For a long moment ShaRhylla did not deign to answer Loban, merely keeping her concentration on the road ahead. She wanted to make certain she could remember the route she would have to trace should she ever desire to return to the Temple of Phrinnchatka.

At length, though, the silence between Loban's question and the answer he yet awaited stretched too long. She licked her lips in thought, then proceeded with:

"There is no quest before me, Lo-Ban Kenobi of Tatooine," she began, her voice at first haughty then gradually quieting into something akin to simple certainty. "Simply an assured goal which I need only to tread the pathway of Time to reach. My step is strong and firm, and that goal will be reached, have no fear. But the road I must follow may prove to hold pitfalls along the way, and one who is strong may be... useful ...to me.

"Tell me, Loban Kenobi: how strong are you?"

The Endeavor entered K'eel Doban atmosphere...

"Lower the shield covering the sith city of Phrinnchatka..."

There was enough power for the lowering of one Chronotic Shield... although he has the knowledge, the power drain is too great to be done again...

The shield over Phrinnchatka quickly dropped, as the Endeavor came over the small forms of Lo-Ban and ShaRhylla...

Lo-Ban recognized the ship, and tried to pull ShaRhylla away... it was too late, they were both taken up by some sort of tractor beam...

There appeared to be no exits, a solid room...

Then... a nockout gas appeared from no where, and began to fill the room...

At length she spoke.

"Hmmph, this is silly!"

Then with a wave of her hand she made her first real command of the All which lurked inherent within her. It obeyed immediately, forming an invisible shield of sorts around the two of them, keeping the fumes from threatening them any further.

There was the little matter of oxygen, and how long the supply the two of them had beneath that shield would hold out. But this was a bridge ShaRhylla would cross when she came to it. For now it was enough to simply hold the poisonous gases at bay, and wait to see just how strong her new companion indeed truly was. Crossing her arms in front of herself and widening her stance, she pinned Lo-Ban with her uncanny eyes, the look she now gave him clearly stating her dubious belief that this was how he had planned on freeing them from Phrinnchatka, and following that with the obvious question:

"Don't worry... I believe I have an idea... let us move to the opposite side of this room..." He then waited for ShaRhylla to comply...

I stand in thoughtful silence at my usual position by the fireplace in the Dining Hall, a glass of Sith brandy held in one of my clawed hands. Every now and then I take a quick sip of the fiery liquid, but my mind is not on savoring the delicate bouquet of this liquor. Indeed it is a credit to my abilities that I manage to appear so mild, if not the very epitome of nonchalance at all, when the fact of the matter is my mind is trying to outrace my heart, which is pounding like hades in my chest.

The chronotic shield has long been reinstated. But the fact remains that it had indeed been dropped....

Who has it in their power to do such a thing? The only other All user known to exist outside of the current inhabitants of this city is Ankrist Roan; by the maker's very decree a chronotic shield can only be dropped by other than the one erecting it if that dropping is to benefit the Greater Good of the many....

My eyes are the only thing to betray that inner mood as they now darken, blackened basaltic crusts forming over those otherwise fiery volcanic orbs.

This means that the taking of Graysith's daughter by Ankrist Roan and or Loban Kenobi of Tatooine somehow was beneficial to the Greater Good.

But how?

Now a slight shudder ripples through my body as my converging thoughts settle on one thing: the words spoken by the mysterious personage on Kamino who had urged Graysith to kill her own daughter. And while I have not actually seen the man, I need no divination, no Sith sorceries or magics to support my sudden hunch that that person and the one now taking the two young people are in fact one and the very same....

My heart growing heavier and heavier in my chest, I voice aloud all I have been pondering since being awakened by the events now pressing upon us, hence coming here to discuss with all present the little matter of how we will respond to this new threat.

Shayla frowned as something suddenly clicked in her brain. Loban had taken ShaRhylla, and had disappeared with her. Loban had popped up on Khar Delba looking for Shayla, later explaining that he had been recruited to become a Jedi if he found Shayla and brought her back to a particular entity by the name of "Master Tyberius." But when she and Loban had arrived at the rendevous the "ship" in which their contact was traveling...

...was somehow blocked from the All.

Shayla's frown deepened.

Master Tyberius...the mysterious entity on Kamino...and the one back on Tatooine who had instructed Loban Kenobi to bring Shayla to him...

...all one and the same?

Made sense. After all, there weren't many out there who could block the All, and as Lord Aelvedaar had stated, the only other possibility was Roan. And he had rejected his own daughter.

But--

Shayla's eyes flashed with inspiration as an idea struck her. She related her conclusions on the Master Tyberius who had been seeking her out, and her belief that he was in fact the one Graysith and Recinis had encountered on Kamino.

He had been a mysterious shadow when Loban had taken her to him aboard that ship, but somehow Shayla just knew...

"The thing is," Shayla continued, "This Tyberius's ship blocks the All, however it is rather large. When we encountered it on Tatooine it took the form of a moon, and stuck out like a sore thumb. Depending upon its current form, we just might be able to find where Loban and Rhylla have been taken based on this very fact. And after all, it's not every day you come upon a moon, or anything else for that matter, that cannot be sensed by the All..."

Really bothering him.

Everyone had been called to the meeting, so far as he knew. And pretty much everyone was here excepting Shawn, Erik, and...

...Galen and Darra.

He frowned, listening to Shayla's words as best he could while a spooky yet not entirely inexplicable concern stuck its little head up and demanded attention.

She had at least been informed of what had happened, right? Someone here did know where she was, didn't they?

And while Terrin knew Galen probably wanted some space he wasn't comfortable with her just being off anywhere after Loban and Rhylla had been yanked from the city.

He needed to at least know where she was.

His mind was most certainly not at ease in the knowledge that he didn't have a clue where his own wife and daughter were, aside from somewhere within the Temple. And that was before the shield had dropped...

His concern heightened another notch.

You are her husband, you idiot. Ask.

Terrin cleared his throat for attention, hoping that the others would understand his concern and forgive him for his momentary diversion in topic. "I don't mean to be rude," Terrin started, "But with the momentary shield drop I'm a little bit concerned about the whereabouts of my wife and daughter. Does anyone know where they are?"

He paused at that, waiting, again praying for understanding in the matter.

So, in order to fill my time doing something useful, I took a roll outdoors and extended my low energy sensors, carefully comparing the mapping of the city which I had already placed in my databanks earlier with the new one I was charting even now. I paid careful attention this time to lifeform readings as well, noting the presence of all those here, locking their signatures into my memory banks.

After all, that's what droids do. Collect data, and more data, and more data.

After staying in thus a manner for quite a while, I decided that all was well and headed back for the Temple. After all, a droid never knew when her humans might need her.

"My Sire, I know we are at risk in the matter, but if you would be so good as to drop the shield...?"

She held up the Claw of S'slan, wiggling it for emphasis.

The Sorcerer Lord's molten eyes widened, and he merely nodded to her, making a slight movement with one clawed finger as he did so. All about the hidden city, the shield immediately dropped.

The Chosen Daughter was quick; Aelvedaar had taught her well. She immediately reached out with all the power of her talents, stretching, seeking, striding out upon the backs of those mysterious places existing between time and space...

...and finally finding them.

They were very far away; the ship travelling at an inordinate speed. But at the moment it was not cloaked....

Now the Glyph on Graysith's forehead flared into incandescent life, bathing all with it's nuclear blast as it ravened up the electromagnetic spectrum. She closed her eyes tightly, stretching out with the Claw, aiming for a signature that was more familiar to her than her own heart.

Flesh knows its own....

In the blink of an eye, she had stepped through the portal she had ripped open, appeared in a small windowless and doorless room which was occupied by her daughter and the young Lo-Ban. Both rounded on her in utter surprise, ShaRhylla's eyes beginning to flare in a manner all to like her mother's....

Graysith wouldn't have it. A quick blast, and both dropped in their tracks, sent into slumber by a mere tap of the All. Then she stepped forward, grasped Lo-Ban by his collar, placed her other arm about her daughter's shoulders...

...and drew them back with her to Phrinnchatka.

All had occurred in the merest blink of an eye. She nodded to her Sire, who quickly raised the chronotic shield once again.

As she rested comfortably in his strong embrace recinis let his focus fall to other manors....

He carfuly considered terrins words for a moment, Understanding the concern the man was feeling, recinis let his concious slowly expand untill he located those two lifeforms which were identified as galan and Darra...

"I have not seen them of late... But i may assure you they are safe... off within this very temple somewhere..."

He smiled faintly before turning his gaze to those that were alseep, putting two and two together he quickly came to a proper answer, wrapping his arms that much more securly about the slight form of Jharmeen, lending her all the strength he could spare.

then quietly he whispered to her "now you must rest..."
slowly he reached within himself finding that amazingly deep calm, and then sharing it with graysith along the link they kept, untill finaly her fatigue was put to challange with it, and she drifted slowly into slumber...
And so he remained thus, she needed rest, and he was determined that none would awaken her untill she so had it... all the while he was deviding his own strengths into her, removing as much of the fatigue as could be by simple energy, though he knew much relied simply on a good rest, and with the chopy short naps they had been taking, he knew she would enjoy the sleep...
Slowly he let his eyes close as well, keeping but the tiniest tendril of conciousness pressent so he might awaken himself, or her should the need arise...

he sat idely examining the map which had been created, studdiying the strange design of the city, it was so organized when looking at it from this angle, so perfectly made...

Then slowly his console noted an energy pulse being emited, locking onto a faint droid signature.
With a growl entaris fingers burst into action.Accessing... DENIED
Accessing... DENIED
Accessing... GRANTED

Droid protocal unite-X//V9234//vest/

Designation... Izzy

Accessing memory banks...

Access granted.

"110010101010011101010101110010101010111001
101001110010101010011100110101010110101010
100110110100011101010101010101010100001110"

Command-Delet File MAPLF.mem

Deleting... file deleted...

Command-Create File MAPLF.mem

File created.

"101001"

Command-Data Uplink

Uplinking... Uplink established.
And so the lines swept accross the page, untill entaris had done his very best to remove all possible evedence the droid might have gained that could reveal him later, a stealthy operation it was, and in all fashions the droid was the same, except now the presence of all life forms besides those within the temple, were gone...and indeed, that simple droid had just provided him with all the information he needed... He no knew where it was everyone within the city was...and now had a way of continuesly tracking thier movements... The droids scanners, would assure him that...

But the young Lo-Ban Kenobi is quite another matter. My frown deepens, my brows lower and I peer down my nose at his sleeping form. Then I raise my head, casting a look around the room. My Brother appears to be losing himself to slumber as well; I turn instead to the Adept and the Captain.

"This one is to be placed in restriction," I say somberly, my eyes flashing to let them know how deeply I mean the words. "For all the thought and word about trust which has been flowing between these very walls, this one has certainly lost mine entirely. He is to be arrested and interrogated when he awakens; see to it!"

I rise to my feet, turning to leave. In passing, I send a thought into the mind of my Brother Lord, for although he appears fully asleep I know he has not yet reached that stage.

"I shall go to Lord Rean's rooms, and there seek what information I can concerning the chronotic shield, that perhaps I may devise a means of strengthening ours."

Then she groaned, and peeped one violet-ringed turquoise eye open. Everything was crooked, up-ended... and somehow very, very familiar.

Altogether too familiar, in fact.

She sat up with a start. The frown of consternation was immediately replaced by one of pure, unadulterated rage.

How DARE they!

Glaring about herself, she just sat shaking with anger on the cold floor of the Temple Dining Hall, that great stone chamber now occupied by only herself, her mother...

While he would not bring himself fully awake as of yet, easily could he sense that the child once more had taken upon her that cloak of complete ignorance, and total weakness...

She views herself as strongest, when she is weakest, and weakest when she is indeed her strongest... She will learn, i will make it so.
The thougth wafted to the surfice of his concious.
He simple wrapped his arms more warmly about Jharmeen, thier forms shifting slightly as he let himself draw once more into the comfort of sleep... For right now that child was simply not worth his time... He was indeed not in the mood to deal with her anticts, if she wished to leave the city, or to gain any of which she sought, These pointless plees for attention would not be the action that granted them... if she truly wanted what she claimed to, He would listen only when she found the strength to be heard, and not simply achnoledged, and not a moment before.

Not a very friendly place to wake up in, although things could be worse...

But then, this Loban was now somehow connected with a threat to them all; a threat that involved the ability of lowering the very shield which protected them all here and therefore a threat to Galen and Darra.

And with the revelation that this threat involved the mystery man on Kamino who had encouraged Graysith to kill her own child; after the connection that this was the same person who instructed Loban to seek out and bring Shayla to him, one thing was clear:

This guy sure had a taste for All users...

...and Loban had been leading ShaRhylla out of the city, supposedly just to "take her home"?

Riiiiiight.

Terrin's suspicions just stepped up another level with the sudden curiosity that, if given the right opportunity, would this Loban dare lead Galen and Darra to this enigmatic entity as well?

Terrin wasn't much of one to trust anybody. And this young boy had certainly lost his trust. And somehow he'd always been a little hesitant about him. Terrin cocked his head, slitting his eyes slightly as he looked down suspiciously on the unconscious form of Loban Kenobi still laying without movement on the floor of the otherwise empty room.

He'd have a chance to explain himself. And Terrin wondered however just what he might have to say...

Then, "You can go now," she said at length to him. He looked up with a start, seeming to simply forget that she was even there.

You were ALWAYS good at that, weren't you? some random voice from gods knew where shot up and proclaimed. Shayla shoved that particular entity back into its place, wondering why in the Universe something like that would come to her mind at such a time.

He arched an eyebrow, and she continued with, "I'll take it from here. Besides, there's no reason to sit around and stare at him while he's out. He will be...very securely detained here, and will remain under more than just merely my watchful eye. If you are needed, you will be notified."

At that she motioned Terrin out and turned one final time, regarding Loban with a cool greeny-blue gaze. Then she too stepped out of the small room, the door closing behind her with a strange click of finality, only to be opened once more by a user of the All when the time for that indeed came.

And Shayla awaited the wakening of young Loban Kenobi, relying not only on her well-trained senses, but also on the keen watchfulness of a Noghri warrior lurking within the shadows...

So she stayed on the hard, cold floor, refusing to so much as scoot nearer to the fire, which was crackling in counterpoint to Lord Recinis's gentle snores.

At length, though, the discomfort of her position began to bother her. She started shifting about from one hip to the next, first curling her legs this way, then crossing them that, until at last she reached the end of her rope.

Curse them, curse them BOTH to the nether regions for treating me this way!

The glare in her eye hardened further as she abruptly leapt to her feet, as though it were the fault of Recinis and his lady that she had been so uncomfortable. She stood there, clenching her fists, now lowering her brows as she continued to watch them sleep blissfully together on a nearby couch.

