Darth Saaron heard his mother through the force and then closed his eyes in heavy concentration. He used the force to launch a shuttle and positioned it to dock with their ship. After a few minutes, the shuttle docked with Sarela's ship. Once docked, only the airlock to the Phoenix opened. Darth Saaron used the force to keep the airlock sealed on the shuttle until Sarlea was in the airlock and he could seal Phoenix's airlock.

Sarela boarded the shuttle, and once the airlock closed, she went to the cockpit. Carefully, she disconnected from the Phoenix and guided the shuttle away from it, slowly moving in the direction of her son's Force presence.

Darth Saaorn felt his mother approaching him and when she was in range, he activated his ship's tractor beam. Through the force, he coldly told his apprentice, ::There is a shuttle arriving, go and greet our guest and bring her here. If you harm her in any way, my apprentice, you will be wishing that you were that Dark Jedi you can still hear screaming in agony.::

::Y-yes, master,:: Darth Maera said, uncertainly, and headed for the docking bay. She wasn't sure who was coming, or why she was so important, but it was clear that she meant something to Darth Saaron. She couldn't imagine why Darth Saaron would threaten her not to hurt the person, unless....

"You." Darth Maera hissed as Sarela stepped off the shuttle. She glared at the older woman, and forced herself to remember her master's orders. "Follow me," she said coldly, and turned on her heel to lead Sarela to Darth Saaron. "Master," she said briefly, and stood waiting for further orders.

Darth Saaron got up and smiled at the little girl, then turned around to his mother, not sure if he should embrace her. "Mother, I- its good to see you again. This is the family I told you about." He said indicating the family on his couch, the ring on his finger shining in dim light.

Sarela embraced her son, tenderly. "Ben. It's been too long."

Darth Maera stared at them both, stonily. She didn't say anything, but inside, she was seething. She felt that after what she had said earlier, Sarela had no right to even be in Darth Saaron's presence. She knew what her master had said, but, for the first time, she was conflicted in obeying him. She could sense, though, that he was happy to see his mother, and so she tried to keep her rage under control. After what seemed an interminable struggle, she calmed herself enough to face him again, expressionless.

Tanya looked at Darth Saaron and his mother. It was nice to see someone who loved him. Even if he was a Sith. Instead of taking Darth Saaron's hand, the little girl got up, ran to him, and hugged him. Madi was shocked. But Zano held his wife back, comforting her.

The little girl looked up at Darth Saaron, and smiled, showing her little teeth. She was so happy that she could learn the ways of the Force. "Thank you, mister! Even if you are a Sith... you're the nicest one I met!" She said, in a sweet voice. Tanya glanced at her Ewok teddy bear. "Oh. And this is my friend, Dan! He's says you're nice too."

"Scumbags, huh?" CSI smiled, "That's the most polite word I've heard from a Sith. Anyway, I need to pay a visit to the Kuat System--I think I placed an order, about 10 years ago, and I nearly forgot about it during my exile."

"What's it, then?" Vergil narrowed his eyes.

"I don't have enough money to order an Eclipse, so I ordered an Executor instead."

"What? An Executor?" Vergil stared at CSI, confused, "What's that?"

"A Super Star Destroyer, my friend, just like the Eclipse, but not that big." CSI explained.

"Ah...So you going to Kuat System and just drive a huge ship back to Coruscant?" Vergil narrowed his eyes even further.

CSI nodded.

"No, that's not possible..." Vergil stammered.

"Well, let's make it possible--besides, we're gonna haul that ship over here and begin crew transferring--by transfering, I mean to dock this Jedi Phoenix in." CSI paused for a while, "Arion! Can I borrow the Jedi Fighter in your Cargo Hold?"

Arion thumbed on the comm. "Yes, you can borrow it, but be careful not to overstep the bounds that Sarela mentioned." He leaned back in the pilot's seat, wondering if she was alright.

"Okay. No problem. I'll catch you folks later." CSI walked into the cargo hold, flew the Jedi Starfighter out, and it flashed into the hyperspace.

----

After a while, Vergil murmured: "I have a bad feeling about this."

Arion walked into the main hold. "You have a bad feeling about what?" he asked Vergil, as he pulled off his helmet.

"Well..." Vergil's sound broke up when he glanced at the window. Another huge ship just came out of hyperdrive, "That."

