Panthar gladly relocated himself from the ledge, stepping through the portal with the others. He did not join the others in smiles, however, as a single thought forced its way into his mind. For as one joyous, fortuitous reunion had saved them, an overpowering feeling of loss and despair now pervaded within him.

As everyone moved to safety, a collective sigh of relief seemed to escape the group. Yet Panthar remained dour, looking squarely at Jharmeen. Her eyes met his for a brief moment, his thoughts not spoken yet unmistakable within his stare.

He’s gone, isn’t he?

...utter surprise.

My Dear, Dear Sister...

That had been Jharmeen's words as she lovingly embraced Shayla. Oh she had missed those words, that connection...

...but then, that was what was disturbing Shayla now as well. Before all of this had happened, before they had lost Jharmeen to the Beast...

...Shayla's chosen sister couldn't remember a thing concerning her training of Shayla, along with many other things including gaining the title of Dark Lady. In fact, the only thing she could remember at the time was her Sire, who they now all knew as the deceptive Dark Lord of the Sorcerors.

"Y-you- remember me as your Chosen sister...?" Shayla sputtered in surprise. "Before you were taken, you didn't remember me, let alone any of our past together..."

Now he trailed, frowning, pondering the implications of Galen's words as well as Shayla's. Particularly Galen's...

...because they had very serious implications. "I could see perhaps you, with your abilities, sensing a distortion connected to the shield or something...

Thinking of what Kelvendar had just said to him, he now stuggled to keep his lips from curling in outright laughter.

"The state of the Dining Hall?" he said innocently.

"Apparently you have not heard what I said; there has been no attack to my knowledge..."

Even as the words were leaving his lips, there came the sound of running footsteps. The warrior whirled about to see the rapid approach of a courier.

"There has been fighting at the courtyard!" he gasped, coming to a halt.

"Come, all warriors are needed; bring more tuk'ata, and pass the word among the ranks!"

With that the courier bowed, a clawed fist clapped against his chest, knowing now that the message had been duly relayed deeper into the temple, and hurried on in a direction that would lead him back to the main corridor. From there he could enter the Grand Foyer, and from there would run to the warrior's barracks, to raise a general alarm.

The warrior blinked, and cast a quick glance at Kelvendar. Then--

"Quick!" he stated, his sword an instant and living entity in his hands.

"To the Foyer, lend your aid!"

"I-- I do not know," she began her brow furrowing. Then her eyes widened, and the Glyph flared out in instinctive protest against what she was certain to be the awful truth.

"Unless... someone with greater powers than mine has somehow allowed this to happen--

"The Master!" she finished in a gasped whisper, one slender hand flying to her mouth.

"He is allowing this to happen; he is watching us!

"I shall need every device and assistance I can find--"

Her eyes widened further, and a grim smile played across her face.

"The Finger of R'lous; I need it now! Quick--!"

With that she whirled, turning toward the fireplace in front of which she had last left the Sith weapon--

--only to find it gone.

She whirled in anger.

"What has transpired in my absence?" she flared, the Glyph shooting radiance into every corner of the Dining Hall.

"When we returned here to the Temple with you, after our trip to K'orisan, we arrived to find the warriors hostile. Our sith fighter was boarded; Galen, Terrin, Matt, and Jaysn were able to hide under the Sith ivisibility device while Erik, Panthar, and I tried to explain our situation to the others, and to explain that you had been taken to the Darker Realms."

Continuing along this line, Shayla explained how they were somehow pinned for Jharmeen's murder, and were thrown into the dungeons. Explained how they escaped...

...only to find several warriors who should have been guarding them dead at their posts.

"I don't know what has been going on here, but I do believe there is some sort of disagreement going on amongst the warriors. We have also been searching out Aeylmaar, who is waiting here somewhere, to help us in returning you safely from the Darker Realms. But what has happened to the Finger of R'lous..."

"My Lady ShaRhylla. It pleases me that you are well, though I regret that you were seemingly rudely awakened.

"It seems that you were placed under a sleeping enchantment by that boy Rykounagin...an enchantment that was recently broken. Why he was here, and what he did here, I do not know."

"While you were asleep, however, you missed several rather...interesting happenings."

Ragorian quickly told ShaRhylla of the buffet table's brutal incapacitating of Kelvandar, the whispers from the empty center of the room, the sith warrior with the two humans, and the whispered conversation he had heard under this "invisibility shield."

"Again,[i/] he said as he finished, [i]I know nothing of these intruders, as I would presume them to be. They left quickly, before I could gather any information."

"Milady, do you-" he began, but fell silent quickly. The part of him still within his vessel was calling out for his attention with much urgency, and so he swiftly turned his attention there.

The Dining Hall, which had been deserted since the odd group of invisible Sith and humans had left, was once again occupied. The two humans and Sith from before were there, along with several other humans, including one that ragorian immediatly recognized.

Ahh, he breathed to himself. The Lady Graysith has returned.

Quickly he set this part of his mind to work listening to their conversation and relating it to him, and he focused his attention once more to the part of him wihin ShaRhylla.

"Forgive my abrupt silence, my mistress," he purred, "But my attention was drawn by a matter that I believe you will be interested in. The intruders, the humans and Sith I told you about before, are once again in the Dining Hall. Those who were invisible before are not now. And...there is another complication, milady."

He hesitated a moment, then continued.

"Your mother is with them as well, my mistress."

He gave ShaRhylla a moment to absorb this, then continued.

"I am listening to their conversation as we speak, milady. Shall I tell you of what they are conversing, or would you prefer to confront them yourself?"

Pausing, he considered what he had said.

"I misspoke, milady. Shall I tell you what the intruders are saying, or would you prefer us to confront them, together? If you choose to face them, my Lady ShaRhylla, I will offer whatever aid I can."

Falling silent, he awaited her decision.

She had been put under a sleep enchantment? But why--?

In a flash she knew; even as her small hands instinctively flew to her belt she knew what she would find there. Or rather, not find.

Her hands clenched in anger. The device she had found upon that warrior, seeming days and days ago but in reality only hours past, was no longer with her. And what better reason to be put into a magickally induced state of slumber than common theft?

She stood silent for a long moment, carefully keeping her flaring rage inside her, letting it fill her with strength and cunning as she knew it would. And at length it did so.

"My dear consort," she finally replied to Ragorian.

"How pleased I am to hear from you; you have been silent of late. Indeed, there is nothing I would like more than to confront she who birthed me, and rend her life from her in satisfying, open confrontation.

"But--"

She paused a moment, her bi-colored eyes slitting as she pondered. Then a cold smile came across her face.

"Let us remain here, and let her come to us. For she will, of that I am certain. No blame can be placed on us -- on me for the moment; we shall play the innocent in this intrigue, and let this work to our advantage.

"But do not think I fear her; my consort, if you have any other strategy you think may be advantageous to us, now is the time to speak of it. In the meanwhile, it pleases me that you keep me informed as to the conversation which is passing among our adversaries."

With that she fell "silent," still ignoring the Masque, waiting to hear what Ragorian would reply.

Panthar’s eyes flared, a thought coming to him.

“Phal said that ShaRylla was behind it, remember?”

Panthar’s eyes then narrowed once again, focusing in on Jharmeen.

"He is at this moment in the Darker Realms, under the thumb of his father, the so-called Master, who took me there from-- from--"

She paused only a moment, frowning; then the frown disappeared beneath a fresh wave of fury. The Glyph ravened up the electromagnetic scale, bathing everyone present in harsh, purplish light.

"Who by his trickery left me languishing in some horrid place without being able to touch my powers... left me to the even more insidious desires of one of the demons of that realm, who offered me a return to you all only in exchange for my beloved Phalomir!"

She paused, panting a bit as she strove to keep from physically striking the hulking Sith body before her.

"The powers of this Master are immense; he too holds sway over the All, and has inherent Sith magicks at his beck and call as well. It is only through the strength of the Finger of R'lous that I might be able to confront him, to stop him from succeeding in his terrible plans--

"Shayla!"

Now she cut herself off, turning to the startled adept.

"Do you recall that brief but terrible time you were placed at the mercy of the incoming intruders, those who are yet without the boundaries of this galaxy, but who are headed toward us even as we speak? Those awful beings who would take this galaxy as their own--?

"The Vong..."

She stopped there, not needing to say anything further in that regard, knowing by the look on the young woman's face that Shayla clearly remembered every terrible moment she -- as well as her Chosen Sister -- had spent there in the ship of yorik coral.

"Phalomir's father labors under the awful delusion that he must hand my love to-- to someone or something, in order to keep the Vong from destroying all that we have and are.

"My friends--"

Now she took a tiny step backward, opening her arms to all present, forcing herself to calm, forcing the Glyph to lessen its ferocity.

"Political intrigues of my adoptive race are but nothing in comparison to what is coming if we do not stop this horrible being. I can take us back into the Darker Realms, but I cannot approach the Master to save my love unless I have the Finger of R'lous--"

She paused in mid-word yet again, but this time because she simply could not force any further speech past the swelling lump in her throat. The image of those present grew wavery then, seen through the rush of tears that suddenly filled her eyes.

What could it be that preoccupies her? She seemed quite determined to be successful in her schemes, though now she casts them aside without care.

Well... overly-polite came close, so very close to describing the aura which oozed from him like mist over a summer's eve.

A ripple of anger shuddered through her; then she drew herself upright.

"We follow no particular course of action, my friend," she began, her lip now starting to curl.

"But you..."

The curl broadened into a smile of pure evil.

"Your talents are great: cunning and stealth you possess, not to mention your ability to make yourself non-existent to others.

"You, my dear Masque, shall go forth, on the hunt; follow after that traitorous whelp of an assassin, Rykounagin! It matters not to me what you do to him...

"But do not return to me until you have the Finger of R'lous in your possession!

"Then shall we attack!"

"Of course, I shall do my best to re-acquire the object that you wish to have." I bowed and went to my "passage" and slid through the faint crack in the wall. However, as soon as I was through I ran as a fox is hunted by hounds. "She has gone utterly mad..." I murmured, turning a corner, now already six passages away from her.

"I cannot remain in her company any longer, or she shall destroy herself and all others in her madness." He chuckled at the almost pathetic nature of her obsession to be better then her own mother, of whom I did not know had returned.

Or for something.

A slow smile softened her features, the look in her eye grew dark, predatory. Showing the tips of her fangs now, she nodded her head; then jerked it up and sighed.

This train of thoughts led him to a memory of when as a child he had observed some of the younger sith at a lunch hour in between training. He had observed the cleverness of another sith with glee, to watch him pluck a fruit from another with's food tray while he was not watching. However, it had startled him to see the reaction of the other with when he discovered it missing, a bawling fit over the single fruit.

She blinked in surprise, taken aback to see the strange entity which hovered halfway to the vaulted ceiling, overlooked before so focused had she been on the disappearance of the magickal device. But there it was, floating quite nearby to where she had last seen it, in fact.

Her eyes darkened, and she opened her mouth to speak harshly but stopped. There was something odd about this-- being, something which spoke of a strange combination of strength and innocence.

She took in a breath then, and a step toward it.

"The Vong are a race from another galaxy, who in years past tried to invade ours. From what I have been told, we were almost taken, but managed to deflect them away," she explained, striving to keep from her tone the growing sense of urgency she was rapidly filling with. This thing, after all, was indeed close to where she had left the Finger; perhaps it would know of something that might be used to their benefit.

She could actually sense Galen's jaw hitting the floor as she went on, all in seeming non sequiteur to their current predicament.

"Some of them are returning even now.

"And as for the Finger of R'lous... it is a personal possession I left in this room, very near to where you are..."

She quickly went into a detailed description of its physical appearance, but left out anything having to do with the magick which infused it, or the use to which it was intended. After all, such knowledge would be useless to any other but an All user; she highly doubted this being was that, since it appeared to be helpless against that very thing.

Finishing, she raised her head, took another step closer, keenly aware of the others who mimicked her movement, ringing her in an aura of safety as they closed in behind her.

"The input of-- of eighty minds is tempting, and something to consider," she said at length, nodding up toward the strange device--

--for indeed, now it was clear to her that this was yet another device, a thing, and not a living being unto itself.

But the essences of those it harbored...

"Unfortunately, I do not have it within me to grant your request," she finished, then turned and motioned to her companions. Ushering them away from the fireplace and to a position some fifty feet from where the cybernetic device floated, she spoke to them, keeping her voice low.

Graysith shook her head with a sigh.

"That, I am afraid, is something beyond even the great power of the All. To be able to release such a magnitude of living essences from a material prison -- and then find homes for those essences to reside it as separate entities! -- is something of the magickal realms, not the physical ones.

"I only harbor and control -- to a certain extent -- the All; I have no magickal powers within me, even if we could take this thing to the only place I know of where such a release could be implemented.

"And that is Koris'ian."

She paused again, then stepped forward to reach up and place a hand on Panthar's hulking shoulder.

"I miss him as much as you do, if not even more, my dear friend," she said softly.

"But unless this being decides to be of any assistance to us simply for the sake of assisting those who need such; indeed, assuming he can help us at all! -- I am afraid that we are yet left on our own devices in this."

She stepped back, directing her final words to the group in general.

"Does anyone else know of the theft of the Finger of R'lous, or can anyone offer any suggestions? The only one to my knowledge who showed such an interest in the device, other than the Master, was Rykounagin--"

She cut herself off in mid-word, her visage lowering.

“Hey, are you sure that thing doesn’t just mean that it wants out of the pod that it’s in?” Panthar asked.

Panthar looked over at the pod, eyebrow raised.

"Perhaps that is what it speaks of," she admitted then. "Perhaps I misunderstood; I have been through much of late--"

Not to mention what Phalomir was undoubtedly going through; that alone was enough to distract her. She gave herself a mental shake, and returned to the hovering containment pod.

Indeed, now that she took a closer look, she could see the shadowy outline of-- something floating within its strangely murky interior.

"I see no harm in that, and as it is something that I can initiate--"

Saying no more she reached out with the All, letting the Glyph light the way until the pod was lowered to the stone floor in front of the fireplace. She then turned from it.

"Panthar, from here we need more physical strength than I possess," she said, indicating the age-encrusted locks and connectors which kept the pod tightly closed. For although she could use the All further to break those bonds on a molecular level, she preferred not to do so at this time.

She did not exaggerate in her comment about going through much, and even with her talents she was not invincible, after all.

Tired, yes, but not weak, he thought. She needs to rest, so do what you can for her Panthar. Doing that is helping Phal. Besides, I am beginning to think that maybe after everything, she might really feel the way he does. For his sake, I hope her words were true.

Panthar turned back to the pod and contemplated. The locks were breakable, weakened by Jharmeen’s powers. The hinges too would break, but the construction of the pod was such that he would need leverage. Plus, his injured hand would not prove useful. He needed something to pry with…

He scanned the room, searching for something sturdy and long. His eyes came to a stop on a very solid looking sword hanging atop the fireplace, and started quickly for it. He reached the fireplace and grabbed for the blade, stopping short with his hand perched above the hilt. He turned to Jharmeen.

“I’ll need something to pry with,” he called over. “But I just realized I better ask before I go breaking something. Is this sword all right to use, or is it something valuable?”

"If you need something to pry with, perhaps a tool of some sort would be better. I shall send a servant to fetch something; meanwhile, perhaps this... being would begin by telling us of anything he might have noticed since he had been placed in the arial position he had.

We let out a mental sigh at the recolection, slightly difficult to locate after millenia's, but it had been done, now we awaited our freedom.

As the conversation continued, Ragorian began to be able to match names with faces, Thae two humans and Sith that had run into the room earlier were named Shayla, Erik, and Panthar, and the creature in the pod, the collection of eighty minds, was called the Onidorei. He assumed that the other human woman was named Galen, and the three other humans were Terrin, Matt, and Jasyn.

An odd company of individuals, Ragorian mused to himself.

His focus on the conversation sharpened greatly when Panthar pointed his vessel out to use as a prying device, then Graysith dissuaded him against it. Then the Onidorei creature mentioned the possesive ShaRhylla had shown towards him, and the assignment she had given him and Kelvandar. If Graysith and the others discovered the ward ShaRhylla had placed around him, they would likely attempt to break it.

After all, she had up and departed rather abruptly, and then had been long gone from Phrinnchatka, without communication with anyone left behind.

--certain aspects troubled her.

Salandaar. Dear and loyal Salandaar; had he come to ill during her absence? She would have to check into the possibility.

And why would ShaRhylla be possessive of the sword which hung over the mantel? Why send a warrior to Salandaar with that sword in particular?

She was not foolish enough not to understand the full ramifications of all the Onidorei had said.

"Back away from the sword at once, Panthar, and do not touch it!" she called out, new urgency in her voice.

"There may be magicks involved with it, for I see no other reason that my daughter would either make certain the warrior she sent carried this particular blade, or in turn that it would be so carefully placed -- or replaced -- over the mantel."

Now she turned away from Oni and came up behind Panthar. Placing a hand on his upper arm, she gently pulled him back, then stepping forward herself to more carefully scrutinize the blade.

At first she frowned in thought... then her eyes widened as she recognized it.

"I know this blade," she breathed.

"There was a time -- earlier -- that it came into unto my scrutiny..."

As had another being, one dark and strong, whom she had been beginning to groom as a possible consort to her.

"Do not touch this blade!"

With that she stepped forward, reaching toward it in utter paradox to what she had just said. But it was not to touch the blade that she did so.

Scarce millimeters from the hilt, her hand began to tingle. Quickly she withdrew it, and turned back to the others.

"It seems this sword is protected by a shield; I can sense the strength of the All, but there is more that encompasses it. Yes, it does seem this weapon holds a special place in my daughter's heart...."

The frown deepened on her face then; then she masked it and moved to a bellpull. A couple determined jerks upon it soon brought a Sith servant running--

--who skidded to a surprised halt in front of her before falling to her knees.

"M-milady, I-- I thought--" she stammered in confusion. "I saw your body..."

Graysith smiled grimly, and with a soft touch gently guided the servant to her feet.

"Bring something with which my friend here may pry open the containment pod you see here...

"...but do not mention my presence here as yet to any others you might meet."

The servant nodded her comprehension, then fled at her Mistress's bidding. Graysith turned back to the others.

"Thoughts, my friends?" she asked simply, then fell silent.

...but we all know that Salandaar was suspicious of something when we spoke with him, before he..."

Terrin trailed, his look turning blacker as his memory reminded him of something. "Salandaar was attacked by a Sith demon after he caught eye of it and tried to keep it from attacking anyone else. Phalomir was pinned for being involved with the Sith demon attacking Salandaar as well..."

Terrin trailed, still frowning, not knowing that from the appearances of things something was very much wrong. "I don't know what to make of all this...

...but I know for certain that, from what we've seen and heard, the warriors seem jumpy, anxious. No doubt they are suffering the effects of supposedly losing their former Dark Lady...

...but even so, they almost seem uncoordinated...

Terrin thought the Sith were confused?!?

Well! I could say the same thing about a particular little group of people of my more than personal acquaintance, only one of whom was forgiven of that fact purely by reason that she had been unconscious during the entirety of--

"Now, wait just a hellbent minute!"

True, I hadn't said so much as boo since events had transformed into a helter-skelter roller-coaster of a ride, beginning with the sudden appearance of my sister from the corners of Hell. I mean, really, when one thinks about it there hadn't been all that much time; events had just spiraled too quickly to where we were now all grouped together oh-so-nice, all so willing to let this... thing out of its trap....

The sheer enormity of what I felt in my shoes to be a terrible, terrible mistake on our parts effectively squelched any interest or focus on anything other than the bacta tank, which squatted in front of us like some kind of overgrown worrt.

I took in aother breath.

"Wait just a kriffing minute!"

There. That second little outburst got everyone's full attention. When I was certain everyone's focus was at least in my general direction, I continued.

