Raelgosh reached out with his magicks, and pulled several large rocks from the earth, in the dozens. He broke them appart into sharper shapes, and sent them flying towards the group below. Best to make this task quick. As the rock/spears sped down towards them, he summoned his blade to his hand, and let out a gutteral hunting cry.

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

Phalomir then heard the voice of his Lady, the sweet sound bringing his own senses to bear, and resumed control of his own body. Terrin resisted, but Phalomir was the master. He shot Panthar a quick glance of recognition and reached to take Galen from him.

But paused.

The shrill cry of something inhuman reached his keen Sith ears. He turned his head to the left, the direction Panthar was already turning himself, and saw a strange flight of stone and stick hurtling towards the group. With the speed of a Sith Lord, he stepped in front of the Dark Lady.

“Jharmeen,” he shouted, not thinking of it. His powers leapt to attention, his hands tingled and glowed with the deep inherent magick he had spent his life honing. He gathered a ball of red energy between his hands, and eyes set in a solid stare, he sent the ball bursting outward in front of him. It immediately expanded into a shimmering wall of light. The stones struck the wall, mere meters from the group, and stayed motionless for a brief moment in the red air.

Phalomir grimaced and shoved his hands forward. The wall surged ahead and sent the stones and twigs flying backwards up the hill. He growled deeply, is if in challenge, and awaited the next move.

“Panthar,” he said between clenched teeth. “Get them to the ship.”

[ 09-24-2004 03:03 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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"No," she stated. "We do not separate. We go as a group; my abilities will protect us, when assisted with those you possess, my Lord."

Deep within her the Beast opened its flat pewter eyes and roared a challenge to those who dared attack. Within its claws, a particular kernel, hoarded there for years, changing often, cracked as those claws closed reflexively upon it. It's eyes slitted then, seeking to see. to see out, through those violet ones which scanned their perimeter seeking the tiniest of movement. It roared again, seeking to persuade...

"This worked against a great Dark Jedi of my- my former acquaintance," Graysith murmured then; now her head dropped back and the Glyph on her forehead flared into incandescent life. The tendrils of black and white writhed and intertwined about them, protecting them; above their heads a small rock, knocked against by Phalomir's efforts, dislodged and fell toward them.

That tiny missile exploded into powder when it struck the writhing bands.

"Come, we are safe within this place," she went on.

"Let us continue to the warship as quickly as we can; we have yet to find Aeylmaar, although now I fear we need not learn more of what he had to tell."

She smiled grimly.

"It is alive all around us at this time."

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

...and curious about what had brought Graysith and Phalomir back. But of the most interest to Shayla was that Phalomir was back in one piece...

...or at least, he appeared to be so. She didn't know what to make of how he had acted when he first approached them. It was almost as if...

Shayla dismissed the thought for the moment, finding their current situation demanding her attentions...

...and her questing senses registering yet another Force-signature approaching them from yet another angle.

"Indeed," Shayla stated then, pursing her lips, "And there is more than one of them," she stated probably unnecessarily, yet pointing in the direction of the Sa'kal anyway.

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

For although the body that had directed flaming green eyes so briefly into my own was huge and horned and red...

...that was not what I was seeing.

No... those eyes are BLUE. That hair is BLONDE. That voice--

"'Errin?" I tried, screaming at all the Fates for my inability to scramble down from Panthar's grasp and shoot straight into Phalomir's.

"Oh 'ods, ih at ooh?!"

I wriggled, I strained, I cursed and sweat and swore.

Meanwhile, back in reality, all I could do was hang like a lump over Big Red's shoulder and bob up and down, as he suddenly took off running in the direction my sister was pointing.

That got my attention as well.

Jharmeen?

I tried to shake my head; nothing. At least not at first. Then, a tiny victory:

My lips finally closed completely together. My right knee bent slightly.

I let out a whoosh of relief, which was immediately followed by every cell in my body rising up in a tingling salute to the most humongous red flag of warning I had ever felt in my life.

