And that was what mattered to Erik at that particular moment.

"I appreciate your hospitality to me here," he opened with. "And while i am not fully recovered, I do have an important request involving something that I must see to, and soon. I do not feel that it is necessary for me to go into all the details and reasons why...

...but I would like to buy a ship from you, a sturdy freighter with good weapons, so that I may depart from here in short order. Can you make this so?"

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

He paused then, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "I hope they aren't in too deep; I'd really like to get away from this place with all this strange events. With any luck, perhaps the strangeness is not any more widespread than on this planet. But then...

...I'm not very knowledgable about such things."

He sighed, working his way in the direction Galen was already sidling. "I think perhaps I'd ought to become more informed."

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

“I’m for taking off, too. But if you can figure out anything about Googly, then please tell me too,” he said. “I remember being back in his ‘place of places’ trying to figure out his riddles and not liking it a whole lot. It seems that he is playing some sort of game, or more to the point, we are playing a game and he is somehow playing the role of referee. Except he changes the rules! I mean, to me, he called a foul on things that were already in existence. If he is in charge of things, you know, then maybe those things shouldn’t have existed in the first place?”

Panthar stopped in his tracks, silently thinking.

“Um,” he finally said. “He zapped that thing Gray had with her, calling it unnatural. Then he made us get rid of the means to bring people back to life, calling it unnatural. You think he may have done something to the Force? And did something to make stuff like this Sith communication thing not work? Seems kinda weird to think of the Force as unnatural, though. But Shayla would know more about that.”

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

She paused then, pursing her lips thoughtfully, considering Panthar's observations. "At the moment, however, the hows and whys aren't the most important thing. What is important is that we get everybody back together and see if this phenomenon is widespread. After all, That Which Is called Kori'san it's Place of Places. Which to me implies it may have more than one Place it haunts."

She paused then, becoming convinced that That Which Is was truly Everywhere, and that each place, for its own specified reason, perhaps had special characteristics associated with the Grand Game.

She shivered a bit, her lack of Foce senses quite literally making her feel blind.

Back to relying on the good things that everyone has, and not anything specialized. Makes you realize just how much you take things for granted...

"At any rate, let's get to Galen's ship, and away from here. If this place is for some reason special, she's got a point. Staying here any longer may only provoke That Which Is further."

[ 11-21-2007 09:28 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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

Panthar paused, then added “OK, I guess I’m a little paranoid that Googly is going to do something to keep us from landing again if we leave orbit. Just tell me if I’m sounding crazy.”

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

Damn, but in that brief blink there had been one UGLY sky, and it was like the one which had once led to events even uglier...

--and placed my hands on my hips.

"Look, you guys are starting to presume an awful lot. I mean, sure, it's been a rough go getting to Shawn, but now it sounds like he's been found and the guys are heading out with him. They have a ship; the only think that this little Red Hen is gonna presume is that they're going to use it!"

I stopped a minute, glancing around a bit uncertainly, just waiting for a pair of enormous eyes to materialize. But nothing happened; I heaved out the breath I'd been holding and starting heading back to the little connecting strip of land.

"All we have was a garbled message; when we're all back aboard Hornett then we can debrief and find out what in Hell's Seven Circles is actually going on. I mean, we didn't get the entirety of the message, and it seems we're fleshing out a bit much without anything solid to go by. But anyway, that aside, I really think we should just...

Go."

And without waiting to see whether anyone else was coming, that's exactly what I did.

[ 11-21-2007 09:53 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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

With that, he followed Galen, looking back to see if the others were joining him. He felt a deep feeling of consternation over all of this, and actually wanted to be back in space. He wished things were not quite as weird here as what he had left back in the Sith worlds, but that was beyond his control. But he did hope Galen would be willing to listen to him.

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

"Well, it's a good thing none of us have eaten anything substantial in a while," Jasyn commented, scowling. Then, with some effort, he wriggled his way back into the opening, followed by the others, and began to work his way back to where their rope remained hanging and waiting for them. Scowling as he was scraped with rocks and jagged edges in the cave walls, Jasyn continued to scoot, at times able to move a bit more than others. At length, after crawling and skinning and working altogether more than Jasyn thought they all had in a long, long time, they arrived back in the original space where they had found that stupid bat to begin with.

He scowled a bit, gazing up at the original opening they had jumped from, perhaps ten meters up. While it was entirely plausible that they could climb back up to the opening to get to their rope, Jasyn was tired of climbing and working.

