Ilum

[Cadio Sikaot]

A comm was sent to the Imperial Admiral.

 

--Comm--

 

Imperial Admiral, this is Vice-Admiral Sikaot of the Rebel Alliance. Admiral Starlisk is on the floor in a puddle at the moment, literally, so I'm in command of the fleet. We will comply with your plan for now.

 

-Vice-Admiral Sikaot

 

--End Comm--

 

With that, the retreat order was withdrawn and the Empire's plan was put into action.

[Gren Sairdonga]

Upon arrival at Ilum Gren swore as his back started to itch. Reaching over to scratch it he exploded. Fun.

 

His fighter remained where it was on board a Mon Cal Cruiser.

 

((Three days from here.))

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Just prior to deployment to Ilum, Capt. Slaughter had asked of one of his officers a very serious and potentially vital question. The NCO was a veteran, a man even more laconic than Bruce, but he had been in the Rebellion for far longer than him. The question that was asked from soldier to soldier was this: how could one read a man and predict if he would be reliable under fire? Which men would simply freeze up and potentially get their comrades killed? Which men could be trusted to exercise good judgment and remain stolid under even the most impossible odds?

 

”œWell,”

[Davi Quinn]

Davi looked in awe as the fleet arrive. However, that feeling quickly changed as his head exploded as with the rest of him. This was not exactly the kind of war he was looking to fight.

 

((Three days, see ya on the 14th))

[Thor Hughes]

Thor stood on the bridge of the Atlas. Several of his commanding officers were standing next to him. Another several were now puddles. It had rattled Thor's troops a little. There were few Jedi, or force users among them, but each loss of a good man was hard to swallow.

 

Thor had luckily managed to be missed by the mush that was once Jedi. He was clean. But his thoughts raged. His first battle, he hadn't even fought, but they lost so many men and women. This was not how he wanted to start his career as a distinguished Rebel commander.

 

But at this point, he could do little more than stand, remain calm, and wait until the real battle started. The other men were making the big decisions, Thor was just there to fire the guns...for now.

[Sakuda Iron demon]

::The Arach'tar warfleet formed up to engage the rebel and imperial attack head on, focusing on the rebels to capitalize on their disarray. The strange ships with the glowing blue auras began disabling enemy ships with frightening speed, locking out their systems and venting their crews into space.::

[BLACK1]

A green brilliance lit up the cold Ilum sky as the Death Star completed it's charge, unleashing it's fury on the frigid planet below. Millions upon millions of planetary fragments shot outward in all directions, pelting Arach'tar, Imperial, and Rebel ships alike.

 

"Sir! The weapon has been destroyed!"

 

Great. Now shut the f*** up and sit down. We're still getting shot at.

 

Black's eyes darted from screen to screen, studying the field as ships were lost and advanced. Every second was precious, with each passing second more and more men dying, but he had to be sure. This had to be absolute.

 

Okay, they're going after the Rebs. I want the flanks to push forward.

 

As the Arach'tar fleet advanced toward the fleeing Rebel ships, they had to move through the Rebel's scrambled warships and fighters, slowing their advance. The warships and fighters would be cut to ribbons to be sure, but they slowed the enemy fleet's advancement just enough to make them less maneuverable. The Imperial flanks pushed in, trapping the Arach'tar fleet between the Empire and Alliance.

 

Everyone continues firing. I don't give a shi- if the Reb warships are still in the way, they're serving a purpose. Fighters and warships, tighten formation and stay close to your SD's. Report!

 

"Sire, we've lost thirty four warships, twelve star destroyers, the Eclipse has taken heavy starboard damage, but escorting warships are maneuvering to compensate. They're advancing on the Death Star, but the station's defenses are up and operational."

 

That's f***ing terrible, Admiral! I want that left flank patched up and pushing forward yesterday, you got me?!

 

The man could only nod, quickly turning to bark orders as he rummaged for his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his bald head.

 

What are those blue things, what are they doing?

 

"Sire, reports indicate they have some weapon on them that's locking up the ship's systems."

 

Hm...well that just won't work. Send in the third wave, I want those blue ships eliminated. Coordinate shots, and have the second ones lined up. I want this to be as smooth as eggs, gentlemen.

