"Err... ahh, nerfsteak and jango-salad, and Tatooine freshwater, if they have any," I managed to mumble without tripping over the words. Then his last comment hit me, and I winced again. Manners returned: I held my hand out, my eyes suddenly sparkling... wonder why in Hell's Seven Circles they were.

"The name's Galen... Galen Jhin'Dar Danner," I said with a smile.

Danner, Galen... DANNER.

I blinked, something of my smile fading the tiniest bit as memory slammed into me again. But for some reason the knowledge of Terrin and Darra's deaths weren't quite as devastating as they had been. The tiniest edge had been sliced off of that raw and biting hurt.

If anything, Dash, I thank you for the momentary relief....

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

Strolling calmly into the catina, he placed his hands behind his back as he absorbed in the new scene. It was as previous, just less men standing, and very few in the same rich mood. They had grown groggy and quickly more drunk. A fight had brewed up to the left of Lumbia, and throwing of glass was going on to the far right. It was becoming a jungle, one more reason to take Galen out of this place.

"Excuse me.." Lumbia interupted as he came before the two, discussing at the same booth that Mr. Whitfield had taken the red haired woman from. The boy's eyes became a glare, amplified by his annoyed posture. Throwing his hands down on the table, he turned his head motioned to Galen, his brown orbs penetrating her's.

"Galen, you've been drunk and I know acohol is still in your system. You should rest.." Lumbia paused, taking his eyes off her and outside the window into the moving streets of Sullust, his voice becoming a whisper.

"Also, I feel a disturbance in the Force. We should go--so you may rest." Lumbia ended, taking quickly at her arm, but as soft as possible, but still keeping his stern composure.

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

I cleared my head and walked out the door. maybe a drink would clear my head better. As i walked torwards a cantina irached out with the force a locked the door behind me.

[ 02-23-2003 10:31 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jebbua Dahutt ]

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"I never thought I would meet someone like you on a VOLCANIC ROCK like this".

I thought to myself, There is more to this wonam than I can possibly imagine, I'll have to use my powers of persuasion to learn more.

"So, what brings you..."
*Enter LUMBIASITH*
My concentration broken, I watch as LUMBIASITH walks toward us and tries to persuade GALEN, my new ladie friend, to leave with him.

"Excuse me, what was your name again?!? Whitfeild? You never did introduce yourself." I said politely.

More sternly, "Have you a good reason for interrupting us? That better be one damn important message on that HOLOCHIP!!!"

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"I'm sorry for my antics, in pulling you so hard--but I dont want you around that Ch'iss. He seems sly and untrustful. We should leave..." He said, his whisper lull, but stern.

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

After landing the Raptor securely in a frequent EE costumer’s landing pad, Jasyn headed for a place on this damnable planet of Sullust that he knew well, a place where he’d spent quite a good amount of time. He was fairly certain the location was still secure, and right now he wanted to be away from prying eyes and ears. And he couldn’t help but wonder if he was on the “missing prisoners from Coruscant, wanted dead or alive” list either. Finally he and Malf reached the secret entrance to that hidden dwelling where the gang had hung out after that terrible ordeal with Galen and Roan...

Jasyn scowled at the thought as he punched in the secret code to gain access, one which he’d set up himself. The rock “door” came obligingly open, Jasyn stepped in, and waved Malf in. The instant the furball got inside he slammed that same “door” closed and locked it behind him, pleased to find everything still in place, recalling how they’d all left here so hurriedly as he viewed all that had been left behind. He waved a hand towards the cupboards. “I can’t promise you anything good, but there might be something edible still lurking.”

Then he turned and headed for the room where Terrin had set up office back in the day. Place had the best scrambling comm frequency anyone could ask for...

*******************************************

After a brief “chat” with Aaron, Jasyn was comfortable with the plans he’d set for his next venture. Along with those arrangements, he’d also been informed that the Eagle had been tracked to...

...surprisingly enough...

...Sullust.

Kriffing planet attracts all of us like a magnet...

...or like a Venus-fly trap, take your pick, Jasyn thought smugly, heading for the eating area once more. There he spotted Malf, going through cupboards as expected...

