The GateWorld Cantina Chronicles

[Teyilia1]

((thank you tey ))

The warden smiled at the curled figure, exposing a row of misshapen and yellowed teeth. At the smile Teyilias ears seemed to be trying to flatten themselves further against her head.

Warden: "HA! hahaha. Funny, cat. No, the Empress would like a word."
Teyilia: "At this time of night?"

For talking back she received another stab of the electric prod, it caught her on the leg sending shockwaves through her entire body, making her yelp.

The wardens disgusting breath filled the small space as he laughed at her pain. Finally it seemed his pleasure was over. He turned to his guard no longer amused.

Warden: "Take her to the interrogation room. The Empress is waiting."

ATCU

That did it. Teyilia stared, the Empress was there?! 'Anything but that!' she thought in sheer horror at the thought of meeting the person that caused her all this pain. Before she could do anything though the pair of guards that woke her up grabed her and dragged her out of the scrap metal cell, dragging her down the hall to the interrogatian room and dumping her on the table there with a dull THUNK. "Ow!' that earned her another jolt to the backside, her tail went straight out then curled up around her leg.

Then she was rolling onto her back, she stopped fighting then. Not bothering to fight back now, it had gotten to a endless string of tortures and questions. What were they going to do next? Wait, did she even want to know that answer?

(Back to you Susie!)

[susanne1]

That did it. Teyilia stared, the Empress was there?! 'Anything but that!' she thought in sheer horror at the thought of meeting the person that caused her all this pain. Before she could do anything though the pair of guards that woke her up grabed her and dragged her out of the scrap metal cell, dragging her down the hall to the interrogatian room and dumping her on the table there with a dull THUNK. "Ow!' that earned her another jolt to the backside, her tail went straight out then curled up around her leg.

Then she was rolling onto her back, she stopped fighting then. Not bothering to fight back now, it had gotten to a endless string of tortures and questions. What were they going to do next? Wait, did she even want to know that answer?

(Back to you Susie!)

The Empress stood as always, looking down at Teyilia disgutedly. Teyilia didnt get to her feet, she just lay there. How....pitiful.

Empress: "Rebel. By now you know why your here."

Teyilia remained silent and it infuriated the Empress. She'd recently heard that her scouts had found a world they had colonised, of course no one was there, nor was there any information. But that didnt mean she couldnt use it against her.

Empress: "Your wasting your time, being silent. Your comrades are dead."

Teyilia still remained silent.

Empress: "Tell me where your leader is! TELL ME!"

nothing was forthcoming.

Empress: "So be it."

She raised her hand and concentrated, invading Teyilias mind, an old trick of the chosen, but as always someone had sheilded her memories, no matter, she would get them out of her herself. With a thought she sent pain burning across the creatures mind.

As Teyilia cried out in pain she barely heard the Empresses words.

Empress (Saddened): "Tell me...."

ATCU

[Teyilia1]

The Empress stood as always, looking down at Teyilia disgutedly. Teyilia didnt get to her feet, she just lay there. How....pitiful.

Empress: "Rebel. By now you know why your here."

Teyilia remained silent and it infuriated the Empress. She'd recently heard that her scouts had found a world they had colonised, of course no one was there, nor was there any information. But that didnt mean she couldnt use it against her.

Empress: "Your wasting your time, being silent. Your comrades are dead."

Teyilia still remained silent.

Empress: "Tell me where your leader is! TELL ME!"

nothing was forthcoming.

Empress: "So be it."

She raised her hand and concentrated, invading Teyilias mind, an old trick of the chosen, but as always someone had sheilded her memories, no matter, she would get them out of her herself. With a thought she sent pain burning across the creatures mind.

As Teyilia cried out in pain she barely heard the Empresses words.

Empress (Saddened): "Tell me...."

ATCU

At first Teyilia just stared before the lancing pain shot through her mind she grabbed her head in both hands screaming something in a very odd langauge, she curled up on the floor holding her head in pain. Memories surged forwards as the Empress shifted through her mind.

One memory stood out. as if a child was watching the the events unfolding. A odd ship, landing, and people leaving the ship before it lifted off never to be seen again, it had an odd shape to it. Another memory surged forwards, this time of a battle near a odd machine before a huge fire left the poor feline half burned and perfect for the taking to isolation.

Finally she felt the Empress slowly remove herself from her mind. When the Empress was finally out of her mind Teyilia whimpered, and shivered in fear.

