Orbing myself from this convergence stands alone, but leverage was my final agenda.

I return behind the warrior pack, amongst what can only be described as children of the sith.

Two of them, in fact.

"Am I of importance, now?" The young man, the sith, shadowed by my weapon of choice: Matt Stanza's blaster.

She raised her bow, a dull-tipped target arrow finding haven against the rough gut string, now pulled taut. She snarled a challenge, then let fly the arrow.

Brother was right! We can take them, she thought even as her small hand flew to the quiver on her back, retrieving and stringing yet another arrow. It's feathery tip found a seat against her cheekbone as she waited, watching the first arrow fly and strike her mark smack in his thigh.

She smiled, pearly fangs peeping forth from pink lips.

I have been accustomed to pain, in any and every degree. But this was different, this was pain by surprise.

The blaster falls silent, on the ground.

Bellow.

This arrow could not stay for long, and it didn't. Thrusting it to the afore mentioned ground beneath my feet, I come up ready for battle. Ready for blood to be spilled.

An energy ball forms in my trembling hand.

She's a female. A sith, but a female sith.

That would turn to be an afterthought, as my destructive instrument made clean contact with the sith female.

I almost hoped it wasn't leathal, that somehow this was differing from the conventional foe.

Almost.

The roar split the dusk like a knife blade, seeking to defend and protect.

Too late.

The disbelieving father watched as his brave little child was engulfed in St. Elmo's blue, writhing and shivering before disappearing before his very eyes. Stunned, he paused the merest moment, his warriors ringed with him, before he threw back his own head and released yet another roar.

This one was of challenge.

Spearpoint raised and deadly, he rushed the strangers, followed by the others. In passing his strong hand left the haft of his weapon only long enough to push his remaining child from his path.

"Run, boy!" he whispered fiercely; then he and his men were upon the three, and all hell seemed to break loose.

This time, I manage to place myself with the distance the young sith man had just traveled moments before.

"I can hunt this one down, as well." I shout back to the pack of blood thirsty sith.

He came to a halt... the spearpoint imbedded firmly in the chest of the dark entity.

His royal blue eyes widened in utter surprise at his unexpected victory... if victory of any sort it could ever be called. He had seen the stranger disappear and reappear as if by magick; was this thing something called forth from the sorcerer's clan? His father had mentioned something once to his mother, something about the clans all separating....

He didn't bother thinking further, but let his look of shock change into one of determination. Gnashing his fangs, he leaned his entire, wiry weight into his weapon and shoved against it with all his strength until resistance gave way as the bloodied point burst forth from the man's back.

His frozen eyes stared into hell....

Couldn't allow it to happen.

Though warrior he was, and for the most part disdained the use of magick in any way, shape or form, relying instead upon his own prowess and physical abilities, being Sith he did have a certain magick inherent in him. With a mighty growl he reached out into those hidden talents, and brought forth an orb of blue lightning of his own. This he released directly into the stranger's face, relishing how the bolts sharded down to enter the wound created by his son's spear, which in turn had been knocked loose by the energies and lay, charred and smoking on the ground.

His son lay about five feet away, propped on his elbows, shocked.

"RUN, BOY!" his father yowled, preparing another orb of energy even as the warriors turned in mass to descend upon the one who had been wounded.

The boy nodded, scrabbling backward, and soon gained his feet. He fled into the darkening shadows, fleet and small and unseen, twisting and turning, jigging and backtracking until he reached the city and fell at the feet of the first citizen he met.

There, sobbing, he let out the terrible tale of what was happening away in the wilderness of K'eel Doba....

Yowl I.

[ 10-21-2003 01:03 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by M'wonBo'o ]

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

Another hit, tingle and annoyance.

Unable to relish my appetite, I must take from this place. Leaving the pack leader with one last longful glare, we both knew this was not over, I would be back...

...for his son, and anyone else in the path of evil.

I emerge where I might recover my strength.

It would take more than a spear through the midsection to conquer the evil within, and the following hit to the body surrounding.

Albeit, not a whole hell of a lot.

Any softness she might have been extending to the quiet Phalomir disappeared in a fraction of a second, replaced by adamantine hardness. Her lip curled dangerously, and she tilted her head a bit to one side.

"I must depart now," she whispered then, and raised an arm in preparation. She paused for just a moment longer, allowed her violet eyes to penetrate his green ones, rushing therein as if diving into the refreshing coolness of a quiet and secluded body of water.

A heartbeat....

Then her arm dropped, opening a Portal. She whirled and stepped through, finding herself back in the corridors of the Temple, greeted by the frantically yowling tuk'ata and the approach of Salandaar, who rushed up to tell her of the information he had just received from one of the lesser cities.

