This one speaks of Force sensitives, he pondered to himself. That is something similar to what Father was trying to explain to me on That Day when--

He let his thoughts truncate at that point, side-tracked.

They are not aware of All That Is. They do not understand how to truly See. Thus they exist in the roundhouse of What Is Good, and What Is Evil.... A slight frown now creased his features as he too struggled to understand that which his adoptive Father was yet in the process of teaching him. Unbeknownst to him he had much to learn, far to go, as once did a certain flame-haired human female.

But he knew enough, and despite the loss of his powers he yet had the innate sense to realize that what happened from this point onward could very well prove crucial to their survival. All this flashed through his thoughts at lightspeed; after a moment or two had passed he lifted his face, taking a step backwards as he did so as to be able to fully focus on both Shawn and Jasyn together. The fact that inwardly he knew he was making a high-level governmental decision on his own fought battle with worry for the missing Dark Lord, in turn united with his concern for what might be happening on their sister world of K'eel Doba. Not to mention the little fact that deep down he was wondering like hell whether or not he should take on the responsibility being flung at him now.

"I agree," he said simply, nodding toward the humans. "Now is the time to put our reliance on the supranatural aside, and work with those devices yet available to us. But I believe eventually all will be resolved--"

At least he hoped it would...!

"--and with that resolution will come the eventual realization that our people are here amongst you again. As much as we would like --" Here he stumbled a bit, his brain obstinately flashing back to What Had Been, that deeply seated expectancy he had held throughout his life that the Sith were the Masters and Caretakers of the Galaxy. Something now, however, was struggling to inform him that this may no longer be true, that paradigms must be changed, expanded.

Indeed, he yet had much to learn, far to go.

"As much as we would like," he went on, "once our presence is known our People will more than likely no longer be viewed as they once were." He shot a piercing look into Shawn's eyes, then Jasyn's, not knowing if they even understood the true meaning behind that otherwise cryptic statement. Not giving them time to dwell on it, he went on.

"It would indeed be beneficial to all if we were introduced as who we are, not who were are perceived to be. Perhaps these, these Jedi of which you speak can be our ambassadors to the Galaxy, and you Shawn can be our ambassador to them. It is a small step, but one I feel my Father would have taken, for indeed years have passed and times have changed."

Again he didn't bother to elaborate. He just let the frown of confusion his words evoked from Jasyn remain on the man's face, but took heart to see a light of understanding shining deep in Shawn's eyes.

"Although it would mean diminishing our group, perhaps now would be the time for you, Shawn, to go to your clan, and speak to them of what I have spoken of here. I do not wish that they receive knowledge of only one side of the coin, should Erik decide to try to turn them against us. He cannot understand all that is truly happening with us now, and may somehow believe that we ourselves might be the ones responsible for the loss of the Force-powers your people carry."

Now he focused primarily on Jasyn.

"Please, my friend, do what you wish, cannibalize all that you need. But we need ears and eyes to protect our world; perhaps placing something in orbit might help as well, although that would be easily seen by anyone approaching Khar Delba.

"Shawn."

He turned back to the human who was standing in such deceptive calm before him, even though he knew the man's thoughts must be whirling about his head as much as his own were.

"Perhaps you would take a ship, the best one here, and go to the place of your Jedi. Find them, teach them, open their eyes to us. Be our ambassador.

"I would attend you but I feel I should remain here should my Father return."

Please Father, come home. We need you; I need you. I need to know if I have made the correct decision.

[ 11-16-2009 10:43 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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

Sahwn trailed again. "As with anything this new and profound, sometimes the concrete is the best way to convince even the deepest mind...

...and I would not dare lead them here to convince them unless I am certain they truly understand."

