And as much as he wanted to shout back at Galen, tell her to take a long flying leap off of a short docking bay, and shut up the flow of hard boiled cynicism bucketing from her jaws, he could not. He could not even justify turning Terrin, who blurted his own opinion, into a bubbling pile of goo, even as good as it would feel right now.

She was right.

Of course she was right.

Jharmeen would be furious at him for trading himself.

But he had no intention of going along with the Master’s plans, he would make the trade and then proceed to – to –

To get himself killed, more than likely.

Again, the anger poured from his eyes, but it was short lived. The glow of the light in his palm dimmed slightly, and he closed his eyes.

“I hate you,” he said quietly. “But I would trade you for nothing.”

Eyes still closed, he reached out, feeling the faint but still present link with Aeylmaar tingle in the back of his mind. He tugged on it, making it tremble, and felt for a response. He cocked his head, wincing, focusing on the thread.

Aeylmaar, are you there? Are you safe?

[ 07-05-2005 09:04 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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He hated me, did he now?

WELL!

But that reaction was squelched a-borning; the words he spoke oh-so quietly to me might have hurt, but standing where I was I clearly saw the look in his green eyes, just before he closed them.

"Ahh... yeah," I mumbled, turning from him now to go back to Terrin. Once against my husband I snuggled backwards against him, relishing in his returning instinctive reaction of placing his arms around me, as if to protect me from any more of the Sith Lord's ire.

Truth hurts, doesn't it? I wanted to say, but didn't. Something told me to remain still, so still I remained, just waiting to see where things went next.

For sure as Khaandon made li'l green worrts, the big red lug looked like he was trying something, maybe along the Sith magickal lines, and I sure as hell didn't want to muck things up any further.

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

There came a small mental chuckle before the form of Rykounagin stood, seeming to not to care wether he was seen. He drew and florished the Lotus and then looked up the wall towards the level at the top of the wall where the many guards roamed.

"How delicious...."

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

A few moments later, we reached out with our minds and touched briefly upon that one we knew as Phalomir's. "Do you abandon us? Do you really care that little for those that are not yourself or those you directly love?"

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

Us…

The strange lifeform they picked up in space! Heavens, Phalomir had forgotten about that poor soul… or souls.

No, you are not abandoned. There are many events unfolding, many problems facing us. Where are you? Are you safe?

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

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

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

We became quiet and observed the sith on the ground, still prone, seemingly unconcious.

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

Aeylmaar, where are you? We are in the Temple of the Warriors, running for our lives. There is a plot against Jharmeen, we are accused of her murder, and I fear she is in reality held prisoner in the Darker Realms. Please, can you hear me?

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

Something trickled into his brain along a link once established, then sent to the back of his mind to hunker there amidst the neurons and motor memories, waiting until needed.

He blinked, sitting up in the darkness, his hands reaching out instinctively even as his own thoughts rushed back in joyous acknowledgment of that supple whisper in his mind.

"I hear you; I am here, here in the Temple of S'slan!" he sent back, swiftly, succinctly, knowing on an instinctive level that there were others upon this world with the ability he held, others with greater skill in it, others who could eavesdrop and interfere with him as easily as one might squash a bug.

Not wishing to risk further exposure, he wasted no more time in speculation or explanation. Instead, hoping his own message had gotten back to the Sith Lord, he severed the link altogether save for the merest of tendrils.

Then, using techniques taught to him by his Father, he settled once again into the velvet darkness, closing off the world about him and putting himself into a state of suspension until those who sought him would find and awaken him.

He did not dare leave his conscious mind open, not on this planet, no.

[ 07-06-2005 09:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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Then the smallest of replies came to him, and Phalomir jerked his head up. As quickly as the reply came, the link was dropped and Phalomir understood the urgency and secretive nature of the reply.

“Aeylmaar is in the Temple of S’slaan,” said Phalomir, opening his eyes. “He offered no other information, I take that to mean that he is in hiding or in trouble. Either way, we now know where he is.”

He turned to face Galen.

“I will do anything you ask to bring Jharmeen back. We need a plan, and I am open to ideas.”

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

Yet his words did not reach my ears. They were too full of three little words he had spoken to heed what might have afterward fallen from his lips:

Temple of S'slan.

I took an instinctive step backward, bumping into Terrin now, rounding about him and sliding past, backing up further and further as my arms flew to wrap about myself, my eyes as wide and silent as my mouth.

Temple of S'slan. Dear Khaandon, no.

Not that place, not again. I don't know if I can go back there again, even to save my sister.

How could I? How could I go to the place He called his own, that hideous link between here and not-here where I had been flung, battered and broken, leaving Flac in my wake, followed by Terrin who at the time was Terrin no longer....

