I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and forced myself to gaze unflinching out upon Hell again. From where I now stood upon the craggily eroded edge of some fairly recent and quite immense basalt flow, I had a perfect view of the stark reds and harsh yellows and cloying blacks of the Dantean inferno which splayed out before me in a nightmarish rendition of dark art. For as far as I could see there rose point after point of one rumbling volcano after another, each one doing its best in giving its not-so-mute testimony of the herculean forces that were raging beneath my very feet.

Here and there, their soaring and sometimes caldera'ed tops were wreathed by great billowing plumes of noisome gas and black ash; if it weren't for the rebreather I was wearing, I would have long ago succumbed to the lethal atmosphere which clung stubbornly to the surface of Sullust. The warm glow of the arc's occasional rivers of lava were interspersed here and there as, in a majestic and sudden display of fireworks, hidden fissures erupted into a blazing curtains of fire. Once in a while lava bombs flew out, leaving a brilliant trail behind them which only substantiated their futility in eluding this planet's grasp upon them. Like sobbing meteorites, the bombs would come whistling back to earth, impacting there with a thump oftentimes audible to me, shooting cinders and not quite crystallized blobs of semi-molten material up into the air as though in one last attempt to barter for their freedom.

Barter for freedom, I mused to myself with a little sigh. Isn't this the only thing anyone really wants in this Galaxy, their freedom? Freedom to gain personal happiness, freedom to assist others in gaining theirs, freedom to bring offspring into life without constant worry and threat hanging over one's head?

I sighed again, reaching down to pick up a little bit of volcanic glass which sparkled at my feet. For a long while I gazed into its amorphous depths, seeing my reflection staring back at me with eyes grown huge and somber. The rebreather looked like some kind of mutated insect's mandibles; unthinkingly, I reached up and adjusted it for the umpteenth time, assuring myself of its perfect fit. If it should loosen the tiniest bit, the noxious atmosphere of this wildly tectonic world would make short work of me...

...not to mention little Jhin'Darra.

Fighting back the grin which would part my sealed lips from my rebreather, I slid a hand down to my now bulging stomach. My gaze retreated from the hellish landscape and drew inward, seeing back to that fateful day when my naivete...

Oh yes, Galen Jhin'Dar; you may have thought yourself all big and tough, taking on one dark user after another as you have been doing, first on your own, then with Sorben, finally with Terrin; you may have considered yourself some kind of impeccable knight errant all along... but you're not. You're as human as anybody, and thus as subject to the sometimes unpleasant whims of Fate.

...had been thoroughly eradicated from me, leaving a cynical and distrusting and altogether quite shattered shell of my former self behind. If it hadn't been for little Jhin'Darra's comforting steady growth, as well as the equally steady love Terrin continued to pour out to me, I think I would have gone mad. In fact, I know I would have. It must have been weeks before I had managed to crawl out from the despairing pit I had been wallowing in, poking out enough to realize that hey, life goes on whether you're making yourself a part of it or not. I don't know for sure how long a time had elapsed while I lay in a mute ball in the hostel Naisra'len had found for me; nor did I know how much time had passed after I began taking new awareness of my surroundings once again.

All I knew was that I had gradually come to remembering who I was, and who those were who were with me, as well as of the pertinent fact that they had all remained here on Sullust with me, devoting themselves to keeping me and Jhin'Darra safe. It was a long time before I could even begin forming images of what had happened to me that awful night... but at length I was able to do so, and with a minimum of terror, and had at that point let forth a huge gush of mingled words and tears which poured out of my stricken soul like water over a dam. And it was only then that I began, finally, to heal.

Now I drew my gaze away from the obsidian I held between my fingers, and cocking my head cast that gaze out over the landscape once more. It remained merely that, an image from hell, one which at long last was not making me cringe away from other, less wholesome images the sight of it had always provoked within me. I closed my eyes, smiling to feel an inner door not just slam closed, but being completely ripped from its foundation. Then I opened my eyes and, clenching my fist about the shining bit of glass in my hand, I turned and began to carefully pick my way back to the barely noticeable doorway set into a deep indentation of the sharp rock.

Beyond it, I knew, lay love and light... and life.

[ 05-09-2006 12:44 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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Galen...

