...to then come in contact with that which had been silent for quite some time.

Shawn breathed in more deeply, his senses warmed by the connection.

The Force was with him once more.

Not wanting to put the guards on offensive, Shawn turned to one of them, pointing to the wristcomm as he then spoke. "May I take this message?" he asked simply.

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

Thoran took a drink from the glass he had been offered.

“But I’m not trying to criticize the way you do things. It’s your nature. Every race has its own nature, some are subservient and some are not. It’s life. But you don’t need to unify the whole galaxy. I’ll say the same thing to the Sith, because believe me there are forces at work right now inside the Sith worlds that are setting you up to be the next great enemy that needs to be eliminated, the same way you have your own scum stirrers setting up the Sith. Tell me that’s not true!”

Thoran realized his finger was pointing at the General. He looked at it, then flicked his eyes apologetically and resumed his posture.

“But again,” he continued, “we do it because that’s our part in the game. Obviously one of the players is using you, and the other is using the Sith. But once you have set upon your courses of mutual destruction – well, then comes player three with its own special playing piece. The wild card. Yup, the two biggest powers in the galaxy have set upon one another in a spectacle that will entertain the masses for years to come. But wait, someone has played the wild card – the sabec deck is reshuffled and now your winning hand isn’t worth poodoo. Game over for everyone.”

Thoran wrinkled his lips and sighed. He took another sip and stared off at the wall.

“I told you that the Darker Realms was tied to the whole universe,” he said. “It’s like a shadow, but much, much more. It’s like the conjoined twin that shares the bloodstream. Kill one and the other will live, but not for long. They need each other. Did you know that our galaxy is the most direct line to the Darker Realms? It’s like we’re the piece of skin that connects with the twin.”

“All right,” he said quietly. “It’s down to this. It’s conspiracy theory time – although I’m afraid it’s more than a theory. With the current course, war between you and the Sith is inevitable. You will weaken each other tremendously, and then the Vong will be used to destroy you both. They will build their dominance here, build their strength, and then use this galaxy as a springboard to launch an invasion of incredible magnitude into the darker realms. In essence, it will mean the end of everything.”

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

The one being singled out turned round, revealing the color patch on his otherwise pristine armor. He moved back to the waiting guards, who split themselves like a river channeling around a protruding bar, and allowed him entrance into their midst. Closing, the front and side ranks then whirled, weapons resting easily in their gloved hands, thus ready to spring into instant action should any false move by their "guest" warrant such.

The leader raised a hand briefly, then let it drop. He came to a halt in front of Shawn, there presenting himself as a gleaming white statue. But behind his mask, his optics were busy scanning the man in front, audio and visual sensors ready and waiting to catch what was forthcoming, recording devices likewise flipped on.

*SHHH... click*

"You may, but it would be to your benefit to increase the volume," he replied, making no pretense of his intention to pick up every word that might be spoken, or written on the tiny screen.

He nodded toward Shawn, his shiny black lenses gleaming enigmatically at him.

[ 08-04-2010 10:07 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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

Other... player? Who the hell was he referring to? Actar--? But that made no sense whatsoever; I hadn't gotten any new directives against the Sith, and he sure as hell had been made aware by now of the situation in the Sith system! Unless my earlier suspicions of being "under watch" by his men was truer than I had thought earlier...?

Still, that made no sense. And the Sith; no one yet was even aware of them being alive, let alone something to consider as potentially hazardous. Why then would that particular shoe be on the other foot; and who would be the rabble rouser raising hell in their secret little circles?

No, it was all too soon, too soon... there had to be something... or someone else.

I let a sniff escape me, my mind now turning to an earlier, nearly accusatory statement Thoran had let slip.

Scum-stirrers?

That which made me, me, reared back in vehement protest.. This was not, after all, what Actar was all about.

Or was it?

My thoughts circled 'round to where they had begun, initiating yet another creepy-crawly, this one which succeeded in raising the hairs on the back of my neck. A tiny drip of sweat rose from my temple, and clung to what hair it could find there.