(Back to you Susie )

[susanne1]

At first Teyilia just stared before the lancing pain shot through her mind she grabbed her head in both hands screaming something in a very odd langauge, she curled up on the floor holding her head in pain. Memories surged forwards as the Empress shifted through her mind.

One memory stood out. as if a child was watching the the events unfolding. A odd ship, landing, and people leaving the ship before it lifted off never to be seen again, it had an odd shape to it. Another memory surged forwards, this time of a battle near a odd machine before a huge fire left the poor feline half burned and perfect for the taking to isolation.

Finally she felt the Empress slowly remove herself from her mind. When the Empress was finally out of her mind Teyilia whimpered, and shivered in fear.

(Back to you Susie )

The Empress retreated from her mind, occupied by the strange memories that had surged to the front of Teyilias mind. Was this a trick? A defense mechanism? She didnt know. But the creature....felinus, was whimpering from the memory of the pain. The Empress decided a different tactic was in order.

Empress: "Why are you resisting? Why do i have to hurt you to get even the smallest amount of information from you? Surely you cannot thank your rebel friends for leaving you here. in my care."

Teyilia merely shook her head. The Empress sounded so...concerned...so motherly. It was difficult to resist.

Empress: "Your friends...they havent come back for you. Ive given them plenty of oppertunity felinus. Your unwanted to them....but you dont have to be in constant pain....join my clan, my family.....tell me what i need to know to make this galaxy united."

as she spoke she moved around the stooped figure. her dressing gown trailing the grimy floor.

ATCU

((back to you tey ))

[Teyilia1]

The Empress retreated from her mind, occupied by the strange memories that had surged to the front of Teyilias mind. Was this a trick? A defense mechanism? She didnt know. But the creature....felinus, was whimpering from the memory of the pain. The Empress decided a different tactic was in order.

Empress: "Why are you resisting? Why do i have to hurt you to get even the smallest amount of information from you? Surely you cannot thank your rebel friends for leaving you here. in my care."

Teyilia merely shook her head. The Empress sounded so...concerned...so motherly. It was difficult to resist.

Empress: "Your friends...they havent come back for you. Ive given them plenty of oppertunity felinus. Your unwanted to them....but you dont have to be in constant pain....join my clan, my family.....tell me what i need to know to make this galaxy united."

as she spoke she moved around the stooped figure. her dressing gown trailing the grimy floor.

ATCU

((back to you tey ))

Teyilia just shivered, she was scared, she remembered being good friends with Myn and Pegasi, but then the explosion happened, and they left her! Her! She wasn't with the crew long enough to be considered a rebel, she was caught and told them nothing. the last fifty years were pure torture. She looked to the Empress with dark green eyes. Her body was beaten so much that she had all but forgotten what pain actually was wuith the last fifty years of torure.

Finally she had to ask it. it begged to be asked, so she did just that. "For the last fifty years I have been here. 'in your care', and now you come to see me yourself? Why? What is it about those that left me half dead in the biting snow?" That did it, the Empress was right. They had left her, they fled after the explosion, leaving her out in the biting snow where she had fallen, to be found half dead by the Empress and her men.

So she asked. "What is it in it for me?" She had to ask, maybe, just maybe, she would get out of the prison planet and into better quarters. "If I tell you what you want to know. What will I get in return?"

(Back to you Susie!)

[susanne1]

Teyilia just shivered, she was scared, she remembered being good friends with Myn and Pegasi, but then the explosion happened, and they left her! Her! She wasn't with the crew long enough to be considered a rebel, she was caught and told them nothing. the last fifty years were pure torture. She looked to the Empress with dark green eyes. Her body was beaten so much that she had all but forgotten what pain actually was wuith the last fifty years of torure.

Finally she had to ask it. it begged to be asked, so she did just that. "For the last fifty years I have been here. 'in your care', and now you come to see me yourself? Why? What is it about those that left me half dead in the biting snow?" That did it, the Empress was right. They had left her, they fled after the explosion, leaving her out in the biting snow where she had fallen, to be found half dead by the Empress and her men.

So she asked. "What is it in it for me?" She had to ask, maybe, just maybe, she would get out of the prison planet and into better quarters. "If I tell you what you want to know. What will I get in return?"

(Back to you Susie!)

The Empress smiled to herself. She was winning, soon she would know what she needed to. The rebels would not be safe. There would not be a planet in her sky that would harbour them for long. She waved a hand dramatically, showing Teyilia this wretched place she'd called home for so long.

Empress: "Isnt anything better than this? I do not approve of their methods, but i cannot personally oversee everything. It is a shame. This torture is rather Unnecisarry. Give me what i need to know and you....will be very well rewarded my little felinus."

