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Sorry - Continue on in this thread

She had but little time to accomplish her task.

In one languidly graceful gesture, one hand played about her navboard, widening her view until she was able to focus upon the comforting atmospheric turmoil of the gas giant which dwarfed Yavin 4. The thought of tossing a certain person into those roiling clouds brought a sweetly evil smile to her lips.

The thought did not escape the awareness of her companion. Curled beside her in a rather cramped manner, the tuk'ata lifted his fearsome head, his pupilless eyes fixing themselves upon the pale face of his Dark Mistress. //Mistress needing this One in assistance being, needing aide in blood hunt-blood-letting being?// he inquired in his rather unique manner, one long face-tendril curling furtively about her leg.

She slid her eyes from the viewport, and bestowed her companion with a genuine smile. Yes-ss, my faithful One, she thought back to him. You shall have the opportunity to make amends for your error, though fault of your own it was not.

The tuk'ata hung his head at the words that came into his mind, as a picture of his leap completely over Galen and into his Mistress, and her resultant "miscarriage" momentarily overwhelmed him. Blood-hunt Oath is this One giving, he finally growled. No error being.

Graysith merely smiled, directing her attention to the fourth moon once again. She had easily tracked her sister here by following her sense trail; Galen's love for a certain bounty hunter had cut a disturbingly shining swath in the Elseness large enough for a space slug to hide in. The Chosen Daughter of the Sith smiled an even more evil smile. No bounty hunter to come to your aide now, my "sister," she thought with satisfaction. She leaned forward, about to reach out with all the magicks at her disposal... but was brought up short as the presence of another slammed into her.

He was there, the one she had briefly met in the forest of Khar Delba. She sensed the Dark in him beckoning like a comfortably bubbling oil slick. He was there, and in the same room as her sister.

Unfortunately, there was another. Someone powerful with the Light Side. For a moment Graysith shook her head in disgust, thinking how small and weak these beings were who segregated themselves from the All... then she drew in a great breath, contemplating her next move.

Very well, a slight distraction was in order. While she had no fear about overcoming the Jedi, she did not wish to make so obvious a move. Mysteries were better ways to fill voids...

She reached out, sensing, touching, finding... another. Two others, in the nearby vicinity. Perhaps this could be put to use.

With a sudden wave of her hand, the Chosen Daughter of the Sith reached out and grasped the Elseness which truly bound all life to non-life. Her hand twisted in a curious move...

..and upon the surface of the little moon, from within the Great Jedi Praxeum where she was hiding and eavesdropping, the being known to some as "Shayla" suddenly found herself encased in corporeal blackness...

...and transported in the blink of an eye to Graysith's ship.

The Chosen Daughter smiled cruelly, the rune upon her forehead flaring into the higher energy frequencies beyond gamma, her violet eyes blazing in equal brilliance, her Beast howling at her side. She revelled in the startled fear she saw filling the eyes of the woman before her.

He felt it. That wasn't something he was expecting at all. "She's gone." he said to himself, but lous enough for others to here. Quickly, he put his hand on Galen's head and said, "Don't be scared." Suddenly she fell over, in a deep sleep. He picked her up and put her over his shoulder.

Then the silent Jedi who had watched the whole ordeal spoke up, and tried to stop him, but Admiral Actar put his finger in the man's face and said, "Don't." He didn't know if that would stop the man or not, but considering the power he knew the man felt and with his quick action, he figured it would. He walked out of room carrying Galen. Walking as fast as he could, without hurting the baby inside her, he reached his ship a short time later.

He knew. Her sister was near, very near. He had to get out of there as fast as he could. He boarded the ship, laid Galen on the floor, and took off. Once far enough away from the planet he contacted his fleet and told them to be ready, and that he was on his way. That's when she woke up....

Blearily, I opened one eye and peeped around. A sigh exploded in my chest as I saw that my suspicions were justified. Just one glance brought the knowledge that not only was I no longer in the Praxeum, but judging by the metallic look of everything about me, I was no longer on that beautifully jungled moon.

But where--? I sat up, and took a better look about.

A ship. It had to be a ship. Which meant...

A slight rustle behind me made me whirl instinctively about. Great Khaandon's Ghost, but this is beginning to be a touch wearing... and old, very, very old....

