Graysith smiled, still staring down at the floor as if the most interesting specimen of insect had just crawled there beside her moving foot. For a moment, all which was heard was the echo of their footsteps as they continued walking along, moving from warm, golden light into intermittent shadow as they passed one happily flaring wall sconce after another.

At length Graysith stopped, and looked up to Phalomir.

“I- you will of course be of use to me, Phalomir,” she said softly, staring up into the liquid depths of his eyes. “Even though I have known you for only a short length of time, it has been long enough to know that I can trust you implicitly. And I do.”

“My lady, I have placed upon you much concern in the recent past, and for that I am sorry. I am most grateful for that trust you place upon me.”

He placed his other hand upon hers, covering hers tenderly.

Graysith studied Phalomir’s face a moment longer, reading nothing there but the utmost sincerity. Then she moved quickly on, and soon had led them to the Grand Dining Hall. Entering into its imposing surroundings, she was gladdened to see that food yet lay piled in one offering after another upon the gigantic sideboard which hulked against the far wall.

She cut her eyes to Phalomir, and tilted her head to the sideboard. Then saying nothing, she gently removed her hand from his grasp and soon had replaced that with a plateful of food. This she carried to a small dining table, one enclosed within a small niche that was lit by a softly glowing candle. She took a graceful seat, and turned to her food, suddenly picking at it.

A shadow skimmed along her peripheral vision; Phalomir had taken a seat with his own plate. Their eyes met; still saying nothing, suddenly afraid to say anything , Graysith forced herself to begin eating her midnight snack, although it suddenly tasted like cardboard melting on her tongue as she recalled with whom it was she had last sat here, at this very table, sharing a quiet meal together.

“It seems my taste for food has left me,” he said softly. “I wish –“

He shook his head, eyes closed. When he reopened them they bristled with moisture, and his voice trembled slightly.

“It is difficult to look upon you and not be able to touch you, to hold you the way I wish dearly to hold you. Forgive me for speaking so freely of you, as if we have known each other for years. My world is gone, and you are the only connection I somehow have with it. But I cannot help but feel deep within my soul that you are in my future, we are connected. It pains me so to know that the love I desire so greatly is given to another, one that – forgive me for saying – seems to waste it, to throw it away. What could be more important than finding and holding your soul mate? It is… unspeakable…”

He glanced down at the plate and shook his head.

“Given to another…” She let her words trail off, feeling for the first time and after so lengthy a time, a great rush of emotion in regards to Recinis. And one not necessarily being love.

An ironic smile crept upon her lips. Her eyes darkened.

“Perhaps, once… at least that is how memory serves me,” she whispered, staring at a spot somewhere in the middle distance between herself and Phalomir. “But now—“

“But now?” he asked.

He rubbed his chin as he thought.

After a few moments of seeking he found, along with pahomir. he looked down at the two quietly for a moment. before bowing quietly. "forgive me if im interupting..." he said as they became aware of his pressence.
He cast a sad little smile down upon jharmeen before reaching out quickly and weaving the flower he had earlier picked into her hair.
"The stars are spectacular this night Jharmeen...Im sorry if i was unable to coax you into viewing them with me."
His smile turned from sad to incrediable soft as he spoke again.
"I am sorry for interupting your dining... I suppose i will be off, i do not wish to intrude."

As he turned to leave he paused and quested softly along their link.
"Jharmeen... M'lady... It is true i have been distant of late... But i can only step as close as you will allow me to. I have not forgotten that you are my wife... I must ask you in honesty, and not to bring you pain... Have you forgotten that i am your husband?

"When have you tried!”

Graysith stared up at Recinis in sputtering disbelief. Within her, the Beast whipped to its haunches, glaring and flexing its claws and beginning to snarl. For a brief moment she just sat there, stunned that he would go so far as to track her down in this manner. Then before she knew what she was doing, she was on her feet and outside the niche, the remnants of the flower he had placed in her hair dropping sadly from her icy hand.

She stared at him, rage now running rampant within her, trembling. Her mouth worked, trying to put words out to explain, but nothing came out. All she could do was simply stand there, affronted more than she thought she ever could be, for some inexplicable reason feeling strangely...

Betrayed.

“How impeccable your timing, Recinis!” she finally managed to spit, her eyes flashing. “How long have you been spying on me, that you have found me here; is this night over that I have somehow run out of my allotted time in which to meet with you?”

But he hesitated.

The Dark Lady knew Phalomir’s feelings. This was not a time for him to insert himself between her and Recinis, it was time to stay back and allow them to work out their difficulties. He could see no resolution that did not call for pain somehow, for if she and Recinis were to reunite then Phalomir’s hurt would be terrible. But he would remain true to the Dark Lady regardless. She was his life.

His gaze locked upon her eyes then, forcing her to look into them for a moment before he turned his gaze down.
"is it so wrong to desire to spend a night with the one you hold so dear? Am i that horrid a person for fearing that perhaps you had decided i was unfit to even speak to?"

His eyes closed for a moment as he held back a slight quiver.
"I do not spy on you... And you are free to do as you wish... But can i not at least wonder if i hold any place in your heart at all? Sense my return you have continued to feel pain in all my actions... At everything i do, no matter how good the intention i cause you missery and sorrow... is it not natural for one to wonder just how far he has pushed the one being in this universe whom has ever seen him as more then a warrior? more then a lord? You've given me so much jharmeen... And no matter how much i desire it otherwise.... Of late i have only caused you pain... I worry about you jharmeen... I worry that you will grow to not need me anylonger... I worry that you will never see our son again... I worry that you will never feel the love i feel again... I worry that all the past that has made me more then a mindless warrior... Will be reduced to nothingness in the fact that i have failed you so horribly that you could not bare a warm thought of meeting with me... I worry that i have failed every vow i have taken... And i seek desperatly to make it better... But i am blind jharmeen, and in that i often fail to see the truth... And because of that i cause more pain..."

She turned her eyes back into those of Recinis, shuddering again to see the hurt swimming within them. Her mind scrabbled with the words he had spoken, suddenly realizing that he had indeed finally spoken them aloud, that he had come to her.

She let herself loosen another hair’s-breadth.

“This is not the most appropriate place to speak of such things, Recinis,” she finally said, adding directly into his mind along the link they yet shared:

”Why did you not wait? I would have come to you this night, for there is much of which we have to speak.”

a deep breath escaped him as he considered how far things had come sense the day's long past.Jharmeen... I can not help it if i do stupid things sometimes... I can only pray that when my life finishes the good outway the bad...

As his words flowed from him he kneeled down to pick up the flow that had been discarded, he examined it for a moment before returning it to the folds of his robes.
Perhaps i have indeed gone crazy...
"You are right... This is not the most appropriate placed to speak of such things... But if they are not spoken here... Then who knows if i will ever again have the strength to speak them to you... If i always wait for the most opertune time... Then that time will never come... I've made that mistake several times in this day alone.... But i supose i have once more done exactly what i wished to avoid..."

As he considered her last words he could not help but pull inwardFor there is much of which we have to speak.

The words echoed in his mind, cascading upon the surfaces of his concious.No matter your intentions, your actions remain the same Recinis... You have taken your steps, now you must enter the door they have led you to...

How strange, she couldn’t help but think, to have to arrange a meeting to speak with one’s own husband. How great a rift now seems to separate us, no matter what I do or do not feel any longer.

It has come to this.

The Beast found logic within her soul, and raised it, yammering, high upon a platter. Ignoring this, she raised her head, and when she finally spoke it was with a very quiet voice.

“It matters not where, Recinis; only that this is undertaken, and—“

A quick glance toward Phalomir; a pushing away of the pang his returning look evoked in her.

“—and, in a place more private than here. You have taken it upon yourself to come here, Recinis; perhaps you can continue on and take us to a better place where we might… discuss all which has occurred between us.”

Another slight hesitation….

Then he turned to Jharmeen and nodded once more before turning and leading them away...

As they walked he offered a quiet arm to her, unsure as to his place now, but wishing desperatly his place could still be found with her.

After a few moments he found a room which he knew they would not be disturbed within.

He offered her a seet before taking his own... His gaze swept over her for a moment before his words flowed from his lips.
"I have spoken to you my heart... I must know what is in yours... There was much i wished to discuss with you earlier... But now it all seems meaningless..."

His eyes filled with a soft acceptence, as he repeated his words. "I must know what is in your Heart jharmeen... You have been hurt by my actions, you've felt heart-ach in my every failure... that hints to me that you are not as lost to my love as you say, for without love, you can not feel the pain of that loves absense... And it is thus that i have become confused."

His eyes closed for a moment before he spoke his next words. "You have said to save our son, you needed to soround him with your love for me... A noble descision to make... But you said it yourself... your love is not an object. I believe you still have it... Still experience it... But you have convinced yourself you do not, can not..."
"or at least when i first arrived you did... with my recent actions i feel i know nothing of your soul."

She sighed a little, looked down to her hands which she had clasped in her lap. Remained thus for a long moment; then she tilted her head back and gave him another long look. One perhaps a bit softer than previously.

“I did take all my love for you, Recinis; I ripped it from my being in desperation to save our son. Yes, it left a void within… yes, a void able to be filled yet again.”

She stopped, catching her lip between her teeth for a moment.

“When you came back, both times, you remained away. You never approached me as a husband should a wife; you scarcely spoke to me other than through the link we share. I could not reach out to you; you tried not with me. While I-- I do not think I can feel it now, I know the latter pained me greatly; oh how I remember yearning for the sound of your voice, Recinis. How well I remember the pain of waiting--”

How true the words he speaks, she realized with a jolt. For what is this pain which rises within me now?

Now she stood quietly to her feet, her hands held loosely by her sides. Within her being, the Beast let out another low growl.

“Why did you leave, Recinis? And more importantly: when you returned, why did you remain away from me? Why did you not try to fill that void?

"Why could you not press onward, and seek out my soul which once you knew, oh so well, and which you state you do no longer?

“What do you really feel, Recinis? For I know what I once did feel, and I wonder what it would ever take to capture that feeling again.”

Inexplicably, the ghostly image of another Dark Lord rose up from the shadows to haunt her, even as her final words had left her lips.

"So the Imps ain't goin' to help you in this neither?" The boy asked, an amused smile growing on his face as he came side-to-side with his new found comrade.

Continuing on through the habitated of the weird world, they found themselves battling branches and leaves, hearing the sounds of grass being crunched under the powerful weight of their feet.

Even as their was not a word between the smugglers question, their were many sounds. Wild ones of the world, a weird and awkward world that Za'in had never explored or even read about.

It was all to new to him and the atmosphere forced his head around, scanning the premises in awe and wonder. There were many marvels in the life of this new planet, but the smell of it was all too old.

The world's odor reminded his nose of an encounter with an old Hutt during a bargain after a trail through the Smuggler Run.

"Pfft," he huffed in disgust as he took one last, daring sniff of the air, nearly coughing out something as he did.

He picked up the fork and moved several pieces of food around the plate. His thoughts, perhaps out of self defense, turned to Thoran. Why did Thoran come here? Surely he must have taken a warrior’s body, but did he then flee or is he still here?

She has the deepest eyes, the most breathtaking smile…

Images of Jharmeen filled his thoughts, crowding out all others. Phalomir stopped and put the fork down. He closed his eyes and let his head sink into his hands, this was going to be a long night.

Nothing was forthcoming.

She sighed.

"I have already pointed out your penchant for words, Recinis," she said at length. "Did I not recall your ability to use them so adroitly?

"And yet even now, in the shadow of fading action, even they fail you. For though you ply me with poetic words, you answer my questions not."

She looked down to the floor, studied it carefully. When she raised her head, it was to raise the tattoo-emblazoned wrist along with it.

"This would have no meaning to me, other than I have recently earned it, Recinis," she said heavily. "I would carry the mark of no name upon my flesh other than my own."

She looked to that tattoo as if she would wrench it from her flesh. Again she sighed.

"Goodbye, Recinis," she said softly.

Why am I acting so? I feel like a young buck, feeling enthralled for the first time with a girl who scorns him. There is too much to consider, too many enemies working against us for me to be concerned with the affections of…

Your soul mate?

He lifted his head and pushed himself away from the table. Thoughts such as these were counterproductive to the mission a hand, he needed rest if he was to harness the strength to face the challenges which could arise the next day. Surely a united front was needed, and Aelvedaar must certainly be laughing at the rifts that were forming.

She is your soul mate, can you not feel it? You cannot hide from this… we transcend time…

He walked from the dining hall and into the hallway, trying to remember the directions to his room. He turned down several corridors and found no familiar landmarks that would indicate the direction he came when first wandered from his bed. Images of the Dark Lady pushed all rational thinking from his tired mind.

Another item in which Aelvedaar may find humor. Perhaps I should simply sleep here in the hallway?

He snorted in self disgust and leaned against the wall. The faint sounds of footsteps echoed from the hallway, along with the muffled sounds of angry muttering. He cocked his head to listen, but could not make out the voice. He stepped away from the wall and walked towards the sounds. As he turned a corner he saw the Dark Lady pacing a short route in a long corridor. He stopped as she turned, their eyes locking.

“My lady,” he said quietly, “Forgive me, I heard a voice.”

His eyes softened. “Are you well? Is there anything I can do?”

His head throbbed for a while before something suddenly snapped and his mind went numb. His body shuddered as his thoughts simply vanished from existence and a cold swept over him
Goodbye Recinis.
the soft words echoed against the destroyed walls of his mind, filling him with finality, failure...

And so he sat, time wafting about him inexplicably, he became unaware of everything, even the knowledge of whether or not conciousness was upon him was out of his reach.

Her chambers…. Hers only.

She forced a somewhat grim smile upon her lips.

“I—I am well,” she began in reply to Phalomir, inwardly wincing at the incongruity of those words against her physical presence there, not to mention the aura which was undoubtedly radiating from her. She dropped her head and caught a look at her Tattoo of Entitlement. It still glowed in simple golden splendor, but had altered a bit in its design.

It is no longer Q’utaro, she realized with a start, and closed her eyes. Strangely enough, a great pain came rushing from some dim little spot in her soul; trembling now, she could only stand where she was, trying to determine just what that peculiar pain was all about.

It was the pain of… change, she suddenly decided, and raised her head to look directly into Phalomir’s green eyes. He stood quietly in front of her, concern and curiosity evident upon his face.

“I- I do not know how I am,” she finally admitted, while deep within her the Beast rose quietly to its feet, cocking its head to one side and flexing its claws in anticipation. “I feel somewhat… empty, although….”

Again she paused, searching inwardly, gently approaching her inner Beast to see what it had to say in the matter. It remained undisturbed but alert.

“Although at the same time, somehow… replete,” she finished, and fell silent.

...particularly when a wealth of emotion springs forth from one of those said links. So it was that something began stirring in Shayla's essence and willing her to wakefulness. Slowly Shayla responded to that stir, her eyes fluttering as she stretched out through the Force to analyze just what might have woken her so soon, for it was yet dark. This action was a simple one to undertake, for there were but two links she shared with another:

One with her husband, and one with Graysith. Sensing nothing untoward coming from her now-distant link with her husband, Shayla then reached towards Graysith...

...and was impacted with an admixture of emotion. Shayla sat up, her look suddenly worried.

What is wrong? Shayla queried with concern through that link.

”I—I am Lady Q’utaro no longer, Shayla,” she said silently, succinctly, then pausing for a brief moment as she wondered just who in fact she now was.

”Dark Lady still, but Q’utaro no longer.”

“Then I am sad and happy for you, my lady,” he mused.

He took a step closer to her and held up a hand, intending to caress her face. He paused and lowered it back in front of him, a wistful look upon his face.

“Since you had left with -- Recinis -- I had thought you had retired for the evening. I had given upon my appetite and tried to find my chambers… as you can see I, um, became lost.”

He took in the strange aura about her once more, the concern growing on his face. The hand which he held in front of him no finally made its way to the Dark Lady, gently touching the back of her hand.

...and by the underlying currents she felt through not only the words but through the link she shared with Graysith.

What has happened with Lord Recinis? she queried then, her pace quickening as something deep in her gut pushed her forward.

She shivered again, and drew her hand back from his, quickly placed her other one over it.

