He turned back to Terrin and Galen.

“But, you know, I don’t think this Sorben guy was there just to find his daughter. I mean, he introduced himself as some big shot in the Empire, like third in command or some bull, and said that they were not there to conquer, but find out why previously dead worlds suddenly had life on them and all… And we all had a nice dinner, caught up on what’s been going on in the galaxy, had a long talk about how the Sith and the Empire can eventually be friends, and such. And the whole daughter thing came up afterwards when we had already left, and he sent a message to Phal about it as an afterthought.”

He looked over to Phalomir for confirmation, but the giant Sith had positioned himself into sort of a big red couch, and Jharmeen had curled up into a ball on top of him. It was definitely a holo-image moment, and he wished he had an image recorder. Shayla was very near them, almost in a trance, but still somewhat alert.

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He'd do anything for Darra, anything; that's what I think. Just like I would.

Phalomir’s thoughts drifted back to a moment shared with Galen in the Darker Realms, when the both of them had come to terms with the fact that may both perish. She had opened up to him, told him everything that had transpired in her life since the death of her father. She had gone on and on, leaving out very little, both of happy times and terrifying times. But the tale of one character in particular stood out, and surprised him at the time, Sorben Tarnus.

He surveyed the situation within the Dark Lady. Shayla’s healing had indeed helped, and even the beast seemed content to wait. For what, Phalomir did not know, but the time for Shayla to withdraw her energies was now, and the power of the Eye within Jharmeen could afford more protection to her than Phalomir’s own magick could. He allowed himself to return partially to his physical consciousness, while keeping a wary link with Jharmeen’s spirit.

“Galen” he said softly, groggily, his eyes half open. He rolled upright, gently snuggling Jharmeen to his chest as he leaned his back against the wall. “Galen,” he repeated. “What Panthar says is true. But although it is not his reason for being in Sith space, Sorben does desperately wish to find your daughter. But why do you think he desires this? Did you not tell me yourself that he wanted you both dead? Even pulling the trigger on who he thought was you and your daughter?”

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...well, dead?

"He did what?!" was all he could manage for the moment however, his eyes still wide, the look in them an admixture of horror and anger.

[ 01-26-2005 09:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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"I don't know," I said in a tiny voice, still staring into the landscape surrounding Quee's house, my vision blocked by the branches of the tree I had been hiding in with Darra.

"I-- I can't believe he did what he did; there had to be a reason, a damned good one. I mean, I don't know about me; I know Sorben always claimed to love me--"

He's a bounty hunter, Galen; admit it. They don't love anybody; they can't. Right?

Oh, right....

"--but I know he loves his daughter."

I paused with that as the incongruity of that statement rushed through me. For indeed, how could he love Darra when he never really had her in his life? I was already with Terrin when she was born; or rather, when she was... taken from me to be born elsewhere....

I trembled again, and gripped myself so tightly that my nails broke my skin. Thin rivulets of blood trickled down my arms to dry somewhere in the vicinity of my elbows; heedless of the harm I was doing to myself, I went on, my eyes not really seeing, my ears hearing only the words that were coming from my mouth.

"I know he loves her, and he wants her back safe with him again, I just know it," I finally whispered, not at all willing to entertain even the consideration that Sorben wasn't chasing after Darra because he wanted to be her daddy.

But to complete the only job he had failed in his life:

As her assassin.

Everything tuned out around me then, leaving nothing behind but the biggest question mark in the known universe, which in turn was challenged in size only by the sudden and unyielding ache in my heart.

[ 01-26-2005 10:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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...and all he could do for the moment was to physically reach out to her, wrapping arms about her. Then, unwrapping a hand to then place it under her chin, Terrin moved her eyes to meet his. But they were still vague, as if they were seeing something else, somewhere else...

...and he hated to know just what it was she was seeing.

"Oh, what a hell you've had to face," he whispered, "But all aside, what is it that you, as her mother, want for Darra? Cause whatever it is, I'll do my damnedest to help you make it so..."

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Words.

Plain, simple little words.

"Galen, what do you, as her mother want... I'll do my damnednest to make it so...."

I jerked, startled.

How refreshing. Someone was asking me what I wanted, me! Finally, how nice to sink back into the softness of it, to relish this, for it sure as there's Treasure on Roon hadn't been happening much to me of late.

With the swiftness of a stooping hawk reality materialized around me. I found myself staring straight into Terrin's blue, blue eyes.

My lip trembled, I couldn't help it, damn me.

"I-- I just want her safe with us, at-- at home with us!

"Is that too damned much to ask of the universe?"

Reality remained all about me but suddenly seemed to lose its solidity, as tears welled up in my eyes to turn it into a vision seen through a dancing veil of water.

[ 01-26-2005 11:14 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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“I said I would help, and I still mean that. I have lots of credits we can use, contacts… oh, wait, so would Terrin...”

He stopped, paused, and jerked his gaze to Galen.

