A dark room in a deserted Temple, one filled with Kaminoan laboratory equipment...

...among other things...

Terrin cleared his throat for attention. "I'm afraid I've missed out on a few key events you have brought up, things which I may need to know if I'm going to be of any assistance. First and foremost, you've metioned the return of the Sith...

...something which, as of my last memory, still had not occurred. I can only assume, based on what you are saying, that the Sith are now back...

...and that somehow this place played a part in their return since Roan saw it necessary to bring Kaminoan scientists here," he said, looking then to Rhua. "Do you know, and can you speak of, the reason which Roan brought you to this place? And..."

He trailed a moment, looking to Phalomir, "I have to agree with Rhua, we're going to have to lay all cards out on the table if we're going to survive here. So just what kind of powers do you have...?"

Pausing at that, Terrin cocked a brow at Phalomir for a long moment. Then he looked to the Kaminoan once more. "And Rhua," he then said, "If you had the courage to help Galen escape from Roan after seeing what he did to some of your Kaminoan friends with my own eyes back in a K'eel Doban laboratory...

...I trust you more than perhaps you believe."

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

"Lord Roan did not bring me to this place," he replied carefully.

"I came here quite willingly, entering through a strange blackness that I theorize to be a doorway between realities. Those realities being this place--" He waved a hand about himself.

"And the umiverse with which we are familiar, the one we call home. That is my theory, at least.

"But bring me here? No, I entered into this realm of my own device, seeking Galen who had somehow come here, I think, during the night of her disappearance. We were camping..."

Again he paused, shifting uncomfortably as memories began chasing each other back through time.

"We were camping on the rim of a great canyon we had stumbled upon while seeking water. For when we emerged from where Roan had held Galen prisoner, we found ourselves on a desert."

He paused again, considering.

"Whether that desert represents the environment of the entire planet, or merely a portion of it, yet remains to be seen. All I can tell you is that we found little to no life, and were having a terrible time eking out sustenance with which to keep ourselves alive. This canyon proved to be welcomed-- at first-- for we thought we would find water somewhere within it."

He fell silent then and cast his eyes to the strange non-ground, heaving a sigh as he did so.

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

Phalomir sighed. He was not completely convinced as to Thoran’s sincerity, but the others at least needed to know some more.

“Very well,” he said. “I will tell you of my powers, as I understand them. I have innate Sith magic, not born of the normal skills used by the Sith. I am able to call upon my powers to do… well, practically whatever is needed. But the more power I use, the more I am drained of my immediate energy. Like using all of your strength to lift a very heavy object, or sprinting up a long hill, I need to rest and recharge after exertion.”

He looked directly at Thoran.

“I also somehow have the power of the Eye within me. It bestowed its ability to fend off certain effects of the All, although it did me no good against being sent here. I also can send my spirit away from my body, free to roam without bounds. That is how I was sent here without my body.”

He folded his arms and sat down on the rocky surface.

“Although here, my powers seem to have increased. A normal defensive shield I threw at a horde of imps blew through their lines and sent bodies flying everywhere.”

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

"If you can take on a horde of demons, seems like you should be able to find a way out of here," he opened with simply. "We know that All-users can get in and out of here freely, and you've stated that whatever power you have through this Eye thing draws off the power of the All...

...so that may be be a key to getting out of here."

At this Terrin paused, pursing his lips as he looked to Rhua once more, "And concerning why I asked you why you were brought here...

...I was referring to that other time you mentioned, the time when you said you'd been here with Roan. You did say that you too had been here before, after all..."

[ 02-19-2004 02:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Once.

"I prefer to not think about that any longer," he said simply before clamming up on the subject altogether.

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

Whatever Rhua had experienced here with Roan...

...it must have been something horrid to evoke such a reaction. Still...

"Allright," Terrin then spoke aloud, "I can understand if you experienced something here with Roan that is painful to think of...

...but if and when it becomes something that may be important to getting out of here and finding Galen, I hope you will be willing to face it for her sake..."

He trailed a moment, glancing to Phalomir then Thoran. "And for the ahhh... good of the Galaxy if need be. "And about the possibility of us using your ability to channel All-power to get out of this place, Phalomir...

...is this plausible?"

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

"It- it would have no bearing whatsoever on our situation, believe me," he finally managed in a hoarse voice.

