The Master Chef aboard Relentless was all in a tizzy. None other than Captain Landarian himself had within the hour taken him aside and very concisely filled him in as to the guests soon to be seated at his table. The Chef had gawked briefly, then whirled without executing so much as a departing salute and fled into his galley. Behind him his captain merely smiled, perhaps a bit grimly; the hot-blooded artiste d' haute cuisine was one of the privileged few aboard the immense ship who could get away with such flamboyancy.

Time passed all too quickly; the Master drove his crew mercilessly. It wasn't so much the matter that Lt. General Tarnus was aboard--

Ye gods, was that actually him? The icy-eyed one sitting next to Captain Landarian? Was that what the man truly looked like beneath his armor? Who would have guessed....

--but that there was a Sith there as well.

Two of them, even.

A tremor raced through his blood as he coursed from subchef to subchef, from one underling to the next apprentice, driving them all toward the perfection he so much feared he would not be able to achieve with this meal.

And if that perfection would not be reached, it would be the first failure of his entire life. It simply would not be tolerated.

But...

What in the name of all the universe is proper fare for a Sith?!?

He swallowed, hastening back and forth even faster, more furiously, sampling this and chiding when and where necessary.

Everything had to be perfect. Simply perfect.

And at last the moment came. A trembling server had crept up to him to inform him that the Lt. General and Captain and guests were seated, with a fine Alderaanian brandy already served to them as an opener.

The Chef gulped away his final trepidation, and sent forth his first offering in the hands of his best attendant. Then he returned to the galley, to fuss and fume and fret over the final particulars of the main course....

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

Recollection of the earlier sense of near doubt coming from Romanus came to her again; her tracing finger quieted and she just let her hand lay without moving on his chest. His eyes were close to hers... yet completely unfathomable to her, so dark and depthless did they appear.

Eyes like a shark. Precise, cold, killing, black; something other...?

She pursed her lips and shifted her body, raising a bit higher on her supporting elbow. Gazing into those black eyes in front of her, she let her own soften.

"You seem... uncomfortable, Romanus," she whispered. "What is it that makes me sense this about you? Is it I, in choosing you as my consort? Or is there something else pulling at you, something with which perhaps I can now assist you?"

A particularly knotty branch let out a loud cracking pop, accentuating the silence then following her words.

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

“But one who returned to the light”

…struck him deeply. It was something Romanus never considered, and probably neither did the scientists.

But its not gonna happen. I’m in control. Its not gonna happen…

At that, Romanus let out a sigh and made a smile to both reassure himself and the woman that laid next to him. Being her consort was a mixed blessing, considering now that she was his (or was it the other way around?) but also the kind of power he would be able to wield. Perhaps Romanus was too ambitious for this…

Bloody hell, what am I thinking? Greatest opportunity of my life, and I’m gonna pass up on it?! Wake up, Romanus!

“No worries, m’lady.” he said, pushing the thoughts out of his mind, the smile still on his face. “It’s just that I’ve never expected to be part of anything this big. Its…its a surprise, that’s all.”

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

...but he had been insistent that turning down the Empire's generosity in any manner would be an unwise move at this point. So at length she agreed, managing not to point out the fact that he wouldn't be the one dealing with the fashion display since his typical black flightsuit looked formal enough as it was. But then, he probably knew she was thinking that regardless.

Smoothing her dress out for the upteenth time since she had been seated, Shayla placed a napkin on her lap and simply waited as the chefs and servers scurried about, making certain everything was done to perfection. Meanwhile her keen greeny-blues shifted from one individual at the table to another, still surprised that Tarnus had arrived out of his armor.

Was this a show of trust? Or simply an indication of his security and command in this situation? Of course, the fact that it is probably rather difficult to eat with a helmet on might have something to do with it...

...but then, bounty hunters had their ways.

At length the arrival of the main course jarred Shayla from these thoughts. As the servers laid out the food...

Sheesh, this was a small dinner?!

