Lieutenant Macleod

Macleod felt the burn of the lightsaber across his chest. He had not been rebuked with such pain since his training as a pilot. Some Imperial instructors were proponents of such methods. It angered Macleod then and it angered him now. Use it to increase your connection with the dark side. Macleod felt like he was fighting a six armed monster. Every time he struck Phillep easily defended. Macleod could have easily been dispatched twenty times over. He felt the dark side surging, and used the Force to anticipate and to strike. But it was not nearly enough. Well, he is much farther along in his training than you are. That is why you are merely the apprentice. Macleod decided that if he couldn't strike back, he would do his best not to open himself up. He copied Phillep's defense, as instructed. He did not pay attention to where his eyes told him Phillep would slash. He kept his attention on where he felt the man would attack. When Phillep cut with his dagger, Macleod swung his larger weapon with all his enhanced strength. It knocked his Master's hand wide. Macleod drove his shoulder into Phillep, as he slashed through the saber, shorting it out again.

Macleod almost stumbled on his backside, as he drew his sword awkwardly. He had learned better than that already, but he had been taken by surprise at this new challenge. He wasn't expecting Phillep to demand this of him so quickly, attempting to master swordsmanship was the thing Macleod felt would be most challenging to him. He was also unsure how he should respond. He did not think he could do what was expected of him in this training excercise. It's not like I have a choice anyway. Quit whining so much, Phillep will grant you no mercy. Macleod did not have time to think further, as Phillep slashed his saber down. Macleod sidestepped, impressed by his speed. But it was shortlived, as Phillep immediately shifted the saber back up and diagonally. The movement was instinctual, and something Macleod was impressed by. And he already knew Phillep wasn't even close to going all out on his apprentice. Despite that fact, he still barely had time to bring up his sword. Phillep's saber shorted out inches from Macleod's chest. Remember, you have been taught a few things about the Force. Use them. The Colonel decided to throw Phillep a curve ball and attack. He felt hot anger surge through him, and used the dark side power to increase his speed. As soon as Phillep's saber died, Macleod stabbed out, toward his Master's throat.

A few months ago, Macleod would have been startled and angered at Phillep's use of the Force on him, even in such a nonthreatening way. But as the Colonel's training continued, he had felt more and more comfortable around the Force. He had to concentrate less and less to feel its flow. Macleod moved to where Phillep was standing. To Macleod, Phillep was a man he despised, and admire simultaneously. It was a strange dichotomy. "My sword is coated in cortosis."

An imperial transport emerged from hyperspace carrying Colonel Macleod, Sith apprentice to the leader of the Empire. Macleod searched for his Master.

Colonel Macleod ordered his men to rejoin the rest of the Imperial forces on Csilla. They had done well, and he made sure they knew it. Macleod watched House Nuruodo's representatives being taken away at Phillep's orders. Before he left, he ensured they made it to their destination with no problems. The Chiss were a rebellious people. His mission finally complete, the Sith Apprentice made his way to the Hellgate. He joined Goeth on the bridge. "I'm ready. Let's meet Lord Dagon." The ship headed into hyperspace.

