On the same side? The beast is mine! I shall be the one to make it bleed, no other!

Hearing the voice again brought on a sense of calm as well as fear. But, more than anything, it brought on anger.

You mean the beast is mine. Get out of my head, thing, you have no control over my decisions!

I will be mine! The Voice shrieked and faded away once more.

Silus grimaced. So much for freedom. But this had to be the first time the Voice spoke in more than a few words thrown togethor and shouts.

It is mine. The Voice whispered.

"My name," Silus said with an effort while he pushed the voice away, "Is Silus. There is... wisdom, in what you say Jedi. And perhaps an alliance," That word tasted foul!, "Will be a good idea. Much better than you leaving me tied up all day, eh?"

Perhaps an alliance would benefit him. It would present him with a chance to kill Sha'ta'lusk... and the Jedi Leia, as well. Yes, an alliance would be very good, indeed. Silus' lips quivered into a quick smile.

"So we have this creature that, at this moment, is making straight for the Temple," Tyscio murmured looking at Leia, "which holds the largest concentration of force users no? Perhaps the padawans should be evacuated while you, him," he pointed to the Sith, "and your knights take care of the beast."

He dropped the salad in a waste disposal unit nearby no longer hungry.

"Someone should send a warning to the Queen to issue an emergency broadcasts informing everyone in the city between the spaceport and the Temple to remain in their homes."

His eyes looked over at the hunter looking for any evidence of weapons on their person thinking over the hunter's frustrated words.


The creature was born into existence on our world, and it left our world of its’ own accord despite our best efforts to contain it!



Tyscio grimaced quietly. I wonder just what the population of these creature are on their homeworld and if any feel they want to leave of their own accord?

He noted Shalis' weapons and thought, I am going to need a bigger gun. Remembering the creature, he adjusted his thinking, "I am going to need a much much bigger gun."

The Sith smiled, and a chill went up Leia's spine. She would have to be wary...

"I am going to need a much much bigger gun."

Leia turned to look at Tyscio, who had disposed of his salad and now seemed to be mulling over the situation.

He had every intent of going with Leia and Silus in their attempt to draw the creature away from the city...

Leia knew that Tyscio was an untrained Force adept, in addition to the odd powers she had seen him use on Capricia. Despite the fact that he was untrained, he was probably just as much at risk as the rest of the Jedi. Because he was untrained, she wasn't very sure that he would be fully capable of defending himself, were he to get separated from her and be forced to face the creature alone. Sha'ta'lusk had given the Sith more than a run for his money, and she shuddered to think what it might do to a weaker Tyscio Korban. She didn't want him to get hurt, or worse...

"Tyscio..." she started softly.

When she said his name he turned to look her in the eye, and something in the way he looked at her made her hesitate.

They had survived Capricia together, against all odds. He had been a true leader and warrior there, leading troops into death and miraculously back out again. He had instilled strength and hope in so many...

Including Leia herself. When she had been weak and troubled, he had been there to lend his seemingly unwavering strength and courage to her as well, despite all of his own problems.

He didn't need looking after, he could take care of himself. If there was anyone she knew she could depend on, could trust to watch her back and take care of her when she needed it... even when she refused the care adamantly, it was Tyscio.

"...you'd better go right for the rocket launchers, when this is over with I want to be scraping Sha'ta'lusk off of the ground, not Tyscio Korban."

Leia stood from her chair and smiled wryly over at Tyscio. She realized she'd developed the same relationship with Tyscio that she had with Han and Luke back during the Galacic Civil War. They could be all alone, completely surrounded by the enemy with only a very miniscule chance of survival. But somehow, as long as they were together and looking after each other... they would make it through somehow.

"We need to get out of Theed now, before the creature comes in here looking for us."

Leia walked over to Silus, and removed his restraints. She still had his lightsaber, and she intended for it to stay that way until he actually needed it.

"On your feet, we're leaving right now."

Leia turned to the Royal Guards who had accompanied them from the spaceport.

