Aaron nodded to Dat...

...then looked to Nefrai. "Jedi Petrolu will be able to handle the Imperials, I am hoping."

And hopefully not you, the way you seem to have a serious hang-up about them. Not that it's unfounded... came the mental afterthought.

"And as for Dat's helmet...give it to him, please so that you can all be on your way. Time is still of essence, and may be even more so depending upon what we find out concerning Ms. Manth."

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"We should be on our way, if they've been gone as long as you say, we shouldn't waste time." He looked to Shawn, glancing at Dat as he emphasized waste.

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Minna sighed, hunkered into a ball of gloom. The awesome splendor of hyperdriven starstreaks on her viewport held no interest for her, although under what she would consider "normal" circumstances she would be staring at them, enthralled. The sheer physical improbability of such things always held a certain degree of fascination, but not this trip.

Her focus was instead glued on the tiny data chip she held daintily between two fingers of her left hand, her right hand at the moment being busy holding up her chin, the arm attached to it likewise busy providing support between her upraised knee and her head. On the deck nearby lay a recently emptied bottle of an emetic solution.

She sighed for the umpteenth time, feeling just horrible... and not simply due to the manner in which she had "retrieved" the data chip. She hated -- hated --what she had done, feeling all kinds of traitor and general slime-o for skipping out on her promise to everyone. Especially Nefrai; although she had always kept herself free from any sort of entanglements with anybody (such things always made life much more simple if one was a spy) she found she was really missing him. It had been starting to be a bit fun having a partner to work with; she sighed again, wondering if she should have tried to contact him before she had blown out of the Hornett, to see if he would have wanted to continue along with her or not.

She held the data chip up higher, letting the light from the viewport ripple through it. A scowl raced across her features, only to be immediately replaced by a look more closely approximating fear.

A third sigh escaped her, and shivered the tiniest bit. Then she loosened the ball she had wound herself into, letting her head fall back against the seat, the hand holding the data chip falling limply in her lap, her other arm dangling as she stared off into middle space.

Funny how an object so slight, so seemingly innocent, would press down upon her with the weight of the entire universe...

I should just space it, right now, she mused unhappily.

I should just stop right now, space the thing, and go back....

She shivered again, and straightened in her seat, letting a final sigh escape her with the realization that that was the last thing she should logically do.

But what to do with the information?

Her frown reappeared, abyssal-deep. The data chip burned holes in her fingers. The universe seemed to shrink nonsensically as she scoured her brain for a safe place to hide the thing until she could come up with something better to do with it.

She sighed again and sat there, letting the universe flash by in all its uncaring splendor, utterly ignored as she continued to ponder....

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...and hopefully return successful."

Aaron nodded. "May the Force be with you all then," he replied, stepping back and motioning for them to board.

Shawn nodded, then turned to Dat. "Come, let's take that datachip on board and get the ship warmed." Then he spread his gaze to include Nefrai. "I suspect we'll have plenty of planning to do concerning our mission as we travel."

And, saying nothing further, Shawn nodded once more to Aaron Barnes, pulled his hood securely over his head, and then dropped his hands to his sides, his sleeves falling over them as he began to walk towards the ship, knowing Nefrai and Dat would follow after.

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Once inside, he heads for the crew quarters where he stows his gear. As he does, he considers briefly, then shrugs out of his clothes and dons his armor. Twin E11 blaster carbines in immaculate condition rest in slings at his side, hidden beneath the crimson cloak. Looking at himself in the mirror for the briefest of moments, he then starts out of the room, murmuring to himself, "Hope I've got what it takes to fly this thing..." And so, toward the cockpit he goes, helmet in one hand, pike in the other.

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

He was supposed to trust this imperial, but not just yet. He would wait and judge his actions a bit for now, and make sure of what he intended.

"I assume you're ready to leave." he said, watching as the red outfitted Cyprios entered the cockpit. He took a moment to appriciate the neutral menace that eminated from the uniform he wore, respecting how it could quite possibly inspire fear.

