Panthar adjusted the robes around him and brushed off the remaining twigs and pine needles.

“So, what do we do when we get there? I mean, you see what she sees, right? Do we just hang around and wait until she gets captured, or until she finds Aelvedaar and he agrees to help us? Do we land, do we stay in orbit, do we find a bar and chill?”

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

Shayla trailed, pursing her lips, "I believe it is not a matter of how, but when. I either by what she tells me via our link...

...or by what I see and feel through her. All we need to do beyond that is to be ready."

[ 09-04-2005 08:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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"But what are imperials?"

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...often with an iron fist. As for our plans...

...from my experience, I find it's fairly useless to make plans." Jasyn paused, cocking a brow at Panthar. "You've never had to stealth it out on Khar Delba before, I take it. Nothing proceeds as planned. But, as for finding a bar and chilling...

...this baby just has to have some good aged stuff somewhere onboard. I suggest, while we rest as the pilot has so kindly suggested, we find it."

With that, Jasyn unstrapped from his seat, and got to his feet, heading then towards the back of the ship to investigate...

...and to find liquor, of course.

[ 09-04-2005 08:17 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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“I wouldn’t say they exactly rule the galaxy, but they sure try to. They have the weaponry to back themselves, and they keep bringing more and more systems under their influence. It looks like they have a strong interest here, since it wasn’t that long ago that this system was dead. Then boom, here are the Sith.”

Panthar sat back once more.

“I wonder how Phal is doing.”

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

...it's not going to happen, not on my watch. The Boss can keep him moderated better than I can...

...but he'll stop with a little reminder of what lays ahead. And I do mean a little reminder. Remind him too much and he just might drink more. And regarding the Imperials...

...while they like their rule and their control, I haven't seen much attack and use of big weapons with big bang lately, not since the newer Empire--that's the Imperials goverment--" he explained, "came to be."

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

...but was that just a bit too easy?"

He quieted a moment, cocking a brow, his look then shifting as he then reached out and rested a hand on Galen's arm. "It seems we have some time to get some rest and make some plans of our own..."

He trailed, looking down at the Sith burial robe he was still wearing, "And just maybe I can find something else to wear, although gods know on this thing it's probably going to be another kriffing Sith robe..."

[ 09-04-2005 08:46 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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His revival from DEATH. *shudder*

--he hadn't had the time to change into something more... fitting.

Which reminded me...

"Hey, take a look behind that door over there," I said, nodding toward a storage area tucked into a convenient nook.

"I think that's where they keep their flightsuits; these things are great, they adjust to your form and all, but I doubt you'll find another invisibility device. I got mine... somewhere else."

For a moment my eyes darkened as memories of Gravin Dark came washing down over me. I shook myself then, and was going to say something else when--

"What the--?"

A little weirdly greeny-golden sigil was announcing an incoming communication.

Shayla? Now why would she break com-slience, after I had gone through all the trouble to sneak us away through the blockade through that oh-so-conveniently placed gap...

I frowned. Time to think of that later.

I flipped the sigil... and about fell out of my seat.

"Uhh-- Terrin? Take a listen..."

"Your Lordship is invited to dine--" the message announced, filling our little ship with the rich timbre of a voice I knew could only be Sith.

And one I didn't know.

I stared at the boards, stared at Terrin.

"Ahh," I garbled, momentarily stymied.

"It's coming from ahead...

"From Khar Delban space."

[ 09-04-2005 09:40 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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...and frowned, bringing a hand to his chin, rubbing it in thought. "Your Lordship?" he queried, a brow now shooting up. "Sounds like someone who is not familar with the way things are and is back in time say oh...

...4,000 years. But why would the Sith send someone who was uninformed to invite someone...

...and I can only presume someone from the Imperial blockade back there...

...to dinner? And besides that, why would the Sith want to invite Imps to dinner? Almost sounds as if..."

He trailed, now getting up and beginning to rummage through the storage area Galen had indicated and finding the flightsuit she had believed might be in there.

Thank the gods, not another robe... he couldn't help but think.

"...sounds as if whoever is in charge down there might not be the person that we think, unless this is some sort of very peculiar trap."

[ 09-04-2005 09:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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...then closed it as something began beeping for her attention. She turned to the navboard once more, her brow shooting up in surprise to see it was the comm station.

"Oh hell," she couldn't help but mutter, reaching out hesitantly to hit the accept button. Which, in turn, allowed the Sith's message to travel to their ears.

