Silence... no gentle rumblings of her dear M'wonBo'o, no equally gentle snores of any breathing, human or otherwise, to mar the liquid quiet... only the distant whirs and whines as the unearthly ship suddenly drew itself out of hyperspace to lurk ominously against the suddenly reappearing starfield.

She relaxed into a smile.

They had arrived.

Smoothly rising now, she gave her bandaged hand a lingering glance, then headed for the Sith version of a 'fresher. Invisible fingers reached out to shiver particles born of anxiety and weariness away; when she emerged it was with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.

Donning a simple and flowing gown she found in her locker, she tossed her hair out of her eyes. The reaching for her signature cloak, she threw it over her arm, glanced yet one last time at her hand, and headed for the command center.

There she found Recinis in the act of turning to face her, his hands still finishing their task of breaking them out of hyperspace.

"I see we have come to Tatooine," she commented lightly, nodding her head in greeting toward him. Then she leaned gracefully in front of him to flick a particular switch. A barely discernable thrummm vibrated the very cells of her being as a protective All-shield leapt into being around the ship. Only those able to use the All would be able to penetrate that barrier, let alone sense they were actually there.

"Now we are protected, my protector," she said to Recinis, turning to look him straight in the eye before drawing back to stand quietly beside him. Then she frowned, her attention captured by a particular sigil which was flashing a brilliant red warning.

"What is this?" she breathed ominously, the question half query, half growl. In one fluid motion she sank into the chair next to Recinis, and lowered her brows at what was now revealed to her in the forward viewscreen. Her visage darkened even further, and she turned to her protector.

"Unless Tatooine has suddenly acquired an additional moon, my friend, I believe we may have found our quarry."

Now a slow smile curled her lips, exposing her teeth in an ivory promise to the unknown, but an unknown of which she was all too keenly aware.

"Let the games begin...."

"Hey, sleepyhead," she said, shaking him slightly, "Reversion time."

Slowly, Loban stirred, and without further word went to the task of getting their little ship in realspace. Beside him, Shayla sat up and prepared her senses to be on full alert when they entered realspace.

"They are in the system, and are coming in towards us... Master..." The voice came in on the comm system...

Tyberius pressed a button, and replied to the message,"Good, let us see if they notice us..."

Tyberius closed the comm link, and took a very small metallic object, and placed it to his forehead...

He was now in a trance... he could now see things that had yet to come...

"Ahhhh... so, young Lo-Ban, you are full of surprises..."

Tyberius then sent a command to the bridge,"Send a message to Lo-Ban's 'ship'... tell him we shall meet in Mos Eisley..."

The small moon came out of its orbit, and slowly came down, threw the atmosphere of Tatooine...

"You are to set down in Mos Eisley..." Was all the voice said...

"Look there..."

Lo-Ban pointed at a very small moon, falling from orbit...

"I guess we wait..."

A moon landing on the surface of a planet? Now THAT wasn't obvious at all...

She actually laughed a moment at the utter ridiculousness of the situation, but then she sobered.

Things that look as ridiculous as this indicate a person who is one of two things. Either entirely too stupid for his or her own good, or entirely too self-confident in the powers he or she thought they possessed, whether real or not. Although Shayla was banking on the latter scenario, in any case both could be put to use...

It set down 500 yards from the modified pod...

"I think this form has run its course..."

The moon transformed into what seemed to be a gigantic spherical lead weight... in essence, it was lead, to the core...

He ignored those questions as he slowly slipped out of the town, walking on the outskirts, but unkwnoingly his pace was undescrible by a Non-Force Sensetive creature. Falling into a skid, before him laid one ship, and a moon falling toward the surface, and indeed it would land.

Lo-Ban opened the cockpit, and jumped out...

He could see a man staggering his way in their direction...

"Woah, hold up there... what is the problem?"

The man paid no heed to Lo-Ban's words... He fell onto Lo-Ban, nearly knocking him to the ground...

"What's wrong... get off me..." Lo-Ban said, the man clearly confused...

The man would not let Lo-Ban out of his grasp, Lo-Ban took his lightsaber... with the hilt of his saber, he knocked the man unconscious...

Then, they headed onward towards their destination. Even so, the young man who had so strangely interrupted them continued to try to block. Before anyone could react, Shayla stepped away from Loban whirled, her leg coming up as she did so. She nailed the young man squarely where it counted.

