"Well, I guess we'll figure it out when we actually get the Nar Khelba," he finally said. "We can always fish around for information on it via Erik Kartan while we search for the thing too."

"Yeah," Matt agreed.

Jasyn just nodded, clearly still tired himself.

About that time, something started to beep, startling Terrin momentarily. He jerked around and eyed the control panel suspiciously, but then realized that it was the message indicator.

"I think that's our information on the ysalamiri," Terrin said, feeling a bit embarassed that he'd reacted so. He punched a few switches on the control panel, and the monitor in the center of the panel lit up, giving them a picture and a description.

"Ysalamiri: slender, grey-furred creatures that create null-bubbles in The Force, the ysalamiri are native to the planet Myrkr. The bubble can be up to 10 meters in diameter. They attach their bodies to tree limbs and obtain nourishment from the wood, and will soon die if separated from their perch. They can reach lengths up to 50 centimeters, and have fur-covered scales," Terrin read aloud.

Jasyn and Matt leaned forward to take a closer look.

"Ugly little critter," Jasyn said. "How are we going to keep the thing alive if it so desperately needs to be on its perch?"

"I dunno," Terrin replied.

"Easy," Matt said. "Bring its perch along."

"Huh?" Jasyn blurted loudly.

Terrin turned and eyed him, trying to keep his amusement to a minimum when he spoke. "He means tear the branch the ysalamiri is on off with it when we take it. Jasyn, buddy, you need to get a good strong cup of caf and wake up."

Jasyn frowned at him a minute, but then seemed to lighten up. "Yeah, I guess so. But won't tearing the branch from the tree kill it?"

Matt shook his head. "Nu-uh. Not for quite a while. I did learn that much in Bio class."

Jasyn took another look at the picture on the monitor, grimacing. "Sure is an ugly thing, I'm not touching it."

Terrin rolled his eyes, laughing. "I rather thought you'd be the first in line, maybe even take one home for a pet," he teased.

"Why...you..." Jasyn started, glaring. Then he realized how stupid he must be looking, and started laughing himself. "Allright, allright," he said, standing up and stretching. "Anyone else up for a lethal dose of caf?"

[ 10-11-2001 10:42 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

"I'll take one, Jasyn. Black, and thanks," I replied. Then I sat back in the pilot's seat, my elbow propped against the bulkhead, hand supporting the side of my face.

"And I'll take a ysalamiri, too!" I grinned at Jasyn's departing back. He stopped in his tracks, and turned around, an eyebrow arched in my direction. "If that thing is gonna keep any Dark users from inflicting damage upon me, why I'll wrap the lil bugger around my neck and wear it out dancing!"

My eyes shot to Terrin at this wry comment; he merely rolled his, grinning back. He came close to me, leaning over to rest his forehead against mine, and stared me straight in the eye.

"You'd look good dancing in it-" he began. I merely placed my hands upon his forearms and pushed him away with a little laugh, my quick and simultaneous squeezes thereupon an assurety that I was not really wanting to push him away. Just not in front of the boys....

I sat up straighter in the seat, now cupping my chin and mouth thoughtfully as I sobered. My vision slowly began to unfocus; without really being aware of it, I began muttering aloud.

"Myrkyr, Khar Delba... hmmm. I thought they were native to Khar Delba, because they were all over the place. At least that's the sense I got from that Noghri."

Pause for a brief shudder. Then, continuing....

"Hmmm... Myrkyr... seems to me Dad was interested in Myrkyr once... studies and all. What was it...?"

For a long moment I was totally lost in my thoughts, completely unheeding to the fact that the men had all stopped whatever it was they were doing, waiting. Even Jasyn had paused in the hatchway, frozen with an admixture of curiosity and hope.

I muttered along my merry way. "Hmmm... Myrkyr... Force critters, seems there were Force critters... another one, vornskyr, yeah. And some kind of sentients there, too. All Force manipulators.

"We went there once; it's way out in the boonies. Not many people are aware of this place... smugglers and jedi, primarily. Heh... leave it to Dad...."

I shifted in my seat, so intensely detached from the others in my freeflow of thoughts that I was not aware when Terrin sat next to me. He put a supportive arm around me, hugging me to him. He might just as well have been hugging stone, as I continued muttering aloud.

"Something... something about Myrkyr... and the ysalamiri. Something...."

With an abrupt jerk cementing knowledge yanked me back into reality. "Trees!" I announced a bit breathlessly, my eyes now sparkling and looking around from one set to another happily. "The trees!"

Three sets of eyes regarded me blankly. In the hatchway, Jasyn only crooked his brow again, and shot Terrin a hesitant sort of look. "Um-mm..." he began slowly. "Trees?"

Even Terrin was giving me a strange look, yet one that was also urging me to continue. I reached out and grasped his arm again.

"Terrin, it's those trees on Myrkyr that keep the ysalamiri alive. We ran an analysis of them; Dad was nothing if not thorough when it came to anything remotely associated with the Sith. Back in history, I think they did use these critters upon occasion to protect them from any jedi threat. They must have, for they're on Khar Delba, where that Sith Temple is."

I paused for a breath, and then rushed on. "Dad's analysis showed that the trees on Myrkyr had an unusually high metallic content in them. Natural metals incorporated into the very elements of which they were made. The ysalamiri ate the bark and leaves of the trees... and the vornskyr, who are natural predators, no doubt ate the ysalamiri.

"Guys, I'm no biologist but I do recall that metals are not always simply absorbed and flushed from the body when they are ingested. They accumulate within the cells... and can be passed through, ummm... what is it? Meiosis... yeah; through that they are passed along to the offspring. Usually this causes mutations, but here, obviously, might somehow make them Force sensitive, natural Force users instead."