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

But at length pounding hearts lessened their wild beating, snarling visages resumed their more natural mein, and they ceased their search to congregate at the site of the one to speak for them, one who came shudderingly close to giving his life in this mad and unexpected foray into evil.

Another warrior took it upon himself to direct his fellows. They bent down mutely, laying their hands upon their unconscious comrade with the greatest of honor, and raised him up between them. After a moment or two, another Sith bent and retrieved his spear, as well as the charred remnants of the one belonging to his son.

The little entourage headed back to their city, solemnity shrouding them like a miasma, but a fog illuminated only by the small delight that at least they bore with them two captives: a blue-skinned individual and a red-haired man, both of whom had fought bravely.

This was something the Sith honored, even in an enemy. Thus it was that they didn't kill the two men, but brought them along with them instead, watching them with hawk's eyes, waiting to see if they would suddenly disappear from sight as well.

Nothing untoward happened, and they soon entered into the outskirts of the city, a portion of which was soon filled with the resurgent wails of shock and despair and disbelief.

“Wait!” he shouted, just as the portal closed and vanished.

“Always too soon,” he sighed. “And never are we finished.”

“Oh, you’re finished,” came a voice from behind.

Phalomir spun to face the newcomer. He saw nothing but the flickering shadows dancing along the hallway, created by the soft light from the strange spheres along the walls and set into motion by the torchlight that accompanied.

“Who are you?” Phalomir asked calmly.

A movement from a shadow caught his attention.

“You know me,” came a low, smooth voice. A figure appeared, obscured by shadows – almost unnaturally. The figure appeared to be Phalomir’s height, and the dim light betrayed the outline of large horns jutting from the being’s forehead.

“Do I?” asked Phalomir. “You appear to be Sith, but I am afraid the voice is not familiar. Perhaps you could refresh my memory?”

A raspy chuckle came forth. “Yes, you should be afraid, especially if you require me to refresh your memory. Surely you do not expect me to believe you have forgotten me? Forgotten how you stole from me my proper birthright? Forgotten how long I hunted for you? Forgotten how you pleaded when I slew your family in front of you? Forgotten how you escaped my through time, and have been running like a cowardly mongrel ever since? DO YOU?”

The figure stepped from the shadows. He was indeed a large Sith, Phalomir’s size. A long scar ran the length of his right cheek. His gray eyes bore deeply into Phalomir. His horns showed signs of damage, the most noticeable was a large chunk missing near the base of the left horn. The Sith placed a hand to the damaged area.

“Have you forgotten how you did this to me?” he asked. “Well, my brother, I have not. And you shall suffer more than you have ever suffered, as will those you travel with… and especially her.”

Phalomir felt suddenly afraid, a strange sensation that overwhelmed him. He still had no idea what this person was talking about, but if meant to harm Panthar, Shayla, or Erick then this ended now.

Phalomir took a battle stance.

“Whoever you are, you will not pass me,” he growled, “to harm those outside.”

A flicker gleamed from the Sith’s eyes. “My brother, you indeed do not know me. I find that most interesting. However, I am afraid the ones outside are already dead, and the one you love so much – the human who thinks she is Sith, shall not see the end of the K’eel Doban day.”

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

--quite literally--

--broke lose. He hadn't any idea how long he'd been standing there gaping after it was all over with, his heart torn in a million different directions.

Matt and Dash were captured, and probably headed to the main city. They'd probably be taken to that Graysith character, who would do gods knew what to them when she found out that they had returned after being told to leave. And on top of all that, Galen was out there missing somewhere, possibly on this very planet. And he was...

...undetected and free, at the moment...

...might play to his advantage, but what about his buddies who were captured now?

"So much for what plans I may have," he said then darkly. "The best thing at the moment I can think of is to alert the Imps to their capture. But--"

He paused a moment, pursing his lips in thought, "I've still got a reason I'm here, aside from bailing my buddies out, and perhaps being undetected will play to my benefit. I'm here looking for someone; someone whom has seemingly disappeared from existance but just may be here since it's the last place we know she went. Problem is, Dash was the one whose senses we were using to seek out places we thought she might be..."

Suddenly Jasyn trailed, glancing upward as he noticed Imperial TIEs cruising overhead. He made a decision, and reached for his wristcomm...

"Imperial escort, two of my buddies have just crossed with a squad of Sith guards and have been taken captive; I have been seperated from them but I believe they are being taken to the main city here. Our seperation and their capture occured when we were investigating the unknown lifesign and crossed paths with some crazy dark-eyed lunatic who can apparently disappear and reappear in various places. His location at this point is unknown. Question for your sensors: what sort of lifesigns and technology are you picking up just west of my current location? My equipment picks up little in the way of either, can you confirm this please?"

