Bespin: (Black Sun's) Cloud City

[Zadkiel]

Zad took in every word of Kakuto Ryu as gospel, knowing he would be hard pressed to find better advice from any soul in the Galaxy. What he said made sense and it would take a lot of looking to find a set of armor that suited Zad's tastes, but as they said ”˜there is something out there for everyone.'

 

His muscles contracting at the touch of the blissful force fueled electrocution. Pain was something he knew intimately and it was arguably the only thing he knew with such depth. Ryu's words rang truer then ever as he spoke Zad's philosophy without having ever heard it. He withered in pain on the ground, his face muscles tensing and causing his face to scrunch up. He forced his muscles to respond; pushing them past what any mundane person could do under such an assault and stood up. Not quite straight, but he was standing none the less with a twisted grin upon his face.

 

”œPain has been my only ally and I have embraced it daily”¦”

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto's face was exposed. For the most part, he'd keep his mask off unless he needed it. By default, he kept it on his belt.

 

"Goooooood..."

 

Kakuto smirked.

 

"Then we will move on to the other disciplines. Once your hatred is at its peek, you can summon the force itself to take control. Go berserk, release all your hatred and ignore your own metal faculties. This is a common move for the Warrior, and will be your greatest tool. You will find that it comes mostly from instinct, and that forcing it is near impossible. When the time is right, it will happen."

[Zadkiel]

Zadkiel shifted where he stood, interested in the idea that Kakuto had just introduced him too. He had experienced something akin to what the”¦former Dark Lord was saying, but he had always attributed that to his utter hatred driving him so far that all actions were driven by instinct. He had only come close to that state once and it was in that mindless state that all his worries, pains, and all the ill of the worlds faded from thought so that he only drew anger from them without all the negative aspects, such as having to deal with the thoughts constantly nagging at him.

 

His finger twitched; the hairs on the back of his neck rose as the force alerted him to someone coming down the street, two people in fact, at a very slow pace. Soon he heard the voice of an old lady asking for directions. He closed his eyes, letting the hatred he felt for the man that had assaulted his being with the force rise to the surface and over come him. Everything, as he saw it, seemed to shimmer with heat for a few seconds as the transition occurred. His body twisted around as the hilt on his belt flew into his hand and ignited. His face was viewed in a crimson glow during the seconds before he moved forward.

 

He heard the little boy scream as he decapitated his grandmother. He brought his lightsaber around in a crescent moon arc which allowed him to slice the child from navel to chops with ease. Both bodies were blown back as he crossed the street, moving into a restaurant. It was full of patrons that had been having a good time before he entered, but a hush had fallen over them when the figure wielding a lightsaber had entered.

 

After a twirl of his lightsaber, he threw it and sent it flying around the bar as close to the wall as it could get without actually being hindered by it. He grabbed the man closest to him and punched him in the face with his right hand. His fist repeatedly slammed into the man's face until at last Zad ducked low, letting his saber cut the mine in two before catching it.

 

He made short work of the rest of the patrons before returning to Kakuto with a fine sheen of sweat covering his body, accentuating his muscular frame. He brushed some of the dirty blond hair out of his face as a hint of a grin came over his devious features.

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto nodded in approval.

 

"Your final mastery is fear. Fear is a potent weapon for any Sith, and for a Warrior it will become essential. Fear will disrupt armies, make your enemies flee, make fleets fall into disorder, and most importantly prevent people from grouping up on you. Intimidation will keep people from thinking straight, organizing, taking reasonable, tactical action against you. People fear me even without the force. My legacy is intimidating. When my ship appears, people worry that I'm coming for them. This, however, only comes with time.

 

Violence. Gore. Nightmares. Horror. These are the tools of the trade. The more blood that is on your hands from the last person you killed, the more it'll weigh in on the mind of the next. Use the Force to coerce people into focusing on it. Bombard their mind with images of it. Mental barriers don't guard against this kind of attack, because they're the ones who make the real scars. Fear is personal. All you need do is provide the conditions to inspire fear, and they will destroy themselves.

 

Go. Practice this, and return to me. The last lesson will be in Weapons."

[Zadkiel]

Zadkiel nodded and left the alleyway. His eyes scanned the streets and listened to the sirens as they approached the restaurant where he had just slaughtered a handful of innocents. He approached the street corner and stopped, watching two police cruisers and a swat transport rocket down the street towards the area where he was standing. Most likely going to the restaurant, but someone had likely seen him and reported what he looked like as well.

 

The first speeder stopped to his right, the transport in front of him and the second speeder to his left; effectively blocking him from leaving. He felt amused that they would make such a big deal over someone like him when Kakuto Ryu himself was standing just down the street. If only they knew what sort of hell could be unleashed on this planet, they would have drove straight past him.

