I jerked up and scowled. "Get away from me." I glared at it, before my expression was broken by a wracking cough. I could taste copper, not the best of signs, but did my best to ignore it.

"Where are they? Where are those I came here with?"

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

The fat Ewok then strolled around to the side of the bed and plopped down on his well-padded behind. He chirped away a series of long sentences, then pointed to Rykounagin. Getting no response, he pointed to the door, growled dramatically and held his hands up to his head, one finger on each pointing upwards. He growled again.

“Graks!” said the Ewok. “Eee-too!” The Ewok growled again, then waited for Rykounagin to understand.

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

"Alright then..." I walked outside slowly, though as I did so, I ran my hand over my body, looking some faint familiarity that I had lost in my lack of connection with the powers I had been endowed with.

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

“I was with Jharmeen,” he said, shakily. “Yes, Jharmeen. We were trying to find someone, perhaps it was you. It seems so long ago now, forgive me. She opened a portal… yes, that was it. We went to Dagobah to find you and Galen and some others, who needed your help, which is why you went there.”

Phalomir stopped and bit his lower lip. His mind was definitely clearer than it had been, but his mastery of the common language had seemed to recess to a dark corner of his abused mind.

“My Lord,” he continued, this time in the high language of the Sith. “I need your help. I… I remember arriving here, with Jharmeen and the boy… yes, Rykounagin, I remember him. He had vowed to help us, to make amends. There is much going on, Lord Aelvedaar, much, and we must find Jharmeen. She will know what to say, it is a struggle for me to keep my wits, I do not remember everything. It involves the Vong, I know this. And the Sith.”

Phalomir looked upwards, as if the sky inspired his mind.

“Ewoks, she called them,” he said. He blinked and looked back to Aelvedaar. “We went through the portal to Dagobah, and came here instead, and we were met by furry little things that Jharmeen called Ewoks. Then everything snapped, everything. My magick, my mind, it all went. What happened to me, my Lord?”

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

Finally he spoke up.

“Hoo-man,” he croaked in his tiny guttural voice. “Jed-die,” he continued. That was a great percentage of his human vocabulary, and he suddenly wished he had spent more time with the old masters. A thought dawned on him, and he realized suddenly why the human was here amongst them. Of course! It had been so long since a human had come to them, there was only one explanation.

“Hoo-man… go home?” he asked.

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

"Yes. Go home." I replied, more loudly this time, figuring that it would be best to get whatever this pest had in mind out of the way before I continued my search for the others.

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

“Eee tooo!” cried the fat Ewok, and the line of a half dozen of the little furry warriors began marching in a line towards the trees.

The fat Ewok turned to Rykounagin, and pointed after the troops. He then laughed and followed them, glancing back to see if Rykounagin was doing the same.

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

The forests of Endor's moon flashed by in a carpet of green, blurred into streaks by the approach velocity of the Verpine's little craft. He paid the blur no heed, knowing that somewhere within that indistinct mass was the Sorcerer lord he sought, and that the best approach to finding him was to ignore what his senses were bringing to him, and rely on those of the ship's. Thus he reached out with sensors, scanning the verdant little moon as it rolled beneath him, seeking signs of Sith.

He sat back in surprise when an area flashed by filled not only with expected Ewok lifesigns, but with a human's as well.

He chewed his mandibles in thought. Then, marking the location with his GPS unit, he continued on, using the elevated position of the ship to his advantage, seeking out with his sensors from local horizon to local horizon, plotting a spiralling course as he did so as to discover the whereabouts of the Sith Lord with as much expediency as possible.

[ 05-13-2008 05:59 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

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I shall state as much to him.

"It would appear, my Brother, that at the very least our Portals seem to be operating at the whimsy of the ghods of the Universe. I too followed a Portal, seeking to assist others, and found myself upon this world which up until this moment I did not know to be Endor."

Indeed I find a bit of satisfaction in gleaning my whereabouts. For although this moon is in a farther, wilder portion of the Galaxy, it at least is in a place which has held intelligent life other than the little Ewoks who rule its woodlands. Imperial forces once placed their bases here, the old Rebel Alliance followed suit.

Thus it comes to my mind that if we cannot use our Sith magicks to gain egress from this place, we at least have other options at our fingertips. We have only to find them.

