Erik nodded. "Here goes nothing. I really do hope they know we are incoming. The fleet isn't big, but this could come as a shock."

Katrina grinned. "Fleet's big enough to create a stir, you are saying."

"Yeah. But I kinda don't think silver and purple shuttles strike fear in the hearts of men," he said, first smiling then turning a little serious. "But they are Shayla's favorite colors."

Katrina understood the shift in tone and reiterated, "We WILL find her, Erik."

"15 seconds to reversion," the deck officer warned.

"Yeah, I hope so," Erik replied to Katrina after the second count. Directing his attention to everyone on deck, Erik called out "Everyone to your stations."

With that, everyone on deck headed to a seat either at a control station or at a observation area on the outside of the deck. Katrina strapped in at the observation area, and Erik remained at his seat at the control panel.

"Ten seconds."

"Here goes nothing," Erik muttered to himself. "Shayla, please hang in there. We're coming."

"Five seconds."

The deck went silent, and slowly starlines appeared, then faded into realspace.

"Comm station, all shuttles report in," Erik requested.

"Sprite, standing by," a female answered over the comm channel.

"Stardust reporting in," a man's voice boomed.

"Spaceangel, in system."

"Freighters?" Erik prompted.

"Starlight, standing by."

"Firefox, standing by."

"Queenbee, reporting."

"Lioness, in system."

"Galaxy Tiger, reporting."

"Good. All corvettes and all freighters with ties reporting in. Set orbit course for the moon," Erik ordered.

"Orbit course calculated and locked in," someone called out.

"Squadron commanders, report," Erik continued.

"Stargazer squadron Commander Zaloc reporting," a man stated over comm.

"Spaceangel squadron Commander Leona reporting," a female said, voice crackling in and out.

"Stardust squadron Commander Rosalie reporting," another woman answered.

"Good, everyone is here. That's the first step." Looking down at the control deck in front of him, Erik flipped a switch. "William, how's my ship?"

"The Lioness is fueled and docking with the Stargazer as we speak," an amused voice answered.

"Treat her well, did you?" Erik kidded.

"Nothing but the best," William responded.

"Better be, or else, you know the drill," Erik stated smiling. "Have her prepped for flight, I might need her."

"Gotcha boss."

With that, Erik punched another button on the control deck, closing the comm channel with William.

"Scanning crew, what other ships are in system besides ours?"

"One. A really big un-registered corvette that probably has some mean firepower," a young guy across the deck replied.

"Must be our contact. At least, let's hope it is. Open me a comm channel with the shuttle if possible."

"Done boss," the same guy replied.

Erik cleared his throat, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. He pushed the feeling to the side. "Orbiting shuttle, this is Captain Erik Kartan, requesting permission to speak with the Captain of your vessel," he said over the comm. "Acknowledge?"

Cella spoke hurriedly into the comm, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Captain Kartan, this is Jedi Knight Cella Poliani. I assume you're the reinforcements my partner Jeroc Mahoy spoke of?"

"Absolutely, madam. Did we beat him here?"

"That you did--even though his ship is fast, he was probably farther from here than you. I'll alert Captain Joao of your presence, and let me just say that I'm happy to have you with us. Poliani out."

The Devil-May-Care was silent save for the thud of Cella's bare feet as she ran to Yaoksi's cabin. She cycled the door open to find him sitting awake. He turned his face to her in suprise, and a wave of emotions abruptly roiled off him.

Love. Loneliness. Fear.

She just stood there for a moment in quiet wonderment. Finally Cella managed to say, "The reinforcements Jeroc promised are here. Shayla's friends. You'd better go talk to them--it's a sizable fleet."

Orbiting around the rogue moon were four sleek shuttles, five freighters, and three squadrons of starfighters. Jeroc gasped audibly despite himself. By New Republic standards, it was a small fleet, but more than he had expected. He noticed with some amusement that all the ships were fitted out in livery of purple and silver--just like Izzy. Shayla must have had a liking for those colors.

Logan looked up from the sensor console. "High-end scanners detect a sizable corvette parked on the far side of the moon. That must be the ship Cella's on."

Jeroc thought for a moment. "Send a general identification hail to the flagship of the fleet, whichever one you think it is. Try to open me up a channel to the corvette. I need to talk to Cella." As Logan worked his electronic magic, Jeroc waited as patiently as he could. It was no easy task.

I pursed my lips to myself, and with a jerk brought my wandering attention back to the digi-padd readout for the umpteenth time.

Ok, Yaoksi ol pirate, systems looking good....

Yeah, right. Who in the Name of all the Spice on Kessel do you think you're fooling?

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, and giving the rapidly scrolling list of numbers and characters only half an eye. Ok, so I really couldn't say how good the systems were looking at the moment, because I really wasn't focusing on them as well as I ought to be. Try as I might, all I could see was the sparkle in a certain pair of eyes at the mention of a certain name...

Yaoksi, this isn't getting you anywhere. Give it up, man!

Throwing the padd a final once-over (ok, so things checked out with their usual 110% optimum efficiency rating) I got to my feet. I gave my chronometer a quick glance.

Kessel! Had I really spent that much time zoned out, trying to pretend that I was making certain all was well when really...

When really all I wanted was to sit down with Cella and, for the first time in my life, try to get serious with a woman.

I shook the thought out of my head, my frown increasing a bit. This would never do.

Yaoksi, I berated myself. You saw the look. There has never been any indication that a gal like that and you could--

I bit that off in mid-sentence, suddenly not wanting to inspect it too closely. I shook my head to myself again, trying to cement a sudden defiance I was aiming at myself. It wasn't working very well; with my shoulders slumping a bit I headed off to my quarters to clean up a bit. I sighed again.

Yaoksi, maybe what you ought to do is the logical thing for once in your life. You were needed as transport; this lady now has people coming. See her safely into their hands, bid all a fond adieu, and head off with your newly-won credits to the Corporate Sector for a little vacation.

Another thought struck me as I came to my rooms and entered, and I eyed it closely. You've always claimed it's better to be a Lone Nek than a herd-bound ikopi; but... wouldn't it be nice to run with a partner? It has been nice having Cella... having her here; you could use some company, couldn't you ol' boy?

Maybe you ought to go off and find yourself a partner or something....

I had just given myself a quick 'fresher break, and had sat down upon my bunk to reconnoiter with myself when my vascillating thoughts were rudely interrupted by an auxillary proximity sensor which began bleating like a baby ronto crying for it's mother. I jerked from my reverie with a start.

Incoming transmission! That thought had barely registered when the door to my quarters opened to reveal Cella standing without. For a moment that was uncomfortably long, we only stared at each other. Then she seemed to gather a part of herself together.

"The reinforcements Jeroc promised are here. Shayla's friends. You'd better go talk to them--it's a sizable fleet."

I clenched my jaw, struggling to keep my thoughts only upon business, nodding a bit tersely as I got to my feet and approached her. I was all too keenly aware of her presence as, coming up in front of her I paused for a brief moment, and stared directly into those wonderful eyes of hers.

A heartbeat passed. I opened my mouth, but no words could come out.

Quickly changing my loosely held lips into something approximating a casual smile, I brushed hurriedly past her and headed to the bridge. There I seated myself in the command chair, my fingers dancing on the communication panel as I simultaneously replayed the transmission and snapped on the forward viewscreen.

Sizeable fleet? Kessel! There were enough ships floating around out there to arm an entire Rebellion wing, back in the days of Palpatine! Who the heck is this guy? And, was this Jeroc with him as well?

I voiced as much in my acknowledgement.

"Captain Yaoksi Joao of Devil-May-Care" I introduced myself a bit tersely. "Welcome to my little hole in the Galaxy. Are you the fabled 'Knights of Olde' I've been expecting? If so, I think there's someone aboard who's a touch anxious to speak with you.

"More on that later," I concluded, cutting off that train of thought before my focus derailed again. "Right now, I think we'd better be making some arrangements for a gab session.

"My place or yours?"

A slow, sweet smile crossed her face. Yaoksi looked at her in amazement. Blushing, Cella explained herself. "That's Jeroc! He's here now...not with that fleet but close behind. Anyway, finish up that call..."

She tried to pay attention to the discussion Yaoksi and Erik were having, but it was useless. Jeroc's presence was sharp and clear as starlight. Every veil and barrier blocking them from each other was burned away like morning mist.

Erik's information smuggler background answered Yours, but he thought better of it. Although getting a peek at the fire-power on the other shuttle was tempting, it was highly likely that by the time they would meet the other Jedi would be in system as well, and Erik knew his shuttle could provide more in the way of comfort and dining services.

"Boss," someone on deck called, "Sorry to interrupt, but another shuttle just arrived in system."

"One moment, Captain Yaoksi," Erik told the other man over the comm. He hated to be rude and interrupt, but having an un-friendly in the system could be a problem.

"It has hailed us and tagged itself as the Pride of Yavin," the deck officer continued, answering Erik's unasked question.

"Good. Tag it and the Devil-May-Care as friendlies," Erik ordered.

Now, back to the comm. "Apologies for the interruption. I think my place," Erik answered at last. "And while we are at it, we might as well invite Master Mahoy and anyone who is accompanying him to the 'party' as well. How does meeting in an hour sound?"

There seemed to be a little consulting going on between the two parties on the other corvette, and finally Yaoksi answered that this would be fine.

"Very well," Erik said, "If you need me before then, just call. But for now, Erik Kartan out."

And he was certain the force of anger was coming from Shayla.

"Noooo!!!" he cried out loud, his heart pounding in his ears, the seconds becoming hours.

Something had happened. Something terrible. With great agony, he could feel the fear gripping her and overtaking her...and she did not fight back!

Feeling weak, Erik leaned on his dresser with both hands, staring himself in the mirror and evaluating the pain that was radiating from all his features.

Shayla, please, don't. Anger and agression, the dark side are they. Remember?

He knew she was hearing him, but the response was silent and cold. And with one swift act, she shut herself off from him. Certainly not away from the universe, for such power she did not yet possess. But she knew his Force skills, and she knew he would be unable to penetrate the shield she was solidifying even now.

Was she protecting him, or something else?

Horrified, Erik turned, now leaning his back against the dresser and putting his face in his hands.

So he didn't look fancy, but he was clean and comfortably dressed, and that was his style. Besides, the situation demanded that he wait no longer to afford his guests the luxury of showy attire and thrills and frills. He needed to talk to them now...it just couldn't wait any longer. He couldn't bear this alone.

Taking his comlink from the middle of his bed where he'd thrown it before he took a shower, he thumbed it on and punch in the Devil-May-Care's comm frequency.

"This is Erik Kartan. I know we still have awhile before our scheduled apppointment but," he hesitated, feeling a little bad about intruding but knowing he needed to get what he was dealing with out in the open, "I need to talk to you all, now. Concerning Shayla. It's very, very, important. Do you read me?"

"Can you hear me, Cella? It's Jeroc...I..."

"Yes, yes!" Cella's voice was fuzzy but ecstatic. "Boy, am I glad that you're here. If we weren't already rendezvousing on Erik's ship, I'd get you over here. We need to talk."

"Definitely." Jeroc's expression turned more serious. That comment had several layers of meaning. He turned his attention to Cella's male companion. "Captain Joao, I'd like to thank you for keeping an eye on my partner. She can be quite a handful at times."

