"Are your suites to your liking?" I ask him at length. Then I seat myself once again, and indicate the entire group make themselves comfortable in the cushioned chairs I now condense from the very molecules of air within this room.

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

Whoa baby!

Then he seated himself, still cradling Darra to him, still slightly agape at the comfortable seating that had just appeared out of thin air. "Yes, the suites are much more than I expected" ...Sir? Lord? What was he to call this guy?... "Thank you," he said instead. In his arms, Darra interjected a little coo, as though she was prompting him onward.

Heck, maybe she was.

He looked down into her big blue eyes a moment and smiled. Then he looked back up, directly into the molten eyes of the Sith Lord. "I think my daughter would like something to eat, however..."

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

No matter, Time we do not have enough of that he may indulgently divine it for himself. I lean forward a bit, my eyes affixing his blue ones, and try to make the words as painless as I possibly can.

"The Child will be well taken care of, Captain Danner, have no fears about that," I begin quietly, then settle back to see if the truth of the situation has yet dawned upon him.

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

NO. No, no, no, no, NO! After all that he had fought for? After the blood oath? AFTER ALL THAT HE HAD TRIED TO DO, IT WAS GOING TO END LIKE THIS? HE WAS GOING TO LOSE GALEN, AND HIS DAUGHTER TOO...

...after he'd only now found her...

Shudders escaped him as he clung little Darra to him. "No, no, no! Please, no..."

[ 08-07-2002 12:19 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

I take in a deep breath, now getting slowly to my feet, ignoring the violet blasts my Chosen One is sending me with her eyes. For a moment I stand there silently, then reach a hand out almost in consolation to the one before me.

"Please, Captain," I begin softly, surprisingly softly. "You must not leap to unfounded conclusions. You have not yet heard me out."

I pause briefly, glancing to where my beloved is fiddling with her Claw. My brows lower at that--

Such will not be necessary, young one! You, too, still have much to learn of us, and our ways!

--then quietly regain their former position on my face. The hand I am still holding out to Captain Danner hovers there like a lifeline; slowly I lower it. If such is to be between us, it will be of his own choosing.

"You must be aware of the importance your daughter is to us, Captain," I finally begin. "Through she and her...cousin ...will great..." I pause reflectively, seeking the correct words, somehow realizing this man probably cares not one whit for our civilization at all. But perhaps he cares for his own.

"...means of protecting this Galaxy from evil most dire come about," I finish at length. My head tilts a bit to one side, and I narrow my eyes a bit, seeking to determine whether or not he believes me, politely refusing to ravage his mind to find the answer. I continue....

"Her safety is of the greatest concern, and following that is the safety of your wife. I am sorry but I simply cannot allow them to leave the protection of Phrinnchatka. There is one afoot, of whom I am certain you are aware, who lurks in waiting, biding his time, and who I know you know has already taken your wife on more than one occasion."

I let those harsh words sink in, as much as it pains me. Then I go on.

"I am not a monster, Captain Danner, no matter what views you may have formerly held of the Sith. It would pain me greatly to rend your family apart, even as you have finally found reunion with them. Please believe me when I say there is no other way to keep your wife and daughter positively safe from harm until the traitorous Sith Lord is brought to his knees other than giving them haven here.

"And you as well, should you deem to join them here in comfort and protection."

Coming to a halt, I regain my seat, and wait to see how this man will respond.

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

Traitorous Sith...had to be Lord Roan. And if he got his paws on Galen or Darra...

He shuddered at that thought. He knew exactly what would happen. He had the image firmly implanted in his mind. And he wouldn't forget it, either.

He looked into JhinDarra's quizzical blue eyes again, knowing how very much he was coming to love her.

How very special she was...

And knowing as well how very much he wanted to reconnect with his wife.

Though space-traveler and businessman he had been, those things just weren't of much importance to him anymore.

He wanted to be with his family.

Looking again to the molten-eyed Sith, Terrin wondered where exactly he should begin after such an outburst.

And after he had shown such obvious concern....

...it’s a wonder he hadn’t gotten himself leveled right then and there with his reaction.