The road to her recovery from the events of that horrible night had started out very slowly and very rockily. For quite some time she refused to let anybody within her inner defenses, and he'd worried that she would allow the event to totally destroy her. And even when she'd at last let her inner wall start to crumble, he'd been the last person she wanted near her. She'd thought she was no longer worthy of him. That he wouldn't love her because of the cruel diflement which had been inflicted upon her person.

She had been wrong.

Though she didn't want him near her for quite some time, he'd remained nearby offering support and doing all that he could for her. He'd been between a rock and a hard place; while he hadn't wanted to push her too fast, he also knew that he couldn't completely remove himself from her. She'd needed to know that he still loved her regardless, and both pushing and completely disengaging would have been a move in the wrong direction.

So he'd stayed and waited. And as surely and as blessedly enough, the day had come when she let her guard down. Though even then it had been a struggle for her to even be in the same room with him, slowly and carefully they'd been able to bridge the gap.

Then the day came when he'd finally been able to utter the words and follow them with an action that would allay her deepest fears. He remembered it ever so clearly: she'd taken the ring he'd bought for her from her finger and given it to him. He'd dared to sit next to her, a little worried as to whether he was pushing things or not, but knowing that he needed to make one thing very, very clear. Carefully, he took her hand in his--how very tense she had been--and replaced the ring. Looked into those big beautiful brown eyes filled with unspeakable anguish with his own moistened blue ones and told her that he would not then nor would he ever stop loving her. That when she was ready he still wanted to take her as his wife, and adopt her child as his own.

Sometime either shortly before that or after, the process of healing truly began. He knew that she still was struggling, but she was fighting it, and that was progress. As each day passed yet another tiny but significant step was taken...and all the while the days grew closer to the birth of one very special little girl.

None of this could have ever taken place without the support of their faithful friends, either. Terrin was thankful for the presence of Yaoksi and his crew, as well as for the protection of Jedi Master Rean. Though the Sith hadn't shown their faces since that horrid night, Terrin knew that they were out there. But he also knew that Rean had sworn to help, and that he would. Likewise, Terrin would do everything in his power, albeit it how small, to protect.

And he would take nothing for granted.

As he shook himself from his reverie, Terrin heard a door close. She was back. Though the mountains served to protect them all, Galen, as well as the others, tended to feel cramped in the subground. For that reason, they'd all taken to occasionally stepping out in the hellish area which they found themselves surrounded. But she had done this the most. What she did out there, aside from slipping into her own thoughts, Terrin wasn't sure.

Shutting down the computer in front of him, Terrin got to his feet and ran a hand through his blonde hair. Then, after taking a moment to stretch, he sauntered out into their living area, where Jasyn and Matt tended to spend a majority of their time either drinking or playing cards. Fortunately for the moment both of them were off in their own rooms sleeping.

As she slipped the breather off, he came over to her, wisely waiting until she could see him before he approached. He smiled at her then stepped behind her, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and rubbing gently. Then he quirked a brow, noticing she was holding something in her hand.

"What's that, love?" he asked, slipping a hand underneath hers. "And how are you feeling?"

Then, waiting for her reply, he rested the side of his face atop her head as a silent reassurance that he was there.

[ 01-19-2002 06:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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No terror. No instinctive cringing away. No startlement, no panic, no fear, no self-loathing. Nothing.

...but a rush of warmth in turn. For a moment I stood quietly, basking in what I had thought I might lose, in fact what deep down I thought I had lost. Thank Khaandon I was utterly, terribly, and oh so very, very happily wrong in the matter.

"Mmmm...." I murmured softly, then gently detached my hand from Terrin's and raised it. As if offerring a rare treasure, I turned in his arms, and held up the obsidian.

"Look Terrin," I whispered. "See what I've found. It's a token, a bit of magick, if you will. See--" I held it up for his perusal. "It shows what was, and what will be."

Smiling now in turn, he crooked a brow as if to humor me. "No, really," I persisted. "Look." I held it up.

"See, it's black. Utterly and depthlessly." I paused, then rushed on in a voice so low as to be almost inaudible. "That's what... was...." I trailed off, and looked up into his wonderful blue eyes, seeking something there.

I found it. He knew, and was humoring me no longer. "I know, sweets," he replied, completely serious. "And here is what is yet to come, yet always has been as well."

