Redness flooded her vision, and the darkest of thoughts emblazoned themselves across her mind.

How dare he leave me here, how dare he! she fumed to herself as she paced onward, no real thought as to where she was going, just giving into the primal need to move, to take some sort of action, even though that action was a far cry from the one she was fairly aching to perform.

Which was to rip Rykounagin's lungs out his throat and feed them to him.

In tiny pieces.

So on she went, snarling and growling to herself, storming along like a flame-winged tornado, round and about and through...

...until suddenly, in the distance, a strange beeping noise brought her to a halt. She half crouched, tilting her head to one side, a feral gleam still dancing in her eyes as she tried to discern what the odd little noise could be. She had never heard anything like it in her life: it was a tiny, tinny little blinking sort of noise, the kind that a computer might make as though when politely coughing to gain the attention of it's slow-witted human counterparts...

Still crouching, she hastened off, hounding the sound now, trailing it, and finally finding it's source: deep in the heart of the asteroid she came to a chamber, one filled with equipment and consoles and screens and dials and buttons.

One of them was blinking am insistent red, and was sending forth that even more insistent beep.

She had no idea it was a proximity sensor, warning of the approach of strangers who had inadvertently tripped one of the myriad guard-wire boobytraps that were laid out checkerboard about the asteroid's surface. She only knew that it was something different from the ordinary.

And in her brief existence within the realm of life, she had learned that things out of the ordinary oftentimes brought with them extraordinary results...

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

Shayla leaned back, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Hmmm," she then murmered aloud, her eyes defocusing a little. "Perhaps our knowledge of Rykounagin's whereabouts may be a stepping stone to approach her and decrease any immediate reaction? She needs to know--if she doesn't somehow already know--that she is being used by him. She also needs to know that she is still entitled to take part in ruling the Sith; she seems to want that. Letting her know that you also intend to further her training to in turn make her a more powerful leader may decrease any hostility she might have.

"I think the sooner we can get her on to join us willingly, the better."

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

The scale tipped terribly close to the negative end, but at length she decided that Shayla's words held true merit. Now she nodded, then rolled her head so as to cut a look Shayla's way.

"Sensible enough, my sister; but-- exactly how are we going to sway her to our side? While the assassin has undoubtedly left her, as judging from the look on her face that we saw as well as the fact that he is no longer there, there may be other variables at play that we are unaware of. And who knows what poison he has put into her mind in what few moments of commonality they might have shared; honestly, while I have faced the wrath of such as Darth Desolist and his henchman Gravin Dark, have faced the Master in his most evil permutation...

"...I am at a loss when it comes to a simple confrontation with my own child!"

Even as she spoke the words, something dark and oily flitted, gleaming, across her eyes; so quickly as to appear as but a hint of a shadow.

Quickly she suppressed the dark gleam, but could not quite rid herself of an even darker thought now racing through her mind:

She WILL obey me, or--

She will. She is only a child...

[ 11-21-2006 11:16 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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...as well as time for one to determine the worth of your honesty for themselves. ShaRhylla is headstrong, and dismissing that and forcing her to do something probably won't help us. But if there was some way to direct her to realizing that our side is best, on her own terms...

...that would create a powerful union. After all, ShaRhylla is accustomed to being used, by her Father and then by Rykounagin. If we could lead her to somehow understand this...

...and give her some control over her destiny with us...

...then perhaps we could then sway her to our side, for good."

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

Breathing steadily so as not to fog up his faceplate, the squadron commander peered more closely at the rock face...

...and then smiled. For upon more intent scrutiny, the thin, unnatural lines of what could only be a door or hatch was revealed; a bit more casting about led him to a control panel, hidden deep within the recesses of a small crevice in the rock.

His smile thinned to a determined line as with no further ado he aimed his blaster at the panel and let fly. Sparks shot silently out from the little hole, lighting a portion of the rock which quite suddenly had segued into a door.

A door that was now sliding open, revealing another one perhaps twenty feet beyond.

"Follow me," Alpha-Quarto commanded tersely as he nodded toward the airlock. Then, blaster gripped and ready, he stepped from the asteroid proper into the opening to the Cult Assassins' secret base. He was quickly followed by his men; when all were accounted for he located an inner panel and in moments had the outer hatchway closed.

The hiss of returning air came into his audio receivers then, and after a little bit of time he popped his faceplate and removed his gloves. His fingers freed, it was a much easier task to now release the inner airlock door, which he did with alacrity, then leading his men into the metallic realms of the base proper.