"Send word to the Queen about our situation, and advise her to tighten security in the city for now. If the creature is found in the city clear the area, but don't try to take it down... I have my comlink, contact us. Also send word to the Academy, tell the Knights to track down all of the Padawans and gather them safely in the temple. If the Sha'ta'lusk finds the Temple before we find the Sha'ta'lusk, I want them all there together so they can combine their strength. If they can't fend off the creature, tell them to spread out and run..."

"What about the rest of us?" Jaida demanded.

"You aren't to leave this room until this has been dealt with. The Palace staff will see to it that your needs are met while you wait. We can't have rumors about this spreading wildly across the city and causing a general panic."

The entire group of people collected from the spaceport grumbled, but none of them voiced any clear opposition to Leia's orders.

Leia picked up a nearby datapad off of the table, and then headed for the door with Silus and Shalis close behind.

"I need someone to send me a map of the city..."

Leia noticed Tyscio was following her as well.

"And I guess we need to find Tyscio a really big gun."

And so an unarmed Sith, a mysterious 'Hunter', a Jedi Master, and a guy with a really big gun set out into the city to attract the attention of none other than their own predator...

Silus snorted when she released him from his bonds but kept his lightsaber. If she thought him defenseless....

For the best. Won't see it. Dagger through the heart, she won't see it! Fool! Fool fool FOOL!

Silus shook his head slowly to quiet the voice down. It was right, though. If he still had a dagger hidden about his person that they didn't find, at least. It would take time for him to locate one, if he had it, and that could draw attention. There was always the Force, of course.

But to risk everything now? No, the Jedi is weak, not blind. Not now, wait until-

No! Now, you fool, they will not act fast enough! It reached out again and tried to grab hold of his body, much like it had done before.

Shut up! Out of my head, thing!

Fool! It shrieked again and disappeared. For how long, Silus had no idea.

The mental battle over, Silus could focus his attention on what was a happening. Then cursed himself for letting so much time slip away.

The surroundings were very different than the room they were in. If this voice kept up, he would lose track of what planet he was on.

What planet am I on? The thought made him chuckle. Still, Silus supposed that didn't matter. Not until Sha'ta'lusk, and the Jedi, were dead.

"Tyscio.." came the soft reply that cut through his silent musings as the problem of the creature was turning over in his mind. His eyes glanced up slightly surprised at the tone and noticed something there...

..something he did not identify at first.

She doesn't want me to go.. came the thought almost immediately.


She hesitated.


It took starships longer to travel from the Core to the Rishi Maze before Leia spoke once more. At least to him.


She is contemplating something unsettling.


She smiled wryly and a heaviness seemed to lift.


"...you'd better go right for the rocket launchers, when this is over with I want to be scraping Sha'ta'lusk off of the ground, not Tyscio Korban."


And there it was. Tyscio had made an art out of wry comments in lieu of stress and here was the mother of comments.

In that single statement...


The creature was dangerous and she thought he would be hurt.


The male part of him scoffed at the idea at first but even he had to take that emotion around back and beat it a few times. It would be just his luck to survive the single greatest invasion Capricia ever faced only to die and ignoble death under the paws of some deranged animal that hates a force that he didn't understand.

It would be his luck...


A strange feeling overcame him ... perceived by something beyond his normal senses. Was that the force?


Was it from Leia or was it from the Sith?


She was already dolling out orders like candy, a Royal Guard handing him his personal weapon giving Tyscio a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"See Parks. He's got a shop to the right just as you are leaving the Port. He'll fix you up.. Tell him Jano sent you."


"Jano, do you like Frendeli Whiskey?" Tyscio grinned.

"Can't say I've had the pleasure."

"Well, there's an open invitation for you to try it out at my place. Got a place outside the city, Forest's Edge."


"That homesteader place?" the Guard asked surprised. "You rich or something?"


"No.. no.. Government just owes me thirty millenia of backpay..." and the Guard walked away confused but said, he'd pay the Caprician a visit.


Leia had stopped talking ordering the Sith to get up and she turned to him noting that he needed a bigger gun, her eyebrow raising at the small personal blaster the Royal Guard had given him.

He decided to strike a different pose putting as much menace as he could into the gun but she just shook her head.