He sighed. “Please accept my apologies for my unwarranted reaction,” he began. “I must admit this whole situation is very new to me, and that I am still learning...” at this he paused, looking over to Graysith, “...to trust. But I am learning. Again, I apologize, and would most gratefully accept your offer to stay here with my wife and daughter.”

On the heels of those words came one final thought--

What evil in fact is yet to come for his daughter to face...?

[ 08-07-2002 01:11 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

Green--??!

I jerked to a sitting position, my eyes snapping open. Around me was a soft, verdant glow which quietly bathed shadowy promises of the richest apportionments I had ever been given in my life. Softly cushioned seats, exotic murals and tapestries, the hint of a canopy hanging above me, the deep luster of floor covering to die for....

But-- green?!!

Flashes of the last time I was lit by such a glow rushed unbidden from the same depths I had just wallowed out of, bringing images I shied away from like a nervous ronto, pictures I sure as Roon's Treasure didn't want to look at too closely... and never had the opportunity, for suddenly the light blanked out to be replaced by a deep red hue.

WHA--???

Now that certainly had my attention. I blinked, looking around me, shivering as the redness settling all about me brought yet another scene to my inner eye, of eyes the color of blood... I shivered, drawing silk coverings up about me as I instinctively shrank back against the lush pillows behind me.

The light promptly faded, this time to be replaced by a softly sussurating blue one.

Blue. Like glacial lakes. Comfortingly familiar.

Now that I could handle.

Then it hit me. Rich and luxurious as this place was -- or so my quickly scanning eyes now brought to my numbed brain -- there was no place anywhere in the Galaxy I knew of with the technology to unite lighting fixtures with the thoughts of a room's occupant.

Wonder what it does if someone wants blue and another wants red? I couldn't help the non sequiteur.

Turn purple?

The thought of something else purple -- violet in fact -- leapt unbidden into my mind. Once again I shivered, suddenly realizing where in the galaxy I simply had to be. Maybe not a specific location as to where, but I knew sure as there's Treasure on Roon with who.

Then it all slammed into me again. Rich suite. Me, unbound in any way, shape or form. JhinDarra--

Gone...!

Now I leapt out of the bed, ignoring the opulence offered to me, headed to the door. Expecting it to be locked from without, I was quite surprised when it opened even as I was reaching toward it. I didn't ponder to think any more of this unworldly technology, just headed out of that weirdly beautiful room with only one purpose in mind.

I had to find my daughter -- my husband -- and my way the hell outta here!

The distant sounds of voices brought me to a swift halt, and I stood a moment in the richly carpeted corridor, cocking my head to make certain I had actually heard what I thought I did.

Yup. That was Terrin's voice, all right. And he was talking to--?

I hadn't a clue, but I headed off in the direction of the voices. The sounds grew louder and the words more distinct as I moved along, leading me forward as though they were voiced for just that purpose. At length I found myself outside the biggest pair of ornately carved and jewel-encrusted doors I had ever seen in my life.

Which in turn, yawned open before me.

Now the final words of a conversation I had been receiving the merest hints of slammed fully into my at first uncomprehending, then utterly disbelieving ears:

"...Again, I apologize, and would most gratefully accept your offer to stay here with my wife and daughter.”

The completely shocking incongruity of it all was that the words were coming from my beloved husband's mouth.

I just stood there, my jaw agape, floundering for words. Then my old self flared up from where it had been crammed in hiding for too lengthy a time:

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" I demanded, fighting back the tears of rising betrayal and utter rage. Everyone turned to look at my trembling form silhouetted in the doorway; in turn I was only too keenly aware of her presence along with two...

Two...

SITH? And one of them I remembered all too clearly....

I clenched my fists, ready to do battle, and just let my eyes finally find their way into Terrin's widened blue ones and fall into them, demanding an explanation.

If indeed we even would be granted the time for one.

[ 08-07-2002 02:48 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

...losing her. You are losing her. She doesn't understand...she thinks you are betraying her...

Then quite suddenly and quite unexpectedly, a wave of pure calm and comfort reached out from...

...somewhere...

...and took hold. Terrin removed his widened eyes slowly from Galen's big browns, and let them fall into the big blue ones of his daughter.

But only for a moment. He looked back up into those big browns he loved so very deeply, and for an even longer moment let them rest there. Let her assess what she might in his eyes.