An unfamiliar voice issued from the comm unit. "No problem, Mr. Mahoy. She's a real lady, she is."

"Cella, we'll talk more later, but it's good just to hear your voice. Mahoy out."

"Poliani out."

Suddenly, a wave of furious dark Force slammed into Jeroc and nearly took the wind out of him. He could feel Cella reaching frantically for him throug the Force. He grasped her Force presence lovingly, taking comfort from her familiarity while trying to reorient himself. What was that?

Suddenly, in the split second between two thoughts, an invisible shockwave of pure fury slammed into her like a hundred G forces. Cella gasped and almost fell out of her seat. She flailed out for Jeroc like a drowning person fumbling for a handhold, and instantly felt him with her.

Then Cella sensed Shayla's presence under it, and disgust nearly made her retch. In her distress, she barely heard the comm crackle to life some minutes later, she didn't know how long.

"This is Erik Kartan. I know we still have awhile before our scheduled apppointment but I need to talk to you all, now. Concerning Shayla. It's very, very, important. Do you read me?"

Yaoksi's voice was coming from a place light-years away. "Yes, we read." He looked over at Cella with concern, and she nodded slightly. She was ill, but she had to talk to this Erik. "We'll be right over, and we'll relay the message to Jedi Mahoy."

There, I thought to myself with a bit of satisfaction, the best feeling I had managed to muster up lately. When we leave, "Devil-May-Care" will take care of herself, and won't let anyone dock without the right signature... one that has my retinal scan upon it.

I drew back with a little sigh, pursed my lips together. Then I turned to Cella. For a moment that was almost unbearable, I watched her firming, straightening, gaining strength through her incredible jedi resources to fight whatever it was that had momentarily weakened her.

The moment being unbearable for the fact that I wanted nothing more than to rush to her and put my arms around her, lending her strength of my own to assist in her recovery.

"Guess I'd better get you over there," I finally announced as she let out one last, steadying breath, trying myself to sound light-hearted.

The look she gave me was one of concern, but nothing could totally erase the sparkle whch was taking increasing precedence in her eye. I pursed my lips tighter, then abruptly whirled and literally stalked from the bridge. For a moment there was only silence, then the soft sound of footsteps coming in my wake told me my erstwhile companion was right on my heels.

We moved through the spacious interior of my ship in complete, and not quite so companionable a silence. Maybe Cella did try to start a conversation; if so, it didn't protrude through the glum thoughts that were boiling around in my head, and probably died an early death from lack of interaction on my part. I refused to look at her, but just let my black thoughts and determined footsteps carry me into the docking bay.

Yaoksi, ol pirate, you're acting like a child! that nasty little shoulder-angel piped up from somewhere in my center gut. If you thought there might be any chance whatsoever... I mean, maybe this Jeroc...

...well, you certainly aren't putting on a good show now, are you?

I snorted aloud, still refusing to look in Cella's direction. I could just imagine the expression on her face right now....

Yeah, buddy, she's a happy, happy spacer! Now the opposing shoulder-demon decided to plunk down its two-cents-worth. I don't know what all this subtle grabbing and hugging had been about... but don't you think she's kinda changed her tune a couple times in the last few hours?

That thought set me to scowling, and I stopped in my tracks. Behind me, Cella slid to a halt, barely keeping from running into me altogether. I risked a quick glance in her direction; nothing was said, but I could see the question dancing in her eyes, poking out a tiny bit around the happiness that filled them otherwise.

With some effort, I lightened my own expression. "Ahh- I was just thinking," I stammered a bit hurriedly. "I think it would be best to take Bee instead; just in case the bad guys pop up while we're in transit. It's bigger, far stronger, has better armament, and can fly circles around WannaBee."

Nevermind the fact that you just can't stand being crammed that close to her again, can you Yaoksi?

Cella only nodded, following me as I led the way to my interceptor. Gaining it, I popped the hatch, and made a point to carefully stand aside while she entered and headed for the navigator's seat. Before she could seat herself, I hurried aboard, and stopped her with a light touch on her arm. It took every bit of willpower I possessed not to jerk from the electric jolt that coursed through my body at that touch.

"Ahh- maybe you might want to take a passenger seat," I hinted. "After all, that's what you hired me for, to transport you, right?

"I- I mean, I think you're more protected in the middle of the ship," I finished lamely. I ran a hand through my hair. Sheesh, if you thought you might be able to salvage anything from this, that certainly went a long way toward the certainty that you just lost salvage rights...

Face it, brother. That little demon piped up again. You're just a tad wee irritated at how she just up and took over communications on "Devil-May-Care," communications talking to Jeroc...

I sighed as Cella turned round and, brushing silently by me, headed back behind the pilot's center. My hand had paused somewhat foolishly atop my head; with another small sigh I ran it down my face.

Corporate Sector was suddenly beginning to look very, very attractive....

I seated myself and brought Bee's systems online. For a brief moment I was genuinely happy as the sleek little fighter hummed into lethal life. Then I flipped open a communications channel to Pride of Yavin.

"This is Captain Yaoksi Joao of Devil-May-Care," I began formally. "I am proceeding to depart ship with your contact; ETA approximately 15 standard minutes."

Afraid the darkness hovering around my conscious thought might start creeping into the tone of my voice, I quickly closed communications and made my final pre-flight check-out. All systems were green; settling back in my chair, I flew Bee out of Devil-May-Care as I had departed not long ago with Cella in WannaBee. We shot out of the mother ship scarcely had the docking bay door opened wide enough, and cork-screwed into the cold vaccuum of space beyond it. The little shoulder demon whispered something into my ear; gritting my teeth, I yanked the controls, and set Bee into a half-roll. Then we straightened and headed directly toward the ships which waited patiently for our arrival.

The few minutes it took to traverse the distance between my ship and Jeroc's were an eternity, one filled with myriad conflicting thoughts and feelings. As well as utter silence.

Pride of Yavin loomed bigger and bigger in my viewscreen, finally filling it altogether as we approached our docking coordinates. I saw it then, the docking bay doors open in welcome...

Yeah, in welcome for her, the Jedi. More Jedi aboard; Yaoksi, what do you think you can really, really do to help here anyway?

Pushing this final black thought to the back of my mind, I proceeded with the delicate task of docking my interceptor within the bowels of the Jedi's ship. We settled to a feather-light landing on the deck, the only sounds to mar the continued silence being the sshk as Bee vented herself and began putting her systems on standby in preparation for final shutdown.

I reached forth a hand... let it hover, considering... turned to look at Cella, who was beginning to get out of her seat... saw only the increased sparkle in her eye, heard only her quickening intake of breath...

...and let the hand descend, aborting systems shutdown. Bee obediently went to full-alert standby, ready to depart at the slightest touch of a button.

I moved my hand a touch to the right, hit another dial, and opened the hatch. Sounds of welcoming voices flooded into Bee as several people waiting in the docking bay started rushing happily forward.

Sure would be nice to join in the merriment they're spreading around. I thought glumly to myself.

By now Cella was at the hatch, about to depart. There she paused, and turned to give me a questioning look.

Give it up, pal...

"No, I'm not coming with you, Cella," I said in a low voice. It was the hardest thing I had ever said in my life, and Fates only know I'm known in several systems as being something of a smooth talker. "I've done what you want; I got you this far. I believe my place is..."

...by your side, or the farthest place in the Galaxy from you....

"...elsewhere," I finished in an even lower tone of voice.

Now, Erik wondered to himself, How am I going to explain this little thing with Shayla? Wait...LITTLE? Anything but little...

Suddenly feeling nervous upon hearing Cella's question about what he wanted to talk about so urgently, Erik got up and began to pace back and forth as feelings and visions clouded his mind's eye.

"I can feel Shayla," he started, his voice etched with concern. "She's withdrawing...from everyone. She's angry...I believe she's upset that we haven't shown up to save her, that we've taken so long. I don't know where she is exactly, but she's with someone very powerful and very evil...that I know.

Quite honestly, the only person Shayla doesn't seem to have fully given up on is, well, me. She sometimes shuts me out...sometimes lets me in...sometimes talks to me through the Force even..."

With these words, he stopped his pacing and turned to face the others, listening quietly to what he had to say, "She's losing hope. I sense that this...woman she is with is trying to break her and mold her into something else that she is not. She's not herself," he continued, his throat throbbing with the emotion he refused to let surface. "If we don't find her, soon...it may just be...too late."

With that he sat down once again, using the moment of quiet to gather himself and reorganize his thoughts. "Now, I'm an information smuggler, so it's my business to know things. I'm not sure where Shayla is--but!--if Thea can tell me, based on her connection with Shayla, what her surroundings look like, that just might be a start. I have some clues of my own, mostly based on feelings but they still might be something. All I know is that we can't waste anymore time..."

Feeling a sudden emptiness which I knew to the very core of my being it was going to take something momentous to fill, I had then reached out and placed a light finger upon one particular button. The Bee rose gracefully on her repulsors, rotated 180 degrees about her Y-axis, and escaped into the star-filled void beyond.

In thus a manner I fled Pride of Yavin and Cella and my own promise to help her. The fact that I felt like some kind of traitor did not go far toward appeasing the pain which continued to grow inside of me. My bag of credits lay like the stones affixed to the feet of a hangman's victim; for a moment I thought of flinging them into the void as well. Then I sighed, and sat back, letting the Bee carry me to my suddenly lonely home.

The events which followed passed in a blur. I remember storming out of my little interceptor once safely docked inside Devil-May-Care, stomping to the bridge and keying in coordinates for ANYPLACE that simply WAS NOT HERE. Devil-May-Care responded with her usual obedient efficiency; in but moments we had shot into hyperdrive and were away.

In short, Thea had no idea where she was.

Erik frowned, hoping that the little girl didn't think he was mad at her. "I know how you feel," he told her to make sure that she didn't feel bad about it. "I got some sort of vision with Shayla and some woman with violet eyes," he added, cringing. "But Shayla really hasn't given me any hints either."

As the four people sitting around the table sat in deep thought, Izzy, who had rolled in after the conference started and settled herself near Erik piped up, beeping something that souded rather scathing.

Erik motioned the purple and silver R2 unit over to him, and read the dialogue box someone had attached to her before she rolled in on the meeting.

He frowned at her. "What do you mean 'Well apparently Terrin Danner does'???"

Erik could hardly believe what scrolled across Izzy's screen next. Insulted that he hadn't listened to her the first time, she'd connected him to an underground memo that she'd run across...probably during a data dump and transfer on the Pride of Yavin.

"Blasted off a planet to go find Shayla Stargazer and made his little Moff pal mad, did he now?" Erik seethed. "We'll see about that."

Suddenly realizing he was talking to a droid and not the other members of the meeting, Erik turned, feeling a bit embarassed. That and plus he was trying to mentally drown out the raspberry that Izzy was bleeping at him, clearly irritated.

"Look, this Danner guy...might not know anything. If he does, I'm sure he doesn't know what he's getting into, and I'm certain he's going into it for the wrong reasons. But, as much as I don't like the guy, I think I should contact him, and find out what he knows."

That is, a little voice added inside Erik's head, if he has the nerve to tell you what he knows...

I made a mistake. I made a big, fat Sith-spawned mistake. Back there on Devil-May-Care, I overstepped my bounds in the biggest way. I assumed Yaoksi wanted what I wanted. I basically commandeered his ship. Let's face it, Cella, you used the guy!

