DMEB'S GREAT ADVENTURE, OR, THE SEARCH FOR MAUL

Authors' Note: Standard disclaimer about LFL owning Maul, etc., duly noted here. We wish to thank our Sithsters for the inspiration. To any whose names were omitted, our apologies. It was not intentional, rather, due to space and memory limitations. You were there, we are certain. And to any whose personalities, intentions, or specialties were mischaracterized, again, our apologies. It also was not intentional. Special apologies to Ide Cyan and Erik Boege for putting errant scientific nonsense into their mouths. We hope you will accept this in the spirit of fun and entertainment in which it is offered.

They'd had it. Earth men were just too big a disappointment, though there were rumors of rare exceptions that no one had actually met. No male they'd ever encountered could come anywhere close to the man of their collective dreams, Darth Maul. He was the epitome of humanoid male: strong and sensuous, a man of action who moved like the ultimate feline predator, who knew when not to talk and so remained wrapped in a cloak of infinite mystery. His glowing alien eyes seemed to drill into the core of their very beings, and oh, how he could move. The adjectives could go on forever, for each had her own unique vision of him. They all knew that he killed in battle without qualm, was dedicated to tapping the darkest of powers and obeyed an evil master without question, yet each also knew she would give anything to be the object of his intense concentration, to feel his powerful muscles rippling under his hairless, exotically decorated skin as he held her in his arms. They mourned his untimely death and longed to know more of this enticing creature.

The women of the DMEB spent endless hours in cyberspace contemplating his nature and actions and dreaming of bringing their fantasies to reality. They came from every corner of the globe (if a globe could be said to have corners), and encompassed many races and ages. Some were young and pretty, some were not. Some were very bright, some were very sweet. Some saw only a beautiful young warrior trapped into the service of darkness, while others felt he epitomized that darkness and were attracted because of it. While some had spouses and children, others were barely out of adolescence themselves. Conflict and disagreement sometimes surfaced, but the group was held together by their collective love for this creature of ultimate fantasy. Though it had been years since his presence first graced a movie screen, their devotion never flagged -- but was ever tinged by a deep sadness that they could never meet him face to face.

"But," said Ide Cyan one night on the SPEB message board, "If the universe is infinite, then every conceivable idea must have a real existence."

"Yes," agreed Saphsaq (changing her name to Erik Boege), "It's like the library J. L. Borges wrote about, which contains every possible combination of letters, and therefore every conceivable book."

"Wait a minute," thought Darth Crone, on one of her regular visits to SPEB. "That means. . .!" In a flurry of keyboard activity she sped over to the DMEB message board and posted a new topic: "Hey, the SW Universe Is Real."

DarthShriek/SithVixen answered straight away. "Of course! We should have thought of it before. Not just the infinity thing, but also about making thought into reality through magic. There's no way for it NOT to exist."

"Maul! My Maul is real! I always knew it had to be," exclaimed MaryCheetah.

"Hmm, yesss," purred Chatnoir, "And because I can imagine him in so many ways, then there must be more than one of him!"

"Precisely," said Notty. "There must be one -- or more -- of him for each of us, since we each see him differently."

DarthCleo and Blitzen answered simultaneously, unbeknownst to each other: "Well, there's only one thing to be done -- we have to find a way to get there."

"That's all very well," said Ide, who had checked in at the DMEB and found the thread, "But the odds of locating that particular corner of the universe must make the very word 'astronomical' a nonsense."

"Well," said Erik, "Thought is faster than light, so we will use thought-powered space travel. That way we can use a thought-directed guidance system as well and find what we're after. With the combined force of our obsession, we should manage it easily."

"So," said DarthCrone, "SithVixen and I will take charge of Engineering -- and I know there's a few more of you who know how to help. MaryCheetah, we'll need you for the focus of our power source. How do you fancy being a dilithium crystal?"

"Just point me in the right direction!" Mary replied with growing excitement.

