Twenty-Four Hours of Midnight
By Pop Weasel
Summary
Something that hunts in the darkness has taken over the Twilight Kiss, a team of young Jedi Knights is sent to find out what the Hells going on.
Disclaimer: I don't own the concept or anyone else of George Lucas's creation, but whoever you don't know is mine. Also, the poems in this story are from The Book of Counted Sorrows by Dean Koontz. You can find them in his many excellent books and by going to http://www.veinotte.com/koontz/sorrows.htm.
I watched Event Horizon and The Phantom Menace. I had a horrible dream. So I decided to write it as a fanfiction. This is what happens when you don't listen to your parents when they tell you to shut the VCR off and go to bed.
Enjoy.
* * * * *
A gasp of breath,
a sudden death:
the tale begun
Harsh breathing accompanied pounding footsteps as Maris Mynal fled down the darkened last stretch between the gun turrets and the cockpit, her final salvation.
Her lightsaber provided a hollow comfort and cast the final lengths in a icy blue glow. It was growing hot in her hand, she had not dared to turn it off for a good two days, when the power in the Twilight Kiss had finally run out and the lights went off.
Only darkness-and something else-resided behind her, sole survivor of the slaughter in the cargo bay, where her master-
A choked sob caught in her throat. His screams hadn't been the worse, but she would remember them forever, telling her to run-get to the cockpit and send for help. She reached the cock-pit-the door already open from a Force-flung object-and was drenched in cold darkness.
The door slid shut behind her, its hiss not quite muffling the gasping breath from the darkness and the soft whisper of her name in her master's voice.
Maris shuddered and locked the door. It-yes, that's what it was, an It- had tried that earlier, pulling the Twilight's chief Engineer in the deadly darkness after the terrified man was convinced that he could hear his missing brother calling to him. It was damn smart, whatever It was.
The controls felt foreign under her shaking hands, sluggishly responding to her commands. Her master's last act had been to start the back-up battery for the comms. She hoped it worked.
"The Jedi Temple on Coruscant." she said aloud, hoping It would hear her and know It's days were numbered.
"Open the door Maris." something outside said in her dead masters voice.
Maris punched the buttons in grim desperation.
"Please Mar," It whimpered, scratching on the permasteel door. "It's so cold out here."
"Go away." she pleaded.
"Maris.......it hurts."
Static blared into words, distant, but undeniably warm, human words.
"This is the Twilight Kiss," she said into the headset in a panic. "Mission critical, I repeat, mission critical. We've sustained mass casualties. Jedi Master Adsion Bilo and the rest of the crew are dead. Please get this to the Temple on Coruscant, I don't think the power-"
And the lights went out.
"Maris......." It hissed from outside. "Come play in the darkness Maris." Pleaded a child's voice.
It's leathery voice could not quite conceal the sound of the permasteel door being forced open.
Maris gripped her lightsaber, turning to face her killer. "Turn not thy from Death away. Care not he takes our breath away-" she whispered aloud to ward off the numbing terror. "Fear him not, he's not thy master-"
And the screams began.
* * * * *
This is not the path I sought
This is not the life I want
Just a fever of Fate that I've caught
Qui-Gon Jinn looked over Captain Jerit L'ttle's, called "Papa Bear" by his affectionate crew, shoulder as the young spacer did a second flyby of the drifting Twilight Kiss, cutting it close as he dared by the moving ship. Jerit pointed to the emergency flashers on the aft and port sides as he brought the Wake Angel around to the front.
"They should be going off like crazy, emergency power cells reserve for things like that." The captain edged forward to get a closer look. Qui-Gon Jinn nodded accordingly, actually not having a clue in the Seven Hells to what the captain was pointing at. Jerit grinned, swinging the Wake Angel around to the port side of the deserted ship and describing the flashers in a loving detail that only a spacer could accomplish. Qui-Gon shook his head apologetically, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, starship's aren't my thing."
Jerit laughed and sidled up to the docking hatch of the Twilight Kiss. " Then I'll leave you to your thing and you leave me to mine."
"Deal." Jinn said.