“I—I find I need time to…” she began, then stopped, wondering.

Time to—what? Rest? Recover from trauma? Become accustomed to the idea that she was Dark Lady without a Lord… something which she had already consigned herself to months ago when Recinis had first left?

“To meditate,” she finally finished, then tilted her head to Phalomir even as she sent a quiet reply along the link she shared with Shayla.

He looked around the hallway.

“I shall try to find my room. I believe it may be this way…”

He smiled and shrugged.

“Or perhaps this way…”

His face showed concern once more, and a soft smile crossed his lips.

Lord Recinis and I have parted ways this night, Shayla, by action of my own undertaking as he remained lacking in his...

A thought came instantaneously to her mind.

Hadn't Graysith been with Lord Phalomir when she had left her? When did Recinis come into the picture?

Shayla sent a simple question along the link once more, knowing Graysith would understand the implications. What happened with Lord Phalomir after I departed from your company?

For a moment Shayla left her thoughts at this, but something deep within her pushed her to take heed at last of just where her feet had been carrying her all along.

Do you need me? I am already on the way...

"it is time..." his voice broke the dead silence in his chambers as he moved to the doorway, touching a few places on the wall it opened a hair and he stepped out, closing it immediatly afterwards.

"If you will follow me, I shall lead you to your rooms," she said to Phalomir, turning and beginning to walk along the corridor. "They are this way, and not far from my own."

As she walked, she sent a thought out to Shayla:

He followed her through the hallways, embarrassed as to how close he actually had been to his room. When they reached his door they both stopped. He smiled, but the Dark Lady seemed lost in thought. He cast a concerned look to her.

“I hope you find peace in your meditations,” he said. “And remember, should you need me, I am here. I always shall be.”

His form was much different then when last they laid eyes upon him, and he did not expect to be recognized.

For now he towered above his mother, at a full grown height of 7 feet, his form remained thin, lean muscle hidden beneath the folds of his great robes. His eyes had shifted into a radiant violet which mirrored those that were held by his mothers. His horns had grown proportionatly with his height, thrusting forward and then upward a few feet into the air with small spirals. His skin had darkened and become more red then his earlier years would show, and his head had become shaved save a single red braid that escaped from the back of his head.
Altogether looking like a much older, more sith dominant, Jharu.

His gaze focused upon the eyes of his mother and he smiled to himself.
"i believe i hold answers that you would be pleased to hear." his voice drifted softly from his lips.
Let us see how your mind reacts to this mother... Let us see just how fare your motherly bonds and instincts can stretch.

"Guards! A strange one has entered the temple and penetrated deeply, almost to my very room! Attend your Dark Lady at once!"

It seemed but mere moments had passed before her ears caught the sound of swiftly approaching footsteps. And even as they came, Graysith paused, feeling her alarm lessen by the tiniest bit as a strange feeling of recognition came over her. She tilted her head to one side, reaching out tentatively to the stranger....

"Jharu?" she whispered, taking an involuntary step forward even as Phalomir stepped briskly between her and the newcomer.

She hit the feeling of smug derision as if she had slammed into a brick wall, and recoiled. Her eyes darkened.

"What is this strangeness?" she finally asked, her brows lowering.

Then slowly he lifted the robes from his wrist to reveal the symbol that long ago she herself had enscribed there, in order to assure her of his identity.

he took a deep breath before speaking.
"this 'strangness' as you put it... is the conclusion to actions taken ealier upon this very day...

Aelvedaar flung me through time... I landed far away... Deep in the past... I became a part of the history of events which leads to this very day..."

he looked about nervously for a moment before turning his gaze into his mothers once again.
"The shorthand is that I am here because it is i that set history in motion... I that changed the course of time... it is a strange paradox, that to this day i do not understand... "

he leaned in slightly and spoke more quietly.
"When Aelvedaar disposed of me... I landed 10000 years in the past... In the very years that Recinis called home... I was found by a sorcerer... And learned his art... And through means of great 'magics' if they could be called so.... I am here with the very same method that i sent my father to this time to protect you long before..."

he then leaned back and glanced about "you must forgive me if my details are somewhat... sparse... But this is a somewhat... Public place... Would it be possible to find a more enclosed location, even if it is merly within this room, i do not like speaking in hallways...."

as he spoke of rooms he gestured to the door phalomir had earlier been preparing to open.
Before adding quietly
"I know its probably hard to accept... But i can explain everything if you give me a chance... I am your son... Mostly anyway... After what Aelvedaar did to me... Im not sure what is left of my original self..."

A sad smile crept onto his features for a second before he continued slowly,
"You never realize how much you rely on something as a comforter... Untill it is taken from you and you are left with only half of yourself to survive..."

A chill raced up and down Graysith’s spine, but she held the following reflexive shiver at bay. Crossing her arms over herself, she snorted in derision.

“Your father was sent into a Long Sleep, to awaken at this time period to protect the one he only knew as the Graysith. That he did admirably enough, along with the assistance of others until the reason he had been sent her to protect me had been achieved.

“The Sith were brought back, into this time as planned, albeit under unsettled leadership. I have, however, no qualms that we shall find resolution to that final question.”

She paused again, sending a tendril of herself out into his mind, his essence, his very spirit. What she sensed there caused her to shiver again; quietly, she removed that tendril altogether, and took a step back.

“Why you are here may or may not be of importance; this will be determined when you plead your case. Or at least allow the reasons for it in audience sought along the proper channels… as you say you are mostly my son.

“You will follow proper protocols and procedures, Jharu; Phalomir—“

She broke off, turning smoothly away from Jharu and letting her gaze fall into his green eyes.

“As a Dark Lady to a Dark Lord, I would speak with thee this night,” she said formally.

He let the energies that were building inside of him calm, but his instincts still told him something was not right.

He followed Jharmeen into the room and glanced back down the hall once more. He shook his head in confusion and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

He laughed to himself for a moment as the thoughts struck through him.
"I am Jharu still mother... But i am not the Jharu you knew... For half of the jharu you knew was destroyed and placed into another vessel.... I am merly the remains..."
His voice wove itself through the darkness as though a poem from the lips of a singing minstril. Then his gaze went slowly to the symbol upon his wrist, which symbolized the part of him that was still her son... Then quietly his gaze went to the now revealed symbol upon his other wrist, which sybolized to him all that he had lost...
I often wonder if there is enough of me left that is what you knew for you to harver love for me again... and i must say... to this day i am not sure...

his eyes narrowed dangeriously as he swore a silent curse to aelvedaar for destroying him...

"someday jharu... Someday you will rise again, and fulfil the roles you have set forth to be filled..."

...a strange one has entered the Temple and penetrated deeply, almost to my very room!

Shayla's feet took wings at this. Though she knew not who this intruder was, it didn't matter. The safety of Graysith mattered first and foremost. As Shayla finally rounded the corner, she was unsurprised to find Sith guards already in the area, and no apparent stranger to be found.

Good, she thought briefly, At least it appears any initial threat has been taken care of.

Jerking herself from this thought then, Shayla stepped to the entrance of Graysith's bedchambers whereupon she was met by a Sith guard. She nodded to him respectfully.

"The Dark Lady has asked that I meet her here," she said simply then. The guard didn't say a word, but instead nodded once and stepped to the side of the door, allowing Shayla passage. Once more she nodded respectfully to him before she stepped into the room where she found Phalomir and Graysith waiting.

Her eyes met Graysith's in concern. "What happened? How is it that a stranger managed to worm his way into these walls, as fortified as they are?" she queried worriedly, sensing somehow that this was more than a simple intrusion...

...and a mere intruder.

"This... stranger claims to be my-- my son," she faltered. "He-- he claims that when Lord Aelvedaar sent him away, it was to a point 10,000 years in the past...

"...and a point from which he learned of the sorcerer's arts, sending first his own father to this time to meet with me, followed then by himself!"

She shuddered a bit, wrapping her arms about herself.

"Such a paradox ought not to exist; he wished to speak of more, but I felt a strange... inclination to depart from his presence to discuss just what might truly be happening."

Once again she stopped, tilted her head down as she pondered. Another shiver raced through her.

She paused then a moment, her eyes defocusing as she continued to ponder. "But what indeed would Lord Aelvedaar be trying to distract us from? And why would he risk teaching your own flesh and blood the Sorceror's art simply as a method to beguile us? Jharu is your son; it would stand to reason that he would think first and foremost of his mother...

...unless of course he was bent to serve Lord Aelvedaar's purpose somehow..." Shayla shuddered a bit at her own words, "...and we all know how very convincing Lord Aelvedaar can be when it comes to that..."

At this Shayla trailed, her mind still spinning with ideas and thoughts. Her greeny-blue eyes rested on Graysith for a few moments, then she let her gaze shift to Phalomir. As with Graysith, she let her eyes rest on him a moment...

...and in that moment, the beginnings of another possibility began to emerge. "You know," Shayla said suddenly, "I know that Aelvedaar was the one who took Jharu, but for some reason something about his supposed reappearance seems reminiscent of things that Thoran told me concerning Phalomir. Thoran claimed his Master put he and Phalomir in the Eye together so that he would have time to shape Phalomir's memories and thus set a trap for him. Maybe I'm grasping at straws here but...

...with the apparent all usage of Thoran's master, with Thoran's claim that he was sent into the past to reshape Phalomir's memories...

...and with this older Jharu who thinks he sent his father and then himself here now appearing...

...it just makes me wonder if perhaps Thoran's unnamed master is Aelvedaar himself. After all, false memories were placed within Phalomir...

...and could have just as easily been planted within Jharu. I find it hard to believe that Aelvedaar would actually teach him the art of Sorcerory...

...and I find it even harder to believe that Jharu sent his father ahead in time to meet you. For if Recinis had not been sent forward in time by someone else other than Jharu...

...Jharu would not exist at all. And who else other than Aelvedaar do we know that is quite so skilled at toying with both time and the mind?"

“Aelvedaar is shrouded in much mystery to me. Shayla, what you present is an interesting notion, and one that would I not find surprising if it were true. But to me, having encountered both Aelvedaar and Thoran’s master, they felt as two different beings. For all I know, they could be the same... the master could even be a future alternate version of Aelvedaar. Yet it was different for the one other person I have for certain encountered in multiple timelines. To me, that person felt the same in both--”

His thoughts turned quickly to Jharmeen. A sudden rush of emotions, sensations, and memories ripped through his mind. He tried to hide the instant jolt of pain by leaning forward in his chair and rubbing at an eye. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind.

“The paradox, as you have stated, my lady, is astounding. I am most curious as to how Jharu managed time travel, and why he chose this very night to present himself; the day of his disappearance and the eve of our journey of discovery at the Temple of the Armorers. How long has he been in this timeline as an adult? And could this have something to do with the other stranger that came to you earlier this evening?”

He leaned back in his chair and regarded the Dark Lady with burdened eyes.

“You both have presented me with good, solid questions, and ones which I see no means of finding answer to unless we let… Jharu come speak his mind and trust that he will speak truthfully, or—“

She trailed, letting one slim finger reach out to trace along an intricate design woven into the tapestry of the divan.

“Or we must seek answers ourselves, and without the knowledge of either this newcomer or Lord Aelvedaar.”

She paused a moment with that, letting her eyes darken with the weight of what her last words implied. Clearly they would be fools indeed to believe the Dark Lord of the Sorcerers was sitting nonchalantly in his Temple on the sister planet, unaware of the activity in progress on K’eel Doba. She looked meaningfully from Shayla to Phalomir.

“How can we determine truth from guile? How can we know if the sensations felt by Phalomir are true or false; Shayla is correct in that this Master has the ability to plant false memories within one. The Revealer cannot provide us with answers at this time,” she said quietly, letting her eyes drop to study her lap for a moment. Then she raised her head.

“There are remote locations heavy with ancient history, or so I have been told. Do you think these places would give us a clue as to this mysterious Sith who overpowers your friend Thoran, and who may or may not be Aelvedaar himself? Indeed, Lord Aelvedaar came from a time four thousand years in the past—“

She cut herself off momentarily, wondering at the utter simplicity of that statement, wondering why it had never really struck her in that manner before.

“Would there be clues as to who he is as well?

“And what of—of Jharu?” she ended with, gulping a bit in pain. It seemed she really had no son any longer; indeed, almost as if she never had one at all, so short a time did she have to spend with the lad who in turn never had the privilege of enjoying the simple pleasure of living a normal childhood. She pushed that thought away with some effort, trying to remain focused on the possibility that Jharu this man might be, but son to her simply by the fact of the genes contained in his body.

“What of Jharu?” she repeated. “Shall we go to him now, ask our questions, grant him audience on the morrow… or remain silent and see if he takes it upon himself to approach us via normal protocols his—situation would demand?”

...and most likely a great risk on all counts. But would one way possibly present less risk than another? And was the amount of risk alone a good measuring stick as to what route to take? Or should they look beyond just the risk of any action they took?

She began by voicing those very concerns aloud. "I don't know if there is any way to completely hide our movements from Aelvedaar," she stated then, "Unless of course the All can grant us an advantage of sorts. We've always believed that the All only works when the Greater Good is at stake..."

Shayla paused, frowning, "...but then I don't know if we can even rely on that anymore after all that has happened. Perhaps the Eye and the Finger of R'lous can somehow be used to give us an advantage over Aelvedaar...

...but I think it would serve us best to keep Aelvedaar on the offensive rather than give him the ability to go on the defensive. As for Jharu..."

Again she paused, pursing her lips as she continued to consider, "...perhaps it would be best for us to see if he will make use of appropriate avenues to speak with us. My concern in going and confronting him is, first and foremost, that this would put him on the defensive. Not to mention that perhaps going directly to him and granting him audience may make us seem a little too eager for answers...

...but then again it may give us the upper hand by making us appear totally in control." Shayla looked to Graysith, "You are, after all, the Dark Lady of the Warriors, and you gained such a position by the authority you have taken. Perhaps now is the time to take that authority once more. After all, we can always take that which Jharu may claim and compare it to any factual evidence we can gather from these ancient sources of history you have mentioned. We have more than one resource to gather information from here...

...if you could call bread that tasted about two months old that. Not to mention the lack of clean water...

He sighed at this thought, pacing his holding cell once more, wondering if these Sith were ever going to do anything with him. He hated to admit it, but Matt almost wished he had some of that Walk'n Fall stuff Jasyn liked to smash himself with occasionally...

... almost. And in the words of Han Solo, anything had to be better than waiting around. But then, perhaps he wouldn't be waiting around forever...

...perhaps. Hearing the mossy "door" of his holding cell open, Matt turned smartly to face the Sith warrior who now entered with a tray in his hands. Matt didn't even pay attention to the tasteless bread and water sitting on it...

...but rather chose to meet the Sith's aquamarine gaze with his intense green eyes.

The Sith are an honorable race, came Aaron's words screaming through Matt's mind even as he bowed his head respectfully then to this Sith in a show of deference. Momentarily he couldn't help but wonder just how to address this poweful being. He was more than a mere warden. Should he address him as Sir? Great one? What did the protocol demand?

Not having enough knowledge to make such a judgement, Matt knew he'd have to let his body language convey what his words may or may not. He met the Sith's gaze with assurity after nodding in respect once more. He wasn't sure if this Sith would even understand basic, but he hoped he would at least understand one word in his brief statement. "Sir, I humbly request an audience with your leader Graysith, so that I may at least plead my case..."

He quieted at this, waiting, never flinching.

...and so that I may perhaps get some of the answers we have sought for seemingly so long, came a silent addendum even as he continued to wait quietly and patiently.

“Yes,” she said simply, rising to her feet. “We should indeed make use of all resources available to us. And the first one shall be Jharu, if indeed he is who he claims to be.”

Still nodding to herself, she went to the door where a long, velvety bell-pull hung. Taking up the heavily tasseled hanging she gave it a great jerk, then stepped back and waited in silence, crossing her hands in front of herself. Her wait was not a lengthy one; mere moments passed before there came a knock on her door, followed by a muffled but respectful, “My Lady, you called?”

