Space

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin nodded. "It shouldn't be too long," he said, reclining in his chair. "Just long enough to get comfortable."

 

((I assume none of us want to linger here any longer than we have already.))

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A few short hours later, the hyperspace alarm went out, startling Onderin out of a half-doze. He had checked his messages before dozing off and found one from the Chief of State acknowledging his concerns and announcing the remilitarization of the Galactic Alliance. The Jedi Master hadn't quite expected Devanus to bring back the fleet just because he had raised a concern about what had happened on Bothawui, but it seemed likely that this was just one more reason on a growing pile of them that had led to the reinstatement of the fleet.

 

Incidentally, Sabian had also asked him if he would be willing to come back as a Fleet Admiral, but those days were behind him and he could tell that his one-time apprentice knew it.

 

He hadn't gotten an update from Gren Sairdonga, but he knew how the man operated, and given that he was off the radar, it was unlikely that he would report in until he had something solid.

 

Presently, though, Onderin pulled the shuttle out of hyperspace over Dantooine and put galactic matters out of his mind. The Force was large, but it was also personal, and Ads deserved his full attention in these critical moments in his apprenticeship.

 

((Continued in Dantooine thread.))

[ObliviousKnight]

Taking a few minutes to send a communique between hyperspace microjumps, Armiena exchanged messages with the Wolf Spiders on Phu. Crammed into the tiny cockpit of the Switchblade, there was no room to even retrieve the communications unit on her belt—at least, not without some creative manipulation of the space of the tiny interior of her fighter and some gymnastics while still strapped into the ejection seat. Instead, she communicated by audio only—and unfortunately, the Wolf Spiders had never quite mastered the art of using an inside voice while on comms.

 

“Okay, here’s how we’re going to do this… Inquisitor, ping all of the Wolf Spiders who are currently away from Phu. I need location, current assignment, and if they can manage it, redeploy from their current assignments and rally at Borleias. Which unit was assigned to Aryian? Saladin? Oh, good. One of the originals. Where is he currently stationed… are you kidding? Incomplete records? For Force’s sake… Ok, let’s just brute force it. Signal the Blur—, no, just signal Aryian. Ah, frack it, I’ll do it myself. Thanks a million, Inquisitor.”

 

Closing the channel, Armiena glanced down at her waist, noting with dismay that her restraints prevented her from reaching her comm unit. Grumbling under her breath, the veteran pilot slowly undid the clasps to the belts. Not only did this free her waist so she could retrieve the device, but it also freed her entire body from the constraints of the ejection seat and she began to float freely in the cockpit. There wasn’t much room in the Switchblade for her to drift, but there was more than enough for her head to keep bumping against the canopy and her elbows to find every awkward angle on the control services.

 

Holding the metallic disc close to her face despite the continual jostling of her elbows, Armiena spoke into the comm unit. “Aryian,” she paused. What in space was there to say? “It’s me. We need to meet. Are you somewhere safe? Please send me your location if you’re free.”

 

With that, Armiena closed the channel and began the clumsy process of strapping herself back into the ejection seat in zero-gravity. After years of separation, she had expected she would have been somewhat more eloquent in her first message to her ex-husband. At the very least, she wouldn’t have expected that raspy, unsure croak that she barely managed in that brief communique.

 

She waited.

[Ary the Grey]

A reply came in a few minutes later, in plain-text format.

 

'I'm at Lehon. Jedi Temple. Don't kick me in the balls.'

 

It was short and to the point. Just like her boot. Which hopefully wouldn't wind up in the vicinity of his gonads.

[ObliviousKnight]

“You’ve done a lot to deserve it. As have we all.” Armiena grumbled after receiving the message from her former husband. Still, she hadn’t expected a response from Aryian quite as quickly as that. The only matter was that the Jedi veteran had absolutely no idea where the planet of Lehon was located in space—the name looked vaguely familiar, though Armiena suspected that she had come across it only once during her management of the Jedi Archives.

 

Pulling up her ship’s navigational charts, Armiena found the world in a mostly uninhabited region of space. The planet was within range of her interceptor, but only just. Wondering aloud about why she had heard of the planet, the Force-sensitive pilot plotted her course and sent the Switchblade back into hyperspace.

[TheYoungOne]

Clack... clack... ....clack

 

The slavers boots upon the rickety platform above his cage caused the boy to awake from his slumber... or was it a coma? The sound of his skin peeling away from the sticky plastic sheeting that lined the floor of his prison was sickening and further worried the twelve year old. Pushing himself up into an upright and seated position, Fenton took the time to assess his being and what he saw was not pretty. The corner of his mouth twitched a few times before slowly spreading into a scowl.

 

The wounds are not as serious as last time... I just have to make sure infection does not set in, especially after what they did to Tomas. thought Fenton as unconsciously he realized he had been staring at the now vacant cage next to him. It won't be long before someone new fills the void... the slavers can't believe that I continue to come out alive, but they don't know what I know... they don't know how special I really am.

 

The particular slavers that owned Fenton were vile men and women that bought young children, between the age of nine and fourteen for one single purpose. Mortal Combat. The young warrior smirked as he remembered some of his contests that he was forced to participate in. In the early years, Fenton was adamantly against the idea of killing another being, whether they be human or alien. Though when placed inside of that large octagon cage and someone across from you select a weapon... you had better select a weapon, because the only way that you are walking out there is with your opponents head severed from their body. That is the cost that each child must pay... and so, Fenton always made sure to pay in full... the first killing was a result of his body recognizing the fact that it was kill or be killed. For a while, he held onto that belief... that he was doing it because he had to... they had left him with no other choice...

