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Korriban


Exodus

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On 3/11/2023 at 3:16 PM, Talyn Orin said:

Firing around the door, he let off a few pop shots hoping to at least reduce the opposition while they discussed the next steps.

 

A pair of soldiers on the firing line dropped, one dead and the other knocked down as his armor took the brunt of the blast.

 

"Steady..." called out the Commander

 

On 3/22/2023 at 9:51 AM, MSA said:

All it took was a little strength in the Force, and a little suggestion, and mind's became subjugated. Rifles turned inward toward the Heavy Weapons Placements and chaos ensued as friendlies became foes. This presented the trio a moment of respite and opportunity. One Sanguis took full advantage of.

 

Emerald blade ignited, he spun it as he crossed the threshold, stray Blaster bolts being redirected amongst their opposition with precision while Sanguis let loose his own volleys of pushes and pulls through the Force. His intent was to completely disorient these villains in the chaos they sought to sow, and provide a subtle victory this day. He only hoped the other two could keep up.

 

The Commander felt the Jedi's influence. Like the other Home Guard, his mind had been broken and reforged by their Sith masters, repeatedly. He knew the touch of the Force.

 

Unfortunately for his soldiers, a few succumbed to the mind trick, if briefly.

 

The commander picked out those breaking formation, and his rifle chattered as he began dropping the weak minded squad members with precise blaster fire.

 

Weakness would not be tolerated. 

 

Unfortunately, the distraction proved successful, and the Jedi launched his assault in the momentary lapse brought about by his trick.

 

On 3/25/2023 at 9:31 PM, TerrorBot said:

“Rip and Tear!“ Ruin declared as he charged, stopping only to grab the Hammer he had dropped earlier. 

 

In the chaos of blaster fire, Ruin moved like the terror droid he was. His model was built for causing terror in the battle lines. To destroy morale and to cause chaos to the best well laid plans the enemies created. Here, Ruin metaphorically shined like he had just come off the assembly line.

 

Five steps forward, a leap over a pile of sandbags, and a swing. A soldier went flying into a wall with 7 broken ribs and a pair of crushed lungs. Three steps over. Ruin swung wildly, hammer colliding with another soldier’s head. One step forward. Ruin swung and let go of the hammer, the impromptu ballistic missile hitting a soldier on a turret on an upper level, sending him flying to his death. Another soldier turned to the droid. A step forward, a grip on the throat and leg, and a throw sent the man flying. Several steps, and Ruin was at the steps, behind several soldiers. Ruin raced upwards. The man at the top received a knee to the groin and two fists to the head, crushing the skull entirely. 

 

Ruin was at the turret now. The chaos created by the Jedi and the agent’s grenades was proving effective. The Sith hadn’t even mounted a proper reaction to him yet. While the original user of the turret was behind ruin, crushed by his thrown hammer, a new user was manning it. Ruin simply grabbed him and kicked him head first off the edge. 

 

The turret was heavy duty to say the least. A modified repeater blaster connected directly into a power bank nearby. The gun easily weighed 50 lbs and had to be mounted on a tripod in order to be used effectively, and the power bank another 20 lbs.

 

Ruin, who never cared about the weight of certain objects unless he was using them as a blunt weapon, picked the think up. With a slice from his vibro blade in his wrist, he disconnected the gun from  the tripod and hoisted the thing up. One hand at the trigger, one hand near the barrel, Ruin turned the gun towards the enemy troops. 

 

“Violence! Fear! The great communicators!” Ruin shouted as he opened fire. Ruin did not stop holding the tigger at any point, letting shot after shot ring out. So many shots fired that the gun had started to heat up. Had Ruin been a human, he would’ve burned his hands, but being made of wires and metal, he felt nothing. Instead he only laughed from his perch. 

 

Into that lapse came the droid. The Commander watched as he tore through his troops, first with his hammer and fists, then with one of their own guns.

 

But he would not surrender, or flee. He couldn't. He was the Commander. There was nothing else. The Sith had left nothing else.

 

"Concentrate fire on the Jedi. Prioritize attacks from multiple angles." He reasoned that if the Jedi went down, the attackers would lose heart and fall back.

 

"The droid is my priority."

 

The remaining Home Guard were the elite of Korriban. Minds broken and wills reforged by Sith alchemy and mental conditioning, they followed orders and held discipline as well as any droid. In near complete disregard for their well-being, the soldiers redirected their fire towards the Jedi, simultaneous volleys opening up on the intruder.

 

The Commander sprang across the battlefield, taloned trandoshan hands and feet propelling him forward like a beast, dodging back and forth through the hail of laser fire. Snarling, he leapt at the terror droid, intent on ripping out the mechanical soldiers facial bits, even if it cost him his life.

 

He was the Commander. There was nothing else.

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Talyn Orin gave a smile and a smirk as chaos took hold of the enemy battle lines when R.U.I.N descended upon them like some kind of metallic war god, carving a path of destruction upon those who had inflicted so much pain upon the galaxy. Now it was their turn to suffer and torment, even if only in this battle. The pain of the innocent would be brought upon them all and the Sith that lead them. 

 

He left the Jedi Knight, Sanguis to continue to accomplish what he could until he noted the volley being brought upon him. And so he threw the last of his grenades, a single frag. Throwing it as far as he could, hoping to tear a hole in the enemy firing upon his comrade. Once he was done, he turned to see the Commander, a trandoshan he noted, spring across the battlefield towards R.U.I.N.  He knew by the movements and the way he acted...this was a Sith. One of many he had seen during his time here.

 

No he would not allow that Sith to end the droid. 

 

And so he switched tactics, placing his sonic rifle across his side by it's strap. In its place he pulled out the Accelerated Charged Particle Array Gun (ACP) slung across his back, momentarily securing it while he used his right arm to extend the Electrified Wrist grappling hook from it's placement and hopefully grip the Sith Commander's leg, dragging him to the ground.

 

Once there Talyn would show him what it was to feel the pain of the innocent and those he had broken, he would fill the trandoshan scum with cartridges from the powerful shotgun. As he would send him to hell or whenever it was these sort went. At these close ranges it was a killing machine, and worked very well he had found from many such battles, in using it's extreme blast force to eviscerate any in it's path that were organic. He just hoped he was quick enough to catch the Sith. Even despite his advantage of speed and the Force.

