Epilogue: Kessel Fever By Sylvana Lorrdain and Josh Nolan with plot bandying about with Brad Corletti, Alison Sky, and Josh Nolan Sylvana watched as Hobbie tossed his bag onto the shuttle then jogged back down the ramp to meet her where she stood on the edge of the landing pad. She already had her arms wrapped around herself as she stood with most of her weight balanced on her right leg. Not very well grounded and easily pushed over, but it was mildly more comfortable. She only just found out a few days earlier that her twin was alive. Alive, and had been keeping an eye on her for a while. She was still miffed it had taken so long for her to find out. It only made Hobbie leaving more ill-timed, in her opinion. When Hobbie reached her she leaned against him letting him wrap his arms around her in a hug. "I'll visit again, you know." "Hmpfh," Sylvana squirmed a bit to get her arms free then wrapped them around him tightly a moment, before resting her thumbs in a couple of his belt loops. "But we don't know when. Is this really all that good of an idea? I mean, considering." "Logic never has place in these sorts of ideas, Sylvana - we're both old enough to know that," Hobbie chuckled and rested his chin atop her head. She stuck out her tongue, even if he couldn't see. "Still. We aren't living the most stable of lives." "You could request a transfer and come live with me." "No." They pulled away from each other. Hobbie saw Sylvana had a stubborn set to her jaw, one he'd learned was just this side of absolute. "Is it living with me you're objecting to, or leaving Terra?" "Leaving Terra." "Because...?" "It's my home now, fair or foul, and you know I'd never survive all that long on Coruscant." "Not enough trees, hm?" "Not enough nature. It's like drowning, in reverse. Which sounds better than I meant it. I think I need to work on my metaphors," Sylvana chuckled with a shrug. "Probably," Hobbie shook his head bemusedly. "You know, sometimes you make no sense at all, whether in writing or in person. It makes you a little more unpredictable than most. I like it." "Oh good, because I like you." "I'll miss you, and I'll be back to visit whenever I can get the chance to." "I'll do the same. Now stop being depressing, it's giving me a headache." "Is that why you're crying?" "I'm not crying." Hobbie reached out and rubbed some wet from her cheeks and pulled her into another hug as she choked back a sob. "Of course you're not." He grunted as she hit his side before hugging back tightly. "I hate to break this up, but SACUL's window for our departure is going to close soon," Face called from the door to the ramp. "Yeah, so get your last good smooch in and get on, or we'll leave you behind!" "You think we could get away with that, Wes?" Hobbie called back over his shoulder. "No, but it's a nice thought for you, I know." Wes waggled his eyebrows at him, then fake gasped when Sylvana 'shot' him with thumb and forefinger. "Oh, I'm wounded, Syl. I thought we were friends!" "Shut up, you." Hobbie gave Sylvana one last hug, and the kiss goodbye was nothing to shrug off. Both knew it was necessary. Both knew if their own peculiar brand of luck held, they'd see each other again. Meanwhile, there was always letters, and the occasional holocomm. "Tenn' enomentielva," she told him quietly. "Until we meet again." Hobbie fingered the beads falling behind her left ear and quietly roared "Awa muaarga." Sylvana giggled, kissing his throat. "You can be so silly." He kissed her forehead, just beneath the band running across it. "It means 'Go in Peace'." "But you're the one leaving," Sylvana poked him in the chest to make her point. Hobbie rubbed at the spot, "It goes both ways." "Go in peace is good. Let me try?" Sylvana asked. Her pronunciation was off as she kept trying to re-start her sounds. "Hu...aah maw wu...wu...agah?" Hobbie unsuccessfully hid his laughter behind his hand. "With us, I guess that's a good one to know, too." "What did I say?" "You said Huaah maw wuwuagah, 'when will he recover?'." Sylvana shook her head, but Hobbie was glad to see the tears had gone. "Be well, and I'll see you soon," he promised again. With one last, chaste, kiss - Hobbie took his leave and ran up the ramp. They gave each other a fond salute as the ramp closed, and Sylvana moved out of the way. She stood at the edge of the landing pad, watching as the shuttle grew ever smaller in the sky. She wrapped her arms around herself, stubbornly keeping her eyes dry as she watched it lose shape in the distance. Just before it could disappear from sight, Sylvana turned and wiped some errant tears from her cheeks with a sigh. Just because she understood, didn't mean she wasn't grumpy about it. It had only been a few weeks since everything seemed to go on an implosion spree. Friend secrets. Family secrets. Racial re-adjustment. Losing control, almost killing an ally, and nearly being killed in return. Shipped off to a high-security galactic loony bin. Carnage. Loss. Body modification. Sylvana leaned down and knocked on the crude wooden leg attached to what was left of hers. "Knock on wood." She shook her head at herself. "Gotta love pirates." Standing straight, she rubbed at her temples again, the fingers of her left hand brushing up against the wookiee made talisman Hobbie had given her somewhere in the middle of all this mess. "Garden," she decided aloud, taking off in the direction of her favourite parachute-strap-laden tree, the largest standing there. Sylvana needed the comfort of it. She hated goodbyes, and she had just about enough of this headache. The shot of morphine she'd just given herself only half an hour ago was barely touching it, and it would be a while before she could risk more. She took off in a limping run, and collided with a figure. With an tear- choked apology, she didn't look up as she scrambled back to her feet and rushed off, Josh Nolan looking after her in confusion. 