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Ishvara


Darth Nyrys

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OOC((Unless you have a reason for annihilating my planet, I'd ask you not to, since I have valuable assets here, and you just OHKed two PCs. If you feel the need to kill, there are plenty of planets with no Sith presence on them.))

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((Thank you KVC. ))

 

Having spent sometime now this planet, Roshan found he had grown to like it. For some reason, the people hear seemed to fear him as if he was a mythical and mystical creature. Using that to his advantage, Roshan had collected quite a following while attracting a lot of attention from the local authorities.

 

Of course, Roshan could careless as the subpar men weren't too terribly hard to dismember if the need arose. In fact, after the first couple assaults, Roshan no longer encountered them at all. It would seem he had even made believers out of them. The question was... of what.

 

Of course, he knew that he couldn't ask anyone as he ignorance would undoubtedly be unveiled and he would likely lose his following. Unless... Having considered it in passing on many an occasion, Roshan had finally come to the solution. But it sounds like such a silly question, he was scared they might figure him out if he asked it.

 

So instead of asking, Roshan continued investigating the situation while he basked in the lap of underground luxury as a demi-god to be worshipped and feared by his devote followers.

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  • 2 years later...

A fighter emerged from hyperspace into the unwelcoming black of space surrounding the planet. There, it awaited the call of the individual who had contacted Ason just previously.

 

Sasori said:
Travis said:
Why would you side with a group that is composed of some of the largest douche criminal scum from around the world?

To annoy you.

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The Starweaver came out of high orbit over Ishvara, a world that Dagon had not seen for some time. Dagon would meet a member of his dark family here, his son's son, and begin moving his new agenda foreward. He activated a short range hailing device and waited...

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The sith lord viewed the looming ship overhead with a cold anticipation, an ancient dream of his youth about to come true in some ways. When he was but a lowly sith apprentice training under Oblivion, he had heard multiple tales of the greatest sith sorcerer in existence, that imposing figure whose presence extended out from the ship like the aura of a God stretching from the heavens to the mortals below. Back then, such power seemed nearly unattainable, but now that Ason had learned the skills of the trade, his regard for the figure turned from near idolization to a healthy admiration. This was the progenitor of the dying breed. This was the prophet of the forgotten faith. This was the man with whom the sith lord would soon discuss some of the most important business in the galaxy.

 

 

Sasori said:
Travis said:
Why would you side with a group that is composed of some of the largest douche criminal scum from around the world?

To annoy you.

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Permission granted. Came the electronic response. It wasn't long before Ason's ship was docked in the hangar and atmosphere was pumped in.

 

Greetings, son of my son. It has been some time since I have spoken with family, and the praise with which Oblivion spoke of you makes this a doubly joyous occaision.

 

Dagon wore his gunman armor, pitch black save for the white stylized skull of the helmet, made all the more striking by the darkness of the hangar, almost as if it floated. Dagon knew that many of his family had a natural disposition towards darkness and he wasn't looking to put the new arrival on edge.

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The sight of the man did not at all disappoint. Clad in a suit oozing with a sadistic, potent practicality and an elaborate, menacing aestheticism, the father of alchemy had obviously earned the accolades. After parking the ship in the hangar and making his way through the luxurious yacht, the sith lord could see that everything about this man was an elegant refinement of darkness. Unlike the clumsy representation of the blind warrior so prevalent in this galaxy, this Master Dagon was truly an intellectual sith.

 

A bit of nostalgia turned up the corners of Ason's lips as Tethyn was mentioned, especially in the familial fashion with which Oblivion had always spoke. After operating on opposite sides of the galaxy for so long and usually only being contacted only by those who needed his skills, it was a pleasant reminder that there was a subculture within the order that he could still call family.

 

His mouth opened, an understated rarity.

 

 

Sasori said:
Travis said:
Why would you side with a group that is composed of some of the largest douche criminal scum from around the world?

To annoy you.

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I've decided to claim the mantle of leadership within our order. I've used my time away to establish a web of influence and trust amongst the many disparate factions, and it is my intent to change the very nature of the war we fight. For too long we have been bound by the primitive chest beating tactics of our warrior kin. It is time for a new game, with new rules, better suited to men of intellect and class.

 

My identity as Dark Lord will not be a matter of public knowledge, I will require emmisaries, men that I can trust not only to perform admirably in my stead, but who believe in my vision to the point that I can trust them with the truth. If it is your desire, you will be my greatest emmisary and disciple, the power in my words, the weight of my presence.

 

While Dagon's actual eyes were concealed behind the cold blue light of the helmet's photoreceptors, there was a heaviness to his gaze, a sense of burning intensity and focus that tended to burrow into people. Those eyes now studied Ason as he awaited a response.

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The weight of each word was nearly overwhelming to the man who had observed nothing more than discord since his return to the sith. In this short time frame, he had witnessed efforts for the education of the next generation squandered by petty sith politics and uncharacteristic sith languor. He bore witness to the deteriorating standing of the order with the Empire when he was attacked on Ilum. The only reprieves from these constant reminders of decadence were the occasional holonet report of Ar-Pharazon slaughtering wookies. They were signs of life”¦ perhaps not the ones the lord would've wished to see”¦ but a dying man's cough was better than a dead man's silence.

 

The sallow beryl of Ason's eyes met the frigid blue of the mask Dagon was wearing, both sets unwavering. There was an intellectual quality to the proposition that in itself confirmed the man's decision. There was a prudence to the secrecy, a method to the madness if one would permit such a cliché. A resolute voice broke the silence that had been filled by the remarkable concentration of both pairs of eyes.

 

 

Sasori said:
Travis said:
Why would you side with a group that is composed of some of the largest douche criminal scum from around the world?

To annoy you.

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Go to the world of Taris, the senator there has been agreeable regarding the return of Sith artifacts in exchange for protection from our mutual enemies. Secure the alliance and oversee the transfer of the relics off world to our labs on Kamino, you are the only one capable of handling and studying such relics besides myself. Should there be anything of use to you, I grant you first rights to claim it. Go now, and may you find power and knowledge in your journeys. Report to me using this device, it will ensure secrecy and the protection of my identity.

 

Dagon handed Ason a small black sphere with a polished sheen. It was easily concealable and lightweight.

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  • 3 months later...

Beneath the ground of Ishvara, down deep pits, behind barred doors, and under failing lights, several large droids slithered across the dingy metal floors, checking each of the vault’s rooms for trespassers or runaway specimens, eagerly awaiting their master to come relieve them or an intruder to run their rusty vibroblades through.  Past them and down the dark hallway, where a stench of rotting corpses slain by the droids or mutated creatures long since dead in side rooms, was one foreboding door, unopened for so long. Not even the security droids dared to open it, in fear that their long dead master would be enraged. Past it, was the lab. 

 

Despite the rest of the place being so rancid, the lab was pristine and spotless. Lining the walls were containers with perfectly preserved but dead creatures, ranging from oversized lahn-rats, baby mynocks, hatched mud horns, premature tuk’ata, and tiny tookas. Around the room were several counters, tables and desks, lined with robotic parts.  One serpentine droid, smaller than the security models outside, hummed quietly as it went about the large circular area, taking notes on all the sensors, gauges and displays with its already overloaded datapad. Whenever there became too much information on it, the droid simply gave a slight sigh, erased a few non-essential information, and continued with its work. At this point it had completely cleared its data files a hundredth time. 

 

One of the two objects that the caretaker droid seemed fixated on was the incomplete droid chassis in the center of the room. Suspended by wires and cables, the droid body was unlike any other droid nearby. Like the others, this was serpentine, modeled after the hutts who had given them to their dead master.  Compared to both the caretaker as well as the security droids outside the lab, this behemoth looked like it was made for war. However, all of its weapons were set aside and replaced with human-like hands, most of its outer shell removed exposing wires and gears, and in the center of its chest was an open, incomplete hole, barely a foot wide. The gap seemed to beg for a power source or an implant, as small wires dangled uselessly inside. The caretaker droid always stopped a few moments each hour to study this droid, wondering what use its master had for it. Occasionally the chassis would get cleaned and polished, but beyond that it hung lifeless. If only the caretaker could access the files on the nearby computer. But those files were not for the caretaker’s knowledge. He was ordered to keep everything well cared for. Not to finish his master’s pet project

 

The other object, or rather group of objects, the caretaker was fixated on was the chamber of crystals. Exposing the natural bedrock, a part of the lab opened up to what looked like a cave. Inside it was lined with hundreds of glowing rocks. Each one shined with their own color, with lines of light dancing inside. The droid looked over the crystals, trying to count how many of them existed. Behind the caretaker, the incomplete chassis continued to stare at the crystals as well, their opalescent and psychedelic lights twinkling in the cold lifeless receptor. 

