She searched deeper into the still-silent Jharu’s eyes, waiting. Then she turned her attention to Phalomir, nodding him onward until he had gained a position at the foot of the dias next to Shayla. Then she spoke aloud.

“This audience is not in progress, but only begun,” she said to Phalomir, noting his fatigue but warmed further by the fact that he had come to join her here in the Hall, as had her adept. A slight smile flicked about her lips, then she sobered.

“For one who had so much of which to speak, you remain remarkably taciturn, Jharu,” she admonished, turning her gaze back to her son.

“Perhaps you have not come to offer information, as you claim, but rather to gain it for the benefit of another?”

She quieted then, falling into silence with a frown.

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

...he had more of an affinity for blending into his surroundings and assessing them. A human, dressed in Sith attire would do everything but blend in to the surroundings of a Sith dining hall.

After running his flightsuit through the ‘fresher...

...that was to say the apparent Sith version of a ‘fresher...

...Matt changed back into them from the robe he had worn as he had waited for his clothes to be completely clean. As he had waited, he had astutely studied his surroundings, hoping to gain all the knowledge he possibly could about the people and the culture. Aaron had said that he and Jasyn...

...and Terrin and Galen...

...had spent quite some time in dealings with these peoples. Yet Matt remembered it not. Frowning at this strangeness, Matt --now properly cleaned and reattired in his flightsuit—headed out of his suites and to the Dining Hall the Sith warrior had spoken of earlier. He was rather hungry...

...but Matt also had to admit his curiosity was peeked. As he entered the Dining Hall he found a buffet of food and drink awaiting. He took a plate and filled it, then approached the drink bar and took a goblet of some sort of Sith liquor. Finding a quiet corner then, he sat and watched, keenly aware that a Sith guard here or there glanced his way as if evaluating whether he should be there or not. Not one bothered him, however, indicating that in all likelyhood the guards had been informed of his presence.

Treated first as a captive...only to be released and then treated as a guest. Relations with Sith, a blood oath between this Graysith and your boss who has passed away far too young...

...and you don’t remember the circumstances of any of this.

Once more Matt frowned, reaching then for his goblet of liquor and taking a sip. Letting it roll about in his mouth a bit, he took in the flavor of it...

...some sort of brandy, probably...

...and then swallowed.

Good stuff. Jasyn would really like...

Matt paused mid-thought as yet another one slammed into him.

Dear gods, Jasyn, what the Hell has happened to you...?

Yet another puzzle. And Matt couldn’t help but wonder, in that moment...

If the Sith are suddenly being so hospitable with you, might they perhaps aid you in discovering the whereabouts of your so inexplicably missing companion...?

[ 12-22-2003 08:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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

"You have said that what i told you earlier can not be... And yet it is... Unless of course my memories are not my own. You can put all faith in these idea's... You can believe with all your heart, that i am not actauly your son, or you can believe that i am, you can believe that i have been altered in order to fool or throw you off... but no matter what things may be... My mind is what it is at this point, and nothing more."

He turned to look at phalomir for a moment before returning his gaze to her and continuing.
"you said the timeline would not allow it... Yet as far as i am concerned, it has... As for the All. I have no use of that what-so-ever. That gift was stripped from me, and dispite my numorous attempts to gain a natural usage as Aelvedaar and Roan held... I have failed to regain it. So I truly could not explain how that ties into my being here."

he took another deep breath and continued on, his words gaining some volume as he did so.
"You have told me that this is not a proper place for my words to be heard, where then? no place is beyond spying eyes... if someone truly wishes to know something, they will have the information one way or another."

his gaze then slowly went to the mark upon his wrist.

"if i am a paradox that can not be allowed... Then perhaps it is in your best interest to dispose of me now... if i do not speak the full extent of my knowledge, then while it can not help you, it can not be used against you either. the choice is yours."