...Shayla took another sip of her brandy, for once not concerned about getting just a tiny bit tipsy. Enticing smells began to fill the air...

...and Shayla suddenly realized just how long it had been since she had eaten really well.

There was that blotsch Phalomir had made back on Khar Delba...

At that thought, Shayla made a slight face. Then she brushed it away, cocking her head and cutting her eyes momentarily to her husband, who was finishing his own brandy. Then once more she scanned the table, taking in the body language of each individual and using her Force senses a bit to scope out emotions...

...which were many and wide-ranging.

And there was something about the Captain which seemed impressively inscrutable...

...too inscrutable for the normal human, perhaps...

Keeping this particular observation at the forefront of her mind, Shayla simply waited to see what would happen next...

...and all the while couldn't help but wonder if ladies would be first...

[ 09-12-2003 10:47 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

It shall present itself when the time is right, she mused to herself as she quietly studied him, now letting her own expression grow as unreadable as his. But for now....

"A surprise I am delighted to have had you accept, Romanus," she said smoothly. She rolled abruptly on her back, and lay there a moment staring into the shadows above her. Images quite removed from the intricately carved ceiling danced in her eyes.

Another memory surfaced.

"Tell me why you came to K'eel Doba, Romanus," she said softly, still staring upward, letting the heat of his proximity warm her.

"What affiliation do you have with those with whom you arrived... or at least appeared to have arrived with?"

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

I brought the glass I had raised smoothly to my lips in the wake of Captain Landarian's opening toast, watching the others carefully over its rim. Our guests were sitting in varying degrees of caution, eyes darting quickly hither and yon, brandies sipped almost as an afterthought, the appetizer paraded forth picked at as though it might bite.

Well... let me amend that statement. Erik Kartan appeared thus; his spouse seemed to dig in with a touch more gusto while the smaller of the two Sith attacked his food like there was no tomorrow. Long practice kept my expression absolutely bland when I saw the dark look the proclaimed Lord -- er, that is, "Lord-to-Be" -- shot him. The smaller cut his eyes up and caught one of his scathing looks, one which could undoubtedly reduce Hoth's diameter by a few centimeters, and paused, fork poised awkwardly in mid-bite. His hand wavered.

And as for the worthy person who evoked such a response....

"Please, eat," I said, setting down my glass and picking up my own fork. "While there are certain proprieties which are usually maintained in such diplomatic discourses as this, you are my guests. You do not need to wait for me."

A glimmer of amusement darkened my icy blues into cobalt; I turned my attention then to the opener and took a sampling taste.

Not bad. At least for human tastes....

I let a few moments pass that all present could direct their full attentions to what was laid out before them. Then, interjecting into the awkward little space as our servers came to clear off the first of what promised to be more plates than I had envisioned earlier, I spoke.

"And now, my friends, no sense in waiting until coffee."

If I did, this meal would either be a long and dragged out affair, or else one shot through with the speed of a podracer on Tatooine.

"Let us cut to the topic on the minds of all. The resources of the Empire are vast. How may we aid you in your... endeavors?"

[ 09-13-2003 09:18 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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

"And just what resources do you have which could assist us anyway?"

She let the question hang for a long moment, one which passed in a heavy silence. She didn't bother to see if Phalomir was directing a glare in her direction...

...and suddenly she realized that she didn't care either. After all, she was here for her own reasons...

...reasons which certainly differed from Phalomir's. She was here out of concern for Graysith, and had thought Phalomir would somehow get them out of Imperial hands and to K'eel Doba so that they could get to business. She thought his main concern was for his friend Thoran...

And hadn't he stated as much? Hadn't he voiced his feelings that he didn't know the Sith of this new era, and didn't see any reason to care about them...? So then why the sudden shift in thinking? Why the big alliance with the Empire unless...

...unless he and the Empire shared something in common.

Shayla's greeny-blue eyes darkened, and then shifted to Phalomir. She let the look rest there a long moment then cut her eyes back to Tarnus, finally speaking once more. "I'd like to see what either of you think you can do to conquer the Sith. And let's face it, gentlemen: conquering the Sith...