I paused yet again, glancing from one man to another. Terrin was beginning to look rather excited; but then, he knew me. In the hatchway, Jasyn looked a little lost, but still hopeful, while Matt merely... waited.

Now gathering all the budding thoughts and ideas together, I molded them and shaped them, now hurrying along the pathway they were placing before me.

"Myrkyr is a unique planet. It evolved in its unique manner, with its unique materials. Its sun is a relatively 'heavy' one, chemically speaking; I remember running an analysis on it, too. I mean, it's a second generation one, springing from the remnants of some whopper of an original that somehow managed to make extremely heavy elements before it went supernova; ok, ok, I promise! No more astronomy lessons!"

This last statement was directed toward Jasyn, whose eyes were literally beginning to glaze over. I hurried on.

"The point is, gentlemen, that this means those trees are native to Myrkyr, unique to it. The soil in which they grow and take up those metals is unique to Myrkyr as well. And if they're unique to Myrkyr, this means chances are really good they can't grow anywhere else. In fact, I'd bet Jester II"-- here I steamrollered over Terrin's look of blankly startled curiosity -- "that trees like that don't grow anywhere else. Can't grow anywhere else.

"So what are the ysalamiri doing happily munching away on Khar Delba? How did they get there? How are they surviving without their trees?"

Stopping now for the final time, I took a deep breath. Then I leaned forward intently. "Does this mean that these ysalamiri have evolved enough to be less dependent upon their environment, yet still have the capabilities that they do? If so, this leads me to believe that this capability is now a completely unique asset they have truly inherited, truly taken upon themselves at a cellular level. It has thus become a natural, chemically based bodily function with them.

"Do you know what that means?"

Obviously they did not. Or, if anyone had the faintest notion of where all this was leading, he was doing a good job keeping his mouth shut.

I waved my hands about me excitedly, now leaping to my feet again.

"Gentlemen!" I almost shouted. "Look around you; what do you see? Technology! And a fairly high level of it, too. They have the process... we have the capability...

"Don't you see? Through studying these critters, figuring out exactly what makes them tick, we will eventually be able to artificially create Force ability in anyone!"

I sat down to a resounding and stunned silence. After a quick inhalation, I filled it with the rather anti-climatic remark,

"Of course, it also means we won't have to worry about impeding our movements and stealth by dragging tree branches with us wherever we go."

[ 10-11-2001 01:02 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

Ysalamiri...vonskyrs...one the ability to create "null bubbles" in the Force, the other the ability to use the Force naturally. But then, even the ysalamiri were manipulating the Force themselves when they created null bubbles...

These critters were ALL Force-sensitive BY NATURE...

And if Terrin had the technology via Eagle Enterprises, and he could make a promising enough deal with Erik Kartan get him a batch of those Force-sensitive creatures, since he WAS an information smuggler...

Terrin couldn't deny that invisible dollar signs were somehow in his line of vision. What Galen was proposing would take a lot of work, but Sithspit, it made sense!

Terrin could have jumped up and done the happy-dance right then and there, and had two of the other three members in the cabin not have been there, he just might have. Instead, he grinned broadly, looking up at Galen, who was still standing.

Apparently, Matt had begun to see dollar signs as well. "Think Erik Kartan would be up for a deal?" he asked, a devilish look in his eyes.

"We might run this by him and see," Terrin said, nodding.

Jasyn still stood in the hatchway motionless. Terrin wasn't sure if he was thinking or if he'd totally zoned out. "But do we want just anyone having Force-sensitivity? Being able to use the Force lends itself to being able to use the Good side or the Dark. I would think then...if it's a choice to use one or the other...am I making sense?"

Terrin nodded. "Yeah, I get the idea. Unfortunately I just don't have the Force-sensitivity myself to confirm or deny that. But it's worth at least entertaining the notion with Kartan, and if he isn't up for it, I'm sure there's other options."

"Yeah, and I'll have to agree with Galen, at least this means we won't be hauling lumber with us," Matt stated. "We'll just let Jasyn carry the ones we decide to take, since he loves them so much," he added, grinning over at Jasyn, who was still standing in the hatchway.

He shot Matt a not-so-convincing irritated look. "I'll just be on my way to get the caf now," he said. "Anyone else up for some besides Galen and I? Or are you two too busy picking on poor 'ole Jasyn?"

"I'd like some actually, thanks," Terrin responded, his grin pulling even more at the corner of his lips.

"Yeah, me too," Matt chimed in.

"Okay, I'll be back," Jasyn said, turning again to leave, then looking back over his shoulder momentarily. "You keep teasing me and someone else will do the catering next time!"

[ 10-11-2001 09:01 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear something was reading my mind somewhere.... With a suddenly insistent garble, a little green dial began bleeping for attention on the control panel. I sat up hurriedly, suddenly all business.

"Ok, guys, reversion to realspace in three, two, one...."

With the smoothness of a dianoga cutting through swampwater, the Eagle slewed out of the ravening whiteness which had encompassed her, chortling to herself happily to see the wondrous lights of the stars once again. I smiled to myself at this image; then sobered as once more my hands played a jizz-wail amidst the controls of the sleek shuttle.

A somewhat wide-eyed Jasyn chose this moment to return to the command cockpit, carefully balancing a tray full of steaming cups which he began handing around. "Realspace? Well, thank the Maker!" he beamed. I suppressed another grin; apparently he wasn't too enamored of hypertravel. Not that I could blame him, actually.

"Well buddy, not for long!" Now I allowed the grin to fully erupt upon my features as, reaching forward once more I punched a final control. In the main viewport, the beautiful stars stretched themselves into elongated smears as, with another unheard chortle, the Eagle reached out and crunkled space into something a bit more accommodating to travel through. In less time than it takes to tell about it, she had nosed about, oriented herself, and shot back into that mysterious realm.

