"How close are we?" Kira asked as she entered the cockpit, leaning on the back of the co-pilot's chair so she could catch a glimpse of the navigation charts.
"Almost there." Atton responded, his tone hard, sending an ice-cold look to Revan, "Should be another ten or fifteen minutes."

"I'm getting some strange readings from onboard the Almanac..." said Revan. "I'm reading intense gravometric disturbances, along with... I don't know what they are..."
"They're nelactic particles," said the Doctor, entering the cockpit. "They're used to create a stable wormwhole between two points. A wormwhole that traverses space. The gravometric disturbance allows the wormwhole to be bent through the time stream, allowing travel between not only two points in space, but two points in time, as well."
Revan stared at him blankly. "And that means...?"
"It means," he snapped back. "That there is another TARDIS nearby. And therefore the other Time Lord."

"And what does that mean for us?" Kira asked, apprehension shinning in her eyes.

"It means," he said, growing impatient. "That we will experience difficulty in achieving success in our goals, with the constant interference of this Time Meddler!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The darkness of the antechamber pressing in around him, Vros stepped up to the sheet of black glass at the head of the chamber. He could barely make out his reflection in the dark sheen of the glass. His white beard glistened in the dark glow of the black mirror as he knelt before it, listening intently.
"It is done, Mi'Lord. The Republic ship has been taken, it's crew killed, and the Jedi brought to us."
The chamber was silent for a moment, the only sound the faint breeze sweeiping through the cold stone chamber. After a moment, Vros spoke again.
"Of course, Mi'Lord. The Ysalmir are in position. Shan will not be able to harm Them."
He stared at the black mirror for a moment, his eyes widening slightly.
"But Mi'Lord... surely he cannot be a threat to u-"
He fell silent suddenly, and after a moment, began speaking again.
"The other would be willing to aide us?"
After another moment's silence, he smiled darkly. "As you wish, Master. It shall be done."
He bowed to the mirror and stood, turning on his heel and marching out of the chamber into the cold harsh winds of the planet's surface.

"No kidding." Atton said sarcastically.
"What I meant was what is happening that would draw another Time Lord here?" Kira asked. The Doctor had never gotten on her nerves before, but now...

"I don't know," snapped the Doctor, after throwing Atton a contemptous look. "There is something interfering with the normal course of time. And I would not be at all surprised if it will not fall on us - more specifically, me - to repair the damage."

"But why would the Time Lord had traveled to Karda and the Almanac?" Kira wondered aloud, "Unless..."

"Unless he recieved that message from Karda, and is trying to intercept the Doctor," finished Revan. "Maybe he's trying to prevent the Doctor from restoring the time line?"

"But why would he do that?" Atton murmured.
"I thought the Time Lords were supposed to be protecting the Time Line." Kira said, "So, why would they try and stop someone who's trying to fix it?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the mind of a delusional Time Lord," spat the Doctor. "I can only guess as to his motives."
"Maybe someone's paying him to disrupt the timeline?" suggested Revan. "Maybe someone's trying to take over the Galaxy, and-"
"It is possible," said the Doctor, cutting Revan off. "We can't know for sure, yet. I suggest we... eliminate him, before he causes more trouble than we can deal with."

Kira's eyes narrowed slightly. "You seem to come to that decision quite quickly." she commented.

"He is a menace," he responded. "He has been wreaking havoc for far too long. He must be eliminated."

"And see how a moment ago you didn't know a thing about him." Kira answered tersely.

"You assume too much, Jedi," he spat. "I have dealt with him before. I acted as his prosecution when he was put on tril for conduct unbecoming a Time Lord. I have gone head to head against him many times. And each time, he has defeated me. But no more. This is where I draw the line. Right here, right now. He must be stopped!"

"But the Doctor I knew was no friend of the Time Lords." Kira said, "If I recall correctly, he was renegade. So why would you have been his persecutor? Don't you have to be on the same side as the court to have that job?"

"How much do you know of my past? I have never said when I acted as prosecutor, nor when I left the Order of Rassilon. Again, you allow your Jedi arrogance to blind your common sense."
With that, he turned away from her, examining the galaxy map, and evaluating their trajectory.