“Wait, I can’t be the only who thinks this, can I?” he asked. “I mean, this guy Sorben is the dung-hoppin’ third in command of the Empire! You know, the EMPIRE? The guys who think they rule the universe? Don’t you think he has something bigger in mind than finding his daughter so he can just whack her? What if he’s wants to get his hands on someone who can help him take over the Sith? I mean, he sure perked up when Shayla almost told him what the Eye was, what if he wants to get his hands on something Sith? And what comes to mind, hmmm, let’s see…oh, I don’t know, maybe that weird power that he wanted us to tell him about? A weird power that Galen has, and maybe he thinks his daughter has?”

[ 01-26-2005 11:21 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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No way in Hell was what she wanted too much to ask. And it was going to come about, he was determined...

But Panthar's final words grabbed his undivided attention, at least for the moment. "We could play the "what-if" game for a long time," he then stated, not really wanting to speculate regarding Tarnus's intentions, "But there's one thing I'm sure of...

...that Galen wants Darra home," he stated, turning to look at Galen as his words were specifically for her, "So we're going to get her home."

Pausing a moment at that, he simply let his eyes rest on Galen in silent promise. Then he continued, now looking back to the others. "It's going to take far more than credits and connections to succeed, however. It's going to take a good plan, and something else Galen's already mentioned. A Sith fighter is probably the only thing that will get us past that blockade around Coruscant."

He paused a final time, now looking to Phalomir, "You're a Sith and a Dark Lord; what strings can we pull to get a fighter once we reach K'eel Doba? Will coming in with the company of the Dark Lady be enough?"

[ 01-29-2005 07:24 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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“Coruscant?” he asked. “Why would we go to Coruscant? What Panthar says is true, and it seems very unlikely to me that Galen’s daughter is there. Sorben’s Empire, are they not centered there? Surely he would know if she were there. As for K’eel Doba, Terrin, a blockade stands between even that planet and us. I believe Sorben is only detaining ships that leave the planet, so unless the strangeness of this ship attracts his attention then we may be fortunate.”

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He paused, turning back to Galen, really not liking the next question that was going to come from his mouth because of the answers which popped into his head, "Who else might have found her on Coruscant, and taken her from there?"

[ 01-30-2005 09:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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"If it wasn't the Dark Lady herself, then it would had to have been either Aelvedaar or Roan, cause the Empire has Coruscant locked down like she's nobody's business but theirs. Let's face it, we're gonna need a Sith fighter no matter how you slice it...

...cause if Darra isn't on one of the Sith worlds there's only one other place I'd think she may be, given Roan's past history: Kamino."

[ 01-30-2005 10:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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Kamino. Roan.

Nasty connection, that; especially since--

I cut that thought off even as it was forming, and my eyes grew positively huge. I started forward, my mouth working soundlessly as I tried to articulate the awful supposition which insisted on forming in my head.

"Roan," I whispered, still staring into middle space and seeing the image of him there against the blinding whiteness of the Kaminoan stilt-city's corridor, a flame-headed young female standing in front of him who was nothing more than self-centeredness dunked in an aura of invincible power and tied together with a certain haughty aplomb that I don't even think my sister could ever really put out. That lovely thought segued directly into one of Sorben getting lambasted, which led via a blur of white to me staring directly into the face of--

--of the instrument panel of the Sith fighter we had been sent to, upon which a tiny viewscreen showed us with quiet persistence the blue-green water world of Kamino which was dwindling steadily behind us...

I blinked, and stared around me.

"If she is there... or even was there, you know, knowing that bastard and how he- he can... persuade others into doing his will... there- there's no guarantee that Darra is even a ba-baby anymore!"

It might have been the awful possibility that my baby girl might have missed out on her entire childhood that did it, but I really knew the bout of stuttering that suddenly overcame me was due to the sheer terror provoked in me by the mere mention of Roan's name. No doubt about it, even though the slimebag was dead and buried.

Well... dead, at least.

Er... well, not in our universe any longer, that was a relief.

Terror ebbed; my stuttering lessened, but the awful and sudden certainty that I was on the right track simply exploded in me. I stared round about yet again, before singling the apparently weary Sith Lord out with an accusing look.

"You're Sith," I stated the obvious. "You guys are magickal, you said yourself that you're doing some kind of mumbo-jumbo to keep Jharmeen all in one piece until she wakes up and takes over on her own. Well... we're in a Sith ship now, aren't we? Do we need to go get a tiny fighter? This thing looks a little more spacious; wouldn't this thing have the same capabilities of the others?

"And hey--!"

I thought back to that briefly blissful time when Terrin and I had occupied a house in Phrinnchatka... but only after having hung around in the Temple for a little bit, and then after seeing glimpses of what were sure to be nothing more than unbelievable wonders as we walked the then-silent streets.

I narrowed my eyes, partially thinking, still pinning Phalomir.

"Don't you guys have, well... magickal stuff? I mean, I saw some pretty strange things in that city on K'eel Doba, haven't a clue what the heck they all were, but the machines I saw weren't just idle generators and so on."

I paused, frowning now as I tried to recall everything I could about what little I knew about Phrinnchatka.

"Is there any, well... thing, any means, and magickal spell or something you could whip up that could just show us where my baby is if we just asked directly?"

I fell silent, slumping back against Terrin, and let a long exhalation escape my pursed lips.