A quick stop at Parks and the crusty droid probably built during the Mandalorian Wars handed him quite a bundle of strange weaponry.

"Do we want to desintegrate this creature?" Tyscio asked innocently as a stern look from the Jedi Master halted his grab for the gun.

"I'll take those." he said pointing and they were off.



It was a smart move.

To get the two most powerful force users out of the city in hopes of luring the creature away from the general public. But that would only work of the Temple had been evacuated quickly.

Tyscio didn't know much about the force but he was of the opinion that a hundred small force users put as big a blip on the creature's internal radar as Leia's.

But a part of him wondered about their Sith company and, thinking back to Recon Klain, he wondered what sort of strange powers this one had.


"So... just what were you doing on Naboo?" he inquired of the stranger as he wondered just where they were going and how they could be able to tell if the creature was onto them and not remaining in Theed.


The Sith seemed ....out of focus sometimes. He'd heard of some sentients that took mind altering substances and wondered if the person before him had taken any.


All the while keeping an eye on the woman serving as their party leader and the scars on her wrists.


Compliments of Tallien Yzan, the would be conqueror of Capricia.

Exar did force lightening to Leia, and it was all over

"So... just what were you doing on Naboo?"

"Naboo," Silus said quietly to himself, "that would explain a few things."

Silus spoke up this time, to answer the man's question.

"As I recall, I was hoping to get to a hospital or at least a medical droid. A blind, one-armed gungan with a needle and thread would have done, really." the Sith's eyes dropped for a moment to his left hand. Or, the mechanical one that served as a replacement.

I'm still not sure one didn't work on my hand. Silus thought.

Better than nothing, the voice replied before dropping back into its rantings.

"It would seem the Force has a sense of humor."

The Sha'ta'lusk draws closer.

Silus decided against resisting the voice again and simply asked, When?

There was a few moments of silence before the voice told him.

"You will want to draw your weapon, Jedi."

The Sith reacted to the mention of being on Naboo as if it were a surprise to him, drawing a curious stare from Leia. The depth of the Sith's disorientation and estrangement continued to surprise her, and she was just about to ask Silus what he did remember about the chain of events that had brought him to Naboo when he suddenly advised her to draw her weapon.


Leia's hand moved to hover over the lightsaber clipped to her belt, but she did not draw it. Fully aware of the devious nature the Sith, Leia was wary of being manipulated. For all she knew, the odd behavior of the Sith was an act and he was leading them ever closer to a trap; and the creature they were hunting had merely been an element of his plan that had gone awry…

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Leia’s gut instincts in various situations usually served herself and those around her quite well, and therefore she usually relied almost solely on them. But in this particular instance, they were about to be her undoing…
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Without any warning something big and heavy jumped on her from behind, and she felt sharp claws digging into her back and cutting through skin as she was pushed to the ground. She had been walking close to Tyscio, and out of the corner of her vision she saw that whatever had her, had also managed to take him down too.
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Whatever had just caught them was not interested in Leia or Tyscio, it apparently wanted Silus…
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What felt like a huge paw planted in the middle of Leia’s back suddenly pushed off as the creature bounded forwards towards Silus, the force of its’ weight using her body as the ground knocking the wind out of her lungs.
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It all happened in a blur, even to the Jedi Master’s Force enhanced senses. The next thing Leia saw was a fuzzy figure she recognized as the ‘Sha’ta’lusk' bounding away with the Sith in it’s teeth, the effort of carrying a fully grown man seeming to hinder the creature in no way.
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She hadn't felt it through the Force… had Silus?
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The creature was insanely fast, and even as Leia had jumped to her feet gasping for air, it had already dodged out of sight. Leia reached out again, searching for any sign of the creature’s presence or movement through the city whatsoever.
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She found nothing, not even a weak sign from the Sith.
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A low grunt sounded from beside her, and other concerns entered her mind for the moment.

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“Tyscio!”
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Leia turned to see Tyscio climbing to his feet as well.
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“Are you alright?”
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Leia closed the distance between the two and reached out to rest a hand on his arm as he reoriented himself.
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“Silus saw it coming somehow, I didn’t… the creature is like the Vong, somehow absent from the Force. But… it can sense the Force too, and if Silus can sense it...?”


