Eternal? I've heard that before.Return to Chaos . You have no place here. If you'd half the power you want me to believe you do, we couldn't have done what we just did.

Kolbacca begins fidgeting uncontrollably in the captain's chair, clearly nervous. However, the ship's computerized translation system betrays not a hint of emotion.

Uhh... guys. I hate to say this, but I think we should just forget about making money off this cargo and blow the ship. Now.

I can't believe that I'm actually advocating not making money....

Rand jerks at the voice.

Like hell you say.

Daylin, I'll make sure you're path is clear. Hal get out of here, please.

Rand's voice is tinged with worry for his new found friends.

The voice sends a chill down Hal's spine. Torn between her anger with Daylin and her suspicion of the voice, Hal hesitates for a brief moment before running in the direction Daylin went.
Over the comms, she speaks to Daylin.
The voice is back, D. It's telling us you're trying to kill us all. I suggest we get the hell out of here and I mean NOW. Did you get the meltdown process engaged?
Hearing the calm, cool articulated tones of the Wookie's "voice", Hal quickly agrees.
Kolbacca, we're coming back to you. Be ready!

We're on our way Hal! It's set! Let's get off this thing!

Suiting action to words, Daylin runs as best he can in the bulky suit, keeping the light in front of him to avoid tripping on any loose debris or bodies.

All of those on board the old capital ship reach the Hawk without incident. It could truly be said that it is no longer a ship but a tomb. As the last one cycles through the airlock a detached voice begins speaking over the intercom.


Warning! Reactor critical. Warning! Reactor critical. Proceed immediately to escape pods. Estimate reactor breach in 5 minutes.

Rand holds till Daylin is past him before joining the sprint. Once in the air lock he speaks into his intercomm.

Kolbacca, lets get moving!

As the klaxons continue blaring the Hawk begins its takeoff.

Large wookie hands moving quickly across the controls, Kolbacca quickly disengages the airlock and cuts in the sublight engines, and the Hawk begins moving quickly away from the dead ship.

Graaah!

Let's get clear of the blast radius and make sure that vessel is well and truely destroyed.

O'olan tries to remain calm after the frantic dash back to the ship. He turns, slowly looking over the rest of the crew, making sure everyone is there and showing no injuries.

I've never felt anything like that before, it was as if the very Mist of that ship was tainted. It was almost, cloying. I thought that that was something that only happened to the Jedi, Findsmen ARE different, we are not tempted by a darkside. We do not use their so called Force, we listen to what the Mist tells us, good or bad, and make our own decisions. I will need to thik on this more.

O'olan shakes his head slowly, looking a million miles away as he ponders the days events. He turns and heads to the mess to get some much needed food.

Hold on O'olan. No one should exxit the air lock yet. We don't know if our suits could be contaminated.We stil don't know the exact nature of what was on that ship.

Kolbacca, can you run a scan on us and our suits? Make sure we didn't bring anything back over with us?

Daylin looks out the port hole for a moment.

... once we're clear...

The Hawk slides away from the old capital ship as sections begin to break apart. Several pieces come close to the tiny ship: more lifeboat than ship compared to this ancient hulk. Kolbacca is able to get the ship to a safe distance as the reactor reaches critical.

The large ship goes dark for a split second then a bright flash of light near the center of the ship begins to expand outward blinding those watching. The ship breaks into smaller and smaller pieces due to secondary and tertiary explosions.

A large chuck passes by the Hawk with large cargo containers spilling out of it. The old ship is truly destroyed. The silence of the destruction is remarkable.

I suppose a lesser force shiled would be a bit superfelous at this point ...

We'll have to scan the ship before we hit atmo though.. make sure nothing got on the outside


Kolbacca, how are we looking?

Kolbacca's hands glide over the controls of the ship while she briefly checks the state of the airlock's scan. It was easy enough to re-run the scan she'd done earlier, and wouldn't detract much from her piloting. Carefully guiding the ship between bits of debris, she eagerly awaited the results.

The scan comes up negative again.

The computerized translation of the wookie's voice comes over everyone's comlinks.

Scan's clean. You can get out of the airlock now. Everyone in one peice?

Enjoying herself immensly piloting a ship again, Kolbacca mentally plans to remain in the captain's chair for as long as possible when everyone returns to the bridge.

We're all here. What now Captain?

Daylin keys open the airlock and heads into the ship, still trying to sense any lingering danger.

Everyone appears to be okay Kol, thanks for the back up.

