“Thanks,” he said, “I’d even be happy with a bottle or two of that crappy brandy. Hey, if there’s storage bins, maybe there’s stuff in them. I’ll help check them out, like anything worse can happen to me.”

Panthar glared at the door, hanging open as if it were mocking him. He walked to it, pushed it further open with his shoulder, and grunted. Nodding, he walked through the open doorway and into the dimly lit room. He paused, looked around, and turned to face the others.

“Wow, it IS pretty dark in here, anyone got a light?” he called out. The room immediately clicked into brightness behind him, revealing a large room with several stacks of large containers, and a row of cots lined up along a wall. All of the cots were empty, made up with white linens, except for one cot which was disheveled, as if it had been used. Panthar looked around the room nervously and turned back to Jasyn, then to the others again.

“Wow,” he gulped. “Crew’s quarters?” His eyes shot up thoughtfully. “But why would they need a crew? This is a one-purpose ship, right?”

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

"Why is this bed rumpled?" I queried, going over to it and laying my hands against the silken covers. They were soft and resiliant beneath my touch, and sure as Roon's Treasure didn't feel like sheets over 4,000 years old.

I turned a wide, questioning gaze to my companions.

"What's going on here?" I asked of no one in particular, but my gaze, when it came to rest, did so upon the solid form of the Sith Lord.

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

...and he had to wonder just what the hell a crew would be needed for here. Supposedly this ship hadn't been used in 4,000 years...so why did it appear that someone had been here? Kor'risian hadn't moved from its location, at least the last he knew, so that ruled out that this was a place for the crew who moved the planet. But perhaps...

"I know one thing," Terrin then spoke aloud, "If this ship hasn't been used to move a planet in 4,000 years, I'd assume someone was here to protect something. And if that something isn't the ship itself..."

He trailed a moment, his blue eyes wandering to the storage containers. "Then perhaps there's something of significance aboard. Just what the kriffing hell are in those storage containers?"

Saying this, he began to wander towards the containers...

...and was stopped short as a magickal blast out of nowhere knocked him across the room and against the wall beside a couple of the cots.

"Kriffing hell!" he blurted, only momentarily seeing stars. "Someone sure doesn't want anyone inside those things..."

[ 03-01-2005 11:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

I had been in the process of taking a step toward one of the containers when Terrin beat me to the punch...

...then literally was punched in the solar plexus as something alien and unseen sent him reeling past me once again. I flew to his side, reaching out to make certain he was okay.

My eyes shot to the Sith Lord again, only this time they were filled with fire.

"What in Hell's Seven Circles is going on here?" I repeated with just a tad wee more emphasis than before.

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

He paused, then continued, "Or gal--excuse me ladies--who was here?"

He quieted one final time, looking towards the Sith Lord, "I sure as bloody hell hope you are going to tell me he or she ain't here..."

[ 03-01-2005 11:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

“Another mystery,” he said. “We must refrain from exploring, else our queue of mysteries grow unmanageable. I do not know what is going on here, Galen. Simply because I am Sith does not mean I know of things that happened 4000 years in the past. Remember, I am not of that time.”

He looked around the room.

“But what I can tell is what I deduce. This does appear to be a crew’s quarters, converted into a storage room. These beds have not been used in some time, if the settled dust is an indication. The other bed is used.”

He walked to the rumpled bed and leaned to look closer.

“This bed has no dust, and has been used recently. This makes no sense to me, there should be no-one here. This room was locked, there was no sign of disturbance outside in the hall, or in the control room. It makes no sense, unless…”

A feeling of dread spread quickly over Phalomir.

“Unless this was being used as a temporary shelter for someone… or a prison…”

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

I hunkered closer to Terrin.

"Ummm... 'scuse me but, seems to me that if this place was a shelter for somebody, then that somebody ought to be here, right?

"Ok, so then logic would say, as did our good Sith Lord, that if not a shelter, what we have left is the possibility of someone being imprisoned in here...."

