...who in the name of all Fates would take it upon themselves to clone a Sith?

Shayla frowned as an answer to that question popped into her mind, then she turned and directed her gaze into Graysith's violet eyes. A thought was pressing in her mind. There was one possible way she could think of to get to the bottom of the clone mystery...

...perhaps.

"Could the Book of Ages assist us in determining the truth of this newcomer's claim?" she queried quietly. "For if he's a clone to the Kri'faxx family...

...I'd believe that at least the tale of the cloning would be in the book. And perhaps..."

she paused, frowning once more, "...perhaps we should also consult the retro-biography of Roan, to determine if he, in fact, might have had a hand in this. Something about this just seems very wrong..."

[ 01-17-2003 10:36 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

--------------------

Now she turned to Shayla, her very being calm and controlled once more.

"I do not know much of this Book, for it is something the sorcerer Naad had brought to us," she finally said after a little thought. "But from what I do know, it contains information of the Sith; once Lord Roan renounced his heritage in the Valley of the Dark Lords, he became Sith no more in the eyes of the book."

She paused, a sudden inspiration flashing in her eyes.

"Perhaps... perhaps this can be used," she murmured at length. "Perhaps if this is so, and if it is shown to those he is with, they will renounce him and his power over them in turn. Already he has lost the Mark of the Dark Lord; would this be enough that he would lose the false power he holds?

"But how--?"

She paused at that, shaking her head.

"This is a possibility I shall bring up to Recinis upon his return to us. And as for the stranger, I do not know how the Book would handle a clone, if it would accept that clone as Sith or doppelganger. That is something the Book itself would show; I do not know if the Book is yet with the sorcerer in whatever mysterious place he has taken himself, or if he left it with my Sire."

She fell silent at that, the last two words ringing in her ears. For some inexplicable reason, that former feeling of vague distress was suddenly scrabbling for permission to show itself, permission she yet denied, albeit with more and more energy needing to be channeled toward that denial.

--------------------

But he was mere Adept no longer; now he was son and heir, and needed to become accustomed to those titles, the unspoken privileges they bestowed upon him...

...as well as to the fact that he now had the unspoken permission to speak, to offer what input he could.

Something flashed into his mind like a stroke of lightning; he raised his head now, and stared deeply into Aelvedaar's eyes.

"My father," he began a bit hesitantly, fighting to prevent himself from dropping his eyes. They wavered before the rock-steady pair in front of him, then finally took strength from those and steadied themselves in turn. He straightened ever so slightly in Aelvedaar's grasp.

"The stranger here has identified himself to us as 'Serke Kri'faxx,' which is in turn all that was revealed to him," he said at length, his voice low but gaining in timbre with every word he spoke. In front of him, Dark Lord Aelvedaar's expression remained blank... but there was a hint of growing interest about it. Heartened by what he perceived, Aeylmaar continued.

"We leap to the belief that he claims to be cloned from the nephew of Master Rean, of the young lad SerKe who we know died in adolescence... both in 'our' time and here in the present."

Now Aelvedaar's eyes widened, and a light rush of air escaped him. "Why didn't I--" he began, then quieted, giving his adopted son the honor of saying the words. His grip tightened ever so slightly.

"Continue, my son," he breathed.

Aeylmaar drew in a great breath. "Could it be, my father, that perhaps this one is indeed cloned from SerKe Kri'faxx... but could that be another SerKe from our own past? What do we know of the Kri'faxx lineage? Indeed, Master Rean's sister married into the line, and the young SerKe was born, heir to the title of the Dark Lord of Weaponry.

"But what if this SerKe with us was cloned from an ancestor to Master Rean's brother-in-law? The story the stranger was given would therefore hold true... and even though it is retrograde, he just may yet be the only contender for the title of Dark Lord. Master Rean had no other descendents or relatives."

He fell into silence then, and merely waited quietly to see how his father would react to his speculation.