"Right," said Becca. "So all we need is a ship. I have an idea!"

The political climate was perfect: most nations had realized that the global culture needed a new challenge for the collective consciousness, which would ease the malaise that was gripping all civilization. They had concluded that inter-planetary exploration was the cure. A huge portion of the international coalition's budget, formerly given over to military preparedness, was dedicated to the construction of a small fleet of space craft. Recent discoveries in physics had led to the realization that hyperlight travel was indeed possible, given the right combination of materials and devices. Engineering consortiums were now dedicated to realizing this possibility. At the same time, academics at scholarly institutions around the world began developing techniques for translating all possible alien languages. And astrophysicists were working out navigation methods for travel among the stars.

Of course, the DMEB had a better idea! A light-hearted suggestion quickly became a serious plan. Becca enlisted Florida Girl to scope out the site of the fledgling spaceport that was nearing completion next to the old Cape Canaveral, learning of the structures and security arrangements. Becca was already a skilled pilot, and began researching the controls, instruments, and flight characteristics of the new space craft. Crone and Vixen turned their study of psychic phenomena towards the idea of an encounter with an alien -- and a Force-sensitive one at that. Indigobunting, the anthropologist, devoured the ancient ethnographies that documented first encounters with new cultures, then turned toward speculative papers concerning contact with a truly alien civilization. Kitten studied the navigation techniques, actually obtaining a set of charts and coordinates off the Internet, and began plotting their most likely course. Belle began collecting all the medical supplies and information that would be needed for an extended trip, while Stephanie worked out the most likely psychological problems to be encountered and developed plans for how to deal with them, and Inari worked on the sociological aspects. Chatnoir and Sith Lady would be in charge of food supplies (nutritional and recreational), giving special attention to the quantity of chocolate that would be required, for the trip they were planning would be far longer than what was intended by the International Space Agency. Others lent their own special expertise to the project, and because the group was so diverse, nothing was overlooked.

At last they were ready, just in time for the second launch. Every detail of the plan had been rehearsed again and again. They told their friends, families, and coworkers that they were going to Florida for a vacation that May, and that they planned to be among the expected crowd of more than three million spectators at the launch. The first space ship, named Explorer, had been launched in the direction of Alpha Centauri, the nearest star with probable planets. It disappeared three days after liftoff, either due to mishap or to its somehow traveling too far for communication back to Earth. Liftoff of the second launch to the same destination was scheduled for May 20. DMEB had other plans for it.

The long-awaited day finally came. Lady Allaire, who prided herself on her organizational skills, had coordinated the traveling plans of the DMEBers, leading the Texas contingent of Pieemaster, DarthCynth, Hipkat, and Sasha 29. She had also researched everyone's skills and drawn up a plan for work assignments for each member. So it was that she suggested turning to Beatkay, who was knowledgeable in psychology and criminology, to get them into the ship, which was appropriately named Destiny.

Just before dawn, the group huddled in the damp, dark ditch beside the NASA Causeway and concealed their cloaks in a clump of jungle-like bushes near the spaceport. Beatkay returned to report that she had found the weak link in the guards, and they could start their takeover of the ship as soon as the planned distraction began.

"What was that?" screeched MaryCheetah.

"Probably just an alligator's mating call," MOTS replied, trying to sound braver than he actually felt. His initial suggestion that he be brought along for protection had been met by a full bushel of over-ripe cyber-tomatoes, but still he felt that, as the only male in the group, the burden of upholding male honor fell solely on his shoulders.

"Oooh, you know how I hate alligators! Keep it away!" Becca urged.