I let Yaoksi walk out of here. I didn't try to convince him to keep helping us. I was so damned caught up in Jeroc that I let him leave without trying to repay him--in any form or fashion. I never even said thank you. What kind of person am I? She wanted to find him. She wanted to chase him through the galaxy so she could admit her guilt and confess to him that she was a sorry excuse for a sentient.

But she had no right to do that. Yaoksi was a grown man and a free spirit. Chasing him down would be the worst thing she could possibly do. He already knew her faults, all too well.

Like him or not, he may be your only hope.

Sithspawn! This could be a real problem!

Erik was about to voice that he thought they should try to contact Terrin right away, when something slammed into him.

There was that anger, yet again...

"I don't need anyone; I can take care of myself. To Hell with all the rest of you..."

Erik winced, a wave of nausea sweeping over him as he mentally heard the words.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts. Suddenly he knew it was now or never. "We have to do something, now," he insisted, gritting his teeth to shun the pain within. "Don't you guys feel it? Don't you understand the hurt she's going through?" he asked them. They looked at him blankly, as tears welled up in his eyes. "I've gotta find her, that's all there is to it. I'm going to contact Terrin Danner now.

"In the meantime...what do you intend to do to help Shayla?"

But she was a little girl--apparently one he'd somewhat underestimated. Her Force sensitivity, though probably untrained, still picked up on the urgency of the situation--he knew without a doubt she had been over in the corner trying to contact Shayla herself. He only hoped that in time Shayla would reply. In the meantime, he felt a little bad that so much weight had landed squarely on the shoulders of this little girl, and that she was probably feeling like she had somehow failed.

"Thea," he started, smiling the best he could for the moment. "This isn't your fault. I know you are doing the best that you can do. And don't stop trying. Shayla needs to know we still care," he explained, directing the last statement at everyone. "She needs to have a reason to hope. So, my question remains with you Jedi. What are you going to do to help Shayla Stargazer?"

Erik knew he'd asked the question twice. He didn't care. He wanted to make the demand very clear to the others, he didn't want to waste any time getting to Shayla, no matter the cost. Putting Thea down in the chair next to him and patting her briefly on the knee for reassurrance, Erik leaned forward, waiting for the Jedi reply...

Shifting his gaze from the Jedi to the little girl...back and forth...he pondered what to make of this.

She doesn't think there's anything wrong... The reality of the situation slammed into Erik, causing the nausea he'd previously felt with her Force-driven anger to surface again.

He felt sick. Terribly sick. Not sickness of the physical nature, or even of the mind. This was a sickness of the heart; He felt as though someone had ripped it out of his chest, stomped on it, and replaced it, torn and bruised.

"Look," he finally managed, his words coming out with difficulty as he forced himself to direct attention back to the Jedi. "you need to find out what, in your power, you can do to help me find Shayla. Meanwhile, I'll do what I can at this moment. I'll be back shortly," he said, standing up and suddenly not caring what the people in the room around him did, "I'm going to make contact with Terrin Danner."

With that, Erik hurried out of the room, leaving the Jedi to wonder...

And to think...

Then it hit him. "Sithspawn! I don't have Terrin Danner's comm frequency!"

Izzy let out a fast upward scale.

"You have it, don't you?" he quizzed, eyeing the little silver and purple R2 unit. In response, she rolled over to Erik so he could see the dialogue box that was still connected to her, hanging on her front. He held it up with his right hand so he could see the letters that were scrolling across the screen as she bleeped away.

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver," he told her, scribbling the numbers down with a writing utensil that had been sitting there on the top of his desk.

She warbled something that sounded an awful lot like "I know."

"Okay, girl, here we go. I'd say cross your fingers, but you don't have any, so all I can say is hope he'll talk."

With that, Erik punched the frequency into his office comm and waited for someone to pick up.

"This is Eagle Enterprises. I'm sorry but Terrin Danner cannot answer your call right now. If you wish, you may leave your name, comm frequency, and a brief message, and he'll get back with you as soon as he can."

Kriffing voice-comms! Very well then. Leave him a message, see if he actually dares to answer the call.

"Terrin, this is Erik Kartan. I need to speak with you concerning Shayla Stargazer. My frequency is 06071979. Please call me back as soon as possible."

With that, Erik closed the connection. Now, he could only sit and wait.

And hope to goodness Terrin actually returned his call...

Jeroc slammed his fist against the table, startling Cella. "I don't know! I just don't know. I'm as lost as any of you."

Cella felt frustrated and bitter. "I thought you were supposed to know. You're the great and mighty Jedi master."

Jeroc shoved his chair aside and grabbed Cella by her shoulders. "I am not. How can I lead you when I don't know where to go?" His voice trembled with emotion, and he turned his back on her and left the conference room. Thea looked up at her, worry in her eyes.

Cella lifted Thea gently off her lap. "Logan, please watch her for me. I need to talk to Jeroc."

She walked out into the hallway where she found Jeroc leaning against the wall, his brow wrinkled in frustration. Cella took his hand. "Jeroc, what's wrong?"

Jeroc turned his face away from her. "Everything. I haven't done right by Shayla...or by you. I could have gone right up to that Dark One's ship and saved Shayla when she was orbiting Yavin IV. Instead, I set off on a crazy chase across the galaxy. And I sent you away when I needed you the most." Cella could hardly stand the look on his face.

"Jeroc, you can't erase mistakes." Cella couldn't resist keeping her hands out of his hair. "You of all people should know that. But you can do something right now."

"And that would be?"

"You can give this search for Shayla all of your power and ability." It felt strange to be giving Jeroc counsel like this. Cella pressed on. "And you can tell me that you love me."

Jeroc smiled. "What's the point? You already know."

"Just say it, fool."

Cella's comment earlier in the day had spurred his resolve. He was no longer going to sit around while Cella and Jeroc twiddled their thumbs...and acted like a pair of lovesick nerfs. He was going to find Shayla himself. He was not going to stand idly by while his friend was...wiped out.

Logan slipped into Thea's cabin and brushed her cheek gently. An orphan with no family, he had become very fond of Thea, and he didn't want to leave her. But Shayla's rescue was paramount, and the others would take care of her.

Readjusting his knapsack, he stopped at Cella's cabin next. He was disgusted but not surprised to see her and Jeroc curled up asleep under the covers. Her belt had been tossed on the floor haphazardly. Logan picked it up and removed her lightsaber, shoving it into his jacket. He couldn't build one of his own, and he had a feeling he would need one.

Erik had the usual trouble going to sleep. His mind tensed every time he was just about unconcious as a vision of Shayla, violet lightsaber raised, popped up in his mind's eye. After about an hour or two of this, Erik finally managed to drift off to sleep, albeit restless. Sleep, at any level, was better than none.

Then, just as the beginnings of some sort of dream began to haunt him, the sound of his comlink jarred him from sleep. Erik turned the nightstand light on, grabbed his comlink and talked into it. "Captain Erik Kartan."

"Captain, one of our A-wings has just been stolen! Right out of the main hanger!"

That's odd. Had to be someone already aboard the shuttle.

"Connect me with the A-wing's comm frequency."

"Yes sir," the other replied. In only a moment, a click could be heard, and Erik knew the next words he spoke would be heard by the A-wing pilot.

"Unidentified A-Wing pilot, respond, unindentified A-Wing pilot, respond."

Who the heck would just steal an A-Wing like that?

Then, a nagging thought at the back of Erik's mind surfaced. One of his workers would have no need to steal the shuttle. They had access to them, unless they were on probation. The Jedi weren't theives by their very nature. The male padawan though...

Erik switched comm frequencies back to the messenger "To'vuru," he said, "Contact the Jedi in their guest quarters and find out if all their group is still here. I think we have ourselves a rogue padawan."

"Yes sir, on it at once."

With that, the messenger's com frequency closed, leaving Erik on the frequency with the A-wing pilot.

Minus her lightsaber.

Cella shoved her fist into her mouth to stifle a cry. She tried to deny it to herself, but she knew the instant that she saw her lightsaber missing that Logan was gone. Faintly, the patter of Thea's feet could be heard coming to the cabin.

Beside her, Jeroc stretched and sat up. "What's wrong?"

Cella turned to him. "My lightsaber's gone, Jeroc." They looked at each other, neither one wanting to acknowledge the possibilities.

The cabin comm beeped, and Cella threw on a soft robe and got up to answer it. "This is Cella Poliani speaking." She listened as the comm officer told her of a stolen A-wing leaving the hangar, and asked if it was Jeroc's padawan.

"Yes, it is," Jeroc replied coldly, having come to stand beside her. "I have no idea why he would do something like this. Probably some crazy dream from drinking too much ale before bed, and he thinks it's the Force. Can you try to get a tractor beam on him?"

Cella didn't hear the answer. She was too busy trying to contact Logan. He had completely shut himself off from her and Jeroc. I'm going to conduct my own search, were his only words. You've waited too long to try and save Shayla, and I won't let her fall to the dark side.

Cella shook her head at Jeroc. "Nothing. He's not coming back." Just then, the cabin door slipped open and Thea tiptoed in, her face sleepy and worried. "Jeroc, go talk to Captain Kartan. I want to stay here with Thea, and work on getting Logan to get his tail back here."

Try as he might, he couldn't regret it. And there was still time to try and reason with the kid. Maybe he could apologize and Logan would come back and it would all be fine...

Right.

He found the captain's stateroom, knocked on the door. "Captain?"

The door slid open, and Jeroc could see Erik talking into a communit. "Logan, this is Erik Kartan. I know you think this will help Shayla, but it won't. We need to stick together on this, it'll be a very dangerous mission. Logan, do you read me?"

Jeroc ran to the comm, hoping Erik would forgive his intrusion, considering the urgency of the situation. "Logan! This is Jeroc. Logan, you need to come back. I know you're impatient, but we are honestly doing the best we can to help Shayla. You have to trust us."

"Logan, this is Erik Kartan. I know you think this will help Shayla, but it won't. We need to stick together on this, it'll be a very dangerous mission. Logan, do you read me?"

"Logan! This is Jeroc. Logan, you need to come back. I know you're impatient, but we are honestly doing the best we can to help Shayla. You have to trust us."

Logan smiled cynically to himself. People had said that to him all his life and it had only ended up getting him hurt. Cella and Thea's silent pleas hurt, though. For a second, he nearly turned around for them, but he steeled himself. He had to be strong to get Shayla back. All these geezers sitting around on their hands, and nobody seemingly making a move to help her...

Firming his resolve, Logan Murroe pressed a button, and the whiteness of hyperspace opened willingly to him. He'd save his friend first and apologize later.

((OOC: Follow Logan to the Great Temple at Khar Delba.))

"Captain?" the voice of the Jedi Master called.

Erik hit a remote switch, causing the door to slide open. Meanwhile he continued to try to get Logan to respond, but before he knew it the Jedi Master snatched the comm away from him and made a plea of his own.

"Logan! This is Jeroc. Logan, you need to come back. I know you're impatient, but we are honestly doing the best we can to help Shayla. You have to trust us."

As Erik merely turned and arched an eyebrow at the Jedi Master standing next to him, the kid cut the connection off.