Did she have any idea how completely and utterly horrified he was for her safety and that of their daughter? She hadn't seen the image that he had...

...and he would really rather her NOT have to ever see it.

Finally Terrin stood, coming to face his wife, his eyes never leaving hers. He hoped she could read therein the truth of the situation; that there had been no betrayal...that he had not lost his mind...

Then at length he spoke, rather softly. "Galen, you once told me...that we needed to face our enemies head on, and that I should trust you in that. At the time I wasn't ready to hear that. I was certain it'd only get us all killed. And in fact, perhaps it could have. But the truth remains that we are all still here, and--" he continued, holding out the still kicking and cooing little Darra for her to hold, "--I'd hope that you'd still trust me that I'm the person that I always have been since I met you, that I haven't betrayed you or lost my mind, and that I love you so very deeply--

--and that you'd at least hear out what is being offered here and consider it."

Terrin paused with this, then thought to add one final thought. "Please know that I have been painfully aware of the...difficulties and incongruencies this situation may present to you, and that I've taken them into the utmost consideration before acting in any manner. Please believe that I would never ever do anything to bring you...or our daughter...any harm."

He stopped at that, still holding out little Darra, and waiting to see just what his wife would do.

[ 08-07-2002 03:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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

Nor to lie down with the Beast.

I couldn't do anything but just stand there, slowly shaking my head from side to side in sheer disbelief of what Terrin was saying to me... kept trying to say to me.

He's really trying his darnedest to persuade me, isn't he ol' girl? the thought ghosted into brief existence before flicking out altogether. I pursed my lips, sweat beading up on my brow, and only shook my head again.

"No," I whispered through dry lips. "No. That's not you, Terrin; I know it's not you. You know I'd never willingly come to-- to--

"To HER."

Now I turned to the quiet form of Jharmeen-cum-Graysith, who was standing to one side quietly observing the unfolding events. She seemed to smile at me, rather like a predator; then the expression I thought I saw disappeared from her face, leaving an utterly bland one behind.

I shuddered.

Khaandon help us all; she MUST have done something to him... and to...

JhinDarra!

Now my eyes widened as the fact slammed home that my sweet baby girl was quietly sitting in the midst of such evil, quietly burbling and kicking and gumming her fist. She didn't look in the least bit threatened. She didn't even look perturbed.

Chills coursed up and down my spine. Gods, but what had entered into my sister on that fatal day so long ago, the fringes of which had brushed against me with such indomitable power, resided within my tiny child, just as I knew it would. And she obviously didn't feel threatened...

Like does seek out like, after all.

I wrapped my arms about myself, my head shaking faster and faster, tears of soul-warping grief now welling up and crashing down to flood the world with the realization that I had lost them.

I had lost them all.

Knowing there was nothing I could do but make the futile attempt, I turned on my heel and bolted for the corridor. Reaching it, I headed off to who knows where, running like the very demons of Hell were on my heels.

For perhaps, indeed they were.

[ 08-07-2002 04:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

His daughter. Their daughter.

Reaching Galen, he whirled her about as gently as he could. However, with the speed in which she was running, and with the speed in which he in turn was trying to reach her, momentum was bound to take over. Terrin prepared himself for the enivitable jolt, digging in his heels and at the same time holding tightly to his wife to prevent her from falling backwards.

If it weren’t for his ability to recover from the pull and for the fact of his size, he might have landed squarely on top of Galen, however unintentionally. Instead he managed to absorb most of the momentum and brace them both, his arm about her waist.

Bringing them all closer together than perhaps Galen might have liked at the moment.

Terrin took a moment to allow Galen to recover from the sudden change in direction, and took another to swim in her baby browns. In that moment, understanding dawned.

You haven’t YET explained to her the danger she is in. Haven’t yet truly explained WHY you would do something that seems so horribly terrible on the surface. All you’ve told her, thusfar, is what YOU have done and what YOUR mental state of being is.

Something from a ways back that she had said to him echoed in his brain to confirm this.

And what about what I need, Terrin?

The truth of the matter was that, all this wasn’t going to make a lick of sense to her unless she knew he’d done it so that she could be with her daughter. And so that they both would be safe.

She had to know.