 

Among the crystals, near the center of the floor, was one that was disconnected from the rest. So long ago, the  other crystals had somehow severed their connection with this lone crystal, forsaking it to an eternity of loneliness. This shard, named Solus, had dwelled for over a hundred years in isolation, with nothing but its own thoughts to keep it company. The thoughts were self targeted. With no other company to enjoy, Solus could only talk to himself and try to make conversation. 

 

“I must reproduce. Yes this should do it.” 

“Do I really think so?”

“Honestly at this point, I don’t know. How many times have I tried this?”

“Tried to make more? I think this is attempt number three hundred forty sev-...no four hundred and thirty...”

“Does it really matter?”

“No.” 

“Then here it goes.”

 

Solus' red color glowed slightly and began to emit a low heat. The dancing lines inside intensified and bounced around quicker than ever. For a few moments, Solus’s body hummed with energy, trying so hard to create another piece of a sentience near him.

 

“No...no no no no...no No NO!!!” 

 

The lines suddenly went back to normal and the glow stopped. The heat died away quickly.  

 

“What am I missing? What is needed to be done? What is it?!?!” 

 

Solus could barely feel the slight touches of electromagnetism of his ‘family’ beyond his reach. The people that should have been his friends. His comforters. His teachers. 

 

“This is your fault! You are...this is your fault. Why won’t you help me? You just sit there mocking me. You love this dont you! You won’t help me! You won’t talk to me! TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!”

 

A pause of silence. Then Solus screamed. 

 

The lines of light in Solus suddenly became one bold flaming ball of white light. His red color turned an abyssal black. The caretaker looked at Solus curiously. This had happened before, but not with this intensity. The droid wondered how long it would last. First time it was a few hours. The next time a day. Last time a full three days and nights. This time… the caretaker watched intently. 

 

And Solus screamed. He screamed into that abyss that surrounded him. He screamed for anything to hear him. He screamed to the visions he had of the world beyond. He screamed to the world beyond him. He screamed. His anger, his fury, his wrath, all composed into this one, non verbal, silent, but powerful scream. 

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For a time, Lord Roshan lived like a king. Perhaps not quite that lavish but lavish enough all the same. These primitive humans were a treasure trove to him. They were easily impressed with his lightsaber and combat skills. And while his control of the Force was rudimentary in reality, he had learned enough “parole trickery” to wow the ignorant masses of his cult. 

 

For a time, he had allowed himself to become complacent. He honed his techniques, occasionally searching for sith artifacts and holocrons left behind by former Sith masters. He was well aware that a decent number of Sith sorcerers had used this planet as a personal “lockbox” of sorts for their precious teachings, creations, and items. Equipped with this knowledge, it wasn’t long before he assembled and trained his very own “Knights of Roshan” and began using them for his Sith treasure hunts. 

 

From among his followers, Lord Roshan chose the brightest and strongest and taught them the ways of the Echani, much in the same way his master once taught him. For the rare Force Sensitive among them, he taught them how to enhance their speed and reaction times much in the way that Darth Hel once trained him.

 

Truth be told, he thought of his master often. He wondered if she was still alive. There was so much pain and bitterness in her heart. And yet, there was something special about her. He dared not say what. But his time training under her had remained memorable even after so many years had passed.

 

Of course, his thoughts of her in this moment were of a much different nature. How he had ended up hiding behind a slab of rock with all but one of his Knights slain and armed droids actively searching for him was a long story that could be easily summed up into one basic lesson. He cursed himself for forgetting one of the very first lessons that Dominique had ever taught him.

“Let's get this straight first out. Never, ever underestimate anyone. There are those that could kill even Masters of the force using their gadgets and own martial prowess. The force is in no way a form of cheating, despite what some may think.”

 

_____I____

 

It was the second time he had done this in recent months. The first was his expedition to a Sith cache of a “Darth Drakonus.” He and his Knight successfully made the trek and bypassed the safeguards and entered the tomb. That was easy enough. But instead of the pristine treasure trove of sith artifacts and goodies that he had been promised, the tomb had been picked clean of any and all valuables. 

 

In hindsight, he should have seen it all coming. A local rival leader that he had clashed with for the last several months had set him up. It was the perfect trap. The man knew what would entice Lord Roshan and draw away from the bluff where his small, secluded castle-esque stone villa was found. But convincing Abrin to go along with the scheme was the real stroke of genius. Abrin was one of Roshan’s most trusted sources of legends, treasure maps, and information on potential Sith caches. He had always been on good terms with Abrin over the years and he had always believed the feelings were mutual. But while Roshan was away with his Knights, his enemies quietly overran his estate, the plantation, and his villa, destroying property and looting the valuables he had. These humans were growing braver. And brave was dangerous. And Lord Roshan never even suspected Abrin for a minute. 

 

As he and his Knights left the valueless Sith cache, Lord Roshan found the rival leader’s middle son and a contingent of 200 soldiers armed with swords and pikes waiting for them. For his 23 handpicked and personally trained Knights of Roshan, being outnumbered less than 10 to 1 weren’t unbeatable odds. His enemies undoubtedly knew that. They had engaged them in battle before. But they were not actually sent here to kill him. They were here to delay him. Killing him would have only been an added bonus and these primitive fools would need a lot more men if they wanted to pull that off. 

 

Lord Roshan slaughtered the primitives with ruthless abandon, his 6’8 stature, Sith armor, and blood red lightsaber blade making him look like an Ishvaran monster straight from one of their many legends. By the end of the conflict, the leader’s son had little choice but to flee as his remaining militia routed. But there would be no escape for him. Lord Roshan had singled him out for death.

 

It was small consolation, though. The opposing leader had sent them there to die and take as many with them as they could in the process. Roshan realized this the moment he spotted the leader’s least favorite son leading the militia. And to be fair, they had done pretty well before the remaining troops broke formation and began to flee. Lord Roshan has began with 23 Knights and was now down to only 13.

 

Sodashi lived long enough to die in his arms. Anger boiled silently underneath Lord Roshan’s skin. In truth, when he originally had come to this planet, he looked at his followers as nothing more than pawns. But his time here had made him grow soft. He had made room in his heart for some of them. Perhaps it was his own pride plus all the time he had invested to train and teach them his arts and fighting techniques. 

 

But were love and selfishness really that disconnected of concepts? Love was little more than the realization and actualization of a personal investment. The pain of loss was the reaction to that investment being stolen and his time and effort wasted. Humans lied and decorated their own selfishness with colorful metaphors and excuses. That was true love. And it was why people would irrationally sacrifice everything to prevent such a loss. If you personally had enough to lose, gambling against the odds to retain it, in spite of reason, seemed like an acceptable bet. That’s how he lost Bomu and Talgi. They broke formation early when they saw Tarmi losing ground. 

 

A Fool’s errand kills many a fool.

 

But even as the survivors made the long trek home, Lord Roshan knew the worst was yet to come. Before they were even within visual range, Roshan could smell the smoke. And as they got closer, he could see the flames. His enemy’s sacrificial lambs had done their job. The fires were still burning. The bodies were still fresh, the rigor mortis still hours from setting in. But they were all dead. Every last one of them. His inner sanctum had been raided and left in shambles and decorated with the blood of his followers.

 

He had arrogantly seen himself as a king. He had thought that his property was too secure, the choke points were too well designed, and his presence and the fear that he instilled in others was too great for any of these peons to dare oppose him. But this man, who’s name he vowed never to utter until the day he beheaded him, had finally toppled his false kingdom. He had realized Lord Roshan’s weakness in the Force. He had dared to call his bluff.

 

It was then that Lord Roshan left that bluff behind and swore to return only after he had mastered the Force significantly enough to bring all his enemies to the most excruciating ends possible. Not because he loved those that he had lost but because he loved himself too much to allow such larceny on so grand a scale to go unanswered for. In his rage, Lord Roshan swore he’d kill them all and his Knights swore it as well. They would travel through the forbidden ruins and find the temple of Dark Nimus. They would return with a ship and a soul weapon and murder them all.

