He does not understand... SO be it

With that he spun, sweeping up shayla in his path, turning his gaze to Jharmeen for a moment "i shall return shortly, my love." he smiled for but second before exiting down a hallway, letting his feelings guide him, avoiding the demonic horde as best he could...

But soon he could avoid them no longer, and they entered an area, not far from there destination in fact, that was overflowing with the imps, his sword was in hand instantly, eyes ablaze as he leveled the blade in there direction, alowing the runes to flare into life.

"as this blade has claimed one demon... It shall claim you all!"

He was a flury of motion, his blade sweeping outward in rapid motion, claiming the lives of many of the demons in but an instant... For that blade held power, and no defense those demonic imps could muster was great enough to stop it... And with it shungry runes blarying brightly, they were no match...

But soon shere number overwhelmed the warrior, and he could no longer simply cut through the horde, his eyes darking about thye locked upon the blade, they didnt stand a chance... But he would not fail, he would get Shayla to safty... If it was the last action of his life. With a growled he pressed onward, not actauly killing anymore, simply striving to make it through, and he suffered several painful blows as a resault, but he would not give up...

sometime later

Having run madly from that point on, they eventauly found there way to there destination, recinis eyes darted about as they approuched "Hurry now Shayla... Never forget, Whether you are with us or not, you have been a part of our cause... Live on in memory of the sith... now, Begone!"

With that he darted back, fighting his way through the hordes of demons once again, hoping he could last just a little longer against the shere number... Hoping he would live to see his love again...

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Such a wonderful year...

...full of life and discovery and so much more than simply living.

She couldn't forget; she wouldn't forget. And she certainly hoped that someday she would be allowed to return.

For Sister she was chosen as. And though not present, Sister she would remain, for all time.

That firmly emplaced in her mind, Shayla Stargazer Petrolu took off to the skies, pausing momentarily to plot her course to the Stargazer Corporation fleet that she knew had been awaiting her return for over a year...

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Tyberius now stood, and activated his comm...

"Lifesigns?"

"One, human female..."

Excellent... least resistance...

"Bring her to me... Tyberius out..." he then exited his quarters, and headed for the bridge...

Not too long after...

The TIE fighter came from the K'eel Doban atmosphere, the bright sun of the system finally gracing the exterior of the ship once again...

The sun, however, was no more as a small moon came in between the two, casting a large shadow over the tiny TIE fighter...

A beam came forth from the converging moon, and quickly drew the TIE fighter closer...

A hole on the surface of the moon emerged now, closing as the TIE was brought inside...

On the bridge...

Tyberius took a seat, and gave his orders...

"Get us out of here, anywhere will do... time to change our appearance... I believe a comet would be appropriate..."

Meanwhile, in the docking bay...

"Come out with your hands up..." said a man, dawned in robes, and a silver shaft on his belt...

[ 10-22-2002 01:33 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by MasterTyberius ]

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My shoulders sag a bit, and I speak, still staring into the fire.

"Hurry, my Daughter. Go from this place; the demons are gaining in power with every slash of Recinis's sword. Hurry to him; he needs your assistance. For even now that demonic horde wears down even his indefatigable strength.

"Then you must depart from Phrinnchatka as well."

I then straighten up, knowing there is one last deed I must fulfill.

A quick wave of my hand, and that wonderful power immediately responds, opening a portal through space and time to another secreted spot in this great and glorious galaxy: the planet Korriban. I step through, and soon find myself upon the lip of the sheer cliff overlooking the Valley of the Lords.

I allow myself the luxury of one last sigh, before I raise my arms, crying out into the skies overhead, calling out with my sorceries that the awesome splendor of the All would bow down this one final time for me:

And I place a protective chronotic shield about this place, making certain it is truly enveloped, and in all dimensions, that none shall enter. Especially Ankrist Roan, evil that he has become, sith no longer; he indeed will now be truly thwarted in any design he may have been trying to weave.

For no All-user, no Child of the All, would be able to revive the Sith, aye nor to even dare attempt doing so, without the augmenting powers inherent in this valley.

My heart truly heavy in my chest, I turn from the noneness before me, and step back into the temple in Phrinnchatka. I find myself within my inner sanctum, about which I now raise yet another protective chronotic shield. For although the demons might yowl without, they must not gain entry into this region of the city, which is the stronghold for everything we ever have learned about the All. Here I now secret myself, and settle down to wait...