He was standing there patiently as I knew he would be. A shadow in black, the only bit of color about him were his strange eyes. The studied me steadily, intensely, almost as if...

With a resounding start, it was as though a curtain had been lifted. I remembered everything.

I remembered him.

I shrank back a bit, but kept my eyes defiantly glued to his. After a few seconds of this seeming impasse, I found a voice again, albeit a rather shaky one.

"You!" I said in a hoarse whisper. "Why have you taken me?"

Khaandon, I hope this guy had either a very short memory or a very forgiving nature....

HIM! He has interfered! He has taken her; but where? And more importantly, why???

The Chosen Daughter shook her head, her sudden flare of anger dying down to a steady but fortifying irritation. Very well, this is how he wished to reunite with her? Over this matter?

Then he shall. She would see to it.

A slight noise interrupted her thoughts; she blinked with the realization that she had all but forgotten the young LightSider she had taken. The young woman still stood before her, shaking like a leaf but to her credit refusing to drop her gaze from where it was glued to her own. Graysith cocked her head to one side, her long flaming hair tumbling down as she contemplated the student. She knew with a calm dispassion that the woman was deciding whether to jump at her or not; the Chosen Daughter blinked slowly, just once, and stretched an arm out.

"Be thou still," she commanded, her voice like spun spider silk. Then she turned aside.

"My dear and faithful one, assist this 'guest' in accomplishing that one small boon I have requested of her. Navigational matters take me away.

"But only momentarily..."

She turned abruptly, seated herself at the navboard, played the sigils and runes there like a musical instrument. Her viewscreen changed abruptly from a view of the gas giant to a view of smeary starstreaks. In the middle of those soul-rending screeches, a small and brilliantly blue light beckoned.

The Chosen Daughter of the Sith merely smiled to herself, removing her attention completely from the frozen Shayla, leaving her somewhat indifferently to the tender auspices of M'wonBo'o.

She played an overture... and her Sith ship leapt out like a pod racer on Boonta Eve, hot on the trail of Actar's ship.

The woman before her seemed to be enjoying her shock very much. Her eyes shone in violet brillance, revealing in the fear Shayla knew she must be showing.

She would not shake. At least...she would try not to. Even so, she couldn't stop it. She'd dealt with thiefs, murders, and smugglers, but never in her life had she ever dealt with this.

How was it that she was so cruelly snatched from her safety zone? She wished for it now more than ever...the Praxeum which she had so much disliked when she first arrived had become her home, and Logan had become her friend.

Logan...would she ever see him again? And what about Erik? She was damn sure of one thing, Terrin Danner couldn't compete with this being that was before her now, smirking and basking in the glory of being feared.

Fine, she'd quiver. She'd give this...woman...this evil being...what she wanted. But she would not look away. Only a coward would do that, and Shayla was no coward. Finally the woman spoke.

"Be thou still," she commanded, her voice like spun spider silk. Then she turned aside.

"My dear and faithful one, assist this 'guest' in accomplishing that one small boon I have requested of her. Navigational matters take me away.

"But only momentarily..."

Til then, Shayla had thought she and the woman were alone. But then she saw the other...a hideous creature that Shayla had no words to describe was before her.

Shayla froze in horror at the sight of the thing. What the two of these horrid monsters planned on doing with her she couldn't possibly imagine...and loathed to find out...

She could stand the terror no longer...her heart was pounding like a drum in her ears. Don't be a coward Shayla...she tried to tell herself...Don't give into fear...that leads to the Dark Side...

Even so, fear was creeping in...

Between the two women, the tuk'ata crouched, his 10-inch claws scraping the deck, his 6-inch fangs glistening with the promise of death either quick and easy, or slow and painful. His depthless, pupilless eyes likewise remained glued upon those of the young padawan, anticipating, judging, waiting...

Graysith glided smoothly forward, a slender hand reaching out to rest upon the slender, tendrilled head of the great hunting Beast. "You have done well, my dear Companion," she spoke directly into his mind. "But now you may go and find sustenance so as to strengthen yourself for when I call upon your services once again."