[ 01-18-2003 01:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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Now I let that self-directed humor rush out from me. My clawed hands grip tightly into this younger Sith's flesh; I throw my head back and let a roar of laugher escape me to strike the stone ceiling arching far over our heads.

"But of course!"

The words erupt ere my laughter has been contained; I lower my gaze now and affix the amber eyes with my own.

"How could we not see this possibility? How-- ahh, indeed I have chosen wisely in taking you to me, first as Adept, and then as Son and Heir!"

My excitement can no longer be contained; I bring Aeylmaar's unprotesting body to me in a great hug. It is the hug of affirmation, the hug one warrior gives to another on the field of victory...

The hug one Sorcerer gives another when he knows his magicks will yet lead the way to enlightenment and prosperity for his peoples.

Now I push Aeylmaar from me and, giving him a final confirming shake, release him. I move to the Crystal Octahedron; a wave of my hand, and the courtyard to the Temple of Warrior's is revealed.

Save for the shadows of the night which has fallen there, it is quite empty.

"The final truth is yet in the blood, my Son!" I whisper, joy carrying my quiet words into his alert ears. "But if this speculation be the truth...

"...then our peoples will again have the Triad to lead them, forward once more in the peace we once adhered to, forward into the life returned unto them. For Roan shall be toppled...."

I cut myself off with that avowal, turning to pin a suddenly heated look upon Aeylmaar. He is the farthest removed from the warrior of any Sith I have yet to meet, yet I see an answering glow springing into life in his own eyes. He nods to me then, and I turn to the Crystal once more.

It is but simplistic work to open a portal through the All...

...and step forth onto the sister planet of K'eel Doba. I blink once in orientation, then hurry to the noisome splotch which yet stains the stones of the courtyard, kept uncleaned as ominous reminder to those who would try to instigate rebellion against their new leader.

I shudder to even connect that word with one such as Ankrist Roan. Then I put all such thoughts from my mind, and lean down to set about the task of scraping up samples from the hard and unfeeling stones surrounding the Temple of the Warriors of the Sith.

--------------------

Now I frown, and turn back to the Orb.

"The Plains of Rori," I command it.

It flares into brief life, displaying a remote outpost upon a celestial body which has since come to be known as Ploatius.

I stare for a long moment at the image of that barren little moon, the fourth one of the planet Yarnig in the T'lyx system. It hovers before me... and suddenly erupts in one gigantic explosion. I raise a hand before my eyes; when the fireworks have died down, Yarnig has only six moons left to it.

I frown, wondering at this newest piece in a growing puzzle... but I am not totally in the dark. My Chosen Daughter is well aware of the destruction of that moon; indeed, she barely escaped from its fiery death throes with her life.

I nod to myself, a sense of content growing within me.

Then I open a portal and return home to my Inner Sanctum, where I immediately shush the questions from Aeylmaar's lips, and merely hand him the container. Instructions follow; as he sets about his work, I finally speak up.

"I go now to the Dining Hall to seek the others. When you have finished, bring the results to us there."

I then turn and depart, striding quickly and with great purpose through the stone corridors of the temple.

--------------------

And then something that had been niggling in the depths of my mind flashed into explosive life inside me, like the birth of a star within its gaseous cradle, tau ceti winds sending the nebulosities of vagueness and uncertainty into eternity. How long this had been lurking there, simmering, building and gaining potential I hadn't the foggiest notion. All I knew was that suddenly it erupted into being, a solid and shining thing.

"Flac..." I whispered, my hand now freezing. "There is really something wrong... I mean, really wrong! Listen--"

I didn't know where to begin. It all was based on nothing more than a gut feeling. But those had served me in good stead; emboldened by my own small successes, I simply opened my mouth and leaped into explanation, mid-story. Khaandon help Flac pick up the missing pieces....

"A year ago, inside the temple on this very planet we're orbiting, I-- that is, Terrin and I were brought here. We came with some jedi, and Terrin's men; we were after a thing called the Nar Khelba; nevermind what happened to that, it's gone now. But Flac--"

I paused, daring to turn my head to him now.

