Back on the Hornett...

With Aaron's departure for business elsewhere, Matt Stanza had been given full charge of any business dealings for Eagle Enterprises until Aaron returned. This wasn't uncommon; after all, Matt was Terrin's assistant, and he knew anything and everything that Terrin did. So this wasn't too difficult a task for him to deal with. He was, however, exhausted after all the recent hoopla in Prinn'chatka, and had taken a nice break from reality in a thing known as sleep.

So, after who knew how long, Matt finally awoke, feeling like he'd slept two days. And heck, maybe he had. But he knew there were business items to attend to, so he headed for his own office, tapping into the Eagle Enterprises computer system.

Among one of the first items of business...a person calling himself "Flac" had called Eagle Enterprises concerning ship repairs before Aaron had left, and something had happened to the man's comm frequency before Aaron could determine exactly where he was so he could be assisted. Aaron believed the guy had run into trouble, and it was EE policy to follow-up on potential clients that seemed to be in exactly that. The policy had gained them some rather loyal clients. Aaron had left Matt the comm frequency that he and Flac had communicated on and had asked he try to find the man and see if his ship needed repairs. Matt intended to do just that.

Now, Matt wasn't too sure if this comm frequency would work if Flac was having major problems with his ship, but he went ahead and punched it in; couldn't hurt to at least try. Somewhere, a connection was made.

Aha!

Matt grinned, realizing it felt good to be back in business, and sent out a comm, hopefully to Flac. "This is Matt Stanza of Eagle Enterprises. Aaron Barnes relayed your comm frequency to me, and was hoping that I could contact you after he lost connection with your comm freq. You still need some assistance with that ship of yours?"

[ 10-31-2002 10:50 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Mara1Jade ]

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Hmmm... Im not to sure, but i dont think galen would ah... Like if i told someone where i was...

"Ah... Ya, hey there... Thanks for ca-"

Just then he flipped a switch that would send a static message to the reciever, and then blank out, he also set his comm to ignore further calls from Eagle enterprises...

"oppps... Guess i made a boo-boo..."

He laughed, picking up the Eagle enterprises card, and examining it in his borden while he awated galen... If she hadnt booked already, he certainly hoped she didnt...

Scimming down the thing in bordom he began humming to himself...

comm freq...

Bussiniss standards...

How long they've been in bussinis...

Owners: terrin danner and Aaron Barnes...

still quietly humming his eyes poped out of his head.

terrin DANNER?!

DANNER?! as in... galen DANNER! Jhin'darra DANNER!?

WOW MAN! AND SHE'S RUNNING AWAY?! WHY!

he chuckled to himself...

"and you were gonna give her money for saving your sorry hide... She's got enough cash to buy out your company 500 times Flac Ol Friend... or at least, her hubby does... She doesnt look like the kind that would take money after they split... If even they had split..."

He shugged, that didnt change the fact, that you are gonna help that gal... no way, You stick to your promises... Yess Indeed...

[ 10-31-2002 11:05 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Flac ]

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He's not one to get into other's business, so he didn't give any thought to how Flac treated the EE situation...

But, the term money caught his attention...

If there's one thing Malf knows, it's that money equals food...

And where food is, Malf sticks around...

He had a feeling he would come to love this Galen Danner...

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

Shaking my head with a little snort, I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, and then focused my attention on what it was that had awakened me. The weird little sigil indicating an incoming signal was online was blinking with a steady if somewhat staticky whisper that I wake up and smell the proverbial cuppa caf. I let a puff of air escape me, and hit the signal.

"All right, Brown Eyes," Flac's irrepressible voice came in loud and clear. "My business is done with. You ready to get down to the Gungans?" A sound that was not so much static as the song a living star makes accentuated the final question, carrying it through my ears and into my brain, where for the final time it was analyzed from every conceivable angle.

I hesitated, my hand over the return link.

He didn't know that I was here in orbit, for I was still camoflagued in the light-bending and force blocking defenses I had. For all he knew, I hadn't come at all, but had fled to the distant stars with my daughter. All I had to do was move my hand just a touch wee to the right, and engage another sigil....

My hand slapped the return.

"I read you loud and clear, Flac," I replied before I could talk myself out of it. "Ready when you are, so lead on, MacDuff."

Oh yeah, did I ever tell anyone that Shakespeare was from Garos IV?

[ 11-01-2002 01:21 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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His hand went unconciously to a little item in his pocket, left over from his little... bussiness affair... Darra would just love this!

he smiled to himself as he remembered the look on all faces of the children... quickly turning that smile into the rogueish grin as galens ship landed beside his.

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

Good. Who's going to pay attention to that apparent broken down rustbucket... and no one is gonna catch their eye on Jester! We just might be safe here....

Just before I powered down Jester and put her into her own brand of sleep, I leaned forward to scrutinze the image her forward view was sending me. This way I'd be properly oriented when I came back to board her... whenever in Hell's Seven Circles that would be. Flac took up quite a big proportion of the screen; I had honed my piloting talents over the years to the extent that I literally parked right next to where he was standing. Thus it was that I caught something crossing his features that looked like a genuine smile, which was after a bit replaced with his otherwise goofy grin.

Hmmm. Now why was that making me sit up and take notice?

Shrugging off the puzzled feeling this created in me as being unimportant at this time, I adjusted my suit, hoisted Darra into my arms, and departed from my little Sith wonder.

