"Oh Damn," he muttered, thinking something was wrong. Then, glancing at the controls, he was pleased to find that everything was operational.

And that the maps were in.

After hitting a switch on the consol, the first of several maps appeared on the monitor. "My, my the Fates are with us! And I have a lock on a ship about the size of the Bee. I think if we land near it we'll be close to the correct mine."

Starting the landing cycle and punching a button to get a print-out of the maps, Jasyn keyed the comm again.

"Terrin, I we're in the landing cycle. And we have the maps of the mines. It's now or never. Soon as we touch ground, you and Galen will be in charge of the comm, and we'll be on our way."

A pause, then a reply. "Be careful. And hurry. We'll keep an ear out and stay in contact with the Devil.

"Gotcha boss," he answered. Then, wondering, "Terrin?"

"Yes?"

"Is...Galen and the baby allright?"

A hesitation. "Galen's fine. The baby...she's on Khar Delba."

Jasyn couldn't help but frown at the thought of the kid being at that place.

What the hell had happened that the baby was THERE?

Well, I guess you know what the next assignment will be. Gotta get the kid away from that Hellhole.

Does it EVER end?

"Sorry to hear that. We'll make it as quick as possible so we can be on our way. In the meantime, you two get some rest. Lancaster out."

Then, turning to Shawn as the ship hit ground, Jasyn tilted his head towards the cabin door. "Shall we?"

Shawn nodded. "Yes. And the sooner, the better."

[ 03-20-2002 08:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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

Each step brought me closer and closer to erupting. Each step held me further and further away from my daughter.

Finally I came to a halt, my fists at my sides. I was trembling with emotion just barely held in check.

"Look!" I finally burst out, whirling to face Terrin. "We just can't stay here like this! You know how hideous that awful Khar Delba was... is..." I corrected myself in mid-sentence. "Each second we stay away from Darra is one second more something terrible might happen to her!"

Biting my lip, I began pacing again. Even though every sense I possessed was informing me that while, yes, though our daughter was in the home of those terrible Sith she was as yet unharmed, I couldn't bear the wait. I just had to get to her, and quickly. I came to another halt in front of Terrin, and pinned his blue eyes with my own.

"We have enough ships; why don't we go on to Khar Delba? If that Jedi finds Yaoksi and Matt and Cella, he and Jasyn can just come along to Khar Delba in Yaoksi's ship."

I bit my words off as an all-too familiar tremor threatened to mar them; I refused to have Terrin think I would stoop so low as to use tears to get my way. Swaying slightly on my feet, I stared past him and out the viewport, my vision suddenly growing vague.

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

He was making the right decision in waiting, right? Didn't they need Shawn? Then again, the Jedi hadn't been of much assistance before.

But then they were talking about themselves. Now they were talking about a baby girl.

Did the Jedi understand the importance? Did Shawn?

And what did it matter anyway? She was only a little girl...

...If something happened to her while they waited...

Shuddering at the thought, Terrin tried his best to think logically. If they were to take off now, on their own, how would they approach this Temple? And what if Shawn COULDN'T find the group?

But then, what if something did happen to little Darra while they waited?

The pain of having to choose between his friends and his daughter was almost too much to bear.

She DID come first, but he still had to think about what scenario would provide THE BEST way for them to find her and save her. Going now, and acting on his impulse, or going in with a plan and with a group of people?

Saftey in numbers.

Terrin sighed heavily, taking Galen's chin in his hand and waiting til her eyes were focused on his. "Running after little Darra without a plan and without back up won't help her, love. We're going in, and we are going in as soon as possible. But I want to be more than damned sure we are ready. And yes, I think we need Shawn Petrolu. I know our experience with Jedi has been less than desirable. But this guy..."

Terrin paused, searching for the words to explain it, "I know from experience that he doesn't go back on his word and doesn't give up. You've gotta know this isn't an easy decision for me to make," he continued, looking down.

"I'll never forgive myself if something happens to her..."

[ 03-20-2002 09:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

"Then let me go to her!" I whispered, putting every ounce of persuasive power I could into that short demand. My eyes remained glued to his, willing him to concede... but I never received an answer. His visage swam suddenly out of focus as, my hands now falling limply to my sides I swayed even more upon my feet...

...and then, embarrassingly enough, fainted dead away.

[ 03-20-2002 10:41 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

A child. Not THEIR child.

Between the actual labor and the trauma after, it was really a wonder she'd been able to function as long as she had.

As he laid her on the bed and took up a protective position next to her, Terrin's thoughts drifted inward again.

No. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to their little girl. But then, he couldn't give into the worry and let it ruin any possible attempt to get her back.