 

The battle raged on for what seemed like eternity before said ships appeared, taking their time to arrange themselves, using their advantage of stealth to it's fullest. With a blaze of red brilliance, twenty-nine cloaked SD's along with two cloaked Executors exited stealth firing right on top of the blue aura ships, their MCPS's ripping through the enemy ships like paper. The bridge on the Death Star erupted as jovial shouting spread from man to man. Black remained in his chair, his grimace remaining as he continued scanning the screens behind his black shades.

 

Don't pop that champagne yet boys, we've still got the river.

[Sakuda Iron demon]

There are ancient things in the galaxy, things that have been lost to time in the eyes of mortals, but should not have been. Before any race had ever traveled through the stars, there were servants, numbered twenty, that did the bidding of the Force. After their terms of service, they were given immortality, and left to their own devices. When one has trillions of years to train and practice, limitations and sanity become irelevant. It was one such being that appeared at Ilum, the so called machine god of the Arach'tar.

 

Rev'Nullem had always felt that biological life was simply a stepping stone to a perfect machine form. With the creation of the Arach'tar, hybridizing machine and life, biological life became irrelevant. Crusading throughout the universe, this galaxy was the last refuge of life to be snuffed out before the next step could be taken.

 

The vastness of Rev'Nullem was hard to conceive for the people that were at the battle. To most, the stars simply blacked out. To the Emperor, all that could be seen were terrible eyes glowing with balefire. In a single sweeping gesture, Rev'Nullem bisected the imperial Death Star in a clean cut. With a roar that was felt instead of heard, the figure emanated raw power that shook the attacking fleets and caused several ships to graze and crash into each other. With their weapon destroyed, and the momentum of the attackers slowed, the Arach'tar left orbit to refuel and rearm.

 

Rev'Nullem left the field by force of will alone, leaving the survivors with only the sound of his maniacal laughter.

[BLACK1]

Not many things shake a mandalorian. Those that do are summarily surrounded and shot until the power cell empties. But this...this was...different. In the entirety of his existence, possibly extending back into his past lives if you believed in such a thing, Black had never experienced something like this. As the stars themselves, the only thing Black found to be reliable in life, faded from very sky he reached up to take off his signature sunglasses. In the star light's stead were a pair of eyes that felt as if they bore to his very soul, stopping only when finding him lacking. It took the whole of his composure to remain staring into those burning eyes, his hands inadvertently reaching for a cigarette. Without breaking eye contact he lit the cigarette and took a long, hard hit, holding the smoke in for far longer than he should have. A part of him thought he could feel it coming before it actually did, the thought dismissed as soon as it came. Smoke erupted from his nostrils in a stressful sigh.

 

Son of a bitch

 

The Death Star shuttered as it parted ways with itself. Black stood from his throne, adjusting his coat at he walked to the reserved escape pod mere feet from him.

 

--Comm--

This is your Emperor. I'd like a pick up whenever you lads are up for it.

--End Comm--

 

Soon he was picked up and taken aboard the Eclipse. The retreat order was given and all Imperial ships left for Coruscant.

[Onderin Starlisk]

((That was quick.))

 

A message came in from Admiral Starlisk, ordering the withdrawal of all Alliance vessels back to Gala. They would just regroup a moment and be on the move again, but first things were first.

 

((I'd wait for someone else to post it, but I'll just do it.))

 

A moment later, the vessels responded to his order, and the massive Alliance fleet jumped into hyperspace to head back to Headquarters.

[Mathis]

As the alarm signaled that his ship was ready to exit hyperspace, Mathis blinked and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He had spent a lot of time traveling through space, and one of the methods he had used to combat "cabin fever" was to take plenty of naps. Getting up out of bed, he stretched, scratched himself, and made his way to the cockpit.

 

Settling into the pilot's seat, he flicked off the alarm and switched the controls back over to manual. The white lines that filled his field of view shifted into distinct points of stars. However, Mathis was only interested in the one object that should be right in front of him. Ilum. The planet had become a favored location of his. It was where he had come to bury Adi-Wan Tinova, to train his apprentices, to fight the Sith, and to restock on crystals for his lightsabers. The solitude brought by the frozen lands was an excellent place for one to collect their thoughts.

 

As his ship settled back into normal space, Mathis didn't need the Force to tell him that something was wrong. Where the planet had once hung in orbit was now..... a big cloud of rocks and dust, starting along the process of becoming a new asteroid belt.

 

BAM

 

A dent was added to the control panel as Mathis's fist slammed into it, expressing his anger at the destruction of the planet.

 

What idiot would have blown this up?? It holds no strategic value, and, last time I checked, nobody was even living here...