His gaze then snapped back to hers.
"what Aelvedaar did to me was something that changed who i was... The pain of being empty is estonishing. I lost everything that day, In a way you could say i died, i never really lived afterwards, im prepared for my death, and i will go on in this life only as long as it serves the best interests of the sith to do so."

His gaze locked upon her studying her for a what seemed to him an eternity before he spoke again.
"You've dealt with the pain of losing a son for a day, or a few months of you count the day's Recinis took me away... I on the other hand have dealt with the pain of having no one for years... I learned the way of the sorcerer. I learned that i could serve the sith... That is all i know right now, whether it be truth or false, Any bond i held with you, is almost completly severed... I still feel the pain at night, it never goes away. I feel the want of a mother. i used to dream about your face, and hear faint traces of your voice in the wind... I returned here now, not because i wanted you to have a son again, you may just as well give me another name and forget who i am, if that helps you then i will not feel any shame in it... I returned because i have an obligation to the sith. I did all i could in the past, now its time i take what i gained there and applied it to the future. You are the dark lady, and so untill i am otherwise imbued, i will help you. You think my father being sent by me is a paradox that can not be? that is nothing, there is more i have done. But i can only speak my memories, you have to listen, and believe. if not, then they are nothing, and therefor whether i am who i think i am, does not matter, your safe either way. But if i am who i say, and my memories are not false... Isnt that possibly worth it? is not every ally an important one?
"The choice is your's mother, no one can make it for you."
if i need to die for this to be preserved... Then so be it... Not much of a loss...

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

What nonsense, this? Such contradictory ramblings, such apparent oblivion to the words she had spoken directing him to this place, such utter apathy towards not only her request that he continue with what he had begun to speak in the hall but towards her in general…

She blinked again, now fighting back the uprising of sudden tears, turning all her rapidly diminishing strengths inward to seek that of the Beast, that in the face of this she could yet act as Dark Lady and not a mother filled with the fresh despair brought on by the loss of a child. For certainly she had lost Jharu, just as certainly as if Lord Roan had wrenched him from her, taking him away to another time and place, to raise him….

She paused at that thought, the tears drying in her face.

Perhaps that idle regard held more merit than she thought. Perhaps that was what had in fact happened. Certainly Roan was known for his penchant for advancing children in age if it suited his purposes, and as far as what Jharu considered to be his memories….

Well. There was another, unknown entity, one in league with Thoran and through him seen in collaboration with Roan, who not only possessed the capability to muddle with one’s memories but seemed to delight in doing so.

A shiver raced through her. She flicked a glance toward Shayla, let that glance slide into Phalomir’s verdant gaze. Then she straightened, and with some effort calmed herself until once more she presented herself as the Dark Lady of the Warriors.

No more. No less.

“Jharu,” she began, striving to keep her voice somewhere in tone between that of soft request and that of imperious command.

“You have mistaken me, I believe. I sent word to you that you could now seek audience with me, to reveal that which is of so great an import to the Sith, that which I felt the common halls of this temple were an inappropriate place in which to speak.”

She paused again, fighting with herself. To gain a degree of calm, she sought the others, seeking out the warmth existing within Phalomir and Shayla and with her talents making them aware of her sudden suspicions regarding her son. For a moment all was still; she thought she felt a returning warmth, but didn’t take the time to heed it too greatly. All her focus returned to Jharu, and she leaned slightly forward.

“Now you have the freedom you seek to speak to me, to tell me why you came, to reveal this message you bear which is of so great an importance to our people.

“Tell me now what it was you tried to say when you approached me in the corridors of this temple.”

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

...and far more luck than he would like to bank on. Though night was still upon the planet, Jasyn could clearly see some movement within the city even from a distance. It was going to be very difficult to avoid attracting attention...

...and Jasyn was beginning to ponder other alternatives. He could purposefully get captured...

...but then that didn't garantee getting where he wanted to be, let alone getting to Matt. He could continue with stealth...

...but that would only get him so far. He recalled the Impy's suggestion to find help within...