'Perhaps...' she thought as she slipped down to sit leaning against her tree, 'perhaps I can stubborn myself to sleep.' Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked up at the sky, missing her boyfriend already - hating not knowing when they would be able to see each other again. 'Crying myself to sleep is an option as well, I guess....' Before Sylvana had quite managed to curl up comfortably among the tree's roots for a good cry, oblivion claimed her. * "Last I saw Syl, she was heading off to say goodbye to Hobbie. Should be done by now, though." "She headed to the gardens. Almost ran me over." "Maybe she lost track of time, why don't you go get her, or she'll miss lunch. If one thing hasn't changed, it's how much she despises missing a meal." "Why don't you? You're her brother." "Don't wanna." "And you think I do?" "You're the one who saw her go to the gardens!" "Hmpfh." * "Blood... Blood... Bloodthirsty Killer. Maimer. Swift death dealer. You're a monster, the same as your enemies." The hooded black figure was outlined in an electric blue. Stalking her. Sylvana cowered backward a moment before snarling angrily. "No! NEVER!" She got herself up on her foot and launched at the figure, screaming in fury. Green lightning arched out at her stinging into her stump of a leg, spinning her off target. She pulled the stiletto from her hair and threw it at the black figure and growled in frustration when it went through as if it were smoke. It stalked closer. Closer. Closer. She crouched once more on her foot and prepared to launch herself at it once more. "Killer of your own people. Maimer of friends. Useless attacker with nothing to protect!" Growling, she launched herself at the creature once more. Once more, that terrible force pushed green lightning in an attack. She spun with the blow and slid to the edge of the path they seemed to be on. She grasped at the edge as she began to slip determined not to fall into the abyss beneath her. A tall muscular warrior, also in shadows and rimmed in blue, stood between Sylvana and the hooded figure. He held a sword of pure darkness in his hand. "She will either destroy herself, or find herself. I will not back down a second time." "Away, Mentheus. She must be destroyed. She will not be remade." "You don't get to win this time. She will go to the dark, and she will either find herself, or she will die. My line. My rules." Sylvana gasped in surprise as a boot shoved her off the path. She screamed... and the black enveloped her. * Josh Nolan stepped through an opening in the bushes on the trail while searching for Sylvana. He found his way down a path and looked to see her slumped at the base of a large tree. She looked so peaceful, after looking so upset when he saw her last. He hoped she would be all right. Of course, he wouldn't tell anyone ELSE that. But... something wasn't quite right here. She looked less like she'd fallen asleep, and more like.... He moved forward and nudged her shoulder with his boot. When she didn't jump up, as she might usually do, he crouched down to shake her shoulder. Still, nothing. "Syl?" He grabbed her shoulder, shaking it harder. "Sylvana!" He reached out and pulled her to a seated position by her shoulders, shaking her bodily. Her head simply lolled back and forth. This was very much wrong. One hand slipped to her throat. The pulse fluttering beneath his fingers was first slow, then moments later quick. The skin itself was hot and sweaty to the touch. He picked her up, putting her over his shoulder as he ran back to the palace. He hadn't gone far when Fes joined him. "Get out of my way, and get a medic. Now, blood-nut!" Fes got out of the way, but ran alongside him - opening doors for Josh as they tore down the corridors. "Let's just get her to the infirmary and I'll be able to figure out what's going on and whether we need to find someone else," he said, finally pushing through the last doors, holding them open for Josh. He rushed over to the equipment as the Aussie put her down on a cot, attempting to arrange her limbs comfortably without making her look ready for a funeral. A slender needle poked into Sylvana's arm, and Fes slowly drew some blood to put in the analysis machines. A questioning tootle came before a droid rolled around some of the equipment. "You, droid, are you versed in diseases both Terran and Galactic?" Fes waited while the droid tootled an affirmative, then waved it over. "Plug in and analyse this." Helix rolled over and began comparing the blood sample to the thousands of files of information it had access to. "What's wrong with her?" Josh asked, pushing back her fringe and carefully removing the leather circlet from her brow. He looked curiously at the worshyr-wood talisman before setting it on a table and getting a cold pack to put on her forehead to try and bring her temperature down. Meanwhile, Fes was removing the wooden leg and checking to see if the stump had become infected. Another droid beeped alarmingly and pushed itself into the room. Upon entry, it went straight to Sylvana's still form and poked its grasper arm at her arm with a worried, "WooOOOOooo...." "What did you find?" Fes demanded plugging his datapad into the droid. "Sithspit!" "What is it?" "Kessel Fever. She must have gotten it when she was injured on Coruscant." "That sounds ominous. Is it catching?" "Not after the first hour or so -- it incubates next to forever, though. She's been having headaches, ja?" "Since Coruscant, she said once." "I see." "How do you fix it?" "You don't. Unless..." Fes stepped back and bit his thumbnail as he watched his sister, thinking. The droids tootled back and forth, Force