Darth Furion

Julio did as he was instructed, waisting no time lingering in the icy clutches of space. The comm could have come from one of several locations, many of which could have been a trap. Very few knew of his existence, let alone the proper channels to contact him with. He could only hope it was the lady who enjoyed breaking him. More out of habit than necessity now, he cloaked The Chameleon before entering Kamino space. He began scanning the planet for the ordered region and brought the ship in for a landing. As he walked through the Imperial Precinct number 103, he pulled himself inward, taking all precautions as he continued to weigh the probability of a trap. His elbow had healed nicely in the time he had spent in space. Self imposed paralysis of the limb, coupled with regular bacta injections, brought it back into use. It still ached from time to time, but the pain was more of an annoyance than anything. As long as it worked, all was good. To relieve some of the strain on the still healing joint, he got into the habit of wearing the crushgaunt one of his brethren was kind enough to grant him. After taking a scenic route to his destination for safety, he arrived. He could feel them both, together of all things. This should be interesting.

Before reaching Manaan space, Julio exited hyperspace and activated the ships cloak and crept towards the planet. He kept the ship just outside planetary sensory range. It was an unnecessary precaution, but you could never be to careful. As an added security measure he pulled his presence in the force to himself, his signature being little less than noticeable. It would be more than difficult for even the masters of that misguided order to sense anything was out of the ordinary. He set up his ship's sensors to monitor ships coming in and leaving the planet. Dominique was right to send him to Manaan. The amount of Jedi on the planet made no attempt to cloak their numbers or the power of those present. It was as if they were begging for attention. He leaned back in his seat, waiting. Come out, come out, wherever you are.

In the span of time it took to get from Merkava to Manaan, Julio meditated. A majority of the trip was devoted to putting the portions of his broken elbow back in place. No matter how delicate he worked, every movement caused an explosion of pain through his right arm. When the bones were back in position, he injected bacta in and around the wound to speed up the healing. He carefully put his arm in a sling from the remaining medical supplies and returned to the cockpit.

--COMM to Ason-- This is Julio. From Coruscant. I need something to boost my right arm. It'll be out of action for a while as is. --END COMM--

Julio's shuttle landed at the CEC Corellian office. The place Kheldar had said his ship would be waiting for him at. After verification of his identity, Julio was shown to his ship. The Chameleon was exactly what he had envisioned. Much better than the one he blew up. After he programed personal codes, he left the system to start shopping. Ason had left him quite the list.

Screens flicker before fading to static. Looks are exchanged as countless viewers murmur between themselves. The static gives way to a cowled figure standing amidst the ruins ruins of the fallen Jedi temple of Coruscant, a raging storm overhead. At first the figure remains motionless, adding to the already building unease in the viewers. His chest expanded as he drew in a deep breath before speaking. "My fellow sentients. What you see behind me is the former Jedi temple of Coruscant. For centuries this building stood as a symbol of humanity and freedom from oppression. Something the common man could look at and feel the horrors of the world melt away in a jaded sense of security. Now, all that stands is merely a transformation of what it truly was. A pile of stone." "I'll not stand before you and offer another frivolous tirade informing you of the blatant hypocrisy or veiled threats of the Jedi Order. These facts, all well and true, have been drilled into your brain enough for your children's children to fully support. I stand before you now to offer you the truth in it's purest form." "It has always been appearant there has been a war raging in the galaxy, both hidden from the public's eyes and forced upon them in the very streets they reside. To deny this fact is ignorance. You've even seen it on the planet considered the heart of the galaxy itself." "This war will continue to wage on forever and ravage all in it's path. Worlds will burn and civilizations crumble. Countless will fall for ideas not their own. Who will finally triumph? I can't say. What I can say is this: Ignoring this war will do nothing but throw you and your loved ones farther into harm's way. The time for abstaining is over. Rid yourself of your animalistic fear and gain the strength to defend those you love. When you finally find yourself fighting, use your love of them to fuel your desire for victory. Let it consume you, take control of your every thought and feeling. Only then will you be able to triumph." "As for which side to choose. I wish not to influence your decision. That is yours to make. However..." The cowled figure glanced at the temple ruins for a brief moment. "It never hurt to pick the side already winning." And with that, screens everywhere were reduced to static. Silence filled the air as many took the time to process what they had just seen. Original programming returned and life returned to the spectators.

