NationStates Jolt Archive

Lord Malice lead them to a small cave on the side of a mountain, and showed them in. It was slightly warmer in the cave, but not much.

"We will use this cave as your shelter during our time here."

Irrion immediately sought out the spot with the greatest wind shelter and returned to his previous position.

"Now...strip."

Malice ordered.

"How far?" Irrion asked as he began removing his shirt. He then used it as a 'blanket' drapped over his shoulders. He waited for confermation that it was to the buff.

"I will allow you intimate apparel and your shoes. Nothing more."

Irrion stripped down to his shoes, socks and underwear. Taking his shoes off, he sat on them, while remaining huddled in the heat saving position.

"Now then...out there, somewhere in those fields there is a single green flag...find it, and bring it back to me....I and I shall reward you."

"Three questions, could you provide an aprox distance or direction, what kind of reward, and what happens to the one who can't find it?" Irrion asked as he slid on his shoes, but remained crouched down.

"Oh no. That would take all the fun and mystery out of it."

"And you must have your fun." Irrion teased, "Do you know where it is?" He asked as he began meditating. His first goal was to deal with keeping his body from freezing. As he drew energy, this time using his cheese sandwich crutch to help, as the cold was distracting, he slowly began to warm up.

"Of coruse I do."

Irrion then turned his focus to trying to pluck the answer of where the flag was located from Lord Malice's mind. Since she should have thought of where it was when he asked, it should be among her surface, and thus easiest to skim, thoughts.

All Irrion could see was that the flag was atop a small hill, constantly being blown around voilently and pounded bye ice cold snow.

Irrion shrugged, at least he knew not to search crags. Brace himself, as well as wrapping himself in force heat, he set off. He began searching any hills he found, going in every widening circles around the cave.

After seemingly hours of wandering, Irrion can see faintly in the distance, the waving of the green cloth...

Irrion was slightly blueish by now, and was focused on putting one foot in front of the other. He began forcing himself to run toward where the flag was, and since he knew, aprox, where the cave was, he could be back one he got it.

The Winds began to blow harder, and the snow and ice became colder as he made his way to the flag. If he didn't get it soon, he'd freeze in the coming storm.

He arrived at the flag and grabbed it. He then re-oriented on the cave, and began going back as fast as he could safely.

Lord Malice was meditating alone in the cave, having sent Rasha out into the storm to find his own flag.

"Aw, I see you've found it. Good job."

"Ssssooo, wwwhhhaaattt nnnooowww." He said, his teeth chattering like a machine gun. His speech was slurred because of the cold.

"Your reward."

Malice replied. She got to her feet and lead him further into the cave and down several narrow passages, and Irrion had the sensation of traveling down, like a flight of stairs. They soon arrived at another cave, but it was much warmer. As soon as they rounded a corner, Irrion could see what was making the cave warmer then the levels above. A large hot spring was in the middle of the cave floor, steam rising from the water slowly.

"Here we are."

Irrion layed down on the warmish ground, a good deal away from the water. He knew plunging from ice cold to hot, was very bad for the body.

"Thank you." He said even thought he was still in his underwear.

"You are welcome."

Malice replied, sitting down on a rather large stone in the room.

Irrion slowly began warming up, and regaining feeling in his extremities.

Lord Malice simply sat there and watched him, making sure he would recover.

Once he'd warmed up somewhat he stood and asked Malice, "Any objections to skinny dipping?"

"Go right ahead."

She replied.

Irrion stripped his shoes, socks and underwear and slid into the water, letting out a pleased sigh as he did.

Lord Malice got to her feet and walked over to the edge of the spring, and sat down once more. She took off her left glove, and placed her fingertips in the water, tracing them around, enjoying the pleasing feeling. She wanted the feeling over the rest of her body...but she couldn't.

"If you want, you can come in." Irrion said as he noted her expression, "And if you're modest, I'll keep my back to you."

