"NO-OO-OOO!"

The cry rolled up out of my throat even as my body came flying through the whatever kind of "door" it was that-- that creature had opened, flinging us from him as if we were yesterday's garbage and not even worthy of being curbed. I hit the deck, rolling instinctively into a ball as I impacted, wincing as something cracked in my shoulder with an explosion of white-hot shards and my entire arm went numb. All about the chamber whirled in a kaleidoscope of red and stone and broken glass and broken bodies and feet and arms and dear Khaandon, there's that black blot, it's still there....

I hit the brakes, forcing my shattered arm to flail out with its mate, aiding my feet as they dug into stone to bring my wild career to a halt. Before I could lose all my momentum I went over on my back and rotated, then scrabbled to my feet and took off for that black rent.

"Flac! Give him back to us-- you can't... FLAC!"

That great cry of despair raced up from my throat to reverberate off the stone walls of the chamber I suddenly found myself in... as did I for, just as I reached that aching void it snapped into sudden nonexistence. I caromed on through, hitting the stone wall behind it with enough force to crack a rib.

...with...

His blue eyes shot all about the room, tinged with an unusual amout of suspicion. For about him was nothing other than broken glass, shattered cybernetics and...

...and...

...DEAD BODIES...???

Terrin shot to his feet, grabbing the blaster which was conveniently near his grasp. Those blues of his raked about the room, something surfacing in them that wasn't necessarily out of porportion to the situation...

...but it was just wrong.

At length it actually registered that there were three others in that horrid chamber with him; he looked about them and finally let his eyes rest on the crumpled form of his wife. Then those eyes shot to Graysith, his face now contorting with confusion as a wealth of mistrust rolled from his inner psyche. He looked back at Galen...

Galen, she left you. She left you because she doesn't love you. She never did, a shoulder devil piped.

Terrin shook his head, as if trying to clear some sort of mysterious fuzz. The logical portion of his brain was trying to register the fact that this wasn't like him. But he simply couldn't get past it...

His eyes again fell on Graysith.

She, she did this to Galen, he just KNEW it. She'd always been after her; from the very start...

Terrin leveled his blaster at Graysith--then thought better of it. She had those powers of hers, she'd strike them both dead. Maybe...

...just maybe if he could move fast enough...

Before anyone could so much as bat an eye, Terrin scooped Galen's limp form into his arms, turned on his heel, and began to run.

Nevermind there wasn't even a single ship anywhere in the vicinity that he could fly...

...then lower it as, with something approximating a gasp of sorts he likewise scooped up the unconscious Galen and fled the broken Kaminoan lab entirely.

Graysith merely sighed, climbing gracefully to her feet, brushing off broken glass from herself as she did. Then the Glyph on her forehead ravened into illustrious brilliance as, her eyes darkening, she raised a hand, seconds away from summoning that power over which she was gaining more and more control, that she could stop Terrin Danner in his tracks and retrieve Galen so her injuries could be attended to.

But there she paused, arm held high.

This was, after all, still the Quest of her son.

Slowly that arm lowered itself to cross in front of her in seeming calm. But the fire in her eye belied her apparent demeanor. For a moment she stood quietly; then energy fairly burst from her as she whirled, crying out loudly, demanding the shadows she knew to be lurking to bless Jharu and give him added strength and protection.

"Warrior-scion, I now call upon you to finish your quest! This right do I have as Lady of the Warrior clan of the Sith!"

then he was off, moving with as great a speed as he could muster, shacking off the remnants of the ach his body had been feeling he ran all the harder.

He cradled Galen more tightly to himself and aimed that blaster of his again, as if he really believed it was gonna do him any good. "Get your hands off me and get out of my way kid!" he growled, casting a look that was almost wild and unseeing upon Jharu. "You damn Sith think you are so almighty, beating up on us mere humans," he muttered. Then he jerked away, his blaster still trained on Jharu. "If you don't follow me, I won't shoot you, since you are just a kid...but it isn't because I like you," he finished smugly.

Then he simply proceeded onward.

Then fairly leapt from whatever it was I was snugged within as white lightning shot up and down my arm and straight up into my head where it parked itself behind my eyes and began dancing. With the greatest of efforts I managed to peek my eyes open, blinking to get the shocked bleariness from them.

Then they snapped open in complete disbelief.

That was Jharu, with a blaster in his face. And the hand attached to that blaster belonged to none other than Terrin Danner.