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

For of all the worlds for such a query to be put, it was this one: the Sith World of the Sorcerer Clan. By very definition the peoples' lives here were guided by their magicks. It was more than a just a tool to use; it defined them as a subgroup of an ancient and powerful race. The Weapon-makers likewise heavily utilized Sith magick, incorporating it as they did in each and every one of their creations. Even the swords and spears they made for the Warriors were imbued with a drop of magick, to help assure they remained in the hands of their owners, or instantly returned to them on their own should they inadvertently be dropped. And as for the Warrior world of K'eel Doba...

"No, that would never do."

Aeylmaar didn't notice that he whispered the words aloud. But the small sound of them brought his thoughts back to the others; raising his head, he pursed his lips.

Then he sighed.

"To be honest, I do not know what I can send that would be of assistance. I cannot think of anything that would be... central enough, grand enough, or..."

He paused, floundering for the correct words to use.

"Representative enough in and of itself to convince your clan."

Wondering if he should indeed take the next logical step, he allowed his gaze to sweep out over the array of little ships tucked into the hidden hangar. Then his eyes widened as a thought struck him.

"Do these vessels have any recording devices on them?" he asked, turning back to Shawn. "Perhaps you could fly about this world and record what you see: our villages, our people going about their daily routines as much as they can at this time, and our Temple.

"Would that be enough to convince your Jedi brethren?"

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

What better way for others to see the race here living their daily lives? What better way to explain that the Sith were far more than the Dark Jedi many thought they were?

"Yes, that can be done, and quite easily," Shawn responded. "And the realtime examples of how your people live their daily lives should go a long way towards showing the Jedi who the Sith are."

Shawn paused, pursing his lips slightly. "I should be on my way. With Erik out there doing the Force knows what, and with far more dark and elusive things occurring, I hope we can all get past our differences and unite."

Having said that, he turned to Jasyn. "I trust you can provide me with at least one comm frequency that you will be using here, so that I can touch base here and report occassionally on my progress?" he asked.

Jasyn nodded. "I can program in a few frequencies into the comm unit of whichever ship you leave in," the other responded simply.

Satisfied with that, he turned to Aeylmaar one final time and nodded respectfully to him. "I will be in touch with you then, via commlink if not in person. May the Force --and All Else That is--" he added, "be with us."

With nothing further then, Shawn turned and headed into the docking bay beyond, Jasyn following to assist him in programming some of the requested comm frequencies as he had promised into the ship Shawn chose to take. In little time, Shawn found himself within a small TIE fighter, its systems old yet quite well maintained, flying around K'har Delba taking some images of the Sith going about their daily lives as they had proposed. At length satisfied with the images he had taken, and hoping that he had not alarmed any of the Sith below too much, Shawn turned to the task of heading to space beyond. Although he wasn't much of a pilot, he managed to do so with a modicum of skill, surprised once more that the little fighter's systems were so well maintained. In only a few more standard minutes. he had broken the gravity well of the planet and went to hyperspace beyond...

(((OCC: Look for Shawn to revert to realspace in Round and Round She Goes in the CSWU, thank you.)))

[ 12-29-2009 11:14 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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

Heh. This means you're the only human left here. That is, unless Matt finally returns.

Jasyn frowned at this thought. Dammit Matt, where are you?

Shaking his head as if to clear both concerns for his friend and his negative thoughts regarding being the only human on Khar Delba away, Jasyn returned to where he'd left Aeylmaar standing near a pile of comm units.

"All I need to do with these is place them where you think they will serve you best," he said to Aeylmaar, indicating the pile of units. "I can also teach whomever you would like to use them as well. That should not take long."

He paused then, chewing his lip in thought and ignoring the sudden hankering he had for some Sith brandy in the face of being here sans any other humans and with not much else to do. Fortunately, another idea came to mind about that time to prevent said desire from growing too far out of porportion.

"Hey, didn't someone suggest having some of your people fly around and monitor any space traffic, at least until we can come up with something better to warn us of any incoming threats?" He chewed the corner of his lip a moment. "I'm certain some of your people can be taught to fly what's here and operate any sensors and recording devices to do this in a short amount of time," Jasyn proposed.

