...that he wasn't adept enough in the Force to identify said bother or that something was bothering him at all. He wished suddenly that he had a blaster, or that he had kept his lightsaber on him, but noted that he wouldn't have either per the moment anyway.

Erik stood, nodding to Seus. "Yes," he responded to his query, his brown eyes immediately taking in the weapons on the Hunters.

Do I interpret this as being prepared, as distrust in me...

...or both?

Erik figured he'd find that out fairly soon.

"I don't suppose you could afford me a quick comm to my people at [i]Stargzer Corporation? They only know that I am out on business, and may be alarmed if they hear nothing from me indefinitely."

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

...and then paused as a tendril of soemthing seemingly out of nowhere literally slammed into him via his Force-senses, through a link that he thought had been totally severed.

In his mind's eye, an image, blurry and distorted, pervaded his senses, one of one he had loved dearly...

...and most certainly still loved...

...surrounded by fire, in the light of Hell itself...

...and she seemed to be enjoying every bit of it.

It was with a great bit of effort that Erik merely gasped, one hand flying to his temple as the other reached out to splay out on the ornate surface of the edge of Seus's desk. Although the image faded as quickly as it had come, Erik's eyes were still seeing it, and he was momentarily oblivious to the actions of those around him. Deep within, he cursed the very day Shayla had been taken by Graysith and had learned of the Sith...

...and he cursed the day he had fallen so deeply in love with her.

Finally shaking himself from all of this, in a time span of mere moments that only seeemed to be much longer than they truly were, Erik looked up once more, his brown eyes again meeting those of Seus's. He didn't dare read the look, or lack thereof, in the other man's eye.

"Forgive me, I have been travelling for some time with little food or rest and it seems that it is all finally getting to me," he said, knowing there was actually quite a bit of truth to that statement even though none of it had prompted his suddenly unusual behavior. "I'd really appreciate perhaps having some sort of weapon considering where we are headed...

...although any weapon will probably be of little use where we are headed," he ended with as the blurry images yet lingered in his mind...

[ 03-27-2011 07:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

"It would seem, Mr. Kartan," he finally replied as, after directing the jedi out of his office with a genteel wave of one hand, he simply continued to usher him along, the hunters taking up a position directly in front and behind them, "that you already do have a weapon at your disposal."

Now he raised a hand, bringing his Hunters to a halt, he himself stopping in his tracks and taking Erik along with him.

"Perhaps there is something you would like to, ahh... retrieve from your ship before we depart Guild World? For if we are heading into so dangerous and unknown a place, there is no better item one can have within one's ordinance than the device of Kym Magroo."

He paused a moment longer, reading Erik like a book.

"Let us drop the final bits of games and pretense, please, Mr. Kartan. I am willing to take you along, to listen to you, even to consider your request. But it is rather transparently apparent that when you came to me you not only did not know how use this device, but did not even know what it was. In fact, you stated this yourself when you asked me of it."

He paused a bit longer, then went on.

"Logic further suggests that since the Kaminoans sent you to me with this device, one whose use and implementation they did not divulge to you, it was with the intention that it be given to me. And so again, I ask you:

"Is there perhaps anything you wish to retrieve from your ship?"

[ 03-29-2011 05:21 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Seus Sh'tan ]

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

After all, what else is there? he thought to himself.

"Yes, there is," he responded then. As if expecting this response all along, Seus nodded in turn, motioning once more as if to indicate that Erik go and fetch exactly what they had both been referring to. And he most likely was doing just that. Erik needed no further prompting, so he took a few steps towards where his ship was berthed, heedless to whether or not any of the Hunters were following him, for really it didn't matter. But suddenly, without any foreseen reason, Erik paused and turned, his brown eyes falling into Seus's unreadable pair.

"Thank you," he then said simply, and perhaps unexpectedly, although Erik knew before he had said it precisely why he had.

Maybe, if just for the moment, someone was finally going to listen to him regarding the Sith. Maybe he would get the vengeance he so desperately needed for his lost son.

And just maybe he could finally seperate himself from Shayla and all that she was to him.

The final thought caused him to pause for just a moment longer as a brief tinge of pain clouded his eyes before he managed to squelch it. Then he turned once more, headed for his ship and punched the code which in turn opened the hatch, and went inside to the place where he had hid not only the Kym Magroo, but also his training lightsaber. Before retrieving the former, he pulled out the latter, and stared at it for a few moments, his eyes darkening once more with pain and anger. He gripped the lightsaber hilt, closing his eyes as if to shut out the images now playing in his mind's eye...