 

They got out, drawing their weapons and leveling them at his unarmored body. He looked to the right speeder, letting the images of what happened to the old lady and her grandson fill their mind in quick, bright flashes. The ones with kids at home felt the fear all the more. He began turning his head, letting the images move to the people that had emptied out of the transport. A single crimson rod of light ignited in a flash”¦then they experienced the vision of that same blade twisting its way around a room killing screaming innocents that weren't quick enough to duck or dodge out of the way.

 

He followed the same method for the last speeder. He saw several of them turn tail and run and when the rest found the resolve to stay he moved his hand towards his lightsaber, lightly running his fingers down the hilt as he intensified his efforts by instilling visions of a human hand pulling open what was once a small hole in someone's chest and ripping out vital organs while their chest still rose and fell with the beat of their heart.

 

Several of the men fell to the ground, their minds broken. Others ran and a handful of them dropped their weapons”¦too afraid to do anything else. With a smile he systematically ended their lives by crushing their trachea, then he returned to Kakuto.

 

”œA very potent tool, though I'll need to work on it.”

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto jumped down from his box, content that the Lord knew enough about the arts to master them himself. Kakuto began drawing weapons, starting with his Pearl lightsaber.

 

"Your first and most important weapon is your lightsaber. The lightsaber is unrivaled for fast attack and raw offensive power. Your lightsaber is important, and improving it should be one of your first and foremost cause. The more powerful your lightsaber, and the more skilled you are with it, the more deadly you'll be in most combat. However--"

 

Kakuto pulled another lightsaber off his belt, one he'd stolen from a Jedi in years past. He ignited both, the magnificent pearl lightsaber seeming to shadow the standard blue one.

 

"--people have a tendency to want to break your lightsaber. It's an annoying habit, since construction can be tedious, but it's something you have to work around."

 

Kakuto threw the blue one into the air, cracking open the false panel in his arm and launching his hidden third lightsaber into the air after it. He proceeded to juggle the blades as he finished the lesson.

 

"For this reason there's really no such thing as too many lightsabers, so long as it doesn't become ridiculous or cumbersome. I like to have my third hidden within my mechanical arm, such that even if I were to be captured and stripped of my weapons, I'd have one that couldn't easily be removed."

 

As the lightsabers came down he individually deactivated them and guided them to their resting place on his body. As the final landed inside his arm, he went to his back and pulled down his recently retrieved lightning hammer.

 

"Secondly, you have to have a good armor breaker. Due to the increasing regularity of Cortosis, Phrik, and other items that are immune to lightsaber, it's important to have answers for those time. I like the hammer. When I first came up with the concept, I was running on the logic of there being 'no such thing as a hammer proof armor.' This has served me well, and through many adaptations my warhammers have become a personal trademark. I have several versions, all of which are meant to serve a specific purpose. Generally, my hammer alternates with my mood, but each does work in specific situations. This one is my all-purpose lightning hammer. I have another similar, but not force based, to work in Ysalimari. It, however, is less effective. I have another that instills plague, and another that regenerates my body as it destroys others'."

 

Kakuto slung the hammer over his shoulder, pulling the double bladed lightsaber from his back and one of his trowing daggers from his side.

 

"Next we have ranged weapons. Sometimes people will try to fight you from a distance, citing that the warrior is most effective when he's on top of his foes. When it's difficult to close the gap quickly, a ranged weapon will sometimes be a wise choice. I have my throwing lightsaber; which can be used against a number of people at once, and these fancy little daggers; which are made of cortosis so I can break through the defense of anyone who might be using a lightsaber to block. Either can be used for regular melee attacks--which is totally intentional--but I chose not to such that they're still in good shape should I need them. Generally, my regular Melee weapons are more potent anyway."

 

The Champion of the Sith reholstered his weapons, holding out his mechanical arm.

 

"Finally, there's my Arm. It really serves no explicit purpose to my arsenal, but it offers me a few utility choices for the unexpected situations. It's made of Sith Steel, so I can catch or deflect lightsabers. In the wrist is a lightsaber, as you saw before. A hookshot--"

 

Kakuto's hand split apart and collapsed into the arm, folding up to reveal the menacing steel harpoon.

 

"--which I use to grapple people, or jump from place to place, etc. And finally, my most devastating weapon--"

 

Kakuto's hand reformed around the hookshot, the back plate opening up to reveal his red, glowing Gem.

 

"--is my Sith Amulet. It's really an end all answer to any situation, but it's hard to use, and hard to aim, so if you don't make the shot count you're very unlikely to survive. I use it with quite a bit of caution, but it's without a doubt the most powerful weapon in my arsenal."