The ebon haired captain pressed a greenish button near his hand and spoke loudly into the mic beside it. "Baby Bear, ready the loading procedures." The static rumbled for a moment before a fairly young woman's voice answered him with a tart reply.
Qui-Gon cleared out of the cockpit during the docking, his experience with ships limited to getting on and off, and ambled down the dim halls, searching for his fellow Knights.
He found one in the lounge, hunched over a jumbled piece of wires and rods with a slender device that connected the mess together. So intent was he with his workings that he didn't hear Qui-Gon until the other plopped down next to him with a sigh.
Dram Jani spared him a blue glance and a wry grin before returning to his latest project. "Mace is in the galley, and Peire is skulking in his room."
"Why" would be a stupid question then?"
"Most definitely, you know his type. Data-worms always skulk."
Qui-Gon laughed at Dram's reply and prodded the jumble on the table. "This?"
"Remote. Plug it in to any control panel and you have the run of the entire system. Master Yoda tried to take it away before we left. Said "Trouble, you are. Like to kick you, I would."
"He did not."
Dram's over-innocent pouting face gave him away before he even opened his mouth, so he grinned his famous grin and went on with finishing the remote. The two Jedi stood as one when the final buzzer went off, signaling that the docking was completed. Their third companion, a tall, dark skinned youth with dark eyes entered, laughing with the Wake Angel's First Mate, Jayce, who was consequently Captain Jerit's little sister.
"I don't know how you do it." Dram commented as Jayce left them with a promising wink to Mace as she hurried to prepared for docking.
"Unbelievable charm." Mace Windu replied without cracking a grin.
"Charm," Dram snorted as they made their way to the loading bay. "You have all the charm of a puking infant."
"At least I have charm. What Amira sees in you never ceases to amaze me."
"Light switches amaze you, you----"
"Boys." Qui-Gon warned with a laugh.
"Yes Master Jinn." They replied somberly, exchanging eye rolls at their friends expense.
The trio joined Jerit L'ttle and three others in the loading bay. Jayce stood by the doors, a heavy blaster rifle resting on her shoulder easily. "Ready boys?" the auburn haired woman drawled.
"You're going?" Mace asked as if he hadn't heard her correctly. Jayce smirked as Jerit and his second mate joined them.
"Of course she is," Jerit answered with a shrug. "She's my best data retriever."
Qui-Gon, as senior Jedi on this mission, nodded for the go-ahead, bracing himself for the cold blast of air that had been trapped in the tunnel that connected the ships. As expected, it chilled his uncovered hands and face, but wasn't severe enough to penetrate his robes. Dram, who never remembered to wear his, shivered dramatically beside him. "The icy chill of death." The blond Jedi hissed lowly. Mace elbowed him as discretely as possible. * * * * *
"Sweet Gremlins," Dram muttered, waving a hand in front of his face to alleviate the smell that assaulted the retrieval team the second they stepped aboard the Twilight Kiss.
"Smells like Mace before his annual bath."
"Shove it Jani."
But Dram was right, a undulated small permeated the entire ship like a poisonous gas. Both Dram and Mace gave each other suspicious glances and moved apart.
Qui-Gon gave them both evil glares and pressed on ahead.
"Shall we?" Dram asked his dark companion lightly. Mace grinned and bowed. "After you, motor-mouth."
Jerit's flashlight swept the dark hallways of the Twilights interior. The Jedi, Qui-Gon and Dram leading with Mace bringing up the rear. Jayce had fallen back with the dark skinned Jedi. Jerit rolled his eyes.
They came to a branch, one leading to the cargo bay and the other to the cockpit.
"Jayce, take Haris with you" Jerit advised. "And the rest of us will head to the cargo bay."
"I'll go with them," Dram interjected, slipping past Qui-Gon. "You never know when something might try and eat us."
'That's not funny Dram." Qui-Gon said softly. Dram grinned toothily at him and ushered Jayce and the man called Haris down the hall. That left Qui-Gon, Mace, Jerit and another man that everyone called Yix.
'Be careful." Mace warned his blond friend as he faded into the gloom. Dram's handsome face reappeared briefly to blow a kiss at the Jedi before he to was swallowed up into the darkness.
