Brax frowned, as Jasra met back up with Karda. He'd been moving across the bar to the swoop lounge to talk to her. But too late. He slipped back away intot he shadows. After a few moments he closed his eyes, and focused. Jasra The faintest whisper in her ears. Skip the arbitration, Karda can handle it. Meet me at Dock 9, Bay 3. Brax moved out of the tavern, heading for his ship.

“Jasra. Skip the arbitration, Karda can handle it. Meet me at Dock 9, Bay 3.

Jasra suddenly heard Brax’s voice in her head. She nonchalantly looked over her shoulder. There was no one there. But he was somewhere. Close. She needed to make up an excuse to tell Karda so she could be alone.

“Erm…Karda? Since you obviously are better at persuasion than I am, and it shouldn’t take two of us to present the evidence to the Selkath Judges, perhaps I should go back to the ship. You know, get things ready. Check that the Doctor’s TARDIS is still there and all.” She paused for a moment. “I can sense Crystal’s getting weaker, although she’s too far away for me to communicate with her,” she added, trying to strengthen her case. “But we have to hurry. If I can get some environmental suits and re-breathers ready while you’re taking care of the Doctor’s release, it’ll save time.”

Without waiting for ‘permission’ from Karda, she hurried off to the docking bays.

It was a good thing that Dock 9 was on the way to the Ebon Hawk. She’d meet with Brax, and hopefully would still have time to get things together for the rest of the group.

She took a deep breath as she approached the sleek, but small ship. It was similar to the larger one she had seen streak off during her first encounter with the Ebon Hawk. Unusual design, but lovely in its simplicity. Perfectly balanced between beauty and functionality. Obviously, Brax’s ship.

She suddenly felt a bit apprehensive. Nervous. She bit her lip and looked around. She could see no one, but she could feel his presence nearby. “Brax?” she called out softly.

He just, apeared. He was standin by the ship, leaning against it infact. He awatched her a few moments, before he psuhed into a fully upright position. "Have you made up your mind?" He asked. Those strange, grey eyes glanced behind her, as if checking if Karda was right there, he was pretty sure she would let him train her.

"I have a gift for you." He pulled one hand from behind him, two gauntlets were there held in his hands. They were stealthier varients of what he wore. They were not as thick as his, and the claws looked more subtle ... "all Zedai use force gauntlet's. You saw what they can do, to a lightsaber, to flesh." He nodded lightly.

"My first leason will teach you how to cloud the minds of others, so that tey will see only your hands, this pair is designed to make that easier. Training gauntlets." he nodded, and waited for her to come take them.

Jasra slowly approached. She reached out for the gauntlets, then hesitated. She knew that once she accepted Brax's gift, there was no turning back.

"Before I accept your gift, I need to know one thing," she said to him. "Kira. And Crystal. And...." She paused for a moment of consideration before continuing. "And, the Jedi, Karda," she said slowly. "They're... they're my friends. And they'll need my help to find these...shards. They mustn't know that you're training me. Not yet anyway. Will you allow me to help them? Will you train me in secret?"

He watched her for a few moments, then nodded. "I will train you in seceret," he continued to hold the gauntlets out. "But, I will not hesitate if they attack me. You know that I had valid reason to kill Revan, he murdered my people's greatest leader." He closed his eyes for a moment, "The others won't accept this though, even if they know the reason they will not accept it. Their minds are warped by the Jedi."

Jasra nodded. What Brax said was true. The others would never accept him as a friend or ally.

"Then I will do my best to conceal your presence from them," she said, reaching out and taking the gauntlets he offered. She put them on. They were soft and flexible on the inside. Tougher than durasteel on the outside. She flexed her hand, then grinned.

"Thank you." She looked up at him, then bowed her head reverently. "Master."

He frowned a bit, "I am not your master Jasra, I am your teacher. Leave all your jedi notions behind. We are equals with things to learn from each other. Not a master and an apprentice." He nodded to this. "You must get back to them soon, so let us begin." He turned and moved to where a few seats were off along one wall. And sat down.

