Warning: Mature Content Ahead

Aboard the Rebel Assault Frigate Stubborn Fool

Ezra paced back and forth anxiously. He had already showered off and gotten into a well worn and comfortable pair of pants and a sleeveless shirt. Now, he waited while Sabine showered in the 'fresher. Now that it had come to it, he was suddenly very nervous. Ezra had never had sex before - never experience anything like it until he had met Sabine. Even then, it had been years. Back before their relationship had begun, Sabine had talked about a boyfriend at the Imperial academy - and then another while she was being a bounty hunter. It was clear that she was experience at all of this stuff but Ezra, he didn't have a clue.

Indeed, he was fighting the temptation to bolt for the door and call via the comlink with some lame excuse. It wouldn't do much good, of course. Sabine would just come to his quarters and take him there. One thing he knew about her was that Sabine was not a woman to be told no after already being told yes.

Suddenly, the refresher turned off and Ezra jumped a little, his heart pounding. To calm himself, he settled into a meditative stance and took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. He could hear Sabine humming something to herself as she moved around the 'fresher. It took another deep breath and then Ezra fell into a shallow, meditative state. He got his heartbeat under control and his breathing regulated. Just as her thought that maybe he would be okay, he opened his eyes and there was Sabine. She was sitting cross-legged across from him and studying him intently. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Her body was covered with a black shimmersilk robe and somehow, the knowledge that nothing was under there immediately sent him back into anxiety. Apparently, he didn't hide it very well either. "Come on;" said Sabine with an understanding smile. "Let's go sit down and talk."

Nodding slowly, Ezra stood and pulled her to her foot. Hand in hand, they sat down on the bed and Sabine asked, "Why are you so nervous, Ezra?"

He cleared his throat and didn't meet her eye. "I've never done this before."

"I know that;" she said, rubbing the top of his hand with her thumb. "I'm not going to judge you or compare you to anyone, Ezra. Promise."

"But I still won't help but wonder, you know?" he said sheepishly.

Suddenly, Sabine swung around into his lap and smiled. "Well then, since this is your first time, it gets to be all about you. How does that sound? That way, all the pressure is off you."

"But that's not fair for you!" he protested as she began to kiss his face and neck.

Sabine giggled and said, "Oh don't you worry. I'll get what I need from you. I'll just take care of you first."

Before he could answer, she closed his mouth with a heated kiss and pushed him down.

Warning: Mature Content Begins Here

Ezra looked up and watched in awe as Sabine untied her sash and allowed it to fluttered to the ground behind her. For only the second time, he saw her glorious nude body. "Come on;" she said, moving more completely onto the bed. "It's going to be hard to do this lying that way."

Ezra agree eagerly, lying length wise next to her. They started out slowly, kissing one another and caressing. Sabine moved her hands underneath the warn out shirt that Ezra wore, running his small but work and combat worn hands up and down his lean and well defined stomach and chest. "I can take that off if you'd like;" he said during a pause between kisses.

"Mm-hmmm - I'd like;" she purred.

Ezra sat up and Sabine quickly lifted his shirt up. "Let me get those too;" she said, pushing him back down and going for the waist line of his trousers and undergarment. Arching upward, Ezra allowed her to pull them down, bearing himself to her as she quickly whisked them off and tossed them aside. Both equally naked, they lay lengthwise beside one another, kissing and caressing all over one another's bodies. Sabine, having had a little experience, decided that Ezra was definitely the best looking of her partners. He was bulky like a body builder. In fact, his body was far more lean and wiry like a runner and a light weight fighters. That was okay, though. It still felt very nice to rub with her hands and press against with her body.

Ezra's mind was trying to take everything in at once. Sabine's body was firm all over. It wasn't hard and she wasn't stiff. But the muscle beneath the soft flesh was nice and firm. As his hands brushed over her form, Sabine would give little moans and whimpers. Clearly, she enjoyed being touched. "Not a bad start;" she whispered in his ear. "Let's see what else you can do."

She sat up and stretched, displaying the whole of her glorious body to him. There wasn't an ounce of excess to her. Her shoulders and arms were lean and well formed just as any warrior's should be. Her breasts, though modest, were perky and he wanted nothing more than to touch them and feel them. As if reading his mind, Sabine smirked and said, "I know you want to. Go ahead, Ezra; you can touch them."