Hal quickly shirks off the space suit and heads for the bridge. Finding Kolbacca in her chair, she gives a look that translates well into any language.
Once her seat is vacated she sits down and begins the arduous task of getting them out of the debris field and back on course.
One of these days, Daylin, you're going to have to tell me what in the hell that was all about... and how an errant mechanic came to know so much about what the Force can and cannot do.

Rand gets clear of his suit and follows Hal up to the bridge. He smirks at the sight of her glowering at the Wookie then finds himself an in obtrusive place to lean and watches her work.

I've seen a lot of things in a lot of places Hal. The Clone Wars are old stories to someone your age, like the Jedi. When I was your age, they were a reality

Daylin heads ot the enigineering section... seeming a little silly calling this the engineering bay after being on a capitol ship. He check's through the Hawk's systems to make sure everything is still running smooth.

Stripping off his too small suit and arranging his equipment O'olan turns and watches as Daylin heads for the small engineering section of the ship.

Poor old man almost sounds lonely when he speaks of the past. Almost like he's the last of a dead breed.

Settling in to the mess O'olan hungrily attacks a MRE.

Kolbacca lets Hal's eyes bore into the back of her head for a few seconds, then gets out of the captain's chair with a sigh that needs no translation to be understood. Kolbacca moves over to the empty co-pilot's chair, still wanting to be involved with piloting the ship. She gestures at the ships hyperspace drive for a second, then roars angrily into the corridor.

Gnnnnnnah!

The sounds of Seven clanking down the hall are clearly heard, and soon he pokes his head onto the bridge.

Yes, what is it, mistress?

Grahh. Nyarrr.

The droid turns to Hal.

Excuse me, Mistress Hal, but Kolbacca would like to know if you would like her to program the hyperdrive?

Hal alternately glares at the droid and the Wookie. Tell your mistress that I am quite capable of handling the Hyperdrive. Thankyouverymuch. However, if your mistress would like to ASSIST me in plotting our route ... I would appreciate the help. Hal sits a little straighter in her seat and stares straight ahead, looking at the control board.
Great, Hal... just great. See what happens when you let your guard down? Now everyone on board is thinking you can't handle the heat. That you're going to fall apart at the first hint of trouble. Now, you've got an uppity Wookie, a depressed mechanic and an indecipherable bug looking thing always watching you. Perfect. Just perfect.
Hal's hands fly across the board as she enters in the coordinates, hitting the switches and buttons with a little more force then is probably necessary.
Kolbacca, can you access the Holonet and bring up any information they have on Dantooine? Specifically we're looking for ports amenable to strangers and where there won't be that many questions asked. Also, check for Imperial presence. It'd be good to know exactly what we're getting ourselves into. Hal's voice screams "I'm-the-Captain-damnit!!".

After Daylin decides the Hawk is ship-shape, he heads to his quarters. He enters an Emptiness trance for a minute, and reaches out with his sense towards the debris , looking for any sign of the conciousness that was there.

@ Daylin

Eternity in the Void is a fate worse than death. There is no ghost ship to attract wayward wanderers now. Reap what all your power has gained you. Nothingness.

Daylin lets the trance slip away, drawing back into himself. After a moment, he lets out a sigh of relief. It's much easier to confront and deny the darkness without. It's good preperation for facing what lurks within.

Kolbacca sits calmly in the copilot's chair, watching the holonet with a kind of a half-interested look. The eerie feeling and the disturbance on the derelict hulk are almost out of her mind. After a few minutes, she begins growling at her translation droid, a steady stream of howls. The droid relays the information to Hal.

Mistress Hal, Dantooine is still considered to be a part of the empire, according to Kolbacca. There is most likely an imperial troop presence there still. My mistress says that the gand and her would probably be okay there, but for anyone who wants to avoid the imperials it might not be a good choice.

Hal sighs unhappily and nods at the information. Tapping the ships comm system, Hal broadcasts a quick message.
Everyone, Dantooine is looking a little too hot for us right now I think. It looks like they got some Imps in atmo. Anyone with any other bright ideas?
Hal snaps the comms system off and stares for a moment out the window. For a brief moment, space seems that much more forboding. Barely suppressing a shiver, Hal tries to shake the feeling.

Daylin shakes his head. Figures He heads for the cockpit and leans against the doorway. Well, I'm for whatever we're close to for what it's worth Captain.

