Darkness...

He felt it's presence within him; swelling as he tossed under his bed linens, his eyelids squeezed tightly shut. He could feel it growing within him.... the ever present, and all powerful Darkside of the Force. It continued to fester as he tossed back and fourth, his pillow over his head. He felt it's call.... a call to the Dark Side once more, just as it had called to him each night before, haunting him with it's very presence.

Or was it a warning? A premonition of what was to come in the trials ahead. The Darkness of his sleep haunted him, tortured him as it continued to grow, consuming his very soul. He could feel the faint trickles of sweat beading across the blue tint of his face, lingering imminently as he sliped further into the Darkness.

And then.... the Darkness faided, and his dreams returned. His body relaxed at the sight of his mother, long since deceased, and the once overwhelming persperation of his body slowly faded into a mere memory.

"Xilen..." she called out to him as she ran toward him in his eternal youth. How he loved to see her flowing red hair blowing in the gentle summer breeze, oceans of tall, lush grasses and flowers standing out on the hillsides. "Come to Mommy, Sweetheart!"

He felt his short legs run faster, and the grin on his light blue face continue to grow as he drew closer to his mother's flowing white dress as she held out her arms, desperatly awaiting his touch. As he approached her, his mother bent down to meet him, leaning back with the impact of his body gently slamming against hers. But her face was not one of laughter, and joy as it had been each time before.... it was one of fear.... the face Xilen would never forget. As he heard the explosions behind him, his mother held him close to her breasts, desperatly clinging to him as she sprinted across the open fields, the distinct sound of starfighter engines closing in behind them.

As she sprinted, the fear within his body grew more and more dominant as his heart beat fierce and wild against his chest, his mother's desperate tears flowing down her face onto his soft blueish black hair. He could almost feel her pain.... taste her fear, and desperation as the forest, once seeming to be miles away closed in around them. His mother's deep pants continuing as her bare feet met with the harsh underbrush, slicing through the pale blue skin of her underfoot.

His screams of fear went unnoticed as his mother continued through the thicket, her arms streaming with faint lines of redness, her breathing picking up even more as she slowed down to fight the mangled branches, but not once did she flinch with pain.... not once did she slow down, or give in. He clung to her, screaming as the rivers of tears flowed down his pale blue cheeks... he was merely a toddler then.... barely able to comprehend what was happening....

Ignias was under attack...

He looked up, clinging to the tattered dress that held him to his mother, smoke filling the skies above the deep forest; the distinct sound of explosions, and screams behind them. The city must have been miles away by now, and yet the screams of suffering remained constant in the air as they pushed deeper into the thick darkness of the forest.....

And then... Darkness consumed him once more....

He awoke only moments later, torn from the only memories of his mother's life. Torn from the Chaos of dreams. But his memories lingered, infesting his mind with sadness, and anger all at the same time. He could feel a strange power grow within him, and then it faided. Silence filled the air as his eyes blinked open, merely seconds after the final images of his mother faided from view.

She merely lived in his thoughts now, her flowing red hair, quite rare among the Chiss race being his most prominent memory. Xilen managed to pull himself up, barely consious enough to comprehend where he was, let alone care. Starships had become a second home for Xilen, being the Sovereign Admiral of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, and Syndic of House Nuruodo.

But something wasn't right....

He shook his head, rubbing the deep sleep from his eyes as he awoke to the darkness. An eerie, unsanitary smell filled the air, and as his vision returned, it had become obvious where he was, and how he had come to be there. Memories of the Battle outside of the Planet Varnies returned to him in fragments....

He had been captured....

"Admiral!" a fimiliar voice shattered the silence of the holding cell, breaking through the faint clouds of the pitch black darkness. "Admiral, you're alive!"

Xilen nodded his head slowly, still reluctant to stand. His head throbbed with pain as he leaned against the wall, gazing into the darkness. A few pockets of glowing red eyes filled the holding cell, a welcome sign to any Chiss being captured in battle. It ment that he wasn't alone, and that there was still hope of an escape.

"Yes, Lieutenant Altren, I'm still alive and kicking.... What's the meaning of this?"

"Seletekian Rebels ambushed us sir, just on the borders of Slea shortly after our battle at Varnies.... Our shields buckled after the first hit, and you were thrown from your command chair...."

He winced in pain once more as the Lieutenant spoke, a faint grin appearing on his dark blue face.