...not helping them or any of their kind...

...is what this little alliance is all about, is it not?"

[ 09-13-2003 09:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

"My dear Ms. Petrolu-Kartan!"

I wiped a casual napkin across my mouth, sat back in my chair, cut a meaningful glance around the table and, raising one hand aloft, smiled.

"If the Empire had any desire to 'conquer' these worlds, why you may rest assured we would already have done so. But, as you can see for yourself--"

I paused, now moving the raised hand expansively in a sweeping crescent about me as if to indicate the whole of the universe around us.

"--we have not. Instead, we merely wished to discover who it was who has come to find worlds so recently ahh--" Another pause while I scoured my brain for the correct words. "--injected into the galaxy. You must allow us our curiosity, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan."

I leaned back, still smiling, and rocking back in my chair propped one foot casually upon my knee. My laced hands held me delicately balanced in that position.

"Besides, would I be offerring assistance and charity to you if that were indeed the case? Would it not be a wiser move to just eliminate you here and now, and be done with the possible problem you may present of yourselves at some point in the future?"

I let a corner of my lips quirk up with that, and reached for my brandy. The legs of the chair made a muted clank as I then let them down, and balanced myself squarely upon it, my eyes balanced equally as squarely into the eyes of the suspicious Shayla.

"My dear young lady," I finished, albeit a bit more darkly now. "It would seem that there is a commonality these Sith have with the Empire; it only makes good strategic sense to join together at this time to eliminate the dark threat of which Phalomir has spoken."

I waved offhandedly toward the glowering entity, then took up my brandy once again.

[ 09-13-2003 10:05 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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

"Yes," she replied, slitting her eyes, "Good strategic sense to join together at this time," she repeated, placing emphasis on the final few words of the statement. "I'm not so stupid as to believe this "alliance" couldn't be broken at any given time. After all.."

She trailed a moment, her gaze turning momentarily vague before it refocused. "After all, alliances have been known to be severed before once they have...

... served their purpose."

Quieting for a moment then, she let her gaze remain steady as all the while memories of the day Aelvedaar had broken the alliance on Prinn'chatka came swimming to the forefront of her mind.

What she would give to go back to those days...

"And besides," Shayla then continued, "How can you begin to stop a dead Dark Lord of the Sith in control of another's body--

--a body which holds a powerful weapon--

--with any of the "vast resources" of which you speak?"

[ 09-13-2003 10:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

I remained unspeaking, but cut my eyes to Phalomir. Great unspoken meaning passed between us before I turned my gaze back to the blonde young woman who sat there so full of her own convictions.

"My dear Ms. Petrolu-Kartan," I went on after a moment, setting my brandy glass back on the table with a light and musical clink.

"When have you become ambassador to these worlds? To speak of alliances and the possibility of them being broken; have these peoples given you the command to speak for them in this manner? Why, after the Empire has extended the hand of friendship which it has, do you yet balk, and not accept that hand for what it is?

"What is it that drives you to act in this manner, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan? Is it something which would behoove the Sith...

"...or merely yourself?"

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

...after being sent away from there...

...to warn the very person who sent me away of an incoming threat?"

At that Shayla trailed, closing her eyes for a moment as something deep within hurt once more. Gaining control of this, she opened them again, her look once more hard...

...but perhaps not entirely unreadable. "And as for my difficulty accepting the Empire's "extended hand of friendship..."

She bit her lip, struggling with the next words which were about to come from her lips, "What else would you expect from someone who lost her parents due to an act of the Empire anyway...?"

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

“Holy crap!” he said as the meat fell to his plate.

Shayla turned to regard him, her greeny blues looking more icy than deep.

Phalomir coughed and picked up his mostly untouched brandy. “What makes you think I want to conquer the Sith?” he asked. “I AM Sith. And the problem of which you speak is but one of the items which need to be rectified.”

