“You do not understand. The beast, the thing inside of Jharmeen-- it is him, or at least a link to him. He has control of her life right now, if it were not for my magick protecting her spirit she would most likely be dead. Perhaps we could make it to the temple—either one—before he broke through, but do we take that chance?”

And then through clenched teeth, “But Aelvedaar is inside of Jharmeen’s head right now! It is there I shall speak with him.”

[ 10-28-2004 03:40 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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I held up my hands until everyone was looking my way. Then I took a deep breath.

"You mean you're going to go into my sister's head and when you're in there, you're going to have a nice little mano y mano with Aelvedaar?

"Well... just what happens if he manages to kill you while you're in there; you do have Terrin there inside you, remember?"

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

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

Oh hell, sometimes I really, really think it's a scary thing to ask for anything, let alone joke about it, you just might get it on down the road, one way or another.

I stated as much.

"Oh, he'd love that, wouldn't you, Terrin?"

I snorted, but couldn't help the tears which immediately sprang into my eyes.

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

"Phalomir, I know you can hear my words, whether you are choosing to listen to them or not," he opened with, glancing to Galen a moment then, the look in his eye clearly understanding the look in hers. "Need I remind you that I too once had dealings with Aelvedaar...dealings which I had thought to turn out well...

...when the whole deal turned sour? Dare you risk bargaining with Aelvedaar, considering his past record? How could you ever believe a word that he speaks?"

[ 10-28-2004 03:57 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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I slammed a fist against the bulkhead against which I had been leaning. Then straightening up, I whirled on Phalomir.

"All you can think of is my sister, buddy; well, there are other players in this game too!

"You don't know that Aelvedaar will 'break through and kill her,' whatever that means. What we do know is that if your spirit dies, then my husband is stuck in a Sith body for Khaandon knows how long! And I think he'd enjoy that about as much as your pal Panthar does!

"Look, my sister is out of it. Aelvedaar is our enemy. You're the only Sith with any real power that we've got--

"Who in all the universe do you suppose we're going to get to replace Terrin's spirit in his body?"

I paused a moment to catch my breath, and then added a small caveat,

"If it can be done at all, that is."

An uncomfortable sort of silence followed, and I broke it with a final concluding statement, actually more of a strong suggestion, to be honest.

"We're going to need everything we've got; can't we go on to Kori'sian first, and see if we can get Terrin back--"

There. I said it.

"--and then you can go off and face your own personal demons-- or demon?"

[ 10-28-2004 04:08 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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He sighed.

“I can feel his impatience. If I could somehow reinforce my protection of her spirit, if we had another source from which to draw power, I could use the Eye. It has answered my call before, but there would need to be an All user nearby. And I dare not tap into Jharmeen’s power.”

He looked down at Jharmeen, eyes open and still. She was still curled up in his untiring arms.

“I have only one answer. What do you all offer? How else can I stall Aelvedaar?”

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

I slammed my fist into the bulkhead again, biting my lip to keep my temper somewhat at bay. The pain worked, sort of; I did manage to keep from blurting off the first words that came to mind, but didn't get anywhere close to staving off the feeling of captaincy now rushing over me.

Too many years with "Jester," I suppose....

"Shayla, belay that order. Set a course for Kori'sian, now. This is just crazy, 'what do we have to offer...'

"Well!"

"We've got-- we've got..."

I dwindled down to a silent squeak as I realized we didn't have diddly squat that Aelvedaar could possibly want, or need.

"We've got our lives, and our souls, and our own private destinies...

"And it's not up to him to dictate to us how or when we'll use 'em!"

"Maybe at Kori'sian we'll figure out a way to get Terrin's spirit back in his body--"

I dwindled again, suddenly realizing how strange that sounded.

Not to mention how hopeless, if Phalomir wouldn't come through in that regard.

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

...but the look in her greeny-blue eyes clearly reading just how she felt. "Couldn't you let Aeylmaar know we've changed courses?" she queried. Then she followed it with, "And what would you have to offer Aelvedaar once you reenter Jharmeen's mind? He's already stated he'll use whatever meaningless loyalties he must...

...and however he must. What more do you need to know? We can't go at this by battling in Graysith's mind, as much as it hurts me to know that we could possibly lose her. You just spoke to me about not giving in on all Jharmeen fought for in exchange for her life...

...and now you are doing exactly that yourself. And if we don't want to deal with Roan by the reason that, even though he has a prospective, what he has done is simply too evil...

...then why would we proceed to deal with Aelvedaar with his deceptive nature? At least Roan's actions prove to us he is evil...

...Aelvedaar's actions can't even be taken at face value. We need to arm ourselves, and get all the help we can...

