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| - This compartment has enough room for 20 passengers or about 80 tons of cargo. The deck extending toward the cockpit hatch doubles as a boarding ramp - when the shuttle lands, that section of the deck itself can be lowered at an angle to the surface below. Mizael slides to a stop, against part of the seats inside the shuttle, then tries to lever himself up to look about. The carbine is out of reach, and he looks from it to the small alien - and the lightsaber. This he contemplates, and decides not to move. "Confused are you? Unaware of the powers you hold, you are." Yoda speaks, powering down the saber. "Retrieve not your weapon, young one. Stand, you may." With a small pulse of Force power, the Master clips the saber to his belt. The ship sways and bumps as it lifts from the surface of the ground. You feel a sudden jerk as the ship speeds up. > ISS Malice takes off from the planet below, running one on engine only. Mizael steadies himself, rising slowly. He does look at the carbine once more, then back to Yoda. Tense, but unmoving, he says with the helmet still on, "-What-?" Intensity starting to come back to his voice, but confused is right. You hear the voice of Moff Saati in your head, "Do not submit, Sergeant. Hate them. It is your only weapon." You feel the ship begin to slow. Yoda smiles, bowing his head slightly and blinking. "Unfamiliar with the ways of the Force are you. What of the Jedi do you know?" Mizael staggers, lifting his hands to his head, ripping off the helmet, "What the...Saati?" He looks around, but doesn't really expect to find anything. The helmet hangs loose in one hand, as he presses the other to his temple. To Yoda, a squint, and frustration blossoms, "Jedi? What the hell are you talking about?" > ISS Malice slows to a halt, facing Alpha 6. You feel a sudden jerk as the ship speeds up. > ISS Malice fires all her weapons, and suddenly shoots forward, accelerating You feel the ship begin to slow. You feel a sudden jerk as the ship speeds up. "In your head the Moff is. Speaking to you, is she?" Yoda once more closes his eyes for a moment, then looks at Mizael once more. "Protectors of the Old Republic the Jedi were. Massacred them through deceit and betrayal, Palpatine did. For over a thousand years, protect the Jedi did. Last of the Light, I and Kenobi are." Mizael squints at Yoda, his confusion and drifting mental state allowing him to debate the small alien, even while the ship flees from Imperial pursuit. "The Republic was collapsing under its own weight, and couldn't protect its own citizens. Massacre...huh? The Jedi were ossified relics, holding onto power for its own sake." It's the Imperial history line, but he might know his stuff, somewhat. Not your average Stormtrooper. You hear a large powerdrop as the hyperdrive powers down. You feel the ship begin to slow. You feel a sudden jerk as the ship speeds up. "Peacekeepers the Jedi were, not warriors. Great seekers of justice and lovers of peace. War not make one great, young one. Failing was the Republic, but fall it did not have to." Yoda sighs, as if remembering a time long past. "For nine hundred years have I lived. Countless Jedi I have seen live and die." Reminiscing for the time being, the old being pauses for a moment, peering at Mizael. "Understand the workings of the Force, you do not. Recognize the truth, you must!" You feel a sudden jerk as the ship speeds up. Mizael listens, but still peers at Yoda. "No, I don't understand, and I -" He pauses, and says, "Nine hundred years?" This he might not believe, and suspicion blooms on his face. "Look, where are we going, I've..." He stops again as he starts to lift his helmet, and looks at it. "Blast. Blast, oh, hell." He lets it slump, swinging down to clatter against his thigh plates, still holding it. "I haven't called in. They don't know what's happened to me." -He- doesn't know what's happened to him. "Calm you must be. Pursued by the agents of the Empire, we are." Yoda speaks again, leaning on his cane. "What you know of the Jedi, you must tell me." This is followed by a very gentle telepathic push. You feel the ship begin to slow. The ship shudders as the retrojets engage and the ship begins its descent. The ship rotates slowly and fires braking thrusters as its struts touch down. Mizael looks bewildered for a moment, then shrugs, and says, "Not much. Just what I read in the history docs, in school and the academy. Power-hungry, stuck in their old, outdated ways. Pretty willing to mess with people's minds to get what they want." Some time later... Passenger Compartment This compartment has enough room for 20 passengers or about 80 tons of cargo. The deck extending toward the cockpit hatch doubles