"Of course I'm not modest...when ever I get the chance to take these robes off, relieve my self of the burden of pretending to be a male, I take it. And I do mean all of my clothes..."

"If you're worried about me, you don't have to be." Irrion replied, "And I can always either keep my back to you, or my eyes shut, or both."

"The human body is nothing to be ashamed of...I just don't know if it would be right with you, my future apprentice, seeing his master naked."

She replied, still swirling her fingers in the water.

"Then I just wouldn't look." Irrion replied

"Oh...never mind. I don't care if you do or not."

Malice replied. She reached her hands down and slipped off her boots and put them aside. She wiggled her toes a bit, enjoying the feeling of her feet being freed from the boots, especially after the long trek to the cave. She also enjoyed the warm, ambient feeling of the rocky cave floor on them, rather then the tight, hot feeling of her boots around them. She stood up and dropped her outer robe to the floor, followed by the rest of her garments. Finally, she quickly stripped her intimate apparel, and then fully naked she slipped into the warm water. She sighed and closed her eyes; thankful she had allowed her self to do this.

Irrion had decided to relax, and part of that was semi-doozing. He closed his eyes and floated on his back in the water.

"I said I don't mind if you look, Irrion...."

Malice said as she leaned against the wall of the spring.

"Alright." He said as his head bumped against the wall. Leaning against the side he opened his eyes, and looked at Lord Malice. He found her quite beautiful, but knew not to bother her, unless she so wished.

Sensing his unease, Malice smiled.

"It's alright, Irrion. There is no need to fear me or refrain from talking with me here."

"Alright." Irrion replied, "What are some of the other tests?" He asked, wondering if she would say, or let him wonder.

"What ever comes to mind...what ever I feel will advance your power."

She replied, swimming over to his side and pressing her side against the rock wall he was leaning on, but still a distance away from him.

"So they'll never end until I'm as strong as you think I can be?" Irrion asked as he turned to face her.

"They will end when I feel your power is at the point that it will enhance naturally."

She replied, slipping closer to him.

"So once my power will grow on it's own." Irrion replied, "How long do you think that will take?"

"Not much longer. You are very powerful already, you simply don't know it."

The Life of a Sith lord left little opportunity for love, and this was Malice's opportunity right now. And she was intent on seizing it. She stepped closer yet, and wrapped her slender arms around his waist.

"But enough about training..."

As Malice wrapped her arms around his, he wrapped one of his own around her, "So..."

"So..."

She said back, before kissing him gently.

Bright red tounges of flame dashed across the escape pod's one small porthole. Did the vehicle even have energy shields? Of course, the Cheese knew that going planetside was possible without them, because in ancient times, before the things were invented, many ships had done just that.

And many had disentigrated.

That was the thought that the Cheese tried to keep from his mind as his small cylinder free-falled for miles. That, and the possibility that he seemed to be being used as comic relief in an otherwise quite serious story.

THUD

The pod had touched down, and the Cheese was still pretty sure that all of his body parts were where they should be. That was something to be thankfull for, at least. That, and the looks on the faces of the guards and this...Lord Malice person when the Sith master found out what his servants had done to his prisoner.

The Cheese managed to pry the pod's pressure door open. Climbing outside he saw a frozen wasteland.

The place was flat and white, like a huge tabletop covered in a silky tablecloth. The color, or lacktherof, however, was clearly caused by a dense covering of snow, not by any fabric. The sky was dark grey, yet this still seemed to be daylight. The planets homestar was barely dicernable from its cousins lightyears away, but the Cheese managed to pick it out. That was the brightest part of the sky, a star shining barely more brightly than any other. Convienently, it hovered just above the stranded Twi'lek. If the Cheese had to get back to the pod in a hurry, he could just follow that star.

For a few hours anyway.

But that was getting ahead of himself. Where would he go, after all? Was this planet even inhabited? Did it even have any life on it, other than what had been introduced by the falling pod? The Cheese could not just wonder aimlessly; he needed a destination.

OOC:I din't realize that this post would be so long when I started. Sorry to interrupt your makeout scene.

