A Darkened Forest (closed)

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

OOC: This is a closed battle.. please do not interfere.. Thanks :)

IC:

Night had fallen. The only loud noise made throughout the forest was the sound of a dark ship landing. A woman climbed out of the cockpit, throwing on a cloak as black as the night. A flash of light glinted off her belt in the moon's pale light -- her lightsaber. She turned away from her ship, slowly melting herself into the surrounding forest.

The night was crisp, cold. Cricket's chirping, and the dry sound of bat's wings floated through the night's air. Other than those noises, the forest seemed ethereal, peaceful. The woman knew better, though, peaceful did not describe this place. She had come here to train herself, pushing deeper into the wood. The dark side was strong in this forest, strong because of who inhabited this planet.

Munto Cordu. The Sith Empire. She had no wishes to come in contact with those Sith. The young woman hoped she landed her ship far enough away so as to not attract any unwanted attention. Being alone was nice, calming. She did not have to worry about others. The Dark Side raged inside her, the torrent becoming stronger and stronger.

Oh yes, the Dark Side was definantly strong in this forest.

She walked further, closing in on her destination. A small opening in the woods, there she would collect her thoughts and battle the images in her mind.

[Dyne Darkforce]

Dyne was in his room at the Sith HQ, contemplating a series of things. A small table lamp was at his desk as he sat there reading. The light illuminated his room enough for him to go about his notes. After a brief time he had became tired and needed to do something. It seemed he couldn't concentrate tonight. Dyne had been trying to go ahead anyway, but it wasn't going anywhere. He shook his head and decided to leave the room for while. Dyne tossed the notes to the side and grabbed his overcoat. Putting it on, he slipped the hood over his head. The knight looked at the lightsabres on his weapons belt before rotating his neck slightly. Dyne made his way to the door after putting his coat on. He activated the door and stepped outside as it opened. Dyne looked down the corridor, as no one was to be seen. The door slid shut behind him as he began to walk down. His footsteps can be heard down the cold hallway of the HQ. It echoed slightly each step he took, as it seemed there was a cool breeze coming in.

"Need to take a ride, don't feel like sleeping right now."

He left the HQ and stepped outside the compound. Dyne looked around to see no one in the vicinity nearby. Giving off a slight shrug, he began to walk. It was a good night to ride a swoop bike. He went ahead to the HQ vehicle hangar. Approaching the hangar door, he entered a few keys on the datapad before opening. The door automatically slid shut behind him as he walked in farther. A few engineers roamed about the hallways and offices inside the complex. He simply went ahead to the location of the vehicles down the corridor. Dyne walked in and approached the line of swoop bikes. The Sith looked around briefly to note the other various vehicles. He got on one of the bikes and activated the systems one by one. A droid noticed Dyne as he was on the bike then rolled over. The droid bleeped a few times in question as Dyne nodded to it.

"Just taking a ride, be back soon."

It nodded and rolled off away from Dyne to get the exit for him. Revving the engine, the droid opened the exit close by. Turning the bike around, he sped out and into the open. The moon had a pale moonlight tonight as he looked up. It was fairly clear, but there was a wind breeze. Trees were swaying back and forth slightly from the wind. A sudden gale of wind blew the hood off his head as he draped over his shoulders from speeding up on the bike. He sped across the grass as he looked around slowly. Dyne didn't mind it as he was drifting into thought again while riding. Before he knew it, the Sith was some distance away from the HQ. He got out of his frame of thought and looked around for a bit. The wind was pressing against his face making it seem colder then it was. Dyne received a feeling in the force, it seemed like he had experienced this before somewhere. Even if this was the case, who would be out here at this time? Then again, he was out here as well, so it shouldn't be too much of an odd thing. Though, the Sith could use the Training Grounds if they needed to tune up their battling skills. He stroked his chin slightly and decided to see into it. Dyne's long coat fluttered behind him, as well as his hair. He raced the speed again and jetted off into the darkness. The Sith knight soon ended up outside a large forest. His senses led him here, and he decided he should go in and see into it.

"Wonder what this is I am feeling...someone is out here."

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She entered the clearing involved only in her thoughts. Her senses were sharpened from the Force, and her eyes skanned the treeline -- ensuring she was alone. She sensed many people far off, but they were no bother. The Sith tended to stick to themselves this late at night, and were not apt to be trudging around in the forest. Unlike the dark visitor. A breeze picked up, blowing the hood from her face and ruffling the lower edges of her velvety cloak. With an irritated sigh, she placed the hood back over her face, shielding her from the moonlight.

**There were no clouds, and the moon shone down brightly. The clearing was filled with the shadows of trees, but not much else. The grass was soft, crunching slightly beneath her black boots. Again a stiff breeze blew the hood from her face. A look of annoyance flickered briefly and was gone. Only a skilled observer would have ever realized it had ever been there. The woman lifted her face towards the night sky, basking in the pale glow of the moon. The stars were bright this evening, glowing and twinkling against the silken midnight sky. Grabbing a leather cord from her belt, she ties up her wealth of black hair into a high ponytail. A few short tendrils framed her face, and she tucked them behind her ears.

**She scratched her neck, pondering how to begin. Lost in thought, she went over what her Master had been teaching her. Deep within her mind she created an exact picture of herself. Fine tuning it, she added the rising and falling of her chest while she breathed. She added the shadow, and the small sound of her boots hitting the forest floor. She projected it a couple of yards in front of her.

Something missing.. but.. what?

**She was lost in thought, her projection mirrored her as she crossed her arms in front of her. Walking around the image, she noted all the fine details were there. The sound of breathing could be heard as well. Soon she became unaware of all her surroundings, involved solely in her creation. The presences in the distance faded off, as did the treeline and the moon. Soon it was just her and her projection.

[Dyne Darkforce]

The swoop bike went a several hundred yards before getting close to the forest. Dyne neared the forest quickly and jumped off the swoop bike as he came to a stop. Landing on his feet, some dirt was picked up as the Sith looked around. Narrowing his eyes, Dyne could hear the night creatures as they were quite restless. He could see little eyes pop up about the trees. A sudden gale of wind swept through the area. His hair fluttered lightly along with the wind as well as his coat. The sabres occasionally were exposed from the parting coat. The metallic hilts shined from the moonlight above Dyne. He knew someone was in the vicinity or inside the forest. Glancing around from the corner of his eyes, he made his way though a group of trees. The presence he felt was still quiet a distance away in the forest. He looked ahead to see lush vegetation and swamps. Erie noises flooded his ear before even getting fully into the forest. Vines and plants brushed against his gear while walking. The knight was ready nonetheless for any trouble. His hands were ready to activated the sabres on his belt. Finally reaching a very small clearing, he looked up to see the sky was blocked from view. Large tree's towered over him as he stared upwards.

"Well, might as well check it out if I came this far....."

It seemed to be warmer inside the forest walls, then what he experienced in the clearing before. Dyne rotated his neck slightly and continued on. The knight kept his overcoat on instead of leaving it behind. He ran his hand across both the lightsabres on his belt while walking. Dyne jumped over some large rocks and tree roots to avoid the murky swamp waters. Creatures could be seen floating along the dark waters as he looked down from above. His eyes met it in a gaze before the animal went along its way. Along the tree trunks, species of animals climbed up while Dyne walked by. Echoes can be heard from a distance, made by screeching beasts. A few birds flew over him as they landed on a branch and perched there. Their wings were very large as it extended nearly 10 or so feet from one wing to another. He proceeded on his course while keeping caution to his surroundings. Dyne wasn't sure what to expect, so he prepared himself. As another line of trees cleared he came to a bigger clearing. Dyne checked behind him, taking note on his path into the forest. As the Sith knight came into the clearing, he could see a vast swamp, around the size of a lake. He wasn't going through the middle of it, so the only alternative was to go around.