I leaned back in my chair, sipping my blessedly hot caf. "Khar Delba, here we come," I murmured softly. "Estimated time of arrival, approximately 15 hours."

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

"No realspace?" Jasyn muttered as everyone in the cabin turned to look at him in amusement.

Terrin grinned and donned a lopsided smile, a la Han Solo. "It's not my fault!" he said.

Matt, at these words, erupted in laughter.

Jasyn looked down and glared, then looked back up. "Fifteen hours?!" he moaned, sitting down with his own cup of caf and tossing the tray somewhere to the side. "I hate space travel."

All eyes were still on him, and Jasyn knew it too. "Well, I do!" he spat defensively.

"Enjoy the time to relax," Terrin said, instead of inserting another joke. After all, Jasyn was an outdoor guy, a combat man who preferred to be out on a mission rather than shoved in the cabin of a ship doing nothing.

You needn't worry, buddy. I suspect we'll have plenty to do once we reach the surface of Khar Delba, Terrin thought, sobering.

The silence in the cabin became suddenly deafening. Terrin wondered if anyone else was thinking the same thing he was. Unconsciously, he reached a hand over to one of Galen's and gave it a squeeze.

Times like these were precious...

Finally, Matt interrupted the silence. "Heck, since we have the time...anybody up for a good round of sabacc?" he interjected. Then, grinning, he added, "Or maybe about fifty?"

As Jasyn answered in the affirmative, Terrin snapped out of his reverie. "Yeah, sure," he said. "I'm feeling pretty lucky today."

"Damn," Jasyn muttered. "Last time you were 'feeling lucky' I lost a chunk of credits."

Terrin chuckled as Matt looked at Galen. "So...you wanna play a little sabacc with a few parts dealers bent on...inheriting each others creds and ships?"

[ 10-15-2001 09:30 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

"You guys go ahead," I replied. "I'm really not one to gamble much anymore. Funny, I used to love a good round of sabaac..."

I paused thoughtfully, letting my focus drift and take my conscious thought outward into the sheer white outside the forward viewport. Funny how a person just doesn't want to gamble anymore... when he's managed to gamble with his life... and win.

Well, HER life, I amended, finishing with, ...and on more than one occasion....

I brought myself back to the shuttle with a little start. "I'll just sit here and... umm, make certain we don't go flying into a rogue star or anything, if that's ok. You guys go on aft, and have fun."

Sobering a little, I took up my caf once more, and lost myself in thoughts of what lay ahead....

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

Not that Jasyn was too bothered by that, he thought, momentarily smiling then sobering again.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna go back to the cabin for a while--before Matt has more of my credits than I prefer," he said, standing up from the table.

Matt grinned and nodded. "Yeah, you don't want me to inherit Eagle Enterprises in a sabaac game," he kidded. Then to Jasyn, "Wanna go for another hand or so?"

"Sure. No use sitting in the cabin doing nothing," Jasyn replied, finally seeming awake after about three cups of caf.

"Allright, you guys take your time, we still have a long ride ahead," Terrin said, turning and heading for the cabin.

He stepped through the hatchway to find Galen holding a now-empty caf cup, seemingly deep in thought. He wandered over to the copillot's chair and sat down.

Truth was, his mind had been elsewhere since the beginning of this trip. He had faith in the crew he'd chosen to take to Khar Delba, but even so, there was an element of the unknown hanging out there, mocking him every time he tried to analyze it or dissolve it. Here he'd finally found someone he cared about, and he was having to put her into uncertain danger...uncertain danger that he was honestly more than a little worried about.

He knew he'd do whatever it took to protect her, but then...what if that WASN'T enough? And therein the unknown element of the mission lied. They could define all the parameters, discuss tactics, and so on...but the outcome was still largely out of their control.

Even in the midst of this, Terrin had a resolve that he'd never had before, and that's how he knew that his feelings for Galen were real...more than real. He knew deep within that he would do whatever it took.

Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered...

He smiled at himself, somewhat amused that he had so suddenly and solidly changed his tune from that of a guy out for his own good into something...more than that. He'd always be the businessman, making deals and taking risks such as testing Force-critters like the ysalamiri, but there was something...or rather someone else...that came first now.

Finally returning to reality, Terrin turned, focusing his deep blue eyes on the pair of big brown ones that Galen had already directed his way. He planted a somewhat lopsided grin on his face. "Hi. Not my day for a good hand of sabaac," he explained. Then he added, "Thought I should quit before Jasyn inherited the Eagle and demanded we take the ship out of hyperspace..."

Then quieting, Terrin let the grin slide off his face as he continued to search the depths of her eyes with his own. He knew she probably figured something was bugging him, but he didn't know how transparent he was about it or how good she was at reading him. He suspected, however, that he'd find that out soon enough...

[ 10-16-2001 09:46 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Two hearts, one life....

I drew in a quiet breath. "I know you're worried about... everything," I began in a low voice. "About me, what's going to happen, the baby...."

I stopped a moment, drawing back to gaze deeply into his eyes. I reached up a finger to trace the contours of his nose. "Trust me, love... you don't have to worry, although you don't know how... good it makes me feel to know that you are...."

I cut off rather abruptly, my thoughts winging back to the days with Sorben. Throughout all the dangers we had faced together, never once had I sensed that he worried about me. I thought he might be worried for my sake on more than one occasion, but thinking and actually knowing were two quite different stories. Never had I felt any actual fear from him for my well being; this was fairly oozing from every pore in Terrin's body. I lay my head briefly against his chest once more, savoring this knowledge. I couldn't help but keep comparing him with Sorben; in every instance, the bounty hunter was coming up short.

I drew back again and, substituting my lips for my finger, placed a light kiss on the bridge of his nose.