He turned to a very curious Sorben.

“A very old friend, who has tragically experienced some very extreme mental stress, has vanished with an important artifact. Contrary to what our dear young lady has stated, it is not a weapon, but rather an instrument through which Sith magic may be channeled. I am searching for him before he can accidentally harm himself or others. Only I can tap into the potential of this device, and I will need it in order to pursue other goals.”

Phalomir took a deep breath.

“The Sith are strong, yet they are in a way lost. This is a new time and, as I have seen, these are new ways. The Sith will need to adjust if they wish to exist peacefully in this time, and I do not see that happening with the current order.”

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

And the waiting room.

His hands clenched into fists as he remembered the red-haired woman. Romanus had already fought with her on too many occasions, with each one ending in his humiliation.

She'll be mine one of these days. No one will be there to help her, no one to save her...

The idea brought another smile to his face, and Romanus briefly forgot about the question placed onto him until A sudden crack from the fire reminded him.

"I knew them from before, and if you hadn't caught me, I would have cut down every single one of them. They've interrupted my business long enough..." he said, his voice filled with malice, wishing for that day to come soon. Yet it passed away as well, and Romanus found himself sitting upon one elbow and brushing some of Graysith's hair from her face.

"Aye, but I don't want to worry about that now, m'lady. I'll find them eventually..."

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

"Especially when one considers that one of that particular party is my sister. If you think about this, you may see a certain... familial resemblance."

She blinked, and let more time pass. Romanus remained inscrutable before her.

"You may dispense with them as well, at your leisure, my dark one," she purred at length.

"All of them."

Then she rolled onto her back and stretched, sending another smile toward Romanus as she did so.

[ 09-14-2003 01:35 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

This involvement was beginning to promise a resolution far, far more interesting than I had originally imagined when I first offerred them our assistance: a dead Dark Lord, a mysterious device within the body of another, an obviously powerfully magickal Sith sorcerer seeking said device for his own... personal agenda....

I remained motionless, considering, and simply continued to stare into Ms. Petrolu-Kartan's furious eyes. That she was fuming inwardly was something blazing forth loud and clear... that, and the manner in which she had so conveniently explained certain matters concerning certain people and strange devices....

Well. You know what they say.

Loose lips sink ships.

All of this roiled round and round in my head, that particular fire given added fuel by the fact that there was some sort of dissention between the foursome we had snagged. The young woman relating one thing, this Phalomir quite another. Which one to believe? Who was telling the truth? Not that these particulars really would matter in the long and the short of it; the Empire would come out on top when push came to shove. Hadn't history already shown us that? For the Sith might be magickal... but their magicks fell before the onslaught of the Dark Side of the Force.

Now I turned my gaze to Phalomir. He sat there doing his utmost to remain calm, politely nibbling on a choice bit of meat. Whether he was enjoying the taste of it was something of which I had no clue... nor did I really care to know at the moment.

What I was suddenly caring about was the strange power my ex's sister had been using... as well as the innuendoes this guy was lathering about right and left concerning the channeling of power via the aforementioned device only he could utilize...?

"You speak of a device through which your abilities may be channeled," I said in opening. I shifted cautiously, knowing full well the dimensions of the ice I was crossing here.

"Not to mention a... personal goal regarding said device."

And fairly in the same breath as the revelation of Sith being lost in their current position.... Perhaps Ms. Petrolu-Kartan was on the right track after all.

Nevertheless, I plunged on, knowing our confrontation with that Power would be the final stepping-stone to any "conquering" of the Sith, whether that conquest be by Sith or Reborn or the confluence of the two.

"As I mentioned, our resources are vast," I said aloud, suddenly switching rontos in midstream. "But there is a..." I hesitated a final time, then plunged on. "...another power lurking on your worlds, Phalomir. A power I do not understand. What I do know of it is that it is incredibly strong, that little can hold against it... that is, at least from what I have seen of it.