as a boarding ramp - when the shuttle lands, that section of the deck itself can be lowered at an angle to the surface below. Contents: Exits: Hermit Yoda {C} Cockpit The small Jedi Master stands in the Passenger compartment, eyes closed. His green, wrinkled features bear an expression of concentration, however much he might appear to be otherwise slumbering. Roga sits on a bench, watching Yoda with a thoughtful expression on his face. With a cough he closes his eyes, exhaling slowly. "Patience, patience Roga" he mumbles to himself, shooting a glance towards the boarding ramp. With a slight groan, closer to a mumble, Mizael wakes. Blinking a few times, his eyes slit, and he looks back and forth even before his head moves. It does, eventually, as he looks at Yoda, slowly levering himself up on his elbows, resting on the deck of the shuttle. "Still here. Not a dream." is his murmur. "No, a dream it is not. Captured still by the evil Jedi are you." The smallish Master comes to full attention now, ears raising a bit. Slowly opening his eyes Roga shoots a curious glance at Yoda. He remains silent, shifting his gaze towards Mizael to watch the stormtrooper careful. After a few moments of observing the man on the ground Roga's view shifts back to the tiny Master, waiting for him to continue. Mizael sits up, rubbing a gloved hand over his face before giving a mildly wary look to Yoda. A slight shake of his head, as if to clear it, and he says, "Yeah..." Looking around, he takes in everything slowly; the shuttle, Roga, then Yoda once more. "Evil, huh?" He still seems somewhat in shock."Trust in your feelings you must. You must unlearn what you have learned." Ignoring Roga for now, Yoda begins speaking to Mizael. "Learned much in your life you have. Now, forget all of your perceptions you must. Kill you now the Empire will. Consorting with the Jedi you are." Roga leans back against the wall, swiveling so that he can stretch out on the bench. He folds his hands in his lap, closing his eyes and listening wordlessly to Yoda. A faint frown works its way across his face, borne of the thought that just by being brought with them Mizael has been signed to death. Mizael sighs, still staring at Yoda. "Yeah," he murmurs. "I know." He looks at the Stormtrooper helmet, sitting nearby, but he doesn't reach for it. He strips the gloves off of his hands, folding them back against the forearm plates, and rubs his face. "I don't know -what's- going on. I've never seen anything like...what happened. And if you all they want to bad, then even if I do call in, they're not going to think twice about wasting me, I'm just a..." This train of thought trails off, as he stares at Yoda once more, almost on eye level with the Jedi. "I don't know what I am anymore. Things are so...different." "Strong in the Force are you. Only training you require to become powerful. Learn quickly you must, and follow the light." Yoda pauses, ears drooping for a moment before he looks up at Mizael. "Explain to you the Force, I will." Roga blinks, looking at Yoda wordlessly. He seems stunned, to say the least, but he recovers his composure quickly. Mizael opens his mouth to object, or to say -something-, but he quiets as Yoda speaks, keeping his thoughts to himself for the moment - aside from the fact that worry and confusion are still writ large upon his face. "Questions you will have, and these will I answer." Yoda nods, extending his hand towards Roga. With an upward motion, he uses the power of the Force to attempt to levitate the other man. "Everywhere is the Force. Flowing through all things, it is, control it, only few can." Roga does a double take as he's lifted into the air, stiffening slightly. He exhales slowly, forcing himself to be calm and muttering beneath his breath. The knuckles of his hands whiten as he clenches his fists, unused to being so.. vulnerable, to say the least. Mizael watches Roga rise, faint smile upon his lips, then it fades as he nods, looking back to Yoda. "This is something...this breaks the rules." Pause. "Transcendent." "Powerful are the Jedi, but controlled they must be. Anger, fear, and hate are not a Jedi's creed." Yoda replies, lowering Roga. "Use the Force you can to increase your body's abilities. Let it flow through you, but not control you. Master it not, but allow a gentle presence always to be with you." Roga relaxes back against the bulkhead, sighing softly and listening. His eyes close, arms folding across his chest. With a soft cough he settles in, relaxing and listening to the Jedi Master speak. His brow furrowing slightly, Mizael nods, worrying at his jaw with his hand as he watches Yoda. "If anger, fear and hate aren't a Jedi's creed, what is?" And then, with more wariness, "Why does Moff Saati want me to hate you, and..." He looks around, for the other. "Who -are- you two, anyway?" "Master Yoda I am. Leader of the Jedi Council of the Old Republic I was. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is the other." Yoda pauses, visibly wilting at the mention of Saati's advice. "Fear not. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering..." The Jedi pauses once more, looking up at Mizael. "Fear is the path of the Dark Side of the Force. Faster it is, and easier, but destroy you it will." Roga laughs softly, shaking his head ruefully. "Not much surprised you don't remember me Trooper. I'm Ex-Sub Lt. D`Minara.. Roga, D`Minara. I'm just another mundane apparently, nobody important." He smiles sadly, opening his eyes to look at Mizael. Shifting his gaze back towards Yoda his eyes close once more, the faintest tremble can be seen. "You've been living a lie, unfortunately. Now you're waking up, as I woke up.. Well not quite" he chuckles. Mizael listens first to Yoda, then to Roga, looking between the two. "Dark side...light side? This...this thing, this Force has -sides-? Are we talking good and evil here?" He shakes his head in mild disbelief, but he mulls it over, for a few heartbeats. Then, to Roga, "I think I remember, yeah...sorry, I'm kinda out of it right now. A lie?" He looks back to Yoda and says, "No, I haven't...I swore an oath, I gave my word - I owe the Empire, the Corps my life..." More agitated, he frowns, searching for words, "I've done things I don't like, but...a lie? I'm a loyal soldier, duty is -important-, I'm..." Long pause. "I was." Another sigh, deeper, rougher breath, and he rests his head in his hands, staring at the deck between his bent knees. "You were. An oversimplification good and evil is, but if you understand this, then yes, it will stand." Yoda speaks to Mizael, pausing and taking a breath. "Living a lie you have not been, from your perception. Misinformed and lied to, you have been. Owe the citizens of the Empire, or the Emperor himself do you?" The small Jedi leans forward, pointing a finger at Mizael. "Owe yourself, your friends, and those you defend as a Stormtrooper the truth. Owe them your defense of their lives and freedoms lost when Palpatine rose. Owe them a commitment to the eventual rebuilding of the Jedi Order, to the villainized Knights of old." "Loyal you are, I don't doubt it. So was I. But the Emperor's New Order is nothing more then an old man groping for power. He had an entire Order, the Jedi Order, hunted down because they stood in his way. You were fighting the wrong fight, but you had the right reasons.. Order and strength of government..." Roga trails off, swinging his legs off the bench to put his feet on the ground. "Sergeant isn't it? Listen to me Sarge... You've got a gift. I'm no historian, but I know enough to realize you're something special. Now if Master Yoda says you've got the force, and you can become a Jedi.. Then you've got the Force, and you can become a Jedi. Don't throw away the chance to become something this galaxy needs. Yer lucky beyond words, so don't trash what you've been gifted." His last few words bear the soft tones of a jealous man, making visible Roga's envy for the stormtrooper. Mizael lifts his head to listen to Yoda, nodding slightly as the little alien speaks, pressing his lips together for a moment. "I joined the Corps because...because they saved my life, once, and I owed them that. And...to protect people. To stop the ones who would prey on others. I don't really care who's in charge, Palpatine is just..." A shrug, and he continues. "He -feels- wrong. What he talks about, the language he uses - he doesn't care. I didn't think it mattered." Doubt now in his words. "Freedoms...blast, I don't know. But things haven't been getting any better." To Roga he turns his gaze, and nods, slowly, replying, "I know, I...I didn't ask for this. I don't -want- this. I want for this never to have happened." Then, a glimmer of steel in voice and his eyes. "But I can't change that. If this is what's happening, I've got to deal with it. Situations change. That much from Carida I'll keep." "Save your life, Palpatine did not. Citizens, soldiers of the Empire they were, and before that citizens of the Old Republic. In your feelings trust, correct are many of your instincts." Yoda turns towards Obi-Wan, nodding. "Master Obi-Wan. Recommend we acquire new transportation, I do." The small Jedi smiles, turning back towards Mizael. "Cannot be changed, the past. Only to the future look. Not decide your destiny will I or any other. Make the choice to commit to this training you must, but know that you will die if you do not commit, by Palpatine's order." Roga purses his lips, swallowing uneasily. Opening his