His hands shook as they moved towards them. With a grin, she grabbed his hands and pressed them to her breasts. Ezra's mouth fell open. They felt firm yet soft and even as his hands were pressed against them, Sabine's nipples became hard. Smiling, she bit her lower lip. When he gave an experimental squeeze and brushed his thumbs over her nipples, Sabine moaned and leaned down to kiss him. "I bet you'll be a natural at this;" she murmured between kisses. "ready for the main event?"

She began to grind herself against him. His manhood was already getting hard as her lower lips caressed it. Ezra's gasped as just that little bit of touching caused sensation to ripple through his body. Sabine raised up and reached down, gently taking hold of his hardness. "Oh yeah;" she said, her voice husky with want, "I think you're definitely ready, baby."

After a few playful strokes just to watch him squirm and hear him moan, Sabine placed the sensitive tip of his manhood between her lower lips and allowed herself to ease down onto him. Ezra gasped and bucked slightly as her wet, warmness slid over him. It had been awhile since Sabine had done this and she bit her lip as Ezra's not-inconsiderable manhood penetrated her. "Mmmm;" she purred once she was fully seated, "like a glove. How is that, Ezra?"

"Oh. My. Stars." he said, his voice horse. His electric blue eyes were wide and his breathing was labored. "You'll need to give me a second, Sabine. I'm already about to blow my load."

"My, my! I never thought such a good, upstanding young man would use such language;" teased Sabine. "By Mandalore! You feel really good, Ezra!"

Ezra groaned. He wanted nothing more than to thrust in and out or her or for her to ride him to completion but at the same time, he didn't want this to end quickly. Sabine leaned forward and said in a low, breathy voice, "Your first time is most likely going to go really fast and be really intense but, trust me, we aren't going to be finished yet! That will just get your first orgasm out of the way so that the real fun can begin. Are you ready, Jedi Boy?"

Slowly, she began to rotate her hips in a slow circle, biting her lower lip and humming with pleasure. A strange pressure was building inside of Ezra - the most amazing, pleasurable pressure he had ever experienced. His breathing became irregular and her alternated between holding his breath and gasping. When the pressure gave way, his entire world went hazy and he found himself gasping as if he had just run a marathon. Sabine was breathing pretty heavily too as she looked down and said, "You lasted a lot longer than I thought you would."

Ezra just lay there, regaining his breath and wondering what in the universe had just happened. He felt tired and happy and satisfied and thirsty and just plain content all over. The expression on his face must have been funny because Sabine eased off of him, chuckling at him as she went to the refresher. "I'll be right back. I'm going to grab us some water while you calm down."

Ezra just nodded and wondered how he had spent his life without feeling like this. It was beyond amazing. As the post climactic high began to fade away, Sabine came back in, still naked as the day she was born. When she saw the expression on his face, she laughed and said, "Is that really your first orgasm ever? You've never done self-service?"

Ezra sat up and accepted the glass of water. "Self-service? Uh... no, I don't think so; and yes, that was my first orgasm ever. I like your tattoos, by the way."

Sabine smiled with pleasure. "Thank you."

They drank their water and stole intrigued glances at one another. After he had emptied his glass, Ezra set it on the table and said, "Sabine, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

To his surprise, she blushed and her hair, it was black and just a little longer than before, covered the side of her face to try and hide it. "You're just saying that because I'm letting you kriff me."

Ezra brushed her hair aside, leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You got it backwards, Mandalore;" he murmured before kissing along her jaw. "I think you're beautiful, therefore I want to kriff you. Of course, the fact that I love you is also a huge, major part of the equation."

Sabine turned to face him in time to capture his lips. Again, they changed position so that they were lying lengthwise on the bed together. "I love you too, Jedi;" she murmured affectionately.

"I'm glad to hear it;" said Ezra with a grin, "now how do I go about making you feel good? I want these little encounters to be worth your while too, you know;" and he began to kiss the side of her neck, her cheek and up by her ear.

Sabine gave a quiet gasp and said, "Well that's not a bad start! But use your hands too. Here;" and she took his right hand and moved it towards her lower abdomen.

She spread her legs and placed his had between them. "Be gentle but feel around down there. Tell me when you feel my- AH!"