"Don't fret for my sake, love," I continued softly. "Trust me; I've been through, ummm... a lot, to say the very least. I know you're wondering if you'll be able to protect me when we make planetfall. Please, Terrin, remember. I've been there; I know what we are going to be facing... and I know the best way you can protect me is to do your damnedest to protect yourself. That way I won't have to worry about you!"

I let a grin spread across my face in order to hide my own growing trepidation. Then I shook myself; Galen ol girl, get a grip. Ok, so you've been to Khar Delba... you know who's there and what they can do. So consider yourself one up on yourself from the first time.

Being forewarned is being forearmed.

We'll just slip in, snag this student, zip out before they even know we've been there. The ysalamiri will....

I cut myself off, my eyes widening as a deeply buried unconscious question exploded through the gray matter to erupt in full-blown awareness. "Oh, Hell's Seven Circles!" I snorted, pursing my lips in disgust. For a moment I just sat there on Terrin's lap, frowning at no one in particular as I wondered how in the Universe we were going to manage to sneak up on those nasty Sith who called that nastier Temple their home. Possible solution after possible solution popped into my head, popping out again just as fast as they were discarded as being unfeasible or downright dangerous.

Oh, whippie....

Finally I realized Terrin was staring at me as though I had gone mad. Maybe I had. I sighed.

"Terrin, something just struck me. Now, from what I understand about the ysalamiri, they each put out a bubble of "non-Force" or something that extends about 10 meters from their bodies. You put a bunch of the critters together, and their bubbles kinda combine and augment each other, and the diameter of the sphere increases. The more ysalamiri you have, the bigger the bubble around them.

"Khar Delba is crawling with these guys. The bubble they're putting out from that jungle where they live has to be huge. At the very least it just has to totally encompass that Temple! So what I wanna know is, why in Hell's Seven Circles aren't they stopping my sis- er, Graysith from using her powers?

"Terrin, are these things going to work against her and Wicked? And going on the supposition that they won't--which I think would be the safest thing to do--what the hell are we going to do? My creativity well just ran dry."

I stopped speaking and lay my head against his chest again, scowling as I searched for a solution. All the while, that damnable shoulder-angel was shaking its tiny finger at me.

Great going, Galen! it remonstrated me. Nothing like giving Terrin even more to worry about....

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

Oh damn. What the Hell were they going to do without the ysalamiri?

Then the only possible answer presented itself.

"Back to the 'ole stealth approach then, I guess," he mused.

That won't be enough, and you know it, some nagging voice in Terrin's head spat. He shoved that little annoyance somewhere in the back of his mind, analyzing further.

Did the ysalamiri affect Shayla's Force-abilities, since she was only knowledgeable about the Jedi arts?

Hmmm...

Furthermore, would having any Jedi on board the mission even help if the ysalamiri would have such an effect?

And if this Sith could somehow use her powers even in the presence of the ysalamiri...

Oh Sithspit, what sort of powers was it that she had?

Although...Galen had faced these creeps before, and had managed to get away, so they had to have a weakness of some sort, something that would distract the Sith enough for Terrin and his group to get their mission accomplished...

Bait? Oh no, no, no, that was an unacceptable solution.

But...there had to be SOMETHING that would distract the Sith enough...

Terrin grinned a moment. Maybe a good stun bolt would do the trick even on these creeps.

Galen looked up at him, and was surprised to find the smirk on his face.

Her turn to wonder if he'd gone mad.

Then the glimmerings of an idea, albeit only the feintest glimmerings, emerged. "What about these vonskr creatures?" Terrin asked. "I know from back in my information smuggling days the reason smugglers often had them as pets was because they could hunt down Force users. I would think that if there are ysalamiri on the surface of Khar Delba, the vonskrs would be there too since the two creatures seem to form a symbiant circle. We've already reasoned that the ysalamiri have evolved to where they are able to survive away from their trees..."

He paused a moment, putting pieces together. "What if the vonskrs have also evolved and are able to respond to the Force and use it in a similiar fashion to the Sith on planet? Jas and I, being non-Force users and therefore not a threat to the vonskrs, might be able to capture one of them...

If we were successful in doing that, could we then use the creature to keep Wicked down or at least...keep him busy while we steal the Nar Khelba from him?"

Terrin looked down at Galen, who seemed to be thinking this idea through. He waited patiently as she pondered, hoping that this possibility even had an milligram of usefulness...

[ 10-22-2001 04:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

"Vornskyrs," I said at length. "Hmmm...."

Actually, the idea did have more than idle worth. These things homed in on Force-users, attacking them with swift and deadly accuracy. Chances were that whoever had brought the ysalamiri to Khar Delba might also have brought these fearsome predators along to complete their natural defense system. Continuing further with that train of logic, I chugged right into the speculation that since the Sith and their descendants had dominated Khar Delba for Khaandon knew how long, perhaps over that time the vornskyrs (if they were there) would have evolved to where they might be sensitive not just to Force users, but specifically to Dark force users. They just might be a useful commodity...

...IF they were there.

I twisted in Terrin's embrace and gazed up at him. "It might work, if they in fact are present on Khar Delba," I mirrored my thoughts aloud. "Why don't you see what your information buds can dig up about this?" Then I sat up, a mischievous grin on my face.

"If they do," I continued, "we'll let Jasyn capture it. I bet he'll figure out a way to do that...

"...WON'T YOU, JASYN?" I hollered over Terrin's shoulder, loud enough that Jasyn could now hear me from his position aft. "You're probably the best at it; ya wanna give it a shot? It'll mean you won't have to mess with the ysalamiri," I finished on an enticing note.

There was a momentary pause; then from the back of the Eagle an affirmative wafted into the cockpit. I clapped my hands over my mouth and buried my face against Terrin's chest, gargling to stifle the peals of laughter that threatened to burst from me. After a few moments of choking, I drew back and looked up at him to see the laughter in his own features.