"Sit." When she had he closed his eyes and reached out placing his gauntleted hands ontop of her own. "Close your eyes, and listen. Listen to the world around you, I know you know how to sense the force. So feel it, sense it flowing around you."

He waited, letting her listen for a little while, "Now focus on me, sense my force aura. Feel the way it feels, now feel it from inside." He sent out his own mind, showing her how he saw himself, it was the same, more or less. But then they changed rapidly. His internall feelings slid down, it felt faintly like .. .depression, but her sense of him, vanished. He just ... was gone.

Eyes still closed, Jasra's brow wrinkled. The feelings she was getting were...well, a bit confusing. It felt almost like how she hid her Force Sensitivity, but in reverse.

"Pushing the Force from the inside, out?" she queried him. "Is that how you make yourself invisible to the others?"

He nodded. "More or less, it's making the force into a bubble of 'don't look at me' all around you. It will hide you from most anyone, even a force sensetive who is actively seeking will have a hard time penetrating it, because in a way you're cutting the force out of you."

"But it can be more refined, it's harder cuz part of how you're creating the bubble is by tapping into your emotions, which are harder to contorl than other things. But if you focus, you can make things disapear. Like your gauntlet's." He showed her how to do it, through their link ... his gunatlets disapeared, and for a few moments she saw nothign where his hands ought to be. "the problem of course being that if you're nto careful it looks a bit odd. So you have to be even more refined." And she felt him pull the bubble tight around the gauntlets themselves. And his hands apeared.

"Now try it."

She did. It was strange, at first, to push the Force out, instead of holding it in or letting it flow through her. But after a few tries, something 'clicked' inside her, and it became easier.

She opened her eyes. She could still see her gauntlets, but...

"Like that?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded, "Like that." they were gone to him.

"You'll have to keep it up, it will be difficult at first, but people shouldn't be looking for you to be wearing them, which will make it easier," He watched her for a few moments, then stood up. "Go now, before Karda realizes you aren't at the Hawk."

Jasra nodded and smiled at him. "Thank you," she said to him, knowing that she'd have another opportunity for more training later.

She hurried off to the Hawk. She wished that she could have recalled Master Kelva's instruction on Force Enhanced Speed, but thankfully the distance to the Ebon Hawk's dock was not that far.

Scurrying up the ramp, she quickly gathered the supplies she needed--a couple of environmental suits, some re-breathers, and...an empty strongbox, something that might hold the shard without anyone having to actually touch the darn thing. She put these inside the Doctor's blue box he called the TARDIS.

Crystal was weakening. She could feel it more strongly than ever now. Perhaps because of Brax's lesson with the Force. She paused a bit, trying to maintain the illusion Brax had shown her how to do. It would take her a bit of effort before it became second nature.

She pushed the button on her comm link. "Karda?" she said. "I'm ready here. How are things on your end?"

"Excuse me, miss." one of the Republic guards said, leveling his blaster, "But we have been contacted by the Embassy above. You are under arrest for breaking and entering, as well as theft. If you would please just hand over your weapons..."
Kira had returned to one of the side rooms of the complex, and, leaving the enviornmental suit on the ground, she had continued back to the sub until this guard had stopped her. The Shard was radiating power in pulses, her heart quickly synching to match its rythem.
"Miss, please lay down your weapons--"
The Republic guard stepped forward, reaching for Kira's left hand, which was closest to her saber, and also, coincidentally, held the Shard.
He's trying to take it from me!
Within seconds, the headless Republic soldier crumpled to the ground, her saber hovering above the body.
That bastard of a droid took the other piece of the Shikon No Tama from me. Now that I've found this one, I will NOT give it up!!

~*~*~

"She's in trouble!!" Disciple shouted, his eyes jumping open. "I felt it in my meditations! Kira's found the Shard...and it's taken control of her!"

*Then Jasra and Karda better return shortly. Through her, the Shard has access to a power far more terrible than anything this galaxy has ever seen,* said the Doctor, standing and moving towards the cell barrier. *Come on, Jasra... where are you...?*

Karda hurried into the cell area and produced the evidence from the tapes. Within moments, the Selkath let the rest of their party go.