The lithely muscular tuk'ata looked toward his mistress in surprise. //Mistress not-not this One in assistance being?// he inquired plaintively, his tone of thought ludicrous coming as it did from the fearsome form he presented. //This one not strange one watching being? Angered is Mistress, toward this One being?//

Graysith merely smiled, stroking his silken head and tweaking a tendril playfully. "I need you at your best, for soon we shall have our strengths tested. Go now, and fear not for my safety." she repeated. "Leave me to this one alone, my friend."

Her smile broadened as the deep grumblings of her tuk'ata came to her ears. But the great carnivore was faithful to her with an unbelievable obedience; abruptly he turned and left the navigation area, leaving his Mistress to deal with the Jedi student alone.

Her smile then sublimated into ice. With an intensity that could stop a Star Destroyer if she wished, she approached the quaking young woman, her smile reappearing inwardly as she felt the growing waves of fear spilling from her like waves upon a shoreline. The Chosen Daughter realized it was all the woman could do to keep her feet, and to remain silent. Graysith's inner smile broadened yet again in approval of the strength she felt within her.

She came to a halt before her, and for a moment just stood there. Then she reached out a slender hand, and gently stroked the young woman's cheek. "You are a strong one," she whispered softly, her voice like the kiss of an adder. Beneath her delicate touch, the woman's skin seemed to ripple as a shudder raced through her body.

Graysith slowly circled Shayla, her fingers trailing down her cheek, now her chin, now around her neck to finger her hair in a gesture that was almost a caress. Suddenly she leaned forward from behind her, her breath soft and warm in the young woman's ear. "You have been misled, deceived... your abilities are being held in abeyance. You have strength you do not realize... power untapped and untappable.

"I can show you your potential. You would have some use to that which is to come. You think of freedom as the only life there is; I can give you ever so much more.

"There is more than what you know, and Fear leads the way to true freedom. Dark and Light, Fear and Joy, Evil and Good... all two sides of the same coin, all two halves of a Whole.

"I can show you this whole, make you whole..."

The Chosen Daughter began moving again, her fingers still softly caressing the woman: now in her hair, now on the back of her neck, now delicately tracing her ear. The languid movements then stopped as she came back around to the front of Shayla, letting her hand drop to her side, as she then stood in silent anticipation.

Waiting...

There, better. Was this woman actually saying what Shayla thought she was?

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and that leads to the Dark Side...

Shayla knew she had to speak, and she knew even more that she had to refuse, regardless of the consequences.

"Evil never made anyone whole," she finally managed, her voice sounding a little strange and strained.

The other woman seemed to be waiting for more of an explanation than this. Or maybe she was merely waiting for Shayla to give into her.

"I am training to be a Jedi. I know the danger of using the Dark Side. Whether you use Light, Dark, or both, if you are using the Dark Side that's crossing the line regardless. I'll not be a part of whatever plan you have, and I'll not be your puppet."

Shayla could sense the danger in front of her, but she knew the danger would be greater if she gave into this. Whatever was ahead, she had made the right choice, and she had to stick by that.

She folded her arms at her chest, put on a determined face, and waited for the woman before her to respond...

Then he did a very strange thing. He placed his hand on Galen's head and caused her to fall asleep. Jeroc moved forward uncertainly, opened his mouth, but the man stopped him with a word. "Don't." He picked Galen up and was gone as strangely as he'd come.

Jeroc finally spoke. "Was that the right thing to do, just let him walk away with Galen? She is powerful, and so is the child inside her...Once it is born, it could so easily be used as a tool."

Cella glanced at Jeroc. "I don't know. That man has darkness about him...but somehow, I trust him in this. I don't think he intends to harm Galen, and I know that--that which I felt and still feel, will harm her. What could--"

That's when the two of them heard Logan's howl of dismay from the hall. "She's gone! Shayla!"

Cella rushed out, finding Logan standing baffled in the hall, looking around him. He looked at Cella with an openmouthed expression of surprise. "One minute she was here...and now she's disappeared into thin air." He grabbed her arm, more visibly upset than Cella had ever seen him. "It was the dark side. I felt it...smelled the stench and heard the crackle."

Jeroc came up behind them, nodded firmly. "Whatever it is that wants to harm Galen, I think that's what did this to Shayla. She didn't disappear--she was taken."