"Watch out!" I finally managed, kneeing Red in the ribs, as I struggled to get down and to my rapidly reviving feet.

Indeed, something wicked was this way coming...

And fast.

[ 09-24-2004 03:24 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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For the moment, anyway.

Realizing there was a very real danger at hand, Terrin still struggled forward in Phalomir's mind, mentally promising the Sith that he would only need a moment.

And a moment's reply was indeed all it would take to answer the question Galen had directed his way.

"Yes, Galen," he then replied, "It's me, Terrin. After Roan took you in the Darker Realms...

...I had to make certain you were safely recovered from him."

He paused. Then, "You've already suffered far too much at his hand."

Then, without another word, Terrin took a mental step back in Phalomir's mind, and let Phalomir have control once more, somehow knowing that the Sith would be needed in order for them to face the danger now at hand.

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

“Wha-”, he started. “Who? Huh?” He spun around, trying to take in the scene around him. Phalomir seemed to go back into his stance, holding the weird red wall thing in front of the group like a huge shield. Graysith was standing near him, spinning some sort of – something – out of her hands. Shayla was there, still levitating the other guy.

“OK,” he muttered, “Sure. It all makes sense. We’re under attack. Yeah, that’s it. Phal and Gray are here, we’ll be all right. They have a ship, and now we just need to get to it. Yeah. Easy.”

He smiled and turned back to his passengers. But suddenly only one was where he had put him. He snapped his head to the head to the side and saw Galen on her feet and running towards Phalomir.

“Eh?’ he asked the air. He turned back to the man on the ground, but paused again when he caught glimpse of the large tuk'ata, now definitely not frozen, bounding towards them about a hundred meters away.

[ 09-24-2004 03:52 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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A pouncing tuk'ata, bearing upon him. Those monstorous claws and teeth...

"RUN!!!!!" he suddenly blurted, fighting with the images that were even now haunting him, images that he hadn't even known were part of his memories until now...

[ 09-24-2004 04:05 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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"M'wonBo'o..." she breathed, taking a tiny step forward.

Then she stopped abruptly, shook her head. Turning now to the towering Sith Lord, she placed a delicate hand atop his shoulder.

"Please, Mr. Danner, calm yourself. We are quite safe--"

Any further words she might have spoken were nipped in the proverbial bud as a red-headed blur shot past and barreled into Phalomir, knocking her thoughtlessly aside.

She started to speak sharply... then quieted, and for the barest of moments allowed herself the luxury of enjoying a minute bit of peace as her sister was finally rejoined with her spouse.

Then her lips pursed, and she turned to the oncoming beast. It charged in impossibly long leaps, its talons seeming to grow in both size and edge the closer and closer it came.

For some reason, she was not afraid. She took a step toward it, and then another, and another. A portion of the writhing snarls of black and white parted like a curtain before her, and she stepped through.

She reached out a tentative hand to the beast.

The Glyph burst into joyous recognition.

"My friend," she stated simply and then stood, standing small and alone against the onslaught of the animal.

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

He sat down.

He turned to the still unconscious man next to him.

“Are we still under attack?” he asked the limp EE employee.

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

"A sudden depressurization and resultant raising of the crust due to the release of overhead load..."

Whatever that meant. I never really knew at the time.

But now, it was suddenly all too clear.

It was as if a weight lifted from my heart along with the chains from my muscles, as the big red Sith wavered a bit, the wall of whatever he was holding blinking and then disappearing like smoke. I swear the eyes he turned upon me really were blue....

"Oh, Terrin, Terrin!" I sobbed as I just up and threw myself into those red-muscled arms, disregarding the slicing little pains in my back as claws dug into me in return.

"How-? Why-?

"Oh, nevermind; all I know is that it's you, it's really you! I'm so sorry, so sorry; Terrin, oh gods, forgive me, I'll never leave you again, never, never, never--!"

The world and all the aches and pains it had dealt me over far too lengthy a time suddenly dwindled into obscurity, as the red face in front of me turned serious, and lips descended upon mine, quite effectively stopping me from saying anything further.

