Power and Betrayal: Chapter 10

Dianiss' screams carried throughout the small freighter, just loud enough to drown out the sound of Kari's curses in three languages. But worse, Kari could also feel the echoes of the pain that Dianiss was feeling--and knew that if even she could feel it, it must be very intense. This was exactly the sort of thing she'd been worried about: the unexpected, unknowable consequences of taking someone like Dianiss to a place like Malachor.

It was also the reason she'd taken the time to pre-charge the hyperspace engines to full for what should have been just a short one-parsec jump, AND to pre-compute a two-jump navigation solution, even though quick back-to-back jumps were stressful on the engines and drained the power reserves exponentially.

She allowed a few seconds to pass, hoping that whatever it was that was happening to Dianiss would pass on it's own. As she selected the "waypoint beta" (another spot in deep space one parsec out from Malachor's sun), she could feel Dianiss' pain getting more intense instead of less, so she reactivated the hyperspace engines. Her hesitation, it appeared, only meant subjecting her best friend to some kind of painful torture.

Within a couple of seconds after the second jump completed, she no longer heard Dianiss screaming nor felt the sympathetic pain. Good. she thought. The relief she felt was the only emotion stronger than her anger at Master Kinnan Sig-lapp for doing this.

She quickly did a systems check to make sure that there was no damage done to the engines and that there were no other contacts (especially other ships) in the vicinity. Once satisfied that they were safe and alone, she initiated another full recharge of the hyperspace engine and then grabbed her medkit and headed back in a full run to check on Dianiss.

Galadina was already sitting on the floor next to Dianiss, who was just beginning to sit up.

Kinnan was moving toward Kari as she emerged from the cockpit area. "Did we just jump ba--"

"NOT ONE WORD OUT OF YOU!" Kari shot back at him angrily, pointing a finger and shaking her lekku in a manner that she hoped he'd recognize for the rude gesture that it was.

Dianiss was now sitting on the floor, leaning her back against the wall, and looking oddly at her hands and legs, as if she didn't expect them to be there. "I'm all right." she said, still calming down. "It's okay. I'm fine now."

Kari knelt down next to Dianiss. "Ziveri'Sinya?"

Dianiss nodded. Without a word, Kari began applying kolto gel on Dianiss' skin to soothe and anesthetize the pain, starting with her feet and legs. They both knew this routine. They'd both been through this plenty of times before.

"This place . . ." Dianiss started to explain, "...he feeds off of it. I think he was trying to do something to me, but I don't really know what. It felt was like I was completely immersed in something red-hot, like a volcano. I just . . . just need a moment to center." Soon after, she closed her eyes again and began moving her open palm in front of her head, chest, and legs--using the Force to examine and heal herself.

"I'm so sorry, Kinnan." Dianiss said, looking over to him. "I've just ruined any chance this mission had for success." A look of sudden realization came over her as she looked over to Galadina. "Dina, are YOU okay?"

"Actually, . . . it was a lot like Oricon." Dina answered. "But here it's thousands of voices instead of five very intense ones. We got through that okay. We can get through this, too."

Dianiss was skeptical. "I appreciate the optimism, but--"

"But nothing." Dina interrupted. "Do you trust me?"

"Probably more than anyone." Dianiss answered honestly. After Kari gave her an accusing look accompanied by an obvious clearing-the-throat sound, she added, "...except Kari, of course." Kari smiled, and continued her work with the kolto.

"Okay, good. I can guide you through this, just like we did with the Dread Masters. Kari? How long until we can jump again?"

"About two hours if we pre-charge for re-jump again." Kari answered. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am . . . now that I know precisely what we're dealing with. How long if we don't pre-charge?"

Kari gave Dina a long, slow stare. "About 3 more minutes. Just what are you up to?"

Even Dianiss was looking puzzled.

"On Oricon, Master Ogan-Dei's meditation technique was very effective at defending us against the voices of the Dread Masters." Dina said. "We'll need to use that same technique here. It's just a matter of blocking it out enough so that Kallig can't hear it either."