At this Jasyn fell silent and waited for the Imps to answer, expecting them not to care about Matt and Dash's capture. Meanwhile, however, he eyed Wyatt curiously, his thoughts suddenly returning to the nerve of that dark-haired crazy. "Who the kriffing hell is that disappearing guy?"

[ 10-21-2003 09:14 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

...and not because they had been captured, again. Though both he and Dash had fought their hardest, the ill-fated outcome to their battle didn't come as a surprise to him. But the utter cruelty of that dark-haired guy had him floored.

It was truly only the face of evil that could purposefully harm...

...and kill...

...an innocent child.

Matt frowned slightly at that, still walking amongst the deceptively calm Sith. Somehow Matt knew deep down that their hearts were heavy...

...how could they not be?

It was only when the point of a spear nudged him that Matt realized they were being lead to a stop outside a familiar temple. He'd been here once before, to his knowledge...

...and according to Aaron Barnes he had been here many more times than even that. As the Sith warriors around him barked various orders back and forth, Matt simply waited, wondering just what they were going to do with he and Dash. He didn't dare utter a word yet until it was requested of him; he didn't want to appear in any way like the dark-haired man who had approached these Sith with such an air of arrogance.

Aaron had said that the Sith were supposed to be an honorable race of peoples. Thusfar Matt could say he totally agreed even though he'd been captured twice by them...

...and he most certainly hoped that his assessment remained accurate...

[ 10-21-2003 09:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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

A movement to the left caught his attention, and Panthar shifted his gaze to the tuk’ata on that side. It had lifted its head and seemed poised in a listening stance. It suddenly spun around and roared, as the space behind it seemed to open and a blast of white energy burst out of the strange vortex hovering in the air. The tuk’ata exploded into a ball of red.

A lone figure stepped from the vortex, and the air returned to normal. Panthar’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened as he realized he was looking at his own body.

“Um, Shayla…” he said, not turning. “I think I’ve found Thoran…”

Thoran turned to the temple entrance. He spotted Panthar and Shayla, and a wide grin crept along his face. He lifted his hand and a bright white ball of energy began to form in it.

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

“You would kill me, my brother?” the Sith said. “Then do it, for I shall surely do the same to you – when the others have suffered enough. But know why you do it. Is it for them? Or for yourself? Or for her?”

Phalomir hesitated.

“Oh yes,” the other Sith continued. “I see it. It is for her. After all this time, after so many attempts to make contact, to see you fail when you are so close… this is indeed exquisite!”

Phalomir felt the heat rising within him. The skin on his hands glowed softly.

“Ah, yes, I feel the hate within you,” said the stranger. “Let it well, use it. The humans outside are already dying at my hands.”

Phalomir twitched. Something was not right – he was ready to strike this man down, but something inside him held him back. There was more to this than what was apparent, and patience would prevail.

“And then I will have my way with her. She shall plead for mercy, her powers useless. I will make her beg like an animal – first for pity, then for death. But it will not come, not until you have witnessed her utter and total defilement. Only then will I kill her, slowly. And you shall watch it all, helpless!”

An image of the Dark Lady flashed through Phalomir’s mind. Her eyes wide, the years of pain reflected in them. All logic left him, leaving only the powerful driving force of his love for her and a primal instinct to protect.

A searing cone of red energy blasted from Phalomir’s hand, driving into the Sith before him. The Sith screamed and instantly brought forth a blade from behind his back. Without thinking, Phalomir was upon him. He grabbed the blade hand and brought his knee up hard from under, hearing the bones crack. The blade dropped, Phalomir swooped down and in one motion grabbed the hilt and brought the blade up, splitting the Sith’s midsection open. He was covered in a warm splattering of red, and relished in it as the figure before him fell to its knees.

And smiled broadly…

“Yes…” the Sith said hoarsely, blood bubbling from his mouth. “Now that is the Phalomir I know… We shall meet again...”

The Sith fell to the floor in a pool of blood – and vanished. Phalomir looked around and found he was in the temple hall, light from the entrance casting shadows on the blade in his hand. He felt calm – released.

[ 10-23-2003 08:36 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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

Could it be him, returned?

Her thoughts flew to ShaRhylla, lingered there. Returned to the warrior, who had quieted, the tale he carried having been borne.

Suppressing a sigh, she pursed her lips.

"How far away?" she finally asked.

Salandaar blinked and tilted his head as he thought. "Two day's hard travel," he finally related, nodding to confirm his own assessment. He raised his head, straightened his stance, and stood ready for whatever orders his Lady might then issue.

They were not long in forthcoming.