...and remained that way for a long moment before opening them again and reaching out to retrieve the Kym Magroo with his other hand. He gave the lighsaber a final, hard look...

...then jammed it back in its hiding spot, realizing he didn't want a thing to do with anyone or anything associated with it ever again. As he turned and then headed for the hatch of the ship, locking her back up, he could only hope that Seus would grant his request and return his blaster as he headed back to where the other man yet awaited him.

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

Both Hunters fidgeted slightly when Seus let the jedi gain his ship, and fidgeted even more to see him exit holding something in his hand. Weapons raised minutely; the female mentally flicked to infrared, to see if any heat was emanating from whatever it was the jedi held. Seus clearly felt their discomfiture, and let out a small chuckle.

"Easy, my friends," he said in a soft voice, then fell silent as Erik came within hearing distance. When the jedi stopped in front of him, Seus merely held out a gloved hand, letting his head cock the tiniest bit to one side as he did so, his eyes pinned upon Erik's brown pair.

And waited, his Hunting dogs a hair's-breadth from exploding into action, as if standing upon the thinnest and sharpest of razor's edges.

[ 03-29-2011 10:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Seus Sh'tan ]

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

...but he couldn't help but expect it, and he was so, so very used to it. And aside from that fact, Erik knew his Force senses were not as in check as they should be. Still, he knew that Seus knew something of this Kym Magroo, and of out it could be used.

Against the Sith.

A flicker of something passed through Erik's eyes.

Let them all rot in hell for what they had done to his child. And to his wife.

With a final but very brief moment of hesitation, Erik then stretched out and placed the Kym Magroo that he held in his hand into Seus's gloved one, hoping like hell that he wasn't giving up the only thing that would make him useful to these slick and no doubt very skilled hunters.

And knowing in his heart that he was not. For he was an information smuggler, and information regarding the Sith he most certainly did have...

[ 03-29-2011 10:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

Nothing like a Jedi Hunter; if he could convince him to come into their Guild, who knew? The man, being Jedi, had the potential of becoming as great a Hunter as the fabled Sorben Tarnus, his friend and now Third-in-Command of the entire damned Galactic Empire.

He smiled, and carefully pocketed the device.

"Thank you, Mr. Kartan," he said genuinely, dismissing for the time being his bounty-promise to Galen. A Jedi-Hunter would be worth far, far more than anything she or her enterprising husband could ever palm over into his hands.

Nodding again, he suddenly reached out toward the female Hunter's bristling armament, and removed a simple blaster. This he deftly threw at Erik, laughing to see how quickly he caught it.

Quick reflexes, that one...

"Come now, my friends. I believe there is a certain planet we need to inspect...?"

With that he turned and headed toward a small but well-apportioned shuttle, which would carry them up to his personal ship, docked in geostationary orbit directly overhead for it was by far too large to land on any planet.

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

...for he knew damn well that on a Sith world, blasters and weapons were of little use, as were the meager Force skills he had.

But then, they did have something else now, didn't they...?

For a brief moment, a grim smile pulled at one corner of Erik's mouth before it vanished, and he followed Seus towards the awaiting shuttle.

"Indeed," he replied in response to Seus's possibly rhetorical question. Then, without saying another word, he followed along as they boarded the aforementioned shuttle and procedures were put in place to take them from the planet's surface to whatever waited beyond.

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

Soon a deeper shadow loomed against the night; Seus stretched lazily a bit before indicating the forward viewport with a wave of one hand.

"I hope you enjoy visiting my little home away from home, Mr. Kartan," he said, now shaking out his shoulders and flexing his arms. Even tiny moments in near-weightless conditions lessened the efficacy of muscles; as there was no gravity generator aboard his shuttle -- passengers relying solely upon a five-way harness to keep them adhered to their seats -- he usually used the time travelling on and off planet in doing simple seated calisthenics. Just to keep the muscles from wasting, even if said wasting was only minute.

"I find her to be quite comfortable."

Soon features presented themselves: the rust colored durasteel plating, the deceptively clunky-looking outlines, the overall apparent unspaceworthiness of the CEC Action VI transport...,

"She used to be called the Wild Karrde," he finished, his voice grown quiet with obvious respect.