"Back then, my sister, Jharmeen... I mean, Graysith; oh Hell's Seven Circles I don't know what to call her anymore! But she was involved with Roan, Flac! She nearly killed Terrin then! She and that monster would have killed me as well, but Darra--"

I gulped, blinking fresh tears from my eyes, then hurried on.

"Darra, who wasn't born yet, somehow lashed out and attacked them. Not simply Roan, Flac! But my sister as well! That other Lord was there, too; that Aelv- whatsisname. He was... well, frozen in place, I think maintaining that chronotic shield he's able to set up."

I stopped, and just stared at Flac. He stared back, obviously not quite understanding where I was going. Hell, I didn't blame him; I wasn't quite sure myself where I was going with this... but that insistent niggle in the pit of my gut kept whispering in its cold little voice that it was a road we weren't going to like traveling upon.

"Why would the All blast out against my sister, Flac, if she wasn't truly going to make good her threat to kill me? What kind of game is she playing here? Why would she make an about-face, and take Terrin up as a partner, for Khaandon's sake...

"...if not to just be stealthy, and bide her time, and wait until she knew she could set things up to kill him, and-- and Darra...."

I blinked, not liking the words I was saying one bit. I liked where I was heading in conclusion even less.

"Maybe these Sith aren't quite the harmless good guys they are trying to make themselves out to be. And if that is indeed the case, maybe we just might be needing my super star destroyer after all. In fact..."

I paused a final time, staring Flac right in the eyes, watching his darken as his pupils dilated in response to my speculations.

"I think we're gonna be needing way more ships...."

--------------------

Not to mention the fact that this place was really giving him the willies.

10 billion kriffing Sith, peoples that were supposed to be DEAD, and they couldn't bring back one man and one little girl...?!

Was he the only one that saw something wrong with this picture?

He coughed nervously. Buddy, did he have the creeps. "Uhhh...Galen..." he muttered across the secure comm frequency, "You there?"

Oh how he wanted to get out of here...

[ 01-19-2003 03:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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His life had been stripped from reality, and placed within another, his family had died, and lost all of its intitlements as far as anyone in this time was concerned, and he knew it would be a long battle before those were recognized once more... And so, he had to trust, he had to help this one gain at least an understanding of the sith, so he might BE sith, even if it ends as that, without anything more...

His head shook slightly and he put the thoughts away into there own private place for further viewing later..

Now he came to sit beside Jharmeen wrapping an arm about her and giving her a brief smile, before quietly running over the main points of the meaning, for even though lord Aelvedaar had not had her join in that meaning, it was her intitlment to know what had occured...

Then as he looked away he noted Aelvedaar's approuch and gave him a slight nod.

--------------------

But then maybe you wont have to, ever think of that Flac? You know, i sometimes wonder what life would be like if you didnt have me around to help ya out... Ok, heres the deal, we cant go close to the empire, we cant go close to the sith, where can we go?

His head shook, and he glanced at galen, "you know, that has got to be uncomfortable..."

He then walked over and searched through the ships panel, hitting a few buttons a small control panel came out and met galens fingers, likewise a chair came from the floor panels, "ya, sorry i forgot, stumbled on this when i was riggin it to let me fly out... I always wondered how my sister managed to do this all the time, apparantly it only needs to be flown like that in combat..."

Then he grabed a chair for himself, and sat looking outward at the SSD, "you know... A few hushed tips can go a long way, maybe we can get the empire to go into war with the sith, kill two rancors with one stone, so to speak... Course, the empires got some scary technology, and the sith... well, who knows, we might end up losing the universe...

if you want ships Galen, I think i can help you get them, But you have to raise the money yourself, cause i dont have that kinda cash..."

--------------------

Flac's words brought a touch of sanity back into me. My mind immediately flashed once again to the times when that eerie power had been used against us...

How easily they just pop in and out, grabbing and taking off with a person... how terribly they can wound with it, and prevent retaliatory action in turn... that awful, energy eating shield, against with all the might of the Empire is peanuts, unless they've come a long, long way in a short, short time...