...when out of the corner of his eye Jasyn spotted something absolutely blessed in one of those cupboards. He reached out a hand and jerked it out before Malf could get his paws on it, then stared at the bottle, licking his lips in anticipation. “This was one of the best vintage years for Whyrene’s Reserve,” Jasyn muttered, popping the top and sitting at the table, propping his feet up on it. He took a swig, and his eyes defocused with his next words. “Had alot of good times on this stuff despite the situation...”

He trailed, recalling sabaac with Matt and sometimes Nassy and Yaoksi...

...wonder what happened to them...?

...and the occasional times Terrin and Galen joined in for a drink or two...

Jasyn just sighed, taking another, larger swig. “We’ll stay the night before we head out,” Jasyn muttered then. “Make yourself at home...”

With that Jasyn turned his complete attentions to his drink. And as he sat there taking swig after swig of the Whyrene's Reserve, he couldn't help but think how damned lonely he'd become...

[ 02-23-2003 11:21 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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"I'm sorry. i wasn't paying attention were i was going." I told him. next to him was that same woman. Strange, are they always together. I thought. i closed my eyes for a second and realized something about the man next to me.

"Are you a ..."

[ 02-23-2003 11:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jebbua Dahutt ]

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Rule number 7, of Cartina's rules of hunting, Always keep your options open...

Just her luck, she quickly found a job that paid twice that of Galen Danner's mysterious bounty...

Besides, this job was as easy as they came...

A dishonest, conning, sweet talker of a Ch'iss was her target... This Ch'iss, Dash Kelderon, had swindled many women clean of their possessions through out the galaxy... his mistake was his choice of victims, most notably the Queen of Nabbo...

The Nabboans have placed a high price on his head, for the disappearance of the Queen...

That price was tripled after her death in an apparent accident of Dash's former ship...

Thus enters the ease of the assignment... without knowledge, Dash purchased his new YT-3000 from an undercover Nabboan agent...

A tracer was placed on it, and the proverbial pins were set up for Cartina to knock down...

Sullust

The Otana's Rival landed smoothly in docking bay 16, Cartina covertly followed Dash into a local cantina, The Blue Asteroid...

She took her place among the shadows in the back of the bar, waiting for the fight she caused to create enough confusion so that she may slip into the scene...

It was effective... as the woman Dash had entered with left the booth, no doubt his next victim, Cartina slipped into the warm seat...

Blaster aimed at Dash from beneath the table,"Dash, Dash Kelderon?"

[ 02-24-2003 12:38 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Cartina ]

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At least this time I was upright, and coherent. Well... semi-coherent....

I shook my head again, and raised a hand to my temple. For some reason, my head was just pounding. I was just opening my mouth to reply when literally out of the blue there came yet another person, who just as literally ran smack-dab into my companion.

Lumbia rebounded with a slight, if ever polite, grunt. The new stranger immediately began mumbling apologies, then paused in seeming wonderment. Quite suddenly he blurted out a query as to whether Lumbia was a jedi...

I snorted, the sound slicing into my head and setting it to pounding again. I looked to Lumbia; the look in his guileless brown eyes bespoke a nonverbal commitment...

To me.

Why in Hell's Seven Circles that it was he had chosen me out of all the people in the known universe was something only a god or the future could answer. All I could do was assimilate it for future reference... and in the meantime, take things as they were coming at me.

"Th-thank you, Lumbia," I stammered in a low voice, my thoughts beginning to drift back to those lavender eyes we had left behind me. While I wondered just what the danger was Lumbia felt I had been placing myself in, the simple fact remained:

The way that guy had slid so quickly under my skin, there was no way I could have extricated myself on my own, even if I wanted to.

And what was making matters worse was the growing question of whether I did indeed really want to do just that or not.

A smile trembled on my lips as my thoughts whirled round and round. Bull's-eyed at the dead center of them was that aching kernel of the deaths of my husband and child, which suddenly returned full force to slam me deep in my soul.

I sighed, then raised a hand wanly in interruption.

"Excuse me, but if you two need to talk, the hostel where I'm staying has a really nice den area where you can sit by a fire and chat if you want. But if you don't mind, I suddenly am very tired, and would really like to get some sleep."

With that I provided Lumbia with the address of the place where I was staying... all the while fighting to keep my thoughts from drifting back to that lavender-eyed scoundrel we had left sitting back in the booth behind us.

