"Suppose you're right," I finally said, now shooting an equally discomforting glance around the little group. "Suppose there is another Game Master at work here."

I blinked a moment at the looks that term brought my way; quickly then, I recalled to the others the strangeness we had experienced on Koris'sian when That Which Is came and, in it's oblique manner, revealed just who we all were in the Natural Order of Things.

Yeah. I didn't like feeling like a pawn either.

Swallowing my instinctively rising pride, which had more than once gotten me in dire straits and lordy knows what kind it would get me into now so I squelched it, I went on.

"Or Game Player... If that's the case, then what in Hell's Seven Circles was Ol' Googly doing here on Dagobah?"

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

...and unsure whether or not there even was one. "I don't know, I get the feeling that That Which Is is everywhere...

...and just has a special preference for Kori'san due to its...

... unique characteristics of which we are all mostly aware. I mean, how many places can you bring someone back from the de..."

Shayla stopped mid-sentence, frowning more deeply, that something dangling annoyingly nearby once more. "That Which Is stopped the game then because rules had been broken. I don't know how or when...

...but maybe rules were broken here as well."

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

"What rules were broken this time?" I finally wondered aloud.

"Has anything happened that maybe we don't know about? I mean, to be truthful, all I saw down there was that weird sky that popped up out of nowhere, the same sky that also popped up on Koris'sian, remember? But I didn't see anything else... wait.

"The other guys; they said the Eyes came at them. And Panthar, back there you speculated something about Ol' Googly not liking unnatural things, and perhaps it was back to remove even more, ahh, talents -- although I agree that doing so doesn't make much sense. But Blondie's brother is a Jedi; I wonder--"

I whirled around, and immediately opened a channel to Falcon II.

"Falcon II, this is Eagle II, Galen Danner at the comm. We're, ahh-- we're having a little discussion over here, and the subject of O' Goo- I mean, giant, unknown eyes came up. We've seen 'em before, you said something about them, but your transmission was breaking up. Is there anything further you'd like to enlighten us with, or would you rather wait until we're all aboard Hornett?

"Over."

[ 12-06-2007 09:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

"Oh, we were working on getting to Shawn when out of nowhere some kriffing bat came and led us to him. We were getting him alert and all that when out of no where the Eyeballs popped up and spouted something about the easiest path being used for the good of one person or some such podoo. I mean, at least if we are going to be offered the help of a Higher Power, it'd be nice if we then didn't get whammied for taking it."

He paused, his scowl only growing. "The bat disappeared and we worked our way out of there, and that was the last of it. Oh, excepting the fact that now Petrolu can't seem to sense the Force. I knew this was all too easy, higher powers swooping in and all. Kinda makes me miss the less than good ole' days when we just toughed it out and figured things out for ourselves."

Finishing with that, Jasyn sent the message along its way, still scowling...

...and totally irritated with the hand said Higher Powers seemed to be dealing them.

[ 12-06-2007 09:40 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

"The good of one person...

...over the Greater Good," she said, in seeming non sequiter. "Maybe that's it. I mean, if the guys were given tips from That Which Is to find Shawn, they used power to find him when perhaps they could have found him on their own. I don't know...

...maybe there was something else there on Degobah that That Which Is was trying to direct the guys towards."

She paused then, considering the very troubling fact that both she and Shawn seemed to be lacking Force sensitivity. "Maybe That Which Is decided to take away something that has been taken for granted. Such things aren't supposed to be easily manipulated by many...

...and at least used to be difficult to wield by those who had mastered it. Opening portals and moving from world to world was at some point a taxing task, even for Jharmeen and Aelvedaar. Now we've stepped into worlds in the Elseness and into entirely different Realms of Darkness with ease."

She quieted then, pursing her lips. "It has become all too easy, Lancaster is right."

[ 12-06-2007 10:12 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

I shuddered a little, then straightened up in my seat.

"And maybe that bat wasn't sent to help, but to test," I figured. "Looks like the guys blew whatever the hell test it was, although I think we are on the right track here. Which means--"

I stopped suddenly as the enormity of it all hit me, squarely in the face.

"And if what Red and Blond- I mean, Shayla said about the Vong is true, then we're in a world of hurt," I whispered, forcing a swallow down my suddenly dry throat. "'Cuz if there's anything you can say about the Vong, besides their absolutely bloodthirsty nature, it's that they're three hundred percent natural. And that's a fact, sure as there's Treasure on Roon!"