"Whether or not this is something held by the populace in general or by a mere few; whether or not this power can ever be withstood or challenged or successfully retaliated against; whether this is something your abilites can overcome, abilities which you claim to be stronger than the ones held by that general populace, as I recall....

"These are questions which must be addressed here, before we go dashing planetward willy-nilly. If anything, so as to determine exactly which of the Empire's vast resources--"

I cut my eyes to Shayla again, then returned them to Phalomir.

"--we must pledge to this effort. So tell me now, my friends:

"What do you either of you know of a power able to allow its wielder to literally transport him or herself from one planet to another, to make planets disappear from their very orbits, to snatch prisoners from Imperial prisons in the very heart of the galaxy, and to command the very demons of hell?

"Shayla," Now I turned my attention to that young woman, who was beginning to look more and more uncomfortable with every word I spoke.

"You hung about with Graysith, you of all people should know at least some of the answers to these questions."

I leaned forward, extremely serious now.

"What is going on in these worlds? Exactly what is the situation we will be getting ourselves into when we not only assist you in finding this device of which you speak, but after its discovery as well?"

Inquiring minds want to know... not to mention minds which so very much desired to remain alive....

[ 09-14-2003 12:16 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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

Pursing her lips at Sorben's final question, Shayla debated on just what...

...if anything...

...she should divulge concerning that Power.

As little as you possibly can, a small shoulder-being answered. After all, you yourself once held some of that power, albeit not much. Well, perhaps there is something you can divulge then, just to give these guys some prospective...

"Very few of the populace hold the power of which you speak, and learning to wield it effectively takes many, many years," she she said at at last. "It is next to impossible to be challenged or to be retaliated against. Some have managed, I suppose..."

After all, Terrin and Galen managed a time or two...

"...but that takes extreme planning and wit."

...or else it takes gaining an ally who can use the All themselves...

...one way or another, that shoulder-thing piped up again.

Damn...

"In fact--" Shayla then spoke up once more, "The only thing which can truly defeat anyone who has that power is probably another who can also wield it...

...one way or another."

At this, Shayla turned to regard Phalomir, her greeny-blue eyes growing a shade icier as she did so. "I believe my friend here is keenly aware of that, however," Shayla ended quietly...

...but not without a touch of coolness in her words.

[ 09-14-2003 08:29 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

Or someone....

"That isn't telling me very much, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan," I stated as I lowered my hand to my brandy glass. I picked it up, swirled it, contemplated the richly reflective liqueur coiling within.

I took a slow drink, then set the glass back with some deliberation. Captured Shayla's eyes with my own.

"What is this power, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan?" I asked, my voice very low, very soft.

Very, very full of meaning.

"And how did the sister of my ex-wife get to command it so easily, since it so obviously is associated with a people who hadn't even been around those 'many years' of which you state, to teach her how to use it?

"Not to mention the fact that she is using it at all! How could this be? The Sith have only recently come into this timeframe; how the hell could she learn to use this and why is she, a human woman, doing so?

"It was given to her, wasn't it?"

I paused a moment before leaning forward, pinning Shayla with a hard look.

"Can anyone else learn to use this power, Shayla?" I whispered, and fell into an expectant silence.

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

She didn't trust these guys, not any of them. She didn't trust them...

...and she certainly didn't want to sit here blabbering about the All and its capabilities and so on. Oh, how she wished she could just get out of here and be with Graysith again, how she wished...

Shayla closed her eyes a moment, struggling with herself at that. For in that moment, something else was also trying to become clear deep within her. She could wish all she wanted...

...but what she had to deal with now was what what was, and not what she wanted. And, after all that she had been through and after restating and showing her loyalties to the Sith over and over...

...she had been sent away, and her memories had even been blocked. But she just couldn't let go...

...not yet. She wasn't ready to face it. So she returned Tarnus's hard look, clamming up somewhat as she replied. "Yes, the power was given to Graysith...

...although others can learn to use it."

Just like you were learning to once, ey Shayla? a little voice snarled in the back of her mind. Before they took it from you entirely, that is...