"Hmm." Kira murmured, looking hard at the Doctor. She touched Revan's mind.
I'm not sure about him anymore. she told him.

There's something different about him, yes, responded Revan. And he's definately hiding something. But I don't see that we have any choice but to help him. He knows more about what's going on than we ever could.

I know. And that's what scares me.
She looked to the Doctor. "Alright. If we come across this Time Lord, we'll help you. But first, we need to see what Karda wants."
"Hang on everyone," Atton said, "We're coming out of Hyperspace..."
A moment later, the ship lurched, and two Republic cruisers came into sight on the viewscreen.

"Hail both ships," ordered Revan.
Atton threw him a dark look, then opened a channel. "This is Atton Rand, of the Ebon Hawk. Do you copy?"

"This is the Dreadless, we copy you Ebon Hawk," came the reply "What can we do for you?"

Tylor unhappily walked to back to the hanger. He arrived just intime to hear the Ebon Hawk hail and the Dreadless reply. Tylor didn't do anything, he just sat on the front consel and watched the Ebon Hawk.

"We're here to speak with a Jedi who has joined you. His name's Karda." Atton answered, "Requesting permission to dock."

"Permission granted. We'll switch you over to Karda's comm." Came the reply from the Dreadless. Meanwhile Tylor quickly stood infront of the Almanac's communications consel and set up a channel where he could secretely listen in the the communications between The Ebon Hawk and Karda.

"Your turn." Atton said, motioning Kira forward. "The line's up, but there's no telling who's listening. There's another ship here, and it's not registered under the Republic."
"I'll keep it brief." she replied, and opened the channel.
"Jedi Knight Karda, this is Kira Starr. Can you read me?"

(hello? Anyone out there? - you guys get me wanting this again, and then you don't post?)

((OOC: Well, now that he's rejoined, we're waiting for a certain person to post so the EH can dock...how 'bout it, Robby-Rob? :xp: ))

(I know, and Jasra and I are waiting for him to post since he's gonna walk in on us at any second ... )

((OOC: Ok, I’ll post for Karda for the moment. Rob, just jump in and take him over when you can, and if you’re confused about the plot line, just PM me. ;) ))

Karda had reached the hanger bay and was just about ready to step aboard the scavenger’s ship when his comlink activated.

"Jedi Knight Karda, this is Kira Starr. Can you read me?"

Karda raised his brows. “Kira?” With one foot in the airlock, he let out a sigh of relief. “Glad to hear your voice,” he replied to her through the com link as he continued toward the bridge of the ship. “It’s been a long time. Well, that’s not exactly true. It hasn’t been any time. But you know what I mean.”

Suddenly, he looked up and saw Jasra and Brax on the bridge. Karda frowned.

“And, we could really use your help,” he continued to Kira. “Go ahead and dock with the Dreadless. I’ll meet you in the briefing room in an hour. Karda out.”

Karda gave Jasra a look, then Brax, then Jasra once again. “He doesn’t look like he’s dying to me,” he said to Jasra.

Jasra shrugged, and tried to hide a satisfied grin. “Well…he did a few minutes ago.”

Karda’s face went blank. “Oh no…” he said under his breath, then he closed his eyes and shook his head with disappointment. He let out a sigh. “Kira’s here,” he said to Jasra. “We’re meeting her in the briefing room in an hour.” He gave both Brax and Jasra a hard stare. “So, did you find any clues in here, or have you been too busy….” He searched for an appropriate word. “’Socialising’?”

Jasra began to blush, and she cleared her throat. “We did find something, as a matter of fact,” and she told Karda about Juppa, Valclav Amek, and Myrkr.

“Interesting,” Karda said thoughtfully. “Download the rest of their data and meet me in the briefing room.”

“Erm...you’re not angry about Brax being here?” Jasra asked as Karda was leaving.

“No,” he replied to her over his shoulder. “I’m just very…disappointed.” Karda left for the briefing room of the Dreadless.