Bailey, who worked with animals, Hipkat, who had a degree in wildlife management, and LL, a DVM, all laughed and assured her it was quite all right. The sound was one they had previously recorded for the purpose of starting a flap among the wildlife in the wetlands. As the noise was augmented and repeated from the hidden tape recorder, it began to sound like a battle erupting among a half-score of alligators, and soon a full-fledged panic disrupted the pre-dawn peace. Egrets and other birds took flight with much flapping of wings, alligators roared in reply, and rabbits and assorted small mammals darted every which way. As all eyes -- port personnel, visitors, dignitaries, and media -- turned to see what was happening, no one noticed a guard frantically waving a hooded crowd of figures toward the Destiny. (Beatkay stopped momentarily to slip the guard a little something, then joined the rest of the DMEBers.)

When they reached the ship and entered, Chemist went into action, signaling everyone to don their masks and breathing apparatus. She then released a special chemical into the air circulating system that would knock out the ship's crew without harming them. Termacj and Belle, both RNs, verified that none of the crew was in danger before each was carried out and left to sleep off the effects.

Quickly, everyone settled into place, as a sudden roar indicated that liftoff was occurring. Hearts beat faster with excitement, joy, and not a little trepidation. Liftoff was awesome. The forces pressing them against their pneumatic couches, awareness of the massive power they were controlling, and knowing they were riding a ravening plume of fire into the sky, brought many of the DMEBers to tears of overwhelming emotion. All that, plus the realization that they were, at last, on their way to find Maul and his brothers, soon had the entire ship reverberating with cries of uncontrollable excitement.

"Wooo hooo!" shrieked Shriek/SithVixen. And her cheer was echoed again and again.

Quickly, the blue Florida sky darkened to a velvety black, speckled with more stars than any had ever seen before. They were on their way!

Once the earth's gravity had been slipped, and everybody got the chance to experience the thrills of weightlessness, the ship's artificial gravity was switched on and the voyagers began to settle down, literally and figuratively. DarthCleo, beloved head of the DMEB, gathered everyone to do a little head count and make sure that each understood her (or his) assignments. With the assistance of Ide, and with Lady Allaire, DarthCrone, and Indigobunting (the trip organizers), checking off names on their laptops, assigning quarters, and handing out maps to the ship, everyone was soon moving to their tasks and routine settled smoothly over the group.

The days passed fairly uneventfully, at least at first. Vixxen was in demand for her cosmetology skills, as various DMEBers took some off-duty time to pamper themselves, and soon hair, nails and makeup were perfection.

The first sign of trouble came from Lizzard. She called in Cleo, Ide, DarthCrone, Indigobunting, and Allaire to give them the bad news: "I've run the statistical analyses again and again, and I get the same results. As long as MaryCheetah is powering our ship, we stay on course, but when she takes a rest, which she must do, we veer off. We need to find a way to resolve this or we will never get to Maul!"

"Perhaps," suggested Indigobunting, "we need to organize respite teams of DMEBers who will meditate and funnel their energy into keeping us on track."

"An excellent idea," agreed Cleo.

"DarthCrone, you and Termacj, who has studied world religions, would seem to be appropriate organizers of this effort," said Allaire, after

consulting her organizational readout.

"We'll get started right away," said DarthCrone.

The teams were quickly organized, with MOTS heading a group from the northeast U.S. that included, among others, MaulsMate, Alchemist, and Nilla, and Sioned leading a northwestern team. Kitiara, Sith Lady, Krisse, Sandy, Phoenix, Mina and Redone -- along with the Erik Previously Known as Saphsaq -- provided the energy of a far north European and British group. There was even a Virginia group -- Joesmom, Amidala EP1, Z.P., LL, and Inari. The sizable Canadian contingent of Rouge Leader, Bluegoo, Darian, MaulsLoveSlave, and DarthMari Ramirez were able to spell Mary for considerable lengths of time. As Lizzard, the duly designated trip comedian, noted, all the cold up there must lead to lots of hot thoughts.

The trip organizers checked into computer central to see how the graphical projections were going in terms of actually finding Coruscant. Darth_Killeer, leading the team, turned from her screen momentarily to report: "All systems are go, and Kitten's pinpointed the spot that we think is our entrance into the SW universe. . . . however, ladies, you aren't going to like this part -- it's a black hole."