only knew what they were on about - Josh couldn't be bothered to hook his datapad up to one. Sylvana was lying there so still. Fes finally spoke, "You droids, stay put for at least three hours, after that I don't care what you do." He reached to pick up Sylvana, gaining Josh's attention once more. "She can't stay here," he told the Terran, "You come with me." Josh followed the command automatically, and it wasn't until they were halfway to the hangar that he spoke, "Look. I've got to tell someone where we're going." He pulled out his commlink, then shouted when it was yanked out of his hand to shatter against the wall by some unknown force. Or maybe it was Force. "Hey!" "Do you want to help her?" "Yeah." "Then you must tell no-one." Great. Curiouser and curiouser and more mysterious than he'd like. "Why do I need to come along?" he asked as they walked into the hangar. He followed the man to an unfamiliar ship. It was small, about the size of a mid-sized tour bus. It didn't look like anything he'd seen before, and was so black it seemed to evade light altogether. "Raven's Omen," Fes said, keying in at the hatch. "There's enough room for the three of us comfortably, and she's very safe. Get in." "You didn't answer my question." "You need to come because a familiar face might be nice to wake up to. Where we are going is... disorienting She's going to be going through enough without that." "What about you?" "She's spent more time with you of late, than me. If Hobbie were still here, I'd be taking him. Followed by Arrek, but I'm not sure where he is, and it would take too long to find him. You're here, so you're coming." Josh frowned and climbed onto the ship behind Fes, pushing the panel to close the ramp. "I hope you know what you're doing." * No mark was made of Raven's Omen leaving - the transponder codes were well approved, and those few who had interacted with Fes knew better than to wonder where he'd gone. His ship, like its pilot, disappeared off the scopes fairly easily. Supper came and went with no sign of either Crispy or Sylvana. Missing one meal was easily explained away. Missing more than one was cause for some small worry. "Have you seen Sylvana or Crispy?" Sci asked Kristy as his eyes scanned the hall again to be sure. "Not since before lunch, why?" "Hm." He took out his Comm and dialled in Nolan's frequency, getting nothing. Then he tried Sylvana's. Still nothing. "Nat, can you locate either Agent Doctor Lorrdain or Captain Nolan using their comm transponders?" The droid beeped a moment, then sighed. "Negative. Neither are active." "Maybe she snuck on the ship and went back with Hobbie?" someone suggested - Sci was too deep in thought to note who, though he did hear the supposition. "Nat-" "Already on it. Message sent." Sci finished his drink and pushed his plate away as he waited for a reply. "Reply received. Agent Doctor Lorrdain is not on board. It is suggested we scan for transponder code four-eight-one-zero-four-mark-five-three-one- niner. Shall I?" "Please." "Signal found in the medical centre." Sci stood and went to investigate, his droid following at his heels. Curious, Kristy soon followed. * The door to the infirmary opened easily, and the first thing Sci saw were the two droids sitting in the middle of the room. Well. Helix was sitting. Fate was rocking back and forth almost frantically. As soon as he saw Sci, Fate went straight toward him, bumping into his leg beeping excitedly. "What is it?" Kristy asked, finding it a odd that they were hanging around each other at all. Wasn't Fate usually hanging around Kitten or bothering Dis? "Nat?" Sci asked, suppressing a sigh. If Fate was involved, it meant he probably didn't want to hear this. "According to Fate, Fes took the missing sentients to an undisclosed location." "What's this?" Kristy asked, picking up the leather and wood talisman. "That is the source of the transponder given to us by Major Klivian," Nate responded, pausing as Fate whistled urgently. Helix followed with a short series of beeps. "Oh dear. Doctor Lorrdain has Kessel Fever. Recovery questionable." "Maybe he and Crispy took her to get help from a better equipped medical centre?" Kristy asked. "If they don't show up, or contact us, within the next three weeks - there will be consequences." * Three and a half weeks later, a ship black as space landed on Mendellia only long enough for two passengers to disembark before taking off once more. It wasn't long before it was a speck in the eastern sky. The two figures, dressed in clothing that was a bit old-fashioned even for Mendellia, began making their way up the city toward the palace. The closer they got, the more people talked. The more people talked, the faster news travelled. This was Mendellia, after all. Taller was a man soon recognised as one of the infamous members of Terra Group. He wore loose-fitting deep brown trousers tucked into supple boots, an emerald tunic embroidered in silver at the hems, and a loose-fitting waistcoat over it all. Smaller walked a woman wearing a gown in greys and blues, a flowing silver skirt tiered with a blue cascading from the front toward the back. The sleeves were slightly belled, and everything seemed to also be trimmed in silver. Her long hair was held out of her face with a filigree'd clip, though it looked as though she'd pulled some of the hair down to hide her ears for some strange reason. The two walked with purpose, exchanging words too quiet for passers by to hear, but seemed to be planning something between them. They looked to be the sort of friends forged through hardship. Then again, nearly all of Terra Group had that look. It wasn't until they had nearly reached the palace that people began realising the woman with Captain Nolan was one of the newer recruits not