I gawped, shock pushing the pain from my body as my eyes traced a route from the blaster, up his arm, to his face and settled in his eyes.

His blue eyes.

His wide and staring blue eyes.

His distorted and pain-filled and extremely suspicious and not entirely sane blue eyes....

"Hey!" I hollered without thinking, now beginning to struggle. "What in Hell's Seven Circles do you think you're doing? That's my nephew! Put that blaster the hell away, and put me down!"

...and something within him warred with itself as a hot retort and release came as the disturbingly instinctive reaction to her words.

Somewhere deep inside Terrin knew this wasn't him. But he couldn't stop it."No way in hell," he growled, only gripping the blaster tighter. "What the hell do you think this Sith kid is gonna do for you? But then again," he continued, "Why the hell would you need me for anything?"

He halted at that as something akin to horror shot up in his eyes.

Did you just really SAY THAT Terrin Danner?

He tried to shove that little question to the back of his mind, but the shock and puzzlement read clearly in his eyes. As if not knowing anything better to do, he simply gripped the blaster even tighter, pushing his way past Jharu and on.

No one Will interfer with my quest... Uncle... terrin... No one.

his hand reached down to his belt, causing him to vanish from sight... He quickly followed after terrin, making sure not to make any noise...

He noted the way the man seemed to be ready to shoot the very air itself, as though it would turn on him at any second...

jharu shook his head. I dont know whats wrong with you... But Im not going to let you just leave like this...

Soon he was close behind terrin, and without a second thought, he unsnapped his blade, bringing the sheath down upon terrin with great force, knocking the man unconcious... The sheath returned to its place at jharu's side, and he uncloaked himself.

Then he leaned down, and lifted galen to her feet, he could tell she was injured, and probably incappable of walking on her own without great pain...

With a brief smile he picked her up into his arms, only saying "It will all be ok"
in explanation, before he took her into the little sith ship and deposeted her gently on one of the seats...

Jharu then exited, and soon returned with terrin ackwardly in his grasp, the man was much bigger then jharu, and he found it difficult to carry him, but somehow he managed it...

he then took the blaster, which was still clutched tightly in terrins hands, and tossed it out the door...

leaving terrin on the floor, he sat down on another chair, turning galens chair slightly, he looked at her "if he wakes up... Make sure to tell me... I dont know how he normaly acts... But i wont allow him to do anythign stupid... Not now..."

tapping a few sigels the ship lifted into the air... When he had it safely in rout to Kori'sian jharu looked to her again.

"ah... Are you hurt? is there anything i can do to help?"

He also reached out to his mother. " We are heading home mommy... Ill be back soon..."

Great Khaandon's Ghost, had all this really just happened?

Then I opened them, letting them briefly run over Terrin's limp body before returning to Jharu. I smiled, albeit a bit shakily; fates knew I was probably as white as a ghost.

"It's just a rib and an arm, kid," I said shortly, my voice clipped in pain and tight with lack of breath. "I'll be all right."

With those words my eyes slid back to Terrin's quiet form, and the smile faded from my lips.

What the hell is the matter with you, Danner?! some little insistent voice queried. This isn't LIKE you, not one bit...

As if to try to figure out this sudden puzzle, Terrin began to sift through recent events, trying to analyze just what might be provoking this sort of action. To his dismay, every thought he turned to, every memory he pulled up just simply...

...hurt.

This WASN'T right. This COULDN'T be...

...could it?

As if to mock him, the image of a red-headed hellion seemed to cackle within his very mind. And he was suddenly finding that there was no one, absolutely no one he could turn to.

And worst of all he couldn't even turn to himself. Couldn't trust himself. After all, he HAD done that...

Agony washed over him in waves as he simply realized he couldn't stand this. Couldn't live like this. Somehow he did know, on a purely instinctive level, that this just wasn't right. As well as he knew that, if he didn't take a step and reach out to someone now regardless of the pain it was causing him, he was just going to go completely mad.

And he couldn't live this way, either.

At length he let out a groan, and let his eyelids roll open, slowly. As images swam into focus he slowly realized that there were two people looking at him suspiciously, and one of those people...

His heart simply ached. She was afraid of him?

What the hell have you done, Terrin? that little voice repeated. Then: You've lost her. She doesn't love you...

He stopped at that. For although he was having a hell of a time trusting anyone else, the fact of the matter was that he still loved her, no matter what.