But what it is I am waiting for, even I myself do not truly know.

[ 10-22-2002 01:42 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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Idiots. She hadn't a weapon on her. Not even a lightsaber...

She sighed a bit at that, a tendril of despair again creeping up inside of her.

If only...

Shayla went back to the only senses she truly had; those which were inherent to her by the very nature of this Universe. Stretching out with those Force senses, she could keenly feel the presence of someone just outside her ship...

...and for the moment she didn't sense any intent to harm.

Good. Better hope it stays that way.

With that she sighed once more, opening the hatch of her TIE fighter and stepping out as ordered, her senses on full alert. Standing before her was an elderly man dressed in robes.

"What do you want from me?" Shayla asked, slitting her eyes.

[ 10-22-2002 01:42 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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He took her to an elevator...

"Bridge..."

They exited the elevator, the elderly man took up an empty station, and left Shayla to find her own way...

The bridge was 3 times the size of a super star destroyer's, as Tyberius awaited Shayla to find him...

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She could only stare at Aelvedaar's broad back as he stood facing the fire, her jaw literally dropping, tears quickly welling up in her eyes at the rapidity with which the very essence of her being was seeming to fall apart at the very seams. It was as if Time had ground to a standstill; everything just seemed to momentarily halt so she could take one final look at the events that had transpired, now standing out with such mockingly crystal clarity before her.

Their allies... sent from Phrinnchatka. Her Sire, losing faith in himself, and in doing so losing faith in her. Her adept; oh Fates, her dear sister sent packing, the All flung from her as a toy would be ripped from the hands of a babe, then sent off with her husband to get her safely to Ch'arlingua, to see to her protection from....

From what?

She jerked up her head, forcing her rising anguish aside to sense out even as Lord Aelvedaar stepped away from this place. It was a fairly easy task to thus follow along with what he did upon Korriban; it was a far less easy of one to remain obediently behind, keeping that anguish at bay when she sensed what it was that he did there.

It was then that something in her snapped.

"No," she breathed in a nearly silent whisper. "NO."

No. She had gone on too long, battled too much, done too much to let all come to what seemed to her to be so sudden and useless an end. Suddenly that anguish found itself diminishing beneath an onslaught of stubborn anger, heated rage and denial rising up from that blotch of darkness she had taken from the entity who dared to wear the form of her Dark Heart. Her eyes darkened, the Glyph flared on her forehead.

If her Sire gave up on his dream, then so be it. If the allies simply gave in to the first confrontation presented to them, then so be it. If none dared to stand up to the Dark Lord, then she would....

But Recinis had tried, and had been summarily dismissed.

RECINIS!!

Now her heart flung into her throat as, questing out once again, she easily found him, sensed the great power he wielded against slavering demons who were coming in greater and greater hordes from an open door leading into a darkness all too shudderingly familiar. She gasped aloud, realizing that no matter how valiantly he fought, he could not slay them all. Not when there was virtually a never-ending source for them to spring from.

She was through the door and into the corridor, Aelvedaar forgotten, before she knew what she was doing. Blinded to all but the unthinkable possibility that her love and Lord might die before she could reach him she simply flew through the stone hallways, her eyes seeing nothing but his dear face before her, her feet carrying her of their own accord down one empty passageway and the next until at length she came upon a type of foyer where several halls converged.

There upon one great spiralling stone staircase was Recinis, his sword blindingly fast, each stroke sending a demon back into the darkness from whence it had come. Myriad headless bodies lay scattered upon the stairs and at it's base, mute testimony to his great strength and skill. But even so, his Lady could clearly see that he was beginning to flag; for every demon he killed, another simply took his place.

She didn't hesitate, but sprang forward, questing out with her abilites even as she ran up to his side. There ahead, a gaping and oily black blotch wavered against a stone wall; even as she looked another demon poked his leering face out from it and took a look about himself.

She flared, raised the Claw of S'slan, and quite literally blasted him not merely from the face of existence, but of myriad dimensionalities as well. Then after quite easily closing the portal into the darker realms, she gained her husband's side, and there boldly stepped forth with him to do battle.