I looked to where his pointing finger indicated the reflection of the two of us displayed in miniature in that shining surface of stone, and smiled. Then I returned my gaze to his, and pressed the obsidian into his hand.

"For you to keep, love, for always. Like us." My arms then found a home around his neck, and I pulled him to me, my heart bursting with the joyous realization that here too was not just something re-discovered, but indeed was something that had never been lost at all.

[ 01-19-2002 06:58 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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"Close to my heart, always," he said, taking the obsidian in his hand and pressing it to his chest, then placing it inside a jumpsuit pocket. Then he returned his arms to his embrace about her and continued with, "As are you. And," he added, grinning as he glanced down at her swollen belly, "as are you, baby girl."

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

"Jhin'Darra, you mean," I said with a grin. "That's her name. I've decided to name her in honor of my father. I think that's fitting, don't you?"

I took one of his hands, and placed it on my stomach, putting my own pair possessively on top of it. It was almost as if by the gesture we were making a vow to protect this unborn one with our lives...

...which of course went without saying, and which somewhere deep inside of me I sincerely hoped we'd never have to prove in the flesh.

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

Then he placed his one free hand atop the two of hers that were planted firmly upon his other hand...

...his left hand. His OWN hand, as opposed to the prosthetic right one that he thought about a little less every day, while never forgetting the events surrounding his receiving it.

His smile broadened as he felt little Jhin'Darra turn a somersault within Galen's belly.

She was quite definitely and quite wonderfully coming nearer to birth.

Then taking Galen's hands in his he said, grinning and tilting his head in the direction of the kitchen, "So how about we tackle breakfast before everyone else wakes up and eats all the stash?"

[ 01-19-2002 09:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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The Jedi Master rose keeping Galen's force signature close to him at all times. He had grown quiet close to her in spite of his own self; this made him even more determined to keep her and all there safe. He stripped the tunic from his hairless, muscular chest and left his room quietly. He had fine tuned his body other many years so that he would always be ready for any task. He softly opened the door and stepped out into the larger living quarters. His untied hair streamed down his back as he made his way on the outer edges of the room so as not to distrube Terrin and Galen who were there talking. He opened the door to a larger room he had been using as a practice room. He trained there for hours every day. He knew the time would come for a face to face confrintation. He began his stretching as he thought when the time comes, he would be more then ready.

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

Yaoksi and I hadn't talked much--our conversations had been limited to mundane things like what to make for dinner and such. I was pretty sure that he felt as uncomfortable here as I did. We were both lone rangers, riders of the spacelanes, and being planetbound equaled being sitting nerfs in our opinions.

Cella was another story. I hadn't exchanged words with her either, except in our tasks of nursing Galen. However, I'd managed to conquer most of my inferiority complex, thanks be. She still intimidated me, though...the way she and Rean conversed without words...the time we'd gathered for dinner and Yaoksi had offered to refill her drink...she'd refused with a smile and floated her glass to the dispenser as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was uncanny.

Like the others in the compound, I waited patiently for the birth of Galen's child. But guiltily, despite myself, I wished to go back to the spacelanes, to the freedom of the smuggler's life. For Yaoksi and myself to leave these strangers and go back...

Rean and she had not had much to do with each other, in any case. Cella's own skill in healing was quite strong, and it seemed sometimes that Galen responded to her, and to the Twi'lek Naisra'len, in a way that she did not to Rean. Perhaps a woman's touch was needed?

In the weeks since, Cella had been basically isolated from the rest of the crew, speaking at mealtimes and being courteous and helpful, but little more. She and Yaoksi had to talk. She needed to tell him that she was sorry for showing up this way, for ditching him and then just bursting into his life again. There was so much she needed to say to him, to everyone...

"Morning," Terrin said. "I take it you were the winner of last night's sabaac hand."

"Actually, no," Matt said, frowning as he sat, "I just consummed about a liter less of liquor than Jasyn did. I'm exaggerating, of course. But yeah, I lost. Jasyn's probably got his winnings under his pillow hiding them for fear of losing them the next time we play cards."

"That's Jasyn for you," Terrin said, grinning. Then he turned serious. "By the way, I think I have a job for you. It'll involve some interplanetary travel, which I thought you might like."

Matt seemed to become more alert with that. "Let me hear it," he said.