O'olan

If it is not disagreeable, Obroa-Skai would be the best place for Kolbacca and Gand to pick up the trail of Ma'Nosh. The Mists around him have parted and Gand is drawn to the planet. Gand's previous offer of an equal share of the reward still stands if you and the rest of the crew are interested Captain. Gand would also be more than willing to pull a list of his convictions, if you would like to be sure Gand's motivations are not just for the large sum of credits attached to his name.

After making his pitch to the Captain, O'olan sits back in his chair and enjoys the feeling of full stomachs, waiting for her response.

The part about the large sum should go a ways to convincing her. Hell I'd offer them the whole reward just get Ma'Nosh back in custody, but Kol would probably rip my arms off. Besides, we are going to need our own ship sooner or later.

Daylin simply looks at the Captain, arms crossed, leanign against the doorway.
Wonder what this 'Mo'Nash' did. I wonder if Hal's really going to work with bounty hunters for that matter.

I'm fine with going wherever the Captain goes, so long as she doesn't mind me cluttering her ship up. Not much help I'll admit.

Rand peters off into a simpley shrug to imply that, location wise, he is easy. He glances across the doorway towards Daylin trying to assess the old man's thoughts.

Daylin's face sours. Don't clutter the ship.

She's the captain so it's her call. You're just the engineer old man your opinion counts very little. I have no intention of cluttering though.

Rand's tone is light, his eyes laughing.

Daylin's face glooms up any more, and he out right glares at the young man before leaving the cabin

Letting a kid get under your skin now?! Time to go relax, get some sleep. You're to strained

Daylin heads for his cabin.

Rand watches Daylin leave, puzzled by his reaction.

What's up with him? Is it the crap on the ship or maybe me and Hal. Or maybe she's pissed with me and has told... Stop thinking Rand, it's not your strong suit.

Suddenly sullen Rand collapses into one of the cabin's seats.

Hal contemplates Oolan's offer. The idea of easy credits so soon after the heartbreaking loss of the capitol ship is sorely tempting but... then there's the idea of working with bounty hunters. A girl could get a reputation that way... and not the kind of reputation a girl wants, either. The expression on D's face tells Hal everything she needs to know about his opinion of the thing.
Still...
We can take you as far as Obroa-Skai. There you and your companion can take your leave. I'll charge you for transport costs only. If we're in the vicinity once you aquire your quarry, we could see to bringing you back for another fee. Are we agreed?
Hal turns to check D's expression only to see him engaged in a heated debate with Rand. Before she can say a word, D storms out of the room followed quickly by a sullen and glowering Rand.

With the course laid in, the Hawk makes way for Obroa-Skai.

As the ship seems to stretch into nothing, a black, glossy, triangular pyramid floats in the emptiness of space.


I have waited three hundred years old man, I can wait a few more.

Obroa-skai is a planet in the Obroa system in the Borderlands region of the Inner Rim Territories. The planet is a mix of tundras, mountains, grasslands and deserts. The local day is 26 standard hours and the standard year 456 local days.

The Obroans have declared neutrality in the fighting between the New Republic and Thrawn's forces. Unfortunately, Obroa-skai's expansive library of galactic information and numerous academic institutions drew Grand Admiral Thrawn to raid its central computer system. The Obroans are still a little touchy about outsiders; however, they are more than happy to welcome those who want information.

The Hawk exits hyperspace near the moon. The comm comes to life:
Ship with Transponder Code identified as Centurion Hawk, please state your business in the system.

Daylin OR Technical Roll on Holonet of at least 7.

Hyperspace travel had always kind of bored Kolbacca, and she was glad to be out of it. She liked having the freedom to move, it reminded her of swinging between trees back on Kashyyk. Being cooped up in a spaceship was no fun unless you were swooping between asteroids or chasing down bounties.

She wasn't quite sure why they had come to Obroa-skai, but Oo'lan had said that the mist had told him this was where they needed to go, and the mist was usually right. Usually. With any luck, Ma'Nosh would have headed straight here and they could collect the bounty on his head in a timely fashion. Also, she'd get to rough him up a bit.

She was also wondering why Hal insisted on worrying about every little thing. It seemed almost like she was overcompensating for something... lack of experience, perhaps? She'd let Hal deal with the spaceport people. She wandered off down the corridor to find Oo'lan, seven in tow.

Daylin spends the next few days eitehr in his room in queit contemplation, or busying him self queitly about the ship. Of all the people to beginning spending time with, he spends the most with the gand O'olan. Not a lot of talking, mostly just holo games in the lounge. Tiem with Rand is spent either attempting to lead by example, or walking off in frustration.