mouth as if to speak, the young man stops, pausing. After a few seconds hesitation he speaks up "Master Yoda... You speak of the future, and destiny. I hate to interrupt but I can't help but wonder.. How can I help? I won't be a Jedi, I'm just another joe." A wary smirk appears on his face, as he continues. "It is his choice to commit or not, but.. this is a selfish question, but.. what about me? What can the average man do?" "You all had the chance to slice me up with..." Mizael nods towards Yoda's saber, or where it might be. "But now I'm sitting here, and you're trying to convince me to join you. And I feel better than I ever have before. Because of that, Palpatine wants me dead, or..." He frowns some, then says, "Like Saati. I don't like hating people. It's a waste of energy." He watches Obi-Wan move by, curious, then says, "My choices are pretty clear. This is bad, all around, but...if I can do -something- with this - gift - then, that's what I -should- be doing." To Yoda, he nods, once, firmly. "I agree, I accept. I'm still - this is all so fast, but so far, it fits." "Wise is your decision. Your training we must begin soon. Find a new location first we must." Yoda pauses, turning towards Roga. "Not Jedi are Stormtroopers, or the officers of the Imperial military. Powerful they are nonetheless." The small Master pauses, looking at Mizael for several moments. "Hurt you are. Demonstrate to you the power of the Force, I will. Move not." The green-skinned creature steps forward, holding his hand out near Mizael's head, and closes his eyes. The small cut on your body closes, the flesh knitting together as if the wound had simply never been. An aura of calm and peacefulness descends, and a soft light envelops you for several seconds before fading away. Roga merely closes his eyes, head bowed forward as he sighs in resignation. "True Master Yoda.. It's just.. The force can do everything, leaving what for me? Master Kenobi is most likely a better pilot then I'll ever be" he laughs bitterly, shaking his head with just a hint of anger in his voice. Mizael doesn't move, as directed, and his breath catches for a moment at the sensations that rush over and through him. Quietly, he touches where the wound was, then looks up to Yoda, some level of disbelief there, but fading quickly as evidence presents itself in the form of non-lacerated flesh. Roga's question causes some consternation to rise in his expression, and he watches Yoda, intent. "Two Masters there are. One apprentice, untrained and unwise in the ways of the Force." Yoda speaks, turning towards Roga and pointing to the pilot with his cane. "Fly a dozen starfighters, Obi-Wan Kenobi cannot. Defeat a thousand troopers alone, none of us can. A chance we stand only if together we work. Alone, make little difference each of us does. Together, overthrow civilization, we can." the small Master puts the cane down, leaning on it and taking a breath. "Find more unknowing apprentices I must, and train them all quickly." Roga nods lightly, sighing softly. "Very well Master Yoda. I have pledged my skills, however feeble they may be. Someone has to do the grunt work while you almighty Jedi go around saving the galaxy, eh?" he chuckles and relaxes, using humour to soothe his own doubts and worries. "Now for the real question: Where are we going next? We're on Nal Hutta, we've been spotted. Hutts are notorious for seeking profit, so I do not doubt that we will be revealed should the price be right. It's important that we get mobile, and soon." Mizael seems to accept Yoda's response, nodding to himself as he stands, gathering up helmet and carbine. "Nal Hutta?" he says, wondering. "Yeah, they would, unless it was worth their while more to -not- reveal us... but I trust 'em as far as I can throw 'em." Clipping the carbine to his hip, he starts to put on his helmet, then stops. "Damn. I can't wear this outside." "Keep it with us, we shall. Duplicate its workings and abilities in the future we can, perhaps." Yoda nods, then opens a small compartment, revealing several jumpsuits. "Your pick take. Hide that for now we must." Roga stands, stretching as he does so. "Go ahead and get suited up, I'm gonna poke my head outside and see the fabled Smuggler's Moon." Mizael takes one of the jumpsuits, a simple blue one, a ship crewman's suit, and sets it aside while he starts to strip out of the armor without a moment of self-consciousness. White plates are removed and set down, many of them fitting inside others for storage, and the skin-tight black suit is slowly peeled off. Once that's gone, he steps into the jumpsuit, closing the clasps up the front, and begins loading equipment from the armor into his pockets. Roga hrmms softly, shaking his head. "Actually I'll wait