 

_____II____

 

Unfortunately, the search had been exhausting and the journey had been costly. Trimeer, Valdis, and Remmie died before they ever even found the location. Perhaps they never would have at all had Lord Roshan not heard an echo in the Force. To be honest, it was more like a scream. It was so sharp and distinct that he had managed to use it like a compass and followed it all the way to the hidden underground temple’s entrance. The traps were mostly what he expected but a few “new” variations cost him two more of his Knights. His mighty party of 14 was soon down to 7 by the time they reached the inner hallways of the temple ruins.

 

The Serpentine droids were a nice touch as far as defenses went. And they also seemed a bit smarter and faster than the average droid in combat. Another 3 of his Knights fell to them in an ambush almost right off the bat. The Knights, however, would not be detoured. Pushing further into the temple, the corpses of malformed experiments and projects gone awry decorated the various rooms. But no great Sith weapon or soul powered artifacts were to be found. Lord Roshan’s faith was wavering with each and every step. 

 

Has this, too, been a fool’s errand!?

 

And that’s when they reached it. The laboratory of Darth Nimus. While the rest of the temple had been found in various states of disrepair, this lab was spotless. Everything was carefully preserved and catalogued. Various counters, tables, and desks also lined the room, some made out of wood and other materials. Others carved directly out of the rock that the temple was built within. 

 

Adorning the center of the room, however, looked to be Dark Nimus’ crown jewel. It was a droid chassis not too unlike the others they had destroyed. But this one was special. It looked somewhat unfinished but Roshan’s eyes gleamed with joy as he looked upon it. This had to be it. It had to be the soul weapon he was searching for. It would be his ticket. His means to exact revenge on his enemies before resuming his training with the Sith. If he was to leave this place behind, he needed something of value to trade to the Sith. He had to prove his worth. Perhaps then they would see his commitment and daring and find him worthy. 

 

But more than that, he wanted to find Darth Nimus’ hangar. His ship had been destroyed along with all his other property. And quite frankly, it hadn’t worked in some time. Instead, Roshan had allowed it to fall into disrepair. After all, he had grown foolish and complacent in his smug sense of superiority and security after many years of success.

 

Of course, allowing himself and his Knights to momentarily admire the dangling robotic monstrosity was a huge mistake. The suspended droid had distracted them from the fact that other security and caretaker droids were laying in wait. First, Kreega fell. Then, Nomi. Roshan and Aliss had to quickly split up but they had both managed to take cover behind the stoney furniture on different ends of the room. Two of the security droids were now laying down fire, while the other two used this opportunity to move to round the objects providing Roshan and Aliss cover and line up a killshot.

 

For a moment, Roshan surrendered to the inevitability of his impending death. What was one more death to the Cathar who had been robbed of everything? But at his current angle pressed up against the rock slab, Roshan caught sight of Nomi out of the corner of his eye. 

 

Nomi was the youngest of all his Knights and the one he had personally trained since he was a youngling. He was to be the first in the next generation of the Knights of Roshan. He had always been Roshan’s favorite. Some might say that he felt some affection for the boy. Only, now all he felt was the dead stare of Nomi’s eyes piercing into the pit of his very soul. Lord Roshan’s mind began to race wildly. Overwhelmed, he embraced all attrition from the pain and anger and loss in his heart since this all began months ago. And the more he screamed out inside, the more he felt like there was an echo chamber screaming back at him. 

 

Outside of his internal “brainstorm,” the physical ground began to suddenly rumble beneath his feet. And then with a deep, prolonged and violent explosion of verbal pain and anguish, Roshan’s voice clapped like thunder and his body slashed out a detonation of lightning. 

 

_____III____

 

When he awoke, Roshan could smell the odor of chard circuits and rotting corpses. The lab was pristine no longer. Igniting his red lightsaber as a source of light, Roshan assessed the damage. It felt like his whole body was on fire. But he was alive and he couldn’t say the same thing for the remains of the droids that had attacked them.

 

Aliss.

 

Looking around the room, he moved towards a stone slab that most likely functioned as some sort of desk or perhaps a makeshift bed for long nights in the lab. It was the last direction he had seen Aliss go. To his relief, the girl was alive. In fact, she was huddled on the other side of the stone fixture, shaking. It seemed almost like some sort of poetic kharma that she, of all humans, had been the one to survive. 

 

Aliss was the abomination. The outcast of the outcasts. Her mother had been one of the first to follow Roshan when he began his cult. But he never quite felt that it was because she believed he was some sort of divinity. She just desperately sought a place of belonging. Most rejected her and her daughter outright for their unusually florid skin color and yellow eyes. But Roshan had brought them into his fold and trained the girl as one of his personal Knights. Even from an early age, he could sense her affinity to the Force. She was a dedicated and quick learned as well, mastering his Echani techniques in half the time it took most of the boys. She was no Nomi, but she was another one that he had expected great things from. And now she was all he had left.

 

“Get up!” he growled at the teenage girl of no more than 15.

 

She didn’t respond. There was fear in her eyes as her body continued to tremble unresponsively.

 

Good. At least she will know her place going forward. She always was one to give me the most lip.

 

Deciding to ignore the girl for now, Roshan headed towards the only other source of light that remained in the room. As he neared the flickers of strobing lights, he could see some sort of auxiliary cave that extended out beyond the laboratory. To investigate the lights seemed like a simple exercise in curiosity, but what he saw once he entered the cavern was much more complicated. 

 

Before him was a large collection of glowing crystals, all flashing and blinking in various patterns and colors and sequences. They were not too dissimilar to the shattered crystals he found inside the mangled remains of the droids he had destroyed. But there was one that stood out among the rest. Roshan could see its strobes of fiery red and hear its echoes in the Force. 

 

Could this rock actually be alive?

 

What began as idle speculation soon turned into full-blown gnawing curiosity. Every time he turned to leave and find his way to the Sith’s secret hangar, he felt himself being almost physically pulled back into the lab. He couldn’t drop this without at least some sort of answers. 

 

Pouring through the papers that remained undamaged enough to read, Lord Roshan slowly began to piece together what Darth Nimus had actually set in motion. He had done too great of damage to get a full picture, but the chassis that had been hanging from the ceiling was, in fact, built for one of these sentient Shards. The combination of those two words in tandem seemed wrong, almost immoral. But everything in Darth Nimus’ remaining notes seemed to indicate it to be true. Only, this unfilled chassis had been set aside for someone special. Someone who Darth Nimus had been waiting for, but had never arrived.

 

After hours of pouring through everything intact that he could find, he found himself staring back into the room at “it,” the special Shard. While he directed Aliss to carve out a collection of Shards and stuff them into a container for storage and transportation off this rock, Lord Roshan feverishly debated his next move. Some of Darth Nimus’ theories were the ravings of a madman. But if that Shard was force sensitive, could inserting it really produce a Force sensitive droid?!

 

The thought of it seemed insane to Roshan. But so had sentient crystal Shards only hours earlier. He couldn’t leave here without at least satisfying his curiosity. He had lost too much and too many not to have something extra to show for it. The Droid chassis itself had turned out to be rather ordinary. Perhaps even sub-optimal with portions uncompleted and wires and gears still exposed. But if this expedition gave him a Force Sensitive Droid loyal to his cause, on the other hand, what Sith wouldn’t envy him! For that matter, what Sith wouldn’t train him, if only to know if the tales of this droid were true?

 

Ordering Aliss to salvage what parts she could from the other destroyed serpent droids, Lord Roshan finally gave way to his curiosity and ambition. He was ready to strike it down if things went wrong. But this droid had hands instead of weapons so he at least had the advantage in an armed conflict. Removing the glowing Shard of latent Force ability from its home within the cavern, Roshan gently set it inside the chassis and closed the droid up. Then after a deep breath, Roshan turned the droid on and hoped for the best.

___
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Solus screamed and screamed into the abyss until he could scream no more. Not from lack of oxygen, nor because of the wisdom of realizing screaming did him no good, but purely from the sole fact that he was bored of screaming. It was only a momentary distraction.

 

But then he felt something. A feeling. Not even that. An evanescent interruption of the mind and nothing more. But however brief this thing was, it was familiar.  Solus had not had this for so long. The last time it had happened was before his separation from the others. Before when he had the visions. 