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

Then the mirth faded, replaced by something completely unreadable once more as Shawn finally removed his hood, crossing his arms in front of him while his eyes remained on Nefrai. "I'd suggest you get strapped in, we'll be off in a few moments, and we need to get a look at that datachip. The sooner we know what information the Captain left us, the sooner we'll be able to decide just how we're going to use our various strengths to complete this mission."

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"I'll do fine. Do you know the exact nature of these new sith?"

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

And by the way, they aren't the new Sith, but rather the old. They've been around for millennia...or rather, they were around about 4 millennia ago. They've been pulled forward into this time frame through a series of events I cannot totally explain...

...but I can tell you this much: they are out there, and they are very real. They are simply a race, a race with many magicks behind them, a race no different than any other in its mix of the good, the bad..."

He trailed a moment. "I don't know which sorts of their people we may face when we arrive. But I know this: If anyone can beat the odds, it's these people we'll be looking for. I think it's time for the datachip."

[ 06-13-2005 08:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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After all, he didn't know how old he was, or how he'd come to exist. These creatures, as old as they were, with these magicks Shawn spoke of, might be able to discern some of the secrets about his past, his identity, and things that even he didn't know...

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...then something strange and inexplicable slammed into him, causing him to raise a hand to his temple, squinting his eyes shut for a moment in a gasp.

Shadowy figures, yet again. This time there were still three, but they were even more difficult to make out than the previous vision...

...yet the pervading darkness was not...

With effort, Shawn opened his eyes, possibly looking more flustered than anyone had seen him in quite some time.

"I sense something...very dark," he admitted. Then, he totally changed the subject...

...or at least, it might have appeared that way to his companions. Or maybe not. "How is your familiarity of the ship coming, Major?"

[ 06-17-2005 06:47 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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Returning to the business at hand, he brings to fighter into level flight out of the SSD's gravity well, readying the navigational computer. "Jedi Petrolu, all I need the coordinates, and we'll be on our way," he says as the ship leaves the hyperspace exclusion zone around the huge Star Destroyer.

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...I'm not willing at the moment to wait long enough to listen to the datachip to go to hyperspace. We really need to get going..."

Again he trailed, his look momentarily darknening. Then he returned to his usual complete serenity, and keyed in Aaron's frequency, requesting the coordinates. In no time the coordinates were returned to them via the Captain for everyone to hear.

Shawn couldn't help but turn to cock a brow at Nefrai Kesh, who had obviously been thrown just the slightest by Dat's initial manuevers. The Jedi couldn't help but smile ever the slightest bit before the look faded once more into utter impassiveness.

"Now that we have coordinates are going into hyperspace, are you going to sit down and strap in now, or are you planning to stand for the remainder of our trip?"

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

Comfort and small luxuries were not things he was quite used to, and hence he made his small point by standing behind the chair, his claws lightly grasping the back of the chair.

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"Course is plotted; jumping to hyperspace..."

"...Now." The stars through the cockpit viewports seem to elongate, then the ship is launched across the barrier, carrying its crew out of the comfort of the known, hurtling toward a mystery.

The cockpit holoprojector comes to life as Dat slips the datachip into its place, allowing the computer to read and display what information the Captain provided.

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

He took in the provided information for a few more seconds, then paused, and looked to Shawn. "Have you seen this before jedi?" He asked, his arms slightly folded. "You seem hardly interested..."

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

"As for my knowledge of the Sith--"

Here he paused, finally looking to Nefrai, his formerly distant look fading entirely. "--I know of their return to this time, and have had some interaction with their race. Do not be mistaken; their magicks are quite powerful and are not to be taken lightly. There are those who might use this magick for good...while there are those that will do the very opposite. Galen's sister, however, might be the key to all of this. She has involvement with this race and the Lords who rule it; she is quite powerful and has played the roles of both enemy and friend. As for any other information you may need to knw regarding the Sith...

...I believe that should be kept to a minimum. Know that they are magickal, strong, wise, and clever. Beyond that you need know nothing further of them and their past, for this knowledge might very well place you at more risk than any of us would desire."