"Got to make my way around this swamp."

Dyne headed along the edge of the swamp, walking over rocks and grass. He could hear the crunching of branches under the metal heel of his boots. The Sith looked at the swamp as it seemed something was coming at him. Dyne arched his eyebrow but continued to walk along, still making sure he isn't ambushed by something. He could still hear echoes and various sounds in the forest. Dyne simply followed the presence he felt in the force while walking along. He pushed long vines out of his sight and made his way through. Dyne took a long dagger out his sheath and began to cut the plants in his way. The blade was twirled in his hand a bit before gripping the hilt again. Dyne continued to keep his concentration intact and glanced from the corner of his eyes periodically. Animals scurried away as he approached their living area. The Sith began to think about who it might be that he was sensing in the forest. Even though he sensed this presence before, Dyne wasn't influenced enough by it to know who it exactly was.

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**The woman backed up a slight bit from her projection. Using her mind, she made it start to walk. The movements were fluid, perfect. Sound came from the ground as the unreal woman's boots crushed the grass below. Everything seemed to be working together, if only her master had tought her how to create a false soul -- that was the part that felt like it was missing. It looked real, smelled real, even sounded real, but to a Jedi or a Sith, it was simply a projection. Giving a slight shrug the image disappeared. Cardinal began to talk to herself, quietly murmuring her thoughts aloud.

"Well.. I can do something as simple as that.. now what about multiple projections.. each different, and each involving heat.. sound.. and visual qualities.. that'll be a little bit harder."

**She sought the void. It was so simple, so imagine a flame and force all of your emotions inside. All emotions, except for anger. Her anger fueled the dark side, making it strong, making her strong. From the outward appearance, this slight woman would have been taken for a sham. How many times had she wondered to herself that same issue. But no. She was a member of The Black Hand for a reason, and that reason was the strength of her soul -- and the fire that burned within her. Floating in the void, she created at first a picture. A simple picture of a man in tight fitting blue breeches and a snug fitting shirt. He had hair the color of flame, and crystalline green eyes.

**A sword was belted at his waist, and the edges of his black cloak fluttered in the wind. His chest fell up and down with his breaths, and he seemed to shift uneasily in her mind. Watchfull of any noises. Reaching out to the Dark side, she projected the image on the far side of the clearing. He was perfect, beyond perfect. Everything down to the intricate pewtor detailwork on his boots that shone in the pale moonlight. He crossed his arms, and a flicker of aggitation crossed his face. She played with the emotions, making him turn from enraged to happy to amorous all in the span of a minute.

**She laughed, and made the projection speak. His voice sounded rich, full.

"Thou art just as mad as thy siblings, Aiyalin. Art thou sure that the madness hath not crept its tendrils into thou's mind as yet?"

**The woman's expression became disturbed. The tendency for her subconcious to speak through the voice of her projections was slightly unnerving. Shrugging off thoughts of insanity, she focused on her next project. Creating the image of a small, contained fire in her mind, she set about perfecting it. Fire was much more difficult to project; the sound, the heat and the way the flames danced were enough to try any individual's strength. She placed the flame in the center of the clearing. Quickly she worked on the illusion of the surrounding grass catching fire before briefly winking out. The smell of charred grass filled the clearing.

**Cardinal was rather proud of the smell, but the heat was not quite right. She could not match fire's wildly dancing tongues of flame, nor the blistering heat. Her projection walked slowly over to her, putting his hands out towards the fire. It was all the work of her subconcious mind manipulating the Force, but it bothered her all the same. Was she going mad? No, not yet... not ... yet...

"I am young, I will not go mad quite yet."

**Her projection glanced at her over the flames.

"Whatever thou sayest, my lady. But is it not the diseases mind who thinks they thinketh the clearest?"

"Shut up, your are just my subconcious talking to me. I always knew I talked to myself, I just never thought that I would be actually talking to a projection."

**She turned her attention back to the fire, tinkering with it inside her mind. Trying to immitate fire's wildly thrashing flames. She was oblivious, but her projection --her subconcious mind watched. Someone was coming. Coming to find Cardinal.

[Dyne Darkforce]

After several minutes of walking, Dyne passed by the murky swamp area. He was going slower to keep better caution around him. Dyne didnt want to draw too much unnecessary problems. There seemed to be somesort of low lying mist around the forest. He was concealed into it slightly while walking around the forest. He went through a patch of plants before coming to a small cliff. Dyne looked down and began to scale down the cliff. It was a matter of about 18 to 20 feet down. He got near the ground and jumped off, landing on his feet. The area around him was rather rocky, unlike the soil covering the rest of the place. Immediately landing on his feet, Dyne smelt something in the air. It wasnt too far, but his Force senses for sensitive to it. He closed his eyes for a second to lock onto the smell. The eyes were still watching him from different locations amongst the tall trees. It seemed everything was there in the trees, hiding and waiting. Dyne opened his eyes and looked around quickly, his eyes darting to several locations.

"A fire....but where exactly...?"

He looked up to the air to see a smoke stack. Dyne couldnt see it up there and decided to trail the smell. He grabbed one of the sabres off his belt and ignited it. A snap-hiss occured after the ignition. The yellow pulsating sabre was twirled around as he narrowed his eyes. Dyne gripped the sabre tightly on its metallic hilt. It hummed slightly into his ears while approaching the site. There were still many trees in the way as he couldnt see much. He had an uneasy feeling as if something was watching him, something big. The knight decided to move along, since now he was in too deep as it was. The choice he had was to check into this and thats what he was exactly going to do. The sounds from the animals continued to echo in the forest. Dyne kept low slightly in an attack pattern, to defend himself to trouble. He slowly moved on, getting closer to the place he was smelling the fire. Dyne went into another group of trees as he started to swipe away the extended branches and what not. The fact that something seemed to be watching him didnt slip his mind as he was going along......

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**Cardinal unconciously brought a nail up to her mouth and began to chew worriedly. An old habit from a long time ago that never quite went away, everyone knows old habits die the hardest. Increasing her concentration, she made the tips of the flames thrash harder, trying to emulate nature. The heat still was not perfected, but she could work on that. She had all night.

**Her projection stirred, walking away from the fire. It's arms crossed, and the look on its face was as if it was trying to sense something. A look of shock passed across Cardinal's face, and for a second the fire waivered. The young woman realized what was occuring, and locked her concentration back on the fire. Were projections supposed to simply wander off on their own? What was going on here? Am I truly losing my mind? She jumped as the man's voice rumbled, coming unbidden.

"Mistress, stop playing thy game. I sense a danger afoot in this wood. Thy surest safety lieth in the gravest peril if we doth stay in this clearing. Doubtless they are looking for thou, I canst not protect thy life. Thou are in grave danger."

**She shook her hand at the projection. This was unnerving, unbelievably distracting. A projection she was supposedly controlling was talking to her, and the thoughts were not coming from her concious mind.