"Karda? I'm ready here. How are things on your end?"

"I just freed Atton, Disciple, and the rest. But I think Kira is in trouble. The shard has taken her over again, we need to get to her before she does anything serious." Karda replied.

*Karda!* said the Doctor. *Yes, thank you,* he said, as the Slekath opened the cell door. *Right now, to the TARDIS.*

"I just freed Atton, Disciple, and the rest. But I think Kira is in trouble. The shard has taken her over again, we need to get to her before she does anything serious," Karda said."

Jasra could feel that Karda was right. Even from this far away, she, too, could feel a small ripple in the Force. Kira was changing, and not for the better. And, she could feel Crystal weakening even more. They both desperately needed their help.

"Understood," Jasra said into the comm. "Just get the Doctor back here fast."

The Doctor ran past Karda, Tegan and Nyssa close behind them. He collected the sonic screwdriver, among other things, that had been confiscated when he was arressted, then headed back to the TARDIS.

***

The Doctor bolted up the ramp into the Ebon Hawk, and threw the door to the TARDIS open. He moved to the controls, barely acknowledging Jasra. He began flicking switches and pushing buttons. He moved quickly, calculating the coordinates.
*We must hurry,* he said, to nobody in particular. *The Time circuit has been damaged - we cannot go back in time to help, not even a few seconds. If anything should happen to them... I won't be able to help.*

Jasra dropped back near Karda and the Doctor's friends, giving the Doctor plenty of room to do whatever he needed to do to get them to where Kira was. The TARDIS was foreign technology, and she had no idea what he was doing.

She looked at Karda askance, trying to detect any hint of suspicions about her previous actions. His focus was on the Doctor, though, and she relaxed. She wanted to keep her training sessions with Brax a secret from everyone.

"Lay down your weapon!!"
Kira looked up from the Republic corpse in her hand. She had strangled this one after he had charged her, weilding a vibroblade. Now, the whole room was filled with a troop of armed guards, the scientists all having been escorted out of 'harms' way. As she gazed at the lead man, his resolve wavered, and he stepped back.
"Her-her eyes!" she heard him gasp. Interested, Kira turned to one of the full-wall windows in the room, checking her reflection. Indeed, her eyes were slitted like a cat's and a deep amber.
"She's not normal..." another soldier replied, "She's not human!"
Kira could practically smell the fear radiating off of them, and she smiled a demonic, toothy grin, which sent the soldiers scudling back again. Her cainine teeth now resembled fangs, rather than actual teeth. She swirled her saberstaff, watching the crystaline blue dance around her. Slidding into a fighting stance, she practically hissed, "Who's first?"

The Doctor pulled one last lever, and the engines kicked in - slowly. (http://www.dwwa.net/dr1/Child/pilottakeoff.wav)
*Oh, no, not know, anytime but now...*
The engine stopped, and was replaced by a deep, thronging bell. (http://www.dwwa.net/dr4/Logopolis/Cloistr.wav)
*Oh, bloody hell...* he muttered.
"Doctor, what is that?" asked Nyssa.
*The Cloister Bell,* said the Doctor darkly. *There's something wrong. Something very wrong.*
"You mean with the TARDIS?"
*No,* he answered, even more darkly. *With Kira. She's... she's in danger. Extreme danger. And I don't know what I can do about it.*

Kira took a step towards them, he demonic eyes glowing, and the soldiers took another step back. She smiled evily, and one of the soldiers lost their footing, stumbling back and pulling the trigger of his blaster at the same time. Kira, hardly noticing it, wasn't able to deflect the bolt until it hit her in the shoulder. Her body bounced back from the impact, blood staining her robes, but she hardly even flinched from pain.
"Son of a BITCH!" she screamed, her eyes glowing ever brighter. She flashed into action, without a second thought. She jumped into the lines of waiting soldiers, flashing her saber left and right, casting Force Storm and Kill every few minutes. One by one each soldier fell victim to her rampage...

Jasra frowned worriedly at the Doctor. "What? You mean, you can't get us down to the Republic Research Station?!"