With each word that passed from my lips I could feel my spirits sink exponentially, until as I finished they were dragging somewhere in the vicinity of my toes. For a couple more moments nothing but a thick miasma of gloom seemed to blanket us; then I brightened as a thought suddenly flashed home.

"Well, at least we shouldn't have to worry about whatever is going on in the Darker Realms." I shuddered at the mere thought of that horrific place beyond hell.

"If everything unnatural or otherwise out of the norm has been removed from reality, then that means it's stuck in its own dimension now and there's no possible way we can cross into it, or any of those damned imps into ours."

And that was a tiny fact, I was certain, that we all could take comfort in even as we marched slowly but inexorably, as I viewed it, to our doom...

As this thought struck me it likewise entered my mind that the comm-link to Falcon II was still open. I pursed my lips, then leaned forward to speak more directly to our fellow ship.

"All right, Falcon II, it looks like we've got plenty to chew on..."

Not to mention how in Hell's Seven Circles we were going to track down Yaoksi now!

"...but I think said chewing should wait until we're all back aboard Hornett. Which for this little red hen and company should be in about--"

I fiddled at the control panel.

"--ten standard minutes. I'll see you aboard. Eagle II, out."

With that I switched frequencies, and sent a standard hail to our enormous mother ship. A docking destination with appropriate approach vector was promptly sent back, and it wasn't much longer before I found myself putting everything horrible and dire and end-of-the-universe-as-we-know-it-ish out of mind, concentrating instead upon the task of bringing us safely home to roost.

Which I did, with my usual flair.

[ 12-06-2007 10:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

...but Matt tended to his job of getting them back to the Hornett, requesting docking bay coordinates and receiving them fairly quickly. "You know," he mused then while keying in information on the navboard. "That Which Is did say that no point was given...

...but something could be earned back." He paused, frowning. "I think this is all still a test."

Petrolu pursed his lips at this, nodding in agreeement. Jasyn just sighed. Choosing to leave his observation with nothing futher, matt finished commands to begin the landing procedure and docked Falcon II back in her berth on Hornett.

Powering down, he turned to Petrolu. "We need to get to the medbay and have you checked out," he commented, "And then get you hydrated. You've been days without food or water."

Setting the Falcon II to power down, Matt got to his feet and began leading everyone aboardship to do precisely that as he headed for the hatch and then to the docking bay proper, Jasyn and Shawn Petrolu not far behind him.

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

Panthar leaned back and sighed again.

“Oh, yeah, and not that it matters anymore, but that Sith world I was talking about earlier. I was doing lots of research in my former life, about this ancient civilization. Turns out it was the Sith, actually. But some of my research led to this remote, desolate planet – I don’t recall the coordinates, but they’re in my notes. I discovered a site, an underground lab of some kind. It’s where I found Phal. Well, sort of. Anyway, there was a lot of technology and stuff there, but when Phal – well, possessed me, I don’t remember anything until waking up on Sullust. All my notes, all that, are back on that planet.”

Panther leaned forward, scratching his ear.

“Well, they were. Aelvedaar located my notes in that crystal thing of his. Some blue fuzzball was carrying them, walking with a bunch of spacer looking people, and I think they were on an Imperial ship. Now, I encoded that stuff really well, and without the key it’s going to be hard to figure things out. But anyway, there are things on that planet the Sith need – hell, if we’re going to fight the Vong now, we all need it. If the Empire gets there first, they will shut everyone else out and waste valuable time trying to figure it out.”

Panthar leaned back once again.

“So, that’s I was hoping you could maybe look at some old Sith logs and see if they can point us to that planet. And if what we’re guessing about the All and the other mumbo-jumbo is right… Well, see, if what Phal told me about how he got there in the first place is right, then it’s the planet used by this Trelanicus guy, who was supposedly some kind of anti-religious scientist who was doing things without the use of the All. For all I know, he didn’t use Sith magick, either. Catch my drift here?”

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

"So you think that maybe there's something on that planet which might actually work, and more importantly, work against the Vong?" I asked, pinning Panthar with a steady look. "I mean, something better than blasters and ion cannons and all the usual stuff which didn't help too awful much against them the last time they came."

I trailed a little, frowning now as I tried to remember the recent history I learned in school. That had never been my forte; Khaandon knows I was always one for numbers and facing forward, not looking back. But now I did look back, and turned my gaze toward Blondie.

"You said you and Sis were stuck aboard the in-coming Vong ship?" I queried, raising my brows and nodding toward her to let her know this was more of an affirmation to my understanding of her words rather than a direct question.

"I'd think you and Jharmeen will be valuable assets; you might know stuff about the Vong that could prove just as useful as Panthar's mystery planet."