Maybe I am going insane after all. Now my projections are starting to talk to me. Well, I guess I feel a little bit better than talking to myself.. at least I'm talking at something.

"I'm not listening to you. I don't know how you're doing it, but this is all a figment of my twisted, sick mind."

**Focusing back on the fire, she barely even noticed the projection walk back over to her. He again moved his hands out to warm them by the fire.

"It's not very hot, Mistress."

**She glared at him across the fire.

"I thank you for your input, but I already knew that. I'm working on how to increase the feeling of heat."

**He looked around cautiously. He was upset, upset at something nearby. She couldn't figure out what he could possibly be upset at, but then again something nagged at her. She focused her will, amplifying the feel of heat, projecting it into the false fire. It worked somewhat, but the temperature was still not the level it should have been. Glancing up for a second, she saw something large move in the woods. Some kind of large beast, whose eyes flickered golden in the firelight. That must be what the projection was nervous about. Cardinal, however, ignored the curious animal. She had no fear of beasts, and the fire seemed a good deterrant to keep it at bay.

**Cardinal never felt the presence of the Sith Knight approaching. Her projection did, and scanned the treeline looking for the menace. He fingered his sword hilt uneasily, watching the darkness, trying to pierce through it. Her cloak was swept suddenly by a large gust of wind, and she looked up from her creation. Something was going to happen tonight. Both the projection and the woman looked at each other. Fear began to grip her heart; something was to happen. Just what, she did not know.

[Dyne Darkforce]

As Dyne approached the site of the smell, he could see a flicker of light not too far off. He narrowed his eyes as it seemed to be that the thing that was following him, wasn't anymore. To Dyne this seemed a bit odd, but he figured it couldn't be bad. He made his way through a few more lines of trees before coming to a rather large clearing. Dyne parted the probing branches then stepped into the area. He took his dagger and slid it back into the sheath before looking up again. He saw the fire right ahead of him as well as two figures. The fire he was smelling was found at last, and it seemed there was something not right. Dyne simply walked over to the figures slowly and stood several feet away. Dyne tilted his slightly, trying to make out who it was he was seeing. He couldn't make out who it was and decided to speak out to them.

"May I ask who you are and what you are doing out here?"

The fire blazed his eyes orange as it reflected. Dyne already had tightened the grip on his sabre even more. He ran his thumb across the activation button on the lightsabre. This was a very suspicious situation indeed, people out here who he did not know from the HQ. The Sith was ready for confrontation from the people in front of him. He brought the sabre out in front of him as he awaited a response. The gently humming sabre was pulsating slightly as Dyne looked on. It seemed all the other smaller creatures were watching on as well. The figures seemed to be in some thought stage and Dyne still awaited patiently. He thought that keeping his guard up would be the best alternative right now. The knight still kept his distance and it was party the reason why he couldn't make out it was. Trying to go closer just wouldn't be the logical thing to do at this time.

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She was in the middle of examaning the fire, when her projection whipped around. The sword came whistling out of its sheath with a steely hiss. It's stance became one of a defensive posture. His green eyed gaze scoured the treeline, trying to make out the danger. The projection began to growl, an ominous noise he hoped would awaken Cardinal to action. Or at least to be more wary. A dark man entered the clearing on silent feet. Her back was to the strange man, but her projection saw him clearly.

"Mistress.. turn, there is a man standing behind thou. Thy must do something, he intendeth harm. Look with thine eyes, you stupid girl."

**Turning a cold gaze to her projection, she finally lost control of her emotions. Maybe she was going crazy -- her projection had insulted her.

"That is enough. I am sick of you speaking to me in that tone. If you feel the need to talk to me, then you shall at least be civil about it. Remember who your creator is."

**Hissing that out, she made a slight gesture and the projection disappeared. As the image of the man dissolved, shock was plainly evident on his face. Her mind tumbled with the occurance. Something that she created -- something that was not even real -- had been talking to her. Inside the vaults of her soul, his voice echoed out.

Do not think thou canst banish me as easily as that, fool. Fool. FOOL.

**His voice caused her to jump back from the fire a bit. What was this? What was going on? She shook her head in aggravation; her overactive imagination was playing tricks on her. Reminding herself that she was in a particularly dark forest, strong with the Dark Side of the Force, Cardinal resumed her work.

It was the dark.. it's this foul forest playing tricks with my mind. This is all because I decided to come to this dank forest. That's all it is. Calm down, Cardinal. Be at ease.. no fear

"May I ask who you are and what you are doing out here?"

**The sound of the man's voice made her almost jump out of her skin. Her heart lodged itself in her throat, and she almost fainted. Her projection had been right, there was someone there. Spinning around in a flash, she threw her cloak to the side. Dressed in tight fitting black breaches and a tight black tank top, she was more than prepared to defend herself.

At least I did not wear a traveling dress... lesson number one

**Her saber flashed into her hands and with a snaphiss, the young woman ignited it. She crouched low, letting out a string of foul curses that would have made a sailor blush. Cardinal couldn't believe she had let herself become so careless, to allow this male to creep up on her like that. Anger and fury danced in her blue eyes. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl. Surprisingly enough, the fire stayed behind. Her concentration kept the flames dancing, lighting the clearing. Her saber added a dancing red glow to the orange fire.

"I am Cardinal, member of The Black Hand. Why I am here is none of your business, boy. Who would you be, skulking around the woods at night like a damned frelling ghost?"

**The man's face was strangely handsome, compelling in a way. Her gaze locked on his, they were both warriors. She could not decipher his emotions through his dark glare, but she knew they could be nothing good. Tensing herself, she prepared to defend herself if the occassion arrose.

[Dyne Darkforce]

Dyne stepped inwards a few feet, letting his body be exposed fully. He narrowed his eyes slightly as both of their gazes met in one. The crackling fire gave off enough light for him to be seen. He saw the other figure vanish literally into thin air and was thrown off a bit by it. Dyne did not concern himself with the other figure for now. When he heard her voice referring to him as a boy and a ghost, Dyne smirked and looked at her into the eyes. She was the beautiful lady he had met in Rama's before. At the time they had a pleasant conversation. He had also shown her around the place. Still, this was no place for her to be and he was going to find out what was going on.

"Boy you say? I would hardly would say so, now tell me why you are here."

His grip tightened around the hilt of the lightsabre even more. Dyne wanted some answers, not to mention they weren't alone in the forest. Something else was there, and he could feel it. He decided that fighting right now wouldn't be the best choice. If both of them were caught off-guard then it would wield serious consequences. He still had his coat on as he stood there, just at a slight distance. The sabre was aimed downwards, but he still had it out. His concentration was based on her plus what was around them within the large tree lines. Smoke rose into the air from the fire as it continued to crackle lightly. The light seemed to pulsate against their faces from the fire. His feet planted into the ground in a defensive stance, as he awaited her answer patiently.

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**Her eyes narrowed. She recognized the man from somewhere, though where she could not place. Sorting through the events from the past few months, she remembered stopping by this place. Remembered, a bar. A light of recognition illuminated her blue eyes -- he was the man who had taken time to show her around. He had been nice enough, but why was he here, now? The location of the moon in sky overhead indicated it must be around one or two in the morning. Pushing out with the Force, Cardinal tried to figure out what the dark man's intentions were.

Dost thou not think he canst not hide intentions, fool child? Take thine eyes and lookest upon his stance. A fighter, a warrior, and no less, a Sith? Wouldest one such as that let a small woman like thyself go unmolested? Hardly, look girl!!