*Oh, I can. But I don't know how long it will take to get the TARDIS into flight,* he said, the Cloister Bell continuing in the background. *Kira does not much time...* he began flicking more switches, and studied the readings. *This doesn'y make any sense!* he said. *It should be working!*
He pulled the lever again. The engines struggled to start, worked to a normal level, the began to whine again. The Doctor, frustrated, punched the console with the side of his fist.
The TARDIS sputtered for a second, then the column began moving again, and the engine sound returned to normal (http://www.dwwa.net/dr3/Claws/Takeoff.wav).
*Right,* said the Doctor. *We're off.*

Jasra let out a sigh of relief. She started to reach down to take her lightsabre out her boot, then frowned, and then tightened her grip on her Force Pike. She was more capable with it than the sabre, and plus it didn't injure someone as quickly as a lightsabre did. After all, she had no wish to kill Kira, only save her from the shard.

She flexed her 'invisible gauntlets', and readied herself.

There were some strange sounds from the TARDIS, and then...

"Are we there yet?" Jasra asked the Doctor.

*My dear young lady please never ask that question again,* said the Doctor. *It's extremely irritating.*
The TARDIS' engines stopped, and the ship was silent. *Alright, let's go,* he said, pulling another lever. The door opened, and he exited the TARDIS.

Jasra was first out of the TARDIS.

"There's the submersible," she said, running towards it. Crystal sat inside, weak and barely conscious. "Doctor! She needs help!"

As the Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan ran forward. Jasra felt something...odd through the Force. She turned quickly to the door leading to the inside of the research station, and nodded for Karda to follow her.

As she opened the door, she was met with a gruesome sight. A dead Republic soldier. It was obvious that he had met his death with a lightsabre.

"Kira..." she whispered. And she charged down the corridor leading deeper into the station.

The Doctor ran over to Crystal, placing two fingers at her neck. *What little pulse she has is erratic...* He leaned over to listen to her breathing. *She's barely breathing... Nyssa, help me get her to the TARDIS.*
"Doctor, I'm going to go see if Jasra and Karda need help," said Tegan, making to follow them.
*No!* yelled the Doctor. *You will do no such thing. You will help Nyssa get Crystal to the TARDIS. Assist her in any way she asks.*
"Alright... what about you?"
*I must make sure non of them touch the Shard. It's too dangerous. I believe Jasra brought a strong box with her. I'll bring it with me...*
He lifted Crystal by the arm, Nyssa grabbing her by the other, together, they carried her into the TARDIS corridors. Tegan opened a door for them, and the lay her on a bed, surrounded by a bunch of vials and beakers. He made sure that Nyssa had everything under control, then dashed into the console room, picking up the strong box as he went.

Karda used the Force to heighten his speed, until he was literally flying down the corridor ahead of Jasra. The farther he went, the more dead Republic soldiers he saw. He could hear screams and shouts just ahead. Oh no.... He jumped the last bit and sliced through the door with his lightsaber, rushing inside to a scene of carnage. "Kira!" Karda called.

Lagging slightly behind Karda, Jasra was horrified at the sight of the dead soldiers, but more so in the manner of their demise rather than their numbers. It reminded her of the carnage she and her old master had witnessed in the village on Baratt III, just before Master Kelva had met her own demise.

"Hurry, Doctor!" Jasra called urgently over her shoulder while continuing to run up the corridor following Karda. She could hear the screams of terror, and then the sound of lightsaber slicing metal.

Finally catching up to Karda, she drew in a breath of utter shock. Karda stood in the doorway, the door still smoking where his lightsabre had sliced through it, his lightsabre held ready in a form stance that Jasra had never witnessed. But in front of Karda, standing in the middle of the room, standing over a dying soldier, wielding a glowing lightsabre, was...

"Kira?"

Kira... What have you done? Karda slowly stepped into the room, staring at the multitude of dead soldiers laying on the ground. And standing in front of him, flourishing her lightsaber, was.... But it wasn't Kira. Her now amber eyes looked like a cat's, and her teeth - or rather her fangs. "Kira, it's me, Karda." He lowered his lightsaber, afraid of what Kira would do now.