Black dust billowed out of the revolving machine, gears crying from friction. It looked as if it may break down at any moment; possibly explode. Julio sat mere feet in front of it, letting loose his dark energies to hold together both machine and ebony stone. The screeching gears continued their piercing scream until a red light turned to green. A shrill tone came from the machine and the door opened. The dust settled and the new hilt was freed from it's restraints. A voice emanating from the more covert constructs of his mind called out, commanding the reformed stone to move. Gravity begrudgingly gave up it's hold as it levitated through the air, stopping just above Julio's resting palms. He opened his eyes for the first time in hours. What he saw was a surprise. Everything he had ordered the machine to do was correct. Every minute detail was present, all the way down to the elegance of the ancient runes carved at the top and bottom of the hilt few would be able to read and even fewer would truly understand. The seam was nigh invisible, and the twisted exterior was exactly how he had envisioned it. However, something had developed on the hilt in it's creation. Small, pale rose colored veins spread lengthwise down the hilt. The more his hand outreached for the hilt, the veins seemed to pulsate. The pace of the pulses never changed, but with each pulse, Julio was momentarily aware of a heartbeat other than his own. The pulsating could hardly be felt. Julio doubted anyone but him could feel it except for him. Somehow he knew these pale rose veins, like the crystals, were explicitly attuned to him. He took the hilt and sat it on the workbench. All the parts were laid out now. All that was left to do was put everything were it needed to go. As simple as the task seemed, it was rather long and arduous work. And then there was the task of aligning the crystals. A series of loud cracks echoed through the small stone room as Julio rotated his neck. Time to finish this. The hilt split open and he immediately began putting together the basic parts. Energy cell, crystal fixtures, everything. He worked at an amazing speed. For never having made such a complicated weapon from scratch before, everything was going together without mishap. After only a few hours, all of the parts were in. He even managed to install the two activation switches on the inside as well. One was turned off while the other was on. If you didn't flip them at the same time, the lightsaber simply wouldn't turn on. Perhaps an unnecessary precaution, but good to have none the less. All that was left was to install the crystals. The heart and soul of the lightsaber, figuratively and literally in this case, crystals were notoriously hard to align correctly. He inserted them in their respective mounts and stepped back. At a glance, one would think they were perfectly fine. And that is why only force sensitives made lightsabers. Everyone else who tried tended to loose an arm. Julio closed his eyes, shutting out the world's distractions to ease his focus. In the oblivion that comes with loss, the two crystals shone like a beacon at sea. He could also see the pale rose veins through the force, pulsating slowly. Slowly the opaque crystals began revolving ever so slowly. First one way, then another, looking through every combination of paths for the energy to go through to produce the desired the result. The crystals were amazingly responsive. It wasn't like moving any random rock wherever you wanted. They almost seemed to want to align properly. To make themselves into the perfect weapon for him. Julio continued moving the crystals until he heard a sort of click in his mind, like the tumbler in a safe. His eyes opened, it was ready. The second half of the hilt rested on top of the first. With a series of twists and turns the intricate lock secured them in place. The lightsaber felt cold to the touch. Even after hours of working on it under a harsh light source, the stone hilt hadn't warmed. He lifted the lightsaber, holding it at arms distance. He could have levitated it meters away and turned it on from there, but that would be out of fear of failure, and he knew everything was exact. Every part had been meticulously checked twice during the process. The force flickered in him and the twin switches flipped. Rich, dark crimson light filled the small room. The silencer he hooked up to the emitter was working perfectly. The hum was barely audible. Julio could feel the subtle anger emanating from the energized crystals, the pale rose veins on the hilt quickening their pulsating in response. He moved around the room, practicing a few basic steps from each form before shutting off the blade and sheathing it up his right sleeve. His task complete, he left the room wondering what his next step was. There had been no word from lord Exodus for quite some time. Perhaps he should continue his studies abroad. His master would surely call for him when the time came to serve him better. He began walking to the hanger. "You are not authorized in the hanger, sir. You lack proper clearance." Julio only stood there, his hood blocking them from seeing into his gold eyes. His mind stretch out and held on to the fragile strands of the two guards. Both of them had felt the sensation before, when their lord was displeased. The reflexively reached for their throats, trying to free themselves from whatever was inhibiting their breathing. When the first guard's face began changing color, Julio released them. "Forgive us, sir. Of coarse you can go into the hanger." He stopped to catch his breath, studying Julio's reaction. "May I ask where you are going, should Lord Exodus come back looking for you?" "He'll know where I am, but should he ask, Coruscant. The Jedi have a rather full archive there I wish to examine." The nodded in acknowledgment and let him pass. He boarded a small shuttle and left without another word.