**The man's voice inside her mind was too powerful to deny. She looked, and suddenly the man in front of her seemed.. different. Before he had stood there uneasily, ready to defend himself, yet not to attact. Now, though he had changed. There was malice in his eyes, and he looked ready to kill her. The voice inside her head was right, this man was dangerous.

Art thou afraid of this man, child? Thou should be. He will kill thy and thy friends, he shall be the catalyst for the death of those who thou holdest close to thine heart. Attack him now, before it is too late. Thou must kill him, before he kills thou.

**She shook her head. Was she going to take orders from this figment of her imagination? No, she was not crazy. She was not crazy, yet.. or was she. For a second, the Sith Knight looked normal again. Standing with caution on his face, he nervously watched the twitching woman.

No.. He is not dangerous, he is simply a patrol. He's not looking for me.. stop talking to me.. Leave me alone

**Her thoughts floated through the depths of her mind, trying to banish whatever being was speaking to her. A man's voice laughed, a scornful, mocking laughter.

Look again, fool child. Thou wilt see the error of thy ways.

**She refocused on the man in front of her, and again, he was the dangerous one who she had seen a few moments ago. Nervously, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her voice rang out coldly through the chill of the night.

"I am here for reasons of my own, boy.. reasons which you shall not soon find out."

**The man's voice in the back of her mind kept raging for her to attack, but she muted it to a buzz. Suddenly her mind became fuzzy. Long buried memories resurfaced only.. different. This time it was not mercenaries to slaughtered her parents.. This time, it was.. It was THIS man! Her soul inside screamed that something was wrong, that the memories were wrong, but Cardinal became enraged. The man she had hunted for over six years was standing in front of her. Her mind blanked. The only thing that remained was rage towards this one, living man. Her anger and hatred overflowed, and she jerked her saber up. Her scream filled the clearing, startling the man. The fire began to flicker, the concentration holding it in place was rapidly fading.

**Cardinal launched herself at the man, powered only by pure, animalistic hate. Hate for what he had done to her, what he had done to her family. The ruby red blade of her saber came slashing down, towards his face. She was crying as she hurled the saber at him, hoping to cut him down where he stood.

"YOU!"

**She could only manage one, lone word in her rage. As her saber quickly descended, the fire went out.. plunging the clearing into near total darkness, lit only by their sabers.

**Deep within the vaults of her mind, Cardinal Aiyalin heard laughing. The booming sound of a man laughing.

http://www16.brinkster.com/gatorgirlie/CardCare.jpg

[Dyne Darkforce]

Dyne widens his eyes and brings his sabre upwards immediately as the Force reflexes react. It clashes with her sabre, letting off many sparks into the air. The colorful array of sparks fly in every direction. Dyne grinds his teeth as he presses upon her lightsabre. They pulsate faster now as both of their gazes lock. Dyne noticed in her eyes that something wasnt quite right about her right now. He showed her around before and now they are fighting each other? He wasnt going to strike her down for no apparent reason, but he did need to defend himself. The Sith just wanted to know her reasons in being here, but he got something else instead. This would attract more trouble to them from the forest. It seemed she might not be herself right now. Dyne decided to disarm her for now, but doing that would be something different. He pushes her away a few feet and flips back. They circle each other slowly with very dim light around them. His eyes began to adapt to the darkness, as he saw her more clearly.

"You do know that this will bring attention to us...."

Dyne comes to a stop and outstretches his sabre point at her. He narrows his eyes and locks his gaze back upon the woman in front of him. She was quite pretty indeed, but there were other matters to handle right now. As they said, looks can kill, and she was quite capable of that. Dyne situated his boots firmly into the ground as he expected another onslaught from her. Animals scurried away and backed up a little as they began to engage in battle. They still peeked back and watched the two in the middle of the clearing. Dyne stood there, awaiting her reaction to him.

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**His words of warning rumbled through her mind. The young woman had no thought of attracting attention, no care at all. She could not care if a crowd of onlookers watched them fight. She would destroy this demon. Laughter still echoed in her soul, growing louder and louder. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to block the sound out, tried to stop the laughter. Cardinal had hoped that upon opening her eyes, the man would be gone. Better another figment of her imagination rather than the man who had slaughtered her family. For a second a brief notion dawned on her. It wasn't one man who killed her family, it was many.. and he was no friend to the Sith.. it would make no logical sense for him to be here on Munto Codru. The man's laughter died away, and angrily she heard him yelling at her. The notion was quickly replaced with even more images. Graphic images. She watched her past replayed in front of her. Her subconcious screamed that it was wrong, that they were being tampered with, but to no avail.

**The Sith Knight's eyes widened as the woman in front of him went pale with shock. Nothing was attacking her, but her eyes went wide, her face pale as a sheet. She saw the man.. what the man had done to her mother, what he was planning on doing to her. Sweat began to roll down her brow as she watched it, and tried to make it go away. The knight shifted on his feet, switching to gain a better fighting stance. A twig snapped loudly underneath the hard sole of his boot. The sound snapped Cardinal back to the present. Rage still rushed through her veins. Her anger was tremendous, never before had so much hate been directed at one man.

"You have no need to worry about attention from outsiders. All you need to concern yourself is the danger from me. You will pay for what you have done. YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR LIFE"

**Again she ran towards him. Anticipating another slash with her saber, he brought his up. She stopped in mid stride, a few feet away from the armed defender. Lauching herself into a powerful roundhouse kick, her boot connected with the man's light saber. The kick was powerful, and the saber spun through the air towards the edge of the clearing. The area became a little less lit as his blade winked out of existence. The only thing keeping them from pitch black was the pale moon's glow, and the ruby red light of her saber. Her body twisted slightly as she completed her kick. Her motions were fluid, her body moved through the Force guided by the dark side. Oh yes, her power was so much stronger here. Almost before her body fully absorbed the shock from her kick, her arm lauched out, hitting the man square in the chest.

**He fell backwards hard, not expecting such a voracious attack from the dimunitive woman. His back hit the ground with a dusty thud, his gaze expressionless as Cardinal moved to stand over him. There was applause in the back of her mind, congratulating Cardinal on such a manuever. Angrily she shut the man out. The woman gripped her saber with both hands tightly. She glared down at the disarmed Sith, and lifted the saber like an axe, fully intending to cut him down where he lay.

http://www16.brinkster.com/gatorgirlie/CardLook.jpg

[Dyne Darkforce]

The dirt settles around the Sith knight as he lays there on the ground. Dyne could feel a sharp pain on his chest for a brief moment as her fist had connected there. His sabre is at a distance in which he couldnt call back in time. Dyne has his eyes widened at her coming over him. Her sabre reached upwards and was nearly coming down. The Sith narrowed his eyes slightly at an opening to do an evasive manuver. The Sith flings his finger up and summons the force. A blanket of dirt drapes over her front, sending some into her eyes. He quickly gets to a crouching position as the woman backs up a few steps. She tried to get the dirt out of her eyes quickly. Springing forward, he extends his arms out in a spear position.

Dyne tackles her down and gets on top of the armed woman. He wraps his hand around her wrist and slams it down hard. The impact increases pressure and pain, making her release the sabre. It falls to the floor and rolls away a feet or two. He holds both her hands down and looks straight into her eyes. The Sith locks his legs with her as well, to stop her from kicking out. Dyne wasnt the one to fool with her past, why was she attacking him for? Her lashing out at him almost seemed as if someone unknown was instigating it. She couldnt have been herself at all right now. Dyne didnt understand why she wanted him to pay, especially since he didnt do nothing to her. He spoke to her as she fought to release herself from his hold.

