“Of course!” he said.

He followed Aaron into the bar. The captain took a seat beside Yaoksi, who had gone unnoticed until now, and held up two fingers. The bartender pulled out a bottle of vile looking liquid and two glasses with ice.

Thoran held up his hand. “For me, I think something a little lighter this time.”

The bartender cocked an eyebrow and pulled out another bottle, this one containing a light brown liquid.

“Even lighter,” said Thoran.

The bartender shrugged and filled Thoran’s glass with water.

“That’s the ticket,” Thoran smiled. He took the drink and turned to the captain.

“I have a high metabolism,” he said. “But it hasn’t been used in a while. I think I need to give it break. I ordered up some food earlier, but by the gods I don’t remember eating it.”

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

It was all I could do to keep from choking.

Has four hours passed already? I wondered to myself as I set my glass smoothly down upon the gleaming greelwood bar. A furtive glance at my chrono clarified matters for me.

Nope, not nearly that yet. I still have time for a quick nap before checking with K'kihl about Devil's progress; can't really up and offer her as our transportation to the Sith worlds -- and the Blockade-- unless she's back to her usual ship-shapeliness.

I forced my involuntary grimace back into something resembling a smile and hitched the stool I was sitting on a bit to one side. The Big Red Guy was...

Well... big.

"I'm just having a nightcap before crawling off for a little sacktime myself, but you guys are welcome to join me," I offered, keeping my tone light as I raised my glass once more to my lips, waggling my brows at Aaron as I did so.

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

Pausing at that, Aaron took another drink. And the look in Yaoksi's eyes finally registered in his brain. He turned to Thoran.

"You having some trouble resting yourself? After all, we only spoke with you around ninety standard minutes ago, and it sounds like you've been up and about once already."

Pausing again, Aaron then called to the bartender. "Can you fill this man's order?" he queried, nodding towards Thoran. "Seems he was hoping for some food he requested earlier, but never got."

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“And maybe set me up with another one of these?”

He looked over to Yaoksi and waved.

“Sleep sounded really good a while ago,” he said. “But not now. Not when there’s a dream waiting around the corner. I haven’t slept in… well, I can’t remember how long it’s been. And now I’m back in a form that requires it, and I forgot about the dreams. Don’t want the dreams.”

He smiled again, looking at Aaron.

“So, captain, how long do we have before reaching the Sith worlds? And have you devised a plan to deal with the blockade?”

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

...yes, one is in place."

At least, he hoped it was in place.

Not deigning to inform Thoran any further of the plan at that particular time, Aaron took another drink, and looked back towards Yaoksi, arching an eyebrow a bit in unvoiced communication.

He hoped the other man could read between the lines and answer his unspoken question.

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

I pulled out my data pad and brought up a schematic of the ship and glanced over it to see the best place for food.

"Well there's the standard cafiteria, then there is a food court area of the ship. Mostly filled with bars and cantinas, but the food and drink is more exotic then what your use to."

Personaly the bars sound better, although it was a long shot one of them might have roasted katarn. Wookies alwayes served the best food.

"I suggest the bars."

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

Seriously, I hadn't a clue.

I raised my brows to their limit, lowered them in a glowering frown and then let them relax, setting my drink down on the bar as I did so.

"Umm... yeah," I offerred a bit inanely, wincing as the Big Red Guy turned his sparkling interest my way.

"We should be able to get past the blockade... only remember, in something perhaps a little bit less, er...

"Ostentatious, don't you think Aaron?"

I grinned with a shrug of my shoulders, then reached for my glass, which to my dismay I found more empty than full.

And here I always thought of myself as an optimist!

[ 11-22-2006 05:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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He quieted a moment, his look darkening. "Terrin was always better at captaining her. And dealing with these sorts of situations."

Now frowning, still not certain of how much he should divulge to Thoran, he continued a bit further. "We've got some information the Imps might be interested in. As it stands I'm hoping they'll be interested enough in it to give us passage to go find some good friends, and not so interested they decide they'd rather rattle us for whatever we're worth and leave us at square one."