...and found himself wondering if perhaps he could do just that. Still he had yet to figure out exactly how to find an ally among these Sith whom he knew so little of, who had already captured him once before and had captured his commrades yet again. Pursing his lips at this, Jasyn at length lowered the binoculars and turned to regard his silent companion. He crooked a brow, not moving any further than that.

“Looks like we keep going this way til we reach the city...

...which shouldn’t take too much longer,” he whispered. “Then we’re going to have to find ourselves as safe a route as possible into the Temple where the others have probably been taken, hopefully with the aid of at least a guide, if not a new ally...”

Jasyn paused a moment at that, something flashing in the depths of his brown eyes. “...this is going to get very risky...

...and extremely complicated...”

Trailing at that, Jasyn started on the move once more, crawling his way towards the city and all the while continuing to ponder just what the Hell he was going to do once he got there...

[ 12-22-2003 11:02 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

Shrugging it off, he concealed the pain, hiding it away behind his eyes as he let out a sniffle with a rub of his nose. Crawling forward, the crumpling of the surface below let out a grumble of defiance. When finally fighting through the terrian, his knees burrowing in the ground along with his elbows as he crawled desperately forward so to nudge his new, but silent, compaion.

After reaching him at his side, the now hasty Za'in nudged him with an elbow in hopes to gain the brown eyed man's attention. Letting out a whisper, his hand cuffed around the ends of his lip.

"Why are we heading over there," he said, his hand notioning in the direction. "Are the others in that city or something?"

An eyebrow curved in question as he stared through the darkness, his eyes vibrant and puzzled. A sense of quizzacal surronded his aura as he lay there, his body pressing against the dirty grounds. All seemed confusion, but it was quite obvious why. A man, a simple smuggler, had found himself along the dirts of a planet unknown and never yet the whole situation had never been phantomed.

He had walked with this man, this Jasyn, all this time, but he never knew the path would lead to the ruins of a forgotten race. A place that no man, other than a bored being, could ever even dream up such a place.

"What are we doing here,"he thought, his head down, his nose barley a millimeter away from touching the dirty floor he had crawled upon.

[ 12-23-2003 03:47 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Za'in Almar ]

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

...after all, that's what the Imps informed us. Do you remember this, or have you been sleeping with your eyes open the past few hours?"

Jasyn paused at this, his brown eyes never leaving Almar. In that moment of quiet, he found his sparking temper dwindle into oblivion. Something dark and suspicious replaced it, something directed not at Za'in in the slightest. "I know this all seems strange," he continued then, his voice still lowered, "But I know we're heading in the right direction."

He trailed. Then, "I've been here once before..."

Perhaps more than once, eh pal?

"...and so have the others. This is the place. And if we keep moving..."

He looked up, glancing towards the nearing city, "...we should cross the perimeter of the city in less than a standard hour. So let's get going again."

Falling silent at that, Jasyn kept his eyes on the city and did precisely that, subconsciously realizing that he, just like Za'in, was ready to get this over with...

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

"What in the name of the Fates is the matter with you?" Shayla finally said aloud, her statement sudden yet very intentional. She let her greeny-blue eyes bore into those of Jharu. "This is your mother you are speaking to after all...

...the very one you claim you have been so longing to be with. And yet in the same breath you would say that you have not come so that she could have her son once more?"

Shayla paused, frowning. She stepped in front of Jharu, her eyes never leaving his face as she regarded him. Though he towered over her in height, she was unintimated. She continued on, her voice softening yet still carrying and edge. "And you are not the only one who has ever lost usage of the All; I have been there myself, as have others. I know not what you have been through since that day, but I know for a fact that this one single gift which you lost, which you seem to despair so over, is not what defines who you are. Only you can decide that for yourself no matter what gifts and talents you possess..."

...true potential...