 

"Then why do I like it?..." Whispered the tormented boy.

 

"Did you say something Lil' Monster? " asked Randall, the short stocky fellow that usually did the dirty work. He was the bastard that took the deceased to the pits to the feed to the hounds... and now his attention was solely on Fenton. As he made his way towards him, the young boy could smell the stench of death that simply consumed this man...

 

For I am Groots sake, does this guy bathe in the waste compartment. I do not even get the right to clean myself and I am nowhere near as pungent as that lard-ass. With a shake of his head Fenton attempted to dismiss the horrid stench, though with Randall standing so closely now there would be no escape. Not wanting to make him linger any longer, the boy continued to shake his head as if to answer the man's question. He didn't want to speak... not for fear of what the man would do, but as a means to avoid being forced to taste his rancid scent as well.

 

Yes... he stunk that bad.

[Ary the Grey]

The Blur popped out of hyperspace in seemingly nowhere, but in reality they were just in dead space only a few lightyears away from Corellia. It was a safe place to wait while Aryian awaited a communique from his ex wife, away from the trade lanes, and he figured his Cathar companion might have a few questions he could answer.

 

"Well, we might be here for a bit. Gotta wait for a comm. But, I can tell you may have questions, so we might as well pass the time by talking."

[ObliviousKnight]

Aryian Darkfire received a message from Armiena Draygo. It was audio-only, but the former Jedi Grandmaster sounded more than a little stressed.

 

“Aryian, Draygo. We’ve left a mess on Corellia. I’m heading to Coruscant, the Eternal Vigilance. I suggest you try to avoid CoreSec for a while. They’re… less than pleased with us. Anyway, I’ll see you there.”

[Azhani]

It didn't take very long before Azhani began to feel cramped. She could feel her legs bunching up and she had to scratch absently at the metal wall to keep her mind from wandering too far. She needed open spaces to run, to hunt, to stimulate her static muscles, but no. She was here in this metal box that looked like it was flying at high speed through a pile of white straw. It was maddening, she hoped to be rid of the metal box as soon as possible, no offense to her new acquaintance.

 

She remained silent for a a few minutes and that silence seemed to stretch on for quite some time, until Azhani was able to stifle her discomfort long enough to give her new friend her full attention.

 

"What is the force?"

[Ary the Grey]

Faster than he expected, Aryian got his message from Armenia, and as he spoke, he relayed the information to the AI with instructions to pilot them to Coruscant. As for Ahzani, her thoughts (and body language) spoke for themselves.

 

"It's okay, I get it. This trip is going to take a few hours anyways, I know of an esaier way to pass the time. Just try to relax, and I'll explain everything on the other side."

 

He reached out, grabbing her mind gently, lulling it into a trance along with his own as he pulled her mind into his, a training technique he'd used multiple times with many people. In fact, he'd even administered Master trials to a man who had later gone on to defeat him in battle, albeit as a Sith at the time. It was a long story, don't ask.

 

The view which he next took in was one of his own creation, a simple grassy hill with a tall old shade tree at the top, fields stretching outwards from it in every direction as far as the eye could see. He sat underneath the tree, waiting momentarily for Ahzani to get her bearings before answering her question.

 

"The Force is an energy field spanning the entire galaxy, possibly the whole universe. It is controlled and manipulated through midichlorians, tiny life forms that are present in all things. sentient beings with a high enough natural concentration of midichlorians can learn to harness that latent energy, performing feats that appear supernatural but are in fact quasi-scientific in nature. It all has something to do with quantum entanglement and cosmic energy, but I never bore myself with the details. The point is, you have potential, and I can train you to use it. I can rebuild you. Make you better. Faster. Stronger. Able to use a litterbox. I'm not even sure what the last one is, I just say stuff like that sometimes. Don't ask. I can teach you to lift huge objects with a thought, or to sway the minds of others. To be so physically skilled that your enemies are but mere obstacles, to be so understanding that your allies are awed by your wisdom and insight. And it's all available to you for eight easy payments of 499 credits. By my count, that's less than 500 credits."

[Darex Trevelian]

No sooner had Darex's ship entered hyperspace than it's pilot got down to work. The first thing he did was contact CoreSec. CoreSec and the Jedi Order still had a strong working relationship, and while CoreSec had been plagued with staffing problems, they were still actively keeping the peace in the Core worlds. He spent several long minutes on the comm with them, explaining the situation. They agreed they would tighten security and alert the Jedi right away if Faust was spotted on any of the worlds in their jurisdiction. Darex urged them to do the same with even hints of bizarre occurrences, knowing full well how Faust was a master of disguise. They also talked briefly about sending some of their agents to join the hunt.

 

The next thing the Grand Master did was start a system-wide search of the Jedi Archives, pulling any locations that had, like Dantooine, been the source of Force-inflicted wounds. He also set the system on alert.

 

Finally, he punched in a few command codes to the Jedi emergency network. All Jedi sympathizers and informants would get an alert on their personal comms to report any suspicious behavior matching Faust's profile, known habits, ship, or incidents similar to what happened on Dantooine. It was an effective group, with eyes everywhere. Most of the disputes that Jedi were called in to resolve were first reported and brought to the attention of the Order by these beings. If anyone was going to be able to find out where Faust had gone, it would be this network.