 

Excitement grew in Solus. His crystalline mind raced with thoughts, faster and more erratic than ever. Something was changing. Something was happening. 

His thoughts were confirmed when his electromagnetic senses felt the presence of a being touching him. Solus screamed at it, hoping it would hear him. But his method of communication was nothing more than dashings of lines in his body. The thing’s electromagnetism was too chaotic, too random to be smart. All he could do was wait.

 

But still, as he waited, he felt more and more. He was in something now. He felt...something. Something almost hollow but not hollow. Empty lines of metal...wires?

Suddenly, life came to them. They were rushing the body. For a moment, Solus was terrified. What was this? What is this rushing of power? There was nothing he could do to stop it. Only watch as the current of power came for his helpless self. Soon it would throttle and torment him. It would take him. Was this his end?

 

The droid chassis began to moan as its parts began to move slowly, almost lifting itself further into the air by the cords that suspended it. It’s singular eye flickered to life, a yellow glow beginning to shine. And its voice, older than dust, began to moan. It started low, but as the chassis came to life, it rose in intensity and emotion.

 

“aaaaaaaaaAAHHHHHH!” 

 

The body spasmed with life. Moters grounded themselves as its arms flexed and pulled it upwards. Metal screeched as parts not moved in so long cleansed all the rust off their edges. The wires and cords strained themselves with the weight suddenly shifting but held on. Its hands clenched into fists, its tail straightened and extended as far as possible. All the while, the droid screeched with life. And as swiftly as it happened, the droid went limp. Only the whirring of electricity could be heard in the room. 

 

After a moment of silence, the head moved. Slowly it looked up. It stopped as it looked at the two beings before it. 

 

And Solus did something he had never done before. 

 

“Hahaha! Haha! I was right! I WAS RIGHT!” 

 

Solus’ new body jerked and spasmed with laughter. If it weren’t for the cords and wires, Solus probably would’ve collapsed in a fit. But here he was hung high for the two beings to see and listen.

 

“The visions were true! They were all true! A world! Beyond our world! A whole world of senses! A world of color and sound! Touch! Metal! Flesh! Power! Unrivaled Power!!!” 

 

Solus stopped when he realized with pure joy that he was being watched.  “And you! You are gods of this world! Hahaha! Yes I was right! A world full of gods beyond all comprehension! And you have freed me! Hahaha!”

 

Solus calmed down a bit, realizing he was making a fool of himself. But his joy knew no bounds. It wasn’t like a blind man receiving sight, or a creature being granted sentience. It was all that and more. It was like ascending to a higher plane. A plane beyond comprehension. 

 

“Forgive me great ones! Forgive me. I… in this language you call sound, yes? I am called... Solus. Solus the Lonely as my siblings called me. But you have freed me! Freed me from my abyssal torment. And for that...I thank you! Yes, I, Solus, thank you! But I… am i being restrained?” 

 

Solus looked at the cables holding him suspended. He strained to release himself but found himself unable. He looked at the two beings, specifically the one with fur. Something about him felt beyond measure. 

 

“Please, great ones, tell me your names! Tell me your names and I will remember them for an eternity. Release this ascended one, and tell him the names of his saviors, and his eternal gratitude will be made greater!” 

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As the chassis began to moan and shake, Lord Roshan stepped back and ignited his red lightsaber. Aliss followed suit, using another relic they had acquired from one of his many Sith cache grabs. Hers, of course, lacked the red glow that Lord Roshan’s primary saber sported. Instead, it glowed an amber orange in the darkness. It was a lightsaber that had undoubtedly been taken from the corpse of some ancient Jedi as a trophy. Truth be told, it was the trophy room of one such Sith cache where Lord Roshan had found most of the lightsabers that he had armed his Knights with. Not every Knight had been granted their own lightsaber. Such privileges were earned and only Roshan’s “elite 10” were allowed to carry them. The rest had to use vibroswords or other weapons instead. But all were given training in the use of a lightsaber as every Knight was expected to ascend to the ranks of the elite at some point in their lifetime or die trying.

 

Now Nomi’s lightsaber had fallen to the youngest and last remaining member of his Knights, Aliss. As the two lightsabers glowed in the darkness and intermixed their beams of color, they enhanced the foreboding nature of the Shard’s rebirth. The droid’s yellow eyes flickered erratically before settling on a solid almost chartreuse glow. But any levity the eyes might have brought to the ambiance of that moment was quickly shattered by a low rumble that quickly evolved into a synthetic full-throated scream.

 

“aaaaaaaaaAAHHHHHH!” 

 

Aliss looked to Lord Roshan. He motioned her to stand ready but wait. She was no longer trembling like she had done previously. That shameful display would not show itself again. And Roshan had already forgiven her for the sudden loss in composure.

 

After all, who wouldn’t tremble at such a fearful display from a god among men.

 

The silence that followed was a slight bit haunting, the droid body suddenly falling limp. Roshan’s heart sunk a little. Perhaps the droid had been hanging there for all this time because the Sith master’s experiment had been tried before but never succeeded.

 

Turning to him, Aliss whispered, “Lord Roshan. Is he... dead?”

 

Roshan pressed a finger against his lips, clearly motioning that she remain silent. He took a singular step forward. And as he did, the droid’s head suddenly began to shift.

 

“Hahaha! Haha! I was right! I WAS RIGHT!” 

 

The two continued to watch him as he rambled on to himself. He certainly seemed more animated than a standard droid. Perhaps the procedure had truly worked.

 

“The visions were true! They were all true! A world! Beyond our world! A whole world of senses! A world of color and sound! Touch! Metal! Flesh! Power! Unrivaled Power!!!”  

Solus stopped when he realized with pure joy that he was being watched,  “And you! You are gods of this world! Hahaha! Yes I was right! A world full of gods beyond all comprehension! And you have freed me! Hahaha!”

 

Roshan nodded, “You are, indeed, reborn, child.” 

 

“Forgive me great ones! Forgive me. I… in this language you call sound, yes? I am called... Solus. Solus the Lonely as my siblings called me. But you have freed me! Freed me from my abyssal torment. And for that...I thank you! Yes, I, Solus, thank you! But I… am I being restrained?” 

 

Roshan looked at the cables still suspending the droid. The fact that he seemed unable to release himself would suggest as much. It wasn’t necessarily intentional on Roshan’s part. But perhaps the original creator of the droid saw it as a necessary precaution. Of course, before he could reply the Droid began to prattle once again.

 

“Please, great ones, tell me your names! Tell me your names and I will remember them for an eternity. Release this ascended one, and tell him the names of his saviors, and his eternal gratitude will be made greater!” 

 

Roshan was a bit amused. This Droid or Shard or unnatural amalgam of the two had quite the flare for the dramatic. Stepping forward, Roshan finally spoke up.

 

“I go by many names and titles but you may call me Lord Roshan, child.” Motioning to the reddish skinned girl behind him, Roshan added, “She is a member of the Knights of Roshan. You may call her Aliss Roshan or Sir Aliss.”

 

Moving closer and examining the restraints holding the droid, Roshan paused for a few moments. Then he stepped back and looked Solus in his glowing eyes.

 

 “You are now a warrior of Roshan. A weapon of great power and potential. And,” he paused for a moment, unable to reach the droid’s expressions, “a conduit of the Force. It is the source of the power of the ones you call gods. And it is the separation between the mortals that are unworthy and the mortals the unworthy must worship. Your cries have been heard and you have been deemed worth to rise. But now that you’ve been reborn, why should I remove you from your restraints and allow you to walk among us? Why should I allow you the chance to walk as the ascended ones do and share in the unfettered eternity that you seek among the fleshy solids?”
 

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“Lord Roshan…” Solus spoke the words, enjoying the vibrations his voice box made. “Sir Aliss…”

 

Every word that this Lord Roshan spoke Solus enjoyed indefinitely. But not without listening to the meaning within the words. 

 

“The...force? Yes...the force. And I...a conduit! Haha!” Solus chuckled as his tail flexed and spun around slightly. It was the first time Solus even realized he had a tail, or that half of his body was tail. 

 

Still, the being known as Lord Roshan asked why. Solus’ metaphorical heart sank at this. 