 

Turning his ship around, Mathis racked his brain to come up with a new destination; some location that would put him back in touch with the Jedi order. Sifting through several ideas, he chose one and punched the coordinates into the nav computer.

[Darth Pravus]

Pravus entered the Ilum system according to the directions he had received from the small droid his ship had taken aboard at the ruins of Helix Station.

 

The long deceased Sith Master who was leading him around had instructed him to go to Ilum. He wandered if the master had forseen what had happened to the planet.

 

He received his reply when a small holographic image projected on the small ship's HUD of the still hooded master.

 

"Among the ruins of this planet, apprentice, you will find crystal which a Jedi could attune to make their lightsabers. Your ship will locate some for you and tractor it in."

 

To Pravus's rage, the ship did exactly as the master had said it would. It moved insystem, and using a low powered tractor beam, began collecting some fairly large specimens of Ilum's crystals. Pravus felt his rage grow at his own helplessness.

 

As he watched helplessly, a ship dropped from hyperspace above the systems ecliptic and swoop towards the ruins of the system. He recognized the ship as a smaller form of the one that had begun rebuilding the former Helix station.

 

The ship began harvesting materials from the ruins of the planet, but instead of building a station began expanding the factory ship and reconfiguring it.

 

Pravus watched, wondering why the factory was gulping materials and assembling pieces at a pace that was probably at the extreme edge of droid programming when he felt his ship moving at its own will towards the edge of the system.

 

Rage blossomed again as he felt the ship's hyperdrive activate and send him flying into the void.

[Kal]

Kal arrives with the Black Sun fleet. He dectects smaller ships around, but not of the one he is looking for.

 

The order is given and a search of the area is performed. What he is looking for is a trail. The process yeilded a thousand recent differnt trails that could have been from numerous ships and vessels.

 

What occured next was the elemination of the alliance and the empire trails which left only one set. Kal knew some had returned to center point while others were probally at Gromas right now. A few others though he hoped would lead some where else. Numerous scouts had reported a surge of traffic in a section of the galaxy, but none had surrived long enough to relay where. Launching probes Kal waited for the results of where these trails would lead.

 

 

*Many hours later*

 

Time had passed and Kal had smoked 5 cigerates in that time waiting. During that time had also modifed a battle suit that would worked as a enviromental suit for a span of 10 to 15 minutes if the need would arise. It was a made of a light weight material that was slick and smooth to the touch. It was not nearly as bulky as the current suits. It did not offer nearly the amount of protection as well. What it lacked in defense and size though it made up for by being able to be incorperated into his battle systems. It intergrated into his power suit giving the abilty to easily access and infilirate systems easier as well as increasing his mobilty. It would take some shots and provide him with the needed abilties to carry out his plans.

 

The suit had taken a days time to make only because Kal had thought of this suit and had worked on the specs for some time. Putting on the suit felt like simply putting on a jump suit. Then once he combined the power skeleton complements on the king, it responded quickly. The skeleton powered the suit automatically linking itself to the implant in his brain and the nueral network. The suit worked like a charm in how simple it intergrated into his "organic" network. Doing a simple test he jumped and attempted to perform some simple acrobatic movements and he soon discovered that his abilites had trippled. What he didn't know was if it would be enough to battle the machines that wished his death. The suit gripped tight as he raised his fist and brought it down apon his work station. The result was a lost in a work bench.

 

Kal was pleased. The only thing that needed to be tested was the suits hacking interface. That would have to be tested on somthign though that he did not know front and back. However it would have to be test in the field.

[Kal]

((Legal Double post))

 

The probes returned one by one and one in particular revealed the location of what Kal had been waiting for.

 

Before launching to his new destionation Kal sent cordinates to the empire, Silas, and the alliance on the supply depots location.

 

 

With that Kal embraked from Illum read to attack this depot and bring it to its knees.

[Darex Trevelian]

((Sorry about the delay, guys. I thought I had posted this already! Dumb computers...))

 

As the Persephone appeared out of hyperspace in the system, Darex was turning to Aerec. "Cold," he grinned. "Very cold. It's an ice planet, riddled with caves. We'd better take Darla's advice."

 

He opened a locker and grabbed two heavy, hooded coats. Tossing one to Aerec, he pulled the other one on over his tunic-and-robe combination, then headed to the cockpit. At his first glimpse of the planet, his face fell. The planet was no longer the mysterious refuge it had once been. Instead, it was a scarred world, and in the Force the Jedi Master could feel the diminuation of the planet's aura. A severe battle had occured here, and it had left in it's wake a broken and bruised planet, struggling to heal itself.