I shivered, and darted a quick glance his way. He in turn stood unmoving, apparently taken somewhat aback by either by my unexpected reaction...

...or else reduced to that state by the fuzziest of memories coming now, perhaps, to haunt him like all kinds of bad dreams.

What did he remember? Did he recall our misadventure in that horrible Dark place? Did he remember facing off with that flame-headed witch and her vampiric companion? Did he remember being twisted, taken, played with with the ease of a toddler playing with a toy, only to be flung back and out and into a death I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy?

Did he remember travelling those dark hallways, going into those darker shadows, leaving the light...?

I shivered again, my fingers clenched about myself in a death-grip, my eyes growing wider and wider and seeing less and less, only black, only dark, a dark suddenly occupied by blazing turquoise eyes.

Which laughed.

Step by step I backed until I was beyond the light emitted by the towering Sith Lord and stepping into shadows myself. Striking against the cold stones of the wall, I shivered, slipped, and crumpled to the floor, staring into something darker than night.

"I--I know of this place," I blurted out, the words spoken in a tone that was soft as a zephyr, cold as the black depths of space.

"I-- I cannot go back there."

The words whispered from my lips, flowed out and around, going into the ears of all present, in turn striking the cold stones of the walls and rebounding back into my own senses. There they rejuvenated me a little; I jerked, recognition coming back to me.

"It leads to Hell, you know."

I fell silent then, nevermind the fact that I had indeed entered into that particular hell upon one occasion or another after that fateful day, nevermind that by now, really, I should be getting a tinier bit used to it.

Should have.

But the Hell I was referring to was most definitely not that place we called the Darker Realms, not the place occupied by whip-tailed demons, foul anti-life, and the creature who went by the name of Roan.

No. Not that.

It was the hell in which I had started to lose Terrin... and after being given the chance to have him again, I simply refused to have anything to do with anything that might take him away from me again.

[ 07-06-2005 11:38 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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He furrowed a confused brow. "The Temple of S'slan?" he queried then, trying to place the name in order to understand Galen's reaction. Then, looking to Galen, concern in his eyes. "We've been there?"

He paused a moment, frowning. "I didn't know there was another Temple on this..."

Suddenly, his words dropped off, and realization registered...

...and along with far too much memory than he would have liked to have accompany it. For a moment his eyes grew vague as images locked far away in his psyche flashed by his mind's eye. When the images faded, his blue eyes snapped alert and intense.

"If the place you are referring to is the place I think, it is a very dangerous one, laced with traps for those who would dare intrude. Some of us may not be fully equipped to deal with these threats; what happened the last time we were there will not happen again, even if it means we must find another way to get to Aelymaar, somehow..."

He trailed again, this time approaching Galen, and helping her back to her feet. All the while his blue gaze never left hers, something haunted playing deeply in their depths. "I'm so very sorry for what I did that day...

...for how very much you were hurt...by me..."

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

“I know not of this temple,” he said flatly. “But if it is what you say then I fear for Aeylmaar. His message to me was short, perhaps under duress. If he is held there against his will, then that is all the more reason to find him quickly.”

He stepped in, allowing the light to fall once more on Galen. The look on her face echoed her words, there was no way she could help with this task.

“I do not ask anyone to accompany me or to relive a horrid past,” he said. “But I must go.”

Panthar jerked his head to Phalomir, giving a stern look. Phalomir smiled at him.

“As will Panthar, I see,” Phalomir said. He looked back to Terrin. “I do not know what happened to you, and I do not wish to seem cold. But time is short, and I do not intend this to be folly, I go because we must find Aeylmaar. What else can you tell me of this Temple? For what do I need to be alert?”

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

But gradually that vision began to soften and blur. I became aware that I was on my feet and there were supportive arms around me. I became aware of the low murmur of voices coming from that someone--

Terrin.

--followed quickly by someone else's voice.

Phalomir.

And finally the words spoken by the two wormed through the terrible scene I was looking at, shouldered past the emotions laced so tightly to that scene, and stomped into my psyche, waving banners of sanity and hope.

I jerked. My eyes cleared. My head cleared. Terrin's words made sense.

"You-- you weren't yourself that day," I finally managed, raising a surprisingly firm hand to caress his jawline; then Phalomir's reply came through to me. I twisted in Terrin's grasp, saw the Sith Lord standing there, an admixture of concern and impatience crawling all over his countenance.

Just beyond stood Big Red, looking the most solemn and stoic and ready-for-action that I had ever seen him.

My brain finally pushed aside the reaction that had held it in thrall, and formulated words, word of surprising embarrassment, words that were suddenly falling from my lips as though having little lives of their own.

"I- I'm sorry," they began softly. Then my voice deepened back to normal, got stronger, a touch louder. I straightened in Terrin's hands, firming.

Becoming myself once again.