I slumped, thankful for the seat I suddenly found myself in.

Shaking my head, I put my gloved fists to my eyes, scrubbing them, trying to ease the hot tightness there, a tightness which tears would appease but for which no tears would yet come.

"Flac... I-- I don't know what to do," I whispered. And for me, that was a terrible, terrible thing to have to admit.

[ 01-19-2003 04:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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...but he simply couldn’t believe that. His frown darkened further.

What if Roan had somehow gotten to them? What if...

He turned to someone on deck. “Are there any lifesigns on that ship?” he queried. “I’m not getting any response.”

A few moments of silence. “Yes, Mr. Lancaster, there are 3. Two human, one...

...unknown, possibly Wookie.”

Jasyn turned back to the comm, considering. The creeps were getting the better of him.

Was someone hurt...?

They just had to get out of here!

He turned one more time and nodded to someone else on deck, then turning back to the comm. “Galen, if you are out there, I’m gonna have the Hornett get a tractor lock on you, I'm worried about what's going on with the silence," he commented with concern. "You can choose what you want to do once you get on board, but I don’t think I can stand sitting around here any longer...”

He trailed a moment. “I’ve just got the creeps about this place,” he admitted. “You can at least get some rest, and decide from there...”

Jasyn then paused, his look darkening, “I hope everything is allright over there...”

With that he said no more, but then nodded to someone on deck one final time. In less than a second, the Hornett secured a tractor lock on the DJ and she started towards the opening for the main hanger bay. Jasyn turned on his heel, and headed there himself to meet Galen and her companions, completely ready to depart from this now disturbingly alive system of the galaxy.

[ 01-19-2003 08:12 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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Many hours passed, and Taehun continued to move through the city, hoping to find some sort of airport without being noticed. He was hoping to steal some sort of ship before angry mobs of the Sith strung him up. He had no doubts about his own ablities to hold off a few Sith...but their sheer numbers would be too great now. Stealth was now needed only to a lesser degree, for there were far fewer Sith wandering the streets.

As he approached a building with strange markings upon it, Taehun suddenly felt a disturbance...there was one whom he recognized here, on this very planet, but he didn't know who. After all, there were only Sith on this planet and...

Lord Roan!

Instinctively, Taehun closed his eyes, and opened up a portal for him to travel through another plane. Taehun's eyes seemed to flutter momentarily, and his body vanished.

...and then his body returend to the planet...in the same exact spot where he was sitting. He hadn't moved at all. Somehow, the powers he had been endowed with by Lord Roan had suddenly left him.
Damn!

He would have to find another way to get to where Roan was. He tried to feel out the direction of Roan's force signature, and immediately began to sprint towards it.

[ 01-20-2003 03:44 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Taehun ]

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Common sense rammed home, and I settled back in the chair again. No way could I escape a tractor beam; leaping up and thrashing wildly about would only bring more strain to DJ's already straining systems; with a disgusted sort of snort I carefully disentangled myself from the connectors and then the suit itself. The ship responded with a little sigh of thanks as in effect her propulsionary systems were shut down, then gave herself over to a low but continual muttering as the invisible energy beams proceeded to haul us into Hornett like a fish being reeled in on a line.

Now I finished that truncated movement, turning thunderous eyes to Flac. His wide pair met my own, giving me a look that seemed to say, Hey. It's your ship....

To which I snorted, coming to my feet. My hands found themselves fisting at my sides.

"What in Hell's Seven Circles does Aaron think he's doing?" I seethed, the question aimed at nobody but the unexpected third road which was so suddenly opening up before us. "He's jumping to pretty big conclusions here...."

I trailed off with that as the viewscreen now presented me with the image of the looming docking bay of that SSD. We were coming pretty close; I shook my head again and went over to the hatch. There I stood, glowering like a thundercloud, waiting for the distinctive bump of our arrival aboard the Hornett.

--------------------

For in the end, that is all that matters, after all.