 

He put a hand on Darla's shoulder. "We'd better keep away from the caves the Jedi normally visit. I don't know what this battle was over, or who wsa involved, but the chance remains that this planet is no longer friendly to us."

 

He glanced down at the instruments and pointed out some coordinates. "We can land there. It's out of the way, but there are still a large concentration of caves in the area. We'll do what we need to do, then get out of here. Hopefully we won't draw unwanted attention."

[SithAcolyte]

While Darex and Aerec were getting ready Darla made her way to her quarters. She found a black all in one flight suit that would insulate well. A thick fur lined hooded overcoat and some gloves then she was ready to brave the icy planet below.

 

As she returned to the cockpit to take the Persephone in for a landing she was shocked by what she saw on the viewscreen. Darex seemed just as shocked as she was. He obviously had no idea what had happened either. Darla listened to her friend, noting the coordinates that he had pointed out. With any luck, they'd be able to find the crystals that they needed there.

 

It was an area of Ilum that Darla had never been to.she was a little worried that whoever was responsible for the devastation might Still be lurking near. There was also the danger of predators, although Darla was really familiar with Ilums wildlife.

 

After setting down at the specified area Darla armed herself with a blaster pistol before lowering the ramp. She wasn't really sure what to expect, but she wanted to be prepared for anything.

 

"We should make this real quick." there was a look of concern on her face.

[ForceFusion]

Aerec threw on the heavy coat as he peered out the viewport at the white planet. "So...uh...what is this place?"

 

Then he noticed the evidence of some chaos. He reached out in the Force and felt something wasn't right. He couldn't put a finger on it, but Ilum didn't feel like Yavin had. Ilum felt like it was nursing a wound.

 

"What happened here?"

 

Suddenly the fear of the bounty attempted a comeback. Aerec had been comforted by Darex's confidence at staying out of known space...but apparently something had happened here. Could bounty hunters find them at Ilum?

 

He calmed himself quickly, though. Darex was a Jedi master, and Darla seemed well armed. He was pretty sure they'd be fine.

[Darth Furion]

((OOC: Hey guys, Ilum was blown up. Link. Black blew it up destroying the Arach'tar Force killing weapon they had made out of the crystal temple. Kthnxbai.))

[Darex Trevelian]

((OOC: LOL...I read back over the battle before arriving here but I obviously missed that....alright then...we never landed. We'll just be in the system for now. Rewind a bit then... ))

 

As the ship entered the system, Darex knew a split second before they reverted to realspace that Ilum was no longer there. His heart was heavy as the scattered bits of rock splattered on the hull. The massive, far-flung asteroid field stretched before them.

 

"Hang back, Darla. We don't want to get too close to the center of this asteroid field." His words were from instinct, and his mind was mourning the loss of this unique planet. Another casualty of war. He hated war. It was, he reflected absently, precisely one of the reasons he had become a Jedi; to prevent things like this from happening. "Destroyed."

 

Well, there was no changing the past. Darex let the pain go, and the clarity of the Force fill him again. He had felt shockwaves of destruction while in his hermatige on the Eternal Vigilence, but had not been able to discover which planets specifically had been destroyed.

 

He turned his mind back to the present. Aerec still needed a lightsaber crystal. With Ilum gone, they would have to find another way for that goal to be accomplished.

 

He sat down heavily in the copilots' seat and removed the heavy coat that he would no longer need. He searched through his memories of the knowledge he had gained from the holocrons, and came up with several options. He quickly presented them to the Force, and recieved a gentle nudge in response. "Well...in this case...we'll have to go to Ithor or Dagobah." He glanced at Aerec. He hoped the apprentice was handling this alright. He also was taking careful stock of Darla. She hadn't remembered being here with him before, but the raw devestation might reconnect her to the Force again, and Darex wanted to be prepared for any possible reaction from her.

[ForceFusion]

Aerec's arm was caught halfway through putting the heavy jacket on when they reverted into Ilum space.

 

Or what was supposed to be Ilum space. He immediately stopped struggling, though his body was in an awkward position, and gaped. Nothing was there but asteroids.

 

"What happened?" he asked.

 

In the Force, he reached out to survey the area as he had when arriving at Yavin. There was lingering pain, but no life as there had been on the Jungle moon. "How do you destroy an entire planet?"