"Pardon me for seeming to lag in all this guys, but... ummm, what's with the sudden decision to open up this thing? Don't you think it still might be a touch wee on the dangerous side? I mean, ok, so it spills the beans about stuff which, hey, how convenient! -- we need answers to-- Ok, so maybe it was here, able to observe, and maybe what it is saying is true...

"But what if it's not? What if it's just taking us by the nose and leading us willy-nilly by it? And for that matter, so what if it's telling the truth; why would it suddenly be so helpful? What in Hell's Seven Circles would prompt something that has no affiliation with us to be our ally? Our comrade? One overly eager to--

"Doesn't anyone remember what it said back on the warship?! Just before Phal's dear o'l dad up and absconded with my sister? Seems like it was something along the lines of:

'...provoke us and we are sure that we will do our best to destroy at least one of you, we have very limited capabilities, but we are sure we could do enough damage, now calm and speak, we have waited many millenia in solitude and we WILL NOT be turned away at the paranoia and whim of one simple being!'"

I paused with that, crossing my arms in front of myself and glaring at the seemingly innocent bacta tank. I never trusted this thing to begin with, and that mistrust had exploded exponentially when it had been dragged aboard the warship by the Master. And so far I hadn't seen any real reason to alter my opinion one whit.

Sure as there's Treasure on Roon.

Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back, the Glyph bursting into life. One slender hand reached out to the tank, the index and little fingers extended like horns, the others curled to meet the thumb; quickly she twisted that hand at the wrist.

The bacta tank seemed to waver, to grow indistinct...

...and then disappeared altogether beneath the chronotic shield she had placed about it.

She sighed a little, then turned back to the others.

"Tell me all that has transpired, everyone, while I was unconscious. If I am to save my beloved, I must have the facts...

"All of them."

"It seems our blabby little friend there was leaving out something. It said it had been placed where it was by-- well, probably by ShaRhylla--"

I stopped for a moment, casting an apologetic look Jharmeen's way. She looked so tired, and now that exhaustion was infused with a quick flash of pain.

"Hey, we don't know her motives, Sis," I pointed out as an aside before I went on.

"But anyway, it didn't just 'pop up' here due to her; it came to K'eel Doba with us, on the warship.

"Remember? Saving the Universe and all, sliding the Korriban system into-- well, somewhere? The big ol' Oogly-Eyes? Remember all that?

"And in the middle of it all, Phal's dear ol' daddy switches rontos in midstream, after agreeing with me two hundred percent about this pod, and drags it aboard, and then takes off with Jharmeen... remember guys? Sis, any of this sinking in at all?

"Oops, wait, sorry... I think Big Red there already covered all that; hey guys, a little help here, please..."

I shut up then, frustrated beyond words. Clearly, the input we needed now was that of the big ol Dark Lord, input we would never receive until we rescued said Dark Lord, input we would probably need to rescue said Dark Lord.

"What does anybody remember about this Master dude, and what Phalomir said about him?" I said, seeming now myself to switch rontos in midstream. Anybody remember anything Phal said that might be useful?"

Other than the fact that he had been so blasted adamant about opening up the bacta tank....

An idea hit me then, square between the eyes.

"Thoran!" I blurted, surprised at myself.

"Thoran- he might know something; where is he anyway?"

...well at least, not anything that was being said until Galen's last little query.

Kriffing hell, where WAS Thoran???

Terrin actually called out for him in his head just to check...

...several times in fact.

Nada.

His frown blackened. "I have no idea where Thoran is. In fact, I personally have had no contact with him since...

...well, back when we first began trying to fight for Jharmeen on the warship, when Aelvedaar first grabbed hold of her. I remember Thoran pitching in to fight Aelvedaar..."

Terrin trailed, something about those words triggering yet another memory. His frown got another shade blacker. "Do you think Aelvedaar may have gotten Thoran during that incident, somehow?"

Quieting a moment at that, Terrin searched his mind, trying to recall anything regarding Phalomir he knew, anything that might be of help in getting him back. And, after all, Terrin had been in the Dark Lord's head for quite some time before he'd been returned to his own body...

...and he'd spent a good deal of time with him and Thoran in the Darker Realms. Oh, and the Kaminoan, Rhua Ki...where was he?

"I know when I was in the Darker Realms with Thoran and Phalomir, they spoke of how the Master made some sort of deal with Aelvedaar to save the galaxy from the Vong, or something to that effect. I know this deal had something to do with the Master needing Phalomir alive...

...and Phalomir mentioned something himself about ruling over the Darker Realms at some point. I believe, if my memory serves, that the Master’s original plan, before his deal with Aelvedaar, had something to do with trading Phalomir’s life to that dark entity of the Darker Realms...the one who posed as Darth Wicked. Apparently both the Master and that guy underestimated Phalomir’s abilities, and Phalomir defeated them and took over. That’s when the Master made his little deal with Aelvedaar...

...and that’s when Phalomir was yanked from the future right before he died and placed in that crystal with Thoran. I’m not certain what this new deal with Aelvedaar entails, however. Maybe someone else can fill in those details...

...and for that matter, make certain what I’ve said so far is accurate? That has been some time ago, after all.”

“Allright, whoa,” he said. “If you remember, I got stuck inside my own body with both Phal and Thoran for a long time, and if you think that loony bird no-good stinker Thoran can be of any help, then you are as nuts as he is. He was planted there, remember? He was a mole all that time, keeping an eye on Phal until the Master could do whatever he was trying to do. This whole time and spirit and crystal thing was all screwed up, and whatever they were trying to do failed. Oh hell, just thinking about him gives me the willies.”

Panthar shivered, then shook his head.

She came up against.. something; something with flat pewter eyes that hunkered deep in the very core of her being, crouched and slavering, watching; even as she began to pull away from it, it reached to her in turn, one massive paw going to her as if seeking solace in contact with her.

The moment it "touched" her, she forgot all about it.

Her essence continued its inner probing, then backed away and turned outward once again.

"No," she said, a bit breathlessly. Nodding to the others in apology, she moved to the couch in front of the fireplace and took a seat there. For a moment she simply sat in silence, scrutinizing the blade which hung in such deadly innocence over the mantle. Then leaning back more comfortably, she lolled her head back toward the others.

"So what we know is this," she began to reiterate.

"The Master, simply put, is not to be trusted. He needs the life of his son-- or at least the one he claims to be his son, as vassal in some kind of plan he has either developed with Lord Aelvedaar, or against him. Either way, from personal experience alone I will vouch hs is not to be trusted.

"He wanted the pod destroyed... but brought it aboard the warship, which seems a bit odd to me. But other than the initial vehemence he held toward it, there is no real connection that we know of between him and the pod--

"--containing an entity, or rather entities which in turn have shown themselves to be both a possible threat or possible ally to us.

"I-- I have never truly believed that he was not on our 'side'..."

The words were softly spoken, yet rang loudly throughout the Dining Hall. Graysith sighed, then went on.

"I simply refuse to believe that he would bring harm to me, or to those I love; Lord Aelvedaar might have some plans of rising to supreme power amongst the Sith, but truly...

"Is that wrong? I have never known him to be evil, he was always gentle and wise and-- loving with me."

He is my Sire, the One who chose me, who taught me, made Me who and what I am today; how can I believe he is what they have been trying to tell me?

"All right, I will concede to you the fact that... circumstantial evidence is, as you say, not appearing to look at all conducive to his earning our continued trust.

"But, I want to point out to you -- and to everyone here that appearances are most certainly never truly what they at first seem to be. There is always a larger picture to think of, always; Shayla! You of all present know this to be true!"

She paused a moment, casting glance to all those with her.

"We know Aelvedaar has dealings with this so-called Master, but what we do not know is precisely what those dealings entail! We only know what precious and select few of us have been told; and in that regard perhaps cannot hold that knowledge as being the complete truth, if indeed truth at all.

"Has anyone paused to consider that Lord Aelvedaar himself may be held in thrall to someone quite against his own free will? That perhaps he is being forced into doing those dire things that he has done?

"Then... you are suggesting we go to Lord Aelvedaar?" she said slowly, gazing deeply into Panthar's eyes as if to read his very soul. Pulling back then she spoke to the others.

"And you all? What do you think? I am willing to lay my life on the gamble that indeed I have nothing to gamble, if any sense at all that makes--! But I have been in the Darker Realms, pitted against one with mastery over both the All and Sith sorcery. I am strong in the All, and grow stronger as time passes...

"...but I have no experience at all in the art of Sith magicks. In that regard, and without the Finger of R'lous to augment the All, I am helpless against Phalomir's father."

She drew in a breath, held it as if unwilling to say what she planned to finish with, then let it out all in one burst.

"We need a sorcerer, I fear. And so, I must ask you all now of your feelings in this, for it is no light matter to go to Khar Delba, not after all that has transpired. And--

"What of the Pod? Shall it be left safely here, or do we take the entities within it on their word and release them?

...or of dissappointment.

After all, this myraid collection of humans and Sith seemed extremely interesting. Ragorian had always been fond of tales of grand adventures and deeds of derring-do ever since his childhood, and it seemed to him, just from listening to the conversation, that this group had taken part in many tales such as these.

And in addition to that, he knew of the immense power that the Lady Graysith commanded. She was, after all, the only being who had ever defeated him, when he had attempted to take control of her mind.

And such power greatly intrigued him, for it seemed to make her one of very few beings who could grant him a new body faster than Lady ShaRhylla could.

It is good that she remembers me, he murmered to himself, chuckling quietly.

He quieted for a time, continuing to listen carefully to their conversation, his interest continuing to rise as they spoke. Finally, as they talked of considering to go see Aelvedaar, his interest reached something of a peak.

They need a sorcerer, do they? he said to himself. The Lady Graysith may recall that I myself am skilled in Sith magicks. If she does, then this situation could become extremely...interesting.

And Ragorian fell silent again, now very seriously considering, if he could, somehow contacting the Dark Lady and conveying to her his desire for talk...

...and he wasn't certain if that instinct would mirror anyone else's or not. But he had to say his piece.

"I don't like the idea of going to Khar Delba to ask for Aelvedaar's assistance," Terrin stated point blank. "I understand what he has done may be part of the grand scheme of things...

...but aside from what he has done, my problem rests solely in how he did it. When we all believed he was an ally who would never turn his back on us, he did just that. And, for that matter..."

He trailed, his look turning dark once more, "I have serious reservations regarding what the Dark Lord of the Sorcerors true intentions were in protecting Galen from Roan all that time ago. After all, I'm not even certain now if he truly was interested in protection...

...or if he was in fact planning a scheme of his own behind our backs. I often wonder...

...and others of us have entertained the notion...

...just how Aelvedaar knew where the Vong ship was when you, Jharmeen, were captured. Being many galaxies away, that must have been a very difficult, if not impossible task to accomplish...

...what if he already had a way to find that Vong ship? What if he is on their side?"

Trailing, Terrin let his words sink in, uncertain of how anyone would take this. Then a thought occurred to him. "And what about Aeylmaar? He is waiting in the Temple of S'slan for us to contact him. Perhaps we should confer with him before we jump from the frying pan and into the fire? He does, after all, have a unique perspective regarding the Dark Lord of the Sorcerors...

...and I would like to be damn sure of just where he stands before any of us dare to trust him blindly again."

We've been down that road before, Terrin thought silently, And I wouldn't like to go there again...

"But how are we to know where he stands unless we go directly to the source and find this out? Seeking out Aeylmaar may still be a wise suggestion...

...but even Aeylmaar would act to us as a secondary source of information. The only way we can even possibly know of the Dark Lord's intentions is if we go to him and find out..."

At this Shayla trailed, turning to Jharmeen, a phrase deeply held springing up from within her. "There are indeed two sides to every coin. We should investigate both sides, fully, in order to see just what we should do...

...and I do mean we."

Again she quieted, her greeny-blue eyes intent upon the violet eyes of her Choosen Sister. "Whatever it is we decide to do, I will go with you, I am ready to do whatever is necessary to help you save Lord Phalomir."

Falling silent at that, Shayla simply stood her ground, the most earnest and sincere look planted upon her features. But even as she stood in silence, one final thought surfaced in her mind, its roots deep in her heart and her soul, possibly only perceptible by Jharmeen, who no doubt could read the faint traces of the look which flashed in Shayla's eyes for a moment's time.

If we seek out Aelvedaar, might I see my premature son...?

In my minds eye I could see the city and the temple and the surrounding land, a faint and almost invisible line stretching from the temple outwards. "Trace..." I murmured again, forcing more of my energy to search for that precious object.

Falling silent then, his blue eyes rested on her figure as something deep inside of him registered: his mistrust in this situation rested in something more than his tendency to be wary of others, in more than just his past experience with Aelvedaar.

Instead it rested in the possible risk dealing with Aelvedaar might bring to Galen. Again he spoke to Galen, knowing that her feelings on this were more than just very important to him. Quite frankly, they were the only ones that mattered. "How do you feel regarding this?" he asked her. "This could place you at a terrible risk...

...and your safety is at the root of my concerns. Still, if you think we should take the chance, I will stand by you. Lord Phalomir's safe return is important...

...I just wonder if there is not another way to achieve it than dealing with Lord Aelvedaar, since we don't know...

...and may never know...

...exactly where he stands."

"But as for Aelvedaar..."

I let my words trickle to a halt then, crossing my arms in front of myself and letting my head drop forward until my chin rested against my chest. Seconds passed as I stood thus, then I slowly raised my head.

"You know, going to him might not be such a hot idea. I mean, yeah, he might have someone else pulling his strings, someone stronger than he is even, or someone who has something over his head or something.

"But the endpoint of that particular speculation is still the same: if this is indeed the case he undoubtedly would still be forced to be rid of us, even though he might actually not want to harm us."

I paused a moment longer, casting a look around at the others before finishing my thoughts aloud.

She trailed briefly at that, an image of a vision somehow creeping into her senses, that of a Sith with curved horns approaching her as a child, atop a mountain near the Praxeum.

And then she remembered. "Hey!" she suddenly spoke up then, not sure where this revelation would take them if in fact she was correct. "Isn't Phalomir somehow related to Aeylmaar?" she asked, quirking a brow. "Perhaps he has a personal stake in this, and we should seek him out before we go to Lord Aelvedaar. Still, I also agree we need to go to Aelvedaar because, in the end, we need to know where he stands...

...and he may help us regardless of whether he is..." she paused, making quotation marks with her fingers, "...on our side or not."

Falling silent a moment, her eyes grew vague once more, and that image of the Sith...

...one which she was becoming more and more convinced was Aeylmaar...

...returned to her mind's eye. Finally she spoke. "I think I should mention...

...and I have before...

...that I had a vision not so long ago of a Sith coming to me as a child, a Sith with curved horns. I believe that Sith in the vision--

--whether it is reality or not--

--was Aeylmaar. I've never been one to have many visions...

...but could this be a sign of sorts? I just have this feeling..."

She trailed once more, frowning. Your true potential...

"I doubt it means nothing," she then stated rather directly. "But it might not have anything to do with what we are dealing with now. Regardless, I stand by what I said...

...I think we ultimately need to go to Aelvedaar...

“About Phal and Aeylmaar, hmmm,” he said. “Phal was once told by someone – was it the Eye? – that he was part of a line of sorcerers that supposedly included Aeylmaar. I remember him scoffing at that, but that was when he was first finding out that he was actually from the future, not the past, and the memories he had been given about his father were false. Oh, what was his name? Tralaminus? Trailmixes? Tralanicus? Anyway, not important. But yeah, if the information was correct, then somewhere along the line Phal is supposedly some descendant of Aelymaar.”

Panthar folded his arms.

...which was quite an effort, considering his personality. More techie than anything else, he usually let his mouth lead him before he thought. But this was different. Anything remotely dealing with the Sith, regardless of how much they had been there and done that, he wasn't particularly thrilled with.

Nor was he particularly fond of the idea of trying to play buddy-buddy with Aelvedaar again. Still, Phalomir had played a part in keeping Galen safe and bringing Terrin back from the dead.

So this was important stuff to weigh and consider.

"Hell, I agree with Panthar," Jasyn finally spoke up. "If Phalomir is in the same line of sorcerors as Aeylmaar, Aeyl may not care for what is going on and might be willing to pitch in. We already know he doesn't like something that Lord Aelvedaar has been up to...

...and we did come here to find him. So we should finish the task. His imput may be important in defining the direction which we take."

"Very well then," she said. "We shall go to Aeylmaar, who awaits us within the Temple of S'slan. I presume to think you are of this same line of thought, Mr. Kartan? If I am incorrect, please speak now."

One brow crooked as she sent a meaningful look toward Shayla's husband, before generalizing that glance to include everyone within it.

"And now, as to the bacta tank and the unknown held within it, what say you all? Do we free it that it hopefully will be yet another ally to our cause? The more manpower we have, the greater our strength.

"I leave this up to you as well, but let us resolve this final issue quickly. Time is a commodity we do not have enough of, I fear; every moment we tarry here is another where my love is--"

She cut herself off with that, lowering her face to hide behind her long tendrils the expression of pain and grief that now flooded across it. Another precious few seconds passed as she stood in this manner, then at length she raised her head. Once again her expression was calm, even though her eyes were bright with gathered moisture.

...I think now may be too soon to begin to trust it. As Galen pointed out, the thing was rather threatening to us all aboard the warship...

...and that shouldn't be taken lightly. Where I come from..."

Here he trailed, looking momentarily to Terrin then back to all the others, "...trust is something that is earned, not given. We shouldn't be too hasty. As for Aeylmaar and Aelvedaar...

...some while we were all in hiding on K'eel Doba and even before then. I know what he seems to be to us all now but..."

He trailed, his brown eyes thoughtful. "Both Shayla and Graysith...

...Jharmeen...

...have a point. We cannot judge Lord Aelvedaar's possible actions and response to us solely on what he's done in the more recent past. If we look at the bigger picture of things...

...he has, over all, been an overwhelming help. Now, I don't know what drove him to do so then, nor do I know what drove him to turn us out of Prinn'chatka. But if he is the..."bigger picture" guy I think he is, he may see how very important getting Phalomir back from the Master is. I think we should go to him...

...and, as my wife said, find out directly from the source where he stands. And, as to the pod..."

Erik frowned, "...it obviously has a desperation to be freed, which caused it to threaten us all. Wasn't a good start to things...

...but as for taking the chance of letting that kriffing pod thing go..."

His mind worked quickly, attempting to justify allowing his blade to be taken. He believed his natural curiosity, while perfectly sufficient to him, would not suffice as reason enough when explaining the situation to Lady ShaRhylla.

But, now that he thought about it, she had much to gain from this occurence. They would remain unseparated, for part of him still resided within her. And she would gain a spy into her mother's doings, assuming Ragorian desired to inform her of the actual adventures of this group. Yes, he believed he would be able to placate ShaRhylla when she realized his vessel was gone. He hoped so, at least.

It is decided, then, he said to himself. I will reveal myself, and travel with them if I may.

Reaching out with his magicks, he probed the barrier ShaRhylla had put before his blade. It was, as he thought, unbreakable to his abilities. It contained that mysterious power of hers, Graysith's, Aelvedaar's, and others: the All. Against that, there was next to nothing he could do.

So it came down to convincing Graysith to break it, which was no easy task. While they had parted with a passable amount of trust, he believed, it seemed from her reaction when she remebered him that it was gone. It could be difficult to get her to grasp the blade again. Still, he would try.

Reaching within his talents, he called upon the few ways he could communicate with those who did not or had not grasped his blade. He could project emotions to many and send images and a few choice words to one. All of these together seemed to have the best chance of succeeding, so he spent a moment concentrating and preparing, then was ready.

First, he sent out a wave of melancholy lonliness and desire for freedom, emotions familiar enough to him, throughout the room. These were mainly to attract attention, though they would hopefully convey some of his innocence to those in the room.