 

Kakuto locked it into place again, wrapping armored his fingers around the mechanical wrist.

 

"That is all the weapons I have. You will want to have weapons for each purpose. Mirroring this is unadvisable, as some weapons will suit some people better than others. But it is important to have all these situations in mind when you pick your gear. Beyond that, there's not much I can teach you. Get armor. Get weapons. Find things that'll break armor and prevent kiting. Remember that things like lightning, fire, blasters, and even lightsabers can be resisted or prevented, and your best bet is to have something that runs off of raw physical power. With enough muscle, nothing is impossible. That is the mindset of the warrior. Remember that. Go now, and return to me when you are proficient with all your new gear. I will give you your trial then."

[Zadkiel]

Zadkiel nodded his head, knowing the perfect place to go already. He took his leave from the alleyway, then the planet, and soon the system on his way to Kamino.

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto spent the following week enjoying the scenery, lurking in the shadows of the upset location and causing havoc. In just shy of 7 days 666 murders were committed, each positioned and executed in a particular manner--the public security sector eventually settling on the idea that it was the work of two rival street gangs. Police were on full alert, and the gangs were on the edge; afraid that at any moment they would be murdered by their rivals.

 

Kakuto Lay Quietly on the high rooftops of the city, admiring the brilliantly colored night sky from just beside his favorite spot--where he had himself first become a master. He smirked as he watched the twirling gas clouds contorting to make a rainbow of colors between the stars, waiting for his learner to return with new equipment to show the Former Dark Lord.

[Zadkiel]

Zad's cloaked form moved through the streets. All those who laid eyes upon him felt his intimidating presence magnified via the fear technique he had only just learned a few weeks ago. His armor and the majority of his weapons were concealed; save for the large staff that was as tall as he was that rested on his back. It was a unique weapon that had taken a full weak just to properly assemble using the few obscure tid-bits of information he could find on it as a basis for his design.

 

He could feel the presence of Kakuto Ryu, former Dark Lord of the Sith and Master Warrior atop one of the many buildings. It only required minor effort to make his way to the top of the building, all the while enjoying the surges of negative energy that surrounded practically ever person in this sector most likely due to Ryu having been around them for so long.

 

He stopped just short of the massive, imposing figure and waited for him to speak.

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto stood up slowly, grinning at the freshly armed Lord.

 

"Show me what you have acquired."

[Zadkiel]

Zad let his cloak fall to the ground, revealing his rather bumpy armor and the weapons fastened at his hips. The first item he lifts is of course his lightsaber, the only weapon he when he first showed up on this planet. It was finely crafted, but it left room for improvement considering how long he had been a Sith and that he was a Warrior. After quietly fastening it back in its place, he lifts up a steel baseball bat roughly one and a half feet in length. It was obviously meant to be a skull cracker that would be wielding single handedly.

 

”œI plan to have this altered in two ways. First I will have repulsor technology added so when I hit, it's that much more brutal and I am going to have a Krath alter it so that it has freezing properties”¦so that my brutal hits are just that much more amusing.”

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto Ryu smirked at the additions to Zad's arsenal.

 

"Then let your trial start now. There are three rival active in the city; two street gangs and a gradually weakening police force. In the past week I have taken the liberty of getting all three prepared for an all out street war, through a bit of persuasion. The first gang wears green, the second is comprised mostly of those ugly three-eyed aliens; they wear yellow. The police should be fairly easy to recognize. Your task is, using the weapons you have on you (and perhaps a little bit of disguise), to destroy all three factions in there entirety."

 

Police sirens broke the silence of the night, red and blue lights flashing in the distance.

 

"I've taken the liberty of starting you off. The police should arrive shortly, looking for the person who ripped out the spine of that man down there."

 

Kakuto pointed casually to a dismembered corpse on the street below them.

 

"Begin."

 

Kakuto clicked his heel, collapsing the roof below and disappearing into the building.

 

I'll be watching. Don't screw up.

 

((Take at least 3 posts, preferably of moderate length and high violence. Don't get too far from combat. I'll be throwing in some curves if inspiration strikes me." For the most part you should have creative control of how the forces come at you, and how they react to you, but if you make it too easy on yourself I may step up to make it more challenging. Good luck.))

[Zadkiel]

Zad looked down at the body and by the time he looked back up Kakuto was gone, into the building's depths presumably to find a position to watch his first actions from. He leapt down off the building, failing and cushioning his impact through the force. Still the concrete was broken and pushed aside at the force of his impact, but the Warrior merely walked forward to the bottom and grabbed the lifeless man's head.