"You wanna tell him or shall I?" I managed, before bursting into laughter again.

Khaandon knows when we finally get to Khar Delba and get going with this mess we might not have the opportunity to find much humor in anything for quite some time... if indeed ever again. Might as well take advantage of it now.

[ 10-26-2001 09:08 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

Terrin finally got enough of a grip on his own laughter to say, "Why don't you do the honors of telling Jasyn what's up while I contact Erik Kartan and bug him for more information?"

Releasing her from his embrace, Terrin took her hand in his and helped her stand up. She turned back to look at him shooting him a look that read a really sarcastic Thanks a BUNCH!

He grinned. "I promise I'll be back in a minute or two to save you from The Negative One," Terrin stated, leaning forward to key a few buttons on the control panel. Then turning to gaze at Galen, he added, "Tell him we're thinking of bringing one or two back to the Hornett to keep as pets."

She laughed and smiled back at him, then turned and headed aft.

Keying in Kartan's comm frequency, Terrin mentally crossed his fingers. I hope... he thought, momentarily smiling at the expression that drifted into his conscious thoughts, I hope to Khaandon this plan has a chance of working...

[ 10-26-2001 11:24 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

"We're in luck," Terrin said, waving the datacard in the air for emphasis. "Vonskyrs are native to both Myrkr and Khar Delba," he explained, sitting down at a computer console in the aft of the Eagle with his back to the others. He'd yet to get a good look at the information Kartan had sent and his curiousity was getting the better of him.

As he read through, the other three members of his crew gathered around him to glance at the monitor themselves.

"Hmmm," Terrin muttered. Now reading from the text of the document, "Khar Delban vonskyrs are rarely found on the market due to the fact that their Force-tracking abilities seem to be more specialized. For this reason the Mrkyr breed of the animal is more frequently sold, affording the buyer a more rounded Force-tracker.

Although the Khar Delban species is far more rare, their specialized abilities make them a high commodity when the buyer plans to use the animal specifically for tracking Darkside Users. because of this specialization, the seller can afford to market the animal at a much higher price..."

Terrin's voice trailed off as another lightbulb began flashing brightly in his brain. He twisted around in the seat to peer at Matt, who usually thought along the same lines as he did when it came to dollar signs.

Buddy, I hope you are seeing as many of them as I am.

Matt did not disappoint. "Looks like we're going to be bringing home some pets after all," he mused, slapping Jasyn on the back.

Jasyn shot the other three each an unconvincing scowl. "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?!" he blurted.

Amidst the laughter in the air, Terrin managed to interject "I thought you might like to take care of a few of the critters while we find them loving homes."

Jasyn frowned back at Terrin a moment, but then busted into laughter himself. After a minute he forced himself to be serious enough to comment "I guess this means we need to design a leash for the buggers."

"Indeed we do," Terrin agreed nodding and wiping a tear from his eye. "So let's get to it."

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

At length they all sobered and turned to hear what I would have to say.

"Uh, guys..." I began haltingly. "I know that this sounds good, but think about it. Do you think there are enough dark users floating about the galaxy to warrant a vornskyr resale like this? And really, who made us gods to swoop down and remove these animals from their habitats solely for the sake of turning a profit? Remember, with the ysalamiri it's a matter of analyzing them and reproducing their abilities; we're not just yanking them from their homes altogether."

I paused for a breath, becoming a bit uncomfortable now as several of the men's looks turned to ones a bit glowering. Businessmen don't like to be removed from the dollars they seek; maybe I was considering all this from another angle because I was raised more in an atmosphere of academia. Only Terrin, bless his heart, kept a smoothly calm, albeit somewhat inscrutable, look plastered upon his face.

Taking a deep breath, I forged on. "Who knows what ecological balance we might be unsettling if we start exporting these beasts away from here...?"

Assuming we ever end this frightening venture we are upon and have the chance to do so, that is....

"For all we know, by meddling like this we might be tipping the scale in the favor of the Dark users. We really don't have datum one, let alone any hard facts; so far all we're operating on is pure speculation and wishful thinking."

Now my hand was quickly raised, to stall off the protesting looks and undoubtedly protesting verbalizations which I saw springing to life before me. I bulldozed ahead.

"Really, all this is great to think about approaching... but later. Right now we have a job to attend to. There's a couple nasties holding a jedi padawan on a simply awful planet that is now..." Here I gave my chrono a quick glance. "...a little under six hours away. I really think we should set all speculations aside and try to come up with a real working plan, based on the strengths we already have at our disposal.

"I'm for landing in the quadrant next to where this Temple is located, and going in on foot and under stealth. That might be the only way to get there unseen. Better yet, if we choose our approach time carefully, come out of their sun, time it so we come in on their nightside so the Khar Delba itself blocks our arrival for us. Landing, and then taking speeders or whatever you might have..." Here I shot a look at Terrin, my eyebrow quirked in question. He nodded slightly, and I continued, "...and then once we finally make the Temple..."

Ok, Galen ol' girl... go ahead. Say it. You know it's going to be the only way you're going to distract them enough where the others might have a chance to do their part.

I drew in a final breath, then blurted it all out before I could think about it any longer.

"Use me as live bait. I really don't know what else is going to prove a big enough distraction for the rest of you to have the time you need to follow-up. Maybe along the way capture a vornskyr or two, if we're lucky enough to find them, and at that point release them unexpectedly. In the chaos that is certain to follow, we might stand a chance to at least rescue Shayla. I don't know about the Nar Khelba; the last I saw it it was attached quite firmly to Darth Wicked's robes."