Then, he focused solely upon Graysith. Reaching out, he sent towards her mind various images of his own conjuring: one of her breaking the barrier around his sword and grasping it, followed by an image of her and himself (a Sith, as he imagined himself to be), obviously talking calmly

Carried with these images, he sent her a choice few words: "Please, let us talk."

There, he said satisfiedly when he had finished. That should certainly get the message across. There is little else I can do...

So he simply waited. He watched for the reactions of all in the room to his wave of emotion, and focused on Graysith especially, waiting for her to get his message, and hoping that she would see fit to break his barrier and at least give him a chance to talk.

They will not give my Sire the chance to truly prove himself, came an oddly errant thought.

He will not harm us-- he will not harm me; he could never, ever harm me, even though he tries with all the power at his disposal--

Her head jerked up, her eyes widening as it suddenly struck her how strange her thought processes had become. Mere seconds before she was grieving for Phalomir, hot with pain and impatience to rush to his aid, yet now...

Now she was suddenly filled with feelings about Lord Aelvedaar, feelings clearly out of place to the situation.

She blinked, then frowned.

No. Not Lord Aelvedaar; these feelings weren't about someone, but rather were being sent forth from another.

Her brows furrowed in puzzlement; then as if from a great distance four groupings of sounds came wafting into her consciousness, flowing melodically, rising and lowering in timbre, beating at her very being until all at once they coalesced into four distinct words.

"Please, let us talk."

She immediately knew who their author was.

Raising a hand to cut off the votes of the others, she turned and walked to the fireplace. There she came to a halt, cocking her head as she studied the deadly form of the blade which hung above its mantel.

"My friends," she spoke to the others, her back to the group. "It appears there is one more whose voice would be heard in these proceedings."

She paused a moment, remembering the last encounter she had had with Ragorian. Recalled too the ease with which she had repelled his attempt to commandeer her mind and body. Knew that if he tried to do such a thing now he would be just as easily repelled, for she was well protected by the All.

Decided in an instant what her next course of action would be.

"I will hear what he has to say, and let you know what I have learned. I shall waste no time in this, however; time, as I said, is yet short.

"But herein lies a sorcerer, who could be a strong ally to us. Fear not for me, my friends; I am safe enough in his presence."

With that she reached out with her talents, and broke the barrier created by her daughter as easily as a ronto would break an eggshell.

Then she raised up on her tiptoes, reached out with her hand, and firmly and deliberately took hold of the hilt of the Blade.

As it were, he allowed himself a feeling of satisfaction as she broke his barrier, reached out, and grasped his hilt.

Now, he knew, he had to proceed delicately. Reaching out with a small tendril of himself, he gently touched Graysith's mind just enough to allow communication between them. For now, it was all he dared.

Then he spoke.

"My Lady Graysith," he said, his voice calm and respectful, "How good it is to speak to you again. It has been far too long."

"My thanks to you in breaking the ward that imprisioned my blade," he continued. "The presence of another prision atop this accursed blade was fast becoming unbearable."

For a moment he paused, considering, picking his words carefully. Then he continued.

"I called out to you for reasons more that just desiring freedom from that ward, milady. I confess that I was listening in on the conversation you and your companions
were just holding, and it seemed to me that you were going to reach a decision and leave quite soon."

"As such, I felt a need to make myself, and my desire to speak with you known quickly, for fear you would depart before I had the chance."

"You mentioned in your conversation that you require the aid of a sorcerer. As you seem to recall, I am possessed of some skill with Sith magick."

Ragorian paused again, considering whether or not he was making a mistake. Then, with something of a deep mental breath, he continued.

"I called out to you, Lady Graysith, because I wish to offer you my aid in your...quest. I wish to help you."

To what purposes, she didn't know for a fact.

What she did know was that she had repulsed him from her; then he had rapidly changed his tune and become almost civil.

She frowned, gripped the sword harder, and turned round to the others.

"Within this blade there lies the essence of an extremely powerful Sith sorcerer who goes by the name of Ragorian," she said flatly.

"This is not the first time our paths have crossed; when first we met, he attempted to overtake my mind and body, for that is what occurs when an unprotected being takes hold of this."

She held the sword out for everyone to see.

"He now states his... wish to assist us, having overheard our conversation and thereby gaining the knowledge of our need of a sorcerer. His... assistance could indeed be something to consider, as he is most likely a far more powerful sorcerer than the young Aeylmaar."

A dark look flicked across her face, and she fell quiet.

The words rang out in her head, sokehow becoming almost damning. Shayla frowned, shaking her head as if to clear the words away.

"We will need a strong sorceror," Shayla then agreed. "As it is, Aeylmaar is just an adept, and probably does not have full usage of the All..."

Her words dropped off, and something else occurred to her. "The Master does have All usage..."

As she turned her look to Jharmeen and the others from her thoughts, the sudden stormcloud in her eyes burst into lightning. "We have to go to Lord Aelvedaar," she stated frankly. "No Sith adept will be able to defeat this Master. No powerful sorceror, even. We may very well need the powers of the sorceror in the blade...

...but I know for all the Fates that we are going to need a sorceror with All powers. For, with the Master as a Sorceror with All powers himself, it's going to take someone of the same skill to defeat him."

Trailing at that, Shayla let the words she had just spoken fall on the ears of all present. Then she added one final addendum. "And as for the pod...

...there are two sides to every coin. We've all been talking about its initial threat to us, while what we're all missing, as my husband stated, was its point of view. I'm certain after being confined in that bacta tank for years, desperation took hold when it plead to be freed and did so in vain.

We should let it free. We need all the allies we can get, of all the varieties we can get...

...and we just might need more than just a touch of the dark to defeat the Master as well."

"That sorceror has just overheard everything we've spoken," Matt said directly, "I'd hesitate to leave him here, should he in turn lead others we may or may not care to find us directly to us. And as for the pod...

...I think I'd prefer to make it one of my allies now instead of leaving it to become a possible ally of someone else. We need all the helping hands we can get, and aside from the small fiasco aboard the ship, it has been helpful. And, as with the blade, I'm certain Jharmeen could stop it if it turned on us. As to who we should go to concerning all this..."

Matt trailed a moment, his green eyes never losing their intensity, "I agree with most of you...

...we are going to need Aelvedaar, who is both a powerful sorceror and an All user. Being somehow related to Phalomir might give Aeylmaar a stake in all this...

...then he'll know everything, and I don't much like eavesdroppers...."

Good words spoken by all, sound advice.

A smile curled briefly about her lips--

Good friends, all. And now, perhaps others as well...?

She blinked, bringing her attention back to the others, cast a steady gaze into their faces, reading clearly the trepidation and hesitation and yes, fear within all, darker emotions which each one had gained mastery over to reply in what he or she believed to be in the group's best interests.

She let her eyes linger a moment upon her sister. The red-haired woman merely pursed her lips, glared back, but remained silent.

Her eyes shifted back to Shayla.

"So be it, I -- we -- have decided then."

She held the blade aloft.

"This sword shall accompany us, but for the well-being of all shall come into no other hands but my own. The bacta tank shall be opened, and its occupant released; should he prove harmful, I can easily dispense with him in one manner or another.

"We shall go to Lord Aelvedaar, armed and strong but in peace, and shall present our case to him, along with our suppositions and speculations. But not before we attend to the needs of his son, Aeylmaar."

Twisting her wrist, she brought the sword to her face.

"I know you can hear me, Ragorian," she said aloud, that all could hear her words.

"Through common consent I accept your offer of assistance; it is my hope that your words prove true, and that you are not lying to us for purposes not, perhaps, entirely unknown."

Her grip tightened ever-so-slightly, allowing a subtle tactile warning to pass between them.

Then before anyone could respond, she raised her other hand, the index and little fingers extended outward like horns, the others curled to meet beneath her loosely cupped palm. A quick twist, and the chronotic shield about the bacta tank disappeared.

In three quick strides she was before the object, standing there to stare down upon it.

Then she lifted the Blade aloft, to then bring it down upon the tanks locking mechanism with a resounding, ringing clang. The locks fell from the tank to cling upon the cold stones of the floor.

Graysith raised the blade to ready stance, and waited, although from her body language it was clear that she would brook no more delays in time lost to further conversation.

Now was the time for action.

"We thank you. We are in your debt eternally."

As the decision was reached, Ragorian reached out to speak to Graysith again in reply.

"This is good, milady. I am glad to have been accepted, at least, by your friends."

"And I hope, with time, my actions will allow me to gain some measure of trust from you and your companions, trust that you all obviously hold for each other..."

"...ahh, what adventures you must have faced together to gain such trust for each other," Ragorian said wistfully, to himself almost as much as to Graysith.

"The tales you must all have to tell...

He feel silent, realizing he was beginning to ramble, then spoke again.

"But I digress, milady. As I said, I am here to offer my assistance. Is there anything I can do to help you or your friends now?"

"After all, I would like a chance to show you and your friends that my intentions are, in fact, good, milady Graysith."

To both she tilted her head graciously, for whether or not she yet truly trusted either was no reason to fail in her status of Dark Lady of the Warriors.

"I thank you both for your willingness to throw your lot in with ours, and welcome you to our group."

For better or worse, a voice in his head snorted.

"Seems like, time pressing and all, now's the time to blow this joint and get going. But then..."

"We take the high road, Mr. Lancaster," she said, the solemnity of the words tempered by the twinkle in her eye.

Again her free hand stretched out, fingers curved just so, her eyes then closed and her head fell back, the Glyph lighting the Dining Hall with swaths of glowing, cold light.

There seemed to be a nearly audible ripping sound... then she opened her eyes and waved toward the portal she had just opened in the fabric of space and time.

"The high road," she repeated as she then turned on her heel and, sword in hand, entered the Portal she had created between the Temple of the Warriors and the Temple of S'slan.

But what could I do? Ok, so I could pull out easily enough; I had the invisibility device, and I knew how to run the sith ship we came in. I could take Terrin and we could begin our own little private venture in this great and shadowy temple, seeking our daughter...

I wanted to do that more than anything in the entire universe.

"Terrin--"

I trailed, gripping his hand, hanging back a bit as the others traipsed through the opened portal. Quickly, before all had passed through, I spoke my thoughts to him, making certain to keep my voice in as tiny a whisper as I could, that only he could hear me.

...and it came as no surprise to him then that he wanted that for her too. The moment he looked into Galen's eyes, he already knew what he'd say to her.

"You know I stand with you," he whispered back to her, his blue eyes locked on her, "If you want to look for Darra...

...then let's do it. And this time...

...let's look for her together."

Kriffing hell, but he'd forgotten how he hated all this stuff...

As if just then realizing that the lounge wasn't all that far away...

...and that he really needed a drink...

...Jasyn made a dash for it, hoping the portal would give him enough time to snag at least one bottle of brandy. And heck, Terrin and Galen were taking their time, so...

The cap on the brandy bottle barely popped off before the bottle reached his lips, the liquor burning his throat.

Kriffing hell, but he'd forgotten how good this stuff was...

...but even so, he quickly realized that his comrade in arms had strayed to the lounge area. And he knew damn well what for. Shaking his head with a sigh, Matt turned to head after him and direct him back, fully prepared for the image of Jasyn with a brandy bottle.

And he found his expectations totally correct.

"Allright, Jas, lay off the brandy. We've got a big day ahead of us...

...and you'd do well not to get drunk before it starts."

Jasyn took a swig from the brandy bottle, rolling his eyes.

"Awww, what does it matter? We'll have at least two Sith Sorcerors with us. At least one of them should be able to help my hangover."

Matt snorted. "Doubtful. They ought to let you be reminded of what happens when you drink too much."

Jasyn shrugged, and took another drink.

"Come on, will you? I don't know how long that portal stays open, but we better get going."

Jasyn's brow shot up. "Why?" he queried, suddenly leaning forward, his voice growing soft. "Terrin and Galen aren't in any hurry...we can just head in with them."

Matt frowned, but then shrugged conceding...

...and finding himself not all that surprised. He was no fool, he could easily read Terrin's hesitations regarding some of their new allies. So he decided to hang back, just to see what was going on...

...and to make sure they either made it through all together or not at all.

A smile came to her lips as Oni stuttered through, followed by Shayla and Erik, and then the hulking Panthar. That smile remained a moment or too longer as she waited for the others, then stretched into a grimace of concern.

Time ticked on. No one else came through.

"Wait for me," she said to the others, then after placing the sword in the belt of her thrimm she stepped back through the rift into the Dining Hall. There she found Terrin and Galen back by the eerily restored buffet, whispering to each other, with Matt towing a brandy-swigging Jasyn from the direction of the lounge.

The last remnants of her smile evaporated.

"We are waiting for you," she finally said, keeping her voice soft and low. She could not, however, keep back the note of consternation which filled it, nor could she keep away the shadows which flickered in the depths of her eyes.

...but he did not let it go. "We're right behind you," he said, his blue eyes looking directly at Jharmeen even as he squeezed Galen's hand just a little bit more.

Now would be a good time for you to be able to read my mind, Galen. Turn that blasted invisibility thing back on...

"Ahh--" I stammered, my free hand straying toward the controls to the invisibility device...

...when I stopped.

Now it was my turn to squeeze Terrin's hand meaningfully. Though she had thrown in her life with the Sith, adopted them as her own people, married into them and become their Dark Lady; though we'd had our ups and downs--

OK, So she's tried to kill me on more than one occasion!

--she was my sister, after all. And as thus, deserved honesty, not another betrayal.

""Ahh--" I garbled, looking up to Terrin and trying to figure out how to say it. Then I sighed; no way but to just blurt it out, I suppose.

"Look," Terrin said, sighing, "Sorry about the bluffing...old habits die hard," he admitted. "You know without my saying that I have some serious qualms about the possible risk this mission may pose to Galen. And there are some things we'd like to do," he continued. "Still, should you truly need us..."

He paused, once more glancing to Galen before returning his gaze to Jharmeen, "...don't hesitate to look for us and find us."

Falling silent then, Terrin said no more...

A pregnant moment stretched between them, marred only by a distant inquiry as to whether or not she was coming...

"I shall soon be there," she called back through the Portal, then turned back to the others.

Another pause stretched to the borders of discomfort.

"You mean to seek out your daughter, do you not?"

The words sliced through the air as unexpected as a lightning bolt, bringing twin looks of surprise to the faces of Galen and Terrin. The Dark Lady of the Warriors allowed them another moment to collect themselves, one in which she too utilized to examine the facts--

Far, far too many and disparate facts. The game of galactic pinball played by too many evil entities, with the tiny JhinDarra as the key element. Her, seeking to destroy Galen, then her child; Darra being taken by Roan, taken to Kamino -- ahh yes, she knew what his plans had been for her there -- the rescue of the child, her final and apparent safety in the arms of her biological father even as the beginnings of Hell were starting to break loose among the Sith...

...her own swift removal of Darra from Tarnus, her own actions which followed, her thoughts, her beliefs, her admittance of who and what she was and what indeed she wanted.

A vision of white gnarl-trees in the mist floated in front of her eyes....

She blinked, her eyes suddenly bright.

"I wish you well, sister, but warn you to take a care. For in remaining behind you are placing yourself in danger; recall if you will that there are others here who would destroy you as quickly as they would destroy me--"

Now she raised a hand against the up-coming protest she read on her sister's face.

"Yes you have the invisibility device, but please remember:

"It was created by the Sith to use against non-Sith. Most certainly there would be someone who could penetrate it's protection; one with the All would be a certainty."

Now her eyes filled with a flash of pain, quickly followed by a flash of darkness. A deeper look read something similar in Galen's mink-brown pair.

She took a breath, steadying herself against that sudden, shared pain.

"Your daughter is here, in the Temple," she said suddenly.

"She has been--" She hung her head. "I took her to Kamino, had her artificially aged to approximately her early twenties. She--

"She believes I am her mother, and that ShaRhylla is her sister."

Now fury flooded the room; Graysith closed her eyes against so as to better concentrate on keeping her abilities from instinctively flaring out against it.

"I give you free leave to search this temple and find her, although what you will say to her when you do, and more importantly what you will say to the others here, I cannot imagine at this time. But I do know that if my daughter finds you, she will not be forgiving; she has much of her father in her."

Another pause. Another link into eternity.

"Once I have departed on my quest to save my beloved Phalomir, I cannot keep coming back to make certain you are safe. If you remain here, you are on your own devices. Remember there is only one of the servants who knows I live; all else feel I have been heinously slain.

"I do not have the time now to play politics and reveal myself; trust me though, I most certainly plan on doing so when the time is right for it. I-- I can only hope you will still be alive to join me in that celebration."

With that she nodded, turned on her heel, and disappeared into the Portal--

"Galen, I would die a thousand deaths if it would bring you and Darra safely together again," he started, "But this chance...

...do you still want to take it? Roan is out there, though in the Darker Realms, and the Master is out there...

...and for that matter both Aeylmaar and Aelvedaar are out there, let alone ShaRhylla. Every dark entity and their brother have been after you both, and I want you safely reunited...and damn it all, one way or another the two of you will be, I promise you that. But we may need help to keep the both of you safe and secure...

...and right now the only person I trust in the slightest with that is your sister..."

He paused at that, frowning, clearly not liking the things Jharmeen had admitted to doing to JhinDarra. "I hate the things that your sister has done to Darra...

but I also want what is best for you and Darra, and as it stands both of you are, at the moment, safely out of the hands of all those dark entities who have been out to get you both for far too long. Still, if you want to go and find Darra now, I'm with you...

Too much was focused on those unexpected words blurted out by Jharmeen.

"Your daughter is here...."

Little JhinDarra was here... no. Not "little" by any reach of the word; dear Khaandon but my daughter...

Our daughter!

...was nearly as old as I was.

My mouth dropped open, worked like an opee out of water. Nothing came out, no words could possibly squeeze past the growing lump in my throat, past the swelling heaviness in my heart, past the growing, smoldering fury, past the slowly cementing avowal that she would pay for this, oh yes she would pay for this....

I jerked, then with a toss of my head that sent my tear-wetted hair flinging about my face, I looked up to Terrin.

"I agree," I managed in a ratchetty whisper, then with before I could change my mind let gof of his hand and stomped toward and then through the Portal, following my sister like a Noghri on the hunt.

Cold fires burning in my breast.

...cause underneath the slick ability to reason his way through this situation he was honestly furious. Furious that Darra's age had been changed against her mother's desire, furious that every Tom, Dick, and Harry couldn't wouldn't just leave them alone for once...

...and mostly, furious that Galen was so hurt and upset.

Kriffing hell, but he needed something to throw...

Even as the thought occurred to him, Matt walked by, still dragging a drinking Jasyn along.

A thunderbolt exploded over Terrin's head, and before he could conciously think about what he was doing he jerked the brandy bottle out of Jasyn's hand and threw it. The glass smashed against the wall, the remainder of the bottle's contents splattering everywhere.

"Heee..." Jasyn started, but thought better of it after seeing the look in Terrin's eye.

"Get moving," he growled, then without another word entered the portal right behind Galen, his two employees following closely behind him.

“I hope they hurry,” he said. “There is definitely something not right here, and it kind of sucks to be without anyone with the All or Sith magick.”

He turned back to the portal in time to see Jharmeen step through, followed in time by Galen and Terrin, both looking hot under the collar, followed then by Jasyn and Matt.

The strange pod creature said something which Panthar tuned out, then fell silent. Panthar stepped next to the weird thing and looked past it to Jharmeen.

But he remained silent until the last of the party had appeared in the dismal place he had sequestered himself in, and the Portal had disappeared into the non-ness from which it was drawn.

He stepped forward.

“Aeylmaar, I presume. Listen, good to see you, but what is going on? Are you in trouble or what? Phal is, though, for sure, so let’s cut to the chase, all right?”

A strange feeling began to creep its way over Panthar, the electrical buzzing on his arms now feeling more like something trying to press its way into his skin. He rubbed his arms more and tried to shake it off. And why did he feel so jumpy all of a sudden?

“What were you needing to tell Phal and Gray?”

