"Take a care," she hissed, whispering.

"He would use love, just as you have already pointed out to me.

"Remember?"

Her eyes never left Phalomir, but now her hand squeezed Shayla tightly, as if in warning.

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

"Why do you ask me something you have not attempted to determine for yourself, if you are in fact that concerned about him?"

She quieted a moment at that, snorting a bit in irritation. "And why do you ask me of him when there is so much more at stake here?"

[ 12-22-2006 10:23 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

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

...as will he. In the end, however, these small mundane things matter not."

She quieted. "There is in the end only the Greater Good which must be served. He therefore matters not to me; not any longer. There are far greater things...

... far greater things."

She paused once more, glancing over to ShaRhylla. "I tire of these questions, and as the Second to the Chosen Daughter and as her very own Daughter, neither one of us should have to contend with them any longer than we desire. Let us depart.

Now."

[ 12-22-2006 11:09 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

“Very well,” he said. “It shall be a long road to achieve what it is you seek, a triad not ruled by matters of the heart. It will not be easy, as the heart rules with an iron fist. I wish you luck, my friends.”

His eyes narrowed slighty.

“And I thank you for allowing me use of the Revealer. I need to find a suitable place for the new Temple of the Armorers, for I intend to revive the Clan and bring it back to its place within the triad.”

He bowed his head in honor of the ladies.

“When you see Jharmeen, please tell her I wish to speak with her. Not only of matters of the heart, but matters of the existing Triad as well.”

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

"Your quest is a futile one, Lord," she sneered, taking a step now toward Phalomir.

"For we have no longer any use for so archaic a clan as yours. The powers we hold shall provide us with anything we need; we will soon lift up our people from the need for any mere machines or devices."

She crossed her arms, blinding insight suddenly striking, telling her with solid assurety exactly why the New Triad would be composed of three ladies, and who those ladies were.

She knew. In her heart, she knew.

"Go back to the confusion from which you have sprung, for you are only destined to become an archaic curiosity to our people."

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

Phalomir’s face softened slightly.

“As you speak of matters of the heart, we can no more afford to have a ruling class who is mad with power. We have seen that in the past, and without love – for the race, for the worlds, for the people – then what is left but the desire for power?”

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

"Ask what questions you desire to ask to the Revealer...

...but be wary of holding to old ancient ways. For if it is learning from the past you speak of...

...consider this: history tends to repeat itself. The Triad already failed the Sith once."

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

"Do you wish to assist me in locating a new location for the Temple?"

[ 12-23-2006 12:02 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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

"Nonsense!" she spat, now striding forward to come to a halt directly in front of Phalomir.

"You seek to beguile us with soft words; I believe you not! By your very blood you are in league with this Darkness that seeks to destroy us all."

She paused, rose up on her tiptoes.

"Your words of love reveal only weakness, Lord; a weakness our enemies can only take advantage of. We are strong, strong enough and with power enough to defend the Sith against that which comes."

Settling flat on her feet again, she took a step back, sneered down her nose at him.

"You are not welcome on this world any longer; go back to the darkness and the treachery that speaks with so secretive and confounding a tongue, and tell it that it has failed. We shall not only rule the Sith, but shall guide them into a new future where the stagnant ways of old shall be no longer necessary.

"I know my mother, and I feel I am quite able to speak for her when I say she has no wish to discuss anything with you, or to see you at all. Go back to Kori'sian, and rule that planet of ghosts; but remain away from K'eel Doba!"

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

...and of the boiling anger rising within her that she couldn't fully grasp. At least; not initially. But something in ShaRhylla's last words struck a nerve, suddenly making it all fall into place.

"Your words of love reveal only weakness, Lord; a weakness our enemies can only take advantage of..."

There it was, the source of that something Shayla Stargazer couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Wait," she whispered softly, extending a hand to place it on ShaRhylla's arm, the motion a soft and smooth one...

...which was in total opposition to the look she now bestowed upon Lord Phalomir. "If you love her so, how can you simply dismiss the vision of her falling to her death, with a child that is presumably yours in her arms?"