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

But, dammitall, she'd just gotten herself blown to high heaven, just gotten herself fixed -- at least I assumed so, knowing the ol' Cricket as I did -- and the thought of her possibly falling into Imperial hands didn't make me the happiest of campers.

Then lightning, weird beastie that it could be, came arrowing in out of the blue and zapped me square between the eyes. I climbed up from my virtual fall, and turned to the still smiling Thoran.

"Hey pal," I began, my own eyes beginning to sparkle as a growing excitement filled me.

"You've got some kind of magick with you, and you say you want to help us. Why don't you just kill two opees with one spear and pop us over where we want to go? That just might be the quickest way to get to our friends--

"--not to mention the only way I can think of to slip in there under the Empire's nose."

[ 11-22-2006 05:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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“The magicks I possess are the ways of the Sith,” he said. “But my power stretches beyond the abilities of other Sith. Indeed, I can take you there, but it must be via another realm. A realm which is dark, which can drive you mad with the evil it harbors. If you stray but a step from the path I walk, or give in to the madness that will surround you, then your very soul could be forfeit. In this realm live the most evil, most vile and treacherous monsters to ever spawn into existence.”

Thoran knocked back the remainder of his drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Grimacing, he turned to Yaoksi.

“But hey, it’s the only way to get there. When should we leave?”

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

...but then again, maybe not. What you're talking about walking us through to get to everyone...

...it doesn't sound very much like a way I want to take to get them back here."

Pausing at that, something else occurred to Aaron. "You know, I hope the Imperials would be nice enough to let us out of the blockade as well as in it..."

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

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

...on someone that I don't think I have any qualms whatsoever about turning over to the Empire, all things considered."

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I stuck my arms out ala-referee mode, bringing the back and forth to a momentary stop. When I had captured both gents' attention, I went on.

"Aaron, I was going to offer the services of my ship to take us to this blockade, and hopefully on to the Sith world where our friend here says Terrin and Galen are. But I want to be completely honest in that I surely do feel a tad bit uncomfortable in the offerring. I mean, yeah, I'm certain we'd be accepted into the blockade without being blasted to smithereens, no problem.

"It's the getting out that concerns me."

I paused for breath, motioned the others to come closer and hunkered down a bit in my chair. Leaning forward I went on, my voice low.

"Look Aaron, that information we've got is probably of way interest to the Imps. Possibly of interest enough that they'd believe us in our honest attempt to use this as barter for passage to and from the Sith world.

"But what if they don't take us at our word? What if they think we're making up something outrageous; I mean, c'mon, taking out Coruscant fer Galaxy's sake!!"

I sputtered to a quick stop, letting that improbable thought sink in, watching Thoran's face from the corner of my eye as his eyes widened. Whether in response to the content of my words or the theatrical way I had spewed them, whose to say?

Onward I continued.

"If this is something of importance to the Imps, whose to say they won't just take it, commandeer my ship, and stick all of us away to where the sun don't shine? I dunno, it just seems to me that there's gonna come a better time to let them know about what we found than right now, trying to get down to a world that really no one is supposed to even know about.

"Don't ya think?"

I started to draw to a close then, straightening back up but not without shooting a final comment out.

"I'm for the quick and sneaky way into this place, even though we have to go to whatever terrible place it is Thoran here is hinting about. But I have a pretty good idea; if I'm right, they've got honest to Pete demons there.

"I know, I've seen one right onboard this ship...! But I have faith that it's a quick step in, step out and there we are. Nice and quiet... and how we get back out again?

"Well, we've got Thoran here, don't we? Assuming that everything he's telling us is the ghod's truth, that is..."

Now I drew to a halt, leveling a completely intent stare Thoran's way.

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

Thoran scratched his head, flaking something off of his horn.

