Aeylmaar listened gravely to the words Thoran whispered to him, watched with a growing sense of impending doom as the Sith then turned and with the others followed his Father into the Elseness, let forth a heavy sigh as the rip in the fabric between realities then disappeared with an implosive little pop.

Then, not quite knowing what else to do, he simply turned and retreated into his Father's Inner Sanctum, there to lend himself with a vengeance to the lessons already given to him, to then extrapolate from them what he could in order to apply his growing knowledge to any unknown, and dangerous, situations.

[ 07-12-2006 01:18 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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The Master, leveling his gaze at Shawn, was interrupted before he could speak by the faint words spoken by Aelvedaar. His eyes widened, and he dismissed the words he had conjured for the Jedi and moved his eyes back to Aelvedaar.
“My Lord,” he said, leaning close. “I shall take us there now, for well do I know the Temple.”

Indeed, though in a future timeline now lost to the shifting sands, the Master was Aelomir, Dark Lord himself. He long ago abandoned that title, giving his allegiance to the Darkness in trade for powers that would save his people. But even that partnership was dissolved.

But now he could return, and that filled him with hope.

The Master focused on the inner lounge of the Dark Lord, where he had spent many hours in study in future days. He waved his hand, now steady with the resurgence of strength, and a portal shimmered before him. The Master looked to Panthar, his eyes sharp and keen, then stepped through the portal.

Almost immediately came an urgent shout echoing from within the portal, as the Master ordered a shocked servant to fetch Aeylmaar.

Panthar raised his eyebrows in understanding and hurried to Aelvedaar. He gently scooped the Dark Lord into his powerful arms and followed the Master through the portal.

On the other side he was greeted by two servants, one standing dumbfounded with a partially folded blanket in his hand, the other rushing off towards a door. Panthar glanced about, and saw a long ornate sofa. He walked to it and gently lay Aelvedaar down upon it.

[ 07-12-2006 01:11 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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With nothing further, Terrin carried Galen through the portal to the Temple of the Sorcerors on Khar Delba, hoping for all kriffing hell that he never spent another moment on the dustball of a rock they had just left behind as everyone else followed in his wake. As he entered and moved so that everyone else could step through as well, Terrin was met with the sight of Panthar laying the Dark Lord on a couch...

...and the Master ordering Sith servants around.

Terrin arched an eyebrow at Galen as if to say, He sure is getting used to that awful quickly.

"Hey, while you're there ordering everyone around," he then spoke up to the Master, "You might also let them know everyone here could use some water...

...or I'm going to take care of that myself."

[ 07-12-2006 03:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Off to one side there suddenly appeared a hint of rock, with a more than substantial waterfall tinkling merrily along its face. He smiled briefly to himself--

I am learning!

--but that smile flattened the moment his eyes found Panthar and the burden he had just laid down. In a rush of robes, Aeylmaar was there, down on his knees, his hands roving over Lord Aelvedaar's body as he gently began probing. A hurried command to the hand-wringing servant and the latter was off to fetch the Senior Healer.

Still on his knees, Aelymaar lifted his eyes. They darkened upon seeing who it was that was standing there.

Quickly he sent the strongest protective shield about the others that his limited knowledge could create, hoping it would be enough should the Master decide to attack. Then--

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, his voice trembling and laced with a touch of darkness.

"What have you done with my Father?"

[ 07-12-2006 03:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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“I am Aelomir,” he said. “I-- I mean no harm, the Dark Lord needs assistance. He was swarmed by small white spiders, I managed to remove the venom but his wounds go much deeper.”

The Master indicated the others in the room, sweeping his hand outwards.

“These people have been without supplies in the Tattooine desert for far too long,” he continued. “I was injured, and until very recently was incapable of providing assistance. Not only water, but food and medical attention is required, especially for the woman Galen.”

He returned his stare to Aeylmaar, unable to help himself. The coldness within him seemed to gradually depart, and a strange sensation of longing crept over him. He struggled with this, and finally backed away as to not distract from the attention required to aid Aelvedaar.

....but Jasyn quite literally took a nose dive into the cool waters. Matt, as per always, kept restrain while tending to his need for drink even as others continued to join in to enjoy the wonderful water.

Terrin couldn't help but stop the errant comment which came to mind from slipping out. Cocking a brow, he glanced at Jasyn. "Never thought you'd care for water more than Sith brandy, eh pal?"

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

He drank deeply from the fountain, his body tissues screaming their relief. His vision, which he just now realized had been dimming, seemed to brighten. He finally shook his head back, the water which had been gathering on his head and hair splashing backwards to the floor. He looked around, saw he was not alone in his replenishment at the fountain. He was especially glad to see Galen seeming to gain strength, and everyone else had now gathered to cool and drink.