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

"True enough words," she said smoothly, the tone of her voice carrying a slight tinge of sadness upon their backs.

"But how to convince her that she would be a part of a new Triumvirate, one composed of Dark Ladies only, not merely those of the Sith but of--"

Again she paused, turning away once more to think, searching for a word, a title, anything to get across the union that she had in mind. The little fact that the Sith themselves would probably protest, and loudly, at being led not only sans any Dark Lords but by a threesome who weren't even full-blooded Sith didn't deter her in the least.

They did have the All at their command, after all; and it hadn't failed her yet.

After all, she mused to herself, letting her eyes grow distant, eyes now sparkling to see a wondrous new Empire stretching out before them.

There are so few who have truly known the Larger Picture, the Greater Good; once this is shown to them they will see how pitiable their little Sith magicks really are, and will welcome the New Triad with open arms...

The blackness, now hidden from Shayla's curious eyes, gave itself in to full expression, now filling Graysith's eyes with the color of space at its very deepest and most remote.

[ 11-22-2006 12:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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...almost.

"She's been used by her Father, and betrayed by her consort," Shayla then analyzed. "What more could a lady expect from any male counterpart, than to be ultimately betrayed, used...

...and then forgotten."

Pausing at this, Shayla's eyes darkened and grew vague. "She needs to be drawn to the superior wisdom of placing a Triad of females in the lead of the Sith. After all, if we are wise enough to guide and direct children in their youth, we are more than capable of guiding and directing a civilization to greatness. ShaRhylla should be made very aware of the fact that, when all is said and done, her Mother is the one who has prepared her to be strong and successful without the lead of a male. After all, why should we take the bit of those who are guided by hormones and control alone?"

[ 11-22-2006 03:00 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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"You may have provided the missing link that we needed so badly, my dear sister," she purred, lolling her head back to affix Shayla with her brilliant gaze.

"Our only remaining worry is that ShaRhylla would strike out against us before we have a chance to convince her of this; recall if you will her actions on Kamino, which was when she was only just--"

She paused a moment, searching for a word.

"Reborn," she finally finished, now turning her head to stare directly in front of herself, once again wriggling into the incredibly supportive and wonderfully comfortable material of the sith fighter's navigator's seat.

[ 11-22-2006 03:30 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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Pausing a moment, Shayla let her thoughts play out a bit more before she continued. Then, Something is about to happen where she is. If she's stranded there and something is incoming or about to happen, she might welcome the idea of at least getting away from where she is and back to something at least more familiar to her."

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

"I would contact her in this manner... if only I could. But you see, my dear, I do not know the communication frequency for the receiver which blinks before her."

Giving Shayla a fond look, she went on.

"The idea has merit, however; there is a way I can contact my child. Which I shall attempt to do so this very moment."

With that she settled quietly in her seat, her eyes growing dark and unfocused, the Glyph upon her forehead roaring into resplendent life as reaching out via the Link she held with Sharhylla the Chosen Daughter of the Sith called out into the night.

"ShaRhylla, my child. It is your mother who speaks to you. I am aware of your plight and am coming to your aid. I shall be with you shortly; remember, my child, a mother's love never strays."

That accomplished she slumped in her seat, the Glyph darkening as she shuddered with the strain of reaching out through hyperspace along such a mental connection. After sitting quietly thus for several minutes she had regained enough strength to raise her head and speak.

"I made contact with her, Shayla, and have announced our imminent arrival. But I could not maintain the Link long enough to receive her reply.

"She knows of our intent... whilst we still do not know of hers."

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

Shayla frowned as another thought came to her. "Could there be some sort of imminent danger?"

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

"You are right, Shayla. If that is an indicator light, it would indeed mean there is someone else on the asteroid with ShaRhylla. Someone that perhaps she knows nothing about."

Leaning forward, she smiled in apology a brief moment before reaching out in front of her Adept and touching a peculiar looking glyph on the navboards. Impossibly, the ship thrust itself forward even faster, warping the already highly warped strangeness of which hyperspace consisted.

Then turning to the computer, she requested an ETA, one with which the ship promptly obliged her.

"Two hours, Shayla," she said, the note of worry deepening her voice.

"Two hours..."

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

After all, Shayla hadn't had the opportunity to mother her own child past the womb...

...but he'd experienced enough times of danger even while in the womb that Shayla knew the feeling all too well. Had never forgotten it, in fact.

"Perhaps we should employ other means to get to your daughter more quickly?" Shayla asked in concern.

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

"I agree, and I believe I can open a Portal to where she is now..."

