Horus Saast

The Anger of a Patient Man shoots through hyperspace on a course for Coruscant.

As soon as the diminuative fighter landed, Horus was out and gone. It would return to the temple of its own accord. He then turned down what amounted to a back alley, fishing an old skeleton key from his pocket. Coming upon a seemingly solid wall, the half-breed inserted the key. As he did so, the portion of the wall slid open, and Horus slipped inside. "Hey R2." The astromech droid bleeped and blinked to life. Immediatley he began chirping away at the padawan. The lights for the small appartment flashed on. It wasn't much, but it was as close to home as his quarters at the temple had been. There were a number of crates in one corner, and a small nook was above them which held his bed, refresher, and toilet. At the opposite wall, there was a small cookstation, as well as a workbench. It's nice to be Home. The ex-commando forced open one of the crates. It contained Blaster cannons like the ones already located in the center of the vehicle. He took his time, first re-mounting the originals above the new cannons. The next crate had four heavy lasers. These mounted on the outer tips of the wings, in such a fashion that the heat sinks could still function the same as they had. The day had progressed during Horus' work, and he soon retired to meditation. -------------- It was early, and the sun was not yet up. Even still Horus was working away on his project. He upgraded the engines, changed the cockpit to make it more aerodynamic and give him better views, and moved the astro droid socket. He was finally done, and this "Anger of a Patient Man" was truly a fearsome weapon. It glimmered in the artificial light, and Horus gathered his things. "R2, we're leaving. Get the ship prepped for launch." His duffel landed softly behind his seat, the young man sat down, and the hatch sealed around him. "Time to leave." The doors below them pulled apart, just enough to let the ship through. It launched out below the city, and then headed out of the world.

The small fighter blasts to Bespin.

Horus awoke with a start. Hello? They weren't there anymore. He noticed that his robes were drenched with sweat, and Anoon was gone. Well, I will hopefully see him again. The alien sat up upon the rooftop, looking down at the broken sabres in his hands. There and then he set to rebuilding them, first his own original sabre. It had been sliced through just above the energy gate. Fortunately it was reparable, and after about an hour the sabre snap-hissed to life. The second was a bit of a challenge by comparison. Horus knew that it had belonged to a Jedi as its blade was orange, but who's it had been he had no idea. He began his work with the suns directly over his head, and by the time he finished it was setting. "Well, time to leave." Horus Boarded the Eta-II Actis and blasted off into space.

The Eta-II Actis landed in a nondescript hangar nearby Anoon's force signature. Horus was considering walking right up to him when he saw another familliar face nearby. This one was less friendly however, as he had last been seen through the barrel of a sniper rifle's scope. Instead, Horus went down a back alley, leapt to the top of a nearby building and observed. Why the hell is he working with a Sith? This is not relevant. Anoon needs to lead me to where Raziel's master is. His force presence was hidden, neither Anoon nor Procs would recognize him.

The diminuitive fighter flew through hyperspace, its pilot considering how to rebuild his weapons.

By the force. The scenes of destruction were horrible. As he watched, the camera was hit by a stray blaster bolt. The initial shock he had felt in the force was taking time to wear off, sending shivers up and down his spine. Unsure of what to do, he went to the back of the cockpit and meditated, hoping to calm himself.

Deflecting a number of attacks, Horus considered his master's question. "It is to be a champion of peace, to know the force, and to protect those that couldn't protect themselves." He turned about, swinging the saber in the opposite direction he was spinning, which he followed up with a stab to Raziel's midsection.

"Yes Master." He walked slowly into the back of the freighter. He donned his robes, attached his lightsabre hilt to his belt, and put up his hood. He left the ship, and the wind hit him like a freight train. It was cold, and snow was blowing into his face, blinding him. See with the force, you know what to do. He drew the force to him to deflect the snow, and allowing it to flow through him Horus was able to keep warm. He could 'see' a cave in the distance, and it was radiating the force. The Padawan walked off in that direction, cloak pulled taught across his frame by the wind. The distance was greater than he had initially expected. The sun had intermittently shone through the clouds, and it was doing so now. He could see that it was nearly sun down, but the cave was only a mile away now. Horus called upon the force, which aided him over the last sprint. That's probably the fastest mile I've ever ran. As he came upon the entrance of the cave, he finally came to bear with the fact that he was going to be a Jedi. Something Shy never had. A single tear rolled down the half-breed's cheek; a solemn reminder of friends lost. The wind picked up again, and he moved inside. Suddenly, Horus began a series of convulsions; he had let himself overheat. It was only a matter of seconds before he had brought it under control, by use of a syrette in his leg. He wondered if he would be able to control them through the force. It was an interesting possibility that he would no longer need to take tons of medicine with him every where. Thinking of his meds, he grabbed at his belt. There were none left. It's alright Horus. You will probably not need them again anyway. The Padawan continued deeper into the cave, letting the force flow through him. He had brought tools and other supplies with him, but had neglected food. Ok, so we'll be hungry for the next few hours, no big deal. It's not like we're stuck Horus. Looking up, Saast saw a number of glistening crystals in the ceiling, which made him remembered his purpose in the cave. ”œHow do I get you, crystals?”