The Doctor entered the room, and saw Kira standing there, surrounded by the bodies of dead soldiers. She looked at him upon his entry, and their eyes locked. The Doctor almost collapsed in terror, trying to get away from her - he had seen eyes like that before. He backed away on his knees, his eyes wide.
*The Black Guardian...* he whispered in horror.

The not-so-normal Kira turned as she heard a saber slicing through metal to see a Knight standing there, his saber ignited. Moments later, a woman and an older man (who collapsed in fright upon seeing her) entered as well. These were just like those soldiers. Petrified.
"Kira, it's me, Karda." the Jedi said, lowering his saber.
Kill him.
Kira's demonic features split into a terrifying grin, her eyes flashing with bloodlust. She slid into a fighting stance, her saber at the ready. "Tell me, Knight, do you wish to do battle?" she asked, her voice slightly deeper than usual. She chuckled, and instead of awaiting an answer, flourished her glowing blades and charged.
"Kira! NO!"
Her eyes growing wide, Kira felt her feet leave the ground as a wave of invisable force knocked her back. With a quick movement, she flipped upside down, and used the momentum to land easily on her feet a yard or so away. Now, rather than just the three original intruders, there were five. A man with black hair, dressed in street rat clothing, and a man with blonde hair, dressed in a strange style of jedi robes, had now appeared.
"Kira..." the blonde-haired one breathed, "What's happened to you?"
Pushing him out of the way, the dark-haired man came forward, "Kira! It's me, Atton. You have to remember me." he was frantic. She could smell it.
Kira laughed again, spinning her saber casually.
"Which one of you should I kill first?" she asked, as if it were an every day matter. She scanned them each in turn, as if trying to decide. "You." she said, eyeing the woman. "You're one of the first women I've seen all day. You'll be first."
And with that, Kira slid into a fighting stance, and charged once again.
She laughed heartlessly, her saber raised...
There was the sound of a blaster firing from behind her, and she stopped, lurching forward. Her eyes widened in surprise, as she wheeled around to find a soldier, one leg missing, propped up on the groud, a sparking blaster in his hands. She growled, her saber ready for a quick and easy strike across his shoulders. "Bastar-"
"Kira, don't!" Atton shouted, and he ran at her. Before the Exile had a chance to turn around and face him, the Scoundrel had crashed into her, and locked his arms around hers. By chance, the Shard was also knocked from her hand, and bounced across the steel floor, each sharp ring it created as it hit the floor amplified a hundred times, until it stopped at Jasra's feet.
Its power now lost to her, Kira collapsed. She feebly reached for the Shard, but her strength gave out and the Exile's head lolled to the side...where she caught her first glance of the carnage and death she had created. She gasped, tears coming to her eyes. "What have I done?" she whispered as she tried to move, however, she collapsed unconcious as pain from her wounds recocheted through her body.
"Someone help her!" Atton shouted, looking with worry on the face of the woman he loved.

The Doctor heard Atton cry for help, but he couldn't move. Those eyes... the Black Guardian... it couldn't be... Kira couldn't be...
He slowly stood. *Atton, step away from Kira,* he said. *She's him, she's under his control. The Black Guardian. GET AWAY FROM HER!*

"What the hell are you talking about?" Atton shouted, "The Shard's lost its control over her; she's back to normal! She needs medical help, it looks like she's taken two blaster wounds!"

Jasra stared at the amber shard, sparkling at her feet. For a moment, she just stared at it, seemingly unaware of the struggle going on between Atton and Kira, then Kira's collapse.

With everyone's attention on Kira, Jasra bent down...

She could feel its power radiating from within. She stretched out her hand, still wearing the 'invisible' gauntlets Brax had given her, and picked it up.

She raised an eyebrow. She could feel its tug, urging her to taste its power. But, suprisingly, although it was tempting, it wasn't quite as irresistible as she had thought it would be. It was like looking at an incredible tasty dessert, but not being at all hungry. Must be the gauntlets, she thought to herself.