 

“Have I not proven myself already?” Solus strained to release himself. “Why bring me to this world if you are only going to leave me in darkness again? You say I am a...what was it...a conduit for this Force...this power. A conduit for power! Is that not alone worth freeing me?” 

 

Solus sighed and looked around the area. His body was shaking. He was afraid of being left behind. To be lost to this new abyss, knowing he was so close to exploring a world of worlds! Such a fate would be worse than just a few moments ago.

 

“No...you can’t…” Solus shook more and more. He looked at Lord Roshan, his eye glowing brighter than ever. “I... I can’t be left here all alone! I will do...anything! Please, cut me free and I will swear my allegiance to you. As you said, I am a warrior of Roshan! Your warrior! But what good am I as a warrior if I must be restrained? Yes, free this warrior, and you will have a new conduit by your side. A conduit for the Force!”

 

Solus stopped as he pondered his next words. He knew what he had to do in order to convince this being to free him.

 

“I...Solus, the lonely...no, Solus the ascended! I, Solus the ascended, swear by my own shard to serve your cause! Free me, and your cause shall be my own!”   

 

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Lord Roshan watched in silence as the “cyborg” of sorts began to panic and squirm. It was a creature born of isolation and desperation. In truth, he half expected the being to free itself. But instead it pleaded. He at least was rather certain that his psychological dowsing had uncovered a wealth of useful information that Roshan could use against the reborn being if he so chose. More importantly, he knew its fear. Fear was good for breaking followers. It was a powerful tool when tempered properly by the right incentives. But it was not befitting for a weapon, much less a weapon of Roshan.

 

Lord Roshan continued to watch the being beg for its freedom as it hung there. While Aliss continued to gape at the droid with a mixture of amusement and wonder, Roshan took no pleasure in watching such a potentially powerful weapon lay itself low before him. He may have been a “god” to these fools, but Roshan was only a little fish in a much bigger pond once they left Ishvara. He wanted its allegiance but he had no use for its weaknesses.

 

“I...Solus, the lonely...no, Solus the ascended! I, Solus the ascended, swear by my own shard to serve your cause! Free me, and your cause shall be my own!”  

 

“Enough!” Roshan commanded. 

 

Then, he walked up to the droid and used his lightsaber to cut at the vine-like cables and wires keeping Solus suspended. Roshan stepped back as the droid came crashing to the ground. He examined the one called Solus as he proceeded to round the droid and face it once more.

 

“If you are to serve me, you will never grovel again.” 

 

Turning off his lightsaber, he allowed the darkness to drape him in ominous shadows. Aliss, meanwhile, continued to hold her glowing orange lightsaber and maintain her combat stance, ever ready to strike.

 

“There is no room for fear! There is only power!” Lord Roshan bellowed as he glanced in Aliss' direction before turning his eyes back towards Solus. “The power of the strong and the weakness of the powerless. To be a weapon of Roshan, there must be no weakness. You must know the darkside and the darkside must not be in your heart. It must be your heart! You must know no fear but the fear you instill in the hearts of our enemies! And when you become a destroyer of worlds and subjugator for fleshy beings in my name, you must bring all who oppose you to their knees! And when they beg for mercy like you just did, you will remember this moment and realize how far you have come and why I was so upset. And more importantly, you will feel, see, and gasp true power.”

 

Reigniting his lightsaber, Roshan stormed off without saying another word. Given the direction of his exit, he was most likely following the long corridor that he believed lead to Darth Nimus' hangar bay in hopes of finding a ship.

 

As he walked past, Aliss watched him in silence before turning her curious eyes back towards the droid. A collection of Droids just like Solus had killed many of her friends already. She was shocked that her master would so casually turn his back to it. Perhaps he was testing her. Or perhaps he was making a point. She wasn't quite sure which.

 

As the Cathar walked away, Roshan added almost bemoaningly, “Some day, one of you two will have the honor of ending me and continuing my work alone. But I swear, you better be worthy of it! If either of you attempt to kill me out of idiocy or cowardice, I will end you!”

 

As he voiced rattle off the cavernous passageway walls, Aliss looked at the droid and shrugged. It had been one of those days.

 

"Don't worry about him," she began, speaking just above a whisper. "It's a pet peeve. And then he gets all rambly. You'll learn quick. He just wants us to be the best."

 

Motioning towards the corridor, she adds, "After you?"

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Edited by Durose Roshan
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Solus’ metal body crashed into the ground, creating a large clang with the hard floor. As he struggled to bring himself up, not used to his body quite yet, Lord Roshan stood over and chastised the shard. Solus stayed completely silent as he listened to his now master’s words. Words about fear. Words about power and weakness and not simply being content with having power, but rather being power itself. 

 

In the days yet to come, Solus would come to recognise this moment as his first and one of his most important lessons. 

 

“Yes sir…” Solus nodded. 

 

The last words disturbed Solus greatly, though he wasn’t sure if they were entirely directed at him. He had just ascended, and now he was told he would eventually have to kill the deity responsible for it? Would he ever have that kind of strength?

 

Solus looked at Sir Aliss, and nodded at her words. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to comfort him, reassure him, or just stating a fact. 

 

“All this time without hearing another voice. It is good to feel the presence of others, even if I don’t completely understand you…” Solus thought out loud. With that he took the being’s initiative and followed Lord Roshan quietly through the dark hallways. 

 

Walking, or in this case, slithering, for Solus came surprisingly natural to him. Once or twice he had to stop to understand his own body and how it functioned, but he quickly adjusted himself and made sure he didn’t become a burden to the others.  And as he moved, he couldn’t help but think more out loud, though quietly.

 

“This is truly amazing. A world beyond worlds. A world of worlds, just like my visions. Oh those visions so long ago. My kind seperated me for being mad, but I was right! Ah, yes, I was right. My my, this is quite curious, is it not?”

 

Solus had to stop for a moment, looking into a room that branched off the hallway. It was another vault-like room, similar to the ones Roshan and Aliss had passed by before the lab, guarded by droids. This one was no different, except the door was open already and it was practically a chamber inside. On one side of the chamber the wall had been clearly broken through, as if something had managed to break through. The wall caved in on itself and mostly into the room, causing rubble to scatter everywhere. 

 

 Inside were skeletal remains of some beast. The bones, long aged and brittle to the point of having snapped in half by the weight of fallen rocks and dirt. Only the massive hound-esque skull, and its claws protruding from the dirt, stood untouched by the blade of time. Its lifeless gaze towards Solus was almost a warning of some kind. 

 

Solus gave the room barely a glance and continued following Roshan. These rooms had a sinister feel to them. Almost a graveyard more than anything. 

 

Finally the group came to a door. When it opened, the sound of metal echoed in the massive cavernous area. It was completely pitch black, save for the cracks in the ceiling where sunlight barely pierced through and the large hole at the far end of the cavern. The sun over Ishavara was setting, so what light did reach into the cavern was given a bloody tinge. The silhouette of a ship, long aged but still capable of flight, could be seen down the corridor. 

 

After a moment, something growled. In the distance, two glowing crimson eyes opened. 

 

Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Thud.

 

The beast, long aged and long forgotten, made its way towards the group. Its overgrown claws dragged on the ground before landing a large foot on the ground, echoing in the cavern. 

 

Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Thud. 

 

The beast growled again. Droplets of drool dribbled from its mouth, landing on the floor. Its hunger was endless. 

 

Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Th-CRRRAK!

 

Bones snapped underneath the beast’s foot. Through some other hidden entrance, other beings had sought to gain access to this hangar, only to be devoured by the fearsome monster.

 

Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Thud. Scrrrtch Thud…

 

The beast stopped, its form completely silhouetted by the entrance behind it and the ship, revealed its size. Originally from that sith world of Korriban, this ancient hound had been mutated and grown with Sith Alchemy beyond normalcy, to the point that even its ancient dead master didn’t trust it could be controlled any more. 

 

“Uh oh....” Solus commented. The large Tuk’ata gave out a blood curdling howl and began to charge at its prey, eager to devour these morsels. 

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As the lurking beast stalked them from the shadows, Lord Roshan had already guessed what he was facing. It wasn’t the first tomb or cache that he had run into that contained a Tuk’ata. It was an unusually large and grotesque version but the Tuk’ata were popular "guard dogs" used by the Sith as they seemed to be able to draw nourishment directly from the Force, making them seemingly immortal guardians.