Inside his cabin, usually at night, he sits, contemplating the last few days. Mostly, he stares at the inert cylindr lying on his bed, thinking back to the trip to the ship.
I'd actually intended to use it. Haven't ignited it since that planet .... And now I find my self carrying it again. Even though touching the Force is like grasping for a branch in quicksand.

That presence... I know it's still out there. Was leaving it the right thing to do? Was there anythign else we could do?

A lot of the time he listens to music, mostly twi'lek opera.

This hyperspace trip is a peaceful one for O'olan, he is on the trail of his quarry and he was successful in making sure those he escorted to the abandoned ship made it back unharmed. Granted there had been no real physical danger, but they were safe all the same. A majority of his time is spent sitting quietly with Daylin, playing holo games, mostly chess. They afford a rare insight to the man, he is deeply intuitive, sometimes countering O'olan's feigns before they are fully developed. Occasionally O'olan will "cheat" just a little, letting the Mist guide his placements.
The rest of his time is spent speaking with Kolbacca, discussing the most likely places Ma'Nosh would be hiding out, if indeed he were hiding out. Knowing the man, he may be running around as blatantly as ever. He tries several times to dissuade her from roughing him up too much, but eventually does concede that he deserves it, for the lives he has taken, if not for the destruction of their ship.

Over the journey, Rand's mood will lighten. He spends as much time as he can with Hal, mostly just chatting about nothing much. Mostly he is friendly to everyone playing games and chatting while tinkering with his swoop.

Daylin's odd mood does seem to bother Rand, though he does his best to cover up. Hal will see the most of his darker moods, sometime during which he apologise and leave her on her own. She will also be aware of something else that darkens his mood from time to time in their chats. Something he almost tells her. This so far has always led to him leaving in a similar way to the Daylin problem.

The days don't pass soon enough for Hal. She finds herself spending more and more time alone, as either Daylin or Rand mope about in their bunks or simply staring out into space. At least it means the ship is spotless and running well. It seems that the only time she can really relax is when she's deep in the belly of the 'Hawk, working out its kinks.
Daylin's withdrawal has been the hardest to take. She thought him an ally, a friend... and now, now he spends more time glowering at everyone and it seems, her in particular. It's hard to know where she went wrong. What she said or did.
Deciding the safest course was to rise above, she has simply decided to ignore him... and of course, she's grown even angrier by the fact that he hasn't seemed to notice at all.
Then there's Rand. Rand who seems always on the verge of saying something, who seems to desperate for Daylin's approval. Unsure of how she feels about him, the change in his attitude is troubling.
And the Gand... Oolan. His stoic demeanor is alternately frustrating and calming, usually and strangely enough, at the same time.
Hal sighs and for the thousandth time, tightens the bolts on the power coupling before wiping it down with a cloth. The bolts shine.
And what about the Wookie? The Wookie's getting uppity, anxious. Hal can see it in the way she walks... almost as if she's stalking, hunting for something. It's a little unnerving, especially late at night. There just seems to be something about the Wookie's presence that puts Hal on edge, like she has to continually prove herself the Alpha. It's an exhausting and pointless dance that Hal just can't seem to stop.

Irritated with herself and by degrees the people around her, Hal simply pulls herself a little further under the vent shaft and closes her eyes, grateful for the peace and darkness.

Obroa-skai is a planet in the Obroa system in the Borderlands region of the Inner Rim Territories. The planet is a mix of tundras, mountains, grasslands and deserts. The local day is 26 standard hours and the standard year 456 local days.

The Obroans have declared neutrality in the fighting between the New Republic and Thrawn's forces. Unfortunately, Obroa-skai's expansive library of galactic information and numerous academic institutions drew Grand Admiral Thrawn to raid its central computer system. The Obroans are still a little touchy about outsiders; however, they are more than happy to welcome those who want information.

The Hawk exits hyperspace near the moon. The comm comes to life:
Ship with Transponder Code identified as Centurion Hawk, please state your business in the system.

Daylin OR Technical Roll on Holonet of at least 7.

Jogging into the cabin as Hal is in the refresher as the Hawk comes out of hyperspace, Daylin answers the comm.

Ground control this is Centurion Hawk. Transporting passengers groundside and refueling.Request entrance vector.

Very good. Please follow the following vector: A data packet is sent to the Hawk. Ensure that you obey the new laws that we are transmitting now.

Daylin

Understood.

Daylin brings up the list of "new laws" and looks for anything that stands out.

over the mic-
Attention, we'll be descending planet side soon. Captain to the bridge please.