"How appropriate," Lady Allaire drily remarked, finally breaking the shocked silence.

Everybody began talking at once. Most had seen the movies "The Black Hole" and "Event Horizon," and suggestions for how this turn of events should be handled ranged from giving up in despair to building a gigantic robot to lead them through.

"Ladies, ladies," Killeer called. "Pipe down! One at a time."

"If I may," Crone said into the sudden quiet. "I have a thought."

"Please tell us," Killeer replied.

"Well, it seems to me that we've been very successful thus far by relying on our collective energies to drive the ship, and that we've barely begun to tap the depths of our reserves of desire. We should, therefore, be able to use those energies to protect us as we travel through the black hole."

Termacj added, "Yes, I believe it might be possible. Our need is so great, we just might be able to channel it into a protective field, rather like using the Force."

"I agree," said Stephanie. "But we need to have everybody in on the decision to attempt it. We all have to be working together, totally committed and focused. One doubter could ruin the concentration of the rest. I suggest we wake the others and discuss it thoroughly."

This was done. Once the entire crew was assembled, those with any knowledge of astrophysics presented the problem to the rest. It was explained that the problem wasn't so much getting to the black hole as it was surviving the passage through it. The gravity of the collapsing giant star was so great that nothing, not even light, could escape. Hence the name black hole. It could be detected by the event horizon, the band of energies given off by the matter being sucked into the black hole's ravening maw and impossibly compressed. Once the event horizon was passed, the incredibly powerful gravitational attraction inexorably would draw them in to the central point, the singularity that was its heart, crushing them just as it crushed entire stars. But the good news was that, apparently, astrophysicists like Stephen Hawking were right. The other side of the black hole was a "white fountain" spewing everything that had been swallowed by the hole into a new universe, the SW universe.

All they needed was a way to shield themselves and the Destiny during the passage.

Indigobunting had an idea. "I know this has been hotly debated in several different forums, but I still believe that midi-chlorians are really what we call mitochondria, not just a plot device that GL invented for the film. The biology majors can correct me if I'm wrong, but, as I understand it, we all have mitochondria in every cell of our bodies. They provide the energy molecules that allow us to live, and could be viewed as symbionts living within us. If we can focus on them, the same way we've been focusing and meditating to spell MaryCheetah, we should be able to reach the Force, and create a Force shield around the ship."

"Yesss," DarthCrone agreed slowly. "I believe that should work. Our desire to find Maul and his brothers is so great that not even the most powerful phenomenon in the universe can stop us."

Chemist offered that she could concoct an airborne chemical that would assist them in attaining the ultimate degree of internal focus.

It quickly became clear that there was enthusiasm enough to go around. The only possible doubter was MOTS, who, being male, didn't feel quite as much urgency to find Maul and his brothers, being a bit more interested in joining them rather than joining with them, so to speak. Z.P., however, remedied this situation with two words: "Aurra Sing."

MOTS toppled sidewise, his eyes focussed into space and his face split by an immovable grin.

And so it was decided. At the first sign of the tidal forces at the event horizon threatening the integrity of the ship, all would enter a meditative trance, guided by those with experience in such things, and would reach into their own life energies to tap into the Force. Then they would envision and create a Force shield around the ship and its crew. They spent the next few weeks practicing in shifts, and thanks to the work of DarthCrone, SithVixen, and the others who were well-versed in parapsychology, every single member became proficient at the techniques.

"You know," observed Belle after one such session. "If we get good enough at this, we might be able to use it to actually locate Maul and his brothers once we get to the SW universe."

This observation was met with great glee and a renewed commitment to practicing the techniques of reaching into and manipulating the Force. The result was a series of rather bizarre phenomena.