"Seems the TIE fighter I promised Yaoksi a while back is ready. I got a sweet deal on a brand-spanking new one from the Senator of Sluis Van. Think you'd be interested in taking Yaoksi out there to get her? Jasyn might want to go too..."

"Actually, I'll stay here," a voice replied from the hallway. In a moment a half-asleep Jasyn entered the kitchen and sat at the table.

Terrin quirked a brow. "You sure?"

"Yeah," Jasyn said, looking a bit more alive and grinning, "Somebody's gotta take care of you kids."

Rolling his blues in amusement, Terrin leaned back in his chair. "Allright then. But don't whine if you change your mind and it's too late. Really, I'm thinking you all should be on your way as soon as possible. Today or tomorrow."

Matt nodded. "Okay by me. I guess it's up to Yaoksi though, since it's his ship we'll be taking. And he might want Naisra'len to go with him."

Matt paused a moment, frowning in thought, "So where is Yaoksi at the moment, anyway? Maybe I should give him a comm and tell him the good news..."

[ 01-20-2002 11:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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Terrin's fiancee wasn't the only consistently early riser in this unusual household, I mused silently, wondering to myself if she was ever aware of her constant watchdog. The first time I had heard her slip stealthily from our dwelling place every smuggler's instinct I owned went into red alert. And when I had seen her exiting into the gaping maw of the tunnel leading to the surface, it had been all I could do to keep from running up and confronting her about it. Instead, I had zipped back to our shared home, grabbed my own rebreather, and had followed her dirtside, not really knowing quite what to expect.

Every time was the same. She had picked her way over the sharp, cindery lava flow the tunnel opened to reveal, and had headed to a type of promontory. There she remained stock-still for perhaps twenty minutes or so before quietly turning around and going back the way she had come. The first time I wasn't quite certain myself if I had ducked back in time or not; if she had ever seen me shadowing her or was in any other way aware of my presence, she never spoke of it, though. So our little game of quasi-subterfuge continued, day after day. To the best of my knowledge she never told anybody about these essays, and to protect her alluded desires in the matter neither did I. But I couldn't help but think they were in some manner helping her to heal.

Now I found myself heading toward the kitchen area, seeking food. The hesitant little grin I had worn since pondering over the rebreather blossomed into a full-bore one as the words Terrin was exchanging with his crew came clearly into my ears. I quickened my step, hurrying to join into the conversation when I came upon the door to the great common room. Some little nagging demon made me glance through the doorway even as my feet were hurrying me beyond it...

...except my eyes crashed directly and quite unexpectedly into those of Cella Poliani. She was sitting in there, silent as space, and looked to be deftly creating baby clothes. An itty-bitty jedi robe, mayhap? the ornery thought rose up unbidden within me. Then I sobered with the realization that she hadn't moved her gaze from mine. My heart leapt into my throat when that was followed by another realization.

Now was the time.

Gulping some fortitude into my suddenly shaky psyche, I entered the room and came to a halt in front of her. The ensuing silence roared in my ears until at length I couldn't stand it any longer. My hand flew up to my mouth as I tried to put a wealth of thoughts and words into coherent speech. Thoughts and words which I wasn't quite certain of myself at the moment.

"Look, Cella," I finally began, a bit hesitantly. "I don't know about you, but I've been feeling that we've been tiptoeing around each other for weeks now. If we're all going to work together to look out for this woman and her baby, this has just got to cease."

I paused a moment, considering days gone by, feelings adjusted by events occurring in the interim. I let my hands drop quietly to my sides.

"I hope you don't think that I cut and ran from you back... back there," I finished, then trailed off into silence once again.

[ 01-21-2002 02:08 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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"You risked your life to finish the job when you so easily could have quit. And what did I do? I tossed your credits in your face, ran off with Jeroc, and basically said 'it's been nice knowing you, have a fun life'." She sighed heavily. "The situation was very tense and complicated, but that was no excuse for me to treat you as I did. I'm sorry."

"There's no reason to make amends, Cella," I said softly. "I don't know what's been going on in your head concerning how we started off from Ambria, but I know what's been in mine. I-- it really was a bit ridiculous of me to see things which just weren't there; I believe I owe you an apology for that."