They WOULD get her back. And it would probably take everything they had. But they would, he'd make sure of that.

Unconsciously fiddling with the commlink that had been sitting on the nightstand next to him, Terrin hoped to goodness that Shawn Petrolu could find Yaoksi and the others quickly.

Time was ticking.

As he placed the commlink back on the nightstand, Terrin tried to clear his mind and gave himself up to simply waiting and trusting the Jedi.

Not an easy task for someone who tended to distrust everyone til proven otherwise.

And slowly, without his even truly being aware of it, exhaustion took over and his vision clouded, and he drifted off to sleep...

[ 03-20-2002 10:49 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

If we ever... EVER--! get out of this place, I'm going to buy myself the biggest kriffing luminary this side of the Core! I swore to myself as I continued on down the corridor of silence and stone. I've learned my lesson: always be prepared. One never knows--

That thought was truncated by a strangely sibilant hiss, which was accompanied by an equally strange and somehow liquid motion in the darkness ahead of us. My nerves were stretched tighter than the lock on a Toydarian's cashbox; I triggered my blaster without even thinking about it and was promptly rewarded by a high-pitched series of descending squeals. The sound echoed down the corridor into a silence broken only by Matt's terse comment.

"Damn energy spiders."

I nodded, even though it was doubtful Matt even saw me, then hesitantly moved forward. I didn't get far.

Directly ahead of us stretched the massive web of the hideous creature I had so recently sent to its demise. The web completely blocked the corridor; with a little sigh, I stopped and turned to Matt.

"Looks like a dead end this way, pal," I said with a nod of my head as I shone my light on the web. In the distance behind it I could barely make out the intricate lace of yet another one. I didn't want to think what lay beyond that one; two in visual sight of each other was enough for me.

"Guess all we can do is go back and try another tunnel. C'mon."

Giving Cella's shoulders a little squeeze, if only to remind her that we were still with her, I turned us around and began carefully picking my way along the path we had just traversed. I tried to keep my step light and my expression bland, but I couldn't help but be filled with more and more trepidation. Each wrong step kept Cella under the influence of glitterstim.

I didn't even want to think what her life would be like if she was exposed to so much that she could never be cleansed of it.

[ 03-21-2002 08:03 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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

He was practically slammed with an aura so radiating with emotions barely held in check that he took in a quick breath. Jasyn looked up from his map.

"What?" he quizzed, arching an eyebrow.

"We'd better move. Someone's in a lot of trouble."

"Hurt?" Jasyn asked, looking very concerned.

Shawn frowned, searching deeper. "No...not exactly. I'm not sure what it is. But someone is radiating through the Force like a newborn who is unable to control emotions."

"Glitterstim," Jasyn said simply.

It was Shawn's turn to arch an eyebrow. "What?"

"Oh come on, you Jedi have certainly heard of it."

"Yes, but what has glitterstim got to do with it?"

Jasyn shot Shawn a quizzical look mingled with a bit of amusement. "You must have been living under a rock. Kessel is famous...or rather infamous for its glitterstim mines. And considering the lack of emotional control you are describing, I'd think someone has gotten himself or herself schnokered up real good. I wonder if everyone in the group had a rebreather..."

"I'm thinking not," Shawn said. "We really just need to get going."

"Which mine, pal? There are at least three options here," he said, indicating the map.

Shawn looked down at the map, then glanced up, his look turning vague. Then he looked back at the map and pointed. "That one."

"Allright, then that's the way we go. You're in the lead here pal, so you'd better be sure. We can coordinate our search with my map, but you've gotta be sure of what you are doing for this to work."

Shawn merely nodded. "I know."

Then, without further word, Shawn stepped forward, assuming that Jasyn would simply follow. Grimacing, Jasyn fell in right behind the Jedi.

You've gotta learn to trust me, my friend, Shawn thought to himself.

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

What gives with Terrin trusting this guy? Jedi are so self-absorbed, so self-righteous...

...how do we know Petrolu is going to be any different?

"That way," Shawn said, interrupting Jasyn's musings as he pointed towards a path.

"There should be a miner's cage in that direction, according to the map," Jasyn explained, using a luminary to light the paper in his hands.

Shawn nodded as per his usual, and proceeded ahead without a word.

You know, if you told me when we are about to move things might run more smoothly, Jasyn thought blackly as he stumbled onward behind the Jedi, nearly flying over a rough spot in the floor of the mine as he walked.

They continued trudging down the same path for quite a while, when a strange hissing noise interrupted Shawn's concentration and Jasyn's grumbling.

"I think we took a wrong turn," Jasyn growled. "Are you sure you know what you are doing? There doesn't even seem to be anyone here..."