So why then did the fact that he loved her hurt him so? Why couldn't he trust her? Hadn't he before?

The look in his blue eyes was a sea of pain and desperation and terror. You've gotta take the first step Terrin. You've gotta let someone know what is going on, despite the mistrust.

After all, you've done it before....

haven't you?

He struggled to sit up, then reached out, laying a hand on Galen's arm. She nearly jerked away, but something stopped her. "I...I'm sorry Galen," he muttered. "I wanted to be there for you, so badly. But you were gone, and I couldn't find you, anywhere. And then he...

...he..."

Well, one thing was for certain. All those things that gave him love and happiness and joy were now only causing agony and anguish. But the things that hurt him like hell before were still strangely in place. Terrin couldn't finish that sentence. He never could. Again he reached into his Sith robe and pulled out that locket. He placed it in Galen's hand, then removed his hand from her arm, not quite certain what he might do.

He couldn't trust himself, so then perhaps they shouldn't either.

"She...that hellspawned teenager...did something to me back there, I just know it," he continued then, his eyes again shifting to nothing more than total despair as a memory that was strangely untouched surfaced. A look of concern for everyone's safety also rose from the depths of his eyes.

He might not trust anyone. But that didn't mean he wanted to hurt them. If anything...

"Perhaps...you should just get rid of me now," he commented sorrowfully, the distrust in himself taking the upper hand as distrust in self usually does. Then he finished with, "Everything I think hurts..."

This is what happens with you, Galen, I thought darkly, closing my fist around the locket until it made an imprint in my hand. First with Sorben. You left, to keep him from harm, and where did it leave you? Where did it lead him? He was still enmeshed in this whole mess... and he killed you. Or would have, if you hadn't the foresight to wrangle for those clones.

And now Terrin. Same song, second verse... only this time it's more subtle. There's just something not quite right here, his words and actions don't vibe, what's the deal--?

My frown deepened and I hunkered into myself more tightly, somewhere deep down wondering why the hell I wasn't running to him -- ok, so I was physically hurt, but that hadn't stopped me before, Khaandon knows -- but instead trying to withdraw yet further.

He came after you, didn't he? Well... so did Flac. So did your nephew. Scratch that.

And then it hit me. I blinked, feeling an icy little shiver ripple up and down my back, and my hand tried to squeeze the locket into the very flesh of my palm.

Why wasn't he running to me now? Inquiring about my wounds? Trying to make it all better with me? It wasn't as if he was trying to avoid me altogether, for here he was practically sobbing in my lap. All I was getting from him was what had happened to him.... and with a little start it struck me that that was really what I had been getting from him all along.

Hadn't I openly accused him of that once before?

I shook my head again, hunkering into and even tighter and icier ball, and clenched my jaw over and over as I tried to think of exactly what I could say to him. I didn't really believe this bit about something messing with his mind; for there was one little, tiny thing that just up and negated everything he was trying to get across to me. Just one little thing that had already happened, but which informed me of more than any apology or explanation ever could.

He did come, and take me up... and haul me along, granted. BUT.

But... he did not put me down when I asked; the blaster thing, sheesh, that I could eventually overlook due to the heat of the situation, but...

He did not put me down.

He treated me like... like some thing he owned or something, something he had lost and had to come retrieve and physically steal back into ownership once again.

I left him. He chased after, and caught.

And he didn't put me down... where I would have a choice of standing beside him and fighting alongside him or not.

MY CHOICE. Khaandon knows I'm something of a tough one, a free spirit, a stand alone kind of gal. Hard to get close to, hard to give myself to another... and when I did, I did with the expectation that I was recognized for who and what I was, and accepted as such.

I guess he never really knew me after all... and I guess I never really knew him.

His final despairing statement brought me from my dark thoughts with a jerk. I swallowed, trying to wet my throat so the words I then spoke wouldn't stick in it.

"May- maybe he's right, kid," I managed in a near whisper. "Maybe we'd better take him wherever the hell he wants to go."

I fell silent at that, placing my fist against my mouth, elbow -- the one which was working properly, that is -- on the arm of the navigation seat, and just stared out into middle space, wondering where I myself was going to go from here.

Quite suddenly, all I wanted to do was go home. Back to our holdings on Garos 4. But, having sold my property to buy the clones, I couldn't even do that.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

And that's how it always is. some little insipid voice taunted.