He stumbled back in surprise. Shayla used that moment. Her right hand came up, balled in a fist. She forcefully pulled it upward til it came in contact with the man's chin. This, in combination with her initial attack sent him backwards. He hit the ground hard and was out cold.

Out of nowhere an opening appeared... as if a piece of the ship had disappeared...

Two beings came out from the opening, and approached Shayla and Lo-Ban...

"You are to come with us... The boy only..."

It was with the greatest of difficulties she announced the simple word,

"No."

Recinis turned to her in surprise. Nodding in acknowledgement of his concern, Graysith continued.

"Here we are yet unknown, and have the element of surprise should we need it. A wise commander does not act upon the first responses of the initial troops he sends into battle, but lays back to see what information those scouts would eventually bring to him."

She took a step forward, concentrating with all her being to unite the electric bits and currents she was receiving in her mind with the receiver for the forward screen. Quite suddenly the image of what was occurring below them splayed out upon that screen, so Recinis could follow along with her.

"We shall continue to wait here, my friend," she whispered quietly.

Here came an enigma, indeed. First an apparent moon... now a sphere of lead...

Suddenly her eyes widened, and she stepped back, almost as if recoiling from the screen. Her eyes cut to Recinis.

"Nothing may block the All except the All, my friend," she whispered in near shock, turning back to blink at the screen in a confusion which bordered shock.

No use irritating someone she knew nothing of yet...

"Go," she told him, crossing her arms. Then she waited.

He was led to a conference room, he entered to find Tyberius sitting on the far end of the room...

"Come in, Lo-Ban, I congratulate you on your success..."

Lo-Ban nodded,"I thought you wished to speak with her?"

Tyberius gave no thought to those words, only one thing on his mind..."Where is the device I gave you, young one..."

Lo-Ban didn't understand,"What about Shayla?"

Tyberius shot out of his seat, filled with anger,"TO HELL WITH SHAYLA!!!..." He collected himself and lowered his voice... "Where is the device?"

"I.. left it on Khar Delba... I didn't need it any longer... and since you had so many, I didn't find the need to return it..."

Tyberius gave this some thought,"No matter..." he said with a smile on his face... "You did a good job, now you may leave..."

Lo-Ban stood there a moment, and then asked a question,"What about the Council, and me becoming a Jedi?"

Tyberius' smile grew..."I lied young one, you really should learn not to trust so easily..." A little laughter mixed in at the end... "Now, be off with you..."

Tyberius pressed a button, and gave an order,"Ready someone else to complete the task..."

"And the young man?"

"Hmmmmm, good question..." Tyberius paused briefly, then continued..."HOW ABOUT KILL HIM, is that alright with you!?!?!"

Tyberius closed the comm,"I am surrounded by friggen idiots..."

"Stop there..." came a voice behind Lo-Ban...

Lo-Ban turned, and faced a man holding a blaster up...

"Only one of you? Really..."

The man stared down at his blaster, he only held half of it now...

By the time the man came to his senses, Lo-Ban was behind him..."You were to close, my friend... you better know a way out of this ship, for your sake..."

Lo-Ban let him lead the way, keeping a tab on his every move...

"Here is a hatch... all you need is a hand imprint..."

Lo-Ban gave him a look, then..."We can do this the easy way, or the really easy way... you choose my friend..."

After hearing this, the man placed his hand to the pad, and the door opened...

Lo-Ban took the hilt of his saber, and knocked the man unconcious..."I can't have you setting an alarm off..."

He exited the ship, and started circling it to find Shayla... after a bit of jogging, Lo-Ban had found Shayla...

Something is very wrong here...

"I don't think he was after you... all he cared about was that damn device..."

She pursed her lips, thinking.

What was so very important about that device? Why would they be more interested in it than her? And furthermore, why would they use that device to track her if it was so important? What else, in fact, might they be trying to find with it?

Shayla thought a bit more on that.

She was a missing Padawan who had been taken by a Sith, that much was known. So someone MIGHT go looking for a missing padawan...

Her thoughts froze at that...

...to find the Sith? Was she somehow some sort of method for Tyberius to find the Sith because, for some reason, her blood sample was accessible when Graysith's or one of the other Sith's were not? Should she continue to stand her ground and try to find out more of this puzzle, or leave while she still could?

Then, something else slammed home. She whirled to face the sphere, something completely inscrutable clouding her eyes.

When Loban had gone onto that "ship"....

...he had simply disappeared. And furthermore, if this was a ship or something of some sort and at LEAST Tyberius was aboard, the thing was looking like and acting completely like nothing more than a sphere...