"Why are you attacking me, I havent done anything to deserve a payback from you."

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She struggled, almost crying out in fear. The man she hated most in the world was on top of her. Images flashed through her mind of her mother, watching what the men did to her. Cardinal was scared, terrified. She couldn't look at the man; she was trashing, trying to get away. He was so much stronger, so much larger. He bashed her wrist against the floor, and the fingers on her hand opened reflexively. Cardinal's saber rolled a few feet away, disengaging and plunging the clearing into near complete darkness. His voice seemed eerily disconnected in the dim light.

"Why are you attacking me, I havent done anything to deserve a payback from you."

**The voice in the back of her mind fled. With a wonder she realized she was alone again. She turned her head to the side, refusing to look at the Sith Knight. The young woman stopped struggling, she knew when she had been beaten. Things began to change, however. A subtle shift in her memories alerted her that something was wrong.

"What did you say?"

**A brief look of aggravation crossed his face,

"I asked why you were attacking me. I haven't done anything to you, ever."

**She opened her eyes, looking at his face. She recognized him from somewhere -- The Sith Empire, when she visited. That must be it. What had happened? She vaguely remembered attacking him, but why she did not know. The clearing was lit only by the moon, and his features were half sunk in shadows. The young woman examined his face, he was obviously irritated. Why hadn't he killed her when she attacked him? Her gaze met his and their eyes locked together. Her breath caught in her throat, she could not look away. She lost count of the time they stared at each other, probing with their eyes. Her ice blue gaze locked on his dark orbs. She lost track of all time, it was a feeling she had never felt before. Cardinal felt compelled to look, she could not turn away.

**The loud sound of a branch cracking in half filled the clearing. Both heads snapped in the sound's direction, probing the darkness. She glanced up at him; he was searching, eyes trying to pierce the veil of black that covered the treeline. She felt his body tense against her. He was nervous. Cardinal felt compelled to whisper, hoping she would not attract whatever was out there. Leaning in close to his ear, her voice barely made a sound.

"The creatures that live in this forest, I am unfamiliar with them. Will they attack?"

**She would have been scared, but for some reason the warmth from his body calmed her senses. His closeness kept her thoughts calm and fluid. She had been in men's embraces before, but it had never felt like this. She felt as calm as ever as she turned her face and began scanning the trees again. Waiting for whatever had snapped that branch to show itself.

[Dyne Darkforce]

"I think he has the intention to do more then attack us."

As he finished his sentence, a large roar insued. It seemed to have rumbled throughout the whole forest. He released the hold from her wrists to let her loose. Dyne looked at her eyes briefly before shifting his gaze into the darkness. There was a set of eyes which swiftly moved around within the trees. It seemed whatever it was, it had very fast speed. The beast was also large, as it can be figured from his roar and level of eyes. The Sith quickly looked back at her again and took the womans hand. He got her to her feet before getting on his knees as well. After a brief moment of thought, he suddenly realized that the woman's name was Cardinal, she had told him back at Rama's. He got to his feet quickly and looked around for his lightsabre. All the smaller creatures which were watching earlier seemed to have vanished within a split second. The only thing near them was this beast behind the trees. It had started to circle back and forth now, moving quickly from point to point. They could hear the crunching of branches under its feet. He looked at Cardinal with a concerned look on his face.

"Damn, I need to find the lightsabre."

Dyne and Cardinal couldnt see his other sabre so he decided to unclip the other one off his belt, and use it for now. As soon as he activated it with a snap-hiss, the monster came charging at him from the trees. It was as if the darkness of the night followed the beast. Dyne widened his eyes to look at the large creature as it came straight at him. The Sith pushed Cardinal out of the way before she was caught in the rush. She was moved back a few feet away from the beast's path, and near her sabre. He tried to move to the side in a evasive move, but a swift uppercut connected on his chin. Dyne flew several feet into the air and landed at a rather large distance, as his head was snapped back. The knight landed on his back with a grotesque thud. He was virtually drilled into the ground from landing after the uppercut. Dirt lifted up from underneathe him and floated into a cloud. Closing his eyes, he could feel the sharp pain in his back and chin. Dyne shook off the pain for now. He groaned in pain and shook his head slightly, as dirt fell off his hair.

"Ughhh...."

Lifting his head up, Dyne saw the monster stalking at Cardinal now. Dyne had to locate his sabre quickly as it fell out of his head from the hit. He moved his head back and looked around for the sabre. Dyne spotted it right behind him just a few feet away. He summoned the Force and called it to his hand. The Sith gripped the sabre and looked at the beast in front of him with Cardinal. The Dark Side began to surge within Dyne in great amounts. He wasnt going to be in this position. The Sith refused to let the beast get its way and kill them. His grip tightened on the lightsabre's metallic hilt even more. Dyne grinded his teeth and groaned as he moved hid body around. As the adrenaline began to flow, Dyne tried to give it all he had to get to his feet and help her.....

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**The man immediately flung her away from the charging beast. Backing up out of his path, she watched him take a hard blow to the jaw. The creature was immensely powerful, and the Sith landed hard on the other side of the clearing. Cardinal kept backing up slowly until the edge of her boot hit something. Instinctively she knew it was her saber, bending down swiftly, the woman grabbed and ignited it. Spinning it calmly in her hands, she shifts into a defensive crouch. The hum of the saber filled the woods -- it seemed to be the only sound to her ears besides the beast's loud breathing. The red glow made the clearing seem coated with blood -- a suiting color for the events that were taking place.

**Cardinal had never been one to undertake actual combat. She was always content to lurk in the shadows, spoiling her enemy's plans with intelligence and wit rather than brute force strength. She had never been one to spar with a saber, a fact she dearly wished was changed, now. Her mind was still cloudy from the events before; she still could not figure out exactly what happened. They circled each other slowly for a few moments before the creature lashed out. It was amazingly fast; she only just avoided a killing blow from the taloned hand of the beast. She did not, however, escape unscathed. The claws caught her left shoulder and ripped down. Cardinal cried out in pain as blood started to ooze quickly from four deep lacerations extending from her shoulder down to the elbow. Suddenly her mind went clear -- the muddy waters of her memories forgotten in the life or death battle. Before the creature could recover, the Force moved the woman to action.

**Running forward with a burst of force speed, she whipped her saber in an arc. Unable to defend itself against the laserblade, she scored a deep blow to his midsection. Quickly reversing the blade, Card used the momentum to neatly shear some of the skin off the creature's arm.

**The roar of pain and anger the thing made was powerfully loud. Her momentum had moved her close to the thing, and the sound hurt her ears. Her defenses crumbled. Her arm flew up, trying to shield herself from that earsplitting sound. A mistake. One of the worst mistakes Cardinal would ever make in her life.

**Raging in anger, the thing came at her. Her saber was in a bad position; she was not fast enough to hit the creature with it again. Taking a taloned hand, it caught her by the throat. It lifted her a few feet from the ground, choking off her air. Her hand let go of the saber, and it fell back to the earth -- ruby blade winking out of existence. Her fingers clawed at the hand squeezing her throat shut, vying to find some leverage to allow her to breathe. She struggled hard at first, but soon the oxygen supply began to dwindle.