"That might explain the headache, Admiral." he continued with a chuckle.

But it was no laughing matter.... The Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet's Central Defense Division had been defeated, and would no doubt bring rise to panic within the five houses of the Chiss Parliment, and the people of Ignias, Capital of the Enclave of Chiss. Xilen shook his head....

It was impossible..... the Chiss.... Tactical Genius' had been defeated by a band of marauding rebels from Seletek..... The Galaxy had turned upside down.

He sat up, a sharp pain shooting through his forehead before he fell back once more against the solid Mandalorian bars of the cell.

"Don't move Admiral.... you're hurt pretty bad." Altren started, a desperate and hopeless look in his eye.

"Nonsence.... A Chiss is never truely injured until Death."

Altren smiled, and nodded his head.

"What's the status of the Fleet, Lieutenant?"

"Total loss sir.... What the reb's didn't capture, they destroyed.... We didn't stand a chance after the battle at Varnies. Our Flagship was captured, but it was deemed unsalvagable, and destroyed along with the rest of the Expansionary Defense Fleet. All we have left is a few minor ships, Sir."

"And so it comes to war....." Xilen said with a sigh as he once again leaned forward, fighting back the wave of pain that had shot through his body. "Well," he continued, his voice filled in agony of pain. "If they want a war.... we'll give em' a war..."

"So it begins...."

<font size=-2>OOC Note: 5,538 Words Total</font>

Activity inside the compound was frantic. They had caught themselves a Sovereign Admiral of the Chiss Expansionary Defence Fleet, but more than that, he was also the Syndic of House Nuruodo. A very valuable negotiating piece that will be crucial in the days to come. Once word got out that Admiral Xilen had been taken, the position of the Seletekian Rebels would be stronger than ever. More would rally to their cause.

Laran had seen the moral of her compatriots before the assault on Varnies, low and question what they fought for. But now... they were hardly recognizable as the same people. They were almost fanatical now, which made them dangerous.

Making her way through the lower corridors of the compound, Laran held her med-kit close at her side. The guard at the entrance to the holding cells snapped his weapons toward her, stopping her in her tracks. " I don't have time for this, Sorin." Laran growled softly.

" Where you do think you're going, Laran? We've got strict orders not to let anyone in."

A short chuckle, followed by a scoff, and Laran shook her head. " Do you have any idea who you're holding in those cells? Have you even been paying attention? We have leverage now, Sorin, against the House of Nuruodo. Against the entire Parliament if we play this development wisely. Now I know that those prisoners have wounded and require my attention. Would you want to be the one to tell the General that one of the hostages died because I was unable to tend to his wounds?"

She saw Sorin hesitate and laughed again. " Oh come on Sorin! What am I going to do? Just waltz out of here with more than a dozen wounded Defence Fleet officers? Come on, this is me. You know me."

Sorin smirked and lowered his weapon. " Fine, but I've got to inform the General."

" I wouldn't want it any other way."

The lights inside the cell block turned on as the door opened and Laran stepped inside. More that a dozen sets of crimson eyes turned her way.

Her face void of any emotion she pressed her hand against the sensor pad which opened the first cell. The Naval Ensign was young, probably on his first duty assignment when taken. Yet lying on the cot in the cell, if he had any fear or pain he kept it hidden well. His head turned to her and she offered him a soft smile as she sat on the edge of the cot next to him. " I won't hurt you. I just want to check that blaster burn on your side."

His eyes glanced across the corridor to the cell over from his.

Laran looked over her shoulder to the two men that shared the cell. She recognized the uniform of the lieutenant that stood next to the bars, but her eyes were drawn to the man sitting on the floor and resting against the wall. " With your permission of course, Admiral Xilen, may I treat your wounded?"
The Lieutenant turned to Xilen, who closed his eyes and nodded once. " I'll be watching you very closely, Ma'am," Lieutenant Altren said grimly, " So don't try anything."

Laran shook her head and placed her attention back on the wounded ensign. " I'm a medic, Lieutenant. I would not intentionally hurt anyone under my care."

The young man shifted awkwardly, grunting slightly, as she gently lifted his uniform tunic away from the burn. The scorched fabric tore the partially closed wound open again, but he impressed her when he did not even flinch. " It's not that bad," she said after a moment's inspection. " The bolt just clipped you. Bacta patch will take care of it."