He turned and arched an eyebrow Shawn's way, unaware of what had just happened back when the Eyes had disappeared.

"Don't suppose you could pull some of your Jedi stuff and get us back up there?" he queried, falling silent, deciding that, as the words came out of his mouth, he didn't like the look on Petrolu's face one bit.

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

...left me without any way to touch the Force."

Lancaster's look became decidedly dark, and a touch annoyed as well.

"We're going to have to do it the way you would be doing it if I weren't here. Climb."

Saying nothing futher than that, Shawn just motioned for the other two men to follow, trying not to make too much, for the moment, of his loss of connection with the Force. After all, until they got out of these caves and to a place where they could sit down and think, it wasn't going to do much good to get into it. So he followed the men up the wall of a decidedly inclined but not impossible cavern wall. From there they made their way to some ropes that the men had used to make their way down to begin with, and began working their way through the final opening and back up the way Jasyn and Matt had initially come. After some length of time they finally made it back to the initial point of decent, pausing as they one by one climbed up onto solid ground and out of the cave system entirely.

Each took respective breaths of relief...

...and then they gathered themselves as Matt Stanza then took the lead.

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

There I plopped into my seat, and began to nervously tap my fingers, first along the control board to warm the baby up, and then out of impatience while I waited for the others to get here. My brow furrowed as I filled the time with inner-lid images, ones that came from my own imagination, true, but were based in history.

A short green, clownish looking individual. One very powerful, very wise, for all his outward appearance. One who once called this world his home, who had a special connection of some sort here.

Yoda.

My brow wrinkled further.

Oh ye gods, don't tell me Ol Google Eyes is gonna jump this claim, too...

Noises sounded behind me, shaking me from my reverie and I opened my eyes.

"Hurry up, I'm all set to go," I called out, not bothering to turn around to see who was entering.

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

Probably not.

Choosing not to mention these thoughts, however, Aaron just made sure his harness was secured and looked forward to getting back to things he knew well: ship and space.

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

He waved a concerned looking medic over.

"I want to know the status of the parties on planet," he said simply. "Please request that Commander Garrison update me."

She nodded at this request, hurrying off to do just that. And Terrin waited impatiently, drifting ever so slightly...

...but once more unable to rest comfortably knbowing who remained on the planet below.

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

After a second he looked around slyly and saw Shayla and Aaron were already strapping themselves in.

“So,” he called up again, smiling, “You getting paid by the hour? You gonna take off or what?”

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

He paused, considering, "--It is no longer my place to make a final call on any ship that would be sold from this larger vessel," he explained, motioning around him to indicate the bulk of the Hornett. "And it would not be my place to begin with as I am not the owner. However, the owner is on board, and I can inform him of your request."

He paused as a medic stepped up to him. "Sir," the medic said quietly. "Captain Danner has a request."

"I will speak with him," Taylor responded to the medic. "And I will let him know about your request, sir, and get back with you."

"I suppose we should let everyone know we've made it out...

...and hope they all get the message."

Saying nothing further than that, Matt keyed in a general frequency. "Hornett, Eagle II, and all others receiving: This is Matt Stanza reporting return to Falcon II with Jasyn Lancaster and Shawn Petrolu. We are enroute to the [i]Hornett and request an update on everyone else's status. Stanza out."

Sending the message off then, Matt continued to warm the engines, glad to be back somewhere that he felt in control.

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

"Sir, I have been visiting with an Erik Kartan who rests in the sickbay. He is requesting a ship to depart from here and address concerns of his own...

Terrin frowned a bit, shifting to relief some pressure on his side. "I want a status report on everyone who is still down on the surface," he said simply, the look in his eye broaching no argument on the matter.

He might be out of comission, but that by no means meant he should remain out of the loop.

"As for Mr. Kartan, he can buy a ship from here...

...but only after he has been released from the medical facilities. Then he can come talk to me about his wishes himself. Until then...

...an injured man is not leaving here, not while he still needs treatment."

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

"This is Commander Garrison. Captain Danner is requesting a full update on everyone's progress. Please respond ASAP."

Sending off the direct message then to all intended recepients, Taylor turned his attention back to the Captain. "I will see to it that your prosthetic is done is short order so that you can comm on your own as you desire," he commented, knowing that his temporary handicap was the only reason he hadn't requested a status update himself. "And I will let Mr. Kartan know your decision. For the moment, however, you probably should be..."

