"That's where it still looks like we're going, in spite of your offer to help us. Which I still find a touch wee on the peculiar side, don't you guys?

"I mean, here we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and up gallops ol' Thoran-poo to the rescue. If we just go help his so-called 'Master,' I suppose; well!"

I paused a moment, still fighting back the urge to kick this creep. However, common sense rose it's wary head, explaining very matter-of-factly that all I would hurt would be Phalomir -- if indeed he could be injured in that manner at all -- and would only be showing myself as being even more of an, what was it?

Ill-tempered slugworm, oh yes.

I shook off another bout of rising ire, and blurted on.

"Well, buddy... what's in it for you? What is it you want out of all this? We didn't exactly ask for your help now, did we; you kind of rushed up pressing it on us now, didn't you?

"Hmmm..." I went on.

"This must mean that we in turn have something you need, or want.

"Well!"

Another pause, a girding of mental armor--

"What say we just head on over to Koris'ian as planned; you use your Sith magick you're so chock-full of and put Terrin back together again...

"...and then we go off and help you and your 'Master.' Whoever in Hell's Seven Circles that is! That is, if Terrin agrees to this at all!"

[ 11-02-2004 05:18 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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He shook his head quickly.

“No matter,” he said. “I can make it happen, assuming you have body to throw him into. Messy business, this placing of spirits and all. Of course, we may be old and gray by the time you believe me enough to accept my help, but whatever you wish. I, unlike all of you, have time to wait. And in the meantime, Aelvedaar waits for an answer from Phal, and is probably finding ways through his magick.”

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...how exactly is it that we can help you get freedom from Phalomir's body if you would have the power to return Terrin to a body? I still sense something very unusual about your appearance here, even though you never had to make yourself known. Just seems a little too convenient, I suppose. And as far as the priorities here...

...the idea was that going to Kori'sian might give us some security in the way of armament and all, since Phalomir is the Dark Lord of the Armorers."

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I lifted a finger, utterly and completely sarcastic.

"Ahh-- how is it that we are to help you save this so-called 'Master' from Aelvedaar; what the heck happened to this Sith magick you're supposed to be so full of? And how can you guarantee this guy will help us; out of charity? Oh but you guys are so full of it--!"

I bit my lip for a moment, pushing down any further sarcasm, then continued.

"Why can't we just go to Koris'ian, get Terrin back together and then get ourselves armed, like Matt here is suggesting? Seems to me like we'd then have something to maybe use against Aelvedaar, like we both want.

"And... just who the hell is this 'son' you're talking about? I don't know anybody who has a son...."

[ 11-04-2004 04:16 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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...while we're on the subject of Kori'sian and the Master," Erik added, "Might I mention that there is some sort of device there that allowed Panthar and I to speak with the Master? That is how he found us there and dumped us on Khar Delba with Galen to begin with, after all. So, considering that, Kori'sian may be the most logical destination for us either way we decide to go with this...

...and just what is this about bartering? What are we bartering exactly?"

[ 11-04-2004 04:30 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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"Like we're supposed to trust anyone with whom we have to barter, ye gods!"

I snorted and fell back against a handy bulkhead, irritated beyond words that this slippery eel was simply refusing to answer the question-- no, rather an extremely pointed suggestion-- that had been put to it over and over and over again.

I cut a glance to Shayla, and lifted my brows, that irritation clearly showing on my face.

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Time to take the horse by the reigns.

"This argument is doing little but waste time in which we need to be taking action. We now know there is probably a way to contact the Master from Kori'sian...

...that is, if we do so at all...

...and we know that Terrin's body is there, and there are weapons there. Sounds like that's enough to make it our destination."

Saying this, Shayla turned to the navboard, quickly altered courses...

...and without so much as even dropping out of hyperspace, the warship reoriented herself, on course for Kori'sian.

Only then did Shayla turn back to the others, having a few final words to speak. "And as to just who or what Thoran probably wants to use to barter with the Master...

...I would assume he is referring to Phalomir. Phalomir is, after all, the one thing that the Master wants...

...and he is the Master's son."

[ 11-04-2004 04:41 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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“Now, I personally like to go into situations knowing who my allies are. Can we come to an agreement among ourselves? You know my terms, in return for gaining the Master’s assistance in saving Phal, Gray, and your sorry butts, I wish to be freed from service of the Master and be allowed to take my leave of all of you. I will ‘take’ no-one’s body, have no fear. What are your terms?”

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Someone or something whom Thoran referred to as the Master was trapped by Aelvedaar somehow, who in turn was in the process of killing my sister. The thing which this Master wanted more than anything, at least to hear Thoran tell of it, was his son, who happened to be the tall red dude who was supposedly fending off Aelvedaar's probably fatal attack on my sister-- unless he was just off in lala-land for whatever reason, who knows, he'd fallen out of our conversation long ago....

I jerked fractionally, yanking my thoughts back on the rail again.

So-oo-ooo, Phalomir was the Master's son, he wanted my sister alive and well, the Master wanted his son alive and well...

And I wanted Terrin alive and well. Period.

Terrin, dear god, Terrin... who was likewise stuck inside the body of Phalomir.

Hmmm.

My eyes went a bit on the vague side then, and I slipped down to sit on the deck and think.

If this Master was everything Thoran said, and he wanted his son safe and well... well, that at least would be keeping Terrin well too, as long as his spirit was stuck inside Phalomir....

My head began to seriously hurt from all these essences of different peeps all hanging around trapped in this thing or that; I looked up again and sighed.

"All I want is Terrin back, and Jharmeen; all I want is to find my daughter; I don't care about the Sith, you guys can just go off and conquer the universe if you want.

"Just keep me and mine out of it... that is, once I have mine back together again."

I looked up to where Thoran was looking at us all through Phalomir's eyes.

"Seems to me that that is the final victory now anyway, don't you guys think? This Master gets his magickal son -- well, what of everyone else? I mean, in the universe?"

My voice dwindled a bit as something hit home, something from very, very far away.

"Weren't these guys the bomb around the universe, back in the day? I mean, that's what every little clue dad had ever found seemed to point toward. They were the Big Dogs, the Head Kahunas, the Godfathers...

"...and peeps like that don't care diddly squat about us little peons.

"Well!!"

I climbed to my feet and approached Phalomir.

"You can just forget it, buddy. We'll fight Aelvey baby on our own terms; I'll find something on Koris'ian that we can use against him, to either make him put everyone back the way they belong or just kill him; there has to be something that these armorer dudes made that can do something to help us out!

"I mean, there's this Shartak thingy you spoke of, there's this Eye thingy that was mentioned earlier; there just has to be something we can use.

"But anyway--"

I paused for a gulp of air.

"Here's the deal, buster. We're going to Koris'ian, everyone's happy. Once we're there...

"FIRST you use your Sithy spells and get my husband put back together again!

"Then we talk turkey about how exactly you think we can help you!"

((OOC: Follow this thread and everyone in it to The Razor's Edge in the "Jedi/Sith" forums, thank you.))

[ 11-07-2004 06:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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