Graysith moved forward and opened the door to reveal Salandaar. For a moment their eyes met; she frowned, reading something in his, and immediately reached out a tendril of her essence into his mind. He merely closed his eyes, tilting back his head to offer himself freely to her; when she found what she sought, she yanked that tendril from him with a suddenness that was almost savage.

“This one was not to be treated in that manner!” she scolded, her eyes flashing into the Sith’s now opened pair. He blinked, but kept a level gaze sweeping out a space somewhere behind her right shoulder. Tension crackled; then she reached out a hand to him.

“You did not know,” she said softly, quickly adding, “See to it that he is removed from the cell, and given food and clothing and comfortable rooms. I would speak with him on the morrow; meanwhile…”

She paused a moment, cut a quick glance over her shoulder to Shayla and Phalomir. Then she turned back to Salandaar.

“Take a message to—to Jharu,” she said, stumbling slightly before hurrying on. “Inform him he may now seek audience with me, as he was so eager to do. I shall wait for him in the Grand Reception Hall; go now, my friend.”

She smiled and gave Salandaar a light touch. He responded with a, “Yes, my Lady,” bowed once with fist over his chest, turned and left. She let her gaze thump against his retreating back until the closure of her door cut off that avenue entirely; then she turned back to the others.

“Come,” she said, and took a step to one side. “We shall go to the Reception Hall and await Jharu. I shall give him the course of this night to come to us; if he does not, then—“

She broke off, her eyes darkening dangerously.

“Then I know he truly is no longer my son, and his presence here one of beguilement and possible danger to us.”

For a moment she let herself wallow in dark visions only she herself could see; then she lightened perceptibly, and drew in a deep breath. Heading to her dressing curtain, she began to reclothe herself.

“I am sorry that I am dragging you into this with me, my friends,” she called out as she dressed, “but I need you by my side. The night, I am afraid, promises one way or another to be a long one; on the morrow we may rest and recover from that which we must now endure.”

Unless more evil should arise within the next few hours… she could not help but add to herself, knowing full well the others heard that comment as clearly as if she had spoken the words aloud.

“Come,” she repeated as she exited, clad now in a long gown of shimmering ruby and wearing her signature cloak of rune encrusted smoke. She paused to attend to a nonexistent wrinkle, then turned round and led them from her chambers and out into the corridor beyond.

...but something told her she just might need to be a little more prepared for action than that. Fastening her weapons belt around her waist, Shayla couldn't help but frown ever the slightest. It was bare of a lightsaber or even a blaster...

In time, you will have no need for such toys...

...and she found herself truthfully not caring. Excepting the fact that she was a Jedi, and at some point she may have to defend herself.

But then, who says you have to pursue agressive negotions with weapons? Even a Force-user has powers of his or her own to avoid such things...

...as do you.

Secure in that very realization, Shayla finished dressing, replacing her boots on her feet and pulling her violet cloak about herself. In but a few minutes she entered the Hall where Graysith already sat waiting and came to her side.

"He's made no attempt for audience yet?" Shayla queried then, cocking a brow and waiting for the answer she somehow already knew was coming.

Had he been granted audience already? Or was something else going on? And why was it that they were allowing a man who had been imprisoned in a cell only moments before now walk freely behind a single Sith? Aaron had said that Terrin had some sort of connection with these guys, and particularly Graysith, though Matt couldn't remember it...

...but perhaps it was so with this apparent change in events.

As they progressed through a maze of winding corridors, Matt's intense green eyes took in the lavishness and beauty of the grand Sith Temple, soaking in every detail. At length, however, the Sith stopped in front of a heavy and richly carved door. Still without a word, the Sith motioned Matt to stop there, opening the door and looking inside as if inspecting the situation within. Matt cocked a curious brow, then lowered it.

The warrior then turned to him, speaking his first distinct words.

"You may rest and refresh yourself within. The Graysith will speak with you on the morrow. Should you desire sustenance, there is a Dining Hall straight down the hallway."

With no further word than this, the Sith stepped to the side, allowing Matt passage into the room.

Matt nodded once, politely. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said, then stepping into the room. As the warrior closed the door behind him, even the typically calm Matt Stanza couldn't stop his jaw from dropping at the sheer opulence of the quarters he'd apparently been assigned to.

Kriffing hell. Possible connections indeed...

As he entered the great hall he cast his gaze about untill he located his mother, with a slight smile he quickly approuched her, she was in the pressence of Shayla, his smile broadened for a moment before his features returned to utter calmness.

When he reached them he bowed respectfully.
"you called for me?" his words came from his lips smoothly before his gaze swept the rest of the hall to take in the sight.

“You called for me?” he asked her politely enough. Graysith’s violet eyes turned garnet, and she rose to her feet in one fluid motion.

“No, I did not call for you,” she said in a dangerous tone of voice, sweeping his tall form with a cold gaze. “I merely let it be known that I was now available; it was up to you to seek audience with me, to adhere to proper protocols in presenting this information which you carry. The halls of this temple or one’s private chambers are no place for such things to be spoken.”

She paused, letting her hands idly smooth her gown and cloak a bit before she whirled and continued up the stepped dias to the pair of ornately carved and bejeweled thrones at its apex. Once there she went to the smaller of the two, and settled herself comfortably upon it, one hand now tracing the designs etched in bas relief along one of its arms.

At length she leant forward.

“While it is possible for you, as Jharu, to have gone into the past as a young man, there to grow to the adulthood which you have reached, it is an utter paradox that you be the one to send your own father to this time to meet with me. The timeline itself will not allow such things to happen, that which I know as the All would not as well. It simply runs that the existence of everything which is in the manner in which it should be run, and such paradoxes cannot be allowed.”

She straightened, her eyes segueing from garnet into deep tourmaline. They flicked to Shayla, bidding her in silence to stand ready, but before lighting back on Jharu flicked away toward the double door. A pang gripped her throat, and she suddenly found herself hoping Phalomir would come striding through those doors. She forced that feeling aside for the moment, and turned her focus back on the one claiming to be her son.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He sincerely hoped that what he had felt earlier with her was real, the spark of something forming. Although for Phalomir that spark was a raging fire that had consumed him for years, although in another time.

He slowly cleared his head and began his way to the Grand Reception Hall. Moments later he was standing outside the doors and taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He steadied himself and prepared to do battle with emotions, vain attempts to keep his attention focused on things other than Jharmeen. He stepped forward and flung the doors open, striding stalwartly through the opening.

He stopped and stared at the man claiming to be Jharu, who had turned to face Phalomir. The doors, carried by the momentum of Phalomir’s entrance, closed shut. Phalomir stared blank faced at the Sith-appearing man before him, a man who this morning barely reached Phalomir’s waist and who now stood nearly Phalomir’s own height.

“Forgive me,” he said flatly. “I was not aware an audience was in progress.”

She searched deeper into the still-silent Jharu’s eyes, waiting. Then she turned her attention to Phalomir, nodding him onward until he had gained a position at the foot of the dias next to Shayla. Then she spoke aloud.

“This audience is not in progress, but only begun,” she said to Phalomir, noting his fatigue but warmed further by the fact that he had come to join her here in the Hall, as had her adept. A slight smile flicked about her lips, then she sobered.

“For one who had so much of which to speak, you remain remarkably taciturn, Jharu,” she admonished, turning her gaze back to her son.

“Perhaps you have not come to offer information, as you claim, but rather to gain it for the benefit of another?”

...he had more of an affinity for blending into his surroundings and assessing them. A human, dressed in Sith attire would do everything but blend in to the surroundings of a Sith dining hall.

After running his flightsuit through the ‘fresher...

...that was to say the apparent Sith version of a ‘fresher...

...Matt changed back into them from the robe he had worn as he had waited for his clothes to be completely clean. As he had waited, he had astutely studied his surroundings, hoping to gain all the knowledge he possibly could about the people and the culture. Aaron had said that he and Jasyn...

...and Terrin and Galen...

...had spent quite some time in dealings with these peoples. Yet Matt remembered it not. Frowning at this strangeness, Matt --now properly cleaned and reattired in his flightsuit—headed out of his suites and to the Dining Hall the Sith warrior had spoken of earlier. He was rather hungry...

...but Matt also had to admit his curiosity was peeked. As he entered the Dining Hall he found a buffet of food and drink awaiting. He took a plate and filled it, then approached the drink bar and took a goblet of some sort of Sith liquor. Finding a quiet corner then, he sat and watched, keenly aware that a Sith guard here or there glanced his way as if evaluating whether he should be there or not. Not one bothered him, however, indicating that in all likelyhood the guards had been informed of his presence.

Treated first as a captive...only to be released and then treated as a guest. Relations with Sith, a blood oath between this Graysith and your boss who has passed away far too young...

...and you don’t remember the circumstances of any of this.

Once more Matt frowned, reaching then for his goblet of liquor and taking a sip. Letting it roll about in his mouth a bit, he took in the flavor of it...

...some sort of brandy, probably...

...and then swallowed.

Good stuff. Jasyn would really like...

Matt paused mid-thought as yet another one slammed into him.

Dear gods, Jasyn, what the Hell has happened to you...?

Yet another puzzle. And Matt couldn’t help but wonder, in that moment...

If the Sith are suddenly being so hospitable with you, might they perhaps aid you in discovering the whereabouts of your so inexplicably missing companion...?

"You have said that what i told you earlier can not be... And yet it is... Unless of course my memories are not my own. You can put all faith in these idea's... You can believe with all your heart, that i am not actauly your son, or you can believe that i am, you can believe that i have been altered in order to fool or throw you off... but no matter what things may be... My mind is what it is at this point, and nothing more."

He turned to look at phalomir for a moment before returning his gaze to her and continuing.
"you said the timeline would not allow it... Yet as far as i am concerned, it has... As for the All. I have no use of that what-so-ever. That gift was stripped from me, and dispite my numorous attempts to gain a natural usage as Aelvedaar and Roan held... I have failed to regain it. So I truly could not explain how that ties into my being here."

he took another deep breath and continued on, his words gaining some volume as he did so.
"You have told me that this is not a proper place for my words to be heard, where then? no place is beyond spying eyes... if someone truly wishes to know something, they will have the information one way or another."

his gaze then slowly went to the mark upon his wrist.

"if i am a paradox that can not be allowed... Then perhaps it is in your best interest to dispose of me now... if i do not speak the full extent of my knowledge, then while it can not help you, it can not be used against you either. the choice is yours."

His gaze then snapped back to hers.
"what Aelvedaar did to me was something that changed who i was... The pain of being empty is estonishing. I lost everything that day, In a way you could say i died, i never really lived afterwards, im prepared for my death, and i will go on in this life only as long as it serves the best interests of the sith to do so."

What nonsense, this? Such contradictory ramblings, such apparent oblivion to the words she had spoken directing him to this place, such utter apathy towards not only her request that he continue with what he had begun to speak in the hall but towards her in general…

She blinked again, now fighting back the uprising of sudden tears, turning all her rapidly diminishing strengths inward to seek that of the Beast, that in the face of this she could yet act as Dark Lady and not a mother filled with the fresh despair brought on by the loss of a child. For certainly she had lost Jharu, just as certainly as if Lord Roan had wrenched him from her, taking him away to another time and place, to raise him….

She paused at that thought, the tears drying in her face.

Perhaps that idle regard held more merit than she thought. Perhaps that was what had in fact happened. Certainly Roan was known for his penchant for advancing children in age if it suited his purposes, and as far as what Jharu considered to be his memories….

Well. There was another, unknown entity, one in league with Thoran and through him seen in collaboration with Roan, who not only possessed the capability to muddle with one’s memories but seemed to delight in doing so.

A shiver raced through her. She flicked a glance toward Shayla, let that glance slide into Phalomir’s verdant gaze. Then she straightened, and with some effort calmed herself until once more she presented herself as the Dark Lady of the Warriors.

No more. No less.

“Jharu,” she began, striving to keep her voice somewhere in tone between that of soft request and that of imperious command.

“You have mistaken me, I believe. I sent word to you that you could now seek audience with me, to reveal that which is of so great an import to the Sith, that which I felt the common halls of this temple were an inappropriate place in which to speak.”

She paused again, fighting with herself. To gain a degree of calm, she sought the others, seeking out the warmth existing within Phalomir and Shayla and with her talents making them aware of her sudden suspicions regarding her son. For a moment all was still; she thought she felt a returning warmth, but didn’t take the time to heed it too greatly. All her focus returned to Jharu, and she leaned slightly forward.

“Now you have the freedom you seek to speak to me, to tell me why you came, to reveal this message you bear which is of so great an importance to our people.

...and far more luck than he would like to bank on. Though night was still upon the planet, Jasyn could clearly see some movement within the city even from a distance. It was going to be very difficult to avoid attracting attention...

...and Jasyn was beginning to ponder other alternatives. He could purposefully get captured...

...but then that didn't garantee getting where he wanted to be, let alone getting to Matt. He could continue with stealth...

...but that would only get him so far. He recalled the Impy's suggestion to find help within...

...and found himself wondering if perhaps he could do just that. Still he had yet to figure out exactly how to find an ally among these Sith whom he knew so little of, who had already captured him once before and had captured his commrades yet again. Pursing his lips at this, Jasyn at length lowered the binoculars and turned to regard his silent companion. He crooked a brow, not moving any further than that.

“Looks like we keep going this way til we reach the city...

...which shouldn’t take too much longer,” he whispered. “Then we’re going to have to find ourselves as safe a route as possible into the Temple where the others have probably been taken, hopefully with the aid of at least a guide, if not a new ally...”

Jasyn paused a moment at that, something flashing in the depths of his brown eyes. “...this is going to get very risky...

...and extremely complicated...”

Trailing at that, Jasyn started on the move once more, crawling his way towards the city and all the while continuing to ponder just what the Hell he was going to do once he got there...

Shrugging it off, he concealed the pain, hiding it away behind his eyes as he let out a sniffle with a rub of his nose. Crawling forward, the crumpling of the surface below let out a grumble of defiance. When finally fighting through the terrian, his knees burrowing in the ground along with his elbows as he crawled desperately forward so to nudge his new, but silent, compaion.

After reaching him at his side, the now hasty Za'in nudged him with an elbow in hopes to gain the brown eyed man's attention. Letting out a whisper, his hand cuffed around the ends of his lip.

"Why are we heading over there," he said, his hand notioning in the direction. "Are the others in that city or something?"

An eyebrow curved in question as he stared through the darkness, his eyes vibrant and puzzled. A sense of quizzacal surronded his aura as he lay there, his body pressing against the dirty grounds. All seemed confusion, but it was quite obvious why. A man, a simple smuggler, had found himself along the dirts of a planet unknown and never yet the whole situation had never been phantomed.

He had walked with this man, this Jasyn, all this time, but he never knew the path would lead to the ruins of a forgotten race. A place that no man, other than a bored being, could ever even dream up such a place.

"What are we doing here,"he thought, his head down, his nose barley a millimeter away from touching the dirty floor he had crawled upon.

...after all, that's what the Imps informed us. Do you remember this, or have you been sleeping with your eyes open the past few hours?"

Jasyn paused at this, his brown eyes never leaving Almar. In that moment of quiet, he found his sparking temper dwindle into oblivion. Something dark and suspicious replaced it, something directed not at Za'in in the slightest. "I know this all seems strange," he continued then, his voice still lowered, "But I know we're heading in the right direction."

He trailed. Then, "I've been here once before..."

Perhaps more than once, eh pal?

"...and so have the others. This is the place. And if we keep moving..."

He looked up, glancing towards the nearing city, "...we should cross the perimeter of the city in less than a standard hour. So let's get going again."

"What in the name of the Fates is the matter with you?" Shayla finally said aloud, her statement sudden yet very intentional. She let her greeny-blue eyes bore into those of Jharu. "This is your mother you are speaking to after all...

...the very one you claim you have been so longing to be with. And yet in the same breath you would say that you have not come so that she could have her son once more?"

Shayla paused, frowning. She stepped in front of Jharu, her eyes never leaving his face as she regarded him. Though he towered over her in height, she was unintimated. She continued on, her voice softening yet still carrying and edge. "And you are not the only one who has ever lost usage of the All; I have been there myself, as have others. I know not what you have been through since that day, but I know for a fact that this one single gift which you lost, which you seem to despair so over, is not what defines who you are. Only you can decide that for yourself no matter what gifts and talents you possess..."