He's gone to hyperspace, Erik knew. But where the bloody Hell was he going??? The kid was right--they needed to get with it and find Shayla now. Heck, that's what Erik had wanted all along, so he knew precisely what had driven the boy to react this way. He'd have done the same himself long ago, had he any sort of lead on where she was. Then again, maybe that was where he had failed her...maybe he should have gone out to look for her regardless of whether he knew her location or not, trusting the Force alone for guidance.

But damn it all, his Force skills just weren't that good. That was what the Jedi were supposed to do, but they hadn't. And now perhaps Shayla was lost to them, forever.

A pain settled itself in Erik's stomach, and he wondered if Jeroc Mahoy had a clue about what he was going through and how he felt. He just wanted Shayla back, safe and sound. And he would stop at nothing, no matter the risk involved. He was ready to storm out himself and find her even now.

But strangley enough, after his discussion with Terrin Danner, Erik knew the shot they were taking now was going to be the best one. No, he didn't like trusting Terrin completely. But somehow he knew it was the right thing to do.

But Sithspawn! Now they'd have to save Logan as well as Shayla!

Erik turned from his reverie of thoughts back to the Jedi Master. He opened his mouth at first to ask what the hell they were going to do, but then something came to his mind.

The onboard security system on the one-person fighters he and Shayla had installed last year...

"We can track him," Erik told the Jedi. "Last year Shayla and I installed security systems on all our one-man fighters for protection so that we would know where they were at all times, should someone on a run get...intercepted. I can also alert all my information sources on different planets to look out for him and the A-wing. I'll also contact Terrin Danner and his fleet, just in case Logan shows up in space over near Khar Delba. Got any other ideas, Master Mahoy?"

Kartan nodded, absorbing the information Jeroc gave. Jeroc continued, "I apologize for the theft of your A-wing, Captain Kartan...and most of all, for anything he does that might disrupt our rescue of Shayla. Believe me, I want to get her back as badly as you do..."

He saw a funny look in Kartan's eye and sensed that he was probably wrong about that.

"...and I do believe we're going about it the right way. But unfortunately, Logan doesn't. I can't help feeling this is partly my fault." A pang of guilt shot through Jeroc. "If the apprentice errs, the master has not done what he ought. The decisions about this rest in all our hands, but the Force tells me we probably shouldn't go after Logan at the moment."

Finally, Thea's sobs slowed, and Cella asked, "What did you see in your dream again? This might be important. A woman with red hair? And Shayla was there, chained up?"

Thea nodded, dribbling tears on Cella's robe.

Cella paused in thought. Thea obviously had a deep connection with Shayla. So had Cella herself, before Shayla had...lost herself. Perhaps if she could go into Thea's mind, the combination of Cella's power and Thea's link with Shayla might give them the connection they needed.

But was it worth the risk? Thea was very upset, and Cella feared she had suffered real emotional damage over the past weeks. Any kind of backlash might injure Thea's child-mind badly. She would discuss it with Jeroc, and perhaps when Thea calmed down, they would try it.

Cella sighed. "Yes, Thea, Logan has made the choice to run away and look for Shayla on his own. I wish he hadn't done that. Together, we are more than the sum of our parts, and we have the strength to confront whoever is holding Shayla. Besides, that A-wing belongs to Captain Kartan and not to Logan. It was wrong of him to take what wasn't his. But I feel that wherever Shayla is, we'll find Logan there too."

Cella continued, "Believe me, Thea, Master Jeroc and I love you and we will protect you no matter what happens. Try not to worry too much about Logan. Just try to send comforting thoughts his way and ask him to come back to us. Don't let the dreams bother you either. Dreams have no power over one who has the Force."

No, Erik thought to himself. I don't think you do.

"...and I do believe we're going about it the right way. But unfortunately, Logan doesn't. I can't help feeling this is partly my fault." A pang of guilt shot through Jeroc. "If the apprentice errs, the master has not done what he ought. The decisions about this rest in all our hands, but the Force tells me we probably shouldn't go after Logan at the moment."

Erik listened to the Jedi Master as he talked, trying to stay on focus.

Maybe they shouldn't go after Logan at the moment. Then again, maybe the kid did have something. Erik hoped to goodness that the security system stayed in tact.

"So, do you think it's about time for another conference? This has definitely thrown a bent hydrospanner into our plans," the Jedi continued. "And I'm thinking you've got some new leads we might all need to know about, hm?"

"First off, you can call me Erik. Seems we are going to be working together on this, so we might as well start on a first name basis," Erik said. "And don't blame yourself about Logan. He's your student, but he made the choice to do what he did, not you. You can only teach, he has to do the learning," Erik reasoned.

"I do have an important lead," he continued. "Seems Terrin Danner knows more than I suspected, and he's willing to help us. I'll be glad to discuss more details with you and Jedi Poliani, but you should know now that as soon as we receive coordinates the fleet will head out to meet Terrin's. He's got a heck of a lead, as I've mentioned...and well, what do you say we go find your partner and talk about it?"

Jeroc spoke first. "Yet another mysterious rendezvous, eh?" A smile curved his aristocratic lips. "But I have a feeling this one will be more productive. Far more productive."

"You've got that right," Cella interjected. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to try linking up through Thea, who sat on her lap. She didn't want to put the little girl through any more anguish. "However, I can't help hoping that it's a long hyperspace journey. I desperately need to build a new lightsaber--Logan stole mine. Fortunately, I think I have everything I need back on Pride of Yavin."

Jeroc glanced at her. "Should we head back to the Pride now?

Cella shrugged. "Can't think of a better time. You and I can pilot it to the rendezvous point, if Erik will be so kind as to give us the coordinates. We'll travel with the Stargazer Fleet, naturally."

This being the case, he didn't return to bed til a couple of hours after the conference with the Jedi. They were back on their ship, on course with the Stargazer fleet to K'eel Doba. And Erik hoped they were getting more sleep than he was.

Erik knew the connection he had with Shayla through the Force was draining him--he was exhausted. Her anger was relentless, yet at the same time her love and devotion to him remained steadfast. Erik wondered how in the Universe she was managing to keep up both emotions with such passion.

Then again, he did know why she could do so. Somehow she was associating her right to be angry with her need for him.

This could be a problem. Erik wasn't upset that she had so suddenly and solidly admitted she loved him. He had wanted to hear those words from her for a long time, to confirm that she felt what he did. But using anger as a sounding board for declaring love did not result in a solid foundation for a relationship. He wanted her to love him, and he knew she did. But Erik wanted her to tell him on sane terms, not in a fit of rage brought on by believing that he was the only one left who truly cared about her.

Erik sighed and closed his eyes, seeking to calm the growing anguish within him. Shayla was falling, and he knew her love for him might be her one and only lifeline. He didn't understand how the Shayla that he knew and loved could be bent to believe that anger and hatred were right. And somehow, Erik also knew that she didn't believe these things were right...at least not yet.

But she was slipping...she was looking for someone or something solid and firm to latch onto and cling to for support. The reality of this brought tears to the eyes of a man who usually remained calm and steadfast. The Shayla he knew stood firm on her own. But now, she was slowly but surely losing her bright spirit, her love of life, and her sanity.

And all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and assure her that everything would be allright.

But Shayla somehow seemed resigned to the idea that what she was doing was right and where she was was the place she should be. And Erik knew deep down that every situation a person is faced with is somehow a part of the will of the Force, no matter how wrong it may seem.

He could only hope that the Force would guide him to where she was, and that he would still be able to reach her if and when he found her...

Jeroc turned over, stroked her cheek. "Can't sleep?"

She propped herself on her elbow and turned to face him. "No. I'm too afraid of what's going to happen now, with Logan gone. And I took a little time to meditate...Jeroc, Shayla is in deep. She may not even want us to take her from where she is." Funny, she hadn't realized that before she'd said those words to Jeroc.

Jeroc pulled her close. "Try not to worry. I know it sounds insipid, but even Jedi can think too much about things. Don't think those possibilities haven't crossed my mind, too. The only way I stop from going crazy is focusing on the practical. Rendezvous points, the drive systems on the Pride...you."

Cella collapsed back onto the pillow. "I'm just afraid I'm not up to what's about to happen, Jeroc. I've never been as strong or as skillful as you."

"Don't say that. Your strengths are just different from mine. You have a skill for communicating with people, for seeing their true selves, that I've never had."

"Not like that's going to be real important in a lightsaber battle with a Sith."

Jeroc sighed. "This is not a battle of lightsabers. This is a battle between light and dark, and Shayla is the battleground. Everything we Jedi stand for is going to be challenged, and I couldn't think of a better defender than you."

Cella thought. "I remember the first time I touched the Dark Side. I was just a kid, a hungry four-year-old on the underlevels of Coruscant. There was a boy, another street vrelt who was always beating me up and stealing the food I'd scrounged. One day, I suddenly..." She took a deep breath. "I wished that he would die. The other street kids and I watched as invisible hands beat him into a wall. None of us knew what was going on. It wasn't until I'd gotten my Jedi training that I realized what I had done."

Jeroc rubbed her back gently. "You were a child, Cella. You weren't to blame for what you did."

"It isn't that." Cella turned away from him. "I may lose control of my emotions again...and who knows what will happen? I'm a full-fledged Jedi now, not a child."

"Believe me, it won't happen." Jeroc gathered her into his arms. "I'm here with you now, and I won't let that happen."

And he would waste not another single second at that moment in letting her know just how much he loved her.

Part of Erik's sudden calmness and resolve came from the fact that something a bit different from the unrelenting anger that had been radiating from Shayla was there now. She was still angry, and he could still feel it deep within her Force-sense. But she seemed oddly certain and calm.

Resigned to feeling the emotion within? No, not resigned...rather, ACCEPTING of the emotion within.

And just maybe in believing that she had a point. Erik had refused to take his trials, after all, because part of him never understood why locking feelings away was part of the Jedi code. Your feelings are a part of you, and denying them, to Erik, just seemed...wrong. Then again, submerging yourself in your anger didn't seem right to him either. But maybe there was hope for Shayla yet.

That fact had calmed his spirit lightyears, and had given him the strength to awake rested in the morning despite the lack of sleep.

Besides, there was nothing a good strong cup of caf couldn't cure.

Erik hadn't been on deck very long when his commlink beeped. Letting Katrina take over command of the deck, he wandered back to his office and answered the comm.

"Erik, Terrin Danner here."

Sheesh, I hope he's not calling to say he's changed his mind on this agreement of ours. "Yes?"

"I'm onboard my ship the Eagle on the way to Khar Delba. We've been discussing the Sith that we might be facing shortly, and ysalamari have been brought up as a possible way to face the Sith on our terms. Apparently, the creatures live on Khar Delba so we can find them there, but none of us knows what they look like," Terrin explained.

"So you were wondering if I could find you some information on the critters," Erik surmised.

"Yes, that would be most helpful. Can you?"

"Sure. I think I have some stuff on them around here somewhere, actually, being in the information smuggling business and all. But then, you knew that to begin with."

Terrin nodded. "Yes, that's what I was thinking. Can you transmit us that info? Maybe a picture or two and some characteristics?"

"I'll be right on it," Erik promised. "By the way, how far is your fleet from our rendezvous point?"

"I think they are scheduled to drop out out of hyperspace in about seventeen standard hours. How far are you from arrival?"

"Somewhere around twenty standard hours, give our take an hour."

"I'll let Aaron know where you are, and will be awaiting the ysalamari info."

"Okay, that information should be coming to you via Datanet within the hour," Erik promised. "Let me know if there's anything else you need. Kartan out."