Macleod's men followed the Colonel toward the building. They had already come up with a plan in the control room. Most of his force circled to the other side, and lay in wait. A smaller group hid behind a hillside and the front of the compound. Macleod gave the order. "Begin." The smaller force fired two grenades into the side of House Nuruodo's home base. The explosion rocked the building, and stirred the guards within. The Chiss were very efficient warriors. In seconds, soldiers came pouring to the hole, expecting a force to be invading from that direction. They were suddenly hit with sniper fire from Macleod's remaining sharpshooter. He pinned them down as Macleod's larger force blew out another wall and came from the opposite direction. They invaded the palace, fighting room to room. But they had control of the part he needed. "Keep taking them out. I have to secure the Nuruodo leaders." Macleod knew the layout of the palace, and knew they would try to evacuate the family. He moved right into a servants entrance, heading up the stairs quickly. Every so often, blaster fire rained down toward him, but Macleod's sword quickly cut down the opposition. Few soldiers were guarding this direction. Macleod's men outnumbered them, and they had committed most of their force to stopping the invasion. They had no way of knowing how well Macleod knew the layout here. He threw himself into a garbage shoot, his legs and arms keeping him from falling downward. With nanite enhanced, spider-like ability, the old Colonel crawled up the shoot. The Sith Apprentice burst through the shoot's door on the proper floor. Already guards were rousing the nobility, preparing them for departure. They turned their guns on him. You are a Sith now, for better or for worse. It's time to conduct yourself like one. Macleod felt the rage surge as he used the Force speed technique to put himself right on top of the small grouping of soldiers. His blade flew through them, cutting down all seven Chiss. Blood stained the black metal of his sword. As the head of House Nuruodo, finished dressing, he suddenly found a blaster muzzle leaning against his forehead. "Order your men to surrender, or I begin to shoot the Nuruodo family. Starting with your wife over there." The man's blue face twisted in rage. A few minutes later, the heads of House Nuruodo were rounded up and escorted from the palace. The remaining Chiss guards had been disarmed. He sent a comm to Phillep. "My lord, the mission has been completed."

Macleod understood Phillep's comm. He had heard Norkt's previous orders to capture the heads of the houses alive. The Colonel stuck his head out of the control room, staring into the darkness. He was prepared to have his men move, when a blaster bolt whizzed over his head. "Down!" His men were suddenly hit with heavy fire coming from all directions. The Chiss reinforcements were faster than he had anticipated. There weren't many of them, as far as he could sense, but they had rapid fire blaster guns. They had superior fire power. His men were pinned down. Macleod's face was grim as he took a handful of grenades in his hand. The walls of the control room wouldn't hold up for long. It was up to him to save his soldiers before they were wiped out. He remembered the training Phillep had given him. Macleod had used his rage to lift the large boulder. Lifting these grenades should be easier. But I crushed that boulder too, I didn't just lift it. I couldn't help it. Crushing a grenade would kill us all. Macleod attempted to think of an alternative. He motioned for a sniper to crawl over. "Do you think you can jump up and take one out quickly?" The man nodded, and leaped to his feet. His sniper rifle rang out, striking one of the Chiss hiding in the rocky walls. But the man didn't stand a chance. Chiss fighters were very accurate, much better trained than Macleod realized. As soon as the sniper had fired, he was rittled with Chiss blaster fire. The man slumped to the ground. Macleod cursed his fear. It had cost a life. This is what you are here for, to train your power. Your cowardice has already killed. Concentrating hard, Macleod didn't think about it anymore. He merely summoned his self-pity into a ball of hate for their opponents. He threw the first grenade through a broken window, guiding it to the target with the Force. An explosion ripped through the darkness. Three more grenades, and the other Chiss fighters were finished. Macleod's face was twisted in anger. For the first time, his battle hardened troops looked surprised. "Let's move." His troops exited the control room, following their Colonel. Macleod stopped at a wall of sheer rock. The men said nothing as he placed a grenade beside the wall. They took cover as it exploded revealing an old maintenance tunnel. Imperial intelligence comes through for once. They piled into a very old looking carriage inside the old tunnel. It had holes in the bottom in some places and it was barely large enough to hold his strike force. Some of the younger soldiers looked nervous. But it was still functioning, the Chiss were expert builders. They zoomed through the old tunnel, keeping their heads low. Macleod's voice rang out over the screeching of the old machine. "We will come out near House Nuruodo. The way should have been cleared by the air strikes. But the warriors inside the palace will still be vicious. House Nuruodo is a military family. They will not go down easily." The carriage slammed to a stop. Macleod moved to the exit. The door was long since gone. He pushed out the dirt and snow. A cold blast of air hit his face. His forces crawled out emerging near the eastern wall of the House Nuruodo compound. "Follow me."