[Azhani]

The Cathar did what she could to sit still, but her tail was still biding its time bobbing back and forth around the wall of the ship, poking and prodding at the cold metal shell that surrounded her. Her thoughts crammed mercilessly into her head and she tried to pry apart her anxiety, but it was ultimately Aryian's guidance that bade away the cloying nerves.

 

It was misty at first, but when she consciously pushed past the haze of cloudy thought, she could make out a wide open field that stretched as far as her pale blue eyes could see. It was mesmerizing and beautiful, but before Azhani could run about in blissful glee, her mind interrupted her joy to tell her that some part of her was still in Aryian’s ship due to the persistent cold chill that ran down her spine. Regardless of her brain’s attempts at thwarting her excitement though, there was no denying that this illusion was more attractive than her immediate reality. She relaxed her illusory muscles and crouched down into a low battle-ready stance. Then, with all of the speed of a swoop bike and all the joy of a small child receiving a gift for the first time, the Cathar shot off into the wide green fields. It was mesmerizingly beautiful and if it hadn’t been for the summons of her new acquaintance, she would have likely stayed in her state of euphoric catharsis.

 

A few minutes were all she needed to feel a lot better. Her muscles were surprisingly pleased with this outlet, even though it was false, and she felt ready to continue her conversation from before.

 

Not skipping a beat, her new friend started to answer her question as the Cathar drew nearer. It all seemed a little far-fetched, to be honest. She was curious as to how it all actually worked. Aryian seemed true to his word though and much of what he said rang true in what Azhani had seen before, but why did he add in all of that other stuff? And would it really cost money? Azhani was unsure, and a little nervous, though it didn’t show on her face.

 

“Pity, I don’t have any money.” Azhani said, straight faced. She didn’t know how much of what this man said was true, because he seemed to treat some of it like a joke. Azhani didn’t mind listening to someone with a practical sense of humor, but she couldn’t tell if he was just saying it to get a laugh, or if that was really what was going on here.

[Ary the Grey]

..."Shoot. Well, I really have no need for credits, anyways. it's just nice to call those hotlines sometimes, you know, the ones where the pretty little Twi'lekk girl on the other end asks you what you're wearing? Anyways...I can train you. I don't take apprentices like the Jedi or Sith, but I will teach you in a similar manner until you are ready to move on to the next level. Do understand, I am not a Jedi. Their methods of teaching are far too orthodox and close-minded in my opinion to turn out a decent Jedi. Hell, I had to teach myself most of the extracurriculars, at which point they involved me in their special operations strike force. Long story."

 

Aryian had a feeling in the back of his mind, knowing they had almost arrived.

 

"Would you like me to teach you? It can be difficult, but in the end, worth it. At least I think so."

 

((Next post of mine will be at the Eternal Vigilance thread))

[Fynn Relmis]

Darkness...

 

The unfathomable darkness of space remained silent, ever waiting for something, anything to happen.

 

Then it did.

 

Two ships exited hyperspace within moments if each other. The two arriving at near simaltaneous instants was a tribute to the methodical timing of the master mind of thier ultimate purpose. These were simple freighters, nothing suspicious no mass of defensive weaponry, no grand imperial fleet, just two small transports. Registered to a Correlian trading group, only one of which was Relm Transports, they could legally land virtually anywhere.

 

The two Relm transports circled, then docked. The air locks opened, and thier Kern stood solemnly awaiting his second in command. She approached, along with her cohorts.

 

"Baron Kern, we have assembled our best as per your order. The equipment you specified has been loaded, and all is in readiness."

 

"Very good, our god will be pleased. Come with me, my masters plan unfolds as we speak... And your part in all is crucial. The Jedi and Corsec are large beasts, with impressive fangs and huge muscles, they believe thier technology and thier weaponry will protect them. But my master has seen thier flaw. Let them look for the armada, let them perpare for the invasion, We shall do what no fleet of warships or millions of droids could do...

 

Minutes passed, the Keshiri soldiers were briefed, equipment shared, until the time arrived.

 

Through his connection with Faust, Kern felt the event on Kashyyyk clearly. The shock through the force was bracing, and the darkside was stirred in him. The time had come.

 

"Show me your devotion, and all shall have a place at the right hand of the new god. Victory..."

 

Kern did not need to finish his words, the soldiers did so for him.

 

Or death!

 

M'ruka saluted him as her soldiers returned to thier place, and the air locks closed. In moments both freighters did a series of blind jumps, moving back to the traditional trade lanes.

[Azhani]

((Okay))

 

Azhani sat still for some time. She let the tranquility of the environment flow around her; she let the peace of thought in her mind settle before coming to a firm consensus. It wasn't that hard, considering her experience and her past. Uncertainty still kneaded at her a little in the cracks of her understanding, but she knew she couldn't waffle forever. She knew there was something strange inside of her. She often thought it was just her abnormal height or the weird genetic fur discoloration, but deeper still was a burning feeling that she could feel pulling her onward. Whenever she hunted, she boasted a stronger - more potent - array of senses than any of the other females of her pack. She often had difficulties overcoming her size, but she could find game even from miles off and consistently returned home with a bounty of fresh meat.

 

It would be interesting to explore what kind of potential she had, and since she was already out of her comfort zone - so far from home - why stop now?