"But, study has shown this little moon to be riddled with the remnants of old military bases," I continue, repeating my very thoughts aloud. "Surely once we find one such a place, we will be able to call out to K'eel Doba and seek assistance. For the Warrior world, while at times indeed using inherent Sith magicks, uses instead for the most part brute strength and weaponry and other such devices. Communication systems have been developed on Kori'sian such as is used throughout the Galaxy in general; if we call out, they will hear us and come here forthwith.

"It is a good thing, Brother, that you have placed us within this vast Galaxy by your assertion that it is Ewoks who met you and my Chosen One; tell me, how fares she? We need find her, and the youth Rykounagin, ere we seek to find a means of contacting those outside and beseeching them come to our aide."

I pause a moment, staring off into the shadowy trees as if seeking answer there as other words spoken by Phalomir now remind me of their presence. The frown returns to crease my features more adamantly.

"You speak of the Vong, Brother; tell me, what do you know of them. Think you that they have developed the means by which to interfere with our Portals--

"Which as you know would mean that they have in turn found the means to utilize the All, as do we."

I say nothing further, there is no need to speak. Those words alone carry the weight of far too desperate a situation than I would care to think of upon their backs, especially if the cessation of Powers is something afflicting only this Galaxy, or would affect them, if they have such to be affected, as well...

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

"Endor..." he repeated. "I know of this place, yet I have never been here before. But yes, bases abound..."

Phalomir's eyes turned to concern, almost panic.

"We must find Jharmeen, I fear of what I might have done to her when my mind... well, when it burst. If there are bases, then yes, perhaps we can send a signal, but we must find Jharmeen, we cannot leave her here on this world. Rykounagin, perhaps... but no, we must find them both. If he has truly changed, then he is owed support and--" Phalomir trailed, looking off into the blanket of forest covering the hills.

"The Vong," he said calmly, "are not users of magic or the Force, it seems unlikely they could master the All. Balance is needed, is it not?"

[ 05-21-2008 08:25 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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"Not mere balance, as some might believe," I reply. It is strange, having this discussion of the intricacies of the All, pacing through the jungle of Endor's moon, while all about us I feel the galaxy is in rising turmoil.

"It is beyond balance. It is complete understanding of All That Is at a visceral, instinctive level. The realization that the greater good is dependent not upon this small race or that, but a function instead of All That Is, and to maintain that greater good one must at time act in a manner one would otherwise think to be, at that moment, either good or evil."

I pause, considering my own words, a tiny wonder beginning to grow within me. No time to study this now; it is put aside, tucked away for meditation at a later date.

"There is really no good or evil, you see. There is only...

"What simply Is."

I move on through the lush understory, carefully pushing aside this or that shrub or vine, trying to move with as much grace and smoothness as I can. There is within me a deep understanding which connects my very soul with the cat-like whisper of my physical movement, one similar to what I believe the Jedi feel with their Force: a respect for that which is living.

But here is where they understand but a part, while I strive to grasp onto the whole: I have not so much respect as to exlude the necessity of taking away the life of that which lives, should it be warranted.

A frown crosses my features, and I ponder further upon things as we move along, for surrounded here by the jungle of Endor, having naught at hand to extricate myself save my own two feet, it indeed does appear I have more than enough time to devote to such things. I think of my Chosen Daughter, whom my Brother Lord seems to be so smitten with. I think of Aeylmaar, my own Adoptive Heir, and of my lost brother Roan. I think of the Darkness we have faced, whether together or alone. And I think of that strange time when Time itself ground to a halt.

To me the clarity of All-use shines brightly. I understand how and why those who use it, can.

And I fear my Brother Phalomir just may not be among that elite group; I do not believe he would have it within him to take the life of Jharmeen, for example, should it become a necessity. As much as I do love her myself, I know that I could.

And would.

[ 05-26-2008 11:40 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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Phalomir felt his head swim again, but paused a moment and struggled it back down.

“I, for example, can feel the madness within me – grief, guilt, and overpowering urges to crawl into a hole and die – but although it is there I can use my own will to isolate it and block its effects upon me. Albeit a struggle, I feel I shall become better and better at this as time progresses. Such is the All, you cannot take it away, for it is everything, if what I understand from you and Jharmeen is correct. But blocking your connection to Everything… surely that is above the Vong? That seems more along the lines of the All itself, to block, as you say, All That Is--”

Phalomir stopped again, the weight of that statement slamming into him.

