen one."

"The inquisitors tell me that most Exiles are troublesome. One was even accused of murdering my sucessor," Tahir responds coldly as he walks to the door. "But they also tell me that each are different. There are three we will meet today. If you have any questions, sign them to me and I'll ask the inquisitors. You might think of something I do not."

The Savanite takes a last check of her appearance in the mirror, and reaches for her mandolin, then changes her mind and leaves it. She nods solemnly at Tahir's words. "I'll watch them, and I'll tell you of anything I think of." She stands beside him at the door, and waits silently. {I'll be ready, Tahir, if any of them make a wrong move.}

Tahir reaches out and knocks on the door leading out from his quarters. Slowly, the doors cycle open, and waiting outside are four Elite guardsmen and one Inquisitor. This Inquisitor is an Eeee with brown fur; sharp fangs peek out from under his lips. He nods to the human. "I am Inquisitor Isham. It will be my pleasure to show you how we handle Processing." He glances at Leeta. "Will your slave also accompany us?"

"Yes, she is my personal secretary," the human responds. "Leeta, you didn't forget to get your notepaper, did you?" The cheetah catches a wink from the human's bright blue eyes.

The Savanite gets a startled look as she realizes that she has, then quickly darts over to the desk. Taking a pad and pen she returns, and shakes her head to her master. She has them now.

Inquisitor Isham nods. "Let us be off to our first appointment then." He gestures down the hallway. Tahir quietly follows behind, walking amidst his four private guards.

Leeta walks behind the human, inside his ring of guards. She keeps her head up, in a very unslavelike manner, and watches around, looking for danger as much as the wolves are.

The red-maned Savanite is tense, more so than usual. Moffat's legacy and her recent experiences have given her doubts for even the most innocent of actions. She trusts the wolves, but trusts her own eyes and ears more. She watches, examining the people they pass by.

The Inquisitor leads the candidate and his guards (and Leeta) down many corridors and passageways. Eventually they come to a room with a door much like the one on Tahir's room, and also a panel in the wall that is currently closed. Leeta recognises the hallway as those used by the Inquisitors, the annoying buzz of fluorescent lighting rings in her ears.

The doorway is cycled open, and Inquisitor Isham walks in. He seats himself behind a desk and gestures for Tahir and his crew to sit on the other side of the room in some chairs prepared for them.

Opposite from where the Candidate sits is a 'dentist's chair' of sorts. Two Jupani guardsmen are strapping a passive-looking lizard into the chair.

Tahir quietly seats himself while his guards remain standing, quietly ready for anything. The Inquisitor puts on a pair of thick leather gloves. "This is how we teach them the language," Isham says. "It is painful for some, but a necessary pain. We were lucky this time; this Exile seems fairly compliant. Quite often they resist."

Leeta waits for Tahir and his guards to sit, then looks for her own place: the chair right next to her master. After sitting on the floor so many times, it feels strange to have a seat provided for her. She takes it, sitting taller than the human beside her, and looks at the lizard being strapped in. {So that is an Exile… }

"Why are they called 'Exiles'? Wouldn't 'Refugees' be a better name for them?" the Savanite signs, then adds, "Oh, sorry Tahir, I was just gesturing."

"We're all ready, Inquisitor," one of the wolves barks. The lizard sits limply in the chair, strapped in to the point of near-immobility while a second wolf lowers a helmet down upon his head.

Tahir nods to Leeta then asks out loud, "Why do you call them Exiles?"

"Because they have no way to return," the inquisitor responds as he walks to a metal knife-switch in the wall. "Most do not come here by choice, and … do not find it to be very pleasant here."

The lizard, a bug-eyed thing with bright green skin mottled with blue and gray, quietly sits as the helmet is lowered down upon his head. He babbles a few meaningless sounding words to himself now and again.

Leeta watches the switch, managing to suppress her nod as the question is answered. {They must be used to someplace very different.} She watches the helmet being lowered, "What is going to happen now?"

"He going to use interface on Exile," Tahir signs with his hands resting on his lap. "I use helmets all time once, interesting." Moments later the bat yanks down on the knife switch. The lights in the room flicker and the lizard goes rigid, as though someone were jolting him with an electric shock.

The Savanite's teeth and hands clench as she watches the lizard jolt. She manages to sign, "It looks painful! I was going to ask if I could try, but I don't want to now." The red-maned cheetah tries to relax, and just watch.