Jasra frowned slightly, and she turned to Brax. She felt so much better with him here, but she also felt very unfocused, and definitely un-Jedi. All she could think of was being with Brax, and everything else seemed unimportant and secondary. “This mate-bonding thing,” she asked him. “Does it make you feel…unfocused? Or is this just how a human would react to these pheromones of yours?” She paused, and looked at him wantonly. “Because I’m finding it extremely difficult to focus on anything but you at the moment. And it’s starting to scare me.”

“Go ahead and dock with the Dreadless. I’ll meet you in the briefing room in an hour."
"Alright, see you there."
"Karda out.”
Kira turned to Atton. "You heard the man."
"Aye, aye, el capitan." the Scoundrel said, giving a mock salute before steering the Hawk to an open dock.

Heading toward the Dreadless Karda activated his comlink again to contact the Doctor and Rose. “Doctor, I'm heading back to the Dreadless. Kira Starr just contacted me and the Ebon Hawk will be docking soon. I asked her to meet us in the briefing room in an hour. Did you find anything?”

"We did," said the Doctor, shutting down the console and removing a small disc from it. "We've found evidence that whoever attacked the Almanac came from Myrkr, or at the very least have been there recently. I'll explain when I can do so to Kira and Revan, as well."

"It can be intoxicating at times, espcially after long times apart ... But i have no idea how it's reacting with your human physiology ... it shouldn't even be possible for us to bond." He frowned, and pulled out a datapad, attaching it to the computer quietly and downloading all their logs and any other information that might be of use.

"We should get going." he looked at her, worried a little. He didn't like that he might be having an adverse effect on her. She was having quite the opposite on him. He felt great ... his hearts all pumping normally. His mind was focused, like it should be when a bond-mate was nearby.

Karda raised an eyebrow at the Doctor's reply. "Really? Jasra and Brax discovered something similar in the ship's logs." He paused for a moment. "Doctor, you and Rose proceed to the briefing room of the Dreadless. And bring any evidence that you found with you. Karda out."

"Understood," he said, as Karda closed the channel.
"Doctor, why would anyone want to capture a Jedi?"
"I don't know... the Exchange placed a bounty on Jedi a few years ago, but it was lifted soon after... I'm not sure exactly when. It's no longer in place, at any rate."
He passed her the disc, and she pocketed it. "We should return to the Dreadless as soon as possible. I have a feeling that something is terribly wrong here... and that things are only going to get worse."