“All That Is? Do you know the story, Lord Aelvedaar, of All That Is, and our encounter with it on Korri’sian?”

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

"Somewhat," I state briefly.

"I have been told something of what has occurred to my Chosen Daughter and her companions, in the not too distant past. If you refer to an incident other than the one resulting in Kori'sian being placed into the Elseness, I would enjoin you to divulge it to me."

[ 05-28-2008 02:38 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

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“Shayla and Jharmeen were under the influence of the Darkness, which was somehow linked to the Master. During that time, Jharmeen sent us all into the Elseness, even after it had been ‘closed’ by That Which Is. How could she do this? Then there were the clones…”

Phalomir paused, holding his head as a pain seared through it. He regained himself and walked again, shaking his head.

“It all fits together, somehow, but it makes my head swim.”

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

"K'kihl, this is Matt Stanza. We are on Khar Delba with Aeylmaar after coming here to see if Graysith and Phalomir had returned from a search of their own. Please let us know how things are progressing with you and how you are faring."

Sending the message off, Matt sat back and waited for a reply.

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

"K'kihl this is," he answered with a click of his mandibles. "Lifesigns more have I found, than expect did I. Life plenty, this moon has, but--"

He rattled an articulatory appendage upon his control board, then returned to communications.

"Sith signs, yes, but two--. Human two, in addition. Unexpected is this; elaborate, can you? As well-- Lord Phalomir, Lady Graysith: with you are they?

"Transmission sending now--"

He gave the send control a definitive punch with one delicate claw before turning back to the puzzle of information before him. For during his time with Sorben Tarnus, if there was one thing he had positively learned it was to gather as much information that he could on a subject before acting upon it. He had no intention of leaving the safety of the skies until he had enough under his belt that he could make a satisfactory, viable, and logical decision as to whether or not he should do so.

[ 06-05-2008 11:30 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

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"Lord Phalomir and Graysith are not here, although they might still be on K'eel Doba. Unless someone else here can explain, I'm not certain who the other Sith or the humans could be. I do find it a bit peculiar that it has taken Lord Phalomir and Graysith this long to return here from K'eel Doba, however."

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

"Landing not am I, until knowing others identity," he stated emphatically, then punching send. Moments later and he had guided the craft to a higher, geostationary orbit, there to remain until others could give him more data to work with.

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"K'kihl, this is Lord Aeylmaar. It is our concensus that the lifesigns you are reading are indeed those of the Dark Lords Aelvedaar and Phalomir, the Dark Lady Graysith, and the.. lad, Rykounagin.

However, if you feel uncertain yet and do not wish to... inconvenience yourself and the craft you are in, perhaps you can find a means to communicate with those on the ground, to request they come out of hiding into an open area, that you might make visual contact and thus confirm their identity--?

"Lord Aeylmaar, over."

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

"Toward that end, will I now apply myself," he replied quickly, ending with a hasty, "K'kihl, out."

His response was out of his mind before the words finished leaving his mandibles, for the young Sith Lord's simple idea provoked myriad ones of his own to pop into his head. He cast a faceted eye over the interior of the little TIE, taking in this system and that, rummaged about until he found the emergency tool kit, and then, putting the little ship on auto-pilot he set about doing what Verpines did best.

Engineering miracles from nothing...

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

A dish receiving, into one transmitting can be made...

True, the amplification wasn't the greatest to come down the interstellar pike, but it should be good enough to suit his purposes. After fiddling about for another half hour or so, tweaking this and that, he finally sat back with a clack of mandibles to scrutinize his work. It looked somewhat on the Frankensteinian side, but it should work...

Now reaching to the navigation board, he brought the craft into an orbit so low it really couldn't be said to be an orbit at all, but was rather a skimming of the lush, Endorian treetops. The TIE bucked and rolled like a young ronto, displaying its general displeasure at having to feel an actual atmosphere upon its skin, but K'kihl somehow managed to keep the craft airborne.

"Sith and human lifesigns, into open can you proceed for indentification..." he began sending, repeating over and over as he flew one careful grid pattern after another, taking pains to remain in the general vicinity of where he had picked up the lifesigns to begin with.