Sonmehow this was all too... superficial. Even the part about the Vong.

Who were, according to this altogether too enigmatic Sith, returning...?

I shook off the heavy cloud of trepidation that had been trying to settle on me, and flicked the drip of sweat into oblivion. Letting my stare loosen into one more genuine, I took a sip of my drink.

"Let's assume you are correct," I said abruptly, setting my glass back down again. "Let's assume that someone is raising hell against we humans in your worlds, and someone is trying to blow yours to smithereens. Let's even assume that what you say about the Vong is utterly correct as well.

"WHO has the power to play tiddly-winks with us all? WHO are these other players, especially the one moving the Vong? Why would they be doing this thing?

"And---"

Oh ye ghods, but this sounded asinine!

"--how in the name of all the universe can ANYTHING of ours defeat the Darker Realms?!"

The mere mention of that horrid place invoked immediate visions of my brief but hideous time there. In apparent non sequiteur, my thoughts then flashed to Galen, and through her to that flame-headed hellion of a sister that she had. I didn't think even the weird power she wielded would be enough to hold its own against that Dark Hell.

And Hell indeed... what the hell actually could?

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

Kyan's message played out, and Shawn pursed his lips thoughtfully.

He didn't remember Kyani having an apprentice...

...but that was of little concern. What was of importance was that he wasn't the only one who felt his contact with the Force return.

But before he replied, Shawn again deferred to the lead guard, wanting to make certain that he made no assumptions and kept within desired boundaries.

"I would greatly appreciate permission to make a quick response," Shawn indicated to him. "I have been in a potentially less-than-favorable location, and lack of response may cause undue alarm. I would like to let him know I am safe but momentarily occupied...

...and would like to respond to his query if I may."

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

"You do not need to defeat the Darker Realms," he said. "It is not the enemy, it is your twin, your -- shadow. Sure, every now and then someone opens up a portal and one side or the other causes some trouble, but that's the nature of siblings, right? What I'm saying is that you need to protect the Darker Realms."

Thoran scratch absently at his scalp.

"Look, the first thing you need to do is accept that these players are beyond us. They do what they do for their own reasons, on their own level. I've heard of mortals who have transcended this existence and actually made contact -- this is how I know they exist. But their purpose, their game, anything like that -- forget it. It's not them I'm really concerned about. It's this other party -- whether it's another Player, or a conspiracy of powerful beings somewhere below the Players... The fact is, I know there are mortals working against you here, and things in the Darker Realms causing all sorts of instability in our sister galaxy there. And behind it all is some -- thing."

Thoran shook his head, afraid to think anymore of what he feared. Images of a dark shadowed figure towering in the distance flashed in his mind, and raced to put them out. He forced out a rush of air between his lips and looked at Sorben.

"I think it wants the game to end."

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

"You may proceed," came the simple reply.

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

"Master Jetiis’ad, I too feel the Force," he confirmed. "I will respond to you at greater length later, but am currently in the middle of something. In the meantime, please let me know if any other major developments occur."

Sending off the message then, Shawn returned his full attentions to the lead guard, waiting patiently.

(((OCC: Cross-posted in Where Will You Go in response to Kyan.)))

[ 08-04-2010 11:14 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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

Standing in a neutral but ready posture was the escort troops in case the Jedi was to try anything. The Jedi and one other trooper, most likely the team leader, stood next to the lone table in the center of the room. Kani saw the Jedi’s comm link and surmised the trooper was also recoding everything the Jedi was saying, later when she had more time she would review the recording for herself but for now she needed to at least make the Jedi think that the Empire was trying its best to accommodate him. Once the trooper saw her he snapped to attention, Kani gave him a quick hand signal and he moved over to the door assuming his post.

“Pardon the security escort,” said Kani. “But civilians are rarely allowed to roam base freely, I am Major Lyra Kanti Imperial Storm Trooper Corps, Special Operations Officer and acting Executive Officer to Lieutenant General Tarnus.”

