I do not know how long it has been that I have stood here, staring into the silken greeny-golden swirls of otherness which encompass the interior of my Crystal Octahedron... as well as all that possibly could exist in all the timelines ever existing in this universe. Ages could have passed by without my knowledge; aye, once or twice a distant cry for help has come to my ears, but I heed them not, and merely choose to remain here watching events as they whisper quietly to me, revealing themselves within the verdant depths of the device.

My hand grips the cool crystalline side, my claws rake and scratch along its adamantine surface. I blink, watching the unraveling of time, watching as pain and sorrow march hand in hand through Phrinnchatka...

...and for the first time in all the years since I ever came to know of the wonder of the All, I have my doubts.

Is this the price? It answers the call of those who have come, it responds without hesitation as the one who was the child of my love bears off into the darker realms the daughter of another.

It makes not a peep as great evil seems to take the upper hand.

It cares not for the hearts of those within this city... only for...

For what? The good of the many?

What many? The Sith?

Does it remain obedient to those who command it as the path they follow yet will lead to the salvation of my kind? Or am I merely fooling myself; have the studies I have inherited, and augmented with my own, and with those of my brothers all been for naught?

Have we been misled? Or is the All a stern and unforgiving Mistress, who also demands her quota of blood and pain?

I hang my head as the miseries of those without rush to enfold me in a dark miasma of pain and gloom, and continue to stare into the Octahedron, seeking answers to myriad questions there.

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

slowly he walked to wear graysith yet sat, and sat down beside her, quietly offering his shoulder to lean on should she desire it...

Staring off into elseness the warriors mind spun. How had he allowed this to happen? could he not have fought it?

A searing flame rose within his sould, one which again sought to consume him... But this time he was prepared for that flame, and simply put it aside, accepting it as a part of himself that would never leave... allowing his mind to clear he closed his eyes to look upon memories and thoughts that drifted sullenly through his head...
NO!
The word suddenly was screamed within his head, causing his eyes to snap open in serprise.

This will not consume you! it was ShaRhylla's choice to choose darkness, you tried your hardest!

he examined the thought for a moment, before accepting it as true. But what of Darra?

again his thoughts called to him for acceptance thought she is not here, she is alive, had you attempted anything, she would have died surly

He sighed again... While they were not comforting realizations, the acceptance of circumstance did at least relieve his mind from worry, and deep down that ever present phrase yet glowed brightly in his heart... In the end all would be well... It had to be.

Turning now he placed a hand on Jharmeens shoulder, she still seemed slightly stunned by the sudden turn of events... Slowly he wrapped his arms about her, though if he did it for her sake, or for his, he truly could not tell.

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

And, Fates be with them, overcome.

But it was all she could do to keep her mind along that tiny wisp of reason which even now was striving to rise within her. It kept flying off into the same quadrant of darkness, no matter how tight a leash she tried to place upon it.

He had come back... and she almost had....

Though the essence within his handsome frame was not his, that which defined Darth Wicked as his own unique self still struggled within, completely subjugated beneath the heavy hand of that confining blight. She had clearly sensed it there, fighting, crying out.

He had been so strong! What was this thing that had taken him...

...as it had taken her daughter?

A series of uncontrollable shivers began racing through her body at that thought, her skin icing. She put her arms about herself and leaned into Recinis, seeking his warmth, striving with all her being not to burst out into tears of anguish.

She could not have ever even begun to know that losing a second child would be so overwhelmingly painful, that it would surpass the agony she had gone through when she had lost the First, The Child, the destined One, who could never be replaced as one.

That thought made her jerk up her head, new fear and pain clouding the depths of her violet eyes. She turned those eyes into Recinis's sorrowful pair, reading his own anguish, feeling with sudden clarity his own feelings of inadequacy which even yet were again trying to push up to the fore.

She tried to reassure him with a smile, but there was no emotion in that look. Her hand reached out, and laid gently on top of his, squeezing as with great effort she pushed aside her own pain to focus on his.

"There was nothing you could have done, my love," she whispered, her eyes never leaving his but now filling with tears. "There was nothing either of us could have done.

"And now..."

She choked to a momentary halt, her mouth working silently, as though trying with every ounce of strength she possessed to prevent the words she was about to speak from coming through her lips.

"We must find Ankrist Roan, and sooner better than later. For who else would stand as mastermind in the taking of the Children of the All? He now has the power to raise the Sith...

"My love." Now her eyes darkened into black wells as a slowly growing rage began creeping into life, pushing aside her agony and sorrow.