 

She winced a little inside at the reminder of her home and the monster that had begun to destroy it in her vivid memory. She thought of using and manipulating that power against him, but even the thought of revenge made her cringe.

 

After about ten minutes or so, Azhani looked Aryian straight in the eye and wore a contented smile.

 

"I vould enjoy learrning. To see and know, if nothing else."

[ObliviousKnight]

Somewhere between Corellia and Kashyyyk, Armiean Draygo paced through the corridors of the Gravedigger, a second-hand salvaging corvette of uncertain origin that she had recently acquired and was attempting to restore to serviceable condition. While the cargo hold had been recently refurbished and converted into a hangar capable of servicing two snubfighter-sized craft, and the thrusters and avionics package had been restored beyond their previously disgraceful condition, the corvette was half-finished at best. It had no armor, no armaments, and the probe launchers that had been installed by the droids at Phu were unloaded and the control panels in the cockpit hadn’t even been fully wired for their controls. They were fired only by shorting exposed wires under the control surfaces.

 

And lastly, half of the ship was exposed to vacuum and was attracting mynocks like a ship graveyard, and another fourth had not been completely rewired and had no artificial gravity, heat, or life support. All in all, the Gravedigger was a barely-servicable hulk of a vessel, only capable of servicing the Switchblade and providing living arrangements beyond the spare five centimeters afforded by the cramped cockpit of her miniature interceptor.

 

“Look, I… D’Jonnz, let me speak for a second. The Galactic Gunshop might serve orders on a small scale, but that supplier is shady as frack now. I swear that they’re in cahoots with Black Sun or Force only knows who else. Firkraag-Roden only manages orders in bulk—planetary defense forces, militias… that sort of deal. Even for a intrasystem order, I would have never been able to place an order for anything less than six pallets… and they offered a bulk discount for ten or more. And I negotiated the thirteenth out of them for free, so in the end I actually saved money.”

 

Jonn D’Jonnz, the deckmaster of the Eternal Vigilance, protested vehemently through Armiena’s comlink that he was pretty certain that wasn’t actually how these things worked. Besides the departed Jedi’s misunderstanding of microeconomics, how in the Nine Hells was he supposed to find space in the magazine for thirteen pallets of caseless ammunition?

 

“I know, I’m a little bit rusty on my economic theory, but…” A loud burst of yelling rang in Armiena’s ears. For a moment she wished that had never opted for the cochlear implant which allowed her to conduct this conversation without the use of her comlink. “D’Jonnz, I have complete faith in your abilities. You’ve been deckmaster of the Eternal Vigilance for… eight years now? Oh. Fourteen? Force, we’ve been in this business for a long time. I know the miracles you can work. I don’t need all that ammunition in one place. Send it off to the other enclaves… Phu, Borleias, Gala… I know what you can do.” An irritating buzz echoed through the corridor from Armiena’s quarters to the cockpit. “I need to go. I’m about to come out of hyperspace. Please don’t ever contact me on this frequency unless you know perfectly well that I’m not in the field.”

 

Armiena tapped the commlink on her belt and ended the transmission. Armiena glanced up at the bare metal of the ceiling and frowned at the blinking alarms. The realspace reentry alarms were yet another thing that she was going to need replaced.

 

She visited her quarters one more time to don her armor and retrieve her weapons. Between her lightsabers, shattergun and blaster pistol, the Alderaanian was a sight to be stared at, as instantly noticeable as a Mando’ad in full armor. Combined with the low-yield grenades that studded her belt like rhinestones, there was no hope of her making it through customs on any civilized planet. Hopefully the Wookiees would have a sensible attitude towards the right of a sapient being to self-defense.

 

Her fashion accessories retrieved, calibrated, dry-fired and loaded, Armiena jogged towards the cargo hold of the Gravedigger, which she had converted into a hangar. A wide, rectangular room that still had much of the yellow-and-black striped paint which marked hazardous areas, the cargo hold had had most of its floor stripped away and replaced by an airlock and magcon field generator. The arrowhead-like Switchblade hung from the ceiling of the hangar, suspended over the airlock by docking clamps.

 

The reentry alarms became earsplittingly shrill and the prodigal Jedi paused in midstep to compensate when the momentum of the Gravedigger swung forward as it entered realspace. The corvette had just reentered realspace just outside Kashyyyk’s solar system. She picked up the pace, almost tossing her rifle into the miniature cargo hold of her interceptor and climbing over the bow of the snubfighter with a tiny Force-assisted leap. Making herself comfortable in the tiny ship’s cockpit, Armiena sealed the canopy and muttered a couple of words into the artificial air of the fighter, signaling the airlock to pump out the hangar’s atmosphere and open the external doors to open space.

 

Armiena closed a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second, then gave the ship the signal to release the docking clamps and drop the Switchblade into the void.

 

The last thing that she did before making her final jump into the Kashyyyk star system was to send an unencrypted message to the Holonet. Although she made use of a voice scrambler to disguise her identity to casual listeners, the protocols that it used to avoid being traced to a specific location would identify it as a Jedi transmission.

[Karys Narat iv-Adas]

Darkness...that is all he saw.

 

The unfathomable darkness of space remained silent, ever waiting for something to happen. And something had happened, something which had brought the massassi into it's deep, murky depth's and away from the Shadow's Gambit.

