Kazzy: Yeah, Leia probably would be pretty horrified if she did… Must be why I'm sparing her of that. :-P Mara will survive it'll just take a while. ;-)
Disclaimer: Don't own it. :-P Notice how my Disclaimers keep getting keep getting shorter?....
Chapter Twelve
Tenel Ka regarded the screaming child with a sense of annoyance. He was still howling
after almost three hours. Taking a deep breath, she made a picture in her mind-
a picture in which he was silent! Slowly releasing her breath she tried
to make him see the picture, pushing the thought at him. A plea underscored
every nuance of the picture and Javen's cries slowly
stopped though the tears still fell.
A sudden urgency filled her and she reached out, trying to locate its source.
Suddenly, she felt something warm and balmy poured into her heart. A quiet
peacefulness fell over her as she comforted Javen through the Force. Ten
standard minutes later he was asleep. She laid her head on her hands in front
of her as she watched her older brother.
An undercurrent of fear wafted across the room and Tenel Ka's tiny form
shivered. Evil…
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Rosie and Carson jumped as the blast doors exploded. Small jagged shards of
white-hot durasteel flying in a complex aerial act
both horrified and fascinated the two girls; it brought to mind fire shows.
Three beings entered the room, their shapes darker against the smoke that
writhed about the large room. Rosie was rocked by shock and recognition as she
looked at the middle being. I don't know-
//Oh… Sith…// the words slid slowly across Rosie's consciousness. It wasn't her
thought. She shook her head. That was not my thought!! Rosie
argued. //Sith?!// the thought ran through her suddenly bewildered mind.
//Si-// The word started
with certainty then suddenly halted with startled fear. //Who the hell is
this?? This is my head??//
//My head?? Myself??// Rosie stated, her blaster dangling from one hand as her
mind raced to understand what was going on.
//No, you're not me… I don't think so anyways…//
There was a slight pause, then…
//Carson?....//
//ROSIE???//
//What in the seven Sith hells?!//
//You're in my head…//
//No. You're in my head!!// Rosie corrected meticulously.
//Mine.//
//Mine.//
//Mine.//
//Mine!//
//Mine!//
//Mine!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//Mine!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
//MINE!!!//
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Carson screamed aloud as a
large, humanoid hand wrapped around her neck and lifted her clear into the air.
Her legs kicked at him but they met only empty air.
"Anadell? What in the
name of the Jedi are you doing here?" the puzzled man asked in a crisp
voice that spoke of years of service to the Empire. Accent
and all.
"Runnin' away." Carson grunted, her face
turning red. She squirmed briefly then deciding that the results were too long
in coming, slammed her foot into his crotch. With a pained, colorful oath he
dropped her and doubled over, his own face bright crimson. A red beam of
focused energy slammed into the back of the man's head.
"JUSTIN!!" Carson screamed; her own
face a mirror image of the man's pain-filled one. He blinked once, and then
collapsed at her feet. She screamed again, the need for revenge mixing with her
casual attitude towards death. Her lip curled in a sneer and her eyes filed
with tears and then turned to freezing anger.
A contingent of men suddenly ran into the helm. Without a word Carson turned and opened
fire on them. Two Wookiees had fallen dead to the
floor before they could react. The smoke filled air was alive as the blaster
bolts flew fast and heavy. The zinging colors of the bolts reminded Rosie of a
night club, but she knew there was nothing here that could be mistaken for
pleasure, only death. Well, except for Carson. She knew that the
others all had a convention meeting at hell's gates and she was determined to
not make any of them miss it. In fact, she'd send them there herself.
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Mara lay down on the bed, her mind frozen in the past. All of her old instincts
coming to the fore, battling at the bond she shared with the small child, Soulwalker. Breathing softly, she scanned the room with the
Force. Coming up with two bugs, her lip curled in distaste and she crushed them
with a contemptuous flick of her hand. Kyp Durron… her eyes fluttered close
as she recalled every nuance of that first meeting with breath taking clarity.
"He's powerful…" she whispered quietly to herself.
"Far too powerful. He's not worth the risk… I'll have to remove
him…"
Remaining still, she slipped into an awareness meditation. Her breathing slowed
to the point that she only inhaled once every sixty-eight seconds, a handy
trick that her Master had taught her.