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

Erik turned to Seus, a bit wide-eyed, as the pilot began to procedures to dock. "The Wild Karrde?" he repeated, mentally cringing at how stupid he was probably sounding.

The information smuggler in Erik was itching to find out exactly how Seus had gotten his hands on the ship, while the pilot in him ached to go investigate her. Still yet another portion of his psyche raised up in eagerness to point out the fact that, if Seus was anything like the former owner of the ship, he made no specific alliances with any particular political faction, yet still would help anyone...

...yes, for the right price but ultimately also for what he saw as best.

Which was exactly how it should be, especially in times like these, Erik thought a bit darkly to himself, his dark brown eyes defocusing for a moment before they snapped alert once more to regard Seus again.

"I can't believe she's still in existence," he then said, clearly referencing the ship, his next words clearly denoting the pilot in him. "Bet she's had some nice modifications over the years."

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

The Boss of the Hunter's Guild let the single word drop from his lips like a stone, for indeed he was no fool. While events appeared to be transpiring at the moment in a direction where he was beginning to think more and more that this man would indeed end up persuaded into joining his guild, this hadn't happened yet.

So he simply left Erik to his own thoughts, thoughts undoubtedly whirling in response to the single reply Seus had given him. Indeed, there had been modifications, major modifications; Seus had spared no expense in carefully keeping his ship not only brand-spankin' up to date, but just as carefully old and space-worn in appearance.

As to how exactly he had appropriated Wild Karrde, well, that too was a story for another day, unimportant at the moment.

The remainder of their passage was uneventful; the great old lady grew larger and larger in the forward screen until her overall shape no longer could be seen as a whole, letting smaller details on her hull pop out instead. Seus couldn't help but smile a bit to see Erik's expression at the one modification he simply could not hide: there on the lower hull, bulging sinisterly out against the backdrop of stars, was the all-too familiar profile of a gravity well generator.

It had cost him much, much time and effort and money to procure that...

Moments later the pilot of the shuttle was guiding her into the docking bay of Seus's ship. As it settled to the deck amidst hisses and outgassing, Seus extricated himself from his harness, stretched, and slapped open the hatch.

"Welcome to Insidious."

Beckoning with one gloved hand, he let Erik precede him from the shuttle. The leaving the pilot to his docking routines, he moved up alongside the man, making small talk and pointing out various modifications along the way that would make life aboardship much nicer...

And utterly ignoring whatever odd items which protruded here and there, items of course having a function that was more along the lines of security and offense/defense. Even Seus's own crew members didn't know exactly what Insidious's full capabilities entailed.

Only Seus held that knowledge, and being the wise man that he was, he kept it held closely to himself.

Soon they arrived at what on a military ship would be the Captain's ready room, having traveled there along a back corridor so Erik had yet to view the actual command center. Seus gestured Erik to a seat, and remembering Erik's former statement on Guild World contacted a crew member to bring hot food and drink. When all had arrived, he settled back into his chair, watching Erik dig in with gusto. He himeself deigned only to partake of another cup of his favorite tea; at length he finished this, and placed the empty vessel down.

"And now, Mr. Kartan, perhaps you would tell me everything you know, every detail, no matter how minute or seemingly unimportant, of the Sith of which you speak."

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

...but all in all, had in the end not ever established any sort of solid certainty in what their intentions were. They went from enemies, to allies, and back again more times than he could count.

That in itself made them a serious danger, at least in Erik's estimation.

Putting down the fork he'd been holding, Erik took a drink of the ale which he'd been given then put it down, his brown eyes meeting Seus's steely, expectant pair.

"My experience with them is a direct one," he began with, trailing for a moment as the pain which haunted him resurfaced in his eyes. "Several years ago my then-partner was taken from the Jedi Praxeum by one of their representatives, a human female by the name of Graysith. I searched for her for quite some time, with the aid of Jedi and others, and at length found her. She was already trained as a Jedi although she'd never become one--like myself--but was then training with this Graysith in something called the All. I know it sounds extremely farfetched, but those who can access this power can do incredible things: move from one planet to another, make items appear and disappear at will...

...and they can mess with people's minds. I've seen them make people forget about things they knew, and then restore those memories. I've seen them erect these bizarre shields that no one can get into or out of and send people places where they cannot be found."