I can’t tell if he is a Master, but at the very least he is a Knight. He doesn’t strike me as a Jedi I met before when I was a child, but even during buir’s time as the orders Battle Master she rarely stayed at the academy itself. Choosing instead to train only a few on Mandalore so they could learn fighting against some of the best warrior the galaxy had to offer, and so we could learn from them as well. This Jedi is not one of the few my mother personally trained so his combat skills might be limited to that of an average Jedi, that and he might not remember that my mother had a child. Even so I’ll have to guard my thoughts carefully so he doesn’t make the association that my mother was a Jedi.

My teeth clenched as I swallowed tightly, my hand brushing against something even as I strove to keep absolutely neutral in appearance in front of Thoran. I couldn't help but glance down to see what I'd hit--

Anything, oh blessed distraction, anything to bring sanity back, to bring a little mundanity about instead of the unfathomable we had been discussing in the same off-hannded manner one would discuss an event read about in the "Tatooine Tattler..."

It was a datapad, which had seemingly popped into existence out of thin air. Now I knew someone had brought it in, more than likely my new aide; what disturbed me was how quietly it had been laid down, and how the bearer had vanished in equal silence. My eyes widened a bit.

How much had been overheard?

All this in a flash before reason returned; holding up a hand to Thoran, I picked up the datapad and quickly scanned the words upon it. I looked back up to the Sith, who was waiting there with a terribly concerned sort of expectancy on his face.

I'll admit, for the smallest of moments I had found myself recoiling, snorting in disbelief at his words. But now there was this, the sudden appearance of a Jedi, out of the blue, now when if what Thoran stated was really true couldn't have been a better time for it...

I never could quite cotton up to the concept of coincidence, of serendipity. One made one's own luck, or someone made bad luck for him. It was that simple.

"There's a jedi here," I stated simply, not a bit hesitant to indulge this little bit of information to Thoran.

"Perhaps we should invite him to our little summit meeting here."

With that I punched a button on my wrist-com, summoning a young ensign who materialized into perky attention at my elbow. She stood ramrod straight, eyes ahead as I deleted the message on the datapad and replaced it with another.

Send him to me. General Tarnus.

"Get this to Major Jetiis'ad, on the double," I barked, taking small, momentary comfort in the familiarity of giving orders, and watched as she saluted crisply, took the pad, and fled.

The moment of reality passed. I turned back to Thoran, and dove once more into the Improbable.

"What precisely do you mean by, 'end the game?'" I asked, even though I felt the answer to that rush screaming through my very bones.

"I presume you are referring to something more than a simple military upheaval."

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

"I was speaking with a fellow Jedi Knight in regards to the Force." He paused, knowing this answer was going to sound entirely too vague. So he proceeded by explaining a little further. "We have been having difficulty sensing its energy recently...

...but all seems normal now."

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

Send him to me. General Tarnus.

Either he didn’t trust her with interrogating prisoners or he felt the need to question the Jedi himself, whatever the General’s reason Kani knew it wasn’t her place to argue. With a quick motion of her hand the troopers all moved from their respective positions around the room back into an escort formation around the Jedi.

“It appears the General himself has taken an interest in this matter,” said Kani. “If you would follow me.”

Quickly Kani exited the room leading the escort back the way she had just came to the mess hall. When they arrived outside the doorway Kani stopped and turned around holding out an open hand to the Jedi.

“I will have insist you surrender your lightsaber before you are allowed to see the General.”

And she had a lightsaber? Interesting...

He made no argument regarding giving over his lightsaber, but simply hooked it from his belt, calming placing it in the Major's extended hand. As he did, he watched her response to his actions, his greeny-blue eyes calm and unwavering as he did so.

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

He might not even be a knight, if he so easily gave up his lightsaber. That or I can guard my thoughts better than I thought.