Then he fell silent once more, unable to completely restrain his rising curiosity toward Phalomir's reply, even though at the moment memories were still slicing red-hot in his mind.

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

“Unfortunately, the only time I’ve experienced this ‘channeling’ has been when an All user has been nearby. I discovered that the Eye had sort of a defensive trigger against the All, and also didn’t hesitate to draw freely upon All users when it needed power for something of its own devise. I ruined many an early chance with Jharmeen’s trust that way.”

He placed his head in his hands.

“What I do not understand is why the power of the Eye allowed Jharmeen to send my spirit here. Surely it could have sensed her actions, why did it not stop her? Unless, it meant for me to be here…”

He looked back to Thoran.

“I still have no reason to trust you, but if what you say is true then… then… then I still don’t know what you want. Perhaps you should continue?”

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

“But this is the guy,” Thoran continued, pointing to Rhua. “This is the man of the hour. It’s his misplaced sense of loyalty, his relentless curiosity, and his belief in pure science that will really help us out here. I love this guy! If he weren’t so darned fragile I’d give him a big hug.”

Thoran laughed and stood.

“But you’re not all that fragile, are you? You worked with Roan, did what he told you for a long time, didn’t you? Then when he disappeared on you, you turned on your own kind and helped a human subject escape. I admire that, I really do. Funny, though, that you chose HERE to be your sanctuary.”

He crouched and leaned on his haunches.

“So what about you, Rhua? Feel like coming clean? We’re all friends here, aren’t we? We’re all in this together now. Why did Roan bring you here the first time? And what exactly were you doing to Galen?”

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

Being of a soundly logical mind, he rarely found himself in circumstances warranting such, and thus found the sensation annoying if not downright troubling to say the least. But facts in his life having been what they were, he simply could not help his reaction to Thoran’s direct questions, questions following so closely upon the heels of and so nearly mimicking Terrin’s.

So he fidgeted, debating with himself.

It really does not matter, Rhua, he told himself as he twined his long fingers about each other. What does it matter if you reveal what happened between you and Roan? Is that problematic?

No. Not that. But—

At length he sighed, and with a swallow found his voice.

“Roan came to Kamino some time ago seeking our assistance with some convoluted plan he had for gaining leadership over his people, or some such thing,” he finally began. He stopped a moment, glancing at his captive audience.

They looked totally engrossed, much to his chagrin. With another sigh, he continued.

“He wanted certain young children cloned, and other certain children physically advanced beyond their years… other children brought into being through our technologies when supplied with the, ahh… necessary ingredients...”

Another pause to fidget.

“And certain promises to the fact that particular individuals would not ever be able to bear children again.

”Ever.”

Suddenly it was as if he was a puppet whose strings had been cut. Before anyone could do anything, he flopped to the weird ground, his gaze turning inward as he read the hideousness he had been forced to experience.

Had been forced into doing.

“I—I was in second-in-charge of the cloning division of my particular stilt city; unfortunately for me, it was to our city that he came. I found his plans abhorrent, to put it mildly, and when I protested, rather than let my supervisor handle matters he—

“He—he brought me here, and he—“

He could go on no further. His head dropped and his shoulders vibrated quickly, up and down as, unable to hold the memories at bay, he gave into them and simply let them come. For a timeless moment he remained thus; at length he raised his head and faced them all, his eyes somehow more liquid in appearance than they had looked before.

He blinked, and looked from one to the other again.

“Do you realize that I am the only being of living flesh here?” he asked in perfect non sequiteur and then once again fell silent.

[ 02-19-2004 04:31 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rhua Ki ]

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

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

“Apparently you are somewhat lacking in the ability to logically deduce an answer from given data,” he said coldly, crossing his arms for emphasis.

“What happened here to me was personal, and has absolutely no bearing on us or our situation. I see no logical reason to disclose this painful information to you; you may think what you will of it.

“And as for what happened to Galen, well. Did I not just reveal that? Not merely her, but the child I was told was hers, another daughter with hair of flame, and there were two others, and finally yet another fully grown came under our tender auspices, although with that female we had difficulties. The techniques we employed would not readily hold; it took our greatest skills to ensure future infertility without reducing ourselves to anything so crude as surgical removal of various body parts.