But to a Jedi, they were the ingredients necessary to build the weapon that was an important part of the Jedi identity.

As Cella soldered components together with a laser welder, she thought about this concept. Why, if the Jedi were guardians of peace, was a weapon like the lightsaber so vital? The answer was seemingly simple: because the Jedi were bound to protect the defenseless and shield the innocent. The lightsaber was for defense, never attack.

But where did defense become attack? Who drew that line and where was it? So many shades of gray, and only the conscience of a Jedi to stand between him and darkness. Sometimes the dark side was confusing. That's what made it so dangerous.

Just because the darkness was hard to define didn't make it okay to play around in it, Cella decided. It wasn't just a feeling of hers, but a directive from the guiding principle of the universe, the Force. The Force served life, indeed, was life itself.

But the Force had a dark side, that which destroyed and consumed life. And the dark side was no less a part of the Force than the light side. Without one, the other would not exist.

Cella, however, refused to think of the light side only in terms of the darkness and the gray spaces. She was Jedi, and she served the light not simply because it was "right"...but because it was the light. Because all life was originally joined with it and was naturally drawn to serve it.

Lost in thought, Cella adjusted the crystal in its setting. She served the light side because it was Life...and because she felt within her a love for and a kinship with all that was living. That love was so much larger than herself, far broader than her fellow Jedi. It was hard to explain if one hadn't felt it.

Finally, after hours of laborious work and many fine adjustments, Cella polished the hilt of her lightsaber to a high sheen. Impulsively, she stood up and turned off the cabin lights. Taking a deep breath, she activated the lightsaber.

A shimmering green light radiated from the blade and illuminated the entire cabin. Cella smiled, and something primal inside of her seemed to speak. Look, look at what I have made, all you who live! Look at me and my creation. Look at the spark that lives inside me from the time the universe was birthed! We all have it. I serve that fire, the Force. I serve and guard that fire.

Suddenly, the nerves along her spine tingled, and a vision floated across her eyes. A young woman, angry, so angry yet strangely resigned. Working at a lightsaber of her own, working out strange philosophies at the same time. Shayla? Cella shuddered without quite knowing why.

Then she realized that she and the young woman were mirror images. In another reality, another twist of fate...she and Shayla might have had their positions reversed.

He eyed his chrono. That had taken one minute. Still not fast enough, he decided, grimacing.

Wish I'd stayed in practice, he thought, closing down the blade and sitting on a nearby bench, wiping the sweat from his eyes with a towel that had been sitting there.

Why was he doing this anyway? He was almost positive he would have Shayla back, he'd felt good about it earlier...

But the visions he'd been having were still creeping him out.

Sighing, he leaned back onto the wall.

Truth was, he knew now that Shayla was not, in fact, on the brink of insanity. He knew her mind, and he knew her dedication to that which she believed. And whatever it was she believed now she was very certain of it, that was abundantly clear.

And when Shayla believed in something that strongly, Erik also knew she'd stand by it at any cost, no matter what risks she had to take.

That included lightsaber dueling.

Although Shayla didn't have a saber when she was taken from the Praxeum, she had the capabilities from past experience to make and wield one.

Somehow Erik knew she'd done just that.

Erik had his mind made up. He would hear Shayla out, and give her a chance to tell him what she had learned. He'd try his best to try to understand. He might not agree with her, but he was certain that Shayla's mind was in clear logic at the moment, and that what she had now taken as truth she had taken with much thought and examination.

That was just the way Shayla was, and it was the reason that Erik could still have faith in her even though he was uncertain of what she was doing.

But did the Jedi still have faith in Shayla Petrolu?

They must not give up, for if they did...

Erik frowned, the reality of this hitting him with the force of an SSD.

...if they did, the results would be far more devastating than even that of having a student turn to the Dark Side...

Still, not even Jedi Masters could do everything. Which brought him to another thought. If Shayla had been totally and completely brainwashed by this Dark One, what was there, really, that he and Cella could do? Wouldn't they just be better off leaving her to her own devices?

No, he decided, for the balance of Light and Dark could rest on one individual. And if that balance were tipped...

Jeroc hadn't known Shayla for long, but he remembered her as a savvy woman, given more to practicality than to mysticism. He also somehow sensed that she believed the Jedi had failed her somehow, forced her to deny her emotions.

Well. That was certainly not true, although that might have been a false impression she picked up along the way. Indeed, it was healthy and normal to feel righteous anger. What was wrong was to act out of that anger, instead of out of just intentions.

Jeroc couldn't deny he'd spent most of his life suppressing his feelings, but it wasn't part of the Jedi philosophy at large. It was a mistake HE'D made. Perhaps he hadn't done right by his students?

It was tough, but Jeroc knew to admit when he was wrong. It had never felt better than it did now, in light of his newly discovered love for Cella. He looked forward to telling Shayla about it, when they met again.

Oh, he'd denied that love for so long, and now, when he'd finally admitted it, it strengthened him instead of weakening him. Funny, wasn't it, how two Jedi together had the strength of more than two? Cella was a wellspring of understanding, his only joy in this grim situation, the only certain thing in an uncertain universe.

But nothing was getting done. His mind was elsewhere.

Erik couldn't get past this gut feeling of his...that the Jedi had given up on Shayla, that they believed she had completely turned herself over to the Darkside...

Sithspit, he'd believed it himself for a time, when she seemed so angry. But that was just it...she wasn't angry anymore. She wasn't even resigned...

He couldn't explain it, couldn't put is finger on it...while he was worried with the blast of overwhelming anger that Shayla had exhibited even still, he somehow still believed that Shayla would never fully turn to the Darkside...

There must be something I just don't understand yet. And I have to give Shayla the benefit of a doubt.

Maybe he was blinded by his love for her. But Erik didn't care. He knew Shayla...they didn't.

The whole thing was really starting to bother him. Alot.

Hesitantly, Erik turned on his comm unit and dialed the number to the Pride of Yavin.

It was time he and the Jedi had a little chat.

Jeroc answered the call, and Erik went directly to what he had on his mind.

"Erik Kartan here. I have been thinking through alot of things, and I'm concerned that you have somehow lost faith in Shayla...and in her ability to think for herself and make justified decisions..."

Where had THAT come from? he wondered, pausing momentarily.

Then he continued on. "I just wanted to check with you. I wanted you to know that I'm almost positive Shayla is thinking clearly, but I must caution you that I feel she will be very turned off if we come in and try to nullify the things which she may now believe."

Sheesh, he thought, you sound kriffing preachy. But then, this WAS very important...

"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping my boundaries, but I needed to get this off my chest. Does any of this make sense?" Erik asked, finally quieting and waiting for a response on the other end of the comm frequency...

He paused for a long time, choosing his words carefully. "You are not overstepping your bounds at all. I know how much you love Shayla, and despite what you believe about me, I have never thought of you as anything less than an equal. I respect you and the path you have chosen in life, and rest assured that I think no less of you because you are not Jedi."

"Erik, I believe I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. And I will tell you that I believed that Shayla had somehow lost the ability to think for herself...because she is being influenced by someone very, very powerful."

"But if you KNOW that her mind is still her own, I must, indeed, concede to you, as you know her best. That brings to mind another question. If Shayla is truly acting rationally and out of her own free will, why are my partner and I here? Originally, our goal was to save an unwilling captive, NOT to force a clearly thinking adept to bend to our will."

A wave of unexpected bitterness surged over Jeroc. "Coercion is not the Jedi way. If Cella and I were to bring her back to the Praxeum against her will, we would be as cruel as the One who stole her. My path is clouded, Erik. I know there's a reason we need to go to Shayla...I just don't see what it is."

"I want you on this mission with me. I am not a Jedi, and am not capable of dealing with a Sith on my own. I don't know how I'll respond to Shayla yet. I love her; I want her back...I might be more apt to give into her than you. But I do believe that she is thinking clearly. I don't understand what's going on, and I am worried that at times she seems very angry. That's not the way I was taught, and submersion in anger isn't something I believe is productive."

Biting his lower lip, Erik paused, trying to think of anything else he might need to say. He sighed a little, somewhat bothered that the Jedi seemed to think this was an issue of saving a captive, rather than trying to reach a friend.

"As for whether Shayla is a captive or a willing student, I don't think that it matters. If there is even the slightest hope of reaching Shayla, we must act. We have to show her we still care," he explained, choking down a lump in his throat. "Taking her by coersion isn't the issue. It's beyond that. We are saving a friend, someone whom I know is a very good person and have faith in even still...someone I love. If you want a reason for why we are doing this, that's it."

He was struggling with tears now, worried that the Jedi were going to back out...that they felt the situation with Shayla was beyond hope and a useless cause.

But it wasn't! Erik loved her, and he'd be damned before he let her go. He closed his eyes, trying to dissolve the tears in his eyes.

"What you can do for Shayla...is have faith in her. Remember her as she is, and know that no matter what she believes now that her core values will not be shaken...

Save her...because she is a friend..."

"Erik, I didn't know Shayla well, but I held her in great regard. I respected her for returning to the Praxeum in spite of disappointments in the past."

Cella squeezed his hand, spoke into the comm. "She and I would have been fast friends, I think. I sensed her dedication, her integrity. And still, I gave up on her too easily. Thank you for reminding me of that, Erik."

Jeroc continued, "We musn't give up hope. If we can remind her that we love her and have faith in her...it may be just what we need to bring her back."

He might have added more to that, but suddenly a message indicator popped up on his computer monitor. In only a standard second, he'd downloaded the message, and, after glancing at the first line, Erik knew that the Jedi would have a special interest in this.

"By the way," he started, "I've just received an urgent message here. Seems your padawan, Master Mahoy, was too caught up in saving Shayla on his own to notice the onboard tracking system. He's landed the stolen A-wing..."

"It means he's in a galaxy of trouble." Jeroc pressed his lips together firmly, trying to stifle his overwhelming worry. "More than he knows. I can but hope that his foolishness doesn't prevent us from reaching Shayla. Thanks very much for the update, Erik, and we'll keep in touch with you. Mahoy out."

Time for some lightsaber practice, he thought at Cella.

If Shayla was on Khar Delba, as everything seemed to confirm, that changed things. A lot.

Erik was tempted to, upon arrival at K'eel Doba, take the Lioness and go to Khar Delba to look for Shayla himself. Perhaps if he acted swiftly and surely, she would understand how very much he loved her.

But one thing was left to consider. Although proving his love to Shayla was important, he didn't want to jepordize Terrin's mission to the Sith Temple to retreive the Nar Khelba.

Wait a minute...the Nar Khelba...a weapon that could kill a Force user and destroy his or her soul...

The Nar Khelba had been the solution to saving Shayla when everyone believed she was a captive...

But now that the likelyhood of her being in captivity had diminished significantly...

Erik stopped pacing and turned towards his desk and the large view window that was behind it, observing the white blur of hyperspace as a new possibility occurred to him.

If Shayla was being taught by this Sith, and truly viewed her as a mentor, she might not take too well to someone busting in and trying to kill her...

Beginning to pace once again, a deep frown crossed the dark features of Erik Kartan's face.

Terrin Danner's crew might be in more danger than they realized...

He'd have to let them know about this new possibility, at the risk of scaring them away from the mission.

If this scared them off, he would DEFINITELY go down and find Shayla himself. That might, after all, be the best solution regardless.