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“Blood and guts!” Ruin shouted over the fire of the weapon he had unceremoniously tore from the ornaments. “Death to Sith!”

 

>Warning!< Fera buzzed in alarm, radioing directly to the comm system built into the Terror Droid. >Incoming threat detected!< 

 

Ruin turned his head slightly. In the corner of his sensors he spotted the threat. The large lizard on all fours at times was decorated like some ranking commander, but the lust for battle in its eyes rivaled that of many beasts. 

 

“Blood and fire! Bigger bodies make bigger falls, hahaha!!” Ruin laughed as he turned to face the commander. Barrel facing the threat, Ruin pulled the trigger, only to get three more shots  off before it clicked uselessly

 

“Fight me!!” Ruin challenged anyway, despite the weapon's drained battery. 

 

Then the commander went down momentarily as shots rang out. Ruin glanced over, and saw the Agent aiming his weapon towards the Commander. Buckshot after buckshot rang out, and even with the hail of gunfire all around, Ruin could hear each individual blast. 

 

Hahaha! Yes!” Ruin shouted proudly, raising a fist to the man. After the battle, Fera would recognise this moment as one of rare bonding between the two. At least, in Ruin's eyes.

 

“Guns and guts! Guts and guns! Blood and bullets!” 

 

With the opportunity presented itself, Ruin let go of the handle of the large weapon and grabbed it by the red-hot barrel. As a titan from another era, Ruin charged the commander, gun-turned-club over his head. Bringing it down, the last thing the roaring, bleeding commander saw was the empty repeater blaster descending. 

 

Ruin let go of the weapon, letting it stick where the commander’s skill used to be. The weapon remained upright, the remains barely holding the metal from falling over itself.

 

“Bash and brains!” Ruin announced. With that, he came to notice the rest of the Sith forces focusing on the Jedi.  In his droid mind, even the magic of the Jedi could not prevent the onslaught Sanguis faced

 

“Separate! Slice and dice!” Ruin shouted. Fera nodded, understanding her ward’s idea. Even as Ruin brought his hand back, she crawled along her arm and rested in his palm. Ruin threw the Buzz droid with all his mechanical might. Fera crashed into a soldier, and before he could fully react, she had crawled to his face and sliced through both eyes. With that, she leapt from the screaming man and attacked the next being. 

 

Ruin on the other hand went the opposite direction. By dividing and conquering, they could cause more chaos to the enemy forces, and give the Jedi a better chance of survival. Vibro blade extended, Ruin got to work. 

 

“Rip and tear!” Ruin shouted as he slashed and literally ripped off a soldier's arm. Another makeshift club to be quickly used. Another corpse. Another day in the life of killing Sith. 

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Fear trickled across the backside of Æquitas neck as his gaze shifted across the hazed battleground and crimson bolts of compressed and heated gas focused upon his form. He knew that his trick would not persist long, but the enemy's lapse of focus didn't last as long as he had hoped. Grasping at a nearby fallen form, he pulled it across the line of fire he first saw, but felt the sting of burnt flesh upon his backside as he turned and slung the body in its direction before falling to a knee amidst the ensuing chaos.

 

Had the corrupted cancer of the Darkside infected the Force so deeply upon Korriban that it sought to claim him in it's name? This thought crossed his mind briefly as he knelt within the confines of the rising dust as crimson bolts meant for him whizzed overhead just before an explosion erupted to his side. And as he processed this thought, time seemed to nearly halt to a brief stand still. For death had never been a concept for Æquitas. He aged nearly half that of his human counterparts, and had always been able to sustain himself where most could not. This had always been his reality and death had never been a possibility until now. Even now, as he shifted his gaze downward to the wounds he collected earlier in the battle, blood drizzling from beneath their bandaged confines, he had never really considered that he could die. He simply pushed himself forward, the Force always his ally. 

 

But here, on Korriban, the diseased Force he felt amongst the Light was a of a darker nature, and it called to end Life. And though he aged slower than that of Agent Orin, he was still mortal.

 

Only now did his mortality come to the forefront of his mind and in this brief moment, he questioned whether he feared it or not. For he had never done so before. He was an outcast as a child for as long as he could remember, an orphan whom was feared and shunned by those who grew up and left his child like reality behind while he remained just that. He had even been locked out in what some would consider the harshest of colds. And yet, he survived where others would not. The Force loved him so, and because of that, it had always spared him. But the Darkside of Korriban did not. He could feel its loathing for him even as he approached the planet. And now it sought his demise. Would he welcome it if he did perish this day? Or would he face it in fear like so many others? Almost immediately, he felt a response cross his mind as if something reached out and responded for it.

 

He was a Jedi. A scholar and protectorate. It was his duty to give his life for others and the pursuit of peace, to proceed the knowledge that would rid the Galaxy of the cancer these Sith had placed upon it millennia ago and pave the path toward that very goal. Death was simply a part of that path, and so many had paved the way for him to be here upon their homeworld in a fight to cleanse them from it. Their duty was his duty. Their path was his path. And it spanned the length of time its self, passed down across countless generations. This was the way. Like his Master before him, wherever he walked now, Sanguis would stand whether it be his final hour or just the beginning. And as his inhale became an exhale, time returned and reality flashed.

 

Ruin and Fera appeared to his aid, the localized screams of horror and onslaught erupting from the dust of war as their forms shifted in its foreground. Gathering his strength, his Emerald blade reignited and twirled a humming melody of righteousness as his hand guided the Force before him and became his shield. Whether Korriban became his tomb, or any planet in the unseeable future, he would ensure it resounded in the Light. If the Force truly loved him so, he would give that love ten fold in return. Side stepping a soldier, he slung the emerald hue across the Sith's form, cleaving the being's form in two as his focus shifted to the next. Korriban would be won.