"...and somewhere along the lines, you did decide, or you would not be here today in the form of Jharu the Sorceror. Yet you remain shrouded in mystery, and you answer not the questions presented to you by your very own mother, the mother whom you say you have missed so dearly. Why do you care not that there is a possibility your own memories have been toyed with and falsified, and that what you claim to have done is a total impossibility? Why do you remain so strangely silent after claiming to have so much you need to say? And how can you, severed links be damned, lose the feelings you have for your own mother? Who have you decided to become truly, Jharu?"

Falling silent at that, Shayla moved not a milimeter for a few passing moments. Then, in one graceful motion, she stepped back into place, letting her gaze then flick to Graysith. Then she turned her eyes back upon the silent Jharu, and waited...

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

Tick....

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

That atmosphere was changed with a vengeance, however, as Shayla burst forth with heated words of her own. A tiny smile rippled across Graysith’s face, and she leaned forward to hear how Jharu would reply to the young adept. But her son remained obstinately silent; at length Graysith settled back in the throne, a distant thundercloud building upon her face.

“The hour grows late, and we have endured much this night,” she said all of a sudden. The expression on her face now was joined by rising fire in her eyes, a growing flame which took up residency there, altering their hue until the violet in them had darkened to a tornadic hue. The finger bearing the Claw of S’slan began rapping against the arm of her throne, faster and faster until it propelled her to her feet altogether. She stood, staring down at Jharu for a moment before cutting her eyes to take in the sober Phalomir and the extremely annoyed Shayla.

She returned her gaze to Jharu, tilting her head a bit to one side to take in his form. Another jolt of pain shot through her, lightning bolting through that growing storm—

…you may just as well give me another name, and forget who I am…

--but she forced it away, focusing instead on Jharu’s prior statements.

“You state that you have come back as an obligation to the Sith, and that you have great information which it appeared you quite urgently needed to reveal to me. This you spoke of in the corridor outside my chambers; yet now given the opportunity to explain yourself, you speak only in riddles and otherwise remain silent.”

She paused then, and took a step down from where she stood in front of her throne, then another and yet another. Finally she stood on the lowest step, mere feet from Jharu; giving her shoulders a shrug so that her cloak would hang more comfortably from them, she stared deeply into his eyes.

They have grown violet, like my own...

A moment passed by in which Jharu did nothing other than tilt down his own head to meet her gaze. They remained locked together such for an indeterminable moment; then she reached out a slender hand, paused as if catching herself, then let the gesture continue. Her hand alighted upon his chest like a bird coming to rest upon a perch, just over his heart. It remained there, cool and pale, pressing slightly but firmly against the rich cloth of his robes.

Her eyes never once left his.

“What Lord Aelvedaar did to you is unpardonable, Jharu,” she said quietly, “and shall be punished. This I vow to you as… as your mother.”

Unable to bear the rushing emotions brought forth by that statement, she closed her eyes. Fire and pain warred within her breast, bringing fresh moisture to her eyes. She blinked, forcing herself not to give in to hurt and anger.

But how could Jharu compare her pain with his? A day, a month… it mattered not. The loss of a child is a loss of a child; at the time of that loss she had no idea where he had been taken, or if she would ever indeed lay eyes upon him again. And now he had returned, but under such a cloud of seeming apathy towards her as to make even that former pain seem miniscule by comparison.

She opened her eyes once more. They glistened in the dim lighting, sheened with fresh moisture.

“You are my son, Jharu, and as such are afforded the amenities of this temple, as well as those which your station afford. You have the freedom of this place, and of this city. When the time is right for you to state that which it is you say you must, you know how and where to find me.”

She broke off, taking a fresh breath.

“Your father yet remains within these walls, should you desire to seek him out as well. He—he remains distant from me, son; I have in turn distanced myself from him. This I feel you have the right to know.”

Another pause, another inner search while she waited for the fresh pang of hurt and despair logic demanded those words should provoke. Instead… nothing. She sighed, closed her eyes yet again, and wondered just what it was she had done to herself upon that dire day in Dagobah.