**Tiring of this prey, the creature reared back and threw her across the clearing. Her back hit a tree with a surprisingly loud crunch. The strength of the hit caused her head to snap back, smacking into the large trunk. Stars danced in front of her eyes as she slid down into a crumbled ball at the base of the tree. A glaze of pain coated her vision, causing everything to sway as though she had vertigo. The trees became swirls as Cardinal fought to keep her consciousness.

**The last thing she saw was the creature advancing on the Sith Knight. She hoped for him. Hoped he would beat this thing. Above all, she hoped she would wake up.

I cannot die.. here.. this.. is not..where I will..... die

**Her last thought echoed through her brain as the pain and loss of blood became too much for her body to bear; darkness soon covered her eyesight, her awareness fleeing to the silent depths of unconsciousness.

[Dyne Darkforce]

Dyne's eyes blazed as she was hit by the beast and flied away into the trees crashing. He growled under his breath and flipped to his feet immediately. Something snapped in Dyne and his power and rage levels flew off scale. He wasn't going to let the beast get away with that. This fight was not only for survival now, but for Cardinal as well. The beast stalked at Dyne as he circled him. The knight was grinding his teeth hard by now, and he looked at it. Each step the beast took, shook the ground around him. Dyne yelled out at the beast as he summoned a dense Force field around him. His free hand formed into a fist and shook rapidly in anger. The moonlight shinned down upon Dyne as he began to use his Force power. The Dark Side surged beyond what he normally felt. It was just Dyne and the beast now. The only noise was made by them it seemed, everything else was quiet. He used the Force to enhance his speed and circled around the beast towards the back. Dyne was too quick for the beast's eyes to follow him back. His long coat swung around in a fluid motion along with his body. The beast looked around in a slight confused look before starting to turn around. Dyne could see Cardinal bleeding and he swiftly turned his attention back to the creature. The Sith needed to get rid of this problem so he could tend to her. He noticed that the beast had wounds already placed upon it from Cardinal's attacks. That weakness was what Dyne would use to his advantage. Dyne narrowed his eyes onto the large beast and smirked.

"You pay now....."

Dyne rushed from the back and slid to the ground, slamming the sabre into its back. The sabre pierced into its furry body and into the kidney section. Blood spewed out like a fountain from the beast. The lightsabre protruded from its body as it spun around in a violent reflex. It roared in pain and swung his arms around in circles. Dyne quickly went past the beast and saw his other sabre. The arms missed his body just by a slight distance. He Force Called it to his hand and twirled it around in one motion. The Orange lightsabre was still inside its body and was causing severe pain to its side. The beast began to charge at Dyne again as he got his other sabre. Dyne came at him as well, face to face. He quickly flipped up with his Force Jump and spun around, his head facing at the ground. The beasts hands rose up to grab the Sith, but missed him as he flew over. He could feel his arms swing by his legs. Dyne took the other sabre and brought it straight down vertically. It rammed into its head on the top and did the same as his other sabre did to its kidney. Dyne came around and landed on his feet then spun around to face the beast. He could see it already had lost large amounts of blood as the beast fell to its knees. Dyne took his long dagger out of a sheath and rushed passed the beast again. He slashed the beast horizontally across the chest then jumped into he air a tad, swinging his foot around in a Hurricane Kick. The creatures inside guts hanged out with his slit skin. As the Sith came around in the kick, he slid the dagger back into its leather sheath. Dyne connected the metal heel on the side of its head then brought the other foot around. He impacted that on its chin as Dyne landed on the ground. Dyne could see the monster's head snap back from the enormous impact. The Force enhanced kicks sent the beast to the dirt, near death already.

As the dirt settled around the both of them, Dyne's adrenaline was surging. He placed both palms behind his and sprung to his feet. The beast roared a few times and closed its eyes, slowly coming to death. Dyne drew the lightsabres out of his head and body. Deactivating both the sabres, he clipped them back to his weapons belt. He could smell the stench of the burning caused by his sabres. The beast laid there in a puddle of blood as Dyne rushed to the woman's side. He looked down at her laceration then took his overcoat off. Dyne ripped his shirt and tied it around her wound to stop the bleeding. He looked on in concern then ran a finger down her cheek slowly. Normally not using the Force to heal people, the Sith used his Force to heal her wound gently. He was captivated with her and awaited Cardinal to comeback again. Dyne picked her up and took her by the extinguished fire. The knight started the fire up again then brought her closer. Dyne needed her to regain consciousness before doing anything else. Her back could be damaged from the trees. Getting his overcoat, Dyne placed it on her and looked around as the beast was long gone and dead. The fire crackled lightly as the orange blazed his eyes. He sat by her, awaiting her to gain her composure back. Dyne ran his hand across his chin and back as it was still in some slight pain. The knight looked down to see her bleeding had stopped, but she needed to get it properly healed later. Dyne sat closer to her as he still kept in tune with his surroundings, to make sure nothing caught him off-guard. All the other animals had faded into the darkness, as the pale moonlight shinned down on the two. The forest was very quiet as there was virtually no sound anymore, around them. He looked down at her beautiful face and closed his eyes for a second, holding her hands.

"Come on Cardinal, wake up....."

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She floated in the darkness, a severed soul reft of her body. It seemed like ages passed as she floated in a black the color of the coldest heart. A figure appeared in the distance. At first blurry and indistinct, the form slowly merged into a human female. Closer and closer the being walked until Cardinal could make out the features on her face. She looked achingly familiar.. it was Kinann Aiyalin, Cardinal's mother.

MOTHER??!!

**Suddenly she was in her mother's arms again. Weeping like a baby, Cardinal felt the warmth of her mother's embrace for the first time in over 5 years. Emotions surged wildly through her mind, tumbling together. She clung to her mother tightly, and her mother returned her embrace. Looking up, she ran fingers down her mother's smooth cheek, eyes full of love.

Mother.. How? What's going on.. am I dead?

**Sorrow filled her. Cardinal was not afraid of dying, but it felt out of place then. She felt like there was more to do. She had always accepted death, but realized then how little she wanted to die. Disengaging from her mother, she passed a weary hand in front of her eyes.

Does this mean that I am dead, mom? That's the only way it could be possible.. I mean.. you died years ago.. Am I, mother?

**Her mother smiled and looked downwards. The eternal blackness faded away, replaced by a clearing. They were hovering over two bodies -- her own body, and that of the Sith knight. A fire crackled, and he had covered her with his overcoat. Her face was pale, she was dying.

You are not dead yet, daughter.. but you are on the verge. Do you have the will to live, the strength to keep fighting?

**She looked for a long time down at her body, thinking.

Yes, mother. I want to live. I want with all my heart to live. I do not think it is my time to die, though I accept that if it is my destiny. I have many things left yet to do, it cannot be my time.

**The apparition standing beside her smiled again

If that is how you feel, daughter, then it shall be so. But I warn you. You must be strong to face the trials that you will come to face. You must fight the demons that haunt you. It will not be easy, butterfly, but I know you can do it.

**Butterfly. That was a name she hadn't heard in years. Nodding, she looked down at her body again. She knew hard times, death, depression, and she knew she could handle it. Cardinal saw the Sith sitting close to her, protecting her until she woke up. His hands were laced with hers, and inside she felt a peculiar warmness as she watched him.

