Nar Shaddaa - Rebel Alliance Headquarters

[Skyshatter]

When Lok recieved the invitation to join the Jedi Grandmaster, he and a few of his fellow Knights had gathered and were in the middle of a friendly game of Pazaak, Lok tossing back his beverage when the closed door open and his name called. Shooting to attention along with his comrades, the Corporal handed over the datapad and relieved himself from their quarters as the trio sighed a relaxed sigh. But in the back of his mind, Lok was hoping for fresh orders after having been stationed here since Kuat, a craving for action boiling in the pit of his stomach. Once a warrior, always a warrior.

 

"Frek". Lok expressed loudly as his gaze sifted through the datapad's content, the realization that he had been invited to meet with a Jedi, let alone the Order's Grandmaster, the fartherest thing he could have hoped for. As the other two looked on in confusion and curiosity, Lok shot his gaze toward them and grimaced. "I've been invited to meet with the Jedi Grandmaster."

 

The two hoped up and grabbed at the datapad with gusto, mostly curiosity as to why Lok recieved such a request, but also in laughter that he had been the one chosen rather than either of them. Grabbing his armor from his locker, Lok half heartedly chuckled with them and proceeded to gear up in a disgust look upon his face. It wasnt that he despised the person behind the title just as any of the Imperial Knights, but he had been there since before the beginning and he remembered a cowardice Jedi Order. And because of that, he couldn't find it in himself to forgive the Order for its lack of engagement. He understood the need for peace, but to stand back and do nothing simply allowed more darkness to grow where the light was no longer capable of shining. Clipping his lightsaber to his hip, the only remnant of his days as a Jedi Knight, he turned and headed out.

 

Lok snickered a small bit when he arrived at the Rebel's official base, a former Casino that the Imperials had seized and foreclosed, one of his earlier missions once he arrived at Nar Shadaa. Fitting honestly, considering the gamble that the Empress was taking to align herself with former enemies in the light of a more powerful one, especially after words of their display at Onderon reached the Galaxy's ears. Lok's snicker turned sour at the thought of the Sith's occupation of his homeworld, his mind wandering about the splintered cells of hope that must feel hopeless upon their own world just as he ached for its liberation. The Sith Empire could spin it to their own liberation as much as they wish, but as far as Lok was concerned, this infamous Dark Lord that called himself the Spider was no more than a False King upon the Throne of Onderon. Shaking his head, he entered the Rebel's Headquarters.

 

Moments later, a knock landed on the door of@Adenna Alluyen, the Rebel Lieutenant tasked with escorting Lok to her office addressing his arrival. Stepping in, Lok stood tall and proud in his shined Imperial armor, the black insignia shining like a jewel against the crimson hue. Standing at attention, his eyes focused forward, Lok saluted Adenna with unwanted respect, echoing in the words that escaped his lips. "Madam Grandmaster. Lok Skyshatter reporting."

[Skyshatter]

Lok nodded his head in respect to Master Alluyen, but made no motion to sit, the proud Imperial Knight standing at full attention, his hands behind his back with his fingers interlocked.... the culmination of the militaristic training that they each had recieved becoming the spearhead that separated the Imperial Knights from the rest. His eyes followed Alluyen as she spoke, his form stationary, and despite his dislike for the Order she represented, even he had to admit that some of her points were worthy of consideration. But as the holoprojector shot to life, Lok's facial expressions changed despite his militaristic demeanor. It almost spoke of his truest dislike even over her own Order and toward the real enemy, a commonality that they both likely shared above all else, at least, until she mentioned his removal and caused him to give her a similar look in return. 

 

"Full disclosure ma'am?" He spoke, the displeasure in his voice vibrant and credible at such a suggestion. For he was at the Empress' beck and call, her words final on his actions no matter his objections or personal opinions. "I serve my Empress with my life, and despite my past feelings toward your Order, my Empress has chosen to work with your kind and as such, it's my duty to respect her wishes."

 

Calming himself with a subtle but loud popping of his neck followed by a deep breath, Lok's gaze locked upon Alluyen's own with serious intent, as it would be with an Imperial Knight. There was no luxury of picking or choosing assignments, even if some were preferred more than others. The Empress' words were law and her orders final. There was no other courses of actions. That was what it meant to be called such a title, even if it meant life or death, theirs or her own. "These are the orders that were given to me, personally signed by Empress Raven herself, and as such, I will follow them into the next life if it is required. Such is the way of the Imperial Knights."