Any remnants of that fuzzily warm feeling I had earlier were washed away entirely when Flac whirled, eyes wide to see us pop into existance out of thin air and step on an invisible ramp to the ground. His expression was that priceless.

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

As galen approuch him, from seemingly nowhere, flac shook his head.
"Oh... Your good!" he said with a little wink, foring his gaze seemed to lock upon darra, and a hand unconciously fiddled with what was in his pocket...

All his desires for stealth simply melted away at the thought of darra playing with the little rattle he had saved for her, he couldnt resist, she was such a cute little kid, with that addorable little tuft of read hair, and those brillient blue eyes...

He smiled truly sincerly,his foolish grin melting as fast as ice on tattooine.

He pulled the little rattle out of his pocket, examing it, before handing it over to darra, giving it a little shake to show what it could do, before her little hands wrapped about the handle, those blue eyes seeming to examin it from all angles, as if trying to determin what it was she had been given...

he looked up at galen, and smiled "Saved that for her when i visited th-" He stopped dead as he realized he had just blown his rouse. "after 5 years flac... 5 YEARS! you still cant keep your mouth shut some times, sure, you can hold information that could change the universe, and never tell a soul... But can you keep your own little secrets? oh, no! of course not... Your losing it Flac... You are really losing it..." he muttered to himself somewhat under his breath, before turning his now soft gaze into galens eyes. "Listen galen... I want to tell you the truth... Im not a smuggler anymore... I... I-" he sighed again. "I really just smuggle supplies to kids that have it ruff... but you cant tell a soul ok! if anyone found out... I would hate to see the kids punished... Please galen... I may have a big mouth at times... But... I dont want them to get hurt... They deserve so much better then they have."

At that he sort of... fell onto the ground, sitting and shaking his head. "its those eyes flac... you knew it from the begining... Those eyes are gonna see your soul... Why didnt you just not look? you always did have a weakness to brown eyes... Just like your sister... Cant hide anything from them can you?"

He sighed once more and stood, "lets get going Brown eyes... Im sure you dont wanna stand there and listen to me babble all day..."

he entered the ship before she could say a word in reply... Soon he returned, shaking his head. "listen, I dont think we should swim, i dont have a rebreather that will fit darra... Hope in tammy... me and her will get ya down... no problems..."

very slowly, his smile turned again into that foolish little grin of his, and he gave galen another wink "lets move out"

[ 11-03-2002 01:37 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Flac ]

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He smuggles supplies to kids who have it rough? Now, this was an unexpected side of him indeed....

That if anything made any last bit of trepidation I might still have lingering about inside of me fly off in the wind. And while admittedly a saner, suspicious part of me tried to raise its finger to say that he could be just feeding me a line, I squelched it as somehow there was just no justification underlining that thought. There was just something about this guy that seemed completely trustworthy, wild card or not, and since I didn't really have anywhere else to go -- not to mention I really didn't want to go there alone -- I pushed that suspicion away and flashed a genuine smile of my own right back at him.

Eyes sparkling, teeth gleaming and all.

"Lead on, MacDuff," I repeated myself, marching past him to the forlorn heap that was his ship, reaching out a hand in passing to lightly squeeze his arm in thanks. Utterly committed now, I boarded his ship, and stopped just inside, waiting for him to come tell me where to sit or what I could do to make myself useful. Finding an empty seat to lay Darra with her rattle, I then turned to Flac and asked as much.

[ 11-03-2002 01:58 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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He gave galen a funny little wink before saying, "alright brown eyes, put her into gear, and head straight under, you cant miss the city, big glowing balls in the water..."

As the ship took off, and then plunged into the water, flac hit a few random switches, which at first seemed to do nother, the water began slowly to sprout through little leeks here and there, but then flac gave a little box a hard kick, and took a bat to another little joint, and everythign seemed to seal up, and become perfectly operatable...

Finaly the little ship entered the city of the gungans, and flac lookd at galen with a small nod. "welp brown eyes, welcom to the underwater city..."

Before she could stand, or say anythign, there was a loud banging at the door. "FLACS! WESSAS KNOWS YOUSA IN THERE! YOUSA IN BIGGIN TROUBLES!"

Flac sighed shaking his head "i guess this isnt the best time to ah... Mention that im not well liked here... But dont worry, i can take care of everthing..."

with a small smile and one last look that read "dont leave untill i get back" he was out the hatch...
Sometime later

Flac entered the ship and nodded "it took some talking, but we can stay... You, darra, and malf, are welcome to stay here as guests... And as for me... well, I still get to be ignored, and treated as an outsider, serving out a punishment of 4 weeks intolloration... As long as i dont stick around the guards durring this time though, it'al all be fine..."

He smiled and approuched galen, taking her hand in his, he lead her down the gangway, and into the city, walking slowly taking carefull note that she was understanding each turn, untill they ended up at her room.

He released her hand then and nodded "im right accross the hall... Though, ah... You'd be advised not to ah..enter there during the hours 4-6... that will be when the guards are...er... 'Lecturing' me... probably wont be pretty... But its allright, enjoy yourself, and opertunity like this doesnt come along twice in a life time, heck, for most it doesnt come along at all..."

His gaze shifted to malf "your rooms next to mine buddo..."