I paused a moment, turning back to the control panel to finish putting Eagle II back into electronic slumber. When I had finished, I rose from my seat, stretched creakily.

"I'd say we have our work cut out for us; let's get aboard Hornett and see if we can some up with a workable battle plan."

I raised an arm in the direction of the now open hatch, waited until all had disembarked, and then followed them onto the deck of the SSD's enormous docking bay. I wanted to see how Terrin fared as well, so I'm sure they all pardoned me as I hastened past them, nodding in general to the crew who staffed the bay, and headed off to find which medical facility he had been stashed in.

[ 12-08-2007 11:48 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

Meanwhile Matt Stanza frowned, already sensing Jasyn's agitation as he picked up speed to catch up with Galen. No doubt he had noted what Matt had observed as well.

"Hey, where's the Boss? Is everything allright" Jasyn queried in Galen's general direction in concern, not quite having caught up with her but the gap between them lessening.

Somewhere nearby, an officer from the docking staff began to approach, no doubt noticing everyone's sudden need to get...

...somewhere.

"Can I help you?" he queried.

[ 12-08-2007 12:05 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin's Crew ]

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

“So,” he said, “Where and when do we meet with her and the rest of the gang? I mean, we should probably get cleaned up and get checked for wounds and biohazards and such, right? And I suppose we should check up on Shawn.”

Panthar cast a quick look towards Shayla.

“And Erik,” he added. That was a meeting he wasn’t sure he wanted to attend, but he would stay by Shayla’s side to help if she wanted.

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

"Yeah," I said, straightening a bit to snag back a bit of my lost composure.

"You can take me to whatever medical facility Terrin Danner is in."

I raised a hand to block the torrent of questions I knew were soon to spout forth from Jasyn's lips, and turned to him.

"Don't worry, he's ok. He got a little banged up by some of the water critters on Dagobah -- ok, a flying dude, too -- but he's ok. I mean, he was walking--"

Sorta...

"--and talking--"

Cursing and complaining, more's the pity...

"--when we brought him back aboard to check him out. He's been in good hands during the time I took to bring the ship back to you, so don't fret."

If anyone should be fretting, it probably should be me. I'm sure he wasn't too thrilled with my sudden turnabout, sure as there's Treasure on Roon!

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

Which made him conclude that he had to at least be well enough to poke his nose around and start finding out if everyone had made it back aboardship just fine. He began to sit up...

...and realized with a start that he was trying to sit up using an arm that wasn't there. Frowning a bit at that, he decided instead to solve this problem by rocking to the side of his flesh and blood arm, effectively sitting half-way up before the slightest pain in his side gave him pause.

But a pause was all he allowed for this as he then reached out to the commlink which had been left at his bedside, no doubt the commlink which he had been wearing when he arrived. He keyed in Taylor Garrison's frequency. "Garrison, this is Captain Danner. Can you give me an update on the teams from Degobah?"

Leaving the message at that, Terrin decided he really didn't care to wait for a reply. After all, he'd spent many years on this ship and had an office of his own. He was in the process of deciding just how stable he might be to get there when a medic entered, frowning in disapproval and reminding him that although the bacta had significantly reduced his pain and healed his wounds, he still needed to be resting and had only been back aboard Hornett for a couple of hours.

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

...I"ll make sure that everyone is given some quarters to do that. But first, we'd better head to med facilities."

Quieting at that, Aaron continued moving and caught up with Galen and the others as she inquired just where Terrin was. Aaron wondered if the docking bay official, who was looking fairly surprised, even knew that Terrin was alive yet, let alone aboardship...

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

...and was even more surprised to receive an almost immediate response from higher powers-that-be aboard the ship. He motioned for her and the party that joined her to follow him, a sort of eagerness beginning to fill his face as he did so.

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

"Captain, everyone just got back aboard," he responded, pausing for a moment to decide just what else to say, quite honestly not knowing if he had the sort of relationship with the Captain to tell him that he was being quite the impossible patient.

I don't suppose you are going to listen to anyone who says you need to get some rest, was his instinctive reply.

He decided to smooth it over, knowing that in all likelyhood he wouldn't be listened to either way. "You should get some rest, I'm certain someone will be there to update you on everything that happened shortly. I'm headed their way already to see that everyone is taken care of. Garrison out."

Sending the message off, Taylor began heading towards the approaching docking bay once more, eventually meeting paths with the officer that was leading Galen Danner and the others. He unconcsiously breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed the altogether too excited looking officer.

