At length Shawn added, answering an Terrin's unvoiced query, "She has set course for Coruscant. Lord Aelvedaar suggests we analyze this move and consider just what she might be planning.

"I suggest we find Erik Kartan and your crewmen and discuss in more comfortable accomadations?"

***********

Terrin nodded a bit numbly, considering this new information as he began to move forward.

Coruscant? Why was she headed for one of the most dangerous places she could possibly go? Actar was probably there, just itching to get a hold of her again...

But then, Terrin knew that Galen was probably well aware of this. She wasn't one to underestimate threats and risks...

...but then, she wasn't thinking of herself in this matter. She was out to protect little Darra, and that might lead her to take more risks than usual.

But, Coruscant...? Maybe Khar Delba, or Korriban, or possibly even the Guild world...

But Coruscant?

Why would she want to go back there, after Actar had almost killed her when Tarnus had delivered her to him...?

Terrin froze mid-step as an all-too disturbing possibility slammed into him. His concern, if it even could have at this point, moved up yet another notch.

Oh, no, she just couldn't be. Surely not...

Beside him, Shawn stopped as well, cocking a concerned brow. Terrin completely ignored him, continuing to sort through this new possibility.

Well, you moron, a very unwanted shoulder-devil piped up, Who better to go to concerning the safety of little JhinDarra than her biological father? Maybe she thinks he'll help her get little Darra away from the Sith...

Terrin squished that particular little beastie with a mental slap as yet another disturbing thought wormed its way into his psyche. He'd told her that Gravin Dark and Darth Desolist were in cahoots with Roan. But had he ever specifically mentioned that, in working for the former, Sorben Tarnus had probably allied himself, even if unknowingly, with the latter?

Terrin closed his eyes and shuddered, just once. No, you didn't ever point this out to her. Not directly. You didn't want to hurt her. You didn't have TRUE proof that Tarnus had ever met with Roan, nor did you know if the guy was even aware he was helping the Dark Lord. So rather than further damage any views Galen might have of the bounty hunter, you kept your trap shut.

Terrin was beginning to feel sick.

So what if, in your desire to not hurt her, you didn't provide Galen with information she might now need to avoid placing herself in the direct line of danger?

Or was she aware of this significant particular, and was planning to use Tarnus's knowledge of Roan to possibly find him before he could have any chance of finding Darra?

That particular idea was the most unsettling one that had crossed Terrin's mind. And horrifying though it was, Terrin's gut was telling him that this made alot more sense than he would like it to.

He turned to Shawn, forcing himself to put his thoughts into words, his worry stepping up yet another level as he did so. "I think she's headed to Coruscant to find Sorben Tarnus..." he started, pausing and taking a deep breath for his next statement. "Something tells me she either could be headed for more danger than she realizes...

...or that she fully realizes what she is heading for, and intends to use it to get to Dark Lord Roan..."

[ 09-11-2002 11:54 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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Was she hoping that biological Dad would help her take her daughter from the Sith? Or was she fully aware that Tarnus had links with Dark Lord Roan, and was planning to use them to find him?

At any rate, either plan could lead her to the very same serious danger. Any contact with Tarnus would open her to contact with Roan whether she was counting on this or not. The critical difference would be that, if she had considered the link with Roan already, Galen wouldn't be going into all this completely unarmed. If, however, she was simply looking for Tarnus because she hoped he might feel for the plight of his daughter, she might not have her guard up as much for Roan.

Shawn wondered which possibility Terrin thought was more likely. After all, Terrin did know Galen a lot better than he did. Shawn chose, however, not to ask this question just yet. This information was vital, and so Shawn opened himself to the link he now had with Lord Aelvedaar. He let the information about Galen seeking Sorben Tarnus flood through it, along with the suppostions regarding what her plans might be. Then he waited to see just what the Sith Lord might have to say in reply.

[ 09-12-2002 12:34 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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Shawn nodded, his look serene and understanding.

"Allright, I'm gonna...go change," Terrin muttered, looking down at the Sith robe he was still parading about in.

Where's the horns, flyboy?

He closed his eyes another moment, a brief wave of anguish slamming into him. Then looked up. "I'll be right back." Then he turned on his heel, beginning to consider options; worry, concern and determination giving his feet wings.

[ 09-12-2002 11:15 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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Shawn turned introspective as he waited, one vague possibility niggling in the corners of his mind. Trouble was, he wasn't sure if it would work or not. And it would rely on at least one important factor to work at all.