Horus awoke at what he would assume would be dawn, somewhere. He was still clutching his sabre handle, which he put down gently on the table. He streached, making sure to try and push his boundaries, and then went to find his master, sabre in hand. Master Shardik was still at the controls. "Master, it is finished."

Horus took the bag and gingerly spilled its contents on the work station. He picked up the micro-powercells, and he laid them out at the center of his pile, which to him was the whole universe, a microcosm on which he would focus on completely until it was a finished work. The micro-cells were easily snapped together, forming a cylinder with thin protrusions that would form part of the structure. This was covered with the shield plating, a chromium molybdenum and lead tube that when turned so that he could look through it formed a ten pointed star. It locked on over the energy cells with grounding contact points on its inner surface. Out one side of the shield plating a protrusion was connected to the power cells. The Cycling Field Energizers that he recovered on Hoth attached here, and this formed the beginnings of the crystal chamber. In here a power conduit was placed on the tip of the protrusion, inside the cycling field energizers, where he used a laser torch to affix it. At the opposite end, he attached an end cap to the shield plating, with a recharge socket attaching to the power cells through it. Another end cap went on the other end, going under the cycling field energizers. He left room in the crystal chambers for a set of crystals, and attached the prerequisite energy gate atop the structure. To this the energizing rods were attached. These were topped with the Focusing Crystal and next Emitter Matrix from Manaan. Here the Padawan had a decision to make. Would he leave the igniter switch on the outside of the body, or place it inside the sabre, so that only a force user could use it. The sabre could be used against me, and by just about anyone. Of course, the only ones that could are probably force users anyway. The young man finally decided to make it internal, but accessible from the outside via a locking cover. This went over the twenty sided buffer, and was wired to the power source through the end cap. Now he faced a second decision, one that would appear to most as aesthetic in nature, but was truly functional. How would the handle look? Many form II sabres were of a curved design. My vibrosword has an Anatomical grip attachment, and this is a similar idea, but most sabres have a straight design. He looked through the parts, searching for anything to point him one way or the other. Horus eventually came to an interesting conclusion; it would be possible to construct a grip that would be for all intents and purposes a straight grip, but could be easily changed to a curved design on the fly, if necessary. He quickly put himself to this design, and soon the handle was coming together. Finally the belt clip, safety, blade length adjusters, and handgrip were complete, and all that was left was to put in the crystals. He left the weapon on its charger, and set about his exercises. While studying the lightsabre styles, he had come across one that had piqued his interests. The Unorthodox style was one that would require intense physical training, because it held extreme flexibility as a prerequisite. Horus resolved to increase his flexibility everywhere, in the hopes of becoming double jointed at the elbows. He went through all the stretches and Yoga he knew, and soon he had exhausted himself. The exercises would take some time, he knew, but he was definitely more limber than he had been last he trained. The Padawan sat, looking to his sabre, musing on its design. Horus found himself more and more drawn to simply pick up and play with his creation, turning it over and whirling it to and fro, snapping it in and out of its anatomical mode all the while. Soon though he slipped into slumber, keeping his large alien eyes half open, the new lightsabre clasped gently in his hands.

As they flew away, Horus made a modest cocktail of Corellian Ale, Water, and Peppermint flavoring. He downed this in one shot, and sat down in front of the console. You need better control Horus. Of these, you need form zero. You learned form one in the academy with Master Vortex. That was an interesting class. He looked up for a minute, smiling into his reflection. Fynn had jumped onto the rafters and had been talking to the air. I wonder how he's doing? He also had a question for me and Shawn, but never got to ask it. I'll have to talk to him about that. He looked back at the screen. Form two looks good, as do four and five. If you work on your flexibility you may be able to try the unorthodox style. That will have to wait however, as will the dual saber and saberstaff style. It came down to either Form Two or Form Five. They both interested him because they were intended to defeat lightsaber wielding opponents, although Five can also be used when faced with blaster wielding enemies. He couldn't decide at this time, so he moved to the saber design page. He looked over the various components needed, and found that Master Shardik's lessons had provided him two of the necessary components. He began to design a saber of his own. He glimpsed occasionally at his master's hilt, and created something that simultaniously mirrored Raziel's and was original in its design and construction. There were many additional parts he would need, including the crystals. Where he could find them he didn't know. "Master, I'm having trouble deciding between forms two and five. Also, where might I find the crystals that are needed for my saber?" He thought for a moment. "Master Shardik, which form do you practice?"