 

He could feel a large amount of energy pulsing in the air, telling him that there was a large gathering not that far away. He could only assume that it was one of the gangs. Luckily it was in the opposite direction of the sirens. He quickly left the scene, dragging the body behind him as to leave a bloody trial, and moved towards the gathering. The man's hair was moist with sweat and sticky with blood, but Zad paid that no mind as he heard the first hints of music from inside the apartment building.

 

A perverse grin consumed his face as he saw several of the ”˜ugly three-eyed aliens' that he had been told of. He felt an instant hatred for the sub-species. They had no right to live, no right to fight, or think. They deserved death”¦a brutally sublime beating that would leave them within an inch of their life, so that they might bleed out with no one around to cry over their worthless body. They were not Human. Their existence was doomed from the start.

 

He left the body near the building and moved forward, pulling his bat free as he did. One alien had been facing him and saw him coming with the bat. He moved to draw his blaster, but before he could a razor blade ripped through his throat. The wound was instantly cauterized upon entrance and exit, but it had moved to fast to do the same to the jugular. The alien clutched his throat as blood began to pour out of his mouth and down into his lungs, drowning him.

 

The one he had been talking to turned just in time to see the dull steel of Zad's bat collide with his skull. The crunching sound that followed was simply orgasmic in the eyes of the Sith known as Zadkiel. He didn't leave the man with only the shattered cranium, no, he continued. The alien fell to the ground and he called upon the force to give him a supernatural beating. Blood sprayed his face and a laugh escaped his lips. Brain goo stick to the bat and was flung off when he lifted it back to bring it down for another hit.

 

The being cried out in pain as long as he could, but the music was too loud for anyone else to hear him. When at last he stopped beating the lifeless body, he turned his gaze to the alley he had come through. Flashlights were bouncing around; the police had found the trail and were following it. He ripped a piece of the alien's yellow shirt off and took off.

 

__

 

Nearly four blocks away he arrived at a similar scene, apparently he was right on the boarder of the gang's territories. He watched for several minutes until he picked the perfect women out of the crowd. He wanted to take his time with this as there were more then enough gang members and police officers to last several hours with constant blood shed. By morning there would be an all out war”¦but for now, he would further set the stage.

 

She was outside by herself, getting some fresh air. Apparently she didn't like all the smoke inside the building; she must have been someone's younger sister then. Humans cared for their own, so he knew if he took her they would come. She turned her back, on her way back in. That was when he struck, swooping in and covering her mouth with his hand. He leaned close to her, whispering in her ear”¦”

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto crouched along the rooftops, watching Zadkiel's progress. His eyes fixed on what he was doing, his cyberbrain allowing him to mentally zoom in on the images he saw. He followed closely behind Zad, muffling his footsteps and hiding his force signature such that he would not realize how nearby the Master really was.

 

((OOC: Continue. Good set-up.))

[Zadkiel]

Zad lurked in the shadow's, watching thugs fire blasters out of window's as the police tried to take them down. He could see a special unit's speeder a block away, out of sight of most of the people here. They would probably be able to clear the building and put an end to this fight before it truly began; that would be unacceptable. He heard the soft pitter patter of foot steps and the sharp yells of humans behind him. He couldn't help but grin, knowing that a human would notice her missing far before any other species could have hoped too.

 

He moved forward, slipping around the back of the building to find the special force unit that would surely be trying to sneak in. Several of the three eyed, disgusting creatures came out of a door on the side of the building which prompted Zad to pull the staff off of his back and thrust the bottom of it forward. The dull steel entered the thing's face and came out of the back of his skull. He was alive for several seconds afterwards”¦until he ripped it's head to the side, slamming it into his partner's head which made him stumble to the side, struggling to hold onto consciousness.

 

Zad pulled the blood soaked tip back then thrust it through the other creature's chest. Its pierced lung, it screamed, Zad let out an insane laugh that echoed through the alley and would send chills through the hearts of every figure that heard it. The body fell to the ground as Zad continued on his way. The air was alive with hatred and blood. It filled the Warrior with a perverse pleasure knowing that this was only the beginning-and as if on cue he heard the sweet sound of an E-Web in front of the building. It would cut through all who stood in front of it.

 

His senses sharpened as he stopped at the corner. He could hear soft foot steps, he could feel the paranoia all around the group, the eagerness for blood shed”¦yet the composure required to not make a mistake. His ear twitched at the sound of a weapon being cocked. It was obvious they wanted this gang dead”¦and they wanted that death to be painful. A smile graced his lips and he moved around the corner. At first they didn't notice him, but he was still twenty meters away when they did.