Irrion returned Malice's kiss, putting as much into is as she did.

OOC:I din't realize that this post would be so long when I started. Sorry to interrupt your makeout scene.

OOC: Haha, it's okay. Anything to get the rest of the characters that were posted in the OOC thread in here. I may have to take over OWN's characters as an NPC or something.

IC:

Lord Malice sensed another life form arrived....a Twi'lek. Perhaps the same one that came on the shuttle with the hopefuls? None the less, she pushed these thoughts to the back of her head. She pulled away from Irrion.

"Rasha will return soon...we should make the most of the time we have."

"Yes, we should." He replied as he leaned in and kissed her again.

Malice kissed hin back gently, bringing her right hand up to ruffle his hair.

As they kiss, his hand began rubbing her back.

"Perhaps we should take this back to shore?"

She said, nodding toward the rocks.

"That sounds like an excellent idea." He replied as they began travelling in that direction.

Malice was the first to step onto the rocks again. She took a minute to wring her hair dry of the water before sitting down on her robes, which was much more comfortable than sitting on the rocks.

Irrion pulled himself up beside her.

Malice kissed him again...and well, one thing lead to another and it to sum it up, Irrion got jiggy with it again. After they had finished. Malice quickly collected her robes and put them back on in a hurry, as well as her boots and gloves.

"Rasha must be lost..."

She stated as she walked out of the lower levels up the cave and back up.

"Would you like me to come search as well?" Irrion asked, as either was he had to come up to the cave mouth, to recover and warm his clothes if nothing else.

"Only if you wish. I will not force you to back out there."

Irrion followed Malice as far as the cave. "As soon as I get my clothes warmed, I'll be back here in case he shows up."

"Good."

She stated simply as she left the cave and traveled into the freezing storm.

Rasha waits outside of the Cave thinking upon his situation. He wonders if Revenge is even possiable.

"Aw, Rasha, did you find your flag?"

Malice asked him after stumbling upon him.

Rasha replies, "No Lord Malice I was distracted by my thoughts. I will hunt for it." Rasha heads to look for his flag...

"Forget the flag."

She replied.

Rasha replies, "Yes, I did." Rasha keeps running deeper into the cave. He wonders if he can crack into Lord Malice's mind for the answer to this challenge.

"No...forget the flag. Come back inside."

Rasha heads back to the cave entrance..

Irrion had gotten his clothes warmed up and returned to the cave.

The Cheese noticed a tiny black speck running in the distance.

"Hey, over here! Help!",screamed the Cheese, but either the speck did not hear him or did not care. Or did not hear him but would not care if it did.

The speck then dissapeared into a slightly larger speck an immeasurable distance away. A house, a rock formation, a cave? Hell, at this distance it could be a metropolis. The Cheese had to get there; he had to find something alive. Hopefully to speak with, but to eat would be fine. The stranded Cheese pulled himself out of the spacepod and set off for the specks. It was noon now, and how long was a day on this planet? How long until nightfall?

So the Cheese walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. And walked...

Malice sensed the Twi'Lek approaching, and with out a word, she left the cave to go find him. He could be useful to her, after all.

"Irrion...when I return, we must speak with each other..."

She told Irrion as she still walked into the storm.

"Then we shall." He called out as she left.

Lord Malice walked a few miles and back again, and retrieved the freezing Twi'Lek, saving him from certain death. She allowed him to sit back at the warmer part of the cave while she motioned for Rasha to sit in front of her. She then made another force connection like she did before back on Wraith.

"We need to talk...about earlier."

She began.

Sensing that she wanted this keeped relatively private, he thought back, "What about earlier?"

Rasha obeyed the command without question..

"Before I tell you this, I must know. Did it mean anything to you at all?"

"Do you mean, do I care about you?" He thought/asked

"Yes, that is what I mean."

"Then yes, I do." Irrion replied

Malice sighed before replying.