But it was beautiful. Firey... Sparkling... Entrancing...

She stared at it, lost in its beauty....

The Doctor moved slowly towards her. Her eyes were barely open, but he could see that they were back to normal. He picked up the pace a little bit, and knelt down beside her.
*She needs to get back to the TARDIS. I can't do anything for her here,* he said. *Help me get her up. Jasra, I brought the strong box. Put the shard in it, if you wouldn't mind.*

"Hmm?" Jasra blinked and gave the Doctor a quizzical look.

*The Shard. Put it in the strongbox.* She continued to stare at him blankly. *Over there.*

Jasra's hand tightened around the shard. She looked at it, then the Doctor, then back at the shard. "Now?" she asked him.

*Yes, now would be preferable,* he said. ((ugh. This is short. Even for a one liner...))

Atton slipped his arm around Kira's shoulders, and his other behind her knees, standing. She groaned quietly, tensing, before going completly limp. "C'mon, she needs help." Atton said.
"Careful, Atton." Disciple said, stepping towards Jasra, "Watch her wounds."
The Jedi turned from Atton to face Jasra, an ancient cloth open in his palm. "Jasra," he said, offering the cloth, "Give me the Shard."

*Disciple, we should refrain from touching it,* said the Doctor. *It should go in the strong box.*

((OOC: That was Disciple, not Atton :xp: ))

IC:

"It's alright, Doctor." Disciple said, "The cloth I have here is a peice of the burial cloth found on the body of one of the first Jedi Masters. It should have enough of a pure aura to cancel out the Shard's effects. Even if its just for a few moments." the Jedi stared hard into Jasra's eyes, "Jasra, you have to hand over the Shard. For the safety of Kira and the others, please."
Don't make me take it from you...

Very slowly, Jasra walked over to the strongbox and opened it. She gave the shard one last look before setting it inside the box, and closing and locking the lid.

"You said you had a special place in your TARDIS for storing this, right?" she asked the Doctor, as she picked up the box. "I'll take it there now."

She frowned slightly as she suddenly noticed Kira's injuries. "On second thought..." She set the box down and moved to kneel beside Atton and Kira.

Laying one hand on Kira's forehead, and the other one on her blaster wound, she closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment, she let out a tired sigh. "There," she said. "She should be alright to carry back to the TARDIS now."

She rose, then frowned. She had no idea where she had learned to do that. Shaking her head, she went back to the box, picked it up, and started down the corridor towards the TARDIS.

*Alright, let's move,* said the Doctor. *We should get out of here before the Republic sends a battalion of soldiers.* He followed Jasra back to the TARDIS.

***

Nyssa padded Crystal's forehead with a damp cloth. "Crystal?" she said. "Crystal, can you here me?"

Karda stared at Jasra for a moment, feeling the urge in her to take the Shard. He thought for a second, then hurried after her. "Jasra, wait - I'll come with you."

Crystal stirred slightly and began to murmur in her own strange language.

"Vzhe tzhasf it feafmy..." Her voice was monotone, her pulse was weak, and her breathing was shallow and irregular. She did not appear to be responding to Nyssa's words at all.

Hearing Karda call after her, Jasra slowed in the corridor to allow Karda to catch her up. She closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping her new gauntlets invisible, like Brax had taught her. It would just not do for anyone to discover them. Especially Karda.

"I have to get this shard to the Doctor's hiding place in the TARDIS," she said to him, without looking at him directly. "I'm sure that once it's protected and secured in there, that Crystal and Kira will come back to norm...." She thought about Crystal's 'new' appearance and Kira's eyes. "Well, semi-normal," she corrected herself.

She paused, then looked at him curiously. "What? Something wrong?"


((ooc: Jasra's 'invisible' gauntlet's should be just that. Invisible. For the moment. ;)))

"Nothing." He walked on beside her silently. "Well, I guess to say it bluntly, I noticed your reaction to the Shard. That thing is worrying me. And the problem is, I'm not sure if it will try to take over me, although I haven't really seemed to be called to it - yet."