Not that I really would have wanted to... at least not at that particular little moment.

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

Her smile slowly segued into one of pain.

"My friend," she repeated, her voice softer and more musical now. She accented those words with the slightest and most innocent of movements: her hand, now reaching out and coming to a feather-light halt atop the great animal's head.

Its hide was warm and sleek beneath her touch.

She closed her eyes then, still very much aware of the reunion behind her--

That shall not end now! Not this way!

--still very much aware of the howling approach of the ragged assassin who had tried to bar their path by tossing rocks at them like an angered young boy.

Something tiptoed into her mind then, something warm and wild and willing and loyal, and her eyes flew open just in time to register the tuk'ata bowing before her flaring Glyph before it turned and bounded off toward the approaching Raelgosh.

She closed her eyes them, not needing to see what was coming, and quickly whirled to rejoin the group and reset her tendrils of strength before the tuk'ata was killed. Behind their protective wall, she watched as the huge beast ran faster and faster, finally ending his run in a gigantic, twenty-five foot leap that ended in an impact upon Raelgosh's chest they could actually hear.

Roars and gutteral snarls accompanied the distant ripping of flesh as the beast had its brief way with the assassin... and then all became quiet.

"Please, we must go while we have the opportunity," she said softly, her eyes welling with tears for the death of the beast, a death given willingly to assist them in recognition of the Greater Good.

Which was something she just didn't understand... not quite....

At least not consciously.

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

or rather, in Phalomir's arms.

Putting that little thought aside, he let himself drown in the moment, in her touch, and in her...

...but then at length, he drew back, realizing that Phalomir's claws were digging into Galen's back.

"Oh sweetheart, please tell me that Roan didn't do anything to you after he snatched you in the Darker Realms, please..."

He trailed, the concern clearly evident in the look he now directed her way. Then, "As to the hows and whys..."

He trailed once more, aching to tell her, "As I've said, I had to be certain you were recovered safely from Roan, and the only way I could do that was for someone to take my spirit upon their person...

...and that is how I am with you now. You'd fought so many battles alone when you shouldn't have had to...

...and I didn't want you to have to do it again. Please forgive me for the times you needed me, and I wasn't there..."

he trailed, his eyes never leaving hers. "I never would have come back this way other than to help you, not if it brings you even more pain...

...but your safety was more important to me at the time. I love you so very much..."

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

Jharmeen.

A woman who, out of the corner of the eye he no longer controlled, he could see suddenly outside of the protective circle and standing with a huge tuk’ata.

He barely heard Terrin speaking to Galen. He found himself fighting for control of his own body, and wasn’t sure if he could win. But the horrible sounds of a nearby tuk’ata broke through the scene, and as the sounds shifted from wild savagery to sudden silence, Phalomir managed to once again control his body.

He blinked and turned away from Galen, trying to keep down the untimely resentment he suddenly felt.

“Another time, Galen,” he said. “We are still in great danger.”

He inhaled deeply, then spun around to find the Dark Lady. He saw her enter the circle, the strange ribbons of black and white rejoining around her. Phalomir felt his powers surging once again in preparation. He raised his head and walked past Galen.

“My lady,” he said, perhaps too eagerly. “I feared the worse, but should have known you would have a power with tuk’ata. But I fear we are still in danger.”

He stopped short of reaching for her, just barely.

“I find it difficult to maintain control of my own body with Terrin Danner so – emotional. We must hurry back to the ship.”

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

But there is no way anyone can "sense" anything that is behind a chronotic shield. The "sensing device," be it electronic, mechanical or mental, involves energy, and that energy would not come back to its source with the data it had collected.))

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

It will be a cold night here on Korriban. she thought, not entirely in non sequiteur, and hastened them past those grim shadows even more quickly.

Then she came to a sudden halt.

Ahead of them a great black blob lurked against the sky, seeming to hover above the gritty sand and hardpan. Behind its ominous silhouette, she could see stars beginning to wink on, one at a time.

In front...

She squinted a bit, peering out into the encroaching night, straining to see, to listen, to discover what she was intuitively feeling.