The Empress stood back, her speech made. The felinus would crumble. It was true, the Empress did not like her torturers methods.

ATCU

((teys go ))

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

(I do indeed. Aside from the whole potential of dying a cold and snowy death thing, o' course. )

A few moments and a crowbar later, WP had wrenched open the frozen doors to the bridge. She brushed ice crystals from the controls and flipped the emergency power switch. Nothing.

"For cryin' out loud..."

She ducking into a nearby storage closet, lugging out two large powercells and jacking them into the main consoles. Screens flickered to shaky life. "All right, my friend..." she muttered, "how about telling me where everyone is?" Coaxing the controls only brought a message flashing across the screen: "Database corrupted. No crew information available." She struck the console in frustration. "Darn it! Where could they have gone?" She took a deep breath, held it for a second, then blew it out. This wasn't supposed to have happened. Taking another look at the console, she decided on a different strategy. "Okay then...which systems are still operable?"

Presently it became clear that things, while still quite terrible, weren't quite as hopeless as they seemed. Main power was offline, as well as propulsion. Sometime around the 37 year mark, a failsafe engaged and the stasis pods tapped into emergency power--which was why she was unable to access it from the bridge. Since it was still at 25% capacity after 13 years, at least she didn't have to worry about the pod failing. Life support was in bad shape, but she should be all right if she found warm clothing. She made a mental checklist: First, find better clothes. Second, take inventory of the hangar bay--the sensors couldn't tell if any ships were left. Third, start constructing a beacon that can transmit signals through a mile of ice and not be picked up by the Triangle of Light.

Hoo yeah. This was going to be fun.


(I'll keep switching off with you, Mapp, until you don't want to or I meet up with someone. That okay?)

A sudden rush of hot air howled in through the bridge hatchway and pushed her over. She yelped as she stumbled forwards into the cockpit chair, snapping through the iced surface of it and then slamming into the frost of the floor. The gust screamed in and out, rattling the tender window frames of the desolate craft before disappearing back down the hallway.

'W-what...?' she muttered, dazed by what had just happened 'What the h-hell was that?'

Silence overwhelmed the cockpit and for a moment, she thought she heard a man's voice . . . Anonymous . . . calling out to her, whispering to her the answers she needed.

She accepted the first thought that trembled into her head without even comtemplating the impossibilities and ridiculousness of it...A ghost? One of the crew? It seemed vaguely plausible . . . This place was surrounded by a new and frightening universe, and she was stuck there. The Cantina was dying, she knew that much . . . She could not take off . . . They could not get to help . . . And the dead, it seemed, were calling out to her . . . Reeling her in.

She very, very slowly pulled herself to her feet, concentrating so much so that she did make even the slightest sound, and then for some reason a series of strange words curled down into her mind and fed on the emptiness . . .

'T-Tor'an...' the voice whispered.
'...Toran?' she replied cautiously.
'...It...It's my name,' it called.
'Your name? Who are you, Toran? Why are you here?' she asked as the nothingness seemed to thicken around her like a shell 'And where is everyone else?'
'I...I-I don't know...I cannot. I...do not know where this place is...I don't know where I am.' The bodiless words poured into her head 'Where am I?'
'The GateWorld Cantina, my ship . . .' she muttered.
'...Ship? But the ocean is frozen now . . .' he said, almost wistful.
'...Yes, do you know where the ocean is?' WP asked, realising that this spirit could hold her answers.
'Mid-na,' he mumbled.
'Midna? We're still on Midna? But Midna's not an ice world!' she remembered as she leant against the coolness of the command console.
' . . .Time gave way to the water, and the water took the mountains by force, and hillsides and the towns were washed down, and then the world froze.' Tor'an explained drearily, his vocal tones feral from years of no interaction.
'You saw it happen?' she said.
'I saw the world taken by warlords of the universe, turned artificial, made metal of it and left to waste and rust. The Time Lords though, they never came back...' he continued.
'So you're definitely not one of our crew, and you're not one of the Empress's goons either. Tor'an, who are you? Are you from here? From Midna? Were you here when the Time Lords first colonised the world and turned it into their military base, millions of years ago...?' she felt compelled to ask, and waited 'Tor'an, are you dead?'

A gust of wind blew by her face, and then all went silent again.

'Tor'an?' she called 'Hey, are you still there?'

There was nothing. There was no one.

