She turned luminous eyes upon him, chewing a bit on her bottom lip as she did.

"We have found an ally in the spirit inhabiting the sword, Salandaar," she opened, staring steadily up into his aquamarine eyes. He in turn made no reply but merely nodded in acknowledgement of the obvious. The Lady Q'utaro let out a small sigh, and then went on.

"There is a puzzle that has been laid before me, my friend, one that I cannot lay aside else it grow into proportions too immense to be easily dealt with. I must depart for a short while to make my own investigations; my friend...."

She paused again, and then turned to fully face the towering warrior.

"I leave the Temple in your capable hands. Should you need defense against anything your warriors cannot handle, as unlikely an event as that would be, seek out the one called Romanus. I expect he shall be carrying the sword in hand; between the three of you I have no fear for Phrinnchatka or K'eel Doba."

Now a genuine smile curled upon her lips.

"M-my Lady," Salandaar stammered, beginning to fall to one knee but was stopped as Graysith held out a preemptory hand to lay upon his shoulder.

"I shall return as soon as possible, Salandaar. Take care of the Temple, and watch out especially for the Daughters."

With that she gave Salandaar's shoulder a squeeze. Then she let her hand drop to her side, took a step back, and nodded. The corridor the pair were traversing became awash with the glory of the All as the Glyph on her forehead burst into brilliant life. And when that fire died down it was to disclose a solitary Salandaar who stood in contemplative silence, watching the shadows grow even as the light diminished.

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

Graysith's long hair whipped about her face like living fire as she stepped out through the portal she had opened. The wind that took those strands to play with was hot, as if coming from a furnace let run too long. She squinted, holding up a hand before her face, protecting it from the grains of sand carried forcefully by that wind; although her face came to no harm, the back of her hand was soon peppered with tiny specks of black which ran red with her own blood.

She paid the slight injury no heed, but merely drew up her hood about her head, closing it about her face to further protect it. And during the entirety of this minor adjustment her eyes never left the sight they had focused upon the moment she had stepped forth onto the desert of K'eel Doba.

Before her there towered a veritable cliff of sandy rock, the layers displayed by erosion of eons clearly telling the tale of what had occurred in that one small portion of the planet throughout millennia. She gave the tell-tale sediments no heed either, but locked her eyes on a small dark hole hidden behind a certain outcropping in that sandstone. It was an entrance to a cave, a very particular cave, one which once held a small fleet of Sith fighters, one whose rear areas were utterly destroyed...

...but one in which a certain little room off to the side held particular meaning to her.

She blinked, took in a fortifying breath, and stepped out of the hurricane winds and into what she hoped would explain her destiny, as well as what steps she would now have to take to ensure that destiny would indeed come into being.

[ 08-16-2003 11:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

...but even still, she just couldn't let go. Her mind and her heart were torn between what seemed and what she had been lead to believe up until then, the damning question that had been floating in her mind surfacing once again.

Had it all been for nothing other than attaining a specific end? Had she been nothing more than a tool...?

"Very well," she managed, blinking back tears which were trying to form in her eyes. "But know this: I do not for one second believe that Jharmeen Qu'taro is simply psychotic. The Jharmeen I knew had much love..."

...and likewise much hate, Shayla, remember...? a little voice filled in.

"...and love is not something which one turns off with a switch. Something has happened to her, and it would do you well to consider that perhaps Thoran...

...and yourself...

...aren't the only victims here."

Shayla trailed for a moment then, her look turning utterly impassive. "Now if you would kindly show me how to get inside this transport," she then said, waving towards te greeny-golden ship, "I'll get us warmed up, and my husband will help you retrieve Panthar Dantares."

[ 08-17-2003 08:20 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

The freedom ended abruptly with the return of the rough voice to his mind.

I am ready, my servant. Our friend will no doubt be very… happy… upon our arrival.

“Yes, my liege. May I ask what to expect?”

You may. I sent her away to wait for me, and now the time has come for my return...

Indeed, I look forward to visiting many old friends...

[ 08-18-2003 08:01 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Thoran ]

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

...and that his hadn't. For a long time, Erik stood silent, at an utter loss, suddenly feeling totally out of the game. But finally he could keep silent no longer; after all, his wife was talking about going into a highly risky situation...

...and for reasons he didn't for the life of him understand. He knew she had somehow been linked to this Graysith person according to Aaron Barnes, but aside from that...

"Shayla..." he spoke up, interrupting the question she had directed Phalomir's way. "How do you know Lady Jharmeen is Graysith? And what is this of her being your...

... sister? And of her suffering much ill?" He paused at that, directing a pair of puzzled browns in his wife's direction. "And why is it you know of these things...

...and I do not...?"

At that he fell completely silent once more, his brown eyes locked upon her greeny-blues as he waited, clearly wanting some sort of explanation for this puzzle which had so suddenly presented itself...

[ 08-22-2003 10:13 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

Without looking at the ship, Phalomir turned back to Shayla and Erik. He strode quickly to them, then past them, and continued down the hall.