Shayla's look only turned even more surprised as she turned back to the others. "Now what is this about?" she finally managed. "That ship had to have come from Khar Delba...

...and that Sith sounds like he has no idea who he is inviting to dinner. Why would Lord Aelvedaar have some of his underlings do such a thing..."

Shayla quieted, her look darkening, and finished with, "Unless Lord Aelvedaar isn't the one who did it at all..."

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

“If not him, though, then who? The Master? Do you see anything from Jharmeen that might help? How is she doing?”

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

I nodded my head in two hundred percent agreement with Terrin.

"From what I remember of Aelvedaar... well, this is certainly not his normal modus operandi. He was more... I dunno--"

I trailed, frowning a bit as I tried to recall every little nuance that I could of the Dark Lord of the Sorcerers. And try as I might, all I could bring to mind was that day, that hideous day before the Sith had come back, when he had told us all to leave and had closed himself up in the bowels of his personal space.

The day when he appeared almost suicidally morose, grief-stricken, as if he had given up...

The day he abandoned us and the ghost-ridden city of Phrinnchatka to those demons from hell.

"This invitation sounds more formal, and being aimed at the Impys the way it is, almost to the point of being self-assuredly snobbish. I--"

Gads but I hated to admit it.

"--I don't really recall Aelvedaar ever acting that way.

"Do you?"

[ 09-04-2005 10:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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"My Father would not make such an offer," he said flatly.

"He would call no man Lord, unless the title was his by blood or battle. I do not believe my Uncle Rean--"

He paused a moment, working his mouth as a flash of grief struck him. For while he knew not of the particulars, he did know that the Dark Lord of the Armorers had mysteriously died.

"--would have behaved thus either.

"This sounds more like a mannerism coming from Lord Roan, for he was always a touch supercilious, I thought. But--"

He paused, his eyes widening.

"Hasn't he passed on to the Other Realms?"

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

"No, I don't," he answered Galen quite frankly. "Of course, it could have been a front...

...and an awfully convincing one if that's what it was."

He trailed, then continued with, "But if this didn't go through Lord Aelvedaar, then who? Who else would be inviting the Imperials to dine on Khar Delba...

...and would have the nerve to act like he or she was in charge. After all, the only other with any such rights to do so on Khar Delba would be Aeylmaar, and he's with us."

Finishing getting dressed, Terrin looked at his new attire, trying to forget the strangeness which they suddenly seemed to be facing.

What if what Graysith and the others had said back on K'eel Doba, about there being an Aelvedaar imposter, had been right all along?

Looking up then, he related these same thoughts to Galen, and waited to see just what she might make of it.

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

He was right, of course he was right. There was no way in Hell's Seven Circles that the Aelvedaar I knew would be sending out an invite, and to the Impys no less, and calling their commander a "Lord" to boot.

Lord. Sorben. Tarnus.

The image that brought to mind nearly sent a peal of hysterical laughter from me. With some effort, I cut it off and looked to Terrin.

"You're right, sweets. No way would that be from Aelvedaar, and his own son is with us.

"Methinks that not all is what it ought to be on the sorcerer's world..."

A brief pause for further thought.

"So-oo-ooo... what are we going to do? Still stick to Plan A, and try to not only approach Lord Aelvedaar--"

Assuming, of course, that he is there. Fates, but for all I knew he could yet be sequestered away in that hidey hole of his, lost in despair....

"--but be prepared in case my sister--" Another frown. "--needs emergency backup, or...

"Come up with Plan B? I wonder if the others got this communication, and what's going through their minds...."

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

...I doubt it would be him."

Quieting a moment at that, Shayla simply let her mind wonder, trying to come up with the person who might be so bold. They were all supposing that perhaps the Lord Aelvedaar they would approach was a doppleganger of sorts...

...but then, what if it was someone else? "In fact," she then continued out loud, "I'd almost think that dealings with the Empire would be something Lord Roan would see as being...

...beneath him. And what good would it serve anyway?"

Again she fell silent, still trying to figure this puzzle out. Finally, a possibility presented itself. "What about Rykounagin? The one that we think might have stolen the Finger of R'lous and taken it to Lord Aelvedaar? Could he be the one doing this, since Ragorian said he'd allied himself with Aelvedaar?"

Her look darkening, Shayla continued with, "What if Rykounagin allied himself with someone he thought was Lord Aelvedaar, was charged to get the Finger...

...and since he succeeded has somehow been given control over Khar Delba? I know it's a strange proposition...

...but it's no stranger than what we've just heard. In fact, it might explain it."