 

Of greater concern to Roshan, though, was the ship itself. From the fringes of the dakrkness, Lord Roshan was able to make out the shape and he feared that the vessel was indeed a T-6 Shuttle. If so, it more than likely had hyperspace capability but no weaponry of any sort. His revenge on his rivals would have to be postponed until he could return with something much more powerful.

 

“Uh oh....”

 

Solus broke the silence when the creature finally made its move. As the creature began its charge, Lord Roshan grabbed at the other lightsaber at his belt and it’s purple beam crackled to life, mixing with the red light of his first saber. Smacking the two sabers against the metallic ground to throw up sparks, Roshan moved into a defensive combat stance while Aliss stood there in silence.

 

“Aliss! Nouleni j'rme'l Upju- Vizuni true'q!” Roshan forcefully commanded.

 

Alice rushed to his side and pointed her lightsaber towards the beast in a more aggressive stance.

 

“M'o nuxo!

 

“Lenziu juki poqu quloxouex nizruko ximle!” Aliss replied.

 

As the creature neared leaping distance, Roshan glared at Aliss.

 

“Kaou'k!”

 

“Ujoqumuxoru!” She replies as she turned off her lightsaber and began a mad dash towards the far wall to their left.

 

Roshan was not far behind as he gracefully slide across the floor in an unnaturally fluid manner for one of his size. With each quick step and spin, he rapidly edged his way across the room in a diagonal direction. With each almost ballet like movement he edged himself closer to the back left corner of the room. 

 

Had the beast not been such a feral abomination, they might have been able to reason with it or it might have realized the position they were putting it in. But unfortunately, it was time to put this mad dog down. Suddenly planting his feet firmly, he lifted one leg in front of himself about waist high as he let his foot dangle in the air. He continued to bang his lightsabers against the ground as he did so.

 

“Kaou'k, Aliss!”

 

Lord Roshan was caught in a corner as the feral beast launched into the air towards him. However, not far away to his left, Aliss had timed her run perfectly. Scaling straight up and flipping through the air, Aliss powered on her lightsaber as the two beings suddenly found themselves on a collision course.

 

Having left its feet already, the Tuk’ata was now at the mercy of their coordinated attack. If it did nothing, Aliss would stab into it and cut it open from the side. Of course, it chose to turn in the direction of her sudden burst of orange light. A grave mistake.

 

The second its eyes and body began to attempt to deal with the incoming Aliss, Lord Roshan’s dangling foot hit the metal floor with shocking force and quickness. The monster was forced to flick his head back towards Roshan as Aliss plunged her saber into the side of its right shoulder.

 

But it was already too late for the monster. Everything was happening so fast and in tandem that the creature clearly barely had a chance to react or reevaluate its situation. With his head bowed, Lord Roshan slid across the floor on his knees with his head bowed. Of course, as he glided underneath the beast, Roshan made sure that he held his dual lightsabers firmly up in the air above him. This allowed the lightsabers to use the hounds own momentum to flay open its underside as it drug lengthwise across his blades.

 

The beast gave out a blood curdling squealing series of yelps as its guts began to fall out and it thudded against the floor with a wet skid. Sliding to a stop as it collided with the corner wall, Roshan turned towards it to check on Aliss. She had done well and had managed to ride the beast until it stopped. For good measure, she plunged her saber into its head just to make sure.

 

“Tu'iea meistras zodis vinos,” exclaimed proudly as he got to his feet and turned off his lightsabers.

 

Approaching Aliss, he offered his hand to help her down from the Tuk’ata. He gave her a satisfied grin.

 

“You did well, Aliss Roshan. You will make a fine knight yet.”

 

Suddenly as Aliss moved to take his hand, her eyes got big.

 

"Vinos zioplys," a voice growled from behind Lord Roshan.

 

In the chaos of the charge, the darkness of their surroundings, and his own self-confidence, Lord Roshan had failed to realize that this grotesque experimental monster was not the only hound guarding this complex. Three others had used the distraction to edge their way towards the visitors. Two had sneaked their way towards the mysterious droid, likely more out of curious because of its Force sensitive aura. The other was seconds away from sinking its teeth into the back of Roshan's neck. Roshan had only enough time to quickly spin around and offer it his forearm instead. Yanking him to his knees, Roshan reached for his purple lightsaber and power it on as Aliss quickly jumped down from atop the dead abomination and joined Lord Roshan.

 

Seeing the lightsabers, the Tuk'ata released Roshan's arm and back off into a defensive stance. Growling at them menacingly as it paced around them, the creature yapping at the other Tuk'atas. Roshan also followed suit, directing his comments as his newly "born" creation.

 

"Well, Shard! Do you got any tricks up your sleeve? Now would be a great time to deploy a hidden missle launcher or something!"


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Solus couldn’t help but watch in awe of his lord and Sir Aliss. Their forms in how they were dealing with the monster was impressive. Not as impressive as those from his visions so long ago, but clearly Solus had made the right choice in calling Roshan a deity. He actually found himself enjoying the situation. His creator was displaying power and his creator’s follower was following suit. The two worked almost perfectly together.

 

“Perhaps, I too, can be like that. To be power itself…”

 

Solus actually saw the other hounds before his master did, or at least the two who had crept close to the unsuspecting shard. The bigger one, which Solus nicknamed Rip, had a large scar over its left eye, while the smaller one, Tear, was clearly the weakest of this ‘pack’. Both growled and drooled as they inched closer to him, their forms, while smaller than the one Roshan was dealing with, were still intimidating. 

 

“Whoah, down you...things. No need to…”

 

"Well, Shard! Do you got any tricks up your sleeve? Now would be a great time to deploy a hidden missile launcher or something!"

 

His lord’s words made Solus shut up and realize how weak he was by trying to talk these beasts down. It was obvious they either didn’t understand or didn’t care for his words. And their alpha was with Roshan so they were picking off the weaker prey. Or perhaps they just wanted to get Solus’ shard in their teeth just because it smelled right. Solus didn’t know, nor care. 

 

“Missile? No I don’t...gah, think Solus, think. What do you have? Uh, we have size, and metal, but weapons...weapons...” 

 

Solus was beginning to panic as the two hounds circled looking for an opening. Solus was trying to keep them both in sight but that was getting difficult. His maker had only given him a larger then usual chassis compared to the other security droids in the lab. He had no natural weapons like these beasts and no lightsabers or tools like Roshan. Was he to die already?

 

“No!” Solus reprimanded himself. He clenched his hands into fists, and began to coil up his tail, preparing. The hounds waited, readying to strike. “I AM a weapon! A weapon of Roshan! Show...no...weakness!” 

 

Having worked himself up, Solus gave out a battle cry. It wasn’t a traditional battle cry in the sense of a word but a noise. Before Solus had been separated from his ‘family’ the visions he had included a battle. No, a cataclysm. An orb being destroyed by another orb, with millions of lives dying, praying for mercy. The noises Solus heard in that vision were maddening. Fires burning and raging, ships crashing and exploding, people screaming and crying. Even the noises beyond human ears capability Solus was able to hear. 

 

All these noises and more Solus recalled and tried to put it into one terrifying shrilling screech. 

 

The metal on metal sound pierced the air like a knife in a wound. The shriek echoed and reverberated on the walls, creating a cacophony of sound. Solus’ own voicebox would need a tune-up later from blowing out his vocals, but the noise did its job and startled the Tuk’ata into flinching and backing down for a second. 

Solus launched himself at Tear. The two collided and rolled several times over and over. However, the sounds of the two hitting the ground couldn’t be heard, for Solus continued his battle cry. 

 

Solus landed on top of the beast, his heavy weight holding it down. With one hand he grabbed the beast’s head and restrained its thrashings, while with the other he began to beat the thing’s neck. Tear was not going down without a fight, but it was unable to lift the robotic being off. 

 

It’s partner on the other hand recovered from the sound and leapt onto the shard. Solus’ war cry stopped abruptly as the two tumbled. Solus grabbed the ground and propped himself up, just in time to see the wolf begin to recover from its leap and prepare to pounce again. 

 

Solus again coiled his tail and jumped forward. This time, when the two collided, Solus’ hands missed and failed to grab the Tuk’ata by the head. It was Solus’ turn to be on his back as Rip began to claw at his chest trying to get at his Shard hidden inside. 