He frowned at that, then slipped back into his own thoughts, numbly hearing her words in the background of a raging mind. He couldn't help but go back to what he had just done.

Why...why did you do that again? Ahhhhh yes. The Sith. That damn sister of hers, she had hurt Galen, somehow. And you woulda been next, sure as kriffing hell..

...shoulda known better than to trust those damn Sith. And after all, you did THAT because you made the mistake of trusting yourself too, Terrin. But then, perhaps you are all you’ve got left now...

Terrin’s look darkened at that. Why, if he was feeling this way though, did it still not make any sense?

He flicked his blue eyes back to Galen then to Jharu. Neither were paying him much mind. He said the words that accompanied the thoughts he was thinking.

"That...that ex-sister of yours is gonna hurt you...gonna hurt us all if you go back there. I, I just know it...she can't be trusted," he said, again struggling with something inside that said the words coming from his mouth weren't exactly right, didn't match with something he already knew. But those basic instincts now instilled in him—those that really were very much an exaggeration of who he truly was—were still holding him in an iron grasp.

His eyes clouded with nothing more than suspicion and horror as he turned to Jharu, recalling how he’d come to know the kid. To his utter confusion, those memories strangely didn’t match with what he was suddenly finding himself wanting to do. The suspicion on his face contorted into a look of complete confusion as something inside him continued to point out that he had been trusting this kid, and that he had been trusting Galen, before now.

So then why couldn’t he now? Why did he have this ever-increasing urge to get away from everyone, from everything? Why hadn’t he listened to Jharu back on the surface of K’eel Doba? To Galen? He’d done it before...

No one, absolutely no one, could be trusted. It’d only cause him more hurt...

But then the logical portion of his mind took over, forcing him to actually think. And most importantly of all, realize that anything he could do at this point just might get him killed. It’s one thing to be a mistrusting guy, and another to be a stupid one. He frowned as that logical portion prodded him to point out what he was finding so confusing and terrifying within himself.

Maybe he WAS going mad...

“My memories...” he said quietly, unsure as to if anyone was listening to him, “Don’t match how I'm feeling right now...

...things I used to believe in...used to trust...

I just...just...

can't anymore.”

With that he fell silent, his eyes defocusing and clouding. He really couldn't live like this. Not for long...

Used to trust!!

Something inside me flared out at that, and I yanked my fist from where it was propping up my head. Another series of images began flicking through my mind, forcing aside the uprush of pain that rapid movement had brought to me.

Images from Phrinnchatka... where I returned with Sorben, who had been hurt, fatally for all I had known at the time, due to ME. Where I had fled away, just seeking my own little nook, trying to think things out as that horrific injury he had taken on my behalf just revealed how much I still felt for him. How Terrin had yet followed, traipsing after, when all I simply needed was time to think, to sort things out...

...and all I could think of now was how I had yet to be able to come to any conclusion at all about anybody for the way that fate had just taken me up in its tornadic hand and whirled me along like a leaf upon the wind.

I opened my mouth to retort something... then paused. For until I could figure out the answer to the remaining question that haunted me, I wasn't gonna go sticking my foot any farther down my own throat:

I didn't know if he had chased after so doggedly because he saw a need in me to have him yet in my life...

...or if he had done so simply out of the reverse.

The difference between the two viewpoints, while subtle, was lightyears in dimension. So I just closed my mouth without saying another word, and turned away, giving my head a little shake.

What he's trying to excuse himself with isn't making any sense, I thought to myself, swallowing with the effort to keep myself quiet.

If he doesn't trust anybody anymore... why then, he sure as hell doesn't trust you either, does he Galen ol' girl? Yet why in Hell's Seven Circles is he yammering on with all the explanations here? Why, if he isn't trusting anyone, like he claims, alluding perhaps that something weird had messed him up?

Why the hell was he opening up to me at all? It simply doesn't mesh... and therefore negates any of what he's trying to put forth as an excuse, doesn't it?

I never did much take to being considered a... a thing....

Maybe it wasn't his feelings that were wrong. Maybe instead his memories were inaccurate...

Either way, that red-headed demon had done something to him, and he couldn't think straight anymore to find anyone who could help him figure out what the hell the problem was. And in the shape he was in, he really couldn't help himself; after all, anyone who MIGHT be able to help him simply fell into the REALLY not trusted category.

But hadn't he trusted them before, even with the lives of the people who were most important to him...?