Other than them, the Dining Hall was utterly empty.

An even darker look came into her eye, and with a movement as sudden as it was vicious she threw her hand out toward the sleeping pair, fingers loosely curled, in much the same manner as when she had blasted the bounty hunter on Kamino. Her lip curled into an anticipatory sneer...

...which froze immediately into scowl when nothing happened. She tried again; to no avail.

Now the scowl transformed into one of confused inquiry, as she wondered to herself as to the vagaries of this strange power she seemed to have. After much thought, however, she decided she had come to a correct answer.

To test it, she moved her hand to the side, now aiming it at the fireplace.

"I'm cold," she whispered... and cut off anything further she might have said as a flaming firebrand came flying across the room to land gently in her hand. Her hand fisted about it, and for a moment she studied the flaming end thoughtfully before her lips spread into an evil little smile.

She was right. So she couldn't outright attack with this power; she could defend... and with cunning, she was positive she could get around the restrictions it seemed to have upon her.

Such as now. Curling her lip into a deadly grimace, she tiptoed forward to the pair on the couch, and came to a stealthy halt in front of their sleeping forms.

They didn't so much as twitch.

Fires of hell danced in ShaRhylla's uncanny eyes as she then thrust the burning firebrand toward them, aiming directly where the woman's head lay nestled in the protection of the warriors shoulder.

His eyes snapped open in a fiery glow, focusing upon ShaRhylla with in a menacing way, to which the suddenness of his awakening startled the girl.

Quietly he arose, making sure his dear Jharmeen would not be desturbed, he had promised she would rest, and so she would.

as he rose to stand impossingly in front of the couch, he allowed his glare to continue to grow into that emerald fire, which seemed as though the purest gem had been placed infront of the most brillent light.

His hand extended quickly, taking within his grasp the piece of burning coal which the girl had held, and tossing it back, ignoring the fierce heat which had been implaced upon his hand by the touch of that ember.
"No more, ShaRhylla..." his voice was cold as he spoke to her. "You desire to leave this city? very well, Prove that you are strong enough to. I have had enough of your childish games, you feel as though you are so much higher above us? You are nothing, if you want to be treated as a queen, if you want to leave, then you will earn it. Nothin save love is given freely. And i have no intention of changing that prospect now."

he then took her up and dragged her away, opening a door and showing her the soft and homely contents "this is your room. This is the only place in this city you may act as though you are surpreme. All other places are shared, and if you have a problem with that notion, you will deal with it."

He then turned away from her speaking as his steps beat softly on the stone "You are not a ruler untill you are proven through the sith trials... And you are not worthy of those trials untill you prove you can hold respect and honor. Should you want help, ask for it, do not expect others to serve you though."

"Hey girl," Shayla said, grinning still. "Long time no see. How are you?"

The droid bleeped something or other which, once her translator had been attached, came up as reading "I am fine. Just needed some power."

Shayla's grin only broadened more. She felt a bit guilty that the droid had been neglected lately, and was certain that the little droid was less than happy about this.

"So, what have you been up to? Any good data collections lately?"

The droid's reply: "New mapping of Sith city."

Shayla grinned even more broadly. Figures. Info smuggling droid always loves collecting more info...

"You keep at it," Shayla said instead. "Never know when we might need such a thing. But make sure you unplug after you have all your power. This Sith technology is different than our usual; I wouldn't want you to overload and malfunction."

Izzy bleeped something more. "I do not manulfunction."

Shayla smiled once more, patting the droid on the top of the head then turning to head back for the cell where she had left Loban Kenobi. Entering, she let the door close behind her then turned to Loban's still unmoving form.

Reaching out with the Force, she slipped into his mind and sent a rather clear message:

"YOU WILL WAKE UP AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO ME NOW!!!"

And, just to be absolute certain Loban Kenobi would do just that, Shayla sent out a tendril of healing to the young man, no longer willing to wait.

Recinis had scarcely closed the door and left when she threw herself upon it, throwing it open and racing out into the corridor. For a moment she just stood there watching the Dark Lord disappear around a corner; then, her eye taking a look which was positively tornadic, she took off running after him.

She burst into the Dining Hall even as he was seeing to his lady, reaching out with a gentle hand to stroke her hair from her face. Now slowing her pace, she stalked up to him, her hands knotted into stony fists at her sides, her eyes blazing. She came to a halt directly in front of him, completely unafraid, and stood there for a livid moment or two, unable to articulate.

"How dare you!!!" she finally burst out. "You! You who have taken me here, against my wishes; you try to blind me to my very father, you have the nerve to suggest that I-- I, ShaRhylla Roan!!! --must learn honor and respect?!? How dare you even suggest that, when you hold none within you!

"I have been brought here against my will... and now you say I have to earn the right to leave? Who are you to say thus; you are not my father, nor any one in power whom I would recognize!"

She paused for a moment, her diatribe choking in her throat, rising hot and sticky from her breast as she cast a hateful look upon the brilliance of the tattoo which lay upon Recinis's wrist. Her lips curled into an even uglier sneer.

"You stole that from my father, that which is my birthright! And honor you claim to have; bah! The honor of thieves!"

She took a step backwards now, somehow projecting an image of herself as being far greater than her years as she raised a finger to point first at Recinis, and then at her yet-sleeping mother.

"I need no silly and useless Sith trials, for I shall come into sovereignty of far more than a dead Empire. They shall not rise, we shall see to that! But I shall, it has been promised to me:

"I shall rise to power, and the first thing I shall do is make you watch her die... slowly!"

She paused once more, letting her imperious finger drop once again to her side, stabbing Recinis's emerald eyes with her own brilliantly turquoise pair. She held his gaze a moment longer simply by the sheer force of her anger; then she whirled about and stalked out of the Dining Hall.

Soon she was back in the pitifully home-like quarters provided to her; she snarled and spit upon them the moment she entered the door. Slamming it behind her, she crossed the room to the balcony and went out to look out upon the city of Phrinnchatka.

Her eyes narrowed then as, for the first time, she fought down her incandescent rage in order that she might be able to think.

This power of hers could only be used in defense. She was being held here against her wishes.

Somehow... somehow, the twain would meet... and she would find her way back to her Father.

Turning away from the dimly lit city, she once more entered her quarters. One glance around and she was sickened; she quite simply would not remain here. Her lip pursed in determination, she went to a corner wardrobe, dug around, and found an elegant black cloak lurking in its depths. That cloak suited her mood; flipping up the oversized hood, she stepped out once more into the corridor, letting her feet carry her hither and yon until she had left her vapid room far behind.

The gods of old were with her; suddenly she found herself in a grand and colonnaded foyer, which opened at length to reveal a courtyard beyond. Now a grim sort of smile crossed her lips as, tightening the cloak about her, keeping to shadows, always to shadows, stepping forth like a hunting Noghri, she left the Temple altogether and proceeded down the steps and into the city of Phrinnchatka. Once reaching the bottom of the steps she stayed true to her modus operandi, immediately turning away from the streets, beginning instead to follow a long and circuitous path which took her between buildings, revealed her as but a mere ghost cutting across yards.

She didn't have a clue where she was going. All she knew was that anywhere would suffice... as long as it was far away from that blasted temple and its insufferable inhabitants.

Lo-Ban hadn't had a good rest, well, ever... or as long as he could remember... and he always had that damn forgettable dream... but, this time, it was different...

He was in a room, with Master Tyberius?!?

He seemed to be talking to him, he saw this from a third person view...

He came closer... he could now hear the words... "...ShaRhylla is to die, if you do not stay at her side... This will be implanted in your mind, along wi----"

The image was gone, now replaced by that of Shayla Petrolu...

"You couldn't have waited 2 more seconds?! I almost had it... nevermind..."

He then rose to his feet... and approached her,"Where are we... no matter... I must find ShaRhylla..."

You are angry that you were there when Loban took off with Rhylla, and that he didn't listen to your unvoiced warning for him to stop...

Shayla let the despair sing in the recesses of her mind for a moment, acknowledging its presence, then quietly returned to the matter at hand.

She folded her arms and cocked her head regarding LoBan suspiciously. "ShaRhylla is no longer your concern," Shayla said simply. "And as for trust, that's a matter of great question considering you were leaving the city of Prinn'chatka with her to take her to her Father, Ankrist Roan, former Dark Lord of the Sith. And to add to that, you were oh-so-conveniently taken from Prinn'chatka right on cue.

How do you explain this, Loban Kenobi?"

All this because of attempting to leave the city... of which they merely suspected as his intention...

Can't a guy take a walk with a young lady these days... besides, if they could SENSE my intentions to leave the city... why couldn't they SENSE my plan!?

He turned from these thoughts, which were brought up with his complete surprise to the way Shayla now thought of him...

Finally, he spoke..."I take full responsibility for the actions I took... having said that... I believe ShaRhylla cannot be left alone... I must go to her, it is her only chance to survive..."

He then came closer to Shayla, and looked deeply into her eyes..."I will stay here, if you believe it is best... but, I do warn you... I am... needed... I do not believe I have time to explain..." Lo-Ban quieted, but did not back down... praying Shayla would see his intentions were indeed pure....

Relationship?!

Shayla really didn't have the time to hear the other words LoBan was saying to her. Instead, an upwelling of sudden firey anger started to rise...

...Relationship...?!

...when out of absolutely nowhere, a despair which Shayla understood on the gut level began to rise instead.

What now?! I thought I had overcome this! I know what this is, why can't I fight back? WHY does it continue to grow?!

Her mind was suddenly spinning, her legs suddenly weak.

You have been destroyed, destroyed! There is no hope for you! You are a poor excuse for an Adept, you are unable to control your very own emotions. It is because of you that everyone here will FAIL...

FAIL...

She shuddered, tears springing to her eyes from the depths of her soul, albeit tears cued by something she knew yet still did not entirely understand.

One single cry escaped the voice of her mind:

"No," she muttered. Then again: "No. I am a failure...

...perhaps if I linger here I shall die and rid the Universe of the blight that is Shayla Petrolu...

...for most certainly every one of us will die in the end regardless."

Sobs wracked her slight frame as the despair took charge of her mind, ebbing and flowing, there to last for an indefinite amount of time.

It is up to me... to save her from this despair...

Lo-Ban took Shayla as close as possible, to his shinny blues... and held his gaze, until she met it... he wouldn't let the bond be broken... he used the force to go into her mind, a mental link of sorts...

You know you are stronger than this... try a different route to fight it... use the force... My strength is yours...

He then waited...

I am stronger? she replied quizzically, still struggling even through the soul-encompassing despair which suddenly had such a grip on her soul.

Terrin wsn't sure what in the Universe had lead him here, and yet he was. He folded his arms against his chest, leaning onto a wall, gazing at the sleeping bounty hunter as his mind spun with thoughts. Well aware was he that Sorben Tarnus had taken a shot for Galen; his mind and heart were thankful to the bounty hunter for that very fact more than he might realize at this point in time.

And yet, a portion of himself was still angry, regardless of the fact that he was told that he would not go to Kamino, that he hadn't been there to take that fall for Galen himself.

And if he hadn't been a complete moron and gone after Galen when she left Prinn'chatka to begin with, maybe he would have been there to do just that.

All the while that subconscious demon of his was yet insisting that he was losing Galen, that she loved Tarnus more than him, and that this was all on the basis of the fact that Sorben had been brave enough to take a shot for her.

Or perhaps he loved her enough to do so?

Terrin's heart ached at that. If you love her that much, how the HELL could you have ever even THOUGHT of taking her to Roan, TO BE A BREEDER?! How could you have taken her to Admiral Actar, AND LEFT HER THERE TO DIE?!

Even if she had broken your heart, exactly how...?

And how could you have ever agreed to work with Roan OR Actar, knowing they both would really love to get their hands on YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?

Terrin's blue eyes deepened a shade, and he shuddered a completely different sort of shudder. Then, feeling it would be for the best, he turned on his heel to leave...

He then gave her a bear hug... and released the energies he had gained from the sleep he had awoken from, mere moments ago...

...for it shall always remain...

he suddenly felt an onrush of dark emotion, an intent that, while no where near as powerful as what it reminded him of, was very similier, and indeed well known.

His lips curled into a demonic smile... The daughter of roan was following in her fathers footsteps... And what a wonderful tie she could be within this city, in which he was now trapped.

as she walked about the city, the shadow came silently upon her, flowing within her calming thoughts of dark intent, the strength of true evil within his pressence, he silently guided her into his chosen sanctum, thought at that point he was controlling her through her anger, before finaly releasing her within the building, bowing slightly before lockign his spectacular eyes upon hers.

his voice rolled forth in a calm, saductive manor, one filled with all the posibilities of true evil, and none of the weaknesses of light.

A quick inspection of her surroundings told her nothing, but on a deeply innate level confirmed that she was safe from any prying eyes or thoughts coming from anyone in the Temple. Thus assured without really realizing her need for that, she now took the time to look at this stranger who had... somehow... seemed to have materialized in front of her. Or so it seemed; she really had no clear memory of how it was she had come to be here at all.

What she did recognize, though, was the darkness in this being, which flowed around her like a silken pool, caressing her, stroking her, holding in a soft embrace. Something inside her lifted its lips and howled with glee to feel that... even as another part recoiled as if from a poisonous serpent.

She settled for a compromise, of sorts.

Widening her stance, she tossed her flaming red hair from her face, and fell just short of crossing her arms in front of her. Her brilliant eyes pierced a pair as equally vivid in hue as hers.

He paused for a moment, before continueing in mock sincerity. "but i would be more then please to assist you in escaping this place, when my purposes have been met. Perhaps, if you assist me, i will be able to return you sooner. "

He then released into the atmosphere a dark, and amused cackle before letting his words come forth again. "or perhaps i will simply leave... I truly do not know, though it would be a pitty to leave someone that has such potential in this place... " as he spoke it began to sound as though he were simply talking with himself.. "-or perhaps i will simple kill her and let the marvles of death bless her... such a descision..."

She gave her head a haughty toss.

"Bah!" she snorted in derision, spitting at Entaris's feet. "You spout mere words, just as they do. And just as he does, you drag me away from my own purpose, then tell me that I'll be able to get what I desire only by following your way!

"Perhaps if you take me to my father, then I shall in turn assist you... for it is obvious that you want something of me or I would not be standing here in front of you now.

"Oh yes..." Now she paused, raising a finger as though an important thought had just arisen to interrupt her. "Kill me?

"I dare you!"

With that she let her hand drop to her side where it came to rest in a tight little fist. Lowering her head and her brows, she kept her eyes pinned on Entaris's and merely remained silent, glowering at him, the tiny frightened portion of her being thrashed into an equal silence by the great upwelling of inner strength and fearlessness which rose up within her and positively dared the enigmatic stranger to act upon his words.