 

***********************************************

 

Deep beneath the Sith Temple where the unholy one began to prepare his tomb for the re-emergence of their kind one day, a spector began to haunt it's tunnels. Tendrils hung from its chin and across it's brow, it's blue form reflecting a red hue to its skin. Upon its hip sat a double hilted lightsaber, remnant of a Temple Guard of Coruscant. But this Tsis didn't radiate the temptations of a Sith or of the Darkside. No. This was a being of Light despite his appearance of the ancient lineage that fostered the Darkside. This specter was a Jedi. A Jedi named Mjan Sadow iv Adias.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In the moments before the Commander died, he had a moment to think. This moment was a unique instance, since for first time since the Sith had broken him to their will, there was nothing he could do. There was no way to escape and fight another day. There was no act of service or sacrifice that would help his masters. He had done his work to the best of his ability, and could only wait for the death that was coming for him to arrive.

 

So, in this last instance, he could finally think for himself.

 

What...what was my name?

 

Then the Commander was no more.

 

________________________________________

 

The remaining Sith elite fought with the unerring purpose of living weapons, but no amount of focus would stop the weight of the new galaxy crashing down on them. In only a minute, they elite Home Guard of Korriban lay dead on the floor.

 

 

On 4/21/2023 at 10:19 AM, MSA said:

Deep beneath the Sith Temple where the unholy one began to prepare his tomb for the re-emergence of their kind one day, a spector began to haunt it's tunnels. Tendrils hung from its chin and across it's brow, it's blue form reflecting a red hue to its skin. Upon its hip sat a double hilted lightsaber, remnant of a Temple Guard of Coruscant. But this Tsis didn't radiate the temptations of a Sith or of the Darkside. No. This was a being of Light despite his appearance of the ancient lineage that fostered the Darkside. This specter was a Jedi. A Jedi named Mjan Sadow iv Adias.

 

Xervatus sensed something, even as he keyed in the sequence that would activate the carbonite freezing process. Something foreign, and unwelcome on this world. It was not a Jedi, not exactly. And no one from above could have made it down here so fast.

 

[PRIMING SEQUENCE COMPLETE]

 

[INITIATE{?}----Y//N]

 

Xervatus' finger hovered over the confirm key. One press...

 

He sighed, and for all the universe he looked like the old, husk of a man he was.

 

"If you're here for me..." he said, his voice echoing out into the silent tunnels, "...than I ask that you not take up too much of my time. I have a deadline to meet, you see."

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"Spare a moment for a moment for a Tsis, will you?" Mjan's otherworldly voice echoed amongst the tunnels and the natural crevasse they had cut through as he stepped from the across the veil, a humbled smile across his face. "Surely you can offer me this much."

 

His gaze eyed the lingering finger Xervatus held above the pad, his form almost holographic against the backdrop they had found themselves within save for his presence in the Force. Korriban's liberation, his people's liberation from the confines of the Darkside, had always been a lifelong goal, one he never held the chance to achieve, and one that Xervatus now was upon the precipice of destroying. And yet, Mjan could do nothing, his corporeal form unable to interact with the Galaxy outside his appearance. He was naught but a lingering consciousness within the collective of the Force.

 

"You know why I am here." He nodded toward the pad he held in his grasp. "And yet, you know there's nothing that I can do. I am but a spirit of the Force, one with that which I sought to serve with my life, and now in death. Much like you intend to do for those who bear the name of my species once the world is reclaimed as the ever turning cycle of light versus dark flips yet again."

 

Mjan takes a seat upon a nearby rock, spreading the robes he adorned and placing hands upon knees as he let the Sith contemplate his words, an attempt to stroke the ego without faltering from the obvious truth.

 

"But I poise a question for you to ask yourself." Mjan concludes as the battle ends above, something he is sure the Sith himself has felt. "Are you sure it's what you wish? Or is it what you think you wish? A gest of the Darkside to continue it's cycle should the others inevitably fall, if you will. For you it will be but a moment of respite. And yet, for the rest of the Galaxy, an era or two, everything and everyone you might know and cherish gone."

 

A stern yet compassionate look falters upon his face, his smile sinking away as he speaks and his clawed hand reaches up to stroke his tendrils with thought.

 

"Perhaps you wish to prolong your life a few more years, or decades even. Your intentions are clouded and undiscerning. But I'm wondering if, just perhaps, you've come to see in your time as I have in my death, the futility of our actions. That in light or dark, our names are lost to time and our memories become ghosts as those who come after us take our places within the turning of time. That everything we do, is simply erased."

 

Mjan's hand falls from his face and points at the pad.

 

"Even this moment."

 

Mjan's moment, although intent to buy time for those above to find and seek out this trap, was his own attempt to persuade and perhaps prevent another soul from following the ever delving cycle that both sides knew all too well. If he could reach this Sith, Xervatus, his soul could rest in peace. But if not, perhaps the others could prevent Korriban from housing another secret of the Darkside. 

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Ruin stood still at the center of the entrance chamber, looking around at the carnage that had occurred. With the combined forces, each and every Sith soldier had been shot, dismembered, smashed or torn asunder. While the Jedi’s lightsaber cauterized the wounds instantly, and the laser blasts were thankfully goreless, Ruin had seen to it that the room was bloody enough. 

 

“Kill…all Sith!” Ruin shouted, pausing as if he needed to pant, his programming selling the imagery that he was more barbaric than logic.

 

>odd…< Fera beeped as she crawled over to Ruin’s leg, her attennea flicking every which way. >I am detecting a power increase compared to when we first entered the building. It is coming directly below us<

 

Ruin glanced at the Buzz droid. “Bombs and bombings?”

 

Fera crawled up Ruin to his shoulder, beeping into his sensors. >Unlikely. Opportune moment to cause maximum damage to invading forces has passed. It must have something to do with the forces stalling for time< 

 

Ruin glanced towards the floor. Then, without a word, he retrieved the Soulbraker hammer and positioned himself and slammed it into the ground. The unpowered weapon left a crack in the floor but did no further damage. 

 

>Wait, Ruin, halt, your arm is not properly fixed to…< Fera started to buzz, but Ruin ignored the small droid. Instead, with a twist of the hammer’s hilt, the weapon came to life. Red energy coursed through its insides as the powerpack began to resonate with the kyber crystal connected to the unique Sith alchemized shockwave/repulsorlift generators in the hammer’s head. 