"We need to investigate further," Shayla said at last. "You remember the way in?"

Lo-Ban led her to the passage he had just escaped from...

They entered quickly, Lo-Ban dragged the body outside, and closed the hatch...

"Where should we start?"

He is seeking the Sith.... Can this be true?

But why by such a convoluted method? And why?

Within, the Beast roared.

Graysith trembled, watching as Shayla directed Loban to remain and investigate.

TRAP!!! something screamed inside her, agonizing that she dared not make their presence known to offer assistance. Her hand reached out to the navboard...

...and quickly typed in the codes to take them back to Phrinnchatka.

This had to be brought to Aelvedaar, immediately. Someone with an apparent use of the All, or at least someone commanding a craft which used it somewhat, could quite possibly be trailing them like a hunting Noghri. She didn't know who, or why; what mattered was the fact that the merest possibility was enough to send red warning flags screeching within her soul.

Her hand paused over the sigil to initiate, and she darted a look to Recinis. Knew he was just as aware as she of what might be happening on the dusty surface below. And shot a final question at him,

"Which is the best direction for the warrior to travel, my protector?"

Loban looked at little surprised, but not for long.

As if to answer something Loban had never said, Shayla simply stated, "Trust me."

Then, drawing an All Shield about both herself and Loban, she waited to for him to lead the way.

YOU HAVE TO GO AND HELP! His thoughts screamed at him.
No....you must be as informed as graysith if you wish to help...charging blindly will only get you all hurt...shayla and loban have what is needed to survive

many thoughts of that sort went screaming through his head, all of this taking a few seconds.

"we must both go to Aelvadaar...i can do no good down there without further knowledge about this...they will be fine for the time being...We must leave and make plans with all due haste..."
sighing he turned away, a sadened look crossing his face.

They came to the room where Lo-Ban had left Tyberius...

Moist body fluids dripped from his lips at the mere thought of how quick he'd have to be....

A flash of ebony non-light descended from simply nowhere, dripping down from a place between seconds where even time and space cannot be said to truly exist. Minion of the dark this demonic being might be, but he had the All at his command, and the dark blessings of One even darker than he.

Indeed the Chosen One's words were correct:

Only the All can block the All... but what many sentients failed to understand was that the converse was equally as true.

Graysith didn't even have the time to scream. Her protector likewise barely had time to lunge forward, sword in hand, when the hideous being landed on the Chosen Daughter like the shadow of Death. Before she could so much as raise a protective screen, his disproportionately long armored tail lashed around, and stabbed deeply into her side.

She groaned and began to go limp, though obviously struggling to remain upright and do battle in return.

Maladius chortled blackly, clutching her to his body with his claws.

"Don't you want to go see your baby girl?" he whispered into her ear, drool now flowing out to stain the gown she was wearing. "Oh, of COURSE you do! Time for a happy family reunion!"

Snapping his head up and locking the charging Recinis eyes with his own blood-red orbs, he paused for just one brief moment.

He sat down... and all of a sudden, Shayla and Lo-Ban found themselves in an empty room...

Another illusion!?

Lo-Ban got to his feet, and shot Shayla a look..."We must have entered this room when we 'thought' we entered the ship... any ideas?" There seemed to be no door, or hatch of any kind...

Meanwhile...

The Endeavor shot up from the surface of Tatooine... leaving the room, which held both Lo-Ban and Shayla, behind...

"Shayla, Loban, return at once!"

he then sat on the ship and began thinking, his awarness suddenly at its peak, his eyes glowing with an intense fire.

I will not fail! he screamed at his self, his rage blocking himself from all logical though
That...THING! will pay! I can not lose her to anything! unconciously he had begun to scream his thoughts out loud, the ecco's rang within the ship loudly, but he barely noticed anything besides his own continuing barage of thought.

Finnaly his rage began to subside, and his thinking became logical once again.

Failure...is not...an option. was his final thought before once again entering a state of blankness...

Aelvadaar would know what to do...and if not... Recinis would find a way...he always did in the end.

This was just no good, no good at all.

She turned to Loban. Without so much as a word, she simply opened a portal in the All and, grabbing his hand, pulled Loban right along with her as she stepped into it. On the other side of the portal lay Tatooine, and the L-pod which they had left.

But Shayla didn't have time to react to that. She was suddenly slammed with something that seemed like an afterthought; like a scream in agonizing and lethal pain. Shayla doubled over and gasped, but managed to stay upright. "Graysith..." she whispered, her eyes clouding. "We've gotta find Recinis...something is terribly wrong...""