Yeah, right. For 4,000 years.

Sure.

I shook my head; this was altogether too improbable. But then I remembered all I had been through in the past four years; I gripped Terrin so hard I'm surprised he didn't say anything.

"Unless that someone is invisible--"

Oh yeah. The Sith can do that, can't they?

"--did we just let someone out of here?"

I cut my glance to the door, which yawned provocatively open, yet in that gesture managed to remain remarkably close-mouthed about the entire possibility.

[ 03-01-2005 11:41 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

"Before we speculate further...

...and believe me, I can speculate plenty more...

...let's first all get the hell out of here ourselves."

And with no further ado then that, he put his legs to work, making certain that Galen was with him and knowing it probably wouldn't take any more cuing for the others to follow.

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

[ 03-01-2005 11:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

I came to a screeching halt, pulling Terrin to a stop alongside me, and turned back to see the sudden arrival of...

Well, of someone, that's for certain.

Sure as there's Treasure on Roon....

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

...and right in front of his wife.

"Like bloody hell we've reconsidered," he growled. "I've had dealings with the likes of you before, back on Kor'isan with Panthar. You betrayed us then...

...and I don't have any faith that you would do anything less the second time around."

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

The Master’s dark eyes turned to Phalomir, who had already fixed a seething stare on the being.

“Perhaps instead my son has come to destroy me?”

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

He glanced around at the group in the room.

...and a wary eye on the sudden newcomer Shayla referred to as the Master and whom he now knew was Phalomir's Father. And the way everyone was reacting to him was already enough to raise his hackles even further.

"Why should we volunteer such information when we do not have any reason to even begin to trust you?" Terrin then spoke up pointedly, knowing that revealing too much too soon might be folly.

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

He scanned the room again, with a concentration, settling on each individual for a moment.

“But you all have your reasons to join me, do you not? Surely, as I look into your minds, I see how Aelvedaar has touched your lives. He will destroy the Dark Lady, is that not enough for some of you? Friend, ally, love, sister? And if left unchecked, he will rule the Sith. But he will not stop there, for using his power he will extend his reach to other worlds, other systems, other realms. He shall bring forth most unholy alliances with dark powers in this realm and in the Darker Realms.

“Are not these reason enough?”

He directed a glare towards Galen.

He suddenly trailed, his eyes growing darker and slitting, "But you know, I find it strange you would mention it. There's something you aren't telling us, isn't there?"

[ 03-02-2005 10:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

The Master once again regarded the room, his hand held in front of him for emphasis.

“This is no longer about petty differences, or ancient promises, or even asking forgiveness. I am beyond that, and it is too late for erstwhile banter. Do you not see the dangers ahead of you, for the galaxy, or are you blinded by your own arrogance? I for one prefer the Darker Realms as they are, as I prefer my place within them to be unaltered. Allow me to join you, to lend you my power, I shall -- relinquish my claim on Phalomir. I shall take only Thoran, he does not belong in this realm.”

The Master looked directly at Terrin, as if waiting for a reply. All he received was the same antagonistic stare.

We could always wait. Waiting took no effort, and hence, was the perfect thing for us to do.

[ 03-05-2005 12:53 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Onidorei ]

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

Not to mention its apparent new lord and master, Roan.

But this comment broke that ice as efficiently as a laser, drilling a hole directly into the few logical brain cells of mine yet remaining operative.

I cut a glance to Terrin, then piped up in turn. That weird hunch I always get was niggling for all it was worth; sure as there's Treasure on Roon but I just knew this "Master" would be singing us a far different tune if he knew about Thoran.

"Sounds like big words to me," I said, taking a tiny step away from Terrin and crossing my arms. Everyone shot me a startled glance; I shrugged as if this guy was no more dangerous to us than a gleeberfly, and went on.

"I mean, yeah. There's always somebody or other somewhere who is a dire threat to someone else, isn't there? And from my past experience, it seems that those with the largest plans for revenge or tight-fisted control or whatever are also those with the largest egos.

