My Other Life: Cutting Ties (open)

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Day 1




Dantooine

The woman stood at one of the public terminals littering the Lanaia Spaceport, punching in a quick series of numbers and letters, oblivious to the miasma of human and alien life passing by behind her, and with a few final entries, she hit the send key.

The woman herself attracted little attention, wearing a somewhat scruffy leather jacket, tan infantry trousers, and a large button-up shirt. A shock of blonde/brunette hair fell to just below her shoulders, and upon turning away from the terminal, the most engaging feature about her were her eyes; metallic orbs that radiated malice, love, sorrow, and calmness all in one gaze. Just above the neckline of her button-up one could see a scar, beginning at her neck and disappearing down behind the shirt.

Lok s’Ilancy had lost weight, gaining a more lean build coming from muscles that were in constant use, and she moved carefully, always casting a look over her shoulder with a cautious gaze that seemed to always be searching, trying to pick out anything… anyone, from behind. It was habit now.

Always look out for number one. In some ways she was a fugitive, and while it wasn’t the best of lives, it was the only avenue she had left.

She ran with Diego Van Derveld now.

Her eyes looked to either side before she moved from the terminal to make her way into the throng, vanishing into the flow of bodies with ease.

[Iden Hyde]

She’d sent a coded transmission to Hyde, expressing the need to discuss urgent business plans. It had been close to seven months now, since anyone had seen or heard from Loklorien s’Ilancy, and though he’d been expressly asked by Grand Admiral Millard to pass along any messages s’Il might send, this one (the only one in fact thus far) stayed within the confines of Terrisz’Voss’ commnet. The information had been locked; only the CEO could open it with a press of his thumb on a small print ID pad located on the bottom right corner of the clear flimsy containing the message. Hyde had shut and secured the door to his office, refusing to unlock the letter until in complete privacy.

It was a short note.

Gabriel,

It’s been awhile, I know. I’m sorry. Things have changed… I’ve changed. It’s hard to explain with written words, and I’d rather see you face to face to tell you what’s going on. I’m on Dantooine. If you could send someone to bring me to Yag’Dhul, I can tell you everything.

I need to talk to you about the company.

Lok

Hyde read the letter four times before leaning back in his chair, and setting the flimsy on his desk, brought a hand up to rub at his eyes.

To say the man was worried for s’Il was an understatement, though he didn’t go as far as to take a leave of absence from his work as the Grand Admiral had done. Hyde knew something had happened, but he was in the dark as to what, gaining sketchy information at best on her whereabouts; brief sighting on Coruscant, a few on Arcan IV, but that was mostly all he could glean. Why she’d left Balmorra, or for that matter Millard, he had no clue. All the Grand Admiral had said was that she’d left, and to pass along anything she might send to the company. It’d been a short conversation to say the least, and Hyde had switched off his communit with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and a growing feeling of consternation regarding Millard. What had the man done? Had he even done anything?

Hyde knew s’Il to be finicky at times, but this was something completely new, and very much unexpected. And for seven months she was silent. Not a word sent his way.

Until now.

He would send Captain Moroketh to retrieve her.

[Taylor Millard]

Kuat

It was, the man decided, odd for him to be back here for legitimate reasons. The last time he'd visitted the Kuat Shipyards, 13 Dreadnaughts had returned with him back to Balmorra.

Thirteen...Lok's favorite number. She was 'Lucky Thirteen'...she had enough shirts to express that. The man was surprised she hadn't tattooed it somewhere on her body, much like the tattoo she never asked about on his left forearm.

But that was from another life. And now...he was searching for Lok so he could make his 'other life' complete.

Taylor Millard let out a long sigh and exitted the Rascal King. He would have preferred to have avoided Kuat all together, but it was close...and even The King needed supplies every few months or so.

And Taylor wanted some food also. And a bit of wine and ale.

If Lok s'Ilancy had lost weight since she'd left, Millard had gained it. Not enough to make him unhealthy, but enough for even he to notice. It was the fine wine and food he'd begun to have on more of a regular basis.

Lok had covered her trail rather effectively, he mused as he gazed at a bottle of cognac. And he was getting frustrated.

The two had almost seen each other on Naboo, Millard missing her by a sheer matter of minutes. Curse the bald hunter, Troy, he'd made things difficult.

But Lok was alive and that's what counted.

Now if she would just come home.

But, he asked himself as he stared at the brown bottle, Where was she?

Sighing again, Taylor removed the bottle from the shelf. Then it hit him as he stared at the label.

The cognac was from Yag'Dhul...where Lok considered her second home.

Yag'Dhul...

I think I know where we're going next.

[Yuri Moroketh]

Captain Yuri Moroketh sat in his chair on the bridge of the Kiavedd, Gabriel Hyde's flagship, as it sped through the tunnel of hyperspace on its way to Dantooine.

It'd been a sudden thing; Hyde contacting Moroketh with explicit orders to travel to Dantooine in order to retrieve s'Ilancy in all haste, and Yuri had left within 30 minutes of Hyde's call.

A long while had passed since Moroketh himself had seen s'Il, and he looked forward to seeing her again, no matter what the circumstances happened to be. The Yevethan considered her more of a daughter than anything else, and to be able to see her after such a long period would ease his mind.

Tapping one of the displays on the armrest of his chair, he busied himself with rereading the message Lok had sent Hyde, harrumphing just a little as he went over the typed words for what had to be the thousandth time.

