Through all of the discussion Shayla stood quietly back in observation, her head reeling at all that was being revealed.

Bad Sith? Like there were Good Sith? And who was this Gray Sith?

Shayla frowned, something deep inside her trying its best to raise its head in recognition...

...but completely failing. So she merely continued to stand in silence, still processing all of the things being spoken...

...and trying to remember just how she ever got from the Praxeum and into a ship with these people.

Terrin Danner's men...? What gives...? Maybe she knew this Kelderon guy, he appeared to be a Jedi...

...but he sure didn't seem to know her...

...nor she him.

As words continued to go back and forth between Kelderon and Jasyn and Captain Barnes, Shayla forced herself to pay closer attention, hoping that their words would give her some answers as well. All this talk about Galen's daughter and Coruscant and Kamino sounded really familiar...

...but for a few minutes Shayla still couldn't put her finger on how she had come to be involved with these people.

How did she know of Galen, and of her daughter? Had she been sent by the Jedi to help them...?

At last one tiny puzzle piece fell into place and Shayla spoke up suddenly, much to the surprise of the others. "You met me on Coruscant to ask for help in finding Galen's daughter," she stated, her eyes locked on Jasyn's. "But for some reason I didn't go with you...

...for some reason you left before we went..."

Shayla trailed then, as something else grabbed her attention, something that had been spoken a few minutes before that had only just now wormed its way to the forefront of her mind.

Galen's sister, Graysith?

Sister...

"I want to know more about this Graysith; who she is, her relationship with Galen. Perhaps it can help us..."

And perhaps it can fill in some holes in my mind while we are at it...

[ 06-14-2003 08:01 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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I yelled something unintelligible out of frustration. A little more calmly I asked Aaron "What do you think is our best course of action at the moment? We all seemd a little out of the game when it comes to decision making. Just give us a starting point and we'll be on our way."

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

...though he sure as hell couldn't remember why. He too remembered her meeting him near Coruscant...

...but he sure didn't know how the kriffing hell she'd ever come to know of Galen's missing daughter. That mystery along with Shayla's somewhat unusual reaction to the name Graysith was the fuel that lit the flame...

Jasyn nodded once to Kelderon, the sent a suspicious look in Shayla's direction. Then he pressed the comm button down to speak to Aaron once more. "Kelderon's right. We can speculate on what happened all we want, but it'll get us nowhere. If this K'eel place is where we thought Galen went, by all means just send us the coordinates and we'll be on our way. But while you are at it, I'd like to know more about this sister of Galen's and what she is capable of."

For a moment then, Jasyn fell utterly silent, his brown eyes only for Shayla Kartan. "And I'd also like to know if you can tell me just how Shayla Stargazer might have come to be with us just now, for indeed she is...

...and how she plays into all of this..."

[ 06-14-2003 08:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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Aaron shifted worriedly in his desk chair, uncertain how to answer Jasyn's questions. There was one thing he was certain of, however; coordinates to K'eel Doba had been programmed into the Hornett's navcomputer before, and would thus be in the ship's logs. Before answering Jasyn's comm, Aaron sent a brief message to navigation requesting those coordinates to be pulled up and reported to his office. Only then did he begin his reply to Jasyn. "I'm having the coordinates to K'eel Doba pulled from the Hornett's logs as we speak," Aaron started out. "As for Graysith; can't say that I know as much as you should. She's very powerful, and Galen and she have gone from being at odds with one another to somewhat of a truce and back. At some point Terrin even had a blood oath with Graysith in order to provide both Galen and Darra protection."

Aaron paused at that, frowning a bit. "You don't remember any of this?"

Hesitation across the line. Then, "Terrin and a blood oath with the Sith...? Why would he make an oath with a bunch of Darksiders?"

Aaron frowned. "I guess you don't remember that the Sith were... are actually a race of beings with horns, red skin, and multi-colored eyes...

...by Matt's very own description. They aren't darksiders; just merely a race of beings, most of them honorable as I have been lead to believe."

More hesitation across the line. "And Stargazer?"

"She worked closely with the Sith last I knew, though I haven't a clue why she is with you now. Does she suffer from the same condition of apparent amnesia that you do?"

"Seems that way," came a somewhat suspicious reply.