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

I shook that wonder away, and nodded again to Flac. Then the fact that he was letting my hand drop brought me back to reality with a bang.

When had he taken up my hand? I didn't know he had taken up my hand....

"Umm... ahhh," I began, momentarily derailed. "Er... ok, thanks Flac."

Now an embarrassed smile raced over my face, and I was truly thankful that in the dim lighting the blush on my face truly could not be seen. Physically, I mean; I had noticed that Darra's bright red hair suddenly looked black as ink. Something dad had taught me once upon a better day came incongruously into my head at that discovery; something about red light being filtered out deeply under water or something...

Well, good. Cuz sure as there's Treasure on Roon your face is as red as your daughter's hair right now, isn't it Galen ol' girl...?

Nodding my head once more -- sheesh, did I feel suddenly stupid or what? -- I turned and entered the transparent doorway to my rather exotic quarters. I blinked again, this time in wonder.

All around me was nothing but decreasingly dim background light, speckled everywhere by the soft glow of yellow orbs which seemed to light this fantastic place, and the barely perceptible glints of that light from the transparent walls that separated rooms from corridors, and the entire city from the vast and dark waters pressing in from beyond. I was just beginning to think that I wouldn't have a moment's privacy here at all, when my eye was caught by a slender golden cord hanging nearby. I pulled upon it, and a rich and heavy teal-colored drapery rolled down from somewhere overhead to totally enclose the bubble I was in.

At least I thought it was teal; who could tell from the weird lighting this place had. But whatever its color, it effectively hid me from any other eyes present in this gungan city, for which I was extremely thankful.

I let out a sigh, then set about investigating my room. Here was a great urchin shaped thing; from the way it sloshed I gathered it was filled with water. Laying nearby were soft blankets woven from -- who knows what they were made of. They were dense and silky and immediately returned the warmth radiating from my hand back to it when I touched them. I didn't see any pillows, but had a feeling they really weren't needed.

I lay Darra down on the weird bed, for indeed bed it had to be. She cooed, drooled a little, waved her rattle once, and promptly fell asleep. I smiled, leaning down to kiss her downy head, and gently covered with the lighter of the blankets neatly folded nearby.

Then I took a deep breath and stepped back out of these quarters given to me, exiting through a slit in the drapery which aligned itself to the corridor from which I had entered them. I stood there a moment, lost, wondering where in Hell's Seven Circles I could possibly go to find anything to eat around here.

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

"Well buddy, youve done it again, Yousa in big big trouble my friend... Yes indeed..."

always ready to argue with himself he quickly replied "ya, but at least galen and darra are safe, and in a hidden place... With the way she acts, she's probably being chased by the head of the empire..."

hmm... Thats not to bad a theory, but what would she be doing dealing with the empire in the first place... She had indeed mentioned it before, So, wheres the connection... Terrin danner. It just had to be, her hubby musta crossed the empire in the wrong way...

he shook his head slowly, his eyes staring blankly at the cealing of the little dome.

"no... Its not terrin, Whoevers after her, is after HER for her own reasons... no way could you be that scared over someone elses actions."

He then chuckled to himself "probably had a run in with some ancient species that has been dead for over 2000 years or something... with that ship, i really wouldnt be serprized at all..."

He laughed some more "youd just love that wouldnt you? Ha, fat chance though buddo, thats a little odd even for YOU to believe..."

his head bobbed and he again replied to himself "you got that right, i wouldnt believe that in a million years..."

He smiled to himself as an image of that ship came to mind... Whoever made that musta been on spice... And not very high quality stuff at that... The geometries of that thing are impossible, and the metal it was made outa, never seen that color before in my life...

he shrugged. while he sure did love wierd stuff, and on top of that there was that little pilot part of him that wanted to jump in that thing and see what it did, though that part wasnt a very big segment of his personality, he just couldnt come to think about a ship for much longer then a passing thought...

he closed his eyes for a little bit before standing up and stretching, exiting through the little tunnel, and turning down a corridoor he stumbled upon galen, who looked a bit lost, and somewhat in need

He couldnt help the little smile that crossed his features, gungans werent well known for being... Helpfull, considerate, or in anyway nice, to outsiders, even if those outsiders were 'guests' he almost snorted at the word... After all, to a gungan, the word "guest" meant "Outsider"...

Him and galen were really in the same bout, the gungans were just more open about how they considered flac...

He approuched her quietly giving her his funny little grin "Hey there Brown Eyes, You look as though you need some help... May i be of some assistance"

he laughed a bit as he heard galens stomach rumble lightly.

" Gotcha, food, follow me... though i hope you like seafood, cause well... Ah... Good luck finding anything else here..."

With that he ushered her away, smiling foolishly as he did so, speaking up before she could utter a word of protest "Alright brown eyes, you been caught in flacs trap... I got you right where i want ya, at the bottom of the ocean, hungry, and without a map... You gotta do whatever i say now"

he laughed again before giving her a funny little wink "dont worry, the food here aint to bad... Just takes a little...ah... Id say getting used to...but umm... for me it was more of a...heh... Dissencitation..."

He chuckled once more before turning her into another little buble, sitting her down at a table, he approuched a little booth.

After some hesitation on the servers accounts, and a bit of arguing on flacs, he finaly approuched again with a few plates of food, and something to drink

Handing it to galen with a little nod he remained standing, "mind if i sit with ya? or do you wanna be alone?"

he then fell to silence and waited patiantly.