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

“That vision was a warning to me,” he said. “Showing me the failure of choosing power over love. In this vision I have grown cold, lost on the road to power, of controlling the galaxy. In that vision I have forsaken my love for her and my people, and have been consumed with the need for more power. At the heart of this all was the Finger of R’Lous. But I do not fear this image, for my heart IS guiding my path. My love is strong, and it makes ME stronger. That is something that you once knew, Shayla.”

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

...and yet it still exists despite your choice. Beware the assumptions that you make...

...love can be twisted to become something so strong that it becomes the very evil you wish to avoid. Nothing in life is black and white, my friend."

She paused then, her eyes growing hard and distant. "You are so quick to judge, and so so heedless in your conclusions, my Lord. Think you so little of the one whom you claim to love already, and of me, her Adept and Chosen Sister, as well? Small minds do think in small terms, I suppose."

Once more she paused, nodding towards the Revealer. "Ask your questions, unless you fear you have something to hide from us. After all, there is much more to come that we should concern ourselves with aside from this pointless bickering and squabbling. The Yuuzhan Vong are returning...

...and perhaps sooner than you believe."

[ 12-23-2006 12:29 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

“Visions are just that,” he said. “Shades of what could be, left fully to interpretation, of which no two will be alike. It is pointless to argue about such a thing, especially with such a threat as the Vong approaching us. What you plan on doing, the changes you wish to make, these things cannot be decided unilaterally. Putting my personal wishes to see Jharmeen aside, I wish to meet with her and Lord Aelvedaar in a gathering of the existing Triad to make plans for the future of the Sith. Do you, as her second, believe she would agree to this much?”

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

...one must wonder what decisions you are making on your own as well, considering you have yet to perform the research you stated you came here for."

Quieting at that, she simply regarded him coolly with her greeny-blue eyes.

[ 12-25-2006 07:46 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

“Yes,” he said. “I suppose it does not matter what you think, only the Dark Lady can say for herself. But I was hopeful.”

Phalomir turned towards the Revealer.

“I am need of research,” he began. “The Diamond of the Sith is broken, and the Armorers are without a temple. As Dark Lord of the Armorers, I intend to rebuild the Clan, and must find a suitable location for the temple. With both Korrisian and Korriban in the Elseness, is there another world within the influence of the Sith, one that would be suitable to colonize for the Armorers?”

The Revealer lit up, the dimmed, then lit again.

The influence of the Sith has changed since the rebirth. But there are planets still uninhabited that were once outposts. One such lies near the Diamond of the Sith, small and desert, yet inhabitable by those with determination.

The image within the Revealer darkened and again showed a star map, highlighting a small planet within the orbit of a sun near the red star of the Sith.

Phalomir’s eyes widened.

“Inhabitable?” he asked himself. “It is not far, I should wish to visit this world. But to do so I shall have to run the blockade, or communicate with our Mr. Sorben. Shayla, do you have any idea at all when Jharmeen might return?”

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

Pausing at that, Shayla glanced over to ShaRhylla, then continued. "Likewise I would appreciate that you consider that I am her Second, and I along with her Daughter would greatly appreciate that, while you remain here, you do so as the guest that you are. Were there a Dark Lord here, would you not do as much?"

Pausing at that, Shayla cocked her head slightly, the look in her eyes arrowing deeply into Phalomir's, intense, hard, and very pointed. "Do you wish to remain in the Temple and wait for the Dark Lady of the Warriors to return? She will most certainly be informed of your visit..."

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

He then folded his hands before and lowered his head slightly.

“And I do wish to remain in the Temple to await the Dark Lady. If it pleases you, I would care to continue to use the rooms I have been occupying for the past several weeks. I am sorry if I have taken liberties, I thought my station with the Dark Lady to be higher than it obviously is....”

Phalomir paused, not letting his thoughts go where they wanted to go.

“And I thank you for the hospitality, Shayla.”

Phalomir cocked his head and looked back up.

“I apologize,” he said. “I did not congratulate you upon your appointment as the Dark Lady’s second. This is quite an honor! Is there a more appropriate way I should address you?”

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

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

“Certainly,” he said. “If you don’t mind the company. I think I have obtained the information I need, and will eagerly await the Dark Lady’s return. During my stay, with your permission, I would like to revisit some locations in the city I have missed since my last visits here.”