“I need no assistance in retrieving Panthar,” he called out. He stopped, not turning. “ But I am curious as to why you waited until now to reveal information regarding Graysith, if you had this knowledge on K’eel Doba it would have been more useful then.” Not waiting for an answer, he continued down the hall in long strides.

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

“Where is everyone?” he shouted. No reply.

He walked to the door and tried it. It was locked.

“Hey! Let me out!” He balled his hand into a fist and pounded on the door. Instead of the thud he was expecting, his fist left an indentation into the metal. He looked at his hand, nothing seemed broken and he felt no pain. A sly smile came to him and balled his fist once again. He drew back his arm and sent his fist flying with all of his might into the door. The fist made a dull thud as it crashed into the door, but the sound was quickly overwhelmed by the tearing of the metal hinges and the crash of the door as it hit the floor outside the room.

Panthar again checked his hand, no damage. He shrugged and stepped towards the doorway. The door was suddenly blocked by the immense body of Phalomir, who sent a gloved hand flying up and caught Panthar by the throat. He lifted the human in a Sith’s body a full three feet of the ground, with Panthar desperately grabbing the arm that held him.

“Now we talk,” said Phalomir, “and discover exactly who it is that inhabits the body of my friend. I ask one question, if you answer it incorrectly then you die now.”

Panthar stared in astonishment.

“Who was Dark Lord of the Sorcerers three generations before Trelanicus?” said Phalomir steadily.

Panthar struggled, searching for an answer. There were no memories he could access, no thoughts of other beings, no traces of anything except his own consciousness. He tried to remember anything that he might have been told while on the other planets, but all he could recall was the image of the dark lady. Her red hair, her slender figure, her…

Phalomir’s grip tightened, and Panthar could feel his wind being cut off.

“Tell me know or die,” Phalomir said calmly.

“I… It was… Uh… I… I DON’T KNOW!”

Phalomir stared into Panthar’s eyes for a moment, then released his grip entirely. Panthar fell to the floor choking.

“Yes,” said Phalomir. “That is correct, you should not know. Welcome to my home, Panthar Dantares.”

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

Her brows lowered like thunderclouds as with a little snort she released her hair, now bringing her hand around the back of her head and down to the collar of her cloak. She grasped hold of the material, fingering its silkiness, clearly remembering the last time she had strode into this very same chamber...

...only it had not been from the main entryway now behind her. There had been another chamber, a smaller one, one from which a distinct reddish glow had beckoned to her even as her father's cries of astonished glee had resounded from yet another chamber ahead of her. How clearly she remembered halting in her tracks, considering the eerie glow, struggling briefly to continue on and see what her professorial father had discovered only to restrain herself in mid-step.

And then taking that fateful turn. Into...?

Her frown deepened as she stepped forward in what she was certain was the right direction. The Glyph on her forehead blazed into life, revealing a certainty of its own as she approached the rock face and laid her hand upon its cool surface.

Nothing happened. The rock was... rock.

Impossibly, the frown increased a few more degrees until her face was nothing but a tight knot. This simply couldn't be. It had been here, right here in this place; she would bet her life on the fact that the chamber into which she had at the time stepped was in this very spot, drawn there inexplicably by an unknown light as well as by a haunting sort of song heard only on a cellular level. Only now there was only rock.

Deep inside, the Beast rose to its feet, growling its wariness at what was not. And the Chosen Daughter had to agree with its assessment. The fact that the chamber did not appear to exist any longer didn't faze her in the least; what caused her concern was the fact that there did indeed exist certain beings with the ability to alter physical reality from one aspect into another.

And the pressing question in the matter was... why.

Closing her eyes now, she tried to relax, hushing the grumbles of the Beast as she reached out with the All to determine if there was anything remotely resembling an answer to her myriad questions. Nothing came of it; for once the All refused to reveal those answers which she sought. It was almost as if the power was being...

Leashed.

Graysith let a small snort escape her as she dropped her hand, her eyes darkening dangerously. Then she took a step back, opened a Portal, and within less than an eyeblink returned to the Temple in Phrinnchatka.

The sounds of her pacing footsteps echoed hollowly through the stone hallways long into the K'eel Doban night....

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

That was my world, and had been for who knows how long. Judging by the way my head spun -- not to mention the duration of that strange dizziness -- I could have been here days, or even longer. I simply had no way of judging the passage of time, other than by those presumably evenly spaced moments when that stubborn, metallic door would quietly open to reveal a tray-bearing Kaminoan coming to feed me. By now I knew better than to try to escape; my first two attempts at that had ended with a sharp pain coming from seeming nowhere, one which had pierced a miniscule spot on my throat to produce immediate blackness which had at length been followed by a slowly obtained and nastily sustained period of dim fuzziness.

Hey, one can't fault me my efforts in this; I really had thought that the dart administration -- for obviously it was that -- would be easily outfoxed once I became aware of the presence of the dartgun. But no, these Kaminoans were masters of their art; the second little arrow hit faster than the first, and had kept me out even longer, although that might have been my imagination.