Cella was horrified. "Taken where? And for what purpose? She's but an apprentice, hardly even that! What would they want with her?" Her throat was tight, and tears stung her eyes. A new comrade-in-arms...a new friend. Thing in the sky, you should have taken me. But then, you probably knew you couldn't even hope to bend me. She smiled bitterly.

Logan looked at them with hard eyes. "There's only one thing to do, and you both know what it is. Cella, I need to borrow your ship."

Cella saw his purpose instantly, and shook her head. "No, no, no, my dear young man, nobody, but nobody pilots the Pride of Yavin but me."

We're being followed

A short time later they were close enough to the fleet to see it. He started to speak, "You see that?", He turned his head to see her with her necked arched looking out the window, "Nice isn't it?" He turned back towards the window.

He turned autopilot off and took control of the ship once again. He flipped the switch to talk to the bridge of the SSD and said, "General, it's good to be back."
"It's good to hear your voice again, Sir." The General replied.
"Yes, and yours too"

The ship glided smoothly to the docking bay of the SSD....
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OOC: I know I ought to write a little more, but I've been distracted...

Then a strangely sweet smile crossed her features, and her two slender hands reached out to cup Shayla's face. The inner terror picked up by that light touch struck her like water bursting through a dam; she tilted her head to one side, softening her gaze, sending small tendrils of quiet into the mind of this quaking young woman.

"You still do not disappoint me, young one," she began lightly. "You say exactly what I expected to hear, exactly what you have been taught to reply, to think, indeed to believe.

"But you do not think beyond your own nose. You are being lead, do you not see that?

"Of course you would be taught that the 'Dark Side' is evil, the ruin of the galaxy and all sentient beings within it. But you are being told only half of a whole truth, my dear. Of course those telling you this would be biased...

"Have you never stopped to consider that there really is no real 'Good' or 'Evil?' It is all a matter of perspective, of one's point of view. It has been said that one Man's treasure is another Man's trash... and indeed this is a true statement indeed.

"How can you make an honest judgment call when you do not have all the data at hand? How can you judge me without hearing me out? Are you so ready and eager to give up the needs of the one to fuel the supposed needs of the many?"

Graysith paused, tilting her head to one side, and merely contemplated the young woman. Her face did not change expression, but inwardly she smiled again. She knew the young padawan was taking in her words.

"By what yardstick do you judge that which is 'good' from that which is 'evil?'" she ended with. "And how is it that you can tell that what I offer is not truly the Good which you seek?

"I am calm, and at peace, young one. Can the same be said to be true of yourself?"

Graysith then turned round and regained her navseat. Her fingers flashed upon the board; without the ship, a strange Elseness collected itself out of the very fabric of space and time, boiled about the little Sith ship, and snatched it back into that hidden little place between one second and the next.

The Chosen Daughter then turned in her seat to regard the young woman. Unheard by Shayla, a deep voice in her mind was vibrating along the nervous pathways there....

"Well presented, my love...."

Graysith merely smiled and waited.

It didn't matter though. Shayla had to stand up for what she knew was right, and she was never one to stray from what she knew...in her heart.

"My yard stick is my own senses. I am not lead by what I am told alone. You present calm, but yet I know nothing about you. I don't even know your name." Shayla knew the woman was listening to her intently, calculating what her next rebuttal should be. Just as she had considered the woman's every word and measured it against what she knew, the woman before her was doing the same. Shayla wondered how long the "debate," as it were, would continue before the woman decided that she had truly made up her mind.

"The line between the Light and the Dark may be blurry," Shayla continued, "but I decide for myself where that line exists. The Force guides me, and it is ultimately my choice how to use the Force ability I have been given and how much of it to use, just as it is your choice to use both. I have drawn the line at the Dark Side, and I have chosen not abuse the gift I have been given. I will not use the gift for my benefit alone, nor will I use it to aid you in whatever it is that you seek to do, for I sense evil in your motives. That is my final answer."

For a moment she regarded her intensely, her head cocked to one side. Then she spoke, her tone of voice soft and and sounding rather... disappointed.

"You still do not understand, young one. You persist in viewing the All in stark black and white. You truly do not see those myriad shades of gray which, rather than 'blur' the demarcation which you so blatantly cling to, are in actuality true representations of that which you see as 'black and white.'