Now without bothering with any apology, she usurped the navboard completely, adding in a set of instructions that the ship continue on course to then come to an geosynchronous orbit wherever it detected their life signatures to be. That accomplished, she rose quickly to her feet, took hold of Shayla's hand, and took in a deep breath.

The interior of the little fighter flared ultraviolet as her Glyph ravened once more to brilliant incandescence, a brilliance she saw even through her closed lids, even though her head was flung back, even though as the thought went out and the opening ripped into being she was taking her first steps toward it, Shayla en tow...

...only to come to an abrupt halt directly in front of some heavily armored, and even more heavily armed, Imperials.

She didn't even have the time to react, as fatigued as she was, before the universe exploded in white from a blaster charge, and she fell in a heap to the metallic floor of the assassin's base, unconscious.

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

Instead, he operated on sheer instinct. After the two women appeared, or so it seemed, out of thin air and he had sent the flame-headed one to lala-land, the tip of his blaster found a new target.

Right between the eyes of the blond.

"Hold it right there!" he ordered, knowing his order was being backed up by his other men, who likewise had their blasters all trained at Shayla, right between her greeny-blues.

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

... Imperials? Why, and how, in all the Fates, were they here?

Stretching out then Shayla reached into Graysith's mind via the link they shared, and channeled her healing strength into her, seeking to bring her back to conciousness with more than just merely the Force, for she needed her Sister to be able to think and react now to this immediate threat, and not the more extended period of time in which it would require the Force to bring her back.

But it had been so long. However, healing had always been a strength for Shayla, long before she really was even cognizant of it...

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

Nope, he didn't like it one bit.

"Back away from your friend there!' he barked, moving his blaster the tiniest fraction in the direction where he wanted Shayla to move.

"And while you're at it, you mind telling us who the hell you are, and where the hell you came from...

"Not to mention why the hell you're here?"

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

How dare they attack unarmed people, how dare they call the shots.

She was a Sith adept and the Chosen Daughter's Second. This was all unacceptable. She was not going to leave Graysith simply lying there, injured, to fill these men in.

No way.

In a fit of nothing more than pure anger, Shayla stretched out, and each of the blasters now trained on her simply...

...exploded in their bearer's hands.

Knowing the men were at least momentarily distracted, Shayla turned her concentration back on Graysith.

My sister, she thought out through her link with her, We are in imminent danger, as is your daughter. The Imperials are here...

...but we will find ShaRhylla regardless of them.

Knowing the effort it would require her to use All abilities she was only beginning to learn of before she was cut from them more than a year before would expend a great amount of energy, Shayla decided on practicality.

"There is one who has been stranded here," she at last spoke to the Imperials, "My only interest is in retrieving her, and then leaving. If you would be so kind as to allow me to do just that, I would greatly appreciate it..."

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

But the one who lay on the floor first...

"I'd be more concerned about your friend there," he spat as he shook his head again, wincing at the stab of pain the motion created all across his singed face. Then he let his training take over once more, and in a flash was on his feet.

Behind him came an answering scrabble as his men did likewise, each man coming to a half crouch, ready to be employed as however Alpha-Quarto saw fit.

For the moment, however, he chose to merely watch and wait, to let Shayla make the next move. The unexpectedness of her attack and the strange mode in which that attack was made was not lost on him; slitting his eyes, he merely nodded once again in the direction of the red-headed one, who still lay on the floor apparently unconscious.

Only now her exposed flesh bore the marks of flash-burning, and was peppered here and there with bits of shrapnel.

Alpha-Quarto filed this information away, now knowing something about the woman he had ordered mere moments before. Not only did that woman have some kind of weapon which was unknown to him, but she did seem to flare out quickly and efficiently, like a rancor in a single sweeping attack. This told him much, warned him as to how he should proceed next.

And whispered uncomfortably into his inner ear that perhaps this blond woman could be more than just a little mad.

So he chose to stand in front of his man, crouching slightly, hands out to the side, refusing to answer her rather imperious statement.

[ 11-23-2006 11:25 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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...she didn't necessarily have the best control of that which she intended yet. And, all things considered, she was still learning, and hadn't been a student in the All for some time due to obvious reasons.

That didn't deter her resolve regardless, nor did it lessen her alarm as to the extent of the new injuries her action had inflicted on Graysith.

No. No, no, no! she thought silently, stretching out further for the strength within herself to deal with the situation, to help Graysith...

...and to correct her error in harming the one dearest to her any further than she already had been.