"I-- I couldn't help it, that place--"

I balked momentarily; then with a frown of annoyance, went on.

"The Temple of S'slan is a smaller temple in the outskirts of-- well, I can't exactly recall the outskirts of where, exactly. At the time we were there, the Sith hadn't been brought back yet, but I found the coordinates to it in the Sith navigational logs I had aboard my ship that-- He had taken. I do know the temple was just somewhere, away from Phrinnchatka, out there."

I waved an arm, nevermind how ridiculous that looked.

"It's small, hidden; at the time, half buried. Dark, dismal, and filled with-- I don't know, something darker, something dangerous, something you can't see or physically touch, but can simply feel.

"R-roan had a Kaminoan lab there, a small one, true, but in its entirety. When we found the temple that lab had been destroyed; I'm not completely certain, but I think Roan was using that lab to advance someone -- or possibly someones -- in age."

I cast a look around, drawing yet more strength by the looks I was seeing all around me. My courage thus bolstered, and rapidly returning to my own senses, I went on.

"The last time I was there, I was hunting for my daughter--"

Eternally, it seemed. Would I ever find her, hold her, be given the simple joys allotted to most sentients, that being a loving home and family life?

"Anyway, He had been there, I think: Roan; something there, something dark and evil grabbed me, and took me into that terrible place we call the Darker Realms; I remember I had been travelling with a friend, Flac; then when we traced Roan's steps and I found Jester II again we separated, and he went off in his own ship; inside Jester I found the coordinates and we found the temple and then got taken away--"

I paused again, embarrassed for actions past, and turning shot an apologetic look Terrin's way.

"I-- I didn't see Roan, but there was this awful, awful Dark entity, some Thing, and it looked like Darth Wicked--"

I stopped again, wondering if I should elucidate on who Darth Wicked was. Giving a mental shrug -- irrelevant! -- I went on along my original track.

"Dear Khaandon, ShaRhylla was there, too--! The next thing I really remember, Terrin and I were shoved back into the portal and landed in the middle of a busted up lab inside that temple, Flac was nowhere around... and-- and Terrin wasn't himself.

"It wasn't long after that he-- he was--"

Again I paused, stumbling now, feeling the rise of despair again, a debilitating despair, one that sought to overwhelm me completely and lay me low.

It was then that a little red flag proudly raised itself and began squawking for all it was worth. Surprised, I turned a nanosecond's worth of attention to it.

Ok, so Terrin had been weird and out of his head, and had run off and gotten himself killed. Due to the actions of the Sith, indirectly if not directly.

But he was back, hale and whole. Again due to the actions of the Sith. Thank Khaandon.

So why the instinctive terror? Why this overwhelming fear, this reaction that makes you knee-jerk reflexively, without thought?

Yeah, Terrin had died, but he was alive now.

Why so terrified, ol girl? You've certainly faced worse: Desolist, Gravin Dark, those nasty Noghri by whose slimy paws you almost died yourself, that demon from hell...

I stopped in mid-explanation, my mouth hanging open. My eyes widened, looking off into the dark again, but this time seeing logic's brilliant light at the end of the tunnel.

Part of the horror of that place was that it intensifies fears, terror... and keeps it with you, portals into Hell laying low in vicious ambush nonetheless.

My hand flew to my mouth. Abruptly, the disproportional shadows of pain and anguish and terror just...

Receded.

I straightened further, seeking inward, surprised to find my old self standing there, arms crossed, a sensation of self-disgust filling my every pore.

Told you so, a long time ago, but you wouldn't listen ol' girl--!

I then let out the last of the fear in a big ol discharge of air, and took a step away from Terrin's support. Quickly I went on with my speculations concerning the Temple of S'slan, although deep in my gut I knew I was right.

[ 07-08-2005 02:07 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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Rykounagin's body ascended the stairs, ignoring the first cries of the sith guards who had spotted his progress. He took his gentle steps with a slight swing of his arms, the Lotus gently swaying back and forth as he came to the top of the stairs.

He looked appraisingly at the first guard who came to challenge him, a large axe filling his hands. "Going to kill me?" He asked, every sign of sincere curiousity in his voice, much different from the wicked cruelty within him.

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

“Sounds lovely,” he said dryly. “Glad I volunteered. Does every place that you people travel have to be dark and sinister? Can’t we just once go rescue someone from the happy friendly floppy bunny people of soft cuddly land?”

He shook his head and brought his hand to the back of his nape to pop a kink in his neck.

“You know,” he continued. “If this place is some kind of doorway to the Darker Realms, it might be part of the trap that the Master is probably setting. We know he is pissed at Aelvedaar, and maybe he thinks it’s funny to use Aeylmaar as bait as well as Gray?”

A thought stuck him and he dropped his hand to his side.

