“Yes,” he said. “that is what I am saying. This was centuries before the invention of a planetary repulsor, and the amount of energy such a device would require to break the gravitational pull of Korriban would be beyond such modern devices. So the Armorers, ever ready to face a challenge, designed a device that could do the job. But Sith magick alone was not enough, so the main focus of the device was to use the powers of the Jedi to amplify the magick, work in harmony with it, and provide the power needed to move the planet. The device is rather large, built into the surface of the planet and now concealed by thousands of years of jungle growth.”

He looked to Shayla.

“So, what we need to do is find the control room, which is in the jungle. Then Shayla, Erik, and I must supply the power to the device and hope we are strong enough to move all three objects at one time. I can teach one of the others how to control the device. But that only addresses the problem of moving the planets and the sun. We still need to make sure Jharmeen has the power to open and hold a large enough portal to the Elseness. There is one being here potentially that could provide both extra Sith magick and the All. Do we have any option but to find the Master?”

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

She paused, pursing her lips a bit as she continued to think. "Panthar suggested we find a device which he and Erik saw the Master through...

...would it be best to go to this thing and communicate with the Master that way...

...or might there be another way to communciate with him?"

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

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

“So, if we are ready, I don’t know any other way to contact him except through the Shar’tak, so if Rover out there knows where that is then let’s go!”

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

“Thoran, you have done far more than make ‘one mistake’, but I will grant you leniency in that you were indeed under the control of the Master at the time. I sincerely hope you are now working under your own free will, Thoran, and you truly are loyal to your word.”

Phalomir then looked once more to each member of the group, their eyes all upon him. He nodded and looked finally to Jharmeen. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, sharing a silent exchange. He then smiled lightly and turned to rest of the group.

“There is much asked of all of us in accomplishing this task,” he said, walking to the door with Jharmeen. “What we are about to do is monumental, make no mistake that this will stretch our abilities to the limits, possibly beyond. We have had our minds enlightened as to the scope of life, and our place within it, and now we must honor our commitment to the universe. Bear in mind that no-one must know of what we do here this day, our deeds will be unsung. But we will know, and I will honor you all for it.”

Phalomir reached the doorway where the tuk’ata sat in wait. He held his hand out and the tuk’ata’s face tendrils wrapped around it.

“Lead us to the armory, my friend.”

The tuk’ata whined softly and hesitated. It’s eyes met Phalomir’s and it backed away into the hallway. With another whine it started down the corridor, claws clicking on the stone floor.

Phalomir looked back into the room. “So it begins,” he said, and followed after the tuk’ata.

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

You will have to, Shayla," some voice deep within her spoke up. You must realize your true potential...

With a start, she halted for the barest of moments, uncertain of just where that last thought had come from. It sounded rather like something she had heard before...

...several times before, in fact.

As she shook herself from these thoughts she noticed Erik crooking a concerned brow at her. She got moving again...

...and then the flash of something else caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

That vision she kept having, the one of the Sith she had seen as a girl, who bore the Tatoo of Entitlement to the Sorceror's Clan and had spiraling horns...

...it looked so much like Aeylmaar, but the vision was still cloudy...

"The Sith, the one who I saw in my vision as a girl..." she then whispered, "I really think it was Aeylmaar..."

She trailed, her eyes turning vague as she no doubt was getting varying looks from everyone present, "Something tells me that this day was preordained to happen long before it ever arrived..." she breathed, something deep within her rising in silent recognition of a Destiny which simply was.

[ 01-06-2005 11:03 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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“The universe sometimes has an odd way of bringing things together for a greater purpose,” Phalomir said. “I never thought much of fate when I was younger, and I still do not fully comprehend or perhaps even believe in it fully. But when I look at the strange circumstances, the coincidences that have occurred since my arrival, it does indeed make me take note and wonder.”

The group turned a corner, the hall widened a bit.

“If the Sith in your visions is indeed Aeylmaar, and if your visions have some bearing upon our purpose here, then I am sure it will present itself to you in short order. Aeylmaar came to warn Jharmeen and me of a plot on our lives, conceived by Aelvedaar. He will be a powerful ally.”

The tuk’ata stopped in front of a large door, a hole splintered inward at chest level.

Panthar coughed, and laughed slightly.

“Well,” said Phalomir. “We must be here.”

He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was dim, and appeared to be filled with various and sundry weapons. Along the far wall was one small crystal orb, red in hue, glowing atop a table along with something that looked like chisel and some other shaping tools.