“Follow me,” Kani ordered. Kani nodded to the two guards at the door to the mess who opened the doors for them. She stepped inside with the Jedi in tow while the escort formation waited outside the mess. The pair stopped at the sole occupied table shared by the General and Thoran.

More than likely, however, he had nothing else to say; that everything he could have divulged to me had already left his lips. Which would mean, of course, that he was probably sitting back just waiting to see what I was going to do about things.

A little sigh puffed out my cheeks; I was readying a bit more coherent of a query to Thoran when in waltzed my aide dragging none other than Shawn Petrolu in tow. Now the little sigh became one in earnest, albeit one stemming perhaps from a bit of surprise.

"We meet again, Jedi Petrolu," I said formally, rising halfway from my seat, my two hands planted on the table top. Shawn stood there unwavering, my aide a ramrod at his side, and a second or two of silence ticked by before I realized there were no other chairs at the table where Thoran and I were seated.

I shot a look at Major Jetiis'ad, and quirked my brows.

"Well--?" I said simply, then silenced as she leaped out to find a chair for the jedi. She brought it back and set it at one of the unoccupied sides of our table, then stepped back a bit and took up a stance near to my side, but not so close as to appear hovering.

Now I turned a quirked brow Shawn's way, enhancing the expression with a wave of my hand toward the seat. Behind me I thought I heard something resembling a barely concealed, but terribly tiny, snort. Whether it was of disapproval or derision I couldn't say; all I knew was that it was immediately followed by an almost tangible silence that dripped into the mess and seemed to settle down like a cloud around us all.

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

...all the while deciding how to address the fact that he knew the Sith that had been in apparent conversation with the Lt. General. Thoran had been with Shawn and several others, after all, when Lord Aelvedaar had ported them to Tatooine and Shayla had run off on her own.

And he had later disappeared when he and others had gone after Shayla via a portal to Degobah.

"Thank you for your time, General Tarnus," Shawn opened with. "My apologies for coming so unannounced, but I would like to know how things are progressing with the construction of the Jedi Praxeum. There have been some unusual occurences in regards to the Force, and with many other things."

Shawn paused, pursing his lips. "But perhaps Thoran has told you something of this."

Quieting again, Shawn turned marginally in Thoran's direction and arched an eyebrow. Then he looked back in Sorben's direction. "Until recently, I couldn't feel the Force, and neither could anyone else that I know of."

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

Realms now lorded over by the very Sith who had promised to help me find my missing daughter; realms of noisome and noxious non-life whose Master wished to let loose upon our own, using its strength to destroy the very species I had myself vowed to destroy, until one of them had come to my rescue, plucked me from their dungeons and finally managed to bring me here...

... only to attempt persuading me into protecting said evil realms.

And over it all, there was Someone, or Something Other.

I blinked, drew in a breath, and ignoring Thoran for the time being focused on Petrolu.

"It seems a bit on the superfluous side, don't you think, to come here seeking the status of your Praxeum, when it appeared that your powers had gone kerflooey. How recently did you get them back?"

This was a logical query; it hadn't been all that long ago that Thoran and I had gone through our own personal little mishap. Therefore, if whatever had caused his powers to fail was the same thing that had affected the Jedi, it only stood to reason that their return to strength was indeed recent. Like mere hours ago. It was also more than likely that Petrolu had arrived here prior to their return.

I paused a moment, satisfied with the trend of my logic, and took a small sip of my Walkn'Fall. It was getting dangerously low, and unfortunately, I was still dangerously sober. I waggled the nearly empty glass in Major Jetiis'ad's general direction, then thunked it down on the table.

"Your initial message said you had something of dire importance to discuss, Petrolu. Suffice it to say, I'm all ears."

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

"My Force senses returned to me a matter of minutes ago," he admitted. "And my main area of concern revolves around my brother-in-law, who blasted off in anger to do who knows what after his wife disappeared and he lost his son. He has no particular love of the Empire, but worse than that he has no love at all for certain others."