Be that as it may, I learned not to try anything against my captors, and reduced my efforts to simply begging, bribing, and promising wonders if I were allowed to be released. Of course this got me absolutely nowhere as well; if anything, it provoked an expression close to terror in their large, expressive eyes, and prompted an immediate departure from my holding cell.

A holding cell which I was beginning to become all-too acquainted with, unfortunately. Nothing else to pass the time around here but to contemplate those annoyingly white walls and gleaming floor.

So now here I was, staring and thinking, wondering where in Khaandon's Great Universe that I have been whisked to; Kamino? That would have been my first guess, but who knows. I well remembered a place on a planet far from that water world where we had found the remnants of a Kaminoan lab; sighing a little I returned to my bed and plopped myself down upon it again.

Is this where I was? Somewhere else? Knowing the power of Roan, too aware of his abilities, I knew that I could be literally anywhere in the galaxy.

Anywhere at all.

Or could I?

Was there a limit to the range of his strengths? Was he restricted by distance or any other physical parameters; surely this strange power couldn't be the proverbial Magic Wand enabling its user to perform any task he desired?

Or she....

I jerked away from that thought, striving to place my thoughts back on track. My efforts were suddenly interrupted as the metallic door whooshed quietly open, sending little currents of air skirling about my feet. I raised my head and just sighed to see the try-laden Kaminoan standing there. Then I frowned.

There was something... different about his bearing, something which seemed to exude an aura of...

Concern.

He strode past me with the tray and set it down on the floor next to my feet. I didn't bother to move a muscle other than to turn my head and will his eyes to focus upon my own. Surprisingly enough, he obliged for a fragile second or two, and oddly enough in that brief moment it was as if we were suddenly bonded somehow, connected by a commonality which I was suddenly very certain of.

Then again, maybe that was my imagination as well, but I really didn't think so....

The Kaminoan straightened smoothly to his full height, then turned and departed. The metal door closed in his wake, but this time that door wasn't closing on rising feelings of hopelessness on my part. Instead a little tingle was beginning to erupt within me, one which began quietly enough and then gradually increased in intensity.

One which told me sure as there's Treasure on Roon that the paradigms had somehow been altered, that we were suddenly in this together, wherever the hell we were, both of us captives more than likely. The look in his shining eyes had been that unmistakable.

For the first time in who knows how long I felt a little smile come to my lips. I let it linger and broaden as I reached to my tray and picked up a piece of the usual fare, something wholly manufactured and undoubtedly extremely nutritional, judging by its taste. The cardboard texture and aroma was utterly ignored, however.

The future suddenly didn't look quite as grim. How could it, when one's bodyguard suddenly switches rontos in midstream, and obligingly enough, just happened to be a rider holding the very latest in technological know-how?

Just the slim promise of leaving this stark place was enough to reduce the tons of rock I had been carrying on my shoulders to a burden of perhaps a few kilos at the most. Positive that we'd get out of wherever we were, I nodded to myself and quickly devoured the nutrients.

Then I scrambled to my feet and began, albeit somewhat creakily, to run through some training and resistance exercises I knew. I wanted to be more than ready when the Kaminoan came back to announce a sudden change in plans, which I just knew was going to happen at some time or another....

((OOC: Follow Galen into Out of the Frying Pan in the "Jedi/Sith" forums, thank you.))

[ 09-27-2003 02:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

Doesn't he remember a damn thing? I told him I had memories blocked, memories which were only restored by the Eye...

...and through Thoran...

Frowning at this thought, Shayla continued to stare at the point where Phalomir's back had departed altogether. After a few more moments of this, she then forced herself from her thoughts and turned to regard her husband, whose look was still clearly confused.

Her look softened.

She had told Phalomir of what the Eye had done...

...but she hadn't been able to share that information with the one man she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with. The one man who had been there all along and yet could not remember it as she now did...

Stepping closer to him, she wrapped her arms about him, her look a cross between apology and concern and perhaps something deeper. "You still don't remember much of our recent past, do you?" she queried simply.

Erik's brown eyes defocused a for a moment, then refocused on her. "No, I don't," he said quietly, his eyes searching hers for some sort of answer.

"Through the Eye Thoran was somehow able to unblock the memories which I had lost...

...memories of Graysith and Jharmeen Qu'taro...

...and memories of the Sith."

She fell silent once more at that, her eyes only for her husband. He simply nodded, but Shayla sensed a struggle of sorts within him...

...a pain at not being able to completely remember at least a year's worth of memories he should have had with her. She reached up to kiss him lightly on the cheek, then leaned back a little. "I know it is difficult to not be able to remember...

...but perhaps that will be rectified in time; I will do my best to fill in any missing memories for you in the meantime. For now, you must believe me that Jharmeen Qu'taro once loved me as a sister...

...and that, with that knowledge alone, we must warn her regarding the probability of Roan using Thoran. I'm certain the Dark Lord would love to to undo her, even after his own death."