"Send a full squad and retrieve those who have been taken captive. Bring them here, to Phrinnchatka, to me. If anything untoward should befall them in the meantime, let me know. Use communication devices, and heavy armament.

"I must give some further thought to this strangeness that has descended upon our people."

The aquamarine-eyed warrior closed them as he bowed, a fisted hand upon his chest. Then he left to see to the implementation of his orders.

Graysith watched him go, then continued her walk through the shadowy corridors of the temple. With no real destination in mind -- she was far from hungry or tired -- she moved like a wraith, letting her feet carry her hither and yon, turning here and there as she came to intersections, occasionally coming upon stone stairs leading down, always down. Not realizing her familiarity to this particular section of the temple, she kept walking, heading deeper and deeper into its mysterious bowels. The walls grew dank with moisture, heavy with eerie mosses and clinging vines. The air grew musty with the scent of ages.

From somewhere amidst the swirl of the myriad years this place presented, there came a shining sense of other years, massively hovering around like a dimly seen enveloping cloak, years coming not from the past, but from the future....

She paused, wondering at the sudden warmth she felt, here beneath the earth, surrounded by dripping stone and dimming light. Gasped reflexively as that warmth suddenly transmuted into glacial ice.

And there and to that, she sank to her knees and remained mute.

[ 10-23-2003 11:48 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

He drew his hand back and prepared to launch the powerful ball of energy. A glimpse of movement to his right brought Thoran’s attention to the other tuk’ata bearing down on him, and the energy blast meant for the Sith was redirected at the last moment. The tuk’ata exploded in mid-strike, sending blood and entrails flying into Thoran. He wiped his face with his sleeve and turned his attention back to the pair on the temple platform. He resumed his grin and once again felt the power flowing into his hand, helping him ignore the tuk’ata’s blood dripping from his hair.

[ 10-23-2003 12:16 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Thoran ]

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

*PSSHK-kktk*

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

"Look, Mr. Guardian Angel, unless you've got something kriffing impressive to fight against the Sith with, I'm gonna use all the help the Empire is going to give me...

...for now, at least. And if that fails..."

He paused a moment, reaching for his blaster, unholstering it, and waving it in the air for emphasis, "... this is the best guardian angel a guy can have."

At that Jasyn lowered the blaster, but didn't reholster it. Pursing his lips, he considered his next move. He knew where Matt and Dash were probably going being taken...

His brown eyes refocused on Wyatt once more. "Look, you do whatever the kriffing hell you want to do...

...I suppose you will anyway since you're an angel and all...

...but I'm going to check out that urban complex before I do anything else. I have an advantage now...

...and I plan to make use of it..."

With no further ado than that, Jasyn put his wristcomm to his lips once more. "Can you confirm the exact location of the urban complex 150 clicks from my current location?"

[ 10-23-2003 09:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

...and simultaneously struggled through a strong mind to the sleep center of Thoran's...

...and Panthar's...

...mind. The fact Thoran was in a human body made this task only somewhat easier...

...and in the space of less than a moment Shayla could feel Thoran falling unconscious. Only then did she open her eyes and turn to Panthar, all the while keeping a probing link on Thoran's mind to make certain he was fully unconscious.

"Hurry!" she exclaimed, "We've gotta get inside and get out of here..."

[ 10-24-2003 06:17 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

Thoran, what are you doing? Finish them!

He ignored the voice and fell to his knees, then backwards. The glowing orb of energy in his hand dissipated.

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

The Dark Lady. Jharmeen. Her safety was threatened.

But why did he care? What was this strange hold she had over him?

What did it matter?

He strode towards the opening, his long legs closing the gap quickly. Soon he burst from the temple into the daylight, the large tuk’ata seeming to stand guard at the entrance and preventing a very agitated Shayla and Panthar from entering.

A quick look around showed Phalomir a strange scene. In the distance the ship hovered, piloted by Erik. On the ground near the temple lay a human body, and close to it lay two piles of bones and flesh and gore. Phalomir’s eyes shot to Shayla’s.

“What has happened here?” he asked sharply. He shook his head, there was no time.

“Never mind,” he said. “We must depart this place now. Explain to me on the way.”

He paused briefly to stroke the tuk’ata behind an ear.

“I shall return for you, my friend. In the meanwhile, guard the temple and keep safe the—“

A sudden movement near the human caught Phalomir’s attention. Though the body lay still, a strange aura grew around it. The ground below the human seemed to shimmer, then whirl. Phalomir growled loudly and in a lightning motion launched himself off the platform and towards the body. The ground swirled faster, the portal under the body now forming. The human began to sink, and Phalomir dove fiercely for the swirling chaos. He grabbed the body as it fell into the portal, and disappeared with it.

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