The lights flicker back on and the bat pulls up on the switch. "Remove the helmet," he says to the guards.

"Was not made for you kind," Tahir signs as the two wolves slowly pull the helmet from the lizard. "Little bit of use alright. But would probably hurt you easily."

The lizard blinks and looks around, as if viewing everything in the room for the first time. "Can you understand me?" Isham asks.

"Yes," the lizard hisses, not really looking at the bat.

Leeta watches the proceedings, nodding to Tahir. The lizard's sudden understanding of Rephidim Standard does impress her though, even more so as she remembers the effort Tahir had to take to learn Savanite to his beginning level. Alert now, she keeps her gaze on the lizard.

The Inquisitor seats himself at his desk again. "I am going to ask you a series of questions. Please answer them to the best of your ability."

"What is your name?" Isham asks. "And where are you from?"

Tahir watches intently. The lizard looks around again sluggishly, then rocks in his bonds, as if only now realizing that he has been restrained. "I am Demos," the lizard hisses. "I am from the caves."

Isham scribbles something down on his notepad. "Er… right. And where were these caves? What is the name of your land?"

"Where were these Exiles found?" Leeta signs, "Did the three of them arrive together?"

Demos blinks slowly. "I only know of the caves." Inquisitor Isham grumbles and erases something on his notepad.

"Pardon me, Inquisitor." Tahir interrupts. "But where did these Exiles come from?"

"This Exile was found on a raft by a fisherman along with two others," the Inquisitor says. "They were half starved and dying of thirst. The fishermen arranged for their passage to us."

Tahir nods quietly. Inquisitor Isham licks the tip of his pencil, "Now then. Do you have any special skills or abilities? Can you perform magic?"

"Was the raft brought along; would it give any information about their home?" the fire-haired Savanite signs, then brushes her hands against her legs. "Oh, wait, they could always have made it after they arrived here. I guess that wouldn't help at all … Was there anything found with them?"

The lizard blinks again. "I can eat, run, and throw rocks."

Tahir signs. "Exiles are searched when brought here – in case they carry weapon or have way of paying for processing."

The Eeee grumbles and waves a hand to the guards. "Untie him and take him to the medical examiners. Maybe they'll have more luck." The guards nods and unstrap the lizard. One of them cycles the door open and they lead him out. "They shall be bringing the second one in soon. Please stay close to your guards, this one has been less cooperative than most."

Leeta blinks, as the lizard is escorted out, then she turns to the small human beside her. "Tahir, it is saying it is as stupid as people believe Savanites to be. Surely that can't be true; even just living it should know more, games and stories, or something."

"What do you intend to do with the exile now?" Tahir asks.

Inquisitor Isham taps his pencil against his cheek. "He will be studied for any allergies he may have, we will see if he has any special skills or knowledge that may serve the Temple in lieu of his payment, and then we will set him free."

Further up the hallway, Leeta's sensitive ears pick up an animal-like scream… and it's coming closer.

"Something's in pain Tahir, something wounded!" The Savanite looks around nervously, watching the door.

"No … maybe just an animal. I don't know, Tahir; this next one doesn't sound cooperative," Leeta signs, listening more carefully.

Tahir turns to face the doorway as well; his guards tense their hands upon their weapons. As the voice draws nearer, it sounds less like a creature in pain… and more like a creature enraged – as though someone were howling insults and profanities that made no sense. The door cycles open again to reveal the two guardsmen, struggling with a black creature that stands at about five feet tall.

The Savanite just stares at the black creature, trying to see some features, anything that might make it recognizable.

This Exile resembles a Kattha with obsidian black fur. Well, it almost resembles one, were it not for its solid black eyes and the pair of blunt horns sprouting from its head. Its feet also end in cloven hooves instead of paws, and it has no tail. The exile shrieks again and snaps at the closest wolf, kicking and squirming as they drag it to the chair.

"That is… that is… I have never seen anything like that… " Leeta stares, tensing each time it lashes out. Her legs are bunched beneath her, and she sits forward on the edge of her seat, watching and wary.

"Some give us trouble," Isham says as the guards strap the Exile down. "It is unfortunate that they do, but they do not understand our ways." The Eeee walks back to the knife switch as the guards lower the helmet back down. "Unfortunately the more they resist, the more painful the Processing is." He yanks down and the lights flicker again.