long ago. Some sort of doctor. Arrek came racing down the steps to meet them, taking Sylvana up in a tight hug and spinning her. "You're back! You're okay! You're alive and you're okay and you're BACK!" His sister laughed and hugged him back, before bapping his shoulder and demanding to be put down. "I am all three, and twice over, big little- brother," she reached up and patted his head. "Now set me down so I can face the music with Rumplestiltskin before he comes looking for us. If we go to him first thing, maybe we'll be in less trouble." "Don't count on it," Josh said from just behind her, unsuccessfully hiding his amusement at Arrek's greeting. "But it's worth a try." "Oh. Well, we WILL catch up as soon as you've done, okay?" Arrek demanded as he let his sister go and started up the stairs with the missing agents. "Hang out, yes. Catch up, no. Tomorrow, though, is okay. I don't want to go through all the explanations more than once a day." "I'd rather we didn't go into any at all. I'm still not sure how much of it I believe," Josh put in. "Well..." Sylvana stopped just inside the doors and thought a moment. "We can't tell him everything. Just almost everything. I'll take lead, if it's okay?" She looked up at Josh for confirmation. "This is the twenty-third time we've had this conversation. Yes, you can take lead. I'll fill in anything you forget that isn't classified to you- know-where." "Good." She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "Sci's actually in his office right now," Arrek offered. "Perfect." * Sci looked up at a knock on the door. "Enter." The door opened and two people entered, dressed in fine foreign clothing. He could tell that both were uncomfortable in the clothes they were wearing, and had no doubt they would be glad to get back into their own clothing as soon as possible. After they provided some explanation. Both stood before him, straight and silent, before the smaller began shifting her weight and rubbing at the back of her neck. She reached to pull at a lock of her hair, twisting it in her hands and accidentally revealing a pointed ear before dropping her hair to clasp her hands before herself. 'Interesting.' She may be an excellent doctor, and a well good fighter - but hopefully she would never face true interrogation. "And so we're back!" Sylvana paused then waved her hands in a cheering fashion, "Yay?" "Indeed." Sci waved a hand at the two chairs in front of his desk. "Sit down you two, and let's have an explanation." Josh sat down and made himself comfortable as he could, leaning back and waiting for it all to start. He glanced at Sylvana, who was making her own seat. "It's a little complicated. We'll tell you everything we can, of course - but some is sort of. Well, my family being all not entirely human you knew about. Some of them are kind of-" Sci held up a hand and she stopped speaking as he reached toward a pocket in his uniform. Unconsciously, Sylvana leaned forward to see what it was, but the moment he pulled the cold-forged iron dagger out of his pocket and set it on his desk, she leaned back against the back of her chair, her eyes locked on the item in... concern. "I know," he said simply, before putting it away. He was glad to see her relax, but his point was well received. "Please continue." She nodded, composing herself and launched into what she knew, trusting Josh to insert anything she might forget, or details that might be necessary. * "We arrived on the island at the time between times, in this case dawn. Josh was asking...Fes... where they were, but he just kept telling him he wouldn't believe him. He made Josh stay on Raven's Omen with me while he disembarked to do... What was it he was doing?" "He said something about making sure we weren't attacked on sight as intruders." "You should be telling this part, I wasn't even conscious." "By that logic, I'd be telling the entire story. Stop grinning - you agreed to take up the slack for Fes." "Only because I'm still in a little shock that he's alive. ...And using a fake name." "I'd rather this report not take three days, and I don't care who tells it." "Sorry, Zed." *Scigh* "Fes was making sure they wouldn't attack on sight, and arranging to transport me to their hospital. He came back aboard and told Josh to secure me to the hover-stretcher and get ready to have his worldview turned upside down again." "I told him that already happened, and nothing would surprise me now." "You were wrong." "Yes, Syl. I was wrong." *** Josh kept a hand on the stretcher as he guided it down off the ship, more focused on making sure Sylvana didn't fall off, or the stretcher flip over, than his surroundings. Until his feet met the ground, that is. He looked up and several things made themselves known as relevant. Fes was showing some necklace thing to a guy that looked like a Firrerreo. There were a hell of a lot of Firrerreo here. No wonder Sylvana was so freaked out by Herthrir. He was starting to feel a little of the wiggins himself. Firrerreo with bows and arrows. With swords. And... pointy ears? Either he'd stepped on some sort of cult island, or these were freaking, "Elves?!" "Elenari, young Human. Welcome to Atlantis," a stuffy pink and purple haired woman said as she virtually appeared beside him, opening Sylvana's eyes and checking her pupils. She frowned slightly, then traced the scar on the woman's cheek, and the ones along her ears. Frowning still, she went to the foot and lifted the sheet. "What happen to her leg?" "It got cut off," Josh replied, not sure how much he should tell. "Unfortunate. This makes for only Seventy-five percent certain identification." "What were you looking for?" he asked as she flicked the sheet back down over her body and secured it under her. "Her left heel." An image from