"Galen, please hear me out," he said, his blue eyes still meeting her tear-filled brown pair. “Darth Desolist, Gravin Dark, and Lord Roan are in cahoots. Roan intended to take you and...” he paused, gulping, “...create a Sith Empire of his own.

"Here you are being offered protection...PROTECTION! til Lord Roan is destroyed. If you should leave here, or our little daughter, he will certainly have the upper hand. But this way you and Darra will be together, and safe. And you and Darra will always come first,” he ended with, his deep blues never leaving hers.

[ 08-08-2002 01:30 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

FROM HIM AND JHINDARRA?? WHAT IN HELL'S SEVEN CIRCLES WAS I THINKING???

That sudden realization, so brief yet so encompassing, struck me fully between the eyes, and made me pause in mid-writhe. I buried my nose against Terrin's chest, letting the words he was now speaking come into my ears and register in my brain.

All the while that brain was busy trying to manufacture its own defense. Images of the last time my ex-sister had hold of me flashed across my inner lids, images of her horrid Noghri slashing into me, ripping off my clothing, gouging and breaking and tearing my body, then tossing me into that damp and lonely cell and leaving me there to rot.

Yet... she had taken me from there, healed me, let me go....

I didn't want to know that. I didn't want to recognize the fact at all, that She whom I had come to hate thoughout the past two years could maybe, just maybe, have been hated strictly due to thoughts I had ballooned out of proportion somehow....

No. She kept coming after you. She...

I paused again. Exactly when had she? Ok, that one time, after we had departed from Ambria, she was following....

But she hadn't done anything. Khaandon knows she COULD HAVE.

But she didn't.

And who had?

Roan.

I began trembling like a leaf, working my jaw as the realization struck home that by my thinking perhaps I had been acting in a manner I thought my enemies acted.

Our enemies.

Now I gripped Terrin's shirt with both fists, holding the fabric like a lifeline, and slowly drew back. Though tears stood in my eyes, I managed to say in a voice which wasn't too shaky:

"Oh Khaandon, love, I trust you. But can we really... really ...trust Her... and them?"

And even though I knew the probable answer, I still couldn't help but add:

"She killed our father, and tried to kill me once; what in Hell's Seven Circles would make her change her mind?"

[ 08-08-2002 02:04 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

On the heels of that came a rather interesting thought.

Well, Mr. Danner, WHAT changed your mind about a certain person you really were out to get yourself not so long ago? What changed you?

The answer came easily enough. "Time and circumstances and those you encounter in life often have a way of changing people, sweetheart. I can attest to that personally; after all, I can recall a time not too long ago when I was after someone wrongfully myself," he said, voicing his thoughts aloud. "I've learned it's best to let what is in the past stay there, and to move on with life. Not to say that these things don't forever affect us, but it just doesn't do any good to dwell in it. And it doesn't allow for the fact that people can change. Yes, we can trust them."

He paused a moment, then added one final thought. "And your sister as well."

[ 08-08-2002 02:30 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

"No," I whispered, my eyes huge. "There has to be something else...."

Then I stopped completely, my wildly revolving thoughts slamming fully into the heart of the matter entirely.

Trust.

For it was all about trust, wasn't it. As well as who I trusted myself. Truly.

I had talked the talk. But could I prove it... and walk the walk?

That's what now found myself asking. I peered deeply into Terrin's eyes, then dropped my gaze to the somewhat squished -- and amazingly now-bubbling -- JhinDarra. An aura of complete and utter contentment washed from her in waves, sliding gently into me and pointing out yet another little factor I, in my former panic, had totally overlooked:

My ever-present niggles and hunches were being completely silent in this matter, as though sitting back with their figurative arms crossed, sighing and waiting impatiently for me to wake up and smell the flowers.

My earlier sense of terror and danger hadn't come from my heart, but rather from my head.

I gulped and let my heart take the upper hand. Reaching out to hug Terrin as though I would never let him go, I then drew back a bit and moved myself to his side. There, snuggling into the warm embrace of his arm, I let him lead me back to where I knew She was waiting.

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

A dark shadow flitted through her eyes, and something very old, very ancient... and very, very powerful began to rise up within her. Within her very Soul, the Beast whined and licked its lips in expectation. A slow smile began to curl upon her lips...