[ 02-24-2003 01:29 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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I walked out of the Cantina, unaware of the danger that lurked behind me, and went looking for a place to stay for the evening.

After walking for a while, not seeing a single place to get some rest, I yelled, "What does a guy have to do around here to find an inn?!?"
And suddenly a little JAWA snuck up behind me and picked my pocket. I didn't even notice until I returned to the CANTINA, to try and meet up with GALEN again, that my Credits were missing!

So I thought to myself.
Why was my only memory of the crash, to bring this damn HOLOCHIP to Whitfeild??? What is so damn important about that guy??? And why does he want GELEN to have nothing to do with me??? I'll have to ponder long and hard about this!!!

I waited in the "BLUE ASTEROID" for about 2 hours and when noone showed up I want back to my ship. I decided that I better learn how to use theis LASER SWORD of mine. So I threw up a 'remote'.

I can't say I was any good... I could, but I'd be lieing! I got hit by just about as many as I deflected. The Purple beam eminating from the handle of my LASER SWORD lit up the ship with an EERIE glow, that's when I noticed that same little JAWA cowering in the corner, terrified that I had caught him trying to steal from MY SHIP!

"Hey," I said. "You little theif, give me back all that you have taken, or I practive my Skills with my LASER SWORD on you!" I bluffed.

The poor retched creature passed out. So I got my stuff back and put him on the MEDI-COT. I decided to wait for him to wake up, I had some questions to ask him...

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

He seemed to be fooling with another innocent victim when she had entered the hanger...

Slowly, quietly closing in on her prey, Cartina took her Westar-34 blaster from her thigh...

With the Westar in her right hand, she took her main Bryar blaster and held it by the barrel...

Stopping directly behind the unsuspecting Dash, she brought the Bryar blaster over her head... she unleashed the blunt blaster handle into the small of Dash's neck...

He fell atop his victim, fitting the way Cartina saw it...

Leaving the Jawa, Cartina drug the bounded Dash to the paralleled hanger number 16...

Making sure Dash was secure within the Otana's Rival, Cartina decided to return to The Blue Asteroid... to purchase a drink... and perhaps a little bit more...

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

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

I awoke slowly, very slowly. I felt as if I had been through this kind of thing before.

My head throbbed, my wrists and ankels were sore from being restrained. I thought to myeslf, through the cloudiness, What have I done to deserve this???

I knew that this was going to be another one of those days, and that I would need all of my strength to survive it. So I let the cloudiness take over as I faded to that sweet, sweet, escape from the real world, we like to call unconscienceness.

Dreams of my past rushed into my head... I tried hard to distinguish all of the different stages of my past.

I awoke again with a start, screaming at the top of my lungs "THE STABILIZERS HAVE BEEN TAMPERED WITH!!! BRACE YOURSELF!!!!

That was when I noticed someone looking over me. I decided that it might be better to pretend to fall back into unconscieneness. I let my body go limp again, as I pretended to sleep. My ears would be Straining for any sound that was made... I just had to figure out what was going on, and how to get myself out of this mess!!!

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

Shoving some credits in his pocket, Jasyn stood and turned to Malf. "Look buddy," he said, "I'm starved and I could use another drink..."

...or two or three or four...

"...so I'm gonna head out and find a good local cantina. If you wanna come along, I'm sure you wouldn't object to some food yourself."

Then with no further ado, Jasyn headed into the underground city of Piriingisi and to the nearest cantina. He glanced up at the sign on his way in:

The Blue Asteroid.

Jasyn shook his head. How many kriffing "Blue Asteroid" establishments can there be in one Universe?!

Then shrugging, he headed in to a corner booth, and ordered a huge nerfsteak and a large Alderaanian Whiskey. He was rewarded in moments with his drink order, so Jasyn sat back with the mug and began to partake of the potent whiskey, waiting for his food to arrive, glancing about the cantina every so often and feeling a disturbing sense of de ja vu.

Hopefully the drink would fix that...

[ 02-25-2003 12:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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Sniffing the walkway up and down, Malf found himself further and further away from The Blue Asteroid...

Hours past by, but malf took molecule of scent by molecule of scent until he stopped at a door...

He pounded on Galen's door as politely as possible, for Malf...

Meanwhile, back at the cantina...

After a couple of drinks, and nearly finished with his meal, Jasyn looked as though he could use some company...