The Colonel was somewhat surprised at the nature of his assignment. He was a fighter pilot, not used to leading men on ground missions. But he supposed with his new position as Sith Apprentice, Phillep expected him to expand his horizons. At his point, he was looking for anything to take his mind of his predicament. And the prospect of leading a ground mission did just that. It forced him to concentrate on the plan ahead. The Sith carried only his broadsword and a blaster pistol as the transport took off. His hand rested lightly on his pistol as he glanced at the men behind him. Most appeared calm. Macleod tried to maintain that appearance as well, but he was more nervous than he had ever been before a mission. He was confident in these troops and that heartened him somewhat. Macleod had handpicked this group, as he did all his teams. Some of the pilots he had worked with, who possessed previous troop experience were among them. Most he knew only from Imperial military records. Macleod pulled a thick hood over his head as he neared the ground. The other men did the same. "Chiss is a very cold world, as I'm sure you gentleman are aware. Don't get separated from the main column no matter what. Get lost in the cold, and you will not survive long. You are all already aware of the layout of our strike point. Let's move." He was the first to jump off the troop transport as it hovered above the ground. Green laser blasts came flying at them immediately. As expected, two guards were in front of this particular entrance. They would have seen the transport and more would be coming. Many more. For now, Macleod quickly picked the two men off with his pistol. He motioned the soldiers to advance. Macleod had chosen a small side entrance near some of the controls to the Chiss underground. It was supposed to be protected by air support, but the Chiss had not anticipated an assault from the Empire. The Empire was going to achieve air superiority, Macleod himself had trained most of the pilots. The Chiss had not expected troop transports to land so quickly after the attack began. Nevertheless, they knew he was here now and reinforcements would be coming. He would have preferred to enter in stealth, but it was dark out, and even with their protection they could not survive a hike in the cold. They had no choice but to give the Chiss a warning. At least it would be a fair fight. Macleod could see the doors were well maintained. The Chiss were quite efficient. "Blow it open." An explosion ripped into the night air, and Macleod's men poured in. A large detachment of Chiss were waiting on the other side. They were much quicker than he had anticipated. The hallway they entered was narrow and the ceiling was low. Blasters rang out at almost point blank range. Men on both sides fell. Soon they were too close for blaster shots, and were trying to beat each other with their rifles. Macleod's sword sang as it was drawn from its scabbard. Always before it had been ornamental in nature. Now the Sith was prepared to use it. He could feel the strength and speed afforded to him by the nanites. The butterflies had long ago left his stomach. Now they were in the midst of combat. These men depended upon him, and he had no plans of letting them down. His voice spoke into his comm. "I'm clearing a path. Follow me." Macleod pushed through to the front. He shoved his own men backward creating a very small pocket between the two forces. Two chiss came at him, one swinging the butt of his rifle at Macleod's head. The rage flowed through him. He ducked slicing the man's midsection open and spilling his guts. He spun driving his sword into the neck of the second Chiss. The other Chiss advanced, no fear in their eyes. There were many of them but Macleod was driven with the anger Phillep had taught him to summon. His men advanced backing him up with their own melee weapons. The Chiss never lost their nerve as Macleod advanced, cutting them down with ease. They were brave. Twice he was sliced by a Chiss warrior, once in the shoulder and then again in the leg. The second time the man that had cut him at already had his throat slashed. The Chiss were the most fearsome group he had encountered. By the time they got through, Macleod had lost more men then he would have liked to. But most lived, Macleod had shown his men the Chiss were good, but not as good as them. They found themselves in a large cold cavern. "Get into the carriage, quickly." His men entered, following orders without question. They all crouched down as much as they could. Only Macleod and the two best sharp shooters stood. As their carriage zoomed through the tunnel, Chiss warriors took shots at them from hidden places. Macleod had anticipated this tactic. They returned fire, taking out many of the warriors as they could. Macleod's Force guided shots were the surest. They made it across without the loss of a single soldier. Macleod checked his mental map. They had stopped at the right place. "Take the control room." His men busted down the door, eliminating the two technicians inside. Their comms rang out, notifying Macleod that several detachments were on their way. But it was too late for this part of the Chiss base. Macleod had control. He notified Phillep of his success.