Shayla was already drifting away from the Jedi, possibly angry at them because they had left her with a captor when she had wanted to be saved and also probably certain they would try to talk her out of what she had now taken as truth. Now that Logan had pushed his way into the picture and gone galavanting to Khar Delba on his own, matters would become even more complicated. If Logan tried to turn Shayla back on his own, that could turn her away from the Jedi even more and make things really ugly.

He needed to get to her, NOW. Before everything was hopelessly lost.

Erik wasn't bothered so much that Shayla was turning from the Jedi and somehow knew that he couldn't change that and shouldn't even dare to do so. He wasn't sure that the Jedi understood this, and worried that they might try to tip Shayla into changing her new-found beliefs rather than merely showing her that they did care.

That, not saving a Praxeum student, was the object of this mission.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Erik suddenly and quite naturally came to a conclusion, albeit a quickly made one based solely on the emotions within him.

He loved Shayla. He'd let her go off to the Praxeum without letting her know, and he wouldn't let her go a second time. Neither was he going to sit around and wait any longer than necessary.

Be it action driven by pure emotion or not, Erik knew it was the right one. If the Jedi wanted to wait til the Nar Khelba was found, that was their choice. But his mind was made up.

When he arrived at K'eel Doba, he would be off to seek Shayla out...

...alone, if necessary...

Crimson skies, who was she kidding? Logan was going to die.

Numbly, Cella pulled Thea closer and spoke false and dull-sounding words of comfort. "It'll be all right, there now. I'll be able to help Logan soon, I hope."

Jeroc? she enquired of her faithful partner. I think it's time for that saber practice you talked about earlier.

Right, came the reply.

Cella bent down to be on Thea's level. "Would you like to watch me and Jeroc practice duel?" She sensed a little nervousness in the girl, and she added, "No one will get hurt. It's just for practice. Come on, I think you'll really like it." Not to mention that I really, really, don't want to leave you alone anymore...not even on the Pride...

Thea sat with her back to the bulkhead, not far from the two Jedi. Cella turned back to her with a grin, and Jeroc realized just how beautiful her smile was. "Enjoy, okay?" she called, and the little girl nodded.

Then it began. The two Jedi drew their lightsabers almost simultaneously. Jeroc began with a swift, pressing attack, then Cella quickly turned the tables on him, turning her solid defense on Jeroc. There was competition there, but not much, and by mutual agreement this was not a heated duel, more dance than blood sport.

Jeroc parried deftly as he and Cella shared a conversation inaudible to Thea. There were some things definitely unfit for her young ears. What do you think of this Nar Khelba?

Dangerous, Cella replied instantly as she shielded herself from another offensive from Jeroc. Not only to the Dark User, but to us. And I sense some definite anti-Jedi sentiment here.

From Erik or from Terrin Danner? Jeroc wanted to know. It was always good to get Cella's perspective on a situation.

Both, I think. I know Erik is rather disenchanted with Jedi, and especially with us, since we didn't act quickly to save Shayla. Cella winced almost imperceptibly.

Jeroc squared his shoulders, blocking a strike at his right pectoral from Cella. That's mostly my fault for not relying on raw Force sense. But we must agree that Whoever had her, and has her, wants her badly enough to cloak her very effectively.

I know Erik wants us as part of his team...but I can tell he's doubtful that we can help him. If only I could show him that we haven't set ourselves up as invincible heroes of the Force or some such holovid trash. Cella whistled as Jeroc's scarlet blade came perilously close to her ear.

First thing is to be friendlier, sweet, Jeroc reminded her, laughing at her dismay and easily warding off her petulant counterattack. Let's not assume anti-Jedi sentiment until we actually hear some. And as to the Nar Khelba...well, I hope it won't get to the point where it's used against us.

A small tear welled up in Cella's eye. I don't fear death...but never being able to talk to you? Never being able to offer Logan guidance? I fear that.

Such a powerful weapon can easily be turned. But it would be better to leave the matter of the Nar Khelba in Erik and Terrin's hands. It would be a good show of trust, Jeroc replied.

Trust that I hope is justified, Cella murmured softly.

Trust that I know is justified. Erik is a good man, Jeroc replied staunchly.

Cella nodded. Yes, but men have been known to do mad things for the women they love. What if this Sith were to offer him Shayla back...on the condition that he use the Nar Khelba on us?

Never. And the Sith is no longer in a position to do what she will with Shayla. I'm more afraid that Shayla herself will make that demand out of her contempt for us.

Things to keep in mind, Cella hummed quietly. But not to brood over. Shayla, if only I could talk to you!

If not, there would be Hell to pay, he thought, grinning to himself as he wandered to the Stargazer's hanger bay. On the first hyperspace jump to Ambria, his personal ship had been flown with the fleet, but on this second jump to K'eel Doba it had been parked in the hanger bay to be refueled and serviced, just in case Erik did need it.

And thank goodness they'd had the foresight to do so.

He entered the hanger bay only half-aware of the world around him, his mind drifting back to memories of past missions and cargo drop-offs with Shayla at his side. He smiled at the thought of her, but then sobered as the reality hit him that things weren't going to be the same even if he did get her back.

And he'd just have to accept that, and trust her. She'd never require him to comprimise what he believed to be with her...she hadn't when she returned to the Praxeum and he'd chosen to stay behind...she wouldn't now. So he should return the same courtesy.

As he approached the hatchway of the Lioness, Erik reached up to key the release code when he saw a purple and silver freighter out of the corner of his eye. He turned and walked to the Starlight, noting that someone had washed it and even given it a good polish, causing the coat of the little ship to glow. Sighing, he brushed a hand against the clean surface of the freighter. Someone had done some really nice work, and Erik wondered if they'd done the same on the inside.

Probably so.

Shayla would be pleased, he mused sentimentally.

Returning to his own white and blue YT-1300, Erik realized that someone had taken the same care with his ship.

Been a long time since you've been afforded such special treatment, ole gal, he thought, a grin again pulling at the corners of his lips. After the hatchway was unlocked, the plank extended downward and Erik entered the ship, heading for the cabin. Sitting the pilot's chair, he punched a few buttons, warming up the engine of the Lioness.

Purring like a kitten.

Erik then turned his attention to various other controls. Hyperdrive had been serviced, weapons were online, torps loaded and laser cannons charged to maximum efficiency.

Navboard switches...all operational.

Life support, replenshed one-hundred percent, sustaining systems, recharged and refurbished...

Heck...the NAVBOARD has even been cleaned and repaired! Someone really wanted their pay to be good.

They won't be disappointed, Erik thought. The Lioness was more than ready for any trip that laid ahead...

Erik frowned momentarily as a little voice in his head added, But are YOU?

Never a dull moment in the information smuggling business.

Sitting down in his desk chair Erik punched the receive button and answered, "Erik Kartan of Stargazer Corporation, how may I help you?"

"Erik, Terrin Danner. I need you to gather up some more information for me."

Jeez, after all this was said and done Terrin would owe him more than he would owe Terrin.

Then again, the x-wing squadron that Erik had promised to buy in return for Terrin's help was more of a business venture, so really this was more of a truce, a mutual agreement to help each other out.

Besides, Terrin and his group are going into the mouth of the Lion, not you.

At least, that wasn't what they had planned on.

"Yeah, what do you need?" Erik finally asked.

Terrin seemed to hesitate a bit, possibly thrown by Erik's slow reply to his request. "I need to know what planets vonskyrs can be found on, and more specifically, if they can be found on Khar Delba."

"Okay," Erik replied, punching in some stuff on his computer keypad. "The information is headed your way. Incidentally, what is all this with ysalamiri and vonskyrs?"

"Well," Terrin answered, "Originally we were thinking the ysalamiri might shield us from the Force-powers of the Sith who was last seen with this Nar Khelba. After a bit of thought we realized that the ysalamiri don't affect these Sith at all since there's enough of the critters on the surface of Khar Delba to place a bubble around the whole Temple there. So we then reasoned that the vonskyrs, if they are on planet, might be more helpful if we could capture one since they hunt down Force-users."

Erik nodded thoughtfully. "You'd best be careful. Remember Shayla is a Force-user too, and I don't want her hurt."

"Well, we believe that maybe the vonskyrs on this planet specifically hunt out Dark Users," Terrin explained.

Erik frowned as a thought occurred to him. Shayla has been pretty dark a time or two lately herself.

Finally, some information appeared on the monitor of his computer. "You're in luck," Erik informed him, "Vonskyrs are only found native on two planets. Myrkr...and Khar Delba."

"Good," Terrin said, seeming to sigh in relief. "Sorry to keep bothering you like this."

"Oh, it's alright," Erik replied. "Finding the Nar Khelba and taking it from Dark Users who might misuse it is a worthy enough cause for you to contact me at any time."

Terrin arched an eyebrow on the other end of the frequency, wondering if Erik was questioning whether or not the Jedi should use the Nar Khelba. But he'd address that later, the point was valid nonetheless. A weapon like the Nar Khelba was a nasty one for a bunch of Sith to have easy access to.
"Okay, thanks," he said instead. "Terrin Danner out."

Waves of terror...from someone...

From Shayla...inner turmoil again raging within...

What was this that she struggled with so deeply that she could not mantain equilibrium? And why did it seem that the reverse of what he had been taught appeared to be true with her situation?

For when she the allowed her emotion to battle within, that was when she seemed to fail. When she let the emotion within JUST BE...that was when she was able to control it. Or was she controlling the emotion at all? How was it that she was able to achieve true calmness only when she allowed the feelings within her just to exist?

Was the emotion controlling her or was she controlling the emotion? Or was it something else that he could not yet understand?

Frowning, he reached out to Force-touch her, something he had not dared to do since she had so blatantly pushed him away. Her touch in return was that of utter calm...sweet, reassuring, yet even more so something else...

Right then Erik knew they must proceed with great caution. He sensed the change in Shayla and felt her becoming more aware of herself...the Good and the Bad in her somehow combined to create something greater than anyone here might ever understand.

He sensed she needed time and would respond negatively if she was not allowed such. Even so, he felt he must go to her if only to let her know how she felt. But the decision on Shayla's next move he would allow to remain in her hands alone, as it always should have been.

Then a silent scream of horror from another interrupted his thoughts...

Logan was here on the Pride of Yavin...and horribly hurt.

All thumping heart and fast feet, Cella ran from her cabin with Jeroc hot on her heels. Bringing her powers to bear, she sensed him in the living quarters and headed there as fast as she could. There, on the cold metal deck, lay the pale form of Logan Murroe, only faintly breathing.

Cella knelt beside him, tears pooling in her eyes. Logan's own onyx ones were staring straight ahead, not seeing either Jeroc or Cella next to him. Frantically, she reached for his wrist, felt a small but discernible pulse there. "Logan, Logan, what happened?" she cried.

His lips, blue with cold, moved slowly, but no words came out. Jeroc put a hand on Cella's shoulder. "He's terribly weak, Cella. Let's get him to the med unit right away." In a matter of seconds, Logan's weak body lay in the Pride's sophisticated med unit. For a long time, Cella couldn't speak. Then she voiced the only question she could think of.

"Jeroc, who would do this to him? And why?"

Jeroc pressed his lips together, and Cella could feel his great grief and pain. "Impulsive he may be, but his intentions were pure. I can only imagine how powerful this Sith was, to have accomplished a feat like this..."