Willing to fight alongside him... or die in the doing. And that was something only their immediate destinies would tell.

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

Erik Kartan had just assured himself that the Relentless was safely in hyperspace and fully running when he suddenly sensed something that was all-too-unpleasant and at the same time so very disturbingly familiar. He'd sensed alot along the link he shared with Shayla, and he'd thought he'd sensed a sort of resignation on her part which indicated to him that she might have been told to leave.

But now...

He whirled to the others in the cabin, wondering if anyone else could sense this. He eyed Loban in particular, then proceeded with.

"We've gotta revert to realspace. Shayla is gone...

...from the Force..."

With that he turned back to the navboard, quickly keying things in til the viewport began to fade from starlines into stars, all the while wondering just what had happened now.

[ 10-22-2002 10:56 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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And what WAS she supposed to do?

Being one with a background in information smuggling, Shayla did one of the first things an info smuggler would do. She assessed her surroundings, and gathered information. The bridge seemed orderly, yet everyone was busy at work, few or none even paying her the slightest bit of attention. But there was something familiar about this place...

Then it clicked. Shayla wasn't stupid; she'd been tractored into not a ship, but rather into a moon, of all things.

Now who have you ever encountered that travels around in a ship that has the ability to appear as a moon? And...

She reached out, sensing and questing with her Force abilities, again despairing over the fact that she couldn't do the same with the All.

...to block the Force?

The answer was obvious.

Master Tyberius.

Having only seen the man vaguely the one time she had been taken here by Loban, Shayla looked around carefully til at length she found someone who looked to be in control. She matched what was in her memory with what she was seeing, and easily realized that this guy had to be Tyberius. So, gathering all her wits about her, Shayla simply strode up to the man, ready for anything, and directed a cool and completely unreadable gaze in his direction, all her mental blocks fully up so that her mind could not simply be ravaged through for information.

"What do you want from me?" she asked quietly, waiting to see what he might reply.

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

"Very good, you remember me... the force runs through you, well, young... Jeddia..."

He paused, then rose to his feet,"I am in need of force users, but that isn't important at the moment... you are a game piece to be played for the time being..."

He walked away from her now, his back facing her, as he gazed out into the rapidly moving star field...

"Now, tell me... can you communicate through the shield on K'eel Doba? If it meant your very life..."

He then awaited her reply...

[ 10-22-2002 06:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by MasterTyberius ]

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His blade lashed out, burning brightly, but that glow was nothing compared to the fiery eyes the sith held within his skull... Those twin orbs of burning emerald were a clear indicator of his burning passion...

If aelvedaar wanted to give up, so be it... Recinis was comming to a place his teachers had long ago wanted him to reach,and now the reasons why were becoming apparant... Only now did true knowledge hit the warrior full force. The greater good is not all that matters, as i once believed... it is all there is, all that can ever exist. There is no action that does not come full circle in the end to act in the good of the universe... it can not be chosen to act in the greater good, as Aelvedaar had chosen to do as first to gain knowledge of the All... For every action, good or evil, was in that direction naturaly... I was made to come as a protector of this woman, my life virtualy stripped away from me... Loban fell for a moment to evil, causing me injury... In resault my heart burned bright... And in resault, a new child has been brought to life, a child which might take up the cause the prievius child intended for the cause had denied.... And now aelvedaar would give up hope? what greater signs could exist that his dreams were true... But then, this too will come full circle, the universe will be saved... The sith will return, i can feel it. Though it truly is a shame that my brother has let the power he holds blind him of the truth... It is funny that the very gift he sought to use to bring the sith back, has in a way, forsaken his view of the universe... But Jharmeen yet shines bright, together, We will be victories. Foolish dreams? no, They are reality, they are the future. I know it to be so, nothing would stop us, hardships will make us stronger, and pain will bring us closer to healing.

i onced feared failing, but now i know the truth...

"I CAN NOT FAIL!" He screamed suddenly, his sword slashign through yet another black beast, as they rushed into the space port, entering the sith warship, and quickly blasted off into space.

Recinis fingers were a blur as they entered hyperspace... For this was not the only sith city... And though spacetravel was very limited in his time, he would never forget the location of his home... He just hoped it was not in ruins...