After a quiet moment, Erik replied with, "Allright then," he said, motioning towards the beckoning opening hatch of the transport, "Let's see if we can get this thing warmed up before Phalomir and Dantares return..."

[ 09-03-2003 08:47 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

A smile crossed Panthar’s lips. He sucked in a deep breath and let rage flow through him. A vicious whisper coursed off his tongue.

“You dirty son of a – “ he hissed as sprung upwards, aiming two powerful fists at the back of Phalomir’s head.

Panthar felt raw power surge through him and brought down his fists as hard as he could towards the giant being in front of him. Sucker punch from behind or not, this was going to feel good and help make up for the turmoil this whole situation had brought Panthar. Every ounce of pain he had been put through, every helpless moment of violation he had felt, was all wrapped up in that one strike.

The fists came down hard, connecting with the nape of Phalomir’s neck. A bright red flash of light emanated from the contact point, and massive bolts of pure pain rocked through Panthar’s body. He was flung backwards at an incredible speed, crashed into the wall behind him, and sank to the floor.

Panthar’s vision blurred and darkened. He struggled for consciousness, and dimly saw Phalomir turn and look down. Strange echoes rang in his ears, and he saw Phalomir’s lips move. A distant voice followed close behind.

“Do not toy with me, human,” Phalomir’s hollow voice rang. “For if you harbor any hope of returning to your own fragile body, you shall play the role of the one whose body you inhabit. To all others, you are Thoran. Now gather yourself and follow me, we leave this hall of useless memories immediately.”

Phalomir turned again and stepped through the doorway. Panthar struggled to his feet and staggered after, trying to keep up with the giant as he strode through the hallways.

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

What in the Universe was going on? Was something going on with the Eye? After all, the flashes of red she had been seeing in conjunction with these bursts of power were reminiscent of how Panthar had described the Eye...

...was the Force trying to warn her of something? Or trying to help her remember something? What?

With effort, she jerked herself from her thoughts to at last answer Erik. "I keep getting this vision of red accompanied by some sort of burst of power...

...I had that just now."

Even as she said this, approaching footsteps indicated the imminent arrival of Phalomir and Panthar. Shayla looked back to see them as they entered the cabin...

...and was surprised to see Panthar-- in the body of Thoran of course-- looking like he'd just been rancor-whipped or worse. She couldn't help but stare, an eyebrow arched, as he struggled to get into the passenger's seat. Then her greeny-blue eyes shot to Phalomir, locking on him. For the barest of moments she hesitated. Then, "This transport is quite a bit different than the Sith ship I have flown, but even so I think I've figured out the controls fairly well. So--

--unless there is something futher we need to discuss--

--let's get going."

With that, Shayla turned back to the navboard, her fingers playing across it and bringing the transport up and out of Trelanicius's hidden abode, there to begin soaring through atmosphere as the cabin echoed in silence.

"And by the way," Shayla stated suddenly, breaking the quiet and turning slightly to eye Phalomir, "I think I should remind you that couldn't tell you about Graysith the last time we were on K'eel Doba because, until quite recently, those memories I have of her...

...and everything I ever knew of the Sith race...

...were blocked."

Before Phalomir ever replied, Shayla turned back to the navboard, her fingers going to work once again as she then completely changed the topic. "Shall we do a short hyperspace jump to cut our travel time...?"

[ 09-05-2003 10:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

What possible explanations could be offered for Thoran? Why did he not transfer back to his body? Why did Panthar make the jump instead? Was Thoran indeed under the influence of the demon? Or worse, was it the Eye itself that had engineered this?

Phalomir reached out softly and felt the Eye, somewhere near in the grand cosmos, and knew then he could find a way to seek it. Perhaps Thoran could wait, for maybe it would be of benefit to gather allies and information before finding Thoran, regardless of who was responsible. With this thought his mind turned towards the Dark Lady, and he shuddered.

“You intend to return to K’eel Doba?” he asked. “I presume you have a plan of how to proceed upon our arrival? And do you recall the presence of your empire? This ship is a simple transport and may not be capable of the maneuvers you performed earlier.”

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

"The Empire will be waiting regardless of where we head next," she stated simply. "You were able to assist me in evading them before somehow...

...I was hoping you'd be able to do so once again, though not quite so...

forcefully."

She paused for a moment then, considering Phalomir's mention of a plan...

...and realizing that she hadn't the first idea of how they were going to proceed. Up until now she had simply been following her heart. "As for a plan," she then said aloud, her eyes distant as she thought, "I can't say I have one. If the spirit of Roan is working through Thoran to accomplish his own goals, I can't say that there is anyone who might be able to thwart him excepting Graysith..."

She trailed a moment, a thought then occuring to her, "...or perhaps the Dark Lord of the Sorcerors and his heir," she continued. "But then, I don't know if we can trust them at this point. Graysith has recently come to believe that the Dark Lord dabbled in deception to attain his own agendas, but..."

