Terrin hadn't been able to sleep for the past few days. He just couldn't get her off his mind. He couldn't stand the thought of not knowing where she was or if she was safe. He felt so inadequate, as though he'd somehow failed her.

She'd been snagged from him not once, not twice, but several times now.

There just seemed to be absolutely no hope anymore. But he refused to give up.

Sitting in his office, Terrin had just passed out from exhaustion with his head on his desk when the door whooshed open and Matt and Jasyn entered at the heels of Shawn Petrolu.

Jasyn frowned and walked over to Terrin, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him.

"Unless you have good news, go away," Terrin muttered in a tired voice, not looking up.

"Well, we do have news," Shawn said softly.

It took Terrin a moment or two, but he managed to raise his head and shoot a suspicious look at the Jedi. "Ohh?"

"We have a lead."

Suddenly he perked up. "Have we found her? Where is she? Are coordinates set to hit hyperspace...?"

Suddenly he cut his line of questioning off as he noticed the other three looking a bit...strange. "Okay, what aren't you telling me?"

"Stargazer Corporation has got the name of a planet that Sorben Tarnus has been on within the last day."

Terrin frowned. "And we know this, because...?"

Shawn's greeny-blue eyes met Terrin's with concern. "Seems Mr. Tarnus has gotten married."

Suddenly Terrin couldn't do anything but shake his head as this little disclosure slammed home. "Oh no. No, no, no..."

He sat back in his chair and his eyes defocused as he looked past the others, not needing them to say anything else to confirm what he already knew.

Tarnus had married Galen.

This was almost too much to take, when the truth slammed home. And thank the Maker it had.

He knew without a doubt that Galen loved him. He trusted her and believed in her that much. And presented with a bounty hunter that was probably heartbroken after losing her once, and working for this Gravin Dark to find her, she'd probably done the only thing she could do to protect herself. To keep alive so that she could be found and find her baby.

Time to be the bigger man, buddy, and go find Galen like you know she's praying you will.

He stood up, determination icing his blue eyes.

"Terrin?" Matt questioned quietly.

"Follow me. We're getting to the ZZ'Shzq and getting the hell off this SSD. and we are going to find Galen."

Without further word, he headed out, not bothering to get anyone else's reactions to the news of Sorben Tarnus's marriage. He simply didn't care.

He had to find her before Tarnus realized that she was playing him to keep herself safe. Cause if he did...

...Oh he just couldn't. They had to make due haste...

[ 08-15-2005 02:36 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

Aside from the information Stargazer Corp had pulled about Sorben Tarnus and Galen's marriage, he hadn't even been able to sense Galen in the Force since shortly after she was kidnapped.

Unless Tarnus was keeping her permanantly in a Force-cage, which was highly unlikely, something else was going on.

But how the Sithspit was he keeping himself and Galen blocked from the Force?

He let the question brew in his mind as Terrin turned a stormy look his direction, indicating he should hurry up.

Then he asked as if reading Shawn's mind, "You still can't sense her, can you?"

Shawn simply shook his head.

"Could it be this Gravin Dark providing some sort of blanket?"

Shawn thought about that a moment. "I don't think so, but I could be wrong. Shielding two people from the Force continually would take alot of power.

"They could be in a Force Cage but with the marriage and all I highly doubt that too."

Terrin only frowned, no doubt understanding the implications of this. He then quickly changed the subject. "So, what planet are we headed for anyway?"

Jasyn answered. "Ord Mantell."

[ 05-18-2002 07:13 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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

But better ding than death...

Terrin sighed, seeing a pair of insectoid legs sticking out from the underside of the ship.

K'kihl. Terrin hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since he'd disclosed that he had been Tarnus's partner.

"You go on and get the ship ready," he said, turning to Shawn, Jasyn and Matt. "I have someone I need to talk to."

The others merely nodded and headed on their way, and Terrin turned again to the Devil, pondering what to say.

Just be truthful, something inside him said.

With that in mind, Terrin wandered over to the spot where those insectoid legs were peeking from underneath the ship and squatted.