He paused, shaking his head. "As for the Sith, they do not all seem to have these powers, but they are not the Dark Jedi the galaxy as a whole believe they are. They are these red-skinned, horned beings with magickal abilities...

...and until a couple of years ago, only a few of them existed in our day in time. Something was done with this All and with their magickal capabilities to bring the entire race into this time. I know they intend to rule this universe with their abilities and with this All. They pretend to want to stay to themselves on their worlds, but they also seem to think themselves better than everyone else and don't want anyone to know what they are truly capable of....

...and based on things that I've seen while with their leaders, I know they somehow have a link with the Yuuzhan Vong. One minute they'll be your ally then the next they are your enemy when it serves them best. My son was born prematurely on one of their worlds..."

Erik trailed, his eyes darkening. "...and the Sith in charge at the time took him, but refused to allow either my wife or I to stay with him. In time he died despite their wonderous technologies, magicks, and skills...

...and this proved to be a breaking point for my wife, who went off on her own to gods know where and to do gods know what."

Not to mention yourself, a demon snorted in Erik's inner being.

"I think she may be seeking this Graysith."

Erik's voice grew softer, but that was in diametric opposition to the hardening look in his eyes. "She's dangerous."

Erik fell silent then, wondering to himself if Seus would believe a word he had just said...

...or if he would simply dismiss him as being utterly insane. For truth be told, if Erik hadn't experienced it all and seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe it himself.

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

But on the inside, he was a roiling mass of alarm bells and warning sirens. He had been to too many places, seen too much, to discredit Erik's words out of hand; besides, some of what the man was saying he himself could personally verify.

Graysith. Wasn't that Galen's sister? The one whom Sorben had reported to not only have repeatedly tried to capture and/or kill Galen, for whatever reason she might have for such an act, but had committed patricide as well? Didn't she have some strange power indeed, just as Erik had intimated; hadn't she used this to turn about-face at one point and save Galen from the very imprisonment into which she had been thrust? Or then, wasn't there some Darth mixed up in all that at the time...

He shook himself inwardly; bringing every sense into focus on the man in front of him.

Now, Seus, here indeed is your next Hunter, he allowed a portion of his mind to take in with satisfaction. For no better way to appropriate such than on the rebound from a life and more than likely livelihood that had turned their backs on him.

He took a quiet sip of his tea, swallowed with just as much care. Leaned toward Erik then, and folded his hands atop the table.

"If what you are saying is true, Mr. Kartan, I believe we may be in need of more powerful weaponry," he said simply. "But still, wisdom dictates that further intelligence needs to be gathered.

"How adept are your Jedi skills, Mr. Kartan?"

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

...so Seus couldn't have been entirely in the dark regarding the Sith.

"I must admit my skills with the Force have not been honed for quite some time," Erik admitted. "I was trained from a young child until a teenager in the Jedi arts in the Corellian fashion, with my father as my instructor. The only reason I never completed trials to become a full Jedi--aside from my disapproval in the Jedi placing the needs of strangers above the needs of those they cared about--was that my brother, who completed his training about the same time as I did, was killed while undergoing his trials."

Erik paused, his brown eyes defocusing once more. After a few moments, though, they cleared. He looked Seus dead in the eye. "With all that has happened I know I can't live the life of a Jedi, but at the same time I know I have skills I need to hone. I've lived the majority of my life as an information smuggler and a pilot, but my Force abilities have always played a part in that."

He paused. "Maybe it's time they did more than just that."

[ 03-30-2011 03:31 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

"And exactly how long would it be, do you think, before your Jedi talents are, ahh... honed enough to where they might be something more useful than aiding an information smuggler in plying his trade?"

He took another, quiet, sip of his tea.

[ 03-31-2011 04:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Seus Sh'tan ]

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

...but when push came to shove, he could do so. He was no gifted healer, as Shayla was...

...but he most certainly had been able to wallop the Dark One in the Realms with a Force blast that had come purely from within. He preferred a blaster...

...but his Father had been an excellent teacher, and he had brushed up on his lightsaber skills while he'd gone after Shayla when she had been taken from the Praxeum.

You have always relied on your Force abilities more than you ever realized.

Erik's eyes snapped alert. He didn't know how long he'd been processing his answer to Seus, and really it didn't matter.