...true potential...

"...and somewhere along the lines, you did decide, or you would not be here today in the form of Jharu the Sorceror. Yet you remain shrouded in mystery, and you answer not the questions presented to you by your very own mother, the mother whom you say you have missed so dearly. Why do you care not that there is a possibility your own memories have been toyed with and falsified, and that what you claim to have done is a total impossibility? Why do you remain so strangely silent after claiming to have so much you need to say? And how can you, severed links be damned, lose the feelings you have for your own mother? Who have you decided to become truly, Jharu?"

That atmosphere was changed with a vengeance, however, as Shayla burst forth with heated words of her own. A tiny smile rippled across Graysith’s face, and she leaned forward to hear how Jharu would reply to the young adept. But her son remained obstinately silent; at length Graysith settled back in the throne, a distant thundercloud building upon her face.

“The hour grows late, and we have endured much this night,” she said all of a sudden. The expression on her face now was joined by rising fire in her eyes, a growing flame which took up residency there, altering their hue until the violet in them had darkened to a tornadic hue. The finger bearing the Claw of S’slan began rapping against the arm of her throne, faster and faster until it propelled her to her feet altogether. She stood, staring down at Jharu for a moment before cutting her eyes to take in the sober Phalomir and the extremely annoyed Shayla.

She returned her gaze to Jharu, tilting her head a bit to one side to take in his form. Another jolt of pain shot through her, lightning bolting through that growing storm—

…you may just as well give me another name, and forget who I am…

--but she forced it away, focusing instead on Jharu’s prior statements.

“You state that you have come back as an obligation to the Sith, and that you have great information which it appeared you quite urgently needed to reveal to me. This you spoke of in the corridor outside my chambers; yet now given the opportunity to explain yourself, you speak only in riddles and otherwise remain silent.”

She paused then, and took a step down from where she stood in front of her throne, then another and yet another. Finally she stood on the lowest step, mere feet from Jharu; giving her shoulders a shrug so that her cloak would hang more comfortably from them, she stared deeply into his eyes.

They have grown violet, like my own...

A moment passed by in which Jharu did nothing other than tilt down his own head to meet her gaze. They remained locked together such for an indeterminable moment; then she reached out a slender hand, paused as if catching herself, then let the gesture continue. Her hand alighted upon his chest like a bird coming to rest upon a perch, just over his heart. It remained there, cool and pale, pressing slightly but firmly against the rich cloth of his robes.

Her eyes never once left his.

“What Lord Aelvedaar did to you is unpardonable, Jharu,” she said quietly, “and shall be punished. This I vow to you as… as your mother.”

Unable to bear the rushing emotions brought forth by that statement, she closed her eyes. Fire and pain warred within her breast, bringing fresh moisture to her eyes. She blinked, forcing herself not to give in to hurt and anger.

But how could Jharu compare her pain with his? A day, a month… it mattered not. The loss of a child is a loss of a child; at the time of that loss she had no idea where he had been taken, or if she would ever indeed lay eyes upon him again. And now he had returned, but under such a cloud of seeming apathy towards her as to make even that former pain seem miniscule by comparison.

She opened her eyes once more. They glistened in the dim lighting, sheened with fresh moisture.

“You are my son, Jharu, and as such are afforded the amenities of this temple, as well as those which your station afford. You have the freedom of this place, and of this city. When the time is right for you to state that which it is you say you must, you know how and where to find me.”

She broke off, taking a fresh breath.

“Your father yet remains within these walls, should you desire to seek him out as well. He—he remains distant from me, son; I have in turn distanced myself from him. This I feel you have the right to know.”

Another pause, another inner search while she waited for the fresh pang of hurt and despair logic demanded those words should provoke. Instead… nothing. She sighed, closed her eyes yet again, and wondered just what it was she had done to herself upon that dire day in Dagobah.

“Seek me when you need me, son,” she repeated, pressing her hand more strongly against his heart, then letting it rise to grip and squeeze his shoulder. That statement ended in a sigh of air as, her eyes still closed, she then stepped fully off the steps of the dias and went around Jharu, allowing the All to lead her away from him and the throne and the demands her station placed upon her.

It did not lead her away from the knot of hurt coiled up between the claws of the Beast, however. Without active use for it, not even its great strength was powerful enough to soothe her broken heart.

He watched Jharmeen move around Jharu and head softly to the door. He glanced at the stoic Jharu, then turned his eyes to the still fuming Shayla. She looked at him boldly, her eyes trying to convey a message that his tired mind could not fathom at the moment. He then turned a reproaching gaze to Jharu, and slowly his body responded to the signals from his brain and he followed after Jharmeen.

He walked slowly, keeping his distance. She moved with a steady grace through the halls, her feet moving purposefully. He stayed behind several lengths, but not so great a distance that he could not be there within a second should the need arise. The strange, troubling feeling stayed with him as he followed and at times, when she turned a corner, he could swear that the Dark Lady’s eyes were closed.

On she continued, still letting the All guide her, until at length it’s easy pressure within her mind came to a halt. She allowed her feet to do so as well, and opened her eyes. They widened.

She was standing in front of the carved door behind which she had left Lord Recinis.

Behind her, Phalomir’s footsteps silenced. With great effort she refrained from casting a glance his way, and merely studied the ornate carvings in front of her. At length she raised a hand, let it rest against that rich and heavy portal, memories of another door toward which she had once been inexplicably led looming up from memories deep—

It is for thee I do this, my Dark Heart. Only for thee.

--and reached out tentatively with her thoughts.

Your—our son has been dealt a serious blow, Recinis, she sent out into his mind, feeling his presence, quiet and numb, behind the door. It may be that he seeks you out this night; he claims answers to questions I cannot form, he claims a kinship with the sorcerers, he claims to have been the one sending you into the Long Sleep…

He states he is no longer my son…

She trailed off with that, waiting a moment to see if Recinis would respond to that which she had sent him. But passing time cemented the probable fact that he would not; with a little sigh, she let her hand drop to her side, and for a moment simply stood there, reaching within.

Recinis...

The Beast within jerked flat pewter eyes upward and outward to meet that inner scrutiny head-on, and growled. Between its claws something fluttered and writhed; a deadly shining gaze dropped down even as those great claws tightened about the little mote. Then it lifted its massive head once more, a fresh growl rising to slaver from its throat.

Graysith merely sighed, and took a step backward, and then another. Finally, after pausing another moment, she turned from the doorway and continued through the corridors of the Great Temple of the Warriors.

Jharmeen stood still for several seconds, and Phalomir heard only her steady breath and his own heartbeat. The Dark Lady eventually turned from the door and proceeded down the corridor, and Phalomir let out a soft breath and continued to follow.

She paused at the door.

“Goodnight, Lord Phalomir,” she said softly, even as his tracking boot steps came to yet another respectful halt.

He thought then of finding his own room, then recalled the earlier embarrassment of becoming lost in the temple. He realized that he was about to have a repeat performance of that episode, but then noted the familiarity of the door next to him. The markings on it resembled the door to his room…

He opened the door and stepped inside. Yes, this was indeed his room. He shook his head wearily and headed straight for the bed, not worrying about changing into bedclothes. He sat down on the edge and fell over backwards onto the plush sheets.

But perhaps, then, it was not that particular storm the city stirred against in unconscious protest.

Salandaar awoke after a short and fitful slumber, his eyes snapping open despite the fact that they wanted nothing more than to remain stickily closed. His first thought upon awakening was the one which finally sent him off to sleep: his Mistress gently scolding him, chiding him for what he saw as his failing her.

He frowned, sat up quickly upon his hard wooden bunk, and swung his bare legs over until his feet slapped against the stone floor. After a moment’s pause to flex his arms and expand his chest, he pushed up onto his feet, and padded over to where his simple garments lay in a tidy tangle upon a simple chair. A quick run through the Sith equivalent of a ‘fresher, an even quicker donning of his robes and weapons, and he was ready.

He was in the act of striding from his quarters when her call came to him, stopping him in midstep. He stood there, one foot hanging stupidly a bit from the ground as he gave immediate and complete attention to the call of his Mistress; then it placed itself down on the stone, the heel lifted, and the ball pivoted as he whirled to go another direction.

”Yes, Milady,” he answered her, and headed off to the guest wing. There he made a beeline to the room in which he had transferred Matt, and knocked politely upon it.

"I am ready," Matt said unnecessarily then, waiting for the Sith warrior to take the lead. As Matt expected, the warrior did just that, leading him through winding corridors til at length they entered the Dining Hall where Matt had already been the night before. The warrior lead Matt to the table where a somewhat familiar violet-eyed woman sat with a plate of food. The warrior stepped to the side.

Matt nodded in respect to the Lady, following the protocol he had been keeping. Then he looked up. "Thank you for granting me audience, my Lady," he started simply, "And for your generous hospitality."

With this he spoke no further but quieted, feeling that the breakfast hour was not such a time to speak of what he wanted. So instead he waited for the Dark Lady's next directive, already knowing that she would be the one running the show. And after all...

...the despair of losing a child. A part of her knew it very well. Gently, Shayla let a tendril of concern and empathy pass through the link she shared with Graysith. But then her attentions were diverted by the entrance of a Sith warrior leading none other than Matt Stanza. Her greeny-blue eyes locked on him as he approached with a respectful nod and a few words, and she couldn't help but raise a curious brow for but a moment.

Strange, she thought, Why is he here?

Biting her lip at that, Shayla's memories came up with the probable answer. After all, she had some exchanges with some of the Eagle Enterprises employees not so long ago, Matt Stanza being one of them.

I wonder if they are still searching for Galen, came the thought which...

...and not unbeknownst to herself...

...slipped across The Link in silent curiosity.

Damn, Jasyn thought darkly as he glanced to the brightening skies above, We aren't going to get where I want to before the sun is finished rising.

Keenly aware that daylight meant being more easily seen, Jasyn glanced about, looking for a good hiding place...

...or perhaps for something else. At the moment they found themselves slipping through some grand foilage which surrounded a large building. Jasyn reached out a hand and placed it on Za'in's shoulder, eyeing the place thoughtfully. Whatever it was it seemed pretty deserted...

...and there was some sort of sign upon one of the great doors. Jasyn cocked a curious brow.

"Place looks deserted," he then whispered, voicing his thoughts. "Might as well scope it out and see what--"

Before Jasyn could finish his sentence, one of the great doors oiled open, and a sort of studious looking Sith, sans any apparent weapons, stepped out. The look in his eyes was tired and somehow troubled.

Jasyn's brown eyes slitted as he considered the opportunity presenting itself. Before he was even consciously aware of the move, he abandoned his hiding place among the shrubbery and jumped atop the steps, causing the Sith to draw back in utter surprise. Jasyn's hand went to his blaster, but he only withdrew it from its holster, seeing no need to take aim...

...at least, not quite yet. "We come seeking information..." he started succintly, only then pausing a moment.

...and a guide," he continued, his stance solid and unmoving. "Would you be so kind as to assist us?"

Figures stood in his mind, all simple backwater scum to the inner worlders, but friends and enemies to him. They were personal beings, one that he had encountered through his life. Every last one held a strenght that could be imposed on anyone. Some, like a man named Mark Larus was one of the best gunslingers Tatooine had seen in years. He could, with just a twitch of his hand, demand free ale in a Nar Shadaan bar.

This, however, was just one of the lighter figures in his mind that stood hidden by the darkest of people he had encountered. Hutts, a vile and disgustingly deformed sluggish race that Za'in felt had the worst scumbags in the galaxy. They were simple sliming meatbags to him and not a single one, even the slender, inferior beings of the race weren't to be respected by him.

These thoughts, however, whittered away with the realization of the dark red skin of the Sith before him. A blink of his eyes and he was back to reality, not even moment after he had stepped out of his hidings. A smile, consciously forced, came about his young face.

His head throbbed as he tried to puzzle out his silence. WHen he had awoken he had had so much to say, and yet suddenly he was unsure of everything he believed.

Shayla's words flowed through his mind momentarily, he knew she was right, he should be rejoicing to have been reunited with his mother.... Yet... there lay a vast emptyness in his soul, one he before took as the wounds of time, the pain of years... Yet now...
his eyes closed as he looked back, attempting to uncloud his mind.Jharu... I sense in you much potential... Unfortunaly you are still living in another time... You are my apprentice now... i will now give you the focus you need to become great...

a fierce pain exploded in his head as the voice of his mentor died away, for nothing after that was apparant aside from his decision to return to this time...

"maybe... Im not the one..." his voice came forth in a whisper.
"but why?"

As time passed Jharu entered, recinis regarded him momentarily, taking in the growth, the change, he almost smiled with pride at the boy's fine development, but that smile became a frown before it even started.
"Your empty inside jharu....Its not wise to lose sight of your feelings... trust me, i have been through it very recently, and i still dont know where i have ended up."

Jharu regarded him silently for a moment, staring almost daftly at him.

Recinis stood and approuched, viewing him in contrast to his memories, looking back accross the passage of time.

Finaly he turned and looked at the wall before speaking quietly.
"Your wrong... it was not you who is responsible for my presence here, I have no idea who it was, but it was not you..."

he turned again and shook his head,
"i can surmise by what i've been told, that most likely you arived her in the same manor as myself... That means of passage carries two liabilities jharu... A loss of memory, and a feeling of confusion...""He states he is no longer my son…"

his eyes wavered for a moment, a pain rising in his heart.
"dont break away from your past jharu... the bonds we make in this wold can never be broken, find them with your mother again... Not only for her, but for yourself as well."

Jharu's eyes had turned almost stony as he spoke, and then suddenly he turned and departed, leaving recinis to watch quietly as he left...

He froze in place, crouching further as he assessed the situation. While only one stranger had at first come out from the hiding place, he was aware of the presence of another. That suspicion was soon justified as a second, smaller individual crept out to stand beside the first.

The Sith instructor’s eyes narrowed, and he tensed.

They seemed harmless… at least they didn’t look as if he would have any trouble in overcoming any threatening advances they might make. But experience had long taught him that appearances could be deceiving; well he recalled rumors from not that long ago, about apparently harmless-looking individuals who had caused some kind of furor on Koris’ian, causing the inhabitants to uproot en masse and move to K’eel Doba’s sister planet. What that had all been about, exactly, he hadn’t been quite certain; be that as it may, he couldn’t help but wonder of those mysterious and whispered-about individuals had anything to do with the pair in front of him now, so unexpectedly and so early in the new day.

He remained silent for a long moment more, scrutinizing the pair, staking out the ground around them, planning both attack and defense if it should prove necessary. The pair didn’t move an inch, but stood before him in apparent innocence; at length he decided that he could at least loosen his stance and speak to these two.

Quite often something as slight as that would flush out true intentions.

Graysith didn’t indicate in any manner the fact that she was in communication with Shayla. She merely remained for a moment where she was, seated at her table, fork paused in mid-air by Matt’s entrance into the Dining Hall. After a moment, she rose graciously to her feet, nodding toward him.

“Welcome back, Mr. Stanza,” she said smoothly, now lifting a hand toward the table around which they were all seated to indicate that he join them. “I must apologize for the treatment first afforded you; I trust you found your rooms satisfactory once that little, ahh… dilemma had been taken care of, and that you slept well?”

Smiling, she regained her seat, and took up her fork once again.

“Please, join us at breakfast,” she said simply, nodding again. But as she began eating once more she could not help but cast a somewhat dark look first Shayla’s way, and then Phalomir’s.

I am troubled that so many unexpected visitors have come to us as of late, and all while we bear such great concerns over Phalomir’s erstwhile friend, this Thoran. But let us not be hasty in our conclusions, and allow Mr. Stanza time to explain himself and the reason for his presence here….

Once again there was no outward indication of her communication to Shayla and Phalomir, nor of the pang which iced into her being as the image of Jharu flashed immediately into her mind. Her smile remained fixed as pleasantly upon her face as though she had extended a formal invitation that all would join her for tea.

...and then he lowered his fork and cut directly to the chase. "I must thank you once more for your hospitality, the rooms were quite comfortable. But I must also beg your forgiveness if my next words seem a bit out of place for this time, but I feel a pressing need to get to my reason for requesting audience. Part of this need is due to the fact that one of my comrades has been seperated from the rest of our group...