" How is her touch, Ensign?" A deep voice resonated from the cell across from them. The voice belonging to Admiral Xilen.

" Soft as fur, Sir." The ensign smiled at Laran as she gently pressed the patch against the injury, adhering it to the skin.

She smiled back and stood. " No rapid movements for a day or two and you'll be as good as new." Taking the med-kit back in hand she turned and exited the cell, moving directly for the one across. " Will you allow me to examine the Admiral, Lieutenant? He may have a concussion."

With a frown, Altren stepped back from the bars.

Laran bowed her head in thanks and pressed her hand against the sensor plate. Once inside the door slammed shut again. Unlike the immobile Ensign, she couldn't' trust these two wouldn't try anything. As it was, she knew the risk she was taking.

The med-kit was set on the floor next to the Admiral and Laran took out a small light stick. Shining it in his eyes, a faint smirk turned up her lips and she spoke so softly it could barely be heard, but every word was heard by the Admiral.

" I'm sorry. I only learned of the ambush an hour before they hit. I couldn't get that information to you in time She took the light away and gently prodded at the gash on his forehead. " I'll get you out of here, Sir."

She cleared her throat and took a hypodermic needle from the kit, her voice audible to anyone listening. " I'd like to give you something for the pain. Will you allow it." She chuckled and replaced the needle in the kit when he should his head. " I should have known." She looked to Altren. " I need you to make sure he doesn't move, not until I get back. Can you do that?"

" Of course."

Laran moved for the door and reached her hand through the bars, twisting at the elbow to press her hand against the sensor. Sealing the door once again Laran looked back at Xilen and Altren. " Once I assess the rest of your men, Admiral, I will be back with the supplies needed to treat your injuries."

Thank the Force... Xilen told himself in silence as he sat up, rubbing his temples vigorously. Lieutenant Altren instantly shoved him back against the cot. He was an older man, and hi sonce jet black hair had started to fade into a lighter shade of black, the equilivent of grey hair among Humans. He saw the Admiral as more than just a commanding officer, but as a friend... possibly even a son.

"She told you to stay down, Aldrexi'ile'nuruodo." he said with a faint grin.

Xilen's face held a strange suprise on it for a moment, and then his muscles relaxed, and he laid back against the hard metallic cot. The accomidations wern't all that great, but he'd seen worse. He watched her with his blazing red eyes as she stepped past the guards at the door, flicking the lights back off as she did. Damn she was good. She alone was worth more to House Nuruodo than any fleet in the Galaxy. She was a walking army.

Xilen lowered his voice to a whisper. "She's here to rescue us..."

"What?" the Lieutenant blurted as he threw himself down on the ground, taking a small ration of dried meat from his sachel, and stuffing it into his face. Xilen squinted his eyes in distaste, and sat up. "I said..." he started again, lowering his voice even more. "She's here to rescue us.... Laran."

He chuckled, and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. The Sovereign Admiral never ceased to amaze him with his foolish remarks, but then again, most of them were right. "Sure, Xilen. I'll remember that when they hang from the gallows of Seletek on a system wide holonet transmission." He chuckled briefly, and stuffed the rest of the dried meat through his blue lips.

Moments later, the lights turned back on, and a small entourage of Nuruodo Seletek rebels stepped forward, lead by the General, Wilks'ala'nuruodo. He pointed into the first cell, comprised mostly of technical officers, and ensigns. "Kill those two... and that one..." he pointed. Xilen sat up, grabbing the bars of his cell as the blasters fired, killing the three young men instantly.

"What the hell?!"

Sorin seemed nervous. When she left the cell block he was standing rigid, as though the slightest breeze would break him. He hadn't even said a word when she said she'd be back to check on them again.

Something was up.

And it became appartent when she turned a corner and saw General Salan and a few of his men marching steadily down the corridor and toward her. Salan's narrowed scarlet eyes landed on Laran, stopping her where she stood. " You better have a good reason for being down here, Laran."

The gruffness of his voice didn't even phase her. " I was treating their injured, Sir. Some of those men may die from their wounds if I'm not permitted to see to them."

Salan walked past her, the Rebel soldiers right behind him. " Some sooner than others."

They disappeared around the corner and still Laran did not move. She heard a few mumbled words spoken to Sorin, then the door to the cell block open with a hiss. Only then did she drop her med-kit and turn back for the prison.

" What's going on Sorin?" The guard's back was to her, his eyes staring ahead at the door to the cells. He ignored her, and a moment later she understood everything.