Kinnan was observing with intense curiosity, but said nothing.

"Kari, ..." Dina continued, "...set up the jump back in, and give us a 10-second audible countdown." Dina turned back to Dianiss and added, "...unless you need to rest first."

Dianiss paused a moment before answering. "No, I'm okay."

Kari, on the other hand, was not convinced.

"May I make a suggestion?" Kinnan asked unexpectedly.

"WHAT?" Kari responded. The anger she was feeling for him had NOT lessened in the last few minutes.

"Perhaps with this second hyperspace insertion we can use stellar distance to attenuate the effect. Rather than jump into the system proximate to the orbit of Malachor V, we could jump to within a distance of . . . say, four times as far out . . . and then fly in at sub-light. The effect will start out geometrically less intense and then slowly increase as we get closer . . . much the same way it would have, had the M.F.R. serum been effective."

"THAT IS . . . A REALLY GOOD IDEA." Kari said, with a tone that sounded like it just made her more angry that she was agreeing with him.

"Is there anything I can do to assist you?" Kinnan added, looking at Dina.

"No. All I really need is the time to prepare. Time is the key."

--

"Okay everyone, this is another short hyperspace jump. Get ready." Kari announced to her passengers from the cockpit.

Dina and Dianiss were sitting on the floor in front of each other, in a meditative position. "Take my hands." Dina said, as she held them out.

As Dianiss held both of Dina's hands in her own, Dina added, "Now close your eyes, relax, and concentrate on my presence in the Force." Soon Dianiss could feel the presence of Galadina all around her, with Dina's thoughts and feelings surrounding her in such a way that it blurred the line between where Dianiss ended and Galadina began. It was just like how Master Casei used to help her with her training when she was a Padawan. "We are one." Dina said--well, not really said out loud, but communicated through the Force.

A curious thought popped into Dianiss' mind, and from the context of it, it seemed more likely that it originated with Dina rather than herself. Have you ever wondered how Dina mastered Jedi Shadow combat techniques SO QUICKLY? You're about to. Now listen carefully....

Outside the universe of their communing minds, there was a familiar voice. "Jumping in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6..."

At the count of 5, Dina reached out in the Force to touch the soul of Dianiss, using the Force Bond they shared to guide her.

At the same time, she reached out, way out, with all of her will to grab hold of that moment in time and stretch it out far enough that she could pass through it, transcend it. Dina used the full extent of her stronger-than-it-used-to-be connection to the Force to extend her reach beyond time and outside of reality, even as she allowed her own consciousness to fade away.

As her mind fell away, so did all of their surroundings, allowing her to enter another place that looks like the real world, but with an otherworldly yellow glow coming from all around. In this place, the ghosts of the dead and the souls of the living are made manifest, and all time slows to a near stand-still.

Here, there is no physical body, nothing but spirit. Here, she sees the physical world of the small cargo ship, cast in its bright yellow aura, and everyone there in their places, still as statues. Dianiss is here, her presence shining bright white within the glow, but with a visible blood-red flame surrounding her.

"Dianiss, I'm sorry to surprise you with this, but we need a way to confront Lord Kallig directly--and I need to be able to communicate with you privately."

Dianiss is looking around, taking it all in, looking surprised. She recognizes where she is, but doesn't know why she is here.

"I know this place. This is a Sith thing. Are YOU doing this?"

"Yes, I am. It's called the Dream Walk. Your father used this technique with me a lot on Dromund Kaas so that he could accelerate my training as an Assa-- . . . as a Shadow. He also taught me how to invoke it myself in case Lord Kallig ever got out of control. I think this situation qualifies."

Dianiss is thinking back, remembering being here . . . what seems like thousands of years ago.

"I remember this. He used it with me, too, when you were...." Dianiss stops short of finishing her sentence. "He used it to teach me how to use Sianid's artifacts to bond with you and then to use the Tulak Hord relic to revive you, when it was crucial to act immediately."

"I never really thanked you for that, you know. I owe you my life."

"Well if that's true, then you really owe it to my father and Master Casei. I just followed instructions."

