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Post by erickson on Jun 11, 2007 11:24:23 GMT -5
"Yes, and being my common sense as usual," she said, looking tired. "I don't think this is the last of it, only the tip of the iceberg. And the Sith WANT us to know they're back, otherwise the kids would have just.....vanished. What they did to Thomas.....That spells Sith in large letters. Dark Jedi would have been content to just Turn or kill my son. It was a message aimed at all of us, and especially me...."
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Post by Morris Cutler on Jun 11, 2007 11:50:26 GMT -5
"With the reports filtering in regarding the Serpent Frigates, this is definitely Janik Crassius, but the question is, is he acting alone, or does he have someone pulling his strings."
"I would go with the latter, but is it Lord Zarok, or someone far worse, that is pulling the strings. With your daughter having to kill her brother this is very similar to something Gavin Spry would have done, but we know in fact that he is gone."
"It bears investigation, but I am not the right person for the job. Should we call a council meeting?" he asked pointedly, but curteously
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Post by erickson on Jun 11, 2007 12:03:20 GMT -5
"No. Unless you mean Vincent, Timothy and I - and that's already set up and waiting on Vincent to get a time stated. It's Sith, I'm sure of it now. Which only means one person." Her gaze held steady on him. "Andrew."
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Post by Morris Cutler on Jun 11, 2007 12:34:46 GMT -5
*The name sent a chill up his spine. He had sensed his presence once, when they had cornered the flagship of the Sith armadia, and the impression it had left on him had been horrifying.*
"If he's back then we have even bigger issues to deal with. Definitely need to investigate through some means of the force. I hate to say it, but I hope it's Zarok we are dealing with and not Andrew."
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Post by erickson on Jun 11, 2007 12:44:41 GMT -5
"No, I don't think so, Dalton. The power behind it reads for a child of Astrid's line, and we know where three of the four are. No, its got to be her fourth. And we'll have to kill him - he's too far gone. I don't think even a MindHealer could save him, he's been Dark too long." She said this, mentally thanking the Gods that her old friend was long dead.
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Post by Morris Cutler on Jun 11, 2007 13:01:35 GMT -5
"Then it means my wife is going after him. The minute she knows he's alive, she'll be on top of it. It's their destiny though. I don't like it one bit. I can't lose her, but I am being selfish, I am not the only one who's lost something. Forgive me Master Qixonis. All I can do is pray to the odd Gods of the Force that she will think first."
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Post by erickson on Jun 11, 2007 13:10:36 GMT -5
"She WILL think, or both Master Spry AND I will sit on her. We need no more losses due to rash behavior," Kathryn said in a frosty tone. "The New Jedi and the new Jensaari have allowed emotions into the mix, but we're still trying to balance the results."
"There's something else I need to warn you about, Dalton. The MindHealer caring for Kate? He's Alyssa's half brother. I don't think she's seen him yet."
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Post by Morris Cutler on Jun 11, 2007 13:39:58 GMT -5
*At this revelation Dalton paused... "Half-brother..I thought her parents had died. How could she have a half brother."
"Spit it out please Master Qixonis, what are you not telling me. Please tell me this isn't going to send her over the edge. No it won't what am I saying, she learned to curtail the rashness a long time ago. Although I don't know if I am going to like this next revelation, but please sorry to ramble."
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Post by Quinn on Jun 11, 2007 15:42:08 GMT -5
Timothy took a deep breath. "Astrid is alive, and as is Jeff. They got married about seventeen years ago, and now have a family. I don't know the kids very well, but so far it's three daughters, and one son. Their names are Krystal, the eldest, Saphira and Rosemary, the twins, and the youngest, Tomas, who you just saw."
Timothy was shifting from one foot to the other slowly. "Tomas is one of the best healers I know of, and he hasn't had any official training besides the basics that Jeff and Astrid have taught them."
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Post by Morris Cutler on Jun 11, 2007 20:42:27 GMT -5
"Wow, that's a well-kept secret, and I can certainly understand why they didn't reveal themselves to the children. My wife came to terms with the past 25 years ago, I think now she is more than capable, but I don't want to spring it on her. Ariel will accept it, Aidan likely will too."
"Fate has an interesting twist on things nowadays. I'd love to meet my mother in-law. Wow sounds odd coming from me. Closest thing I had was Linda Knight. Sorry to bore you though Master Qixonis. This is the first time that we have had several of our ranks back in the same area in a long time. Means that likely something big is going on."
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Post by Quinn on Jun 11, 2007 20:58:31 GMT -5
"Then also, you must know that Jeff and Astrid did NOT want to be brought back into this kind of life. They're happy where they are, and don't even want their kids involved in this. Tomas had to sneak out just to help Kate. So YOU are not going to tell anyone, and that includes your wife." Timothy looked at him hard. "Please tell me if I am not being clear in any way."