"K'kihl?" he called. The Verpine took a moment, but hauled himself from under the ship, gleaming hydrospanner in hand. Terrin smiled a bit in amusement at that, then sobered.

"K'kihl, we need to talk," he said. The verpine merely directed his shining lenses at Terrin, looking completely uncomfortable with where this might be going.

"I wanted you to know that mine and Galen's meeting was totally by chance. Galen thought that in leaving Sorben she would be protecting him from the Sith. She wanted those with him safe as well. When I bumped into her on Ambria and helped her get off planet..or rather when she helped me get off the dustball of a world..neither of us ever planned to get involved, let alone fall in love. I know this has to be hard for you, and I understand that. But I'm very worried about her now that she has been taken so suddenly. And please believe me when I say that I love Galen very much, and I want the best for her. I guess..."

Here Terrin paused, biting his lip in thought, "...I need your friendship. I know Galen holds a special place for you, and you have been sticking with us since we bumped into you in Dalius City. That means alot.

"I know it'll take you a while to get used to the idea of me and Galen, and I understand that Sorben was a good friend of yours. In many ways, I understand what the guy is going through, but I don't claim that I understand all of it. I'm just...

...really very concerned about what's going on. Not that I'm Force sensitive, but I just have a really bad feeling about all of this."

At that he fell silent, gazing at the Verpine, whose look was completely inscrutable. "I'll...let you get back to your repairs now. I just wanted you to know how I felt. And I'm hoping that in time you'll see it as the truth...

...because it is the truth."

Winding to a close, Terrin stayed just a moment, waiting to see if the Verpine would reply or merely go back to his ship repairs.

[ 05-18-2002 11:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

"Ord Mantell, eh?" Jasyn mused. "I hear there are some nice casinos there. Some good bars..."

Matt turned and glared at this. "Not that we'll be visiting those establishments unless it leads us to this bounty hunter."

"I'm well aware of that fact," Jasyn growled. "I'm just observing that it really is a nice place to get lost."

"And an even harder place to be found at," Shawn added.

Jasyn frowned as something else occurred to him. "Wonder why Terrin didn't choose to take the Eagle over this ship."

"It's not a bad choice, if you ask me. I think I know exactly why he's taking this one."

The two crew members turned to regard the Jedi quizzically at that comment.

"This ship has some sort of shielding around it that Master Rean erected before he disappeared. The shielding has remained, and hides us completely from any Force users. Terrin knows about that shield and plans to use it to his advantage, I'm sure."

"Oh," Jasyn said. "Shawn, what if this Dark guy pops up?"

"We'll worry about that if and when the time comes." With that, another realization surfaced.

Tarnus and Galen couldn't be felt in the Force...

...was Tarnus hiding them both from Gravin Dark?

"There's a chance Sorben Tarnus is hiding from Gravin Dark to begin with. He's decided he loves Galen and now he wants to keep her. But he's already aligned himself with this Dark fellow, whether by his own device or by force. I'm afraid that sooner or later his cover will slip. And that's just another reason we need to get to Galen soon. I have a feeling we don't want her to be there if Gravin Dark pops up..."

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

He WOULD find Galen. Or die trying.

"Terrin, what if we are walking into a trap?" Jasyn asked offhandedly.

Terrin turned to regard him. "Oh, you bet it's probably a trap. But we'll just have to walk carefully. I simply refuse to give up."

Jasyn nodded solemnly. Terrin turned back and keyed up his comm unit.

"Aaron Barnes here," came the familiar voice.

"You're the captain again, buddy. Take care of my ship...we will be back."

"Allright. You be careful out there. And let us know if you need any help."

"Oh don't worry, I will. And you bet I'll be calling on some favors on Ord Mantell. Fortunately it's just the sort of place alot of our small time but loyal customers spend alot of time."

"That's true enough. You need clearance, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, that would be greatly appreciated."

I don't suppose you have the clearance codes to depart this rock?

Terrin bit his lower lip as he waited. Ah, but the memories...

