"You guys saved my skin. It's the least I could do. But be careful. These people.....they're not jedi, not sith, something else."

Nalaen simply nodded at her apprentice's answer. She had suspected as much. Done with all this mess for the moment she dressed herself, making sure she was completely covered. Now it was time to go speak with that damned Jedi she had holed up. He had been sweating for long enough; in fact, longer than she had intended. Things were certainly happening at an alarming rate.

Walking swiftly through her ship, she ignored the men who stopped short and bowed as she went past. The sight filled her with such power. It was almost like drink. Taking a final elevator down to the detention block, she strode to the main area, ignoring the guards and assorted soldiers. Ducking into a dark corridor, she went to the only occupied cell and opened the door.

She stepped through the doorway and glowered at the Jedi before her.

Kira paused and turned back to Nate. "What did you say?"

((Occ- I'm going to add a short story told from the POV of a dark jedi on Hoth... This is not going to be a PC or NPC of mine but he his needed to get the story moving.))

The Blizzard had been rageing for hours now, the winds blew white with snow and ice. This slowed down my teams progress on finding the Ark piece, A good excuse for most men but not when you're working for Darth Exuro. Me and my team had to take refuge in a cave two hours ago when the storm got to much and began to scramble our instraments. We also lost contact with the ships in orbit Making our situation worse as Exuro wants constant updates. We haven't traveled far into the cave, but perhaps we need to move further into it as the storm is begining to blow in towards us.

We began walking into the cave untill we met some kind of creature, it was savage and aggressive but not so tougth to withstand the swing of my saber. The beast however seemed to have been protecting whatever was inside the cave. I suppose it was just curiosity that led me down further. Thats when i found it... A room that seened to have been made of gold.

After a quick examination we headed back to the caves mouth and reportd our findings... I hope Exuro will be Pleased.

"The guys on Dagobah. The ships that followed me were pretty normal, but they had others, ships like I've never seen, and I study them, I know the oldest models and the newest. Just be careful."

"I will," Kira promised. She left to assemble her team. When she returned to the docking bays, she was trailed by six Sith followers and a group of twenty soldiers. They moved to board a small Sith ship equipped with stealth.

"Remind me again why we're looking for this thing?" one of the Sith said. "Isn't it the reason we're opposed to Exuro?"

"We are enemies of Exuro because he was willing to uproot the entire Sith Empire for the Ark," Kira answered calmly. "LadyTaiasi is still curious about it."

"Anything to satisfy the Dark Lady's..." Kira glared at the speaker. "... uh, Dark Lord's curiosity."

Kira nodded and boarded the ship, trailed by the others.

Nate sighed and went around the ship till he ended in the officers' lounge. He hacked the keypad easily and stepped in.

All the officers stared at this man, aparently a guest of their leader, who had just broken in. Nate shrugged and took out a deck of card.

"Anyone up for a game?"

Ash tells the Rakata pilots to patrol around the hangar and the rakata soldiers to hide in the underfloor spice cargo area. Then Ash lands the Sabra in the Capitol ship of Nalaen.

When Ash awaits an answer the admiral calls back saying Nalaen will talk to him later. Ash unboards the Sabra with the other Arbitor and stands there waiting.

When the Arbitor II came out he stated that we could go with a fleet to Dagobah.(if that's alright.)

(((I *never* said you could board! I said that I would "help" you if you went away so I could have time to make my arrangements against Exuro.)))

Nate leaned back, his frow burrowed. He reshuffled the deck.

"Well I'm out of money." The officers smiled victoriously. "I do however have these."

He reached down, took out both of his custom-made blaster pistols and set them on the table. The officers looked at them greedily.

"But no more pazaak. Let's play a game that takes some real skill. Tell me, anyone ever heard of sabbac?"

The officers looked suspicious. Nate grinned and began explaining the rules.

Sourin looked up at Nalean from his position on the stone bench in the room. He took it all in, her dress, her mask, her cowl, everything. He would have smiled if he wasn't slightly scared of being chopped into tiny bits. He took in her size and her proportions...this was very different. Even underneith the mask and short stature of Revan...he had a great air of confidence around him. It was...entrancing. This however was not the same. Where confidence had been with Revan, here there seemed to be, not fear but uncertanty. It was understandable. To Sourin's knowledge she had only been in her position as Sith Lord for a small amount of time. Then again he could be interpreting it all wrong, he could simply be mad with hunger...he hadn't eaten in 24 hours.

When Nalean did take her first step into the room Sourin promptly stood up and bowed low to her.