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

I didn't know one could actually fly a ship without magick! came a sudden thought, ridiculous if only for the fact that Shawn had just indeed done so. But thus deeply are traditions and mores sunk into one's being; he knew his people had the intelligence to learn, but had to hope they would allow themselves to do so.

"Let me call--" he began, then cut himself off, embarrassed. Reliance on magick did indeed run deep; he couldn't call anthing or anyone. Giving Jasyn a rueful grin, he modified his erstwhile hasty rejoinder.

"That is, let me go back to the Temple. I can fetch several of my acolytes; how many do you think is necessary to keep a thorough watch over Khar Delba?"

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

Pausing then, he considered the best way to protect them from any unwanted attacks further. "You know, the TIEs are a good start for giving you some patrol and protection, but they are quite dated and getting any parts for them may prove difficult although I'm certain Eagle Enterprise could do that. Maybe at some point you should consider getting something a little more updated, at least while powers are all screwed up and your own, more than capable ships, are unusable due to their reliance on magick?"

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

But then what did he know of ships? He knew that before they had returned, a Darth who had been inhabiting the then partially ruined Temple had stocked this hidden hangar with ships. Unless he had lived here many, many years in the past, it seemed to the young Heir Apparent that the ships should work just fine. It would not make any sense for someone to stockade non-working merchandise.

He said as much to Jasyn.

"But then, I do not know much of these things," he finished with. "I can easily get twelve acolytes to learn how to fly these ships; in fact, you may count on one more, for I myself wish to learn this skill. But if you think the ships are not worthy of use, perhaps then we should abandon this idea altogether?"

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

...so pay me no mind."

He paused then, a bit amused with himself for still having some of that old EE desire to sell bigger, better, and faster after being behind the scenes for so long.

"As for teaching you and your guys how to fly and operate the systems on the TIEs...

...whenever you are ready," he finished with, glad to finally feel like he was doing something of use.

[ 12-29-2009 07:59 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

"Good!" he exclaimed somewhat enthusiastically before catching his gaffe and forcing himself to display a demeanor more worthy of his office.

I must remember that in Father's absence, I rule the Sorcerer clan...

The thought sent shivers up and down his spine, shivers he couldn't quite suppress. It weighed heavily upon him that their magicks were gone, that his people were in disarray because of it...

But most of all because his beloved adopted Father was missing.

He sighed, suddenly deflated, then raised his head to look at Jasyn.

"I am sorry," he said, not wishing at the moment to go into anything further than that. Then he forced himself to brighten a bit, finally settling upon an emotion something of a cross between youthful enthusiasm and royal hauteur.

"Perhaps we should return now to the Temple? You can eat or drink, or otherwise entertain yourself while I arrange for some suitable students for our-- that is, for your venture. I believe it best we begin this tomorrow morning; in the meanwhile, the night is yet young."

He moved back half a step, and extending an arm waved a hand behind himself in indication that they now leave the hangar. It never even crossed his mind to inquire whether Jasyn was finished with what it was he had been doing with the former occupant's array of ships.

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

"Yeah, all this work has stirred up my appetite," he began as he and Aeylmaar began walking back towards the Dining Hall, trying to push back the mental image of what he was really wanting. He was successful for about ten standard seconds.

"I don't suppose there will be any Sith Brandy on the menu?" he asked, the eagerness radiating in his voice despite any effort to keep it back. "Someday you guys should really market the stuff, best thing I think I've ever drank."

And pal, you've had your fill of quite a spread of drinks, a shoulder devil snickered.

[ 03-13-2010 09:29 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

That which some have come to think of as Which Was reared its wonderful one-ness back into the omnipotent non-ness of what it was/wasn't; cradled its quite unique non-ness into the accepting arms of the all-encompassing one-ness and let go a little, virtual smile. It took a look about its non-self, taking in the grandeur of ALL there was, the ALL of which some little portions of it were now being allowed to awaken to the fact that their gradually progressing perceptions of it were on the right track.