Blaster fire erupted in the cell block, and any feeling Laran had toward any of the Seletekian Rebels vanished in that instant. She moved quickly, quicker than Sorin could react, and wrapped her arm around his neck. The muscles in her arm halted his breathing and any sound he might have made. Before Sorin knew what was happening, Laran grabbed onto his forehead and pulled one direction while her arm forced his neck the other. A muted snap sounded in her ears and Sorin's body went limp in her arms.

Guiding the corpse silently to the ground Laran took his riffle from him and slung it over her shoulder. She afford a quick glance up to the corner where a holocam took in every centimeter of the room. As she stood straight she lifted a serrated dagger from within her boot and moved to the cell block door, grinning.

Whoever was monitoring the camera feed was about to get a show they'd never forget.

The proximity of her body to the door opened it was an innaudible hiss as another round of blaster fire tore into the helpless prisoners in the second cell. Standing closest to the door with a sadistic smile plastered on his lips, was General Wilks'ala'nuruodo.

Time seemed to slow down in Laran's mind.

The Rebel soldiers started to turn to look to the General for their next orders the same moment Laran's blade was tearing a fatal gash across the General's throat. The Rebel's weapons raised in her direction, and holding the rapidly bleeding to death General in front of her as a sheild she let the dagger drop to the ground. The riffle slung over her shoulder slid into her free hand and she was firing as she leveled it at the Rebel's.

Mere seconds had past and the five rebels lay on the floor and the now dead General lay at her feet. Salan's blood soaked the front of her tunic, her one arm, and as she wiped at a single beed of sweat it smeared her face.

Her eyes turned to Xilen, her body following as she walked over and pressed her bloodied hand against the sensor plate. The cell door opened and she offered the Lieutenant a glance before looking back at Xilen, her face grim.

" It seems I'm late again."

The riffle she held was tossed to the Lieutenant who was staring at her dumbfounded. " You're going to have to help him," she said emotionlessly as she guestured to Xilen. " I wasn't kidding about his injuries. He really shouldn't move, but he can't stay here."

One by one she opened the cells, giving the strongest of the captives the weapons of the fallen guards. " We'll find your weapons that were confiscated when you were taken in a weapons locker in the command post two levels up. We get those, and we're gone."

A siren began to blare throughout the compound.

" And I suggest we hurry."

Xilen stood, the Lieutenant's arm wrapped around him. His body was weak, and limp, yet he somehow managed to stumble out of the Prison compound, following the strongest of the former captive Chiss Officers. Few spoke, holding Blasters, and Rifles at a battle ready stance, as any Chiss would in there situation, for at any second, Rebel Nuruodo Phalanx could come from any one of the sprawling metallic hallways. Xilen remained calm, his eyes resting on Laran, a woman he had known since her adolescence. A woman he had come to respect, more than anyone. A woman he could trust.

The blare of the red alert continued as red lights began to flash throughout the warship, a Victory-Class Star Destroyer. He closed his crimson eyes in concentration as he looked at Larana's flowing black hair, a faint smile creeping across his lips as sweat beaded on his forehead.

You have done well, Laran he said, speaking in her very mind. He could feel the Darkside manipluate him; consume him. He could feel his strength coming back in steady flows, as if they were a river's current, carrying the river fish to there spawning ground. The Enclave was at war, and no matter how badly he was injured, he was responsible for each and every man that stood before him. He stood upright ash the Lieutenant leaned him against a wall, blaster fire breaking out. Three of the Enclave Loyalists fell instantly, but it looked like more fell on the opposing side. Officers scurried to take cover as the green and blue blaster lasers splashed against the blueish metallic walls, charing them with the scars of battle.

Xilen stepped forward, his crimson eyes tightly shut as he raised his hands. Three Seletekian Rebels lifted through the air, and slammed against the wall, there weapons scattering across the floor. Xilen raised a fist toward a rifle, bringing it to his hand with the Darkside. As he felt it's cold barrel meet with his hand, he opened his eyes, and stepped out from around the corner, opening fire on anything that moved, and as quickly as the brief battle had erupted, it ended.

"Casualty Report!" the Sovereign Admiral bellowed as he looked around at the sprawling piles of bodies, some still moving, and some laying lifeless.

"Out of the fifty that escaped the cells, twenty four remain alive, and of those, only ten are able to fight."