 

The warrior made no effort to speed up and when they lifted his weapons his crazed grin only widened. They opened fire, the silences on their slug throwers ensuring that no one else heard them. The slugs slammed into his armor, denting it inwards much to his pleasure. Pain was what drove him, what carried him from day to day, and the cause for the scars that covered his once perfect physique. He could feel the armor pressing in and with each thud his eyes became a bit wider, his mouth opened a bit wider, and his blood lust grew that much more.

 

A scarlet beam escaped the tip of his scythe, curing downwards into a fearsome weapon. The fear was amplified through the force, causing several of the soldiers to turn tail and run and the others to freeze in fear. The first two were sliced in half with ease as the weapon ignored their powersuits. The next one had his throat pierced with the butt end of the weapon and the two that had ran were caught in the back, each with one lightrazor blade, and sent face first into the ground.

 

Zad slowly approached them, pausing when he heard an explosion out front; music to his ears. He lifted his boot above the first soldier, and then slammed it down. The helmet folded inwards at the pressure and blood began pouring onto the pavement. He did the same to the next soldier”¦relishing the feeling of his life disappearing from the force in such a brutal way.

 

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He twisted around, calling the two deactivated blades back to their holder as he did, to see what was causing the force to warn him. Something impacting his left shoulder, piercing his armor, his shoulder, and coming to a halt as it pushed the back portion of his armor out a bit. He growled in frustration, but his body reacted in a different way-taking a liking to the pain a bit too much. His body twisted around from the force, but he was able to stay up. The high powered rifle and its user were lifted from the ground and flew through the air until they were both right in front of him.

 

The rifle turned to face its owner until the barrel was pressed against his temple.

 

”œYou should have shot to kill.”

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto sat on the rooftop chewing on popcorn.

 

"Good show."

 

((OOC: More infrastructure. Don't just kill people, remember to be prepared to take down entire buildings, potential vehicles, etc. I expect that the police station should be leveled by the end of the challenge. Try to deal with flying units.))

[Zadkiel]

((Patience is a Virtue))

 

Most of those that had been in the apartment building had gathered towards the front, taking up a position that would offer them protection as they shot at those below. Every so often he'd come across a small grouping of a few females and children, or something similar, and a few times he happened across a few men that didn't have it in them to fight. They were probably the ones that had the largest ego's, but when push came to shove they weren't even able to lift a blaster and help their comrades.

 

”¦Kill me”¦

 

The voice was his own, reminding him of his own darkest hour. There was a spark of anger and he decapitated the disgraces before him. He moved forward, faster now, and merely cut down anyone in his path. He could hear the E-web in the front room and the scent of charred flesh filled the air. As he entered the room, preparing to take over the weapon emplacement an explosion shook the ground and sent him flying back against the wall.

 

He growled in frustration and moved forward. The gunner had been killed, leaving the weapon for the taking. He could hear the sound of a fighter in the air, but it was moving far to slow to be anything new. That meant it wasn't the police that brought out the big guns, rather it was one of the gangs. With a glance outside he was able to pick out the slow fighter, the Y-Wing., as well as the flaming wreckage of one of the police vehicles. Grabbing the weapon, he brought it around and targeted one of the speeders that hadn't been hit yet. Several officers were using it as cover”¦

 

The barrel began spinning, releasing a barrage of bolts. They left scorch marks at first, but soon began penetrating the armor of the vehicle. The police knew what was coming and tried to run, but the explosion enveloped them too quickly. The Y-Wing was coming around for another pass, this time it looked to be targeting the apartments. He raised his weapon and opened fire-only to see the shields absorb the entirety of his attack. All he could do was pull the weapon out of the window and jump out, running from the apartments towards the police.

 

His crimson saber ignited and became a blurred flurry of movement as it turned away an onslaught of shots. He felt a rush of hot air that turned to a burn as it carried him forward; the explosion took out the entire front portion of the house were the majority of the gang members had been firing from.

 

Zad hit the ground in a roll, skittering to a halt against a wall. Several of the officers that had regained their composure after the attack had closed in on him, leveling their weapons and yelling something at him that he couldn't make out.

 

You're a pathetic pile of”¦

 

The words came to him, but his mind wouldn't finish the sentence. It was the monotone voice of an androgynous women that he despised in every since of the word. Rage filled his body and in a flash both officers were down and he was bounding between the buildings, pushing himself ever higher as the Y-Wing made its approach once again. The pilot had become the target of his ire this time and as such he had to die. He had to be put down.