Vixxen figured out how to suspend a pair of mirrors in mid-air so she could finally manage to cut the back of her own hair satisfactorily. Chatnoir and Sith Lady used their new-found skills to cause bowls of batter to stir themselves, knives to chop veggies effortlessly, and burgers and fries to grill themselves to perfection, all with a mere flick of a finger from across the room. Belle seemed always to be trailed by at least a half dozen half-read books, hovering and waiting patiently to be picked up and finished. Becca managed to keep a full score of paper airplanes in the air at the same time, neatly avoiding mid-air collisions. DarthCrone, DarthStitchit, and Indigobunting were all busily making costumes for those who wished to have a more daring or romantic wardrobe for the adventure that lay ahead, and they found they could use the Force instead of pins to hold seams together while they stitched away, and garments could be completed in mere hours instead of days. SithVixen and the others who had studied martial arts soon learned to use the Force to give added height to their leaps and kicks, and they offered lessons to all who were interested. Z.P. found she could cause her beloved Star Wars figurines to dance and whirl and generally re-enact whole scenes by themselves. Lordess Odious, staying true to her name, delighted in putting everyone's skills to the test by playing the trickster, challenging each DMEBer to figure out who was mucking with their experiments.

The weeks passed quickly and before long the astoundingly brilliant rainbow-swirled band of energy that was the event horizon lay before them. The space around them was filled with more stars and planets than any would have dreamed of, all being drawn inexorably to their destruction by the monstrous gravity well that was the black hole. Stars seemed to be stretched out into long plumes, giving off much of their substance to feed the swirling energy bands.

Bravely, the Destiny plunged into the energy barrier, its crew fearing but not experiencing a shock or jolt at the boundary. The ship began to groan as the gravities of the nearest stellar bodies began pulling at it from every direction.

"It is time to begin our meditations," DarthCrone announced. Chemist opened the valve on her concoction's container, and the colorless and odorless gas began permeating the ship's air supply.

All aboard promptly assumed favorite poses of focus or relaxation, and they began. With MaryCheetah at the helm, already focused, they swam deep into themselves, finding and cherishing their mitochondria/midi-chlorians and drawing their energies out into bands that swelled and grew. They fed these bands with their need to find Maul and his brothers, their urgent desires, and their love. Swiftly, the bands spread out and touched one another, merging, until the entire ship was surrounded by their shield of dreams, and they passed unharmed through the unimaginably gigantic forces that compressed stars to massive atoms, atoms to quarks, quarks to pure energy. All they felt was a moment of pressure, swiftly released.

Ryla and Redone were the first to emerge from the trance. Looking out the nearest port, they were awestruck: "We did it! Look, it's a whole new universe!"

One by one, the DMEBers joined them at the ports and viewers. There were again brilliant stars nestled against the velvet black of interstellar space, but they were arranged in new ways. The marveling women (and man) saw not just spiral galaxies, but bands and balls and donut shapes and other designs of immense concentrations of stars and solar systems. They were in the SW universe!

They had made it through the most impossible challenge. Surely success would soon be theirs. But now the next task lay at hand.

"OK," said Siubhan, "we made it this far. But how do we know where Maul is? He might be out somewhere on the rim on a mission for his master."

Avalon, Kaney, Malius, and KNA all chimed in at once with ideas as to where Maul might be. Darth Mari Ramirez made the most popular suggestion, which was, of course, Coruscant.

"Wait, let's be logical," said Cleo. "Didn't we think we might be able to channel ourselves to find him?"

"And his master," added Ide quickly, with a devilish smile.

"More focusing!" moaned MOTS. "I'm beat. Can't we take a little break here?"

"We can do it, we can," insisted Demetra. "We are so close, we can't stop now!"

"Oh, please," added Mary. "I don't know if my heart can take much more waiting."

"Or your body," suggested Lizzard slyly.

Belle, who had been carefully compiling a log of their trip, had taken the time to read back over the parts dealing with channeling their energies. She called together Cleo, Ide, Indigobunting, Darth Crone, and Lady Allaire to confer, then they called a general meeting.