I gradually wound down, sighing a bit with the realization that I had led them all back to square one again with my discourse. Sheesh, but I hate being the bearer of possible bad news. But at a time like this, considering the severity of the situation we were being forced into, the last thing we dared to risk operating under was a false sense of security. There were simply too many unknowns involved... and even more simply, too much at stake.

[ 10-27-2001 03:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

Admit it, buddy, you have the resources at your fingertips to be successful without this little vonskyr proposal. You're just getting greedy.

They really did need to work with what they had. So like it or not, square one was the best place to stay, relying on what they knew they had, rather than what they might be able to get.

But at that moment, logistics were the furthest thing from Terrin's mind. The words that he was hearing slammed into him as the reality of what could happen with this plan became sickeningly clear.

"Live bait?" he questioned numbly.

He didn't like it, not one bit. And he was certain she knew this too.

It makes sense though, Terrin, and you know it, some little voice whispered. And you KNOW you've gotta trust her. You've all prepared for this as much as you possibly could, and Galen more than anyone is keenly aware of the danger involved. You needn't remind her of that when you haven't even been there yourself.

Suddenly feeling the warmth of her hand atop his as the others merely watched him blankly, Terrin forced himself to face the full reality of the situation.

This was the best solution.

"Alright," he finally managed, his mouth feeling dry, "We land the Eagle as Galen has mentioned then take the speeder bikes we do have on board to get to the Temple. My logic tells me using Galen as bait is the best distractor," he continued on, here closing his eyes momentarily as he could not believe he was saying what he was. "Hopefully from there we can snag Shayla.

"But," he added, "We need to think this bait thing through all the way. I must admit that even though it makes sense I don't like it, and I want to make certain that we do everything in our power to prevent the worst case scenario."

Terrin paused a minute, making eye contact with each crew member and finally stopping as his eyes met Galen's big brown ones. "Don't mistake this for my not trusting you Galen; I know that you among all of us are the most aware of the dangers involved and the working escape scenarios. However, if it means sending someone off with Shayla on the Eagle then having them return for us later...

...I will not leave Khar Delba without you..."

[ 10-27-2001 08:55 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

We were released on what looked like a whim. Khaandon knows I can't figure out why.

I didn't mention a peep of those dark thoughts, instead forcing a smile to my lips. "I know you won't leave me, Terrin," I said softly. Then I firmed. "But what's all this gloom n' doom nonsense? This plan will work, I know it will. Once we get the Nar Khelba, any Sith in his right mind won't risk..."

I paused again as another thought struck me. "Uh, Terrin?" I turned to him with the question clearly evident in my eyes. "For the Nar Khelba to work, it has to be in a lightsaber. Shucky-darn, I'm fresh out.

"You wouldn't happen to have one aboard now, would you?"

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

Take it one step at a time, Terrin, buddy, said that little voice in Terrin Danner's head.

And hearing the lightsaber question, Terrin had to thank the Maker that Erik Kartan had gotten the nerve to call a truce...and that he'd actually accepted.

Feeling his mood lighten, Terrin noticed the other two men in the room were starting to look pretty panicked. "Lightsaber?" he asked. "Naw, last Jedi I dueled with took mine. Thought my blade matched better with his wardrobe."

Matt rolled his eyes, and Jasyn just scowled as usual. "Damnit, Terrin, we don't have any kriffing lightsabers," he growled.

Matt meanwhile continued watching him questioningly while Galen crossed her arms an arched an eyebrow, quite obviously suspecting that he knew something he wasn't telling anyone else.

His grin broadened as he explained. "Really, no, I don't have one. But we seem to be in contact with a man who not only owns one himself but is escorting two Jedi who probably each have one as well. So I guess the question is now, when I call them up do I ask to borrow one or have one of them join our team?"

[ 10-29-2001 08:32 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Khaandon must have been watching out over fools such as me the day I met this man. He has the most influential friends and associates!

Then I quirked my brow at him wryly. "Somehow I just knew you were going to come up with something like that!" and smiled as I leaned against a bulkhead. I straightened up then, glancing at my chronometer.

"Hey, how far away is this associate and his two Jedi friends?" I asked. "While Jedi are probably handy to have on hand around what we're going to come up against, I do know that sometimes they kind of, ummm.... drag their feet a bit when it comes to getting down and dirty. And that's what I have a suspicion we're going to have to do to not only get the crystal, but to rescue that padawan as well. Even though I know they'll probably want to be around for that, and I can't say as I really blame them, but...."

I paused, searching into Terrin's eyes and willing him to go along with me on this one.

"Do you think there's any way you can get your hands on a lightsaber that I can use? I'm really handier than you think with weapons and martial arts; I still have close to six hours to get just as handy with this particular kind of sword."

Now it was Terrin's turn to arch a brow at me. Behind him, I could see Matt scowling, winding up to negate the entire suggestion as being the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard of.

He was probably right. But what lay ahead was more than the rescue of a padawan. It was about my dad... and seeking justifiable revenge against his untimely murder at the hands of my sister.

I've been known to be deadly when the situation warranted it, and I had no false illusions that when the bantha poo-doo hit the hyper-engines, I was going to have to be so again. Only this time it was up close, and very, very personal.

It was all I could do to keep my eyes from blackening into onyx as I waited Terrin's reply, silently willing him to agree with me about this little matter.

Just one little ol' lightsaber, and one crack at her. That's all I ask. Just one. That's all I need....

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

Terrin was still trying to sort out his own.

Jedi were usually pretty touchy when it came to their lightsabers. Erik and his fleet weren't that far behind the Eagle, but Terrin couldn't believe that any Jedi would willingly hand over his or her hand-made weapon to anyone, especially a non-Jedi.

And it's not like they kept spares around.

Besides, Erik's fleet would revert to realspace on the other side of K'eel Doba, while Terrin and his group were going directly to Khar Delba. They really didn't have the time to spare.