 

As the commandeered shuttle exited hyperspace, Karys considered his options. He knew there would be repercussions should Quietus find out he had fled his service, but yet he was unafraid of this...he had no illusions of the fate that awaited him should he find out, it was the fate of any who betrayed their former master, even more so among the sith. But yet he felt compelled to do so. Not by a physical presence but rather one that had manifested in the force and drawn his gaze, a power greater than even he fathomed Quietus dare realised. A power that could lead him to what he truly sought.

 

But first he was required to wait on a vain hope that another 'beacon' in the darkness would surface. A beacon that would hopefully direct him to the source of the wound in the force. But as luck would have it even as his focus was upon the force he needed supplies and a new ship...he knew of one place whereby he could get both. Coruscant. Even his people had heard of it and it's troubled history. And now he would need to pay it a visit. Inputting the correct co-ordinates he set a course even as he waited for the elusive beacon that would lead him to his destiny.

[Emily]

A random hyperspace jump away from Korriban, a polished black ship drifted through the void of space between stars.

 

It was, Emily thought, an apt metaphor. She was alone in the drift of the universe, caught up between the bright swirling light of stars. The last star she had orbited had gone supernova, and she was in danger of being sucked into its pull. But the choice was hers, and hers alone.

 

It certainly would be easier to let go. Her heart was overwhelmed with suffering. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune pierced her every moment. She was smoldered with regret and ached with sorrow. She simmered with anger, and yet was filled with resignation. It was too much. She felt too much. It couldn’t be borne.

 

But it wasn’t in her nature to give up. She could fight. She could take arms against her sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them. It would be long and arduous, but she could feed on her emotions. They would give her strength. And eventually, she would conquer them. Her heart didn’t quite believe that, but her intelligence was not silenced.

 

In that defining moment, it was the memory of her mother that led to her decision. She had avoided visiting her parents’ tomb while on the dusty world she had just left behind. Not out of fear, but out of emptiness. She had had nothing left, and she felt they deserved more than a visit from the shell of a daughter. But now she realized that she was in the same place her mother had been, all those years ago. The Force clearly had a cruel sense of amusement, for the irony was not lost on Emily. Both mother and daughter had loved Sith, had found their home, and had had him ripped away before his time.

 

Sirvani had chosen one way. Emily would choose the other.

 

***

Over the next few days, Emily put herself back together. The past was not thought of; only the future mattered now. The question was, what did she want that future to look like?

 

An idea began to form in her head, and she talked it over with Roe’gall, her one constant companion. The more she thought of it, the more she liked it. It would be a challenge, which she needed, and yet give her the space and freedom she desired. She would be beholden to none, and free to act however she wished.

 

Finally, her mind was made up. Heading to the cockpit, she closed her eyes and let the Force guide her. After a moment, she entered in the coordinates that had come to her mind and pushed the lever, sending the ship out of the void and hurtling through hyperspace.

[Raynuk Montar]

As Furion, Quietus, and his tuk'ata, Vex'aedr made their departure from Naboo following a brief but otherwise satisfying hexa-murder, Quietus was quick to notice that his brainchild, the casinoliner Shadow's Gambit was orbiting the very same planet. Whether it was fate, or the will of the Force, Quietus didnt really care. At the very least, he was glad to know that Captain Kira had kept the ship going. As much as Quietus would have enjoyed boarding the ship again, it was clear that such a vessel wouldnt suit the venture that he and Furion would be taking.

 

What it did mean though, was that they could get rid of this pile of junk that he had taken from Korriban. Sweeping in close enough to the Gambit, Quietus pulled his sleeve back, and began activating the wrist controlling unit that was tied to the Ogariv II, which should still be sitting in the belly of the Gambit. And sure enough, Quietus began receiving feedback almost instantly. A few minutes later, the ship, just a spec of movement against the backdrop of the Gambit dropped from the docking bay and began homing in on Quietus. Once it arrived, Quietus managed to dock with it, and soon ushered Furion aboard the Ogariv II.

 

Vex'aedr on the other hand, needed no ushering. The tuk'ata was practically clawing through the latch by the time Quietus got it open, and wasted no time charging through the ship; a ship that was a home to the beast. As Vex'aedr bounded around the ship exploring and re-sniffing every corner, Quietus made his way to the cockpit and resumed their course away from Naboo, making a hyperspace jump towards the core.

[Raynuk Montar]

(I seem to have misplaced Furion again )

 

Once in the confines of hyperspace, Quietus turned from the controls to the communications array. He had spotted the Shadow's Gambit while departing Naboo, and now that the transfer to the Ogariv II was completed and he had put some distance between the two ships, he felt safe in contacting Captain Kira. The SIth sent a fairly routine message to the Gambit; inquires about galactic news, how the ship was running, and things of the like were mentioned before expressing his reasons for not returning for the moment. Quietus had always planned for the Gambit to be self-sufficient without him, and current diabolical plans with Furion aside, it would be pointless to break the momentum that Kira had going for him by running the ship himself.

 

Once the message was completed, Quietus nodded to himself and left the cockpit to rejoin Furion and Vex'aedr. Passing through his ship, Quietus silently remarked to himself how quiet the ship was, and ironically, how its silence mirrored that of his tomb on Korriban. But like everything else in his career, that was behind him. He had gained a particular knack for returning from the dead, and knew that at some point, his luck would run out and a death would remain permanent.