Aeylmaar frowned in momentary puzzlement, then his eyes widened.

"Of course, you mean the Chosen Daughter; yes, I bring warning that there is to be an attempt on her life, one of the assassin's cult has been set out to dog her trail..."

He paused while the others came up to him, led by a slender female human with eyes the color of a stormy cloudbank beneath a red sunset, and hair the color of a red star's heart.

"It is good to see you unharmed, as am I. For the moment, at any rate."

"Aeylmaar, it is indeed good to see you well; I feared for your well-being, judging by the shortness of the message you sent to use when telling us where you were. We have been through much to come to you; tell me.

"It-- it was my Sire, the great Dark Lord Aelvedaar," he said to the floor, now unable to keep back the tears which suddenly welled up, blurring his vision. Silence crackled for long minutes through the dank miasma of the Temple before he raised his face to her again.

"But, it isn't him!" he said fiercely, jerking air into his lungs with an almost defiant sniff.

"Something is wrong, something has happened; he has changed, he is different, I don't know what, I cannot define precisely, there is no logic, no sense of it at all...

"But Lord Aelvedaar, my dear adoptive father..."

He trailed, his voice catching. Swallowing hard, he rushed on, stammering repeatedly in his urgency.

"I am at a loss to explain what has happened or how, but this I do know to my very heart and soul:

"It isn't him!"

...to mere human woman. Like funerary doves her hands raised to her face, covered it, pressed against flesh warmed by tears and pain and grief, rubbed it; then drew up, over the Glyph and finishd by entangling within her tendrils a moment, drawing through the length of her hair until free air was met and they fell limply against her skirts.

She swayed a moment, the oppressive sensations around her beating into her, against her, entering into her every pore, meeting the Beast within, which rose to its feet with a roar of recognition.

She sank to her knees.

"Wh- what are we to do, then?" she whispered to no one in particular, looking lost and alone on the cold stones beneath her.

"We need the strength of a Dark Sorcerer Lord; I do not have enough strength in the All to release my dear, dear Phalomir from his grasp..."

Her form seemed to grow smaller yet as she sank to one side on her hip, one hand supporting her awkward position, the other rising once more to cover her face.

What had she been thinking? Whatever possessed her to believe she could ever carry this off? That she had the wisdom, the strength, the ability, the raw power? How could she have been so arrogant as to believe she could defeat the Master; oh that she had remained in the Darker Realms, leaving her love at least safe with those others she had come to care so much for...

We continued watching her with caution, paying great detail to the readouts of the Onidorei in relation to her, before speaking a few last words. "We have faith in you, as you should in yourself."

Now, as Graysith sank to the ground in seeming despair, and the Onidorei spoke, Ragorian too felt a desire to speak.

"Indeed, milady, do not despair. All is not lost. I am sure there is another way."

"You had been hoping, I gather, to convince lord Aelvedaar to join our cause in defeating this "Master," I believe? While that may no longer be an option, perhaps a substitute may be found for his power."

"You say you need the strength of a Dark Sorcerer Lord? While I am no Dark Lord, my powers, having been honed for thousands of years, are something to consider, at least. And this Aeylmaar, is he not a Sorcerer as well? With the two of us working together, could we perhaps reach your requirement for magickal energy?"

"And as for strength in the All, I am at more of a loss. Is there anyone in your group who can use that All as well and could aid you? Do your sisters, Chosen or blood, possess any of that ability?"

"And if nothing else, we could attempt to somehow reclaim the Finger of R'lous. That object would give you enough power to combat the Master, would it not?"

Pausing and recalling an earlier conversation with ShaRhylla, Ragorian continued.

"I believe I know who took the Finger of R'lous, milady, though not how to find him. And if I am correct, the Finger may still be within our grasp."

"Please, my Lady Graysith, despair not. Your friends and loyal companions are around you. They...we...shall help you find a way through this problem."

What in Hell's Seven Circles was this all about???

I blinked, then let Oni's words slide into my ears. There they began to niggle a warmth into my heart, a tiny one albeit, but one nevertheless, which began to flare and grow and melt away the icicles that had formed there.

Family... a loving bond...

Oh yeah. Like between mates, spouses, brother and sister, but the strongest of all being between mother and child.

Child.

Darra....

The warmth snuffed out, bowled into nonexistence by a glacial avalanche.

She had taken her, she had dared to play with her life as if it were nothing but a deck of sabaac cards....

The hatred grew. My vision dimmed, grew red, heated, hateful

I will kill her, so help me Khaandon; I've had enough of her, she killed Daddy, she interfered with me and my first love, she is threatening everything and everyone else I love, and now she has taken Darra....

The remainder of that unspoken inner avowal disappeared, the words and letters which formed it vanishing beneath a fresh onslaught of pure fury and rage and hate. It was as if I was caught up in the middle of a volcanic tsunami.

And I loved every minute of it.

But now was neither the time nor place to do anything about it, unfortunately. There were too many prying eyes, too many listening ears.

All I could do was stand there, rigid and cold, my hands fisted at my sides, all the furies of Hell screaming out from the gaze I was giving her.

His dear, beloved Lord Aelvedaar. He to whom he had apprenticed himself, four thousand years in their past. He for whom he had died, willingly letting the Dark Jedi rend his flesh asunder with their strange swords of light, trusing in the old Sorcerer Lord that he would be reborn, that he would live again...

Those words had proven to be true. He was indeed alive... but far from well.

"My dear, dear Father," he mourned to himself, over and over.

"He is gone, something has taken him, he is no more, there is a doppleganger, how can I continue in his stead, how can I shake the usurper from the throne? What can I do; it is of no use, no use, no use...."

With a small shudder he too sank to his knees, his amber eyes wet with tears, the bright light within them blanking out as he covered them with his hands.

...exponentially so. It was as if you could see the lightning bolts in his eyes, he was so angry...

...furious. He was keenly aware of what was going on, knew that Graysith had fallen and was unresponsive, in a strange sort of unending despair...

...and he didn't give a damn.

Let her stew. Let her know how the betrayal feels...

...she's done it enough to her sister. Let her stew and rot in it...

As these dark thoughts clouded his mind and his logic, Terrin vaguely heard the words of the Onidorei...

...and the look in his eyes blackened even further.

"Shut the kriffing hell up!!!" Terrin seethed, actually inching up on the Onidorei, a hand shooting out to grab what would, on a human's anatomy anyway, be its neck. Before the device...

...or the beings inside it realized what was happening, he grabbed the translator, and shoved it, letting go shortly after he'd taken hold to send it sprawling towards the floor, not far from Graysith.

Somewhere nearby, Jasyn laughed an almost manical laugh...

“H-hey, guys,” he stammered. “Um, the machine thing is probably right, you know? We should, um, go?”

He looked around, seeing the people with whom he had spent many long travels. But now he felt a strange sense of urgency, and he no longer had faith in their abilities. Galen looked like she was ready to explode, Terrin had a distinct look of angry mistrust, and everyone else seemed like helpless kittens. Especially Graysith! The great and terrible Graysith, master of the All, the ability to bring down Dark Lords with a single kiss…

Dark Lords?

Oh hells bells, Phalomir! He was stuck in the Darker Realms, with only this group of imbeciles to save him. Oh, what a great set of odds he had!

And what about the Master?

“Oh, no, this just isn’t right,” Panthar shivered. “It can’t be right, can it? No no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO!”

He turned wide, bloodshot eyes to Aeylmaar. Suddenly so very unsure of himself, he questioned the Sith.

“If it’s not Aelvedaar, then what the heck has the Master been talking about? Dammit, he said Aelvedaar set him up, locked him in that ship… where we could find him? That doesn’t sound right, does it? I mean, the two of them are supposedly in some sort of conflict with each other, why would Aelvy put him there…? And with all those vials of whatever that was? I don’t know, dammit! I just wanted my name in a book, now I’m stuck inside a Sith body on a planet that doesn’t exist in a lunatic temple!”

Panthar dug his nails into the wall, ripping the bandage from his wounded hand. The pain was suddenly intense, bringing him from shivering lunacy to a sudden, if brief, clearness. Everyone was losing it, everyone. Why? What had Gray said about this place?

He felt the tremble of panic spread in once again, and needed physical contact. Now. He rolled to the floor and scooped up Jharmeen in his arms holding her close.

“Get us out of here, dammit dammit DAMMIT!”

Or perhaps she had been aware of its existence all along.

Dark to defeat the Dark...

... true potential...

Her growing feelings were not those of the despair Jharmeen Jhin'Dar Qu'taro felt. They were, instead, something selfsustaining, fueled by anger and hatred.

He would do such a thing to his own Chosen Daughter? To her friend? Her own chosen sister?!?

Even as these dark thoughts sprang in Shayla's mind, she stretched out, reaching to her chosen sister through the Force and connecting with her...

...Shayla's dark thoughts spilling in to mix with Jharmeen's despair, strangely enough bringing another entirely dark emotion to that which was causing Jharmeen so much grief.

"They would seek to destroy us and all we have fought for, Shayla thought, not knowing if her words were heard but knowing the feelings would be felt just the same. Do not let either of them succeed, they do not deserve the satisfaction. Instead, they deserve nothing short of death.

We shall avenge these wrongs, my Sister...

...until he recalled what Galen had said about this place back when they were on Kori'san.

Oh damn. This was not good.

Erik grabbed Shayla, who was deeply intuned upon Jharmeen, and shook her by the shoulders.

"Shayla...Shayla!!!" We have got to get out of here!!!"

His wife frowned, not seeming to comprehend, almost totally enthralled. She didn't move an inch.

Erik frowned back at her, and muttered a "Sorry sweetheart, but we're taking off."

Then he turned to the others, who were mostly out of sorts...

...and caught Matt Stanza's alert green eyes. Likewise, he looked at the Onidorei...

...and then spoke up. "Look, this place is amplifying everyone's dark emotions," Erik spoke up for all to hear, "We've got to get out of here, fast...

...and I'm willing to help drag everyone out the door if that is what it takes..."

He paused, whirling to face Aeylmaar, who was still on his knees, but now looking up. "...but it would help if I knew where the door was," Erik finished, looking Aeylmaar sternly in the eye. "Think of what is happening here, of all this despair and strange action, please. Think of how you've seen us all before...

...and of the state of mind you were in when you arrived here yourself. We need you to get out of here faster, and I know you somewhere down deep know the powers of this temple and believe not all is lost, or else you would not have come here to begin with. So please, if you can't get us out of here yourself, point me in the direction of the door..."

The young Heir Apparent looked up at Erik, tears standing in his eyes. He sniffled, rubbed a clawed finger beneath his nose, then released a fresh flow of tears down the planes of his face as he blinked.

It seemed as if a pair of hands gripped him then, tightly, as if awash with some sort of urgency. He shook his horned head against the feeling, blinking again, striving to bring meaning to the strange monosyllabe that had just been thrust into his ears.

"Door?" he repeated, a look of almost wonder coming into his eyes.

A weird sensation came over him then. It was as if those incorporeal hands were shaking him, trying to bring him to his senses. Not quite succeeding, they did what best they could then do: they drew him upward to stand, albeit somewhat shakily, on his feet.

Glowing volcanic eyes perused him sternly. Something shook him again... harder.

"Door," he said a third time, but this time the tone of his voice was less mournful, more assured. He cast a quick look about himself, trying to get his bearings.

"I-- I have been here long... it is this way, I believe..."

He quieted then and simply pointed down a particularly dismal corridor.

Wait, door? Someone said there is a door? Where? Where? WHERE?

Door, yes, there, someone said it again. BUT WHERE?!

Panthar glanced upwards, again hearing the magical word. This time a hand pointed in a direction, and the combination of that and the wonderful word that hinted at safety brought him to his feet before his mind had a chance to react.

Graysith spluttered against the force of impact, the fall exacerbated by shards of icy snow which flew into her face and up her nose. She sneezed, then glared, instantly alert.

"Mr. Dantares!" she burst out with, utterly shocked, not yet fully aware of where they were or what had just happened to them. All she knew was that she was laying on top of him, his face entirely too close to hers.

Cold?

Jharmeen on top of him?

“What the--” he started, trying to rise but instead sinking further into the snow. He wiggled and dug his heels into the snow, searching for purchase.

“Snow!” he exclaimed. He held onto Jharmeen the best he could and rose to a sitting position. The temple stood before them, rising sinisterly from the rocks. They were sitting in a snow drift caused by the winds that whistled through the mountains by which they were surrounded. Peaks rose around them, and the temple itself seemed to be situated in a valley of sorts, albeit one sitting at extremely high elevation and formed by a convergence of rising peaks.

Panthar breathed hard, his lungs not quite filling with enough air.

She stared up at him, frowning.

"I can't think clearly, for some reason; we were looking for-- Aeylmaar, and we went into the Temple of the War God--"

A horrified expression shot over her face, chasing away every last vestige of puzzlement and confusion.

"The Temple of S'slan is the temple where warriors pay homage to their god of war; it is a dark place, and one into which only the most highly trained of the warriors dare to enter. Oh, how could I have forgotten--"

She trailed a moment, seething at herself for the glaring oversight. However, considering the pair of them were standing in snow nearly knee deep -- well, knee deep to her, mid-calf on Panthar -- high in the alpine wilderness, wasting what little breath there was to be gained in self-reproval was one of the farthest things from their best interests.

She let out a sigh, then spoke up again.

"The Temple is a very dangerous place; we must get the others out of there, now.

"Quickly, Mr. Dantares; have you the strength to withstand the terrors within if I allow you direct entry to their position, there to help the others leave?"

Without waiting for any sort of reply she simply shot her hand off to one side, the fingers once more peculiarly positioned, and tweaked the fabric of space and time. A Portal ripped into the spaces between molecules, opening a door between themselves and the last place they had visited.

He shook his head and cleared his thoughts, completing the entrance into the hallway. He found the group in disarray, each member seeming to be lost in their own thoughts. Well, almost everyone.

“Hey, grab people and get them through the portal, now!” he called over to Erik, who seemed to be coherent. He then grabbed for the nearest person, who happened to be Aeylmaar, and shoved hard until he tumbled through the portal and into the same snow bank. Panthar then turned back to grab the next person.

Actually two, for Galen and Terrin were both fairly small compared to the Sith body Panthar occupied. He grabbed one in each arm and dragged them through, each flailing about and connecting with some serious punches into his midsection.

Panthar briefly wondered what a bruise would look like on a Sith, then dropped both Galen and Terrin into the snow, not gently.

“I need to wait a minute before going back in,” he announced to nobody in particular.

...well, somewhere. She frowned, her eyes not entirely focused, and began to struggle the slightest...

...when the blinding sun and a chill in the air made her freeze in his arms. She wasn't quite sure where they were and how they had come to be there...

...and her head was feeling fuzzy. She frowned deeper, shaking her head, blinking as if to lift the fog from her vision. Slowly, her husband's concerned face swam into focus. Still befuddled, Shayla stretched out with her Force senses, and was impacted with the feeling of several familar Force-essences...

...and overwhelming darkness. The fog immediately lifted, and she reached up to rub her eyes as if waking from a bad dream.

I shuddered as overwhelming fury suddenly sat back meek as a kitten, giving way to a fresh rush of confusion. Casting a bleary eye about, what should I behold but--

"Snow?" I asked, sounding like the universe's biggest idiot. I shook my head, feeling clarity finally come washing over me, just in time to hear Shayla calling out from somewhere nearby.

"I--" Another quick glance around. "That is, Terrin and I are over here, I don't know about anyone else--

Same novel, different chapter, he thought, eyeing his buddy, who was singing something to himself.

Oh, this was going to be rich...

"Com'n, Jasyn," Matt started, taking the other man by the arm.

Jasyn swung back at him, scowling. "No kriffing way!" he growled. "I'm in for adventure!"

Matt frowned, knowing that, despite Jasyn's attitude, the threat was serious...

...and knowing that this was going to take some creative manuevering. "Hey, look, everyone else has already headed that way," he stated, pointing towards the portal. "Your adventure is going to be cut short if we just stand around here."

His look black, Jasyn folded his arms. "More of the stinkin' Sifffth?"

Then it dawned on Matt. "Well, we already are in a Sith temple..."

If this didn't work, he was going to have to start dragging Jasyn, which he didn't look forward to...

"Awww hell!" Jasyn spat. "They're trying to bewitch us even now!!!" And without any further ado than that, Jasyn began to move...

...and stomped right out of the portal and fell, very ungracefully and off balance, into the snow.

...and the next a chill cold enough to freeze Tatooine ran all over him. He frowned, confused, and blinked to clear what he was now comprehending as a strange white fog over his eyes...

...and then realized that there was something cold and white surrounding him.

He got to his feet as best as he could, glad that he was tall as he finally registered that they were all standing in snow.

Allright, when the hell did this happen?!? And as for this damn Sith burial robe it was...

...not...

...designed...

...for...

...COLD!

Terrin shivered...and looked about in time to see Jasyn fall into the snow...

...as well as enough to find Galen's red hair contrasting against it. He reached out to lend her a hand and get her to her feet...

...which were buried in snow, along with a good deal of the rest of her.

"Allright," he then said aloud. "I reiterate what Galen just said...

Last to come toddling out the door was the jerkily moving Oni, who was shouting out something before a servo appeared to freeze up on him, sending him tumbling into cold, white snow.

Graysith frowned.

"This shall not do," she said as she cast a quick look about. Then she found what she was looking for: nearby was a strange mound of snow. Pointing a finger at it she let a small blast of All strength energize the molecules of air surrounding that mound, until it heated enough to melt the snow, revealing a large boulder that had been hidden beneath it. Smiling now, she strengthened the blast, now energizing the molecules of the stone itself, until it began to glow a soft burgundy and started reradiating heat away from itself.

"There," she said as she floundered through the snow, each step becoming easier bit by bit the closer she got, the snow thinning beneath her feet, until by the time she was a couple meters from the boulder she was standing on solid, if rocky, ground. She waited until the others grouped around, then spoke up.

"This place is safe enough from prying eyes and ears, so I think it is here we should make our final plans.

"As for a course of action? We leave this to you."

"Apparently I was mistaken in the reasoning you presented earlier to us," she said, giving him a bit of a cold look.

"Your analysis of our experience inside the Temple of S'slan is not only logical, but correct. Your opinions and suggestions concerning future matters would be much appreciated; indeed, this is why I decided to go with the group decision and release you. The greater number of minds available to address a problem, the better, and you house those of eighty highly intelligent beings.

"I am somewhat disappointed in the comment you just made."

With that she turned her back on the device, ignoring it now while she waited for the others to speak. More and more her thoughts regarding this strange machine were turning to simple expediency--

"Pardon us for not being as helpful as we could be. We are still not as knowledgeable as we would like to be, but we are sure we will learn in time. If you wish to know what we think of as a course of action, we would recommend pushing on with your origonal goal and task, it is the only way such a quest as we know it can be delt with."

"There is much danger ahead of us; the adversaries we have are of a dimension beyond this, with powers greater than those of our group combined!

"We need -- I need every available asset and can brook no flotsam."

She strode over to the gawky machine and stopped before it.

"There are many minds in your housing, highly intelligent and analytical ones. Minds of scientists, of those who dare to think outside the box, to reach for the new, and to find ways of making it work.

"I expect those minds to assist and offer not merely affirmation to an idea but to possibly naysay it, and offer another line of reasoning.

"I need assistance, not the mere parroting of what I say; if you cannot help us in this manner, then you are free to go about your business.

"This is not a field trip; I cannot afford to waste time at this point with mere tag-alongs, as cruel as that sounds to say it. Everyone in this party must pull his or her weight, and none can stand alone.

"We don't dare."

She quieted then, the Glyph lessening its eerie fires as the image of Phalomir floated up before her. She shivered, aching that even this little bit of time was being wasted in so foolish a manner, when every second counted in getting to him.

"But perhaps others of our party have thoughts as to what we should do?"