"Very well..."
With that word his mind reached out, grapsing all that was the force within this place, paralyzing her mind as her body was flung into a wall with deadly force, and in the blink of an eye she was before him once more, dropping her to the ground he spat at her in return of her earlier actions.

"Never challange darkness, For darkness will consume you." She then was lifted into the air and brought to his awaiting hand, which tightened about her throat.

"Kill you now? no, i never said i would kill you, that was a suggestion... I said i would make you wish you were within this city, do you desire that? im sure your father would be most pleased with the knowledge that her daughter had been as stupid as to tempt me... he then hurled her away from him, releasing the hold on her he had taken...
Always against me in anger, and they expect to win? i tire of this.

"i will leave when my task is completed, and not a moment before."

It was then, with the force slightly growing about him that he sensed her... Ah, how wonderful a feeling. Shayla was yet struggling with his "gift" to her...

he then realized the implications of feeling that... He had let himself release his cloak... Should any even be remotly looking for an intruder, odds were they now found him.
His lips released a growl. his body twitching as he brought forth another burst of that almighty darkness within him, extending it like never before... As the shadows had once consumed him, he now consumed the shadows, taking the child along with him. Now dwelling in the shadowy realms which existed within the wake of all light. A madening place it was, with screams of evil and darkness all about, this was the chaos entaris had once been impressined within, this was where he had escaped from, and had sought out roan, how ironic, after an eternity of wishing to be gone from the accursed place, he now found santuary within it... Within this place of complete non-light. He indeed felt quite at home, though he doubted the child felt the same way.

She gasped, sensing quickly out with the All, seeking that one familiar signature...

...and not finding it.

Now she leapt to her feet, unheeding as to whether or not the motion disturbed her husband or not. Concentrating fiercely, the Glyph bursting into flame on her forehead, she sent that tendril out once more, only this time seeking not merely out into space but also into its congruent time, the unity of which more than creates but actually defines the very warp and woof of the universe. Questing the immediate past, she focused on one thing only: the status of the chronotic shield.

That shield had not dropped. Yet the life force signature she sought with growing desperation was simply not in Phrinnchatka any longer. It was as though it had been abruptly and inexplicably snuffed out. And she knew the child had not the control to mask herself through the All as yet.

There was only one explanation. ShaRhylla was just... gone.

"NO!"

Now she threw back her head and a gutteral scream ripped from her throat. She raised both hands upward, as though seeking entreaty with the very gods themselves.

It was screaming.

Over, and over, and over the voice continued, non-stop, as though by the very pressure each ululation produced the awful nullness of this place would be beaten back, impacted, and finally perhaps cracked just a bit so that light and sanity would seep in from the place that men term real....

But it didn't happen.

So the voice continued.

After a length of time which might have been eternity, yet might not, something in ShaRhylla paused briefly with the acknowledgement that the little voice was hers. It was coming in great heaving bursts, originating from that little portion of her that had recoiled from the darkness she had sensed in Entaris. Even as her focus drew upon it she seemed to step back from herself, to somehow become an objective viewer of everything that was and is and would ever be ShaRhylla Roan, and by that one scrutinizing look came to an obvious conclusion, buoyed there by the earlier words Entaris had spoken to her:

"Never challenge darkness, for darkness will consume you...."

Just the mere recollection of that statement brought a fresh wave of helpless screams ripping from her throat... or were they issuing from her there? In a manner it seemed as though they somehow were not, but instead had simply become her, living in her blood, inhabiting her muscle and flesh, and expanding bit by bit in an insidious flow to quietly take command of her mind....

Then the part of her which was Roan shook its head in disgust, and stepped forth to do battle.

"Never challenge darkness, for darkness will consume you."

Indeed.

Something within her whirled at that, reaching out with coiled fingers, claws tensed to rip and shred and tear. Her mouth opened to expose glistening fangs, as if in an attempt to tear out her own throat. Her eyes blackened in the darkness, seeking out, searching to find the one thing that Entaris had implied to her would not be there, if this indeed truly were death.

And that was life.

And as every living entity, she yearned for that life, and knew deep within her very soul that she would do anything in her power, anything at all, to retain it.

Darkness will consume you....

"Let it," that Roan-thing within her whispered in icy glee as she literally turned on herself and directed the light in her outward. It impacted against the evil surrounding her, too small to come remotely close to defending itself... and thus it curled up into a tiny ball and fell silent for eternity.

Now the Roan-thing threw back her head and laughed. She held out her arms to the darkness, joyously offering herself to it, knowing that by thus giving herself to the death here would she ever retain her life.

She was indeed roans daughter, that potential he had seen before did not dissapoint him, she was finding union with evil... and as such, she was finding union with him... She was his, though he truly doubted she realized this as of yet.

Slowly he approuched her, placing a strong, slender hand upon her shoulder, eyes arrowing into her own.

He then spoke, his words actauly sounding sincer, though his voice was still one of utter darkness.

"Welcome my dear ShaRhylla... To the darkness..." considering for a moment, he pour his hate into her, releasing a dark cackle as he did so.

"It is now you may find your true strengths, in this place your darkness is free..."

he then turned from her quietly, sitting down upon a waft of utter darkness, considering.

She hold great potential...But that strength will fail if not focused, it would indeed be in my best wishes if she was strengthened...Darkness in darkness, my power will grow...

he then returned to spoken word.

What the...?!

He gulped, his senses suddenly sparked into full alert. Before he even had a clue what he was doing he was in a dead run, headed in the direction of that sound. He skidded into the meeting room to the scene of Graysith, trembling with rage, that thing on her head filling the room with an eerie ultraviolet glow.

He flicked his blue eyes in her direction, a sudden soul-encompassing worry filling his heart and mind.

"What has happened?"

He wasn't sure if anyone even heard him. But he waited.

He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, looking into her eyes questioningly. "what has happened?"

he then fell silent, ready to offer his suport in whatever had happened.

It was then he heard Terrins words, and turned a worried look into the mans eyes. "i know not..."

Quietly he returned his attention to his beloved Jharmeen.

Death. Death was the only answer. For everyone would die in the end...

No longer was she aware of LoBan's words. No longer was she able to make sense of her own thoughts which were screaming in complete protest, in complete opposition to what she was feeling.

She never heard those thoughts. She simply couldn't. All that her soul knew at this moment was darkness and death...

And quite suddenly, through blinding tears and soul-encompassing despair, the world went black...

She pinned a pair of turquoise eyes on Entaris, a pair which rivalled his for their brilliance. Something deep in their depths glittered, like those of a predator lurking in the night.

Now those profferred arms lowered in Entaris's direction. Her tongue darted out quickly to lick her lips.

Many sides there were to the darkside, and she would know them all.

Without warning The girl was bombarded with more then simple hate... she now felt pain, dispair, and all other dark emotions that could be imagined. Easily they flowed through entaris, and into the young girl who so willingly opened herself before the dark one's tainting touch.

The madness of the place they were within arose to greet the darkness entaris was releasing, which further poured into the girl, causing her form to arise into the air as the swirling vortex of power rose about her like a demonic wind, causing her hair to flare upward into a fiery nimbus.

As he poured through those emotions he held within him, entaris eventauly found an emotion which would complete them all... Love... Though this was not the pathetic love which he knew others had attempted to give to her, this was the love of evil, of darkness, of causing pain and dispair within the weak, and even in feeling those raw emotions.

it was as if he had simply broken of a piece of himself, and handed it to her so she might treasure, and admire it. And indeed he was proud of his work...

Slowly she was set upon a dark altar, he form now unconcious, and simply brimming with all he had filled her with... he had provided that much, now it was up to her to accept... and then her true training would begin...

Finally she got enough of a grip upon herself to whisper, "It is my daughter, ShaRhylla. She is gone.... and the shield has not been dropped.

"She is gone! It is as if her life force has been ripped away...."

She trembled then, struggling with herself, fighting the despair of a mother who has lost a child with an upsurge of pure vengeance promised toward whatever new evil had taken that child. For she knew deeply in her very heart of hearts that her daughter had not disappeared of her own will, no matter how she had spouted that fact to both her mother and the Dark Lord Recinis.

Something had happened to her within the very walls of Phrinnchatka....

She couldn't utter another word for the way her throat was tightening. Instead, she merely turned her eyes back into the concerned pair of Recinis, then whirled from his arms and fled the Dining Hall, rushing through the foyer until she at length came out at the apex of the Temple. She stopped there near the place where she had spent such blissful moments so recently, and cast her suddenly blazing eyes out over the too-quiet city sprawled out below.

She lay motionless, in his arms...

He sensed a being of pure evil... He had done this to her...

RAGE.... uncontrollable rage took over, within the young man...

He quickly placed Shayla on the ground, and smacked through the door, on his way toward where he sensed the evil one...

And NOTHING would stop him... he would soon confront the being of pure evil.... if he HAD the nerve to come from his hiding...

IT IS THE ONLY WAY... he said over and over to himself... THE way....

People disappearing in Prinn'chatka, with no change in the shield?!

That meant that...

...that...

Something was within this very city...

Maybe it was that creature of Roan's, back from the dead...

Something akin to terror and anger and utter horror rose up in Terrin as a memories started whirling through his brain. Memories of a clawed thing, sitting on his chest, ripping the very flesh from his arm. Memories of it trying to attack Galen on Sullust.

Memories of that very same demon taking the newborn ShaRhylla, and memories of it attacking again aboard that very same ship, injuring loyal comrades...

It couldn't be, could it? Could the thing have come back to life? Was there another?

WHERE WERE GALEN AND JHINDARRA?

His icy-blue eyes pinned themselves on the form of Recinis, seeing something that no one else could see, fears coming back to haunt him from a past not-so forgotten.

There was terror in those icy blue depths. And yet there was something else too. His hand strayed for his the butt of his blaster, as though he really thought this would help him in the matter.

They would not be harmed. They had best not be harmed...

"My wife and daughter?" he asked simply, needing to not say another word, his question clear. Unconsciously he tensed even more, bracing himself should the answer be something other than he would like to hear...

...until she was more than filled with everything that was loathesome and hideous and cruel and corrupt and sadistic... and found to her sheer delight that she simply gloried in it. That deep inner part of her found yet another door to open and flung it wide, that what she had received would rush therein, making room for yet more to follow.

And when at length that barrage finally ran dry, she cried tears of genuine pain.

Was that all there was?

It was then that consciousness returned to her body, a body still physically young and fresh, but one now holding a mind and soul magickally transformed into one far, far older. Slowly her eyes opened and blinked, just once. Then in a smoothly graceful motion she sat up on that altar of darkness, shivering with perverse joy that she had indeed been sacrificed thereon, and that the sacrifice was well worth the knowledge she had gained.

Knowledge substantiated by the look she read when she turned and gazed into the eyes of her Redeemer.

For deep in their bloodied, turquoise depths she clearly read that, oh my dear young lady, that is most certainly not all there is....

he simply extended both hands and lifted her from the alter, staring into her eyes, searching out all there was within those depths... Finaly satisfied he smiled darkly to her.

"You are are ready..."

He then spun, walking confedently through the shadow's of the deminsion, smiling in satisfaction as the child strode confedently beside him. Beside, and not behind... the very simplicity of the action showing that she was filled with that total love of self that would not be degraded... She was indeed filled with potential...

Suddenly he stopped, a welling of hatred rising within him, she had learned well, and now she would be rewarded...

his hand flew upward, slamming her with a force of energy born purly of evil, throwing her backwards into a wall that was not truly there... His mind arrowed into hers, focusing the pain of the slight injury so it might seem mind shattering, awaiting to see her reaction... Her training had begun.

Nothing there...

He IS here... but, no where to be FOUND....

He then raised his voice, filled with anger and hate,"SHOW YOURSELF!!! evil IS cowardly..." He then waited, reading his hand to his saber...

He quickly directed The man to where he might find his wife, and child, and then ran off to find his own wife, continualy lending her suport, wishing there was something he could do...

his own mind questing outward into the city, he found nothing... Where are you shaRhylla? Where have you gone?
His thoughts were truly sadaned at the possible lose of the child... while she had caused great frustration, he truly did love her...he truly wished there was something he could do...

Instead of dying, instead of exploding, she reached out a part of herself to take up that pain and caress it, to inspect the perceived treachery with a lover's eye, and to hold both closely against her blackened heart as though to cherish them forever. For indeed from such pain could she continue to grow; even she could realize that any other reaction would only result in mindless fear and a shrivelling of her very soul.

Drawing in a deep breath, she sighed long and sensuously.

"Share this with me, my Teacher...."

He stood slowly, pulling on that injury with his mind, so it might become less of an injury, and more of simple power, power which coursed through his vians like an unending infurno, to carres his very essence untill it had pushed him to the edge of maddened glee.

Extending a hand to her in a simplistic manor she was lifted from the ground with that power, and placed on her feet lightly.

His thoughts then hammered into her with deadly strength, the dark emotions forming together to form words from simple, and pleasurable pain, anger, hatred, and all other emotions which each knew so well.

perfect my dear ShaRhylla... Perfect... You are indeed ready for the universe... no stronger have i seen... Not even your fathers dark will can match mine... and you have so easily attained equality with the darkness i know... But i tell you, this is but the begining, true pleasure is to be found in the torment of innocents...

he then brought forth images he had cept deeply within, that time within the ship when he had placed despiar within Shayla... he now shared that with her... He felt her mind ravonusly feed upon that memory... The torment Shayla had been through simply wrapped about them both in the darkness, entaris smiled sadisticly as he watched her delight in the images, he saw that she wanted badly to have experience such things first hand... his head tilted back to release that ever prepared dark cackle, which echoed through the darkness of this deminsion, it was filled with hate, and ready to bestoy fear to all that heard, no, Felt it...

It was then that something not quite understandable came to life... and that inherent ability of hers actually grew stronger in response to this being's closeness. It reared up like a runaway ronto, howling and slavering, then arrowed directly into the chambers of his mind, ripping and tearing along the way, seeking and finding every last bit of darkness his body had ever encountered or performed or even merely thought...

...and came to a glimmering secretly revered: the image of the once Darth Wicked, tossing her very mother aside as if she were less than the dirt beneath his feet, that image accompanied by a great rush of pure hurt flowing from the woman and into his blackened heart that was almost too wonderful to be borne.

She shivered with the beauty of it all... and now opening her eyes to suddenly find his so very close to hers, discovering her hands were gripping his arms through the silken fabric of his robes...

And, cleared his mind...

Shayla... I must be with her... this might be my last chance... last chance to tell her how I feel...

This saddened Lo-Ban, as he got to his feet, and rushed back toward where he had left Shayla...