((Three days yet again.)) Julio awoke more refreshed than he should have for sleeping on a stone floor and only getting a few hours sleep. But those few hours were more than enough to sate the needs of his crude flesh. The force was far more powerful than to worry about trifle things like flesh and bone. He had a higher calling than sleep, and right now one step closer to fulfilling his destiny required him to built a lightsaber. A cursory examination of the room revealed that the parts he had requested had been neatly set on the workbench, the crystals untouched and blemish free. He took a moment to marvel at them again before returning to the task at hand. They were works of art. Purely past the obtrusive level, it held within it's confines vast dimensions of virgin passion. Untouched pools, deep with the blessing and burden of sentient emotion. Yet it was such a reserved thing, barely noticeable unless they exposed themselves to you. He thought they resembled the idea of knowledge itself. Ultimately powerful, if you seek it out. Many knew, but what they lack is the understanding to put the ideas to full use. He sighed. So much knowledge in the galaxy, and most of it goes unused or unsought. Hijarna stone was a unique thing indeed. Black, very dense. It was renown of it's ability to soak up energy like a sponge. The stone was even resistant to the blade of a lightsaber to some degree. It wasn't used very often because of it's terrible weight. It's most common use was in archaic military fortresses for it's ability to absorb energy, making many weapons useless on the building. And now he had a rather large cube of it. Julio moved to a dusty piece of machinery. The terminal to it lit up as the machine came to life. A series of beeps could be heard as he began typing commands. His fingers became a blur as the image on the screen began to take place. When the design was to his satisfaction, the block of stone levitated to the machine and positioned itself between to rotating discs. Julio fastened the restraints in place and the machine began rotating the block, at first slow, but quickly gaining speed. A separate arm protruded from the lower folds it holding a diamond hard edged blade. The blade began shaping the block flake by flake. It would be several hours before it would be completed, but his lightsaber hilt was underway. He turned his attention to the obsidian glass sitting on the workbench. Julio's right brow raised and a grimace found his face as he considered how to make the lens. Glass was tricky to work with, but he couldn't have a pre made lens. The obsidian glass was riff with the passion he desired for his blade. Mustafar was a planet full of rage it struggled to hold in. It doesn't have so much a literal dark side presence as an aesthetic meaning. The constant volcanic eruptions and blazing heat resembled unbridled emotion. It wouldn't be any better than standard glass, but it held meaning. Julio smiled as he was struck with an idea. Forged by fire, reforged by fire. The obsidian glass moved into the furnace, quickly giving way to the flame. The glass compressed and stretched until it made a perfect lens. Julio extracted it and set it aside to cool. Now he had to wait on the hit to finish before he could continue.