Again she trailed, her eyes still distant as thoughts whirled in her mind, "...even so this may be something in which he may assist. I do not believe Lord Aelveedar would want any harm to come to Graysith, regardless of his own desires...

...and there is no one else who has the capability to help us...

...not even all the Jedi in the Universe."

[ 09-07-2003 10:03 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

Romanus felt a little fatigued, the day's weariness finally catching up to him. But he couldn't sleep yet...not until he asks her a question...

"What are you, exactly?" Romanus asked, his face strained from trying to figure out that question by himself. "At first I took you for a Sith lord until I started to sense something different about you, like the Force itself was...uncertain."

The assassin took a step forward before continuing. "And then, unless I drank too much of that brandy, you start dissappearing and reappearing out of nowhere. No Force-user I've seen can carry that kinda power."

"So excuse me...but what the hell are ya?!"

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

He wandered deeply into the cave system, easily avoiding obstacles and making snap decisions when presented with intersections. Eventually he came to a cavern and paused.

The cavern pulsated slightly with a red hue which seemed to emanate from the very rock. The walls were clean and glistening with moisture, and indeed the temperature in the cavern was tolerable, almost warm. Thoran walked to the fall wall of the cavern and knelt before the lone object resting in this large cavern.

The object resembled a block of ice, just over 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Thoran gazed at the figure frozen inside, smiling as he took in her beauty. He let his gaze move along her slender figure, her long red hair, and finally stopped to stare into the violet eyes, still brilliant even in this frozen stasis.

“This is amazing, my lord” he said after a time.

Is it not? I warned you to be prepared for amazement.

“How is this possible” asked Thoran.

When one plans ahead, my son, one may perform wonders. And when one sees into many futures, one may use even death to one’s advantage. Our time once again will rise.

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

But then, perhaps confront is too harsh a word, the thought brushed through her mind. This is indeed now my own chosen ally and bodyguard. And a leader retains his allies by showing faith in them. Either that, or through great force and fear.

She cocked her head a bit to one side and stared steadily into Romanus's dark eyes. The only movement she made was in the clasping together of her hands; they locked together within the sleeves of her robe in a motion denoting nothing but utter calmness and serenity. He in turn remained silent before her, his attitude neither subservient nor overbearing, his features matching hers in impassivity.

Only his eyes seemed a bit darker than usual.

A smile flickered across her lips.

"I am who I said I am, Romanus," she began, letting the opener linger in the dim stone hallway. From somewhere in the distance there came the briefly crescendoing sound of footfalls which then faded away, as some minion went about his or her business within the Great Temple of the Warriors. "The wife and consort of Recinis Q'utaro, then Dark Lord of the Warriors of the Sith, a union which has by law conferred unto me the title of Dark Lady... a title which I have retained by defeating the Lady Roan in her Challenge of Entitlement.

"Other than that...."

Now her voice trailed, her violet eyes grew vague as images of over three years involvement with the Sith rose up to beat against her vision. She was not stupid; only a dolt would have accepted that as answer-- and Romanus was no dolt. The concern of exactly what to reply diminished then, as wave after wave of memory came flooding over her: the day she had discovered that chamber in the cave; her killing her own father; fleeing the deserted planet for its sister Khar Delba and there her fateful meeting with Darth Wicked; her returning Aelvedaar to this time, rescuing him from his own death in the distant past; Aelvedaar's rescuing her in turn from Wicked's betrayal and her subsequent training by that powerful sorcerer; her involvement with Gouyen Chee; the hunt for Galen; the abduction of Shayla and teaching her of the All; her entanglement with Ankrist Roan; the birth of the Daughters; the entrance of the evil that was Entaris; her meeting Recinis, the only real love she had ever known in her life, and his apparent betrayal as well; the return of the Sith; her ensuing flight to Dagobah and what she had learned in that twisted and cold grove of gnarltrees....

On and on the images came in a rush. It was almost as if she were dying, and the last three years of her life were flashing in front of her eyes. But through it all, there remained one solid assurety, one thing she had been able to rely upon no matter what happened, no matter how the paradigms changed or what new challenges Fate had tossed her way throughout those three years.

And that was her loyalty to the Sith.

And now, for the first time, deep down inside of herself, she suddenly found herself wondering...

Why.

Who was she? A human female unable to return to her own kind for the murder of her father. The wife of an ex-Dark Lord, yet still remaining a Dark Lady herself. One holding a strength given to her purportedly to return the Sith to a future, a future they were cheated out of over 4,000 years in the past. A strength she had thought was omnipotent... but one she was suddenly finding to be somehow channelled. Leashed. Not subdued, but...

Muzzled.

That realization brought home the stark reality of exactly how little she really knew about this ancient and noble race. What she knew was simply a bit more than the universe in general: that the Sith were powerful and magickal... only in their end days they had discovered the All, and had chosen her as their implement.