 

Ruin raised the hammer and brought it down again. The Shockwave sent from the hammer made a deafening boom in the room as small pieces of debris and bodes next to Ruin went flying. Only Ruin, and Fera who clutched tightly to the Terror Droid, stayed in place. 

 

The effects were immediate. The building itself shook slightly as it absorbed most of the Hammer’s energy, but the floor was beginning to crumble. However, Ruin’s arm became noticeably disjointed, its outer plates literally shorn off  as the backlash from the hammer affected the droid. 

 

>Ruin, halt!< Fera demanded. >This action is both illogical and detrimental. You will damage…<

 

Ruin brought down the hammer again. Again, the building shook. The Floor cracked greater. It was obvious there was something was underneath, and Ruin, who’s arm barely hung on by a messjob of welding, would find it

 

“Break and bash. Seek and smash!” 

 

Fera  pled with her ward.  >Ruin, I calculate a 99% chance of your arm not able to function at all with another attack. If you do so, you will be literally disarmed until…<

 

Ruin didn’t listen. 

 

“Smash and kill all Sith!” He shouted as he brought the hammer down again, with all the force his chassis could bring down. 

 

The final smash shook the building again. Ruin’s arm, damaged before, shattered apart from the backlash. However, the floor broke through, and the two, Ruin still clutching the hammer with his good arm, Fera clutching to Ruin’s bad shoulder, as well as whoever decided to follow, fell downwards into the bowels of the building’s underground. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Tayln observed as R.U.I.N appeared to be trying to smash his way to the level below with some urgency. This caught his interest as did the fact Fera, his companion spoke of a power surge...a fact which did not bode well. Pulling up a scanner, he confirmed the readings before placing it back in his pack, it didn't look good at all. A power surge only meant a few things.

 

And by the sounds of it, if the enemy had been stalling as he had suspected himself, then it probably meant they were preparing to evacuate or set off some kind of defence mechanism and bury the building with them inside. He had a strong feeling it was the latter, especially with how vehemently the defence had been stalling. As such he used a rope provided by one of the other troopers and dangled it down the hole before descending after the chaotic war droid who was on a rampage.

 

He ran as fast as he could, trying to catch him up and motioned the Jedi Knight with them to follow, just in case. Besides they might have need of his advanced speed, especially when time was against them. Several other troops followed into the hole behind him, lighting up the area inside the hole and where they had entered before they followed the intelligence operative. Using his old knowledge of the place, Talyn knew there shouldn't be any reason for such a power surge down here. And so it pretty much confirmed his suspicions. 

 

He called out to Sanguis.

 

 "Go ahead of us. Don't wait up! Use your advanced speed if you must. I have a very bad feeling about that power surge and the stalling tactics. See if you can find the source and stop it, if my suspicions are correct I don't think it bodes well for us. There shouldn't be any reason for such a surge down here. It's like a build up to something...something bad. R.U.I.N is onto something."

 

 With that he sped after the droid and ran as fast as his legs would allow, pushing his cybernetic enhancements to the limit.

Edited by Karys Narat iv-Adas

https://jedirp.net/topic/4851-trodai-narat-iv-adas-darth-akheron/

Akheron.jpg

 

 "Only in my pain, did I find my will. Only in my chaos, did I learn to be still. Only in my fear, did I find my might. Only in my darkness, did I see my light." - Darth Akheron

 

I survived the Great JNet Outage of 2012

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  • 4 weeks later...

 

On 5/2/2023 at 12:39 PM, MSA said:

"But I poise a question for you to ask yourself." Mjan concludes as the battle ends above, something he is sure the Sith himself has felt. "Are you sure it's what you wish? Or is it what you think you wish? A gest of the Darkside to continue it's cycle should the others inevitably fall, if you will. For you it will be but a moment of respite. And yet, for the rest of the Galaxy, an era or two, everything and everyone you might know and cherish gone."

 

A stern yet compassionate look falters upon his face, his smile sinking away as he speaks and his clawed hand reaches up to stroke his tendrils with thought.

 

"Perhaps you wish to prolong your life a few more years, or decades even. Your intentions are clouded and undiscerning. But I'm wondering if, just perhaps, you've come to see in your time as I have in my death, the futility of our actions. That in light or dark, our names are lost to time and our memories become ghosts as those who come after us take our places within the turning of time. That everything we do, is simply erased."

 

Mjan's hand falls from his face and points at the pad.

 

"Even this moment."

 

Xervatus listened to the shade. Words that the ancient force user spoke resonated with something in him.

 

He was afraid, yes. But not just of the defeat, imprisonment, and death that would surely await him once this new alliance got its hands on him. Like the shade said, he was afraid that all this was futile.

 

He'd been afraid of that for a long time. So many saw the most powerful of the Sith, the mightiest and the maddest of their order, of the darkness they shed like water from a cliff, of the fear they engendered in the galaxy. But beneath them were the Xervatus's of the Sith. Those who stood just below, yearning to reach the next level but always knowing deep, deep down that they never would. 

 

Xervatus knew his place in the history of the galaxy. And like the shade said, even the greatest Sith would eventually be defeated. Maybe one day a Sith would achieve what they all strived for, but down in the parts of his soul where his mind feared to walk, he knew it wouldn't be him. And if the greatest among them hadn't achieved the true freedom they strove for, then what chance did an old man have? And if he could never "win", what was the point in trying?

 

He sighed.

 

And then he began to laugh.

 

"Ha...haha...ahahahahahaHAHAHAHA!" His laugh turned into a mad cackle, his body shaking as if in a seizure.

 

"In a way, you're absolutely right shade. But in other ways, you're absolutely, dead wrong." He grinned at the ghost. "I'm a historian. Even before I was a Sith, that was my calling, my passion. I've seen more than most how much is lost by the simple passing of time. I've seen great victories that saved and shattered worlds reduced to pieces of pottery on a shelf. I've seen the galaxies greatest heroes and villains reduced to footnotes on a page." He turned back to the controls. "It's not about meaning. It's never been about meaning."

 

He held his hand over the button that would activate everything.

 

"It's about living. And Sith live free."

 

He brought his hand down...

 

On 5/7/2023 at 9:28 PM, TerrorBot said:

“Smash and kill all Sith!” He shouted as he brought the hammer down again, with all the force his chassis could bring down. 