As the strange whining sound began to grow louder, Shawn seemed to completely ignore Jasyn's comments. Jasyn was about to complain about this, when out of the darkness something swooped.

"Sithspawn!" he hissed, going for his blaster. Only a split second before he could fire, Shawn had ignited the green blade of his lightsaber, slicing once. The energy spider crumpled to the ground, its body steaming from the contact it had made with the lightsaber blade.

"I hate energy spiders," Jasyn grumbled, keeping his blaster in his hands as he scanned the area nervously with the luminary in his other hand. Above them a web hung. "Not my idea of a nice vacation spot," he added. Then looking back to Shawn. "Are you positive this is where they went?"

Shawn nodded, managing to hide his amusement pretty well in the darkness of the mine.

Jasyn just snorted and began to follow the Jedi as he got on the move once again.

"The miner's cage should be up the way," Shawn said.

"You mean we are going down?" Jasyn whined.

Shawn nodded.

Jasyn shot his luminary out in the distance, then frowned. "I see the shaft," he said, "But there's just one problem."

Shawn turned a moment to regard his companion. "Oh?" Then he proceeded on closer to the shaft, Jasyn on his heels.

Jasyn approached and halted near the shaft, casting his luminary around the area. His suspicions were suddenly and quite disturbingly confirmed. "So much for our miner's cage," he said disgustedly. "If we are going down...we're going to have to find another way..."

[ 03-23-2002 05:02 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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

Jasyn actually managed half a smile in the darkness at the comment, but then his look darkened again. "Allright then," he said, moving his luminary to light the map as best as he could. "Looks like it's time to find an Impy emergency route."

Shawn stepped near Jasyn to gaze at the map himself. "I'm sensing that they are somewhere around here," he indicated, pointing at the map.

Jasyn nodded in response, biting his lip in thought. "Damn Impys. Don't even label emergency routes clearly on the maps. You'd think they didn't even trust themselves," he mused.

"Well, what do you expect," Shawn said, "They were Imperials after all."

Shawn couldn't make out the look in the gaze Jasyn gave him in response to the comment, but he thought that maybe he'd struck a chord of agreement.

Good. Maybe you will come to learn that Jedi aren't that different from the general populace. That is, if they are the Jedi that they should be.

Then, returning his attentions to the map, Shawn looked deeper. "What about that?" he said, indicating yet something else.

Jasyn considered for a moment. "Well, it's not labeled as an emergency shaft per se, but it certainly looks like it just might be..."

"So, what do you say?" Shawn asked.

Jasyn looked up with a somewhat startled look on his face. "You're asking me?"

"Yeah. Two heads are better than one."

"I'm thinking it's definitely worth a shot. Let's head that way and hope we're right."

"Yes, let's. The waves of emotion are only getting more pronounced with every moment. I fear that time is running short..."

[ 03-23-2002 10:53 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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

Something different about this guy...

...in comparison to most Jedi anyway...

He pushed the thought aside as Shawn suddenly halted.

"Don't do that!" Jasyn growled, stumbling a bit as he stopped.

"Sorry," Shawn said as he cast his luminary to gaze at a rift in the wall of the mine.

"What are you looking for?" Jasyn asked curiously.

For a moment Shawn was silent. "Let me see that map again, and maybe I can tell you."

"Allright..." Jasyn replied hesitantly, opening the map. Shawn looked over it, searching for something.

Not the time for sudden exploration, buddy, Jasyn thought sarcastically.

"Just as I thought," the Jedi said at last.

"You mind sharing this with the rest of the group?" Jasyn questioned, looking at the map himself.

"An emergency route," Shawn said simply. "Look at the figure right here on the map."

Jasyn frowned as he surveyed the area of the map which Shawn's pointing finger had indicated.

"I don't see..." He stopped, midsentence, taking an even closer look. "Well I'll be Kesseled..."

"Not the best choice of wording," Shawn interjected sarcastically.

"Yeah, I suppose not," Jasyn conceded. Then, frowning again, he asked the one question that was now niggling in the corners of his brain. "So what exactly is this emergency route? A miner's cage that is hidden behind this rift? What? And how do we get to it?"

"One step at a time, my friend," Shawn replied.

Jasyn frowned even more darkly at the comment, beginning to walk behind Shawn as he again started to move, this time towards the rift in the wall. "How did I know you were going to say something like that..."

[ 03-23-2002 11:13 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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

He sliced his now-activated lightsaber blade upward. The energy spider skittered to the side, still latching onto its web, its fangs smacking together unpleasantly.

Shawn paid this no mind. He simply reached out with the Force to gauge the intentions of the critter a second before they occurred. After a bit of swooping and ducking, the spider, like the other, was crumpled on the ground.