((Three days. Just hurrying this along.)) The two men that came to Julio's aid knelled beside him. His nosebleed had slowed and his eyes had refocused. "Sir, are you alright? What happened?" Julio continued to lay on the floor, dark whispers crawling through his skill. Every thought he had, along with the one's forced into his head, intermingled, the line between them fading with each passing second. New knowledge burned in his mind like an unholy fire, refusing to be quenched. The two weren't helping him concentrate either. "Shut up. I'm fine. Give me a moment to think." The arrogance. He hadn't earned the right to talk to them in that manner. Granted, their master showed him special favor many doubted he deserved, but he hadn't spent the time in this hallowed place, learning the secrets of the world as they had. They couldn't help but get a little angry at him. It wasn't until he turned to look at them did they quell their anger. His eyes burned with an understanding they had never seen. A confidence that told their most primal of instincts not to mess with him. Only their master had inspired such due fear before. Maybe their master was right in favoring this one. Of coarse he was right. He always was. How foolish of them to think other wise. They couldn't put their finger on it. What had changed in this man so quickly to produce what lay before them? Only moments before they could sense his fear. His uncertainty of what was to come. It was a little pathetic actually. Now they could see that spark of life in his eyes. "I'll need three men to pick up things for me. It would be best if they traveled separately for time, but it isn't necessary." He finally spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence. The two men only nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll need obsidian glass from Mustafar. About a pound of it, but get more to be safe. Are you writing this down?" His tone was commanding. They couldn't help but comply. Something overrode their ego and willed them to comply. They pulled out datapads simultaneously and began entering in the shopping list. "Next, Hijarna stone. This can be found either in the fortress on Hijarna or the fortress Hand of Thrawn on Nirauan. I'll need two square foot of it. I don't know what basic materials you have here, but I'll also need several transistors, wires, magnetic stabilizers and other general purpose parts of all base sizes. I'll need everything in six days. No more. I don't care how you get it. Failure is not an option. Now go." Again, they only nodded and were off. Julio sat in the library a while longer, staring at the holocron. Now he could feel the dark energies pouring out of it. He could hear it's beckoning call. He stood up, standing right in front of it. The temptation to open it again and delve further was great, but he knew he held as much as he could for the moment. It had nothing more to offer him. He picked it up off its pedestal and placed it in the folds of his shirt. He left the library, no longer concerned with the stares of the guards around him. The word had spread. They knew he was different. You could see it in his walk. Much more confident, driven. Nothing was going to stop him and no one tried. He reached a door he previously knew he didn't have clearance for. He stopped just short of the guard, looking up only to meet his eyes momentarily before the guard stepped aside and opened the door. He continued on, turning here, pausing momentarily for a brief stare down and clearance questioning, turning again. His final door opened to a small room, lit only by a red-orange glow emanating from the furnace ahead of him. The furnace was blazing. Normally it would be near impossible to stay in the room for more than a few minutes before leaving to the cool air of the hall. He sat cross legged five feet from the blazing inferno, not even breaking a sweat. He removed his coat and shirt, exposing his pale flesh to the harsh heat. He stared at the fire for a moment, willing the flame hotter. The furnace whined under the heat, but held together. A large block of what appeared to be a cross between mineral and metal lifted from the corner, levitating to the mouth of the furnace. Julio followed it with his eyes, stopping it just short of the opening. His left hand reached to his right and removed his ring. The ring he had since he was a child. The ring his father had given him before his death. The family ring of heredity. Etched in it was a roaring dragon, the symbol of the Furion family for countless generations. The center gem was a rare ruby, bought with war and bloodshed between his family and others, their dominance shown through victory. This was the ring Julio had used as a medium for his hate and anger ever since he could remember. Every time he failed, was injured, or was flat out pissed off, the ring was his main focus. A reminder of what he had lost. Carefully, it floated over to the furnace. As one, the block and ring entered the raging inferno. The holocron lifted similarly out of it's cache and moved to the furnace. He was sure the dark energies used to construct it would greatly enhance his crystals power. Julio's eyes moved side to side and the door to the furnace shut. His vision blocked, he could still sense the metal, holocron, and ring in the flame, feeling the fire rip apart the molecular bonds, breaking it down into a near liquid mass. The ruby proved more resilient to the fire. Julio let this entertain him momentarily; felling that it resembled his anger. It would take more than a raging fire to sunder it. The fire grew hotter and the ruby gave in. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, but he couldn't feel the heat. His concentration was devoted to the task at hand. Slowly, the liquid mass began to compress, the lesser elements burning off. Julio used every painful memory at his disposal to fuel his anger. He channeled it through the liquid mass, bending and shaping it to his hate. Weakness would not be tolerated. Only the superior matter would survive this hellfire. He could feel the dark energies of the holocron aiding him in the crystals' formation, just as eager as he to make such a powerful instrument of destruction. --------------------------------- ((EDIT 8/15/07. I'm not sure if I'll have internet access when it would be possible for me to three day this. Exodus, if you post anytime soon I can edit accordingly when I get my net up and running. I just won't have the ability to post later so I'm taking the opportunity while I can. This would count as the second post of my lightsaber construction.)) Through the fire and flame, Julio continued forming his dark creation. The pain and fury of nearly twenty years, aided by the iniquitous energies of the ancient holocron, flowed amidst the conflagration, bending and breaking the material's molecular bonds at his will. Three days had passed since he first sat in front of the inferno. He could have completed the task a day earlier; the crystals would have been more than acceptable. However, he couldn't stop himself from pushing the material further. All the built up rage took it's time releasing itself. He continued pushing himself, refusing to quit until perfection was attained. When he couldn't push the matter any further, the flames died down and the door to the furnace creaked open. Julio opened his eyes for the first time in days, the light from the fire paining his eyes. He took a deep breath, the hot air reawakening his body. The two crystals came out of the furnace. They stopped a foot from his face, their heat burning his face unnoticed. They were beautiful. A word not used lightly. The cloudy black crystals sparkled as the light from the fire shone through, their emanating dark radiance casting shadows upon his mind. The very sight of them rendered horrible images of absolute oblivion into what little humanity survived in his mind. They were perfect. What he found to be a delightful anomaly was that when looking at them through the force, they were nigh invisible. They had the resonance of a pebble. Julio let himself grin at his unusual accomplishment. This could turn out to be an infinitely useful effect. His task partially complete, he decided it would be time to rest. The rest of the necessary components wouldn't be here for another day, that he was sure of. The stone would be the hardest to get, but he felt confident in them. If they weren't useful, they would already be dead. He lay down on the floor, the crystals twisting and turning with the air currents as he inspected them. Not a flaw. He smiled as he felt footsteps coming. One man. Two knocks on the door. ”œEnter”