...only to be truncated harshly as a blinding saber of something slashed into her.

While every atom of her inner being threw itself upward in complete surprise at that unexpected attack, she didn't so much as move a muscle. Gradually her eyes moved from the approaching group, glancing over her somehow bemused Adept, over her quite silent protector... and coming at last to the stern form of Aelvedaar.

His head barely nodded in her direction.

"Take care in thy current ministrations, my Chosen One," his chastisement came arrowing into her mind. "Scrutinze all before you... and all behind you as well! ...that you may know that which is false from that which is true."

His warning given, he withdrew from her being, leaving her to her own devices.

She blinked once, twice; then she smoothly turned her look back to Captain Danner. He moved rapidly into the great room, striding forward purposefully and unerringly and coming at length to a halt...

...not before Lord Aelvedaar. But before her.

He stopped there before her, bowing his head slightly, his grip tightening about Galen's shoulders. Graysith could literally feel the impact of the wave upon wave of sheer terror mounting up within Galen, spilling out of her being and flowing from her like a raging river, though she strove mightily to fight this down.

Graysith gave Terrin a meaningful look, then turned her violet gaze into Galen's obviously terrified eyes. For a long moment she hesitated, searching deeply within herself for something, hunting, seeking...

...and not finding. The rage of the death of her child remained elusive, no matter how the Beast fought to expose it. Her Sire had taught her too well:

All for the Greater Good.

Her breast heaved as she inhaled, holding that breath while she considered. Then, the Glyph remaining in quiet magnificence on her forehead, she moved forward, holding both her hands out to Galen Jhin'Dar Danner.

"Not that we were once sisters," she breathed quietly, keeping her hands held out in cool invitation. "But indeed, that we are.

"Welcome to Phrinnchatka, Galen," she finished, leaving the choice up to her sister as to whether their hands would ever join together or not.

[ 08-08-2002 04:20 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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

Or perhaps only someone who had once experienced the same.

Loneliness, no matter the cause, appears the same regardless of that which causes it: in the form of a great rending hole. And that hole Shayla knew well; she'd experienced it herself.

The image of a a woman who had lost her child before she had ever been born sequed into one of a little girl losing her parents when she was still at a very young age. This sequed into the picture of a young woman who had lost her Father and sister...

Shayla paused at that.

All for the Greater Good...

And wasn't it all of these loses, all of these experiences which at the time of their occurence seemed so damnably horrible, that truly defined a person's existence? For either one could let those experiences totally defeat; or they could take the same experiences and allow them be the chisel that shaped them.

It occurred to Shayla that the Greater Good was often perceived otherwise if all was not viewed from the Big Picture.

Thus, it was very important that she not abuse the Power she had begun learning to use. For it was simple to act through the All in a manner that benefited one's OWN greater good; but that did not ALWAYS mean that the true Greater Good was being served. For to accept both the Darker and Lighter emotions within oneself and act upon them in whatever manner one deems appropriate might not always benefit the Greater Good.

Shayla nodded, unnoticed to all but Erik. He seemed to somehow sense her musings and tightened his grip on her hand. She in turn blinked to clear the fog from her eyes, and returned her attentions to the image of Graysith, arms outstretched to her blood-sister. She then sent out a tendril of herself to her Teacher in support, waiting to see just what might happen next.

[ 08-08-2002 06:44 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

An image is beginning to form, one upon which tiny motes continue to play about that thing they determine to be Life....

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

...as my sister slowly came up to me, holding her hands out, and bid me welcome to this place. Though my heart was in my throat practically suffocating me there, little hands belonging to inner imps of curiosity began waving frantically for my attention.

This place has a name! "Phrinnchatka!" It's a SITH city, it HAS to be a Sith city!

Oh, Dad would have been absolutely THRILLED...!

The thought of our father brought me abruptly round-robin to reality, and I cringed back further. Graysith didn't move a muscle, though her eyes flicked once to that imposing and rather ominous-looking red-skinned Sith. They flicked back to me, and regarded me calmly.

Waiting.

I worked my jaw, fighting down the terror, somehow knowing this was more than merely being a turning point for my own despair and anguish and suspicion. Somehow knowing there was something deeper at work here, something I couldn't even begin to guess about, let alone put a title to.