All except the Master, who was standing before Aeylmaar. Panthar blinked, then rubbed his eyes, and blinked again. He elbowed Jasyn, who was next to him.

“Hey”, he whispered. “Are my eyes going or are all Sith starting to look alike?”

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

"Wha--?" he began, but then, blinking, realized what Panthar was referring to. "Funny, I've never seen two Sith with quite the same shape of horns...

...but then, I've seen so many they are all running together now." He paused, shrugging. "Could be a coincidence."

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

...and quite quickly and easily remembering just who was not with him...

...and who was.

He jerked into motion, moving away from the waters and over to where the three sith were, his eyes clouded with worry, concern...

...and with not just a bit of sheer determination.

He looked at the prone Lord Aelvedaar, opened his mouth to say something, and worked it a bit. Suddenly every cell of his body was screaming that he should move, but one single thing was holding him back.

He hadn't the first clue where she was.

He couldn't sense her.

Khar Delba. All over again.

Again.

"If the Dark Lord was injured so badly...what of Shayla..."

He paused, "And Jharmeen?"

His thoughts were reeling. Someone had to know some way to find them. "I have to find Shayla, she may be in danger...

...and considering that Jharmeen's spirit was in her mind, I think you know just how damaging danger to Shayla could be for her as well."

He paused again. "Someone must have some way to find her...

...and perhaps he has an answer as well," Erik observed, pointing now to Lord Aelvedaar. "This is important. I have to find her..."

Trailing, his deep browns shifted from one pair of Sith eyes to the other, waiting for acknowledgement, for assistance...

...for anything.

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

“All right,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Yeah, this is great, safe and sound here in the, um, wherever we are. But look, we have a couple of situations here. Don’t mean to be rude, but I sure as heck mean to be blunt! You know what happened to Gray, right? Well, Aelvedaar here was supposed to get Gray ready for us to come to Dagobah to put her spirit back into her body, with Shayla carrying it and all. He left us on Tattooine, out of the way. But then something happened, Shayla suddenly blasted some of us, and took off, and then a couple days later Aelvedaar here comes to Tattooine with little white spidery things biting him all over, and then they attack Galen and the Master, and here we are. So, my first question is why aren’t we looking on Dagobah, and the next question is when WILL we be looking on Dagobah. I mean, if there is a ship or something, I’m ready to go. And my next question is, WHERE the heck is Phalomir?”

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

“He is correct, in a brutish sort of way. I feel Lord Aelvedaar may know where Phalomir has gone. In the meantime, I am sure your healers will have much success in their duties, but we have our own duties we must attend to. The first of which is to know what happened to Aelvedaar. I shall open a portal there, trusting that you, Panthar, will allow me access to your memories to ascertain the location.”

The Master, after receiving a now from Panthar, felt for the opened mind of the man. He found it, and scanned the surface for the thoughts that should have been foremost. A jungle, a swamp, a grove of trees… Memories of the white spiders, of the protection placed upon her body by both Phalomir and the eyes… Eyes? How familiar they were, yet so different…

He placed the extraneous thoughts aside and waved his hand, a portal shimmering to life before him. He let go of Panthar’s mind and focused on what lay on the other side of the doorway through existence. He saw the grove, the swamp, but saw no spiders. He slowly put his head into the portal and glanced around. There were many trees that he could now see with small white spiders climbing up and down, but nothing looked out of the ordinary for a Dagobah swamp.

“It appears to be somewhat safe,” he said, pulling his head back in. “I shall go through. If any of you wish to follow, be aware of the dangers and know that I will soon close this portal to avoid infestation into this temple.”

The Master stepped through the portal, followed quickly by a shrugging Panthar.

(((OOC -- Follow the Master and Panthar into Within The Web of Life in the "Complete Star Wars Unverse" forum, thank you!)))

...but both Panthar and the Master seemed to be talking over his head, as though he really wasn't there. And Aeylmaar...

...well, at the moment at least, he wasn't doing much.

So much for patience.

"We already know what happened to Lord Aelvedaar," Erik growled, eyeing the yawning portal. "What we don't know is where my wife is: you know, the one who is carrying Jharmeen's spirit."

He paused, an urgency filling his heart and soul, his mind spinnign with thoughts. One particular thought grabbed his immediate attention.

You could at least follow them in, to see if Jharmeen's body is still on Degobah, in tact. After all, Shayla sure didn't seem to think she needed anyone else's help to help her mentor at the time of her leaving the group on Tatooine...

So much for patience.

Stepping through the portal then, Erik nearly knocked over the Master as his anxiousness took the upper hand...

