Terrin's blues grew deeper as concern grew in them. "You mean the ones from Kori'san that tested after I was...

...well, brought back?" He paused then, frowning. "And the Yuuzhan Vong approaching with no one having any special powers that we all have come so dependent on..."

He trailed, realizing the deep truth in the words he had just spoken, becoming increasingly worried about the fate of those closest to him with the incoming threats, perhaps more so than he had ever been even dealing with the majority of the Sith.

Excepting perhaps one Sith, of course. "I've got big ships, and lots of resources...

...but even all the firepower in the galaxy may not be enough, especially not without Force abilities and so forth," he admitted worriedly. "What're we going to do?"

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

"I need to do this myself," she said simply, hesitating one final moment before proceeding into the room the medic had motioned her towards. Inside was a medcot, recently mostly vacated...

...excepting the lone figure who sat on the end of the bed, looking up after being interrupted from his reverie, the look of surprise growing in his eyes as they fell into hers.

Her greeny blue eyes grew moist. "Oh Erik...

...I'm so sorry. Some sort of Darkness took over me...

...and Jharmeen as well. I can't forgive myself for what I did to you, and I'll understand if you can't forgive me either."

She paused then, looking down at the bulkhead of the ship once more. "I have done other terrible things..."

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

"Panthar has a-- a rather complicated history," I began in apparent non sequiteur. "But suffice it to say he was once an archeologist, who studied the ancient Sith."

Kinda like Dad-- The thought rose without bidding; gulping down the pain his death still brought, I forced myself to go on.

"He said something about an-- an ancient Sith world, something about some things he thought existed on that world. Said they might be useful, maybe not operating on magick or something. Mentioned something about some ancient Sith; look, I don't know the whole story, but I think we should all have a sit-down about this."

I paused a moment.

"Maybe he's got something that might be helpful... as might whatever Shayla can tell us. She spent time on the incoming Vong ship... so did my sister."

Again I paused, chewing my cheek.

"I think we'd better collect all parties, get everyone together. Let bygones be bygones--"

That last I knew was directed primarily at myself.

"--and combine what we've got and what we know. The Vong were defeated before; I'm sure they can be again."

At least I fervently hoped so.

[ 12-08-2007 11:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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He paused then, a bit of a frown creeping his face. "Maybe we ought to let everyone know they've got about eight standard hours to get some rest...

...and hopefully in the meantime they'll get my arm fixed," he finished with, disliking the idea of being sans one arm for much longer.

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

"I wonder why ol' Googly was there?" I mumbled, stifling a yawn and instinctively drawing my legs up. Suddenly I was tired, so very very tired. The simple act of standing up seemed far beyond my reach, not to mention finding my way to our quarters for the rest I found myself so suddenly needing.

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Pausing then, he waved a drowsy hand for a medic to come over. "Tell the returning party members to come to my office in eight standard hours...

...and have the crew make sure to get them something to eat and some quarters in the meantime."

Trailing then, Terrin found himself slipping off into the slumber he was supposed to be engaging in from the time he arrived back onship, knowing deep down how very much they'd all need rest to deal with the matters they were about to face.

[ 12-09-2007 12:01 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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...but things like this had happened before. "Please, tell me what you mean."

Finally stepping up closely enough to her to take her chin in his hand, he forced her to look into his eyes, and actually stretched out with the Force to sense her, knowing that although his abilities were untrained that he should at least be able to sense her feelings and emotions...

...but he felt nothing at all. His brown eyes widened, and he let her chin go, taking the slightest step back as more hurt registered in his eyes. "You are blocking me from you in the Force?"

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

Pausing, she gently let her arm drop. "As to That Which Is...you remember from Kor'isan, when Terrin was resurrected? Now That Which Is stated...on Degobah in fact, that we have been taking the easy path to help one person far too many times...

...and I think this is our punishment for not considering the Grander Spectrum of Things. Or perhaps this is a test, for That Which Is is known for such things."

Pursing her lips a bit, she continued then. "The Yuuzhan Vong are incoming, and we're going to have to rely on our own physical abilities and wit...

...something that you long ago decided was more important than becoming a Jedi, I know. You should have a particular advantage over all of us that rely too solidly on our abilities to get things done...

...myself included. She paused a momennt, looking into his deep browns. "Will you teach me?"

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...I think things will be allright," he said, breaking the awkward silence. "I'm sure the other guys have gone for a Whyrene's on Red Level; it's Jasyn's favorite haunt, especially right before he's about to crash. A good mug of Whyrene's is sounding pretty inviting anyway. How about we check in on them before Jasyn drinks all the reserve?" he queried then, falling silent as a bit of humor lightened his features.

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“Yeah,” he agreed. “Let’s get away from here.”

Panthar followed Aaron through the halls, glad to have someone to follow. The ship was huge and would be very easy to get lost in. Eventually, after changing levels, they arrived at the entrance to a lounge. Again, Panthar followed Aaron inside.

There were several off-duty crewman scattered about, and Panthar searched for familiar faces. His thoughts turned again to Shayla, and found himself wondering what was happening in that room, wishing he could be there.