He'd have to wait and see what Terrin had in mind, for he was certain the other man had some sort of idea as to what they might do should Galen or Darra come to harm. And Shawn had a suspicion that he wouldn't have to wait too long...

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"Allright," he said, leaning back into his seat, "Here's what I am thinking. As much as I it scares me, I think the best thing to do is let Galen do what she feels she must to protect Darra. Aelvedaar is aware of where she is headed, and I'm certain he also knows now that we suspect she is seeking out Sorben Tarnus.

"She could be planning to take Darra away from the Sith, but I have a feeling she's planning something on a grander scale than that. I really think she is after Roan. What I'm not sure of is if she is fully aware of Tarnus's ties with the Dark Lord."

Terrin paused, biting the corner of his lip a bit as he thought. "She could be. She might be planning on using those ties to get to Roan. But regardless of whether she is or not, our primary concern is what to do should Roan get his claws on her.

"The only thing that immediately comes to my mind; in fact, the only thing that wouldn't involve JhinDarra as well is if we use the Book of Ages to find Roan's location, keep tabs on Galen's whereabouts, and be prepared to have the Sith Sorceror pull her from Roan's clutches should she come to harm."

He paused at that, scanning the room. Shawn frowned, and interjected something. "But what if she isn't willing to be removed? She's out to protect her daughter; I think Aelvedaar would run into the same problem with Galen that he did with Graysith."

Terrin didn't hesitate a moment. "If it comes to that I'm going to ask that Aelvedaar switch her with me. And the same goes for my daughter, should she fall into Roan's hands and for some reason can't be pulled back here. Their lives are far more important than mine ever will be..."

[ 09-12-2002 12:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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...can Lord Aelvedaar, even if he knows the location of Roan's hideout, get through that shield to do pulling and switching of any type?"

Leaving his question at that, Jasyn frowned in concern and waited to see what anyone might have to answer to this.

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"Other than this one possible glitch, the plan does seem to make sense, however risky it is," he continued as he waited for a response, looking over to an intently listening Terrin.

"While we wait to see what the Sith Lord has to say, my suggestion is that we consider some other routes should this one not pan out."

Saying that, Shawn leaned back, one portion of himself trained on the link he had with Aelvedaar, the other part waiting to see if there would be anything else someone might offer.

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

I jerk my thoughts back from where they have strayed, reminding myself that they are waiting for some sort of answer.

"Should Galen alone be taken, and in dire straits, then I foresee no problem with this trade... even though it is at the expense of causing her even greater emotional harm in the long run. The Captain will be most certainly going to his death, which would serve no useful purpose, but most likely act as an even more subtly dangerous one. We know how his wife is prone to reacting when under stress; I imagine Danner's death would provoke her to new extremes of rashness, which could place her in even greater danger.

"Should they both be taken I could only switch for the one. Again, not a move I would condone; there is a link between mother and daughter which would more than likely only strengthen with their proximity to each other. This bond would be their mainstay, until rescue by more conventional methods could be ascertained.

"But--"

I pause now, letting the wrenching denial in those words sink in before finally continuing with those even more heart-breaking.

"Should he manage to lay his claws on the babe alone, then yes. I could switch Captain Danner for her. However, this would have to be made by the choice of Galen herself; she has the right to choose in this matter, should it arise, of which of her family she would prefer to remain with here in Phrinnchatka until the Dark Lord is finally brought to his knees."

If he is indeed.

I squelch that final thought with effort, and then turn to the Jedi once again, letting the words flow smoothly between us as I send my final directive into his being.

"You plan as if the pair were already taken, my allies. Remove yourself emotionally, if it is possible, and think with your heads and not your hearts. I am fairly certain as to where in general this enemy of ours is; what I need to know is, once pinpointed, how may we reach him through the protective shield he has erected?

"It is your task to out-think the All...."

With those grim words I turn once again to my task of watching over the progress of the Chosen One, her party, and her sister.

[ 09-12-2002 02:49 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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Terrin cocked a brow in question, indicating for Shawn to continue. Shawn mulled over how to direct everyone to a more practical approach when it hit him square between the eyes. "Think about what you would do to succeed in this matter if there were no Sith on your side. What would you do to keep Galen and JhinDarra from harm, and how can you use the help the Sith might be able to give us to enhance the plan rather than drive it?

"Aelvedaar also suggests that we pay heed to this: Roan does not yet have either Galen or JhinDarra. He wants us to 'out-think the All.' How can we get through Roan's shield now. Again, be practical; think as men, and not as men with Sith allies. Let's go back to the drawing boards, guys..."

He paused at that, waiting.