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

I picked up a fork and stabbed something slimy and purple, then waved it at Flac.

"Sure, have a seat," I said agreeably. Then I couldn't say anything else; I was too busy wondering how to politely get rid of the thing I had just assaulted my taste buds with without outright spitting it out right there on the table. Blinking a bit in distaste, I worked my jaw, trying to keep the excessive amount of saliva that was suddenly building up from dripping from my lips. Then I grabbed my napkin; er, that is, I think it was a napkin. For all I knew it was an h'or d'ouerve. At any rate, I smiled around the nasty lump in my mouth and spat it into the napkin.

"So--" I gargled a little desperately at Flac as I reached with even greater desperation for the drink he provided. I had it half-drained before I realized it tasted like sea-water. I immediately choked, tears coming from my eyes, and slammed the glass down on the table.

"S-so-ooo..." I finally managed again, albeit a bit shakily. My throat felt about as big around as a pea. "What in Hell's Seven Circles ever got you to come here and get the Gungans all in such a toot about you anyway? Khaandon knows the food is not something to attract visitors."

With that I fell quiet, eyeing my plate, wondering if I just ought to go leap out into the surrounding water and drown myself. Beats death by starvation, after all, and was certainly a heckuva lot quicker.

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

His hand pushed the plate away, a slight grimace on his face "man, id forgotten how bad this stuff is..."
He then paused, seeming to consider something...

"Its a long story... But i guess niether of us will be eating for a while, so we got the time..."

"it all started when id ah... Lets just say i was in the wronge place, at the wrong time... I intercepted some information that ticked a few people off... ah... Information that was worth quiet a bit of credits..."

He then paushed and looked at her for a moment "this was before i quit smuggling... Anyway, ya, and i needed a place to stay... Someone told me that down here was a good place to hide, so i shot down here, and after about 4 day's of consideration, i finaly got excepted as a 'guest' though trust me, the word dont mean much to them... it pretty much means 'you can stay, but dont expect to much from us' So, i stayed down here a month or so, i think for the most part i survived off of some supplies i had in tammy, though some of the gungan meals are actauly edable, this is about as bad as it gets here... Anyway, After about a month, i found myself up to my old habbits, snooping around, and seeing what i could find out about the race who seem to hide under the sea... Let me tell ya, they got a lot of weaponry, if they suddenly decided to stop there idea's of 'only resort to violence when others threaten us' half the galexy would be screwed... But anyway, I found this out, and it shocked me half to death, wasnt long till they discovered that i knew. So, like any good smuggler, i started asking questions... why do you need all that? and What are you planning? well, one of the guards got fed up, and tried to sneak up on me, my reflexes prooved themselves at that moment like never before, before i realized what happened, my blaster was drawn and i had shot the weapon out of his hand... Even when i was full of fire and gusto, id sworn never to kill anyone, not my style, but they didnt like the fact that i had shot there man, even if it was in self defense... The dude ended up losing use of his hand, and was useless as a guard, so, when they sad go, i didnt hesitate to book... i was still a hot commodity at that time, so i ended up creating a bum business using my real name, and sold a few of the little inventions id created here and there, and a few that id found... It may have been just a way of hiding, but i racked up the cash fast, it turns out that i was a better salesman, and leader, then id ever be a smuggler... So... I invested a few places, ended up getting a bit more cash from those transactions, still smuggled on the side, but it didnt mean as much to me after i didnt need the money... i went to tatooine as a hide away 5 years back, had been being chassed by a group of thugs for sometime, and figured id be safe from them in hut space... Well, i found the slave kids there, and my childhood was sparked up, couldnt bare to let them starve, or be slaves, with no supplies, and no toys, nothing to enjoy... So i started smugglign to them instead, everything they need, two trips a year, which was what i was doing when i left, second trip this year... worked a few strings, and got a few of the older boys freed, those kids took on the task of taking care of the younger kids, and well, 5 years down the road, here i am... before you, telling you my story..."

Suddenly he turned away, looking somewhere else "heh, sorry, i guess i gave ya a bit more then you asked for..."

Suddenly his eyes went wide, and he turned back to galen with a wide grin. "i cant believe id forgotten this!"

He stood suddenly, and dragged her away, pulling her down a few more tunnels, finaly coming out in a little secluded out of the way place, where another little vender sat, he approuched the gungan, and came back with two bowls of randomly assorted fruit, and two bottles of pure water.

"i found this place a week before i got kicked out, kinda slipped my mind, only place in the whole city that offers real food... And pure water for that matter."

he handed a plate to galen and lead her to a little table, once more taking a seat.

he took a bit of an apple and smiled to himself at its juicy flavor... before he turned to galen, as if realizing something. "hey, i think i got some milk in tamerak still, werent to manny baby's this time of the year, and ended up saving a bit of it... after this we can go get it, so darra doesnt starve..."

he smiled and took another little bite...

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

He smuggles because he wants to... and only for the sake of lil kids who otherwise have a rough life. But that after being pursued by... certain darker elements in the galaxy, for overhearing certain information? And then he had a run-in with the gungans themselves... and still managed to get them safe haven here beneath the dark surrounding waters?

Exactly who was this guy, anyway?

I blinked and wiped juice from my chin, but didn't say anything. I just finally raised my eyes from the platter and studied his face a bit, while reaching for yet another fruit.