He couldn't take it anymore. So he simply withdrew in upon himself, folding his arms against his chest as his look clouded into complete passivity, settling on the fact that, so long as he used his head, let his instincts guide him, and let his memories fall by the wayside, at least he could stay sane.

Perhaps for a little while, anyway.

he then turned to terrin, his face deepening into a frown, removing his hand from its place upon galens leg...

he considered the man for a moment, before shaking his head, a bit of his more childish side coming out as he spoke "I dont understand... If you dont want this to happen... Then why not just trust? no one can decide who you like, or disslike for you..."

he sighed, taking a deep breath, before once more putting away his childishness. "You say my... My sister made you untrusting, and if that is so... I wish i could help you... But even if i had the capability to help you... Would you trust me enough to accept it?"

But she had little to worry about. She smiled to herself, seeing her son's resourcefulness as he dealt with the problem presented to him and thus successfully completed his Quest.

Nodding in satisfaction, she waited until he had taken Galen and Captain Danner into the little Sith fighter and had taken off for Koris'ian. Then she raised a graceful hand, opened a portal through the All, and proceeded to return home herself. The Gateway closed behind her with a silent little snick, and the silence of the ages descended once again upon the Temple of S'slan, a silence disturbed only by the sith shadows ever sobbing in the dark recesses, sorry to see their momentary visitors elude them.

Soon he had brought the craft to a soft touch down beside the larger sith warship...

opening the hatch he looked to galen, leaning down he assisted her in standing, and slowly walked out, looking to terrin for a moment as if unsure what the man would do...

Soon they had exited the ship and begun the journy to the temple... As they turned a corner he smiled seeing the faces of his parants, close behind were a few others...

Jasyn paced the back room of the warship, his mind too full to even think clearly. And this time his inability to think had absolutely nothing to do with Sith brandy; try as he might the things that had happened so very recently he simply could not drown in a bottle.

Terrin, buddy, you were always the cautious one. So how the Hell is it that Fate went and took you first out of all of us?

Jasyn's eyes darkened at that. Appearances could be decieving, and he could be a difficult one to read, always indulging himself on food and wine. Because of this fact it was quite likely most people on board the warship didn't really have a clue as to how hard he was taking this...

...save perhaps probably one other person who Jasyn knew was probably taking this even harder than he was. Still, Jasyn didn't know what to say, and therefore had really said next to nothing regarding Terrin's death. And really, what good would words do? A lame "I'm sorry" wasn't going to go too far; wasn't gonna cut it. And in all honesty, Jasyn wanted something more himself that words couldn't even hold a candle to.

The realization that they had landed, as well as words wafting from the cabin, jarred Jasyn from his darkening thoughts.

"There was something else in the ship!" he heard Jharu exclaim. "Something big and hairy! he stayed guard when we left... We need to tell him that Flac isnt coming back!"

Frowning at that Jasyn wandered into the control room of the ship, finding some already gathered near the hatch. "Something big and hairy?" he repeated with added emphasis. "You mean a Wookie?" he queried. "In that case, I'm thinking we shouldn't take too many people over to that ship if he's on gaurd--it's not wise to upset a Wookie, after all. Aside from that," he continued, pursing his lips thoughtfully and turning to regard Galen, "We'd better send at least one person he knows out to tell him what's going on. Maybe he'd respond better that way.

He shrugged, turning again to regard everyone. "It's the advice of a mere techie, but it's worth mentioning at least. And however we approach this, I'd be happy to assist. Maybe he won't mind a brandy-loving techie"...minus his really good friend, came the unspoken thought, "...too much..."

With nothing more than that, Shayla proceeded out the now-open hatch of the warship, paying absolutely no heed to Erik's cries that she wait.
She hadn't spent all those years training as a Jedi without learning how to approach a precarious situation.

Only vaguely hearing the pitter-patter of at least one pair of feet behind her, Shayla continued forward, her aura completely calm. She proceeded into the now-yawning hatch of the strange little ship before them, almost immediately met by a growling and very disgruntled creature, who was actually even larger than Wookie. He seemed to only be held back from reacting more violently because he recognized at least one of their party.

Shayla held both hands out, palms outward. Her look grew understanding and concerned. "I am Shayla Petrolu Kartan. We come in peace," she stated calmly and quietly. "Your friend Flac has come to some trouble and we come here only to assist him in any way that we can," she explained further, saying nothing more than that for the moment.

Again... due to me.