Jasra nodded, then started forward, then paused. She wheeled around to face Brax, her breath coming quickly and with a wanton expression in her eyes. “I just want to be with you. I don’t care about the mission…or Karda…or Kira…or Bastila. Just…you.” She moved closer to him, running her hands up his arms to encircle his neck. She felt so alive with Brax near her, but in the back of her mind, she knew that she needed to regain control. “Is there something you can do to help me focus?” she asked him. She bit her lip in an effort to resist the urge to kiss him. “Something through the Force?”

~~~~~~~~~

On his way to the briefing room, Karda paused, then changed direction and headed for the med bay. After spending a few minutes with the medical technician, he left with an empty vial in his hand.

Karda wanted everyone on his team to be focused on the task at hand, and it was quite obvious to him that Jasra wasn't. He hoped that with a blood sample from Brax the medical technician could develop some sort of antidote to Jasra’s pheromone problem. It was a longshot, given that Omwati physiology was pretty much an unknown, but it was worth a try.

He activated his comlink. "Jasra? Don't forget...you and Brax. Briefing room. Don't delay."

He switched channels. "Crystal? Bring whatever evidence you have discovered and meet me in the briefing room on board the Dreadless. Kira Starr is here, and she's coming on board soon. And I'm having a small problem with Jasra that I think you can help with."

He switched channels again. "Tylor? Please escort our guests from the Ebon Hawk to the briefing room upon their arrival. I want you to join us, too, so make the appropriate arrangements for the helm."

Karda proceded to the briefing room to await the arrival of Crystal, the Doctor and Rose, Jasra and Brax, Tylor, and Kira and her crew. There they would discuss what they had found and make their plans for their next move. And Karda suspected that would involve a visit to the planet Myrkr.

"Maybe."

Brax's hands lifted and gently pressed to her temples, his fingers pressing against the sides of her head. He closed his eyes and leaned close, their foreheads meeting. She could feel him sliding against her, sensual movements causing a pleasant feeling in both of them, but then his mind slid forward farther. And they felt closer than they had before, their bond wrapping around each other. Jasra, the only way this will work is if you're fully willing, this bond I am creating will make it so that we will ahve ... a hard time being a part, harder than now. But it will also mean that we will share thoughts, you will gain my control over this problem ... I will take some of your problem with it. It isn't perfect, and it's probably not reversible, and ... it's gonna piss karda off to know end. I'm afraid of it, I'm not even sure it will work ... but I've heard of this bond I want to make. And I think I can do it.

He switched channels again. "Tylor? Please escort our guests from the Ebon Hawk to the briefing room upon their arrival. I want you to join us, too, so make the appropriate arrangements for the helm."

"Okay, but It'll take me ten minutes or more. I'm on a completely different ship." Replied Tylor before running out of the bridge and onto the Dreadless, then heading toward the hanger.

He entered from top level of the hanger, from there he watched the Ebon Hawk land and it's crew walk out. "So this is the great Ebon Hawk, wicked." He said before rushing down the stairs and greeted Kira and her crew. "Good day fokes, Karda sent me to guide you to the breifing room."

Kira nodded as the soldier jogged down to greet them.
"Very well. But first, do you have a name?"

"I do, Marshall Tylor, I perfer to be called Tylor if your don't mind. Do you lot have names?"

"I am Kira Starr." she said, the indicated each of the others in turn, "These are my companions: Atton Rand, Disciple, and I think my last companion can introduce himself."

Revan walked up beside Kira and Atton. "Atton, you left your coffee cup on the navigation console again. How many times do I have to tell you to be careful with my ship? Even Canderous knew how to..."
He stopped as he noticed the wide eyed look the soldier at the bottom of the ramp was giving him. Revan smiled and nodded. "Hey there," he said. "I'm Revan."

Tylor nodded. "Tylor," He replied, assuming this wasn't thee Revan, just someone with the same name. "Anyone else with you or shall we head to the briefing room?"

Revan looked over his shoulder. "The Doctor will be along shortly," he said, throwing Kira a quick glance. "I believe he can find his own way."

"The Doctor, I thought he was allready here, guess I was wrong. Well if your sure he can find his own way, please follow me."

"I'm not even sure it will work ... but I've heard of this bond I want to make. And I think I can do it."

Even though it was reassuring to hear Brax’s thoughts in her head, Jasra struggled with herself in her own mind. One part of her desperately wanted the bond with Brax, hungered for it, craved it. Another part was warning her away from the bond, telling her to evaluate all her options before choosing her path. The conflict raged like a stormy sea inside her, ripping her apart from Brax’s mind one moment, yet trying to meld with him in the next.

“Arrgh!” She winced, though she did not have the will to physically pull herself away from him. “Too… many… thoughts! Jedi…thoughts!”