He quickly realized that there was some sort of dark magick at work in this temple, one that was fast tearing this group to pieces.

He had been able to calm his frustration back down to acceptable levels, and, not being able to reach the Lady Graysith, he was left with little to do but watch as Panthar struggled outside with Graysith, and they quickly retrieved the others.

After a time, as Graysith and the Onidorei creature argued somewhat, Ragorian also felt a need to speak, and reached out to Graysith.

"If I may, milady, inject a few thoughts into this discussion?"

"It seems that we may not be able to trust Lord Aelvedaar now, from what I have heard. As such, continuing on to visit him may not be a very good idea unless we either know we can escape if he turns on us and have something very great to gain from visiting him."

"Now, as you said, we require a great amount of power to combat this Master and rescue Phalomir. At first, your plan was to convince Lord Aelvedaar to fight alongside us, correct? It seems that may no longer be an option."

"As such, it would seem, as the Onidorei said, that our focus should be on recovering the Finger of R'lous. With it in your grasp, I assume we would have enough might to take on the Master."

Ragorian paused, searched his memory, then continued.
"I believe I know who stole the Finger, milady, and I also believe I know where it is, though I cannot be certain..."

Ragorian fell silent, again searching into his memory, deeper this time, searching to affirm his theory. after a time, he spoke again.
"However, milady, if I am right, then the Finger may well be beyond our grasp. Even if it is not, recovering it could be a very dangerous proposition..."

"Thank you; the suggestions you offer prove merit, although I do not believe even the best warriors of K'eel Doba could last long against the demonic army we are going to face in the Darker Realms.

"But the Finger of R'lous, yes. If only--"

Her words were snipped off in mid-sentence and her eyes widened a bit, brightening as she suddenly froze. For a brief moment she stood as if enthralled, then brought her focus outward once again.

"The Blade-- it is Ragorian," she informed the others. "He speaks, and states he believes he may know where the Finger of R'lous is..."

Turning her attention inward, she strengthened the link she had with the sorcerer by deliberately grasping the hilt of the sword, which she had place in the belt upon her thrimm.

"Tell me, Ragorian," she spoke back to him.

"Look, I don't like the idea of going to Aelvedaar with all of this...

...but I also know that, against the Master there probably is no one else who can match powers. We don't even have a prayer unless we've got an All user who is very adept in sorcerery as well...who is a master of sorcery.

And, there is only one of those. And did we not recently discuss that there are two sides to every coin? We don't like Aelvedaar's actions...

...but we don't know in the grand scheme of things just why he chose to act as he did. And, that aside...

...I return to my original point. We need a master of sorcery to defeat the Master himself. And, considering Aelvedaar had the Master locked away in that ship...

...I'd surmise that he doesn't want the guy doing whatever it is he's up to. So speaking with Aelvedaar may be our only chance. I do, however, agree that we may need to consider an escape route, should one become necessary...

...and I believe we do need to find the Finger. But first things first...

...we need to get out of here and be on our way."

Panthar sat on the drying ground.

“I mean, look, it was awfully convenient that the Master shows up on the ship that we stole from Korris’ian, and how easy – although painful – it was to inadvertently break him out. And don’t forget those vials of whatever we found in that storage room… or was that just me and Phal? Anyway…”

Panthar raised his palms flat, blood dripping from the open wound on his right hand.

“On one hand, we can’t fight the Master in the Darker Realms with what we have right now. On the other hand, we don’t know if we can ask Aelvy for help without getting fried. One the other hand, that Finger pretty well wiped out a whole demon army when Gray used it. One the other hand, we don’t know where it is and it almost fried Phal when that happened. On the other hand, if the blade knows where it is and we get it, he can help Gray use it. All right, I’m out of hands.”

Panthar looked up.

“Allright, now that I’ve repeated things so someone simple like me can understand them, I vote we find out if the blade knows where the Finger is, get it, and go kick some Darker Realms butt. Even if the blade is trying to trap us for some stupid reason, it’s better than doing nothing. Hey, would it be prudent to maybe send one or two of us to see Aelvy?”

Panthar stopped and cocked his head to Shayla.

“Wait, what’s in Char’linqua?”

...I'm not sure if that is a good idea. United, we stand strong...

...divided, we may be weaker. Splitting the group may protect members, but then it may do nothing more than delay whatever might go wrong happening to all of us. Although, perhaps only a couple of us should go directly to Aelvedaar, while the others of us wait behind...

...but this can be decided onboard a ship bound for Khar Delba..."

She trailed a moment, then made an addendum, "...unless, of course, the Blade knows where the Finger is and can lead us there. Still, we can always change our course as necessary once onboard."

"Please," she said, holding up a hand.

“But why do we need a ship?” he asked quietly. “I mean, we have two All people here who can open a portal. OK, one is really tired and the other is a little nutso from too much time in the temple, but at least one of those problems is curable. How long will it take us to hike down the mountain and get to the spaceport? Compare that to giving Gray some time to rest, not to mention the danger involved in hiking.”

Panthar exhaled slowly.

I remember that the Axis prompted that Sith warrior into taking the Finger from where Graysith left it, to search for my blade, he recounted to himself.

The warrior was in turn felled by ShaRhylla and I, and ShaRhylla took up possession of the Finger for a time.

Then, as I was sent with Kelvandar to possess Salandaar, ShaRhylla was placed under a sleep enchantment by Rykounagin, who, we believe, stole the Finger.

So, it can be assumed that Rykounagin possesses the Finger.

But wait, a part of him spoke up, directing him toward a different set of memories. Did not Rykounagin say that he was in the service of Lord Aelvedaar?

Yes, something about being his Chosen Son. As such, it can be surmised that he stole the Finger to give to Aelvedaar...

Satisfied with his recounting, he spoke to Graysith.

"If my memory serves me, milady, the Finger was stolen from the Temple by that boy Rykounagin."

"However, there is something you should know about the young lad."

"I believe that Rykounagin has entered into the service of Lord Aelvedaar. The boy himself called himself Aelvedaar's "Chosen Son," if that means anything to you? He certainly seemed very loyal to the Dark Lord the last time I saw him."

"So, I can say it would be safe to assume, milady, that Rykounagin stole the Finger for Lord Aelvedaar, and that the object now resides with the Dark Lord of Sorcerers."

Ragorian fell silent a moment to allow Graysith to appreciate this information then spoke again.
"As to how we would accomplish taking the Finger from Aelvedaar, I do not know. I have had several ideas, all of which I would assume to be quite unfeasable or near impossible."

"I would assume you and some of our companions know the Dark Lord far better than I, so I will let you speak to them now. I shall be listening, so if you desire my imput or have any sort of question for me, do not hesitate to ask. I wish to help you in whatever way possible, my Lady Graysith."

As he fell silent, Ragorian was startled to find that he had injected much sincerity into that last statement...

...And more startled to find that he meant it.

Something about Graysith's plight, and her pure, uncomplicated love for Phalomir, had stirred the deep-seated seeds of compassion in him.

For once he felt a desire to help without a need to gain anything for himself.

A very strange feeling, he remarke to himself. But an altogehter pleasant one nonetheless...

Chuckling at his own compassion, Ragorian turned his attention back ot Graysith and their companions...

...it may draw attention to us. At least, that is my opinion...

...and there are others here who may agree or not. As to just where we are...

...we have the coordinates Galen gave us. We also have the coordinates to Prinn'chatka, so if we map it out we should easily be able to calculate just where the spaceport is, or we should be able to get close to it at least."

Pausing at that, Shayla did some quiet mental calculations, using her piloting abilities to help her find the way. Her keen greeny-blue eyes looked skyward for several minutes, her eyes vague.

Then, to finish her calculations off, she stretched out with the Force to sense for sentient life-forms in the direction where she believed Prinn'chatka and the spaceport to be. After the course of several quiet minutes, she spoke up once more, extending an arm, a hand, and a pointer finger in one particular direction.

"My Force senses and the coordinates we have tell me that the spaceport is that way," she explained. "Actually, it is not too far from us...

...but perhaps it is about half a day's walk, the terrain considered. Sooo--"

--but what truly startled her was the brief shimmer of body language Ragorian had sent her way. Just for a moment there, she thought he had... softened somehow, become more...

Human.

But before she could pin a finger on it, that flicker of whatever it was had disappeared. She cleared her throat, turned back to the others, but tightened her grip on the sword which carried Ragorian's spirit.

"Ragorian surmises that Rykounagin has once again taken the Finger of R'lous, and has more than likely turned it over to Lord Aelvedaar, with whom he has... allied himself."

She drew in a breath, then filled in the others with all Ragorian had divulged to her, both fact and theory. She paused a moment after sharing the information, then straightened up.

"The fact that we are still alive leads me to believe that we may yet entertain hope regarding Lord Aelvedaar. For if he truly is the traitor you state, and has possession of the Finger of R'lous, there would be no reason to keep him from destroying us. In fact, in order for him to continue upon the dark path we believe he has chosen to take, he would have to kill us, and the quicker the better.

"Yet we live."

She spread her arms a little from her sides and looked meaningfully at the party. Then she turned to Shayla.

"This Temple lies far from our capitol city," she went on. "I believe what you are sensing is a secondary, more rural spaceport. But there is sure to be ships or at least some kind of transportation there, with which we can easily return to Ch'arlingua to take a ship, and then--"

She trailed into silence with that, pinning the others with a sharp gaze, one heavy with meaning. Then, the alpine winds whipping her hair about her face, she tightened her cloak about herself and began floundering through the snow, heading downslope from the rock around which they were grouped. For no matter what course they all chose, they still needed to get back to lower elevations before the dim little dwarf sun had set.

“And then, I think we have little choice. It seems that the two paths before us have now crossed into one. In order to obtain the Finger, we need to visit Aelvedaar. In a way, I am almost beginning to think that maybe there actually is something bigger going on with him. Jharmeen is right, why are we still alive? With the Finger, he could have skewered us easily by now. Heck, maybe even without it. Could it be that there is something bigger and nastier than him that he is getting ready to fight?”

Panthar grimaced.

“Well, I can see him manipulating that kid to get the Finger, but why would have sent an assassin after Phal and Jharmeen? And why would do some of the other things he did?”

Panthar stopped and brushed the dirt from his robes. He turned back to the others who were stirring about.

“Well, folks, we all better start hiking. That is, unless someone either has a ship in their pocket, or a com link to call for one.”

Panthar got a thoughtful look.

But the first steps he took into the cold, powdery snow were enough to prompt him into speech.

"I have my doubts about surprising Lord Aelvedaar with an unexpected visit here, but I-- I have a ship," he said softly, his nostrils curling in distaste as he lifted his robes in an almost dainty manner to step off away from the rock and into the surrounding snow. He took another hesitant step and nearly fell flat on his face. His foot had come down into a slight depression hidden by the smoothing blanket of snow; reflexively he let go of his robes and waved his arms for balance. He only partially succeeded in keeping himself from going completely horizontal, finally ending tilted somewhat to one side, one hand buried in the snow for support.

His nostrils curled even further as he slowly and carefully regained his feet.

"Ahhh..." he started out, remembering the vessel they arrived in all-too-well. "We arrived here onboard an ancient sith vessel we took from Kori'san. Considering how the warriors received us from that ship...

...I wouldn't recommend trying to go back to it."

Panthar turned to Erik.

"Lessee, we have that warship of Gray's, yeah… except isn’t that in the elseness right now? Then there is the ancient ship thing, but like you said, it’s probably under heavy guard. I’m sure there is something big enough for us all somewhere nearby, though, like in that nearby port."

Panthar looked at Jharmeen, who was looking very tired, then turned back to the Sith.

“Why don’t you take Shayla and Galen with you, they both know how to pilot and cam help kick any butt you might need to kick along the way. In the meantime, we can set up a make-shift camp here. Jharmeen needs to rest, and I've got robes to spare here to make a bed. There are lots of trees around, let’s us gather some wood and Aeylmaar can use some of his magick to make us a fire before you guys go.”

Oh, ok, Emotional as well.

--something which just kept me silent as those around me began to discuss matters again. So there I sat in the snow, a stunned little lump, trying to switch gears and come up with something worthwhile.

That is, until the stocky form of the Sith Panthar's essence was inhabiting turned and looked me straight in the eye.

Dammit, those eyes were blue.

Like Darra's....

A fresh wave of grief and pain and anger began to war somewhere inside, coming head to head with what common sense and logic it could find and striving to stomp it into oblivion. That heated rush nearly succeeded, but not before the final little red flag began waving for all it was worth, this time in my own direction, which gave me the strength I needed to stop and think.

Albeit coldly.

Too many people here, the evil rush began to whisper, the inherent suggestion carried within a living thing that squirmed and wriggled in my chest.

But maybe later--

I gasped, clambered to my feet and began to dust the cold white stuff from my body.

"Uhh-- yeah."

I gave Panthar a somewhat nervous look, wondering if he had seen my momentary lapse. If he had I sure as Roon's Treasure couldn't tell; he still had that goofy ol earnest look planted on his puss.

Shaking my head, I went on, going to where Terrin had gained his own feet before beginning to move off after my sister.

"He has a good idea; I think Shayla and I should go get a larger ship while you guys make camp here.

"And you stay put here to keep an eye on things, my love." I whispered the last, standing on my tiptoes and pressing my lips to his ear that no one else would hear it.

I let myself back down after giving my husband a little kiss, and turned to the blonde jedi. Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to get as far as I could from Jharmeen, to get myself under wraps and figure out just what the hell was going on with my head.

Not to mention my heart.

"You game?" I asked her, and put my hands on my hips, my stance wide and strong while I waited for the general concensus to what Big Red had offered as a possible solution to our immediate predicament.

Or at least, of who she must be thinking of.

As anger threatened to rise again, Terrin turned from those thoughts, and shot Galen a look that read You can count on it, sweetheart.

Then he looked to the others in the group. "I don't think there's much we can do to set up camp, seeing as we have no supplies," he observed, hearing Jasyn distinctively mutter "I HATE the cold!" somewhere behind him as he then fell silent.

All the while he couldn't stop one final errant thought. Get back here soon, Galen, cause the sooner we get going with all this...

...the sooner we can get done and get back to Darra.

Panthar walked back to the temple and scouted the area. The ground was cold and hard, but there was a small grove of pine trees to the left of the temple where a blanket of soft pine needles cushioned his steps. The temple itself blocked most of the cold wind, and there were no immediate threats of rocks falling from overhead.

An interesting proposal, and one with several benefits, he mused to himself. This Onidorei creature has interested me for soem time. I would not pass up the chance to learn more of it.

His decision made, Ragorian reached out to Graysith and spoke.

"Perhaps the Onidorei's proposal would be for the best, my Lady. I know that continuous connnection with me can be...taxing. And you are obviously weary."

"And as the being stated, you would not have to worry about him falling under my control. Eighty minds is beyond my capacity to control."

"And I have no real desire..."

Ragorian suddenly paused, considering what he had been about to say. His mind was on the verge of releasing the words "To control, or betray, you or any of our companions."

Considering these for a moment, Ragorian found that they were true.

Again, that flicker of compassion shows itself, he commented amusedly to himself. It is growing stronger. if you do not watch yourself, Ragorian, you'll find that you become one of the "Good Guys."

His chuckle rising in volume throughout his own mind, Ragorian released those curious words, words of honesty, born from compassion, both of which he had not felt or used in some time.

"...to control, or betray, you or any of our companions."

"And I would not mind being able to speak on my own. It must grow tiresome repeating most of what I say to the rest of the group."

“Jharmeen,” he called over. “Come over here and lie down. Now.”

He walked over to her and took her gently by the arm.

“Please,” he said. “You need your rest. If we’re going to go after Phal, you need to be at one-hundred percent. There’s nothing more we can do until they come back with a bigger ship, anyway. It’s not the best bed in the world, but it should enough to keep you comfortable for a while, and once the fire is going then you should be plenty warm.”

He nodded at the blade.

And yes, it does grow wearisome, constantly repeating Ragorian's words to the others. Something must be done about that; there is always the sharing of bodies, but for that we need to travel to Koris'ian....

Shaking her head at these reveries, she finally decided that she would put her mind to the problem when she was rested and fully alert. Then motioning to Panthar, the Dark Lady allowed him to lead her to the bed he had created for her. For a moment she just stood there, looking down upon it. Then she sank into its relative softness with a sigh.

"Yes," she finally answered Panthar, balancing there on her knees.

"I shall remove this blade and lay it down beside me, for I was serious about what I said before. No other hands shall touch this handle; I have seen and felt what it can do, and it is simply far too dangerous for any other to risk touching it."

"Even with your assurances, my friend; for how well can you truly control yourself and your actions?"

So saying, she removed the blade from her belt and laid it on the robes.

"I trust you will watch over me, that none who might be curious about Ragorian attempts such folly."

With those final words to Panthar she let herself slide down upon his silken robes, curling on her side where she immediately fell into a deep and healing slumber.

And at that, he trailed, catching the look in Terrin's eye. Although Jasyn didn't read it as being reprimanding, he sure did read it as saying Just shut the hell up and do it.

So, with effort, Jasyn unfolded his arms and turned to Matt, his shoulder devil popping up simultaneously to say: Hey, none of these Sith peeps are to be trusted. Best to keep an eye on all of them, eh???

He trailed, frowned a moment, then continued with, "Well, since I don't remember when. Cutting wood is going to prove a daunting task...

...so all I can promise are some tree limbs and broken stuff. I guess, unless someone comes up with any other suggestions, this will have to do."

Saying nothing further than that, assuming that if anyone had any suggestions to offer they would speak up quickly, Erik turned and began to head for some trees standing not far from their location.

He watched Aeylmaar, Jasyn, and Matt depart with Shayla and Galen, the latter of which he now held much concerned for. He had seen something in her eyes a few moments before, outside of the temple, that troubled him. His flicked his eyes to Terrin, who was watching Galen walk away. Something in his body language troubled Panthar as well, and he glanced down to Jharmeen who lay sleeping.

The mystery of Galen’s daughter was solved, but now the aftermath could play out worse than he anticipated. His vow to Galen was now moot. He owed much to Phalomir, and now Panthar found himself standing guard over Phalomir’s only love -- perhaps the Dark Lord’s only reason for living at the moment. He thought of the terrors that Phalomir must be going through, and raised his eyes to Terrin, who was staring at Jharmeen from a distance.

Panthar caught Terrin’s gaze, and the two lingered for a moment before Terrin turned and walked to stand alone and look down at the pines that blanketed the slope. Panthar sighed and threw another stick on the fire. Erik had resumed his gathering of wood and dropped an armload next to Panthar.

Panthar looked up and thought he saw an echo of his own feelings reflecting back from Erik. Panthar nodded to him and resumed his watch on Jharmeen.

A sudden rumbling thunder gave the young adept pause; head cocked, poised for whatever flight he could manage, he froze in place as a great frothy mass of white pounded by a mere fifteen meters to their left. Eternity seemed to be nothing but the treacherous roar of the avalanche; but as with all things, eternity finally faded and passed away.

Ayelmaar heaved a sigh of relief in its wake, turning to the others, his amber eyes wide and nervous, like a young colt.

"We cannot be away from here soon enough to suit me," he said softly before nodding his head and leading the group toward a nearby stand of trees. Entering the fringe, the party walked for another five or six meters before the trees thinned to reveal a hidden little clearing. Sitting in the middle of the clearing was something greeny-golden and extremely difficult to look upon...

Aeylmaar waved his hand in a peculiar manner. Immediately the greeny-gold of the hull was breached by a rectangle of black.

"Shall we enter? Ch'arlingua is scarcely one hundred kilometers from here; with luck we should be back with a larger vessel before the sun sets.

"Shayla--" He now cast a look at the young Jedi woman. For a moment he fidgeted, recalling the last words he had said to her when she had come to Khar Delba months ago.

thank you," she then replied softly, simply...