The Exile SCREAMS and writhes around in the chair, but the leather straps hold it tightly.

Tahir shrinks back.

Leeta's ears fold back and she shivers at the scream, her muzzle clenching into a defensive snarl. She relaxes her grip on the side of her seat, and signs "Isn't there any other way? Can't they be shown we're trying to help?" as the creature thrashes around.

The bat raises the switch again and the guards pull the helmet away. The Exile continues to spit and snarl, sounding more like an animal than a sentient being. "Isn't there a more… pleasant way of Processing the Exiles?" Tahir asks.

The Exile's angry expression vanishes for a moment, then returns with a flash in its angry eyes. "Zsofi shall kill you all!" it shrieks. "She will suck marrow from your bones and wear your ears like gems!" The words melt into another flurry of growls and snarls and violent thrashings.

"We only use violence when we are met with violence," Isham says quietly. "But sometimes violence is all some will understand."

The Inquisitor moves to stand in front of the Exile. "You are in the Rephidim Temple. Do you understand me?"

Leeta touches the back of Tahir's hand; she's here. The Savanite is focused on the Exile, and the restraints, her ears staying buried in her fire-hair as she listens to the threats.

Zsofi spits at the Inquisitor. "Want to go home! You bring me here to ugly land with bright lights… Take Zsofi back, or she kill you all!"

"Bright lights?" The Eeee guestures to one of the guards. "Do they hurt your eyes? We can dim them if it will make things more pleasant for you. We do not intend to hurt you, and your threats are meaningless here."

"This one was on the raft with the first one? I am surprised she didn't eat it," the Savanite signs, still watching the thrashing almost-Khatta.

"Lies! Lies! Lies!" the Exile growls. "Zsofi know what you do, you kill her! Put bugs in head with helmet."

Tahir nods nervously to Leeta. "She looks like a demon… acts like one too," he whispers softly.

The Inquisitor rubs his temples. "I assure you, we have no intention of killing you. We simply needed to teach you our language. If you would just calm down, I can answer any questions you might have."

"A demon?" The cheetah looks at the black beast. "Is there anything they have to calm Exiles down? A drink… No, I guess that wouldn't work. Slave trainers would just whip you ten lashes for every sign or glance, or in her case word I guess, that they didn't like. I don't really suggest that though, it works, but it's not pleasant… "

The Exile responds by doubling her attempts at fighting her bonds and screaming a torrent of profanities. Green liquid oozes out from where the leather has cut into her flesh.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" the Candidate says, almost pleadingly.

The guards rush in and grab the exile, hoping to hold her still. Inquisitor Isham grabs the Exile's feet. "All we can do is throw her into a cell for a bit. Perhaps some time alone will calm her down. We will also have to tend to her wounds."

Leeta looks at her hands, wishing now she had brought her mandolin. It probably wouldn't help at all, but it would be something to have – some other sounds to counter the screaming and insults of the black creature. "Maybe if someone talked to her, from the outside of her cell, she might trust them eventually, or relax sooner?"

The Inquisitor and the guards hold onto the Exile tightly as they unstrap her from the chair. As soon as her left arm is free, she quickly lashes out at the nearest living person. Her sharp claws tear across Inquisitor Isham's shoulder. One of the guards responds instantly – His fist slams into the Exile's stomach; she grunts in pain and goes limp. The Eeee staggers back, clutching his shoulder as blood oozes out from between his fingers. Tahir's guards draw their flintlocks.

Leeta is on her feet in front of Tahir, crouched, muzzle snarled back and her legs starting to shake terribly.

"No! Don't shoot her, you fools!" Isham waves his free hand. "Just help get her out of here." He sinks down, moaning.

The Exile coughs, and weakly growls threats as she's dragged out of the room. One of Tahir's guards rushes to the Inquisitor's side. "Is he all right?" the human asks.

"I have felt better." The Eeee pats his shoulder. "I fear that today's lesson will be cut short today. I will have to have this tended to before anything else."

The Savanite's legs keep shaking, almost starting to pound. She wants to run away, not stand. Even sitting down, they keep bouncing, and she squeezes her thighs with her hands, trying to stop it. Leeta looks at the Inquisitor, and then Tahir, "I hope you don't have to work with them Tahir; the Exiles seem too dangerous."