"I believe earlier was a mistake. I may have taken advantage of you, and if you feel that way at all, I am sorry. At first I thought it was love, but now I know it was not. It was lust, and I used you to satisfy that lust. I will not ask you to forget what happened between us, Irrion, but I will ask you to bury what ever feelings may have stemmed from it. It is for the better."

"If that is what you wish, consider it buried." Irrion thought back.

She hadn't expected it to be anywhere near this easy, but she was glad it was over none the less.

"Good."

Rasha is not paying attention. He is using his abilities to make Ice balls and throw them at the wall of the cave.

Malice then turned to Rasha, and stopped the balls with the force.

"If you want to make snow balls, use your powers to make much larger ones, the size of boulders perhaps. You are not a child, so do not make snowballs like one."

"So, what is to be done now that the others are here?" He thought/asked

Rasha smiles and saids, "Ok then." He starts using his abilities to make boulder sized Ice balls. Rasha aims them outside of the cave and sends them as far as his power can throw them...

"Why do you keep asking me, Irrion? You already know that I will not tell you."

Rasha sends a message to Lord Malice, "Is it ok, If I go out and make a snowman. I want to test my accuracy with Ice boulder throwing."

"Doesn't hurt to try again." Irrion commented outloud.

"Go ahead, Rasha."

Rasha smiles and saids, "Finally something more intresting than sitting around quietly."

He heads outside of the Cave and begins making snowmen across the field. He would soon have plenty of targets from his start point at the cave.

Malice used this chance to ask something to Irrion that had been nagging at her.

"You said before you cared about me, Irrion. To what extent?"

"I'm unsure, I have never taken the time to fully plumb the depth of my feelings, on anything." Irrion replied

"Aw, I see. If you ever figure out, please tell me."

She replied.

Rasha finally finishs his task and begins to head back to the entrance to begin his excerise.

"I will." He promised

Malice nodded.

"I am also curious as to something else, Irrion. Have you ever been with anyone else beside me? Was earlier special, or just another one to add to the list?"

She finished and watched Rasha exercise, waiting for the answer.

This he thought back, as could be infered from his words, thier previous actions, "Yes I have been with others, and no, you were not just another notch in my headboard, to quote the saying."

The Cheese's voice wavered as his teeth chattered together when he said to the people in the cave,"I-I am-m tha Cheese..."

Lord Malice shook her head.

"Don't you ever get tired of saying that?"

Rasha debates hitting the Cheese with the Ice boulder instead of the Snowmen.

Seeing that these people were getting quite tired of him calling himself by "the Cheese", the Cheese decided to switch over to his other title.

"I-I am-m tha-a Gray, D-Ducot."

"Silence."

Malice stated calmly, becoming annoyed with the chattering.

Finally, she turned to Irrion again.

"Then what was I to you?"

"Something quite special." Irrion thought back,

"Th-thank you."

She replied. She didn't know why she stuttered, and cursed her self for doing so.

One of Rasha's Ice boulders fails to hit it's target. Rasha curses his failed attempt and throws agian and hits the Snowman's head decapiting it.

Irrion was slightly puzzled, he hadn't know you could stutter in mind-to-mind conversation.

"Sometimes ones train of thought is interrupted, in my case, if my thought is interrupted, my "voice" will stutter."

She then looked at Rasha.

"Keep trying. You'll get better."

Rasha thinks to himself, Intresting. I missed but made a kill on the second throw. I must really need to pratice this skill. I have not really used it since the Civil War. Rasha picks up another Ice Boulder and sends at one of the Snowmen making a direct hit...

"Ah," His thoughts replied, "I learnt something else new today."

Malice nodded.

"Yes. I detected something...a presence. One I have not felt in a long time. I am suprised you and Rasha did not feel it, even as weak as you both are currently, you should still be able to feel such power."

Irrion sat down and began meditating, looking for the presence Lord Malice mentioned, with the force and his mind.

"Do you sense it yet?"

She asked him, hoping she had taught him well enough to this point so the answer would be yes.