[ 06-08-2008 10:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

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Such was the case when he finished his odd conjectures to Aelvedaar. He finally regained his composure, and was about to put forth another theory, when his keen Sith hearing caught an oddly metallic voice booming from the heavens.

His eyes slowly tracked upwards, then blinked several times.

“Lord Aelvedaar,” he said, unsure of himself. “I fear I may be losing the battle for control within my mind. At first, before you found me, I was sure I was speaking with someone. Now, hear with you, I am sure I am hearing the voice of one of the gods. Please, tell me if you hear the same, or am I truly losing this battle?”

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

I am about to speak of such things when his aspect changes: indeed, he almost seems to cringe into himself, as though trying to avoid confrontation with some sort of terrible, personal demon. Only this demon is not one within his own mind.

"No, my brother," I reply, forcing to keep my voice calm so as not to possibly agitate him further. "You are not speaking to ghosts or gods; indeed, I too hear the voice from the sky, but to my ears it sounds quite mortal in origin."

I pause a moment more, cocking my head to one side to listen to the distant words coming down from the sky. They repeat themselves, over and over, and finally fade in the distance. A moment of silence ensues, then they return: softly at first, then gaining strength until beginning to fade once more.

A little shiver of excitement races through me.

"Come, my Brother, let us do as this strange voice requests. For unless I miss my guess, I believe it to be one who has been sent to our rescue. I can only deduce that my son the Lord Aeylmaar has found our location, and has sent someone to our aid. In fact--"

Once again I quiet, straining my ears to listen before then allowing a smile to lighten my features.

"I do believe this someone to be the Verpine, K'kihl. At least it sounds like the insect; come. Let us do as he requests, although why he asks such a strange boon of us is beyond my understanding."

I waste no further time but seizing hold of Lord Phalomir's sleeve I enjoin him to follow. Ignoring the slap of thorny greenery against my face, the bite of tiny flying things, I hasten through the verdant growth, until at length a small clearing allows us entrance. I bring our pace to a halt and stand in the middle, staring up into the blue heavens of Endor with a look of expectation upon my face.

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

“Eensha tell Wakti take hooman to hooman door. Ewoks much happy when no hoomans. Hoomans live one time here, bad hoomans. Good hoomans come, kills bad hoomans. But that long time gone, now no hoomans come. No good, no bad. Now you come, bring graks – demon. But you say not graks? Not bad?”

Eensha tilted his ancient head towards Wakti, who bowed to listen. After conveying a few words in the Ewok language, Eensha gave a sign with his hand and Wakti nodded and left quickly.

“Eensha send Wakti to find Graks. Find Phay-lo-mir. Ewoks know land well, have posts everywhere. We watch, we know. Will know soon where Phay-lo-mir go. Will bring him here.”

Eensha’s ears perked, the old, gray tips comically rising to catch the drift of something on the wind. After a moment, he looked again to Jharmeen.

“Eensha hearing voice in sky. Your Phay-lo-mir? Calling to you?”

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

Voice in the sky--??

"Ahh, no," she garbled, momentarily flustered. Then she reacted purely out of instinct, reaching into herself to then reach out with--

The stark emptiness inside her filled her head with shock and dismay, and her eyes with the glint of tears. For up until this very moment she had been so wrapped up in the affairs of others, first Phalomir's descent into madness, and then in conversation with this apparent leader of the Ewoks, that she had taken no time to investigate further that which she had barely discovered when she first arrived at Endor.

The All had left her. Her marvelous glyph was nothing but a cinder on her brow, a mockery of the cinder her heart was rapidly becoming...

She shuddered back a gulping sob, crunched her fingers together in semblance of lacing them, and fought to regain her former decorum. At length she succeeded in this, if only enough to fool Eensha.

"No, it is not Phalomir who calls from the sky." Still on her knees, she bowed her head.

"Phalomir is-- is-- has gone quite mad; I fear for the well-being of my friend Wakti if he runs into the forest to retrieve him. Perhaps it would be of better use to discover just what this mysterious voice is of which you speak?"

She bowed her head again, then shot a sidelongs glance toward the door through which the Ewok in question had just disappeared. Perhaps it would not be too late to fetch him back...

[ 06-10-2008 11:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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