 

As he passed into the living quarters, Quietus found Furion standing beside one of the few viewports that the Ogariv II had to offer. The man was standing almost stoically, as if in deep thought, a thought that Quietus decided he would not interrupt. Instead, he continued on towards the cargo area, where he would assuredly find Vex'aedr bounding around in excitement at returning to the ship. Once there, he did indeed find the giant white tuk'ata practically bouncing off the walls as he ran from one end of the cargo bay to the other multiple times before finally noticing his Master's presence and approaching. Quietus greeted his pet with affection worthy of such a beast.

 

"I see you've settled in nicely... Shall we go see what our mysterious friend is thinking about?"

 

The Sith was answered only with a questioning tilt of the head from Vex'aedr before turning to return to the living quarters, beckoning Vex'aedr to follow once more. Once the pair had entered, Quietus found himself a seat on the nearby couch, and turned to Furion, studying the other Sith from head to toe for a moment before speaking. Vex'aedr followed as far as the couch before plopping his own rump down next to Quietus, looking like a true guard dog in stance.

 

"So brother, tell me more about these plans of yours. I do so love to know what im getting myself into."

[Emily]

A full holographic message comes directly to the Ogariv II. When activated, a holo of a well-proportioned woman with black hair and mismatched hazel-and-gray eyes would flicker into existence. Her manner was hardly the confident woman the owner of the ship was familiar with; indeed, she looked almost uncomfortable.

 

After a moment, the image speaks.

 

“Hi. I don’t know if you’ll actually get this. There is a rumor floating around that you’re back from the dead again.” The figure lets out a wry laugh. “If you’re not, then I hope whoever it is flying your ship will get what is coming to him for stealing it.”

 

She sobers. “If it is you though…” She bites her lip. “Well, I’ve missed you more than you can know. But I also understand that death can change a man. The fact that I heard about your return through a rumor is proof enough to me of that.” She grimaces. “Emperor’s black bones, this is hard. There are things that were left unsaid before your death; things that need to be said. But if things have changed, and you want to walk a path separate from mine, then so be it. You can go your way and I will go mine.”

 

She hesitates for a long stretched out moment, then seems to come to a decision. “Whatever you decide, though, I want you to know that…I love you. I have for a long time, but I couldn’t admit it to myself, and much less to you. “ She takes a deep breath and her eyes seem to look right at the recipient. “If you want to find me, Captain Kira knows where I am. If not….then I hope the path you choose is a good one.”

 

With that, she reaches forward, and the holo message flickers to a stop and disappears.

[Raynuk Montar]

As Quietus sat there, waiting uncharacteristically patient for Furion to speak again, he heard the faint tweet of the comm system in the cockpit. He was not surprised by it at all, figuring that it was simply Captain Kira responding to the message that Quietus had sent to the Shadow's Gambit. He glanced in the direction of the cockpit, before turning his gaze back to Furion, who continued to neither stir nor speak. Finally Quietus' patience reached its end, and he again stood from his seat with a sigh, and made his way back to the cockpit as the comm beeped again. Vex'aedr simply glanced up at Quietus, looking equally as bored and fed up as the Sith, before resting his head back down on his paws as Quietus motioned for the tuk'ata to stay. He said nothing to Furion as he left the room, as he the other Sith clearly felt no need to speak to Quietus either.

 

Arriving in the cockpit he stood between the two chairs at the front and keyed the comm system, only half interested in what Captain Kira had to say in response. Furion's sudden silence was, much like Quietus' penchant for dying, becoming a worrying pattern. How were the Sith supposed to rise again if two of its most elder members and warriors continued to fall silent for months at a time? Quietus for one was not content with such an existence. If he was going to fall into that pattern again, he would at least begin rebuilding the Sith before it happened. Enough was enough.

 

Of course, everything that Quietus was thinking about; Furion, the patterns, and his goals for rebuilding, all fell away into nothingness the moment the holoprojector on the comm panel kicked on, shooting a full size projection directly at Quietus. The unexpected holo was enough to cause Quietus to take a step back, but after the split second it took for Quietus to identify the projection, he fell into one of the chairs in the cockpit, his eyes stuck on the face before him. he sat there completely stupefied at the holo projection of Emily, perhaps the only person in the galaxy Quietus was capable of loving and respecting equally. Her uncomfort was visible, even as a hologram, as as she began to speak, Quietus threw all his attention into listening to every single word. And then he played the message again. When the message was done playing through a second time, Quietus allowed it to close, and leaned back slightly in the chair he found himself in, peaking his hands in front of his face, in what would otherwise look like a praying position. Instead of praying however, Quietus was contemplating. His actions since his return, his actions before his death, and his life in general; all of it was open to look back and reflect upon.

 

It did not take long however, for Quietus to instictfully know he needed to reply. What he would say however, was difficult to fully understand until he spoke the words.

[Raynuk Montar]

Now nearing the end of his trip from Naboo, Quietus seemed to have somehow infected Furion with the same malaise and slow, coma-like death that he had just recovered from. While Quietus had been lucky to have Darth Eris and Captain Kira to make arrangements for him following his bout with the disease, Furion only had Quietus. And quite frankly, Quietus didnt care for Furion as much as the other two had cared for him. So while Quietus had been given a nice burial on Korriban, Furion was rather unceremoniously dumped into a corner of the cargo bay in the Ogariv II, reduced to a meat-sack that was being put off to be dealt with later.