"He'll be fine." Jerit offered. "Jayce is one mean mother with a blaster."
"I'm not worried." Mace said snappishly, falling in step with Jerit while Qui-Gon and Yix took lead. Jerit rolled his eyes.
* * * * *
"Well, we found Adsion." Mace noted dryly.
They had found the Master, several pieces of him to be exact. And that of the crew.
Qui-Gon stooped next to the largest piece of the aging master and prodded it with the hilt of his lightsaber. "Where's Maris? He took her with him, didn't he?"
Jerit nodded and scanned with the flashlight. "We think she was the one who sent that call out. Only half of it got through, but we got the genera idea."
"Too bad it was too late." Mace said quietly, examining the rents in the metal floor near the wall. "Look at this."
Qui-Gon leaned over him, frowning deeply. "Looks like claw marks." he observed.
"There was no live cargo on the Kiss." Jerit reported helpfully. "She carried food supplies to mining colonies in the Rim. From what I hear, your Jedi were just hitching a ride."
"Whatever it was," Qui-Gon said with a shrug, "It's gotta be big."
"Such insight." Mace retorted sarcastically, standing. "Maybe we should see what--"
And then a terrified scream rent the dead ship.
"Dram." both Jedi Knights said in unison. Mace made a running sprint for the cock-pit, Qui-Gon yelling for him to stop, cursing when his friend didn't listen. Dram and Mace were nearly inseperable, and there was no way in Hell that Mace was going to let his annoying blond companion be killed by anyone but him.
Qui-Gon motioned for Jerit to follow him quickly and ran after him, sprinting down the dark hallway at a dead run and nearly running right into Mace.
The dark skinned Jedi was shaking a sprawled figure on the floor, calling for them to wake, when Dram appeared, unharmed but unusually grim, from the opened door of the cock-pit. His lean frame concealed the worst from view, but Qui-Gon could see the crust of dried redness that stained the floor.
"Found Maris." the blond reported darkly. The tall Knight noted briefly that Dram held his lightsaber out and ready, and scolded himself for worrying about Jani. Dram could take care of himself rather well.
"We found Adsion." Qui-Gon informed him, watching the handsome face dissolve into grief. Adsion had been the one to find a infant Dram in the wild hills of Illian, but, though he had not been his Master, the two had been close non-the-less.
Jayce, on the floor, woke with a shriek, scooting back away from the open door with a horrified expression, her green eyes wide with terror.
"Bag'um." Dram said snappishly, turning back into the cock-pit without another word. Qui-Gon stepped around Mace and Jayce and peeked in, almost immediatly recoiling from the smell.
His first thought was someone had set a red paint bomb off inside the room.
His second was to run screaming back to the Wake Angel.
"Gods have mercy...." the older Jedi whispered while Dram heafted the remains of Maris Mynal's lightsaber, averting his eyes either out of respect of horror from the window of the ship.
Where the head of the Padawan stared at them with a silent scream from where it was stuck on the control stick.
* * * *
Darkness devours every shining day.
Drakness demands and always has its way.
Darkness listens, watches, waits.
Darkness claims the day and celebrates.
Sometimes in the silence darkness comes.
Sometimes with a gleeful banging of drums.
Back inside the reletive safety of the Wake Angel, when they had finally finished bagging the bodies of the slain and stored them in the cargo freezer, Qui-Gon dared even look at Dram.
The blond man sat at his table, tinkering with his latest gadget with a thoughtful expression on his face. The three Jedi sat alone from the rest, even Peire, who had dared emerge from his room long enough to aid with the cleanup, silent and brooding when Dram suddenly looked up at Qui-Gon.
"When you fill the Council in on this, don't tell them how we found Maris."
Qui-Gon studied Dram for a long moment before nodding. The girl deserved that much dignity for death.
Mace grunted and slid one of the holo-pics that he had taken of the claw marks over to Qui-Gon. "Check it out, see that whitey colored thing?"
"That really little thing?"
Dram snorted, his shoulders shaking with supressed laughter. The other two ignored him. Dram was the owner, among otherthings, of a fairly dirty mind. Gods only knew what he had managed to get out of that last comment.