Graysith suddenly found herself staring blankly into the eyes of the quietly waiting Romanus, one slender hand raised to lay lightly upon the gently glowing Glyph. It had remained quiescent within her, as had the Beast, who instead merely raised its huge incorporeal head to keep a wary watch over events.

"I am the Lady Q'utaro, Dark Lady of the Warriors," she began once again to rattle off the titles. "I am...."

She paused for a moment in sudden loss. For who she was was someone only in connection to another. On her own two feet, she was merely Jharmeen JhinDarr Q'utaro.

So be it.

She straightened imperceptibly, her eyes darkening. Now a smile of an entirely different sort curled across her lips, and she stepped back and to the side. One hand swept out indicating the door to her private chambers.

Her eyes had never left Romanus's.

"I am the Chosen Daughter of the Sith," she announced, nodding her head a bit yet again toward the richly gleaming and carved wood. "A great gift has been given to me; let me tell you more of it..."

[ 09-07-2003 12:58 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

The overly chastened Ensign's voice rang out across the bridge in unsuppressed excitement. "There is a ship approaching the Khar Delban thermosphere from below!"

His hands danced of their own accord across his panel, bringing to life the image of a strangely designed and yet slow-moving ship. It looked like some sort of exotic insect, glimmering there against the brilliance of the Khar Delban day.

The Ensign cocked an ear as the Officer on Deck approached and bent over his shoulder. He held his eyes to his board, though, grimly determined not to let this one slip past his notice or evade his actions. Too many ships had blithely come and gone upon these unexpectedly alive worlds; by now their teeming life was something of a natural event as far as the Empire's concern went.

What was of concern was what was happening upon those worlds. Which was why the order had been greatly and repeatedly stressed to belay and tractor in any departing ships from any of them. That was the first of Lt. General Tarnus's commands upon his arrival aboard; the Ensign vowed and declared to himself that he simply was not going to screw up again.

He gritted his teeth, the transport's coordinates already computed and locked into the tractor controls computer. His hand hovered over the enable sigil.

He waited.

He didn't have to wait long. A comradely hand dropped on his shoulder, gave it a squeeze. That hand belonged to an officer who well knew what this particular young man had been through lately; a sort of unity passed quietly between the pair.

"Bring them in, Ensign," the Officer's quiet voice commanded.

"Aye, Sir!" came the automatic response, even as the Ensign hit the enable switch. The tractor beam ravened out from the belly of the monster SSD, cutting through the upper atmosphere and latched onto the strange ship like a rancor snatching his dinner.

Bit by bit the ship found itself being dragged away from the planet toward the ominously waiting super star destroyer.

The Ensign smiled and sat back with a little sigh.

Not again, dammit. You're not getting away from me again....

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

...but to no avail. Realizing there was zero percent of escape, Shayla forced herself to relax, sat back in the piloting chair, and shut down all systems before damage was done to the transport as the tractor continued its pull on them. As the transport's engines whirred into silence, she leaned the rest of the way back, sighing in utter defeat. For a moment the cabin hung in a heavy silence...

...then in a swift motion, Shayla swiveled around and let her greeny-blue eyes lock on Phalomir. "Well, dammit, do something!" she spat, recalling once more how he had dealt with this situation before. Then, with an air of utter sarcasm, she finished with, "I highly doubt we can tell the Imps we've just been visiting friends..."

[ 09-07-2003 12:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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Indeed, her use of the All had assured the latter.

The smile widened in amusement when Romanus came to a stiff halt just inside the door.

"Oh really, Romanus, I won't bite," she began, turning away from the fireplace and going over to the doorway leading to the balcony. Even though she did not exit the room for that balcony, she could clearly see the glory that was Phrinnchatka spread there below; she hesitated a moment before reaching suddenly out to the rich draperies with both arms, and in one swift move closing them in against the final source of possibly prying eyes.

She turned smoothly round and faced the dark assassin.

"The Sith, as you can see, are an ancient and powerful race of beings, one of the most magickally endowed in the entire history of the universe," she began without preamble. She blinked and once again folded her hands together in front of her, but never took her eyes off of Romanus's.

"Over four thousand years ago, what the galaxy has come to understand as Sith came in the form of rogue jedi, who used the dark side of the Force to overcome this race of beings, who..." She paused for breath. "...who, as with all powerful and overly self-assured races, degraded to the point where that was allowed to happen. In those frantic end-times, some of their sorcerers finally learned to harness what has been come to be called the All; it is this power which enables me to perform acts the mere Force cannot do."

Pausing again to lick suddenly dry lips, she approached Romanus and came to a halt before him. For a moment there was no other sound than that of their breathing, and the crackle of the flames in the fireplace.

"The All is not so much another force, as it is all forces, Romanus," she continued. "The Force is but a portion of it; indeed, perhaps the Force and the All are one and the same, and as with the Force it is but a matter of perspective in how it is tapped into and utilized.