[ 11-23-2006 11:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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...or was far deeper than he or any of his men could actually perceive. Squinting a little, he peered more closely, and then let his jaw drop a bit in utter amazement. For the red-headed woman's injuries seemed to be lightening, growing less intense, fading, healing...

Alpha-Quarto snapped his mouth shut for a moment as with his chin he toggled a switch in his helmet, opening up a channel to his men.

"Keep on your toes, I think we have some kind of Force user here," he cautioned in a whisper scarcely louder than the sigh of a spring zephyr.

"But I've never heard of any Jedi doing what this one has just done..."

Falling silent again, he returned to his scrutiny of the situation, keeping the communication open between himself and his men in case he had to tell them of something once more.

And then he simply waited.

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

As she felt Graysith returning to her, Shayla sent an unspoken communication her way once more, via their shared link.

We have Imperial... company here with us...

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

The discreet, if rather abrupt, insertion of an obviously computerized voice into the otherwise near-absolute quiet of the command chamber Caused the halfling to jerk instinctively, yanked her focus from the bleeping red light she had been staring upon, if not actually seeing at the moment. But her momentary drift from reality was firmly cemented when beside the proximity light there now lit up, obligingly enough, a green monitor. Upon the inset screen a red "X" now blinked, attached to a round cirular area in the middle by a cross-hatching of lines.

Even ShaRhylla could figure out that the screen was displaying the position of possible danger in relationship with the most important room in the warren of corridors and chambers that honeycombed the asteroid base: the command center.

Which, she suddenly smiled with realization, was just where she was.

Now her lip curled into a feral smile, and she let her hunting instincts rise to the fore: those innate predatory inklings she had been born with, so deliciously honed durning her horrific stay in the Darker Realms. Her eyes slitted and darkened, her fingers curled ever so slightly into primordial hunting talons, and her pearly fangs peeped every so promisingly from her lips.

It is probably him, coming back; just like him and his arrogance to come with blasters alive, undoubtedly meant to declare his return in some grand and glorious manner.

Well... it will certainly be to his detriment!

Thinking nothing, operating on simple and pure fury and hatred for her onetime spouse, she whirled and loped to the hatch. It sensed her coming, opened to spit her into the corridor beyond. She turned to the right, ready to follow the map she had by now emblazoned upon her mind's eye... when she stopped.

I shall HURT him before I kill him! she yowled viciously to herself, then making a quick about-face and retracing her steps back to the opulent guest chambers where Rykounagin had led her, seeming years ago.

It was right where she had left it: the repository of all the Assassin Cult's knowledge. With a snarl of eager glee, she snatched it up, and shot back out into the corridor, disappearing around the first turn before the door to the suite had even closed all the way...

It did not take her long to burst in upon room 213, where she skidded to a shocked halt. Who was there but some figures in white-suited armor, a young blond woman she vaguely remembered from somewhere...

And her mother, who was at the very best unconscious upon the floor.

And at the least...

Much to her total surprise and self-disgust, she found her predatory smile to be wavering at the sight. But it returned with a vengeance as one of the figures in white jerked a heretofore hidden hand-blaster in her direction...

[ 12-07-2006 07:04 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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That he didn't shoot was an act of great restraint on his part... and was more than likely what kept him alive at the moment.

Instead, for indeed the shot he had fired at the redhead was more of an instinctive rather than logically thought out one--

For how often to people simply pop into being in front of you anyway, literally out of thin air?

--he widened his stance a bit for stability, and turned it a little sideways so as to present less of a target of himself.

"Hold it right there, miss!" he commanded in a stern voice, blinking now with the effort to keep every bit of his focus glued to ShaRhylla even though his peripheral vision was waving red flags all over his psyche that the downed redhead was beginning to stir.

Pursing his lips into a thin line, he stilled those warning signs, secure in the knowledge that his men still had that particular pair under strong serveillance, as it were. And so he merely remained quiet, alert to the slightest motion, the slightest twitch from the young woman in front of him that might indicate what level of threat she would turn out to be, if any.

And thus he, his men, the blond woman, and so far the younger--

And was that HORNED?!?

--redhead remained frozen in a strange and somehow surreal tableau.

[ 12-07-2006 07:10 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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...but taken totally by suprise as none other than ShaRhylla skidded with what was at first a dark, determined look. Shayla's eyes widened.

ShaRhylla... Shayla thought, still somewhat surprised by her sudden arrival in the room.

Then, taking just the smallest determined step forward, drawing the attention of the stormtroopers, Shayla spoke up. "We have done nothing to you. Let us go."

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