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was utterly shocked. She hadn't for a second thought that Ilum wouldn't be there when they arrived. It was horrific sight that she had witnessed more times than she ever should have.

 

"There are many ways to destroy a world... Unfortunately." Darla spoke in answer to Aerec's question.

 

The Force didn't stir within Darla. Although what she saw before her was truly devastating she could feel nothing. Perhaps that was for the best. She had no desire to feel the pain of word dying.

 

"Can either of you get any idea of what happened through the Force?" Darla asked, curious about the icy world's fate.

 

For as long as she could remember Jedi had made their journeys to Ilum to harvest the precious crystals for their lightsabers. But they weren't the only type of crystals that could be used.

 

"If we can't find a safe place to find any other crystals I've got another idea."

 

She waited to see what Darex thought before she explained further.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. Through it, the Jedi Master picked up echoes of what had happened. After a few minutes, he shook his head. "There was a battle here, but it was at the end of the battle that this happened. And it was sudden. That's all I know. I'm sure that Master Starlisk knows, and Armiena as well."

 

His heart was heavy, but he pushed away his grief. He couldn't change the past, as much as he wished he could. He turned his mind to Darla's last statement. "Well, as far as crystals are concerned, there are several other places in the galaxy where one can find lightsaber crystals. Corusca gems work, as do krayt dragon pearls, and pearls from the great clams in the Bank of Knowledge on Mon Calamari. Also if you gain permission from the Ithorians, there are crystals on the planet's surface."

 

He turned to Darla. "What's your idea?"

 

As he waited for her answer, he reached out Aerec. Are you alright?

[SithAcolyte]

"Well accroding the records, when Luke skywalker created his first lightsaber there were no other Jedi around to guide him. He found a book on lightsaber construction hidden at Ben Kenobi's house on Tatooine. He wasn't able to find any natural gems so he created oneof his own in a pressure cooker."

 

A flood of memory filled Darla.

 

"The Sith create their crystals ina similar way. They use the Force to manipulate the heat of a furnace and shape their own crystals out of the their anger. I did that too... When I was amongst them. I've got a pretty good idea of how their formed. If we could get a pressure cooker and raise it to the right heat the rest is simple."

 

Darla didn't like the idea of going anywhere where her friends would be in danger. Especially with the bounty on their heads.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex nodded. "You're right, I had forgotten about that." He let a shadow of a smile creep back onto his face, but it was soon gone again. He turned to Aerec. "I guess it's up to you then, Padawan. What option sounds good to you? They will be, after all, your crystals."

 

He paused. "But I've forgotten again--Tatooine is also destroyed. So krayt dragon pearls are out unless we buy one." He looked doubtful. Dragon pearls were expensive, and more so now that the planet they were found on was destroyed. "It's your choice, Aerec. What do you want to do?"

 

Darex was confident that the Force would lead Aerec to make the best decision. He wanted to give his apprentice practice in listening to it, and in making his own decisions. Besides, Darex knew the Force was always eager to offer advice when it came to lightsaber crystals, if the Force could be characterized so.

[ForceFusion]

Aerec hadn't closed himself off to the Force after his first probe of the remains of Ilum. It was starting to get to him. He felt illness in his stomach and dizziness in his head. As Darex and Darla spoke, Aerec barely heard the words. Even his master's message through the Force seemed faint.

 

"Umm..." he started when a question was asked directly to him. Finally he was able to snap out of it and concentrate on the conversation at hand. The lingering feelings of death disappeared, but the physical conditions they'd put on him only faded slightly.

 

"I'll have to think about it," he said. "But can we leave this place...it's disturbing." He shoulders sagged and the jacket he had partially put on fell to the floor. He glanced at it, but didn't pick it up.

 

He didn't at first know why he had asked to leave Ilum. But after he heard the words, he wondered what had caused it. He wondered because he was ashamed that he couldn't stand up to such massive heartbreak. And he knew suddenly knew that he wanted to leave because he didn't trust the Force in this place. He couldn't make a decision aided by the Force when his connection to the Force was making him ill.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex sat down in the copilot's seat. "Let's just make a quick jump out of the system," he told Darla.

 

As he set up the navicomputer, he reached out with the Force to help calm his apprentice. Even in the midst of destruction, there was still hope, if only in the idea that the Jedi Order was doing what they could to prevent this from happening elsewhere.