At her sudden squeak of pleasure, Ezra froze. "Are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

"Uh-huh;" she said, nodding her head vigorously. "You just found one of my pleasure points way faster than I thought you would!"

"Really?" said Ezra, surprised and delighted. "Where is it?"

"Find the folds and feel your way up to the top of them until you touch- YES! Yes, right there!"

Ezra smiled and leaned back in, kissing her neck and shoulder as he gently, but firmly, began to rub the point of obvious pleasure. It was quite easy to identify, now that he knew what he was looking for. There was a tiny nub at the top of the slit of her womanhood. Judging by her reaction to when he put pressure on it, it was filled with nerves. Sabine's back arched and her hand fisted into the covers and she moaned and she kept saying something or another in her native tongue of Mando'a.

Suddenly, she purred, "You know, you can do more than just kiss my neck and shoulders to make this even more intense and to more than just rub my clit. Here, let's change it up just a little."

At her direction, Ezra changed his position. He slid two of his fingers into her body, watching with delighted fascination as she gasped in pleasure, and planted his thumb against the little nub. "Now while you're doing that;" she said, "you have access to my whole upper-body. You can kiss and lick and do basically whatever you want to whatever you can reach. I'm not even adverse to a little playful biting either."

"Where do I even start?" he asked as his fingers began to work again.

Sabine moaned again and gasped, "I really like having my boobs played with."

Ezra's mouth went dry and he managed to say, "Well then by all means, I'll do that."

Since he was leaning on one arm and using the other to pleasure her, Ezra leaned down and kissed the pebbled tip of one of her small but perky breasts. Sabine shivered so he did it again. "More;" she moaned. "I want more!"

Unable to resists, he sucked one of them into his mouth and even bit down on it very lightly. Sabine's reaction caused his manhood to twitch and stiffen again. She moaned and begged, "Yes, again! Please, do that again!"

Again, he nibbled on her breasts, sucking hard enough on the soft flesh below her tips to leave a red mark. He kept going until she was almost screaming with pleasure. The only thing that stopped her was that she was biting down on one knuckle. Suddenly, in a flurry of movement, she was on top of him again. Her lips were devouring his, her tongue plundering his mouth veraciously. She was still moaning and his fingers were still inside of her. Moving with her, Ezra rolled her over and pulled his fingers out before taking his fully erect manhood and positioning himself. Suddenly, he paused and looked at her, hoping he wasn't being too presumptuous. But when she reached forward and grabbed her ass cheeks, pleading as she did, "What are you waiting for? It's your turn to make me feel good so get in here and start pounding me!"

Suddenly emboldened by her plea, he replied in a low, rumbling voice, "As Mandalore commands."

With one smooth motion, he was inside of her again. Sabine moaned and hissed, "That's right, Bridger! Mandalore commands that you kriff her until she passes out and if she doesn't hurt tomorrow morning from it, then Mandalore make you do it again until she does."

Her heated words only galvanized him into a more frenzied pace. Mandalore used her hands to pull her legs back, changing the angle of where Ezra's prenetrating manhood was hitting her and she almost screamed in pleasure. Noticing this, Ezra put his hands on her thighs and began to push into her with all his energy. Sabine moaned again and again with delight and fisted the blankets and her eyes rolled back as her body began to succumb to her intense thrusting into her. "Ezra;" she moaned, "I'm about to cum!"

He was so surprised, Ezra actually stopped. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes!" she wailed, looking at him desperately, "If you keep moving! Why the kriff did you stop?"

Grinning, he began his pounding into her body again. One hand reached down to tease her nipples, rubbing them and rolling them between his fingers.

Despite the fact that he had already experienced an intense orgasm, Ezra could feel another one rising. For just a moment, he was afraid that he would climax again before she did but then Sabine gripped his forearm and gasped, "Ezra I'm cumming!"

He could feel it too. The muscles of her body were suddenly constricting around him, increasing his pleasure and causing him to gasp and say, "Damn, that's tight! GAH! I'm-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, a wave of bliss crashed over him and he fell forward, gasping with his eyes shut tight. He managed to catch himself on his arms so as not to crush Sabine but as his weight covered her body, she wrapped her arms around him and purred, "That was amazing, Ezra - especially for your first time. We're definitely going to have to do that again."