He trailed, cut off by the look in Danner's eye. The Captain motioned him to stay, so Taylor complied, sensing the concern eminating from the other man.

"Buckle up, everbody. We're soon to be history!" I called out and was about to make good on those words when communications politely announced there was an incoming message. I delayed our departure a moment to see who it was.

"Eagle II," I announced, then nodded as a general update request came through.

"Hornett, this is Eagle II," I then replied. "All personnel are aboard, and we are departing Dagoban soil in approximately--" I fiddled quickly with the control board. "--fifteen standard seconds. We should be back aboard within the half hour; please pass on to Captain Danner my relief that he is well enough to be the mother hen, and that this Big Girl surely appreciates that!

"Eagle II, out."

With that I pulled back on the throttle, and let 'er rip. As Dagobah shrank in the rear viewscreen, I couldn't help but heave a huge sigh of relief. For if I ever stepped foot on that boggy mess of a planet again, it would be entirely too soon, sure as there's Treasure on Roon!

That vow was only cemented more firmly as for a moment some of the local cloud and mist cover were were soaring through seemed to part, sending twin beams of rare sunlight arrowing down to momentarily glint and sparkle upon two mossy ponds far beneath us.

For all the world they took on the appearance of a pair of great eyes, watching with a certain degree of ominous solemnity as our little mote of a ship flew ever up, farther and farther away...

I shuddered and closed my eyes, and when I opened them again it was to see nothing but the exhaustingly boring gray of the Dagoban clouds filling every view. That monotony was relieved soon enough, though, as with an almost audible cry of delight our little lamby came out at last into the crystal clear coldness of star-studded space. Far in the distance there lurked an unseen shadow that blanked out the stars behind it.

I aimed for it and settled back on autopilot with a sigh. Then something Panthar had tried to tell me leaped into my head; clearing my throat I loosened my harness and turned in my seat so as to peer at him over the top of it.

"You said something about having something important to ask me?" I opened, cocking my head with curiosity.

"Well, we've got about half an hour now, and I'm all ears."

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

“Yeah,” he said at length. “There is a lot of stuff going down, as you can probably figure out for yourself. But before this business with Googly eyes, it seemed a lot simpler. Ya see, hmm… let me start from a while back, fill yo in on some things first.”

Panthar looked over at Shayla and Aaron, with an apologetic look.

“Shayla was possessed, we figure with the same black ick that was in me that one time. I know how it was, it’s like you are in control of your actions but you’re not really. It really gets in your head, makes you believe things. It was in your sister, too. To make a long story short, we were coming here to help you guys, through a portal opened by Gray. But she sent us to Korris’ian instead, and we had a heck of a time getting back to Khar Delba. During that time, though, we found a whole bunch of Phalomir clones. It was weird, let me tell ya. But Phal took them out, except for one, who was awake. The Master came to call and stole that one and took it to the Darker Realms.”

Panthar paused, scratching his head.

“With me so far? No? Well, let me go on. Apparently the whole reason the Master was after Phal was so he could give him to the tar-thing that lives in the Darker Realms. Shayla and Gray, they, um, were there when the tar-thing took over the clone and it took off. Anyway, quick version is that Gray and Shayla are no longer possessed, but this clone of Phal has the tar-thing in him. The Master disappeared, too, nobody knows where to.”

“The other bad thing that happened is that while she was possessed, Gray apparently let loose with a huge nasty blast that destroyed the Empire’s blockade. She had that one guy, Sorben Tarnus, locked away in the dungeon at the time. When we were all back together on Khar Delba, we made plans to get things figured out and regroup. Phal and Gray went to free Tarnus and Thoran, they were on K’eel Doba. We all came here with Aelvedaar to help you – except we never saw him come through the portal he opened for us.”

“But what I wanted to ask you, before the Googly thing, was if you could help look at Sith ship logs and figure out the coordinates of an ancient Sith planet. I know that sounds a little incongruous, but it’s important. Sheesh, I guess that was a lot to tell you, but hopefully it made a little bit of sense. I’m not asking you to get deeply involved, but if K’kihl gets the logs, can you help him figure them out?”

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

"Why do I think she is telling you to get some rest without really telling you to?"

He paused then, letting the little bit of humor fill the room before he turned serious. "And really, you ought to get some rest. The medics say you've got a three broken ribs and a broken leg. Time to recoup a bit...

...and I'll go let Kartan know what you said and let the command deck know to prep for their return. And since I haven't had the time to say so yet sir...