The Kiavedd flew on, lancing through hyperspace to Dantooine.

[SashaKovalev]

He hated the throngs of people. He’d never much been one for crowds. It wasn’t that they made him claustrophobic, it was that they irritated the hell out of him. They angered him. And while he had nothing against anger, it being the lifestyle he had chosen in joining the Sith order, he was a quiet enough kid that he didnt like to cause a scene most of the time. So he went along with the flow, sighing loudly in irritation.

He probably wouldn’t have noticed the woman beside him had the crowd not squished them into one another. She was wearing a somewhat scruffy leather jacket, tan infantry trousers, and a large button-up shirt. Her blonde/brunette hair fell to just below her shoulders. The most interesting thing about her was her eyes; metallic orbs that radiated a variation of emotions in one gaze.

“Sorry….” The young Sith intoned. He was slightly apologetic, but more, he was annoyed by the crowds of people, and this came through in his voice more than the apologetic tone did. Couldn’t people just managed to walk out of a terminal without shoving? He would never understand this concept

And it annoyed him more than he could handle.

So he cut over to the side of the crowd and gripped the railing. He just wanted to be away from the flow of people. As he looked down, he noticed that the next level wasn’t all that far down. And so, with a little help from the force, he hopped over the railing, landing on the next level where the crowds were less, and began walking toward the exit on that level.

The first thing he intended to do after leaving the spaceport was t head out to what was rumored to be the site of ancient Jedi ruins, and later the site of a cloning laboratory for the Empire. It wasn’t that he had some overwhelming urge to go there, but it was known to be a good hike, and rather out of the way in terms of travelers, who still believed in the myth that those who entered the ruins never came out. It seemed like a quiet place to get away from everyone and everything.

He had recently learned a bit about his past, and he needed some time to process it away from the halls of the Sith Order, away from anyone who knew anything about him. And this seemed to be the place.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She was going back to Yag'Dhul; if only for a short while. And though it was more of a business trip than anything else, s'Il began to get just a little excited. To see Hyde once more would be wonderful.

Shouldering her way through the crowds, she made her way to where she'd left Diego while making the call.

"Sorry...."

She heard the words through her peripheral senses, not really paying much attention to the kid she'd been shoved into while wading through the sea of people. Normally she wouldn't have preferred being around large groups of people, but nowdays it was almost a necessity unless she was with Diego; a lot of little things had become either necessary or simple habit. From things like looking over her shoulder constantly and sending her transmissions over piggy-backed frequencies to simply cleaning the dirt and crud from beneath her fingernails every morning or following a change.

Her life was... different, to say the least.

And so when she was pushed up against the kid, she didn't really pay too much attention to him at first, only nodding before casting a passing glance up at him... and stopped dead in her tracks. She'd only been able to catch a quick look, but her eyes followed him as he walked away after his mumbled apology. He looked... familiar, and she followed him at an easy pace, keeping him just in sight until he stopped at the railing, grasping it tightly.

And then he jumped the rail, dropping easily to the next level down.

Now this was interesting... she looked over, spotting Diego standing patiently, waiting for her return, and she smiled before looking back down to where the stranger had jumped.

She approached the elder Lupine, reaching out a hand to him while casting one more look to the lower level. He looked so familiar, but she couldn't place where she could have possibly seen someone like him. Shaking her head though, she turned back to Diego.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long... ?"

[Diego Van Derveld]

"I can be patient at times."

Diego cocked his head to the side, giving a faint smile. His blue eyes shifted from S'Il to the previous area of her attention.

"Something catch your eye?"

It was an experience to indoctrinate S'Ilancy into her gifts. Much better this way than for her to be abandoned, with the same power. Woe to everyone if she were to become another like Vega. No, Diego was there every step...nurturing her talents, as a father might...though, not quite as a father, exactly. They had an understanding that transcended common friendship, or kin...as if there were a sense of wild individualism within S'Il that was directly mirroring his own sense of self.

[Taylor Millard]

Millard was moving back to The King, a bottle of cognac in his hand, with several workman following him with a few boxes of supplies.

"Put it on board please. And ignore the droid with the cap guns please."

After the workmen had left, Millard sat on the bridge, staring at MMU thoughtfully.

"MMU we're taking you 'home'. I think Lok might head there."

To YAG'DHUL?!? YIPPEY KAY YAY!!! the little droid dashed around the bridge popping his cap guns.

"Oh and MMU...I left something for you in the back. Enjoy."

PRESENTS!!!! the droid squeeled and ran to the back.

Taylor shook his head and eased the large ship out of the docking clamps.

Next stop...Yag'Dhul.

[Morag Prime]

"PRESENTS!!!"

The little avatar's joy was abruptly arrested as waiting in the next room was not anything close to what the droid had in mind. A breif yelp escaped MMU, which brought a call from Taylor Millard in query from his pilot seat.

MMU buzzed back out, his blinking viewports accusing and hurt.

Puzzled, the Admiral spun in his chair and it was his turn to react. He grunted in surpise as opposed to the droids yelping, but still, the response was much the same.


"You weren't expecting me, Mr. Millard? So much for the insight of the Sith.."


The Prime Enchantress unfolded herself from where she sat and stalked towards Millard, who was shaking his head, "How...?"

As the witch kept walking, she mumbled an ancient spell, and immediately became one of the dock workers who'd loaded the supplies onto the Rascal King. The image faded almost immediately as it was seen, returning Morag to her pale motled green self. This was her explanation for being freely allowed onto the Admirals vessel.