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

A moment of brief humor flitted through his eyes, and then Terrin turned serious again. "As for Plan B...

...one of those could be good, with something very odd going on. After all, we're dealing with a possible Aelvedaar impersonator now...

...who either has no idea how to go about acting like him or has a second on Khar Delba who doesn't know the risk he's taking either. I would assume this impersonator can use the All...

...but perhaps not, if it's merely a second of sorts. We need to find out if Lord Aelvedaar is on Khar Delba...

...and if not, we need to start considering just where he might have gone. And, although I can't fathom it, perhaps we need to also consider just who might be coming against him, and what they might do with him as well. After all, we already know that Lord Aelvedaar and the Master perhaps were at odds, and none of us seems to know exactly why."

[ 09-04-2005 11:46 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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The young Sith trailed into silence, his eyes suddenly becoming moist. He cast a glance down at his wrist, then heaved a sigh of relief. His own Tattoo of Entitlement was still emblazoned there, and still blessedly, blessedly black.

He brought his head up with a jerk.

"If these speculations are true, and an someone has gone through all the difficulty of impersonating my Father simply to gain the Finger of R'lous...

"Then we are in very grave danger indeed."

A heartbeat.

"And Lady Graysith most of all."

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

We tried to look curiously about at them all.

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

"Those troops out there have to know we're here; we were let through all too easily," I agreed with Terrin's statement in an apparent non sequiteur.

"I say it's time to open a signal and talk with the rest of the guys about all this, before we get any closer to Khar Delba."

With no more ado I did just that, letting out a sigh of relief as Shayla's calm voice came waffling into the air of our tiny but fearsome fighter.

Then another thought struck me and, leaving the communications open, I turned to Terrin.

"If all this is true, we are going to need... well, something. Some real power maybe.

"What about--"

I gulped, cringing inwardly.

"What about going to Sorben with all this?"

[ 09-05-2005 12:06 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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...we're talking about someone powerful enough to find the link Jharmeen and I share, which will destroy our way of finding her. Still..."

Shayla trailed, hope gripping her, "Ragorian is with her; he is a sorceror and may be able to help protect her from any deception. In the meantime, however...

...I suggest we do not wait to head into the city when we arrive and hide our ships away. You are the Heir to Lord Aelvedaar, Aeylmaar...

...you should be able to get us within the walls of the Temple. Whether you must take us in as allies or as supposed captives I don't know...

...but we simply have to get in, and be ready and on guard, for Jharmeen."

Even as she spoke the words the comm unit beeped again, and Shayla turned to the navboard, hesitating, but then answering it. And then proceeded to hear the conversation on the other end.

Shayla started in surprise. "Galen? If all of what is true? Go to Tarnus about what? Did you hear the strange comm message concerning the dinner invitation as well?"

[ 09-05-2005 12:14 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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...how's he going to respond to finding out you're alive after he... killed you?"

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

I'd deal with that little item when the time came, if necessary. But sure as there's Treasure on Roon, every little hunch and insight I owned was sitting up hollering full bore for attention, to the effect that there are just some things bigger than we are...

And one's personal well-being be damned.

"Yes," I replied as I turned back to the comm, knowing Terrin was with me on this one.

"We heard it, and we've figured out that maybe what Aeylmaar was saying is right: that Lord Aelvedaar isn't Lord Aelvedaar, and that someone else had taken control of Khar Delba."

I paused a moment, shooting Terrin a meaningful look before I went on any further.

"Terrin has recalled that Aelvedaar and the Master seemed to be at odds--"

That brought another cringe from me; I squelched it and hurried on.

"-- and thinks we need to find out what the heck has happened to him. Me, I think we're gonna need a bigger ship, this little fighter be damned.

"Your thoughts?"

With that I released the sigil, so that we might receive a reply from our comrades.

[ 09-05-2005 12:37 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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...but I agree at the same time a bigger ship might be advisable, at least until we can figure out just where the Dark Lord of the Sorcerors is. I hate to say this...

...but perhaps the team should split up, some of us staying here to watch Jharmeen's back while the others of us take off to look for Aelvedaar, who is most likely not here? And, after all--

--one of us here does have a big ship with lots of firepower and good scanners at his disposal."

[ 09-05-2005 12:46 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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"As interesting as theories and ideas are, we will not know until we get there, and until we get there, there is little to be done but wait, and consider. If all we ever did was make hypothesies without ever testing them, then there would be little we would have. So perhaps it is best that we merely find one course of action, and follow it without throwing out idea after idea without pursuing it?"

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