(Okay Uggo you're in)

[Teyilia1]

The Empress smiled to herself. She was winning, soon she would know what she needed to. The rebels would not be safe. There would not be a planet in her sky that would harbour them for long. She waved a hand dramatically, showing Teyilia this wretched place she'd called home for so long.

Empress: "Isnt anything better than this? I do not approve of their methods, but i cannot personally oversee everything. It is a shame. This torture is rather Unnecisarry. Give me what i need to know and you....will be very well rewarded my little felinus."

The Empress stood back, her speech made. The felinus would crumble. It was true, the Empress did not like her torturers methods.

ATCU

((teys go ))

Teyilia dragged herself to the table and pulled herself up. She was bony and weak from lack of food. "Well rewarded...." maybe there would be food.... She turned towards the Empress. "..... What do you need to know? I only know so much, current locations I cannot tell. I was left for dead you know that. Since that time and now many things have happened, but what happened I don't know, I have been in here." She gave a dirty look towards the guard with the cattle prod.

She turned back to the Empress. "If I tell you what you want to know, of what I can remember, I will be free from here?" she asked. She was hoping to get out of the jail area and get on a real bed for once.

(back to Susie)

[susanne1]

Teyilia dragged herself to the table and pulled herself up. She was bony and weak from lack of food. "Well rewarded...." maybe there would be food.... She turned towards the Empress. "..... What do you need to know? I only know so much, current locations I cannot tell. I was left for dead you know that. Since that time and now many things have happened, but what happened I don't know, I have been in here." She gave a dirty look towards the guard with the cattle prod.

She turned back to the Empress. "If I tell you what you want to know, of what I can remember, I will be free from here?" she asked. She was hoping to get out of the jail area and get on a real bed for once.

(back to Susie)

The Empress smiled. She was so close...so close to finding out what she needed to know. Price was no obsticle.

Empress: "Good food, a warm bed....sunshine....all yours when you answer my questions."

Teyilia just nodded and waited for the Empress to go on. The Empress was excited now, she could feel the words, the secrets ready to come out.

Empress: "Who is the leader of the rebels?"

Teyilia: "i....do...not..."

Empress: "Ah?"

Teyilia: "Draygon....i think...."

Hmm....Not Mappalazarou? Why? Where was this universes beloved captain?

Empress: "What does she plan on gaining from this rebellion?"

Teyilia: "Freedom...."

The Empress chuckled.

Empress: "How entrepraneural. Where does she plan on getting her weapons? Followers?"

Teyilia: "I know not...."

The Empress sighed. She had who she needed.....Draygon was leading this rebellion? how surprising. She was dealing with someone far less intelligent than she had previously thought.

Empress: "Your wish is granted little felinus. A better life awaits you."

ATCU

[Teyilia1]

The Empress smiled. She was so close...so close to finding out what she needed to know. Price was no obsticle.

Empress: "Good food, a warm bed....sunshine....all yours when you answer my questions."

Teyilia just nodded and waited for the Empress to go on. The Empress was excited now, she could feel the words, the secrets ready to come out.

Empress: "Who is the leader of the rebels?"

Teyilia: "i....do...not..."

Empress: "Ah?"

Teyilia: "Draygon....i think...."

Hmm....Not Mappalazarou? Why? Where was this universes beloved captain?

Empress: "What does she plan on gaining from this rebellion?"

Teyilia: "Freedom...."

The Empress chuckled.

Empress: "How entrepraneural. Where does she plan on getting her weapons? Followers?"

Teyilia: "I know not...."

The Empress sighed. She had who she needed.....Draygon was leading this rebellion? how surprising. She was dealing with someone far less intelligent than she had previously thought.

Empress: "Your wish is granted little felinus. A better life awaits you."

ATCU

Teyilia spoke up as the Empress turned to leave, the one guard without the cattle prod removed her wristband that would have activated into her bloodstream had she tried to flee. "I could tell you more, but without a starmap, or food....." She then collapsed to the floor, fainted dead away, that wasn't good. She neded a starmap to tell more. and also food.

Teyilia still heard everything, she wasn't faking it, but she could feel and hear everything. and thankfully she was picked up and taken to a medical ward for care before she camew to with confusion. "where am I?" she asked when she came to about a day or so later since seeing the Empress. She felt two things right away, a soft real bed, warm air, thankfully not that freezing cold isolated jail cell air. Another smell assaulted her nose, food, food that she hadn't eaten in over fifty freaking years, let alone catch scent of!

(back to you Susie!)