"How are you, noble one?"

[Taylor Millard]

"Madame Morag," Millard let his initial shock pass him, as he rose from the pilot's seat.

It had indeed been a while since Millard had seen the witch, Morag. A long time in fact. Ever since the Festival of the Five Moons, Millard had received no word from the Sith Witch...not even a letter.

But he always believe she would come calling...and now she had.

"What an unexpected surprise. What do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il shrugged, sidling up next to Diego.

"Some kid I was shoved in to; he looked familiar, but jumped off the railing."

Craning her neck to look down one level from where she was standing, s'Il took a step forward; she was going to find out who this kid was. She grasped Diego's hand, pulling him with her to the lift that would take them down.

They had time before Hyde sent someone to pick them up.

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Never deny your curiosity."

It made Diego smile to see S'Ilancy so driven. Others would scoff at being so flighty, but it was a trait that Diego not only appreciated, but nurtured.

His nostrils flared...but he couldn't detect a trace. It had been too long since a change, and his senses were dulled.

"So, what is this meeting about?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

As they stepped onto the lift, she breathed in deeply, her chest swelling as she let the air fill her lungs.

"I own almost half of Terrisz'Voss; a company based out of Yag'Dhul; they're one of the leading technology developers.

"I'm giving my partner my share; I figure since I'm with you, I don't really have the time like I used to, to go to meetings and help with the designs concepts."

As the lift descended, she looked up at him. He'd always encouraged her to go with her instincts, and she could tell he was glad she'd come to him... in fact, she herself had grown to enjoy the time they shared; ... to enjoy him. "Would you have come after me if I didn't find you?"

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Of course. I don't enjoy the possibility of regrets. You are worth pursuing."

Diego's tied-back hair fluttered a bit on the ends as a wind picked up. He looked below as the lift descended, eyes intent on picking out the object of s'Ilancy's attention.

"I must ask...how do you deal with the conflict? It is a concept alien to me, as I have only known this life."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The lift hit bottom, and she stepped out, Diego by her side.

"It's not too hard, really. I'm just used to it; been doing it all my life.

"The thing that gets to me right now though is all the hiding I have to do; always looking over my shoulder to make sure I'm not noticed."

She sighed, thinking of Millard. "He'll never stop looking for me; he said as much. He also said he'd take me back with him."

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego's jawline tightened.

"If the time ever comes that he finds you...I can't interfere. You must determine where your path runs, and as free as it may take, you can't run both."

[SashaKovalev]

There was less traffic on the second level and the young Sith breathed easier. As he walked, he considered his actions. So many Sith, he knew, would not have avoided the crowds, and would instead have found no greater joy than to cause chaos among them. Within his mind, he debated whether this was a weakness, or rather a strength to be able to avoid the temptation – to put his abilities to better use. But what was that better use? What was the point of his life?

Revenge.

His mind was wracked now by the lust for revenge – revenge against people who no longer lived. People who had with their actions, altered forever the course of his life. Because of them, he was without a father and had lived a life of lies on a remote planet that had not had the technology to save his mother from the sickness she had suffered. Because of them he didn’t know whether to call himself Alexander or Sasha. Knew not whether to consider himself Donovan, Millard, or Kovalev. Anger bubbled within, boiling higher and higher until it could no longer be contained.

The sickening sound of flesh hitting metal, the thud of bones beneath the flesh grinding against the more solid metal of the support beam that he had been passing by. It was stupid, he knew, to punch something such as this without the use of the force, but anger had driven him to this quick, thoughtless action. The action of a normal, angst ridden teenaged boy.

In a quick flash of pain, he cursed. The anger and loudness of it drawing the attention of those had just stepped out of the turbolift near where he stood. And hurridly, most of them rushed on, wanting nothing to do with anything. Not that he even noticed, for he was too consumed with anger and…pain. He could feel the pain of broken bones, and knew he would eventually have to seek assistance. But not now. His former master, Lord Dyzm had taught him to accept pain. And accept it he would, if for nothing but to remind himself of his own stupidity.

He closed his violet eyes for a moment, a deep sigh escaping his lips. When he opened them again, he felt some semblance of control, and set off once again for the exit.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il caught sight of the kid, and began walking towards him.

"I know I can't have both; that's why I'm giving my my shares of the company to Hyde..."

She paused before going on as the walked, getting closer to the guy she'd been shoved into. He was making for the exit, and she watched him as he walked; just the way he carried himself reminded her of someone, she just couldn't place it. She looked at Diego for a brief moment before returning her gaze back to the object of her attention.

"I can't liv the way I used to... I want to run with you."

[Diego Van Derveld]

"And I will never refuse your company, as long as it is your choice."

Keen blue eyes caught sight of a blonde-haired man, in motion.

"I haven't given you your need of freedom and change. I've only given you the means. If only we could be closer, you and I...but I accept gifts given as they come."

Diego's eyes strayed to pedestrians that milled around them. There were too many people to change amidst, even if thats what his companion had in mind.

"Will this encounter be less than cordial?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Not yet," she answered thoughtfully, "I want to wait and see who this kid is."

If only we could be closer, you and I...

She sought his hand out at his remark, gripping tightly as if to say 'give me time,' then let her hand fall to her side.

"I don't want to change just yet; let's see who he is; I swear he reminds me of someone, and I'm going to find out who."

She gave Diego a sidelong grin then, reaching up a hand to pat his cheek playfully. "We'll have our time, not to worry."