Mother.. May I ask you who the person is that I hear.. inside my head?

I cannot answer that, my love. You will have to find that out for yourself. You must go, princess, your time has come.

**Her mother's face turned a touch sad

I love you, Cardinal. Be safe, and you will return to us one day. Do not trust the Jedi, angel. Learn from our mistakes. Your father and I give you our love...

**Her mother faded, and the background soon became black once again.

I love you, mother !!!

**Those last words echoed in the surrounding emptiness. And suddenly, she was not longer floating. Sharp, piercing pain shot through her spine and arm. Gasping slightly, her eyes shot wide open. Oh dead gods, the pain. Every muscle hurt, her lungs burned with the effort to keep breathing. She had no idea the length of time she was unconcious. Looking up, she gazes into the man's eyes. She couldn't help it, his eyes were captivating to her. Cardinal felt lost every time she looked into the dark waters. They flickered orange in the firelight.

**Wincing, she tried to move. That only brought more pain shooting through her spine. Nothing seemed broken, but the impact from the tree had not been plesant.

What.... what happened..

**She had managed a half whisper, trying to wake herself up further. The world had been consumed by pain. Bitter, unrelenting pain. And the laughter still rebounded in the recesses of her mind -- mocking laughter, taunting her. Hard times ahead of her for sure. Continuing to look at the man, she flushed. She couldn't help herself. Sighing she closed her eyes, letting herself relax, waiting for his answer.

[Dyne Darkforce]

"Nothing happened, everything is alright now...."

Dyne brought her closer to his body then laid her head in his lap gently. The creatures began to roam about the forest again. Dyne could see their eyes within the thickness of the trees. Sounds echoed once again throughout the forest while the two sat by the crackling fire. Knowing the beast was not in existance anymore, he winked at her slowly. Her eyes sparkled to him, even in pain that she was feeling. He had to think if some plan to help her out of here. The Sith wouldnt leave her stranded like this, and was determined. Still having his hands laced with hers, he smiles. Dyne took one his hands and ran it gently across her cheek. He placed the hand on her forehead then ran it through her soft hair. The Sith looks at her down the back then into her eyes again. The warmth came from their bodies and the fire, as there seemed to be no signs of a chill around him. Now it was a matter of getting her out of the forest so she can be treated. Dyne began to look around, remembering his path into the clearing. It was in the peak of the night, and the only light they had was from the moon high above.

"It seems your hurt pretty badly, you want to stay here a bit longer....until you get to feeling better? Then we can think of a way to take you out of here and get treated."

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**At his touch, the laughter vanished. Everything was peaceful inside her mind once again. He was holding her close; so tenderly. She wondered at his soft touch -- surprised that such a gentle hand could belong to a Sith. Closing her eyes she felt his hand run through her hair, it soothed her beyond imagination. Her breathing evened becoming stronger every moment. Far from better, at least she could draw a breath without paralyzing pain shooting down her spine. Cardinal felt warm inside, a warmth that failed to come from the fire. Never before had she experienced such a feeling, and it left her dumbstruck. There was a magnetism in his eyes that beckoned her to look. The dark orbs were deep pools that flickered in the firelight, completely open to his soul. Sensing his concern for her, a smile lighted her face. It hurt to smile, it hurt to do anything. It even hurt to think.

I'll be fine. Just give me a few moments to rest. I don't think I'll be able to walk back to my ship.

**A light sigh breezed from her throat. This evening had not turned out the way she had planned at all. Frustration overwhelmed her. Cardinal had never been incapacitated like this, and she felt weak. The weakness ashamed her -- if it were possible the woman would have risen and walked out of the clearing, but another racking cough tore from her chest. A small amount of blood flecked her lips -- she needed a bacta tank immediately. For the first time in years, she depended on someone for her survival. Trusting her life in this Sith, she closed her eyes.

It is hard for me to ask, knight.. but I need your help. I trust my life in your hands, please.. help me.

**A flush of shame stained her cheeks, growing more pronounced in the flickering orange of the fire. Tears threatened to break free, it was all she could do to hold them back. Ashamed, yet at the same time she had no concern. Opening her eyes, she became lost in his eyes once again. Disentangling her hand from his, she lifted it and touched his cheek.

I can move whenever you feel the need. Do not worry about me, I am strong enough to handle anything.

**Again the smile appeared. A shy smile -- coquettish almost. Her mind tumbled with what was happening. It was almost like she could not control her emotions. The disturbing thought quickly vanished from her mind, however, as she burrowed deeper into his lap. He felt warm and comforting. He felt like something she hadn't felt in a long time. He felt.. home.

[Dyne Darkforce]

Dyne nods to her slightly then looks around briefly at the surrounding area. It was a matter of getting her out of the forest now. The knight seemed to have very limited choices on what he could do. He ponders to himself for a few moments before looking down at Cardinal again. Gazing into her eyes, the Sith feels himself being overwhelmed with warm feelings. Her eyes were soft, and for once his dark heart was being soft as well. Dyne longed to help her, as if to reconcile for something in the past. He had no clue what it was, but Dyne was even more determined to help the woman. Feeling tingly over his body, the Sith was captivated by her beauty and eyes.

"Call me Dyne....."

He smiles and holds her hands again while fixing the coat over her. The Sith was hoping he could get to her ship, since his swoop bike wouldnt help them here. Dyne realized that he would have to take her to TBH. Her ship would get them there in a reasonable amount of time. This would be best to tend to her wounded body. She had told him at the bar that she was from The Black Hand. Dyne would use her ship and guide it back to TBH. This was the plan he had thought up in his mind. As long as nothing was broken in her body, she would be fine very soon. Being gentle would be the key for Dyne in helping her. Carrying her through the forest wouldnt be an easy task, but it was closer to her ship then his swoop bike.

"Can you guide me to your ship Cardinal? I will carry you to it, and I doubt it would be too far from here. We will need to get to the bacta tank. You need to be placed into it and healed for the wounds."

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She closed her eyes and sighed. Her lungs burned with fire as another cough spasmed through her body. She shook from the cold, his coat only helping so much.

"Dyne.. You know my name, but please.. call me Card."

**Veins protruded from her neck as she tried to suppress a cough. She felt the metallic taste of blood in her mouth; they had to get moving soon.

"I can guide you to my ship, Dyne.. but you need to carry me. I cannot walk right now. I must warn you though, knight.. the members of The Black Hand do not treat visitors pleasantly. I cannot guarantee a warm welcome, though I do hope so for your sake."

**Holding out her arms, she waited for him to pick her up. To her surprise, she was actually welcoming his arms. She waited, looking up at him. He was so handsome in the moonlight, so strong. She just hoped they could get to Vjun in time. Thinking of Vjun, she realized she had neglected to tell him something.

"You have never been to Vjun before. When we get there, the rains.. they are..." her voice trailed off as a racking cough tore through her, "The rain is acid.. You must erect a force shield around yourself to protect yourself from the rain. Be careful.. Vjun is dangerous.. we must hurry.. I don't have much time.."

[Dyne Darkforce]

"I guess we will have to see to that when we get there huh?"