Macleod felt them pull out of hyperspace. The prospect of battle made him itch in anticipation. Macleod had only experienced a fraction of the knowledge Phillep had to offer. But with the nanites in his body, he felt more powerful than ever. For now, the trepidations he had about being Phillep's apprentice were temporarily gone. Faced with the prospect of battle, Macleod always had a one track mind.

Where in the galaxy is Carida? Macleod assumed Phillep was referring to Cardia. Their leader had a habit of mispronouncing planet names. Macleod concentrated on Phillep's words. He was still excited at the prospect of going into battle. Finally something he understood. But he was not pleased Ki would be going with them. Macleod found that he had developed a strong hatred of the woman. It wasn't anything about her that he specifically disliked. Macleod suspected it was only because his awareness to the dark side had begun to open while he had battled with her. He had been in a life and death struggle with the woman after all. Nevertheless, an unreasonable amount of fury was stirred within him, even at the mention of her name. "I am ready." Macleod took the pilots seat personally. It would distract him from these Force enhanced emotions. The Imperial Colonel took the ship into hyperspace.

Macleod nodded, and joined Phillep, relieved that he would not have to try to rebuild that boulder. It had taken much of his strength to tear it apart. His nanites replenished his energy, but creating was a more difficult task than destroying. Not that it matters. I'm sure this is going to much more challenging anyway, knowing Phillep. Macleod vaguely remembered hearing about the Chiss. But he knew very little about them. If Phillep had a conquest planned, though, that was a bit reassuring. Macleod knew how to conquer, he was an Imperial officer. He was sure his role would be different as Sith Apprentice than as Colonel, but Macleod was still confident. He actually allowed himself to hope this might be entertaining. Watch yourself. Don't get too comfortable with the idea of being Phillep's Apprentice lest you become one of his dogs.

Macleod knew what was missing. He was not using the dark side. He was treating this as if it was an Imperial mission. Macleod was thinking rational, trying to use Force techniques to move the rock. A Sith was supposed to use their emotions to guide their tactics, as he understood it. Especially dark emotions. That was the source of their power. He could not use methods he had learned over the years. Those tactics were ones employed by those with no Force training. He was a Sith now. The Imperial called up past memories, and infused the rock with Force power again. Still not good enough. He had felt the rage, but it had not been near enough. For a moment, he panicked. Perhaps he merely did not possess the Force strength to advance any farther. I may not be capable of the anger needed to become a Sith. Deep down he knew this was almost wishful thinking to avoid facing his past. There was one memory he had refused to even think about. Macleod feared this memory more than anything else. Only death did he fear more. This memory was partially what had driven him to his point and he knew it. The fear the event had inspired influenced all of his actions since that fateful day. The Sith apprentice tried again, pushing the thought from his mind. The rock wasn't budging. It isn't working because you refuse to face your reasons for seeking this training. Your real reasons. Macleod did not know where the thought came from, but he knew it to be true. Macleod thought back to when he was in the prime of his service. He had been assigned to a mission on Coruscant. He was to deliver spice to the Hutts. Macleod had been ordered to inspect the shipment. While he was conducting his inspection, a flying trap had wrapped around his body and pulled him from the protection of the storm troopers. Macleod had been violently and abruptly abducted before he could even move. A revolting Gand kept him prisoner for several months, holding him for ransom. It had been a painful time for him, barely being kept conscious for most of the ordeal. This alien had taken away all hope of survival. Macleod had been ready to beg for his life. He was not a pompous fool like most Imperials. But he still had pride in his status as an officer. It had been shattered that day. I haven't quite been the same since. I need this to make myself whole again. That is why I have bonded myself to Phillep. Being a servant of that vile man is better than having these memories haunt me. It is a living death. Macleod knew he could never get vengeance on the Gand. But he could take out his seething rage on others. Starting with this ugly rock. Macleod drew his sword and pointed at the piece of debris. He remembered the pain and humiliation. The rock moved immediately, pieces coming off as Macleod's anger crushed it. Enough of the rock survived to pound through the pillars on the far side. The air was crackling with Macleod's pent up energy. The rock blew up into a thousand tiny pieces once the task was complete. Macleod did not wish to be finished yet. He wished blood to be on the end of this sword. He wished Ki were here. He would remove her from this world with no hesitation now. But the exertion had been greater than any he had made before. Macleod suddenly found himself flat on his face again. All energy had left him in that moment. He moved to a sitting position his head spinning as his senses returned. Where did that come from? The hate he had felt shocked him. Macleod did not think he could do something like that again, even if the cursed Gand was sitting right in front of him. Or perhaps he was merely hoping he couldn't. Is this how Phillep started his path? Is this how he became what he is? Am I going to turn into him? The release he had felt had been terrifying and exhilirating at the same time. Macleod's face was pale with the thought that he had enjoyed feeling the hate course through him.