He looks honest enough... he's certainly open enough, although this could just be a carefully developed story to get me to open up and tell my own....

Now I shook my head at myself, snorting a little.

Galen, you have got to quit this. Runaway paranoia is NOT going to get you anywhere at all but into a lonely future. I mean, look at yourself, and where you are, and what you're doing.... Is this the kind of life you want for Darra?

To my great consternation, I found that my bottom lip was suddenly beginning to tremble. I brought the fruit up to my lips with a hand that was beginning to shake just as suddenly, but paused once it got there and just sat a moment, fruit to mouth, mouth slightly open, eyes seeing nothing ahead of me but the biggest question mark in the known universe.

And that obstinate thing in my head which sometimes went under the pseudonym of a brain just wouldn't shut up.

Where are you going, Galen? it whispered slyly, pushing me to open my lips but not to eat the fruit. What do you want for yourself, and for Darra? What is your excuse... there's an excuse beneath all of this, isn't there ol gal?

Exactly what in Hell's Seven Circles is it that you're running from?

I couldn't stop the tears that rose up to water my vision as that last thought hit a raw nerve I didn't know I had. But I did manage to keep from doing what I instinctively wanted to do: and that was blurt everything out -- EVERYTHING --

...and not merely to share with someone the burden which weighed like a ronto on my shoulders, but to maybe ascertain with someone's help the answer to that final and all-too insidious question.

What was I running from, and why? Even I didn't know the answer to that one.

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

great! just great... You moron, You made her cry! jeez buddy, how do you do this? you must have a warped perception or something... well? what are you waiting for? HELP HER!

He bobbed his head a fraction of an inch in reply to his head, and stood, walking over to sit beside her, placing his arms around her shoulders, he rubbed up and down her arms, giving her a gentle little shake.

"Whats wrong galen? Did i say something to upset you? im really sorry... Ah.. is there anything i can do to help? hey, you wanna go back to your room? you need some rest maybe? Listen everything will be ok, dont worry about it... Whatevers wrong, i promise i wont let you get hurt... C'mon... Just relax. Its ok, i promise..."

He gave her a gentle little hug as if to say. "buck up, its ok"

And then backed off a fraction of an inch, after all, he barely knew her, and he really didnt want to impose, but he wouldnt let her just cry...

looking at her for a moment more, he brought a small cloth to her eyes, to wipe away the droplets that were trickling down her cheeks.

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

No one had ever bothered to wipe tears from my face before... well, practically no one....

The touch was electric. My throat, which was beginning to finally open up, promptly closed. The faucets running to my eyes opened, and a veritable flood of tears now gushed forth. I opened my mouth, trying vainly to explain my sudden hysterics... well, as best as I could explain something I couldn't understand myself... but no words could find their way up the constricting confines between my lungs and my lips.

So I just sat there, letting Flac continue to wipe the tears until the material he was using was a soggy mass, occasionally opening my mouth, then closing it, looking for all the world like an opee out of water.

At length though, every well runs dry. My tears slowly quit and I subsided into a small fit of heaving sobs interspersed with hiccups. I flailed a hand out, shaking my head, trying to let Flac know it wasn't anything he had said or done, and that I appreciated all he had done for me so far, really, but still words remained obstinately elusive.

So I did the only thing I could do. I simply stood up, threw my arms around him in a big hug, and fled out of this place and into the dimly lit corridors without. There I paused to get my bearings, trying to figure out which way would lead me to Darra.

And what I planned on doing when I got back to her, I hadn't the slightest notion. Per usual with my life of late, I was handling things on the momentary fly... and probably making a botch of things once again.

Sniffling glumly, I just set off down the light-beglobed corridor, the almost palpable pressure of the dark waters beyond encrouching into my being, serving to counterpoint in perfect exactness the mood which was quickly befalling me.

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

Whatever was in her past, it musta been a doozy... He knew that feeling, he knew that look, He'd seen it in the mirrior so many times before... She couldnt face it... But he wouldnt let her run, no way, he'd tried that once upon a time, and it hadnt worked out to well...

As he approuched a small doorway, he stopped, and quite suddenly galen rounded a courner and bumbed into him, seeming still a bit shocked, and even more shocked that he had been there.

He placed his arms on her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"listen galen, I can tell whats happening, ive been there, whatever horror youve seen in your past, STOP RUNNING! You cant run anymore... If you do, youll only make yourself dig further in..."

He gave her a quiet little shake, then wrapped his arms about her gently and rocked her for a moment, before turning her into the room and leading her to where he saw darra sleeping.

"You see her Galen? She's your kid... And you love her with all your heart, and would do anything for her... well trust me, running makes you get more caught up in your problems, and hidding makes you hide from those you dont wanna hide from... Right now you may be able to pull it off, but how long can you run without sacrificing a bit of darra?"

He gave her another gentle little shake, and turned her into his eyes again. "I wont let you run away from me galen... It wont happen, i may not know you to well, but i decided when i first saw you that i wouldnt give up... And i never go back on a promise."

With that he quite suddenly plopped her down into a chair, and sat down in an adjacent chair.

"listen Galen... I want you to take a deep breath... Think about where you are, who your with... relax a bit... and then, face your past... Its the only way you can ever hope to escape... Please galen, you dont have to tell me everything, just say what needs to be said... let your past GO... if not you'll end up being completly alone, with only that past to keep you company, then where will you be... if not for me, if not for your friend, then do it for DARRA!"