“You know,” he said, turning again to Aaron, “I’ve never been much of a drinker, but I’m feeling that now is good time to learn. What do I start with?”

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...but the freedom that a bit of alcohol consumption can bring prohibited Jasyn from considering that. "Hey, guys!" he called in their direction, waving them over. With a shake of his head, Aaron headed over and took a seat along with Panthar.

Jasyn raised a finger to alert a waiter, who came over. "Another Whyrene's sir?" he queried, obviously having dealt with Jasyn's orders in the past.

"Yeah," Jasyn responded, quirking an eyebrow Aaron's way. Aaron nodded. "And one for my two friends here too..."

He paused, eyeing a somewhat depressed looking Panthar. "Or do you want something stronger?"

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...something else happened. He opened his mouth wordlessly...

...then shut it as a mental reminder. Love without trust...

...remember? There was a time you waited patiently for her to trust you...

...and now she needs you to trust her...

...blindly. Which is nothing short of what you were once asking.

Stepping forward a bit then, Erik took her chin in his hand once more, feeling her tremble slightly at his touch. "I forgive you," he said then softly. "And yes, I will help you in whatever way I can."

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“Something stronger,” he said. His eyes flicked to Jasyn, and in his peripheral vision he noticed most of the other patrons were staring at him in wonder. He suddenly felt like a novelty at a dinner party, and didn’t much care for it.

“And lots of it,” he added.

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

...at least, not entirely. "Only two...one for each of them," Aaron chimed in then, first pointing to Panthar then to Jasyn. "And I don't want to hear any belly-aching about the hang over."

Quieting then, Aaron let the waiter move on to fill the order, and Jasyn began humming his merry tune for a couple of seconds more before stopping and regarding the bummed-out looking Panthar. It didn't even dawn on him that Panthar stuck out in the bar like a sore thumb.

"So, what's got your goat?" he asked in Panthar's direction as the waiter approached with the requested drinks.

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

He let out a long sigh, letting his head fall backwards until he stared at the ceiling.

“I used to think someday I’d get famous, get the adventuring out of my system, and settle down with some nice woman and raise a family. Well, I don’t know what kind of girl would want to settle down with a big red horned dude, certainly not anyone I know… well, 'cept maybe Gray, but she's a little messed up.”

He leanded forward again, letting his elbows fall on the table.

“And with all the big stuff coming down, I doubt I’ll be able to settle down anytime soon anyway.”

The waiter reappeared at that moment, placing a mug in front of Panthar. He stared at the ruby red liquid, watching it slosh a bit, then settle into a smooth plane. As the others picked up their mugs and shook the table, the smooth red surface was broken into a torrent once again

“It’s red,” sighed Panthar. He rolled his eyes up to look at the others, who seemed to be waiting for him. He shrugged and picked up his mug.

He brought it closer to his mouth, then noticed that the others were still waiting.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “There’s like some kind of toast or something we’re supposed to give first. How’s this? To the Sith! One messed-up bunch of crazy ancient dudes, without them life would be boring.”

With that he brought the mug to his lips and drank. To his surprise, the concoction was actually good. It burned as it made its way down his throat, but it was a pleasant sensation. He felt the liquid meet his stomach, and an immediate warmth sprung from the center of his chest and spread quickly through him. Before he knew it, the mug was empty.

He placed the mug on the table and wiped his mouth with his hand. His massive Sith body seemed to tingle with the warmth, and he found that he liked that feeling. The waiter had turned to return to the bar when he heard Panthar’s mug hit the table. Turning, a look of surprise registered on his face.

“Anything stronger?” asked Panthar.

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

He paused, eyeballing Panthar, wondering if the when the WalknFall was really going to hit home. From his experience, the stuff seemed to sort of...

...sneak up on a person all at once. Or at least, it did with Jasyn. And with Jasyn a drinker, when it did hit home...

...it still hit hard. "We've got alot of stuff to face just yet, and you need your wits about you."

As he was saying that, his comm went off with a general text message, notifying him that Terrin wanted everyone to meet in eight standard hours. He accepted the message, read it, and looked up. "We've got a meeting in the Captain's office in eight standard hours."

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

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

...those things are late slammers."

He paused, chewing his lip a bit before taking a sip of his Whyrene's. "If you take up drinking like that, you're going to fit in really well here in certain circles...

..regardless of the color of your skin or the size of your horns." Eyeballing Jasyn with that final little comment, Aaron sat back a bit, took another sip from his mug...

...and decided that it wouldn't be too long before he would be retiring for some sleep as some others had already done.

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

Panthar leaned back on his chair and slouched. He sighed again and looked around the room. The walls seemed to be a bit further away than they were a few minutes before, and the warmth had permeated through his entire body. There seemed to be more people in the room now, and several of the men quickly turned their heads as he tried to lock eyes with someone.

A young female crew member did not look away, and Panthar raised an eyebrow as he locked eyes with her. A smile curled on the side of his mouth, and he turned away to take another swig from his mug.

“Yeah…”

He glanced over at the woman again, then stifled back a giggle.