"Are you sure about this trip back to K'eel Doba? This amnesia troubles me; the fact that you all seem to have it implies that perhaps there has been some sort of mind-tampering afoot; I don't see any other explanation for it unless it's due to trauma of some sort, though it'd be strange for that trauma to affect all of you in the same exact manner..."

About this time, the coordinates to K'eel Doba came flashing across Aaron's computer console. "And by the way, I have your coordinates. I'm going to send them to you electronically."

With that, Aaron typed the coordinates into his comm unit and sent them across the frequency to Jasyn. Then, "Got them?"

"Certainly do," came Jasyn's reply.

"Good. Now back to this trip you're planning...

...are you sure this is a good idea...?"

[ 05-11-2004 02:24 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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These were questions that I would have to get answers to. And K'eel Doba seemed the place to start. And as an added bonus, Galen was most likely there according to Aaron.

"Jasyn, we need to go to K'eel Doba. If there are a race of Sith in the Universe, we need to see what they are up too. And from what I gather, Galen was headed in that direction."

Yes it was true, I did have alterior motives for going to this so called Sith world... But the main reason was still to find Galen.

I refused to beleive that my whole life has been a lie up to this point. I had see it for myself. I just had too!

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

Releasing the comm button then, he again looked to the others in the room. "Now, the question is our strategy. For one," he said, pausing to eye Stargazer and her husband, "Are you going with us? Getting an EE ship would be no complicated matter as there are ways to get one, so that is your choice. I'm not going to argue either way, though I'm not so certain of your involvement in all this. And the other issue is how we get there. We can go in a couple of ships, or in one. And judging from our last attempt, I'm not so sure that going in more than one ship is a good idea. I'm certain Matt and I took the Raptor, that Galen lost the Eagle, and that at least one more ship was involved in all of our arrivals. The benefit, however, would be perhaps having more than one means on and off planet."

He paused again, looking to Dash as well as the others. "Thoughts?" he queried, sweeping the room with his brown eyes then leveling them finally with Dash. "And I'm assuming your ahhh...

...apprentice is going with us?" he ended, nodding once in Jebbua's direction, totally oblivious to the fact that the utterly silent young man was indeed the Master, and not the apprentice for the sheer fact of who seemed to be making the decisions and suggestions here...

[ 06-17-2003 06:38 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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Where had he been? Agamar! Yes, that was it! What was he doing on Agamar? And where was he now? The port seemed familiar somehow, he was sure he had been here before… Sullust? A swift pain exploded like lightning across his forehead, followed by an overwhelming despair. He grabbed his head violently as he sank to his knees.

Blesphmar! Sweet, beautiful Blesphmar! Who had done this to you? Where are the trees, the flowers, the wonderful cities with spires reaching to the heavens? This cannot be. It is a lie! A lie!

No, not a lie. A mystery. And the path to the answer begins here, the ancient land of the tunnel dwellers. He stood, brushed the dust from his knees, and continued on to the main doorway, face set in grim determination.

[ 06-16-2003 08:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by patternghost ]

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“Welcome to Sullust,” he said at last.No, not “Sullust”. You were bound for a world of another name.

Yet these were the correct coordinates, and the surface seemed the same.
Look around you. It is you who have changed.

“You lie!” he cried out loud, startling several passers-by into awkward glances. “I have not changed!”

“I know,” said a woman’s voice from behind the Ghost. “You haven’t moved at all. Please, I really don’t want to push my way past. If you don’t mind?”

The Ghost turned to gaze upon the woman. Her silvery hair dangled over her shoulders, a long black dress covered her ample body. The Ghost’s finger’s slightly trembled as he searched for the words.

A wide smile appeared suddenly on the Ghost’s face. “My asparagus, madam. I am new to this world. I wish to find the Temple of Ages, may I have you show me the way?”

The woman stared blankly for a moment. Then a flicker of amusement twinkled in her eyes as she swerved to the right of the Ghost and brushed past him.

“The tour books didn’t say anything about a temple, especially an agricultural one” she called out as she passed. “Check the directory, or maybe at the lounge.” She strode off through the main doorway and disappeared into the crowd.