Tahir nods nervously, his own hands shaking a bit. He blinks, and then rises to his feet. "Please help him to the infirmary," he says to the closest guard. "The rest of you, please escort my slave and myself back to my room."

The Elite guardsmen begin to shuffle around, the door is cycled open… and three guardsmen stand ready to escort the human and the Savanite back.

Her hands jump almost as much as her legs, "What is wrong with them? Why don't they trust us? What could they possibly have that the Temple would want to take from them? They aren't anyone, they have no power." Leeta stands again, her legs still twitching as she walks beside Tahir.

The Candidate pulls himself up to his feet and takes his place amidst his guards. As they walk back to his room he signs quietly to Leeta, "Not know. Was told to expect many thing like this, but did not expect creature like that. Heard third Exile was fox."

Tahir and Leeta are quickly hustled down the hallway and back to the Candidate's room. His door is slowly cycled open – Inside, the smell of lunch wafts out to greet the nose of the cheetah.

"Even if I was right before, if the world and the Temple is as evil as Moffat made it seem to me, they're no-one here. They have no influence, no connections… no family," the Savanite keeps signing to the human, "And I was wrong, you and the guards proved that to me. There are good people, despite the ones that scheme like Moffat. Why can't they see that; is where they come from so bleak?"

"A Fox?" Leeta finishes, as they are ushered into their room.

Tahir motions for Leeta to follow him as he walks back inside. As the door closes behind them, he signs, "Inquisitors tell me many stories past few days. Very sad, some." As the door clicks shut he seats himself on the bed, untying his belt and stripping off his outer robe. "Yes, a fox. They caught it trying to steal a pocketwatch from one of the guardsmen. He's lucky he is an Exile… "

The cheetah smiles, seeing the lunch, and heads toward it. Taking up a fork she looks over the dishes, trying to decide which one to test first. "Why are foxes significant?" she signs, spinning the fork. The irony of trust comes back at her as she starts to fulfill her most worrisome chore.

"Because the Captain Astromancer was supposedly killed by an exile fox," Tahir says, the icy tinge returning to his voice. "Another fox feigned death to escape having to pay his Processing fee."

"The Exile that was accused of killing the Astromancer was released after striking some kind of bargain with the Temple – and then vanished from the face of Sinai." He scoots back on the bed. "I have been told that I should not trust Exiles."

"I won't let that happen, Tahir," Leeta signs, suppressing a shiver and looking away to taste the food in front of her. She strips some of the meat off the bird's leg, and from its breast. Next she has some of the rice pelae it rests on. She pokes through the rice bed with the fork as she takes a sip of his drink, then signs, "So, sometimes they disappear as well?"

The human watches Leeta. "Sometimes. The Temple usually keeps a close eye on Exiles for quite a while after they arrive, just to insure that they do not disappear, and that they are acclimatizing themselves properly to the culture here."

"I think that's wise, Tahir, to not trust the Exiles. If I've seen anything from those secrets there, it's that people will do almost anything to protect what they have… but if they have nothing to protect, there is nothing stopping them from doing whatever they want." The fire-haired Savanite has a few more bites of rice from different spots on the plate, then takes up a spoon. She stirs the vegetable soup, scraping the bottom, and has a few mouthfuls of that as well.

Leeta licks her muzzle and looks at Tahir, "All safe. So some do fit in then? Do they ever really come to belong here?"

Tahir quickly loads a plate up for himself. "Some do. I hear that some of the races on Sinai descended from Exiles. Others… no."

"My people try to drive off Exiles, not that I ever saw one in the wild. The belief is that they will attract the slave airships." Leeta sits on the cot, waiting for Tahir to take all his food. "It's nice of the Temple to teach them the language. What is the processing fee for – Why charge something a refugee isn't likely to be able to pay?"

"There is a reason for the Processing fee," the human says. "It gives the Temple a legal means of keeping the Exile for a period of time to allow it to slowly get used to Sinai, or someone purchases the Exile's contract from the Temple." Tahir sprinkles some rice into his stew. "If the Exile can afford his own Processing fee, then there is a good chance that it already had the means of supporting itself and does not need a surrogate."

"Some simply do not accept the way life is on Sinai. In a sense, I am an Exile myself and I know how difficult it is to find yourself in a world where everything is different from how you remember it to be." He looks around the room. "Or mostly different at least."