Rasha quickly follows Irrion's example and begins to mediate to find it with his own mind..

"I think so, but am not entirely sure." He replied, focusing on the most likely of the possibles he's found with his mental 'radar'.

"It shouldn't be too hard. This planet is empty, and only two great powers exist on it to be sensed. Hone in the one that is not my own."

Rasha tries to target the one power that is not Lord Malice's

And it's there, bright as the stars in the night sky. It was indeed a great power, almost horrifyingly so, and it wasn't all that far away, either...

Rasha is afraid but keeps up his search....

"You sense it, don't you Rasha? The pure, raw power. That power belongs to my old Master, Darth Vandral...I wonder what he is doing here of all places."

She replied, leaning back.

Rasha was now really afraid. Lord Malice was the most powerful force he ever felt. This new power caused him to wonder about his own safety.

"Do not worry. My old master is not one for senseless murder of the weak."

Irrion had honed in on the power of the Darth Vandral. He also began trying to place him, by triangulating off of Rasha and Lord Malice.

"He's sixteen miles west of here."

She told Irrion, knowing what he was trying to do.

"Ah, thank you." Irrion said, as now that he had the distamce, pin-pointing the location was fairly simple.

"I am still curious as to why he's come here...but aw well, we'll find out later."

"So we won't seek him out?" Irrion asked

"No, we won't. If he leaves us alone, we will do the same in kind."

"So live and let live?" Irrion asked, seeing if he could understand the meaning of her words.

Rasha saids mentality,"I think avoiding a Sith lord would be a wise decision considering our current level of power."

"Yes, live and let live."

She told them both.

"He is more of a grey Jedi now then a Sith Lord..."

She replied to Rasha.

"Are we going to remain here for much longer?" Irrion asked

Rasha saids in a silent voice, "For the first time, I am missing the Wraith and the brutish guards."

"For the night at least."

She replied to Irrion.

"Ah." Irrion replied

Rasha looks up and saids, "Well hopefully he is not in a bad mood."

"S-someone's here,"declared the Cheese, because he had not been involved in his cavemates' mindtalk and thus did not know that they were already aware of this,"I-I c-can sense it. Someone st-t-trange. Strong."

"Yes, I know. But for now, let us rest."

Malice said, laying down and using her arm as a sort of pillow.

Irrion took a seat, and curled up to sleep.

"Sweet dreams."

She said to everyone.

"And to you." Irrion replied

Rasha starts to sleep he hopes that he does not freeze to death during his rest...

Malice does not find sleep easily. It is not because of the appearance of her old master, but because of something else. She finally decides sleep is impossible, and once again opens up a private link with Irrion.

"Wake up...we need to talk again."

As he wasn't a deep sleeper, he woke easily. Thinking back, he asked, "What would you like to talk about?"

"Us. Again."

She replied, her mind swarming with thoughts on how she was going to say this...

"Alright." He thought back, and in a more private thought, akin to muttering for the verbal, thought, "For something you didn't wish to talk about, we're sure talking about it often."

She nodded.

"Yes, we do...perhaps because I feel it was I that made the mistake in pushing you away..."

"As I said, or thought before I'll accept your descision regardless of what it may be." His thoughts replied to her, "Wherever you set the bounderies, that is where they shall remain."

"If were to have one, we would have to keep our relationship a secret, you know. Can you imagine what it would look like if the Dark Lord of the Sith had a hopeful as a lover?'

Rasha having another haunting nightmare again starts to roll in his sleep. He starts seeing the images of the city blowing up from orbit and the people he has killed and seen killed.

"If were to have one, we would have to keep our relationship a secret, you know. Can you imagine what it would look like if the Dark Lord of the Sith had a hopeful as a lover?'
Had there been enought light, she could have seen him smile, as it was, she could tell from his thoughts. "I'm sure it would raise a few eyebrows at the very least, and especially with the needs to conceal your identity would either lead to those who served you questioning your sexuality or, and more seriously, your gender."