Now I sniffed back threatening tears, and got to my feet. "Yeah," I was beginning to answer Jasyn's sound advice when that gal hanging around Jharmeen suddenly leapt to her feet and proceeded to disembark the warship. My brows rose about six inches when on the forward viewscreen I saw her traipse into DJ, bold as you please, without so much as an order or suggestion being given by anyone.

That a couple "anyones" seemed to be a touch wee irritated by that action was evident even from where I was sitting. A certain pair of vividly green eyes were literally sending daggers shooting toward the open hatch of the warship; not able to stand their attendant shards which were slamming into my own back en route to that hatch, I turned round in time to see Jharmeen raise a hand and place it on her husband's chest. They looked at each other; though they didn't speak a word, it was plain as the nose on my face that they were communicating with each other, and communicating quite clearly.

Not all of us are so lucky. I had to communicate the hard way.

"Ummm... er, I'll-- I'll just go on out and board DJ and try to keep Malf from ripping your friend to shreds," I said, trying to lighten up the suddenly frosty atmosphere. Those words were not entirely meant to be frivolous; Khaandon alone knows how Malf reacts to strangers when he first wakes up.

Probably tries to eat them, the thought passed through my mind as I shot a little smile toward Jharmeen and Lord Recinis, got to my feet, and hurried from the ship.

Boarding DJ, I was in time to see Malf come lumbering out from the little nesting spot he had made for himself, rubbing his eyes, his stomach rumbling, and grumbling to himself at the interruption.

"Hey, Malf!" I hollered abruptly, before he could do anything rash and unthinking. "It's me, Galen! Rise and shine, bedbug; it's time to get up and into the fray."

Here a guy tries to give a little good advice, and it gets shoved up his nose.

As Galen gave her own explanation then exited the ship, Jasyn stood and brushed invisible lent from his Sith robe...

SITH ROBE...?!

...and nodded once to Graysith and Lord Recinis, intending to be good to his word. "I'll go behind and make sure the ladies make out allright," he commented, then turning to Erik, "And I'll tell your wife to get back to you."

With not so much as another word Jasyn turned and proceeded outside, casually strolling towards the open hatch of the other ship, being careful not to make any sudden moves that might trigger an unwanted reaction. Quietly and smoothly, he slipped in behind Galen and reached out to pull Shayla back. That she was not too thrilled by the motion was evident; Jasyn merely ignored that and nodded back in the direction of the Sith warship. "Go back before you get into trouble," he mouthed to her, his brown eyes then meeting her greeny-blue ones. She frowned at him momentarily then seemed to consider something, suddenly switching gears and suddenly looking apologetic. She nodded to him once then backed out quietly.

Jasyn then turned his attentions back to the what was happening aboard the ship. As he did so something else grabbed his attention and he frowned, his ears picking up on a constant bleeping sound that seemed to be wafting very quietly from the cabin of the little ship admidst the "furball's" growls and grumbles.

"Speaking of fray," he commented very quietly after Galen had finished speaking, "sounds like something or someone wants our attention in the cabin..."

You did it again, didn't you? You didn't listen to what someone else who just might have been more experienced was trying to tell you. Damn Shayla, when will you ever learn? And dear gods, this time you put your own baby at risk. You've gotta get a handle on this thing, NOW.

"You must learn... learn that it is not speed which makes one victor, but wisdom...even when there is no time to spare, time must be spent, or what time you have saved, is wasted in failure."

Slowly he turned his gaze to Jharmeen, smiling, he spoke. "M'lady, as she is your adept, acceptance or denial of course rests in your hands..."

He then stood walking towards the hatch. "While Things are accomplished within the other ship, i will see to things in the temple... Jharmeen, You wished to take other ships, perhaps we should return for the fighter on Kori'sian... Perhaps Mr. And Mrs. Kartan may transport one of us back to the planet to retrieve it... While time is short, your words are wise, i am sorry for not considering them in depth ealier"

with that he exited the ship and made his way to the temple.

Finding his way deep within the temple, he eventauly came to the place filled with death...

In the door way he remained, looking within at the torn boddies of the scientists, the broken lab equipment...
Roan... You are a viscious being... So easily you have forgotten the way's of the warrior... Of had times changed that much sense the day's of my birth?

Recinis turned away, he could tell that any evidence of what had transpired within the room had long sense been destroyed, and after the destruction... It had been whiped clean of the crumbs...