for you guys I think. I'm just an unarmed stick jockey" he laughs. The small Jedi Master hefts the Stormtrooper armor's few segments and places them into a rucksack he retrieves. This he holds out to Mizael, though the case is nearly his own size. "Travel we will for an unknown time. Rations we must acquire, then move we shall." Mizael takes the sack, then eyes the E-11, saying, "All right...I've got a little in my kit, we can share it for maybe a day or two. The carbine will draw attention, too." It goes into the bag as well, and Mizael slings it upon his back, adjusting the straps to distribute the weight. Patting his pockets, he runs through the inventory, "Pistol, grenades, comm, PDA..." The binocs go into the pack as well. "That's it." Roga reaches over and tears off first his Alpha Squadron patch, then his Starfighter Corps patch. He looks at them with a soft sigh, before tucking them into the pocket of his pants. "I feel bad, having to do what I'm doing. In a way it feels wrong, and at the same time it feels perfect. But a fight we must give the Empire." His voice grows resolute, and he nods to himself. "I am ready." "Wait we will, until Master Obi-Wan returns." A thought seems to dawn on Yoda, and he turns to the two ex-Imperials. "Who are you? Your names? From where do you come?" "Oh," Mizael says, struck by the question, a slight smile crossing his lips. "Sergean...er, Arik Mizael. I'm from Baradeon 4. Little resource world, out near the Outer Rim. Sienar corporate colony." Roga chuckles, eyes twinkling. "Roga.. Roga D`Minara. Y'can call me Darkfalcon or Roga Master Yoda. I'm used to responding to either." His shoulders shrug slightly, eyes misting a bit as he remembers his childhood. "Corellia, s'where I hail from originally." he turns to his left, offering Mizael his hand "I suppose this is the first time we meet as individuals, Arik." he murmurs with a grin. "Time for relaxation and happiness there will not be often. Take the chance while you have it, you must." The venerable Master nods, a small smile coming to his features. The Master pauses at Mizael'e mention of his homeworld, but says nothing. Mizael takes Roga's hand, chuckling quietly. "Well, yeah. Guess so." He gives it a firm grip, then releases, looking back to Yoda. "So, you're - Master Yoda? Is there some sort of...protocol, for this?" "Worry not for protocol. Gone is the Order that enforced such protocol." Yoda replies, a sad look passing over his features. "Suffice will Yoda or Master Yoda." Roga purses his lips, musing a moment. "The Order will be reborn Master Yoda. With you and Master Kenobi to guide us, and the first Jedi Apprentice since the hunt.. In time the Empire will crumble, and the Jedi will rise strong again. They will not be the same, but they will be there once more." He smiles at the green master, trying to be consoling. Arik nods once to Yoda's response, then glances to Roga as he speaks. A slight shrug, but he says, "Well, we're building from scratch, looks like. But it's a mission." He scratches at his jawline, and says, "So where -are- we going, to start this training?" "Know that answer I do not." The Master speaks, glancing about the small chamber. "Search memory and the stars for a hidden world, we must." Roga says, "I've been thinking about that, and I've a question Master Yoda.. During the "hunt" for the Jedi.. How did you and Master Kenobi escape? Where did you hide to avoid the populace that hated you?" Mizael asks, curious, "Did the populace hate Jedi? I mean - I can't trust anything in the history docs, they're all controlled by one Imperial bureau or another. History was sort of glossed over, mostly, from what I remember." "Hate the Jedi, the populace did. Lies they were fed until they stood by as slaughtered their protectors were." Yoda sighs, leaning on his cane. "Responsible for the Clone Wars, the populace thought the Jedi were. Such a waste of life, the Jedi would never have begun." Roga shakes his head sadly, frowning. "Unfortunate, unnecessary. Yet my question stands Master Yoda. If the galaxy at large declared you the creators of atrocities, where could you have hidden? That's what I can't figure out. How do you escape when everyone you know wants to help get you killed." Mizael listens, and sighs, setting the pack down for the moment. "That's about what I thought. The history docs don't tell it like that, not quite, but it fits with some other things. The propoganda. Damn. How much -has- been lies?" "Lies are most of what you were taught." Yoda pauses, then answers Roga's question. "Hid on different worlds Master Kenobi and I did. Hid on Dagobah and Tatooine, respectively, we did." The small being looks back to Mizael, pausing to tap his cane against the floor in emphasis. "See