[P-90_177]

For a moment nothing was said, then she laughed. She laid her head back and roared with laughter, pure mocking laughter. she looked back at 12th. "My people are rare indeed yes, but the Empress does not know of my talking with you. You notice there are no soldiers, or listening devices in this room. Benson is my father, he took me in. Benson seeks to help over throw the Empress. she is unstable. Not herself so to speak."

She sat at the table and leaned back in the chair. her eyes drilling into 12th. "my father seeks to help you and those you work with. the Empress wanted me dead at my fathers hands. My father is a human, I am a Dark Elf of Naggarath. the Forbidden Planet. Now....." As she spoke 12th felt a little..... heavy, "mock me again, and I kill you with stone from within yourself." she said, 12th then saw it, his own legs and feet looked... like a statue. She traced her fingers over her staff that glowed with purple mist. "Tell me what I wish to know, then I will let you free of your.... curse... but until then, you will stand where you are." He had insulted her a bit too far. but then Time Lords did that. 'thankfully Jix isn't here, she would have taken his head' Nirza thought.

(night 12th )

(sorry haven't posted again before now. Between work and gateworld being off yesterday I wasn't able to. )

A smile crossed P-90's lips, et his gaze did not move away from Nirza's. He could feel his legs enclosed in stone, all feeling from them gone.

P-90: Nice Trick

Nirza: I am More powerful than you can imagine Timelord.

P-90: Albeit somewhat ignorant then.

Nirza tilted her head in curious amusement.

Nirza: You still insist on being so disrespectful.

P-90: If you knew anything of real Timelords then you would know to show ME some respect.

Nirza shrugged off his comment while stifling a small chuckle.

Nirza: And yet I am the one who have YOU captive.

P-90: You sure about that Nirza?

The timelord looked at her with all of the regard one would give to a disobdient child. The Elf was puzzled by his attitude. He wasn't just being arrogant......He knew something.

P-90: I know much of magic Nirza......of all types. The Timelords have been around a long long time and although we chose an exsistance of scientific understanding that doesn't mean we didn't learn a few things about other arts.

She rolled her eyes at the beginning of his lecture.

P-90: All magic still follows the same basic rules of science. You cannot create something from nothing. That is unless it really isn't there in the first place........

With that P-90 stepped out of his rock casing with ease, as if it wasn't even there. And almost as soon as he had stepped away, it merely faded away into nothingness. A spectre of stone.

P-90: So if it isn't really there then that only leaves the second form of magic........an illusion.........you said it was the stone from within myself..........poetic Nirza. Very poetic........using my own feelings against me.......

[susanne1]

The Empress stood outside the ward, talking to Benson. The Man did not look too happy to be near a medical ward. She vaguely wondered what calamity would give him such a horrific view of the medical facility.

Empress: "She is to be well cared for. Whatever she wants is at my expense."

Benson: "Yes your highness."

Empress: "And see if you can get any more information out of her. I would like co-ordinates."

Benson: "Yes your highness."

ATCU

[343_Guilty_Spark]

On the Edge of the Earth System the X304 Odyssey was stationary. its commanding officer looking at the sensor readings

Admiral Rik Williams stared at them hard.

"Earth is gone. it seems to have been destroyed by a weapon of vast power... and the Moon is the same. but it was destroyed after earth was. but why?

Rik wasnt one for pondering but this had him confused. His ship was stranded for want of a better word. in a much changed universe.

Lara stood next to him. She was looking at the view out the main window.

Lara: Something tells me using hyperspace here would be an unwise move. That seems to be an FTL detection grid. the moment we pass in hyperspace it will alert whoever put it there.

Rik looked around at his old friend Jackson.

"what do you think? is it worth seeing what happened?"

Jackson looked thoughtful for a moment before asking. being the CoK adviser meant little now. seeing as we were so far from our own universe but still he had a voice on the ship.

Jackson: we check it out. but we tread carefully. We dont want to cause a war with some one just yet.

Rik agreed. He had no idea who he was fighting or what had happened but he would need answers before he made a choice. He Ordered the ship to go at full sublight towrds earth.

"bring all weapons online. bring sheilds on line and prepare the fighters. make sure my new fighter is ready and waiting. i dont want to be on full alert but from what i can see, it might be a wise idea."

ATCU

((Susie this will give some of you guys something to chase for a while))

[Commander Jumper]

The dim bar lights made the drink in her hand glow a deep amber. She took another drink as the bar tender continued to tell her the story of the Empress and how she came to power. The woman at the bar smiled from beneath the hood of her cloak. All the bar tender could make out of her face was delicate pink lips contorted into a twisted smile against pale skin. The lighting almost made her look demonic.