"For in this day and age, there is dark and light. Black and white. Good and evil, Romanus; this is what makes the Universe tick, what separates us from each other, what gives us our perspective on life and how to live it. The All is above it all; it IS both good and evil, both dark and light; when one can see beyond the here and now into the Greater Picture, one can step above this simple demarcation and thus use the powers which exist there quite naturally, powers with can be used by those with true understanding.

"As well as powers with allow for the manipulation of space and time. In this respect, it truly is all known forces which exist... and can thus easily overtake the punier portion of itself which has since come to be known as the Force."

She paused again, now inching even closer to the assassin, and went so far as to lay a hand upon his chest.

"The Sith are by nature a magickal race, Romanus; it is this ability of theirs with which they rose to their earlier omnipotence. Only the Dark Side of the Force, along with their concurrent degradation as a civilization, enabled the dark jedi to overcome them, and take their name upon themselves.

"But the Sith have returned, as you clearly know, Romanus. Inherent magicks and all. And with them they bring their knowledge of the All... and the ability for certain of their race to use it."

She inched even closer, and laid her other hand next to the first. Volumes swam in the depths of her eyes, which bored up into those of Romanus. She continued.

"It is this power that I wield; it has been emblazoned into me across the eons by their most powerful sorcerer, Dark Lord Aelvedaar. Furthermore, it is now part and parcel of my being. It will leave me not. But there is one who has the ability to somehow dampen my use of it; it is this creature that I need your assistance with, Romanus."

She paused again, closing her eyes and now reaching up to lay cool fingers against Romanus's temples, and through that connection allowed the image of Panthar Dantares to flow inward, as well as images of the red glow that had emanated from his body, and the essence of the other beings inhabiting it at the time. For a lengthy moment she remained still; then she opened her eyes.

His were very close to hers.

"The Sith once controlled the galaxy... and now can touch the power that can overcome the Force. They can quite easily rise to omnipotence again, Romanus; the Empire is but a child before them, as are the pale jedi. They will indeed rise to lead once more, my friend. The Sith will control the galaxy; perhaps even the known universe.

"And those who control the Sith will as well."

[ 09-07-2003 02:01 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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A wry smile crossed Phalomir’s lips.

“And is not wise to keep one’s enemies close?” he chimed.

“Which reminds me, Thoran,” he said, turning to Panthar. “As my squire, you shall be required to attend to my needs. Do not forgot that, ever.”

He then turned back to Shayla.

“As to our purpose and explanation to these heathens, I am sure something will come us when the time is right.”

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...but rather very much aware...

...of my association and..."

She paused, something vague yet somewhat sad flitting across her eyes, "...former position with the Sith. My name...

...and probably my face...

...will be recognizable to them, if not immediately then certainly shortly after we have landed and they've contacted authorities higher up. I'm uncertain what they may do once they do realize who I am."

Here she paused, her greeny-blues once more only for Phalomir. After a moment, however, she turned back to the viewport even as they touched down in what had to be the main hangar bay of a rather inpressive SSD.

Well, Shayla thought darkly even as she felt the ship lock in place, probably held down by a tractor beam, At least this isn't the first time I've been aboard an SSD, though gods know the last time was under much friendlier conditions to say the very least...

"We might as well face what will be," she then said to everyone, "After all, doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere."

Even as she said this, she reached for the control which she now knew opened the hatch of the transport. Even as it yawned open, Shayla stepped forward, trying to remember all those things about Jedi-calm from her years in the Praxeum with her brother as the others in the transport began to join her.

Sometimes there are just things you can't avoid, she reminded herself. It's what you do during those times that counts...

[ 09-07-2003 06:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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Without taking his eyes from hers, Romanus slowly reached up and gently pulled her hands down from his face. "Why me?" he asked, his voice losing whatever power he had when he first approached Graysith. "I asked for this job, and you gave it to me. But I'm not Sith. Hell, I'm not even part of any humanoid race. So why did you do it?"

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"Perhaps I chose you for that reason entirely," she whispered at length, still staring up into his eyes. "There is a great strength within you; this I sense clearly. The sword--"

She paused, her eyes flickering down to the assassin's concealing coat, where the weapon now lay snugged closely to his side. She turned those luminous, violet eyes up to his again.

"The sword likewise has within it a great strength and ability, one which recognizes its twin in you, and thus remains docile in your grasp-- docile to you, or to me, that is."

She stood there a moment, pondering briefly as to how much more she should say. At length--

"There are none like you in the galaxy, Romanus," she breathed softly. "The Sith fell once before the power wielded by the dark jedi; I sense a dark strength within you which far overshadows that. Remember, not all Sith can utilize the All... as far as they are concerned, it is virgin to them. And--"

Within Romanus's clasp she wiggled the finger encased by the Claw of S'slan. It's razor tip raked every so gently against his palm, drawing a thin red line there.

"For the most part, this will hold at bay those who do manage to use this newfound power. All but those I have already introduced to you."

She paused again, remaining quiet now. Time ticked on, the suddenly pregnant silence accentuated by the sound of the fire, by their soft breathing, by the beating of hearts.

She made a final consideration.