"And now, so am I." Dina says, while looking around, as if something is distracting her. "When we were on Oricon, Master Ogan-Dei was helping to shield us from the Dread Masters because they were directly assaulting us through the Force. Malachor is doing the same thing, with many more voices, but it's not directed and focused like the Dread Masters were. You said that Kallig is feeding off of that, didn't you?"

"Yes. He hates me . . . hates having to obey me. I can feel it really clearly here. The darkness around that planet was empowering him to be able to act more independently. He wants to torture me into giving him control, as if I could. Oh . . . and he wants to kill you in a REALLY bad way."

Dina is nodding her head. "That's what I thought. We can use the same meditation technique Master Ogan-Dei used to protect ourselves, but I also need to do something else to isolate Kallig from it. If the darkness can't reach him, then he'll remain bound to you. In this place, I can help you resist him."

"How do you know all this?" Dianiss asks.

"Well . . . some of it I can feel directly through the Force, thanks to our bond. Also, your father is pretty highly placed in the Pyramid of Mysteries now, and I spent A LOT of time with him--in AND out of the Dream Walk--while you were recovering, and he taught me a lot." Dina flashes a devilish grin. "But, mostly . . . it's because I contacted him and asked him what to do."

"And here all this time I thought *I* was the Sith of the two of us."

Dina smiles at the little joke. "Not any more, I guess. And while we're here, there's something I wanted to tell you: The High Council knows about what happened on Dromund Kaas, and is keeping it classified."

"Well, that's no surprise.  They've always kept this stuff about HIM under wraps."

"And that includes what happened to ME as a result of what you did to revive me. Look, I know you've shared some private personal details about yourself with Master Sig-lapp. That's fine--it's totally your right to do that. But I'd like you to please keep what happened to me private--I mean our bond and the way your sensitivity to the Force and mine got blended together; not to mention the Dream Walk and my association with your father. Right now it would invite too many questions that have too-complicated answers. Can I count on you to do that?"

"I'm more surprised that you don't want to keep your association with ME private." Again, Dina smiles at the little joke. "But . . . of course. I understand."

Dina can sense that Dianiss is sincere. It is a side-effect of the Dream Walk that when spirits communicate directly with each other in this way, the true intent and emotion are inseparable from the words. There can be no deception.

"Thank you. Okay, timing is important here. Listen...."

There is a deep sound, barely audible. Neither of them can truly discern what it is from the sound alone, but with the Force they both can understand it as Kari's voice, infinitesimally slowed. "ONE..."

"Dianiss, once we jump, you CAN NOT summon Kallig's power for any reason. The only way this works is by suppressing him the whole time we're there. If you empower him, even for just a little, I'm sure he'll be able to break free of the isolation."

"Okay."

"But he IS still going to attack you when we jump again. I can't fight him in the real world, and I can't beat him here in this one. What I CAN do is distract him away from you and then guard him--HIM, not YOU--against the darkness. That should keep him in check while we're here."

"JUMP..."

There is a delay that seems like it's days long, but both Dianiss and Galadina are surprised at how immediately and instantaneously the environment around them changes. The yellow glow is replaced by a deep orange, and the brightness of it all significantly dims. There is a deep mumbling sound all around, coming from everywhere.

The flame that surrounds Dianiss rises in intensity, and becomes more substantial. It even begins to take on the more recognizable shape of a human male, dressed in simple robes and wearing a mask underneath a hooded head. The crackling of the flames take on a cadence that sounds like a deep, hearty laugh.

Dina steps back as she starts to feel the heat of the rising flames. Dianiss feels it, too.

Dina watches carefully. As a wispy flame that surrounds Dianiss, he has no form. But as he feeds off the darkness all around, his form becomes more detailed and more substantial.

...substantial enough, solid enough, to actually grab hold of.

Dina reaches out with the Force and grabs Kallig. She pulls him away from Dianiss and toward herself.

He is taken by surprise. Dina can feel that Dianiss' rising pain is now falling. Kallig turns all of his attention to Dina.