Galen looked up in startlement from the couch upon which she sat with little JhinDarra in her arms, clearly surprised to see him there. He waited a moment to collect his thoughts then sat across from her, keeping a gentlemanly enough distance so as not to press. He did reach a hand out to her however, his blue eyes locking on her big and beautiful browns in concern. “ShaRhylla has disappeared completely from this city,” he started, then hurried on with: “The chronotic shield remains, and Graysith does not believe she could leave here by her own will, even with her powers.

“No one knows exactly what is going on,” he continued, yet more images of that razor-tailed demon playing across his mind’s eye despite the logical portion of his brain that was pointing out that he just didn’t know that yet. “I know you probably wanted some space, but your safety is the most important thing to me at the moment. Your sister and Lord Recinis are looking into what has happened, but until we know what’s going on we really need to try and stick close together.”

His blue eyes affixed themselves onto her browns, pleading for understanding and something else entirely. “You were counting on me when you left Prinn’chatka before and I let you down. But I’m begging you love to stay with me this time...

...something seemed to be out there, cuing it to continue, to not abate. It was as though some hideous monster was reveling in the pain she was experiencing, not ready to let her go to simply rest and gain normalcy again.

At length, consciousness began to return and Shayla sat bolt upright in the middle of the floor, her mind not her own, still controlled by it-- whatever it was. She wasn't even aware of her surroundings really, wasn't aware that she was alone and that her "prisoner" had somehow managed to escape. She threw her head back, her hair suddenly wild about her face, falling into her eyes. With a wracking sob only momentarily hindering her cry, she howled to the top of her lungs, despair filling her voice and ringing off the very walls of the Temple.

"He!" she sobbed, her voice throbbing, "He is here! It is the end; we will all fail--

--We will die!"

Still shuddering with completely uncontrollable sobs, she simply remained where she was, her mind now locking in upon the presence of something that was both within her and without her; something very, very real and likewise very, very terrifying.

For it, He was in Prinn'chatka...

He knelt down beside her...

"He is nothing, Shayla... he wouldn't even show himself, he is cowardly, you are stronger than him... he did this to your mind, rather than taking you, and continuing his work... he is a coward..."

Lo-Ban then came closer, hugging Shayla, and whispered in her ear...

"no matter what happens, I want you to know how I feel... this love for you may not be genuinely as more than friends, but, I cannot allow you to be taken away..."

His hug drew her closer... a couple of tears coming from young Lo-Ban's face...

She is like a rose... Beautiful in every way... Yet carries sharp thorns ready to cause pain...

His smile grew yet more dark at the thought, as he reached up to remove her hands from his arms, looking at the blood on one of her fingers for a moment, before forcing her hand to smear the blood upon her soft lips.

Then taking her own claw, he pierced her wrist sharply, a ripply of wonderful pain flowing clearly through her...

he then licked the blood from her finger, and brought her wound to his lips, so he might feast upon her glorieus "life-force"...a "life-force" that was filled with utter death... The warm blood filled his tastes with a strange comfort, sadating a strange hunger which fed upon all the evil in the universe...

With a slight mental tug, he released himself from the allure of that dark sensation her blood presented to him, liking his lips of the last drop, before returnign himself to his previous frame of mind.

"Now, my blackened rose, You will find your first subjects...If a queen you will be, you will need servents..."

With a simplistic thought waftgn through his mind, instantly a group of shadowly beasts appeared before him, beasts he had long exploted, long ruled...

Looking about them he spoke comandingly. "Long have you been slaves to me, your lives worthless in all aspects... Now you pittifial creatures, you have a queen to accompany my rule over you... Serve her, for her dark powers can bring you pain the likes of which you have never imagined... SHe is ShaRhylla... The blackened rose... Queen of the universe..."

He then returned his gaze to her in silent offering. "now my blackened rose... You have your first subjects... They will serve you well..."

his thoughts then hammered into her mind with deadly precission. They will serve you, as you will serve me... And with this all, i will assure you have everything in this universe you desire... With all that you have gained, now tell me, Do you still wish to return to your father? or will you stay by my side, and unleash upon that city the darkness within your heart. Know now, your father no longer has rule over you, you far surpass him in all aspects, save perhaps skill in that mystical power so imbeded within you, but with every passing second, that power will grow with the darkness i have given you. WHen you next see your father, he will bow before you in complete submission, together we will cause this universe all the emotions that you now crave... What say you?

He then allowed yet another onrush of pure, and utter hatred rise about them, tempting providing more and more temptation for her blackened heart...

He stood to his feet quite suddenly, drawing the attention of Shawn Petrolu.

"Something's wrong with Shayla..." Erik started. "I've gotta go to her. I've gotta go to her now!"

Erik bolted at that, and was only stopped by Shawn Petrolu, who quickly stood, his hand raised. "She's in the Temple. She will be taken care of. Something seems amiss, and I really don't think now is a good time to venture out."

Erik's look turned dark. "You're damn right something is 'amiss'! I'm going. You can sit here, like you always do, if you like. But I'm not sitting by while she hurts, no way in Hell."

Good! I couldn't help but think as I held JhinDarra even more closely to me. Good riddance to bad rubbish...!

That line of thought sent me whirling back in less than a nanosecond to that hideous moment on Kamino, when that supercilious little child had so nonchalantly nearly sent Sorben to his death. All right, so maybe she might not have done that had he not fired first..., but worrts to rontos had it she would have probably attacked us outright sooner or later, and maybe with more than just one of us being injured.

And he had taken that hit because of you, hadn't he Galen? that little whisper poked abruptly into the fray. If you hadn't gone out to find him, he wouldn't be laying unconscious -- oh thank Khaandon merely that, now! -- would he?

My grip on Darra tightened, and I buried my lips against the soft hair on her head, now trying to wrench my thoughts away from that self-defeating direction, and focus on the rest of what Terrin was saying.

He failed me when I left to go out after my sister and little Darra? How?

I shook my head unbeknownst to myself, as I rolled his words over in my head. He just didn't get it.

This distancing myself from him wasn't because of him; in fact, he really had no real say in the matter at all. It was solely because of me that I was now sitting alone with my daughter, wondering just what I was going to do with the rest of my life...

...if Khaandon should decree I was allowed to have one at all, that is.

I sighed, filled with a conflict of his misperception -- was that fueled by just a touch of self-centeredness? I know he had a tendency to do that, he had acted like this to me before -- and the possibility of the very real danger now existing in our sancuary. If something indeed had the ability to snag a child as powerful as my sister's while she was held within the protection of a chronotic shield, then what in all the Fates would the rest of us mere mortals do?

What indeed? What was she planning? What about that Sorcerer, and the new Warrior guy--? Hey, for that matter, what about the intrepid Jedi in our midst?

An entirely inappropriate grin struggled for recognition at that last thought; with great effort, I managed to keep it from my face and finally gathered all my thoughts enough so that I could make a reasonably coherent reply to my husband.

Your husband, Galen. Don't forget that little item; you did marry the guy...!

I didn't quite know where to start.

"It's not about trust, Terrin," I finally managed, a bit awkwardly. "There is no reason at all for you to think I have lost my trust in you... for I have not. It's always remained, and I will always trust you.

"Well-- then again, perhaps it is," I suddenly amended, as the thought truly hit home. "But more along the lines of whether or not you should trust me."

I let another sigh heave from me, and quietly stood up.

What the hell, he deserved a straight answer. In for a credit....

"I might just as well be honest with you, Terrin. The fact remains that, although I do love you dearly... I still love Sorben as much as I ever did. I-- I just don't know how I'm going to deal with this, I-- I know this isn't fair to you, but...."

I stumbled to a halt then, agonizing over the look I was beginning to see in my husband's eyes. Gulping, I just shook my head a little even though the action was in complete opposition to my following words.

"I understand the need for us to all stick together, Terrin," I said quietly. "And I'll admit that it is scary to think that a child with the All was taken; does that mean Darra is at risk, too?

"Maybe we all ought to hunker together in the same room, is that what you're telling me? If so, I agree one hundred percent, my need for personal space at the moment be damned."

Therein she saw the things that make men scream... and that rise to howl and laugh with the ending of all that is, for therein she saw what would persevere until beyond the end of time....

Her hands darted out and clutched his face, the claws sinking and raking into the strong planes of the handsome face that once belonged to a sentient known as Darth Wicked.

"I will never leave you!" she breathed, her soul swelling, her essence rising up within her like the very fires of the Phoenix, which spit forth that fantastic creature only that it would set upon the long road seeking death once again.

"I choose you...."

Then, driven utterly mad by the scent of blood still hot and heavy on the air, still tasting on her lips that tiny drop with which he had seemed to tease her with, she pulled his face down to hers, and with a quick arching forward of her neck struck like an adder, sinking her fangs deeply into his throat that she might partake more fully of the life's force within him....

...as well as the even more powerful one which emanates from the shadows of death, shadows which were ever present in his eyes.

How he forced her to look into his eyes, searching through her soul, assuring himself her words were true... For no chances would be taken.

Finaly satisfied he released a dark laugh into the atmosphere.

Looking at the simple black robes which she now wore he shook his head dully.

"Your atire does not befit a queen... Now my Blackened Rose... Your petals shall be tended to!"

With his words a swirl of dark energy wrapped about her form, tearing the robes from her body with a vengful manor, as if they had performed some great sin.

He then raised a hand, willing the darkness to form clothing that would show all that she was truly a magnificent being of darkness, and no simple child...

it started at her neck, placing about the delicut skin a small golden chain, which provided just enough slack for her to breath, and was topped with a turquoize stone which further augmented the turquoize of her eyes.

About her right wrist formed a silver band, inscribed with markings of the ancient dark beings that resided in this deminsion.

Within each ear was placed a glassy stone, which looked as though filled with blood, hanging marvalusly from silver links.

about her head was placed a soft crown-like chain, from which hung a voilite stone, to contrast the turqoize one which hung from her neck.

Then about her swirled clouds of complete darkness, becoming a gown of sorts, carressing her skin with its perfect softness.

About her torso, it fit like a glove, augmenting her every feature, and in no way modest, showing her back, and most of her stomach, then falling downward about her legs like a dark, and oily waterfall.
The gown had slit sleeves that extended in a single thred upon reaching her wrists, and wrapped dully about the middle finger on her left hand.

He inspected her for a moment before he nodded his head in satisfaction. "now my dear Blackened Rose, Your rebirth is complete..."

He paused then, considering something, his lips tugging into the most sadistic smile one might ever see on a face so decievingly sincer. "Or rather... Almost complete...there is yet one innocense within you, which has yet to be purged..." his head tilted back to release a dark cackel once more, as he quietly, and quickly ushered her off into the darkness...

And he thought he’d hurt when he and Shayla had finally split. Nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to what he was feeling right now.

Excepting the time that he thought Galen was going to die...

He didn’t let a lick of this show however, save for maybe a hint that could be read in the very depths of his eyes. Otherwise the look in them was nearly inscrutable.

Just because he was hurting didn’t mean he wanted her to hurt...

“I trust you Galen,” he said quietly. “The fact that you’ve had the nerve to tell me any of this proves to me just why I can trust you.”

He halted at that, struggling with the thoughts he was still having, still not allowing any of it to read on his features. He stood, turning so as not to face her any longer. He just couldn’t look at her with the next words that were seeking rise from his throat and from his heart. “It’s him that I don’t trust. And while I’m well aware he was injured for your sake, and that you...love him...” Terrin tripped over the word, then pressed on, “...he’s hurt you before; he was taking you to Roan to be his breeder and nearly brought you to your death by delivering you to Actar...”

He closed his eyes for a moment, covering the emotion that was seeking rise with the words he was speaking. “If it’s him that will make you the happiest, then go to him,” he continued, his heart aching, “But I don’t understand how he can hurt someone he loves like that. And if he ever, ever hurts you like that again...”

Terrin tried his damnedest to stop that particular line of thought from the direction it was traveling as images of a limp Galen played through his mind’s eye; images of her completely unaware of her little daughter laying nestled into her chest.

“But I want you to know that I always love you Galen, and I’ll always be here waiting for you no matter what you decide regarding this matter. And I will die for you before anyone ever, ever hurts you ever again. Gods know you’ve been through far too much already to be hurt any more. I am very concerned about your and Darra’s safety with this new unknown lurking within the city, and quite honestly I’ve been worried ever since Graysith’s child was brought here.

“Her disappearance is the work of Roan, I’m simply sure of it, whether he’s got another one of those hell-spawned demons of his that can grab children from the arms of their caretakers or what. Just make sure you stick close by in case, gods forbid, something should happen. In the meantime, I’m going to go find out what the Sith intend to do about this. And if they don’t intend to do something soon, before someone else just up and disappears...

...well then, I guess it will be time for me to take matters into my own hands.”

At that he turned to go, the pain in his heart crying for him to simply get away, the worry there demanding for him to do whatever it took to protect Galen and Darra, any possible risk to himself be damned.

This has happened before, something whispered to him. And no one, no one had been able to reach her, not even him. No one.

Save for one.

Erik suddenly knew what to do; it was the only way to stop this horrible pain from afflicting his beloved. He hurried to that sense that was Graysith, only coming to a halt when he at length found her.

"Shayla is in pain," he said, panting to catch his breath. "Not physical pain...mental pain..."

He stopped a moment at that, reading the despair in Graysith's own eyes as she turned to regard him.

What was going on?

He pressed onward. He didn't have a clue what was going on. But he sure as Hell knew that his Love was in some sort of horrible trouble, yet even so she was here...

"I believe you are the only one who can help her, Graysith..."

Someone was there...

Shayla suddenly gripped the hands she didn't know were around her own. Another sob wracked her small frame. She focused on the words rolling into her ears, trying for the life of her to clear the fuzz and understand them.

Then, inspiration came to Lo-Ban...

He got behind her, and sat... so that her back was almost touching his chest...

"I am going to relax you now, think cool thoughts... what do you like to do for fun, Shayla... ok, this is gonna calm you down... breath in and out slowly Shayla, just relax... I am here for you..."

He then started to give her what he does best in the bedroom, a shoulder massage...

so tense... Lo-Ban thought to himself, struggling with the emotions that were pouring from Shayla, but managing them well...

But who?

Shayla's mind was starting to slowly shut down. It couldn't take any more of this despair, couldn't take any more of this pain...

...and she so very, very much wanted to relax...

Remember what defeated this before, Shayla! a little voice niggled inside of her. It was the good emotions within you that stopped this...

...and it's right in front of you Shayla. People here care, THEY CARE. YOU CARE. So long as you give in, so long as you don't care, OF COURSE EVERYONE IS GONNA FAIL...

Shayla focused on this thought, still dettached from her surroundings but finally starting to come about to herself.

You CANNOT let this defeat you...

At length she opened her eyes, to see his so very close, studying her. Around her the non-space cushioned them in seductive and ebon softness, the sole capitulation to anything that was not evil and corrupt. Yet through this softness hard and slicing agony ripped at her; she shivered with unbearable joy, knowing it was something not merely perpetrated against her but taken unto her very self by nothing less than her own willingness to do so.