“I must admit I don’t actually like the idea of going back to the Darker Realms, even for a few seconds. Sort of like sticking your head in on Tattooine in the summer to see if it’s still hot. No matter how short a time you’re there, you’re getting a sunburn. Then if someone you know sees you, you’re stuck there hearing about the kids and the trip to the pool. The thing is, the pool in the Darker Realms is filled with boiling blood. But hey, I’m there for ya.”

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

Somehow.

"So this is supposed to be the better, more efficient, quicker way? Can you do this and get us to the other side safely or not? You were talking 50/50 chances...

...and now you're talking something that sounds like slim hopes. Which is it, cause I have friends on the other side, and I'd like to get to them. I haven't seen several of them in two or three years, after all...

...and one of them was dead. I'd like him to not be dead again any time soon, so this thing you're talking about is something you have to be certain of. After all, not only do I not want him to be dead...

...I don't want any of us here to join that state of being either."

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

Thoran stopped.

“Um, I mean… Well, look, your friends really are there, and you need to tell me how you want to get there.”

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

He paused, his look darkening, not liking any of the options in particular. "I suppose we should go through these Darker Realms and be done with it. After all, as much as I don't like this lady I'd like to turn over to the Empire, I don't care very much for dealing with the Empire either. Eagle Enterprises has been down that road before...

...and even considering it was just an Imperial Moff, that was quite more than enough."

He sighed again. "Let's just do it, be done with it...

...and get to everyone on Khar Delba. The search for them has gone on long enough...

...and if it were Terrin he'd already be out looking for me himself. I've waited entirely too long."

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

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

I started walking down the corridors of the ship heading towards the Bar.

"As for not telling the others, how could I not keep a secret from them if you ask. In a way I've trusted you with my life, You are one of the only people that know i'm Link. In most sectors of the galaxy I'm wanted, and not revealing information about me is a felony in most."

We reached one of the Bars, The Blue Astroid, I stopped outside and resumed my conversation with Thea.

"I think that you have learned alot lately that I don't see why your master wouldn't take back. You say that you use to be scared of non jedi, but look now, you trusted me a wanted criminal with what you just reveled, and are willing to learn about the less legal side of life. I call that progress."

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

“Hey, works for me. I can do it, but the fewer people the better. The Sith are not trusting of outsiders, and if I brought in a whole bunch of you then I’d be in trouble. So, you two for sure, and maybe one or two more. So, when do you want to leave?”

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

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

...and then there's the matter of Thea and Cel. I don't really think the Sith worlds are a good place for Thea to be, especially iwth what she's been through...

...and she'd be safe here on the Hornett. Still, that's really something that is your call," he then added, nodding towards Yaoksi. "Other than that, we all probably should get at least a few hours of rest before we go anywhere, just so we'll be mentally and physically prepared when the time comes. So, what do you say we leave in about 4 standard hours?"

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

"Hey, what say we go now... and our buddy here can prove his worth by doing whatever voo-doo he do so well, only enough of it to let Devil through too... with us inside her.

"Personally, I'd feel better having her there with me, just in case we need a means of getting off-planet, you know, in case for some reason our Sithy friend here would be unable to provide it."

[ 11-28-2006 10:17 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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“Well,” he said. “It depends on how big your ship is. I mean, if it’s the size of a Sith fighter, no problem. But it’s probably a bit bigger, like a freighter, right? I think I can still do that, but I really need to see it.”

Thoran’s face lit up when the bartender placed a plate of food in front of him. He picked up the utensil that accompanied it and took a bite. A look of total joy washed over his face.

“I haven’t tasted food in—well, in a long time. This is SO good!”

He took another bite and then looked apologetically to Yaoksi.

“Sorry, I got lost in thought. Or, rather, eating. The biggest concern I have about taking a ship into the darker realms is that I will need more time on the other end to first recover and then open another portal out. It goes from a couple of seconds to more like 60 seconds. We are sure to be seen, and may have to run or fight with some of the denizens. How fast and gunned is your ship? And how big?”

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