A young woman approached his booth, and asked if she could buy him a drink...

Cartina, disrobed of her armor, waited for Jasyn's reply...

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

Wow, real HUMAN contact. Not that Malf was bad company, but the furball was more than just a bit lacking in the conversational department...

Jasyn waved the waiter over and ordered himself another Alderaanian wiskey. Then he turned to Cartina.

"And what'll you be havin'?" Jasyn queried with the slightest hint of a slur, waiting then to see what she would reply.

[ 02-25-2003 10:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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And this guy wants it spelled out for him. Well, not right at this moment.

"Look," I said, a bit shortly, turning to the young man. "Why I came here is business of my own. And what I do here is as well... as well as with whom I choose to spend company with."

I turned slightly to Lumbia with those last words, but tempering the seeming harshness of the word with the look of gratitude I sent into his eyes. I reached out then and took his arm.

"I'd really like to go get some rest, if you don't mind," I repeated, blinking a little as I stifled a yawn.

"Maybe we can all get together over a cuppa caf sometime and continue this conversation, but if I don't go lie down soon I'll just fall down right here."

And I've quite had my fill of laying around in the streets of Piriingisi, thank you very much....

I nodded politely to the newcomer before turning my eyes back into Lumbia's.

All the while a pair of devilishly lavender ones were swimming somewhere in the back of my mind....

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

Turning back to Jasyn,"What did you say your name was, again..."

The waiter came back with a glass of water, Cartina gracefully transitioned into the silence with a sip of the glass...

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

I walked away from them and walked up to the bar in the cantina asked for a drink after all thats why i went there in the first place. i took my drink and looked around the room feeling as if someone was wacthing me.

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

There's all kinds that make up the universe, I told myself, now frowning silently as I continued scrutinizing my erstwhile protector.

Including this guy.

Lumbia simply stood there, a faraway look in his eyes, not saying anything, his grip on my arm loosening. After another polite moment or two had passed... along with myriad people who occasionally glanced our way in curiosity as to the statue-like impression we were giving... I finally spoke up. I didn't know what was on his mind, or why he was maintaining such silence for so long, but I wasn't going to just stand here any longer waiting for him to speak.

"Umm-- er, well, thank you again, Lumbia," I stammered, gently pulling out of his grasp. It was weird; it was almost as if I wasn't there, as if he was focused on something a long, long time ago, and very far away....

"Er, if you ah, need me for anything, you know where I'm staying. Just ask at the desk."

With that I nodded good-bye and strode off, my eyes clouding a bit as the memories held in momentary abeyance through this entire strange, if short, episode now slammed back into me full force. I sighed, simply letting my feet carry me of their own accord, occasionally bumping into people with an automatic apology falling from my lips, but scarcely aware of this. In thus a manner I finally reached the hostel where I was staying, The Azure Planetoid.

Nodding to the desk clerk, I bore on past him and headed for the stairs. My room was an outside one... well, if one could consider a room with a balcony overlooking a pool inside solid rock as being "outside..." on the fourth floor. Soon I reached that level, headed on down the corridor past room after room, coming at length to the dog-leg at its end where I turned left...

...to run smack-dab into an extremely tall walking carpet who was just standing there outside my door, taking up a good majority of the hallway.

I rebounded from the hirsute being, blinking in surprise, and stood there a moment in silence while fatigue battled shock.

"Malf!" I finally managed with a weak smile. "What in Hell's Seven Circles are you doing here?"

[ 02-26-2003 03:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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He took Galen from the place she stood in the hallway, sweeping her off her feet... nearly knocking her unconcious with the G forces he was generating with his near horizontal bear-lashing... err, hug...

After a long moment of affection, Malf let a dizzy Galen down...

With the delirious, loving smile still on his features... Malf looked toward the door to Galen's apartment and then back to her, like a lost puppy... the tooth-filled smile never leaving his face...

As if he was saying he'd never leave her side again...

And, he didn't mean to...

[ 02-26-2003 11:00 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Malf ]

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At the mention of a reward the little JAWA set to work immediatly on my restraints. With expert precision, he got me out of my bind.
"Thank you my little friend!!! Come with me to my ship, I shall give you anything you like from there"

Hey he looted it already I figured, what more have I got to lose??? And besides, JAWA's aren't known for thier intelligence.