"Hello, My name is Sourin and if I am correct you are Darth Taiasi, are you not?"

Sourin kept a straight face as he looked at the souless mask. He did not like this, on a Sith or a Jedi emotion was the one thing that could help him...she revealed nothing to him.

Nalaen's brows arched at the bow. No Jedi she had ever encountered or heard of would have ever bowed to a Sith Lord. Perhaps some respect had been instilled in this one. Interesting; she had never expected honour from Jedi.

"You are correct," she said smoothly, her voice soft and low. Moving further into the room, she continued to look down at him. "I am Darth Taiasi. And you," her mouth curled in a spiteful sneer, "you are Jedi." Her head cocked slightly as she studied him. He was about her height she could tell. Nothing particularily interesting about him really. Kind of . . . average, for a Jedi. Her eyes blazed as she took him further in, feeling the flarings of the Force around him. They were slight, but enough for her to sense; he knew the ways of the Dark Side? Bizarre. Perhaps he really was more than a normal man who was a normal Jedi. He showed surprising respect. There was more to him than the hypocrasy of the "Light Side".

He was hungry. It hit her suddenly, almost an epiphany through the Force. She didn't react to that, she was used to those things.

"Hungry?" she murmured, waving her hand slightly. "You will have dinner momentarily." Her cold eyes continued to pierce his. "What are you doing here, Jedi? Why risk yourself? What do you want and why would you ally yourself with a Sith?" Nalaen needed to hear the lies for herself. The schemes and attempts to placate her. But he had to know that she would have no qualms with cutting him down. Why did he dare come? And damn her curiosity, but she had to know. Furthermore, she couldn't just cut down Jedi left, right and centre anymore. Her orders came from herself and she had to know why she was killing now, and whom. Not only that, but she needed info now; that was on her shoulders. She was the master, sending out the minions. So damn these Jedi. She couldn't slaughter the lot without speaking to half of them first.

"I'd suggest you start speaking," she sighed as she shifted her weight slightly, her robe fluttering to reveal the double-bladed hilt of her sabre. She hadn't blinked yet, her shoulders rolling back slightly, her posture as imposing as her eyes. There was a movement behind her; a droid brushed past her and set down a platter of food. The droid left as quickly as it had come. Slowly Nalaen crossed her arms. The food wasn't tainted. But would the Jedi -- Sourin (what an odd name) -- know that? Or would he be too hungry to care?

A half an hour after Kira had made her decision to go to Dagobah, the little ship took off and sped out of the hangar bay. Minutes later, it went into hyperspace.

(((I *never* said you could board! I said that I would "help" you if you went away so I could have time to make my arrangements against Exuro.)))


(((sorry ill edit it right here)))


Ash and his crew decided to listen to the Sith Lord and hyperspaced out of the area. They arrived at Dagobah but for some reason no one was there. Suddenly, a Sith ship came out of hyperspace and Ash realized it was the one the Sith Lord he just met sent. Ash sent a message to them.

Ash- Hello, it's the Jedi your Lord sent away from the fleet, so we decided to check the planet out.
(((Kira's ship just came in)))

((There's no fleet, just a small ship, Atomic))
Dagobah Planet surface
"Sir, a jedi ship had just exited hyperspace. They seem to be contacting somebody."

The man in black turned and smiled. "What a stroke of luck. The foolish jedi has just revealed an intruder. Let them look around. If they get close, kill them."

"Ignore it," Kira growled when the Jedi transmission came through. She activated the stealth technology and dropped into orbit around the planet, waiting.

Ash realized that they ignored the transmission and quickly dissappeared. Ash had a reading on his radar coming close to him but he started the engines and hyperspaced out of the area. Ash heard that Exuro is sending a search team to Dagobah.

Ash decides to wait a while so he heads to Hoth since he heard Hoth was attacked.
When he gets to Hoth Ash sees black craters everywhere in the snow. So he scouts around, waiting to head back to Dagobah.

The man in black smiled as they tracked the smal ship. It was easy to find a ship with stealth when you had the right equipment and you knew it was there.

((Who attacked Hoth?)

Exuro walked in to the room of gold on hoth along with 3 of his dark acolites, He looked around the room reading the wrighting on the wall. It seemed to be mainly jibberish exept one part that was written above a lever. He pulled it and the room shaked allowing a pedistal to rise from the center of the ground.

Kira took the shuttle down to the surface of Dagobah, barely managing to land thanks to the fog. She then led her team out of the shuttle and onto dry land.