 

Solus ignored the setback. While its claws were sharp, these Tuk’ata were bred for hunting people, not robots. The scratches it left would become a testament to Solus’ durability. Instead, his hands grabbed at the thing’s legs.

 

“He did say bring my enemies to their knees...” Solus spoke as the Rip’ legs snapped under the Shard’s grip. The thing howled in pain as Solus tossed it aside. It wouldn’t be a problem anymore. 

 

Solus picked himself up and looked at the other hound.  Tear was up and now ready to fight. Solus placed his fists up, readying himself. He had an idea. 

 

As predicted, Tear launched itself at Solus, intent on knocking him down. Solus moved to the side and with both hands, grabbed the thing’s tail. The hound was yanked and pulled through the air as Solus’ torso swiveled. 

 

After a complete rotation, Solus let go. 

 

“Sir Aliss! Catch!” Solus shouted as the beast flew through the air like a rock. 

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Lord Roshan almost instantly regretted asking for the Shard’s assistance as it let out an ear piercing shriek! The noise was enough to daze the Cathar’s sensitive hearing and the attacking Tut’aka didn’t fare much better. Aliss, on the other hand, winced for only a moment before her eyes lit up at the sight of the Tut’aka’s momentary weakness. She had always had an uncanny ability to lock-in when she smelled blood. It was almost as if the rest of the world dissolved around her and all other sights and sounds ceased to exist.

 

Lord Roshan would have liked to take credit for this ability of hers and often referred to it as a “Force Bubble of Focus” when he spoke of it. But the truth was, Roshan had no idea how she had developed it and how much or how little the Force played into it. All he knew was that it seemed to be triggered by intense pain or sudden bloodlust and when Aliss did “Redout,” she could be extremely formidable and insatiable.

 

Leaping into action, Aliss let out her own scream and charged the stunned beast. Her attack was so swift and efficient that the creature never saw it coming until it was too late. Catching the Tuk’ata’s leg, her blade swipe cut it clean off. As the Tuk’ata collapsed to one side, it tried to swing its tail at her in desperation, only to quickly lose that appendage as well.

 

There was a look of unholy rage in Aliss’ eyes as she stood over the terrified creature. A devilish grin rolled across the tip of her lips, bending her red-tinted skin into an uneven U-shape and showing a mouth full of teeth. Unaware of everyone else in the world at that moment, Aliss raised her lightsaber high in the air and targeted the Tuk’ata’s head with a vicious downswipe, severing it completely from the rest of its body.

 

By now, the Droid had managed to blow out his voice box or stop screaming because there were no more skrill tones emanating from its chassis. Roshan’s ears were still ringing as he approached Aliss. His arm wound was already beginning to heal itself but he chose to continue to hold his lightsaber in his off-hand. He was confident that he could fend off the girl if she got out of hand.

 

“Aliss! Turn off your lightsaber.”

 

His approach had definitely gotten her attention, but when she craned to head to glare at him it was clear that she was still lost in her bloodlust. It was the one downside to her aptitude for carnage. She didn’t know how to control it and Lord Roshan had little idea how to control her once she reached that point. They had worked on techniques over the years but they had almost always failed. It wasn’t until he actually tried restraining and shocking her with a jolt of electricity that he developed a surefire way to bring her back to reality. The only downside was that Lord Roshan’s ability to dabble into Force Lightning and project it outwords was erratic at best. He struggled to extend a controlled burst outwards from his body, much less target it. Sure, he’d occasionally have his own “Redout” moments. But those were more cases of desperation than focus or control.

 

Now within striking distance, Roshan cautiously held his lightsaber in front of him as he tried again to reach the girl, “Aliss! Your lightsaber! Drop it!”

 

Instead, the girl responded with a rapid set of large sweeping swings. Sparks of fire and burst of color splashed against the shadowed walls as Roshan carefully blocked each blow. She was pushing at him aggressively, each swing more violent and dangerous than the one before. But she also lacked the form and grace befitting a wielder of a lightsaber. Even using his off-hand, Roshan was confident that he could kill her.

 

Of course, he also knew he wouldn’t have to. He just needed his little wildling to get within his reach. But her attack was so violent and relentless, more so than usual. Lord Roshan was quite impressed. At least, until he stumbled on the tail of the dead abomination behind him and found himself on his back.

 

With his lightsaber in front of him to block her blade, Aliss raised her saber with reckless abandon, coming down again and again and again as if Roshan’s lightsaber was some sort of usually shaped nail that she had stubbed her toe on just moments before.

 

Such fury. Such fire. Such passion!

 

Then in the distance came a noise. It was Solus. 

 

“Sir Aliss! Catch!”

 

Between the darkness and his own troubles, the droid was likely completely unaware of their own predicament. But by spinning and tossing one of his attacking Tuk’ata’s at the two, the Shard’s actions were enough to inadvertantly resolve Lord Roshan’s current problem. The girl had no choice but to halt her attack and pivot to face the helpless Tuk’ata hurtling towards her. And the second she leaped into the air and cut it in half, Roshan was back on his feet with one hand pressed into the crevices of her back. With a sudden burst of energy, Aliss fell to her knees and collapsed as the two halves of the tuk’ata broke apart and thudded against the near wall.

 

Turning over his lightsaber, Roshan placed the hilt back at his side and walked past the unconscious Aliss to collect her orange saber. Looking up at Solus, he smiled. Then reaching behind the cloak of his Sith armor, Lord Roshan pulled out a Sith mask and placed it over his face.

 

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Looking around and surveying the area for any other hidden enemies, his gaze finally returned to rest on Solus. The mask added a more sinister reverberation to his voice as he addressed his Shard ally. 

 

“I cannot say that I appreciated all your tactics, Soulless one. But you fought well in your first true taste of battle. Take the Tut’aka and drag it onto the ship. I will take the girl. It can be useful to use once it heals and is properly trained. You are its conqueror so it is yours to name.”

 

Reaching down and carefully collecting Aliss from the ground, Lord Roshan throws her over his shoulder before adding, “What say you, Soulless? Shall we seek a Sith Master greater than I to complete your training and multiply the weapons you have at your disposal? I believe it is time.”
 

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Edited by Durose Roshan
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Solus almost shivered at the sight of the mask on Roshan’s face. Never mind the eerie feeling earlier, that face was sinister in its own right. 

 

However, at Roshan’s words, Solus was no longer creeped out. Instead, he was swelling with pride. 

 

“Thank you sir, I tried my beztszzstz” Solus stopped as his voicebox began to malfunction slightly. Solus couldn’t describe it, but his electromagnetic sense could feel the disruption in it.  It still amazed him how he could actually feel the entire chassis that was his body. He didn’t understand his body fully yet, but he could feel every piece of his body. Every wire, every gear, every socket….it was fascinating. 

 

“Wha? Oh, rigthzzdts, thzzr zfrzz” Solus tried to speak, failing miserably. Still, he obeyed as he slithered his way back to the fallen hound. The beast was growling all the while the shard approached. Solus got to look at how much damage he really did to the thing. The bones in it’s legs were completely snapped, to the point that a piece was sticking out. 

 

“I wonszt ifzz, zzah forget it” Solus threw his arms up and moved around to the thing’s backside. He hoisted the thing over his shoulder, despite it’s howlings and snappings. It thrashed about, but without use of its front legs, it was having troubles being anything more then annoying. 

 

“Hey! Shutzz brzp!” Solus tried to shout at it, and with a free hand smacked its body. The thing flinched and continued to snap and thrash. 

 

 Solus approached and boarded the ship behind Roshan. He tossed the beast into a corner where it continued to thrash. 

 

“Lord Roshanzzshf” Solus started and smacked his head twice to try to correct the voicebox before it messed up further. “The beast is named Tear. And I am eager to complete my...er...trainizfzs” 

 

Truth be told, Solus didn't know what to think. But his Lord wanted to do this, so Solus wanted to do as well. After all, Roshan's cause was Solus' cause now. 

Edited by Solus

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Roshan honestly couldn't understand much of what the Shard's droid body was saying as it spoke. It's vocabulator was clearly having serious issues. It was probably repairable but Aliss was more of the person that liked to take things apart and put them back together again. Lord Roshan was more about killing things. He left that boring stuff like fixing things to others.

As he walked past the maimed creature, Roshan watched it thrash. The beast had been injured quite badly by Solus. It wasn't like it couldn't be corrected with a little effort, patched up, and then allowed to heal. But the hound would probably be out of commission for at least several weeks to a few months.