Qui-Gon eyed the pic critically and tapped at it. "Chippings of whatever left the marks?"
"Exactly." Mace said.
The blond next to them snorted again, this time in disdain. "Right, so now we know that whatever it is, it chipped a nail. Great work, find it a manicurist and let's get the hell home."
"Dram, try and work with us here." Qui-Gon asked, sliding the pic over to the other Jedi.
"Why? Their dead and gone and nothing we do can fix it. Maris was sixteen, sixteen, she never even had a chance....."
Mace clapped a dark hand on the slender blond's shoulder. "I know you were close to Adsion Janny," the Jedi said sympathetically, invoking the much hated nickname that the blond had been saddled with as a child. "If this hits too close, Qui and I can handle it....."
Dram slienced him with a blue glare and snapped up the pic roughly, boring a hole in it with his azure stare. "Three inches apart. This sucker was big, whatever it was, the depth of the rents suggest that it was lunging to attack from a standing position, but there are multiple sets of marks, meaning that either this thing was bouncing all over the place, or we're dealing with something with four legs that can stand on two."
"Like one of them bear critters on Adon." Mace pointed out helpfully.
"And assuming that," Dram finished with a wrathful look in his friend's direction. "I gather that it's pretty damn quick."
"Fast enough to catch a Jedi Master using the Force and a Padawan half a ship away behind a locked perma-steel door?"
"Strong as well. I saw some more claw marks on the edges of the cock-pit door. It was pried open for sure."
"Sooooooo......" Dram mused, tapping the pic. "Big talons, fleet feet, strong mother too boot, it's smart too."
"How so?" Mace inquired, snatching the pic away.
Qui-Gon snagged it away from Mace. "The way Maris was killed." he intoned, seeing Dram nod. "It knew what she was. Who she was calling. Who would come in response. It set her up that way. Nobody else but Maris was displayed in that manner."
"There is another matter." Dram said softly, looking at the pic without seeing.
"Huh?"
"We found her head. Where in the Hells is her body."
* * * *
By Pop Weasel
Summary
Something that hunts in the darkness has taken over the Twilight Kiss, a team of young Jedi Knights is sent to find out what the Hells going on.
Disclaimer: I don't own the concept or anyone else of George Lucas's creation, but whoever you don't know is mine. Also, the poems in this story are from The Book of Counted Sorrows by Dean Koontz. You can find them in his many excellent books and by going to http://www.veinotte.com/koontz/sorrows.htm.
I watched Event Horizon and The Phantom Menace. I had a horrible dream. So I decided to write it as a fanfiction. This is what happens when you don't listen to your parents when they tell you to shut the VCR off and go to bed.
Enjoy.
* * * * *
A gasp of breath,
a sudden death:
the tale begun
Harsh breathing accompanied pounding footsteps as Maris Mynal fled down the darkened last stretch between the gun turrets and the cockpit, her final salvation.
Her lightsaber provided a hollow comfort and cast the final lengths in a icy blue glow. It was growing hot in her hand, she had not dared to turn it off for a good two days, when the power in the Twilight Kiss had finally run out and the lights went off.
Only darkness-and something else-resided behind her, sole survivor of the slaughter in the cargo bay, where her master-
A choked sob caught in her throat. His screams hadn't been the worse, but she would remember them forever, telling her to run-get to the cockpit and send for help. She reached the cock-pit-the door already open from a Force-flung object-and was drenched in cold darkness.
The door slid shut behind her, its hiss not quite muffling the gasping breath from the darkness and the soft whisper of her name in her master's voice.
Maris shuddered and locked the door. It-yes, that's what it was, an It- had tried that earlier, pulling the Twilight's chief Engineer in the deadly darkness after the terrified man was convinced that he could hear his missing brother calling to him. It was damn smart, whatever It was.
The controls felt foreign under her shaking hands, sluggishly responding to her commands. Her master's last act had been to start the back-up battery for the comms. She hoped it worked.
"The Jedi Temple on Coruscant." she said aloud, hoping It would hear her and know It's days were numbered.