Eyelids fluttered, followed by a sharp, shallow breath. Julio was once again thrown back onto reality. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was, the dark halls surrounding him seemed to spin. It was only when he turned to notice a cowled figure's stride did the day seem to come alive in his mind. His small respite had been so restful. His body had been screaming at him for what felt like days for sleep and food, but he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind. These were needs that could be put off. Now he had other things to attend to. His stiff body rose, muscles stretching out of feigned entropy. He knew his body and it's limits. He could stay awake for week more if necessary. He could avoid food for another two days. Water one. He had while before he was finished. His footstep echoed through the empty hall. Not really empty. There was something there. Following him. With him. He had to consciously restrain himself from looking over his shoulder ever few meters. It was a felling that couldn't be shrugged off. The library was just as he had left it; full of people but void of life. The terminal was untouched. Everything was the same, but at the same time, entirely different. Something was missing. A glance around the room revield nothing at a cursory glance. Now he began to worry slightly. Something was supposed to be here. He had to find it. Not knowing what it was would drive him into paranoia. He started walking through the library, stepping around people when needed. Memory bank after memory bank revieled nothing but how vast the content of the library really was. It wasn't until he started going deeper into the library, farther into the ill-lit areas did it reviel itself. A lone pillar, roughly a foot diameter and three high, stood seperate from everything else, in it's own niche of the room. On it was a small pyramid, slighly larger than a human hand. Part of Julio desperately wanted to leave it alone, pleading with him to turn around and go back to the terminal. This only pushed him further toward the object. His heart began to race the closer he got to the pillar, and the closer he got, the more he wanted to get closer to it. When he was arms length, he stopped. The pyramid was made of some black stone, looking like it was carved from hand. There were runes carved into the faces, a language Julio assumed to be dead. Reflexively, his arm started to reach for it. Not only his arm, but what felt like his whole being was stretching to caress the ancient object. Before his hand met the pyramid, something inside him beat him to it. A near silent crack reached his ear as the four sids unfold to release whatever was hidden deep within. Small stands of almost jet black ambient lit flooded out slowly like mist, heading for Julio. His golden eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement as he overrode his baser instincts to flee. About a foot from his face, the strands lept at him, straight into his eyes. Julio's head reflexively jerked back an inch from the expected impact. Distant screams of what sounded like a world's worth of sentients echoed in his mind, pleading with him in a foreign language. Images of things he had never witness fused with his mind. Thoughts that weren't his intermixed with his own until he couldn't tell the difference between the two. Knowledge that he hadn't earned burned itself on his mind. His brain felt as if it were on fire. His eyes began to roll back in to his head, his nose started bleeding a steady stream of a much darker version of his blood. When he could hold no more, the strands disconnected and flowed back into the pyramid, which closed in on itself to become a solid piece once again. With it closed, the horrible screams in his ears stopped, his eyes slid back in place, and the flow of blood lessened. Julio collapsed into a limp mass, unable to move. Footsteps ringed in his ears. Two cowled figures kneeled beside him, muttering something, but he couldn't really process what they were saying. Too many things were swimming around in his head. When they continued to speak, he could only make out a small sentence before passing out. To them, it sounded incomprehensible, but to him, it made perfect sense. In umbris protestas est

Son of Darkness The title seemed so odd, beyond the literal implied darkness. But none the less they seemed fitting. The mantle rested well on Julio's shoulder's. The sight of the room was one of countless images he had recently seen that gave an equal sense of awe and fear. The power held within this hall would seem incomprehensible to most. To many, it would merely look like any other library, filled with volumes of text and images that were considered useless. But to Julio, it was this room of possibly infinite knowledge that would open up the galaxy. The sight of countless, unmoving bodies didn't unnerve him as much as he expected. The thought of accepting this unnatural sight with such ease sent a shiver down his spine, though his face remained emotionless. These people understood the gift of knowledge as he did. And that's exactly what Exodus had given him. A gift. When the sheer magnitude of the room faded, the full extent of the conversation came to attention. Exodus thought he had the ability to understand the volumes residing in the library. Not read, but truly comprehend the meaning behind the words. The ideas and philosophies established within the depths of the words. What set him apart from everyone else here? Julio looked around the room, his new eyes darting from person to person, picking up the subtle nuances of each personality. Though none had any real expression on their faces, he could se what separated himself from them. It wasn't his passion. If anything they shared his drive. They devoted themselves to an idea as good as any extremist. No, what they lacked was that spark. He wasn't sure exactly what the spark was, but he knew he had it and they didn't. This thought didn't really comfort him. If anything it unsettled him even more, made him feel out of place. The task had been given to him to build a lightsaber. What an archaic weapon. From what he understood they were rather hard to build, and the plans for making them were a jealously guarded secret. They emitted rather bright light and often made you stand out from everyone else. Not at all ideal. But, if this task was requested for such a gratuitous gift, he would be more than happy to do so. He sifted his way through the still crowd of statuesque bodies to an empty terminal. The system was set up as rather user friendly and he had no trouble finding what was necessary for it's construction. The plans seemed rather straight forward, though the crystals appeared to be a rather complex part of the equation. Another search brought up the history of lightsaber crystals, their properties, locations, and how they were constructed. This brought him to another dead end. Now it seemed that the force was required to create the crystals. His next search brought him to a much larger result, giving volumes after volumes of philosophy, dogma, and history. He had spent hours reading and hadn't even made a dent, but he felt he needed to pause for reflection. He locked the terminal and went for a walk, presumably to get a feel for the complex, but really go get a hold on the situation. He could feel several eyes touching him as he walked down unguarded halls. I was asked to make a lightsaber. This requires that I make crystals. To make crystals I require an understanding of the force. This would appear to be a much larger task than I had imagined. He found a quiet respite and sat cross legged for the first time in a year. He closed his eyes to shut out the world as he focused on the more important ideas filling his mind, the new roads it opened up.