"My Father was an excellent teacher," he opened with, a small portion of him wondering just what exactly the Boss Hunter was thinking. "And in dealing with the Sith, I've been in and out of situations where I've used my abilities more than perhaps I even realize," he admitted. "I need to brush up on my techniques...

...but as for using the Force itself, I've never really not used it. I've tracked my wife and other people, used in to fine tune my senses...

...and blasted a person a time or two," he paused, somewhat surprised at himself for admitting that last one. "Getting the techniques back, based on the training my father gave me..."

He trailed, truly considering. "Shouldn't take that long." Quieting a moment, the room fell into an a awkward silence for a few moments. Erik couldn't withhold his curiousity any longer. "Why do you ask?"

[ 03-31-2011 04:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

"We have departed orbit, Mr. Kartan," he announced with no more fanfare than if he was announcing it was time for tea. Toward which he now in fact reached, taking another small sip from his cup.

At length he decided such pretense was beginning to draw on the ridiculous; setting his cup down, he leaned toward Erik.

"Why Mr. Kartan, I ask because of what you do. Of who you are. Of where we are going, and why, in the light of what you have been telling me."

He smiled like a content crocodile, picked up his empty cup, and toyed with it for a bit.

"If these Sith are as dangerous to us as you proclaim, it is vital we obtain as much information about them that we can. Who they are, how they have come to be, what is their government, their belief systems, how do they consider their young.

"Do they in fact even have young."

He paused to put the cup down again, then laced his fingers together.

"This is where you come in, Mr. Kartan. By your very admission you are an information smuggler; you obtain information. We need information about a people who might be the most dangerous in the Galaxy; having Jedi strengths would go a long way toward the retrieval of such.

"Should you achieve the goals we seek, your life can indeed become very... comfortable, Mr. Kartan. But should you fail, well..."

He said nothing more but settled back into his seat, smiling like the cat who had eaten the canary.

[ 04-26-2011 05:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Seus Sh'tan ]

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

...and many days that he'd spent without her, left behind.

How foolish he had been, to let that happen over and over again...

On the heels of that thought followed another, one far more difficult to think about. What will you do, Erik Kartan, if and when you cross paths with her again...?

She never trusted you completely, you know. If at all. If she had maybe your son would still be alive...

Shaking himself from these thoughts, Erik turned his attentions to Seus fully once more. "I do know something of the Sith government, and of their leaders."

He paused then, his look darkening once more. "And they are quite capable of having children."

[ 04-26-2011 05:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

After all, once he had died...

With effort, Erik shook himself from these thoughts and returned his focus to Seus, who by all appearance was just calmly waiting for him to continue.

"The race of the Sith consists of three clans: a Warrior clan, a Sorceror clan, and an Armorer's clan, each ruled by a Dark Lord. The Lords are supposed to rule the Sith together as a whole, I think, and each clan had their own world 4,000 years ago when they were first annihilated by the Dark Jedi who later took their race's name unto themselves. In this time the Armorer's world does not exist in realtime, and the Sith government of the past no longer exists. Currently they are ruled by one Dark Lord and Graysith...

...and her daughter. The two worlds are not united as they were in the past. In fact, they are pretty much at odds with one another."

He paused, shaking his head. "The Warriors are clearly out to command and conquer, and the Sorcerors..."

Erik trailed, frowning, his eyes growing a bit vague once more. "...the skills they may lack in warfare they far more than make up for with their magicks and with this All ability." He shook his head. "They are just as dangerous if not more so than the Warriors."

As he fell silent, visions once more splayed across Erik's mind: memories of Aeylmaar encasing his and Shayla's premature infant in a Sith incubator then refusing to allow he and Shayla to stay with him, of Aelvedaar and all the skills he had used to either assist or hinder them, of Roan's physicality and brute strength, of things Graysith had done...

Memories upon memories upon memories. And they all seemed to be colored differently now. Erik wondered if any of it had been done for anything other than the Sith's own gain, whether it appeared for good or not.

"And as to whether or not I can achieve the goals we seek, I would most certainly like to get started on that whenever you are ready."

He paused, considering the Force abilities and training he had and what skills he had used most and what he might need to touch up on. "My skills with a light standard weaponry are quite good and will not need much touch up. I've had a lightsaber of my own as well as a training lightsaber that I also am quite capable of using but I don't know if the weapon would be very effective against the Sith...