"Open the door Maris." something outside said in her dead masters voice.
Maris punched the buttons in grim desperation.
"Please Mar," It whimpered, scratching on the permasteel door. "It's so cold out here."
"Go away." she pleaded.
"Maris.......it hurts."
Static blared into words, distant, but undeniably warm, human words.
"This is the Twilight Kiss," she said into the headset in a panic. "Mission critical, I repeat, mission critical. We've sustained mass casualties. Jedi Master Adsion Bilo and the rest of the crew are dead. Please get this to the Temple on Coruscant, I don't think the power-"
And the lights went out.
"Maris......." It hissed from outside. "Come play in the darkness Maris." Pleaded a child's voice.
It's leathery voice could not quite conceal the sound of the permasteel door being forced open.
Maris gripped her lightsaber, turning to face her killer. "Turn not thy from Death away. Care not he takes our breath away-" she whispered aloud to ward off the numbing terror. "Fear him not, he's not thy master-"
And the screams began.
* * * * *
This is not the path I sought
This is not the life I want
Just a fever of Fate that I've caught
Qui-Gon Jinn looked over Captain Jerit L'ttle's, called "Papa Bear" by his affectionate crew, shoulder as the young spacer did a second flyby of the drifting Twilight Kiss, cutting it close as he dared by the moving ship. Jerit pointed to the emergency flashers on the aft and port sides as he brought the Wake Angel around to the front.
"They should be going off like crazy, emergency power cells reserve for things like that." The captain edged forward to get a closer look. Qui-Gon Jinn nodded accordingly, actually not having a clue in the Seven Hells to what the captain was pointing at. Jerit grinned, swinging the Wake Angel around to the port side of the deserted ship and describing the flashers in a loving detail that only a spacer could accomplish. Qui-Gon shook his head apologetically, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, starship's aren't my thing."
Jerit laughed and sidled up to the docking hatch of the Twilight Kiss. " Then I'll leave you to your thing and you leave me to mine."
"Deal." Jinn said.
The ebon haired captain pressed a greenish button near his hand and spoke loudly into the mic beside it. "Baby Bear, ready the loading procedures." The static rumbled for a moment before a fairly young woman's voice answered him with a tart reply.
Qui-Gon cleared out of the cockpit during the docking, his experience with ships limited to getting on and off, and ambled down the dim halls, searching for his fellow Knights.
He found one in the lounge, hunched over a jumbled piece of wires and rods with a slender device that connected the mess together. So intent was he with his workings that he didn't hear Qui-Gon until the other plopped down next to him with a sigh.
Dram Jani spared him a blue glance and a wry grin before returning to his latest project. "Mace is in the galley, and Peire is skulking in his room."
"Why" would be a stupid question then?"
"Most definitely, you know his type. Data-worms always skulk."
Qui-Gon laughed at Dram's reply and prodded the jumble on the table. "This?"
"Remote. Plug it in to any control panel and you have the run of the entire system. Master Yoda tried to take it away before we left. Said "Trouble, you are. Like to kick you, I would."
"He did not."
Dram's over-innocent pouting face gave him away before he even opened his mouth, so he grinned his famous grin and went on with finishing the remote. The two Jedi stood as one when the final buzzer went off, signaling that the docking was completed. Their third companion, a tall, dark skinned youth with dark eyes entered, laughing with the Wake Angel's First Mate, Jayce, who was consequently Captain Jerit's little sister.
"I don't know how you do it." Dram commented as Jayce left them with a promising wink to Mace as she hurried to prepared for docking.
"Unbelievable charm." Mace Windu replied without cracking a grin.
"Charm," Dram snorted as they made their way to the loading bay. "You have all the charm of a puking infant."
"At least I have charm. What Amira sees in you never ceases to amaze me."
"Light switches amaze you, you----"
"Boys." Qui-Gon warned with a laugh.
"Yes Master Jinn." They replied somberly, exchanging eye rolls at their friends expense.
The trio joined Jerit L'ttle and three others in the loading bay. Jayce stood by the doors, a heavy blaster rifle resting on her shoulder easily. "Ready boys?" the auburn haired woman drawled.