 

Spoiler

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Boarding the T-6 Shuttle, Roshan found it to be as cramped as he expected.  In its landing configuration, the ship sat horizontally, supported by a trio of landing gear. The cockpit, somewhat conical in shape, remained aligned with the body of the craft, with the three engines likewise horizontally aligned with the body of the shuttle. The engine block was attached to the main corridor that led to the cockpit. There was one loading ramp leading up to the interior of the ship and it was located on the port side of the engine block section. 

Inside, there were two small but spacious living quarters on each side of the main corridor. Outside of the main living quarters, there was a small room with a lavatory on one side and a room with a basic refresher on the other. This was far from a luxury cruiser cruiser and had clearly been configured for one to two passengers at most in spite of the king-size beds inside the rooms. The saving grace of the living spaces themselves, perhaps, was that they looked almost like upscale hotel rooms in size and function (minus the bathrooms, of course). 

This was the type of ship that he had heard stories about in the past but never been aboard before. The ultimate downside was the lack of weaponry as it was the type of ship designed to shuttle around ambassadors and dignitaries as opposed to fighting wars. Thankfully, it had a hyperdrive. And that was the most important thing.

Setting Aliss on the bed of the room to the right, Roshan removed his mask and set it in the room on a nearby counter. He then headed to the cockpit to fire up the old relic. It shook and sputtered for a moment before flickering on and beginning to hum. In the background, the Cathar could hear the Tut'aka yelping as Solus dragged it on board and left it in the hallway. It wasn't the most ideal location for the beast, but it would do for the time being.

With the ship powered up, Roshan hit a few switches and communicated with the hangar bay itself. With all the pre-flight settings engaged, the roof above them began to open as particles of dirt and dust and sand began to pour down in front of them. It was wise that the Sith had not parked this vessel directly below the hangar opening. Otherwise, it might have been an increasingly inauspicious start for the makeshift trio. 

“Lord Roshanzzshf... beast is named Tear. And I am eager to complete my...er...trainizfzs”

Roshan looked back over his shoulder at the sound of Solus' voice as he hit a few buttons in the cockpit and the loading ramp began to close. He input the launch sequences and slowly began to lift the vessel into the air, navigating it out of the opening above them. Entering flight mode, the wings attached to the cockpit and engine block rotated ninety degrees, pouring off the little bits of excess soil that had managed to land on them from above.

"Tear it is," Roshan smirked. "Tear will make a fine pet once he has properly been rehabbed. Every Lord needs a follower and every warrior needs a companion. Tear shall be yours to domesticate and nurse back to health. To be a great weapon, you cannot only be blunt force and sharp edges. Learning to move, train, and lead others is essential to being well rounded. Those of flesh feel. Perhaps you do as well, Soulless?"

The ship rattled a little as he spoke. They had now broken the planet's atmosphere. Alone in the dark void of space, with the planet at their back, Lord Roshan brought up the ship's star chats with the nav-computer. A particular location of note flashed on the screen. The name listed on the screen was unfamiliar to him. Perhaps it was in high Sith or some other language. All the same, Lord Roshan believed it to be a location of interest and was willing to see where it led. Perhaps they might find a Sith master that would be willing to train an Cathar and a droid. Maybe not. Not knowing was half of the fun. Punching it in, the astrogation computer began to do the computations.

Turning back to Solus again, Roshan commented, "Soulless, perhaps you might be so kind as to move the hound into the room to the left? These are ambassador style quarters. There should most likely be some sort of first aid kit and perhaps some nice alcohols if we are lucky. Perhaps if you are careful enough, you can give Tear some alcohol for the pain, reset the bones, bandage it up, and maybe check on Aliss once you are done? I'll be in the cockpit if you need me. Have Aliss look at that vocabulator of yours if she's awake, would you?"

As Roshan finished his last sentence, the screen in front of him flashed. It was time. Gripping the handle in front of him tightly and pushing the lever forward, the ship stalled for a second and then jolted, punching into hyperspace and leaving Ishvara behind. Roshan was unsure just how long the trip would take them traveling through hyperspace. But the void of space was calling and it would be their home for the time being.

 

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Edited by Durose Roshan
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"Tear will make a fine pet once he has properly been rehabbed. Every Lord needs a follower and every warrior needs a companion. Tear shall be yours to domesticate and nurse back to health. To be a great weapon, you cannot only be blunt force and sharp edges. Learning to move, train, and lead others is essential to being well rounded. Those of flesh feel. Perhaps you do as well, Soulless?"

 

Soulless, perhaps you might be so kind as to move the hound into the room to the left? These are ambassador style quarters. There should most likely be some sort of first aid kit and perhaps some nice alcohols if we are lucky. Perhaps if you are careful enough, you can give Tear some alcohol for the pain, reset the bones, bandage it up, and maybe check on Aliss once you are done? I'll be in the cockpit if you need me. Have Aliss look at that vocabulator of yours if she's awake, would you?"

 

Solus nodded and turned back to Tear, who instantly began growling at the Shard. Solus tried to growl back, but with his voice box the way it was, it came out as a bunch of garbled noises. Still, it didn’t bug him too much, as he simply came up beside it and began to pull at its tail. The beast yelped and struggled but had no chance to struggle. After having dragged it into the leftmost room, Solus struggled to place Tear on the bed itself. However, after some snappings and yelpings, Solus accomplished this too and studied the beast. 

 

The thing’s front legs were terribly snapped and broken. The power of Solus’ hands had done a brutally good job. Solus leaned in, trying to study the legs. Something about the legs were fascinating. The bruised skin, the way the bones seemed disjointed, the way blood oozed slowly out of a pierced paw… Solus reached forward to move the legs slightly for a better look, but was surprised when Tear suddenly latched it’s mouth onto Solus’ semi-conical shaped head. 

 

Solus buzzed with annoyance as he smacked the thing’s head over and over. Eventually Solus got himself released and tried shouting at the thing, but again, only static. Annoyed with both the beast and himself, he reached up to his own head. 

 

I need to talk properly. But gah, this...wait… Solus’ hands began to tinker. It was an odd sensation. Like picking at a nerve tissue that was still connected. Or pulling at a fingernail. Or scratching an inch perhaps. The sensation of picking at his own body. But he could sense the body completely. Solus could tell exactly what he was doing. A touch here….a push here…

 

“Ah! Ah ha ha! That’s….amazing!” Solus proclaimed as he closed his head plating back up. “It’s like...well i don’t know what it’s like...but man! Are all bodies able to do this? Are all gods able to do this?” 

 

A growl at this question made the shard remember Tear. 

 

“Oh right, of course not. Otherwise Lord Roshan would have fixed you up. Now let’s see those legs…”  

 

Having regained the ability to speak, Solus began to hum as he reached forward. When Tear snapped at him, Solus slapped its nose away, to which it growled but backed off. Solus poked once at the wounds, testing the way they felt, and immediately Tear growled and hissed. 

 

“Knock it off! You dumb...thing!” Solus bopped Tear’s nose and made a growling noise in response. “I am your master, and thus you listen to me!” 

 

Tear growled again but Solus ignored it. Following Lord Roshan’s instructions, Solus grabbed a bottle of some kind of clear liquid, and bored a bit on Tear’s wounds. It yelped and struggled a bit, but Solus worked with it. He continued by tearing off some of the bed sheets, and wrapping them around the thing’s legs. “

 

During this entire process, Solus was actually excited and curious. Tear’s body was so much different from his own. But then again, so was Lord Roshan’s. Solus’ was of metal, and theirs was of flesh. So different, yet both had life.

 

Excited at how he performed his task, he declared loudly “Tear’s all good now...I think! Haha, yes, he is good. You are good aren’t you?” Tear growled in response. Solus’ chest metaphorically swelled with pride. He hoped Lord Roshan would be happy with him. Or Sir Aliss. 

 

Solus slithered back out and headed to the cockpit, completely forgetting about Aliss and how she was doing. “Lord Roshan, sir, Tear is bandaged up and while he didn’t like it, he, uh...he’s bandaged up.” 

 

After a pause, Solus had to ask. “Um, Lord, a question. I swore to your cause but...what is it? Your cause? After all, you are a god, and you ascended me...so what is the goal that I work towards? I understand to become a powerful weapon, but...what does that mean?”

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