Macleod knew this would be a considerably more difficult task than he had yet attempted. And he was still weary from the previous exertions. His body was fine, the nanites had excellent stamina. But his mind was tired. Macleod turned away from Phillep, and sat down to think. He gently probed the chunk of debris with the Force. I can feel its weight already. Phillep could no doubt smash it, throw it, or do anything he wanted to it with barely a thought. I am nowhere near his level. Macleod pushed these hopeless thoughts from his mind. He focused on the problem of the rock's weight. It probably is at least five tons. Macleod knew that was the wrong way to think about it. When he had called the sword to him, it had had no weight at all. The weight was in his mind. Where the Force was concerned, he did not believe there were any limitations. Macleod tried to move the rock. It didn't budge. Then again, I don't know much about the Force. Phillep had told him there were no limitations. But Phillep would have told him anything to get Macleod under his thumb. He began to believe this task was not possible. Phillep was attempting to damage his ego, or show him his weakness. Macleod was momentarily discouraged. Trust what you know, not what you assume. He wasn't sure where that thought had come from, but it was exactly right. He knew how it had felt to call the sword. He knew he could do this. Macleod tried again, clearing his mind of doubts. He fully believed he was capable of moving the object, and put all his focus into it. For a moment it rattled in place. Then it hovered, just barely. Macleod released his concentration, sweating from the exertion. He knew he could do it, but there was something missing. He was missing something huge. Macleod rested, thinking once more.

Macleod knew that Phillep's words were true. Of course, he also knew that jumping to unparalleled heights meant you could fall down to an unparalleled death. But Macleod was not afraid. He was merely noting the danger. He had watched Phillep carefully, knowing that his attempt would not be so effortless, but also knowing it was within his capability. The Force speed had given him confidence, but also a slight feeling of trepidation. Phillep shares this knowledge with me so freely. I haven't thought much about why he does it. He must want something out of me in the end. Macleod cleared that thought and all others as he focused. Forcing your muscles to move faster was a whole different game than trying to hold yourself suspended in the air, even if it was only for an instant. But it was only a much more advanced technique in comparison to the maneuver he'd used to summon his sword. They worked on the same principle. Macleod focused this memory as well as the vision of what he'd seen Phillep do. Feel the Force flowing through the air itself. Macleod leaped and then leaped again as Phillep had instructed. The cushion of air he'd created held, but it had not been very high off the ground. Macleod's arm caught on the high ledge, and he hauled himself up. It wasn't nearly as graceful as Phillep's jump, but Macleod thought it was good for a first try. He used the maneuver again to jump onto the ground. Macleod continued practicing until he could clear the ledge without having to grab on. If he had not had the nanites, his age would have made it impossible.

Macleod was almost startled at Phillep's return. He probably should have gone to Phillep as ordered. But he'd been so absorbed in his training, he had let time slip past. Or perhaps he had merely been avoiding his Master. "Yes, I have mastered that task. I am ready to continue."