Falling silent with these final cryptic statements, Shawn waited to see what further questions, if any, Nefrai or Dat might pose.

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

"But 'Galens sister', by what identity is she known? Does she wield magicks as well?" Kesh was most curious to the nature of these magicks as well. Magic was always a fairy tale to those common beings, but then again, so was he...

Perhaps he could find a connection somewhere....

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"Terrin Danner on Hornett, this is Captain Yaoksi Joao. Can I ask a little favor of you...?"

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...and froze right where he was as Yaoksi's message shot through his ears. Aaron put his face in his hands, and remained there for a moment...

...finally running both of them up over his forehead and through his hair.

He hit the reply button on the comm unit, debated over just what to say, then proceeded on. "Captain Joao, this is Captain Aaron Barnes," he started out. "It's good to hear from you, and I hope that all is well. Terrin is...

...not available..."

Aaron paused, cringing at his choice of words, "...but I would be glad to help you out. What is it that you need?"

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"Over."

[ 08-15-2005 09:17 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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He deserved to know the truth. Aaron just hated to give it to him over a comm. But better now than finding out later, which might appear strange.

"I'll relate the news of your troubles to K'khil; he's one of our best engineers and has done some fine work onboard the Hornett. As for Terrin..."

Aaron trailed, the pang in his heart almost audible, "He died over a year ago. I'd tell you more...

...but I don't feel all that comfortable about telling you the details over a comm frequency."

Leaving his communication at that, Aaron pushed the "send" button, and leaned back, a hand over his mouth. Then he leaned forward once more, pulling up the comm frequencies for engineering and finding K'khil's. In moments he had keyed in the cricket's frequency, and relayed him a message relating all of Yaoksi troubles, along with the coordinates and physical address he'd given. Then he ended with, "Should you decide you want to leave us with the crew I'm going to send to Captain Joao on Priingsi, let me know. Your work here will be sorely missed...

...but well do I understand that the needs of a friend far outweigh just about anything else."

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

"This is Captain Yaoksi Joao, out."

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Surprised am I, the errant thought crossed his mind as he slid out from under the metal console and slapped the badge.

Long worked in quiet here, have I. Worked in diligence, in solitude, in background, keeping to self have I.

Ship in 115% efficiency is, happy Verpine am I.

So this, a surprise is, about what? About--

Boss?

He would have blinked in surprise, if he was physically capable of such things. But the only way he could display his utter astonishment was by a slight clacking of his mandibles, before an appendage raised to switch his comm-badge from "receive" to "send."

"To Captain Joao I go, his woes to soften. Crew a good thing is, materiels better.

"Assessment of damage at point of origin only can be made; sending of small crew with myself a good thing is... with the following items...":

He ended his tacit reply with a rather lengthy list of items and tools. At the end of the list was, of course, a hydrospanner.

His comm-badge automatically flipped from "send" back to "receive" as he stood fidgeting, waiting to hear when he could depart, with what, and with whom.

[ 08-25-2005 01:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

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...but something else was suddenly weighing heavily on Aaron's heart.

He'd been here, on Terrin's ship--gods, but he still thought of her as Terrin's ship--too long. What he needed was a good break, and a good drink...

...and perhaps someone to talk with once again. This was the perfect opportunity.

Aaron flipped the reply button. "K'khil, you can depart from here whenever you see that you are ready. All of the items you've requested will be loaded aboard my yacht the Oasis as soon as possible. I'll have a crew of five of our best engineers and technicians join us...

...and I'm going to join you long enough to ensure that the job is done correctly."

And to get myself a nice drink of Whyrene's Reserve somewhere. Jasyn might be the King Guzzler, but I'd like a drink occasionally myself...

"I'll meet you in the main hangar bay, platform 85, in just a few minutes if this all sounds acceptable. Captain Barnes out."

After sending this response K'khil's way, then making the arrangements to get K'khil the supplies and assistance he needed, Aaron got up from his desk, left his office, and headed off, his wristcomm tuned to recieve any messages he might miss while he was out of his office.

Which, if all went as planned, would be for at least a while.

[ 09-03-2005 11:12 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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