 

With one last push off from near the top of the building he was able to come down on top of the fighter, just behind the cockpit. This particular version was a two-seater with a small ion cannon on top. He ignited his lightsaber and twirled it once so that the blade was pointing downwards. The Sith Warrior pressed his palm against the bottom of the hilt and shoved the weapon forward, through the ships hull and into the pilot's skull. He did the same with the other man and within seconds the ship was losing altitude, threatening to slam into the building across the streets from the partially demolished apartments.

 

His eyes scanned the controls, finding the weapons he used the force to activate the explosives on the bomber. At the last second before impact, he back flipped off”¦making it thirty meters away before the explosion, which carried him ever higher and threatened to melt his suit to his body. The extreme heat upon his body forced him to grit his teeth in pain, but it wasn't as bad as the first instant after he hit the ground and had the air knocked out of him. He groaned, pressing his body up and looking towards the ground. Fiery had consumed the building and it was threatening to collapse in on itself”¦and still there were people fighting below. The few remaining police speeders were retreating, with the human gang chasing after them on speeder bikes and swoops.

 

Zadkiel leapt upwards and came down on top of one of the swoop riders. The vehicle was pushed down and almost hit the ground, but was quickly lifted back up as the former pilot was tossed free. He gripped the throttle and pressed it all the way forward, beginning his pursuit of the retreating police force”¦

[Kakuto Ryu]

 

((OCC: Fantastic. You might work on getting a grappling tool or a ship that'll let you get airborne fast, since a jump won't always do the trick even with the aid of the force.))

[Zadkiel]

The police cruisers pulled into the garage at the station and quickly tried to shut the large doors before any of their pursuers could get in. There were only a handful of gang members left, but the police station was still full of officers. Zad had purposely let himself fall the middle of the pack, letting those surrounding him unwittingly become his meat shields. When he took note of the door closing, he slowed his speed and focused on the leader of the back.

 

The man's head suddenly jerked to an odd angle. He was dead, but his speeder continued barreling forward until it exploded against the thick doors in a fiery display that pleased the little kid in Zad. The other speeder bikes and swoops turned away to avoid crashing into the debris; Zadkiel merely powered forward into the lower portions of the hanger before him. His armor protected him from most of the fire and the swoop only had minor trouble with the debris.

 

They had set up a defensive line near the back where they were preparing to lay waste to anyone that dared to enter. In a spectacular display of acrobatics, a key instrument to Zad's secondary style, he leapt off of his swoop and ignited his weapon. The majority of the shots were unable to touch him while he was in the air and by the time he touched the ground the swoop had exploded and cut the line in half. There were still at least thirty men in the room with ten more coming out of doors on either side of him.

 

He deactivated his weapon and brought his arms inwards. The tiny bumps on his arm exploded outwards, sending dull and sharp razor blades out in every direction. The screams that filled the air were horrifyingly sweet and would only fuel the Sith further in his rampage. He made short work of the remaining few that had been untouched, and then made his way up the stairs in the far corner to the main hanger area.

 

He went around to every ship that had missiles loaded onto it and set the timer for five minutes-only activating the timer once each one was set so that they'd be hooked together.

 

Is this the best your order has to offer?

 

His lip curled in disdain.

 

You're a sorry excuse for a Sith.

 

His eye brow twitched in hatred.

 

I'd rather leave you alive and so that you might suffer, knowing what I did to you today.

 

He let out an eye piercing scream and charged forward, using the force to rip anything that stood in his path down. His scarlet lightsaber was out, a blur of motion as he passed from room to room, leaving decapitated bodies, split torso's, and limbs in his wake. His mind was only focused on one thing; eliminating all of those who stood in his way of completing his task. His anger was drawn from the girl he hated with every fiber of his being, the women that had let him live and thoroughly made a fool of him.

 

Zad barely noticed when blaster shots hit him, when slugs pierced his armor, or when a melee weapon tasted his blood. Pain was power and he was no stranger to it. His body was covered in scars, the most prominent being inflicted by his own lightsaber-but not by his hand.

 

His step faltered when a series of explosions ripped through the building. Zad, with his fight or flight thought process kicking in, dived for a window and crashed through it. He easily crossed the street and was able to dig his gauntleted hand into the building there, to slow his fall to a crawl. The building behind him was burning and there was a massive crater left where the hanger had been”¦but he couldn't find it in him to care. All he felt was hate. Not for the Galaxy, not for the people on Bespin, not for anyone but that damned girl.

 

He released his grip, dropping the two stories to the ground then coming down on one knee as he began the process of assessing his wounds, figuring out which ones would require attention and which ones he could leave to heal on their own.

[Kakuto Ryu]

KR descended from the rooftops, a glorious precession of enveloping clouds and lightning following in his wake. He touched down lightly, noticably enthralled by the actions of his trainee. He grinned, the fires of Zad's efforts burning brightly in his eyes.