 

Lok, who had been standing at ease until now, pulled his right fist and stamped it over his heart with a solid thud, the Imperial Pride gleaming in his eyes. But as his hand went to fall back behind his back, it stopped and unclipped his saber, Lok offering it to her for inspection, the intent in his eyes more calmer than before. "I was a Jedi before the Schism that led to our formation. And I still weild the lightsaber I forged as one to remind me of the purpose that it once stood for. And that's because the only thing needed for Darkness to triumph, is for those who stand in the Light to do nothing. Jedi forge their sabers to defend the weak and defenseless, not to simply adorn their robes while they sit within inaction under the guise of neutrality and fear of falling. So if you tell me, as the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, that you plan to take the fight to the front lines personally, then my blade is yours, second only to that of my Empress."

 

As much as he disliked the Jedi Order, he spoke his words with wholehearted truth. Because if Alluyen and the Order that follows her had truly come to realize their past mistakes, then he would gladly be the first of the Imperial Knights to offer them the chance to prove their redemption. He knew it would be what his Empress would want, and it was what any of the original dissidents that formed the Imperial Knights would encourage.

[Skyshatter]

Lok was quite surprised by Master Alluyen as he stood there, the Imperial fire burning in his heart. Perhaps if she had been there, leading the Order before the Schism, then perhaps he would have not left nor felt the need to. But that was such a long time ago and he was content with where his life had led him, even if it eventually led to an inevitable death sentence. But such was the way of the Inperial Knights. Face an enemy long enough, and you eventually become the enemy. This was a truth that all Imperial Knights knew all too well.

 

"Yes ma'am." Lok responded, snapping to attention before removing himself. "May the Force guide our blades as true as our hearts."

 

When Lok returned to his quarters, the others were there out of curiosity about his meeting with the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, Lok not withholding any detail. Now he truly saw what hope his Empress held in high regard, and soon the word would begin to spread as hope filled all that heard with a new rejuvenation. The Jedi Order finally had someone worthy of leading them, even if was to only be fleeting in the larger scheme of things. It only mattered in the here and now, especially with the war they were facing.

 

When 0600 would roll around, Lok would be found in Hangar C24, his spirit filled with fire and his mind ready for action. It was time to take the fight to the enemy with tenfold.

[Skyshatter]

Beneath the rubble and debris of the Red and Black, the Force swirled with purpose and excitement as it flowed through both the physical and pockets of emptiness. Nar Shadaa once stood a beacon of hope and prosperity under the Imperial Remnant and the Alliance that followed, but now, even with the war won, it was but a glimmer of its former self. But even in the darkest of places, buried beneath destruction and death, a glimmer can shine brightest.

 

A simple shift of debris, duracrete giving way against the winds that flowed across it top, a small pebble breaking loose and tumbling downward until it lands upon a small pulsating button alit red, and with just enough juice left in the pod's power cells, a hiss rings true as its confines equalize and opens. Eyes flicker open and a hand presses against plasteel, wiping away steamed atmospheric dew, and for the first time since before the war ended, a breath is taken in cloned lungs.

 

Memories of Death return, and of before, etching into the clone's mind like hardware as the Force sweeps across its exposed form and a soul is anchored to its host. Wincing from the abrupt headache, Lok pushes the cloning pod's door open as far as it would go, a gap barely big enough for his nude form to crawl out from. Legs weak from not being used, muscles cramped from flexing for the first time as he reaches up and pulls forth the feeding tube from his bowels, regurgitating what little substance had been pumped into his stomach as he fell to the floor below him.

 

Byss had been his damnation, and his end. But now here, on Nar Shadaa where the ghosts of ages past walked amongst ruins openly and freely, he found himself reborn. Not just cloned. But truly reborn, his death his saving grace as redemption became his own to bare. Standing up, Lok looked around, realizing the room which he had been entombed within, and with what he could muster, began to look for a way out.

 

But first, realizing his nude form, needed to find a fresh set of armor and weaponry.

 

Hours would pass as he became accustomed to his new form, his rebirth, finding what he sought and climbing his way to freedom from his would be tomb. And as he set gaze on the aftermath of the war's final battle, the rage within him hinted at what Byss had brought out in him. And yet, Byss had been a lesson learnt, and his new eyes saw a different vision. Nar Shadaa may have laid in rubble, but rubble could be cleared and civilization rebuilt. But this was the will of the Force. Birth, death, rebirth, all were cycles of Life. But the evil that brought about this conclusion for Nar Shadaa... that was a different story.

 

It was one thing to be a criminal, a murderer even given the right circumstances. He now understood the plight of sentience. But this evil, the Darkside that permeated from the very streets he stood upon as he stepped out of the Red and Black, was unwarranted. And he would end it even if it saw his death a second, or even a third time. He would wipe any Sith that remained from the face of the Galaxy. And at that notion, RUIN came to mind. The Terror Droid had it right. Blood and guts, guts and blood. Entrails of the Sith to bath and baptize in. Death or Redemption would be his only offer.

 

For the Empire.