"Logan, first off, by your saying Shayla didn't stop this Sith for doing whatever it is she did to you, you're assuming Shayla had some sort of control over the situation. Sounds like whatever happened required a lot of skill on the part of this Sith, and I doubt Shayla has that sort of control, although I could be mistaken. And it also sounds that this thing happened so fast that no one would have been able to stop it," Erik reasoned.

"Secondly, you and your Masters should know that as soon as we revert to realspace I'm going to Khar Delba myself. I might be going directly there or might be meeting up with Terrin Danner and his crew first. At any rate, I'll be joining them at some point. I need to talk with Jeroc and Cella immediately and see if they want to go along," he explained.

Logan acknowledged this and said that he'd go get the two Jedi right away if Erik would just wait a moment.

As the padawan got ready to leave the comm to go get the others, Erik couldn't help but add, "And Logan, when we get out of this, if we get out of this, you can expect to spend a bunch of weekends working in my crew to pay off the debt for the A-wing. I know you had good intentions in doing what you did, but you still have to face up to the things you did to get there. I'm not mad...I just have my company to think about."

Logan seemed to understand where he was coming from, and Erik was glad of that. He didn't want the kid thinking he was furious, but he really did need to cover the price of that A-wing. Having Logan work for him would not only help do that, it just might also allow the padawan to understand the value of the ship he'd stolen, albeit for a "good cause."

With all this being said, Logan went to retreive his two Teachers...

[ 11-02-2001 10:23 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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Cella interrupted. "Sorry to cut in like this, but incidentally, we wanted to get in touch with you too, Erik. I believe we need to get to Khar Delba as soon as possible, and I've volunteered to take a craft and go to Shayla on my own."

"The other issue is that the only way the Nar Khelba can be used is if it's inserted into a lightsaber. I'll be honest; I'm not certain about killing this Sith outright, especially not with Shayla involved. Apparently the Sith and one of Terrin's crew members have some bad blood between them, and justice would mean fighting the her. To make a long story short, one of us going to have to provide the lightsaber to make the Nar Khelba work."

Erik paused a moment, wondering how the Jedi were assessing all this new information. "Now, I'm willing to offer my saber for use, but I'm not going to fight this Sith myself unless it becomes absolutely necessary. What you choose to do, Cella, is up to you. I would suggest, however, that you come to Khar Delba with me aboard the Lioness. It's a smaller ship, but I don't think landing a yacht like the Pride on surface will help us go down unnoticed. I also feel that we should stay close together and not try to split up. Safety lies in numbers, albeit only two of us.

"Remember, it's still an option for Master Mahoy to come as well, that's up to you and him. But regardless, I'm going. I have to do this, now, for Shayla."

Feeling that he had said everything he needed to, Erik awaited the Jedi's decision.

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What?!? Jeroc's mental anguish was unmistakable. Cella, I can't believe you want to split up again.

Don't be selfish, she snapped. This Nar Khelba is powerful, and I sense that it needs a Jedi's hand. You're far better at that sort of thing than I am, and if you come to Khar Delba with us, your presence can only alienate Shayla.

Jeroc sighed in resignation. You're right, but I still have a bad feeling about us splitting up.

Trust me, Cella thought, begging with bright hazel eyes.

Jeroc closed his eyes and shook his head, then spoke into the communit. "Erik, I'd like to meet with Danner and his crew and assist them with the Nar Khelba--that is, if they desire my aid. If not, I will accompany you and Cella to Khar Delba."

Cella spoke again. "I feel it's wisest for just the two of us to go to Khar Delba. Jeroc is a far more powerful Jedi than I am, and he can build a lightsaber in far less time than I. I also think Shayla will respond more favorably to you and I than she would to Jeroc. Still, it's Danner's call. If he needs Jeroc's help, he's got it."

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I might not like the guy, but what right do I have to tell him what to do? This was his mission before I ever came in and joined, I'll not dare intrude upon it. My only concern is getting to Shayla.

"You will just have to trust him on that, although you are certainly welcome to accompany Cella and I to Khar Delba and talk to Terrin about the Nar Khelba then Master Mahoy. I'll leave it up to you to decide, right now I need to get my fleet ready for reversion to realspace, which should happen in a little over..." he paused to make the calculations in his head "...Five hours. Whomever is coming, be ready then. I'll pilot the Lioness over to the Pride, pick up either one or both of you, and we'll go from there. Khar Delba should be about four hours away from K'eel Doba in standard drive. Hopefully in the Lioness we'll make a bit better time than that.

"At any rate, I'll be leaving immediately. For now I must attend to my fleet, so if you need me, give me a comm. Kartan out."

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Traveling to Khar Delba in standard drive would not only waste more time than Erik was sure Terrin Danner and his team would like, it just might also tip off any tracking devices on the surface of Khar Delba, alerting whoever to the arrival of not only the Lioness, but possibly to the whereabouts of the Eagle.