 

Quietus had different things on his mind. Only hours before, he had suddenly felt like he had been hit with a tidal wave of the darkside, its origins emanating from far away. It was a phenomenon that Quietus didnt fully understand, but knew that it took a massive undertaking to accomplish, and that there was no way Quietus would know fully what had happened. What he felt was little more than the galaxy expanding outward from the point of origin, an origin that was equally difficult to trace. In short, there was little Quietus could do for now, except to store the experience away in case it happened again.

 

Eventually, the Sith arrived at the destination that had been set before Furion fell silent, and Quietus took no delay in returning the Ogariv II to real space over Coruscant.

[Vladimir Faust]

Recovering aboard the Megiddo, Faust recovered, sinking from a coma like trance into a near trance-like battle meditation. Linked to the cy-ops of the ship, he kept a steady commune with his followers, keeping troop movements coordinated, and having stolen from Black Sun, ensuring that RAGE permeation was present to help facilitate the final strike. A few remaining Nightcloaks were picked up as well- they would be useless for a longterm siege as was their want, but as a weapon of quick terror, they would be fantastic.

 

A few smaller worlds on the Galactic fringe would provide adequate feeding as he waited to execute his final move, allowing hit and run feedings before the Galactic Alliance could muster a response. All the pieces were on the board, and it was a matter of maneuvering them into position. His trance dipped out of battle meditation into foreseeing the future, trying to stake out probabilities and manipulate the to his ultimate success.

 

He wondered if the Sith were set to oppose him, having heard nothing of them since all but turning on his final apprentice. The Jedi would be a problem as always, as would CoreSec. He still worried a bit about Black Sun, having a premonition that things were not going to go smoothly from here on out.

 

Two items remained to get assembled for the final strike. If he was not stopped at either juncture in time, as nearly happened on Kuat, he would be well placed indeed:

 

1) Arrive at Onderon and pick up the last of his home-brewed abominations. He still awaited word from Dr. Isel that the monstrosities were ready.

 

2) Arrive at Midsengard to get the last of the bodies and supplies needed, and supercharge his feeding using the ANGEL Battery.

 

From there... it was just preparing the final Ritual and watching the dominos fall... Feed, Kill the Force itself, rule the Galaxy... no... the Universe... forever and ever....

 

Eyes opening, once more glowing their eerie blue, flickered with veins of absolutely blackness, Faust smiled at the thought.

 

It would not be long...

[Andon]

She loved you very much…

 

Even here, orbiting within the halo of asteroids tumbling about a vacant world ten thousand light-years from Corellia where he first heard the sentence, Andon’s heart still turns to sand when he dares to let the sentence cross his mind. For all of his prowess and talent, his niece’s childhood recollection of the life he once robed himself in is enough to dwindle away the last of his resolve. After all this time, he is still lost. After the years that have passed since Emily’s revelation had been imparted to him, Andon is still adrift in the shade of his former completion.

 

You were very much in love…

 

The castaway was trapped in the poison of sobriety, resigned to the punishment of an unclouded mind in which he could not hide from that which he dared not know. Alcohol no longer did anything for him, not after the… immersion. No substance could rob his mind of the eternal clarity that now plagued him; the clarity that had too resigned him to what was to come.

 

“I’ve tried to be a good man, Master. I have tried.” Even now, Hale Akturus is the one who he has reserved his last good-bye for. “I gave myself to the Order. All you entrusted me to, I gave of myself to see its task through. I’ve sacrificed friendships and loved ones, but I could not save the Order. I couldn’t be the man you hoped I could be. I couldn’t stop the Jedi from crumbling around me. I had to leave… I had to be more then they allowed me to be. I took up your cause for the innocent; I remembered all your lessons on justice and morality. I didn’t pity the weak or view them as inferior; I gave of my own will so that I could be strong for them. I shed blood… I killed.”

 

In his slumber, there was no reality because reality was determined by your focus. His focus was to transcend to that which did not need to focus; the focus was to undo the need of focus. To recuse focus, in essence, is to recuse reality. This slumber was a quest of madness by degrees and little by little the Jedi was coming to a close of that which could be measured. To drown and be submerged is to be dragged beneath the crash of the surf and tumble haplessly to the whim of a current; to be pulled down and crushed by increments as the pressure collapses around you. Immersion was different; it was the absence of pressure.

 

One is not crushed, there is no gravity or substance, and you float away skin cell by skin cell in an endless tide of being undone. If clarity was a needle it required one to be stretched infinitely thin in order to be threaded through the eye, only to have to weave oneself back together again… atom by atom. With each progressive dip of his toes into the stream, it was becoming more and more taxing to recall the rest of his body sitting along the shore; the Jedi feared he was surely losing himself to this monster he had birthed, but it was not a path he could diverge from. Andon had made a commitment, one not easily broken.

 

He hasn’t slept for days, but he is not haggard. He is strong, for he has not slept out of deprivation but because of focus. He cannot sleep; sleep is the enemy. When he sleeps he dreams and when he dreams he cannot steer, but merely witnesses. What he dreams is not what is to come, but what has always been. It is easier for him to change reality than it is a dream.

 

**

 

There is a click of static followed by a subtle hum as the holo begins to record the last image of Andon as a finite being. Shaggy brown hair frames his cheek bones as his mouth grows into a lopsided grin, because it is good that a recording will be made and proof of what he has become will be documented. He does not know if another living soul will ever find this recording, but the uncertainty makes it all the more important to share.