"YOU!!!" he calls out. The anger in his voice is almost palpable, and the heat radiating from him continues increasing dramatically. She can sense that he recognizes her, and his anger and hate are only magnified. Though unspoken, his desire to kill her is obvious.

Dina concentrates. She does not want to do battle with him. The distraction is all she needs. She uses the Force, wrapping it around herself like an impenetrable cloak and projecting blindness all around her. Just as the Force allows her--a blind Miraluka--to "see" others, it allows her to prevent others from seeing her.

It works. Kallig is confused and uncertain where she is. Dina seizes this advantage and uses the Force to touch his mind, ever so briefly, to confuse and distract him further, before reappearing and breathing a sigh of relief.

The connection between Dina and Dianiss is visible here. Dina uses the Force to reach through it. Kallig is a part of Dianiss, and Dianiss is her willing ally. Dina uses the Force to surround Dianiss with her own presence and power, a technique she's done countless times in battle to protect an ally.

But this time Dina focuses her guarding presence specifically on Kallig, something she can only do within the Dream Walk.

It works. Kallig is 'protected' from the darkness. He cannot feed on the darkness. He cannot use it to act against Dianiss' will.

"It's working. He's not attacking me."

"Good. I can continue isolating Kallig from the voices of Malachor as long as needed, so long as I'm able to concentrate. So . . . if we get into a fight of any kind, . . ."

"Yeah, I get it. If you get taken down, he gets set free. Don't worry, I won't let you down. Neither will Kari."

"And you'll have to deal with the voices of Malachor yourself, I can't help you with that now."

"I know. I'll be okay. It's funny: Kinnan was so worried about my Force sensitivity here, when the truth is that I have a much stronger, darker voice in my ear every day. With Kallig under control, Malachor won't bother me at all. I've trained my whole life for this." Dianiss says. Dina can again sense the sincerity of her words. "I'm more worried about you."

"Well after our first jump, it was kind of shocking at first, but not too overwhelming. I'll be able to acclimate to it as we fly in. I'll be okay, too. Now just relax, I'm going to retreat from the Dream Walk."

"Okay." Dianiss smiles and adds, "Thank you."

Galadina reaches out to touch her connection to Dianiss and release it. As she does, the dark orange glow fades away completely, to be replaced by the familiar surroundings of the real world.

--

"Welcome bloody back!" she said, venting her frustration to no one in particular.

It was bad enough coming to the Malachor system and waiting . . . and waiting . . . for the ship with Dianiss and Master Sig-lapp on board to arrive.

It was downright maddening to finally detect that ship, only to have it disappear again a few seconds later. Nobody does back-to-back hyperspace jumps like that! It's a huge strain on the engines!

Thankfully, the second waiting period was only another 5 minutes, and this time the ship arrived considerably farther away. Odd.

Could they have detected the Amethyst when they first jumped in? Unlikely.

Still, she decided to hold position and avoid any active scanning for the time being, just in case.

Passive detection picked up enough information to confirm that it was the same ship: size, shape, mass, and energy output consistent with a C.E.C. XS-model light freighter. It was not transmitting an IFF signal, which wasn't surprising.

As expected, the ship made its way toward the remains of Malachor V. She watched its sub-light flight with interest. Maybe there WAS something to all that talk about dark voices or somesuch, if they were approaching so slowly. An amusing thought occurred to her that maybe this is why her employer sent her here alone--because he was afraid to come here himself.

That was nonsense, of course. She knew that he trusted her to operate independently and that she didn't NEED his or anybody else's assistance. And besides that, she had a hard time imagining him being afraid of ANYTHING.

Eventually, the ship got close enough to the planet to have to start navigating through the debris field that surrounds it. "Hmm. Whoever's piloting that ship, they're good." she said to herself. It was time to start moving, lest she lose sight of them.

She transmitted an encrypted burst message before taking the controls to follow them. The debris field would help hide the Amethyst from being detected--and hopefully would keep the pilot distracted as well.

Angel has arrived at the graveyard.
Following.
--Samael

Continue to Chapter 11 . . . .