 

The final smash shook the building again. Ruin’s arm, damaged before, shattered apart from the backlash. However, the floor broke through, and the two, Ruin still clutching the hammer with his good arm, Fera clutching to Ruin’s bad shoulder, as well as whoever decided to follow, fell downwards into the bowels of the building’s underground

 

...and was knocked aside when a chunk of the ceiling crashed down and sent him sprawling. He looked around in confusion, momentarily stunned.

 

That wasn't caused by a bomb's explosion. Something else had triggered a partial collapse. This whole tunnel network had been built for the express purpose of collapsing in on itself, and if someone or something had broken in somewhere else, like say from up above, it might have caused the ceiling to start to cave in on the central chamber where Xervatus was at.

 

That meant the enemy was in the tunnels. Xervatus had minutes, if that, before they found him.

 

He stood up, brushing away the dust. It didn't matter, it would only take a few seconds for him to-

 

He saw the cracked, flickering screen on the system controls.

 

Xervatus cursed in three different languages consecutively, and furiously began to work on the flickering display. It would take him a few moments to get the control system back online properly, otherwise the entire system might fail to activate. He only hoped he had that time.

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Mjan sighed a sigh of disappointment as the Sith began cackling, the madness of the Darkside a corrupt and construed sense of reality. He stood as the ceiling began to collapse and faded into the ethereal plane as he turned away from Xervatus' madness, a final message echoing between life and death as the others began to arrive.

 

"A life of shackles, bound to fruitless labors" His voice echoed throughout the shafts and tunnels, yet only heard by Xervatus as it faded with the Jedi Tsis.

 

The visage of pale skin draped in Cerilian Blue and Emerald hair emerged from the dust of the crumbling rocks, his gaze locking not upon the Sith, but of the Sith's device and the urgency he showed toward it as he tore into it's frame and components. This was all the Æquitas needed to know that something was afoot and the device was it's focus. With an outstretched arm, he pulled at it's form and attempted to rip it from the Sith's hands in Xervatus' distraction.

 

With his blade activated in the other, Sanguis made the first strike, grasping at both the trigger and arching himself into a forward twist and he brought the blade down upon the Sith's outstretched arms with the intent to end whatever his intent with the trigger was meant to. He didn't need to understand its entirety, only the intentions portrayed by the actions of the moment he hastenedly had ran into, and end it before it even began. Stern gaze callously followed and the seriousness of ending the battle for Korriban present in his features.

 

He had killed enough today to last him a lifetime, so if it could be avoided, he didn't intend to kill again.

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Following closely behind, was Talyn Orin. As he entered he too saw the old man, a Sith by the looks of it attempting to set some kind of devices off, however he noted the Jedi taking care of that particular threat. But even so, as the Sith outstretched his arms and the Jedi attempted to thwart them, whereas the Jedi intended to simply maim him Tayln took a more lethal approach.

 

He knew such a Sith would not go easily as had been proven already. That and even without arms he was a great threat and so he took his scatter gun and raised it towards his head, opening fire but being careful in trying not to hit the Jedi in the process as he attempted to dispatch his target to whatever hell awaited him on the other side. He knew the Jedi might not approve for it, but to him both as intelligence operative and a soldier, it felt the right thing to do.

 

To end the threat permanently and send a message to the Sith. 

 

That their time was at a end and he would be there to see it done. Besides he had seen just what a Sith could do even without their arms, just because they were down a limb they could never be discounted as being out of action. And so he would ensure that the Sith was 100% taken down. He knew R.U.I.N would approve of it even if the Jedi did not. He saw the potential of the droid for the future, they made a good team.

 

He gave a few last words before unloading his cargo upon his victim.

 

 "This is for all the world's you and yours have destroyed and the lives you have taken Sith. Today you pay the ultimate price for your crimes. Your time is ended!"

Edited by Talyn Orin
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“Rip and tear…” Ruin grunted as his systems powered back on. The Terror droid sat up suddenly and glanced around, hearing a scratching noise somewhere. "Sith?"

 

 Fera crawled  over his shoulder, revealing herself. 

>Hold still. You have been powered down for a moment. I was able to restart your systems with minimal damage to your processes, but there are some repairs that need to be done.<

 

Ruin stopped and looked down at himself. He was in bad shape. The fall had created some new dents in his heavy chassis. Judging by the looks of it, Ruin hit something harder than himself.

 

Ruin tried to raise an arm to test his systems fully, only to realize he was a little lighter. 

 

“Armed and de-armed…”  Ruin commented as he reached forward, much to Fera’s annoyance. Slowly, he picked up the remains of his arm, almost shattered to disintegration between the shoulder and elbow joints. Ruin held it slightly up towards Fera, shaking the dangling arm like a limp doll. 

 

“Lock and load…” 

 

The Buzz droid stopped from her repairs on Ruin’s systems and looked at the limb. 

 

>Are you sure?<

 

“Gotta rip and tear. Smash and bash. Hammer too heavy. Gun too big. Sith must die. Kill all Sith.” Ruin shook the arm again. “Lock and load”

 

Fera gave a buzz that could be translated as a sigh. Sealing the point of her repairs in the Terror Droid’s neck, she jumped to the arm and began to operate its insides. By giving just enough power to active certain motors, the arm’s joints completely locked themselves up. Ruin, who held the arm by its hand, made sure Fera locked the fingers together. 

 

Ruin picked himself up from the ground and, holding the club before him, Ruin studied the weapon briefly.

 

“Groovy”

 

>That’s the second time i’ve ever heard you say that< Fera commented, jumping back to Ruin’s body to continue her repairs. >A sign of growth<

 

Somewhere deeper in the hallways, laughter, a lightsaber and a gun could be heard. 

 

“Scrap growth!” Ruin shouted.  “Gotta rip and tear! Guts and guns, guns and guts! Arms and armories, haha!”