(((OCC: Erik moves to Within the Web of Life in the CSWU, thank you.)))

[ 07-24-2006 03:07 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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So quickly had they come, bearing their awful burden--

He cast a heavy glance toward the couch upon which Lord Aelvedaar lay, tossing and thrashing every so often as the summoned Healer strove to remove the remaining toxins from his body. Indeed, unbeknownst to all present, although the Dark Lord appeared to be mending, the fact was that he was hovering entirely too close to death. The poison had been eradicated easily enough from his bloodstream, but not before it had spread out into the cells of his body. The Healer had his work cut out for him, and ignored everyone and everything as he focused intently on the task of saving Aelvedaar's life.

This had left Aeylmaar hanging back a little, feeling more than a touch useless.

But now I can do something--

Without saying anything to the others he moved quietly into the shadows, coming to a halt in front of the Crystal Octahedron his father had employed so often. In a low voice he let out a single query; the Octahedron responded, it's greeny-golden waves of essence roiling and churning and melting and melding...

He blinked. Turned toward the others.

"They-- they are both on Dagobah, and appear alive," he said, indicating the Octahedron with a wave of one clawed hand.

If only someone had asked me; I wonder if there is danger present for those who will now follow to fetch the pair?

[ 07-24-2006 03:21 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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...and was even more troubled by Aeylmaar's observations.

"Strange that they are both on Degobah, and remain there," he observed simply. "Even stranger that they remain there when the Dark Lord departed, injured."

Shawn's greeny-blues defocused, and he recalled Shayla's sudden departure from Tatooine. Then his eyes snapped alert. "Erik is thinking with his heart, not his head," Shawn observed, standing and glancing at the portal, closing his eyes as a momentary glimpse of his emotional struggle surfaced and immediately disappeared. "We are all in danger, I fear," he said. "We must continue to see to the Dark Lord's injuries, and determine what it is they are doing...

...and what it is that they perhaps plan. Meanwhile..."

Again Shawn paused, pondering. "We should somehow let the others on Degobah know of Jharmeen and Shayla's safety...

...and get them back here, as soon as possible. If necessary, I will go myself and bring them back."

[ 07-24-2006 03:41 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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"The plan is sound, human," he said simply as, the motion smooth and effortless, he fell to his knees and laid his hand atop Aelvedaar's forehead. It was cold and clammy beneath his touch.

"Go quickly, before the Portal closes. I can send you to the planet, but I do not know the exact location."

With that he fell silent and began adding his own efforts to those of the Healer.

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

(((OCC: Follow Shawn into Within the Web of Life in the CSWU, thank you.)))

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

Thoran’s eyes widened, and he rushed to the portal, stopping to peer within it. He saw the Master, Panthar, and the jedi sprawled on the ground, and blinked when he saw the floating body of Erik flying through the air away from the site. Giving an inquisitive look, he turned his head to the nearest person.

“Um,” he said, searching for words. “Something happened…”

He darted through the portal and into the Dagobah swamp beyond it.

(((Thoran jumps into The Web of Life in “Complete Star Wars Universe”)))

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

...Thoran wasn't returning either. That was plenty of evidence to trigger his suspicions.

"Do you think we should take a look through that thing," he said, nodding towards the Octahedron and hoping Aeylmaar was listening, "And see what's going on? I can't believe they've all been gone this long, just so Petrolu could go and bring everyone back. Maybe they've run into Jharmeen or Shayla...

...but this is too strange."

He stood at that, helping Galen get to a plush chair and seated before turning back to Aeylmaar. "If not, maybe some more of us should go in and have a look...

...but I'd love to know what we'd be heading into."

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

He sat back on his haunches, frowning now to see that the Portal yet remained open. It shimmered strangely, an impossible rip in the very fabric of space and time.

Blinking, his gaze cut from the Portal to Terrin. For a moment he lowered that gaze, staring to the stone floor of Aelvedaar's great Inner Sanctum as if the answers to all their questions were engraved into the stones upon which he knelt. Certainty eluded him; he frowned more deeply, then looked back to Terrin.

"Take a care in your investigation," he said simply, letting him know by that simple statement that he himself was yet unwilling to move from Lord Aelvedaar's side.

"For if this Portal should close, I would not be able..." He paused, chewing his lip, suddenly aghast at his own stupidity.

What nonsense do I speak? Of course I can recreate this Portal, and in the exact same spot! For the creation of this, so simple a thing, has already been taught to me by my Father.

Saying nothing further, he swiftly rose to his feet, and in three smooth steps reached the Portal. He stepped within... took a mental bearing... stepped back and quickly returned to his Father's side.

Kneeling again, he looked up to Terrin.