...it is good to have you back on the ship."

I'd seen that brief change of atmosphere, and I remembered all too well the last time I'd seen something similar. But here Panthar was, casually dismissing the very maker of all that was; no. The possible embodiment of all that was, the Ultimate Game Master, if you will, for the sake of something as simple as a little demonic possession?

I shut my mouth in disbelief, cleared my throat, took in a deep breath, and started in.

"Ahh-- look, pal. I don't know if you quite get the gist of what might be going on here, but don't you remember our big-eyed friend back there? Don't you remember what happened last time he, or she, or it, or they, whatever in Hell's Seven Circles pronoun one's supposed to use, sheesh; don't you recall what went down then?"

I stopped a minute or two and chewed on my cheek a moment while I tried to collect my thoughts.

"Ok, look. We already know the Master isn't to be trusted as far as you can toss a rancor. We know he's been babbling on and on about some dire threat to the galaxy, and how he needs his son or apparently even clone thereof, to save it. Well.

"If he's got what he wants, why not let him do his thing? Personally, I'd be a little more concerned about Ol' Googly; I mean, what in all the known universe did he pop up here for? If what the Master is doing is so big and bad and against the way destiny is supposed to unfold or whatever, then why doesn't Big Eyes go harrass him?"

I stopped again, aware that I was more just talking aloud than giving Panthar any solid answer. I sighed.

"Look, I don't suppose it's going to hurt anything to read some Sith logs for you, although I'm kinda interested in knowing just what this 'ancient Sith planet' you're talking about is. I thought the Sith worlds were K'eel Doba, Khar Delba, Korriban and Koris'sian...?"

All of which I'd set foot on at least once during the last several, and most hectic, years of my life...

Then I put all the weirdness and strangeness aside and turned to the more serious of the quandaries to which he referred.

"But sheesh, blowing up an entire Impy blockade-- wow, I didn't know Sissypoops had it in her. Er, ok, so she had It in her, and probably shot the Imps to hell and gone under duress or something. But that's not going to make one whit of difference to Actar. Or his Top Guns."

I frowned, wondering if I still held any sway, if only the tiniest bit, toward a certain one of said Top Guns. I sure hoped so.

"Because," I finally concluded. "I think what Sissy did was start us down a lovely little road to war."

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

He breathed another sigh of relief...

...and quickly alerted the proper officials of the Falcon II's imminent return. Then he sent a response back to Matt Stanza.

No matter how much he had accepted it, to some extent it was still an extremely peculiar feeling that part of his body was a part, and not flesh and blood.

As the final dettachments were made, a medic turned to him. "Sir, we have a bacta tank prepped for you. This will help mend the broken bones you've got and relieve pain."

Terrin nodded, sitting up slightly and wincing in pain as moving reminded him that things were not functioning properly. "Yeah, relieving pain," he responded with a grunt as a med stretcher was brought in to carry him to the tank. "Remind me to avoid Degobah...

...in the future."

Quieting then, Terrin let them carry him off to the tank, noting with less than fond memories that that he would probably be "hanging out" in there for at least a standard hour or two.
Oh joy. Kriffing swamp creatures...

[ 12-06-2007 05:37 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Terrin Danner ]

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

The villip on Kori'san...

Suddenly a realization slammed home.

"Wait," Shayla spoke up suddenly, drawing the attention of the others. "Maybe That Which Is isn't just playing games with us," she began, chewing her lip a bit, her eyes growing only darker. "The Master had the plan to use Phalomir, or his clone, to defeat the Vong with assistance from the Darkness...

...only I know for a fact that the Darkness is somehow aligned with the Vong as well."

She paused again, trailing for a minute before saying anything else. "I saw... him... the Vong that captured Jharmeen then held me in her place...through a villip on Kori'san, one which I was led to via the Darkness within me at the time. It called me part of the Nexus...

...as did he. He said there were plans for Jharmeen and I."

Her eyes defocused, and she wasn't really seeing anyone in the cabin any longer, but something else far and distant. Thoughts whirled in her mind as she tried to make sense of something that seemed just beyond her reach, dangling there tauntingly.

"If the Darkness has declared war through Jharmeen, so have the Vong. The Darkness is either playing the Master, playing the Vong...

...or both. For total domination over the living...

...and the dead."

She quieted one final time, managing to jerk herself from her dark thoughts to look to the others. "Talk about disrupting the Natural Order of things. Perhaps That Which Is is aware of the game the Darkness is unfolding."

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