...and without any further prompting headed aboard the little fighter, the others behind her. As she began warming the ship, Shayla could hear the rustle of materials and feet as Aeylmaar assisted Jasyn and Matt in finding some supplies to take back to the campsite.

"Hopefully this will not be a long trip," Shayla stated in seeming non sequieter to Galen, who was close by. "I don't want to leave the others out there too long."

Finalizing the warming procedures for the little Sith fighter, Shayla felt her piloting senses come to bear in the forefront of her mind, ready and out of use for far too long once again. She felt as though she were on the edge of her seat...

...but she didn't have to wait long. In only a few minutes she could hear the almost inaudible sound of the fighter's hatch closing, and Aeylmaar gracefully stepped to the front of the ship and took a seat beside her. Shayla spared a brief look in his direction as he settled himself, her greeny-blue eyes utterly calm, and her mind completely focused on the task.

"Allright," she said then to all present in the cabin, Galen included, "Let's sky our way out of here."

"Hey guys, I'm turning on the invisibility shield."

Without waiting for anyone to make a reply I did so, the motion swift and sure.

"There," I commented as I settled back into my seat, toggling the switch on my belt so the shield extended just far enough to cover the ship.

"I don't think it's such a hot idea to just land in Ch'arlingua and troop out with a grand howdy-do, ya know. I mean, where's the Sith in charge--"

I paused to send Ayelmaar an apologetic glance.

"I mean the warrior Sith; look, Shayla. Why don't you set us down a little bit outside of the spaceport. We can walk the rest of the way and sneak into a ship under cover of the shield.

Shayla trailed, frowning a moment, then turned and tweaked their destination coordinates a few degrees on the navboard. "There," she then stated aloud, "We'll come in close, but hopefully not too close to attract possible unwanted attention."

Pausing once more then, Shayla keyed something else in, knowing the ship's uncanny and fascinating abilities. "I'm going to stay in realspace," she then continued with, "But with the speed this baby can maintain even in what most would refer to as sublight engines...

"Kriffing hell," he muttered, "Could it be any colder?!? I hate the cold...."

Matt eyed him, and smirked. "It could be worse. You could be wearing a Sith robe."

Jasyn scowled even more, "I don't want deal with a Sith anything right now, let alone wear one of their robes."

As they approached the campsite, Jasyn's temperature seemed to go down another degree as he dropped what few supplies Aeylmaar had been able to provide from his fighter.

"I swear to all the Universe it's getting colder," he growled. "But then, we have a small ration box here, so just maybe..."

He trailed, and began tearing through the box Aeylmaar had given them anxiously. "Oh HELL!!!!!!!!! Jasyn growled, discovering the contents of the box, "No brandy?!?"

She's got this baby on low-speed cruise...

I mean, an airspeed of nearly 406 kilometers per hour is pretty fast, but wasn't anything close to what I'd found these little fighters were capable of. However, when one thought about it, it really wasn't going to be doing us any good getting into the spaceport before we even had time to draw a breath...

Ok. So I was drawing my second breath when a little chime sounded and Shayla announced our imminent descent. It wasn't long thereafter but we were grounded, just beyond a little copse of trees which hid us from the direct view of anyone in the spaceport. Khaandon be with us that we hadn't triggered any low ground radar or anything; hopefully the guys running things were following the status quo, which from what I could observe was...

Nada.

I frowned.

Now, that was strange, that there weren't any ships moving in or out. A spaceport ought to be bustling; come to think of it, it wasn't too hopping when we first arrived, either...

I shook this thought from my head, then double-checked to make certain the device was working.

"Ok, guys, here we go.

"Round two..."

I stood up with that, leaned over in front of Shayla with a look of apology for getting into her space, and then slapped a peculiar little sigil. Behind me there came the weird sigh of the hatch opening; I stepped away from my seat and headed to the exit.

For a moment I just stood there, observing the distant spaceport through our cover of trees. Then I hurried down the gangway, smiling to hear the sound of my two companions in pursuit, and headed off through the waving stalks of grass which covered the field that lay between us and Ch'arlingua.

Now I really hope no one is watching! I thought to myself, keenly aware of the swath we were plowing through the tall grass.

That's got to look strange...

But the goddess of luck who watches over spacefarers and fools like me was apparently on duty; we gained the edge of the Ch'arlingua tarmac in good time, not to mention without running into any difficulty.

I paused to scan our options, which weren't the greatest. I had never seen a better collection of ancient junk; indeed, if I hadn't before believed that the Sith had been brought back from 4,000 years in the past, I did now.

Those ships are OLD, and in remarkably good shape! I marveled; then I shook my head, focusing once more on the issue at hand.

Then I saw it, sitting there in all it's weirdly beautiful strangeness. Another Sith fighter, just ripe for the taking. Where it came from, I hadn't a clue; I knew there weren't that many of these babies out there, but I gave silent thanks to Khaandon that one of the chosen few happened to be sitting right under our noses.

I nudged Shayla.

"I don't know," he said a bit uncertainly. "I am not much of one for ships and things, having been an acting apprentice to Lord Aelvedaar for most of my life. But I do know the same thing that we all should at this point, having just arrived here in a ship similar to that one."

He nodded to what could only be Chosen One, abeit unbeknownst to them.

"The eight of us would find ourselves hard pressed for space inside a fighter; what about that one?"

One hand slipped out to point toward a precursor to a modern Corellian yacht. It hunkered on the tarmac close to the perimeter, a bit chunkier than those yachts they were accustomed to, but sleek nevertheless. Of greater importance, it looked as if it could travel, too.

Aeylmaar turned to Galen with a slight smile, clearly reading the yearning look on her face.

Shayla quietly spoke her thoughts aloud, then added. "I'm certain I can fly her though. Looks almost like a Starwind-class yacht; if the design is anything similiar to what I suspect she may or may not have any defenses, depending upon what her owner had done to her. So the idea regarding a Sith fighter transport would definitely be believable. Now, if you can give me some invisibility cover long enough to get the ship," she continued, looking to Galen, "I'll warm her fast, and we can buzz out of here."

The red-headed woman nodded, and as a unit, they quietly headed to the perimeter of the tarmac where the Corellian yacht was berthed. Shayla found it strange that they were able to proceed with such ease and without any detection...

...but for the moment, she wasn't going to concern herself too much regarding it. Maybe the Fates were simply watching out for them. As they approached the ship, Shayla could only hope that they were. After all, anyone who had berthed a ship in a strange spaceport would have secured it...

...and that meant she was going to have to spend a precious few moments using her Force abilities to pop the hatch. As she had suspected, the ship was locked down...

...so Shayla stretched out, familiar enough with this variety of ship to know where the hatch release would be just inside. She used the Force to move it...

...and shortly had success as the hatch gracefully yawned open.

She spared a moment to turn to Aeylmaar and Galen. "Unless you, for some reason, would prefer to travel with me," she stated, looking to Aeylmaar, "I'll meet you back at the campsite."

Panthar stood and met them, far enough from Jharmeen so their conversation would not wake her, yet close enough to keep a watch on her and be at her side very quickly should the need arise.

“What do we have?” he whispered.

Jasyn lowered his box to the ground and opened the top. Inside was a small first-aid kit, something that might have been a laser knife, a flare, a candle and lighter, a bottle of water, a thermal blanket, a light, and a bag of rations. Matt began looking through his box, pulling out a roll of white tissue.

“Well,” smiled Panthar. “The Sith like their comfort, even if lost in the wild. I wonder if the temple here has a latrine… you know, on second thought, I don’t want to see what kind of dark things it amplifies there.

Matt quietly named off items he discovered in his box, including a small self-heating pot, a multi-utensil, a compass, and a very small tent. Meanwhile, Panthar pulled out the knife and held it out, sliding the switch forward. A beam of about 6 inches sprang out from the end.

“Whoa,” he said. “It’s like a little mini-light saber thing. Nifty!”

He turned it off and dropped it in a pocket of his tunic. He patted Jasyn on the shoulder.

“No brandy, though, darn it,” he sympathized. “Unless there is a tiny bottle of it down at the bottom or something. How about you show Terrin what we have, I’m going to go back and sit, and wrap my hand.”

Panthar took a roll of tape from the first-aid kit and moved back to the log. He sat and began to gently wrap the wounded hand.

"Maybe you'd better go with her," I said, nodding toward the open hatch.

"After all, that's a kinda old rattletrap of a ship; she might be able to use the Force, but you've got Sith magick on your side. Don't worry about me; I have this--"

I indicated the Sith belt I wore.

"--so I'll be ok here. Now, hurry and get aboard; I'll extend this out and give you a bubble of maybe 100 feet to skedaddle in, then you're on your own.

"Tell her."

Nodding, I made shoo-ing motions with my hands and finally, after bestowing me with more than one hesitant look, the Sith began to move reluctantly toward the yacht.

I waited until the hatch closed behind him before I moved back to a safer distance. There I stood, watching the few Sith who wandered about the tarmac react in shock and astonishment, and yeah, even a bit of anger, I bet, as suddenly they were buffeted by the winds of the ship's sudden take-off.

I counted to fifty, then moved silently away, and soon was lost in the field of grass we had just plowed through.

It wouldn't be long before I was aboard that wonderful little fighter; I closed my eyes as I moved throught the waving blades, envisioning the little marvel's feel beneath my hands.

I could hardly wait.

Ok, definitely not bad. Not a Sith fighter though...

Even as this thought crossed Shayla's mind, she focused her eyes on the skies ahead of her, knowing that--no matter how fast she may be able to make this ship move--Galen's little Sith fighter would beat them to the punch despite her later departure. And indeed, it was probably less than a minute before Shayla saw the spec of black hit the skies, its motion graceful yet undoubtedly fast as the speck became smaller and smaller.

Allright, so the Sith ship was faster, but this ship would do. So, now knowing the coordinates for the Temple of S'slan, Shayla made a few quick calculations...

...and keyed them, along with the S'slan coordinates, directly into the navcomputer. With a little groan and a very slight jerk, the ship oriented herself towards the campsite.

Shayla finally shifted her gaze from the navboard to Aeylmaar. "So, it's not as graceful as we'd like, but at least she flies pretty smoothly once she gets going," Shayla observed. "At least it'll give Erik something to play around with while we travel, as well as the EE guys. By the way...

...our ETA near the Temple of S'slan is approximately..."

She trailed, looking to the navboard again before returning her gaze to Aeylmaar. "...thirty minutes."

Dammit, but he just wanted to get out of here...

...and soon. How much longer would it take Aeylmaar, Shayla, and Galen to get back?

He resisted the urge to look at his wrist chrono. Nothing funny better happen in the meantime...

"Uhhh, boss?" Came Jasyn's voice in the midst of his thoughts. Terrin stopped, and turned to the dark-headed man, who had just set down a box somewhere close by. "Panthar thinks we should look through this. As far as I can tell, it's mostly medical supplies, some water, and a tent."

Terrin frowned. "You know," he answered, "We shouldn't be going through all that and getting too comfortable until we know how long we're staying. I suspect we're going to be out of here very soon."

Or at least, I hope.

"Why don't we lug that box back over to where everyone else is?"

Jasyn nodded and picked the box back up, muttering something about it having no brandy. Terrin couldn't help a momentary grin. Then he sobered, and joined Jasyn back with the others. Panthar looked up at him...

...and Terrin didn't know if he liked the way the guy was looking at him. He folded his arms, shielding himself from the cold as best as he could in a burial robe. Then he repeated his statement to Jasyn about not getting too comfortable just yet to the others.

"The sooner we get out of here," Terrin then continued, "The sooner we can get things in motion."

And the sooner you can get away from some of these people, popped up the errant thought as he eyed the still-sleeping Graysith.

"Hopefully the others will be back with a ship in just a little while," he said instead, his gaze returning to the skies. Even as he did so, Terrin could swear he saw a hint of a black speck up there...

...and he sincerely hoped it was what he thought and that its arrival meant they would be on their way very soon...

Panthar did not intend to have to find out. He would stay here and watch, to make sure nothing happened that someone would later regret.

“You think it will be that soon?” he asked, earnestly. “I hope they don’t run into any trouble.”

He looked at Terrin’s clothing, noticing for the first time just how thin the robe he wore must be.

He rummaged through the box, found the blanket, and wrapped up. Terrin really hadn't been aware of just how cold he was until he realized how much warmer he was with the blanket. He sat by the fire, warmed his hands a bit...

...but his eyes again wandered to the skies. "I dunno how quickly they will be back," Terrin then responded to Panthar, "But I do know those Sith vessels can fly fast. And I don't want to pack up more than necessary to get out of here."

As he spoke, Terrin could hear Jasyn groan in the background, then curse. Terrin looked over to him and quirked an eyebrow. Jasyn was holding something that looked alot like a ration bar, scowling at it.

"That bad?" Terrin queried. Still scowling, Jasyn tossed one of the things to Terrin then one to Panthar. The look on his face all but read, "See for yourself" as he took another bite into the bar in his hand, his scowl only growing further.

As Terrin took a bite, he barely noticed the taste. All he could do was to continue and watch the skies...

“Sounds reasonable,” he said. “But if they aren’t back by dark then we had get a camp set up. Hopefully we won’t need it.”

We shifted and gazed down, then looked up at Terrin

...the topic was the subject of discussion once before. I don't really give a damn about the motives behind what was done...

...what I do give a damn about was what Galen wanted. As I do about her safety and Darra's. Believe me, I know something bigger is going on here...

...and I'm well aware of the threat to Galen's safety as well as Darra's safety."

That is why we're here now, came the mental addendum in Terrin's head.

Clamming up at that, his blue eyes turned a bit distant as he continued to eat the ration bar in his hand.

“What?” he said, startled, turning to face the strange being. Terrin, Erik, and the others had also turned to look at Onidorei. “You know, maybe now is not the time to be asking about—”

Panthar glanced at Jasyn and Matt, and realized he didn’t really know much about them to tell.

“You know, on second thought, hang on there, Uno.”

Panthar turned back to Terrin.

“I didn’t know that this had been discussed. Sheesh, that’s weird. But at any rate, right now I’m just concerned for all of us, so please don’t take that the wrong way. If it comes down to throwing Gray and Galen in a locked room together, then so be it. As long as we’re all together enough now, we need everyone watching everyone else’s back. Sorry to come off as pissy.”

Panthar sat back, let himself slide off the log and onto the ground. He propped his back with the log and picked up a small stick to play with the fire.

“So, Uno, you want to know about us? Well, let me start with a real improbable story. I’m an archeologist. I come from a little planet way off in the distance, doesn’t seem to matter where now. I was out digging in a site, an ancient temple that I thought could have been used by this mythical race I was trying to prove the existence of. I opened up a sealed room, found a few skeletons, and picked up a relic. It was a round crystal, about yay big, beautiful. Next thing I know I got the spirit of two of these ancient mythical people in my head. One is insane, one is confused and doesn’t remember much except he is the son of some wizard who was killed for his research in trying to control this All Force. The son and his servant were preserved in the crystal for like, 2000 years. Then one thing leads to another and now I am stuck in a Sith body, Phal is in the Darker Realms, and Thoran is who-knows-where. Oh, and the whole wizard thing turned out to be a crock, too. Phal is the son of the Master… oh, I think I’m confusing him, sorry, Uno.”

...the more you might be used for information later on if, again, you get into the wrong hands. It's enough you know about Phalomir and the Master. And as far as the "discussion" regarding Darra's age being advanced..."

He trailed, his look turning vague once more, "It wasn't much of one. Lord Aelvedaar--I think it was him--wanted it done. Galen said no. That was as far as it went at the time...

Panthar leaned his head back to look upwards.

"...and that I have grown to love him in this here and now, and will do anything in my power to assure his safety and happiness."

Graysith sat up with that, the silken robes Panthar had covered her with falling to her hips in a smooth motion. She blinked the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, then cast an alert look about herself.

"Shayla and Galen-- and young Aeylmaar; they have not yet returned--?"

Dark looks limned with barely concealed worry greeted her in response. Taking up Ragorian's Blade in her hands, she then rose to her feet, replacing the Blade upon her thrimm as she walked to the fire, where she began warming her hands.

"Fear not, my friends," she went on softly. "I have much trust in the abilities of my Adept-- and in my sister as well."

A glower of thunder coming from Terrin's general direction impacted her as surely as a wave upon the shore; she bowed her head a moment, studying the crackling flames a moment through hooded eyes. Then she raised her head and turned to him.

"For what was done to your daughter, I hope you find room in your heart to forgive me.

"It-- it was necessary at the time, and remains thus now. More than ever, in fact."

Saying no more on the subject, but leaving Terrin to stew at the wealth of mysteries those brief statements undoubtedly provoked in him, she turned back again to Panthar.

"All will be put aright, you must trust me in that," she whispered softly.

"As you must trust in the wisdom of my Sire--"

From Jharmeen’s look, Panthar knew that was not going to happen. He shrugged and poked his stick into the fire.

“I know you don’t care where Phal is from,” he said. “But I think that knowing the truth about him will really unravel this messed-up plot with the Master. I mean, I was pretty convinced that he was from the past, it made perfect sense to me – well, as much sense as an entire civilization jumping from 4000 years in the past, but hey, I guess stranger things have happened – like my first date.”

He shifted his legs and shrugged. He looked to Jharmeen then, a very earnest look on his face.

“But seriously, you really believe what you are saying about Aelvedaar?" Panthar's voice was soft and honest. "I mean, you trust him that much to bet all of our lives on it?”

"Yes," she stated, the words simple and flat, their tone brooking no dissuasion.

Then she turned her attention back to the fire, feeling somewhat like a salmon swimming upstream, uncomfortably aware of the feelings the others held toward the Sith whom she had come to regard as a father and a mentor.

A bit of time passed uncomfortably, until the growing weave of gloom was broken by the strange little hum produced by the landing of a Sith fighter. This was soon followed by a more natural sounding roar, as the yacht carrying Shayla and Aeylmaar passed overhead, to come to an expert landing not far from them.

She sighed, waiting for the occupants of the ships to arrive, knowing that, by comparison with what yet lay ahead, the task of persuading her companions to trust in Lord Aelvedaar would be as effortless as the movements of a dianoga which quietly slid through the mists of Dagobah.

"Lord Aelvedaar will assist us, I know he will."

But she couldn't keep a slight frown from crossing her face as she watched Aeylmaar walk up to them.

Aelvedaar had given much to bring the Sith to this time, to reestablish the civilization so they may thrive without pause. He seemed to want to build a legacy, why would he abandon Aeylmaar? What’s more, in all of the dealings he witnessed or heard of with Phalomir, Aelvedaar treated him like a minor inconvenience. Why would he need to form an alliance with the Master to be rid of Phalomir? In fact, what could the Master offer to Aelvedaar that he couldn’t take for himself?

Something indeed was not adding up.

As he stood to help pack the boxes and kick out the fire, he thought of the time with the big eye that stopped time. One single action always leads to more, and there is always a bigger picture, always.

Panthar watched Aeylmaar come to greet the group, followed by Shayla. Erik walked out to meet her, and Terrin watched the Sith fighter in anticipation of Galen. Matt and Jasyn each had a look of relief. Panthar looked to Jharmeen, who shared Aeylmaar’s worry. Panthar stepped to her side and nodded to Aeylmaar, then looked down at Jharmeen.

Advancing Darra's age had been necessary? What the kriffing hell? Look at the good it had done when ShaRhylla's age had been advanced...

The thundercloud over Terrin's head seemed to crash with the thought. Only when everyone began discussing dealings with Aelvedaar...and the possibility of trusting him...did Terrin find himself having something to say as he waited anxiously for Galen. Arms folded, he turned to regard the others. "Wait," he started. "Lord Aelvedaar has betrayed us before, just when we all thought that would never happen. He kicked us out of Prinnchat'ka..."

He trailed, albeit momentarily, "...and I just don't want to go trusting him at the drop of a hat. I agree he may be the only one powerful enough to come against the Master...