"Erik's fleet is five hours behind mine," Terrin stated, breaking the silence. "So that means they are about eleven hours away from K'eel Doba. So even though I'm pretty sure Erik will stay on top of his schedule seeing as we are talking about Shayla, that still is a lot of time we really don't need to waste.

"As for getting my hands on a lightsaber right now, I haven't a clue. Unfortunately we don't deal frequently with Jedi in the ship-building industry, and even if I did I don't think they are usually to fond of sharing their weapons," he said, sensing that he was somehow letting Galen down and not liking it one bit.

"The only other option I can think of, which is quite a stretch, is to build one ourselves."

He shrugged as the others looked at him incredulously. "So unless someone else has any brillant ideas," Terrin said, sighing, "I'm afraid that's about all I have to offer on this one..."

[ 10-30-2001 08:16 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

...and the woman who was once my sister.

At length I forced myself into a semblance of calm, and raised my head again. "Well, I don't know about you, but I haven't the slightest clue as to how one goes about constructing one of those things. I thought that was something the jedi learned when they went off to their jedi school, or some such."

And really, it doesn't matter one bit, does it Galen? the thought rose with ferocious intent. Lightsaber and Nar Khelba, or your own two bare hands. That slime is toast for what she did to dad... all attempts at rehabilitation entirely negated. Noghri or no, only one of us will ever leave that grim little ball again.

And it won't be her.

Full of the bravado of this rather ridiculous--considering the fact that not too long ago I had been shaking in my boots at the thought of just going to Khar Delba!-- and extremely vague plan on my part, I gave my head a little toss. "If we can't get a lightsaber, then maybe we can get a jedi to help us. If they know the Nar Khelba is down there, they might be persuaded into lending a hand. Seems to me they can't afford having this thing in the hands of a Darksider, let alone a Sith; if we can't get it from her ourselves, then maybe they can."

I crossed my arms and leaned against the bulkhead again, and waited to see if anyone else would come up with a better idea.

[ 11-01-2001 12:00 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

he didn't like letting her down.

Turning his eyes back to her face, he listened as she talked, and even after she stopped he continued to watch her, trying his damndest to think of something, anything else. But his efforts were fruitless.

Finally tearing his gaze from her, he looked over at the other two men. Jasyn simply shrugged. Matt, on the other hand, had something to say.

"I guess this is where we contact Erik Kartan and ask him to come with us. Maybe the Jedi too."

At that Jasyn sparked back to life. "Kartan knows how to use a lightsaber. We don't need any stinking Jedi."

Terrin rolled his eyes, not really in the mood for his friend's negativity. "Erik knows how to use one, yeah. But we can't just up and tell the Jedi that they should stay behind unless that's their preference, which, with the Nar Khelba in the picture, I don't forsee."

Jasyn crossed his arms and planted a sulky look on his face while Matt nodded in agreement with Terrin. "I think that's the best plan."

"Okay then," Terrin said, standing. "I'll talk to Kartan and see if he'll help us out."

Terrin turned and headed for the cabin to make yet another comm to the last information smuggler in the Universe he'd ever imagine he'd be calling for favors...

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

Shayla was "taking lessons" from this Sith?

That meant they'd probably not only face Graysith on Khar Delba, they'd also face the very person they had been coming to save.

He was feeling sicker by the moment. After all the planning, the worry, the sacrifice...

He placed his hands at his temples, trying to push out the headache that was beginning to surface.

And now he had to go aft and tell his team that part of the reason they'd risked so much was suddenly nullified, only to create an even bigger danger?

Feeling numb, Terrin finally managed to stand up and shove himself towards the hatchway. He slapped the release and headed back, sitting at the card table where the other three members of his team now sat waiting.

Everyone, especially Galen, were intently waiting for what he had found out.

"We--will have access to a lightsaber when the time comes. Erik Kartan will be heading for Khar Delba the moment his fleet reverts to realspace at K'eel Doba. I don't know about the Jedi or not yet, he is going to talk to them. He said he could meet us before we went to the surface, but he'll be about nine hours behind us, so I'm thinking we should head on without him and await his arrival."

He was putting a lot of trust in this guy, it'd better pay off.

"There's--one little thing all of you need to know though before anything else is said," he added, the sick feeling returning. He leaned back in the chair and looked down at his hands, which he suddenly realized were feeling very sweaty and clammy. He folded them in his lap nervously. Not looking up, he continued. "Seems Shayla is learning from Graysith."

Terrin paused, feeling the gasp that everyone was no doubt withholding.

"In short," he pressed on, sighing and forcing himself to look up, "Shayla just might not want to be saved."

Trying to ignore the stunned, irritated, and possibly even angry looks flashing in the room, he continued. "Erik, and maybe the Jedi, have decided to deal with her. They are leaving it up to us to find the Nar Khelba, and one of them will provide the lightsaber if we find it.

"Now, I know since one of the big reasons we are doing this at all has been nullified, we have the option of backing out. But, we are talking about a big bad weapon in the hands of a bigger and badder Sith. I don't think we should leave it in his hands if that's the only reason we continue on. And there's the fact that we are talking about another big bad Sith that needs to be faced for the things that she has so cruelly done," he added, glancing over at Galen, who seemed to be the only one not glaring laser bolts through him.

Then he became aware that he was the only one in the ship that was talking. Sheesh man, you're rambling.

"So there are two things we need to consider. First, do we keep going to find the Nar Khelba, and secondly, do we head out before Kartan, or wait for him."

Saying that, he finally hushed and waited for the others in the room to reply. Matt seemed to have calmed down from his initial shock. He spoke first. "I think we should do it, and we should head on and wait for him. If he's as fond of Shayla as we all think, he won't disappoint."