 

Ruin charged at the noises with all the subtlety of an enraged Reek. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 6/20/2023 at 11:39 AM, MSA said:

With his blade activated in the other, Sanguis made the first strike, grasping at both the trigger and arching himself into a forward twist and he brought the blade down upon the Sith's outstretched arms with the intent to end whatever his intent with the trigger was meant to. He didn't need to understand its entirety, only the intentions portrayed by the actions of the moment he hastenedly had ran into, and end it before it even began. Stern gaze callously followed and the seriousness of ending the battle for Korriban present in his features.

 

He had killed enough today to last him a lifetime, so if it could be avoided, he didn't intend to kill again.

 

Xervatus jerked back, saving his arms but unfortunately doing nothing to save the system controls. Numb, he saw the sparks fly as the blade cleaved through the system, and the screen flashed briefly and died.

 

There was a moment of silence. Then he screamed.

 

The Dark Side flowed through him as it never had before. All the rage cultivated by a lifetime of insults and disrespect from more powerful, more reckless Sith welled up inside him. His last hope had been smashed, his composure, scheming, and restraint had been for naught, and now nothing held him back from simply giving in. His frustration at the sheer audacity of these cretins, of the Alliance, of the universe itself to deny him in such tantalizing, taunting manner...it was enough to burn his soul. And so he burned.

 

His lightsaber, a baroque thing decorated with sigils and occult ornamentation slid into his hand and activated with a hiss. His eyes flared yellow, more power flowing into him than he'd ever experienced in his life, matching his mad fury.

 

On 6/20/2023 at 6:18 PM, Talyn Orin said:

He gave a few last words before unloading his cargo upon his victim.

 

 "This is for all the world's you and yours have destroyed and the lives you have taken Sith. Today you pay the ultimate price for your crimes. Your time is ended!"

 

A wordless howl was his only response. His blade came up to block the scattered shot, and while he defended his most critical locations, rage and power were not enough to stop the simple, technical superiority of a scatter gun in close quarters. The shot tore into his arms, sides, and legs. The old man staggered, and for a moment it seemed like he would fold right there. But, like a marionette, he drew himself back up, his scarecrow like body propped up by the torrent of sheer emotion possessing him. His teeth were bared in hate, and no wit or thought sat behind his wild eyes.

 

He staggered forward, blade raised.

 

(OOC, feel free to kill him, he's finished. Good stuff everyone!)

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The sith howled. The defeated man staggered forward. The blade was raised and being used to kill one of his foes in a blind rage. 

 

Ruin bullrushed the sith. Rage against rage, metal against flesh. As Ruin charged past everyone, he brought down his makeshift weapon down.

 

The blade was already up to block and deflect the strike. Ruins arm weapon sizzled and the lightsaber cut through the metal easily enough. However, as a result of focusing on the arm, the rest of Ruin continued forward. 

 

The sheer weight and force of Ruin's body knocked the elderly man down like a corellian corvette knocking over a skyscraper building. Not giving a moment to comprehend the situation, Ruin roared as he brought his foot up.

 

"Kill all Sith!" 

 

The foot went down. The head exploded like a melon. Ruin did not stop. He brought his foot up again and continued to stomp violently, ensuring that each piece of skull and brain matter were flattened into a thin paste on the floor. The floor boomed as the terror droid brought all of his weight down over and over again. Finally, he spun slightly and brought the remains of his arm onto the siths weapon. The lightsaber shattered as the terror droid battered it over and over, his own arm exploding with debris with each strike. 

 

Finally, Ruin slowed and stopped. He looked over the remains as if in thought. He struggled at first, but eventually dropped his arm on the remains of the corpse. 

 

Ruin turned to the others. 

 

"Blood and guts. Brains and bashings. Sheaths and holsters." The terror droid stated as he pointed at the remains, almost proudly.

 

Fera clamered over her ward's shoulder, willing to translate again.    

 

>Ruin says that he believes all the sith in the vicinity are dealt with.<

 

Ruin looked at the jedi and then down at the lightsaber remains. A glow from inside made Ruin kick it towards the jedi. The small sith crystal fell at the Jedi's feet. 

 

Ruin shrugged towards the jedi, indicating he had no idea what to do with it. Better to let a mystic take care of the mystical. 

 

>Agent< Fera buzzed. >Might we be able to access a repair facility? My ward's arm is beyond saving, but I'd like a place to operate on his inner workings<

 

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Blood and guts, brains and blood. Smash, rip, tear. Kill all Sith. No mercy. It all happened so fast that it left Æquitas in a horrified state of shock, his brain strolling across the events after they unfolded and trying to make sense of what led to this moment. He remembered smiling as his blade cut through the device, the Sith's disbelief and rage quickly following. Then the sound of weaponry near his ear that sent his hearing into a painful ringing. Before he could recover, however, RUIN joined the fray and now before him, the lifeless corpse laid, mangled and demolished by the Terror Droid who was incapable to remorse or regret. And all he could think in that moment was how it didn't have to end this way.

 

With the snap and hiss of his emerald crossguard deactivating, Æquitas stumbled backwards as the reality set in both in visual and sensory aspects, not only the sight of brain soup and blood coagulating, but the putrid smell of iron and dirt. It was almost enough to churn his stomach as he backed against the dirtied wall of the tunnel and dropped his blade. His gaze shifted to RUIN as Fera began to speak, anger welling up in his mind as the Droid chirped and spoke until it took hold of him completely. 

 

Before any could react, and likely wouldn't in the case of the two droids, Sanguis was upon the Terror Droid and slamming a now bloodied fist into the lifeless face of RUIN in discontent, tears swelling in his eyes as he continued to break his fingers and wrist, as well as shatter his forearm, against the metallic structure that made up RUIN's face.

 

"He didn't have to die, you lifeless bastard." Æquitas yelled through his pain. "He could have been captured, maybe even redeemed in time. You don't get to be his judge and executioner! I had this."

 

His tone trailed off as he backed away, his arm broken and limp to the point that, like RUIN, it was useless and couldn't be moved. Backing against the tunnels wall, he slid down onto his buttox, and went silent. Korriban had been too much for the Jedi. All the death, all the darkness he saw and felt that day, it felt as it had seeped into his soul and broken his will. And in the moment he saw an opportunity for salvation, a moment to turn the day away from the Darkness, it was snatched away by artificial intelligence, a created sentient who could not feel or even grasp its concept. He felt broken entirely. 