The Ghost’s smile sagged into a frown. He turned back to face the main doorway, now aware of more symbols and their meanings. “All crews must report to office,” he read. “All re-breathers must pass inspection for surface travel.” His eyes moved to another sign on the wall. “For a Great Way to Start Your Adventure, Visit the Blue Asteroid.”

Asparagus? That was not correct. What is the word?

Very well. No matter. I will find it. As I will find the Temple.

The Ghost shifted his pack and began walking towards the building under the last sign.

[ 06-16-2003 10:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by patternghost ]

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What mattered was that he was going regardless of all other issues.

Suddenly, he got to his feet then before Jebbua or Dash could reply. "Oh kriffing hell," he blurted, "Let's just do it, now that the coordinates to K'eel are in here," he continued, pointing to his head.

Then, "Are you in or are you out?" he queried in Stargazer's direction. For a moment, her eyes defocused a bit in thought...

...then she snapped to total alertness and nodded in affirmation.

"Allright then," Jasyn replied, still not totally certain whether to trust Stargazer in the first place, but seeing her as perhaps his only true link to wherever it was Galen had gone. Pursing his lips for a moment in thought, Jasyn then stepped out from behind the desk where he'd been sitting and headed for the door, stepping outside then with the others and securing it only moments later.

"We can discuss finalities of who is going and on what ship while we're on the way," he stated aloud, beginning to walk at a rather healthy pace. "So if anyone's got something to say you'd better say it now, cause I'm not sticking around here much longer..."

[ 06-17-2003 06:41 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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That would be the bartender. Why don’t you ask him for some vegetables? Or ask him to dance, I’m he’d love that.

The Ghost slowly walked to the bar and studied the rows of bottles lining the back shelf. They were all labeled with symbols and artwork, but he was sure they were meaningless to his needs so The Ghost made no attempt at translation. Instead he glanced down at the stool in front of him, carefully judging the height and strength of the item. Satisfied, he sat and stared at the man behind the bar.

The bartender looked up and saw The Ghost. “Welcome to Sullust,” he said. “What can I get you today?”

“Information,” replied The Ghost.

“I’m afraid I don’t deal in that sort of thing. Only fine drinks and entertainment,” the bartender snorted.

“But you don’t understand,” said The Ghost, unblinkingly staring at the bartender. “I am in desperate need of the location of a Temple.”

“Desperate, eh? Then I assume you’d like to make this a business transaction?”

The Ghost paused, eyes flickering briefly upward. He then reached into a pocket and pulled out a small figurine. He held it up to the bartender’s eye level, slowly rotating it so the golden hue caught the lights and jewels sparkled brightly. The bartender set the bottle down on the counter and stared at the object.

“Wha- what do you want to know?” he stammered.

“The Temple of the Ages. How do I find it?” The Ghost’s voice was slow and soothing.

“I don’t know, I’ve never heard of it,” the bartender said as if in a dream.

The Ghost sighed. “It was once a magnificent underground facility, housing the stored knowledge of a thousand worlds.”

The bartender’s eyes flickered for a moment. “There’s a story of an ancient part of the world where the Sullustans uncovered bunches of old stuff. It was in a highly unstable volcanic region. I think the story goes they moved what they could out to Obroa-Skai, then the whole area filled in with magma. But that was, oh, about a hundred years ago. That can't be what you mean?”

The Ghost dropped the figurine onto the counter as the bartender gingerly reached for it. The Ghost placed his elbows on the bar and propped his head in his hands.

“I will need a ship,” The Ghost said to no-one in particular.

[ 06-17-2003 10:29 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by patternghost ]

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He drifted over the bar, seeing the bartender stroking the small figurine. He then turned, drifting around the patrons, catching small snatches of meaningless conversations in alien languages. He felt a pull, something had caught his spirit’s attention and he felt the strain of curiosity welling and forcing him to seek the source. He had felt this before, but where? Something about it felt like… home. Yet, something else warned him of an impending doom and screamed to stay away.

Yet he followed, drifting through corridors and doorways. Sliding through walls and solid rock, drawing ever closer to the source of this feeling. This… thing so close to his own heart. He passed through wall after wall. Voices… yes, voices! One more wall. He slid through the stone, catching brief glimpses of aliens as his spirit wafted silently. There, sharp images now… a woman… dark blonde hair… drawing closer… bluish-green eyes… it is her… what is it? That source, he knew it, felt it, had felt it before, reminded him of… Terror!