Suddenly aware of my reddening face, I ran a hopefully distracting hand through my hair. From the way Cella kept those bright eyes pinned so clearly to mine though, I knew it didn't work. I smiled a bit crookedly, then lowered my hand and held it out to her. "I don't know all that lies ahead for us, but I'm glad to be able to be back working with you," I tried to smooth over months of unspoken thoughts and misquided feelings. She didn't hesitate, but calmly grasped my hand with her cool one, squeezing tightly as she continued to look into my eyes.

Strangely enough, there wasn't so much as one quickening beat of my heart at that touch. And stranger still, that little fact didn't seem to bother me in the slightest.

Bobbing my head in a silent dismissal, I then turned and continued on my way, a little spring inexplicably coming into my step.

Nassy's gonna be just thrilled about us going on a road trip....

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

Ten credits he's overheard, Terrin mused, grinning to himself. Nice to see some happy faces around here lately...

Yaoksi sat at the table trying his best to look completely oblivious to anything that was going on. Matt shot Terrin an amused look. Yaoksi either ignored that or missed it all together. Terrin had a suspicion it was the former and not the latter. He shot a lopsided grin over at Galen, who had a look of amusement herself, then leaned forward, his elbows on the table. He ran his finger along the rim of his half-drunken mug of caf.

"Sooo.." he started, fighting with the lopsided grin that was threatening to resurface, "I was talking with Matt, and it seems I've finally come upon a deal I couldn't pass up on the TIE fighter I promised you. You'd have to go pick it up at Sluis Van with Matt, but I thought it might be a nice break for you and your crew.

"The drawback is you'd have to leave as soon as possible. A deal like this one comes and goes--I'm talking a brand new, top of the line fighter at manufacturer's cost. They don't come an sweeter than that. And she's all yours, as soon as you go pick her up..."

[ 01-21-2002 10:01 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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...and it's time to space once again!

I couldn't help the idiotic grin that plastered across my face. I'm certain Terrin thought I was some kind of greedy profiteer or something, just tickled as blazes to have my property reimbursed to me, but it wasn't that. I mean, the WannaBee was a handy-dandy little ship to have, and did have her uses, but when push came to shove I did have the Bee... and one can only pilot one ship at a time.

No, it was more than that. It was the hauntingly beautiful siren call of the stars, beckoning me, beckoning that we come...

That we come???

..and lose ourselves, if only for a bit, amidst their mind-boggling splendor. I had to admit to myself: while I intended with every ounce of integrity I possessed to stay dirtside with this group, offering everything I had that they might need for as long as necessary, the fact remained that at heart I was nothing more than a vagabond and a rogue with a bad case of wanderfoot.

Ok, so maybe I wasn't a rogue.

Now I found myself outside Nassy's door, my hand raised to rap a smart tattoo upon it. After a moment's hesitation it opened, revealing an equally hesitant-looking Twi'lek. Her eyes grew deeper, darker when she saw me standing there. Then--

"Yes?" she asked simply, hiding behind her half-opened door.

I was in too good of a mood to let that bother me. "C'mon Nass," I enthused, probably overly so. "Time for a road trip!"

That idiotic grin I wore widening even more, I remained standing there like some kind of scruffy nerfherder, suddenly realizing that not only was the invitation being held out to her, but my hand was as well.

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

Hmmm. This warranted scrutiny.

The hair's-breadth passage of time suddenly expanded into an eternity, one in which I suddenly felt myself falling. Then I managed to bring myself upright once again. I gave her hand a sincere squeeze.

"Half an hour, gunner mine," I said softly. "I'll be seeing you aboard the Bee."

Then I slowly withdrew my hand from hers, and went to prepare my little infiltrator for departure. There was suddenly so much on my mind that I didn't even stop to bid anyone farewell; I just up and headed out the door. The shining specter of a spanking-new TIE-fighter was suddenly dimmed by a shadow of something far brighter, and possibly more enticing.

As I said, scrutiny....

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

Slow down there buddy! No Eagle Enterprises employee, NO TIE FIGHTER!

Matt had to wonder exactly what was going on with the smuggler; wasn't like him to just up and leave.

Maybe he has something else on his mind? Matt mused. Somehow he didn't think a mere TIE-fighter was making the smuggler this hyper-happy.

Sticking his head in the kitchen door, Matt addressed Terrin. "I'll be in contact, but I think if I don't move I'm going to miss my ride."