"He cannot be allowed to complete his dark designs.

"He must die."

[ 10-12-2002 05:32 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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Khaandon help me, but I couldn't move.

The ungodly look she shot at me did something, but I simply couldn't move.

I couldn't scream. I couldn't cry out.

I couldn't stop her as she slammed Terrin against the wall. I couldn't stop her as she crept up like the cold chill of night fog, and plucked my baby--

My little baby!

--right out of my arms.

I couldn't lift a finger to stop her. If she wanted my death, she had it, right in the palms of her hideously clawed hands.

But she didn't; somehow I knew she wanted me alive to know she had taken my Darra, and that I'd never, ever see her again.

Try as I might to fight this horrible thought, I couldn't. It rose up within me as certain as death itself, and mockingly informed me of that fact.

And all I could do at this time was fall limply onto my knees and stay there, by eyes growing vague and hot and blank, the image of Terrin laying on the floor of the corridor dimming before me.

Khaandon help me, I couldn't even cry.

[ 10-12-2002 05:54 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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Her eyes deepened with even greater promises....

Suddenly her attention was captured, and she turned her head a bit to one side to listen. A full smile revealed bloodied fangs then, and she turned back to drop her eyes into those of her Redeemer.

"Listen," she breathed with a sigh. "Can you hear it? Oh my Dark Heart, it is so clear, so clear...

"Can you hear their pain? It fills me, it is part of me; here, let me share it with you...."

A certain look borne of something not of what men term real came into her eyes, and she bent down once more into Entaris's embrace....

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

Greedily he began taking from her all the delightfull kisses, and teases he could contain, licking up drops of blood hear and there that were staining her teeth and lips.

About them darkness swirled, his mind was filled with the evil of the universe, enjoying every second of pain which had been forced upon him, and what mindblowing agony she had caused, it was purly exilerating, and as her frenzy died out, it gave way to his own hatefull vengence, completly reversing the tables upon her.

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

How had he gotten here again?

More blurry images...more confusion...

...and the death knell of complete failure as reality, though blurred it was, slammed into him.

At this understanding, adrenaline seemed to push harder to bring him fully awake; Terrin tried for all the life he had in him to get his body moving, to get his eyes to open; it wasn't exactly working.

But maybe someone was here...What had happened to Loban? Was Galen still here? Had she...?

Oh dear Gods, had he lost them both?

...maybe he was more confused than he could comprehend at the moment.

Taking as deep a breath as he possibly could, his head simply pounding and spinning, he forced out one single word, uncertain as to how loud it came out or if anyone was even around to hear it.

"Galen?"

[ 10-12-2002 07:06 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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And with her state of mind, how in the name of the Fates could she even help them? Hell of alot of good she was to them all back there...

Her eyes grew vague and even more despair filled them.

She WAS useless...completely useless...

...what good was an Adept who couldn't even step into the fire with her Teacher?

What good was she?

After her long search for meaning, was this the end of it all?

Suddenly overcome by the sense of total failure, Shayla stood from her position near the fallen Loban, walking slowly at first, then at length beginning to run from the Dining Hall into the courtyard outside of the Temple, tears now rolling down her cheeks.

So much for her true potential...

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

He'd lost them. He'd lost them both...

...what could they be going through just now? What did that Hell-spawned kid have in mind for them?

Why couldn't Fate just play in their favor, just once, and provide Galen and Darra with the peace and safety he wanted for them to have so very, very much?

Despair began to take the upper hand once more, and for but a moment Terrin was very much considering curling into the little hole of himself and simply waiting to die there.

But in the shadow of despair, a little thing called determination began to seek a voice.

And after all, if he just lay here...

...where the Hell was he anyway...?

...on his back, he'd never be able to help them at all, and he couldn't give up like that. He loved them too much to let either of them face such torment without doing anything and everything in his power to reach them.

Spurred on by the will to not give up when the lives of the two most important people to him were in jepordy, despite such a terrible and demonic obstacle or his own injury, Terrin again strove to force his eyes open. After several false starts, the ceiling swam blearly above him; his stomach felt like it had literally turned inside out. He squeezed his eyes shut another moment then, planting both hands on the ground, forced himself into a sitting position against the wall.

Spinning...everything was spinning...

...not just the Universe around him, but his head and his heart.

He sat there dully for a moment, waiting for the images in front of him to still into some semblance of clarity, forcing the lump that had risen from his stomach back down. As things became a little more focused, a very blurry image of someone very familar sent another stab of absolute sorrow and agony into his heart.