 

Aerec was actually taking this rather well, Darex mused. He remembered Seraphim's first reactions to destruction, when he flew in the battle over Kamino. He had become so sick that he had left as fast as his hyperdrive could handle, which, in the end, became a good thing, Darex knew. He winced at the memory of that horrible battle. He still had no idea how he had escaped the clutches of four of the most powerful Sith Masters in the galaxy and a Sith apprentice.

 

That whole thing had been a mess from the start, he realized. It had been a good plan, but even the best laid plans often fell apart, and operation Phalanx had fallen apart extremly quickly.

 

He shook his head as the navicomputer beeped, interrupting his thoughts. "Alright, let's get out of here." He flipped the switch, sending the ship into hyperspace for a few minutes.

 

((Space))

[Sakuda Iron demon]

Unfathomable energies twist time and space, ripping a temporary hole into the very fabric of reality. After much wrenching and pulling, planets and stars that were destroyed are returned, in their prior state before their destruction.

[Deton]

The process was more or less boring for him. Being only a commander, he watched the construction process of the base which was simple enough. Deploying a prefabricated base, was simple. Each piece was already assembled and sent down, then put together by construction druids and workers.

 

After that it was a matter of making sure everything was running smoothly. The construction didn't take long, as there was nothing particularly special about this prefab base. It simply was, what it was suppose to be, according to Imperial standard regulations. On occasion, Deton found himself quite bored watching the place be built, yet other times, he found it almost a treat to watch. Over all he rated the experience average, and cringed at the thought of overseeing any more of these bases built personally.

 

As that was his particular joy, to have what needed to be run by command, to be run through him. While there weren't many problems, he still found himself, piled high with paper work, when he wasn't on site over seeing the project. When all was said and done, he denied the general of his chance of being deployed here as command staff. He had other more important work to be done. Though only a commander, he had more lives he was currently responsible for than the general now had under is command. There would be no reason in the galaxy for him to abandon his men now, just to work under the general on this back water planet.

 

Still the man had left him with some decent advice. Boarding an imperial shuttle, he settled in for the long ride back to Courscant. He had accomplished his mission, though it had been some what boring. Left the Crystal caves alone as per instruction and made sure an imperial presence was on world. He had even left the Star Destroyer in system for the simple reason for securing the area, long enough for a space station to be built. He had little doubt one would soon be constructed lest the rebels opt to orbital bombard the place.

 

Knowing his luck he would have to write up the TOE for the space station himself, then come back and see the defense platform being built personally”¦ all over again.

[Tobias Vos]

Tobias landed on the planet, thankful that he didnt have any trouble getting off and finding his courior. Tobias then found another flight off world and headed to Corusant, he needed to visit an old friend and get out from under the Hutts.

 

His plan was now in motion. He was just going to get out and find someone to train him, in something, anything.

[Ason Antilles]

Darkness of this sort was not the mere absence of light. This cave, once filled with the splattering of luminous crystal reflections and peaking rays of sun, had been blackened by a sort of frostbite. In a different time, when once the sight was laced with a still vitality, the cold in the air was less frigid and more of a warmth in gentle repose. However, a taint had withered the spirit out of the place, charred it with a malice flame could never achieve. A reverent aura hung in the emptiness. A hollow requiem. A silent celebration that words would only befuddle and obfuscate if someone ventured a futile attempt at their utterances.

 

Within the scene, or within the lack of a scene, or perhaps the scope of the scene itself, there rested the calm presence of one who had seen this death offer rebirth before. Only when one has lost himself to the void can one emerge from it with a sense of identity. Within the bowels of a planet, lifeless as this one, this presence had condemned itself to a solitary confinement in a prison of quite similar makeup. This being became the nothingness it surrounded itself in, a man sinking into an airless ocean suffocating his very soul. Only from this state, where the old self was destroyed, could the new self reign. From the abyss emerged a concentration of all the emotions and passions it had remained ignorant of all this time. And from that, a savior of those sensations rose with far greater design and purpose than ever before

 

I am not that which destroyed cities and rattled worlds. I am more.

 

Ason Antilles, a name the galaxy was all to happy to resign to the annals of history, had reemerged from his unrest to wait for one who had begun a similar journey. Where a body had once held one mind, that body now became but the sole vestige of that man's existence. Perhaps, through a predestined meeting of the two, the forgetting and the forgotten would both become something other than relevant. They would become something other than everything. They would simply become”¦

 

”¦more”¦