He then extended a hand and placed it gently upon her leg, giving it a small squeez. "C'mon... I promise i wont tell a soul, you can trust me"

as he spoke his eyes seemed to shine with the purest form of sincerity that strange character known as flac could ever hope to possess... and it sure as hell wasnt a small amount.

[ 11-06-2002 12:45 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Flac ]

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It didn't work, none of it did. Each little word just kept hitting, pressing, seeking, trying to provoke a response... each one coming closer and closer to achieving its goal until at length shadowy images began swarming up in front of my eyes which in turn had somehow managed to find the wherewithal to blur with tears yet again.

Sorben... dear Khaandon, his dear face, and I ran from him... Terrin, oh my dear husband, I ran from you two... who were you both? I love you both, yet I ran from you, from you both, why oh why did I do this? Why oh why did I flee from the two men in my life who had ever offered me love and safety and protection and a life... no.

No.

Not two. THREE.

Somehow, the two images began to blur and segue together: blue eyes combined, blond hair merged with clean shaven, a scar meandered along Terrin's jawline, a roguish grin encompassed the face of the babbling bounty hunter... all flowed and swirled and then an odd thing began to happen, a very odd thing indeed... why was that hair lightening? Terrin's wasn't that blond... the smile, teeth gleaming, yes, one as broad but somehow not quite the same... the lenses to a bounty hunter's helmet suddenly shrinking, becoming transparent... I didn't know Sorben wore glasses, they are so antiquated, I only knew one person ever in my whole life who took to wearing glasses....

"She killed him."

I had no idea where the words came from; certainly they didn't spring from my throat, for how could they? How could such terrible words come up from my chest, which was constricted to where I didn't think I could breath? What room had the air to travel to carry those words? How could lips so numb form them, let alone give them voice?

"She killed him; I watched. She took a rock, and--"

No. Don't go there again. You've been down this particular corridor of the mind, Galen, heading toward that eerie door at the end. Do not go closer; you do NOT want to open that door, there are monsters there, Galen, stay away... take Darra and run far, far away...!

A great racking shudder swept through me, and suddenly I felt as though my heart had turned to ice. Everthing grew faint and dim before my eyes; all I could see was that eerily shining, black door. It hovered there in the recesses of my inner eye, beckoning me to open it that the monsters could be loosed....

Now a fit of trembling possessed me. I crossed my arms about myself, my teeth positively chattering; I thought I briefly felt the placement of another's arms about mine, but I couldn't be certain. I didn't dare take my attention from that doorway, it would spring open on me if I did.

I took a mental step backward in self defense as the images of Sorben and Terrin now came floating along the corridor like a pair of mismatched ghosts. Both of them were holding out their arms to me, both of them seemed to be pleading with me for something... I back-pedalled faster and faster until I came up against something which wouldn't let me go back any further. And when I turned my figurative head to see what was impeding my path, it was to find Flac's intense hazel gaze standing guard over my attempt to flee.

I choked with the realization that this time there was nowhere to run. And so I turned back, my teeth nearly chipping they were chattering so greatly, a veritable glacier filling my veins, and took a step to that door, and another, and yet another... at last I stopped, my hand then somehow finding the strength to reach out and touch the knob, to turn it, to open it...

...to find within three images. Sorben, Terrin, and my father. And how strange: my father had his arms around them both... and I wanted nothing more than to turn and flee for dear Khaandon, they loved me, but he had loved me more, had always said so, had always told me how special I was to him, had never, ever asked for anything from me but somehow always managed to gain back even more love in return just by the simple act of not demanding it... he who said he was always there for me, and would always be there for me, for he loved me that much... but he wasn't there anymore because she killed him, she took a rock and killed him and took that love from me and dear Khaandon nothing hurt more in the entire universe, I should just jump in a sun to refresh my heart for that hurt so much... I couldn't stand that hurt again, ever again, they might say they love me but then she would just take a rock and....

"Daddy."

The whispered word finally managed to choke its way from my lips. Then I fell into a dull silence, trembling beneath the dull beating of my empty heart, realizing for the first time what I had been running from and how foolishly... knowing I had not once but twice thrown away something that many people never truly find in a lifetime.

I gripped my updrawn legs with a clasp of iron, laid my cheek against my knees, and just let the ocean within finally find surcease by the floodgates I was finally opening....

And when that torrential flood finally came to an end, I proceeded to tell Flac my story. All of it, every little bit. The dig on K'eel Doba. Sorben, Wicked, Desolist, Gravin Dark, my sister, Terrin, the Sith, Actar, Phrinnchatka. Sorben killing our clones. Everything I had been through since that terrible day when my sister became a thing from hell... and on past when she had revealed herself to be my sister still.

Which I didn't truly believe.

The Destiny... and what it entailed for my daughter.

As well as the strange power she seemed to have.

[ 11-06-2002 01:43 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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he rocked her gently for a moment, letting what she had told him sink in...

WOW! she actauly is running from a race thats been dead for over 2000 years... JEEZ BUDDY! Can she be for real? COURSE SHE IS YOU MORON! cant you see those tears... Poor gal, she's been through a lot...But you wont let her go it alone will you? course not.