Julio was only slightly shocked by the appearance of the three. He had expected someone to show up sooner of later, but he assumed it to be later. If Exodus had business on this planet, he would probably inform the inhabitants before landing to some degree. Either that, or they would have picked the ship coming in the atmosphere through standard sensors. It was only a matter of time before someone came to investigate where the ship had gone. Judging from their attire, these three also worked for Exodus. At first he followed silently before the sight of the mountain came into view. The establishment the ship had originally been going to would probably be there. He stood amazed at the mountain. He weariness ebbed away at the thought of some form of safety. "I assume this would be our destination?" It was more of an observation more than a question. "Any word of Master Exodus? We couldn't find him around the wreckage." ((Sorry it took so long.))

Julio wasn't sure how he should feel. The man had given his life for them, but he felt no real remorse. He didn't feel anything. That is, except for the woman cleaning his wound. It certainly eased the pain, and the wound needed cleaned first, but that didn't dissuade questions from raising in him. The stitches were small and tight. He would would have to actively work at tearing them. "Thank you." No real emotion was in his voice, but that didn't detract from the meaning of the words. She looked up at him. She was beautiful to say the least. Why was she part of the crew though? She obviously wasn't that handy in a fight. She was still shaken. His new eyes could see hers sparkling for a moment before he turned his attention away. "Where was the shuttle headed? We need to make our way out of this area as soon as possible. More will come." He paused mid thought, turning his head to the darkness, almost seeing the other beasts looking at him. "They always do."

Julio was getting one of those feelings again. That feeling that seemed to come from no where, urging him action. He pulled out the branch for one final stab. Every muscle moved to push the branch down, deep into the shell of the giant bug. The exoskeleton gave way, letting the branch find it's way to the ever precious organs. He finally heeded the unknown feeling and jumped off of the beast, grenade falling close behind him. He landed with a thud as he leaned forward to ease the fall with a roll. The grenade flew over the beast, finally exploding on the side Julio had landed on. He felt a couple pieces of shrapnel graze his face and one impaling into his shoulder before he shielded for the rain of possibly acidic flying bits of bug flesh. The tree behind him gave him enough cover to avoid bathing in burning half liquid filth. He stood, noting the goo everywhere. A large portion of the insect's torso was missing. Julio cracked his neck and felt for the shrapnel in his shoulder. It was bleeding, but not badly. "We need to sew up my wound before anything else on this planet smells blood." He walked back over to what was left of the crew, dust settling.

Julio watched in horror as the giant bug ripped through the wreckage and flattened a man. Only when the thing turned it's attention to him did Julio come back to reality and take refuge from the spray of whatever coming at him behind the trunk of the tree. He felt the tree start to give way and he looked for a way off. If it collapsed with him in it, he was gone. Damn this thing. What the hell can I do? I don't have any weapons. No blaster is going to touch that thing. I'd need some sort of explosive. He noticed what was left of the crew still had some equipment on them. Maybe they had a grenade? He looked around for a way off of the tree but found the only way was down. The tree shook, making him grab onto a branch for support. The branch snapped under his weight and reduced composure from the liquid the insect spewed on the tree. He found himself falling right over the insect. With all the grace he could muster, Julio turned himself in mid fall, landing solid onto of the beast. Branch still in his hand, he began stabbing furiously at a soft place between it's plates. "I NEED A GRENADE!" ((Yes, I know what I'm about to do seems stupid, but I really can't think of a way to kill this thing given I don't have any weapons at my disposal. If you want me to edit this, pm me before your next post. I'll be more than happy to rewrite this if you had some particular way you wanted this to go.))