And in the taking making her more than complete.

She smiled up at him, a predator's smile, one which fully showed her gleaming fangs. Her eyes, so similar in color to his, glistened with a certain kind of knowledge which, although others would oh so eagerly be presented with, none but he and she would ever truly understand... or come to glory in and cherish.

And so, filled with the beautifully unbearable contrast of tooth-gritting torment and utterly evil delight, rejoicing in her newfound unity, she stretched her arms out to Entaris once more, licking her lips to allow her words to oil through them even as from a place so very far away she received yet into her black heart another joyous ripple of soul-ripping despair:

"It begins, my Master....

This usually drives them crazy, not make them sane again...

He almost laughed at that, almost...

He felt that her tension was now gone, or as gone as his back rub could make so...

He then slowly, and gently grabbed Shayla, and turned her to face him...

He held her so, gently running his right hand soothingly up and down her back, waiting for her to come back... to him...

And she was starting to become entirely too exhausted to fight it on her own...

She let out a soft sob, shuddering. She cared. Really she did. But alone, she simply couldn't succeed in fighting this thing that had such a grip upon her...

Her muscles slackened even more, and she was ever-aware that the something in her brain was starting to take hold of her again. So she simply gave in to it, her brief attempt to fight it flying as dust in the wind as she began to feel the despair rise in her again.

It would defeat her. So she might as well let it defeat her now, while she was no harm to the others who had not yet been destroyed by him...

He quickly took her closer, and gave her a quick peck on the lips...

Nothing...

He then gave her a more passionate kiss... he felt goosebumps form on his skin... his eyes were as wide as ever, peering into Shayla's greenish blue pair... as if saying...

Take my love... I offer it to you... together, we will defeat the evil...

Someone... or something... has done something to Shayla; that darkness within her, that despair, it is not natural.

My daugher has been spirited away from beneath the most powerful defensive measure ever designed.

Loves once strong and secure now war with each other, and in the end surely neither will win the battle.

What in the name of all the Fates was happening in Phrinnchatka?

She shivered now, letting a tendril of her mind go with the departing Erik, that if necessary she could be there with him to assist her Adept in regaining her sanity once more, berating herself all along for the way that she had appeared to be so remiss regarding that young woman. Yet even now she forced herself to hang back, thus to determine if Shayla had the strength to fight her way back without her assistance, to battle against what she knew was a repetition of what had stricken her in the Valley of Lords.

My dearest Adept, harsh though this may seem... the inner strength must come from you, or whatever it is that has taken your mind will indeed consume you. We will not be able to rely on you then, for how can we depend on a fountain of strength that runs so continuously dry, needing the refreshing flow of an outside source to refill it?

That thought was nearly as painful to her as the one that seemed to have taken up permanent residency in her heart: her absolute dearth of ideas as to what had happened to her daughter.

At least she's not dead, for you do not sense her body, a grim little voice rose up to try and reassure her. She is merely...

Gone.

Now she turned once more to her Lord, seeking his strength to join with hers, seeking his battle-wisdom, for indeed on a level she was not quite fully conscious of, the assurety that war was coming existed as a living and breathing thing within her.

Love. The ultimate emotion of the light, the one strongest thing anyone could give, ever.

Shayla didn't really consciously know what she was doing. But she so desperately wanted this all to stop, and she so suddenly saw a light at the end of that tunnel. Reaching out both in mind and suddenly and very surprisingly in heart, she returned that kiss, her own spirit suddenly singing, the despair so slowly beginning to wash away. Only when she began to start coming to herself again did she realize just who had been there, offering her his support...

...and his love. His LOVE, Shayla. What are you gonna do?!

She drew back, suddenly realizing how very tired she was, her greeny-blue eyes still pinned onto his blue pair. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what she was feeling exactly.

You are an engaged woman, Shayla Stargazer Petrolu! some little voice insisted. How could you...?!

"Th...thank you," she said rather stupidly. Then quite suddenly her eyelids fell heavy, her body at last demanding the rest that it needed so very much after such an inward war. She fell limp, to a peaceful sleep.

Time to rest. Figure things out later.

Thinking of how to explain himself, once she awoke...

It recognized that black despair, one she herself had battled against within the soul of her Adept, one which she had at the time succeeded in at least temporarily defeating. This time...

This time, the timing seemed to have been choreographed by an unseen hand.

The intangible tendril arrived to face that blackness... only to be washed amidst a sudden and rising light... a light which raised a sword within Shayla's essence to attack and slice and beat the darkness in upon itself. That evil oiliness seemed to writhe for a moment, then inexplicably imploded in on itself, to go back into hiding in the depths of Shayla's soul, there to await it's next calling.

It completely and utterly disappeared... and Graysith was not fool enough to believe it was truly gone.

But what was present was that brilliant light now filling Shayla's being, a light born of love from another, a light which had been surprisingly received and accepted by Shayla. For otherwise the blackness would have persevered with its former strength.

The conflict within her Adept now roiled within her own heart, combining there to see that this was what had relieved her despair... as well as the absolute knowledge that it too was but a repetition of something occuring elsewhere in the city at this very moment.

Even in love does this blackness assert itself, she thought to herself with a shiver, drawing the tendril quietly back as Shayla drifted off to sleep, drawing herself back to her own reality which was to find herself once again enwrapped in the arms of her husband...

... his own undying love for her exploding around her and joining with that of her own for him, protecting at least the pair of them from any onslaught this unknown evil might promise to mount against them.

A threat which had to be stopped, now.

"Something's out there," he said, "I'm positive of it. Perhaps something slipped in when the shield dropped, but the point is moot. We have to do something now, before someone else disappears. And judging from the fact that the first to disappear was ShaRhylla..."

He hesitated only a moment, concern arrowing into his heart. Then he pressed on.

"...I'm very afraid that I know who might be next...

...so the question is, what are we going to do?"

An emotion he couldn't have ever suspected, wouldn't have ever suspected. And while he was relieved that Shayla seemed to be gaining relief at last...

He knew that emotion. He'd felt it from her before. HE'D felt it himself.

WHO???

It was all he could do to force down the sudden surge of jealousy sweeping over him. He forced his feet into motion once again, concern for Shayla again leading the way. When he finally came to a halt, he found himself facing Loban, sitting on the floor with a now slumbering Shayla, gripping his lightsaber as if he would gladly slice anyone to pieces who came anywhere close to her.

And Erik knew the look in Loban’s eye...

His look hardened a bit as he considered Loban a moment longer, then he carefully kneeled beside Shayla, gently running his hand across her face to remove hair from it. He leaned over than kissed Shayla softly on the cheek. Then he looked to Loban once more, the look in the depths of his brown eyes completely unreadable.

“What happened here?”

She couldn't even bring herself to shake her head in reply.

"Until there is something against which we can act, until this evil plays another hand against us, there is simply nothing else we can do at the moment, Captain," she finally said softly. "For this enemy in our midst is an insidious one, and somehow more than merely someone acting through evil, I fear.

"The light of love seems to thwart that small part of it I have encountered in my Adept... at least it appears to do so momentarily."

She turned her head upward as this seeming non sequiteur left her lips, gazing with sudden thought up into the loving emerald pair which through this all had never left her. For a briefly hedonistic moment she let herself drown in them, gathering yet more strength with which to fight their unseen adversary. Then she turned back to Captain Danner again, stronger now.

"Until this enemy shows itself, that we might mount an outer defense, my only suggestion is that we maintain the strongest inner one we may. Perhaps then when it next comes it will find no refuge here, and will depart from us in defeat."

With that she fell into silence, leaning back into the embrace of her husband, trying to relish the warm comfort of the loving unity they shared, and trying to put aside all fear and worry and despair concerning her daughter.

He didn't know where to start...

Lo-Ban took a moment to pull himself together,"She has been affected, by an evil one that lurks in the shadows of this sith city... she seems to have lost her confedence... but, I believe she is coming out of it..."

He said, and awaited his reply, if there was one... all the while, Lo-Ban wondered if he belonged there...

"Thank you...for helping her out," he said, finally standing. "I'm gonna take her somewhere so she can rest comfortably.

What he did know, was that he shouldn't be around Shayla when she woke up... He didn't want her to see that it was he that had committed the unforgivable act...

The forbidden kiss...

He then pressed himself more firmly against her, taking from her a passionate kiss, one filled with blood, for he had long ago pierced her tantalizingly full lips, so every kiss was one he might enjoy her dark, sweet blood.

one of his hands then strayed to carress the soft skin of her side, teasing her accute senses, feeling a ripple of tortured pleasure arrise from her with his cold touch.

Slowly his hand moved upward, wrapping about her to tease her yet more, now upon the delicute skin held upon the back of her neck.

Finaly he broke away his lips from hers, allowing a tendril of dark energy to burn away the wound, once more restoring perfection to those wonderful lips, he leaned in again to lick away the remanding blood.

he then looked into her eyes, seeing a primal hunger within, his smile mearly grew darker as he felt her claws sink painfully into his back, pulling him into her. Once more they kissed, now giving her the sensation he knew she desired, alowing his tongue to stray upon one of her fangs, his own blood now reddilly available for her hungry desires...

And thus they remained for an inmeasurable amount of time, passion rising, yet they both teasingly with held the full extent of that passion from the other... Torture was much greater a pleasure to both of them... And this was perhaps the greatest torture of them all...

Suddenly he broke away from her, allowing the dark energy to send yet another ripple of pain through him as it sealed his wounds. Standing slowly he return himself to his robes, watching in a demonic hunger as she dressed within her own provided clothing, taking pleasure in the pure torture she presented as she tossed her fiery hair about her, Noting the way it suductivly hid a small portion of her face. Quietly he stood and approuched her, smiling darkly. "you are complete, my Dark Rose..." he took silent note in the subtle change of his name for her, no longer blackened, the part that had once been light was not discarded, and all that remained was pure dark... "Now you will go unto this universe, and bestow it with your greatness... Ah, you are indeed a queen today. One whom all will grow to hate, and dispise... one whom will never be starved of the emotions she so hungrily persues..."

With that he allowed the darkness to fade away, taking them again to the silent sith city, now within a different room, he took careful note to hide his pressence, making it appear as if she had simply return by herself, if any indeed knew he had ever been there.

"now go, But you must know this: do not physicaly harm your mother... Let the fact that you no longer hold even the slightest shred of light within you, act as torture... And let her torture cause insanity to the pitifal being who acts as her Lord, You may visit me whenever you wish, though i will keep careful monitor over you through your mind... I will share with you all the pain you cause, And watch as your thorns show the contrast of your dark pettals."

Considering he smiled "before we do leave this place though, we must take your cousin... And her mother... Im sure your father would be pleased with that, after all, no need to reveal that he is mear sand within our fingers as of yet... Let us toy with him as well..."

He smiled that demonic smile, before tracing lightly upon her stomach a teasing picture of a blood drop. Before he laughed lightly, "now be gone, my love" he said the word mockingly, in clear disgust of those within the city, for truly, neither being within the room could ever begin to understand the word... Yet it would indeed provide some amusment to them both.

Quietly he guided her within the temple, nodding once to terrin. When they reached the central meeting area, he released her gently onto the soft couch, sitting beside her, now resuming his grasp about her, allowing her to find comfort in his strong hold on her.

"This will come to end. Your daughter will be well..." he said soothingly, before placing the thought completly out of mind, not wishing to leave it hanging about the room to torture her any longer.

I need help, and who better than Galen... we must share our situations, and try and figure out how we can both find what we search for... love...

He then easily found Galen, her emotions as great now, as ever before...

He started to walk quickly, for some reason, he felt he should hurry...

How could they simply wait for something else terrible to happen, when that something else could very likely involve the endangerment of those very people that they did love?

That he loved?

"I can’t stand to see her hurt again," Terrin said at length. "If there is anything I can do to stop something else before it happens...

...I’m going to do it.”

But then, how [i]could they act against something that was unseen?[/i]

Graysith’s answer was the only one that really made any sense, if this thing that had so suddenly appeared in their midst was what she said it was. But then, Terrin wasn’t usually the type to simply sit around and wait for someone to hurt those he loved, whether he could see the threat or not. And if sacrificing himself would protect those loved ones, then he was absolutely ready to do that, without fear and without hesitation.

And after all, actions always speak louder than words. True love didn’t sit on its hands and simply WAIT for a loved one to come to trouble. It did something to stop that trouble before it happened if possible, regardless of what that something might cost.

Love gives and gives, regardless of what comes in return, regardless of the self-risk, regardless of the true logic.

In this case, a small bit of logic might help their cause, however...

At length, an idea suddenly niggled its way into his brain. If that something that was unseen finally had the courage to attack in form, wouldn’t it be useful to somehow be able to track that form and possibly stand in its way before it actually had the ability to strike?

Terrin stated as much to Graysith and Lord Recinis, then continued with, “What about that droid of Shayla’s? She could track life readings for us. If not, I’m sure my men can come up with something...”

"Look alive," he said. "We need to get that R2 unit of Shayla's and track us some lifeform readings."

"Ahhh...I sense a need to assist," Jasyn said, smiling a bit. "It's been hell to be out of use for this long," he said.

"Allright," Terrin said. "You hang here. I'm gonna go get that droid. And then we're gonna see what we can do."

With that Terrin headed down the corridors of the Temple, at length coming to Erik and Shayla's suites. It was really no trouble to get the droid from them, although the impertinent little thing recognized him immediately and started warbling and bleeping things that couldn't be anything other than insults.

In just a matter of minutes he returned with her to the lounging area. "Allright Izzy," he said. "We need you to seek and track all lifeform readings, particularly noting anything new in the area. Can you do that?"

The droid warbled something else that sounded like an insult, then tootled something that could be none other than a yes.

Two new life readings present. One consistent with a Lo-Ban Kenobi of Tatooine who was not present upon last mapping. One of a female. Locking on to new lifeform to track...

She couldn't stand it, and spit where she stood.

How absolutely insipid the Sith must have been! she thought to herself as she moved to step from the dwelling and into the comparatively more tolerable atmosphere of the city streets outside. The fact of that statement having crossed her mind at all only served to highlight just how far she herself had traveled from her own heritage... not to mention whatever remnants of humanity she might once have possessed.

Without another thought in that regard she left the dwelling and for a moment just stood quietly, her eyes darkening to match the clouds of which her attire was created, her brow lowering with thunders barely restrained, lightning flashing in the depths of her being to mimic that occasionally flaring just beyond visible notice all about her body, staring out into the dim light without. Then, her step firm and steady, she headed in a bee-line directly for the Temple of the Sith.