"Yes it would, but I'm very good at keeping secrets. But are you? Are you willing to go through the every-day stress of hiding the truth, just for me?"

She asked him, also taping into Rasha's thoughts to see what was going on.

"I have lived with many difficult and deadly secrets, and as you can see before you, I have managed to keep them all." He thought back, also attempting to include images and feelings in this thought. The images and feelings were those of a young child of the age of fifteen serving the men that had slain his parents, and destroyed his sister. They entailed the struggles he had to endure daily from abuse, nearly blinding rage, implaceable vengence and the struggles to conceal this from his fellow pirate as he sought out the roots of the organisation that had spawned the scum that he had been forced to serve in his quest to avenge his family, and those like it.

She was deeply affected by the images, but she maintained her composure.

"I know of your past, of the things you've endured. Your very strong, Irrion. Not in terms of Force quite yet, but in your soul. I will not ask you to burden your self with a relationship with me...but if you are willing, I would love to have you at my side. The life of a Sith Lord is very, very lonely. And at times, you need someone you can turn to. Someone you trust...someone you may even love."

The Following images is what Lord Malice would see:

A blacked robe priest of the Antarans choking the life out of a comrade.....


Rasha Crushing the Life out a surpised Priest of the Antarans with a boulder from the shadows in the streets of his home town....


The Maldoran Legion fleet launching there deadly Psy Cannons upon Rasha's home city...


The Street fighting in the Captial city on Evon Prime...

The News of the Chancellor's death and Avatar of the Antarans Nym Kazar taking power and declaring the Confederation an Empire....

Rasha being exiled as a heritic and being forced to leave his beloved fatherland on the pain of death......

She was deeply affected by the images, but she maintained her composure.
"I know of your past, of the things you've endured. Your very strong, Irrion. Not in terms of Force quite yet, but in your soul. I will not ask you to burden your self with a relationship with me...but if you are willing, I would love to have you at my side. The life of a Sith Lord is very, very lonely. And at times, you need someone you can turn to. Someone you trust...someone you may even love."
Rather than sending thoughts, he sent a feeling of acceptance, trust, and affection that could grow to love back.

"Thank you, Irrion."

She replied. A warm smile came upon her usually cold face. She crawled over to him and embraced him in a warm hug.

"Thank you."

Irrion gently and careingly returned her hug.

"This does not mean you'll get special treatment from now on, you know. I'll still have the guards awaken you just as early and rudely as ever."

She stated.

"Mustn't make Rasha and the others suspicious."

"I understand." He thought back, "If you gave me special treatment, I would also inhibit my growth."

"Yes, it would."

She replied.

"And you are doing very well, as is Rasha. I would not want to do anything that would reverse the progress I've made."

"Nor would I wish to lose what I've learnt." Irrion replied

She nodded, and let go of him, putting her arms and hands on her lap.

"You need your rest, don't you? I do not wish to keep you up all night."

"Alright." He agreed, as his eyelidss were already beginning to droop.

"Good night."

She said to him, giving him a small kiss.

He smiled as he fell asleep, his face retaining the smile even as he slept.

Lord Malice also found sleep easier that night, knowing that the troubles within her heart had been resolved.

Irrion slept the sleep of one who was content with the world.

As dawn breaks, Lord Malice sits up, as if she has been awake the whole time. Through the blizzard outside the cave, she see's a figure quite easily.

"My old master...what brings you here?"

She said, a smile coming upon her face once more.

As the sun pierced the cover of night, Irrion began stirring.

The figure stepped out of the blizzard and into the cave. He was clad in simple, brown Jedi robes. He was in his late fifties or early sixties, but still looked quite athletic and well toned. His short black hair showed signs of graying in various areas.

"I heard you were training apprentice hopefuls on this planet...I cam to observe."

He replied simply.

Due to the chilly weather and the nightmares. Rasha wakes up around this time and sees a stranger enter the cave. Rasha felt immense power coming from him...