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Post by Morris Cutler on Jun 11, 2007 21:30:08 GMT -5
"So your asking me to decieve my wife. Our lives are intertwined and built on honesty. She will find out, if not through me, then somehow. I won't tell openly tell her, but if she finds out don't expect me to lie to her, because that is a line I won't cross."
"There are many things that you can ask of me, but practicing deciet I can't. It'll flow in the timing of the force though, I am always a firm believer in that. Excuse me though, I have to attend to the bridge."
*he bowed, then turned and walked to the bridge.*
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Post by Quinn on Jun 11, 2007 21:35:35 GMT -5
"No, just to keep a secret so that a family may live in peace." were Timothy's parting words. His eyes were hard. Then he sighed heavily, like a weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. "Wish mine could..."
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Post by Morris Cutler on Jun 11, 2007 21:46:36 GMT -5
*Dalton clamped down on the turmoil boiling in his mind as he strode onto the bridge, and sighed. This would not be fun.*
"Defender Liis, you are relieved, please take some downtime, you've been working like a mule for a week now."
"Yes Master Storm, thank you. I'll get some sleep,"
"Very well, hustle now, don't want you to wait forever."
*The Rodian took off at a fast gait and entered his quarters and hit the sack hard*
*Maintaining active scanners Dalton swept the system and made sure everything was operating properly. Soon enough they would move, as was their lot in life. He could only hope that he didn't have to practice this deciet for very long.*
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Post by erickson on Jun 12, 2007 4:09:37 GMT -5
Ayla remained silent for the duration of the trip and kept herself very tightly closed off. Her fingers fidgeted nervously with the computer console at her seat as she waited for the shuttle to make it's final approach. Inside she was a jumble of emotions, fear, frustration, but above all doubt seemed to be the biggest emotion she faced.
Alyssa, sitting next to her, reached inward to her calm center, and remembered to breath deeply and relaxedly. She felt Ayla's doubt, and reached over, hugging her. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll lend strength to your illusion, so that your parents aren't hurt. I'd advise telling your dad somehow, though, or you'll regret it forever. If it comes to it, I can handle your Mom's reaction - let her flash her anger at me, if necessary. You keep calm, Ayla, for your son's sake."
And I am gonna so kill Aiden for this, she thought to herself, tightly shielded. Selfish, mechanically minded idiot - didn't he THINK of this? Did he even ASK her if she might be pregnant? This may kill Morris on the spot, if he gets hit with it
Ayla tried to wrangle up a smile but it fell short and she began to sob softly, the pain of her sister's death evident. "Don't blame your brother" she said through low sobs. "I've always loved him, I will always love him. I know that he is nearly 20years older but it doesn't change the way I feel. I believe he loves me too, but he keeps his emotions very tightly under control. It all happened so fast, we had finished a mission and he and I went off to talk, like a school-girl I threw myself at him and we slept together, I didn't think this could happen to a Force-User so easily. I was wrong. It was like all my dreams came true that night."
Alyssa looked at her. "I'm not blaming you, and I'm not blaming my brother, even if he is a wollie-headed ijit. I just think he was stupid not to be protected. He's older than you and should have had more sense. Ayla, don't cry," she said awkwardly. "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it."
Aidan!, she suddenly shot, struck by an impulse. Crustai. NOW! "I lost my sister, lost her to some dark menace that we don't even know about. I'm scared, scared that I will fall, or that my children will be taken from me. It's too much to bear sometimes. All the lessons in the Darkside, drilled into us by Master Spry, I don't want to walk that path. I don't want to face another hidden menace. What do we do?"
Aidan shot back -What is it, you sound urgent, is Ariel OK, Dalton.
No, its not Ariel or my husband. NOW, brother!"
Very well, be there shortly, although I can ill afford to leave the fighter wing, especially with Major Cutler gone too. let me get with Brandenburg and square him away- Make it fast, she said, and then shut off the link. Let him deal with what he has caused, she thought to herself.
He can either marry her, or pledge his support for the kid. I will not let him disrupt everything for his own.....senseless.... behavior, when it comes to consequences. This isn't a droid we're talking about here. These are human lives, and a potential split in the Jensaari.
Aidan had never been one to worry, but the urgency with which his sister had called made him slightly on edge. He spoke with Colonel Brandenburg at length, leaving him in charge of Valor Wing, then brought his custom-built Star Viper out of it;s hangar and primed it's engines. With a perfect purring sound, Aidan's pride and joy leapt off the planet and programmed in the hyperspace jump, then entered hyperspace bound for Crustai.
Ayla had finally stopped crying and she steeled herself for the landing on Crustai. Within 30 minutes the ship was on the ground and she stood up weakly, summoning the Force to herself to help her stay upright. She was supported by the comforting hand of Alyssa who steered her toward the flat that she and Dalton shared.