Leia shook her head.


“This is so... so... there's not even a word for it. I don’t know if we should try to chase after it, back off and regroup, or what…”


There was the sound of a crash up some distance ahead of them, accompanied by a flurry of concentrated disturbances in the Force.


"That must be the creature... we'll just follow it's path of destruction, it can't run forever..."


Leia paused as the recent events ran through her mind, and she chose to amend her statement as she started off at jogging pace towards the source of the clamor.


"At least, I hope not."

In moments, the creature, the Sha'ta'lusk, was upon them.

It is mine!, the voice screamed in his head and lunged out with surprising effort to take control again. Silus mentally screamed and reached out as well, struggling with the thing to take control.

The Sith felt himself reach out for the force as both of them tried to gain control over his body, felt the invisible ropes wrap around the creature...

There was a flash of light and Silus was thrown to his knees, grabbing his head and screaming. Fear, pain, different emotions flooded into him from another mind. The Sha'ta'lusk leapt forward and grabbed the Sith, and then everything went black.



Darkness faded away and Silus stared at a sunless sky. A warm breeze slid over his face, bringing the dead smell he had come to recognize. He didn't need to look around to know he was back in that same desert of the mind. All he had to do was reach out and...

There. He could feel the presence of the voice somewhere inside his head. But there was something different, something else this time as if there was someone else. From them he could feel pain, hate, fear, other base emotions. Like an animal.

"The Sha'ta'lusk," Silus said to himself. "How did it get in here?"

With a groan, the Sith pulled himself to his feet. There was nothing but the barren dirt beneath his feet and the eerie light that lit the place. He relaxed, if only a little bit. Perhaps he hadn't been found, yet.

And then the tremor came.

"As I recall, I was hoping to get to a hospital or at least a medical droid. A blind, one-armed gungan with a needle and thread would have done, really."


Tyscio was not really that adept in the use of the force but he tried to concentrate on the answers that made no sense as of yet.

Was the Sith hurt?


Other than his scuffle, there was not much....



Being too caught up in his thoughts, a large force batted him aside like a rag doll the shock causing Tyscio to fire his weapons; projectile weapons to be sure.

They were not quite out of the city and a nearby merchants goods were blown to kingdom come by Tyscio's weapons.


Such was the force that moved him that he nearly blacked out hitting the side of a building.


“Tyscio!” came a shout to his side

His back aching and head ringing, the Caprician slowly picked himself up hearing a commotion and as soon as his gaze focussed he saw that he and Leia were alone.

The creature had struck from behind unnaturally fast and stronger than he anticipated.
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“Are you alright?”, she asked and he shook his head trying to clear it.

"I felt like I've been battered by a starcruiser." he grunted, checking his weapons. He had underestimated this beast. He would not do so again.


“Silus saw it coming somehow, I didn’t… the creature is like the Vong, somehow absent from the Force. But… it can sense the Force too, and if Silus can sense it...? This is so... so... there's not even a word for it. I don’t know if we should try to chase after it, back off and regroup, or what…”


Leia was babbling.


That the Jedi could not detect the creature's presence was unsettling, reminding him of the creatures that the Yuuzhan Vong had created.


He was about to recommend a course of action when he heard something like a crash nearby.

"That must be the creature... we'll just follow it's path of destruction, it can't run forever..."


"Watch your back. I wonder if we are hunting the creature or if it is hunting us." and in a moment of brilliance, he pulled out his comm unit, "Jano, Tyscio here. We need to see if we can get someone in a helo and map our progress from the air. The creature is ahead of us and has captured the Sith. Relay with Traffic Control and use a Jedi frequency so Leia can monitor. If they give you any balking, use Jedi Authority and push it through. We need to see what's ahead of us!"

The crashing was getting louder and Tyscio's perceptions were widening. If the creature itself could not be seen, perhaps the disturbances it made could be felt and an exact location found.

The idea was rudimentary at best seeing as his force use wasn't really that great. But seeing the concentration on Leia he wondered if she was thinking the same thing.

Her initial shock had turned to determination.





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