“Seek me when you need me, son,” she repeated, pressing her hand more strongly against his heart, then letting it rise to grip and squeeze his shoulder. That statement ended in a sigh of air as, her eyes still closed, she then stepped fully off the steps of the dias and went around Jharu, allowing the All to lead her away from him and the throne and the demands her station placed upon her.

It did not lead her away from the knot of hurt coiled up between the claws of the Beast, however. Without active use for it, not even its great strength was powerful enough to soothe her broken heart.

[ 12-26-2003 11:14 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

He watched Jharmeen move around Jharu and head softly to the door. He glanced at the stoic Jharu, then turned his eyes to the still fuming Shayla. She looked at him boldly, her eyes trying to convey a message that his tired mind could not fathom at the moment. He then turned a reproaching gaze to Jharu, and slowly his body responded to the signals from his brain and he followed after Jharmeen.

He walked slowly, keeping his distance. She moved with a steady grace through the halls, her feet moving purposefully. He stayed behind several lengths, but not so great a distance that he could not be there within a second should the need arise. The strange, troubling feeling stayed with him as he followed and at times, when she turned a corner, he could swear that the Dark Lady’s eyes were closed.

Phalomir blinked rapidly to clear the dryness in his eyes. His lids were heavy but he felt that if he closed his eyes to rest them then they would refuse to open. He focused on the Dark Lady before him and drew upon the magick within him to keep his body in motion. His thoughts turned quietly to his own son, and a silent understanding passed through him, and he suddenly felt a need to speak with Jharmeen… to share the pain and emptiness of losing one’s son.

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

On she continued, still letting the All guide her, until at length it’s easy pressure within her mind came to a halt. She allowed her feet to do so as well, and opened her eyes. They widened.

She was standing in front of the carved door behind which she had left Lord Recinis.

Behind her, Phalomir’s footsteps silenced. With great effort she refrained from casting a glance his way, and merely studied the ornate carvings in front of her. At length she raised a hand, let it rest against that rich and heavy portal, memories of another door toward which she had once been inexplicably led looming up from memories deep—

It is for thee I do this, my Dark Heart. Only for thee.

--and reached out tentatively with her thoughts.

Your—our son has been dealt a serious blow, Recinis, she sent out into his mind, feeling his presence, quiet and numb, behind the door. It may be that he seeks you out this night; he claims answers to questions I cannot form, he claims a kinship with the sorcerers, he claims to have been the one sending you into the Long Sleep…

He states he is no longer my son…

She trailed off with that, waiting a moment to see if Recinis would respond to that which she had sent him. But passing time cemented the probable fact that he would not; with a little sigh, she let her hand drop to her side, and for a moment simply stood there, reaching within.

Recinis...

The Beast within jerked flat pewter eyes upward and outward to meet that inner scrutiny head-on, and growled. Between its claws something fluttered and writhed; a deadly shining gaze dropped down even as those great claws tightened about the little mote. Then it lifted its massive head once more, a fresh growl rising to slaver from its throat.

Graysith merely sighed, and took a step backward, and then another. Finally, after pausing another moment, she turned from the doorway and continued through the corridors of the Great Temple of the Warriors.

[ 12-26-2003 02:47 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

Jharmeen stood still for several seconds, and Phalomir heard only her steady breath and his own heartbeat. The Dark Lady eventually turned from the door and proceeded down the corridor, and Phalomir let out a soft breath and continued to follow.

Again he wished to call out, and again some strange sense held him back. He trusted her to let him know when and if she needed him, or when she needed to be alone. He hoped her silence at least was a sign that he was not unwelcomed.

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

She paused at the door.

“Goodnight, Lord Phalomir,” she said softly, even as his tracking boot steps came to yet another respectful halt.

Then she pushed upon her door and entered therein, letting it close behind her along with the pair of attendant Sith warriors who came together, shoulder to shoulder, and remained thus that nothing and no one would interrupt the slumber of the Dark Lady.