"Rasha, Irrion...'Cheese', let me introduce you to my old master...Lord Darth Vandral."

Malice spoke.

Rasha saids, "Intresting the teacher of our teacher is here."

"Ironic is more like it."

Rasha saids, "What do you mean by that Lord Malice?"

Malice didn't reply, she simply rose to meet her former master. The two simply stared at each other...

Rasha watchs the sight intently. He wonders what is going to happen next.

Malice watched her students reaction carefully, making sure they didn't get involved.

Rasha wondered if the cave had a back entrance. He starts moving away from the two Sith lords. Rasha thinks I wonder if this a good meeting of old times for them or the begining of a terriable fight?

Irrion woke and examined the sith lord. He stood, and wondered why he wished to observe Lord Malice and her apprentices.

Vandral scanned all four of them, and took in their power.

"They are strong in the force....as are you, my old apprentice. Under your guidance, their power will most likely blossom...I shall be watching."

He stated before turning and disappearing into the storm again.

Rasha saids, "That sounded very general for someone who is suppose to be a Sith lord, but then again you did say he was more Grey Jedi now."

"Odd man, but very strong." Irrion commented to no one in perticular.

Malice nodded.

"The appearance of my old master is odd to me. Though I wish to continue your training her, I think it would be safer for you two to bring you back to The Wraith. My master tends to attract the attentions of some rather...violent individuals..."

"Alright," Irrion replied "Shall the shuttle arrive soon?"

Rasha saids, "What do you mean by "violent individuals"?"

"Dark Jedi and Bounty Hunters. Vandral slew a very important Sith Lord years ago, and there has been a huge bounty on his head ever since. And the Sith Lord's remaining students want revenge as well."

Malice replied. Within minutes, the Sith shuttle came down and picked everyone up, and the trip back to The Wraith began.

"Would they go after you, to get at Lord Vandral?" He asked

"They would go after anyone they feel is getting in their way."

Rasha saids, "Why would they think we are in the way?"

"Alright." Irrion replied

"Your guess is as good as mine."

She replied.

"We're entering the hanger bay."

Shouted back one of the pilots.

Once in the hanger, Irrion stood up and stretched, "So, is it back to studying for me?" He asked

Rasha saids, "I was dissapointed in this trip. I was hopeing to improve on my throwing of Ice boulders."

"You will get another chance, Rasha."

Malice replied, slipping on her mask before exiting the ship. At one of the entrances to the hanger bay from the hallways, Irrion saw Jade. She nodded at him, and motioned her finger in a "come here" position.

Rasha saids in a crestfallen voice, "Okay then, I guess this means I have to wait to pratice again."

"If there is nothing else Lord Malice, might I retire?" Irrion asked

"You may."

She replied.

"Rasha, there is no need to wait. I will give you free access to the gym, if you wish it."

Rasha saids, "I thank you for the chance to use the Gym." He runs in the direction of the Gym with the intent of getting stronger and better...

Irrion left, heading in the direction that he'd seen Jade.

As he left the hanger, Jade appeared out from a dark corner.

"Irrion, glad to see your alive. How'd it go?"

She asked him, a warm smile on her face.

"It was ... Enlightening, and changing." Irrion replied

"How so?"

She asked back.

"While it would explain much, I can not tell you." Irrion replied, genuine regret in his voice.

"Why not? What did you do?"

She also replied, anger in her voice, contrasting with his regret.

"Something that shall remain as it needs to be." Irrion replied, while he wished to tell her, his word was involitile, and thus could not.

"And I guess, because of this, you do not care about me anymore? Was I just your plaything all along?"

She asked him back, anger now clearly evident in her voice.

"You were neither a plaything, nor are you correct in claiming I do not care about you." Irrion replied, a note of something along the lines of anguish, mixed with sorrow and regret in his voice.

"Then why won't you tell me what happened? How bad could it be?"

"I can not tell you," Irrion said, "Because I gave my word, and that is something I have never broken." He looked at her, imploring her to understand.