But fear is a difficult thing to handily displace... especially when now all I could see before me was the image of this woman, a dusty rock held firmly in her small hand, reddening as it rose into the air and fell, rose into the air yet again...

A tremor racked my body, my knees turned to butter. If it hadn't been for Terrin's grip about me, I would have fallen to the floor. I worked my jaw again, blinking back tears until her image sharpened and steadied in my vision, and finally managed to blurt out a single word to her:

"Why--?"

Now my arms released Terrin to wrap about myself, and I shivered, waiting....

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

Deep within her very essence, ever since she had silenced the man who was her biological father, had lifted her head from the deed to determine the absence of Galen Jhin'Dar, had dismissed the thought of seeking her out for the apparent surety that alone she would die on this sere and rock-riven place....

Ever since that day she had somehow known this day would come. And unbeknownst to herself, had built up barrier after barrier in defense of it.

Barriers built of anger, of hatred, of vengeance and power. Barriers which elevated herself to that position given to her indeed, the Chosen Daughter of the Sith... but barriers touting that entitlement in an entirely misguided fashion.

A fashion every sapient in the Galaxy thought of when the name "Sith" was but whispered: one of evil, and dominance over others. Unstoppable power. Great mystery. And utter, haughty detachment from the myriads who would call this Galaxy home.

She swallowed as this realization struck home, the Glyph flaring a bit as her eyes turned inward. Her knees, thankfully hidden beneath the luxurious folds of her cloak, began to tremble slightly. Deep within her very soul, huddled about that singular kernel it refused to let go of over the past years, the Beast whined in an admixture of consternation and fear. Slowly it rose to its feet, its head hanging low, panting rapidly into the encroachment of a different kind of night, waiting in anxiety as her inward scrutiny swept closer and closer to where it stood, came up to it, and ordered it aside.

It complied, revealing the precious kernel to her. Something within her began to shiver uncontrollably, and she reached a hand toward it, bidding it open....

It did, with a sigh like that of a deflating balloon.

There within lay the hoarded image of Dark Wicked. He stood there in quiet splendor, unarmed, bearing not one Sith amulet or weapon. Just the raven-haired image of him, holding a hand out to her.

He nodded once, then he too stepped aside.

Another image was revealed: a being tall, imposing, skin charnel-house red, eyes the fiery color of complete despair...

...or the brilliant, flaring yellow of a life-giving sun...

...a set of magnificent horns spiraling from his brow to tower in exotic splendor. Robed in flowing black and royal blue and gold, he merely nodded his head to her, his volcanic eyes closing, his hand smoothly motioning behind him as he too stepped aside....

...to reveal a slight, white-haired man who simply peered at her with myopic intensity. In his arms he held a babe with hair a raven's-wing blue-black, and with arresting violet eyes. The babe opened her eyes to consider her quietly, then closed them and appeared to go to sleep.

The Beast now snarled quietly, stepping forth to hover nearby, reaching out a great paw to slam all the images back into the kernel, there to curl about it protectively once again. The little baby, however, would have none of that.

At least not at the moment.

Incongruously, she waved her tiny hand, stopping the Beast in its tracks. Her brilliant eyes then opened, and affixed themselves directly into Graysith's inward scrutiny.

"All are One," she said simply. Then her eyes closed again, and she quieted. The white-haired man held her tightly to him, nodding once to her.

"Jharmeen," he breathed. Then he stepped back and sinking down, disappeared into the kernel which had been protecting him as well.

The remaining images stood in silent resistance to each other. Then the molten-eyed Sith Lord bowed his head to the other, and stepped back to the kernel as well. The image of Wicked now devoted his attentions to her.

"Do as you will," he commanded in his endearingly strong, bass voice. "As you will. For All are One."

Then he stepped into the kernel, which closed with an audible snap. It lay before her inner vision, a jewel more precious than the Universe, and was soon hidden from her sight by the form of the anxious Beast. That subconscious entity curled up about it, whined once, and began to lick the kernel lovingly.

Graysith's eyes snapped outward. She looked upon the frightened woman in front of her, trying to bring herself to her reality, seeking words to somehow make sense of what she had just experienced.

Not merely to clarify for Galen. But to clarify for herself.