BUT...if he did a hit and fade...Erik knew he could not only get to Khar Delba in minutes instead of hours, he might also be able to temporarily confuse any tracking going on within the system...

Hit and fade would be the solution, then. Hit and fades had been used by the Empire during the Thrawn crisis for attacking worlds who dared oppose the Grand Admiral. The Imperial Fleet would travel very near to the system, jump into hyperspace for usually mere seconds, then revert right on top of the target, taking authorities in the system by surprise. Although the hit and fade was a common tactic used, it almost always was effective because the number of possible trajectories for the fleet could never be assessed before it was already in system. Usually, the attack was quick and the fleet just as quickly jumped back out of the system, thus the term "fade."

In Erik's case, he would want to calculate a jump that overshot his intended destination. Then, as he reverted to realspace, he would program the Lioness to jump back into hyperspace for a very small amount of time and calculate his next reversion point in the solar wind of the planet's sun, hopefully further complicating matters of tracking. His calculations would have to be precise in order to avoid any asteroid belts or stars in system, but Erik was used to this type of thing. He'd not done it for some time since he'd been upgraded from merely an employee of Stargazer Corporation to a partner, but he still had it in him. Had it not been for the seriousness of the situation, he might have actually enjoyed returning to his piloting roots.

Glancing at his chrono as he began calculating the hyperspace jumps, Erik estimated he had about four and a half hours to have this all set.

Plenty of time to get the figures and program them into the Lioness, he told himself.

The little move might scare the Sithspit out of the Jedi who would be on board the Lioness, but Erik was certain it was the right move.

Time, after all, was of great importance...

[ 11-05-2001 11:31 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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And to Shayla he would be going, finally.

Erik still didn't know if he'd only be accompanied by Cella or if Jeroc would be coming as well. But that really didn't matter; he was more interested in what he himself could do to find Shayla than what they could do. Granted, he knew he needed them to deal with the Sith, but he wasn't sure of their intentions; their willingness to act. Jedi had a tendency, after all, to overthink things, to the point of missing the time to act while still trying to decide which action would be the best.

I'm going to act alright. I'm going down to the surface of that planet...

...and I'm gonna let Shayla know just how much I love her.

Lost in his thoughts, the comm made him jump when it crackled to life. "Erik, Katrina. The fleet is here and standing by. You are clear to proceed."

"Thanks, Katrina," he said, suddenly becoming very alert.

"No problem, Erik," she replied. "Let me know if you need anything?"

"Sure I will. Let's hope I return with good news."

"We will. Katrina out."

Erik took a deep breath, his hands beginning to dance across the controls of his YT-1300.

This was it. First to pick up the Jedi, then...

...off to seek the woman that he loved...

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Cella was looking up at him with impossibly sweet eyes. "You've decided, then?"

He kissed her, wondering if he would ever be able to do it again. "Logan and Thea need one of us here, and Danner might need my help. I just..." He turned away. "Shayla will think I've abandoned her."

Cella caught his hand. "No, she won't. If I can get it through to her that I still care, trust me, she'll know you will too. And you're right. Logan's still shaken, and Thea? This whole situation is so traumatic for her. She should be back at the Praxeum with the other kids, not here."

She backed towards her cabin, still fixed to Jeroc by her eyes, a smile on her lips. "Look, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll just go pack a survival kit and get ready to meet Erik."

Not knowing what to say, Jeroc sat down to request Danner's comm freq and post off a brief but polite communique offering aid and requesting permission to have the Pride travel with his fleet. Jeroc fully intended to meet up with Cella at Khar Delba later, and traveling with Danner would ensure the safety of himself and the two padawans on board. Jeroc didn't want to interfere with Danner's mission, as it were, but the Nar Khelba was a Force weapon and might need a Jedi's hand.

He reached out in the Force to Cella. Force be with you, love. Take care.

Always, came her resolute mental voice as she stood near the Pride's airlock in the hold, ready to go with Erik. She was ready to try and save her friend...and ready to give her life for what she believed in.

Jeroc swallowed a suspicious lump in his throat as he readied the Pride for docking.

Reaching out once more in the Force, Cella gently caressed Thea's mind. Thea? I'm going with Captain Kartan to see Shayla. You'll be safe here, with Master Mahoy and Logan. I love you. And a briefer salute to Logan. Stay out of trouble and help Jeroc, okay? Love you.

Cella closed her bright eyes. She almost thought she could hear the Lioness coming. Even though that was impossible, she could definitely feel Erik's Force charisma, the determination of a man for the woman he loved. Oddly, she missed Jeroc already.

[ 11-06-2001 06:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rogue Angel ]

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[ 11-06-2001 11:00 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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