...but we need to consider an out should he change his tune again. What will we do if he agrees to help us then later changes his mind?"

Quieting at that, Terrin simply looked at the others, an eyebrow quirked. Then, something else coming to mind, Terrin turned his blue eyes back to Jharmeen. "And advancing Darra's age was...

... necessary...

for who? For the Universe? For the Sith? I doubt it was for her own good. Or..."

He paused, frowning, the thundercloud booming again, "Or was it necessary for you?"

Even as he finished speaking these things, the hatch of the Sith fighter simply opened, and Terrin turned and headed towards the ship to meet Galen.

"I trust you at least got some rest," she opened with, quietly. "The yacht is not the grandest ship we could have, but she'll do nicely. Seems there may be a little problem with the smoothness of her engines...

...but she travels. She'll hold up to eight passengers...

...and I'm assuming a couple of us will travel in the Sith fighter as well. But, because time is of essence, I suggest we depart as soon as possible."

She paused for a moment, looking towards the Sith fighter, then back to Jharmeen. "How are...

... things?" she queried, suspecting she already knew the answer.

“Well,” he said. “Things are about the same as when you left, except now we have another ship. I think Jharmeen is right, though, maybe the best thing to do now is to check in with Aelvy and ask for help. I don’t know, it’s just that feeling you get like the back of your neck is being shaved by some unseen razor… or something.”

Panthar scratched at his horns, then realized his hand had begun to hurt once more.

She raised her face, stared Shayla straight in the eye.

"There is room aboard the fighter for one other to ride in comfort; more than that and conditions are somewhat close. As Terrin has already joined Galen--"

She turned a brief look toward the fighter, watching just in time as Terrin strode aboard. Moments later, the hatch closed.

She turned back to the others, waving them toward the yacht. One by one they began moving in response to her gesture, some with reluctance, others eager to be off.

At length she was left with only Shayla beside her.

"You must know how difficult this is for me, asking all of you to place yourselves in danger for my sake, and for Phalomir's."

She paused, chewing a moment on her lower lip. Seeing Shayla was about to state something, she raised her hand.

"Sister, you know I trust you to the same degree that I trust my Sire; you must believe me when I say he means us no harm, he has never meant any of us any harm. This I know to my very heart--

"You must pay heed to the words Aeylmaar has stated! There is much magick and mischief afoot, I fear; it would not be at all improbable for a doppleganger to be impersonating Lord Aelvedaar. For what ends, I do not yet understand."

Again she paused, to give her adept time to react. The young woman managed to remain silent, but her surprise and consternation was clearly evident in her eyes. Graysith smiled grimly, reaching out to place both hands on Shayla's shoulders.

"This we must discover before we approach he who may or may not be who he appears to be. So I have decided to approach him myself; I trust between you and Aeylmaar and yes, even Galen, and the abilities of the ships given to you to use, that should it be necessary, you will be able to--"

She drew in a steadying breath.

"--to rescue me."

Now her hands gripped Shayla's shoulders with a veritable death's hold, the pressure she exerted clearly reminding her adept just who was in charge, and whose commands would not be disobeyed. A final squeeze... and then one drifted lightly upward to lay against the young woman's temple. Graysith closed her eyes, reaching inward, seeking...

...and, finding herself yet unable to re-establish so much as a mote's worth of understanding as to how to use the All, she settled for the next best she could do. Now reaching deeper, shoving aside the growling Beast within, who was beginning to gain his feet, she created a Link between their two minds. Not merely the type of link by which Shayla would be able to sense whether or not she yet breathed, and perhaps could communicate from a distance; no.

This was a doorway between the pair of them, mind to mind, sight to sight, heart to heart. Through this Shayla would be able to see what she saw, feel what she felt.

Would know what she knew.

Graysith let her hands drop and took a step backward.

"Now we are never parted, Sister. I shall see you in Choyapenthe."

She nodded with that, drew in one final steadying breath, and before Shayla could do anything but make a brief but truncated movement toward her, she ripped open a Portal between herself and the Temple of the Sorcerers.

The Eye of R'lous. Panthar had said it had transferred he and Phalomir from Panthar's human body (The Sith was, apparently, human as well) and into their Sith ones.

It certainly seemed likely that it could do the very same for Ragorian. That it could provide the power he so desperately coveted to escape his prison.

Ragorian's mind had begun to spark with possibilities, which were somewhat quencehd when Panthar mentioned he had no idea where the Eye was.

Dissappointing, yes, but that little tidbit would certainly be stored away and remembered. Just in case.

As Graysith awoke and took up his blade again, Ragorian again had fallen silent, listening and considering.

Now, after Graysith had spoken to Shayla, had established their link, and had gone through a portal alone, and closed it on the rest of the group, leaving she and he in what he recognized as Aelvedaar's Temple of Sorcerers, he felt a need to speak. To remind her of his presence, if nothing else.

"I admire your trust in Lord Aelvedaar, milady. You two must share a special connection indeed to have forged such an infallible bond."

"However, there is something I must ask. If what you believe is true, and Lord Aelvedaar is being impersonated by some sort of other being, it would seem logical to me that this being would need to be extrmely powerful, enough so to impersonate Lord Aelvedaar's own might. Are we two to face that being alone, if it comes down to a confrontation?"

"Of course, I have no doubt in your great power with the All, milady. And my own abilities with magick are, if I may say so, considerable. And I am prepared to lend all my might to you and fight by your side if need be."

"But our...ah...backup is more than somewhat distant from us. Should we not keep them at a more accessible distance if we require rescue?"

Ragorian paused a moment to gather his thoughts, then continued.

"Nevertheless, I am curious as to our next course. Are we to proceed directly to Aelvedaar's chambers and request an audience? Or shall we attempt to discover the reason behind Aelvedaar's apparent personality change? Such as who..."

"Or, perhaps, what..."

"...Is impersonating him?"

Again Ragorian fell silent, then spoke up a third time as that strange feeling of compassion filled him.

"Regardless of our course of action, milady, know that I am more than ready to offer you my aid in whatever way I can. I promised to aid you in your cause, and I mean to live up to that promise."

At this rate, he commented amusedly to himself, My "insidiously nasty dark sorcerer" reputation shall be completely tarnished before we are through with this adventure.

Considering this possibility, Ragorian realized that it did not seem at all undesireable to him.

This was going from a rescue mission to rescue Phalomir to a rescue mission to save both Jharmeen and Phalomir both...

...perhaps.

Frowning to herself, Shayla considered the thoughts suddenly growing in her mind.

What if all was not, in fact, as it seemed. What if Aelvedaar was indeed not the betrayer that so many believed him to be? Two sides to every coin...

...and why would Aelvedaar, with his powers, send assasins to kill Jharmeen when he could easily do it himself? What if the said "betrayal" of the Dark Lord was indeed somehow a protection of sorts for them all?

Shayla pursed her lips, blinked, and then began moving, following the others aboard the yacht and quickly filling them in regarding Jharmeen's step to proceed them to Khar Delba. Along with this information, Shayla communicated her own thoughts regarding Dark Lord Aelvedaar's perceived betrayal.

She finished by advising that everyone take a seat, and headed to the navboard of the already warmed ship. Her fingers playing about it, she found the comm, and sent a message via a semi-secure channel to Galen's Sith fighter.

"Galen, this is Shayla, can you read me?" she queried, then filling both the red-headed woman and Terrin in on Jharmeen's move. "We need to get moving, and fast. It is very likely..."

Now, there's a stupid question, piped up a shoulder devil. Of course she isn't allright.

Then, as if sensing something that hadn't been spoken, he continued with, "We'll get Darra back, and safely, I promise you that. I want to be certain, in the meantime, that the others of those--aside from just Graysith--who would use her in ways you do not want are...

...taken care of."

Even as Terrin finished the words and his look darkened, a strange green sigil began glowing insistently for attention.

“She did WHAT?” he shouted. “I thought we were ALL going together?”

He plopped back in the seat once more, letting out a long sigh.

“So I guess the plan is to fly there now, and be ready to rescue her? I don’t quite understand how we would do that, since she is the one with both the All and the magick of that blade thing. I mean, if she can’t manage with that going for her then what the heck would we do to get her out? We should have all gone together. We’re supposed to be a team, right? I mean, Phal is my friend too.”

...this I am certain of. And while we are still a team, a team seperated gives us one particular advantage. It gives us the back-up plan some of us were wanting should something turn up amiss with Lord Aelvedaar. And we can find Jharmeen once we arrive there. I have a direct link with her. I see what she sees..."

Shayla trailed momentarily, stretching out.

I feel what she feels...

"Also to our advantage is that a large majority of us--myself, Erik, Terrin, Galen, Jasyn, and Matt know the lay of Khar Delba very well. Along with that, we know the Temple. Erik and I have the Force...

...and I will not fail in getting back with Jharmeen once we arrive. It's simply not an option."

Saying that, Shayla turned back to the navboard, sending another comm message. "Galen? Terrin? The yacht is ready for take-off..."

My brows raised in surprise, then lowered. I shot a dark look to Terrin again.

"She's-- gone off to Khar Delba on her own?"

Thunder swelled in my heart; as there were no real controls to grip, per se, all I could do was make an abortive clenching of my fists.

"Is this going to turn out to be some kind of a trap?"

Then the second comm came in, yanking my attention away from thoughts I was finding entirely too dark for my liking. I leaned forward, tapped a sigil.

"Yeah, we're departing now--"

I shot a final look at my husband, pursed my lips, then let my fingers do the walking on the console in front of me. The tiniest of vibrations seemed to ripple through the air within the little fighter then--

He trailed, looking to Galen again, "At least we've got the fighter, and Matt and Jasyn are on the yacht with the others. I trust that Matt will know if and when a trap might be in the works. He'll keep an eye out. In the meantime...

...at least we've got just a bit of time away from everyone else before all hell breaks lose..."

...and she served her purpose. "Our ETA is about 38 standard hours," Shayla spoke up over her shoulder. "Everyone get some rest and..."

She trailed, frowning, as the older sensors on the yacht picked up on something...

...something that wasn't all that far away, and big.

Very big.

Shayla gasped. "Oh FATES!!! There's an Imperial blockade just ahead of us!"

Stating this, Shayla's hands went to the navboard once more, and she moved the ship to an orbit close to K'eel Doba.

Then she turned directly to Aeylmaar. "This ship is not equipped to dodge these guys; I could only do so in a Sith fighter or warship. I doubt I can dupe them via the Force; we need something much more powerful than that. Now, Phalomir was able to trip the Imperials up with some of his magickal abilities...

...can you do the same? Because, otherwise...

...could they buy us a way through this thing, somehow?"

Panthar again closed his eyes.

“And next time we really should think about that stupid blockade before we take off. I mean, wasn’t the reason we needed a ship in the first place is because Jharmeen was too tired to open a portal for us?”

His eyes snapped open.

I jerked my full attention back to what my boards were telling me in that charmingly exotic way they had.

A blockade loomed ahead, stark and grinning.

Further investigation told me of the laced tractor beams, an inconsequential thing, really, when it came to this marvelous little fighter. But the more mundane yachts of the type produced by Corellia, whether now or in the past, didn't have a prayer.

Especially those produced 4,000 years ago...

I grimaced, trying to think. Then--

"Hang on," I said, although the warning was entirely superfluous. This ship and inertia were two entirely different animals, never to face each other or even tread upon the same path; one slight tap of my finger, and we were backtracking exactly the way we had come.

I popped open a view screen, and there she was. A davidian speck against the goliath blockade.

"Coming to the rescue, Shayla!" I said into empty air; Khaandon knows I didn't want to risk a comm between us that they could break into. All I could do was sidle up mere meters alongside the little yacht, and then by adjusting the strength of the field emanating from my Sith belt I covered us both by the invisibility shield.

Of course Shayla wouldn't have a clue, visual or sensor-wise as to what I had done.

"C'mon, c'mon..." I spoke between my clenched teeth, now flipping us in a neat little circle around the yacht until we were both heading in the same direction.

"Keep up with me here, lady..."

She trailed, "We do have information concerning his daughter. But if he actually knew what we did..."

Shaking her head once more, Shayla turned back to the navboard, her thoughts whirling. "As for the Sith fighter somehow helping us..."

Shayla's words dropped off, and something dawned on her. "They might be able to sneak us through via the Sith belt. I think it would be able to cover us. I dare not risk a comm though. But maybe..."

Shayla quieted, beginning to stretch out...

..and coming up almost immediately on a strange "bubble" very close to them in the Force. Along with that came a tingle in her senses.

Shayla's hands immediately went to the navbaord, and she followed the bubble that she could now sense just ahead of them."

"Uhhh, Shayla?" she heard Erik query.

"It's going to be okay," she answered him, her eyes never straying as she kept her eyes on the viewport. Easily could she sense the Sith fighter, now that she was certain of her location.

As she continued to follow, she went to work on the navboard, scanning the laced tractor beam blockade just ahead.

There it was, a nice little hole, just about the right size...

Even as the yacht found the gap, Shayla sensed the bubble of the Sith fighter easily slide through her...

...and Shayla followed right behind. And they were once more on their way towards Khar Delba.

"Shayla?" Shayla heard Erik query again, this time more insistently as they began travelling away from the blockade. "You remember we have the signal to have the blockade lowered, back from when you and I, Panthar and Phalomir had dealings with Tarnus?"

Shayla turned to regard her husband, her eyes going wide. "Oh, curse the Fates, I'd forgotten about that..."

She trailed then, frowning, looking back to the now revived blockade. Strange, that the gap had appeared just in time for them. "And you know," she then stated, "I don't know how they knew where we were...

Panthar adjusted the robes around him and brushed off the remaining twigs and pine needles.

Shayla trailed, pursing her lips, "I believe it is not a matter of how, but when. I either by what she tells me via our link...

...or by what I see and feel through her. All we need to do beyond that is to be ready."

...often with an iron fist. As for our plans...

...from my experience, I find it's fairly useless to make plans." Jasyn paused, cocking a brow at Panthar. "You've never had to stealth it out on Khar Delba before, I take it. Nothing proceeds as planned. But, as for finding a bar and chilling...

...this baby just has to have some good aged stuff somewhere onboard. I suggest, while we rest as the pilot has so kindly suggested, we find it."

With that, Jasyn unstrapped from his seat, and got to his feet, heading then towards the back of the ship to investigate...

...and to find liquor, of course.

“I wouldn’t say they exactly rule the galaxy, but they sure try to. They have the weaponry to back themselves, and they keep bringing more and more systems under their influence. It looks like they have a strong interest here, since it wasn’t that long ago that this system was dead. Then boom, here are the Sith.”

Panthar sat back once more.

...it's not going to happen, not on my watch. The Boss can keep him moderated better than I can...

...but he'll stop with a little reminder of what lays ahead. And I do mean a little reminder. Remind him too much and he just might drink more. And regarding the Imperials...

...but was that just a bit too easy?"

He quieted a moment, cocking a brow, his look then shifting as he then reached out and rested a hand on Galen's arm. "It seems we have some time to get some rest and make some plans of our own..."

He trailed, looking down at the Sith burial robe he was still wearing, "And just maybe I can find something else to wear, although gods know on this thing it's probably going to be another kriffing Sith robe..."

His revival from DEATH. *shudder*

--he hadn't had the time to change into something more... fitting.

Which reminded me...

"Hey, take a look behind that door over there," I said, nodding toward a storage area tucked into a convenient nook.

"I think that's where they keep their flightsuits; these things are great, they adjust to your form and all, but I doubt you'll find another invisibility device. I got mine... somewhere else."

For a moment my eyes darkened as memories of Gravin Dark came washing down over me. I shook myself then, and was going to say something else when--

"What the--?"

A little weirdly greeny-golden sigil was announcing an incoming communication.

Shayla? Now why would she break com-slience, after I had gone through all the trouble to sneak us away through the blockade through that oh-so-conveniently placed gap...

I frowned. Time to think of that later.

I flipped the sigil... and about fell out of my seat.

"Uhh-- Terrin? Take a listen..."

"Your Lordship is invited to dine--" the message announced, filling our little ship with the rich timbre of a voice I knew could only be Sith.

And one I didn't know.

I stared at the boards, stared at Terrin.

"Ahh," I garbled, momentarily stymied.

"It's coming from ahead...

"From Khar Delban space."

...and frowned, bringing a hand to his chin, rubbing it in thought. "Your Lordship?" he queried, a brow now shooting up. "Sounds like someone who is not familar with the way things are and is back in time say oh...

...4,000 years. But why would the Sith send someone who was uninformed to invite someone...

...and I can only presume someone from the Imperial blockade back there...

...to dinner? And besides that, why would the Sith want to invite Imps to dinner? Almost sounds as if..."

He trailed, now getting up and beginning to rummage through the storage area Galen had indicated and finding the flightsuit she had believed might be in there.

Thank the gods, not another robe... he couldn't help but think.

"...sounds as if whoever is in charge down there might not be the person that we think, unless this is some sort of very peculiar trap."

...then closed it as something began beeping for her attention. She turned to the navboard once more, her brow shooting up in surprise to see it was the comm station.

"Oh hell," she couldn't help but mutter, reaching out hesitantly to hit the accept button. Which, in turn, allowed the Sith's message to travel to their ears.

Shayla's look only turned even more surprised as she turned back to the others. "Now what is this about?" she finally managed. "That ship had to have come from Khar Delba...

...and that Sith sounds like he has no idea who he is inviting to dinner. Why would Lord Aelvedaar have some of his underlings do such a thing..."

I nodded my head in two hundred percent agreement with Terrin.

"From what I remember of Aelvedaar... well, this is certainly not his normal modus operandi. He was more... I dunno--"

I trailed, frowning a bit as I tried to recall every little nuance that I could of the Dark Lord of the Sorcerers. And try as I might, all I could bring to mind was that day, that hideous day before the Sith had come back, when he had told us all to leave and had closed himself up in the bowels of his personal space.

The day when he appeared almost suicidally morose, grief-stricken, as if he had given up...

The day he abandoned us and the ghost-ridden city of Phrinnchatka to those demons from hell.

"This invitation sounds more formal, and being aimed at the Impys the way it is, almost to the point of being self-assuredly snobbish. I--"

Gads but I hated to admit it.

"--I don't really recall Aelvedaar ever acting that way.

"Do you?"

"My Father would not make such an offer," he said flatly.

"He would call no man Lord, unless the title was his by blood or battle. I do not believe my Uncle Rean--"

He paused a moment, working his mouth as a flash of grief struck him. For while he knew not of the particulars, he did know that the Dark Lord of the Armorers had mysteriously died.

"--would have behaved thus either.

"This sounds more like a mannerism coming from Lord Roan, for he was always a touch supercilious, I thought. But--"

He paused, his eyes widening.

"No, I don't," he answered Galen quite frankly. "Of course, it could have been a front...

...and an awfully convincing one if that's what it was."

He trailed, then continued with, "But if this didn't go through Lord Aelvedaar, then who? Who else would be inviting the Imperials to dine on Khar Delba...

...and would have the nerve to act like he or she was in charge. After all, the only other with any such rights to do so on Khar Delba would be Aeylmaar, and he's with us."

Finishing getting dressed, Terrin looked at his new attire, trying to forget the strangeness which they suddenly seemed to be facing.

What if what Graysith and the others had said back on K'eel Doba, about there being an Aelvedaar imposter, had been right all along?

He was right, of course he was right. There was no way in Hell's Seven Circles that the Aelvedaar I knew would be sending out an invite, and to the Impys no less, and calling their commander a "Lord" to boot.

Lord. Sorben. Tarnus.

The image that brought to mind nearly sent a peal of hysterical laughter from me. With some effort, I cut it off and looked to Terrin.

"You're right, sweets. No way would that be from Aelvedaar, and his own son is with us.

"Methinks that not all is what it ought to be on the sorcerer's world..."

A brief pause for further thought.