"It would do you well to hurry; I now have the location and can recreate this doorway should the one in existence suddenly close itself. But again, take a care, Terrin Danner. For it appears there has indeed been trouble..."

Saying nothing further, feeling he had done all he could do in preparation should anything else go wrong, he turned his attentions back to the occasionally thrashing Lord Aelvedaar and once more lent his aid to that of the Sith Healer's.

[ 07-27-2006 03:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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He trailed, frowning. "Of course, Petrolu had a lightsaber, and Kartan had a blaster..."

Trailing again, his eyes defocused. Weapons must not have done them a kriffing lot of good.

Turning towards Galen for a bare moment, his look clearly reflected growing concerns. Coming upon a plan, however, Terrin looked Matt and Jasyn's way. "Everyone seems to be going in one at a time then disappearing," he observed. "So here's what I'm thinking. I'm going to go in, take a look, and I want you two to follow in right behind me, taking a minute or two to listen for any sounds of trouble before you enter completely through the portal. I trust you can come up with a...

...creative form of defense if need be."

Pausing at that, Terrin arched an eyebrow Jasyn's way. He was, after all, supposed to be a techie through and through, and a weapons specialist at that. That's why he'd been one of Terrin's chosen men to take to the Sith worlds to begin with, way back in the day.

Jasyn nodded, standing and appearing very eager to take some action, a hint of the typical EE suspicion creeping into his eyes. "Gotcha boss," was all he said as Matt quietly joined them.

Satisfied that both employees were ready to go, Terrin headed for the portal, took a glance into it, took a few steps inside...

...and almost immediately froze in his tracks. "Oh, kriffing hell..." he muttered, turning back towards the two EE employees not far behind here. "Get in here, we have people who are down..."

(((OCC: Follow Terrin into Within the Web of Life in the CSWU.)))

[ 07-28-2006 11:34 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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Well, hopefully the Dark Lord will forgive me for this later, came an errant thought. Then, without a word, Jasyn followed Matt and Terrin into the portal, gripping the small lamp's base tightly in one hand, as if preparing to use it to strike at something or someone if necessary.

(((OCC: Follow Matt and Jasyn into Within the Web of Life in the CSWU.)))

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

As Terrin stepped back through the portal, he found both Jasyn and Matt still attending to Panthar, Shawn, and the Master. He scowled a bit to himself at this, recalling how the Master hadn't been all that helpful in assisting Galen when she needed it...

...then dismissed the thought altogether as being something to worry about in another place and time. But for now...

HE turned to the others still within the Sanctum Sanctorum. "Panthar, Petrolu and the Master appear to have good vitals, but seem to be unconcious. Thoran and Kartan...

...are missing, and don't appear to be anywhere nearby where we found the others, just inside the portal the Master opened."

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

That could never be forgiven.

His eyes flashed open, and he sat upright in one smooth motion.

“Barbarian,” he said, shaking off the sleep. “So uncivilized, those who rely on blasters to do what they themselves cannot. It was Erik, the fool. I could sense his wife, her force is strong but her other powers are stronger. He could not feel her, and he apparently wanted to find her alone. I take it from his absence here that he has gone missing?”

He stood, looking at Panthar and Shawn.

“I believe she violated out sleep centers,” he continued. “These two will need some gentle coaxing to awaken.”

He stood before Shawn, holding his hand to the side of the Jedi’s face. He then moved his hand slowly outward, mumbled something incomprehensible, and swiftly brought his hand back to slap Shawn hard in the cheek. The Jedi stirred, and the Master turned to Panthar.

“Shayla is there,” he said, looking up to Terrin as he began the same motion with Panthar. “And I could feel another presence, and though I am not completely sure, I feel it was Graysith.” He slapped Panthar, then again for good measure, and moved away to face Terrin.

“I thank you for coming. How is everyone here? Has Aelvedaar or Galen shown any progress?”

Hey, since when the kriffing hell does Galen let anyone answer for her? he noted to himself. In fact, she hasn't so much as spoken a word since you got away from Tatooine.

That observation was quite enough to raise an alarm. Terrin glanced her way, noting that she was getting some color back and seemed to be breathing easy...

...but the lack of any conversation whatsoever...?

...very un-Galen-like.

Terrin hurried over where she was, kneeling down, casting a blue-eyed look full of concern into her deep browns. "Galen?" he queried softly, worry clouding his thoughts once again. He took her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Galen?" he queried again.

Damn you for not picking up on this sooner, Terrin Danner.

He glanced back the Master's way. "Judging by how he's doing," he observed, nodding slightly towards Lord Aelvedaar, "And by the fact she isn't talking, I'd say she needs some more attention."

He paused. "...now."

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