………………In………………
………………Out……………
………………In…………………
………………Out……………
………………In…………………
………………Out……………
………………In…………………
………………Out……………
………………In…………………
………………Out……………
Her mind drifted from idea to idea as thoughts of killing Kyp filled her. A
snarl escaped her lips and her green eyes snapped open. Her face was white and
her eyes seemed to glow. An expression of fear and helplessness crossed her
face.
"It's… gone…………" she whispered in a soft, lost tone. Her eyes widened
as an unfamiliar emotion crept through her heart. She clamped her lips
together. An aching gap seemed to open up in her heart. A dry sob slipped past
her iron control.
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"Utinam coniurati te in foro
interficiant!" Rosie dodged behind a smoking
metal panel.
"Utinam con-a what?"
Carson called, brow furrowed as she tried to figure
out what Rosie had said.
"Yeah! AIEE!" Rosie yelped as a blaster bolt nicked the top of her
shoe, leaving a blackened crevice in its wake coupled with the scent of burning
leather.
"What's it mean?!" Carson tossed over her
shoulder as she dashed to the next console. Two point one five seconds later,
the console she had been hiding behind blew apart at the seams, flecks of metal
and screws shooting off in all directions. "Meh,"
the small blonde said in admiration.
"Dunno!" Rosie sang out, squeezing off
another shot. "One of the guys on daddy's crew said it a lot. Sounds kinda evil, don't ya think?"
Carson appeared to consider this, casually killing
seven more beings and destroying four consoles before casting a quick glance at
Rosie. "It got them mad, must be something good!"
Rosie laughed as the scene exploded around them.
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A woman sat at a desk in a small room that was glowing softly as she tapped
expertly away at one of the many computers.
A red light flared seven times on her left. With three more key strokes she
pushed off, spinning around in her chair, and then planting her feet to halt
her now-forward motion. Reaching one hand out blindly for a metal chalice she
brought it to her lips and took a long draught of the dark brown mixture that
she practically lived on. The warm liquid ran down her throat and she could
feel it curling in her belly and warming her lithe body.
Crossing her ankles and swinging her feet which landed, unfortunately, two
inches above the ground. Being short sucked. And she wasn't even that short.
Sighing and rolling her eyes she quickly opened the latest message. It was sent
both to her and to her top operative. Groaning at the level of security she
quickly ran through all the codes. Once she finally got down to the letter, she
propped her chin on one hand and started reading. Her eyes slowly grew large
and she went perfectly still. A shiver of fear raced through her. Her motions
were slow and deliberate as she struggled to control herself. Taking a deep
breath, she began coding a memo to the other operative.
Frozen Star,
I don't suppose I need to tell you why you're getting this. I want you back at
the base. You're worrying about them, but the two I have here are in more
danger. Those two are already where they are wanted. These aren't. Get back
here; your next mission is to protect mine.
You can not fail me this time.
Black Fighter
Her body was quaking as she sent it. Shaking her head and closing her eyes, she
tried to relax. Flipping her hair over her shoulders with one hand, she walked
out of the room.
As soon as she stepped outside, sunlight hit her face and her persona changed.
Black Fighter dropped away and a beautiful, alluring woman walked into the
light-drenched Halls.
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Eleven purple eyes narrowed and thin lips curled into
a fiendish smile as he looked at the wall, the door line imperceptible. It did
not matter. He knew where it was. That was all that mattered. He lifted the comm unit to his lips.
"Supreme Lady, I have found her base of operations. Standing
by for orders."
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Zekk shivered despite the blanket that was wrapped around him. There was
darkness here and he couldn't dispel it. Djai was silent; the usually-glowing,
stone dark. They had taken the Princess away from him and injected him with
something. Lady Jade was in her room down the hall.
Coldness touched his right shoulder and with a shriek he slammed himself into
the wall to his left as he tried to escape it.
His green eyes stabbed at the shadows that covered the room. The coldness
touched his left cheek. Jerking his head away, he rapped it against the wall so
hard his teeth rattled.
A headache blossomed at the back of his mind and tears filled his eyes as he
was very much a five year old. A lonely, abandoned child in a strange world… a
strange world with no way out.
"NOOO!!!" Zekk
screamed as the coldness touched his chest.