Julio saw the men's faces when they saw the behemoth behind him. He remained still, only turning when he heard the ship's hull cry under the strength of the giant bug. He remained froze until the insect set it's sights on them once the ship was through. The men snapped from the mental strain of the crash, lack of leadership, and a giant ass bug coming straight for them. If something wasn't done soon, they'd be picked off one by one by the planet. "To the trees!" Julio broke his stance and ran to the nearest standing tree and began to climb. He began to tear at the bark and limbs, making a quick ascent up the thousands year old tree. It wasn't until he was twenty meters up the tree that he noticed the other men weren't as quick climbing as he was. One of the many things he learned growing up with wookiees was how to climb. Julio could only look helplessly as the other men tried to find a way out, really wishing he had a weapon right now.

Julio crawled from the wreckage, his room miraculously in one piece. He had sustained minor cuts and bruises from being thrown against the ships hull, but he could walk. He stood for a second and examined the ship. Totaled. Not even worth salvaging. He turned to try to figure out what what had brought the ship down only to find a forest of giant trees. "I thought I left all the huge trees on Kashyyyk." He said to no one in particular. He looked around for anyone living, but couldn't find anyone. Something in the back of his mind told him to search north, so he complied, seldom questioning his instincts. He discovered the surviving crew in the hollowed log. "Where is master Exodus?"

Seeing Exodus again brought back the fear the man originally instilled in him on Kashyyyk. He thought he had shed that fear after all he had been exposed to in such a short period of time, but at the sight of the man, Julio's heart began to race, the baser instincts telling him to flee. "Love? Friends? Happiness? I don't know these earthly pleasures! I've spent my life killing all that threaten my tribe. Humanity? I've seen what it is to be human! No. There is something out there for me, and I need to find it. You are the only way." He felt stupid standing in the rain shouting at a ship, but it felt good to express himself openly, even if no one was listening. He boarded the ship, not stopping to ask questions about destination or purpose. None of that really mattered to Julio anymore. All he wanted was this man's knowledge, whatever it was. He retraced his steps to the room he previously held and thumbed the door open, taking the familiar seat on the floor.

Julio weighed his options. I can return to the ship, run by a crew bound to remove my flesh from the rest of me, or I can stay here, with a man who just accused me of being a spy and has given me no option but to serve him. Great. No pressure. "Hmm...serve you? That sounds interesting and all, but this man...Exodus, brought me here and gave me back my eyes. I owe him something for that at least. Sir, I thank you for the food and your hospitality, but I feel I cannot follow you. Perhaps one day I will be of some assistance, but until Exodus grants me the power he promised, I must decline." Julio promptly left the dining hall, leaving no room for negotiation. His mind was set before Nurgle had given him the ultimatum. He couldn't be around a man that paranoid. Eventually his fears would reflect upon his own friends, weather they merit it or not, and he didn't want to be in that path. Leaving the castle grounds, he retraced his steps back to the ship. It was still where he had last seen it. Untouched, unmoved. He stood outside the ship, ten meters away. He shouted toward the ship, hoping someone inside was bound to hear him. "Where is Master Exodus?"

Julio kept calm at Nurgle's threat and held his anger in when he questioned the truth of his statements without even knowing him. He could feel himself starting to have trouble breathing, a pain started from the top of his adam's apple to below his collar bones. Poison? No, he would have just killed me if he wanted me dead. Is it just from fear of this man? No, not fear. I've killed too many...things to fear a man. Too near death before. Fear has almost ran out. Why am I breathing heavy? "I don't know what kind of men you are used to dealing with, but if you call me a liar again, you will be the one with a slow death...sir." Putting an emphasis on the "sir". He had to make a point that he would not be intimidated or Nurgle would get it in his head that he could run all over him. Julio tilted his head to try to clear whatever obstruction was taking his breath, then re centered it, the pain still fresh in his mind. Use it. Use it as you always have. Don't let it consume you, but bend it to your will. Now sure that Nurgle was somehow the cause of his pain, he stood up from his chair and look straight at Nurgle, making no attempt to avert his new eyes. He could feel himself getting angry but held it back, pushing it aside to draw upon when he needed it later. Repression was one of Julio's more well known tools. "And I was not called here by the force. I was brought here. Again by an intangible shadow. I don't know how else to explain him. I believe his crew called him...Exodus, or something similar. He told me that if I survived the craze of this place I would have the eyes that an enemy took from me. Two of his men drug me to the basement of this castle and some really disturbed doctor replaced my eyes." He paused to let everything settle in, continuing at the same pace Nurgle had established when this 'quid pro quo' started. "I found my way back to the ship but he wasn't there, and I wasn't going to press myself aboard, knowing the crew were just as likely to kill me than anything else. A spy? Sir, I mean no disrespect, but if you are a Sith as you say you are, wouldn't you already know?' Venting to his fullest, Julio let his anger abide, but continued to stare directly at his host.