"Lovely place, don't you think?" she muttered wryly. Then, Teri said, "Not quite a vacation destination."

"Perhaps not," Kira answered. "But the trees are actually quite lovely."

"My Lady," one of the Dark Jedi asked hesitantly. "Who are you speaking to?"

"Myself," Kira growled. "I do it often, so don't think much of it."

The Dark Jedi fell silent.

(((I thought you did Starmark?)))

Several beings watched the team make its way through the swampland, hidden in the force. If they discovered something they would swiftly attack.

((GRR!! JM, I'm unhappy now... you seem to have an advantage over me :D ))

Kira continued to lead her team through the fog and stopped suddenly when her feet found a swamp. She backed out of it and muttered a string of curses, damning the fog, the swamp, and most of all, the Ark.

"What now?" one of the soldiers asked. Kira used the Force to throw him into the swamp and watched in astonishment as some creature immediately devoured him. The others stood and quickly retreated from the edge of the swamp. Kira muttered another string of curses, this time including the beast that had eaten one of her men.

"Now we be patient and think a bit," Kira answered. By this, she meant that she was going to use the Force to try sensing their immediate surroundings and 'see' them that way rather than depending on her eyes. "Give me a moment..."

One of the soldiers chuckled, the woman obviously didn't know this planet, and how unforgiving it was. The others immediately backed away from him, the idiot had probably caused them to be discovered. They began aiming their weapons at the group.

(((Damnit Jin, you need to post >_<)))

((Sorry guys I've been preocupied and I kinda spaced. I'm really sorry.))

Sourin smiled slightly at her threats. He knew she was serious and he knew that he was in grave danger but part of him simply wanted to laugh. He contemplated this thought and shook it out of his head. Death would not meet him this day. He observed the droid bringing the food and levitated the plate over to the bench next to him. He stood tall and scanned her before opening his mouth.

"Well firstly, you should know that I am not just a Jedi. I am a council member. I am here under my own will, there is a greater evil than you in this galaxy. I intend to destroy it. "The enemy of my enemy is my ally."

He smirked slightly as he quoted the old phrase. He looked at her mask and cowl, curious of what she looked like but not so much where he would risk his neck for it.

"I have some information on the Ark which you may be interested in. Before his departure to the Dark Side Revan and I were associates. Nay we were...dare I say friends. He had gone to Korriban and had found...something. I believe it may be information on this Ark. I am here to stop Darth Exuro. Nothing else. You are strong and I cannot deny it. Nor can I guarentee victory against you even in my utmost powerful state. I respect that, but I also know when an adversary has more to gain by my help, than my destruction. So I ask you to strike an accord with me, a Jedi Council member, a Jedi Master. To align with one who has tasted darkness and yet still walks with the light. To if nothing else to destroy a darkness even one such as yourself could not contain."

As Kira's team continued, the small defense team followed.
"They're near the hatch." One reported silently.

"Attack." Ordered the man in black through the radio.

Using hand-signals the leader of the team ordered them to open fire on Kira's team.

Kira tensed. A combination of strange energies echoed through this area. Part of the energies excited her, but another part made her uneasy.

"Be prepared for an attack from any angle," she said. "Surround me, facing out. I'm going to try and figure this out. If we're attacked, protect me until I stand up. Got it?"

She dropped to her knees. The Dark Jedi formed the first circle around her and the soldiers formed a second circle. And Kira began trying to sort out the conflicting energies of the area.

Suddenly a single object rolled toward the group, hidden in the fog. As it neared the group, it suddenly let loose a flash of brilliant light, blinding the sith in the circle.

"NOW!"

The group let out a barrage of shots.

The soldiers fell quickly. The Dark Jedi did not fall so quickly, but they too fell. Kira was left unprotected and quickly realized it. She leapt upward with all the power she could muster, taking herself up and over the attackers. Having lost her defenders, she ran as quickly as she could away from the area and stopped in a clearing five miles away. From there, she tried to contact Nalaen, but there was some kind of interference on the planet.

Alone on a strange planet without help, Kira let out an angry string of curses directed at the planet and her unknown attackers.

A harsh laugh echoed across the clearing.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Taunted a voice.

Kira's head came up and she glanced around the clearing. She stood slowly.

"Very well then," she said. "I no longer run. It is pointless... I get the picture."

A short pause. "So what happens now?"

"You answer my questions." Said the voice. "Now, I know that you are sith, however I don't sense that you are with that fool, Exuro. Why are you here?"