"I guess we're done here, then."

She stated simply.

"I guess so, thought I hope we can still be friends." He said

"They always say that..."

She muttered, walking off toward the Handmaiden chambers.

Irrion, while not normally funk prone, did, occasionally get into funks that were of unusual intensity, that few, if any, things could bring him out of. As he headed to his chambers, he felt the first symptoms of what promised to be a grand-daddy of funks, as he lost most of his balance and stumbled the remaining distance, with all the grace of a man at the low point on a six month bing of drink and drugs.

Collapsing on the bed, he layed there, oblivious to the outside world.

The following day, everyone is again awaken to the same rough routine and ordered to report to hanger one again. The guards also mutter something about Light Sabers and crystals as they drag them from their beds.

Irrion didn't respond to anything the guards did, trying to get him up or mobile.

Rasha was startled when the Guards woke him... He heads out of bed and gets ready by getting dress. He body still ached from his intesive work out in the Gym...

So instead, the guards simply picked up up and carried him over their shoulders to the hanger, and threw him on the floor.

Irrion simply laid were he'd been tossed, oblivious to position and little else as well.

"What is wrong, Irrion?"

He could hear Malice ask.

Irrion didn't even really hear Lord Malice's question, in which his response was limited to depressed thoughts.

Lord Malice reached out, and attempted to heal both his mind and body with the force.

As there was nothing actually physically or mentally wrong, there was little for her to get a hold of to heal.

"Well, I will just leave you there until you recover."

Malice replied coldly.

Irrion's thoughts flickered to apoligetic for a second before returning to funk mode.

She shrugged and turned to Rasha.

"Today, we will be going planet side once more. We are to gather crystals that you will use in the construction of your very own Light Saber."

She took another glance at Irrion.

"And we will have to drag him along with us, it seems."

As she said that, Irrion thoughts were a jumble of confused and contradictory feelings, and images. They included love, hate, sorrow, disgust, happyness, regret, and images of Lord Malice, Jade, Irrion, both of himself as he was and as he presently viewed himself, as that of a disgusting and hopelessly destructive cad.

"I want to help you, Irrion. But you need to tell me how."

Malice replied, sensing his distress.

At this, Irrion's thoughts semi-coagulated into love, pain, Jade, Irrion and Lord Malice.

"Ah, I see. Had a bit of a falling out with Jade, did we?"

Those same feeling/images just looped and repeated themselves.

"Do you wish to talk with her once more? To resolve the termoil between you?"

The part of Irrion's mind that was still operating during the funk that the rest of the body was in knew it couldn't be resolved with out Lord Malice's direct permission, yet also knew it couldn't be asked for.

Malice began to tire of this.

"Irrion, what ever is wrong with you, you must fix it. Use all the knowledge I've given you, perhaps. I do not know."

Irrion managed to surface long enought to send a thought, "The only way to solve the problem would violate my word to you."

"If it will help you, then do so."

She replied.

He sent an image of aprox what he had to do, which involved informing Jade of what had transpired on the planet.

"Very well."

Malice replied. She disappeared into the Handmaiden chambers for quite awhile, but then re-appeared at the hanger.

"It has been resolved, Irrion. Jade was upset, but she understood."

Irrion nodded, coming out of his funk to a great extent.

"Aw, but there is a catch. I will ask you to chose between us...we won't hold any grudge against you if you choose the other, but we must ask you to choose. Or things will become..complicated."

OOC: So, what do the guards do with the Cheese while this is going on?

"Will I do, and always will love Jade, my heart guides me to you." Irrion thought back.

Another warm smile came upon her face.

"Good."

OOC: So, what do the guards do with the Cheese while this is going on?

OOC: Dunno. Perhaps moved him back to the quarters where the others sleep.

He then asked, "So, what are we doing?" He didn't know as he had been full funked when she'd said what they were going to be doing during the day.

"We are going planet side again. To collect crystals and rubies, which you can use in the construction of your Light Saber."