Cella tried to reach gently into Logan's fevered brain and ran straight into a swirl of dark emotions.

Shayla didn't stop them. He had come to save his friend to find that she was no longer the person she once was. She had taken this Sith as her teacher and she wanted no part of Logan...or of Cella and Jeroc. Logan grieved for Shayla even while he was furious with her. He had waited too long, they had all waited too long, they had doomed Shayla...

Momentarily he reached back to Shayla wondering if she had anything to do with this.

No, she was still calm...probably even sleeping...

Keying in the comm frequency for the Pride of Yavin, Erik awaited a reply. After a few minutes of calling with no answer, he was about to give it up and wait until later when at last Jedi Master Mahoy's voice crackled over the frequency.

Erik frowned, trying to put into words what he was feeling. "I...sense a strange disturbance in the Force. I get nothing but calm from Shayla. Since this seems to all be very close to me, I wanted to check in with you...

...is there something the matter?"

"From what Cella can glean from him, he did indeed go to Khar Delba and make contact with Shayla. It also looks like he had a brush with two Sith...who Shayla acknowledges as teachers. He will be able to tell us the whole story himself in a few minutes."

Jeroc shook his head. "Logan did not deserve this, impulsive though he might have been. It's a mercy he survived this encounter." Expectantly, he awaited a reply from Erik.

But for now, there were other things to address. Lots of other things to address.

What exactly did "made contact with Shayla" mean, for instance? And the Sith thing? How should he take that? And even more pertinent, how was Erik supposed to interpret "Logan did not deserve this"? As though he would somehow believe that Logan DID deserve this? And what was "this" anyway?

Erik cleared his throat. "Well, the important thing is that we have him back, in tact..."

Nevermind your A-wing that is NOT back, and might not even be in tact any longer for all you know...

"Things could have been a lot worse. As for what sort of contact Logan had with Shayla and her taking the Sith as Teachers, I don't want to jump to any conclusions until I know exactly what transpired."

He paused, calculating how he was going to explain what he wanted to tell Jeroc.

"The truth is, the last time I was in contact with Shayla--a few mere minutes ago, since I thought the terror and confusion might be somehow related to her--she was completely calm. She even reached back to me this time, and that's not something she has been very willing to do in quite a while. I wonder what exactly she is learning where she is...

"So, if you don't mind...when Logan feels up to it, I'd like to talk to him myself..."

What time was it anyway?

He knew he was tired, but he'd figured that was because he hadn't really slept very well in at least two or three days. And that was catching up with him. Erik glanced at his wrist chrono, and discovered that it was really much later than he thought.

Entirely too late to be sitting in a cramped office.

Slowly he stood, stretched, and headed for his quarters onboard the Stargazer. In only a few minutes he was in bed with the lights dimmed, his comlink nearby should anyone from the Pride of Yavin, or anywhere else for that matter, try to contact him.

He really just needed to sleep.

Eyelids feeling heavy, Erik closed his eyes and awaited sleep to come, hoping for just once he could get a solid night of rest. In minutes...maybe moments...he was gone, far beyond the Universe of reality based on one's perceptions into the Universe of perceptions based on one's reality...

She stood a few meters away from him, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze, both of them suspended in blackness, in a place where time seemed to be frozen and all was at peace. Even in the darkness, he could make out the contour of her face and somehow see her. Maybe it was the strength in her presence...

The fire in her eyes?

Feeling drawn to her, Erik began to step forward even though nothing was below for him to walk upon. His feet hit ground and his step of faith moved him forward, closer to her. She did not move, but even so she seemed to be beckoning him to proceed to her. In mere moments he was very close to where she stood, and she seemed to wish him to stop. Reluctanctly he did so, all the while longing to step closer and take her in his arms.

Gracefully she extended her right hand out, her palm up. In turn, he reached out his own right hand palm down and gently laid his hand atop hers.

Her touch was electric.

Hundreds of emotions swirled between the two of them and somehow met together to form something Erik couldn't comprehend, something far greater than the sum of its individual parts...

Love, hate.

Joy, sorrow.

Courage, fear.

Anger, sadness.

Certainity, uncertainity.

But above all else, fire and passion.

The very essence of her felt so strong, so bright, so sure. Every emotion was etched within her, each one somehow cherished for what it was and nothing else.

He didn't understand, and he didn't have to understand. Before he was aware of the moves he made, she was in his arms and his lips were touching hers.

Nothing in the Universe mattered but him and her, and there was no other way Erik wanted things to be.

Even in the depths of sleep, Erik knew she felt this too.

And a little voice whispered somewhere deep within the fabric of time...

Soon...

Now, fed and rested, he carefully opened a comm channel to the Stargazer. Jeroc and Cella had asked him to contact Erik when he felt ready, since Erik wanted to talk to him about Shayla. Logan was a little nervous about talking to the man--after all, he'd stolen one of his A-wings and gotten it destroyed--but he figured he couldn't be afraid of Erik after what he'd just face.

"Jeroc and Cella said you wished to talk to me?" the young man asked.

A thousand questions formed in Erik's head in less than a second. This padawan had just been with Shayla, had been able to talk to her, had seen her face to face. Erik wanted to know everything, but he settled on one simple question, however difficult the answer may be.

"Yeah, I wanted to know about Shayla. You've had the chance to be with her, so I was just wanting to know..."

"...almost frighteningly calm."

Why did he get the unnerving suspicion that if the Jedi suspected Shayla was quite happy where she was that they would duck and run?

Then again, they'd stayed with him so far, hopefully they wouldn't choose now to change their minds.

After all, they were so close to her...

"Logan, I can't say that I know anymore about what Shayla is learning and why she wants to stay on Khar Delba than you or the Jedi would. What I do know is that I want to find out what is going on directly from Shayla, to the point that I'm willing to go down to that Temple myself and find her.

"There's just..." How do you explain something like this? Erik wondered, quieting a moment, "I just don't I sense anything about her that waves big red flags in my mind. I still trust her, Logan. She's a woman of great conviction and personality and I don't see her bending to just anyone's will."

Okay, NOW you are preaching again.

"You say she wasn't ruffled by your presence...I don't know what you quite mean. After all, she might have known you were coming."

This kid is not telling you something, a menacing little voice taunted.

Erik had to ask this one final question.

"When you arrived at the Temple, and saw Shayla, what transpired? Was there always someone else present, or was there any point when you and Shayla interacted alone? If so, I'd like to know what happened."

Erik paused only to hear silence.

"Logan?"

The young man cleared his throat nervously, and began to speak...

Incomming comm. Why did he have the feeling he knew who this was?

He interrupted the young padawan, feeling the immediate need to find out who was comming him. "Logan, hang on a minute or two. I have an incoming comm on another frequency. I'll be right back."

Without waiting for a reply from the kid, he switched over to the other frequency.

"Erik Kartan of Stargazer Corporation, how may I help you?"

The other person seemed hesitant. "Erik, Terrin Danner."

Just as I suspected. "What do you need, Terrin?" he asked instead.

"Well, I've mentioned before that once we retreive the Nar Khelba, the only way to use it is to place it in a lightsaber. To make a long story short, we don't have one of those. I need your or the Jedi's help."

Erik knew exactly where this was going. He just wasn't sure of what to do about it. He knew that Terrin had some employee who had an important reason to face off this Sith, but now things were different. Now Shayla...

Oh, Sithspawn. You forgot the tiny detail that Shayla might not want to be "saved" anymore. And these people are headed to Khar Delba to do exactly that.

"Erik, you there?" Terrin questioned.

"Uhhh, yeah. I think we need to have a talk, Terrin. Seems Shayla is taking lessons from this Sith. Seems she views her as a Teacher now. I don't know about us charging in trying to kill this woman if Shayla has such ties to her."

Terrin could have hit the roof of the Eagle.

He and his associates had come this far, expended this much time and energy...FOR WHAT??? To find out that the person they thought they were going to save didn't WANT to be saved? What the hell was this guy thinking?

Then, as the anger faded just a bit, something else came to mind.

This wasn't about just Shayla. In fact, she was just a small portion of the reason they were headed for Khar Delba at all.

This was for Galen too.

But this time was Erik's turn to wonder if Terrin was still on the other end of the comm. "Terrin, I'm sorry. I don't know what we should do about the Nar Khelba yet. I agree that it should probably NOT be in the hands of a bunch of Sith.

"So...if it's that important for you to find it, then find it you must."

Erik paused, knowing exactly what he needed to do to make this right. "If you look for the Nar Khelba," Erik started, sorting things through, "I'll take care of finding Shayla."

He didn't like what was going through his head, not one bit. He knew there was something more to what Shayla was learning than they all understood, but he also knew he'd made a promise.

And he'd keep it.

Terrin still hadn't uttered a word, and Erik suspected he thought that he was about to back out.

"If you should find the Nar Khelba, we'll make sure you have the lightsaber to make the weapon useful, one way or the other. I'll talk it over with the Jedi."

"All right," Terrin said a little stiffly. "You do that. My crew and I will be at Khar Delba in somewhere around six hours. Are you still on schedule to K'eel Doba?"

"Yes," Erik replied. "Eleven hours, or thereabouts. I'll leave immediately once we revert to realspace, with or without the Jedi, for Khar Delba. Since we seem to be headed for the same place--I guess I'll meet you and your associates there."

"Yeah," Terrin muttered, "We'll see."

He was clearly put out, not that Erik really blamed him. Terrin had after all sacrificed a lot to do this, and Erik wouldn't forget that.

"You have my word on that, Terrin," Erik promised. "And if you want, we can even meet up before you go down, although I'd be at least about nine hours behind you. Your call."

Terrin seemed to consider this, and when he responded his voice reflected the fact that he'd calmed down quite a bit. "I'll talk to my team about that, but I think we'll go on down to the surface and await your arrival. I don't think there are many places to go on the planet, and certainly we will all be heading in the same direction. If we decide otherwise, I'll be in contact. If not, in person on Khar Delba."

Erik nodded. "Got it. Kartan out."

With that, he flipped the switch back to Logan's frequency.

"Logan? You still there? Now tell me, did you have any time with Shayla alone? I must know, Logan, it's getting more and more important that I do with every moment..."

But what was he going to tell Erik? Did Erik think of Logan as just a senseless, impulsive boy, or did he see that Logan had done what he did out of his concern for Shayla? Did Erik trust him enough to realize that he was being totally honest? Logan guessed he'd have to find out.

The comm clicked back on, and Erik's urgent voice came through. "Logan? You still there? Now tell me, did you have any time with Shayla alone? I must know, Logan, it's getting more and more important that I do with every moment..."

Logan paused, then spoke. "Yes, I did have some time alone with her, after that Sith interrogated me, raped my mind, and flung me across the galaxy and back in the space of about five minutes." He couldn't keep a slight tremble out of his voice. "After that little joyride, she basically left me to Shayla's devices."

"Shayla seemed angry at me, asking me why I'd come if she had tried to warn me away. She said I was a fool to judge what I didn't understand. And she was right, I didn't understand. I didn't get why a friend whom I'd only tried to help was so pissed off at me for coming to get her. I was also angry--I mean, that Sith--she--" Logan shuddered. "And Shayla didn't try to stop her. She seemed to think I was getting what I deserved."