[SashaKovalev]

As he walked, he felt an odd presence around him. As if perhaps he were being...followed? When he looked back, he noticed no one he knew, no one who had reason to follow him.

He saw the woman with the startling eyes that he'd bumped into only moments ago being somewhat intimate with another, and he shrugged off the odd feeling.

"Get a room...." He grumbled under his breath. Not because such things bothered him, but more because the woman he cared about was a great distance away from him at the moment and it would be some time before he would see her again - if he saw her again. She was on a training mission, and admittedly, this concerned him. Many did not make it back alive fromthose - it was the way the Sith Order was now choosing to weed out the competant from the....less fortunate.

[Morag Prime]

"I have come to lend you my aid, should you wish it."

Her soulless eyes watched him closely as a shadow passed over her face. A fluttering sound preceded Morag's owl as it flew from the inner room to perch on her shoulder.

"You harbour hurt, since we last met, Mr.Millard."

[Taylor Millard]

"That is correct, Madame Morag," Millard replied.

"I do harbor hurt within myself. HOw is it you can help me?"

He pressed a button on the console and the Rascal King took off from Kuat Station, heading towards Yag'Dhul.

[Morag Prime]

"You search for one on Yag'Dhul. I can find her for you."

The Prime stroked the Owl's speckled brown feathers beneath his head lovingly.

"We can find her for you."

[Taylor Millard]

Millard raised an eyebrow. This was indeed interesting.

"Very well, I would be happy for your assistance. Do you need anything from me as payment for your help?"

[Morag Prime]

The witch smiled, memories of the night of their former negotiation on Duvray were brought to mind. She obtained a vial of Millard's blood that night, freely given of his own will. Most valuable.



"My help I freely give you, Mr. Millard. You do not owe me this time."

The owl hooted once and settled to sleep on his mistresses shoulder.

[Taylor Millard]

Millard nodded slowly, "Very well...If you can assist me I would appreciate it."

He turned slowly, pressing the button to put the ship into hyperspace.

"We are looking for Loklorien s'Ilancy. She is a lupine...vornskr specifically. I assume you have spells which can help you with in your own search?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Closing the distance between her and the kid she'd bumped into, s'Il watched him as he walked; just the way he moved and carried himself overall was familiar, and yet she couldn't place it. Even what she'd seen of his face had sparked something, though his eyes threw her off; their violet hues as startling to her as her own metallic eyes were to some others. And the closer she got the more it ate at her until finally, reaching a hand out, she tapped his shoulder.

"Oi, you, do I know you?"

[SashaKovalev]

Painfully, he clenched and unclenched his fist. It had been stupid of him to punch something as he had, and he was allowing the pain to remind him of this. Perhaps it was the fact that he’d been so deep in thought that he hadnt felt her so close to him. A hand tapped on his shoulder and he whirled around to see…..the woman with the startling eyes.

Oi, you, do I know you?

His violet eyes narrowed for a moment in confusion, and then broad shoulders shrugged.

“I don’t think so.” He replied, glancing to her…friend…for a moment, and then back to her.

Normally, he was quite capable of being pleasant and well mannered. Today, however, he was in a bad mood, the lust for revenge never far from his mind, and the throbbing in his hand was only making his mood worse. And he didn’t have time to be stopped in the spaceport by people he didn’t know.

Without another word, he rather rudely turned away from the two of them and began walking again. His behavior could have been read as just plain rude, or, by one who was on the run and concerned about being found..perhaps a bit suspicious. As if he had something to hide.

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Ooh, he's a friendly one." Diego's face was creased with a smile. He turned to S'Il, with a look of 'Well I wonder what THAT was all about?'

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Shrugging, s'Il started after the stranger. "I wanna find out who he is," she grinned, pulling Diego with her as she headed after the man.

"Hey kid," she called out to him, "... what's your name?"

[Morag Prime]

Originally posted by Taylor Millard

"We are looking for Loklorien s'Ilancy. She is a lupine...vornskr specifically. I assume you have spells which can help you with in your own search?"



Morag nodded her head almost imperceptably.

"I do"

Her soulless eyes looked about the ship momentarily then rested again on Millard.

"You have something of a personal nature that belongs to this woman that you can give me? The more emotional value to her...the stronger the connection...the easier for me to see her."

[Taylor Millard]

"This entire ship," Millard said, "Has been hers for longer than I've known her."

He turned back to the controls, checking the systems.

"Will that suffice? If not...MMU, the little droid, can."

[Morag Prime]

"The droid will do."

Morag plucked the little unit up in steely strong hands and moved back into the other room to begin her scrying.

She called over her shoulder to Millard as she walked past.

"This will take a little time, but not much. I suggest you speed us on our course to Yag 'Dhul. I will get the answer you need."

The owl hooted and blinked its yellow orbs at MMU.

[Taylor Millard]

"Take all the time you wish, Madame Morag," Millard tapped the controls, "It will take a few days for us to reach our destination."

He stared at the white lines of hyperspace.

"Until then, you may make yourself comfortable with all the preparations you need. If I can be of assistance let me know."

Taylor hoped Lok was all right.

[MMU]

MMU looked at Millard as if the man had just grown a third leg, and as Morag carted him off, the little avatar kicked his little legs crazily.

Nooooo!!!! Don't let her take me!!! She's gonna eat me!!!! I just know it!

[SashaKovalev]

Hey kid...what's your name?