 

"You have done well, Lord Zadkiel. I bestow upon you the Rank of Master in the Sith Order, and with it all the privileges and rights it denotes. Congratulations, Master Zad."

[Zadkiel]

Zad nodded his head, accepting Kakuto's words. He thought this moment would bring more pride then it had. Something about what he once thought would be a great achievement felt so utterly lack luster that it astounded him. He had reached the rank he deserved, but it wasn't what he wanted. He would have to go else where to find what he desired and only once he was done there would he be free to bath in his new found status and power.

 

Without a word he left the figure that towered over him and made his way for the medical facilities on the planet. He made quick work of a medical freighters crew and took the ship, preparing it for lift off. Once in hyperspace, he slid into one of the bacta tanks on board after tending his wounds.

[Raynuk Montar]

An encrypted comm message arrived for Kakuto, bearing mark of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

 

It is time Kakuto. I have need of you in support of a campaign, a series of trials if you will, that I find laying before me. Meet me above Korriban, and I will explain further.

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto let out a low growl as he played back the comm he received. Quietus had a way of interrupting his solitude. He stood up, having been meditating near the cite of the demolished police HQ. He wanted to get a feel for what happened to society after it suffered such a desperate blow as Zadkiel's trials. He had seen a time of grief, a brief layer of chaos, and then a renewed effort. With the gangs gone, once the police department was reconstructed and private defense forces were imported from other systems to cover until they could find full time staff, they found a period of reduced crime. There was a hopefulness, but he failed to care about it. The society had an emotional scar, a wound to be reopened. He wanted to play with this more, but Montar's whim evidently took precedent.

 

Kakuto boarded his ship, and took off for Korriban...

[Vladimir Faust]

A long Ugnaught, dressed in a white robe and with piercing blue eyes, worms his way through the depths of Cloud City. His master would be pleased with his work as its scouted through the lower mines in the city, casually observing the placement of police, troops, and volitile packs of unfrozen tibanna gas set for carbon storing.

[Aira Cadan]

A Republic battle group arrives out of hyperspace over the gas giant.

 

I watched from the bridge of the Peacemonger as the ships deployed around us in the formation previously arranged between their captains, Commodore Argus, Master Anorus, and I. The Indomitable stayed back a ways from the planet, immediately getting ready to set up it's interdiction field. If necessary, no ships would be entering or leaving the system until we allowed them to.

 

Experimentally, I stretched out in the Force towards the planet. There was much more life on it than on frozen Manaan, but much less than on Gala. I couldn't distinguish between friendlies or foes, but there didn't seem to be any outright hostility on the planet.

 

I turned to Master Anorus. "So...do we just broadcast over the planet that if there are any Sith or Imps on the planet they'd better get off or else?" The question was said jokingly, but at the same time, I had no idea how we'd proceed. At least on Manaan, it was clear that the Imperials had interfered. I immediately regretted that thought as it crossed my mind. No planet should have to go through what Manaan had.

[Aira Cadan]

((Legal double post...))

 

Before Master Anorus could respond, I suddenly felt a raw emptiness inside me. I cried out and staggered as pain overtook me. It was the worst thing I had ever felt, and it came through the Force.

 

My master was dead.

 

I knew it beyond shadow of a doubt. Somehow, something had happened to him. Master Anorus had caught me on my way to the floor, and Commodore Argus gave me an alarmed look.

 

When I could manage to speak, I told both of them what I had felt. Master Anorus reached out with the Force and confirmed it to be true, but comforted me with assurances that Onderin was sure to be cloned and perfectly fine in a few days. That did little to ease the shock of feeling his death, but it did help ease the pain of his loss.

 

"So...what do we do? Do we continue our mission?" I asked.

 

"I think we need to get back to Gala right away," Commodore Argus replied. "It would be an act of war to kill the Admiral, and that means that the Republic will need every ship they can get. And with all respect, Master Anorus, probably every Jedi they can get as well."

 

"But what about our mission here?" I asked. "It's still important. If the Imperials have attacked Gala, what if they have more ships and reinforcements here on Bespin? If we found them out, it could give our side a clear advantage if the Imperial reinforcements didn't arrive. We have a lot of ships here; I'm sure that if we find reinforcements, we will be able to take them."

 

The Commodore paused. "There is logic in that, Lieutenant. Very well, we will stay long enough to search the planet, and engage any Imperials we find. We are once again at war. If we find no Imperial presence, however, we will make all haste back to Gala."

 

"Agreed," I said grimly.