"Maybe we should go back there first after all," I finished, and fell silent.

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“There is such a device,” he said. “Within the library of Phrinnchatka. This device should give you the answers you seek, but we must be careful how we use it. I had an… experience… with it.”

He opened his eyes and looked down to Jharmeen, remembering the time when he first used the library. He was far from the Dark Lady’s good graces, and entered the library in spirit form. He had triggered a power surge and the device spoke to him of things to come, or prophecies.

“As for the ship, perhaps it has the same capabilities. It is a very old design, remember. But perhaps it olds secrets not found on more standard Sith ships? You have flown a Sith ship before, Galen?”

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“Terrin,” he said very quietly. “This Kamino thing Galen mentioned… they can make babies older? In less time, I mean? Just how less time? Like, could they have made her a young adult by now?”

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And perhaps he was at that.

"What color were her eyes?" he half-spoke, half whispered, hoping like hell that Panthar was wrong or mistaken, recalling how, once upon a time, he and Galen were quite nearly forced into having Darra's age genetically manipulated by Aelvedaar. This time, whether it had happened or not, he would no longer stand idly by. Galen deserved more that that...

...and so did Darra.

[ 02-02-2005 07:28 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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...we're gonna find her, with this device Phalomir has mentioned if necessary. Only then will we know the truth. And if her age has been manipulated against Galen's wishes, well..."

He trailed, something dark flickering in the depths of his eyes, "We'll deal with that then."

Pausing another moment at that, Terrin nodded towards the control panel, changing the subject then. "When will we be arriving, anyway?"

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If it was Galen’s daughter that he and Panthar had seen on K’eel Doba, then Jharmeen was somehow responsible. He could only hope that whatever her reasons, she would come clean. But why had she not said anything to this point?

“Galen,” he said evenly. He could feel her spirit, and it was reeling in thought. She needed to focus back on the moment.

“Galen,” he repeated firmly, sending what he hoped was an attention grabbing tendril of magick. “Galen, can you pilot this ship to K’eel Doba?”

[ 02-07-2005 09:30 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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Oh good lord, could I fly a Sith ship--?!!

--when the conversation took a sudden and complete swing off into left field. My mouth, opened to make the aforementioned reply, continued to hang stupidly open, but the emotions behind it ran a quick gamut from sarcasm to astonishment to disbelief, finally winding up on sharp and clearly defined anger.

I closed my mouth with a snap, worked it a little, and finally answered the Sith lord.

"Damn Skippy I can pilot a Sith vessel... any Sith vessel!" I muttered as I burst from Terrin's side and headed over to the navigation panel. There I seated myself, and began studying the confessedly enigmatic sigils which blinked solemnly upon it. For a moment I admit I was a little confused as the design was a touch different from the layout in the Jester's that I had flown. But then I began recognizing certain subtle similarities.

My hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they flashed out and began dancing a soundless tune upon those sigils. A few moments passed, then the viewscreen whooshed into the familiarity of hyper-driven star-smears.

I sat back, scowling and chewing my lip. Then I turned to the others.

"We'll be hitting the K'eel Doban system in a little under 48 standard hours," I finally said, my voice soft but not at all reflective of the dark shadows that were deepening in my eyes...

...which I couldn't help but direct toward the quiet form of my sister, who continued to snore peacefully as though she hadn't a problem in all the known universe....

[ 02-08-2005 03:41 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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He trailed, thinking better of continuing to speak along the lines where his thoughts were going. Instead he took a step closer to Jasyn and Matt, and a step closer to where Galen was piloting the ship...

...and consequently took a step away from everybody else, his blue eyes intense and dark as he continued to ponder upon the information Panthar had just revealed.

[ 02-08-2005 10:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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“Hey, wha!” he exclaimed. “This is I all just speculation here, right? We don’t know what’s going on, and even if Jharmeen did somehow have your daughter advanced in years, there must have been a good reason. Remember, she has not exactly been the most loving person, and with the hellish things she has been through who can blame her? I remember what a royal little biscuit she was when I first met her, she would have had us all killed at the drop of a bantha poo. But she is different, I can feel it. It’s like she's finding things, lost things in her life. Let’s not be too ready to burn her at the stake before she has a chance to explain herself.”

He checked himself.

“IF she even has anything to explain. Remember, we’re not sure. I think we need to focus on getting ourselves safely to the temple rather than dwell on speculations.”

[ 02-16-2005 09:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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...and before the stake-burning begins," he continued, holding up a bottle of Sith brandy he'd taken from a collection he was now gaurding. And who the hell knew where he had found them all. "We can talk about the possibilities and good reasons for things happening regarding Galen's kid...

...and I sure as hell hope our speculation proves wrong...

...but the long and the short of it is that just because there is a good reason for something that doesn't make it right."

He paused as Terrin cocked a brow at him. "Like my drinking habit, for example, eh Boss?"

And with no further ado than this, Jasyn popped the bottle of Sith brandy...

...and took a good drink, knowing that if things continued along the lines they were for the moment, it might be the last he'd have in a while.

[ 02-08-2005 11:13 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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