The fire slowly died out as Dyne gently picked Cardinal up in his arms. Dyne fixed the coat upon her and began to walk out of the clearing. Cardinal guided Dyne through the forest as he made his way quickly through. He looked down upon her as she was trying very hard to stop coughing. They locked eyes upon each other as he smiled to Cardinal. Dyne could feel that she did not want to be in this position, but he was going to help her anyway. Veins were exposed through his skin, as Dyne held Cardinal in his arms. Shrubbery and branches crunched under the metal heel's of his boot. Dyne cautiously glanced from the corner of his eyes as he made his way through the place. A mist seemed to have been around the area, as it was low to the ground. The small creatures seemed to follow the two in curiosity. Dyne would have to leave his swoop bike out there for now. They would know that Dyne didnt return so the droids would retrieve the bike anyways. Using the Force, the two made a mental link, as he would use the link to find his way to the ship. He pictured how she got herself to the clearing from the ship. It was a engraved map into his mind. She tried to point out where to go and speak along with it. Dyne looked down at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Don't talk Card....we will find our way."

He smiled and made his way past small swampy areas. Dyne walked over fallen logs and bushes slowly. Bringing Cardinal closer, he made sure not to trip and drop her. That would be the gravest situation indeed, and he wanted to avoid it. He avoided large rocks in his way without trying to walk over them. As Dyne passed the swampy areas, he could hear the different frog sounds fade into the back. It was still rather cool in the night. The tree canvas above had blocked out the moonlight from view. Dyne kept moving as time wasn't on his side right now. Kicking some rocks along the way, the Sith continued to walk through the forest. He pushed the vines and branches out of his way using his shoulders. Trying to keep her stable, he didn't want to jolt her body around unnecessarily. Dyne steered clear of tight places and arrived near the end of the tree line of the forest. He could see their breath in the cold air surrounding them. The warmth of his body kept her warm as well, along with the coat. Making his way up a small incline, Dyne approached the rather large trees. Stepping through the tree clearing, he looked around. Closing his eyes for a second, he concentrated on where her ship would be. Opening his eyes, Cardinal had closed her eyes as well in rest. He tried to be gentle on her back, as it was hurt from the beast's attack. Coming to another clearing, Dyne saw parts of what seemed to be Cardinal's ship. It was closer then he had expected. The clearing was rather large, as he could see the pale moonlight again shine down upon him.

"Now to get to Vjun...."

Using the Dark Side along with the Force, Dyne found his way to the ship. Dyne walked along the side of the hull as the door slid open, noticing Cardinal's presence. The knight walked up the ramp and stepped inside. The lighting was already on inside. He shifted his body to look around inside the ship. Running a finger across her forehead slowly, he awaited her to open her eyes. Dyne looked down at Cardinal as she opened her eyes. He tilted his head and smiled to her again slightly.

"Card, where can I place you until the flight is over. I don't know if you can sit upright......"

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She did not bother to speak, her throat was raw from the coughing. Instead the woman projected her thought towards the Sith Knight.

There is a small cot in the hold.. near a desk. The ship used to hold a small amount of cargo, but now the cargo hold is my office. It will have to do. There are a few blankets in a compartment across the room... I... I think I might need them

**Even inside his mind, her voice sounded tired. He carried her gently as she laid her head against his shoulder. He walked the short distance to the cot and laid her down gently. She was shivering badly, the chills setting upon her body. He crossed the room and opened the compartment, pulling out three thick blankets. With large strides he was back at her side again, spreading the blankets out to cover her. All three he laid out across her chest. Cardinal's breathing was shallow, her eyes closed. The blanket barely rose or fell with her breaths. He knelt beside her, looking closely at her, ensuring she was alright. As he moved to walk to the cockpit, he arm weakly cought his arm.

If you need me... I will be here.. I am strong enough, just ask. I am sure you know how to fly, so I won't tell you anything needlessly. The coordinates are already set into the computer's hyperdrive, it will not be any bother. Dyne... Thank you... I do not know how I can ever repay you for this... just... thank you...

**With that her arm fell away, snaking back underneath the covers. Her eyes were closed, and to most people it would look like she was asleep. Her mind tumbled with the events of the night, and the laughter crept back into her soul. What had been going on?? What was going on? Perhaps on Vjun there would lie the answers... perhaps.. home...

[Dyne Darkforce]

Dyne nodded and headed to the flight seat in the cockpit. Sitting down, he took a look at the controls. It didn't seem very hard to get used to, he had flown ships countless number of times. It was a special skill for him to fly in space. The Sith ran his fingers across all the buttons with relative ease and precision. Activating the systems and the engines, he looked outside the cockpit. Dyne switched to the flight plan that what was in the computer's hyperdrive system. All systems were a go as he took off from the ground. Trees swayed back and forth violently, as the engines blew them off their foundation roots. The ship shook a tad as it was climbing to a high elevation quickly. His thoughts kept on reaching back to how Cardinal was doing. Dyne couldn't stop worrying about her, what was going on with him? He shrugged it off for now, and looked on outside the ship. Reaching the atmosphere quickly, the ship took control automatically. Making its way out of the atmosphere completely, the ship began to turn. The coordinates were set for Vjun as it proceeded to make its way to the hyperspace jump point. Picking up speed, they headed off to their destination.

"Ok, that's set, let me go check on her again...."

He made his way back to the cot where she was resting. Glancing at her, he stood there for a second with his head lowered. Dyne entered and kneeled to the floor beside her. She was covered in the blankets, but he knew she could sense him nearby. Dyne awaited for her to speak to him as the ship made its way to Vjun. He showed a look of concern on how her back was doing. As she looked at him, Dyne held her hand, as it was cold then usual. A slight shiver ran down him too when he held her hand. Putting both hands on hers, he attempted to warm her up a little. Dyne was feeling something for her, feeling as if he liked her. Closing his eyes, he took in the feeling for a moment. The Sith opened his eyes smiling, he spoke to her with a light tone.

"So, how are you doing Card?"

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**God she felt cold. Her fingers felt numb, it hurt to move them. His hands around hers comforted her some, and replenished the needed warmth, but it wasn't enough. Cardinal looked at him, his face seemed so gentle with a smile upon it. She tried to smile back, but the most she could do was lift the corners of her lips a fraction.

I am fine, Dyne.. do not worry about me.. Just get me to Vjun, my siblings will know what to do.

**She was fighting it.. fighting unconciousness. Her eyes flew open, and the last thing she saw before the darkness took was Dyne's face. He was so handsome in the dim lighting of the ship, and then.. nothing.

[Dyne Darkforce]

He nods his head slightly and gets to his feet again. Dyne looks at her for a second then heads back to the cockpit. Thoughts crossed his mind as he went back to his seat. Dyne didn't know how they would react at TBH to him. He lowered his head and shook it slightly at the thought. The knight was just bringing her back, for what he didn't know. Something was going on within him, his feelings were all in disarray. All he wanted to do was to help her out. Dyne looked back up as the ship slowed down slightly. It had reached the jump point now. Entering hyperspace, everything flashed by in great speed. Within moments the ship arrived near Vjun. Dyne recalled what Cardinal said about the acid rain. He concentrated on the Dark Side of the Force. Closing his eyes, he kept quiet while tuning into the Force. The Sith would need to form a Force Shield over him and Cardinal to deflect the acid rain drops. Opening his eyes, Dyne looked out the cockpit as they closed in on the atmosphere. The ship had to be prepared to withstand acid rain. Dyne continued to look out the cockpit as the ship shook entering the upper atmosphere. What was in store for him there as he brought Cardinal back to his home? That was one of many things he was pondering about in his mind. Only when he got to the ground, would he know what will happen.