“Sho,” he continued, looking back at the guys. “Everyone up to shpeed on the deep poodoo we’re in? I’m really glad we got all of you guysh here, shafe and shound.”

[ 12-10-2007 09:26 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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"But..." Jasyn started, just having downed his WAlknFall, "Night's young!"

Aaron shook his head, his look speaking volumes. "Now," he reiterated, getting to his feet and motioning the others to follow suit. "You two," he said, pointing to Jasyn then Matt...

...and particularly Jasyn, "Know where to go. As for you..."

Aaron trailed a moment, cocking a head towards Panthar. "I can set you up with some quarters now. And don't worry, you can take the remainders of your drink along with you..."

He paused. "If you must."

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

Panthar walked after Aaron, slower than usual. He smiled at the woman again as he passed, dipping his head slightly. This was a mistake, as he staggered a bit towards her. He grabbed the edge of the bar to stop himself, and found himself face to face with her.

“Sorry,” he smiled. “Firsht time drinker, maybe lasht too. Yer cute, by the way.”

Panthar felt a tug on his arm and he began to be pulled towards Aaron. “Night!” he called out as Aaron dragged him from the lounge.

Panthar was soon in bed, an alarm set to wake him in time to get cleaned up and meet with Aaron.

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

..and even more relieved when it finally slammed home that Terrin was back, and everyone was safe (at least for the moment)...

...and that he wasn't responsible for this grand Super Star Destroyer alone any longer. Hornett was, after all, not his ship. Business for Eagle Enterprises just happened to be running through her, therefore supplying her and keeping her going. The fact he wasn't in charge any more was liberating.

It is time to get some rest, Commander, he thought to himself, setting his comm to wake him in the appropriate amount of time to be up and ready for what laid ahead before drifting off to sleep.

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

Beneath his touch, she trembled, once more. "I knew what I was doing to you, even when the Darkness held me," she said softly, closing her eyes then. "I am still responsible, regardless of the Darkness."

Quieting then, she pulled away and turned, unable to look him in the face amy longer. "How can you forgive me when things like this have happened before...

...and could happen again?"

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

...and closed his own eyes a moment before stepping up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder, his answer coming simply and quite easily. "Because I love you."

She turned to look at him, tears now streaming from her eyes. He drew her in closely for a long moment, feeling her tremble beneath his touch...

...and feeling his mind wander back to thoughts he had previous to her return.

He couldn't help but miss times like these, when it was just the two of them, and nothing else mattered. But now...

...now was not the time. And there were a lot of things that did matter now. One of which he was tired of leaving on the back burner...

...and was quite suddenly very concerned about.

He pulled away slighly to look into her eyes again. "With all of this removal from the Force and the All..."

He trailed, frowning. "What of our son, back on Khar Delba, in that Sith incubator? How much of what was protecting him involved magicks and All? And what of his own Force-connections to you which might have been sustaining him?"

The look in her eyes grew deeper and troubled. "I...I don't know. And with everything that is going to happen..."

He forced her to look him in the eye. "...we have to find out. He's our son."

She closed her eyes to hide the pain which seemed to be welling up in them...

...but Force or not, Erik still knew it was there. "There has to be a place and time for this even while we help everyone decide what to do about the incoming Vong and lend our abilities and resources to contribute to the..."

He paused, trying to recall exactly how she put it. "...Grand Spectrum of Things."

She nodded mutely to this, leaning into him a bit as if seeking his warmth. He wrapped an arm about her, and nodded back towards the the bed. "We'll figure out what to do about all of this later," he then stated. "For now we should both get some rest."

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...and the young man opened his mouth to apologize, no doubt having decided to attach Terrin's prosthetic while he slept rather than disturbing him. Terrin waved the apologies off with said new appendage then put a finger to his lips, not deigning to move his other arm which remained wrapped about Galen. The medic nodded appreciatively then backed out of the room entirely to leave Terrin to inspect the wonder of technology which was his right arm. As did its predecessor, the arm looked and felt like the real thing. Terrin couldn't help but marvel a bit at this...

...but then thoughts of something other made him frown. This was just the sort of technology that the Yuuzhan Vong loathed so very much, at least according to the very little he knew of them. He hadn't been very old when they had been driven back out of the galaxy...

...and neither had most of his companions. He didn't know when they were going to return according to the predictions given by the Sith, but he knew one thing for kriffing certain.

This was not going to be easy, especially now that Googly had revoked the abilities which had helped defeat the Vong in the past.

With a slight sigh, Terrin closed his eyes, and remained that way for a long moment, basking in the warmth of being close by Galen, not daring to take it for granted.

After all, if those he loved were going to remain safe...and if the entire galaxy was going to remain safe, for that matter... they were going to have to do... something.

Letting another long moment tick by, Terrin opened his eyes again, reached for his commlink...

...and realized with a start that eight standard hours had already come and gone. He reached a hand over to Galen then and placed it on her shoulder with a gentle shake. "Hey sweetheart," he said then, "We're late..."

[ 12-16-2007 07:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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