The glass shattered on the bar as The Ghost snapped his head up.

The Ghost gathered his wits. “What in all of Blesphmar was that?”

[ 06-17-2003 11:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by patternghost ]

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"Yeah," she said, her eyes still somewhat vague as she tried to pinpoint the source that strange chill.

Nothing.

Then, turning to the reality of the situation, Shayla finally spoke up. "Taking one ship locks us in to one means of departure," she said simply. "If Galen is in trouble, or hurt, you might want to reconsider, but then that means we're going to have to acquire another ship...

...although," she continued, looking over to Jasyn, "That shouldn't be a problem."

And finally, turning to Dash, "What do you think?"

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

That woman, he did not know her. Yet she seemed all too familiar, something within her perhaps. Something welcome yet at the same time terrifying. He reached out once more, trying to remember her and how this power had found her before. Searching, feeling, focusing on the woman. There, he had her! He felt a connection, a sense of belonging… He held back at a distance this time, attempting to probe her feelings, her emotions, her thoughts. No, this ability was beyond him. But wait, not entirely. He concentrated and now felt emanating from her a series of pervading sensations… loss? A great hole in this woman’s life, great grief, sorrow… Of what he could not tell, perhaps she did not know herself… Only a need to return, to discover, to see… a planet? A planet… K’eel…

A sudden wave of terror flashed through The Ghost and once again he reeled back. A large bottle exploded behind the bar, shattering glass and flooding its contents over the counter. The Ghost stood and staggered back, nearly stumbling over a small alien. Another bottle shattered. The Ghost grabbed his forehead in pain and staggered towards the door, oblivious to the stares and commotion now alive in the cantina.

“No, not there. They must not…”

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

I scanned the room looking for a suggestion on what which road to take. "Well, I think we are gonna need some heavy weaponry to get in and out of a..." I made the quotation signal with my hands. "Sith world. Althought I'm not convinced that there could be a whole race of Dark Siders. At least not without me at least sensing them. That much Dark energy could be felt galaxies away."

I walked out of the old EE office. "We will form up the two teams once we get another ship." In a more commanding voice, "Let's move people!"

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

"I'll go see, come on Dash lets go." I said as I started to walk back to the spaceport. Then reaching out with the force I sent a mental thought to Alexis.

Goodbye for now, and take care.

I turned around to see if anyone was coming.

[ 06-18-2003 02:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jebbua Dahutt ]

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Hey, nice trick! Reach out... Go on! Once more should do it

Ignoring the voice, The Ghost pressed on and made his way back to the main entrance.

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

Well, a sudden shoulder-devil popped up and snickered, At least this way another EE ship won't get trashed or crashed...

At that thought, Jasyn's brown eyes suddenly snapped alert. "Ahhh..." he spoke up in Jebbua's general direction, "I hope your friend won't mind the fact that our using his ship may increase the risk of him never seeing it again, with our track record and all..."

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

Turning then, she started to walk when she then stopped for a moment more, turning to look directly into Jasyn Lancaster's brown eyes. "And you might want to consider taking an EE ship if you can get your hands on one...

...after all, if the company's living up to the expectations of it's late owner, any ship you'd get would be in prime condition...

...and then some," she commented, falling silent for a moment then finishing with. "Just something to keep in mind. Comm us when you're ready to hit the skies."

With nothing more than that, Shayla then turned and headed towards where the Supernova was berthed, her husband close beside her...

...as well as that little inexplicable chill she kept sensing from somewhere that she couldn't even fathom.

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

"Ahh, I think I'm gonna go with Jasyn. If we run into trouble he may need my help. We should split the groups so that there is at least one Jedi in each ship. But
I would definatly talk to your friend about coming with us. Maybe the more ships we have going to this K'eel Doba place, the better!?! I'll see you at the rendezvous. Take care."

I proceeded to follow Jasyn, grumbing to myself about how pushy Jebbua was being all of a sudden. "Who does he think he is? I've been keeping him out of danger since he first started training me. I should be the one in control! Maybe..."

I cut myself off in mid sentence. A new realization coming to mind. Where were Jasyn and I gonna find a ship??? I had some money left, but I don't think 50,000 credits would buy much of a ship. I just hope Jasyn had some credits on him. Lots of credits!