[ 09-12-2002 02:55 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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What had they done before to protect themselves from all of the Sith? To get to them when they had a chronotic shield in their way?

He turned inward, furrowing his brow as he thought.

First and foremost, they'd been traveling around the Galaxy in the ZZ'Shzq, the only ship in the Universe with a permanant All-shield around it.

But to get through a chronotic shield...

The only time they had niggled their way through a Sith shield was when it was planet-wide. They'd been able to sneak into a little hole where the north and south poles met, where magnetic forces would just not allow a 100 percent seal.

Could this same theory be used to worm their way into Roan's hidey-hole? Could there be a slight "gap" in a shield surrounding a place on the face of a planet? Would a portion of shielding on a planet react to magnetic forces in the same manner that a complete shield would? After all, it seemed as though a shield surrounding a location simply placed a "bubble" around it.

Therefore, because all places existed in a three-demensional reality on the surface of a planet, wouldn't magnetic poles again play a role in how the shield was distributed around a place?

Terrin related these ideas to the others, seeing what anyone might have to say.

[ 09-12-2002 03:20 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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"And one of those somebodies seems to be headed right for Roan as we speak, possibly the least protected of the three."

Jasyn paused at that as Terrin turned a somewhat unreadable look in his general direction.

"Remember Khar Delba? What did we decide would be the best way to get to Graysith and her allies at that time?"

He let these words fall into the steadily increasing silence of the room, for a long moment not speaking. "We were going to use Galen, by her very own request, as bait. Decided it was the only thing that would truly draw Graysith out at the time. Doesn't the same stand true here? Roan wants to create a Sith Empire. And he was after Galen once before because he felt she would be...helpful in achieving this goal.

"Could his drive become his downfall?"

Jasyn paused, waiting to see what someone else might have to contribute.

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

I know she's got the Claw of S'slan, but I'm not too fond of that idea, especially considering that Darra is with her. I suppose it's a possibility though. Just, keep thinking. I still believe that there has to be some way to get into that shield. Next to impossible though it might be, that doesn't make it impossible."

Saying that, Terrin quieted, turning to the thoughts his mind was sifting through in hopes of reaching a possibility.

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

He paused at that, letting the question sink in before he continued. "That's right. Aelvedaar drops the shield momentarily, either to let us in or out of the city. That's the only pratical way to get into Roan's shield. And someone has already stated that Sorben Tarnus must have had a way to bring Galen to Roan, whether it was via a contact or via direct contact with the Sith Lord himself. If Galen has gone to Sorben Tarnus with the idea that she is going to use his knowledge to get to Roan, she is probably counting on Tarnus bringing her into Roan's lair. And the only way she will ever get there is if Roan momentarily drops his shield to bring her--and possibly Tarnus--into his sactum."

[ 09-12-2002 04:30 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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So this was it? This was the big plan? Slip someone--or a group of someones--into Roan's shield to go at him?

Still seemed rather risky, although Terrin was well aware from the things Graysith had said that the Claw was a key component to a confrontation with Roan, making everything a matter of offense versus defense.

And he didn't doubt what she had said. But he was worried about the timing. First of all, they were assuming alot. For example, he was assuming that Galen had gone to Sorben Tarnus so that she could get into Roan's lair.

But what if she had gone looking for Sorben Tarnus just to go after the baby?

Terrin frowned. He really didn't think that was it. At least, not all of it. Although Galen might not want Darra involved in a possibly risky mission, she certainly was aware of the protection their little girl had within the confines of this city. Of the protection she had within the city.

Or was she, at this moment, aware of anything other than the fact her baby girl might be in danger?

After all, this all assumed that Galen was thinking with her head, and not just with her heart. For if she was thinking with her head, she might realize that the Sith weren't as distrustful as she might think. That more than just a few people here were very sincerely concerned about the safety of she and Darra. That she had been released from here for her own peace of mind, in hopes that she would come to trust later.

And most of all, she might realize that coming to a conflict with Graysith would just give Roan an opening to attack. Most military minds knew that the best moment to strike is when the enemy is divided.

And at the moment, they certainly were that.

Terrin frowned even more at that, wishing that there was something, anything he could do to help her trust. He hated her safety being compromised in this way, but he knew that forcing her to stay here would only make matters worse. Trust was something internal and personal, and could only develop when an individual was given free reign to explore the reliability of others.

He just hoped she was being careful as she explored. For all they knew Roan had a tight watch on Sorben Tarnus. Then again, Tarnus might be more than willing to deliver Galen into Roan's hands and then leave her stranded. After all, he'd done this when he left her with Actar.