He stopped and turned back to face her. The automatic door slid open in front of him, then shut and reopened again as he stood there, confusing the hell out of the sensors.

What was his name? He’d been asking himself the same damn question over and over and over lately. Ever since he’d met his Uncle – and the ghost of his father. Since that moment things had been clear – but…not so clear. Clear that he had in fact had a father who had loved him, and all too clear that that father was no longer living. Not so clear in what this meant in terms of his future, who had had been – who he was – who he would – or should be.

He had been Alexander Donovan at birth due to his fathers involvement in the Templis Cult. The moment his father left the cult and reclaimed, in the short time he was alive, his given name, his son had become Alexander Millard. When his mother had taken to hiding with him, banished from the cult, he had become Alexander Kovalev, though his mother had always called him by the nickname of Sasha, rather than Alexander.

Most of his life, he had known himself as Sasha Kovalev. Until a short time ago, when he’d met the ghost of his father and learned who he truly was. He perhaps would not have been so rude about giving his name had he truly known what to call himself.

“Does it matter what the hell my name is?” He demanded rather rudely, his odd violet eyes meeting her metallic orbs.

He wasn’t sure why she thought that she might know him, and for a moment, he regretted being so rude. With so much still unknown about his past, he supposed it was possible this woman did know him. And with the more diplomatic missions he was being sent on for the Order, his rudeness was not only uncontrolled, but unwise.

He hand reached to rub his forehead as if this whole thing were giving him an instant headache.

“Look, I’m sorry. I’m having a rather bad day….” He added, as quickly as he’d come out with his rude demand only moments ago.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A little taken aback by his reply, s'Il rose her brows.

"I ask a simple question," she said offhandedly to no one inparticular as she rolled her eyes.

[SashaKovalev]

"A simple question for you." He retorted, his cheeks flushing in both embarrassment and renewed anger. He stared at her for a moment longer, and then to the doors that continued to open and close in front of him.

The chaotic rythym of them, the confused closing shut and reopening of them made him want to tear them from the tracks on which they slid.

Instead he settled for the use of the force, holding them open as he stared at this woman.

"Look, is there something you want?" He asked, his tone almost resigned.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The spike that shot through her head was almost unbearable, and she cried out in utter pain, clawing at her temples in the vain attempt to stop the agonizing feeling raging through her senses. s'Il fell to her knees, hunching over with her head in her hands, and with a low, guttural growl that wouldn't normally come from a human, she glared up at the stranger with metallic eyes that were slowly fading into a tawny yellow.

"hYou idiot... "

[Morag Prime]

Morag placed the droid on a low table in the center of the small anteroom within the Rascal King. She moved her hand through the air in a close arc about the unit, which had a strange immobilising effect on MMU. Morag would not damage the droid, he would come to no harm, but somehow she didnt think the droid would believe her, so she cast her runes about him to keep him in place. MMU's circuitry was intact, only temporarily disabled of movement except for inside the spell cast sphere.

Seating herself then on her knees, the Prime Enchantress of the Kiett Circle, prepared for her scrying.

Tapping into the unseen aura that surrounded all things, Morag allowed the essense of LokLorien s'Ilancy that permeated the entire craft in such richness to seep into her being. For long moments the witch was as a statue. Still in a repose that any who saw her would naturally assume she was a corpse. Her dark lifeless eyes rolled up backwards into her head and her eyelids remained wide open. Her skin took on an even paler hue and a sheen of persperation coated her pastey skin.

She began a low monotone whispering that made the skin prickle to hear such an ancient and evil tongue being spoken.

Streams of deep purple and red light slowly began to apear, drawing toward the droid who sat motionless on the little table,in a manner as would plasma to a charged ball. It gradually increased in frequency and density and till the runes of spell craft ignited into a brilliant fiery flame that encircled MMU completely.

Gradually Morag's eyes rolled down to look frontward, but they had a dullness to them, as if no light was entering them. In actuality, the Sorceress was looking into her scrying field that can only be seen by one engaged in the mystic arts.

From the core of the fire, a grey swirling mist gently ebbed in her mind's eye and the image of a woman slowly formed. The first distinguishable feature being her unusual eyes..

[Taylor Millard]

Millard had poured himself a glass of cognac and settled down, reading one of the books from Lok's library when he heard a low chanting coming from where Morag was.

He hoped the Kiett Order's Leader knew what she was doing, and figured she did, as he swirled his cognac around in the glass. A sip...and then his blue eyes went back to the book.

It apparently was one of s'Il's favorites but a book she had a hard time getting finished, it was that deep. It was about a group of androids fighting for their own survival and rights.

Taylor had actually gotten through the first couple of chapters, then he let his energy reserves give out...and he began to doze lightly, not even knowing what was occuring between his nephew and his fiance.

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego was turning away from the man when the spike hit, sending the Lupine stumbling to the ground, body racked with pain.

"Aaagghkkhh...."

His teeth locked, gritting against a rising crescendo of anguish as he lay contorted on the ground, beads of sweat forming over his skin, which was very hot to the touch.

[SashaKovalev]

You idiot…

An eyebrow raised, as if to say, ‘excuse me?’, though hardly in a friendly sort of way. He didn’t appreciate being called an idiot, particularly not after having just apologized to a complete stranger.

When the other fell to the ground, seemingly in pain, violet eyes registered confusion. Though his uncle had warned him about vornskyrs, he had no experience with them, and the research he had done had not prepared him to understand exactly what was going on. Mixed with the fact that he was just generally irritated, and his hand was throbbing mightily, he wasn’t exactly thinking straight.