“Yes, we are definitely here.”

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

“All right, you little red ball thing,” he said. “Show me the Master.”

The red orb glowed, the color inside began to swirl into different hues until it appeared to be full of red gathering clouds. The vision cleared, and the orb resembled a sort of hologlobe, for inside the orb was the image of a Sith. He wore bright yellow robes, had spiraling kudu-type horns that resembled those of Phalomir, and was pacing back and forth in a small darkened room. He paused, and looked up, as if staring directly at Panthar.

“Hey, guys, he’s home!”

“Oh, you again,” came a voice from inside the orb. “I would have thought Aelvedaar would have done away with you by now. What do you want this time? I can’t exactly port you out of the temple right now.”

Panthar turned to the group.

"Hey, I did the dailing, someone else do the talking!"

[ 01-06-2005 10:06 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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When the interior coalesced to the form of a Sith, who suddenly spoke to us, I couldn't help but leap back a couple steps in surprised alarm. But anger then flared, purportedly because of his snooty tone, but in reality....

In reality... Galen, you know what reality is now, don't you? What you are, what your sister is, who Terrin is, who everyone else is... Do you ask yourself now if there is true reason to continue on with this mad quest?

Of course you do... and guess what. It matters not what that you balk, that you raise your voice and cry out in resistance, for that is not how the Game is played now, is it...?

I shivered, wrapping my arms about myself, and forced that niggling edge of madness to trigger my temper again.

How dare it. HOW DARE IT!!!

"Ok, buddy, here's the scoop."

With no further ado and without a sidelong glance to anyone else in the party, I stepped back up to the Orb and glared right back at His Holy High Snootful, whose attention I seemed to capture enough that he turned a disdainful look my way.

"In case you haven't already figured this one out, Time is stopped. This planet is some kind of Life Spot in the Universe, and here we did a major no-no by bringing the dead back to life."

I trembled a little, but forced myself to go on, trying to remain totally objective about all this.

"Ummm... it appears that, er, the Universe doesn't like that we've broken some basic ground rules, and has, as mentioned, stopped time eveywhere but in this place. We have to remove this system from this Universe so no one will ever, ahhh... break that which must not be broken again.

"Trouble is, we seem to be in a bit over our heads, and so Your Highness, we kinda need your help in the matter."

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

Allright, Thoran, pal. You step up there and take charge of this, since this was your idea. No more of this hanging back. Like Galen said...if we go down doing this...

...you sure as kriffing hell are gonna go down with us, since you are our connection here.

And with no further ado than that, Terrin took enough control to step up closer to Galen, and nearby the red orb.

He was gonna stick close to her, he sensed that she was still very much troubled by all that had transpired...

...and Thoran in the meantime just wasn't going to get off that easily...

[ 01-06-2005 11:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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“This one, I like,” he said. “Crude, rude, but to the point. Your story is very… interesting. I must say I felt a strange sensation within the essence of all things, but even if I were to believe you, what sort of help could I provide? And what could you provide to me?”

He scowled once more, indicating Terrin.

But what?

I shrugged noncommitally, sending a sleepy stare to everyone before turning back to this Master, with a yawn.

Amazing how understanding what the Universe is all about can change your outlook on people and rank and such, and this guy, being bipedal, put his pants on one leg at a time, just like I did.

Assuming he ever climbed out of those girly robes...

"Oh, I dunno."

I drew the words out into a verbal shrug.

"Maybe you'd just like to get Time going again so you can keep on trying to rule this body and that again?

"Or maybe you'd like to get out of that silly little ball...?"

I crossed my arms in front of myself and cocked one foot, resting my weight on the other and sticking out one hip in the process of being somewhat snide.

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

"Take care, Galen," she whispered in a low voice.

"There are powers here greater than you can possibly imagine. You would do well not to offend he whose help we have come seeking."

She gave Galen's shoulder a little squeeze, then turned her violet eyes to the figure in the orb. At first he didn't seem to see her; giving a little snort, she then allowed her Glyph to flash an introductory light.

Ahh. That got his attention.

"You are correct, Master," she said with a bow of her head, not knowing how else to address this obviously quite powerful Sith.

She raised her head then, and gave him a direct look.

"We come with some knowledge of, some use of the All, and that Living Part of it called the Force, and have with us the strength of the magicks of the Sith. What we are called upon to do is a mighty task, one which was once accomplished long in the past, and to a far lesser degree than is that which we are bid to do.