Then Shawn turned his attentions to his companion, who was clutching his shoulder for dear life. Even without a light, Shawn knew he'd been bit.

He reached out a hand and touched the shoulder. Jasyn winced. "OUCH DAMNIT!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Jasyn stumbled back as he tried to get away from the Jedi, the glitterstim poison already taking its effect. Shawn knew if he couldn't get his companion to sit still for a burst of Force-healing, the glitterstim would pervade his bloodstream and in no time he'd be a human vegetable. Or worse. So Shawn did the one Jedi thing he HATED to ever do. He reached out and touched Jasyn's already glitterstim-fevered brain and willed him to freeze in place. Jasyn lurched as he made a last-ditch effort to move back away from him, then crumpled to the ground.

Shawn reached a hand out to place it on the man's shoulder. The bite itself would have to be healed later. It was the poison flowing through Jasyn's blood that Shawn was more concerned about for the moment.

"Rest easy friend," he said, understanding Jasyn's primal fear. Glitterstim has an odd way of making people very sensitive to every single thing around them. Especially if it is driven right through the bloodstream as it is in the energy spider's bite.

An hour later, after vigilant Force-channeling, Shawn had managed to clear Jasyn's bloodstream of the poison for the most part. The haze began to slowly fade from Jasyn's eyes. Blinking, he winced. "I think I'm gonna die..." he moaned, his voice hoarse.

Shawn grinned as he cast the luminary which he had recovered onto the other's face. "That's the best thing I've ever heard. You'd better get back on your feet."

Jasyn frowned. "You gotta be kidding me," he muttered. "Give me a day or two and some heavy drugs..."

"After the glitterstim burst you just had I don't forsee that as a good plan," Shawn replied, lending Jasyn a hand as he began to sit up.

Jasyn reached up to clutch his shoulder. "Can't you at least fix this?" he growled.

"No time," Shawn said. "The group is moving this way below us, and there's an emergency miner's cage just ahead. We'd better move before they pass us."

Slowly Jasyn managed to shove himself standing. A bout of pain washed over him, and he doubled over. Shawn was there in a moment to stop him from toppling back over. "Are you sure I'm not going to die?" he winced.

Shawn shook his head. "Not today, anyway."

Jasyn grimaced as he began to walk next to Shawn, who made sure to keep near him. "Thanks for the encouragement, pal," he said sarcastically. "Just do me one favor?"

"What's that?" Shawn asked, glancing over to Jasyn as he approached the hidden miner's cage and hit the switch to open the door, leading Jasyn in.

"Remind me to never come back to Kessel..."

[ 03-24-2002 12:15 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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

"Can't we just...take a break? A little one?" he said, drawing in a quick breath as a surge of pain washed over him.

Shawn paused a moment. "Not a good idea. The glitterstim is out of your system mostly, but I didn't have time to completely cleanse your bloodstream. If we stop and take a break the remaining glitterstim will just take hold of you again."

Jasyn nodded, feeling a bit disoriented. "Allright. Just...stay close. I'm feeling a touch strange."

"That's not uncommon," Shawn said. "Just hang in there. As soon as we get out of this you'll have some travel time to get yourself back in shape." Then, turning his attentions to the wall in front of them, Shawn considered their next problem. "Okay, we are down, but we've gotta get through the wall. No wonder the others haven't found this way out, it's not visible from the other
side, especially not with the lack of lighting."

"Well, then I hope we can find it when we are on the other side."

"It's in my mind now. We'll find it."

Jasyn managed a somewhat bemused look. "Thanks. I feel so much better about it now."

Shawn chose to ignore the comment. "There's gotta be...a lever or something..." he said, feeling the wall with his hand. Nothing seemed to trigger any movement, however.

"Knock on the wall," Jasyn finally said.

Shawn turned and arched an eyebrow. "Wha--?"

"You are looking for a hollow space in the wall. The release or lever will be right above that."

Shawn considered then nodded, turning again to face the wall and trace its surface with his hand, this time knocking every couple of hand widths. After a few minutes of this, he was about to give up when suddenly the wall shifted.

"Push," Jasyn instructed. Shawn didn't argue, but just pushed the wall. It yielded and, as though they were standing on some sort of pivot, the floor beneath them moved with the door, and they spun around. After a one-eighty degree turn, the wall snapped back into place, looking for all the
universe to be a normal part of the miner's cave wall.

Shawn grinned. "Whoa, I'm impressed."

"Usual trap door. Not very original. Don't count on...the Impy's to be otherwise," he ended, gasping at a new surge of pain. "Please tell me this will be over soon."