That was a Executor-Class Star Dreadnought.

"Now *we* are in trouble." Vergil murmured.

Arion stared at the Star Destroyer. "Uh oh. Who's that?" He headed for the cockpit and fired up the controls. Switching on the comm, he signaled the Star Destroyer. "Er... unidentified Star Destroyer, this is Jedi Phoenix. May I inquire as to your purpose here?"

"Jedi Phoenix, this is Super Star Destroyer Arbiter. And we'll haul your vessel into Docking Bay 224. Stand by." The intercom beeped, "And the commander would meet you personally."

Vergil shrugged: "Guess we have to meet the 'mysterous' commander."

"Affirmative, Arbiter. Standing by." Arion thumbed off the comm. "We're being pulled in by a tractor beam," he told Vergil. He wondered who this 'commander' was, and why he wanted to talk to them. The Phoenix was drawn into the Arbiter, and landed in the hangar bay. Now what? Arion wondered to himself.

The hangar door slowly opened, and reveals a figure.

"Hello, my friend. Welcome to my ship. Sorry if I don't have a welcoming committee." Then the figure made a bow to the ship, "Will you step down, my friend?" The figure said sincerely.

Arion lowered the exit ramp, and called to Vergil, "I'll be there in a sec, you go ahead." He finished closing down the Phoenix's controls, and stepped out to see who the commander was.

Darth Saaron gave into the embrace with his mother and felt his apprentice's internal conflict. He smiled wickedly at her and said through the force, ::Careful, my apprentice. Wouldn't want any... accidents now would we.::

As Darth Saaron laid his head down on his mother's sholder, he felt someone else hugging him and looked down. He saw the little girl smiling up at him and he smiled back. "Dan eh? Well I can sense that your name is Tanya. Tanya, this is my mother. She is going to look after your family until everything is safe again, while she is looking after you, she will begin to train you in the ways of the force."

Then Darth Saaron looked back to his mother and said "Mom... I love you, how will you ever forgive me once I... have finished."

Sarela looked at him, love and concern in her eyes. "It's not so much whether I can forgive you, but whether you can forgive yourself. What.... what are you going to do?"

Darth Maera watched them, a new conflict of feelings welling inside her. She wasn't at all sure what her master intended, or how she felt about his actions and words.

Alex was onboard his ship The Fox - Waiting for a reply to his enquiry..

The Ship You Seek Is Located 3 hours and 20 minutes away from our present location. Our speed is: Hyperspeed.

Thank you denise.

Enquiry Not Recognized


Alex, after hearing he was finally on course for the ship he seeked, went to his small cargo bay, and turned on multiple sensor droids to prepare for a long and hard battle.

* * *

ARRIVING AT DESTINATION is what he could hear over the computer's loudspeaker. So he returned to the bridge.

"Dang it! I can't feel his prescence in the system!"

"Wait.. I feel another prescence, similar to Darth Kelion - only... stronger, and much more hate"

Alex got ready, making sure to hide his Indigo lightsaber on his self, but not shown, as to avoid losing it. He boarded the sith's ship, making sure to hide his prescence and his ship's prescence, to be able to assasinate the Dark Lord that resided on the ship.

It was difficult to hide his prescence, there were many force users and sensitives on board... Alexcrinked his neck and cracked his fingers... hiding every ounce of his being, and purposely leaking information; he liked the thrill of the hunt, though it could have been his undoing.

He stalked on the ship, any guard; was quickly eliminated.. but so far they were nothing but pety foot soldiers

"The real trouble is yet to come, I sense... something different" he thought as he slowly creeped towards the dark lords prescence.

Darth Maera frowned. She sensed.... something hunting. She felt soldiers' lives suddenly ended, and she followed the trail of dead, finding that it followed a purposeful path..... towards them. At once she reached out to her master and Sarela. ::Master, forgive me for interrupting you, but there is a..... hostile..... on board. I can't get a good enough sense of him to determine his exact nature or purpose::

Tanya smiled. She was so excited to hear that Darth Saaron's mother was going to train her in the ways of the Force. She waved to Sarela. "Hello. It's nice to meet you. That's my mommy and daddy!" Zano and Madi got up and bowed. "I'm Zano Field. And this is my wife, Madi."