Leeta blinks at the human's words, "But you're not an Exile, Tahir."

"Tell me what you remember; I want to understand." The Savanite looks across at her friend.

Tahir quietly stirs his wooden spoon around in the bowl of stew. "What I remember is very fragmented. I think I have the memories of many people, actually. I worked here." He gestures around the room. "And then I went to sleep."

Leeta mimics Tahir, adding rice to her stew as well, and taking what is left of the bird. She sits cross-legged on her cot, with her plate in her lap and the bowl of soup in one hand.

The red-maned Savanite looks around the room more carefully, putting her spoon down to sign, "Worked here? What is there to do in this room except study and sleep? It doesn't look like an office."

The human chuckles. "No… I mean I worked in the Temple. I was part of the Expedition."

Leeta's ears wiggle, and she just sips from the bowl of soup. "I never know to tell when you are talking small or large. What is the Expedition?"

The human stuffs bits of meat into his mouth. "It was when we first came here. Me and the others," he says between bites.

"You came to the Temple from someplace else? Who were the others?" Confusion reigns on Leeta's face, and she forgets to sip at her soup, just holding it up in front of her.

Tahir smirks. "No. The Temple came with me. And the others were those that served along with me. Cerbancos, the last Astromancer, was one of them."

Leeta puts down the soup before she spills it on herself. "But the Temple doesn't move, just Rephidim… You either built it… or… it was… You mean Rephidim Island don't you?" Her signs just deteriate into a confused shrug.

"I mean the Temple," Tahir says as he brings his bowl to his lips and drinks. "It is in disrepair now, but that is to be expected after how many thousands of years. The Technopriests are very diligent in keeping it functioning, though. Our own technicians would be proud."

"The Temple… can move?" The Savanite thinks of the endless corridors and the hundreds of stairs, and the sheer mass of rock she ran through and lived under, for the weeks before Tahir. She shakes her head, "How, Tahir? I would not believe it, except that Rephidim flies, and it is larger."

"It probably can no longer move. But it still functions," Tahir says. "We came from… well… " He gestures to the skylight as he sips at his stew with his free hand. "I have probably told you too much already. It is rather difficult to explain."

Leeta looks up at the skylight, seeing just the blue sky overhead, looking for what he might have gestured at. The Procession, the sun, nothing is visible through the skylight from where the Savanite sits, not even a cloud. She looks back down at Tahir. "Too much? Enough to confuse me already, that's true. I wish you would explain it all sometime; maybe then I would know what you mean when you talk in your sleep."

Tahir blinks. "I talk in my sleep? What do I say?"

"A lot of things; they don't make much sense… " The cheetah rubs at an ear as she tries to remember, "You say people's names… say that things are failing… You're giving orders too. It never made any sense. You do it a lot though; sometimes you wake me up. I could write it down next time you do if you want."

The human looks down at his empty bowl for a few moments. "No, I think I would rather not know what I say in my sleep. I have nightmares about… some experiences I had while I served the Expedition. It would probably be best if they remain buried in dreams."

Leeta moves over beside Tahir, resting a hand on the back of his neck and squeezing gently. "I want to help, Tahir. Do you want me to wake you up if I hear you having a nightmare, so you won't dream it again?"

The human smiles and pats Leeta's shoulder. "It would probably be for the best if you do not. The Technopriests said that it was part of my process of remembering things."

"Some things aren't worth remembering, Tahir. Some things I wish I could forget." She looks down at her hands for a moment, "One thing I've been curious about. If you are the Candidate for the Inquisition, and the Technopriests have their own, why are they teaching you? Wouldn't they favor theirs?"

"They have a hand in all three of us," Tahir answers. "They awakened us after all. I believe that they favor whomever is best for the job. The only difference is that my Technopriest counterpart is more mechanically inclined than I."

"So that is why they have you studying history, more than the technical works. I think my mind would freeze, if I saw all three of you together." Leeta looks over at the books, and then over where she has hidden the 'Last Will and Testament'. "Oh! Tahir, I have to go and divert packages. I think I might have missed one. Can you write down the ones I have to do tomorrow, after you study? I'll give the note to Nebo or Kray this time, I promise. I don't think they'll try taking me out to get drunk again. Then we'll have some help, and I can play for you and not have to run crazy tasks."