"True," Kira agreed. "I am Sith and not with Exuro. Darth Taiasi is my master." She chuckled. "I agree... Exuro is a fool..." She paused. "And in answer to your question, my master is curious about the Ark of the Force. I have been sent to investigate... ancient writings indicated we might find at least a piece of the Ark here."

"Then you are wasting your time."

Kira allowed silence to fill the clearing before she spoke.

"Do I get no further explanation?" she asked.

"All right, how's this: Finder's keepers, losers weepers." The voice laughed again.

"In other words, you've got what I was sent for and are not about to give it up?" Kira quipped.

"Exactly."

Kira laughed. "And I suppose if I try, I'm dead, yes?" Without waiting for an answer, she headed out of the clearing and toward her shuttle. She called over her shoulder, "Then I suppose I should simply leave. And that, I will do."

((Was hoping to be taken as a prisoner, but whatever...))

As she approached the shuttle, it suddenly blew up.

"Now, did you really think it was going to be that easy?"

The explosion shoved Kira backward and she landed on the ground hard on her back. "I might have hoped..." she gasped. "Might have known better..."

Her vision was blurry and she blinked to clear it.

Nalaen was ready to lash out at his insolence. Laugh at her, would he?! But she calmed herself with some struggle, needing to hear his words before she cut him down. And when she heard him speak, his words gave her pause. He did, by the Ancestors, have a point. They had the same enemy, and unlike the other Jedi, he wasn't threatening her with death after they dealt with him.

But could she, dare she, ally with a Jedi? Even she couldn't stop the shudder coursing through her. His speech didn't improve things either. She was devoted to truth, to wiping out the hypocrasy of the Jedi, of their "order", yet now she might have to aid one to aid herself?

"To have walked darkness yet still walk the light," she murmured, as she gazed humoured at him, baiting him, "must mean you are weak indeed. To frightened of some power, poor Jedi? Or too ensnared by the lies of your Order?" She held up her hand before he could reply, silencing him. "To ally with a Jedi will make many of my people angry. Angry enough to do to me as I have done to Exuro." She paused and began pacing, her brow furrowing. "However . . . we do have a common enemy. And to have us both attacking him seperately could lead to militaristic complications. Not to mention the first tenant of battle is to divide and conquer. To have pre-divided enemies would be a boon to Exuro." She whipped around to snarl at her "guest". "A boon I would loath him to gain." Holding out her hand warily, she studied him with as careful an eye. "You have your accord, Jedi. But know this: if I have even the suspicion of you tricking the Sith, or of you betraying us or withdrawing from this agreement before the alotted time; Exuro's death; I will order your death. Without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?" she finished in a hiss, eyes glinting. Studying him with suddenly aloof airs, she lifted a brow he couldn't see. "Now eat. I cannot have those I fight with weakened from hunger."

Nate walked out of the officer's lounge, grinning widely. He had won most of the credits back, kept his weapon and managed to win a couple of one of those idiots' lgihtsabers. He walked around, looking for Nalaen.

====
As Kira's vision cleared she could see several figures standing above her.

"Cuff 'er." Said the one who seemed to be the leader. They obeyed, putting stun-cuffs on her.

"What level?" Asked one.

"Far as it goes."

The other soldier nodded, and turned the level up, Kira was now completely paralyzed.

((You're up early, JM :) ))

Being now unable to move, Kira muttered a string of curses directed at herself for being caught. Then, she fell silent.

The people carrying her laughed.
"She's got quite the mouth on her." One said. They were carful to carry her face-down, so she could only see the fog hovering over the ground. They carried her through the swamp until abruptly the fog suddenly disappeared, revealing a wooden floor. They set her down in an empty room, and left, locking the doors behind them.

((I'm assuming she's still paralyzed...))

"Oh, this'll be fun to explain to..." her words trailed off. She had very nearly called Darth Taiasi by her given name. She couldn't allow herself to give that up here. "... Darth Taiasi."

The doors suddenly opened and the man in black walked in. He smelled strongly of sulfur and his presence managed to outshadow everything on Dagobah, but unlike normal beings, he was like a shadow in the force, only a presence, not a being. A presence that seemed to be only infinite darkness.

The man spoke, Kira could recognize his voice as the same one that had been talking to her in the clearing.
"You disappoint me, immediately trying to run away like that. I thought you had said you weren't going to run anymore."

"Who said anything about running?" Kira demanded. "I walked back to the shuttle."

The man in black laughed.

"I suppose you did. But did you really think I'd let you go for backup?"