"You're going?" Mace asked as if he hadn't heard her correctly. Jayce smirked as Jerit and his second mate joined them.
"Of course she is," Jerit answered with a shrug. "She's my best data retriever."
Qui-Gon, as senior Jedi on this mission, nodded for the go-ahead, bracing himself for the cold blast of air that had been trapped in the tunnel that connected the ships. As expected, it chilled his uncovered hands and face, but wasn't severe enough to penetrate his robes. Dram, who never remembered to wear his, shivered dramatically beside him. "The icy chill of death." The blond Jedi hissed lowly. Mace elbowed him as discretely as possible. * * * * *
"Sweet Gremlins," Dram muttered, waving a hand in front of his face to alleviate the smell that assaulted the retrieval team the second they stepped aboard the Twilight Kiss.
"Smells like Mace before his annual bath."
"Shove it Jani."
But Dram was right, a undulated small permeated the entire ship like a poisonous gas. Both Dram and Mace gave each other suspicious glances and moved apart.
Qui-Gon gave them both evil glares and pressed on ahead.
"Shall we?" Dram asked his dark companion lightly. Mace grinned and bowed. "After you, motor-mouth."
Jerit's flashlight swept the dark hallways of the Twilights interior. The Jedi, Qui-Gon and Dram leading with Mace bringing up the rear. Jayce had fallen back with the dark skinned Jedi. Jerit rolled his eyes.
They came to a branch, one leading to the cargo bay and the other to the cockpit.
"Jayce, take Haris with you" Jerit advised. "And the rest of us will head to the cargo bay."
"I'll go with them," Dram interjected, slipping past Qui-Gon. "You never know when something might try and eat us."
'That's not funny Dram." Qui-Gon said softly. Dram grinned toothily at him and ushered Jayce and the man called Haris down the hall. That left Qui-Gon, Mace, Jerit and another man that everyone called Yix.
'Be careful." Mace warned his blond friend as he faded into the gloom. Dram's handsome face reappeared briefly to blow a kiss at the Jedi before he to was swallowed up into the darkness.
"He'll be fine." Jerit offered. "Jayce is one mean mother with a blaster."
"I'm not worried." Mace said snappishly, falling in step with Jerit while Qui-Gon and Yix took lead. Jerit rolled his eyes.
* * * * *
"Well, we found Adsion." Mace noted dryly.
They had found the Master, several pieces of him to be exact. And that of the crew.
Qui-Gon stooped next to the largest piece of the aging master and prodded it with the hilt of his lightsaber. "Where's Maris? He took her with him, didn't he?"
Jerit nodded and scanned with the flashlight. "We think she was the one who sent that call out. Only half of it got through, but we got the genera idea."
"Too bad it was too late." Mace said quietly, examining the rents in the metal floor near the wall. "Look at this."
Qui-Gon leaned over him, frowning deeply. "Looks like claw marks." he observed.
"There was no live cargo on the Kiss." Jerit reported helpfully. "She carried food supplies to mining colonies in the Rim. From what I hear, your Jedi were just hitching a ride."
"Whatever it was," Qui-Gon said with a shrug, "It's gotta be big."
"Such insight." Mace retorted sarcastically, standing. "Maybe we should see what--"
And then a terrified scream rent the dead ship.
"Dram." both Jedi Knights said in unison. Mace made a running sprint for the cock-pit, Qui-Gon yelling for him to stop, cursing when his friend didn't listen. Dram and Mace were nearly inseperable, and there was no way in Hell that Mace was going to let his annoying blond companion be killed by anyone but him.
Qui-Gon motioned for Jerit to follow him quickly and ran after him, sprinting down the dark hallway at a dead run and nearly running right into Mace.
The dark skinned Jedi was shaking a sprawled figure on the floor, calling for them to wake, when Dram appeared, unharmed but unusually grim, from the opened door of the cock-pit. His lean frame concealed the worst from view, but Qui-Gon could see the crust of dried redness that stained the floor.
"Found Maris." the blond reported darkly. The tall Knight noted briefly that Dram held his lightsaber out and ready, and scolded himself for worrying about Jani. Dram could take care of himself rather well.