"I have gone to Phrinnchatka in their night," I say simply, stepping back and casting a glance around to encompass all. "Even now my son undertakes the procedure to see if our new friend here is who he was indeed informed that he was."

I pause a moment, then continue with a slight nod of my head in SerKe's direction.

"It has come into my thoughts that if he was indeed cloned of Kri'faxx blood, and SerKe Kri'faxx he truly is, then that is the fact we must accept. Perhaps the mystery of his being may one day be ascertained; I have already determined that no other Kri'faxx bearing the name SerKe existed in all of Sith history other than the nephew of our fellow Dark Lord of the Sith."

I now move to the food-laden sideboard, and set about preparing a plate for myself that I might break my fast. For it has been long since I have last eaten, and I am aware that a fed mind is a keen one. Yet even as I place food items upon the plate made of our wondrously irridescent Sith metal, I cock my head to the others.

"It may be that he existed after Aeylmaar and I were killed four thousand years ago; this, of course, cannot be proven by any other means than returning to that time, or at least to one prior to when my peoples have been brought here, and at that point seeking particular knowledge of it in the Great Library. Whether this is something we really need spend the energy upon, though, is yet to be seen.

"We have, after all--" I turn now, plate in hand, and come to once more stand in front of my Brother.

"--other items of much greater consideration on our plates at the moment."

I fall into a somewhat brooding silence with that, and with slow bites start eating that which I have taken for myself. For some reason the food is suddenly tasteless upon my tongue, and sits in an equally tasteless lump in my stomach.

[ 01-20-2003 01:08 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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If yet ONE MORE person was hurt while supposedly under the “protection” of the Sith he thought he’d just blow both planets below into smitherins, just to make sure it never happened again...

...but then, maybe he was already to that point no matter whether another person was hurt or not. He never trusted those damn Sith...

Even as the DJ landed securely in the hanger bay he stood waiting, hoping that his fears would be put to rest at least somewhat. Just as soon as he did so, however, the hatch of the DJ popped open, revealing a glowering Galen, her companion...

...Flac was it?

Behind her.

Jasyn shifted to look back to Galen once more.

Oh hell. She’s mad allright, buster.

He rose his hands in mute surrender, hoping the medical team surrounding him would serve to show the truth in his next words. “With the silence I got worried that someone was hurt,” he said simply and quite honestly. Then he added, “Fates know with 10 billion damn Sith in the area that's entirely possible, considering our track record with the few that have been around til now.”

He fell silent for a moment at that, his look darkening ever the slightest. Then he rose his wristcomm to his lips after pressing a button on it. “Everything’s allright,” he said into it, “Unlock the tractor.”

Knowing this was done immediately, he then lowered his arm once more. “You can go if you like or stay as long as you like,” he said quietly. ”She is your ship, after all,” he continued, waving his hand expansively to indicate the Hornett. “We were just analyzing the truth of the situation with the Sith when we popped in-system and happened to spot you.”

Then finally and only somewhat randomly he commented, “Funny how they can bring back 10 billion Sith from 4,000 years ago, and not bring back a little girl or one man, both wrongly killed...”

His look darkening further with that he fell into silence, not knowing what else to say.

--------------------

He then reached in his pocked, playing with one of the silvery balls held within.

Flac's head shook slowly and he sighed looking back into DJ's interiour, muttering quietly, "funny... Real funny..."

He then leaned against a wall, eyes closing momentarily while he took in a deep breath.

Alright flac... Your stuck... out of all the places in the universe... your in a SUPER STAR DESTROYER... and on TOP of THAT your in SITH SPACE... How do you always do this? all the time, out of the frying pan, and into the blast radiase of a thermal detonator...
Sheesh, one of these day's you had better retire, get yourself a nice little house, close to a beach, over looking a nice jungle... Ya that'd be nice...

And while your at it buddy, take along Galen and Malf, so your not alone... Ya, sounds good...

Ok, so im here... I have no where to go, cause im sure as hell not leaving galen alone in this state, she's likely to go off and get herself killed to avenge terrin and... and Darra... So what do i do?