"Tell me." The woman stated, her voice filled the air with a sense of disturbing confidence and somethin terrifying. "about the Legend of the Cantina."

The bar tender set down the glass he was wiping clean and lookedat the woman with curiosity, "Talk of such a legend is highly illegal."

The woman laughed, her laughter filled the bartender with an intense fear, there was something about it that made her seem inhuman. "Why would it be illegal unless there was a grain of truth behind it."

"Sorry ma'am but I can't risk the Empress' guards hearin such talk in my bar" The bartender stated, writin somethin on a piece of paper. "and if you value your freedom, you'll watch what you say. You never know who might be a spy for the Empress."

He finished writing on the paper and slid it across the bar and placed it in her hands, giving her a look. She folded the paper with out looking at it and stood. "I'll take your words to heart." She grinned menacingly at the man. "and you're right, you never know who might be a spy."

She placed money on the Bar and walked from the bar. Once she was outside the bar she took her hood off and shook her long blonde hair from the cloak so she could feel the night breeze run through it.

She unfolded the paper and let her blue green eyes scan the paper. She snapped her fingers once she finished reading and the paper set a flame. She dropped it and continued to walk away as the paper fell onto a stream of fuel catching it on fire. The line of fuel ran from the point of the paper into the bar.

Another twisted grin adorned her features as she heard the Empress' guards run into the Bartenders Bar to arrest her. Her eyes lit up at the an explosion from the bar rocked the earth beneath her feet. She knew a spy when she saw one. Years had taught her to kill or be killed.

She sighed happily as she looked up at the night sky while several people ran past her to see what had caused the explosion. "Midna"

She walked off towards her ship, giggling. Years of Stasis had twisted her mind. A fragment of her memories remained the little bit she could recall drove her mad. "Finally, after four years of searching, I'll have him back. My dearest Captain.... the man who ruined my life."

(ATCU)

[Teyilia1]

(sorry haven't posted again before now. Between work and gateworld being off yesterday I wasn't able to. )

A smile crossed P-90's lips, et his gaze did not move away from Nirza's. He could feel his legs enclosed in stone, all feeling from them gone.

P-90: Nice Trick

Nirza: I am More powerful than you can imagine Timelord.

P-90: Albeit somewhat ignorant then.

Nirza tilted her head in curious amusement.

Nirza: You still insist on being so disrespectful.

P-90: If you knew anything of real Timelords then you would know to show ME some respect.

Nirza shrugged off his comment while stifling a small chuckle.

Nirza: And yet I am the one who have YOU captive.

P-90: You sure about that Nirza?

The timelord looked at her with all of the regard one would give to a disobdient child. The Elf was puzzled by his attitude. He wasn't just being arrogant......He knew something.

P-90: I know much of magic Nirza......of all types. The Timelords have been around a long long time and although we chose an exsistance of scientific understanding that doesn't mean we didn't learn a few things about other arts.

She rolled her eyes at the beginning of his lecture.

P-90: All magic still follows the same basic rules of science. You cannot create something from nothing. That is unless it really isn't there in the first place........

With that P-90 stepped out of his rock casing with ease, as if it wasn't even there. And almost as soon as he had stepped away, it merely faded away into nothingness. A spectre of stone.

P-90: So if it isn't really there then that only leaves the second form of magic........an illusion.........you said it was the stone from within myself..........poetic Nirza. Very poetic........using my own feelings against me.......

Nirza smiled, "you try to flatter me. It will not work. I have never seen your kind before, yet you say you know of magic. your mind is strong, but thought magic is weak. Sit down. and me happy that Jix is not here, otherwise she would have your head for talking back to me."

When he had sat down across from at the ornate table, desk, thingy, she continued speaking. "mock me again and you will end up as one of them." She indicated the nearby wall with a hand and some lights turned on piinted to what appeared ot be stone statues of Empire soldiers. all of them encased in stone, none of them with any life whatsoever inside them. "They failed to show respect to me and my mission. I started with a dozen men, now six are left." when he turns back to her she said. "I used the mind spell on you rather then the true spell. Becaue you are not a threat to me as you are to the Empress. Brace yourself for a moment if you will"

There came a lurch as the Lifeseed dropped out of hyperspace in the Midna system, Nirza waved a hand towards a wall and what appearded to be a starfield showed itself from behind a curtain. "Recognize this place?" It was a screen showing the system, three worlds, nine moions, and a ball of nothing but ice.

(12th back to you)