Xilen looked down at the smoking rifle, and tossed it over his sholder. Rage consumed his body, his very soul. The lights of the hallway shattered at the same time as Xilen let out a loud scream, his body falling back against the manufactured air of the ship, not meeting the floor.

The Darkside had consumed him.

Those left standing could only stand in wonder as Xilen literally hovered two feet above the deck, his voice screaming out throughout the corridor. Unlike the rest of the Enclave Loyalists, Laran did not have time to watch and wonder as another flank of rebel's burst into the hall with weapons aiming at the Sovereign Admiral.

Without thought, she was moving.

Her arm reached beneath Xilen's arm and over his chest, interupting whatever was happening to him, and pulling him back around the corner as their blaster fire tore into the space where he had been. His feet touched the durasteel desk beneath him and she slipped the riffle from his shoulder as she sat him on the floor against the wall.

Xilen was panting hard, his breath ragged, and she placed a hand on his chest to draw his attention to her as she looked fiercly in his eyes. " With all due respect sir, I don't know what force mojo you've got going on, but it stops now. You may be feel like doing whatever it wasyou were doing but your wounds are internal. Keep it up, and you'll kill yourself."

Her upper arm burned, and with a glance to the side she saw the smoke rising from her tunic and could see the charred flesh beneath the fabric. Ignoring the pain, Laran stood, her thumb adjusting the setting on the power cell, and a high pitched whine eminated from the riffle. She tossed it down the corridor toward the rebel soldiers. A second later the overloading weapon exploded at their feet.

A few of the remainin Loyalists took their lead from Laran and opened fire immediately after the explosion, taking out the remaining rebels in seconds.

" You three," She pointed to each of the officers, " With me. We'll make our way to the bridge and take this ship. The rest of you, take the Admiral and the wounded to a secure location. Keep it secure at all costs."

She glanced down the corridor and stepped out into the clear. " You have your orders, now get moving."

Xilen leaned back against the cold durasteel desk as Laran stood from his side, blaster rifle in hand. He couldn't help but let out a low pitched chuckle at her calmness.. Hell, she was more calm than soldiers that had been training in the House Nuruodo Phalanx for there entire lives. But his laughter was short lived. Moments after Laran disappeared behind the corner in a hail of blasster fire, he could feel the force surging forward. He tried to suppress it, clenching down on the hard metallic floow as two officers attempted to lift him. He let out a loud moan, his crimson eyes seeming to burn like fire as he felt the snapping noise in his ears. He was changing... as any shapeshifter would under the strain of such a powerful experience. The bones snapped out of place, moving slowly under the skin, almost doubling in size.

He closed his eyes, clenching his teeth so tightly that the side of his jaw felt numb with agonizing pain. The two soldiers that were holding him didn't seem to notice anything as they quickly attempted to cart him out of the small office, and into a more secure location, two more loyalists on there flanks holding off a small band of rebel seletekians.

The Explosion that followed soon after gave no one time to react. Xilen himself was caught off guard, shot back into the thick blast doors of a small room as the Dark Side left his body as quickly as it had come, only much more deadly. Thick black smoke bellowed from the starboard side of the ship as shards of greenish-blue Durasteel were sucked out into space. Balls of flames seemed to float endlesly through the pitch blackness in the zero gravity enviornment. The ship rocked after the initial explosion, and soon limped almost lifelessly as it started to keel over to the starboard side, where now hung a massive hole. Xilen clenched tightly to a small metal bar that rested against the durasteel airlocked door he had been thrown back to, desperatly holding on as his crimson eyes focused on the lifeless black of space now dangling merely a few feet before him.

He threw himself forward, gritting his teeth in agony as the zero gravity space wings threw him against the opposide side of what remained of a long corridor, three dead bodies sprawled against the cold floor. His head spun, but he had no time to relax, or take it easy. The Darkside had given him the will to fight back. There is no death; there is immortality, there is no fear, there is the Darkside. He picked up the remains of a chared Blaster DL-77 Rifle, letting off a brief shot to see it the weapon still worked, and moments later, he found himself charging forward in search of Laran.

The explosion that had rocked the ship moments agao had set off a series of alarms that had the Seletekians scrambling for the escape hatches. Laran and the three Enclave Loyalists were able to move quickly through the ship unhindered. Whatever had happened, the Seletkians were abandonning ship.