"The Sith have been governed throughout their history by what they call The Triad: by the Dark Lords who in turn lead the three existing clans of Warrior, Sorcerer and Armorer. From information I have received, the warriors have recently withdrawn from that, declaring autonomy, vowing to swear allegiance to one Lord and Lady only, not to three."

Another silence fell, in which she took the tiniest of backward steps. Gently she removed her left hand from Romanus's grasp, held it up. The golden Tattoo of Entitlement gleamed upon its wrist in the firelight.

"I am not Sith, yet I am Dark Lady of the Warriors, the most powerful of the Sith clans. This is the clan who will rise to the forefront as the governing body of this civilization, in turn easily the most powerful in the known galaxy. Clearly, whoever controls the Warriors will control the Sith. And whoever controls the Sith will eventually control all."

She waggled the Claw again for emphasis, then allowed that hand to drop. It disappeared in the folds of her cloak, which yet dripped like liquid fire-emblazoned smoke from her other arm, still raised and held in Romanus's grasp.

"While they break away from standing tradition, the warriors still hold certain things dear, Romanus."

She let those words draw her yet closer to the silent, black-coated being. The image of the increasingly loyal Salandaar flashed across her mind, only to be immediately dismissed.

"They admire and respect strength, and they expect to be led by a Lord and a Lady.

"Dark Lord Roan is dead, leaving me as sole... director over these warriors.

"And I do not at the moment have so much as a consort."

Now she pulled her remaining hand from his grasp, and took another small step backwards. She just stood there a moment, finally concluding with:

"I first chose you for the strength I sensed within you, for the inherent abilities I know you possess, for the sheer uniqueness which is you. I sent the Sword into your possession to assist you in what challenges that may rise against you... against us.

"I now make another choice in your favor, Romanus, should you desire to accept it. I do so because..."

She paused, clasped her hands together again, stood quietly staring up into his dark eyes. In doing so she lifted her face upward a bit, the movement causing the hood of her cloak to fall backward, revealing the flaming thickness of her hair.

"I desire the best, and you clearly are that. You intrigue me."

[ 09-08-2003 01:39 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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The Reborn Guards who had brought the three saluted respectfully as they handed them over, then took a step back. They looked casual enough... but I well knew of their abilities, as well as of the blinding speed in which those abilites could be called forth. Even though the two red-skinned beings towered over my guards, I didn't hold so much as a drip of trepidation.

My Reborn were that good.

I swallowed the last of my surprise, but outwardly remained absolutely calm, stony in my entire aspect. Gods but I love this armor; it certainly was handy for sending little ripples of aforementioned trepidation skittering up and down the backs of whoever I chose to plant that enigmatic visor upon. While the tallest of the Sith -- for of course I recognized them as that right from the start -- didn't appear cowed in the slightest, his companion's borderline panic filled the room like some dark and thick miasma. His eyes were widened and dilated, his breathing heavy; clearly he was beyond trepidation and into a realm approaching terror.

I smiled behind my helmet.

Let him stew.

Ignoring the taller of the two then, I turned my head minisculely to the side, pinned that visor upon an entirely too-familiar figure. She stood there quietly enough, but there was something I could yet sense oozing from her. Not fear exactly, but...

Worry? Concern?

Sadness....

I worked my jaw a bit, considering them, letting the silence stretch out while I took this in and stowed it for future use. Inside my helmet, I jawed open a private link to the hangar bay.

"Sir," a tinny voice crackled in my ear.

"I want that ship our new... friends arrived in gone over with a fine-toothed comb," I ordered, knowing my words were only heard by the soldier on the other end of the link. "Every lick of it, every system. Do not waste the time you have with it, and see that your men are thorough."

Indeed, the fact that this ship had fallen into our hands was invaluable; the fighter I had managed to appropriate from Seus remained stubborn to our best efforts to reveal its secrets. This ship however, in being vulnerable to our tractors, offered a chance to understand the almost mystic technology of this race... which in turn could possibly open the door into the creation of an entire fleet of their fighters.

I flicked the link off in the wake of responding affirmation, and directed my full attention to the trio before me. Deciding that enough time had passed, I leaned back in my seat, now flicking an open channel to the room in general.

"I see you are still gadding about with your... friends, Ms. Petrolu," I began, the tone of my voice approaching -- but not quite reaching -- joviality.

"May I ask what it is that has brought you back into this system, or--" I hesitated a hair's-breadth.

"Has kept you so assiduously involved with it over recent times?"

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Just like that... he thought, still disoriented by this sudden turn of events. The Sword that rested in his coat was forgotten as he looked deeper into Graysith's eyes. The full realization of the position he is in, the kind of power that was laid out before him, struck Romanus with a fullness he never felt before...like he finally reached the end of some long journey.

The moment passed, and Romanus smiled, confident of what he is about to do...

The assassin stepped closer to Graysith and, with his free hand, touched her cheek gently. "And what will I gain from this choice, milady...if I were to accept it..." Romanus whispered.

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