Recinis entered another room, where a jewled and extravogent dagger sat, its blade imbeded within the stone, a sword lieing before it snapped in two. The traditional symbole of S'slan.

Approuchign slowly he kneeled before the lowered alter, his eyes looking down at the dagger, shaking his head from side to side.

"S'slan... God of life and death... The two things we believed to have complete control of...Warriors hold such foolish beliefs...To hold so strongly to the thought that one warrior holds a title such as 'god' and in that controls destiny..."

his head shook once more, his hand rising to grasp the hilt if the dagger.
"By your blade S'slan... roans life shall be taken... And the good in darra shall not come to death..."

Rising again he exited from the room.
Indeed... Someday perhaps, we will no longer hold such foolish beliefs. Someday...

Her reaction to the current situation was no exception.

Her eyes hardened to amethyst crystals as Shayla turned to her in the wake of the departing Recinis. Her adept's green-blue eyes were filled with something approaching apology and contriteness... and something else as well.

Graysith's lids dropped a fraction.

"Such actions on your part seem to be coming more prevalent, Shayla," she said in a somewhat cold voice. "In regard to this, apology is denied... until you deduce exactly why it is so that I deny it."

She shot a final penetrating look into her adept's eyes, then turned away from her. The Tooth-burdened thrimm slapped against her thighs as she now moved through the warship, searching for her son, finding him at last in a small room he had taken unto himself as private quarters. She entered without announcing herself, and came to a halt before him.

"My son, I am sending you after my ship. Your father has suggested that Mr. Kartan and Shayla should take us to retrieve it; I can get you there faster, that you can return here in all due haste."

With that she opened a portal back to Koris'ian and, taking her son by the hand led him through it. They stepped out together upon the grassy landing field where Chosen One waited patiently for the arrival of someone to take off into the hyperlanes once again.

Graysith waited until Jharu had made the rune to open the hatch; then she nodded in satisfaction.

"Set your course to K'eel Doba, my son," she said in quiet command. "We shall await you there, for your father is yet scouring the Temple for clues as to why our adversary does as he does. But should we depart, you can follow our course by the Link we maintain with each other."

She fell silent, waiting as Jharu nodded and, giving her a hug, turned to board Chosen One. Then she abruptly let her Warrior Lady's commanding demeanor drop from her like chaff from wheat, and reaching out halted Jharu in mid-step. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, and gave him a loving kiss on his forehead.

"Th- that's just the alarm telling us the hatch is open," I managed as, with a final push I extricated myself from the giant hairball's enthusiastic grasp. I patted his arm a bit, then turned away.

"I'll go shut it down; it's nothing but a nuisance anyway. Sheesh, like we haven't the intelligence to take off without buttoning up the hatches...."

My mutters were cut abruptly off as I approached the bridge, carefully skirting the round plaque on the floor with its attendant connections dangling overhead. For off to one side was something else, something I didn't recognize. Another digital display was glowing a steady and rather ominous yellow-orange.

I frowned, wondering what in Hell's Seven Circles DJ was trying to tell us. After turning off the alarm and considering that light, I finally decided to take the plunge.

Maybe its a message from the ship or a proximity alert sensor. Maybe someone is coming... better check it out....

My hand descended lightly on the digi-pad.

And all hell suddenly broke loose.

The hatch abruptly slammed closed, and the lights in the bridge went from normal to the dimness of red alert. Somewhere a miniature klaxon begain to wail, which prompted a returning wail from Malf. He raised his hairy arms and criss-crossed them over his head, hollering like a rancor who couldn't get his claws to his lunch.

I barely had time to whirl around and shoot a worried glance at Jasyn when DJ fired herself up, and with no further ado sprang from the surface of K'eel Doba... and taking us along with her like gleeberflies caught in a web. I shivered with the sudden realization that, not having the weird flight suit any longer, I had absolutely no control over her.

Khaandon help us if this is some sort of automatic homing response... for this ship only answers to lady pilots! Just who is waiting on the other end of that directive?

Unless it was Flac... but how could that be possible?

With nothing better to do at the moment but wait, and not having a chair to sit it, I let my knees loosen, sinking down on the spot to hunker on the deck of the bridge. That ominous orangey-yellow light still glowed, like a fierce and tiny sun reaching out to engulf us all. But suddenly it wasn't quite as threatening as I first supposed it to be.

Not that I was known for being correct in my assessments one hundred percent of the time....