 

It wasn't that Æquitas had never been in combat situations before. He had lived far longer than most and seen the Galaxy switch hands numerous times. But his fights had always followed the Jedi philosophy, stuck to the tenants and creed they once all lived by. But this war had been different, a changing of an Era where instead of defending, the Order chose to strike back. It was why Nar Shadaa turned out the way it did. It was why the Sith, as strong as they were, were defeated utterly. And it had defeated everything he stood for. Yet, his anger wasn't directed directly at RUIN, nor what he stood for. He was a Droid, with artificial intelligence or not, and his programming dictated his reactions. It was the intentions behind the entire war. Not simply to regain what was lost, but to eradicate the Sith entirely, no matter the cost it brought upon the innocent.

 

Rising from his seat, Æquitas replied to Fera's previously asked question before he took off walking back toward the surface in a somber walk, stopping only to pick up the bled crystal. "Do what you wish, Droid. The fight is over."

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Talyn responded in kind as he saw the elderly Sith raise his crimson blade and advance. Attempting to split him in two, however just as he was about to again raise the scatter gun, R.U.I.N intervened and did what he did best. He destroyed. And more. He kept going until nothing but a mangled mess was all that remained of what had previously been a talking, walking sentient being. Albeit one more superhuman than normal.

 

He was about to speak when the Jedi Knight, Equitas suddenly had a brief outburst. Upset and apparently not amused at the droid for mangling the Sith. Convinced he could of been saved perhaps, but Tayln though differently. The eyes of the Sith and the lengths he went to in a attempt to destroy them all was evidence to him that he was beyond that. I'm fact he was grateful to the droid for saving his life.

 

He briefly raised the scatter gun, unsure if the Jedi Knight would have a bigger outburst, as he had seen such force-users capable of accomplishing. In moments of pure Rage where everything and everyone became a target. But as it subsided and the Jedi Knight removed himself, he breathed a sigh of relief that there would be no more killing that day. And no friendly fire incident to report.

 

He called out to a nearby medic trooper.

 

 "Follow him. Make sure his calms down and doesn't bleed to death before we can get his arm sorted when at a proper facility."

 

 With that he turned to face R.U.I.N and his smaller companion, speaking even as blood and small chunks of flesh and organs, dripped from his armour. Both it and he were going to need a through clean after this he thought. And he was going lick find the Sith under his fingernails for months. But it was a small price to pay for freeing Korriban from the Sith influence.

 

 "Don't worry too much about the Jedi. He has had a rough day, we all have. And Jedi are always more...emotional about such death and destruction. They value all life, even those who rightly shouldn't be spared. The Sith caused endless suffering, it is fitting he suffered a similar fate as they inflicted on others. And while I agree we perhaps could of used him as a captive, I have no ill feelings despite the outcome. You both saved my life, it was either him or me. Even if it was more...messy than anticipated. 

 

That said, let's get out of here and leave the troopers learn sweep the place. We can probably get you repaired on one of the ships above and get ourselves cleaned up. We also need to get in touch with those in command, have a Jedi and Sovereign recovery team secure the rest of the building and disarm any traps left behind so we can gather more intelligence. This place is a mine waiting to be picked apart."

 

With that he motioned the droid to follow back the way they came. Now it had been secured by them and the remaining troopers with them. Now his job here was done, he wondered what the future might hold. He had been on Korriban a long time and wondered what state the galaxy was now in that he would return to. And who would be in charge of the Sovereignty himself. Either way he hoped to work with the droid again, even if the Jedi Knight did not.

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At the Jedi’s yelling, Ruin’s blank black sensors stared back at the Jedi. The bloodied fist likely did more damage to the Jedi than the droid’s durasteel chassis. Despite all the emotions Ruin gave off during every fight, his face held no expression that could give away what his processing unit was and wasn’t understanding. Even the dripping of new blood on Ruin’s face gave no sign of emotion. Fera was much similar, though she at least swayed slightly back and forth on Ruin’s shoulder, giving a semblance of life. 

 

Ruin stayed silent as the Jedi walked away. Even at the Agent’s words, Ruin continued to watch the Jedi. Fera buzzed in. 

 

>While I agree with  how Ruin’s actions were necessary, I believe that outburst may be helpful for Ruin in the long run.<

 

Fera tapped Ruin's head a few times to emphasize her point. >Ruin has potential for consciousness. He is my ward so I can help make sure this occurs. His original programming was to kill all Jedi and their allies, but modified by a Jedi to kill all Sith and their allies. Having a Jedi commit such an outburst about actions sanctioned by Jedi past may help generate nuance in the future. Or it may solidify his programming and make him more resistant to Jedi commands in the future. He is from a different time so it is impossible to tell at the moment.<

 

Ruin pointed at where the Jedi was last. “Hurtings and healings. Tanks and patches?”

 

>Yes, he will be fine< 

 

Ruin nodded at this and retrieved what was left of his arm. There was little more than a fist left whole. 

 

“Junk and scrap” Ruin commented as he tossed the piece away. “Reload cartridges and resupply grenades” 

 

>Review your memory banks. I did warn you< 

 

Ruin followed Agent Orin, hammer and gun on his back, and pistol back in his holster. Fera was rapidly tinkering at Ruin’s backside, making minor repairs to where she could without getting in the way, but given the damage, it would never become 100% operable until better services could be found.  

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With each step Æquitas took, blood trickled down his hand and fingers, dripping upon the stone beneath his feet as he stared wildly into nothingness, a momentary feeling of rage and remorse intertwined. Life was life, either way you looked at it. It was to be protected, preserved. Not stomped from existence. But in this new war, this new Era, both sides seemed to callously extinguish it. Even himself as he walked the battlefield earlier this day. And the Darkness from it seeped into Korriban's core like mynocks feasting on a ship's engines.

 

Æquitas was Jedi. Not Imperial, not Sovereign, not Alliance, nor Sith. He had lived his entire fifty years of life as a Jedi. Through countless assaults, through countless Dark Lords and Grandmasters, the risings and fallings of numerous generations. But there was always a separation between Jedi and the rest, a line to be walked on one side, and not on the edge that separated them. It felt so wrong. And as he stopped and gazed at his bloodied and broken arm, he contemplated his role in this new Era.