“And even now I am not certain if the new technique would hold true. Only time will tell… but as for the others?

“Yes. My companion, Galen Jhin’Dar Danner, and four other young females as well, will most certainly never by natural means give birth to viable offspring.

“Is that answer enough for you, my friend?”

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

Thoran stood, still looking up at the gangly Kaminoan.

“I wanted to hear you say it directly. No need for deducing that way. You see, I’ve had too many half-truths and misdirected nuances thrown my way, and by me, to rely on assumptions gleaned from emotional speeches.”

He took a step back, a twinkle in his eye.

“I wonder, was any work done on any of Galen’s siblings? Hehe, you don’t need to answer that for me, unless someone else here would be interested. But what do we do now, then? Now that we know who we are, and what we have done. How can we work together to get ourselves out of here?”

[ 02-19-2004 05:09 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Thoran ]

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

Four young females, unable to give birth by natural means...

...and Galen...

Whether to the notice of the others or not, Terrin shuddered.

Damn all the Sith Lords to Hell, playing God like that...

...and damn him for ever believing any of them, for ever trusting any of them...

..wait, a flame-haired girl too, one who was said to be Galen's child? But Darra was just a baby...

With effort, Terrin shook himself from these thoughts, his blue eyes yet remaining distant and perhaps somewhat haunted even as Thoran's final words registered in his ears.

"Perhaps the fact that some of us are not truly of this shadow realm can somehow play in our favor?"

He trailed once more, three damning words echoing in his mind.

Some of us...

...and which of them are you, Terrin Danner? By all your memories, you should still be alive...

...yet if this is so, what happened to those you were with here as of your last memory, for even Graysith was here at some point. They would not have left you behind...

...would they?

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

“Well, maybe,” said Thoran. “Hey, here’s a thought, Darrin: DUH! There is one here that is flesh and blood, the rest of us are spirits. Cope!”

Terrin’s glare seemed to add to Thoran’s mirth.

“Oh, hey Rhua,” he smiled, “what does this goofy land and Galen have in common? Give up? They’re both barren!”

Thoran chuckled loudly, and stared at Terrin.

“Oh, sorry Darrin,” he said. “Maybe I should be talking about Jharmeen instead. Well, hey, Phal, at least you won’t need to make her take a pill.”

Phalomir stood, his eyes glowing a sharp red as he stared at Thoran.

“OK,” said Thoran, “are we all awake now? Can we talk about getting the hell out of Hell?”

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

“Please,” he finally opened with a little sniff. “Try to keep such useless observations to yourself. They certainly do not provide any impetus to our gaining exit from this realm, and only serve to heighten already escalated emotions.”

He cast a quick glance toward Phalomir and Terrin.

“Really,” he went on, laying a long finger aside his minute nose as if he was pondering deep thoughts. “This does seem to present a quandary. There are two of you who appear to be what most would consider a bona fide shade – I am truly sorry, Mr. Danner.”

He smiled a polite apology in case his comment would be misconstrued as a social gaffe, but did not bother to take in Thoran with that attempt at appeasement. Scientist he was indeed, not diplomat.

“And there is one who appears to have somehow been wrenched from his body, which remains yet – alive?”

He paused again, contemplating. Finally he seemed to come to some conclusion, and nodded.

“Interesting, but I really see no direction in which this can lead us, at least not as a group. I can see the benefit to each member personally; well, at least to the majority here.”

Now his smile seemed to shake just the tiniest. But directly on the heels of that thought came the fresh memory of his earlier discussion with Thoran; he firmed visibly, and straightened.

“Perhaps the shades amongst us will be effectual against those who likewise exist as spirits in this realm, while I, as living flesh, may be able to have greater impact in confrontation with this Master, whoever he might be. If he is yet living flesh, that is; of course this is all simply conjecture. I have no data upon which to base an hypothesis.”

He quieted a moment, then sighed.

“Unless your trek into the spiritual realms has heightened your paranormal capabilities, I am afraid I still see no way to exit from this place. I stumbled in through what I believe to be a rift, a doorway if you will; I am not certain in which direction that doorway lies, nor do I know if it opens in both directions.

“Yet if this Master is indeed here, as is claimed, and is indeed of flesh and blood, he would have had to enter via such a doorway, one would think. One would also deduce that he would more than likely hold knowledge of the means by which to escape this place; being Master here is rather inconsequential, don’t you think?