"Gals and guy," announced Allaire, "we think it may be too dangerous to wait. If we hang around trying to rest, who knows what we might encounter. We really aren't equipped to deal with pirates, or imperial troops, or hostile aliens. We think it best to push on immediately."

"We can spell ourselves in teams like we did through the black hole," added Indigo. "MOTS' team can take the first rest. We will use Mary and Demetra on the first leg. Allaire will review her chart and assign everyone to new teams. Check with her for your new assignment. Let us know if you need some rest."

Inari, Phoenix, Muse, SithGryphon, and Maulslave all volunteered to be part of the second team, saying they felt fine to continue. And so on the Destiny went. A fear of encountering unwelcome vessels made the crew somewhat cautious, despite all the raging hormones. Killeer and Kitten kept a close eye on the monitors and Boba and Maul's Gal quickly steered them away from any possible contacts. Several DMEBers admitted that they found this new universe fascinating and wouldn't mind spending some time exploring it further.

After three interminable days, Mary announced excitedly, "We are very close! I can feel it!"

Xenolith 2000 glanced at Killeer and said, "You look troubled, Killeer. Is something wrong?"

"Well," said Killeer slowly. "I really thought we would be heading for Coruscant, but we are not even close. I don't know what this planet is that we are heading for."

"Par for the course," sighed Siubhan. "Nothing can ever be the usual with our Dark Lord."

Everyone crowded to a porthole and all eyes drank in the planet as they approached.

"Wow," shrieked Shriek. "Would you guys look at that!"

As the Destiny entered the atmosphere, the DMEBers were awestruck by the planet's appearance. Twelve moons in cool shades ranging from purple to electric blue spanned the planet at equal distances, shedding incredible, ghostly light on the surface. It was twilight, and the planet seemed to gleam. As the ship drew closer, the DMEBers saw impossibly sharp-looking peaks of darkest ebony, shining like mirrors, that rose to fantastic heights. They were shot through with streaks of metallic red that seemed to glimmer and sparkle. Huge forests of pitch-black trees rolled across the surface, interspersed with meadows of strange, wavy grasses that were dark on top and midnight blue underneath. Pools dark and deep were occasionally broken by the splashing of unimaginable creatures, whose movements churned the waters into silvery froth.

But it was the city that made everyone's heart stand still. Resting between two of the tallest mountain peaks, circle upon circle it arose, higher and higher. Its towers spiraled up to sharp points that echoed the surrounding mountains. Made of some substance that none in the intrepid crew had ever seen, it more than fulfilled their expectations of what the ruling place for the Sith might look like. Strange jagged streaks of light, somewhat like horizontal lightning, but much more bright, seemed to swirl around it.

"It looks like it's made of black glass," whispered Bailey. The other DMEbers could only nod in agreement.

"All it needs is the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse or maybe the Nine Ringwraiths circling it in the air" suggested Allaire, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well it certainly isn't Cinderella's castle," joked Lizzard feebly.

"I think it's perfect," said Ide.

The Destiny settled down in a large field before the city. The port doors opened, and a hundred pairs of eyes looked out expectantly, but also, if the owners were honest, with more than a little trepidation. Nothing happened for what seemed like an eternity, as if the planet were a living entity, waiting for the DMEB to make the next move. Sith of the North had just begun to worry that they would all die from forgetting to breathe when huge doors in the lowest level of the city, eight of them in a row, opened with a massive sound that almost flattened them and threatened to shred more than a few eardrums.

Red light flowed out. But a figure in front seemed to absorb all light, like the black hole they had just come through. There was no mistaking who it was. The horns like a crown, the flowing robes, the confident, cat-like walk. It was the object of their impossible quest, the Sith Lord they longed for -- Darth Maul himself! Splendid and unmistakable, a miracle of black and red virility, he strode forward and toward their ship. An arrogant but utterly entrancing smile lit his features as one by one he scanned the faces peering out.

"I thought you'd never get here," he taunted. And then, "Mary." His eyes softened. Striding over to her, without another word he simply picked her up in his arms and carried her away.