"Being taught to use it, however, is something very rare...

...something very rare indeed..." she ended with, her look turning vague even as she folded her arms and clammed up entirely.

[ 09-15-2003 06:40 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

Graysith was Galen's sister. Galen, to my knowledge, before any of this entire mess had begun, was simply a nice, normal human woman. Thus, I assumed, her sister had to be as well. Neither one of them a natural Force-user of any kind. For, from what I knew of the jedi, the Force ran in families. It had something to do with a natural count of some sort of symbiote, the levels of which were inherited from generation to generation in certain lucky -- or perhaps cursed -- lines. You either had it in you, or you didn't.

Assuming further that Galen's family did not brought me to a starkly obvious conclusion.

If a normal human being could be given this power, learn to use it... think what would happen if a Force-user were given the same opportunity. A Force user of any kind....

My smile broadened fractionally, and once again I picked up my brandy glass. I raised it to her.

"Thank you, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan," I said succinctly before taking another sip. Then I set the glass once more on the table and turned to Phalomir. My smile flickered when I saw the glare upon his face.

I had seen that type of look once before, in the aspect of the feral bantha that had killed my Teacher on Talasea. If Phalomir had looked earlier as if he wanted to take a bite out of Shayla, now he appeared to want to rip her into itty, bitty little pieces.

"And once again, good Sir," I went smoothly on. "What of the Empire's vast resources--" A quick flick of my eyes toward Shayla. "--may I offer to ease the challenge of the quest you find ahead of your group. It appears that we must thank the gods that this strange ability does not exist within everyone; one can only hope that it does so in those who will in turn ally themselves with you-- with us.

"As for any other obstacles that might arise in your path... well. History has shown Sith magicks to have fallen before the Si- er, that is, the dark jedi. I do seem to have at hand one or two darkside users who might come in handy, should you need them...."

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

But what to do now? Sorben now knew of the All Force, and knew it could be granted to humans. It did not take a genius to figure out what his intentions were if he could learn how this was done. And he admitted to having dark jedi at his disposal. Add to that a family link with the Dark Lady. There was something very foreboding, even sinister, forming in the air around this table.

The weight of this alliance suddenly came bearing down upon Phalomir. He let his eyes wander down to his plate where a few bites of meat lay. He then felt the gentle wind of someone beside him as Panthar turned his head and leaned in.

“Phal,” he whispered, “if I can see right through this, I know you can. Time to decide, buddy, whose side are you on?”

Phalomir looked up at Sorben, eyes slightly wide.

“You command dark jedi?” he asked. “Did your race conquer the dark jedi or are you another incarnation of them?”

He raised his goblet to his lips and paused. “I simply wish to know with who I am dealing. It matters little in the end.”

He drank deeply.

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

"Neither."

I let that smile flick across my face then, and once more lifted my glass to my lips. Somewhere in the shadows behind our guests, a couple of my Reborn shifted their stance, waiting.

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

He had almost forgotten what it felt like, to fall in love. To be bound like that with another. The Dark Lady and Romanus, though. Who would have expected?

But then, they were the only two humans in this temple, so it made some sense. He was surprised with the suddenness that it had happened in, though.

Amusing though it was to peruse the concepts of intimacy, Ragorian soon grew bored and distant. He was always anxious to be weilded again. Whenever he was alone, he was reminded of those thousands of years in solitude. Being alone for that long...

Never again. He would never let it happen again.

The horror. The darkness.

The silence. So complete it made you want to scream, just so you could hear sound.

The stillness. Made you want to tear your skin, just to feel contact again.

If that ever happened to Ragorian again...

He wouldn't be able to take it. He would break. He would snap. His mind would be gone.

That was his greatest weakness. His greatest fear.

Solitude.

Stop whimpering!Ragorian silently berated himself. You sound like a child. It will not happen again. Calm yourself.

Slowly, Ragorian pulled himself out of his dark thoughts, back to conciousness.