There was a time Man thought HE was the center of it all. In response to that silliness time was given; Man then thought his little celestial body was. Then his little stellar; oh, such wonderful beings those stellars. Perhaps one day their language would finally be deciphered by the other pieces at play.

He/she/it shook a figurative head, smiled more smugly at the Progression Of Things, which albeit slow was at least on an accurate track.

One day those little motes awoke to the fact that there was more, oh indeed quite more; their tunneled little view expanded its paradigms and took a leap of faith.

Stellars existed, vast quantities of them in wonderful pin-wheeling units. At first only each individual one was recognized by the motes inhabiting it, but slowly, bit by bit, in a manner yet evolving, each little bit grew cognizant of the fact that there were more, there were hundreds, millions, billions of those units, each in turn encompassing billions of stellar brothers.

That the stellars were the true Life of the Universe was not yet understood by the little motes dwelling in the All-ness; it was enough that they now looked out toward a universe with tiny eyes that were gradually opening in recognition of the fact that perhaps the better term was in fact Universes...

"Hey, unfair move! That's partiality!" The cry from him/her/itself came from behind him/her/itself.

That-Which-Was took up some stuff of what is, coalesed it into the brilliant ultraviolet-and-chrome Eyes of which he/she/it had become quite fond, and cast them behind his/her/itself.

A figurative sigh was heaved.

"We hoped we wouldn't have noticed..." it non-said, then muttered in further rejoinder, "But a fair move had been made."

Nothing back but a snort; he/she/it sighed, and then waved a figurative hand.

The fabric of Stuff which wove together existence of both forms, be it living or non, rippled, gathered into an immensely tiny little bunch, and exploded outward in the virtual equivalent of a Big Bang.

Here and there certain motes began waking up, some in surprise, some with regret, but one by one those certain few began to wake up as if from a deep slumber.

The Other still wasn't satisfied. "We're not just giving it away!" it protested, the non-words loud and born in total effrontery.

That-Which-Was merely snorted.

"Of course not. Balance must be maintained; it must always be maintained. We know that, and some of us still know it at different degrees, at different levels than others.

"We'll see now..."

The Other muttered beneath its non-breath. "We still think you're making up the Rules as you go along! But we'll wait.

"Now let us think..."

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

He paused in mid-step, his mouth hanging open in preparation of replying to Jasyn, as in immediate response to the flood of warmth he just pushed everything else off the table so he could reach out in a welcoming embrace. Unbeknownst to him, he had let his head hang backwards, his face uplifted, his arms rising as they reached out to the All, letting it back into his essence.

"It is back," he breathed in a little whisper.

Then the moment was gone, the overwhelming feeling of rapture and gratitude and acceptance put out in an instant as normalcy rushed in to take its place. He whirled to stare at Jasyn, a great smile now threatening to split his features.

"It is back!!"

He waved a hand through the air in a particular manner, grasping hold of the various and sundry molecules from which it was made, wrenching out a small proportion of them and reassembling them as a child would a jig-saw puzzle. From seeming nowhere, an apple dropped and thudded at Jasyn's feet.

"The magick has returned,; I can speak to All There Is again!" he cried joyously as with another frivolous expenditure of energy and ability he created another fruit. This time it was a t'plyyk fruit that fell to the ground. A smile still plastered on his face, he picked it up and started to take a bite out of it when again he paused. Cocking his head to one side, he cast a peculiar look at Jasyn.

"I don't know how quickly my people will recognize the return of magick, if they are not actively looking for it," he finally said. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to continue on with our original plan? This way some might learn a new skill, and learn a bit of independence should such an event ever occur again."

Nodding in a satisfied manner he turned an continued on his way to the Temple.