Tanya turned to Darth Saaron. "And thank you, sir. I can't wait to learn the Force!" She ran back to her parents, hugging them, along with Dan. Madi and Zano smiled down at their little girl. They knew that they would have faith in her in becoming a Jedi. "We thank you, again," Zano said to Darth Saaron, smiling.

Darth Saaron felt a disturbance in the force and then heard his apprentice. ::I felt it as well.:: He turned to look at his mother, ::Mom, you have got to get them to a safe place. I... I am being hunted, why I don't know. Please, there is not much time. I do not know if they are hunting you as well. If they are, it would not be safe to use the corridors. Behind that panel:: he pointed to a bulkhead pannel to his left, near Darth Marra, ::Is a emergency access tunnel. Its crampt, but it will get you inside the hanger, and to a ship. Feel free to take any of the ships that are docked, but keep this family safe. Find me when this is over or help me when you get a chance. I love you, mom, I always will.::

After addressing his mother, he knelt down to Tanya and said, "My ship is no longer safe, young one. Go with my mother, she will protect your family from now on, until I am able to train you in the force." He took out something that he had always kept in his pocket, something that his grandmother gave him when he was young, a good luck charm. He took a small chain that he had in his pocked and slipped it through the charm, making it a necklace, and infused it with his force signature. As he gently put the necklace on Tanya, he told her, "This is a good luck charm that my grandmother once gave me. Always keep it with you, it will bring you good fortune. I have also enfused my force signature in it so you can always know where I am and be able to find me if you need to. We will see each other again, young one." He looked up to her parents and also his mother, "Go. Please, go. Get to somewhere safe." He wispered, a tear falling down his cheek, his emotions becomming unstable.

((Oh, that's okay, Randus.))

Tanya looked up at Darth Saaron, and started to cry. She hugged him again. "I'll keep it safe, sir. And I promise that I'll find you again... one day." Zano held on to his wife, and looked at Tanya, with sadness in his eyes. He turned to Sarela, and nodded sadly. "We're ready when you are."

Madi looked at Darth Saaron. "We... we're glad that we met you, milord. You have been kind to us. And we thank you." Tanya pulled out her little purple bracelet, and placed it on Darth Saaron's wrist. "This is for you, so that you can remember me too."

She began to cry again, and hugged Darth Saaron once more. "I love you... big brother."

Darth Saaron felt Tanya put the bracelet on his rist and looked at it for a second and looked back at Tanya. As she began to cry he returned her hug and getly patted her on her back. "I know that this is going to be hard, and please, call me by my real name. Its Ben Flameshadow; only 8 people in the galaxy know it right now, most of which are standing in this room." He paused, and when she began to cry again he returned her hug once again, trying to comfort her. Hearing her call him her... big brother touched his heart, he was adopted by this little girl. He lost control of his emotions and gently placed his head on her sholder, beginning to cry. He used the force to reach out to Tanya's mind and said, ::I- I love you too... little sister.:: He paused and then continued, ::Before you leave, my mother will teach you how to communicate to me through the force, so that whenever you are feeling lonely you can talk to me from anywhere in the galaxy... I- I am going to miss you so much, Tanya.::

Sarela smiled down at the little girl. "Open your mind, and feel the charm that Ben gave you. Now concentrate on that feeling, and think what you want to say."

Darth Maera fingered her lightsaber, uneasily. She didn't know what to think anymore; she could tell that her master had lost control, but it wasn't in a dark side way, it was..... she rejected such thoughts, forcing herself to concentrate on locating that which was hunting Darth Saaron.

Tanya gently touched the necklace. She then closed her eyes, and opened her mind. Tanya began concentrating on her feeling towards the charm. ::B-Ben? Can you hear me?:: Although her parents couldn't feel the Force, they looked at their daughter, wondering if she was feeling the Force.

"Ya think she's doing it, dear?" Madi whispered to her husband. Zano continue to look at Tanya. "Anything is possible."

::Yes, I can hear you, Tanya. You are a fast learner. Using the force, we will be able to communicate like this from anywhere.:: He replied through the force, feeling his apprentice's uneasyness, and chuckled. He continued to talk to Tanya, ::You will also be able to find me using the force, once you are taught how to. I sense that there is one last thing my mother wants to teach you before you guys depart. Listen to her closely, and try what she says.::

Sarela gave him a small smile, and told Tanya, ::Concentrate on the bracelet you gave to Ben. Feel it in your mind, make it a part of you, the way the charm he gave you is a part of him.::

Tanya looked a little confused, but she nodded. When she felt the bracelet in her mind, she knew that Ben and her would never be alone, even through hard times. The connections through their gifts were growing stronger. ::I feel it. I feel that... even though we're seperated... our bracelet and charm shows that we'll always be together.:: She smiled.