"Actually," Shawn interjected, motioning Jasyn to follow as he began to move again. "I think we are in luck. They aren't far."

"Good. Even hyperspace travel is sounding better than this."

Time seemed to pass slowly as Jasyn followed the Jedi, his mind still under the influence of the remainder of glitterstim in his system. Maybe minutes had passed, maybe hours, when Shawn suddenly halted in front of him. Jasyn didn't react quite as quickly to this as he usually would have and therefore bumped into the Jedi, causing a new jolt of pain to wash over him. He moaned in spite of himself.

"Somebody there?" a familiar voice asked, wafting from somewhere about fifty meters ahead. At least one luminary flashed in their direction, and Jasyn blinked as the light shined in his eyes and nearly overwhelmed him.

As the sound waves bounced around in his throbbing head, Jasyn realized something else. He knew the voice. "Matt?"

A shuffling/dragging of footsteps answered his call. Shawn remained near him, clearly analyzing whether these were friends or foes approaching. At last he whispered to Jasyn. "We've found them," he said.

Jasyn was about to respond that this was a good thing and that it was time they proceeded the hell out of the mine, when the luminary again flashed in his direction and he could make out the fuzzy image of three people...two men and one not-so-well looking female who looked a hell of alot like
their Cella Poliani. "Whoa, what the hell happened to you guys?" he asked, looking down to avoid the glare of the luminary.

Matt answered. "Lack of rebreather to combat glitterstim. What the hell happened to you?" he asked in return.

Jasyn managed to look up into the luminary long enough to meet his green-eyed friend's gaze. "Energy spider thought I looked like a nice dessert. Thank goodness for our Jedi friend here."

Matt shot the luminary over in Shawn's direction, looking very surprised. "Shawn Petrolu? What happened to Rean? How did you get here...?"

Jasyn cut him off. "Look pal, no time to discuss this with committee. If she feels anything like she looks," he explained, motioning to the listless Jedi with his uninjured arm, "I'd say we better
get the hell out of here."

Shawn nodded in agreement. "Everything will be explained, after we reach the surface and get on our way."

Matt nodded, and motioned to his companions. "Any objections?"

Yaoksi shook his head. The female Jedi...well, no one was quite sure if she responded at all.

"Allright, there's a hidden miner's cage back a way," Shawn explained, beginning to lead everyone along.

Suddenly Matt stepped near Jasyn and asked the question that had been burning in his mind. "On our way to where?"

Jasyn shook his head, trying to clear a bit of fog as well as in response to Matt. "Don't even ask pal. You'll know all too soon enough."

[ 03-24-2002 01:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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

...not the Sith's child. Little Darra.

The buzzing laughter pervaded Terrin's mind as he floated somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, unaware that his auditory perceptions were fueling his waking-nightmare.

A pair of innocent, pleading blue eyes...

...blue eyes? Where had that come from?

"Mine, mine!" the damned creature hissed.

Terrin's eyes at last snapped open, the visions of his dream fully imprinted in his memory. As he tried to shove the nightmare away into the far corners of his mind, something disturbingly familiar broke his reeverie.

Beeping.

Suddenly he sat straight up. Oh damn, the comlink!

Terrin rolled out of the bed, scooping up the comlink and hurrying out of the room. He blinked for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the light, then he answered the call. "Terrin Danner."

"Well, it's about kriffing time," a familiar voice groaned.

Terrin grinned. "You sound like hell, Jasyn. How is the search going?"

"Found everyone. And we are mostly in one piece." Then Jasyn winced a bit. "Mostly. Better have the sickbay ready for one glitterstimmed Jedi Poliani and one energy spider bite," Jasyn explained, wincing again.

"Allright. Thanks for letting me know something. We'll be ready and waiting for your return."

"You'd better be waiting better than you were for the comm," Jasyn replied smugly. "Lancaster out."

As the comm channel snapped closed, Terrin wandered back to the room and sat on the edge of the bed, the images from his dream again coming to the forefront of his mind. He leaned forward and sat his elbows on his knees, laying his head in his hands.

He hoped the images haunting him were merely the stuff nightmares were made of...

[ 03-24-2002 11:25 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Of course, this could have been partially due to the fact that Jasyn had been so on edge after being bitten, his senses still on overdrive from the glitterstim, that he had shot down pretty much anything that might be an energy spider.

Shawn covered his bemused grin fairly well as everyone drudged on behind him, most of them still readjusting to the light of the sun as they emerged at last from the mine.