"Yes," he said suddenly, in apparent non sequiteur as he walked along. "We have plenty of Sith brandy, and you are most welcome to whatever you would like."

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

...or two or three. He wondered just what had prompted the sudden return of powers.

Jasyn frowned to himself. Or if again they were somehow being tested as he and Matt had been in the cave when they were looking for Shawn.

Damn, where the kriffing hell was Matt? And Panthar?

"Forgive me for being a suspicious soul, but I wonder what prompted the return of powers?" Jasyn asked, hoping he wasn't overstepping.

Jasyn frowned, remembering. "I was there when they were all taken, and it sounded like the Eyes wanted us all to do something before powers were returned."

Like not take Them for granted anymore, maybe. So who did what, or was that it at all?

[ 06-28-2010 01:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

"The-- Eyes?" he asked, turning to face Jasyn in genuine curiosity. "You mean That Which Is, or the thing Panthar refers to as 'Ol' Googly?' Do you think that it was That which caused the loss of our powers?"

Without waiting for a reply he turned and continued walking, his mind full of fear-tinged worry.

What was this Thing, that it had such awesome omnipotence to rip from reality not merely magicks and what the Jedi called The Force, but even the overwhelming splendor of The All? Why would it toy with them so?

This last thought brought along with it a subsequent one which pondered another imponderable: who, or what, were they all to It?

That sent worry to the four corners of the Universe, leaving nothing but rising fear in its wake.

Father; I need Father; he will know what to do, he will know of these things. With The All returned, I should be able to find him now.

"Come," he said, his step hastening. "I will take care of your needs; in the meantime, I believe I need to go fetch the true keeper of this Temple, and this world."

[ 06-28-2010 03:13 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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

"Wait, wait!" he called after Aeylmaar. "Maybe that's not such a good idea."

He cringed at the sound of what he had just said, so he added an explanation. "Matt and I were looking for Shawn Petrolu when all this came down and Ol' Googly took the powers away. We were being tested or someething...we were struggling to find Shawn and suddenly this nightbat appeared and lead us to him. The next thing we knew the nightbat morphed into the Eyes and It started spouting off words about the easiest path always being taken for the sake of one."

Jasyn frowned. "Whatever That Which Is is the Thing doesn't seem to think we are using the Supernatural appropriately."

He sighed. "We really need to find Lord Aelvedaar and everybody else. I'm just not sure using the All and anything seriously supernatural is the way to do it."

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

It seemed to be a solid, logical one at that.

He sighed, and continued walking. "Then-- I do not know what to do other than... wait."

His worry-filled amber eyes lit with a tinge of excitement as an idea struck him.

"I cannot believe that That... whatever-It-is, is truly unhappy with the way powers have been used. If so, why risk further misuse? Why return them at all? In fact, why were we even given these abilities to begin with? Or why have any of these supernatural powers been given out to so many different races throughout the galaxy? Why do the Jedi have their Force? Why do we have our Sith magick?"

Why can Father touch the All... and teach it to me? And to her as well...?

He shook his head.

"Perhaps you are only partially correct. Maybe I need to do this the way our people have dealt with such for millennia."

He stopped walking altogether and, turning to face Jasyn, paused a moment further for thought.

"I believe we need to take a ship, and go to K'eel Doba, to consult the Great Library which is there," he finally said. "Or perhaps the Crystal Octahedron in Father's Sanctum Sanctorum can provide an answer, if I can still utilize it correctly.

"But you may be right, Jasyn. Maybe just finding Father with a wave of one hand is too much of a shortcut. Maybe we need to find him using the strengths we Sith have always possessed, and have used for countless ages to help not only your kind, but others in our great Galactic community."

[ 07-12-2010 09:47 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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

Even so far as bringing people back from the dead.

Jasyn frowned to himself at this final thought, then turned his attentions back to Aeylmaar. "Yeah, what you're saying makes sense," he then said aloud. "I'm sure the Octahedron can tell you quite a lot, and it's here and accessible," he then observed.