Jasyn, who was now doing a fair job of covering his irritation leaned in a bit. "I agree. This Nar Khelba sounds like a nasty thing, and this Sith sounds even nastier. If everyone else is in, so am I."

All eyes turned to Galen, awaiting her response...

[ 11-02-2001 12:07 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Oh sister dearest, what HAVE you been up to?

To say the thought that she had taken on some kind of a pupil or something was a touch wee disconcerting was like saying it snowed 98% of the time on Hoth. Sheesh, if she knew enough to be able to actually teach another Force user of her ways... whatever in Hell's Seven Circles THEY were... then she had obviously become more powerful than I formerly thought she was.

Unless she just had a head so big it was about to fall off her shoulders entirely. Wouldn't be the first Sith to be like that, actually.

I cleared my throat at that, then straightened up.

"You know guys," I began. "Everyone's all hot and bothered and ready to storm the fort and all, but stop and think a minute. We might be facing two big and baddies now; did anyone ever think about that?

"Or maybe not. I only know what this 'Graysith' is like, and what she can do, and what she has at her disposal. She was pretty horrific without using any weaponry that I could see. But this Shayla's a jedi padawan... or at least was. She's learned how to use a lightsaber, I imagine. And I also imagine that if push comes to shove, she's gonna find herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"How well does anyone here really know her? Do you think she might revert back to us, and help us against my so-called sister? Or is she true to what she believes, and will thus be an enemy to us? If this latter, then I think we're gonna be in deep poo-doo, no matter what we do. Hard enough to get the Nar Khelba from just one Sith; what are we gonna do against two of them?

"You know this crystal is probably not going to be far from them, quite possibly on their person. I know if I had something that valuable it would never leave my sight. And don't think they won't know of our arrival; I wouldn't be surprised if they already knew we were coming. They're gonna be sticking together, you just watch. So all this 'Erik finds the padawan, and we find the Nar Khelba' is so much bantha fodder if you ask me. We're far better off sticking together ourselves.

"And one more thing." I paused to make certain every word would be taken in. "If we do have to fight, you know it's going to be no-holds-barred. Is everyone here prepared to possibly... uh, much as I hate to actually say it... kill this Shayla if we need to? Does Erik really understand what he's getting into here?"

I stopped at that, my eyes defocussing a little as that statement was followed by another unvoiced one.

Like I'm ready to kill my own sister....

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

If they did that, Erik would kill him next.

Terrin tried to push that little idea from his mind all together. "Well, I knew Shayla well..." Terrin started.

Well, you THINK you knew her well. Chances are, neither of the two of you really ever knew each other that well at all. Your relationship was only surface-deep, thus the reason it couldn't ever last.

"Or at least I thought I did," he corrected. "She was always very solid in the things she believed in. To the point of being insufferably uncooperative if she didn't agree with something.

"If she's into this...Sith thing...she's in all the way. And she has enough ammo in our past to probably hate me, so I don't think she'd easily bend for us if she would at all."

And Erik? What about him? DOES he know what he's about to face?

"As for Erik, I know how he probably feels about her, but I don't know how Shayla feels about him. There's a good chance she loves him, but she hasn't most likely admitted to that. I doubt he's got any other intention but to try to bring her back with him or understand what it is she's up to...I don't think he'd have the heart to destroy her, but he does have Jedi roots, so I could be mistaken if the situation became dire."

Terrin sighed. All the plans, all the work, hideously unraveling before his eyes.

Not so long ago you were angry enough with Shayla to pull the trigger on her yourself if you had the chance. You went from that to actually proposing saving her, and now that she poses such a threat...

Terrin's mind was made up. What must be done must be done, if this was what they were going to do.

"If it should ever become necessary for us to...kill Shayla...then that's what we'll have to do."

Jasyn and Matt nodded in agreement. Jasyn hadn't known Shayla. He was a man of combat, and would do what needed to be done if he was called on to do so. Matt, on the other hand, had known Shayla as an aquaintance, but even so, he stuck to what Terrin said should be done.

This would be difficult. But this was a matter of Evil spreading itself, and that needed to be stopped.

"Since we've decided we should all stick together," Terrin said, breaking away from his thoughts, "should we wait for Erik to reach Khar Delba and meet with us, or should we meet him on planet?"

Matt and Jasyn, who seemed to be about as unsure about the whole thing as Terrin was, turned to look at Galen questioningly. Terrin in turn also shifted his deep blue eyes to watch Galen, waiting to see what input she had on this...

[ 11-02-2001 01:39 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Could be that I'm finally facing what has happened, really... and I know what has to be done. And I suddenly wanted it over and done with immediately. Only one of us is going to leave that planet, her or me. Khaandon be with me, I hope it's me.

I shifted my weight with a sigh. "I guess we can wait for Erik and whoever is coming with him to join up with us before we try anything of our own. Why don't we get there and set up a base camp, and wait for them there? When they arrive, then we can... ahh, proceed.

"I'll land us far enough away from the Temple where we might stand a chance of going unnoticed... at least for a little while."

With that I pushed off from the bulkhead, giving my chrono a quick look. Yikes.

"Look guys, time's been slipping by us here. I have to go run some systems checks prior to reversion; you don't mind if I head back to the control section and get started?"

No one voiced any objection, naturally. I was piloting the ship, after all.

With a little nod to everyone I turned to go forward, but paused before I departed their company altogether. I turned and gave Terrin a penetrating look.

"One way or another, love, I'm gonna get my hands on a lightsaber. Me. Not someone with us. If that Nar Khelba is going to be put into any lightsaber at all, it's gonna be in one that I've got control of.

"And it's gonna be put to good use, believe me."

With those grim words I left to finish my work and prepare for our entry into Khar Delban realspace.

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