The female Jedi that the group had in tow had at least some of Shawn's attention. She was practically living on glitterstim in her bloodvessels instead of blood itself. The vibes he got from her were disturbingly...lose. The only cure he could think of was for her to go into a hibernation trance. That he knew she wouldn't do this on her own was a given. He'd have to help her out. But then he had to wonder...on the influence of glitterstim, would she trust him to do that?

She'd have to. She just couldn't keep going like this. She was barely going as it was.

Finally he came to a halt, turning to face everyone who had been following him.

"Don't tell me you forgot something," Jasyn interjected sarcastically.

Shawn couldn't help but reply. "I'm glad to see you are feeling good enough to start with your sarcasm again."

Jasyn's eyes widened. He was clearly surprised that a Jedi would fire off such a comment.

Again, my friend, you assume that Jedi are different from everyone else.

Jasyn didn't reply, but just glared.

"Actually, I think this is the part where we decide who's going on what ship. Poliani needs a healing trance," here he motioned to the other Jedi, "And Jasyn could use a good dose of bacta patches..."

"And a good bottle of Whyrene's Reserve," Jasyn grumbled under his breath.

"Now, I know you have a ship here on the surface," Shawn continued, looking over to the man whose name was Yaoksi. "We've also brought the ZZ'Shzq down. And I know that you'll be wanting to get back to your ship as well. But you all have something very important to talk about with Captain Danner and Galen, and it just can't wait any longer. I'll let them tell you what is going on and what they need, but the long and short of it is that the time is now.

"We could load your ship the Bee on the ZZ'Shzq, have a little talk, then you could head on over to your ship. That's the best solution I can come up with at the moment.

"So," Shawn said, coming to a close and scanning the group, "What does everyone think?"

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

"Excuse me," Cella half-whispered, her voice scratchy in her throat. She took a deep breath, glorying in the air that was free of glitterstim residues. "I thank you all for your aid...but I need the help of another Jedi." She focused her hazel eyes on Shawn in a glance bright with desperation. "Unless he helps me into a healing trance now, the damage may become...permanent."

"She's right," he said at length, gazing into her hazel eyes, "This has to be done now." Then, placing his hand atop one of hers, Shawn looked serenely at her, then closed his eyes. No one said a word, and Shawn was completely oblivious to anything or anyone around him aside from this one who had asked for his help. In only a few minutes, her body slowly relaxed, and she went limp...but her friends did not let her fall.

"Allright," Shawn finally said, opening his eyes, "We're very close. Let's hurry."

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

Damn glitterstim. Still has me on edge, I suppose.

That thought was quickly followed by, Now why the hell is someone sending me a comm? I've talked to Terrin, and the K'kihl and Naisra'len...

...wouldn't know what the hell is going on unless Terrin notified them. Terrin must certainly be worn out if that were the case, that wasn't his usual.

And the only other alternative would be that something had gone wrong. Now THAT wouldn't be a first.

Jasyn decided he'd just relay a quick message back to the person who sent this comm. "Jasyn Lancaster, I HOPE this is not an emergency. We're heading back to ZZ'Shzq...everyone in tow including missing Jedi member...will be arriving within half an hour on ZZ'Shzq...sit tight unless it's an emergency, we'll be in contact shortly."

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

Terrin hadn't intended upon falling asleep again. He had intended to stay up and wait for any further comms. He was going to be up and ready when the group returned from the mines to get on the problem of heading back to Khar Delba once again to rescue his and Galen's daughter.

But, when his communit beeped with Naisra'len's message, he never heard it. At a certain point a person becomes so tired that, no matter how he tries, sleep just takes over.

And that's precisely what it had done.

He would only awake when his body was completely rested or when something of enough significance to him pulled him from that rest...

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

He had failed. The risk was too great, and the mission was too important to stay at the even greater risk of discovery and capture. Or worse. Death. Reinforcements were needed...to Khar Delba he must go.

Returning to Sullust before going back to Khar Delba might have seemed a strange move, but Leev knew the importance of the little purple and silver droid that had been left there, as well as the importance of cleaning up the evidence of the destroyed freighter.

Unnecessary mischief.

Mischief that may cost them more than it was truly worth.

The purple and silver droid, who had been left in the wreckage that once was the Lioness, bleeped irritably at the Noghri as he entered.

"Ready to depaaaaaaaart, are you?" he queried in the droid's direction.

Izzy bleeped an affirmative. Then she returned a question to the Noghri in a slow crescendo.

"Mistrrrrress's safety, I do not know of."

The droid bleeped mournfully.

"Leave immmmediately, we must," Leev said at length.

That got Izzy's attention. She bleeped a string of queries.

"To Khar Deeeeeelba," he replied. "We go now."