Julio didn't know that Nurgle and Ki had entered the room until Nurgle had given the command for food. He was too weary from everything the past few days. His other four senses weren't as acute as he had been used to as his mind was still working to comprehend his new vision. As Nurgle's voice pierced the silence of the room, Julio snapped around to meet his host. The man issuing the commands was taller than Julio by a couple of inches, but gave the usual aristocratic, dominant air that normally accompanied the owners of castles. The woman was about Julio's age and a couple of inches shorter than him with brown hair. She was also very pregnant. Is the child his? Are they married? Likely. They came in together, and I can't really figure out why she would be here if she wasn't married to him. The whole planet just seems off. Though it seems unfair to pose these assumptions until I learn more about this place and these two. "My name is Julio Furion. And there isn't much to tell really. Born on Coruscant, raised on Kashyyyk. Left about a year ago. Came back, got picked up by a tangible shadow and brought here." Satisfied with his answer, he began with his meal. It had been so long since he had a satisfying meal, he had to remind himself to eat slowly and not too much. He took a bit of the meat and felt it melt in his mouth. He looked up from his plate to glance at his host, his gold eyes bright at Nurgle's angle. "If you want the whole version, I'd be glad to give it. I just don't want to bore you with my meager history." Julio continued to eat, glad for the hot meal. In truth, he was glad to have someone to talk to. He hadn't really had a meaningful conversation since he left Nar Shaddaa.

Julio felt sort of stupid. Now in the stronger lighting of the hall, he could tell that the figure was just a droid. "Right. I'll just take a seat until he shows up." He took a place at the end of the table, where the head of the household would normally set as per custom. It was nice, sitting in the chair of authority. The chair where respect was held. He glanced around the room, noting the archaic elegance of the room.

Julio nodded and motioned the droid away, giving him the moment's peace he had been looking forward to for quite a while. Need to recoup my thoughts. I need to get back on my path, that's what I need to do. The dead won't revenge themselves, you know. And the living certainly aren't going to help. I need an edge, something that puts me ahead of the game. Ahead of anyone standing in my path, but what? What happened to that cloaked shadow of a man? And the power he promised? Where has that gone? If I could do what he does I'd certainly have the edge I seek. I'll worry about this later. I have been invited to messed up castle on a messed up planet, but at least I'm out of that rain. I should figure out where I am and find some transport of this rock, or a job. Whichever comes first. He dried off and headed down the stairs, archaic and mossy as they were. Julio wasn't sure the place wouldn't collapse around him, but he shrugged the feeling of an impeding, crushing death and continued down the tight staircase. When he reached the dinning hall, he saw a six foot plus figure at the other end of the room. Not wanting to push his luck, Julio stood in the doorway and gave a light knock on the doorway. "Erm...Hope I'm not interrupting anything. I was instructed to come down for dinner with the master of this castle. I wanted to thank him for his kindness."

Julio watched the droid approach him, holding his trusty bone saw in hand, making no attempt to hide it. The fact that the droid didn't have a face didn't bother him as much as one would think. He had seen far too much in the past few hours for this to even raise his pulse. The droid offered him a stay for the night, though it seemed a bit convenient. How did the droid know he was without a ship, much less a place to sleep? Though, he really had no option. He knew nothing of Vjun or it's major cities. He was pretty much screwed. Even in this hour of desperation, Julio tried to keep the mood light. "Only if I could borrow a blaster to cuddle with." He flashed the droid a smile as he watched individual raindrops hit the droid. He stood captivated by his new sight for a moment. It was like everything slowed down for him so he could make out all the immense detail everyone couldn't possibly see, but remained at the normal speed as far as the rest of his senses could tell. He motioned for the droid to lead on and followed.

Julio stared at the two, bone saw in hand. He was still weary from the obscene surgery. He couldn't take them in his condition. Even still, the one who brought him to this hell hole was no where to be seen. He had no choice, he had to go back to the castle to find someone, anyone, who could help him. Julio backed away, keeping an eye on the two the whole time. The didn't move to chase him. When he felt he was far enough away, Julio turned and walked back toward the castle, taking an alternate path that lead him to the front instead of the sub-level entrance in the back. The castle was monstrous, but was seriously aged by the planet. There was even a large hole in one of the walls where it looked like it took a large mortar shot.