The explosion and depressurization occur and pass quickly. Verad stands on the bridge unphased.

"The fool. He brought it on himself." He muttered about the AWOL Cantharan.

A crewman looked up from its station. "Course, sir?"

"Simlab 0428 in the Elysium system for an equipment pick-up. Once we recieve our cargo, head to Salril, and dock at Lucifer's Hammer. I want His Eminence to have a pleasant surprise when he awakens."

Jane hovered stealthly behind the door of the bridge listening to the conversation. 'What the hell is a Lucifer's Hammer? ' she thought to herself.

"Awe, sir." The sheepish Salrilian laid in the course then looked back up. "Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Of course."

"Do you think it's safe to have that thing, that demon aboard our vessel?"

Verad forced back a chuckle. "After having met him, I can't see what all the fear is about. I didn't sense anything particularly dangerous about him either. But His Eminence insists that he has some sort of power, and that he could be a potentially large threat. Therefore, I see him as a potentially useful advisor. After a few 'alterations' from the simlab equipment, he should make a well apreciated welcome back gift."

"But how do you know it will work? He's not he's not of this existance."

"Overblown. He's just as mortal as you and me. No one could have faked the way he hit the ground after getting a whiff of that gas."

Just then, something tingled Verad's augmented Phylydiod sixth sense. A normal intruder would have been picked up immediately. This one was hiding it, implying that whoever it is, it has telepathy. And it was close.

Verad tapped an icon on a command console and spoke. "Security units to Blue Alert. Possible intruder entry. I want two squads of hunter to sweep the ship, one in aft engineering, and the other in 1-forward." With that, Verad began walking quickly towards the door Jane was hiding behind.

'Great.' Jane thought. 'Now what? There's no way I can take this guy in combat.' She could feel that he sensed her presence and was stomaching panic.

------------------
Verad
Ex-Taeskor and
Salrilian Auspex

((No longer in the bar, so shifting location to... "The Buildup"))

Riven enters the bar. Although the gas was gone, there was an odd scent in the air.
"Water. I'd like a glass of water please!"
After several moments, a small drone pops out from its receptical in the wall. Bearing a strong reseblence to the guys who pop-up when you press their nose, from star wars, it stared fixedly at Riven.
"I said, I'll have a water please."
The drone's head jerked back in shock. Shaking its head, it picked up a glass and went to the bathroom. Riven could hear distinct sounds of water being splashed around in the toilet. Riven spoke up.
"On second thought, I'll pass."
The Drone came back out with an empty glass. It began picking up the open bottles, odd utensils, and momentos left by customers. Riven rolled his fingers in boredom, as the drone began washing dishes.
"Is there anything you have I can play with?"
The Drone slowly looked back up at Riven, and slowly back at the cup from the bathroom that he was washing. Soap duds and all, the Drone slid the cup to Riven and returned to washing other dishes. Riven sighed. He began twirling it with his finger, but soon loses interest.
"There's never any adventure in this bar..." sighs

Maybe you should open up a book and immerse yourself in it...

------------------
"I like ice cream without chunky bits in it... they get stuck in my tubes." — Bungie's Soul

As everyone begins to pile back into the bar, people begin to notice that the bar tender is busy.

Riven was resting his chin on his hand as he watched the Drone play his move. The Drone was kneeling on the counter, leaning its small four foot body forward over the game. It slowly lifted one of its four fingers, almost as if it was about to make up its mind, when one of the patrons banged his hand on the counter "I need a Devil's breath!" he demanded.
A sudden mechanical schriek came from the robot. It quickly turned around and jumped off the counter. Taking its small steps around the bar, it reached the other side. He looked around at the group, then at Riven. The Drone picked up Riven's stool (with him on it) and looked side to side. Soon, its head stopped off to the side. Without looking, he put the stool back down and bent down to the floor. There, resting on its side, was the his illuminating holographic bishop. Running back to the counter, he placed it on the board and sat back up, crossing his arms over his chest. Riven gasped "Checkmate!"

------------------

(I'm back, folks!)

------------------
-Traek Cicion of the Taeskor

"Never tell me the odds!"
-Han Solo

So am I.
Damn, I've got a lot of catch-up reading to do....