Suddenly exhausted Ezra smiled, extricated himself and then lay beside her, murmuring as he did, "As Mandalore commands."

Mature Content Ends Here!

Sabine chuckled and sighed in satisfaction, snuggling into his arms and pressing against his warm body. Suddenly, Ezra stiffened and asked, "Um... Sabine, you are on contraceptives, right?"

She burst out laughing at that question. "Oh now you think of contraceptives, nerf brain! Yes, I am. We're perfectly safe."

Ezra sighed with relief and murmured, "Yeah, it was pretty reckless. I guess it just didn't occure to me. That, and it would make sense for you to think of that problem before I did."

"Nerf brain!" she said fondly, lacing her fingers through his. "Get ready. When we drop out of hyperspace, we'll have to act natural so that Hera and Kanan don't suspect anything."

Again, Ezra tensed in her arms and Sabine felt her stomach twist and Ezra said in a nervous voice, "Yeah about that..."

Sabine rolled over and narrowed her eyes at him. "'Yeah about that', what, Bridger?"

"Well;" he drawled, running a hand up and down her smooth back, "Kanan and I, we kinda have this force bond thing. All Padawans and Masters have it or at least most do apparently and there are a lot of times he can guess what I'm thinking or even discern my emotions and stuff."

Sabine rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? So there's a chance that Kanan just sensed or saw everything we just did? Is that what you're saying?"

Ezra's blue eyes widened. "Stars above, no! No, it's nothing that powerful. But he could probably sense some of what I was feeling and my emotions and all that, since they're probably pretty powerful right now."

Sabine sighed and laid her head on his chest. "Well this is going to be great! Oh well. It can't be helped now. Let's just get some sleep and we'll deal with it when we have to."

Ezra agreed, glad she wasn't trying to kick his ass or kick him out.

"What did you mean that your emotions are pretty powerful?" asked Sabine, clearly beginning to get even drowsier.

Ezra smiled and said, "My emotions for you are very powerful. What we just did intensified them even more."

"Good;" she murmured, "'cause Mandalore may want more when she wakes up."

Ezra chuckled and kissed her forehead before lying back.

Aboard the as-yet Unknown Venator-Class Star Destroyer

Kanan sighed and rubbed his temples. "Well that didn't last long;" he murmured.

"What didn't last long?" asked Hera from the refresher.

"Ezra and Sabine waiting;" he answered with a chuckle.

There was a long pause before he heard the rustle of the bed clothes and Hera's warmth was next to him. "Waiting for what? OH..." immediately, she knew what he was talking about and sighed. "Those kids. This could complicate things."

"Of course it will;" said Kanan with a chuckle as her felt her press her body against his and heard her sigh with contentment. "but not as badly as we originally fear, I think. I could sense Ezra's feelings and they are pretty strong. I can say for certain that at least on his end, he is absolutely sure about this relationship of theirs and I suspect that Sabine feels the same way. You know how they are. Once either of them makes a decision, especially concerning matters of the heart, they will stick with them."

"That is true;" said Hera, and Kanan could here the fond smile in her voice.

Suddenly, a pair of soft lips pressed against his stubbly cheek before she whispered, "Well I suppose we shouldn't let this alone time go to waste, should we?"

Kanan grinned and rolled her over gently, "No, we shouldn't at all, my love."

His lips pressed to hers and his hands began to brush over her naked body. With a moan, Hera hungrily gave herself to him wholly and they enjoyed one another while they had the time to do so.

Orbit over the Free-Floating world of Esfandia

The system was dark and eerie as they dropped out of hyperspace. The vast majority of the light came from the free-floating planet itself. It's core was highly radioactive and it somehow managed to maintain an atmosphere of some kind but even so, it had no moon and the nearest star to it was only a pinprick of light.

Ezra and Sabine strode onto the bridge of the Stubborn Fool side by side. General Kota, who had been considering the world in the blackness before them, turned and grinned at them sardonically. "Mandalore, Commander Bidger, - I hope you're well rested."

"We are, thank you, General;" replied Sabine.

Ezra didn't say a word and his expression remained neutral. Even so, the old man was grinning far to broadly to not understand the situation completely. "That's good. You'll need it for when the Imperials arrive. In the mean time, we are going to need to figure out our next jump point. Hopefully PROXY or Chopper or maybe even that old Star Destroyer we just picked up will have some helpful hints."