((OOC: Follow me, Jasyn and Malf to Knight Takes Queen, Check in the "CSWU" forms, thank you.))

And mostly a disappointment to herself.

Graysith is right. What good are your apologies? They will do nothing to repair any damage you might cause by reacting hastily. Only your actions in the future, based on what you are even now still learning, will prove whether you are sorry at all.

As if on cue to that, something moved outside in the corner of her eye. Shayla turned to analyze what that something was when Erik blurted, pointing wide-eyed at the viewport, "Shayla, the other ship!"

She spotted what he was pointing at just in time to see the last traces of the weird little ship Galen and Jasyn had headed for in K'eel Doban sky. She glanced at Erik but once, then hurried to the navboard and tapped a sigil that she knew would open a general comm frequency. In the same motion, she used her other hand to point towards the back of the ship. "Go tell Graysith what just happened," she indicated, turning again to the navboard and sending out a message, hoping it would work but not knowing the workings of the other ship. She vaguely heard her husband's departing footsteps as she did so.

"Galen, Jasyn, this is Shayla, do you read me?" she asked hopefully.

Oh please let everything be allright...

"The ship Jasyn Lancaster and Galen are on just shot off into space," he said briefly. "Shayla's trying to get in contact with them at this moment, but as far as I know she has not yet been successful."

Erik fell silent at that, waiting, stretching out to his link with Shayla to sense that she was growing more and more concerned with every passing moment of quiet. Then he added a question as he continued to communicate through his link with Shayla, "Should we follow them?"

His eyes stared through the little viewing screen, as if to take in everything... Which he truly wished to do, it was such a wonderful sight, the streams of stars being seen through hyperspace, so pure, so infinate...

He looked down then at the ever faithful Ghrr, who sat at his side with a little feeler wrapped around his ankle...

Had they gone to hyperspace?

She sent the information regarding the ship's apparent disappearance along two Force-links she was maintaining; one with Erik and another with Graysith. All the while something else also niggled along a link she usually didn't feel too much from; she frowned even more darkly at the urgency of that little niggle, sensing an inner chill and reflexively drawing her cloak about herself.

Shawn...?

But staying yet alert to the problem immediately at hand, Shayla's hands hovered over the navboard of the warship, ready to take off or do whatever she was instructed just as soon as she received confirmation from Graysith, in the meantime staying attuned to the Force and remaining by all outward appearances completely calm...

"The ship's navigational computer is already programmed to follow Roan's ship," she said at last, her outward demeanor calm but each word acting like a tiny blade to rip and tear at her heart.

"We dare not risk losing my niece, Mr. Kartan. We shall follow that course."

With that she nodded his dismissal from her door, and when he had left departed herself to find Recinis and inform him of this latest and most unsettling development. She found him at not too lengthy a distance from the ship; quickly she approached him and informed him of the unexpected departure of the ship Galen had once piloted to K'eel Doba.

"Perhaps she has a plan of her own, my love," she finished her briefing as together they hurriedly boarded the warship. Without waiting for Lord Recinis's reply, she continued on to the bridge, there to implement their immediate departure from K'eel Doba.

En route she sent a directive along the Link she maintained with Jharu:

Follow us, my son.

Follow.

Somewhere within the hidden shadows of the Temple, there came a sigh to mimic the wind. It was not of aeolian origin, however.

Into the dim lighting where the Kaminoan lab lay in shattered ruins, there stepped a form. It was female, who looked to be in her early twenties. It was soon joined by another form, and then yet another, the latter being male. Outside of the variance in their gender, they otherwise bore a striking -- but not identical -- similarity to each other.

The hair of all waved in flames upon their heads. The eyes with which the females viewed the ruined lab, calm with dispassion, were turquoise; the male's, violet. They all stood approximately two meters tall, alive with shining health and vigor.

All three sets of eyes glowed with... something.

One of the young females spoke up in the darkness.

"Shall we follow?" she asked pointedly.

The male shook his head. "We are to remain here until called for," he replied, his voice the sighing of the wind.

The third being merely nodded her flaming head; then, linking her arms into those of the other two, she began moving, pressing them back into the shadows from whence they had come.

Outside the Temple of S'slan, the keening wind howled its warning... but there was no one there to heed it.

No one at all.

((OOC: Follow into The Darker Side of Midnight in the "Jedi Praxeum/Sith Empire" forums, thank you.))