Shawn paused, eyeing the still-silent Thoran, his meaning once again clear although unspoken. "He has a wealth of knowledge that could be dangerous if placed in the wrong hands, he blames the Sith for his wife's disappearance and the death of their baby...

...and I am not sure how far he will go for revenge. My concern regarding the Praxeum is simply this: if Erik uses the knowledge he has to rile up Force-users...or anyone for that matter...there could be major problems. After all, he is an information smuggler and I wouldn't doubt he has gone back to Stargazer Corporation. All of this is speculation at this point, of course. But I know him, and he can be hot-tempered and impulsive. I have a bad feeling about this...

...and no pun is intended."

[ 08-10-2010 05:16 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shawn Petrolu ]

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

My inner nek back down, hackles settling s bit. However it wasn't so stupid as to completely dismiss what the jedi was saying as being inconsequential. Plenty of disasters had arisen throughout time and space by operating on that principle. So while I allowed myself a sigh of relief, I did so wuth the utmost of caution.

"So this potentially hazardous information your brother-in-law has, tell me Petrolu. What is it?"

I picked up my glass and drained the dregs, then set it down in expectancy of a refill.

[ 08-10-2010 06:44 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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

...at least not yet."

Shawn paused. Maybe he was making too much out of this. But something deep inside lead him to believe otherwise.

"He's furious with the Sith, and I fear that he will stop at nothing to portray them all as monsters who need to be destroyed to whomever might listen and have enough power to assist him. I know he's just a single individual, and it doesn't seem like he could pose any major threat...

...but my instincts tell me otherwise."

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

"I don't suppose you'd have any of the particulars regarding these so-called 'hot little details' you mentioned?" I asked. The question was not meant to be flippant; indeed, I needed to determine just where in the Grand Scheme of things this latest little disruption fit. For gods only knew what kind of poo-doo was coming down the cosmic highway; I didn't dare lay too much focus on what at this point was appearing more and more to be a jedi's suppositions, speculations and hunches. And although the jedi were reknown for their suppositions, speculations and hunches, as did any general, I needed more.

I needed facts.

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

“The General requires more Walkn'Fall,” Kani whispered into the comm.

She wasn’t about to fetch more spirits herself, not because she considered it beneth her, but without knowing the General’s combat capibilities she wasn’t about to leave in alone in a room with two Force users, even if they are unarmed. About to remind the guard the General was waiting the door opened to reveal the ensign from before, Kani watched as the ensign crept up to the table poured the drink then leaving the bottle left the room as fast as possible short of sprinting. The sight that ensign must have seen would have scared any administrator such as herself, an Imperial General, a Jedi, an unknown alien, and a heavily armed Twi’lek stormtrooper.

Kani was becoming annoyed at the Jedi’s ever cryptic responses to the General’s questions. She pulled up her comm and had the escort leader transmit the logs of what the Jedi had broadcast earlier. The first line had just come in on her screen and instantly her controlled thoughts drastically changed to murderous intent, one she no longer tired to hide from the Jedi. Within an instant she was next to the Jedi with her hands on her lightsaber.

I ignored that, but glared at my new aide. "Major!" I barked in a tone that brooked no nonsense.

"You... will... STAND DOWN!"

[ 08-11-2010 10:28 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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

This one was in pain. Terrible, terrible pain...

While Shawn did not understand the language she spoke occasionally, something about the terms seemed endearing.

As though she were referring to a loved one, perhaps family...?

His eyes softened. For the moment he paid no mind to anything other in the room but the Major. "He is on a ship with friends of mine, alive and quite well," he reesponded simply.

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

“Yes sir,” answered Kani.

I have what I need, the jetiise knows where Ba’buir is. Ba’buir will not turn like the other jetiise osik, buir use to tell me stories of him. How he lost his powers but even still was a great warrior, one the jetiise traitors will need if continue their plan to enslave us all. Most likely he has already been fed their lies, but with the empires help I can save him.