Groping for words, she finally settled on seemingly cryptic ones, hoping against hope that this woman -- her sister -- would one day come to understand:

"All are in wonderful balance with each other, Galen, more so than it would appear. That which is taken away, is given elsewhere. And yet taken from another place, in magnificent equilibrium.

"I do not expect you to understand this now; I do not know if indeed you ever will. Nor if you will forgive me. But this was a deed I had to do, as much as I loved him and you...."

She paused a moment, her hands wavering a bit. Then she steadied herself as yet another startling realization slammed home.

"You are my sister, Galen," she finally whispered. "And I love you. I need you, and need you to need me again, sisters once more, kin to kin. You must believe me when I say no harm shall come to you here, that we wish to keep you safe from that which is truly evil -- beyond evil! -- in this Universe. Just as you must one day come to know:

"What I did, I did for you."

She fell silent, her hands still extended, the Beast for once quiescent within her psyche.

Seated upon the Great Receiving Throne, all but ignored by the others, Lord Aelvedaar closed his eyes and nodded in approval.

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

But while he was mostly aware of Galen, he still had a good bit of attention directed to what Graysith was saying even now. He wouldn't even dare say he understood it. What he did understand, however, was that perhaps there was indeed more to Graysith than he had originally thought. Then Terrin realized that this was, in fact, not the first time he'd thought something of the sort. He had noticed the despair in her eyes as she related to him the truth of the child Galen had carried and given birth to.

And truthfully, if she really had ever wanted to kill Galen, didn't she have every opportunity on more than one occasion, even in the timespan that he had been with her? In the time that she had been with them?

Terrin paused at that, considering. Maybe there was something else there.

As if on cue, the answer to that nailed him right between the eyes in Graysith's next words:

"You are my sister, Galen, and I love you. I need you, and need you to need me again, sisters once more, kin to kin. You must believe me when I say no harm shall come to you here, that we wish to keep you safe from that which is truly evil -- beyond evil! -- in this Universe. Just as you must one day come to know:

"What I did, I did for you."

Terrin couldn't say he understood that last part. Considering this, he pulled Galen a bit more closely to himself, then in the same motion let her go a fraction, silently encouraging her to step forward and trust, all the while knowing just how difficult that would be.

But he couldn't help but think in the quietness of the moment: Well Galen, just maybe you have found Jharmeen Jhin'Dar at last...

[ 08-09-2002 03:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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She did what she did for me? SHE KILLED DAD "FOR ME?!?"

What in Hell's Seven Circles was wrong with this picture!

Now my head was shaking back and forth in reflexive denial of the incongruity of it all. "No!" I managed, barely above a whisper, trying to draw back and burrow into obscurity beneath Terrin's armpit. "No-oo-ooo..."

Yet even as I drew back, trying to fight, to continue to deny, something of the words she was speaking began to worm into me. Persistent little devils that they were, they insidiously began to make a modicum of sense, albeit in a manner scarcely above logical thought.

Magnificent equilibrium, she said. All is in wonderful balance, something like that.

This was a deed she had to do... and she did it for me?

Quite suddenly a lone little inner hand raised a slight finger, waggled it politely, as though not wishing to interfere. In all its quiet interruption, it fully captured my attention. I glued myself to it, seeking something, anything which remotely seemed to be an answer.

She killed for me. A life was taken. Somewhere, wonderful balance was maintained. A life, most precious, saw to that...

...a life is indeed a precious gift to give a soul, no matter which side of the magnifying glass you view the act of "giving."

That apparent oxymoron brought my terror to a screeching halt. It paused as something I had inherited from my father... something we BOTH had inherited from OUR father ...rose up in scholarly speculation to begin pondering upon this all.

I couldn't help it. It just came up, viewed the equation, and plopped right then and there in the middle of my psyche to solve it.

That unbidden and quite shattering revelation gave me pause. I blinked, turning now to gaze up at Terrin. He returned my gaze look for look: warm, loving, utterly assured in what he was doing for us...

...and for me.

In his arms my daughter kicked her tiny feet, and yet again crammed her fist into her mouth. Then she sighed a little, and promptly fell asleep. The utter lack of response on her part was powerful enough in itself... and indeed went a long way toward justifying the unspoken trust everyone was so studiously tiptoeing about, yet proclaiming it with a timbre to rival that of very starsong itself.