The doors remained steadily open, and the young sith stood there glaring at this woman who had called him an idiot.

“Im not sure I heard you correctly…..” He stated, rather than questioned. The foolish pride of a young knight refused to let him just give in and walk away. The way he said these words was as if he were giving her some sort of way out – a way to correct what she’d just called him, perhaps. And then they would be done with one another.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

His continued use of the force to hold the doors open pushed her over the edge; over the threshold of sanity. As she clutched her head, teeth grinding while another wave of dizziness swept over her, s'Il let out a small cry and looked up at him as he spoke again. Though this time, instead of a metallic glare, her gaze was now a tawny yellow, and when she opened her mouh to speak, it was easy to see that her teeth were growing, sharpening into points.

And yet when she tried to answer, another ripple of pain spread through her body, and she retched, curling into herself once more. A hand shot out then, grasping the kid's pantleg as the first bits of a silvery sheen of fur began growing from her skin.

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego's eyes rolled back in his head, convulsions continuing as if he were in a seizure. Severe muscle spasms wrenched his shoulders out of socket, as bone, tendon, ligament, and musculature shifted underneath. His face seemed to lengthen in an excruciating manner, as his forearms became thick with fur, which began to ripple up his frame like an ocean's tide, sprouting over any exposed skin. His eyes remained fixed on Sasha, blinked, and shifted from blue to gold.

[SashaKovalev]

As she attempted to answer him, he noticed that the stunning metallic of her eyes had changed into a tawny yellow. Changing eyecolors were something he was quite familiar with at this point, enough for him to know it often indicated a change in the person’s state of mind or being. But not always. What, in this case tipped him off was the hand that reached out for his leg, grasping his pants. It was….it had fur. Silver fur.

“What the?!” He exclaimed as he tried to yank his leg away. Slowly it was dawning on him what might possibly be happening. His break in concentration caused the doors to come shut again, reopening with the weight of him and this woman on the sensors.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her grip tightened, and she reared back, head in the process of narrowing as she let out a feral cry. Muscles reshaped over morphing bones, and a series of sickening pops sounded all over her body as joints dislocated, shifting into new positions and a new structure on a whole. Fingers broadening out and shortening, her grasp on Sasha's pantleg let off, and two paws hit the ground. A tail grew from her spinal column, and her ears also lengthened out, as silver as the pelt that now covered her entire body,

Clothes discarded, the Lupine stood tall on all fours, and with a snap of her jaws she fixed a terrible glare on the kid. Even in her monochormatic vision she could sense the force aura about him, and she could faintly see a haze of purple mist surrounding him...

... it drove her mad, and with a vicious growl she crouched low before releasing her taught muscles, leaping at him...

[SashaKovalev]

As she changed completely into her new form, the young knight backed away a few steps. He had no idea if this was the woman his uncle loved or not – that was further from his mind than the wish that he’d asked his uncle how in the world you got a vornskyr to back off.

But there was no time to think on this. She leapt at him and the two of them tumbled to the floor, rolling as each tried to get the upper hand. The instinct for survival was strong within the young knight, and without much thought he used his casted hand to club the creature over the nose – anything to get the massive fangs away from him.

[Diego Van Derveld]

A new growl rumbled through the air, from another, larger vornskr. Its fierce, yellow eyes glinted as it watched s'Ilancy attack, and seeing an opening, it lunged for Sasha's legs.

<img src=http://bama.ua.edu/~hicks020/pics/diegoc13.jpg>

[SashaKovalev]

He cried out in pain and anger as fangs found their way into the skin of one of his legs. The other foot kicked out viciously to try to meet with some sort of tender spot.

He knew by now that it had been the use of the force that had enraged these creatures in the first place, and he didnt know whether to use it, or not use it in an effort to escape.

He could feel the hilt of his lightsaber crushed against him, but his blaster he could not feel. It had fallen loose in the struggle.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She yelped as a hand smacked across her nose, and with a snarl she reared up just a little, staring down at Sasha with an enraged glare. With a shake of her head, she tried to ease the pain of his strike.

And with a growl that grew from the bottom of her throat, she dove in once again, closing powerful jaws on the arm he'd used to club her. Wrenching powerful neck muscles, s'Il violently shook from left to right.

[SashaKovalev]

He felt as if his arm were going to be yanked off and the pain of teeth tearing his flesh made him cry out in pain and anger.

With the use of the force he sought his blaster, and as it flew to his hand he used not to fire, but to hit the female vornskyr in hopes that she would release her grasp on his arm.

If he had ever felt fear, certainly he felt it now. But the Sith teachings taught him to turn fear into a weapon - to deny it and use anger to strike out against all that would try to destroy him. And so it was with this anger that he fought now - fought for his life.

[Diego Van Derveld]

As he drew back with the weapon again, a warm, moist, toothed vice clamped onto his wrist, as Diego caught up with Sasha. The bigger vornskr braced, jerking back as he worked in opposite motion to S'Ilancy, threatening to pull the Sith apart in two directions.

[SashaKovalev]

He cried out in pain as teeth sunk into his flesh and clamped over his wrist like a vice. The blaster dropped to the floor as muscles screamed in pain.

With no access to physical weapons, he had no choice but to use the force. He didn’t know if it would serve to anger them more, or if it would provide him a chance to escape – at this point he didn’t really care. It was the only option he had.

