“We shall use no-one as ‘bait’, Thoran,” he said. “If you are to be believed, then Rhua is indeed the only living person here, and I wish him to stay that way as well. I owe him much for the rescue of my sis—for my new friend Galen. Let us think rationally for a moment, instead of reactionary.”

Phalomir paused and scanned the area, making sure the wandering hordes had not discovered the group. The lack of movement on the horizon somehow did not ease him.

“What are our dilemmas? First, we are stranded in this strange realm, with no real notion of how to escape. Second, my lady – Jharmeen – is possibly controlled by some dark force, and thus Shayla and her friends could be in great danger. Third, we have evidence of a vast plot steered by three very powerful adversaries, with little hope of defeating them in our present state.”

He glanced around at the other three.

“Did I leave anything out?”

Phalomir’s unease heightened and he glanced around the area once more. Still there was no movement, yet he could not shake the feeling of being watched.

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

"Ideas on that, anyone? Or shall we just pick a direction at random and begin walking until either Roan or those demons find us?"

[ 02-26-2004 10:09 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rhua Ki ]

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

“I thought I just DID give a plan!” he exclaimed. “We got something Roan wants, I think. Let’s trade him for passage out of here.”

He looked to Rhua.

“Then when he shows us how to get out, we have Phal blast him, and we all go. Simple, right? Why does everything have to be so blasted complicated with you Sith and you Aminos?”

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

"The problem with it is that Rhua is alive, and I think it'd be beneficial for us to keep it that way. I agree with his theory; actively seeking the Master seems the most plausible plan to me. This way, perhaps Rhua can at least get himself out of here...

...and meanwhile those of us who are..."

He paused, hesitating, "... shades can deal with the afterlife characters here, in order to protect Rhua. Still, actively seeking the Master relies on us having some direction in which to find him..."

Terrin paused once more, his blue eyes wandering to Thoran, "...and as I've mentioned before, at least one of us has a connection..."

Here he glanced to Phalomir, "...if not two of us. It's worth a shot if it means getting those who belong in the living realm out of here so they can help Galen and Graysith..."

Terrin eyes moved back to Thoran, "...and the Universe, as you put it yourself."

Quieting at that, Terrin folded his arms and waited to see what anyone else would have to say.

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

Thoran threw his head back and growled at the strange sky, letting his exasperation speak for itself. He set his face in a stony sneer and looked at the surrounding mountains.

“Fine,” he said. “You rational people discuss this then and let me know when you’re ready. I’ll just be over that way looking for the Master. But I’m telling you, he is not here. Only Roan is here.”

He began walking to a group of larger rocks, then paused and turned.

“If we find him, he will kill me. You know that. The Master will destroy me without a second thought. I’m not ready to sacrifice myself to save you, so I hope you think of something else.”

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

"I still do not know whether or not we can fully trust that one, but there is one way to find out if at least some of what he says is the truth."

Now he focused his large, limpid eyes blackly upon Phalomir's intense green ones.

"You stated you have some sort of power, and indeed, you are a Sith Lord, in fact a Dark Lord of the Armorer clan. You also stated the aforementioned power appears to be somehow enhanced here within this realm; would it be too presumptuous of me to kindly request you utilize said Sithly powers, and try to determine if in fact the Master... er, your father is here or not?"

[ 02-26-2004 10:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rhua Ki ]

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

“The power I spoke of involved my ability to separate my consciousness from my physical body… I do not know if I could do this in my present state.”

He waited, looking to Rhua. The Kaminoan’s expression did not alter.

“But of course, I will try.”

Phalomir closed his eyes and let his mind fall out of focus, like so many times in the recent past. He did not have to wait long for the familiar feeling of weightlessness to come to him. He opened his eyes amid the gasps of those around him, and saw their shocked faces rapidly retreating.

Phalomir soared into the sky, leaving the Rhua and Terrin gaping. Thoran turned to look up and applauded. Phalomir concentrated on stopping, and paused in mid-air.

“Well,” he called down, “this is not quite what I am used to, but perhaps it will do.”