a time he really wished he could forget flashed in his mind. A star tattoo on her bare heel as they were doing their level best to kill each other. "The star tattoo?" The Elenari looked up, black eyes boring into him. "Star. On her heel?" she demanded. "Yeah. Not the normal kind, too many points." She turned, quickly ignoring him, and shouted over her shoulder something that sounded like a confirmation - suddenly there was a flurry of activity. Before Josh knew it, Sylvana was being whisked away. Hearing Fes speaking heatedly in that strange language with a tallish male sporting a green and brown striped queue, Josh made to stay with Sylvana. He wasn't about to let her out of his sight. "Don't let her out of your sight!" Fes shouted at him. I was just thinking that. *** "Boring nothing stuff happened when we got to this weird room. She got laid out and they started poking her, and prodding her, and doing that weird glowy hand thing. Woooooo." *bap!* "They fixed me. I'm back. Yay!" *stare* "No yay?" "Please continue." "Josh got in trouble, that's exciting!" "Syl!" "Well not that bad of a trouble. He got told not to wander off the beaten path, but he tried to pull a me on Coruscant instead." *Scigh.* "Without the getting cut up and contracting a weird disease part, of course." "Of course." *** The room he was appointed was a lot like the fancy rooms in Mendellia - only more... organic. It looked more grown than built. Fes had come into the hospital not long ago and told Josh to go get himself settled. He'd take watch for a while, and once Josh had a chance to sleep he could come back and spell him. Somewhat reluctant to leave Sylvana to this whole bizarre thing, Josh followed a young silver and red haired male out of the hospital. Now he was sitting in a room, told he could explore but not stray from the beaten path. This only served to increase his paranoia and curiosity, and rather bloody-mindedly, he resolved to find out what was hidden out there. Making sure his lightsabre was hidden in his pocket, he got up and went walkabout. The roads were quiet this time of night, the moon high in the sky. A warm breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees. It was entirely boring after about ten minutes. Of course this translated to looking for something, anything, interesting - and Josh wandered down one of the smaller streets. Maybe there was an all- night diner or something. Wandering further and further, along a veritable maze of side-streets, "Don't these people believe in straight lines?", Josh found himself at a dead-end. He was just pondering turning around and seeing if he could find his way back, when he heard the unmistakable sound of metal unsheathing. 'Swords?' Turning around, Josh saw there were about seven stripey haired rejects from the Lord of the Rings film blocking him in, swords drawn. "Okay," said Josh, spreading his hands. "If you put those away, no-one has to get hurt." "Your kind does not belong here, human filth!" "Ah, you'd be the local KKK. Working up to hoods, are we?" "Filth like you would never be allowed to reside in our beloved Shangri-La - neither should you be allowed to reside here!" "And you've deputised yourselves to stop me residing here, yeah? Here's a tip -" "DAGOR!" Three of them came at Josh at once, swords raised in varying positions. Before they got within reach, he'd thumbed his lightsabre switch on with a lovely *snap-hiss*. "You sure about that day-glowing thing?" They paused. *Snap-hiss* Seven blades were enveloped with yellow, the light bouncing off the foreign features making them look sickeningly eerie. "Oh crap." "Prepare for your death." They looked entirely confident in themselves as they watched Josh begin to sweat it out. When his expression blanked, they didn't know to get out of the way. Fast. Josh charged, and before anyone could cry out, the three who originally began to attack him were lying on the ground, bisected in various ways -- all of them fatal. *** *Scigh* "Please tell me I don't have to take care of an international incident." "You don't have to take care of an international incident." "Don't speak in stereo, you two already give me a headache." "No worries, some Ele-cops came while the toughs were running off - and it was immediately ruled self-defense. They're apparently very strict about attacking humans being against the law there, even if it isn't where those guys came from." "See? Can we get to the yay I'm back part yet?" "You haven't told me everything, yet, so... how about no." "I went back, time passed, I didn't get into any more trouble. Eventually they got her body all fixed up." "Hmpfh. All fixed up." "They even fitted her with a ring for a cybernetic prosthetic using plans Fes had gotten his hands on so that it would attach to anything we could get our hands on through the GFFA." "Why didn't they just finish the job there?" "Theirs were less realistic." "So anyhow, they told Fes and Josh that it was a game of wait and see if I woke up." "Except she was missing." "Excuse me?" "Missing. Her body was there, but she wasn't. Some weird healer guy told Fes about it, and Fes decided he was going to act as a conduit so I could pretend I'm a Findsman and get her back." "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, he fought his way there to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the me that they had stolen. For his will was as strong as theirs-" "Stop mangling Labyrinth quotes." *** Josh stood beside Sylvana's body as the Head Healer gave his verdict. "I have healed the body, but her spirit wanders still. If we had been but a little tardier, her spirit would have joined the Eternal, but instead it wanders. I am terribly sorry." Fes pushed past the healer and took up on the other side of Sylvana's bed. "I