“I think we must actively seek this Master, whoever and wherever he is, and hope we find him and can somehow persuade him into showing us the doorway back into our own reality… erm.”

He paused briefly, fidgeting again for a moment, blinking.

“That is, at least those of us who are able to exist in that reality at all.”

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

Face it buddy, somewhere along the lines...

...you died. Don't know why you can't remember it...

...but then, perhaps, maybe you don't want to remember whatever happened...

He looked up to Rhua. "I have to agree," he then said, shaking himself from his thoughts once more. "If anyone is going to get out of here, finding someone that is capable of getting in and out of here is the only solution...

...that is, provided he is going to be willing to assist when the time comes."

Pausing at that, he arched an eyebrow at Phalomir, totally ignoring Thoran for the moment. "Your buddy over there said that the 'Master' wanted you alive and away from this place once; perhaps it's time we get moving and see if he will feel the same the second time around..."

[ 02-21-2004 03:04 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

“Before we determine exactly how we might be finding this person, we must remember one thing. That is, if what this worthy gentleman has divulged to us is indeed the truth.”

He waved offhandedly at Thoran, then continued.

“According to what he has stated, the Master is Phalomir’s father. Further, he has already tampered with the life of his son; while it would appear on the surface that said tampering might be resultant of a desire to gain whatever power it is he seeks, as well as to perhaps keep his son alive in some manner, we cannot of course be certain. I thus conclude that Phalomir’s presence here with us may prove catalytic to raising his ire; he was, after all, clearly not meant to be taken here at all… at least I don’t believe so. Which brings up another interesting point.”

Now cocked his head a bit to one side, his eyes narrowing as his scientist’s mind went into full-fledged analysis of all that had been said.

“I find your story interesting, Phalomir,” he began slowly. He blinked.

“If what you said is true, I can only believe that you were killed in the shuttle when your wife was taken by the Vong. Thus your body would be destroyed. However, there is a paradox here.

He rose up to his full height, and proceeded.

“If your body was destroyed on that shuttle, then what body is it you have recently departed from? Something was mentioned earlier about statues? An Eye of R’lous? Differing timelines??? If that is the case, then your body—the one belonging to the timeline in which all you stated has occurred, is indeed destroyed. Yet here you stand; what I am concerned about is how an obvious crossing over between timelines has been enacted? Where is the nexus, the gleeberfly waving its wings?

“Indeed, who are you, Phalomir? And along those lines, if there is question as to your existence and reality, then who is this Master, and to which timeline does he belong? You have some strange abilities I cannot understand without further study; can this paradox be somehow used to our advantage, exploited by the use of the magnified powers you state you have in this realm?”

He sighed then, and shook his head.

“We have studied the possibilites of time travel,” he finally stated. “While it is theoretically possible, that is on paper, certain variables arise which would prevent such from happening. Too many paradoxes would arise; the only thing we come close to is that if a timeline is to be intentionally altered by travelling through it, then that travel has to occur immediately upon the heels of the event sparking interest in said travel.

“You speak of a time passage of a magnitude of millennia; this is paradoxical, and quite confusing to me. Are you able to shed any light on any of this at all before we continue?”

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

“I do not know the science behind it, if indeed it is science. What I have been able to deduce through what I have been told or shown does corroborate with much of what Thoran has stated -- snide remarks and attempts to raise my anger aside. I hesitate to say I believe him, but I cannot immediately discount everything he has said.”

Thoran looked to Phalomir and smiled smugly.

“I do not know precisely what happened with the Vong,” Phalomir continued, “but if I died then surely I would have memories of this place, or some other afterlife -- if that is we are indeed discussing. Is it?”

Phalomir did not wait for an answer.

“But if the Master is my father, then he would not be here for many more years… correct? I am from the future, somehow plucked away and sent to the past. My body – explain it to me, Thoran, I am very curious myself.”

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

“Ah, so you do need me. It feels nice to know that, really it does. You see, Phal, the Master is very powerful. The body you came back to was really yours, he plucked the flesh just as he did the spirit. Of course, in order for the ruse to work, he had to preserve your body in stone and set up a bit of magic to bring it back when you found it. He grabbed a likely candidate for me to pop into as well, and sealed us up in the Eye. And to think, a plot that spanned 4500 years just get you in a position where he could grab you and bring you here intact, everything going perfectly, and it was ruined by your unrelenting passion for one little human. And the best part is, she’s the one who betrayed you in the end!”

