I let the words slip from my lips as I inadvertently muse to myself.

My dear, dear Thoran. It is a far larger picture than you would ever dream....

The realization that I have indeed spoken aloud strikes me, and I let a quick, rueful smile lighten my face. Then I once more gain iron control of myself, even though the memory of that strange period of non-time still whispers irksomely in the corners of my mind.

I turn my attention to the unwilling partner I now carry in my being; going to the Great Crystal Octahedron, I pause before it, contemplating.

Greeny-goldenness roils withing its crystalline depths, beckoning, begging that A Question be given to it.

I lay a clawed hand against the cold crystal.

"Perhaps your use to me is not at an end, Thoran," I whisper to him.

"What you have revealed to me is, while not completely unexpected, of some use. And I have yet more use for you, my friend."

Still smiling, I bid the Octahedron show me the image of my Chosen Daugher, that I may then open a Portal to her and with my strengths allow my puppet to slip into her being. There, along with my watchdog, he shall oversee the ensuing actions -- and intentions -- of them both.

My smile of amusement segues into a frown, one born first of perplexity but then becoming infused with anger.

For the Octahedron has failed. It shows me an image of...

Nothing.

I rear back as new realization strikes. There are, after all, only two places to my knowledge where the powers of this device might not reach; both are not of the dimensions which give the universe its self-concept of being real.

Time ticks on for a space as I ponder this new angle, then a smile begins to soften my frown.

Ahh-- Roan. Or perhaps, one Other. My old, dear friends; what have you been up to...

This brings another thought to mind. Ignoring the respectful, mental clearing of Thoran's throat, I bid my device to show me yet another:

His son.

This time the Octahedron is able to obey. Motes of living realities swirl in a mix of eye-dazzling gold and green, until all at last coalesces and an image forms.

He stands in apparent conversation with Roan's daughter. Behind, a sword is imbedded into the stone of the room they inhabit.

An apparent altercation...

My eyes flash molten as myriad possibilites and truncated plans begin to likewise coalesce. But before I am able to cement them, I am interrupted as an underling bows into my chambers.

"One who claims to be your son waits without the gates, bidding audience, M'lord."

I nod, putting all other thought aside for the moment, letting it gel of its own. For quite often is that the means by which a troublesome problem comes to solution.

"Let him enter, and freely," I state, then wave the apprentice off to attend to his duty.

I turn back to the scene being acted out in the Temple of the Warriors, watchng from afar as the son of my old friend confronts the daughter of my Chosen One.

I smile....

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

The Sith? That was a question even I pondered about.

I cleared my throat and answered slowly.

"I Do not know much about the Sith in general. I do know that I was spared by the sith after I was..." I pasued before continued. "Seperated from some friends. The sith nursed me back to health and then I came to be with the guy you saw me with. And now I'm here. Everything else is either a blur or I do not know."

I was silent for a moment before I finished:

"Will you please let us go. We...Or at least I mean you no harm."

I couldn't rerally say as much for the other guy who had openly attacked the droids. I had done no such things as of yet. And if he complied I didn't plan on doing anything of the such.

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

All too soon he stepped through the doorway and saw once again the sith who he was comming to trust as one DID trust their own blood. For what else could he call the only one of his family?

He knealt after entering a customary distance, still far enough away from his father to give respect. "Father." The cloak pooled about him as he knealt, now looking to the floor beneath him, cold, as he had come to realize he was.

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

I frown to myself, finding this strange. For he has not had time enough to gain the control and maturity which would explain such an attitude.

"You have someting to report."

The words are no mere question, but a strong suggestion that he reply to them. I quiet, waiting to hear of the events he has passed through, to warrant such a perceived change in his appearance.

[ 04-27-2005 07:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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He still did not look up, keeping his shame in the form it belonged. "I made contact with the acting lady of the warriors, ShaRhylla, Graysith's daughter, and through a course of events I shall keep upon my own blame, I went astray from your goal and waged a private battle against her...."

"...I then was sent to Sullust by her abilities at the All, and commandeered a ship there, to journey here." He paused, letting the short telling of the story go to his father, letting him form his opinions before he continued.

"However, I have learned a few things that I do not believe I would be whole without learning, the lesson that you tried to teach, and that I failed as a student to understand, has become clear to me now. We all have purpose, in the greater picture." He let his head remain bowed, his hair pooling below his head.

"Whatever your judgement may be, I shall accept your judgement and punishment however it may come."

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

Thoran, still perplexed from the lack of orders, or splatting, or anything from Aelvedaar, was even more surprised by this event.

“This is the guy who tried to steal the Finger of R’Lous from Gray way back when! He’s sure moved up in the world.”

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

After a carefully carved moment passes, I finally speak.

"Very well, son. You have failed. But--"

I pause, cocking my head and then stepping forth to lay a clawed hand upon his shoulder. I feel a brief tremble race beneath my touch.

"There is a way for you to make amends."