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

He thought then of finding his own room, then recalled the earlier embarrassment of becoming lost in the temple. He realized that he was about to have a repeat performance of that episode, but then noted the familiarity of the door next to him. The markings on it resembled the door to his room…

He opened the door and stepped inside. Yes, this was indeed his room. He shook his head wearily and headed straight for the bed, not worrying about changing into bedclothes. He sat down on the edge and fell over backwards onto the plush sheets.

Only brief seconds ticked by, and his mind passed through thoughts of the day’s battles, the newfound friendships and responsibilities, the powerful enemies and revelations, until at last it settled on thoughts of happier days and hopeful new beginnings, and as Phalomir fell into a slumber his mind wandered into dreams of a mermaid.

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

But perhaps, then, it was not that particular storm the city stirred against in unconscious protest.

Salandaar awoke after a short and fitful slumber, his eyes snapping open despite the fact that they wanted nothing more than to remain stickily closed. His first thought upon awakening was the one which finally sent him off to sleep: his Mistress gently scolding him, chiding him for what he saw as his failing her.

He frowned, sat up quickly upon his hard wooden bunk, and swung his bare legs over until his feet slapped against the stone floor. After a moment’s pause to flex his arms and expand his chest, he pushed up onto his feet, and padded over to where his simple garments lay in a tidy tangle upon a simple chair. A quick run through the Sith equivalent of a ‘fresher, an even quicker donning of his robes and weapons, and he was ready.

He was in the act of striding from his quarters when her call came to him, stopping him in midstep. He stood there, one foot hanging stupidly a bit from the ground as he gave immediate and complete attention to the call of his Mistress; then it placed itself down on the stone, the heel lifted, and the ball pivoted as he whirled to go another direction.

”Yes, Milady,” he answered her, and headed off to the guest wing. There he made a beeline to the room in which he had transferred Matt, and knocked politely upon it.

"I am ready," Matt said unnecessarily then, waiting for the Sith warrior to take the lead. As Matt expected, the warrior did just that, leading him through winding corridors til at length they entered the Dining Hall where Matt had already been the night before. The warrior lead Matt to the table where a somewhat familiar violet-eyed woman sat with a plate of food. The warrior stepped to the side.

Matt nodded in respect to the Lady, following the protocol he had been keeping. Then he looked up. "Thank you for granting me audience, my Lady," he started simply, "And for your generous hospitality."

With this he spoke no further but quieted, feeling that the breakfast hour was not such a time to speak of what he wanted. So instead he waited for the Dark Lady's next directive, already knowing that she would be the one running the show. And after all...

...she was the Dark Lady.

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

...the despair of losing a child. A part of her knew it very well. Gently, Shayla let a tendril of concern and empathy pass through the link she shared with Graysith. But then her attentions were diverted by the entrance of a Sith warrior leading none other than Matt Stanza. Her greeny-blue eyes locked on him as he approached with a respectful nod and a few words, and she couldn't help but raise a curious brow for but a moment.

Strange, she thought, Why is he here?

Biting her lip at that, Shayla's memories came up with the probable answer. After all, she had some exchanges with some of the Eagle Enterprises employees not so long ago, Matt Stanza being one of them.

I wonder if they are still searching for Galen, came the thought which...

...and not unbeknownst to herself...

...slipped across The Link in silent curiosity.

[ 12-26-2003 09:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

Damn, Jasyn thought darkly as he glanced to the brightening skies above, We aren't going to get where I want to before the sun is finished rising.

Keenly aware that daylight meant being more easily seen, Jasyn glanced about, looking for a good hiding place...

...or perhaps for something else. At the moment they found themselves slipping through some grand foilage which surrounded a large building. Jasyn reached out a hand and placed it on Za'in's shoulder, eyeing the place thoughtfully. Whatever it was it seemed pretty deserted...

...and there was some sort of sign upon one of the great doors. Jasyn cocked a curious brow.

"Place looks deserted," he then whispered, voicing his thoughts. "Might as well scope it out and see what--"

Before Jasyn could finish his sentence, one of the great doors oiled open, and a sort of studious looking Sith, sans any apparent weapons, stepped out. The look in his eyes was tired and somehow troubled.