can find her." "It is too dangerous," the Healer frowned. "You could never bring her back before it is too late. You would need help - help no-one here can give you. She is too long a stranger to us. You yourself said she only just learned you yet live, but she has not known long enough for it to be real to her. She may believe in following you she goes to death. We would lose her more quickly." "Can I help? I'd say I know her," Josh interrupted. "It's worth a try," Fes agreed, a plan already formulating in his mind. "But... he is not Elenari!" "No, I'm not. You know what? Ever since I got here, I've been told I'm no good, 'you wouldn't understand' this, 'beyond your comprehension' that - I'm sick of it. So if you so much as utter another word, I'm going to shoot you. Got that?" The Healer stepped back slightly, struck silent by the rudeness of the human. "Right," Fes nodded. "You'll have to sit and place your hand on her head, like this, then take my hand with the other one. I can create a path to her, but you'll have to bring her back. Whatever you do, don't leave the path. There are things there, few of them pleasant." "You're the Jedi guy, why don't you go?" "Other than she might not truly believe I'm still alive? I don't have time to teach you how to make the path for me to travel. Ready?" "But..." Josh drew the small blaster he'd hidden and shot the Healer. "Thanks," Fes smirked. "Don't mention it." He looked meaningfully at the fallen Healer, then back at Josh. "I may have to." "It was a stun bolt." "Then I won't bother. Now, I need you to focus." "You're sure this will work?" Josh looked doubtful. "No. But it's the only thing I can think of. You know her better than I, and with me getting you in - I'm sure you can do it." "How sure?" "Somewhere in the vicinity of ninety percent." Fes rested his hands on the bed beside Sylvana's still form. "Please. I know you were meant to help her." "How could you know something like that?" "I just do. I know whatever you both have been through together had to have been preparing you for this." "You're acting like it was fate." Josh crossed his arms, as though to distance himself. "Fate, Force, Flows -- any way, it's all tied together - the future is always in motion, but frequently things happen in the present to prepare for the possibilities of certain futures occurring." "Like dreams and crap?" "You've shared dreams? Excellent!" "That sounds.... No, I'm not going there. Fine, we'll do this - but it's on your head if you have to bring two vegetables back to Mendellia." Josh sat down on the bed set up next to Sylvana. "Let's do this." "Thank you." *** "And here are us, non-vegetables. Yay!" "Sylvana, I'm seriously considering making it a court-martialing offense for you to say 'yay'." "Sorry, Zed." "I take it, it worked?" "It did. It was really weird. This path was the only thing present in darkness, and there were constantly voices trying to get me to go my own way. It was really irritating, and at one point this blue robed monster guy tried to just knock me off with this weird green energy stuff, but I managed to knock him off. After he knocked my lightsabre over the edge, unfortunately. "I could always just see her out of reach, off to the side and fading, and the path just never seemed to be leading me to her." *** I'd come so far, and now Syl was drifting away, dwindling even as I stood and watched. "Don't leave the path," Fes told me. Fat lot of good that did me now. "I can lead her to you," whispered a voice from the darkness. "Just step off the path, and I will catch you..." Ah. The things that want to eat me were still out there. That was kind of comforting. But there was some kind of commotion out there. Hissing and snarling, whispered curses... and then I saw someone take shape from the shadows. Another figment, like Otom or Randel, come to offer me help if I'd just step off the path. I wished I had my blaster, or that my lightsabre hadn't gone off the path during that last fight - or even that my hands weren't still bleeding. No such luck. And then I recognised the form. This time, it was Ooryl. He stepped onto the path confidently - just like he does just about everything except for speak - and stood in front of me. "Did you not like Qrygg's gift?" he asked, sounding somewhat morose, and held out his hand. I blinked. He had my lightsabre. "Wha?" I asked, looking back at him. "You threw it away, didn't you?" That was when I realised he was mocking me. And besides, the real one was probably still hanging off my belt, wherever my body was. I inclined my head to let him know I'd gotten the joke. "It wasn't my idea, Ooryl. I'm glad you found it." He tossed it to me, and I caught it. Well, I tried to, but my fingers weren't exactly up to it, and it clattered onto the ground. I crouched to pick it up, then froze. "Hang on - what's the catch?" "Catch?" "If I take it, what's the price?" "It is a gift, Josh. It was a gift then, and it is now. Pick it up, and do not be afraid." I scooped it up, then looked him in his compound eyes. "Look, I've been taunted by the best of them here. All of them want me to leave the path - whether to take a shortcut, or to find out all the answers I need to know, and I'm guessing you're here to take me to Syl and you want me to leave the path." "I am here to find your way, Josh. I am Findsman. There are no shortcuts, and I can tell you their answer." "What's their answer?" I asked, bracing for being told to leave the path to find out. "It doesn't matter." "No, tell me." "I have. Their answer to everything is that it does not matter. Life is a mere flash in eternity, meaning nothing. Death is as meaningful as the life that precedes it. Everything we do, everything we live - does not matter." I grinned sourly, and turned away. "Tears