"So is it that we failed, was I to assumptious? But as you have said, he now has time.... time....."

Kesh whispered the final word, then looked to the command. "If I myself cannot heal him, then perhaps we should venture back to that place again, but mayhaps,"

He paused, though to the others it was evident his mind was racing for another answer, another possible explanation.

"We could find the assassin, the killer who poisoned him in the first place. Tell me, did the captain, was the captain ever able to tell you who attacked him?"

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

...but I don't believe we were ever able to assess who she was or where she came from. She had to have worked her way onto the Hornett somehow, possibly as an employee since most of the people on board are just that. And that all depends on if your services are to be continued at the new price I've offered," Taylor commented, glancing a moment at Minna.

Then he turned back to Nefrai, opened his mouth, and started to say something...

...when he froze for the merest of moments as something registered that he'd just said. "Wait a minute...

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

"If it is, it'd be worth a shot to allow you to at least try to heal Aaron," he then continued, looking back to Kesh. "That is, of course, if you would even agree to do so. As it stands, he will otherwise remain in a coma, and anything you could do to even possibly help him would be worth the effort...

He looked at Manth. "I'm quite sure Minna would enjoy a reward if I were to be successful."

He paused, considering the chances of success. "I could make an attempt, though I do not know how far my ability to heal can go. I do not know wether my attempt would do more good than bad, it is the future that is undetermined."

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

Fifteen thou isn't bad, no it's not indeed....

So she didn't say anything to Taylor's offer of an increase in reward, perking up her ears instead when Nefrai said he'd try to heal the poison victim instead.

It's worth a shot, she thought, keeping her most inscrutable of spy-faces etched upon her face, ready to just step back for a moment and let her enigmatic companion take the lead.

I bet he can do it....

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

...for at this rate, Aaron may never return from his coma unless we try something else."

He paused, "The sick bay is a small area, however, so I am going to allow the two of you..." he paused, glaring a bit at the too-quiet Rathal.

And you want to be of HELP? You aren't even contributing anything!

...to continue to dine in a waiting area nearby while Nefrai, Shawn, and myself see what might be done for the Commander. Should this take a long time, you will be notified. But for now, let's all go," he stated as the others stood, taking the lead and motioning everyone out of the dining area and to the sickbay after taking Minna and Rathal to a waiting area. Then he escorted the Jedi and Nefrai to the room where Aaron still remained in a coma.

"His life is a faded thing, something that even I can not hide from in my past." He inwardly sighed, and put a hand over the mans chest, his breathing barely visible from Kesh's view.

"I can only try, but even I don't know the result...."

He felt the mists of his body begin to fall apart around his arm, seeping in through the mans pores, through his nose and mouth.

Slowly, he felt his mind eb away as though a tide was slowly carrying him out to an endless sea, as the mans thoughts became his.

He slowly felt something rush at him, and he suddenly stood on a baren plain, thousands upon thousands of faces he knew he'd slain at some time surrounding him.

They came, to destroy him and this man, and he fought them, tearing them apart as he had before, and killed others. They seemed endless, but he was a hunter, not giving in as he slew them, but slowly tiring as they seemed to fade away, until the last one had fallen.

He felt the plain eb away from him, and he found himself laying upon the floor of the room. "The demons.... that stood on the borders of life and death... are no more.... the gate is sealed, his fate, has been traded for mine..."

He slowly slipped away into a darkness, as other voices, some familiar and others he did not know faded away from his thoughts and mind.

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

...sitting straight up in the process. The room immediately swam into view, the first immediate figures being Taylor Garrison and Shawn Petrolu, the latter rushing to the floor to assist some cloaked figure.

Wait...Shawn Petrolu? When did he get here...? And cloaked figure, in the sickbay? What the heck...?

Taylor laid a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Captain," he said simply.

Aaron nodded slightly. "Yeah," he croaked, "I feel like hell."

Then he paused, frowning. "What happened?"

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

...and I hope we haven't lost him," he said, frowning, extreme concern evident on his face.

His help could be really valuable...

Then, with nothing further Shawn turned to help Kesh, closing his eyes and stretching out with Force-healing energies which he then channeled to him.

[ 01-12-2005 11:04 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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Aaron, sitting back once more, cocked a brow in question.

"I'll explain everything in more detail later, but the long and short of it was that I ended up highering a hunter to find a cure for you, the cure she thought she had found wasn't successful, so her companion, Nefrai Kesh, tried to heal you and succeeded. He has some sort of power, I don't know..."

Taylor trailed, frowning a bit. "You take it easy, and I'll get the meds in here to make sure you're all clear. A poison had been shot into you by that attacker of yours...

...an attacker who I regret to say has not been followed up on. At the time, other things were more important, like your health. Permission for dismissal, Captain?" he queried, giving Aaron full authority.

Aaron nodded, still looking a little dazed.

"I'll be back," Taylor ended with, departing the sickbay then and heading to the point where Minna Manth was waiting, wasting no time in filling her in on all that had happened...

Jamel had waited for while for a response to his message through frequency to the Eagle Enterprise to gain some sort of recognition and response, but there had been none. Even though he had delivered identification he hadn't gotten any certian reply from the company employee.