As she moved along, an annoying little niggle came into her. It was oddly reminescent of the lightning which flared and flowed as she moved:

Current! she thought to herself, suddenly recogizing it as some sort of probe being issued from something able to generate such a charge. Probably a droid or something, no matter....

Her lips curling to reveal her fangs, she let a simple whiplash of the All blast out from her. It followed back along the tickling connection of the sensor which had dared desecrate her body by touching it, overpowering the simple circuitry it discovered there, creating a power surge of such magnitude that every circuit it reached let out a little bleep of surprise and agony...

...and died, completely fused by the strength of her fires.

There's one! she thought to herself with a maddened little giggle as she continued on her path. Indeed, she hadn't even paused in stride to burn out the R2 unit known as Izzy; and even though she knew that it was only a droid, she likewise knew that such an action on her part would throw the others into paroxysms of terror and fear and anger...

All the more that my "love" might feed upon, she finished with a maddened chortle.

Terrin was just about to tell one of the guys to go inform Graysith of that someone was out there in the city that wasn't before when Izzy's translater simply cut off and she up and wimpered, her circuits suddenly fused to slag from a strike that was totally unseen.

Whomever the mystery female was, they certainly didn't want to be tracked...

Terrin directed Matt to find Lord Recinis and Graysith and tell them what had just happened. And meanwhile he stood, preparing himself for whatever was headed this way, then simply darted off in the direction of the suites that Galen was staying in leaving Jasyn to watch over the Dining Hall suspiciously.

If something was happened to come in Galen's and Darra's direction, he was gonna be there, he didn't really care if he was just a mere mortal or not.

Love was guiding the way regarding this call. And nothing else.

I jumped like a cliffspringer on Sullust. And when I came down to earth, my heart literally remained two feet above my head.

Now what? I couldn't help but think as I rose to my feet and went to the door. Tensing, getting into fighting stance should the need arise, I hesitated before it.

Lo-Ban and I share a problem? What in the name of Hell's Seven Circles was he talking about?

I shrugged. Maybe this interlude might help get my mind off matters which were getting me more and more depressed, no matter that the emotion cherished by poets was at the heart of them. Any port in a storm....

I flung the door wide and gave him a small smile.

Lo-Ban then entered, took a small bow toward Galen... then spoke...

A problem regarding love, he has? Is it me, or is this just simply NOT the time to be thinking of such things--??

I picked up my jaw, ready to make a sharp retort, when it hit me.

I HAD been moping around about just that very thing. And yeah, so there was evil afoot-- Galen Jhin'Dar Danner, just tell me when in Hell's Seven Circles there was NOT evil running afoot in your life?

I jerked my thoughts away from the scenes which promptly began scrolling across my mind at that last errant thought. Jerked myself back to the still standing young man, who was politely waiting for me to be civil.

I drew in a shaky breath to get myself under control, and finally managed to speak.

"No need to be so stiff, Lo-Ban," I began, moving back a step or two and turning sideways to him to wave a hand in offering behind me. "Come, take a seat."

Directing him to the couch I had been occupying moments before, I then moved to settle myself in a nearby chair. Trying to put all worry and concern of my own into a dark recess of my mind, I finished with,

"You okay?" he asked worriedly, sitting up and looking at her in concern.

Shayla just gaped for a moment.

Erik? When had he come around exactly?

Oh sheesh, WHAT WAS SHE GONNA DO? HOW WAS SHE GONNA TELL HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

He seemed to eyeball her with a bit of hurt in his eyes as she thought these things, and it dawned on her that he was reading her thoughts right through that link that they shared.

Oh dear...

...what to do...

But now was not the time to figure out such things. Now was the time to figure out just what seemed to be heading this way, emanating so very much evil.

"We need to get going," she said, rolling out of the bed and to her feet, urgency in her voice. Then, after she put her boots on her feet and wrapped her cloak about herself, Shayla began to move for the door, knowing that Erik would follow closely behind, her senses keenly attuned to that dark and ominous thing that headed closer with each passing moment...

Sheesh, did the entire city know about me and Sorben and Terrin? Who was I, the local lovelorn columnist, to give advice? How the heck could I do that, when I hadn't a clue what I was going to do about my own messy triangle?

I couldn't help but shake my head, pursing my lips at my own reaction and then trying to lower that guard which had so suddenly come into existence.

"What exactly do you want to talk about, Lo-Ban?" I finally managed in a not-quite strangled kind of voice. "I don't know how spilling my problems onto your shoulders is going to help you solve yours... all I can think of is to just do what my father always used to say to me:

"'Galen,' he'd say when I'd come to him with this problem or that... 'Galen, just follow your heart. It is the leading authority when it comes to what you want, far more than the mind which only believes it is.'"

I paused, a rueful wisp of a grin coming into my face. Then I shook my head again.

"That's what I've been having problems with myself. My heart just can't make up it's mind, and I don't want my mind to make up my heart.

"Maybe it's just better to back off from affairs of the heart entirely...."

"That's it Galen... you said it yourself... forget your mind, make a gut decision, right now... ok, lets try this..."

What is this, Twenty Questions?

Then I gave myself a little shake. Incongruous though it might seem at the moment, I really believed that Lo-Ban was trying to help.

I settled back against the chair I was sitting in, crossing my arms and giving my head a little toss.

"Piece of cake," I replied on the veritable heels of the last word he stated, knowing exactly what he was trying to do.

"JhinDarra."

I fell silent a moment, before continuing on to point out:

Now, how to approach this exactly?

One, go charging in and tell Galen there is a threat possibly headed this way, and that you need to make sure she is safe by sticking by her.

Haven't you already done as much once already? She knows there is a possible threat lurking already, she's been warned.

Or two. Hang just outside and watch for the threat to head this way. The door is the only way in, and although you might not have a chance in hell of stopping someone or something from going in, you sure as hell will have more chance of alerting Galen and Darra both of an imminent threat if whatever it is senses and attacks you first. Which, judging from what happened to Izzy, is highly likely. And should it NOT sense you and head on in, then you'll have an element of surprise to work with, which could also be helpful.

The later possibility made more sense. After all, the only thing he could do for Galen if he charged in now was try to cover her when whatever came down the way, IF it came. But some commotion would most certainly clue her in to the fact that something just wasn't right. Picking a nice little corner where he could keep an eye on things, Terrin pulled his blaster, ready to shoot, and simply waited, ready to face whatever he must.

I sighed again, fighting a sudden uprush of tears, and struggling now to speak though from the manner in which my chest had tightened I could scarcely find breath to form the words.

"I guess all I can suggest is that you go and tell her how you feel... and then give her the space to figure out what it is she wants.

"For if you love someone enough, you will give them the freedom to go... and if they love you in return they will fly back to stick you your side forever. Anything other than that is not love, and truly not anything you'd really be happy with at all."

I then fell silent, uncomfortably aware of just who had been trying of late to let my own spirit find wings...

He then realized what he had said, it was a line he had used on Tatooine... he ain't on Tatooine no more...

He gave out a laugh, that sounded like a cough, he now saw a tear come down his cheek...

"I'm sorry... I don't know what is wrong with me... I'm not usually like this..." He then waited to see what Galen would do, a most strange silence filled the room...

Awww, sheesh. Never... EVER... do that to a gal who has a kid....

I didn't know what else to do but act upon simple instinct once again. Rising to my feet, I went over to where he was still perched on the edge of his chair. Holding my hands out, I took hold of his and pulled him to his feet.

He lied...

With his emotions back in check, he came out of the embrace, with Galen... he didn't wish to seem aloof, by pulling out too soon...

"That's all right, Lo-Ban, and thank you for your concern. But I think I'm as safe here as I would be anywhere else in this city..."

I stopped with that, stepping out of the last lingering whispers of the hug we had shared and turned to lead him to the door. I paused there, my hand on the handle.

Wasn't that kid supposed to be under serveilance or something? What the hell had happened to Shayla watching over him? And WHAT was he doing in Galen's suites?! He'd lead ShaRhylla out of Prinn'chatka and eventually caused them both to be taken by that Tyberius guy...

Was he trying to do something of that nature with Galen and Darra now?

No way. No KRIFFING way. Not on his watch.

Terrin stepped out from his corner, grabbed a fist-ful of Loban's shirt and eyeballed him suspiciously. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his blue eyes affixing themselves to Loban's. "And why do I find it entirely too convenient that you are here when there is something lurking about this city, and apparently heading right this way?"

Terrin paused at that, waiting, his grip not slackening.

...but trust him?

Terrin didn't know about that yet. But then he'd never know if he didn't at least give the kid a chance to explain.

"Something or other grabbed a kid with All powers who managed to nearly knock a guy to his death, and you are telling me that you expect to actually surprise that something or other if it comes down this corridor by making yourself unseen?"

Terrin just shook his head, highly doubting that this would actually work. "Surprise is not my plan. I fully expect to be sensed. I think expecting anything else would be foolish, and quite honestly I'm not leaving here so long as something might be headed in this direction."

He paused at that, biting his lip as an idea suddenly crossed his mind. "It'd be better to be practical and use the resources we know we've got. We might not be able to surprise whatever might be headed this way...

...but you are a Force user. Shouldn't you at least be able to sense it? That would at least give us a heads up."

At that Terrin quieted, cocking a brow at Loban, waiting to see just how he might respond to this.

This kid was sure cocky...

...but then if there were TWO of them hiding nearby that WOULD give one person the chance to possibly catch whatever-it-was off gaurd...

...maybe the cockiness could be filed under "asset" here.

"Allright, allright. You do your part, I'll do mine. I just hope you know exactly what you are doing."

At that he simply waited to see if Loban would say anything else before returning to his undeclared post.

There he would wait, for the time to come...

True the Sith were inherently magickal beings... all the sweeter that beings of inborn power would come to bow before her and her Master....

A slight frown came across her face as those last words slid through her mind.

Master....

There was something about the term which was acceptable to her -- oh, so soul-thrillingly acceptable! -- yet for some reason it didn't completely suit her on a deeper level. As Entaris had amended his own term for her when she had properly come of age in his dark embrace, so she now found herself desiring to amend the entitlement she held for him.

She tilted her head thoughtfully, sifting through her mind... through the information her father had stamped there by the technologies of the Kaminoans until something caught her inner eye.

It glittered, and the smile on her face darkened and deepened, allowing a fang to peep seductively from her mouth.

Her Dark Heart....

How fitting. How entirely too fitting.

Raising her head, she nodded to the nearly empty city, a nod filled with a promise that would outlive death itself. Then she turned gracefully about, and on silken feet entered into the Great K'eel Doban Temple of the Sith.

She moved like a dark ghost through the corridors leading her therein, coming out into the courtyard, whispering across that, coming to the entry proper and through them to pass into the foyer and through it. Beyond that she came to a particular set of ornately carved and bejeweled doors; her grin turned into a sneer as she paused a moment to compare the jewels in that door to those bestowed upon her by Entaris.

None could even come close to surpassing the simple beauty of those which now adorned her body, for they were placed there with such greater meaning, and by hands belonging to He who would be the greatest artisan of them all....

She waved her hand, once, and the doors flew open at her desire. Four sets of eyes flew there in something denoting at first surprise... and then a myriad tumbling emotions which literally filled the very air with their heady fragrance.

For while there was indeed a small presence of hope and relief... others far, far outshadowed those lighter ones. She had every intention of augmenting those darker feelings, so as to send her Dark Heart another appetizer before the main dish was served.

That ageless look returned to her eyes, leading her way now to the couch upon which Dark Lord Recinis was seated with his lady. The Chosen Daughter had awakened with a start as she sensed the arrival of her daughter; both had come to their feet when she entered the Dining Hall.

"Mother, I am back."

She uttered the words even as she came to a stop before them, and after raking them with her eyes finally turned her uncanny eyes into those of Recinis.

"Now tell me again, Dark Lord:

"Just where is it within these walls that I would be allowed to act supreme?"

This kid was one SSD short of a fleet, that was for certain!

Terrin didn't even bother to not roll his eyes this time. He merely shook his head and took a step back to the place where he'd been lingering before Loban showed up, aiming his blaster once again and considering a new element of his "plan," as little of one as it was:

Said something-or-other came down the hall, and Loban jumped down on it--crazy as that was. In the midst of the struggle, depending on what that something was gonna be, it was logical to try and get to Galen and Darra and get them out of there, whether whatever-it-was eventually followed or not.

Which left the problem of an escape route. And there wasn't much in the way of THAT around. Just the doors to the suites, maybe a window somewhere--but that was sounding like a plan. Now, if he had a grappling hook...

Terrin pursed his lips, keeping an eye trained on his surroundings while still considering just how he might solve this problem.

Maybe Jasyn had a hook, that was his stock and trade. But did he dare leave the area just for the moment to see if Jasyn had anything of this nature?

"Hey, kid," Terrin said to the hanging Loban. "I have an idea. Would you happen to have a grappling hook on you?"

Then he waited to see what Loban might reply.

This guy, if it isn't his plan, he doesn't even give it a try... calm down Lo-Ban, focus on the task at hand...

He was then calm, cool, and ready for anything...

Terrin stooped and picked up the rope and hook, attaching it to his own belt then returning to his original stance, very alert and very ready.

"You hold no place here demon... Whatever you now are, you are no longer ShaRhylla..." his glar was indeed icy as he viewed this one... whatever she was indeed... Could a living being truly remove all the light from thier existance as she appeared to have done so? it seemed so utterly impossible... Roan surly had a hand in this.

As the thoughts of roan arrose he almost growled before more realization came through... Even roan could not present a darkness this complete, could his daughter overshadow him? did he yet know of this turn of events?

he shook his head, unsure of every thougth which crossed his mind. he then focused upon the demonic form of ShaRhylla once more. "You are pitiful... To fall to the dark so completly..." he then spat at her feet in utter disgust. "Even your father would not fall so low as to deny all bonds of good... Pitiful"

His words were a crude, but successful way of resisting the urge to simply slice the disgraced girl in half,He was sure she knew it... even more to his horror though, was the undeniable evedence that she was actauly finding delight in his thoughts...

What was he sensing? did she actauly wish to feel the pain of such a wound?

his eyes darknened as, with his thought, her lips curled into a dark smile, one which told him all to much...

His first reaction to that smile was to step back in horror, but he would not, he simmply stood tall, an unending fountain of resistance, and strength.

"I once more state child, You no longer have a place here, your time has passed, unless you would reconsider your dark way's of course..."

While his words carried hope of redemption, the way he spoke them clearly indicated he was no fool, and he would have been shocked had she actauly accepted the offer.

Shayla's heart practically stopped as she realized who this had to be. As well as how completely evil and dark she had become.

And something about that evil and darkness seemed so very, very familiar...

...and not just for the fact that she'd had a general piece of the Universe's fear, agony and despair planted inside of her.

This could be nothing but the work of Him. Shayla shuddered a bit unconsciously then firmed, grounding herself for whatever might occur next, not sure where this new twist in their neverending journey would take them all.