...and I don't really care to use one," he added honestly. "I've got good sensory enhancement capabilities and some levitation skill as well. What I could use, however, is a couple of days to meditate and reattune myself with the Force. But after that..."

Erik trailed, but for only a brief moment. "I would be ready."

[ 11-11-2011 11:41 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

The as quick as an attacking dianoga leaned forward and slapped a gloved hand smartly upon the gleaming wood of his desk.

"I grow tired of these games, Mr. Kartan!" While maintaining every effort to retain his formal air of calm, he couldn't hold back the sudden disgust he was now feeling toward the jedi. "You persist in doling out crumbs as if feeding gliders; for all you have told me prior to this moment I can only believe that there is information to be gained of this mysterious race. Hence at more than likely great risk to myself and my ship, we are en route to the coordinates you gave me."

He paused, directing a steely-eyed look Erik's way. But the man only seemed to start a bit.

Either he is genuinely confused, or he's very, very good...

He sat back, allowed a smile to trickle across his features.

"We are heading to this world -- that is, these worlds at your implied suggestion. We carry with us a device lethal to any small world in the known galaxy, one which may indeed prove as lethal to these Sith as it did to Ploatius' moon.

"But now you divulge information which under any other circumstances -- in fact, under any circumstances! -- would be difficult to obtain at the very least, if indeed the people described by said information are as secretive as you claim.

"How is it then, Mr. Kartan, that you already know so much of this people? Of how their government, a product of more than one world, functions? Of their history? How have you come to be privy to this purported fact of which you state, that said worlds are at odds with one another, that they had their own, must I assume disparate? -- world 4,000 years ago, that they were annihilated by Dark Jedi..."

He paused a moment, letting stormclouds gather once again.

"And what exactly do you mean by the statement that their Armorer's world doesn't exist in realtime?

"How do you know so much, Mr. Kartan?"

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

...maybe he hadn't. His eyes defocused a bit as he truthfully sought the best way to answer Seus's query; not because the answer itself wasn't simple enough but instead because there were so very many components to it. As Erik really looked back in time, and thought of where it all began and how it all proceeded on, the very fabric of time laughed at his attempt to simplify his explanation to something clear and concise that encompassed everything.

At length, Erik leveled an intense brown-eyed gaze at Seus. "Forgive me if I have not been clear," he opened with. "I believe I mentioned that my wife has been entangled with these..."

He trailed, truly struggling with just how to refer to them, "...these people, these Sith. And through all that time, though I was not directly involved with them ever, I was there as well. My wife and this Graysith are at the heart of the Sith government...

...and this Graysith is part of it herself, as I've mentioned."

Erik trailed, still trying to validate his knowledge to Seus. "I've lived on these worlds with my wife, I've been around these Sith..."

Erik trailed again, his eyes once more defocusing and actually darkening. He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. "Even when I thought I trusted them, I'm not really sure I ever did. It was only for her sake..."

Erik's words dropped off once more. He sighed, returning his gaze fully to Seus once more. He didn't dare try to read whatever look Seus was or perhaps was not giving him. "I've had so much experience with these Sith that I don't know if I can even tell you the tip of the spaceburg before we arrive at these planets. As for them having a planet that no longer exists in realtime, well..."

He paused, shaking his head. "These people who control this All with proclivity can do things I can't explain. They can move things, places, and people to a place where they exist but no one can sense them or find them; after all, one of the Sorcerors and Graysith did it to Shayla, my wife."

Erik quieted a moment, his eyes defocusing. Face it Kartan, she is your ex-wife.

"And to make matters worse, as of a few years ago when my experience with the Sith began via Shayla Stargazer, my estranged wife, there were only two or three true Sith in existence."

For one final time, Erik fell silent, mentally bracing himself. Seus was either going to believe him based on his sincerity--for really there was nothing else--or laugh him right out of his office and off his ship. Worse; maybe he'd just throw him in the brig for taking up far too much of his time. "It would seem the Sith worlds--the two that we are enroute to--are now fully populated with their race where they once were devoid of population and any life for the most part only a matter of a few years ago."

[ 11-13-2011 03:23 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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

"So, you've been with these people, these... Sith," he began abruptly. "You've lived with them, you've been on their worlds. You state that they pretend to befriend you, then change their minds at the drop of a hat. You once even thought you trusted them.