"Yes Master." They entered the ship, and he started up the engines. Raziel had put them down just outside of Mos Eisley. He headed over there at a reasonable pace, checking for her through the force almost constantly. She was nowhere to be found. "Master, please allow me to search for her for awhile. I'll be back soon." He put the ship down in a hangar and stepped out of the Static Angel. It was a simple matter to pay the fee, and he quickly stepped into the sunlight. It was the same hangar from whence they took the Argo, and so he backtracked. The building had been repaired, but the damage was obvious, there were still massive cracks in the walls. The slave trade was still bustling. "Look 'ere, these are the best clones Tatooine can offer." They were Shy's, but unlike before, all of them were black eyed, rather than her familiar purple. The old man was new, and none of the faces were the same as before. That bloodstain's still there. And to think that was when this whole thing started. He walked up to a clone. "Hey boy, you here to buy, or just to ogle at me stock?" Horus turned slowly to him. "Where do you get these slaves?" His voice was civil, but his eyes were icy. "That's none of your business. Now if you'd be kind enough to either buy what you're here to buy or leave it'd be most appreciated." The sword was drawn, and once again, not by him. This time, he stayed the clone's hand. "There'll be no need for that. Not again anyway." He turned his skin black and blood red, drawing the force around him as Raziel had tought him. The training saber flew into his hand, it's silver blade igniting seemingly by itself in the confusion. "PLEASE! PLEASE DON"T KILL ME!" The old man screamed. The clones looked at him. For a moment he almost thought that he saw Shy inside the girl with the sword. She returned it to him, and turned to leave. The rest followed. "I won't kill you. I would like it if you were to change vocations." His body returned to it's natural coloration. He left the building, and returned to the ship. "She wasn't there. Where to now?"

Horus breathed in, gathering the force to him as his lungs gathered oxygen. It was almost tangible, like a low grade force field in the brig of a ship. It extended, and eventually was coming against his masters'. At this point he set the sand upon the ground and asked Master Shardik - "What can I use this for? Will it provide some level of protection against an enemy force users actions?"

He followed his master into the ship, where he sat in the copilots chair. He turned up to his master, and wondered aloud - "Master, what can you do with the force, apart from the Blast, Push, Pull, and other things I've learned?"

Horus and his Master took the swoops back to their pens, and all the while he had been thinking. He was eager to get to Tatooine, but there was much this planet had to offer. Finally he came to a decision. "We should probably start off for Tatooine. For what would I need these parts? I knew what the last one was, but I don't recognize this." They packed their bags and made for the ship, where Horus tossed his bag into a locker. The padawan turned to his master, "Would you like to fly, or shall I?" He was finally able to do this without any major disruption to his motor functions.

"Yes master." Horus removed the top of his robes and placed them in a saddlebag. He had seen where the bag went down, and would probably be able to retrieve it with relative ease. Standing on the seat of his swoop, the Padawan reached upwards and force jumped into the water. It had warmed some since the morning and the fish were much more active for it. At first they shot away from him like so many tiny little bullets, but when they realized that he wasn't a threat, they began to take little note of his passing. Master Shardik had picked an area of dense coral to toss the bag down. The water was deeper than he would have initially expected, it was a continental shelf, one moment only two metres deep and a good fifty metres the next. The bag was nowhere to be seen, and his master had not physically taken it to its final resting place. I wonder if I could feel for a trace of where he touched the bag? His force signature was easily recognized after spending the time that they had together, and it was little trouble to find the bag through the force. The only problem was getting to it. Horus first tried what his master had recommended, pumping Adrenalin into his system in increased albeit safe amounts. He increased his nervous system's sensitivity, and increased his lactic acid threshold. This helped but there was still more that could be done. He made his pores secrete the slick substance that allowed him to move more quicly through the water, and with less effort. Finally he reached the small terrycloth sack, suspended from a piece of kelp. The return trip took less time than normal, because Horus could flush the exess Nitrogen build up in his bloodstream without waiting to decompress first. The young man leapt onto his swoop completely under his own power as his mother had taught him. "More parts, Master?" He asked puzzeled upon emptying the contents of the bag.