 

“This is the last testament of the Jedi known as Andon Colos, left to Emily Skywalker, my only remaining family in the known universe.” Hazel gray eyes are sharp and focused as they lock onto the lens of the holo, his shoulders square and his posture strong. “I am farther into the stars than I have ever dreamed to travel. So far out, in fact, I can barely detect any other beings through the Force. There is such an emptiness on the fringe, there is so little here that is actually alive.” He pauses, as if to gather the resolve to form his next sentence.

 

“I cannot feel the flicker of your future, I do not even know if you are alive, but I choose to believe that somewhere you are safe and loved. I have no possession of worth to leave you with, but what I have is a tale. It is the tale of how I came to witness the fabric of eternity unravel and mold before my hand.” Andon’s eyes glass over for the briefest of moments, as if he is seeing something familiar, but cannot quite place remembering what it means to know it. “My story is not an easy gift to receive, but it is mine to give and I will gladly share it with the little girl I remember, whose eyes were too smart for her own good. And like all good stories, my Emily, it all starts with a girl…”

[Kitt]

Kitt set the course for Coruscant above Lehon and then let the shuttle blast off into hyperspace. Once that was done, He turned towards Garrick with a knowing smile. Carefully, he adjusted his own robe before speaking.

 

"The question you asked earlier is a complicated one. To start things off, it was a choice that lead to me not being the Grandmaster and not someone else's. The Empire and Republic had recently made their treaty, forming the Galactic Alliance. I had recently found through the Force this night sister witch. She intrigued me, as she was broken in spirit beyond repair. Something told me that she would bring forth to me at the time that Dark Lord of the Sith. I was wrong. Instead, she came with two other with who claimed to be greater than the Dark Lord, as well as another shooter or two. This move intrigued me as well. After surrendering myself to the will of the Force, I choose not to return to knowledge of the Jedi Order and instead went under cover. I went by my middle name, and changed my appearance. In fact, my brown hair and brown eyes? They were blonde and blue, without a beard. It was apart of my choose to learn more of what could drive people to make the choices that they did. But then something happened during my time with CoreSec…"

[Garrick Sage]

As Kitt launched the shuttle and input the coordinates for hyperspace, Garrick took a quick minute to use the refresher. He stood under the hot water and allowed the sweat and grime from his day of training to wash away along with the remnants of fatigue. His new-found connection to the Force had allowed him to keep his body going and resist the effects of the intense physical training, but even a powerful Jedi had to recognize the relaxing ability of a hot shower. As he stood beneath the water and watched the steam rise around him, the Padawan closed his eyes and allowed the Force to flow through him. He was beginning to truly enjoy letting the mystical energy field flow through his body, feeling the connection to everything around him. As he fell deep into the Force, he noticed a difference between the way it felt on Lehon and the way it felt in space. On Lehon he felt connected to every life form in a small way, almost as if he could draw any energy he needed from those life forms. But in space, while he felt connected to the ship, he felt almost utterly alone. But for some reason he felt as if the Force was an entity, keeping him company, letting him know he was never truly alone.

 

Opening his eyes, Garrick turned off the fresher and began to redress in his Jedi garb. Hooking his lightsaber to his belt, he pulled on his robe and made his way to the cockpit just as Kitt launched the shuttle into hyperspace. The young Jedi sat down and listened to his Masters tale with an open ear. When he reached what seemed to be a pause, Sage raised a hand in interruption.

 

"Pardon the interruption Master. You mentioned the Sith before when speaking on my sword, along with the Dark Side of the Force. What are the Sith and what is the Dark Lord? It sounds like the title of a holo villain."

[Kitt]

Kitt thought for a second as he leaned back in his chair. It was a difficult question with far too many easy answers.

 

"That is a far difficult question. In this galaxy, there are far too many answers. The common belief is that the Force has two sides to it. A light side, which is what the Jedi use. It focuses upon Knowledge, defense, and doesn't inflict harm. The dark side is the other side, which has anger, aggression, and things that harm. But a little more research on your end could bring up some more theories, and I could aid in giving you a more broader view of the Force through our travels."

[Garrick Sage]

"Perhaps when we return to the Temple, I will spend some time in the Archives and see if I can come up with some of those theories."

 

Garrick leaned back in his seat as he waited for Master Kitt to continue his tale.

[Kitt]

Kitt leaned back in his own seat and let out a breath of air.

 

"You'll be able to read of such beliefs throughout all of the archives in the Jedi Temple, but you'll only truly discover what your own stance through travels and experience. But anyways, back to my experience…"

 

Kit now turned his seat around to face the controls of the shuttle.

 

"At CoreSec, I found an interesting thing… A drug was being sold and supplied to the lowlife's on Coruscant. It was a powerful one that blocked Force Users from sensing them, as well as expanding their own senses. It intrigued me enough to seek out these drugs and find out what they were made of and where they came from. Through my start, I found that most of the typical drug dealers or those just involved with the lowlife's were not involved. But from there is where it get's hazy. I have a ton of memory gaps that leave things unexplained. Fuzzy images is al that remain. Part of it keeps me from connecting the right dots together. But you have nothing to worry about. I know for a fact that I did it to myself. It shows all of the signs of a Force Wrap…"

[Garrick Sage]

"Is that part of what this trip is? To begin the formation of my own ideas on the Force? And what is a Force Wrap?"

 

Garrick watched as the lines of stars continuously streamed past the two Jedi in hyperspace. He began to wonder what his own opinion of the light and dark would be, and how he would view the Force.