"You need to get yourself pulled together, and a nap wouldn't hurt before you see your parents," she said kindly, hoping her brother got there before they had to go see the senior Cutlers.
"Thank you Master Calor, I think I just might do that." Within moments she was asleep, resting in it's generally comforting grasp.
Hours later the Star Viper slid out of hyperspace and Aidan set her down on the pad near Dalton and Alyssa's flat. Stepping out he adjusted his cloak and clipped his lightsaber back to his belt. Walking toward the door he found himself excited to see his sister again. He stepped onto the stoop and knocked on the door. She ushered him in, motioning him to be quiet. Making sure the bedroom door was firmly closed, she motioned him to sit down in the living room. Extending a hand, she said mentally, Telepathy only, and shielded, Aidan.
Aidan had a very puzzled look on his face as she motioned too him to be seated. Reaching into the force he shielded his mind and opened himself up to the telepathic connection he shared with his sister.* -OK why the cloak and dagger stuff sis, what the heck is going on around here. The academy looks like a B-rated zombie movie, so listless. I flew over and everything was shut down. Are the Sith back? Probably, and my Apprentice is dead, she sent, keeping a tight rein on her emotions. But YOU have an even bigger problem, MASTER Calor. Walk to the bedroom door, and quietly take a look at Ayla. Don't wake her, or I'll..... Alyssa didn't usually threaten, so he knew she was serious.
Padding his way across the floor, Aidan peered quietly into the room and looked over at Ayla. His heart raced as he saw her face, that flutter of love that he knew there was no use trying to conceal from his sister. Then he noticed something different, instead of just Ayla, he felt three very distinct presences in the Force and looked down. His eyes glazed over when he saw that she was pregnant and he stumbled back toward the couch, a new mixture of emotions running through his brain, but before he could make it, he fainted, landing with a soft thud on the carpeted floor "Idiot," muttered Alyssa in a sisterly tone , walking toward him. "Well, at least I now know where YOU stand. At least Linda won't have to get out a shotgun, like she threatened to use on Dalton."
"Why didn't you tell her, dummy?" she continued, lifting him, and dragging his unconscious body onto the couch.
"Fear of what might happen to her perhaps if someone found out about it." echoed Ragen's voice as she stepped into the flat. "Forgive me for intruding but I saw Aidan's ship and wanted to say hello, obviously though he has bigger issues to deal with. I picked up on the surface emotions from you two. You don't spend a long time around you both without learning to pick up on things. So who's is the mother?"
"You don't know the half of it," said Alyssa, going over and giving her a hug. "And who's the only other female, other than you and his sisters, that he's been around a lot?"
"Did Vincent message you?"
"No, I just got in this morning from Csillia, Chiss needed someone with diplomatic capabilities. Dealing with them was a trial in and of itself, the only other female I could think of would be Ayla Cutler.. but she is his Apprentice, don't Apprentices form parental bonds with their masters usually." "Was. Ragan, was. She's full Defender and she's had a crush on him since she was six, didn't you realize that? I don't know the details, nor do I want them, but.....well.... our sleeper here is about to become a Daddy shortly. And Ginnie's dead, as well as the current Jedi class, except Kate."
"OH my GOD.. Who are we dealing with now, Crassius? Zarok? or are there others. I thought when we took down Gavin, Jerjerrod, Sargon, and Craven that we took down the whole upper tier of that order. You don't think your brother has surfaced do you?" Alyssa sat down abruptly, knees giving as she considered this unexpected possibility."I though he was dead," she said slowly. "I thought he died when we destroyed the flagship. I thought he died, after he killed my daughter."
"So did I, just like I thought Dalton got Crassius at Vjun. As to his death though, we thought we had killed Gavin too that first time. Someone has to be pulling the strings of the Sith. I know Lord Zarok filled the power vacuum as the Dark Lord when the others had passed on. According to my husband's impressions of him, though, Zarok isn't the type for that kind of manipulation. Only someone schooled directly at the hands of Gavin Spry could be that manipulative. Zarok was trained by Jerjerrod too, which makes it even further from the truth."
"Yes, Jejerrod is more direct," said Alyssa.
*On the couch Aidan began to stir and his eyelids fluttered open. Pulling himself to a sitting position he glanced around the room and smiled at Ragen.* "Hello Master Blissex-Spry and why are we discussing Jerjerrod, he's dead, you killed him, I was there." "We're discussing students, MASTER Calor," said his sister shortly, still a bit steamed at him. "So why don't you go in there and straighten things out with yours," she added, pointing at the bedroom door.
Meekly Aidan smiled. "I guess I had better get moving then, I hope she'll have an old fart like me though. Although if you are discussing the Sith, then it might be best to fill me in later. I don't like being kept in the dark.". He trudged into the room, waking her with a kiss on the forehead. "Hey champ, wake up."