in rain. So why are you here?" "Because they are wrong. But they cannot know it." I turned back around to face him, and he continued, "They provide the only meaning in life that comes externally. They cannot understand what it is to live. The meaning comes not from out there," he waved to the darkness, "but from in here." He tapped the middle of his chest, and I briefly wondered if his heart was under there, or some other organ. I couldn't wonder for long, because he ploughed on, "You can only find your path from inside yourself. I can only help you walk it if you accept my help. Search your heart, and you will find where your path lies." I looked at Ooryl, and then looked back out to where Syl was drifting, further and further from the path. I drew in a deep breath. "A while back, I nearly took her life. I've got to do what it takes to give it back." I shoved my 'sabre into my right hand and forced my fingers closed around it. "Let's do this." * With Ooryl's help, the rest of the journey went swiftly. The voices beside the path were as tempting as ever, but easier to ignore with his determination renewed. The opponents that he encountered on the path were more swiftly sent on their way, or killed when necessary, and the swifter they ran, the more the path finally began curving toward Sylvana. Swifter and swifter, human and gand ran. The voices reduced to a low hum, passed almost before they could finish a single word. The opponents were ploughed through, toppled like bowling pins to tumble off into the nothingness. Finally. There. "I must leave now. You have found your path. You know what you must do." Josh barely noticed Ooryl leaving as he sprinted the rest of the way, taking a flying leap over nothing to land on the glowing disc she lay upon. Sylvana lay bare on the ground, looking like a rag doll that had been dropped and left out in the rain. He took off his jacket and wrapped her up in it, trying to give her a little privacy, before looking for an exit. Around him, a single voice separated from the low hum in the darkness. It seemed to be everywhere around him, first in front, then behind, off to one side, then the other. "It's a curse. A curse over the generations that each would bear a child to her family who would kill without recall, even their closest of companions. A curse of forgetful murder, gleeful massacre." An enormous two-handed sword of pure darkness formed in front of them. The dark nothingness filled with voices he'd been privy to since he began his journey seemed like a dim light in comparison. Josh stood and interposed himself between it and the fallen woman, bringing his lightsabre to bear with a sharp *snap-hiss*. "She's a berserker, yeah. I knew that already." "This sword was taken up, and condemned the line until the end of time. It cannot be defeated." Out of the darkness stepped the tall, muscular warrior. "I am Mentheus." "I am Captain Josh Nolan, and you're about to find you're not as undefeatable as you think." Moments later, blade of light energy clashed with blade of darkness. Again and again, sparks seemed to fly as the opposing forces beat against each other. Any time Mentheus broke through Josh's guard, the Terran somehow managed to dodge enough to escape with only an ice-cold singeing his clothing. Neither combatant noticed the woman lying still behind them, slowly being overcome with a moonlit glow. It began at her heart, creeping along her flesh to encompass her. It brightened and faded with her heartbeat. Slowly her eyes opened, the brown nearly overcome with the grey of them as she watched the battle, slowly sitting. She drew herself to her foot, moonlight solidifying into a new leg as she stood. She drew Josh's jacket on first one arm then the other, drawing it closed to hide her nudity before raising her gaze once more. "Hold!" Something in the command stopped both swords mid-air. "You have found yourself in the darkness Berserker child." "No." "Syl?" "Josh. Please step behind me." "I'd rather not. If you hadn't noticed, this guy is huge AND is carrying a great big pointy blade-of-evil." She tilted her head, her eyes locking on the sword of darkness. "You must be Mentheus. I remember the story, now. The one who took the darkness of the Force from the Jedi, and used it to conquer in the most horrible of ways. You took up Megilgoth. The Enemy Sword." She walked forward, moving up to stand beside Josh. "You. Elenari stealing from the Force, from the Dark, when your people are meant to be of the Flows, the Grey of the forces of all things. You broke the rules and cursed your family line forever." She drew herself straighter, throwing her shoulders back, her eyes moving from the sword to Mentheus himself. "Except something happened that nobody thought could. An Elenari and Jedi spawned in your line - combining into my little brothers. My little sister. And me, the eldest in the current generational line. Child of the curse. I can borrow from the Force, I am sure of it, by simple fact of birthright. I may be more comfortable with the Flows, but the Force does not call me stranger, only long-lost brother- daughter." "Syl. Stop talking. We have to get out of here." "No. I know what it is. I've figured it out. This is why it all happened. The erasure. The dreams. The recognition. Trying to kill each other. I needed the humanity of it all, and you're the dearest most human person who's ever stuck around long enough to become a true friend." "Gee, thanks." "Shut up, I'm orating here." "That's all very nice and mushy," said Mentheus, "but irrelevant." "I know how to negate the curse." The low hum of deceptive voices in the darkness stopped. Hushed. It seemed like it loomed ever closer. Waiting. The darkness in Megilgoth flickered. Josh only glanced at her questioningly