The water in front of Horus began to churn, throwing flotsam into his face. He moved left, and it moved left; he moved right, and the disturbance moved right. Thinking it might be an undersea predator, he attempted to outrun it. In that instant, the water shot violently into the air. In an attempt to control his swoop, he sent the vehicle into a controlled spin. He landed away from the disturbance, but it was soon beneath him again. What is this? The day was calm, with nothing more than a gentle, balmy breaze from the shore. There was something wrong, inexplicable, and apparently unavoidable going on here. Watch through the force, Horus. You're training to be a Jedi now, and you'll have to start thinking like one. He looked through the force, centering himself, and adding that sense to his conciousness. The disturbance was caused through the force, but the next step was how to avoid it. Master Vortex said that you can let the force guide you. Horus disengaged, allowing the force to lead him. Now he was coming towards the shore line, with beautiful white sand and lush foliage behind it. If he didn't change course he would hit one of the trees. As Horus turned back towards the sea, the waters geysered into the air a second time. But the force was with him. The swoop suddenly accelerated backwards, and the waters subsided. Horus pulled up beside his waiting master, hovering almost a foot over the waters. "So what was that? I'm guessing you caused it. How did you do that?" ((Sorry that took so long, RL happened.))

His master had taken off with incredible speed, out over the water. Horus hopped on top of the remaining swoop and shot off behind him. The swoop was like his speeder, the controls were of the same layout albeit without the blaster controls. Horus sent his swoop flying sideways past his master, laying it almost parallel to the water. Returning himself to an upright position he pulled up next to his master. "What do you want me to do?" He asked this telepathically, doubting that he would be able to be heard over the roar of the engines. ((Woops))

"Shy never saw Darex awake, and now she is dead." He took a sip of water, and set his glass down slowly. "But she may still be cloned again. The last time she died she arrived on Tatooine, and I found her there. I will search for her, I owe her that much."

"Another swim sounds nice." Horus nodded. He set out the plates and silverware, and added two glasses of water. The meal was spartan, crepes, sausage, and potatoes, but it was well cooked and would be noutricious. Horus had looked forward to this since first arriving at the temple. He had just "Rescued" Shy, and they were there to help find her master. It's sad, He thought She never saw him concious. What had happened to her he didn't know. All he knew was she had ended up on Mimban at about the time of the jedi attack, and had died. He hoped she had found Darex in the end, but from the darkness he felt as her force atman passed over him, he knew this wasn't the case. He hadn't seen her in the temple, so she probably hadn't been recloned by then. But the last time she was cloned she ended up where she started, on Tatooine! As soon as my training allows I will go and search for her there. The food tasted good, but more because the ingredients were good, rather than his cooking skill. His skills lay elsewhere. "Master, this part that I searched for on Hoth, what is it for? I know that cycling field generators are used to make high output energy beams, but this one is the smallest I have ever seen."

Sitting across from his master, Horus allowed his mind to drift. As the sun set over the shoreline, he thought of his childhood on Chandrila. His mother would have been breaching the surface with him, as his father would watch and draw. But those days were over, cut short by the empire. He would have never known that the trips they took were to rally support for the rebellion, or to train the green recruits into speciallized combat operatives. There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force It was soothing really, to simply have only the code in his mind. He sat on his bed meditating for the remainder of the night. As the dawn broke over the seas, Horus woke. First he practiced his stretches, and next his Kata, armed and unarmed. The silver beam of the practice saber, and its soft hum, helped focus him. He whirled the blade about, performing complex maneuvers that would be impossible with traditional blades. Stab, Parry, Thrust, Block, Stab. He continued on for almost an hour, occasionally hitting himself with the blade. It hurt, but only so much that he knew when it happened. Afterwards he went for a swim. The water was cool and clear, perfect for swimming. It had been a long time since he had an oppertunity to enjoy just floating. After some time, he came back into the hotel, and began to cook breakfast for him and his master. "What shall we do today, Master Shardik?"

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force " He had learned this not long ago, although it felt a lifetime. The world they were on was beautiful, and was covered mostly in water. He would probably have time to swim. "Where are we Master?"

"I've flown before sir." You always had a way with understatement. You were practically raised on this model. He took a seat in the captain's chair, and grasped the controls. For a time he simply sat there and checked the gagues, but finally it was time to bring the ship into sublight speed. He didn't know where they were, but he did know that he was ready to start training. ((Hope this is the right place.))

Looking out into the vastness of Hyperspace, Horus contemplated what it would feel like to be lost to your physical self. Shy had passed over him on Mimban, but that really had only been a remnant. "Master, is it possible for one's body to be destroyed, and yet their spirit to be preserved?" He had kept his senses more than his last attempt, but he was still far from being able to do it without thinking. "Master where are we going?"