The stunned silence hung, electric and uncertain, for several seconds. Mouths were dry, other parts wet, and a hundred hearts beat like a single message drum.

"Look!" cried Phoenix in a quavering voice.

They all saw them then, a hundred dark shapes approaching the port doors. One by one they entered; each knew exactly whom he was seeking. One carried a CD in his hand.

"This is my new album, entitled 'Songs Barry Andrews Would Have Written If He Were Me.' " SithVixen's mouth moved soundlessly and she followed him out as if in a trance.

"I think we should compare the evolution of reproductive behavior in our respective species," said one to Indigobunting, and they both became immediately engrossed in non-stop conversation as they left the ship.

Another rushed over to Cleo, waving a palm-screen. "Look what we can do with Web pages in this universe! Let me show you my matrix. We will control the entire universe. Microsoft, hah. I spit on Bill Gates."

Two came in together and playfully grabbed MaulsMate and Mina by the shoulders. "So. You think you can be us, do you? We'll show you all the bits you left out." As they passed by her, Crone thought she heard one of them whisper to Mina, "And this time we'll do the portrait from life, shall we?"

Crone's thoughts were interrupted by two gloved hands cupping her face, and two yellow eyes staring into hers. "I love a woman with experience," he murmured, in his best "Fear is my ally" voice. He ushered her out the door, adding, "And lately I've been having these flashbacks, and I'd really like to talk about it."

"Well, handmaiden," said another to MnM. "It's time you took up your duties, yes?"

"Oh indeed my Master," she quiveringly whispered back as she followed him out.

Another stopped before Belle. "You have toiled endlessly to make sure my story is told in all its infinite variety, and told well and with grace. Let me regale you with my story personally. You will be my editor."

Belle whooped with joy and grabbed his hand. "All of it?" she asked.

"Every bit," he replied with that devilish grin.

Another strode up, placing one arm around Allaire's waist and taking her hand in the other. "Come, my cool lady, let us dance," he said, spinning her away in the wildest waltz ever imagined, his cloak whipping around them like a whirlwind. (Allaire shed inhibitions with each step.)

One of the Mauls strode in with another handsome figure, both slapping riding crops against their hands. Chatnoir and Meche grabbed each other in panic and thought of hiding before they were spotted. Too late.

"Oh, are you ever going to pay for those stories," Maul leered.

"And don't think you're getting away either," said another Maul, hoisting Killeer over his shoulder and striding out with her.

There were others besides Darth Maul. The remaining mouths flew open when a very different cloaked figure bowed with a flourish before Ide and kissed her hand, before sweeping her out the door in an unexpected display of nimbleness for one of his years. BithSith gasped as the light was blocked by a massive dark shape who lifted her as one would a child and glided back outside again. And MOTS yelped as ten looonng fingers twined themselves around his throat and dragged him away. One by one they vanished. At last Becca looked around and realized she was all alone. Had she been forgotten? Tears filled her eyes, and the room suddenly seemed very large and empty -- and the planet even more so. Why had she come? She did not want what the others wanted, and she suddenly realized that that must have been her undoing. Without the raw, primitive power of sexual desire, perhaps she had not generated enough energy to build her thought-form. She wanted to sit down on the floor and cry, but what was the point? Then she looked up and saw another figure approaching. He moved more slowly than the others, his step lacking the fire of youth. In fact, he seemed to be making some use of a cane. He entered and she saw further markings on his face where time had added its own designs to the original black and red. He walked over to her, and she had never thought to see such kindness in those yellow eyes.

"Come, my child," he said softly, taking her arm, "And I will show you my beautiful planet."

An uncounted span of days passed, with the DMEBers all deeply engrossed in living out their most potent fantasies. At length, however, a few were reminded of their obligations and loves back on Earth, and they felt the tug of homesickness. A group gathered in a ceremonial hall, deep in the center of the city. Hundred-foot-tall windows split the obsidian walls, granting glimpses of the impossible mountains and alien, black forests.