Galen, on her knees in the middle of the room, despair and anguish clouding every feature of her beautiful face.

Not really caring how he got there or what he looked like at the moment, he forced himself into action; he simply had to get to her. His head was still spinning entirely too much for him to begin even thinking about walking so he quite literally moved on all fours, nearly slithering across the floor to at length reach her. He couldn't sit up again however--not in the middle of the room with no wall to lend any sort of support-- and lying down was so very, very much easier. So, simply reaching out a hand, he drew Galen's limp form to himself, feeling her numbness and her complete agony and seeking to lend any support to her that he could, his blue eyes darkening with yet more despair.

He struggled, but forced out one more coherent thought before the Universe went completely black again. "I promise you I'll do everything in my power to get her back...our little JhinDarra..."

...if it's the last thing I do, an unspoken whisper added.

[ 10-13-2002 12:17 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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He let another breath escape him in a great heaving rush of a sigh, eyes closing again, keeping only one bit of conciousness pressent, that being the loving tie he shared with Jharmeen.

the last thing he was conciously aware of outside of that small link was of shayla running away, clear dispair in her wake...
and his last concious thought was that he would rectify that problem... He had sworn to protect graysith yes, but so to had he sworn to protect her adept, and he would not fail.

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

"Lightsabers to ready positions..."

He then walked past each one, noting those that couldn't stay perfectly still...

"Those who have been marked, leave us now..."

Three children came from the row, and marched out of the room...

"Open ranks... today's lesson will be laserblast deflection training..."

Then, from the opposite side of the room, laser blasts came down on the children... slowly at first, then faster and faster...

In the end, 3 lay on the floor... had this not have been a training session, they would be dead... but, the other 6 were on their way to the next step in lightsaber training...

[ 10-13-2002 02:10 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by MasterTyberius ]

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He was wobbling to his feet, when he noticed Shayla was having the feeling of great despair... again...

He quickly found her with the link they shared, and bolted down the hall and out into the courtyard... as quickly as he could, without running into the moving walls...

[ 10-13-2002 02:04 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Loban ]

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He stood slowly, taking Jharmeen up with him.
Turning his eyes into hers he smiled briefly, somehow managing a touch of sincerity into that simple gesture, as if to smite the despair which had falled about them.
"it is now that i must tend to your adepts... Condition. Do you wish to rest here, or will you come with me?"

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

"Is it me or are a couple of people missing here?" Matt interjected.

Jasyn turned from his hand to regard Matt, puzzlement clouding his eyes at first. Then understanding came. "Oh damn," he muttered. "Where are Terrin and Galen? How the hell are we going to find them in this damn Temple...

...or wherever they went to?"

"If they are even together," Matt added.

Jasyn just nodded glumly, his mind spinning. The obvious finally registered in his mind. "Call Terrin on his commlink."

"Yeah," Matt agreed, something icing his usually brillant green eyes that Jasyn wasn't so sure he liked. He was supposed to be the pessimist. Not Matt.

After several attempts and no answer, Jasyn's look turned even more concerned, reflecting the look in the even icer green eyes that met his. "Now what?" Jasyn questioned. "Unless..."

He paused at that, his eyes wandering to the sullen figure of Erik Kartan. They darted back to his comrade's face once more in question. Matt simply nodded, letting Jasyn take the lead.

"Can you sense Terrin and Galen anywhere nearby?" he asked Erik without preamble. "I think this is very important."

"Well..." Erik started, "I'm not all that good at this, but with the emotions shooting out from everywhere, I think I just might be able to help you out," he responded, standing. Without another word he waved Matt and Jasyn to follow him, and took off into the corridors of the quiet and despair-filled Temple.

[ 10-13-2002 02:08 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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She flared.

"Do as you will, my Lord. This day shall separate the wheat from the chaff. Those who are weak shall give in to their weaknesses; those who are strong shall prevail."

She held the Claw of S'slan up, waggled it meaningfully in front of his face.

"He shall not succeed with his plans... and I shall go after the child of my sister!"

She said nothing about her own daughter, her silence in that regard shouting more loudly than any words her acceptance of the fact that she believed ShaRhylla was indeed lost to her. Likewise she said nothing at all to the effect that she really had no idea where Entaris had disappeared. She knew of only one other creature of evil capable of slipping so easily in and out of reality, and that had been Maladius, the demonic imp belonging to Ankrist Roan. Thus logic suggested that this entity must have some connections with that imp, and thus must physically adhere to darkness entirely... perhaps needing to return to it upon occasion.