Then, forcing herself to stand straight, Shayla didn't wait for Loban to ask any questions, but directed him back to the L-pod.

They seated themselves, warmed the little ship, and headed upward.

"Where are they?"

Then, straightening, she looked Loban dead in the eye. "Two days isn't gonna cut it. We need to move NOW."

Pulling the All about herself, about Loban, and about the entire little L-pod in which they traveled, Shayla one last time opened a portal in the All. Still a very young All user, she made the step through the portal successfully, but she shuddered at the effort as the L-pod slipped through the portal into orbit around K'eel Doba.

(((OCC: Follow into "When the Bough Breaks" in the Jedi Praxeum and Sith Temple Forum)))

Rushing up the ramp he fell down, and began coordinates to shift the door ramp upward, along with the ship toward hte orbit where he saw the people go. Heading toward the orbit as quick as possible with his ruggid ship, he rushed behind far behind them.

However, Tylon was busy watching the events unfold in orbit of the planet...thanks to his 'friend.'

He had just watched one of the Sith ships leave, somethng he saw inside his mind that the Jedi provided. Most interesting.

"Should we follow them?" Tylno asked aloud.

Of course, we should. But not now. I have to discover where they're heading first, and that could take some time.

The bounty hunter laid back in the seat, closed his eyes, and slept.

His fate is now his own. he thought.

Paul knew there was another threat that still lingered on Tattooine. The Jedi wondered on how he should deal with it.

My lightsaber's gone and I have no ship. he reminded himself. After a few seconds, he laughed to himself, catching the attention of a few pedestrians walking by.

What's wrong? I'm on TATTOOINE! I can find anything here!

The Jedi had an ignited lightsaber in his hand, and held it in a guarding position. Tylon realized he too was holding a lightsaber. Suddenly, the Jedi lunged at him, and he tried to bring the saber up to defend himself but he couldn't move.

Why can't I block?! he thought..but it wasn't what he was thinking of. In fact, he could almost swore these thoughts were not of his own...

Just as the light of the saber blinded his eyes, Tylon suddenly became face to face with a stormtrooper.

Or rather a stormtrooper's head. Tylon looked down at himself, and realized he was wearing the Imperial uniform.

No...not again. Then he heard the humming of another lightsaber, and as he looked up, he saw the face of someone he knew died a long time ago.

Tylon instinctively tried to aim his blaster, but again he couldn't move. The Jedi chuckled. "Not this time bounty hunter."

I don't remember this! The 'dead' Jedi charged at Tylon, and again there was a blinding flash.

This time he did not awake in a Jedi Training room, nor in an alley on Coruscant. Instead, all he saw was nothing but darkness...

A light appeared in front of him, showing the presence of a rober figure. The man looked up, and Tylon instantly recognized him as the Jedi Master he had seen at first.

"Who are you? What's happening to me?" The bounty hunter asked. The Jedi in front of him gave a nod.

"This is your destiny. Your fate is now sealed; you can't turn from it now."

Tylon didn't understand what he was talking about. "Destiny...you mean with the Jedi I killed?"

The Jedi have another nod. "He is my apprentice, and he has turned to evil, and is absorbing great power from it. Your hand in his fate was killing him, and in doing so, becoming a vessel for him to inhabit...until the time comes when he can take control."

Tylon looked down, feeling betrayed. "Damn him. I knew there was something wrong, but he would--What can I do?"

The Jedi sighed. "There is nothing you can do. But...you still have a part to play. The light has chosen you. You must accept it." He held out his hand.

There was laughter, echoing everywhere around Tylon.

It's happening. Realizing, what must be done, he stepped toward the Jedi.

"So many years," he began, "I've killed enough people for almost two lifetimes, as a soldier...and as a hunter. Every day I felt remorse for what I had done, and I've always admitted to myself...I would suffer the consquences of what I had done. And this is it." Tylon took the hand of the Jedi...

...And thought no more.

In the morning...

In The Merciless, a figure stirred. Clad in Mandalorian armour, a lightsaber that had been found resting at his side, the man awoke from his dreams.

But his eyes were not his own. Jakob Renard, former Jedi of the Light, Dark Lord of the Force, was reborn again.

"To live amongst the stars...yet again..." The voice was no longer Tylon's, and the tone was far more sinister.

The Merciless later jumped into hyperspace...