"I would have taught this to you, would have shown you the truth of Existence. You could have had a comfortable place in that existence which is coming, which I shall usher into being when the destiny I seek is fulfilled.

"And fulfilled it shall be. I once had a sister; I would have greatly enjoyed having another one share the splendors of the New Life with me."

The flame-haired woman took a few steps away from Shayla, flipping her cloak out of her way as she approached and came to a halt before the viewport. For a long moment she stood there in silence, contemplating that which no mortal should ever lay eyes upon and still retain his sanity: the raging otherness of hyperdriven non-Time.

She sighed again, then whirled to face the apprentice once more.

"Do not flatter yourself in the belief that is was to offer you this that I took you from your 'bed,' she announced suddenly. "Indeed, I had... other... plans at the time, but had to unexpectedly alter them. Indeed, adaptability is one of my better characteristics!

"But in that alteration, I felt what I thought to be strength in you. I see that I erred in this, for you adhere to your pitiful tunnel vision as a child adheres to it's mother's breast. There is no strength therein... merely fear, to cling to such minimalistic beliefs so tightly.

"I truly desired no death regarding you, no killing, no action of the sort you automatically categorize into 'Evil.' Neither against you nor by you."

With each word she uttered, Graysith came closer and closer to the jedi apprentice, until she was close enough to caress her once again. This time, however, she did not.

"But now my dear, I fear I must once more alter my plans."

As sure and swift as a stooping falcon, her hand darted out and placed itself upon Shayla's forehead. Before the young apprentice could begin to attempt raising whatever pitiful little mind shields she had learned, the Chosen Daughter of the Sith was in her brain. She let herself be free there, ravening this thought of a loved one, a Logan???-- irrelevent, no longer needed-- POOF!! all thoughts of him were erased from the woman's brain; ravishing that thought of home and family... and utterly destroying all thought, all inner pictographs, all memory of her and her ship and the power she wielded.

Onward now, deeper, the woman chosen to usher in the New Age of the Sith rampaged... until she found that basic emotional core so deeply hidden, and so unique to every human being. It lay in the heart of Shayla's very being, a shining nugget gleaming steadfastly amidst terrors and fears so buried the woman was unaware they even existed.

Her eyes dark with triumph, the Chosen Daughter called upon those Sith magicks taught to her so well, and in one implacable gesture ripped the emotion from Shayla's being.

The now permanently emotionless body of the unconscious apprentice fell limply toward the deck of the ship, all memory wrenched from it.

Her body never struck the deck.

With an offhand flick of her wrist, indeed, the movement utterly dismissing the young woman altogether, Graysith pulled the roiling Elseness to her command once again, both held back and roiled Time and the fabric of Space...

...and sent the woman to the only logical destination she could think of.

The hidden Sith dungeons on Korriban were not quite as cold and empty as Shayla's mind now was. Perhaps her Sire could warm her up a bit....

For the briefest of moments, the brilliant violet of her eyes faded to an equally brilliant turquoise. The aristocratic planes of her features softened to those of a young woman who was once called Jharmeen. The nearly incorporeal shadow hovered about the Chosen Daughter, staring a bit blankly at the spot the jedi apprentice had so recently vacated. Then full lips opened, and a quiet whisper issued forth:

"The use of the All... both the Dark and the Light... perhaps not a path I had chosen...."

Abruptly, the shadow was squelched as the rune on Graysith's forehead erupted in an ultraviolet flare. It then de-escalated down the electromagnetic spectrum as, fatigued from the efforts required of her ministrations, the Chosen Daughter of the Sith retreated to her quarters to rest. His ten-inch claws clacking, her tuk'ata trailed behind, to curl up as guardian without her door.

Following it's own brain, still hidden from the Universe within that timeless place where one second greets the next, the ship ravened on. At length its proximity sensors recorded the steadily increasing blip it's target ship represented; the greeny-golden vessel immediately came to a smooth halt, completely unnoticed by the great SSD and the fleet it led. There it waited, trailing the lead ship, until the Chosen Daughter chose to rise and tell it again what to do.

"Whatever ship it was that took Shayla away, I'm sure it's made tracks for hyperspace by now. I don't know what we can do, Logan..."