Healing would take some time, but Shawn was now certain she would recover. He'd have to give her a little extra boost of Force-healing when they reached the ship, just to speed up the process a bit more.

As he continued to keep a mental gauge on her healing, Jasyn took the lead of the group, now close enough to the ZZ'Shzq to know that the ship's systems were on low-power, and to know that the engine was not running.

"Ten credits says no one is awake when we board," Jasyn quipped.

"The need for rest is warranted," Shawn said simply.

Jasyn nodded. "It is. It really is. And with what's ahead, we should all be getting as much rest as we can."

Shawn nodded once again, and Matt frowned. "Are you going to share this little secret with the rest of the group or what?"

"Galen had the baby," Jasyn replied, leaving it at that.

Matt's frown only darkened. "Why do I get the distinct suspicion that there is more to it than that?"

"Because there is," Jasyn responded.

Shawn arched an eyebrow at Jasyn's back as he neared the ship. Then he turned to the others. "You might as well know the truth. The baby...is on Khar Delba."

Shawn didn't miss the looks ranging from surprise to horror as he turned back to Jasyn, who was just about on top of the ZZ'Shzq by then. As they continued their approach, the group remained silent in the face of the bombshell he had just dropped.

Well guys, Shawn thought to himself, if you thought that was bad, just wait til you find out some of the things I know about the disappearing Master Rean...

[ 03-29-2002 10:13 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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She's in a trance, she's going to be ok... Nassy will be able to add the feminine touch once I get her aboard the "Devil..." Then I'll be able to sit back and finally relax as we head to our new destination...

KHAR DELBA? What in the name of all that exists are we going to Khar Delba for? Galen's baby???

That intruding thought brought me to a screeching halt. I blinked, pushing back the budding joy of being aboard Bee, and ran the conversation between the Jedi and Matt through my thought processes again. Nope, same answer... or so I thought. Hoping against hope that I had misheard, I finally spoke up:

"Uhh, guys... did you say we're going to Khar Delba because Galen's baby is there?" I let any other comment die in my throat at the incongruity of that question.

How could Galen's baby be on Khar Delba if she just had given birth to it aboard the "Devil-May-Care?'

That question brought with it a responding flood of likely solutions, and I didn't like any of them. Thoughts of that blasted thing that, although I had never seen, I had heard plenty about ran rampant in my imagination, vying for contention there with the information I had accrued about that awful Sith... not to mention old memories of a certain Sith casually ripping into my own mind and altering my own perceptions as easily as I would run a hand through my hair. I gulped, and cast an uncertain glance to the wobbling Cella who I was still hugging supportively to me, then turned a questioning look to the others. But before I received the confirmation a little bird was insistently telling me I was going to get, another thought struck me. An entirely new ocean of concerns was hauled along in its wake.

"Uhh... another thought just hit me, pals." I cast a sidelong glance to the lady jedi, who although deep in whatever mysterious ministrations this new jedi had emplaced within her had her eyes disconcertingly open. They shone moist and bright in the dim light surrounding us, uncomfortably similar to those of the blasted energy spiders Jasyn had taken personal bounty upon. I shook that thought from me, and continued.

"Don't you think we ought to decide who goes where from here? I mean now? I mean, does anyone but me feel some inherent danger in putting both our jedi together in the same ship? It's always more difficult to hit multiple targets than one.

"And yes, ahh-- Shawn is it? Shawn-- I am fully aware that we are probably heading into the direst of circumstances, and ought to stick together. Strength in numbers and all that. But with the power of whatever it is that seems to be dogging us, I'd like to present as many numbers as I can.

"I know this lady needs care beyond the capabilities of my medbay. But, I do have a lady aboard who is really good dealing with things on an emotional level; seems to me that's what glitterstim is all about, isn't it? Loosening emotions and increasing psi powers and all?

"Hmmm..." Now I hesitated, having talked myself into an apparent circle. Yes, we needed to keep separate, that was a certainty I felt deep into the very core of my being. But Cella might need more psychic attentions... and all the while there was a baby to rescue.

I risked taking one hand from around Cella's shoulders and wiped my face with it, careful to avoid hitting the rebreather. "You're right," I finally conceded simply. "We do need to talk. But not here; somewhere that all of us can implement a face-to-face. Every one of us.

"Any ideas?"

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Two pinpoints.

Blood-red light.

I grimaced, shifting carefully so as not to disturb the still sleeping Terrin, my dark thoughts expanding now to encompass all that had happened to me in the short years since my sister had killed our father. My frowned darkened as those thoughts played themselves out upon the screen of my inner vision, culminating in the fact that I had given birth to...someone... who was quite probably the offspring of my sister and that terribly powerful Sith who had taken me on Sullust.