Slowly he began, pulling away from her to give her a bit of breathing room, again wiping the tears from her eyes.

"its ok galen... You dont need to run anymore... Whats in your past, is in your past, it cant hurt you anymore then you let it...youve convinced yourself that you have to run in able to survive, that you cant experience love anymore because of whats happened, you dont want to take any chances, anyone you let into your life, could get hurt... or at least, thats what it sounds like to me... BUT, now i know, And i promise you, you dont need to run, you dont need to hide... Your... Sister, has done something to you, and you will probably never be able to forgive her fully... if even at all. But you dont have to, all you have to do is ACCEPT it. Your father was someone you cared about with all your heart, and he loved you dearly, dont you think he'd be sad knowing that his death has caused you this much pain? dont think of what has happened to him, think of what he means to you, and i do mean 'means' and not meant, because he's still alive and kicking in your heart, no one can take that away from you... Youve gotta keep living, so he can continue to be proud of you. You have to keep loving, because every time you let yourself love, and recieve love, its only going to strengthen his spirit, its only going to make his memory stronger, its what he would want for you."

He stood then, walking over and picking up the bundled darra, bringing her back and sitting beside galen, holding darra out to her gently "Its what he would want for his grand-daughter..."

As he spoke he noticed that darra's eyes opened slowly in greeting, giving her mom that curious stare.

Flac smiled slowly, handing darra over to galen before giving her another little hug.

"Relax galen, You cant hide anymore... But dont worry, you dont have to face it alone, ill be with you..."

He paused, letting his mind rummage over a few thoughts comming to the forground of conciousness.

"my hearts here for you galen... Ill give you my love, all of my caring, all i ask is that you let me help you... Anything you want..."

He paused for a moment reflecting.
You knew she would get you, now, how do you feel? You care for her dont you? But you barely know her! But it doesnt matter does it? no... You love her dont you? yes... So, how are you gonna help her?

Slowly he continued "galen, you need to know that, even though i havnt known you long... I do love you, i have traveled your path before, and closed myself, but now youve made me open up again, thank you..."

He took a deep breath. "Because of this knew found love... I will help you do anything..."

he hesitated for a moment "if you want, ill get you back to terrin so you can be with your husband, and your daughter can have a dad... But i dont think we should stay here and hide anylonger then necisary..."

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This was the first time anyone, ANYONE, had dared risk his own personal image to try and help me see what it was that I was doing wrong with my life. Sorben had sat back, apparently hoping I would figure it out myself one day. Terrin, Khaandon bless him, was clueless, just offering his support and love but yet again while I somehow managed to come to this answer by my own device.

Problem was with that: I never knew there WAS a problem to begin with... not until this very moment. And so it had festered, raw and weeping, growing larger and larger and warping my thoughts and feelings and logic about many, many things.

But Flac....

That realization, combined with his final statements now arrowing red-hot into my being, served enough impetus to alert the other half-ear to sit up and take notice.

He loved me?? He LOVED me!!

I didn't even freeze. I didn't move, I didn't think, I didn't even dare to feel. I just sat there, waiting for the now-recognizable inner demon to come creeping slyly forward, to force my mouth open, to repeat the words he had uttered to me, that in the long run I would again run, and that demon would laugh and gibber within, waiting insidiously for another unlikely victim to come along.

Only this time it didn't come.

Evil, I know thy Name, and in that Knowledge I have slain thee....

So I just tightened my arms around Darra, turning to drop my big browns into Flac's suddenly serious ones, and raised a hand to his face.

"I-- I... this is so sudden, Flac," I stammered, not wanting to run, wanting instead to go somewhere and examine it. "I will be honest that I can't return the sentiment at this time. But believe me..."

I paused, interrupted by a shuddery sob that came out of nowhere and in one final blast pushed the remnants of pain and sorrow from my heart, leaving it fresh and clean and ready for--

For I didn't know what.

"...I am really in need of a friend now, if anything else, and I'm glad you've come around to fill that need."

Then I leaned into his arms, placing my free one around him, and kissed him gently, a kiss born of that sudden release from pain, one wafting up from the freedom of an open heart.

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He gave her another little hug. "You can count on me galen, I wont let you carry any burdens alone... Maybe someday you will feel the same for me as i do towards you... But intill then, youve gotten yourself the best friend anyone can have...And i mean that... With every ounce of my heart..."

His smile then half turned into its roguish counterpart and his eyes sparkled slightly "stick with me Brown eyes, I promise ill get ya through whatever comes our way..."

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The best friend anyone could have.

Anyone I had come close to considering as a friend had been left behind on Garos IV nearly two years and several lifetimes ago; and since that time there hadn't been anyone quite able to step forth and fill those vacant shoes.

Indeed. If they had been there to begin with... for something deep and quiet was now rising up within me to point out the little fact that maybe, just maybe, I hadn't had any friends ever, not in the true meaning of the word, never in my life. Just a series of acquaintances of varying degrees. But now-- now here was another something new and different, something quiet and somehow so very elegantly simple and true for the aura of quiet it radiated.

This, too, needed introspection... but suddenly I didn't want to go my usual path and consider it alone.

Looking down to find Darra drooping in my arms, I rose and went to that weird urchin-looking bed. There I lay her down, tucking the blanket lightly about her that she wouldn't wiggle around and risk falling to the floor. Then I turned back to Flac.