You know what to do Flac, its time to plot... strategy is the key.

He then stepped forward and leaned next to galen whispering so only she would hear, "listen Brown eyes, I think its time we take a break to get a few things straight... Lets go somewhere quiet and talk about the sith, you told me a little, but i need to know everything if im gonna help you with whatever it is your planning... And if you dont have a plan yet, i think its time we get one..."

Then he glanced back at malf and gave him a nod, signaling the great creature to be careful...

Finaly he turned his eyes again to jasyn, "listen buddo, Show me a place to sleep, and a place for to eat... And ah, im sure malf would appriciate the latter very much, ya, hope this place has enough food... Cause he eats in one meal, what the average person eats in three day's..."

his quiet little grin then came to his face full blown and he gave the man a little wink.

--------------------

The last time I had entered this baby....

My brows lowered, still aimed at Jasyn, but my focus was not on him. It was elsewhere, months past, seeing other visions trembling there in the dark. I trembled too, as memory erupted in my brain, bringing me back to a time when my objectives were so simple, so naive.

How was I to know then of the complexity they would evolve into over the space of those many months? Of the great joys, or the awful heartbreaks? It was bad enough when She had killed Dad right under my nose, but now....

I couldn't help jumping when Flac leaned over and whispered his suggestion in my ear. It was almost as if he hadn't been there at all, as if Jasyn hadn't existed in the hell my personal universe had become. I jerked my head, grunting a little in reply to Flac, ignoring his attempt to lighten the atmosphere by his comment about our friendly walking carpet.

It seemed my eyes were on fire. I blinked, then finally released a touch of the tension which had me pinned in one spot with a sigh of breath. That opened up the logical portion of my head, which I now realized with a guilty start had been sitting there screaming for attention for quite some time.

This is my SSD, I thought suddenly. MY SSD. I own a kriffing SSD....

A brief flash of darkness found only in the iciest depths of intergalactic space rippled through my eyes; then I got hold of myself. Another start, to discover that I was still glowering like a live volcano at Jasyn.

Does that make him my employee? Maybe Aaron...? That random thought popped in from nowhere as I made the effort to turn down the volume of my hatred and single-minded thoughts of death and revenge. Somehow I managed a shaky smile.

"Quarters would be good, Jasyn," I finally whispered. "I am... a little tired, and I don't remember when I've last eaten. Maybe a little soup...."

I trailed off with that, turning to give Flac and Malf a "come along" look, then turned back to Jasyn and the hovering medical team.

For a moment, nobody moved at all.

[ 01-21-2003 11:59 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he came to a complete halt in the middle of one of the Hornett’s many corridors. “While we are at it, let’s get the Hell out of Sith space for now too. I don’t wanna come back here unless it’s with more ships...

...and more allies,” he added a touch darkly, pressing a button on his wrist-comm. “Hey Aaron, I vote we go to hyperspace now, and come back when we are more... prepared to deal with the situation. Just take us to Endor, we can regroup and make plans on the way there and once we get there as well,” he commented.

“Got it,” Aaron replied. “I’ll be in communication with you shortly—let me know if anything changes before then.”

With that the comm frequency died down, and Jasyn began leading the way once more to Red Level, only stopping to place orders in the Dining Hall, all the while happily noting that the Hornett’s engines were now singing the song of hyperspace travel. Then he took them all to a quiet and private lounge on that same level. Food now placed before them, Jasyn sat back with a nice mug of Whyrene’s Reserve and pursed his lips, considering. At length he spoke up. “Got any ideas on what we’re gonna do about the Sith?” he queried. “Now that they are here, after all the things that happened along the road to get them here, I think I’d rather they go back into history where they belong...”

“...might be time we called a favor or two...”

(((OCC: Follow Malf, Flac, Galen, Jasyn and all aboard the Hornett to The Curse of the Uninvited in the CSWU. Thank you.)))

[ 01-21-2003 01:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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