for half a moment before returning to watching the sword, ready to defend the both of them should that Mentheus guy make a move. Silence, so absolute, even the lightsabre lost its hum. "Mentheus, this curse has lasted so long. So many generations have been tortured by it. If what I think is possible. If what I believe is, in fact, true; will you let me fix your mistake?" "You will be given only one chance, Sylvana Sellcúron Peredhil Loran. One chance only. If you fail, you will be claimed." "I will not fail." Mentheus stayed where he was, and Sylvana stepped back, pulling Josh with her. "Josh, what are the dimensions of that sword?" "Two hundred thirteen centimeters long, forty-six wide with the hilt," he answered without having to think about it. "Gotta love the Stormie, you didn't even have to think about it. The dimensions of the blade, I mean." "Just over one hundred eighty centimeters long, twenty-three wide at the hilt, pointy at the other end, which I really don't want to be going into me, so if you could let me in on your plan, that would be wonderful. Otherwise, your delusions of grandeur are unappreciated." *** "I figured if I'm Force and Flows, that leg thing I had going on was made up of both, too. Also, being all light and bright and moonlighty, I figured it'd be light side Force stuff too, so-" "Do I want to hear this part?" "She took it off and used the lightsabre to carve a sheath out of it." "That's..." "Twisted, disgusting, and very awesome of me, I know." "I was going to say resourceful." "That works, too." "Don't worry, Syl, I'll always remember you for the twisted woman you really are." "Why thank you, Josh." *** "Give me your lightsabre." "I'm not sure letting our guard down is the best idea right now, Syl." "It's the only idea - he could have sliced us up at any point with that thing, and I need the lightsabre." "To do....what?" "Cut off my leg." "You already had that happen once, I'm not sure-" "I meant the moonlit one!" Sylvana sighed and held out her hand, even while she sat down on the ground. "I won't cut it off for you," he said, handing the lightsabre over to her. "I didn't ask you to." The hum dulled slightly as it sliced through the solidified moonlight, which rolled slightly to the side once it was fully disconnected. She turned off the lightsabre and picked up the moonlight limb. "Josh, I need your help, here." "Uh, in case you've never noticed, despite the whole lightsabre thing, I'm no Jedi." "I know, but you're my friend, and that is more than enough. Grab one end of this thing, we have to pull it long enough." "This... is really disgusting." "But necessary. On three, pull, once it's long enough we'll need to make sure it stays wide enough to cover the whole blade. I'll use the lightsabre to hollow it out." "I mean, really disgusting." "Just pull my leg." * After all was said and done, Sylvana held a sheath made of moonlight across her hands. She stood balanced on one leg, chin held high, as she presented it to Mentheus. "Sheath the sword, forefather - and let us end the curse." The light sparked in his eyes, and for a moment, Josh and Sylvana worried that perhaps their time was up after all. One hand steadying her, Josh lifted his lightsabre in the other. Just in case. The silence began to loom over them all. It pressed in on their spirits even as the darkness oppressed their senses. Mentheus looked long at the sheath before stepping forward and taking it in his hand. With the sound of a million screams, the sword slid home. Moonlight glowed brighter, and brighter until it blinded them all, and the binding weight on Sylvana's heart, something she hadn't even realised was there, shattered. As Mentheus disappeared, she clutched at Josh's arm under the onslaught. *** "Then we woke up. Syl met her grandparents again, there was some kind of state dinner, and Fes flew us home." Sci folded his hands on his desk and watched them both, before directing his gaze on Sylvana. "I have two questions. Several, actually, but two that I need an answer for immediately. Where is Fes?" "He went to see our parents. I think they deserve that after all this time," she tilted her head at him and blinked once. "Don't you?" He nodded, glancing at Josh then back to Sylvana once more. "Second. What is your status?" "Fit for duty," Josh said without hesitation. Sylvana hesitated a moment as she pondered how to word her response best. "I have a silverwood knee and leg attached to the main joint functions of the connector until I can get a limb. With your permission, I can contact Rent-a-Rogue and see if Phaanan can get what is needed to fit me with one. In short, I may limp a little until I get the cyber-leg, but otherwise I'm in good enough status to serve." "I see. How about mentally?" "That would make three questions, Major." Sylvana grinned lopsidedly. She looked like her old self enough that Sci just stared at her until she started speaking again. It didn't take long, he knew it wouldn't. "Dealing. I've gotten some closure, some answers, and the crazies seem to have left the Sylvana. If you want me to see a shrink, I'll complain - but I'll do it if it'll prove you can put me back on active roster without worry. Things will not get out of control again. That's been fixed as well." Silent for several minutes, Sci thought it over. Josh sat perfectly still as he waited to see what he said, but Syl started getting antsy and recrossed her legs several times before pulling out her stilleto and playing with it. At a look from their commanding officer, she put it back in her hair. "Welcome back. You're both on clean up duty until further notice for your AWOL stunt," he said finally. Then he looked at Sylvana. "I'm glad you're better." Sylvana smiled again and nodded her thanks. "Now, get to work."