Phalomir held out his hands.

“Miladies?”

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

And that was something she had never liked, nor would she ever come close to entertaining.

Snorting in disgust, her eyes beginning to smolder even more, she stepped up to Phalomir and thrust her face up into his nose.

"I said you were not welcome on this planet!" she seethed. Pausing for breath she continued, summoning what little she knew from Shayla's earlier words to her and summarily deducing the remainder.

"You have found your pitiful information; go off to your dreary desert and create your Temple to the Ghosts. For we shall no longer be in need of the Armorers; indeed, not even of the Sorcerers! All the Sith need now is the strength of the warriors, who shall now be led not as a silly clan but as an entire people. There shall be no factions any longer, only the Sith!"

Widening her stance now, she pointed to the door.

"The etiquette and soft words you try to speak do not fool me, nor will they sway me. Mother's Second has already suffered enough from you; begone now!"

Snapping her mouth closed, she stamped her foot for emphasis.

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

“With all due respect to your possible future position,” he said, “the current ruling body of the Sith is still the Triumvirate made up of myself, your mother, and Lord Aelvedaar. I will respect the wishes of the Dark Lady, for in the dealings of her Clan her commands carry more weight than either mine or Aelvedaar’s. Shayla, as second, holds the next highest position within this Clan. But when it comes to matters of state for the Sith as a whole, the Triumvirate takes precedance. I understand your wishes, Lady ShaRhylla, but I cannot simply leave because you do not like me. When your mother has explained her plans for a new ruling body, and if we agree, then I will bow to you. But this change you wish will not happen just because you said it is has happened, and until then I ask for the respect due to a Dark Lord of the Sith.”

Phalomir looked back to Shayla.

“I am sorry, I do not wish a confrontation. I only wish to hold court with the Dark Lady and Lord Aelvedaar. If you wish me to leave, Shayla, then I shall do so.”

[ 12-26-2006 04:26 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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

"And I would also ask you to consider this," she continued, pausing a moment to glance at the smouldering ShaRhylla before continuing. "I am Graysith's Second by her own choice, just as Aeylmaar is Lord Aelvedaar's son by choice. ShaRhylla, however, is Graysith's flesh and blood. That in itself carries a great deal of weight, more so that it appears you are willing to give to her."

Pausing once more at that, Shayla was already certain she had had quite enough of this...

...as was she of other things as well. "You know, strange I find it you would place so little weight on the vision shown by this device," here she paused, indicating the Revealer, "Yet you would place so much on words regarding a female triad. As you so eloquently pointed out, just because it is a possible future, that does not make it so."

She paused for emphasis. "Yet."

Another moment of silence slipped past, one edged with ice. "You speak of a meeting of the Triad, including Lord Aelvedaar." She glanced over to ShaRhylla, sending her a meaningful look before returning her gaze to Phalomir. "If your wish is to ask that the Dark Lady meet with you and the Sorceror Lord, I will give her this message; after all, there is no need of you staying to corner her here, that is unless you do not trust her to carry through on your request..."

Shayla paused, reality suddenly slamming into her. "...or unless the Sorceror Lord is already here with you."

[ 12-26-2006 04:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

“Lord Aelvedaar arrived with me,” he said. “But he was called away to aid with an emergency. I expect him to return, assuming it would not take more than half a day. He should be fully capable of dealing with matters alone, but he was to call upon me if my assistance was needed. If you please, I would like to leave messages for both Lord Aelvedaar and Lady Jh- Graysith. I will explore the planet we saw in the Revealer, and hope he and she will contact me when they are ready.”

Phalomir nodded to both women and began walking for the door.

“I have a ship in port,” he added. “If you will allow me some time to gather my items, I shall trouble you no more today.”

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

Trembling with barely contained rage, she clenched her fists even tighter.

"We shall escort you to your ship... Lord!" she spat in a low snarl, cutting her eyes to Shayla's and nodding her head but once. For as much as she was growing to loathe being in any sort of proximity to this towering and what she deemed to be very dangerous Sith, she loathed even more to allow him out of their sight.

At least not while he was their supposed guest in Phrinnchatka.

[ 12-26-2006 10:00 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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