 

Suddenly, a outside feeling of warmth and peace washed over his form, a feeling of joy and happiness in the darkest of times rested upon his mind and he gazed off toward it's presence, a purple hued figure barely visible outside his peripheral standing at his side with a calming smile and knowing eyes. Then he jumped, a cold hand placed upon his shoulder as he was spun around and forced to lay eyes upon a medic.

 

"Master Jedi..." The Medic began, pulling out some bacta and bandages with his free hand as he held onto the broken appendage he managed to grasp. "I need to fix you up until we can get you aboard a medical frigate."

 

"No." Æquitas responded, pulling at his arm despite the pain as he gritted his teeth in the movement. "But sir..." The Medic recoursed, but found Æquitas firm in his resolve. "I said no. Splint it if you must, but it heals on its own." Æquitas affirmed.

 

"Jedi." The Medic mumbled under his breath as he placed Æquitas aside upon a nearby work station where mining equipment and some artifacts were placed. As he began his work, Æquitas turned his attention to the bled Kyber he held within his free hand, hovering the crystal before his eyes as he stared into it both with his sapphiric eyes as well as in the Force.

 

The crystal was almost flawless in its carving, ancient runes etched into its form and its presence defiled. And yet, there, buried deep within, the light remained, suppress and dominated, almost corrupted. One could say there were layers upon layers of latent Darkside energies burying what remained of the natural Force that comprised all Kyber Crystals, and the one who wielded it before. And yet, the dominating presence of the Darkside bounded it.

 

"This is the order of Chaos, the power of the Sith." A voice echoed within his mind as the presence from before fell upon his form once again, inviting and wise. "Dominance and subjugation of will and spirit of the former wielder. This is how they are bled. And also cleansed."

 

"I feel your doubts, Jedi, and I know your spiritual pain. It echoes upon the very currents of this world, mixed within the remnants of those who came before you, a path I know all to well as I too once was a Jedi. And yet, you have yet to realize the truth, a truth that many have either became blind to just as you have, or have accepted dutifully just as your companions. And because of this, you now ache with heartbreak."

 

Visions of Felucia, Mon Cal, Krayiss II, and numerous other worlds crossed his mind as Mjan shared his life's story and the revelation he found in his own plight, a plight that he and Æquitas shared even if their stories differed. Æquitas sought to preserve life, and Mjan sought to conquer the Darkness within.

 

"See my life. Know it's story. Know my plight and my will. As I struggled, so will you. For war is war, and life holds little meaning in its path. Your companions differ in this because they see one life taken saving millions, and you see taking one life as one of those millions. There is nothing wrong with this, for it is the Jedi's way. And yet, it will lead you to Chaos, to the Darkside, for there is no balance between life and death in the Jedi's way. And it differs no more in the Sith's philosophy, to take lives and leave only death."

 

Next Mjan showed Æquitas another like himself, only walking the darker path. There was a sibling connection between them revealed, and the aftermath of the being known as Karys. He could feel the chaos of the beings spirit, a warrior unmatched, intent on corrupting the natural order. 

 

" This is my brother, Karys. Where I fought to tame the darkness within me, he accepted it blindly as heritage. See how life has no meaning to him, only his? There stands the only difference between who I was and who he is. And yet, in his ignorance, I gained far more knowledge than he ever could. Not because I sought to preserve life, nor did I take it willingly. But because I found the truth that life and death are intertwined. I found the Balance of the Force."

 

Æquitas flinched as the Medic finished the splint, the tightness sending an aching through his mangled hand and forearm that caused him to nearly drop the crystal he held within his freed palm.

 

"Pain is natural, just as is grief. And love. And anger. Emotions are what separates us from beasts. The Jedi seek to control and numb those emotions where Sith seek to express and conform those emotions into empowerment. And in many ways, both are right. Yet, both hinder the other in countless wars that never see any true end due to their selfishness. Something you will inevitably come to see. It's okay to feel these emotions, to do what must be done for the betterment of the Galaxy. But you can never let it control you nor define you. Death is but the cleansing of a corrupt life, like the crystal you hold. It's as natural as the life you seek to preserve as much as any inevitability. Carry this pain, you must. But do not let it burden you. Let its reminder humble you."

 

The words faded into the ethereal just as the presence lifted from his form and the pain of his arm subsided. Rising from the work station, Æquitas thanked the Medic and continued his trek to the surface. He could understand why the presence chose to reveal themselves, but it gave Æquitas much to think on during his walk. When the others arrived, Æquitas was sitting at the entrance of the Grand Hall awaiting them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tayln continued the trek to the surface, stopping only when he came upon Æquitas. He looked with a pair of wary eyes, checking to see that he had called himself before he got closer and spoke. It seemed he was as stubborn as any other Jedi having refused full care of his damaged arm. 

 

"I trust you have calmed yourself now? You above all people must be more careful, especially with your abilities Jedi  Æquitas. I have seen what happens when your kind let such emotions get the better of them. But I do understand your frustration, we perhaps could of used the Sith but given their nature it is likely the outcome would of remained the same. Even if the droid hadn't acted. Sith are as stubborn as you Jedi in many respects. 

 

Regardless we have accomplished what we came here to do. And my job here is done. I must depart for debriefing upon Coruscant and to receive my next assignment. To see what has happened to the galaxy while I have been here. And see where next I can affect change in undertaking my duties. But I will not forget you or R.U.I.N and his companion, we worked well together. Perhaps we may met again some day soon and again affect change as we have here. For now, see you around Jedi Æquitas and as your kind say may the force be with you."

 

 With that he held a extended hand issuing a firm handshake before departing. A mutual sign of his respect and a offer of future friendship should he wish it.

 

Walking out and into the sun, it was almost blinding having spent so long underground, but it was a welcome sight and reprieve. Walking past the troopers, he made his way all the way out before finding a nearby shuttle and asking for a lift to one of the bigger ships above. So he could depart this forsaken world of death. Once he was aboard a bigger ship, he begun preparing for his next journey. Catching a ride with a group heading to Coruscant. 

 

As the ship entered hyperspace he contemplated just what he would find when he arrived.

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