Terrin nodded and saluted his assistant with a grin on his face. "If you don't call me, I'll call you," he said.

Smiling back, Matt told everyone goodbye and headed out.

Something told him that if he didn't get on the ball and get to the Bee that Yaoksi would completely unintentionally forget him...

[ 01-23-2002 08:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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Something was definitely wrong, and he knew the Sith had just gotten deadlier.

[ 01-24-2002 08:53 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Master Rean ]

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For a long moment I couldn't do anything but remain frozen in that position, grimly hanging on until the waves of pain subsided. At last they receded, releasing me from their steely grasp, and I was able at last to fully let go that breath.

"Wha- what was that?" I blinked as, panting, I turned back and forth between Terrin, who's supportive hands had flown to my shoulders, and the equally stunned Master Rean. The jedi seemed to be pulling himself together from an equally powerful and unseen blow, his clear eyes suddenly clouded with deep concern over something. Seeing that look in his eyes, my hand flew to my stomach; I clearly felt one final, almost defiant kick; then all quieted down within. Frowning, I waited to hear what Rean would have to say about this latest mystery.

[ 01-26-2002 10:28 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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Fear? When had it come to this?

Well, consider your variables. You have two people here who have ability to sense the Force, and BOTH have just doubled over in pain...

Terrin tensed a bit further as the grim possibilities began narrowing to a few utterly terrifying results.

...what about the baby...?

As if on cue to that thought, Galen's hand shifted to her stomach, and she tensed.

No, no, no. Please not another calamity, not NOW...

Suddenly, as if it were dealt by some divine hand, Terrin suddenly found within himself a spark of determination that he wasn't even aware of til it surfaced.

They'd made it this far, through this much Hell. He wasn't about to let them lose now what they'd fought so long and hard for. Whatever was happening in this horrible moment, they'd face it. And somehow they'd survive.

Sensing Galen's tension release only a fraction, he gazed at her a moment as the frown grew on her face and she directed a questioning look to Rean.

As he turned to look at the Jedi, Terrin prepared himself for the look he knew he'd probably see in the Jedi's face.

"Rean?" he asked as the Jedi seemed to regain his senses. Jasyn had placed a hand on the man's shoulder as if to steady him. "What's going on?"

[ 01-26-2002 11:07 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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I looked at my miserable hand, then scowled at the Idiot's Hand Matt had just splayed out so nonchalantly. Between his incredible run of luck, not to mention that of my gunner's, I was rapidly approaching a state of affairs where I'd have to find a run on Sullust, just to reimburse myself what I was losing here.

I scowled even more blackly, and threw my cards down in disgust. Matt chuckled with glee, and leaned forward to scrape in his winnings. Even Nassy joined him in muted laughter, though her small pile of credits was starting to dwindle a bit as well.

I leaned back in my chair, and flipped the switch disengaging my portable sabaac set. Matt froze in mid-scrape, and pinned his eyes into mine. I only scowled more deeply.

"No, I'm not letting you win just because Eagle Enterprises is giving me a new TIE," I muttered with a mock grumble. "Nor do I plan on financing your organization for the upcoming fiscal year."

"In other words, the buck stops here?" Matt smiled as he pocketed his winnings. Then he took a sip of the sparkling water we were all imbibing in. Nassy looked to him, to me, back to him, and grinned.

Now I let the grin I had been struggling to keep at bay burst out on my face. "All right, all right, I'll go another round if that's how you two are gonna be about it!" I relented. Nassy only cocked her brows at that, a slim hand raising to hide the smile playing prettily about her face. Matt had no such self-restrictions; he grinned like a rancor after dinner.

"Your funeral, pal!" he commented as he sat back, waiting for me to deal.

I sighed, beginning to shuffle the cards. "You know," I brought up a sudden thought. "I was just wondering if I could have your imput on something." I paused for a bit, awared that both Nassy and Matt had sobered, and were quietly waiting for me to continue.

"It's about what's going on back on Sullust." I waved an expansive hand. "Nassy has brought up before that she thinks it would not behoove us to remain like sitting worrts all in one spot; on one hand I sorta agree with her. Yet on the other, Sullust is a good place to hide. But I wonder if it is the most appropriate place in the galaxy to raise a baby...