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

Then-

"Interesting," he said in a somewhat hoarse tone of voice. "Carry on, indeed, please do."

He then stepped out in indication of following wherever the Sith Lord would lead them.

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

What does this tell me? Phalomir thought. Even though I appear to be in a solid form here, it is still only my spirit. My body remains somewhere… out there.

Phalomir floated higher in order to take a glimpse above the high, rocky hill that rose beside them. He slowed himself as he reached the top, and as his brow broke over the rocky ledge he came eye to eye with the beast of the pit himself.

Phalomir’s eyes widened, as did Roan’s.

“Roan!” Phalomir exclaimed. “Fancy meeting you here.”

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

"I see you have managed to take something not belonging to you, Lord," he spat, rearing back a bit and folding his arms upon his chest. A quick flick of his eyes to the side let Phalomir know he was fully aware of the presence of the others; slowly and deliberately then, he spat upon the ground directly beneath the floating Phalomir's feet.

"You might be carrying the High Mark of the Armorers, but you will gain nothing other than that, this I can promise you," he said before finishing in a somewhat more oblique manner.

"Especially when it comes to... her."

He paused, still smiling, tapping one claw idly upon the tensed muscle of one forearm.

[ 03-03-2004 06:01 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Dark Lord Roan ]

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

“Greetings to you as well, Lord Roan,” he said flatly. “This mark was bestowed upon me legitimately and through honor, and my life with her should be no concern of yours.”

Phalomir furrowed his brow slightly.

“Tell me, Lord Roan, why would a shade concern himself with the affairs of the living?”

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

Roan reared back in distaste, and spat once more.

"What do you know of honor? By the very Mark you carry, in tandem with your comment regarding your supposed life with her you prove you have no honor within you. Think you I have no knowledge of what it means to bear the Tattoo of the Armorers? Did you think I have forgotten my dear brother Rean?

"Have you told her of these things?"

Roan smiled when he saw the look he did rising in Phalomir's green eyes.

"Oh of course not, no. That would quite ruin your chances with her now, wouldn't it?"

He paused then, and simply stared at the floating Sith Lord while a small eternity passed between them. Then--

"What interests I may have are my own affairs, pretender," he finally snarled. "I need not spill them out as easily as the blood within your veins soon shall be--

"Oh my. I'm afraid I have let something slip now, haven't I?"

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

“And as for her, let us refer to my love by her name. Jharmeen may be under the dark spell of some sinister ally of yours, but she will persevere, with or without me. I have never lied to her, nor shall I ever. Should she ask anything of me, I would offer it without hesitation. She loves whom she chooses, and…”

Phalomir paused, the fire subsiding a small amount. A stray thought crossed his mind, and now fanned the flames of curiosity within him.

“Is this the point of contention between us, Lord?” he said quietly. “Are we rivals for her affection?”

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

What is he doing up there? he wondered to himself as he leaned backward, straining to hear what was going on. That the Sith lord was speaking to someone had not gone unnoticed; Rhua’s keen eye easily captured the movement of Phalomir’s lips as he spoke to someone who was standing back from the lip of the outcrop, hidden from view to those below. Blinking, Rhua cupped his hand alongside his head, striving to catch the slightest sounds that might waft down from above. But to no avail; the conversation going on over his head remained as much a mystery as did the person involving Phalomir in it.

At length he decided enough time had passed in such things.

“Are we to get moving and find Galen?” he called upward, then fell into silent expectation, waiting for a reply from above.

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

...who might help them along in their quest? What other reason would he have to stop and speak with someone anyway?

Terrin frowned to himself then looked to Rhua, who was still looking towards Phalomir expectantly. "Maybe he's found someone else stuck in this dismal place," he observed.

Or worse... the little demon on his shoulder added. Terrin chose to ignore that, however, instead directing a query upwards to Phalomir. "Have you found someone to help us?" he called out, then joined Rhua in looking towards the Sith expectantly.

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

“Your silence is most revealing, Dark Lord,” he said, ignoring the calls from below. “But surely, there must be some agreement we can reach? Do you wish only to obtain revenge for some injustice done to you while you were living? Or do you seek more than that?”