In recognition of this, my thoughts slammed back to ones I had just been chiding myself about:

Trust.

It was as though Terrin read my mind. He suddenly smiled a bit, then giving me a squeeze he seemed to prod me forward.

I wrenched my eyes out of his and back into Graysith's --

--into Jharmeen's--

--again. Swallowed, a statement I had uttered all too many times to Sorben during our checkered times together rushing through my mind:

In for a credit, go for the Crown.

Not quite knowing exactly the words to say, I simply stepped out of the protection of Terrin's arms and tightly clasped my sister's hands.

Imagine my utter surprise with myself when they then proceeded to move forward, until my arms had wrapped entirely about her in a hug born of something kin to fierce desperation, my eyes now flooding with tears as I gripped her as though she were some sort of lifeline suddenly offerred to me.

Indeed, perhaps she was at that.

[ 08-09-2002 02:55 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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I nod approvingly upon them both.

"Come," I say, my bass voice booming in the sudden tranquility of the moment. "There is much yet of which to have discourse. Let us depart to the more comfortable confines of the Dining Hall, to speak of many things and to dine together in peace...

"...as well as to see that the Little One receives some form of sustenence."

This latter I say in a voice born of laughter, clearly reading the earlier consternation of this in the eyes of the child's father. I look directly therein, and nod to him.

Let him begin in his learning of the true nature of us... as well as we would begin to learn of him and his allies. This is of the utmost importance, if the One now against us all would be defeated.

We move out to where we may do exactly that.

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Recinis opened his eyes just in time to see Galan embrace graysith in a hug.
he then looked to the child that rested queitly within her fathers arms.

she as well can sense that everything is fine...The child is well attuned to the univers...

Recinis then closed his eyes again, and began once again contemplating the happenings of the univers.

Only time will tell were we go from here, though all will be well
he thought quietly

he then heard Aelvedaar Arise and approuch the two sisters. Upon hearing his words, recinis reopened his eyes and came to a ready possition, ready to follow, but maintaning his continues thoughts.

[ 08-09-2002 03:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Recinis ]

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I turn to Captain Danner, and hold my goblet up to him.

"To the newest citizens of Phrinnchatka, Captain Danner," I toast him, then continue.

"To the sounds of running footsteps, and the laughter of children within these walls. To allies, and the abolishment of enemies most foul.

"And to our new strategist, for my Chosen One..."

Here I pause fractionally to glance a bit longingly down the length of the table yet once more....

"My Chosen One and I are far from being Warriors, as strong and I am, and as much as She may have deceived you into believing."

I fall silent, my goblet raised, waiting to hear the response.

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Strategist? These guys wanted him to be their strategist?

Well sheesh, he KNEW he'd have to repay them eventually somehow for all the assistance and protection...

...but strategist...???

Terrin rather figured he'd be aiding somehow by providing ships and allies and...

As if from out of nowhere, a mental "Well DUH!" nailed him right between the eyes.

He'd been getting nailed right between the eyes alot lately.

After all, he'd be providing a large number of allies. And he'd have to be the negotiator on that one; he'd be the one all those people would trust first. In turn, he would most likely be the one working hand in hand with said allies to come up with plans.

And didn't he have a little experience in this area, after all?

Memories of work with an Imperial Admiral turned into those of forming plans to assist Galen on their journey to Khar Delba. That in turn sequed into even more recent memories of assisting her to escape Admiral Actar's clutches.

And heavens knew what Aaron had concocted up to retrieve Galen from Actar this last time, for most certainly he had in fact done this--he'd known where Galen was when they'd thought she was in Actar's hands and had lead Lord Narcolm and Recinis to her.

You have been in the business of doing alot of strategizing lately, haven't you buddy?

Finally pulling himself from this introspection, Terrin at last realized just how stupid he was probably looking and managed to pick his jaw up from where it had landed somewhere on the table.

He nodded and said not a word, but simply smiled and rose his glass to accept the toast...

and that which had been bestowed upon him.

[ 08-09-2002 04:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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"what is our next plan of action?" he said quietly, as not to awaken the sleeping child.

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