"We must move this system; once this place was a moon but by magicks of the Sith augmented with the Force it found succor as a planet orbiting the sun, there joining with that about which it in turn once revolved.

"But that was a mere move in spacetime only; our task is to move this entire system into the dimensionlessness of that which is called the Elseness, which takes greater power than we have at our disposal."

She drew in a breath.

"We have some ability to use the All. We know of the Device. But we need the strength which we have not.

"We need your help."

Forcing herself to quiet then, she stared a long moment right into the dark eyes of the enigmatic Sith. Then she simply fell to her knees before him, and remained still.

[ 01-07-2005 12:10 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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“Oh sheesh. Um, hey there,” he said. “Look, everything that the redhead – um, redheads – say is true about time stopping and all. You should have known something was up, don’t tell me you didn’t. And don’t tell me you don’t want out of your prison. Yeah, I know what Aelvedaar did to you. So here is the scoop, we get you out of the trap you are in and let you go wreak havoc on Aelvedaar. In return, you help us move Korriban, Koris’ian, and their sun into the Elseness and whatever else it takes to get time moving again, and grant me my total freedom from you – a very important part that some of us forgot to mention. Simple enough for you?”

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

"But of course," she agreed with a quick bow of her head. Raising it, she looked at the Master through her lashes.

"Whatever you have done to whoever matters not; when you are freed, you and your son have a place with me in Phrinnchatka, where I am Dark Lady."

Currently sans Dark Lord.

She cast a quick, loving smile Phalomir's way, then turned back to the Master to await his response.

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

Not that I had any mother hen's urge to protect Phalomir, but I remembered what he did for me in that horrid Dark Realms place; time to speak up for him.

Now it was my turn to step forward again, gently shouldering past Jharmeen and taking center stage. Something, I might add, that I am entirely too wont to do.

One day it's gonna turn and bite you on your--

"Ummm... hey, how about you take Thoran with you, and we get to keep Phalomir, and he and my sister can live happily ever after?" I suggested brightly.

I may be her sister, but I'm not blind. I saw that look she had sent his way.

What is it with her and these Sith guys anyway...?

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

Pausing at that, he collected himself and then finished with, "Why don't we just stick to the things that are business, and cut the poodoo. You can make schemes and plans as you like, but as long as we don't agree to them, you'll be just as stuck here as we are, and perhaps even more since it is you who are imprisoned. Now I just have to wonder, what is it you plan to do with Phalomir anyway?"

[ 01-07-2005 10:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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Dammitall, but what a a big bantha butt this guy was...

He moved his head back and forth slightly, as if in mockery of the Sith's demands as he finished them. Then he spoke up. "Look, bub, I don't know who died and made you a Sith Lord, but unless you can give us some more details, I think the answer is no. And hey," Jasyn continued, turning then to crook a brow at Phalomir, "Don't you have anything to say about this? Why the hell are you letting hm stand there and dictate how this is going to work?"

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

Graysith rose slowly and with great dignity to her feet. For a few moments she merely stared at the image in the orb, oblivious to the fact that the longer she stared the tighter and tighter her clenched hands were fisting, and the brighter and brighter her Glyph was flashing.

Finally she took a step forward, and spat on the shining surface of the Shar'tak.

"You are no father, to speak as such of your son. I will not let you bargain for your own pitiable life at the expense of Lord Phalomir's."

She stepped back then and snugged up against Phalomir, never removing her eyes from the sneering figure in the orb, answering him sneer for sneer, refusing to back down.

"We will find another way."

[ 01-07-2005 10:59 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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“Hey,” he blurted, “Wait, duh, DUH! Holy sh— no, no way, unh-uh.”

Panthar looked at each of the companions in rapid succession, held a finger up to the orb as if to say “one minute”, then stepped away from the orb. He glanced over to Phalomir, who simply returned a quiet, grim stare.

Panthar sidestepped to Jharmeen and Phalomir, and lowered his voice to a whisper as the rest of the group gathered around.

“OK, look, I don’t know what Phal has told any of you about his past, but he told a story once of how his father tried to sell him off to the demons of the Darker Realms. That's what the Master is talking about, isn't it? I bet it is, and I bet you know it! Don’t you? Come on, he’ll come back and they’ll all live happily ever after? What the heck does that mean, huh? Why don’t you say anything, you big red goof?”

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

"He is doing this to gain control of all the Sith, isn't he?" she asked softly.

"That is what he wishes: power over the Sith, and eventually over all.

"We cannot let him free of his entrapment, even if he is your father. My Lord, he is that in name only, in my eyes."

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