::Now I get it!::

Ben smiled back to her, ::See, even though we are not physically together, we will always feel each other through the force.:: He gave her a kiss on the cheek and said out loud, "You guys should get going.... and soon."

Sarela looked her son in the eyes. ::Thank you for what you've done, Ben. I love you, be careful.:: She turned to the girl's parents. "It is time," she said, gently. "I'll go first, then Tanya, then you follow us." She peeled back the panel, and climbed into the access tunnel.

Ben got up and watched his mother, "I love you to, mom. Be safe, please, don't go back to those fools, I don't trust them with my... little sister." He looked down and smiled to Tanya. "Dan, keep her in good company while I am away." He paused. "Take care of your self, little sister, you hear?" He said trying to hold back his tears and not succeeding very well.

Zano and Madi nodded. "C'mon, Tanya. Time to go." Her mother gestured her to come along. Tanya nodded. "One more thing." She turned to Darth Saaron. "I promise, I'll take care of myself. And thanks, Ben. You're the best big brother I ever met!" Tanya also gave him a kiss on the cheek. She made her teddy bear kiss him on the cheek too. "Dan loves you too."

Tanya followed Sarela, and looking back, she waved good bye to both Darth Saaron and Darth Maera. "Bye, you guys!" Her bright blue eyes looked into Darth Saaron's eyes. ::I love you, Ben.:: And with that, she climbed into the access tunnel, following Sarela. The parents also waved good bye, and climbed into the tunnel.

Darth Saaron watched them all go down the access tube and waved good bye and replaced the panel that hid it, sealing it. ::I love you too, Tanya.:: He walked back over and put his glove back on and pulled his hood back up, covering up everything but his chin in darkness. Then he turned to his apprentice and coldly said, "I sensed that you were doubting me, my apprentice and future empress." as he slowly walked up to her. "Should the apprentice ever question their master? I sensed that you have finally learned to control your emotions, instead of them controlling you." He allowed his eyes to return to a burning yellow and glared at his apprentice.

Darth Maera bowed her head, ashamed. "I- I'm sorry, master. I've failed you yet again. I should not have questioned your actions." She braced herself, fully expecting to be punished for her failure.

* * *

Sarela led the way down the access tunnel and into the main hangar. She glanced around, keeping a hand close to her lightsaber. "I assume you want to take your ship? Which one is it?" she asked Tanya's parents.

Darth Saaron continued to stalk up to his apprentice. "Kneel" he said, his voice as cold as ice as he used the force to force her into a kneeling position at his feet. "Now, my apprentice, you will get a choice... a choice about your punishment. Tell me, what do you think would suit your... repeated failure?" He hissed.

Darth Maera knelt at his feet, head bowed in submission, crushed by his displeasure. "I- I do not deserve to be in your presence, milord. I am unworthy of the honor of being taught by you, for I have failed to learn what you tried to teach me."

Zano looked around. Finally, they saw the family ship. He pointed to the ship with silver and blue colors on it. "That one. It's almost by the entrance. We call her The Cool Field." Madi held Tanya close to her, making sure the little girl was safe.

Darth Saaron continued to glare at Darth Marea. "You are my apprentice, and you still have not answered my question, I did not ask you to pity yourself, or about how worthy you are of being in my presence, I asked you what you would find a fitting punishment, or shall I choose one for you. You said I was a better person than Lord Kelion, now would you like me to be like myself and give you this choice, or like my father and choose a punishment for you?" He replied cooly.

"I am *not* pitying myself!" Darth Maera ground out, a touch of anger flaring up. "I choose lightning for my punishment."

* * *

Sarela nodded. "Good. Let's go." She smiled at Madi, reassuringly. "Don't worry, it will be alright. I won't let anything happen to any of you."