"So-oo-ooo... what are we going to do? Still stick to Plan A, and try to not only approach Lord Aelvedaar--"

Assuming, of course, that he is there. Fates, but for all I knew he could yet be sequestered away in that hidey hole of his, lost in despair....

"--but be prepared in case my sister--" Another frown. "--needs emergency backup, or...

...I doubt it would be him."

Quieting a moment at that, Shayla simply let her mind wonder, trying to come up with the person who might be so bold. They were all supposing that perhaps the Lord Aelvedaar they would approach was a doppleganger of sorts...

...but then, what if it was someone else? "In fact," she then continued out loud, "I'd almost think that dealings with the Empire would be something Lord Roan would see as being...

...beneath him. And what good would it serve anyway?"

Again she fell silent, still trying to figure this puzzle out. Finally, a possibility presented itself. "What about Rykounagin? The one that we think might have stolen the Finger of R'lous and taken it to Lord Aelvedaar? Could he be the one doing this, since Ragorian said he'd allied himself with Aelvedaar?"

Her look darkening, Shayla continued with, "What if Rykounagin allied himself with someone he thought was Lord Aelvedaar, was charged to get the Finger...

...and since he succeeded has somehow been given control over Khar Delba? I know it's a strange proposition...

A moment of brief humor flitted through his eyes, and then Terrin turned serious again. "As for Plan B...

...one of those could be good, with something very odd going on. After all, we're dealing with a possible Aelvedaar impersonator now...

...who either has no idea how to go about acting like him or has a second on Khar Delba who doesn't know the risk he's taking either. I would assume this impersonator can use the All...

...but perhaps not, if it's merely a second of sorts. We need to find out if Lord Aelvedaar is on Khar Delba...

...and if not, we need to start considering just where he might have gone. And, although I can't fathom it, perhaps we need to also consider just who might be coming against him, and what they might do with him as well. After all, we already know that Lord Aelvedaar and the Master perhaps were at odds, and none of us seems to know exactly why."

The young Sith trailed into silence, his eyes suddenly becoming moist. He cast a glance down at his wrist, then heaved a sigh of relief. His own Tattoo of Entitlement was still emblazoned there, and still blessedly, blessedly black.

He brought his head up with a jerk.

"If these speculations are true, and an someone has gone through all the difficulty of impersonating my Father simply to gain the Finger of R'lous...

"Then we are in very grave danger indeed."

A heartbeat.

"Those troops out there have to know we're here; we were let through all too easily," I agreed with Terrin's statement in an apparent non sequiteur.

"I say it's time to open a signal and talk with the rest of the guys about all this, before we get any closer to Khar Delba."

With no more ado I did just that, letting out a sigh of relief as Shayla's calm voice came waffling into the air of our tiny but fearsome fighter.

Then another thought struck me and, leaving the communications open, I turned to Terrin.

"If all this is true, we are going to need... well, something. Some real power maybe.

"What about--"

I gulped, cringing inwardly.

"What about going to Sorben with all this?"

...we're talking about someone powerful enough to find the link Jharmeen and I share, which will destroy our way of finding her. Still..."

Shayla trailed, hope gripping her, "Ragorian is with her; he is a sorceror and may be able to help protect her from any deception. In the meantime, however...

...I suggest we do not wait to head into the city when we arrive and hide our ships away. You are the Heir to Lord Aelvedaar, Aeylmaar...

...you should be able to get us within the walls of the Temple. Whether you must take us in as allies or as supposed captives I don't know...

...but we simply have to get in, and be ready and on guard, for Jharmeen."

Even as she spoke the words the comm unit beeped again, and Shayla turned to the navboard, hesitating, but then answering it. And then proceeded to hear the conversation on the other end.

Shayla started in surprise. "Galen? If all of what is true? Go to Tarnus about what? Did you hear the strange comm message concerning the dinner invitation as well?"

I'd deal with that little item when the time came, if necessary. But sure as there's Treasure on Roon, every little hunch and insight I owned was sitting up hollering full bore for attention, to the effect that there are just some things bigger than we are...

And one's personal well-being be damned.

"Yes," I replied as I turned back to the comm, knowing Terrin was with me on this one.

"We heard it, and we've figured out that maybe what Aeylmaar was saying is right: that Lord Aelvedaar isn't Lord Aelvedaar, and that someone else had taken control of Khar Delba."

I paused a moment, shooting Terrin a meaningful look before I went on any further.

"Terrin has recalled that Aelvedaar and the Master seemed to be at odds--"

That brought another cringe from me; I squelched it and hurried on.

"-- and thinks we need to find out what the heck has happened to him. Me, I think we're gonna need a bigger ship, this little fighter be damned.

"Your thoughts?"

With that I released the sigil, so that we might receive a reply from our comrades.

...but I agree at the same time a bigger ship might be advisable, at least until we can figure out just where the Dark Lord of the Sorcerors is. I hate to say this...

...but perhaps the team should split up, some of us staying here to watch Jharmeen's back while the others of us take off to look for Aelvedaar, who is most likely not here? And, after all--

--one of us here does have a big ship with lots of firepower and good scanners at his disposal."

"I don't know if I like the idea of us splitting up," I finally said, reading what looked to be agreement in Terrin's blue eyes.

"I mean, look where it's getting Jharmeen... and anyway, just where in all the whole damned universe would we be looking for Aelvedaar? I mean, assuming he's still in it, of course?

"Isn't that going off on a kind of a wild goose chase?"

I shut up for air, frowning as I let my thoughts rumble around in my head some more. Then I leaned forward and spoke into the comm again.

"I think we go straight to the ronto's mouth, but bring with us something to make certain we're gonna be listened to.

"And that's something these Sith seem to understand and respect: power and strength.

"And it's got these worlds all wrapped up in tidy little packages, if you ask me."

I let my finger remove itself from the sigil, turning then to Terrin, for boy howdy if anyone anywhere ever looked like he wanted to say something more than Terrin did now, I sure as Roon's Treasure hadn't met him.

He shook his head.

“Yeah, OK, he did offer Phal any resources he might need for whatever, I think… But Phal was giving him some line about booting out the ruling order and forming some kind of alliance. I thought that was just to get us the heck out of there, I didn’t think Phal was serious. But, damn, that might help us…”

Panthar thumped his forehead with his fist.

...but what else do we have to make the Sith listen to us? Jharmeen's back on Khar Delba, somewhere. We've got Aeylmaar with us..."

Terrin trailed, his frown deepening, thoughts emerging at a rate faster than he was really aware. "And I have a company that mass produces big ships..."

Again Terrin trailed, an almost visible lightbulb flickering above his head as he turned to Galen, cocking a brow. "You know the idea worries me concerning your safety...

...and concerning the safety of our daughter. But, that aside, the Empire does have some respectable "oomph." And I do have something we can offer them in exchange for their help...

...and it wouldn't be the first time I've done it. Imperials do, after all, seem to like really big ships. And speaking of Imperials...

...if he's still around, I always have Admiral Pallaeon in my corner."

...and wondered if this didn't look very much like something she might have seen from another powerful being before. With effort, Shayla reached out to switch her comm to send a message rather than receive. "Ummm...guys, that's an affirmative on Rykounagin being in control down there on Khar Delba. He has a blackened tatoo of entitlement to the Sorceror Clan...

...and he speaks of his "Father."

Shayla paused, her eyes momentarily flicking to Aeylmaar before she continued. "This doesn't seem like something that would be normal for the Lord Aelvedaar I know, who hesitated when Jharmeen took me on as Adept. Jharmeen will be, I believe, dining with Rykounagin...

...and will hopefully discern further just what is going on. Rykounagin speaks of his desire to kill Jharmeen...

“Heck yes, let’s proceed!” he shouted. “She is there with that kid? Who is saying the Aelvy is his father? That is just too wild to even be funny, especially since Aelymaar here is already Aelvy’s son – of sorts, or whatever those Sith Lords do. Anyway, I really have a bad feeling about this, and the sooner we get back with her the better.”

Panthar paused.

Time ticked by; he was but slightly aware of the conversation going on around him. But Panthar's closing query brought him out of his momentary funk.

He let forth a sigh and focused on the group again.

"I-- I cannot believe that my Lord Father would do such a thing," he stated at last.

"It is simply not in his nature, any more than is his sudden change in attitude toward the one you know as Jharmeen."

The Chosen One. The CHOSEN One.

How well he recalled that day, 4,000 years in the past, when he had trembled at Lord Aelvedaar's shoulder, staring via that wily sorcerer's magicks through the immensity of time to see a violet-eyed, flame-haired woman.

"Is she the one?" he had dared to ask. How well he remembered the simple affirmation, the look in the molten eyes of his Father.

Funny, but he had not seen that look again.

Ever.

He frowned at this seemingly glaring inconsistency, his eyes at first widening in fear... and then growing dark.

Slowly he rose to his feet.

"My friends," he said softly, blinking at how easily the appellation rolled upon his tongue.

"I agree with Shayla; we must continue forth to Khar Delba. The Chosen One-- that is, the Dark Lady, while apparently under no immediate duress is indeed in grave danger. We must get to her side, and quickly."

He raised his hand again, looked at his wrist. Closed his eyes against the quick rush of pain that filled him.

"I truly believe that the Lord Aelvedaar who occupies the Temple is not my Father, not the true Dark Lord of the Sorcerers. He was the most powerful of all the Sith, his magicks supreme, beyond blemish; his control of that power he had promised to teach me..."

Another pause; his frown of puzzlement and grief segued into one of anger. Indeed, since being informed of the true state of affairs of their civilization, Aeylmaar had received no further training. All he had was the merest understanding as how fully he could use that awesome power... when his training was complete.

At the moment, he could use it to the same extent that he could that terrible day when the dark jedi came ravaging in...

Why are you allowed this memory?

The non sequiteur came from nowhere, stalled him in mid-speech. He blinked, getting himself under control, realized the others were waiting for him to continue.

"His control over that-- that which he was beginning to teach me just as impeccable. It would take someone or someones with more than equal power to overcome him, and take his place.

"Who or why, I have no idea. I only know, I-- feel in my heart of hearts, that this is so."

He paused, searching each face before him.

"My Father is loving and kind. The Dark Lord of Khar Delba is-- is not. If he is indeed in residence, we must take the greatest of care.

(From the Dining Hall in the Temple of the Sorcerers) she ripped open a Portal through the All, and returned with the Blade to the yacht and her friends. There she moved to the nearest seat, fell into it.

"Lord Aelvedaar is missing," she stated flatly, the rest of what she had to report being cut off by the wave of pain and anger which flooded into her.

As well as utter despair.

The thought of Phalomir, alone in that hideous place with the evil Master and Roan and the imps to torture him was too much to bear; she couldn't stand it.

Despair flashed into resolve.

"I-- I will have to go back into the Darker Realms alone, and speak with this Master again," she finally murmured, looking up into the eyes of all.

"With my Sire in vacancy, I do not know if we would ever have the power to directly confront him. So perhaps another approach is needed.

"What, exactly, I simply cannot guess."

...going there alone will only give the Master an opportunity at you and Phalomir both."

She paused at that, the look in her eyes darkening as she continued then with, "As for another approach to come against the Master, I don't know where we would begin. The Eternal Flame is in the Darker Realms, that might have assisted us. The Finger may be in the hands of those whom we were prepared to use it against...

...is there some way to counter the Finger? Some object we aren't considering? Who indeed could come against the strength of the Master other than Lord Aelvedaar?"

Shayla trailed, frowning, as a few final things came to her mind. "What if we combined the strength of inherent All-users against the Master somehow? And what if..."

He turned to Shayla.

...I'm certain I probably don't have the knowledge Jharmeen has to inform you of it properly. It is fueled by the spirits of dead Dark Lords of the Sith...

...and is currently in the Darker Realms, though it used to be on Korriban."

"The Great Library would be helpful, but only in things regarding the Sith and their magicks. I do not believe it was created to recognize anything having to do with the All, and we are, unfortunately, dealing with All users.

"But the Eternal Flame..."

She trailed, and deep within the depths of her eyes a bit of despair began to fade.

"That I can take us to; it will be dangerous, as yes it is in the Darker Realms.

"But--!"

Now she began to smile.

"I placed a chronotic shield about it to prevent Lord Roan from using it, after he dragged it there from its valley on Korriban. Since I placed the shield, I can easily remove it, allowing us access to its power and All enhancing abilities.

"Perhaps--"

She paused, sending Shayla a warm look before going to her and wrapping her in a hug.

"Perhaps in the presence of its magicks you will be able to overcome the All-inhibiting spell placed upon you, and some if not all of your understanding will return.

"If nothing else, we should be able to discover the whereabouts of My Sire, and perhaps even Thoran as well."

Panthar looked to Jharmeen.

...only time will tell."

Then she turned to Panthar. "in regards to whatever you and Erik found on Kori'san, considering the reaction of That Which Is to our presence and meddling in that location, I do not know that it would be wise to return there and remove the planet from Elseness. Although I do not believe that the events which are proceeding would please That Which Is, going to Kori'san would cost alot of energy...

...and would go against what we had accomplished by placing the planets in Elseness to begin with."

She paused, pursing her lips. "I believe going to the Eternal Flame is the best answer, although there are going to be risks involved since this requires that we go to the Darker Realms." She looked then at the Onidorei, cocking a brow. "And the retrieval of the Flame is a bit more...

"Going back to Koris'ian would be a far more difficult feat than you think, my friend," she began slowly.

"For in placing the system into the Elseness as we did, we effectively have removed it from the space and time we consider to be real. It is not merely in another dimension, but outside reality, a place between one nanosecond and the next... and is not traveled through lightly.

"Having no Link established with anyone or anything on Koris'ian, or Korriban for that matter, I have no guide by which to return us there to the Temple of the Armorers. And from what I understand from the teachings of my Sire, although there are ways to enter therein through 'doorways' if you will, the probability of returning to the same space and time are so low as to be nonexistent. For the universe is a vast place, and we might find ourselves returning to a galaxy or another time so removed from our own that I would not be able to bring us home.

"But the Darker Realms..."

She trailed a little to ponder; what thoughts came to her head made the Glyph spring into brighter life, caused a slight smile to curl about her lips.

"That place, as horrid as it is, exists in our reality. It is merely in another dimension--"

Blank looks from the others interrupted her briefly, before she went on.

"Being in our reality, I can take us there via Portals. We can leave now, from here; we do not need to make planetfall anywhere, and our ships should be quite protected here in the emptiness which exists in this tiny solar system."

Her smile broadened as she spread out her arms, turning slowly to take in each and every one. That smile faltered a bit, though, as it came round to Panthar, and was in fact replaced by a quick frown of puzzlement.

"A-- a Beast?" she questioned, cocking her head to one side.

"I do not understand what it is you are speaking of; perhaps when our task is finished, when we have destroyed the Master and my love is safely here with us again, we may speak of this strange thing you ask.

"Now is not the time. I fear time is growing short. And so I ask, who is prepared to go into the Darker Realms, to combine all our strengths, whatever they may be, in the presence of the Eternal Flame, for we must be in its presence--"

This as a quick aside to the Onidorei.

"-- in the hope -- and please understand, I stress the word hope -- that this will be enough to enable us to complete our quest."

Most of what they discussed was unfamiliar to him, though quite interesting. Talk of the Darker Realms, the Eternal Flame, and the ways they could combat the Master all was archived into Ragorian's mind, raising many more questions than they answered.

When the talk turned to the Elseness and the planets now suspended in it, Ragorian perked up in interest.

For he knew of these planets and their state. Part of him remained within the Elseness, and was now, he recalled, inside a young tuk'ata.

As Graysith finished speaking, Ragorian reopened their link and spoke to her.

"I, for one, am willing to journey with you into these Darker Realms, milady. All my powers are at your disposal to aid you in finding this Eternal Flame."

"And there is something I feel I must mention. You mentioned before that journeying to the planets suspended in the Elseness would be difficult, because none of us has a Link with anyone or anything on them."

"As it were, Lady Graysith, it happens that I possess just such a link."

She trailed, pursing her lips a moment, "But who else will be willing to assist us, so that we approach this matter with the best combined strength that we have? The Blade has powers, and Erik and I have Force strength. Furthermore, Galen has assisted us before with the All strength within her...

Panthar sighed.

"Perhaps it might be a good idea to go back into the Elseness after all," she mused, half aloud.

"If there exists a device which is All-driven, or All-protective, it would most definitely be an added bonus against those within the Darker Realms; recall, if you will, that the Master is All proficient, as is Roan.

"We now have two links to Koris'ian..."

She paused, her smile broadening into a crooked grin.

"Ragorian has serendipitously left a bit of himself there as well; using two solid links as a guide, I see no reason why we could not find our way to the Temple of the Armorers to this strange device which lies within."

Sensing Shayla's growing discomfort at this idea, she turned to her.

"I do not think That Which Is would begrudge us this. I feel it simply does not wish the natural entropic course of events to be disturbed, and unless the path we are now treading upon would be leading in that particular direction I do not see how a visit to the Temple would bring down its ire upon us once again."

She cast another glance around. No one said anything.

"Panthar," she said, the command soft and musical but very much there.

"Concentrate upon the tuk'ata; see if you can re-establish contact with it.

"And Ragorian, my friend, if you would reach out to yourself as well..."

Well, I can start by trying to remember his name. Duffy? Diffy? Yeah, Diffy. OK, let’s see. I remember him, let me picture what he looks like. OK… hmmm… Diffy… buddy, where are you? Can you hear me? It’s your old pal, Panthar. Um, we need you. The ‘son’ needs you – he called Phal that, yeah. The son needs you, talk to me, man. Oh heck, I need you, we all need you, talk to me buddy!

Panthar concentrated on the tuk’ata, trying to push his thoughts outwards. He closed his eyes and thought hard, thinking about the voice in his head. He cleared his mind of all else, and focused on the voice.

After several seconds, Panthar pictured only the image of the tuk’ata. He sat very still, his face going blank, not knowing if what he was doing was working at all, but staying focused on the tuk’ata.

---

Frowning, Terrin reached for the equivalent of the comm unit on the Sith fighter's navboard. "Ahhh... excuse me," he opened with, "Since we appear to now be taking a trip into the Elseness, and Galen and I are here aboard the fighter and not with everyone else...

...what are we supposed to do while you all embark on this little side trip?"

And at its door there lay a tuk'ata, it's head upraised, its eerie, pupilless eyes scanning the sky...

Graysith let out a reflexive grunt, her concentration abruptly broken.

"...supposed to do while you all embark on this little side trip?" came the irate query from their companion ship.

Graysith blinked, bringing herself back into focus once again. She shook her head at her own oversight in the matter.

"You shall come with us, Mr. Danner," she said quickly.

"And please accept my apologies for this seeming oversight; Shayla--"

She turned her attention to her adept.

"Lend me your strength, that I may create a portal large enough through which both our ships may enter. For I believe that, through Panthar, I have made contact with the Temple of the Armorers."

I know you have this yet within you...

"What say you, Terrin Danner?" she ended, turning toward the comm to direct the final question to the occupants of the other ship, even as her hand reached out to clasp Shayla's.

...but she could sure try. If nothing else, the lending of her strength should be enough to help Jharmeen be strong enough to open a large portal. So, without hesitation, Shayla took Jharmeen's hand, nodding once to show that she was ready, and closing her eyes, drawing her strength together and then sending it to her Chosen sister.

Even as she did so, Shayla knew that their efforts were not in vain, for she could feel the shift in their location, via the Force if nothing else.

As she opened her eyes, Shayla already knew they were in the Elseness, and no longer enroute to Khar Delba...

(((OOC: Follow Shayla, Erik, Graysith, Jasyn, Matt, Terrin, Galen, and Panthar to Elseness in this same forum; ShaRhylla and Kelvendar (and anyone else who didn't go with Shayla et. al.) reappear in the Chasing Shadows thread in this forum, thank you.)))