And she knew darkness existed elsewhere than merely in places devoid of light in the plane of reality in which they all dwelled.

The fires of revenge ablaze in her eyes, the Glyph on her forehead lighting her way, she opened a portal through the All, seeking those places that sentients would shun.

The great hunt began.

[ 10-13-2002 02:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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the adept will be cured... This shall not persist

He turned a corner in the temple, finding his way outside, and following his senses to where he found Shayla and loban, loban having apparantly just reached her.

he stood tall, casting his iron gaze upon both of them "You will be cured shayla, come with me now."
At that he spun and headed off to a secluded room, not waiting to see if she actauly followed him or not.

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

Sleep...sleep would be so very much easier...

Sounds of something were beginning to creep into his auditory perceptions, and the something sounded rather familar, but he just couldn't open his eyes again, couldn't move his hand to reach for what he knew must be his commlink, didn't even want to move an inch for the fact even thinking about it made his head pound even more. He couldn't even put a coherent thought together at the moment. Sure, guys who suffered head injuries of this nature were told not to sleep due to the possibility of never waking up again, but that was so hard to do when the injury was your own to deal with.

The only thing he did manage was opening his mouth one final time, letting it hang open for a long and silent moment, then at length squeaking out something that he sure as hell hoped sounded something like "Help." But for all he knew it was nothing more than a moan or a gurgle.

Sleep...sleep seemed so much easier...

[ 10-13-2002 02:38 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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Such as now.

I poked a bleary eye open and let it simply gaze upward. As there was nothing of any particular importance to hold my interest there, I rolled it cautiously to one side. It seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time to get to its destination, so to pass that time I tried to swallow as another little inner voice was telling me, "Sorben, your lips and throat are dry, so very, very dry...."

My spit hit my stomach at the same time my eye fell on the form of a little girl.

A little girl...!

I was on my feet and crouching, my hand glued to where it fully expected to find the comforting grip of my blaster before the dual realizations hit me that, Sorben, that kid is a touch younger and smaller than the one you thought she was...

...not to mention the fact that not only did I not have my blaster, but I didn't have my armor, or my helmet or my netgun, or my gauntlets, or--

I remained in a crouch, feeling vulnerable yet instinctively knowing I could yet deal with most any given situation... even this one, which was fast unravelling into one where a person with the calm gaze that had "Jedi" smeared all over it came up to me, a hand held out in an equally calming manner.

I tensed.

"You wanna tell me just what in Hell's Seven Circles is going on, buddy?"

[ 10-13-2002 02:44 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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Cured?

At first she simply thought there was no way, and she wondered if at last the despair in her mind had completely taken over. Then the look in Lord Recinis's eyes registered in her mind's eye, and she knew without a doubt that this could and would be ended.

Without a word or even a look towards Loban, who had suddenly and strangely recovered, she followed Lord Recinis to the secluded room, drying her tears and meeting his green gaze with her own greeny-blue one.

"I am ready," she said, waiting to see what he might do.

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

"You are in Prinn'chatka, the capital city of the Sith," Shawn ended with, waiting to see how the bounty hunter might reply to any of this information.

[ 10-13-2002 02:54 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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Capital city of the Sith? Now, buddy, you've been here and there around the galaxy, but--

CAPITAL CITY OF THE SITH????

Other than the above, I didn't move one iota, yet somehow transforming my stance into one of durasteel readiness. I ran everything I knew about hand-to-hand combat through my mind as I assessed this Jedi further.

A Jedi who with his sister -- ??? -- had healed me... yet one who was here with me in the capital city of the Sith, Phrinn-whatever the hell it was...?

"You better tell me we're trapped here and once again I find myself facing overwhelming odds of survival. And if that's the case--"

I broke that thought off in mid-sentence, my eye casually dropping to find this guy's lightsaber hanging just as lackadaisically from his belt.

My crouch tightened just a touch wee further.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd point the way to my armor and gear, my friend," I went on smoothly, my tone lightening but the shadow in my eyes darkening by the moment.

"And then if you'd be so kind as to tell me the whereabouts of one Galen Jhin'Dar Danner, I'd certainly be most appreciative.

"She and I have a few matters which need to be dealt with."

I then fell silent, itching to get geared up and out of there. I had better things to do with my life at the moment than to hang around flapping my gums with Jedi.

Oh well, it could have been worse. It could have been Quee....

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

he then aprouched her, placing his hands upon her shoulders to grip them tightly, obviously not caring if this caused her pain or not.