"Jasyn, I'm with you. Let's go find a ship. By the way, how many credits do you have on you? We may need more than I have to buy a suitable ship!"

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

She was closer now. It was closer now. The feeing… that sensation… that power…

Hey, flyboy! Reach out again, come on! I dare you!

Back, demon! Bananas and slugs to you and your kin! Be true, my liege! Remember what you’re papa told you!

The Ghost gripped his head tighter. His mind spinning, reeling in a confusion of voices, tangled emotions, and visions of a past he could not be sure was real. White fangs bearing down… a golden dagger slicing the air… a bath of steaming water and petals… a cave… a shimmering staff head… a familiar and loved voice chanting loud and vibrant…

He continued to turn, scanning. She was close… so close…

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

Turning to Dash a moment before beginning to walk once more, Jasyn actually smiled but for a moment, then turning a different sort of knowing grin at Matt. Then, he turned back to Dash. "Ahhhh, this is the joy of being an Eagle Enterprises employee. We don't need to buy no stinkin' ship...

...we're just gonna borrow one. Might take some rigamaroll...

...but I know just the place," he explained. "Follow me."

**********

With no less rigamaroll than Jasyn expected, he, Matt and Dash finally found themselves aboard a classy little black yacht named the Titan. After admiring her surface and all the goodies inside the fully-loaded ship, Jasyn returned to his former completely serious demeanor, turning his attentions to the comm unit in the cabin of the little ship while Matt made sure everything was in prime working order in the weapons department of the ship.

Flicking the comm unit on, Jasyn keyed in Stargazer's comm frequency and spoke into the speaker. "This is Jasyn Lancaster. Kelderon, Matt and I have a ship, and will be departing shortly. What is your status?" he queried then, leaving the channel open for Stargazer to reply then turning to Dash as something else occurred to him.

"You know, we really need a good pilot on this, and my flying skills are fair but nothing to brag about. Matt's somewhat better than me but still...

...that could be a problem if we get into any trouble. Do you fly well, by any chance?"

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

"What is it?" Erik asked next to her, stopping as well and turning to look in her direction.

Shayla's eyes grew vague. "I...I don't know. But it's something. Almost like...

...like...

...we're being followed."

As she said this, Shayla scanned the crowds of the spaceport, her greeny-blue eyes catching sight of a dark haired man, looking frantically about for something or someone. And when her eyes fell on him...

Shayla shivered again.

There it was, that mysterious chill. And it was coming from...

"Shayla...?" Erik queried again, his voice concerned.

But she didn't hear him. Her senses were now all attuned to the mysterious man still searching the spaceport, looking for someone...

...and Shayla had a feeling that someone just might be her.

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

I commed the landing bay control tower.

"This is the Titan, requesting permission... No wait, telling you that we are taking off! Clear the airways, we're coming through!"

I flipped a couple of switches, and pressed a few buttons. I really didn't know what some of them did, but the Force guided my hands as we lifted off the volcanic planet of Sullust. The red sky burned behind us as we made our way throught the atmosphere and eventually into hyperspace.

I mentally sent the COM-frequency to Jebbua. He would just have to catch up to us with his friend Ruhatt.

"Now we make our plans. I think we should go with stealth. One ship at a time, over the course of 3 standard hours. That way we don't appear as a strike force or anything. Just a lone ship, looking for a place to land. We will also need a rendezvous point. So we can confirm our plans before we get on with things."

Even while we discussed our plans for invading K'eel Doba, my mind was elsewhere. Straining to the limit, searching for even a trace of Galen's essence. Just one nanosecond, would be all I needed. Anything to tell me we were headed in the right direction. Still nothing...

"We may need weapons. I couldn't help but notice that we are completely unarmed. Did you happen to score us a few blasters in your dealings Jasyn?"

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

There she was! Across the port, the woman! She glanced in his direction, eyes locking briefly. He dashed forward, hands stretching out to deflect the bodies seemingly determined to prevent him from reaching her.

But The Ghost was resolute. He walked more steadily now, each step more sure as neared his goal. The woman turned away, and an icy chill of desperation blasted through The Ghost’s mind.

“No!” he cried out. “Do not leave! DO NOT GO TO K’EEL DOBA!”

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