She woke with a cry of, "Aiden!" and sat up abruptly, yanking her visual illusions into place, praying that he hadn't noticed. "Aiden, Morris is dying," she told him, trying to distract.
*Aidan smiled at her, there's no need to hide it from me anymore, no need to hide anything from me. I should have told you sooner, but I have always been so afraid that you'd become a target of the Sith if they knew, but Ayla, I love you, I love you more than you will ever know, and I intend to love our children as much as I love you." he paused to let the words sink in. "I am so very sorry about your father, he was always so vibrant and energetic. I wish we could expect a miracle in this situation. I don't want you to lose a parent, and I don't want our children to grow up without a grandfather."
There was a look of relief on Alyssa's face as he had closed the door. "I didn't know what he'd do," she confessed to Ragan. "Sometimes he's very hard to figure out."
------------------------------- *Ragen looked to her. "He was trained by my husband, as was your husband, what can we come to expect from them. They are complicated men though neither will admit it. I guess being a Jensaarai Male means quirky actions"
Alyssa snickered. "And they think they're being perfectly logical." She caught Ragan's eye, and they both exploded into laughter at the shared joke.
------------------------------- Ayla was very still, letting the words sink into her soul. "Father won't mind our being together, but Mother's gonna kill me - she's so Old School Jedi when it comes to moral conduct." she said after a few minutes. "Are we going to.....?" She paused, on the verge of proposing to him.
"You know I was thinking, perhaps we get married real quick before we go see your parents, I am sure my sister could get her husband to marry us on his ship. Then we can leave it to them to make their own assumptions, that is unless you want to wait, and have them be there too."
"Be there?" she said pleadingly. "I always told Father he would dance at my wedding...."
"Alright, then he will be there, excuse me for a moment I have to grab something real fast, but I'll be right back, I love you"
He ran out the bedroom door really fast and past a surprised Alyssa and Ragen sitting on the couch. He used the Force to propel him at a rapid rate of speed and stopped quickly at a jewelry counter. He had sized up her finger moments earlier and decided he needed to put a ring on there to make it official.
The smiling clerk handed him the ring he picked out and Aidan gratefully paid him for it, running back into the house moments later past yet still a startled Alyssa and Ragen.
Sliding back into the bedroom he took her hand in his, dropped to his knees, and slid the ring on her finger. "Ayla Cutler, I love you more than anything, will you marry me?" "Yes," she said, and burst into emotional tears.
--------------------------------------------- Alyssa looked at Ragan. "Who WAS that blurred man?" she punned straight faced.
----------------------------------------------- *Aidan took Ayla in his arms and cradled her tightly, shedding a few tears himself. It was a moment he could hold onto forever.
On the couch Ragen remarked "Typical man, always running when it comes to relationships, least this time it was for the right reasons, or so I assume." "I assume so," said Alyssa, shamelessly using a sister's privilege and eavesdropping on the emotional currents in the bedroom."In fact, I think he may have just proposed to her. At least we'll have SOME good news to give to the old man," she concluded
"He's gotten so old since the last time we were all together, I hope he can bear the news of his daughter's passing. Are you going with them to break it to them, or is Ayla going to have to break both pieces of news herself?"
---------------------------------------------- Aidan leaned over to Ayla "So do we hide the pregnancy from your mother with Force Illusions, or get everything out into the open?" ----------------------------------------------- Alyssa looked at Ragan with an offended look on her face. "It's my job, she said curtly.
"My apologies, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. You want me to go with you, lend you some moral support?" "I think I can use all the Jensaari support I can get. We need to keep Morris alive past the bad news, long enough to hear the good news. And we may need to save Aidan from Callista."
"Maybe, though I am not sure if they are going to hide the pregnancy or not. I will go with you though, but if they are going to get married we should take Ariel so that perhaps she can do something for Morris, so he can attend his daughters wedding."
------------------------------------------- "My choice, dear, would be to let Father know that he's gaining a grandson. But that may mean Mother going off on you." Ayla looked worried.
"Very well, we'll tell them, your mother scares me though, so all I can do is pray she won't kill me"
"I'll stand in the way," said Ayla, trying to look brave."
"I think your father might even stand in the way. He always did treat me like a son. You ever hear anything out of Alan, your step-brother, he was onto some remarkable discoveries from the way he bragged on him all those years ago. Hopefully your father will still see me as that other son. After Outbound Flight II returned I didn't see much of Alan." "No," she said. "I've lost contact with Alan. He was with the part of Outward Bound II that chose to keep going."
"I wish we could find him, I am sure he would like to come to the wedding. He always did fancy you as his favorite sister. Used to drive Ginnie mad" and an anguished look passed over his face as he said Ginnie's name. He drew her into a tight hug, careful not to smash her stomach and kissed her on the cheek.* "We'll get through this, somehow."
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