"We found Adsion." Qui-Gon informed him, watching the handsome face dissolve into grief. Adsion had been the one to find a infant Dram in the wild hills of Illian, but, though he had not been his Master, the two had been close non-the-less.
Jayce, on the floor, woke with a shriek, scooting back away from the open door with a horrified expression, her green eyes wide with terror.
"Bag'um." Dram said snappishly, turning back into the cock-pit without another word. Qui-Gon stepped around Mace and Jayce and peeked in, almost immediatly recoiling from the smell.
His first thought was someone had set a red paint bomb off inside the room.
His second was to run screaming back to the Wake Angel.
"Gods have mercy...." the older Jedi whispered while Dram heafted the remains of Maris Mynal's lightsaber, averting his eyes either out of respect of horror from the window of the ship.
Where the head of the Padawan stared at them with a silent scream from where it was stuck on the control stick.
* * * *
Darkness devours every shining day.
Drakness demands and always has its way.
Darkness listens, watches, waits.
Darkness claims the day and celebrates.
Sometimes in the silence darkness comes.
Sometimes with a gleeful banging of drums.
Back inside the reletive safety of the Wake Angel, when they had finally finished bagging the bodies of the slain and stored them in the cargo freezer, Qui-Gon dared even look at Dram.
The blond man sat at his table, tinkering with his latest gadget with a thoughtful expression on his face. The three Jedi sat alone from the rest, even Peire, who had dared emerge from his room long enough to aid with the cleanup, silent and brooding when Dram suddenly looked up at Qui-Gon.
"When you fill the Council in on this, don't tell them how we found Maris."
Qui-Gon studied Dram for a long moment before nodding. The girl deserved that much dignity for death.
Mace grunted and slid one of the holo-pics that he had taken of the claw marks over to Qui-Gon. "Check it out, see that whitey colored thing?"
"That really little thing?"
Dram snorted, his shoulders shaking with supressed laughter. The other two ignored him. Dram was the owner, among otherthings, of a fairly dirty mind. Gods only knew what he had managed to get out of that last comment.
Qui-Gon eyed the pic critically and tapped at it. "Chippings of whatever left the marks?"
"Exactly." Mace said.
The blond next to them snorted again, this time in disdain. "Right, so now we know that whatever it is, it chipped a nail. Great work, find it a manicurist and let's get the hell home."
"Dram, try and work with us here." Qui-Gon asked, sliding the pic over to the other Jedi.
"Why? Their dead and gone and nothing we do can fix it. Maris was sixteen, sixteen, she never even had a chance....."
Mace clapped a dark hand on the slender blond's shoulder. "I know you were close to Adsion Janny," the Jedi said sympathetically, invoking the much hated nickname that the blond had been saddled with as a child. "If this hits too close, Qui and I can handle it....."
Dram slienced him with a blue glare and snapped up the pic roughly, boring a hole in it with his azure stare. "Three inches apart. This sucker was big, whatever it was, the depth of the rents suggest that it was lunging to attack from a standing position, but there are multiple sets of marks, meaning that either this thing was bouncing all over the place, or we're dealing with something with four legs that can stand on two."
"Like one of them bear critters on Adon." Mace pointed out helpfully.
"And assuming that," Dram finished with a wrathful look in his friend's direction. "I gather that it's pretty damn quick."
"Fast enough to catch a Jedi Master using the Force and a Padawan half a ship away behind a locked perma-steel door?"
"Strong as well. I saw some more claw marks on the edges of the cock-pit door. It was pried open for sure."
"Sooooooo......" Dram mused, tapping the pic. "Big talons, fleet feet, strong mother too boot, it's smart too."
"How so?" Mace inquired, snatching the pic away.
Qui-Gon snagged it away from Mace. "The way Maris was killed." he intoned, seeing Dram nod. "It knew what she was. Who she was calling. Who would come in response. It set her up that way. Nobody else but Maris was displayed in that manner."
"There is another matter." Dram said softly, looking at the pic without seeing.
"Huh?"
"We found her head. Where in the Hells is her body."
* * * *