Main Menu

EXT. DEEP SPACE SILENT BLACK.<br> We sweep slowly across an endless tapestry of stars. A SHIP CRAWLS INTO FRAME, obviously damaged and malfunctioning: the N.R.S.S. <i><a href="cross-ship.html">CROSSROAD</a>,</i> a small scout vessel that moves under partial ion thrust past the camera. As it does so, the camera tracks the ship’s path, revealing that the ship is moving on only conventional power through the reaches of empty space.

CUT TO: rear of CROSSROAD cargo bay, (currently loaded with several sections of a damaged SITH FIGHTER. Present are CROSS and DAR. Cross is examining readouts on a panel near the entrance to the Engine Room.

CROSS: Well, I need to take the chin gun out of the ship's config to clean up these diags; they keep telling me it's not responding.

DAR: Of course it's not responding, it's floating in low orbit over Adega.

CROSS: Right. Other than that, we're low on fuel because several of the cells are leaking. We'll have to patch those, then we should be able to limp to another station, refuel, and head back to Dantooine.

DAR: How about fueling back at Hallowan? They might not expect us to double back.

CROSS: That's actually not a bad --

[They are interrupted by all the lights in the area going out, then slowly powering back on.]

(pause)

CROSS: Well that's new...

As the ship drifts through space, Cross and Dar set about fixing up the leaking fuel cells. This done, they prepare for the short jump back to Hallowan, hoping that their pursuers won't expect them to double back for more supplies. There are also a brief discussion on how to avoid leading the enemy back to Dantooine. Cross scans the ship for tracking devices, again, and glares at the Sith ship parts in the cargo hold. They don't seem to be giving off any signal, but still...

The ship jumps to Hallowan... at least, that was the plan. It actually seems to have arrived somewhere else entirely. Another patch of empty space greats the padawans as they stare blankly out from the cockpit.

Cross, Dar, and the Princess all double-check the hyperjump coordinates, and prepare to jump yet again.

And again, they are greeted by empty space, and an arrival point far from their intended destination.

Diagnotics are run on both the Astrogation computer and the Hyperdrive itself. After yet another failed jump, Cross even attempts a short jump with the backup Hyperdrive. She gets the same results. Diagnostics again come out on the green side, but the rolling brown-outs in the ship contradict this reading. Several extremely short hops confirm that the ship is 'slewing' away from the correct course every time they jump.

After nearly 20 hours of experimentation (and over half their remaining fuel), one of the Padawans finally looks for other possible causes. Extending his senses, Vai realizes that the entire ship is slowly becoming saturated with Darkside energy emanating from the Sith ship. By this point, little argument is required to convince everyone to jettison the ship parts sitting in the hold, but it seems to do little good. The dark influence on the ship is still thick in the air.

Failing to contact Master Dev using the Force, Cross resorts to another tactic: picturing one of the most hope-filled moments in her life, she attempts to drive away the dark energy with the force of positive energy.

Suffice it to say, this didn't work. Cross' visualized scene quickly turns deadly and dark as a robed figure appears in her vision, twisting all of the world in her mind to his own ends. Externally, Cross begins choaking on her own tongue, and Dar seeks to join her vision in order to help her.

Suffice it to say, this didn't work either.

The dark figure in the vision informs Cross that the problems with the ship's drive should be seen as an invitation, one that is still open, if she only has the eyes to see it.

Then Dar and Cross simply... wake up, ejected from Cross's own vision.

Cross and Dar check the ships astrogation computer again. This time, they ask the computer to calculate all possible destinations from their current locations. There should be hundreds.

The computer returns only one.

With a look exchanged between them all, they accept the destination coordinates that will take them far from any documented habitations in the Outer Rim, and the ship enters hyperspace.

Upon arriving in system, the group finds themselve set upon immediately by a flight of Sith fighters. Broadband broadcasts to the effect of 'Dammit, we were invited!' eventally causes the ships to cease fire, at least temporarily. Cross takes the ship down to the planet below, since that seems to be the only option allowed to them at the moment.

ARC Logs