Logan slammed his fist against a nearby wall, and Cella was startled to see blood flowing freely from his hand. "Sithspawn! You two are full-fledged Jedi...There's got to be something..."

Cella placed a comforting hand on Logan's shoulder and looked at Jeroc. "Actually, there is something, believe it or not. This dark Force user is so strong--I don't know if you're picking her up as well as I am, but I can feel her so strongly that I'm almost sick to my stomach. Jeroc, if you and I link up and go into a deep trance...we can find her, find the path she took through hyperspace and her destination."

Jeroc shook his head. "That's almost unheard of, Cella! How're we going to avoid running the ship into the core of a star, or coming out on the edge of a black hole?"

Cella breathed deeply, feeling the Force flow through and around her. "I can do this, I know it. We can do it." She smiled at her friends, feeling strangely confident. "What we can't do is let Shayla go...and I've got a feeling it's going to get worse for her if we hesitate. The way I figure it, we have about an hour to make arrangements, and then we've got to leave."

Just then, she remembered something. "And there's someone I think we ought to bring with us..." She reached out in the Force for Thea's light, trying to locate her in the Temple. Somehow, this little girl was going to be important in the coming days. She turned on her heel and headed for the mess hall.

Suddenly, Cella's mind was ripped again by another cry of anguish from Shayla. The anguish, however, wasn't quite as bad as the nothingness that followed. Cella shuddered and continued on to the mess hall. We may have to change our plans...but we've got to find Shayla, no matter the cost. Hang on, Shayla, we're going to try and save you. No, dammit, we ARE going to save you!

I smiled to think of the reaction my presence will receive when she fully awoke. If, of course, there was anything left of her to react to my presence.

Maybe he forgot about the lightsaber and the blaster... With a guilty and furtive gesture, I fingered the weapons I still had hidden on my person; hopefully he really will have forgotten about them and I would have them for a "rainy day." Although something told me that whenever it really did rain, it was gonna pour....

I opened my mouth, taking more and more comfort in the fact that I was still standing near this guy, looking at what appeared to be the bridge of one humongous ship. For a moment I just stood there, my mouth hanging stupidly open, as I pondered what in Hell's Seven Circles I was going to say.

On one hand I was nearly scared out of my skin. On the other... there was something about this guy that was pushing me towards trusting him.

Maybe not as much as I trusted Sorben, but oh dear Khaandon I would never have the opportunity to trust him again.... Maybe I ought to try to trust this guy?

I cleared my throat, and found a small voice hiding somewhere in the middle of my stomach.

"Umm--," I began hesitantly, for the lack of anything better to say. "Nice ship...er, ships.

"Are they yours?"

The sudden realization of how detached and actually stupid that little speech sounded hit me with the force of a herd of runaway nerfs. I exploded.

"And why in the name of Hell's Seven Circles did you grab me, and where do you think you're taking me, and do you know who my sister is...?!"

Oops....

The troops greeted Admiral Actar with a royal welcome when he docked in the docking bay of the SSD. He walked past the troops quickly, ignoring everything around him. Galen walked a few feet behind him, not exactly sure where he was leading her, but trying not to fall too far behind. They were greeted by the General and other officials. After saluting and shaking hands the Admiral continued to walk towards the bridge, followed closly behind by Galen

What Galen didn't know was coming up shortly in a large hallway. Admiral Actar was still walking rather fast when he held up his hand and out of no where 20 Stormtroopers appeared and surrounded Galen. Actar turned around and spoke to the obviously frightened Galen, "Drop the lightsaber and blaster.", she did so, and put her hands back in the air. "Take her away." He said, and continued walking toward the bridge, but spoke to her in her mind, Don't be afraid, I'll come talk to you later. Your sister is near, you'll be safe.

That was how many steps to the millimeter the small "quarters" I now found myself in allowed me to pace. I stopped in mid-step, just to alter the mind-numbing tedium, as I once more looked about for a way, any way, out of this cramped and dismal little room.

Of course there was none to be found. All I had was my own company, four walls, a meager bunk, the all-too-intimate knowledge of the number of Imperial Troopers standing outside my door...

... and the imperious-- should I say, rather, "Imperial?"-- final words which bounced mockingly in my head.