...but what we don't need to do is go waltzing into Aelvedaar's lair, whether it is in the known universe or in Graysith's mind. He's simply too clever of a deceiver for us to even think such a thing would work. We need to fight for what Jharmeen spent her whole life fighting for, remember?"

She trailed a moment, then firmed, the her greeny-blues icing just a bit. "We're going to Kori'sian."

[ 10-28-2004 04:42 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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“I would appear that we all have something very important to us at stake here, beyond the threat that is most immediate. Getting Terrin back is important, yes, I would prefer to have my body back to myself. But protecting Jharmeen is just as important. Personal agendas aside, going to Kori’sian is risky, if what Panthar and Erick speak is true, but I am willing to do it. But, in the meantime, HOW DO I KEEP AELVEDAAR AT BAY? I am not a user of the All, and I have nothing to draw power from to use the Eye.”

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

Then paused.

Something was amiss. It was much too quiet here. Where the onrush of power from Phalomir, a last moment effort to send Thoran back to his prison? Where was the ever-present red glow of innate magick within this mind? Where indeed….

Thoran listened, felt, and soon understood Interesting. He smiled slyly, then propelled his way into the forefront, like he done many times previously when he shared a body with Phalomir. With his magick tied up, Phalomir was powerless to stop Thoran from assuming control, and Terrin was ruthlessly shoved aside as well.

--

Phalomir stepped forward, away from the group and turned to face them. His eyes seemed to twinkle somewhat, and he looked lovingly down at Jharmeen. A broad smile snaked its way across his face and he looked up to a startled crowd.

“Hey, folks! Got a little problem, eh? Well, isn’t that something? I was just thinking to myself how could I possibly make up for the things I’ve been accused of, and it just hit me. So, hey, what kid of assistance can I give you?”

Silence.

“What, don’t you recognize me? Oh come on, Panthar, Shayla, you guys at least should know.”

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

...and clearly understanding. "Forget it, Thoran," she growled. Then, reaching under the navboard, she pulled the Sith logbook from its storage location. "Hey Panthar, could you help me with the coordinates to Kori'sian, I don't know them offhand..."

She trailed at that then, as something finally dawned on her. She turned back to Phalomir, her look darkening even further. "Thoran, how did you get inside Phalomir?"

[ 10-30-2004 02:17 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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He looked down at Jharmeen.

“But now all of his magick is stuck away in her, keeping her safe from Aelvedaar. Funny, isn’t it? How something as silly as the love for a person can push you into doing things against all common sense? Poor idiot.”

He looked back up to Shayla.

“But anyway, that’s his problem. Well, really, I guess it’s everyone’s problem now, isn’t it? There’s no way you folks combined are strong enough to defeat Aelvedaar. Heck, with both Phal and Gray out of commission, you can’t even get away from them! But I’ll tell you what. Because I really want to make things up to you, there are two things I can do for you to help you out of this mess, and I shall ask for so little in return. The first option, and easiest by far, is to remove the source of the current problem. I use a little of my own magick – oh yes, I do have it, don’t look so surprised – and put Phal’s powers back where they belong and let Jharmeen die. That gives Aelvy what he wants – for the moment – and puts you out of peril. Phal will probably be a little distressed, but he’ll get over it. He’s got a clan to rebuild, you know. Well, at least until Aelvy has him killed. But anyway, anyone for that option?”

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

Now, who in Hell's Seven Circles is this bozo?!?

--but the words now erupting from Phalomir's mouth brought a fast and verbal response of my own.

"No way, buster, whoever the hell you are!" I growled, now taking a step forward and staring up into Phal's eyes. Somewhere within those depths I once again thought I saw a flicker of blue, followed by something that was...

Well, indescribable.

I shuddered, and took a reflexive step backward.

"You said there was another option; what is it?" I asked brusquely and then stood quiet, glaring and crossing my arms in front of my body in the attempt to appear impatient with all this nonsense.

But deep down I knew that really wasn't the case at all.

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

“Now you, I like. Direct, to the point, and mouthy. Alright, the other thing I can do will require a bit of explanation first. You see, way back when I was working for a certain individual, he had struck a bargain with our friend Aelvedaar. You see, my old boss had a certain agenda which had nothing to do with the Sith, and Aelvy had an agenda that had nothing to do with the Master, so they were perfect partners. Of course, neither one trusted the other, so after the Master worked his part by maneuvering Phalomir into certain actions, like killing Roan, mucking with the Revealer, distracting Graysith, setting up an incident with Recinis, trapping you all in the temple – all with my help, mind you, because that was my job – well, after all that Aelvy sort of betrayed the Master and sent him away.”

Thoran chuckled.