It was difficult to gather his thoughts, as the pain of teeth ripping his flesh and yanking on his limps was nearly unbearable. But he was a Sith, and he had been taught well by his elders. They hadnt put him through difficult trials only for their own amusement, though at times, he certainly had wondered. Anger began to kick in as the fight for survival grew more intense.

He concentrated on the automatic doors, willing them to shut. As they came closed, guided by the power of the dark side, they clamped closed onto the leg of female, the surprise of it causing her to release his arm, if only for a brief moment. He wanted to use his saber, but knew that from his position on the ground, he wasn’t likely to be very successful with it. He needed to get back on his feet. He just needed a quick distraction….

With a considerable effort, he gathered the strength he had to channel the dark side of the force to him. It gathered in his fingertips – the force lighting that had been taught to him by his master, Lady Vader, quite some time ago. He had been working on this skill, for it intrigued him to no end. And while he was not 100% accurate with it, he was skilled enough to be able to use it.

The sparks and the bolts flew from his free hand, aimed at the considerably larger male that had the grip on his other arm.

[Morag Prime]

The eyes were bright, a metallic sheen, set in a face that was pretty, yet strong. s'Ilancy's essence began to pull together in vision for the enchantress to lock onto and Morag's chanting slowed to low monotone words that barely held pauses between them.

Blonde hair framed her face and carelessly fell about her shoulders, a natural wildness to it. Much like the woman herself. But as the vision grew more tangible and the link clearer, there was an unruly aura that began to swell and smother the original impression.

s'Ilancy stood in the midst of a tumultous whirlwind that swirled in a golden chaos all about her, while she inside remained unmoved. The mayhem grew in violence and before long covered and overwhelmed LokLorien's original aura seeping in through her skin and into her soul and before long, the metallic eyes gleamed golden. A cataclysmic shift in focus resulted and s'Ilancy was transformed from a human woman into a Vornskr, silverbacked and sharp-fanged. A viscious and primal presence saturated her and an uncontrollable violence was triggered in her spirit.

The circle of vision broadened and Morag began to see others in her scrying. A second Vornskr and a man. Caught up in her trance state, the Prime Enchantress bellowed out a blood-chilling howl..

"Arrrrrrroooooow"

[Taylor Millard]

The howl shook Millard from his nap, causing him to shoot up from his chair and pull his small Harpy Knife from his wrist holster.

His blue eyes stared towards where Morag was doing her chant, but he quickly relaxed himself. The witch was 'doing her thing' with the spell and Taylor only assumed she'd gotten a fix on s'Ilancy.

Probably be best not to interrupt, he thought, keeping his eyes on the bay where Morag was, But I will check on her later.

He crossed his arms, sat back down in his chair, and stared at one of the paintings Lok had undoubtably stolen from somewhere. The art was Ithorian but the artist unknown at his time.

Taylor continued to stare at the painting and waited for Morag to finish.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Another yelp escaped her lips, and s'Il folded in on herself in an effort to pull her leg from the doors. Her tail whipped from side to side as she scrambled away, her leg scraping through the pressure of the doors. Standing gingerly, she glared angrily at Sasha, another growl sounding.

As the force lightning left his fingers headed for Diego, the spike that pulsed through her mind caused her vision to blur before her world flashed a brilliant white, blinding her momentarily. Her growl lowered to a whine then, and she flung her head from left to right to clear her vision. She saw Sasha, his hand outstretched, fingers letting fly with lacing purple/blue energy. And with a sharp growl, she jumped at his lifted arm, flinging herself atop him as sharp teeth dug into his wrist. Tendrils of the released energy found their way to her muzzle, but she remained fixed, her jaws vicelike and unmoving as she bit down harder.

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego was thrown back by the force of lightning, sprawling across the ground with a yelp. He convulsed, body shaking with sporadic pulses of blue energy, rippling through him.

[SashaKovalev]

The pain was visible on his face. His violet eyes were wide in surprise and a will for this entire situation to be over with. With his concentration broken, the lightning stopped, though it fizzled ever so slightly on his fingertips.

He’d been able to get the male to release him, but now this other one had latched back onto him, and he could feel the teeth as they sunk into the delicate tendons of the wrist. In confusion, his eyes met those of the female. His eyes that always betrayed him, showed his fear, almost pleading with her to release him.

He had not been looking for a fight this day. He hadnt been looking, for once, to bring harm to anything. He’d wanted only to get away from everyone and everything, to forget who he was, or what he was. Instead, he was reminded of this perhaps a bit too much – the fact that he’d been attacked because of his ability to use the force, the fact that this could be his uncle’s girlfriend who wanted to end his life, the fact that he felt fear when he wasn’t supposed to – the Sith code would not allow for this.

It did not occur to him to shut himself off from the force. And in all fairness, this was a skill that he had not had much practice in. He was still a knight, and cutting oneself off from the force completely took practice and considerable control – control that he did not yet have.

By now a large crowd had gathered. No one moved yet to offer assistance, but merely watched in morbid fascination.

Slowly, with her teeth clamped onto his arm, he made his way to his knees, his teeth grit tightly as he tried to push back the pain. But it was too much. Her teeth were caught on his arm in a vicelike grip, and it was clear she did not plan to let go. So instead, he gave in to the darkside, allowing the pain to wash over him, and using it to feed his strength.

Using force lighting took a lot out of him. It was not something he was able to do for extended periods of time, and this was probably all that he had left in him – this one last round that he directed at the female.