My sister was near, and I would be safe? Now... what was wrong with this picture?

The combination sent a fresh attack of the creeping williwaws washing through me; I began pacing once again. Great Khaandon's Ghost, there wasn't much else I could do.

Where oh where was a Jedi when ya needed one?

One... two... three... four... five.....

He goes to his private quarters, lies down, and drifts to sleep...

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And like a newborn child who is ripped from the safety of the mother into scorching light, blarring sounds, and unfamiliar sensations, she saw a strange being before her that scared her very soul. But she knew not the name of the emotion she was feeling, or how to respond to it. She knew not how she would have reacted had she been herself.

What she did know was inborn in her from the first time she was born, twenty-two years before. So she slowly began to cry, and the crying turned to sobbing.

And all along the being before her just watched, intently, wondering what to do with her.

Strangely, although she knew nothing of herself or the world around her, she could feel something...one tiny spark of light in the darkness far away from her. In her meager untrained Force senses, she felt something...like the spirit-guide of a small child, seeking her presence and reassuring her that everything would be okay.

Still sobbing, she locked in on that one small link in the void...a link she didn't understand and that the being before her didn't notice.

She knew not who she was or what she stood for, but somehow she felt this one small link was the only way she would ever find out...

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I smiled more broadly, watching her eyes capture mine, all wide with innocence and trust. Truly a child, this one....

[ 05-31-2001: Message edited by: Aelvedaar ]

[ 05-31-2001: Message edited by: Aelvedaar ]

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When Cella was only about halfway down the hall to Thea's room, she found the little girl headed hurriedly down the hall herself. Thea was visibly shaken, and Cella suspected that this was because she felt whatever had happened to Shayla as well if not more than everyone else.

But what had happened to Shayla? Cella stretched out with her senses, and felt that horrid evil presence that made her sick to her stomach still eminating, but possibly moving further away. But Shayla didn't seem to be there at all. Something was very wrong with this.

Thea, who seemed relieved to see Cella, said something about being able to feel Shayla and that she couldn't explain how she knew it but that Shayla was in terrible trouble.

Wait a minute, Cella thought, Thea can feel Shayla's presence still?

"Thea, can you still feel Shayla out there now?" Cella questioned, a small tinge of hope pulling at her heart.

The little girl nodded, seeming somewhat confused and surprised by the question.

"Don't worry, Thea," Cella said, answering the her unasked question. "We are going to find Shayla. Want to go on a little trip with Master Mahoy, Logan, and I?"

Thea nodded yes emphatically.

"Okay," Cella said, taking her hand, "let's go then."

As they turned to go, the blatting of an R2 droid interrupted the quietness of the hallway.

Izzy! Cella thought to herself. She turned her head far enough to see the little purple and silver droid rolling out of Shayla's vacant room. "Come on Izzy, we'll need you too," Cella said.

The droid whistled something that sounded like a charge. Cella thought that even though the droid couldn't feel the Force at all, she had definitely picked up that her owner's presence was somehow suddenly missing on the Praxeum. Considering what little of the droid's personality Cella had seen so far, she suspected the R2's unit's loyalty to Shayla drove her to seek out the others and assist in finding her mistress.

Cella stretched out to feel for the young woman's presence in the Force once more and frowned. Shayla wasn't just missing at the Praxeum anymore...Cella couldn't feel her at all. It wasn't the sort of feeling one got when a person died, for even a dead person's presence could be felt. And furthermore, Thea could still feel Shayla out there, and this meant that Shayla, in some form or another, was still alive. In what shape she might be in though, Cella couldn't imagine.

Cella just hoped that with Jeroc's strength in the Force, her wisdom, Logan's determination, Thea's innocence, and Izzy's tracking abilities that they could find Shayla before it was too late...

[ 06-01-2001: Message edited by: Mara1Jade ]

[ 06-01-2001: Message edited by: Mara1Jade ]

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They finally reached the ship and Thea hurried aboard, so she wouldn't be in the Jedi's way as they prepared to leave. It had been a very long day for her and she knew it wasn't over yet, so she curled up in a chair to rest for a little while as everything was made ready. She closed her eyes and started to drift off in sleep when she saw this thing, this monster with red skin, glowing eyes, and horns. She startled awake screaming.

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