Thoran began to laugh. Soon he was giggling uncontrollably and fell over backwards, grabbing his sides. Soon he calmed enough to sit back up.

“But really, he hasn’t given up hope. He still needs you to be whole, you see, because the folks here don’t want you in spirit. They had to deal with that briefly… well, will have to deal with that… well… oh, hell, time works very strangely here. Sure, it’s linear, but it’s kind of on a sliding bar here. I think the Master has figured out how to work that slide somehow, at least to some small extent. But anyway, when you died, you were actually here for a little bit. You really did have some attitude in those days, and your desire for vengeance upon the Vong drove you to the top, my boy. But, like everything else in your life, just when you got to the peak you were torn away and thrown into something else. So, the big guys here do indeed want you, but they want you in the flesh, your spirit is a bit too much to deal with on its own.”

He let his smile fade, taking on a serious demeanor.

“That’s why I think we can get out of here. Phal, your father will want you back in your body. We just need to contact him somehow. He is probably out with Aelvedaar somewhere, so if we contact him then we might get lucky. And who in here has contact with Aelvy? Well, my little birdie tells me that it’s Roan. And who do we know here who has some unfinished business with Roan?”

Thoran looked nonchalantly to the Kaminoan.

[ 02-23-2004 12:18 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Thoran ]

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

"I have no 'unfinished business' with that one, as you so carefully imply, Thoran," he said stiffly, giving his head another shake for emphasis.

"What business I had with him was of the past, long satisfied; from the moment I overstepped his standing orders by assisting Galen from the prison she was in -- indeed, from the prison holding us both -- my business was concluded.

"I wish nothing more to do with him ever, and if he is dead as your friend here states, then so much the better."

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

"There is only way I'd do any dealings whatsoever with slime such as Roan, and that would be if I was certain it would ensure the safety of Galen. And since we are talking about Roan..."

Terrin trailed as the flash of an image that even now didn't seem long enough ago spred across his mind's eye; the image of the love of his life fleeing from him in fear, her body battered and psyche wounded...

His eyes grew a shade darker as he continued. "...that's more than simply highly improbable. There is one more of us here, however, who has a link with one of these highly powerful Sith..."

Terrin's blues slowly panned to Thoran, then locked there. "...that is, if what he says is true. And after all, if the Eye seperated you from your Master so you could learn the truth...

...then eventually it'll put you back in contact with either the living realm or the Master himself so you can use that information..."

[ 02-23-2004 09:40 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

No one at all, he answered himself but kept that answer from the others until he could gather more data. No sense jumping to conclusions.

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

“Now, wait just a minute,” he said. “Are you implying that the Eye has some sinister motive in all of this? Brother, let me tell you about sinister! The Master, now that is sinister! Whatever link I had was severed by the Eye, and I don’t know how to get it back. In fact, I don’t want it back, ever. I’m through with that madman! He’s had me working for him for longer than I care to remember, and I’ve done some really awful things in his name.”

Thoran looked to Phalomir, genuine concern showing on his face.

“That’s not me, Phal. It never was, I just didn’t know it. Now I don’t know if I can talk to him again without him knowing.”

He looked back to Rhua.

“But I will, if that’s what it takes. Believe me, Roan is dead, but here in this land he is still powerful. But he may be our only means of getting to Aelvedaar or the Master. Let’s find him, use you as bait—I mean, as a means of contact, and use him… somehow.”

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

"As I have already pointed out, I am the only one of this charming little quartet who is alive in the truest meaning of the word, and believe me I greatly wish to remain that way. Knowing Roan as I do--"

A brief pause to allow another shudder to spasm through his lanky body.

"I am quite positive he would be more than happy to alter that happy state of being.

"No, Thoran, I will not serve as bait in your dastardly plan. You speak beguiling words; how am I to know that you yourself are not in league with Roan through this Master, the father of our friend here, that is if what you said is really the truth."

He waved a hand toward Phalomir, then turned to face him, crossing his arms upon his slender torso and falling into an expectant sort of silence.

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