"...not that I'm saying that's what the plan is," I amended hastily. "I'm just trying to figure out what that best plan would be. Not to mention I'm wondering how you think we can truly hide from Sith if they really do want to get their hands on that baby. You saw how easily that creature came and..."

I brought myself to a sudden halt, seeing a thundercloud beginning to condense in Matt's eyes. I held out my hands in surrender.

"Hey, I'm not planning a mutiny here or anything, pal," I continued; then, setting the cards off to one side I leaned forward and laced my fingers together. "I'm just trying to determine the best course of action for us, as a group. I realize we have these two Jedi with us to watch out and assist, but you know how they can be. Only acting in self-defense, and all that holier-than-thou rot.

"Me, I'm a guy who's a bit more action oriented. Yet something tells me that if we stay where we are there's gonna be more action than I want to deal with, or place my crew in direct line of fire of... not to mention the emotions of a gal who's already taken in way too much pain than anyone ought to see in fifteen lifetimes."

I sat back, running my hands down my face, wondering what the hell it was that I was trying to say. Why I was asking Matt, instead of waiting until we got back to speak directly with Terrin. Then it hit me, and I struggled on.

"I think Captain Danner is too close to the issue here, personally I mean. Maybe you are far enough removed to be able to use more logic; I know he wants nothing more than to keep Galen safe, and so far, outside of-- of, ahh... the incident... it has in fact been quiet.

"I think too quiet. What about you?"

Running down like a flagging ikopi, I silently reached for the cards and started to deal them out, my eyes never moving from Matt's face as I waited for him to reply.

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

Sullust WAS a good hiding place. They were safe from prying eyes and ears there. But then, considering the Sith they were dealing with, that DIDN'T mean bantha poodoo.

And the Jedi? Well, they always seemed to have a nack for either showing up RIGHT AFTER something terrible happened or disappearing right before. Though Cella Poliani HAD defended Galen against the Noghri back on Khar Delba...

But what would happen when defending themselves crossed the line of Jedi defense/offense? Would they be left high and dry, in an area where they could be potentially TRAPPED as well as hidden from everyone else?

And what would Terrin think of all this if Matt found himself agreeing with Yaoksi that they should move? Would he bothered that they'd come to such a conclusion without his being a part of the discussion? But then, maybe Terrin WAS too close to the situation. Maybe he needed to hear some brutal honesty from a good friend...

Sighing, Matt leaned back. "Something tells me we should give Master Rean and Jedi Poliani a fair shot at trying to protect Galen and the baby. But," Matt added, pausing to gather his thoughts, "You might be on to something in that it's been too quiet too long. I know Terrin just wants a peaceful life and a good home for Galen and the baby, but if we stay still too long we could be setting ourselves up for trouble.

"But, like you said, these Sith just sorta pop out of nowhere when they are ready to pull something. So...where do we hide? When will we ever be completely safe? How can we just keep running from them, and what can we possibly do to just plain STOP them? It's not like we haven't tried going head to head with these guys before. I just...I just don't know what we should do..."

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"Galan from this point anywere you go be sure that either Terrin or I are with you. I don't beleive that there is another attack to you on the way but I must find out what is happening." He watched her breifly before turning a stronge gaze to Terrin to emphysize his words. He then strode to his room to make contact with the councel and do a little investigation work for himself.

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"None of these transactions have Terrin's name on them," she observed. "Thinks he's hiding from us, no doubt."

Izzy warbled something.

"Yes, yes I know he's doing a pretty good job of hiding on Sullust from us you rusting tin can."

Izzy blew a raspberry and began to roll away. Shayla merely looked up at the droid as she began to drift and rolled her eyes. "Come back here you. I'm just irritated I can't find him. He always had a knack for business and stealth. But there's got to be something he's missed."

Bleeping something quizzical, Izzy rolled back.

"Oh really?" Shayla questioned back, glancing at the datapad again. Biting her lip, she stared at the data streaming across it as she thought. "Maybe you are on to something. Keep an eye on that, would you?" she asked. "I think we will be coming up on Sullust soon, I'm going to head back to the cockpit. You let me know if you pull anything of use."

Bleeping an affirmative, the droid headed for a terminal as Shayla stood and headed for the cockpit where Leev stood watching vigilantly.

As Shayla sat in the captain's chair, she turned to regard him a moment. "I believe we may have some work to do shortly, my friend."

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