Jasyn's brown eyes slitted as he considered the opportunity presenting itself. Before he was even consciously aware of the move, he abandoned his hiding place among the shrubbery and jumped atop the steps, causing the Sith to draw back in utter surprise. Jasyn's hand went to his blaster, but he only withdrew it from its holster, seeing no need to take aim...

...at least, not quite yet. "We come seeking information..." he started succintly, only then pausing a moment.

...and a guide," he continued, his stance solid and unmoving. "Would you be so kind as to assist us?"

[ 12-26-2003 10:09 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

Figures stood in his mind, all simple backwater scum to the inner worlders, but friends and enemies to him. They were personal beings, one that he had encountered through his life. Every last one held a strenght that could be imposed on anyone. Some, like a man named Mark Larus was one of the best gunslingers Tatooine had seen in years. He could, with just a twitch of his hand, demand free ale in a Nar Shadaan bar.

This, however, was just one of the lighter figures in his mind that stood hidden by the darkest of people he had encountered. Hutts, a vile and disgustingly deformed sluggish race that Za'in felt had the worst scumbags in the galaxy. They were simple sliming meatbags to him and not a single one, even the slender, inferior beings of the race weren't to be respected by him.

These thoughts, however, whittered away with the realization of the dark red skin of the Sith before him. A blink of his eyes and he was back to reality, not even moment after he had stepped out of his hidings. A smile, consciously forced, came about his young face.

"Yeah, some help would be good. Seeing as we don't know our way around the place," he added, his hands sinking into his pockets for comfort as his voice road a on nervous wheels.

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

His head throbbed as he tried to puzzle out his silence. WHen he had awoken he had had so much to say, and yet suddenly he was unsure of everything he believed.

Shayla's words flowed through his mind momentarily, he knew she was right, he should be rejoicing to have been reunited with his mother.... Yet... there lay a vast emptyness in his soul, one he before took as the wounds of time, the pain of years... Yet now...
his eyes closed as he looked back, attempting to uncloud his mind.Jharu... I sense in you much potential... Unfortunaly you are still living in another time... You are my apprentice now... i will now give you the focus you need to become great...

a fierce pain exploded in his head as the voice of his mentor died away, for nothing after that was apparant aside from his decision to return to this time...

"maybe... Im not the one..." his voice came forth in a whisper.
"but why?"

Stuggling to clear his mind he recalled his mothers final parting message, felt a sudden burst in his mind as a tear almost formed in his eye... Yet it would not come, and the feeling slowly subsided...
History can not know of me jharu, you are my scapegoat
Another wisp of sound wafted through his memories.
He then stood slowly and headed off for his fathers room.
"perhaps my memories have been altered" the words came from his lips with little meaning, deep inside he realized just how strange it was that he did not care either way.

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

As time passed Jharu entered, recinis regarded him momentarily, taking in the growth, the change, he almost smiled with pride at the boy's fine development, but that smile became a frown before it even started.
"Your empty inside jharu....Its not wise to lose sight of your feelings... trust me, i have been through it very recently, and i still dont know where i have ended up."

Jharu regarded him silently for a moment, staring almost daftly at him.

Recinis stood and approuched, viewing him in contrast to his memories, looking back accross the passage of time.

Finaly he turned and looked at the wall before speaking quietly.
"Your wrong... it was not you who is responsible for my presence here, I have no idea who it was, but it was not you..."

he turned again and shook his head,
"i can surmise by what i've been told, that most likely you arived her in the same manor as myself... That means of passage carries two liabilities jharu... A loss of memory, and a feeling of confusion...""He states he is no longer my son…"

his eyes wavered for a moment, a pain rising in his heart.
"dont break away from your past jharu... the bonds we make in this wold can never be broken, find them with your mother again... Not only for her, but for yourself as well."

Jharu's eyes had turned almost stony as he spoke, and then suddenly he turned and departed, leaving recinis to watch quietly as he left...