Ezra cleared his throat. "Master, are we really going to need to jump further? Wouldn't it be better to wait and try to just finish the enemy here?"

"They outnumber us and out gun us, Boy;" said Rahm, "our only choice is to continue to make a running fight of this. Now, if we can't find anything helpful in the databanks of that Star Destroyer, we'll have to steer and jump completely by use of the force."

Sabine and Ezra gave one another startled looks. To say that it would be risky was a monumental understatement. Neither of them questioned it, however. Behind them, the doors to the bridge hissed open and they turned to see Hera and Kanan marching toward them. Ezra resisted the urge to clear his throat and look away abashedly and Sabine casually slid her helmet on to hide her blush.

"Morning, kids;" said Kanan casually enough. "Everything go okay here during the fight?"

"We repelled them so, as it stands right now, I think we're doing alright;" said Ezra. "Nine Stalkers got on board at different points. Nine stalker bodies were spaced into the void."

"Nine?" said Kanan, his eyes widened. "And you managed to defeat them by yourself?"

"Of course not;" said Ezra, "Mandalore managed to take out three of them herself."

There was no mistaking the affection and respect in his voice. Hera smiled and said, "Well done, kids. Very well done."

Sabine and Ezra glanced at each other, a swell of pride in each of them. "We'll talk more later. In the mean time, General Kota, what's our plan?"

"While we wait, I want all dropships and shuttles with excess cargo to drop it off over at that Star Destroyer. Did we manage to eliminate the Imperials on board?"

Kanan looked pained. "Yes we did. If they didn't surrender, we killed them and if they did, we locked them in cells. Galen's spacing them right now in ships with their hyperspace locked on our last location. So after the reallocation of supplies, what's next?"

"I was hoping Chopper and PROXY could hook up to the ship's nav systems or databanks to try and determine if the Empire knew of any systems in the Unknown Regions where we could jump."

Hera nodded and contacted Zeb, who was still aboard their new Destroyer. "So what are we naming our new ship?" asked Ezra.

Kota chuckled and said, "I'll let you name it, Bridger. Just let me know what you come up with. In the mean time, let's get all of us Jedi over here. If we can't find anything, the six of us will meditate to seek the answer."

Kanan nodded solemnly. It would be an act if great faith to navigate in uncharted space with the force.

Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Predator

Stalker Prime lay back on the bed and looked at the ceiling above him. Across his chest lay Admiral Pryce, who was still practically purring with satisfaction. "You surprised me, Prime. Your stamina and intensity were very impressive. I did not expect that you would be so... satisfying."

A feeling of satisfaction and pride swelled within the Clone and he said, "I'm glad to hear it, Admiral. It was quite an intense experience. I can imagine why Lord Vader didn't wish me to experience it. I could possibly be distracted every attractive female I see."

Pryce hummed in response. "That thing you did with the lightning was particularly stimulating. I never thought I would enjoy mild electrical shock so much."

In truth, the Stalker had nearly completely lost control. With a supreme exercise of self control, he managed to rain it all in before killing the Admiral. As it was, he smiled and said, "Is that what caused you to- what's the correct word?"

"There are many and yes it was. By the Emperor, it was so intense, it's stirring me just thinking about it. Hmmm..." and she pursed her lips before saying, "I'll be right back, Prime."

She stood and went to the communication's console, enjoying the feeling of the Stalker's burning gaze on her naked form. Being careful not to engage the holo-receiver, she contacted her captain. "What can I do for you, Admiral?"

"What is the status of the repairs, Captain?" she asked.

"They are completed and the nav officer is preparing to set course for Esfandia. We have also contacted the other ships in the fleet as well. I predict we will be jumping with in twenty minutes."

"Jump when ready, Captain. Alert me with any updates or information you deem necessary;" she ordered.

"Very well, Admiral. I shall keep you informed."

With a satisfied smile, she stood and turned, going back tot he bed and climbing onto it. "We have some time, Prime. Let's see about making good use of it. Tell me, what else can you do with the force?"

The Dark Jedi's smile caused her to shiver, "I'm not sure but let's find out, shall we?"