His eyes flared to life, focusing upon shayla's with greater intensity, as if to mock her weakness for not being able to rid herself of this thing, as if to laugh at her for needing his help... and so he reached into her mind, and took hold of her emotions with an iron fist, not allowing her mind to sway in any direction...

Slowly he brought forth what he sought, the dispairing feelings still fresh in her mind, he took hold of them, tempting them with his own hateful rage, causing them to burst into there full strength once more within shayla's mind..

He felt her body quiver as the despair flowed through her again, this time not simply roaming though, recinis rage guided it, as if to prompt it to destroy the adepts mind, which it surely would have, had be not been keeping it in check with his unbendable will.

Now, with the despair at its full intesnity,and shayla being held upright only be recinis claw's, which by this time had beed dug into the womans arms fiercly, recinis went to work...

He now studied the dark thing freely, considering it, Learning exactly what it was...

And so be begun purging it, using the womans inner love, he place the demonic substence within a cage of warmth so it could not escape, slowly filling that cage with more and more of the womans strong love, meanwhile keeping all other emotiosn she might have at bay, preventing them from providing a doorway for the thing to escape.

Slowly the dark thing grew smaller and smaller, untill it had no more room to contract, and was forced to touch the warm substance of love, which instantly purged it.

It was then he released his grasp her, and turned to leave as she fell limply to the ground... Her emotions, which had once been held by his uncompramisable mind, now rushign into to fill her every aspect once more.
As he walked away he spoke to her "Now you are free... use this time to enjoy such freedoms, we might soon be in battle again..."

he nodded to loban meanignlessly as he passed the boy, and turned again into the temple...

He was a moving statue as he turned down the many hallways in the temple, not sure of where he would go, knowing only that he must now do something...

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

Kinda like you felt about it when you were first here, eh Shawn?

He again looked to the bounty hunter, his look for the first time darkening ever-so-slightly. "You are not a prisoner here. And Galen is in the Temple; I can take you to her myself. You will find your armor in the next room over," he ended with, folding his arms.

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

But then Matt got a good glance at that back of Terrin's head...

...it was slightly damp, some substance or other beginning to actually be visable to the careful observer.

"Jasyn, he's hurt!" Matt whispered, running to his friend's side. Jasyn came around to the other side to a listless and unmoving Galen, simply reaching out a hand to her. She seemed to be physically fine, but emotionally--Jasyn knew better. He wasn't gonna suggest moving her or Terrin at the moment, however.

"He's out cold," Matt said, frowning, trying anything and everything to get Terrin to respond to something.

It wasn't working.

Matt's green eyes jerked up to meet Jasyn's brown ones, concern radiating from them. "Go get help, Jasyn, this isn't looking so good..."

The other man nodded just once then scrambled to his feet, hurrying out the door to find anyone who might be of assistance.

[ 10-13-2002 03:37 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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When rancors fly--

My stance didn't slip an inch. I was only too keenly aware of the slight shift in this Jedi's mood, clearly saw the shadows rising in his eyes almost as though wanting to actively confront the ones I knew my own eyes held.

Jedi in Sith city. Sith city and Jedi....

Nope, no matter how I rolled the words around on my tongue, they just didn't blend well together.

I hesitated the barest moment longer, eyeing this Shawn Whoever, who simply stood there with his arms crossed as if I were a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

I never really did like Jedi, I reminded myself as with great effort I forced myself to straighten up, then sidling over to peer into the door to the room he had indicated, which was no easy task for the fact that through this all I never let my eyes stray from his own.

There it all was, laying across a bed of sorts, and at first glance seemed to be in its entirety. I gave Shawn another look, assessing him further, remembering that for all their maddening faults Jedi simply did not lie...

...and finally decided to trust the guy enough to take my focus from him long enough to regain my armor. Which I thereupon proceeded to do, donning all my gear in record time.

I hustled back to where I left Shawn, to find him in the same stance. Feeling more myself now, I tilted my head, allowing the enigmatic lenses of my visors do my talking for me. I raised a gauntleted and armored hand, indicating the door, then stopped.

Through this all, that little girl had simply stood in wide-eyed silence.

Good kid, that.

I tilted my helmet down into her innocent face, then lifted it once more into that of the Jedi's. In case he didn't get my unvoiced question, I crossed my arms in front of me and shifted my weight onto one leg.

Was this kid coming along for the ride or not? Either way, it was time to go... and something inside me was insisting that it was time to go NOW.

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