...a man named Jasyn Lancaster. He too accompanied our party the last time we were here; we all are here once again for much the same reason as we were before. You told us then that you knew no woman by the name Galen Danner, and that you have no sister...

...but all the evidence we have gathered still leads us back to this place."

Matt paused at this, plotting his course on how he was going to request help in a tactful manner. "Galen may very well not be here on this planet, but I believe we may be on the right track regardless. By our sources she came here looking for a Sith ship...

...is there a possibility there are other places she could have gone for this? Or could she have come here, and run into some trouble before she completed her mission?"

Matt paused a moment, pursing his lips thoughtfully. Then he continued. "The long and the short of this is that we desperately need any assistance you could offer us. I fear time is running short for us to find Mrs. Danner...

...and we've already tragically lost her husband and my Boss and very good friend. Please, milady...

...help us."

Jasyn paused, then continued on, still looking this Sith straight in the face and not moving an iota. "We wish to get to the center of this city in hopes of finding someone who may be able to more adequately assist us in our search."

He quieted, still unmoving as he waited for the Sith's response.

Images of a swamp-world filled with gnarled trees, images of certain figures taunting her, images of plans and ideas and careful steps put forth one by one: the swoop of a blade as fang and horn and tooth were sliced; the meeting of eyes filled with fire, fire returned by cold promise in her own, images of her daughter who yet lay recuperating in her chambers, still returning to something of a normal life after the horrendous experience she had undergone in the realm of the dead; images of not one but two sets of vivid green eyes, one warm and yearning, one shadowed by bewilderment and pain; a pair of violet eyes, then, taunting her as did those earlier images of Dark Lords all, all the more painfully for they stared out at her from the face of her son—

With a calm deliberateness belied by the burst of heat suddenly flashing through her, she set her fork down upon her plate and rose to her feet.

Seeming to ignore all, she left the table and went to stand in front of the fireplace, letting herself become lost in the dance of flames there.

At length she turned back to face those at the table.

“My apologies once again, Mr. Stanza,” she said smoothly, and with no further ado sent out a mental command to Salandaar.

The one who was once here with my sister, a human by the name of Jasyn Lancaster, is somewhere on K’eel Doba, hopefully within the walls of this city.

Go out with your warriors and find him.

Smiling then, she returned to her place at the table, took a seat, lifted her fork once again.

“We will find my sister Galen,” she said briefly before returning to her breakfast. But deep within her soul the Beast began to yowl and rage; it knew the futility born upon those very words, for indeed, she had no idea where Lord Roan would have taken her. Frowning a little, she inwardly admonished that raging creature, and turned a pleasant face to Matt once more.

“Why in all the galaxy would Galen have come here to find a ship?” she asked, and took another dainty bite of food.

What was this? Strangers here making such suspicious proclamations, seeking passage not only into the city, but into its very heart…

He tensed again, studied the newcomers for a moment and wondered just what he should do. He could kill the pair where they stood; he could also quite easily sound an alarm, sending students spilling forth to capture these two, to hold them until authorities could be summoned. After a moment’s waffling, he was just in the act of turning back to leap up the steps when a voice stopped him.

“Hold, Master!”

The Sith instructor froze, then whirled back. In front of him, the two strangers whirled likewise. Three sets of eyes widened as a group of armed warriors approached them, led by an imposingly muscled warrior with eyes the color of night. It was he who had called out to him, bidding him stop.

The instructor obliged, and came down the steps to meet the group. For a moment the pair conversed in a quiet tongue; then the instructor nodded, turned, and with a final suspicious glance toward the two humans, departed to continue with his interrupted early-morning tasks.

The leader of the warrior pack came up to Jasyn and Za’in. He paused, raking the pair with his shadowy eyes.

“You are Jasyn Lancaster, human?” he asked in a deep rasp, the tone of his voice noncommittal but the look in his eyes anything but. For while the instructor may have been unknowing of the ruckus which had occurred on far-away Koris’ian, he, as a warrior, had been kept quite up to date. He knew of the attacks on that planet’s populace, and by whom; the dark ones who had come from nowhere were described as being physically similar and thus possibly of the same race as the two now in front of him.

Not exactly how you wanted to make your way to the center of the city, eh pal? the demon on his shoulder snorted. And this Sith knows your name...

...so, unless he was listening in to your conversation just a moment ago, he's been alerted to your presence here by someone else. Be careful where and how you tread, buddy.

"Yes," he replied then simply, "I am Jasyn Lancaster..."

...so what the hell do you intend to do about it? a little voice echoed in addendum in the back of his mind.

...though perhaps not entirely. “Galen was looking for a Sith ship so she could then find her missing daughter,” Matt replied , his gaze then turning somewhat distant. “Funny, but I can’t say that I recall how she came to this idea...

...and I haven’t any recollection of the ties with the Sith that I’m told we all have had.”

Matt frowned, unable to ignore the giagantic question coming forward in his mind. “It is all very peculiar...”

He trailed for but a second, then snapped back into the moment. “My last memories of Galen’s whereabouts...

...which mirror the last memories of my missing commrade...

...are of her crashing somewhere. From then on it’s as though she fell from the face of the universe. I think she may have crashed here...

...but since I have a very vague memory of this, only a search would confirm or negate that and I’m afraid we may not have the time to complete one.”

He paused once more at that, eyeing Shayla with his crystal clear green eyes. “You knew Galen,” he observed then, “Might you be able to use your Force-powers to ascertain if she is on planet or not? Or," he continued, looking back to Graysith, "Or might you be able to sense her presence here with the powers you possess?"

He quieted then at that, his brow slightly cocked in nothing more than honest curiosity.

Staring up into the eyes of the red skinned warriors, he sled his hand into his pockets. Finding a sense of comfort within the warmth, he began to think back to the question asked.

"You are Jasyn Lancaster, human?" The words rung like sirens in his mind, alerting him of danger. What had first seem as something miserable had transformed itself into something he wanted to run from.

It was certian, at the implication of those words, that they were caught in their sneaky ways. Struggling to hold back the emotions, but soon found that it was impossible.

Stepping forth, with his foot smashing the surface below his sole, he daggered his eyes up at the face of the two men with a snarl of his lips. Their was an air of foolishness and exhaustion about him aswell, though he avoided. A disgust could be found in his face as he began to spoke. Their was an air of foolishness and exhaustion about him aswell, though he avoided

"Who are you guys? How do you know us?"

“You would do well to hold your tongue,” the squad leader stated flatly before turning his attentions back to Jasyn once more.

“You will come with me,” he said, and spoke no more. Now his fisted hand opened in a gesture to his men, allowing them to complete their circling formation he had only just thwarted. They flowed around the two humans like water, enclosing them in an open-ended box of muscle and steel.

Realized with a start the path she had already begun to follow… one quite different than the one she had stepped forth upon when she had left that gnarltree grove on Dagobah.

She raised her head, stared long and fully into Phalomir’s green eyes, cut back to Shayla’s and ended full circle back with Matt. A sad sort of smile flickered about her lips then as, now closing her eyes, she made a small gesture with the Claw-bearing hand.

“Forgive me, Mr. Stanza,” she said softly as with that slight motion she fully restored his memories. “At the time I… had other, greater concerns.”

Concerns now quite overcome by current circumstances, she followed her spoken words with a mental notation to both Shayla and Phalomir, yet choosing to keep much to herself regarding why she had done as she had to begin with.

I do not know if I am as strong as I am being given credit for, she thought only to herself as she took up her fork once more. What at first was pure elegance for its simplicity has turned twisted as a writhing vine-nest; the complications of a Dark Lady without a Lord are proving to be many…

She said nothing to the others of these thoughts, but self-doubt was briefly evident by the manner in which her fork stabbed a bit of meat. She toyed with it a bit, finally letting herself rise up out of her momentary funk to regard Matt’s reaction to the return of his memories.

She smiled, but nothing of that smile carried in her eyes or in the tone of her voice.

“I do not believe that Galen is in Phrinnchatka, or anywhere else on K’eel Doba, for that matter,” she said; then she closed her eyes and reached out as far as she could with her talents.

“In fact,” she continued then, opening her eyes once more and settling an even look upon all present. “Even with the power of the All which I bear, I cannot sense her; whatever link I may have had with her appears to have been severed.

"But her daughter is quite safe with us, here within these walls...”

...and then he merely let his green eyes rest on Graysith, clear once more. "Galen's daughter is here?" he repeated, the implications of this slamming into him. "That means any further search Galen might have gone on would be...

...futile. Not to mention that they were already extremely dangerous, considering her plan was to go to Coruscant, where we all believed her daughter was."

Quieting a moment then, Matt considered Graysith's news concerning her link with Galen then, trying to come up with any evidence as to her whereabouts. "And please correct me if I am wrong," he stated then, "But I thought only another All user could sever a link such as the one you have with your sister. Unless..."

He paused at this and pursed his lips, unwilling to follow the path his thoughts were taking him. So instead he took a hold of them himself and considered other options. "Galen was here when I last was...

...and her ship was in shambles. So one of two things has happened. Either she got the Sith ship she sought and went to Coruscant as she planned only to find her daughter no longer there...

...or she is still somewhere in this area, perhaps on another Sith world. That is, unless someone took her elsewhere..."

Again Matt trailed, unable to surpress a dark frown...

...and no longer able to escape another obvious and painful possibility. "If you do not know where she is...

...did Roan take her? What in all Hell would he have needed her for at this point, with his mission to bring the Sith back complete?"

Matt said no more, but the look in his eye all but screamed the dread at anything that the Dark Lord would have done with Galen...

...or to her, for that matter.

...but he was beginning to realize that perhaps this would be the only way into the Temple, be it good or bad. After all, the Sith warriors had been alerted to his presence...

...which meant one or both of a couple of possibilities. Either Matt's identity had been discovered, and someone had therefore assumed Jasyn and other EE employees may be somewhere onplanet also...

...or Matt had given the Sith Jasyn's name himself. And if the latter was the case, Jasyn knew that there was pretty much no way in Hell Matt would give out names unless he felt he was on good terms with the Sith. At least, one could only hope that would be the case.

This in mind, Jasyn eyed Za'in once more as he fell in step between the ring of warriors and behind their leader. "Don't do anything else stupid," he mouthed then before turning his face forward and continuing to follow the Sith rather obediently for one such as himself...

There was something about this one....

And then he caught glance upon the tattoo the Sith was bearing on his wrist. His eyes widened to see it.

"Yes, M'lord," he said simply, turning smoothly and beginning to step forward. "While Lord Phalomir's chambers are in this direction, I believe he has joined our other guests in the Dining Hall to break his fast.

"I shall lead you there."

With no further wait he moved on down the corridor, heading toward the Grand Dining Hall where the Dark Lady was entertaining her friends.

Elsewhere in the city....

The Sith squad leader came up to Salandaar with his prize, paused and slapped a fisted hand upon his chest. Bowing over that hand, he spoke to the cobblestones beneath his feet.

"I have found the human you have commanded be found, commander," he said simply, then fell silent.

Salandaar nodded, once, and returned the salute. He then turned his gaze to the pair of humans, his aquamarine eyes filling with a quick surprise to see there were two. That surprise was masked as quickly as it struck; he stared for a moment at the two and then whirled on the spot.

"Forward!" he said, raising a hand high. Then he stepped out, his long legs setting a steady double-time pace, and in no time had returned to the temple with the man the Dark Lady had sought. Knowing he had the authority and permission to do so, he led them directly into the temple and up to the Grand Dining Hall, where he paused and announced himself and his captives. The ring of warriors widened a bit, leaving an open end facing the Lady, who merely paused in her speech, smiled, and laying down her fork bid Jasyn and Za'in take a seat and join the rest of them at breakfast.

Salandaar bowed in turn, then barked an order to his men. The dispersed to other duties, but a select few remained behind to act as guardians for the Lady, as did Salandaar himself. He watched the other men leave; then he went to the sideboard and took up a plate upon which he placed a few select items of food. This in hand he went to the back of the room where the door to the little club was and stood there, eating quickly, like a bird, his eyes never leaving his lady, constantly on the alert for any possible danger that could threaten her.

"Indeed, it must be Lord Roan who has taken her," she agreed, "for only he could sever the connection I had with her. While I know what I had planned for her..."

Again she trailed, lowering her gaze to study her plate, unwilling at the moment to face the looks she knew were sprouting on the faces of the others. But when she raised it again, all traces of anything other than honest concern had quite vanished.

"I do not know where Roan would have taken her... although I fear I may know why. He knows she is my sister, and I hurt him badly for the manner in which I regained my title of Dark Lady. It may be that he did what he did, whatever it may be, simply to hurt me in turn; I humiliated his bride, he would bring harm to my sister. However..."

Another pause, this time to push back a sudden uprush of pain. Well she knew the implications of what she was about to speak; she had indeed suffered through them herself, and many times at that.

"Galen, whether she knows of it or not, has a modicum of the All within her. This occurred as a side effect from that which brought me into being as I am. It could be that Roan took her simply because of this: he perceived her as a possible and future threat, one which he deemed he could eliminate easily before she gained any expertise in her All-use abilities, if indeed she should ever become aware of this at all.

"But then again, knowing that any children of Galen's would have the All inherent within them, perhaps he had other... plans for her as well."

With that she came to a sober halt, and was about to take another bite of food when Salandaar entered with Jasyn and Za'in. Though surprised to see the EE employee had a companion, she retained her outwardly calm demeanor, and smoothly bid they join her and the others for breakfast.

The previous night was a blur to Phalomir. Too many events, too much power used, so many things to think about. Thoughts of Panthar and Erik came to him, and he noted that soon they must make a plan to retrieve the pair from the Temple of the Armorers. He continued to smooth his robe.

His hand passed over a hard lump and he paused. Curious, he reached inside and fumbled gently to ascertain what was in his inner pocket. His fingers touched a cool, smooth rounded surface, and a bit of last night’s memories snapped back to him.

The Eye!

He searched for the link the Dark Lady had established with him, and upon finding it sent a thought to her.

My lady, circumstances last night precluded my discussing this with you, but it may be of import at this moment… when I discovered the body of Pantar Dantares last evening, I retrieved the Eye of R’lous. I know the Master had tried to break its secrets, but I feel he did not, and was forced to abandon it. I believe when Lord Roan was -- killed -- some of his essence was somehow captured by the Eye, for afterwards I think his thoughts tried to call to me, but I suppressed his voice. Perhaps, if I were tap into this now, we could discover information on your sister’s whereabouts.

I was unaware that some of Roan's spirit yet remains with us, Phalomir, she sent back along the link they shared.

Take a care; he is cunning, and a quite powerful adversary. Let us see if we can first discern Galen's whereabouts by a less exotic approach-- if in fact she yet remains alive.

Further... would not your use of the Eye somehow alert Thoran or the one he calls Master, and bring further danger down upon us?

That's not on the breakfast menu, buddy...

Matt let his green eyes lock with Jasyn's browns as he remained unmoving at the bar for a few moments before Jasyn gave a slight sigh of resignation and backed off to get a mug of caf to accompany his breakfast rather than the mug of liquor everyone knew he wanted at this point. A few seconds later and he seated himself at the table next to his comrade, taking a hearty bite of some sort of meat. He chewed it vigorously, then actually reached for a cloth to wipe his mouth, whereupon the moment seemed to dawn on him once more. Cloth still in hand, he turned yet another questioning look to Matt, his brow cocking once more.

"The Dark Lady is going to do what she can to help us find Galen, Jasyn," he replied in explanation. "We think that Lord Roan may have taken her because he saw her as a threat to his cause...

...or because he has plans for her..."

Matt paused, his look darkening the slightest, "...and possibly for any children she may birth."

Saying nothing more than this, Matt quieted, letting his green eyes once more rest in the brown ones of his friend as he awaited his reaction.

He paused at that, scowling, his brown eyes clouded with suspicion. "You are her sister Graysith," he surmised, his eyes flicking to Shayla and resting there for a moment as even more suspicion grew in them. Then they returned to Graysith. "What the kriffing hell is going on here?"