------------------
I do not suffer from insanity
I enjoy every minute of it

-Cantharan Admiral za'Grom
After the capture of Earth

Walks into the bar.

------------------
-Traek Cicion of the Taeskor

"Never tell me the odds!"
-Han Solo

"I revived a man in Memphis just to watch him live."
-Anonymous Doctor

The Droid begins to nervously fidgit with his work as Cicion walks into the bar. The Droid quickly speed from on item to another, barely finishing one job before going onto the next. In the few short seconds it took for the Droid to get extremely skittish, Cicion had walked up to the Droid with his arms crossed in front of his chest. A belittling frown showed itself on Cicion's face as he tapped his foot impaitenly on the ground. The Droid faced Cicion, pointed its forefinger at its nose and pressed it without hesitation. In a split second, the Droid had popped into its shell, and landed on the counter. Cicion nearly gasped.

"Hey! He stiffed me my drink! I ordered a Devil's Breath!" Came the worried voice of a nearby customer. Riven peered into his own mug and gasped.
"So that's what I was drinking..."

------------------

A figure in a tattered and slashed brown robe staggers in the door. With his right hand supporting him on various objects as he staggers slowly across the room to a table in the corner, his left tightly gripping his stomach with dried blood between his fingers. He makes it to a secluded table in a far corner and sits down. Looking at the menu of the top ten drinks on the back wall he makes his decision.

In the weary voice of someone who has been through a terrible battle he says, "Barkeep', give me a Devil's Brea-"

*Cicion half turns from what he was doing, but in doing so he sets down the D'sB he was carrying in front of the worried customer a little too hard and spilled a few drops. The figure stares in shock as the D'sB burns though the table, a table leg, and halfway to the floor where it stops with a fizzle :eek: *

"On second thought, I'll take a Merenzane Gold!"

(This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 08-25-2000).)

"Avatar? Where?" Riven spins on his stool to look at Avatara. Avatara looks shocked as he realizes someone has recognized him. Riven's face, full of surprise, quickly drops to dissapointment. "Oh, who are you?"
A chill runs through Avatara as the shock wears off. He returns to the rough, wise look that he wore before.

Riven looks the guy up and down. "Ah..huh. Mind if you put it on my tab, sir..." Riven looks at Cicion's insignia bar "Cicion?"
Avatara winces. "I can pay for my own drink" he says pulling out a couple schintak out and onto the table.

------------------

My engine's all clogged up with space dust. Can I have a half-liter of Devil's Breath?

------------------
I do not suffer from insanity
I enjoy every minute of it

-Cantharan Commodore za'Grom
After the capture of Earth

Avatara continues sipping at his drink, carefully watching Riven. Suddenly, Avatara's face changes to a look of a man in great pain. He moves his right hand on top of his left, squeezing tightly against his stomach. Fresh blood drips between his fingers. After a single cry of agony he falls unconsious to the table, and as he does so, his hands fall limply revealing a nasty deep cut in his side.

Nobody seems to notice Avatara's problem for two days...

------------------
"I can ail what cures you."

When space parrots start feeding off of him

------------------
I do not suffer from insanity
I enjoy every minute of it

-Cantharan Commodore za'Grom
After the capture of Earth

Avatara wakes up with a start and swats the parrots off of him. With a disgusted look he notices that his drink was spilled while he slept. He orders another and gets up. He staggers to the sabaac tables in the corner, wincing with each step and sits down again...

However, 'somebody' ( :rolleyes: ) put caltrops on his chair before he sat down.

Avatar doesn't notice the difference

------------------
I do not suffer from insanity
I enjoy every minute of it

-Cantharan Commodore za'Grom
After the capture of Earth

However, 'somebody' ( :rolleyes: ) put caltrops on his chair before he sat down.

Avatar doesn't notice the difference

------------------
I do not suffer from insanity
I enjoy every minute of it

-Cantharan Commodore za'Grom
After the capture of Earth

This is going to make me look stupid but what are caltrops?

------------------

Have you ever seen the movie "Tomorrow Never Dies"? There are some caltrops in it. In the chase through the parking garage, James Bond's car drops a bunch behind it to pop the other guy's tires. They're basically four spikes that are connected together in a way that makes one always point straight up.

------------------
"I can ail what cures you."