It had to be. There was no getting around those eyes... nor the smugly cackling comment that thing from hell had chortled in my face:

"Not yours!"

Cleansing, righteous anger welled up in me as I forced myself to scrutinize those horrific moments in the hotspring. The reason for the attack, at first finally being accepted as a casual and warning display of power, now took on an entirely new meaning:

That infant had to have deliberately been placed in me. Which meant little Jhin had been somehow removed.

Which was what I based my reasoning upon when I stated to Terrin that I knew she was now on Khar Delba... but where in fact I hoped to Khaandon she was still alive.

I frowned again, blinking back a sudden upwelling of angered tears. I hated having to have lied to Terrin, but something had told me that if I hadn't told him that I knew our daughter was alive and well, something would break inside him beyond hope of repair. I already felt guilty enough having brought all this to him; wasn't it precisely in response to reasons that had unfolded that I had voluntarily fled from Sorben? To now admit to him that I really hadn't a clue if Jhin'Darra was indeed on that hideous Sith stronghold, let alone alive, was something I couldn't bear doing.

Not to mention the fact that if I did, there would be no logical reason to endanger everyone by going there. And go there I must... I had to.... There was a certain sweet revenge I was planning, and nothing would keep me from it.

Not Jharmeen. Not her hellhound. Not her laughing imp, or her demonic soulmate. Not fear for my life, or for that of the others.

Nothing.

Fortified with an upsurge of commitment, I tried to relax. I needed to be in tiptop condition for the upcoming confrontation; closing my eyes I forced my thoughts from my head and tried to go back to sleep. But one final vow remained firmly planted in my very soul of souls.

Vengeance would indeed be sweet. And very, very cold.

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"I see the logic," Shawn finally reasoned. "And I'm also considering that it might be wise for Matt to stay with you. What do you think, Matt?"

The short green-eyed man seemed to mull this over. "I think I know what you're thinking. Keep the Eagle Enterprises guys seperate, keeping that target dispersed as well."

"Yes. You think Captain Danner would argue the logic?"

"Probably not. I'll go back with Yaoksi--if Terrin has objections, we can rearrange this wherever we meet to discuss whatever is coming next."

Shawn nodded. Then he frowned. "So uhh...where are we going to meet? I mean, I'm a Jedi, but I don't exactly think the Praxeum is the best place for a pow-wow. While there are some Jedi there, it's mostly students, and I don't think it'd offer us that much protection."

Matt was thinking of something, Shawn could tell it by the look in his eyes. "Matt? You have an idea?"

Jasyn turned to his fellow employee, cocking his head.

Sheesh. Nothing like being out of the know, Shawn thought.

"What about the Hornett?"

Shawn's jaw practically fell to the ground. "Terrin still has her?"

Matt merely nodded. Jasyn began to shake his head. "Terrin is gonna kill you."

"Well," Matt said, "Do you honestly have anything better for a safe parley than a Super Star Destroyer? I mean, I know these Sith pop up everywhere, but there's nowhere else we are going to find as many warm bodies. And as many possible helpers if we need them. It's a good safe place to get ourselves together."

"Allright, allright, the logic stands," Jasyn admitted. "But only Terrin and Aaron know where she is."

"So we leave it that way," Matt said. "Terrin can get us all there. And I think he'd agree with the logic. It's really the only safe, bug-free place I can think of," he reiterated, turning to Shawn.

He shrugged. "I have no objections. Any other ideas, our are we going to run with this suggestion?"

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"Doesn't matter one way or another to me, friends," I called over my shoulder as I carefully guided Cella along. "All I know is that I'm getting off of this blasted planet, and I'm getting off of it now."

All the while I couldn't help but think to myself: These guys have a Super Star Destroyer, and they need me?

"Well... the ol' Devil's got a few surprises in her," I muttered to myself as though to keep an overwhelming feeling of awe at bay. "There's something to be said about being inconspicuous... and fast. Not to mention armed to the teeth."

That thought brought forth one of my gunner; hadn't she once intimated to me that she had some ideas as to how to upgrade the Devil from her already immaculate stature? Suddenly all I wanted was to sit down with her over a nice cup of Corellian wine and just discuss matters.

I tightened my grip around Cella, and hurried on to the Bee. A soft footfall told me that someone was following; I assumed that was Matt. Coming up to my little infiltrator at last, I popped the hatch in her tail and in no time had Cella safely strapped in aft. I then set about warming her systems, the sooner to depart from this hole in the corner of the universe. I didn't know for certain where we were immediately going from here - I figured someone would hail me with coordinates - but I did know one thing.

If I ever came back to Kessel it would be entirely too soon.

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