That's in the past, and at a time when you had just given what you thought was all the love you had to protect your unborn child, Shayla thought simply, those thoughts easily discernable.

Leaving that then, Shayla let her mind wander to thoughts concerning what Roan might have done with Galen, and possibly where he might have taken her. And with what Graysith was implying concerning the All inherency of Galen's children...

...an idea came almost immediately to mind. So, keenly aware of the troubled and suspicious look in Jasyn Lancaster's eye, Shayla kept silent while letting her thoughts slip to Graysith once more.

Might Roan have taken Galen to Kamino...

She paused a moment, a brief frown flickering across her face before she returned to utter calm.

...or perhaps to where he could bring the Kaminoans to her? After all, was there not a place...

...a Temple, wasn't it...?

...where we have found evidence of Kaminoan laboratory activity on one of the Sith worlds before?

He was always the one telling me to be calm, the smuggler thought, sliding his hands into his pockets. Drifting forth, he headed toward the food that Jasyn had just taken. It wasn't much else he could do, for entering a conversation without knowledge would be quite idiotic.

Yet, he was still intrigued to, so he kept his ears alert. Everything in the room was quite large, even the food, but he payed it no mind, for his mind gave it's attention only to the conversation. Unconsciously throwing things into his hands, he turned about and began eating. A smile came on his face as he stared down, much calmer than Jasyn, to the violent dark lady.

She, from the angle that he was at, didn't look extremely bad looking, but that really didn't matter. All that he had assumed of the place was assured when he took a gander into her eyes and saw darkness. It quite possibly could have been the expirences that he had to endure during the time on the planet, but when he looked into her violent eyes he saw them over again.

He grasped the orb tighter and looked around the room. He noticed that the two new men who had been led here had discovered the buffet. One of them, the scrappy looking man who had taken a seat at the great table, looked familiar. Jasyn, Mr. Stanza had called him. His attitude and rough appearance reminded him somewhat of Panthar, and the urgency to return to the Temple of the Armorers came back into focus.

Phalomir’s eyes then caught the gaze of Jharu. Phalomir must have been tired indeed, for Jharu’s entrance had completely escaped notice. He seemed to be waiting for something. Phalomir lifted his eyebrows and cocked his head slightly, and Jharu responded with a quick bow of his head. Phalomir nodded and gave a slight smile. The Eye seemed to vibrate slightly within his grasp, and even through the cloth he could feel a slight warmth from the sphere.

He then realized that the last words spoken were from one of the newcomers, and suddenly began to lose patience for this entire scenario.

“There is indeed much kriffing in hell at the moment,” he stated flatly. “The least important of the kriffing is to satisfy your suspicions towards the Dark Lady. Times of late have been less than restful, and if she bore you any ill will then you would have known it by now. Calm yourself, please.”

He cast a concerned look to the Dark Lady.

But—

Indeed, what you say has much merit, sister, she thought back to Shayla. The Temple of S’slan was in fact where Roan had once transported a Kaminoan laboratory for his own foul purposes. But if you recall; this was located here on K’eel Doba; I do not sense Galen’s presence on this planet at all. I do sense some, well… blank places here and there; she may be hidden beneath such a bubble, but I do not really believe so. I think Roan has taken her elsewhere, what concerns me is why you choose to keep your words hidden from the group? This information you offer has great possibilities, and may induce fresh ideas from someone.

With that she turned to Phalomir, lifting a hand to take in the group.

“These are associates of one with whom I once held alliance, for the sake of my blood-sister and the children of the All. That man is unfortunately dead; however, I feel that this alliance should now continue to be honored…”

She then introduced those present, not excluding her quietly standing son, coming to a polite halt at Za’in. Her lip curled as she immediately recognized his ambivalence toward her, displayed by the admixture of his defensive posture and the belligerence of the words he had just muttered under his breath.

She smiled.

“May I inquire as to your name?” she asked him sweetly, meanwhile sending glances to the others to assure all were finalizing the extent of their comfort zones in the presence of each other.

...on Jasyn Lancaster's part. I simply did not want to throw too much on his plate until he has the memories of his own he would need to contribute to his full potential as well, Shayla replied to Graysith as her eyes wandered over to the newcomer. He had a look in his eye that was more suspicious than even the one in Lancaster's. At this thought, Shayla let her greeny-blues shift to the brown-eyed man momentarily. He was at least beginning to make an attempt at calming down as Phalomir had strongly suggested. Still, there was that somewhat dark look in his eyes, one which was no doubt exacerbated at Graysith's reference to Terrin.

And at that Shayla understood the imprudency of not revealing the thoughts she had concerning Galen's possible whereabouts. Shayla mentally reprimanded herself.

Indeed, I see your point, she thought then to Graysith, Being hush-hush about the possibilities will only foster any suspicions these EE employees hold. I will voice my thoughts...

Once again, a question had been posited. Once again, time stretched out, with nothing forthcoming in reply from the stranger who stood scowling at her from the door. Then that frown upon her face iced as she drew her cloak of authority about her, and pushed away from the table. She rose to her feet with studied deliberateness, her eyes darkening even more at the continued taciturnity of the stranger.

“Very well, then,” she finally breathed, and with no further ado clapped her hands. Salandaar was immediately at her side, bowing over his fisted hand as he awaited instruction.

“It would appear that this… stranger among us chooses to remain as thus. Regardless of the fact that he has come here in accompaniment with one known to us, the fact that he continues to remain silent bodes nothing other than his own views of himself. That I can assume to be nothing other than secretive; Salandaar—“

She trailed then, flicking her gaze from the still-silent Za’in to the warrior’s aquamarine eyes.

“We have much to discuss, and such must not be presented in the sight of a… stranger. Please escort this one to suitable chambers, provide him with whatever he desires in food and drink, and post warriors to be present should he decide to open himself to us, or require anything further.”

Salandaar bowed; when he righted himself it was with a sharply barked order. Immediately the young and stubbornly silent man was surrounded by a ring of Sith warriors, and escorted from the Dining Hall. Graysith watched as Salandaar followed on their heels; then she seated herself once more. For a moment nothing permeated the Dining Hall other than the clatter of utensils and clink of glasses, and no more than small talk filled the air. After a bit of time had passed, Salandaar re-entered, and coming up to Graysith informed her that Za’in had been given chambers within the corridor housing the others.

Graysith nodded pleasantly, and dismissed him gently. It was then that she realized that Jharu was yet standing in silence as well.

“Is there anything you require, Jharu?” she asked him then, reaching out to take up her caf once again, wondering just how long it would be before her son would speak openly to her again. However, knowing of his strangely altered personality, she did not choose to wait until he would deign to reply.

If he wishes to open up to us, or assist us in our endeavors, let him speak soon, she thought to herself. He has eyes within his head; surely he realizes that those who do not join us—

--will be quartered away, and quite opulently, while matters of import are dealt with. True, he claimed to have something of supposed dire importance to reveal—

Now she sent a quick glance his way. He remained silent, hands crossed, looking as if he could wait until the end of eternity to speak.

—yet he remains silent as well. It is only that he is my son, no matter what he claims, that he is yet allowed to remain, at least for the moment, within the walls of this room.

She gave her head a quick and definitive nod, and drew in a breath.

“Most of you present are aware of that which is called the Force; some of you are also familiar that there does in fact exist something other, something greater, and that being the great unification of all forces which indeed is called The All. It is via this great conjunction of all forces that I am not only able to accomplish much which normal Force users cannot, but I can likewise use the Force alone, should I choose to do so.”

She paused, watching while all eyes were drawn to her, some wide with surprise, some deep with understanding.

“Through this I can communicate quite clearly, in real words, with those I link with; such links exist between myself and Shayla, as well as with Lord Phalomir. I once had such a link with my sister, Galen Jhin’Dar Danner, but that has been severed. Only another All-user could accomplish such a thing.”

She paused, chewing upon her lip.

“Shayla, Phalomir and I have been… discussing matters regarding not merely the disappearance of Galen, but the insidious arising of another dark force in existence, one which also appears to have All-use. There might be a link between the two; this I cannot immediately ascertain.

“All I can tell you is that there is a possibility that Galen has been taken by the once Dark Lord Roan, and may have been taken to a hidden temple to S’slan which exists here on K’eel Doba.”

She paused, sending meaningful glances about the table, shooting an even more significant look Jharu’s way.

“To assist, all present need to realize fully what they may be getting in to—“

With that she sat back, closed her eyes, lifted the Claw-bearing finger, and in so small and seemingly insignificant a motion returned all lost memories to those from who she had removed them.

If only I could return your knowledge of the All in so simple a manner, sister, she sighed to herself as she opened her eyes to see what results should then play themselves out.

"The Temple of S'slan?" he repeated, something dark and almost sorrowful glinting his eyes. "Is this temple one and the same with the place where everyone was sucked into that dark realm...

...and where Terrin's mind was muddled with enough to bring him to his untimely...

...not to mention horrendous...

...death?"

He trailed at this, his eyes defocusing as if he was seeing something none other in the room was. Then they refocused once more. "If that is where she is, we have to get to her right away, before something happens to her..."

Again he trailed, his eyes turning vague once more as the demon in his mind added a final and disturbing addendum.

“I do not know,” she said with another sigh. “I know that such a temple exists, that Roan had his sanctum there, hidden away from Phrinnchatka, and that from that hidden base he performed his evil deeds with the plan in mind of eventually ruling over all the Sith by himself. This I know from the fact that before his death he managed to persuade the warriors to withdraw from their allegiance with the Triad; I have not yet turned them back to the old and traditional ways.”

Her clear eyes clouded momentarily as the thought of why she had not yet attempted thus rushed into her head. Then she shook herself, and continued on.

“Roan had connections with a dark and dire place which essentially is a sort of… otherness, not quite that which I have tapped into before, and that being that inter-dimensional place called The Elseness. This place Roan would go to was… something other, something dark and very dangerous, a place from whence pure evil flows into our universe, and in which demons dwell.”

She paused once more, her eyes clouding further.

“My daughter once dwelled there,” she said to no one in particular. The she brought her focus back with a palpable jerk, and continued.

“I cannot state for a fact that Galen has been taken to the temple of S’slan or been taken into this Darker Realm. All I can state for a fact is that it was from that temple that Roan placed at least one such a link, a doorway if you will; whether or not he took her through that or to somewhere completely other yet remains to be seen. Lord Phalomir—“

Now she turned her gaze to the imposing Sith Lord.

“Is there a possible connection to this Darker Realm and the mysterious master who we feel has overpowered your once-friend, Thoran? What connection could there be; you mention that you feel a possiblity of all events somehow intertwining; could the connection be this Dark Realm, and if so, why in all the fates would it necessitate the kidnapping of my sister?”

Letting the Sith Lord mull this question over, she tossed out a comment to the group as a whole.

“Ideas, anyone?”

"Well," Shayla started, stating any thought she was forming aloud, "Thoran did state that his master knew me...

...and the only All-users who have known me aside from you, Graysith, are Lord Roan and Lord Aelvedaar. I also had a brief meeting with the deceased Lord of the Armorers, but he did not know me well, and has been dead for quite some time. Unless, of course, one of these two Dark Lords is controlling Thoran from the grave..."

Shayla paused, shivering a bit. "I suppose that it is possible considering we were once able to communicate with the Lost Lords of the Sith in the Valley of the Lost Lords..."

She trailed a moment, the look in her eyes turning distant. "...a place which Lord Aelveedar himself placed a chronotic shield about...

...and which later was moved to the very Dark Realms which we speak of..."

“And a place of very great power, a place which enhances the inherent powers of the bearer,” she finished Shayla’s thought in a near-whisper.

She couldn’t help but send yet another long glance Jharu’s way, recalling the last time she herself had been in the Valley of the Dark Lords, and why. For a moment her eyes closed; logic again reared up its head to chuckle that emotion yet remained in abeyance from the images now rushing through her head.

Recinis….

Shuddering a bit, she opened her eyes and simply stared out across the table.

“Do you think Lord Roan may have somehow taken Galen into the Valley, even though it is hidden from us, beneath Lord Aelvedaar’s chronotic shield, and buried away in the Darker Realms? Although I cannot perceive how this may possibly be so, if indeed it is what in fact has occurred the primary question would still be…

"Well, we did establish that Roan probably took Galen either because he percieved her as a threat...

...or because he had some sort of plan in relation to the fact that Galen is able to birth children with All-inherency. And Roan has taken genetically-enhanced, All-inherent children to the Eternal Flame once before."

She paused frowning darkly. Then, "Now, how he could have possibly gotten there...

...my logic tells me the only way he could have gotten to the Flame at all...

...even to complete the task of bringing the Sith into our time...

...would be by having Lord Aelveedar himself lower the shield. I somehow doubt the probability of that considering that Roan and Aelveedar appear to be at odds..."

Shayla trailed a moment more, frowning even more darkly, "...but could it be that there is some sort of "shortcut" to the flame via the Darker Realms? After all, the Flame itself is made of pure darkness...

...and that would leave the possibility open for Roan to have an alliance with that being who dwelt in the Darker Relams with your daughter instead of Lord Aelveedar, whom Roan appeared to be working against."

Shayla raised an eyebrow, looking to Graysith as a dark aura pervaded her. "Is any of this possible, and if it is, what can we do to verify it...

...or do anything about it at all?"

“The way to verify, of course, would be to go into the Darker Realms ourselves. What and who we might encounter there…”

She bit her lip, cutting herself off before the great waves of sheer terror the very idea was invoking within her could ride off on any further words. Well indeed did she remember her own travels and desperate deeds in that hideous other dimension of which they spoke—

How handily it is confined by the simplicity of a title, the so-called “Darker Realms,” she mused to herself, another judder of fear racing through her to set her heart pounding. How cleverly the true hideousness of that non-place is masked by such, making our discussion of a possible journey there nothing more than a stroll through a park in the soft light of eventide…

Another shudder forced her upright as even more memories flooded into her: memories of dark beings composed of nothing more than pure evil, memories of strange beings having abilities to find death in life, and life in death, memories of slavering creatures and demons of darkness whose sole reason for existence was to act as opposition to any and every thing in the universe that was good…

Memories of another Dark Lord, one with turquoise eyes as vivid as life itself, one with ashen black hair, one who had by merit of his own uniqueness let her find her first great love in him. Memories of that great undying love which in turn had dealt out death to the one she loved so very much, forced by circumstances manipulated by the evil in that place.

She swallowed thickly, and tossed her hair from her eyes.

“This is not a place in which we may tread lightly,” she said at length. “If indeed, we find a need to go there at all. But Shayla does bring up some good points, as well as possible connections between those we knew as our enemies, and those we once thought of as friends. And not unique to certain people, by any means…”

This latter was directed toward Phalomir, even as she sent out the accompanying thought:

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, while the friend of my enemy is my enemy. Which to believe, and of who, my Lord? I somehow feel that there is someone other, some great manipulator, someone with greater cunning and power than either Roan or Aelvedaar.

And you know of this, don’t you? You and the Eye; the Eye which I fear to let you use.

She quieted then, and let herself simply remember the overwhelming effects of the Darker Realms. For if they decided a trip into those black depths was necessary, they would have to be armed as heavily as they possibly could.

Blackness. It moved before him like a crouching tuk’ata slowly stalking its prey. He lay on the cold stone, exhausted, unable to move. Its voice, an insidious curse upon the air, wafted to him. “Rejoice, Lord Phalomir. Your death shall bring life to the galaxy.”

Phalomir’s eyes snapped open. He felt the entire room was looking at him, but a quick scan showed the only pair of eyes upon him belonged to the Dark Lady. He met her gaze and grasped the orb tighter.

There are many secrets stored within the Eye, my lady. It tries to tell them to me, but they are riddles. Allow me to enter it, to discover these hidden mysteries. If we are to face our enemies, then we must know them. All of them.

Silence rang about them like a death-knell, until the words Graysith shot back into Phalomir’s mind could hold back from the remainder no longer, and came from her lips in a ragged whisper.

“Lord Phalomir has a certain… device by which he states an ability to discern the answer to many of our questions,” she said aloud, ignoring the surprise springing into Jasyn and Matt’s eyes, and strengthened by growing understanding found in Shayla’s. She took in another deep breath, as if bracing for a coming storm.