"Okay, buddy, clearance codes coming your way. May the Force be with you."

"Thanks. Danner out."

In a few minutes, which passed in complete silence, Terrin had the little yacht up and through the yawning opening of the Hornett's docking bay which welcomed them into the cold of space. He keyed in a few more things and reached for the hyperspace lever. As he pulled it towards him, he announced to the others. "Destination Ord Mantell, ETA twenty-six hours."

In their wake, the Hornett disappeared into lines of hyperspace...

[ 05-19-2002 02:08 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

This wasn't gonna be easy. He and the others would really have to sit down and talk, when everyone was awake.

As it was, Shawn was the only one not at least napping. Terrin had left the ship in the hands of his assistant several hours before, and not long after that his two crew members had headed for their quarters as well. Shawn, meanwhile, had decided to stay up and do some research. He had never been one to take much sleep to begin with, and it was easy enough to replenish his strength through the Force when there were things of greater importance that he needed to do.

Keenly aware that he was now being watched, Shawn looked up at the smuggler-turned-salesman, who was leaning against the bulkhead across from him, dressed in a black flightsuit to match his mood.

"Found anything?" Terrin asked.

"Not much, but it's something."

"Care to divulge?" Terrin questioned again, now pushing himself upright and wandering over to a small couch where he sat. Shawn swiveled in his chair to regard the taller man. "Gravin Dark has a master by the name of Darth Desolist. Seems Desolist has been known to muck around with the New Republic in order to start a "Sith Empire."

Terrin frowned. "Sounds like some of our buddies on Khar Delba. What's the link between Dark and Desolist and Tarnus?"

"Oh, that was easy to find. Sorben Tarnus's Master Jedi friend Quee Varcek killed Gravin Dark's original master, Valorian. Seems Tarnus had a hand in preventing Dark from adequately assisting his master."

"Oh," Terrin responded, his look turning a bit distant. Then, "So why is that bucket of Hutt-slime working for the guy that was after him anyway?" he suddenly growled out of nowhere.

"Why did you work for the Moff even after you knew that he was simply using you?" Shawn countered.

Terrin's look darkened. The obvious was inescapeable. And rather ugly at that. Money. And a false sense of security. "So what do you think Desolist is after anyway?"

"Well, let's face it. He wants to help reestablish a Sith Empire. One that he wants to be one of the controlling members in. You tell me what you think Desolist after."

Terrin thought a moment. Reality was blindingly painful. "The baby."

"Most certainly."

"But she's not even with us. We don't know where she is. What good would it be to kidnap Galen if she doesn't even know where the baby is?"

"You know that Galen's genetic make-up is what gives the baby her unsual Force abilities," Shawn mused in apparent non-sequieter. "They might not know where the baby is. But they sure know it won't be that hard to get another."

Terrin's eyes widened at this revelation. "Are you saying that...that...you're telling me that they are planning on using Galen to make Force-babies..."

"It's just a feeling I get, but the logic of it is disturbingly obvious."

Terrin slammed his fist against the arm of the couch and stood, wandering back to the bulkhead and leaning against it once again. "With the marriage and all I just bet big credits that Tarnus has some sort of deal with Desolist and his lackey to produce babies. I bet he's told Galen that he loves her and just wants to hide from Desolist. I bet the creep is using marriage as a justifiable excuse to...to...you know..."

Terrin's voice trailed as his eyes defocused. "She's a smart woman. She'll see right through what he's doing," Shawn stated.

"I don't doubt that," Terrin replied. "But she's already been taken advantage of by a damned Sith Lord. I don't care if the guy did marry her, he's doing no better if any of our speculation bears any weight."

"Yeah, well I have an unnerving suspicion that it does. And you've been an information smuggler yourself back in the day. If you're seeing the same thing I am, there's a good chance we're right. How much longer til ETA?"

Terrin glanced at his chrono. "Another fourteen hours. I should really get more sleep...but I just can't."

"Yes, you should get more sleep. You'll be needing your strength. For whatever lies ahead."

[ 05-19-2002 04:47 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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

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