"But speaking of K'eel Doba...Panthar and Matt have been gone too long, and that was where they were last headed. Maybe while looking for Lord Aelvedaar we can find out what happened to them as well."

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

"How long have they been gone?" he questioned outright. "I-- I do not remember."

The skin of his face reddened to a deeper hue as his own words exacerbated the embarrassment he felt at how he had treated his guests.

Great S'slan, how long was I unaware of my surroundings? How long had the two who were under my care been out of contact, and I not even knowing?

Father would be so very disappointed in me.

He lowered his face until the flames in his cheeks cooled; then he raised it to pin Jasyn's eyes with his own.

"We will attempt using the Crystal Octahedron," he said, nodding his head in a manner that brooked no dissuasion. "In using it, we will not be able to hear any words being spoken, but if we ask the right questions we might yet obtain the answers we seek.

"Come, follow me. We shall hasten there directly."

With that he turned and resumed his hike back to the Great Temple, his pace quickening with every step he took until the human male was forced to run at fairly full speed just to keep up with him.

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

"Matt and Panthar have really only been gone a few days," he then stated. "But I can't get in contact with him via his commlink at all."

Jasyn paused, shaking his head. "Something is definitely wrong with that."

Quieting for a few moments, something occurred to Jasyn. He figured he didn't know much about what he was thinking, but decided to say it anyway.

"Hey, Jedi all have this connection with one another via the Force. If all the powers are back, don't you and Lord Aelvedaar have something similiar...

...like you can sense each other or something?"

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

"I mean," he hastened to amend. "Yes, Through the wonders of the All we are linked, mind to mind, blood to blood. But as we have just discussed, would not this be similar to using the All to simply, poof! go directly to him? Would that not risk bringing down the displeasure of That which took it away from us?"

He cast a meaningful look upon Jasyn.

"No," he then finally asserted before turning away from the human male and continuing into the Dark Lord Aelvedaar's Sanctum Sanctorum. Through a series of concentric chambers they progressed, chambers filled with mystical hangings and even more mystical devices. The use of most were as yet completely unknown to Aeylmaar; the Dark Jedi had come to their world while he was yet but a young apprentice.

As still I am! he told himself fiercely, reminding himself to remain humble, mindful, nevermind the apparent weaknesses that Jasyn displayed simply for the fact that he was human.

There is always the unknown to everyone, to everyone there is always something new. That does not make them weak; I am not weak, either!

Not deigning to speak his thoughts aloud, he merely kept on, winding partway along a curving corridor only to come upon a doorway into yet another chamber, stepping lightly but quickly through that to pass through yet another door, into yet another curving corridor, onward and onward, bypassing one door only to enter through yet another, inward and inward...

As well as downward and downward. For although it was but in a slight manner, the stone floor did slope. And so the Sith lordling led Jasyn not only into his adoptive father's Sanctum Sanctorum, but through it downward as well. The closer they came to the center, the deeper into the bowels of the Great Temple did they travel.

Until at length they came to the final chamber. It was occupied by two great instruments: one tall and utterly dark, with crystalline walls, inside which tiny little specks of some small substances floated, indicating that it was fluidic in nature. The other...

"The Crystal Octahedron," Aeylmaar said, his voice hushed without his even being aware of it, one hand indicating its greeny-gold roiling brilliance with the most respectful of gestures. For a long moment he stood quietly, silently comparing thd oh-so-obvious differences between the two strange and magickal devices: the one tall and dark and void; the other a great, plump octahedron, crystalline of wall, but brilliant with the light of...

Of Life.

"This is the fruit of our magick..." Aeylmaar breathed, then continued toward the shining instrument. Drawing in a deep breath, he then laid a slender, clawed hand against it.

The crystal, surprisingly enough, was hot to the touch, the strange material within it roiling and coiling upon itself, some of it now seeming to coalesce on the other side of the wall where his hand lay quiet.