So, instead of giving up as he usually did in such occasions, the boy worked on resending the message. Going through the numerous recordings he had left on his datapad as he had rested in the cantina until he finally found the one he had tagged with importance. Changing the signal to that of emergency, he sent it again.

Now, finally relaxing, managing to loosen his muscles and untighten his brows, calling for another drink. Even at his age he could order in a cantina...that is if he was to order a Jawa Juice.

[ 02-05-2005 12:25 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jamel Garth ]

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...the employee's brows furrowed in annoyance.

His job was to deal with urgent messages, not to hand out identification transmissions.

Knowing he must somehow respond to the matter, however, the employee made a brief and direct reply.

Please state what business you have with Eagle Enterprises, your message will be properly directed...

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

After ordering some drinks and giving a nice wink at the employee he was back to his work on the message. Placing it on his lap and his feet on the table, he began studying it. The transmission seem to be that of some seriousness or annoyance. So, handling it with care, he replied.

"Jamel Garth, seeking a Jedi by the name of Shawn Petrolu, he has some sort of known friendship with one of the Eagle Enterprise owners. Well...atleast that is what my information leads me to believe."

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

She blinked, once, when he came to a finish. Then--

"Thank you," she said softly, cocking her head just a fraction to one side. She licked her lips.

"I am pleased to hear the patient is doing well; may I now go see how my friend is doing?" she finally whispered, her voice even and soft and low...

...even though her mind was awhirl with the inexplicable terror that her strange and enigmatic companion could possibly be in danger of death.

[ 02-08-2005 04:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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Taylor pursed his lips in concern. "Any change?" he then asked, waiting for Petrolu's answer.

...and beneath his healing energies he began to sense the spirit of Nefrai Kesh growing stronger. Reaching for that spirit, he took hold of it with the Force and gently pulled it to the forefront of Kesh's mind...

...and at length, beneath his healing, Kesh began to stir.

Only then did Shawn open his eyes, if only to briefly report on his patient's status. "He's beginning to return to us," Shawn said simply before returning his full attention to Kesh, who was coming closer and closer to reality with each passing moment...

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

There she hesitated a fraction of a moment before moving to the other side of the gurney upon which the silent, bemasked figure lay. In a silence just as deep, she reached out one hand and placed it upon his chest.

Come back to me, Nefrai, she thought, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

Please come back....

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

Mentally, his eyes seemed to flicker, and he seemed to awaken, though outwardly there was no change. Do I awaken, or take my deserved rest? His subconcious mind wondered.

He stirred slighly, his claws edging his resting place slightly, his head readjusting slightly in comfort. There is no rest for the restless. What and old sentiment.

He inwardly sighed, then openned his "eyes" and saw the figures standing about his resting place, He did not move, but merely observed them for a time, their words ringing and hollow sounding, similar to when one is victim to a loud sound.

Finally their voices and faces came to a final focus. He sat up, almost mechanically, and raised his arms out to the side, then rotated them a full 360 degrees around, and let them stay there.

He then reached up gently, and pushed his head back further than it's physical limit, and felt his own neck snap, only to crack and reshift back into place, before turning his head almost all the way around both ways, he turned back to look at them.

"I see he is well. Then I was successful." He looked at them for a moment, ignoring their incredulous looks at his physical feats, then spoke again. "How long was I disabled?"

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

Up until this point, however, she hadn't really understood just how unusual those abilities really were.

She blinked, then folded her hands together in front of herself.

"I am glad to see you conscious, Nefrai," she said softly, giving her head a brief nod to acknowledge his return to reality. Even if it was to his own form of it.

"I do not know how long you were unconscious, but I am glad to see you... functional again. And--"

She paused a moment, cutting a quick glance to the others ringed about her intimidating companion. Her eyes shone like liquid obsidian.

"And I am also happy to understand that the subject of our efforts is likewise returned to us.

"You were successful, Nefrai, where I-- I seemed to have failed."

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

He chuckled to himself, suprisingly lighthearted for his recovery.

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

She opened her mouth, let it hang uselessly for the space of a few seconds, than closed it without saying so much as boo.

But the hand she had removed from Nefrai's chest suddenly found itself a particularly warm spot there, where it lay like a bird come to roost, pressing gently against the spot where his heart would -- or should -- be.

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

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

He paused a moment at this, letting his words sink in. And then, as Shawn Petrolu stood, the look in his greeny-blue eyes totally unreadable, Taylor continued. "But I'm wondering. There is yet another matter of concern to us at Eagle Enterprises, concerning a couple of missing and highly-valued employees. I would be willing to make arrangements with you both if you would be willing to assist in researching their disappearances and ascertaining their current status--if it would please the Captain, of course."

Here he quieted, turning to regard Aaron Barnes, who was sitting up in his sickbed and looking very interested and very thoughtful...

Aaron nodded back in reply. "Their disappearance is troubling, especially because they are also friends. No word from Galen either?" he then asked, this time looking to Shawn then Taylor. Both shook their heads once again.

Aaron pursed his lips, frowned, and then, with some assistance from the meddroid, slid off the bed and stood. "There is much to do, and much to be concerned with then indeed," he acknowledged, turning to regard both Minna Manth and Nefrai Kesh. "If you would be interested, I would like if you would at least oblige me by dining and listening to what will be a very dangerous but very high-paying mission?"

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