“You said ShyRhylla was there? So she could maybe take us to the Temple? Phal, you said she was leading some sort of plot to overthrow Gray, right? Does anyone know her well enough to think that she might be tricked into helping us?”

His eyes widened a little and he looked back to Galen, remembering that before went anywhere he needed to find the red-haired young girl he had met before to see if she was Galen’s daughter.

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

"No," he said calmly, keeping his voice level as he dropped the axe from the casual two-handed grip by which he had been carrying it to an even more casual one handed one. It swung a bit at his side, brushing against the short robe that he wore.

"I am going to the yards, to slaughter a beast for the lady's breakfast," he explained further, now nodding to the intruder with something approaching curiosity. However, he had no business with anything other than his own position within the Great Temple of the Warriors; perhaps this one was a guest, lost and wandering.

"Do you need assistance finding something?" he asked politely before falling silent, waiting, while the early morning breeze caressed his face and below him the lights of Phrinnchatka began, one by one, to expire.

"I'd appriciate your aid..." Rykounagin's lips spoke.

"However, the lady will not be dinning tomorrow, nor the next day, she is quite preoccupied." He smiled faintly. "But if you could point out the slaughteryards below? I'm a bit slow..."

A wicked thought had formed in the mind of cruelty, though it did chuckle at the Axis' comment. "Then please my dear artifact, why is it that you are so determined to keep away from Aelvedaar? What chaos could such a senile philosopher cause?"

Cruelty had a low oppinion of Aelvedaar, after all, all that had been displayed was disappointment that Rykounagin didn't see things on the same level as he, with his foolish philosophy that there was a greater picture. All there was in life, was sweet enjoyment of getting what you wanted, and seeing that no one else did.

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

"Of what interest a common slaughteryard would be to a newcomer -- for indeed, newcomer you must be to Phrinnchatka as Sith you clearly are not! -- is beyond my understanding. But if such things are what drives you, then so be it."

He paused a moment, then turned round and continued his trudge down the steep, stepped side of the Temple, the early morning breeze freshening in his face.

He chuckled quietly. "Oh, well woe be to me for being noticed as not being a sith..." He chuckled, looking down the steps.

He took a step, and paused, suddenly his vision blurred. "Curses..." He groaned for a moment, then blinked and looked around confused.

Rykounagin

Rykounagin looked around, seeing a retreating sith, he immediately froze, grasping the lotus. He cursed inwardly and hurled his mental disgust and frustration at the axis.

"What on earth caused you to do that? What did you do, possess me like that parasite Ragorian and walk me along behind that sith?!"

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

The Finger fits perfectly within my hand as I draw it from him.

"Thank you, my Son."

Even as I touched him he whirls, his eyes wide in surprise and yes, in anger as well. My own lips crook to see that look.

"Continue your mission, my son."

I bow. Then before he can so much as blink, I withdraw back to my own places, the Finger of R'lous a tight treasure in my grasp, the Portal sighing closed ere I fully depart from the steps of the Great Temple of the Warriors of the Sith.

[ 07-11-2005 09:48 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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The complications of the Axis are gone, now to make the trip back easily. Without a word to the butcher, he cloaked himself again in his protective hypnotism's of invisibility and skirted around the butcher, climbing down the stairs to the yard, and taking it upon himself to begin skirting through the city, keeping to back alleys and such.

The cloak of invisibility was good, but strenuous to use against many beings at a time.

It did confuse him however, how he had suddenly found himself standing on those steps. He did not know the Axis possessed such power to possess him, even for a short time, such as Ragorian could do extendedly. However, unlike when possessed by that blade, he did not feel exhausted by the effort of containing the spirit, in fact there felt a lingering tingle of annoyance, of frustration.

He quickly quelled it, and put the thoughts aside as he focused upon his task, ducking under a low hanging archway between two small stone houses as he made his way towards the outside of the city.

[ 07-11-2005 09:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rykounagin ]

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A trailed for a moment, then continued with "As to the possibility of the Temple of S'slan having something about it which amplifies fear..."

He trailed, once more, this time his look thoughtful as he matched his actions that day with the idea, "...I agree. Jharmeen's son, Jharu...

...what happened to that kid...?

"...told me he sensed something dangerous in that Temple that day. Of course I was hellbent and didn't listen to him...

...but my worries and concerns did seem to escalate once I got into the Temple."

Pausing with that, he pursed his lips, his mind again turning. "So how can we use this as we search for Aeylmaar? Might this weirdness help us pinpoint his location, if either Shayla, Erik, or Phalomir...or you, Galen, can sense it?

"I could be mistaken, but while the Master could very likely be using this as a trap somehow...Aeylmaar may also be using the strangeness from the Temple of S'slan to further shield himself as well..."

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