If he could only get her to release him…he would use the force to propel him back up to the higher level. Perhaps there he’d be able to find a way to escape.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The sheer proximity of his hand seemed to amplify the power of his second force strike; not only in intensity, but also in being so close to the use of force, and the vornskr rocked back as a stab of blinding white knifed through her vision, temporarily blinding her. She howled as the spike drove through her mind, sending her into a fit of rage as her body itself was sent reeling, her teeth pulled from their grip on his wrist, leaving deep furrows along his wrist in their wake.

The beast skidded back, pushed it seemed by the lightning itself, and she slammed into the other vornskr, the residual effect of the force lightning merging over their bodies as it died down.

And she lay, halfway atop the male, her breathing deep as she let the diminishing arcs travel over her body. With a whine, s'Il lolled her head to look at Sasha, her eyes seemingly staring into him. At the moment she couldn't move however, the force of his lightning attack briefly paralizing her; this she found out after a failed attempt to stand and continue the fight, and so relegated to her position, she could only glare at him, a growl rising in her throat.

[SashaKovalev]

He felt her teeth rip his flesh and the muscles as she tore away from him. But he was free. He’d used only enough to get free, and in all truth, it was all that he’d had in him. Luck, perhaps, was on his side at the moment. He was breathing heavily, the fight for freedom not having been an easy one. He could see the female as she lay there, her eyes seeming to stare right into him.

His eyes might have displayed an apology if he hadnt been so concerned about getting away. He grabbed his blaster from the ground and stuffed it into its holster, and then with the force, lept back up to the next level. He barely made it, being so tired out from the battle, and fell over the railing, lying, for a moment on his back on the cold, cement spaceport floor. People stared oddly at him, but continued on.

And then he stood, wobbly on his feet as blood dripped from the wounds on both arms. His right arm had taken the most abuse, having already broken the bones from punching the steel beam in his earlier anger. He realized he likely did not have much time to escape. The senses of the vornskyrs would make him an easy target to follow, particularly dripping blood as he was. His only hope was that they’d had enough, or had other things they had to attend to.

He began to jog through the spaceport, fighting against the crowd of passengers who had recently disembarked. Perfect, he thought. If he could just grab that shuttle….it wouldn’t matter where it was going. He would deal with that later.

“Sir…sir you cant…” A woman tried to stop him as he climbed aboard, objecting to the mess he was making.

“I can.” He replied, his voice quiet as he spoke to her, willing her to stop drawing attention to him.

“Let me get you something for that…” The woman replied instead as the doors of the shuttle closed.

[Morag Prime]

Morag could not read s'Ilancy's thoughts, but could only watch and absord the sensations as they moved through the etheral realm of her scrying.

The gutteral and carnal instincts of the Vorsnkr were overwhelming. The natural and all encompassing hatred of the force made every nerve-ending and instinct on edge and screaming with the need to extinguish its sensations.

MMU remained suspended and held fast within the sorceresses scrying runes, only the bright green blinking viewports had movement. Morag was oblivious to the droid. She was so engrossed in the vision.

Her mottled green skin was soaked with perspiration and her breathing was dangerously shallow. If she remained in this "vornskr" state, she would not remain conscious much longer and the scrying would be disrupted.

The Prime held on...she had not yet located where s'Ilancy was or where she was headed.

She would not relinquish her hold until she had a definite destination for Taylor Millard to go on..

[Yuri Moroketh]

The Kiavedd broke into normal space, and angling in a graceful curve, the ship headed for Dantooine. Sitting in his captain's chair, Moroketh watched patiently as the planet slowly grew in size, and ordering the ship to a stop, he turned to his comm officer.

"Signal Dantooine Port Authority; request permission to land for resupplying and refueling."

"Yes Sir."

Sitting back, the Yevethan fell silent, curious as to what Loklorien had been up to in her absence.

[Diego Van Derveld]

The instinct to pursue was insatiable, and Diego pressed forward...determined to rend the force user apart. When he leapt to the next level, however, Diego skidded to a halt, unable to surmount the obstacle. The trail glowed in his senses, however. The bright orange scent of freshly spilled blood...the cool blues of sweat and pheromones, and there was the curious greenish smell of his garments. It provided an olfactory trail that was better than any fingerprint. That, coupled with the ever-present sense of the force, would make finding him incredibly easy...

...if, he could find a way to the next level. With instinct taking over, intellect was pushed behind. Diego could not readily discern the way to the upper level, and growled in vain, pacing around until his nose told him better.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

They were a little late in getting to the disturbance, but soon enough the whole level was swarming with security guards, and s'Il, still a little disoriented from the shock, stood unsteadily to her feet, surrounded by a dozen men in uniform. She growled, her eyes moving to the other vornskr as he paced, and she broke for him. He was trying to find a way on to the next level to follow the snense that the force-thing had left.

And then the wind was knocked from her as six of the guards drove her to the ground, and with an enraged howl she went down under a hail of stun batons and knight sticks.

[Morag Prime]

As s'Ilancy fell to the ground, Morag too dropped suddenly to her knees, blinding white flashes searing through her mind.

Before blackness overcame her, Morag registered in her minds eye the lights of a spaceport. Boards of listed destinations in neon blue teletype blurred together merging in an unreadable smudge.

Even as s'Ilancy's eyes closed, Morag slipped into an exausted oblivion.....and MMU clattered loudly onto the ships floor as the Witch's spell broke and released it to fall without warning.