"Thank the gods you are all back," he then said, looking at each to make certain everyone seemed to be for the most part hale and whole. "Captain Danner is fit to be tied and refuses to comply with any requests to get some rest; I don't think he'll believe me that everyone is safely aboard unless he sees for himself....

...and asidefrom that you all probably need some med scans just to make sure everyone is healthy after being down there on Degobah."

...and in her mind's eye she recalled just how she had left him there, on Degobah, to die.

"I don't think he'll want to see me after the way I left him," Shayla said quietly in response to Panthar, her greeny-blue eyes growing even more distant. "I left him to die there, you know," she finished with softly, looking down to the bulkhead of the ship to avoid eye contact with anyone.

[ 12-08-2007 08:48 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

“It wasn’t all you,” he said. “I had that stuff inside of me, too, I know what it does. It will make you see things in a certain way, then the next thing you know you’re doing stuff you’d never ever do and think it was all your idea. Give him more credit than that, Shayla, once things are explained to him, and see what he does. If he really loves you, and really trusts you, then this should pass into history. If not, well…”

Panthar regretted saying that last part, and quickly moved his hand to give her back a quick pat.

“It will be all right,” he said. “I’m sure of it. And I’ll back you up as much as I can, and as much as you want me to.”

He moved his hand away, wishing he could have a chance to speak with Erik first. But he also felt that could be a bad idea.

“How do you want him to react?” he asked, surprising himself with the question.

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

...but trust has been broken. He has the right to be wary until that trust has been renewed, as does anyone else here...

...if not more so."

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

Panthar flashed a quick smile to Shayla and touched her shoulder again.

“So stop focusing on the bad, please, and think ahead. You’re acting like it was you that did those things to him, and it wasn’t. He’ll see that.”

And if he doesn’t, Panthar thought, Then it’s probably better that he leaves you. But damn, I just want to see you happy for a change.

[ 12-08-2007 09:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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

By dint of great effort, I kept my mouth shut.

It's his job, I told myself as, a forced smile replacing the frown, I followed along in apparent meekness.

Let him do it.

That smile segued into a genuine one, however, when we were led into a medical facility... one already occupied by several familiar faces. One face in particular I was hungry to see, even though I had a feeling I was going to be in for a scolding.

Terrin didn't see us as we quietly entered; he seemed somewhat engaged in overly-loud conversation with an aide who was only trying to do his job. I bit my lips to keep from laughing aloud, then holding a quieting hand up I sidled up to his bedside.

"Hey, Flyboy, you still lazing around?" I announced my presence unexpectedly, rather enjoying how he jumped before turning around to face me, wincing with the kind of discomfort healing can bring with it all the while.

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

"Oh thank gods you're allright," he opened with.unable to reach out to her for the annoying fact that he was still minus an arm and still somewhat sore. "I mean, with all the damn wildlife on that planet..."

He trailed then, frowning a bit. "Not that I'm not perfectly aware of your capabilities to handle yourself in such situations, but you said you were going to let everyone else take care of things," he added, wincing a bit as he fought with his wounded ego...

...realizing with a start that this was what he had been doing for the past couple of hours. "I'm sorry," he then said then, "It's not you I'm angry with. I should have been more careful down there."

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

The medic nodded calmly, needing no more request than this because the blonde woman was with Captain Barnes and no one objected.

"This way," the medic replied, motioning for her to follow.

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

“Do you want us to wait out here?” asked Panthar.

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

"Hey, love, it wasn't your fault one or two of the locals down there wanted to bring you home for dinner," I quipped, leaning over to give him a light kiss on the top of his head.

"You can't help it that you're irresistible!"

I straightened, smiling and reaching out to lay a hand on his truncated arm. Then I sobered.

"Kinda good that this happened, eh?" I asked, now cocking my head. "I mean, obviously the critter doesn't like plastisteel... to my everlasting gratitude."

Terrin hitched over a little in bed, giving me room to sit beside him. Still smiling, I perched beside him, leaning into his solid warmth. A few preciously shared moments ticked quietly by; then--

"All hell is going to be breaking loose, love," I said out of the blue, staring off at a little spot floating out there just beyond my focal point. "From what Panthar is saying, the Yuuzhan Vong are coming back, and we have reason to believe that Jedi powers -- and others, for that matter -- are gone."

I shook myself, turned now to look into his eyes.

"As much as I want to let others take care of things, I'm afraid now I can't. We can't. With what I know, with what you have, it just wouldn't be right. Those giant eyes have come back."

[ 12-08-2007 10:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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