through the lies, you must. Know in your heart the truth you do. See it through the propaganda, you can." Roga looks at Mizael, offering a comforting smile. "I know the feeling. I know because I talked to Master Yoda while you were unconscious." He looks at Yoda, thinking deeply. "Our first priority is to get shelter in a friendly environment, wherever that may be. Is Dagobah a suitable world, one where you can begin training *him*" he points to Mizael "As the hero we need to begin our Rebellion?" "I guess I always knew they were lying," Mizael says, shrugging some, lifting his hands. "But what could you do, you had to live your life, and worrying about what one text or another said seemed, well...pointless. But - I guess I knew it. Things I heard, how people acted. I serve because I'm - served. Blast. I served because I was loyal, not because I was afraid. They wanted to instill fear, but, it never really works. The Jedi...even if they were ossified, and clinging to power, they weren't aggressive, if anything they were stagnant. The causes of the collapse of the Republic, something that large, can't be attributed to something like that. It was pushed." Roga then speaks, and he listens, nodding until the 'hero' part comes out. "Hero? Hey, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on, I'm...I'm not a hero. I'm just a grunt." Pause, and a glance to Yoda. "With possibilities." "Clinging to power, the Jedi were not. Little influence did they have in the Senate." Yoda sighs, breathing in deeply and rapping the floor with his cane once more. "Pushed the Republic was, the young one has it right. Torn apart from inside with bickering and infighting, greed and power struggles." Roga nods, "Exactly. People, those who remember, view the Republic as something corrupt. Which is where you come in Arik. I understand that the Jedi were not power hungry, that was the way of the 'Dark Side'. But we need someone to hold up as a beacon of our Rebellion. 'This is the Jedi. This is the man, good and pure, who will deliver us from the tyrannical oppression.' I don't like it, but we will need a hero. With Master Kenobi and Master Yoda teaching you, we'll have that hero." Mizael nods to Yoda, quiet for a bit as he mulls over what has been said, and his own memories - then turns his attention to Roga. "I know, but...rebellion? That's a hell of a thing to be doing. I don't see any other way, but what kind, how we do this..." He shakes his head, "I'm getting way ahead of things. And maybe you're right." To Yoda his regard shifts. "Is he right, is that what's needed? I mean, I don't -like- it, but...I'll do it. As best I can." "Fall will a hero who is elevated above the rest." Yoda speaks, voice careful. "Elevate you, we will not. Train you and employ you to assist, we will. One-man army, you are not. Master of the Force, you are not. Recruit more individuals to our cause we must, and begin assembling a force to defend the trainees." Roga looks at Yoda, exhaling and then nodding. "Very well, we won't build a hero out of him." he turns his head, looking at Mizael "A war is what we need, and I know how to lead a war. Once we settle on a location to create our.. praxeum.. a Jedi Academy, if you will. We can begin working on locating the two components necessary to establish an army: Funds and Troops. We need an out of the way world, with a climate conducive to whatever kind of training these Force Trainees would require. Would you say that assessment of our situation is fair Master Yoda?" "Ahead of yourself you get, young Roga. Force trainees we have not, only young Arik." Yoda speaks, pausing for a moment. "Right you are, however: Troops, funds, and a location must be found." Mizael just listens for the moment, watching both Yoda and Roga. He runs a hand over his head, still smooth from the last depilation. He does speak, though, eventually. "Lots of ways to do all that. I've got some cash, but nothing near enough to do that. Could keep us going for a while, though, if we need to disappear. Find somewhere to plan, think, train." Roga hrmms softly, deep in thought. "Ok, I am getting ahead of myself. We do only have one trainee, but we will have more so it's good to keep that in mind. Master Yoda, what kind of conditions, climate-wise, do we need in a world? It's important we pick someplace that we can easily meld into a good place to learn." Yoda seems to agree with Mizael's estimation, and smiles at his priorities. "Wiser you are than first I gave you credit for, young Arik. Be a problem, credits should not." Mizael flashes a momentary grin at Yoda's praise, somewhat surprised at his own reaction. "Thanks - that's one less thing for us to worry about then."
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