I back away now, and turn to the Octahedron, which yet shows the image of my old friend's son in conversation with the daughter of my Chosen One. I point to the halfling, sensing Rykounagin's quiet approach as he comes to stand next to me in order to see.

"There, upon her belt, do you see? It is the Finger of R'lous; it has come to my attention that you once absconded with this device, taken from the one known as Graysith. Now it hangs at the side of her child."

I turn to Rykounagin, pin him with a carefully studied look. That molten gaze strikes into him, touching a chord deep within him, this I know.

"Return to K'eel Doba, to the Temple of the Warriors. Walk in shadow and with stealth, ignore when anger and rashness rise within you.

"Bring me the Finger of R'lous, and all shall be forgiven, my son."

[ 04-27-2005 10:25 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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He looked at the octahedron for a moment. "I also request a mode of faster transportation, that either you can send me there and "retrieve me" or that there is another way to do so without the all. I do not wish to make such a tedious journey by craft again."

He paused, hesitating. "Surely it shall be painful, but I also request that using some method available, you alter my being to greater effectiveness for the task. I am already slightly damaged, and much of my equipment has gone missing in my previous errors."

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

I raise my head in a stately manner, then shake it once in negation.

"No, my boy," I reply, folding my hands into the sleeves of my robes.

"I am sorry, but I can only fulfill one of your requests. Sending you directly into the Temple via a Portal through the warp and weft of spacetime, that I can -- and shall -- do. But, the tuk'ata--"

I let my words drift away, recalling the day when I had taken Her out to face her first challenge: to seek and bond as BloodHunt Companion with a wild Korris'ian tuk'ata. That she had done so, and so quickly at that, had truly surprised me at the time.

Now I brush aside those reveries, and continue.

"I cannot assign a tuk'ata to you, for they are not the mere beasts they appear to be. Sentient beings, loyal to the Sith, they choose who it is they shall be bonded with; and do so then for life.

"There are no wild tuk'ata on these world's; for this I shall take you to Korris'ian, where they are plentiful."

Once again I pause, letting my frown steepen. The molten look I pour into his eyes burns.

"I shall not augment or in any manner alter your physicality. I shall instead repair the wounds you bear--"

A quick wave of my hand, and the wonderful power of the All responds, moving atoms, molecules, stitching proteins together to mend his torn flesh. In but a moment, he is whole and hale before me.

I say no more, letting the action finish the sentence I had truncated. Quickly then, that same hand moves again, grasping, wrenching, and in thus a manner takes hold of the very fabric of all that is and rips it asunder.

A Portal pops into view, roiling and whirling like autumn leaves in a brisk wind.

I point to the Portal.

"There is your transportation to K'eel Doba, my lad. How you return when you succeed... well.

"That I shall leave up to your own devices."

[ 04-27-2005 10:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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Never alone, for I'm a part of the picture, and in that, I'm always supported. For my escape... well the ship that i left behind will do well.

I felt myself pass through fully, and....
(((OOC: Rykounagin follows his task into "Crossroads of Shadows" in this forum, thankyou!)))

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Arcanemel hobbled down the hallway, his legs having given up full function a decade before, they were both braced and laced with duraflex materials to keep him able to support himself.

He was presently watching the interrogation of the human male through his right eye, conveniently linked to the recording units, before he switched to observe the chiss male, noting his physical state, and by the sensors, his slightly offbalance mental state.

Good. He thought as he entered the interrogation control chamber, a single tecnician there. "Leave, and report to general Tarnus that I've arrived to take care of the chiss." The technician stood and left, and Arcanemel took his seat, reflexively keying a few essential tools to interrogation, increasing the degree of lighting in the room by a few units, then lowering the temprature in the cell by a few dozen degrees.

"Now, prisoner four-oh-five-five-six-three, you will tell me everything you know of the sith, what you were doing down on their planet, and why you were there." His eyes scanned the monitors, constantly checking the chiss's bio signs.

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

"Uh. Lets see. I was searching for some friends that had gone off to search for somethihng. I don't know what they were searching for. I got separated and Some Sith helped me and Then I ended up here. As for the Sith, I don't really know anything."

I opened my eyes to see no one in the room, but still everything was a blur, though it seemed to be less blurry.

"Who are you?" I asked the emtpy room. I sat back and closed my eyes and waited for an answer.

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

He observed as the droids slid a needle into his left arms vien, patching synthflesh over the place where it entered, a small tube running to the wall, where several injectors could be used to send various syrums to the prisoner. He sent in a small trickle of a painful one, and asked his next question.

"What is the basis of the sith below us? Their culture and purpose?"

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

"I honestly don't know. They never said of such things to me. They just helped me get of planet cause they wanted me gone probably."

I opened my eyes and was releived to see the room was almost non-blurry. Thats when I realized I wasn't with the other guy anymore. Shkal or whatever his name was. And I also could feel the force around me. I wasn't in the force cage anymore. But the thing was I didn't think that they knew about my force powers, only the other guys powers. I called upon the force and slowly started to ease some of the pain. Little by little to make it look like it was natural.