Here eyes grew large and moist, her voice piteous.

"You would cast out your own flesh and blood, Mother?" she whispered, allowing a small sob to creep into her tone, taking the smallest of steps toward her still obviously shocked mother....

questing outward once more, he against ran face first into that wall of utter darkness, and he shook his head.

Turning to Jharmeen "Do not trust her jharmeen... She is incapable of love... she must be GONE from this place now"

As he watched quietly, and felt all that flowed through, images from memories that were not quite his own rose into being... seeing graysith had spurred them, he was sure... Something called out in his conciouness...

My "love"

His smile grew darker at this... letting a tendril eradicate whatever had arisen from the body of wicked, he would never be ruled by that beings concious again... yet this could prove interesting...

he laughed demonicly to himself, not wishing to end the ruse his dark rose was putting forth, but he could not resist, this was an opertunity to cause yet more pain...

The darkness swirled about him quietly, and suddenly he appeared slightly off to the side within that room, tugging his lips into a smile that was born of wicked, eyes gleaming in every manor wickeds once had... voice comming forth exactly as wickeds once had... tautningly he spoke to graysith "i return my dear graysith... Back from the dead."

The gasp she uttered tore the air like a knife.

It was almost like what she had experienced on the Vong ship, when that hideous thing had appeared...

And he had planted all the despair of the Universe into a tight little ball inside of her mind, only to unfold in response to her temper, so that she would never forget his power.

And she certainly hadn't.

"Do not be fooled, my Sister," Shayla said, her eyes growing a bit dark. "There is something very dark about all this...and something that is strangely familiar to me..." Shayla ended with, trailing.

Memories of that being that had tortured her so again began to reply in her mind's eye. And at that a rise of sudden, righteous anger began to rise...

...and something else rose in tandem, seeping out once more to join with the likeness it had found standing before Shayla.

It was happening again...

Her daughter had come home... oh dear Fates, she had come home, she could be helped, she simply knew it to be true. Hadn't her father had that speck of light within him? Indeed she had touched it's very existence during their brief time together, and in that touching had verified its existence.

And Darth Wicked as well. Dark though he had been, he had indeed loved her, "...as much as his dark heart could;" hadn't that been what the Krayt Prophet had told her? Thus it was so, that even his darkness....

His darkness which suddenly swirled into being amidst a great outflowing of memories which now rushed out to nearly knock her to her knees. Staggered, she swayed, her mind bombarded by images of days long past:

...of the time she had strode up to him in the Temple at Khar Delba, so strong and self-assured, not knowing until she faced him for the first time exactly why it was she had been drawn to that particular place in the universe... of the times he had placed his hands against her face, entering her mind with his own, allowing her to roam freely within his, and in the mingling emplacing himself as a bright little kernel as the very center point of her existence... a time, all too brief, only once, and thus cherished for years, in which they had shared more than mere thoughts and feelings amidst the dimming of candles which surrounded them... of a time when she thought he loved her no more, casting her aside, thus spurring her to go forth to prove that distrust was misplaced, to prove that her loyalty to him would last beyond eternity....

All this rushed through her at hurricane force, each new image rising fresh and hot, stabbing deeply into her heart.

She opened her mouth. Nothing came out.

The Glyph was fairly screaming on her forehead.

Her claws sank deeply into the flesh of her husband's arm as with every ounce of willpower she possessed she prevented herself from running forth on the spot, seeking the embrace of either of the pair now standing before her.

"Mother," she whispered, "does this man mean you harm? What is he speaking of? He frightens you as much as he frightens me; this I can sense, for am I not your daughter, flesh of your flesh?"

She paused, giving her words time to sink into Graysith's numbed senses... if they indeed had been comprehended at all. Then she took yet another step closer to her mother, now holding her arms out, the look on her face the epitome of sincerity.

"I'm here, Shayla,"[/i] he whispered into her ear. "And I know."

At that he reached out through that mental link through the force which they shared, lending her support and most of all himself, knowing this might be the only shot to help her with the way things seemed to be progressing.

I'm here...

Her eyes grew even more huge as the closest thing she could approximate to love now filled them. Now she allowed those eyes to fill with tears as, trembling visibly, she bit her bottom lip with her fangs.

"Please," she said, sobbing.

"I will call you Father."

Clearly sensing Shayla's struggles... He can sense great emotions, but... with Shayla, it's different, he could always sense her...

Way back on the Sith ship, bound for the valley of the dark lords, he had played on her thoughts...

Should he go to her, or stay back to protect Galen... he wasn't sure if trouble was even on its way...

Terrin is trusting you, and Galen... how can you let her down, after she helped you realize what you must do... give Shayla time to find her heart, her one true love she will choose...

They would fail! They would ALL FAIL!

Shayla's knees were beginning to go weak; unbeknownst to her at that moment someone was again there to support her; to hold her up.

And what was that? Someone was in her mind, someone was trying to reach her, trying to show they cared...

...but was there truly only ONE?

This was too much to bear, too much to comprehend at the moment. No one cared that she was slipping; no one, no one. And what did it matter? They would all fail...

That logical portion of Shayla's mind was again trying to wave a banner, give a clue.

You CAN defeat this. You HAVE defeated this before...

...and not only is there one there lending their assistance...

...there seems to be two, somewhere. But how can you bear this? How can you choose?

Too soon...too soon...

It was then that ShaRhylla spoke... His eyes went wide in shock... Not truly at her words, for he had never wished to replace her father, only to let her know the truth... But her eyes.

Those eyes were filled with such promise, as if to say "I can love... I will love... I do love, i only need a chance"

a chance... that was all she needed... He could relate to that, could he not? had he not once been seemingly heartless? was it correct to now denie this child a feeling she so sincerly desired?
But did she truly desire that feeling?

He looked deeper into her eyes, it was not quite true caring, not quite love... But it was so close, tempting, she wanted to know how to truly give love... he was sure of it.

NO!

A slight bit of logic screamed at him.
She's tryign to trick you! SHE CAN NOT LOVE!
But that look, logic quietly fled from his mind, as slowly, ever so slowly he allowed his guards to fail him.

He then saw ShaRhylla run up to embrace her mother, and he could just barely resist the urge to smile in utter darkness at the site. He let his eyes remained focused upon graysith, though he saw out of the corner of his eye the look ShaRhylla sent him.

He was back, he was back he was back...!

Without realizing what she was doing, she gradually began nudging ShaRhylla off in the direction of Recinis, who stood stalwart at her side, wordlessly taking her long nails into his arm. One foot took a hesitant step toward the handsome darth, who stood in such deceptive sincerity before her, quietly waiting to hear her response.

She stopped abruptly, wavering.

This was wrong, so very wrong. He was dead... DEAD. She had felt him die that day so long ago; her soul so intricately linked with his had risen up screaming in pain and denial as she felt the fierce burn of the sabers which had literally quartered her love in one fell swoop.

How could he be here? Was this yet another clone?

Yet how did he have his memories? How did he know how she had cherished that image of him for those many, many years?

This was indeed him... returned to her from the dead.

She was at a complete loss.

Every instinct cried out for her to release her grip on Recinis, to run to Wicked, to lose herself in an embrace that had been denied her nearly two years, and yearned for nearly every day of that long time.

She took another small step toward him, unaware now that ShaRhylla was entirely in the embrace of the Dark Lord, and that there was no impediment to her actually completing the movement...

...other than something within her own heart which kept her, although wavering, on the spot where she stood.

Her vision filled with even more memories, and a tear came into her eyes.

"My Dark Heart. Oh my dearest Dark Heart..."

She did not even know if she uttered the words aloud or not.

Not wanting to interfer truely, he would not simply abandon her to lose herself, easily he sensed that something was not quite right, though he still could not fully figure it out, he quested outward through there link, letting his thoughts flow into her mind.

"By wary, something is not right in this picture... "

All she had to do was take one simple step forward as her Lord was now backing off to allow her to do. One simple step, followed by another and another....

Her eyes absolutely huge, she took another step. Her heart and stomach and breath fought for position in the confines of her throat, which was trying to swell even more to accomodate them.

One step more... and another... each one taking her not forward toward Darth Wicked, but backward, ever backward, somehow each step encompassing months of loneliness of a depth she had not really been aware of until now, now she was before the Krath Prophet yet again, now she was facing him in Gouyen Chee's ship, now with Darth Desolist spitting epithets at him while she stood silent by, now she was facing him again in the Temple at Khar Delba when he had returned to almost renew his love for her.

Now back to that single moment of magick when they had united to bring the wondrous All into glorious life within her....

On and on the timeline unraveled with each tiny step she took, until she suddenly found herself standing directly in front of him, staring up into turquoise eyes as brilliant as she had always remembered them to be. She didn't reach out to touch him or hold him, she didn't say a word.

She merely stood there, staring into his eyes, as though searching for answers there to complement the search still underway in her heart.

Then she masked the look completely, allowing tears to replace it.

She sniffled delicately.

"Mother, I'm tired," she whispered, the soft words slicing through the suddenly electric air like a sword. "May-- may I go to my room now?"

Her hand now reaching up, drawn as if by a will other than her own, the palm loosely cupped as it reached toward his face, to touch the hard planes of it, to assure herself that he was real, that all this was indeed no dream...

That moving hand now inexplicably tugging at her awareness even as it moved.

Her eyes flew toward it, entranced that it should be once more actually moving to caress his face... when she paused, her eyes now affixed to her wrist.

The tattoo there glowed simply and elegantly.

Now her hand closed in a tight and quick fist, mere inches from his face. She pulled her gaze away from her wrist and back into his eyes, and taking a deep and fortifying breath, finally spoke up to him. And although the words were spoken in not much more than a whisper, they carried a sudden strength of durasteel hidden amongst them.

"How is it that you have found me here?" she asked, then fell silent, her eyes still never leaving his, but suddenly beginning to dry of the tears which had filled them.

"And how have you managed to enter within these walls?"

Jasyn frowned a bit. Something here stunk. And it wasn't the local wildlife...

While he tried to remain completely calm and objective, Jasyn couldn't help but tense ever so slightly, ready for anything that might come down the spacelanes. And before he was consciously aware of what he was doing, Jasyn couldn't stop his hand from straying to the butt of his blaster. Couldn't even stop the fact that he suddenly found himself gripping the end of it, ready to point and fire at any given second, depending upon who moved in which direction.

Maybe if he was lucky, no one would notice this change in stance til it was too late for them...

he then eyed her seriously for a moment, allowing a thought to arrow into ShaRhylla's mind.
"Now my Dark rose, i feel it is time you experience first hand the weakness of love... Our ruse must end."

"Ah yes, my message... It is of great importance, wickeds tortured soul could not exist a moment longer without you knowing the truth my dear lady" he said, as if to grant her knowledge that wicked had loved her greatly, as if to hint he carried something of great joy...

He leaned slowly into her still close form, whisperign lightly "the truth is... Wicked never loved you. He was never capable of loving one as weak as you... you disgusted him... in all actaulity, he considered you a mear play thing." his head then tilted backward to unleash a dark and ferocious cackle, eyes arrowing into shayla's "My dear child, Have you enjoyed the darkness within your mind? you must now know that you do not stand a chance, all here will die today"

The seeming Darth wicked was truly the being that had cursed shayla?

Then suddenly his senses cleared, and he realized there was yet that unending wall of blackness he could not penetrait within ShaRhylla, never could he see past it and read her true feelings, but he still felt he had to give her a chance...

Then he heard Wickeds words waft through his concious, and he took a step back suddenly, releasing shaRhylla in surprise. Shayla had been correct, this was the dark one... Then what of ShaRhylla?

Still not ready to give up hope on the child, he extended a hand slowly to her, "Come child, i will not let this dark one harm you."

his thoughts then drifted softly into Jharmeens, a quite warning, though he was not sure if she heard them

But that was not this being....

Letting a final and instinctive shudder ripple through her slight frame, she then drew in a deep breath, lowering her brows, letting her eyes flash in cadence to the Glyph which began howling on her forehead...

...and reached with all her being for the power of the love she now shared with her Lord and husband.

"No matter what words you claim he says, I believe none unless I hear them with my own ears... as well as from his own lips. You mock his very being by inhabiting his strong body; demonic thing, you think I shall quail further from you now that you have been fully revealed?"

She paused, drawing in another breath, her words hissing softly into the absolute silence surrounding them all. In front of her, he who at first she took to be Darth Wicked merely stood quietly, his smile now mocking her openly.

She straightened, letting fire come into her eyes.

"No matter, foul creature! Whether he loved me not after that one day of joy; you do not understand, IT MATTERS NOT! He did love, at least enough and at least once, enough that this was brought into joyful life within me!"

Now she raised the hand bearing the Claw of S'slan, pointed it directly at the flaring Glyph on her forehead. It ravened in mysterious beauty there, irrefutable proof of her words.

"And," she continued, the look in her eye darkening into one denoting righteous anger. "It matters not even further! What love I had and may still harbor toward him was in and of the past. I have greater than that now, a love which shall endure beyond the end of Time and through all adversaries which might rise up before me in deceit and in hatred!"

Slowly she lowered her hand from her forehead and pointed the Claw directly between the pair of brilliant turquoise eyes in front of her. Her mouth worked as emotions roiled and churned within her; hatred and fear and a suddenly great need to kill this being....

Which all crashed headlong together within her, quite suddenly, and in that horrific coming together quite cancelled each other out. A great and blinding epiphany rose within her; it was all she could do to keep from laughing aloud.

"You call me weak, and pitiful!" Now a genuine smile rose to her lips, broke through, spread out across her features, transforming her pale face into a thing of pure radiance.

"You need me, don't you? You need us to survive; you need the hatred and despair and fear and anger and agony and all the dark feelings which you have done nothing but try to create and substantiate from the time you appeared in our midst! It was you who harmed my Adept; now I see you so very clearly, though you lurk in hiding in the guise of he who I loved, indeed who I still do!"

She arrowed a look directly into his eyes, feeling herself suddenly beginning to fall as though he was trying to suck her into some great and hideous abyss.

The attempt only strengthened her resolve. The pointing finger never wavered.

"For the sake of the first great love in my life, I will destroy this body. It is an abomination, pure and simple, that you should be allowed to inhabit it. And then, Foul Thing, we shall indeed see what it is you will try to do next!

"Allies all!" Now her voice rang out in a great valkryie cry, calling all forth to assist her in this new and suddenly arisen battle. "Arm yourselves! Do not give in to hate, or despair, or anger! Trust in my Lord and myself; this evil shall be overcome!"

She then fell silent, her eyes narrowing as she sighted carefully, and with equal care prepared to let loose a great, forgiving blast of the All...

...to eradicate from existence the flesh and blood of Darth Wicked, that by this great and loving act on her part his soul might be truly set free.