"So I got mad. I told her she'd change, that she didn't seem to care about her friends anymore. She said, she'd always be loyal to her friends, even if they chose not to be loyal to her. She told me that this lady Graysith was her savior, that this Sith'd rescued her from the void and I didn't understand her at all. At first I thought she was having her mind bent, but then I realized she was thinking more lucidly than she'd ever thought in her whole life. There wasn't even a touch of another presence in her mind."

Logan continued, "After that little episode in the throne room of this Temple, Shayla very nicely let me wash up and got me some dinner. I was basically stuffing my face when she asked about old friends. Thea--that's the little girl traveling with us--Izzy...you. She seemed..." Logan searched for the words. "...especially concerned about you."

"I told her about our joining up and coming to Khar Delba, and then this Graysith walked in, with another Sith at her side. He was extremely powerful, and he was the one who flung me back here."

"Jeroc, I've been meditating, and I think at least one of us needs to go to Khar Delba, and now. And it needs to be me."

Jeroc opened his mouth to object, and Cella put a slim finger on his lips. "Just listen for a minute. I can't sense either of those Sith on Khar Delba any longer, and we need to at least talk to Shayla before they return. And we've dragged our feet long enough. From what Logan says, Shayla already feels alienated because we didn't come for her sooner."

"Because we couldn't find her!" Jeroc protested. "Because that Sith she seems to adore so much now hid her from us! I can't believe Shayla's so far gone as to take the woman who snatched her and prevented us from finding her for so long and honor her as a Master!"

Cella cupped Jeroc's face in her cool hands. "Don't let it frustrate you, dearest. I am angry too, but that helps nothing. I know that there is still good in Shayla, that her soul and spirit are still whole somewhere in her. Logan's story tells me that much. And she'll listen to me before she listens to you."

Jeroc gripped her hand. "No, you can't. I don't want you to do this. I can't let you go, not again. We need to stay together, Cella. I know it's hard for you to feel Shayla hardening her heart against us, but you going off on your own...it feels wrong."

Cella shook her head. "Not to me, Jeroc, and I've learned to trust myself...and the Force. If I don't go, and soon, there is no hope for Shayla, do you understand? I know this in the very core of me, Jeroc. The danger is not so much now that the Sith have left. Your place is with Erik and Terrin. Mine, with Shayla."

Jeroc's lips hardened into a firm line. "You going off on your own could jeopardize our plans for the Nar Khelba. But it's an idea with possibilities. We have to discuss it with Erik first."

Cella turned away from him. "And soon. I refuse to wait any longer."

Jeroc pulled her back around to face him and drew her close in his arms. "So maybe I'm being selfish. I just don't want to run any risks. I love you, Cella, and anyone who harms you will have me to answer to."

"You're running dangerously close to the dark side." Cella's breath was warm on his cheek.

"Logan, first off, by your saying Shayla didn't stop this Sith for doing whatever it is she did to you, you're assuming Shayla had some sort of control over the situation. Sounds like whatever happened required a lot of skill on the part of this Sith, and I doubt Shayla has that sort of control, although I could be mistaken. And it also sounds that this thing happened so fast that no one would have been able to stop it," Erik reasoned.

"Secondly, you and your Masters should know that as soon as we revert to realspace I'm going to Khar Delba myself. I might be going directly there or might be meeting up with Terrin Danner and his crew first. At any rate, I'll be joining them at some point. I need to talk with Jeroc and Cella immediately and see if they want to go along," he explained.

Logan acknowledged this and said that he'd go get the two Jedi right away if Erik would just wait a moment.

As the padawan got ready to leave the comm to go get the others, Erik couldn't help but add, "And Logan, when we get out of this, if we get out of this, you can expect to spend a bunch of weekends working in my crew to pay off the debt for the A-wing. I know you had good intentions in doing what you did, but you still have to face up to the things you did to get there. I'm not mad...I just have my company to think about."

Logan seemed to understand where he was coming from, and Erik was glad of that. He didn't want the kid thinking he was furious, but he really did need to cover the price of that A-wing. Having Logan work for him would not only help do that, it just might also allow the padawan to understand the value of the ship he'd stolen, albeit for a "good cause."

With all this being said, Logan went to retreive his two Teachers...

Cella interrupted. "Sorry to cut in like this, but incidentally, we wanted to get in touch with you too, Erik. I believe we need to get to Khar Delba as soon as possible, and I've volunteered to take a craft and go to Shayla on my own."

"The other issue is that the only way the Nar Khelba can be used is if it's inserted into a lightsaber. I'll be honest; I'm not certain about killing this Sith outright, especially not with Shayla involved. Apparently the Sith and one of Terrin's crew members have some bad blood between them, and justice would mean fighting the her. To make a long story short, one of us going to have to provide the lightsaber to make the Nar Khelba work."

Erik paused a moment, wondering how the Jedi were assessing all this new information. "Now, I'm willing to offer my saber for use, but I'm not going to fight this Sith myself unless it becomes absolutely necessary. What you choose to do, Cella, is up to you. I would suggest, however, that you come to Khar Delba with me aboard the Lioness. It's a smaller ship, but I don't think landing a yacht like the Pride on surface will help us go down unnoticed. I also feel that we should stay close together and not try to split up. Safety lies in numbers, albeit only two of us.

"Remember, it's still an option for Master Mahoy to come as well, that's up to you and him. But regardless, I'm going. I have to do this, now, for Shayla."

What?!? Jeroc's mental anguish was unmistakable. Cella, I can't believe you want to split up again.

Don't be selfish, she snapped. This Nar Khelba is powerful, and I sense that it needs a Jedi's hand. You're far better at that sort of thing than I am, and if you come to Khar Delba with us, your presence can only alienate Shayla.

Jeroc sighed in resignation. You're right, but I still have a bad feeling about us splitting up.

Trust me, Cella thought, begging with bright hazel eyes.

Jeroc closed his eyes and shook his head, then spoke into the communit. "Erik, I'd like to meet with Danner and his crew and assist them with the Nar Khelba--that is, if they desire my aid. If not, I will accompany you and Cella to Khar Delba."

I might not like the guy, but what right do I have to tell him what to do? This was his mission before I ever came in and joined, I'll not dare intrude upon it. My only concern is getting to Shayla.

"You will just have to trust him on that, although you are certainly welcome to accompany Cella and I to Khar Delba and talk to Terrin about the Nar Khelba then Master Mahoy. I'll leave it up to you to decide, right now I need to get my fleet ready for reversion to realspace, which should happen in a little over..." he paused to make the calculations in his head "...Five hours. Whomever is coming, be ready then. I'll pilot the Lioness over to the Pride, pick up either one or both of you, and we'll go from there. Khar Delba should be about four hours away from K'eel Doba in standard drive. Hopefully in the Lioness we'll make a bit better time than that.

Traveling to Khar Delba in standard drive would not only waste more time than Erik was sure Terrin Danner and his team would like, it just might also tip off any tracking devices on the surface of Khar Delba, alerting whoever to the arrival of not only the Lioness, but possibly to the whereabouts of the Eagle.

BUT...if he did a hit and fade...Erik knew he could not only get to Khar Delba in minutes instead of hours, he might also be able to temporarily confuse any tracking going on within the system...

Hit and fade would be the solution, then. Hit and fades had been used by the Empire during the Thrawn crisis for attacking worlds who dared oppose the Grand Admiral. The Imperial Fleet would travel very near to the system, jump into hyperspace for usually mere seconds, then revert right on top of the target, taking authorities in the system by surprise. Although the hit and fade was a common tactic used, it almost always was effective because the number of possible trajectories for the fleet could never be assessed before it was already in system. Usually, the attack was quick and the fleet just as quickly jumped back out of the system, thus the term "fade."

In Erik's case, he would want to calculate a jump that overshot his intended destination. Then, as he reverted to realspace, he would program the Lioness to jump back into hyperspace for a very small amount of time and calculate his next reversion point in the solar wind of the planet's sun, hopefully further complicating matters of tracking. His calculations would have to be precise in order to avoid any asteroid belts or stars in system, but Erik was used to this type of thing. He'd not done it for some time since he'd been upgraded from merely an employee of Stargazer Corporation to a partner, but he still had it in him. Had it not been for the seriousness of the situation, he might have actually enjoyed returning to his piloting roots.

Glancing at his chrono as he began calculating the hyperspace jumps, Erik estimated he had about four and a half hours to have this all set.

Plenty of time to get the figures and program them into the Lioness, he told himself.

The little move might scare the Sithspit out of the Jedi who would be on board the Lioness, but Erik was certain it was the right move.

Time, after all, was of great importance...

And to Shayla he would be going, finally.

Erik still didn't know if he'd only be accompanied by Cella or if Jeroc would be coming as well. But that really didn't matter; he was more interested in what he himself could do to find Shayla than what they could do. Granted, he knew he needed them to deal with the Sith, but he wasn't sure of their intentions; their willingness to act. Jedi had a tendency, after all, to overthink things, to the point of missing the time to act while still trying to decide which action would be the best.

I'm going to act alright. I'm going down to the surface of that planet...

...and I'm gonna let Shayla know just how much I love her.

Lost in his thoughts, the comm made him jump when it crackled to life. "Erik, Katrina. The fleet is here and standing by. You are clear to proceed."

"Thanks, Katrina," he said, suddenly becoming very alert.

"No problem, Erik," she replied. "Let me know if you need anything?"

"Sure I will. Let's hope I return with good news."

"We will. Katrina out."

Erik took a deep breath, his hands beginning to dance across the controls of his YT-1300.

This was it. First to pick up the Jedi, then...

Cella was looking up at him with impossibly sweet eyes. "You've decided, then?"

He kissed her, wondering if he would ever be able to do it again. "Logan and Thea need one of us here, and Danner might need my help. I just..." He turned away. "Shayla will think I've abandoned her."

Cella caught his hand. "No, she won't. If I can get it through to her that I still care, trust me, she'll know you will too. And you're right. Logan's still shaken, and Thea? This whole situation is so traumatic for her. She should be back at the Praxeum with the other kids, not here."

She backed towards her cabin, still fixed to Jeroc by her eyes, a smile on her lips. "Look, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll just go pack a survival kit and get ready to meet Erik."

Not knowing what to say, Jeroc sat down to request Danner's comm freq and post off a brief but polite communique offering aid and requesting permission to have the Pride travel with his fleet. Jeroc fully intended to meet up with Cella at Khar Delba later, and traveling with Danner would ensure the safety of himself and the two padawans on board. Jeroc didn't want to interfere with Danner's mission, as it were, but the Nar Khelba was a Force weapon and might need a Jedi's hand.

He reached out in the Force to Cella. Force be with you, love. Take care.

Always, came her resolute mental voice as she stood near the Pride's airlock in the hold, ready to go with Erik. She was ready to try and save her friend...and ready to give her life for what she believed in.

Jeroc swallowed a suspicious lump in his throat as he readied the Pride for docking.

Reaching out once more in the Force, Cella gently caressed Thea's mind. Thea? I'm going with Captain Kartan to see Shayla. You'll be safe here, with Master Mahoy and Logan. I love you. And a briefer salute to Logan. Stay out of trouble and help Jeroc, okay? Love you.

Cella closed her bright eyes. She almost thought she could hear the Lioness coming. Even though that was impossible, she could definitely feel Erik's Force charisma, the determination of a man for the woman he loved. Oddly, she missed Jeroc already.