Phalomir’s smile faded.

“Has Aelvedaar told you everything, I wonder? Are you aware of whose blood flows within me?”

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

“I have a bad feeling about this,” he said.

He watched intently as Phalomir’s lips formed words, and Thoran applied the skills he learned over many years.

“He is speaking with someone… I think it’s Roan…”

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

Roan? Phalomir was speaking with Roan; whatever could they be conversing about, taking as long as they were up there.

That question brought an errant thought tagging along, not much of a realization, but enough to perhaps raise some suspicions.

Wouldn't Phalomir have long left Roan, if indeed it was he to whom he was speaking, rather than go on and on about whatever it was they were speaking of? Unless--

Another shudder hit the scientist, and he turned to Terrin, then to Thoran. He opened his mouth to speak-- and stopped.

He was flesh, the only being of flesh and blood in this loathesome place. All others, as already defined, were shades of one manner or another. He wondered if one's thinking processes survived the trek from the corporeal into that of ghostliness; would they all stick together, like adhering to like?

The scientist in him scoffed at such silliness. Yet something persisted in eating at him.

Phalomir was certainly taking his sweet time talking up there.

A decision was made.

"Phalomir," he called up carefully. "Is it Roan with whom you are speaking? If so, do you feel this is wise?"

He shut his mouth at the absurdity of his own query. Of course it wasn't wise, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it. If Shades ruled this place between universes, then he was at their complete mercy. It really didn't matter how long Phalomir took in speaking with Roan; in fact, now that he thought of it, the longer the better.

All the better to keep Roan's attention away from me... and the fact that it is Galen we are after...

He stiffened as cartesian logic burst through him.

He certainly would know that he, Rhua Ki, had assisted Galen in her escape. It was inescapable, if only by the fact of his calling out to Phalomir about her mere moments ago.

He sighed again, and shot a dark look to Terrin, and then back to Thoran, all the while letting one hand drift to the weapon he kept hidden in his clothing.

How in all the universe does one destroy what doesn't exist? he couldn't help but wonder as he struggled to keep himself from running away from the group, telling himself over and over in a mantra of survival that the only weapon any shade could use against him was fear, and fear was nothing but a product of his own mind.

[ 03-17-2004 08:59 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rhua Ki ]

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

“In the near future,” he said to Roan, “when you are ready to speak, my Lord, perhaps we shall have much to talk about. In the meantime, ask Aelvedaar if he is truly aware of his progeny. If you will excuse me, I must attend to impatient companions.”

Phalomir slowly drifted downwards, watching Roan as he descended. Roan simply watched Phalomir descend, and when he was out of Roan’s line sight, he descended quickly to his waiting companions.

Phalomir smiled to the wide-eyed group.

“Roan has been watching us,” he said. “I believe he will continue to do so for some time, until he decides to either talk to me or blast us into oblivion. For now, we must be patient and continue to seek the Valley.”

Patience, he thought to himself. You speak it so well, yet find it difficult to maintain, Phalomir. My dear lady, my thoughts are focused upon you. I shall find you, please be safe.

[ 03-17-2004 09:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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

Terrin frowned. "The valley?" he queried. "What the kriffing hell are you talking about? I thought we were looking for someone to help us get out of this place so we could get to Galen."

He paused a moment, the look in his eye clouding with suspicion. "What were you talking to him about anyway? He may be dead and stuck here in this wretched place, but he obviously still has a link elsewhere...

... and he was the last person we saw my wife with. Not to mention we are all still stuck here with him, dead or alive. Rhua brought up a pertinent question which you left unanswered: do you honestly think it was a wise decision to stop and speak with him when we should be doing everything in our power to find a realistic way out of this place? Roan is a snake, he is not to be trusted...

... ever."

Quieting a moment at this, Terrin simply glowered at Phalomir, then glancing at Rhua and Thoran. Terrin couldn't help but note the faint traces of suspicion deep in the Kaminoan's eyes.

Terrin definitely couldn't say that he blamed him.