Let's just hope they don't know about my force powers. I thought.

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

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

"One thing I do know, something that you might have guessed, is that the sith do possess extraordinary powers. Aelvedaar is the most powerful of all. Not only does he possess power a hundred fold greater than mine, he also has learned to access the All. I do not know much about the All, but I do know that it allows him to manipulate anyone and everything around him. That means he is capable right now of causing part of you bridge to disolve at almost any time, and killing most of you command crew.

From my observations, the Sith do not know that they are in a new time however, but their technology possess many secrets. The starfighter I came in for instance, has weapons on it that are far more powerful that what the rest of the galaxy uses. I would be glad to help you access this technology, as I orginally hoped, but in my current state I cannot. Is there anything else you specifically want to know? I might not have a full answer however. But I do wish to make an agreement with you, if you are willing."

He turned and went down the small cooridor to report to general Tarnus. Arcanemel entered, and for a second time in his service survayed the general who had been given such an enormous task, and in Arcarnemels' opinion, was flailing at such.

"General." He said, a small bow given, rather than a salute, as the position of excruciator was not necessarily one of soldiery.

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

Minutes before, my sith vessel had made the extremely short hyperspace jump between the two sith worlds, and had yet again, passed through the blockade unhindered. Another time... I reminded myself as the self questioning spurred my thoughts again.

"For once I have completed a task correctly..." I murmured, laying back in the seat of the sith vessel as it carved its way through the atmosphere and towards the equator and hence my fathers home. That I share. I reminded myself.

"I intend to stay for a while..." I murmured, realizing for perhaps the past four days I had been on my feet in a state of constant travel. "But I am learning from a great master, and truely cannot complain..." I sighed and looked as the glyphs signalled that the ship was to land soon.

"But why did he want it?" I asked myself as the ship slowed on it's approach to the city. "It's powerful yes, but he's obviously more so...." But then again, who was I to judge my fathers infinite wisdom? I slowly and exhaustedly rose from the seat, realizing how much damage, even with my fathers healing I had endured recently to my own sanity and overall mental fitness.

With a bit of agonizing slowness for my age, for I could only be roughly twenty standard years, I walked down the ramp of the vessel after keying the glyph that opened the ramp, and began to make my way towards my fathers chambers.

[ 08-12-2005 01:06 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rykounagin ]

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Then I saw who it was.

That explains it, I thought to myself, frowning behind the terrifyingly blank visor of my helmet. I set the papers down, laid my palms flat on the table in front of me.

"Yes?" I said, my voice distorted by the vocalizer in the Mandalorian helmet.

"You have something to report?"

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

He resisted the temptation to spit at the idea that something unproven by science could exist. "I'd personally recomend a walk out the airlock, but I suppose you'll find some use for them General?"

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

"That is all they revealed?" I threw back at him.

"Nothing in regard to why we found them in this space at all? They just seemed to up and appear--

"Blast it! And you call yourself an interrogator!"

I rose to my feet slowly, threateningly, leaned across the table and stared him straight in the face.

"It would behoove you greatly to return to your task, and get me the information I require. These people simply could not have appeared here by pure happenstance; this system is too far out from normal travel or trade routes.

"Get back to work, and do not return to me until you have something more substantial to report!"

I pointed to the door, pinning my T-visor straight into his eyes.

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

Arcanemel moved towards the door. "And I never claimed to be an interrogator. Excruciator is the title. You may ask them all the questions you wish, but it is my job to make sure their only vision is that of pain."

He turned and left the office, a bitter and chemically induced taste in his mouth as he returned to the cells, firing up a line of "agony" to them both. "How is it that you arrived here, why, and how is it that you found out about these worlds?"

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

Where did that though come from? He wondered a few moments after the thought passed. I truely must be tired. He walked through the halls, and stopped near his fathers sanctums to examine himself in a bowl of water that served as a minor decoration to a table in one of the long hallways.

He was tired, and the signs showed. After his few days of inattentiveness to his own appearance a line of grizzle had found its way onto his face, dark circles nested under his eyes and his eyelids slouched slightly.

He continued his self examination for a few moments longer, then dipped his hands into the bowl and splashed some of the water onto his face before continuing on his way to come to the entryway to his fathers sanctums. "And I beheld a chamber fit for a thousand lords..." he murmured before stepping through the doorway.

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

A wraith stepped forth from the shadows and approached Rykounagin.

"Halt, if you would, sir."

The words were respectful, the tone of voice in which they were delivered soft. The shadow seemed then to physically gain form and substance, and came to a halt directly in front of the boy.

"I am sent by your Father; he is aware of your arrival. He bids you follow me to chambers of your own, that you might first rest and later partake of food, so as to refresh and rejuvenate yourself.

"Only then will he speak with you; come, it is this way."

I chuckled quietly to myself. I've never slept in a sith bed before. Though I doubt it could be any different.

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