Aboard the Venator-Class Star Destroyer Newly Dubbed the Taunter

Unfortunately, the old Star Destroyer had nothing in their databanks about the Unknown Regions, so with nothing else to guide them, the Jedi gathered aboard it.

Rahm Kota, Galen Marek, Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger and Maris Brood all sat on the secondary bridge, their legs crossed and their eyes closed as they opened themselves up to the force. One by one, their minds began to connect with each other until they felt as though they were just all parts of one whole. The force swirled in currents and eddies around them until it suddenly began to flow in one direction. As if they had entered hyperspace, they saw far into the distance - into the Unknown Regions where a world, a massive jungle world, suddenly appeared. It was green and brown with the blues of oceans spread here and there and the occasional grays and whites of mountain ranges. Even the polls of the planet were somehow green and lush.

The vision did not give them coordinate numbers but it did give them a direction. In the background, they heard the chanting of a thousand voices in a foreign dialect. The exact words were not intelligible but the meaning was clear: come to us. Come to us. Come to us.

Nothing else was forthcoming and the Jedi eased themselves out of the trance. "So... how are we going to be able to accurately relay that between ships;" asked Ezra, "we can't very well just tell the captains 'oh, just point in that general direction and pull the levers."

Ahsoka and Maris snorted in amusement. Kanan nodded, stroking his stubbly chin for a moment before saying, "We'll send one ship ahead and jump to lightspeed pointed at the exact direction. It will take several jumps but if they drop hyperspace repeater beacons every so often until they get there, we'll be able to track them - and, conveniently, so will our enemies."

Immediately, Ezra lifted his hand. "I volunteer!"

"Oh I'm sure that you and Mandalore would love hours of uninterrupted alone time;" said General Kota with a wry grin, "but I think it would be best if Kanan and Hera took this task. Hera is our best pilot and Kanan, due to his handicap, will be more sensitive to the force's nudges. Do you agree, Kanan?"

Kanan smiled and said, "I do - and I certainly wouldn't mind a little alone time with Hera either. That reminds me, before we leave, Ezra, you, Sabine, Hera and I are going to have a talk."

Ezra didn't meet anyone's eyes as they all chuckled and grinned at his discomfort.

An hour later, the plan was explained and finalized. While the repeater beacons were loaded on the Ghost, Hera and Kanan snatched Ezra and Sabine and plunked them both down in seats in one of the small conference rooms off the bridge. "So..." said Hera, eyeing them both sternly, "those conversations we had about waiting and being sure just when in one ear and out the other, huh?"

"No, they didn't;" insisted Ezra, "but after the fight, we made this decision, together, that it was what we wanted. We love each other."

Kanan nodded slowly, considering their words. "You're both young; are you sure this is something you'll both be willing to commit to?"

He couldn't see it, but Ezra and Sabine were grasping one another's hands. "Yes;" they said together, "we're sure."

Hera and Kanan considered. Obviously, they couldn't prevent the young couple from being a young couple but they were still leery. "Should we expect a wedding any time soon?"

Asked Hera.

"I dunno?" said Sabine, "should we from you two?"

It was a fair and pointed question and neither of the older adults were prepared to handle an argument like that. With a smile, Hera said, "Fair enough. Well, as long as you are sure, we can't stop you - but remember that getting away from one another should either of you change your mind is going to be difficult. There are only so many ships you can go to for escape and privacy."

"We understand;" said Ezra firmly, "and you have nothing to worry about, Hera. We're in this one for the long hall."

A swell of pride bloomed within Hera and Kanan. They all stood and the two older adults, the parent figures, hugged the younger two and gave them their blessing. "Now we need to get ready, Love."

Within the hour, they were ready. The Ghost's cargo hold was filled with the repeater beacons. At the last minute, Chopper had rolled up the ramp, waiving his stubby mechanical arms and clearly throwing a fit. With a sigh, they had motioned him to join them and he had, chortling in binary. "We have no idea how long this will take;" said Kanan honestly, "but we'll get in contact with you on the long range comms as soon as we make it to the system."

Kota nodded. "Drop us a message each time you stop to drop a beacon as well. It'll be safer that way."

"Agreed;" said Kanan before he strode up the ramp.

Moments later, it took off and after drifting for several long moments, faced the unknown and leaped in a flicker of pseudo-motion.