We went back to my ship, carefully making our way back to docking bay 17, where the SHIMMERING SCIMITAR sat. We entered the ship, to my surprise, NOTHING had been taken.

"I misjudged you little one! I offer my humble appologies, and my thanks. Why don't you come with me, I could use a little company on my journies! I'd be glad to have you. What say you little one?

"OOO-TEE-DEE" which I assume means "YES" was all he said. So I told him, "Make yourself at home, get more comfortable, relax. I'll be back soon, I just have to find an INN of some sort. Do you know where one is?"

"OOO-TEE-DEE" was his response.
"Can you draw me a map?"

So the little JAWA who I decided to affectionatly call 'DINK' drew me out a map to the INN.

I was on my way, with three goals in mind:
1) Find GALEN
2) Figure out who clubbed mr on the head!!!
3) Figure out this DAMN HOLOCHIP thing!!!

When I arrived at the INN, I asked the deskclerk "Which room is GALEN in."

"Even if I could tell you which room a person is in, I wouldn't, and if I could I would have to tell you that there is noone named GALEN here!" he responded.

"WHAT??? Where could she be??? Are there any other INN's on this INFERNAL HELL of a planet???"

"NO, there are no other INN's" was the last thing he said to me.
She has to be here! I thought almost out loud. So I will just wait here in the lobby, she is bound to show up at some point!

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[ 02-27-2003 10:02 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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Erik Kartan wasn’t a guy who would typically leave the controls, but the fact that Loban hadn’t even peeped was starting to become unnerving, and Erik was concerned that perhaps the young man might have stowed away on the transport with Shayla. Granted with Imperials this wasn’t likely, but then again Loban did have the Force so maybe he could have pulled it off. Sighing at this thought then, Erik began to search through the ship, unable to sense Loban clearly through the Force. And he had been giving some of the living quarters a good looking over when he instinctively felt that switch between realspace and hyperspace in the engines of the warship.

Oh, damn, I think you have just found him...

Turning from whatever it was he had been doing, Erik hurried back into the cabin as quietly as possible, keenly aware that this meant Shayla was back on Coruscant for the moment with no transportation. He fully intended to rectify this situation, and take control of the warship once more. Slipping his blaster smoothly and noiselessly out of its holster, Erik aimed it in front of him, and continued to stealthly inch towards the cabin. He was rewarded upon arrival with the sight of Loban Kenobi, turned towards the navboard and away from him, still gazing over the navboard. Before the other man could turn, Erik squeezed the trigger of his blaster effortlessly, sending a stun bolt directly for Loban. Immediately he crumpled to the deck, there to remain til the effects of the stun bolt began to wear off. Erik headed for the navboard, stepped over the unconscious Loban, and began assessing just where the hell they were going. After all it wasn’t wise to simply drop out of hyperspace, for you could end up just about anywhere. Better to figure out just where you were going, then plot a safe exit vector.

Erik pursed his lips in thought as the information on their destination popped up.

Sullust...hmmm. Not much between Coruscant and there excepting Corellia. And, aside from the fact he really didn’t want to go there anyway, there was the matter of a substantial Imperial blockade there.

The Corellian pilot simply sighed. Best to keep course to Sullust, then take it from there.

And watch Loban like a hawk while you are at it, Erik thought, aiming his blaster, still set for stun, back at the other man’s still unconscious form. In the same motion he sent out a tendril of a warning out towards Shayla through that link they shared with each other concerning what had happened.

I’ll get back to you just as soon as I can...

[ 02-27-2003 11:07 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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His thoughts on the matter struck me as though emblazoned in ten foot letters across the front of his forehead. The grimace on my own face smoothed out somewhat, and I placed my hands on my hips for a moment. Then I let them drop to my sides with a little sigh.

"Oh all right, ya big furball," I acquiesced, heading to my door and opening it up. Just beyond its frame, my bed beckoned to me. It hit me then how really exhausted I was, and indeed had been for far, far too long a time.

"But you're gonna share the rent, ya know...."

I let those trailing words waft me into my room, where I didn't even bother to disrobe. I simply went up to the bed and flopped upon it, boots, Sith flightsuit, belt and all. My last conscious thought was one wondering vaguely if Malf had closed the door behind him....

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