As he released her, she knew Brax had felt the conflict within her mind. Her physical body had been trained as a Jedi—and the memories were there, just denied by her current consciousness. She slumped against him, feeling exhausted now from her internal struggle.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, heaving deep breaths with her head pressed against his chest. “I want to, but I can’t.” Her ice blue eyes sought his and she gave him a soft grin. “Not yet.”

Steadied by Brax’s arms, she eventually found her feet. “Maybe Karda was right. If the pheromone effect was nullified, maybe I’d be able to focus,” she suggested, although she didn’t sound convinced herself. “Or maybe Crystal can help. She’s helped me focus before.” She frowned slightly, again not convinced. “At any rate, I do feel a bit more focused now, even though you didn’t complete what you were doing.” She bit her lip, and raised a sly eyebrow. “Though, I still feel an urge to kiss you.”

Hand in hand, she and Brax headed off towards the briefing room of the Dreadless.

((OOC: Sorry for the double post, but as Rob hasn't posted anything, I'll just go ahead with it. (Rob, just jump in when you feel like it.) ))


In the briefing room, Karda greeted Kira, Revan, and Atton as Tylor brought them in. “Glad you could come,” he said to them. “I think we’re going to need your help. The others will be here soon, but as they’ve already been briefed, I’ll just give you the basics of our mission.” He sighed. “Bastila Shan, and a score of Jedi hopefuls, are missing. They were on their way to the Jedi Enclave at Dantooine when all contact with their ship the Almanac was lost. When a Republic search team finally located it, the crew, Bastila, and her potential Padawans, were gone. We believe they’ve been kidnapped, but we still don’t know why. Or, if they are still alive.”

Karda gave Revan a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You and Master Shan were close friends, weren’t you?”

Just then, Rose and the Doctor followed by Jasra and Brax entered the briefing room and sat down at the table.

“Sorry we’re late,” Jasra quickly apologised. “We got….” She gazed into Brax’s eyes and grinned coyly. “Erm...distracted.”

Karda glared at Brax, then sighed as he turned to Kira, Revan, and Atton. “Jasra has a slight… chemical problem at the moment. But,” he continued, giving Jasra a quick glare, “right now, we need to figure out where we should start looking for Bastila and the Jedi hopefuls. We’ve been investigating the Almanac for clues, but I believe it would be helpful if we all shared what we found, so that we’re not following any false leads. Doctor?” Karda turned to the Doctor and Rose. “I believe you found something interesting on board. Care to share it with us?”

“Wait,” Jasra interrupted. “Where’s Crystal?”

Karda sighed. “I’m sure she’s on her way,” he said irritated, by Jasra’s lack of concentration on the topic at hand. “Now,” he continued, “Doctor? Tell us what you found.”

Revan narrowed his eyes slightly. Doctor.
Well this is interesting... he thought, touching Kira's mind.

The Doctor stepped forwad, Rose passing him the disc he had given her. "We found a video log recorded by the ship's doctor," he said. "It records the beginning of an attack on the medical bay, before the camera was destroyed by the attackers."
He walked to the front of the room, inserted the disc into the drive, and activated the screen.

The doctor appeared on the screen, and her dictation began.

"... just lost main power. We're running on backups. And the comm is out, so we can't even... bridge! I've ordered a-"
There was a burst of static, the screen flickering for a fraction of a second as the door to the med bay blew open behind the doctor, sending shrapnel everywhere. The doctor screamed as she was pulled away from the camera by a masked figure with overly large shoulders.

"Pause playback," said the Doctor. He tapped the console, and the screen zoomed in on the man's shoulders, bringing the small lizard-like creature drapped over his shoulders into focus.
"What is it?" asked Atton.
"That, Mr. Rand, is a Ysilmar. It's a reptile species native to the planet Myrkr. You see, it's predators are Force sensative. Therefore, they have evolved with the unique ability to create Force voide surrounding them. Depending on the size of the individual, this bubble of 'anti-Force', for lack of a better term, deafens it's predators to the Force, allowing it to escape with less difficulty."

"Make's sence," Replied John "What better way of kidnapping a jedi then to take away they're power. Take away the very thing that they depend on. It's a good tatic. It was suggested that they should be used during the Jedi Civil war but we ran into a small problem."

"You see, Ysalamiri sink their claws into the trees on which they live and draw nutrients. It's very difficult to remove a ysalamir from its tree without killing it. All attempts we took to remove them from the trees ended up in complete failure so we stopped all operations and set up a few traps incase the enemy attempted to copy our operation."

"Well, someone seems to have devised a way of removing them without killing them," said the Doctor. "And used them to kidnap Mistress Shan and her padawans."

"And I put my credits on that the Sith or some Dark Jedi Cult kidnapped them." Said John. "It's make perfect sence. They proberly used some acient device they found in the ancient ruins on Korriban, kidnapped Bastila to use her Battle Meditation against the Jedi and the Republic and took the padawan in hopes of turning them to their side." John suggested "Or I could be completely barking up the wrong tree."