Patiently, he waited for the moment when he would be needed again. For the next time Graysith or Romanus' hand would grasp his hilt.

But still, in a dark corner of his mind, a fraction of himself screamed for the silence to end....

[ 09-15-2003 07:21 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Blade of Chaos ]

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

She knew it, she had known it all along...

...and Phalomir had simply ignored her. Tarnus's only intent was to destroy what was down there on K'eel Doba and Khar Delba; it was all about commanding and conquering...

Those thoughts shifted and continued accusingly with, And you've now helped him along in his quest...

...not that he will ever achieve just what you KNOW he is thinking, but damn you Shayla. So much for getting the Impys to run like hell from Phalomir. Instead...

As Shayla heard Phalomir's question to Tarnus and Tarnus's reply, she turned her greeny-blues towards Phalomir, the look in her eye clearly reading: I told you so.

Then she cut her eyes to Sorben, the look in her eye hardening once more. "What you plan...

...it won't work; no way in hell will it. And damn my foolishness for even leading you to think of it."

Then, steeling herself, she turned to face a no-doubt furious Phalomir. "We don't need any of the Empire's vast resources. We should get on our way..."

And the sooner, a little voice added deep inside, The better...

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

I set the glass back upon the table with a quiet little clink, and once again turned my attention to the fuming young woman. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the smaller Sith sitting there looking as though he wanted to crawl away and hide. But the larger of the two red-skinned beings merely cocked his head the tiniest bit, and seemed to scrutinize me with deep intent.

Our eyes managed to meet. I nodded to him again, then sat up straighter.

"Contrary to whatever you may be so assiduously believing, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan, the Empire is not out to conquer the universe, descending upon it with no other desire than to bring rage and ruin upon it."

My lip curled, and I fairly snorted.

What was it going to take for people to notice? Actar was not Palpatine of old!

My hand fisted and thumped upon the table before I even knew I had performed the act. Sitting to one side, Captain Landarian began rising to his feet; I shot him a commanding look and he reseated himself without a word.

"The Empire wishes nothing more than to bring order into a disorderly system, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan! We have already made some success in this direction, in the manner in which the Hutt underworld is slowly being strangled, and their illegal spice dealings effectively squelched."

Now I did snort.

"Never have we come upon a world with guns ablaze! We do not wish to conquer, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan! Only to... momentarily contain while the wheat is sorted from the chaff. Once all the riff-raff are put to rest, then a democracy will be set up in which the remainder of the people will be able to live out their lives in true prosperity and harmony.

"We have even allowed the jedi, led by your brother, I believe... to rebuild a new Praxeum. Now I ask you: would it be logical for us to allow this, if indeed we had nothing on our collective minds other than 'taking over the universe,' a fear that I read so clearly in your eyes?

"Fear--" I paused, taking another really good look at her. My eyes narrowed then, as I leaned forward and quietly asked her,

"Not fear, but.... Who is it you are really angry with, Ms. Petrolu-Kartan?"

[ 09-15-2003 09:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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

...only suddenly Shayla couldn't find one single thing to argue in return...

...nor could she quite answer the question which he was now directing her way, one which somewhere deep inside an answer was floating. About that time the touch of a soft yet firm hand on one of hers caught her attention.

She shifted her eyes to the left, a war brewing within them as she gripped her fists even tighter and looked to her husband. His returned look was sympathetic, calming...

...yet at the same time something else entirely more stern. She focused her eyes on that look for a long moment, letting those baby browns of his melt away the battle within her...

...that was, as much as it possilby could at the moment. Then, with effort, she unballed her fists and turned back to Tarnus, the look in her eye suddenly resigned...

...and probably more clearly pained than perhaps she was aware. For slowly things were starting to come into focus. "I've been betrayed by the person who was the closest thing to a blood-sister I will ever have...

...and though I really don't think I have enough evidence to determine exactly why this happened..."

She trailed a moment, her greeny-blues defocusing. "...it still hurts," she then finished quietly.

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