“But the Master didn’t tell Aelvy everything. You see, he still has his own agenda, and there is only one thing he wants, and is had nothing to do with any of you, really. But I can take us to a place where we can be safe for a while, and we can talk to the Master. I’m sure he will help us, he is actually pretty powerful. All we have to do is free him from the trap he is in, and that shouldn’t be too hard. Then he helps deal with Aelvy, I can call it square with him, and we all part ways as old acquaintances.”

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

Dad always said the least complex answer is probably the truest one; Occam's Razor and all...

...and this was beginning to sound way, way to complicated for my liking.

Not to mention that I wasn't too happy about tossing our fate into the hands of someone I hadn't heard hide nor hair of prior to moments ago.

I took another step but forward this time, speaking to Shayla as I did so.

"I think we need the input from all parties present before we go off on another wild goose chase, and I do mean all parties. Shayla, what do you think; Matt, Jasyn, your thoughts would be appreciated.

"Phalomir, you of all people should have some say so in this, after all, it's your body that is carrying all these peeps around inside, and speaking of which--"

I stopped a moment, now smack dab in Phalomir's personal space again. Ignoring the limp form of my sister who he was still holding, I stared up into those green eyes again, seeking blue.

"Terrin, what about you?"

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

...and push Thoran back enough...

...to respond to Galen's query. But at length he managed to push Thoran back at least long enough to voice a reply with Phalomir's mouth.

"This is Terrin," he stated first, almost seeming to have to take a few deep breaths after the effort he had to put forth to gain control of Phalomir's body, "And there is no kriffing way I trust Thoran, including his plans and his promises. This is a fellow that both Phalomir and I brushed with in the Darker Realms, and at that time he adamantly refused to have anything to do with his Master, insisting that he would most certainly be killed. But now he speaks of this same Master as someone who may help us against Aelvedaar...

...and would go so far as to even suggest we should go to this Master and ask for his help after Thoran refused to assist in doing precisely that when we were all trying to get out of the Darker Realms? This guy is speaking with a forked tongue, which does nothing in the way of leading me to ever trust him. Not to mention that, when a possible out presented itself to him in the Darker Realms...

...Thoran took it, and left the rest of us behind to whatever fate gave us. Who's to say he wouldn't do something of the sort once more?"

[ 10-31-2004 10:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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"And regarding this Master," Erik then spoke up, "He is the one who promised to rescue Panthar and I and bring us to safety to speak with him when we were stranded on Kori'sian. He instead dumped us into the Temple of Khar Delba, and granted this lead us to finding Galen...

...but it implies to me he was at least still in cahoots with Aelvedaar at that time. How is it then that you, Thoran, would have any knowledge of a change in this situation, since you clearly have not been with your Master for some time? I'll say it outright, I think you are trying to deceive us into doing something which will somehow benefit yourself, and I don't buy it."

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

...why do any different now? I vote we continue course to Kori'sian."

[ 10-31-2004 10:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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He smiled crookedly.

“Oh wait, that’s right. You don’t believe me. Let me ask you this, then. Why would I betray my presence to you? It’s obvious I have been forgotten. Why would I not take advantage of Phalomir’s lack of powers and simply assume his persona? I could easily have eradicated Terrin from this mind and none would be the wiser. In fact, I could still easily do to both of them what Phalomir had done to me. But I do not wish to spend my existence trapped inside the body of a Sith, especially not one that is hunted.”

He sighed deeply.

“So there you have it. Take it or leave it. But remember, I am also currently the only source of Sith magick you have.”

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

"Now, wait just a minute," I snorted, uncrossing my arms to slap my hands against my hips.

"What do you mean, 'you're the last source of Sith magick we've got...?' You just said that you didn't want to spend the rest of your existence trapped inside the body of a Sith -- sorry, Phalomir;

"What in Hell's Seven Circles are you trying to tell us now?"

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

“So anyway, I happen to have all kinds of magick within me. And I’m offering to use it to get us out of this. And yes, it benefits me as well as you. So make up your minds, already. Trudge off to the temple of armorers half-cocked with no plan, or let me help you.”

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

Well... ok; maybe half an iota....

"And just how in all the known universe do you think you can use Sith magick when you yourself are not Sith?

"You did, after all, state you didn't want to be trapped for the rest of your existence in a Sith body... unless, of course, you were lying to us about that too!"

I clamped my mouth shut on that, before I could say anything further that might anger this guy; not that I really cared one whit about his well-being, but just on the off-chance that he did happen to have some powers stashed away to help us with.

I just glared into those green eyes, and waited.

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

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

...and very thoughtfully. "The sarcasm is beyond unnecessary, but I'm at least surmising that, although you do not want to remain visibly Sith, you have no problems with continuing to use the magick which has been given to you. Now, I'm not ruling anything out just yet, but I do have one simple question for you: Where is this "Master" of yours now? Is he on Kori'isan, where Erik and Panthar saw him?"

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