"Not to mention the greatest bark."

I blinked, fighting against the rush of images which swarmed into my head at my own words: pictures of Wicked and Desolist, of Actar and the horned Aelvedaar, our newest adversary, and of Roan. Of all we had gone through, of all we had battled against, of all I had battled against, whether alone or with friends or loved ones, and of all that had transpired.

And it all hit me squarely in the face then.

In the case of everyone of the above nasties, the greatest threat to us, and to the galaxy in general, was nothing more than overactive delusions of grandeur. I mean, yeah, there were battles, fights, peeps had gotten themselves killed and all.

But nothing big had come down the pike to utterly rearrange the workings of "life in general" in the galaxy. Even Sorben wasn't really that much of a galactic innovator; yeah, his ships circled the Sith worlds, yeah he had blockades here and there...

But what had come of it? Had any worlds been destroyed? Were we all being chased hither and yon as a seeming threat to him and his?

No.

Just like every other supposedly universal threat had petered out, so had his. The only one I thought truly capable of changing things for the worse was -- thank Khaandon -- safely stuck in the Darker Realms, where he could stay until he rotted. More so. If that was even possible.

I raised my chin and looked this guy square in the face.

"So what's this dire threat you're so all-fired up in arms about?" I asked nonchalantly, going so far as to life a relaxed hand to inspect my fingernails...

I suppose you can blame me. I mean, it's one thing to stand your ground in the face of danger; it's a far different thing to flaunt stupidity like a red flag in front of a charging reek. No sooner had I gotten halfway through my nail perusal when there came a strange kind of chiming throughout the ship.

Well... I can only assume it was shipwide; wherever it sounded its alert all I knew for a fact was that it was sounding right here. And the fact that it was an alert of sorts brooked no rebuttal: there is just something about a warning chime, no matter how alien, that just sets the tiny hairs on the back of your neck on end.

I cut my gaze around our group, who appeared decidedly more on edge than before.

"Uh guys, does anoyone besides me think it's a good idea to get on back to the bridge area?"

I then turned a look back to The Master, where it darkened and hardened upon him like molten coal. I'm sure he had some grandiose scheme or other up his sleeve; whether or not it turned out to be a figment of his imagination was yet to be seen.

All I knew was that the warning chime was certainly real, and attendance to it should be awarded Top Gun in our growing list of priorities.

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

...but then, that particular line of thought was cut short when the a warning began to blare. His look darkened in concern as he turned to Galen. "Yes, getting back to the bridge would be a good idea. Considering we're in hyperspace, a warning can't mean anything good...

...perhaps a ship manulfunction or even something interrupting our hyperspace path."

He looked to the Master, deciding to continue with his so-called arrogant bravado. "I don't care who it is you think is such a fatal threat to us, or what it is you may or may not be telling us...

...that is, considering we all might be dead anyway if someone doesn't get back to the bridge right now who can fly this thing and interpret what's going on. We'll continue this conversation later...

...but for now I agree with Galen. We should all get back to the bridge."

And with that, he turned and stepped in front of Galen. "Go ahead," he indicated to her both with his words and a nod of his head, "I'm at your back."

And I sure hope everyone gets with it and follows. This just can't be good...

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

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

We did wonder if the approaching vessel had even detected the station, either way, it would be tough luck to them. An amused laugh babbled around in our thoughts, for we had long forsaken the idea of "luck". The mere idea we would refer to it now after so many millenia was quite amusing, to say the least.

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

“You refer to the gift Aelvedaar gave you,” he asked, his annoyance apparent in his voice. “The exploding star? That was what pushed me over the edge with him. I was most pleased you survived, my son. Aelvedaar cloaks his fear by dismissing your power, then sends his underlings to destroy you. I have a surprise for you, when the time is right. But now, you must deal with this interruption. I shall cause you no harm.”

The mistrust on Shayla’s face stabbed through the air across the room. The Master locked eyes with her and spoke in an even voice.