The airlock to the Bridge was sealed, but having speant the last few months among them had given Laran the needed codes to bypass the sercuity measures. The door hissed open and the four stepped onto the bridge with blasters firing.

Minutes passed and soon only Laran and one other Loyalist were remaining standing on the bridge. " Get the controls online and tell me what's going on," Laran snapped at the officer.

" Yes Ma'am." he leapt over the railing and hurried to the Ops station, not noticing as Laran stumbled into the same railing with a hand over a blaster wound just beneath her left breast.

Laran grimaced at the pain that burned through her body, barely hearing the officer as he told her of the breach on the lower decks. " Open communication, on all Enclave Chanels, broadcast a distress call and then find the Admiral and get him off this ship."

" Done Ma'am," the Nuruodo Officer started up the stairs to the deck where she stood. " The message will repeat on all regular and encrypted Enclave chanels. What about you?"

She smirked, hiding the pain and the wound as she stood strait. " Right behind you."

He was off the bridge in a heart beat, not wanting to be on a floundering ship any longer than neccessary. Laran watched him go and slumped back against the railing. Her heart beat rapidly inside her chest and she found it difficult to breath.

As her consciousness retreated she could hear explosions tearing through the ship as parts of the hull were blown into the vacuum of space. The vessel listed to the side and in the distance a voice over the comm. A ship was near, one loyal to the Enclave, and would be at their location within minutes. More than enough time get the Admiral before the Destoryer tore itself apart.

"Admiral!" the young fleet officer shouted endlessly against the invisible rift between the Admiral and himself, now hundreds of feet away from the Bridge of the Victory-Class Star Destroyer. The ship had become a trove of lifelessness, the only presence of life existant in those that were wounded, and near death on the blood stained metallic blue decks of the ship. He leaned forward as the ship Listed to the left, another black cloud of smoke smooting out of the side of it into the endless vacuum of space. He clenched the railing carefully, his thoughts only dwelled on Laran, the woman that had more than thice saved his life....

"Admiral!" he heard the shouts once more, this time a few hundred feet behind him in the direction of the command bridge, by this time no doubt consumed in flames. The officer pushed his sholder into the armpit of his Sovereign Admiral, and lead him toward a nearby escape pod not yet jettisoned.

"Where is Laran?" he asked, a desperate cough escaping his blood covered lips. He raised a faint white cloth to his mouth, whipping it away. His lung had been punctured. "She's...." the young officer looked behind him. "She was right behind me!"

Xilen growled under his breath, raising a hand. His fingers turned in a serene dance as the man slowly floated off of the ground, desperation and fear in his eyes. Xilen's eyes squinted in pain as he leaned back against the coarse railing, cinged by the endless blaster battles that had taken place. The pain shot through his body. A pain that he had not felt since before the fall of the Old Republic, and the beginning of the Clone Wars. A pain of everlasting love....

He tossed the man aside as if he were a rag doll in the desperate arms of a young refugee, the snap-crack of his neck no doubt a fatal indication of his untimely death. Xilen stepped forward, the physical pain of his body shadowed by the emotional pain of love... He started forward toward the command bridge as the explosions around him continued.

The ship listed to the left, and then to the right as another explosion ripped through the hull, breaking the ship into two sections, yet Xilen continued forward, the raging crimson glow of his eyes seeming to glow as the lighting of the ship flickered twice, and then vanished. Moments later, he found himself on the command bridge, his very immortal soul sinking into his feet as the shadowed figure of Laran lay lifeless in a small ball. He stepped forward, bending down to meet the soft, delicate blue skin of her neck, at the same time examining the blaster wound to her chest.

A Pulse...

His heart throbbed with relief as he raised her into his arms, the physical pain of his lungs, and sholders seeming not to matter. Xilen brushed her hair aside with the tip of his forefinger, kissing her forehead as he carried her through the dark recessef the ship as it rocked, lifeless in space.

"She is going to be just fine..." the Medical officer of the Spirit of Csilla said with a faint smile on his face as Xilen hovered over her slender figure. His crimson eyes blazed with an unsanctioned joy... a joy he had not felt in a very long time. Xilen nodded his head, resting his fingers on Laran's small femenin hands, still stained with the blood of the men she had killed in Xilen's defense. He raised it slowly, kissing it gently.

She was unconcious.... He was alone.

"Laran..." his soft voice spoke, as if he spoke to no one in perticular. "I..."