“Perhaps it is time at that, Lord,” she said, turning to fully face Phalomir and letting her eyes sink deeply into his.

“Be forewarned, should the Eye prove deceitful…”

He nodded to her and slowly pulled the Eye from under his robe.

It was an orb the size of a normal-sized man’s fist, yet it seemed small within Phalomir’s grasp. It glowed a soft red, pulsating slowly and smoothly. Phalomir’s eyes never left the Dark Lady’s as he continued to stare, the pulsing light from the Eye casting eerie crescendos and ebbs upon his face.

I hope indeed that the answers we seek are within. I hope even more for a safe return from its depths. Should something happen to me, my lady, then know that I lo— know that I tried, and remember.

How long had he been here? He realized with a jerk that had no recollection of travelling to this place… or where this place was. He vaguely remembered something about large blocks of ice… but, no, that must have been some other time… Here there was beauty, here there was peace, here there was… freedom.

“Thoran?” came the voice from behind. It broke through the sounds of the wind and chilled him to the bone. The voice brought with it sudden recognition, sudden guilt, and a pang of fear. He stared at a point across the canyon, miles away, and let out a deep breath.

“Yes, Phalomir?” he replied flatly. He slowly turned in the direction of the voice.

Phalomir stood several feet away, perched on the cliff as if he too had been surveying the scenery. The look on his face was a mixture of surprise and trepidation. Admittedly, he looked very regal in his formal robes, and the new tattoos upon his brow brought a certain charm to an otherwise hopeless face.

“You are not who I expected to be presented with,” said Phalomir.

“Oh?” replied Thoran. “Indeed, this comes as a surprise to me as well.”

Thoran suddenly realized the implications. Somehow Phalomir had managed to pluck him from the… well, wherever he had been before… and bring him here. He must have found the Eye and mastered its use, perhaps combining with it the power of the Sith magick… The Master must be furious…

The Master?

Where was he? The ever-present power resting in Thoran’s mind… the comfort, the eternal energy, the living nightmare… The Master was… gone…

Thoran’s eyes snapped up to Phalomir.

“Where are we? Why did you bring me here? What in the name of S’slan do you want?”

Abruptly, a look of surprise seemed to cross his face.

Graysith tensed, and lifted the Claw of S'slan the merest fraction...

The Master must penetrated the Eye after all, and left a trap.

“I brought us nowhere, my old friend,” Phalomir said coldly. “You know where we are, and I have come seeking the truth to many questions, and you shall not stop me. Stand aside and allow me passage.”

Now it was Thoran’s turn to allow the surprise show upon his face. He furrowed his brows and smiled slightly.

“I do not know what games you wish to play with me, Phalomir,” he returned. “I will stand aside when you tell me where we are, and how it is that you brought me here. And what have you done with the Master?”

Phalomir again gave pause. His suspicions were high, but something was not quite right. Still… He decided to play this scenario to its end.

“The Master?” he said. “The Master is not here? Then perhaps this gives us an opportunity to catch up on old times? How have you been? I see you have your old body back.”

This realization gave Phalomir a sudden pain. He sincerely hoped this was a riddle of the Eye, for if not then Panthar Dantares was most likely dead.

Thoran stared at Phalomir a moment, then looked down at his own hands. He shot his eyes back to Phalomir, then grabbed at his face. He ran his fingers over his features, grabbed at a horn, and crouched into a defensive stance.

“All right, Phalomir,” he growled. “No more games. Never mind where we are or how we got here. What do you want from me?”

The suspicion in Phalomir turned to confusion.

“I want answers,” he said. “I know that this is simply my consciousness inside of the Eye, and you are a manifestation of its power. So tell me what I need to know or I will leave now.”

Thoran’s eyes widened, a look of stunned confusion on his face. He shook his head slightly and snorted. He glanced outward to the canyon and scratched his head.

“I don’t know what to believe,” he said at last. “If you truly had me cornered with some new great power, why haven’t you killed me? But then, if you want answers, then I suppose that’s why. Allright, sure. I’m game. What are your questions?”

Phalomir nodded.

“Where is Galen Danner?”

Thoran stared for a moment then burst out laughing.

“All right,” he said. “Let’s begin with something easier. Who is the Master and why are you trying to kill me?”

Thoran wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes.

“Ahh, now that’s better,” he said. “The Master, eh? You of all people should know the Master, or is that memory still hidden from you? Ahh, I see, it is indeed. Well, let’s just say that the Master is someone close to your family. Very close. As to why he is trying to kill you… well, he’s not. He was, actually, but that time has passed. Hey, how about we make this a game? You ask me, now I get to ask you a question. Let’s see, how about this one: where the hell are we and how did we get here?”

Phalomir nodded.

“Very well. You speak in riddles, which is what I expected, so in a way you have set me more at ease. I will play your game. We are inside the Eye of R’lous. I arrived here when I allowed my essence to be drawn inwards. I can only assume that you arrived here when the Master placed a doppleganger of Thoran’s mind in here. The doppleganger being you, of course. As to where we think we are, this appears to be an image of an enormous canyon, such as the one found on—“

Phalomir paused, looking out over the expansive hole.

“I recognize this place… I have been here before, sometime…”

And it brought him great fear to think of it. He shuddered, and was filled the sense of strange memories wanting to surface but held back by some strong inner force. He scanned the rocks below, searching for things to prompt his memory. It all seemed so close, yet it was all just beyond his grasp.

His strong Sith eyes caught sight of movement far below. He stepped closer to the edge and crouched, peering down at the two people towards the bottom of the canyon. He strained for a better look, but the distance was too great. He looked back to Thoran.

“Perhaps the answers to our questions lie below.” He turned back to the location he saw the movement. Now he noticed a stranger site, an eerie blackness that seemed to writhe at the bottom of the canyon. Another feeling of familiarity came over him, accompanied by an inexplicable need to run as far away as possible. The need grew quickly to panic. Yes, he had indeed been here before, and the thought of returning terrified him. He scrambled backwards from the cliff’s edge.

“Thoran, we must leave…”

He was answered only by the rushing of the wind.

“Thoran…?”

He looked behind him, then all around. He was alone. Alone in the one place that brought terror into his heart. He brought his knees to his chin and held his legs tightly. Far below, carried by the wind, he could swear he heard a deep, guttural chuckle.

---

Phalomir’s eyes snapped open and the Eye dropped into his lap. It stopped pulsating and grew black. The terror on his face was plain as he stared into the eyes of the Dark Lady, and he drew in several quick breaths before regaining control.

Phalomir suddenly seemed very frightened and began mumbling about being here before. Before Thoran could turn to see what he was talking about, a strange sight caught his eye. The bottom of the canyon seemed to writhe, as if a snake as black as death was winding its way up the canyon floor. The blackness moved fluidly, almost beckoning to him. Thoran suddenly wished for a closer view, and felt compelled to enter the darkness.

Beside him, Phalomir’s mumblings became faster and louder. He ignored Phalomir’s mad scrambling and leapt from the cliff.

The descent was slow… slower than Thoran had thought it would be. The wind whipped around his body, stretching his hair into a single black strand above him. The wind was cold but exhilarating, and he smiled as the bottom of the canyon grew closer and closer. The writhing darkness beckoned still, and as it drew nearer Thoran had a sense of comfort.

“I’m going home,” he thought, as he fell towards the noneness.

The feeling that unseen eyes were crawling along the nape of my neck grew more and more insistent, even though logic told me I was probably nuts to be experiencing such a thing. After all, hadn’t we just trudged through Khaandon-alone-knew how many miles of desert, with the only thing found coming close to a living lifeform being that occasional scrubby plant and scurrying bug? It had to be my imagination that was making my skin ripple, it just had to be.

But then again, such improbable feelings had saved my hide more than once before, and that of others as well. I let my eyes shoot around me for the umpteenth time, trying to take in everything at once.

Around me was nothing more than shades of ochre and yellow, rust and brown and sand. Here and there that tenacious little plant spread leathery leaves along the dusty ground, its edible root somehow embedded into the very rock beneath our feet. The only thing to mar this expanse of desert was that roiling black whatever-it-was; now that my attention was drawn to it again I took a step toward the lip of the overlook we were standing on, battling down a fresh wave of terror as I forced myself to peer over the edge into the inner gorge below.

It still roiled and convulsed there, as if it was an oil slick come to life.

Or something not quite life, I couldn’t help but think as my arms went instinctively around myself. I shuddered again, and was turning to Rhua Ki when that awful black and terrifyingly, insidiously, creepingly and somehow familiar darkness suddenly sent a tendril of itself shooting upward.

“Awp!”

The sound, little more than an animalistic squall of terror, burst from my lips as I shot backwards. Indeed, I moved so unthinkingly that I slipped on the loose scree beneath my feet. That instinctive squawk was followed by a resounding ”oof!” as the part of my anatomy best suited for the job hit pay-dirt. It was only then that I discovered, much to my relief, that the tendril was not reaching out to us, but rather to a blur of something I sensed more than actually saw.

I braced myself on my elbows and craned to see over my back.

”Oh, Great Khaandon’s Ghost!” I whispered, then fell into shocked silence. For there, up and away and above but approaching nearer and nearer with each passing second was…

Something. Or, quite possibly, someone. I couldn’t quite tell, actually; it was a shade, a ripple in the very air, as if something was there only just enough to compress the molecules in passing. Sort of like a bit of visible atmosphere, if such a thing could be said to exist. But whatever it was, it was heading down-canyon the hard way, and was impacting seemingly every outcrop and overhang en route.

I couldn’t help myself; I just sat there on my hiney and watched as this weird whatever-it-was made a final jouncing bounce and proceeded to wing out over the rim of the overlook, perhaps some twenty meters from where I sat. But before it disappeared altogether I’d swear that the black ugliness roiling below reached out and scooped it up, withdrawing back to itself then with its invisible prize.

I shook my head, blinked my eyes. Blinked them again, then reached up a grimy hand to rub at them. Then I scrabbled to my feet, my eyes scouring the distant rim of this immense canyon, looking this way and that for the possible source of that weird thing.

Nothing.

I turned back to Rhua Ki, who once more looked as if he wanted to bolt in panic. I’ll give him credit though: standing his ground, he stared about himself for a moment before reaching into the remnants of his robes to pull forth that weapon he had used getting us out of the laboratory.

“Wh-what do you suppose that was, Galen?” he asked me in a cracked whisper.

I could only shrug and shake my head, completely disconcerted by this strangeness, and nervous as all hell that my shining knight of science couldn’t offer a comforting explanation for it.

I gripped myself even harder.

“I haven’t a clue,” I whispered back, now chillingly focused upon the fact that both of us seemed to have come to an unconscious but shared realization that a great need for stealth was in order. I sent another glance out toward that part of the rim from whence the odd compression had seemed to come.

It was as empty as my speculations on the matter.

“Phalomir?” she asked worriedly as he turned terror-ridden eyes upon her, then she shook him a bit. This seemed to help in some small way, for after a moment the Sith Lord came to better grips with himself, as evidenced by the growing clarity in his gaze.

He turned that gaze up to her then.

“The canyon—the black canyon,” he rasped before falling silent, shaking his horned head as if attempting to further clear it.

Graysith froze, squeezing his shoulders even more tightly. Shook him again.

“What do you speak of, Phalomir?” she questioned, now shooting a puzzled glance at all present, silently asking if any there knew what he could possibly be speaking of.

“The Eye showed me the Black Canyon…” he forced.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When he reopened them, the spark had returned.

“In my childhood,” he expalined, “the Black Canyon was a mythical place of great evil used to warn little children to behave. ‘Clean your mess or father will throw you into the Black Canyon’ or ‘Go to sleep or evils from the Black Canyon will find you’. Never did I believe it was real place.”

He squeezed the hand on his shoulder.

“But the Eye showed me this place. And it made me remember, for I had seen it before. In my days before ascending to Dark Lord, I had been taken to the Canyon by my father – my REAL father. I did not then know it was the Black Canyon, but surely the horrors I saw that day could only come from such a place. We were met by other Sith, I thought one of them to be a Dark Lord, but that memory still escapes me. It was some sort of negotiation…”

Phalomir shuddered.

“My father was negotiating… to trade me. They held me down, and from the blackness… that fluid, horrible snake of nothingness… came a man. No, not a man, but a black slimy mockery of a man. It wanted me. It wanted to… possess me.”

He looked again into the eyes of the Dark Lady.

“It was that day I discovered my inherent Sith magick, my lady,” he said flatly. “I killed them… the guards who bound me, I killed them all. The Dark Lord and the man-thing escaped into the black river, but not without their punishment. My father…”

He sighed again, holding the Dark Lady’s hand.

“I was furious… I hit him with a blast that sent him flying backwards into the canyon wall, and when I released him he fell into the blackness.”

He slumped a bit.

“My father was selling me to a demon and I killed him for it. I killed my father.”

...and demons???

Shayla frowned as she turned inward to her thoughts, trying to think of any one solitary place which may fit this description of blackness and evil. Her look darkened further, her mind to caught up in finding possibilities to really hear anything else which was going on.

Demons and darkness. Sorta sounded like the Dark Realms...

...but then a canyon? Now what canyon have you come across which is pervaded with evil and darkness?

The only answer Shayla could think of slammed into her with the force of a Super Star Destroyer.

"The Dark Canyon?" she muttered aloud, her eyes widening with her thoughts. "Korriban...the Valley of the Dark Lords and Eternal Flame...

...could this be the place of which Phalomir speaks?"

“But of course!” she breathed. “What else could that canyon be… except that the Valley of the Dark Lords is hidden inside the Darker Realms, and now beneath a chronotic shield—“

Now she turned back to Phalomir.

...but then again, he wasn't exactly certain. This Sith stuff was never his thing. After all, it was Terrin who had been the strategist, with Matt asisting him. He'd just been along for the ride...

...and the Sith brandy, ready to help when the final call was made on just what to do, but not before then.

He shot a quizzical look to the strange scene playing out before him, one of a still somewhat shocked looking Phalomir with Graysith at his side, and one of an anxious Shayla Stargazer...

...none of whom seemed to have considered yet that any of this may be over his and Matt's heads.

He cleared his throat. Then, "Excuse me...

...but could someone fill in the rest of the class on what the kriffing hell--"

He paused at this, shooting a look towards Phalomir, "--everyone is talking about? And for starters, what does this Valley have to do with Galen's whereabouts...

He stood and regarded Jasyn.

“Indeed, let us ascertain the answers.” He strode quickly to the table where the food was displayed, walked past it and opened the doors to the pantry. He grabbed a bottle of Sith brandy, popped the cork with his teeth, and drank deeply. He did not turn.

“It was an enormous canyon, stretching for kilometers. The canyon itself is beautiful, with multiple layers of rock eroded away with eons. There was not much in the way of vegetation, though there was some. It was a deep valley, riddled with plateaus, and at the bottom writhed a black, fluid river of… nothingness.”

He took another drink and turned to face the others.

Graysith shuddered again, and turned to Jasyn, gathering her composure visibly as she did so until the façade she presented was once more calm and in control.

“Korriban is a Sith world, one of what is called the Diamond of the Sith, and is where the mysterious Valley of the Dark Lords is. Or rather, was; it has since been… removed from our reality by a dark demon and placed in that darker otherness we call the Darker Realms.”

She paused a moment more, now sending a glance to Shayla.

“My adept and I traveled there once,” she said thoughtfully, “and I have returned there several times since. It is a place of great power, a place where something called the Eternal Flame enhances magicks and powers held by others.

“But—“

Again she trailed off, flicking her eyes back to Jasyn. She gave him a long look.

“”But only from the standpoint of what jedi would term the dark side.”

Turning from him then, she went to where Phalomir was standing, brandy bottle in hand. With a smooth, quiet motion, she reached out and laid her hand upon it.

“My Lord, it is early in the day for such things,” she said gently, letting her other hand now reach up to rest on his shoulder like a bird coming to perch there. She squeezed his shoulder then, and continued on.

“From your explanation, you have been to Korriban, and have gazed upon the influx of evil which exists there, since the Valley of the Dark Lords is in the Darker Realms itself. What is behind must be some sort of dimensional… rip.”