[Ulan]

Ulan's big eye lids slowly opened revealing a blurred depiction of an empty street. Just a few feet shuffled past, barely acknowledging the small lump of wrinkled flesh and moldy cloth. Once before Ulan had awoken in the same position, and for a second he wondered if he had died, or if the Force had returned him to a place of safety, but the throbbing pain in the back of his head, the dried blood caked up in his ears and around his mouth, and the feeling of something dark and ominous looming all around his body let Ulan know he was far from safety.

 

Slowly he pushed himself onto his feet, trying to ignore the frightful images he suddenly remembered of the cave. His green eyes scrolled across the cityscape looking for Gavin, but Ulan's master was no where in site, and the padawan could not feel the Knight's presence through the Force.

 

"Alone I am." Ulan said to himself, but he knew this was not true. The Sith's presence penetrated Ulan's body as if the two were linked, destined to exist together. Lead me to this darkness why the Force has, I do not know. Find out, I must.

[Kakuto Ryu]

"I feel a rare need to explain myself to you..."

 

The Warrior's sinister voice echoed through the street, his voice an sharp whisper to the alien's ruptured ears.

 

"Twice you have cut me, Jedi. In the years I have spent engaged in battle, few have been so bold."

 

In the distance the voices of Cloud City residents could be heard over the roar of passing cloud cars. They were not far detached from the world.

 

"I could not let you die so easily, you understand. Snapping your neck while you lay unconcious would have been a waste, when worthy foes are in such limited supply... No... You will not get such mercy..."

[Ulan]

"With Gavin done what have you?" Ulan asked, still scanning the area in search of his enemy.

 

The Sith's words steadily stretched thin threads of fear over Ulan's fluttering heart. My life spared in the place of Gavin's has this Evil? he thought. A discussion of mercy and death was sure to raise such concerns, yet instinctively Ulan tried to bury the feeling of insecurity, knowing it would be used against him. Slowly, he reached his three fingered hand towards his belt, but comfort was missing from that spot as well. Ulan's lightsaber did not hang in its typical location, and the padawan felt for the first time the penalty a Jedi must endure for losing the sacred weapon.

 

"Advantages you have," Ulan spoke again to the air; a person passing by looking at him as if he were crazy, "but the Force by me stands. Told you of your foolish actions I did. My fault your wounds are not."

 

Ulan frantically searched his mind for the wisdom Gavin had implanted there. Little had the two discussed of the darkside, but the master had provided the apprentice with tools, skills that had taught Ulan to trust and listen to the Force. He stretched outwards with his mind touching the presence of every living thing nearby. Steadily, he translated the ripples that bounced off of every living creature, listening to the feelings as one does echoes escaping a cave. One key feature of Bespin stood out to Ulan--algae. The small, microscopic plants floated through the air turning the atmosphere a pink haze. It was these small life forms that Ulan listened to the most, knowing first hand that in small things lurks great potential.

 

Miniature waves of Force energy bounced off of each suspended piece of plant material revealing more and more detail about the lives of Bespin. Environments can be influenced by the emotions of sentient beings, a fact Ulan had discovered for himself during his many years. He had found talking to plants with loving kindness often times made them grow larger, faster, and healthier. In this case, it was one particular life that concerned Ulan most. A lifeform whose pain, anger, and hate radiated off of every living organism that surrounded him. This was a fact revealed on Ilum when the Stih had first entered the cave, charging the crystals with his mere presence. Ulan searched for the same type of anomaly, a dark presence standing against the light of an abundance of life.

 

Ulan took little time to find his foe blotting out the sun and obscuring peace. The padawan turned towards the enemy saying, "From the light hide, darkness cannot. Breaking through clouds like sunshine, the lightside of the Force shall forever penetrate the dark."

 

Gulping down his fear and radiating courage, Ulan waited for a response from Evil incarnate.

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto's towering figure stood still from the rooftop where he viewed the descending sun. Black robes hid his face from view but did little to hide the sharp corners of his armor poking through the fabric.

 

"...Fault?"

 

In quiet contemplation the warrior chose his words.

"You are mistaken, little Jedi. There can be no faults where there are no beliefs. Compassion... Harmony... Right and Wrong... These things, they are simply beliefs, ideas held sacred by many.

 

"War is what happens when a belief comes in conflict with another. The rules of the few never coincide with the rules of the many. To wager one's life in combat is the purest expression of self--to live by one's own belief, and to die without compromise. That is the only way to give a belief meaning. That is the only way to be free."

 

Kakuto turned to the alien, raising his right hand to reveal Ulan's lightsaber. He wore a bone white mask beneath his black hood, purposefully hiding his face behind its skull-like form.

 

"What do you believe in, Jedi? What would you prove in striking me down?"