"Ummm.... if you don't mind, I wouldn't mind a walk-about, Flac," I suggested, surprised at how new and different the image of that suggestion itself appeared. "I think Darra will be safe enough here, Khaandon knows the Gungans seem to be avoiding us like the plague, as you said. From the looks of her she's going to be sleeping for at least a couple of cycles; would you like to just... show me around this city?

"I think I could use a little general conversation."

I leaned down and kissed Darra's wee head with that, then turned and faced this new addition to my life. I had every intention of wandering about on my own, but at the moment, his feelings aside, I really felt I could use the company, and this little curtained-swathed bubble was suddenly entirely too tiny and confining.

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He grinned as he lead her away, letting go of her arm as the passed through the doorway, choosing instead to just walk beside her rather then lead her along.

As they turned down a few little tunnels, he pointed out little things here and there. "you see that." he said pointing at a big cylender centered about one of the globes "that thing right there is what provides the oxygen in this section, flows out of that thing and down the halls and into all the other little bubbles... They got one for every section, i forget how they devide these cities though..."

He smiled and continued onward, as they entered another little tunnel his head turned to look at her. "hey, Just curious, but ah... What exactly can that little ship of yours do?er... What was it? sith?" he couldnt hide the little shiver that went through his spine. "Sith... Who'da thunk it? I heard rummors that they were more then those force wielding bumble head dark jedi... But i never really believed that the sith had been a race before, and not just a title... Hmmm... No sir'ee, Not I... Personaly im not a big fan of jedi... There too ah... Well, There a bit odd in my opinion...Err...well, i guess im not one to talk about 'odd' but err...ya..."

he chuckled to himself and shook his head... "Youve had some interesting incounters... "

His hand reached slowly into his pocket, fiddlign with something for a moment before he drew it out and looked at it...

It was a small piece of... something... it was oddly designed(Even though it was just a fragment), and even more oddly colored, though its color appeared to have faded slightly, it appeared to be a hunk of metal, though what kind of metal could not be diserned so easily

Slowly he handed the piece to galen "hey, some crazy guy gave that to me a while back, said it belonged to the 'sith' though no jedi could ever tell me what it meant, you think thats a piece of something from the sith you had a run in? or was the guy just some crack pot spice adict? ive kept it with me all this time cause i consider it a good luck charm. I got it on tatooine, and while i was looking at it i stumbled into the slave area of the planet, so i kinda figured i might as well keep it around... But for all i know its just some wierd artifact some guy had come accross, and had desided to see if he could get some gullible guy such as myself to buy into the story... what do ya think?"

His words trailed off and slowly he lead on...

he really didnt care either way, it was after all just a piece of...something... But hey, wouldnt that be an interesting thing to have held on to if it actauly WAS from the sith?

but then again, how could it be? that guy had said he was an archiologist, but who knows on tattooin? damn spice adicts...

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I had seen such a sigil engraved upon one of those ornate pillars in the foyer of the Sith Temple in Phrinnchatka.

My thoughts flashed of their own accord to my last encounter of them, and the company I had been with as I parted from others. A ghost of a shiver raced up my spine, and my vision grew blurred and unfocused yet again.

Sorben. I cannot believe he actually killed me... or would have, had I not eluded him with those clones I had wrangled from the Kaminoans.

Terrin. I cannot believe I ran from him... just as the mere sight of this fragment is making every hair on the back of my neck stand at attention, is flooding my entire body with a ready-reaction to run and take Darra and go, just go....

Where?

All that flashed reflexively through me as the innocuous bit of metal shimmered in Flac's hand, drawing me into it in a downward spiral of memories, until at length I managed a great breath and pulled myself out of it with a nearly palpable snap.

"Yes...." The word came as the sigh of a summer's breeze, so quietly did I utter it. "This... this is Sith.

"As is my ship."

I stopped at that, wanting on one hand to open up yet again to the simple honesty I saw shining in Flac's hazel eyes. On the other hand, instinct is a difficult beast to harness; instead I just clammed up and let it go at that.

Then my thoughts jerked to other things he had said, and I bypassed logic entirely as I made a purely intuitive deduction in response to one particular statement of his.

An archeologist had given him this fragment on Tatooine....

Could that "archeologist" have been my father? I never knew he had ever gone to Tatooine, but then he didn't always have me pilot when he went off on some of his shorter side trips. More than once Jharmeen and I had been left alone on some backwater world to tend camp while he gadded off to check on something the current dig had revealed.

Logic was crossing its figurative arms and snorting right and left, but I ignored it entirely. The tears evaporated in my eyes, and I turned them on Flac full force.

"Tell me more about the guy who gave you this," I said suddenly, then fell silent, my look practically demanding that he remember and simultaneously letting him know I would brook no feeble excuse that he could not.

[ 11-09-2002 04:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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Mentaly shrugging it away he addressed her question...

"well, lessee... Hmmm" A hand rose to tap against his chin for a moment. "hmmm... What did he look like... Well, i remember he looked like someone i could trust, which is the reason i didnt just dismiss him as crazy the second he told me what that artifact was from... But ah... Lessee... I think he had glasses too... Hmm... He had soft eyes, kinda like yours actauly... And ah... Hmmm.. Short fella, only about 5'9" or so... Er, and, umm Thats all i can remember... Sorry, Why do you ask?"

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