[ 10-22-2002 08:24 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Recinis ]

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Shayla pursed her lips a bit and managed to somehow remain completely unreadable, though the one term sent a surge of anger flowing through her. She strengthened her mental shields even further.

She would never, EVER be a Jedi...

"What I can do and what I will do are two different things, first and foremost," she began. "I will not be used as a game piece, and certainly will not be used by you. You might as well go ahead and release me...

...or go ahead and kill me."

Shayla folded her arms against her chest, her stance firm as she quieted and simply waited.

[ 10-22-2002 08:44 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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again protected... Alone i am... No more am i intruded upon... I sleep again... Awaiting... I await. The one that will... Wielded will i be... I can not... All others will fail.

[ 10-22-2002 08:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Elresar ]

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[ 10-31-2002 12:07 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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My attempt to threaten her life has not worked... Tyberius thought, as he still stared out into the star field... however, he knew he couldn't carry through with that threat...

He now spoke,"You are in no place to give me options... no matter... I believe you do not have the means to communicate through the shield... so, you will become our... guest..."

He then turned to face her,"until I find use for you..."

He then smiled, and awaited her response...

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

"I will not be used," she repeated firmly, her temper flaring even more.

Used? Used?!

She whirled, her astute pilot's eye easily finding the controls to the tractor beam holding her ship here. She reached out a hand, fingers extended, and let her anger lose.

A bolt of Force-lightning hit the board, sending a few workers scurrying. Then she turned back to Tyberius, her arm still extended. "Release me, now."

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"You do not understand, you have no control on the situation... and, I wouldn't try that darkside trick again..."

Tyberius then pressed a comm system on a wall adjacent to the viewing window...

"Take us back to the exact point we brought the ship in, and make sure we blend with our surroundings..."

He then turned to face Shayla,"I do not need your help, to use you..."

He then awaited to see what she might do next...

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

What did this guy WANT? And who did they think she was, for gods sakes?

She was once again nothing more than Shayla Stargazer Petrolu, an information smuggler with Force abilities and a knack for piloting.

"No control over the situation?" Shayla asked quietly. "Never say never, Sir."

Then she waited to see just what he was intending to do.

[ 10-22-2002 10:13 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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"I sensed her for a brief while... she must have left K'eel Doba, because I couldn't sense her through the shield... perhaps she then was brought back under the shield?"

He quieted at that, and waited to hear from the others... not too sure if that was the case, for some reason he had a bad feeling about this...

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

He then gave her a huge smile, his white facial hair gleaming...

"by all means, try..."

The blast shield was now gone, just asking for Shayla to try something...

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

"We must head back... we shouldn't have left Shayla... she's in danger..."

Lo-Ban waited, but he wouldn't wait long before he took action himself...

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

Quickly back at the exact point they brought Shayla's ship in... there they waited, above the K'eel Doban atmosphere...

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

Shayla just stood there for a long moment and stared at him, quite suddenly not sure enough of herself to do anything. Everything had happened so quickly that her mind was starting to freeze up, and she was starting to feel so very alone.

Back to ground zero, aren't you Shayla? Back to the days when you were just a nobody with no true potential for anything.

Just an information smuggler.

Not knowing what else to do, she sent a thought along a pathway that she wasn't sure even existed anymore.

Help.

Whether her Sister and Teacher would hear her or not, Shayla really didn't know.

[ 10-23-2002 03:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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He paused at that, frowning, noting a similar reflection in the looks of the others in the cabin of the Relentless. He considered just what might be going wrong here, but honestly Shawn hadn't a clue.

So what should they do when they returned only to find no Shayla?

He let the thought hang in his mind as Erik continued to work at the controls, bringing the ship back to that point where Shayla had most certainly dropped from the threads of the galaxy.

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

He walked past Shayla,"Now, to make you useful... tell me... where might I find Galen Jhin'Dar Danner..."

He paused, then turned to face Shayla,"you didn't think I was after you, when I sent that eager boy to rescue you..."

His head flew back, as he began to laugh...

"I am terribly sorry... you have been a game piece all along..."

His laughing came to a stop,"now, tell me, or watch your friends die..."

Tyberius turned from her, and gave the order to power weapons... now blaster shields protected the stations from the rest of the bridge, just in case Shayla had any bright ideas...

[ 10-23-2002 06:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by MasterTyberius ]

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