"Very well, my apprentice. Now if you are doubting your worthiness of being my apprentice, prove yourself worthy during your punishment. Turn all of your pain into anger, feeding your connection to the Dark Side, increasing your power." He then raised his arms, hands pointed at Darth Marea. He held them there for a few seconds, making his apprentice have a few moments to... prepare herself and maybe fear what was comming. Then he shot lightning from his hands which plunged into Darth Marea, not powerful enough to permantly harm her, but powerful enough to cause extreme pain.

The commander walked out of the shadow. He was in Red striped suit, just like Vergil's. "Hello, my friend. Welcome aboard the Arbiter. From now on, it's your home now." The commander took off his helmet, and revealed that it was indeed CSI himself.

"This is going to be our mobile base, so you can leave your Jedi Phoenix here, and you can go to your quarters. Any questions, you can find me on the bridge." CSI smiled and turned to the elevator.

Darth Maera flinched as the first blast of lightning hit her, and almost lost her concentration. She somehow remembered her master's instructions, and twisted the pain into anger, letting it fuel her connection to the dark side. She bore it silently, grimly, taking the punishment her master inflicted upon her, knowing she deserved it.

* * *

Arion grinned. "CSI? This ship is yours? That's awesome." He glanced around, curiously. "A mobile base, eh? That's an interesting idea. Well, I need to check on some things on the Phoenix, so you guys carry on, I'll catch up with you later." He turned and walked back up the ramp.

* * *

Sarela waved a hand to Tanya's parents. "Come, we should go. Take off, and put some distance between us and the other ships."

Darth Saaron stopped the lightning after a minute or so, knowing what the punishment felt like since he had recieved it from his father a few times. "Very good, my apprentice. You have learned to defend yourself from pain and use it to your advantage, and have proven to yourself that you are worthy of being my apprentice and empress by passing this... exercise." He gently used the force to get her back into a standing position, and wispered to her, "I know the pain that you felt at first, I... recieved that as a punishment on... many occasions. You are my empress, and we will make it... offical very soon, my love."

He could feel his mother getting ready to leave the ship and he told her and Tanya through the force, ::Goodbye mother, Tanya, take care of yourselves. I will miss you very much. Be safe, and I will protect... my family. I love you both, may the force be with you.::

((I will be out of town until next Sunday, and so may be unable to post till then))

Darth Maera slowly raised her eyes to look at him. "Y-yes, milord. Thank you," she whispered. Hesitantly, she embraced him, resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

Sarela paused as she heard Darth Saaron's message. ::Goodbye, my son. Be careful. We will meet again soon.::

((Well, I guess I'll say this too then hehe... as of midnight (CET) my internet at home expires and will be posting from work when i get a chance. its possible you may only get 1-2 posts a day from me, but I am still here and active in the RP.))

Darth Saaon returned her embrace and kissed her cheek. "You are a great apprentice, I could not have asked for a better one. What have you learned about manupliation, my apprentice?"

((Forgot to mention, if anybody needs to use my characters to keep the story going while I'm gone, feel free. Just try to keep them in-character.))

Darth Maera thought for a long while. "I've learned that deception is an important part of manipulating others. Making them see what you want them to see."

"Good, my apprentice. Manipulation takes patence, but you are indeed, decieving others to make them see exactly what you want them to see. And even if they realize you are decieving them, it is genearlly too late for them to do anything about it." He told her, satification evdient in his voice. He gently moved her head in font of his so he could kiss her, passionately. ::Good work, empress.:: He chuckled through the force after he wispered that into his apprentice's mind.

* * * *

((The following is a post from Aurora that was sent to me via messenger and asked me to post it for her.))

Darth Maera leaned into their kiss, losing herself in their shared passion. ::Thank you, milord. I- I love you, so much,:: she whispered in the Force, tightening their embrace.

* * * *

Darth Saaron tightened their embrace even further, ::I love you too, my apprentice. More than you know.:: Giving into their shared passion and letting it course through him, allowing it to make his connection to the Dark Side even stronger. ::I can't wait until we rule over the pathetic republic, with you at my side, my love.::

Tanya heard Ben's voice through the Force. She smiled, and closed her eyes. ::Bye, big brother! I love you too!:: She opened her eyes, and followed her parents to their ship.

Zano turned to Sarela. "We'll put our ship between distance with yours and the other ships, as you said. And... thank you. Thank you for your help."
Madi agreed. "Yes. I'm glad we met all of you."