And there was another possibility: what if Sorben refused to go anywhere? What if he was hiding out from Roan and didn't want to even move an inch in fear of attracting his attention? Did the guy even have a clue whether Galen was still alive or not after dumping her off with Actar?

Probably not. But then what?

Admit it, Terrin. You can't do anything else but wait and see what happens at this point. And perhaps pray like crazy that Galen sees what has been going on here for what it truly is.

You've let her go. Now's the time to let her explore the reasons she can trust you. And yes, the reasons she can trust even her sister and the Sith.

You let her go; now you have to simply trust her enough to know that in time she will come back...

[ 09-13-2002 03:38 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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Making sure everything was in check and 200 percent functional aboard the Relentless, Shayla's "appropriated" yacht.

He smiled at the gleaming black surface of the ship, admiring the luster of the luxury yacht. Erik wondered if Shayla even remembered having appropriated the ship or if she even was aware it was here in Prinn'chatka.

Oh well. It'll make a nice surprise for her one of these days. Especially considering just how well he was seeing to its upkeep...

Erik grinned at that, then turned to key in the code that would open the hatch. He had more on his mind than simple upkeep; he wanted this ship flightready if and when they needed her. Shayla might not much like them using her, but the Relentless was just about the only ship here that he, Terrin Danner, and his crewmen could fly. So it was definitely an option. Erik headed into the ship, ready to lose himself in the workings of the wonderfully complex vessel.

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

At length, the sounds of the approaching footsteps grew closer and closer, until when they were right near him they stopped altogether. A moment of dead silence passed, then Terrin turned to regard the man who had just approached him.

"Have a seat," he said, waving to the steps of the temple. Shawn complied and sat down, looking to Terrin in question.

"I was just...thinking," he said, letting the phrase drop into the silence. Shawn cocked a brow. At length, Terrin continued.

"You know, we are all assuming that against Roan, Galen will be completely defenseless."

"And?" Shawn prompted, listening intently.

"It just ain't so," Terrin said simply, shaking his head. "Call me a guy who just wants to believe his wife will be safe if and when the time comes. But I just know..."

Terrin paused, biting his lip a bit. "When we were on Khar Delba and I had been captured, Roan brought Galen by force to Graysith. The guy thought he had her, squarely.

"I can't say what happened exactly, but something knocked him and Graysith clean off their feet. Knocked them out good. I remember thinking even then that maybe what happened wasn't just due to the baby. I guess over time I've forgotten what I thought that day...

...but now I just have to remember it. And I have to believe it. As they say, like mother like daughter. The women that I love are so very strong, Shawn. It makes a guy marvel..."

Terrin paused again, letting another moment pass between them in silence. "...at how a woman that strong can need a guy like him. But the fact remains that I just know that Galen does need me, that she loves me. And that's what keeps me going here. About as much as the fact that I know just how deeply I love her. No matter how difficult this all has been, I'm going to continue to do whatever it is she needs me to do to be there for she and Darra."

Terrin quieted at that, again gazing out into the grandeur of the ancient city, not saying a word for a long moment. Then, "I wonder what they are doing even now..."

[ 09-14-2002 09:24 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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After making certain that the events have finally come to closure, and that the party, sadly lessened by one, is en route to their home, I let my focus depart a bit from my watch over the group, and send information channelling into the mind of the Jedi.

"They have failed in their attempt within the Valley, my ally," I begin somberly, then continue smoothly on ere worry should mar this remarkably even-tempered man's being. "Yet a great victory is at hand.

"While it would appear that the daughter of the Chosen One has refused her own mother, choosing to adhere to her father, he is not the strength he once was. His claim to clanship, and his status as Dark Lord has been both renounced by him, and decried by Recinis. That worthy Sith now holds rightful leadership to the warrior clan of my kind."

I pause a moment, letting these words sink in before I continue.

"The traitor has taken Freedon Naad as his prisoner, after that one selflessly attempted to lay a tracking device upon him. Roan is cunning; and attempted to avoid the spell placed upon him; there is a chance that he did not totally succeed in this. I shall turn my attentions to seeking him, but first there is more news to tell:

"The demon Maladius is dead, destroyed by the hand of Recinis. Truly is this one deserving of a warrior's welcome on his return to Phrinnchatka... nay.

"Of a welcome deserving of a Lord, for that he truly is."

With that I turn back to my self-appointed task, continuing to watch over them until they are safely back with us in this hidden city of the Sith.

[ 09-15-2002 01:32 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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