"Perhaps we do not all have the same interests at heart, and should split up. My vows might have said til death do we part," he continued, cutting a look Thoran's way, "But no matter what my status is my wife still comes first...

...and I intend to do whatever is in my power to get her to safety."

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

“I do no intend to trust Roan,” he said. “I intend to do just the opposite, but use it to our advantage. He wants something of us still, or else he would have tried to destroy us by now. Unless, of course, he lacks the power, but I do not believe that. He mentioned something of Jharmeen, in the same breath as he told of some impending harm which is to become of my body. This leads me to believe that she is still under the control of whatever he or Aelvedaar sent to her, and makes me even more anxious to escape.”

He looked directly into Terrin’s eyes.

“Like you, I would do nearly anything to save my lady. I do not doubt that in you, never doubt that in me.”

He turned to Rhua.

“As long as Roan is watching us, Galen is elsewhere and guarded by someone – or something – other than Roan. I would like to try something, but it would require a slight intrusion mentally… I would like to explore the differences between you, a flesh being, and the others in this place. Perhaps I could somehow use that knowledge to sense other flesh beings – such as Galen. It is a long shot, but…”

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

“Fascinating,” he stated, nodding his approval. “Quite fascinating; I have wondered as to the physicality of psychic connections. Indeed, all our studies and tests have proven of no avail in defining a carrier particle for such things; by all rights this should be something quite impossible, you see, as…”

He would have gone on and on, tripped into scholarly mode, if he hadn’t happened to have turned and directed his last statement to Terrin. The look in Terrin’s eyes was enough to stop an SSD in full-blown attack mode; Rhua snipped off his oratory in mid-thought and gulped.

“Ahh—yes, that would be a quite satisfactory test, indeed it would,” he finished, turning back to Phalomir with a nod. One slim hand flew up and wiped his brow; then he stood tall and firm before the Sith lord and drew in another deep breath.

“Is there anything in particular I should do to assist you?” he asked before falling silent, waiting.

[ 03-22-2004 10:32 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rhua Ki ]

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

Shayla found herself falling gracefully downward amidst a dusky-like sky minus any sun or moon or stars. At length, she final stopped descending, however, falling on her haunches on some sort of strangely textured ground. A chill swept over her as she made contact, and it was as if the very scent of something...

... death ...

...pervaded the very air she was now breathing. For a moment Shayla shuddered at the impact of it all, and then she shook it all off and focused herself once more on the task at hand. Even as her eyes adjusted to the dimness of her surroundings, Shayla got to her feet, her hand yet on top of the Eye.

She remained utterly calm, utterly focused.

So where from here? she asked the Eye, then waiting for the answer as she continued to study the new demension which she had entered.

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

“No,” he replied, “just remain calm and try not to be startled when I touch you.”

Phalomir gently placed his hands upon Rhua’s head and let his powers flow. Phalomir took in all he could about the flesh, memorizing the feel of the muscles, the warmth of the cells, the essence of life as millions of chemical reactions chained throughout the organism before him. It was if he had ever felt before what it is meant to be alive, and he relished in the experience, longing to return to this feeling in his own body.

He released his light grip and smiled. He took step backwards, closed his eyes, and threw his arms outward, letting his power flow outward through the strange air around him. He once again felt the presence of Rhua, then let this power extend outwards in a circle. He felt the energies of the others around him, but he could clearly see the difference in their presence, and continued to expand his power.

He let his feelings go, taking in all of the pseudo-life energies in the area, balking slightly at the dark presence he knew must be Roan, but he did not dwell there. Soon he had swept through the surrounding area, and let his power extend even more. He came across the strange energies of demons, of imps, and many other dark beings. He shivered slightly when he realized that his scans were not going unnoticed

But there, he felt it. Life! Different slightly from the Kaminoan, but life nonetheless. He fixed a bearing on it opened his eyes.

“I think I have located her,” he said. “We must hurry, for I fear my search may have drawn the attention of some of the beings that dwell here.”

Phalomir turned and began walking towards the rocks that marked the passage between the two bluffs they now stood under.

“Quickly!” he called back.

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