Giving his shoulder yet another squeeze, she turned back to the others.

He looked around and offered his part softly.

"Perhaps the eye was trying to show him where he should travel if he wants to know the truth."

Jharu considered his knowledge, what he had learned, what he had heard.
"if the flame enhances the 'dark side' of the force, then it would stand to reason that it would bring out all of ones negative emotions and idea's, whether you are concious of them or not... Maybe the eye was trying to help us determin truth from lie...."
Maybe it can prove to me who i am...

"what im saying might not make sense, i dont know exactly what is going on... But i would imagine that going there would bring answers to many questions..."

his mind traveled back, remembering something phalomir had said... A slimy man.... Coming from the darkness...

An image of his sister flashed through his head, his sister torturing his aunt, all while a dark figure laughed in pure delight. he shuddered with the memory.

As he remembered his gaze went to his mother, a feeling rose within him... The memory of the love he once pondered, the love his mother seemed to give his sister even though she had at that time become evil...
Such unconditional love... That is what she's drawing from with me... And i've done nothing but condem it.
He winced as the thought crossed his mind.

Almost.

A brief smile flicked across her lips.

“Perhaps what you say is true… son,,” she said hesitantly. Then she firmed, but with obvious questions rising in her eyes.

“But which is it that the Eye wished to reveal? The Canyon on Korriban, or the Valley now hidden in the Dark Realms? If there is a connection between Thoran and the dark evil which resides there, why was Phalomir taken to Korriban?”

He looked down at the bottle, and then thought better.

“I asked him where Galen was, but he did not know. He laughed out loud at the question. I then asked Thoran of the Master, all he would tell me was that he was very close to my family. It was then I saw movement at the bottom of the valley, as if someone were moving along the plateau there. And also when I saw the black river, and the memory of my father came back to me.”

He looked directly at the Dark Lady.

“I believe the Eye was telling me the location of you sister, why would it reveal the movement immediately after the question was asked?”

He sighed.

“You said you saw movement, far down in the canyon,” she said, approaching him once more.

“That very well could have been Galen…”

"Maybe the Eye is somehow trying to point us to both the hidden Valley and the Canyon on Korriban, perhaps for entirely different reasons...

...or perhaps for two different reasons which are somehow intertwined. As Graysith has said, the movement could very well have been Galen...

...but it seems there is some sort of connection with Phalomir's father and the nothingness within the Canyon. Though neither place should be treated lightly to say the very least...

...and particularly the Dark Realm...

"Well, if Galen is in that Canyon and there are answers there...

...then what the Hell are we waiting for? Don't get me wrong...

...I understand there are serious risks involved in all of this, but it's not like you all aren't somehow armed, if only by your unique...

... abilities."

“The opportunity to visit a land of demons, to face evil in its home? We have no hard evidence, only speculation. It would be folly, an unnecessary risk, to look for ghosts at the beckoning of a device we do not fully trust…”

He thought of the dark lands, the twisting river of blackness… the terror he felt there. A terror he must face.

“We shall strengthen ourselves, and then depart, if this is what all have decided. I feel it would be best to first travel to Korriban; if Galen is indeed there, she will be needing assistance as quickly as possible. And, since it was from there that the Valley was taken into the Darker Realms, it is likewise from there that we will find a doorway through which we all might enter together.”

She fell silent then, recalling the reaction of the Eye when she had used her powers in its presence, and winced.

“I’m afraid we might have to travel by more traditional methods.”

She then fell silent and upon her breakfast, pausing only once, fork in mid-air, to study those around her. Phalomir stood looking like a pod-racer about to depart, Shayla calm and supportive, while her son was doing his utmost to present nothing but outward calm in her direction.

But the look of astonishment she caught upon the faces of Matt and Jasyn….

...when he thought better of it as something she had just said collided with something in his memory banks. He let that index finger relax with the others, gave a sigh and sat back down, his look darkening.

"You mention travel in a more conventional manner," he started, "I'm certain you are already aware of it, but there is an Imperial blockade out there which may make such difficult..."

He trailed a moment, frowning to himself before he finished with, "...and they know what Matt and I are here for since we had to bargain with them to get past the blockade. I don't know what they're up to, but considering their rather generous assistance...

...I suspect they may be up to something. I'm sure it would be no difficulty for you, but I have to ask...

...can we evade them while on our travels til we can ascertain just what they are up to?"

"By traditional methods, I mean those traditional to the Sith, Mr. Lancaster," she said, setting down her fork to then lift her cup of by now cold caf in a salute to him.

"I do have not only Sith fighters but a warship at hand, and as the Dark Lady of the Warriors they stand ready to do my bidding at a moment's notice."

Her smile broadened, and she lifted her cup higher before suddenly setting it down. That smile still planted on her face, she got quickly to her feet and approached Phalomir.

Before the startled Lord knew what she was up to, she had taken the brandy from his hand. She then returned to Jasyn by way of the sideboard, where she took up a wineglass.

"Yes, indeed, a toast is called for."

He finished the bottle and handed it to Jasyn. He smiled down to the Dark Lady, eyes twinkling.

"To all of our endeavors," he smiled. "Now I feel ready for the day."

...and the fact he had a full glass of Sith brandy only aided that feeling. He rose it high, something akin to eagerness planted on his features. "Kriffing hell," he blurted then, "I'll drink to that!"

Then he lowered the wineglass to his lips, taking a good swig of the liquor.

"Damn," he said then aloud, breaking the silence, "That stuff sure is good...

...but now that that's said and done, I think it is really time we get going."

With nothing more than this, he got to his feet, brushing off any slight imbalance he might have due to his intake of alchol. He cocked a brow, nodding towards the Dining Hall entranceway. Something of a Han Solo-ish smirk graced his features. "I'd be happy to lead the way, but ahhh...

“Then perhaps the Dark Lady should lead us,” he said softly. “Unless there is more need for discussion?”

Apparently everyone had had their fill of discussion. Jharmeen stepped forward and turned to face Phalomir, smirked, and called forth a warrior to make preparations for the warship’s departure. In a few moments the group found themselves on their way to the port

Standing up, he forced himself to the chamber doors, his fist beating against the door. Sliding his hands slowly back into his pockets, he drifted back, awaiting the entrance of the warriors.

"Hey, you two. I'm ready to go back to Jasyn," he said abruptly, his head motioning up to the taller specimen. At first, they didn't respond, they just stood there, emotionless. Then, as if they suddenly registered the words, stepped forth and escorted Za'in out the quarters and through elaborate, long corridors.

Finally stopping near the port, the group watched as Jasyn and the others drifted toward them. A twinkle came to Za'in's eyes as he watched them drift unknowingly toward them.

Quickly, Za'in stepped forth. A glare graced his eyes as they fell upon Jasyn, watching as he walked. Then, came a smile on Za'in's face as he reacquainted himself to Jasyn by softly elbowing him in the side.

Taking one quick gander at the others, who stood infront of the brown eyed man, he gave a small wave, though the pleasant smile on his face had faded away into oblivion.

"Hey, Jasyn, where are ya' going?"

“Stranger, you do not belong here,” she said, cutting each word off with a precise snip of her teeth. “There are matters of great import we must attend to; it would do you well to either remain behind, or depart to whence you have come. Either choice shall be up to you; we hold no prisoners within our city this night.

“Unless, of course, you should find a means – and quickly, I should think – to prove yourself useful to us. Mr. Lancaster, perhaps you might have something to say to this one before we depart. But do so quickly; I shall tarry no longer.”

"Let me go, I'm going! I didn't come all this way to be left behind during the juicy parts," he called at the walking Graysith. Quickly, he pulled, his muscular arms finding a way to slide out of their grasp. The pull, however, was far too quick and drove him into an inbalance.

Falling forth, he banged against Jasyn and went bouncing against the wall. Managing, in his fall, to pull his hand out and hold Jasyn up he gave him a embarassed smile.

"Sorry," he whispered, "But I'm not going to stay back, no matter what, after all that crawling I did in the night."

Finishing that whisper, he stood up straight with the help of the wall, glaring at the back of Graysith. Taking his beams from her cloaked body, they came to shadow Jasyn. Trying to keep his voice calm and collective, he casually let his hands drift into his pockets.

Jasyn trailed a second, then continued, "...but then, it has always been your choice. This time, however, it is not your choice or mine or Matt's," he pointed out as he nodded his head in the direction of Graysith. "Believe me, it is in your best interests not to go along cause we don't know what the kriffing hell we may run into out there. And if you are going to be that uncomfortable staying here...

...then I believe the Dark Lady left the option open for you to leave. But there is no way in hell I'm going to demand that she allow you to come, not now that we're possibly so close to finding Galen. No way in Hell am I throwing away the opportunity at hand. So this is goodbye, friend, at least for now."

Jasyn fell totally silent at that, turning even as the Sith guards established a ring around Za'in Almar to prevent him from following further. Jasyn hurried to catch up with Graysith and the others. Still walking, Matt shot a quizzical green-eyed gaze towards Jasyn.

"Think he'll be here when we get back?" he asked.

Jasyn shrugged, slowing and allowing his buddy to board the Sith transport after the others had already boarded. "Who the Hell knows," he said with a shrug, then seating himself. "He's been given the option to walk away freely...

...but then he's been given that option before by us. We'll just have to see what he does...

...if and when we get back," Jasyn finished darkly as the transport came to a stop and they exited. Even as they hit the tarmac, the grand yet somehow difficult-to-look-upon Sith warship awaited them not far ahead.

And as Jasyn began walking towards it, behind the others yet with Matt not far behind him, he couldn't help but utter one final statement, one tainted with not only hope but worry and perhaps even a touch of dread. "Here we go again..."

“Stranger,” she called out, not even deigning to stop or send that call over her shoulder, yet knowing full well the young smuggler would easily pick up on it.

“Whether you travel with us remains up to you. You come secondary with Mr. Lancaster, an unknown to me, and do not bother to state who you are. Consider yourself lucky that I have given you the privileges that I have, and that you are not indeed held captive while we are gone.”

She paused a moment, then whirled. In the distance the defiant young man stood, once more in Sith hands. She stood calmly, crossing her hands in front of herself as she made a nodding gesture to Phalomir, that he would lead the others into the warship. Then she called out one final time to Za’in.

“Convince me, and quickly, as to why I should allow you to come with us at all, stranger,” she said, giving him a last and final benefit of the doubt simply for the fact that he had come to Phrinnchatka with Jasyn. For a minute she remained silent, pinning her gaze on him; then she turned from Za’in and continued toward the warship, noting that the others had already boarded her.

The gangway loomed mere meters ahead….

Graysith drew in a deep breath and turned about to give Za’in a final chance.

“We are about to depart, stranger,” she stated clearly and perhaps a bit brusquely. “If you should deem to come with us, I need to know why…

“Why you have come here with Jasyn Lancaster, who you are, and most importantly, why you remain so stubbornly silent to my direct questions.”

Se fell silent then, letting a quiet look encompass the young Za’in, who was still in the hands of her warriors. As she leveled that look upon the little group, she took note of the rapid approach of another: Salandaar was hurrying toward her, and soon had come to her side.

“Where would you need me, my lady?” he asked with a polite bow.

Graysith smiled.

“I would need your eyes wherever this one decides to be, as long he is with the Sith,” she said softly, nodding once while she waited to see if Za’in would respond to her or not.

Now she lifted her chin and called out to him.

...but then she could only sense the emotion and couldn't be entirely certain without prodding further than she felt was necessary at the moment. Her eyes then defocused a bit as she drifted into her own thoughts. Phalomir had spoken of Thoran...

...and he had spoken of his Father and another, bargaining for his life. An image of a Sith beckoning to her drifted into her mind's eye once more...

"The Sith who beckons to me in the vision I keep having, the one whom Thoran spoke of to me when he captured me..." she started rather randomly, "...I wonder if he is Thoran's mysterious Master or if he was merely a messenger of sorts. Cause if he is the Master...

...perhaps I may be able to identify him somehow..."

Graysith, her temper beginning to grow short, crossed her arms. Behind her the Sith warship stood in greeny-gold splendor, its sheer presence felt against her back but not quite upon her retina.

I shall never understand how they built these… she mused briefly, uncrossing her arms and letting one slender hand reach out to caress the hull of the great ship. A shiver ran through her body at that touch; it felt strangely… alive beneath her fingers.

Quickly she withdrew her hand, and leveled a final gaze upon the young Za’in.

“So be it,” she said softly, giving Salandaar a nod. Then she whirled and disappeared inside the ship, where she cycled the hatch closed and headed to the bridge. She arrived there in time to overhear Shayla’s musing; smiling a bit, she let her eyes wander to Phalomir, expecting a reply from him. Her smile broadened when she saw the twin looks of apprehension and confusion on Matt and Jasyn’s faces… then blanked completely from her face.

She frowned, cast a look about.

“Is Jharu here, or has he chosen to remain behind with the stranger who has come with Mr. Lancaster, and who,” she ended with a definitive nod, “is choosing to remain behind by his unwillingness to speak with me. Jasyn—“

She turned to the EE employee.

“Just who was that young one, anyway?”

These questions having been tossed out, she moved smoothly to where Shayla was finalizing their departure codes, and took a seat beside her. She smiled to see the deft movements the young woman was making along the control panels, and nodded in satisfaction as sigil after mysterious sigil began lighting up in a soft but brilliant green.

“I see you have not forgotten how to pilot this ship, Shayla,” she said, sending a meaningful look into her eyes. Then she settled against her seat, and waited for the thrum of the engines to transcend into a roar, indicating their ascent from Ch’arlingua and K’eel Doba itself.

...since we first started looking for Galen, in fact. We ran into the guy on Kamino, where he said he was searching for some sort of information regarding his father's death. He's stuck with us despite numerous opportunities to leave..."

Jasyn's scowl grew more, "...and I'm not quite sure of his motivations for doing so. It's not like he has any personal connections with us or with Eagle Enterprises."

As the ship leveled and Shayla relaxed a bit, Phalomir addressed her.

“I don’t remember all that I may have told Thoran,” Shayla admitted. “The fact is, at the time I wasn’t entirely certain of your motives myself...

...but I was even less certain about his.” She paused at this, pursing her lips. “He told me that you had hurt Graysith, and tried to sway me to his side...

...but I don’t believe I told him anything about you that he wasn’t already somehow aware of. He knew you’d had interaction with Graysith...”

Here she trailed a moment, letting her look belie her meaning, “...and he knew that you were trying to unify the Triad. That’s all I really remember. And as for the Sith who beckons to me in my vision...”

Shayla paused once more, her eyes again turning distant as she tried to recall. “The vision is still to vague for me to describe him, let alone know who he is. Perhaps if someone could look into my mind, they could make out a description of him...

...but I don’t know. The memory of the vision is still too new for me to be certain.”

Then she turned her attentions to Graysith’s question regarding Jharu.

The blast from the Eye, which she half-expected to fly her way, did not come. Neither did the sought-after familiarity of like-blood.

She opened her eyes with a sigh.

“Jharu seems to have managed to remain behind,” she said slowly, halfway gladdened that his ominously altered personality was no longer with them yet also saddened that he was not. "I can sense him, but he is not aboard this ship."

She then straightened in her seat, and drew her hands down her cloak.

...and froze, realizing she didn’t know the coordinates. She turned to Graysith once more.

“I must apologize; it appears I was the one who piloted the last time we visited Korriban,” she said, now leaning forward toward a small and inconspicuous cubbyhole. Her hand disappeared into it; when it withdrew it was holding a book, one which gleamed strangely in the dim light of the cabin. She opened it gingerly, taking great care with how she handled its pages; even so, they seemed to mutter aloud as she turned them.

“This is the navigational log all Sith ships carry; the coordinates to every planet ever visited or known to them are inscribed herein,” she said as she turned yet another page. At length she stopped; her finger on one spot while her lips silently mouthed what she was reading in High Sith. The, closing the book in near reverence, she reached out again and played quickly upon the navigational controls in front of her.

“The coordinates are now set in, Shayla,” she said as she drew back, first placing the book back into its cubby.

“You may, er… engage.”