Quickly he gestured to Jasyn, motioning him to come closer. When the man complied, Aeylmaar let his free hand dart out, catching the man by the face, his long fingers wrapping themselves about his jaw, his cheeks, his temple. Firmly, yet hopefully not painfully, he let the very tip of the claw of his forefinger poke into the man's flesh, on the cranium just over his left eyebrow.

"Now, think!" he whispered, closed his eyes, and fell utterly and completely still, letting his body become the conduit he knew Jasyn would need to touch upon the impossible wonder of Sith magick.

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

...and by an influx of something he couldn't even begin to describe if he tried. He vaguely heard Aeylmaar's command to think, but for a long moment struggled against what was long a part of him and still a part of him whether or not he would admit it--wariness of the Sith, of their magicks, and of their intentions. But the logical portion of himself took hold in this too, for the Sith had helped in the past as much as they had come against them.

And Aeylmaar, as best as he knew how, was attempting to help here and now.

So Jasyn managed to relax enough to do exactly what Aeylmaar was requesting of him. In his mind's eye, he recalled when Matt and Panthar had departed the Temple of the Sorcerors, and allowed Sith Magick to interpret his memories of both men. Slowly but surely, Something happened and images began to flash on the Octahedron's crystalline surface...

...images of Panthar piloting a ship that Jasyn didn't recognize, and images of Matt, bound by chains and a dank, dark moss-laden cell.

"What the kriffing hell has happened...?" Jasyyn said aloud, unaware that he had as he was so spellbound by the images still playing out on the Octahedron.

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

Suddenly, there came upon its surface and within its roiling depths, a quick-flash of images; images of Matt and Panthar leaving on their little journey to the Sister World, landing, their capture by the Sith soldiers, being brought before the young halfling ShaRhylla beside whom was standing a familiar blonde young lady with even more familiar greeny-blue eyes, Matt's sudden eviction to the dungeons, and then Panthar's departure with the females, human and halfling...

Their arrival upon Endor's moon. Time within their little vessel and their leaving it; the return of Panthar carrying the silent Phalomir, followed by the females now joined themselves by a newcomer, a young man white of hair and red of eye...

Their departure. Off into the unknown; a sudden rift, a change; a new ship, now, if judged by its interior, one strangely familiar; a roil of demonic imps, and then there was Panthar and Phalomir and the halfling, Panthar at the controls, the white haired young man not observed, nor was the blonde human female...

The images came slower and slower as they approached real-time, until they finally stopped with the image of Panthar at the controls of the strangely familiar ship.

"This is bad. This is very, very bad," Jasyn muttered, still shaking his head. With effort, Jasyn stopped shaking his head...

...and managed to look Aeylmaar in his own widened eyes. And about this time a blinding white arrow of wisdom hit Jasyn square between the eyes: Matt's predicament was bad...

...but what of the other things the Octahedron showed? Hadn't they already learned the lesson of what could happen when they placed the needs of one over the potential doom of many others? And something told Jasyn that was exactly what was shown here.

And he said as much to Aeylmaar, much to his dismay.

"I don't know where to go from here," he admitted. "My friend is in trouble...

...but if I interpret the images shown for what they seem to be worth, all of us might be."

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

Inside the Octahedron, the final image faded, supplanted once more by roiling green-golden brilliance. Behind him came some buzzing noises.

Frowning, Aeylmaar shook his horned head, and brought his focus back to reality. The buzzing then segued into a strangely patterned sequence of buzzes. Jasyn was speaking; with some effort, still chilled by the magicks of the conduit, he managed to dissolve the buzzing into words, and gave the words meaning.

"N-no," he finally whispered through suddenly dry lips. He licked them, tried again.

"No, you misunderstand," he said more firmly now.

"This is our magick, it always has been. There is no interpretation; what is shown, simply is."

[ 11-24-2010 08:55 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aeylmaar ]

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