"Sometimes its not how we act, or what we believe, its simply what we have left to give... Jharmeen.... I cant hope to express my love for you, when im constantly realizing how little i undestand of my feelings... But I promise you... When the odds bad, and time as run out, i will be there for you... Whether you know im there or not."
his words were quiet, his eyes closed as he made the silent vow.

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

He froze in place, crouching further as he assessed the situation. While only one stranger had at first come out from the hiding place, he was aware of the presence of another. That suspicion was soon justified as a second, smaller individual crept out to stand beside the first.

The Sith instructor’s eyes narrowed, and he tensed.

They seemed harmless… at least they didn’t look as if he would have any trouble in overcoming any threatening advances they might make. But experience had long taught him that appearances could be deceiving; well he recalled rumors from not that long ago, about apparently harmless-looking individuals who had caused some kind of furor on Koris’ian, causing the inhabitants to uproot en masse and move to K’eel Doba’s sister planet. What that had all been about, exactly, he hadn’t been quite certain; be that as it may, he couldn’t help but wonder of those mysterious and whispered-about individuals had anything to do with the pair in front of him now, so unexpectedly and so early in the new day.

He remained silent for a long moment more, scrutinizing the pair, staking out the ground around them, planning both attack and defense if it should prove necessary. The pair didn’t move an inch, but stood before him in apparent innocence; at length he decided that he could at least loosen his stance and speak to these two.

Quite often something as slight as that would flush out true intentions.

Graysith didn’t indicate in any manner the fact that she was in communication with Shayla. She merely remained for a moment where she was, seated at her table, fork paused in mid-air by Matt’s entrance into the Dining Hall. After a moment, she rose graciously to her feet, nodding toward him.

“Welcome back, Mr. Stanza,” she said smoothly, now lifting a hand toward the table around which they were all seated to indicate that he join them. “I must apologize for the treatment first afforded you; I trust you found your rooms satisfactory once that little, ahh… dilemma had been taken care of, and that you slept well?”

Smiling, she regained her seat, and took up her fork once again.

“Please, join us at breakfast,” she said simply, nodding again. But as she began eating once more she could not help but cast a somewhat dark look first Shayla’s way, and then Phalomir’s.

I am troubled that so many unexpected visitors have come to us as of late, and all while we bear such great concerns over Phalomir’s erstwhile friend, this Thoran. But let us not be hasty in our conclusions, and allow Mr. Stanza time to explain himself and the reason for his presence here….

Once again there was no outward indication of her communication to Shayla and Phalomir, nor of the pang which iced into her being as the image of Jharu flashed immediately into her mind. Her smile remained fixed as pleasantly upon her face as though she had extended a formal invitation that all would join her for tea.

[ 12-30-2003 03:08 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

...and then he lowered his fork and cut directly to the chase. "I must thank you once more for your hospitality, the rooms were quite comfortable. But I must also beg your forgiveness if my next words seem a bit out of place for this time, but I feel a pressing need to get to my reason for requesting audience. Part of this need is due to the fact that one of my comrades has been seperated from the rest of our group...

...a man named Jasyn Lancaster. He too accompanied our party the last time we were here; we all are here once again for much the same reason as we were before. You told us then that you knew no woman by the name Galen Danner, and that you have no sister...

...but all the evidence we have gathered still leads us back to this place."

Matt paused at this, plotting his course on how he was going to request help in a tactful manner. "Galen may very well not be here on this planet, but I believe we may be on the right track regardless. By our sources she came here looking for a Sith ship...

...is there a possibility there are other places she could have gone for this? Or could she have come here, and run into some trouble before she completed her mission?"

Matt paused a moment, pursing his lips thoughtfully. Then he continued. "The long and the short of this is that we desperately need any assistance you could offer us. I fear time is running short for us to find Mrs. Danner...

...and we've already tragically lost her husband and my Boss and very good friend. Please, milady...

...help us."

[ 12-30-2003 08:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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