"Mr. Kartan."

Seus allowed his demeanor to soften just the slightest, allowed himself to relax just the tiniest bit, but all the while kept a durasteel look pinned on the man in front of him.

"I am not a fool, Mr. Kartan," he went on at length. "It doesn't take a great stretch of imagination to see why you came to me. You went first to the Kaminoans, and intelligent beings that they are they rebuffed you, directing you to me. The device you brought is horrific, but if I am to take what you say at face value, even it's great power would serve no useful purpose. Not against people who can travel between worlds without ships, who can make matter disappear, from the sound of it. And so I have to ask you this:

"Are you here solely out of concern for the peoples of this galaxy? Or is this more of a suicidal mission of vengeance and revenge?"

For the moment he decided not to touch upon the purported link the Sith might have with the Vong, or for the equally alarming suggestion that the Imperials had blockaded the mysterious world but for some reason had left. Those were topics that could wait until he received the jedi's answer.

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

Erik paused as truth slammed home in his psyche. There was no need to seek vengeance for Shayla, truly. She had made her choices to be aligned with the Sith. Zackary never had a chance...

Erik turned his attentions back to Seus, those eyes of his yet pinning Erik with a look of durasteel. "But there is so much more at stake here. I've had all of these experiences and seen these guys flip-flop between allies and enemies."

"And I've seen them use those weird powers," he reiterated. "Hell, they somehow managed to populate their planets by launching themselves forward 4,000 years in time using this power. How they managed to do this exactly, I don't really know. What I do know is that they at some point intended to use this innate power from this daughter Graysith as well as that from her sister's child to pull it off. At any rate, they managed to poplate a planet overnight that was simply an amazing archeological find the day before. I know I am not the only one who would find this very disturbing. Why did they find it so important to bring themselves into our galaxy, right at this point in time?"

He fell silent a moment. "But--and granted, with a lot of planning and effort--I've seen people successfully fight against the Sith. Not all Sith are capable of using this All, for example. And its use can take a toll on an individual's strength."

Erik shook his head, for the first time perhaps finding some purpose in what he was doing that was outside of himself and his own broken world of dreams. "I've heard them talk of how they ruled the Galaxy in their time with my own ears. I firmly believe they intend gain this power once more, and that they would do anything to achieve this goal. AFter all, they pretty much already have."

[ 11-13-2011 09:14 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Erik Kartan ]

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"Now answer me very carefully, Mr. Kartan," he finally spoke, his voice gentle but utterly at odds with the flat look he kept pinned on Erik.

"How much of what you are telling me do you know from factual information, and how much is sheer speculation?"

He closed his mouth, keeping his look dispassionate while his head whirled with slowly developing dismissal of Erik's words. For as far as the Hunter could see, it would take lifetimes to learn the amount of information Erik was tossing out, information that seemed to compound and grow upon itself, information that just didn't sound as if it would be handily doled out by a race as secretive as the Sith.

We haven't heard anything of these planets, other than the one time Sorben and Galen had doings on what may have been one of them, way past the Outer Rim in the Unknown Territories. That really wasn't too long ago, either.

So how could this man know so much all of a sudden? Unless, of course, he was indeed story-telling, in the hopes of gaining the Guild's backing and assistance in blowing up a planet for the sake of the loss of a son and a marriage gone sour...

[ 11-16-2011 03:30 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Seus Sh'tan ]

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...or if it was all speculation. Most of it was anything but. Erik had lived it and seen it for the past few years, on the Sith worlds, both at Shayla's side and without her.

"I understand it all seems unbelievable," Erik admitted. "But most of this...from the return of the Sith to the knowledge of their wierd powers, is totally factual. You can confirm the 2 planets are populated for yourself when you arrive there."

Erik paused. "As for the rest of it: I've lived on these planets, in the inner circle of the leaders of this Sith race, while my wife trained as an Adept of this Graysith to use these All powers." He quieted a moment, chewing his lip thoughtfully as something occurred to him. "Their claims regarding the return of the Yuuzhan Vong could be questionable. I mean, I haven't seen any direct evidence other than through these magickal devices they have, devices which are questionable themselves."

He shook his head. "But then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they have some link to the Vong. After all, their Sith ships are remarkable, and seem to be constructed of stuff our engineers haven't even dreamt of, with capabilities far beyond anyone's wildest dreams."

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