Without a second thought black lightning rippled forth from his body, filling the space about him quickly, and extending towards graysith in a hateful manor, and should she strike him down? there were other bodies in this universe to inhabbit... but then would she be given the chance to strike him down?

He had a strange feeling there was one within this room who would allow this form to be destroyed. Though either way, he truly did not care...

Something came into her being then, something wonderful and strong and restorative. She blinked, suddenly able to hear the hateful words this dark entity was saying to her, had said to her, now shaking her head in wonderment that she was even alive at that point.

Then she realized exactly what it was that had kept her from death; her stunned look turned into a simple yet heartfelt smile.

"And you really expect me to believe that, do you?" she asked, although whether this question was directed toward the evil in their midst or into her own memories, only time would truly tell.

Suddenly angry, she abruptly sat up, regaining her careful aim directly between those lustrous turquoise eyes, eyes she had once gazed into with all the love in her being...

...and with that love now let loose with all the powers she had at her command.

ShaRhylla let loose a cry that was half snarl, half screech, and all evil, and tore herself out of Recinis's arms. Faster than light, she flew across the space between her and her mother, and even as the Chosen One was sitting up and letting loose with her strengths, leapt upon her. Her claws scrabbled and sunk in, seeking blood, her fangs strove to bite deeply into her mother's throat; with every ounce of hell-spawned strength within her she did her utmost to assist her dark Heart in fighting off this blast of treachery that their enemies dared to unleash upon him.

And even as their bodies rolled together upon the cold stone floor of the Temple, even as their flesh pressed so closely against each other as to nearly join physically with each other... on an entirely different level the pair of them, mother and daughter, All users both, did blend and mesh as one.

ShaRhylla's eyes blackened, and for a moment she drew back her lips, lips dripping with Graysith's blood, to smile a smile that the Opposer of Light Himself would revere.

Oh how marvelous; what better way to combine pain and heartache and fear....

Now her head darted forward once more as they continued writhing about on the floor, her fangs once more seeking a stronghold upon the soft skin of Graysith's throat and holding on doggedly...

...even while her bloodied claws reached down and began digging for all they were worth deeply into her mother's abdomen.

Then, he sensed something, through his link with Shayla: Allies all... arm yourselves...

With his eyes as wide as headlights, he was quickly back on the ground...

He timed it just right...

...as the Hell-spawned child rolled atop her Mother, clawing and biting, Jasyn gripped his blaster, bracing himself for the consequences he knew would most certainly follow, and simply pulled his blaster and fired, his aim not off in the slightest.

But whatever-it-was was apparently inside the Temple already. And while the others were there to meet the initial threat, could he honestly just stand around and wait for it to hit here?

Terrin frowned as he mulled over possibilities, considering just what he could do to make sure Galen and Darra were safe, away from a threat that seemed to be very mysterious and enigmatic, able to take children with All powers. And while he really didn't know if whatever-it-was was after Galen or Darra at all, the simple fact that something evil was lurking about in their sanctuary was enough to at least make it a possibility.

"My plan," Terrin said, looking Loban dead in the eye, "Is to get my wife and daughter somewhere that is really safe, and now. It's up to you if you go back and help the others or stay with us. But either way, I think the time for action is now, while there's still a good shot of getting them to safety. So what do you say?"

He cocked his brow, a foot already out to head for the door as he waited for Loban's reply.

His eyes glanced over to see a man firing at his dear Dark Rose...

He would not allow such things!

Quickly he closed the distance, sword drawn, catchign the blaster fire on the edge of his dark blade.

His concous noted suddenly that Jasyn had been thrown backward by an explosion, and likewise, ShaRhylla seemed to have been tossed aside, and any wound she had caused on his love had strangly begun to fade...

He addressed Galen directly, his blue eyes meeting hers in concern. "Whatever the hell is lurking in Prinn'chatka has entered the Temple. I think there's somewhere that you and Darra will be safer from this possible threat til we know precisely what is going on, but we need to move fast," he said, unhooking the grappling hook from his belt and reaching out a hand. "This might be a long shot, but I think it just might work, and I don't want you to have to face something like this alone regardless."

It was him. It was him, it was HIM!

Then very suddenly yet so blessedly and assuredly, all the fear and despair that had been triggered inside of her was answered with a surge of pure and righteous anger and simply...

...melted that planted fear and despair.

For anger, when justified, can be the balm that heals and purifies the soul from within.

Shayla snapped to action at that, realizing just what was occuring, utterly horrified.

More anger. More despair. More righteous anger to answer. That which WAS Shayla was suddenly answering that which was not her just as it had within the Valley of the Dark Lords; for what had been intended to trigger the despair inside of her was instead defeating it, for the emotion was truly good.

And it spurred her into action. All the while, Shayla's mind began to whirl as she considered just what she could do to save her Sister...

...and her Sister's child...

Not again. Not after Graysith had already lost one child. No, no, NO! She would not have her sister hurt in such a way again! She would give her very own life, HER VERY OWN LIFE, to stop this...

...if only she had the abilities to manipulate space-time with the All to save her Sister; that would be the only true answer...

But then, a sudden blast of something extended to suddenly knock Rhylla from her mother's body, and Graysith seemed to be healed of her wounds.

And Shayla had a pretty good idea what...or rather who, this something was.

She couldn't help herself. Before she knew what she was doing she ran and knelt at Graysith's side, reaching out in mind body, and spirit to her, seeking to somehow protect even as Graysith recovered from her wounds, her eyes and ears on complete alert.

No one, NO ONE would harm her if Shayla could help it...

Her eyes slit into twin promises of death... then widened imperceptibly.

She jerked her head to one side, seeing something only she could see, then jerked it back to send her look arrowing directly into the back of her Dark Heart, who even now was facing what under normal circumstances, were he a normal man, would have been the blade of his executioner.

ShaRhylla knew better.

Her eyes slit further, and she sent a dark tendril of herself coiling into his blackened heart, not that he needed any strength in this manner, but simply to let him know what she was about to do.

Which she promptly did.

With a sneer on her face and a dark gleam in her eye, she waved a hand...

...and effortlessly opened a doorway through the All... one which led her directly into the quarters now occupied by the one she and her Redeemer had come to take.

The short-haired woman whirled from the man she was speaking with, startled. In her arms she held a tiny infant.

ShaRhylla let her eyes pin Galen's, warning her not to move... then she turned from them to stare, fascinated, at her young cousin.

Her cousin. And blood does recognize blood.

"Hello, little one," she hissed through her fangs, one arm sending the man slamming against the nearest wall where the impact of his head produced a resounding crack. The other reached out, and before Galen could scarcely gather her wits yanked JhinDarra from her arms.

"Let's go play, cousin," she whispered, tilting her head down to plant a kiss on Darra's head, her eyes staring into Galen's all the while.

Then she stepped back through the portal, and into the Dining Hall.

"STOP!" she cried, holding the infant aloft.

"Stop... or this child dies, horribly."

Slowly he turned, and walked to his Dark Rose, placing a had to carress her back lightly. "You have learned well my dear ShaRhylla... You have indeed learned well."

He reached down slowly to lay a gentle hand upon the childs head, smiling "today young one, you are the savior of darkness..." he laughed sligthly, then returned his attention to his Dark rose. "your thorns are indeed sharp ShaRhylla... And your petals just as beautiful..." as if to prompt how entirly sure he was that he were now involnrable, for truly he had never been worried, death had never beens something he feared...

He leaned into her, and stole from her a tantalizing kiss, turning his gaze back to those within who stood before them.

"You do not wish us here? then we will go, ah, but we are trapped. Perhaps the shield shall be dropped, so we might leave... peacefully?" his lips curld into a demonic snear, he was clearly taking pleasure in the possibility that a young child might indeed die in but a moment... innconts would be purged from this universe, he was sure of it.

Fear, anger, despair...

...pain?

Shawn couldn't be entirely certain, but he had a suspicion what he was feeling was not all coming from Shayla. Although she seemed to have a rather nasty package of despair planted in her mind, this seemed to be coming from more than one person. But even the best Jedi couldn't localize despair like that.

"I will make sure that we are safe," Shawn told her, looking to the still-sleeping Sorben Tarnus.

Something was going on in the Temple. But did he dare leave Sorben Tarnus to possibly wake alone?

Not a good idea. But he'd keep a steady check on the emotions stirring in the temple, and on the life-forces he could clearly sense therein.

He quickly exited the room,"or die trying..."

Through his link with Shayla, he quickly fixed in on where ShaRhylla had taken Darra...

He came to the entrance of the dinning hall, thinking of exactly how to approach this...

But just to be certain....

"Unless, of course, you would prefer this child comes with us to dwell here."

With that she gave yet another effortless wave of one hand, this time opening a portal into that other dimensionality into which Entaris had departed with a child, and had returned from with...

Something else.

ShaRhylla's eyes gleamed with anticipatory delight, and her moist pink tongue crept out to lick her lips. Unable to stand the rising blackness within, she jerked her head to snatch Entaris's lips between her sharp teeth, drawing his blood, savoring his dark blood as it stained her own lips and trickled down her chin.

Then she turned back to face Recinis and Graysith, although to be honest most of her attention was on the Sith Lord.

"It is yours to choose; either way, the child comes with us, no matter."

With that, she flung an arm offhandedly to the side, letting forth a blast from the All which impacted with precision aim on a spot directly next to where Shayla knelt besides Graysith. The Adept was flung away from the woman by the force of that blast's fringe energies; she crashed against a couch, shaking her head to clear it.

"No more of that!" the young Dark Rose hissed before turning back to face Recinis again.

"The shield. Drop it.

"Now."

If only I could destroy that damned sith city... that would solve it all...

Tyberius sighed, then sat back in his chair...

"Cloak... we shall try another time..."

time...

time is all we have... we SHALL try, time and time again...

"until we are successful, we shall be in hiding... our form is at your discretion, and I think I'll conduct the lightsaber classes for today... Tyberius out..."

He pressed the comm, and sat further back in his seat...

we shall be successful...

quietly he quested outward, hopefully to find lord aelvedaar, and let the memories pass from himself to the great sorcerer through a link they shared as brothers.

He glanced again to graysith, who was sittin in utter shock, then allowed his gaze to find Shayla, she was fine, simply a little stunned herself...

A rage, more powerful than he had ever felt, crept over him...

His saber quickly in his hand, he rushed in toward Entaris and ShaRhylla... as quickly as possible between the two points...

His lightsaber ignited... a red blade came forth...
His dream... that is what Tyberius had given him...

He didn't have time to finish that thought, for the saber controlled him now...

But this time, with his rage at its height already, he grew nearly as strong as 10 men... and almost 3 times his original size of muscle mass...

He was a blur, he was so huge, it would seem impossible for him to move so quickly...

The baby was swooped out of ShaRhylla's arms, and not a moment later into those of Recinis...

Lo-Ban then came to a stop, in front of Entaris and ShaRhylla...

"Come with me ShaRhylla... he is weak, and using someone who has power... He will die, watch it you will... I do it for you..."

He then waited, for ShaRhylla to reply...

No matter. He was but a simple Sith warrior.

She was once the child of Roan... and now her Redeemer's Dark Rose. If this one wanted to play games with her, so be it.

Her eyes slitted at Loban.

"Wrong move, fool!" she hissed at him, fairly lowering her ears and hissing like an angry cat. Then with a simultaneous flinging out of both arms, she attacked Loban with all her strength, sending him caroming across the room to crash against the stones of the fireplace. His head struck rock; he slumped to the floor, silent and still.

An almost offhanded wave of the other hand yanked the child back into her grasp. She then cast a predator's look into Entaris's face, then turned back to Recinis.

"So be it, father. This is what you choose."

With that, and without waiting to see if anyone bothered to even try to stop her, knowing her Dark Heart could quite simply take care of himself..

...she stepped into the strange portal with JhinDarra in her arms.

It closed in on itself with a nearly inaudible pop, hiding from all the fact that it had ever been there to begin with... save for the eerie and echoing cries of what seemed to be the very beasts from hell....

In the other place he quickly found his dark rose, and smiled upon her.

"Shall we return to your father now? or shall we remain within this place?" he questioned lightly, truly not caring either way.

He then sat himself upon a cushen of shadows, letting himself relax...

No!!!!!! she yelled, suddenly rising to her feet, her fists clenched in anger as she literally trembled.

But in that same act of anger...

...despair again began to build and build.

She fell to her knees, suddenly shaking with sobs, literally forced to the ground.

They were going to fail...all of them were going to die...

and perhaps he was already dead...

Crawling on all fours, nearly all the way on the ground and slithering, Shayla went to Loban.

He had helped her...

She reached out, still shaking, but something within beginning to rise that she was not yet aware of herself. She reached out a healing hand, to help him in return...

..was she...?

He frowned, not quite certain of the feelings now radiating from his fiancee...

...his fiancee...!

Something seemed to warn him this was simply not the time, but a small part of him couldn't help it.

What had he done? When had this happened? Didn't she love him anymore?

He could get used to this unconcious form of dreaming... anything to get more rest... and dreams he could remember...

But, again he was pulled from these things... and again by Shayla...

The only one thing he cared to see, other than a sweet dream, was the one he wished he had dreamt about...

His eyes weren't open yet, but he could feel Shayla's presense...

He tried to talk, but he couldn't put words together...

He managed to get one thought across the link they shared: What???

It had never, never, responding this quickly before...

...unless...

She looked down at Loban, sensing his question. She actually smiled for a brief moment, then returned to complete seriousness.

Get some rest, she replied, then sent a healing tendril out to him to help him sleep.

At that she looked to the others, her tears now dry on her face. "What are we going to do now?" Shayla asked pointedly. "We have to get the baby back..."

Behind his back she raised a hand, stared at the bloodstained claws upon it, remembering the heady sensation of them ripping and gouging into her mother. Upon her lips, the taste of blood still lingered, blood not belonging to either herself or her Dark Heart.

They had gone into battle together, and together had emerged victorious! But then, had there ever been any doubt in her black heart at all?

Her breath came faster and faster, and something which was a cross between a growl and a whine rose from somewhere deep in her chest.

The child was forgotten. Her aunt was but a wisp of memory in her mind.

All she knew was the feel of bloodlust within her, the hot feel of his hands upon her, and the hot taste of blood in her mouth.

The growl erupted fully within her, and with a quick movement she pushed herself forward, seeming to take Entaris by surprise, and bearing him down to the black clouds which provided them with both cushion and protection from reality.

He landed on his back, she sunk her nails into his shoulders, pinning him there, her eyes huge and black and wild.

He was again, out cold...

How could Shayla do such a thing, after what he had just done... and what was to happen next... love is the only explanation...

He didn't have enough time to think of these things, for he was again in deep slumber... dreaming...