"I don't know how to say this, but I miss my family and. . . " MaulsMate began.

"Me, too," JoesMom and Z.P. chimed in simultaneously.

Soon the walls were echoing with rising voices as the group split evenly between those who wished to depart for home and those who would never consider leaving.

"Well, there's little for me back on Earth. My sons have loves of their own, and my friends are caring for my cats. Besides, Maul and I have an expedition planned to study reproductive behavior on several newly discovered planets. No way am I going back!" IndigoBunting declared.

"Maul told me there are some incredibly ancient ruins on the other side of the planet. Temples, with lengthy religious texts to decipher. Everything I want is here. Anyway, I've started a totally new life in stranger places than this -- Brighton, for one. No sweat," said Crone.

"Well, now that I've experienced Maul's love, I can return home a happy girl, with memories I'll cherish forever," Demetra replied. "I've got a career in film waiting for me back on Earth."

Allaire declared herself perfectly happy staying to explore this fascinating universe with Maul: "I love to travel and get bored easily, but I'll never get bored with Him."

MaryCheetah, SithVixen and LL joined the core of the group that would not leave. DarthCleo led the group that would depart. Chatnoir, Killeer and Meche wavered, then decided to return to Earth with their new-found skills and toys to share. MOTS announced that he was hopelessly smitten by Aurra Sing and preferred life here to what he'd left behind. Hipkat and Bailey, however, missed their work with earthly animals, finding those on this new planet just too strange to cope with. LL, on the other hand, declared that she would gladly give up her veterinary practice for this fantastic new life with Vader.

All the others were eventually contacted, and decisions were made, some easily, some with great difficulty. The fifty who were determined to return home made their wishes known to their Mauls, and their ship was readied for departure.

At last the day arrived for final, tear-filled farewells. While hugs and last-minute gifts were exchanged, more than one couple scurried off into the scrub bushes for a final quickie, the DMEBer finally reappearing, frantically rearranging her clothing while a slightly sheepish grin lit her face.

The Destiny was launched, and the remaining DMEBers began to settle into their new lives. One day, just before she and Maul set out across the continent, DarthCrone was struck by a sudden insight.

"Omigod!" she exclaimed. "I just realized something! This whole trip was actually unnecessary!"

"What on Earth do you mean?" demanded Indigobunting.

"I mean, it was the strength of our desire that created and brought us to our Mauls, and the others -- Vader, Sidious, and Exar Kun, for that matter. That means we didn't actually need to travel in a spaceship. We could have brought them to us on Earth! We just hadn't mastered the technique."

"Oh, wow!" exclaimed Mary. "That means we could all have had both our Mauls and our lives on Earth!"

There was a moment of stunned and thoughtful silence while they digested this information and considered the possibilities. After all, with this world's technology, they could no doubt find another way to return the way they had come.

Finally, they all spoke in unison with a single word: "Nahhhh."

"But who knows, maybe we'll visit someday," said Allaire.

"We need to join our minds one more time," said SithVixen. "We have to let the others know they can do it."

This time the circle included a number of Force-strong Mauls and others, and their minds reached the ship easily. A wave of joy washed over them in return, as those going home recognized the implications.

"What about the others, those we left behind?" Chatnoir asked. "They needn't have made that choice."

DarthCleo answered. "Somehow, I think they'll be fine. The universe they found, they wanted more than what they had on Earth. They have what they want, and we have what we want. But what a great adventure it was!"

In time, the Destiny returned to its home universe, despite the reduced numbers to create the shield of dreams passing through the black hole. The pull of home and family was great enough that they made it through intact.

And so the DMEB was physically scattered, the members now spread even farther than any could ever have imagined. But it remained as an unbreakable bond in their hearts, and the skills each had discovered made their contacts even stronger, supported by their contacts with the person(s) of their dreams.

Fin