Her body trembled with the effort to sense the insensible.

She felt the queries rising off the others, and turned to them. One arm lifted, pointing with Rora'Kessh.

Strange... that this has come into my hand. I do not remember; loyal Rora'Kessh.

"There is the ship, and there--"

She paused, looked to Phalomir, then to Shayla.

"Did you not say you sensed another, off in this direction?"

Silent she stood then, now turning her gaze to her empty hand.

RoraKessh?

The query came to mind, one concerning a name she no longer really remembered. Troubled, she remained silent, knowing there would be a more opportune time to speak of it, and waited for Shayla's response.

[ 09-24-2004 04:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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He staggered up, and was ready to continue fighting it, but suddenly realized. It's dead....

He turned towards the Black/White bubble, and activated a strong Stealth Magick, wincing at the claw marks. I'd be dead had we not prepared. Fortunate we are to have Aelvedaars blessing.

[ 09-24-2004 10:10 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Cult Master Raelgosh ]

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"Yes," she said, stretching out to sense that which she had before. As she did this, however, a frown grew on her features. And her next words explained what had prompted such a change in her demeanor.

"But now, whomever was out there, is gone...

...or perhaps he or she is instead simply doing a very good job of making it appear that way..."

[ 09-26-2004 01:59 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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Raelgosh remembered what Aelvedaar had said about the female human being a somewhat competent All user. Could it be that she had created this? If so, how could she have known to do such a thing?

Many questions were unanswered, but truely. None of them really mattered.

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

Acting as a sort of ping, Phalomir’s own powerful Sith magick circled out from the center of his energies, and radiated outwards past the chronotic shield and ranging several hundred meters. Any user of Sith magick would feel this energy pass by, but more importantly, Phalomir would feel their magick in return. Except for the hole left by the magick touching the chronotic shield and dissipating forwards and backwards along the space-time continuum, Phalomir could feel the circle extend like a spider's web. It did not take long for the ripples to appear in the perfect circle.

He walked slowly away from the group, letting the circle change its angle in relation to the chronotic sheild. As he moved, the circle picked up another ripple.

“There is Sith magick in use nearby. I cannot determine where, but I feel two tremors. I believe one is near the chronotic shield.”

Phalomir opened his eyes and held the circle in place. He walked back to the group. The second ripple disappeared.

“Assassins? With Sith magick?”

[ 09-26-2004 07:13 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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

She frowned, and turned a concerned look back and forth between him and Shayla. Then, remembering the effect she was able to once impact upon a certain threat to her dear Dark Heart, she let her lip curl in a snarl.

"Sith magick or not, nothing can hold out against the wonder of that which my Si-- of that which Aelvedaar has taught me."

For a moment her lip wavered.

Somehow, it seemed there should be more she could do with the All....

She shook her head and refocused on the others. Took in the steady form of Shayla, the powerful one of Phalomir. Cast a quick glance down upon herself.

"We are three of diverse magicks and strengths," she said at last.

"If our adversary is using Sith magick only, perhaps our combined talents will be enough to break through his or her shielding, and at last we might be able to see who it is who plagues us so."

She cast a glance around again, from Sith sorcerer to Force user, and back to herself, the holder of a budding, but very much not to be dismissed, ability to use the wonder of the All.

[ 09-26-2004 07:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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Phalomir frowned again.

"But if we were to combine powers and face this threat, whatever it may be, it would send a powerful message. I can find their magick 'footprints', if we could sense the actual person then your powers could be used to immobolize them."

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

"And zeroing in on what you called their 'Force signature' lies within the arena of your expertise, does it not?"

Before the young woman could respond, she turned smoothly to Phalomir, and spoke to him in the tiniest of whispers.

"Are the... targets moving, Lord, or not? And if not and they begin motion, can your magicks tell us of this? Certainly as adept as these apparent assassins are, they would be able to discern our plans; if they begin to either attack or flee, would we be forewarned of this prior to our own retaliation?"

[ 09-26-2004 07:29 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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